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Lieutenant Harrison was a male Human Starfleet officer who lived during the mid-23rd century. He served aboard the USS Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk, from 2266 to 2269, during a historic five-year mission that starship undertook. In 2267, he was originally a technician first class and later a lieutenant.
History Edit
In 2266, Harrison served in the sciences division, and sat at a forward bridge station during a star mapping mission that led to a tense first contact with the First Federation starship Fesarius on stardate 1514.0. Harrison was one of many bridge officers who were violently ejected from their seats when the Enterprise was forced to destroy a radiation-emitting space buoy operated by Balok. (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver")
Harrison was working in a corridor while the Enterprise encountered Harry Mudd and his "cargo": a trio of women. He took a good look at the women as they walked by. (TOS: "Mudd's Women")
Harrison was working in the ship's biopsy lab in 2266 when Enterprise personnel were afflicted with an intoxication from Psi 2000. Upon McCoy requesting a report from Harrison, a specific crewman began laughing hysterically over the speaker. Harrison was later at his post in sickbay (wearing a sciences blue jumpsuit uniform), helping to restrain Hikaru Sulu, while McCoy tested antidote serums. (TOS: "The Naked Time")
Later that year, Harrison (again wearing a sciences blue jumpsuit uniform) was working in a corridor adjacent to Charles Evans' quarters, at a panel labeled "atmospheric system". Harrison carried out this work while Spock was standing beside him and was meanwhile aware that Spock intended to use a force field. After Spock stated he would activate the force field himself and that Harrison had permission to return to his duties, Harrison did so. (TOS: "Charlie X")
In battle with a Romulan Bird-of-Prey around stardate 1709, Harrison took over for Lieutenant Stiles at the navigator's console on the bridge. (TOS: "Balance of Terror")
Harrison was part of a security team that responded to a call of trouble at the ship's theater. Lenore Karidian stole Harrison's phaser to hold Enterprise crewpeople at bay. She accidentally discharged the weapon and killed her father, Kodos. (TOS: "The Conscience of the King")
When Khan Noonien Singh attempted to take over the ship in 2267, Harrison was wearing a red operations division uniform while among multiple crewmembers who were trapped, by Khan, on the bridge. Kirk's captain's log noted commendations for numerous personnel, including Technician First Class Harrison, who lost consciousness from oxygen deprivation. (TOS: "Space Seed")
Harrison served on a security team ordered by Lieutenant Commander Giotto to hunt for a Horta on Janus VI. (TOS: "The Devil in the Dark")
Harrison was part of a security detail that beamed down to an iron-silica planet where Lazarus and anti-Lazarus were found. (TOS: "The Alternative Factor")
Lieutenant Harrison, wearing a gold command division uniform, was among Starfleet personnel that beamed down to Omicron Ceti III in 2267. When sub-sonic vibrations were used to irritate Omicron spore-possessed crewmembers on that planet, Harrison was overcome by the effect and started fighting with Lieutenant Kelowitz and another crewmember. (TOS: "This Side of Paradise")
Appendices Edit
- "The Corbomite Maneuver"
- "Mudd's Women"
- "The Man Trap"
- "The Naked Time"
- "Charlie X"
- "Balance of Terror"
- "The Conscience of the King"
- "The Galileo Seven"
- "The Menagerie, Part I" (stock footage only)
- "The Menagerie, Part II"
- "Shore Leave"
- "Arena"
- "The Alternative Factor"
- "The Return of the Archons"
- "A Taste of Armageddon"
- "Space Seed"
- "This Side of Paradise"
- "The Devil in the Dark"
- "Errand of Mercy"
- "The City on the Edge of Forever" (stock footage only)
- "Operation -- Annihilate!"
- "Metamorphosis" (stock footage only)
- "The Omega Glory" (stock footage only)
- "Assignment: Earth" (stock footage only)
- "Elaan of Troyius" (stock footage only)
- "And the Children Shall Lead" (stock footage only)
- "Spock's Brain" (stock footage only)
- "The Cloud Minders" (stock footage only)
- "Turnabout Intruder" (stock footage only)
Background information Edit
Harrison was played by regular TOS extra Ron Veto. Harrison's name was mentioned in "Space Seed", as the camera panned over Ron Veto. In this scene, the name Technician 1st Class Thule was mentioned as the camera panned over actor Eddie Paskey, who generally played Lt. Leslie, and he can be clearly seen wearing his lieutenant braids. Also, the camera has moved past actor Blaisdell Makee, who played Spinelli, by the time his name was mentioned. There is the possibility that Thule was the name intended for Ron Veto, who had no braids on his costume, since the name also refers to an Eskimo culture, indicating a possible Inuit background (the actor was actually of Hawaiian descent). This would be consistent with other character names in the series that are used to describe place of international origin. The other use of his name, in "The Naked Time", did not show Veto when the reference was made, and featured a communications response from Harrison that was dubbed over laughter voiced by John Bellah. Seeing as Veto was seen later in that episode, unaffected, its likely that the voice wasn't Harrison's at all, but rather Bellah's unnamed crewman character intercepting his call. Veto is one of only a few to wear the colors of all three divisions (sciences blue, operations red and command gold), in his various appearances.
Harrison was one candidate rumored to possibly be an antagonist in the film Star Trek Into Darkness. Before the movie was released, a name for the villain was revealed to be "John Harrison", though whether this was his actual name or merely an alias was undisclosed. Star Trek Magazine issue 172, p. 32, in the lead-up to the film's release, speculated a fifty percent probability that the character would turn out to be Lieutenant Harrison.
External link Edit
- Harrison at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works


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A former Gastonia business man will serve nearly a year in prison for shooting another man in the face.
A former Gastonia business man will serve nearly a year in prison for shooting another man in the face.
Timothy Lewis Sisk pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill earlier this month. He was given a split sentence.
Sisk, 44, is to report to the Gaston County Jail on July 15. He�s sentenced to 11 months in prison followed by probation.
The encounter that landed Sisk in court happened in front of Iconz Bar in Lowell in December 2011.
Sisk was inside the bar earlier but an altercation in the parking lot led up to the shooting.
According to police, Sisk fired a .24-caliber handgun and shot Bryan Michael Kratz in the face.
Sisk then jumped in a Cadillac and attempted to flee.
Others charged
Police stopped the car and charged Sisk along with Megan Smith and Timothy Almond.
Smith, 25, was driving the car that night, and Almond, 46, was a passenger.
The two were charged for their participation, according to Gaston County Assistant District Attorney Brandon Graham.
When the trio tried to flee, Sisk threw the gun into Almond�s lap, and Almond pitched the weapon out of the car window, Graham said.
Smith and Almond, both of Gastonia, each pleaded guilty to misdemeanor obstruction. They were sentenced to one year of supervised probation.
The aftermath
After his arrest, Sisk was held on a $250,000 secured bond.
Kratz was taken to the local hospital for treatment.
According to Graham, the injured man was lucky. The bullet entered Kratz�s face near his teeth. And now a year and a half later, he�s fully recovered with no visible scar, Graham said.
As part of his sentence, Sisk will reimburse Kratz for his medical expenses.
The former CEO of T.S. Electric, Sisk also once owned the Magic Pipe, a tobacco shop on Garrison Boulevard.
The judge recommended work release for Sisk, but that decision is up to the N.C. Department of Correction.
If he is approved for work release, Sisk will stay in Gaston County Jail. Otherwise, Sisk will be sent into the prison system.
According to Graham, Kratz was satisfied with the sentence.
�He just wanted to make sure he got restitution and that the guy got jail time,� Graham said.
You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.

subset: commoncrawl


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A Hamptons Wedding Invitation
This invitation suite was designed by the bride, Stacey Averbuch. It is an elegant invitation in it's typographic texture, mixing a coarse script font with a finely serifed engravers typeface. The ink is dark brown letterpress on Crane Lettra cotton paper. A cement green envelope color from French Paper was used for all the envelopes in the set. Email Stacey if you really like the design and would like her to work on a custom stationery set for you.
This a good wedding tip: Colored Envelopes. We like the simplicity of adding color to a wedding invitation set by using a colored envelope. It's a great way to put some color in the set without the expense of letterpress printing more color.
The same dark brown color is printed on both the cards and the envelopes. We printed the invite cards together on a single press sheet and trimmed them to size after printing. That keeps the cost of all the cards more friendly. Also, don't forget to include a thank you card while printing your inviations. That saves time and money in the long run. We specialize in printing custom sets brought to us by other designers and event planners. Thanks Stacey for a sharp looking invitation.


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Tropical Storm Barry, 2 p.m. Thursday advisory
OUTLOOK: After hitting Veracruz, Mexico, this morning with 45 mph sustained winds, Barry already is weakening. It is projected to fall apart over land by Friday.
WHAT FLORIDA CAN EXPECT: The system poses no threat to Florida.
PARTICULARS: Barry, the second named storm of the season, already has swamped much of Central America and Mexico with up to 10 inches of rain. Adding to the flooding potential, the system is crawling at a slow pace. It's expected to weaken into a depression later today.
LOCATION: 85 miles northwest of Veracruz, Mexico
STRENGTH: 40 mph sustained winds
MOVEMENT: west at 8 mph


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Women's group meets every Wednesday from 11am-12:30pm in the Fellowship Hall at the church. This is a safe place to explore our identity in Christ! To examine God's Word and be intentional with applying His scriptures and what we learned from Sunday's message to our daily lives! Please contact Terry Billings for more information. (530) 320-1138 or email@example.com
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: April 24Men's Bible Study
Later Event: April 25High School Youth Community @The Shed


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Peer-to-peer aggression threatens patient care and outcomes
Horizontal violence between nurses at the same level of authority is jeopardising patient outcomes, research has revealed.
A study of the phenomenon in a perinatal department at a US hospital found that staff on labour and delivery wards experience hostile behaviour more frequently than those working elsewhere in the same service.
A relationship between horizontal violence and ineffective communication, as well as between horizontal violence and poor patient outcome or near misses, was demonstrated.
Peer-to-peer abuse has been widely documented in fast-paced healthcare environments in other countries.
The study, published in Nursing Management, urges senior nurses and managers to create workplace environments where nurses feel supported to practise their skills without taking out their frustrations or anxieties on colleagues.
The authors recommend developing staffing models that take into account the physically and emotionally demanding aspects of nursing in high-pressured settings, which require advanced critical thinking and specific skillsets.
They conclude that understanding how hostile workplaces can be for some nurses and the effect this can have on patient care and outcomes is critical so that problems can be identified and addressed.
Explore further


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Resale prices may be above face value.
When you are going to an event with friends or family members, TicketSmarter has the best seats for you to choose from at Brady Theater in Tulsa, OK. We have made it simple for you to find your seats with a very easy to use and interactive seating chart is shown above. This way you know where you will be sitting before purchasing your tickets and you will have a more enjoyable time while watching this great event.
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Sit back and enjoy the moment with many other fans with your tickets from TicketSmarter for this event in Tulsa, OK.


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Satisfaction Guarantee
Stationery Online guarantees that our customers are 100% satisfied with our products, service and quality.
This guarantee covers:
Customers may cancel orders previous to customer confirmation or approval without obligation at anytime.
Return instructions cover faults with either the quality or product caused by Stationery Online. When the faulty product is returned Stationery Online will reprint at no additional cost or fully refund the customer.
Custom printed products are unable to be reprinted free of charge once the design, layout, paper and ink selections have been approved.


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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Pittsburgh is sitting safety Troy Polamalu along with linebacker LaMarr Woodley against the Tennessee Titans.
Polamalu aggravated his right calf injury last weekend in a 16-14 victory over Philadelphia, the same injury that kept him out of two prior games. Woodley strained his right hamstring and will be replaced by Jason Worilds in the starting lineup. Will Allen is starting Thursday night at strong safety instead of Ryan Mundy, who was flagged for 15 yards for a hit last week.
The Titans deactivated only one starter in quarterback Jake Locker. Matt Hasselbeck is starting his second straight game in place of the quarterback who dislocated his left, non-throwing shoulder Sept. 30 in a loss at Houston. Linebacker Colin McCarthy is set to start after missing practice this week.


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WORCESTER — The Nativity School of Worcester will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its opening this month, but the school is less remarkable for the progress it has made as an institution than for the change it has guided in students.
Ten years is long enough to get a school up and running, buy a home of its own and start an endowment, but more stunningly, it's also long enough to see sometimes unsure pre-teens turn into thoughtful, well-spoken young men.
The private Jesuit school, which serves 56 boys in Grades 5 through 8 who are from low-income families, tells students they're on a 12-year plan: four years at Nativity, four years of high school and four years of college, all with Nativity support. Families pay a book and activity fee of $200 or $250 a year.
Six of the first 10 sixth-graders through its doors 10 years ago are now college seniors.
Lance E. Evans, 21, who spent so much time in the principal's office of his elementary school that it seemed like a second classroom, is a history major at Emmanuel College in Boston.
Juainer Beato-Lopez, 21, who said Nativity helped him grow "from a young boy to a young man," is a social science major at Providence College.
And Jacob A. Kelley, 22, who as a boy couldn't wait to drop out of school, is majoring in sociology with a minor in black studies at Providence.
All three went to St. John's High School in Shrewsbury after they graduated from Nativity, all three interned at Nativity's three-week summer program last month, and all three hope to return someday as Nativity fellows, the young teachers who make up the bulk of the staff.
It seemed unlikely at first. "Every ounce of me was kind of telling me to get out," Mr. Kelley recalls from his first year at the school. "I really wanted to be in public school with my friends." But the relationships he was building at Nativity — alumni frequently use the term "brotherhood" — kept him there.
Before coming to Nativity, Mr. Beato-Lopez said, he had only limited aspirations. "For me, it was just finish high school and then go get a job. I never saw any opportunities for me to (become) a successful man," he said. "Everything has changed … There's not a lot of words to describe what Nativity did for me."
Nativity continues supporting its graduates with tuition help, tutoring, mentoring and other services, so staff get to see the students as they grow up. "It makes it easy to come to work every day," President Alex Zequeira said. One of his office walls holds a quote from Frederick Douglass: "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
The Nativity School of Worcester is based on a model that started in 1971 in New York City. It includes class sizes of approximately 15 students, a mandatory summer program, an extended school day with evening study, and a graduate support program.
The school hopes to grow modestly within the next two years, Mr. Zequeira said. A larger question is whether there should be a companion school for girls. It is one that the school's board has studied and considers feasible, but, Mr. Zequeira said, leaders want to cement the financial stability of the existing school first.
The staffing at Nativity is unlike that of traditional schools: While about a third of Nativity School of Worcester's teaching staff are professionals, most of it consists of eight Nativity fellows, who are generally recent college graduates who stay for two years, while earning essentially only stipends.
The school gives its fellows a house and a van to share, health insurance, a food stipend and a personal stipend in addition to the stipend they receive as AmeriCorps volunteers. They can also earn a master's degree for free through Assumption College or for the cost of their AmeriCorps stipend at Clark University.
For the year starting this fall, the Worcester school had 50 applicants for three Nativity fellow openings, Mr. Zequeira said. The leap in that figure is just one of the things that has changed over the past 10 years.
At first, the school rented space in All Saints Church on Irving Street, and its summer program was at a traditional camp in Leicester. In 2007, it changed its summer program to focus more on academics and community service, because most of the boys are behind grade level when they're admitted, Mr. Zequeira said. In 2008, the school bought the former Girls Inc. building at 67 Lincoln St., and moved in the following year.
Other things have stayed the same. The students still wear uniforms during the school year. Mr. Zequeira has returned to the school as president after being its founding principal. (He left that position when his father died unexpectedly.) Sean Dillon, the school's current principal, has been there in different capacities since his first year as a Nativity fellow in 2004.
The school raises $1.2 million every year to cover its expenses. (In March, it received a surprise $53,000 check from the estate of Paul K. Mattimore, a Worcester resident who died in 2011 and had never had any direct contact with the school.) The school was founded by the College of the Holy Cross and the New England Province of Jesuits, and the Jesuit community at Holy Cross remains one of its largest donors. The college itself has been very supportive of the school, but mostly in in-kind donations, Mr. Zequeira said.
The school also benefits from volunteers, including a retired reading specialist.
Bryan J. Montenegro, 13, who will be in eighth grade this fall, said all the academic help and the school's practice of putting two teachers in a class of 15 kids makes a difference. "You get any help that you need," Bryan said. "I spend more time here at the school than I do at home."
With 11-hour days, the school also goes beyond academic. "They teach you everything from manners to how you treat girls, how to be a true gentleman," Bryan said.
Prince E. Collins, 11, a sixth-grader, said he wasn't sure about going there but he believes it would help him get into a "good high school, and then get a good future."
Numbers bear out his faith. Nativity graduates have a four-year high school graduation rate that is better than the city's and a college enrollment rate that is far higher than the national rate for black and Latino men, who make up a significant amount of the enrollment at Nativity.
Nativity graduates have gone to public schools and to private schools such as St. John's, St. Peter-Marian Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School, Holy Name Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School, Bancroft School and Worcester Academy. All of its graduates have been accepted to and received adequate financial aid to attend a private high school, although not every student opted for a private school. From there, students have gone on to a range of colleges, including Holy Cross and Yale University.
There are seven schools in Massachusetts and more than 60 nationwide based on the Nativity model, but Nativity School of Worcester is the only one in Central Massachusetts.
The school will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a dinner Oct. 19 at Mechanics Hall. For more information, contact Director of Advancement Patrick T. Maloney at (508) 799-0100, ext. 11 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Contact Jacqueline Reis via email at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @JackieReisTG


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Rules changes won't affect Arizona State women's basketball
SAN FRANCISCO – The new rules changes were a big topic of discussion in just about every panel session with the head coaches at Pac-12 Women's Basketball Media Day Thursday at Pac-12 Studios, but perhaps none more so than with Arizona State's Charli Turner Thorne.
Under Turner Thorne, the Sun Devils have made a name for themselves for their in-your-shorts pressure defense. With officials promising to call a tighter game in 2013-14 – emphasizing calling fouls on hand checks after an initial touch – members of the media expressed concern about how this would affect Arizona State's defensive philosophy.
Not at all, if you ask the woman in charge in Tempe.
"Time out," Turner Thorne interjected when the question arose. "We are thrilled with the changes. Just because we take things away doesn't mean we hand check… The biggest sin in our program is to foul. We work our butts off to play position defense."
Don't believe her? "Come to one of our practices," she said, inviting the media to see firsthand how she teaches defense.
That confidence in the defensive philosophy has trickled down to the players, and redshirt senior Deja Mann is not at all concerned about how the rules changes might affect her when guarding a top-notch scorer.
"If you deny them the ball, you don't have to worry about hand checking," Mann said.
And there you have it. Any further questions?


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I'm trying to pinpoint exactly when and how the Warriors became the juggernaut they are. Was it when Curry started to score after Ellis left? Or was it when David Lee got injured and they inserted Barnes into the starting lineup against Denver? Or was it when Lee got hurt the following year and Green became the power forward? Or was it when they fired Jackson and hired Steve Kerr?
It's just amazing how the Warriors became the NBA's team so quickly. We beat the Denver Nuggets and gave the Spurs a good fight but ultimately could not dethrone them. Then the following year Curry made the all star team for the first time, and we made it game 7 vs the Clippers but ultimately lost and blamed it due to Bogut's absence.
Then the next year we had basically the same team and got off to a real good start. It looked like Steve Kerr changed everything. Although we did see flashes of the Warriors greatness before.
So what was the biggest reason the Warriors were able to make their sudden leap? It's not usual to see a team do that in the NBA. The Warriors were basically a poor man's Clippers (with arguably a higher ceiling) and became the Spurs on steroids. All in one season. What was the biggest contribution?
Lol I bring this up because someone on a youtube video in the comments said the NBA is rigged and they just had to make the Warriors great because they needed a new super team.
What was the moment the Warriors became a World class team?
Discuss anything related to Golden State Warriors basketball here
Moderators: Mr. Crackerz, JREED, Guybrush, 32


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PRESENTED BY: Discover Puerto Rico
OpenRegister ▻
In order to make our event unforgettable for athletes as well as spectators, media representatives and VIPs from all over the world, more than 1,000 volunteers help every year. Most importantly, the IRONMAN 70.3 Puerto Rico remains unforgettable for every single volunteer, too!
There are many ways you can help us, but all of them have one thing in common: you are part of the event.
No matter if you're young or old, if you'd like to work at an aid station or at the finish line – we look forward to seeing you!
Please contact us at [email protected] to register as a volunteer!


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- 1.1 Ownership & Conglomeration
- 1.2 Partnerships and Initiatives
- 1.3 Production, Distribution, & Transmission
- 1.4 Audience
- 1.5 Signature Programming
- 1.6 Branding and Advertising Strategies
- 1.7 Textual Analysis
- 1.8 Online Analysis
- 1.9 References
_TOC_==Industrial Analysis==
Ownership & Conglomeration
Like most companies in the television industry, VH1 is part of a larger conglomerate with several layers of control. The channel is operated by the MTV Networks group, which also controls interests in digital media, publishing, home video, radio, recorded music, recreation, licensing, and merchandising.[1] As far as its television holdings, MTV Networks controls many popular basic cable channels, including MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Spike, Country Music Television, Logo, and TV Land. All told, MTV Networks consists of over 160 channels worldwide.[2] All of these brands are divided into four categories: MTVN Entertainment Group (targeted at males 18-34), MTVN Kids & Family Group (families and kids 2-17), MTVN Music & Logo Group (men and women 18-34), and MTVN International (a combination of the other three). VH1 falls into the "Music & Logo Group," and is thus aimed primarily at men and women in the 18-34 (or even 18-49) age bracket.[3]
MTV Networks--and therefore VH1-- is owned by Viacom, a major publicly-traded international media conglomerate based in New York City. Viacom focuses mostly on television and film, and in addition to all of the brands that fall under the MTV Networks umbrella, Viacom also controls BET, Paramount Pictures Corporation, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. Within the Viacom Corporation VH1 is designed to be "Where music and pop culture live and breathe" .[4]
Partnerships and Initiatives
VH1 also has specific partnerships designed to increase its profile and popularity. One of the most recent partnerships is the one formed this year (2010) between MTV Networks and Warner Music Group. According to the partnership agreement, "MTV Music Group will now have the exclusive right to sell advertising inventory around WMG premium music video content in the U.S."[5] This means that, for example, VH1 will get advertising space around Warner Music Group's videos, and that artists under contract to WMG will be featured on VH1 shows likeBehind the Music.
Perhaps one of VH1's most well-known initiatives is the "Save the Music Foundation." Created in 1997, the goal of Save the Music is to restore "instrumental music education programs in America's public schools, and [to raise] awareness about the importance of music as part of a child's complete education."[6] The foundation has donated $45 million dollars in musical instruments to elementary and middle schools across the country and utilizes popular musician "Ambassadors" such as Kelly Clarkson, Jason Mraz, and Beyoncé to raise awareness of its cause.[7]
Production, Distribution, & Transmission
When it comes to production, VH1's material is sourced from a combination of internal and external agencies, although in the past few years more and more programming has been produced by outside agencies. VH1 Television, VH1's in-house production and distribution wing, has produced shows like Famous Crime Scene, Confessions of a Teen Idol, and New York Goes to Hollywood.[8] But more famous shows such as Rock of Love, Ray J, I Love New York, The Surreal Life, and Flavor of Love are all produced by 51 Minds Entertainment, a Los Angeles based production company that has an exclusive agreement with VH1 to create original programming.[9]
VH1 does, however, serve as the distributor for most of its own programming through VH1 Television.[10] Many of the shows produced by outside agencies, for example, are distributed by VH1 itself. Thus Flavor of Love, produced by 51 Minds, is distributed by VH1. Occasionally, though, VH1 turns to outside distribution agencies to gain access to other markets: this year the channel called on Passion Distribution, a London based firm, to handle foreign distribution of the show Dad Camp.[11]
VH1 is transmitted through many cable and satellite services as part of a basic package. Comcast and Time Warner Cable, two large American cable corporations, both offer VH1 as part of their basic cable lineup.[12] Verizon Fios, a fiber-optic-based transmitter, also provides access to VH1 as part of its "Tier 1 Prime HD" service.[13] DIRECTV, a satellite provider owned by Verizon, offers VH1 in its "Choice" (i.e. most basic) package.[14] VH1 can also be found in DISH Network's "America's Top 120" package, the company's cheapest deal.[15]
As the sister channel of MTV—a music television channel with a younger demographic—VH1 was designed for the same purpose, however, for an older audience. Thus, this explains VH1's retro, 1970's themed logo. VH1's "Gen Mix: The Consumer Report" investigates the factors that influence young adults' consumption habits. VH1 defines "Gen Mix" as those in between Millenials and Gen Xers or in other words, between ages 24 and 34. The report analyzes the shopping habits of Gen Mixers, their engagement in social networks and digital media, as well as the impact of celebrities and television advertising on their consumption patterns. VH1 takes each factor into consideration in the development of program content. For example, a 2009 report states:
"Gen Mixers love to hear about celebrity mistakes because it helps validate their own mistakes, causing them to feel better about themselves. This is why reality, celebrity TV is still so popular among Gen Mixers."[16]
Signature Programming
Both MTV and VH1 originally played music videos, where MTV targeted a younger audience and VH1 targeted an older audience when it was created in 1985. Known as "the MTV for old people" and a more urban version of MTV, VH1 focused on jazz and R&B and featured musicians like Anita Baker, Marvin Gaye, Elton John, Tina Turner, and Kenny G. Later on, in the 1990's, VH1 attempted to broaden its demographic through the incorporation of rock and hip-hop music into its programming in hopes of attracting a younger audience and featured artists like Sheryl Crow, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Janet Jackson. In the 2000's, VH1 aimed for a "pop culture nostalgic" theme and created programming like the I Love the…(Decades), The Greatest…, and 40 Most Awesomely Bad… series. At this time, VH1 dropped its "Music First" slogan and replaced it with "Watch and Discuss," which conveys the shift in focus away from music. In 2005, VH1 introduced Celebreality shows, which maintained predominance as VH1's programming genre up until 2010.[17] Celebreality maintained dominance as VH1's signature programming genre for a long period of time because of the Gen Mixers appeal to the imperfections of celebrities, which—according to Bryan Curtis, a journalist for Slate Magazine—are exemplified by the "has-beens" and "nobodies" in The Surreal Life, and those undergoing emotional breakdowns and weight issues in Breaking Bonaduce and Celebrity Fit Club.[18] There has been a recent shift in programming that was introduced during the 2010 spring season that moved away from Celebreality and towards music.
Branding and Advertising Strategies
VH1 seeks to publicize its name in as many ways possible and thus, employs multiple digital platforms to interact with viewers. By self-promoting through mobile phones, television, and the Internet as well as partnering with various media companies including Microsoft, AOL, Virgin Mobile, and Verizon Wireless, VH1 gains greater access to its audience. VH1's marketing in online social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, and foursquare is an example of how VH1 gains both access and the ability to interact with its audience. VH1 also has departments of Wireless Strategy and Operations and Online Games and Operations that are responsible fordeveloping strategies of establishing connections with its viewers. For example, the Vice President of Online Games Strategy and Operations—Dan Hart—is responsible for creating video game multimedia and online games for MTV Network.[19]
Not only does VH1 interact with its audience on television and online, it also reaches its audience through applications and a ringtone service on mobile phones. Giselle Tsirulnik—a reporter for The Mobile Marketer—discusses her interview with John Burry—a CEO of Mobui—in her article "VH1 unites television with mobile." According to Burry:
"Going mobile is the next step in VH1's 'Watch And Discuss' initiative, enabling their viewers to get even closer and interact with the VH1 brand in more places and with fewer boundaries."[20]
VH1 also engages in a type of branding called "cause branding." In the article "Cause Branding and Its Impact on Corporate Reputation" by Barkley Evergreen & Partners, cause branding is defined as a:
"365-day-a-year association with a cause via internal and external programs. In the purest form a brand brings its core values to life by supporting a cause or nonprofit partner that embodies those same values. It is a true branding endeavor to align a cause and a brand's support of that cause in the consumers mind."[21]
VH1 demonstrates such cause branding through the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. The two missions of VH1 Save The Music Foundation is to:
1. "restore instrumental music education in America's public schools."[22]
2. "Raise awareness about the importance of music as a part of a child's education."[23]
VH1 identifies with Evergreen's definition of cause branding because it has been associated with and working with Save the Music 365-days-a-year since 1997.
Related Channels:
VH1 Classic[24]
VH1 Soul[25]
VH1 Uno[26]
Textual Analysis
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a documentary-style program that explores the lives and careers of popular music artists. It originally ran from 1997 through 2006 before being resurrected for the end of the 2009 season. The series has earned five Emmy nominations since 1997 and has been one of VH1's most iconic shows, remaining "deeply associated with the channel" even while it it was off the air.[27]
VH1 reintroduced the show as a means of appealing to its goal audience, the aforementioned "Gen Mix" consisting of men and women aged 25-34. There was a fear among the channel's executives that they were losing touch with the core audience, and according to executive vice president in charge of original programming Jeff Olde, it came down to "zeroing in on who our audience is, where they are in life and what things are important to them."[28] As a result of this desire to create programming relevant to the core audience's perceived needs, the new BTM exhibits several key differences from the original show. While the older version provided a retrospective and occasionally nostalgic or critical look at artists who were past their prime, in its current iteration BTM focuses on contemporary artists and the issues they face in their lives, the trajectory of which--and thus the resolution of any problems being confronted--are (unlike in an episode on Bob Marley, for example) as yet undetermined. This emphasis on artists who are in the process of figuring out their lives forms the basis of VH1's attempt to appeal to the "Gen Mix." It is important to note that many of the featured artists in the new BTM fall within the age range of the "Gen Mix" and are thus dealing with issues that viewers may be confronting themselves. In the Usher episode (originally aired on 7/20/10) for example, the main focus is on family and relationships as Usher discusses his career and romantic involvements in the context of his struggle to balance his desire for a family--itself a result of his father's absence during his childhood--with his desire to maintain his independence.[29] Thus VH1 creates an appeal to those who may be dealing with similar conflicts in their own lives.
BTM is shot in a documentary style, which underscores for the viewer the truth and importance of what he or she is watching. Combining archival footage depicting the artist's childhood and past performances with contemporary interviews featuring the artist and family members, colleagues, and critics, the show creates an atmosphere of omniscience, implying to the viewer that he or she is learning all there is to know about the featured artist, that he or she is being invited into the life of Usher, Fantasia Barrino, Lil' Wayne, or Jennifer Hudson. In this way BTM is constructed following the same fundamental concept of the "celebreality" shows that VH1 has become known for in the last decade in the sense that it fulfills a desire to gain a window into the lives of the rich and famous. Yet by foregrounding real-life issues rather than outlandish and blatantly artificial scenarios, BTM also invites the viewer to identify with its celebrity characters in a way that a show like "Rock of Love" cannot. Thus by situating its intimate and frank examination of musical performers in the context of the ongoing struggles they face in their lives, BTM can appeal to those who enjoy "celebreality"-type shows, to those whose interests lie in VH1's traditional focus on music, and those who simply want to see depictions of stories they can relate to on a personal level.
BTM is formatted to draw a viewer in from the beginning, as the introductory pre-title sequence gives a brief overview of the episode's main foci, framed in a slightly sensationalized way. The episode featuring Fantasia Barrino (originally aired on 8/25/10) attempts to hook viewers by providing a voiceover narration of her struggles. We hear from the narrator, for example, that "her dramatic rise to fame came against all odds," and that "As a teenager, Fantasia Barrino was raped."[30] These statements will be contextualized later, but presented as they are in the opening, they play on the common trope of rising up through adversity while also drawing from tabloid-style sensationalism, forming an immediate appeal to "celebreality" devotees. Many episodes follow with a glimpse of the artist's current life, through a direct interaction with him or her and/or through an anecdote about a newsworthy recent incident involving the artist. From there the narrative goes back to the artist's early life and returns to the present through the course of the episode, emphasizing the issues presented in the opening as a way to interpret the artist's life and career. Hearing and seeing the artist discussing his or her life while seeing images and footage of that life creates a feeling of intimacy between the viewer and the artist and removes much of the sense of distance often found in traditional documentaries. In its conclusion, BTM episodes prevent the viewer from achieving any sense of finality. In addition to creating a specific appeal to the "Gen Mix," the open-ended nature of the show, in which the featured artist's final path is undetermined, allows the viewer to construct his or her own ideas about what will happen and forces a greater interaction with the program, because there can be no clear resolution.
Basketball Wives
Since 2005, VH1's signature programming has concentrated on the Celebreality genre. According to a Viacom News Release, Ben Zurier—a member of VH1's creative team who specializes in Program Strategy—has significantly contributed to VH1's connection with the audience through the program block Celebreality Sundays and Mondays.[31] Altogether, the programming developed by VH1's creative team increased VH1's primetime ratings by 102% since 2002.[32] VH1's creative team introduced such successful Celebreality television in response to its audience. Where VH1 has always targeted an older demographic, the channel has attempted to diversify its audience by appealing to the Gen Mix (young adults between the ages of 24-34). At first—according to New York Times journalist Brian Stelter—Celebreality programming consisted of "competitions that feature immodest women, skirt-chasing men and other fame-seekers," such as Tool Academy and Flavor of Love.[33] This type of show was initially appealing to Gen Mixers because it fostered a feeling of reassurance in their own identity through scrutinizing the imperfections of celebrities. However, within the last year, VH1's intended purpose for Celebreality programming has shifted its focus to genuine storylines and the truths behind celebrities' lives. This shift is due to three main causes:
1) Gen Mixers have developed a greater interest in connecting with the lives of celebrities.
2) Critics and advertiser's disapproval have driven VH1 Executives to diversify the channel's programming.[34]
3) Ryan Jenkins's suspected murder of his ex-wife brought a negative reputation to VH1's reality dating competitions.[35]
One of these genuine shows includes Basketball Wives; there is an uncovering of celebrities' true character within a storyline of their actual lives, rather than a competition. Under this new focus of Celebreality television, these basketball wives serve as objects of connection, rather than objects of humility and entertainment; however, the underlying purpose of VH1's Celebreality television has always been to place celebrities in a setting where they are prone to public scrutiny.[36]
Basketball Wives premiered in April 2010 as a first-hand experience of the "glamorous and dramatic" life and the challenges faced as an NBA basketball player's wife, ex-wife, or girlfriend.[37] According to Jeff Olde—VH1 executive vice president of original programming and production, "The wives of star athletes form one of the most unique and exclusive groups of women in the world."[38] Not only has the interest in such an original idea motivated the creation of Basketball Wives, but has also prompted the creation of the current Football Wives. Olde also claims that basketball players and their families' experiences and challenges significantly differ from those of football players and their families.[39] This is mainly due to the fact that basketball players are on the road much more than football players.[40] For example, Episode 3 of the first season of "Basketball Wives" is an example of the these wives and girlfriends face when their husbands and boyfriends are traveling on the road. At a party, a basketball wife confronts an alleged groupie who had supposedly been trying to talk to her husband as well as her friend's husband. The basketball wife's refusal to believe the groupie's accusation about her husband talking to several women and overall strong disposition conveyed her confidence in her husband and her marriage.[41] As a viewer, this is an intriguing aspect of the show: How can the wives of professional basketball players be so confident in their husbands with all of the rumors and gossip that circulates within their daily lives? The original idea—to provide an inside look at the challenges faced by families of professional athletes—generates a greater appeal to the audience and thus, higher ratings for the show.[42] This is proven by the 1.6 million viewers who watched the premiere of Basketball Wives and the overall .78 rating with viewers between the ages 18-49.[43] According to Pulse—Viacom's investor publication—VH1 was the second most-watched network on cable television during the second quarter of 2010 due to the Urban Sunday Night block.[44] As a result, an increase in the appeal to advertise on VH1 contributed to Viacom's rise in profits during the second quarter of 2010.[45]
Online Analysis
Availability of Online Programming
VH1 makes most of its original programming available on its website. A bar on the top of the screen invites viewers to "Watch Video" and a drop-down menu divides available programming into full episodes, music videos, and Movies/Trailers, with the option also of searching through all video content on the site. There is a vast selection of television programs to choose from: viewers can watch episodes of current shows likeBehind the Music or select episodes from shows that have been off the air for several seasons, like Breaking Bonaduce and The Pickup Artist.[46] It is also possible to find full episodes of VH1 television shows through the individual pages created for each program. On the page for Behind the Music (constructed in the same way as the page for each VH1 show), a menu on the left-hand side of the screen allows viewers to choose from full episodes, show clips, bonus clips, episode summaries, photos, the show's blog, and the show's fan message board.[47] An "Upcoming Airings" feature on the left side of the page reminds viewers that the show can also be seen on television, providing the dates and times of the next airing of the program, along with a link to a full programming schedule for any day of the user's choice (within a two-week range).[48] In this way, VH1 attempts to draw potential viewers back its television channel.
Explicit advertising is minimal on the website's various pages, and often involves fast food restaurants like McDonald's, products like deodorant, or upcoming movies and/or concerts.[49] Despite its infrequent appearance, third party advertising on the VH1 website must fit within strict guidelines laid out by the channel. Banner ads, for example, have to be in a certain size range, must have user-initiated rather than automatic audio, and cannot expand unless allowed by VH1 (on a case-by-case basis).[50] VH1 thus controls the way in which visitors to its website interact with third-party advertising.
The program content available on the website follows the Hulu model of short advertising breaks within each episode. The previously exploredBTM episode on Usher, for example, begins with an advertisement for the film Paranormal Activity 2. At the 11-minute mark, there is another advertisement for Paranormal Activity 2, followed by ads for Pantene hair conditioner and Stolichnaya Vodka. In total there are five such advertising breaks within the episode.[51] It is important to note that the advertisements within each episode change over time: the commercials referenced in this section (written in November of 2010) are not the same ones that appeared during our initial viewing of the Usher episode (October 2010). In other words, advertisements within the program change to remain relevant over time.
Convergence and the Broader Place in the Industrial Profile
This inter-media convergence began in earnest at the beginning of the 21st Century, when MTV Networks realized the potential value of a strong online media presence as a way to draw viewers closer to its brands. According to then-vice president of programming and production Sarah Cohen, the websites for MTVN channels can function as an "original programming destination rather than only…as an extension of promotions or marketing."[52] The VH1 website, then, can serve as an attraction in its own right by providing a range of features unavailable on television, like cast biographies or bonus clips, "expand[ing] the content appearing on other screens and the meaning of the brand as a whole."[53] Having a website filled with unique content thus provides a way for VH1 to both expand its brand awareness beyond its television audience and also to expand its meaning and value for those who already watch its television programming.
At the same time, however, there was an awareness among those at MTVN that websites could also serve to turn viewers "back around" and increase viewership of the associated television channel.[54] As a result of this website-television channel loop that is intended to increase the brand's overall presence and awareness, most of the content on VH1's website serves as an advertisement for the VH1 brand, and much of it encourages the online viewer to go to the television channel. The official VH1 website's main page (Accessed November 17th, 2010) displays, for example, an ad for Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It with the subscript "Every Monday 10/9C," while a box in the middle-right of the screen informs visitors of VH1's primetime programming block for the current day. Both of these features encourage online viewers to turn towards the television channel by offering new programming unavailable on the website. As previously mentioned, much of the content on VH1.com serves as an advertisement for the brand as a whole, and many links takes the user to something explicitly connected to the VH1 brand. Clicking on one of "Today's Top Music Videos," for instance, takes the user to a page within the VH1 site that plays the video, identifying VH1 as the venue in which to interact with that video, song, and artist.[55]
Viewer Participation
The pages for VH1's shows invite fans to interact with their favorite programs, offering links to discussion forums, the main VH1 blog and the blog for the specific program, as well as links to VH1's Facebook and Twitter pages and an email alert page.[56] All of these links ask fans to take an active role in their viewership by enjoining them to "Cast Your Vote!" (VH1 Reality Rocks Awards) or "Fan Us on Facebook!" In this way the website implies that a meaningful interaction with the channel and its contents is possible for fans. In addition, VH1 offers newsletters, podcasts, and mobile applications so that viewers can "Stay Connected"[57]
Online Discussion
By exploiting VH1 Blog and encouraging online participation, VH1 provides a platform for viewers to not only form bonds among each other, but further form a bond with the VH1 brand. Similar to this, discussion boards and blogs outside of VH1's website also permits viewers to form the same bonds through expressing similar tastes in a show. For example, VH1 Blog's post "Behind The Music Will Return This Summer," exemplifies the provision for viewers to actively engage in the show by sharing their reactions and opinions of a re-vamped Behind the Music. Similarly, Television Without Pity allows viewers to post their thoughts ofBehind the Music and actively engage with the show on an individual level, (viewers responding to the show), as well as a collective level, (viewers responding to each other). Where many online television blogs create viewer connection with other viewers and the channel itself, Behind the Music blogs provide further provide a third connection in which viewers connect with music artists.
It is important to note that within the majority of Behind the Music blogs—including VH1 Blog—the viewers' central focus is on a specific episode on a specific artist, rather than the show itself. Viewers are certainly interested in the show itself, but the interest in the show is driven by the content, or in the case of Behind the Music—the artist. Most frequently, viewers discuss which artists they liked or didn't like on past shows and which ones they would like to see on future shows. For example, in VH1 Blog's "Behind The Music Will Return This Summer," many viewers posted lists of bands and artists they liked in the past and which ones they would like VH1 to focus on. Likewise, viewers discussed their personal experiences with past episodes of artists they enjoyed or did not enjoy in the "Behind the Music" Board on Television Without Pity.
The comments on Television Without Pity are similar to VH1 Blog in regards to the viewers' input of what they liked and would like to see, as well as react to each other's posts. On VH1 Blog, blogger Kat agrees with blogger Gracie's picks.[58] Similarly, on Television Without Pity, blogger Mita_Jo incorporates quotes from prior posts about what the viewer liked from the Lil Wayne, Pink, and BB episodes, and agrees with the blogger in her comment.[59] Blogger lola212005 responds to Mita_Jo by incorporating Mita_Jo's quotes and agreeing in her comment.[60] This chain reaction of extrapolating from others' ideas and agreeing with them exemplifies a sense of community offered by discussion boards and interest in a common show.
Both VH1 Blog and Television Without Pity discussion boards also convey how Behind The Music allows viewers to connect with artists through similar personal experiences and emotionally captivating stories. On the Television Without Pity blog, blogger YuppieLawyer discusses her interest in the tragic stories.[61] On VH1 Blog's "Behind the Music Returns with Little Wayne," a viewer is excited by Lil Wayne's story due to their similar experiences. The tragic, emotional stories of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jim Croce, and Shania Twain that evoked an emotional appeal in blogger YuppieLawyer is similar to the emotional appeal that blogger Vonzetta Black found in the personal experiences that she shared with Lil Wayne.
From the provided examples above, it is clear that VH1's Behind The Music serves as a medium in connecting viewers with other viewers as well as viewers with pop culture. Overall, by participating and establishing connections through the show, viewers develop a feeling of identity within the VH1 brand.
However, not all people have unanimous tastes in music. Lil Wayne's story interested Vonzetta Black, Mita_Jo, and lola212005; however, the episode did not appeal to all viewers, especially those who relate to classic rock and 70's bands. Both Television Without Pity and VH1 Blog have a combination of viewers' opinions on the new "re-vamped" Behind The Music.[62] On Television Without Pity, blogger Sterling Blue claims that the "Lil Wayne episode will be boring" and that "Behind The Music is always better if the artist has had a major downfall and possible redemption."[63] In VH1 Blog's "Behind The Music Will Return This Summer," blogger Theresa wants to see "some of the bands from the LA metal days" and doesn't "want to see too much on people who haven't been around that long," including Lil Wayne.[64] Sterling Blue from the Television Without Pity Blog and Theresa from the VH1 Blog cannot relate to pop culture through Lil Wayne like Vonzetta Black, Mita_Jo, and lola212005 can. Sterling Blue and Theresa are viewers that could relate to pop culture through older artists and rock bands on Behind The Music. In this way, viewers like Sterling Blue and Theresa form a separate community from Vonzetta Black, Mita_Jo, and lola212005's community due to their different tastes in pop culture.
- ↑ "Our Brands: MTV Networks." Viacom official website. http://www.viacom.com/ourbrands/medianetworks/mtvnetworks/Pages/default.aspx (Accessed 3 Oct. 2010.)
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "Our Brands: MTV Networks: VH1." Viacom official website. http://www.viacom.com/ourbrands/medianetworks/mtvnetworks/Pages/vh1.com. (Accessed 3 Oct. 2010); Viacom Pulse. 8.05.10, p. 3. http://phx.corporate
- ↑ Viacom Pulse. 8.05.10, p. 3. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NTY1Mjd8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM (Accessed 30 Sept. 2010).
- ↑ VH1 Save the Music Foundation official website http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/node/5067. (Accessed 6 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "VH1 Television." IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/company/co0045189/. (Accessed 6 Oct. 2010); "About Us" 51 Minds official website http://www.51minds.com/ (Accessed 26 Sept. 2010).
- ↑ "About Us" 51 Minds official website. http://www.51minds.com/. (Accessed 6 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ "VH1 Television." IMDB.
- ↑ "Contact Passion Distribution;" Passion Distribution official website. http://www.passiondistribution.com/index.php?content;"VH1 Chooses the Passion Camp For International Distribution For New Reality Series." http://www.passiondistribution.com/index.php. (Accessed 7 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ "Channel Lineup." Comcast official website. http://www.comcast.com/Customers/Clu/ChannelLineup (Accessed 7 Oct. 2010); "Channel Lineups. Time Warner Cable official website "http://www.timewarnercable.com/nynj/support (Accessed 7 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ "See Full Channel list in your area." Verizon Fios official website. http://www22.verizon.com/residential/fiostv/overview#channels (Accessed 7 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ "DIRECTV Service." DirectTV official website. http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/DirecTV/ChannelsEnglish/ChannelsEnglish.htm. (Accessed 7 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ . "DISH Network English Packages: America's Top 120." DISH Network official website. http://www.dishnetwork.com/packages/detail (Accessed 7 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ Macala Wright, "VH1 Consumer Insights: The GEN MIX Report," Fashionably Marketing.Me, entry posted March 24, 2010, http://fashionablymarketing.me/2010/03/vh1-consumer-insights-the-gen-mix-report/ (Accessed 4 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ "VH1." Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vh1 (Accessed 4 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ Bryan Curtis. "VH1: The Surreal Network." Slate.http://www.slate.com/id/2136882/ (Accessed 4 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ "MTV Digital Music Media Group Best in Class Team of Digital Content Leaders." Audio Courses. http://www.audiocourses.com/article1037.html (Accessed 4 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ Giselle Tsirulnik. "VH1 unites television with mobile." Mobile Marketer. http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/television/2127.html (Accessed 4 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ Barkley Evergreen. "Cause Branding and Its Impact on Corporate Reputation." Brand Channel. http://www.brandchannel.com/papers_review.asp?sp_id=1231 (Accessed 3 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ "VH1 Save The Music Foundation." VH1 Save The Music. http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/ (accessed October 3, 2010).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "VH1 Classic Main." VH1. http://www.vh1.com/music/vh1classic/main.jhtml (accessed October 6, 2010).
- ↑ "VH1 Soul Main." VH1. http://www.vh1.com/channels/vh1_soul/channel.jhtml (accessed October 6, 2010).
- ↑ "VH1 Uno Main." VH1. http://www.vh1.com/channels/vhuno/channel.jhtml (accessed October 6, 2010).
- ↑ "Behind The Music: Main." VH1 official website. http://www.vh1.com/shows/behind_the_music/series.jhtml (Accessed 4 Nov. 2010); Hibberd, James. "Lil' Wayne, Scott Weiland On Board for VH1's Revived 'Behind The Music'". Billboard.com 3/19/2009. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/lil-wayne-scott-weiland-on-board-for-vh1-1003953340.story1003953340.story (Accessed 4 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ John Mitchell. "VH1 Gets Out of the Trash TV Business." Pop Eater, 22 April 2010. http://www.popeater.com/2010/04/22/vh1-gets-out-of-the-trash-tv-business/ (Accessed 23 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ "'Usher:' Behind The Music'." VH1 official website. http://www.vh1.com/video/shows/full-episodes/usher/1643930/playlist.jhtml. (Accessed 23 Oct. 10).
- ↑ "'Fantasia': Behind The Music." VH1 official website.http://www.vh1.com/video/behind-the-music/full-episodes/fantasia/1646380/playlist.jhtml (Accessed 4 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "News Release: "VH1 Announces New and Expanded Roles for Creative Team Responsible for Over Five Years of Record-Breaking Programming." Viacom official website. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=85242 (Accessed 3 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Brian Stelter. "With 'Celebreality,' VH1 Attracts Ratings and Chagrin." The New York Times, August 30, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/business/media/31cable.html?pagewanted=1. (Accessed 3 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "VH1 Amplifies Its Original Programming Development to Debut a Record 44 Series in 2010." The Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/04/19/ vh1-amplifies-its-original-programming-development-to-debut-a-record-44-series-in-2010/20100419vh101/ (Accessed 21 Oct. 2010).
- ↑ "Basketball Wives." VH1 Official Website. http://www.vh1.com/shows/basketball_wives/series.jhtml (Accessed 4 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Bill Gorman. "VH1 Gets In The Game With Basketball Wives." TV by the Numbers, December 7, 2009. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/12/07/vh1-gets-in-the-game-with-basketball-wives/35469 (accessed 4 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Cristina Kinon. "VH1 to spinoff 'Football Wives' off 'Basketball Wives' as Shaquille O'Neal issues warning to Shaunie." NY Daily News, April 15, 2010. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2010/04/15/2010-04-15_vh1_game_plan_football_wives.html (Accessed 4 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "Episode 3." Basketball Wives, VH1 official website. April 27, 2010. http://www.vh1.com/video/basketball-wives/full-episodes/episode-3/1637663/playlist.jhtml (Accessed 4 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Cristina Kinon. "VH1 to spinoff 'Football Wives' off 'Basketball Wives' as Shaquille O'Neal issues warning to Shaunie." NY Daily News, April 15, 2010. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2010/04/15/2010-04-15_vh1_game_plan_football_wives.html (Accessed 4 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "Quarter Ended June 30, 2010." Viacom Pulse, August 5, 2010. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NTY1Mjd8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM= (Accessed 3 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "Browse All TV Shows." VH1 official website. http://www.vh1.com/video/browse/shows.jhtml (Accessed 16 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "Behind the Music: Main." VH1 official website. http://www.vh1.com/shows/behind_the_music/series.jhtml (Accessed 15 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "Watch VH1 TV Schedule and Show Description." VH1 official website. http://www.vh1.com/shows/schedule/vh1/daily.jhtml (Accessed 16 Nov. 2010)
- ↑ Main Page, VH1 official website. http://www.vh1.com/ (Accessed 15 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "MTVN Digital Ad Specifications." MTV official website. http://adspecs.mtvn.com/site/vh1/ad_products/728x90_banner.html (Accessed 16 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "Behind the Music: Full Episodes." VH1 official website. http://www.vh1.com/video/shows/full-episodes/usher/1643930/playlist.jhtml (Accessed 15 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Vivian Manning-Shcaffel. "360 24/7." Brandchannel.com. 4 February 2002. http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=77 (Accessed 17 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "Hot Lists: Today's Top Music Videos." VH1 official website. http://www.vh1.com/ (Accessed 17 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "Behind the Music: Main."
- ↑ Main Page, VH1 official website. http://www.vh1.com/ (Accessed 18 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "Behind The Music Returns This Summer." VH1 Blog. http://blog.vh1.com/2009-03-19/behind-the-music-will-return-this-summer/comment-page-1/#comments (Accessed 14 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "Behind The Music." Television Without Pity. http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3112881 (Accessed 14 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "Behind The Music Returns This Summer." VH1 Blog. http://blog.vh1.com/2009-03-19/behind-the-music-will-return-this-summer/comment-page-1/#comment (Accessed 14 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "Behind The Music." Television Without Pity. http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3112881 (Accessed 14 Nov. 2010).
- ↑ "Behind The Music Returns This Summer." VH1 Blog. http://blog.vh1.com/2009-03-19/behind-the-music-will-return-this-summer/comment-page-1/#comments (Accessed 14 Nov. 2010).


text:
By SCOTT MERZBACH Staff Writer
Hampshire Gazette
Sunday, February 3, 2013
HADLEY — In five years, when she plans to visit China as an eighth-grader, Aine Doherty says she will have enough money saved up to enjoy her visit to the Pacific Rim.
Fellow third-grader Odin Moore says he is putting money he earns from allowance into his account for future purchases.
"I know I will eventually have money to buy things I want to buy," Odin said. "Like a new bike and stuff like that."
Aine and Odin, both 9, are among students at the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School participating in what is known as the Savings Makes "Cents" program.
The statewide program, featuring a curriculum developed by the state treasurer's office, partners with more than 170 financial institutions and takes place in 400 schools across the state.
The Hadley school, through a partnership with Florence Savings Bank, is showing children good money-management habits and helping them with skills, such as balancing a checkbook.
"Financial literacy is extremely important," said Elaine Massey, a retail banking assistant who coordinates the program for Florence Savings. "This will help them as they get older teach them good savings habits. The whole idea is to get them to save on a regular basis."
As with the other 16 schools in Hampshire County participating with Florence Savings, including elementary schools in Amherst, Northampton, Hatfield and Willamsburg, the program takes place before the school day starts and depends on interested parent volunteers to sustain its viability.
"It really is a self-sufficient program," Massey said.
At the Hadley school on Fridays, children participating in the program enter the school building, some with their parents, and immediately head to a table where three adults act as tellers. On this week, Cathy Cantin, an employee of the bank, along with parent coordinator Lisa Gustavsen and parent volunteer Cliff Holt, take in the money.
Many of the students hold a small money bag to secure the bills or coins they are depositing. They have also completed a deposit slip with the amount they plan to put in, and a Savings Makes "Cents" booklet with their name and account number.
The intent is to make the exercise as realistic as possible, Massey said.
"We try to make it just like you're going into a bank," Massey said. "This is getting them to really learn what banking is all about."
The program offers flexibility so that if a child only wants to deposit a nickel each week, that would be fine, Massey said.
Gustavsen said her sons, Odin and Gunnar, 6, look forward to making the weekly deposit.
"To bring it here and save is really important for them," Gustavsen said.
"I have a lot of fun doing this," Odin said.
"We get to learn about money and deposits," Gunnar said.
Odin said he handed the money and deposit slip to Cantin.
"She checked it and then she gave me receipt and a deposit slip for next week," Odin said.
The children write down their deposit amounts in the booklet and get two stickers to affix to show that the deposit is complete.
Gustavsen, of Amherst, said she is assisting in the coordination because money management is important.
"It's been my personal interest in having them learn more about money," Gustavsen said.
The bank works to ensure children remain involved even when the program may seem mundane. Part of this is through the handing out of stickers. And when a deposit booklet is filled, a blue ribbon is awarded. Once a month, the bank brings in what it calls a "treasure chest" with trinkets for the students.
"It's to keep them interested in banking," Massey said.
Kathleen Wang, the principal at the charter school, appreciates the opportunity for students at the school.
"We're happy to have the Savings Makes 'Cents' program," Wang said. "The students love bringing in their deposits and it's a great program for teaching students about saving."
Gustavsen said the program is explained to parents and children on the school's orientation day and between one quarter and one third of students become participants.
Jeff Doherty of Hadley, whose daughters Aine and Maeve, 7, are both participating, said the program has been welcome at his house.
"I appreciate that it's a good way for them to learn about savings," Doherty said.
This is the fourth year Aine has been part of it.
"This is a great opportunity to develop the skills of saving money," said Dave Allen, of South Hadley. "It gets them in the habit at an early age."
His son, Bennett Allen, 7, likes collecting the stickers and items from the treasure chest.
"It's pretty good. We do a lot of fun stuff." Bennett said.
As part of the realism, Gustavsen said that children get a monthly statement in the mail, even during the summer. Children can match up the account, which earns interest, to their own deposits.
"It's up to the parents to work with them to use the books to balance the accounts," Massey said.
Holt's sons, John and Jim, both 10 and in fourth grade, have been part of the program since it was introduced at the school.
"It's an added activity for them to participate in," Holt said.
That the bank comes to a school works for the busy schedules of parents who might not be able to bring their children to the bank.
"It's wonderful that Florence comes here, that's a big time-saver for us," Holt said.
Second graders will make a field trip to the bank in April, getting to see the inside workings there including the bank vault, view displays of old money and do some activities.
"Second-graders look forward to that as their annual trip," Massey said.
News >


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Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman became famous as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad during the turbulent 1850s. Born a slave on Maryland's eastern shore, she endured the harsh existence of a field hand, including brutal beatings. In 1849 she fled slavery, leaving her husband and family behind in order to escape. Despite a bounty on her head, she returned to the South at least 19 times to lead her family and hundreds of other slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Tubman also served as a scout, spy and nurse during the Civil War.


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From MeritBadgeDotOrg
|◀Prev - Next ▶
|This is the Nature merit badge for Scouts, Lone Scouts, and qualified Venturers or Sea Scouts.
|Nature merit badge
|BSA Advancement ID:
|Requirements revision:
|Latest pamphlet revision:
|There is a very close connection between the soil, the plants, and all animal life, including people. Understanding this connection, and the impact we have upon it, is important to preserving the wilderness, as well as to our own well-being as members of the web of nature.
Nature is one of the elective merit badges for the William T. Hornaday awards for Scouts BSA.
Nature merit badge requirements
View the change list (history) of these requirements. The text of these requirements may be locked. In that case, they can only be edited by an administrator.
Please note any errors found in the above requirements on this article's Talk Page.
- The BSA Nature Troop Program Feature offers meeting and activity plans to include Nature as one of your monthly themes.
- Nature is a popular summer camp merit badge.
Requirement resources
- The Troop Nature Monthly Theme includes meeting and activity materials.
- 1,2: Plants and Animals - Plants and Our Environment - USDA Threatened Plants - TPWD Endangered and Threatened Species
- 3: Geography4Kids Land Food chain - Kidport Reference Library Food chain - Biomes First Water Food chain - Freshwater Food chain
- 4: Kidport Reference Library Animal Kingdom - Globio Glossopedia Mammals - USGS Education Resources for Grades 7-12
- 4a(1) Birds: Audubon Birds - What Bird?-All About Birds (Cornell University - Birding-TX Bird Activity Bird
- 4a(2) Bird Houses&Feeders: Crafty Birds-How to Build a Bird Feeder -My Backyard Plans-Feeding Station 1
- 4b Mammals: How to Cast Animal Tracks - How to Cast Animal Tracks (pdf) - Animal Tracks ID Guide
- 4c Reptiles or Amphibians: Frog/Toad Advertisement Calls - Frog Songs - TX Herps - TX Turtles - Frog Eggs - Amphibian ID Guides
- 4d Insects or Spiders: Insects from Globio - Specimen Collecting - USDA Collecting - USDA Collecting pdf
- 4e Fish:Freshwater ID - Marine Fish ID - USA EPA Fish ID
- 4f Mollusks and Crustaceans:Freshwater Mollusk - World Mollusk ID Guide - Marine Mollusk ID Guide - Discover Life Crustaceans - Marine Crustaceans ID - Freshwater Crustaceans ID pdf - How to Mount Seashells - Seashell ID Guide
- 4g Plants: Plant Collecting - collection.html Leaf Collection Basics - Press Hints.pdf Leaf Presses pdf - Collecting and Preserving pdf - Collecting Tree Leaves pdf
- 4h Soils and Rocks:NCRA Soil profile - Soil Concepts pdf - Soil Classification - USGS Rock Collecting - USA Geologic Map from National Atlas (use to find out the type of rocks in your area)
Related awards
- Requirement 4g is nearly identical to Requirement 1 from the Forestry merit badge.
- Requirements 4a, b, c, d, e, & f can count toward Requirement 6a from the Fish and Wildlife Management merit badge and can be completed by doing Second Class Requirement 6.
- Requirement 4g(1) is partially fulfilled by completing Tenderfoot Requirement 11 and First Class Requirement 6.
See also
|General Merit Badge information
External links
American Birding Association - American Bird Conservancy - Audubon Society


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Not only is the air just right for drinking, it's also just right for prepping your yard for the summer. The unseasonably warm weather is most welcome, and it allows for a everyone to get a jump-start on their raking, pruning, planting, and general mucking about in their yards. I tend to maintain a modest yard with a classic landscaping look. In other words, I stay away from the sculptures, the Trans Am up on blocks, and the fountains. However, I was feeling a little bolder this year, and thought I would show off my Packer pride. Living in Minnesota, my only logical move was to visit the Packers Pro Shop.
I've never really found a Packer product that I didn't like (Other than last year's special teams. Boom!), but then I found this. My only reaction: Is this a joke? Look, I get being tacky ironically; I love Zubaz, but this is absurd.
"Add some character to your trees!" Ummm... it's a tree, it has character because it's a tree. Adding a pedophile face to it is not giving it character, it's torturing it. The last time someone tortured a tree like this, he got his ass kicked by Treebeard and the rest of Fangorn Forest. Not only does it looking like a peeping Tom, it looks like a peeping Tom with terrible taste in headwear. Would you like to wake up in the morning and have this tree-man staring you in the face while you sip your coffee? Me neither.
Do yourself a favor and get this little guy. "Sure to be a conversation starter..." Conversation starter, indeed.
"Hey, that's a Packer gnome."
"You want another beer?"
On second thought, maybe I'll just plant a shrub.


text:
BEMUS POINT, N.Y. (AP) - Increasingly popular bathroom wipes - pre-moistened towelettes that are often advertised as flushable - are being blamed for creating clogs and backups in the nation's sewer systems.
Wastewater authorities say wipes may go down the toilet, but even many labeled flushable aren't quickly breaking down. That's costing some municipalities millions of dollars to dispatch crews to unclog pipes and pumps and to replace and upgrade machinery.
Manufacturers insist wipes labeled flushable aren't the problem, pointing instead to things like paper towels, feminine hygiene products and baby wipes clearly marked as nonflushable.
The complaints have prompted a renewed look at solving the problem.
The Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry recently specified seven tests for manufacturers to use to determine which wipes to call flushable.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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by Species5618 on Mar.14, 2018, under General
It seems to be far too long since I wrote any drivel here.
I am somewhat surprised the 2FA plugin worked after such a long time……
There are lots of reasons for my absence, too many to write down.
I wonder if anyone is still out there !!!
So the end of 2012 is here, I have had better years…
by Species5618 on Dec.31, 2012, under General
Well what can I say, 2012 has been a bizzare all round, BIG ups, equally BIG downs,
So here is a summary (in no particular order) of signifiacnt things that have happened (from my view point) , or I things I have learnt that I feel I must share
My list of Notable Deaths (No family this year)
- 26th Dec, Gerry Anderson, 83, British producer, writer and director (Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons), Alzheimer's disease
- 9th Dec, Sir Patrick Moore, 89, British astronomer and broadcaster (The Sky at Night), infection
- 6th Nov, Clive Dunn, 92, British actor (Dad's Army) and singer ("Grandad"), complications following operation
- Oct (no day recorded) CAT
- Oct (no day recorded) Chicken
- Sept (no day recorded) Chicken
- 10th October, Chris Owen, Friend, ex work collegue, took his own life. 🙁
- 10t Sept, Lance LeGault, 77, American actor (The A-Team, Magnum, P.I.).[110]?(Colonel Decker)
- 19th Aug, Tony Scott, 68, British film director (Top Gun, Unstoppable) and producer (Numb3rs), suicide by jumping
- 25th Aug, Neil Armstrong, 82, American astronaut, first person to walk on the Moon, complications from coronary artery bypass surgery
- 31st Aug, Max Bygraves, 89, British singer, variety performer, and TV game show host (Family Fortunes), complications from Alzheimer's disease
- 3rd june, Roy Salvadori, 90, British Formula One race car driver
- 5th June, Caroline John, 71, British actress (Doctor Who).[
- 10th May, Carroll Shelby, 89, American automobile racer and designer.[134]
- 20th May, Robin Gibb, 62, British singer and songwriter (Bee Gees), liver and kidney failure
- 16th April, Graham Simpson, 68, British musician (Roxy Music).[
- 1st Feb, Joe Ekins, 88, British World War II soldier
- 22nd Feb, Frank Carson, 85, Northern Irish comedian
- 2nd Jan. David W. Barron, 76, British computer scientist
Non Techie books Books I have read in 2012:-
- Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, Douglas adams (Dont panic)
- The God Delusion , Richard Dawkins
- Overcoming Depression: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques , Paukl Gilbert
- Overcoming Low Self-Esteem, Melanie Fennell
- What is Good?: The Search for the Best Way to Live, A.C. Graying
- Running Out of Tears, Esther Rantzen
Things I have learnt through experiance in 2012:
- There is life after Citalopram
- Lee Whitehead in chester (not me) does not know his email address
- Lee Whitehead in Newcastle (not me) does not know his email address
- A few computer experts (not me) ?need to realise their knowledge is not complete, and they need to re test their assumptions
- When it comes to my day jobs , i am just a number
- I am however a a number in demand
- Having spent a few momths with a "3 Pint of stella" view of the world, i discovered i need glasses due to ASTIG issues
- The General public are influenced too much by what they here in the press.
- The Media has too much control over the public by publishing complete and utter bollocks
- There are some poeple who really do care, but it is difficult to spot them through those who pretend to care.
Things I have learnt through watching the world go by in 2012:
- The Legal system is seriously flawed
- Trust virtually no one, and anything that say, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_memory_syndrome
- Windows does a LOAD of messed up stuff without telling you. (Revisiting Windows thumbnail databases)
- Some people get REALLY upset when the superfast broadband does not arrive in their street, (see the bit about some computer experts above)
Other noteable events? in 2012:
- My son turned 16
- The pain of looking for secondary schools for my daughter
- I learnt to use a sewing machine
- I remade my self a NASTY shirt for a christmas party
- I discovered LOW walls while towing my caravan
- My wife discovered LOW walls while driving her car around a car park
- My sony VIAO laptop, was not a suitable subject for am Issac Newton experiment
- Sorry there is NO Dad's dance video this year
- I had a Spray tan (guinea pig for somone's training)
- I had my back waxed (guinea pig for somone's training)
- I had a proper Barber shop wet shave (NOT as guinea pig for somone's training)
- Getting a nipple pierced is an odd sensation !
I am sure there is more and i will add to it over the next few weeks
My Nasty Shirt
by Species5618 on Dec.31, 2012, under GeneralComments Off on My Nasty Shirt more...
22 months of 20mg citalopram, day 11 on 10mg
by Species5618 on Aug.15, 2012, under General
So September 2010, after a few personal incidents of broke personal possessions, anger out bursts and not wanting to do ANYTHING, the Dr put me on a daily dose of 20mg Citalopram. My side effects from the long list seem to have been limited to headache, sweating & tiredness. At the same time? I invoked a work benefit call the Employee Assistance Program and got some free (to me) counselling.
The initial effects on my state of mind were a little peculiar, week 3 & 4 were almost euphoric. If you can plot ones mental state of mind on a chart from 1 to 10, (1 being suicidal, 10 being best party ever), i would describe my state, pre citalopram as 2-3, never suicidal, just pissed off with everyone & everything. So week 3&4 being almost 8-9 was a major shock to the system, albeit a good one. Then came the roller coaster ride. During the next 12 months I could be anywhere from 4 to 8 on the scale and change to the other end with no warning.? The triggers up or down were unpredictable and uncontrollable. A piece of music, a comical text, a silly sign or a positive email may be a positive trigger, but equally a text, email, ?could just as easily, be a negative, ?Humans do not often notice a stable state, but instead they really notice change, and the constant swings up and down the scale was very off putting. It took two weeks for me to realise that even a bad day was still better than an average day before citalopram. This WAS progress..
Looking back to before September 2010, it was no surprise I was struggling. My wife had been on similar drugs for over two years, following the death of her gran and 19th year old nephew only months apart (I will add, I hope I never have to go to a funeral of a young person again, it is wrong on so many levels). So?I had that and some major work issues to deal with, which I will not discuss in detail, let?s ?just say impossible deadlines to deliver major service releases which no one wanted to back / support. During all of this I also lost interested in anything techie.
The whole personal journey leading to September 2010 was a massive learning experience. I will admit until witnessed my wife go through mental health hell, I had always been one of the "pull your self together" brigade, but then I got to experience the whole depression & anxiety trauma first hand.
My personal journey from September 2010 till December 2011 was a complete roller coaster, Good days, bad days, non descript days, fluffy days all merged into fog. Then while rehearsing for my first stage apperance since I was 11, a Dads dance for my daughter dance school, I met a guy reading A.C. Grayling's What is Good. I am not a big book reader, in fact not sure, I had read anything other than technical manuals since I left college. but this book caught my attention. Graylings comparison of good, bad, evil, sin and the like was an eye opener, Grayling is certainly not known for his religious compassion, so as such his philosophical analysis of the good the bad and the ugly steered right into my thought processes. This was the first of many books I have now read more on Philosophy, personal morals, social morals, Depression and atheism. The later has made me realise I am NOT an atheist, more just agnostic. It is not to say that I think a supernatural being ($deity) does NOT exist, more like, I dont care and everyone is allowed to have their own view. This and other realisations have enabled me to deal with , rather than have them run my life, the issues that started this all off.
January 2012, I had decided I wanted to change my job, not leave my employer, just move to another dept. First i had to finish the project, I was working on, but i made it no secret I wanted a change. Then comes ?the push, I get 28 days ?notice i am being push out of the team. So 10th April I become the proverbial spare prick at a wedding. the act of being pushing had a surprising result, I was not expecting, I became depressed once more with a side of confused, angry and frustrated, it had pushed me back SIX months, if not more. Despite getting a new role on the 13th april 2012, the months that followed were no pretty. I destroyed laptop, for no reason, many many anger outbursts…. More sessions with an EAP appointed counsellor.
So here we are, August 2012, 5 months into the new (well kind of) role, it is actually same job, same responsibilities, different priorities and different boss, later (oh and great team of people). I am am now in the slow process of coming off the citalopram, Day 11 on the reduced dose, 10mg. My mental state is bobbing along around 5-6 on the previously discussed scale. I am still reading books. I am back to tinkering with technology, I bake cakes too,? the triggers are still there, but trigger a smile or a chuckle, even the bad ones. All is looking good, watch this space !!
For those who think depression is weakness, it is not !
For those who are experiencing depression, there is an end !
For those was friends and family suffering depression, Do NOT just walk away.
For everyone, understand that everyone is different, different beliefs, different ideas, different capabilities but that is no reason to think any less of them, help them if you can
Two weeks in NEW Role and the power of Personal Brand
by Species5618 on Apr.27, 2012, under General
Following on from The upside and downside of working for a Large corporate, I decided to take an extra week off over the easter break. Prior to the Easter break I had nine job leads, all with issues, location (leeds, brentwood, hemel hempstead or ipsitch) or yet to be approved budgets….
Returning to work on the 16th April, with a somewhat blase attittude, "lets just see just how good my personal brand really is".
I have always been sceptical about "Personal Brand". Yeh Richard Branson, Alan Sugar and Steve Jobs are all household Names / Brands, but after being pushed into the Transition Centre I was convinced I was just a number, in fact, a nine digit number starting 7011……
For years I had been trying to do all the right things with the right people, demonstrating business benefit in most of what I have delivered. YES… Some things I could have done better, some things I could of pushed harder, but I had never seen much in the way of evidence that I had a personal brand to speak of, let alone a good one. NO promotions, NO decent pay rises etc etc
To my amazement, on the 11th April, (2nd day as a re-deployee) I get a message from an old colleague and friend, "Did I want a post in his team?" After some discussion it transpired that senior managers in his part of the business were determined not to let me go, to the point there created a post for me. They had heard I have been moved to the Transition Centre, and they were seriously concerned about the impact that would have on parts of the business. My first re action was , "How can one man (number) be so important??", but I accepted the offer of a new role.
So Two weeks with same desk, same Pay, same responsibilities, different Manager, different dept, different line of business later, here we are. I am a member of a new team, which is a very eclectic mix of people, from Geneva, Exeter, Edinburgh, Ipswich, and now Gloucester. So far (two weeks in) it has been thoroughly enjoyable working in a well-managed, well-motivated and knowledgeable team.
Now all I need to do is shake the "anger", "frustration" and "confusion" that the four week journey, towards, through and out of the other side of the transition centre has left me with??.
The upside and downside of working for a Large corporate
by Species5618 on Mar.17, 2012, under General
Working for a large corporate as I do, has many upsides
- Good Pay
- Great flexibility
- Agile/home working
- Great Leave entitlement
- I also get free broadband
- and in this case a corporate that does not do compulsory redundancy
However there are some downsides too (driven by trying to maintain shareholder value)
- Many many business transformations (re-orgs)
- Many Cost reduction challenge/initiatives
- with re-orgs & cost come staff ?head count challenges
Did I mention they don't do compulsory redundancy. well that is one saving grace
So as of 10th April i am classed as a redployee, in the "transition centre" where I still get paid for looking for an internal post, re-training is available, so I could take the opportunity to gain some decent Cisco, Oracle or Linux skills. Time will tell.
On the plus side, looking forward to a NEW challenge and NOT collecting a P45….
by Species5618 on Feb.14, 2012, under blog.species5618.net, General
The time has come, and I have decided to have another go at losing weight.
Being the geek i am it has to be an online service, but weight watchers is SOOOOo expensive, so you lose pounds from your wallet too. then I found myfitnesspal.com, a free online (with good mobile app support) calorie counter, Marvelous..
So?I signed up, only to find a number of my friends were already using it,
Great forums, community support, and most of all constructive feedback from real friend, not the dirty look from a stranger if yoiu put a pound on,
First Impression, A Month of GiffGaff
by Lee Delia Hampton-Whitehead on Jul.11, 2011, under General
So, coming to the end of my first month on GiffGaff, the Mobile MVNO powered by O2, so what can i say about it?
First impressions are excellent. Quick simple well managed, my number port in was amazingly smooth, coverage is great (will expand in this later), certainly sorted the issues I had with Vodafone and a few rural towns I frequent.
I am running an HTC Desire HD, with Cyangenmod7, and it got the APN setting first time, I did however use the community provided android app to fine tune the APN settings. An excellent example of the community support model that GiffGaff owes its success to.
Fantastic value for money, 8p / min for most call unless you get a goody bag, I am using the 10 quid goody bag, 250 mins, truly unlimited SMs and truly unlimited internet (but you are not allowed to tether). Even if you brought a brand new android device for say £400, it comes in cheaper than a contract device over 14 months!!! Yes 14 months, NOT 24 and a loads of minutes you don't need..
Auto top up on low credit, auto top up for goody bags is in the pipeline, so while being a PAYG service, it has all the flexibility of a contract and more.
Only TWO issues I can see at the moment.
- O2 does not have the best 3G coverage in the UK, but does have outstanding 2G/edge to back it up, so for calls, text & email you can't beat it, the foursquare app get a bit upset on 2G, but every other app I used just gets on with it
- I would like more than a TOP5 breakdown on my call and SMS usage, online perhaps, that said this is a rare feature for a PAYG service.
Get your GiffGaff SIM Here…….?http://giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/species5618
by Species5618 on Jun.15, 2011, under General
Looks set to be another day of testing, finding and fixing other peoples cock-ups.
Some people just don't get system readable data must be consistent….
'Bob23' is not the same as 'Bob 23'
May have to go all Rambo with a big gun….
Lee Hampton-Whitehead's location@17:45,8/6
by Species5618 on Jun.08, 2011, under General
Lee Hampton-Whitehead's location@17:45,8/6 Gloucester, Gloucestershire, UK http://m.google.co.uk/u/m/d3GM4F
Test from android maps to WordPress integration….


text:
sponsored by
Two students shot in apartment near
Michigan State University campus
Send a link to a friend
[February 01, 2014]
(Reuters) — Two students were shot,
and one was critically injured, on Friday evening inside their apartment
complex near the campus of Michigan State University (MSU), police said.
The shooting happened at about 8:45 p.m. (0145 GMT) in East
Lansing, a city in the upper Midwest state, a statement from East
Lansing Police Department said.
The gunman, described as a black man in his 20s, was still at large,
though police said the shooting at the Cedar Village student
residential area did "not appear to be a random act".
"Upon arrival two victims had suffered gunshot wounds while inside
their apartment," the statement said.
One of the two MSU students had been treated at a local hospital and
"This is near but not on the MSU campus. There is no indication of
immediate danger to the campus community," said MSU spokesman Kent
U.S. President Barack Obama is due to visit East Lansing on Friday,
his first trip to Michigan since 2012, local media said.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle;
editing by Louise Ireland)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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text:
There are always three default files open, stdin (the keyboard), stdout (the screen), and stderr (error messages output to the screen). These, and any other open files, can be redirected. Redirection simply means capturing output from a file, command, program, script, or even code block within a script and sending it as input to another file, command, program, or script.
Each open file gets assigned a file descriptor. The file descriptors for stdin, stdout, and stderr are 0, 1, and 2, respectively. For opening additional files, there remain descriptors 3 to 9. It is sometimes useful to assign one of these additional file descriptors to stdin, stdout, or stderr as a temporary duplicate link. This simplifies restoration to normal after complex redirection and reshuffling.
OK, now the syntax:
#this one redirects the output of command to the file "mylog" #note that if the file doesn't exist, it is created #and if it exists, it's previous contents will be overwritten command > mylog #to avoid overwriting, use this command >> mylog #redirect stderr to file when executing command command 2> mylog #this one is called a pipe #it redirects command1's output to command2's input command1 | command2 #this one creates an empty file or truncates if it exists #the result is an empty file > filename #this one redirects descriptor M to descriptor N M>&N #for example, this one redirects stderr to stdout a_bad_command 2>&1 #open "file" for input/output and assign fd 3 to it. exec 3<> file #close output to fd 3 exec 3>&-
Don't panic! you think it's too much but it isn't... look at this script:
#!/bin/bash exec 3> log ping google.com -c 3 >&3 exec 3>&- exit 0This simply creates the file "log" and assigns fd 3 to it for output (to the file) then does the ping and sends it's output to fd 3, then closes output to fd 3... wasn't that obvious ?
Understanding redirections needs a bit of practice... so here's a script I wrote which reconnects the ppp connection in case it is disconnected:
#!/bin/bash #redirect ping's error message to stdout then pipe it to egrep and count the matches lines #then assign the number of matches to variable status status=$(ping -c 3 google.com 2>&1 | egrep -c "\<unknown\>|\<unreachable\>") #if it is zero then we are connected to internet already, so exit with sucess if [ $status -eq 0 ]; then echo "Connected" exit 0 fi #if execution reaches here, then we are not connected to internet echo "reconnecting..." #close all instances of ppp #redrect both stderr and stdout to a log file poff -a &> /home/kian/bin/recon-log #connect pon dsl-provider &> /home/kian/bin/recon-log
Redirection is quite useful as you see in the above script, just use them practically until you understand the concept Hope this tutorial was useful for you!