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Here are all of the posts tagged 'marketing'.
We Are Social's Tuesday Tune-up #109
Social ad spending on the up
eMarketer has reported that marketers' budgets for social are set to increase. In August 2013, social ad spending made up, on average, around 6.6% of marketers' budgets – it's set to increase to 9.1% in the next year, then zoom to 15.8% within five.
Play.com reaps the rewards from social discovery
Electronics website play.com has noticed a large increase in traffic from social sites in the last year. A study of 300 consumers noted that, year-on-year, the traffic driven from social discovery sites, such as Pinterest, was up 200%, while that from social networks such as Facebook was up 80%. Mobile had grown too, with 23% of sales taking place via a mobile device, up 53% in the same amount of time.
Companies respond faster in social media than offline
Two separate studies from last week, when taken together, show that companies respond faster to consumer queries in social media than they do offline. The first, a survey of Call Centre Association members (whatever they are), found that 59% of organisations take over eight hours to respond to email communication, with 26.5% extending that to 24 hours or more. Meanwhile, a study by Simply Measured concluded that the average response time on Twitter was 5.1 hours, while 10% of organisations got a reply out within an hour. So, if you want your question answered on line, Twitter is the place to be.
Spam on the increase in social media
Social media spam has grown by 355% in the first half of 2013, according to analysis of 60m pieces of content from Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn. The research has found that one in every 200 pieces of social content is now spam, which could start to become a real problem if it continues to grow at the same rate. For illustrative purposes, here is a picture of everyone's favourite processed meat.
The rise and rise of tablet usage
This year, an estimated 20 million people in the UK will use a tablet, accounting for roughly 1/3 of the population. This is set to grow every year until at least 2017, when 34.8 million UK residents will make use of such a device. Over this period, though, the percentage growth is set to decrease, already down from 165.3% in 2012 to 41.5% this year, it will have fallen to 9.4% by 2017 as the market approaches saturation.
Facebook using free wifi to obtain location data
Facebook is set to offer the opportunity for business to attain free wifi for their customers through its partner, Cisco, in a bid to attain further location data. The system will be available to businesses of all sizes, as the network is using cloud-based wifi firm Meraki to connect with small and medium establishments. Facebook can then use the data to create more accurately targeted ads.
Facebook Home to add content from other social networks
Facebook Home, the homescreen created by the network for Android phones, will begin to pull in content from other social networks including Flickr, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram in its latest version. The move sees Facebook adapting to a lukewarm user reception; if it genuinely intends to create a socially-led option for phones, allowing greater access to all platforms may well prove a necessary addition.
Post search now available in Facebook's Graph Search
Graph Search, Facebook's social search tool, now includes the ability to search for specific posts by what content they contain, when they were posted, where and by whom. In a blog post on the subject, Facebook said:
Starting today, Graph Search will include posts and status updates. Now you will be able to search for status updates, photo captions, check-ins and comments to find things shared with you.
Search for the topics you're interested in and see what your friends are saying, like "Dancing with the Stars" or "Posts about Dancing with the Stars by my friends.
Facebook introduces new mobile ad unit aimed at app engagement
Facebook has introduced a new ad unit for mobile, which aims ad increasing engagement with apps, once a user has already downloaded them. The ads will encourage people to head back to specific features of the app, which could well be very useful for marketers looking to maintain high levels of engagement with a particular part of an app. The video below gives more detail about the new feature.
Growth in users, ad revenue and losses at Twitter
Leading up to Twitter's stock market IPO, there have been a fair few stories about it this week. The network has released figures on its huge international growth, as its US user growth begins to slow; in March 2010, US monthly active users amounted to 10 million, while their international equivalent were 20 million; these figures have grown at disparate rates to 49 million and 169 million respectively.
This international user base could prove important for Twitter's advertising base, as they have seen an increase in both ad revenue and overall losses. In the first half of 2013, revenue was up 101% year-on-year to $253.6m, with 87% coming from adverts, but an increase in personnel had accounted for an increase in net losses by 41% to $69.3m in the same period. And after reports of up to 20% of the network's users being fake, it has been forced to deny the claims, arguing that the figure is actually more like 5% and that there will be a purge of these before the IPO takes place. All hands on deck at Twitter HQ.
New Snapchat stories
Snapchat has introduced 'stories', their equivalent of the Facebook newsfeed. Taking a series of photos and videos, you add the various captions/graffiti and publish, at which point the 'story' appears to all your friends for 24 hours, before self-destructing in classic Snapchat style. You can get more information on the changes from the video below, or this in-depth analysis by We Are Social's own Tom Ollerton.
Spotify introduces 'follow' button
Spotify, which has up until now been fairly self-contained as social networks go, hasintroduced a new 'follow' button that can appear on any desktop or mobile site, available in 39 countries. When users see the button, shown below, they can instantly follow them and receive updates in their Spotify activity stream, whether they be an artist, user, label, blog or magazine. The button aims to increase engagement on the network, as well as to introduce new people from external sources. Click below and you can even follow Avicii! (You can't really, it's a screenshot).
US government shutdown closes their social channels
It's not just the national parks that have closed down because of the US government shutdown – their social channels have done so, too. Sign-off tweets, like the below, have been seen, but since then it's been eerily quiet in some parts of social media.
This account will only provide disaster-related updates during the federal government shutdown. More: http://t.co/jwfgucXTth
— FEMA (@fema) October 1, 2013
All animals will continue to be fed & cared for. A #shutdown won't affect our commitment to the safety of staff & excellence in animal care.
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) October 1, 2013
Twitter's alert sounds in Washington DC
Last week we brought you news of Twitter's new alert system: if you sign up to an account's alerts, you'll get an SMS whenever it posts one. Well, we've already seen an instance of its use, when the Capitol was shut down after shots were fired last week. A stream of tweets, starting with the below, were sent out, showing the potential that the new system has.
USCP investigating reports of gunshots on Capitol Hill. If in a #Senate office, shelter in place. If not go to nearest office. #alert
— SenateSergeantAtArms (@SenateSAA) October 3, 2013
Diane von Furstenberg's shoppable Google+ hangout
Google+ had a first last week: designer Diane von Furstenberg hosted a shoppable hangout on the network. Those who took part watched the designer talk through various items from her catalogue, whilst simultaneously able to browse and shop the collection. The video below gives some more detail about what went on.
Dunkin' Donuts' Features It's Top Twitter Fans in New Ads
Dunkin' Donuts has been on fire with social media recently, launching one of the first Vine-based TV spots in history last month. Now John Costello, the brand's Marketing Chief, has given a sneak preview of two socially led video ads that will be released on 14th October at the Masters of Marketing Annual Conference. Two consumers were chosen to appear in each advert, based on their positive tweets about Dunkin' Donuts. It is presumed that the adverts will run on ESPN, aligning with Dunkin' Donuts sponsorship of the channel's Monday Night Football pre-game show.
Confused.com launches Brian on Instagram
Confused.com has premiered 10-seconds of its new TV advert, starring current campaign figure Brian the Robot, on Instagram. Joby Russell, Marketing Director, explained that Confused.com decided to jump on the bandwagon, and accompany the many brands that are already getting creative on video sharing.
Instagram is a great place for us to engage with our customers, as many people will comment and like Instagram photos/ videos as well as share content, and this is an essential engagement tool for us as a brand
The brand's Instagram followers are given the chance to win speakers featured in the advert, simply by liking the video.
Cancer Research UK unveils 'Every Moment Counts' platform
Cancer Research UK has launched an online platform called 'Every Moment Counts', as it seeks to engage with the public and use survivors' experiences to communicate the urgency of beating cancer sooner. The platform contains a crowd-sourced gallery of images where cancer survivors are asked to identify moments in their lives that are of particular significance. It also hosts a film shot by Finn McGough, which draws on the understanding that those who have been affected by cancer value time more than anything else. Viewers are then encouraged to submit their own moments to the Every Moment Counts site. Clips of the film are being used across Cancer Research UK's social presences, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
Webuyanycar.com launches WebuyanyTOYcar.com
Webuyanycar.com has launched a campaign around a hoax letter which went viral at the weekend, after being tweeted by @JamieDMJ. The bamboozler tweeted a fake letter supposedly sent by the company, claiming it had refused to buy a child's plastic car, and that he was "wasting their time". The tweet has since been retweeted over 33,000 times. Not wanting to be beaten, Webuyanycar.com unveiled webuyanyTOYcar.com and is "offering to buy the first 100 Tikes in good working order" that are presented to their branches around the country. In return, webuyanycar.com has offered £10 per Little Tike, with all the money raised donated to the road safety charity, Brake.
The 1.2 billion faces of Facebook (including yours)
A new website designed by Natalia Rojas compiles the 1.2 billion profile pictures on Facebook, all in one place. 'The Faces of Facebook' depicts each user by a teeny tiny dot. Click anywhere amidst the multitude of dots, and the page filters down to reveal thumbnails of the faces of a handful of Facebook users. Click on any one, and their public profile pops up. Many people have privacy concerns surrounding Facebook, but Rojas claims that the site doesn't store anyone's private information, pictures, or names. The very first thumbnail? Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg.
The tragedy of disaster marketing
Marketing Magazine recently published an article by me on using tragedy as content. They've been kind enough to let us reproduce it in full below:
12 years ago, two planes were hijacked and flown into the World Trade Centre in New York, collapsing both towers.
A plane was also crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth hijacked plane, supposedly heading for the White House, was brought down before it reached its target. 2996 people died.
The date was September 11, 2001. I'm sure you haven't forgotten.
Nor have you forgotten those who died in the subsequent bombings in Bali. Nor the events in London on July 7, 2005. You will clearly remember the horrific tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean in 2004, and Hurricane Katrina, which decimated New Orleans, also in 2005.
Closer to home, you will no doubt remember the date of the Port Arthur Massacre in which 35 people died and 23 were injured. The annual flooding in Queensland and the bush fires that afflict much of the country in the hotter months – both claiming property, livelihoods and lives each year – will be fresh in your memory.
It probably hasn't escaped your attention that next year, 2014, is the centenary of the outbreak of World War One – The Great War – a war that claimed over 37 million lives.
These are tragedies and disasters that affect us all, both personally and on a wider cultural scale. These are times to commemorate and reflect, commiserate and mourn.
However you choose to remember or forget such events, let us be clear on this: tragedies and disasters are not marketing opportunities.
Last week in the US, brands as large as GE and Verizon sent out reminders to 'honour the memory of those we lost' using the hashtag #neverforget, which many Tweeps were using to commemorate the 9/11 attacks.
Businesses as diverse as golf courses, plumbers, restaurants, sports nutritionists and tanning salons used 9/11 to give out discounts on their products.
'Remembering the fallen heroes' claimed one tweet, right before peddling their wares on the trending hashtag.
Much has been written before about how brands on social media are not friends with their customers, but it's a point worth re-iterating, because brands need to understand their place – you are not people.
When a person likes or follows your brand they are giving you permission to talk to them. You are being invited into their newsfeed and their timeline along with their friends and family, but you are not one of them. You do not have permission to cross that line.
That line applies to topics such as sex, religion and politics – as it would when conversing with any customer – and it also applies to tragedies and disasters.
While social media has changed the way brands communicate with their customers, it has not changed the fundamental brand/customer relationship. You are still the brand. They are still the customer. The reason you are on social media is to sell things.
Never forget that.
The topics you have permission to talk about should be outlined in your social content strategy. They should be things that are valuable to your customer, and relevant to both your customer's interests and to your brand.
When there is cause for national celebration, you may find some room in your content to reference it in a valuable, relevant way. But there is no valuable, relevant way to talk about tragedy.
I've said before that your social content strategy is as much about what you choose not to post, because everything you say as a brand on social media is marketing. Every post or tweet is branded content. You can't brand grief.
Where I grew up, in the UK, tragedies were marked by an act of collective silence. At times like these staying silent will say more about your grief, and will sound a lot more sincere, than saying anything at all.
The 6 Ws of social content
Marketing Magazine recently published an article by me on social content strategy. They've been kind enough to let us reproduce it in full below:
In 2013, brands are posting an average of 36 times per month on Facebook. Over a year that adds up to 432 posts. That's a lot of content.
With the average Facebook user liking 40 pages each, they're now seeing a whopping 1440 updates every month. A solid social strategy will help you jump out of the murky newsfeed pond, but strategy is only half the battle. What we really need to talk about is quality.
It's hard to maintain consistency in your content when you're producing it at scale, especially with limited resources. But quantity shouldn't mean a sacrifice in quality.
Here are six questions to ask yourself before you post anything on social platforms:
Why am I posting this?
Your social strategy needs to start with why and repeat on loop ad infinitum. If you're not constantly asking why, you need to drink more coffee and develop some anxieties. Same goes for your content.
Social content is not an afterthought. It is not filler. It isn't a box to tick. Posting content because it's funny or because you have to post something isn't good enough. Neither is posting because the CEO asked you to, or because it got a lot of engagement when 'Brand Y' did it.
The answer you're looking for is this: 'because it is relevant to the community and provides value.'
And by value I don't mean it saves them money. I'm talking about entertainment, information, advice. Value is what makes your content special. Value is what makes content shareable. Value is a customer insight, not a brand insight, and it's the reason people want to engage with you on social platforms.
If you just do the same thing as everyone else, then you aren't providing any value at all. If your content isn't valuable and relevant, post something else. Better yet, don't post anything. Go back to the drawing board and ask why you're on social platforms in the first place.
Who is it for?
Your community is not your customers. Sure, your customers are in there, coiled in anticipation for the chance to click on a link to your latest product, but they aren't going to do that unless your content speaks to them directly.
A consistent tone of voice will help. Your brand on social should sound like your brand everywhere else. Hopefully it sounds like someone your customers want to talk to. If not, fix that first, then come back. The post can wait.
It's no good developing a fun, irreverent tone in order to 'talk to the kids' if your brand doesn't always talk like that and your customers aren't those same kids. It's also no good being too sales-focused. You need to talk to your community, not at them. Think about the way your customers speak, think about the dialect and jargon specific to your location or industry. Make the content speak to your target audience. Rewrite or redesign until you get it right. Review and optimise your tone and style regularly.
You'll reach more people talking to the right people than trying to reach more people by talking to everyone.
What do I want to achieve?
Most social content is confused. The call to action isn't clear and it fails by trying to do too much.
Recently I saw this update: 'How was your weekend? What are you going to do today?'
Two questions, two calls to action, low engagement. The questions cancel each other out. This should have been two separate posts, if it was the right thing to post in the first place. Remembering to put one call to action per post will save your engagement rate along with your blushes.
The type of update you post also affects engagement. Take Facebook for example. If you're asking a question, then the goal of the post is comments. A simple status update will generate more comments than an image, but an image will generate more shares. So if you're looking for amplification, post an image.
Everything you post should want to achieve something. If it doesn't, then don't post.
When am I posting this?
When you schedule a TV ad, chances are you try and do it at a time when your target audience are sitting down in front of the TV. Your social content strategy needs to take time into account also.
When are your audience online? When are they on Facebook? Check the data, find out. The days of 'this has to go on out immediately' should be well in the past. Your audience dictates when you post.
The half-life of a tweet is seven minutes. Depending on your engagement, the half-life of a Facebook post averages at around two hours (much less if you post poor content). Post at the wrong time and you'll turn an urgent message into an unread one.
Where am I posting this?
A tweet has room for 140 of your finest characters. A Facebook status however, has room for 63,206 characters. That's around 10,000 words, depending on the words.
Should you post a 10,000 word status update? Probably not.
The point is this: not all content works on all platforms, not all platforms engage with content in the same way, and each platform is home to a different community.
On Tumblr, 60% of all reflags are images, and using animated GIFs will ensure you get more of those reblogs. On Instagram, emotive images get more likes. On Pinterest, adding a price to your image leads to more click-throughs.
Each platform you choose to operate in needs its own content strategy. If the piece of content you want to post isn't right for a particular platform, don't post it there.
The platform-specific optimisations are many and minute, but it's these one-percents that will give your content an extra boost, not a blanket of platform-agnostic mediocrity.
How else can I say this?
Ernest Hemingway once said, 'The first draft of anything is shit'. He probably wasn't talking about Facebook posts, but still. Too many updates are written once and posted first time.
The first thing you write might be adequate, but if adequate isn't good enough for your product design, for your television ads or your customer service, then adequate shouldn't be good enough for your social content.
Adequate is a failure. Be better.
Good copy is as little copy as possible. Can you say it in fewer words? Can you say it visually?
Think about your own news feed. What do you like to see? What would you click on?
Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. And when you're done, write it again.
Once you've asked yourself these six questions, you should be confident that you've got a solid, valuable piece of social content on your hands.
But there is a final variable in the social content equation that is just as important: you.
If you wouldn't read it, if you wouldn't comment or share or click, don't post it.
Your community won't tolerate bad content. You shouldn't either.
We Are Hiring: Sydney!
It's been 5 years since We Are Social opened our doors in London – and just over 3 here in Sydney.
In that time we've grown a lot; we now have 8 offices and over 340 passionate social specialists worldwide. And we're still growing.
This is why we need you.
We are looking for the experienced and the talented among you to come and work with us in Sydney, with opportunities available for Account Directors, Senior Account Managers, Account Managers, Community Managers, Developers and more.
Both globally and locally, we work with some of the world's biggest companies to help tell their stories and communicate with their customers via social media, brands such as Jaguar, Heinz, adidas, Kia, Sony, eBay, Roadshow Films and Expedia.
To our UK and US friends; we will happily provide sponsorship for the right candidates, allowing you to live and work in our Central Sydney offices and become an integral part of our passionate, diverse team.
The past three years in Sydney have been a long and rewarding journey, while we worked hard to develop and educate the industry on the potential and power of social media, and now we're looking for the right people to help us facilitate that shift from the traditional agency model to our forward thinking, integrated approach.
The opportunity is clear; a market ready for world class social thinking and a team comprising the best social strategists, designers and developers globally, capable of delivering award winning brand campaigns.
We want you to be a part of that team.
Ideally, we want you to have your own team and your own clients, and to create and implement campaigns that get the world talking; whether that's something you're ready for now, or a goal to work towards, we want you to grow with us.
So, if you're looking for your next professional challenge, want the opportunity to progress quickly and influence social thinking on a broad scale, or you just want a change of scenery, we can offer you the best of all three.
We look forward to chatting about what's next for you, and how we can help get you there.
We Are Social: Weekly Tune-up #87
8 out of 10 Australian users connect with brands
According to eMarketer, this year 11.4 million people in Australia - more than half of the population - will be social network users. And that's not all. According to a December 2012 survey from Latitude Insights and The Social Hatch, 82% of social media users had connected with a brand via a social site.
On Facebook nearly three out of 10 users reported connecting with 11 or more brands.
Half of Australia's social brands don't talk to customers
A recent survey has shown that of the ASX100 companies, only 50% are using social media to talk to their customers. Telstra, Coca Cola and Woolworths have more than 340,000 Facebook fans each, but at the time of checking, none of the companies had responded to any of the last of 10 posts on their timelines according to The Australian.
Retailers Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi have disabled comments on their Facebook pages.
With Australians being some of the most brand friendly social media users in the world (see above article), not engaging these users in conversation or actively listening and creating a dialogue is not just a missed opportunity, but a misunderstanding of the role of social media in marketing.
Social is a conversation. If you want to talk more about how you can be part of the conversation, then let's chat.
Facebook report Q1 earnings & increase in monthly active users
Facebook has reported its earnings for Q1 2013, announcing revenue of $1.45bn, up 38% from Q1 2012. 85% of total revenue came from advertising, amounting to $1.25bn, up 43% from Q1 2012.
The network simultaneously noted an increase in Monthly Active Users (MAUs). While growth slowed down in markets like the US, Canada and Europe, MAUs were up from 901 million in Q1 2012 to 1.1bn a year later, while Daily Active Users (DAUs) increased from 526 million to 665 million in the same period.
A great deal of this growth was down to mobile. Q1 2013 saw 751 million mobile MAUs compared to 488 million the year before, while there are now 189 million Mobile Only MAUs.
Twitter appoints Cynthia Gaylor as head of corporate development
Twitter has fuelled rumours of plans for an IPO with the appointment of ex-Morgan Stanley investment banker Cynthia Gaylor, who worked on the public offerings of Facebook, LinkedIn and Zynga. In what was her first ever tweet, she said:
@amac @twitter @jess look forward to joining and focusing on M&A + strategy. pointed north … let the migration begin!
— cynthia gaylor (@cynthiag) May 2, 2013
Twitter was valued at $9bn after an offer to staff in January and is set to hit global ad revenue of $1bn by 2014. This, along with the above appointment, has led to speculation by The New York Times that "next big step is to go public on the stock market, and insiders say the current goal is to have an initial public offering in 2014″.
Twitter ads now available to all US users
Twitter's self-serve ads interface, launched in March 2012, is now available to all US users. Previously accessible only by invite, Twitter has used the period to improve on a number of features, from targeting to reporting, and decided to open the self-serve platform to everyone in the US. All you need to do to gain access is visit the page at business.twitter.com and answer a few questions. There has been concern that the increased demand will lead to either a boost in the number of ads appearing in users' streams, or the price of ads. Russ Laraway, senior director of small- and medium-sized business at Twitter, has stated that "There will be no change in the frequency with which ads show up in timelines", though it is not clear how price will be affected.
'Photos of You' on Instagram
Instagram has launched 'Photos of You', which essentially allows Facebook-style tagging of people and brands in photos. Previously, users would @-mention one another, as if on Twitter, to perform a similar function. This form of tagging comes with another key feature: it makes a full archive of all photos someone has been tagged in that appear on that user's profile, assuming they have given permission. To prevent privacy complaints, Instagram has built controls that allow manual selection of which photos are visible to others. The feature looks to foster increased communication between individuals, but may also be beneficial for brands to interact with each other, as well as influencers with high follower counts and normal users.
Twitter updates Vine for iOS
Twitter has produced a couple of updates for the Vine iOS app, including the ability to shoot with the front-facing camera and tag others in posts. Where it was previously only possible to shoot with the camera on the back of the phone, the screenshot below displays a small button in the bottom left of the screen that allows switching between cameras. You can also see that @-mentioning is set to work much like on Twitter, Vine's parent platform.
Path exceeds 10 million users
Path, the social network that limits you to 150 friends, has exceeded 10 million users for the first time. After reaching 2 million in Feb 2012 and 3 million in June 2012, the figure sees a large milestone for the platform. They've since added a search feature in December and released version 3.0 in March this year, which supported messaging. While the number of registered users is an impressive start for Path, it will be interesting to examine how many active users they manage to retain.
Where does brands' Pinterest engagement come from?
According to a study by Digitas and Curalate, 30% of engagement on Pinterest comes from brand accounts. The remaining 70% comes from users pinning content from outside of brands' Pinterest accounts.
J.C. Penney asks fans to come back on social media
Last year, J.C. Penney decided to get rid of sales and coupons, focussing instead on regular, low prices. The move was a disaster and they've recently taken to social media in an attempt to remedy it. They took to Twitter with the hashtag #jcplistens, whereby fans were asked which changes should be kept and which reversed. The move is a nice example of a brand using social media honestly, in an attempt to connect with fans. It will be interesting to see if it helps their ailing figures.
Mountain Dew purchases promoted tweets for apology
Another example of a big brand mistake was Mountain Dew's 'Felicia the Goat' advert, which was criticised as both racist and misogynistic. Last week, they purchased promoted tweets to expand the reach of their apology, letting users know that they had pulled the advert. It's an interesting idea: on the one hand, it allows the apology to be seen by as many people as possible. However, it also provides potentially unnecessary promotion to the original issue.
Lowe's post six-second tips on Vine
Lots of brands are using Vine. Some are doing it well, some aren't. Hardware storeLowe's has strongly entered the former camp with their latest campaign, using Vine to post six-second home improvement tips. The medium brings to life content that is relevant but not necessarily exciting, while the tips themselves are useful, not an unnecessary experiment with a new medium. As such, the form and content compliment one another perfectly.
Stripped screw? No problem, just use a rubber band. #lowesfixinsix #howto vine.co/v/bU61aqq2YOp
— Lowe's (@Lowes) April 21, 2013
Any sticker peels right off when you use a hair dryer. #lowesfixinsix #tip #stopmotion vine.co/v/bPH2WPpnA7r
— Lowe's (@Lowes) April 24, 2013
Red Bull's 'Imaginate' Pinterest puzzles
Red Bull is asking fans to solve Pinterest puzzles based on stunts performed by trials cyclist Danny MacAskill. Six videos will be released, each showing a different trick, which fans must watch in order to solve a puzzle on Pinterest. This involves pinning content in the correct order to create an image of MacAskill. Those who do so correctly will be entered into a draw to win signed photos of the cyclist.
Hugh Jackman answers Wolverine questions
To promote the upcoming release of 'The Wolverine', in which he plays the title character, Hugh Jackman answered the Twitter questions of 11 fans in a series of YouTube videos. He also tweeted the answers and posted links to the videos from his official @RealHughJackman account. This is the latest in a series of social stunts around the film, including a 6-second 'Tweaser' released through Twitter's Vine app.


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The Poetry Carnival
Primary tabs
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - 4:30 p.m.
Join us for the 2nd Annual Poetry Carnival. Enjoy games, prizes, refreshments, face painting, photo booth and poetry performances. There will also be an open mic.
The fun will go on until 7 p.m.
This is a special event co-hosted by Teen Space and DC Youth Slam Team. Help us celebrate National Poetry Month.

subset: commoncrawl


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Rick and the group are allowed into the CDC by a strange doctor. But not all is what it seems in their newly found haven. watch
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Question: I started watching Scandal from the start, when it was simply a problem-of-the-week plot mixed in with a little soap opera with Olivia and the President. They lost me a little bit last year when they temporarily dropped that element to completely focus on the soap opera element when the president was shot. With the addition of the B613 storyline (and possible new Harrison storyline), I feel the show has lost its focus. I was highly enjoying Lisa Kudrow's story and performance only to have the show dragged down by B613's machinations and apparent manipulation of Quinn. I get the fear the show could be the political Love Boat where the guest stars get all the meaty storylines, but I watch shows like Strike Back for my spy action and adventure. Have these writers learned nothing from the mistakes countless shows including Alias and recently Revenge have made with these over-the-top secret maniacal agencies? — Brian
Is "I've Got You Under My Skin" the most appropriate sweet nothing to croon in the skin-crawling world of AMC's The Walking Dead? No matter, because there's not much of a lull in Sunday's powerful episode (9/8c), ominously titled "Infected." Which suggests the virus that felled Nerd Boy last week creates a bloody panic in the cell block, reminding us how illusory any notion of safety can be. "I haven't seen anybody be lucky in a long time," former Army medic Bob Stookey (new regular Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) observes as a full gamut of courage, terror and anguish is displayed during and after the latest crisis. Earning special bonus stripes this week: Melissa McBride as the awesome Carol, who takes a few distraught girls under her wing, but not to coddle them: "You want to live, you have to become strong" is her mantra. Meanwhile, the walkers keep pressing up against the prison gates and the audience can't get enough of the riveting mayhem, as evidenced by the record numbers who turned out for last Sunday's premiere.
The Walking Dead's show runner and cast on what to expect in Season 5.
Shane and the other survivors try to talk some sense into Jim in this scene from The Walking Dead episode 104, "Vatos."
Zombies attack the survivors in this scene from The Walking Dead episode 104, "Vatos."
Andrea holds her sister as she becomes undead in this emotionally intense scene from The Walking Dead episode 105, "Wildfire."
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A rocket containing bio-hazardous material crashes in a remote wooded area. An army team is sent to recover it, but one infected man mutates into a monster. Another escapes and tries to stop the monster and the army team sent to destroy everything.
Mutated into a monster by biohazardous waste, a soldier goes on a rampage, killing most of his platoon while still struggling to retain his humanity.
A rocket containing bio-hazardous material crashes in a remote wooded area. An army team is sent to recover it, but one infected man mutates into a monster. Another escapes and tries to stop the monster and the army team sent .
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Rick and the group are allowed into the CDC by a strange doctor. But not all is what it seems in their newly found haven.
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Rick leads the group to the CDC after the attack. Jim must make a terrible life and death decision.
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Rick's mission to Atlanta is jeopardized when things go awry. Jim becomes unhinged in the camp.
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The roar of Norman Reedus's motorcycle engine cuts through the tranquil Georgia field housing The Walking Dead's production trailers. Even though the actor is not listed on today's call sheet — he doesn't even appear in the episode being shot — he just can't stay away from his on-screen family.
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It's raining zombies, quite literally, by the end of the first hour of The Walking Dead's fourth harrowing season (Sunday, 9/8c, AMC). And when it rains, it pours blood. Just how fans like it.
But it's in the pauses between the gruesome action, those eerie and unsettling silences, when we're reminded there's no rest for the living in a treacherous world where swarming walkers are constantly pressing against the prison-shelter gates, insatiable and relentless. In these quieter moments, Dead reinforces its claim as TV's greatest horror drama by making us care so desperately about the characters' humanity.
More reinforcements may be joining Rick & Co!
Chad Coleman has joined the cast of The Walking Dead in the pivotal comic book role of Tyrese, TVGuide.com has confirmed.
Spoiler Alert: Stop reading if you haven't watched Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead!
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The March 18 season finale of The Walking Dead, featuring an epic zombie attack on the Greene family farm and the revelation that everyone on the show is infected with the zombie virus, was so scary and shock-a-minute outrageous that it nearly made our heads explode.
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Last year, roughly speaking, two crossovers were purchased for every three cars. It's tough to compare apples to apples, but in April, IHS Automotive analyst Tom Libby noted that small crossovers were the single best selling segment of any type of vehicle, including midsize sedans, which are the staple crop of the automotive industry.
"If the trend we have witnessed in the first two months of 2014 continues for the remainder of 2014," Libby wrote, "it would mark the first time in recent memory—if not ever—that a car segment did not lead the industry."


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As of Thursday, July 4, 2013
© Copyright 2014 Albany Herald
Former President Jimmy Carter is scheduled to teach Sunday School this Sunday at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains.
Baconton United Methodist Church will host a gospel sing at 7 p.m. on July 12 featuring Southern Majesty. Refreshments will be served, and a love offering will be taken. The program is open to the public.
A gospel sing is planned at 7 p.m. Saturday at Cross-Cultural Gospel Singing Barn near Leesburg. Featured will be In His Name from Fitzgerald. The barn is located at 603 State Highway 32 East. For more information, call Keith Hood at (229) 376-3293.
Vilulah Baptist Church in Coleman will conduct homecoming services at 11 a.m. on July 21 with the Rev. Dwayne Green preaching. Dinner on the grounds will follow the service, and special music coordinated by Darrell Paul will be provided after the meal. Also, revival will be held at the church July 22-24 at 7 p.m. each date. The Rev. Ben Crowdis, pastor of Cuthbert First Baptist Church, will be preaching.
A night of Southern gospel music is planned Saturday at the former Sumner School in Worth County. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and feature The Believers and John Penney.
More like this story
- Religion Bulletin - Nov. 3, 2012 ( November 2, 2012 )
- Albany Area Religion Bulletin -- Sept. 12, 2014 ( September 11, 2014 )
- Religion bulletin - May 19, 2012 ( May 18, 2012 )
- Religion bulletin - Jan. 7, 2012 ( January 6, 2012 )
- Religion Bulletin for July 14, 2012 ( July 13, 2012 )


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My name is Sean Skulmoski, I am a multimedia specialist who lives in Lethbridge, Alberta. I've 8 years of experience with Adobe Flash, three years with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver. I've been trained in Final Cut Pro, and I also have experience with Adobe Premier.
I'm also a 3D modeller, sketch artist, model painter, gamer, and paint baller.


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cyber crime
Cyber crime encompasses any criminal act dealing with computers and networks (called hacking). Additionally, cyber crime also includes traditional crimes conducted through the Internet. For example; hate crimes, telemarketing and Internet fraud, identity theft, and credit card account thefts are considered to be cyber crimes when the illegal activities are committed through the use of a computer and the Internet.
The future remains, well, cloudy. But either way: Amazon, look out. Microsoft is gaining fast. Read More »Hype Versus Action in the Developer's World
Often times technologies start as hype but with time become adopted. As a developer or technologist, it is worth reading the hype and knowing the... Read More »Microsoft Hyper-V Network Virtualization Q&A
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The Fed's 'taper' and other fairy tales
As Japan's problems continue, investors worldwide are still largely convinced central bankers are in control. They're not. The market is.
As I noted last week, I am focusing much more than usual on Japanese markets, since I believe there may be important information to be gleaned from the action there in stocks and, particularly, in Japanese government bonds (JGBs).
The Nikkei 225-stock index was hit hard on Monday and Wednesday, making the cumulative pullback in Japanese stocks about 20% from their recent high. Yet the bond market has rallied only about six basis points from its worst level. Obviously, the Bank of Japan has its work cut out for it as it tries to create negative interest rates and a bond market that doesn't collapse.
As my friend the Lord of the Dark Matter summed up in a recent email: "We all get that (Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko) Kuroda wants Japanese real interest rates to be negative, but achieving that without implied yen-rate volatility trending higher and Tokyo banks realizing losses on JGBs is going to be tricky."
Bond market to introduce 'start loss' orders
I would go one step further and say it's going to be impossible.
Basically, bondholders have to be willing to accept a negative real rate of return, and although that has been the case worldwide for quite a while, the bond market at some point is going to believe central bankers when they say they want more inflation, because they will get it (in fact, they have already).
Once the perception changes to inflation being the only outcome, life for central bankers is going to become incredibly complicated.
One reason markets have become so ebullient, particularly here in the United States: They have concluded that money-printing has created a Goldilocks environment instead of the stagflation or inflation I have long expected. Obviously, Goldilocks is a state of mind and can only last so long, but when you are in the money-printing "sweet spot," anything is possible.
I never would have dreamed it could last this long, nor gone to the extremes that it has, but, then again, we have never had the world's central banks printing this much money.
When you consider that the BOJ and the Fed together are printing $170 billion a month, and that only about $50 billion of liquidity provided by the Fed in the winter of 1999 blew the top off the stock market then, it is easy to see why insanity rules.
However, minds may be changing. David Rosenberg, of Gluskin Sheff, to cite one example, is now expecting stagflation. When the bond markets of the world collectively have the same opinion, the funding crisis will be upon us. (That is not yet today's problem, even though -- as I noted recently -- the very early stages may be occurring in Japan.)
Heading into negative knowledge territory
As a bit of an aside, I would like to make a point about the media and the 20% decline in the Nikkei. Most media talking heads know nothing about investing, yet love to talk about a 20% decline as the definition of a bear market, and other assorted nonsense.
The fact of the matter is that 20% doesn't mean anything. It is just a decent-size decline. It could be a correction or the early stages of a bear market (although that is quite unlikely at this early juncture for Japan). Nonetheless, a bear market is a bear market, but it doesn't become one when you cross 20%. You've quite likely been in one, and it might be over, or it might have been just a correction. In any case, thinking about things from that perspective is totally useless.
We have room only for the big picture
Speaking of wrong-headed, large numbers of investors still believe it is possible that the Federal Reserve will stop its quantitative easing efforts, let alone "taper" them. I continue to believe it is very unlikely that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will ever willingly taper.
After all, we've had five years of 0% interest rates, and the Fed can't even talk about an exit strategy that allows it to sell bonds, only buy fewer of them. The same sort of discussion has been held every year, but the masses fail to comprehend that, and get more excited with each QE-inspired rally -- with the latest goosed by the BOJ actions.
Once it is clear that tapering is not likely to occur, it will be interesting to see where the stock market is. It is quite likely to have a failing rally and, in the interim, stock market weakness might give us some insight into where the bond market might fail.
As I have noted, there are plenty of crosscurrents, and in this era, they can be incredibly violent. Unfortunately, when there is so much money printing going on around the planet, virtually all trades are macro.
On the air
In my latest interview with Eric King on King World News I talk about one of the most exciting investment opportunities I have ever seen in my career. Eric called it my "most powerful interview ever." Interested readers can listen to it here.
The party will last until all the booze and drugs (money printing) run out. We will still have to pay the rich (and getting richer) dealer back. Going through withdrawal will be sobering to those wishing to fool themselves by believing the fairy tale.
Can anyone seriously think that this will end positively? Thanks Bill for being one of the few journalists not drinking the Kool-Aid.
"The Fed isn't going to do anything to derail this recovery. Regardless of what all the talking heads and the hoi polloi keep mumbling about, the Fed will continue it bond and other asset purchases."
The Fed already derailed the economy by giving psychopaths $85 billion monthly to control us with. It should occur to everyone that printing $170 billion/month instead of generating it through effort is the economy killer. In Andrew Dickson White's book: Fiat Money Inflation in France, he chronicles that the People, when left out of the Inflationists' initiative (over-printing) resorted to sub-economies. As I read your take, Bill... I was not surprised by your reference (and equal awe) that, instead of admitting that this is all a dismal failure and Japan is a dead radioactive island off the coast of Oblivion, they are now concocting impossibilities and other Central Bankers and rallying behind them. Why? Because there's every chance of the globe wiping them out- the minute they throw up their hands and says- oops, we were wrong. For America and real Americans, there is a pariah on every corner and two more near-by to go through his wallet and clean it out. The "shift" toward sub economic survival has two legs- first, organized finance can't constructively follow it, and second, from it comes the stabilization (effort) that is sorely needed. Building houses for the destitute is a noble charity but not an economy reviver. Building a sub-economy out of the destitute that benefits as many as who want benefit over stagnation is the key. Growing, making, reconstituting it is how we restore the American Way, not printing it. Yesterday's 200+ point gain was a direct reply to the potential selling off of stocks and shifting of organized investment to lower risk anticipated Friday. They obviously went 'over the top' in compensation for it, so we were treated to how scared they really are about being revealed as mistake-makers. There was no other legitimacy for doing it, the job creation thing was phony and they are only creating a no-credibility factor now.
The truest statement: "The individual investor has the most power right now." Getting them to see that and use it responsibly to snuff out Central Bank bamboozling is what this coming week is all about. SPEAK, America, before the wool pulled over your eyes is a coffin lid of your own making.
One curse of ultra-low interest rates is that once they start rising from a low base (like they have in the last few weeks) the value of underlying investments falls much more quickly. A half percent hike in interest rates from 5% to 5.5% is no big deal to the underlying market value of a bond. A half percent rise in interest rates from 1.5% to 2% is a very big deal to the underlying bond market value. The Fed is holding trillions in Treasury bonds on its balance sheet which change in market value with interest rates. I'm curious, what interest rate rise across the yield curve would make the Fed technically insolvent? I wish one of those congressmen at the next hearing with Bernanke would ask him that question, instead of complaining about all the money he is printing for them to spend.
The talking Heads act as if a 10% correction solves everything, well it doesn't. Until a living wage is enacted and Corporations stop hoarding loads of Cash, the economy will never truly recover. This Global Money Printing is literally a ticking Time bomb. Bet that's a trigger word for the Gov't snooping. Well anyway, When a bomb ticker gets started, there is usually one final result, things go BOOM!
between us and japan, 170 billion a month out of thin air ....poof there it is. A trillion dollars every 6 months. Most of this isn't making its way down to the average joe it's just rolling through the financial institutions and a lot is just sitting there. That's why we haven't had inflation from this. Yet anyway.
Have a friend with 30 plus years in banking and asked the same question as someone did below about when Bernanke will stop this crazy printing. He laughed. Then said maybe a slight taper, but stopping.....ha.
5 years of this isn't enough? Nobody in Washington wants the funny money to go away. Interest on the debt will crush us when it does and within 10 to 15 years the dollar will cease to be the international currency basis.
1)Sell some the Assets on it's Balance Sheet.
2)Sell all the Assets on it's Balance Sheet.
3)Hold all Assets to Maturity, that would effectively monetize the DEBT left on it's balance sheet.
Regardless, it's weird how the FEDs can buy via Credit, then collect Interest Payments which it gives back to Uncle Sam. Last year, it paid Uncle Sam about $90Billion from interest via assets bought on Credit. Now that's the ultimate Ponzi Scheme.
Always confused and overwhelmed by all of this money stuff I recently stepped out of our Vanguard high yield bond fund. Sad and hard to do as we had some nice gains over the past year adding shares back some 4 years ago when it was in the dumps. But I've lost faith in the bond market, well at least for now.
On the brighter side were having a yard sale this morning. Going to see if I can make some real money. Hey Big Ben wants us in the market so were going to spend the day marketing away.
dave1230, these obamaites, believe you can borrow and spend your way out of debt, and that the path to prosperity is to TAX and Print.
You cannot talk economic sense to them. Japan has been practicing Obamanomics for 25 years. In that time their bond market has tanked, their stock market is one third of its all time high, their middle class has been turned into poor, they run massive deficits, their growth has been sub 1%. The Japanese have a debt to gdp ratio topping 200% and more than half their budget goes to debt payments.
Do they really think people will lend the Japanese government money for a 2% fee per year? Would you pay someone 2% to watch your money all the while it is inflated out of existence? If I were in Japan, I would convert all my Yen holdings to stocks or specie, or better yet move it all overseas where their socialist government cannot seize it. And I recommend the same for US citizens while you have the freedom to do so.
Copyright © 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Morningstar Inc. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Morningstar Inc. Quotes delayed by up to 15 minutes, except where indicated otherwise. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by Morningstar Inc.
This column is a synopsis of Bill Fleckenstein's daily column on his website, FleckensteinCapital.com, which he's been writing on the Internet since 1996. Click here to find Fleckenstein's most recent articles.
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Holiday Look #1:
"Midnight Violet" - Smoky Iridescent Eye with Givenchy Le Prisme Yeux Quatuor in 72 Midnight Look
It's December, so I'm doing a holiday looks series for those of you who are looking for some ideas for party makeup!
This is the second of 2 smoky looks done with Givenchy quads. Coincidentally, they are both floral-themed; rose first of all, and violet now.
Most people tend to go for the warm browns and pinks, but when it comes to an intense smoky eye, a violet is often much easier to pull off for all skin tones and eye colors.
Products used:
- Foundation: Laniege Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF 50+ No. 21 natural beige
- Concealer: MAC Studiofinish Concealer NW20
- Powder: ClearLast powder in Medicated Ochre
- Blush: Peri Pera Smile Fit Blush #3 (this is a Korean brand and probably hard to find outside Asia; try MAC Well Dressed)
- Eyeshadows: Givenchy Le Prisme Yeux Quatuor 72 Midnight Look
- Eyeliner: Givenchy Magic Khôl in Black
- Mascara: Givenchy Noir Couture Waterproof mascara in 2 Purple Velvet (you can always use a regular black)
- Lips: MAC Lipglass in Cultured
P.S. don't forget the Givenchy Tea Party in Sephora Ion this coming Saturday! I'll be doing a demo of a smoky eye look and dishing out some tips, so those of you in Singapore - do stop by between 2-5pm!


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-- Scott Roberts
FRIDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Nucynta ER (tapentadol
extended release) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration to treat moderate-to-severe chronic pain in adults,
maker Janssen Pharmaceuticals said.
The extended-release version of the opioid drug is taken twice
daily. The original formulation of Nucynta was approved by the FDA
in 2008.
Almost one-third of Americans will have chronic pain at some
point in their lives, making it the most common form of long-term
disability, the drug maker said.
In clinical testing of Nucynta, the most common side effects
were nausea, constipation, headache and dizziness. People taking
the drug must not consume alcohol or any medications that contain
alcohol, Janssen said in a news release.
Janssen is a unit of Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick,
More information
Medline Plus has more about
this drug.
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.


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Soldeu Apartments & Self Catering
There are various choices for holidays staying in Soldeu apartments. Here are a few places to get you started, and if you want to see where they are located please visit our map of Soldeu or map of El Tarter. You can use the apartment search tool to find prices and availability.
If you own or manage an apartment in Soldeu and you would like to feature it here please get in touch via our contact form.
Location: 500m to the gondola
Description: A development of 300 apartments from one to three bedrooms, located just on the edge of Soldeu, approximately 500 metres from the gondola. The apartments are a mix of residential and holiday apartments, situated on descending terraces so many have fantastic views of the mountains. The apartments are designed to fit in with the natural surroundings with lots of wood and stone on the exterior, and high-quality interiors. All the apartments have parquet floors, full insulation & double glazing, central heating, and underground parking is available. The apartments are fully furnished including a hob, oven, dishwasher and washing machine, plus bed linen and towels are included.
|More Photos Top Book Now
Location: 20m to the gondola
Description: Perfectly situated for easy access to ski in Soldeu these apartments are located adjacent to the gondola building. With a range of one, two and three bedroom apartments all with a lounge/seating area, the kitchens are fitted with a microwave, fridge, coffee maker and an electric hob. There is a car park next door, and they have ski storage facilities available.
|More Photos Top Book Now
Telephone: 00 376 325865
Web site: www.stayinsoldeu.co.uk
E-mail: email@example.com
Location: Above Slim Jims
Description: Luxury three bedroom apartments located right in the centre of Soldeu above Slim Jim's just a two minute walk to the gondola. The three apartments are furnished to a high standard and are all the same in size, shape and fittings. The lounge includes a TV, DVD and music system and Sky TV. The dining area seats six to eight guests and the apartments are fully functional for self catering with a fully fitted kitchen and also washing and drying machines.
|More Photos Top Enquire Now
Telephone: 00 376 851485
Web site: www.soldeuski.net
E-mail: email@example.com
Address: Plaça de Piol, Soldeu, AD100
Description: A spacious, bright and airy 2 bedroom apartment on the 3rd floor of a residential building in central Soldeu, only about 250 metres walk from the main ski station and 2 minutes walk from a useful small supermarket. The apartment is fully furnished, has been recently redecorated and had a new kitchen fitted. It accommodates up to 4 adults or 2 adults + 3 'large' children. The apartment benefits from a large balcony, as well as a ski locker on the ground floor.
Telephone: 00 44 7852106120
Web site: www.skiandorra.co.uk
Address: 200m from the gondola, near Hotel Piolets Park & Spa
Description: A two bedroom apartment five minutes walk to the centre of resort and the gondola, sleeping a maximum of six guests. There is one double bed, two single beds plus a double sofa bed in the lounge. The apartment has one bathroom with a shower over the bath, a TV & DVD Player and a CD player, a separate kitchen, a lounge and gas central heating.
|More Photos Top Enquire Now
Why Go Self Catering?
It's a big choice to make when booking your holiday - hotel or apartment. Whilst it can be nice to go on holiday and not think about cooking for the week, there are some fantastic benefits of booking self catering accommodation for your ski holiday to Soldeu.
First up is choice of food. There are a couple of small supermarkets in the village so you'll have enough to choose from to make sure it's not just pasta & sauce for the week, although if you're wanting to ski on a budget then it's definately something you can do if you really want! The fact that you have kitchen facilities doesn't actually mean you have to use them though, because Soldeu has a great selection of restaurants to choose from which means it may be some of the other benefits you're looking for.
If you're coming skiing on a budget then being able to go to the supermarket and pick up a few beers and keep them in a fridge ready for apres ski can be a bonus, or even if you just want a few drinks whilst getting ready for your night out!
Then there's space. Generally you'll find that booking an apartment means you'll have more space than if you book just a hotel room, so you'll be able to relax more in your room and make it feel a little more like home, and if you've packed just about everything but the kitchen sink then having space to unpack and also get your skiing clothes dry after a day in the snow can make your holiday more relaxing.
So that's just a few of the benefits to coming self catering, but it's just down to personal preference, and if you fancy giving it a go just search using the tools above!
We use cookies to ensure that you get the best user experience and to process your bookings. You can turn cookies off using your web browser settings, however some functions of our website won't work. To find out more about how we use cookies and your data please read our privacy policy.


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Ted bears all (sort of)
Lewd teddy bear Ted answered our questions in an interview, including these gems:
Q: What's Mark Wahlberg like to work with?
A:: Sexy, and I mean that in the straightest way possible.
Q: Where did you pick up such salty language?
A: When I was little, I accidentally stepped on Bill O'Reilly's toe in an airport. I learned all I needed to in the next eight minutes.
Q: What's the key to good comedy?
A: A slippery banana peel and a proud fat guy.
Q: What do you think of Seth MacFarlane being the Oscars host?
A: I feel like Kim Jung-eun would have been a more popular choice.


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Notation basée sur
14 Avis
4,0 sur novembre 07, 2010
warm and welcoming stay - nice retreat for a weekend getaway!
4,6 sur octobre 13, 2010
We had the guest cabin and it was very nice. Comfy bed and very clean. The location of the cabin is secluded and the view of the stars at night breathtaking. Would certainly stay there again. We did not eat any meals at the Lodge.
3,0 sur septembre 22, 2010
We rented the cabin so did our own cooking and clean up. Close to where we were in a meeting so was very convenient.
3,8 sur septembre 09, 2010
The location and view were amazing. The rooms were very clean, and the hosts were very nice. The walls, however, are paper thin and so even quiet conversation can be heard clearly in the next rooms. There is only one TV which is in a small room in-between the two guest rooms in the house and is also easily heard through the walls even at low volume levels. We enjoyed our stay, but did think that some might want to know that there may not be quite as much privacy or peace and quiet (depending on who else is staying there) as one might hope for.
4,0 sur août 16, 2010
This bed and breakfast is remotely located in the mountains above Pecos, NM. The inn and its surroundings are beautiful. The proprietors, Steve and Patty, were friendly, helpful and good cooks. Because of its remoteness, we chose to have our dinners at the inn, and they were great. Of course, so were the breakfasts. Our room was very clean and comfortable, and for our next stay we are going for the larger room with king size bed - cuz' we like to stretch out. All in all, we can recommend the Wilderness Gateway Bed and Breakfast - for peace and quiet, friendly service, and the great outdoors for excercise to walk off the wonderful meals!
3,6 sur août 08, 2010
You should put in a little table or utility cart for the microwave and coffeemaker. Take them off of the table. This room could be a cozy retreat for a couple. Also include a couple of stemware glasses for wine. Even cozier!
5 sur novembre 23, 2008
The location is primo, the dinners were delicious, the lodge was warm, comfortable, and very clean. But, the best parts of the whole experience were the host and hostess, Steve and Patty. We were warmly welcomed and treated like family. They were wonderful to my son and I for our entire stay. For hiking, fishing, or just relaxing away from the rest of the world, this is the place to stay in New Mexico! David Henslee
5 sur août 31, 2008
This was a return visit and it was just as good, if not better, than our first visit. Steve and Patty are fantastic hosts. The accommodations are clean and comfortable. The location is perfectly suited for hiking, birding, fishing, or just escaping. The food is wonderful. A great B&B in a beautiful setting. A real value. Highly recommended.
4,6 sur août 19, 2008
Originally, we booked 2 nights with Steve and Patty for our 6 night vacation in New Mexico. After the first night, our accommodations were so great that we asked if other nights were available and we lucked out that our room was still available. We booked! The inn is beautiful, peaceful, quiet, intimate, and yet accessible. The grounds were beyond my wildest imagination and the pictures on the web-site do not do the landscaping and physical setting justice. It is awesome and the sound of the river has the sound of soft music. I encourage you check out the pictures on Steve and Patty's web-site. Our room was immaculate with a very comfortable bed. The bathroom was beautiful and romantic…and handicap equipped. I connected everyday to the wireless internet and checked my work e-mail. Our food was delicious and we were served on a beautiful outdoor covered patio as well as in a cozy parlor. One could sit and read, walk the grounds, hike in the Pecos Wilderness or drive short a distance to hike higher in the wilderness or be in Santa Fe within 45 minutes. Steve and Patty were gracious hosts and always worked to accommodate our schedule of hiking, rafting, shopping in Santa Fe, and just goofing off. The couple in the other B&B room was kind and great guest –mates which enhanced our experience. I searched my memory for a disappointment or something that was not a good fit…but I just could not recall any problems. Our stay was wonderful and we would happily return for the change of the fall foliage or to experience the first snowfall. We will return...and soon.
3,4 sur mai 14, 2008
One would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful site for a B & B. Steve and Patty are the perfect hosts and could not be more accomodating. We found, however, the price of lodging to be a tad steep in comparison to other B & B's of similar type that we've stayed at over the years. The included breakfast was tasty, but our particular selection on the sparse side. There are a variety of menu selections from which to choose.
5 sur octobre 07, 2007
My husband Bill, my friend Dorothy and I had a lovely stay here with Steve & Patty. I am now confined to a wheelchair from a bicycle accident so I can no longer hike the beautiful forests. Bill the flyfisherman tells me the fishing is excellent. It is very hard to find places that are really accessible but our room was easy to manuever and I could wheel around the grounds. The bed was very high making for a difficult transfer so Steve & Patty hustled around & lowered the bed. We never felt like we were at an INN but at the home of friends. I can second all the nice things said in the other reviews but want to add this. Should you have a member of your party who is old, infirm or just cannot walk like me this is a great place. You can still have the "nature" experience w/o going far. The star gazing was awesome. I enjoyed the trout pond. One last comment, the food was excellent. I gaining 3 pounds but I quess I have to blame that on myself.
5 sur août 20, 2007
My friend and I spent three nights at Wilderness Gateway recently. We intended to find a place that was close to the fishing and hiking, that provided a roof over our head and a hot shower. When we arrived, we thought we might be at the wrong place, as it was a picture book setting - a beautiful log home surrounded by lush green grass and trees overlooking the Pecos River below. We rented the guest house, which is a nice, comfortable cabin situated a little above the main log home. The guest house contains 2 identical rooms, each of which are large, roomy, comfortable, and spotless. Each room has a kitchenette with fridge, sink, and stove. All necessary cooking utensils, pots & pans, etc. were provided. There is a beautiful grassy lawn with several different sitting areas to overlook the beautiful mountains and the Pecos River below. Patty and Steve were the best hosts one could wish for. Both are warn and friendly, and truly made us feel welcome at their property. They gave us privacy, but still managed to somehow be around if we needed anything. We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them and staying at their cabin. On top of this, the rates are reasonable and Steve makes one mean breakfast! We will be back soon and often!
5 sur août 19, 2007
My friend and I stayed at the Wilderness Gateway during the week of August 13, 2007 while fly fishing the waters of the Pecos Wilderness. We each took one of the two rooms in the Guest House. Our stay could not have been better. First, Steve and Patty are fantastic. They could not have been nice and more gracious hosts. They both went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and comfortable. Our rooms were perfect. Steve and Patty recently had built the Guest House and their attention to detail is evident. The two rooms are connected by a small hallway with two doors that each can be kept open or closed. Each room has its own kitchenette with two burners, a sink, refrigerator, coffee maker, pots, utensils, paper towels, plates, etc. Thus, we were able to prepare all of our meals. The beds are big and comfortable, the bathrooms nice, and the rooms large. Each room had its own small dining room table. Additionally, the rooms were spotless. We had our own private outdoor sitting area with a beautiful view of mountains, and we were able to bring our truck right up to our rooms which made for convenient loading and unloading each day. For our fly fishing needs, the accomodations could not have been better. Because the Wilderness Gateway is located in Cowles, it sits right in the middle of some of New Mexico's finest trout water. In fact, the Pecos River is only about a few hundred yards away. Additionally, there are a dozen or more fly fishing options within a short drive, and even more if you are willing to walk or hike a bit. The country is pristine and it is hard to imagine a more inspiring location. Of course, the fishing is fantastic. We enjoyed breakfast with Steve and Patty on our last day and the food was great. While we let them select the menu, I got the sense that they would make just about anything for you if you asked. Cheers to the Wilderness Gateway -- we'll be back.
4,8 sur juin 11, 2007
We spent the night of June 9th in the Guest House. A little background information, my wife and I along with five other people had just spent six nights backpacking in the Pecos Wilderness and had an amazing time seeing herds of Elk, a lone coyote and even a young bear! Three of us decided that rather than travel back to ABQ, we would spend the night at the lodge. All seven agreed to have dinner there. Well, we drove up in two vehicles and saw Steve and Patty outside working and they gave us a warm and very welcoming greeting. I asked Patty if it would be a problem for our four friends to shower in our rooms and Patty not only told us that it wouldn't be a problem, but they had been expecting them to. Patty provided extra towels, soap, shampoo and even razors. Dinner was a BBQ and the food was fantastic, the menu included brisket, bbq organic chicken, Kielbasa links, egg salad, corn on the cob, mixed green salad, baked beans, lemon bars and apple crisp. We ate till we were about to burst and then found a little more room. After seeing our friends off for their drive to a motel near ABQ and laughing at their comments that they had made a serious mistake in not staying, we took a walk along the Pecos River and retired for the night. So, if you are looking for a home base to bird, fish or hike from, or looking for a relaxing night before or after a big trip into the Pecos or just a relaxing night, then the Wilderness Gateway is the place.


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silver value
Gold and Silver Prices Boosted by These Global Moves
Gold and silver prices both marched toward their largest gains in more than a week Tuesday joining the uplifting mood on Wall Street. As the Dow Jones Industrial Average reveled in a historic rally that took the benchmark to a record high, commodities also soared.
Gold prices settled Tuesday's trading session up $2.50, or 0.2%, at $1,574.90 an ounce, supported by stimulus chatter and a weaker dollar. The safe haven metal had reached as high as $1,585.80 an ounce intraday, on course for its biggest leap since Feb. 26.
Year-to-date, gold has dipped 5.7%. The commodity logged its fifth consecutive month of declines in February, marking its longest stretch of declines since 1997.
Silver prices rose 1.7% to $28.97 in early trading, their biggest gain in more than a week. The white metal ended the day at $28.81.
While silver's slip since January has been more modest than gold's, it's well below the $34.89 it traded at during the same period a year ago.
But loose monetary policies worldwide, geopolitical uncertainties, rising oil prices and renewed fears of inflation should support, if not boost, both gold and silver prices in the months ahead.
Aggressive Global Stimulus Here to Stay
Driving gold and silver prices higher Tuesday were comments from Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Janet Yellen.
At the National Association for Business Economics conference Monday, the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) Yellen defended the bank's $85 billion a month of bond purchases.
"At this stage, I do not see any (risks) that would cause me to advocate a curtailment of our purchase program," Yellen said.
Yellen's sentiments mirror that of Fed Chief Ben Bernanke, who thinks continued stimulus will be good for the U.S. economy. Acknowledging there are risks from the Fed's aggressive efforts to stoke the anemic U.S. economy, Yellen added there are also risks from not being aggressive enough.
This news from overseas is also bullish for gold and silver prices...
To continue reading, please click here...Read More...
How to Buy Silver Coins
Silver is one of the hottest investments this year, leading many investors to ask how to buy silver coins before the white metal soars to new highs.
Indeed, investors have been buying silver coins at such a rapid pace, the U.S. Mint announced Jan. 17 it had sold out of 2013-dated American Silver Eagles - just 10 days after opening sales to authorized dealers.
Opening day sales for the hugely popular bullion coins on Jan. 7 hit a record 3,937,000 coins. The tally of total sales over the 10 days the coins were available exceeded 6 million.
Sales resumed Jan. 28 after the Mint replenished its inventory, but on an allocated basis with limited orders. The Mint used the same method in 2009 and 2010 when demand among people buying silver coins also outstripped supply.
To continue reading, please click here...Read More...
Silver Prices Getting Huge Boost from these Chinese Market Shifts
Twenty years ago China was a very minor factor when estimating the direction of silver prices.
Now, the country is a major force both on the demand and supply side of the silver market.
In fact, a recent report issued last month by Thomson Reuters GFMS for the Silver Institute outlined how China's supply and demand was a major developing factor guiding silver prices in 2013 - and the news is great for those investing in the white metal.
Let's take a look.
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Young Professionals Committee
The Jays Care Foundation's Young Professionals Committee (YPC) is a volunteer opportunity for Toronto's young professionals to utilize their leadership and management skills, creativity, passion, talent and social networks to engage in the Toronto Blue Jays community investment efforts to benefit Canada's children and youth. Presently 20 young professionals sit on the Committee and manage the strategic direction and development.
The Young Professionals Committee is excited to kick off the 2014 edition of the ChangeUp Challenge! This unique, fundraising campaign engages individuals, groups and corporations to step up to the plate and contribute towards community change. ChangeUp participants are challenged this year to create a personal or team fundraising campaign and solicit pledges from their network with the goal of raising $150,000 towards the creation of a safe, dedicated youth space to serve communities in need.
The ChangeUp Challenge launches on June 14, 2014 and wraps up on September 12, 2014. The conclusion of the campaign will be celebrated on September 12, 2014 with the YPC signature event, The ChangeUp Celebration A Night at the Ballpark. The celebration event will be hosted in a Rogers Centre luxury suite when the Blue Jays take on the Rays at 7:07 p.m. ChangeUp participants will enjoy a fun night at the ballpark including food and beverage, interactive activities, opportunity to win great prizes and more! All funds raised through the ChangeUp Challenge will fund the building of a Blue Jays Youth Zone in the Bridletowne Circle YMCA. This YMCA will be located in the priority neighbourhood of Steeles-L'Amoreaux, where more than 50% of residents are physically inactive and access to safe community space is crucial.
Young Professionals Network
Launching in 2014 to compliment and support the Young Professionals Committee, Jays Care Foundation will offer students, recent graduates and young leaders volunteer opportunities through the Young Professionals Network.
The primary objective of the YPN is connecting like-minded, philanthropic individuals to support the advancement of Jays Care Foundation's mission to invest in kids in need from coast to coast by raising awareness and funds within the young professional's community.
The YPN offers members various engagement opportunities annually, including invitations to attend speaker series networking events, Young Professionals night at the ballpark, YPC hosted events and a variety of volunteer opportunities.
JOIN THE NETWORK! Become a YPN Member by donating a minimum of $150 to Jays Care annually
You will receive:


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10. "We all figured we had it made -- that these tall, beautiful women were going home with us. Then, all of a sudden, one of the fellows stood up, pointed at one of them and yelled, 'She's got a Johnson!' After that, we pretty much tore the place up. The cops were called, and it was a big incident. Apparently the club had signed up a bunch of female impersonators to work the room, but hey, it was 1972. None of us knew what a drag queen was." - Larry Csonka on a party in New Orleans in the days before Super Bowl VI
8. "Go at the rookie!" - Bernie Kosar from the sideline into the helmet headset of Dan Marino, telling him to throw the infamous "Clock Play" at New York Jets rookie Aaron Glenn
7. "Well, then I guess I have to say it: I'm not going to be the Alabama coach." - Nick Saban a few weeks before taking the Alabama job after the 2006 season
6. "The next time I see a doctor, it better be for an autopsy." - A.J. Duhe in 1984 after his fifth operation in 18 months
5. "You've got something special here.'' - Bob Kuechenberg to Don Shula at the first practice of Dan Marino in 1983
4. "We lose this game, I'm going to kill you!" - Nick Buoniconti on the sideline to Garo Yepremian in Super Bowl 7 after the kicker threw a botched field goal attempt into the hands of Washington's Mike Bass, who returned it for a touchdown.
3. "Now when I go to the bathroom I find out who my friends are." - Jake Scott after both broken hands were in casts following the 1972 season
2. "You can't make chicken salad out of chicken s---. Name me a great player we have besides Danny. You can't. We were No. 2 in the passing game. No. 2 in the passing game! How did we do it? With our players, you tell me, how did we do it? We have to throw. We couldn't run. And do we have a great running back? No. '' - offensive coordinator Gary Stevens after losing in the 1997 playoffs
1. "I think about 40 people." - Don Shula when asked after a second-straight Super Bowl in 1974 who had written "Best Ever" on the blackboard in the locker room