text:
Preaching Nonviolence, Syrian Activist Heads Home
Syria's foremost proponent of nonviolent protest says he's returning to Damascus this week and will keep delivering his long-standing message despite the country's worsening bloodshed.
Sheik Jawdat Said is an 81-year-old Islamic scholar whose books and teachings helped inspire young Syrian activists to challenge the regime in peaceful protests last year.
He is little known in the West, but remains an influential teacher, according to activists in Damascus. Said returns to the Syrian capital at a critical time in the 15-month-old uprising, which seems to be descending into its most violent phase yet.
The United Nations Security Council unanimously condemned the Syrian government for an attack on the village of Houla. The deaths of more than 100 civilians there, including women and children, sparked international outrage. Many countries have expelled Syrian ambassadors. And Syrians who once believed in the power of peaceful rebellion are increasingly giving support to rebel soldiers and armed civilians.
Said has been on a six-month speaking tour in Canada and the U.S., which included a keynote address at American University in Washington, D.C., on nonviolence and the Arab Spring.
Asked if he was disappointed that the Syrian uprising was turning toward armed struggle, he said he will continue to condemn violence.
"Those who refuse to see still believe in the power of arms," he said by cellphone on his way to a speech at Ottawa University last week. "These people believe in the power of arms, not in the power of truth."
Often Jailed
Said has been jailed many time for his views, most recently in August 2000. He voted "no" in a referendum on Bashar Assad's candidacy for president. An official retrieved his ballot, crossed out the "no" and ticked the "yes" box. When Said complained, he was promptly arrested.
He played a key role in the early months of the uprising, explains Amr Azm, a Syrian-born professor of Middle East history at Shawnee State University in Ohio. Said had many young followers in the southern town of Dara'a, where the uprising began, and in Dariyah, a suburb close to Damascus.
Last year in Dariyah, activists handed out water and roses to the soldiers sent to suppress the protests.
A student of Said, Ghiyath Matar, 26, led the campaign. He was arrested in September 2011, and died in detention after being tortured, according to Human Rights Watch.
Said influenced the "peace wing," says Azm. "He's important because he's the last of what is holding that line together. Everyone else has moved to the military wing."
And, says Azm, his absence over the past six months has put him out of touch with the demands of "street," the young people who have lived through brutal military campaigns in cities across Syria.
"Peaceful protests are still an integral part of the movement," he says. But, he adds, " 'Long Live the Free Syrian Army,' is what people are chanting in a nonviolent protest."
No Fan Of Rebel Army
Said does not support the Free Syria Army, the loosely organized bands of rebel soldiers and civilians.
"We need to get rid of armies. Soldiers are rifles used by others," is his concise answer to a question about the growing popularity of the armed wing of the uprising.
Still, his return is widely anticipated by many activists who say there is a dire need for well-respected figures to play a visible role inside the country.
"We have already lost a generation of leaders from arrest and killings," says activist Karam Nachar. "We have younger activists that are brave but disorganized. They are lacking in vision."
Jawdat Said's pacifist vision has played a role in Syria's political opposition since 1966 when he published The Problem of Violence in the Islamic Action. His role as he returns to the Syrian capital is unclear.
"He is throwing himself into the lion's den. It is very brave," says Amr Azm. "This regime is in a bind. If they arrest him they are damned. If they don't arrest him they are damned."
The Risks Of Returning
Said acknowledged the risk. He's heard reports from members of his family in Damascus who say they can count the security men monitoring his street. His son, Bshir Said, 35, is also returning home with his father. Despite the risks, they must return home, he said.
"You stand for what you called for. You are one of those who started this, so running out of the country doesn't look right," the son said.
As for Said, a man who has been called the Syrian Gandhi, he's been jailed for his ideas before.
"I am over 80. I don't care what they do to me. I have always lived by these principles."


text:
You are looking at a list of 18 proposed features for your product. Flat out, 18 are too many to include in the initial release given your deadlines, and you want identify the optimal subset of these features.
You suspect an executive's teenager suggested a few. Others you recognize from competitor products. Your gut instinct tells you that none of the 18 features are game changers and you're getting pushback on investing in upfront generative research.
It's a problem. What do you do?
You might try what many agile teams and UX professionals are doing: applying a method that first emerged in Japan during the 1980's called the 'Kano Model' used to measures customer emotional reaction to individual features. At projekt202, we've had great success in doing just that. Our success emerged from revisiting Kano's original research and through trial and error. What we discovered is that it really matters how you design and perform a Kano study. It matters how you analyze and visualize the results.
We have also seen how the Kano Model is a powerful tool for communicating the ROI of upfront generative research, and how results from Kano studies inform product roadmap decisions. Overall, Kano studies are a very useful to have in our research toolkit.
Kano Basics
We uncovered the Kano Model while researching ways to measure delight. Back in 1984, Noriaki Kano, a Japanese academic and consultant, disagreed with the then accepted theories on retaining customer loyalty: by addressing customer complaints and extending the most popular features. Kano intuited that retaining loyalty was far more complicated. He did what all researchers do: defined hypotheses and devised a study to substantiate these theories. Kano's work was subsequently leveraged and extended in the U.S. by Quality Management consultants. The more we looked at how this 25-year-old approach was being applied today in market research and by agile teams, we sensed a lack of rigor and were compelled to go back and learn from these original researchers to ensure we applied the method correctly.
We translated Kano's original paper from Japanese. We discussed the relative merits of the different statistical analyses published by the Center for Quality Management with UX statistician Jeff Sauro. The net result is total confidence in our approach to using this method.
Before we talk about performing a Kano study is important to understand Kano's hypotheses. He theorized there are five different emotional responses to features, ranging from dislike to delight, Unlike his contemporaries in 1984, he felt customer loyalty correlated to the emotional response 'profile' of product features—getting just the right blend that included surprising users and giving them features they didn't know they wanted until they experienced them.
Then he conducted a study with 900 participants to substantiate that these emotional response types exist and can be reliably measured.
Kano's Five Emotional Response Types
Kano visualized the five emotional responses as curves on a graph, where the y-axis is the emotional response and the x-axis the level of sophistication of a feature. The intensity of the emotional response is driven by how fully present and sophisticated the feature is.
Attractive features
Attractive features trigger feelings of satisfaction and delight when present, but users are not dissatisfied if the feature is not included. Attractive features are unexpected and address previously unmet needs. The best way to discover these types of features is through generative research. These features are key to generating positive buzz about products.
One-Dimensional features
These features result in satisfaction if present and dissatisfaction when they are not. This linear relationship between feature sophistication and emotional response is true primarily for product qualities like ease of use, cost, entertainment value, and security.
Must-Have features
These features are ones that customers expect the product to contain. There is a limit to the emotional benefit gained by embellishing and enhancing must-have features.
Unimportant features
Users are ambivalent about unimportant features, they simply do not care if they are included or not. The ROI for these features is low.
Undesired features
Including undesired features negates the positive impact of Attractive and One-Dimensional features.
Change Happens
Kano theorized customers' perception of satisfaction changes over time. Features that trigger delight today will, over time, come to be what all customers expect and request. Of the five emotional responses, it is the Attractive feature curve that morphs into the Must-Have curve. In addition, the definition of 'best-of-breed' is constantly changing, impacting where a given feature falls on the x-axis.
Measuring Users' Reactions
Kano survey questions—two per-feature
We were eager to try out Kano's ideas on our projects. The basics are straightforward: explain or demonstrate a feature, ask the user how they would feel if the feature was present, and then ask how they would feel if the feature was not provided, or not as fully present. These positive/negative question pairs are related to the two different points on the graph, and knowing the two points enables determining which emotional reaction the user is experiencing to a given feature.
The responses listed below are not designed to offer a simple rating along the emotional response scale, but to foster a sense of expectation.
- I like it
- I expect it
- I'm neutral
- I can tolerate it
- I dislike it
Kano evaluation table
The responses to each of the two questions allow you to identify the reaction category. Kano provided an evaluation table.
In the example shown below the highlighted row shows the response to the first, positive question. The highlighted column shows the selection for the second, negative question. The intersection of the row and the column contains the category type for this feature, in this case Attractive.
Analyzing Kano Data
Quantitative analysis triggers powerful conversations with clients. These conversations leverage qualitative findings to understand the 'why' behind these numbers.
Persona traits emerge from Kano results
Not everyone reacts the same way to different features. While not a big surprise, finding patterns in these differences yields useful insights. We begin our analysis of the Kano data by identifying, if possible, different personas. We then subset the data into persona groups. This allows us to build reaction profiles for each persona. We examine the differences in reactions between the personas for each feature.
We found in several studies that users' reaction to the software's core feature is a litmus test for membership to a persona group. For example, in one study, we saw the following responses to a core feature.
First Adopters (dark green) are individuals who perceive a need for this software. One-Dimensional qualities and Must-Have features are ones users request and expect. We assigned membership to the 'First Adopters' persona for these individuals who we believe are the most likely to purchase the software in the near future.
Late Adopters (bright green) are individuals who find the core feature to be "attractive and unexpected." We hypothesized that this group, while interested in the software, will delay purchasing until the concept is more mainstream.
Non Adopters (yellow green) are not interested in the core feature and will not use this software in the foreseeable future.
Filtering results by personas yields actionable insights
When we filtered the results for the rest of the features by these three persona groups, we noticed differences in how the different groups responded to some features. This quantitative data grabbed the client's attention and persuaded them to reevaluate certain things, including features the first adopter group disliked.
The following data shows one of the features that the first adopter persona group was not interested in and in fact would trigger negative reactions. Since the first adopter group was critical to ensuring the product's adoption at launch, the client decided not to pursue the feature that this group disliked.
Seeing the big picture—comparing features
To answer our initial question about which features to include, we constructed visualizations that allowed us to compare and rank user responses for all features. To accomplish this task we turned to methods first reported in 1993 by the aforementioned CQM. CEOs and senior executives from seven major New England companies who wanted to study together founded CQM in 1989—implementing cutting-edge management practices to accelerate performance improvement. In their report on the Kano Method, they compile experiences and advances from a variety of practitioners.
Of the various methods reported, we recommend three.
The first is a supplement to the Kano questionnaire itself. In addition to the two questions asked per feature, the user is also asked to indicate how important the feature is. This ranking is on a nine-point Likert scale ranging from 'Not at all important' to 'Extremely important'. This additional measure, suggested by John Hauser of MIT, helps focus attention on the most important results from the Kano study.
The second method is statistical analysis of Kano results that permits comparison of the results across different features. Suggested by Bill DuMouchel, it allows calculation of the standard deviation and hence perceptions of what differences are significant.
None of the methods we read provided a compelling visualization to grasp the Kano results when taking the feature set as a whole. So we experimented, and devised the following visualization of the DuMouchel analysis.
This stack ranking shows the set of features, with the potential for dissatisfaction on the left and the potential for satisfaction on the right. The ordering shows the features at the top that have the greatest potential for dissatisfaction if not included.
Many features have similar potentials for satisfaction on the CQM analysis and delight in the Kano results. The conversation with the client includes tradeoffs such as complexity and dependencies. In this manner the results inform the decisions.
Making Decisions
Smart money is on One-Dimensional and Attractive Features
In relation to Kano's graphs, the two categories that can trigger satisfaction and delight are the 'Attractive' features and 'One-Dimensional' qualities. Think about the most successful products on the market today—they capitalize by emphasizing these types of features.
Apple has captured the hearts and minds of customers by investing in features that delight users. For example, laptop power cords with magnetic connections break away easily to prevent damage to equipment—definitely not a must-have functionality. In addition, Apple invests heavily in 'One-Dimensional' qualities of elegant design and ease of use.
The question is, how are these game-changing features discovered?
Investing in generative research
'Attractive' features are typically ones users do not know to ask for. When these features appear in the market and generate buzz, competitors are quick to copy. The features that delight users today become what they demand and expect tomorrow. But how are these trend-setting features discovered?
In a word: research.
One of the most exciting uses for Kano is supporting a dialog with clients about the primary of role generative research in product success. In generative research we observe users interacting with technology in situ. We witness unmet needs, which are opportunities to make a difference and delight users.
Investing only in the design of expected features limits the ability to win the hearts and minds of users.
ROI of improving existing features
As we learned by reading the translation of his original research publication, Kano set out to prove that customer loyalty cannot be earned and retained simply by improving existing features customers have come to expect. The Kano graphs not only demonstrate why this is true, they can also be used to evaluate the ROI (in terms of user satisfaction) of improving existing features.
A current feature exists as a point on one of the reaction graphs. Increasing feature sophistication moves the point along this curve. The change in emotional response depends on the reaction graph this feature sits on. For example, enhancements to must-have features may pay off by reducing customer dissatisfaction, but the ROI for continued improvement tapers off dramatically. Knowing where a feature sits as a point on one of the five graphs enables analysis of the ROI for improving the feature.
Net Promoter Score demystified
The popular Net Promoter Score is a customer loyalty metric developed by Fred Reichheld of Bain & Company. It comprises the average number of users that promote a product minus those the average number that discourage others from using a product. While useful in predicting success of a product or service when compared to competitors, in and of itself this measurement does not provide guidance on how to improve. Kano results provide a method for understanding the contribution of individual features to the Net Promoter Score. Why is this true? Customers promote products that trigger feelings of delight and satisfaction. Customers discourage other potential customers from using products that are dissatisfying. Understanding how features contribute to these feelings of delight and dissatisfaction allows product managers to make smart choices to increase their net promoter scores.
What Do You Need to Know to use the Kano Model?
How many users to test
Our studies have included as few as 12 users and as many as 24. The goal is to include enough users to perceive differences with statistical confidence. The number of users required to accomplish this goal depends on two key factors:
- The diversity of the people included in the study
- The granularity of differences you are attempting to measure
Although a Kano study requires more participants than popular discount usability methods that provide insights from five or six participants, we have identified ways for administering the survey and analyzing the data that ensure quality insights at minimal cost. As in all research methods, the number of participants needed depends on the granularity of differences that you want to detect. Large differences require fewer users. Depending on your study goals, you may want to look at results across different persona groups, or you may simply be interested in measuring within a given group of individuals.
Conducting a Kano study
In numerous conversations with clients and others in the UX community, we believe how the study questions are administered matters. The best results stem from allowing users to experience features (wireframes with scenarios will work) and record their reactions immediately. Text descriptions or graphical illustrations that take features out of usage context yield less definitive results.
When the Kano study is done correctly it can generate results with associated statistical confidence levels in a straightforward manner. The checklist of best practices includes:
- Recruiting criteria to ensure users truly represent the target end user, or alternatively grouping results into different persona groups based on response to key product features.
- Performing statistical analysis so decisions are based on confidence levels of significant differences.
- Providing meaningful opportunities for users to experience (rather than simply read about) features.
- Measuring users' reactions immediately after experiencing a given feature.
A Passion for Sense-Making
At projekt202, we embrace design research to deliver solutions that make sense. We are constantly improving and expanding our research toolkit. Our approach to performing Kano studies provide a significant edge in understanding the nuances of related qualitative data.
We researched and experimented with the Kano methodology and data until it made sense and formed a powerful lens to understand our users better. At times it felt like an archeological investigation to get back to the original vision and expertise for a method that has lost its impact because of the lost rigor in the approach taken. Our modified version of the Kano Method has become a reliable tool to assist in answering our client's strategic questions about where to invest their design and development resources, impacting both their success and bottom line.
It's always rewarding to see clients become excited about research. Its even more rewarding when the research results in successful products and great user experiences.
Gears image courtesy Shutterstock

subset: commoncrawl


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NEW YORK (AP) — CBS moved swiftly Thursday to replace the retiring David Letterman with Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, who will take over the "Late Show" next year and do battle with Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel for late-night television supremacy.
Colbert, 49, has been hosting "The Colbert Report" at 11:30 p.m. ET since 2005, in character as a fictional conservative talk-show host. The character will retire with "The Colbert Report."
"Simply being a guest on David Letterman's show has been a highlight of my career," Colbert said. "I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave's lead."
Letterman, who turns 67 on Saturday, announced on his show last week that he would retire sometime in 2015, although he hasn't set a date. CBS said Thursday that creative elements of Colbert's new show, including where it will be based, will be announced later.
Mayors of New York and Los Angeles have already publicly urged the new "Late Show" host to choose their city. New York would appear to have the clear edge, since Colbert is already based in New York and CBS owns the Ed Sullivan Theater, where the "Late Show" has been taped since Letterman took over in 1993.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo added his voice to the mix, calling on CBS to keep "Late Show" in place and lauding the contributions of such programs to the state's economy.
"We must ensure that the 'Late Show's' long and proud history of making the nation laugh from New York continues for years to come," he said in a statement.
Letterman offered his endorsement for Colbert's selection Thursday. "Stephen has always been a real friend to me," he said. "I'm very excited for him, and I'm flattered that CBS chose him. I also happen to know they wanted another guy with glasses."
It's a rapidly changing period for that time slot. Fallon took over for Jay Leno on NBC's "Tonight" show in February, and has dominated the ratings since his arrival, with Letterman and Kimmel running neck-and-neck for second. Chelsea Handler has also said she is about to end her talk show on E! Entertainment Television.
CBS chose not to break the mold: CBS, ABC and NBC will all compete at 11:35 p.m. with shows hosted by white males. CBS, which has an older audience and generally seeks personalities with the widest appeal possible, is taking a chance with a personality whose show has a much more specific appeal. But, like Fallon and Kimmel, Colbert is popular with young men and active on the Internet and social media.
"Our discussions really centered on finding the most talented, the most creative (choice), the person who was going to conduct the most interesting interviews and be the most interesting person himself, and that's what led us to Stephen," said Nina Tassler, CBS entertainment chairman. She said CBS considered several candidates, but did not name them.
Colbert's show won the Emmy for best variety series last year and has earned two Peabody Awards. It's another big move for a Jon Stewart protege: Colbert worked on "The Daily Show" for eight years before getting his own program, and John Oliver is about to launch a weekly show for HBO later this month.
The decision opens up a hole on Comedy Central's schedule. The network said in a statement Thursday that "we look forward to the next eight months of the ground-breaking 'Colbert Report' and wish Stephen the very best."
Stewart told New York magazine on Wednesday night that Colbert would be terrific for Letterman's job. Stewart said he likes what he does and Colbert has a better opportunity to broaden out his comedy than he would.
"He is a uniquely talented individual," Stewart said. "He's wonderful in 'Colbert Report,' but he's got gears he hasn't even shown people yet. He would be remarkable."
The choice of Colbert quickly drew the ire of a real-life conservative talk- show host. Radio's Rush Limbaugh said Thursday that CBS "has just declared war on the heartland of America. No longer is comedy going to be a covert assault on traditional American values, conservatives. Now it's just wide open."
Limbaugh mispronounced Colbert's name as col-bert, instead of the proper pronunciation, col-bear.
The man Colbert is replacing was a target for conservatives, too. Letterman made Republican favorite Sarah Palin a frequent target of his barbs.
Tassler declined comment on what Colbert's ascension will mean for Craig Ferguson, who follows Letterman's show in the 12:35 a.m. time slot and was considered a candidate for Letterman's job.
Colbert would likely enter into some friendly competition with Fallon. Colbert appeared on Fallon's first "Tonight" show, one of a line of personalities in a gag involving people who had to "pay up" on a bet about whether Fallon would ever get the "Tonight" gig.
Brad Adgate, an analyst for Horizon Media, described Colbert as "the best talk-show host available." He said CBS wanted to move quickly to make its choice for Letterman's replacement before next month's meeting with advertisers in New York about the upcoming season's schedule.
"When you've got fire in the belly, you move fast," Tassler said.
Stephen Colbert to replace Letterman


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Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Helsinki Commission and Co-Chairman of the Poland Caucus, I have long been struck by the way in which history casts both long shadows and rays of light in Poland. I have had the privilege of traveling to Poland, one of America's closest allies, and was overwhelmed by the weight of history when I met with those who are building the Museum of the History of Poland's Jews. Institutions like this are not only critical for Poland's future generations, but for what all of us, around the world, can learn from Poland.
Today, I rise today to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, a courageous act of defiance by the people of Poland against the brutal Nazi occupation during the Second World War.
On August 1, 1944, the Polish Underground began its struggle to liberate Warsaw, to further weaken the collapsing German eastern front and to establish Polish sovereignty in response to the Red Army's advance to the city's outskirts. Despite the courage and fortitude of the Polish people, the Underground could not overcome the Nazis' determination to oversee the complete destruction of the Home Army and the city, bolstered by official orders and a directive that the massacre was to serve as a "terrifying example" to Europe.
More than 200,000 civilians and members of the Home Army were killed in Warsaw over a 63-day period. Between August 5 and August 8, the Nazis murdered more than 40,000 people–overwhelmingly civilians–in the Wola district of Warsaw alone. Survivors, describing the horror of the executions, told of the indiscriminate slaughter of thousands of women and children. Approximately 700,000 Warsaw residents were expelled from their homes and forced out of the city–many sent to death, labor, or POW camps.
Hitler ordered that Warsaw should be razed to the ground; Heinrich Himmler declaring in the most chilling terms that Warsaw "must completely disappear from the surface of the earth." To that end, the Nazis systematically targeted buildings filled with deep meaning for the Poles, including cultural treasures, monuments, palaces, libraries, churches, and the Old Town. By the beginning of October, the Polish capitol was reduced to rubble–85 percent of the buildings in Warsaw had been destroyed.
But from ashes come diamonds and, despite this barbaric campaign, the Polish desire for freedom and liberty could not be extinguished–not even by the decades of communist oppression which followed the end of the war. Such courage and resilience continues to define the Polish people.
Today, Poland is a successful democracy and one of our strongest military allies. More to the point, Poland's leadership on issues related to democracy and human rights gives true meaning to the alliance concept of "shared values." Poland has tirelessly support democratic movements in Northern Africa and Eastern Europe, particularly in Tunisia, through democracy activists and transition experts, and Belarus. Poland has served as a regional force in the effort to encourage human rights and democracy in Belarus in the wake of the December 2010 post-election political crackdown, maintaining free media outlets that operate in Belarus and opening Polish universities to students expelled for pro-democracy activities.
On July 1, Poland assumed the six-months rotating Presidency of the European Union. It can only strengthen our transatlantic alliance to have the EU led by a country that has accomplished so much over the past 20 years both political and economically. As it happens, Poland has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and is the only EU country not faced with a recession amidst the global financial crisis.
As chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and co-chairman of the Congressional Poland Caucus, I commend Poland's leadership on democracy and human rights throughout the OSCE region and globally. Polish-American ties remain strong and steadfast because of such dedication to these common values. More than that, however, I have unwavering respect and admiration for the people of Poland, whose courage and determination in the face of so many historic tragedies–of which the Warsaw Massacre is only one example–is a source of continued inspiration.


text:
And also stood face-to-face with the legendary Crazy Bike of San Vito dei Normanni:
It's so crazy that the only way you can adjust the rebound damping is with prescription drugs.
Well, the organizers of Full Bike Day are doing it again, and they've asked me to let you know about their new photo contest, which I'm now doing because: a) I like them; and 2) they said if I don't they'd come to New York and kill me:
That's how they do things in Puglia.
Moving on to matters of bicycle safety, here's a Bike "Accident" Fun Set for your your child, which was forwarded to me by a reader:
See how everybody's smiling? That's because the idea is to teach your children that running down cyclists in cars is a fun part of everyday life, like visiting grandma or going to the bakery. In fact, it's perfectly reasonable to expect that you might run down one or two cyclists on the way to either place. Just treat them like pigeons or squirrels--keep right on going until they notice you and get out of the way. And if you hit them don't worry, because it's their fault for being too stupid to move, and anyway everybody will be fine just as long as the cyclist is wearing a helment.
By the way, if the toy store is out of the Playmobil set, you can always get the same thing in Legos:
There are some safety-minded cyclists who would be bothered that he is not wearing a helment:
I am not one of those cyclists. However, I am still safety-minded, and indeed I'd argue that because I'm not preoccupied with helments I am able to hone in on far more serious omissions, such as the complete absence of brake pads:
That's about 10,000 pairs of brake pads.
The inventors of the ICEdot recently emailed me about their product, and basically what happens is you fall on your head, your head calls your cellphone, and if you don't press the button in a certain amount of time your cellphone calls someone who can help you:
Or, if you prefer, it's the Fredly equivalent of this:
Depending on where you fall on the "What would happen?" spectrum this may or may not appeal to you. Certainly anything that has the potential to save a life has value. At the same time we all have a different threshold for the extent to which we're willing to be "wired" during a bike ride, and I confess that this one falls far beyond mine. Still, I suppose I have a weak threshold, because I also refuse to use Strava, mostly because the "How it Works" diagram on their website makes no sense to me:
I'm fine with number one, which is grabbing a phone, because I do always carry a phone. (It's a rotary wall phone, I keep it in my giant messenger bag.) I'm also more than fine with number two, which is going out for a ride, because I do really like going out for rides. However, it's number three--viewing my ride afterwards--where to my mind the whole system falls apart. See, here's a little secret: if you skip number three, you can actually spend more time doing number two. (By the way, you can also spend more time doing number two if you replace number three with eating an "epic" burrito.) Why essentially just cut your ride short so you can look at it in the form of red lines on a map? I thought the riding was the point.
I guess it's the same impulse that compels people to film themselves during the act of onanism, which could be why the map in number three looks suspiciously like a penis:
Though not as much like a penis as this one does:
That must be one hotly-contested penis.
Of course, all this safety is for naught if nobody can see you, which is why you can also get high-visibility clothing--and nobody loves high-visibility clothing as much as British people, as I learned during my visits to London, and which this article and video forwarded to me by a reader proves:
I was particularly intrigued by the fake police vest that says "polite:"
It's perfect for your next gran fondue.


text:
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text:
And as Congress prepares to vote on authorizing force, Yale Law Professor Stephen L. Carter has some advice.
STEPHEN L. CARTER: The one thing I would strongly recommend is that members of Congress actually read the resolution before deciding whether to vote for it or not.
MONTAGNE: He says it's hard to approve of a president waging war while still limiting the power the president is given.
Stephen L. Carter's books include "The Violence of Peace: America's Wars in the Age of Obama." And he's been following his own advice by reading the legal language on which lawmakers may vote. The White House proposed a resolution while senators are drafting their own. And Carter gives an example of his concern by reading from president's version.
CARTER: The president is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate, in connection with - notice, it doesn't say to stop, to punish - in connection with the use of chemical weapons or what other weapons of mass destruction in the conflict in Syria.
INSKEEP: Which is not as precise as Stephen L. Carter might like.
CARTER: It doesn't limit the president's authority, for example, to acting in Syria. As I read this resolution, if the president thought that a terror group in Yemen was going to obtain or trying to obtain chemical weapons from Syria, he could attack the terror group in Yemen. It's a very broad resolution and Congress has a long history of voting broad powers to presidents and then later regretting it, whether we think of the use of military force resolution in 2001 after 9/11 or the Tonkin Gulf resolution in 1964.
INSKEEP: Does the concern you raise point to a larger reality, that war itself is unpredictable and once you approve getting started on one, you can't be sure where it's going to end up?
CARTER: Oh, I think that's absolutely correct. Once you decide to go down the road of using military force, the results are unpredictable. Sometimes you have to do it anyway. Sometimes you may have a moral or humanitarian obligation to intervene, but it's important to recognize the enormous risks that you take on.
INSKEEP: Do you think the United States has a moral obligation to intervene in Syria?
CARTER: I actually do think that the killing in Syria has reached a point where there is a moral obligation on the part of the world to act. But the truth is, the world isn't going to act, and when we speak of an obligation on the part of the world, whether we're thinking of, say, Rwanda in the 1990s or what's going on in Syria today, if the United States doesn't do it, it's really not going to get done.
A lot of people wish there were some international force, that the U.N. could do it or something like that, but the truth is, if something is sufficiently horrific that you've got to call the international cops, the U.S. is the biggest cop on the block and there's no getting around that. Even with defense cutbacks in recent years, we spend 42 cents of every defense dollar spent in the entire world.
We're the only people really who can do it.
INSKEEP: Is this about more than just chemical weapons for you?
CARTER: It's the slaughter. It's the size of the slaughter. It's the number of people being killed. I still remember in the 1990s when we saw at least 100,000 slaughtered in Rwanda and the West, including the United States, not only stood by and did nothing but stood by and were unwilling even to use the word genocide. I'm not suggesting the U.S. can be the world's policeman and go everywhere there's a trouble spot.
I am suggesting there's a point at which a slaughter becomes so enormous that something has to be done about it.
INSKEEP: I'm listening to you and trying to figure out where you stand, Stephen L. Carter, and I think I hear you saying be really careful about the power you give the president, but in the end maybe this is something the United States has to do. Is that where you're at?
CARTER: I think that something has to be done both in retaliation for the use of chemical weapons and frankly because of the enormous slaughter that is going on in Syria, which is spilling over into other countries. There are going to be effects on U.S. interests, but even if there weren't effects on U.S. interests, there's a point at which a slaughter has to be stopped and maybe we're the only ones who can do it.
At the same time that Congress has to recognize that if this resolution passes, that the president will have a significantly strengthened hand and significantly broader authority to do things beyond simply stopping this particular slaughter.
INSKEEP: Even many people supporting this resolution have used the phrase no boots on the ground. They want to have U.S. power, but not U.S. troops. Is that a realistic limitation?
CARTER: Well, that's always the interesting question. That is, assume that somehow the intervention perhaps destroys Syria's chemical weapons stocks, maybe incinerates the Syrian air force, and that might tip the balance in the war and then Assad ends up getting overthrown. And the question is, how much influence or authority do you want to have over what follows?
Without boots on the ground, it's hard to have any influence, but once you put boots on the ground, it's really hard to avoid sending more and more and more of them.
INSKEEP: Stephen L. Carter is author of "The Violence Of Peace: America's Wars In the Age Of Obama," among other books. Thanks for talking with us.
CARTER: It's my pleasure. Thank you so much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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If you're single, you can't seem to get away from the couple who won't stop cooing and talking about how great it is to be in a relationship and how relieved they are to be spared from the horrors of dating. And if you're married, you can't stop hearing from singles about how marriage is a hellish trap and their own commitment-free life is a blissful expression of their independence.
It may not make the annoying nature of your self-satisfied friends any easier to take but a new study may explain why people in relationships are so convinced that partners are the way to go, while those who are single adamantly refuse to accept the joys of being part of a pair. People who see their relationship status as unlikely to change are prone to idealize it— while those who are open to other possibilities don't feel the need to boost themselves by disparaging the status of others. Understanding the psychology of this process can help explain a lot of otherwise mystifying behavior among both singles and couples.
The study, which will be published in Psychological Science, is based on the theory of "cognitive dissonance," a phenomenon first described in the 1950s. If you are deeply committed to a belief and have acted in ways that you think are irreversible as a result, it's often easier to change your other beliefs and actions than it is to question the original idea.
"Cognitive dissonance happens when we've made a choice and we're not 100% satisfied with it or it goes against something we believe," says Kristin Laurin, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University, the lead author of the study, "We feel uncomfortable, so what we do is adapt our attitudes so now the choice fits better with the attitude."
MORE: Stand By Your Man: Physical Proximity May Help Oxytocin to Keep Men in Relationships Faithful
The term was first coined by psychologist Leon Festinger, who studied members of an apocalyptic cult. After they had quit their jobs, cut ties with outside friends and family and sold their belongings, the predicted catastrophic flood failed to arrive. The leader gave them a lame explanation that it had been their faith that saved the world. But while some members did quit, many others became even more fervent, in a desperate attempt to justify their already-made decisions to dedicate their lives to the cult.
Festinger and his colleagues and students soon found that a similar reaction occurs in many cases where people have paid a high price for something that fails to deliver fully. In fact, these studies find that the more people pay for something, the more likely they are to see it as having been worth it. Whether it's wine or a car or even a fraternity initiation, the more you pay in cash or emotional pain, the better you tend to feel about what you've gotten. (This is part of why hazing is so hard to eradicate: it does increase loyalty).
MORE: A Blood Test to Predict Everlasting Love?
Laurin and her colleagues suspected that a similar thought process might take place when people consider their relationship status. If you believe you are likely to stay single, it can be easier to look on the bright side, rather than constantly spending time envying people in pairs. Similarly, if you think your relationship is going to last, it's not a great idea to focus on the upside of being unpartnered.
Researchers tested these ideas in several experiments, one of which was conducted on Valentine's Day two years ago. In that study, 113 college students were offered chocolates for answering survey questions about their current relationship status and whether they felt it was likely to last.
Then, they read a description of a student of the same gender, who was either single or in a relationship and were asked to write a few paragraphs about how they thought that person would spend Valentine's evening. They also quantified how happy and fulfilled the person would be and were asked if they thought the student in the example would have a better evening if they had the opposite relational status to the one described.
MORE: Looking for Love: College Students May Prefer Relationship Sex to Casual Hookups
As predicted, participants who saw their relational status as unlikely to change made more positive judgments about those who shared that status and were more negative about those who didn't.
"The more the coupled people felt that their relationship was going to last, the more they wrote happy stories about relationships and sad, unhappy stories about being single," Laurin says, "And conversely the more single people thought that they would be single for a long time, the more they wrote happy stories about single and sad, unhappy stories about relationships."
These preferences may help explain why single people tend to find that their friends drop them when they couple up — and why couples who break up often find themselves excluded by their married friends. "I think that definitely contributes to the divide you see," says Laurin.
However, the research did not find that couples were more likely to idealize their status than singles were — even when similar experiments were done with older adults, amongst whom being single is more stigmatized than it is in college.
"That was one of most surprising things we found," Laurin says, "We thought that since there's a prevailing cultural ideology that people should be in relationships, [it] might be harder for single people to say 'Yeah, it's totally awesome [being single],' but we actually found exact same size effect across both groups."
Other experiments explored whether cuing people to think about their relational status as more or less changeable would reduce the effect (it did) and whether being more satisfied as a single or coupled person would account for the idealization of one's own status (it didn't).
So whether or not you have someone to come home to on Valentine's Day — take heart. Those smug married people or carefree singles don't actually have it better— they just want to convince themselves that they do.


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Opa Application Development
Opa is a full-stack Open Source web development framework for JavaScript that lets you write secure and scalable web applications. It generates standard Node.js/MongoDB applications, natively supports HTML5 and CSS and automates many aspects of modern web application programming. It handles all aspects of web programming written in one consistent language and compiled to web standards.
Opa Application Development is a practical,hands-on guide that provides you with a number of step-by-step exercises. It covers almost all aspects of developing a web application with Opa, which will help you take advantage of the real power of Opa, as well as building a secure, powerful web application rapidly.
Opa Application Development dives into all concepts and components required to build a web application with Opa. The first half of this book shows you all of the basic building blocks that you will need to develop an Opa application, including the syntax of Opa, web development aspects, client and server communication and slicing, plugin, database, and so on. By the end of the book you will have yourself created a complete web application along with a game: Pacman!
What you will learn from this book
- Set up Opa development environment
- Develop a web application, manipulate DOM and CSS.
- Use bootstrap in Opa, including classes, icons and widgets.
- Slice client and server code.
- Bind JavaScript and Nodejs to Opa and build a plugin.
- Store, update and query data in database with MongoDB as the backend.
- Build a chat application, LiveRoom application in Opa.
- Handle image and audio with canvas to build a Pacman game
It is a tutorial guide to learning how to use Opa with JavaScript, Nodejs, and MongoDB to develop web applications easily and effectively.
Who this book is for
If you are a web developer who wants to get started with the Opa framework and build web applications with it? Then this book is for you. Web development experience is assumed and would be helpful.
Book Details
- Paperback: 116 pages
- Publisher: Packt Publishing (June 2013)
- Language: English


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Marijuana initiatives prompt Colorado, Washington to focus on keeping stoned drivers off road
DENVER It's settled. Pot, at least certain amounts of it, will soon be legal under state laws in Washington and Colorado. Now, officials in both states are trying to figure out how to keep stoned drivers off the road.
Colorado's measure doesn't make any changes to the state's driving-under-the-influence laws, leaving lawmakers and police to worry about its effect on road safety.
"We're going to have more impaired drivers," warned John Jackson, police chief in the Denver suburb of Greenwood Village.
Washington's law does change DUI provisions by setting a new blood-test limit for marijuana a limit police are training to enforce, and which some lawyers are already gearing up to challenge.
"We've had decades of studies and experience with alcohol," said Washington State Patrol spokesman Dan Coon. "Marijuana is new, so it's going to take some time to figure out how the courts and prosecutors are going to handle it. But the key is impairment: We will arrest drivers who drive impaired, whether it be drugs or alcohol."
It's all part of the new reality the two states face. The Seattle Police Department, for example, has been highlighting a guide for using pot in the city, CBS Seattle affiliate KIRO-TV reports. Starting Dec. 6, adults over the age of 21 can legally possess up to an ounce or less of marijuana for personal use.
Drugged driving is illegal, and nothing in the measures that Washington and Colorado voters passed this month to tax and regulate the sale of pot for recreational use by adults over 21 changes that. But law enforcement officials wonder about whether the ability to buy or possess marijuana legally will bring about an increase of marijuana users on the roads.
Statistics gathered for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that in 2009, a third of fatally injured drivers with known drug test results were positive for drugs other than alcohol. Among randomly stopped weekend nighttime drivers in 2007, more than 16 percent were positive for drugs.
Marijuana can cause dizziness and slowed reaction time, and drivers are more likely to drift and swerve while they're high.
Marijuana legalization activists agree people shouldn't smoke and drive. But setting a standard comparable to blood-alcohol limits has sparked intense disagreement, said Betty Aldworth, outreach director for Colorado's Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Most convictions for drugged driving currently are based on police observations, followed later by a blood test.
"There is not yet a consensus about the standard rate for THC impairment," Aldworth said, referring to the psychoactive chemical in marijuana.
Unlike portable breath tests for alcohol, there's no easily available way to determine whether someone is impaired from recent pot use.
There are different types of tests for marijuana. Many workplaces test for an inactive THC metabolite that can be stored in body fat and remain detectable weeks after use. But tests for current impairment measure for active THC in the blood, and those levels typically drop within hours.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, peak THC concentrations are reached during the act of smoking, and within three hours, they generally fall to less than 5 nanograms per milliliter of blood the same standard in Washington's law, one supporters describe as roughly equivalent to the .08 limit for alcohol.
Two other states Ohio and the medical marijuana state of Nevada have a limit of 2 nanograms of THC per milliliter. Pennsylvania's health department has a 5-nanogram guideline that can be introduced in driving violation cases, and a dozen states, including Illinois, Arizona, and Rhode Island, have zero-tolerance policies.
In Washington, police still have to observe signs of impaired driving before pulling someone over, Coon said. The blood would be drawn by a medical professional, and tests above 5 nanograms would automatically subject the driver to a DUI conviction.
Supporters of Washington's measure said they included the standard to allay fears that legalization could prompt a drugged-driving epidemic, but critics call it arbitrarily strict. They insist that medical patients who regularly use cannabis would likely fail even if they weren't impaired.
They also worry about the law's zero-tolerance policy for those under 21. College students who wind up convicted even if they weren't impaired could lose college loans, they argue.
Jon Fox, a Seattle-area DUI attorney, said he's interested in challenging Washington's new standard as unconstitutional. Under due process principles, he said, people are entitled to know what activity is prohibited. If scientists can't tell someone how much marijuana it will take for him or her to test over the threshold, how is the average pot user supposed to know?
By contrast, he noted, the science on alcohol is well established. Some states publish charts estimating how many drinks it will take a person of a certain weight over a certain time to reach .08.
But such a challenge to Nevada's marijuana DUI limit failed in 2002, when the state Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature has broad authority to set driving standards. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review that case, said Las Vegas DUI attorney Michael Becker.
"Marijuana affects everyone differently," Becker said. "The prevailing opinion of forensic toxicologists is that a 2-nanograms standard, such as exists in Nevada, absolutely results in convictions where individuals are not actually under the influence. But the 5-nanograms standard more closely approaches the mean threshold of prevailing opinion."
Colorado's legalization measure didn't set a driving standard an intentional omission by the activists who wrote it because the issue has proven divisive. Lawmakers in Colorado, which has an established medical marijuana industry, have tried but failed three times to set a THC driving limit.
Drugged driving cases in Colorado were up even before the legalization vote. In 2009, the state toxicology lab obtained 791 THC-positive samples from suspected impaired drivers. Last year, it had 2,030 THC-positive samples.
Colorado lawmakers are preparing to take up driving standards yet again when they convene next year.
"I believe a 5-nanogram limit will save lives," said Colorado Republican state Sen. Steve King, sponsor of previous driving-high bills.


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The 12 Greatest Super Bowl Ads of All-Time
The Super Bowl might bring the promise of glory to one group of lucky fans and humiliating and bitter defeat to another, but for the rest of the universe, it's a chance to enjoy some primo, top-of-the-line adver-tainment.
Every year, the million dollar ads that run in between the long drives and plays of the big game don't just try to outdo each other for your attention -- they have to outdo themselves from the ads they produced and aired during the previous Super Bowl. Some have set the bar so high that the game's non-sports loving audiences fear that marketing teams won't be able to keep them as entertained in between sips of the beer and bites of the chicken wings they're already trying to get them to buy. These are the commercials that set the bar so high that very few Super Bowl ads that followed have failed to get the ball over it.
- 1
Apple Computer, '1984'
There's a reason why every list of greatest Super Bowl ads features this classic commercial. Directed by Ridley Scott, it practically made the Super Bowl required spending for major corporations' marketing budgets and turned advertising into something compelling that didn't make people lunge for their remotes.
- 2
Coca-Cola, 'Mean Joe Greene'
A longtime NFL sponsor, Coke went down in history with this ad featuring the former defensive tackle befriended by a little boy. In fact, the ad is so famous, Greene is probably better remembered for tossing a sweaty rag than for all 10 of his Pro-Bowl appearances combined.
- 3
Budweiser, 'Lizards'
The Budweiser Frogs may have been the catalyst for this hilarious series of ads, but the Lizards brought it to a whole new level. They weren't just catchphrase-spewing puppets with a product to push. They had a plot, character and motivation that actually made people look forward to the next ad so they could see what happens next.That, and the fact that they were way more interesting than watching the Packers trounce the Patriots.
- 4
McDonalds, 'Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan'
The sporting world has long dreamed of a showdown between the NBA's reigning dunk king and 3-point shot deity. The closest we got was this spot featuring Jordan and Bird in the world's most extreme game of "Horse" ever played. A year later, a follow-up added Charles Barkley to the mix.
- 5
Volkswagen, 'Darth Vader'
Despite what shallow sports bloggers and marketing surveys believe, women also watch the Super Bowl for more than just the ads. This commercial was able to pull in huge approval and audiences from both sexes for being supremely cute and funny with a pint-sized Darth Vader who was so good that George Lucas should have re-cast him in 'Star Wars -- Episode 1' using digital editing technology.
- 6
Snickers, 'Betty White'
This hilarious ad starring actress Betty White did more than just reinvent the funny Super Bowl commercial -- it also reinvented the "Golden Girls'" stars' entire career, leading to a hosting appearance on 'Saturday Night Live,' a hit sitcom on TV Land and a whole new life in the spotlight. We still say Abe Vigoda deserved at least an appearance in a Lady Gaga video out of it.
- 7
Reebok, 'Terry Tate: Office Linebacker'
A funny commercial can make or break a product. If the humor goes too far over the edge, it can have people burning the product in massive bonfires by halftime and if it doesn't go far enough, they'll barely remember what they're supposed to buy when they head off to the store the next day. This genius ad campaign from Reebok offers the perfect combo of edginess and office humor and probably gave a very evil boss somewhere a very bad idea for corporate restructuring.
- 8
Nationwide, 'Kevin Federline'
Celebrity cameos are no stranger to Super Bowl commercials. In fact, their presence alone can make audiences look forward to seeing it more than the actual game. The former Mr. Britney Spears had the same anticipation for his Super Bowl ad, but for all the wrong reasons.
- 9
Budweiser, 'Clydesdale Football'
Beer ads usually fall in one of two categories: super funny or super sexy. This groundbreaking special effects bonanza didn't fall into either category, but that was just one of the reasons that made it memorable. Another was its amazing use of digital technology to re-create the appearance of horses playing football. It was so good that the Colts actually tried to pick up one of them as their new kicker in the draft.
- 10
Tabasco, 'Mosquito'
It didn't have any flashy celebrities. It didn't have talking animals that complained about their status in life. It didn't even have what some in the biz might consider to be flashy special effects. But it still managed to overcome all of these obstacles to become a funny and effective ad that stuck in our minds well past the final touchdown.
- 11
Got Milk, 'Dwayne Johnson'
So, where does action star Dwayne Johnson summon the strength he needs to kick butt? By going all out, of course, to get his hands on some milk. This ad is cheeky and playful, while Johnson does a good job sending up his image as an action icon.
- 12
Chrysler, 'Clint Eastwood'
Clocking in at a robust two minutes, this ad featured American icon Clint Eastwood using his distinctive voice to deliver an inspiration speech to remind us that "It's halftime, America" and that we will rally, even though times are tough. Understated, but determined, this patriotic commercial got people pumped up.


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You should write paragraphs that make sense, regardless of the order they are output. By doing so, it's easy to move the paragraphs up or down in the content.
Start training your brain to find well working headlines, by looking for things that keeps repeating. If the same headlines repeats often, you know it statistically work well. If it didn't work well, they would have changed it.
Rich language adds to the audience's experience. However, avoid language that takes a long time to understand. Don't overestimate your target group's interest.
Interesting headline ideas for making a Mini John Cooper Work Facebook Ads campaign
Listed below is more than 43 ideas for headlines if you are working on a Mini John Cooper Work advertisement. Use them as inspiration – or use them directly if they feel right to you. Keep in mind that it's all about figuring out what gives a high click-through rate. Test out many different ones to see which one gives the best result in the ad campaign.
How Mini John Cooper Work is the answer to all problems
Timing is everything when you're handling touchy subjects. Stay on top of the news to determine the best time to launch your content. One way to stay on top of the news about Mini John Cooper Work is using Google Alerts. There are many other monitoring services you can use though.What the Beatles could learn from Mini John Cooper Work
- Focus on opposites to help come up with ideas. If the teacher can help the student focus, the student can probably help the teacher relax.
- Non sequiturs are interesting (but don't be too obscure).
What the Amish can teach you about Mini John Cooper Work
Probably not computer programming or Keeping Up with the Kardashians.2 myths uncovered about Mini John Cooper Work
- Try to focus on myths that most people think are facts. Audiences love to have their minds blown.
- Someone call the MythBusters over!
- Strong verbs make for interesting sentences with rich backstories.
How your Mini John Cooper Work can help you live a happier life
To connect with readers, think about their wants as you write.Why Mini John Cooper Work is a [insert expletive]
- Oooohhhh… We're going to tell them you said that.
- Controversy is exciting. The more beloved your subject is, the more controversial your content will be.
- Use profanity with caution. It can be effective in small doses, but too much will completely change the tone of your content.
Why Mini John Cooper Work is better than peanut butter on pancakes
- The more creative your comparison, the better. Audiences like to be surprised.
- Confidence (not bravado) builds trust.
12 fantastic articles about Mini John Cooper Work
Obscure or general. They both work.Why Mini John Cooper Work's are harder than acing the SATs
- Wait. Did we take the SATs or the ACTs or the ABCs?
- How is it easier? Prepare for counter-arguments to inspire even stronger ideas.
- Compare your subject to a common reference point like basic tests to broaden the range of your content's appeal.
15 things about Mini John Cooper Work your teachers wouldn't tell you
Be sure to explain why they wouldn't tell you. Too taboo? Too scary? Your audience will want to know.You haven't seen this Mini John Cooper Work list on Buzzfeed
Conflict is mesmerizing. Directly calling out competitors can bring higher levels of engagement.If you are going to read one article about Mini John Cooper Work, read this one
Be thoughtful about describing the article. Recapping is great, but adding context is better.Save your marriage using only your Mini John Cooper Work
- Minimalism is a great hook. Audiences are always looking for a single solution to every problem.
- This could get interesting.
Why Mini John Cooper Work is cuter than a kitten
- Not sure this is possible, so it better be amazing.
- Pitting two things against each other can be controversial. Audiences love controversy.
- Kittens rule the internet, but you can put anything here as long as it is absolutely adorable.
Mini John Cooper Work in 3 easy steps
- Blocked? Tell your internal editor to take a break. Welcome them back AFTER your first draft.
- A whisper can be more provocative than a shout.
- Can your reader tell from the headline what your article is about? No? Fix it.
- Solve a problem for your reader and they'll be back.
15 unexpected ways Mini John Cooper Work can give you better hair
- Look at what Mini John Cooper Work influencers have to say about Mini John Cooper Work and quote them if you can.
- Mini John Cooper Work will always be a hot topic.
- "Unexpected" signals to the audience that your content will be exciting.
- But not like Martha with the good hair.
9 uses for Mini John Cooper Work
DIY? More like DIWhy, am I right? No? Ok…The best ways to utilize Mini John Cooper Work
- Make sure these are really surprising. Audiences hate a let down.
- Nothing is as refreshing as a great new content title. Right?
- Have the courage to make bad content. Then revise it. You'll never succeed if you don't start.
- Lists work best when paired with engaging visuals. Think about how to pair your ideas with imagery that captivates the audience.
How Mini John Cooper Work killed the [replace this with your industry] industry
The topic you cover doesn't have to be the only factor, there can be several. Tie it to the bigger picture.What Mini John Cooper Work experts are saying
Tip!- Check your facts before linking to any experts on Mini John Cooper Work. If in doubt, ask them yourself. You might get an exclusive.
- Try replacing "expert on Mini John Cooper Work" with a specific source like "Mini John Cooper Work scientist [name]" or "Mini John Cooper Work philanthropist."
- Choose experts with BIG egoes on Mini John Cooper Work. They might retweet you.
Your 12 most favorite Mini John Cooper Work's
Pro tip! Everything is exciting if you are excited while writing about it. Even Mini John Cooper Work.The 8 best Mini John Cooper Work Twitter accounts to follow
- Have you updated your avatar lately?
- Look out for retweets from the accounts you mention.
- Consider adding extra context to your title. Try "the best accounts to follow for hot takes."
16 insane (but true) things about Mini John Cooper Work
- This title will stand out in a sea of resource articles. Who says facts have to be boring?
- Try digging into history to uncover unexpected connections.
The 9 best resources for Mini John Cooper Work
Want shares? Create content that makes your readers look smart.Don't hold back your Mini John Cooper Work
- The best titles convince your audience that they'd be foolish not to read on.
- Take a risk.
- But when you do, there has to be a payoff.
- Write within your skillset.
How Mini John Cooper Work could get you blacklisted
- Uh oh… We do that all the time.
- Start with fear, but end with empowerment. Give the audience a way to avoid negativity.
- Serious consequences grab serious audience attention.
9 ways your mother lied to you about Mini John Cooper Work
- Betrayal is a great way to draw attention. No one wants to be lied to.
- The great thing about this title is it can be innocuous or alarming. It all works.
- Your parents has never told us anything. Promise.
Shocking ways Mini John Cooper Work will make you a better dancer
- Intros matter. Lay it out so we can follow you.
- If you put "oatmeal," we need to hear more.
- Using "you" appeals to your audiences' vanity.
- Hinting at a slightly risque topic can be a great way to keep things interesting.
17 secrets about Mini John Cooper Work the government is hiding
Create a sense of mystery. Now the reader has to find out…8 facts about Mini John Cooper Work that will impress your puppy
Speaking directly to the audience with words like "your" feels more personal and intriguing.9 reasons Mini John Cooper Work is more cynical than George Bernard Shaw
This title can work for any celebrity or fictional character as long as they are publicly known as being on the edge.Mini John Cooper Work by the numbers
- Everything you read is research. Pay attention to how copy affects you and use that.
- Numbers = facts = trust. Do your own research on the subject.
How Mini John Cooper Work is more tempting than a lollipop
- Unless you're typing two of them, you're wrong.
- Relatability breeds trust. Try to share from personal experience.
- Compare your subject to the most tempting thing for your audience. That will get their attention.
Why Mini John Cooper Work sucks more than the new Star Wars
- Controversy can be intriguing. Use it with care and your audiences will be want more.
- Swap "Star Wars" with anything that your audience isn't happy about. If they love to hate it, they'll want your content.
The unconventional guide to Mini John Cooper Work
- Anyone can write a guide. You're writing one with character.
- Are you influenced by other bloggers? Give them a shout out.
- Constraints are inspiring. Write about food, but only based on colors, not on taste.
8 surprising ways your Mini John Cooper Work is more refreshing than a cold beer
- Make sure these are really surprising. Audiences hate a let down.
- Nothing is as refreshing as a great new content title. Right?
- Have the courage to make bad content. Then revise it. You'll never succeed if you don't start.
- Lists work best when paired with engaging visuals. Think about how to pair your ideas with imagery that captivates the audience.
9 podcasts about Mini John Cooper Work
- You can replace Podcasts with Zines, Blogs, Youtube Channels, etc. Just connect with your audience.
- Short titles can either be punchy or dull. Consider audience-appropriate adjectives.
- Think your idea is too crazy? I guarantee you there are at least six podcasts about it.
How to cheat with your Mini John Cooper Work and get away with it
- Tell us all about it.
- Sassy!
- This could be anything. A N Y T H I N G.
- Don't hold back! I beg you!
How Mini John Cooper Work is making the world a better place
Don't worry about scope. If your keyword makes even the tiniest improvement, it's better than before. Yes? Yes.How to make Mini John Cooper Work as fierce as RuPaul
- Sometimes the story is more interesting when told backwards. Start with what fierce can look like for your subject.
- Any celebrity that your audiences connect with will work.
Why Mini John Cooper Work should be one of the 7 [or was it 18?] deadly sins
- Suggestion: "Martha Stewart."
- People are always interested in the way things 'should' be.
- Don't want to go dark? Try "should be one of the Avengers."
12 reasons the Amish were wrong about Mini John Cooper Work
How can they live without the internet? Where do they get their cute dog pics?How Mini John Cooper Work could make anyone a better person
- People love to improve. Teach them how and they'll come back for more advice.
- If your content is meant to be humorous, make sure that is very clear to the audience. Children can be a sensitive topic.
Why Mini John Cooper Work's are not as bad as they used to be
- "Why" is a powerful start to any title. It poses a question that audiences just have to know the answer to.
- Try not to pick something too easy, like the Presidency.
- People dig criticism.
- Nostalgia resonates when you describe a specific time period. Let audiences know when things used to be good and why.
Any suggestions to a cool headline for an advertisement we could add?
Scroll down to add your own suggestion for a hefty headline. If we like it, we will add it to the collection.
Frequently asked questions
Is there actually any creative headline ideas about Mini John Cooper Work on your site available for free on your website?
Yup. Lots of them too. There is more than 43 different variations of headlines you can use in your ads. All free to copy and use wherever you see fit.
Can I use the headlines I like anywhere I want?
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The Single Subject Matter Preparation Program in Music
Course requirements for the Single Subject Matter Preparation Program, 66-67 units, in conjunction with the Professional Education Program, leads to a Single Subject Teaching Credential.
In most majors, candidates for this credential will normally fulfill the single subject matter preparation program by completing the appropriate education option in the major. Any exceptions to this procedure are noted at the end of this section. In addition to the single subject matter preparation program, completion of an additional professional education program is required to qualify for a California teaching credential. Professional education (credential) programs are available through the School of Education. For prerequisites and other admission requirements to professional education programs, see the Education chapter of this catalog.
Your departmental credential advisor is responsible for verifying that the subject matter preparation program has been completed. If you are interested in obtaining a teaching credential, confer with the appropriate credential advisor early in your University career. Department credential advisors can assist you in planning an educational program that meets both major and credential requirements.
Subject matter preparation requirements are governed by state legislative action and approval of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Requirements may change between catalogs. Please consult with your departmental credential advisor for current information.
The Preparation Program for the Single Subject Credential in Music is satisfied by completion of the BA in Music with the Option in Music Education, along with a professional education program.


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Antoun (Khouri) of Miami
His Grace the Right Reverend Bishop Antoun (Khouri) of Miami and the Southeast is a diocesan bishop of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
Early years
His Grace was born Antoun Yssa Khouri on January 17, 1931, in Damascus, Syria, the fourth of six children born to the late Wedad Elias Abraxia and Yssa Khouri. After completing his elementary education at the Orthodox School in Meedan, Syria, he entered the Minor Seminary at Balamand Monastery, near Tripoli, Lebanon, at the age of fourteen, where he met his lifelong friend, the future Metropolitan Philip (Saliba). At the Balamand Seminary he completed his junior and senior high school studies and then went on to receive his diploma in theology from the Balamand Theological Academy of Saint John of Damascus.
On October 28, 1951, he was ordained to the diaconate by His Beatitude, Alexander III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos in Damascus. While a deacon at the cathedral, he was instructor, then Dean of the Saint John of Damascus School. While in Damascus, he undertook undergraduate studies at the Assiyat Orthodox College from which he was graduated in 1957. In the same year he was assigned to the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Brazil, where he served at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Paul and as secretary to His Eminence, Metropolitan Ignatius (Forzley) of Sao Paolo.
Graduate education and priesthood
In 1959, Deacon Antoun arrived in United States for graduate theological studies at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary near New York City, from which he was graduated in 1962, having been ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1960, by His Eminence, Metropolitan Antony (Bashir), the Archbishop of New York and all North America. On August 3, 1969, he was elevated to the dignity of Archimandrite by His Eminence, Metropolitan Philip (Saliba), the current Primate of Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. As a priest he served the following pastorates: St. George Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; St. George Church in Toronto, Ontario; St. George Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania and St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York. From 1969 to 1977, he worked from the Archdiocesan chancery in Englewood, New Jersey, as personal aide to Metropolitan Philip.
The General Assembly of the Archdiocese of North America, consisting of clergy and lay delegates from parishes throughout the United States and Canada, nominated Archimandrite Antoun for the office of auxiliary bishop to the Metropolitan on August 1, 1981, and the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East elected him to that office at a session in Damascus, Syria, on November 4, 1982, as titular bishop of Selefkia. He was consecrated to the episcopacy on January 9, 1983, at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York, by Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) of North America; Archbishop Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo, the Auxiliary of the Archdiocese of North America; Archbishop Elias (Saliba), the superior of the Patriarchal Monastery of St. George (Tel-Kalakh, Syria); Bishop Paul (Bandaly), the Patriarchal Vicar (now Metropolitan of Akkar, Lebanon); and Bishop Antonio (Chedraoui), the Patriarchal Legate for the Diocese of Mexico and Central America.
By a decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate dated October 9, 2003, His Grace became a diocesan bishop bearing the title of Bishop of Miami and the Southeast. Bishop Antoun maintains his office and residence at the Archdiocesan Chancery in Englewood, New Jersey.
External links
- Bishop Antoun (Khouri) (official biography)
- Diocese of the Southeast (Archdiocese site)
Antoun (Khouri) of Miami | ||
Preceded by: ? |
Bishop of Selefkia 1981-2003 |
Succeeded by: ? |
Preceded by: — |
Bishop of Miami (Antiochian) 2003-present |
Succeeded by: — |
Categories > Organizations > Educational Institutions
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Categories > People
Categories > People > Clergy > Bishops
Categories > People > Clergy > Bishops > Bishops by century > 20th-21st-century bishops
Categories > People > Clergy > Bishops > Bishops by city > Bishops of Miami
Categories > People > Clergy > Bishops > Bishops by city > Bishops of Selefkia


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Morning news shows talk about it. We read about it in newspapers. We talk about it with "friends."
It is how to get in trouble using social media.
The electronic era has brought many changes in our ability to access information rapidly. We can get more information that we ever knew existed from sources so varied our heads spin. And, we get that information with just a few clicks on the keyboard. We now also have new challenges, including how to safely use social media.
The big gorilla is Facebook. It has something like 800 million active users. But there are other online social gathering places that are ripe for creating legal problems for users, too, like eharmony.com and other dating sites. Here are a couple of examples of what I mean.
LAWSUITS. Be careful about deleting stuff from Facebook if you are involved in a lawsuit. For example, a man sued the driver whose vehicle struck and killed his wife. Photos on the husband's Facebook page showed him in a T-shirt that said "I ♥ Hot Moms." The husband and his lawyer got in trouble for removing the pictures — and then lying about it.
DIVORCES. A person involved in a divorce proceeding had been posting on Facebook, eharmony and other social media about seeing other people. Not smart. The spouse, of course, asked for the other spouse's passwords to all social media. The judge ordered both sides to exchange that information.
REVEALING TOO MUCH. Last spring, I spoke to high school classes about how to use (and get in trouble by using) social media. Here are some of the things we talked about.
Unlike Las Vegas, what goes on Facebook and other social media sites stays there. Forever. Even if you "delete" it. Job applicants can be sure that prospective employers will go find you on Facebook.
I recently did not hire a bookkeeper applicant after checking her out on Facebook. She spent a lot of time playing a Las Vegas gambling game. Someone who played gambling games to handle my firm's money? No thanks. She never got a chance to convince me otherwise.
"Sexting" (teens exchanging pictures of each other in various stages of undress) seems harmless to teens and some parents. Young people have natural curiosity about what other people's body parts look like, BUT it is unlawful to possess pictures of nude minors. They may be considered to be child pornography! (Sometimes pictures are taken without the subjects' knowing they've been photographed.) The teenagers wanted to know whether they could get in trouble even if a nude picture of someone appeared on their phone without their asking for it. The answer is, technically, yes. And they could be in more trouble if they send it on, since that would be distribution of child pornography.
DON'T CHEAT. I saw a recent news story about an insurance company that denied a workers' compensation claim because of the pictures he put on Facebook, and another story about a woman whose injury claim died when the insurance company saw pictures of her on Facebook doing things she shouldn't have been able to do if she were really injured.
For better and for worse, the rules have changed; the world is a different place than it was a decade ago. It's up to us to learn how to be socially safe — and to teach others, as well.


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On Monday, Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts announced to viewers that she has been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood and bone marrow disease once known as preleukemia. Roberts, who beat breast cancer five years ago, will undergo chemotherapy and then receive a bone marrow transplant.
Roberts's sister, who is a match for the bone marrow procedure, has agreed to be the donor. Roberts said she and her doctors are confident she will beat the disease.
Roberts, 51, was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in April, on the same day that ABC's Good Morning America beat NBC's Today show in the ratings for the first time in almost 16 years. Then, a few weeks ago, during a procedure in which she was having bone marrow extracted for testing, she heard that she had landed the interview with President Obama in which he would publicly endorse gay marriage. "The combination of landing the biggest interview of my career and having a drill in my back reminds me that God only gives us what we can handle and that it helps to have a good sense of humor when we run smack into the absurdity of life," Roberts said.
Roberts plans to stay on-air during her treatment and will miss only a few days of work here and there. In a press statement, she writes:
I've been living with this diagnosis for awhile and will continue to anchor GMA. I love what I do and the people with whom I do it. Along with my faith, family and friends, all of you at ABC News give me the motivation and energy to face this challenge.
Watch Roberts's emotional announcement to viewers below:
(MORE: Cancer Advances: New Drugs and 'Smart Bombs' on the Horizon)
Here's what you need to know about the condition:
What is myelodysplastic syndrome?
Myelodysplastic syndromes include a group of diseases in which the bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells, according to the National Cancer Institute.
What causes it?
The disease is caused by poorly formed or dysfunctional blood cells. Normally, the bone marrow makes stem cells that develop into red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets. In myelodysplastic syndrome, the stem cells don't mature properly. The immature blood cells, or "blast cells," die in the bone marrow or soon after they enter the blood, and crowd out healthy cells in the marrow. With fewer healthy blood cells, infections, anemia and bleeding can occur.
Doctors separate myelodysplastic syndromes into two categories: myelodysplastic syndromes with no known cause and myelodysplastic syndromes caused by chemicals and radiation. The former is easier to treat.
Risk factors for myelodysplastic syndromes include:
- Being male or white
- Older age: most people with the disease are over age 60
- Past treatment with chemotherapy or radiation: Roberts said she contracted the disease through her breast cancer treatment
- Exposure to certain chemicals like tobacco smoke, pesticides and solvents
- Exposure to heavy metals, like mercury or lead
How is it treated?
Treatment for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes range from supportive care treatments that focus on relieving symptoms and improving quality of life to aggressive treatments designed to slow or prevent the disease from progressing.
Supportive care treatments can consist of blood transfusions, growth factor therapy to increase the number of red blood cells, and treatment with other drugs and antibiotics. Aggressive care usually involves chemotherapy or chemotherapy with a stem-cell transplant.
What is the prognosis?
The prognosis for myelodysplastic syndrome depends on several factors, such as whether the disease occurred after chemotherapy or radiation, whether one or more types of blood cells are affected, the number of blast cells in the bone marrow, specific changes in the chromosomes and the age of the patient
Roberts said her doctors insist that some of the scary statistics she found online don't apply to her since she is "younger and fitter than most people who confront the disease."
How common is it?
Myelodysplastic syndromes are diagnosed in slightly more than 10,000 people in the U.S. each year.


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Winter and colder temperatures are notorious for creating difficult driving conditions that can place strain on drivers and their vehicles. And as the temperature drops this winter, so will your gas mileage.
Colder temperatures mean cold oil, tires and cold air in the carburetor – all factors that reduce gas mileage. With higher prices lingering at the gas pumps, a few fuel-saving tips can help protect your miles per gallon (MPG) this winter.
*Warm your car up the right way
Many people believe the myth that you must warm your car up in the winter. The truth is that idling your car actually destroys your MPG and isn't necessary.
Modern cars don't require a warm-up, even when the temperatures drop below zero, according to AAA. Modern engines, those built since about 1990, have fuel injection systems rather than carburetors and need no more than 10 to 30 seconds to get oil moving through the engine properly.
Auto experts recommend driving moderately in cold weather to allow the engine and other systems to warm up slowly and reduce wear and tear. So even though many people choose to warm up their car in the winter for personal comfort or to defrost windows, idling a vehicle for more than even one minute is simply wasting gas.
*Get your car winter ready
From changing the oil to checking the tire pressure on a regular basis, improving your winter gas mileage is easier than you might think.
"Your vehicle's motor oil becomes thicker in colder temperatures, which adds stress to the engine," says Jim Rossbach, CHS director of technical services and quality. "Try a thinner grade of oil to keep your engine running smoothly in the colder months." Rossbach recommends using a high-performing synthetic oil like Cenex Maxtron, which is designed to perform well in low temperatures and improve fuel economy.
Proper tire inflation can also improve fuel economy by up to 3 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. It is important to check tire pressure several times throughout the winter when colder temperature can reduce tire pressure at a rate of one pound per square inch (PSI) for every 10 degrees change.
*Lighten the load
Extra weight from cargo or snow also reduces fuel efficiency. Cleaning out your car and clearing off heavy snow is an easy way to get better gas mileage.
In the past, carrying sandbags in the trunk was a common method for gaining more traction and helping rear-wheel drive cars perform better on snow and ice. Today, most cars are front-wheel drive with the engine over the front wheels, creating that same grip. Carrying extra weight does not add traction on snow and ice, but simply lowers your fuel economy.
For more gas-saving tips and to learn how you can nominate someone for a free tank of gas, visit www.tanksofthanks.com.


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Bond Girls: Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova
Italian model Daniela Bianchi stars as Tatiana Romanova in the second James Bond film, "From Russia with Love." Romanova is a loyal Soviet operative who thinks she's working for the Soviets in an operation designed to pass false information to MI6. It's her job to meet James Bond and play the role of a love struck defector. Bob Westal points out that her Italian accent was dubbed out of the film and replaced by the voice of English actress Barbara Jefford. The stunning Bianchi was Miss Rome and a Miss Universe semi-finalist but definitely pulls off the look of a Russian blonde beauty.
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Posted in: Celebrities, Entertainment, Movies
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The amenities at ART have been designed to provide the ideal urban getaway for residents and their guests. The lobby is reminiscent of a boutique gallery, featuring artifacts that recall the history of the site and represent the artistic endeavours of the community. The lighting will be dramatic and the honest functionality of materials will provide a welcoming space. The second floor contains everything you'll need to run a business from home or enjoy a private viewing of your favourite movie. The meeting room is fully-equipped and beautifully-designed for all your business needs.
The screening room is a twelve seat theatre for you to enjoy with a group of friends. In between the two is a business centre with photocopier. fax and scanner. ART truly is a live/work environment. Upstairs on the fifth floor. is a residents' lounge with fireplace. bar and kitchen facilities to entertain friends. From here there's direct access to an outdoor terrace.
a fabulous outdoor retreat that will feature a hot tub, fire pit, outdoor bar with barbeque and built-in banquettes, where you can sit and sip a cocktail underneath the starry sky. Also, on the fifth floor. a small gym, ideal for quiet morning or evening work-outs. Living at ART is about enjoying your home as much as you enjoy the neighbourhood. After all, it is art that makes life.
Designed by internationally renowned interior design firm 3rd Uncle, luxurious suite finishes include European contemporary kitchen cabinetry , stainless steel appliances, 9 foot concrete ceilings, a choice of pre-finished engineered hardwood flooring throughout, porcelain mosaic floor tiles in bathrooms with mirrored medicine cabinets, choice of Corian or Caesar Stone countertops in kitchen with undermount sink, framed aluminum sliding walls with bronzite and translucent tempered glass inserts, stacked washer and dryer, and island with movable bank of drawers.
Outdoor Jacuzzi | Outdoor Terrace with BBQ | Workout Facilities | Movie Screen Room | Concierge | Lounge | Fire Pit | Party Room with Kitchen Facilities
Approximately 9 foot concrete ceilings. Luxurious finishes include a choice of designer selected pre-finished engineered hardwood flooring in living/dining areas, kitchen, bedroom and den areas. Choice of porcelain mosaic floor tiles in bathroom with mirrored medicine cabinets and Caesar stone ledge. Contemporary solid core veneer slab kitchen cabinetry custom designed by internationally renowned interior design firm 3rd Uncle. Choice of Corian or Caesar Stone countertops in kitchen with undermount sink and Corian or while glass tile backsplash. Stainless steel appliances. Framed aluminum sliding walls with translucent tempered glass inserts.