text:
One of the main reasons why many online stores and ecommerce businesses have low conversion rates is because of poorly crafted product pages. Are you one of them? If you are, there's no need to worry because there are certain things that you can do to improve your product pages. These simple tips and advice, when applied correctly, can bring more customers and sales to your online business. So without further ado, here are our seven top tips to improve your product pages in no particular order.
Be Visual! Stunning and Functional Images and Meaningful VideosRemember that online shoppers are not privileged to actually see or hold your products. Thus, the next best thing would be to provide them with images and videos of the product you are selling. To better help you out, here are some things that you need to keep in mind when it comes to images for your products pages.
- You should have features like roll over zoom, enlarge image, alternate views, and shots of different angles installed in your product pages.
- Use high definition images as much as possible. Don't worry much about the size of the image. There are online tools like Shrink Pictures that can help you reduce the image size without sacrificing the quality.
- As for your videos, be sure to make them meaningful, relevant and informative. You can create your own video by introducing the product, get an introductory video from the manufacturer and include customer testimonials whenever possible.
Communicate Value with Your Product DescriptionsMany recommend using bullet points for product descriptions for better scanning and readability. Others suggest using paragraphs to make it more human and appealing. Whatever method you choose, make sure that your value proposition (the reason why online shoppers should buy from you) is clear throughout the product description. Remember that product descriptions should not just contain what the buyer is buying but also why the buyer should buy it. Take a look at this example product description about a watch from the Bradford Exchange online: "From the moment you first saw him, you wanted everything life has to offer for your wonderful son. Now, let him know how proud you are with this Handsome Son, Reach for Your Dreams Men's Watch, a bold fine jewelry exclusive from The Bradford Exchange. A beautiful symbol of your love and affection, it makes a powerful gift that your son is sure to treasure forever. Expertly handcrafted in solid stainless steel, this chronograph men's watch features a boldly contrasting deep blue sunray dial with 3 working chronograph sub-dials: seconds, minutes and hours, all in military time. It sports a handy stopwatch function, and the tachymeter features a rotating bezel, while sleek silvery finished hands and hour markers complement the design. Extremely durable and dependable, with a precision quartz movement and quartz mineral lens, it is water resistant to 3 ATM. An etched sentiment on the back of the watch reads, "I'm so proud to call you my son." A handsome custom presentation case that includes a poem card entitled "Reach for Your Dreams, Son" provides the perfect finishing touch. Strong demand is expected for this fine stainless steel men's watch, so don't wait. Order now!" See how this product description is geared towards a specific market? It also makes use of compelling adjectives to further build the image and appeal of the item being sold. The best part is that it communicates to the buyer the very essence of why they should buy the item, and creates a sense of urgency at the end. Check also, one of our other blog posts "How to Write Product Descriptions that Engage and Convert Online Shoppers" to learn more about product descriptions.
It's in the DetailsOne of the things that frustrates many online shoppers and keeps them from buying is the lack of very important details about the product. No, we are not talking about product descriptions, but rather other details including the following:
- Available Sizes
- Stock Availability
- Available Colors
- Price, Discounts or Special offers
- Shipping Cost
- Product Specifications and Dimensions
- Where It was Made
- Return Policies (where applicable)
- Safety Information (where applicable)
- Email Notifications
- Social Media Apps
Got Great Products? Prove It with Customer Reviews and FeedbackCustomer reviews are increasingly becoming more and more important. As mentioned by Amy Gesenhues in this report on Marketing Land, 90% of respondents claimed that positive online reviews influenced buying decisions, while 86% said buying decision were influenced by negative reviews. Just imagine how many potential customers you are bound to gain or lose given those statistics! So how do you get positive online reviews? There are many ways to do so, but be sure to one thing in mind: Be subtle in asking for reviews. Avoid being pushy and demanding. A thank you email with a "soft nudge" asking for feedback is bound to yield better results than an annoying spam.
Leverage the Power of SuggestionProduct recommendations like cross selling and up selling can help to boost an online store's sales. Most beginning and established ecommerce business and online stores make use of these sales strategies to help improve their product pages and business. In fact, according to this article from Conversion XL: "According to Forrester research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru, product recommendations are responsible for an average of 10-30% of ecommerce site revenues." Thus, be sure to add cross selling and up selling features and catch phrases like "Others also bought…" or "You may also like…" This will help to entice online shoppers to check out more of your products in case they don't feel sure about the first item they were presented. You can group your product recommendations according to:
- Product Families (Other products from the same brand like iPhones and Macs)
- Product Accessories (Accessories for the main item like earphones for MP3 players)
- Complementary Products (Products that goes with the main item like cleaning materials for antiques. Take note that this is different from accessories)
- Competing Products (Similar products from other brands like iPhones and Samsung Smartphones)


text:
Just say "Ok Google" to launch voice search, send a text, get directions or even play a song. 16GB internal memory plus microSD slot. Provides plenty of storage space for your contacts, music, apps, video and more. 5.1 Super AMOLED HD touch screen.
High-definition touch screen displays texts, e-mails, games, photos and videos with clarity. Auto Focus snaps clearer action shots, and Selective Focus lets you focus on what's important by blurring the background and accentuating the main subject in defined detail.Also includes 2.0MP front-facing camera. Provides plenty of storage space for your contacts, music, apps and more. 2G: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900. 3G: HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100. 4G: LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 17(700) - G900A.
Speed :HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps. 16 MP, f/2.2, 31mm, phase detection autofocus, LED flash. Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat), upgradable to v5.0 (Lollipop). Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400. 142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm (5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 in).Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.0. Removable Li-Ion 2800 mAh battery. Note: Some models may also include usb sync cable, headset and/or pouch. If the listing includes any bonus offers such as a free car charger or bluetooth headset that will be provided as well. We recommend buyers to check with their desire carrier for compatibility with respect to 3G & 4G networks. "Compatible GSM Networks" does not include all GSM carriers, please check with your carrier for more information. "Non-Compatible GSM Networks" does not include all CDMA carriers, please check with your carrier for more information. Why Shop at 232 Tech. Shop on the Go With the 232 Tech Mobile App. Great Prices & Great Deals. Worldwide Business At your doorstep. Consult a Professional Live Chat Online. The Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900A 16GB Smartphone combines power and convenience in a durable design. This smartphone incorporates 2GB of RAM, and is powered by the 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset, which consists of a quad-core Krait 400 CPU.
This device has 16GB of storage and features a microSDXC slot, which supports cards up to 128GB for expanded storage capacity. The integrated micro-USB 3.0 interface allows you to connect the device for mass-storage purposes, and also serves as a charging port. Additionally, you can use the micro-USB port to connect an optional MHL adapter for outputting video to an external display. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is endowed with an expansive 5.1 Super AMOLED screen, which is designed to produce bright images with robust color reproduction. The screen's 1920 x 1080 resolution enables you to view full HD content without pixel loss.
For photo capturing and video chatting, this smartphone features a 2-megapixel front camera and a 16-megapixel rear camera. The rear camera's 1/2.6 sensor rivals point-and-shoot cameras and allows you to capture quality imagery. Autofocus is also built-in and there's even an LED flash for taking pictures in low-light situations.
On the video side, the rear camera allows you to capture detailed video at vivid UHD 4K resolution. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has Bluetooth 4.0 built-in for pairing with other Bluetooth-enabled devices, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi for high-speed Internet connectivity.Integrated Wi-Fi Direct and NFC give you the ability to connect-to compatible devices for wirelessly sharing content like photos and music. GPS with GLONASS is also on-board for using Google Location and Maps services. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a removable 2800mAh battery that can deliver up to 29 hours of talk time, and up to 14 hours of video playback.
You can return you product for up to 30 days. Please contact your service provider to confirm that this unit will work with your service network prior to purchasing the unit. If any item is missing from the original package or the unit is not in the exact same condition as it was sent, we reserve the right to deny your claim and we will send you back the unit or charge you for the damages.
No long term contract required! If the model you are looking at is not compatible with your carrier you can search our store for GSM Mobile Phones (AT&T, T-Mobile and almost all other carriers) or search CDMA Mobile Phones for (Verizon and Sprint). Need Help Activating Your Device? After completing your order we ask that you please leave us feedback.
The item "Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900A 16GB 4G LTE 16MP (AT&T) GSM Factory Unlocked" is in sale since Tuesday, February 14, 2017. This item is in the category "Cell Phones & Accessories\Cell Phones & Smartphones". The seller is "232tech" and is located in Brooklyn, New York. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Daily Archives: March 16, 2012
Moving Day – Montgomery, AL to Elko, GA
We were hooked up and ready to go about 7:30 this morning. We got to the Reserve Center in enough time for Michael to trouble shoot our back up camera that didn't seem to want to work. The problem? The power wasn't connected properly so once it was properly connected…no problem! Michael worked until about … Continue reading
Categories: Uncategorized Tags: full time rving, georgia rally, heartland, key largo, tampa rv show, Twin Oaks RV Park, yoders restaurant 2 Comments


text:
Submit a Story
Living Tributes
To submit a living tribute online: click here.
To submit a living tribute by mail: click here.
Behind the names in the Garden are real people with real lives, stories, families, friends, and communities.
As former Board Chair Evelyn Tobin noted at the 2008 Honor Program, "It is important that we tell the stories of the lives they lived. So that we can all remember what has been lost...."
By sharing the stories of your loved ones, we ask the world to remember their lives beyond the violent acts that ended them. The stories woven together provide a powerful reminder of the beauty of life, the devastating impact of loss, and the senselessness of violence.
With your permission, we will post tributes on the Garden of Peace website.
Please note: Only living tributes to homicide victims memorialized in the Garden of Peace will be posted to the website.
Personal stories are provided by the family of the victim. MOVA is not responsible for views expressed in the content.


text:
Current Affairs – March, 2019
PDF Compilation of these updates can be downloaded from This Link
PDF Compilation of these updates can be downloaded from This Link
India's fiscal deficit stood at 134.2% of the full-year revised budgeted estimate at the end of February 2019. This humungous level of fiscal deficit is attributed to the tepid growth in revenue collections.
The fiscal deficit for April-February 2018-19 stood at Rs 8.51 lakh crore against the revised estimate (RE) of Rs 6.34 trillion for the entire year. The government has stated that it is committed to restricting the fiscal deficit at 3.4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as envisaged in the Budget.
The receipts of the government stood at Rs 12.65 trillion which is 73.2% of the revised budgetary estimate (BE) and the expenditure incurred by the government stood at Rs 21.88 trillion.
The tax revenue of the government stood at Rs 10.94 trillion and non-tax revenue was Rs 1.7 trillion.
Out of the Rs 21.88 trillion expenditure of government, Rs 19.15 trillion was on revenue account and Rs 2.73 trillion on capital account.
Of the total revenue expenditure, Rs 5.01 trillion was on account of interest payments and Rs 2.63 trillion on major subsidies. The government has also transferred Rs 5.96 lakh crore to the state governments as devolution of a share of taxes by the central government.
Get these updates on Current Affairs Today Android App
While the entire Country will vote in EVMs in the Lok Sabha Polls 2019, the people of the Nizamabad in Telangana will vote through Ballot Papers.
For the Lok Sabha Polls 2019 in the Nizamabad Lok Sabha seat, there are 185 candidates in contention. As one EVM can accommodate only 16 candidates and a maximum of 4 EVMs can be used in one polling booth, the Election Commission is forced to switch back to the age-old practice of ballot papers.
Of the 185 candidates in contention 178 are farmers who cultivate Turmeric and Jowar. They are contesting polls to highlight their demand for the remunerative price for their crops.
The Nizamabad Lok Sabha Constituency had received around 200 nominations of these some were rejected and 189 candidates remained in contention after the scrutiny of nomination papers. Of these 4 candidates withdrew their nomination papers.
K Kavitha who is also the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister, Chandrashekhar Rao is the sitting MP from the Nizamabad seat.
Get these updates on Current Affairs Today Android App


text:
The start of the Day. The high for the day will reach 102 degrees. Whew ! Along with the heat, the top soil was hard and filled with roots. Then , after we got down to the use layer , it was so hard that we had to chop and beat on it with anything that we had available. After awhile we finally broke through and things started getting a little softer and quicker.
Tom & Darren in the thicket and getting on down in the hole.
This bottle may be a poison. You can't tell by this photograph but it was an ice blue color.


text:
Interested in more information?
Have a question?
How can you get involved?
Please fill out the convenient contact form below and someone will get back to you shortly.
Alternatively, you can send mail to:
Soroptimist International of Kawartha Lakes
P.O. Box 365
Lindsay, ON K9V 4S3
Thank you for your interest in SIKL.
If you would like a phone call, please indicate so by supplying your number and best time to call.


text:
Real beach store
All you need to reach the beach!
Our Beach store carry variety of beach apparel such as swimsuits for ladies mans kids, flips flops, thirst, sweatshirt, souvenirs, towels, beach chairs, beach umbrellas, suntan lotion sunglasses, body boards, skim boards and more.
Wings beachwear store establish 1978 today our company have 30 stores across the east coast and west coast in states like north Carolina, south Carolina Florida Texas and California our stores renege from 5000-10000 sqf of just great items to mainly tourist that come to spend some time at the beach,when you visit our store you will find everything you need to reach the beach and More ,beach accessories such as body boards,skim boards,beach balls and beach toys umbrellas and chairs ,swimsuits ,flip flops ,beach towels ,beach blanket ,suntan lotion ,sunglasses jewelry our large selection of souvenirs to take back home such as thirst sweatshirt and the most important thing is our best prices and the variety of merchandise making us the Best beach store in America


text:
Posted January 20th, 2017
The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the house when it functions properly. If it is missing something, though, a bad kitchen can throw off the flow and functionality of the entire home. If you are tired of living with an outdated, ugly, or cramped kitchen, you probably dream of a new kitchen installation in San Antonio. Once you decide to devote the time and money to fixing your kitchen, you want to make sure you get the best one possible. Here are some of the hottest trends in kitchen remodels today.
When it comes to kitchen redesign, bigger is not necessarily better. Gone are the days when homeowners wanted huge appliances. Now, function matters more than size. If you are going to renovate your kitchen, think about how you use your appliances. If you don't cook for many people, you might not need a twelve-burner stove. Generally, more storage beats big appliances.
Light, Bright, and Airy
White kitchen cabinets, backsplashes, and furnishings have been around long enough as to not be a trend anymore. They are still hot, though, for good reason. Bright kitchens are more welcoming than darker versions. They also seem cleaner. If you aren't crazy about white, your kitchen installation in San Antonio can be airy if you choose light-colored wood or countertops. Regardless of your finishes, remember that light, bright, and airy kitchens are timeless.
Great kitchens are accessible kitchens. When redoing your kitchen, consider traffic flow. If you need to relocate an island or move the refrigerator to better move around your room, do it. Also, consider the functionality of your kitchen. Try to locate the over, microwave, and cabinets in smart places. For an even better kitchen, install a hands-free faucet. Increasing the functionality of the entire room will deliver great results.
For a good kitchen installation in San Antonio, consider implementing the best remodeling trends. Truly great ideas will make your kitchen useful and transcend design eras.


text:
A Management Test is a test, assessment or psychological investigation into your Management Competences.
Prepare for your Management Test
Competences such as Coaching and Leading staff and teams are at the heart of the matter, alongside Enterprise, Strategy and Vision, and Planning and Organisation. You can practise various component parts, because a management test consists of various sections.
Capacity tests: As a manager, you are expected to be blessed with higher-than-average intelligence. This link offers you insight as to how best to prepare for capability assessments.
Personality tests: Personality is an important character trait for managers. You must be sufficiently stable, social and management savvy. The Quality of Work test is an example of the psychological test. This provides insight into character traits that are relevant for management and is based on the Big Five theory.
Motivational drives: Motivational drives are another component part of Management Tests. They determine to a large degree what you are looking for in your career. Invest five minutes to gain insight into your most important motivational drives.
Roleplay is often crucial in demonstrating your management competences. The need may arise to reprimand a colleague or manage a conflict. These are often the most difficult situations. Act as you would in a real-life situation. The biggest mistake you can make is not taking the roleplay actor seriously; act as if this is a real situation. Be yourself, be flexible and effective, and give it what you've got! You can practise by roleplaying this kind of discussion with a colleague.
Professional Management Tests
Many complimentary career assessments are available on internet. A true professional will want to use questionnaires that are not publicly available. And this is what the Test-Toolkit offers!
Solid Theoretical Grounding
Reliable and Valid
Standard Groups from Recruitment Situations
Broad Package of Tests
Affordable Quality
Are you a professional user who would like more information, or would you like to try our instruments yourself? Fill in your details. We will contact you as soon as possible.


text:
Contemporary Arts Center End of The Year Fund Drive
The CAC thanks you for the wonderful year and wishes you the best for the Holiday Season and the New Year.
2009 our 20th anniversary was a success on many fronts. It was a year th
at started with a great exhibition of contemporary print-makers based in Santa Fe, a fantastic turnout for our annual juried exhibition, and our first ever performance and video Festival Off the Strip.
Throughout the year we have provided Las Vegas with a variety of art exhibits, performances and cultural events. We invited artists from all corners of the globe for Off The Strip, we collaborated with the City of Las Vegas, the Goldwell Open Air Museum, BLVDS Magazine , UNLV and Opportunity Village to enrich the valley with arts and cultural programming.
Along with our mission to support the arts locally we have reached out to artists nationally and exhibited the works of artists from Portland, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. to name a few. This year culminated with our Hot Hot Haute 2 and the 20th anniversary exhibition YOUR FUTURE STARTS HERE; our current exhibit and one that shows just how much the CAC has impacted the arts in Las Vegas.
In addition to our exhibition schedule we have also incorporated poetry and fiction readings on a monthly basis. We continue to host the drawing workshops weekly and have been recognized nationally through articles in Art in America and other significant publications and websites. We received a proclamation from Clark County and a Governors Art Award in Leadership in the Arts.
Our grant raising efforts have allowed us to receive funds from the National Endowment of The Arts, The Nevada Arts Council and Cirque des Soleil.
As you can tell we accomplished quite a bit and have maintained our mission and goals.
Our final goal for 2009 is to raise a modest $5,000.00 before the new year rings. This will help us continue our programming uninterrupted. Help can be made in many ways here are a few:
Corporate or Individual Exhibition Sponsorship. An exhibition can be sponsored by an individual or corporation. Full Sponsorship Includes the addition of Company Logo or individual name to any publishing related to exhibition. Exhibition sponsorships range from $500.00 for partial sponsorship to $5000.00 for larger event sponsorship such as the Off The Strip Festival.
Membership: Our best value!!! Renew your membership! We offer membership at various levels. Artists membership permits exclusive registration to various future exhibition opportunities.
Individual Donation or Gift- Donate office supplies, computers, projectors and furniture.
No donation or level of support is too small. Please visit http://cac.wildapricot.org to get started.
The Contemporary Arts Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 art organization dedicated to presenting new, high quality, visual, and performing art, while striving to build, educate, and sustain audiences for contemporary art.The CAC provides a place where artist can learn about best practices, test new ideas in the public arena, and connect with fellow artists within and beyond our own community.
107 East Charleston Blvd., Suite 120
Las Vegas, Nevada, 89104 USA
Gallery hours:
Tue through Sat: 12 PM – 5PM and by appointment
First Friday: 6 PM – 10 PM
Phone: (702)382-3886
1.Noelle Stiles Performing Blanket at CAC November 2009
2. Lynn Lu artist from Singapore Exhibited Videos at CAC March 2009
3. Group Exhibition Your future Starts Here at CAC December 2009
4. Abby Coe From the twenty twenty exhibit at CAC August 2009


text:
If you need mold or indoor air quality services in Texas as discussed in this article, call us at 1-800-344-4414 or email us at email@example.com for details and a free estimate.
Written By: Robert E. Sheriff, MS, CIH, CSP, President
Updated April 19, 2019
Indoor Air Quality in Commercial Buildings, Texas
Atlantic Environmental has been providing expert testing and consulting in the mold and Indoor Air Quality in commercial buildings since our founding 40 years ago (1978). Our Texas office is located in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Building occupants may feel a variety of adverse effects from their work environment. This can be as simple as a headache, or more complex such as upper respiratory irritation, colds, burning eyes, skin rashes, lethargy, bad odors, weakness, allergies, asthma attacks—all of which may be work environment related, and are certainly within the realm of possibilities in Texas.
Texas has a great variety of climate conditions—from tropics to swamps, arid lands, wind, tornadoes, hurricanes—all of which can temporary—or permanently affect a Texan's work indoor environment whether office, factory, warehouse, hospital, educational institution, interior construction, or retail stores and malls.
IAQ Testing
We can test for molds, chemicals, sewer gas, bacteria volatile organic compounds (VOC's), dust, formaldehyde, even radiation in an effort to determine if any such symptoms are location related.
Even new buildings can offer an environment not always conducive to the occupants' well-being. "Green" Buildings are built and operated to be very energy efficient and make the most of the surrounding environmental conditions whether desert, damp, hot, cold, windy, or tropical, but not always achieving optimal conditions for all occupants. Some tenants may be comfortable while others are suffering a variety of maladies—and not just the results of humidity and temperature variations. The reason new "Green Buildings" can cause problems is that construction materials and new furniture need to "off-gas" chemicals like VOC's and formaldehyde before occupancy. Note that we can perform the LEED version 4.0 Pre-occupancy Air Quality Tests for Green Buildings.
Remember also that the air handling system is part of the occupants' environment. If the HVAC systems are not regularly serviced they may be the source of occupants' complaints or illnesses. Mold can propagate in condensate points in the ductwork. Mold can also grow in dirty, plugged drain pans. Filters can become blocked and reduce air flow further increasing the potential for stagnant air, mold growth, and accumulation of dust and debris.
Atlantic Environmental, Inc. has the knowledge and experience to provide testing, consulting, and expert services for Indoor Air Quality and Mold in Commercial Buildings for Texas with an office located the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Our website contains the type of details that answer most of your questions related to Indoor Air Quality including mold in the commercial buildings in Texas. However, if your concerns are not answered, feel free to e-mail, call us or use our easy contact form. We can answer your questions and most likely submit a free estimate of the costs of services.
Our primary service areas for Indoor Air Quality Sampling/Testing are: NJ, NY, NYC, PA, CT, DE, (Boston) MA, RI, Wash DC, WI, MD, MI, (Chicago) IL, VA, IN, (Atlanta) GA, AL, NC, SC, TN, (Dallas, Ft Worth) TX, OK, DC, AR, we can service most other areas of the U.S. but with some added travel charges.


text:
Team Members
Melanie – Salon Owner
Melanie has worked in the Beauty Industry since 1997 and in September 1999 realised her dream and opened her own salon, and Beauty Matters Garforth was born! Soon after Beauty Matters Rothwell followed.
Both salons have experience great growth surpassing Melanie's expectations, with clients still returning from the very first week of opening. Melanie's energy and enthusiasm for the beauty business drives her to constantly look for innovative and original ways to improve the client experience. Melanie pushes the boundaries of what is expected in a beauty salon and has added treatments such as Colonic Hydrotherapy and 3D Lipo to the treatment menu, with a focus on health & wellbeing and results driven treatments.


text:
Poreč in 3D
The small coastal town of Poreč, which is located on a peninsula, lies on the west coast of Istria. The city has 17,000 inhabitants and was already settled in the Roman period, where you can still find some ruins. The west-east main street Decumanus Corso is the shopping and promenade of the city. Along it are also most of the historic buildings and sights. Probably the most important building in Poreč is the Episcopal building with the Euphrasian Basilica, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Note: The following photo gallery also supports a 3D stereoscopic view.
For the VR-view please click on the following link and activate full screen.


text: La Cure Refreshing Mineral Shampoo for Normal Hair is a deep cleansing Mineral Shampoo, formulated to cleanse, and retexture, leaving a beautiful sheen. La Cure utilizes a unique composition of minerals to create this refreshing mineral shampoo, revitalizing the appearance of the hair and scalp, whilst making it appear thicker. Regular use helps alleviate dandruff. Formulated to nourish, and add shine and texture to hair. Benefits - Deep Cleansing. for Hair and Scalp. - Double action- cleansing and moisturizing. - Revitalizes the appearance of hair and scalp with Dead Sea minerals enrichment . - Leaves hair looking healthy, and thicker. - Promotes sheen of hair. - Regular use helps alleviate dandruff and wash off loose flakes. - Restores beauty to the hair and helps reduce hair loss. Directions Apply to wet hair, massaging into a rich foam. Rinse thoroughly, wrap in a clean towel. Ingredients Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide DEA, Glycol Distearate, Laureth-10, Cocamide MEA, Polysorbate-20, Dimethicone, Maris Sal, Polyquaternium-7, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Benzoic Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool MRP inclusive of Taxes.


text:
Sign up for our free newsletter.
Ever wonder why some writers get all the attention online? Their posts get shared, their personal brands grow, their email lists swell, and their fortunes rise as their content receives an outsized share of eyeballs. It's easy to dismiss their success as luck, by concluding that it resulted from a post going viral (as if hitting "Publish" is the same as pulling the lever on a slot machine), or connections with influencers that others don't have. The truth is, those who break through are fundamentally no different from the rest of us. They just act differently. They know what it takes to produce content that cuts through the noise and provides real value to readers. In fact, readers perceive their content to be so valuable that they share it with others — they're smarter for having read it and assume (rightly) that members of their own networks will think more highly of them for having exposed them to it as well.January 22, 2018 0 0 0


text:
RABIES in KZN and EC-2019-05-10
See here the recent disease reporting maps for the Rabies situation in Kwa Zulu Natal and EC: 2018
See here the recent disease reporting maps for the Rabies situation in Kwa Zulu Natal and EC: 2018
See here the article published in the Communicable Diseases Communique:
Dr Liezel Wasserman, Dr Didi Janse van Rensburg and Mrs Werna Venter talks on the awareness of Rabies. We support the Carli Rooivlag Rabies Campaign for the vaccination of all susceptible animals and children who come into contact with possible rabies infected animals. Please see here the publication from the […]
With the recent World Rabies Day Dr Jannie Crafford from the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science reported on RSG radio station on the dangers of Rabies and what can be done when possible infection occurs: http://www.rsg.co.za/images/upload/sound/klanke/20170928_MONITOR_HONSDOL.mp3
Today is World Rabies Day and the National Animal Health Forum would like to stand together with all our stakeholders regarding taking the awareness to all concerned parties. We have collected some useful sites to visit regarding the awareness: See here the link to the DAFF website: https://www.gov.za/speeches/world-rabies-day-2017-16-nov-2016-1329 See here […]
The Kwa-Zulu Natal Animal Health Forum has provided the members with articles regarding Bovine Rabies. See here the English version and below the Afrikaans version: Rabies in cattle Hondsdolheid in beeste


text:
Ford Launches Limited Edition Aspire Blu Version
- May 13, 2019
- 582 Views
Ford India has launched Aspire Blu, a limited edition model of the subcompact sedan. The new Aspire Blu is similar to the top-end Titanium Blu model which was launched alongside the Ford Figo upgraded version.
The Aspire Blu is available in both diesel and petrol engine options. The four-cylinder, 1.5-litre diesel motor produces 99bhp and 215Nm peak torque. The 1.2-litre petrol engine, on the other hand, produces 95bhp and 120Nm peak torque. Both engines are mated to a 5-speed gear system with the automatic transmission not available as an option. The diesel and petrol versions command an ex-showroom price of INR8.30 lakh and INR7.50 lakh respectively. The car has already reached dealerships and is expected to hit the streets soon.
The limited edition Aspire Blu comes with a number of cosmetic updates to make the car stand out from the standard version. The new Aspire Blu has a black grille in the front, fog lamp with blue skirting, and a blalso sportsack roof. It rides on black, 15-inch alloy wheels. The inside too gets the 'Blu' treatment with the emblem on the seats that has blue stitching. Even the door has blue coloured inserts. While the regular Aspire has a two-tone beige and black interior, the limited edition car sports all-black colours. The Aspire Blu is available in Smoke Grey, Moondust Silver, and Oxford White paint schemes.
The features of the Aspire Blu are similar to the corresponding model of the Ford Titanium. The new Ford car gets a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment unit without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. But the car has auto AC, a start-and-stop function, steering mounted controls, and a reverse parking camera. The Aspire Blu's safety features include antilock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and dual front airbags. The car comes with a 5-year and one lakh km warranty.
Published ByGaadi Editorial Team


text:
Enjoy the Moon and the Stars in the Night while listening to our jazz. Pedro Paes - tenor sax, Lennart Goebel - keyboards/piano and Bruno Collyer - double bass.
Happy Hour every Thursday night from 8PM at Soho Rio, Marina da Glóra, Rio de Janeiro
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Name *
Email *
Notify me of new posts by email.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
© 2020 Jazztopia Trio de Jazz no Rio de Janeiro. © Lennart Goebel 2018


text:
Would you wear leather to get ahead in the workplace?
June 8, 2018 by lizrockley No Comments | Category Our work, Road safety, Uncategorized
Four months ago I sat in a meeting feeling awkward and out of place. I was the only one not wearing head-to-toe leather. The other attendees smiled warmly, each too polite to ask what on earth I was doing there.
Our challenge was to launch a campaign that would encourage Scottish bikers to take it easy on the roads over the summer months. I was two months into my new role and this was my first motorbike focus group.
Bikers represent just 1% of the traffic on Scotland's roads but sadly account for 20% of fatalities. In 78% of cases, bikers themselves contributed to the accident. How could we influence biking behaviour over the summer months, without killing the thrill that comes with biking on Scotland's breath-taking roads?
This focus group was a chance to get into the biker's mind-set. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the warmth and acceptance that characterised this group. They didn't feel like strangers who'd only just met – they bonded over their love of biking, sharing jokes, favourite routes and tips. The only female biker in the room was treated with enormous respect because she was the most experienced biker there.
In the end, this was the insight that shaped our campaign. Bikers respect bikers. They don't want to hear dull safety messages, but they do want to know how to ride the road as skilfully as possible.
Our campaign launched on May 7, with the first in a series of films showcasing Scotland's iconic biking routes ridden by a skilled biker. No preaching messages, just simple graphics reinforcing the skills with the end line:
Be aware on breath-taking roads. Don't let them take your breath away for good.
In the first two weeks, the campaign has been shared by bikers over 200 times from our Live Fast Die Old Facebook page. Over 20 media sites and specialist biking magazines have featured the first film. And our View Through Rates to 100% on paid media are so strong that our media agency didn't believe them at first (25% vs 6.5% benchmark).
This campaign is another step forward in reducing deaths on Scotland's roads. For me as marketer, it's an on-going lesson in understanding what motivates our target audience and ensuring this insight remains at the heart of our campaigns. Maybe in time I'll need to buy some leathers too.
Find out more at dontriskit
Follow the campaign on Facebook at Live Fast Die Old Scotland
Tags: Ardnamurchan, motorbike, Road Safety, Scotland


text:
If you've begun developing your estate plan, or at least thinking about it, you know that one of the most important decisions you'll need to make is who will be the executor. This is the person who will, as the name implies, "execute" your plan and see that all of your wishes are carried out, in accordance with the law. It's an important responsibility.
You may believe that it's best to give this job to one person. Having two or more executors is just a recipe for conflict, right? Co-executors have the same amount of authority over the estate. It's not like one of them answers to the other or their roles are legally confined to specific areas. Even if they divide up their duties, they're going to have to work together on some things.
However, before you rule out the prospect of co-executors, it's important to consider how complicated your estate is and what skills and knowledge the person or people you're considering can bring to the role.
If you have a number of different types of assets, it may be best to name two or more executors so that they can each handle the assets with which they have some expertise. Maybe you have multiple properties and also a considerable amount of money in investments. If you have a close friend or family member who's a realtor and another one who's a financial adviser, they can each bring their experience to the role and handle things more expeditiously than one of them alone could.
Perhaps the person you're considering to be your executor has a wealth of knowledge in many areas, but isn't very tech savvy. If you have considerable digital assets and/or if many of your records are digital, having someone who can find their way around them easily can be a benefit.
You want to be as certain as possible that potential co-executors can work together. You can outline what areas you want each to handle. However, you want people who will respect those boundaries, yet collaborate when they need to. From a practical standpoint, it's also generally best if they live near each other (and the property in the estate).
Your Tennessee estate planning attorney can provide valuable guidance as you make decisions regarding your executor(s). They can also help you through all aspects of your estate planning.


text: It's been years, since we are manufacturing and supplying the best range of Plain Table Set. This table set is offered to clients in varied sizes and specifications to meet their individual needs. Wisely made of high quality seasoned wood in line with the industry standards, this Plain Table Set is widely used for working on blueprints and drawings in construction industry.


text:
FREE Redbox Rental From Jolly Time Popcorn!
Post may contain affiliate links. Click to read Disclosure . Click to read Privacy Policy.
You can get a FREE Redbox rental When You Buy Jolly Time Blast O Butter popcorn!
Just look for the specially marked boxes with a picture of Redbox on them!
Check here to find a store near you that have them.
Looking for more FREEbies? Click Here!


text:
The buying, selling and renting of real estate in the Netherlands is different then in most other countries.
Therefor we often help expats with the renting, buying or selling in the Greater Amsterdam region. We are specialist in real estate in the region Gooi (Hilversum, Bussum, Laren, Naarden, Blaricum, etc) and have good contacts in the region Kennemerland (Haarlem, Heemstede, Aerdenhout, Bloemendaal, etc).
So if you are interested in our help in the Greater Amsterdam area, feel free to contact us.


text:
Spectacular Wire Animal Sculptures by Kendra Haste
Working with painted galvanized wire, UK artist Kendra Haste creates some truly amazing life-sized animal sculptures. Haste often creates these sculptures for public installations and private collections and her work has been featured around the world. The artist chooses chicken wire to create her sculptures because it never ceases to impress her, with its remarkable capability to create life-like volume, depth and a sense of natural movement in an otherwise solid and rigid structure.
Source: kendrahaste.co.uk
h/t colossal


text:
Apologies for my lack of recent posting. The end of this past semester was keeping me busy, especially as I have been trying to wrap things up in the Detroit area, in anticipation of my move to Buffalo at the end of this month. I will get back to my Monday Mill Blogging soon (maybe even tomorrow), and will also get back to posting at The Mod Squad soon as well.
What to Keep in Mind about Refereeing Work
This post is motivated by some of my concerns relating to suggestions about unblinding the referees (as discussed here). While I agree that there are problems with the current state of the peer review system, I tend to disagree strongly with some proposed resolutions.
During my last year as a graduate student at USC, I was managing editor of the Pacific Philosophical Quarterly. I've submitted my own work to journals, and, in addition, I've served as a referee for a few different journals.
I learned a number of things from being "behind the scenes" at PPQ. For instance, I learned how much of a manuscript's progress through the review system depends on factors extrinsic to the manuscript. If there are two equally appropriate people to ask to referee a given paper, who differ on their threshold for "reject" vs. "revise and resubmit", that could make the difference for what happens to your paper. It isn't personal. I didn't have a scorecard for how "easy" different referees were. It was just the luck of the draw.
I also learned that some of the biggest issues for the peer review system come from the fact that it is treated like a volunteer gig.
Why are so many journals so slow about getting decisions on papers? There are several possible bottleneck points for journals, but the two biggest, in my experience are: 1) getting potential referees to agree to review a paper, and 2) getting referees who have agreed to review a paper to meet deadlines.
While getting bad comments is frustrating, and can often make a rejection feel particularly unfair, I honestly think that such issues would be vastly less important if all manuscripts were issued decisions promptly (sometimes I joke that it would be fine for most journals to simply provide an efficient distribution of injustice).
So, why do we get such bottlenecks in securing referees and in getting feedback from referees? Here, I think the answer is blindingly obvious: It is hard to get referees, and hard to get them to prioritize refereeing work, because the profession does not treat such work as valuable. Combine this with the fact that we all have more work to do than we have time to do it, and that refereeing a paper can often be more tedious than it is exciting, and it should not be a mystery why it is hard to get quality refereeing done in a timely manner.
You know how I can tell the profession doesn't treat refereeing work as valuable? There are no real incentives to do such work. Neither do we entice people to do it with rewards, nor do we punish people for failure to do it. Since one can only referee as much as one is asked to referee, I'd be inclined to favor positive incentives for people who do referee, rather than penalties for people who don't, but the basic point is just this: If refereeing work really is an invaluable service to the profession, why aren't we putting any professional value on its performance?
I'd be curious to know whether any university treats this sort of service to the profession as a serious factor in tenure or promotion. Where by "serious" I mean something more than listing it in the official description of tenure factors. What I mean is: Does it genuinely count in your favor for T&P to be a good professional citizen? Does it genuinely count against you if you are not?
Maybe we can't unilaterally change the way university administrations value things for Tenure and Promotion. I don't want to throw in the towel on that yet, but it isn't the only option.
Journals (as an extension of the Publishing Houses) are also dropping the ball on this. What does someone get for putting in the time and effort to do good review work? Basically: pride in a job well done. I know that some publishers compensate people who referee book manuscripts. This seems like good practice, since refereeing book manuscripts is at least an order of magnitude more of a burden than refereeing a journal article. But, and this is the important thing: refereeing journal articles is still a burden!
Why on earth are we running things in a way where journal editors are put in the position of sending messages that might as well say this:
Dear Very Busy Academic,
I have a bit of time-consuming work that I need someone to do, and I think you have the right knowledge and skill-set to perform it. While I know we are all very busy with teaching, researching, mentoring students (and if we have any time or energy left over, perhaps some of it should be reserved for a life outside of work), I am hopeful that you recognize how the peer review journal process is held together with duct-tape and dreams, and will voluntarily pitch in to help out. In thanks when you finish, I will even send you a form e-mail that says "thanks" (what more gratitude could you hope to receive?)
If you don't have the time, can you recommend a few other people who are more easily motivated to provide valuable services for no compensation?
PS: If you do a good job, you will no doubt become the first person I think of for any similar requests in the future. Yay!
Monday Mill Blogging (#009)
I've missed a couple of Mondays, but today: Monday Mill Blogging is back.
Today's post is the second that will cover book 1, chapter 2, section 5.
§ 5. Connotative and Non-Connotative Names
Let's just start with a quote:
Proper names are not connotative: they denote the individuals who are called by them; but they do not indicate or imply any attributes as belonging to those individuals. When we name a child by the name Paul, or a dog by the name Caesar, these names are simply marks used to enable those individuals to be made subjects of discourse. It may be said, indeed, that we must have had some reason for giving them those names, rather than any others; and this is true; but the name, once given, is independent of the reason. A man may have been named John, because that was the name of his father; a town may have been named Dartmouth, because it is situated at the mouth of the Dart. But it is no part of the signification of the word John, that the father of the person so called bore the same name; nor even of the word Dartmouth, to be situated at the mouth of the Dart. If sand should choke up the mouth of the river, or an earthquake change its course, and remove it to a distance from the town, the name of the town would not necessarily be changed. That fact, therefore, can form no part of the signification of the word; for otherwise, when the fact confessedly ceased to be true, no one would any longer think of applying the name. Proper names are attached to the objects themselves, and are not dependent on the continuance of any attribute of the object. (p. 33)
Charitably understood, the structure of this passage is this: Mill asserts a view about proper names, considers a possible objection—the objection that the reason for giving one name rather than another imbues the name with that reason as additional significance beyond its denotation—and gives reasons for dismissing that objection (an uncharitable understanding would be one that requires us to reconstruct a compelling argument in favor of Mill's view of proper names from his response to this objection).
If we distinguish between the reason for assigning a name, and the reason a name applies to an individual, we can frame the point this way: Mill's position is that no attribute makes its way in to the application conditions for a name like "John" or "Dartmouth". The objection raises a worry based on the fact that there needs to be some reason behind the assignment of names, and Mill's reply is to argue that, even granting some reason for the assignment of the name, it seems clear that the attributes which ground the assignment do not establish themselves as conditions of application.
One might be tempted to analogize this to Kripke's distinction between reference-fixing descriptivism and meaning-giving descriptivism, but I think that might be a bit too quick. To be sure, I can see why it might be thought a parallel, but it would be hasty to suggest that this is the best way of understanding Mill's position.
In the next paragraph, Mill mentions the terms "God" (in the mouth of a monotheist) and "The Sun" as instances of connotative terms that might incidentally be indiviudal, but are linguistically general. Mill points out that we can imagine a situation in which there are many suns, and that "the majority of mankind have believed, and still believe, that there are many gods" (p. 33). Mill wants to set these aside, as he thinks they are general names which (in some sense) merely happen to name only one entity. This is introduced to distinguish it from "real instances of individual connotative names". His examples include: "The only son of John Stiles", "the first emperor of Rome", "the father of Socrates", "the author of the Illiad", and "the murderer of Henri Quatre". Now, for some of these, color me puzzled about why they are getting a different treatment from "The Sun" or "God". For others, it is much easier to see why they linguistically require the uniqueness of the entity they name (in a way above and beyond that required by "the Sun").
Mill explains that while it is possible that multiple people jointly authored the Illiad, the presence of the word "the" renders the name individual:
For though it is conceivable that more persons than one might have participated in the authorship of the Illiad, or in the murder of Henri Quatre, the employment of the article the implies that, in fact, this was not the case. What is here done by the word the, is done in other cases by context: thus, "Caesar's army" is an individual name, if it appears from the context that the army meant is that which Caesar commanded in a particular battle. The still more general expressions "The Roman army," or "the Christian army," may be individualized in a similar manner. (p. 34)
This treatment of incomplete descriptions is especially interesting, as it illustrates a sensitivity on Mill's part to the importance of context. The story appears to be that there are many different armies to which the name "Roman army" applies, however the use of the term "the" in conjunction with contextual factors, determines which of those specific armies the phrase operates as an individual name of on an occasion of use.
Mill next relates part of the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves:
If, like the robber in the Arabian Nights, we make a mark with chalk on a house to enable us to know it again, the mark has a purpose, but it has not properly any meaning. The chalk does not declare anything about the house; it does not mean, This is such a person's house, or This is a house which contains booty. The object of making the mark is merely distinction. I say to myself, All these houses are so nearly alike that if I lose sight of them, I shall not again be able to distinguish that which I am now looking at, from any of the others; I must hterefore contrive to make the appearance of this one house unlike that of the others, that I may hereafter know when I see the mark—not indeed any attribute of the house—but simply that it is the same house which I am now looking at. Morgiana chalked all the other houses in a similar manner, and defeated the scheme: how? simply by obliterating the difference of appearance between that house and the others. The chalk was still there, but it no longer served the purpose of a distinctive mark.
When we impose a proper name, we perform an operation in some degree analogous to what the robber intended in chalking the house. We put a mark, not indeed upon the object itself, but, so to speak, upon the idea of the object. A proper name is but an unmeaning mark which we connect in our minds with the idea of the object, in order that whenever the mark meets our eyes or occurs to our thoughts, we may think of that individual object. Not being attached to the thing itself, it does not, like the chalk, enable us to distinguish the object when we see it: but it enables us to distinguish it when it is spoken of, either in the records of our own experience, or in the discourse of others; to know that what we find asserted in any proposition of which it is the subject, is asserted of the individual thing with which we were previously acquainted. (p. 35)
I think I want to agree with Mill that the chalk mark on the house "does not declare anything about the house." It is true that one could devise a language of chalk symbols, in which different chalk marks were used to indicate different qualities. But note that in such a language, the chalk symbols would be functioning like predicates (with their physical locations determining the subject of the proposition). But I want to stress something crucial about Mill's use of the analogy here: if Mill had not so steadfastly insisted that names signify objects rather than ideas, this doctrine of mere denotation would be harder to make sense of. Note that Mill thinks the term is "connect[ed] in our minds with the idea of the object". Since our idea of the object likely includes a variety of attributes we take the object to have, the proponent of the view that terms signify ideas (e.g. Locke) would have no reason to suggest that the name lacks meaning. It might well be that the meaning is not robustly public (as my idea of Dartmouth may not be the same as your idea of Dartmouth), but the term would signify a somewhat detailed idea. Because Mill is committed to cashing out the relationship between the term and the object, and because no particular attribution of quality to Dartmouth is inherent in my calling Dartmouth "Dartmouth", Mill can set aside the various qualities built in to my idea of Dartmouth as linguistically irrelevant.
I might have more to say about this analogy at a later time, but for now, I am going to pause again, and return next Monday (hopefully) to continue working my way through 1.2.5.
Next time on Monday Mill Blogging: §5, "Connotative and Non-Connotative Names" (continued)
Monday Mill Blogging (#008)
Another Monday, another Mill blogging! 2012 is actually off to a pretty good start for Monday Mill Blogging.
Today's post is the first that will cover book 1, chapter 2, section 5.
§ 5. Connotative and Non-Connotative Names
We saw that §4 closed by foreshadowing the connotative/non-connotative distinction. This is labeled the "third great division of names" by Mill, (following the General/Singular division and the Concrete/Abstract division). We are also informed that "[t]his is one of the most important distinctions which we shall have occasion to point out, and one of those which go deepest into the nature of language" (p. 31). The distinction amounts to this:
A non-connotative term is one which signifies a subject only, or an attribute only. A connotative term is one which denotes a subject, and implies an attribute. By a subject is here meant anything which possesses attributes. Thus John, or London, or England, are names which signify a subject only. Whiteness, length, virtue, signify an attribute only. None of these names, therefore, are connotative. (p. 31)
It is easy enough to see that these are supposed to be instances of Mill applying the definition he has stated, though, if you didn't know what Mill meant by "signifies a subject only"or "attribute only" to begin with, it is unclear that the examples will be as helpful as Mill might have hoped. The subsequent discussion is a bit more helpful:
But white, long, virtuous, are connotative. The word white, denotes all white things, as snow, paper, the foam of the sea, &c., and implies, or in the language of the schoolmen, connotes, the attribute whiteness. The word white is not predicated of the attribute, but of the subjects, snow, &c.; but when we predicate it of them, we convey the meaning that the attribute whiteness belongs to them. (p. 31)
So, a word like "white" is said to be connotative, because it denotes all sorts of things, and also does this other thing ("implying" or "connoting") of the attribute whiteness. In his next example, concerning the term "virtuous" and the things which "virtuous" names, Mill gives us what appear to be the most helpful remarks on what it means for a term to connote an attribute: "The ["virtuous"] is a name applied to all of them in consequence of an attribute which they are supposed to possess in common, the attribute which has received the name of virtue" (p. 31).
This "in consequence of" condition seems to be helpful in getting us onto Mill's conception of this division of language. Some terms, like "virtue" denote attributes, some terms like "Socrates" denote subjects. And that is all they do (at least, as far as we are presently concerned). Other terms, like "virtuous", denote subjects and connote an attribute. Socrates is denoted both by "Socrates" and by "virtuous", but the latter fact is dependent on his relationship to virtue. Of course, this means that Mill would deny any such story for the term "Socrates". We might then be tempted to say that the term "Socrates" denotes Socrates, but not as a consequence of Socrates standing in some relation to an attribute.
This is, however, at best, a misleading way to phrase the position, and might make the view seem silly. Of course there are facts about our usage of the term "Socrates", and those facts will be part of a story as to why "Socrates" names Socrates and not some other person, and that story may well involve the possession of certain attribute by Socrates. Whenever the term (or a relevant predecessor term) began to be used, the story about how "Socrates" came to be a name of Socrates will ultimately involve facts about Socrates, such as him having been in a certain place at a certain time, or him being the intended subject of discussion on certain occasions, or the like. And these will of course involve attributes, the possession of which by Socrates ensures that "Socrates" denotes Socrates. However, it seems clear that this should not be how we understand Mill's position. Note that the phrasing I just described omitted a key element of Mill's phrasing. Mill says "applied to all of them in consequence of an attribute which they are supposed to possess in common" (emphasis mine). The copy of Mill's Logic that I have indicates that the phrase I've got in bold was omitted in earlier editions of the work. I won't speculate on whether the addition was motivated to avoid the reading suggested above, but with the additional qualification in there, it would not be enough for there to simply be an attribute in virtue of which Socrates is denoted by "Socrates"; rather, it would have to be that the term denotes Socrates in virtue of there being a particular attribute we suppose him to have.
I think this is a central and important point about Mill's view. Mill is not committed to denying that some facts about Socrates play a role in explaining why he is denoted by the term "Socrates"; rather, he has the weaker commitment that there is no attribute which, in virtue of our supposing Socrates to possess it, explains his being denoted by "Socrates".
Mill's stance is that concrete general names are all connotative. He indicates that having a body (with a certain sort of shape), possessing animal life, and possessing rationality are the attributes connoted by the term "man" or "human". He then offers a case based on Gulliver's Travels, indicating that rationality and animality are insufficient, because we would not call the elephant shaped (but rational) Houyhnhnms men or humans.
We then get a handful of terminology, and some clarification on how these terms interact with Mill's view.
The term "man"…
…signifies each attribute (corporeality, animal life, rationality, our distinctive shape) and each subject which possesses those attributes.
…directly signifies each subject possessing corporeality, animal life….
…indirectly signifies the attributes (corporeality, animal life…)
…denotes each subject possessing corporeality, animal life…
…connotes the attributes (corporeality, animal life…)
…can be predicated only of the subjects.
Additionally, a connotative term is called denominative, because the subject is/subjects are denominated by the connoted attribute(s). So for Mill, the proper use of "denominate" is as something done by attributes to subjects.
Mill then remarks briefly on connotative abstract terms, giving, as his example, "fault", which denotes various qualities, and connotes hurtfulness/badness/undesirability (of those qualities). I find Mill's discussion of a specific example here somewhat perplexing, and not in the sort of way where presenting my confusion will serve to help enlighten me about it, so I'll just leave it at the point here, that the category we might label abstract general terms (terms which denote many qualities) wind up connotative for Mill.
Ok, and that is all I am covering of this section today. We're a little past one fifth of the way into the section, and the next paragraph opens the issue of concrete, individual names, which I'm going to leave off until next time. So, next week, look forward to the distinction between proper names and a class of names that correspond (roughly) to definite descriptions, including some interesting remarks on incomplete descriptions and context, as well as the very exciting analogy from Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
Next time on Monday Mill Blogging: §5, "Connotative and Non-Connotative Names" (continued)
The Mod Squad: A Group Blog for Modern Philosophy
Inspired by my desire to read more blog posts in history of modern philosophy, I recently started a group blog, "The Mod Squad". I posted on my facebook page to see if people wanted to participate, and I got a decent number of people expressing interest in possibly becoming contributors.
Anyone who regularly reads my blog would probably be interested in what is/will be going on over there, so I'm letting people know about it now.
Most of the things I will be posting over there are things I would have posted over here anyway. I am unlikely to double-post, just because built in forking of commenting/discussion threads seems silly, but I am pretty likely to post links in one direction or the other.
Monday Mill Blogging (#007)
2012 is off to a good start, with Monday Mill Blogging actually occurring on a Monday!
Today's post covers book 1, chapter 2, section 4.
§ 4. Concrete and Abstract Names
For Mill, the distinction between concrete names and abstract names is done based on whether the object or objects named by the term are objects or attributes. So "John" is a concrete name, because John is an object. "Whiteness" is an abstract name, because whiteness is an attribute. "White" and "old" however, are concrete names. This is because "white" names white things. Mill blames Locke for the tendency to label "white" and "old" as abstract names:
A practice, however, has grown up in more modern times, which, if not introduced by Locke, has gained currency chiefly from his example, of applying the expression "abstract name" to all names which are the result of abstraction or generalization, and consequently to all general names, instead of confining it to the names of attributes.[…] A more wanton alteration in the meaning of a word is rarely to be met with; for the expression general name, the exact equivalent of which exists in all languages I am acquainted with, was already available for the purpose to which abstract has been misappropriated, while the misappropriation leaves an important class of words, the names of attributes, without any compact distinctive appellation. (p. 29)
So, using talk of affirmation (extrapolating from Mill's use in §3), we can say that a name is concrete if it can be truly affirmed of objects, and it is abstract if it can be truly affirmed of attributes. It is singular if it can only be truly affirmed of only one object (at a time) and general if it can, in a single sense, be affirmed of several objects at once. Mill briefly discusses whether abstract terms can be singular or general, observing that colour seems to be a good example of a general abstract term, before noting that whiteness would also potentially seem to be a general abstract term (because of the different varieties of whiteness). Ultimately, Mill decides that this is not an especially interesting question, and (essentially) stipulates that "singular" and "general" only apply to concrete terms.
Mill goes on to consider an objection against his decision to class white as a concrete term and not as an abstract term.
It may be objected to our definition of an abstract name, that not only the names which we have called abstract, but adjectives, which we have placed in the concrete class, are names of attributes; that white, for example, is as much the name of the colour as whiteness is. But (as before remarked) a word ought to be considered as the name of that which we intend to be understood by it when we put it to its principal use, that is, when we employ it in predication. When we say snow is white, milk is white, linen is white, we do not mean it to be understood that that snow, or linen, or milk, is a color. We mean that they are things having the colour. The reverse is the case with the word whiteness; what we affirm to be whiteness is not snow, but the colour of snow. Whiteness, therefore, is the name of the colour exclusively, white is a name of all things whatever having the colour; a name, not of the quality whiteness, but of every white object. It is true, this name was given to all those various objects on account of the quality; and we may therefore say, without impropriety, that the quality forms part of its signification; but a name can only be said to stand for, or to be a name of, the things of which it can be predicated. (p. 30)
Recall that Mill has pointed out that some languages permit constructions analogous to "round moves", while English requires us to say something more like "Round things move". I take it this is what Mill has in mind when he indicates that he has before remarked that terms are names of the things they can be affirmed of, since in discussing that case, he decided to treat the constructions like "round moves" (in the languages which permit such constructions) as mere abbreviations of something more like "round things move".
Most interesting, however, about this discussion here, is that Mill puts forward in two slightly different forms, a methodological principle for investigating word meanings (or, alternately, we might conceive it as a straightforward constraint on one's accounts of the meanings of words). The principle takes predication to be the primary use of words. This is not especially shocking. While much recent work has been done on erotetic logic, logic for imperatives, etc., I don't think anyone would be surprised to learn that Mill's conception of logic gave a special primacy to predication. What is interesting, though, is that Mill, in a sense, takes predication to be methodologically prior to naming. There is another sense, as we can see from the structure of the work, in which naming is prior. This is because predication is something we do with names, and so, as components of predications, they wind up being more basic. But in terms of our investigation, Mill takes predications as our starting point, and uses observations about predication to draw conclusions about the denotations of terms.
Mill closes the section by noting that there is an important (semantic) relationship between the term "white" and the attribute whiteness, which is the topic of the next section ("Connotative and Non-connotative names"). This is where we will get Mill's actual statement of the doctrine that has come to be known as "Millianism" about proper names.
Just to forewarn: There is a lot going on in the next section of the text. We get an account of denotation and connotation, the famous "Dartmouth" passage, additional discussion of terms that straddle the singular/general divide, remarks on incomplete definite descriptions, some discussion of the work done by context in fixing meaning, an awesome explanation of his view in terms of Ali Baba and the Forty Theives, and discussion of the elephant people from Gulliver's Travels. So it will either get tackled in a string of posts, or in one absurdly lengthy post.
Next time on Monday Mill Blogging: §5, "Connotative and Non-Connotative Names"
2012 Margaret Wilson Conference
I'm not sure I can really express how much I like this conference.
Four years ago, Gideon Yaffe e-mailed me the submission information for the Margaret Wilson conference, saying "You might think about submitting a paper for this. You'd meet a lot of good people."
I wound up submitting my paper "The Structure and Content of Belief in Hume's Treatise", and it was accepted. That wound up being my first conference presentation in philosophy. The 2008 Margaret Wilson conference was held at Cornell, in Ithaca, and Gideon was right that I'd meet a lot of good people. I also got a lot of good/helpful feedback on my paper.
Which was really useful, because around a year later, the work in that paper had evolved to become the core of my dissertation proposal.
Two years later, at the 2010 Margaret Wilson conference at UC Boulder, I wound up presenting work from one of the later chapters of the dissertation, again meeting a number of awesome folks, and again getting a lot of good feedback on my work.
The conference is held in memory of Margaret Dauler Wilson, an extremely influential figure in scholarship of early modern philosophy. Here is a brief description from the Princeton Philosophy department website.
I am very excited to participate again this year, at the 2012 conference in Dartmouth. I'll be presenting some work on the relationship between Malebranche's and Hume's views on belief (and in particular, their commitments regarding doxastic voluntarism).
If you are a graduate student working in early modern, you should definitely consider submitting to this conference.


text:
Nordic Plan seminar(s) London 23 January31.05.18, Clauses
Cefor introduced the new Nordic Marine Insurance Plan of 2013 at two well attended seminars in London Wednesday 23 January.
The presentations are now available for download.
Helle Hammer - Introduction: The Nordic Plan Agreement
Trine-Lise Wilhelmsen - Why, how and what does the assured get?


text:
PivotalTracker is a great tool for organizing your work. No matter whether you work mainly in software development, operations, or in a shared DevOps environment, PivotalTracker keeps you up to the task. Over the last couple of years using it, we've seen some patterns for setting up projects and organizing stories with tags. Start And … Continue reading PivotalTracker: The Simple Steps To Start a New Project
Tag: tools
Chef: RVM + Ruby Enterprise Edition as Default Ruby
The opscode chef bootstrap installs Matz Ruby on the node automatically. There are cookbooks for installing ruby enterprise edition on a node, but they create a separate Ruby "universe" on your box: You will have to be very careful how you install gems to make sure they are used by either the default Ruby or … Continue reading Chef: RVM + Ruby Enterprise Edition as Default Ruby
How to Deploy Ruby on Rails With The Opscode Chef Application Cookbook
I already wrote about how to get started with the Opscode Chef Platform. In this article I want to show you a very elegant way to deploy a Ruby on Rails stack with Chef. One of the strengths of Chef is the decent set of available cookbooks. @jtimberman does an especially excellent job in writing … Continue reading How to Deploy Ruby on Rails With The Opscode Chef Application Cookbook
A/B Testing with Webrat
It all began a year ago. We wanted to introduce a new navigation bar, but gradually, gaining feedback (and confidence) that it was the right upgrade for our users. My idea at that time was a random cookie which would show 20% of our users the new navigation while giving them a separate google analytics … Continue reading A/B Testing with Webrat
Why your boss will love Capistrano
Scaleability is a term near and dear to a CTO's heart. It's also the most important factor in growing a website. If you want to avoid the "fail whale" at right, you have to be able to scale your application to run on hundreds (and, if you're really lucky, thousands) of servers. Let's take a … Continue reading Why your boss will love Capistrano
Continuous Integration with Hudson
Wow - a big, fancy phrase that may seem intimidating at first. Let's break it down: "Continuous" meaning constantly, all the time; and "Integration" - building smaller parts into a larger whole. "Constantly Building" ? Well, that's pretty darn close. So, what are we constantly building here? Sure, we're churning out new features regularly, but … Continue reading Continuous Integration with Hudson
A Kanban Board for Features
We're using PivotalTracker as our agile planning tool. It's great for maintaining a backlog of prioritized user stories and managing the flow of stories within an iteration. We're really happy with it. But recently a new requirement came up: How can we manage our bigger features? How can we make sure all the stories we … Continue reading A Kanban Board for Features


text:
Salary: £17,000.35 – £18,460.70 Per Annum (£29,953 – £32,526 FTE (inclusive of ILW) )
Hours: 21 hours per week.
Application Inbox: email@example.com
Closing Date: 28th January, 9am
building stronger families
building brighter lives
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. By using our website you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Read our cookie policy to find out what cookies we use, and how to change your settings.


text:
Regular price
Our fun and elegant nappy cakes make the perfect gift for new Mama, or beautiful centrepiece for a baby shower. Each Cake contains:
Nappies - 23 Size 2 nappies from Pampers.
Two White muslin squares - 100% Cotton muslin 60cmx60cm squares which you can never have enough of. These are ideal size for feeding and burping.
Two vests - Up to 8lbs 13oz (1 Month) so perfect for newborn babies. 100% supersoft cotton. Vests are chosen from random from selection shown in image and each will be different.
Organic Knitted Diplodocus rattle - How cute is this little guy?! Tactile, and with a sweet sounding rattle it makes a great baby gift for young babies. Approx. 17cm x 24cm long. Suitable from birth and machine washable.
Wooden 'Baby's Room' sign (optional) - From Sass & Belle.
We use a variety of brands, as well as our own brand, so products may slightly differ to image from time to time. However we will always use Pampers nappies and well known and high quality brands for other items.
If you would like a bespoke cake made please do get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate requests.


text:
White Out by Eric Dimbleby
Publisher: Severed Press
Eric Dimbleby enjoys twisting a sick web of horror for his readers that stays with them long after they read his tales.
The world is coming to a slow, frozen end. Few people are left alive to deal with it and the other survivors – the ones who don't want to get along and play nice.
Violence and death fall upon those who aren't prepared to do what's necessary. Some are forced to…
A woman is trapped at work and wants to get home to her husband and son, but she can't. Not without the help of a man who would rather keep her all to himself.
They manage to make it a few miles in the snow, only to be attacked.
She has to find the darkness inside herself to survive if she ever wants to see her son again.
Meanwhile…a man who has vile intentions takes up residency in her home, with her family.
Will anything be left if she does manage to make it home alive?
This book shows the twisted darkness that lives inside those we don't want to think about – the bad people who are evil for no reason, or just for the pleasure of hurting others. In that way, it's excellent. I would have liked to see more strength in the seemly bipolar, weak-willed female that is the center of this tale; it would have gone a long way in making her more interesting overall. There are many, many grammar issues with this title, but it's still worth the read.
I give this book: 2Q


text:
THE pound has suffered from poor retail sales data today, falling to a level of €1.120 against the euro. -»
Pound euro exchange rate: GBP suffering after UK retail sales slowdown Reviewed by Unknown on 19 July Rating:
A Business news and business directory site offers access to the latest business news. It's also a business article directory publishing useful quality business articles.
Business news and business directory provides it's readers with the latest business news, articles and opinions on a wide variety of business and finance areas as well as politics. Learn more here »


text: Kobi Meidan. Facebook [Daylife] A prominent host on Israel's Army Radio said he was "ashamed" to be an Israeli citizen after the killing of 18 Palestinians by Israeli snipers near the border with the besieged Gaza Strip. "Today, I'm ashamed to be Israeli," Kobi Meidan posted on his Facebook page. Meidan's post angered officials at the Israeli Army, while the Army Radio commander Shimon Elkabetz suspended Meidan and his programme from broadcasting. World outcry At least 18 Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian rallies, demanding the return of refugees, near the Gaza border on Friday. More than 1,500 Palestinians have also been injured by Israeli snipers during the protests, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The violent Israeli response to the Palestinian protests has triggered world outcry with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling for an independent and transparent investigation into the killings along the Gaza border. Friday's rallies were the start of a six-week protest that culminates on May 15, the day the Palestinians call as the "Nakba", or "catastrophe" - the day Israel was created. The demonstrators are demanding that Palestinian refugees be allowed the right of return to towns and villages from which their families fled, or were driven out, when the state of Israel was created in 1948. UpFront Palestine and Israel: One state, or two? SOURCE: Anadolu news agency Israel Israeli–Palestinian conflict Middle East Gaza


text:
Tokyo Gas aims IR site to be readily accessible to anyone in any environment, and easy to use and understand.
We have incorporated many helpful ideas, such as the ability to click to activate voice-reading (audio) of image captions, and adding simple explanations to colors and graphics - but the site is not overly dependant on such means.
Hints to make use of the site more convenient and enjoyable, along with some other points to keep in mind, are given below.
Please click "small," "medium" or "large" at the upper left corner. You can change the characters on each page to the size you prefer. The initial setting for character size is "small".
Note: A cookie is used in changing character size. If you disable the cookie function of your browser, size changes may not take effect or be displayed properly.
Click the "print" button to print the page on A4 size paper.
Note: Only the main contents of the page will be printed - not the operational functions in the header and footer, or the navigation bar.
Tokyo Gas provides new/renewal information to its site via an RSS feed. If you use an RSS Reader or an appropriately configured browser, you can access the feed and quickly ascertain any changes to the site.
http://www.tokyo-gas.co.jp/IR/english/rss/news.rdf(RSS 1.0)
Note: RSS is an XML-based format comprising data on headlines, summaries, etc., of a site. RSS is primarily used to distribute renewal information to a site, and its use is becoming quite common. Many RSS Readers and browsers can be downloaded without charge from various sources. Tokyo Gas is not, however, in a position to answer questions either about the use of RSS or about RSS Readers.
The location of the current page is displayed in layers for easy understanding, direct return to any previous page, and so on.
|PDF files suitable for printing.
|HTML files.
|Video distribution.
|FLASH files. Presentation materials are shown in ways that make them particularly easy to see and understand.
|Excel files.
Note: Tokyo Gas's IR site includes animated images, PDF files, etc., for which the following plug-in applications are available.
Tokyo Gas may use cookies to enable more convenient browsing when users revisit the Site.
The user may change the browser settings to refuse to accept cookies. Doing so will not have any adverse effect on viewing this Site. Please inquire with the manufacturer of the browser for setting instructions.
Announcement of FY2019 3Q Financial Results
*During : 2019/11


text:
In English
Outinen Riding Centre is located on Outijoki-river by the main highway nr 5 about 10km north from Kemijärvi towards Sodankylä.
We are at a lovely spot where the highway runs along the Kemijärvi-Lake and the Outi-river runs into it. We have a couple of neighbours, but the roadless wilderness starts from out backyard.
Our farm is surrounded by fields where reindeer and horses graze year round. We also have an outdoor riding arena for lessons and for horse-jumping. You are welcome to come by any time to visit our friendly animals which also include cats and a dog. The forest is a backdrop to the farm and all paddocks have also trees for the animals as well as manmade shelters. The reindeer stay always outside, while all the other animals are housed inside for the nights.
We are a rural farm, so bring along time and wear boots. Besides Mia, the propieter and her family you may meet many of the local riders, who also enjoy spending time looking after the horses they ride. Come along and feel at home.
In the summertime we run riding camps with dormatory style accommodation, which is available for public on B&B basis when camps are not running.
Our main goal is to keep the Finnhorse breed viable in Finland. We offer different services so that everyone has the chance to get to know this gorgeous horse breed and this is also our way to finance the raising of Finnhorses. At the moment there are 15 horses situated in Outijoki. We are leading a slow life, attuned to the horses' needs. For us, the horses' and reindeers' needs come first and the days are very different and interesting. At the Outijoki the visitor only needs to look at a horse herd on the other side of the fence in order to get into a good mood.


text:
Covert Armor C3 Emergency Response Carrier
The C5-E.R.C. is a custom or standard sized vest available for First Responders with optional ballistic inserts or as a replacement
carrier for your ballistic panels. The MOLLE load carrying system enables the user to attach various pouches for user needs.
- 3M™ Scotchlite™ refl ective tape for high visibility
- Hi-Vis front and rear identifi cation
- Front & rear pocket accommodates both full size and
shooters cut Level III or IV hard armor plates
- Custom & Standard sizes available for maximum comfort
- Fully adjustable waist and shoulders
- Available in NIJ 0101.06 Threat Level II or IIIA
- Colors: Black (BLK), Red (RED), Navy (Nvy), and Tan (CT)
Price includes : Carrier Only


text:
09 Dec 2018 04:43
.Marriage is some thing that everybody should enjoy even after the honey moon stage has worn off and the children begin popping out like popcorn. Marital bliss is a made up word for when marriages are at its wits finish and no one knows what to do about it. I like the word marital bliss since it type of goes with each other but so does fortunately married and fortunately married is what we all plan to be when we develop previous with our substantial other..To all of these out there studying this, good luck to you. You have choices. Divorce papers can be found for totally free online most anywhere, but make sure that you get the correct divorce forms for your condition and that the divorce papers you get will be acknowledged by your local divorce court. Most family members divorce courts offer online downloadable do it your self divorce papers for totally free online. You simply need to discover their websites or give them a call..And 1 way to start to do that is to behave in the way that he isn't expecting. Allow him to be pleasantly shocked at how in manage you really are. Arrive from a place of love instead than a location of worry. Make it clear that your priority really is each of you becoming pleased instead than trying to pin him down on precisely what his plans are..It's extremely important to understand basic human character and psychology. Individuals will move toward these emotions, issues, and individuals that make them really feel more positively and upbeat about their scenario. And, individuals will transfer absent from and have unfavorable perceptions towards those issues that bring them down. Make sure that your letter isn't overwhelmingly unfavorable and based on dark feelings like worry, jealousy, or possession. Proofread it several occasions to make certain that you aren't continuously mentioning your self, how you really feel, or what you want..? Get in to get in touch with with an experienced and professional online divorce provider. No question these online divorce providers are fairly much price efficient and are facilitating people in obtaining benefits of the File For divorce Online free procedures..Handling Conflict:- Generally individuals deal with conflict in various methods. This doesn't always imply dealing with conflict with 1 an additional. This also indicates how 1 handles conflict with others as nicely. Allow's say one spouse is very passive when it arrives to conflict and the other is vengeful, this can cause major division among married partners. Not to say this will always end up in divorce, but there are these that do not know how to come to that happy medium inside the relationship and permit their distinction in the way they deal with conflict to be enough to want to go separate ways..Divorce is rarely ever pleasant and that is why preparing yourself for it is so important. Be selective when consulting with law firms in Atlanta and select a lawyer that is honest and upfront with you as nicely. When you can believe in them, it is easier to work with each other and for both you and your lawyer to inquire concerns. Use your preliminary session as a way to get a really feel for the attorney and figure out if they satisfy your requirements. You want somebody reliable that can give advice and suggestions that will assist the procedure along and not produce unnecessary delays. When you can believe in your lawyer and be honest, your passions are much more most likely to be kept as leading precedence..All too often, a simple adult-to-grownup arrangement is complicated by the adversarial nature of competing lawyers. This is your separation or divorce, not your lawyers'. It is you who is going to live with the outcomes.nWhen A Man Says That You Should Go Your Separate Ways Right Now, This Can Mean All Sorts Of Issues: The wife's greatest fear was that the husband would eventually file for divorce. She was concerned that "separate methods" would eventually come to imply separation which would ultimately arrive to mean divorce. But, the thing was, she had no way to know if this was heading to be true. She could not see into the long term and her spouse wasn't being forthcoming with these particulars..If you are attempting to seize a medal for being a self-sacrificing martyr, I have some news for you. There are no medals for martyrs. The International Olympic Committee is not adding it to the occasion checklist anytime quickly. No one, particularly not your children, will come to you at some point in the future and say, "I appreciate how a lot you sacrificed your personal health and nicely-being for us — and how you let us know about it all along the way!" Divorce summons all of your internal sources, and at this point in time, your commitment to self-care will never be more examined or more required.?A Florida uncontested divorce is a divorce where each events function out all of the particulars regarding their divorce outside of court. This indicates that both parties concur to get divorced, and they work with each other to figure out essential particulars, this kind of as kid custody, visitation schedules, division of assets and debt, and so on.


text:
Port Watch-Down a Little; Up a Lot
There is supposed to be a chill in the air. Cries of trade unfairness howl across the borders. Global economic players trade verbal jabs threatening to out-punish the world's great consumer. Less sorghum and coal to be exported; fewer cars and steel to be imported. Where does it all end? Last month, it really did not seem to matter for Texas ports since it nearly equaled April's arrival numbers. In fact, with five months under 2018's belt, this year is shaping up to be a near-record one. Thus far, 2018 is outperforming 2017 by well over 4%. Hence, every port – save one – is enjoying positive numbers on a year-to-date basis and all but three of Texas' eight major ports posted monthly gains.
Houston's monthly performance mirrored that of Freeport's year-to-date percentage climb (i.e., 0.5%). This was enough to keep the port firmly above 2017's arrival count by 3.4%. In the BTU arena, LPG arrivals are distancing last year's numbers by over 10% after a monthly 1% uptick and tankers are benefiting from the demand for American crude overseas with a 14.5% monthly gain. Interestingly, there were still a few substantial percentage declines for the month. Namely, bulkers – off by over 4% for the month and over 7% for the year; chemical tankers – down by over 12% month-to-month but still outpacing 2017 by over 9%; general cargo – slumped by 12% during the course of the last month and lags last year by 1%; and ocean-going tows – fell over 14% in the last month and behind last year's count by nearly 11%. Conversely, container arrivals saw their highest number for the year resulting in a 5% monthly climb as did car carriers with a 55% leap. At this juncture, it does not appear the threat of tariffs is slowing the movement of cars and containers in and out of the port.
Texas City is also poised to capitalize on the export of crude bonanza with its first partial loading of a VLCC with black gold this month. Unfortunately, that news could not take the sting out of a monthly arrival plunge of 20%; however, that came on the heels of a record month as reflected in the fact that Texas City is outshining last year's arrival count by 6%. A few miles to the south, Galveston also put up negative arrivals for the month. Fortunately, the 9% monthly wane paled in comparison to the fact that 17% more vessels have arrived in the port year-to-date wise. The only other port that found itself "in the red" over the last month was Sabine. Despite a 4.4% decrease in arrivals, Sabine is enjoying a rather robust rebound with 2018 outperforming 2017 by nearly 16% mostly due to its firming petrochemical export base.
On the opposite side of the coastline, Brownsville's monthly vessel count more than doubled with an arrival record of 38. This dramatic jump propelled the port squarely in positive territory with 13.5% more arrivals on a year-to-date basis. The torrid pace was fueled in no small part by its very strong trading relationship with northern Mexico. Granted, there may have been some "front-loading" of commerce in anticipation of new tariffs. The similarly sized port of Port Lavaca/Point Comfort may not have led the constellation of Texas ports for the month with its second place finish of 13.6% but it is certainly outdistancing its brethren with its nearly 30% higher vessel count year-over-year. Freeport, on the other hand, is eking out a slightly better arrival count this year on the heels of a 9% monthly rise in its vessel count. Granted, a 0.5% lead over its previous year is commendable in the wake of 2017's record numbers.
Corpus Christi – a port that is coming off on a good year. In that regard, a slight downturn would not be unusual; however, after logging a 3% monthly gain in arrivals, the port has had 12% fewer arrivals compared to last year. Some of the fall off is due to larger tankers exporting greater volumes of cargo and the fact that local refineries are producing less petcoke for export as sweeter barrels flow in from the Permian basin via pipeline. Yet, there are some dramatic decreases in agricultural exports as evidenced by the precipitous drop in the export of sorghum to China. Nevertheless, steel continues to be imported for the miles of pipeline being laid from the shale gas fields into the port. Moreover, the flow of barite through the port will invariably ramp up as more fracking unfolds in the Permian and Eagleford plays. Ultimately, Corpus Christi is poised to become a key player.
Perhaps the protectionist posturing will manifest itself in more concrete actions on the part of our nation's various trading partners that may have the potential of markedly eroding today's gains. Maybe those same anti-free trade measures will further bolster the performance of the U.S. economy. After all, in the beginning of the last century another Republican White House resident observed, "Our past experience shows that great prosperity in this country has always come under a protective tariff." Albeit, times have changed since Theodore Roosevelt held office. Nonetheless, one must be mindful of the consequences of a flood of foreign products given that history has a habit of repeating itself. This was poignantly reflected in a lament by the London Daily Mail the year prior to T. Roosevelt's assumption of the Presidency in the following passage, "We have lost to the American manufacturer electrical machinery, locomotives, steel rails, sugar-producing and agricultural machinery, and latterly even stationary engines, the pride and backbone of the British engineering industry."
- Date July 3, 2018
- Tags 2018 June