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As our Ad Agency friends are partying it up in Cannes, I figured its perfect timing to talk about How to give Feedback to an Agency so the work gets better. It's funny how bad clients under-estimate the impact they have on the advertising work and yet good clients get it. There's this weird contradictory circle: a) clients hire agencies based on work they do for other clients–many times better clients b) great agencies still make bad work–which highlights those good clients help make good work and c) the client is ALWAYS right, which means if you tell an agency to do something, they will. If we put all three of those together.
How they show up does more to make or break an ad than even how the agency shows up. After all, the Brand Leader gets the "final say" on every aspect of the ad–brief, script, director, casting, music, budget, and final edit. The agency can only recommend. What the Brand Leader does with that "final say" can make or break the ad.
If you knew that how you show up to your agency got better work for you, do you think you would show up differently?
In terms of giving feedback at that first creative meeting, a Brand Leader can really only do three things.
- Approve an ad
- Reject an Ad
- Give direction on how to make the Ad better
If you're sitting in the hot seat, how will you know? It's not easy to sit in the hot seat as the decision-maker. I've seen some Brand Leaders use all instinct and no fundamentals. They miss the most basic of things. While other Brand Leaders strictly use fundamentals and forget to use their instincts. They miss the magic or are the first to put together a Frankenstein from various things on the brief.
Before you get started: How will you judge the Ad? Here are the ABC'S of Advertising
Here's a potential tool you can take into the room that is very easy to follow along. You want to make sure that your ad delivers on the ABC'S which means it attracts Attention, it's about the Brand, it Communicates the brand story and Sticks in the consumer's mind.
- Attention: You have to get noticed in a crowded world of advertising. Consumers see 6000 ads per day, and will likely only engage in a few. If your brand doesn't draw attention naturally, then you'll have to force it into the limelight.
- Branding: Ads that tell the story of the relationship between the consumer and the brand will link best. Even more powerful are ads that are from the consumer's view of the brand. It's not how much branding there is, but how close the brand fits the climax of the ad.
- Communication: Tapping into the truths of the consumer and the brand, helps you to tell the brand's life story. Keep your story easy to understand. Communication is not just about what you say, but how you say it—because that says just as much.
- Stickiness: Sticky ads help to build a consistent brand/consumer experience over time. In the end, brands are really about "consistency" of the promise you want to own. Brands have to exist in the minds of the consumer.
How to use Feedback to make the Work Better
I've seen guys go in with pure instincts and spin around in circles. My suggestion would be to use your instincts but be guided by a process that can help you judge the work. Look at sports as a metaphor, there's instinct used in every sport, but the superstars of any sport (Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps) are disciplined in their approach and then let instincts go on top of the fundamentals. So use the ABC'S above, and then let your instincts take over.
The Creative Meeting is not Easy. You've got to balance, the head, the heart and the gut against the good of the brand. Take your time and sort it through asking the following questions:
- Do you love what it can do for your brand? If you don't love it, how do you expect your consumer to love it? A great ad has to have everyone's heart and soul put into it. If you "sorta like" it, then it will be "sorta ok" in the end. If you love it, you will fight for it. (The Heart)
Is it on strategy? Is the Advertisement an expression of what you have been writing in your strategy documents? Is it doing what we hoped it would do? I love the ABCS technique (outlined below) because it helps me to frame things in my mind, so I can evaluate it past how I feel. I think you need something to ground yourself. (The Head) If there is something in your gut says it's off, it likely is. (The Gut)
Is it a long-term Idea? Is a big enough idea that fits with the brand does the hard work you want to do for the brand and can last 5 years? Think about leaving a legacy—which forces you to think of campaign-ability. (The Brand) Look at the Creative Brief and if the ad is not on strategy, then it has to be rejected Advertising is an expression of strategy. If it's not on strategy, it has no value.
Tips on Giving Feedback
- Remember to Relax and Smile: I always find that the room gets so tense, stiff and serious: we forget to laugh, smile and be real. Imagine trying to present something funny to a room of deadly serious brand managers. It helps motivate a nervous creative team.
- Give the feedback in three ways: a) First Impressions: during the presentation, it's great to be engaged enough to say "I like that" or ask a question. b) Giving Direction: focus on what's working and how to make it better. Focus more on the board you like first, and then move to the ones you don't like with less detailed feedback. c) Leave the Detailed Direction on how to make it better for the day after. Moving the details (copy points, placement, colors) to the next day, helps focus the immediate comments on big picture items. Take 24 hours to digest all the little details
- Focus on Direction, not feedback: Feedback is static, the direction has action and decision-making. Speak on behalf of your consumer & your brand.
You should agree upon a Feedback process with the Agency ahead of time and then use that consistently. There are two main ways you could do it. Either give the feedback live where everyone talks or take a break and consolidate your thinking first. I've done both, trained on giving feedback live, but have changed my opinion over the years and now I'm a fan of taking the break.
Here's the old tired Archaic 1950s style processes:
- Account Team re-reads the brief then they do a set up of each board, explaining the technique/process (e.g. this is funny) Setups can taint the client's view of a spot.
- Agency presents 3 scripts and says which one is their favorite. Potentially de-motivator if you ask for their favorite and then dismiss it. A better question is "which spot did you find you kept coming back to, as you worked the process".
- Client Feedback is given with the most junior person goes first, all the way up to the senior person in the room. This feels very 1950s humiliation and de-motivating to the junior people on the team.
I'd suggest you Take A 30-Minute client huddle helps because:
- Agency gets one piece of feedback. Time allows the client to get the story straight. The break helps to slow down the process so the client can think things through.
- Gives Ownership to the Brand Manager, who should do all the speaking on behalf of the team, not the most senior person in the room that over-rules them.
- Client Team has a very open discussion, freely hearing out everyone's thoughts, giving the junior people easier input the final opinion. Brand Manager hears everyone then consolidates it to one message.
Tips to help clients provide a clear decision-making process in place
- Decision Making: Team leader in the creative meeting room gives direction to make the work as good as it can be before selling it in. This gives them ownership over the project. maximum to get it right. When the VP or President attend the early creative meetings, the work doesn't get better, it gets more complicated.
- Pre Testing Does Help: Narrow the creative concepts down to 1-3, put into animatic format and test to determine success potential in the market. Instincts are great, but having them confirmed by consumer feedback is even better.
- Selling the work into the Organization. The team leader accompanied by the senior account person (plus Creative Director if needed) should jointly sell it in the organization.
- Make sure you leave Enough Time: While everything is a rush these days, a well-run project, with adequate breathing space for creative ideas, 2-3 rounds of creative, potential testing and adequate time for development
Communication Goes Both Ways: Exhibit the leadership style that welcomes feedback, and gives it. Each side brings expertise, the agency has advertising and communication expertise and the client brings consumer/brand expertise.
Seek Advice Beyond Advertising: Good account people know what it takes to be a good marketer. They can help you on the side. And many times, their superior people skills can help a client that might be lacking in that area. They also likely know how to sell to your boss, which can help you when you need to sell to your boss.
Build a relationship with the Creative Team: The creative teams want to engage with the client and will respect your attempts to get closer to them. Like anyone, they will do a better job for those they know, respect and even admire. Being the best client, will attract the best creative people on a given team. They'll want to work on your brand.
Performance Improvements: Annual agency performance review, quarterly senior leadership discussion on what's working/what's not. Ask "how can we get better?", "How are my people doing?" and "how is the work?". You can talk about the gaps you or your team might have, and ask for advice on how to close those.
Let the Agency Make a Profit: You can't "nickel and dime" your agency. Be open about your budget, but once set, let the agency work to that budget.
If how you show up to the agency will produce better advertising work. Then show up right.
To see a training presentation on Get Better Advertising:
If you are in the mood to see stories on great advertising, here's a few other stories:
- 5 Ads that Will Make You Burst Out Laughing
- 5 Ads that will give you goosebumps
- Nike's "Find Your Greatness" Campaign is stealing the Olympics
- Confession: I killed two doctors in 2006
- 10 Best Super Bowl Ads of All Time
Other Stories You Might Like
- How to Write a Creative Brief. The creative brief really comes out of two sources, the brand positioning statement and the advertising strategy that should come from the brand plan. To read how to write a Creative Brief, click on this hyperlink: How to Write a Creative Brief
- Good Advertising: Here's a list of 10 things that good advertising should do, whether that's separating your brand, telling a story or being focused. To read more click on 10 Things Good Advertising Should Do
- Turning Brand Love into Power and Profits: The positioning statement sets up the promise that kick starts the connection between the brand and consumer. There are four other factors that connect: brand strategy, communication, innovation, and experience. The connectivity is a source of power that can be leveraged into deeper profitability. To read more click on the hyperlink: Love = Power = Profits
I run the Brand Leader Learning Center, with programs on a variety of topics that are all designed to make better Brand Leaders. To read more on how the Learning Center can help you as a Brand Leader click here: Brand Leadership Learning Center
To reach out directly, email me at email@example.com
About Graham Robertson: The reason why I started Beloved Brands Inc. is to help brands realize their full potential value by generating more love for the brand. I only do two things: 1) Make Brands Better or 2) Make Brand Leaders Better. I have a reputation as someone who can find growth where others can't, whether that's on a turnaround, re-positioning, new launch or a sustaining high growth. And I love to make Brand Leaders better by sharing my knowledge. I'm a marketer at heart, who loves everything about brands. My background includes 20 years of CPG marketing at companies such as Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer Consumer, General Mills and Coke. My promise to you is that I will get your brand and your team in a better position for future growth. Add me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamrobertson1 so we can stay connected.


text:
BLK price: USD
0.008 BLK every 10 minutes to your FaucetHUB.io account.
Blackcoin is a cryptocurrency simillar to Bitcoin but with differences. It use Proof-of-Stake system instead of Proof-of-Work. Proof-of-stake (PoS) is a type of algorithm by which a cryptocurrency blockchain network aims to achieve distributed consensus. Unlike proof-of-work (PoW) based cryptocurrencies (such as bitcoin), where the algorithm rewards participants who solve complicated cryptographical puzzles in order to validate transactions and create new blocks (i.e. mining), in PoS-based cryptocurrencies the creator of the next block is chosen in a deterministic (pseudo-random) way, and the chance that an account is chosen depends on its wealth (i.e. the stake). In PoS cryptocurrencies the blocks are usually said to be forged (in the blacksmith sense of this word), or minted, rather than mined.
We recommend Cryptonator, a multi-coin wallet.
We do not endorse any of products advertised here. If you want to advertise on this page, please use our contact form.
2019 © getfree.co.in

subset: commoncrawl


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Apple is up around 2 percent to start the work week, giving it a share price around $663.99, making it worth about $622 billion and the most valuable company
in the history of corporations since IBM was valued at $1.3 trillion in 1967.
Microsoft -- at its peak in 1999 -- was the previous record holder with $619 billion in market capitalization. That market cap comparison doesn't account for inflation, so, for further perspective: Apple is now worth 53 percent more than Exxon Mobil -- the world's second-most valuable company.
Some analysts have predicted Apple could go even higher, with a price target of $745.80, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Of 50 analysts polled, none of them thought it was the time to sell.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Alex Williams at TechCrunch dug up the correct valuation of IBM, warranting a correction to a previous version of this story.


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Levi Johnston, Palin's could-have-been-son-in-law, was invited to the family compound on Lake Lucille in Wasilla for the Thanksgiving feast, but the hockey player turned nude model is saying no thanks.
Palin extended the invite when she appeared on TV with Oprah Winfrey to promote her new memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life." The former vice presidential candidate told Oprah, "it's lovely to think that he would ever even consider such a thing."
But Johnston rejected Palin's invitation, saying it was "a nice gesture, but she didn't mean it" during his photo shoot with Playgirl. He said dinner with his baby-mother's mother would be "awkward."
U.S. & World
Having no regrets shedding his clothes for Playgirl, Johnston tells E! Online, "You know what, I don't care if she [Palin] sees them…. Who cares about what she says or does? I don't care."
But Johnston is not severing all ties with the Palins. He plans to file for joint custody of his 10-month old grandson Tripp, whom he had with Palin's daughter, Bristol.


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unlocked, under a rug or mattress.
I take it out often, inhale the fragrance,
alphabetize it,
count and double-check it,
like foreign currency.
When my time comes,
I'll listen to Shostakovich,
and bury it beneath the tree
I long to be pressed against and kissed.
Seeds of passion will sprout roots,
and bloom, uninhibited.
R.A.D. with Dmitri looking on...


text:
Free Ground Shipping on Orders of $150 or More! Use Coupon Code: SHIPFREE820
Terms and Conditions. This offer for free shipping and handling applies to ground ship orders over $150 and is valid for orders placed online at www.etundra.com from 08/10/2020 12:00:00 AM thru 08/14/2020 11:59:59 PM MST. This offer applies to standard ground shipping and handling within the U.S., excluding Hawaii, Alaska and U.S. Territories (other than Washington, D.C.). LTL/freight shipments are not eligible for this offer and may be subject to additional shipping and handling charges. Customers are responsible for all taxes and for all Rush Delivery upgrade fees for 3-Day Express, 2-Day Express and Next Day Delivery. Tundra Restaurant Supply reserves the right to modify or discontinue this offer at any time. Void where prohibited by law. This coupon does not apply to previous purchases, can only be applied to the website(s) listed above, and cannot be combined with other offers. The coupon code will need to be added to the shopping cart or during the checkout process.
When it comes to commercial kitchens, no tool is used more than the humble thermometer. Kitchen thermometers come in many shapes and sizes, from digital thermometers, to data loggers, meat thermometers, fridge thermometers and much more. There are also specialized thermometers like candy or coffee thermometers designed for niche trades. In fact, thermometers are used so frequently that many chef coats have built in thermometer pockets to always keep your trusty tool nearby. More often than not, you'll rely on your trusty digital thermometer (our favorite is this Comark Digital Thermometer) for quick readings on the line—few things are worse than an undercooked entree! At Tundra Restaurant Supply we feature a diverse selection of commercial thermometers from the industry's leading brands like Comark, Escali, Taylor Precision, San Jamar, Winco and much more.
Dial probe thermometers have long been a trusty method for attaining a quick temperature. These kitchen thermometers have a sensor that spans from the tip of the probe to roughly 2-3 inches up the stem of the probe. Though dial probe thermometers are cheaper than their digital counterparts, they require frequent calibration (Have you ever dropped your thermometer? You'll need to re-calibrate it.). Digital thermometers on the other hand feature a smaller sensor located in the tip of the probe, which makes it ideal for reading protein. Digital thermometers never need to be calibrated and are quick to give you a reading (perfect for the busy chef).
When it comes to temperature, guessing is never a good idea. Thermometers can be used to ensure you're always maintaining safe, proper temperatures to limit and slow the growth of bacteria. Infrared thermometers are great for getting accurate readings without piercing the surface of your product. These thermometers are used frequently on new shipments. Always check the temperature of the product before receiving it—if your thermometer is reading a temperature above 40° don't accept the shipment! You don't know if your product was transported safely and it's not worth the risk of getting diners sick.
When holding product, either in a hot buffet, cold buffet, or refrigerated area, remember this simple phrase: keep hot things hot, and cold things cold. Protein should be cooked thoroughly to prevent the transmission of salmonella, E. Coli and other bacteria that could make guests sick. You should also regularly test the temperature of food that might be sitting in buffet tables or chafing dishes to ensure they're kept above 140° Fahrenheit.
All of your refrigerators, freezers, prep tables and more should be equipped with some kind of fridge thermometer to ensure that your product is staying out of the "danger zone." The danger zone describes the temperature between 40° and 140° Fahrenheit, where bacteria can proliferate. Thermometers help alert you to problems early, potentially saving you the cost of ruined product, or worse, getting someone sick. But remember—what good is a thermometer if you don't check the temperature? Be vigilant about your temperature logs or invest in a data logger to automatically monitor your equipment temperatures and alert you if something is amiss. That data will also be helpful for those unexpected health inspections.
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He Goes To 11
Phillip leads Illinois 11-year-olds; Ray shows up big at Wells tourney
Ray School sixth-grader Phillip Parker-Turner is the number-one eleven-year-old chess player in the state of Illinois, according to the latest ratings supplement from the United States Chess League. Phillip, whose rating has risen sharply this year, is now at 1631, which makes him number 65 nationally in his age group and higher than any eleven-year-old in the Land of Lincoln.
Phillip won another tournament earlier this month, finishing first in the Advanced section at the Youth Chess Foundation of Chicago meet at Wells Prep.
Ray was a big factor in that event overall, it turns out. Acquiting themselves well while being forced to play in the tournaments's combined Intermediate/Advanced section were Ray School's Abdel Raoul and George Vassilatos. The competition there is really tough, but both boys scored victories.
Making what may have been her tournament debut was George's youunger sister Angeliki Vassilatos, who also got on the board with a victory. Ray's Oliver Jiang, a player with whom I admit I'm not familiar, scored a very impressive 3.5/5 to finish 26th among 129 players in the Beginner section.
Congratulations to all Ray chess players, and good luck in 2010.


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Fighting climate change one idea at a time
VOTES: 2016 Results
High School Students Choose Hillary Clinton for President in Nationwide Mock Election
Nov. 6, 2016 — If the votes cast in a nationwide mock election by more than 74,000 students from nearly 160 high schools across the country are any indication, the next president of the United States will be Secretary Hillary Clinton. The results of the election were revealed Sunday evening, Nov. 6, during a two-hour-long webcast at votes2016.org.
The voters were all participants in this year's VOTES project (Voting Opportunities for Teenagers in Every State), the nation's largest mock election for high school students. The VOTES project was founded in 1988 by two teachers at Northfield Mount Hermon, a boarding school in Mount Hermon, Massachusetts. Over the past quarter century, the results of the mock election have correctly predicted the actual winner in six of the last seven U.S. presidential elections. The one "off" year was 2004, when incumbent President George W. Bush beat Senator John Kerry.
This year's VOTES election had a record number of participating schools and students. As always, at least two high schools from every state participated in the project. The participation rate in the mock election topped 70 percent, well above the participation rate typically seen in actual elections.
Besides its size, one of the things that makes this mock election unique is that it simulates the Electoral College. This means the results of the popular vote from each state are converted into electoral votes. To win, a candidate has to win at least 270 electoral votes. In this VOTES election, Clinton won 332 electoral votes, while Donald Trump earned 206 electoral votes.
Northfield Mount Hermon history teacher Jim Shea, a co-founder and director of the VOTES project, said, one of the most surprising things about this year's election was how close the race was in many states. "In more than a dozen states, the race was decided by fewer than 100 votes, even though, in some cases, several thousand votes were cast in those states."
Shea said he was also surprised by the strong showing of third-party candidates in almost all states. "In total, third-party candidates won more than 17 percent of the vote, which is higher than in any VOTES election since the days of Ross Perot and Ralph Nader. In at least three states, they played a major role as 'spoiler' candidates."
The key to the election, said Shea, was the fact that Clinton won just about every swing state, including North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. The two states that returned perhaps the most surprising results were Georgia, which went for Clinton, and Wisconsin, which went for Trump.
Each of the schools that participated in VOTES held their elections on different days over the course of the last two weeks. The final tally, however, was not revealed until Sunday night during a gala election night "broadcast" from James Gymnasium on the Northfield Mount Hermon campus and streamed live over the web. Video of the event can be viewed at votes2016.org. The simulated broadcast included nearly all the bells and whistles of an actual TV election night broadcast. Student news anchors announced results on a state-by-state basis, and student reporters conducted interviews and provided political analysis. There was even music and a balloon drop.
In addition to casting ballots, students at many VOTES schools spent the weeks leading up to their school's election day participating in events such as mock campaigns and mock debates, during which students took on the roles of Sen. Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and third-party candidates. Some schools conducted workshops or brought in speakers to talk about various political issues. At least one school used the program as an opportunity to conduct an actual voter-registration drive for those students who were 18 or older.
"The VOTES project has proven to be a remarkably effective and fun way to teach our high school students about the electoral process and to engage them in a conversation about the important issues facing our country," said Shea. "The hands-on mock election experience allows teenagers to be active participants in the political process rather than mere passive observers. What better way is there to teach them how to be thoughtful, engaged, and informed citizens in the future?"
For all its educational value, however, this year's mock election suffered from some of the same dynamics that have characterized the whole election year.
"More than a few teachers at the various VOTES schools commented on how contentious and even divisive this election season was at their schools," said Shea. "Some schools actually decided to back out of the mock election in the last month either because of how divisive and disruptive it had become or how divisive and disruptive they feared it would become. That never happened in the previous seven presidential elections."
Read election details, including:
- A summary showing popular and electoral vote results
- A pie chart showing the presidential popular vote
- A stacked bar graph showing the popular vote for each candidate by geographic region
- The results of a poll on issues including undocumented immigrants in the US, fracking, taxes, background checks for gun purchases, and accepting refugees from war-torn areas
See the list of participating schools.


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« The Fat Tax--Posner's Comment | Main | Comment on Overpopulation-BECKER »
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
I assume that you have already read this, but I thought others may be interested in this paper that address the flaws behind a fat tax and other "internality" problems. See Against the New Paternalism: Internalities and the Economics of Self [http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5531]. Like the paper suggests, adding a fat tax ignores the fact that people may have already negotiated the cost of increased weight amongst their present and future selves and therefore a tax would decrease overall utility and not increase it.
I am surprised that neither Becker nor Posner considered a "sin tax" such as a tax on unhealthy fats as a source of government revenue to be compared to other methods of collecting government revenue. While I strongly object to paternalistic government behavior as it so often gets it wrong relative to individual decision making (one just needs to remember the old FDA food pyramid), I generally support pigovian and paternalistic taxes if the revenue collected from them replaces taxes that are clearly less efficient methods of government revenue collection such as the corporate income tax.
The real question to me is whether there is "clear and convincing" evidence that the taxed behavior is actually a negative externality or if there is "evidence beyond a reasonable doubt" that the taxed activity is unhealthy, and if the revenue collected could be used to lower or eliminate a more inefficient tax. I require the higher burdens of proof in order to balance the tendency of government officials to excessively micromanage in order to appease special interests. Otherwise flat taxes on general behavior such as overall consumption are preferable to me.
Perhaps there should be a 'fat' tax on enders dealing in subprime instruments, interest only home loans, or ARMs. This junk has caused a deleterious 'inflationary fat' whose harm will soon become apparent to the national and global economy.
Who really wins or loses with excessively easy lending terms
or excessively low interest rates?
In the late 1920's buying on credit became widespread. Automobiles,
radios, washing machines - all became available to the American wage
earner - on credit. And they consumed.... and consumed in bolus mass.
On the stock exchange ten percent margin was available for
speculators. Borrowing became rampant. Stock valuation become
overvalued and assets relatively over consumed. The population of
consumers in need of a radio, washing machine, automobile, et. al.,
was rapidly depleted. Ongoing consumption at the median
credit-dependent bolus rate was impossible. Inventories accumulated
and workers were laid off, with the resulting inability to pay for
their own assets acquired on credit. The assets were then repossessed
increasing the already over supply. The deflationary macroeconomic
negative feedback system proceeded in a necessary and mechanistic
Lenders were left with repossessed assets whose worth was less than
purchase value - with a falling population of potential consumers.
With less product demand factory owners with capital debt for
machinery and buildings were unable to maintain payments. Stock on ten
percent margin became more than just worthless, it became a liability,
as obligations to pay the entire purchase amount remained even as the
stock valuation decreased by 25, then 50, then 75 percent. As the
macroeconomic system unwound into a deflationary collapse in 1932; the
debtor of last resort, a debtor whose balance sheet was quite good,
became also the employer of last resort. And so as the US GDP
collapsed by 40-45 percent, the US government began its work projects
program creating some of the public infrastructure that still serves
its citizen to this day.
Fast forward three generations. The marvels of the late 1920's were
replaced by the computer, its software, and the new information age of
the nineties. Over borrowing and over investment in this arena left
warehouses full of enough fiberopic cable for a generation and an 80
percent collapse of the NASDAQ over the exact same time frame as the
DJIA top to bottom period from 29 to 32. 'Replaying 1929' - US's, not
the United States', but Urban Survival's insightful recognition of
what was transpiring, i.e., 1858's second subfractal's Groundhog's Day
to 1929 was an instant attractor to the website for all who
qualitatively, and for fractalists, quantitatively, appreciated the
nature of cyclical events.
1932 was not 2002. The internet collapse, while wiping out more than 6
trillion dollars of paper value, had little effect on the GDP. Times
were different. A strange set of world circumstances existed in 2000.
Emerged was both a single superpower with an unparalleled military and
nuclear arsenal and a rapidly evolving, highly capable and rising
manufacturing giant with a massive population willing to work 60-80
hours a week at 1/10-1/20th the cost of the superpower's worker. Even
with oceanic transportation of goods, the American consumer reaped the
benefits of these low cost items. American industry could not compete
and jumped in, closing their own manuafacturing plants, and began
marketing and enhancing the distribution system of foreign made
At the same time the Federal Reserve and Financial Big Business
synergistically created the last 'great' American industry. This
powerful industry increased the money supply faster than at any other
time in US history. That industry could be labelled 'US Lending
Unlimited.' In the 21st century, that industry has shoehorned the
average American citizen into the role of debtor of last resort. The
citizen-wage earner has been enticed into a speculative housing asset
bubble greater in proportion and magnitude than any prior historical
The new lending parameters have made initial house ownership less
expensive on a monthly basis than rental. They have divorced the
value of homes from traditional savings and wages. The new rules have
artificially inflated the purchase price of homes. Wages have not
proportionally increased, leaving the interest and principle debt to
wage ratio and long term debt burden significantly higher. Equity from
that 'artificially' inflated price has been extracted in record
amounts by home owners who have gone on a consumption spending spree,
bolus consuming items in a two-three years that might otherwise have
been consumed over a decade. Home values soared eventually pricing out
the entry population. Building continued and oversupply resulted.
Now to this mix comes higher property taxes, higher insurance rates
especially in eastern and southern coastal states, and a large
population of readjusting ARM's with higher monthly payments. The
inflationary true debt burden and costs become too many straws for
the camel's back. The oversupply of washing machines and automobiles
in 1929 and fiberoptic cable in 2000 now resonates with the incipient
cateclysm in the over supplied housing market in 2006. The money made
by the builders which was no longer being invested in the housing
markets found its way into the equity market, the last game in town -
for one last blow-off. The composite Wilshire nominally is still 1100
billion or so below its March 2000 value and using housing prices as
dollar-denominated purchasing power is valued at perhaps 60 percent of
its March 2000 worth.
Meanwhile there is very little the US can exchange with its Eastern
'trading' partners except its paper currency and a promise to pay
interest on that paper. This strange symbiotic relationship has
provided 'the glut of world dollar savings' that has serviced the US
federal debt and maintained low interest rates. The US dollar, because
of America's superpower stature, continues and will continue to have
value in its purchasing ability of dollar-denominated oil. As
commodity assets, equity assets, and real estate assets deflate, the
value of the dollar will increase in its purchasing power. Friday's
breakout of the dollar is occurring as an expected coupled event with
the collapsing US housing market and incipient uS equity collapse.
So who wins when credit is so unregulated and made so easy that not to
borrow is to lose money? Who wins when real ongoing inflation creates
a disincentive to saving? As the economy collapses; and folks are
unable to repay their loans; and lenders acquire assets that cannot be
sold; and the world becomes a much more dangerous place - the answer
becomes apparent: no one.
Gary Lammert
I'm going to go non-Libertarian here, but I've always advocated municipalities using collection of "sin" taxes for health-related relief only--not general budget balance. (California does this to some degree with their tobacco tax.)
If leveraging a behavior modification tax is the ultimate goal, shouldn't the tax proceeds be used to pay for healthy food subsidies (seed money for organic stores in low income neighborhoods?), etc.? I realize that example may be the worst one for a die-hard group of economists, but behavior modification relies upon things like this.
Additionally, one of the most enormous direct expenses--and rising--related to obesity for folks on Medicaid (aside from co-morbidities), is bariatric surgeries and complications. Could these be directly linked in some way to the tax? I think if tax payers saw a direct link to the dollars and problem there would be a bigger investment in discouraging healthier behaviors. Why don't we see direct advertising like we do with tobacco and drugs (ala, "this is your brain on drugs")?
With all of that said, I don't even support this fat/food tax--ultimately the net gain is unsubstantial and regressive. HSAs are even worse--they draw healthy people from the general risk pool, making health insurance more costly and unattainable for the people who really need it (sick and poor--not necessarily people who make bad health decisions); this will put more people on public assistance or without insurance. Furthermore, HSAs still expose people to a substantial amount of risk and cost, they just cushion the catastrophic costs. These are not an answer to rising health care costs.
Why not place a sin tax against fat-induced health care expenses? Obesity itself isn't really a problem to the rest of us, but it does become one when lipo-suctions and triple stomach staples are needed.
It's great that sugars were also blamed. Has anyone checked an Oreo nutrional factsheet lately? A cookie has as much calories as a thick slice of bread!
Note that it is not at all clear how high the externalities of eating junk food are- or if they are even positive! Certainly, in the short run, people who harm their health by eating fatty foods may increase the cost to taxpayers. However, these people may also die younger, thus subtracting whole years that they would be collecting social security and medicare.
Put this way, suppose the average cost of supporting someone through a terminal illness is I, and the cost of supporting someone through a year of health is (on average) H.
If a health person lives an average N years their cost is N*H + I
If one decreases one's lifespan by Y years, their cost is instead (N-Y)*H + I
These calculations are rather chilling, and I personally would still support government taxatioin of unhealthy foods, but we should be clear on the reasons.
"Sometimes I wonder whether much of the public outcry over the gain in weight of teenagers and adults stems mainly from the revulsion that many educated people experience when seeing very fat people. Surely, though, this should hardly be the ground for interventionist policies!"
Perhaps Prof. Becker is correct and my desire to to see measures adopted that will keep Americans from becoming more and more grossly obese is discriminatory and racist.
However, I think he underestimates the degree to which our society is affected by this epidemic of morbid obesity.
The contrast between the body habitus of the typical European and American could not be more striking. After traveling in Europe, one immediately sees the extent of the problem upon entering an American airport. A large fraction of the American populace is not just obese, but grossly and morbidly so. Many are grotesquely obese, inhabiting huge deformed bodies for which every movement a challenge. Such miserable people are physically challenged every day in thousands of ways. Is this really the direction we want our
society to be going? If the problem is largely caused by technological advances on the part of the food industry in advertising and food science that makes their product almost addictive, government regulation is surely the only remedy.
If foods high in fat and sugar, do, in fact, lead to higher heatlh costs related mainly to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, then I believe imposing taxes on these goods is appropriate. I would prefer to see the price of all goods and services reflect the full social cost of producing and consuming them. Substantial taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, gasoline and other products that cause significant pollution are appropriate for the same reasons. I think the economy works best when resources are allocated as efficiently as possible. To approach that goal, I think we need to attempt to make sure that goods and services are priced to reflect their full social cost. Even if we go too far and levy taxes that push the final price of these products above full social cost, the excess revenue that accrues to the government sector can allow us to reduce other taxes that cause more economic harm.
Is there a way to directly incentivize excercise? Say, a subsidy for running shoes? Or by somehow proving that you're not sedentary?
it's not just 'educated' people who can't stand the sight of obesity. it's everyone.
Dear Prof. Becker:
I very much enjoyed reading your thoughtful analysis of the pros and cons of imposing a sin tax on fatty foods. I just wish to make two additional points:
1. Justin's point about obese people dying younger (an important point that has also been made in connection with tobacco). That is, while it is true that obese people on average have greater health problems than non-obese people, nevertheless obese people (like smokers) may actually impose less costs to society at the margin since they die younger.
2. Though I perfectly understand your argument about a higher price leading to a reduction in the consumption of fatty foods, Adam Smith famously argued that the opposite is true with respect to certain products (such as wine). If I recall my reading of The Wealth of Nations correctly, Smith argued that when wine was cheap and easily available, people actually drank less than when it was taxed heavily and difficult to procure. Perhaps Smith was just wrong, but I have always been struck by this argument because, though counter-intuitive, it seems to explain the different patterns of behavior towards drinking we see in America and Europe.
I doubt whether putting up the price of junk food would cause it to become more popular.
In my part of the world (Sydney, Australia) there is an interesting experiment going on that may shed light on this very question.
A Krispy Kreme donut franchise recently started operating here with, so far, a dozen stores. I went past one the other day which was selling plain donuts for $2 each. Our local hot bread shop sells plain donuts for 65c each.
Null hypothesis: availability of higher priced donuts will not increase donut consumption.
Predicted outcome: The Krispy Kreme franchise will either go broke or drop its prices to be more competitive.
I work with the National Association of Margarine Manufacturers so I'm well informed on this subject. Have you looked at a margarine label lately? You won't find any soft or liquid margarine that contain trans fat, and trans fat levels of stick margarines have been greatly reduced. Margarine manufacturers continue to be the leaders in the food industry in removing trans fats from products, and they continue to innovate the market by adding healthy, functional ingredients such as antioxidants, omega fatty acids, and fat-soluble vitamins to products.
The margarine industry has made such an impact in providing healthy product that in 2005, when the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the MyPyramid food guidance system was issued, liquid oils, and soft, trans fat-free margarine spreads were classified by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report as helping to meet the essential fatty acids and Vitamin E needs of consumers.
To learn more about the benefits of margarine products, check out these links: http://www.margarine.org, http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/transfat.html#choice1 and http://margarine.org/pdf/inthenews_092906-nytimes.pdf
I'll keep this short.
Becker is right that pleasure counts, but there is no reason the state shouldn't prevent wife beaters from getting sadistic pleasure out of beating their wives. Becker admits that we're talking about teens who lack mature judgment, but leaves out that these teens are being raised without a stay-at home parent who monitors their nutrition, like the mothers of yesteryear used to do.
Much of the pleasure these teens are experiencing is a result of leisure. If the kids were sedentary because they were studying, perhaps Becker would have a stronger argument, but the kids are lazing about. They should be exercising more, have better diets, and study more.
Lastly, we need both carrots and sticks. We certainly should subsidize fruits and vegetables, but we also should penalize those who eat fatty foods. The tax can fund the subsidy. We should also mandate exercise in school and condition federal tuition aid on health. If you haven't the discipline to get in shape, there's no reason other taxpayers should pay for your education. We save you costs if you save us costs.
Becker seems to have ignored that fat people are free-riders.
Hmm... and I always thought it was an energy balance equation between caloric intake and caloric expenditure. In the past Americans had lower caloric intake and greater expenditures, yet that also resulted in poor health. Now it's the opposite, but the end result is the same, poor health.
Perhaps we all should be trained in the importance of diet, nutrition and exercise at an early age and continually indoctrinated in it until it becomes second nature. But probably an impossiblity, due the profit motive inherent in food production these days. We really can't afford to pull the pop machines and snack machines out of the schools and the like. It would cut into the paybacks the school boards get from the producers and I won't even mention the disaster the school lunch programs have become.
We really can't afford to pull the pop machines and snack machines out of the schools and the like.
We can't afford to divert into solar, wind, biodiesel or so forth either because it will upset the oil companies...What poppycock!
Why do people consume food that is high in suger, saturated fat, and loaded with preservatives? Because it's easy!
Yes, I do derive pleasure from consuming a big mac, but I realize far greater pleasure sitting down for a home-cooked meal with my family. Unfortunately, after working 10 hours, picking up the kids from childcare and commuting home, the last thing I want to do is spend another 30 minutes preparing dinner. I would rather consume precious leisure time playing with my children than cooking alone in the kitchen. Fast food is my alternative and the trade-off is poorer nutritional content. So the decision is time vs. nutrition.
I suppose the time factor could be mitigated by eating fresh raw foods such as fruits and many vegetables... but doing so requires a stocked refrigerator and increased frequency of grocery store runs (to ensure fresh produce.) So when my options are grocery store vs. drive-thru, once again I face the time vs. nutrition decision.
Grocery stores recognize this issue and are now offering more "ready-to-cook" and prepared meal options. Per serving prices on these meals are competitive with fast food, but you still have to get out of your car, unbuckle the car seats, wait in line, etc. So the convenience factor remains an issue.
Surely there is a market solution to this problem. Imagine the increase in government size to develop and monitor a fat tax! Imagine the questions- Would a tax cover fast food only? What about restaurant food? Would a tax apply to specific entrees only, or all food on a restaurant's menu? Would a tax apply to grocery products? Red Meat? What about peanuts or olive oil? Avocado? Would a tax apply to organic foods high in fat?
Compliance would be a nightmare! As a society are we willing to pay for both the tax and the compliance costs? Alcohol and tobacco could serve as a guide for compliance costs...but it's pretty easy to determine whether a product includes alcohol or tobacco. Much harder to determine whether to tax an avocado. Do you tax a fresh avocado, or only if it's been turned into guacamole and eaten with tortilla chips? I can't even begin to imagine the nuances.
To MikeM,
You suggest/predict that Krispy Kreme donuts will either:
1) Go out of business due to its overpriced donuts, or
2) Decrease its price to compete with the mom-and-pops that sell donuts for 65 cents.
I can answer you with one word: STARBUCKS.
Before Starbucks, people purchased coffee for one dollar. Nowadays, people in mass, delightfully give an arm and leg for grande coffee with a 10 cent splash of vanilla.
Interesting point, G-t-lily.
Australia has a long tradition of good coffee shops started by Italian immigrants in the 15 years after WWII. After arriving in Australia 6 years ago, Starbucks has managed to establish 50 shops. It is not exactly taking Australia by storm.
Gloria Jean is an Australian owned coffee shop franchise with similar shop ambiance to Starbucks but price-point closer to a good espresso bar (around $A2.50 for a long black or flat white). Gloria Jean has less focus on the exotic confectionary that Starbucks crams into some of its cups. By 2001 it had 285 stores in Australia (probably twice that now) and operates in 20 countries.
Starbucks may have been a success in the US because before them Americans did not know what decent coffee was like.
There are shops in Australia that make pretty good donuts too.
"Sometimes I wonder whether much of the public outcry over the gain in weight of teenagers and adults stems mainly from the revulsion that many educated people experience when seeing very fat people. Surely, though, this should hardly be the ground for interventionist policies!"
Uncharacteristically flippant from the learned Professor! One can see many an externality from obesity, which is becoming frighteningly prevalent in the US and other developed countries: increased healthcare costs and decreased labour productivity for a start, though I guess you could be callous and say that shorter life expectancy will lead to lower costs of pensions and old age care.
Slapping a fat tax on certain foods may not be so effective in that obese people will probably be willing to spend more if necessary anyway, eat larger amounts of less fattening food and so on.
Interesting to see acknowledged that there is obvious pleasure derived from consumption of junk food. Funny how the same never comes up when discussing drugs: how much pleasure the users derive. Banning something because it is harmful even though people enjoy it would compel the banning of kissing, for example, since aside from giving pleasure all it does is spread disease.
Perhaps the answer is for health insurance costs to reflect (as I'm sure in many instances they do) the standard of health of the insured; that would provide an incentive to change one's entire lifestyle rather than search for less heavily taxed junk food alternatives. And, of course, better education about health should be a priority, together with better food provided to schools and other state institutions. For a vivid demonstration of the benefits of such a programme, UK readers should refer to Jamie Oliver's work with British schools, and US readers should watch the alarming film "Supersize Me" - in particular the scences in schools and corrective facilities.
The fat tax might be another example of how one government intervention leads to another. The government partly pays for health care. So then someone says "tax fatty foods" to keep taxpayer costs down. There would be no argument like that if the government were not funding health care to begin with. Then we may need more bureaucracy to make sure the fat tax is being paid. Then what about illegal sales of fatty foods, like the sale of illegal cigarettes. We need more law enforcement for this. So the government keeps growing. Or people just might bake more cakes and cookies at home. Then fat consumption does not change but we have a deadweight loss since people have less time for other things.
Isn't there already a "fat tax"? Fatter people have fewer marital choices, fat women marry poorer guys, they are the butt of cruel jokes, they can't do fun active stuff, or enjoy it as much, and so on. Why would we assume that a tax would do a better job of deterring obesity? Perhaps someone could quantify the current fat tax and compare it to the proposed government fat tax to see the relative size.
I say there is a cost to even making such proposals, especially by Nobel Prize winners - it gives an implicit okay to other brainiacs thinking up good ways to improve their neighbors' behavior. I think the world has had enough experience with such good ideas and the suffering they have led to.
Dear Dr. Becker-
The irreverent comedy South Park took up the issue of online gaming's negative health effects in its season premier. I recommend that you enlist one of your research assistants to track down, via BitTorrent, the episode entitled, "Make Love, Not Warcraft."
Knowing several young men who suffer from World of Warcraft "addictions," I have no idea what additional costs might dissuade these gamers from spending hours in front of the computer. It is more than likely that my friend B****** knows that he is out of shape and lacking female companionship because he plays World of Warcraft for hours, but he seems quite content to forgo health and sex to play this silly online game. It's enough to make me throw my hands up and declare, "De gustibus non est disputandum!"
Why don't we just tax fat people?
I am only slightly joking. It does seem like the rational thing to do, given the rationale. The thin people who drink soda aren't the problem. It's the fat people who do.
It seems like this "fat tax" should be taken care of through insurance. It would make sense for insurance companies to charge them more for health care, whether they get it through a government agency or not.
Additionally, I think much more could be done with advertising, public awareness campaigns and pressure on companies to give healthy choices.
There is one last issue:
There just isn't access in the ghettos to the same healthy food that the rest of America has. Ofttimes, corner stores similar to 7-11 are the only options for people in extremely poor neighborhoods. Try finding something healthy to eat there. For instance, there has never been a full service grocery store in South Central Los Angeles. This is quite common in poor neighborhoods.
I don't have an issue with charging people for their choices, but in these cases, it's not much of a choice.
The comments to this entry are closed.


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ModFlex Sleeved Cable, Blue 20cm - 4 Pack
- CableMod ModFlex™ Sleeved Wires give you the opportunity to create your own custom braided extensions to compliment your system colour scheme
22 In stock
Stock Code: CM-082-CM
Manufacturer: CableMod
+44 (0)1782 44 44 55
ModFlex Sleeved Cable, Blue 20cm - 4 PackEver wanted to customize your own cable extensions to match your unique build? Now you can with CableMod ModFlex™ Sleeved Wires.
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VIDEO DOWNLOAD - Blood: The Hennig Wrestling Family
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"Glee" star and 2011 Emmy nominee Chris Colfer told Access Hollywood that he learned that his upcoming departure from his hit FOX series had been announced after he read it on Twitter.
Access' Shaun Robinson spoke to the 21-year-old on Thursday morning following the news that he nabbed a nomination in the Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series category for his Kurt Hummel role.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Emmys 2011: And The Nominees Are…
U.S. & World
"Yesterday on Twitter," Chris said, when asked how he learned his exit had been announced. "Yeah, I found out that they made that announcement. I didn't necessarily know that it was going to be our last season next year, I knew something like that was coming up eventually. I mean, we can't be there forever.
"I don't necessarily want to leave so soon, but I mean, it's fine. It's what it is. And all things come to an end," he continued.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: 'Glee' Cutie Chris Colfer
The actor told Shaun that he feels very proud of what he's accomplished thus far.
"As a performer, I feel so fulfilled. I have two Emmy nominations and just from hearing from people out in the world about how much the character has helped people," Chris said. "If it's time for a conclusion, I'm fulfilled with it, and I'm fine with it."
On Wednesday, show co-creator Ryan Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter that Chris, Lea Michele (Rachel Berry) and Cory Monteith (Finn Hudson) would be leaving the show at the end of Season 3, noting that both Chris and Lea were involved in the talks about their characters graduating.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: 'Glee' Leading Man Cory Monteith
However, a source close to the show told Access that the three actors had "no idea" the news was coming.
Despite his looming graduation, Chris, who said he's planning on taking his grandmother to the Emmy ceremony in September, is ecstatic with his second nomination.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: 'Glee': The Celebrity Guest Stars
"It feels great! I'm just as excited as the first time," he gushed. "It's just a huge category. It's Best Actor in a Comedy, and we all know that Kurt's not funny, so I'm very, very happy to be a part of it."
Shaun also spoke with "Glee" Co-Executive Producer Ian Brennan and Executive Producer Dante Di Loreto about the upcoming departures.
"We always knew that we didn't want one of those shows where they're all sophomores for 13 years. It just seems like a dishonest way to tell the story," Brennan said. "It's just going to make for a really emotional, fantastic season."
Di Loreto added, "They're graduating from high school, first of all, let's be clear, and it's something we've been talking about for a long time."
Chris also addressed rumors that a "Glee" spin-off could be in the works for his character.
"I've only heard rumors, I'm not attached to anything officially," the young actor told Shaun. "So, we'll see where that goes."
Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Chris Colfer Reacts To His 2011 Emmy Nod
PLAY IT NOW: 'Glee' Producers Defend Casting Shakeup: Lea Michele, Chris Colfer & Cory Monteith Are Simply 'Graduating'
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Sen. Ted Cruz Stands with Priests for Life #IStandWithPFL
Date: May 4, 2014
Contact: Leslie Palma
WASHINGTON, D.C. — He is a staunch critic of the Affordable Health Care Act, he supported Hobby Lobby in its legal challenge against the HHS mandate and now Sen. Ted Cruz is standing with Priests for Life.
The senator from Texas will speak out against the mandate on Thursday, May 8, at a Rally for Religious Freedom organized by Priests for Life.
The rally will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. in front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, 333 Constitution Ave. NW. Oral arguments in the Priests for Life challenge to the mandate will be heard that day in court.
In an interview with the Christian Post on the day the Hobby Lobby/Conestoga Wood Specialties case was heard in the U.S. Supreme Court, Sen. Cruz said: The question in this case is whether the American government can force Americans to violate the dictates of their faith. Under the Constitution, under the First Amendment, under centuries of our tradition the answer is 'no.'"
Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, said the Constitution clearly allows a faith-based, not-for-profit ministry like Priests for Life to exercise its right to religious freedom.
"Our case is the Hobby Lobby of the non-profits, and we are confident we will prevail, if not in this court, then the next," Father Pavone said. "The support of an influential lawmaker like Sen. Cruz underscores the faith we have in the American way."
A lineup of political and pro-life power hitters will speak at the rally on Thursday, including Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee; Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas; Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona; Josh Duggar of FRC Action; Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee; Lila Rose, President of Live Action; Jeanne Monahan, President of the March for Life; Charmaine Yoest, President and CEO, Americans United for Life; Tim Goeglein, vice president for external relations for Focus on the Family; Day Gardner, President of National Black Pro-Life Union; Jimmy Nolan, President of Crossroads; Paul Rondeau, Executive Director of American Life League; Sam Casey, Managing Director and General Counsel of the Law of Life Project; Sarah Torre of the Heritage Foundation; Tina Whittington, Assistant Director, Students for Life of America; Rev. Rob Schenk, President of Faith and Action in the Nation's Capital; Rev. Patrick Mahoney, President of Christian Defense Coalition, and Cathy Ruse, Senior Fellow, Family Research Council.
Father Pavone also will address the gathering, along with several Priests for Life pastoral team members, including: Dr. Alveda King, a named plaintiff in the lawsuit; Youth Director Bryan Kemper; Hispanic Outreach Director Father Victor Salomon. Robert Muise of the American Freedom Law Center, counsel for Priests for Life, also will make remarks during the rally.
For the most up-to-date information on the rally and the speakers who will attend, go to www.IStandWithPFL.com
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.


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|Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 v19.1.8.zip
|Created on
|2019-04-14 07:57:32
|Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 v19.1.8.zip (2.00 GB)
Descriptions for Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 v184.108.40.206053 macOS
Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 – the essential software for perfecting your images. It offers productivity and workflow enhancements, powerful new editing tools, and breakthrough compositing capabilities.
Overall Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 features:
- Revolutionary new features, a fluid user experience, and improved access to the unrivaled power of Photoshop
- A more intuitive user interface and new nondestructive editing features that put you in control, including the new Adjustments and Masks panels
- ContentAware Scaling advanced autoblending that extends depth of field, and industryleading editing and compositing with reengineered colorcorrection tools
- Significant productivity enhancements that provide increased flexibility and enable you to leverage the power of today's faster graphics processors
- Breakthrough 3D editing and compositing capabilities and improved video controls to dramatically expand your creative options
- Comprehensive image analysis with enhanced measurement and counting tools, as well as support for DICOM images and MATLAB processing routines
Enhanced Features:
- Artboards
- Creative Cloud Libraries
- Adobe Stock
- Design Space (Preview)
- Export artboards, layers, and more
- Layer Styles
- Device Preview and the Preview CC companion app
- Blur Gallery | Restore noise in blurred areas
- Glyphs panel
- Camera Raw
- 3D printing
- 3D imaging
- UI toolkit for plugins and scripts
Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 Highlights:
- Get started faster
- Inapp search
- Tighter integration with Adobe XD
- Stock templates, 3D objects, and search
- Support for SVG color fonts
- New Creative Cloud Libraries capabilities
- Creative Cloud Assets improvements
- Introducing Typekit Marketplace
- Enhanced Properties panel
- Better overall performance
System Requirements:
- Multicore Intel processor with 64bit support
- macOS version 10.13 (High Sierra), macOS version 10.12 (Sierra), or Mac OS X version 10.11 (El Capitan)
- 2 GB or more of RAM (8 GB recommended)
- 4 GB or more of available harddisk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a casesensitive file system)
- 1024 x 768 display (1280×800 recommended) with 16bit color and 512 MB or more of dedicated VRAM; 2 GB is recommended*
- OpenGL 2.0capable system
- Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, membership validation, and access to online services.**
* 3D features are disabled on 32-bit platforms and on computers having less than 512MB of VRAM. Oil Paint filter and video features are not supported on 32-bit Windows systems.
Includes: Adobe Zii Patch 3.0.4
Web Site: http://www.adobe.com/
What's New in Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 v188.8.131.52053
- Release notes not available at the time of this post.


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One: I am SERIOUSLY in need of a new installment in the Rykrof Enloe saga. I want chapter 11 and I mean to get it...however, I could PROBABLY be staved off for a week or so by another SE. Two: Has anyone checked Lance Quazar's house for his moldering corpse? Where's he been, man? The site isn't the same without his interactive photonovel goodness! -DD
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A Culture of Caring
Below is an excerpt from an e-mail I received this week. It's from a man whose uncle came to Lexington Medical Center's emergency room with a sudden health problem recently. It's nice to know that our culture of caring is comforting to patients and families during difficult times.
"We received what I can only say was the hand of Jesus working through the staff of your hospital. I am a bi-vocational pastor and have rarely in 20 years of hospital visits and dealing with folks during times of tragedy seen a group of people so concerned and attentive to the needs of the family whose loved one is dying. I am afraid to mention names for fear of not getting them wrong but there are four individuals who were particularly special to us during this time.
First the gentleman who was first to help (us). His sense of urgency and concern was so greatly appreciated. Second is the young doctor who initially tended to (our uncle). He was at all times professional and clear in his explanations yet displayed true compassion during a very stressful time. Finally the nurses who cared for him in ICU on Sunday. I have never experienced so much compassion and true sympathy/empathy from nurses in any hospital. I once pastored a church that was primarily elderly people. I had the honor of being asked to officiate 27 funerals in a 19 month time span. I sat with many of those dear folks and held their hands as they slipped off into eternity. I can honestly say not in all that time nor since have I seen the degree of ministry from a group of medical professionals that these dear people exhibited this weekend. Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you meet the needs of hurting people."


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Benin Government Builds Capacities to Access Climate Finance
A four-day training was conducted in Bohicon, Benin for staff of the Ministry of Environment in charge of Climate Change Management, Reforestation, and Protection of Natural and Forest Resources and related organisations to strengthen capacities to access different climate change funding sources. Altogether 30 staff were trained. The training was organized under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the local Centre d'Education à Distance (CED) and the Frankfurt School UNEP Collaborating Centre for Climate & Sustainable Energy Finance, with support from UN CC:Learn.
The objectives of the training were to:
- Provide different actors involved in the design, development, implementation and monitoring of climate change projects with an overview of existing funding sources at the national and international level;
- Allow participants to identify the most realistic and immediate finance sources;
- Familiarize participants with different resource mobilization techniques;
- Strengthening capacities of participants to develop bankable project proposals.
The training included an overview of funding sources available for climate related projects and techniques to formulate coherent and relevant projects that can be submitted to climate funds. Short presentations on project development (with the help of the logical framework) and proposal writing techniques were followed by practical work on selected project themes.
The Environment Ministry is planning a follow-up session in a few weeks' time to evaluate the status of the funding proposals that were initiated during the training. The presentations, background materials, exercise instructions and evaluation results will be used to inform future trainings on climate finance to be delivered by the CED.
About UN CC:Learn
UN CC:Learn is a partnership of 33 multilateral organizations which supports Member States in designing and implementing results-oriented and sustainable learning to address climate change. The Secretariat for UN CC:Learn is provided by UNITAR. An important aspect of UN CC:Learn is to support countries develop a National Strategy to Strengthen Human Resources and Skills to Advance Green, Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development through a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder process. During the course of 2012-2013, Benin, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Malawi, and Uganda are participating as UN CC:Learn pilot countries. Core funding for the 2011-2013 implementation phase of UN CC:Learn is provided by the Swiss Government.


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Hi! My name is Melissa Mortenson I'm so excited to share with you today this tutorial for a zig zag skirt! It's made with one of my favorite new fabric lines from Moda, Sherbet Pips!! Please stop by my blog www.polkadotchair.com and say "hi" and check out the sewing patterns I offer in my shop fourteenmay!
For this skirt you will need:
1 Bella Solids Charm pack
2 Sherbet Pips Charm pack- I recommend getting 2 charm packs. You only need 18 5″ squares but you need them ALL to be in the same color family, so depending on the charm pack you pick you may not have enough of the right color in one charm pack. The good news is that you can make more skirt with the other colors too!!
1 Jelly Roll- you will need 7 strips from your Jelly Roll
1/2″ wide elastic
I find it easiest to sort my fabrics into "front" and "back" piles. That way your skirt does not have all the same prints on the front or the back. Sorting ensures the skirt is evenly distributed.
You need 18 squares all of similar color, sorted into 2 piles of 9 squares. As we work, we will keep the skirt front and back separate (this will help you in construction).
Take 18 white charm pack squares and draw a diagonal line down the center.
Place 18 white squares on top of 18 pink squares, right sides together. Pin.
Stitch 1/4″ down each side from the centerline.
The black lines represent stitching lines.
Cut the square in half along the pencil line you drew. Press open.
You will have 2 half square triangles (HST).
Measure to make sure each HST is perfectly square, adjust as necessary.
Arrange your blocks like the diagram above.
Sew the 1st row together, press all seams to one side
Sew the 2nd row together, press seams to opposite side.
Sew row 1 and row 2 together.
Set aside and repeat for other side of the skirt.
Each side of the skirt will have 9 blocks by 2 rows.
Place 1 jelly roll strip over skirt right sides together. Stitch to bottom of skirt. Trim off excess.
Stitch one more jelly roll strip to bottom of skirt and 1 jelly roll strip to top of skirt.
Repeat for skirt back.
You should have 2 pieces that look like the above photo.
Stitch skirt front and skirt back together. Press these seams open so that you know where your side seams are.
Run 2 rows of gathering stitches across the top of the skirt, stopping and starting at side seams.
To make waistband, take one jelly roll strip and fold it in half. Stitch closed, leaving a 3/4″ hole to feed your elastic through.
Fold the waistband piece in half, WRONG sides together.
Pin waistband to skirt, right sides together, matching side seams and waistband center. Pull up on gathering stitches until skirt and waistband are the same size.
Stitch waistband in place.
Cut your elastic to the correct size (measure waist and cut elastic that length).
Using the hole you left in the waistband, feed elastic through. Hand stitch opening closed.
To finish skirt…
On bottom of skirt, press under 1/4″.
Fold over so that folded edge matches seam. Pin VERY well in place.
On right side of skirt, top stitch band in place.
Press well.
Clip strings and enjoy!
2 skirts (of different colors) from 2 charm packs.
Melissa Mortenson


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St Justinian is a rocky cove tucked under the cliffs at the northern end of Ramsey Sound and it has been the site of St Davids Lifeboat Station for generations.
The lifeboat house and the long slip, which ejects the boat into the sea over jagged rocks, are completely hidden from the landward side by the high cliff, coming dramatically into view as the visitor breasts the cliff crest. Nearby is the 6th century chapel of St Justinian, marking the place where he was buried, reputedly carrying his severed head in his arms across Ramsey Sound, having died on the island.
He was a hermit born in Britanny and a reputed friend of St David. He had fled to Ramsey from the monastery at St Davids where there were goings-on with which he disagreed. The legend is that he cut off the causeway linking the island to the mainland with an axe, which got blunter as he progressed, leaving a jagged row of fangs which decrease in sharpness as they near the island. The nearest rock to the island, which is more like a molar than an incisor, is known as The Axe and the rocks, because of their fearsome appearance and reputation, are called The Bitches and Whelps. Some years after his burial at St Justinian his remains were removed to the Cathedral, he was held in such reverence. The Celtic Oratory which he built there was replaced by the present stone chapel by Bishop Vaughan in 1509-22. It is said that bells stolen from the chapel by puritans are heard to chime during great gales. What was going on at the Monastery to which he so vehemently objected the historians don't tell us, but reports of what monks did in other monastic communities in later medieval times give us some idea, as many had mistresses and children. St David, a strict ascetic, probably sorted it out.
St Davids Lifeboat has a wonderful record of service. Successive coxswains and crewmen have won awards for gallant rescues. One in living memory was the rescue of seamen off the Liberian oil tanker World Concorde which broke in half off St Davids Head during the worst hurrricane in living memory in 1954. The mainly Italian crew were successfully taken off by Cox'n Watts-Williams and his crew in a death-defying series of approaches to the huge ship as it rolled and pitched in massive seas.
In more placid weather in August 1961, the Royal family dropped anchor in the Royal Yacht off Ramsey and were taken ashore by boat for a private picnic on the island, surprise guests of the tenant farmer at the time, Phil Davies. They had been on passage up the Irish Sea for Balmoral and the weather was so calm and the Pembrokeshire coast so tempting that they went ashore unannounced.
Hundreds of people flocked to St Justinians to try and get a glimpse of the Royals, but they picnicked out of sight.


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Our little fella loves all things sporty, he plays for the school for most events and has just joined a local football team as that is his absolute favourite sport of all!
This page was about his love of sport and I decided to use a Rosette as the main theme of the page. I printed the background paper from a digital set of papers called Track Team from 2 Peas in a Bucket and used Microsoft Publisher to print a little bit of journalling.
The ribbons had the names of all the current sports he enjoys, there are quite a few!
I hope you have a good week!
Tracey x


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(Pocket-lint) - The Nikon D800 promises to let you take pictures in low-light environments reducing noise to a minimum and letting you get that perfect shot regardless of the conditions.
That's some promise, but proof is in the pudding, as they say, or in our case the chance to see an exclusive performance by the Blue Man Group in New York City courtesy of Nikon ,with us in possession of a Nikon D800.
The Blue Man Group performance is just one of many tests we are putting the camera through this week to find out how the D800 performs. So far we've been on a boat, and taken in a special Blue Man Group performance in some of the worst light we've ever seen - we don't get to the theatre much.
We've learnt a lot so far, not all of it specific to the D800 either. We've learnt that on-the-fly lens changing is still a real pain and that, at least for video, you need a way to support your SLR when you're recording, otherwise it starts to look like you're drunk.
But we're also learnt that this new generation of SLRs can handle lower light in stills and in more adverse conditions than ever before. We really think that the lack of noticeable grain in this image is remarkable. Given that this is a very densely packed sensor with 36.6-megapixels of image to produce, it's actually staggering how well it copes in low light. This is something that high-resolution sensors often handle very badly indeed, so it's important the D800 does a better job of it.
The photo above was shot at ISO 1600 on a 50mm f/1.8 Nikkor lens at 1/100s at f/2.8. It was captured during a strobe burst from the theatre lighting system. So, low light is much less of a problem. But even in the darker areas, there's still very minimal noise. That's not to say you won't see it from time-to-time – look at 6400 ISO video and above and you'll see a lot of blue pixel crawl.
We have video too, and we'll upload that soon. But in the meantime it's worth looking at how beautifully the D800 can perform, even with Nikon's cheapest lens attached and an operator who's keen, but basically guessing settings milliseconds before hitting the shutter release button.
At least in low light, the D800 seems to offer a lot of flexibility. Do you agree? Have you used the D800, or do you think the Canon 5D MK III is capable of bettter?
- Nikon D800 pictures and hands-on
- Nikon D800 video samples roundup
- Nikon updates UK prices for D800, D800E and D4, honours pre-order pricing


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I can usually type faster in the terminal than doing mouse click on a gui calculator, so I created this scipt to be able to do it quickly from the terminal. There are alot of command line calculators out there so use the one you are comfortable with but I like using bc because of the syntax. For example, you can type:
calc "6/(3*10)"
or something more complex:
calc "8^2*(10/2+(13.2032565*2030)/.349548)" 100
100 is optional, it will specify how many decimals you want to carry it out to (the default is 4).


text:
Designing optimized solutions
A small boutique owner. A transport authority. A university campus or hospital. Every customer need is unique. And understanding the full potential of video surveillance will help you design the best customer solutions.
Axis Communications' Academy offers you tools and training to increase your system design competence.
Learning track for system design
The learning track for those of you working within the system design part of the process will give you in-depth knowledge about how to design smart solutions with Axis products and capabilities. We recommend that you start with the baseline and go further to learn more, step-by-step.
- Axis Product Types (online course)
- Axis Naming Convention (online course)
- Introduction to Networking (online course)
- Introduction to Imaging (web article)
- Prepare Your Network Video Surveillance System (web article)
- Technical guide to network video
First step
- Network Video Fundamentals (classroom training) *
* To attend a classroom training, go to our Classroom trainings
Second step – deeper understanding
Theme: Network Video Technologies
- Fiber Optics with Axis Products (online course)
Theme: Design and installation considerations
- Troubleshooting Axis cameras (web article)
- Site Survey Considerations (web article)
- Wide Dynamic Range (web article)
- Low Light Solutions (web article)
- The Zoom Factor (Video)
- Sound in Surveillance (web article)
Theme: Imaging
- Identification and Recognition (web article)
- Perfect Pixel Count (web article)
- Image Quality (web article)
- Applied image quality (online course)
- Lights, Camera, Action (online course)
Third step – specialized
- Designing Network Video Solutions (classroom training) *
- Video Encoder Technologies (classroom training) *
- AXIS Camera Station (classroom training) *
* To attend a classroom training, go to our Classroom trainings


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3 ways to kill dementia
Apart from this, Aarti had also meticulously assembled silly memorabilia from school. She had the class VII timetable, on which she drew horns above the maths classes. She had tickets from the school fete we had in class IX. She had pasted the restaurant bill from the first time we had gone out in class X. She had torn a page from her own slam book, done in class VIII, in which she had put my name down as her best friend. She ended the scrapbook with the following words: 'Life has been a wonderful journey so far with you. Looking forward to a future with you - my soulmate. Happy birthday, Gopal!' I had reached the end. On the back cover, she had calligraphed 'G & A' in large letters. I wanted to call her, that was my first instinct. I wanted to tell her how amazing I found her present. She must have spent weeks on it... I opened the cake box. The chocolate cake had squished somewhat, but I could make out the letters: 'Stolen: My cake and then my heart,' it said in white, sugary icing, with 'Happy birthday, Gopal' inscribed beneath it. I pushed the cake box away. The clock struck twelve. 'Your birthday is over, Gopal,' I said loudly to the only person in the room.


text:
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Making The Grade
This story appears in the March 1997 issue of Business Start-Ups magazine. Subscribe »
Franchise and business opportunities at a glance
Making The Grade
Students of all ages nationwide are reaping the benefits of educational programs supported by two restaurant franchisors.
For six years Taco John's International Inc. Has played an active role in the Adopt-a-School youth program, which partners business with local schools. Different schools have different needs, says Monica Miller at the Cheyenne, Wyoming-based Mexican-fast-food franchisor. "We ask our restaurant managers to sit down with the school principal and decide what the school's top priority is for the year," she says. Targeted areas of improvement range from low math scores to outdated playground equipment.
Twenty-one of Cheyenne's 31 elementary, junior high and high schools have been adopted by Taco John's locations; one in particular, an alternate school for teenage mothers and other kids with special needs, has dramatically increased its overall attendance, thanks to an incentive program called "Attendance Bucks." Those students with perfect attendance and no tardies for a week receive a $3 Taco John's gift certificate, "It's been phenomenally successful," says Miller.
School attendance was also the focus of last year's Reach for the Stars program, co-sponsored by Dr. Pepper and Sonic Industries, franchisor of Sonic Drive-in restaurants. Seventy-five schools across New Mexico, Arizona and Texas worked for three months to increase their attendance over the previous year; nine winners received a free concert by an up-and-coming country-music star. "In the end, it increased their attendance and their morale, which was a boost for the teachers," says Kathryn Vega of Oklahoma City based Sonic.
Sonic expects many more schools to participate in this year's program and hopes that by 1998, schools in each of Sonic's 26 states will be able to participate.
Join The Club
Membership has it's privileges for franchisees and franchisors who join The Franchise Center at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
According to the center director Carolyn Gough, members get access to employee training programs available from UTEP's College of Business. They also receive a quarterly newsletter on franchising and a directory of other members.
Perhaps most important, members get to help shape the future of franchising by participating as instructors or panelists in the center's franchise management certificate program. Finally, members get to work with the College of Business to set the cirriculum, hold conferences and establish training programs.
Open to any franchisee or franchisor, membership costs $1,000 per year. Plans are underway to establish new Franchise Centers in Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. -Lourdes Aguila
Growing Up
After several changes of ownership in recent years, Children's Orchard Inc. shows new signs of growth under the green thumb of Walter Hamilton Jr., who leads the management team that took control of the company in 1993.
Hamilton credits the steady growth of the franchised stores, which sell used children's clothing and toys, to the remedying of several company weaknesses, including inadequate promotions.
"We're popping up in a lot more locations now," says Hamilton, "and we're following up with marketing. We decided to make that a high priority."
A lack of business know-how among some Children's Orchard franchises prompted Hamilton to offer business training to franchisees, and area that has also been addressed via Management Seminar by Mail, a publication that teaches franchisees business basics.
The lessons are paying off. Children's Orchard now has 70 franchises and four company-owned locations in the Detroit, Chicago, New England and Southern California Markets, with systemwide sales of about $11 million in 1995. Says Hamilton, "The company has become very solid." -Holly Celeste Fisk
Bit O' The Green
If you've ever dreamed about opening an Irish pub, now could be the perfect time, thanks to Dublin, Ireland-based Irish Pub Co. The company, which has helped entrepreneurs establish more than 200 authentic Irish pubs worldwide since 1992, is now bringing it's concept to America and offering it as a business opportunity.
"There's an enormous market for this concept in the United States," says Brendan Buckley of the Irish Pub Co.
For prices starting at $400,000 owners get assistance opening a pub that is Irish in every design and decor detail. They also receive promotion and marketing help and advice on operating the business.
Bull's Eye!
Entrepreneur Glenn Remick turned a hobby into a source of income when he started the American Darters Association, a franchised national dart league, six years ago. Today, his 80 franchises organize dart competitions in 30 states as part of his Anheuser-Busch-sponsored Bud Light Dart League.
When Remick first approached the beer giant with the idea, the seasoned dart player says it wasn't difficult to arrange the sponsorship agreement. "Selling the ideas that a dart league is going to promote beer sales is not that tough of a job." Remick explains, "Dart players have a tendency to drink a beer every now and then, and it's one of the few sports you can play and consume alcohol at the same time."
Anheuser-Busch helped Remick take his small New England dart league nationwide; today, he provides his franchisees with a protected area and a copyrighted management program. Everything else they need to know is taught at an intensive three-day training seminar conducted at Remick's St. Louis headquarters.
National championships take place every August, and winners receive $60,000 in prize money; at the regional championships, prizes exceed $40,000. It's no doubt the future of Remick's dart league is right on target; He's working with the Department of Defense to create a national military dart league, and he's also developing an innovative, high-tech dart game that would allow players in different cities to compete in a league match via modem. -C.M.
Capital Idea
What happens when you find the perfect franchise...with a perfectly unaffordable franchise fee? If that franchise is executive search firm Sanford Rose Associates International (SRA), you dive right in with the help of their Flexible Plan Purchase program. Akron, Ohio-based SRA International's Flexible Purchase program allows qualified individuals to defer up to 70 percent of the $35,000 franchise fee; franchisees later make payments using business revenues.
"I'm convinced I would not have my own business today if I'd had to write a check for the entire franchise fee." says Jeff Jenkins, owner of an SRA in Dalas and the first franchisee to sign on to the purchase program when it began in 1995.
Franchise owners must begin payments once the business starts generating revenue. The franchise fee must be paid in full within 18 months.
"Applicants must prepare a business plan, investigate by contacting a number of our franchisees, and demonstrate a keen understanding of how the industry works," syas SRA vice president Douglas Eilertson.
So far, only two franchisees have purchased units under the program, but Eilertson predicts there will be other candidates soon since SRA plans to add 15 units to its network of 50 offices this year. -L.A.
Contact Sources
American Darters Association Inc., 1000 Lake St. Louis Blvd., #310, Lake St. Louis, MO 63367, (314) 625-8621;
Children's Orchard Inc., (800) 999-KIDS, (313) 994-9199, (http://www.childorch.com);
The Franchise Center, The University of Texas at El Paso, College of Business Administration, El Paso, TX 79968-0545, (800) 687-4512, (915) 747-7730;
Irish Pub Co., 339 Buckhead Ave., Atlanta, GA 30305, (404) 848-0998;
Sanford Rose Associates, 6116 N. Central Expwy., #301, Dallas, TX 75206, (214) 739-8962;
Sanford Rose Associates International (headquarters), P.O. Box 80596, Akron, OH 44308, (800) 731-7724;
Sonic Industries, General Office, 101 Park Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73102, (800) 517-6642;
Taco John's International Inc., P.O. Box 1589, Cheyenne, WY 82003, (307) 635-0101, ext. 9301.


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(Pocket-lint) - At MWC 2011 the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo has launched with a strong focus on imaging, offering up an 8-megapixel camera and HD video capture with Sony's Exmor R sensor on board.
The new Android phone has been announced as one of a number of new devices at Sony Ericsson's press conference at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Previously leaked, and known internally by Sony Ericsson as the Hallon, the new Sony Ericsson handset looks to offer a proposition similar to the Vivaz, with a unique design which we've heard Sony Ericsson refer to before called "human curvature". The idea is that it is designed to fit into your hand and thereby be usable.
Picking up some of the buzz we saw on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, announced at CES 2011 in Las Vegas, you'll again get the "reality display" with Sony Mobile Bravia Engine. This combined with the Exmor R imaging sensor suggests that Sony is really pushing its existing strengths into the new handsets.
It not only offers HD video capture, but also comes with an HDMI, so you'll be able to watch back the action on the big screen - on a Sony TV no doubt.
The Xperia Neo will have a 3.7-inch, 854x480 resolution capacitive display, run on a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 processor and come with the latest Gingerbread version of Android, and all the Google goodness that comes with it. There is also a forward facing camera.
It's due out toward the end the first quarter of 2011, and you'll be able to get the Neo in blue, red and silver.
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20, What3Words CEO, and Withings Sleep Analyzer reviewed - Pocket-lint podcast ep. 65
UPDATE: We've added a load more pictures in the gallery below - enjoy!
We're yet to hear exactly who will be carrying the Xperia Neo, but we'll update you when we have all the details.
Don't miss out on the action - you can keep up to date with all the latest news from the show at our dedicated MWC 2011 page.