text:
Goodwill Is Bad News for U.S. Assets: Chart of the DayDavid Wilson
Paying too much for takeovers represents a risk to the value of U.S. companies, according to Erin Lyons, a Citigroup Inc. credit strategist.
The CHART OF THE DAY tracks goodwill, or the amount by which purchase prices exceeded asset values, for companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index during the past decade. Lyons had a similar chart in a report two days ago.
Goodwill more than doubled, to $247.34, on a per-share basis and climbed to 7.8 percent of assets from 5.2 percent in the 10-year period, according to quarterly S&P 500 data compiled by Bloomberg. The total dollar amount for companies in the index stands at $2.18 trillion. The chart displays per-share amounts and percentages.
"In some cases, companies are realizing that paying a high premium for acquisitions may not have been worth it," Lyons, based in New York, wrote in the report.
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., the biggest U.S. iron-ore producer, said last week that it will write down $1 billion of goodwill from a deal completed in 2011. Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest maker of construction and mining equipment, disclosed a $580 million writedown earlier in January on a Chinese unit acquired last year.
Three S&P 500 companies -- Frontier Communications Corp., Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. and L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. -- have more goodwill than market value, based on Bloomberg's data. They were among 44 companies listed on U.S. exchanges that Lyons named as potential candidates for writedowns.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In a message dated 9/22/05 9:25:08 PM, firstname.lastname@example.com writes:
> No wild Indians here in Idaho either, at least no wilder than the rest of
> the population
Judy, I was referencing Idaho only with potatoes not the Indians.
Frequently we hear from visitors who have never been in Iowa and they thought Indians
were running wild yet in this part of the country.
Do people confuse your state with Iowa? They are only 'I' words.
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text:
item(s) in cart
Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Solar Recharging Kit
Key Features
Charges AA batteries from the sun or USB
Ideal for powering electronics in the field
Also includes AAA battery adapter
Our Price $199.99
Sale Price $149.96
Availability: Sold Out
- Please note: This item can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.
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Product DescriptionWith the Guide 10 Plus Recharger and Nomad 7 Solar Panel you have a portable, rugged charging kit as adventurous as you are. Charge AA batteries from the sun or any USB port, then power your phone, MP3, GPS, or perk up your tablet in a pinch. Includes a Guide 10 battery pack, Nomad 7 solar panel, 12V cigarette adapter, 4 AA rechargeable batteries, and a AAA adapter.


text:
As we progress further into the 21st century, it is almost baffling that human beings still put so much stock into race and/or nationality. Because it is getting confusing.
Perhaps 200 years ago, when the only human beings you had a chance of producing offspring with lived in a fifty-mile radius, it made sense to identify with people of a certain place or look. I am from here, these are my people; those are the others. But these days, trying to identify in such terms often leads only to bewilderment and oversimplifications. I had this one friend in high school. He was half-Thai and half-Bulgarian, but he was born in Japan and grew up there until he went to high school and college in America. What does he consider himself? What do others consider him? How does he see himself? Where is he from? Does it even matter to him? When the answers are this complicated, do the questions themselves mean anything anymore?
These are some of the issues that Dany LaFerrière addresses in I Am a Japanese Writer, his latest novel to be translated into English. I Am a Japanese Writer is about a black writer in Montreal who sells his latest book to his publisher based on the title alone—I Am a Japanese Writer. So does it mean anything to the reader to know that Dany LaFerrière is, in fact, a black writer living in Montreal who has written a book called I Am a Japanese Writer?
What we have here is not a memoir, of course, but a meta-fictional vehicle in which to explore issues of racial and national identity. The novel begins with the unnamed narrator getting a call from his publisher looking for the next book in the narrator's contract. The narrator has no such next book, and looking at all the junk littering his editor's desk, he pulls a title out of his head: I Am a Japanese Writer. His publisher loves it, but to the narrator it's nothing special at all, telling the reader: "It was pretty banal, actually—except for the word 'Japanese.' And that was no joke: I really do consider myself a Japanese writer." He starts telling people randomly on the street about how he is a Japanese writer:
On my way out, just to gauge his reaction, I tell him, "I am a Japanese writer."
His eyes cut back to me.
"How's that? You changed nationality?"
"No. That's the title of my new book."
A worried glance at his assistant, a young man busy wrapping fish. My fishman never looks at the person he's speaking to.
"Do you have the right?"
"To write the book?"
"No. To say you're Japanese."
"I don't know."
"Are you going to change your nationality?"
"No way . . . I already did that once, that's enough."
"We should find out about that."
"I don't know, at the Japanese embassy . . . Can you imagine me waking up one morning and telling my customers I'm a Polish butcher?"
"I'd think you'd be a Polish fishman, since you're in fish."
"Anything but a Polish fishman," he answers, turning back to the next customer.
The rest of the novel follows the narrator doing everything except writing the book. He constantly is reading the Japanese poet Basho or evading his landlord. He befriends a Japanese musician named Midori and her entourage, even getting mixed up in one of their suicides. But even so, word spreads of his latest book until it causes an uproar in Japan. Members of the Japanese embassy start visiting him to help him go to Japan, learn about it, so as to better write his book, but as the fervor for his book grows more and more intense, the narrator becomes increasingly desperate to escape the attention.
I Am a Japanese Writer is written almost like a noir—the tone is dark, and the plot almost Kafkaesque in its gritty lunacy. David Homel deserves credit for his excellent translation in keeping the tone of the work consistent and for rendering various cultural nuances and artifacts clear and recognizable in American English. But the novel is at the same time incredibly fun to read, with an absurdism that makes the novel both incredibly funny and at the same time nightmarish. What else is there to do but utter a bewildered laugh when a character named Haruki Murakami, the same name as the most popular and famous Japanese writer in recent memory, is a black, gay New Yorker?
It is a recurring element throughout the novel: nearly every Japanese person in the book, regardless of who they are or what they do, is named after a famous Japanese writer or cultural figure. In fact, all cultures and peoples in the novel are portrayed using the most obvious clichés and stereotypes. For as the narrator himself tells us, "the problem with being a foreigner is that you're not allowed to play anything but folklore."
By using these deliberately clichéd elements, I Am a Japanese Writer offers an amusing and very readable analysis on the flimsiness of racial identity, and illustrates the power literature has to transcend ideas of race. The ideas would work well without them, but the meta-fictional games LaFerrière uses bring a whole new depth and clarity to his arguments. As the narrator describes reading Mishima as a teenager:
I dove into the universe set before me the way I dove into the little river not far from my house. I hardly even noticed his name, and it wasn't until long afterward that I realized he was Japanese. At the time, I firmly believed that writers formed a lost tribe and spent their lives wandering the world and telling stories in all languages. That was their sentence for some unnamable crime . . .
I don't understand all the attention paid to a writer's origins. Because, for me, Mishima was my neighbor. Very naturally, I repatriated the writers I read at the time. All of them. Flaubert, Goethe, Whitman, Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, Cervantes, Kipling, Senghor, Cesaire, Roumain, Amado, Diderot—they all lived in my village. Otherwise, what were they doing in my room? Years later, when I became a writer and people asked me, "are you a Haitian writer, a Caribbean writer or a French-language writer? I answered without hesitation: I take on my reader's nationality. Which means that when a Japanese person reads me, I immediately become a Japanese writer.
Prose translators will likely disagree, but I believe translating poetry requires a significant level of talent, a commitment to the text, and near mania, all of which suggests that the undertaking is the greatest possible challenge. The task is to. . .
The biggest issues with books like The Subsidiary often have to do with their underpinnings—when we learn that Georges Perec wrote La Disparition without once using the letter E, we are impressed. Imagine such a task! It takes a high. . .
Following The Infatuations, Javier Marías's latest novel seems, like those that have preceded it, an experiment to test fiction's capacity to mesmerize with sombre-sexy atmospheres and ruminative elongated sentences stretched across windowless walls of paragraphs. Thus Bad Begins offers his. . .
Death by Water, Kenzaburo Oe's latest novel to be translated into English, practically begs you to read it as autobiography. Like The Changeling, as well as many other works not yet released in English, Death by Water is narrated in. . .
Jocelyne Saucier's Twenty-One Cardinals is about the type of unique, indestructible, and often tragic loyalty only found in families. For a brief but stunningly mesmerizing 169 pages, Twenty-One Cardinals invited me in to the haunting and intimate world of the. . .
We know so very little; so little that what we think to be knowledge is hardly worth reckoning with at all; instead we ought to settle for being pleasantly surprised if, on the edge of things, against all expectations, our. . .
Many of Virginie Despentes's books revolve around the same central idea: "To be born a woman [is] the worst fate in practically every society." But this message is nearly always packaged in easy-to-read books that fill you with the pleasure. . .


text:
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looks at the efforts of CEO-turned-Governor
Rick Snyder, who not only describes his approach as being one of "relentless, positive action," but who is applying the lessons he learned in the corporate world to provide taxpayers with value and make government work.
"When was the last time we had a thoughtful, broader discussion about why government exists?" Snyder asks in an interview with the centrist Republican journal. "And when you get down to it, the purpose of having government -- and there is reason to have government -- in many respects, is to give great service to our customers. The way I like to view it is that if you step back and look at it from an individual's point of view, a citizen-customer point of view, I want people to feel like they bought the right amount of government – because we're a unique provider."
"One of the other basic principles we operate under here is relentless positive action -- no blame, no credit, simply solving problems. And that's made a huge difference here in Michigan, because we don't waste time on the blame game. Think about Washington -- if people stepped back and said no one would blame anyone and no one would take credit. The press might have to find something else to write about, but they'd have a whole lot more time where they'd actually be solving problems. And I think people are fed up with that."
Snyder was elected Governor of Michigan in 2010 after a successful business career that included serving as the CEO of Gateway Computer. In a separate essay in the latest edition of the FORUM, Joseph Lehman, the President of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, looks at how Snyder's career in business is shaping his service as Governor and how he is using a series of online performance dashboards, similar to those commonly found in the corporate world, to inform the public of his administration's progress in numerous areas by measuring results.
"Like the displays of key variables constantly before drivers' eyes," Lehman writes, "Snyder's web-based dashboards display measurements of the states' economy, finances, education system, public safety, health and wellness, infrastructure, environment, and quality of life in a way that allows easy year-by-year comparisons. Users can drill down to reveal a total of 165 metrics (by my count). Numbers trending the 'right' way get a green thumbs up. The others get a red thumbs down. It doesn't look like a government website."
One area in which progress is being closely followed is in the city of Detroit, where the Governor appointed an emergency manager to take over the city's troubled finances, and where, Detroit Regional Chamber CEO Sandy Baruah writes in another essay in the FORUM, Snyder's intervention was urgently needed.
"From a business perspective," pens Baruah, who headed the U.S. Small Business Administration prior to joining the Detroit Chamber, "the declaration of a financial emergency and the naming of Kevyn Orr as emergency manager was overdue. My message to Governor Snyder in regard to the emergency manager was simple: 'Bring it on.' With tremendous private sector growth underway in Detroit, the city's economic uncertainty and instability stands as the final barrier to robust sustained economic growth."
Other authors and essays appearing in the latest edition of THE RIPON FORUM include:
Texas Congressman Mac Thornberry (TX-13) – writing a tribute to the late Margaret Thatcher and how the principles she followed remain relevant today.
Former Senator Kit Bond and former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros – writing about the rebound of the housing sector and the continuing need for reform.
Florida Congressman Dennis Ross (FL-15) – writing about the problem of federal employees conducting union business while on official time.
Benita Dodd of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation – writing about the city of Sandy Springs, GA and the model of governance it provides other communities today.
Bill Peacock of the Center for Economic Freedom at the Texas Public Policy Foundation – writing about the Texas model for prosperity and economic growth.
Stephen Jackson, the Policy Director of The Ripon Society – writing about the problems facing the ATF in the wake of Fast and Furious and the continuing need for reform.
The latest edition of THE RIPON FORUM also features a profile of Nebraska freshman Senator Deb Fischer, who, among other things, discusses her background as a rancher and why the Keystone Pipeline is so important to the people of her state.
THE RIPON FORUM is published by The Ripon Society, a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP's success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.
The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP's success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.
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- WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The Ripon Forum published an end-of-year edition today looking at the message of the 2012 general election and the challenges facing the country-- and the Republican Party – in 2013.
- RIPON FORUM Looks at How Congress Shaped the 1980 Campaign – and How it Can Shape the Presidential Campaign Next Year
- shines a spotlight on Michigan Republican
- looks at the political environment facing Republicans heading into 2014 and some of the trends that could affect the party's prospects at the polls next year.
This press release is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Read full copyright information here.


text:
Are you willing to donate a few Historic Iris to our annual sale?
It is a really simple process.
You go over your garden of Historics,
contact me with the names and the number of Iris you are willing to
donate. When I receive your donation list I add it to master list. You
are not required to be a member of HIPS, but we would welcome you if you would
like to join.
See our Web page. www.hips-roots.com
We publish the complete list on our web page and orders are sent to
me. I go through the lists and contact the donors around the middle to
the end of June. The donors send to me the Iris I need for the sale when
I request them and I deliver the order to the person who has purchased the
You may sell your Iris in your area. We are not asking for
hundreds of donations Three or four historic cultivars and a couple of each would
be wonderful.
This is the money we use in part to operate HIPS.
Thanks for your help,
Char Holte, Rhizome Chair
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text:
Bispecific Antibodies Close in on Cancer
Plotting Molecular Pincer Movements, Denying Cancer Room to Maneuver
Troubleshooting SPR
Resolving Nonspecific Binding, Regeneration and Other Problems
Data Deluge
Researchers Turn to Cloud Computing as Genomic Sequencing Data Threatens to Overwhelm Traditional IT Systems
Seeking Young Scientists for Research in Space
Sounds of Science Podcasts
Firms Ally on Diagnostic for 70,000 Pathogens
Affymetrix and Singapore's PathGEN Dx inked a 'Powered by Affymetrix (PbA) agreement, through which PathGEN will develop an in vitro pathogen diagnostic kit based on its PathGEN® PathChip microarray technology. The kit will comprise the firm's reagents and automated software, and a contract-manufactured Affymetrix GeneChip® microarray. The firms say the final product will be able to detect over 70,000 viral and bacterial genomes from a range of human samples, as well as annotate the genomic information and identify co-infecting pathogens.
The PbA program allows commercial players to license GeneChip® technology for the development of microarray products for a range of applications including diagnostics, forensics, animal testing, industrial testing, and food testing. "We are very pleased to have PathGEN Dx join the Affymetrix PbA program," comments Roger Schaller Sr., director of global business development of clinical applications at Affymetrix. "This adds significantly to our PbA program in which we help partners to develop novel molecular diagnostic tests that will potentially provide solutions for directing proper treatment for patients."
PathGEN Dx is the first company to have been spun out of the Genome Institute of Singapore. The firm is focused on the development of diagnostic kits for infectious disease diagnostics, biosurveillance, and epidemiology.
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text:
Somerset Trust Appoints Miller to Board
February 11, 2014
Miller is President of Luther P. Miller, Inc. located at 641 South Edgewood Avenue in Somerset. He is the third generation of the Miller family to serve on the Bank's Board of Directors. Luther P. Miller, was a director from 1968 to 1988, and continued to serve as Director Emeritus for many years. Alan L. Miller served as a Board of Director for 24 years and continues to serve as Director Emeritus.
Miller currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Petroleum Association. In the local community, Miller is active with the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce, Laurel Arts and the Somerset Food Pantry. He is also a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. A native of Somerset, Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business from Thiel College, and is a graduate of Somerset High School.
Somerset Trust Company, an independent community bank headquartered in Somerset, has 25 branches serving communities in Somerset, Cambria, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Bedford Counties in Pennsylvania, and Grantsville, Maryland.
The bank achieved several notable accolades in 2013. Most notably, Somerset Trust Company was named the second Best Place to Work in the USA by the American Bankers Association. The bank was also named among the top 200 banks in the United States by US Banker. Somerset Trust employs over 300 people. Total assets of the bank are $830,348,000 as of December 31, 2013.


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Come & Try / HookIn2Hockey
If your child is new to Hockey then ask your Club of choice about Come & Try and HookIn2Hockey programs.Use Find A Club to choose a Club. Use the details to contact the Club. Don't be afraid to contact more than one Club if you feel you need to.
Indoor HockeyLooking to play Indoor Hockey in Brisbane? The Brisbane Indoor Hockey League (BIHL) is a BHA Sub-committee. Ask at your Club or find out more here!
Find out about the South Brisbane Indoor Hockey League here!
Summer HockeyFor 'outdoor' hockey during the Summer:
Brisbane Women's HA - women's & mixed
Kedron Wavell S HC - Juniors & Seniors
Welcome to Brisbane Hockey Association's Website. This site is the primary source for all information pertaining to the Men's and Boys' Hockey Competitions within the Brisbane region of Queensland.
New to Hockey? New to Brisbane? Start with this page!
Find a Club
Watch Hockey on TV
Representative Hockey
Want to register and try out for a Brisbane representative team? Want to manage or coach a representaive team? Then follow this link:
• Representative Programs & Teams
Note that it is a mandatory requirement that players are both registered with a Club & registered with HQ via OST. HQ will not permit players who are not registered in OST to participate in Championships.
Player/Club Advertising
Then why not advertise here?
Match Reports & Photos
Qld Hockey dot Info
During the 2016 Rep Season, goto


text:
Report: Knicks make Toure Murry an unrestricted free agent
ESPN reports that the New York Knicks have relinquished point guard Toure Murry's restricted free agent rights and he will be an unrestricted free agent Monday night as free agency begins... but that the Knicks are still hopeful to bring him back.
Hearing you can add Toure Murry to list of unrestricted free agents. Knicks, I'm told, have relinquished his restricted free agent status— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 30, 2014
Word is Knicks still want to re-sign him but Murry sure to attract interest from rival teams now that NY declined to make qualifying offer— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 30, 2014
Murry has had a list of interested parties for a while, reportedly. He was one of the few Knicks guards last season who looked like he was alive, so he's got that going for him. The Bulls, Warriors and Nets were among the teams interested a few months ago. Who knows what direction the Nets will go with Jason Kidd gone.
Murry, 24, averaged 2.7 points and one assist per game last season for the Knicks.


text:
Chicken Cheese Puffs
|Diced cooked chicken
|2 Cup (32 tbs)
|1 Cup (16 tbs)
|2 Large, minced
|Dried basil
|1⁄4 Teaspoon, crumbled
|Dried thyme
|1⁄4 Teaspoon, crumbled
|Ground pepper
|To Taste
|Grated cheese/Fontina gruyere / swiss cheese
|3⁄4 Cup (12 tbs)
|Parmesan cheese
|1⁄2 Cup (8 tbs), grated
|Rye bread slices
|To Taste
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine first 3 ingredients in medium bowl.
Blend in herbs and seasonings.
Add Fontina, Gruyere or Swiss cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan, blending well.
Slice bread in half.
Spread mixture evenly over tops.
Arrange on baking sheet.
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Rate It
Nutrition Rank
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: Complete recipe
Calories 2981 Calories from Fat 2061
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 230 g353.9%
Saturated Fat 44.4 g222.1%
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 609.5 mg203.2%
Sodium 4513.3 mg188.1%
Total Carbohydrates 52 g17.4%
Dietary Fiber 5.6 g22.3%
Sugars 4.2 g
Protein 165 g329.1%
Vitamin A 32.6% Vitamin C 28.2%
Calcium 181.5% Iron 58.9%
*Based on a 2000 Calorie diet


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How To Convert PDF To Word with graphics free?
SautinSoft announces First PDF a new freeware utility that enables the user to convert a PDF document to an editable DOC format quickly and accurately.
Whether in the office or at home, users sometimes have to deal with restricted PDF documents that they want to convert to DOC because they need to edit, or reuse their content in their own documents. Quite often such files are protected against copying, modifying, or printing. Retyping a document from scratch takes time and efforts that could be put into more important tasks. Of course, there are some expensive programs the user has to buy to convert PDF to DOC, but SautinSoft company has just introduced a new freeware utility called First PDF that performs conversion to DOC quickly, accurately and, most importantly, for free.
The program is designed to help users to easily convert Adobe PDF documents to Word DOC, RTF format with original layouts, tables, text, images, graphics and hyperlinks in PDF files preserved.
First PDF converts PDF files into editable MS Word Documents, Rich Text Documents, Plain Text Files, Images. The true beauty of Firts PDF is its simplicity and ease of use. Running the program displays an easy-to-follow wizard that asks what format the user wants to export to: Word, Image, TXT. To begin the conversion, the user needs to load what he wants to the program, choose the output folder and click a button labeled "Start Converting".
It'll export the file to a new format quickly and in excellent quality. When the conversion is over, the file can be loaded into the editing software like Microsoft Word in order to make changes or to copy text and reuse it in another document.
First PDF exporting format list:
- DOC: MS Word Format
- RTF: Rich Text Format
- TXT: Plain Text Format
- BMP: Bitmap Picture Format
- JPG: JPEG Image Format
- GIF: Graphics Interchange Format
- PNG: Portable Network Graphic Format
- TIF: Tagged Image File Format
The Program:
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The program works on all Windows systems, keeps layout and formatting.
What are the system requirements for PDF To WORD Converter?
Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 8, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows 2000, or Windows ME.
Pentium III Processor or better, Pentium 4 or higher recommended.
256MB RAM or more, 512MB RAM is recommended.
100MB Hard disk space for install.
"We're making efforts to do our conversion technologies maximally available for home users and developers. Opening of the website is an important step in the realization this strategy. Now anyone user may quickly and accurately convert a PDF-document into Microsoft Word, and developer - get acquainted with the quality of transformations and get a library for native application, "- said Maxim Sautin, CEO SautinSoft.
More information about new projects you can get at http://www.pdftoword.us
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text:
BT BELT electroestimulator YR30
Delivery timeDelivery 1 working dayMore than 10 available
- Best price guarantee
- Shipping & handling
Characteristics BT BELT electroestimulator YR30
Electrical stimulation uses an electrical current to cause a single muscle or a group of muscles to contract. By placing electrodes on the skin in various locations you can recruit the appropriate muscle fibers. Contracting the muscle via electrical stimulation helps strengthen the affected muscle. You can change the current setting to allow for a forceful or gentle muscle contraction. Along with increasing muscle strength, the contraction of the muscle also promotes blood supply to the area that assists in healing.
Main features:
Easy to use:
The BT Belt stimulator YR30 by Tecnovita has an LCD screen which makes it very easy to operate and boosts the effectiveness of the electrostimulation.
In addition, because of its innovative, compact light design it is easy to transport.
Easy-to-read LCD screen:
The screen has a zone indicator that allows you to see the areas of the body where you have to place the electrodes.
Work the muscle you choose:
The currents leave the YR30 directly via the electrodes, which are placed on the muscles you wish to exercise.
Feeling of wellbeing:
Thanks to its relaxing effect, the YR30 Belt Electro provides you with a sense of wee-being.
Other features:
Other products related to BT BELT electroestimulator YR30
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- Delivery feefree delivery
- Estimated deliveryDelivery 1 working day
- stock informationMore than 10 available
- Delivered at
Delivery is important to us. We will do our very best to deliver your order on time.
A card will be left if no one is home and the goods returned to the carrier's local depot to await your contact.
Please note that if you order more than one product, you might receive them on different days and/or with different transport companies; in this case too we do our very best to respect delivery time of all the products ordered.
It may be necessary for you to assist or move merchandise into your home, this is especially relevant if you live in a block of flats as carriers will only deliver to the ground floor entrance to the block.
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You will receive the order at the registered address and the payment is made on delivery in cash. The cash on delivery option is only available for orders of 150 € or more.
Credit card
Pay securely with the following credit cards: VISA, VISA Electron, 4B, or Mastercard
or with an authenticated credit card (Verified by Visa / Mastercard SecureCode).
If you have a credit card that allows you to purchase in internet, and you have a code or password that allows you to pay on-line, this is a good and comfortbale way to pay for you. Payment on-line means that your order will be paid for right after checkout, and is therefore very fast. fitnessdigital.se is 100% secure. We guarantee the safety of your credit card information. All credit card information is handled with the utmost security and will never be released to any other organisation under any circumstance.
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text: The musical duo of Tuck and Patti have been performing together for nearly 38 years. I met them at a Bobby McFerrin concert 35 years ago before they were married. I worked for their first management company, A-Train management, and traveled to Jordan and Egypt with them for a command performance for Queen Noor's surprise birthday party.


text:
Saint Joseph, MO Hotels
Choose dates of your desired stay and Get Rates to display currently available nightly rates.*
Quality Suites St. Joseph
917 N. Woodbine Rd
Saint Joseph, MO 64506
Rates Recently Found: ($89.99 - $124.99)
3 Star
Get more value for your hard-earned money at the smoke-free Quality Suites St. Joseph hotel in Saint Joseph, MO near Missouri Western State University. Nearby destinations include Pony Express Nationa ... Click for More Info
Holiday Inn Express & Suites ST. JOSEPH
3600 N. Village Dr
Saint Joseph, MO 64506
Rates Recently Found: ($139.00 - $215.99)
3 Star
Welcome to the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in St. Joseph, MO. We are conveniently located off Interstate 29 at exit 50 making it a convenient choice for both business and leisure travelers. We are ju ... Click for More Info
Days Inn St Joseph
4312 Frederick Blvd
Saint Joseph, MO 64506
Rates Recently Found: ($79.99 - $91.99)
1 Star
The Days Inn is conveniently located at the Frederick Exit off Interstate Highway 29, 35 miles North of Kansas City International Airport, 12 miles East of Rosecrans Memorial Airport, and 140 miles So ... Click for More Info
Hampton Inn St Joseph
3928 Frederick Avenue
Saint Joseph, MO 64501
Rates Recently Found: ($139.00 - $169.00)
3 Star
Our pool will be closed for renovation from March 29 until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. This HOTEL is 100 PCT Non-Smoking The Hampton Inn St. Joseph hotel is conv ... Click for More Info
Stoney Creek St Joseph
1201 North Woodbine Rd
Saint Joseph, MO 64506
Rates Recently Found: ($117.45 - $163.45)
3 Star
This Northwoods themed hotel offers a variety of amenities including a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast. The wilderness park area features a heated indoor outdoor swim through pool, and the ... Click for More Info
Radisson Hotel St. Joseph
102 South 3rd Street
Saint Joseph, MO 64501
Rates Recently Found: ($79.00 - $114.00)
3 Star
The hotel is located on the original site of the Pony Express Mail Service. It is just blocks away from the house that Outlaw Jesse James was killed in. We are within walking distance of several reg ... Click for More Info
Drury Inn And Suites St Joseph
Saint Joseph, MO 64506
Rates Recently Found: ($119.99 - $159.99)
3 Star
The Extras Arent Extra at Drury Hotels. Your great rate includes FREE Hot Food and Cold Beverages at our 5.30 Kickback/ FREE Hot Breakfast/ FREE Wireless Internet Access and FREE Long Distance. Our 5. ... Click for More Info
Guesthouse Inn St. Joseph
4502 SE US Hwy 169
Saint Joseph, MO 64507
Rates Recently Found: ($62.00 - $65.00)
3 Star
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Candlewood Suites ST. JOSEPH
3505 North Village Drive
Saint Joseph, MO 64506
Rates Recently Found: ($113.00 - $158.99)
2 Star
No description for the hotel available Suburban - suburban ... Click for More Info
Americas Best Value Inn St Joseph
4024 Frederick Ave
Saint Joseph, MO 64506
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1 Star
Americas Best Value Inn St. Joseph offers the most value for your money when staying for business- pleasure- or just passing through. We offer clean spacious rooms- suites- free coffee in lobby- free ... Click for More Info
Missouri Offbeat Attraction Map
Quirky Tourist Attractions in or near Missouri
While in Missouri, you might enjoy a visit to:
St. Joseph, Missouri: Glore Psychiatric Museum
A giant "human hamster" treadmill is only one of many intriguing displays in a museum that shows how hard it is to make people sane.
Hiawatha, Kansas: The Strange Grave of John Milburn Davis
Ten life-size, Italian marble statues depict John M. Davis and his wife at various stages of their lives.
Excelsior Springs, Missouri: The Hall of Waters
Elaborate Art Deco temple devoted to the curative power of mineral water. Site of the World's Longest Water Bar, high windows, futurist chandeliers, and polished terrazzo floors.
© RoadsideAmerica.com, Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins. Information provided as an unofficial resource on attractions as a convenience to our visitors.
Saint Joseph Hotel ChainsAmericas Best Value Inn
Candlewood Suites
Days Inn
Drury Hotels
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Accommodations Near Saint JosephAtchison, KS Hotels
Saint Joseph, MO Hotels
Airport - TransportationRosecrans Memorialorial Airport (STJ)
Hospitals & Medical Care FacilitiesNW Missouri Psychiatric Rehab Center
Heartland Regional Medical Center
Universities & CollegesMissouri Western State Univ
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text:
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates' oft-cited article in the January/February 2009 issue of Foreign Affairs emphasized the need for the United States to develop a balanced defense posture, which he called "The defining principle of the Pentagon's new National Defense Strategy." What constitutes that balance ? Secretary Gates sees the need for it in three areas: "between trying to prevail in current conflicts and preparing for other contingencies, between institutionalizing capabilities such as counterinsurgency and foreign military assistance and maintaining the United States' existing conventional and strategic technological edge against other military forces, and between retaining those cultural traits that have made the U.S. armed forces successful and shedding those that hamper their ability to do what needs to be done." 1
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Dr. Mahnken is a Navy Reserve commander and professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College and a visiting scholar at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.
None found for this author.


text:
|By default, the shading indicates records from the past week, or failing that, the most recent entry.
|Adjust: most recent | past week | past month | past 6 months | past year | 4 years | 10 years | 25 years | post-war
|Records includes the following current or recent matches:
India v Australia at Pune, 1st Test, Feb 23-25, 2017
[Test # 2250]
India v Bangladesh at Hyderabad (Deccan), Only Test, Feb 9-13, 2017
[Test # 2249]
New Zealand v Bangladesh at Christchurch, 2nd Test, Jan 20-23, 2017
[Test # 2248]
Statsguru Trivia
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Number of single-digit scores by the Australia batsmen against South Africa in Hobart was 16 - their joint-most in any Test. The last time before this they had 16 such scores in a Test was in 1912 at the Oval.
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text:
Summit SEL05
Electric Cooktop with Coil Style, in Bisque
Quick Specs:
- Cutout Width: 28 3/8"
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SUMMIT's built-in electric cooktops offer quality performance at great value, with a range of sizes and styles to suit your kitchen needs. Available at AppliancesConnection
The SEL05 is a 30" wide cooktop with a scratch resistant porcelain surface in bisque. It features one 8" and three 6" coil elements, all with chrome drip bowls. A recessed top helps to contain spills.
•30" wide 220V electric cooktop
•Porcelain enamel surface offers easy cleanup and long-term durability
•Classic bisque finish
•Made in the USA
•Countertop Cutout Width:28.38"
•Countertop Cutout Depth:18.63"
•Shipping Weight:45.0 lbs.
•Weight:30.0 lbs.
•Canadian Electrical Safety:ULC
•US Electrical Safety:UL
•Heating Type:Radiant
•Surface Type:Painted
•Number of Burners:4 Burner
•Temperature Control:Dial
•Burner Type:Coils
•Parts/Labor Warranty:1 Year
- Brand:Summit
- Stock Id:12536
- Product Number:SMSEL05
- Color:Bisque
- Style:Coil
- Fuel Type:Electric
- Burners:4
- Control Type:Knobs
- Downdraft Venting:No
- Induction:No
- Griddle:No
- Surface Color:Bisque
- Volts:220 Volts
- Sabbath Mode:No
- Amps:40
- Width:30"
- Height:3 3/4"
- Depth:23.31"
- Cutout Width:28 3/8"
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- Actual Width:30"
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- Cooktop:Cooktop
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- Warranty Terms:1 year
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text:
Skip to comments.Suit seeks ban on oil companies disturbing wildlife
Posted on 07/08/2008 9:43:23 PM PDT by Fred
click here to read article
Look at this crap organization at http://www.pacificenvironment.org/article.php?id=1800
Yes, you've got it all figured out. Oil companies like drilling at a cost of millions of dollars but not producing any oil or gas to pay for it.
I look forward to more of your insights into the industry.
On the other hand, it might greatly elevate our natural gas supply."
Can you explain your comment? How will we get more natural gas if drilling is banned in places with large reserves of both oil and natural gas."
I was being quite sarcastic - natural gas, as in hot air and related things :-)))))))))))))))))))
Plus maybe you have a situation where the Sierra Club sues even though it has no members where the suit is filed"
no matter, the ACLU will ride in to save the day for them!!! "details" such as what you said don't matter to them. :-)))))
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
This is a summary. To read the whole story subscribe to BostonGlobe.com
Northeast Utilities chief executive Thomas J. May last year received an increase in salary, stock awards, and cash incentives, but his overall compensation declined from 2012 because of how public companies account for the value of executive pensions.
Under federal rules, companies must report the changes in pension value each year as part of executive compensation. Last year, the value of May's pension didn't change after appreciating $1.2 million in 2012. As a result, May's reported compensation decreased nearly four percent in 2013 to $7.7 million from nearly $8 million in 2012, according to a regulatory filing.


text: Pixies' influence on modern rock is well documented, but the fact remains that no other band has been able to match its exquisite mix of pop hooks and unabashed weirdness. The bigger and balder version of the band took several long-awaited victory laps a few years ago. Now Pixies have boarded the reunion train again to celebrate the massive Minotaur box set and, more specifically, the 20th anniversary of Doolittle. Many fans argue that Surfer Rosa is the band's finest half-hour, but Doolittle is no slouch, as will be proven by these three shows, which find the quartet playing the album in its entirety. There are also promises of attendant B-sides and, if you stick around, other assorted fan favorites.


text:
© Copyright 2017 Graeme Montrose. All rights reserved.
Status: Finished
Genre: Poetry
Wow! Graeme this is so romantic nicely written.TC Chiqui
A heart poem so masterfully penned. Simply amazing. Susan :)
I really liked this I wonder if some of my work is in fact not poetry but under some other genre what do you think I do not put some of my work together like this I know everyone has a unique style?
Poem / Romance
Poem / Fantasy
Poem / Horror
Paste the link to picture in the entry below:
Paste the link to Youtube video in the following entry:
Cannot annotate a non-flat selection. Make sure your selection starts and ends within the same node.
An annotation cannot contain another annotation.
There was an error uploading your file.


text:
House of Mercy, Inc.
Belmont, NC
In response to the HIV/AIDS crisis, the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont, NC founded the House of Mercy in 1991. House of Mercy provides a residence for low-income persons living with AIDS who face homelessness or can no longer care for themselves. In addition to room and board, appropriate nursing care and coordination of medical care, ancillary services and recreation are provided. Small by design, this six bed facility has provided quality care to over 300 men and women.
eBay for Charity
Registered with eBay for Charity.


text:
Following the announcement on Thursday that the paper was to close The New Day has published its final edition after just two months in existence:
Following the announcement on Thursday that the paper was to close The New Day has published its final edition after just two months in existence:
Will Sturgeon at 22:35 | Permalink | Comments (0)
The New Day has called it a day. Posting on Facebook, editor Alison Phillips said the paper had failed to attract enough readers to make it viable.
"We have tried everything we could but sadly we just haven't reached the sales figures we needed to make it work financially," she wrote.
The fact Trinity Mirror's gamble in launching a print newspaper in 2016 has't paid off won't come as a surprise to many people. But the plug being pulled so quickly, after just 50 editions, does come as a surprise. Any new business venture takes a while to find its feet but clearly an impatient Trinity Mirror hadn't seen enough in the first two months to convince it The New Day was worth further investment during challenging times for the company.
Ultimately, the paper, which drew unfavourable comparisons to the i and Metro during its short existence and clearly operated on a tight budget, never managed to be as bold or remarkable as the decision to launch it. However, Phillips' note on Facebook explains her clear and admirable belief that it was better to try and fail than not to try at all.
"To have not given this a go was to mean we were content to stand on the pavement and watch the decline of British national newspapers hurtle past us. But we weren't."
The Media Blog at 11:29 | Permalink | Comments (1)
David Cameron's PR operation has been criticised for fobbing off local newspapers with an article attributed to the PM that was compiled with an "insert name of county here" level of sincerity and all the humanity of an automated voice menu on a telephone helpline ("To hear why David Cameron loves… Yorkshire… press 1, now").
See: How David Cameron's PR team duped newspapers across the country with generic 'love letters' (Yorkshire Post)
The same article, with minor edits, was hawked all over the country, making clear in the process that not only had Cameron been nowhere near the copy, but also the extent to which his PR people thought they could get editors to all run any old puff-piece for them for free simply by dangling the PM's name.
From the outset, the editors will have been well aware the article wasn't really written by Cameron. Of course it wasn't. Newspapers are familiar with ghost-written columns and contributions. But there still needs to be something in it for the paper and its readers. There needs to be a quality to the article, or an exclusivity that lifts it at least notionally above editorially worthless free-advertising.
The Yorkshire Post was so insulted it chose not only to decline the article but also to publicise the reasons why, chief among them being the fact Cameron's PR people continue to ignore serious questions from the paper while still expecting them to jump at the chance of some lazy PR filler.
Will Sturgeon at 23:04 | Permalink | Comments (0)
As I pick up The New Day it strikes me how light it is. I wasn't expecting the Sunday Times but at 40 pages it doesn't feel like it would see a lot of people through an average commute or even a long coffee break, especially as the word count across those 40 pages is kept in check by a lot of pictures, a large font and a clear commitment to brevity.
My other initial thought is about that name. The New Day. It sounds like it should be a religious cult, living in a commune in California.
But naming a newspaper in 2016 can't be easy, nor can launching one. However, this is no ordinary newspaper, we are told. It has no political bias, apparently and no weekly columnists (which should save a few quid). It promises more debate and discussion and has done away with a sport section at the back of the paper.
So where is the sport?
The answer to that question tells us quite a lot about The New Day and its desire to be different. There's a smattering of sport on pages 16 and 17 where there are 18 news-in-brief pieces, each around 40 or 50 words. Even with sport making a surprise reappearance on page 26 with a slightly longer piece, there is none of the depth you'd find in other papers' sports sections. It is just a random digest of some sports stories.
But sport is an obsession well served online, on radio and on television all weekend and as The New Day looks to differentiate itself perhaps it saw little point in spending time and money on sport come Monday morning. But then, why do it at all? Do it, or don't do it, but don't sort of not do it. And that is a feeling I have a few times as I read the paper. There is a similar approach to much of the news coverage - a quick-fire rattling through of some stories you may have seen elsewhere, on pages two and three (much like a light version of the same pages in the i newspaper). Then there are a few more nibs dotted about.
None of this is an accident or oversight. The paper clearly states it is "dedicated to ruthlessly editing the world's events" and is deliberately trying not to "bombard" readers with too much information.
I definitely don't feel bombarded, though all this brevity does make more room for the debate and discussion which The New Day clearly wants to focus on.
A guest article attributed to Prime Minister David Cameron addresses "Our Big Decision" – the EU referendum. (The paper does like "Big". It also has a "Big Read", a "Big Question" and a "Bigger Picture" section). Cameron's case for staying in the EU is contrasted with doubts expressed by a mum-of-two teacher from London – in keeping with the paper's up front promise to represent the views of everybody "be they the Prime Minister or passer-by on the street". The spread is well designed and supplemented with statistics and key facts. The same is true of its front page lead - a report on child carers that runs over pages six and seven inside.
It's still a fairly quick read but it is packaged up with relevant case studies and statistics and quickly gets to the heart of matter. It is the most interesting thing in today's paper and deserving of its place on the front page.
The format of The New Day certainly encourages people to keep scanning and keep turning the pages, with its quick fire content in snippets, rather than sections. There are some top tips and a 'news from around the web' page with tweets and the obligatory celebrity selfies and gossip. And with that the paper becomes much as you might expect from any other paper - with some weather, TV recommendations, horoscopes and a few puzzles that might give The New Day a fighting chance of filling that commute or coffee break after all.
But whether all of this gives it a fighting chance of survival is less clear. It is certainly a brave move to launch a newspaper in 2016, but the paper itself isn't as brave as the decision to launch it. While it feels a little different in places, it doesn't feel different enough. .
Readers are also unconvinced. Greg Hallsworth described it on Twitter as being "[a] bit like the love child of the i and the Metro" and Stuart Gallagher said "it's like [the i] but with a blue logo".
Another reader, Fred Dutton, suggested the "content felt pretty thin", however, he praised the "measured, civilised tone" and described it as "refreshing". Lisa Cunningham said she appreciated a "lack of nastiness" about the paper, but Sam Boshier said "it's not for me", adding there is "not enough meat to the articles" - a comment echoed by reader Alexandra Womack.
Having tried it for free on launch day, some readers raised questions about the 50p cover price The New Day will be charging.
"No way is it worth 50p", said Joseph Begley, adding that it "makes the i look like War and Peace by comparison".
Will Sturgeon at 23:19 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Publisher Bauer has announced it is to stop publishing print titles FHM and Zoo. Hopefully any staff affected have had a plan B in place for some time as this news has certainly seemed inevitable since the closure of Nuts in 2014 which signaled the final days of the ailing 'lads mag'. They have been squeezed out by a combination of challenges: from disputes with major retailers to changing consumer habits, exacerbated by the free availability of 'banter' and 'boobs' online. The decline has certainly been dramatic over the past decade, as the below circulation chart shows:
A decade of decline: Since 2005, lads mags have been in steady decline. FHM had already enjoyed a decade of success by this point but for young pretenders Zoo and Nuts it has almost been downhill all the way, having jumped on the bandwagon in 2004, just as it slowed.
The Media Blog at 13:42 | Permalink | Comments (0)
When the Conservatives won a majority at the general election it was clear the BBC was in for a tough time, with charter renewal on the horizon and election favours to be repaid.
The government has made no secret of its feelings towards the BBC, of course (though it's been less open about its dealings with the commercial media owners who stand to benefit from cuts to the Beeb).
When much of the country's media is openly right-leaning it is natural the Conservatives would find the BBC's even-handedness frustrating - hence the regular cries of bias. But many of the arguments the government is putting forward to justify cuts don't stand up.
Take the suggestion the BBC is bad for local media, when a more pressing issue should be the extent to which local media owners are bad for local media - as highlighted by recent strike actions. Under-investment in journalism and effective digital strategies, alongside poor commercial planning, are hurting local media far more than a competitor that has been around for decades. But if you were the boss of a local or regional media company who would you blame for the falling quality of your product? Certainly not yourself.
It should also be noted the suggestion the licence fee is unfair on low-income households would be a bold piece of messaging to repeat at a time when £12bn of benefits are being cut.
Chasing ratings
The accusation that the BBC has gone "chasing ratings" clearly has a grounding in truth. What broadcaster doesn't want to draw an audience? It is the BBC's job to bring people together in good times, bad times, fun times and important times.
While programming such as The Voice (X Factor without the hit singles) or celebrity gymnastics show Tumble (Splash without the swimming pool) may expose the extent to which the BBC has made some bad bets in the name of entertainment, the obvious risk aversion and lack of imagination behind such decisions arguably makes a case for giving the BBC more room to breathe, not less. However, much of this is subjective and the debate cannot become about individual shows or even whole channels and stations.
Objecting to the licence fee because you can name a handful of programmes, or even whole channels or stations you don't like makes about as much sense as walking out of a restaurant refusing to pay the bill after an excellent, fairly-priced meal because there were other things on the menu you wouldn't have liked if you had ordered them.
The BBC's greatest strength is the choice it offers across online, television and radio. But the choice needs to be rich and diverse and the economics of content are such that we need to judge value carefully. Somebody who only watches niche documentaries on BBC4 may cry foul that their licence fee funds big budget prime time shows on BBC1 but 300,000 people watching a documentary on BBC4 are getting far greater value for money than 10 million watching The Voice, because they are getting a scarce product for the same price as a more commoditised product.
People enjoying the BBC's factual and documentary output benefit from the licence fee in a way that simply couldn't be recreated under any other funding model. One television historian told me commercial broadcasters may still commission occasional historical documentaries "but only if they are about Nazis or the Titanic". He was joking. But only just.
Nothing characterises the BBC's dilemma more than sport. Damned if it shows too much, damned if it shows too little. Take the recent example of the BBC being sidelined in the world of Olympic coverage which resulted in angry criticisms of the Corporation. The BBC arguably taught the world how to broadcast sport but is now being pushed to the periphery because money talks and the BBC is having to keep its voice down.
Love it or hate it, the role of sport in creating those moments which unite us should not be underestimated, nor should the impact of the BBC losing rights, because without its involvement sport is reaching ever-smaller audiences - the current Ashes series being a prime example. Currently the rights owners, such as sports' governing bodies, don't seem to care but in time they surely will.
Of course there are things we'd all change about the BBC if we could and we're all entitled to our moans - not least because - for now - we pay for it, not advertisers and not the government. Keeping the licence fee separate from general taxation and annual government budget reviews gives us all a claim over the services we receive and research shows the majority of us still favour the licence fee as the preferred way of funding the BBC (ICM, 2014).
As BBC Director General Tony Hall pointed out this week: "The BBC does not belong to the government. The BBC belongs to the country. The public are our shareholders. So it is their voice that will matter most in this debate."
For more on this subject, see:
The "mind-blowing excess" of BBC tea-drinkers
BBC critics ramp up their attacks
Bullish BBC boss comes out swinging
Telegraph bashes BBC for doing its research
BBC bashed for "lavish" lambing largesse
Will Sturgeon at 11:58 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Of all the reasons to criticise Ed Miliband, doing an interview with a popular online publisher, focused on politics and current affairs seems an odd one.
Sure, the online publisher in question is Russell Brand. Yes, Brand is ridiculous. Yes, he told people not to vote, but he has a large, young, potentially left-leaning following who are no doubt very capable of making up their own minds about whether to vote. On the face of it, it's easy to see why Miliband took the chance.
As an online publisher with reach into key demographics, Brand is very relevant. You don't have to like or admire him to acknowledge he's built an impressive media platform. Of course it's self-indulgent but as such it's arguably far more transparent than many other media outlets, owned and directed by distant proprietors with their own agendas.
10 Million Followers
Brand's YouTube channel has over a million subscribers. Each video gets between 100,000 and 250,000 views. It's fair to assume the Miliband one may get more viewers, from a broader audience and a great deal of wider coverage, because of all the publicity. To put his online influence into some context against more traditional media outlets, Brand's 10 million followers on Twitter compares to @TheSunNewspaper's 730,000 or @DailyMirror's 360,000. David Cameron dismissed Brand as a "joke" but sat down with Heat magazine, circulation 240,000, Twitter following 370,000.
That's not to say The Sun, The Mirror or Heat aren't also worthwhile outlets if politicians think they can get a fair hearing and reach an important audience. But the media is changing. Love him or hate him, Brand embodies a major trend as to where the media is heading.
Will Sturgeon at 11:43 | Permalink | Comments (1)
As publications compete for clicks on social media, far too many are congregating around the hackneyed way of writing tweets and headlines that relies heavily on over-promising - "You'll never guess" (you probably could), "You won't believe" (you almost certainly will), "the best thing you'll read today" (it won't be, I promise) - and under-delivering - "what happened next will blow your mind" (it never does).
Once upon a time, simply not following a handful of publications was a guaranteed way to avoid such clickbait but now everybody seems to be at it (though some have been struggling to get it right as this effort from the Express shows):
The word "this" has a key role to play in the clickbait lexicon. "This" is the shrugging, indifferent teenager of the English language, a word so opposed to being helpful it can turn almost any informative headline into lazy clickbait by simply swapping it in for the subject of the sentence. It is used to disguise the often unspectacular truth of a story just long enough to make us click.
"This actor [who you've never heard of]..."
"Remember when this [thing you won't ever care about] happened..."
"Can you believe this [thing that's crushingly dull] just happened..."
In between, we are invariably asked "Is this the funniest...", "the best..." or "the weirdest..." and everything seems to be "adorable", "funny" a "prank" or we're told it is "going viral" (in the hope it might).
So taking an initiative from the Independent's John Rentoul and his banned list of words and phrases which have no place in good writing, I have started a 'Clickbait banned list'. If you're using one of the below then stop and ask yourself why. If it's because you want to over-promise and under-deliver, thus eroding the trust and respect of your readers, while insulting their intelligence and ensuring you become indistinguishable from everybody else overusing these lazy constructs, then carry on. But if that's not actually your long term goal then it's probably not too late to change.
The 'clickbait banned list' currently looks like this:
What have I missed? Post your suggestions below as comments or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Will Sturgeon at 22:36 | Permalink | Comments (2)
Tony Hall, director general of the BBC, addressed colleagues on Monday, and presented a picture of a national broadcaster at a "cross-roads" as it seeks to exploit the potential of new technology while facing charter review and calls from critics for it to be cut down to size.
The BBC has struck a more bullish note in recent times and Hall certainly spoke like somebody who knows the stakes are too high to let those with commercial or political scores to settle steer the debate unchallenged.
Hall said those who don't support the BBC "should be transparent about their motivations, and honest about the consequences" - consequences which he believes would include the loss of balanced, impartial quality journalism, free from the influence of "shareholders, advertisers or any other paymasters".
"Take news," said Hall, taking aim at the journalistic output of unnamed rivals. "It's easy to find something on the internet that looks like a fact, that squawks like a fact but that isn't a fact. Central to our democracy is that we all proceed on the basis of shared information and don't just make up our own."
Hall even went so far as to suggest "if we didn't have a BBC funded by a licence fee, such is the world we face, we'd have to invent it".
Of course such bullishness is both understandable and fairly predictable. Hall is defending his patch at a time when he may feel forces are conspiring against him. The general election this year may well return a government who would relish the opportunity to preside over the charter review.
Last week, parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee declared the licence fee was "becoming harder and harder to justify and sustain", though its suggestion of an unspecified levy on all households will have softened that prognosis somewhat. However, there were plenty of warning shots across the BBC's bows in the Committee report, including the suggestion the BBC should pull back from areas already well-served by commercial broadcasters.
Will Sturgeon at 22:41 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Peter Oborne, until today chief political commentator at the Telegraph, has left the paper claiming it has become too beholden to advertisers and too dumbed down.
It seems perceived bias in the paper's coverage of the HSBC scandal was the last straw for Oborne.
"The Telegraph's recent coverage of HSBC amounts to a form of fraud on its readers," Oborne told website OpenDemocracy. "It has been placing what it perceives to be the interests of a major international bank above its duty to bring the news to Telegraph readers. There is only one word to describe this situation: terrible."
As well as detailing his issues with the Telegraph's coverage of HSBC, Oborne claimed other major advertisers have also been given too easy a ride.
It must be said the Telegraph "utterly refutes any allegation" that editorial decisions have been swayed by who buys advertising.
In a stinging, 3,000 word parting shot, Oborne criticised the paper for dumbing down its coverage. He cited a mix up over "deer stalking" versus "deer hunting" and confusion over Prince Edward's proper title as examples.
"Stories seemed no longer judged by their importance, accuracy or appeal to those who actually bought the paper," wrote Oborne. "The more important measure appeared to be the number of online visits."
Oborne was particularly affronted by "a story about a woman with three breasts" which was published despite the paper allegedly knowing it to be false.
Oborne's wordy public resignation follows in the footsteps of Daily Star journalist Rich Peppiatt who, back in 2011, penned a public letter of resignation to proprietor Richard Desmond branding his newspaper "a cascade of shit".
The Media Blog at 19:39 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Newsquest's controversial plan to charge students to produce free content for their websites "devalues everything professional journalists do," according to one journalism lecturer.
Jo Wiltshire, who teaches journalism students at the University of Hertfordshire, told The Media Blog: "Asking for charges and fees just to build a portfolio is sending out a message that the work of journalists and writers is worth less than nothing."
Other lecturers have also been quick to criticise Newsquest's plans today.
Beth Brewster, head of journalism at Kingston University, tweeted: "I advise my journalism students not to give away their skill, creativity and labour for free. Asking them to pay for bylines is outrageous."
"Newsquest should be paying the student writers," she added. "I can't believe anyone ever thought this plan was a good idea."
Another journalism lecturer told The Media Blog she is "fuming" at Newsquest's plans which she described as "unbelievable".
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is also unimpressed. Michelle Stanistreet, the NUJ's general secretary, said in a statement:
"While Newsquest is sacking professional staff on its titles, it is charging journalist students for writing articles for them. The unpaid intern has become the scourge of the media profession - now Newsquest is asking for journalist students to actually pay for a by-line. The company's cynicism beggars belief, and preys on young people desperate to get a break in a competitive industry. Where is the commitment to quality journalism? They should be providing journalist students with a meaningful work experience and if their articles are good enough to be published, they are good enough to be paid for."
Some have said students don't have to take Newsquest up on its offer but in the hugely competitive world of journalism, as we have seen with unpaid internships, there will be those who probably will allow themselves to be exploited by the promise of a first foot on the career ladder. But exploiting free labour does nobody any good in the long term. It undermines the job security of professional journalists, closes doors to those who cannot afford to give their work away for free and inevitably damages the quality of journalism.
Wiltshire said: "In-demand industries such as the media have long been in a position where they can hold inexperienced young people to ransom. By pushing that even further, asking for charges and fees just to build a portfolio, it is turning a dynamic and proud career choice into a vanity project for those whose families can bankroll it."
Newsquest gives student journalists a "unique chance" to work for free
Will Sturgeon at 22:39 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Newsquest, publisher of local papers around the UK, has hit upon a bit of a wheeze. It wants to charge students £120 to produce content for its newspaper websites, without pay.
The Guardian reports that colleges with journalism courses were contacted by Newsquest with "an exciting and unique chance to experience working for a local paper".
Apparently students would be getting the chance to "work" [there's that word again] "as journalists for an online newspaper" - just without the hassle of having to provide bank details and national insurance numbers, or be put on the payroll. And all it would cost students and colleges for this "exciting and unique" opportunity to work for free is a £100 registration fee and £20 per student.
The commitment would apparently be fairly light, just one unpaid article per month, over a period of eight months, at the end of which "all students who complete all eight articles, receive a letter of recognition from the editor".
Just think what you could buy with that.
Nothing. That's what.
Good luck walking into a pub waving that piece of paper about on the last Friday of the month.
"I'll have a pint of nothing and a couple packets of fuck-all please barman!"
"Coming right up! I'll just need to see your letter of recognition from Newsquest."
According to Newsquest these letters of recognition – a sort of 'certificate of exploitation' - can be used "as a reference with their CVs". And that's not all. Students will also get their name in an "award ceremony brochure" as well, though you'd search long and hard to find a landlord who will accept a brochure as a damage deposit for a flat, or a supermarket who will swap it for a week's groceries.
Will Sturgeon at 14:56 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
After 44 years it has been reported The Sun has quietly dropped its traditional page 3 featuring daily pictures of topless women.
However, it should be pointed out The Sun maintains that reports in The Guardian and even its own sister paper The Times are "speculation". The Sun is issuing no official statement but nor is it denying the reports which The Guardian claims have been confirmed by high level insiders:
Insiders said the decision has been taken to kill off the controversial feature quietly but that the feature would continue online.
"This comes from high up, from New York," said one senior executive in a reference to the paper's owner Rupert Murdoch. (The Guardian, 20 January)
It would certainly make sense if The Sun has decided to drop the topless pictures. The paper has faced mounting criticism, most notably from the No More Page 3 campaign which has enlisted major organisations and public figures, as well as more than 215,000 supporters who have signed an online petition urging editor David Dinsmore to drop it.
While Sun readers may have had no problem with page 3, News UK and even some staff surely will have done. The mounting public criticism will have been heaping pressure on journalists, sales teams, advertisers and others it needs to maintain a relationship with, from politicians to celebrities. And in a society which has come a little way in terms of equality since the 1980s heyday of page 3, such an anachronism on its pages in 2015 will surely have made it increasingly difficult to credibly hold others to account. After all, this is a family newspaper which censored words like "arse" and "tits" yet proudly showed both on the very first page a reader of any age might turn to.
And when The Sun's ultimate decision-maker, Rupert Murdoch, publicly expressed his opinion that he likes women to be a little more dressed up, the die seemed cast. Although that was back in September last year it seems plausible the paper may have chosen to ride out a few additional months of criticism and wait for a new calendar year - a general election year no less, when The Sun should be looking to exert its influence, not further undermine it - to make it look like a decision it had made of its own volition.
What seems less plausible is that the paper would now reveal this all to be a red herring, to return tomorrow or the next day with a topless model on page 3. But then it seemed unthinkable the paper would ever rehire Kelvin Mackenzie, yet it recently did, so we should take nothing for granted.
The Media Blog at 21:43 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Business Insider has published an interesting review of how newspapers are fairing as they transition from the paper-based world they knew so well into a digital age which so clearly still flummoxes some of them.
The Guardian and the Mail lead the way with big numbers their reward for giving content away free, though questions will always persist about the sustainability and margins of a free model.
However, Business Insider is more concerned about the rest of the press pack. Of the Telegraph, it says "the entire organization is struggling with the transition to digital".
The Telegraph's metered paywall, which lets us have a few stories free per month before kicking in is a clumsy, neither-nor sort of measure, the logic of which I have struggled to understand since it was introduced.
The problem with it is that, by chance, I only seem to hit the paywall while in the process of clicking on something I can find for free elsewhere - a sports report, a piece of news from the wires or a piece of news written up from a press release. Any inclination to sign up is quashed by the fact I'll be able to get what I'm looking for elsewhere, for free.
If the Telegraph really wants to have a paywall which is triggered at a given point, it would surely be better served linking that trigger to types of content rather than just picking an arbitrary monthly limit. Give the commodity stuff away free, tag it to not trigger the paywall, but make people sign-up for the unique stuff. For example, I enjoy the political sketches of Michael Deacon but as he doesn't produce enough each month to trigger the paywall across the multiple devices I use to access the Telegraph website, I get to read it all for free. But Sod's Law says the paywall would activate as I clicked on, for example, the Telegraph's write-up of a Rightmove survey about the best places to live in Britain (St Ives, apparently). In that case I'd easily be able to find the article elsewhere:
The Times and The Sun meanwhile are toiling away behind their far less ambiguous paywalls. Business Insider is critical of the dramatic fall in online readers that the paywall brought about at both titles, but that drop will not have come as a surprise to News UK and the company remains very upbeat about the progress it is making. As reported last month, there are now 225,000 subscribers signed up to The Sun's digital offering, with the majority paying £7.99 per month. Though as an aside The Sun did this week launch a site covering the Millies - its annual awards for military service men and women - with articles which sit outside the paywall. However, News UK says this was a one off for the Millies and it has no immediate plans to put other content outside the paywall.
The bleakest prognosis is reserved for the Express which Business Insider reports is "losing the war on all fronts" with print sales in a similar decline to many of its rivals but web traffic that is considerably lower. In October this year, the Mail Online got almost as many people onto its website in a single day (14.4 million) as the Express managed in the whole month (16.4 million). The According to ABCe figures, the Express gets less than 10 per cent of the monthly traffic enjoyed by its nearest editorial neighbour.
The Express's response seems to have been an attempt to ape the Daily Mail's infamous 'sidebar of shame' with much of its online content but its efforts are clearly failing to pull in the same volume of readers.
Will Sturgeon at 13:01 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Writing in her column for The Sun, former Tory MP Louise Mensch has trotted out one of the laziest non-sequiturs aired in the heated debate around press regulation.
Under the headline "8 kids by 5 women – it's no wonder they like their privacy", Mensch suggests actors Hugh Grant and Jude Law, who both took objection to their phones being hacked in the pursuit of celebrity gossip, only have a problem with such invasion of privacy because "neither man has made a habit of settling down with their baby-mothers in recent years".
It's not the first time this argument has been wheeled out in the name of cheap point-scoring against Hugh Grant. In fact Mensch is about 10 months behind a number of her peers.
The suggestion seems to be both men are acting out of some irrational self-interest. But even if they were motivated purely by a desire to protect their own private lives, what the likes of Mensch have never explained is why it is unreasonable, or why the likes of Hugh Grant should accept they have no right to privacy where their children and personal relationships are concerned.
Leveson Inquiry
"What a coincidence that both actors were involved in the battle to censure the press," writes Mensch, ignoring the prior coincidence that both men had their phones hacked long before they appeared at the Leveson Inquiry.
It does the media's arguments against regulation no favours to make them so blinkered and so obviously half-baked.
Mensch no doubt thinks defending the right to pick over the private lives of celebrities is the right thing to do. But all she has done is re-enforce the notion that the papers have become too obsessed with celebrity, that picking over the private lives of celebrities such as Grant and Law is a cause worth defending.
Mensch surely does more damage basing her defence of a free press around the right to know how many children a celebrity has had by how many partners than she repairs by offering that defence.
Will Sturgeon at 22:11 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
The Daily Star has fallen in love with some 'black-eyed ghost children' from Cannock Chase in the Midlands. Last week the paper ran three front page stories about them:
Clearly the Star was happy with the sales generated and the ease with which these tall tales could be written. So much so that the paper has followed up with a further two ghost stories. Though just to be on the safe side they have also woven in some popular TV shows for good measure.
First came news that the X Factor house is haunted...
And then, as luck would have it, news broke on Thursday that Strictly Come Dancing is also being haunted by the black-eyed ghost children with a thing for Saturday night television shows...
Nobody was more surprised by this latest news than Strictly contestant Caroline Flack who the Star had written into their story. The Daily Star says "Caroline Flack was menaced by the evil spirit during a practice session and even took a photo".
To which Flack responded on Twitter: "I have no idea what this story is."
Perhaps Flack was just so scared she has repressed her memories of the terrifying ordeal.
Will Sturgeon at 00:22 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
The coverage of two very different stories over the past week has served as an interesting barometer of UK newspaper priorities. One is a tragic story from west Africa which has been developing since mid-April but gaining long-overdue worldwide attention in the past week, the other is a celebrity tale from Hollywood.
There is growing anger about how little media attention there has been on the human rights abuses in Nigeria which have seen more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped and subjected to terrible crimes.
Meanwhile it was almost impossible to miss the news that George Clooney got engaged this week.
Just five of nine national daily newspapers* covered the ongoing situation in Nigeria during the period of 28 April to 3 May compared to eight which covered the news of Clooney's engagement:
The story count for the week also shows a similar pattern with more stories in total being written about the Clooney engagement (34) than the Nigerian kidnappings (21). However, in terms of word count the two stories have seen almost identical levels of coverage over the past week with 11,449 words printed about George Clooney and 11,043 printed about the Nigerian kidnappings (though 4,824 of those words appeared in just one newspaper, The Guardian).
The Guardian's dominant role (4,824 words) in covering the news from Nigeria can be clearly seen when looking at the top three media outlets by word count. The Times (2,688 words) produced the second highest level of coverage followed, some may think surprisingly, by the Mirror (1,504 words):
Perhaps also surprising, The Guardian, with 2,430 words on the subject, printed the greatest amount of coverage of the George Clooney engagement (including 491 words on 'How will getting hitched affect Clooney's image?'). The Telegraph (2,090) was second followed by the Daily Mail (2,006).
Of course it could be argued that some of this may be down to the fact broadsheets typically run longer articles, though that isn't strictly true in this case. The Sun's longest article on George Clooney was 957 words, compared to 942 for The Guardian. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail and the Express produced the most articles about Clooney with seven apiece over the week, while the longest single article was an incredible 1,200 word monster in The Telegraph.
This is only a simple analysis of how the papers treated just two stories over a six day period and suggesting word count or story count are, on their own, an effective measure of priority - or quality - of coverage would be foolish. Looking at the balance struck on each paper individually perhaps paints the clearest picture of where papers' priorities were.
The Times and The Guardian had almost identical ratios of Nigerian news to Clooney engagement news:
It is of course entirely up to each newspaper to decide what their readers will want or need to know about and the Telegraph was obviously convinced its readers would be more interested in and better served by a focus on Clooney, while The Mirror was almost the exact opposite:
The Sun and The Express clearly believed the news from Nigeria would not be of interest or of importance to their readers, while both gave significant coverage to George Clooney's news:
The Daily Mail also decided against covering the Nigerian news while the Independent believed its readers would have - or should have - no interest in Clooney's happy news:
* For the purposes of this research the national newspapers analysed were the main print editions of The Sun, Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Star, Daily Mail, Independent, Daily Telegraph, Guardian and The Times printed during the period 28 April to 3 May. The Independent's i was omitted due to the duplication of content already counted in the Independent.
Will Sturgeon at 18:35 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Getty Images has announced that it is letting website owners, bloggers and social media users make use of its extensive bank of photography and stock images free of charge for non-commercial, editorial-only purposes.
So if a blogger ever needs a picture of - for example - a cat looking at a goldfish... hey presto:
The images are all available via Getty's website and can be easily embedded using embed code generated by Getty - just look for the </> symbol which appears beneath views of images...
And then simply cut and paste the embed code generated as you might for a YouTube video...
It seems Getty realised an uncontrollable number of people were making free with its images anyway, so decided to at least get the benefits of some links, credit and good will out of it.
Although anybody in theory is allowed to use the images within an editorial context, according to The Independent Getty is responding specifically to "the rise of the self-publisher".
Senior vice-president Craig Peters said: "We saw people using Getty Images' content widely but they weren't using it with a licence and there wasn't any benefit to the photographer."
However, it is worth noting that the free images may change or be removed over time and Getty maintains the right to change what appears in the embedded viewer. That could include incorporating advertising to make this give-away pay its way.
Peters told CNET Australia:
"Over time there are monetisation options we can look at. That could be data options, advertising options. If you look at what YouTube has done with their embed capabilities, they are serving ads in conjunction with those videos that are served around the internet."
And if you're wondering how it worked out for the goldfish in that photoshoot. Not well...
Will Sturgeon at 11:07 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Mike Darcey, CEO of News UK, publisher of The Sun and The Times newspapers has questioned the online business model of the Daily Mail while calling on the newspaper industry to moderise its methods of measurement.
The two points are not unrelated. The Mail Online is the embodiment of the school of thought which says flooding the internet with tacky clickbait to attract huge audiences can be profitable while Darcey is clearly a man who believes in ringfencing smaller, more identifiable audiences behind paywalls, such as those imposed on The Sun and The Times.
According to News UK, it has 100,000 digital subscribers at The Sun and 153,000 at The Times. However, compared to the Mail Online's millions of daily visitors, it paints a picture of an industry where critics, commentators, analysts and more importantly advertisers are no longer comparing apples with apples.
Darcey, in positioning this as a matter of high volume versus high value - where the two are mutually exclusive - suggests the Mail may have chosen an unsustainable path with its 'pile it high and sell it cheap' approach to drawing a mass audience and attracting advertisers, and he was pulling no punches when speaking at the Enders Analysis Media & Telecoms 2014 Conference in London, Tuesday.
Darcey said:
"Mail Online is a very interesting experiment in operating a global, free, celebrity gossip website. It is even possible that it might be a success one day, although the jury is still out. Online ad rates continue to fall as supply expands inexorably. And while Mail Online has scale relative to its immediate peers, it remains a minnow compared to the likes of Facebook and the other Internet titans. Worse, competing with these guys looks like a loser, because they have the advantage of no real content costs – their content is created by their customers – and their ad sell is awash with viewer data, which is less true for Mail Online."
Darcey makes a fair point. Although the Mail Online has achieved profitability in the past 18 months, breaking even when you boast millions of readers each day suggests pretty tight margins and a clear threat of diminishing returns if the strategy for growing revenue is simply to flood the market with ever more commoditised content. Already the Mail is pouring photo stories onto its web pages, sourced from picture agencies and paparazzi around the world, faster than its legion of staff can write captions for them:
However, it wasn't just the Mail that Darcey was critical of. He also questioned the sense of the Guardian continuing to give away its quality journalism for free:
"The Guardian is systematically loss making, to the tune of about £40m a year. All the while, the free offering undermines demand for the paid-for print product, now at risk of a deadly spiral of falling circulation and rising price. It seems fairly clear where this ends."
Which brought Darcey onto what he thinks the answer is: paywalls and "content bundles" of course, such as those which exist behind the paywall of The Sun and The Times.
In News UK's case, creating such "content bundles" included the costly acquisition of Premier League football rights (an exercise in getting people behind a paywall which it could be argued is no more based on journalism than the Mail's "copying and re-writing content from social media sites" which Darcey also highlighted.)
"Rather than hurting, new technology is helping us to build deeper customer relationships, a more distinctive product, a more personal service for our customers and an enhanced opportunity for advertisers. Today, if you are a Times subscriber, no longer do you simply read the analysis from our football journalists, you can watch the highlights of the game ...embedded in the match report in the tablet edition."
"So let's stop talking as if the future of technology and the future of news are in conflict. They are not. It's true that printed newspapers will probably never again sell the volumes that they did in their heyday. But then television's evening news will probably never again get the audience that it enjoyed in the past, and the same goes for Coronation Street."
This is why Darcey argues there need to be measurements which reflect the changes that have taken place.
"I'm still new to the news industry but I remain mystified as to why, 15 years into the Internet era, and with everyone claiming mature digital strategies, we still only ever talk about print sales. Imagine the music industry measuring success today through the sales of CDs alone while ignoring iTunes."
Darcey overlooks to a degree the ABCe audit figures which show the relative health of newspaper websites, but he is right to suggest print circulation remains the major measure of success.
Darcey concluded:
"A sustainable model for professional journalism at scale cannot be achieved by turning all of our national papers into celebrity gossip sites. Nor do I believe it is achievable by giving away our hard work for free."
For more on this, see:
The Guardian: 'Mail Online's rip-off practice is tawdry – but is Darcey jealous of its success?'
Will Sturgeon at 16:11 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
For those of us who completely missed the bit of the story arc where Prince Harry had a beard, the big news today that he no longer does has come as quite a shock. Fortunately there's no shortage of media outlets willing to fill us in on all the details, including the news that he most likely removed the beard by shaving.
Will Sturgeon at 23:26 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)