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Kessler, Johannes (1502-1574)
Johannes Kessler was a reformer and chronicler of St. Gall, Switzerland. On his way to the University of Wittenberg at the inn "To the Black Bear" in Jena he met Martin Luther, who was returning from the Wartburg disguised as a knight. Upon his return to St. Gall, Kessler conducted Bible study classes, which were attended by the Anabaptists. A difference arose between them on the question of infant baptism, which finally led to a division. Kessler is the author of the Sabbata, a cultural and church history, in which he treats the Anabaptists with gratifying objectivity, though not with full understanding. It was published in 1866-1868, edited by Ernst Götzinger, and in 1902 by Emil Egli and Rudolph Schoch. A new edition appeared in 1945 (Zollikofer, St. Gall).
Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. Mennonitisches Lexikon, 4 vols. Frankfurt & Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. II, 484.
|Christian Neff
|Date Published
Cite This Article
MLA style
Neff, Christian. "Kessler, Johannes (1502-1574)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 28 Sep 2023. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kessler,_Johannes_(1502-1574)&oldid=144230.
APA style
Neff, Christian. (1957). Kessler, Johannes (1502-1574). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 28 September 2023, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Kessler,_Johannes_(1502-1574)&oldid=144230.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 168. All rights reserved.
©1996-2023 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


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We are honoring two special events today: Blue Monday with Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com and Memorial Day.
Even this big fellow is shouting to the world remember our men and women in the armed forces.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Blue Monday Holiday
We are honoring two special events today: Blue Monday with Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com and Memorial Day.
Posted by LV at 11:07 PM
Labels: Blue Monday
38 comments:
- Tete said...
Hugs- tete
- May 29, 2011 at 11:34 PM
- Terry @ La Bella Vie said...
Oh LV this is so nice! And thank you so much for stopping by, it was really nice to see you again.
I haven't cooked in so long but wanted to be really creative tonight with dinner and it turned out wonderful. I may even try this "cooking thing" about once a month!
Take care, Terry
- May 30, 2011 at 12:07 AM
- orchid0324 said...
Oh, we should never forget how many lost their lives in the name of the justice during any of the war.....
Well, from Japan but my father fought in the war. Thank you for posting this.
Love, xoxo Orchid.
- May 30, 2011 at 12:35 AM
- My name is Riet said...
What a beautiful post LV
- May 30, 2011 at 1:17 AM
- Anonymous said...
Beautiful post!
Wish you a pleasant start of the week:)
- May 30, 2011 at 1:42 AM
- Lynn said...
Love to see flags blowing in the wind! Happy Memorial Day LV!
- May 30, 2011 at 5:14 AM
- Hootin Anni said...
The flags...oh the flags...that is ONE BEAUTIFUL portrait of America if you want my opinion.
Yard Elves
Do stop by and visit if you have a little time in your day. Happy Monday.
- May 30, 2011 at 5:48 AM
- Leovi said...
Beautiful and moving pictures. Greetings.
- May 30, 2011 at 6:40 AM
- Under Her Wings said...
Thanks so much for the tribute to our soldiers. My husband spent 20 1/2 years as a pilot and various other positions in the United States Air Force,and thankfully he did not lose his life in Viet Nam or other events. But we are so thankful for our men in uniform.
- May 30, 2011 at 6:43 AM
- Southhamsdarling said...
Lovely post today in honour of all our brave men and women who serve in the Armed Forces in all our countries. Especially thinking of all those who gave their lives for their countries.
- May 30, 2011 at 6:57 AM
- SmilingSally said...
Love that beautiful American blue. I remember.
Happy Blue Monday, La Voice.
- May 30, 2011 at 7:47 AM
- Auntie sezzzzzz... said...
Be safe.
Never forget.
- May 30, 2011 at 7:57 AM
- Pam Kessler said...
Beautiful post. Love the flags flying in that last photo.
- May 30, 2011 at 9:40 AM
- jeanne said...
This is a beautiful tribute to our soldiers LV. We must never forget they gave their all for America's freedom as well as those who are fighting still.
I finally was able to send you a comment on PS.
Happy Memorial Day.
Love, Jeanne
- May 30, 2011 at 9:43 AM
- Ann said...
How clever for you to know what that big gorilla was thinking!!!! Love your flags decorating the lawns.
- May 30, 2011 at 9:51 AM
- bj said...
I love the flag so so much. It has such a deep meaning and often brings tears to my eyes.
I had to smile at the spelling of MEMORIAL on the button...bet it was done by a child. :))
Have a wonderful day, my sweet friend.
xo bj
- May 30, 2011 at 10:01 AM
- Barbara F. said...
Lovely post, LV! Long may our flag wave!
- May 30, 2011 at 10:04 AM
- DoanLegacy said...
This is a wonderful post, LV..Happy blue monday!
- May 30, 2011 at 10:07 AM
- George said...
Thanks for a wonderful Memorial Day post. I really like all those flags in the cemetery.
- May 30, 2011 at 10:39 AM
- RachelD said...
The little bright flags in the sunshine are a tribute to the fallen Heroes, and a testament to their courage and sacrifice.
It's always lovely to have you drop in at Lawn Tea.
- May 30, 2011 at 11:03 AM
- Ginny Hartzler said...
Wonderful photos of the flags flying in the breeze, and a very clever King-Kong picture. I hope you're having a lovely weekend.
- May 30, 2011 at 11:04 AM
- Dee ⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜ said...
Beautiful pictures!
✩Happy Memorial Day!✩
- May 30, 2011 at 11:30 AM
- Unknown said...
Yes, we need to honor our soldiers. They sacrificed all that they had.
- May 30, 2011 at 1:02 PM
- Betty said...
...and that's what today is all about. Flying the flag and remembering.
- May 30, 2011 at 3:58 PM
- Anonymous said...
Our flag is so beautiful! Love the post!
- May 30, 2011 at 4:22 PM
- Anonymous said...
Our flag is so beautiful! Love the post!
- May 30, 2011 at 4:22 PM
- deb said...
Beautiful photos!
We will never forget ♥
- May 30, 2011 at 5:01 PM
- Rebecca said...
Great pics to celebrate and honor the day!
- May 30, 2011 at 5:31 PM
- Kim, USA said...
Great post LV!
Blue water
- May 30, 2011 at 6:46 PM
- Rajesh said...
Beautiful shots.
Happy Memorial day.
- May 30, 2011 at 8:55 PM
- orchid0324 said...
This is Orchid again. Thank you for your comment to my post. I just want to tell you that I don't have preconception like all American people have seen "Gone with the wind", haha.
Take Care, my new American Mom.
Hugs xoxo
- May 30, 2011 at 9:17 PM
- Chubskulit Rose said...
Hope you had a nice celebration LV. Lovely series of photos. Thanks to those who served and still serving the military.
- May 30, 2011 at 11:08 PM
- Regina said...
See, he knows better!! Hope you had a blessed day-
- May 31, 2011 at 2:07 AM
- Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...
These flags are very long, great to see them fluttering in the wind
- May 31, 2011 at 4:34 AM
- anne said...
Happy Memorial Day to you!
- May 31, 2011 at 5:42 AM
- Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita said...
There's nothing like Old Glory, is there?
- May 31, 2011 at 9:15 AM
- Micupoftea said...
Special day honoring special people! Nice photos. Long May SHe Wave!
- May 31, 2011 at 7:37 PM
- Anni said...
Nice photos - but ugly gorilla ;-)
- June 1, 2011 at 12:34 AM

subset: commoncrawl


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Write That Novel, Already
Today marks the start of another NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), an event during which new and veteran writers attempt to complete a brand new novel. As the site says, "The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30." Boasting over 79,000 participants in 2006 -- nearly 13,000 of whom actually completed the 50,000 word goal -- this is where aspiring novelists need to be.
Although NaNoWriMo is primarily about putting pen to paper (or, uh, fingers to keyboard), many NaNoWriMo novels have been published -- check out this list of 19 such novels, including the rather famous Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
Here are some impressive statistics demonstrating the growth of NaNoWriMo since its inception in 1999:
Founded: 1999 in Oakland, CA Annual participant/winner totals: 1999: 21 participants and six winners 2000: 140 participants and 29 winners 2001: 5000 participants and more than 700 winners 2002: 13,500 participants and around 2,100 winners 2003: 25,500 participants and about 3,500 winners 2004: 42,000 participants and just shy of 6,000 winners 2005: 59,000 participants and 9,769 winners 2006: 79,813 participants and 12,948 winners Number of official NaNoWriMo chapters around the world: Over 500 Number of K-12 schools who participated in 2005: Over 100 Number of K-12 schools who participated in 2006: Over 300 Number of NaNoWriMo manuscripts that have been sold to big-time publishing houses: Many (details below) Percent of NaNoWriMo's net proceeds from donations and merchandise sales that went to build libraries for children in Southeast Asia 2004-2006: 50% Number of libraries NaNoWriMo has built through this program: Twenty-two (three in Cambodia, seven in Laos, an anticipated twelve in Vietnam, pending 2006 financials) Number of words officially logged by participants during the 2004 event: 428,164,975 Number of words officially logged by participants during the 2005 event: 714,227,354 Number of words officially logged by participants during the 2006 event: 982,564,701
To get started, check out How NaNoWriMo Works (in Ten Easy Steps) or consult the helpful book No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days. If you're a visual artist, check out NaNoMangO, a similar project for comics.
Have any _flossers participated in NaNoWriMo? If so, share your story in the comments!


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Imagine a metal arch that, at its highest point, is taller than the Statue of Liberty. Now picture it sliding along the ground for a distance of about three football fields, making it the biggest movable structure ever built. Under this steel rainbow, engineers are planning to entomb the site of the worst nuclear accident in history, at the Chernobyl power plant in the Ukraine, using robotics to dismantle the ruins and permanently seal the wreckage.
After reactor number 4 exploded at the plant on April 26, 1986, sending radioactive dust as far as Japan and the U.S., the Soviet Union put up a structure of steel and concrete, commonly known as the sarcophagus, over the reactor to contain the radioactivity. "It was really quite a remarkable feat, but after 25 years, it's in danger of collapse," explains civil and environmental engineer Eric Schmieman of the Battelle Memorial Institute. The structure, which was put up as quickly as possible to limit worker exposure to radiation, was never meant to last forever.
It was designed "like a house of cards," Schmieman says, with pieces of metal leaning against one another and hooked together. "There are no welded joints or bolted joints—it wouldn't take much of a seismic event to knock it down."
French construction company Novarka is working on a replacement, the New Safe Confinement (NSC), which Schmieman helped to design. Because the reactor is still radioactive, architects designed the NSC with worker safety in mind. The arch will not be built over the sarcophagus but will be assembled nearby from prefabricated segments. Workers will use hydraulic jacks to slide the arch about 300 meters along Teflon bearings until it covers the sarcophagus. Once engineers seal the reactor, they will remotely maneuver three robotic cranes inside the NSC to dismantle the sarcophagus and reactor and to clean up any leftover radioactive dust.
Novarka aims to finish fabricating the NSC by the summer of 2014, at a cost of $2.1 billion from 29 countries. It is expected to last at least 100 years.


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The departure of Target's CIO Wednesday and the creation of a dedicated chief information security officer position and a new compliance officer began a new chapter in the retailer's post-breach security posture.
Security experts say that aside from the executive changes and reorganization, there are other holes the mega-retailer will have to plug to prevent another massive breach like the one that resulted in the theft of 40 million customer credit and debit card numbers and the names and contact information of up to 70 million people.
CISO duties at Target previously had been split among multiple people. The new CISO at Target will have centralized oversight and responsibilities for the retailer's information security, as Target's executive VP of Target Technology Services and Chief Information Officer Beth Jacob has now left the post she had held since 2008.
Raj Ramanand, founder and CEO of Signifyd, said it's surprising that the CIO was managing security duties at Target. "In most large enterprises, the CISO has a direct reporting line to the board of directors and to the CIO of the company," he says. "I'm surprised by the fact that this was all being managed by the CIO and they didn't have separate officers in charge."
Read the rest of this story on Dark Reading.


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iTunes' dominant position atop the digital music market is not happenstance. Donald A. Norman discusses how, through the integration of its products, design and service, Apple became a media distribution juggernaut.
Many services are both social and complex systems. Many are provided by large organizations, with components in very different geographic locations. Quite often the different parts of the organization do not understand or communicate well with one another. And many services involve different organizations, and communication among them is particularly difficult.
It is easy to find examples of the complexity of services: think of almost any interaction with a governmental agency. There are many potential sources of difficulties, from the interaction with government employees, the complex set of rules and regulations that must be followed, the complexities of the forms that must be filled out, and then to the impenetrable delays that occur as the request moves from one office to another, perhaps from one agency to another. Even if everyone is helpful and friendly, the sheer complexity of the operation coupled with the relatively poor interfaces among all the components can lead to frustrating experiences.
The only way to solve the complexities of services is to treat them as systems, to design the entire experience as a whole. If each piece is designed in isolation, the end result may be of separate pieces that do not mesh well together.
Apple's iPod Music Service
Portable music players are a very popular product. Carry along a small device with hundreds or thousands of your favorite musical selections, available to the listener whenever and wherever desired. Ever since the first portable music players were developed using cassette tape recorders in the 1970s, portable music players have revolutionized the way people listen to music. The first major success was the Sony Walkman, released in 1979.
It was the computer revolution, however, with the advent of tiny processors and huge-capacity memory systems along with Internet commerce and compression systems that reduced the size of recorded music files, which set the stage for the next revolution in the 1990s. Now the electronic players were much smaller and easier to carry than the Walkman. Moreover, each could hold thousands of songs, something never before possible. The first barrier to the success of these devices was legal ambiguity of getting the music. Although it is legally permissible to purchase music and then to make a copy for one's own personal music player, it is not permissible to distribute that music. The second barrier was the complicated set of steps required to get music into the device: copying, compressing, and transferring the music to the player was a daunting task for the average person.
When Apple entered the market with its products, it created a revolution in the distribution of music. Apple soon took over, not only dominating the sale of digital music players, but also changing the way the music companies thought of their products. Everyone believes that Apple took over the music-player business through its superior design of its device, the iPod, introduced in 2001. No, the iPod, although a truly excellent product, is not the secret to Apple's success. The secret is that they understood that the core problem was not just the design of the product: it was to simplify the entire system of finding, buying, getting, and playing music, and also to overcome the legal issues. Note that at the time, a number of companies were already selling digital music players, some of which were quite attractive and functional. But these were isolated products. Most music could not be acquired legally for use in these devices. Getting the music into one's computer and then into the player required manual operations that were more complex than the average person was able or willing to do. The fundamental problem was the integration of all the parts into one seamless experience. Like the train experience, this system has multiple stages:
- Getting licensing agreements from music producers (making it legal to get the music)
- Browsing the music store to find the desired music
- Purchasing
- Transfer 1: getting the music into one's personal computer
- Transfer 2: getting the music into the music player
- Synchronization and sharing of music libraries
- Listening to the music
- A digital rights management system (DRM)
- Encouraging other companies to manufacture add-on devices, such as external speakers
- Control over the retail environment
- A trademark and licensing scheme
Apple treated iPod as a service, not as an isolated product. They therefore worked diligently to ensure that all stages were handled seamlessly, resulting in an excellent customer experience. In quick summary, Apple was the first company to negotiate the legal licensing of music at a reasonable price per song. Second, they designed a Web site and a companion application for the computer that made browsing through music, searching, and experimenting with new performers fun and enjoyable. Third, Apple made the purchasing trivial, and the downloading of purchased music into one's computer effortless.
Apple also designed the iPod system so that when the iPod is plugged into the computer, the transfer of files into the iPod occurs effortlessly and easily. Finally, Apple's design of its music player, the iPod, was excellent: it is easy to listen to music on the computer, and to stream it among networked computers or even to home audio and television systems.
At the time the service started, music sellers were terrified that people would freely transfer music to one another without payment, so they insisted on digital rights management systems that would prevent this. Apple complied, but it restricted the licensing of its DRM so that the music it sold could only be played on Apple devices, ensuring what marketing people call "lock in": The larger the collection of songs purchased from Apple, the more the person was locked in to continual use of Apple products. The extensive library of music could not be played on devices made by other companies (unless they had licensed the DRM rights from Apple, which was an infrequent event). The digital rights management issue is still an enduring issue, not just for music, but for all media, such as films, video, and books. Media companies are exploring various options that protect ownership rights but are not as restrictive as some of the early implementations. Apple has also loosened the restrictions.
Finally, Apple developed an ecosystem, encouraging other companies to develop add-on products such as loudspeaker systems, accessories for playing the music over automobile sound systems, accessories that enhanced the iPod's capabilities, turning it into a stopwatch, a voice-recording device, and a storage device. All of these were licensed by Apple, which received commissions (royalties) on sales: a risk-free source of revenue.
Apple treated the entire effort as a seamless system. Even the design of the box in which the physical devices were packaged was exemplary. Many companies try to save money on packaging: Apple spent extra money, treating the package as yet another chance to offer the customer an engaging, delightful experience. Apple understands that the user experience starts with opening the box, which should be just as exciting and pleasurable as the rest of the experience.
The story improved with time as Apple expanded the range of devices in their product portfolio to include mobile phones, portable computers and display pads, and other devices that interconnect computers, telephones, cameras, video, and sound systems. Although the repertoire goes far beyond music to devices that manage photographs, videos, movies, games, newspapers, magazines, books, and other media, all follow the system design point of view. The physical structure, the capabilities, and the names of the devices have changed several times, but the general philosophy of making the entire system seamless and effortless has endured. As business conditions change, Apple keeps changing the offering, but it still excels at three things:
- Creating cohesive systems, not isolated products
- Recognizing that the system is only as good as its weakest link
- Designing for the total experience
System thinking: that is the secret to success with services. Whether it is a Disney theme park, an Apple service, Netflix movie service, FedEx or UPS's delivery services, or purchasing from Amazon: because these companies design the entire system, as a customer order or request goes through the backstage operations, these companies keep informing the customer of its progress every step along the way, always estimating shipping and delivery times, allowing the customer to modify the orders far into the process, and making sure that the entire experience is handled well from the customer's point of view. The operations behind the scene are smooth and efficient-this is the province of the operations staff, often using sophisticated mathematical and computer simulation tools to ensure optimal efficiency. Even the dull, mundane operation of shipping a package from one destination to another can be transformed into a positive experience by appropriate attention to keeping the customers informed. Good system design considers the entire process as a human-centered, sociable system.
Don Norman sees design everywhere. Norman's goal is to help transform design from art into an engineering practice, with tools, formal methods, and rigor. Dr. Norman is co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, an executive consulting firm that helps companies produce human-centered products and services. Norman serves as adviser and board member to numerous companies and non-profit organizations. He has been Vice President of Apple in charge of the Advanced Technology Group and an executive at both Hewlett Packard and UNext.
top art courtesy LatinSuD via flikr
Living with Complexity is available from Amazon.


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Amazon Is One Step Closer To Taking a Cut on Literally Every Economic Transaction
In a $5.5 billion sweetheart deal, Amazon has inserted itself between local businesses and local governments.
David Dayen
The latest issue of In These Times is a special, extra-length issue devoted entirely to the subject of socialism in America today. This special issue is available now. Order your copy today.
The paper the forms are printed on at City Hall. The desk your child sits at in math class. The books in your local library. Amazon has begun to profit from all of these products, extending its business from consumer retail into government procurement, according to a new report released today.
As detailed by Stacy Mitchell and Olivia LaVecchia of the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), Amazon won a nationwide contract last year to supply up to $5.5 billion in commercial items for states, cities, and school districts through its Amazon Business platform. Already over 1,500 jurisdictions have adopted the contract, despite the fact that it doesn't guarantee fixed-rate prices or volume discounts, as is typical with government purchasing agreements. This means cities and states could end up overpaying for basic supplies, with Amazon profiting on the back end.
Local and regional office suppliers (an under-the-radar industry that pioneered many customer conveniences, such as next-day delivery, more commonly associated with Amazon) can still sell to municipal governments under the deal — but only if they join Amazon's platform, and pay the 15 percent share of revenue that Amazon takes for access. This underscores Amazon's real goal — to levy a tax on all economic activity, as market analyst Ben Thompson put it last year. Businesses large and small are induced into joining the Amazon marketplace when there's no other way to reach customers. Whoever makes the sale, Amazon takes a cut.
With annual spending of close to $2 trillion, state and local government procurement is a logical next market for Amazon. Says Mitchell, one of the report's co-authors, "[Amazon CEO] Jeff Bezos' vision comes out of Wall Street: How can I make a bit of money on everything?"
The contract is part of a broader strategy by Amazon to grab a chunk of public spending. The company hired Anne Rung, once the Chief Acquisitions Officer for the White House, to head up its government division. An "Amazon amendment" in last year's defense authorization bill would allow defense procurement officials to use the platform for off-the-shelf commercial items. Amazon's rivals have warned that the Defense Department is poised to award the company a $10 billion cloud computing contract.
A contract tailor-made for Amazon
In January 2017, Amazon secured the five-year contract, which carries the potential for six more years of renewals, through U.S. Communities, which facilitates joint purchasing agreements for its 55,000 members, in exchange for a small piece of the revenue. Through this setup, government agencies of any size pool their purchasing power and get better terms on long-term contracts.
Or, at least that's the theory. But it only works if there's a competitive bidding process to extract the most favorable deal. In this case, the request for proposal (or RFP) for the contract was so specialized that only one company appeared able to meet it. "We thought, 'This is absolutely spec'd to Amazon,'" said Gordon Thrall of Guernsey, an office supplier that was part of the coalition that won the previous U.S. Communities contract in 2010.
U.S. Communities solicited bidders who could run online marketplaces offering 10 different product categories, something only Amazon was able to meet. The RFP attracted only five eligible bids, three from companies that only sell specific items like musical instruments or commercial printing services. A normal RFP attracting so few responsive bids would often get redone; but Amazon won the contract.
Who needs price controls? Trust the free hand of the Amazon marketplace
One-stop shopping for every item a local public agency might need is certainly attractive. But governments gave up plenty to Amazon in the exchange. At the heart of these deals is usually a fixed price guarantee, which allows for consistent budgeting. "It's the bedrock of public procurement," says Mitchell. "Typically a city would say, here are the 1,000 items we buy the most of, you have to guarantee the price. The risk is on you if the price goes up." Suppliers accept that risk in return for a long-term, high-volume contract.
This contract gave no pricing instructions at all; no guaranteed fixed rates, no volume discounts. Instead, U.S. Communities asserted that, because Amazon Business is a "marketplace" with numerous sellers, competition would ensure the lowest price. Purchasers can freeze the price on any item they order for seven days. But otherwise, as U.S. Communities wrote in a response to the report's authors, "Pricing on Amazon Business is dynamic through their competitive marketplace."
An Amazon spokesperson tells In These Times that the contract provides "features and benefits that help simplify the procurement process and increase efficiency for buyers." The company also noted that public agencies will be able to "ensure competitiveness and best-value pricing … we have seen great progress to date."
According to the report, however, U.S. Communities didn't appear to test whether prices were actually lower on Amazon with anything more rigorous than a spot-check. In webinars to public agencies, Amazon and U.S. Communities have stressed the upside of this arrangement. But prices also can increase, and often do; After all, that's what inflation is.
The report compared 57 goods purchased by a California school district over two weeks in January to prices on Amazon. The school district paid $1,205 with free next-day delivery; Amazon would have charged at least 10 percent more — 12 percent with comparable shipping speeds. A separate study from the Naval Postgraduate School of items purchased by the Air Force found that the current e-commerce platform created by the General Services Administration beat Amazon on price for "most items."
This makes sense, because sellers on the platform have to pay that 15 percent fee to Amazon. It's impossible for them to do that and also offer the lowest price, especially on a public agency contract, where discounts are usually guaranteed and profit margins are very slim.
Though we think of Amazon as the unparalleled leader in speedy delivery, this contract also offers worse service. Independent office suppliers have provided free next-day shipping for decades, and that was guaranteed in the previous U.S. Communities contract. Amazon offers no guarantee on shipping, and only provides two-day shipping if cities sign up for Amazon Business Prime for $499 a year.
Finally, Amazon altered the contract's terms and conditions, including giving itself the ability to intervene in and redact public records requests to ensure that information sought by the public about the contract never gets disclosed. The RFP's original terms stressed that all communications related to the contract "shall be open to the inspection of any citizen, or any interested person, firm or corporation."
In other words, Amazon landed a contract where they will offer worse service at a higher price than independent supply stores. "Amazon waltzed into this sector and secured a contract not by out-competing, but by using its power and pull," Mitchell says.
The cities that resist
Pushing into state and local procurement expands the number of transactions upon which Amazon can levy a tax. But some cities have other ideas. Though cities already use Amazon for various off-contract purchases, some to disturbing extremes (Denver's public schools spent $1.6 million on odds and ends in 2016), Phoenix only spent $700 on the platform in 2016. The City Council instead created a Local Small Business Enterprise Program in 2012 to prioritize its purchasing. Spending with small business jumped from $50,000 to $2.3 million in two years. And those dollars circulated within the local economy, rather than Amazon's corporate treasury. A spokesperson for the city financing department told In These Times that Phoenix hasn't signed onto the Amazon contract because of concerns about its small business program.
Mitchell believes that, with local businesses already being so dramatically undercut by Amazon, cities should resist handing them public purchasing as well. "Not only is Amazon setting up a contract to take advantage of public dollars, but they're inserting themselves as a gatekeeper between local government and local businesses," she says. "This is a way for local officials to talk about the dangers of monopoly."
Celebrate 47 years of In These Times in style! Get your raffle tickets today for your chance to win a vacation for two to Cascais, Portugal!
One lucky raffle winner will receive a $3,000 gift card to cover the costs of two flights, as well as a stay in a 5-star boutique hotel, housed in a 17th century fortress with medieval architecture and décor. You can schedule the trip on your timeline!
All raffle ticket sales support ongoing In These Times reporting, just like the article you just finished reading. Get your raffle tickets now.
The winner will be selected on the night of September 30, at the In These Times 47th Anniversary Celebration. You do not need to be present at the drawing to win.


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At the April Sunny Isles Beach City Commission Meeting the Commission presented a proclamation to the Cultural and Community Services Department (CCSD) acknowledging everything the department does to encourage residents and visitors to get outdoors and visit our parks. CCSD provides special events, activities, athletics, recreation and wellness programs year round to encourage a healthy lifestyle and community involvement. A small group represented the department to accept the proclamation on behalf of Cultural and Community Services. The Commission and meeting guests expressed their appreciation for all the department does with a round of applause.
This is the fourth year for "Kids to Parks Day", organized by the National Park Trust. This day was begun to encourage families to get outdoors and visit America's parks. Recent changes in lifestyles and decline in park attendance nationwide prompted the trust to encourage local municipalities to promote this yearly event.
America has become a more sedentary society and this change is manifested throughout our population by increases in childhood obesity, diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia for all ages. By getting outside and becoming active, children and their parents can improve their health and learn to appreciate our natural world.
Kids to Parks Day will be celebrated on Saturday, May 17, 2014 in Sunny Isles Beach with activities at City parks. Check the May 12th issue of this newspaper, Facebook and sibfl.net for details. Look inside this issue for photos of SIB World Class Olympics and Egg Scramble.


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IIT-P has realised that besides Classroom Tests, Online Tests taken from the comfort of one's own residence help the student tremendously to gain insights on his weaknesses and strengths. IIT-P joined hands with Smart Computer Services in 2008 to launch Online Tests for Engineering & Medical Entrance exams for students across the world at www.parikshan.org
At www.parikshan.org, high-quality Chapter-wise (PCB) & Full-Portion MH-CET Tests as per the latest exam pattern are available. MH-CET is an Entrance exam for Medical colleges in Maharashtra.
A student may enroll by registering at www.parikshan.org for any Online Testing program and by sending the print-out of the application along with two recent passport photographs and photocopy of the marksheet of the previous academic year to IIT-P office. Payment may be done through Cheque/DD/Cash in favor of IITian's Prashikshan Kendra Pvt. Ltd. payable at Pune.
Contact us or visit www.parikshan.org for more details.


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Friday, August 02, 2013
Internet and TV are another issue - both were on tap to be installed, but DirecTV decided to back out until we get the rest of our TVs and the wireless internet that was suppose to be available isn't due to line of sight issues with their antenna. I have another plan for internet lined up, but that won't happen until Tuesday.
All of that pales in comparison to this though. This is what we woke up to.
12 comments:
Glad to hear that you all made it safely!ReplyDelete
Wow! 2000 miles in 3 days!! Y'all really pushed it but am so glad to see you made it and that sunrise is awesome!! Can't wait to read of your life on the farm!ReplyDelete
Those are a lot of miles. I know the feeling....hope you are all settled in soon!ReplyDelete
Breathtaking sunrise! Absorb the quiet and rare days without electronics now because your busy lives will kick back in to gear as soon as the contractors and your belongings arrive. Breath.....enjoy!ReplyDelete
So happy for you. Enjoy your time offline.ReplyDelete
Ahhh, looks like a beautiful new home. As much as I love SF, I'd rather live in MN in the country. Enjoy your new/old ;) life. Looks perfect for baking and blogging. heheReplyDelete
- Joanie from CLBB8/03/2013 11:11:00 AM
Hoo boy, that was quite a push in 3 days. Hope you guys can take a few days to recoup and wiggle your toes in the country grass and walk the pups around the new landscape. I know your mom is a happy girl to have you back in the same zip code :)!!! Looking forward to your scenic views!ReplyDelete
Wow, congrats. Where in MN? My first ex is from MN and Julie is from Wisconsin. I know when Julie retires, she'd love to move back to Wisconsin, but I am NOT up for snow again.ReplyDelete
Wow!! So happy for you! And you still have all of August to enjoy the beautiful countryside!ReplyDelete
Oh my gosh, Joe. I cannot believe you've moved yet again. The farm is absolutely beautiful, and I cannot wait to see how things go with it. Best of luck to your family as you start all over again.ReplyDelete
What a drive!!!! Wow!ReplyDelete
take care and enjoy the adventure. you are so brave to move so much and the farm house is really pretty. love to your little doggies.ReplyDelete


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McWane, Inc. acquires Waterman Industries
March 7, 2018
McWane, Inc. has purchased Exeter, California, based Waterman Industries. Waterman is a recognized leader in water control products for water treatment, wastewater, agriculture, rural water delivery, hydro-power and flood control management. Waterman is a leading domestic manufacturer of both cast iron and fabricated stainless steel water control gates. The company was founded by W.A. Waterman in 1912 and initially manufactured agricultural irrigation equipment for Central Valley farms. In 1953, the company expanded into water control infrastructure products including large and complex cast iron sluice gates, fabricated slide gates and radial gates.
"We are excited to add Waterman to the McWane family of companies," said McWane President and CEO Ruffner Page. "Waterman's high-quality products and veteran industry experts are an excellent complement to McWane's Valve and Hydrant Group."
McWane will invest in Waterman's production facility in Exeter to modernize operations with new equipment and best-in-class manufacturing processes to improve productivity, product delivery times, and team member safety. The company will also focus on improving communication and strengthening relationships with its customers, channel partners, and suppliers.
"McWane is excited to join the Exeter community with our purchase of Waterman, a recognized local leader for more than 100 years," said Olivier Marietta, Waterman's new general manager. "We will strengthen Waterman's commitment to be a cornerstone of the local community, a respected and leading employer, and a loyal long-term partner to our customers and channel partners."
About McWane Inc.
McWane, Inc. is a family-owned business based in Birmingham, Alabama, with companies across the U.S. and around the world. The McWane family of companies casts ductile iron products, including pipe, valves, hydrants, fittings and plumbing products, and manufactures fire extinguishers, fire suppression systems and steel pressure vessels. McWane is a leader in delivering clean, safe drinking water while focusing on safe, environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. With more than 7,000 team members, McWane has a longstanding commitment of supporting the communities where our team members live and work. For more information, visit mcwane.com.


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Book Catalogue
Hermetica: Volume Two
by Walter Scott
- Genre: Religion and Spirituality
- Collections:
First published in 1924, this classic four-volume work contains various Greek and Latin writings of religious or philosophic teachings ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus, with Walter Scott's extensive notes, commentary, and addenda. It is said that these teachings are records of private, intimate talks between a teacher and one or two of his disciples. The setting was in Egypt under the Roman Empire, among men who had received some instruction in Greek philosophy, and especially the Platonism of the period, but were not content with merely accepting and repeating the dogmas of the orthodox philosophic religion that would better satisfy their needs. Included here are the translator's notes on the twenty-eight libelli of the Corpus Hermeticum. Volumes I, III, and IV of Hermetica, which contain Scott's translation, his notes on the Latin Asclepius and the Hermetic excerpts of Stobaeus, and testimonia, addenda, and indices, are also published by Shambhala.
Keep shopping


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Accor Hotels
RBC Centre,
155 Wellington Street West, Suite 3300,
Toronto, Ontario


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The Ivory Baby is Back
After 30 years, Ivory is bringing back the baby. That baby, for those old enough to recall, was the featured element of the Ivory soap campaign. Those ads last appeared 30 years ago. So, in preparation for this launch, Ivory is having a sweepstakes to find the next new Ivory Baby.


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ORLANDO, Fla. – Kevin Durant cringes a little whenever he hears his name next to words like elite or superstar.
But after winning his first All-Star MVP award with a scoring display that ranked among the best in the game's history, even Durant might have to acknowledge his own NBA stardom.
The Oklahoma City Thunder forward scored 36 points and grabbed seven rebounds Sunday night to help the West hold off a late charge from the East in a 152-149 victory.
"It's just exciting to be named (an) All-Star, but to step it up another level and become MVP, it's only something as a kid you dream about," Durant said. "Coming from where I come from, I didn't think I would be here. Everything is just a blessing to me."
His performance was a small piece of All-Star redemption for Durant after he came up just short against Minnesota's Kevin Love in Saturday night's 3-point Shootout.
Durant dazzled with a scoring barrage that included jump shots, slashing layups and dunks to help the West open a 21-point lead. He even eclipsed West teammate Kobe Bryant, who scored 27 points and passed Michael Jordan to become the top career scorer in All-Star game history.
Durant said there was no special method to how he approached the game, but said he and West coach Scott Brooks did have a discussion back in Oklahoma City in which Durant let him know he didn't mind logging a high number of All-Star minutes.
Durant finished the night playing a game-high 37.
"I'm always like that," Durant said. "You know, every game I play in I try to be aggressive and be myself. It made it easier having my coaches over there, as well. ... People just sacrificed shots, and that's what you like to see from superstars."
Miami's Dwyane Wade said Durant will be a player to watch in future games.
"That record (Kobe) got, with KD in the league, I don't know how long it's going to last," Wade said.
Brooks said he's never amazed by the fifth-year player anymore.
"This is his first time of probably many," Brooks said of the MVP award. "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to coach him. The guy, he does a lot of things well. ... He just comes in and does his work."
Durant said Sunday's honor ranks high on his list of career achievements, including the gold medal he won at the world championships in 2010.
"It ranks right up there at the top," Durant said. "I keep saying it, but I'm excited I got it, and I'm glad I get to celebrate this with my family and my teammates and everybody in Oklahoma City. We'll see if I get another one down the line."


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Marketers see today's consumers as web-savvy, mobile-enabled data sifters who pounce on whichever brand or store offers the best deal. Brand loyalty, the thinking goes, is vanishing. In response, companies have ramped up their messaging, expecting that the more interaction and information they provide, the better the chances of holding on to these increasingly distracted and disloyal customers. But for many consumers, the rising volume of marketing messages isn't empowering—it's overwhelming. Rather than pulling customers into the fold, marketers are pushing them away with relentless and ill-conceived efforts to engage.
That's a key finding of Corporate Executive Board's multiple surveys of more than 7,000 consumers and interviews with hundreds of marketing executives and other experts around the world (for more detail, see the sidebar "About the Research"). Our study bored in on what makes consumers "sticky"—that is, likely to follow through on an intended purchase, buy the product repeatedly, and recommend it to others. We looked at the impact on stickiness of more than 40 variables, including price, customers' perceptions of a brand, and how often consumers interacted with the brand. The single biggest driver of stickiness, by far, was "decision simplicity"—the ease with which consumers can gather trustworthy information about a product and confidently and efficiently weigh their purchase options. What consumers want from marketers is, simply, simplicity.
About the Research
Consider the marketing activities of two digital camera brands. Brand A's search engine strategy is to pick up any consumers who are searching common digital camera terms and direct them to the company website. There they find extensive technical and feature information and 360-degree rotatable product photos, all organized and sortable by model. In stores, shelf labels list key technical attributes, such as megapixel rating and memory, and provide a QR code that takes consumers to a mobile version of the brand's website, where they can dig more deeply into product specifications.
Brand B's search engine strategy is to first understand the consumer's intent and where in the search process she is likely to be. Why does she want a camera? Is she just starting to look, or is she ready to buy? The company guides those in the early stages of investigation to third-party review sites (where its cameras get good marks) and directs consumers who are actively shopping to its own website. User reviews and ratings are front and center there, and a navigation tool lets consumers quickly find reviews that are relevant to their intended use of the camera (family and vacation photography, nature photography, sports photography, and so on). In stores, Brand B frames technical features in nontechnical terms. Instead of emphasizing megapixels and memory, for example, it says how many high-resolution photos fit on its memory card. The QR code on shelf displays leads to a simple app that simulates one of the camera's key differentiators, a photo-editing feature.
The highly detailed information Brand A provides at every step on the purchase path may instruct the consumer about a given camera's capabilities, but it does little to facilitate an easy decision. Brand B simplifies decision making by offering trustworthy information tailored to the consumer's individual needs, thus helping her traverse the purchase path quickly and confidently. Our research shows that customers considering both brands are likely to be dramatically more "sticky" toward Brand B.
Making Decisions Simple
For a marketing organization, what does it take to acquire sticky consumers?
Our study found that the best tool for measuring consumer-engagement efforts is the "decision simplicity index," a gauge of how easy it is for consumers to gather and understand (or navigate) information about a brand, how much they can trust the information they find, and how readily they can weigh their options. The easier a brand makes the purchase-decision journey, the higher its decision-simplicity score. Brands that scored in the top quarter in our study were 86% more likely than those in the bottom quarter to be purchased by the consumers considering them. They were 9% more likely to be repurchased and 115% more likely to be recommended to others.
Shifting the orientation toward decision simplicity and helping consumers confidently complete the purchase journey is a profound change, one that typically requires marketers to flex new muscles and rethink how they craft their communications. Some practical lessons can be drawn from brands that are leading the way. The processes of aiding navigation, building trust, and making it easier to weigh options often happen simultaneously, or at least aren't strictly linear, but for clarity we'll discuss them separately below.
What Consumers Really Want
Aiding navigation.
In demanding ever more attention from overloaded consumers, brands ultimately lead them down unnecessarily confusing purchase paths. Creating a more efficient path means minimizing the number of information sources consumers must touch while moving confidently toward a purchase. The savviest brands achieve this by personalizing the route.
This approach is especially foreign to marketers because in many cases the simplest, most confidence-inspiring learning path involves touchpoints that are outside a brand's direct control. Often what a consumer needs is not a flashy interactive experience on a branded microsite but a detailed exchange with users about the pros and cons of the product and how it would fit into the consumer's life.
Marketers face two practical challenges here. First, how can they detect where a given consumer is on the purchase path and what information she most needs? Second, how can they ensure that consumers they direct to third-party information sources will come back?
To answer the first question, frontier marketers are using big data and sophisticated analytics to map consumers' purchase paths. One electronics company has gathered data from four major sources—social media monitoring, ad-effectiveness and campaign-tracking information, clickstream analysis, and individual consumer surveys—to identify common purchase paths. It studies the resulting maps to determine the volume of traffic on various paths, which paths inspire the most confidence, which touchpoints are best suited to conveying which types of messages, and at what points consumers lose confidence or defect.
Too Much Information
Brands pursuing decision-simplicity strategies make full use of such information to assess where consumers are on the path and to direct them to the best touchpoints. Certain auto manufacturers, retailers, and travel brands have been sifting through consumer search data to learn how search terms and the type of search platform (say, mobile versus desktop) indicate consumer intent and position on the path. They've found, for example, that 70% of those using a mobile device to search are within a few hours of making a purchase, whereas 70% of those using a desktop are roughly a week away.
Moreover, by analyzing search terms, companies can discern what information the consumer most needs next. Someone who searches a general term like "luxury sedans" is at an early stage compared with someone who searches a specific phrase like "BMW vs Audi." Decision-simplicity marketers would guide the former to the latest auto reviews for their sedans and the latter to an enthusiastic owner community. If the late-phase consumer was using a mobile device (indicating that he was probably out and about), the search engine would serve up a paid link to a dealer locator with a click-to-call feature that enabled him to easily set up a test drive.
Building trust.
In the context of decision simplicity, "trust" isn't about trusting the brand; it's about trusting the information gathered. Marketers often miss this point and put their efforts into activating brand recommenders who simply focus on product features and benefits. Consumers also need information about an adviser's decision criteria and brand usage.
What does trusted advice look like? Consider the current "haul video" phenomenon among teenage girls. After shopping at a mall, many girls upload YouTube videos of themselves talking about their haul (purchases). In the videos, they discuss not just what they bought but also why, and how they plan to mix their new items with the rest of their wardrobe. This takes the complicated world of teen clothing and accessories—a world fraught with danger from shifting trends and overwhelming choice—and simplifies it, by showcasing fashionable peers who offer trustworthy guidance. In essence, the "hauler" cuts through the seemingly infinite options and provides decision-making criteria. J.C. Penney and American Eagle have capitalized on the phenomenon by hosting unbiased haulers on their sites and in their digital communications. Neither retailer requires that the haulers show only brands purchased at its store, and the haulers are transparent about their links to the companies (Penney, for instance, gives its star haulers gift cards).
Information about the adviser also helps build trust. Disney has done an outstanding job in this regard with its Walt Disney World Moms Panel. A selected group of Disney World veteran moms answer questions from consumers who are planning Disney vacations. In one recent case, a consumer asked about good viewing places for the parade; she had two children who wouldn't be able to stand the whole time. She got perfectly tailored advice from Jackie S. With 25 Disney World trips under her belt, Jackie has the experience to make her information credible. Consumers can get a further sense of her reliability by reviewing her profile on the Disney World website and reading about her family, her hometown, and even how she met her husband. Such details matter: They help consumers assess the trustworthiness of the advice they're getting and allow them to judge how well that advice applies to their own situations.
The lesson for marketers: Build cadres of trustworthy advisers rather than simply developing recommenders who will push the brand. Then aggregate their advice and make it easy for consumers to discover and use it, as J.C. Penney—whose haul videos get hundreds of thousands of views—so successfully does.
Making it easier to weigh options.
To help consumers evaluate choices, most brands describe their differentiating features and benefits. Some go a step further, offering buying guides containing side-by-side brand or product comparisons. For example, a bank might compile a catalog of its checking account options that lists the features of each one. Both approaches provide lots of information, but neither offers much guidance, leaving the consumer as confused as ever about the "best" choice.
Brands need to take a different tack. Except in cases of low-value products, consumers increasingly expend most of their effort learning about and weighing their choices. For items costing more than $50, a quarter of customers report that most of their effort is spent on product research. About 20% say that most of their effort is spent on comparison shopping.
The marketer's goal is to help customers feel confident about their choice. Just providing more information often doesn't help. Instead, marketers need to provide tools that allow customers to identify and weigh the features that are most relevant to them. A classic example is De Beers's use of the "4 Cs" (cut, color, clarity, and carat) to frame the complex and often vexing comparison of diamonds. The 4 Cs simplify the buying decision by giving consumers confidence that they are weighing the essential features of the diamonds they're considering and making an informed choice.
However, many brands have made the weighing process harder by introducing a dizzying array of SKUs. Crest's website, for example, details 35 types of toothpaste. Although a consumer can sort them according to a few characteristics—"flavor experience," "dentist inspired," "fresh breath," "classic"—there's little to help her figure out which features are most important to her and which paste is her best choice. Are "dentist-inspired" pastes better in her case than "classic" pastes? Buying guides of this sort make the mistake of appearing to offer guidance while actually complicating the decision process.
Marketers, especially those with an abundance of SKUs, need to help customers control the weighing process. Herbal Essences does a good job with an online decision guide to its shampoos. The guide provides substantial detail but also makes narrowing and tailoring one's choice an easy, transparent, step-by-step process. One-click questions about hair type, length, and texture (straight, short, fine, thick) and other needs (color treatment, volume) allow the visitor to rapidly sort through more than three dozen offerings to find the ideal one.
Many brands lead consumers down confusing purchase paths. The savviest ones simplify and personalize the route.
Technology can also address consumers' weighing woes by allowing them to sidestep the process altogether. Consumers are likely to feel confident about recommendations that are based on their own purchasing data or other past behavior, because those things are typically accurate gauges of preference. ShoeDazzle.com and JustFab.com—clubs for shoe lovers—collect "personality" information on each member, such as favorite fashion icons and general shoe preferences (heel size, color, and so on) and tailor suggestions accordingly. The Spanish bank BBVA makes personalized recommendations for financial products after assessing individual consumers' spending behavior—as reflected in credit card histories and questionnaires—and comparing that behavior with the spending of peers. In each case, the company eliminates much if not all of the hassle of weighing choices by providing a likely best choice at the outset.
Putting It Together
No company that we know of has fully integrated the three components of a decision-simplicity strategy—but Intuit is among those out in front. Consider its software product TurboTax. Tax prep is complex, and consumers have a range of options, from accountants to software programs to pencil and paper. Within software itself, there's a potentially bewildering array of choices. Intuit has made a concerted effort to simplify those choices by helping consumers navigate, trust, and weigh information along the path to purchase, as we'll describe below. Christine Morrison, the head of social media at TurboTax, says, "We've seen dozens of areas where simplifying decisions for consumers pays big dividends."
TurboTax created a customer forum, called TurboTax Live Community, where visitors can ask product, tax, and support questions and share information. It contains a database of answers provided by customers and experts. To ensure relevance, an algorithm serves up the five most common answers to a given question. For example, a user on the mortgage-deductions screen will find answers to questions about deduction limits and how to calculate deductions for the purchase of a house. TurboTax users don't pay for the software until they file their taxes; Live Community helps drive conversion by shepherding consumers through the tax-prep process to completion, providing the right information at the moment it's needed. To date more than 12 million users have engaged with the community.
Intuit provides more than 160,000 unfiltered user reviews and ratings on the TurboTax website and helps consumers find the most relevant ones. The ratings range from one star to five; the inclusion of low ratings boosts consumers' confidence, showing them that Intuit isn't cherry-picking its reviews. Consumers can use the "folks like you" tool to sort evaluations according to reviewers' marital status, life situations, and major tax events. They can find reviews written by friends or family by connecting to Facebook or Twitter—TurboTax encourages customers to post on either site when they've completed their taxes, and the postings constitute what are in effect consumer-generated, highly trusted banner ads. The conversion rate of those ads is 30% higher than that of TurboTax's regular banner advertising.
Weighing options.
The TurboTax home page shows basic product choices arrayed side by side for easy comparison. It includes a "help me choose" function that allows consumers to go through a 30-second "check the boxes that apply" exercise. This not only guides them to the product most suited to them but also shows why that product is their best choice.
In addition, Intuit lets consumers filter user reviews by prior tax-prep method so that they can read what reviewers with similar tax-prep histories have said about switching to TurboTax. This helps them answer the question "What would it be like to change to TurboTax from what I use now?"
Given the rapid expansion of social and mobile technologies, marketers will have ever-increasing opportunities to bombard consumers. And if history is any guide, that's exactly what they'll do. But in their aggressive efforts to engage with their customers, they'll only make the decision journey more complex and confusing. Marketers who focus on simplifying consumers' decision making will rise above the din, and their customers will stick by them as a result.


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The last couple of weeks were quite exciting in the Mozilla Auckland office: interns Michael Ventnor and Brian Birtles started, and new hire Jonathan Kew was visiting. Michael has been working on bugs related to text-shadow and box-shadow, and is looking for more GTK integration projects. Brian will be working on SMIL. Jonathan is working on text and fonts; his current project is implementing Core Text integration for Mac while fixing some blocker bugs on the side. Everyone else is busy with their usual stuff; Karl just landed downloadable fonts support for GTK/Pango on trunk.
On Friday we went out for a Christmas-y dinner bash at Al Dente.


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Four years after J. J. Abrams rebooted Gene Roddenberry's original television show, the youthful crew of the original NCC–1701 have again taken to space in Star Trek Into Darkness. As is now our tradition, my father and I attended the film's opening night. Two hours later, I left the theater feeling a way no other movie had ever left me: overwhelmed. The layers, implications, and consequences of the Enterprise's latest mission are too complex to be boiled down into a simple recommendation. Although I do wholeheartedly recommend this film, it's not enough to say that it's a good film, as it's much more than that.
I'd walked into the movie having successfully avoided all trailers, teasers, rumors, and revelations. I cannot promise I will do the same in this review, so proceed with caution. For example, the latest trailer has a single word that would've ruined for me the identity of the antagonist, which some might consider an already poorly kept secret — but even as I watched the film, I was never sure of myself right up until the big reveal. It would be impossible to comment on the film without including that moment.
More broadly than those specifics, it's important to first acknowledge that this is no longer Roddenberry's Star Trek. Some have criticized Abrams for dumbing down Star Trek from its ideological origins into a generic action-packed blockbuster. But with these two films, Star Trek has undergone a natural evolution from philosophy defined to philosophy realized. Star Trek is no longer about debates around tables and in turbolifts, as it so often was in The Next Generation, a series I adored. Now it is about making difficult decisions in the heat of the moment — and dealing with the consequences. The most talkative we see this crew of the Enterprise is Kirk's confrontation with Scotty, which does not go the way either Scotty or the audience expected; the look on his face says, "Did we really just pull the pin on this grenade?" Other conflicts, such as Uhura and Spock's spat, seem almost comically timed and forced. But even these moments move the story and the characters forward through challenging times. Just because the set has moved from a conference room to the heat of battle does not make the decisions any less difficult.
That gravity is carried by the excellent acting of the cast. Although the credits list the actors in alphabetical order, implying an ensemble cast, it is very much Kirk and Spock's show. Most everyone else gets their chances to shine: Scotty is integral to the plot; Bones and Uhura have some fantastic scenes; and Sulu's moment in the spotlight is the first time I've seen a hint of the man who will eventually captain the U.S.S. Excelsior. Chekov, unfortunately, is mostly wasted in this episode, serving as a poor substitute for Scotty. But the movie is ultimately about Kirk and Spock's friendship and their diametrical approaches to situations, as indicated by McCoy's answer to Kirk's early question, "If you were here, Spock, what would you do?" The returning cast is joined by Alice Eve (Men In Black 3) as Carol, Peter Weller (RoboCop) as Admiral Marcus, and Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) as John Harrison.
John Harrison? Yes, that is the name of our villain, at least at first. His early act of terrorism was brutally unwelcome here in Boston, where we had just suffered a similar tragedy. From there, his actions are pettier than I'd expect. His escape to the Klingon homeworld gave us a first glimpse at this re-imagined alien race, but they are otherwise a red herring. Harrison was neither conspiring with them nor enticing the Enterprise into a war with them. Given those missed opportunities, what was he going to do on Qo'noS — hide? It seems an unfitting and unambitious fate for the tyrant he eventually reveals himself to be. Had he succeeded, we might once again have had a movie where Kirk and Khan never come face-to-face — a missed opportunity from the 1982 film, finally realized in 2013.
Cumberbatch's character is one of the film's many ties to the known Star Trek timeline. Another is Section 31, the brief mention of which elicited a gasp from this long-time fan. It indicates a familiarity with Star Trek lore, both the unaltered timeline that precedes Nero's incursion — Section 31, although introduced in Deep Space Nine, was alive and well in the age of Captain Archer — and the implications of what it could become in the future. The same occurs with the introduction of Carol Marcus: her introduction to Kirk produced little unique chemistry, but we know what it could become.
But no character, alien, or organization carried as much weight as a scene revisited from The Wrath of Khan. Kirk's rescue of the Enterprise came so suddenly that, when I realized what was happening, it hit me like a ton of bricks. "Not again!" I despaired. Leonard Nimoy's Spock had just said that Khan was defeated "at great cost" — a heavy statement: how many people can reflect on their own deaths, then be chilled by the knowledge that their murderer has risen from the grave? Now here we are, seeing it happen again, this time with Kirk as the human sacrifice. The captain who'd started the film with the proud proclamation of having never lost a member of his crew had more than a perfect record in mind; the agony with which he had, moments ago, apologized to the bridge for what he thought was their ultimate defeat was palpable. Kirk cares for every member of his ship as much as he cares for Spock — the latter being a friendship that is no less weighty for having been witnessed across only two films instead of two decades, as it was the last time Khan threatened the Enterprise. Kirk bookends the film by saving Spock's life, and the evolution we see is in Spock's reaction: from a detached betrayal of his captain to Starfleet, to a vengeance-fueled hunt his friend's killer. Through Kirk's selflessness, Spock has gotten in touch with the best and worst of his own humanity.
This scene, combined with using Khan as the film's protagonist, may suggest an unoriginality among the scriptwriters. Four years ago, Khan seemed the least likely candidate for the sequel, lest Abrams walk the same cinematic path laid out in decades past. But critics clamoring for this new generation of Star Trek to go on an original adventure need look only four years to the past, when the Romulan Nero arrived on the scene.
By contrast, this sequel is not a rehashing of an old plot but rather a brilliant exploration of destiny. How much of these characters' fates are their own to decide? Are Kirk and crew destined to always clash with Khan, no matter how much the circumstances may change? Just how far-reaching are the effects of Nero's destruction of Vulcan? The exhumation of the SS Botany Bay is a small change with dramatic consequences. Will the next film continue referring to the pivotal moment in time when a villain from the future set a new course for the galaxy?
With the full weight of Star Trek's history behind this movie, it is hard for me to say if this sequel is as much meant for a general audience as the 2009 reboot was. You can get away without knowing what Section 31 is, or who Carol Marcus becomes — but is Khan a good villain on his own merits? There is no reference to the Eugenics Wars, which may be too much backstory for one film to deliver, lest it become the preachy Trek it is trying to move away from. Not only his origin, but also his ambition, may be lost on an audience that is not as likely to respond to Khan's identity with "Holy crap!" than they are with "Who?"
For those filmgoers who take this film as just another summer blockbuster, there's still plenty to enjoy on just that level, and plenty to gripe about, too. As with any Trek (or even sci-fi in general), there are plenty of plot holes and technological inconsistencies. Some were elegantly addressed: when I wondered how Khan could beam himself to Qo'noS, they tied back into the 2009 film with a reference to Scotty's transwarp beaming technique, a direct result of Nero's temporal incursion. But then the question becomes: why send the Enterprise to Qo'noS when they could just beam there? Of course, the choice to plot a course into enemy territory furthered Admiral Marcus' agenda, but it still seems an oversight. Also, I think the film may've addressed this, but is within an explosive device the smartest place for Khan to have hidden his family? And, even if the Eugenics Wars was two hundred years ago, shouldn't at least one member of Starfleet have studied enough history to recognize the leader of the Augments? Or was plastic surgery part of Khan's transformation into John Harrison, that he might work alongside Section 31 without revealing the depths to which Admiral Marcus had plumbed for inspiration?
Still, most other scenes can be neatly explained. Marcus sharing the secret of Section 31 with Kirk seemed a faux pas, but I suspect Marcus never expected Kirk to come back from his next mission, taking the truth of the clandestine group's existence to his grave. The explosion of the 72 torpedoes first seemed heartless and cruel, especially given McCoy's involvement — what happened to "First do no harm"? When Kirk learned that the Augments had been extracted, his response took the words right out of my mouth: "I'll be damned." And the use of Khan's blood to save Kirk (which has its own implications for the future of Star Trek — is there anything Augment blood can't cure?) was foreshadowed not only by the tribble's resurrection, but also by the cure for the diseased girl, which was likely a dose of the same elixir. And sure, we knew Kirk wouldn't die, not so early in Pine's career in the role. But if only the admirable Pike had been afforded so heroic a death, or at least the peaceful one we can assume he was granted in the original timeline, rather than gunned down in cold blood — even if the latter was necessary to provide Kirk the drive to go after Harrison.
Whatever level you view this film on, it has special significance for its core audience. For someone who has seen all 726 episodes and 12 movies and read dozens of novels of Star Trek, I cannot take what J.J. Abrams has done here lightly. It is a powerful combination of fan service and creative license — a message of "I will use what you like, but you may not like how I use it." I almost cannot render judgment without seeing what comes next. Will Abrams continue to rely on the familiar, remixing it in unexpected ways? Or will he contribute something wholly original to the Trek universe? In a sense, he has already gone boldly, with his direction and pacing of this action-packed sequel. What more lies far beyond the stars for the Enterprise and her fans to discover?


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Are you at risk for diabetic eye disease? Find out what you can do to protect your eyesight.Read more
Welcome to our Newsletter Library!
Here, you will find our collection of informative newsletters that cover a variety of important eye health and vision topics. These complimentary newsletters are provided so that you may improve your vision understanding and learn more about the fascinating abilities of our eyes!
Are you at risk for diabetic eye disease? Find out what you can do to protect your eyesight.Read more
Are your eyes red, dry or itchy after spending time outside? Air pollution may be the cause.Read more
Do you experience frequent headaches, double vision or motion sickness? You may benefit from a visit to a vision therapist.Read more
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These common age-related eye conditions can affect your vision.Read more
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Are you at risk for surfer's eye? You don't need to be an avid surfer to experience this problem. This condition may occur if you spend a lot of time outdoors.Read more
Think it's just a coincidence that your vision changed since you've been pregnant? These six vision problems are more likely to affect pregnant women.Read more
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Situation: Lt. Col. Lawford's New Prison
Location: Kota-Ki-Bandahar Village
Pukka (1st rate) images if you click on them twice husoor (lord)
Trooper: "Da Colonel."
I can´t wait to see what happens next!! :-)
Some outstanding vistas there. They have a very authentic feel to them, esp the over bridge village shot of Kota-Ki-Bandahar.
Very nice work Gallia and thanks for sharing. I'll be back :)
my WFB Gallery
my Battle Reports
my WFB blog
Now is it me, or does that hussar look like (s)he has a fairly impressive embonpoint????? :o))
Marvelous! (as usual)
One wonders if she might be related to the Lady DeWinter? Maybe a daughter carrying on the mother's work?
marvelous work, as usual!
Wonderful terrain, story and figures! I agree, there's more to that hussar than meets the eye...
Thank you Everyone!,
For your kind and very interesting remarks. The hussar will appear soon - dismounted. Meanwhile...
I am respectfully yours,
Nice terrain I wish all the figures bases were flocked though.


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When you get traffic from traffic sources like Add Words or Facebook CPM or use any other ad network for your digital advertising such as banner advertising, popunders, in app video ads or any type of online, visually-based ad, and Targeting Niche Style you can use the CPM, CPV (cost per view), EPV (earnings per view) and CTR (click through rate) numbers to figure out if you are getting a decent CPC. CPC is easy to calculate: If you spend $1 to get 1,000 impressions ($1 CPM) and you get 10 clicks (effective 1 percent CTR), then you paid $1 CPM and received a $0.10 CPC.
The Top Ad Networks allow you using dynamic URL tags. These are special tokens you can use in the URL field when buying traffic and creating a CPM marketing campaign that will be replaced with the actual information e.g. Targeting Niche 'Style' during the adserving process. Instead of Targeting Niche there could be any other token from this list below or even a combination of various tokens:
- [ISPID] – ID of ISP of visitor,
- [ISPNAME] – Name of ISP of visitor,
- [COUNTRY] – country of the visitor.
- [BID] – CPM price of the impression.
- [SCREENRESOLUTION] – Detected screen resolution of the visitor,
- [OSNAME] – Operating System name, for example Windows 8.1,
- [BROWSERNAME] – Browser name, for example Firefox 32,
- [DEVICENAME] – Name of the device that visitor uses to browse the Internet, for example Apple iPhone,
- [OSID] – ID of Operating System (for future use),
- [BROWSERID] – ID of Browser (for future use),
- [DEVICEID] – ID of Device (for future use),
- [IP] – IP address of the visitor (used for XML feeds).
For example, if you buy traffic from a lead source or an advertising network and drive that traffic to http://www.yourlandingpage.com/track.php?countryid=[COUNTRYID] these platforms will normally change the token into actual value. Here's a populated link just as an example: http://www.yourlandingpage.com/track.php?Targeting Niche ID=Style .
Later you can use Website targeting option to block and blacklist under-performing websites and/or you can create campaigns targeted towards the best performing whitelisted ones.
You may also arrange rules using these tokens in your tracking system. E.g.: If Targeting Niche equals Style then redirect to some other page. Off page cloaking is one of the main reasons to apply such rules.
Display ad networks will also provide Smart CPM – a bid system that helps you to reach more traffic within the same Max Bid by realtime monitoring of bidding market and your bidding position and adjusting bidding parameters for each auction.
Consider These Traffic Sources Other Than Google
Normally you enter each traffic auction (separate for each impression) with the Max Bid you set for your campaign. In case you are the highest bidder, you will be charged 1085c44a757c1d99481416dfaa0b97e9102e58e03b9c8c880e522f00914f1b62fc more than the next bidder in line, but not more than your Max Bid. For example, if you offer 0.005 as your max bid and there are two other bidders, the bidding line might look like this:
0.005 – your bid 0.003 – some other advertiser's bid 0.0025 – some other advertiser's bid
In such case you are winning the impression, as you are the highest bidder. You will be charged 1085c44a757c1d99481416dfaa0b97e9102e58e03b9c8c880e522f00914f1b62fc more than the next bidder in line, that is 1.10*0.003 = 0.0033. Because of that, your average traffic CPM rate will usually be below your Max Bid multiplied by 1000.
Whereas the Smart Bid system helps you to reach more traffic within the same Max Bid by real-time monitoring of bidding market and your bidding position and adjusting bidding parameters for each auction. It is based on the regular bidding system and that is how your campaign will start. Once it starts getting traffic, Smart CPM will monitor your campaign average CPM bid and compare it with your Max Bid.
If on average you are spending less than your Max Bid per impression, Smart CPM bidding will start increasing Max Bid for part of auctions to win traffic you would have not won with normal Bidding. Let's take the example from regular bidding system – you are bidding 0.005 and you are spending 0.0033 on average which brings you 100k impressions per day (sample value). Smart CPM will notice it and might for example increase your max bid to 0.007 for 5085c44a757c1d99481416dfaa0b97e9102e58e03b9c8c880e522f00914f1b62fc of auctions delivering you another 100k impressions per day. Still, your average CPM rate will stay below or around $5.00 CPM.
Butt the Smart CPM bidding system is far more advanced than that. It monitors your campaign continuously and increases the Max Bid boosting little by little to ensure that you get maximal traffic within your Max Bid setting. To work, Smart CPM Bidding needs to have certain level of traffic speed first to correctly analyse data. If the campaign is winning less than 30 auctions in five minutes, it will not be able to work. It will also need some time to correctly adjust parameters – the faster your campaign is getting traffic, the faster and more accurately Smart Bid system can adjust bidding parameters.
Ad Networks For Small Advertisers
In the marketing world, mobile advertising is the way of the future. Advertising through this medium is similar to advertising online although the potential target is much greater. In 2017 the number of mobile phones in the world totalled over 4.77 billion. Computers totalled less than a quarter of that. With $223.74 billion in 2017 the amount spent on mobile advertising is around 38.385c44a757c1d99481416dfaa0b97e9102e58e03b9c8c880e522f00914f1b62fc of total advertising budgets. Media for mobile phones is quickly evolving. Approximately 9085c44a757c1d99481416dfaa0b97e9102e58e03b9c8c880e522f00914f1b62fc of the United States population owns a cell phone according to CTIA, the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry.
Mobile advertising has really taken off in countries like Spain, France and Japan. In Japan, 4485c44a757c1d99481416dfaa0b97e9102e58e03b9c8c880e522f00914f1b62fc of mobile phone users click on ads they receive via their phones. There are several forms of mobile ads from web banners to SMS advertising to advertising within applications and games. Other forms include audio or video recordings that play while interacting with different services. You can get free instant access to the best mobile marketing newsletter.
According to Mashable, an online guide to social media and one of the top ten blogs worldwide, trends to watch in mobile advertising include:
– Innovations through in app advertising
– Advancements with rich forms of media like sound, gaming and video
– Mobile applications or mobile websites
– Geo-location as an advertising tool
– The role of mobile video
– Innovations through SMS
The Role of Mobile Video
Internet video consumption has experienced a huge growth with today's internet users. Because of this trend with internet video, marketers assume that mobile video will also experience a huge growth. Cisco, a worldwide leader in networking, believes that the use of video will occupied about 6685c44a757c1d99481416dfaa0b97e9102e58e03b9c8c880e522f00914f1b62fc of mobile traffic in 2013.
Mobile advertising has definitely caught marketers attention and the amount spent on advertising is growing. Marketers can measure the effectiveness of mobile ad campaigns by the number of views and clicks as well as other interactive tools.
Mobile Advertising – A Smart Strategy For Any Business


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Baby Bling - Knot Bows
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What can we say about the best-selling headband of all time?! The design of the KNOT appeals to everyone because of its simplicity. It is so easy to dress up or keep casual. It can survive the bottom of a diaper bag like not many other pretty things can. Available in a wide variety of colors, you can never have too many! The KNOT is ONE SIZE FITS ALL, it can fit a newborn baby all the way up to an adult! Our headbands are so soft and stretchy they are designed to grow with your rapidly growing babe.


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Shopkeepers were sceptical at first, but they now say the scheme is a great success.I had not realized that peseta currency "can still be converted today, but only at the Bank of Spain itself".
People are travelling into Mugardos from outside just to spend the old currency they never got round to converting.
One man visited the local hardware store this week with a 10,000-peseta note he had found at home, and had no idea what to do with.
He is now the happy owner of a sandwich toaster.
(via Marginal Revolution. The coin image is public domain; from Wikipedia.)