text:
Jilly's Makes Top 50 Cupcakes in US List
Jilly's French Silk cupcake was named one of the best in the country.
The Daily Meal has named its top 50 cupcakes in the United States and Jilly's Cupcake Bar's French Silk cupcake made the cut.
The site evaluated the must-have cupcake at the bakeries. The bakeries were judged on menu, cupcake design and frosting to cake ratio. Each category was scored on a 1-10 basis.
Jilly's received a 9 for both menu and design, but only a 5 rating in the frosting-to-cake category.
Other notable bakeries on the list include Georgetown Cupcake, which is featured in the TLC show D.C. Cupcakes; Sprinkles Cupcakes in Los Angeles, which boasts that it is the world's first cupcake bakery and Magnolia Bakery in New York.
See more on Patch:


text:
Quantity discount will reflect in cart.
This product may only be purchased with the approval of a veterinarian and may require verification. We will collect any necessary information at checkout and verify a prescription if required.
Sometimes, manufacturers require that products be advertised only at their suggested prices. When we choose to sell these items for less, we display the sale price only in the cart. To see the price, click Add to Cart.
One-time delivery
Save 10% with Auto Ship (Details) Deliver Every: 2 Weeks 3 Weeks 4 Weeks 5 Weeks 6 Weeks 7 Weeks 8 Weeks 1 Month 2 Months 3 Months 6 Months
Product Summary:
Parrot Gourmet Nutri Berries
Starting from: $20.99
Kaytee Fiesta Max Food
Starting from: $6.69
Sun Seed Vita Prima Parrot Bird Food 4lb
Now: $10.99
Happy Beaks Block Cluster Bird Toy
Starting from: $17.99
Lafeber Avi Cakes Bird Food Parrot
Now: $5.29
Prevue Snuggle Sack Bird Nest
Starting from: $4.99
Vine Ball Bird Toy
Starting from: $0.79
Higgins Snack Attack Spray Millet
Starting from: $2.79
Kaytee Forti-Diet Bird Food Finch
Starting from: $4.39
Kaytee Forti-Diet ProHealth Parakeet Food
Starting from: $9.29
Lafeber Parrot Popcorn Nutri Berries
Starting from: $7.79
8 in 1 Nutrimin Mineral Supplement 8oz
Now: $4.49
Happy Beaks Hanging Wood Cylinders Bird Toy
Now: $12.99
8 in 1 Bird Gravel Paper
Starting at: $1.29
Kaytee Fiesta Krunch-A-Rounds
Now: $2.79
Comfy Perch Medium
Starting from: $7.99
Kaytee Forti-Diet Bird Food Cockatiel
Starting from: $9.99
Safflower Gold Conure/Cockatiel Food
Starting from: $7.19
Product Reviews by Customers

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This is an OK location just several miles north of town and very easily accessible from the Amtrak Station. Shot in Dark decision for this property but viewed TripAdvisor for review while on train from Washington. A positive review had just been posted for this motel that same day. IT is a little hard to find in dark, Its directly... More
- Also Known As:
- Sleep Hotel
- Sleep Hotel Richmond
- Sleep Inn Richmond
- Richmond Sleep Inn
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Expedia, Orbitz, Choice Hotels, Cheap Tickets, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Tingo and Venere so you can book your Sleep Inn reservations with confidence. We help millions of travellers each month to find the perfect hotel for both holiday and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.


text:
The horticulture students at Sampson Community College have decorated their fall garden for Halloween. It is a mixture of scary and not so scary creatures spread over the beautiful garden designed and maintained by the students.
"This is the third year our students have done this," explained Nancy Olsen, SCC horticulture chairwoman and instructor. "I offer this fall decoration as an extra credit project for all my students. They have to come up with their own plan and design, then discuss where they want to put it in the garden before they begin their work."
The instructor shared that she tells her students that it is to be a fall -hemed garden, but most often than not, the students turn to Halloween for their inspiration.
"I always take final approval for what the students plan to do and the placement in the garden to prevent duplications and problems about someone wanting the same space for their project," asserted Olsen.
As you enter the garden, which has a sign hanging over the archway reading "Dead Zone," the visitor will see cobwebs and skeletons, then come upon a scene that has a scary creature with pumpkins and hay bales and flowers. The visitor continues to transverse the pathways of the garden and you may come upon a witch stirring her brew or a grave site with the victim partially uncovered, rats scampering around with fingers and such. The entire garden is filled with a variety of creatures however, they are not all scary. There are some friendly scarecrows and scenes showing the beautiful fall colors in the flowers and other produce from the area that signifies fall.
Olsen stressed that the garden was there for people to enjoy, even though many local people do not even know that it exists.
"We would like to invite people to come visit us. The plants and garden are done by our students, but it is an excellent way for anyone that is planning their own garden or home landscaping to come visit and see plants that they could use. In the spring, we invite second grade students from across the county to come visit our butterfly garden and see all the wonderful things we have here and experience nature at its best," cited Olsen. "We invite the students and staff to come visit our fall garden after our students have completed their decorating. The public is also invited to come visit but we do ask that they call for an appointment so someone will be here to show them around," remarked the instructor.
Students shared that the classes offered through Sampson Community and the Horticulture department were excellent classes to take and very much hands-on opportunities.
"Ms. Nancy is a great instructor and she is ready to provide us with skills to grow and plant our own nurseries and gardens. We even may possibly be able to start our own business some day as a result of what we learn here. SCC is a great place to learn and to get your horticulture and technology degree," expressed Shaletin Rayner.
"Registration for our spring semester is just around the corner and we will be offering some truly interesting classes in horticulture this year.Now would be the time to start thinking about joining us for a class or two," cited Olsen.
The horticulture department only holds one sale per year, in the spring when they have their annual spring plant sale, but Olsen stated that she may have other plants for sale during the year if anyone is interested. She further stated that if anyone would like to visit the garden or the horticulture department to give her a call at 910-592-8081, ext. 7003 to schedule a time.


text:
Imprinted Wedding Favors | Custom Wedding Favors
Promotional Wedding Favors
23 Products Found
Rockwell - 5-15 Working Days; Standard - Foil Wrapped Custom Milk Chocolate Squares. Kosher Product ID: 8498091
As low as $0.10
Neon Plastic Sunglasses Custom Imprinted from USimprints.com ID: 8240986
As low as $0.73
Rush ProductionParty Sturdy Sipper - 16 Oz. Heavy Duty Double Wall Acrylic Cup With Straw, Bpa Free ID: 9314590
As low as $3.76
Neoskin (r) - Non-refillable Hard Cover Journal With 192 Ivory Lined Pages ID: 8444586
As low as $5.00


text:
Another silly test I rendered using SmallLuxGPU 2 last night/today. Another one where I spent some time this weekend setting up (no real plan) but then rushed it at the end (rendering doesn't take any of my time while I'm away):
YouTube: Noodle physics simulation
Thanks (and sorry ) to SATtva for giving me permission to use his amazing 360 Luxrendered panoramas for lighting the scene (as infinite light). I hadn't thought one could make such realistic artificial virtual 360 environments. Ideal in a sense because there is nothing in the way (camera/tripod/people). I wanted to use the kitchen one, thinking it was appropriate for this scene, but things looked too green out of context. I ended up using the entrance one, I really like the warm natural colors it provides (entrance_small.jpg with energy: 2.5). I think the benefits of using a non-HDRI low(ish) resolution image as an infinite light in SLG is that it produces a lot less noise. Batch render, around 45 secs./frame due to glass and close-up; probably not enough trace depth (black rim of glass), de-noised after, no other processing.


text:
The gunfire and explosions erupted in the early afternoon, hours after the M23 rebels said they were halting fighting in order to negotiate with the government of Congo. Government spokesman Lambert Mende told The Associated Press by phone that negotiations are out of the question, saying Congo will not give in to the "blackmail" of a Rwandan-backed group.
Civilians including young children ran to safety when the fighting resumed. In Goma, a city of 1 million, civilians sought shelter in huts and behind ledges alongside a main road as tanks rumbled by.
Earlier, M23 rebel spokesman Col. Vianney Kazarama told the AP that his men were on their way back to Kibumba, 30 kilometers (18 miles) north in order to give proposed talks a chance. But on Monday afternoon, Kazarama blamed Congo for renewed hostilities and once again vowed that M23 would take Goma.
"The army provoked us. They have fired on our men ...We are going to take Goma tonight," he said.
A major U.N. peacekeeping base is in Goma. On Saturday U.N. attack helicopters targeted M23 positions. U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said the rebels are very well-equipped, including with night-vision equipment allowing them to fight at night. U.N. spokesman Kieran Dwyer said Sunday that 17 U.N. "quick reaction units" have been deployed throughout Goma.
"The situation in Goma is extremely tense," Dwyer said on Sunday. "There is a real threat that the city could fall into the M23's hands and/or be seriously destabilized as a result of the fighting."
M23 began when several hundred men led by Gen. Bosco Ntaganda — who is wanted by the International Criminal Court —defected from the Congo army in April. Congo analyst Jason Stearns, a former member of the United Nations Group of Experts, said on his blog that the group is now believed to be composed of 2,500 to 3,000 men.
The situation mirrors events in 2008, when a now-defunct rebel group known as the National Congress for the Defense of the People, or CNDP, advanced to the edge of Goma as some Congolese government dropped their weapons and ran. That group, which was financially and militarily backed by Rwanda, stopped just short of taking the city. The rapid advance forced the government to enter into negotiations with the rebels. The peace deal brokered on March 23, 2009, called for CNDP fighters to be integrated into the national army.
Tellingly, the new rebel group's name comes from the date of those peace accords, which the M23 says were never fully implemented by the government. M23 fighters include former members of the CNDP. The M23 rebels told the government to make a declaration on state TV and radio announcing the start of negotiations, but did not state what they hope to achieve in talks. The U.N. Group of Experts says M23 is believed to be backed by neighboring Rwanda, which the Rwandan government of President Paul Kagame denies.
Observers say it is in Rwanda's interest to exert influence over areas of eastern Congo bordering Rwanda, where Hutus fled after perpetrating the 1994 genocide inside Rwanda against mostly Tutsis. Exerting influence would enable Rwanda to maintain a buffer zone and to exploit the trade and trafficking of minerals in eastern Congo.
In a statement released on Monday, the M23 called for the immediate demilitarization of the city and the airport in Goma, and for the opening of the border at the town of Bunagana within the next 48 hours.
Reports by Human Rights Watch as well as by the U.N. Group of Experts indicate that Rwanda is providing arms, logistical help and even soldiers to M23.
Over the weekend, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the Kagame to ask him to intervene and stop the M23 offensive, according to a statement issued at U.N headquarters in New York.
Callimachi contributed from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Saleh Mwanamilongo contributed to this report from Kinshasa, Congo.


text:
Archives > Mesquite News > News
Texas, 37 states resolve lengthy investigation into Google Street View's unlawful collection of personal information
From Staff report
AUSTIN - Texas, 37 other states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday, March 12, resolved their lengthy investigation into Google Inc.'s collection of personal information -- including email and search histories -- from unsecured wireless routers at private residences and businesses.
Although Google initially denied that its Street View vehicles were retrieving this private information, the Mountain View, Calif.-based conglomerate subsequently acknowledged that it had "mistakenly" engaged in this practice. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott provided this statement about the agreement negotiated by the states:
"For two years, Google violated Texans' privacy rights and secretly collected personal information from their wireless routers. [Tuesday]'s agreement requires Google to destroy any personal data that was improperly collected and imposes important new privacy protections that govern the Street View program going forward."
Initially, Google maintained that no emails, Web search histories or other personal information was being collected by Street View vehicles -- and that the collected information was limited to data that merely identified the existence and location of a wireless network.
The state's investigation subsequently revealed that despite assertions to the contrary, Google collected private information that was transmitted over unencrypted WiFi networks for two years. Although information transmitted on these wireless networks was collected from 2010 to 2012, Google represented that it had not intended to collect and store network users' private payload data.
Under Tuesday's agreement, Google must pay $7 million and comply with following requirements:
Destroy the "payload data" it collected;
Notify network users and obtain their consent before using its Street View vehicles to collect any additional "payload data";
Implement an employee training program that highlights network users' privacy and maintain the training program for the next 10 years; and
Develop a public service campaign to educate network users about how to better secure their personal information while they are using wireless networks.
Attorney General Abbott urged Texans to protect their privacy by securing their home computer systems and activating encryption features to make sure that transmitted information is scrambled.
View the court-filed agreement with Google Inc. at http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/releases/2013/030613_google_vol_comp.pdf
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: News «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^


text:
Introduction to Cities: How Place and Space Shape Human ExperienceISBN: 978-1-4051-5554-0
408 pages
August 2012, ©2012, Wiley-Blackwell
This price is valid for United States. Change location to view local pricing and availability. Other Available Formats: Wiley E-Text
A complete introduction to the history, evolution, and future of the modern city, this book covers a wide range of theory, including the significance of space and place, to provide a balanced account of why cities are an essential part of the global human experience.
- Covers a wide range of theoretical approaches to the city, from the historical to the cutting edge
- Emphasizes the important themes of space and place
- Offers a balanced account of cities and offers extensive coverage including urban inequality, environment and sustainability, and methods for studying the city
- Takes a global approach, with examples from Berlin and Chicago to Shanghai and Mumbai
- Includes a range of pedagogical features such as a substantial glossary of key terms, critical thinking questions, suggestions for further reading and a range of innovative textboxes which follow the themes of Exploring Further, Studying the City and Making the City Better
- Extensively illustrated with maps, charts, tables, and over 80 photographs
- Accompanied by a comprehensive student companion site featuring a list of relevant journals, a guide to useful web resources, and an annotated documentary film guide, alongside a useful instructor companion site with further examples, case studies, and discussion and essay questions; instructors will find a link to the instructor website on the student website at www.wiley.com/go/cities
Create a customized edition with Wiley Custom Select


text:
Free Shipping on orders over $150
$7 on everything else
The tiny dots get along with nearly every top and the soft, stretchy fabric brings comfort to the cargo.
Sizes 6-12 M to 12
Get her dressed for any adventure. Cargos designed for all the places she'll go and things she'll see.
Sizes 6-12 M to 12


text:
- Text Size:
- ASmall Text
- AMedium Text
- ALarge Text
Deep Space Industries said it can build its first class of probes largely with off-the-shelf parts and book them on other launch vehicles, such as the French-built Ariane rockets or the Falcon boosters developed by SpaceX.
Executives said Tuesday they're also developing a foundry designed to produce metal parts from nickel, an element abundant in asteroids, and operate in space, and a class of "Harvestor" craft to extract valuable material from the asteroids.
But John Mankins, the company's chief technology officer, said its plans are based on existing technology, not "magic."
"You don't see any space elevators. You don't see antigravity. You don't see warp drive," said Mankins, a former NASA scientist. "There is really nothing the business plan Deep Space Industries is using that cannot be done with the technological research that has already been accomplished in laboratories across the planet."
NASA landed a probe on the 20-mile-long asteroid 433 Eros in 2000, while Japan's space agency not only landed its Hayabusa spacecraft on the roughly 1,700-foot asteroid Itokawa in 2007 but also returned it to Earth with small samples in 2010.
Andrew Cheng, project scientist for the Eros probe NEAR-Shoemaker, said the big question facing commercial space ventures remains what it will cost to get their equipment off Earth.
"The physics are feasible. The economics is a different story," said Cheng, who now leads space research at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. He said he's hopeful that ventures such as Deep Space Industries can succeed as more companies venture into space, however.
"If someone identifies a way to do something out there that makes a lot of money, and there's a lot of traffic and a bigger market, then the cost will come down," he said. "It's a bit of a chicken and egg problem."
Space is a new legal frontier as well. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty provides for "free access to all areas of celestial bodies" by any nation, but isn't clear about commercial rights, said Henry Hertzfeld, who researches space policy at George Washington University. Until that's cleared up, that adds risk to any business venture, he said.
Cheap access to space has been "the sort-of Holy Grail" for decades, "and we're not much closer to that than we were 50 years ago," said Hertzfeld, who is also an adviser to Planetary Resources.


text:
Sen. Richard Lugar loses primary to Richard Mourdock
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) lost his primary on Tuesday, becoming the latest Republican to fall victim to a tea party-fueled opponent.
Results early Tuesday night showed state Treasurer Richard Mourdock leading the six-term senator 61 percent to 39 percent with 40 percent of precincts reporting. The Associated Press has called the race for Mourdock.
Mourdock now becomes the GOP standard-bearer in a state where Republicans have a built-in advantage. But his nomination also opens the door a crack to Rep. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat whose chances improve now that he doesn't have to face the more moderate longtime incumbent.
Lugar is the third GOP senator to lose a primary since 2010, joining Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and former senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah). Also in 2010, tea party candidates upended establishment favorites in Senate races in Colorado, Delaware and Nevada, and went on to lose all three races in the general election. Unlike previous tea party usurpers, though, Mourdock is a statewide elected official.
Then-Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) also lost a primary in 2010 after switching parties.
After his loss, Lugar said he would support Mourdock but also said his opponent needs to adjust his political approach.
"His embrace of an unrelenting partisan mindset is irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance," Lugar said in the statement, according to reporters present. "His embrace of an unrelenting partisan mindset is irreconcilable with my philosophy of governance."
Lugar is likely to be the only incumbent senator to lose re-nomination this year. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who along with Lugar is tied for the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, avoided a top-tier challenge and appears to be on a path for victory in his primary next month.
Mourdock lost five campaigns before being elected state treasurer in 2006. He was reelected in 2010 with 62 percent of the vote, and soon after launched his Senate campaign.
He earned the backing of several conservative groups, most notably the National Rifle Association and the fiscally conservative Club for Growth, which spent nearly $2 million to defeat Lugar and helped Mourdock close the gap financially.
"Richard Mourdock's victory truly sends a message to the liberals in the Republican Party: voters are rejecting the policies that led to record debt and diminished economic freedom, and they will continue to be rejected in elections throughout America," said Chris Chocola, a former Indiana congressman who is now president of the Club for Growth.
President Obama won Indiana in 2010 but isn't expected to seriously compete for the state this year, as the state has returned to its more conservative roots.
Donnelly was one of few Democrats to survive in a tough district in 2010, and Democrats hope he can bring broad appeal to the Senate race. But so far, he has struggled to raised money for his campaign.
Democrats immediately set about comparing Mourdock to previous tea party candidates, including 2010 Colorado GOP candidate Ken Buck.
"Richard Mourdock is this year's Ken Buck," said Guy Cecil, the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Tonight's results make the Indiana Senate race a toss-up race."
Republicans immediately set about tying Donnelly to Obama.
"Hoosier voters are ready to put an end to Joe Donnelly and President Obama's liberal agenda of higher taxes, bigger government and reckless deficit spending," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "That is why I am confident they will elect a proven statewide leader like Richard Mourdock who will fight every single day on behalf of Hoosier values, and not the Obama agenda."
Obama, whose friendship with Lugar was regularly used against the senator, expressed regret that his "friend" had lost.
"As a friend and former colleague, I want to express my deep appreciation for Dick Lugar's distinguished service in the United States Senate," Obama said in a statement. "While Dick and I didn't always agree on everything, I found during my time in the Senate that he was often willing to reach across the aisle and get things done."
Other Democrats were equally as kind, with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) going so far as to label Lugar's loss "a tragedy for the Senate."
RNC Hispanic roundtable backfires on Romney
- Spam
- Obscene
- Duplicate
Blog Contributors
Chris Cillizza
Chris Cillizza is founder and editor of The Fix, a leading blog on state and national politics. He is the author of The Gospel According to the Fix: An Insider's Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics and an MSNBC contributor and political analyst. He also regularly appears on NBC and NPR's The Diane Rehm Show. He joined The Post in 2005 and was named one of the top 50 journalists by Washingtonian in 2009.
Juliet Eilperin
Juliet Eilperin covers the White House for the Washington Post. She served as the Post's House of Representatives reporter from 1998-2004, covering the impeachment of Bill Clinton, lobbying, legislation, and five national congressional campaigns. Since 2004 she has been one of the country's leading reporters covering the environment, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality. She is the author of two books, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives," and "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks." Follow her on Twitter.
Ed O'Keefe
Ed O'Keefe covers Congress and politics for the Washington Post. He previously covered the 2008 and 2012 campaigns and reported on federal agencies and federal employees as author of The Federal Eye blog. Follow Ed on Twitter.
Aaron Blake
Aaron Blake covers national politics at the Washington Post, where he writes regularly for "The Fix," the Post's top political blog. A Minnesota native and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, Aaron has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill newspaper. Aaron and his wife, Danielle, live in Annandale, Va. Follow him on Twitter.
Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan covers national politics for "The Fix." Prior to joining the Washington Post in the summer of 2012, Sean was the editor of Hotline On Call, National Journal Hotline's politics blog. He has also worked for NHK Japan Public Broadcasting and ABC News. Sean is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a degree in Philosophy. He lives in Washington, D.C. Follow Sean on Twitter.
Scott Clement
Scott Clement is a survey research analyst for Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media. Scott specializes in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. He helps design and analyze all Washington Post polls, including the Washington Post-ABC News poll. Follow Scott on Twitter.
Rachel Weiner
Rachel Weiner covers national politics for Post Politics and The Fix. She came to the Washington Post in 2010 as a political web editor and anchored the Post's 2012 election blog. She was previously a web editor at The Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter.


text:
Find the Perfect Life Style Home Plan
Showing Filters: 4 Bedrooms - 3 Bathrooms - 3-Car Garage -
Monterey I
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 car garage, with 3687 total square feet
Here is a brand new design plan from LifeStyle Homes that brings forward the key features of our extremely popular Monterey II model in a more compact and affordable single story executive home that builds on the distinguished heritage of our flagship Abaco model. Take a look around. This is a distinguished home which embodies [...]
Monterey II
4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 3 car garage, with 3958 total square feet
St. Croix II
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 car garage, with 3289 total square feet
The St. Croix II from LifeStyle Homes offers the welcoming spaciousness of a great room plan with the extra convenience of two dedicated eating areas, one for more formal occasions and one that's just perfect for casual dining. The expansive island kitchen with raised bar and walk-in pantry includes almost too much counter space and [...]


text:
Welcome to Green Bay Packers NFL Football Forum & Community!
Packer Forum is one of the largest online communities for the Green Bay Packers.
You are currently viewing our community forums as a guest user. Sign up or
Having an account grants you additional privileges, such as creating and participating in discussions.
Refs costing us this game
Discussion in 'Packer Fan Forum' started by ivo610, Sep 24, 2012.


text:
Williams-Sonoma Thermo-Clad ™ Stainless-Steel Cookware, the result of our mission to bring home cooks the highest-quality products available.
Buy Now
Shop Williams-Sonoma Cookware
Introducing Williams-Sonoma stainless-steel tools, designed to perform every cooking function better.
Shop Williams-Sonoma Tools
Our signature knives feature contoured ergonomic handles and ice-hardened blades for durability.
Shop Zwilling J.A. Henckels
Introducing the Breville Crispy Crust Pizza Maker. Professional brick-oven results, right in your own kitchen.
Shop New Electrics
Everything you need for the perfect home-baked cake – from start to finish.
Shop Now
Free shipping on select croissants & pastries. Offer not valid for international shipping.
Save 20% on Margarita must-haves.
All Miele vacuums ship free! Offer not valid for international shipping.
Shop Miele Vacuums
Save up to 40% on All Outdoor Cookware, Tools and Accessories.
Introducing over 700 new items for every room.
Free shipping on over 250 Agrarian items.
Awesome tool for grating soft cheeses and potatoes. ...
Awesome tool for grating soft cheeses and potatoes. Works great. Put my box grater in the "donate" box...I won't be needing it anymore.
I love this grater! It is easy to ...
I love this grater! It is easy to use and cleans up quickly. The removable section is over the top when it comes to clean up! Most of all it is made in the US.
I love this grater. I frequently use this ...
I love this grater. I frequently use this for citrus zest, ginger and parmesan. It works very well.
Microplanes twist top tool is perfect for grating ...
Microplanes twist top tool is perfect for grating a mixture of hard cheeses directly over pizza, pasta and other foods. Its design includes a number of improvements made to address customer feedback. Now with one large chamber rather than ...


text:
ultrasonic flowmeters
Keyword: ultrasonic flowmeters ×
Location: Africa ×
Location: Burkina Faso ×
Select the suppliers you wish to contact using the checkboxes.
If you are looking for an affordable portable liquid flow meter, but don't want to sacrafice on features, options and measurement strength, the 210i is a great choice.
Innova-Sonic Model 205 Insertion Ultrasonic liquid flow meters accurately measure liquid flow by using insertion transducers. These transducers can be used on pipes that range in size from 2-inch to 400-inches (50mm to 10000mm).
Innova-Sonic Model 205 ultrasonic liquid flow meter is a state-of-the-art universal transit time ultrasonic liquid flow meter incorporating the latest developments in digital signal processing. Sophisticated ultrasonic sensor technology coupled with powerful transducers deliver highly accurate flow measurements for liquids in full pipes. While ...
The Sonic Pro Series Hybrid Ultrasonic Flow meters are new technologically advanced flow meter systems. No Wetted Components. Operates efficiently in clean and dirty fluids. Two Operating Modes - Transit Time or Doppler. Superior quality metric algorithms and DSP technology ensures dependable, highly precise measurements. Non-invasive clamp-on ...
Model RTF-10-US provides a "complete package" ultrasonic flow meter/totalizer/recorder which displays the current flow rate and/or accumulated total. The lockable NEMA 4X fiberglass housing is provided with a viewing window and a swing-out panel, which allows easy access to internal components and field wiring connections. By design, ...
The P7SZ is an ultrasonic flow meter that measures the velocity of any liquid through most pipes using ultrasonic transducers that clamp onto the outside of small or large sonically conductive pipes of almost any material including plastics and metals. The flow measurement remains accurate even when temperature change is experienced.
KROHNE's OPTISONIC 6300 stands for continuity and long term reliability. Flow measurement can be done anywhere and start-up is immediate. The new OPTISONIC 6300 clamp-on flowmeter with its robust industrial construction and regreasing concept provides a revolutionary solution for easy handling. Ultrasonic clamp-on flowmeter: minimized uncertainty, ...
UFM 3030 is a 3-beam ultrasonic flowmeter for liquids. UFM 3030 measures independent of conductivity, viscosity, temperature, density and pressure.
Efficient flowmetering and volume counting of clean, homogeneous liquids with low gas and solids contents with single-beam measurement.
Efficient flow measurement and volume counting of all types of water and wastewater in closed pipelines or in open channels and raceways.


text:
NRA: Guns in Schools Would Protect StudentsIn a press conference reflecting on last week's massacre in Newtown, Conn., the National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre today insisted that increased gun laws would not have prevented the violence that felled 20 first-graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- and instead called on Congress to send armed police officers in every school in America. LaPierre, whose remarks were interrupted twice by pro-gun control protesters, disdained the notion that stricter gun laws could have prevented "monsters" like Adam Lanza from committing mass shootings, and wondered why schools, unlike banks, don't have the protection of armed forces. "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," he said. Rolling out a proposal to help governments train and provide security at schools, Lapierre argued that children should benefit from the same protection Congress members enjoy. "We must speak for the safety of our nation's children," said LaPierre. "We care about our money, so we protect our banks with armed guards. American airports, office buildings, power plants, courthouses, even sports stadiums, are all protected by armed security. We care about our president, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents. Members of Congress works in offices surrounded by Capitol police officers, yet when it comes to our most beloved innocent and vulnerable members of the American family -- our children -- we as a society leave them every day utterly defenseless. And the monsters and the predators of the world know it and exploit it." "That must change now," argued Lapierre, moments before being interrupted by a protester carrying a large pink sign proclaiming that the "NRA is killing our kids." "The truth is that our society is populated by an unknown number of genuine monsters -- people so deranged, so evil, so possessed by voices and driven by demons that no sane person can possibly ever comprehend them. They walk among us every day. And does anybody really believe that the next Adam Lanza isn't planning his attack on a school he's already identified at this very moment?" In a statement announcing the press conference earlier this week, the NRA broke its post-Newtown silence to say it was "prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again." On Wednesday, President Obama announced the creation of a task force aimed at providing actionable policy ideas to prevent or reduce gun violence in America. Vice President Joe Biden, a key author of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, will helm the task force, and cabinet members and outside groups will be called on for ideas and contributions. Many believe that in the wake of the tragedy, the political will to reinstate the assault weapons ban, which expired in 2004, will increase. The president long has supported a ban, but exerted little effort to get it passed during his first term. According to White House spokesman Jay Carney, Mr. Obama also would support closing a "gun show loophole" allowing people to buy arms from private dealers without background checks, and would be interested in legislation limiting high-capacity ammunition magazines. You have indicated this comment should be removed.said on Thursday, Dec 27 at 10:40 PM It has been reported that in some of the school shootings of the past years there were trained police at those particular schools yet they were not able to stop the shootings. Is this then a fool proof way of being able to or not? Perhaps the best way is to be able to have ways to see when a ? person with guns comes on the school grounds and then able to have a trained police person stop them right there and have a back up for that person as well. Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Wednesday, Dec 26 at 12:18 PM I am a Toys Are Us Kid...corporate advertisers should be sniffing out that scenerio for sales of toys and further deflate social fears...mix it with tours of the bases and your good to go...investors can divert funds and make some money the old way for once...let me know how that works...same money...more moral and ethics to the profits this time eh? Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Saturday, Dec 22 at 12:16 PM I got an idea...two birds with one stone...take the soldiers who got back and are fit to work...make the VA pay them to be in the schools...and watch a soldier be a kid again...be silly...and the security is there for the kids and the therapy for the soldier...Toys are Us... Take the college kids and pay their work-study to observe the children and the soldiers...wouldn't hurt the soldier to "digress" and be funny...get it on tape...play hide and go seek at school... The funding for the VA recipients and the work-study students is way cheaper and already in place then the monies it would take to put "armed guards" in the school...I think fatigues with no guns of the soldiers playing with the kids would be message enough...and therapeutic as well... Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Saturday, Dec 22 at 11:53 AM Maybe we should start with stun guns first. It will be hard for police to identify the shooter if there are a lot of people armed in the school. If there is a mistake and someone is shot with the stun gun; it will not be lethal. Too many guns in the school seems like a bad idea. Having armed guards would be a great deterrent and can protect our kids and give individuals jobs. Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Friday, Dec 21 at 9:18 PM they can't use cops in Anchorage. if the janitor comes bear the cop pushing anything with a broom handle he will get shot Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Friday, Dec 21 at 3:09 PM I think that a Principal and Vice Principal could be trained and have a gun and that would help protect our children we don't need to hire more people to be in schools, we have plenty to train and arm that are already there. Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Friday, Dec 21 at 2:56 PM Since it is very obvious that the need to do this is based upon the availability of guns, including those that can rapidly murder people, the only way to make sense to fund this entirely by heavy taxation on guns and stiff license fees for gun owners that would include mandatory gun training for gun owners. That way, they will be, a "well-regulated militia" Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Friday, Dec 21 at 1:45 PM Thousands of Unemployed Veterans already trained. Why not train them as teachers aids, put them in classrooms around the country. Should the need arise we are already there ready to defend our kids and schools. Sort of like the air marshal program, but make as a teacher aid. I am an unemployed veteran. I love my kids and wouldn't mind hanging out with them all day, I just need the right training. Already trained with a weapon. Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Friday, Dec 21 at 12:29 PM yeah hows those ritcher investments going? and that assault rifle named after you know who...whatever! This is just a staged event...yes...planned attacks! To push the sales of guns and heighten fears...gee and we have how many soldiers out of work...who have kids that are in school? Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Friday, Dec 21 at 11:37 AM Vice Principal Joel Myrick, find this guy and read his story and how he saved kids and teachers from a shooting that could have been more tragic. Why don't we see any of these stories in the mainstream. Inappropriate? Alert Us! said on Friday, Dec 21 at 9:16 AM Use off duty cops as subs to randomly place armed officers (with concealed weapons) in schools. Change any laws to allow this. This could disrupt the planning of school shooters. And you already have trained, screened people. Inappropriate? Alert Us! Add a comment |
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.


text:
Click on the different images in the banner to learn more about each resource.
More great websites from the Apostolate for Family Consecration: www.familycatechism.com www.familyholiness.com www.familyland.tv www.familycatechesis.com www.familyland.mx (en español)
Check out highlights from our 1st General Assembly! Please click here for information on Disciple Membership
| Store | Holy Family Fests | Free Downloads | Watch us on EWTN Sundays - 11AM EST | Familyland Mall |


text:
Mr Thorbjørn Jagland is the 13th Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The Secretary General has the overall responsibility for the strategic management of the Organisation. Mr Jagland was elected in September 2009.
The former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Norway, Thorbjørn Jagland, aged 62, was also the President of the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) and the leader of the Norwegian Labour Party. He is currently the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Nobel Peace Prize.
Private office
Private office of the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General
Tel: 00 33 (0)3 88 41 20 00 Fax : 00 33 (0)3 88 41 27 99
Bjørn BERGE, Director
- Management and co-ordination of Private Office
- Committee of Ministers and national governments and delegations
- Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights
- Office of the Director General of Programmes
- Senior Recruitment
- Secretary to the Intra-Institutional Meeting, Senior Management Group and General Affairs Team
- Co-ordination SG agenda and communication
- Reforms - implementation and follow-up
- Assistant: Karen Caffrey-Oliveira
Matjaž GRUDEN, Deputy Director
- Deputises for the Director
- Directorate of Political Advice
- Directorate of Policy Planning
- Directorate of External Relations
- Council of Europe Neighbourhood Policy
- Strasbourg World Forum for Democracy
- Speechwriting
- Reforms - implementation and follow-up
- Assistant: Ermioni Kefallonitou
Louise BARTON, Adviser
- Directorate of Information Technology
- Directorate of Logistics
- Directorate of Democratic citizenship and participation
- Directorate of Human Rights and Anti-discrimination
- Council of Europe Development Bank
- Staff Committee
- Reforms - implementation and follow-up
- Assistant: Françoise Rui
Leyla KAYACIK, Adviser
- Court, including reform process
- Directorate of Human Rights
- Directorate of Information Society and Action against Crime
- European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)
- Reforms - implementation and follow-up
- Assistant: Karen Melton
Fredrik HOLM, Adviser
- Directorate of Programme, Finance and Linguistic Services
- Directorate of Internal Oversight
- European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare
- Protocol
- Reforms - implementation and follow-up
- Assistant: Katie Stephens
Hallvard GORSETH, Adviser
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Directorate of Justice and Human Dignity
- Directorate of Democratic Governance, Culture and Diversity
- Directorate of Legal Advice and Public International Law (Jurisconsult)
- Reforms - implementation and follow-up
- Assistant: Katie Stephens
Adrian EVTUHOVICI, Adviser
- Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
- Directorate of Communications
- Accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights
- Roma
- Civil Society
- Relations with the City of Strasbourg
- Reforms - implementation and follow-up
- Assistant: Karen Melton
Tél. +33 (0)3 88 41 20 00
Fax +33 (0)3 88 41 27 99
Email : email@example.com


text:
Welcome to Shemale Porn Tube site aShemaleTube.com, your home for free adult shemale porn tube videos. For all Tranny and Shemale Porn lovers, a Shemale Tube is the #1 spot for all of your chick with dicks needs. To use all of AShemaleTube.com feature please login or register. Press CTRL+D to bookmark the best Shemale Porn site now!
Prefer white color? Switch now
Advanced Search
Its really better to be a member. Register |


text:
While I've read a few of the Green Arrow comics, I honestly don't remember much of it including anything about Oliver Queen's origins. Does he even have an origin story? How true is the plot of the TV series, Arrow, to the comic? Are there any similarities at all?
The TV show actually uses a similar origin story to the very first Green Arrow comics from the DC 'Golden Age'. The only major difference is that in the comic, Oliver Queen was actually the boy's father, Green Arrow himself being Roy Harper. Here is a quick rundown of the original comic book story from the DC database: Roy Harper was a young boy whose parents had been killed in a plane crash that stranded him on the isolated Lost Mesa; he had learned to hunt to survive. (His father) Oliver Queen's museum was burned down by criminals he had been fighting during an attempted robbery, and he ventured to the Mesa as a means of finding a new lease on life. Criminals followed him in search of rumored treasure and shot Harper's only friend Quoag, forcing the man and boy to work together. They took their code-names Green Arrow and Speedy from off-handed remarks the thugs had made, and defeated them using bows and arrows. Discovery of the treasure made them very wealthy, and they used that money to fund their crime-fighting careers. |


text:
recently viewed
Mens Two-Tone Etched-Design Cross on Top Ring in 14K Gold
Mens Rhodium Onyx Diamond Ring in 14K Yellow Gold
Mens .01 Ct. T.W. Diamond Ring in 10K Yellow Gold and Rhodium
Mens .10 Ct. T.W. Diamond Eagle Ring in 10K Yellow Gold and Rhodium
Black Hills Gold 10K Gold Mens Wide Masonic Ring with Onyx
Black Hills Gold Mens Black Powder-Coated Masonic Watch


text:
New Reply |
Newton's Cradles vs Ball Bouncing off Wall |
Share Thread | Thread Tools |
Jan4-13, 06:17 AM | #1 |
Newton's Cradles vs Ball Bouncing off Wall
Hello everyone!
I was just reading about the working of Newton's Cradles and ended up having some confusion. When a ball is taken to a certain height and dropped, it comes down and hits the next ball. Now the explanation as to why the first ball stops and doesn't bounce back is attributed to the law of conservation of momentum. Since momentum has direction, if the ball were to bounce back, the momentum would no longer be conserved as the direction would be reversed. Hence the momentum is transferred to the next ball. Considering another situation, a ball bounces back when it hits a wall. The explanation given in this case is that the momentum of the ball changes from +mv to -mv and a momentum of 2mv is transferred to the wall, hence conserving momentum. Why can't this idea be applied to the case of Newton's Cradles as well? |
Jan4-13, 06:26 AM | #2 |
Jan4-13, 06:44 AM | #3 |
Thanks for the reply.
But just like a ball bouncing off the wall, why can't the first ball in the cradle retain some energy and bounce back, passing on the remaining energy to the next ball, hence conserving energy? |
Jan4-13, 06:49 AM | #4 |
Newton's Cradles vs Ball Bouncing off Wall |
Jan4-13, 06:50 AM | #5 |
Alright, I get it now. Thanks a lot!
Jan4-13, 07:54 AM | #6 |
Homework Help |
cradle.htm |
Jan4-13, 09:16 AM | #7 |
New Reply |
Thread Tools | |
Similar Threads for: Newton's Cradles vs Ball Bouncing off Wall | ||||
Thread | Forum | Replies | ||
Tennisball bouncing on wall - momentum | Introductory Physics Homework | 10 | ||
Momentum of ball bouncing off wall | Introductory Physics Homework | 3 | ||
Advanced: Calculation of a triangle bouncing off a wall | General Physics | 0 | ||
Impact generated by a futsal ball vs. basketball ball at a wall | General Physics | 1 | ||
Ball incoming perpendicular to wall and bouncing w/o change in direction | General Physics | 0 |


text:
***UPDATE - While Bernie's site is still down, local NBC affiliate WPTZ has details on Willie Nelson stumping for Bernie.***
At the moment Bernie's campaign site, Bernie.org, is down so I can't go there and get you a direct link to the Willie Nelson ad, if it's even online. I saw the commercial just the other day and I'm not sure that it was ever on Bernie.org to begin with, but it's a safe assumption that it was because most campaign sites feature the TV ads and additional web ads. I fear that this new Willie news may have caused them to remove it by the time the site comes back up.
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Country singer-songwriter Willie Nelson and several fellow musicians were charged with misdemeanor drug possession by Louisiana police after a search of their tour bus on Monday turned up marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms.
State Police seized about 1-1/2 pounds (0.7 kg) of marijuana and two-tenths of a pound (91 grams) of mushrooms from the bus, Williams said.Nelson and four other passengers on the bus were cited for possession and released, while the driver had his commercial driving privileges suspended in addition to being cited for possession. Nelson faces possible jail time of up to six months and an unspecified fine, police said.
More to come hopefully, once Bernie's site is back up... Plus I hope to post the new Rich Tarrant ads, probably in a separate post, but they are currently available at BerniesRecord.com. Pretty damning ads. For previous posts with Tarrant's "Bernie's Record" ads, see here and here.
Here's a classic I just dug up on YouTube. I think it's a couple months old, but just recently uploaded.
TrackBacks To This Post:
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.rightwinged.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/640
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Willie Nelson Campaigns For Bernie Sanders, Gets Busted For Pot And Shrooms:
Hope H Coat In Grey Check linked with Hope H Coat In Grey Check
Dvd Rw Backup Addon linked with Dvd Rw Backup Addon
Fly Evolution Motocross Jerseys linked with Fly Evolution Motocross Jerseys


text:
West Indies (English)
Absolute Time Server is a full-featured time server, which works as windows service and is fully RFC-868 and RFC-2030 compatible. Absolute Time Server acts as a background process, has very low system resources consumption, and it can be started before user logon.
Submit A Review
The views and opinions submitted and expressed here are not those of Microsoft.


text:
Home » Products » Siemens Industry Inc » Siemens' Sitrans LR250 Radar Level Transmitter
Siemens' Sitrans LR250 Radar Level Transmitter
Siemens' Sitrans LR250 non-contacting, radar level transmitter with a new threaded polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) antenna for liquid and slurry measurement opens up new applications in extreme conditions such as liquid and slurry. The threaded PVDF antenna is designed for extreme conditions. It is suitable for use in food and beverage, chemical and water treatment applications.Company Information
Website: www.usa.siemens.com
Related Products
- Endress+Hauser's Liquiphant FailSafe FTL8x Point Level Switches
- Turck's Levelprox Non-Invasive Liquid Level Sensor
- Emerson Rosemount's 2130 Series Level Switch
- Ametek Drexelbrook's Universal IVCM Model Water Cut Monitor
- Arizona Instrument's Computrac Analyzers
- Yokogawa's TDLS220 Measurement Device
- Rotronic's HF8 Transmitter
- E-Instruments International's E8500 Combustion Analyzer
- AutomationDirect's Koyo Medium-Duty Encoders
- Swagelok's Fast Loop Module
- All products »
Sponsored Links
More content on this topic:
Free Subscriptions
Control Digital Edition
Access the entire print issue on-line and be notified each month via e-mail when your new issue is ready for you. Subscribe today.
- Featured White Papers


text:
On Friday 11th I had a long-planned photo shoot of Mr Baker's Bakeshop business that would take me from the showroom all the way back to the heartbeat of the bakery. On this day, Cyril joined me on this very early road trip from Seria to Batu Besurat in Gadong where Mr Baker's Bakery is located. It had to be early for a number of reasons: to capture the essence of their very busy kitchen before shop opens for business and to avoid the traffic jam along Tungku link road that would inevitably delay the shoot. Mr Baker is a well established name in the healthier eating community with cafe outlets at Jerudong Park Medical Centre, a newly opened cafe at the Airport Mall including, in case you didn't know, Fitness Zone at Serusop — the healthy goodness of Mr Baker's breads (choice of Rye, Low GI, Sovitol, etc) can now be found right up the stairs.
Fitness Zone chose Mr. Baker's Bakeshop because they are the healthier choice and due to their strict policy of no added preservatives, dough improver and as much as possible, no added stabilizer / emulsifier is used. For instance, you may notice that the sponge used in our cakes is less spongy but firm in texture and most of our cakes are less sweet.
According to Eric, the founder of Mr Baker's Bakeshop, "In conjunction with the upcoming Mother's Day celebration, we are having a 15% discount on our top selling cakes, Fresh Fruit Vanilla, and on top of it, we are also giving complimentary gift voucher worth $140 to the first 50 customers which entitles holder for one-week free entry to the #1 Health Club courtesy of Fitness Zone." In addition, Wu Chun added, "We are thankful to Mr Baker's Bakeshop for allowing FZ Members to have the privilege of having their cakes made to order and have them delivered to Fitness Zone free of charge."
Mr. Baker's Bakeshop is also baking their record-breaking biggest fruit cake ever baked specially for Fitness Zone's Mother's day activity which is to be held on 12th May Saturday at their Serusop Branch. This coming weekend, there is also a 'Surprise' Mother's Day promotion and Fitness Zone will also do an open house for all families to enjoy their state of the art facilities plus free gifts as well! Start living healthy and start SAVING MONEY by becoming a member of Fitness Zone today!


text:
David Beckham loves styling daughter
Celebrity footballer David Beckham reportedly loves to style daughter Harper and has taken over the duty of styling her. David, who recently announced retirement from the sport, like to maker 22-month-old daughter wear bright clothes whereas wife Victoria has a different choice. "Victoria has always dressed Harper beautifully, but lately it's been David who's taken the reins. David tends to ...
Brown has soft spot for Tran
Singer Chris Brown reportedly has a soft corner for ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran. The duo dated for a few months before Brown famously reconciled his relation with singer Rihanna. However, he is said to have kept in touch with Tran. "I don't know if he's in love with Karrueche, but he loves her. Being in love with someone is different than loving them," hollywoodlife.com quoted a source as ...
Bhubaneshwar hosts rock concert to preserve heritage art
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), in association with the Odisha State Museum (OSM), organised the rock art exhibition in Bhubaneshwar on the occasion of the International Museum Day. The renowned museum showcased around 250 photographs of rock arts and six to eight replicas of the preserved art. Project director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, BL Malla said ...
No commercials TV channel starts broadcast in Russia
Russia's Public Television, which will be governed by the public rather than by the state or the channel owners and which will not run any commercials, Sunday started its broadcast. It offers viewers news, films, entertainment and cognitive programmes. The new TV channel is to become accessible free of charge in the networks of all operators of cable, satellite and IP-television. The TV ...
Denmark wins Eurovision song contest 2013
Denmark has been crowned the winner of Eurovision song contest 2013 that were held in the Swedish city of Malmo. Emmelie de Forest, 20, won the title with 281 points thanks to her splendid rendition of the song 'Only Teardrops', while Azerbaijan stood second 234 points, the BBC reported. UK entrant Bonnie Tyler, 61, who is best known for her 1983 hit 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', had high ...
Movie Review
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull [Blu-Ray]
Even the most diehard fans of the Indiana Jones series will have a hard time denying that there was really no need for a fourth movie. The intrepid, swashbuckling, self-deprecating archaeologist action hero had a wonderful send-off back in ... ...
On Facebook
Miley Cyrus swatted again
Pop singer Miley Cyrus has become the victim of swatting for the second time. It was reported that a call was received from Cyrus's home here Friday claiming a crime at the premise. The 20-year-old was swatted in August 2012 as well when she was not at home, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Last month even Rihanna fell prey to swatting. Police received a call claiming two armed men were arguing at ...
Mel C daughters second choice Jessie J comes first
Former Spice girl Singer Melanie Chisholm aka Mel C says her daughter Scarlet really adores singer Jessie J, who is a judge on the Britain's singing reality show "The Voice". Mel C feels she is the second favourite of her four-year-old daughter. "Saturday night telly with 'The Voice' is an absolute must as Jessie J is her favourite singer. Mummy's only her second favourite now," new! magazine ...
Rita Oras new album blast from the past
Singer Rita Ora is currently working on a new album, which will talk about her life and the relationships that she dealt with in the past. The 22-year-old had a nasty fallout with ex-boyfriend Rob Kardashian and the latter publicly accused her of cheating on him with 20 other men but retracted it later. "My next album is about me being 22, growing up in this industry really fast and being in a ...
Sharon Ozzy reconcile
Singer Sharon Osbourne and her husband Ozzy have reportedly given their marriage another chance after going through a rocky patch for a month. It was earlier revealed that the couple, married for 31 years, were living in separate houses. The reason was said to be Ozzy's intake of drugs for over a year without the knowledge of his wife. However, Sharon was recently seen wearing a diamond ring ...
Pregnancy wont affect Knowles performances
Singer Beyonce Knowles is reportedly expecting her second child with rapper Jay-Z and it is unlikely to affect her forthcoming stage performances. She had earlier pulled out of her Mrs. Carter show world tour in Antwerp, Belgium due to exhaustion, but she performed later when the tour touched down in Switzerland. A source has said that Knowles' pregnancy will most likely not affect her North ...
What They Said
Nothing will ever completely replace playing the game I love, however I feel like I'm starting a new adventure and I'm genuinely excited about what lies ahead. I'm fortunate to have been given many opportunities throughout my career and now I feel it's my time to give back.
David Beckham
The world's best known footballer was speaking after formally announcing his retirement.
Hotel Review
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel New York
I clambered up the stairs with my luggage whilst two bell attendants chatted away. I entered the huge lobby of ...
Keep readingNews Survey
Do you take the threat of North Korea seriously?
Entertainment Sun
Entertainment Sun | Entertainment News Headlines Around the ClockBreaking news from the world of entertainment. This online newspaper has an extended scope, delving into the movie industry, arts, music, and live performances. For the latest from Hollywood, or showbiz in general, Entertainment Sun is a much sought-after resource. Our site also provides international news stories, and updates from the business world and global markets.
In addition to our own resources, we take news from contracted wire services. We also spider external news sites on an hourly basis, 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure our news is continually updated and refreshed.
For parties that require Entertainment news headlines on their Web site we are happy to oblige, and have provided RSS feeds for this purpose. For readers wanting a daily email update of Entertainment news delivered to their inbox, we provide this service on a daily basis, and it is complimentary.
We welcome your feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions about the Entertainment Sun please forward them by using our Contact Us form.
- Computer visionary says he knows who invented Bitcoin
- Yahoo Board Unfazed by Tumblr Porn Approves $1.1B Acquisition
- Upfront Brings New Scheduling Strategy for Broadcast Nets
- Google Americas third political party
- Twitter will damn your soul Saudi cleric says
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Get the latest Entertainment Sun headlines delivered to your inbox.


text:
Related Videos
Presentation by Michael Kirsch on a draft legislation for the reinstatement of the first National Bank of the United States at a townhall meeting in Baltimore, MD. MP3 Audio
In today's discussion with the national policy committee, Lyndon LaRouche uses the occasion of the upcoming 30th anniversary of the SDI to elaborate the revolution necessary in man's conception of himself if we are to not only survive the current crisis, but also achieve our species' great destiny.
In light of the D.C. Court's ruling against Obama's recess appointments, the National Policy Committee discusses mankind's mission in the Universe, the promotion of which the U.S. constitution was created.
In the aftermath of the recent suit against Obama in the Washington, D.C. District Court of Appeals, and hearings in the U.S. Congress, don't lose your nerve! Obama can be out, world war can be avoided, and the full LaRouche program can begin.
The case taken up by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as published Friday the 25th, has the integrity of the Federal Republic as its subject. This potentially carries devastating consequences for the Barack Obama administration.
Today's LPAC policy committee discussion explored ideas presented in the latest report by Lyndon LaRouche, "Now return to the subject of our Constitution: The Principle Involved."
Editor's Choice
Latest Shows
LaRouche Report
LaRouche Report


text:
I didn't think this broadcast was that bad as Oscar shows go, sandik. I assume they knew what they were getting when they hired MacFarlane. They could have done some work on the timing - you shouldn't have to wait thirty minutes into the show for the first award, and I thought the Shatner thing would never end. The John Wilkes Booth joke was a bit much. Also the repeated plugs for Chicago.
As I've been whining about for some years now, the Fashion Police people have so intimidated the actresses that hardly anyone wears anything daring or even that interesting. I think this year was the most cautious I can recall.
That said, I mostly agree with cubanmiamiboy's choices and I'd add Anne Hathaway's Prada number. I could have done without her faux modest ohgoshIwon speech. A trifle unbecoming given that she's been cleaning Sally Field's clock all season.


text:
Erik and I, as well as Peter and our wives, went down to Seattle this past weekend for the Washington Cask Beer Festival (another post to follow). For obvious reasons, we thought it a good idea to get something to eat before the festival. After scouring the internet for the most appropriate place we stumbled onto Feierabend, a German restaurant with an excellent German beer selection. Google Translate informs me that Feierabend means "closing time" or "end of work", but we were just getting started.
We were put off by the sketchy website and the disconnected phone line, but decided to try our luck anyway. My anxiety was not assuaged after it appeared we were heading for the middle of nowhere, but were pleased to find an open Feierabend tucked away in a Yaletown like alley. We were not the least bit disappointed with our restaurant selection after we walked in. It was a well put together pub and they did indeed have many lovely taps of rare (at least for us Canadians) German beer. I was delighted with both the Spaten Helles Bock and Hacker-Pschorr Alt Munich beers I chose. Everyone else was happy with their beer also (except for Darci, who dutifully abstained). The food was merely good, attempting German authenticity. I had a bratwust sandwich with sauerkraut and spaetzle, which wasn't overly impressive, but we couldn't complain at such reasonable prices. I would definitely go back.
It was also at Feierabend that my wife let me know how embarrassing the photos I put on this blog are. Apparently my iPhone doesn't cut it, not that I really minded. It is true, neither Erik nor I are much into photography, assuming we remember to take pictures in the first place. The solution? Get the wife to take the pictures, her handiwork is below.
In retrospect, consuming copious amounts of German beer before the festival may have been a mistake and surely contributed to the fiasco that followed. Stay tuned.


text:
The Boys @ The Airport...
Filed under:338Blog category:
Awesome Kid!~ I bet they won't forget it for sure!~ wish I knew you was stopping through Nebraska, My son got out in Feb from the Army.. Calv Scout Grad out of Fort Knox amoured Divs.. the same as Patton.. served his year in Iraq and lost comrads.. that would have been a wonderful welcome home for him for sure.. God Bless our Troops and God Bless you Kid!!~
Living in NC, I run into soldiers pretty often in my travels. I'm always the girl in the airport who tries not to cry as I randomly say "Thank you" to the soldiers I see or sit by on the plane. I am in awe of the sacrifice and commitment of these great men and women and am truly amazed by what they do. Thanks for the great pic and everything you do for our troops!


text:
A dozen free ebooks from Network for Good
- Fri, April 26 2013
- Filed under: Fundraising essentials
At Network for Good, we generate lots of great, free content.
For today's post, I wanted to highlight a great resource: our library of free ebooks for fundraisers. You can view and download the guides here. Learn about everything from mobile to social media to fundraising to behavior economics.
- Comment: (1)
On a personal note: In support of leaning in
- Thu, April 25 2013
- Filed under: Personal
This week, I published a personal post on my LinkedIn blog. I thought I'd share it here. I was asked by LinkedIn to post on the theme of "my best career mistake." You can view the original post here. I welcome your reactions and thoughts.
Eight years ago, I found myself scraping the tops off store-bought cupcakes in my kitchen at one in the morning. I was replacing the obviously baker-applied icing with hand-applied frosting so the cupcakes would look passably homemade when I brought them to my daughter's school the next day to celebrate her birthday.
What would possess me to do such a bizarre thing? Shame. Or, to put it more fully, it was the mistake of trying to do it all well - and the fear of facing in myself that I could not.
Back then the icing switch-up seemed a better idea than turning up at school with obviously store-bought birthday cupcakes. After all, the school staff had made clear that home-made snacks were strongly preferred, and every other mother seemed capable of bringing lovingly hand-prepared, organic treats on birthdays. But I'd worked late that night, so the best I could do was cosmetic surgery on baked goods. My daughter didn't care. A cupcake was a cupcake in her view, and we were going to bake a cake together that weekend when we celebrated as family. I was the one who cared. I was afraid of being The Bad Mom. Just as I feared being The Bad Worker when I was late to work because of school activities.
It wasn't about what other people thought that was the problem. It was what I thought of myself.
Fast forward to last month, when I was on a panel discussing Women in Leadership. Every woman alongside me publicly admitted the same fleeting fears - and the same feelings of failure and fraudulence in their lives and careers. We know we can't do it all, but that doesn't stop us from feeling bad about that fact on any given day. It was an enormous relief to admit this - and talk about how we handle it.
This theme arises in Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In and hearing it from someone that accomplished was another revelation for me. I'm glad she admits her own similar moments - and irritated by dismissal of how important this admission is. I've read many negative reviews of the book. Most boil down to one or all of these statements:
- Shut up, Sheryl: This book is a solution in search of a problem, or it addresses the wrong problem. Women aren't holding themselves back in the ways you say.
- Mind your own business, Sheryl: You shouldn't be telling other women how to lean in.
- Easy for you to say, Sheryl: You are privileged and so leaning in works for you (you have lots of help). It won't for the rest of us.
I'm distressed by these reactions because many of them miss the point and make quite clear the critics haven't read the whole book. And because fear of this kind of judgment of a life is exactly what drove me into the kitchen to fake my cupcakes.
I feel it's time for us to discuss, honor and learn from however we struggle or succeed - whether it's from someone who has made it big or is making it day by day. To me, this is a major point of the book and the very purpose of this post. Having these conversations, openly, is good for everyone.
Sandberg writes,
"We all want the same thing: to feel comfortable with our choices and to feel validated by those around us. So let's start by validating one another. Mothers who work outside the home should regard women who work inside the home as real workers. And mothers who work inside the home should be equally respectful of those choosing another option."
In addition to calling a truce in the gender wars, we should also find a peace with ourselves. By overcoming our own insecurities regarding our own paths, we can focus on something bigger and better: how all of us - men and women - can better support each other's growth. We should find ourselves in fewer hidden cupcake moments and instead in more soul-searching, constructive reflection. As Sandberg notes: "We need to talk and listen and debate and refute and instruct and learn and evolve."
I'll share my choice: to work outside the home and be a mother, however imperfectly. I try to lean in as well as to stop hiding that it's sometimes hard despite my relative fortune. So I'm fessing up about those silly fake cakes and sharing what I wish I'd known in the wee hours eight years ago: We all have paths to take, whoever we are, and those ways of living all have trade-offs. We gain, not lose, power by owning that imperfect reality, living it without shame and learning from whoever else is willing to share their experience.
To me, the real art of the lean-in is admitting the fear of falling short on my own path and pushing onward anyway. If I'd known it eight years ago, I would have showed up at school with plastic-encased, professionally frosted cupcakes in all their store-bought glory. And I would have known what mattered was that I was there, learning in to the experience of working motherhood and finding a way to be there to celebrate the most important of birthdays. After all, it doesn't get any better than that.
- Comment: (3)
Building a fundraising board - advice from the 'board whisperer'
- Wed, April 24 2013
- Filed under: Fundraising essentials
Image via the Traditional Fundraiser's Coloring Book
Because I've been posting a lot about the state of the fundraising field - and the critical role of boards in bettering it - I wanted to invite you to a free Network for Good webinar, Building a Strong Board for Fundraising Success. It's next Tuesday, April 30 at 1 p.m. Eastern. (If you can't make that time, register anyway, and we'll send you a recording after the event.)
Here's a description of what we have in store.
Nonprofits everywhere are challenged to engage board members to solicit support and donations but let's be real, that's a really hard thing to do! Arming your board with the right tools can make all the difference: clear understanding of the fundraising expectation, knowledge about your organization's cause and mission, and the confidence to pull-off "the ask."
Board "whisperer," Dick Walker, will join Network for Good for a Nonprofit 911 webinar to present resources and practices that will help you shape your board into a rockstar fundraising resource for your organization.
Be sure to tune in to this free event on Tuesday, April 30th at 1 p.m. Eastern; you don't want to miss this! Register now.
- Comment: (0)
It has to be interesting to get shared
- Tue, April 23 2013
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
Awesome cartoon by Tom Fishburne, the Marketoonist
Just a quick reminder as you kick off your day—make sure what you're saying, sending or selling is worth sharing.
Boring doesn't get read. Boring doesn't get shared. Boring doesn't get funded.
That's why no one Tweets creamed corn.
What does get shared? Something surprising, remarkably good, remarkably bad, visually striking, funny, moving, helpful or personally relevant.
Try adding one of these elements - and a good story - to what you do today. It will be more likely to work - and to spread.
- Comment: (0)
How truly great fundraising can flourish
- Mon, April 22 2013
- Filed under: Fundraising essentials
Over the past year, researchers Adrian Sargeant and Jen Shang have sought to answer the question, how can truly great fundraising flourish?
It's a timely question given that half of fundraisers want to quit - and a quarter of bosses said they fired their last fundraiser.
The report - commissioned by the firm Clayton Burnett Limited - is out, and I wanted to share the findings. (You can get the report and executive summary for free at the firm's website - just give a it a day or two for them to email it to you.)
One answer was that organizations with incredible growth in fundraising have achieved that with the right people. Successful organizations have strong fundraising managers who achieve desired change through a combination of will and personal humility. They "devote considerable attention to what they regard as the critical building blocks of success, namely building an exceptional team, structure(s) and culture."
I'm going to highlight here some of the ways high-performing organizations built their teams. For additional findings, check out the full report here.
1. The manager built or retooled the fundraising team members and focused on a few, small early wins. This led to "improvement in confidence and morale, which became self-sustaining as individuals began to recognize their own potential to succeed. Technical expertise on the part of team members was important, but so too was conscientiousness, a willingness to support others, and a propensity to engage in appropriate levels of risk-taking."
2. The researchers note this shift in culture addressed turnover woes. "After the right team had been built, none of the organizations we examined suffered from the high turnover rates that otherwise pervade our sector. Being a part of a successful team appears to engender high levels of loyalty and our all our leaders were personally invested in their teams. The loyalty thus cut both ways. It was also interesting to note that those who defined their team more broadly, to include external agency personnel also exhibited a high degree of loyalty to that agency. Some were maintaining relationships with suppliers that had existed for over a decade."
3. Once a strong team was in place, they focused on the big picture in the right ways. Says the report: "We also found evidence in goal setting, that our outstanding leaders aligned their organizational metrics with the longer term drivers of donor value. Their objectives were couched not in the short-term minutia that typically pervade our sector, but in the standards and behaviours they identified would add value for
supporters and thus pay-back in the longer term. Their appraisal and reward systems were similarly aligned, to focus team member ambitions on the things that mattered most to longer term growth."
That said, the researchers also emphasized the system in which these people work: "Great systems are often more important than great people. A well-designed system filled with ordinary but well-trained people can, according to academic research, consistently achieve well above average performance."
I wish we saw more of these approaches. What works at your organization? Which of these ideas resonate with you? Who are your people and what are your systems?
- Comment: (0)
When donor gifts work - and when they don't
- Fri, April 19 2013
- Filed under: Fundraising essentials
At the recent Nonprofit Technology Conference, I was asked about donor premiums - those return address labels, mugs, etc. given to people in exchange for making a donation.
From the research I've seen, premiums can work to boost giving in the short term but also create some problems long term, especially if the premiums are positioned as a quid pro quo for a gift and have limited resonance with the cause. (For more on the deleterious effects of premiums, read the Agitator.) So I'm not a huge fan, because the evidence suggests these trinkets crowd out a deeper, lasting and emotional connection with a cause.
So what approach might be better? The Agitator post has ideas. Here's another one, from Mercy Corps. This nonprofit chose to surprise donors with a gift tightly aligned with their cause, AFTER the donors gave. It was rooted in social, not market norms. The gift delighted donors without crowding out their emotional connection to Mercy Corps. It's an example of excellent cultivation.
Annalise Briggs shares the story: "I ordered handmade rams from a beneficiary in Kyrgyzstan named Batina. Batina struggled to feed and support her family, and so Mercy Corps gave her a microcredit loan that allowed her to turn her hobby of sewing into a small business. She can now support her family and send her children to school. I mail the notecard with her story and the below photo and one of the little rams she sews to monthly donors within the first 90 days to help with retention (no ask, no BRE). The response has been overwhelming! We have sustainers writing and calling us all the time to thank us for the wonderful gift. Below is just one of the emails we've received…
"Thank you for the little wool ram & note card about Batina. It has greatly personalized my sterile, monthly donation made through my credit card… and to remind me of why I'm making a monthly donation. The world just became a little smaller."
As you know, it's so important to connect supporters with the mission and this is so much better than any random premium or swag. It directly relates to the field work we are doing. With our mission of working in other countries around the world, this connection is even more critical."
This is a great example of what we should do far better in our sector - thank donors and give them a vivid sense of the impact they have on real lives.
Pictured: Batina and the ram she sewed. The photos are courtesy of Mercy Corps.
- Comment: (1)
A post for when you're stuck on replay
- Thu, April 18 2013
- Filed under: Nonprofit leadership
Photo via BigStockPhoto.
Are you stuck on replay? Do you do the same things, the same way, over and over? It's easy to have this happen, and it's honestly what I fear most.
"Replay" can be somewhat effective if you're sticking to what works well. The problem is it can also create an autopilot state of mind that dulls your senses to changes around you—like shifts in the political landscape, your donor base or constituencies—that require a new approach. It's one thing to identify best practices and build on what works - it's quite another to get too comfortable and call it in. Whole industries have fallen into habit only to be rendered irrelevant. You have to keep fine-tuning (or sometimes revolutionizing) what you do and how you do it.
The other problem with replay is it is reductionist. When you stick to the exact same approaches, you can't imagine another way. You become increasingly narrow in your thinking. You fail to learn. You start assuming there are no other options or different paths. So much for originality.
When I get stuck in replay, I've found four things that help. I thought I'd share them here.
1. Get another view into your organization. Call a donor and see how they're feeling about your organization. Go talk to someone in line at your shelter. Visit a front-lines staff member and ask them what's new or different these days. I get so many good ideas from our customer service and success teams, for example.
2. Sign up for blogs, e-newsletters or other media that track big trends. I read a lot on mobile technology, the payments industry, social media and start ups so I can think about how broader trends might disrupt my work in exciting or concerning ways.
3. Go have lunch with a really smart person who doesn't work at your organization. Ask them what they think of your company, organization or cause. Ask them how they faced challenges related to your own, in a different context. Brainstorm with them. I swear by this approach. Most of my ideas come from conversations with other people - rather than my own isolated mind.
4. Take an online course with a brilliant thinker. Via Coursera, I'm taking a course in behavioral economics at Duke (I'm way behind but enjoy the lectures nonetheless). A friend is taking a class in poetry. The possibilities are endless (and free). I also enjoy watching a TED talk. There's nothing like fresh ideas outside your frame of reference to stimulate your own thinking.
This is how I avoid recycling the past or replaying the present. What do you do?
- Comment: (0)
Consumers like companies with a cause - but do they trust them?
- Wed, April 17 2013
- Filed under: Cause-related marketing
A new study conducted by Good.Must.Grow has found consumers are apt to like and buy products from socially responsible companies - but they also question the claims of corporations who say they are committed to the greater good.
In the poll of 1,015 Americans, nearly a third of respondents claimed to have sought out socially responsible companies and a quarter said they avoided buying products from a company specifically because it wasn't socially responsible. A majority (60%) of the study participants said buying goods from socially responsible companies was important to them, though a good deal tended to trump that consideration.
That's good news for those of us pitching cause partnerships to companies. But it's important to bear in mind another finding: Consumers are skeptical too, and 63% only sometimes trust a company's claims that it is socially responsible.
It's important for nonprofits and companies to build trust with the right partnerships. Here's my advice:
1. Find the fit. Consumers are more likely to believe and embrace a company's cause-related efforts if they're reasonably aligned with their brand. For example, an athletic footwear brand is a better fit for anti-obesity sports programs than a fast food company. Seek out companies with values aligned with your nonprofit.
2. Show the money. Make sure your corporate partner practices complete and total transparency about the cause-related efforts. How many dollars went where, to what end? Help consumers see the resulting impact on real world problems.
3. Walk the talk. Choose a company that shows it's a good corporate citizen in how it treats its employees, customers, suppliers, etc. Cause-related efforts that are strictly advertising ploys will spark skepticism. Consumers can smell crass corporate self-interest a mile away.
The bottom line? Find the right partner so consumers will embrace the partnership.
- Comment: (0)
Re-imagining your annual report
- Tue, April 16 2013
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
It's the time of year when you're packaging up your annual reports for 2012. Before you move forward with the same approach as last year, it's worth asking:
-Who is the audience?
-What do you need to accomplish with this report?
-Should we question the old approach?
Here's a great example of what happens when you ask these questions:
The Children's Bureau report - which takes the form of an interactive report online and a poster in its direct mail form - combines accountability, storytelling and imagery in a wonderful way.
For inspiration, go here. And learn how they did it here.
What are you imagining for your annual report? Make sure it serves a purpose for someone in a way that matters.
- Comment: (0)
Video lessons in how to make a vast problem relatable
- Mon, April 15 2013
- Filed under: Video
I'm back from the Nonprofit Technology Conference. At one of my sessions, I talked about the importance of taking the vast problems we seek to address and the critical importance of translating them into a scale that is:
1.) Relatable
2.) Addressable and
3) Inspiring
When we fail to do this, we overwhelm people and create the impression their support won't make a dent in our social problem.
Here are examples of making this translation. At the conference, See3, YouTube, NTEN and Cisco announced these videos were among the winners of the 2013 DoGooder Video Awards. They take big, faraway issues and make them immediate to the kinds of people who are likely to take action for that cause. They stake a point of view with a clear audience. And they inspire action in a funny way. Enjoy.
- Comment: (0)
Free webinar: Mastering the in-person ask
- Fri, April 12 2013
- Filed under: Fundraising essentials
If the thought of asking for a donation in person makes you sweat, Network for Good's next free webinar is for you.
Tune in Tuesday, April 16 at 1 p.m. Eastern to hear fundraising expert Jay Frost give nonprofits the insider scoop on garnering support via one of the most powerful methods—the in-person ask.
Join us and learn answers to the following:
How to ask for donations in a way that is comfortable for you
How to identify your unique asking strengths and best use them
Why asking for gifts doesn't have to be so scary!
- Comment: (0)
Fundraisers, not just donors, are sick of endless appeals
- Thu, April 11 2013
- Filed under: Fundraising essentials
Photo via Green America.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy has a fascinating interview with fundraising guru Penelope Burk, author of the upcoming Donor-Centered Leadership.
Turns out it's not just donors who grow weary of too many direct mail appeals and telemarketing calls. It's apparently a frequent reason fundraisers quit their jobs—the relentless pressure to bombard donors. They'd prefer to take the time to figure out which solicitations work, but they often aren't given the time or latitude to have a more thoughtful approach.
Over-solicitation, says Burk, is the most common reasons donors give for stopping their support of a charity. Instead donors want to know what's been done with their money. Then they'd be willing to give again. But too often, they get appeals instead of thanks and reports on impact.
No wonder we have 60% churn in our sector.
So what do we do instead? Here's Burk's advice.
1. Thank donors after they give.
2. Send them a follow up thanks with detailed information about how their money was used.
3. Only ask for money AFTER you do these two things, and when you do, be as specific as you can about why you are asking for money. What specific cause will benefit?
Great advice.
Do you agree? Do you feel this way?
- Comment: (0)
The future of mobile - and what you should do about it
- Wed, April 10 2013
- Filed under: Mobile
(Snow-themed smartphone case from Zazzle)
I'm in chilly Minneapolis for the Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC). On the theme of technology, I wanted to share this new overview of mobile from Business Insider. (Available here.) Take a look - it's a useful set of data that underlines the importance of your organization ensuing that people can read your emails and donate to your cause on their smartphones.
I spent the past year working with the Network for Good team on mobile, and this type of data prompted us to create a special mobile donation flow for our nonprofits on our DonateNow service. I'll be talking about that process - and my overall thoughts on mobile - with PayPal here at the NTC on Friday. I'm also be co-presenting on behavioral economics with Allan Burstyn on Thursday, as well as co-hosting the The 5th Annual Marketing and Fundraising Meet and Greet later that same day with Kivi Leroux Miller, Farra Trompeter, and Nancy Schwartz. You can also find me at the Science Fair, which I'll be kicking off Thursday afternoon. If you're here in snowy Minnesota, come say hi.
If you're not here, no fear. I'll share the highlights here on the blog. You can enjoy the updates from your (hopefully) warmer home base.
- Comment: (0)
Trying to motivate people to change? Reward them.
- Tue, April 09 2013
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
If you're familiar with marketing, you know the principle of a benefit exchange: a reward offered in return for taking an action. A benefit exchange answers the question: What's in it for me?
For example: If I buy Nikes, I'll feel like an athlete. If I go to your meeting, I'll get some face time with senior staff.
Benefit exchanges are useful for all kinds of situations. Like getting someone at work to agree to your proposal, encouraging people to change their habits or inspiring someone to donate to a cause.
But we often get the benefit exchange wrong. We don't offer a strong enough reward - or a sufficiently clear call to action.
So here's a mini-marketing refresh on strengthening the reward part of your benefit exchange. If you're trying to persuade someone to do something, think about sharpening the "what's in it for me?" answer with a better reward.
A compelling reward has five important attributes: It should be immediate, personal, reflective of your audience's values, better than competing rewards, and credible.
Immediate: The best rewards are available to our audience right away. Few of us take action based on a reward that we expect to receive in the far future. It is human nature to seek instant satisfaction over distant gratification. So think about what your call to action will do for someone in the short term. Eating a hamburger satisfies our hunger, drinking beer makes the ball game more fun, and wearing cologne makes us feel sexier. Donating to charity makes us feel we made a difference for one person, today. How can you show an immediate result may be possible?
Personal: The reward needs to make people feel their life will be better as individuals or within their tight circles of friends, family and community. Take the attributes of what you want people to do and sell them as benefits. What will recycling or sidewalks or education policy do for your audience? At the end of the day, the personal connection, not the grand concept, grabs our attention.
Grounded in audience values: We can't easily change what other people believe, but by plugging into their existing mind-set we unleash great power behind our message. Make sure the reward you are offering is something others seek - not just what you want. Those two things are rarely the same, but we often imagine they are!
Better than the competition: Think competitively about your reward. Is it better than what people get for doing nothing - or something else? Don't forget there's a reason people aren't taking action. They may be deriving benefits from those behaviors. How can you make your reward better than what people get from maintaining the status quo?
Credible: Last, you need to make sure the claim of your benefit is believable. People need to believe they can get the reward. Show other people gaining the promised benefit or telling a good story can bolster your case. Make the promise change credible.
If people aren't doing what you want, you may find out why by reviewing this list. Are you making your offer sufficiently irresistible? Or could you sweeten the reward in one of these areas? It's worth the effort to consider, because a great benefit exchange makes it far easier (and faster) to get to yes.
- Comment: (3)
Must see: Fabulous guide to visual storytelling
- Mon, April 08 2013
- Filed under: How to improve emails and newsletters
Resource Media has a fantastic and free guide to visual storytelling. It's a MUST read (see) for your cause.
The guide has great tips like:
1. Always test visuals
2. Pair visuals with words to increase retention of your message
3. Shun bad stock photos
There are great examples, checklists and templates. Get the guide here.
(Thanks to Mark Rovner (read his blog) for tipping me off to the guide. I feel the way he does - I wish I'd written it myself!)
- Comment: (2)


text:
Daily newspapers have wasted a lot of ink on a Hollywood swingers club. New Times went inside.
A public seminar on the evils of marijuana. An activist claiming pot saved his life. Someone was arrested.
Find everything you're looking for in your city
Find the best happy hour deals in your city
Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%
Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city


text:
Home Burglaries Up in Texas
By: RNS
Updated: February 19, 2009
According to Allstate Insurance, costs associated with the home thefts in Texas also shot up 9 percent from $11.3 million to $12.3 million in 2008. The average home theft loss per incident was more than $4,100 in 2008, up from $3,900 in 2007.
Police crime prevention experts surveyed say the most common forced entry is a kicked down door, and for non-forced entry - a garage left open by homeowners.
Consumers should case their own homes before someone else does it for you. Whether you live in a house or apartment, theft experts at recommend four tips to throw off thieves.
Adopt a "lived-in" look: 63 percent of residential burglaries take place during the day. If you're not home, make sure your house looks lived-in, day and night. Keep lights on a timer, have your mail and newspaper delivery stopped, move cars and trash cans into the garage and have a trusted neighbor keep an eye on your home.
Think like a thief: "Case" the outside of your house or apartment the way a burglar would and look for easy ways to enter. Install deadbolt locks and solid, long screws on all exterior doors and make sure you have sturdy windows that are always closed and locked. If you live in an apartment, make sure the sliding door has a wooden rod in the track. Put away ladders and tools that could be used to break into your home. Consider buying motion-sensitive lights and trim trees and shrubs near doors and windows so burglars can't hide in the shadows. Make some noise: Install an alarm system that can alert neighbors and notify local police if someone is trying to break-in. Also consider getting a dog. Even a small dog can create enough noise to deter potential burglars.
Protect your possessions: Store items like jewelry, weapons and small antiques in a safe. Be sure valuables like electronic devices and artwork are not visible from the street. Also, create a home inventory of your possessions, including photos and videos of the items. Should someone burglarize your house or apartment, a home inventory will make it easier to file a claim and restore your property after a loss.


text:
A comprehensive guide to what's happening at Birmingham's museums.
Location: Birmingham Museum
18th May 2013 - 18th May 2013
'What's the Story?' is a series of three workshops for adults (16 years +), in which participants will write and develop stories inspired by the museum and our collections. Under the guidance of workshop leader, Andrew Killeen, participants will not only write stories but also learn how to revise and edit their writing.
Andrew Killeen is the author of two critically acclaimed novels and is an experienced workshop leader. Andrew is the founder and director of Pow-Wow Writing Group and Pow-Wow LitFest. In 2012 he as the writer-in-residence at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
Participants must be able to commit to all three workshops (Saturdays 20 April, 4 May and 18 May. 12.30 - 16.00). No experience necessary, just enthusiasm and an open mind!
Workshops will take place in the AV room in the Gas Hall.
£30.00 for all three sessions - advance booking is required. Spaces are limited to allow sufficient time for individual and group support and guidance.
Bookings: In person at Gas Hall reception
Tel: 0121 303 1966 or Book Online