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There may be a new music force rising from the alt music laboratory of Daniel Smith (Danielson). Christian musician Lauryn Peacock released her first cd Keep It Simple; Let the Sun Come Out last Friday and the clips we heard are pretty phenomenal. This swirling, piano-driven set of songs dig deep into living on this planet, as a believer and as a human being. The cd was co-produced by Daniel Smith and features Michael Weiss, Rick Mazzotta and Greg Jehanian of mewithoutYou, Dennison Witmer and Jonni Greth.
Since 1996, Lauryn Peacock been going to school off and on, playing more and more music, working in cafes, restaurants, being an administrative assistant, a tutor, guitar teacher, artist-in-residence – just living and working in Madison, Chicago, and Philadelphia. She had her first solo show on the staff stage for the Old Town School of Folk Music at the Chicago Folk and Roots Festival in what must have been the summer of 2007. In the Summer of 2008, she was driving around, playing a few shows (arts festivals and other venues), traveling with her eyes open for a place to land that was a change of pace and a good fit. Lauryn Peacock ended up feeling the most connected tp Philadelphia and engaging with a faith community that included some of the guys from mewithoutYou. She hopped on their tour bus once just to come along and hang out for a weekend tour and ended up playing keys for them for a few months on east coast shows that culminated in the record release show for It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright.
Interview With Christian Musician Lauryn Peacock
One21: Lauryn Peacock is new onto the scene. Tell us how about your journey to Keep It Simple:Let The Sun Come Out.
Lauryn Peacock: One of my most formative and inspiring experiences that really got me hooked on playing pop and rock music was a strange opportunity that arose where I got to do some piano work with Jeff Tweedy ( Wilco) two years in a row for these living room concerts for charity (must have been January of 2007 and 2008). It's funny, besides that experience, I can't in this moment remember how I started playing live with people. Those Tweedy concerts might have been some of the first times – I had played piano since I was three, taking a 12 year break at one point, and wrote my first song in 1998 – the year I taught myself to play guitar – but really, being around the community at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and being a part of those Tweedy concerts really birthed in me a desire to keep exploring music and playing live. Around that time, I started playing with other people, Jonni Greth being one of them, along with a few punk and rock bands… I also started writing a lot of songs.
This new cd is a culmination of everything I've written above – the experiences, the places, the bands: ones I've listened to, performed with, songs I've listened to, everything I've been absorbing – especially for the last five, maybe ten, years – all of that is in these songs, and I am excited for how it all came together; the process has been incredible, along with the people who contributed to it musically. I also had never officially met Daniel Smith before I had the opportunity to work with him; it was a serendipitous 'accident' that we were able to co-produce this album together. I had planned on cutting the album at another studio, but went with him, on recommendation, when scheduling wasn't working out there. His studio is at his family's home in New Jersey and just a really great place to cut an album. I'm not sure what to say except that I can't picture this whole experience being anything other than exactly how it was, down to all the details and even every note we recorded in that studio. I approached this project with much intentionality, and Daniel definitely was right there in the process with me.
One21:When we first met your were performing under the terrific name Pauw. Why the change?
Lauryn Peacock:The project has gone through some changes since we last spoke – good ones. I am now releasing the album under my own name, which was actually a little foreign to me, being used to the name Pauw, but I can see that it was a great idea and appropriate, given that I write all the material, most all of the arrangements, and am the band's most constant member (though I've been playing consistently with a great group of people here in Philly). I still call that band Pauw, which is Flemish for Peacock.
Background on Pauw: a composer friend of mine who also lived at an Artist Studios building that I lived in in Chicago told me, over coffee on the roof deck one morning with roof that we just got fixed by professionals you can find here, that the word 'Pauw' was Flemish for Peacock and that he thought he needed to tell me that it would be a great stage name for me. I really liked the idea and used it for several years, as I was just starting to play out. It was a great fit for a while, and I still love that I can use it for the band. I was the musician/artist in residence at a monastic community in another neighborhood in Chicago during that time, and they hardly called me Lauryn at all, they called me Pauw, which was strange for me at first, but something I got used to, so there's a lot of history in that name.
I feel I've made a transition in my life and with my music and the name change marks that. While not everything I sing is autobiographical by any means, the emotions of the songs are tied very directly to my life and experience. I feel that honesty and bravery are important in the art we present, in being willing to say the risky things and stand behind them. I felt this is tied to stepping out and using my own name, especially in regard this this new record. I went with the change at the nudging of some friends, but I was already asking the question for a reason. This record needed to not be released under a band name, but under my own. It was a very personal process for me and I feel it changed me from the inside out, in many ways, or at least gave me a brand new perspective on what I do. The recording of this record was the first time I really gave myself permission to do what I loved and to throw everything I had into doing it. I've never felt so satisfied in the process of doing something as I did recording and co-producing this album; it made me feel like I was inching closer to something I could only call vocation.
One21:How would you describe your sound? What artists influenced you?
Lauryn Peacock:I have spent a lot of time listening to a lot of 60s songwriters: the Zombies, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, and I hope to capture some of their style even in the slightest, but really most of the influence of other artists has been subconscious, or at least not intentional. I have listened to a good bit of Indie music in general, also: Gillian Welch, Damien Jurado, and Jeff Tweedy, the Velvet Underground, Nico. People recently have told me they hear Regina Spektor or some Joanna Newsom in the sound.
One21:Have we heard you on any other recordings or is this your first time out in the digital world of music?
Lauryn Peacock:This is nearly my first time! I sing with Jonni Greth on the 7 inch split he did with Bill Tucker, entitled Little Jesus, which we did in October of 2007.
One21:Tell us about the record.
Lauryn Peacock:The motivation for the record is that it was simply time. Time to put it down and get it out there. The right people came along to help me do it (some really good friends) and it just felt like the right time. I don't feel the record has an overall theme, but there is much imagery related to the sunshine, kind of as a marker of universal human experience in time. I would say that most of the songs deal with the emotional landscape we all experience in one way or another during our time on earth. I tried to authentically capture my experience and what I see in the lives of others. "Divorce" for example is a fictional song, but contains sentiments and moods which I think most of us have felt as some time or another. "I'll Be Wearing Gray" is a lullaby I wrote about two lovers meeting in death, but also as an allegory or conversational prayer, more being sung over me than me singing it. The outtro to "Between the Sunshine", when it talks about the Still Point, is a T.S. Eliot reference from his poem 'Burnt Norton' and is an idea that I have used in my poetry for many years. Eliot's Still Point is a Christ allegory, the axis on which the world or the universe spins, a place out of time. The lyric in my song goes 'Driving shiftless forward through the still point, stuck between the sunshine and a song.'
I chose the title 'Keep It Simple Let the Sun Come Out' as the title for the record because it is the positive side of the mirror of the emotions covered on the album – I wanted the focus to be there, as there are plenty of melancholy moments, lyrically and musically. " Monument", the last song on the album also has a line 'And I know that I've never been forgotten and the sunshine is no different this time' – It was important to me to end on that note. I actually wrote that song in the process of recording, as an outtro to the album, just marking the new season on which I felt myself embarking. I say many things through the course of the songs on the record, cover a lot of my human experience and what I observe in the world. That last track is my way of (hopefully) bringing focus back where it should be, while still remaining open and raw about what experiencing life on earth is like, to me.
One21:It is pretty impressive to have your debut produced by Daniel Smith and to have Jonni Greth and the guys from mewithoutYou play on the record. How did you assemble this cast of music heavyweights?
Lauryn Peacock:Haha. Most of them were my friends. And they believed in me, and the songs, and for that I am eternally grateful. They also happen to be some of my favorite players.
I actually was scheduled at another studio (a friend of Daniel's) who ran into some scheduling difficulties and offered to introduce me to Daniel. So really I met Daniel by accident, through a set of circumstances over which I had very little control. And even that was a huge blessing. I had so much fun putting all this together with him and being able to lean on his expertise and all the experience he has. Plus he's just fun to work with. And artistically it was just what the album needed. It would have been great either way, but this was truly special, the way it worked out!
One21:What are your expectations for Keep It Simple;Let The Sun Come Out?
Lauryn Peacock:I don't really have expectations. I try to be really careful about that. But I do have a hope: that if people could benefit from this music being in the world, that they would find it. I find some comfort, myself, in some of these songs (the reason some of them came to be in the first place), and I know a few others do too, so if the music can be a benefit in that way, then I feel like I've done something that matters.
One21 : Do you have plans to tour? When and what will the show look like?
Lauryn Peacock:I definitely have plans to tour. I'd love to go now! But I am finishing a master's degree at UPenn. I may be able to start touring in the Spring, but no specific plans yet. I go back and forth about what the show would look like. I could see it being really simple: me, a background vocalist and maybe a drummer. I also think about how fun it would be to have enough people to realize the full sound on the record. I especially love the cello parts we came up with. It's fun both ways – I love doing house shows and presenting the songs in a simpler form, and I love the big shows where we can really make waves with the music.
One21:What is the best thing about making music?
Lauryn Peacock:I just love it. Pure and simple. I can't explain how I feel about it, especially playing the piano, it's just a part of me. Guitar too, and I think I need to sing. It's just something, like dancing, that I have to do. So, the best thing is the music itself, especially working with others and seeing things come together, or collaborating to find new arrangements and sounds.
One21:How does your faith influence you musically and lyrically?
Lauryn Peacock:My faith influences my life, so it is infused in everything. I let myself live it honestly. I am in constant conversation with God, and I think God is not afraid of my being human, so I consider it all holy, every bit of struggle, my walking out what life on earth was meant to be – and God has everything to do with that. I hope my lyrics reflect that accurately. And the music comes from a deep place in me. That also has everything to do with my life with God.
One21:How do you think the general public and the mainstream music industry view faith based music?
Lauryn Peacock:Honestly, I try not to think about it. Or maybe I don't really know what faith-based music means. I think about certain artists I know, who are "mainstream" who get away with highly Christian lyrics in their music: I say they "get away with it", because I used to think mainstream music left little room for faith. Now I think it is quite the opposite. I think what people want is something authentic, especially my generation. We want something real. If it's not real, we can tell, so if you are singing about faith in a real way, most people don't really think twice, they just feel affected by the reality of the experience being shared. If I am talking authentically about my experience in the world, something is going to resonate with people, people who are conscious of having faith or not. I don't concern myself about being in a category or how another category would respond to me. I see us all in one category of art (hopefully authentic art).
One21:What responsibility do you think you have, as an artist/performer, to your listeners?
Lauryn Peacock:To share something authentic, something of value. I owe to them that I be honest to myself and what I really want to make. I have faith that that then translates into something that may be of use in a more universal sense. I also have a responsibility to be me.
One21:What is your best memory of your career so far?
Lauryn Peacock:I would say playing keys for mewithoutYou's record release show at the Trocadero in Philadelphia for their last album It's All Crazy, It's All False, It's All a Dream, It's All Right or having a strange opportunity, two years in a row, to play piano for Jeff Tweedy for these living room concerts for charity he did near Chicago. I hope to add one more favorite experience: my own record release show I have coming up this Friday (10/28) in Philadelphia. It's not about big names, just being able to play on music I really care about.
One21:What do you love about music?
Lauryn Peacock:I love melodies. I love the way they communicate without words, how it all communicates without words. I also just love to play it.
One21:What is your favorite song?
Lauryn Peacock:This year: 'Love Minus Zero / No Limit' by Bob Dylan, and 'Care of Cell 44′ by the Zombies
One21:What is the best live show you have ever seen?
Lauryn Peacock: Gillian Welch, joined by David Rawlings on guitar of course, at Union Transfer in Philadelphia. Both of them have their own unique, and equally powerful musical genius about them.
One21:What is one thing people don't understand about your music?
Lauryn Peacock:Let's wait and see, Ha. I'm not sure. They can take it as they like. But maybe it might not be obvious that everything that sounds happy might not be happy and everything that sounds sad might not be sad.
Go now to buy Keep It Simple; Let the Sun Come Out . It is a terrific recording that will definitely make it onto our "Best of 2011″ list.


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Horrible news from the MGNOC rally in Minnesota: Dozens of bikes (including the entire Guzzi factory demo fleet) were washed over or away this past weekend. From the WildGuzzi website, it appears everyone came out alive, but plenty of bikes, including antiques in a trailer that wound up in a tree) are seriously damaged. Roads and bridges are impassable.
Here is a link, scroll down for awful pictures...
Ray Hull

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All daytime TV talk shows have started their new seasons. And after about six weeks off from watching any of them, I've woken up to something I hadn't thought about before: They're all for chicks, man.
I've spent several hours already with The Dr. Oz Show and I've learned about what heart attack symptoms I should be looking for if I'm a woman and how to keep my downstairs lady parts in good health. I've also learned about how my purse is full of germs.
It's like they just put Oprah's entire audience on a shuttle bus and dropped them off down the block at Dr. Oz's place. And because Dr. Oz knew they were coming he just fixed up his content to suit them. I mean, I guess it suits me too because I've been watching Oprah and Martha and Ellen and Tyra and whoever else all this time without thinking much about the way none of them were really aimed at me. I just felt kind of smarter knowing all that stuff about menopause. And now, thanks to Tyra's "period panties" show last week, I also know all about tampon applicators and who needs which kind.
All you female readers should really be thanking me for this, I think, because it's my natural curiosity about every little thing -- including the burning topic of why aren't you wearing the right size bra -- that keeps me looking at these programs. I don't have much typical gay diva worship living inside me, so it's not that. I just want to watch when Oprah yells at Gayle about whether it's okay or not to tell teenage girls about the joy of clitoral stimulation with vibrators. That was a good episode for any gender to enjoy, come to think.
Ultimately, I suppose that working at home writing about female-aimed TV stuff sort of means I'm automatically not a real man, but then I think about prisons and auto repair places. You know what those mechanics and murderers are looking at on their coffee break? The View. You know why? Because that's all there is on TV at that time of day. That and Dora The Explorer.
So I've been looking for some balance. Some brute masculinity sprinkled on top of Joy Behar's giant red hair. But I can't even conceptualize what daytime TV for guys would look like if they even had it. I suppose I could go figure out how to give a shit about sports and watch ESPN all day. But is that all there is to being male and looking at TV? It can't be. I'd like to think that medical terror and true-crime cold case shows count. I check out plenty of those. As I recently wrote, Monsters Inside Me, the gross, sensationalistic educational program about parasites that live in your brain or colon, is currently must-see TV in my house, but it's somewhat gender-neutral I suppose. Parasites don't seem to live within those roles. They live on Addicted to Beauty.
That leaves Cops and Glenn Beck. Cops airs at like 4am on my local station, and TiVo picks it up and I watch it between reruns of The Mighty Boosh and Whatever, Martha! It just started its 20-somethingth season and I love it now as much as I did when it began. Obviously, men in uniforms make me pay attention. It goes against all my punk rock upbringing, but I can't help it. I respond to that. And guns. I like guns and violence. They're better than Project Runway any day. And I love Project Runway.
They started out kind of tame-ish this new season. An ownership dispute over a pug with really adorable cataracts was the main focus of the most recent episode. No one got crazy besides the lady in the Confederate flag t-shirt who'd dog-napped the animal thinking it was her long lost "daughter" that her husband had given her when her fallopian tubes were removed. It was just more sad than anything. The pug made some snorty noises.
Which brings me to Glenn Beck. He's full of angry white male rage, so I think he's all the balance I need. Yeah, I'm a convert. I mean, not to his insane political opinions. But to his roly-poly preacher/grifter/huckster comedy routine. Seriously, if you can stomach the bullshit, watch him. Just this week alone I learned from Glenn Beck that there are mystery czars working for Obama who think "animals should be able to have lawyers and sue you!" That's a quote. I like the idea of that pug suing Fox for showing his face without him being able to sign a release form.
Then Beck busted some lunatic ACORN employee for speaking encouragingly to a couple of people who were posing as a prostitute and a pimp. On hidden camera, they told the ACORN lady that they wanted to open a brothel for underage girls from El Salvador, ages 12 to 15, and keep them safe for turning tricks. The out-of-her-gourd ACORN lady was like, "Oh really?" and "Heidi Fleiss is my hero!" Then Beck gets to wring his hands and puff out his cheeks and shake his fists and his pasty white baby face gets all red and he's intoning OH THE HUMANITY while calling the ACORN lady " a kindred spirit in hookerosity." There's not much you can't love about that. Meanwhile ACORN says she was edited to make it sound like she said things she didn't. Not that I really care. It's right-wing insanity piled on top of left-wing insanity piled on top of ho-cakes. Served to me on my couch. Then he called Jimmy Carter crazy because Carter says Obama haters are racists. Beck accused Carter of using fear... Best of all, Beck once called Obama a racist. In other words, it's a wheel of entertainment that never stops rolling.
And you can even watch Beck's commercials now that they're not all boring national ads. This week I learned of the existence of the Hoveround rolling chair, the zebra-striped Snuggie, Robert Wagner for reverse mortgages and the Egg Genie. It's a lot of fresh information to process. Now I feel like my Tyra Banks menstruation tutorial has a yang to its yin.
And you thought I was going to spend a thousand words talking about the Whitney Houston interview, didn't you?


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|Cynthia Tily <firstname.lastname@example.com> (by way of Histonet)
Works great for corneas,too! ----- Original Message ----- From: Morken, Tim <email@example.com> To: 'Histonet' <firstname.lastname@example.com> Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 7:47 AM Subject: What day is this? RE: GI biopsies > I had to look at my calender to make sure it's not April! > > Maybe we can have a Best of the Histonet for most unusual procedures. This > one is number one so far! > > Tim Morken > Atlanta > > -----Original Message----- > From: Rhonda Rogers [mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com] > Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 9:37 PM > To: HistoNet; Carpenter, Judith A. > Subject: Re: GI biopsies > > > Hi Jude, > > For many years (imaybe 15 - 20 years or longer) the laboratory I worked in > made cucumber pads for the endoscopy suites to use to orient the GI > biopsies. I know this may sound strange, but it really works great. > Improper orientation of the biopsies as we embedded was eliminated. > > Explaining to new endoscopy nurses exactly how the pads were made or > requisitioning a dozen cucumbers from the cafeteria or having a tour group > come through the lab while we were peeling and chopping cucumbers caused > some very humorous situations over the years. Usually, while trying to look > very serious and having difficulty holding in the laughter, I answered the > cafeteria staff's questions with, "Don't ask me what I am going to do with > 12 cucumbers in the laboratory. I am very sure that if I told you, would > not want to know. Believe me; we are not making a salad." > > At any rate, the procedure is simple. > (1) Peel the cucumber (thinly, being careful not to leave any of the dark > green skin). Slice the cucumber in fourths and remove the seeded part in > the center. > (2) Slice the cucumber into sticks (sort of like French fries) and then > slice into little rectangles. The object is to create pieces of cucumber > that measure approximately 6x6x2 cm or a little larger or smaller according > to your needs. (Too thin and they break up; too thick and they are too > crowded in the cassette; too small and the biopsy can be too large for the > pad.) > (3) Place the sliced and diced cucumber pads in a container and dehydrate > in 70% EtOH overnight, then 95% EtOH for the next two overnights, followed > by two overnights 100% EtOH. Store in 100%. > > We kept the main supply in the laboratory and gave small cups of "GI Biopsy > Pads" to the endoscopy rooms as needed. The nurses teased each biopsy off > the biopsy forceps and onto the pad with the mucosa facing up and dropped > the biopsy on the pad into the fixative. (We used Hollande's fixative.) > The pads were slightly dry when the biopsy was placed on it. The tissue > rarely, if ever, failed to stick to the pad. We never noticed artifacts > caused from the alcohol the pads were stored in. Once we had a dry tissue > artifact that was caused by a very slow, nervous nurse, but with a little > additional training and experience she improved. > > In the lab, the biopsies (remaining stuck to the pads) were counted, > measured, described, wrapped in biopsy paper, and processed. When we were > ready to embed, we gently removed the biopsy from the pad and turned the > biopsy 90 degrees to embed on edge. On very rare occasions, the biopsy > could not be removed from the cucumber, but that was not a problem because > the pad could be embedded along with the biopsy still on it, if necessary. > The cucumber cuts like a breeze with no problems and does not interfere with > the biopsy. > > Before using the cucumber pads, we tried various ideas including filter > paper and some sort of mesh used in surgery (the name was gel-something, I > don't remember the exact name). The biopsies were difficult to remove from > both, the gel-something was scratchy to cut, and the filter paper dried out > the biopsy. The cucumber pads were perfect. > > This may seem time consuming, but it is very easy to do once you get the > hang of slicing and dicing the pads. Every three or four months, we would > cut several thousand of the little pads. The satisfaction of a properly > embedded biopsy was well worth the time we spent manufacturing the pads. As > we worked cutting the pads, we always joked about leaving histotechnology > and going into the cucumber pad business. We were positive we would end up > as millionaires! > > Do give the cucumbers a try. I hope you will like them. > > Rhonda > Institute for Molecular Medicine and Genetics > Medical College of Georgia > Augusta, GA > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Carpenter, Judith A. <email@example.com> > To: 'NSH' <email@example.com> > Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 8:27 AM > Subject: GI biopsies > > > > Hi folks- > > Can anyone relay to me what their GI (Endoscopy) clinics use (if they do > > use some medium) > > to orient their small mucosal biopsies ? > > If it a commercially produced medium please include the product/company > > information. > > Have a warm weekend (avoid Vermont). > > Thanks- > > Jude > > Jude Carpenter,BS, HTL(ASCP) > > Chief Technologist/Surgical Pathology/Histology/Autopsy > > FAHC/MCHV Campus > > 111 Colchester Ave. > > Burlington, VT 05401 > > (802)847-5116 > > FAX : (802)847-3509 > > firstname.lastname@example.com > > > > > > > >


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Feb 2014 Journal
Letters to the Editor
Sir - I was very interested to read Peter Phillips's 'Anglo-Jewry vs Continental Jewry: Time Heals' in your last issue, although I don't share his opinion that the 'so-called animosity' is over.
His article did, however, make me smile when he summed up 'Was Anglo-Jewry welcoming to Continental Jewry? No. Was Continental Jewry arrogant towards Anglo-Jewry? Yes.'
My mother-in-law came from a very German middle-class, secular background only to discover, on her arrival in the UK as a political refugee in 1938, that she was looked down on by the Anglo-Jewish community. She never felt part of their 'elite club', always feeling like
Sir – So Peter Phillips agrees with me about the prejudice of English Jews regarding refugees from Germany. But he rather spoils it by ending his article stating that now, after many years, 'we are all British Jews, living together in comparative harmony. Time heals.'
What rubbish! First of all his statement that we all live 'in comparative harmony' - either we live in harmony or we don't! And as for his view that 'time heals' - I assume he means the Kinder. It's fast becoming an academic matter for the last of us and it won't be long before we have disappeared through the ravages of time – healed or not healed.
Sir - Might I suggest that Peter Phillips looks back at how German Jewry received the Ostjuden - like my own parents - who came to Germany after the First World War, without money or other worldly goods, in order to escape the anti-Semitism rampant in Poland and to create a better future for their children.
They certainly were not received with open arms, nor was help given to them by the long-established Jewish community, who professed to be Germans of Jewish persuasion. The Ostjuden managed to make their own way in life by working hard to create homes for their families and they made sure their children received the education which had been denied to them. They became good citizens, paid their taxes, and obeyed the laws of the land.
When, after my father's deportation to Poland in October 1938, my elder sister attempted to get us onto a Kindertransport, she was told in no uncertain terms 'We have to look after our own (German-Jewish) children first' - something she has never forgotten. Incidentally, my father too was drafted into the Austrian-Hungarian army during the First World War – but, unlike Peter Phillips's father, he was not presented with a silver beaker by his regiment.
In this instance, Hitler made sure there was 'no time to heal'.
Sir - The service in Hope Square on 1 December to commemorate the Kindertransport, all the children who did not get this chance and perished, and all the parents who were murdered, was a truly memorable event. My heartfelt thanks to the AJR and World Jewish Relief for organising it.
Some very moving and powerful words were expressed, especially by the Chief Rabbi and the organisers themselves. The speech by Communities and Local Government Minister Eric Pickles, read out by Henry Grunwald as the Minister was ill, was also moving.
I feel strongly that unless we learn from the tragedy of the massive loss incurred by the Holocaust to treat minorities justly today, those murdered millions will have died in vain.
Sir - Come on, Anthony Grenville ('The Home Office and the Kindertransport Parents', January)! Stop white-washing the British government over the failure to save the lives of parents of not just Kindertransport refugees but also of all other refugee children permitted entry.
Of course it was the declaration of war that put an end to the ability to get the parents out of Germany, Austria, etc, but anybody who wasn't swept up in the fever of 'peace in our time' with worthless pieces of paper knew perfectly well that sooner or later - and likely sooner - there would be a war with Hitler. Churchill for starters knew this perfectly well even if the UK in March 1938 was not ready to fight a war. Yes, there was bureaucracy from the Nazis but the British Sir Humphreys were the prime contributors to what my late mother and many other refugee children had to live with for the rest of their lives.
Sadly, it is no different today, with what we are told is a war-fatigued USA under Obama's leadership failing to stand up to Iran's nuclear machinations - never mind the countless more Syrian and Lebanese citizens who will be killed in the next few years as a result.
Sir - The reason I was prompted to write was Ruth Barnett's review of the play Kindertransport in your January issue. As chair of Newcastle's Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE), I discovered through a colleague that Kenton Academy, a local state school, has the play on the AS syllabus.
I offered to go in to talk to them as a second-generation AJR member and as I know the play quite well. I also shared my mother's story: she came from Berlin to Newcastle around the time of the Kindertransport, though she was fortunate enough to have a sister here who could vouch for her.
It delights me that such a powerful play is on the AS English literature syllabus. The questions were intelligent and incisive. It also prompts me to ask how many other schools in the country are studying the text and how we could find out.
Incidentally, the school is hoping to take its students to see a performance of the play. Typically, the nearest venue is Derby - the North East is so often forgotten.
Sir – I arrived in England on a Kindertransport in 1939 aged 13. My father was deported to Auschwitz in 1942. I didn't return to Vienna until 1953. In 1954 I took my two daughters there to visit my maternal grandmother. Subsequently we went to Austria on skiing/summer holidays but not back to Vienna until last year. When the Austrians elected Waldheim as their president I decided never to set foot in the country again.
I am a great admirer of Rachel Whiteread's sculptures and followed her long battle with the Austrian government over the acceptance of her Holocaust memorial. In 2000, after five years, the government finally agreed to its erection on Judenplatz in the Inner City! This was one of the reasons why I went to Vienna: I was very moved by the thoughtful simplicity and appropriateness of the design.
My youngest daughter, a historian, wanted to see where I came from, so I agreed to return to Vienna with her for a five-day visit last July. We were unanimous that we had no wish ever to go back there again.
Sir - A German friend (non-Jewish) in Munich sent me the following from Deutschland Funk: 'Montag 2 Dezember 9.05, Kalenderblatt Vor 75 Jahren: Der erste Kindertransport zur Rettung jüdischer Kinder trifft in Großbritannien ein' (Monday, 2 December, 9.05, Calendar Page 75 Years Ago: The First Kindertransport for the Rescue of Jewish Children Arrives in Great Britain). Admittedly it's only a five-minute slot, nevertheless ….
Sir - Anthony Grenville's historical perspective on the workings of the British press (December 2013) surpasses even his customary excellence and has acquainted me - no babe-in-arms! - with skulduggery of which I had barely an inkling. I suppose trying to get this marvellous piece of journalism published in the national press might be too naïve?
The brief history of the Miliband family as refugees from the Nazis reminded me of the Guardian's reaction to the Daily Mail's attack in September 2013 on Ralph Miliband. Within a couple of days the big, bad Guardian published a long, closely reasoned accord with Ed Miliband's anger, followed a few days later by similarly sympathetic comments on David Miliband's defence of his father.
A member of the AJR whose staple newspaper diet is the Daily Mail read my letter on the subject of press bias in the last AJR Journal and announced that she had no idea what that letter was about. No wonder the press can get away with murder!
Sir - Does Marc Schatzberger (December, Letters) really believe that The Guardian is still the most objective newspaper in this country? The fact that he has read it since it was called The Manchester Guardian is hardly evidence! Together with its sister paper, The Observer, it is the most anti-Israel newspaper of all and its views are very biased to the left. There is no doubt that whistleblower Edward Snowden is a traitor and it is typical of the Guardian to take up his nasty cause.
As for Mr Schatzberger's attack on the Education Secretary, Michael Gove, whom he calls 'inept', has he looked at the worldwide 'education' league tables, printed recently, that show Britain near the bottom? Mr Gove is trying to restore our curriculum to what it was when we had O-Levels - when children weren't given a triple choice of answers and didn't have modules which parents could do for them. He wants to concentrate on the 3 Rs and return our standards to what they were when we had grammar schools and an educational system of which we were proud. Is Mr Gove 'inept' because the Guardian said so?
Professor Leslie Baruch Brent too considers the Guardian the 'leading paper of the world for its investigative journalism'. As a scientist, surely he needs proof for a statement such as this? Or perhaps his evidence is that the Guardian printed Snowden's secrets irrespective of the fact that it jeopardised our country? This is not investigative journalism - it is irresponsible journalism. Perhaps if someone as irresponsible as Edward Snowden had given the Guardian information about Bletchley Park during the Second World War it would have printed that too!
If the Professor abhors the Murdoch press and hates the Daily Mail - which I do too - may I suggest he tries the Daily Telegraph. It may have a right-wing bias but it does not lean to the right as far as the Guardian leans to the left. And most important, the Telegraph is unbiased about Israel.
Sir - I am writing in response to Kay Sharpe's letter (January) to say how surprised I was that she believes 'probably few others in the UK know about [the Stolpersteine] project.' Not only have my children and I, as well as numerous friends of ours, known about the above for several years but we have participated in it, as has my partner, Dr Frank Beck.
Last April, my son and daughter attended a communal commemoration service outside the apartment block in Vienna's 3rd District from which my late husband's family were deported. There was an address (in three languages) by the Israeli ambassador as well as by local non-Jewish dignitaries. Similar ceremonies have taken place all over Vienna and are continuing, as Kay Sharpe is now aware. I should also mention that much of the funding for this work has come from non-Jewish sources, as we found out from talks at the Austrian Cultural Centre in London, where we met some of these dedicated fundraisers.
Furthermore, ever since June 2009 Frank has been involved in the translation into English of the leaflets which are periodically produced about the Stolpersteine project. This was after he had arranged for a plaque to be laid in the 9th District for his father, who was murdered in Auschwitz.
Sir - An avid reader of your excellent magazine, I was delighted to see in the 'Art Notes' in your November issue an article about the National Gallery exhibition 'Facing the Modern: The Portrait in Vienna 1960'. The exhibition included a painting - Young Rabbi from N. - by Isidor Kaufmann - which was reproduced in your magazine.
Isidor Kaufmann was my grandfather. He was a very well-known painter of Jewish subjects, very much recognised in the art world. A retrospective exhibition of his works was held by the city of Vienna in April 1995 to which I and my nearest family were invited. Five of his paintings are also part of a current exhibition at the Israel Museum, and the Jewish Museum in New York too has some of his paintings. I possess a portfolio in which the afore-mentioned painting in London is included.
Sir – We all knew it was only a matter of time. The attendance figures dropped, the expenses remained, the cost of continuing on that basis made the project too expensive to run – the Day Centre had to close. Now, it is more important than ever to remain optimistic and think positively. As I write, we are entering the New Year full of hope.
The Day Centre is closed – long live Amélie House!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at the AJR for having done an excellent job of running the Centre for many years and for now working with Jewish Care to continue to provide a social setting where we can enjoy activities, entertainment and good food.
Sir - I must compliment everyone responsible for the wonderful lunch and entertainment at the All-London Chanukah Party at Alyth Gardens on 17 December. Special thanks to Hazel Beiny, Esther Rinkoff and all the team of volunteers. A great success!
Sir – I refer to the letter by Carmel Page and Sue Pearson in your December issue.
A number of certificates were issued to the Jewish Agency in Berlin's Meineckestrasse. These were intended for young people of 18 and upwards. Most, if not, all of these individuals were single but each certificate included the wife if the individual concerned was married. Thus the Jewish Agency insisted that each person receiving its certificate should be married so that in this way two people could enter (the then) Palestine instead of one, doubling the number of immigrants.
I suppose that once in Palestine many of the couples divorced but the object was achieved.
Sir - Your correspondent George Klein (January) describes an escape from Budapest to Haifa by river. A similar adventure, albeit with a tragic end, is described by the late Fanny Stang in her book Fräulein Doktor.
Fanny relates how her parents, the Knesbachs, took a boat from Vienna down the Danube when all other escape routes were closed. They were eventually trapped by winter ice somewhere in the Balkans and the Nazis finally caught up with them, with the inevitable consequence.
During their long and miserable ordeal, they were able to send the occasional letter to their daughter in England and she quotes these in her touching descriptions. The Knesbachs mention that they chose that particular boat because the alternative one, though cheaper, promised less comfort. In the event, the other boat made it all the way to Israel.


text:
Tomorrow (later today, actually) I'll be heading down to the studio, in drag. I wanted to take a few minutes, before the show, to talk about the process of making this happen and why it's unlikely to happen again (I think you'll agree I've got good reasons). That said, this is a positive post – because the process has been educational and that's something that I tend to enjoy.
First, I'm probably not going to be very attractive (but I'm sure someone out there will certainly disagree). I'm a big guy and it was difficult to find clothes that fit, so this won't be any sort of slinky, sexy number…because my body just won't do that.
We had difficulty finding a dress in my size that didn't cost a fortune. We ended up settling on the Urban Nomad versatile skirt from Earthbound Trading Company. It's actually a pretty cool item and I think I can safely recommend it. Beth got one as well and mine won't be going to waste as I already have a good friend who would like mine after the show is over. (It's late, so I'm not linking all of these items…Google is your friend).
I wear a 48R suit jacket and we had one hell of a time finding any bra that would actually fit. We settled for a cheap 52DD bra from Walmart that we're going to stuff with socks and other things to give me the breasts I'll need to hold up the dress. We also grabbed a plus-sized camisole, which will give me a layered look. The bra and camisole probably won't find a home, so I'll box them up for future costume events that are less extravagant.
We picked up cheap jewelry at the mall, but I only had one of my ears pierced. I didn't want to take too many shortcuts, so we went ahead and got the other one pierced as well. (Actually, we re-pierced the one that had previously been pierced, as it had partially closed up.) I actually like wearing the earrings, so that will probably stick around.
Shoes just weren't going to happen. Any shoes in my size were a ridiculous expense for what is, most likely, a one-time event. We settled on some cheap, but stylish, orange flip-flops and Beth hot-glued some sunflowers on them.
Saturday morning, I went to the nail salon for a full manicure, pedicure and eyebrow waxing. No, I'm not joking. I now have gorgeous red fingernails and toenails – and much less bushy, though still far-too-dark eyebrows.
This evening, we attempted to use a Nair-like product to remove hair from my legs and upper body. Absolutely no hair was removed by this cheap, dollar-store knock-off. So…as it was late, out came the clippers that I use to trim my head and beard and off came the body hair. This was followed by a couples shaving session that, I'm pretty sure, strengthened our relationship.
We didn't remove all of my body hair, though – which prompted Beth to point out that having hair from my nipples to mid-thigh gives the impression that I'm wearing a girdle of hair.
Later today, I'll get dressed, put on my wig, drive to a friend's house for the final make-up and then down to the studio.
I'll spend some time tomorrow talking about what I learned, but the past few weeks have been very informative. I have a great deal more respect for what women and drag queens and people with gender-identity issues have to go through – and I'm not just talking about the shaving and shopping (when nothing fits). More on that tomorrow.
Now for the reason this probably won't happen again: it's expensive.
I'm extremely grateful to everyone who donated to Camp Quest and I'll do almost anything for a great cause. I'm proud of our team, I'm proud of PZ, I'm proud of Camp Quest and I'm very proud of everyone who helped send kids to camp…but the money I spent on nails, makeup, outfits and other expenses will, in the future, simply be donated directly to Camp Quest (or whichever organization I'm raising money for).
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I did this and I think the money was well spent for what I learned – but I'll try to come up with cheaper incentives in the future, and just donate money directly to the charity involved.
And now, on with the show…


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I need help with 2d arrays strings and classes. I've read through lots of tutorials including the one at this site and i dont get them. Please I need help.:confused:
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I need help with 2d arrays strings and classes. I've read through lots of tutorials including the one at this site and i dont get them. Please I need help.:confused:
i need help on just classes
What exactly don't you understand?
why are they used for
Classes are used for grouping data and the related operations that work with that data. By creating a variable of a class, you have a single object which can manipulate its own set of unique data in the program and nothing else can look at or use that data without the object's permission.
this is a chapter from a book
its all about classes
its easy, and full of examples, hope it ll help u
strings are confusing partly because of the variety of strings available. Are you trying to use an array of null terminated char array or an array of strings that are in themselves instances of some string class, like the string class in STL, or the CString class in VC++, or the TString class in BCB, or a user defined string class or whatever?
If you are using instances of a string class like this (uses STL string class)
string names[2];
then there may well be a number of methods and operators associated with the class. For example the assignment operator is overloaded for the STL string class allowing you to do this:
names[0] = "me";
names[1] = "you";
Each string class has it's own set of methods and operators so you can't assume that they are all alike, eventhough the string classes provided by the major compiler vendors are very similar, if not the same as, the STL string class.
(As a side note, if you are using the STL string class, I would also suggest you use the STL vector class rather than a primitive array, assuming you are "allowed" to do so.)
If, as I suspect, you are trying to use null terminated char arrays as the strings then you have a different problem. The first problem is to decide how you want to declare the structure you plan to use. All of the following can be used to declare an array of this type of string
char example1[][];
char * example2[];
char ** example3;
As with all arrays, the []s above all need to have a constant (variable or literal) listed within them. Likewise the *s all represent pointers.
In example1, the leftmost [] will indicate how many strings, and the rightmost will indicate what the maximum size of a given string can be to be "valid". (The maximum possible number of visible char of the string is one less than the value in the right most []).
Therefore you could do this:
char example1[2][10];
or this:
const maxNumber = 2;
const maxSize = 10;
char example1[maxNumber][maxSize];
Either way you get an array of two strings. The two strings can be referred to individually as example1[0] and example1[1]. The maximum possible size of each string is only 9 visible char, with the last char of the string being a null char.
Since the strings weren't initialzed above, you can assign a string to the two strings in example1. To do so you need to use strcpy(), like this::
//copy a string into example1[0];
strcpy(example1[0], "you");
strcpy(example1[1], example1[0]);
cout << example1[0] << " and " << exmaple1[1] << endl;
Remember to include string.h or cstring header file, depending on your compiler, as that/they are the file(s) that contain strcpy().
If you wanted to initialize the strings in example1 you would need to something like this:
char example1[2][10] = {"me", "you"};
To use example3 you would do something like this:
int num = 2;
int size = 10;
char ** example3;
example3 = new char * [num];
for(int i = 0; i < num; i++)
example3[i] = new char[size];
Assuming I haven't screwed anything up, you can assign C_style strings to example3 using strcpy() like you did with example1.


text:
Konica Magicolor 1600w Toner Set 4 Compatible High Yield
|Part Number(s)
|Page Yield
|Black 2500|Cyan 2500|Magenta 2500|Yellow 2500
|Cost per Page
|Compatible with
|Konica Minolta Magicolor 1600w, 1650en, 1680mf, 1690mf
|Shelf Life
|24-36 months
|Storage Temperature
|We recommend to store this product between 0 and 100°F
|Our products are covered by a 1 year warranty against defects, 30 days unconditional money back guarantee and free no hassle returns.
This set contains four color compatible cartridges: Black A0V301F; Cyan A0V30HF; Magenta A0V30CF and Yellow A0V306F that have been designed to produce crisp text and bright images, these High Yield Konica 1600w cartridges outperform any standard toner because they allow you to print twice as much pages. The black and color cartridges can print up to 2,500 pages each, lowering the cost per page to approximately 1.16¢.
If you are looking to save money without compromising the quality of the printed pages, a four color pack is the perfect choice since it will save you $20 compared to buying these cartridges separately. These cartridges are very easy to set up, and in case you don't need to replace the four cartridges at once, keep in mind that they can be stored for up to 36 months at a room temperature between 0 and 100°F, ideally in a low humidity environment.
The Konica A0V301F A0V30HF A0V30CF A0V306F toner cartridges set is guaranteed to work in the following printers: Konica Minolta Magicolor 1600w, 1650en, 1680mf, 1690mf.
Our compatible toner cartridges have been manufactured in compliance with the highest performance standards (ISO 9001, RoHS, ISO 14001 and TÜVRheinland). They are covered by a 1 year warranty against defects, 30 days unconditional money back guarantee and free no hassle returns. For more information check our warranty and returns policy.


text:
It's a beautiful and intricate design. It is small enough to act as an accent to a page without overpowering the overall design. I recommend that you test on piece of scrap paper to make sure that you don't over ink, but otherwise it's great.
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text:
Copy of Turkish Crimean Medal (Sardinian issue), engraved to Pvt. J. Marlin, c. 1860
Obverse, a laurel wreath around the cipher of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Reverse, a cannon and mortar left and right before four standards of Crimean Allies, Italian flag to the front
Copy of Turkish Crimean Medal (Sardinian issue), 1860
The readiness of Great Britain and France, and also Sardinia whose contribution is often forgotten, to aid the Ottoman Empire in the Crimean War, was recognised by Sultan Abdul Mejid I with the issue of a medal for all the troops of all nations involved, struck to a slightly different design for each country.
The majority of the medals for British troops were however lost with their ship during carriage to Britain in 1860, and so British troops often obtained themselves copies of the Sardinian or sometimes the French issue instead. This example is a fine imitation of the Sardinian issue, with the Sardinian standard given pride of place in the field.
It is engraved to Private J. Marlin of the 4th King's Own Regiment. Lester Watson acquired the medal at some point before 1928.


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i hope your kidding on the tofu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For fresh fruits and vegetables, we will have a Farmer's Market on-site. Stay tuned for more details.
I like bananas 'cause they ain't got bones!
2004 R1150R Rockster & 2005 F650GS
If no one has said so, let me say THANK YOU! on behalf of us all who like to be well fed. I know yours is not an easy task.
I received some good news last week. The German food vendor known as The German Corner is coming to Bloomsburg! My understanding is that they have vended at our rallies in Ohio, Wisconsin and Tennessee.
I have positive confirmation from around 20 of my 25 food vendors and will be making more calls this week to get a firm answer from the remaining few.
I like bananas 'cause they ain't got bones!
2004 R1150R Rockster & 2005 F650GS
Jeff has done an outstanding job with the food vendors! Thank you, thank you, Jeff!!
Well..it's just been announced by the MOA BOD that the critically acclaimed TV chef Bobby Flay has 'Thrown Down' the Gauntlet by taking part in this years Rally with his show...
..he will be challenging the various vendors to their specialties and the fun part will be the Rally participants will be the judges..
Again we want to thank the MOA BOD in their 'outside the box' thinking with this one!!
Now I'm going to have to go find the OODA loop on my bike.


text:
CHARLOTTE—Amid rumors that Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are dating, Stenhouse wouldn't go into details Thursday about his relationship with the soon-to-be-divorced Patrick.
Stenhouse, meeting with the media Thursday during the Sprint Media Tour, was asked directly about rumors and reports on various celebrity websites that the two Sprint Cup rookies are dating.
"I don't like to talk too much about my personal life," Stenhouse said. "This week is about … our season that we're looking ahead to."
MORE: Danica divorce | Danica's personal life | Danica-Ricky rookie battle
GALLERY: NASCAR Wives and Girlfriends
Both Stenhouse and Patrick were rookies in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2010 and have raced together in that series the past three years. They developed a friendship, often sharing racing information and chatting at the track.
"We've got a great relationship," Stenhouse said. "Obviously that started when she first came into the sport. We were both going to rookie meetings. It's been cool to work with her in the Nationwide Series.
"I felt like she could come to me for advice with the experience that I've had."
Their growing relationship has led to rumors and reports that the two may be more than friends, particularly with Patrick recently filing for divorce from her husband.
The National Enquirer and ShowBizSpy.com both recently ran stories about Patrick's divorce and her relationship with Stenhouse.
Patrick, a former IndyCar star who has become a worldwide celebrity thanks to her success on the track and her racy commercials for sponsor Go Daddy, wasn't asked specifically about the reports Monday but did say that she would not talk about the details of her personal life. She filed for divorce from her husband, Paul Hospenthal, in January and is looking to end her seven-year marriage.
Stenhouse, 25, is single.
When asked earlier this week if she had a rivalry with Stenhouse, the 30-year-old Patrick said "we're good friends."
Both Stenhouse and Patrick were among a group of NASCAR drivers who recently went to a Professional Bull Riders event in Winston-Salem, N.C., further sparking the rumors.
"A group of us went to the PBR," Stenhouse said. "Obviously she was in town this week for media week. So there was a big group of us that went and hung out at the rodeo. It was a lot of fun. I think that was her first rodeo ever or PBR bull riding.
"It's cool. Learning new things is fun. … Obviously it was a different experience for her."
Both Patrick and Stenhouse struggled in their first year of Nationwide Series racing in 2010. Stenhouse went on to win the series championship in 2011 and 2012 while Patrick, who made the move from full-time IndyCar to full-time NASCAR in 2011, finished 10th last season.
"When she first came into the sport, obviously she is very outgoing and wants to learn as much as she can," Stenhouse said. "I felt like our backgrounds were somewhat similar coming from light racecars, open-wheel race cars.
"… I've given her as much advice as I can."
Stenhouse said even though they are friends, he wouldn't race her any differently as they compete for 2012 Sprint Cup rookie honors.
"We're going for rookie of the year," Stenhouse said. "People always say, 'I'll wreck my mom to win.' That's a racer's mentality. You go out and you want every spot on the racetrack.
"I want to win rookie of the year just as bad as she does."
Patrick said Monday that she doesn't see their rivalry on the track changing their relationship.
"That's really interesting," she said. "Both of us are running for rookie of the year and both of us want that. I don't see any reason why it would change.
"He was always very generous with information about how to drive the Nationwide car, certain tips. … We're good friends. It's not really a rivalry."


text:
Dear all,
I have recently found a hole in the way I work. Currently I rarely get involved with the content, and as such content writing for the web has never been as important, with search engines outsmarting us by the day.
I am concerned on how you'd be able to get a content writer to write up the content of a website? What's the normal method. Do we simply get all their printed material, interview the clients and ask them what they do and how they hope to do it? A web designer is like an architect to a house, were as a content writer is like a painter and decorator. Not sure about you, but most people (female people) prefer to decorate their own house as not to give the control away.
The big issue with a client writing their own content is that they will miss important SEO benefits, as well as ensuring it's properly written for the web.
I would like to here people's thoughts on this matter, and hopefully I can full this hole in the way I work out.
To start with, content isn't paint or decoration. If you are selling it like it is, you are doing it wrong. Content is like the engine of a vehicle. Sure the body looks nice, the seats are comfortable, but without an engine that car ain't going nowhere.
Second, it isn't search engines that are outsmarting web developers. It is domain owners and SEO "specialists" who continually try to second guess and outsmart the search engines.
Scottiemack summed it up perfectly in his Golden Post.
Stop thinking about writing things for your website. Start thinking of the people who will be interested in the overall niche that your website is a part of.
You can add to that, "Stop thinking about search engines and start thinking about your clients' businesses and their customers."
As long as you look at content as window dressing, you will not be able to sell it as the important part of a website... the most important part of a website. Before there was Web Design, SEO, and anything more than html, there was content. It's what built the web and what built early web businesses and that hasn't changed.
Find out your client's goals for his website. Learn about his business -- what he sells and what his customers are buying. That's a start to writing good content. Forget about keywords either long-tailed or short. Forget about building backlinks. If the content is there, the search engines will find it and so will the customers.
Finally, it isn't so important even that it is properly written for the web as it is important that content is properly written to represent the business, help keep their old customers informed, and help your clients generate new business.
Your question highlights the TIGHTROPE experienced and competent copywriters have to walk--writing for search engines WHILE making sure flesh and blood human readers' needs are met.
First, you have to tell your content writer WHO will be reading the materials. Normally, I ask for demographic information and samples of competing or related sites that target the subject audience. I study these other sites' word choice, voice, tone, and editorial slant. I also pay attention to how the text is spaced out and how it flows. What is the value proposition? How is it presented? What is the pacing? Where is the Call to Action?
Second, I ask my client if he/she just wants to mirror the competition's copywriting strategies or do we want to stand apart from the competition. Certain niches reward an iconoclastic or quirky approach. Others reward conformity. If we are going to strike out on our own path, I adopt a persona that fits the content I've been assigned. The persona must COMPLEMENT the content instead of acting as a distraction. It must flow from the BRAND the client is trying to establish.
Third, I cluster the keywords assigned to me and I find keyword themes. I look for topical relationships with the keywords and produce THEMATIC clusters. However, I review them to make sure they are narrow enough to contain each section of the site. Of course, keywords should have low to moderate competition but pull decent traffic (this is not always doable).
Fourth, I brainstorm to find a DRAMATIC or ATTENTION-GRABBING angle within the thematic clusters and create my keyword-targeted page by page outline. I send it to the client for review.
Fifth, Once I get the green light, I outline each page: Intro, Main Body, and Conclusion. Each part must work with the persona adopted to help BRAND the site the article will be published on.
Sixth, I make sure the intro does its job - gets the reader excited about the value proposition. I then make sure the main body is well-supported by reasonable appeals to the reader's needs and the value being offered is actually appeling. Finally, I make sure the conclusion summarizes the main body's value proposition while getting the reader ready for the Call to Action.
Walk with your content writer through the process above to ensure optimal results. Remember, every WORD that goes on your client's site must BRAND the site. There is NO ROOM FOR MISTAKES.
i usually asked a possible contractor to write me a sample piece first. give them the data in bulletpoints to see what they can do
I want to know how to work with a content writer to write up the client's websites. I sure hate waiting for content from the client. There must be a point where client's must provide feedback on what they wish to have on their website. I have a couple of clients now that provide no feedback what-so-ever and it's a little hard doing anything with them.
I know the importance of content on a website, but how can we sell content to clients, and what do we have to do from our part to make sure everything goes smoothly.
What I think you really want is a way to ensure timely approval and the payment that follows and I completely understand that! Here's what I do:
File ApprovalFeedback to delivered files is crucial to meeting your project requirements on time.You agree to return feedback, either a request for a revision or an acceptance for each deliveredpage in a timely manner. I will respond to revision and change requests no later than 48 hours(two business days) of receiving your request.If you do not respond to a delivery, I will email one notice with the subject heading, "Feedbackrequired: (File Name)". Failure to return prompt feedback to this notice indicates your approval ofthe file as delivered.
Then I divide each project (depending on the scope) into stages. I don't begin the second stage until the first is completed.
I have divided this project into X stages. I estimate completion of your project within xx to xxbusiness days depending on prompt feedback and payment per stage. Each phase of this projectwill begin within xx hours of the conclusion of the stage preceding it.
@Shyflower; this is a great way to do this, I do something similar but not quite as well
When you hire writers, be sure to draw out what/how you want your content to be. You can set up the number of words, the keywords to use, keyword density, and even the placing of the keywords (e.g. put keyword in the 1st and last paragraph).
Just be sure to remind your writer to be as natural as possible and to avoid over optimization. When you get your articles, you can have a quick scan or review.
Yes, that's exactly how to work with your web content writer/s. Be very specific in your instructions so planning on your part is also very important.
Thanks backlinksrocksta ! I'm glad we're on the same page.
SEO based content writing is not that difficult. let the writer to write the content then you modify it for seo purpose.
This forum isn't the Content for search engines forum. Please be sure to read the forum announcement and the forum guidelines sticky marked IMPORTANT! before you continue posting. SEO posts in this forum are generally deleted and penalized.
I work with content writers often, I've been lucky that I have three of them (long story) and I gotten know them and they have gotten to know me and the business so all is good. I always have a meeting at the beginning for all projects (even if I know the content writer) and I go through our thoughts, goals, examples of stuff we liked, time frames and if they are new run them through a part of our induction program..... we then discuss the points.
This takes a little time but open and honest up front I've never had major problems and the little problems there has been has been because some one wasn't clear with a communication somewhere.
But I guess that advice works nearly anywhere.
CLEAR communication, stated multiple times, in multiple place, in multiple different ways........time consuming yes but less time consuming than clean up after a full blown mega nasty collapsing break down........:D
Taking a journalistic approach with content development just like colossal has suggested is what we do. Get your content writers to create natural content that would be magazine or newspaper quality, with a UNIQUE content angle that is interesting to the end reader. You can always edit to fit a particular search engine profile if you need to for seo, but it's hard to go the other way.
The big issue with a client writing their own content is that they will miss important SEO benefits, as well as ensuring it's properly written for the web.
It is true, but you can give them advice in your post requirements, and that you will not post their content without it.
So glad to hear that you are putting emphasis on the quality of your web content! One thing I disagree with, however, is your analogy comparing a designer to the architect and the content writer to the decorator. If anything, it would be the graphic designer who makes things pretty.
However, content writers do contribute to the visual appeal of a website but that is just one of many things. In fact, great web content also contributes to the architecture by laying down user friendly (owner guided) navigational paths. It contributes to the SEO of a website. It contributes to the overall brand engagement and that is why it is [I]very [I] important to get involved- as you say.
It is also important to work with a writer who "gets it." There are so many web content writers out there today who are great at following instructions, but the kind you need to work with are the writers who can give YOU advice on how to improve the overall value of your website. Those who have a firm knowledge of writing copy that converts, content that optimizes, words that engage... the full package. Quality writers like this aren't found for $5/page, but the return on investment is measured in results.
Also, working with a writer who offers "the full package" you don't have to worry about filling in gaps between content writing and SEO.<snip>


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Easy Pop Bass Lines
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(Play the Bass Lines of 20 Pop and Rock Songs). By Various. For bass guitar. Bass Method. Softcover with CD. 59 pages. Published by Hal Leonard
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Keeping Track of Snowbirds in the 2010 CensusWednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Here's an important case study from the Detroit Free Press in Michigan about counting "snowbirds" in the 2010 Census (Click HERE for full piece):
Tips on how to fill out the residency information on 2010 census forms.
That's the message from officials with state and local governments and area agencies on aging, who are trying to educate snowbirds about the importance of making sure they are counted as Michigan residents when census forms are delivered to households in late February and March.
Lt. Gov. John Cherry, who is heading the state's census count effort, said the state estimates about 200,000 snowbirds were missed or not counted as Michigan residents in the 2000 census. He said the uncounted snowbirds contributed to the state's loss of a seat in Congress and about $2 billion in federal funds over this decade.
Population counts also affect federal dollars that come to the state for hospitals, schools, senior centers, public works projects and emergency services.
"We have a better understanding of what Michigan will lose," said Paul Bridgewater of the Detroit Area Agency on Aging. "That's why we're working harder this year to minimize the loss of the past."
Billions in funding relies on snowbirds
Rosanne and William Bowker are among the metro Detroiters preparing to leave Michigan's cold, snowy winter for Florida's warm sun.
The Royal Oak couple became snowbirds about four years ago after William retired from Chrysler. The 65-year-olds plan to leave after Christmas for their Ft. Myers campground — complete with its own mailbox — for the next four months.
In past snowbird seasons, their neighbors collected their mail and their daughter sent it to them in Florida. But this season, they are having their mail forwarded by the Post Office.
That means they won't get the 2010 census form that should hit their Michigan mailbox in March. Census forms are not forwarded by the post office because they are based on the residence, not the person, said Kim Hunter, a census bureau media specialist in Detroit.
Rosanne Bowker admitted she never thought about the census form. But after learning that an estimated 200,000 Michigan snowbirds were missed or not counted in the 2000 census, costing the state a congressional seat and about $2 billion in federal funds, she wants to be counted as a resident of her home state.
"I didn't realize how important it was," she said.
State, local and Area Agency on Aging officials said it's critical that Michigan have an accurate tally of its population in the decennial count to receive federal dollars that are directly tied to population and to maintain political influence in Washington on issues such as the auto industry, health care reform and the Great Lakes.
Kenneth Darga, state demographer, said Michigan lost a congressional seat in the 2000 census by just 50,000 people.
"If a portion of our 200,000" snowbirds "would have been counted, we wouldn't have lost that seat," he said.


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Hi there. I recently purchased FarCry3 (PC Game). When I try and play FarCry3 I get repeatedly forced out of the game, and brought back to the windows desktop with the following Zonealarm message...
ZoneAlarm Browser Security has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
This happens even if I turn Web Security off, or if I use the Game Mode (with Web Security on or off).
This only seems to happen with I launch FarCry3... and has not happened with any other application/game that I use.
This is the info from the About section.
ZoneAlarm Extreme Security version: 11.0.000.054
Vsmon version: 11.0.000.054
Driver version: 11.0.000.054
Antivirus engine version: 184.108.40.206
Antivirus signature DAT file version: 1113023840
AntiSpam version: 22.214.171.12471
ZoneAlarm Browser Security: 1.5.393.22
ZoneAlarm ForceField Spyware Scanner: 220.127.116.11
The problem that occurs produces the pop-up's (and expanded bits when u click - see more...) as linked below...
Any suggestions?


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Hello Friends,
Please let me about gray hat seo techniques. :(
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Hello Friends,
Please let me about gray hat seo techniques. :(
Gray hat SEO is a Search Engine Optimization strategies that fall in between White Hat SEO & Black Hat SEO. Gray hat SEO techniques can be legitimate in some cases & illegitimate in others. Such techniques include Doorway Pages, Gateway Pages, Cloaking & duplicate content etc.
Grey hat seo means a SEO Techniques which follows the search engine guideline & rules partially.
Gray hat tactics is in between black and white. It includes such techniques as duplicate content, cloaking, paid links, automated social media etc. This technique is more hazardous than white hat SEO, but unlike black hat it has less chances to be banned by search engines.
Gray hat seo techniques is something that lies in between white hat and black hat techniques. Yet it is more risky than white hat technique.
Some of the gray hat examples are:
Having higher keyword density.
Duplication of content at different websites.
Less relevant link building.
Paid links, etc.
It is actually an ill-defined technique and does not fully support the guidelines of search engine.
Pupils are generally thought that Gray hat SEO is the mixture of Black hat SEO And White Hat SEO, But From My point of view There is only one hat called White hat SEO or say natural way of generating back links for a website. Because after the Google penguin update we need to do work with relevancy and quality. Avoid any black hat or unwanted techniques for generating quick results.
Gray hat SEO walks the line between the white and black hats of search engine optimization.Itis SEO techniques that take more risks than white hat SEO.but if we follow gray hat your site will not banned from search engines
Each whitehat become grayhat if you don't follow search engines' guideline completely. So be updated to avoid grayhat.
Gray Hat SEO is nothing........... its just another form of black-hat seo.
Gray hat SEO is SEO techniques that take more risks than white hat SEO techniques but aren't likely to get your site banned from search engines. They're questionable SEO techniques but not in the same category as black hat SEO techniques.
Yes i agree with him that if you want to be a white hat SEO, then you should have to foolow all the guideline.
Having higher keyword density.
Duplication of content at different websites.
Less relevant link building.
Paid links, etc.
Submitting duplicate content on High PR websites is one of the grey hat SEO technique. Using grey hat SEO only gets your website penalize not gets banned by search engine.
Gray hat SEO technique is the combination of white and black hat SEO technique. Different gray hat methods are there. use of this technique you can penalize but its less chance to get debar by the search engine. Its advisable to use white hat SEO technique rather than gray or black hat SEO.


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How long doe it take monetary policy to have an effect on the economy?
Businesses and consumers do not normally change their spending plans immediately upon an interest rate change. Businesses must reevaluate, make new decisions and order reductions or expansions in production and expenditures. This means that months pass before spending is affected. Monetary policy typically has a short policy lag (the time it takes to create and implement policy) and a long expenditure lag (the time it takes businesses and consumers to adjust to the new interest rates). The total lag time is usually 9-12 months and varies a good bit. Thus when the Federal Reserve changes interest rates, their decisions will affect economic conditions in approximately a year from the time of the change.
Fiscal policy (changing taxes and government spending) also has a significant lag time. It typically has a long policy lag (the time it takes Congress to approve a tax or spending change) and a short expenditure lag (the time it takes consumers to experience the tax changes and government to change spending). The combined lags may be anywhere from one to almost five years.


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Rock-A-My SaxEric Osterling - Hal Leonard Corporation
Rock-A-My SaxEric Osterling - Hal Leonard Corporation
Based on the spiritual Rock-a-My Soul, your saxophone soloist or section will shine in this fun gospel-style feature. The medium swing style feels so natural, you'll want to sing along. �This will be a great motivator for your young players and a favorite with the parents!
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From bricks-and-mortar failure to online success
John Allen and Mitch Fraser know what it's like to fail. Three years ago, their entrepreneurial dreams were dashed and they almost walked away from what has now become successful home loan comparison site, Tomorrow Finance.
Allen, 28 and Fraser, 29, learnt a hard lesson after investing a combined $80,000 into a business that they thought would disrupt the home loan industry.
Tomorrow Finance works in a similar way to a mortgage broker. But while mortgage brokers often receive trailing commissions (which they receive for the life of the loan), Fraser and Allen negotiate one-off fees with the banks. Because the banks don't have to pay ongoing fees for the life of the loan, Allen says this results in a cheaper home loan for consumers.
Taking the plunge
The pair had so much faith in their new idea, they plunged headfirst into the business at the end of 2009 and spent the next four months negotiating arrangements with banks. Allen quit a job at professional services firm PwC and moved back home with his mum. Fraser scaled back his own web development business in order to focus on the new venture.
Allen says: "We fitted out a store in Castle Towers shopping centre in Sydney because we thought it would be good to be in the mortgage belt. We spent so much on the fit-out that people were coming up to Castle Towers just to check out what the store looked like, not because they wanted to do business with us."
Armed with blind optimism and a big dose of enthusiasm, they opened their doors in March 2010. However, optimism and enthusiasm don't count for much if no one actually walks into your store. Allen says: "We moved into the store on a Sunday night, opened on the Monday, then by Tuesday we were totally flat. We knew the numbers we needed for our venture to work and it was quite far off the mark. We hoped that crowds from Thursday late night shopping would save us, but they didn't eventuate.
"We realised that people aren't in the right frame of mind to talk about home loans when they walk into a shopping centre. They're there to buy groceries and sweaters."
A tough realisation
Fraser says that by the end of the first week, they knew the business was in trouble. "We just knew it wasn't working. So we'd sit around the shop brainstorming what we could do next."
Fortunately, the pair had only signed a temporary five-week lease, with an option to renew. Needless to say, they didn't renew but had to make the most of the rest of their lease. "We bought a whole bunch of pull-up signs to put on the shopfront," says Fraser. "And we hired marketing girls to hand out chocolates … I had never bought so many chocolates in my life."
While the signs and chocolates drove some customers into the store, this still wasn't enough. Allen says: "I think that centre management took pity on us and even gave us a second store upstairs because they could see how hard we were working."
Their disruptive business model didn't win them any fans either. "A woman barged into the stop and started yelling at me," says Fraser. "It turns out she was a mortgage broker and maybe she was a bit threatened by what we were doing."
Admitting defeat
At the end of the five weeks, knowing their shop was not sustainable, the pair packed up their fancy fit-out, licked their wounds and tried to figure out what to do next. Fraser says: "In hindsight, we should never have done it. But we learnt a lot from it."
Working out of Fraser's apartment, they spent the next two months turning their bricks-and-mortar idea into an online portal.
By mid-2010, they launched the first version of the new Tomorrow Finance website, which had morphed into a comparison site for home loans. Using the site, consumers express interest in particular loans and request to be contacted by a bank representative.
However, Allen and Fraser had to sink more money into the business, mainly to spend on marketing strategies such as Google AdWords. Allen says that in the competitive home loan market, one click can cost $5.
The problem was that they had sunk all their savings into the failed shop, so had to borrow about $100,000 from friends and family.
At this stage, blind faith and occasional income from consulting work enabled them to live and eat. As Fraser had the skills to build the website, thanks to a computer science degree, they didn't have to fork out extra cash for a web developer.
Slow progress
Although the website generated more leads than the store in Castle Towers, the volume still wasn't where it needed to be in order for the business to work. This was made doubly hard because they are not paid any fees until a home loan reaches settlement. It's a process that can take months.
"It was a really tough period and we had to work out whether we made the right choice and determine whether we actually had a business," says Fraser. "I had sleepless nights. There's a lot of stress in running your business, especially when you're not taking a salary."
Allen adds: "I was always thinking about the business and worrying about it. It was quite stressful and it was tiring constantly trying to put on a brave face.
"I remember sitting at the pub with Mitch. We had used a lot of our marketing budget and had to figure out what to do next. We had a heart-to-heart conversation about the business and it didn't look very positive at the time."
That difficult conversation took place on a Tuesday. In true fairytale style, two days later, the partners got a phone call that changed everything. By Friday, Channel 7's Today Tonight broadcast a segment about the business, hailing the duo as "planning to take over the home loans provider market in Australia".
A lifeline
"That was a huge turning point in the business," says Fraser. "We were walking on air. We had 500 per cent more leads in just the first 30 minutes of the show going to air than we had all year."
And the leads kept on coming. After the initial spike in leads, Fraser says that traffic to the site never decreased to pre-Today Tonight levels. "We were absolutely stoked. It was the most amazing night."
In fact, the partners had to work through the night for several days – living on caffeine and pizza – as they had to manually process all the leads in order to direct enquiries to the right bankers (a process that has since been automated).
"After that, we started getting excited about the business and spending more money to market it," says Fraser.
Improving the business
Buoyed by the incident, they also paid more attention to tweaking the site via strategies such as A/B split-testing landing pages and different elements of the site.
"We make minor changes to the site to see which ones work best," says Fraser. "One that blew my mind was finding out that people are significantly more likely to click a green button than a red button, even if the rest of the site is the same. We saw a 20 per cent increase in leads just because our button was green. We were stunned. So now all our buttons are green!"
With business on the right track, Allen no longer lives with his mum, and the pair paid off all loans and recouped their investment in the business by mid-2011. At that time, they were also able to pay themselves a salary. Now, there are fewer sleepless nights and lower levels of stress.
Allen and Fraser say they are now reinvesting profits into the business. Fraser says: "I'd love to really disrupt what is a stale industry. I want to take a huge chunk out of the home loan market. Looking back, it's really good we both stuck at it and kept fighting – it would have been really easy to give up."
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He was born March 15, 1959 in California to Edward and Frankie Walker Faulkner. Charles attended the Russellville First Assembly of God.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Sharron Kay Austin. Survivors include one son, Damon Faulkner of California; two daughters and one son in-law, Charlsie and Stephen Harris of Missouri, and Cricket Bowen of Missouri; three brothers and two sister in-laws, William Martin Faulkner, Edward and Sue Faulkner, Danny and Tracy Faulkner; one brother in-law Bobby Austin all of Pottsville; one step sister, Debbie Bowden of Russellville; eight grandchildren and 15 nieces and nephews; and we can't forget our long lost brother, Oscar.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 2 to 3 p.m. Arrangements are under the direction of Broussard Funeral Home of Russellville. The online obituary and guestbook are available at www.broussardfuneral.com.


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Although I cannot even begin to have the same command of sewing machine history as some of you out there (my historical interest has hitherto been in everything from musical instruments to architecture, design, society, music etc.) - I thought that my first individual post should be about something, which doesn't show up every day.
I just saw this old sewing machine on a Danish classifieds page, a Theodor Kjølbye (I have neither heard of the name nor the factory before), that to me looks like a Husqvarna Freja and some of the contemporary German high-arm machines with a touch more schwung. I would have wished for some close-ups, but the sellers probably didn't expect the pictures to end up on a specialist American forum ..


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Boomer not running into sunset yet
Winning it all would make it easier for Wells to walk away
By Jesse Sanchez / MLB.com
Wells anticipates a good start, which could lead to a happy ending.
"I'm not getting any younger," Wells, 42, said. "I'm feeling pretty good right now, but I hope we can just win the whole thing and I can run off into the sunset and say goodbye."
If retirement is what he is seeking, the left-hander has history and experience on his side. The 18-year veteran is 10-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 25 postseason appearances with four different clubs. He is 5-1 with a 3.10 ERA in seven starts lifetime in Division Series, and the Red Sox are the defending World Series champions.
Wells also loves pitching in playoffs.
"We play hard all year long to get to this point, and I think this is where you can shine," he said. "You can make a name for yourself, and you can set the tone. There are a whole lot of things that you can do in this situation. You just can't be afraid. I think that's the bottom line."
Wells has no fear and he doesn't do anything in a small way. He's a big man -- 6-foot-3 and listed at 248 pounds -- who takes pride in being a big-game pitcher. That's a good thing if you are the Red Sox.
"I think to be a big-game pitcher, you have to, first of all, be a good pitcher," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "Boomer is a good pitcher and the stage doesn't affect him at all. He's done it enough that I think he really enjoys it, and he's really good.
"At this point in his career, I think some of the aches and pains go away because of the situation, which can only help."
Wells knows the White Sox well. The left-hander went 0-0 with a 4.05 ERA in 6 2/3 innings against the South Siders this season and is 8-8 with a 4.58 ERA against them for his career. He also spent an injury-plagued season with Chicago in 2001, going 5-7 with a 4.47 ERA in 16 starts.
Wells still counts Chicago center fielder Aaron Rowand and first baseman Paul Konerko among his friends, but he says he will have no problem pitching against them.
"They're my opponents, and I've got to go out there and pitch my game and try to put a stop to them," Wells said. "They've got a good team. I pitched against them earlier this year and they hit me pretty good. I have to be better than I was last time. I don't really look into facing former teams. You've got to face somebody regardless of who they are. Hopefully it all works out."
It worked out well for Wells in Boston this season. He went 15-7 with a 4.45 ERA in 30 starts, and ranked among American League leaders in walks per nine innings, winning percentage, wins and complete games. Wells won at least 10 games and reached the 180-plus innings mark for the fourth consecutive season, and reached the 30-start plateau for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
Wells ended the season with three wins in a row -- not bad for a pitcher with a history of back and knee problems.
"There's always going to be some health issues," Francona said. "He's got some creaky joints. If we had to ask him to run a marathon tomorrow, I wouldn't feel too good. We're asking him to pitch, and because of that, I really feel good."
Wells admits he has pondered retirement before, in large part because of his injuries, and hinted the matter could come up again. He hopes the next time he considers leaving the game, he will do so with his third World Series championship. Wells won a World Series ring in 1992 with Toronto and in 1998 with the Yankees.
"It would make my decisions a lot easier," the veteran said. "I mean, it would be an easy exit, but like I said, I'm not going to jump the gun now. I want to win it first. So when I do, then it will be an easy decision for me."
Jesse Sanchez is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.