text:
Google Glass gives new perspectiveTweet
By Dawn Brazell
Public Relations
Dr. Joseph Sakran is a Google Glass explorer, testing out the potential of this new technology to improve surgical care and medical training at home and abroad. photo by Sarah Pack, Public Relations
Joseph Sakran, M.D., slips on the glasses and taps the side to turn them on. "Take photo," he commands, pauses and then hands his $1,500 glasses to a friend to see the photo he just took. After adjusting the view, the friend smiles at the image of himself. "Wow," he says, as they both grin like boys with a new toy.
The 'wow' factor is what has people volunteering to become "explorers" from stay–at–home moms to physicians, such as Sakran, who handles general and acute care surgery at MUSC. He became a beta tester for Google Glass Explorer Program in December 2013 and is one of more than 8,000 'explorers' involved in helping shape the future of how Google Glass evolves.
Sakran, who likes to be on the cutting edge of technology, said it fits into Inspiring Quality Campaign led by the American College of Surgeons to improve the quality of surgical care for patients in the nation. "All of a sudden we have this new technology, and I said to myself, 'how can this technology be used to care for the surgical patient?'"
It turns out quite a bit he's finding, particularly given his goal of figuring out how to reach resource–poor areas both in America as well as internationally, one of Sakran's key interests and one reason he was recruited to MUSC from the University of Pennsylvania. His main non–clinical role is to head the global health initiative for the Department of Surgery, a cause dear to his heart.
Explaining why he details how the global burden of surgical disease continues to rise, and remains one of the top killers in low–and middle–income countries, even though communicable diseases still receive more focus. "It's the red–headed stepchild of public health," he said, quoting Harvard expert Paul Farmer, M.D. Only 3.5 percent of 234 million major surgical procedures performed in 2004 took place in the countries representing the poorest 35 percentile of nations.
Beyond that, there are areas in the United States that could benefit from the same focus. "You can go to places that are so rural and have such few resources that they are like low–income countries. Those patients could also benefit from this technology."
MUSC has been a leader in the telemedicine field in reaching resource–poor areas. "In this financially difficult time we're living in, we're trying to be cognizant of the resources we're using. If I don't have to subject a patient to another procedure, cost of anesthesia and risk of complication, that's a good thing."
The technology could save surgeons time and ensure they maintain focus on a patient during a procedure since a CT image or a patient's record could be accessed by voice command without them having to step away from the patient, he said.
Medical education
Medical education is another definite area of potential gain. "As we talk about the training of the next generation, you really have to pack in a lot of information and procedures in a compact period of time. One way that I envision using this is to have your student or resident wearing this glass. I can physically see where they are having a problem. The flip side of this, if I'm wearing these glasses, they can see what I'm seeing, versus standing in an operating room struggling to peek through a small opening around other people."
As a training tool, it offers real tissue planes and a way to view and/or record ongoing medical scenarios that provide invaluable case studies for medical students and residents to use. Sakran, whose specialty area is traumatology and surgical critical care, gives the example of using the glasses to record resuscitations in an emergency settings so colleagues could later sit back and assess care, figuring out ways to improve the quality of treatment. The recordings also could be used as case studies to train future emergency care professionals.
"That is going to play a role as this comes out of beta–testing. It's not yet the end–all, be–all. There are a number of factors that have to be considered."
Mapping out the legalities of the new technology to protect patients' privacy issues will be one challenge that will have to be resolved. The other challenge is fine tuning the technology, resolving such issues as the linkage of signals and strength of connectivity between users, especially if it's being used in rural, resource–poor settings, domestically and internationally. Sakran said the challenges are worth finding solutions, though, especially given the positive impact this technology could have in strengthening the way global health initiatives are evolving.
During surgical residency, Sakran became frustrated with how colleagues often addressed surgical care within resource–poor areas in the world by flying into a country, operating for two weeks and then leaving.
"One cannot question the good–hearted intention of these individuals, who often spent personal time and money to participate in these missions. I was one of them, and have had the privilege to render services in Haiti, Africa, India and the Middle East."
|Dr. Joseph Sakran (pictured center) teaches a resident in Kenya at Tenwek Hospital how to repair a trauma injury.
Global impact
Sakran began questioning the feasibility of such short–term interventions, though, and thought a better solution would be to work within a community to implement long–term interventions that would be sustainable long after the healthcare workers leave a given area. During residency he established a non–profit, non–governmental organization, Surgeons for Global Health, targeted at narrowing the inequities of care in addressing the surgical burden of disease within low and middle–income countries. The group's first mission was in 2007, at a local hospital in Embangweni, Malawi. Malawi is a small land–locked country in Africa that ranks among the poorest in the world, with two physicians for every 100,000 people.
Rather than relying on physicians for health care delivery, clinical officers form the backbone of the health care system, he said. Their training consists of a three-year course at a post–secondary school, followed by a lifetime of learning through direct patient care. While in Malawi, surgeons in the program taught clinical officers how to perform basic procedures, such as split–thickness skin grafts and abdominal hernia repairs during a two–month period. Five years later, those surgeons are gone, but the clinical officers continue to provide care for patients in their community, he said.
It's important to integrate the community into what is being done, and even better, integrate technology to continue the training, he said. "They can put these glasses on, and they can be 4,000 miles away and they are transmitting in real time what's going on with a patient, and I can say to them 'here's what they probably may need to do.' If you think of the need globally, it is tremendous. There simply are not enough surgeons to go around. We have to start thinking of innovative ways via telehealth, Google Glass and other mobile technologies in order to allow access of care to be provided for millions of people."
There are two main reasons Sakran feels so strongly about this — one is professional and the other is more personal. Professionally, Sakran doesn't want patients dying from treatable causes, such as blunt splenic trauma that could be experienced during a car crash. Road traffic injuries rank in the top 10 leading causes of death and disability worldwide. By 2020 it is predicted to be the No. 2 leading cause of death and disability.
"In the U.S. today, no one should die from a splenic injury," he said, describing an injury that would be hard to treat in some countries, such as Rwanda where clinical officers might not know what to do. "They could put this on," he said holding up his Google Glass, "and I could literally walk them step–by–step through the procedure. Now that the technology is available, let's test it, and see if we can make a difference in the standard of care."
Second chance
His personal driving motivation is that Sakran feels he was given a second chance in life to do just this kind of work.
When Sakran was 17, he was shot in the throat after a high school football game. "A guy pulled out a gun and starting firing shots into the crowd, and I got hit by a random bullet in the neck. Clearly, I'm very thankful to be alive."
Sakran, who was wearing all white that night, looked down to see his shirt covered in blood. The bleeding was so bad he could not be laid flat to be transported via helicopter because he would choke. An ambulance was called instead. Sakran, who intermittently smoked at the time, remembers attempting to remove cigarettes from his pocket, worried that his parents would discover this bad habit. He remembers feeling outside of his body as he was being transported observing the conversations of the medical professionals who were trying to save him.
Sakran would end up with a paralyzed left vocal cord and have to be home–schooled the majority of his senior year of high school. More than that, though, he wound up with an infused passion for making a difference on a global scale.
"It was one of those experiences that changes your life in an 180–degree fashion. I realized, 'Man, you've been given a second chance, and you better put it to some good use.'"
Part of that good use is keeping his eyes open for the next way to significantly impact public health, he said.
"Part of our responsibility as clinicians is to think outside the box. This is one of those opportunities where we can wait for others to do it or we can be leaders in the field. There's tremendous opportunity here at MUSC, which is why I came down here because I felt that delta is large. I felt I could make a difference in an interdisciplinary way to care for surgical patients both domestically and abroad."
To view a video and for more information on Google Glass, visit http://www.musc.edu/pr/newscenter/2014/googleglass.html.March 31, 2014


text:
National Lampoon's Vacation / National Lampoon's European VacationDVD - 2009
National Lampoon's vacation: When a typical American family takes a cross-country vacation from Chicago to Wally World, it can only mean total disaster ; National Lampoon's European vacation: The all-American Griswold family wins a deluxe European vacation tour. Ecstatic Mr. Griswold (who seems to have O.D.'d on "Father Knows Best" reruns) plans a getaway jammed with forced family togetherness, two weeks sure to become a treasure trove of golden Griswold memories.
Publisher: Burbank, CA : Warner Home Video, 2009
Edition: Widescreen version
Characteristics: 1 videodisc (193 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in
Additional Contributors:
From the critics
Community Activity
CommentAdd a Comment
There are no comments for this title yet.
AgeAdd Age Suitability
There are no ages for this title yet.
SummaryAdd a Summary
There are no summaries for this title yet.
NoticesAdd Notices
There are no notices for this title yet.
QuotesAdd a Quote
There are no quotes for this title yet.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
She's ready for the Knicks playoff games! Don't be jelly of her jeggings!
Here she is being a little mommy pushing her (sideways) baby on the boardwalk.
And we decided to rearrange the living room and we now have lala la la, lala la la Ava's world! (sesame street reference for those who don't know!)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone


text:
Middlebury's Leung nabs singles title; Amherst's Brewer, Devlin win doubles
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Middlebury's Loz-Sze Leung captured the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Singles Championship with a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps' Kristin Lim and Amherst duo of Jordan Brewer and Gabby Devlin stood atop the doubles podium for the second time in three years with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(8-6) comeback triumph against CMS's Lim and Caroline Ward.
However, scores can be deceiving.
Middlebury sophomore Leung apparently cruised to the NCAA DIII singles crown, never dropping a set and losing a total of only 20 games in the five matches she won on her way to claiming the title Saturday morning at Kalamazoo College's Stowe Stadium.
The No. 2 seed entering the tournament, Leung lost a total of eight games in her first three matches and defeated top-seeded CMS senior Lim 6-1, 6-3 in Saturday's championship match. Her toughest match may have come in Friday's semifinals when she edged No. 5-seeded Brewer of Amherst 6-3, 7-5.
But it wasn't as simple as Leung made it look.
"It wasn't easy," Leung said. "[Friday] I was down [to Brewer] 5-2 in the second set and then won five games in a row. [Saturday] I was really nervous and it took me a while to close it out."
Leung's championship victory Saturday avenged her 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) loss to Gabrielle Clark of Emory in last year's championship match. "I couldn't hit a ball there for a while," Leung said. "But playing in the finals last year really helped me."
Middlebury's women's team lost to Emory 5-2 in the quarterfinal round of the team tournament.
"I really wanted to enjoy this week, and I have enjoyed it with my teammates here," Leung said. "It has been really, really good to have a team of people here to do this together."
Amherst juniors Brewer and Devlin did it together Saturday afternoon, winning the doubles championship. Devlin, though, has now won three consecutive doubles championships. Brewer and Devlin won the national doubles title as freshmen and Devlin also won it while playing with Laura Danzig last year. Brewer was recovering from appendicitis during last year's national tournament.
In the final match this season, Brewer and Devlin survived double match points at 6-4 in the third-set tiebreaker.
"This one is better, particularly because, I'll be honest, I didn't think we could beat Kristin [Lim]," Devlin said. "Her forehand is a bullet, I just tired to duck every time."
Brewer and Devlin were the tournament's No. 3 seed while Lim and Ward were the top seed.
"It was a marathon match and either way I would have been happy with the outcome, but it sure is better to win," Devlin said. "My first thought when we were down [6-4] in the tiebreaker was, I'll be honest, 'There goes three,'" Devlin said. "I thought that if you want it, it's time to poach and take it, and we did it."
A team theme came to Brewer's mind at the same time.
"I was thinking, 'I believe.' That has been a team motto this year. That's what I was focusing on."


text:
This section contains 969 words
(approx. 3 pages at 400 words per page)
Chapter Five Summary
Peekay wakes up on the train in the morning and Hoppie gives him some coffee. Peekay is horrified when he realizes that he is not wearing his pants, and therefore is in danger of being exposed as a rooinek due to his circumcised penis. He tries to deflect Hoppie as the railroad man tells him that they are going to get breakfast, but Hoppie reads the bluff, not realizing why Peekay is so reluctant. In jest, he rips the blanket off of the bed and Peekay breaks down in horror as he confesses to his idol that he is not the next welterweight champion, as Hoppie has proclaimed, but is just an English boy. Hoppie says nothing and eventually Peekay has to look up. It is evident to the reader, though not the little boy, that Hoppie has guessed exactly what...
(read more from the Chapter Five Summary)
This section contains 969 words
(approx. 3 pages at 400 words per page)


text:
Pronoc offers a complete range of high performance, H.264 DVRs from various reputated manufacturer that are designed to provide high quality images while conserving storage and network resources. From the economical 4 channel models to the full-featured SRD-1670DC, Pronoc has a DVR to meet any application requirement. The SRD series features real-time playback and each unit is capable of recording real-time 4CIF images across selected channels, if not all channels. Convenient back-up is possible with all SRD series DVRs.
Biometric Fingerprint AccssController is the state-of-art biometric system by adopting fingerprint technology, which has very excellent biometric security and user's convenience. Designed and manufactured with sensor and algorithm with Superior Biometric technology, it has very accurate and speedy fingerprint identification rate while a user can build very robust security system at inexpensive cost. Also, if using the server management program of which network configuration and functions have been strengthened, you may advantageously apply it for Access Control system and Time & Attendance Management of enterprise Level.
BIOMETRIC WiFi Campus SERVERS FIREWALL INTERNET USER TRACKING ECOMMERCE APPs CCTV INTERNET & INTRANET SOLUTIONS
We provide complete Ecommerce Solutions. Ecommerce (or electric commerce) refers to the buying and selling of goods and services via electronic channels, primarily the Internet.
Pronoc provide linux and windows server based website and web application hosting services are FAST, SECURE, RELIABLE, HOSTING THAT GROWS WITH YOUR BUSINESS.
Pronoc is deploying large-scale, campus-wide wireless, stem from the fact that there is no central or more specifically, regional coordination and control of AP frequency and power levels within a give location.
Linux & Windows based E-Mail Server, Web Server, Database Server, Unified Threat Solutions.
IT consulting, computer consultancy, business and technology services, computing consultancy, technology consulting, and IT advisory.
Fingerprint recognition and identification software. Visitor management. Student information and Gauirdiun verification systems.
Pronoc is one of India's largest Web Hosting Provider. As per your needs we can offer you Windows or Linux Hosting with a database of your choice. We offer Uptime Guarantee of 99.9% and many add on applications. Our Cheap Web Hosting is ideal for personal, small and medium business. We also offer dedicated server and virtual dedicated servers as they are ideal for users/ businesses who want to upload multiple websites. You can also build your own server with your custom made configuration as this would give you the flexibility to have a server as per your specific needs.


text: Yesterday, we briefly posted a story on this Web site stating that Microsoft had cancelled its Most Valuable Professional (MVP) program. By last night, Microsoft informed its MVPs that the company is reinstating the MVP program. Microsoft decided to reconsider its original decision in response to a tremendous outcry from both MVPs and non-MVP customers. MVPs are not Microsoft employees, but rather, non-Microsoft computer professionals who have volunteered time and effort dispensing advice on Microsoft newgroups. MVPs are IT consultants, instructors, book authors, and other professionals, many of whom have more than 13 years of experience. Microsoft grants MVP status to skilled professionals who, in Microsoft's opinion, contribute high levels of expertise and knowledge to Microsoft newsgroups. The company provides MVPs with annual rewards of about $1000 of "MVP bucks" for free software and various training materials, and subscriptions to the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), TechNet, and the Microsoft Network (MSN). The problem with this approach, of course, is that such a reward system attracts a younger crowd, who aren't necessarily the professionals Microsoft wants providing support. Joseph Lindstrom, director of business development at Microsoft, sent an email message to all MVPs last Friday to inform them that the company was canceling its MVP program. A Microsoft spokesperson explained that the cancellation was part of a "general re-evaluation of Microsoft's newsgroup strategy." According to Microsoft, customers wanted more direct feedback from Microsoft technical staff. As a result, Microsoft had planned to seed its newsgroups with official Microsoft technical staff. MVPs reacted with outrage. Some MVPs we spoke to felt that they had been used and then dropped at Microsoft's first convenient opportunity. "The letter \[we received from Joseph Lindstrom\] is about the rudest one we could have expected," said MVP member Thomas Lee. "I've been supporting the public newsgroups for several years. To suggest that I am not a professional is beyond comment. Yes, we got some goodies, but I did it for the love of the product, not for the money." Microsoft representatives had said that there were no plans to do anything to assuage MVP anger. The company told MVPs that it would close the MVPs' MSN accounts by November 30 and cancel their MSDN and TechNet subscriptions by December 31. Microsoft also advised MVPs to spend their MVP bucks by December 1. Evidently, the Microsoft high brass heard the public outcry, and the company quickly changed its mind and reinstated the MVP program last night. A Microsoft spokesperson said that the cancellation was in response to "lots of feedback… a combination of MVPs and non-MVP customers." "Our objectives have always been to provide the best technical support in the industry and a part of that support is the activity taking place in the newsgroups today," the letter reads. "MVPs make a significant contribution to our customer satisfaction, and we sincerely appreciate their efforts. Based on feedback, we will reinstate the MVP Program effective immediately." In the wake of Microsoft's latest decision, the company plans to organize an advisory council that will consist of MVPs to help shape newsgroup program content. This increased MVP presence is part of Microsoft's re-evaluation of its newsgroup strategy. Apparently, from great heat light emerges.


text:
SOURCE: MetricStream
August 18, 2009 09:00 ET
PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - August 18, 2009) - MetricStream, Inc. today announced that it
has been positioned in the Leaders Quadrant of Gartner's recently released
"Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC)
Platforms"(1) research report.
"We consider our positioning in the 'Leaders' quadrant by Gartner as
validation of our commitment and ability to enable customers to adopt an
integrated, enterprise-wide approach to GRC. Consolidating programs for
Internal Audit, Risk Management, Regulatory Compliance, Policy & Ethics,
Financial Controls and IT Governance is critical for large corporations as
it unlocks the power of collaboration and information sharing resulting in
significant improvement in business performance," said Shellye Archambeau,
CEO of MetricStream. "MetricStream continues to innovate and deliver a
platform that is highly configurable to addressing specific customer
To read the report, click
Most industries face GRC challenges that are unique to their business
operations. Whether it is Risk Management, Audits, Compliance, Policy
Management or Quality Management -- different industries have certain
common requirements and some requirements that are specific to the sector.
For example, energy & utility companies have to manage federal and state
requirements including FERC & NERC compliance; global banks & financial
service providers have specific requirements around operational risk, Basel
II, loss management, RCSA & KRIs; insurance companies face Solvency, HIPAA
compliance and other federal & state regulations; life sciences &
healthcare companies have mandates such as FDA compliance, patient safety
laws; retail, food & beverage companies have to comply with food safety and
HACCP compliance requirements. All these are in addition to internal
business processes around risk, internal audit, IT, corporate policies,
ethics and quality management. Bringing these elements of GRC together and
integrating them with performance management is critical and yet
challenging for enterprises.
"We have built a strong reputation for working with global corporations and
delivering GRC solutions with collaboration, workflows and reporting
tailored to their environments," says Gaurav Kapoor, CFO and General
Manager at MetricStream. "MetricStream understands exactly how to address
these varying needs by providing highly packaged solutions yet adapting to
specific industry requirements with the right software functionality as
well as community and content from its ComplianceOnline.com portal. That
continues to be our key differentiator and is well-aligned with the market
Having deep experience in quality management solutions (QMS) with a number
of successful implementations for corrective actions, supplier quality,
defect tracking and failure investigation MetricStream uniquely understands
the GRC environment and requirements of companies with multi-site
manufacturing operations. Managing areas such as supply chain risks,
Environment, Health & Safety (EHS), operational compliance and quality &
safety audits require a strong process orientation, domain expertise and a
scalable software platform that MetricStream provides.
(1)Gartner, Inc. "Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Governance, Risk and
Compliance Platforms" by French Caldwell, Tom Eid and Carsten Casper,
August 12, 2009
About MetricStream
MetricStream is a market leader in Enterprise-wide Governance, Risk,
Compliance (GRC) and Quality Solutions for global corporations.
MetricStream solutions are used by leading corporations such as Pfizer,
Philips, NASDAQ, UBS, SanDisk, BP, Subway, Fairchild Semiconductor, Hitachi
and TaylorMade-Adidas Golf in diverse industries such as Pharmaceuticals,
Medical Devices, Automotive, Food, High Tech Manufacturing, Energy and
Financial Services to manage their quality processes, regulatory and
industry-mandated compliance and corporate governance initiatives, as well
as by over a million compliance professionals worldwide via the
www.ComplianceOnline.com portal. MetricStream is headquartered in Palo
Alto, California and can be reached at www.metricstream.com.
About the Magic Quadrant
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2009 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with
permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a
marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's
analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that
marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor,
product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise
technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders"
quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is
not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all
warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including
any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
Media contact:MetricStreamEmail - firstname.lastname@example.com: +1-650-620-3943
See all RSS Newsfeeds


text:
With this boob jiggling world seemingly inching closer to a pop-up apocalypse, the question of "Wonder if Paul Thomas Anderson has ever considered doing a Boogie Nights 2?" has likely crossed your mind more than once. Even if it hasn't, you'd likely find it a fair-enough proposal – particularly with how much the porn industry has changed since Dirk Diggler tucked his trunk back into his trousers.
I had the chance to ask Anderson – out stumping "The Master" down under – about whether or not he's ever considered updating us on the current movements of porn king and 'You got the Touch' singer Dirk Diggler (played by Mark Wahlberg in the 1998 film) what with the skin-flick industry changing yet again in recent times.
"You're right.. the whole online thing", begins Anderson, "[But] you know, I wonder how many of these characters would even still be alive? Probably a few of them, but I fear that most of them might be dead. I doubt Dirk Digger's still alive. He'd be probably gone. I couldn't see him making it.
"I can see Burt Reynolds' character Jack Horner still going on, though."
So can we champion you to start writing a 'Horner' spin-off then, Paul? Burt back in his Oscar nominated role? No? Maybe? What if….
Okay. Not gonna happen.
I think we all know Anderson's not the type of filmmaker who likes to repeat himself, so a sequel to anything is likely off the cards. What might be ahead for the talented writer/director though is a comedy – he's likely been nudged by his comedian wife Maya Rudolph – which he says he just has to find time to write. A PTA (as opposed to T 'n A) comedy? Yes please! Might just about to fill the gaping hole in some of our tummy's, grumbling for more "Boogie" fever.
I actually had a fab chat with Anderson, in which we discussed – of course, "The Master" – but also his mutual love of John McTiernan's back-catalog, in particular the original "Die Hard". You can give it a read in a few days, right here.


text:
Thursday, June 8, 2006
By continual bombing we were probably bound to get him sooner or later. However, the number of innocent persons also killed in that particular raid, not to mention all the others we've launched, will never be made known. No one will mourn them, except their families who may never find out what happened to their loved ones.
And our young men in uniform? They are now safe from the designs of the "bloodthirsty and violent thug." He who sought to harm them (along with any Iraqi civilians who happened to be in the way) is dead. That is a reality. But the killing we force our soldiers to do will take its toll on them when they return. That is a competing reality, one that we are reluctant to face, though century follows century.
I feel sad today...sad that our leaders believe that the only way to make us safe is with a heavier "footprint" in the Middle East, a heavier dose of violence...sad that many will believe that this war has been all about our safety, about "fighting them over there so they don't come over here"...sad that Iraq has been reduced to the state of a lunar landscape...sad that yet again we have opted for fighting with outward weapons, sad that our children will come home and be haunted by this for years to come.
I hold the leaders of the US and Iraq, all military personnel and contractors, the Iraqi people, and those of us who oppose this and all wars in one great embrace and pray that we all may benefit from a heavy dose of the Light.
3 comments:
Amen, sister!ReplyDelete
This morning, I counted the times the word "terrorist" was used on the radio and lost count all too quickly. Every other sentence contained either that or a similarly loaded word.
I wondered if anyone else listening to that broadcast thought about all the other people caught in the blast, if anyone thought about (at the least) the lost opportunity to have a trial for this person. When I heard the word "justice" used, I thought, "I do not think that word means what you think it means." Death isn't justice, it's just death. Everybody dies, some sooner, some later. Some peacefully and others in pain - mental or physical. And every one of them is a diminishment, taking with them something that only they could give the world.
I feel a very shallow victory for world peace with our killing of one more bloody thug. We have sold out what we hold dear (rule of law) to accomplish this.ReplyDelete
Thank you for holding our "young men in uniform" in the light. This conflict has almost paralized me with rage on one hand and concern for everyone on the other.
We do need to find a better way to deal with conflict.
Hi GMC,ReplyDelete
I have a son graduating from high school tomorrow. Of course, we have the wherewithal to send him to college, but he could have been one of those young kids who enlist because it's the only opportunity to get a college education or to get out of their little home town. Or, they could simply believe that they are really protecting America.
And I have another son just a bit younger. How could I not hold our military personnel in the Light?
Do you know Chuck Fager of Quaker House? I wrote to him once when I was really perplexed about some aspect of pacifism, and he was very empathetic. He has a lot of experience dealing with these questions and helping both conscientious objectors and veterans. Maybe you might want to send him an email sometime.
Anyway, yes, I can understand your anguish. May you find some inner peace.
Hey, plain foolish -- let's hear it for us fools!! thanks for stopping by!


text:
Learn web design and build a website in a day!
Price: £495
This easy course teaches you all the basics of building, running and marketing websites using the world's leading web design tool, WordPress. In one day, you will build your own stunning website to keep. The course runs from 11.30am to 5.30pm and is limited to 12 places.
About the course
We cover everything from WordPress installation and set up to all the most useful features and tools WordPress offers. You get a brand new site to work on through the day, which you will practise on and make your own. You will apply an attractive design, make the site search engine friendly and add all the features and functionality you need to further develop and run the site yourself.
Use your own domain name
After the course, we can set your site up on any domain name of your choice, brand new or an existing one you already own. You can keep the site after the course, hosted free for one year. After that, hosting is available from just £8/mo for our standard WordPress hosting package – see more details of our hosting packages here.
How the course works
- Please bring your own laptop. WiFi internet is provided.
- WordPress is incredibly easy to pick up and you will be free to go at your own pace throughout the day. All training materials will be provided after the course, so there need be no fear of "falling behind".
- This is an intensive course and assumes a decent working knowledge of using computers and the internet, even if you have little or no prior knowledge of WordPress.
- Arrive from 11.30am for tea and coffee ready for a start at 11.45. We will cover all the basics of WordPress and have your own site up and running before lunch!
- After a break for lunch, we'll go through everything WordPress can do in more detail. You will learn how to control the structure, look and feel, add essential features, forms, track visitors, get ranked well on search engines, take easy PayPal payments on the site and much much more.
- The course ends at 5.30pm
- You will be invited to stay around for further discussion with Toby and with each other, about WordPress, about your website and about your business. Toby will be around til after 6pm to give you further advice and guidance about your site. Stay for drinks, food and further discussion as long as as you like, even til closing time – a great networking opportunity!
- After the course, you will be sent all the course materials and clear instructions for setting up your site on its own domain name (old or new). You will have a year of free hosting, after which time it is from just £8/mo for 2GB. See more details on our great value WordPress hosting here.
- 11.30am – Arrive for tea, coffee and registration.
- 11.45 am – Introduction and informal discussion while everyone sets up their laptops and gets online.
- 12 am – Course begins
- 1.30 pm – Break for lunch (please note lunch is not included, but there is an excellent lunch menu with dishes ranging from £4 upwards)
- 2 pm – Course resumes
- 5.30pm – Course ends. You are invited to stick around for further assistance with WordPress, with your site and general networking over drinks.
The course runs in the perfectly suited private function room of The Burlington Arms, often used for business meetings and training. The Burlington Arms is in the heart of London, and just 5 mins walk from Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus and Green Park tube stations.
WordPress Training Course – Topics Covered
- Introduction to WordPress
- Installation and Set Up
- Admin Panel, Settings and Basic Configuration
- Posts and Pages
- Categories and Tags
- Users, Links and Comments
- Themes and Plugins
- Theme Frameworks
- Why and how to use the Genesis framework
- Menus and Widgets
- Images and Videos
- Galleries and Portfolios
- Contact Forms and Maps
- Security, Stability and Backing Up
- Take easy online payments with PayPal
- Run an online shop – the best eCommerce solutions
- Tracking – traffic, visitors and site stats
- How to get visitors and "traffic"
- Search Engine Optimisation
- Google's free tools: Analytics, AdWords, Webmaster Tools, Trends and Keywords
- Blogs and Forums
- Facebook, Twitter and social networking
- RSS Feeds – stream external news and content on your site
- Adding sitemap, privacy policy and terms & conditions easily
Any questions, just call us or contact us – see top right of page.


text:
The Wisconsin State Park System of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provides an online map of Wisconsin state parks. The map also displays state trails, forests, recreation areas and major highways.Continue Reading
Website visitors can search for the park of their choice either by examining the map and clicking on a park within their area parameters, or by using the Web page's drop-down bar to view an alphabetical list of parks. Another website page gives visitors the option of searching for parks based on the type of activities they want to pursue, including fishing, dog training, horseback riding, shooting or wildlife viewing.Learn more about Geography


text:
The trade union organisation for healthcare managers
helping you make healthcare happen
We give you personal support and employment advice, an influential
voice and management skills to help you deliver high quality healthcare
to patients and the public.
Latest issue of Healthcare Manager is out now where we are rethinking NHS management and looking back at the MiP members' summit
Mon 21 Aug 2017
With its population and NHS workforce ageing fast, Wales needs urgent action to boost skills and recruitment across health and social care. Jenny Sims asks if a host of local and national initiatives add up to a coherent strategy for the future.
The health and social care system in Wales faces a crisis. Although many local and national initiatives are being tried, experts warns there is still no comprehensive vision for the NHS workforce in Wales.
Professor Sir Mansel Aylward, chair of Public Health Wales, says "it's going to be difficult to plan effectively, authoritatively and strategically for recruitment, training and retention until we have a vision." And he wants that vision to be both "disruptive" and "prudent".
Technological advances are happening so fast, Aylward says, that it's difficult to predict delivery models for ten to 15 years ahead. Instead, he suggests planning for the next five to ten years around three core principles:
"What's evident to me is that at the present time we do not have a workforce that meets the needs required for the proper application of a prudent health model," Aylward adds.
As a nation, Wales is ageing fast. The number of over 65s is expected to rise from around 75,000 to 183,000 over the next two decades and, by 2039, for every 100 working age adults there will be 48 people aged over 65. A third of the adult population has at least one chronic health condition and nearly two-thirds of adults and one third of children are overweight or obese.
At the same time, NHS Wales has an ageing workforce. A quarter of GPs are aged 55 or over, as are one in four midwives and 15% of nurses. The Welsh Assembly's health, social care and sport commitee recently heard that some GPs routinely see more than 100 patients during a consultation session, and that 400 GP posts and 40% of hospital consultant posts in Wales are vacant.
"Clearly this situation is unsustainable" says Caroline Jones, Welsh Assembly Member for South Wales West, who sits on the committee. She points to the committee's recent inquiry into medical recruitment, which found that staff who train in Wales were much more likely to stay working in Wales.
"We need to train more of our doctors and nurses right here in Wales," says Jones. "We cannot allow ourselves to become reliant on overseas workers. We need innovative solutions to how we can encourage, train and retain a home-grown workforce."
Nurses, doctors, and social care leaders are singing from the same song-sheet. Some cautiously suggest attaching strings to the "golden handshake" recruitment incentives used to attract GPs to rural areas, binding them to working in Wales for a fixed period.
Recent figures suggest that there are around 1,200 nursing vacancies in NHS Wales, with a further 1,700 across the not-for-profit and private sectors. In 2015-16, NHS Wales spent more than £48m on agency nurses – enough to pay for 2,000 newly-qualified nurses.
But there is cause for some optimism. The bold campaign by the RCN in Wales for legislation to link nursing staff levels to patient numbers resulted in the Nurse Staffing Levels Act (Wales) becoming law last year.
A first in Europe, the law now gives Welsh Health Boards the duty to ensure appropriate and safe levels of nursing on acute medical and surgical wards. The RCN is currently in discussions about how it could be implemented in the other three UK nations.
Social care faces different but no less severe pressures. 96% of care in Wales is provided by unpaid carers or family members, and 70% of the Welsh population are expected to need some form of social care in the future. There is already significant strain on the 80,000-strong social care workforce.
It costs at least £3,000 to recruit and provide initial training to a care worker, and high turnover and recruitment costs are a significant problem. Turnover rates vary between 5% for qualified social workers to 30% for domiciliary care workers. In rural Powys, 46% of staff in 2016 had been recruited within the last year.
Unsurprisingly, new solutions are being sought, such as developing care qualifications for unpaid or family carers – an idea put forward by the Swansea Carers Centre. But Sarah McCarty, director of improvement and development for Social Care Wales, says a "cultural shift" is needed in how social care services are organised and developed.
"Integration is a hot topic and there are many challenges – one of them is differences in terms and conditions," she explains. Social care employers complain that they spend a lot of time and money upskilling and training workers, only for them to leave as soon as an NHS vacancy arises, she says.
Andy Hardy, MiP's national officer for Wales and South West England, says jobs in NHS Wales are more attractive than those in social care. "Pay rates are relatively good and health boards have decent all-Wales policies. The NHS is safe, works jointly with trade unions, and there's no Private Finance Initiative.
"In contrast, across the border in England, care companies have a high blame and 'churn and burn' culture, with low pay levels and unforgiving targets," he adds. "I'm sure if Wales can step up to the social care challenge with co-operation from all interested parties – trade unions and Welsh inspectorate bodies included – then they'll make it a success."
Hardy believes the Welsh Government's commitment to retain bursaries for nurse training – recently abolished in England – may prove significant. "A commitment to working in Wales for a period after qualification in my view is fair and will help with retention and loyalty of staff," he says.
"I have a lot of members in England who ask me about any vacancies in Wales," he adds. "Due to larger health boards, terms and conditions are a lot easier to manage with regard to negotiating machinery and forums, and I see genuine pride in NHS Wales – staff want the health service to succeed and thrive, from Band 1 and 2 workers right up to the Chief Executive."
Health and social care has been made a priority in the sector reviews of vocational qualifications being carried out by Qualifications Wales – the body set up in 2015 to make sure the qualification system in Wales meets learners' and employers' needs.
This ties in with moves to register all home care workers in Wales from 2020, and all care home staff from 2022. The aim is to boost professional standards and reassure the public that care staff are fit to practice. A three-year development programme for home care workers started in April, and the register opens in April 2018.
Another pioneering scheme is the new curriculum at Cardiff University Medical School, which offers inter-disciplinary training so that medical students, nurses, midwives and physiotherapists can work together and understand each other's jobs. GP clustering in Wales offers another opportunity for inter-disciplinary training and collaborative working, with Caerphilly Social Services, for example, basing some social workers at one of the town's GP practices.
The most significant workforce initiative from the Welsh Government is the launch, in November 2016, of Health Education Wales (HEW). Overseen by an impartial board, the new body aims to "deliver a national co-ordinated approach to delivering workforce education and training to meet the specific geographical needs of Wales".
Health minister Vaughan Gething says it will "create an environment in Wales which builds a culture that supports learning in the working environment, attracting and retaining the best people possible, on a cross Wales basis."
It's far from clear whether this patchwork of initiatives and pilot schemes will crystallise into the "vision" Aylward is calling for. But it hard to see a coherent strategy emerging without some harmonisation of terms and conditions across the health and social care sectors.
As specialists in healthcare management we provide expert employment advice and representation and fast access to legal services to make sure you are treated fairly. You also receive our quarterly magazine and have access to leadership networks.
Reasons to JOIN MiP >
MiP members get all the benefits provided by our sister unions. FDA has launched a portfolio of benefits offering a range of discounts, legal support and financial advice. Click through from the MiP members' area for details.
We provide a range of advice and information for healthcare managers
on issues that affect your employment. We produce factsheets and
briefings to keep you informed about your rights and opportunities.
Find out more >
Contact Us | Copyright | firstname.lastname@example.com Tel: 020 7121 5146 Fax: 020 7401 5552


text:
What are Norfolk Pamments?
Norfolk Pamments are a handmade, traditional terracotta floor tile that originate from Norfolk, UK. Norfolk Pamments are made from regional clays and are produced in small batches by skilled craftsmen. Although traditionally only found in Norfolk, these rustic Pamments can be used in any location. The rustic, irregularity in terms of their colour and surface is what gives Norfolk Pamments their characteristic charm. Norfolk Pamments are a great choice of flooring in building restorations, homes, garden, holiday cottage or church.
How are they Made?
Norfolk Pamments have never been mass produced, and still aren't- which makes them really special! Norfolk Pamments are made by individual craftsmen, and unlike the mass produced imports, Norfolk Pamments are never identical- which is what is so charming about them. Each slab of Norfolk Pamment varies in colour, and texture, and it is this that makes Norfolk Pamments so desirable. Just like traditional Norfolk Pamments, the slabs made today are very durable, and are guaranteed to last generations- ideal if you are wanting a floor that can withstand lots of foot traffic, for example in your kitchen, or living room.
Norfolk Pamments are made from local Norfolk clays, with different clays chosen depending on the colour of the desired slab. All the clays used are natural, and contain no artificial colorings. Norfolk clay is used for terracotta Pamments, King's Lynn clay is used for parti (mixed) colour Pamments, and Ely clay is used for dark red Pamments. Depending on what colour flooring you would like, you can choose a different Norfolk Pamment tile- without the need for paint, or artificial dyes- a great natural flooring choice!
What are They used for?
As mentioned, traditionally Norfolk Pamments were only used in Norfolk, however now, Pamments are found all over the UK, and can even be shipped internationally. As Norfolk Pamments are extremely durable they can be used for pavements, paths and greenhouses.
Norfolk Pamments also make for a great floor choice in homes and cottages due to their interesting colour and texture, and also because of their excellent thermal retention properties which make them perfect for pairing with under floor heating.
Traditionally, Norfolk Pamments were used in churches, and can still be found in Norwich Cathedral and Magdalene College in Cambridge.
Why are they Protected?
Norfolk Pamments are a traditional flooring choice, and are still handcrafted in the traditional way. As a result, Norfolk Pamments a number of different national bodies have chosen to protect them in order to preserve England's heritage. These bodies include County Councils and the National trust. As a result, if you are wanting to restore an old building in the UK, then using Norfolk Pamments could be the way to go as you could be adding to the heritage of the country!
laying Norfolk Pamments
Laying Norfolk Pamments is a relatively easy task and so it is possible to lay Norfolk Pamments yourself, however there are trained installers who will happily lay the Pamments for you. If you opt for laying your own Pamments then it is important that you follow a few simple guidelines.
Before laying your Norfolk Pamments:
- Keep the slabs as clean as possible.
- Keep the slabs dry,
- Remove sharp edges on the slabs
When laying your slabs you will need to use a good adhesive in order to ensure the slabs stay safely in place in your home, or garden. Depending on what type of flooring you have, the type of adhesive you opt for will vary.
For floors without a damp proof membrane:
- Use a micro-porous (breathable) adhesive
- You can choose between a hydraulic lime mortar (NHL & sharp/grit sand, ratio 4 sand to 1 lime) and a pre-made product.
- For floors with a damp proof membrane:
- Use cement and sand, or a store bought tile adhesive
For floors with under floor heating:
- Use a flexible adhesive which you can buy pre-made
- This will allow for movement that can occur as a result of expansion and contraction of the adhesive due to heating.
When grouting between your Pamments you need to ensure that the slabs have been cleaned and sealed properly. Then, the grout you choose should be carefully considered because its flexibility can affect the floor. Norfolk Pamment producers often suggest that if you have under floor heating, or no damp proof membrane, that you should opt for a flexible grout.
Additionally, as the grout colour can affect what the finished floor will look like it is a good idea to opt for grouts that complement the colour and texture of the Pamments- sandstone options are often a good choice. Once you have finished grouting, ensure that any excess grout is removed in order to ensure the Norfolk Pamment slabs look their absolute best.
How you seal your floor depends on the type of material that is under the Norfolk Pamment.
For floors without a damp proof membrane:
Norfolk Pamments that were laid without a damp proof membrane, or on a permeable base, should be sealed with a breathable finish. If you need your floor to also be hardwearing, for example if it has been laid in a public area such as a church, or a school, then you should look out for anti-slip, and waterproof, breathable finishes.
For floors with a damp proof membrane:
Norfolk Pamments that were laid with a damp proof membrane, or those that were laid on wood, can be sealed with pretty much any sealant product that is available, even varnish would work. Often a basic matte floor varnish works well as it provides a waterproof finish that has a faint sheen. A great finished look for a kitchen or cottage!
Traditional option
Traditionally, breathable seals were made from boiled linseed. These seals give a lovely darkened colour to the Norfolk Pamments, and can even enhance their natural colours. If you are want to go down the traditional route then this would be a great option, however if can require a lot of skill and patience, so it may be best left to the professionals!
Norfolk Pamments are such a great flooring option as they are charming, traditional and hand-made. The history behind the flooring option gives them a really interesting element, and the different colour possibilities means that you can play around with style and such like.


text:
{{search.results.count}} results {{searchFilter()}} {{searchQuery()}}
{{search.results.count}} results {{searchFilter()}} {{searchQuery()}}
Enter a search term such as "mobile analytics" or browse our content using the filters above.
That's not only a poor Scrabble score but we also couldn't find any results matching
Check your spelling or try broadening your search.
This service is currently undergoing maintenance.
Please try again later.
IgnitionOne won a Econsultancy Innovation Award earlier this year for their work in web analytics and optimisation.
James Yancey is VP, Global Strategy at IgnitionOne, and we asked him about engagement optimisation...
When you won one of our Innovation Awards for 2012, the judges said that you proved "engagement optimisation is a science, rather than a dark art". This might be because some people just don't know what it is, can you strip it down and explain it simply?
There's a massive issue in digital marketing at the moment, which is an over emphasis on the importance of the last click when attributing value to digital media.
For too long, the last medium a consumer clicked on before converting got all the credit. That's like giving all the glory to the goal scorer in a football match. A customer's journey is similar - there are many touch points that aid them on their way to a conversion, so marketers need a way to value this media.
Engagement optimisation helps advance attribution and gives marketers a better way to value their spend. Imagine understanding each player's contribution in the build up to a goal – measuring engagement helps marketers do this for digital.
Our real time, automated engagement collects data from non-converters as well as converters. It credits each action along the customer journey so we can, for example, work out a strategy to target someone who is highly engaged, but doesn't convert.
We are scientifically calculating every customer's value, not holding a finger in the air, as is often the case with attribution solutions.
Can you provide us with some insight into the science bit?
The algorithm is self-learning, comparing the behaviour of the visitor on the site to all of the visitors before them and gauging the likelihood that they will become a converter (propensity scoring).
There are 120 variables that are looked across recency, frequency and monetary value. The key thing is we are predicting future behaviour by considering that likelihood as compared to other converters and non-converters. This method is in contrast to business rules that are based on assumptions (often unjustified or out-dated).
Is this only relevant to enterprise businesses with high traffic?
While any model becomes more accurate with increasing amounts of data. The ideal threshold for best performance is a minimum of 50,000 unique visitors per month.
Who should be responsible for this internally? Is it the job of the performance team? Or should it be someone else?
To realise the benefits of engagement-informed attribution analysis it should be the job of a head of digital or someone who can see across digital channels.
To realise the benefit of optimising media in a specific channel, it is possible for a head of search or Facebook etc. to get immediate value and uncover hidden opportunities.
Is there an opportunity for agencies to get involved in this, to help justify their work for a client?
Absolutely. When you operate only in a one-dimensional environment of conversion, the value of activity leading to that end is erased.
Engagement optimisation offers a spectrum of value and return beyond the old dichotomy of converters and non-converters being translated as good and bad.
Brand marketers suddenly have a much more clear way to gauge value on this spectrum. 97% of visitors aren't simply non-converters, they are spectrum of aptitude to take action. Not viewing them in such a way is ignoring the vast majority of your visitors for the sake of 3%.
There's a renewed focus on connecting business objectives to social metrics, but shouldn't that be applied across the board to any marketing spend?
I think in this case, social metrics (liking posting commenting and sharing) are actions that are proxy values for ROI.
If you speak to most marketers honestly about how they are deciding these proxies, it's mostly shots in the dark.
Applying proxy values to actions related to any marketing spend is more of the same flaws as sequential attribution. Unless they have way to view the propensity of the actions tied to a visitors leading to an action, it's just a newer version of the "dark art" that you referenced before.
Why are people struggling to join the dots in terms of multiple channels? It is different technologies, or different ideas of success? Are the needs of different teams internally the real problem?
There are two main problems:
- Most often companies lack one clean unified set of data across all channels measured with the same counting method.
- If they do have this, then it's related to the first answer in viewing value over-simplistically - arbitrarily giving ascending amounts of credit across first to last exposures.
The bottom line is that you need one data source, and the value of action and engagement across all channels to make it valuable.
Comments (6)
How much of engagement optimization is guesswork (a feeling, a hunch) and how much is a specific process predefined and clearly structured?
Engagement optimisation is an interesting idea, it seems it would be very hard to be congruent across multiple platforms and marketing channels if I'm understanding it properly. Tracking user interaction from - paid and free content, social media, a landing page, the site itself and autoresponder certainly can provide valuable insight.
Someone used a good analogy when explaining to me why last click thinking is so flawed......
A man goes to a rugby match at Twickenham, sponsored by Guinness.
There are Guinness ads in the programme, on the ad boards at the side of the pitch. The players have the logo on their shirt, as does the ref and there are bars serving Guinness all over the ground.
After the game he walks into a nearby bar where there are Guinness posters, Guinness beer mats and Guinness bar towels . He orders a pint of Guinness from the bar man who is wearing a Guinness t-shirt.
Last click thinking would attribute this sale to the branded t-shirt that the bar man was wearing as that was the last brand engagement before purchase. Rather than the other millions of pounds worth of sponsorship and branding that was surrounding the game.
Makes no sense!
Hey Adam, love your (or someone's) analogy of the last click thinking, so funny!!! :D
Good thinking and good column i appreciate and i wish a success in feauture
Nice ideas if implemented can enhance your business manifold. Thanks for a good post


text:
Iowa State University
News Service
For the media
For the campus
News Service:
Annette Hacker, manager,
Office: (515) 294-4777
Jerry Stewart, Iowa State University Police, 515-294-4428
Gene Deisinger, Iowa State University Police, 515-294-4428
Annette Hacker, News Service, 515-294-3720
Student arrested in connection with bottle bomb incident
An Iowa State University student has been arrested on a warrant following an investigation of a bottle bomb and related devices discovered on campus Sept. 30.
Thomas C. Hoff, 21, turned himself in to ISU Police shortly before noon today (Oct. 4). Hoff was arrested on a charge of reckless use of fire or explosives, a serious misdemeanor. He was transported to the Story County Jail, where he was being held on a bond of $2,500.
Hoff is a senior in Animal Science, originally from Schaumburg, Ill.
Last Thursday, ISU Police received a report of a suspicious bottle outside Building 33 of the Frederiksen Court apartments, located on the northeast side of campus. The bottle was bulging from internal pressure and appeared to contain liquid and other materials. ISU Police responded to the scene and secured the area. Officials from the Ames Fire Department and the university's Environmental Health and Safety department also responded to the incident. The bottle was rendered safe and determined to be a chemical bottle bomb. The liquid remaining in the bottle was analyzed and found to be highly caustic. Other bottles discovered nearby appeared to be related to this incident.
Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-4111. Published by: University Relations, firstname.lastname@example.com. Copyright © 1995-2004, Iowa State University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.


text:
Top 5 tips to succeed in your business with Google Penguin updates
With the recent changes in the Google Penguin update, lot of online enterprises are concerned about its negative impact on the search engine rankings of their websites. Now, the new update aims to target websites that resort to unethical practices to boost their website traffic on the Internet. Hence, if you are using SEO techniques for marketing and promoting your business, then you may need to follow the latest Penguin updates to achieve greater success in your selling efforts. In a way, it is a good move to ensure that only high quality content is shared with the readers with better access to valuable and meaningful information.
As a result, now websites that offer professional and informative content will get greater preference and higher search engine rankings. Besides, the tons of websites that provide cheap and low quality content may no longer be visible on the search engine results. Additionally, this will help in promoting websites that focus on providing fresh and interesting content to the online audience. It appears with the recent updates in Penguin that there will be greater emphasis on the uniqueness and quality of the articles submitted to the websites.
Hence, if you want to attract more number of customers to your website, then you need to be doing a quality check on your content and make it interesting and appealing for your readers. As a result, when the users search for something specific on the search engines, they must be able to get relevant and specific results. A sincere and honest approach can work better for your business and boost your search engine rankings by attracting more visitors to your website. Thus, you must make it a top priority to provide the best content to your customers and retain your website viewership on the search engines.
Here are 5 useful tips that can help you succeed with Google Penguin updates
Use different marketing techniques
Due to the new changes in the Google Penguin, the main target will be the spam content and poor quality websites that churn out unwanted information to the readers. Hence, it may be a great idea to combine a variety of methods to boost your online promotional campaign for your business. Social media networking sites can be useful in driving targeted traffic to your website and help in building a good rapport with your potential customers. You can focus on article and blog marketing techniques or even targeted e-mail campaigns to get multiple source of traffic for your website.
Avoid common SEO errors
Of course, SEO techniques are still very important for boosting your business prospects and attracting a niche target audience. However, if you want to achieve more success in your promotional efforts, then it may worthwhile spending some time in creating a SEO friendly content. With the new Penguin updates, it is important to use the right keyword density to get the best SEO results. Additionally, repetitive text and overstuffing with keywords may not be able to provide better search engine rankings anymore.
Provide high quality content
Google Penguin loves well written and high quality content that is unique, fresh and provides a wealth of information to the readers. Hence, stay focused on creating web pages that are designed keeping the specific needs and requirement of your customers. Use better title tags and descriptions with interesting headings that are captivating to the target audience. Provide a better experience to the customers, while browsing for products on your website and make it more user friendly so that they can find the required information in a fast and easy manner.
Offer greater value to the readers
If you are writing articles or blogs to promote your online business, then remember to target the content towards a niche audience. One of the best ways of attracting maximum number of customers is by providing them an opportunity to learn something new by providing substantial information on a given topic. You can also provide your own opinions and share personal experiences to make the content more interesting and informative to the online audience. It may be a good idea to provide comments or even add fascinating videos to make the content more attractive and appealing to the readers.
Use backlinks from valid sources
If you want to build trust and credibility for your online business, then it makes sense to use credible methods for building backlinks for your website. Quality backlinks can help in bringing targeted traffic to your website and attract more number of customers in the long run. Hence, using reliable links can help in promoting your online business and also build a strong online presence to create a strong brand identity in the market. Additionally, this may be also useful in surviving the new Penguin update that prefers quality over quantity.
By focusing your efforts on creating a top quality website, there are better chances of improving your rankings on the search engine results. Again, it may be useful to avoid using duplicate content and maintain greater relevancy to target a specific audience. Additionally, websites that contain spam with little content will result in low rankings for your website on the Google search engine. At the same time, sites that serve more ads than the actual content without any information may be filtered from search engine listings. If you are using any of these techniques to get more online visibility, it is time to rethink your marketing strategies and adopt a more no-nonsense approach.
It may be better to remove unrelated texts and links from your content and provide a more quality content to the readers. If you are using keywords in your content, they must be appropriate and fit properly in the text to convey the right meaning to the readers. In case you are already hit by the Google Penguin update, then taking appropriate measures at the right time can help in bringing back your website rankings as before. It may be important to pay greater attention while writings articles and blogs for your website and avoid writing on the same topics in the exact manner. Try to come up with interesting ideas and topics that can interest your online audience and provide valuable tips and suggestions to them.
By adopting a white hat SEO approach, you can be confident of providing a valuable experience to your readers with focus on original and fresh content. You can have better chance of success in your Internet marketing efforts and create a lasting impression on your customers by using the Google updates in a positive manner for your business.


text:
There are more English-speakers in India than anywhere else, and satellite television, films and the internet mean that more people in the sub-continent are exposed to both standard English and Hinglish.
Indian words such as pyjamas, caravan, bungalow and thug were long ago imported into standard English.
The word doolally comes from the India town Deolali, where there was an asylum during the Raj. The ubiquitous tag "innit'' is believed to have started among Indians in the West Midlands in the 1970s via "haina" - a Hindi phrase, stuck on the sentences and meaning "is no?".
Among other Hinglish words are:
chuddies - underpants
desi - a south Asian
ganja - bald
machi chips - fish & chips
shaadi - a wedding
sharaabi - drunkard
stepney - a spare of anything, a mistress. The Stepney was originally a type of spare tyre manufactured in Wales.
Some Hinglish phrases include:
Time kya hua hai? - What is the time right now?
I have hazaar things on my mind right now. - I have a thousand of things on my mind right now.
He's a postwalla. - He works in a post office.


text:
Read comments on this car
No comments have been posted on 86elky's car.
Last updated Jan 26, 2009
We sold our Chevy Suburban in 1994 after 10 years with it to get a smaller van, the Aerostar. It was loaded with features that were awesome to me like rear headphones for the kids, and rear A/C controls. The car stayed with us until 2000 when my parents got their Camry and gave the van to my brother who destroyed it's resale value to nothing, but it still ran like a champ.
I'm currently trying to find one for my family's highway/camping vehicle.
V-6 Auto Trans
XLT trim.
Permanent Link to this Car


text:
The Past as a Prologue:
The History of Red Bank Catholic
There was a time before Red Bank Catholic was a hub of activity in the heart of Red Bank. A time before Casey teams captured headlines; before performances on the Broad Street Auditorium stage became the stuff of legends; before the world became aware of this extraordinary place through the accomplishments of our alumni; a time when Red Bank Catholic was merely an idea. There was a moment when someone imagined what could be. They gave voice to the dream, they rallied support for it and with limited resources and abundant faith, they worked to make it a reality. Throughout the course of the storied history of Red Bank Catholic, at every pivotal moment, when failure was as likely as success, the stewards of this beloved institution chose the dream over the challenges it presented. That is our prized legacy—to imagine big, important dreams for this school and then to achieve them.
We find evidence of this in our earliest roots. In 1856, the very first pastor of the St. James Parish, Rev. Killeen, stood on the banks of the river watching materials for the church he planned to build floating on rafts from Jersey City. He enlisted the aid of his future parishioners to guard those supplies during the night so those outraged by the idea of a Catholic church in town wouldn't destroy them. Rev. Killeen oversaw the construction of a modest church on the corner of Pearl and Wall Streets. The pews soon filled with parishioners. The new pastor, mindful that teaching the youngest members of the parish about their faith was of paramount importance, asked a parishioner, Mrs. Ann O'Reilly, to help him with that ambition. Mrs. O'Reilly organized catechism classes in her Pearl Street home.


text:
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Celebrating ourmanagement assoc.10% off - new customers only10% off new customers onlynot including fumigationsprogramsthe professional termite & pest control service setting industry standards since 1943233300attr:commercialfumigationpest & termite control
Be the first NJ.com user to add photos or videos of Cavanaugh's Professional Termite & Pest Control
Cavanaugh's Professional Termite & Pest Control is located in Chester, NJ. This business specializes in Animal & Humane Societies and Pest Control.


text:
Listen to this farewell song:
This country ballad is about living your life and enjoying the simple
things around you, as life is too short, so make the most of now.
The song has lyrics reminiscent of the Irish farewell blessing:
"I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed"
Other songs like this:
We'll Meet Again by Vera Lynn
Indulge in some wartime nostalgia with this classic song by Vera Lynn.
'We'll Meet Again' is a famous song of the Second World War era, and its optimistic tone a resonant comfort for soldiers and their families and sweethearts who were separated by the war.
Lean On Me
While not specifically a farewell ballad, the following phrases make this lovely song perfect for a farewell:
"If there is a load that you have to bear,
That you can't carry,
I'm right up the road,
I'll share your load,
If you just call me..."
Footprints in the Sand - Leona Lewis
This farewell ballad is based on the Footprints in the Sand poem by Mary
Stevenson, and is a soulful ballad with some elements of gospel. A
very emotional song, and Leona Lewis does great justice to it. The
meaning of the song is very similar to "Lean on me" where it is an affirmation of love or friendship, and a promise of strength, no matter where we travel in life.
Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion
"Because You Loved Me" was originally written by Diane Warren as a tribute to her father, and the song became Celine Dion's signature song. It is a love-affirming song, whether for family, friends, or a special romance.
Home › Farewell Songs › I Hope You Dance Top of page


text:
Production Services Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What types of products can be attached to/bound into Bauer Media Group publications?
Many standard products are described within the various sections of Bauer Media Group's insert and sachet specifications, however, these cannot possibly cover every variation. As a general rule we will test and endeavour to provide a cost-effective method to insert many different products upon application and submission of an appropriate quantity of samples.
2. What types of products can NOT be attached to/bound into Bauer Media Group publications?
Generally we do not accept dangerous items, highly flammable or poisonous substances or liquids contained in packaging which does not strictly comply with Bauer Media Group's "Wet Sachet" specifications. Very bulky products tend to cause physical damage to the magazines and may create transportation or packaging difficulties and are therefore discouraged.
3. Why does Bauer Media Group require samples of inserts prior to production?
Samples are required for two main reasons: to ensure that the contents/copy comply with Editorial and Advertising policies of Bauer Media Group; to ensure that the inserts can be attached by the method requested and to determine the cost of such attachments. Please note that for mechanical insertion up to 200 samples may be required to facilitate a "live" binding trial.
4. Why do supply quantities sometimes vary dramatically from estimates?
Approximate supply quantities are often requested months in advance of the required issue. Production Services staff are able to provide estimates based on budgeted figures, however, final print runs are not set until shortly before the magazine goes into production. Supply figures also include an allowance for wastage and, in many cases, this cannot be provided until actual samples are submitted.
5. Where and when do inserts need to be delivered?
Upon receiving official notification of an insert booking, Production Services will issue an Enhancement Summary form. This form confirms specifications of the booked enhancement and contains all information required including delivery address and contacts, quantities and latest possible delivery dates. Inserts must not be delivered more than two weeks prior to this date as we do not have storage facilities to accommodate large volumes. Inserts must conform to all requirements contained in Bauer Media Group's insert specifications in regard to packaging and labeling. Please click here for Insert and Delivery Requirements.
6. Can a run of book advertisements carry a PMS (5th) colour?
No. As a general rule, the text of Bauer Media prints on four-colour colour printing presses and cannot carry more than the four process colours (magenta, cyan, yellow and black).
7. Does Bauer Media Group provide any ancillary printing services?
Bauer Media Production Services is able to provide advice/quotations and arrange the printing of inserts produced for our publications on behalf of our clients and agencies. We are also able to arrange the printing of run-ons or reprints from inserts or run-of-book advertising.


text:
Power Wizard Electric Fence Charger - PW350B+
This low impedance power fence charger has an output of 0.35 joule. It controls up to 35 acres or 15 standard miles of wire. D-Cell battery or 6-12 volt battery operated with three different modes of operation.
Output: 0.35 joule
Coverage: 35 acres / 15 miles of wire


text:
B'Nai Mitzvah
Mazel tov on planning this great Simcha! The Bar/Bat Mitzvah is such a fabulous milestone in the Jewish cycle of life. It truly doesn't get any better. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah is one of the warmest and most exhilarating ceremonies at Agudas Achim. Under the guidance of our teachers and rabbi, our students lead the Shabbat evening and morning services. Some may choose just one of those days or have a Havdalah worship service and read from the Torah. The opportunity to become a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is available to every Jewish boy or girl and we tailor each service to the ability of the individual. Our goal is that each child is proud of her or his Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
We lay the ground work for the B'nai Mitzvah year in the 3rd through 6th grade Religious School years. Hebrew, blessings and prayers hold an important place in their education so they become comfortable, confident and knowledgeable in their Judaism. Approximately one year before their special event they enter the B'nai Mitzvah class taught by the rabbi who will meet each child individually as the simcha draws closer. The family can pick which siddur to use (Reform of Conservative) or make up one of their own.
B'nai Mitzvah Resources
Guide and Requirements
B'nai Mitzvah 2015-2017
1. Etai Shenkor October 16-17
1. Shoshi (Shoshanna) Hemley January 8-9
2. Noah Pavelich May 27-28
3. Tobey Epstein June 4th
4. McKenzie Hills June 24-25
5. Annelies Knight August 26-24
6. Boaz Abramoff October 14-15
7. Jeremiah Collins October 28-29
1. Aaron & Heidi Stalkfleet March 3-4
2. Manny Sellz March 24-25
2. Zoe Levin August 19 Evening Service
Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah
On occasion the rabbi will hold a class for adults who wish to have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Call him if you are interested.


text:
Ceremonial Entrance to the Palace of Knossos, Late Minoan II (ca 1450 BCE) & Megaron of the Palace of Pylos (ca. 1300 BCE).
- Follow Minoan Linear A, Linear B, Knossos & Mycenae on WordPress.com
Minoan Linear A, Linear B, Knossos & Mycenae
Linear B, Knossos & Mycenae, the premier blog on the Internet dedicated solely to comprehensive & intensive research into Minoan Linear A, Mycenaean Linear B & Arcado-Cypriot Linear C, as well as to The Catalogue of Ships in Book II of the Iliad.
Recent Posts
- RE the critique, On the Dangers of Bad Linear B Scholarship, please followers, HELP, tell me what should I do about this post I have re-blogged?
- README! In the post, "On the Dangers of Bad Linear B Scholarship" I erroneously wrote…
- A Tablet from Pylos, Lost at Sea
- Fun With Tablets: TH Gf 134
- On The Dangers of Bad Linear B Scholarship
Top Posts & Pages
- Comparison Between the Paleo-Hebrew Alphabets and Hieratic Egyptian & the Phoenician Alphabet: Click to ENLARGE
- The First Ever Almost Complete Translation of the Famous Linear B Tablet MY Oe 106 (Mycenae)
- How did I manage to decipher 17 Minoan Linear A words in 1 month? The 4 principles
- Linear B - KN Dd1171, article by Peter J. Keyse on academia.edu
- 2 Collages of Minoan Goddess, her worshippers, Saffron Gatherers & other beauties
- Phoenician alphabet (ca. 1050 BCE) with correlations with some Linear B characters
- Hi friends! If you are learning Linear B here, proceed at your OWN pace.
- A Map of the Cycladic World, the Minoan Civilization & the Mycenaean Empire & a Quiz?
- The Famous "Dolphin Fresco" at Knossos on Papyrus! Minoan Literature? Did any Exist? Religious? Military?
- Linear B Decipherment
Recent Comments
vallance22 on Linear B – KN Dd1171, ar… vallance22 on RE the critique, On the Danger… vallance22 on Linear B – KN Dd1171, ar… vallance22 on Linear B – KN Dd1171, ar… ritaroberts on Linear B – KN Dd1171, ar…
Follow me on TwitterMy Tweets
Linear A B C & Classical Blogs I Follow
- Eris' Smile
- CrapPile
- jfjoyner3
- Super Sleep Heavy
- gutzko
- Bedtime Savvy
- K. K. K. com
- bal837
- Santorini Tours
- The Art of Marcello Massimo
- Demetrio Demetriadi
- Duplicate My Success
- A Geordie Lost in London
- Penelope Burns
- Gleaning The Scriptures
- Macedonian Ancestry
- Care, Bliss and the Universe
- alexankarrbooks
- William Rubel
- Α Long, Hard Look
- Albania -ilire- Pellazgët
- anne frandi-coory
- Traditional Polytheist
- Rilkes Panther
- The Whirling Bee
- Diary of a Pagan Art Student
- CreyenteAarav
- blog bangla mail
- Awesome Foods
- Site Title
- LinneaTanner.com - Apollo's Raven
- When Women Inspire
- polytheistmommy
- Dirty Sci-Fi Buddha
- Yahuah Is Everything
- Musings on History
- The Deadliest Blogger: Military History Page
- Akhelas Writing
- The Dawg Lady
- examplewordpresscom84010
- belikewaterproduction.wordpress.com/
- Little Fears
- Im ashamed to die until i have won some victory for humanity.(Horace Mann)
- Φιλολογικά φύλλα


text:
Auto Repair Parker, Honda, Acura
Independent Auto Care Parker
When you need quality auto repair service for your Honda, Acura vehicles call the pros at Independent Auto Care located conveniently here in Parker Colorado.
Gone are the days when you have to deal with the dealership when repairing your car, truck or SUV. At Independent Auto we provide our customers with the highest quality auto repair for all makes and models of Honda and Acura.
Locally owned and operated, Independent Auto Care has specialized in Honda and Acura vehicles since 2006. Our ASE certified technicians have over 65 years of experience and are experts in Honda and Acura car and truck repair..
We will explain the problem and give you the cost estimate and estimate time it will take to complete the job. We will NEVER do any work until you give us your permission.
Just a quick note of thanks in regards to the repair on the Honda. I really appreciate your expertise in regards to the engine problem. You saved me a lot of headache not having to deal with that other repair shop. I will recommend you to anyone I know in Parker with a vehicle problem, you guys are great!
Melissa J. - Parker


text:
Investors' ravenous demand for high-yield municipal bonds has created an optimal environment for lower-rated issuers, analysts say.
High-yield fund flows totaled $408.1 million for the week ending May 22, and have remained positive for all but one week this year, according to Lipper FMI data. High-yield funds reported outflows 69.2% of the time in 2013.
"It's a good time for high-yield issuers, BBB category all the way down to nonrated," Adam Buchanan, vice president of institutional sales and trading at Ziegler Capital Markets, said in an interview. "Due to this market environment, we're telling issuers bring transactions to market."
Investor's desire for high-yield bonds increased this year because of the limited amount of deals coming to market. Volume as of April 30 totaled $89.34 billion, compared to $122.72 billion for the same period in 2013, according to The Bond Buyer's and Ipreo's data.
The lack of supply has allowed underwriters to price the few bonds that do come to market at relatively low yields.
"Issuers should look at this market and say yields are being driven lower by demand," Jim Colby, chief municipal strategist at Van Eck Global, said in an interview. "There is an appetite for high-yield it's a good time to bring deals to market."
He said that Van Eck is proof of investors' appetite for high-yield to a certain extent, since it's attracted flows into its high-yield fund.
Buchanan also pointed to this year's tightening credit spreads as another example for why it's an ideal time to bring high-yield issuances to market.
"There has been a lot of chatter about recent yield transactions and how much their spreads have tighten[ed]," Buchanan said. "Higher-rated yield sector borrowers' spreads have also come in, for example spreads on AA rated healthcare bonds have tightened 20-30 basis points since December of last year."
Credit spreads between the Municipal Market Data's benchmark AAA 10-year GO and its 10-year Baa GO has tightened by 29 basis points to 122 basis points from Jan. 2, 2013, to market close on Friday.
"The spread tightening in yield is from a supply and demand imbalance," Buchanan said. "High-yield supply is down 50%-plus year-over-year, while the overall market supply is down 30%. Additionally, tax-exempt fund inflows are being driven by high yield funds. The supply/demand imbalance is geared towards the high yield sector and it's creating an excellent environment for yield sector borrowers."
Despite these favorable market conditions, analysts are not seeing a large or varied amount of high-yield issuers come to market.
"High-yield is now the domain of many Puerto Rico, many securitized tobacco, and many airports," Colby said. "It's a real opportunity for other types of issuers."
Colby said investors want to see as many different types of investors as are able to come to market.
"I think if you're building a portfolio and the mantra is diversification," Colby said. "If you're not forgetting you need to hedge your bet in some intelligent manner, you want [different high-yield] in your portfolio. What you want is broad diversification and in this kind of an asset class where you really need to pay attention to credit, a broad diversification of issuers is something to be desired."
Michael Schroeder, president and chief investment officer at Wasmer, Schroeder & Co., said in an interview that this is an environment more high-yield issuers should take advantage of.
"A lot of BBB hospitals have not been issuing much in the high-yield department, and we are not seeing that they will be anytime soon," he said. "Maybe that will change. It is a good time for issuers to be borrowing, people want high-yield."
Colby said that in addition to hospitals, charter schools and transportation issuers should be borrowing more.
For the buyside there are credit dangers associated with high-yield bonds, analysts warn. High-yield issuers often have low ratings and therefore a greater chance of defaulting than issuers with investment-grade ratings.
Buchanan acknowledged that while high-yield credit conditions have improved, it is still the risk sector of the marketplace.
"Its credit by credit when you get to the high-yield sector, there are certainly well positioned good nonrated credits out there though, there's no doubt about that," he said.
Both Buchanan and Colby said that much of the risk associated with high-yield bonds can be avoided if investors do a credit analysis.
"The dangers are always there if you don't do your credit work, you don't do your homework," Colby said. "[Many investors] just react to the apparent opportunity, which is a yield comparison. But investors, whether they are individual or ETF investors have to make sure your deals are properly protective of bondholder rights, and assert the responsibility of issuer to follow through on their commitments."
Schroeder noted the inherent risks in high-yield sector, and said investors should be careful, especially in the current rich market.
Buchanan does not see anything that will change market conditions to make them less appealing for high-yield issuers in the immediate future.
"There continue to be dovish comments from [Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen] and uneven economic data, which has given a bid to treasuries," he said. "Couple that with low supply and fund flows, this is a unique combination."
The Federal Open Markets Committee Meeting minutes released on Wednesday re-affirmed the Federal Reserve's stance that it will not look to raise interest rates until housing data and the inflation rate are stronger.
He does acknowledge though that headline risk could disrupt the high-yield rally, and described it as the "one thing" market participants have to watch.
Hillary Flynn is a reporter for The Bond Buyer
Register or login for access to this item and much more
All Bank Investment Consultant content is archived after seven days.
Community members receive:
- All recent and archived articles
- Conference offers and updates
- A full menu of enewsletter options
- Web seminars, white papers, ebooks
Already have an account? Log In
Don't have an account? Register for Free Unlimited Access


text:
We drove to Giddings, TX to watch our young friend Macy play volleyball. But first we wandered around an antique shop, looking for ideas to convert old galvanized objects into new kitchen lighting. Our favorite idea is using a long chicken-feed trough, hanging it upside down over our stove with lights inside. Still thinking about it . . .
Next, we ate at Reba's, our favorite deli / pizzeria place. Our daughter-in-law, Misty, told us about this place. Great soups, sandwiches, brick-oven pizza, and pies! This chef statue stands on the counter; I hadn't realized until drawing him that his right thumb is broken off. At one time he probably 'held' a tray or hanging sign. He reminds me of a full-sized chef at Ventana's, one of our favorite places to eat in Excelsior Springs, MO. How I would love to have a bowl of their buffalo chicken soup!


text:
Ken Li
Phone: 0449 859 418
Mobile: 0449 859 418
First Choice Business Brokers
Level 1, 532 Station St,
Box Hill, VIC 3128
Phone: 03 9899 1888
Fax: 03 9899 4888
Food/Hospitality for sale
Business Details
No competition cafe in busy tourist town – Ref: 3488
Takings: approx $10,000 pw
- In a beautiful, busy tourist town on Melbourne's East
- Operates 6 days/week. Business hours 8:30-4pm.
- Weekly rent approx. $420, on a long lease.
- Same owner for 6 years, all run by hired staff. Fully managed. Owner doesn't need to run him/herself.
- Seating for 45 + seating for 30 outside.
- Weekly sales of 25 kg of coffee. Has a good profit margin.
- Easy to manage, and higher profits with owner working in cafe.
- First time on the market.
- This is a must inspect location!
For more information about this listing, please contact the agent below and quote the business reference number, Ref: 3488.
Agent: Ken
Mobile: Click to call
Email: Click to email
First Choice Business Brokers
1st Floor, 532 Station Street, Box Hill
Phone: Click to call
Fax: Click to call
Summary »
- Business Category: Food/Hospitality
- Business Sub Category: Cafe/Coffee Shop


text:
Many years ago, I spoke as an alumn and trustee to incoming students at Hampshire College during their convocation program. At the picnic that followed, I chatted with parents of first-year students. They wore worried, proud, sad expressions on their faces. Their eyes appeared glassy, tears barely contained. I felt teary. I related. That is, I thought I related. My one -- at that point, only -- child was barely a toddler and I shuddered to imagine not knowing what he was doing by the hour. The notion that I would drop him off to college at some far into the future date seemed completely ludicrous at best.
But here he is a junior in high school (in two weeks). I have close friends who've delivered their kids to dorm rooms laden with cherished belongings and stifled tears and sucked in breaths and left their kids at college and come back home to deflated nests. My neighbor's son is the first in our tiny neck of the 'hood to launch and her next son and mine will follow suit together, so Louis' departure is like the fall of the first domino. The ping resonated immediately and the street feels emptier.
I called Louis' mom the day he left. She said, "It feels the way I felt just before he was born when we were comfortable and cozy and knew what to do. The baby, that was kind of a shocker. We had to learn what to do outside the cozy nest of the womb. I don't know what to do now, either." She added that the fact he's just an easy hour-and-a-half down the highway helps. "In a pinch, I feel as if I could even walk there," she said.
Suddenly, although I can't really remember a thing about where they lived or what their children wanted to study at Hampshire, I remember the emptied out but achingly full expressions on those parents that early September day, sky impossibly blue, when my baby was a toddler. I realize it's how the not knowing translates into an inability to do.
Back then, my son went to a toddler program three half-days a week and every nap, snack and tussle over a toy was noted on a spread sheet. When I picked him up, the teachers shared what toys he liked or what phrase he uttered. Even when I wasn't there, it felt as if I was. Rolling into the Facebook era, we can often glimpse our kids even when we're not together. It's not at all unusual for me to email a friend a photo when our kids are playing together. See? Everything's okay and you don't have to let go, not really.
I tell myself that the two weeks my third son has spent at a ramshackle Quaker farm camp the past three summers unplugged from the world -- even me -- is training ground for my emptying nest. He hastened my de-helicopterization process when he first left for camp at age 7. This camp does not post photos on the Internet nor can you call or email. You write letters. The kids are required to write home once a week. The first year his letters averaged one-and-a-half lines apiece. The very first letter home read: Dear Mama, I miss you.
The swimming is not the best. P.S. I miss PaPa, too. Love, Remy
This summer I got a whopping five pieces of information in his two letters: 1) camp is fun -- and "still fun," 2) something got jammed, the actual body part -- I'm guessing finger or toe -- was missing, 3) swimming test passed, 4) Zohar wasn't at camp because his family is moving to the States, 5) Max got 6 stitches.
There's no question in my mind the old-fashioned -- very scant -- letter-a-week is good for me. The point is this: I am not supposed to know everything about my children's lives. Their lives are theirs, not mine.
Much as I felt I mastered the camp experience this summer, I revert to terror when I think about college. However foreign it was at first to care for that baby fresh out of the womb, it felt natural pretty quickly. I acquiesced almost instantly to worry and to wonder. Even as I began to let go, the risk of falling or failing -- taking risks -- that felt unnatural. I don't really want to let go and simply see what happens. I'm backed up by a cultural moment we could dub anxiety-meets-over-connectivity. Surrounded by the attachment parent sling-wearers, video baby monitors, push bars on tricycles and the elementary school kids with cell phones, to hover is to parent. The idea of radio silence, that seems like a deafening quiet.
As I watch my two years' ahead parent friends with breath sucked in, eyes saucer wide, trying, just trying to imagine the moment I encourage my first tiny bird to flap his wings into the bigger world, I have to sit with the fact that I can't do it, not yet. However, I plan to practice as much as I can over the next two years. I think I may write him letters when he goes.
Check out my blog, Standing in the Shadows


text:
Last quarter, Twitter's user base (excluding SMS fast-followers) actually shrank — and this was a huge moment for the company.
While there were whispers of peak Twitter circling for some time now, that looming theory was finally confirmed in the company's fourth-quarter results. Twitter had gone from 307 million users to 305 million. Twitter, at one point a rocket-ship, had stalled out and needed to frantically find new avenues for growth.
So it's not a surprise that, once again, everyone will be watching Twitter's user numbers to see whether they will grow, shrink, or just go nowhere. Growing Twitter's user base is absolutely critical for the company, simply because that's the pool of people that it can monetize through advertising. Twitter is barely growing year-over-year, and quarter-over-quarter, it's trending south. That's not a good sign for the company.
Twitter hasn't had a huge issue monetizing its existing user base, being able to generate hundreds of millions of dollars off its advertising business. The company regularly posts strong quarters and can meet what investors are looking for — which is why its user growth numbers are so critical for Twitter. Meeting expectations are one thing, but surprising the world with evidence that the company can continue to grow is far more important.
There are other avenues that Twitter has been exploring closely, such as tapping developers to expand its advertising footprint through MoPub. By increasing that developer network, Twitter can continue to grow its advertising business without necessarily needing to continue building up its user base at a fast rate. We'll be watching this space, for sure, but it's not necessarily going to be a massive growth area for the company yet. It might eventually appease investors and industry-watchers, but so far not so much.
So, in short, new CEO Jack Dorsey has a lot of work to do. And he's made some significant changes since joining in the form of executive changes and new board members already, as well as essentially throwing the old playbook out. Twitter even axed a pure time-order timeline in favor of one that includes recommended tweets. Dorsey himself has also acknowledged that Twitter can be a confusing place, and is looking to clean up the service and make it more palatable to new users.
These are pretty drastic moves, but they're necessary for the company, which has seen its stock continue to crater even as Dorsey works to right the ship. Shares of Twitter are down more than 65% on the year.
All this is important for Twitter because it has to assure investors that it can be a strong, independent publicly-traded company — and not just an acquisition target. And that depends on continuing to grow its business, which it can do in one of three ways: become better at targeting advertisements and improve their return, find new avenues of revenue, and grow its user base. And there's only so much that Twitter, a social network, can do for the first two before it has to rely on an increasing user base that it can sell advertising inventory agains.


text:
Seen On The Scene: J-Hud, Baby, And More Attend Essence Black Women In Hollyweird Luncheon
- By Bossip Staff
Jennifer Hudson and her cute little baby boy David Otunga, Jr. were all smiles at the Essence Black Women In Hollyweird Luncheon yesterday.
Kimberly Elise and her daughter Butterfly were in attendance as well….
Peep more pics including handsome fellas Jesse Williams and Laz Alonzo below: