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Graduate study at UNC-Chapel Hill is notable for the rich diversity of its subject fields, theoretical approaches, and thematic areas of historical investigation, as well as the flexibility of its MA and PhD degree requirements. A spirit of collaborative inquiry defines our graduate program, shaping relations between faculty and students, opening doors to interdisciplinary study, and putting students in touch with people and resources throughout the UNC campus and the Research Triangle. The work of the History Department at Chapel Hill is facilitated by an excellent library system (the combined resources of UNC and Duke place our library collections in the top ten nationally) and vibrant relationships with all the institutions of higher learning in the Triangle area. This broad sense of intellectual community helps to guide the innovative teaching and research of faculty and students alike.
Graduate study in History at UNC is organized around the following fields of study:
- African History
- Ancient History
- Asian History
- European History
- Global History
- Latin American History
- Military History
- Russian and Eastern European History
- United States History
- Women's and Gender History
These "major fields" of the Department are particularly important for shaping (a) a student's curriculum (most major fields have a few required courses) and (b) the structure of his/her comprehensive examinations. When applying for admission, each student indicates the major field of history in which he/she wishes to concentrate.
In addition, graduate students are encouraged to be aware of, and to take advantage of, the presence of faculty members who may work outside a student's major field but who share similar thematic concerns or have experience in research methods relevant to a student's developing research. See this list of Thematic Orientations that bring faculty together across fields.
For details about the graduate program including information about funding, degree requirements, field-specific comprehensive exam requirements, graduate student teaching, and other information, please consult the Requirements, Guides, and Policies page.


text:
<Clu> no nsfcd is basically a ghost town, it should be killed behind fences
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Current team:Pignite lvl 26Servine lvl 26Dewott lvl 26Flaafy lvl 26Keldeo (Resolute Forme) lvl 26Genesect lvl 26
Uh... You dislike Legendaries?
I play in the Uber tier sometimes, so not particularly.
Things that are not uber:-Genesect-Keldeo-most other legendaries
Beat the game, caught all legendaries minus the Regis, as getting them all requires trading and otehr weird stuff I don't care about.Beat Black Tower and got my Shiny Gible, nice. Although due to stuff being White 2 exclusive completely, I dont' think I can see every pokemon in the unova dex and get my Shiny Haxorus... unless someone knows a way to check trainers in the region and see what pokemon they have and if I can battle them.
Or you could trade stuff.
Good job! I, Viewtifulboy, declare you the CHAMPION!
hey yoso you know how black and white 1 look like NOT GOOD on the 3ds?does this game look the same or similar to that on the 3ds or did they fix it?
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text:
Locked away in the worldas rainforests are the most productive and fruitful ecosystems in the world. How they transform scarcity into abundance is what every entrepreneur and businessperson needs to know. Whether you are just starting your businessabor reevaluating your current business goals, this book brings unique insights and direction from the rainforestas secrets of productivity that will revolutionize your thinking. These secrets include the steps to: 1. Get a clearer vision for your business. 2. Increasing your productivity. 3. Transform your great ideas into realities. 4. Tap into the ultimate model for efficiency. 5. Discover how to use your innovations for success. 6. Understand the importance of interdependent relationships. 7. Learn 7 indispensable secrets for marketing. By taking a look at the rainforest with business eyes and an open mind, in this book we discover that creation has been indelibly stamped with the wisdom of the Creator. It contains transcending business principles that can take any enterprise from good to great... they were getting two suggestions per month per employee and implementing 95 percent of them.6 (They make Lexus!) ... history to lead six different programs to bowl games and guide four different programs to final top twenty rankings.
|Rainforest Strategy
|Michael Pink
|Charisma Media - 2012-10-08
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I was running ... OK jogging ... OK briskly walking ... through my neighborhood the other day and of course thinking about President Obama's upcoming speech at the Democratic National Convention when I saw an Obama '08 sign stuck on someone's door.
There were only two logical explanations for this 4-year-old sign. Either a) Team Obama hadn't campaigned through my clearly blue North Side 'hood; or b) This household wanted to see Obama circa 2008, the Obama of Hope, at this week's DNC.


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text:
'Easing the Pressure' on Australia's health system
Australia's largest private health insurer, Medibank Private, today released substantive economic research that reinforces the public economic value and long-term importance of maintaining health policies such as the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate.
"Easing the Pressure: The Intergenerational Report and Private Health Insurance", was unveiled at the National Press Club in Canberra, during a joint luncheon address featuring Medibank Private Managing Director, George Savvides, and Professor Ian Harper of the Melbourne Business School.
Amongst a host of findings, the Report concludes that for each $1 the Government currently spends on the 30% Rebate, it effectively spends $2 on the health needs of Australians without private health insurance. The Report also demonstrates that current policy arrangements are expected to sustain private health insurance coverage at viable levels for the next four decades.
The second in a series of commissioned research reports by the health fund to better understand the economic and consumer outcomes from recent private health policy reforms, the work examines in detail the role of private health insurance in Australia in managing future pressures on Government health outlays, in light of an ageing population and technological advances in health care.
'Easing the Pressure' was prepared by Canberra-based economic consultancy, Econtech Pty Ltd, headed by leading economist Chris Murphy, in association with Harper Associates (Professor Harper), and economic consultant Philip Hagan.
Mr Savvides said the basis for the 'Easing the Pressure' study was the Commonwealth's Intergenerational Report released in 2002 by Federal Treasurer, Hon. Peter Costello MP, which projected a doubling of Commonwealth financial outlays on health services as a share of the economy over the next 40 years due to the multifaceted impacts of an ageing Australia.
"Our contribution to good health policy has been to commission this further research into the intergenerational aspects of private health, with a deliberate long-term perspective on sustainable public policy that underpins a quality mixed health system," Mr Savvides told the National Press Club.
"Medibank Private supports health policy that will ensure the long-term sustainability of our world class health system. This is because our members have told us they strongly support a mixed public and private health care system as a way of ensuring the public system can fulfil its role.
"This detailed economic analysis of the role of private health care over the next 40 years highlights the clear need to maintain an excellent public hospital system, but importantly couple it with a strong private health sector to best tackle the funding implications that the seismic shift in ageing of Australia's population will create," Mr Savvides said.
Professor Harper's research last year into the benefits of the 30% Rebate estimated that the policy initiative could be saving Australian taxpayers $2 billion a year in health costs. One of the key findings of the 'Easing the Pressure' report is that if policy measures such as Lifetime Health Cover and the 30% Rebate were not introduced or were in future abolished, private health insurance coverage would eventually fall to potentially unviable levels.
"Without the 30% Rebate and Lifetime Health Cover policies, private hospital insurance coverage of the Australian population is projected to fall to only 18% by the year 2041-42. This would be an unprecedented low level if allowed to occur," Professor Harper said.
"Under current policy arrangements, the outlook for private health insurance (PHI) coverage is, however, reasonably positive. This means that current policy arrangements will ensure the sustainability of PHI for at least the next four decades."
Stuart Rodger, Leader of the Health Practice at Trowbridge Deloitte, undertook a high-level independent actuarial review of the methodology, assumptions and data sources used in the Report and concluded that these were reasonable. Trowbridge Deloitte verified that the approach was reasonable for:
Projecting the impact of PHI on government spending over four decades; and
The illustration of differing long term effects of policy settings contained in the Report.
Key findings of the 'Easing the Pressure' Report were:
Under a purpose built Government Health Costs (GHC) model for the Report, private hospital coverage is projected to decline modestly from 43% in 2003 to 37% by 2041-42 under current policy arrangements;
If the policy measures were not introduced or are reversed, PHI coverage (Hospital cover) would fall to unprecedented low levels (18% of the Australian population), making private health insurance potentially unviable;
Without a private health insurance industry, Commonwealth and State Government health outlays would be even greater than projected in 40 years. Whilst the Government would save 0.4% of GDP from a future disappearance of the 30% Rebate, this would be significantly outweighed by additional health outlays of 0.9% of GDP by 2041-42;
The 30% Rebate represents a modest contribution to the existing health costs of the insured. For every $1 the Commonwealth spends in rebate for an insured person, it spends $2 in meeting the health needs of an uninsured person that could otherwise be covered by PHI benefits.
Mr Savvides added that sustainability of our health system, and not ideology, must remain the main game for public policy makers when it comes to future health service delivery.
"We need to encourage public policy debate that avoids short-term thinking and quick-fix solutions - for there is nothing short-term about health policy," Mr Savvides said.
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Kokua is a nonprofit agency that provides residential support services to adults with disabilities in Thurston County. We value a diverse workforce and have been in operation for over 26 years. Kokua provides extensive paid training for new employees. We have a 125 Plan and a 401K Plan. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Thank you for your interest in Kokua! You can print an application packet HERE or apply in person at our office 1226 Carpenter Rd SE, Ste B-1, Lacey 98503. Complete the application and simply go HERE to schedule your interview! To see all current job openings and/or to apply through our secure Applicant Pro system, click HERE.
If you have any questions, please contact CeCe Fontaine at 360-705-4665 ext 123
Please bring the following to your interview:
Interviews are held at our office:
1226 Carpenter Road, SE
Suite B-2
Lacey, WA 98503
If you are selected:


text:
Ricky Summers was supposed to show up early for tutoring at KIPP Central City Academy in New Orleans on Saturday morning, his friends said. Instead, the 16-year-old's lifeless body was found in a backyard about mid-morning that day. He was wearing his school uniform.
New Orleans police received a call about a body in the 2200 block of Terpsichore Street on Saturday about 9:05 a.m. Summers died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the back, chief investigator for the Orleans Parish coroner's office John Gagliano said.
Gagliano said investigators estimate that Summers had been dead for about 12 hours by the time police discovered his body.
Tania Roubion, a writing and technology teacher at KIPP who taught Summers for four years, said he was constantly reminding her that he was going to go to college.
It was amazing, Roubion said, "to see him evolve into a real scholar. He loved school. There was never a time he did not want to be there." Roubion said Summers loved reading and always had a couple of books tucked into his back pockets.
Summers was identified by his grandmother, Gagliano said. Gagliano also said he was informed that both of the boy's parents were deceased.
Roubion said her first reaction to the news was disbelief. Then came the question, "Why Ricky? Why him?"
Jonathan Berstch, a spokesman for KIPP released the following statement Saturday night:
"KIPP New Orleans Schools is saddened at the tragic news that a KIPP Central City Academy middle school student was found dead this morning. At this time our thoughts and prayers go to the family and the community. The school will have grief counselors on site Monday morning to help students and staff cope with the loss."
Roubion described Summers as "a child who was always smiling and had a positive outlook about everything." He was compassionate, too, Roubion said.
"If you were having a bad day, Ricky would come up and say something and totally turn your day around, " she said. "He was just naturally an upbeat and positive child."
Summers was very well-liked by his peers, Roubion said, and a good mediator. "If you ever need someone to be neutral in a situation amongst peers, Ricky was that person."
Roubion said she knew Summers had a bright future ahead of him.
"He was going to be a positive contributor to our society, " she said. "In 10 years, I have no doubt he would have been part of the solution for our city, not part of the problem."
There are no motives or suspects related to the shooting at this time, said officer Garry Flot, NOPD spokesman.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 822.1111 or toll free at 877.903.7867. Callers do not have to give their names.
Kari Dequine can be reached at email@example.com.


text:
1. The Research Support Libraries Group
(RSLG) was established under my chairmanship by the four UK higher
education funding bodies, the British Library, the National Library
of Scotland and the National Library of Wales. The membership
and terms of reference for the Group are attached at Annex A[1].
The Group aims to produce a report to its sponsors in autumn 2002.
2. The Group has its origins in the concern
that, while the UK has excellent research libraries at present,
it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain these standards
for the future. The twin challenges of rising costs and growing
volume of material have already brought us to the point where
no individual library can realistically aim to collect and hold
all of the resources that its researcher users require, forcing
them increasingly to pursue these resources externally; and it
is not evident that even the aggregated national research collection
can continue to meet all of their needs in its present form. In
addition, the advent of the web has fundamentally altered the
technology available for delivering research information to library
customers. Whilst this can create its own problems it offers great
opportunities to researchers since all universities are linked
by a world-class network and the customers are highly computer
literate. The RSLG was established to advise on a national response
to all of these issues, and to develop strategies to ensure that
UK researchers continue to have access to the full range of world-class
information resources.
3. The Group's primary focus is on the needs
of professional researchers, mainly in the public sector (university
academic staff, university researchers and research students,
government research scientists). We have consulted widely within
the research and library communities, and have commissioned a
major research study on current patterns and future trends in
researchers' use of libraries and other information sources. The
results of this study (which is now nearing conclusion) will underpin
the Group's final recommendations. Other elements of the Group's
work are:
In addition the Group has drawn on a range of
work undertaken by other bodies in the research and academic library
4. A crucial reference point for the Group
has been the emergence of the hybrid library, with which
we believe most if not all researchers will be working within
and beyond our 10-year planning horizon. By "hybrid"
we mean a library with a mixture of materials in hard copy and
electronic form, with the range and nature of the mix varying
for researchers in different subject areas and research environments.
Some of the material in electronic form may be provided from local
sources, but a progressively greater proportion of such material
is now being provided at a distance and is accessed through the
library or directly from the researcher's desk.
5. The pace at which materials in electronic
form are adopted by researchers, and how completely, will vary
between disciplines. For example, many research historians will
continue to regard access to printed historical documents as indispensable,
although they may increasingly use electronic means to search
for the whereabouts of these documents. At the other end of the
spectrum, there are already research scientists who work entirely
with resources in electronic form. Between these two extremes,
there is much diversity of demand for print and electronic resources,
and any future national strategy to enhance access to the resources
must embrace this variation.
Key issues
6. The Group considers that new strategies
are required to ensure that the needs of UK researchers continue
to be met adequately; and that there is an opportunity to be seized
for the UK to become a major player in determining the new research
information landscape. If we do nothing, the risks are that the
body of material available in the UK will become less well matched
to researcher needs, and that we shall increasingly be forced
to rely on other countries or on purely commercial vendors for
our research information resources.
7. The four key elements in the Group's
vision are:
a. The UK must pursue the vision of a national
electronic research library (NERL).
Researchers have told us that they require rapid
and easy access to the broadest possible range of resources. They
also need to be assured of the quality of the information and
research outputs that they use. We expect the volume of online
research resources to grow exponentially within the next few years,
creating a requirement for sophisticated new tools to navigate
the electronic environment. On present form this material is likely
to be of variable quality, and more difficult than it should be
to locate and access. We should be working now to develop mechanisms
to give cohesion and direction to decisions on what research material
is made available online; to map and classify this material; to
safeguard its security; to make sure that it is both widely accessible
and fully quality-assured; and to encourage new channels of scholarly
communication. The development of these mechanisms carries considerable
challenges, but it has exceptional potential to enhance the quality
of UK research. The vision of acting together to create national
structures that grow over the years is not new. In the years immediately
after World War II the country established a collection of science
journals that were lent from a central location. That was combined
with the national central library in the early seventies to create
The British Library. Its document supply division at Boston Spa
in Yorkshire is the direct successor to the science collection
and last year it issued 2.4 million documents by inter-library
lending: one every three seconds of the working year. It is the
largest and best such service in the world. Within the last decade
the funding councils created the Distributed National Electronic
Resource (DNER) which is in effect a test bed for a national electronic
library. Its success in providing all types of resources electronically
to researchers suggests that it could form the basic platform
for the NERL.
b. Collaboration between research libraries
should be extended.
No academic library can fully meet its users'
needs without external assistance; at the same time there is still
much scope for reducing duplication in holdings of less heavily
used materials. Almost all research libraries in the UK are already
involved in some form of bilateral or multilateral collaborative
activity, extending at least to local or regional schemes for
sharing access to print resources. These activities could profitably
be extended into new areas, such as planned collaborative acquisition
and retention policies, to improve the coverage of the aggregated
collection. They should be supplemented by more collaboration
at national level, for example in producing a single national
online catalogue of research resources.
c. A national print collection should continue
to be managed by the British Library.
It is clear from our consultations with researchers
that the print holdings of the British Library, and the services
of its Document Supply Centre, are essential to the success of
research in many disciplines. We can see no other way of providing
this. The availability of a very wide range of serial publications,
delivered to the researcher's desktop, through the British Libraryequalled
by no other national collectionis the main reason why UK
HEIs are able to collect fewer journals than their peers in other
countries and yet maintain parity in research standards.
d. There will continue to be a role for librarians
and other information professionals.
We envisage a key role for print collections
for many years to come. Despite the growth of online resources,
we see no evidence at present of any slackening in the flow of
printed material, and equally we anticipate that much material
now available in hard copy will never appear in digital form.
Beyond this, the switch to online resources will create a new
role for information professionals helping researchers to keep
up to date with what is available in their field in all media.


text:
CCR is delighted to announce a brand new monthly feature on our good morning show. John Kearns is an author, playwright and producer at the Irish Writers & Musicians Salon in New York. This Cafe Salon offers Irish Artists Musicians and writers a platform in New York.
John's grandmother was born near Claremorris and emigrated to the states in the early 20th century. He is delighted to come on board with CCR and broadcast reviews from the Irish Writers and Musicians scene in New York.
John's first report will be aired in The Good Morning Show on Friday 14 July at approx 10 am. It will subsequently be podcast on the CCR website.
Update: Listen to John's report here –


text:
New features: E-cards & Contest Corner
Who does not like surprises.. well check out the e-cards section on our home page.
Now you can send a selection of animated and static e-cards to your friends and family on various occasions.. with special messages.. they will surely by pleasantly surprised.
For a selection of cards click on eCard
Ready to show off your creative talents.. Why not be the first one to have your creative writing skills and drawing skills displayed on the kids.dadabhagwan.org gallery..
Express your love for Pujya Niruma through this poetry writing contest.. Send us your entries directly from the site..
Read all about it here


text:
Facebook tests new 'buy' button for online purchases in U.S.
(Reuters) - Facebook Inc is testing a new "buy" button on its website that will let consumers purchase products that are advertised on its social network.
The new service, which Facebook described on Thursday as a test with a "few small and medium-sized businesses" in the United States, represents the Internet social networking company's latest effort to play a bigger role in the e-commerce business.
Facebook said its new Buy button will be available on the mobile and desktop PC version of its website and will allow consumers to purchase goods directly from participating businesses.


text: The Chief is an 18-hole championship golf course that represents perfect harmony of natural habitat and the game of golf. Beautifully carved through the rolling wooded terrain of northern Michigan. The Chief will truly overwhelm your visual senses with its large, meandering bunkers, dramatic elevation changes and panoramic views. The Chief provides a memorable golf experience and is a true 'must play' among Michigan's courses!


text:
Date: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 23:18:57 +0100 From: Moritz Muehlenhoff <jmm@...til.org> To: oss-security@...ts.openwall.com Cc: coley@...us.mitre.org Subject: Re: Need more information on recent poppler issues On Tue, Dec 01, 2009 at 08:37:54AM +0100, Tomas Hoger wrote: > On Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:08:56 -0500 (EST) "Steven M. Christey" > <coley@...us.mitre.org> wrote: > > > > > DSA-1941 lists three reserved CVE entries for Poppler issues, but there > > aren't any more details, which makes it difficult to create CVE > > descriptions. Specifically, CVE-2009-3906, CVE-2009-3907, and > > CVE-2009-3908 don't have any details as far as I can tell. > > > > Can anybody help? > > They look like typos to me. That DSA lists 7 CVE-2009-390x CVEs, while > it should probably list CVE-2009-3*6*0x ones. CVE-2009-390[345] are > public and for unrelated applications. Yes, that is correct (and has been fixed in the Debian Security Tracker a few days ago: http://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/source-package/poppler) I blame it on the new console mouse mode in Emacs 23 which broke copy&paste from a different tty with GPM ;-) (Disabling gpm-mouse-mode helps, as I found out later.) Cheers, Moritz
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text:
For the first time, David Katz's classic monograph The World of Touch has been translated into English. Regarded as one of the premiere experimental psychologists, Katz vigorously opposed the atomism and qtachistoscopicq mentality typical of the sensory psychology of his day. In The World of Touch, Katz sought to dispel the invidious distinction between the supposedly higher (e.g., vision, audition) and lower (e.g., touch) senses. To help touch regain its original prominence in the field, Katz demonstrated, through very simple, yet creative experiments, how fascinating the abilities of touch are, and how valuable the tactual stimulus can be in specifying objects, surfaces, substances, and events. In addition, Katz emphasized the importance of higher-order invariants in the perception of objects, and the holistic quality of perception in time as well as space.H. Rupp, Eignungspruefungen (Aptitude tests). Section 12, Tasrhenbuchesfuzr Bema#39;ebsingenieure (Pocketbook for operating engineers), Berlin, 1924. ... Making these tests naturally requires much practice, and not every cook can learn it.
|The World of Touch
|David Katz
|Psychology Press - 2013-05-13
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text:
Reeves looked the chairman square in the eye and replied, "So I can keep you from changing them."
That not-at-all apocryphal story, recounted to me by True North Communications Chairman-CEO David Bell, who was told the story by Reeves' wife, Betty, at his posthumous induction into the Advertising Hall of Fame, demonstrates a couple of things sorely lacking in today's ad world:
1) The head guy was very much involved in and knowledgeable about his company's advertising.
2) Agency heads had the fortitude to stand up for what they believed was great advertising (and, not incidentally, to protect their agency's bottom line).
3) The top guy at the client listened to, and had respect for, the top guy at the agency. Bates, as you might have surmised, didn't change the Wonder bread advertising -- and continued to pocket the 15% commission.
I asked David if that scenario could happen today.
"The first part, about not wanting to pay, happens every day and at multiple levels," he told me. "The second part, about the CEO's deep involvement in the advertising process, happens only rarely. And that's the challenge that our industry faces in the millennium -- being at the top of the CEO's radar screen."
My contention is that CEO interest and involvement is crucial to effective advertising, and because of waning interest at the top -- and a deteriorating agency-client relationship up and down the line -- advertising effectiveness hasn't made much progress in the time since Rosser Reeves had that little chat with his client -- and maybe has even regressed.
When John Wanamaker, the Philadelphia merchant, made his oft-quoted statement at the turn of the last century ("I know half of my advertising is wasted, I just don't know which half"), at least he as the head man of his store was involved in and concerned about his budget. And he also lived in simpler times, when there were fewer media options, less competition and more homogeneous consumers.
Jim Spaeth, president of the Advertising Research Foundation, believes the industry has made progress in the theory of understanding how to evaluate advertising, but marketers haven't been nearly as successful in putting the theory into practice to produce advertising that works, and works consistently.
"The best companies understand the payback of all of their marketing factors and combine them for maximum brand profitability," Jim told me. "They know the sales impact of each campaign and, sometimes, each individual ad. If old John Wanamaker were alive today, he could die in peace."
But Jim was quick to say that only "a few of the best companies in consumer packaged goods have mastered this new science," and even they haven't figured out how to measure brand equity.
"We still can't measure the impact of advertising on the long-term growth of profitable brands," he said, and more important, "we haven't yet migrated this technology much beyond the consumer packaged goods world."
Jim also is of the opinion that advertisers haven't made progress in learning how to create effective advertising. "All the major studies suggest that most advertising is mediocre with marginal financial returns. But the dollars behind that rare campaign that breaks through can be the single most profitable investment a brand can make," he said.
"We have only learned to evaluate advertising, not create it. One would hope that such an evaluation process would make us all much
smarter over time, but given the turnover in this business, anything that happens over time may be irrelevant."
There's ample evidence to show the advertising business hasn't learned much about advertising productivity. Philip Morris Cos., which brought us the Marlboro Man, the most effective advertising icon of the 20th century, lavished several hundred million dollars on a totally ineffective and stupid campaign for Miller Lite.
And General Motors Corp. spent billions of dollars in a failing effort to boost its share of market; the giant auto company now is spending $250,000 with the Magazine Publishers Association to determine how magazine ads are perceived.
What's most discouraging is how little ad professionals seem to know about the advertising process. After the Miller Lite debacle, the head of Miller Brewing told The New York Times: "We learned one lesson from the aborted campaign. If you're advertising a product, you ought to give the consumer a reason to choose the product."
That was a mighty expensive -- and elemental -- lesson.
Other basic things that advertisers would like to know is whether TV commercials have the same effect in any program environment.
Proponents of TV optimizers believe that one ratings point is the same as another, but does a TV commercial running on NBC-TV's "Friends" have the same impact as the same spot running on ABC-TV's "Spin City"?
And does an advertiser's general advertising have an effect on its stock price? After all, the same consumers who buy Coca-Cola also buy Coca-Cola Co. stock in mutual funds and 401 (k) plans, so consumer ads might well have a residual effect heretofore unacknowledged.
There are lots of other questions and too few answers. You get an idea of what the industry doesn't know from looking over manuscripts delivered at a recent ARF workshop.
Marketers spend millions of dollars on advertising, said Lynn Gillis of Market Facts, "because the returns on advertising investments go beyond sales increases." So far, so good. But Gillis added: "The trouble is, it's hard to quantify those returns."
The industry "must move from an emphasis on understanding the message sender (i.e. the brand) to understanding the message receiver (i.e. the consumer). After all, brands don't make choices, people do."
Maybe all these unanswered questions cause top management to concentrate on more quantitative matters, but when the CEO gives up authority over the advertising, marketing directors will rush to fill the vacuum. It takes too long to change the packaging or distribution channels or to tinker with pricing, so the quickest way to make their mark is to put the account in review. That's one reason why there aren't many long-lasting campaigns anymore, such as the Wonder bread ads of a bygone era.
The marketing manager doesn't have to take the heat because he is off to the next job, and the agency review looks good on the resume.
There's also a deep suspicion of ad agencies on the part of marketing professionals fostered by the agency buyouts of the 1980s. When the Saatchi brothers bought Rosser Reeves' agency, Ted Bates Worldwide, Bob Jacoby, the agency's chairman at the time, walked away with over $100 million, clients felt agency heads were getting rich on their billings.
Bob Goldstein, the late VP-advertising at Procter & Gamble Co., wrote me after the Bates deal: "Perhaps you now understand why we took a hard line [on conflicts]. It wasn't and isn't who calls the tune -- it was all about looking ahead to the shape of the world that might come."
Bob, who drowned in a tragic rafting accident in 1987, was prophetic. The Saatchis' buying spree caused a major rupture in the client-agency relationship that hasn't entirely healed today.
What's happened since is that the 15% commission has gone the way of the dodo bird, and agencies have gotten themselves into fierce price wars over accounts, hoping to sell clients a bundle of other services once their foot is in the door.
The worry, of course, is that with price becoming the differentiating factor, agencies are in danger of becoming interchangeable commodities, ready and even eager to share business by becoming the lowest bidder.
Enter the management consultants, ad agencies' newest competitors. Partly because they're not afraid to charge an arm and a leg for their services, the consultants have the ear of the top management by promising strategic marketing counsel -- the kind of advice the agencies used to give free of charge as part of their advertising work.
So agencies are between a rock and a hard place. They're cutting their fees, which lowers their margins, which makes it harder to afford to hire the MBAs that would make them more competitive with the consultants. And getting into price wars with other agencies helps perpetuate the idea that agencies are commodity suppliers.
At the same time, because consultants require clients to pay through the nose for their words of wisdom, and because they've become powerful brand names in their own right -- and thus a safe haven in case things go wrong -- agencies are being hopelessly outmarketed and outmaneuvered.
So with the client-agency relationship in tatters, with the CEO reluctant to get involved, with the marketing director looking for the next opportunity, is it any wonder that the creative people have taken over the asylum and we're all being held captive?
I have a feeling agency guys sometimes try to foist the most outrageous ads they can come up with on their clients to see how far they can go. And the clients let them get away with it because they figure the ads will at least be talked about -- equating a marketplace buzz to sales.
But too often the agency's creative team doesn't even try to give consumers a reason to buy the product. The argument is that today's younger people (older people don't count) are cynical about advertising (and maybe everything else), so you can't seem to be selling them anything. To reach younger consumers -- so the argument goes -- you've got to wink your eye at them and let them know you share their cynicism and you're not going to insult them with a real ad that has the presumption to sell what is being advertised. So you'll make fun of advertising and share the joke with them and congratulate each other on how hip you both are.
It shows you how little we know about how advertising works when I have to pose the questions: Have the rules changed? Does advertising no longer have to sell?
Allen Rosenshine, chairman-CEO of BBDO Worldwide, thinks that much of today's advertising is "all too often incomprehensibly absurd, delivering no discernible message in relation to any strategic intent."
I'm afraid we're ending up where we started on the proposition of advertising effectiveness (or the lack thereof). Consultant Herb Zeltner says Wanamaker's enigma still holds.
In fact, thoughtful practitioners aren't even sure the split is 50/50 anymore, Herb says: "With the exception of carefully tracked direct response efforts, more than ever we're uncertain where true effectiveness comes from in an increasingly factioned, multifaceted marketplace."
Herb thinks we've made some progress over the second half of this century on zeroing in on advertising effectiveness, but he still feels "we have miles to go" before any real cause for celebration. And much of the "strenuous effort" is "transparently self-servicing or wheel-spinning."
With miles to go, marketers are taking an awful lot on faith. It is one of the anomalies of our time that advertising has become the great energizer of our economy without anybody being really sure how to measure the results.


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Summer Sports
In the summertime, everyone's thoughts turn to the outdoors. We want to get out in the sun and have some fun. Some people do exercise outdoors, such as running, walking, and biking, all year long ...View Article
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Nutrition - Weight Loss
Lifestyle medicine is defined as the application of environmental, behavioral, medical and motivational principles to the management of lifestyle-related health problems in a clinical setting. It is an established branch of medicine where we discuss lifestyle's contribution to health in addition to non-drug intervention in the treatment and management of lifestyle diseases such as exercise in diabetes mellitus and weight management in obesity.
Lifestyle medicine is often prescribed in conjunction with a typical medical approach. An example would be a diabetic patient who may be on medication to help control the blood glucose levels in the short term might also be prescribed a lifestyle intervention of a healthy diet and exercise to assist in the long term management of their pathology.
For individuals who suffer from chronic illness, Lifestyle medicine should be considered. Here is a list of conditions in which Lifestyle medicine should be considered:
In our office we offer not only products to better manage your health condition, and lose weight, we also offer a comprehensive customized approach to help you with Lifestyle related diseases. For example we offer the modified Mediterranean diet plan, and the Low Carb Healthy Fat (LCHF) plan as offered at Duke University Lifestyle Medicine clinic.
Both Dr. Diamond and Dr. Denny are certified in FirstLine Therapy, a Lifestyle medicine certification through Metagenics, a worldwide leader in Lifestyle medicine education. Please call the office today to learn more about Lifestyle medicine and how it can change your life and ask for a complimentary consultation to discuss your concerns.
Can diabetes actually be reversed? Please see what Jason Fung, M.D., who is a practicing nephrologist has to say: Jason Fung, MD, Nephrologist of Reversing Diabetes


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Who we are
HotCubator is a social enterprise aiming to foster entrepreneurial spirit among the student community. We build partnerships with educational institutions and support them by creating a community of engaged learners and budding entrepreneurs who are willing to disrupt the status-quo and transform the future.
We build a community of learners who are passionate, self-driven and keen to seek the intrinsic motivation of learning.
We connect with entrepreneurs, leaders and change-makers who made an impact in the society by creating value and changing lives.
We support our partners to innovate new processes, business models and strategies which bring proven and long-term results.
What we do
Startup mentoring
Business development
Corporate training
Our featured programs
Our impact
Fantastic work, Sayem and THSS! This is a very exciting initiative. I look forward to hearing of more HotCubator success stories.
- Erica Wilson, A/Professor, Deputy Head of School/Director of Teaching and Learning, School of Business and Tourism, Southern Cross University
HotCubator initiative is excellent and I am sure will do much to motivate students and open their minds and imaginations up to all kinds of possibilities that they themselves could initiate.
Kevin Markwell - A/Professor, School of Business and Tourism, Southern Cross University
My role as a mentor in the hotcubator program has allowed me to help and inspire students to reach their potential. Through guidance and regular meetings I have helped our budding entrepreneurs take on the next step in their businesses. I look forward to helping create more success stories through Hotcubator's entrepreneurship program.
Chafica El-Labban - Managing partner, Lebanese Memes Solutions and Digital Phoenix
I have joined HotCubator at the beginning of 2017. It's always a pleasure when I can spend time with upcoming leaders. During the meetings I can see the engagement, entrepreneurship spirit and support we give each other. I am proud to be a part of HotCubator.
Ruby Nguyen - Founder, GA Sweettime
HotCubator has given me the necessary tools to scale up my business. I have been motivated and inspired to continue with my business, photosbyharry. Having access to such knowledgeable and inspiring entrepreneurs is a great opportunity in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Harry Mitchell - Founder, photosbyharry
My dream has always been to become an entrepreneur and when I was introduced to HotCubator I was confident that I was going to achieve my dream. Whilst I always had the burning desire to become an entrepreneur, HotCubator ignited and nurtured the entrepreneurial spirit in me. They have supported and mentored me to take a quantum leap in my business. Being a part of HotCubator has significantly transformed my goals into reality.


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Purchase the Great White Shark Cash Card to gain 1,250,000 in-game GTA dollars to spend in GTA Online. Cash is king in this town. Solve your money problems and help get what you want across Los Santos and Blaine County with the purchase of cash packs for Grand Theft Auto Online. All purchased cash is automatically deposited into your character's bank account. Spend wisely, cash therapy is fleeting


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Is a Pitch Deck a better way to plan launching a company than a Business Plan?
I often have friends who are going to create a high tech company and they ask if they should start by writing a business plan.
I get asked this often enough, that I'll post the answer here. The following are just my opinions and they are worth what you paid for them. 🙂
Short Answer:
- First time entrepreneurs have the problem of: a) wasting too much time on the wrong things in a creating a business plan, b) not talking enough to customers and other successful entrepreneurs, c) not going deep enough in the few critical areas before they shift into execution mode.
- Create a pitch deck first
- Talk to many target customers ASAP
- Talk to many CEOs who created successful startups in the past about your plans
- Do deep planning in: a) Is your market big enough, b) model a single financial transactions, c) make sure you can sell enough transactions to reach your revenue goals, d) make sure your business model is profitable
- Create 3-year Projected Financials to make sure the math works. Your individual financial transactions, cost structure, and everything else coming to be a big enough business with enough profit margin.
New entrepreneurs can be surprised that 3 months goes by before they can finish a real business plan. The problem is that people who do this are often spending 99% of their time planning in their own head, without talking to other people.
If you wrote a business plan nobody would ever take the time to read it (it would be 40+ pages). The pitch deck is the forum where other people can give you feedback.
Pitch Deck is the big picture:
Creating the pitch deck first, will be the fastest way to find if a problem exists that makes your company inviable — so you can go back to the innovation blackboard.
The pitch deck will give you a full plan at the 100,000 foot level. It will also require you to go deep in areas that are critical:
a) Market Size: Is your market big enough,
b) The Transaction: model a single financial transactions,
c) 3-year Projected Financials: make sure you can sell enough transactions to reach your revenue goals,
d) Make sure your business model is profitable
Talk to Target Customers ASAP:
I recommend finding 10 exact target customers and then getting their feedback (with the pitch deck of course).
Mistake #1: Founders often talk to a friend who works in that industry, and not the exact target customer. For example: the company plans to sell to Directors of Online Marketing of mid-market companies (2,500 to 30,000 employees). The founder's friend's friend is a marketing manager in a 10,000 person company. The founder talks to this marketing manager, which is the mistake. The founder should take time to get to the "Director of Online Marketing". They may get directed to the "Director of Marketing", but they should spend the time to make sure they talk to the person responsible to the Online side of "Director of Online Marketing".
People who are exact matches will give different feedback.
Founders naturally ask, "Do you think this idea is good" — which is the wrong question. The response is often "Yes" with an implied "I think it is great that you will create a little something-something to make my life a little easier — but I'm not thinking if I would cut other purchases to actually spend money on this".
The question should instead by "Would you pay $199/month for this service today? Who makes that purchase decision? Would you buy now, or have to wait for a budget cycle? Are there other things in your budget that you would CUT in order to buy this. Who would need to sign off, to make the purchase final? What features would be required before you would purchase?"
I think every entrepreneur has amazing surprises at this stage.
Some people say to not talk to the customer. They think a customer in the 1890s would say "I want a horse that goes 100mph" instead of "I want a car, which is something that doesn't exist yet".
This isn't a problem:
- Your customers don't do the innovation. ("I want a car. It doesn't exist yet, but I know I want it")
- You focus on validating their needs. "Do you feel you waste too much time in travel?" "Do you not make a trip because the travel time is too long?"
- After you innovate and create the idea, then you can validate it with customers. Remember to focus back on what is their core problem and is it being solved. "If you could travel at 30mph instead of 7mph, would you spend $3,000?"
Talk to formerly successful startup CEOs ASAP:
I highly recommend talking to CEOs who created a company from scratch and had success with it (IPO, acquired, reaching $10m+ in sales, etc.). You often want people who have had to raise $5m+ in capital along the way.
They will give you a large category of feedback that you won't get elsewhere.
The kind of feedback you will get will often come in this form, "You think you will get data to run your product by method x. I think you won't get the data you need unless you do a business development deal with company Y. I think they will never do a deal with you because your fundamental value is changing the marketing in direction Z which fundamentally attacks their business model around owning asset A. Let's talk back and forth about the deeper details in this area".
Or their feedback may be, "You think you can build this business after raising $3m in capital. I think you couldn't build this business unless you raise $9m in capital because of these reasons. And the normal funding sources won't fund you because of reason X. You would probably have to go to source Y for the funding you need.".
You will get feedback from this group that you just won't get from customers, non-executives, non-entrepreneurs, etc.
You will have "Founder-itis": (Your are too close to your business idea)
All entrepreneurs have founders-itis. Their innovation abilities lead them to a break through. They always have to sell the cool-aid to get people to see a market changing to depend on a product that hasn't existed in the past.
Founders then always start by falling in love with HOW they have solved the problem. Their passion is often now 90% on HOW they solve the problem and not WHAT problem is solved.
This can lead to:
a) They are solving something that isn't very important to the buyer (who needs to part with their money in order to buy)
b) They get too stuck on HOW they solve the problem. They aren't open to having the problem solved other ways.
The fix is to…TALK to customers and startup CEOs. Many of them and ASAP.
"Don't plan, just build it" — is Wrong:
Some people in the startup community say, "Don't plan at all. Just build and get it into the market".
I think this is a bad trend (the kind that creates bubbles). I think it can also lead to people 18-months or 2-years later finding out the market is too small, it can't turn profitable, the customer-acquisition-cost can never be lower than the sales price, or the customers don't care enough to part with money.
There is a category of company that is the exception: That is an idea so crazy that it can't be tested until it is in the market. I think TWITTER is an example of this. I can't think of many companies that fall into this category.
Do your planning in areas that you HATE:
Most entrepreneurs avoid creating certain pitch deck slides (or sections of the business plan), specifically the ones that they hate.
These are the most important to create and validate. This often focuses on the areas that the entrepreneur has not yet mastered in their business career.
For some people, this is corporate finance and 3-year projected financials. For many people in internet companies, understanding how channel is important (separate from marketing and sales) is a challenge.
Plan the Work, then Work the Plan: (Operating plan instead of Business Plan)
People often say,
"Create the plan, and then work the plan". The goal is to look 10 steps ahead instead of running your business looking 1 step ahead.
The pitch deck should give the long-term view ahead (or it wasn't done correctly), but only at a high level.
I think entrepreneur's want to have a light-weight "operation plan" penciled out as they go into execution mode. Many people think of their business plan solves this problem. However, I think it focuses them to spend too much time in the wrong areas, and not focusing on excellent planning for execution (which is their goal here).
Projected Financials:
Entrepreneur Organization did an informal survey and ~70% of entrepreneurs don't have a natural ability to view their business clearly in corporate finance terms (balance sheet, cash flow, income statement, operating metrics rolling up to corporate finance objectives, etc.).
Whether people are good at it or not, creating projected financials can flush out fundamental and unfix-able problems early.
I recommend spending $150/hr on a rent-a-CFO for 6 hours if that is what it takes to get 3-year projected financials that validates a rock solid business model (and a plan to operate against). I like running a very lean low-burn rate company for the first year. Spending money here is often worth it (even when trying to pinch every penny).
A Bonus Trick: (the trade show)
This is a trick I wish I would have learned earlier. GO TO TRADESHOWS that include your target competitors and target customers.
- You can get access to more of your exact target customer — talk to them
- You can learn about competitors and details about what they know
- You can find and talk with the rare industry leaders. The people who know nuanced trends on where the industry is going from a fundamental point of view.
I'm a fan of pinching pennies at the early stage of creating a company. But this is often penny-wise, pound foolish to save money here.
Pitch Deck Template:
I've seen several pitch deck templates. I highly recommend the Alliance of Angel's pitch deck template.
I recommend sticking strictly to their format. People often deviate for two reasons:
a) they hate a topic and they cut it out or only partially-cover it, (and this is actually a real problem for their company)
b) They generate a 20 to 30+ slides instead of keeping to a short 10-15 slides. They just aren't pressured to keep it short (until it becomes a problem later when they show it to other people).
Most people recommend a Pitch Deck over a Business Plan:
Many other people have wrote about this topic and have great detail in related areas:
- http://upstartadvisors.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/focus-on-your-pitch-deck-not-a-word-doc/
- http://timwolters.blogspot.com/2009/03/first-things-first-creating-pitch-deck.html
- http://www.linkedin.com/answers/startups-small-businesses/business-plans/STR_BPL/635790-15318179
- http://kipmcc.wordpress.com/2009/08/01/combined-vc-pitch-deck-examples-discus/
- http://jonbischke.com/2009/11/08/raising-capital-the-50-or-so-things-you-should-read-first/
- http://ventureblog.com/articles/2008/01/pitching_a_vc_the_basics_revisited.phphttp://learnvc.com/topics/business-plans/
I'd love to see your opinions in the comments.
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Modern Foreign Languages
If you're planning to study a modern language such as French or Spanish at university, an A-level in your chosen language is, in most cases, an essential. For languages not so commonly offered in schools and colleges, such as Italian or Chinese, a modern foreign language is required or preferred. We offer A-Levels in French and Spanish at Haringey Sixth Form College and the possibility to take other Modern Languages A-Level exams as independent candidates.
You will be encouraged to develop reading, writing and speaking and listening skills through a range of educational visits, enrichment activities and lectures from native speakers. A-Level languages build upon your existing knowledge gained at GCSE, giving you a sound understanding of using your language in a variety of contexts and situations - at home, abroad, with friends or in the workplace. You will also be encouraged to study other A-Level courses alongside languages in order to broaden your career opportunities and university choices.


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Oh all right then, a better sense of taste. This is just one of many revelations emerging from a Danish study which also found that one in three schoolchildren prefer soft drinks which are not sweet, and 70% of them like fish. Ok, it's hardly world-changing science, but I'm more interested in the way the results were collected. The study was a joint effort between Danish Science Communication, The Faculty of Life Sciences (LIFE) at University of Copenhagen, and 8,900 Danish schoolchildren.
Rather than just being willing volunteers for the study, the kids were active participants in the research, as part of the Danish natural science festival. Schools were sent kits of taster samples and instructions on how to conduct experiments, the goal of which were to measure the ability of children to identify sweet and sour tastes of various concentrations in order to establish which they prefer and how many tastebuds they have.
Bodil Allesen-Holm, was head of the project and is in charge of the Sensory Laboratory at the Department of Food Science at LIFE. He was particularly impressed with the way the children carried out their investigations:
"What is most surprising is that the results are so clear and of such a high quality,
"The trends are very clear in all the answers from the many primary and secondary schools; the pupils and teachers have been very thorough and accurate."
As for the results themselves it seems that although boys and girls have roughly the same number of taste buds, the girls are better at recognising tastes, with boys requiring an average of around 10% more sourness and 20% more sweetness to detect the taste. The researchers suggest that the food interest should take these findings into account, and develop more varied foods in order to accommodate different (wait for it…) tastes.


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WELLINGTON, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's largest navy exercise in decades began in waters around Auckland on Monday with 600 personnel from 14 nations and five military ships from New Zealand, Australia and the Republic of Korea.
"The Western Pacific Naval Symposium Mine Counter Measures and Diving Exercise (WPNS) is a good opportunity for New Zealand to work alongside our partners to test our readiness to respond to a natural disaster in the South Pacific," Defense Minister Jonathan Coleman said in a statement.
The training scenario was set in the fictional and remote South Pacific island nation of the Barclay Islands after a devastating 8. 9-magnitude earthquake and a powerful tsunami.
Key shipping channels into the capital would be cut off and mines and explosive remnants dating from World War II would litter coastal waters.
The scenario would see a multinational task force led by New Zealand personnel deployed to create new shipping routes to undamaged coastal areas so that humanitarian aid and disaster relief supplies could be delivered.
"The South Pacific region is susceptible to natural disasters. It is important New Zealand is prepared for a variety of contingencies, so we can play our part along with our partners to provide assistance when required," said Coleman.
The navy's mine clearance and survey teams have considerable experience in this area and routinely worked to remove World War II explosive remnants in the South Pacific.
The WPNS, which runs until March 7, includes personnel from Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and the United States.
Related stories
- PLA joins US-Thailand Cobra Gold military exercises 2014-02-14
- China joins U.S.-Thailand military drill for the first time 2014-02-12
- India hosts multi-nation exercise and forum 2014-02-08
- Chinese Nanhai Fleet starts open sea drill 2014-01-21
- China-U.S. joint live troop exercises close in Hawaii 2013-11-15


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Change is hard because it means taking on something new.
We have lived in at least eight different places over the last six months. I am aware that 'at least' may seem like a strange statement…but I have had some difficulty in counting. This mainly stems from the question of how to identify a place we have lived vs a place we have passed through. For instance, I am currently parked at a horse show in Jackson, Ohio. The photo here is from a few hours ago. Everything the five of us…plus our horses…have used to live for the last six months is in this rig pictured here or in our mini van. Does that mean we are 'living' here?
The change we signed up for was giving up a permanent base of operation a.k.a. our home. The new part has been learning how to live on the road. We knew it wouldn't be easy because change never is.
We also knew that we would be the most tempted to jump back to the 'safety' of a familiar lifestyle during the first few months of change. As we passed the six month mark last week I can say that this new 'normal' of living on the road…with horses and three kids, is starting to get comfortable!
Comfortable! Yep, we are getting pretty good at moving around and none of us regret what we are doing. In fact, now that we have made it through the early phase of learning this new lifestyle we are actually MORE excited than we were in the beginning.
I don't know what the future holds…but who among us really does? I am spending time with my family and my horses, seeing many new places and meeting new people.
Nope, change isn't easy but it can be rewarding.
P.S.-I'm thinking about having a map added to our website where I can drop a pin everyday so you can see where we are and where we have been…what do you think?


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Most spinal cord injuries are the result of a traumatic impact—like a motor vehicle crash—that fracture or displace the vertebrae and leave the spinal cord vulnerable to damage. Some spinal cord injuries allow for full recovery, but many lead to partial or complete paralysis and require long-term care.
The spinal cord injury lawyers at Boller & Vaughan are dedicated to helping injury victims from the greater Madison, Wisconsin, area pursue the financial security they need to cope with medical expenses and move forward with their lives. Our lawyers have an extensive record of success in catastrophic injury cases, including those related to spinal cord injuries. If you or a loved one suffered harm due to another's negligence, please call us at 608-268-0268 to schedule your free consultation and learn how we can help you.
Spinal Column and Spinal Cord Anatomy
The spinal cord is sort of the body's information superhighway. It is a vital element of the central nervous system that serves as a network to relay information between the brain and the body.
The spinal cord is protected by the spinal column, which is the body's support structure and is composed of the interlocking bones known as vertebrae. Most, though not all, people have 33 vertebrae that enclose the spinal cord from the base of the skull to the tailbone.
The spinal column is medically classified in five sections:
- Cervical: The seven vertebrae from the bottom of the skull to the lower neck
- Thoracic: The 12 vertebrae that span from the upper shoulders through the middle back
- Lumbar: The five vertebrae from the mid back to the lower back
- Sacrum: The five vertebrae from the lower back to the tailbone
- Coccyx: The four vertebrae at the base of the tailbone
A spinal cord injury (SCI) may occur when the spinal cord is exposed to damage due to impact that fractures or penetrates the vertebrae, or due to an unnatural extension or flexion of the spinal column and spinal cord. SCIs are often classified as incomplete or complete; an incomplete injury means the ability of the spinal cord to convey information to and from the brain remains, while a complete injury means there is a lack of sensory and motor function below the location where the injury occurred.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
Even those with incomplete SCIs can suffer impaired function, and the loss of function tends to be more widespread the higher up the spinal column the injury site. The extent and duration of impairment from an SCI depends largely on where along the spinal column the damage was suffered.
Spinal cord injuries to the cervical area of the spine may result in:
- Loss of feeling below the neck
- Loss of self-sustaining respiratory function
- Paralysis
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Loss of bodily function control
- Loss of sexual function
SCIs to the thoracic region may cause:
- Loss of feeling below the waist
- Paraplegia
- Loss of physical dexterity
- Loss of some bodily function control
- Loss of muscle control in the abdominal area
Spinal cord injuries to the lumbar and sacrum sections may lead to:
- Paraplegia
- Loss of leg muscle control
- Loss of bladder control
- Loss of sexual function
While injuries to the coccyx region of the spinal column may cause significant discomfort and be slow to mend, coccyx injuries are often treatable and eventually heal with no lingering adverse effects.
Spinal Cord Injury Causes
Most spinal cord injuries are the result of a sudden, jarring impact, although any substantially unnatural motion to the spine can contribute to an SCI. Spinal cord injuries are a common byproduct of motor vehicle accidents, including:
- Car accidents
- Tractor-trailer accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian-vehicle accidents
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), motor vehicle accidents account for nearly 40 percent of all spinal cord injuries. Sports—particularly diving and winter sports like skiing and sledding—account for about 8 percent of SCIs. Other causes of spinal cord injuries include accidental falls and acts of violence.
Spinal Cord Injury Effects
In addition to the location and severity of the injury, an SCI's effects on the body also depend on whether the spinal cord nerves were damaged or severed. Spinal cord injuries often result in permanent changes in feeling and body function control below the site of the damage.
Beyond the section-specific effects detailed above, any SCI can also result in a wide range of other conditions that include:
- Partial or total loss of limb function and control
- Breathing problems
- Partial or total loss of some bodily functions
- Circulatory problems
- Sexual dysfunction
Spinal cord injuries and their related complications can be deadly, and even those with treatable SCIs often need years of rehabilitation and physical therapy following initial surgical treatment. In many cases, SCI victims require lifetime assistance and medical care.
Spinal Cord Injury Treatment
There is currently no way to reverse, or "cure," spinal cord damage. However, research into spinal cord injuries and potential treatments is ongoing.
In recent years, scientists have developed a greater understanding of how spinal cord injuries affect the body, and there have been substantial advancements in the use of prosthetics and medications to help those with SCIs improve their quality of life. Some medications that are now the subject of clinical testing have demonstrated promise in encouraging the regeneration of nerve cells, as well as improving the function of intact nerves damaged by spinal cord injuries.
The goal of SCI treatment is to prevent further complications associated with spinal cord damage and to offer SCI victims a good quality of life. Through prescription medications, recurring care, and modifications to one's home, vehicle and lifestyle, many who suffer from spinal cord injuries are able to re-establish some independence.
The costs of living with a spinal cord injury, however, are high. Medical expenses related to SCIs may reach hundreds of thousands of dollars in the first year of treatment and care, and can range into the millions of dollars over the course of a lifetime.
Working with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney can strengthen your ability to recover the financial security you and your family need to face the injury and related expenses, and move forward with your lives. Information and personal support for SCI victims and their families are also available locally through Madison SCI, a chapter of the United Spinal Association.
If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury due to another's negligence, please contact Boller & Vaughan online or call us at (608) 268-0268 to schedule your free consultation with one of our accomplished personal injury lawyers. We are dedicated to protecting the rights of injury victims from the greater Madison, Wisconsin, area.


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Sophisticated elegance is created in this compelling architecturally designed building at Melbourne's docklands. Intimate workspaces are blended with natural wooden tones to create a mesmerising experience.Read more
Holyoake is pleased to announce our strategic alliance with Krantz Komponenten of Germany. Holyoake has been appointed the Krantz distributor for Australia & New Zealand.Read more
RMIT - Swanston Academic Building, showcases RMIT's $600 million investment in cutting-edge educational facilities.The Swanston Academic Building acts as a catalyst to accelerate the cross-pollination of new ideas.Read more


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The Seirus Dynamax Glove Liner can be worn under any insulated glove for extra warmth or stand alone as a street glove. The dual-density, 4-way stretch microdenier thermax glove liner provides great insulation, wind blocking and wicking properties. The glove liner is specially cut and sewn to ensure a great fit.


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|Rhythm by the River
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HeadIgor Popov
- Office phone+7 (812) 232-67-65
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Department of Higher Mathematics provides training for students of all of the specialties and specifications of the institute in the discipline "Higher Mathematics" which is the largest by the number of hours. Discipline "Higher Mathematics" is the basic discipline of the mathematical course; it plays the dominant role in the basic preparation providing.
Also for the students of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Computer Technologies and Controlling Systems a number of specialized disciplines of the mathematical course are read.
The department is the largest in the institute by the number of teachers.
Teachers of the department are actively involved in both fundamental research in mathematics, physics and theoretical mechanics, and applied research.
Staff members have published more than 300 works in national and foreign journals. Teachers are actively involved in the work of Russian and international scientific conferences, they make presentations and deliver courses abroad. Professor Vladimir Tertychny is a member of the New York Academy and the Soros' Professor.


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Download a New Dubstep Track From Rusko: 'Hold On,' Featuring Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors
It's a summer sizzla!
Rusko's a rising dubstep star with a debut solo album set for May 4 — the cameo-sprinkled O.M.G.!, courtesy Diplo's Mad Decent label — and today he's offering its first single up for free. It's a sizzler.


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The government is likely to cut fuel prices in January to rationalise the value of the petroleum products in line with the prices in the international market, says Finance Minister AMA Muhith.
However, the prices might not go down by a large margin, he added.
Wednesday at the Finance Ministry he told journalists, The rate of reduction will not be much as the oil price in international market is fluctuating.
Muhith also said an announcement in this regard would come after holding a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina soon.
The government had been trying to bring down the fuel prices for a while.
Earlier, the government slashed the prices of different gasoline products by Taka 3-10 per litre on an average in April this year. The prices of octane and petrol were cut by Tk10 per litre while diesel and kerosene by Tk3 per litre.
The finance minister said, We have adjusted the prices slightly this calendar year and that is good enough.
Responding to a question on Bangladesh economy, the minister said 2016 is a good year for Bangladesh economy as business community is performing well in this year and hoped that the next year will also good for economy.
The minister said, Our economy appears to be doing very well although we have six more months of this fiscal year left. Our GDP will be 7.5% by the end of the year.


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5 Ways To Build A Trustworthy Website
Having a trustworthy site is key if you want to increase lead generation, maximize sales and earn more revenue. Here are a few ways to increase your site's trust factor by displaying testimonials, using media logos and implementing a consistent branding strategy.
Display Media & Client Logos
Has your website or business been featured on a well known media outlet like CNN, Wired or The Huffington Post? Display an "as seen in" media showcase in order to display the outlets your company has been featured in.
If you have a service based business you'll want to display current and past client logos. Putting clients on display shows potential customers that you are experienced and have a track record of excellent service. You may also want to include detailed case studies of previous clients with their permission.
Include Customer Testimonials
Studies show that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations while 72% say that positive reviews make them trust a business more. Customer photos can also be used to gain trust. For example, Detox of South Florida offers snippets of testimonials on their homepage accompanied with profile photos of their patients. You can add even more legitimacy by linking to a social media account of the reviewer in question.
You may also want to consider displaying video testimonials. Research shows faces to be one of the most attention-grabbing feature in advertising materials. Display testimonials on a high-traffic page like your homepage for maximum effect.
Use The Right Colors
Studies show that the color blue generates feelings of security and trustworthiness. It's a recommended color for financial related websites like banks. Keep your industry and niche in mind when choosing colors. For example, if you have a health website you may want to opt for a green color scheme. Avoid orange, brown and gray if your site's demographic is female as studies have shown women to not like these colors.
In addition to picking the right colors for your site, you'll also want to make sure that you're using the same brand colors throughout your site. Have a logo created with your brand colors and display it on your site, social media accounts and all marketing materials.
Color can also be used to emphasize certain words and create urgency. Try to stick with black text on a white background as this is what most visitors are accustomed to plus it's easy to read.
Have A Clean & Modern Design
Having a clean and modern design is imperative when it comes to building trust. It should look up-to-date, follow modern design trends and not look outdated. It's easier than ever to have a modern and clean website design thanks to the proliferation of Wordpress themes available.
Show Subscriber Counts
Have an impressive number of email subscribers or followers on Twitter? Just mentioning that fact can increase your subscriber conversion rate. People like to read what their peers are reading and are likely to assume that your content is impressive if you have an established fan base.
Image via Shutterstock


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Time as Public Health Control (TPHC)
Safe Food is Good Business
PDF version of this Web page formatted for print:
Time as Public Health Control (PDF: 115KB/2 page)
On this page:
What types of food can be held using TPHC?
What are the TPHC requirements?
What do written procedures include?
Frequently Asked Questions
Time is used in combination with temperature to control bacterial growth or toxin production in potentially hazardous foods and to prevent foodborne illness. The Minnesota Food Code allows food establishments to use time only to hold potentially hazardous foods without temperature control for four hours or less. If time is not closely monitored, foodborne illness may result. Time as Public Health Control (TPHC) refers to using time only to monitor food, instead of time and temperature. This fact sheet provides information about TPHC requirements (MR 4626.0410).
What types of food can be held using TPHC?
- Before cooking: a working supply of potentially hazardous food. Examples include shell eggs on a cook line, waffle batter at a self-serve breakfast bar.
- For immediate consumption: ready-to-eat potentially hazardous food that is displayed or held for service. Examples include sushi rice, pasta salad, pizza, egg rolls, and rice noodles.
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What are the TPHC requirements?
- Submit written notification to the regulatory authority prior to putting TPHC procedures into effect.
- Properly cool food if prepared, cooked, and refrigerated before TPHC.
- Mark food container with the time by which food must be cooked, served, or discarded.
- Serve or discard food within four hours once removed from temperature control.
- Once TPHC begins, do not return food to temperature control for use at a later time.
- Discard food in unmarked or improperly marked containers or packages.
- Discard food in marked containers or packages after four hours.
- Maintain written procedures in the food establishment and have the procedures available at the request of the inspector for review.
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What do written procedures include?
Effective written procedures communicate what the task is, where the task will take place, how and when the task will be performed, and who will perform the task.
To ensure compliance with TPHC requirements, written procedures may include the following:
- List what specific food will be held using TPHC, where each food will be held, and if the food is a working supply or a ready-to-eat food.
- If cooling food that is prepared, cooked, and refrigerated, describe how the food will be properly cooled.
- Describe how the container will be marked to show when food will be cooked, served, or discarded within four hours.
- Identify who is responsible for each task.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do my TPHC written procedures need to be approved by the regulatory authority?
No. Approval of written procedures is not required by the Minnesota Food Code. However, food establishments must notify the regulatory authority in writing before using TPHC.
How can I get help in developing my TPHC procedures?
Food establishments are encouraged to work with their inspectors to develop procedures that will comply with TPHC requirements. Contact your inspector regarding notification procedures, tools and resources (i.e., TPHC form or monitoring chart).
Is cooling required prior to using TPHC?
No. Prior refrigeration and/or cooling of the food for which TPHC is used is only required when the food is prepared ahead of time. If a product is prepared and immediately marked with the time within which it will be cooked, served, or discarded, there is no required food temperature prior to using TPHC.
When using TPHC, can food be saved and served later?
No. Once TPHC begins, food cannot be returned to temperature control (e.g., refrigerated, frozen, reheated, or hot-held) to be saved and served later.
If I mix different batches of food in the same container, how do TPHC requirements apply?
Avoid mixing different batches of food together in the same container. If you do mix batches, use the earliest time as the time by which to cook, serve, or discard all the food in the container.
A container of pasta salad on the salad bar is marked to be used or discarded by 2:00 p.m. At 1:30 p.m., a new container is placed on the salad bar, and the pasta salad remaining in the first container is added to the top. All the pasta salad in the new container must be served or discarded by 2:00 p.m.
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