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An interview with Ian Roulstone & John Norbury, co-authors of Invisible in the Storm: The Role of Mathematics in Understanding WeatherWhat inspired you to get into this field?
Every day millions of clouds form, grow, and move above us, blown by the restless winds of our ever-changing atmosphere. Sometimes they bring rain and sometimes they bring snow -- nearly always in an erratic, non-recurring way. Why should we ever be able to forecast weather three days or a week ahead? How can we possibly forecast climate ten years or more in the future? The secret behind successful forecasting involves a judicious mix of big weather-satellite data, information technology, and meteorology. What inspired us was that mathematics turns out to be crucial to bringing it all together.
Why did you write this book?
Many books describe various types of weather for a general audience. Other books describe the physical science of forecasting for more specialist audiences. But no-one has explained, for a general readership, the ideas behind the successful algorithms of the latest weather and climate apps running on today's supercomputers. Our book describes the achievements and the challenges of modern weather and climate prediction.
There's quite a lot about the history and personalities involved in the development of weather forecasting in your book; why did you consider this aspect important?
When reviewing the historical development of weather science over the past three centuries, we found the role of individuals ploughing their own furrow to be at least as important as that of big government organisations. And those pioneers ranged from essentially self-taught, and often very lonely individuals, to charming and successful prodigies. Is there a lesson here for future research organisation?
Weather forecasts are pretty good for the next day or two, but not infallible: can we hope for significant improvements in forecasting over the next few years?
The successful forecasts of weather events such as the landfall of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey in October 2012, and the St Jude Day storm over southern England in October 2013, both giving nearly a week's warning of the oncoming disaster, give a taste of what is possible. Bigger computers, more satellites and radar observations, and even cleverer algorithms will separate the predictable weather from the unpredictable gust or individual thunderstorm. Further improvements will rely not only on advanced technology, but also, as we explain in our book, on capturing the natural variability of weather using mathematics.
But isn't weather chaotic?
Wind, warmth and rain are all part of weather. But the very winds are themselves tumbling weather about. This feedback of cause and effect, where the "effects help cause the causes," has its origins in both the winds and the rain. Clouds are carried by the wind, and rainfall condensing in clouds releases further heat, which changes the wind. So chaotic feedback can result in unexpected consequences, such as the ice-storm or cloudburst that wasn't mentioned in the forecast. But we can use mathematics to warn us of the potential for chaotic behaviour, and this enables us to assess the risks of extreme events.
Are weather and climate predictions essentially "big data" problems?
We argue no. Weather agencies will continually upgrade their supercomputers, and have a never-ending thirst for weather data, mostly from satellites observing the land and sea. But if all we do is train computer programs by using data, then our forecasting will remain primitive. Scientific ideas formulated with mathematical insight give the edge to intelligent forecasting apps.
So computer prediction relies in various ways on clever mathematics: it gives a language to describe the problem on a machine; it extracts the predictable essence from the weather data; and it selects the predictable future from the surrounding cloud of random uncertainty. This latter point will come to dominate climate prediction, as we untangle the complex interactions of the atmosphere, oceans, ice-caps and life in its many varied forms.
Can climate models produce reliable scenarios for decision-makers?
The models currently used to predict climate change have proved invaluable in attributing trends in global warming to human activity. The physical principles that govern average global temperatures involve the conservation of energy, and these over-arching principles are represented very accurately by the numerical models. But we have to be sure how to validate the predictions: running a model does not, in itself, equate to understanding.
As we explain, although climate prediction is hugely complicated, mathematics helps us separate the predictable phenomena from the unpredictable. Discriminating between the two is important, and it is frequently overlooked when debating the reliability of climate models. Only when we take such factors into account can we -- and that includes elected officials -- gauge the risks we face from climate change.
What do you hope people will take away from this book?
From government policy and corporate strategy to personal lifestyle choices, we all need to understand the rational basis of weather and climate prediction. Answers to many urgent and pressing environmental questions are far from clear-cut. Predicting the future of our environment is a hugely challenging problem that will not be solved by number-crunching alone. Chaos and the butterfly effect were the buzzwords of the closing decades of the 20th Century. But incomplete and inaccurate data need not be insurmountable obstacles to scientific progress, and mathematics shows us the way forward.


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India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth missed expectations in the quarter to June slowing to a four-year low, adding to the country's economic problems amid an unprecedented free-fall in the rupee.
Official figures released on Friday revealed that India's GDP expanded by 4.4 percent year-on-year between April and June, falling short of analyst forecasts of 4.7 percent growth.
It marked the slowest growth since the January-March quarter of 2009, and was driven by a contraction in the country's mining and manufacturing sectors.
(Read more:Rupee slump buzz kill for Indian tourists)
Growth also slowed on the previous quarter – when GDP came in at 4.8 percent - and was less than last year's expansion rate of 5 percent, which was the slowest pace in a decade.
Manufacturing fell by 1.2 percent year-on-year in the June quarter, while mining slipped by 2.8 percent. Farming and construction output, however, both expanded, by 2.7 percent and 2. 8 percent respectively.
Earlier this week, BNP Paribas slashed its India growth forecast for fiscal 2014 to just 3.7 percent, from 5.2 percent previously. The bank cited fears that the economy was "entering a tail spin" as business confidence collapses under the weight of rapid rupee depreciation, rising energy costs, sharply tightening financial conditions and policy confusion.
The Indian rupee posted its biggest monthly fall in at least 18 years in August, but gained for a second straight session on Friday, eased by aggressive central bank intervention.

subset: commoncrawl


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aibodog1 needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 75 designs submitted by 26 freelance designers.
2blimitless, we are looking for a logo that incorporates the 2b as the emphasis as we would like this to be the insignia. We would like to use blue or green colours and try to incorporate the meaning behind the word limitless.
Good luck.
Desired Color Scheme:
blue or green
Desired Style:
soft, natural, warm but yet modern and contempory
Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png); Vector Formats (.eps, .pdf or .ai); Layered Formats (.psd or .tiff)
This is a one man show website and the meaning behind 2blimitless is that there are no boundaries in what you can do. We need our logo to be emotional yet modern, powerful and inspiring (Not much to ask hey :-) ).
The 2b needs to be adaptable as we plan to use it with other powerful words on different parts of the website i.e 2b passionate, 2blearning, 2bmotivated. It will also be used for different media such as letters, business cards and e-mail signatures.
Our key words are attitude, skills and results. Although these don't have to be used.
We are open to any colours but blue or green would be the direction we would like to go.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Sylvaton wrote:The obnoxiously loud (I mean really, incredibly, obnoxiously loud -- and I don't have my speakers turned up very high) Duke Nukem ad is really annoying. How much longer I can expect to suffer through it? Because I'm considering just not checking this page anymore until it's gone.
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Elmwood Park, New Jersey: Pizza-Town USA, 'America's Favorite Town'
Pizza reviews in NYC.
Pizza-Town USA
89 US Highway 46, Elmwood Park NJ 07407 (map); 201-797-6172
Pizza style: New York–inspired thin crust
Oven type: Gas oven
The skinny: The nostalgia/kitsch factor may draw you in, but the great thin, crisp pizza will hook you. Oh, and the deep-fried calzones and zeppole, which are fantastic
Notes: If you want a deep-fried calzone, order the small. The large is oven-baked
Price: Plain slice, $1.55 (plus tax); small calzone, $5.24; zeppole, $4.58 a dozen (half orders available)
Geographically speaking, Pizza-Town USA is located in the State of New Jersey, in Elmwood Park, on the side of US Highway 46, between the Garden State Parkway and the Passaic River. Psychically speaking, it is located in the State of Nostalgia.
Raymond Tomo opened Pizza-Town, "America's Favorite Town," in 1958. I can't imagine it's changed much since then. More a roadside snack stand than typical slice joint, it's done up in glossy red, white, and blue paint. Depictions of Uncle Sam abound. The staff works behind a stainless steel–and-glass partition reminiscent of an Eisenhower Era diner or drive-up.
These days, Tomo's children, Lisa, Michele, and Bruce run the show, remaining true to the style of pizza their father made — very thin, crisp crusted pies with a robust homemade sauce and just enough high-quality, part-skim regular mozzarella.
The pizza is delicious. There's no gummy, undercooked dough here. At the same time, it's not crunchy, tough, or overcooked. There's a nice amount of color on the crust and a bit of charring on the underside, along with little bits of crunchy semolina flour left over from the pizza-peel trip into one of the eight hot gas ovens that line the wall behind the staff.
I suppose you want to see what those slices look like. Here you go:
Don't those look like something from an earlier pizza era? The cheese-sauce distribution is somewhat reminiscent of the old coal-oven pizzerias a bit farther east, in New York City, which is actually where the Tomo family moved from before opening Pizza-Town, according to Lisa Tomo, one of the twin sisters who was on hand working the tail end of the lunch rush when I visited.
The Tomos use a special blend of flour (not from King Arthur, even though they wear KA aprons ["They match the building," Lisa Tomo said]) that they say helps them produce the thin, crisp crusts that they consider their signature.
Oh, and about the Tomo sisters? They get a pretty bad rap on the web from people for being mean, rude, nasty. (Especially on Yelp, where they've been compared to Seinfeld's Soup Nazi.) They're not. I think those complainers are thin-skinned. I sat and ate for a good half hour while I watched the sisters interact with people. They're efficient. In that no-nonsense whaddyawant kinda way.
So maybe some of the Yelp reviews (which the sisters have read, by the way) do have a point: It helps to know what you want before you go. The very first second you step through the door, they will ask for your order. (It helps to have your money already in hand, too — cash only here.)
"We know when people are on lunch break," Lisa Tomo said. "We want to get them in and out as fast as possible. When it slows down, that's when you'll see us chat."
The sisters banter with regulars, cracking wise-ass jokes and asking after patrons' families.
Heck, I was the newbiest of n00bs, and they were plenty friendly to me, even before I played the pizza-blogger card* and after chomping my way through most of the menu's greatest hits. Speaking of which, I'm going to give you some advice for eating at Pizza-Town.
Because the slices are so thin, you might want to start with a three-slice lunch if you typically eat two at other pizzerias. While I sat there, I heard a number of three-slice orders. Better yet? Get one or two slices and supplement them with the following:
The deep-fried calzone. As great as the pizza is at Pizza-Town, I might love this calzone more — simply because it's difficult to find places that do deep-fried versions. Loaded with fresh ricotta, part-skim mozzarella, and ham, it is crisp, springy to the bite, and well balanced. There's plenty of ricotta in there, and it will plop out if you squeeze the calzone hard enough, but it's not the sloppy, molten mess that a lot of other places' calzones are.
If you want it deep-fried, order the small calzone. The large "family-size" calzone is oven-baked.
I hate when people tell me, "Save room for dessert," but I'm going to do it to you. You HAVE to try the zeppole. The Tomos make fresh batches throughout the day. They're excellent. The menu lists them as by-the-dozen, but note that they're available in six-piece orders as well.
There are also sub sandwiches on the menu, and I did try Pizza-Town's signature sub, the "Leave It To Us" (gotta love that name) — but I'll be posting about that later on Serious Eats.
Pizza-Town is located on the side of US Highway 46, between the Garden State Parkway and the Passaic River. If you drive this route and have never been, you owe it to yourself to stop in.
Special thanks to all the folks in the comments of last week's post who recommended Pizza-Town. I'd read about it on some great Jersey-based blogs, but you all reminded me and gave me the nudge that got me out there. Thanks!
* But I only played that card after eating my way through most of the menu. Don't worry; I don't think I got any special treatment from the Tomos. In fact, I know I didn't, because they didn't rib me nearly as much as some of the people who walk in while I was there.
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Serious Eats. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.


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Instead of Hot Pursuit's, Need for Speed Rivals on the PlayStation 4 weaves a strange and disturbing story about a racer who is basically an anarchist and a cop, who sounds like he just wants to murder every single racer on the road as he goes about his business.
- Ghost Games
- Electronic Arts
Release Date(s):
- November 15, 2013
- Official Site(s):
- ESRB Rating:
- Player(s):
- Online Player(s):
Online Play:
- Optional
- Need for Speed
Remote Play:
- Supported
Technical Information
DualShock Compatible:
- DualShock 4
Required Disc Space:
- 14.8GB Minimum
Supported Video Output:
- 1080p
- Frostbite 3
Game Format:
- Blu-ray Disc
Average Playing Time:
- 30 Hours
Number of Racer Car(s):
- 24
Number of Cop Car(s):
- 25
Super Gamer Dude
Need for Speed Rivals on the PlayStation 4 is a racing video game set in an open world environment. Developed by Ghost Games and Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts.
As the latest installment in the long running Need for Speed series, Need for Speed Rivals simultaneously has a lot to live up to and a lot to prove. While the new studio developing the game, Ghost Games, might technically be a new studio they are made up of the people who worked for Criterion on Need for Speed games in the past, but that matters not, they still have to prove themselves as a worthy developer for the Need for Speed franchise.
To be sure, Ghost Games has really tried to make the series their own with Need for Speed rivals, implementing a number of new features that seem to change how the game is played completely, although the truth is a little far away from that. With Rivals, online play has become a core part of the entire game. Whenever you start up the game you are immediately forced to join a server with up to 5 other players, and put into an open world. The problem is that this world is absolutely massive, and six people cannot hope to even begin to make it feel populated.
Every once in a while you'll zoom past another player going 200 miles per hour, but even those occurrences are rare and out of the ordinary. The fact that you're on a server with other people never really matters until you are inevitably disconnected from it, meaning you lose all of your progress since the last time you visited a base. Honestly, after this happened a few times in quick succession, I chose to play offline instead of deal with the constant progress loss.
The game feels a whole lot like the Hot Pursuit reboot from a few years back when it comes to the actual racing. The events are split right down the middle by a distinction between racers and cops, a choice that you make right off the bat but can switch at any time.
Instead of Hot Pursuit's strategy of using no narrative at all, Rivals weaves a strange and disturbing story about a racer who is basically an anarchist and a cop who sounds like he just wants to murder every single racer on the road. Both of these characters, which are only given silly racing names, are made to look like they are absolutely crazy, and sometimes I would often feel horrible about even playing as one of them. Neither of these characters is sympathetic in any way, and the story just feels utterly unnecessary for what still remains a very similar racing games to those in the past.
The actual driving mechanics, while virtually unchanged from past entries in the series are beginning to feel a bit stale. Every single car choice feels extremely similar if not absolutely identical in the way they handle, with each car's top speed and acceleration being the only variations.
It is rather sad that the internet issues and the other niggling issues with the game keep it from greatness. Need for Speed Rivals on the PlayStation 4 is an extremely fun racing game, and if you're looking for an arcade style racer it's still a whole lot of fun. Racing for the top of leaderboards is as fun as it ever has been, especially with the ability to race against people near you instead of just people that are on your friends list. Nonetheless, it's hard to ignore the immense amount of wasted potential within the online features that Need for Speed Rivals promises, especially as this kind of always-on multiplayer becomes more common and more advanced.


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New personal post at I Attract Stalkers
Sunday, May 6, 2012
I'm all in my feelings since the beginning of April - here's a post to reach out for some love and support as well as see the issues in writing, for healing and future reflection.
Remember, if you don't have access to that blog, you can ask me - I may or may not approve you joining! ;-)
It is my perogative, right?!


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The Troy Lee Designs apparel range combines vibrant prints with technical fabrics to offer the best in style and performance. Meanwhile, TLD's renowned helmets and pads continue to lead the way for MTB protection.
Showing all 1 results
Be the first to find out about new product releases, fresh Saddleback content and exclusive offers.HOW IS MY EMAIL ADDRESS USED?


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This site is your gateway to information about programs, services, events and campus life at Bradley. Everything from the academic calendar to student activities and more can be found here to help you and more importantly your student to be a success here at Bradley.
As a Bradley parent, guardian, spouse, or another family member of a student you're likely to have questions from time to time, about the University, our campus, curriculum, services and policies, or about your student. The links at left and below will take you to targeted areas within our Web site that are most likely to answer those questions.
The University has numerous departments that are designed to provide vital services to our students. If you don't find the information you're looking for here, please feel free to contact the appropriate department listed in our A to Z Index or use our "where do you go for help" to send your question to us.
Bradley recognizes that families play an important role in assisting students and in supporting them in their university experience and personal development. We know that a university experience marks a major transition point in peoples' lives, and it is our hope that we can help support that transition for both our students and their families.


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I have a blog (bernsteinbear.com) that uses the TwentyEleven theme. I'm trying to make a custom page template for the front page (a blog page) that gets all the posts except in the "Comic" category. I managed to do that, except the pagination got messed up... How could I exclude a category from the main blog, have it only on a separate page, and have pagination function correctly? I'm befuddled... Thank you!
EDIT: I have full SSH access to my server, and can edit anything. No restrictions.


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Here is a sales update for the Lloydwoods neighborhood. There are currently 5 active listings including homes and lots. If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in this neighborhood or the surrounding area let the experts at Exit Real Estate Consultants help.
- Closed: 1 Lot
- Average days on the market: 191 days
- Average listing price: $25,000
- Average selling price: $25,000
- Average acres: 13.89
- Average $/Acre: $1,799
- Closed: 7 homes
- Average days on the market: 104 days
- Average listing price: $37,286
- Average selling price: $33,028
- Average sqft.: 1344
- Avearge $/sqft.: $25
- Active Listings: 3 homes; 2 lots
- Average listing price: $44,640
- Average days on the market: 172 days
- Average square feet: 1256
- Average $/sq. ft.: $54
Lloydwoods active listings as of 05-23-2013:
West Columbia SC Real Estate Services
Our Local Realtors and Network of Colleagues offer the best Internet Marketing Visibility for your Listed Properties - Exit Real Estate Consultants is your local expert in all your Real Estate needs in West Columbia South Carolina. You have access to the most comprehensive MLS Listing Service with free access and advanced tools for Real Estate Buyers and Sellers - put us to work for you; our service will impress you! (803) 358-0888.


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Hitting the (Goal) Wall
December 07, 2012
I haven't blogged much about running this year, mostly because I haven't blogged much about anything and because I was in a nice routine and routines don't really make more interesting blog posts.
Except that stuff got pretty interesting and I don't mean the half marathon (which was great!)
By interesting, I mean messed up, but it took me a while to get myself to the point where I would accept that I'm not going to make my running goals this year.
Back in late June I started getting weird pain and numbness in my right leg. I had a really sore spot in my butt that I figured was a result of tight hamstrings or IT bands or something sport related. Ball hockey season was coming to an end and we had some pretty intense games, I got injured or something, no biggie. I would just take it easy and it would go away.
Except it didn't. I couldn't sit for more than 5 minutes without pain shooting down my leg. I got another sore spot in the bottom of my foot. Google was saying sciatica AND plantar fasciitis and it was all sounding horrible. And ya, I shouldn't have googled...but I wanted to fix what was wrong with me and didn't think it warranted medical intervention beyond physiotherapy (which was helpful, but didn't make the symptoms go away).
I was having a hard time at work (I sit 99% of my day) and I couldn't stand being in the car (of course this summer we drove almost every weekend, sometimes up to 8 hours on a trip). It was horrid.
Did I stop running?
In a lot of ways it felt better to move than not to move. It didn't hurt at all to run and the leg numbness would go away. So I kept at it.
By September I realized stuff wasn't getting better. I finally went to the doctor. Turns out I have an L5, S1 herniated disc.
That's old, sedentary person stuff. Not 40-something, in the best shape of my life, happy healthy stuff.
Turns out that sitting all day is one of the main culprits and that my active lifestyle and healthy weight kept things from being worse. No one is sure what caused the injury (usually there's something) though I suspect it's either ball hockey since there's lots of twisting and some body contact or it might have been my new bike.
The much loved coaster brake took some getting used to and I'm pretty sure in the beginning I was coasting to an almost stop, stepping down and then using my body to come to a full stop. That's not a good thing to do, especially with a 22kg bike. I've really started thinking about how I stop and have tried to not do that anymore.
Regardless of the how it happened, I now have to live with it. The treatment: core work. Pilates in particular. Also, lay off the running, get up every 20 minutes at work, be careful on the bike. I added, no more high heels (sniff, I have some poor Fluevogs that need to hibernate for a bit).
I didn't lay off the running right away since the half marathon was a few weeks away from the diagnosis. In fact I kept running but at very low mileage until about 2 weeks ago. Now I've stopped completely. Getting the flu made that easier, but now I'm almost recovered and I look longingly at my shoes and get jealous when I see other people running along.
I have never been a very high distance runner, I average about 20kms a week but I miss getting out there a LOT. I need that exercise for stress reduction. I feel better when I get out and move. I don't want to gain back the weight I worked so hard to lose. I'm not even thinking about ball hockey even though Spring sign ups are only a few weeks away.
Sad thing is, that week in bed really helped. The shooting pains are gone and my butt and foot are almost better. The herniated disc presses on my sciatic nerve and I need to get the disc goo back in place to stop that pain. Rest is the key.
Stupid rest.
I've also started Pilates back classes. My physiotherapist is also a Pilates instructor and has started a series of classes aimed at rehabilitation for those with back problems. It seems to be helping. I need to get a bit more disciplined about doing the exercises at home, but I like the active approach to managing this.
I was really hoping to run 1000km again this year.
And I got so close.
I'm still debating whether I start a slow run again next week or try to just walk instead (less jarring) or just give up on the goal and find an alternative exercise.
It's all wait and see. I'm considering a gym membership so I can use an elliptical trainer (no room for one in my house) but I hate gyms and the idea I have to actually GO somewhere and not just run out the door when I feel like it.
I've also been assessed for a sit-stand desk for my office. I have 25 years of work ahead of me and I don't want sitting to make things worse.
So that's my running story for 2012. I'm not setting a distance goal in 2013. I need to see what my body wants to do. Right now, I'm just hoping that running is a part of my exercise routine next year.


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How R.F.I.D. Bracelets Can Connect Guests and Add Sponsor Value
This year has seen the increased use of radio-frequency identification (R.F.I.D.) and near-field communication (N.F.C.) technology at events as a way to engage attendees. Used across various industries since the 1980s, radio-frequency identification is a wireless non-contact system that uses radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data from a tag containing electronically stored information that can be read from up to several yards away. N.F.C. is a more specific subset of R.F.I.D., allowing for two-way communication at a very close distance. These tags store small amounts of data (like URLs, text, or numbers) that can be transferred to other devices wirelessly. Here's a look at how three recent events used R.F.I.D. technology to integrate social media, provide additional content to guests, and help sponsors extend their reach.
Manhattan Cocktail Classic
Heralded as the first N.F.C.-powered digital tasting event, the fourth Manhattan Cocktail Classic's opening-night gala was held May 11 at the New York Public Library. With more than 60 brands pouring nearly 40,000 cocktails throughout the night, Lesley Townsend Duval, the founder and director of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, had struggled over the years to find a way to help guests keep track of everything they'd tasted, experimenting with handing out printed recipe cards and selling $20 leather-bound, self-published books filled with recipes and photos.
In September 2011, Townsend Duval hired digital marketing agency ClearHart Digital to find a solution and up the festival's innovation angle. "At an early meeting, we were talking about collateral materials and the problem that comes up with any tasting event: that there is no elegant way of keeping track of what you're eating and drinking," she says. ClearHart suggested hiring Tagstand, a company that provides custom Wi-Fi-enabled devices, bracelets, and services for events, to create silicone wristbands embedded with N.F.C. microchips that guests could tap at about 80 readers placed on the bars set up across the library's four levels. The scanners in the cardboard boxes on the bars were each linked to a unique ID that tracked the specific cocktail recipes.
"We did this on a shoestring budget this year, because we didn't want to attach a sponsor to it," says Townsend Duval. "I wasn't sure we would have the money to invest in it, but I finally gave the green light to ClearHart and Tagstand on April 10." The Manhattan Cocktail Classic partnered with food and drink Web site and newsletter Tasting Table, which processed all of the data gathered from the readers over the weekend. Tasting Table sent each registrant a personalized email the following Monday with the cocktail recipes they had tracked. "The really cool part was that guests could then click to buy the products directly from the Web site of our retail partner, Astor Wines & Spirits," says Townsend. "When I spoke with them back in February, Astor was in the process of building pre-populated shipping carts, so by next year people could be able to add all of the ingredients for a certain cocktail into their shopping cart with one click."
Beyond just keeping track of cocktails, the wristbands opened up the gala's social connectivity. Guests had the option to also link the bracelets to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, in addition to their emails. Of the sold-out event's 3,000 guests, 973 registered their bracelets online. Linking the bracelets to social media allowed guests to instantly upload photos from the gala's photo booth and check in on Facebook. A wall at the gala was covered in signage printed with booze-inspired quotes by famous authors and equipped with specially marked readers. Guests could tap their wristband on the quotes, which would then auto-tweet the quote to their followers. There were 743 social media taps at the event and 7,006 recipe taps, with an average of eight taps per user. Organizers also worked with men's fashion brand Bonobos, which dressed selected "tastemakers" in custom outfits and N.F.C.-enabled buttons. Guests could tap their wristbands on the buttons to "like" the outfit on Facebook, which also entered them to win an outfit. Overall, the opening-night gala created more than 133,740 social impressions.
In the week leading up to the event, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic held bracelet pick-up events at bars around the city, sponsored by Heineken. "We knew it would be difficult to get people to register their bracelets in the context of the gala," says Townsend Duval. "So we came up with the idea of informal happy hours where people could pick up their bracelet and ClearHart Digital staffers would help register them on iPads." (The process takes roughly two minutes.) Every guest who attended was entered to win tickets to Bowmore Whisky's special sponsored performance of the immersive theatrical production Sleep No More. Guests were also offered an incentive to link their wristband to their Facebook and Twitter profiles: doing so automatically entered them for a chance to win a pair of round-trip tickets to London on Virgin Atlantic Airways. Around 500 accounts were set up during the four happy hour events, and Townsend Duval says that virtually all of those people linked them to their social media accounts. N.F.C. bracelets were also handed out at the gala for those who didn't attend the happy hours.
Despite the limited budget, Townsend Duval declares the N.F.C.-enabled cocktail-tracking experiment a success. "Our fear was that a new technology might create crankiness, but the feedback was encouraging," she says. She plans to use what she learned this year to develop a strategy for using the N.F.C. bracelets in 2013. "In a feedback survey, guests pointed out that it wasn't always clear that the bracelets had properly tracked the cocktails, but in terms of the overall experience, everyone said it was so cool," says Townsend Duval. "And with more dollars and time to invest next year, we could take it to another level." Tagstand says that while they are working on a turnkey solution for having N.F.C. technology at events that will hopefully launch this fall and push the cost per bracelet down, prices are currently determined on a client-to-client basis and can range anywhere from $2 to $8 per person depending on if the project involves travel outside of the Bay Area and other factors.
Lobster Roll Rumble
On June 7, food and drink Web site Tasting Table held its third annual Lobster Roll Rumble at Manhattan's Metropolitan Pavilion. The sold-out event saw 20 lobster-roll purveyors vying for the title of "fan favorite," plus offerings from sponsors like Häagen-Dazs, Don Julio, San Pellegrino, and Stella Artois. This year, event organizers partnered with Tagstand to supply N.F.C.-enabled bracelets that allowed the roughly 1,000 guests to vote for their favorite sandwich with a tap of their wrists.
At the 2010 Rumble, voting was done via text message, but a loophole let non-ticket holders vote, too. "We used Poll Everywhere, which allowed voters to text a unique code for each station, but there was no way to limit the voting to people on-site because anyone could text the code in," says Tasting Table's director of communications, Kai Mathey, who serves as the Lobster Roll Rumble's event director. So in 2011, Tasting Table reverted to old-fashioned paper votes and ballot boxes, a method that was fair, but required staffers to manually count votes.
At this year's Rumble, guests were handed N.F.C. bracelets at the entrance, where staffers explained how to link them to their Facebook and Twitter accounts. To vote for their favorite lobster roll, guests just had to tap their wrist against a box placed on each station. The vote readers were programmed so that the first tap was the only vote that counted. "We gave Tasting Table a variety of options—for the first vote to be the one that counts, for the last vote to be the one that counts, or for every vote to count," says Tagstand co-founder Omar Seyal. "They wanted the first vote to count, but we delivered all of the various results to Tasting Table so they could look at it from other ways, too." Ninety percent of ticket holders cast a vote, and roughly 20 percent connected their bracelets to social media accounts. Voting results were displayed in real time on a large video screen, which was turned off an hour before the event ended in order to keep the final results a surprise. (The winner, Clam Shack, was revealed in an email announcement the following day.)
In addition to the voting boxes, eight social media stations were placed throughout the venue. Attendees could tap their bracelets against signage to check in on Facebook or to tweet preset phrases at the various sponsored booths like "Cooling off with some Häagen-Dazs ice cream at the 2012 Tasting Table Lobster Roll Rumble." Sponsor Don Julio, which created four specialty cocktails for the event, had a voting wall next to its bar that let guests tap to pick their favorite drink. Thirty percent of guests voted for a cocktail, with 56 people pushing their selection to a social platform. (The live results for the Don Julio mini competition also appeared on the video wall.) Overall, there were 350 social taps, and organizers estimate that roughly 33,000 people were reached via social media.
While the N.F.C. bracelet setup cost significantly more than the previous year's paper ballot method, Tasting Table plans on using the technology again next year. "In the feedback survey, the response from guests in terms of the technology was overwhelmingly positive," says Mathey. "And the restaurants loved the buzz created by the live-streaming results." Given the short time frame to integrate the bracelets into the event (just three weeks), Mathey admits that organizers didn't have the chance to optimize the functionality of the N.F.C. readers. "Social numbers weren't as high as they could have been if we'd had time to integrate the bracelets into the event more," says Mathey, who says she wants to incorporate even more innovative N.F.C. options for sponsors next year. "We also learned that more lead-up communication with ticket holders is needed—it's important for them to be able to pick up and register the bracelets before the event, since on-site, people were just anxious to get inside."
As the 80,000 attendees at this year's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival celebrated on a Tennessee farm June 7 to 10, news of their daily activities was posting to Facebook, creating nearly 1.5 million social impressions. But the attendees weren't pulling out their smartphones; instead they were swiping wristbands with R.F.I.D. technology at one of 20 check-in portals around the 700-acre venue.
"It was funny watching people walk up to these portals [and] swipe their wristband," said Chad Issaq, executive vice president of partnerships for festival organizer Superfly Presents. "It would beep green twice and they would just jump up and down like a six-year-old. It was a social experiment. This was the convergence of social in the live and digital space and watching how it fused together. It was really interesting."
Of the 80,000 people who purchased wristbands (which served as the only form of ticket to the festival), 74,000 registered them online and about half of those people connected the wristbands to their Facebook accounts. Those people swiped their wristbands more than 200,000 times, generating check-ins on Facebook that allowed their online friends to see what they were doing at Bonnaroo. Issaq said on average each of those 200,000 check-ins received about seven "likes" or comments, leading to the calculation of 1.5 million social impressions.
Bonnaroo also used R.F.I.D. wristbands from Intellitix in 2011, but this was the first year of the Facebook integration. In the weeks leading up to the festival, organizers encouraged guests to register their wristband online, offering incentives such as V.I.P. upgrades and festival merchandise and the chance to win a Ford Escape from Ford Motor Company, which sponsored the social check-ins.
"We also drove home the message of registration as a way to personalize your wristband," Issaq said. "We didn't want to focus on 'register'; it was 'personalize.'" The registration allowed Superfly to stem counterfeits and also provided security for guests. "We pointed out that if you lose your wristband, we have proof it was associated to you."
About 55,000 individuals opted in for a chance to win the car and another 10,000 agreed to receive future communications from Ford. In addition to that data, the auto company benefited from having its name associated with each Facebook check-in: the online posts included a graphic saying "Checked in by Ford Escape."
"No other festival had really tapped into the technology of R.F.I.D. in such a broad social reach," said Ginger Kasanic, Ford's experiential marketing manager. "This intersection of cool technology and social conversation is the heart of the Escape persona and the perfect platform to connect the Escape to the Bonnaroo audience."
The focus of Bonnaroo is music, with five stages hosting performances from acts including the Beach Boys, Radiohead, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Organizers placed two R.F.I.D. portals near each stage. Guests who swiped their wristbands got a check-in on their Facebook page indicating the name of the stage and the act that was performing. At the end of the day, the system made a second post to that guest's Facebook: a recap of all of the acts the person had seen that day with a link to Spotify that provided the act's Bonnaroo set list and a playlist of studio tracks of those songs.
"I think that was the most valuable piece—the content on the back end," Issaq said. "That's what people were most excited about." Organizers plan to take what they learned this year to develop strategy for 2013. "I would want to communicate earlier," he added. "We pulled this together in about four or five weeks. I would also want more incentives, more special offers, and at the physical event, more strategically placed portals."
R.F.I.D. Wristbands at Bonnaroo
R.F.I.D. Wristbands at Manhattan Cocktail Classic
R.F.I.D. Wristbands at Manhattan Cocktail Classic
R.F.I.D. Wristbands at Lobster Roll Rumble
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Regional Specialties--what's up with them, exactly? Sure, you have the big famous ones--New York bagels, Chicago deep dish pizza, San Francisco sourdough. But what about those not-quite-as-famous ones, existing just a little bit under the radar? Those ever-present little food items that you might even stop noticing simply because they are ubiquitous--it might take a trip or a move from your hometown to raise your awareness. But why is this, exactly? Why is it that kolaches about in Texas but are sparse elsewhere, that black and white cookies reign in the Mid-Atlantic, but don't seem to exist in the Pacific Northwest? Yes, these are the questions that fill our minds and color our days here at Cakespy--and right now, that regional bee in our bonnet is The Pink Frosted Cookie.
If you don't live in Seattle, you might not even know about this cookie (while it exists elsewhere, we've never seen it in quite the same proliferation in our assorted travels); even if you do live in Seattle, you might not have stopped to question why it is that this confection is always around--gas stations, delis, grocery stores, drugstores--everywhere! What makes this relatively simple cookie, comprised of a rich shortbread base and a very generous, very sweet frosting topcoat, so popular? Luckily for you, we found out about its history so you don't have to.
On our path of discovery, the first thing we discovered is that the "original" pink frosted cookie was sold under the name Uncle Seth's Cookie--while various takes on it exist (including a company we like, Bite Me, Inc.), this Uncle was the Founding Father. The company (and recipe) was sold to Seattle wholesaler Mostly Muffins in 1996, and this is where we discovered this story:
Uncle Seth's Cookie was a concept developed from a passion of fun and feeling good. From the high mountain tops of Bali came the inspiration for the feel good cookie. Danny Brown, the originator and inventor of the Original Pink, also known as an Uncle Seth Cookie, found a kindred spirit in a man named Seth. Seth moved from a crazed urban setting better known as the City, to live his dream of peace in the mountains. The namesake of the Uncle Seth Cookie gave tribute to this man named Seth who changed his life for the sake of fun and happiness. To bring a bit of that passion and fun to light, Danny created a cookie that says eat me because you can. This cookie has a good aura. After nine years of hand rolling this Danish Shortbread, Danny too, decided to head for the hills. Mostly Muffins purchased Uncle Seth's Cookies in 1996 and Danny was off to live in Hawaii!Okay, so it proves that fact can be stranger than fiction--without, of course, explaining why the cookies are so popular, or why they thrived in the Seattle region. Our theory? So happy you asked. In our minds, the first aspect is timing: the cookie got its start being sold in coffee carts just as the coffee business was starting up in earnest in Seattle; naturally, they would appeal for the same reasons that coffee is so popular in the area--the climate just begs for rich treats and coffee during those rainy days that take up oh, eight months of the year. The second and perhaps more important aspect? Duh--The frosting color. there's no secret that pink frosting tastes better than any other color.
Mostly Muffins now proudly carries on the tradition of fun and feeling good by serving the Original Pink to the entire Northwest community. Eat one of the Original Pink Cookies and you can't help but smile!


text: PROBLEM: ConAgra Foods was repainting their food and beverage facility floor once a month. The product they were using was not durable enough for the tough environment. Heavy forklift traffic and daily washings were making the coating fade and chip. The Rust-Oleum sales representative and MRO distributor met with the facility director and they decided on a solution - the Rust-Oleum 9100 System DTM Epoxy Mastic. SOLUTION: After training the in-house maintenance crew, the 9100 System was applied. Known for its self priming characteristics, only one coat of 9100 System DTM Epoxy Mastic was needed on the floor compared to multiple coats of the product previously used. The 9100 System is also known for its superior long-term solvent, chemical and abrasion resistance, perfect for the ConAgra facility. After six months, the facility floor has not been repainted and it looks incredible. ConAgra valued their labor and material cost savings at over $50,000 for the six months, since they did not have to repaint. ConAgra has also decided to use the cost savings strategies at their other manufacturing plants.


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Lake Alhambra Estates Real Estate
Lake Alhambra Estates is a community located in Davis with convenient access to schools, shopping, parks, bus lines, recreational activities, and protected wildlife habitats. The lake is part of a migratory path for waterfowl.
Residents can enjoy the quiet environment and peaceful beauty via serene walking and jogging paths surrounded by natural lands. Commuters will find access to major Interstate 80 and Highway 113 conveniently located nearby.
A large community park with two playgrounds at its center offers a place for families to play soccer, baseball, and basketball with easy access to biking and walking paths. The Estates are located near the Explorit Science Center, a non-profit science center founded to enhance and educate children and families on the wonders of the world around them. Residents can enjoy the luxury of a lake view with the modern convenience of shopping and entertainment nearby.
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Not all bitterness is bad for you. Jen Lancaster's fury over being fired in the 2001 dot-com bust led to a personal blog that launched her career as an author, starting with the acerbically humorous chronicle of her financial/identity crisis, "Bitter is the New Black" (NAL Trade, $15).
Lancaster, having emerged from the blackness, wouldn't recommend bitterness for one's love life, whether single or married.
Still, she understands why bitterness sets in among some of her friends in the Facebook age of dating and escaping without a spoken word.
"I just thank God my husband and I found each other before the advent of social media," Lancaster said. "I can't imagine dating someone and seeing what they're doing on their Facebook page. And people breaking up with each other over texts now? We had to break up with each other face to face back then."
Today, whether the bitterness stems from romantic indignities, professional disappointments or childhood scars, the sufferers often do not see themselves as bitter. Instead, they blindly sabotage each new relationship with their resentments. One partner constantly questions the other's fidelity after an ex's affair, feels threatened by the other's career advancement or hears the other's requests as mom's nagging.
Los Angeles- and Taiwan-based matchmaker Hellen Chen applies a Japanese label to bitter people. It roughly translates to "defeated dog."
"The dogs are the people who think they are right and don't want to change; they basically are spoiled since they were a kid," Chen said. "At Valentine's Day, they are thinking, 'Why didn't you give me flowers, why didn't you bring me out to the big meal? The one you take me to is so cheap.' They don't want to share, to give, but they want a lot from other people."
Baggage of breakups
Chen, who wrote the book "The Matchmaker of the Century" (Creative Creation), attributes bitterness to dating too many partners before marriage.
"Each relationship, they have an experience of falling in love, but then they separate," Chen said. "People date three people (long term), that's already too much. To break a heart three times, for a woman, is very painful. For men, they are dating like 10 women, and then they become (apathetic): 'I don't know, I'll try the next one.'"
Serial monogamy without marriage also raises the likelihood of hurting another person via an indiscretion or a breakup that can leave the perpetrator feeling guilty and defensive about the same thing happening to him, Chen believes: "Only the criminal is thinking the other person is criminal."
Digging deeper
Psychiatrist R. Duncan Wallace, author of "The Book of Psychological Truths" (iUniverse.com, $24.95), says bitterness is a factor in about 50 percent of his client cases.
"I call it subterranean anger," Wallace said. "It means someone is holding an expectation about how something or somebody should be or should have been.
"If someone betrays you in a relationship, a clear betrayal, yeah, you ought to be angry. But use that anger to push you forward, and say, 'This is not the place for me to stay.'"
When people can't overcome the pain, the anger may stem from wounds earlier in life, what Wallace calls "a truth undiscovered, or fought against, if known."
If they dig deep, bitter people may realize they are carrying a disappointment from how their parents or other family members interacted with them or with each other. They have vowed at some level that it's going to be different for them in adulthood, that they'll have things their way.
"They start foisting these old childhood expectations on their partner," he said.
One psychological truth Wallace emphasizes is that our mind does everything for a purpose.
"So if someone is willing to (ask), 'Why am I bitter? How is this trying to help me?' they may realize, 'I'm trying to call attention to the fact I was hurt, and maybe my partner will help me out,'" Wallace explains. "They're trying to be rescued or protesting to the world, hoping someone will comfort them. But the only person who can do that is they themselves."
Until they realize that, such people misconstrue motives and don't wait to hear whether a partner's hurtful actions were inadvertent. They project.
"A clue to bitterness is someone who becomes critical," Wallace said. "Hold up the mirror and you may see the things that you're bitter about are things you haven't mastered in yourself, so you react when you see them on the outside. You attack, accuse, blame or complain."
Looking for solutions
Reading a book or starting therapy can smooth the romantic road, Wallace said. Even when people haven't resolved all of their bitter feelings, being open with a partner can work wonders.
"Let's say someone gets a divorce," Wallace said. "If they get serious with a new partner, they may want to say, 'I wouldn't want to lay these old feelings on you, but I might, and I'm sorry if I hit you with my old stuff. Anytime we start heading down that road, let's sit down and talk about it.' Of course, that's the erudite person who will say that. A lot of times they'll slam each other with it instead."
Bitterness sometimes rears its head on a first date, but more typically, Wallace said, it surfaces later, after the honeymoon period of a relationship.
That's a moment of reckoning for the bitter person's partner, Chen said.
"Ask the person, 'Do you see that part of yourself and do you want to change?' If they do, maybe you continue. We go on a bike ride together, and we have fun, because you ride your bike and I ride mine. If you want me to always carry you while I'm riding, this relationship will not work out."
Lancaster proposes a statute of limitations on breakup-related bitterness.
"It can't last longer than the actual relationship," she said. "I have one friend who got broken up with four years ago after six months, and she is still angry. We all talk about her behind her back.
"We'll be going out to dinner and ask her, 'Do you want to come out with us?' She'll say, 'Sure, I'll come out by myself because I don't have anyone.' OK, that was cute, but now it's bumming us out. And no one wants to set you up, because we like our friends. Move on."
Tips from the other side
To avoid wallowing in bitterness, author Jen Lancaster, author of "Bitter is the New Black," offers this advice:
1. Pursue something productive. "If you're creating something, you're not going to have time to stew."
2. Be among people, "even if you're exuding bitterness. At some point you will rein it in just to be situationally appropriate." But hold off on dating till your anger subsides.
3. Don't talk about it on the first date. "But it is something you share, because they need to know what you'll be like in a crisis."
4. Don't vent on the Internet: "The Internet is forever." Instead ...
5. Seek solace in friends. "And when your good friends get tired of it, it's time to give it up."


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The first thing Takayo Minakami did when she and her nine-year-old daughter Ghislaine got back from their trip to Ethiopia was sack the nanny. Then she told her husband there was no need to go for the fancy new wardrobe they had been eyeing up as part of a major overhaul of their Seattle home. The cheapest model would do fine.
Meanwhile, Ghislaine stopped fighting with her younger brothers and kept hugging them at random moments, for no particular reason.
"It was supposed to be a life-changing experience, but it was even better than we expected," Takayo said.
Takayo, 41, and Ghislaine were part of a group of similar well-off housewives and their daughters and nieces aged between seven and 17 who recently flew from Seattle to Addis Ababa on a package tour organized by an aid agency.
Over a week, the group took in the sights, markets and flavors of the capital city like any other tourists. However, most of their time was spent on a dusty journey to villages two hours' drive away, where they met some of the country's poorest people, learned about their lives and checked out — among other things — their toilet facilities.
Water 1st is a Seattle-based non-governmental organization (NGO) that specializes in water sanitation and is one of a growing number of NGOs taking westerners on package tours to developing countries to see their work.
The "water tour" brochure for February's Ethiopia trip promised would-be travelers a "once in a lifetime experience," with the aid agency providing transport, translators, accommodation, food and contact with the communities and the local aid agency that Water 1st works with.
"It's a better way of seeing real life in a country than you can see any other way," said Kirk Anderson, one of the five staff who run Water 1st, which has raised US$4 million for projects in four countries since its launch in 2005.
"We try to make this affordable for as many people as possible while covering our costs," he said.
The trip, excluding flights, cost US$1,600 a head.
"We don't demand anything in return, but we make our money in donations when people get back home," he said.
Some donors increase their donations from three figures to five figures, while others become loyal fundraisers for life.
Those who went on the Ethiopia trip said they had an "awesome," inspiring time and learned a lot. The children were "like sponges," one mother said, absorbing the reality of a world where children laugh and take care of each other despite having flies crawling on their faces and no shoes.
"The children were very dirty, very happy and excited and very welcoming. I played with a little girl who was really cute and super smart," said Ghislaine, who is eager to go back.
The group is aware that critics may accuse them of poverty tourism — paying to look at the poor to assuage their guilt. However, most of those who traveled to Ethiopia talk of something more positive.
"We live in a little bubble — we are comfortable, we have nice houses, food on our plates, clean water," said Susan Sercu, 39, who took her 12-year-old daughter, Giuliana, on the trip.
"What this does is give us more of a global perspective. It's a chance to expose our children to what happens in the rest of the world. We want our children to be empathetic and informed," she said.


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Learn more about Pre-Existing Conditions
In February 2017, Congressional Republicans issued a proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The proposed plan would use tax credits to finance individual insurance purchases and cut federal payments to states which have been used to expand Medicaid. Conservatives who oppose the ACA argue that the plan did not go far enough in removing the government's role in health insurance. They demanded that the new plan should remove the ACA requirement that health insurers could not discriminate against individuals with pre-existing conditions. Under the ACA health insurers cannot deny coverage or charge higher premiums to individuals who have pre-existing conditions. Opponents argue that the requirement will raise costs for insurers and cause them to drop out of the ACA healthcare exchange. Proponents argue that it is immoral to ban people with pre-existing conditions from getting health insurance. See recent Pre-Existing Conditions news


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Our large selection of Amplifiers and Mixing Desks includes leading brands such as Alto PA Mixers, Studiomaster Mixing Desks, W Audio PA Mixers and American Audio DJ Mixers. As with Mixing Desks, Amplifier prices vary depending on your specific needs - but here at Prebeat, we have a deal for everyone. Browse our entire range below to find your perfect fit.
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text: William Peter Mallett (1819-1889), son of Charles Peter Mallett, received his MD from the College of Charleston in 1841, practiced medicine in Fayetteville until 1855, and then moved to Chapel Hill in 1857. He lived at the corner of Franklin and Henderson Streets, present site of the downtown Chapel Hill post office. A local physician for thirty-two years, he ran the student infirmary "The Retreat" as well as maintaining a private practice. He also owned a "chemist's shop" and served as Chapel Hill's postmaster from 1885 to 1889 (Vickers 106). Three of his six children died before the war broke out. Dr. Mallett served in the Confederate army as a surgeon until 1864 (Dictionary of North Carolina Biography 4:206).


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Advisors are available to answer your General Education questions. Professional staff will explain policies and help you determine which classes to choose.
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Find information on registration appointment date and time, registration calendar and registration's FAQ.
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Find test dates and fees, as well as deadlines for registration and accommodations.
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Educational counselors can help students in academic difficulty with assessment, study skills, decision making, time management, and other problems that might have led to probationary or disqualified status.
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More than a collection of books, the library offers electronic resources, expert librarians, study rooms, quiet spaces and a café.
MOSAIC Quiet Study Space
With an atmosphere conducive to concentration, MOSAIC's quiet study space is available for individual students or groups.
Student Union
The Student Union is located in the heart of campus. Drop by to relax, buy textbooks and supplies, listen to music, have a meeting, or grab a bite to eat.
Student Union Music Room
The Student Union Music room is a study and leisure area for students to socialize and relax. Students can check out more than 50 magazines and listen to over 1500 records and CDs ranging from rock to classical.


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Starting MSRP from * $48,000
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Select a trim to learn more about safety, comfort, and quality vehicle mechanics available with a fantastic warranty to keep you on the road. Once the facts are clear, come on by for a test drive! View Chevrolet lease deals and APR specials as well as our own custom dealership specials for one more reason to visit your Chevy Tahoe dealer in Wilmington.


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A recent environmental impact study by renowned economist, Juan Aste Daffós, estimates that the damages your company owes to the indigenous people of Canaan de Cachiyacu for environmental and health abuses due to oil contamination total more than $13 million! We hereby demand that you give the people of Canaan de Cachiayacu the compensation they deserve and commit to cleaning up your mess!
Since 1994, when your company took control of oil lot 31 B, home to the indigenous community of Canaán de Cachiyacu in the Peruvian Amazon, you have caused a series of oil spills - 7 in the last 4 years alone! - from your careless use of old, rusted pipelines. These spills have polluted the water, land, and vegetation of the area, as well as increasing instances of cancer, deaths, and other illnesses untreatable by local doctors. Worst of all, after oil spills occur, community members claim that your company has directed local men to wade in crude oil up to their chests (with absolutely no safety equipment) and clean YOUR mess with rags and their bare hands.
The indigenous people of Canaan have fought back against your neglect and abuse by halting production at 9 of your oil wells since September 2nd. Their movement is now gaining attention globally.
We, the international community, are appalled at the environmental degradation and human rights abuses that you and your company have caused. It is time that you take responsibility for your actions, compensate the people of Canaan for the harm you have caused, and ensure that your operations do no more harm in the future.
Matthew Watherston
This petition closed over 5 years ago
In the Amazon of Peru, the courageous Shipibo people of Canaan de Cachiyacu are gaining international attention for their David and Goliath battle against shadowy oil company Maple Energy. Since...
In the Amazon of Peru, the courageous Shipibo people of Canaan de Cachiyacu are gaining international attention for their David and Goliath battle against shadowy oil company Maple Energy. Since September 2nd, community members, in defense of their rights, their land and their peoples' health and wellbeing, have taken control of 9 oil wells belonging to the company and completely halted oil production, until their demands for clean water, health care and justice are met after suffering from nearly 40 years of oil pollution. Together we can make a difference to help this community – please sign their petition now, and let oil companies know that we are watching them!
Canaan de Cachiyacu is an indigenous community located in the Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon, near the city of Contamana. Before the presence of oil companies, the people of Canaan lived in a pristine environment in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, with clean drinking water from their fresh water streams, a plentitude of fish from their rivers, fertile soil for planting, and an array of different jungle animals to hunt.
However, since taking over the oil lot in 1994, Maple Energy has caused a series of oil spills (more than seven in the last 4 years alone!) from using old, rusted pipelines in the indigenous territory of Canaan, destroying the water, land, health and vegetation of the area.
The community now has to travel up to 3 hours to find non-contaminated sources of fish, and can no longer hunt or grow food on their own, now-contaminated land. The company hasn´t even given the community clean drinking water after all of these oil spills, and they are forced to drink out of the oil-contaminated river. As a result, there has been a huge increase in cancer and deaths from ¨unknown illnesses¨ in the village that local doctors cannot treat or diagnose. Ironically, workers from the oil company bring their own water when in Canaan. Why is that?
A recent environmental impact study by renowned economist, Juan Aste Daffós, estimates the damages owed to Canaan by Maple Energy for environmental and health atrocities total over $13 million. But Maple Energy denies that they are even causing environmental damage, let alone harm to the community!
Many oil companies like Maple operating in the Amazon have a long history of exploiting indigenous peoples and their lands, using antiquated technologies, rusted, old pipelines, and making promises of schools for their children, jobs, and money. Instead, they leave social and environmental destruction in their wake, believing that no one is paying attention. Not anymore!
We, the international community, are organizing a global campaign and petition to raise awareness about what companies like Maple Energy are up to. We will also be sending copies of this petition, as well as the Environmental Impact Study documenting the destruction, to the company's shareholders (Henderson Global Investors, Interline Enterprise SLU, International Finance Corporation, iShares MSCI All Peru Capped Index Fund, and AFP Integra, Horizonte and Profuturo) and the international press, including the Financial Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, LA Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and Investors Chronicle to show them what corporate responsibility does NOT look like.
Let's let Maple Energy and oil companies like them know that someone IS paying attention! They have millions of dollars and many well-paid lawyers on their side, and the people of Canaan do not stand a chance without your support!
Please, together we can send a clear message that basic human rights come before corporate greed! Sign this petition today!


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Secretly filmed video of Mitt Romney, apparently at fundraiser, reveals unguarded views
WASHINGTON – Mitt Romney, during a private fundraiser captured on video, told a group of donors in much blunter terms than he does publicly how he feels about the election. He joked about his wealth, and quipped that he would have a better shot at victory if he were Latino.
But the most striking portion of the video — clips of which were apparently taken surreptitiously earlier this year, began surfacing online in recent weeks, and appeared in more depth this afternoon on the website of Mother Jones — shows Romney talking in disparaging ways about nearly half of the electorate.
Romney dismisses supporters of President Obama as people who are so dependent on government for their existence that they will support the president no matter what.
"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what,'' he said, over sounds of waiters pouring drinks and clearing plates. "All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.''
"My job is is not to worry about those people,'' he added. "I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.''
Jim Messina, Obama's campaign manager, immediately took issue with that comment.
"It's shocking that a candidate for president of the United States would go behind closed doors and declare to a group of wealthy donors that half the American people view themselves as 'victims,' entitled to handouts, and are unwilling to take 'personal responsibility' for their lives,'' Messina said in a statment. "It's hard to serve as president for all Americans when you've disdainfully written off half the nation.''
In response to a request for comment about the video, Gail Gitcho, Romney's campaign communications director, issued the following statement: "Mitt Romney wants to help all Americans struggling in the Obama economy. As the governor has made clear all year, he is concerned about the growing number of people who are dependent on the federal government, including the record number of people who are on food stamps, nearly one in six Americans in poverty, and the 23 million Americans who are struggling to find work. Mitt Romney's plan creates 12 million new jobs in four years, grows the economy and moves Americans off of government dependency and into jobs.''
Few of the other clips are damning in and of themselves – and some showcase him talking more comfortably than he does in staged settings — but they play into some of the images people may already have of Romney as an out-of-touch politician. The video is reminiscent of Obama's comment in 2008 that people "cling to guns or religion,'' and it is a reminder that few moments in a politician's life are private.
"My dad…was born in Mexico,'' Romney said in one clip. "Had he been born of Mexican parents, I'd have a better shot at winning this…I mean, I say that jokingly. But it would be helpful to be Latino.''
He noted that the campaign was limiting the activity of his wife ("We use Ann sparingly right now, so that people don't get tired of her'') and that he had decided to turn down an appearance on Saturday Night Live (because, he said, it "has the potential of looking slapstick and not presidential.'')
Romney also spoke of his wealth, claiming that he is a self-made millionaire.
"I have inherited nothing,'' he said. "There is a perception, 'Oh, we were born with a silver spoon, he never had to earn anything and so forth.' Frankly, I was born with a silver spoon, which is the greatest gift you can have: which is to get born in America.''
Although Romney made almost all of his fortune himself, his family provided a strong safety net, sometimes more. His parents gave him money to buy his first home, and Ann Romney once explained that neither she nor her husband worked while at Brigham Young University, because Romney "had enough of an investment from stock that we could sell off a little at a time.''
The Globe on Saturday reported on one of the clips, in which Romney talks about touring a factory in China when he was at Bain Capital, as part of a story about Romney's investments in China. That 2-minute clip showed Romney describing some of the spartan working conditions at a company Bain officials were planning to buy. Romney said the women were packed into dormitories, 12 per room in bunk beds, and only earned a "pittance.''
Other small snippets of the fundraisers were uploaded to YouTube several weeks ago by a user with the pseudonym "Anne Onymous.''
The magazine Mother Jones obtained a complete video of the fundraiser, and posted several fuller clips from it on Monday afternoon. To protect its source, the magazine was not identifying the date or location of the event, but said it occurred after Romney had clinched the Republican nomination.
The video was shot from one of the tables at a fundraiser, with candles visible and clinking silverware in the background. Romney can be seen in the background, and his voice is heard clearly throughout the video.
At one point during the fundraiser, Romney said that although women are "open'' to supporting his campaign, they were having a much harder time with Hispanic voters.
"If the Hispanic voting bloc becomes as committed to the Democrats as the African American voting block has in the past, why, we're in trouble as a party and, I think, as a nation,'' Romney said.
When asked how they could help Romney, the candidate replied, "Frankly, what I need you to do is to raise millions of dollars.''
Romney said during the fundraiser that he wasn't being harder in attacking Obama because his campaign thought doing so would alienate independent voters who voted for Obama in 2008.
"Those people that we have to get, they want to believe they did the right thing, but he just wasn't up to the task,'' Romney said. "They love the phrase that he's 'over his head.' ''
"What he's going to do, by the way, is try and vilify me as someone who's been successful, or who's, you know, closed businesses or laid people off, and is an evil bad guy,'' Romney added. "And that may work.''
Romney also said that he didn't think the election would be decided on substantive issues.
"We have a website that lays out white papers on a whole series of issues that I care about,'' he said. "I have to tell you, I don't think this will have a significant impact on my electability. I wish it did. I think our ads will have a much bigger impact. I think the debates will have a big impact.''
"In a setting like this, a highly intellectual subject—discussion on a whole series of important topics typically doesn't win elections,'' he added.


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About Enuresis
Enuresis is involuntary urination (peeing) beyond the age of anticipated urinary control. It may include nighttime wetting, like bedwetting, and/or daytime wetting. The wetting can occur frequently or rarely. There are possible structural or neurological disorders that can result in a child wetting, but usually involuntary peeing is the result of a functional disorder (a condition where a bodily function is impaired without a structural or anatomical cause).


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10/16/2010 – Pedro Blas González –
Traveling through the world today, I get the vivid impression that a vast number of the people I meet are living with the self-conscious belief that life is a purposeless thing to be occupied with pointless, daily tasks. I encounter this in spontaneous conversations that arise in diverse places, and with many different people. I am never surprised to hear this same complaint from others. I find it important to listen intently to what others have to say in this matter.
I suppose that to some ears this may sound presumptuous on my part. After all, we are living in a time when most people claim the right to be critics. Critics are everyone in our age. This is as comical as it is deplorable. People who have never studied or read history, literature, philosophy or much of anything else of lasting value are more interested in attacking the contemplative character of genuine ideas than they are in learning and incorporating these in their own lives. And, if these critics perceive or imagine that they are in the presence of a morally upright, righteous person, then they intensify their resistance to knowledge, to advice, to the other person before them like beasts of burden who grudgingly anticipate a difficult task. Unfortunately, today cynicism has filled in the vacuum where virtue once ruled. Heuristic learning is no longer a possibility in most circles. Wisdom is definitely not cool.
These attacks on virtue by contemporary critics are bold and sweeping, and never the least bit concerned with the astonishing degree of ignorance that they display. Such people have been savagely manipulated dating back to the 1960s: question everything ad nauseam, history, tradition, moral/spiritual values, and the integrity of the nuclear family, and the curative and cathartic value of truth. This vacuous and sporting questioning has destroyed our ability to decipher truth from falsehood, reality from dangerous illusions. Of course, like sitting ducks in a field of snipers, this fashionable nihilism, which no doubt serves political ends, has also destroyed our capacity to make sense of reality. This fashionable ignorance is dangerous to spontaneity, which is such a vital part of the health of the open society.
Of equal severity, we also find critics-in-training in all of our cherished institutions. There are those in the media, and other walks of life – all wanting to be celebrities – people who feel that they must have something to say about everything. Some of these people even think of themselves as intellectuals. This is a fatal proposition, for ideas have consequences. These are individuals who will get their fifteen minutes in the spotlight regardless of the damage they bring about. This self-consuming arrogance, in turn, sounds presumptuous to me.
Yet the reality remains that today we do not spend much time reflecting on the eternal things. Because of the proliferation of technology, and our newly fangled, fanatical liberation in embracing all things sensual, contemporary man has opted for the quick and easy. The overpowering temptation of believing that we only live for the moment captivates us. No wonder we have made it a cottage industry of making a pack with the devil. Our alleged liberation is such that even Doctor Faustus seems quaint and outdated.
The explosion of technology and the collapse of our moral imagination have essentially shackled us into living a life of purposeless hedonism. One can argue that the current explosion of all things sensual serves as a bail-out for the moral-spiritual-existential inquietude that people embraced in previous ages, and which served as a paragon of meaning and purpose. Undoubtedly, behind this push for further liberation, we encounter a sophomoric and vacuous emphasis on sex and gender. In fact, liberation is Janus-faced, for it has failed to disguise its shameless embrace of libertinism. The great fallacy of our incessant push for continual moral liberation is that while it destroys tradition for its own self-serving survival, it, in turn, creates nothing of endearing value. We might shudder if we actually understood just how much we are living off the creations of a former age. This condition may be referred to as entropy in thermodynamics, but in life, it is merely decadence unveiling yet a newer, fresher face.
The fashionable thing to do today is to compliment the lost souls that we encounter in the street, in the workplace, among acquaintances, etc., as being progressive, liberated, and most importantly, ultra-modern. These monikers bring a smile to the faces of the morality/opinion builders of today. Incidentally, while accepted as modish, none of these monikers are effective in refuting the true and time-tested truths that allow man to live dignified lives as persons.
What I really want to convey is that today we no longer have a feel for the exquisitely human essences that mark us as sentient beings. Feeling is the word I am looking for. For those who posses a keen eye in observing the human drama, very little is encountered today that resembles dedication to serious, truly contemplative questions. Instead, everywhere we turn we witness the great masses of people, who are undoubtedly led by unthinking, un-feeling elites imagining that they actually care about this and that. In the battle between appearance and reality, appearance definitely has the upper hand today.
Sure, we witness people placing pseudo concerns high on their altar of things to care about. Yet it is a curious thing to witness how these fashionable concerns are never spontaneous, but rather self-consciously contrived. It is as if these people are looking over their shoulders, always wondering how best to outdo each other in securing public relations points. This is the triumph of vile appearances. The young, in particular, have been utilized to sharpen the stake that finally annihilates the vampire that is identified with tradition. It is lamentable to watch these often emotionally unstable, meaning and purpose challenged people create problems for themselves, which are essentially no other than therapeutic, momentary ways to assuage the inherent emptiness of contemporary existence.
Politically expedient causes are all the rage. Close inspection of these trendy causes easily reveals their contradictory nature, like cutting off our right hand while getting stitches on a cut on our left. This is the essence of cool today. Yet this is of great service to the social-political power brokers who are licking their chops in this moral-spiritual bread and circus act. Moral ambiguity may be currently fashionable, but history shows that times of moral/spiritual vacuum are perfect breeding grounds for central planning and ruthless dictatorship.
And yet, what does not change, what is always present to remind us of the futility of the many tasks that we employ to pad our existence, these things are placed aside. Why would those who have struggled mightily to ensure that western culture turn its back on the timeless questions that enable us to have meaningful lives want people to reflect on the purpose of their lives? Isn't this the whole point of virtuous autonomy? History shows that self-governing people are never in need of social engineering. Make sure that Caesar reigns supreme, and we will have triumphed in creating a social-political order that rules over every aspect of human existence. This strategy is hardly new. This is the perpetual dream of social engineers, those architects of our murderous dystopias.
Yes, we are too self-consciously modern, too preoccupied with saving the planet from mankind. Soon, we may even turn our attention to saving the solar system. This form of chic, self-consciousness actually impedes our ability and desire to undertake good and lasting deeds. It is truly lamentable that our quiet, heartfelt sacrifices are always overshadowed by the officially- sanctioned variety.
Today we are the epitome of social-political organization. But this is not enough. The destruction of the human soul is never ending. We cannot leave a stone unturned. We must meddle in everything that is metaphysical, existential in nature and morally sound. We must overturn the laws of nature. We are compelled to do so – for in accomplishing this task – we become intoxicated by the worldly, temporal power that is at our disposition. In the absence of God, we – who live by the irresponsible policies of our anointed elites – feel the urge to shake the world. We have turned our humanity into a beehive, an ant-hill of social-political experimentation of unprecedented magnitude.
What has become of concern for metaphysics of the human person? What about Essence? Let us not kid ourselves. We have castrated the power of man to respect human reality. Now we merely drift in dangerous illusions. We do not care that human reality and the constants of nature have proven to be hierarchical in nature.
But let us not forget that truth always bubbles to the top in human history. Granted, as we have witnessed in past epochs, this may not be enough to safeguard us from committing untold, heinous crimes against humanity, A.K.A., the individual. Regrettably, in some ages memory is indeed a frightening thing – or at least – it is used selectively, as an all-encompassing tool in the service of power.
HT: OrthodoxyToday


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Thursday, September 16, 2010
eggcellent little Chemo Duck snack bento
Unfortunately, I had a little trouble executing my duck element for this bento. Instead of being cute and cuddly, my duck looks rather deranged.
He's coo-coo for Chemo Duck!
This little snack bento contains:
- boiled egg, colored yellow, with a bit of carrot bill, fruit leather tongue and icing eyes
- silicone cup of raspberries
- multi-grain quackers
- cheddar cheese hearts
Coloring a boiled egg is done in just a few simple steps:
1. Supplies needed: bowl, food coloring, water, boiled egg.
2. Add a few drops of food coloring to bowl and fill with water. Peel egg.
3. Gently add your (PEELED!) egg to the colored water and leave submerged until the egg reaches desired color, then remove!
My yellow ducky egg was in the yellow water for about 5 minutes. The time you need to keep the egg in the colored water depends on how much coloring you add to the water and how intense you want the color to be. I used 3 drops of coloring because I wanted a lightish yellow duck. Yellow enough to be noticeable, but no so yellow that he looked...um, too yellow.
Friends, I am so very blown away by the generous donations that have come in already for the Chemo Duck program!!!! You are all SO AMAZING! I've said many many times that you are all the best readers a blogger could ever hope to have, and you just continue to show that again and again! :) I love you guys!!
For more information about the Chemo Duck program, and how you can help send Chemo Duck friends to children with cancer, please see this post.
5 comments:
- Tifani said... [Reply to comment]
Your sweet duck does not look deranged. He is precious!
- September 17, 2010 at 9:44 AM
- Kelly Polizzi said... [Reply to comment]
oh melissa, you do such a great job. I just love the duck, its so cute.
- September 17, 2010 at 1:58 PM
- amy said... [Reply to comment]
I love your yellow egg! That's a fabulous Idea!
- September 17, 2010 at 4:49 PM
- Melissa said... [Reply to comment]
My family is the proud caretaker of a chemo duck!
My son was only 19 months at diagnosis, but the duck was a huge tool for his sister who was only a few months older than 3 at the time. Child Life sat her down and they accessed chemo duck and went through all of it, while it was happening to her brother.
She had gotten a little traumatized the week before with both parents and 3 nurses holding little brother down.
So the child life people really used chemo duck to drive home that what was happening to him wasn't painfully it was just scary. She could see it all happening to the duck, and she is a hands on learner so that sealed it for her.
She would stroke his hand and tell him, "it's ok to be scared Josh." It was very sweet. Unfortunately her brother relapsed so we have been in chemo land for 2 years, but chemo duck still gets his chemo from time to time, and he often grows up to be an awesome doctor to her dollies and his stuffed animals.
One of Josh's docs is a pediatric cancer survivor. So Chemo Duck follows in her footsteps.
So I highly recommend getting chemo duck for the family, not just the patient. It could really help a scared little or bigger sibling too.
- September 17, 2010 at 7:30 PM
- Amy said... [Reply to comment]
I think your egg looks perfect!
- September 19, 2010 at 9:13 PM


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Stock futures veered between gains and losses Monday after stock indexes notched the best week since mid-2013 and ahead of a wave of bellwether corporate results.
Futures for the S&P 500 index US:SPM4 were less than a point higher at 1,858.40, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average US:DJM4 were 2 points higher at 16,345. Futures for the Nasdaq-100 index US:NDM4 gained 7.25 points to 3,531.
The economic calendar is light for Monday. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index decreased to 0.20 in March from 0.53 in February. Data on leading indicators is due at 10 a.m. Eastern.
A holiday-shortened week finished with the S&P 500's SPX, -0.49% best weekly gain since July 2013 on Thursday, up 2.7% over four days. Generally positive economic data drove the gains, while earnings results proved a mixed bag.
Halliburton, Hasbro rally
More earnings will be in the spotlight this week in one of the busiest yet this season. Ahead of the bell on Monday, Halliburton HAL, -2.29% reported that it swung to a first-quarter profit of 73 cents a share. Shares were up 1% in premarket trading.
Kimberly-Clark KMB, +0.69% posted adjusted first-quarter earnings of $1.48 per share, which was a slight beat on the $1.47 a share that was expected. Shares were slightly higher in premarket.
Hasbro Inc. HAS, -2.72% shares rallied 4.4% after the toymaker said it swung to a first-quarter profit of 24 cents a share, from a year-ago loss, thanks to sales of its girls toys category.
Shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. AMD, -0.79% rose more than 9% after the company reported better-than-expected results late Thursday.
After the close, Netflix Inc. NFLX, -5.53% will take the spotlight. What to look for in Netflix's earnings Monday
Shares of Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. SRPT, -3.34% soared 58% in premarket trading after the company announced plans to submit a new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by the end of the year.
This week, the deluge of corporate earnings include Apple Inc. AAPL, -1.46% , Microsoft Corp. MSFT, -1.16% , Boeing Co. BA, -1.31% and Caterpillar Inc. CAT, -1.51%
Several global markets remained closed on Monday, including those in Europe, plus Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand. The Nikkei 225 index NIK, +0.16% closed up 0.6%, while other markets closed flat to slightly lower.
Gold GCM24, -0.15% and oil prices CLK24, -50.51% eased back on Monday, while the dollar firmed against the yen USDJPY, -0.43%.
More must-reads from MarketWatch:
Long view on stocks is best during weak earnings season


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Hi Circle Card
Learn how to make this card using these free instructions. Handmade hello cards are the perfect way to show you care, and with these card-making steps, creating this design is easy.
SUPPLIES: Cardstock: (white) Georgia-Pacific Patterned paper: (Calico from Indigo Bleu collection) Pink Paislee Accents: (silver rhinestones) Zva Creative Stickers: (blue grid tape) Pink Paislee; (orange striped tape) Target; (yellow striped tape) Bella Blvd.; (red, purple, green polka dot tape) Queen & Co.; (Shoebox alphabet) American Crafts Tool: (circle punch) Fiskars Finished size: 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"
1 Make card from cardstock.
2 Trim and adhere patterned paper.
3 Affix tape strip.
4 Affix tape strips to cardstock. Punch circles and adhere.
5 Affix stickers to spell "Hi".
6 Adhere rhinestones.
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Creating Facebook targeting segments can be a bit of a pain in the you-know-where, which made Facebook's Broad Category targeting a no-brainer for advertisers to target campaigns quickly and they continue to grow. Recently, Facebook rolled out a few new Broad Category targeting options that seriously rock. Read on for a look at the astounding new Broad Category targeting.
Local businesses, rejoice! You can now target people who have "Recently Moved."
This targeting option represents endless possibilities, from cable and Internet companies to the local masseuse.
Image credit: o5com/Flickr
Small businesses can take this opportunity to brand to new transplants on Facebook, raise awareness, and even offer a "new to town" discount.
Facebook has also revealed folks who are "Away from Family" or "Away from Hometown."
This targeting could be leveraged for distance gift-giving or long distance phone service, to name a few.
Facebook has also recently given us the ability to segment the users who are engaged by dividing it up between less than six months and less than a year. Separating these users gives advertisers more power to hyper-focus their ads.
A woman who has been engaged for less than six months is probably in the beginning stages of wedding planning and dieting.
Image credit: reallyboring/Flickr
Conversely, someone who is engaged for closer to a year may be approaching those steps down the aisle and in need of a quick teeth whitening.
Image credit: martindew/Flickr
One of the newest Broad Category Targeting in Facebook is surely some seriously deadeye targeting. Introducing…. Auto Intender category. The name is a bit of a head scratcher at first blush, but as you can imagine (and confirmed by a Facebook Rep'), it targets users who are most likely in search of a new vehicle.
This is a gold mine for the local used car lot or dealership, but think of what else you could offer this crowd.
Image credit: turnerburns/Flickr
Much to advertisers' pleasure, Facebook's Broad Targeting gets even better… You can now target users expecting a baby.
That's right. Facebook has quietly rolled out pregnancy targeting.
Facebook does not reserve this targeting just for women but also to expectant fathers.
Next, with Category Targeting in Facebook, we can target users who are interested in "Education/Teaching."
Could this mean teachers? Perhaps… but to truly laser target teachers using this method, couple it with the University Targeting in Facebook:
Et viola! 120,000 Facebook users who are likely teachers with targeting that only takes seconds to take advantage of for everything from educational software to fund raising.
This last bit of new Facebook targeting is just the beginning, mark my words. Facebook has introduced Broad Ethnic Targeting.
Surely, Facebook will be testing and building more broad ethnic segments?
There you have, it fellow Facebook marketers, recently rolled out targeting in Facebook's Broad Category, killer for local business and big business alike. Quick, easy, and practically painless targeting.
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It turns out that whether a dog displays separation anxiety or not depends on whether the canine has an optimistic or pessimistic take on life.
That, at least, is the finding of a new British study that tries to shed more light on the condition that owners have come to know and loathe: anxiety-ridden, noisy dogs that cause various types of destruction when left home alone.
Researchers at the University of Bristol in Great Britain produced the study, which was published in the Oct. 12 issue of Current Biology, by following the behavior of 24 shelter dogs.
In step one, the researchers took each of the dogs to rooms and played with them for 20 minutes. The next day, they took the dogs back to the rooms and left them alone, according to an article in HealthDay News.
Read more…