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Why Metro now rules at Microsoft
The tile-based user interface created for Windows Phone has moved to the core of Microsoft's consumer offerings. Now, Microsoft has to make sure it doesn't muddy Metro's clear design.
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer told you all you really need to know about the importance of the company's Metro user interface at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month.
Ballmer's keynote speech was a virtual Metro-palooza. He showed the sleek, tile-based interface in Windows Phones. And then he displayed it again in the upcoming Windows 8 operating system. It made another appearance in a demo of the released version of Xbox Live. The Metro rectangles even found their way in his Power Point slides.
"Metro will drive the new magic across all of our user experiences," Ballmer said in Las Vegas. "So, in 2012 what's next? Metro, Metro, Metro."
Not bad for a user interface that really came together in roughly a month in early 2009 when Microsoft decided to ditch its uninspired Windows Mobile business and try something new. The company assembled a team of top user experience designers at the company to come up with something that could compete with appeal of Apple's iOS and Google's Android, while being uniquely Microsoft.
The group, though, didn't just piece together the core of the new Windows Phone interface. It came up with design principles that have become the cornerstone of the new look and feel of Microsoft's key consumer offerings.
"It's an ethos," said Albert Shum, general manager of Windows Phone Brand & Design Studio.
The fact that Metro has moved far beyond Windows Phone is all the more remarkable since its lineage can be traced back to the much-maligned Zune digital music player, which foundered against the oceanic force of Apple's iPod. But the sleek and simple user interface won kudos from reviewers when the Zune HD debuted, even if consumers largely ignored the product. The Metro designers also drew on work done years earlier in Microsoft's Encarta encyclopedia software and its Windows Media Center interface.
Microsoft still has a battle to get consumers, who continue to buy boatloads more iPhones and Android devices, to embrace Windows Phones. In the fourth quarter, it lost a point of market share, accounting for a paltry 4.7 percent of sales in the United States, according to ComScore. But reviewers have praised the Metro look as being different, not derivative.
"It was fresh," said Bill Flora, one of the key leaders on the team that created Metro. "It wasn't Apple."
Metro takes its design cues from way-finding graphics used in transportation signs. The bold, clear lettering and iconography are key to helping commuters find their way to subways and air travelers navigate to their boarding gates. Shum, Flora, and the others on the team believed that focus on clarity and readability would be crucial to the new interface.
The group came up with a look with plenty of white space, recognizing that clutter only confuses users. It also did away with chrome, the frame that separates one app from another on a screen, realizing that the decoration around the app detracts from the experience of using the program. It used a Microsoft-developed typeface called Segoe that forgoes flourishes and is easy to read. And it relies on animations that roll screens away as users navigate through the interface, for example, giving them context about where they're going or where they've been.
"For consumers used to iPhones and iPads, trying to go with a subpar experience isn't going to work," said Michael Gartenberg, research director at industry analyst Gartner. "Microsoft needed to up its game and it has. It has an extremely functional design and it doesn't look like anything on the market."
That's high praise for a company that's long had an engineering culture and left design to the tail end of the development process. But market dynamics have changed, and Apple, more than any other company, has proven that design matters.
"To make great products, you've got to connect with consumers," Shum said.
Metro: 'A design revolution at Microsoft'
The clarity of Metro gave Microsoft a new way to think about approaching all of its consumer offerings. Microsoft executives quickly latched onto the design as a way to create a familiar experience across all of its offerings. It's a point the team pushed in a book they handed out to Microsoft employees and partners in 2010 to help guide them in using Metro in their own applications.
"What you hold in your hands is a new beginning," the book reads. "Think of it as a design revolution at Microsoft. These are our principles and our assets, together in one place for the first time."
Managers in other Microsoft groups embraced the new design language.
"They really craved some leadership, some guidance," said Flora, an 19-year Microsoft vet who left the software giant in September to start Tectonic, a user experience design firm in Seattle.
Metro made its debut outside of Windows Phone in Xbox Live two months ago. The Xbox team incorporated the Live Tiles, animated blocks that take the place of application icons, into the new interface. The various hubs on the service--such as "video," "games," and "music"--are written in Segoe. And they've added gesture controls, similar to the swipes the Windows Phone customers use to navigate their devices, to the Xbox interface when gamers interact with it using the motion-sensing Kinect controller.
The biggest bet on Metro, though, will come later this year when Microsoft is expected to launch Windows 8. The company's franchise product has put Metro at its core. Users will still be able to find the traditional Windows user interface in Windows 8 on PCs. But users of touch screen devices running the operating system will have Metro front and center. What's more, Microsoft is encouraging developers to create applications using the Metro principles for the new PC operating system.
Microsoft is gambling that it can claw its way into the tablet business, in large part on the strength of Metro's touch interface. There is little that's more important at Microsoft. PC sales are slowing. And tablets, notably Apple's iPad, are experiencing huge growth and handling tasks that had once been the province of PCs. Microsoft needs Metro to succeed for it to be a factor in the tablet business.
"The question is how well is it going to work on a tablet device," Gartner's Gartenberg said. The answer is still unclear.
As Metro rolls out widely, it faces another challenge--the risk that the clear design principles that Microsoft imbued it with will get muddied by those jumping onto the bandwagon. Internally, there may be pressure to grasp onto Metro to help push products forward, even if developers don't fully appreciate the Metro philosophy. After all, Ballmer has positioned Metro as what's next for the company.
At the same time, external developers will bring their own interpretations to Metro, for better and worse. While Metro apps will go through a review process, Microsoft has incentive not to be overly draconian about restricting developers. That's because the platform still has a long way to go to catch up with competing offerings from Apple and Google.
The company is working hard to be crystal clear about the design principles, even as it lets developers interpret the design language in a way that suits their applications. The Metro principles aren't rigid. But Microsoft is clear about what Metro isn't. It's not a bunch of rectangles with big type, said Sam Moreau, director of user experience for Windows, Windows Live and Internet Explorer.
"We think of it as a philosophy," Moreau said. "We think we're at the beginning of something."


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Finally, La Nina's days are numbered, and its expression in the ocean and atmosphere are beginning to fade. In two months, it should be history, which is fortunately for us in the NW, where it brings cool, wet weather.
Here it is. The cold anomaly (a sign of La Nina is rapidly fading)

subset: commoncrawl


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Yesterday, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act which funds the Pentagon and military operations for 2013 to the tune of $633 billion.
The vote was 315-107, but the final draft must still be approved by the Senate.
The Senate version included an amendment that was supposed to protect Americans against indefinite military detention. That amendment was reportedly scrubbed from the final House version of the NDAA.
The Feinstein Amendment provided that:
an authorization to use military force, a declaration of war, or any similar authority shall not authorize the detention without charge or trial of a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States unless an act of Congress expressly authorizes such detention.
Some have argued that the NDAA 2012 act of Congress negates this amendment making it impotent to begin with. However, this amendment apparently stated Americans' rights too clearly, so the House had to rewrite it in legalese.
Spokespeople for the Senate said the amendment was replaced with the following language:
Nothing in the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107–40; 50 U.S.C. 1541) or the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 112–81) shall be construed to deny the availability of the writ of habeas corpus or to deny any Constitutional rights in a court ordained or established by or under Article III of the Constitution to any person inside the United States who would be entitled to the availability of such writ or to such rights in the absence of such laws.
Some say this convoluted form does nothing to protect a right to trial for detained Americans.
"This language doesn't do anything of substance," said Raha Wala, a lawyer at Human Rights First. "It doesn't ban indefinite detention within the United States or change anything about existing law."
Senator Rand Paul, who has been outspoken against indefinite detention, eviscerated the new wording and blamed Senator McCain for the change:
'The decision by the NDAA conference committee, led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to strip the National Defense Authorization Act of the amendment that protects American citizens against indefinite detention now renders the entire NDAA unconstitutional,' Sen. Paul said.
'I voted against NDAA in 2011 because it did not contain the proper constitutional protections. When my Senate colleagues voted to include those protections in the 2012 NDAA through the Feinstein-Lee Amendment last month, I supported this act,' Sen. Paul continued.
'But removing those protections now takes us back to square one and does as much violence to the Constitution as last year's NDAA. When the government can arrest suspects without a warrant, hold them without trial, deny them access to counsel or admission of bail, we have shorn the Bill of Rights of its sanctity.
Saying that new language somehow ensures the right to habeas corpus – the right to be presented before a judge – is both questionable and not enough. Citizens must not only be formally charged but also receive jury trials and the other protections our Constitution guarantees. Habeas corpus is simply the beginning of due process. It is by no means the whole.
Our Bill of Rights is not something that can be cherry-picked at legislators' convenience. When I entered the United States Senate, I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. It is for this reason that I will strongly oppose passage of the McCain conference report that strips the guarantee to a trial by jury.' (Source)
It's unclear who pulled the amendment from the House version, but the White House likely pressured Congress to change it. Immediately following the passage of the amendment, the White House threatened to veto the bill citing it "limits his ability to pursue his defense strategy and trespasses on his power."
Other activist groups are encouraging the President to veto the bill over restrictions placed on dealing with Guantanamo detainees.
Now that the bill is back to being as tyrannical as it can be for the American people, we can expect President Obama to once again sign it into law under the cover of darkness like he did last year late New Year's Eve.


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Seibertron.com - The Ultimate Transformers Fansite
Amazon wrote:From: firstname.lastname@example.com
Subject: Your Amazon.com order
Date: June 28, 2011 6:55:28 AM EDT
Cc: firstname.lastname@example.com
Due to a lack of availability from our suppliers, we will not be able to obtain the following item(s) from your order:
Steve Jablonsky "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon"
We've cancelled the item(s) and apologize for the inconvenience.
Please visit the product detail pages above to see if these items are available from other sellers.
If you took advantage of a promotional offer when placing this order, this cancellation may affect your order's eligibility for that offer. If this is the case, please contact customer service:
If we determine that you should still receive the offer, we'll reimburse you for the value of the promotional discount. (This will not apply if all items in the order were cancelled.)
Your credit card will NOT BE CHARGED for this item because you only pay for items when we ship them to you.
Your order is now closed.
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Razorclaw0000 wrote:I definitely want the score on physical disk. I've got the first two physically.
Return to Transformers Live Action Film Forum
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"Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Prob'ly die in a small town
Oh, those small – communities"
— Small Town, John Mellencamp
While "Social-Mobile-Local" is certainly an overused buzz phrase, most of the attention has been placed on the "social" and "mobile" parts of the phrase. In social, the spectacular rise of Facebook and Twitter is clearly a disruptive and critical trend. In mobile, the adoption of the smartphone (led by Apple's iPhone and now catapulted forward by Android) is also a fundamentally important platform transition. Much less attention has been paid to the third concept, "local," which is ironic since it may be a much larger real business opportunity than either social media or Smartphone application revenue. Over the next five years, this massive opportunity will come into focus as local businesses embrace the Internet and adopt new interactive technologies that increasingly automate the connections between their customers and themselves.
A Huge Opportunity
The attached slide will look familiar to readers in Silicon Valley. It appears to be a disruptive, up-and-to-the-right graph that we normally associate with break-out technology companies. This slide, however, maps the rise of the Yellow Pages industry in North America from 1920 to 2007. As you can see, the Yellow Pages business saw incredible revenue growth as the phone became the key point of connectivity for interaction with local business. At its peak in 2007, the North American Yellow Pages business topped out somewhere between $14-16 billion, depending on the source.
Total local advertising and promotion is much larger than just the Yellow Pages. A separate analysis done by Advertising Age, suggests that in 2007, local U.S. businesses spent around $123 billion annually on local media. However, starting in 2008, this market began to materially erode. Why? Newspapers, magazines, local radio, and Yellow Pages represent about 80% of this spend, and the rise of the Internet is unquestionably undermining the core structure of these industries. Since 2007, Yellow Pages revenues have fallen in half in five years, after taking 87 years to reach their peak. Many newspapers have closed, and others teeter on the edge of bankruptcy. This is not at all shocking. We know that consumers are using these products less frequently every day. The Yellow Pages business itself suffers from a terminal disease.
If you think back to five years ago, the small business owner was clearly an Internet skeptic. People would say things like "you should have a web site," but for most local business owners — like a pet-shop or a locksmith — this didn't mean anything. They had a phone, it was listed in the Yellow Pages – and people could find them. And if the potential consumer went online, the phone number could be found there as well. No problem. For those that did put up a web site, it was, in many cases, a non-event. Some customers might find it, but only the ones that were already looking for them. What's the big deal?
An Online Awakening
Two things then happened. The first is the critical success of Yelp. Local merchants were suddenly profiled in an environment where the consumer, not the business owner, controlled the copy and the narrative. At first, it was easy to disregard this thing called Yelp as a passing fad. But the voices got louder and louder – both the happy and the unhappy ones. Accountability and transparency had arrived at the local level. One has to suspect that Facebook's pervasiveness played a roll in awakening the small business owner too. By 2011, Facebook had reached 71% penetration of all 221mm U.S. Internet users. Regardless of industry, when the small business owner now went home, his or her family was constantly on the Internet – playing games, doing research, connecting with friends. The Internet's pervasiveness could no longer be denied.
Today, the small business owner's attitude has shifted from denial to anxiety, and, as a result, these local business owners are rushing to the Internet in droves. In Benchmark's own portfolio, we have eight companies (OpenTable, Uber, Zillow, Yelp, DemandForce, GrubHub, 1stdibs, and Peixe Urbano, *) that generate the majority of their revenue directly from local businesses. Based on estimates, these companies will represent approximately $735mm in revenue in calendar year 2012. Four of these companies have already seen a liquidity event (OpenTable, Zillow, and Yelp have had successful IPOs, and DemandForce was recently purchased by Intuit for $425 million). As small business owners embrace the Internet, the local Internet is firing on all cylinders. Not bad for a customer segment that was once considered a "do not enter" zone for venture capitalists.
The Smartphone as a Catalyst
If the decay of the Yellow Pages was a catalyst for the local Internet, then the rise of the smartphone is an accelerant. Smartphone adoption is staggering. Today, there are over 1 billion smartphone users worldwide, and in the U.S., smartphone penetration recently passed 50%. Google has announced that Android is activating over 850K new users a day. These mobile devices are frequently the preferred device (vs. a personal computer) when a consumer looks to interact with local businesses. For the eight companies mentioned above, mobile usage already represents between 25-50% of overall customer usage depending on time of day and day of week. And mobile usage looks destined to increase from here: DigitalBuzz predicts that mobile Internet users will pass desktop Internet users within the next 3 years.
The rise of the Smartphone as a new platform is a huge benefit for entrepreneurs. Simply put, large incumbents are typically slow to make shifts to new platforms. This is either because they are overly focused on their current strength, or simply too large and bureaucratic to move quickly. Often, it is a combination of both. Startups on the other hand are eager to find a point of leverage or advantage, and rush to new platforms. New platforms typically have "hooks" that enable features that never existed on the previous platform, further differentiating the startups offerings. A great example on the Smartphone is using GPS for one button local search. New platforms also require new distribution techniques, and in such a "jump ball" scenario the incumbent's advantage evaporates. One could argue the incumbents are even at a disadvantage as they are less likely to have the cutting edge technical employees who understand the new platforms.
Changing the Game: Going Deep
But there is an even greater limitation on the power of incumbents than their discomfort with new platforms. As the market moves away from Yellow Pages-like listings and directories as a proxy for advertising, many young companies, taking a page out of the playbook of data-driven software-as-a-service companies, have created deep vertical integration within their spaces in order to drive traffic and enable services. By organizing small business owners, supplementary service providers, and customers on a single canonical set of data, these companies are not only providing new ways for customers to discover local businesses: they are creating new ways for local businesses to interact with customers. They are moving from "listing" services to "automation" services, and they are stitching these Internet services deep into the nervous system of the target industry.
For example, a company like OpenTable provides, on a stand-alone basis, a premises based computer that is an extremely effective tool for restaurants to manage their tables — a digital version of the reservation book on the maitre d's desk. By connecting that same data on the Internet, and aggregating that data from other restaurants, you have OpenTable's incredible online reservation system. Along that same data spine, customers can add reviews, limousine services and florists can enhance the dining experience, and a location-aware Smartphone app can tell you what restaurant within walking distance of where you are has a table available right now. The "offering" is the complete network, not just one specific piece, and the pieces alone are less compelling.
Going "deep" like this is a significant challenge for larger incumbents. The playbook requires a deep understanding of the industry, access to all the key content and its structure, a targeted and experienced sales structure, and a willingness to invest in a market that may seem "niche" to the broader service provider. You have to be willing to get your hands dirty. These large companies favor a horizontal, one-size-fits-all approach, offering a widget that all local companies would potentially use (such as virtual loyalty cards). But these lightweight offerings from the incumbents will fall well short of the "automation" features and functionality enabled by the innovators digging deeper into the vertical.
We've already seen a couple of recent examples of this with Google. In mortgages, Google launched a product but ultimately retreated, citing prioritization concerns and "taking a hard look at products that haven't been as successful as we had hoped." A seemingly simple category like mortgages proved difficult to nail within the overall Google strategic framework. Likewise, in order to gain a foothold in travel — a space where deep verticals thrived for many years —Google ultimately realized they had to pay $700mm for ITA Software in order to acquire the vertical tools they needed to be successful.
The Real Winner: The Customer
If you look closely at many of the leading companies developing these deep verticals, like Zillow or OpenTable or Uber or AirBnB, they are providing far more than just advertising opportunities for local businesses. These companies are using new technologies like mobility and location to improve communication, interaction and overall customer experience.
The amazing thing about these new local Internet companies is how much value the consumer gets from this data-driven, vertically-integrated experience. Watching your Uber driver approaching your location on GPS forever alters your experience of taxis and limos, while at the same time providing total transparency up and down the value chain, from dispatcher to driver to fleet manager.
But the really exciting part is that we are still really early in this process of transformation away from listing/directory advertising to a local Internet. By way of comparison, in the fourth quarter of 2011, Southwest Airlines reported that 86% of its revenue was booked online. By comparison, only 12% of US restaurant reservations are booked online. Only 15% of dentists are connected to customers through services like DemandForce. Only 3% of takeout orders are processed through online offerings like GrubHub. And less than 1% of realtors are premier agents on Zillow.
We all know intuitively where those numbers are headed in the future.
*Benchmark Capital is also super excited about its investment in Nextdoor, the leading social network for local neighborhoods and communities. Join 3,000 other local communities who have revolutionized how neighbors interact online. Check it out at www.nextdoor.com.


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by John Hawkins | July 27, 2010 12:57 pm
This is a great week to be a reader at Right Wing News because the fine folks at The Society Of St. Vincent De Paul[1] are holding a raffle — and it's not just any raffle[2]. The tickets for this raffle are $100 a pop, they're worth every penny, and this week, I'll be giving some of them away for free.
So, if these raffle tickets cost $100, they must be for a pretty incredible prize, right? Oh, yes, my friend, the prizes are extraordinary.
The Winner Wins for Two!
The winner of Meet Me in Manhattan will bring the companion of his/her choice to share the entire prize package.
Air Travel:
The Meet Me in Manhattan winner will receive roundtrip airfare for two to New York. Airline to be determined after city or town of residence of winner is identified.
Meet Bill O'Reilly
The Meet Me in Manhattan winner will visit Fox News Channel's studios in Manhattan and meet Bill O'Reilly. Mr. O'Reilly is the undisputed king of cable television news. For the past ten years, "The O'Reilly Factor" has reigned as the world's top-ranked cable TV news program, breaking records for "most viewers" in almost every measurable category. A wildly successful author, Mr. O'Reilly's 9th book will be released in the fall of 2010. Four of his books zoomed to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Mr. O'Reilly has made countless appearances as a guest on such national programs as Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The View and Oprah. He has traveled to all 50 states and 72 foreign countries, and has earned Master's degrees from both Boston University and Harvard. The Meet Me in Manhattan winner will enjoy the experience of watching Bill O'Reilly host an edition of "The O'Reilly Factor."
Four days/three nights of accommodations at the world renowned Essex House
The Meet Me in Manhattan winner will enjoy never-to-be forgotten, three-night accommodations in a luxury two-bedroom apartment, a spectacular property from the famous Lauren Berger Collection, overlooking Central Park at the world renowned Essex House.
Dinner at BoBo Restaurant hosted by celebrity chef Patrick Connolly
Winner will enjoy dinner at the acclaimed upscale restaurant, BoBo, where one of America's top chefs, Patrick Connolly, rules the kitchen. Patrick's brother, Dan, is a 318-pound lineman for the NFL's New England Patriots. Dan knows how to eat, and Patrick knows how to cook! A native of St. Louis, Patrick achieved smashing success at Radius in Boston. After winning the James Beard award as the top chef in the northeastern United States, Patrick moved to BoBo in New York where his inventive cuisine has wowed patrons and critics alike. In recent months, Patrick has exhibited his culinary creations on ABC-TVs Nightline, NBC-TV's Today Show, and CBS-TV's Early Show. An unforgettable dining experience will be enjoyed by the Meet Me in Manhattan winner at BoBo.
Two Tickets to a Major League Baseball Game at Yankee Stadium
In 2009, the House That Ruth Built, Yankee Stadium, was replaced by the new Yankee Stadium. Debuting in the most expensive and elaborate baseball stadium ever built, the legendary Yankees won the World Series in their first season in their new home. America's Great Raffle winner will see the Yankees take on the Tampa Rays, who stunned the baseball world with their first ever trip to the World Series in 2008. With the Rays getting off to the best start in the Major Leagues in 2010, their rivalry with the Yanks is heating up in the American League Eastern Division. There's nothing like September baseball at Yankee Stadium in New York during the heat of a pennant race!
Two Tickets to a Broadway Show
Imagine walking on Broadway in the autumn air to one of many legendary theaters to see some of the world's greatest stars perform. In the last year, more than 12 million people paid more than $1 billion to see the stars on Broadway. Pending ticket availability, the Meet Me in Manhattan winner will have excellent seats at the Broadway show of their choice!
A $3,000 Shopping Spree
In the world of shopping, there's nothing like strolling down 5th Avenue to shop at some of the finest stores in the world. Try on the Manolo Blahnik shoes at Niemen Marcus, or shop Saks 5th Avenue (the original!), Bloomingdale's, Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Cartier, FAO Schwarz and countless others. Stuffed with $3,000 of Meet Me in Manhattan prize money, the winner will engage in a shopping spree to remember forever!
Round-trip airfare for two anywhere in the continental U.S.
Two tickets to the 2011 Super Bowl .
Two tickets to the 2011 MLB All-Star game.
$1000 furniture shopping spree at Weekends Only.
That's right, folks; this raffle is so incredible that two Super Bowl tickets are only the THIRD PLACE prize. And first place? 4 days in New York? Catching O'Reilly's show? A $3000 shopping spree? Plus everything else? That is absolutely amazing — and the $100 a ticket? It's for a great cause[3].
Utility assistance, medications, medical transportation, car repairs, cars to the working poor, home repairs, free legal assistance, free budget assistance, hospital visits, prison visits
Housing for homeless veterans and people with mental disabilities
Aid for those who have been downsized, lost their jobs, suffered through a divorce, a foreclosure
Food for the needy through 83 food pantries
Furniture, clothing, household goods for those in need through our Thrift Stores
Home visits to comfort and aid those who are suffering
Moreover, I know some people wonder about the credibility of charities. But come on: Would Bill O'Reilly be involved with this charity if it wasn't on the up and up? Of course not!
So, I would strongly suggest you head over and buy a ticket. Heck, buy 10[4]!
Now, some of you may be thinking, "John, this is a great cause and it's worth giving $100 to charity to get a ticket, but I just don't have the money to spare."
I understand and I did mention that I'll be giving away tickets this week, didn't I? So how do you get your shot at a raffle ticket today? Simple.
Today, I am going to give away two raffle tickets. All you have to do to be eligible is post in the comment section of RWN. Only one post per person. If you post more than once, you will be disqualified. Tomorrow, I will announce the two winners, who'll be selected randomly.
So, comment away!
Update #1 I used the random number generator located here[5] to pick the winners of $100 raffle tickets. They were:
Kerrie Heretic & HammerNH.
They've both been contacted and they have 24 hours to respond and claim their raffle tickets.
If you didn't win, you can, of course, always buy a ticket[6]. If you can't afford to buy one, even for a good cause, don't worry, because you will have another chance to win a raffle ticket on RWN this week.
Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/misc/want-to-win-a-free-4-day-trip-to-new-york-to-get-a-3000-shopping-spree-see-the-oreilly-factor/
Copyright ©2023 John Hawkins' Right Wing News unless otherwise noted.


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- In Mice, Gene Therapy Helps Restore Movement After Spinal Cord Injury
- Timing of Hot Flashes Could Give Clues to Alzheimer's Risk
- What Is 'Sexsomnia'? And 'Sleep Eating'? Can They Be Treated?
- Just 23% of U.S. Adults 'Definitely' Plan to Get New COVID Shot
- More Women Using Cannabis to Help Ease Menopause Symptoms
- Black Patients More Likely to Be Physically Restrained During ER Visits
- PTSD Can Harm a Woman's Sex Life
- Blood Tests for Long COVID Could Lead to Better Treatments
- Teen Boys With High Blood Pressure Face Danger Decades Later
Too Many Younger Teens Still Getting Pregnant: CDC
Despite a drop in teen birth rates in recent years, too many girls under 18 are still getting pregnant, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.
Even though births to teens aged 15 to 17 have declined, a quarter of teen births occur in this age group — nearly 1,700 a week, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"There have been noted declines in births to teens, and that's good news," Ileana Arias, principal deputy director of the CDC, said during a noon news conference.
"However, we can't be complacent when we hear about these declines. We still need to make more progress in reducing health disparities and the public health burden related to teen pregnancies and births. Younger teens still account for one in four teen births," she said.
Arias noted that pregnancy and birth can interfere with finishing high school and can lead to sacrificing education, career and income.
"The young teen years are a critical time when a teen, especially a young woman, could jeopardize her future if she cannot complete high school or go to college," she said.
Young fathers may also have to limit their education and defer their plans, Arias said.
Speaking at the news conference, Lee Warner, the CDC's associate director for science in the division of reproductive health, said that in 2012 there were 86,423 births to teens aged 15 to 17.
Warner said more sex education is needed for both girls and boys, and that health professionals can provide information about the best methods of contraception.
Report findings include the following, specific to teens aged 15 to 17:
- The rate of births dropped by more than half from 1991 to 2012 — from 38.6 births per 1,000 teens to 14.1.
- Birth rates were higher among Hispanic, black and American Indian/Alaska Native teens.
- In 2012, the birth rate per 1,000 teens in that age group was 25.5 for Hispanic teens, 21.9 for black teens, 17 for American Indian/Alaska Native teens, 8.4 for white teens and 4.1 for Asian/Pacific Islander teens.
- Most female teens aged 15 to 17 (73 percent) have not yet had sex.
- Most of these girls have spoken with their parents or guardians about sex, but only about four in 10 received information both on birth control and how to say no to sex.
Other findings include:
- More than 80 percent of teen girls who have had sex had no prior formal sex education.
- More than 90 percent of teens used some type of contraception the last time they had sex, but most relied on the least effective method — condoms alone.
Other CDC reports found:
- Racial and ethnic disparities in teen pregnancy rates exist. This suggests the need for culturally appropriate education and services.
- Sexually active teens are at risk for pregnancy because they use less-effective contraceptives.
- Sex education given early may help teens abstain from sex or use effective birth control.
- Parents and guardians can help preteens and teens avoid risky sexual behaviors.
Dr. Rani Gereige, director of medical education at Miami Children's Hospital, said several factors might contribute to the problems of teen pregnancy, especially in minorities.
"Lack of education is the problem," he said. "This includes education from parents, teachers and health care providers."
In addition, there may be cultural reluctance to talk about sex, Gereige said. "Communication needs to start early in the preteen years before the teen initiates sexual activity," he said.
"It is also about empowering young girls to take care of their bodies and delay sexual activity and/or use contraception if they decide to become sexually active," Gereige said.
The lack of access to appropriate, confidential health care may also be a barrier for teens seeking information about sex, he said.
Gereige was clear that access to contraception does not encourage sexual activity.
"It allows pregnancy prevention for teens who decide to be sexually active," he said. "The morning-after pill may help, but what helps more is education on delaying sexual activity and/or using contraception."
More information
For more facts on teen births, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.


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BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Ferris State Faculty Association has filed a grievance in response to the board of trustees turning down the association's proposed five-year contract and has sued the board in circuit court, MLive reports.
According to MLive, the proposed contract, which could have been approved before the state's right-to-work law takes effect, included a provision that required faculty members to pay union dues.
Trustee President David Eisler said that there was too great a risk of losing state funding if the university approved a contract that circumvented the right-to-work law, MLive reports.
A hearing on the suit against the board of trustees will be held on March 20, according to MLive.
SOURCE: MLive, "Ferris State faculty file complaint after trustees turned down contract amid right-to-work concerns," March 11, 2013
FURTHER READING: Michigan Capitol Confidential, "Universities Dodging Right-to-Work Law Under Scrutiny," March 7, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The New York Times reports that a study by Caroline Hoxby of Stanford University and Christopher Avery of Harvard found that high-achieving low-income students frequently do not attend top-tier universities.
Just 34 percent of low-income, high-achieving high school seniors attended a selective university, compared to 78 percent of high-income high-achieving seniors, according to The Times. The disparity is most stark among students in smaller, rural areas, The Times reports.
High-achieving low-income students in smaller geographic areas, Hoxby told The Times, "lack exposure to people who say there is a difference among colleges."
Hoxby and Avery found that 69 percent of high-achieving, low-income students are white, 15 percent are Asian-American, 8 percent Latino, and 6 percent black, according to The Times.
SOURCE: The New York Times, "Better Colleges Failing to Lure Talented Poor," March 16, 2013
FURTHER READING: Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Is Affirmative Action the Right Fight?" June 22, 2004
MARQUETTE, Mich. – Increased high school graduation requirements put into place seven years ago have made it difficult for some Michigan high school students to take courses that interest them, according to FoxUP TV 6. Rep. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, and Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, are working to ease those requirements, TV 6 reports.
According to TV 6, fewer students are taking music and career and technical education classes because they have to fulfill other graduation course requirements, like taking two years of a foreign language.
TV 6 reports that Rep. McBroom and Sen. Proos hope to allow students to substitute CTE courses or technical math courses, such as statistics, for some of the math courses currently required for graduation.
SOURCE: FoxUP TV 6, "Will Michigan's high school graduation requirements be changing?" March 14, 2013
FURTHER READING: Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Why Statewide Education Policy is Limited," Nov. 5, 2012
LANSING, Mich. – A new bill to expand the state's Education Achievement Authority passed out of House committee, according to MLive.
MLive reports that legislators on the committee voted along party lines, with nine Republicans voting in favor and five Democrats voting against the bill.
The EAA bill, in order to become law, will have to be approved by the House, the Senate, and signed by Gov. Rick Snyder, according to MLive. Snyder's administration supports the bill, MLive reports.
SOURCE: MLive, "School debate: Michigan House panel approves Education Achievement Authority bill," March 13, 2013
FURTHER READING: Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "No Grand Rapids Carve-Out under EAA Bill," March 8, 2013
FLINT, Mich. – The Flint Board of Education unanimously voted to close four district schools, which will impact 2,200 students, according to MLive.
MLive reports that Flint's spending is $11.5 million above revenues, and that the district could save millions by closing the schools.
Flint Mayor Dayne Walling told MLive that the move is consistent with patterns of population decline throughout the city. "It's better for our community that education dollars are focused on the classroom and teachers and not keeping open buildings that are under-utilized," he told MLive.
SOURCE: MLive, "School's out: Flint school closures to displace more than 2,000 students," March 15, 2013
FURTHER READING: Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "How to Fix Flint Schools," Oct. 8, 2010
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
Please consider contributing to our work to advance a freer and more prosperous state.


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As the "Is TDD Dead or Alive" continues, it is interesting to see the different kind of discussions. Here's an example:
The new default answer to TDD critics: How Would You Know?
— Darren Cauthon (@darrencauthon) May 5, 2014
Not much of a two way conversation there.
In contrast to the tweet above, people who were disappointed by TDD, actually have used it. Maybe to the letter, or maybe not. The fact is, they think TDD let them down.
And I get why
Here's a recent story.
Recently, working on an 6 year old code base, we wanted to add some new functionality. We've decided to use TDD for the new components, and then embed them into the codebase. This would be covered by new integration-test, we've written upfront.
So far, so good. By-the-book test first.
We wanted to use TDD, since:
- There's a lot of internal logic involved and we want to make sure it's correct
- We're not sure what the right design is
- Developing the new functionality away from the current implementation gives us better control, and quicker feedback.
My partner was new to TDD, and we've paired on this for a couple of days, moving from class to class, adding tests and seeing them pass.
In just a few days, I've encountered two kinds of struggles.
The first one was between the two of us. Me pushing for incremental steps, test-code-refactor, don't jump ahead method. In other words, restraining my partner.
I could see how it tormented him. There were moments of appreciation to the evolving design, but more moments of "I'll play along, but not for the fun of it". Indeed, at the end of the second day we split, and re-joined a day later. He added some code to the existing codebase, without tests and not part of the new design.
The second one was internal – as work continued, we've added more and more tests, changed the design a couple of times, renamed and extracted. All the good stuff that comes with TDD. Yet a little voice kept talking inside my head. It said: "All this work could be done in a few hours, you're working too much for this task".
That's the result of two days of work. How much struggle do you think months of projects involve? Can everyone weather the storms?
TDD is a discipline
I usually explain TDD as a methodology, then later explain it's really a discipline, in both senses of the word. Using TDD requires discipline and confidence, not to give in to the dark side. Which may not always be so dark. Or may not seem like it.
The people who swear by TDD have grown this discipline, as well as many skills to make it work and avoid so many pot-holes.
Many have conquered that little voice in their head. But I bet it's still there.
The people who were disappointed were not able to do this. It's easy to say "they don't understand it", or "they didn't stick around to see the value", or "how would you know".
I think the disappointment comes from an unfulfilled promise: We describe TDD as simple, just following a few steps.
Nobody talks about the constant struggle between people with different skills, the pressure to complete tasks quickly, and the totality of it all: No compromises, or you're doing it wrong.
Here's the whole truth: Stick with it, and you'll get rewards.
But know this: TDD is hard work.
I hope you won't get disappointed.


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WCRE is proud to have exclusively represented Miller Electric MFG. LLC, an ITW Welding Company, in leasing 6,580 square feet of Flex space at 7192-7194 North Park Drive, Pennsauken, New Jersey from Cooper Park Associates, L.P. Miller Electric chose to relocate its welding training center to North Park Drive due to it's excellent location along… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Pennsauken industrial space for sale or lease
Pennsauken Industrial Space for Sale or Lease on Haddonfield Road
Wolf Commercial Real Estate, a premier Pennsauken commercial real estate brokerage firm that specializes in Pennsauken commercial real estate listings and services, is now offering Pennsauken industrial space for sale or lease at 3501 Haddonfield Road Pennsauken NJ. This Pennsauken flex space for sale or lease is at the corner of Haddonfield Road and Marion… Read more »


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"…I who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars and the mysteries of the waters,
I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me.
For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe.
From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return…"
(from 'The Charge of the Goddess' Traditional, by Doreen Valiente, as adapted by Starhawk)
There are very few clear evening skies in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. If you're rushing up Byres Road on the way home on one of those rare nights, especially when you cross the Queen Margaret Drive bridge, look out for a small woman standing still, gazing at the sky. That'll be me, admiring the wonderful, fragile beauty of the waxing New Moon.
Even in the city, in the increasingly hurried pattern of 21st century life, it is possible to maintain a connection to the cycles of the seasons and the rhythms of nature. It's increasingly recognised that regular contact of this kind is an important component in establishing and maintaining the kind of inner balance and peace that promotes happiness.
One of the many advantages of living in a small country like Scotland is that access to the great outdoors is not difficult – half an hour out of Glasgow, for example, it is possible to disappear into lovely countryside and forget the existence of the city very quickly. Try it !
It doesn't matter how stressed you are, how much angst you are carrying. A couple of hours of tramping across the hills, often in rain and wind, focusing on nothing more complex than where you put every footstep in order to avoid disappearing up to your waist in a bog, is guaranteed to purge out at least some of it.
Over many years of walking, I have offered the hills both my joys and my sorrows, and have found validation for the former and solace for the latter. In homeopathic medicine, broadly speaking, you treat an ailment with a very dilute form of the toxin which caused it.
I have found the homeopathic principle works very well with bleakness of the soul or spirit. That condition can be effectively treated by choosing weather and landscape to match your mood, and immersing yourself in it for a few hours. Meeting bleakness with bleakness has a powerfully cleansing effect.
Complementary to this is the powerfully life-affirming effect that natural beauty can have.
Standing on top of a favourite hill on a sunlit day, looking at stunning panoramic views, listening to the joyous song of a skylark, feeling at one with the wind and the landscape, has on numerous occasions made me feel so glad to be alive that I have wept for joy.
These experiences may fade in the face of the rigours of an average life. But if you repeat them often enough, you develop a sense of being part of the great round of nature, where joy and sorrow, youth, maturity, decline, death and rebirth all have their part. You also learn, slowly, the importance to being a happy person of being able to "grasp the joy as it flies", celebrate the moment, "seize the day." "
(This is an edited version of an article first published in "Self & Society"(The Journal of Humanistic Psychology) (UK)Vol 27 No 5, November 1999, then http://www.innerself.com : Innerself Magazine (USA), and most recently – March 09 – in ' The Drumlin', the Newsletter of Glasgow Botanic Gardens as "Happiness and the Healing Power of Nature" . )
550 words copyright Anne Whitaker 2016
Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page


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Hurricane Sandy Surf 10-28-2012
Sunday October 28th 2012. Hurricane Sandy was passing about 300 or so miles off the Florida Coast. Pictures were taken at the St. Augusatine Beach Pier. She brought us some of the best waves of the season, unfortunately it went on to wreak havoc in the Northeast.Read More


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by Shawn Brasseaux
"Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry" (2 Timothy 4:9-11).
In these verses, we see two saints—profitable and unfaithful, and unfaithful and profitable.
Second Timothy chapter 4 is Paul beginning to conclude his farewell epistle. Guilty of preaching an "illegal religion," the aged Apostle awaits his beheading. Sitting in a cruel dungeon in Rome, he writes to Timothy one last time, urging the young man to come to the prison as quickly as possible. Why? Paul explains that "only Luke" remains with him. His other ministry companions are travelling, possibly visiting local grace assemblies on his behalf. In 2 Timothy 4:9-11, two contrasting names are set in bold relief.
First appearing in Paul and Barnabas' apostolic ministry at the very end of Acts chapter 12, John Mark is Barnabas' nephew (Colossians 4:10). He travels with Paul and Barnabas during their first apostolic journey (Acts chapters 13-14). By the start of their second apostolic journey, Barnabas wants to take John Mark with them but Paul refuses because John Mark had previously abandoned them around Acts 14:24. Barnabas and Paul, due to this momentous disagreement, go their separate ways at Acts 15:36-41.
Just over 10 years later, in Acts chapter 28, Demas appears in Paul's ministry. Paul greets the Colossian believers on behalf of Demas (4:14). In Philemon 24, the companion epistle, Paul calls Demas a "fellow-labourer." Most definitely, Demas was very useful to Paul's ministry. Oh, but what a tragedy! A few years later, Paul writes 2 Timothy 4:10: "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world…." Demas' precise motives are unknown.
Friends, just think! The actions of John Mark and Demas are written down forever in God's Word! John Mark, once unfaithful, returned to Paul's ministry at the very end. Demas, once faithful, abandoned Paul's ministry at the very end. Brethren, just think! Those you expect to stay with the truth, they may not! Those you expect to never embrace the truth, they just may!
Also see:
» How does one know if he or she is maturing in the Word of God?
» Once Christians fall into gross sin, will God use them again?
» Why do some Christians persistently behave like lost people?


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|Enhance Traditional Bathroom Design with Muirfield Bathroom Design
Looking for a way to add a bit of traditional elegance to your bathroom design? When you want to upgrade the look and feel of your bathroom, consider installing a faucet or other fixtures and accessories from Moen's Muirfield suite in your home's bathroom. The classic faucet pictured here has modern water-saving features designed with conservation and utility cost control in mind, paired with a simple to operate and beautiful high arc spout.
"The Muirfield bathroom suite offers a traditional style with exceptional design consumers prefer in a quality product backed by the Moen name," said Kevin Campbell, Moen's director of retail marketing. You can choose from several different faucet styles, selecting between single and two handle options with either standard, mid, or high arc spouts. You cal also select the finish that best coordinates with your overall bathroom design, choosing among Chrome, LifeShine® Classic Brushed Nickel and Old World Bronze.
|Read more...
|Bathroom Designs
|Bathroom Tiles
|Sinks & Vanities
|Bathroom Lighting
|Showers & Curtains
|Bathroom Toilets
|Bathroom Articles
|Bathroom Directory
|Bathroom Fixtures


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Kukuxumusu is a company from Pamplona in Navarra, Spain specializing in clothing and product design. Its name means "flea's kiss" in Basque.
Currently this nice duffle bag with matching key chain mascot is on sale for $35.99 (originally $48.) Their sheep scooter design is also featured on helmets (69,70 €) and other accessories.
If I'm not mistaken, I think one of the first things these guys designed was an adorable shirt featuring a Pamplona bull on a Vespa chasing after a festival runner. And I would kill to own one. (The shirt. Not the bull.)
Thanks to Julie G. for this find!


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Officer strangled at Wash. state prison
The state corrections officer was found strangled with a microphone cord in the prison chapel
By Phuong Le
Associated Press
SEATTLE — An inmate is suspected in the death of a Washington state corrections officer who was found strangled with a microphone cord in the prison chapel, where she led religious programs, authorities say.
Jayme Biendl, 34, who had raised concerns about being the sole guard in the chapel, was found dead Saturday night at Monroe Correctional Complex about 30 miles northeast of Seattle, Department of Corrections spokesman Chad Lewis said.
He said it was the first time a guard has been killed at the 100-year-old facility.
Corrections officers and supporters gathered Sunday night at the entrance to the prison for a candlelight vigil in Biendl's memory.
Byron Scherf, a 52-year-old inmate, was reported missing during a routine count at 9:14 p.m. Saturday. He was found three minutes later in the chapel lobby and told officers he had planned to escape.
"He is our primary suspect," Monroe police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said.
Scherf is serving a life sentence without parole after being convicted of first-degree rape and kidnapping in 1997 under the state's "three-strikes" law, Lewis said.
Prison officials said Scherf had been serving as a volunteer worker in the chapel.
Lewis said Biendl was alone at the chapel Saturday night and was not carrying a weapon, as is typical for many corrections officers.
She was ending her shift at 10 p.m. but had not reported back or turned in her equipment, which sparked concerns. Staff members immediately went to the chapel and found her unresponsive.
Emergency responders were called and Biendl was declared dead at 10:49 p.m. She was fully clothed and there was no evidence of a sexual assault, Willis said.
Biendl joined the Corrections Department in 2002. Teamsters 117 spokeswoman Tracey Thompson said Sunday that the officer had complained to her union shop steward and prison supervisors about being the sole guard working in the chapel. She worried about being there alone without anyone checking on her, Thompson said.
Recent budget cuts have forced staffing reductions and union members have been worried about the impact of those reductions on safety, Thompson said.
"We have been pushing so hard on safety issues," Thompson said. "It makes me crazy that it took someone getting murdered inside a prison while doing their job for there to be attention on this work and how difficult and dangerous it can be."
Lewis insisted that Biendl's death was not a result of budget cuts in recent years. "The staffing model has been the same for years," he said, adding that the reality is that officers often work by themselves.
Scherf entered the prison as a maximum-security offender, but through good behavior was transferred into the medium-security unit, Lewis said. Until Saturday, he had not had a violent infraction since 2001, when he tried to kill himself, Lewis said.
He was being housed in a medium-security unit at the Monroe complex, the state's largest prison with about 2,500 inmates and five units with varying security levels.
Scherf was being held in solitary confinement and the Monroe facility was in lockdown Sunday while detectives continued to investigate.
Gov. Chris Gregoire issued a statement Sunday saying she had asked Department of Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail to thoroughly review the incident and look at the safeguards in place at the Monroe complex.
- Tags
- Officer Safety


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When you think of mobile marketing, what comes to mind? These days, you'll probably think of Twitter, mobile-device apps, and social media updates. But one of the most powerful mobile marketing tools HVACR contractors have is their fleet. Your trucks, vans, and cars are on the road almost every day being seen by thousands of motorists, neighbors, and by passers-by. And unlike digital messaging, fleet marketing has a proven record of bringing in sales, has an immediate impact, and is a better format to convey a unique branding message. Differentiation is more difficult in the crowded and swiftly moving digital world.
HVACR Business believes fleet marketing to be too good of a promotional opportunity for any contractor to ignore. Our readers who lead in their markets have told us repeatedly that fleet marketing is one of the most effective tools with the highest ROI in their marketing plan. That's why each year we pick three contractors who are leaders in fleet marketing as winners in our Tops in Trucks contest. This year's winners are three companies with fantastic-looking fleets that also support the branding and value proposition of each contractor.
Allegiance's new design is the result of a re-branding effort. The 11-employee company has been serving the Chicago suburbs for 12 years; so changing their logo and style was not an easy decision, according to Brian S. Cusack, project manager. The positive results, however, have been beyond their expectations, Cusack said.
"Our old logo just seemed to blend in with all of the other construction vehicles on the streets," he said. "But this has been great. The new design has been on the streets only a couple of weeks, and we have had a much greater response than we expected."
Cusack said the company had a specific idea for a Claymation-style depiction of a contractor as well as which colors to use. Their next step was to find a graphics company to make it happen. Ultimately, they chose Graphic-D Signs Inc., Robbinsville, NJ, and are very happy with the results; but this wouldn't have happened without some purposeful research beforehand.
"We talked to a lot of different [HVACR] companies that used them. Some had a 10% increase in sales the first year after a new design, and others had as much as a 35% increase."
The company also researched wrap companies carefully and ultimately chose Freedom Design & Decals Vehicle Wrap Specialists in Mokena.
Cusack said the resulting depiction is more two-dimensional than Claymation, but that it evolved through collaboration with the design team.
The Tops in Trucks judges identified Allegiance's design immediately as a standout because of its cleanliness, simplicity, and unique imagery. While contractors sometimes put images of real people in their fleet designs, this is not something that is unique because most humans have the same basic look. By contrast, a unique cartoon depiction will garner much more attention. Additionally, Allegiance avoided overcrowding the space with too much type, which makes the service tech image stand out even more.
"Customers tell us the new design has a warm, comfortable feeling," Cusack said. "The wrap gets our point across and is very easy to read."
Flags are probably the most reproduced item in HVACR contractors' fleets outside of equipment. Who doesn't get a warm feeling when they see a U.S. flag? Problem is, it's difficult to make a connection between patriotism and heating and cooling in a fleet design, and even more difficult to use flags to motivate potential customers to call for service or installation. Flag designs usually come off as unsophisticated or "borrowed." This is why none of our past Tops in Trucks winners have had flag-focused designs.
This year though, Gary's Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. gets the nod. This flag design is unique and successful for two major reasons:
1) Gary's customers are Texans, and in Texas, love of state is the de facto religion. No other state flag would carry as much meaning and get as much attention as the flag of the Lone Star State.
2) The company didn't overdue the loveof- state angle. They let the flag closeup speak for itself rather than adding cheesy sayings about how great Texas is. Instead, two very important type messages appear — the company's website URL and its unique selling proposition, "Fixed Right or It's Free."®
"We know that this proposition is something that separates us from the competition, and we feel if the client sees our name, and the distinct difference between us and the others, they'll remember us," said Gary Ward, owner of the 33-year-old family company.
"Another big point is that I involved many of my employees in the conceptual and final design process. I wanted them to have ownership, and that worked out as I had hoped. When they hear compliments, especially from competitors, they are very proud."
Ward purposefully did not list the company's phone number prominently in the design. It is only on the backside. His company conducted a short survey on how often people write down phone numbers they see on service vehicles and found that only about 10% of people do. So, they opted to prominently display the company's website address instead. "
We make a big point in our advertising to drive people to our website — which is only about us — as opposed to the phone book, which has all of our competitors as well."
Driving traffic to a website also makes that investment go farther. Gary's is taking an even bigger step for improving ROI by using pictures of its trucks on its website, on postcard mailings, and on door hangers that they give to customers.
The business generated by customers seeing vehicles puts fleet marketing in the top 10 of lead generators for Thompson Heating and Cooling. The company said its fleet is the only blue one among competitors, and having its branded phone number (513-333- HELP) also sets the fleet apart.
It's all part of a larger, strategically constructed marketing plan that also includes extensive online marketing, and broadcast advertising. All of the elements work together to make Thompson's marketing a success.
"Technicians report that when they drive around town, people will sing our jingle back to them," said owner Wesley Holm. "Our trucks can be identified from all angles, so if we drive past you, are in front or behind you, you will know it is Thompson."
The company also emphasizes clean and well-maintained vehicles, and has a full-time fleet manager who can be working on up to three vehicles at a time.
The Tops in Trucks judges liked the comfortable, straightforward feel of the Thomspon design — perfect for its Southern Ohio/North Kentucky market. The design is also clean and bright thanks to bright white lettering and a minimal number of colors.
To learn more about Thompson's fleet and other marketing success, see this month's Tops in Trucks interview with Holm.
Over the years, we have seen dozens of animal mascots on service fleets, and frankly, most are not well designed. They are either too small to be recognized from a distance, have an amateurish look, or don't seem to represent any known species.
That's why this year we are pleased to show two contractors that did a great job incorporating animals in their fleet designs.
Popa Heating & Cooling's design incorporates the company's mascot "Pompy the Polar Bear," who also appears in the logo. The design is successful because Popa went big — Pompy is such a dominant feature of the design that it immediately brands the trucks and plants a visual cue in the viewer's mind that connects what they are seeing to Popa. Also, the bear design is simple. There's no mistaking what you're looking at. Using a minimal number of colors also gives the vehicles a clean, monochromatic look.
This design succeeds for the opposite reason. The company's foxy logo is more than 30 years old, and so it has built-in traction. They made the right decision in keeping the friendly fox mascot and limiting it to a modest perch above the William C. Fox name. The understated use of the fox is a perfect balance to the multiple type messages (Emergency Service!) and other design elements.
As a wholesaler/distributor, The Filter Shop took a risk with its fun wrap design, which includes a clever filterclose- up on the back. As operations manager Mike Kieny pointed out in the application, "There's no mistaking what we do." Kieny also said competitors have plain vans with black lettering, and the company's goal with this design was to stand out. It does.
Orange is the new blue when it comes to service fleets, and Olympic Aire is not only fashionable in its color choices but also wise. The company used shades that glow during the day and set off glow-inthe- dark lettering at night. The colors themselves are so bright that they attract attention on their own. .
When Minnick's redesigned its fleet in February, the company picked up on a popular color-combo trend for service vehicles — orange plus a primary color plus white — but what most impressed us was how clean-looking the company's fleet is. The color scheme shows off the sheen of the sparkling-clean trucks, and yes, we did notice the extra detailing — all the way down to the tires.
What's the goal of your fleet design? Answering this question will give you clues about what type of design to use. For Comfort Solutions, a "clean" fleet design was most important, and this type treatment successfully meets that goal. We like that the company incorporated a list of its services, an attractive logo and primary colors.
A+ gets an A+ for getting its money's worth out of this wrap. Count the elements: bright blue sky, vibrant green grass, the Carrier logo, a heat pump, a geothermal message and loops, and a company report card. Throw in company name, phone number, and website address, and, it's a wrap!
Boyer serves both the commercial and residential markets, and its fleet design is one that works well in each. The company smartly carries the same design on install vehicles (box trucks) and service vehicles. Sometimes contractors don't include box trucks in design planning, but this is a mistake. Every vehicle speaks volumes about your business. Consider what C. Scott Boyer had to say about this design: "One customer stated, 'Any company that keeps their trucks this nice has got to do good work.'" Well said.
Another box design that we liked came from Tiger Air. The tiger stripes certainly stand out, and we like that they repeat on all sides of the truck. Use of minimal type was key to drawing out the stripes.
Yes Heating and Air Conditioning managed to place five pieces of equipment in its wrap decision, including copper piping and a thermostat. This was a good idea because the company has only one vehicle, so with that constraint, loading up on product images works! Yes gets extra points for getting even more from its wrap investment. Says President Rob Granger, "We park the van near a major highway for the weekend to help advertise our business, which increases our ROI."
We like this Logan design for the direct message about installing a WaterFurnace geothermal heat pump — "Save 70% on heating and cooling cost." This striking statement gives more meaning to the product display.
Uttke's design tells a story, and the Bryant man fits right in. A beautiful Milwaukee skyline sits below a Superman-style searchlight that calls for help via an RU insignia, the company's logo. The Bryant super hero is poised at the back of the truck, ready to respond. The two elements — local contractor and well-known equipment producer — come together in this well-thought-out design. The company thankfully resisted just slapping on a Bryant logo!
Fleet vehicles are like runway models — a pretty face is not enough. They need a good profile and an eye-catching backside. F.F. Kling's design covers every side of each truck with vital information. There's so much type on these trucks that they transcend the typical comparison of a well-designed fleet truck — "billboard on wheels." These trucks are pamphlets on wheels.
Tonya Vinas is a former editor of HVACR Business.
One of the most powerful mobile marketing tools HVACR contractors have is their fleet. This year's winners have fantastic-looking fleets that also support each contractor's branding and value proposition.
One way hvacr contractors communicate their trustworthiness, technical ability, and quality customer service is through their trucks. Company owners who still do not see their fleets as one of the …
Tops in Trucks winners say more with less as branding takes the spotlight
Are electric vehicles right for your company? Many contractors are unsure, as was Tom Robichaud, owner and president of Precision Plumbing Heating Electric in Boulder, CO. The CEO of one …
One trend that shows no sign of ending soon is to use fleet designs that promote energy savings and environmental responsibility


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Auth::Auth (
mixed $storageDriver
, mixed $options = ""
, string $loginFunction = ""
, boolean $showLogin
= true
Constructor for the authentication system.
The constructor will ensure that the PHP session management is started by calling session_start(). This is done as Auth requires a session to be active to operate correctly.
Name of the storage driver that should be used, alternatively you can pass a custom Auth_Container object.
Array containing the options for both Auth itself and the storage driver. See Auth Options for global options and each storage driver's documentation for specific options.
The name of a user-defined function that prints the login screen. This function is passed three parameters when called $username, $status, &$auth. These are in order the previously attempted username, the status code that caused the previous auth attempt to fail and a reference to the Auth object itself.
Defines if the login is optional or not.
This function can not be called statically.
Using different DB parameters
require_once "Auth/Auth.php";
function myOutput($username, $status, $auth)
... /* See first example in introduction for the full listing */
$params = array(
"dsn" => "mysql://martin:test@localhost/auth",
"table" => "myAuth",
"usernamecol" => "myUserColumn",
"passwordcol" => "myPasswordColumn"
$a = new Auth("DB", $params, "myOutput");
if ($a->getAuth()) {
echo "You have been authenticated successfully.";
This example shows you how you can specifiy alternative names for the database table and the column names. In our example, we use the table myAuth, select the username from the field myUserColumn and the password from the field myPasswordColumn. The default values for this fields are auth, username and password. Note that you can also specify an existing DB object with the dsn parameter instead of a DSN.
This feature is necessary if you want to use PEAR::Auth with a database layout that is different from the one PEAR::Auth uses by default.
Using different DB parameters
require_once "Auth/Auth.php";
function myOutput($username, $status)
... /* See first example in introduction for the full listing */
$a = new Auth(new CustomAuthContainer($options), null, "myOutput");
if ($a->getAuth()) {
echo "You have been authenticated successfully.";
This example shows you how you can pass your own storage container to Auth.
If the storage containers supplied with Auth are not capable of fulfilling your requirements, you can easliy create your own storage container. Read the storage containers section for more info Introduction - The storage drivers


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To ensure that 50 of the 500 potential owners of the Lexus LFA supercar feel even more special, Lexus unveiled details on its LFA Nurbürgring edition — more power, more rear wing and a year's pass to the Nordschleife.
Given the levels of mechanical obsession already in the LFA, the changes for the Nurbürgring edition are not improvements so much as tailoring the car more for the track than street. The rear wing is just one of several aerodynamic nips and tucks meant to boost downforce; the 4.8-liter V10 gets a 10-hp boost to 562hp to make sure the extra drag doesn't shave any time off its 3.7-second run to 62mph. Ride height drops 10 millimeters, and the suspension gets unspecified tweaks as well.
Inside, the owner gets the carbon fiber and Alcantara treatment expected in these price ranges. Lexus also limits Nurbürgring colors to white, black, orange and matte black, avoiding the Technicolor barfing of the Bugatti configurator.
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The Creamy Craft Of Cosmetic Making
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Watch Game of Thrones Season 1 Online
Watch Game of Thrones Season 1 full episodes online, free and paid options via our partners and affiliates.
Tyrion heads south this week, while Arya takes on a new identity. Elsewhere, Dany pays a terrible price for her love. She also finds new hope.
Ned makes a fateful decision this week. What is it? Read our recap for the answer.
Syrio and Arya face off against Lannister guards this week. Elsewhere, Robb rallies his father's allies against Tywin.
Ned and Cersei meet this week to discuss Jon Arryn's death. Elsewhere, King Robert suffers a major injury.
Ned must deal with major problems when the King goes hunting this week. Elsewhere, at the Eyrie, Tyrion faces judgment for his crimes.
Robert orders the assassination of Dany's unborn child; Tyrion helps his captor Catelyn, but still gets a cold reception from her sister Lysa at the Eyre.
Ned looks into the death of the previous hand, Jon Arryn, and discovers one of the King's bastards; Jon tries to protect Samwell; Tyrion finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Ned arrives at King's Landing; Catelyn heads south by boat to secretly join her husband.
Eddard Stark has to face a crisis during his travel to King's Landing. Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister head for the Wall.
The Game of Thrones series premiere has finally arrived. Read on for a detailed recap of events.


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Angelina: Coco Chanel's Favorite Hot Chocolate
Have you ever daydreamed of sipping hot chocolate and sampling pastries in Paris with the legendary fashion designer and glitterati mainstay Coco Chanel? While that's a lovely but unattainable fantasy, we've got the next-best, real-world option: paying a visit to Angelina, a world-famous patisserie-tea room on the Rue de Rivoli that was a favorite haunt of Madame Chanel—and of Marcel Proust, Audrey Hepburn and virtually every luminary in the haute-couture fashion design world throughout the 20th century. You'll become an instant fan, too! Continue Reading →


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The deeper I get into Microsoft Exchange 2013, the more I find to like. That doesn't mean the transition has been free of frustrations. Some of my issues are merely aesthetic. For example, the new Exchange Admin Center is growing on me, but I'd like to be able to choose an alternate skin -- the white space in the new 2013 design is blinding.
Other have to do with the experience of using Exchange 2013. The fact that I have to enable antispam agents on my Mailbox server through PowerShell, rather than a GUI, comes to mind. Some are more serious: I cannot migrate from Exchange 2007 or 2010 just yet because updates haven't been released, and somehow Exchange 2003 has been cut out of the transition paths, meaning a double-hop from 2003 to 2010 to 2013 will be necessary.
[ Find out more to like about Exhange 2013, with J. Peter Bruzzese's 8 great new features in Exchange 2013. | Learn more about the road ahead for Microsoft in 2013. | Stay abreast of key Microsoft technologies in our Technology: Microsoft newsletter. ]
But Exchange 2013 has several gems of note. Unified messaging, high availability, and, when combined with SharePoint, enhanced collaboration features like the new Site Mailboxes add up to an even more robust messaging system -- so I can live with the frustrations.
Here are five cool features that are worth playing with when you get your Exchange 2013 environment up and running.
Cool Exchange 2013 feature No. 1: Apps
It's easy to miss this little feature. The Organization feature in Exchange Admin Center includes a tab called Apps. Through this often overlooked feature, you can provide special apps for end-users. Granted, users can search for apps themselves when working with Outlook, but by setting this up via Exchange Admin Center, you can control the process. Apps include Bing Maps, LinkedIn, Action Items, and a host of others.
Cool Exchange 2013 feature No. 2: Antimalware
I'll be the first to say Exchange 2013's built-in antimalware settings aren't the most robust I've seen. But the fact that they're included is worth celebrating, especially if, like me, you hate buying a big software package only to find you have to add all the other essentials à la carte. With Exchange, this means antivirus, a better backup solution, and a solid monitoring tool, among others -- frustrating. Nonetheless, antimalware is a welcome addition. You can configure it to react to messages and notify both internal and external senders that an email was not delivered (and notify administrators).


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Military Remains Focused on Finding Missing Soldier
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 8, 2012 – The Defense Department remains focused on efforts to return the only U.S. service member known to be in Taliban captivity to his family, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby said today. Kirby told reporters that freeing Army Sgt. Bowe R. Bergdahl is a constant focus for commanders in Afghanistan. "Every day … there is time, attention and sometimes substantial resources applied to trying to locate, identify where he is and to continue to look at options for how to get him home," he said. Kirby was asked about Bergdahl during a regular meeting with the Pentagon press corps. The 26-year-old soldier was found missing from his duty station in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009 and was declared missing/captured three days later. Bergdahl, from Hailey, Idaho, is assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson, Alaska. The Defense Department is keeping the Bergdahl family informed of efforts to find and return their son, Kirby said. "Our thoughts and prayers and our hearts go out to the Bergdahl family and we appreciate the anguish that they continue to endure," he added.


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By Michelle Medlock Adams
"The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you." B. B. King
Listen…do you hear it? It's the collective sound of #2 pencils being sharpened nationwide. Yes, it's that time of year again—almost time to send the kiddos back to school. But, why should our children be the only ones in the household gearing up for learning? As Christians, we should always strive for excellence. We should choose to be students of the Word, literature, history, the Arts, etc. We should be people who are committed to improving our minds and challenging ourselves so that we can ultimately improve the world around us, right?
JoAnna Kai Cobb, a middle school math teacher in Bedford, IN., says, "Yes."
"I list 'learning new things' at the top of my hobby list," she explains. "I love to learn in every realm: academically, creatively, socially, etc. It helps make life interesting and gives me invaluable experience to help me in many situations."
"Learning to sing well has helped me be more confident and learn to speak in front of large crowds," she says.
"And, learning to run has made me healthier and has given me more stamina for simple jobs like carrying the laundry up and down the stairs!
For instance, Cobb has studied vocal performance and honed her singing talent, so much so, she's even won several awards in that arena. She was named the "Lawrence County (American) Idol," beating out other talented Southern Indiana performers, and she placed in the Colgate Country Showdown. Not only that, Cobb has sung the National Anthem at an Indiana Pacers game, an Indy Fuel hockey game, and many Indianapolis Indians Baseball games.
But Cobb isn't one to rest on her laurels. She's constantly challenging herself. For example, she really wanted to learn to run competitively in 2006, so she sought out the help of area runners who were training for a spring mini marathon. She trained all winter and completed her first half marathon in May 2007. Since then, she has run a total of 27 half marathons and four full marathons, logging a lifetime total of more than 8,000 miles.
"Learning to sing well has helped me be more confident and learn to speak in front of large crowds," she says. "And, learning to run has made me healthier and has given me more stamina for simple jobs like carrying the laundry up and down the stairs! However, the thing I enjoy most about lifelong learning is that life is never boring."
So, join Cobb in her quest for learning and take an online course or join a bible study group or take an art class at the community center or learn to run competitively. Determine to increase your knowledge, expand your mind, and challenge yourself every day. It's never too late to be a better you!
Five Quick Study Tips: Ready, Set, Study!
If you've made the quality decision to further your formal education or participate in an intense bible study, you actually have to…er, um, STUDY! If you've been out of the learning game a while, you might find easing back into the studying arena a bit overwhelming. So here are five quick study tips to help you on your way.
Set a study schedule Pencil it on your calendar alongside your child's soccer games and doctor appointments. Or type it into your Smartphone. You'll be more apt to keep your study times if you treat them as official appointments.
Study alone before group study Even if you're part of a study group that meets to cram for tests or simply study the Word of God together, make sure you spend time going over the material by yourself before doing the group study thing.
Set goals and reward your efforts If your goal this season is to read through the entire New Testament and you accomplish that feat, reward yourself! You deserve it!
Get a study buddy A study buddy isn't necessarily someone you study with for major exams, but it should be someone you're accountable to on a regular basis. Let your study buddy/accountability partner know your weekly goals, then have set "check-in" times to discuss your progress.
Don't procrastinate We've all done it. You wait until the night before a huge paper is due and then begin researching and writing—not exactly a good plan. So, plan ahead and allow yourself enough time to absorb the information.
About the author
Michelle Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author, earning top honors from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Hoosier State Press Association.
Author of over 80 books with close to 4 million books sold, Michelle's latest children's book, My First Day of School (Worthy Kids) won the Selah Award for Best Children's Book in 2018, her fourth Selah for Best Children's Book since 2012. In fact, in 2014 Michelle's board book God Knows You not only won the Selah for Best Children's Book but also won the esteemed Book of the Year honor over all other Selah winners.
In addition, her children's book, I Will Not Be Afraid (Concordia Publishing House) earned "The Gold" Enduring Light medal for best children's book in the 2018 Illumination Awards.
Since graduating with a journalism degree from Indiana University, Michelle has written more than 1,500 articles for newspapers, magazines and websites; acted as a stringer for the Associated Press; written for a worldwide ministry; helped pen a New York Times Bestseller; hosted "Joy In Our Town" for the Trinity Broadcasting Network; and served as a blogger for Guideposts. Today, she is President of Platinum Literary Services—a premier full-service literary firm—and she serves as Chairman of the Serious Writer Board of Directors.
When not working on her own assignments, Michelle ghostwrites books for celebrities, politicians, and some of today's most effective and popular ministers. Michelle is also a much sought-after teacher at writers' conferences and universities around the nation. In fact, she has served as an adjunct professor three different years at Taylor University, teaching "Writing for Children."
Michelle is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeff, and they have two daughters, Abby and Allyson, two sons-in-law, one grandson and another grandbaby on the way. She and Jeff share their home in Southern Indiana with a miniature dachshund, a rescue Shepherd/Collie mix, and two cats. When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.


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Troubleshooting Mac OS X, Tiger Edition is divided into three primary sections:
Provides important information for both new and experienced Mac OS X users, with chapters covering areas including installing Mac OS X, learning about Mac OS X, key differences between Mac OS X and prior versions of the Mac OS®, maintaining Mac OS X, upgrading your Mac, and moving to a new Mac.
The best way to avoid problems is to take preventative steps where possible. The best way to quickly resolve problems is to be prepared for them should they arise. These chapters cover techniques for preventing problems with your Mac and Mac OS X, as well as being prepared to troubleshoot problems that may arise with Mac OS X.
The heart of the book, the chapters in this section provide troubleshooting tips and techniques, step-by-step instructions, and links to relevant information for resolving problems with Mac OS X. Other than the "General Mac OS X Troubleshooting" chapter, the chapters in this section are in alphabetical order, focusing on the most common problems with specific Mac OS X components, file types, processes, or procedures.
The following tables detail the chapters and their content in each of their respective sections.
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Take advantage of Dr. Smoke's comprehensive experience and expertise in preventing and resolving problems with Mac OS X 10.4: buy Troubleshooting Mac OS X, Tiger Edition today!