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The New York Timeseditorial board has this to say about it: "None of us can escape a share of the fault for the spiral of unreason and violence that has now found expression in [gunfire]." In the same spirit, the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court blames the act on "the hatred and bitterness that has been injected into the life of our nation by bigots." A leading Christian leader adds that the shooting stemmed from a "sin in the hearts of man not only in this country, but the world over. That is, the sin of prejudice."
Unreason. Hatred. Bitterness. Prejudice. This more or less summarizes the liberal chorus heard in the days after the Tucson shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. But all of the words quoted in the paragraph above were spoken or printed in 1963, in the days immediately following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Then, just as now, the American intelligentsia felt a reflexive certainty that what they'd witnessed was not an act perpetrated by just one man, but rather a mere symptom of a great body of societal evil.
Just as initial media commentaries about Jared Lee Loughner's crazed act focused on right-wing opposition to health-care reform and immigration, many 1963-era journalists assumed that Lee Harvey Oswald's act of murder was, in some vague way, connected to the Civil Rights Act. The day after JFK's death, the
Timesprinted an article entitled "Why America Weeps: Kennedy Victim of Violent Streak He Sought To Curb In Nation," promoting the idea that JFK's killer somehow stood in moral solidarity with "those who wanted to be more violent in the racial war." Playing on this notion, President Lyndon Johnson would tell Congress, two days after JFK's funeral, "no memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honour President Kennedy's memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights bill."
All of this was nonsense. Just as Loughner is a clinical lunatic whose views have nothing to do with politics or race relations (he once told his community-college professor that the numbers 6 and 18 are actually the same), so too was Oswald a devout Marxist whose views had nothing to do with right-wing politics. As James Piereson wrote in his 2007 book,
Camelot and the Cultural Revolution(to which this article is much indebted): "Oswald assassinated President Kennedy for political reasons connected to Cuba that were completely unrelated to … other social factors. [He] was not representative of any major group or cultural tendency." (And, again like Loughner, "he recognized no conventional morality by which he might have been bound.")
Even after all the reporting that's been done on Loughner's past, the myth that he is in some way emblematic of Tea Party culture likely will remain embedded in American political lore, just as left-wing conspiracy theorists still claim Oswald was a front man for the CIA and the military-industrial complex. As the JFK example shows, the modern, politically engaged mind is drawn to interpret every fresh tragedy through the lens of their pre-existing dogmas. (In this narrow sense, the liberals who claim Loughner to be a symptom of Tea Party America aren't that different from the Westboro Baptist Church Christian fanatics, who claim Loughner's rampage to be divine retribution against a godless America.)
Even the finest mind can be seduced by this dogmatic reflex. For years, I have been listening every weekday to
On Point, a National Public Radio talk show hosted by Tom Ashbrook, a serious journalist who has borne witness to genocidal hatred in Europe and Africa, and who is old enough to remember JFK's death. Yet even he could not help himself from writing these words on Sunday: "This is the river's edge. We've got to pull back. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' shooter was 22. That means he grew up in America's years of trash talk — of increasingly rash, intolerant, hate-filled talk. Years of framing disagreement as Armageddon and opponents as traitors. This has to stop."
Different version of this little manifesto were penned by a million different journalists, Facebook pundits, and Tweeters. All of them were unwitting variations on the 1963
Timeseditorial informing Americans that none of them could "escape a share of the fault for the spiral of unreason and violence." And all of them missed the point that Loughner didn't care a whit about any "trash talk" except that contained in his own sick head.
Sometimes, it's not about us — or our proximity to the "river's edge." Sometimes, lone gunmen just go out and do horrible things. Five decades after Dealey Plaza, this is a truth that intellectuals still can't accept.
National Post


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Exhibition Experience
We exhibit at more than 10 trade shows per year, from very large shows such as RSVP Events and ADMA to much smaller shows in rural communities and niche industry association groups.
As trade shows and exhibitions are expensive and very targeted, it is important that you get the maximum bang for your buck!
To maximise your level of enquiry from passers by, you need to ensure that:
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The Banner Lady develops products to ensure you maximize each of these elements. Create an exhibition shop that is simple to transport, easy to assemble and reusable time and time again, because unlike a shop, your retail presence will cease to exist after the exhibition.
If you or someone you know has an upcoming event, make sure you give us a call to discuss your options and branding requirements. The Banner Lady will have a range of solutions to help make your event a success and can tailor a package to maximize your impact whilst minimizing your expense!
Come into our new factory for a 10 minute demo, where we have a permanent Exhibition Display set-up for you to view and for us to create an innovative package for your events.

subset: commoncrawl


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After 18 years and some 300,000 students served, YouthFriends is calling it quits.
The nonprofit agency recruited and screened thousands of adult volunteers for more than two dozen area school districts, sending them into lunchrooms and classrooms to spend time one-to-one mentoring a youth friend.
But signs of financial strain had been mounting, as the agency this year required participating school districts to begin bearing some of the program's costs. This week, the agency notified the districts that the service would end by May 31.
"It has been a challenging time for YouthFriends under the current economic environment," the agency said in a written statement to The Star. "While YouthFriends will no longer provide service for each school district, we have provided tools, knowledge and a passionate group of volunteers that will allow the program to flourish under the ownership of each individual school district."
YouthFriends notified districts this week with a certified letter, which came as a surprise, several school district officials said.
"When you lose a program like this that gets to the core of helping kids, it's unfortunate," said Hickman Mills School District spokesman John Baccala. YouthFriends volunteers have been helping in classrooms, often tutoring students, he said, "and that's the kind of help we can use right now."
Volunteers who are already serving schools will be able to carry on their work, but districts will have to take on the costs of recruiting and performing background checks of new volunteers.
YouthFriends is negotiating to give the YouthFriends brand and intellectual property to the North Kansas City School District — one of its original partners and its largest with 800 to 1,000 volunteers every year.
Other school districts, however, will have to return YouthFriends manuals and other materials and strip the YouthFriends name from any future volunteer programs.
That won't be easy for many districts. They have used the easily recognized and understood YouthFriends name to mark most of their volunteer campaigns.
"The brand and their screening was a comfort blanket for us," said Kelly Wachel, spokeswoman for the Center School District, which like North Kansas City and Hickman Mills, was one of the original five districts to launch the pilot program 18 years ago.
The district is contacting all its volunteers to make sure they understand that Center wants them to keep serving their students and that the district will be designing its own program to support them.
"Our volunteers are too important to us," she said. "They are counselors, academic coaches, friends, support systems ..."
The YouthFriends program hit a high point six years ago when the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation gave the program a three-year, $5.4 million grant to recruit more mentors — particularly in math and science.
The expanded service, called UpLink, aimed to put more mentors in classrooms, more students in internships and teachers into paying summer jobs in their education fields.
The program didn't grow to expectations, the Kauffman Foundation did not renew its support, and the harsh economy began to take its toll on other supporters of YouthFriends as well.
The program made severe staff reductions, but still felt financial stress.
YouthFriends tried charging fees this year in a "continued effort to diversify funding in a weak economy," YouthFriends Executive Director Laura Norris said.
Center, a smaller district with fewer volunteers, paid $1,500; North Kansas City paid $2,500.
North Kansas City has more than 900 volunteers this year, and it seemed fitting, Norris said, to offer the YouthFriends name to the district — an offer the district said it is reviewing.
"For me,"Norris said, "it is gratifying to see the YouthFriends vision and principles live on in a district so committed to community engagement in its schools."


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Yes. As a local friend you are responsible for determining the applicable tax law in your country related to the payment you receive. This can range from VAT to surcharges, sales taxes, goods and services taxes or personal/corporate income.
Don't hesitate to send us a message if you have any further questions. Our team is available and want you to have the best experience, always :) firstname.lastname@example.com
A Local Friend is anyone who has an authentic local perspective from his city to share. All profiles created are users of our platform, who make use of its tools to promote activities offered on a freelance basis. RentaLocalFriend.com LLC has no work contract bounds with its web users.
Keep in mind that Rent a Local Friend shows all the available profiles and that the filter is done directly by the visitor according to certain criteria (gender, age, spoken languages, and interests). That said it is very important to have an all star profile that stands out and clearly shows who you are and what you have to aggregate. In order to have a top notch profile we recommend that first and foremost everything is dully filled in and upload (questionaires and documents). Upload a good resolution foto of yourself (a clear and smily face is always welcoming). Extras such as videos are very interesting since they serve as a differentiation factor while adding a human aspect to the profile. Reviews are very important. Make sure to ask visitors for reviews after outings, they just may be the ticket to your next booking. Lastly, boosting but not sharing is the same as not boosting. Make sure to share your profile in social media channels and through your friends and family. Word of mouth still is a very powerful channel. Have a look at this video, which brings many tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbaEBi0tze8
If you want to cancel your subscription as a Local Friend, all you have to do is send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com asking for the cancellation. To know more about our refund policy, please read the FAQ "Is the USD 100 annual subscription fee refundable?".
The more you tell about yourself, the merrier! Talk about who you are, your profession, what do you like to do day by day, extra things you can offer as a Local Friend, where do you usually go on your city, your favorite places… Is also interesting to add a video and to fill your Tips & Traps page. There you can show that you're an expert on your city, suggesting where to go and what to avoid. Is a good propaganda for your profile!
For more information send us an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
For precautionary measures and for your own safety, it is mandatory to upload a valid picture id in your profile. This document is private and no one else except the Rent a Local Friend team has access to it. It will not published or delivered to anyone under any circumstance unless required by law. We provide a deadline of 30 days after a person has subscribed to upload their valid picture id. In case it is not done within this period of time, Rent a Local Friend reserves the right to suspend the profile until the document is made available. For your own security, it's also important to keep all the communication inside the message board. For that reason, you may not share your facebook, linkedin, skype id or personal emails on your profile's page. They're all blocked until the booking fee is confirmed.
Most people who look for a service such as Rent a Local Friend are open minded and keen on meeting new people and learning about their cultures. If by any chance even after exchanging messages with the visitor you dislike the person we still recommend you to do your best since not only will you be receiving a fee for this service but also you will be reviewed and this can work to your advantage.
No. The relationship between the platform and its Local Friends by no means is characterized as a job. Rent a Local Friend is a platform that connects travellers with locals matching their interests.
If you wish for a receipt of any kind please instruct his to contact us directly through email@example.com.
After an outing occurs the visitor will automatically receive an email asking him to fill out a review of the Local Friend directly at the city's Tripadvisor's page. Once the review is posted on Tripadvisor, it will be automatically reproduced on the local friend's page, inside rentalocalfriend.com platform. To find your city page at tripadvisor.com and type rent a local friend in nameofyourcity - and copy the url. You also have full control of your review area to copy/paste any text from an external website, like tripadvisor, and paste it yourself at yoru page too, at any time. If your visitor is traveling with a Cruise, kindly ask him to to leave a review at their member forum too: http://www.cruisecritic.com/ It is very important to get as many reviews as possible, so keep one eye on that and do ask your visitor to write a testimonial for you too!
It is always good to keep in mind that each person plans their trip in a different way and while some may book a Local Friend in the last minute, others will do it way in advance. Regardless, the visitor most likely has a limited time in the city and is counting on you to have the local experience and any change of plans can impact in his/her trip. Nonetheless, if for any extraordinary reason the Local Friend is not able to attend the outing please decline it immediately so that the system can arrange someone else for the visitor. If it happens 48 hours before the outing happens the visitor will still have the right to review the Local Friend and consequently the Local Friend may have a negative review on his profile.
Even though this has never happened, the visitor is allowed to cancel the outing and should do that as soon as possible. If the visitor cancels in a period less than seven days to the outing, then the 30% fee that he paid to guarantee the Local Friend will not only be retained, but also split among the platform and the Local Friend (15% to the Local Friend and 15% to the platform) to diminsh damage that may have been caused.
Having a freelance complimentary activity that is fun and flexible could not be it any better! A Local Friend gets to meet new and interesting people all the time and is also paid to take visitors to his very own favorite spots! It also allows the possibility to become part of a community of interesting people who know a lot about their own cities so you can get to know other places and even your own city through a different perspective. Having Local Friend from all over the World also means tips and traps from everywhere. It's an opportunity to meet new friends from other cultures without leaving your home city and escaping from routine exploring your own city through the eyes of foreign cultures. Now you are the Local Friend, but soon enough you may be in the role of the visitor.
The beauty of this service is that it allows 100% of itinerary customization according to what you have to offer and the interests of the visitor. Having this in mind the itinerary will be basically built upon what the visitor wants to see and taking into account your suggestions, after-all you are the local expert. It is important to have a blend between what is typical and traditional and the places that you know and love. We recommend that if you can, go away from traditional tourism routes because this is what we have that is unique, the opportunity to get to know a city based on what locals actually do and where they go.
All communication between visitors and Local Friends must be made through our message board within the Rent a Local Friend website. This is designed this way for security reasons.
This is the perfect opportunity to communicate ask about the desired itinerary and etc. During this phase the booking is not concluded and the Local Friend has the chance to reject the Local Experience.
The process is done this way to protect both the visitor and the Local Friend. No personal information will be revealed until the first part of the booking is done, which happens when the 30% is paid and the Local Friend accepts the booking request. After that skype, cellphone and email information will be made available for the purpose of the outing.
If you are not available on the requested date or able to take the booking for any specific reason you have the option to decline it so the visitor can reach another Local Friend. Remember that any message you doesn't respond in 48 hours will be forwarded to someone else who meets the criteria.
Like we said, this all depends on how attractive your profile is. This is why we recommend a lot of attention given to it so that it is all filled in in a complete and interesting manner. A nice picture helps and a video makes it top notch! It is also crucial to increase your own profile reach through social media channels, this way people will know that you are a Local Friend and recommend you to their friends. Word of mouth still is a very successfull form of standing out. Rent a Local Friend's search results distributes in a fair way its results taking into consideration not only Local Friends with positive reviews and a trackrecord of outings, but also new Local Friends so that they can have their first opportunity and then enter the cycle of positive (hopefully) reviews and a profile boost.
When the visitor accesses our platform he can filter his search not only by available dates but also by spoken languages and interests. Based on this filter a selected pool of friends who meet the criteria will appear as a search result. After this pre-selection it will be up to the visitor to select and reach out to the Local Friend. This is why we highly recommend Local Friends to have an interesting and complete profile with pictures, videos and everything that will provide more accuracy on who the Local Friend is as a person. A good picture is very important. Also keep in mind that before finalizing a booking the Local Friend will receive a message from the Visitor or he will book you direcly. Than Local Friend should make contact or reject or accept the booking paid. Is important to know that before the booking is scheduled, the visitor can send messages to more than one Local Friend. Because of this we suggest you respond the messages quickly! If the Local Friend doesn't answer in 48 hours the system will forward the message to other Local Friends with the same filters.
We have a Tips and Traps section to be used by everyone and made public in each Local Friend's profile. We encourage Local Friends to post what they consider tips and traps on this section to help upcoming visitors.This may be a decision factor for a visitor to pick you to show him around. To activate this section at your page you must create at least 10 places. Once you have done that, you can sell them online too and get an additional income to your page :) We use all content to generate marketing buzz to the platform and all its members, so we will use your tip too tagged along with your profile page, which is another great way to make your profile known and attract visitors.
In order to book an outing a visitor must pay upfront 30% of the fee charged by the Local Friend. The remaining 70% is paid directly to the Local Friend on the day of the outing.
Rent a Local Friend suggests an average price according to what is standard in each specific city where we have Local Friends. Nonetheless, it is up to each Local Friend to choose their own price according to what they believe they can aggregate and how unique they are. Our minimum price for a full day is US$ 50. The selection will occur by potential visitors, so it is important to keep in mind that if you choose to be way out of the common price range practiced, we recommend that you provide a valid reason for the visit so that he understands and appreciates what is offered. In case there is no Local Friend in the city you are from, we suggest a brief research on the internet or even look at other cities in our portfolio to use as a benchmark. When considering your fee keep in mind that 30% of this value is retained by the website to guarantee the booking reservation and the remaining 70% will be paid by the visitor during the outing.
It is mandatory to upload a valid picture id in your profile. We request this for your own safety as well as for precautionary measuers. This document is private and no one else except the Rent a Local Friend team has access to it. It will not published or delivered to anyone under any circumstance unless required by law. We provide a deadline of 30 days after a person has subscribed to upload their valid picture id. In case it is not done so within this period of time, Rent a Local Friend reserves the right to suspend the profile until the document is made available.
If you cannot locate your city on our list of available cities this is not a problem whatsoever. In fact, you should be proud to be first one in your city to become a Local Friend! While you are registering and filling in the form, all you have to do is write the name of your city at the city box available!
- Only people over 18 years of age may take part.
- Know your city very well, especially when it comes to the interests you pointed out in your profile.
- Be sociable and communicative.
- Have interesting stories to tell, especially about where you come from and what you love about your city.
- Have a relatively flexible schedule in the weekends and if possible during the week a well. You will not be obliged to accept any booking thus the more free time the more bookings you will be able to take, but it is not mandatory.
To become a Local Friend all you have to do is click on the button "Become a Local Friend" that is located on the top right corner of the homepage in the website. You will then be directed to a page with the title "How to be a Local friend" read the content and then click in "apply now". You will be directed to a questionaire. Once it is filled in make sure to upload a picture and proceed to payment of the annual fee. After payment is accepted your profile will me made public with the others. It is important to fill in the questionaire with interesting answers, upload a visible and nice picture and also make available a valid photo id.
The first step in this platform is to select the city you intend on visiting and the dates you wish to rent a Local Friend. Once that is defined, you will be directed to a page with filters where they will further help in the selection of the ideal Local Friend. Language and interests and key filters for a unique experience (an example is a Local Friend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who speaks french and is interested in photography). Once those are selected, the system narrows down to a selected number of Local Friends that meet the criteria.
Once the profiles are narrowed down, the visitor has the opportunity to quickly browse and select. He can select one friend or more than one since this selection does not mean that the booking is guaranteed. After this we encourage the Visitor to check all Local Friend profiles and than send a message to the Local Friends that meet his interests. To check if they are available. Otherwise the Visitor can BOOK NOW the Local Friend he wants.
After paying the 30% booking fee the Local Friend needs to accept or reject this booking.
This part of the payment is done online and directly to the Rent a Local Friend website.
The remining 70% is paid directly to the Local Friend on the day of the outing.
The meeting point and the itinerary will be discussed through the message board of the platform.
The idea is to keep this outing as customized as possible. A Local Friend's fee stands up for two people. Each extra person costs an additional value. In order to make sure what your total fee is before you pay for it simulate the number of visitors and check the cost. There is no limit of visitors extras, however we recommend no more than 6 people.
Don't hesitate to send us a message if you have any further questions. Our team is available and want you to have the best experience :) reach us at any time: email@example.com
Is very easy to choose the ideal Local Friend. First you need to know what kind of Local Experience you are looking after. What kind of things you want to see. Are you an artsy person? Adventurous? Traveling with kids? Are looking after some good local shopping experience? After this you must look into the City page you are going to travel to and optimise this search with the many filters disposed on the platform. This for sure will help you finding the ideal Local Friend. Last but not least we encourage the exchange messages to make sure that the Local Friend plans this experience as your expectations and his local twist.
Children until 12 years old do not pay.
Absolutely. If you ever need one, we can send it under your nome or the name of a company. All you have to do is send and email to email@example.com.
In case cancellation occurs please send a message to communicate your Local Friend ASAP regarding the booking cancellation. The best way to communicate with your friend for a fast feedback is via whatssup or private email, which is made available to your at the message board after booking payment has been confirmed The deadline for a visitor to cancel an outing and still obtain full refund is 48 hours prior to the scheduled date. After that, the 30% paid to guarantee the booking will not be refunded since the initial service of hosting and communication between the Local Friend and the visitor was already done. That and also the fact that the Local Friend gave up another booking to be with the visitor and thus he would end up in a loss of the remaining 70%.
Local Friends typically suggest an easy meeting spot, however you can also pre-arrange for the Local Friend to meet you where you are staying or any convenient place for you according to the planned itinerary.
Once the fee is paid the reservation is official and the Local Friend will hold this date for you. In the meantime you can communicate via message board to ask any questions or talk about specific details of your itinerary.
No. Unless the meal is a part of the outing and this is pre-arranged. The visitor is free to eat wherever he wants all he has to do is set up a time and meeting place to keep going with the outing after a meal.
The booking fee covers the itinerary creation and the actual time of the outing spent with the Local Friend. Any other expense such as tickets, transportation and meals shall be arranged in advance or paid directly by the visitor. Alternatives are possible but they may vary so we suggest that you discuss this with your Local Friend.
Transportation from one place to the other is not included in the price of the booking and the visitor is free to choose the most convenient or option that he judges to be the best one.
The earlier you do it the better it is for you to guarantee an available friend within the desired date and also have enough time to plan the itinerary together. The minimum we suggest is 48 hours, however if you want to do a last minute booking you can invite a Local Friend and hope that he responds in due time. If you book and decide to cancel the outing within this short period of time, the 30% paid upfront will not be refunded. In order to increase your chances of obtaining a last minute booking we recommend that you contact more than one Local Friend to increase your chances of a rapid response.
We believe that the best way to get to know a city if by interacting with it. This happens the most in outings that are done by walking or public transportation when there are bigger distances involved such as buses, taxis, metros, etc. However, if your Local Friend has a car and a driver's license you may pre-arrange for this to be a part of your experience.
You can choose a halfday or a full day outing. Half days can be done either in the morning or afternoon and last 4 hours while full days are the equivalent of 8 hours. Local Friends have their set of prices for both options. Mon-Sun from 8am until 8pm and you may choose the meeting point / pick -up adress.
Because you only meet the friend in the moment of the outing, you have the opportunity to filter according to similar interests, check his profile and talk with the Local Friend through the message board for as long as you want. On the day of the outing we also recommend that the meeting point is in a public place and that you go on with your planned itinerary for as long as you feel comfortable. Keep in mind that it is a mutual trust relationship since the Local Friend does not know you as well.
To guarantee your Local Friend you must pay 30% of the total booking fee upfront to guarantee the Local Friend and the desired date. To do so you must click on the BOOK NOW button located on the profile page of the chosen Local Friend. The amount will only be debited once the Local Friend accepts and authorized the request.
The remaining 70% must be paid directly to the Local Friend on the moment of the outing. The 30% booking fee is only refundable 7 days prior to the booked date.
When you select a Local Friend you have the option to filter by spoken languages. Therefore you should select a language that you are able to communicate yourself in.
Given excess of information and increasing demand to experience the unique and customized, it is getting harder and harder to filter what is relevant and select where to go and what to do when you travel. More and more travellers are seeking for a cultural immersion when traveling the world. Local Friends are also travellers but within their own homes and thus do this homework for you while putting together an itinerary that is 100% customized suiting your needs, interests and making sure to take you to the most authentic and sometimes even traditional little places, guiding you on what and where to shop, teaching about local eating habbits, and showing what is truly authentic while keeping you up to date with the new and noteworthy. You will not have to worry about anything and certainly not get lost. The other great benefit is that the Local Friend knows the local language and will make communication for you a lot easier.
The Local Friend will create an itinerary based on your interests. He will take you to his favorite places but making sure that they are aligned with what you want to experience in this city. A few examples are: typical local restaurants for a good and not over priced food, the best sunset view, charming stores, etc.
Local Friends are people with other occupations that vary significantly. We have journalists, lawyers, chefs and even yoga teachers amongst many other professions. They do however share in common their love for where they live and their interest in meeting new people and making sure tell them about what they consider to be the best within their cities of residence.
You should select your choosen date together with your interests and languages. The website will display the result of Local Friends whose profile matches your own selected interests. If you have flexible dates, please select more than one possible date so we can match it with a wider possibiity of Local Friend's agenda. Local Experience times are: Mon-Sun from 8am until 8pm. You may choose the meeting point / pick -up address.
Encontrou o que estava procurando?


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The landscape for financial advisors is rapidly evolving, and it can be difficult to keep up. Now that a new year is at hand, its time to reevaluate your business and take a fresh approach to growing it. Here is my list of the 15 big business moves advisors should make in the new year.
1. Find Your Niche
Afraid to miss a single opportunity, most advisors strive to make their practices appealing to every potential client. This thinking is flawed because it overlooks an important fact: Investors prefer to work with advisors who specialize in helping people in situations similar to their own.
Business leaders, for example, prefer to work with advisors who specialize in helping successful businesspeople. Ultrahigh-net-worth investors prefer to work with advisors who specialize in assisting affluent clients. Doctors prefer to work with advisors who help doctors. The bottom line is that, the more narrowly focused your niche is, the more success you will have within that niche.
2. Be Creative
People love feeling special and appreciated. While clients are unlikely to talk about the annual review they had with their advisor, they will brag about how he threw them a surprise wedding anniversary party.
Advisors who look for creative ways to make their clients happy will make a deep impression that will generate referrals. Is a clients car dirty when he comes in for an appointment? Have it washed. Have a client laid up with a broken leg? Send dinner over. Does your client have a new grandchild? Give him a 'World's Greatest ' hat or sweater.
In the words of management guru Ken Blanchard, "Just having satisfied customers isn't good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create Raving Fans."
3. Implement a Minimum
The idea of turning away clients because they don't have enough money is scary for many advisors, but its the key to success for others. Our research has found that even having a minimum as low as $50,000 can help advisors attract larger clients. When you put a minimum in place and stick to it, you send the message that your time and energy are worth more than the Joe Shmo financial advisor down the street.
In addition, having a minimum can spare you from taking on multiple smaller clients who can place a significant drain on your time and profitability. While reasonable forethought and planning is required, if you pick the right dollar amount, communicate it properly and notify your clients in the correct way, you will improve your business by having a minimum.
4. Gather Client Feedback
There are many things clients don't freely share with their advisors, including health concerns, private investments, marital problems, debts they have incurred, and even stocks and real estate they have purchased. Furthermore, clients won't usually indicate their communication preferences (type and frequency) unless they are asked.
For this reason, advisors should survey their clients once per year and use the results to initiate meaningful conversations and improve the quality of their service. In many cases, advisors who survey their clients will even uncover assets they didn't know their clients held.
5. Pay Attention to Xers and Millennials
Generation X and Millennial investors will inherit more than $41 trillion by 2052, according to the Social Welfare Research Institute at Boston College. Even now, 29% of wealthy investors are under age 50 and control 37% of investible asset, a study from Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group shows.
In spite of this, most advisors still focus their marketing efforts on aging baby boomer clients whose wealth will gradually diminish as they draw down their retirement accounts. What's left over, plus any hard assets and life insurance payouts, will go to their children.
As it stands today, though, those children won't be using their parents' financial advisors. According to a 2009 Rothstein Kass survey, 86% of them will move the money to new advisors.
This should be a wakeup call for advisors who want to make sure their book of business will stand the test of time. 2015 is the year to start engaging clients' children in a big way.
6. Host Social Events
Client social events present the perfect opportunity to meet new prospects without spending a lot of time or money, but many advisors aren't organizing them. To host your own social event, simply plan an activity you enjoy and invite a few clients along, while offering to pick up the tab. You could go fishing, golfing or skeet shooting. You could host a cooking class, a pedicure party or a wine tasting. All you have to do is plan the event and pick up the phone.
7. Refresh Your Website
Many advisor websites feature the same lousy stock photos of retired couples riding bikes on the beach, bulls and bears, Wall Street signs or white columns with unclear significance. What's worse, the majority of the content on those sites consists of irrelevant and overly technical articles that have little relevance to an advisors actual clients. In many cases, firms even use the same templates as their competition does.
2015 is the year to throw cheap template websites out the window. Today's consumer is more discerning than ever. Prospective and current clients crave unique experiences, authenticity and valuable information delivered in bite-size, eye-catching and interesting ways.
8. Heed Robo Advisors
Right now your main competition may be the advisor on the next block, but in a few years, it will be the robo advisor. New tools such as Wealthfront and Betterment are giving consumers access to consolidated reporting for all their accounts online, cheap or free investment advice and intuitive technology that blows what most advisors offer out of the water.
Advisors would be wise to invest in mobile-friendly technology that allows clients to see all their holdings with the click of a button on a smartphone or tablet. Theres a good reason why billions of dollars are flowing into these new platforms. Advisors who ignore this trend do so at their own peril.
9. Understand Social Media Is Not a Fad
Every recent respectable report shows social media is here to stay. In just eight years, social media use among adults has increased more than 800%, according to the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project. I could cite 100 more studies that confirm the same thing: Social media is not just a fad.
While it is not the silver bullet marketing strategy some "experts" purport, it is a valuable communication tool that millions of people use daily. Like the telephone and email, financial advisors should use social media to communicate with their clients, build their brand and find new prospects.
10. Use Video to Market
When it comes to being on the cutting edge of marketing, video is where it's at. The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video, and email marketing featuring video can increase click-through rates by more than 90%, according to Mist Media. Video also attracts two to three times as many monthly visitors, doubles their time spent on a website and has a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engines. Need I say more?
Video marketing doesn't have to be difficult. If you can't afford a recording studio or don't have the expertise to operate one, just buy a good quality webcam, spend two minutes recording stock market and economic commentary for your clients, then email them the link and embed the video on your website. If that's still too complicated for you, call me and I'll walk you through it.
11. Add Online Advertising to Your Marketing Budget
Traditional methods of advertising via billboards, magazines and mass-mailings are extremely expensive and rapidly decreasing in effectiveness. At the same time, cutting edge methods of advertising online have become affordable, highly targeted, measurable and effective.
With a budget as low as a few hundred dollars per month, advisors can be prominently featured on websites including Forbes, Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal. Even better, theyre not charged for this exposure until someone actually clicks on an ad and visits their website or landing page. Now is the time to shift some marketing budget into this largely untapped (by advisors, that is) space.
12. Understand the Value of Accountability
Most advisors are used to being their own boss, but top-performing advisors know they can benefit by having an impartial and experienced confidante who can hold them accountable while also teaching them to think and act differently. The right consultant or coach can help an advisor work smarter instead of harder, enhance client relationships, attract and retain the right staff and ultimately expand his or her business.
Not convinced the investment will pay off? We recently completed a study that quantified the value of using a coach. Within the group of 938 advisors we surveyed, 26.94% of their growth during the past 12 months was attributed to leveraging the services of a marketing and practice management consultant.
13. Dedicate Time to Business Planning
It can be a real challenge for advisors to meet the demands of running and building their business, caring for their clients and also maintaining a personal life. For this reason, many advisors struggle to balance time-sensitive duties such as placing trades, returning voicemails and checking emails with other vital activities.
Every advisor should block out weekly dedicated hours in his or her schedule for business planning. This time should be used exclusively for tasks including analyzing profitability, marketing planning, evaluating employees, and reviewing and setting goals.
14. Delegate and Outsource
Advisors who want to take their business to the next level must shift their priorities so 100% of their time is spent on things they are uniquely qualified to do. If something can be outsourced, delegated or eliminated, it needs to be. This is one of the critical factors that sets top performers apart; they know their time must be focused strictly on revenue-generating activities that can't be delegated.
Granted, it costs money to do this staffing assistants, paying for research, hiring outside firms to help but it's a vital business investment. The only activities advisors should engage in are the ones directly connected to managing existing client relationships and creating new ones. Proper delegation can dramatically enhance growth and improve quality of life.
15. Create a Written Plan
While most advisors will stroll into 2015 without a written plan, elite advisors will commit their goals to writing. When you invest the time to put your plans in writing, you demonstrate intention and commitment, make your ideas more concrete, find clarity, build your confidence and increase your likelihood of achievement.
The process doesn't have to be long and painful. Just one hour with your computer may be enough. If you're not sure what to include, review the 15 points in this article and there's a good chance you'll find a few you'd like to incorporate.
Kaizen is Japanese for "improvement," or "change for the best." It refers to the practice of focusing on continuous, even incremental, improvement in business something all advisors should strive for.
If you can't immediately address all 15 points in this article, just pick a couple, or even one. A commitment to continuous improvement will surely lead to achieving greater success in 2015.
Robert Sofia is the founder of Platinum Advisor Strategies.
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About Mary Wallace
In the world of lead gen, subject lines will be the determining factor on how many people click on your white paper, research report or other asset. How can you make sure that your subject lines and other titles will generate interest instead of causing a potential lead to go on to something else? Read more.
7 Steps to Tradeshow Booth Nirvana
If you're in a 10x10 booth you have less than seven physical steps as an attendee walks by to catch their attention. This is even more critical if you're at a large tradeshow and an attendee will only walk by your booth once. Here are 7 marketing tips to stand out. Read more.
The New Year's Resolutions to Make Your 2016 Marketing Explode
These eight resolutions can result in more effectively finding and engaging leads as well as optimizing customer engagement to drive pipeline matriculation and revenue growth. Read more.
Make Your Next Webinar ROCK
Don't waste your audience's time by missing the communication mark. Instead, take the opportunity to add leads to the top of your funnel and escort others further along in their buying process by making your webinar ROCK. Read more.
Leverage Your Intent Data To Drive Sales
Learn what intent data is, and how you can more efficiently and effectively fill your funnel with well qualified leads by reading and taking action on intent data. Read more.
How To Increase Your Event Sponsorship's ROI With Post-Event Nurturing
From a marketing standpoint, it can be frustrating (and a waste of money!) to see new leads from an event aging on the shelf. But solving the problem is actually easy! Read on to learn how to build a marketing communications strategy that will make the ROI of your next event skyrocket. Read more.
4 Reasons Your Marketing Automation Solution Fails
Marketing automation has been touted as the silver bullet for lead generation and pipeline management. It is the panacea for elevating the CMO to a seat at the board room table. Yet there are many cases when marketing automation doesn't deliver on the promise. Here are four reasons why. Read more.


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I've been playing with the fab sheet Buttons and Bows. And I played with 3 for this page.
- Crafty cardmakers - Make it sparkle - thought the sequins would fit :)
- Love to scrap challenge blog - Anything goes
- Whoopsi Daisy - Add embellishments - there were lots here
- Allsorts challenge- Sparkle
- Crafty friends challenge blog - Something with B- buttons, barbie in the sentiment :) and composition BOOK


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Mississippi soybean harvest has progressed extremely well except during the last several days of August. Yields have varied, but as a whole have far exceeded most expectations. Excellent quality can be attributed to better overall stink bug control and wider use of foliar fungicides.
This year's soybean crop will be the highest-yielding ever in Mississippi.
Several items need addressing in the coming weeks. First, it will be a long time until a killing frost. If you harvested early, weed emergence and growth will be rampant. The best control will be either tillage or a fall burndown program.
Although Valor has gotten a lot of attention as a residual material, I believe it is too early to get the most from it. The best time for Valor in Mississippi would be mid-November to early December or in the spring.
We observed a major difference in rows versus flat plantings this year. If I could choose only one production practice in the early planting system, it be rows. It is not feasible on all acreage, but I predict we will see more emphasis on rows and wide beds, which aid in early-season growth and development. Simply put, they improve drainage. Poor drainage is our number one nemesis of yields.
It was obvious deep tillage played a significant role in yields this season. Effective deep tillage is much easier following early harvest. To be most effective, it must be done in a dry profile.
If you plan to till, consider a tillage rotation that allows you to spread your work load and takes advantage of the residual effects of tillage.
Research has shown that tillage on certain soil types has carryover effects. The effects of tillage are visible on heavy clay soils tilled one year out of three to four. The sandier a soil, the more consistent the response to deep tillage. However, for maximum advantage, tillage must not delay planting. Delays are more of a concern for early planting. To avoid these delays, drainage must be adequate.
Deep tillage is not a substitute for irrigation, but it can help the crop during dry weather. Tillage will be of little or no benefit on furrow-irrigated and flood-irrigated fields, but it can help tremendously on most pivot-irrigated fields. Most of the benefit is due to soil type, but the type of irrigation system is a factor, too.
Tillage is not essential on all acres, but it is an option. If you plan to rework land or bed up a field, consider deep tillage before bedding.
With a month and a half to prepare land, consider these: (1) only till where it will help, (2) do not perform deep tillage if it will adversely impact planting date, and (3) improve drainage before considering the first two options.
Take time to open tail ditches so fields drain faster. A row or bed will help, but only if water can get off the lower end of a field. Larger pipes on field ends may be all that is needed to improve drainage.
We know the importance of drainage, but it is often neglected or the last thing considered. Poor drainage continues to be the number one factor affecting yields. This is obvious this year because yields are off some in many better-irrigated (heavy) fields. Typically, they are the most consistent-yielding fields, but mid-June rains had an impact.
Another area we must not overlook is soil fertility. Put something back to continue good yields. Do not guess at soil fertility; pull soil samples. You have time this fall to take care of any deficiencies.
Fertility on the soils (heavy) where we typically grow soybeans is often okay, but in the last two years in the Delta, half the fields in our SMART program have needed maintenance applications of P and K. Although the heavy clays are often higher in fertility and more uniform, they often would benefit from fertilization.
Beans planted on cotton soils especially need attention. These soils are much more variable, and a year like this one will allow you to map soils.
Deficiencies seen in beans were probably there in the other crops (cotton and corn). In addition to P and K, two micronutrients, boron and sulfur, are getting more attention.
Do not overlook soil pH, especially on fresh-cut ground. Irrigation water will increase pH of the soil, but it will not do it overnight nor in one watering. Some lime may be needed to adjust the pH; after that, the crop can take care of itself. I see this problem quite often, but very few farmers apply lime to cut ground.
You have to give to get. It took a long time for deficiencies to surface in the Delta, but depleted soils must be replenished to maintain production.
A final point to consider is crop rotation. Do not get too far from this option. Prices dictate what we do, but try to not grow beans over two consecutive years if possible. You can go longer, but yields will be more consistent if you rotate crops.
An older gentlemen told me years ago that we can grow only three things without rotating — cotton, pastures, and pine trees. Think about it!
Alan Blaine is the Mississippi Extension soybean specialist. e-mail: [email protected]


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This is another delicious and nutritious recipe shared with me by a friend. The reason why I love raw vegan desserts is because they can be made quickly and easily, without compromising on flavour or feeling too guilty. The ingredients used here are all clean, healthy and natural, but you really wouldn't think so. The base is nutty and chewy, resembling your favourite cheesecake. That intense, but refreshing lime flavour really brings forth memories of summer, sipping on citrus-heavy cocktails in outdoor restauraunt seating, with a gorgeous, light dessert to top off an exceptional meal.
As long as you have a food processor, you can make this dessert, and the many variations that come with it. The image below contains all of the ingredients you will need, it really is that simple.
For the base:
120g of dates
75g of walnuts
1/2 juice of lime
For the filling:
75 grams of cashews (ideally soaked overnight in water)
1 large avocado
1 1/2 juice of lime
100g of dates
Whizz up the base ingredients in the food processor until they stick together. Then, spoon out the mixture into 4-6 small ramekins.
Do the same with the filling ingredients, until smooth and creamy. Then, spoon out this mixture on top of the bases and place into the fridge to set for about 2 hours.
That's it, you're done! How simple was that? If you like raw vegan desserts, let me know which ones. I'm still learning how to make them and would love some tips from you.
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Hearty and heart-healthy, this roasted butternut squash dish makes a warming main course for a weekday family dinner. Beautiful and simple plate for a Monday night.
Serves: 4
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
- fresh rosemary for roasting and for butter
- 1 cup cooked black rice (barley or your favorite grain))
- 1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts
Preheat an oven to 425°F.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the squash. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the squash crosswise. Scrape out and discard the seeds and fibers. Cut all of the squash into 1-inch chunks. Spread the pieces on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil and toss with your hands to coat. Add fresh rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 15 minutes. Stir the squash and continue roasting until tender and browned, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven.
In a bowl mix together roasted butternut squash and cooked black rice.
In a small frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat until the foam subsides. Add the fresh rosemary and cook just until the butter turns a light hazelnut brown and the rosemary is crisp, about 30 seconds. Immediately pour the brown butter and rosemary over the squash and rice and toss to coat. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve with roasted cashew nuts.


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Washington state is a leader in drowning prevention. Seattle Children's and many other organizations have been working together for decades to:
The Washington State Drowning Prevention Network was developed in 1994 to provide a forum for organizations to work together to prevent drowning.
Our key messages are: Know the water. Know your limits. Wear a life jacket.
The network meets twice a year. To join and to receive e-mails and event announcements, email us.
Network activities include:
The network is led by:
Seattle Children's began doing research on drowning in the 1970s and outreach on drowning prevention in the early 1990s with the development of the "Stay on Top of It" campaign. Now we focus on:
Support Seattle Children's water safety education and programs to increase access to life jackets. Designate your donation to "water safety." Donate now.
In This Issue: Summer 2018
Download Summer 2018 (PDF)
Dynamic duo strive to stop drowning deaths through research, outreach and advocacy.


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On June 18, 2015, the Vatican introduced the Church and the world to Pope Francis' new encyclical, "Laudato Si' ("Praise be to You"): On Care for Our Common Home." And it was hard not to notice. The release was covered by almost every news outlet, commented upon by scientists and politicians, and hailed by many from both inside and outside the Church as an historic contribution to human society.
Addressed to "every person on the planet," Laudato Si' warns of the dangerous changes the earth's climate and ecosystems are undergoing. It considers the economic causes of the problem, decries that problem's particularly disastrous impact on the world's poor, and offers a profound theological, moral and spiritual vision of the integral relationship between God, humanity and the created world.
These are big and important topics. But for the moment, we want to focus on what it might mean for a Catholic to authentically live the teaching of Laudato Si'. What impact might this document have on the daily life of someone who wishes to take seriously what the pope is saying?
We've chosen to consider that question from four important directions. What might it mean to live Laudato Si' in one's family life? What does the encyclical offer to the spiritual lives of Catholics? What is this concept of consumerism that is so prominent in the pope's teaching, and what does it mean to each of us? And finally, what does the encyclical mean in the life of a typical American Catholic parish?
This In Focus aims to accurately reflect the encyclical's contents in very concrete and practical ways. As is often the case when it comes to living the Gospel, the challenge before us is great.
Barry Hudock is the author of "Struggle, Condemnation, Vindication: John Courtney Murray's Journey toward Vatican II" (Liturgical Press, $19.95).
In Your Family | In Your Spiritual Life | In Your Spending | In Your Parish
"In the family we first learn how to show love and respect for life; we are taught the proper use of things, order and cleanliness, respect for the local ecosystem and care for all creatures." — No. 213
Where we learn what it means to have a common home
It is no accident that the subtitle for Pope Francis's recent encyclical, "On Care for Our Common Home," refers to the earth with an image that suggests family life. Certainly, the main idea of the phrase is to remind us that all people on earth make up a single human family. But it seems likely that in choosing the subtitle, Pope Francis, who has made care for the family a major aspect of his ministry, also is signaling that everyday family life is an important factor in living out the vision he offers.
After all, it is in our early family experience that most of us develop our attitudes toward God, other people and the created world. These attitudes condition our receptivity to the Church's ecological message and our ability to live it with integrity.
The pope himself speaks in the encyclical of the family as the most important setting for ecological education. And he cautions parents to beware of "impulsive and wasteful consumption, which then affects their children who find it increasingly difficult to acquire a home of their own and build a family" (No. 162).
To Holly Taylor Coolman, who teaches theology at Providence College, it couldn't be any other way.
"Family," she pointed out in a recent interview with Our Sunday Visitor, "is where we learn what it means to have a common home and to live together in it. Laudato Si' is about connectedness and interdependence, realities that we learn first in the context of family."
Coolman believes that these broad values can be learned and lived through practical, concrete practices and ways of living.
"Families are the perfect place to foster the deeper attitudes that (Laudato Si') calls for: gratitude for everything we have as gift and tender concern for those around us. Siblings are an invaluable gift in this project, but parents can model care for others, especially the most vulnerable, in many ways: in the way spouses treat one another, their neighbors, and anyone who is struggling in their own community," Coolman said.
With the pope's presence at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia quickly approaching this September, and a major Synod of Bishops set to discuss the topic of family life in Rome the following month, we're likely to be hearing more about how Christians can respond to the new document's challenging call in the context of family life.
Theology professor Holly Taylor Coolman suggests several things families can do to more fully live what Pope Francis is teaching in Laudato Si'. She mentions:
➤ A thanksgiving prayer before meals
➤ Passing food to others before taking one's own share
➤ Family celebrations that focus more on togetherness than expensive presents
➤ Cooking at home with locally grown food
➤ Careful use of electricity and gasoline in the home and family travel
➤ Expressing trust in God's care in the midst of family trials
➤ Looking for ways to serve the needy together
1. Why is the family the first place where environmental concerns must be taught and lived? What is your family doing in this regard?
2. "The continued acceleration of changes affecting humanity and the planet is coupled today with a more intensified pace of life and work which might be called 'rapidification,'" Pope Francis says. In what ways has your life and family been negatively affected by "rapidification"?
3. Pope Francis writes, "Everything is interconnected, and that genuine care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and faithfulness to others." What evidence do you see of this in your own life and family?
"Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things ..." — No. 222
Develop an appreciation by viewing the world, creation as a gift from God
Laudato Si' is certainly a document on morality, and some read it as a political statement. But embedded in the encyclical's teaching, readers can also find a rich spirituality, a call to a renewed relationship with God — one that profoundly impacts one's relationship with other people and with the created world.
"A spirituality which forgets God as all-powerful and Creator is not acceptable," Pope Francis writes in the document. "That is how we end up worshipping earthly powers, or ourselves usurping the place of God, even to the point of claiming an unlimited right to trample his creation underfoot. The best way to restore men and women to their rightful place, putting an end to their claim to absolute dominion over the earth, is to speak once more of the figure of a Father who creates and who alone owns the world" (No. 75).
The word "spirituality" appears 17 times in the encyclical, and "God" is cited almost 200 times. Indeed, Pope Francis devotes an entire chapter (the sixth) to the topics of education and spirituality. And he concludes his document with not one but two prayers — one offered for "all who believe in a God who is the all-powerful Creator" (No. 246) and another specifically for Christians.
That's a lot to get a handle on, but theology professor and spiritual director Susan Windley-Daoust sees "at least two major themes at work" in the spiritual vision of the document: "We must live in a holy wonder, and we must remember we are called to be in relationship to God within his creation. The wonder is evoked when we learn to receive the world as a gift of God, to receive and appreciate it as a source of life and wonder," she told OSV. Windley-Daoust teaches at Saint Mary's University in Minnesota and is also author of a book on St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body.
The dual themes she mentions are clear in the encyclical's closing prayers. In the second, for example, the pope prays: "Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love, teach us to contemplate you in the beauty of the universe, for all things speak of you. Awaken our praise and thankfulness for every being that you have made. Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined to everything that is."
How can a Catholic integrate the pope's wisdom more fully into his or her prayer life?
Pope Francis on Aug. 6, in a letter to the heads of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, announced the establishment of a World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which will be celebrated annually Sept. 1.
In order to better prepare for the new day of prayer, read Pope Francis' new encyclical, Laudato Si', (and, of course, this In Focus). Our Sunday Visitor has published the encyclical, along with questions for discussion, examples of which can be found throughout this In Focus. To order your copy of Laudato Si', visit OSV.com/ourhome.
"I would say the first thing to do is to try to change the way you see nature," Windley-Daoust says.
"We're so busy. Do we enjoy 'our common home,' as [the pope] calls it? This can be as simple as to sit by a window and watch the sunset. Go on a walk in the woods. Look up, look at clouds if you have nothing else accessible to you! And remember that looking at a human being, seeing and appreciating the depth of that person, honors God's creation as well."
Besides pointing us to the created world and to other people, Pope Francis emphasizes the important place of the sacraments in a spirituality that embraces creation. He calls them "a privileged way in which nature is taken up by God to become a means of mediating supernatural life." Water, oil and other created goods are "incorporated in our act of praise."
The pope reserves especially strong words for the Eucharist in Laudato Si'.
"It is in the Eucharist that all that has been created finds its greatest exaltation," he writes. "[I]t is the living center of the universe, the overflowing core of love and of inexhaustible life. Joined to the incarnate Son, present in the Eucharist, the whole cosmos gives thanks to God. Indeed the Eucharist is itself an act of cosmic love. ... The Eucharist joins heaven and earth; it embraces and penetrates all creation" (No. 236).
Windley-Daoust suggests that another sacrament to help us embrace the encyclical's spiritual message might be confession, for the document should prick our conscience. "This encyclical should truly serve as an examen for people in the developed world. It's not a comfortable document. It states ecological realities which are hard to hear," she says.
With such an array of nourishment for the soul, Laudato Si' is a rich resource for any Christian's spiritual growth.
Pope Francis wants to awaken us to recognize God's goodness, manifest in the created world. To open our eyes to God's presence and grow deeper in prayer, we could:
➤ Take five minutes to notice something beautiful in the world
➤ Plant a seed and let it remind you to marvel at creation and God's providence
➤ Name five blessings before you go to sleep
➤ Pick a different country to pray for each day
➤ Create a space for silence
➤ Leave a holy card as a reminder to see Christ in the people you meet
➤ Go on a prayer walk and silently thank God for everything that you see
1. How are the sacraments, and the Eucharist in particular, concrete signs for us of God's love and care for his creation? Why does Pope Francis call the Eucharist "a sign of cosmic love"?
2. "The Spirit of God has filled the universe with possibilities and therefore, from the very heart of things, something new can always emerge." How does this give you hope for the future of both humanity and the earth?
3. In his opening words, Pope Francis calls the earth "a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us." In what ways is the earth our sister? In what ways is she our mother?
"Many people know that our current progress and the mere amassing of things and pleasures are not enough to give meaning and joy to the human heart, yet they feel unable to give up what the market sets before them." — No. 209
When it comes to unnecessary material goods, less is more
Many commentators have noted that the subject at the heart of Laudato Si' is not so much climate change as it is the more fundamental problem of consumerism. Climate change, the pope seems to tell us, is one perilous consequence of a "culture of consumerism" that dominates our society.
What is consumerism? What does it mean to Catholics today, and how can we navigate the moral challenges it presents? Though Pope Francis says much about consumerism, he offers no definition. "Since the market tends to promote extreme consumerism in an effort to sell its products," he writes, "people can easily get caught up in a whirlwind of needless buying and spending." Consumerism "prioritizes short-term gain and private interest" (No. 184) and makes people "believe that they are free as long as they have the supposed freedom to consume" (No. 203).
These ideas are consistent with the teaching of Francis' predecessors, especially Pope St. John Paul II, said David Matzko McCarthy, professor of moral theology at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and author of "Sharing God's Good Company: A Theology of the Communion of Saints" (Eerdmans, $28).
When we are in the grip of consumerism, McCarthy told OSV, "we look to possessions to fulfill us, and when we are unfulfilled, we seek more possessions."
One snare of "compulsive consumerism," the pope writes, is "the techno-economic paradigm" (No. 203). McCarthy explains that the Pope is warning us against seeking technological fixes to problems that technology helped create in the first place.
"We drive 100 miles in a hybrid car," McCarthy said. "Perhaps the solution is to live closer to work and, in the process, have more time to contribute to family and community life. [The pope is saying] we should look for social solutions that have the side effect of reducing consumerism.
"For example, we could spend more time preparing meals for several people as an ordinary matter of life — not just meals for the annual feast, but regular day-to-day meals. We would be enjoying and fostering common life, and we would be reducing trash and waste."
The temptation to consumerism is probably especially strong for Catholics living in the United States, because the advertising and entertainment industries are more dominant here than almost anywhere else on earth. Because it is in the very cultural air we breathe, most of us can become avid participants in a consumerist way of life almost without realizing it.
"I don't know if we can avoid consumerism, but we can try to put limits on it," McCarthy says. Suggesting some practical directions, he notes, "We need to think about spending more face-to-face time with each other, develop common spaces and activities, and stop worrying about keeping up with fashions in technology."
But to McCarthy, it's about far more than what we should avoid. The heart of the pope's message is not a condemnation but an affirmation.
"Live joyfully and make friends of God's friends, the holy ones among us and the poor. Gather with others as much as possible. Seek the freedom of working less and having less. Any good message on consumerism will have as its foundation the grace and freedom of the Gospel — God with us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the message that we can give to others that will change our own lives."
Laudato Si' encourages us to live more simply and with greater awareness of the effect of our spending habits. Some ways to do this include:
➤ Collect change from purchases and donate it to charity
➤ Declutter and give away items you don't need
➤ Make homemade gifts instead of buying presents
➤ Try cutting $5 out of your weekly budget
➤ Set aside electronic devices for one hour of family time every week
➤ Reflect on the purchases you make and what companies your money supports
➤ Put a sign next to the trash can as a reminder to reuse or recycle before throwing away
1. Pope Francis speaks about "compulsive consumerism." What does this phrase mean to you? What is the relationship between consumerism and selfishness? Between self-centeredness and greed? Between emptiness and consumption?
2. Pope Francis asks us to develop an attitude of "less is more." How can you do this in your own life?
3. How can we both appreciate and respect the progress that technology has afforded us and still be cautious of the evils that can accompany such technology?
"Social problems must be addressed by community networks and not simply by the sum of individual good deeds. ... The ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion." — No. 219
Small changes in our communities can make a big difference
Though Laudato Si' makes no explicit mention of Catholic parish life, the document does insist that social problems are best tackled by groups rather than individuals. Because "community conversion," as the encyclical states, is entirely the point of a parish's existence, it's safe to say that parishes can play an important role in carrying out the encyclical's vision — not to mention in making that vision better understood among its people.
To Fran Rossi Szpylczyn, an administrative assistant at Immaculate Conception parish in Glenville, New York, who also maintains a popular Catholic blog, the pope's teaching is not new, though the emphasis he gives it is. And so many parishes are already living the message in important ways.
In her work at Immaculate Conception, for example, she pays attention to the purchase of paper goods, making sure to buy only recycled paper and avoiding waste as much as possible. She sees the teaching reflected, too, in the care that she and the rest of the parish staff bring to the parish grounds.
"This is God's creation," Szpylczyn said in a recent OSV interview. "We have plants and flowers all around, and those bring hummingbirds and butterflies. It's all important and we treat it that way."
The parish where Szpylczyn worships, St. Edward the Confessor in Clifton Park, New York, offers a community garden where parishioners share plots of land to grow their own food or flowers. The project serves multiple purposes related to the teaching of Laudato Si', she says, allowing members of the parish to eat more locally-grown food, save some money and get to know one another better.
Father Kenneth Haydock also sees Francis's message as consistent with prior Church teaching. He has spent years trying to live it in his role as pastor of Holy Rosary parish in North Edmonds, Washington.
When the parish built a new building two years ago, special care was put into designing it for energy efficiency. And the Church's teaching about the central place of care for the poor, emphasized so strongly in the encyclical, has motivated Father Haydock to devote a significant portion of his annual parish budget to the work of its St. Vincent de Paul Society chapter — to the tune of about $100,000 a year.
Father Haydock wants to help his parishioners understand and embrace the pope's teaching, and he's working hard to do it. As soon as the encyclical was published, he began including a series of short articles about it in his parish bulletin and website. He also offered free copies of the document to any parishioner who asked — and has already given dozens away.
And he's not done. Father Haydock is planning to offer a faith formation program on the new encyclical at Holy Rosary this fall, where parishioners will read, reflect on and talk about what the pope has to say. These efforts are important, he says, because too many people have developed their impressions of the encyclical from the popular media, which is often uninformed and lacks a Catholic context.
"I've heard people repeat what some politicians have said, about the pope needing to stay out of science or out of politics," Father Haydock told OSV. "So I'm going to keep hammering away at it, helping people understand what the pope is saying and why he's saying it."
It's a message that promises to challenge both him and his parishioners far into the future.
Pope Francis reminds us that all of reality is interconnected. Here are some suggestions on how to better connect with your community and help our planet:
➤ Choose air dryers over paper towels to help public buildings cut down on waste
➤ Volunteer for parish activities
➤ Foster authentic conversations
➤ Remember to smile
➤ Look for or start a community carpool
➤ Find drop-off locations for electronics and other hard to recycle items
➤ Plant a tree or flowers to help beautify your community
1. What does Pope Francis mean when he says that we must undergo an "ecological conversion"? In what ways should our encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in our relationship with the world around us?
2. Pope Francis says that to solve the issues facing us today, we must think of ourselves as "one world with a common plan." Do you believe that is possible? What would have to change to have this happen?
3. What are some of the "common plans" that Pope Francis encourages the world to embrace? What can you do to help this become a reality?
At the closing of his encyclical, Pope Francis offers this prayer, asking "for inspiration to take up the commitment to creation set before us by the Gospel of Jesus Father."
They came forth
from your all-powerful hand;
they are yours, filled with
your presence and your
tender love. Praise be to you!
Son of God, Jesus,
through you all things were made.
You were formed in the womb
of Mary our Mother,
you became part of this earth,
and you gazed upon this world
with human eyes.
Today you are alive in every creature
in your risen glory.
Praise be to you!
Holy Spirit, by your light
you guide this world toward
the Father's love and accompany
creation as it groans in travail.
You also dwell in our hearts
and you inspire us to do what is good.
Praise be to you!
Triune Lord, wondrous community
of infinite love,
teach us to contemplate you
in the beauty of the universe,
for all things speak of you.
Awaken our praise and thankfulness
for every being that you have made.
Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined
to everything that is.
God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess
power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good,
advance the weak, and care
for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you! Amen.
Copyright © 1996-2018 Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.


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text: Since 2002, BEC has also supported the Trade and Industry Department in its SME Support and Consultation Centre known as SUCCESS. The program includes a Meet-the-Advisor service in which the BEC provides business consultancy to start-ups and other SMEs, focusing on environmental issues. The service covers a range of topics from environmental legislation, auditing and ISO 14001 to cleaner production techniques and new environmental technologies.


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4.0 on June 19, 2008
Wonderful B&B reflecting southern style of living. Very friendly host who is striving to meet your every request. Very reasonable prices for the quality of accommodations and breakfast provided.
4.4 on October 22, 2007
Felt like family. Loved the home cooking and friendly, professional atmosphere.
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Everything was wonderful -- all of the above and the beauty and southern hospitality, friendliness, helpfulness, and, yes, the scrumptious home cooking -- yummy!!!!


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Are you a vending machine sinner?
Every day, all of us make choices about how to satisfy our need for food. Unfortunately for many of us in nursing, and despite the fact that we're often called upon to counsel others about their poor eating habits, vending machines are often our only sources of meals during long shifts and heavy patient loads.
The good news is that all vending machine contents are not created equal, and more food suppliers are attempting to offer nutritious food. And while the majority of vending machines may be full of candy bars, creamy cupcakes and blood sugar-rising donuts, healthier alternatives such as apples, oranges and turkey sandwiches are becoming more commonplace.
What you'll find today may not be standard choices for meals, but at least they're more nutritious options when you're faced with those annoying hunger pangs and several hours left to work.
When in doubt, five important tips should govern your food choices. These will help you to win the ongoing battle between your cravings and maintaining a healthy lifestyle:
- Realize that satisfying the taste buds takes priority. Do you want something salty, sweet or crunchy? Many calories can be saved by making that decision first. While baked potato chips aren't usually considered nutritious, they're healthier than the fried varieties for satisfying a salt craving. For a chocolate desire, anything chewy and gooey should be avoided in favor of a candy bar with almonds, since almonds have healthy fats and provide at least some protein for energy. Peanut butter crackers, while full of calories, also offer a great source of protein and are crunchy, too. Don't opt for granola bars. Their healthy attributes are a myth; they're no better than candy bars. Instead, a great choice is a bag full of almonds and cashews because they'll make you feel full longer and have far less sugar.
- Size matters. Read the portion sizes. One small bag of potato chips may really be portioned for two, three or even four people, but you'll likely eat the entire bag anyway. Also, anything that says "king-size" in large letters and reads like a science experiment is just a waste of calories. If you're going to splurge, look for the smallest packages of unhealthy items or opt for at least semi-healthy items.
- Purchase one package at a time. We've all seen those people who approach vending machines like squirrels stocking up for the winter. Select one package and go back later for a lower-calorie choice. Grab a small package of mints if you're still hungry.
- Fruit is always first. An apple, an orange or a pear can provide a boost of energy for a long day, and later you can add a package of nuts. However, stay away from trail mix that has candy, as it adds sugar and unneeded calories that are sure to wreck havoc on your waistline.
- Plan ahead. Raid your own refrigerator and bring those carrot sticks and other nutritious items from home. This is healthy and cost effective.
Finally, remember that there's always another meal and another chance. An occasional treat from the vending machine isn't all that bad and it doesn't have to ruin your diet. It's all in what you choose that makes the difference.
Now, ready to test your eating smarts? Then play our PORTION CONTROL GAME!
Career, Health, Healthy Eating, Portion Control Tips for Nurses, Rotating Shifts, Your Health
Diane Porter is the owner of Weight Off for Life, a nutrition and natural optimal health counseling center in Rockwall, Texas. She has spent her four decades as a registered nurse, promoting healthy living and lifestyle choices. In addition to her work in hospitals and health care businesses, Porter is a former assistant professor of nursing at Texas Woman's University. Continually educating herself about health and nutrition, she is a certified health adviser for the Take Shape for Life health program and is an applied clinical nutritionist through a program offered by the Texas Chiropractic College. Porter has won numerous awards for her work, including being named one of the Great 100 Nurses by the Texas Nurses Association (Districts Three and Four) and the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council in 1992.
By Diane Porter


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Be the first AL.com user to add photos or videos of Big Daddy's Fireworks
Big Daddys Fireworks is located at 966 Us Highway 231, Wetumpka, AL. This business specializes in Events & Occasions.


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Business Analyst Online Training
The role of a Business Analyst is to act as a liaison among the stakeholders to understand the policies, structure and operations of an organization and also recommend solutions to help the organization achieve its goals.