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Social Media in Undergraduate ResearchBy Meagen Pollock, The College of Wooster
The growing body of social media tools can be overwhelming, but with thoughtful selection and use, social media can enhance the undergraduate research experience. Regardless of whether the research takes place in short classroom activities or long-term senior theses, faculty advisers create environments that allow students to collaborate with other researchers, find resources, collect and analyze data, and communicate results. Technology should never be used technology's sake, but there are a variety of social media tools that can help undergraduate researchers achieve their goals. Use these pages to learn more about the ways that social media enhance undergraduate research, the benefits and challenges of using social media, social media etiquette, and fair use and copyright regulations.
What is social media?The term social media has been defined as a collection of web-based tools "that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010)." With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, individuals can create original text and data files, images, audio, and video that can be shared with an online community. For a brief introduction to social media in the classroom, please see the social media page in the Using Media to Enhance Teaching and Learning collection from the Pedagogy in Action portal. Although social media applications are constantly evolving, Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) define 4 types that are useful for undergraduate research: social networking sites, blogs, collaborative projects, and content communities.
Looking for a straightforward introduction to social media?
How can social media enhance undergraduate research?Social media can help students create research communities, find resources, and disseminate their work. Many of the social media tools foster collaboration, effective communication, and other skills that develop during the research experience. Ron Schott gives a nice overview of social media and geology. Click on the links below for more information about how social media tools can be used to enhance undergraduate research.
Social Networking Sites- Twitter, Facebook, and the CUR Registries
Blogs- blogs by experts, departments, and organizations
Collaborative Projects - wikis and social bookmarking
Content Communities- YouTube, Flickr, Slideshare, and the CUR Podcasts
What are the benefits of using social media?
- Development of effective communication skillsImage courtesy of Intersection Consulting. Some rights reserved.
- Increased engagement with an international network of scientists
- Access to a wide variety of cutting-edge resources
- Collaboration with long-distance research communities
- Archive of research process and related files
- Opportunities for recruitment, collaboration, and new research directions
What are the challenges of using social media?
- Not all students have access to the internet and internet-enabled devices
- Students may resist using social technology for academic purposes
- Institutions may not value or reward the use of social media
- Technology requires instruction and technical support
- Individuals must be aware of online identity and privacy issues
- Users must understand fair use and copyright policies
Social Media Etiquette
Image courtesy of Timothy Vollmer. Some rights reserved.
- Be polite and professional. A simple way to create a positive online reputation is to be professional and courteous. Use 'please' and 'thank you' when making requests. Use subject lines and greetings for emails and listservs. Take the time to construct well-written text that uses appropriate language, proper grammar, and correct spelling. Resist using emoticons and texting abbreviations. Ask others to review or edit your materials before they are published online. Keep the content professional and personal issues private. Do not use a public venue for private or exclusive conversations.
- Respect the community. You will encounter a diverse set of ideas and opinions that may be unlike your own. Engage in civil discourse and treat others with respect. Reply to disagreements and criticism with considerate responses. Refrain from flaming, or making arguments that involve offensive comments, insults, and obscenities. The tone of online interactions can be easily mistaken; avoid using sarcasm and emotional or aggressive language. To resolve serious conflicts and complaints, consider private phone or face-to-face conversations.
- Add value to the conversation. Build quality relationships with the online community by adding insightful comments and submitting content that is on-topic and of interest to the community. Give more than you take; listen and help others more than you promote yourself. Avoid spamming by personalizing communications and making worthwhile contributions.
- Protect your privacy. Be cautious about disclosing personal information, such as birth date and phone numbers. Use the privacy settings to control who sees your information. You may consider using a pseudonym for anonymity (but see the next bullet point). Protect the privacy of your research, too. Do not publish confidential information, like unpublished results.
- Be honest. All users, even those who prefer to remain anonymous, should be accountable for their online interactions. Always use material with proper attribution. Never make misrepresentations or post dishonest or misleading information. Make clear whose viewpoints you are describing and disclose conflicts of interest. Abide by fair use and copyright laws.
Fair Use and CopyrightBecause social media involves the creation, publication, and sharing of content, users must understand and follow copyright and fair use laws. Copyright laws protect original, creative works. If you have created an original blog post or image and published it online, you own the copyright. That means that you own the rights to those materials and other people need your permission to reproduce, distribute, or modify those works. The safest approach to using online material is to assume that it is protected by copyright and obtain consent from the copyright owner. Permission is not required if the work is part of the public domain or if your use falls under "fair use" policies. Fair use allows the use of copyrighted material for a limited purpose, including criticism and parody. Although the regulations can be confusing, your library or information technology department may be able to provide guidance about copyright law.
- Copyright and Fair Use Overview - Standford University Library's comprehensive description of copyright regulations
- Copyright Crash Course - University of Texas Library's guidelines on copyright in an academic setting
- Code of Best Practices for Fair Use - guidelines for fair use by the Center for Social Media
- What You Don't Know About Copyright, but Should - interview with University of Minnesota lawyer/librarian in the Chronicle of Higher Education about copyright and fair use
- Myths About Fair Use - 7 myths about fair use described by American University's social media director on Inside Higher Ed
- Fair Use Teaching Tools - lectures, exercises, and other resources for teaching about copyright and fair use
- Creative Commons - provides copyright licenses and tools and a platform for searching creative works
Resources for Using Social MediaJackson, G., Petersen, R., and Worona, S., 2011, The roads ahead. EDUCAUSE Review, v. 46, no. 3.
Online article that describes some challenges of using social media with students.
Kaplan, A.M., and Haenlein, M., 2010, Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, v. 53, p. 59-68.
Journal article that defines and classifies social media. Also includes tips for using social media from a business perspective but widely applicable.
Rheingold, H., 2010, Attention, and other 21st-century social media literacies. EDUCAUSE Review, v. 45, no. 5, p. 14-24.
Online article describes skills students develop while using social media, all of which apply to undergraduate research.
Weisgerber, C., and Butler, S., eds, 2010, Communication pedagogy in the age of social media. The Electronic Journal of Communication, v. 20, no. 1&2.
Special issue dedicated to using social media with students. Although the focus is on communications, the fundamental principles of using social media with students apply across all disciplines.


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Aaron Traffas Band necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 98 diseños de 21 diseñadores freelance.
Aaron Traffas Band
The Aaron Traffas Band is a regional act and one of the few in the midwest that plays alternative country music. Playing a solid mix of real, honest originals, the ATB captures a unique style of alternative country music. Blending the No Depression and Red Dirt scenes, the band produces an anti-establishment concoction sure to make you listen to the words of the story.
We play mostly original music, with several songs about combines and farming. We believe pop country music sucks, and try to distinguish ourselves by writing intelligent and clever songs.
Our brand-new website is at http://www.aarontraffasband.com/ and has examples of new theme and music.
Our audience is aged 16-50. We appeal to younger crowds because we play in bars in college towns. We appeal to middle-aged consumers because of our song content. Our target demographic is aged 18-35 and is involved in or is related to agriculture, hopefully big corporate agriculture, and lives in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri or Arkansas. We'd like to expand into wider geography and develop followers outside of the agriculture demo.
We need a logo that will fit well with the new website at aarontraffasband.com. We need a vertical stack as well as a horizontal version to replace the current text at the top of the site. Incorporation of our website and our tagline - "Honest, original alternative country music" - is desired if possible, but needs to be dropped for inclusion where smallness is required.
We don't know what we want, exactly, other than something we can use for the website and merchandise.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Inspiring Team Creativity for Business
The creative outcome of a business team depends on the nature of the group of individuals you assemble (the more dynamic, inspired, and innovative, the better) and the communication skills that the session leader brings into the room.
The quickest way to kill an idea is to say anything akin to any of the following:
- It won't work.
- We're not ready for that.
- It isn't practical.
- It's already been done.
- That's just plain stupid.
The group you assemble needs to remain open to all ideas presented in order to develop a healthy idea-generating environment.
Applying the LCS system to nurture new ideas
You don't want to squash brand-new ideas before they have a chance to develop, so you should react by using the three-part LCS system:
- L is for likes, as in, "What I like about your idea . . ." Begin with some positive comments to encourage people to let loose with every creative idea that comes to mind.
- C is for concerns, as in, "What concerns me about your idea . . ." Sharing concerns begins dialogue that opens up and expands the creative process. As you point out a concern, someone else in the group is likely to offer a creative solution.
- S is for suggestions, as in, "I have a few suggestions . . ." Offering suggestions moves the brainstorming session along and may lead to the generation of a brand-new set of ideas.
Assembling a brainstorming session
With the LCS system fresh in your brains, your group can take on a brainstorming session following these steps:
1. Start with a small group of people you trust and admire.
You can turn to friends, relatives, professional acquaintances — anyone you think may contribute a new and useful perspective.
2. Invite a couple of ringers.
Consider inviting a few people who can stretch the group's thinking, challenge assumptions, and take the group in new and unexpected directions, even if these individuals may make you feel a bit uncomfortable.
3. Choose the right time and place.
To inspire creativity, change the scene. Go to a park, a coffeehouse, or a hotel lobby. The same old places can lead to the same old thinking, so be inventive.
4. Establish ground rules.
Explain what you want the group to achieve. Introduce the LCS system (see the previous section) so that participants have a tool that allows them to make positive contributions to the session.
5. Act as the group's conductor.
Keep the process moving without turning into a dictator. Use these tactics:
• Encourage alternatives: How else can we do that?
• Stimulate visionary thinking: What if we had no constraints?
• Invite new perspectives: How would a child see this?
• Ask for specifics: What exactly do you mean?
• Clarify the next steps: How should we proceed on that?
6. Record the results.
Designate a person to take notes throughout the session, or record the session to review later. Remember, the best ideas are often side comments, so capture the offbeat comments as well as the mainstream discussion
7. Review your notes and thoughts while they're still fresh.
Set aside time after the brainstorming session to distill the discussion down to three or four ideas that you want to continue working on.
Finding business ideas within your work environment
A survey of 500 of the fastest-growing companies in America showed that nearly half grew directly out of the founders' previous work environments. In other words, the founders created these companies after looking around at what they were doing and saying, "There has to be a better way to do this."
When considering new business possibilities, keep in mind that 99 percent of all businesses (both old and new) fall into one of three broad categories:
- Products for sale
- Services for hire
- Distribution and delivery
Consider the range of products that your industry offers:
Can you think of innovative ways to make them better?
Can you imagine a product that completely replaces them?
Consider the services that your industry offers:
Do you notice problems with consistency?
What isn't being done that should be?
What do customers complain about?
Ask yourself similar questions about your distribution and delivery systems:
What are the most serious bottlenecks?
Can you think of clever ways to improve distribution?
Can you envision a radically new delivery system?


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White Sox's Abreu to jury: I ate fake passport on way to US
MIAMI — Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu has told a Miami federal jury he ate a chunk of a fake passport while flying to the U.S. to cover up his illegal travel as part of a Cuban ballplayer smuggling operation.
Abreu testified Wednesday that he ordered a beer on an Air France flight from Haiti to Miami and slowly consumed the page containing a false name and his photo. Abreu says he traveled illegally because he was worried about losing the $68 million contract he later signed with Chicago.
The testimony came in the trial of agent Bartolo Hernandez and trainer Julio Estrada, who are accused of alien smuggling and conspiracy.
Abreu was American League Rookie of the Year in 2014. Last year he had 25 home runs and 100 RBIs.
25.761680 -80.191790


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Dame Lane
Dame Lane
Looking West along Dame Lane, by the venerable Stag's Head .
I love the dreamy atmosphere that cloaks the city when the clouds come down to play…
All images are printed with a 10mm handling border. Should you have any further requirements regarding printing,
or if you are interested in an image that is not included here, please contact me for details.
Allow 10 to 12 working days for deliveries in Ireland
Postage costs are included in pricing
All "preview" images on this site are a fraction of the original image size and do not show the true level of detail in the printed images
For framing options, please contact for additional details
Prints can be purchased by Credit Card or through PayPal
For credit card simply click on the 'Buy Now' button - when you arrive at the PayPal page click the link for 'don't have a PayPal account?'
All prints purchased on PayPal will be delivered to your PayPal account address, if you would like to change the delivery address please email by using the contact envelope after your purchase.
When your print is ready for dispatch you will receive an email with the An Post tracking code.
Please note that Customs charges are the responsibility of the purchaser


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- 1/4 cup dried parsley
- 3 tablespoons dried minced onion
- 2 tablespoons dried chives
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons Festive Fiesta Dip Mix
- 1 cup fat-free mayonnaise (light mayonnaise may be substituted)
- 1 cup fat-free sour cream (reduced-fat sour cream may be substituted)
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: 12 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
Instructions to write on gift tag:
Festive Fiesta Dip
In a medium bowl, combine 3 tablespoons dip mix with mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to allow flavors to blend. Stir before serving.
Yield: 2 cups.
Serving size: 2 tablespoons.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 20 calories, Carbohydrates: 4 g, Protein: 1 g, Fat: 0 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Sodium: 223 mg, Fiber: <1 g
Exchanges per serving: Free.
This recipe was developed by Tami Ross, a Diabetes Nutrition Specialist and Certified Diabetes Educator in Lexington, Kentucky.


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Hamish Thompson was born and brought up in Scotland, earning his first degree at the University of St. Andrews and then completing his doctorate at the University of Edinburgh. Additionally, Hamish has taught at the universities of Stirling, St. Andrews, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Hamish held faculty appointments in Departments of Philosophy at East Tennessee State University, Western Kentucky University and the University of Louisville, where he led and taught on study tours to the United Kingdom.
His doctoral work was in the philosophy of the mind, but he has since moved into the intersecting fields of philosophy and popular culture, with a special interest in subjects present in Gothic literature and film. He has recently begun researching the philosophy of Oscar Wilde.
Hamish is a keen sailor and fiddler with an interest in Appalachian-Scottish musical traditions.
Being born and brought up in Edinburgh gives me a connection to Scotland, its history, and its culture, which I love to share with all who come to study here."Read more from Dr. Thompson's GoAbroad.com interview


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- Please call us for FREE help:
- (866) 531-0695
1621 Lemon St, VALLEJO, CA
- Assisted Living
- Micro-Community
Payment Options
- Medicare No
- Medicaid No
- Veteran's Benefits No
- Long Term Care Insurance No
- Subsidy Available No
Are You the Community Manager?
If you are associated with BETTS FAMILY CARE HOME , click the Claim Listing button to contact a representative about a free listing with our referral program.
- Nationwide Network of Care Advisors
- Work with 25,000 families each month
- Market your community with Photos, Videos, FAQ
User Reviews
Do you reside in or have a loved one in Betts Family Care Home ?
To be the first to provide feedback on Betts Family Care Home click here...
Description of BETTS FAMILY CARE HOME in VALLEJO, CA
Number of Beds : 9
Betts Family Care Home, located in Vallejo, California provides the following services: Assisted Living and Micro-Community. Betts Family Care Home has a very good hospital, Kaiser Foundation Hospital Vallejo, located nearby, which scored a 95 out of 100 in its most recent Medicare review. The Betts Family Care Home's nearest hospital is 3 miles away. The zipcode (94590) in California, where Betts Family Care Home is located, has a below average safety rating based on recent crime statistics.
BETTS FAMILY CARE HOME is an assisted living facility. Assisted living facilities are an apartment-style habitat designed to focus on providing assistance with daily living activities. They provide a higher level of service for the elderly which can include preparing meals, housekeeping, medication assistance, laundry, and also do regular check-in's on the residents. Basically, they are designed to bridge the gap between independent living and nursing home facilities. When thinking about how to pay for care, assisted living facilities are generally less expensive than nursing homes, if assisted living is a viable option for your loved one.
Also, BETTS FAMILY CARE HOME is a Micro community, which means it is a smaller senior community. Some people prefer it for its smaller less institutional setting.
Source: SNAPforSeniors, Inc.
Demographic Profile for VALLEJO, CA, 94590
Cost Of Living
Compared to the National Average
Provided By EPA; Closer to 100 is better
Annual Crime
Nearby Hospitals
Kaiser Foundation Hospital Vallejo975 Sereno Dr
Vallejo CA 94589
Sutter Solano Medical Center300 Hospital Dr
Vallejo CA 94589
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center2500 Alhambra Ave
Martinez CA 94553
Nearby Drug Stores
Longs Drug Stores California Llc3678 Sonoma Blvd
Distance: 0.9 miles
(707) 552-8844
Safeway Inc122 Robles Drive
Distance: 0.9 miles
(707) 554-6908
Walgreen Co1050 Redwood St
Distance: 0.9 miles
(707) 557-6948
Nearby Churches
Islamac Center Of Vallejo725 Sonoma Blvd
Vallejo, CA
Distance: 0.6 miles
(707) 558-8229
Bible Baptist Church900 Benicia Rd
Vallejo, CA
Distance: 0.6 miles
Community Presbyterian Church2800 Georgia St
Vallejo, CA
Distance: 0.7 miles


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You are here : Home \ Sector \ Overseas Aid
Action Against Hunger
At Action Against Hunger we are committed to saving the lives of malnourished children whilst providing communities with access to safe water and adequate food. We run life-saving programmes in over 40 countries, benefitting 6.4 million people a year. We have the technical expertise but we need your help to reach more children and families. Take Action Against Hunger today because together we can end child hunger.
Action against Hunger UK is part of the Action Against Hunger International Network.
Registered Charity No. 1047501View website Watch video
ActionAid works with millions of poor people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to overcome poverty and exercise their right to a life of dignity. Our long term work is aimed at helping not just the present generation gain access to education, healthcare, food and clean water, but also their children and grandchildren.
Registered Charity No. 27264198View website Watch video
BBC Media Action
People need information to help them make decisions and to know their rights. But many people in the developing world lack access to useful, timely and reliable information.
BBC Media Action is the BBC's international development charity. It uses the power of media and communication to help reduce poverty and support people in understanding their rights.
For over a decade it has been working to help transform lives in some of the poorest, hardest-to-reach parts of the world. Its projects reach more than 200 million people in 24 countries where media can be used to inform, connect and empower.
The global reach and reputation of the BBC strengthen its work, but it is not funded by the licence fee. As a registered charity, grants and donations make the work possible.
Registered Charity No. 1076235View website Watch video
British Red Cross
We help anyone, anywhere in the UK and around the world, get the support they need if crisis strikes.
British Red Cross is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organisation that helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We help vulnerable people, in the UK and overseas, to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their own communities. And, when the crisis is over, we help people recover and move on with their lives.
With the help of regular donors, the British Red Cross supports millions of people to cope with all kinds of crises from natural disasters and conflicts, to individual injuries and other personal challenges. Our work includes emergency response, refugee support, independent living services, and first aid and humanitarian education, helping individuals and communities prepare for, cope with and recover from a range of crises.
Thank you for your support.
Registered Charity No. England and Wales (220949), Scotland (SCO037738) and Isle of Man (0752)View website Watch video
Poverty is not part of God's plan. We believe that a better world is possible.
As the official overseas aid agency for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, we work in more than 40 countries seeking local solutions to end poverty and injustice. We provide people with the skills and opportunities to live with dignity, support their families and flourish. Because we are part of the local Church, we can reach people and places that others can't.
With the Catholic community we put our faith into action to help our sisters and brothers living in poverty to reach their full potential, regardless of religion, race or culture.
None of our work is possible without you, so join us today and put your faith into action.
Registered Charity No. 1160384View website Watch video
Children in Crossfire
Children in Crossfire is an International charity based in Northern Ireland. Through our work in Tanzania & Ethiopia, we support projects focusing on nutrition, stimulation, health care and protection which will improve the lives of the most vulnerable children giving them the chance of a better future. With the support of local people here in Northern Ireland we are able to;
- Fund feeding programmes so that children are properly nourished to enable their bodies and brains to develop normally.
- Provide wells for clean water which transforms the lives of an entire village.
- Train teachers and provide learning kits for children. Children who attend pre-school have a much higher chance of doing well in later life.
Registered Charity No. XR85661View website Watch video
Christian Aid
Christian Aid is a Christian organisation that insists the world can and must be swiftly changed to one where everyone can live a full life, free from poverty.
We work globally for profound change that eradicates the causes of poverty, striving to achieve equality, dignity and freedom for all, regardless of faith or nationality. We are part of a wider movement for social justice.
We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance where need is great, tackling the effects of poverty as well as its root causes.
Registered Charity No. 1105851View website Watch video
Christian Aid Ireland
We are a partnership of people, churches and local organisations committed to ending poverty, inequality and injustice worldwide. We work for and with people of all faiths and none to fight injustice and pursue our vision of a world without poverty. We are an international aid and development agency. We have programmes in over 37 countries to support poor and marginalised people lift themselves out of poverty. We bring about sustainable change, through our development and education programmes. We work with more than 800 overseas partners, local organisations, who are best placed to understand the causes of poverty in differing communities and how to fight them. We speak out against global poverty, inequality and injustice.
Registered Charity No. NIC101631View website Watch video
Concern Worldwide
Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation. For over 40 years, we have been pioneering ways of tackling hunger with the most vulnerable people in the worlds poorest places.
Hunger is more than just an empty bowl it wastes lives and limits peoples potential. It has profound psychological, physical, social and economic implications. We believe no one should have to live with
hunger and the damage it does. We work for a world where lives are not limited by lack of access to enough nutritious food.
At Concern, weve been fighting hunger on the ground, bit by bit, community by community, with practical, intelligent solutions that save lives and change their course for the better. We work in partnership with communities , combining our expertise with their local
knowledge to tackle hunger in the long term.
Regular support from payroll giving donations help us to plan this work more effectively. Thank you.
Registered Charity No. 1092236View website Watch video
Crystal Clear Klin Water Foundation
Crystal Clear-Klinwata Foundation a UK-based Charity organization working in partnership with donors and local communities to challenge the traditional approach to assisting underprivileged communities in Sierra Leone to develop accessible, sustainable, community-level water supplies and sanitation facilities.
Registered Charity No. 1124299View website Watch video
Hope and Homes for Children
It is estimated that 8 million children worldwide are growing up in orphanages. Orphanages are abusive, neglectful and treat children as mere numbers. Studies of young adults who grew up in orphanages have shown that up to 1 in 3 will end up homeless and 1 in 10 will commit suicide. These are the lucky ones, some institutions have mortality rates of 80%.
Our vision is a world in which children no longer suffer institutional care. We work in over 24 countries, providing on-the-ground expertise (setting up fostering, adoption, family support and other systems); technical support to other charities and authorities (training and advice); and advocacy (influencing and lobbying governments and international organisations) to ensure the needs of each individual child are at the heart of child protection.
When we started our work in Romania in 1999 there were 100,000 children in orphanages, now there are less than 10,000. We have commitment from six governments in the countries we work, to close all their orphanages. We believe we can end the injustice of the institutionalisation of children.
Registered Charity No. 1089490View website Watch video
International Rescue Committee UK
The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. For over 80 years, we have offered life-saving care and life-changing help to refugees forced to flee from conflict or natural disaster.
Today the International Rescue Committee helps people forced to flee their homes in over 40 countries.
Registered Charity No. 1065972View website Watch video
Little Faces Schools Kenya
Little Faces Schools, Kenya is a project started by Sally Harrison after a holiday in Mombasa.
Charitable objects:
To advance the education of the pupils at little faces schools in kenya by providing and assisting in the provision of facilities for education at the schools.
Registered Charity No. 1161130View website Watch video
MAG (Mines Advisory Group)
MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a neutral and impartial humanitarian organisation, co-laureate of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
We work in conflict affected countries to tackle the destructive legacy of violence and conflict; to release land for food production; to increase safe access to vital resources like water, education and health services; and to build a better future for women, men and children alike.
Registered Charity No. 1083008View website Watch video
Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders
Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is the world's leading emergency medical humanitarian aid organisation. We help people affected by armed conflict, epidemics and natural or man-made disasters, without discrimination and irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation. We work in 70 countries and go to places where others cannot or choose not to go. We can do this because we are independently funded, with 90 per cent of our funding coming from individual or private donors, like you.
By becoming part of the MSF movement you will help us deliver medical care where the need is greatest, anywhere in the world. Our donors are a vital part of the movement - your generosity and support helps fund everything we do and allows us to stay independent, neutral and impartial - and to access those in greatest need quickly
Registered Charity No. 1026588View website Watch video
Mission Aviation Fellowship UK
In today's 'connected world' never have so many people been so isolated.
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) uses light aircraft to bring humanitarian aid to people in remote locations around the world. We are a Christian charity that enables medical teams, disaster response, vaccines, and education equipment to reach those living in isolation in the developing world.
Flying over mountains, jungles and swamps, MAF aircraft bring practical help, physical healing, and spiritual hope to those who are outside of government provision – people for whom flying is not a luxury, but a lifeline.
By donating to MAF you are supporting the 1,500 partner organisations we fly, enabling aid to reach people in some of the most remote and inaccessible communities on the planet.
For over 70 years, MAF has been flying for life.
Registered Charity No. UK 1064598 Scotland SC039107View website Watch video
Opportunity International
Opportunity International provides microfinance - small loans, savings, insurance and training - to the world's poorest people who want to work their own way out of poverty.
A micro loan to a poor entrepreneur is used to start or expand a business, providing an income, dignity of work and hope for the future.
This finance is not a 'hand-out', but a 'hand up'. 98% of loans are paid back and lent out again, so a donation to Opportunity is a gift that keeps on giving!
Registered Charity No. 1107713View website Watch video
ORBIS is a non-profit organisation dedicated to eliminating avoidable blindness in developing countries.
Since 1982, we've been to over 90 countries, trained 385,000 health care professionals and provided eye care to more than 15 million people. But there are still 39 million blind people in the world – and 80% don't need to be. That is why, with the help of over 500 medical volunteers and our unique Flying Eye Hospital, we train eye care specialists in developing countries to prevent and treat avoidable blindness, allowing people to work, children to go to school and potentially break free from the cycle of poverty.
Registered Charity No. 1061352View website Watch video
Oxfam GB
Oxfam is a global movement of people who won't live with the injustice of poverty.
Together we save and rebuild lives in disasters. We help people build better lives for themselves. We speak out on the big issues that keep people poor, like inequality, discrimination against women and climate change.
And we won't stop until every person on the planet can live without poverty.
Registered Charity No. England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SC039042).View website Watch video
Oxfam Ireland
Oxfam Ireland works with people to overcome poverty and injustice worldwide.
Oxfam Ireland currently focuses its long-term development work in East, Central and Southern Africa. Our development programme aims to support the poorest communities in Africa in a way that avoids dependency.
We help people to help themselves, accessing their basic rights to a secure livelihood, shelter, clean water, education and healthcare. We work with local partner organizations and campaign on behalf of the worlds poor. We have a particular focus on supporting women in all our programmes.
Oxfam Ireland responds to humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters around the world – wherever they happen. In the last 10 years, Oxfam Ireland has helped to rebuild lives in over 30 emergencies around the world. Oxfam is internationally renowned as a provider of clean, life-saving water and sanitation facilities in emergency situations.
Registered Charity No. 33800View website Watch video
Peace Direct
Peace Direct works to stop conflict and save lives. Every week 1,000 people will die in wars and up to 15,000 more will die from related causes like malnutrition. This has to stop.
We support local people to find their own solutions to conflict. In the world's most fragile countries, we seek out dynamic local people who are making a real difference, building peace in the heart of their own communities. They are disarming rebels, resettling refugees, protecting the vulnerable, uniting communities and restarting economies. They work at great personal risk to prevent, resolve and heal conflicts, and break the cycles of violence.
Local people understand the causes of conflict and what needs to be done to stop it. And they refuse to give up on peace, because it's where they live and raise their families.
Your gift will support them as they stop violence and save lives.
Registered Charity No. 1123241View website Watch video
We work with some of the world's poorest children, in countries where one out of five die before the age of five, and those who survive often go hungry and have no chance of learning to read or write. We sit down with these children, their parents and the community to plan practical ways to provide all the things we take for granted, so that together we build schools, drill wells, train health workers and help families support themselves.
We seek to ensure that children are actively involved in the decision-making process, working with adults who have learnt to value their contribution. This work is possible because a million people across the world sponsor a child with Plan and in doing so benefit many other children and entire communities. The aim is that when we leave 10-15 years later the children have a better start in life, know their rights and have the confidence to claim them for the next generation. Their energy can provide the impetus to change their world.
Registered Charity No. 276035View website Watch video
Practical Action
Our strength is our approach: we find out what people are doing and help them to do it better.
Through technology we enable poor communities to build on their skills and knowledge to produce sustainable and practical solutions - transforming their lives forever and protecting the world around them.
By doing this each year we help over a million people break out of the cycle of poverty ... for good.
Registered Charity No. 247257View website Watch video
Prisoners Abroad
Every year thousands of British people are detained in over 100 countries – often in horrific conditions which can cause severe physical and mental suffering. We assist British citizens during their incarceration and when they return to the UK, and we also support their family and friends throughout the trauma.
Prisoners Abroad is the only UK charity caring for British citizens in this way. Our services provide a lifeline to 1,700 prisoners a year, many of whom face extreme isolation and malnutrition. We support over 1,500 family members in the UK, helping them to better cope with the ordeal of having a loved one in prison overseas. We also provide a crisis service for over 150 ex-prisoners each year, who arrive in the UK with nothing and nowhere to go, to ensure they have a place to live and help to get back on their feet.
We are non-judgmental and provide assistance regardless of the stage of the legal process or the verdict, because we believe that people in prison should retain their human rights and dignity – wherever they are in the world, whatever their sentence.
Registered Charity No. 1093710View website Watch video
Safe Child Thailand
Safe Child Thailand supports children in Thailand who face the biggest risk and threat to their wellbeing. We support children who are orphaned; abandoned; living with disabilities; HIV+; victims of trafficking and exploitation; refugees; and migrant children from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
With your help, we provide a home, education and future to over 4,000 children, and reach out to thousands more through health and nutrition projects.
We receive no statutory funding and, therefore, depend on regular donor support.
Registered Charity No. 1085407View website Watch video
Sense International
Sense International is a leading global charity supporting people with deafblindness in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, Romania, Tanzania and Uganda. Children with deafblindness in these countries desperately need to receive education and healthcare. Without this, many will lead short, lonely lives.
For over 20 years we have been working in partnership with local organisations to provide expert support and services to people with deafblindness. We demonstrate to governments that people with deafblindness are worth investing in. And we put support in place so that we can walk away and leave solid expertise behind.
With this support, children with deafblindness can learn to communicate, to develop self-care skills, receive an education and perhaps find a job. Rather than being excluded they can thrive and live as valued human beings.
Registered Charity No. 1076497View website Watch video
Registered Charity No. 207544 and SC038110View website Watch video
Village Aid Africa
Village Aid is an international development charity that has been working successfully with rural organisations in West Africa since 1989. Working with 8 partner organisations in five West African countries we have a unique approach to development and believe that:
- African people are best able to deal with their own problems
- African communities should set the agenda for their own development
- Small scale is often the right scale
- People in the UK care about ending poverty in Africa and can show their commitment to this by supporting Village Aid
We invest in people Africans who work towards a better future for their communities.
By making a monthly donation from your salary you can ensure that we can continue to support our partners you'll make more of a difference than you can imagine.
Registered Charity No. 1067322View website
WaterAid transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities. We work with partners and influence decision-makers to maximise our impact.
An international non-governmental organisation focused exclusively on improving poor people's access to safe water, improved hygiene and sanitation in the developing countries. WaterAid believes access to essential are vital for health, education and livelihoods, and form the first steps in overcoming poverty.
Registered Charity No. 288701 and SCO39479View website Watch video
Worldwide People for People
People for People is a group of 4 charities who work together to improve the lives of communities in the developing world.
Registered Charity No. 297118View website Watch video


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CHICAGO (Reuters) - Soaring farm operating costs, not record high land values feared by economists of possibly causing a repeat of the 1980s farm crisis, pose the greatest risk to U.S. farmers, the head of the country's largest farm management company said on Tuesday.
CEO of Farmers National Company, Jim Farrell, told Reuters steep increases in cost of fertilizer, seed, fuel and machinery are the main concerns for farmers.
Farrell cautioned that if commodity prices slide from current levels, say corn falls 50 percent to $4, "some of the more marginal operators are going to have a hard time holding things together," given the record high operating costs of planting and harvesting crops.
Oil prices alone have more than trebled since their lows of 2008 at the start of the global financial crisis.
Land values have also skyrocketed in recent years, hitting record highs across the Midwest and Plains this autumn, stirring fears about the possibility of a ruinous farmland bubble like the one seen in the 1980s. But farmers are carrying much less debt today, thanks to record incomes in recent years.
"In the late '70s and '80s we had incomes going down and expenses going up," Farrell said. "Today it's not that way. We are seeing substantial increasing input costs but we are also keeping pace at this point with income.
"It wasn't land values in and of themselves that created the 1980s. It was the extremely high input costs and the total lack of income. Then credit tightened. If you needed money, you couldn't get it," Farrell said on the sidelines of a bankers' meeting sponsored by the Federal Reserve of Chicago.
"I'm not sure we are focused on the right risks. We try to look as those land values as the risk, and I don't know that they are actually the risks," said Farrell, who was a struggling Iowa farmer in the 1980s when over-leveraged farmers lost their land as interest rates jumped.
The U.S. Agriculture Department on Tuesday forecast that 2012 U.S. farmer income would be a near record at $114 billion despite this year's drought.
Farm assets will rise to $2.54 trillion in 2012, up 26 percent from 2008. Of those 2012 assets, $2.2 trillion is represented by farmland. Farm debt is projected up nearly 10 percent from 2008 to $266 billion in 2012.
So both debt-to-equity and debt-to-asset ratios for farmers are down sharply due to record high crop prices and farmland prices. The strong prices are the result of a booming biofuels industry, record food exports and low interest rates.
But Farrell remains bullish on farmland prices through early 2013.
Farmland fetched as much as $15,000 to $16,000 an acre in the Plains this fall, despite the worst drought to hit the United States, the world's top food exporter, in more than 50 years. In Iowa, the biggest crop state, an 80-acre parcel of crop land in northwestern portion of the state sold for a record $21,900 an acre in October.
"We don't see anything to slow the market down," said Farrell, noting that Farmers National, based in Omaha, sold $163 million in land just last month.
Farmers rushed to sell land over the past six months amid worries about higher capital gains taxes, he said. That could mean fewer farms for sale in the first quarter of 2013.
"If we have very few sales over the first quarter will that even stoke more demand?" he asked.
Asked about recent weather and climate risks, Farrell said a repeat of the drought in 2013 may have a negative impact on land values and the United States could lose its clout as the world's top supplier of food.
He noted that Farmers National, which currently manages 4,700 U.S. farms representing 2 million acres, is looking to expand into Canada as row-crop production moves north given changes in climate.
"We have several hundred farms on the Canadian border near Grand Forks, North Dakota, that we manage, so for us it's organic expansion," Farrell said. "We have not done business there but climate change will allow us to build if it continues."
Reporting by Christine Stebbins; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer and Jeremy Laurence


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Display Brightness for Wear
Daniel Velazco
|Reviews: 194 | Score: 3 | Price: Free
: if the brightness does not change on your watch, restart the watch. Also, make sure to check the brightness by using the system settings and not a 3rd party app (like Wear Mini Launcher's settings), some 3rd party apps don't properly read the current brightness and update themselves when it changes.
Uses the coarse location to calculate sunrise and sunset times, as well as the Google Play Services activity detection API to automatically set the display brightness on your Android Wear.
This is only necessary for watches that DON'T have an ambient light sensor. This is not needed for the Moto 360, but can be used with it if the watch brightness setting is on manual mode. If the watch is on auto, this app will not change the value (useful if you have multiple Android Wear devices.)
If it's night time, the brightness will always be set to the lowest.
If it's day time, it will determine the brightness, between medium and high, based on the current user activity. Feel free to change the brightness levels depending on your activities.
By using the activity detection, we are making assumptions to determine whether the user is indoors, or outdoors, and then setting the display brightness on the watch based on that.
For battery saving purposes, there may be a delay between each detection.


text: I asked her to teach me her secret to making pie. Grandma was after all the bringer of pie to all family functions so of course I thought to learn from her. I wasn't a foreigner in the often intimidating land of pie making as my mother frequently gifted us children with pie. The process… Read more »


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Former Broadway hoofer finds success with lunchtime theater
Carole Schweid was too busy working and looking for her next jobs to appreciate how lucky she was to start her career as a Broadway hoofer in the 1970s.
The young dancer arrived on the scene just in time to work with Bob Fosse on "Pippin" and to be in on the ground floor of "A Chorus Line" with Michael Bennett.
The Westport resident, who has been artistic director of the "Play with Your Food" lunchtime theater series for the past decade with her producer partner Nancy Diamond, is modest about her stage accomplishments in the 1970s and 1980s, but you might be able to play one of those "six degrees" games with her name.
Schweid started on Broadway in a 1971 flop musical that starred Shelley Winters -- "Minnie's Boys" about the pushy stage mother of the Marx Brothers -- but she worked with a nice young unknown rehearsal pianist who was about to make a big name for himself, Marvin Hamlisch.
"He was great and you could see that he was going places," Schweid said of the musician whose path she would cross again when she was hired for the workshop production of a musical in development in downtown Manhattan.
"I was doing `Fiddler on the Roof' in a dinner theater with (dancer-writer) Nick Dante, who told me he was rehearsing monologues and that they needed a replacement for somebody who had left the show in rehearsal. It was just a workshop at that point," she said of her reconnection with a choreographer/director who had not hired her for another show two years earlier.
"Oh, I know her. Is she a dancer?" was the question Michael Bennett asked Dante of a performer he recalled from the auditions for the musical "Seesaw."
This time Bennett hired the dancer and Schweid found herself in the second developmental workshop of "A Chorus Line," where Bennett, Dante and Hamlisch were trying to shape interviews with chorus dancers into a new sort of musical about what goes on at the auditions for a big show.
Did Schweid know what she had gotten herself into?
"I think I did. I had seen enough of the work in progress to feel that something really cool was happening," she said.
What she didn't know was that the next two-and-a-half years would be taken up by one of the greatest hits of the era and that she would be stepping into the turbulent life stories of other dancers she had worked with. "A Chorus Line" moved from the Public Theater downtown to the Shubert Theater on Broadway, where it would run for a then-record-breaking 15 years.
"It was a huge success, but people got a little crazy," Schweid said of the publicity spotlight that "A Chorus Line" suddenly focused on performers whose careers had been spent in the backgrounds of other shows. Some of the dancers felt they didn't get properly paid for their stories and others never found suitable follow-up shows.
It was that schooling in quality that led Schweid to emerge from semi-retirement a decade ago to look for the best writers and to tap into the huge pool of Fairfield County actors for a lunch-and-short-plays series that she and Diamond launched in Greenwich, Westport and Fairfield.
"I'm proud of the fact that we are actor-driven and play-driven. It really is all about the quality of the plays we find," she said of a concept that generated a large and enthusiastic audience right from the start. "Once we got it rolling and people got a sense of what we were doing, we found that people who would come to one show would, right away, get their tickets for the next one."
Schweid and Diamond use local restaurants and caterers for the lunch that precedes the short plays.
"I'm always looking for what I call little gems -- short plays that pack a wallop. I want to find stuff you can't get out of your head," Schweid said of the material she spends months tracking down. Sometimes, she finds a perfect short play, other times she carefully extracts scenes from plays by famed writers, such as Neil Simon and Wendy Wasserstein, that can work on their own.
"I look for serious stuff and comedy. Of course, when you find something like a 20-minute radio play by Arthur Miller that is a given. ... we look for good language, a well-written play. But it has to pull an audience right in," she said. "It's not easy to find a really good short play ... a lot of the time they are a little too lightweight for us. We want something the audience will be eager to discuss at the Talk Back after the show."
Because of her background as a performer, Schweid will often pick a piece that she knows will be perfect for the actors she has in mind.
"We have some flexibility because the actors live here, so if I can't get the ideal cast for a play I have in mind, we wait until they are available. ... I want the experience you have with us to be as good as anything you might see anywhere else."
The next Play With Your Food performance will be Tuesday, March 11, at noon at the Fairfield Theatre Company. Visit www.jibproductions.org.
email@example.com; Twitter: @joesview


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Cruise Survivors Consider Legal Action, Piece Lives Back Together
(NEW YORK) -- One week after the Costa Concordia cruise ship crashed off the coast of Italy, leaving at least 11 people dead and 21 missing, newlyweds Benji Smith and Emily Lau said they were still trying to get their lives back together as they figured out how to hold those determined responsible for the accident accountable.
"When we first got off the ship we had the adrenaline to keep us pumping and moving," Smith said. "It's hard for us to imagine even working. This is all we can focus on."
The couple believes the cruise company, Costa Concordia, and not just the ship's captain, should be held responsible for the 11 deaths, and the emotional and physical injuries of the survivors. But Smith and Lau also voiced anger at Italian authorities and the U.S. Embassy for what they believed was their unresponsiveness after the escape on the island of Giglio.
More than 120 U.S. citizens were reportedly on the cruise ship, including a missing couple from Minnesota, Jerry and Barbara Heil.
Since returning to their Cambridge, Mass., home this week, Smith and Lau said they had been busy with doctors' appointments, and obtaining new driver's licenses, documentation and replacement car keys.
Smith, a computer scientist, and Lau, a musician, survived the crash by climbing down a rope on the side of the sinking ship. They said they still struggled with their physical and emotional well-being. Lau said she lost access to the entire upper range of her voice, which is problematic for a singer.
The couple had been married 14 days before the accident, which the CEO of the cruise company attributed to "human error" by Capt. Francesco Schettino. Authorities are investigating Schettino for suspected manslaughter and abandoning his ship, among other possible charges.
Under house arrest, Schettino told a judge he had tripped into a lifeboat and did not abandon his ship. Domnica Cemortan, a potential witness, said on Moltovan TV that Schettino was a hero and "the captain saved 3,000 to 4,000 people."
According to the Italian navigation code, a captain who abandons a ship in danger can face up to 12 years in prison.
Costa Crociere S.p.A., doing business as Costa Cruises, owned the cruise ship that carried about 4,200 people. Its parent is British-American company Carnival Corp., the largest company in the cruise industry, with more than 100 ships in service and 11 international brands.
Carnival Corp. did not respond to ABC News' requests for comment, but Carnival's CEO said in a statement: "This tragedy has called into question our company's safety and emergency response policies and procedures."
Morningstar, an independent investement research firm, has estimated the company will face an $85 million to $95 million loss in revenue while the ship is out of service. The capsizing cruise ship could cost its owners $130 million if the ship can be salvaged. If the $650 million luxury liner is too badly damaged, Costa and Carnival will have to absorb that cost too.
Survivors Arthur Beach, a civil defense lawyer, and his wife, Alex Beach, of Albuquerque, N.M., said they would not pursue any legal action, but seek compensation for their lost items.
Oscar Rosales and his family of El Paso, Texas, said they had not yet had the chance to consider whether they would participate in a legal response. Rosales, his wife, daughter and family friend, who all chose to stay in Rome for a few days after the accident, are returning to the U.S. Friday.
"For starters, I don't think they've done enough for the passengers, and so we'll just have to see what they're going to do next," Rosales said, who said the directions to hotels and flights home were "poorly mismanaged."
John H. "Jack" Hickey, a maritime trial attorney in Miami, said passengers seeking to bring claims against the Costa Concordia cruise company would have to do so in Genoa, Italy, where Costa is based, according to Carnival's ticket contract. Hickey represented passengers who suffered severe injuries in July 2006, after the Crown Princess cruise ship tilted nearly 24 degrees.
The ticket contract is about eight pages of legal terminology, which states "the Passenger assumes responsibility for his or her own safety and the Carrier cannot guarantee the Passenger's safety while on or off the Vessel," Forbes reported. If the cruise line had touched a U.S. port, passengers would be able to sue in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Hickey said.
Hickey said he is considering whether to become involved in legal action. Four or five survivors of the recent crash have contacted his law office, and he has begun working with a lawyer in Italy. Hickey said those with physical and emotional injuries could potentially receive compensation in the Italian legal system, and all death claims should be pursued.
A class action has been initiated by an Italian consumer defense group, Codacons. About 70 passengers have reportedly joined the suit.
Carlo Rienzi, Codacons head, told the Agence France-Presse he hoped to get each passenger at least $12,774 in compensation for material and emotional damage.
Benji Smith and Emily Lau have said they are working on how to pursue legal action and which legal opinions to trust. The couple said they were reluctant to trust the cruise company even with the reimbursement of their lost luggage.
"We've just been failed, neglected and abandoned over and over again," Smith said.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


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Reports of encounters with the legendary creature known as Bigfoot, Sasquatch and the Abdominal Snowman are common in the Pacific Northwest. When traveling the Weird NJ route though, you may encounter this creature right in your own backyard… Continue reading
Monthly Archives: December 2012
Like Bigfoot, Big Red Eye sightings of the northwest corner of the state describe a large bipedal creature covered with long hair from head to toe. But what witnesses in Sussex County who have seen the beast for themselves remember most are the creature's glowing red eyes. Continue reading


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Oh well we really need something as clean as that for the pixhawk family, minim family osd's are nice and compact, but getting long in the tooth.
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
What happens if a TBS Vendetta Race Quad takes on a Campervan's double-walled window and then bounces off some corners of the van's interior?
Needless to say that the quad's pilot demonstrated some bad decision making and flying skills besides poor safety judgement. He feels ashamed and learned from it.
ML★ | http://vimeo.com/mischalanstern/
TBS Caipirinha 3S /w Pixfalcon | ritewing Z3 | TBS Vendetta | TBS Discovery Pro | Fatshark Dominator v3 | FrSky Taranis Plus /w TBS Crossfire | TBS Groundstation | GoPro 4 black | Editing in FCPX
Hello Vboys !!
Here is my video from my monday session!
Be kind, I start flying early September, I'm a novice !!
I love the Vendetta !
I love my TBS Caipi.
The Sunset was awesome but it was verry cold
Hope you enjoy the Video
Discovery Pro can also be used to carry xmas gifts.
^^ LMAO was that ever cool great job man!!!! santa flies a disco
flyin HIGH


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General Off-Topic
Everything not about BMWs. Posts must be "primetime" safe and in good taste. You must be logged in to see sub-forums.
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Registered User
**OFFICIAL** Ask an insurance adjuster anything...
Alright, so I'm getting tired of reading threads about accidents and then seeing thirty posts about how OP should call a lawyer because the insurance company is trying to screw him. So here goes. If you have any questions about an accident that you want to go through insurance, I will try to help as much as possible. If you have questions about rates, discounts, etc, I can't help with those.
I've worked for an insurance company for several years now. I work(ed) in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC, but I may be able to answer questions outside of there as well.
Couple ground rules:
1. I will not write an estimate for you here. Don't post pictures and ask how much it's going to cost. People that give guesses on here are doing just that, giving guesses. They don't have a parts manual, an updated LKQ directory, or a chance to examine the car in person. They also don't have a shop that can tear down the car for a full estimate.
2. Remember that insurance companies operate with the law in your state. Insurance companies are not trying to screw you, they are doing what is allowable by your state's laws. Have a problem? Write the state senate. You can go to any number of companies to buy the exact same product. For most companies, the price will be more or less the same. Where insurance companies make money is by keeping customers. So no, we're not out to screw you. The exact opposite, in fact. I've bent over backwards to help a$$hat customers and do more for them than I should more often than I've actively worked to screw somebody.
3. I cannot give you rate quotes, or answer questions about why your rates are higher than somebody elses. I'm an adjuster. I write estimates and settle claims. If you have a question about your rates, call your insurance company and ask to speak to the Underwriting department.
Want to share accident stories? Ask for advice in a certain situation dealing with an accident? Go ahead. If you're looking for a sympathetic ear about how XYZ Insurance company screwed you out of $25 dollars because there was another car in Western Zambezi that had a slightly higher selling price than what they gave you for your total, then GTFO.
k. GO
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Sunland, CA
Posts: 1,175
My Ride: MBZ SL55 ///AMG
Ever get that "under the table" money for writing up the estimate more?
Registered User
Can you give a clear definition of what "salvage title" means? Also, should a salvage title always deter a buyer from purchasing a car?
I have never bought or owned a salvaged vehicle but I know countless people who are confused on the subject. The word alone almost seems taboo. Aren't there many things that can title a car as "salvaged" (not even necessarily title the car but being obligated to "list" the car as salvaged?) maybe I have the two mixed up...
How do mods come into play (aftermarket bumpers for simplicity sake)? Would I need a receipt from the date of the transaction that I bought the mods? Comps aren't enough, correct?
I have seen each come up on here and other forums with answers pulled from the posters ass, or, "guesses" as you put it.
Last edited by eee4666; 11-10-2010 at 03:34 AM.
Banned User
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: east coast
Posts: 657
My Ride: is silver and slow.
What is your name and who is your Daddy?
Registered User
Do you ever feel like Harold Crick?
Registered User
No. It's not worth it.
A caveat on this. If you really want to try to bribe me to help out your estimate a bit, keep in mind that I'm jeopardizing my career. You slide enough money my way to take care of me and my family for the rest of our lives, and we might be able to talk. But you better start at 8 figures
Last edited by NOVAbimmer; 11-10-2010 at 07:48 AM.
Sh!t Happens.
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: CT
Posts: 4,813
My Ride: W203 dumped on 20's
Subscribing for later..
Registered User
There are two types of Salvage titles, "Repaired" and "Rebuilt". In Virginia, damage greater than 75% of Actual Cash Value (what you could reasonably expect to sell your car for today, in your neighborhood) results in a Total. If the damage to the vehicle is between 75% and 90%, the title will indicate "repaired" after the vehicle is deemed to have been repaired. If the damage is greater than 90%, it will receive a "rebuilt" title.
When writing total losses, we are encouraged to write as much as necessary to deem the car a total loss, and then stop. When a customer keeps a total loss, I generally do not give them a written estimate, because I've had customers take their car to shops, not tell them it was deemed a total, and then the shop sends me a supplement for things I didn't write. Then the argument starts between me, the customer, and the shop. And arguments like that are never good. I'm happy to give a customer a "ballpark" repair cost, but on a total loss, there is nothing that legally compels me to provide a written estimate.
"Salvaged", strictly speaking, is a legal term only. If your car gets flooded and you never report it to insurance, it will never appear on your title. Similar to accidents. If you pay $10,000 to fix your car after a collision and go out of pocket, "Salvage" will never show up on your title.
Personally, i would not buy a car with a salvage title. Realistically, though, I know that there are a number of different reasons the car may have one. A thorough vehicle history and strong PPI on a salvage-titled car is a definite must. I would consider having a body shop take a look at the car as well, because they will best be able to tell you what possibly went into the repairs.
As far as mods go, definitely keep receipts. If someone else hits your car, go through there insurance. Their insurance is liable to replace aftermarket parts you have. Remember, though, that many body shops pay by credit account with parts dealers and simply receive a bill for that monthly/quarterly/whatever. So don't be surprised if they ask you to buy those aftermarket parts and bring them in. There have been a couple shops I've worked at that absolutely refuse to buy parts from anyone besides their suppliers, and if customers have "different" parts on, they will need to bring them in on their own. Which throws a whole lot of nuisance into who guarantees those parts. If they're not CAPA certified, the insurance company probably won't guarantee them. Since the shop is putting on parts that you brought in, the shop will most likely be hesitant to guarantee them as well.
On the other hand, if you damage your own car and want your mtech 2 bumper back on your non-zhp, that's going to come down to you and your adjuster or the shop. I know I was usually willing to work with people on mods to their car. If the bumper is available OEM like the mtech2, the price is very similar as well, I would be more than willing to help out. In Virginia, your insurance company is required by law to cover up to $1000 in "customizations" with no additional rider on the policy. These customizations must be "permanently mounted" in the car in order to be covered. There is a range of interpretations on what "permanently mounted" means. But it definitely doesn't mean the 2 12" subs you have in a box in the trunk. It most likely will cover an A/M intake, though, if that gets damaged in a wreck. If you have a $2000 dvd/nav/gps/sat radio headunit that gets stolen though, and you didn't tell us about it to get it covered, we'll give you $1000 for the part and installation.
Bottom Line: With mods, keep receipts for the best chance at getting them back incase of accident.
Registered User
Awesome new info, thank you
Registered User
A word on total losses...
So the worst case scenario has happened... you were in an accident, and now you're coming to me as your insurance company's adjuster and I've told you that most likely, your car is going to be a total loss. What am I going to do next, you ask? Well, here goes:
My company uses CCC Pathways for our estimating software (there are several different ones out there, though). At the top of my estimate is a running ticker that counts up to the total loss threshold. It has a generic value set based on year make and model of car. Once that hits 100%, I know that there is a potential for a total loss.
The next thing I do (after letting you know that there is a potential for a total) is I get a good overall condition of the car. We rate in these categories:
- Body (condition of the sheet metal and bumpers. Is there prior damage? Is there rust? Are panels misaligned or ill-fitting? The amount this affects value depends on the year of the car. For instance, several dings will not hurt a 2001 model like they would a 2011 model. This applies to all categories)
- Paint (how does the paint look? Is it faded? De-laminating? Does it match across the car? Is there obvious overspray? Is there obvious paintwork? Obvious meaning "I can spot it from across the lot", not "My spectrochromograph shows a 1% variance in hue".)
- Glass (any chips, stars, cracks, or pitting?)
- Tires (what is the current tread depth? Measured in 32nds of an inch. New is between 10 and 12/32 of an inch)
- Mechanical (Pop the hood, how does it look? Is there a lot of seepage around seals? Pull the oil dipstick, is the oil black? Or does it look pretty clean? Pull the trans stick. Is the trans fluid burned up? Are there huge scorch marks on the bumper around the tail pipe? Start the car. Does it start right up, or does it struggle to crank?)
- Interior (How is the inside of the car? Are the carpets in decent shape? Does the headliner sag? Are the seats worn to crap? Is the dash all torn up? Does the interior smell clean?)
Each category is rated on a 4 point scale: Excellent (never seen anything rate Excellent. Doesn't mean they're not out there, but it would basically be an absolutely flawless vehicle), Dealer Ready (car can be sold as is other than normal dealer prep work), Average Private (What we expect to see in a car with the year and miles yours does. AP in a category neither adds nor takes away value.), and Rough (car needs some serious TLC).
I also make sure that I have all the options correct for your car.
After I have my evaluation, I'll ask you if there has been any major work done to the car lately. A new engine or transmission would rate this. A new all-over professional paint job. Regular maintenance doesn't count, nor do new tires, or a really sweet vinyl job.
From here, I send all the information I have about your car to CCC Pathways. Most of the time, I'll get a response within about 2 minutes of sending it. What they give me, first and foremost, is a number. It will also give me all the locations it used to find this value, as well as all the cars used in the comparison. Pathways searches through dealer ads and classified ads, starting in your zip code and working out from there.
Once I have the value of the car, I'm going to take a minute to put some numbers together. I'll add in state sales tax for the vehicle (varies by state, VA is 3.5%), I'll add in tag and title fees ($12 for VA outside of Virginia Beach.), and I'll subtract your deductible. I'm also going to determine a salvage value for your car. We have what are called "guaranteed bids" for certain classes of cars (domestic, year range 1. domestic year range 2. import year range 1. import year range 2.). We are guaranteed to receive no less than that when your car goes to a salvage auction. I cannot give a lower salvage value than that. I usually start at about 20% of the ACV for any car less than $6,000. If it's more than that, I'll make a couple phone calls to local salvage yards I trust and ask them what they would bid for it.
Now is when we start chatting. If you own the car free and clear, you have two options. Let us keep the car, and you get the full ACV minus deductible, or you keep the car, and we keep the salvage value. This is typically where the debates start. Your car has intrinsic value to you. This was the car you first learned how to drive in. So on and so forth. Divorce yourself from the emotional attachment and start thinking reasonably. If I tell you that I'm offering $5,000, and you say the car is worth $10,000, then the conversation is more or less over. I can't negotiate on 100% of the value. Different bosses will give differing amounts of leeway to their adjusters based on experience and company policy, but my boss usually gives me about 20% of the value to negotiate with.
Things I can negotiate on: Cash value, category analysis, and salvage value. Things I cannot negotiate on: your deductible, the options that exist on your car (if I missed something, let me know. But each option is specifically defined. There is no room for interpretation as to what "Power seats" means.), tax/tags/title. If you feel that negotiations between you and me aren't getting far because you can't negotiate on what I can, then feel free to ask for my boss' phone number. I had one total loss settlement go all the way to our regional Vice President once. He settled for $250 more than I was offering. I was thoroughly puzzled, as the guy showed no interest in talking to me about it. I'm happy to give you my boss' number, but give me a chance first. If the first thing you want to do is talk to management, you're just going to annoy me, and them, and make it tougher on yourself. You approach my boss in an understanding way, he's going to be a lot easier to deal with.
Bring solid evidence to negotiate with, as well. You give me good info, and I'll deal with my boss and work it out for you. You bring me a newspaper clipping for someone in California selling a car similar to yours and asking for $2000 more, though, and I can easily dismiss it. Bring me some info on cars similar to yours that were sold around the block from your house for more, and we've got something to go on.
My goal with a total loss (and really, and customer interaction) is to get you off the phone/out of my office as soon as possible, and as happy as possible. The last thing I want is for you to call my boss with a legitimate complaint about something that I did or failed to do.
Registered User
I use to adjust claims as well! It was enjoyable, but most people you deal with are 'tards.
Example, "no sir, you're not gonna get $500,000 for the scratch on the bumper of your 1990 honda civic dx".
Example B, "ma'am it's been 25 min since we last talked, the company hasn't had a chance to get anyone out there yet".
Example C, "I realize the other guy 'came out of no where', but you had the stop sign and he didnt"
I'm in underwriting now
Registered User
And explain to me again exactly how somebody hit your car in the parking lot and drove off, when the only damage to your corvette is to the underside of the bumper.
The "hit and run" cases are the worst. Because our company tells us that for the most part, we're not allowed to question the customer's story.
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Dallas
Posts: 415
My Ride: '03 325Ci
when my car was pretty new, someone threw a chunk of concrete through my sunroof, smashing it and f'ing up the interior. the insurance company estimated it at $700. i knew that was waaaaay low, and the adjuster told me not to worry, it would be adjusted if the shop estimated more. i left my car at the dealer (leave that aside for a second) and told them i would be going through insurance. the dealer called back quickly and said $700 was laughable, but a short time later the adjuster called me to say he determined that the dealer "started the work" and the claim wouldn't be adjusted. for a a smashed sunroof, scratched up driver's seat, and cracked wood trim, i got a $200 check and was basically told to **** right off.
i chalked this up to my own fault for not knowing enough about making a claim, so i just took it as a "live and learn" type of thing... but in retrospect, the dealer couldn't have done any real work by that point. they called me asking which repairs from the list i wanted them to go forward with, since it wasn't going to be covered... and i said sunroof only. so they definitely hadn't fixed anything by then. maybe they had vacuumed out glass and took the headliner down, but nothing was repaired.
now i know more about how claims work, i don't think that should have counted as "starting the work" and i think i got boned. thoughts?
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Peoples Republic of Chicago
Posts: 405
My Ride: CTA
Registered User
I write supplements all the time after the work has started, but the shop has to know that they can't just give us a bill at the end and expect us to pay it all. Every estimate we write has the line "All supplements require 100% reinspection, no exceptions." And gives our supplement fax line, and tells the shop that if they don't hear from someone within 24 hours of the fax to call the original adjuster. I've had shops try to throw in replacement parts and not keep the originals before, in which case I can only deny the supplement and let the customer know what's going on.
I tell customers all the time to not worry about the total cost of repair, and really, they shouldn't. The total cost is simply a negotiated amount between the shop and the insurance company. What the customer should worry about is that all their concerns regarding damage have been addressed. If there is damage on the car from the accident that doesn't appear on the estimate, ask about it. The adjuster should be able to give you an explanation as to why it's not on there.
And don't forget, that we are just people. We make mistakes sometimes. If I miss damage, I will hand write and sign on the estimate for the shop to supplement it back to us (if it's minor), or I'll simply rewrite the estimate if, for some reason, there are several things.
Remember that shops and insurance companies write estimates from two different perspectives. A shop writes an estimate as money coming in for them, and money going out for you. The last thing they want to do is call you up halfway through a repair and say "Oh, by the way, we thought X part was going to be repairable, but we need to replace it. That's going to cost you $500 more." We write estimates as money going out for us, so we want to keep that estimate as tight as possible. It doesn't break my heart at all if a shop calls me and tells me they need more money.
Registered User
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Dallas
Posts: 415
My Ride: '03 325Ci
thinking about it, i'm not sure what kind of price list the ins. co. used for this estimate. sunroof glass, driver's side window, 3 wood interior trim pieces, and leather seat bottom cover? $700?
i probably have it somewhere, i should dig it up for giggles.
Registered User
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 337
My Ride: 2010 Wrangler 4 Door
What is the deal with a homeowner's trees falling on their car? Will insurance companies really refuse to pay if they trees aren't trimmed when needed?
Registered User
I have no idea about a HO policy, but with your car, you can read your family auto policy for more clarification. But realistically, I'm not going to go to your house and try to use my vast knowledge of landscaping to figure out if your tree was properly trimmed or not. I've never heard of a claim denied for that before.
Registered User
it depends. they'll look at the overall health of the tree. if it was old and dead and you should have removed it, denied.
if the tree was 100% healthly and maintained and weather brought it down, paid.
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March 11th, 2011. 12 months ago today. I'm at home in my room in the east of Nagoya, a huge but mostly unremarkable city in central Japan. It's on the direct line from Tokyo to Osaka, but closer to the latter – you can be in Kyoto in 25 minutes, if you take the bullet train.
I've been living here for about six months. It's not an alien place any more; it's starting to feel like home. The past few weeks have been especially good, because spring is in the air. The sakura blossoms won't appear for a while yet, but the days are getting warmer – and best of all, university holidays have started, and a ten-week break stretches out ahead of us, pregnant with possibility. My Japanese has got good enough to spend days or nights hanging out with new friends without needing to resort to English – I'm far more proud of this than any classroom grade, and delighted that it's happened in time for the long, lazy spring holidays.
On this particular day, it's balmy enough that the sliding doors to my balcony are open, letting the spring air blow through the room. I've got Skype open and I'm chatting to a friend, a classmate from university in London, who's living in Tokyo. I can't recall what we're discussing – I know that I was wandering around the room, clearing stuff up while we talked.
It's around quarter to three in the afternoon when everything moves – and actually, I don't notice it at first. It's an odd sensation, like vertigo. Your brain isn't built to process the idea that everything around you, all those solid walls, are shuddering. Instead, it feels like the head-rush you get when you stand up quickly after lying down for too long. My first thought is to wonder if I forgot to eat lunch, and am getting a bit dizzy as a result. Then my friend's voice pops out of the speakers. "Whoa. Earthquake here."


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It's no secret: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are the next big thing in precision agriculture. Small UAVs are replacing expensive manned aircraft to provide real-time, high quality aerial imagery of farm fields in order to more quickly and precisely identify problems as they happen throughout the growing season. What remains a mystery is the timeline for when farmers will be able to begin using these systems to increase yield.
Farmers can't technically use UAVs to increase their profit yet. Under U.S. Federal Aviation Administration regulations, UAVs may only be flown for recreational purposes and within 400 ft. of the ground. And while the FAA has been congressionally mandated to come up with a plan to allow for airspace to be opened up for commercial UAV purposes, it's very unclear what a plan entails and when the airspace will truly be available for commercial use of UAVs.
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In the meantime, university researchers, farmers, and major agricultural companies are already buying these systems to test them out on farms under existing FAA guidelines.
"It's a great opportunity to collect more information, and there are a lot of different systems out there," says Ernie Earon, CEO of PrecisionHawk, a UAS manufacturer. "There's a big difference between different UAV systems, so it's a very good opportunity to shop around and to see demos where possible. If they [farmers] are able to get an aircraft and can operate it according to the regulations within their jurisdictions, that's even better."
"It helps farmers do more with less," Earon says. "It helps them to see things before they would otherwise see them and be able to react more and more rapidly. It's definitely a tool that has huge benefits to the industry, and the FAA realizes that."
So, what started the UAV buzz?
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International released its report called "The Economic Impact of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the United States" in March this year. The report claims that the integration of UAS in the United States will have an economic impact of $13.6 billion in the next three years, which will increase to $82 billion by 2025. The report also suggests that agriculture is going to be the biggest beneficiary of these unmanned systems.
While UAVs have been used internationally for spraying and surveying in agriculture for years, it seems the AUVSI's report has played a major role in sparking the buzz this year surrounding domestic UAV use in agriculture. Word of the AUVSI report's predictions spread, and agriculture started to make sense to many people as the next big step for UAS use. And anyone who's ever been interested in the subject of "drones" has seemed to jump into the flurry of conversation about unmanned systems' potential in agriculture.
But Rory Paul, Volt Aerial Robotics CEO and UAS consultant, says that before the AUVSI released its report this year, there were a handful of people in the United States saying the exact same thing (himself included). So the question became: who initiated the AUVSI report? The defense sector initiated it, says Paul.
"What has happened is because of the whole privacy hoopla about UAVs and drones, they [the defense sector] saw that they're not going to be able to sell their systems into the first responder market – police, fire departments, etc. – because in big cities, people don't want UAVs or drones flying around invading their privacy," Paul said. "So where is the natural fit for UAVs? Agriculture. Why? Because it's low risk. Farmers want the systems; they want the data. And corn and soybeans don't complain if you take their picture."
Regardless of where the conversation started, it's rolling fast now and farmers are starting to see how these systems can help them farm more efficiently. Paul thinks that within the next five years, if there is progressive policy from the FAA that allows use of small UAVs, there could be multibillion-dollar dividends to American agriculture in terms of yield benefits and reduction of inputs to obtain aerial imagery.
"The fact of the matter is that this is going to happen. Individual farmers are going to acquire these systems and they're going to start using them," Paul says.
Benefit for farmers?
Paul recalls a farmer he worked with who identified that a section on his irrigation system wasn't working by viewing free Google Earth satellite imagery. But the images were a year old.
"He could see from last year that there was an issue and he applied it to this year's crop. If you want to see what's happening this year, you need imagery that's taken tomorrow," says Paul. "Let's say for example you've got nutrient issues, so in part of the field you've got a yellow patch. So we can get in there and we can put down more nitrogen. Then you come back with the UAV two weeks later, take the imagery again, and see if there was a result from that prescription. That's where the real benefit from UAV systems comes in."
UAVs can obtain a vast array of aerial data by flying over farm fields, and the type of data they collect depends on the camera system the UAV is carrying. Most UAVs carry consumer grade cameras that collect high-resolution still images and video. The user then views the images or footage once the UAV surveys a field to identify abnormal spots that may need to be visited for problems related to nutrients, pests, weeds, moisture or other issues. The benefit lies in being able to scout your fields faster by quickly identifying the problem spots rather than walking a whole field on foot.
GPS-referenced imagery is a more advanced feature that takes the guesswork out of identifying where a problem spot is located in a field. Some of the most advanced camera systems are able to provide thermal and multispectral sensing, which allows the UAV to scan a field and identify abnormalities that can't be seen by the naked eye or by viewing a basic aerial image.
Manual or autonomous?
Some UAVs are flown manually using a remote controller that directs the vehicle through the air and over a field.
"It's remarkable how farmers pick up on it so fast. They're surprisingly really good at this," says Drew Janes, president of Aerial Precision Ag. The company debuted its UAVs to the farming community at this year's AgConnect show in January, where they sold 18 of their Multirotor UAV systems. APA's ready to fly kits are marketed as affordable, easy-to-use systems that come with everything a farmer needs to start taking aerial imagery and videos of their fields quickly. The images and video are then easily transferred to a computer, where farmers can start identifying problem spots in fields and speeding up the scouting process during the growing season. But APA has also hinted it's working on more advanced, autonomous systems to be launched this fall.
One autonomous system already on the market is the Lancaster Hawkeye Mark III from PrecisionHawk, which the company playfully calls "The Bird." The user programs in the field coordinates and the type of data they want The Bird to collect ahead of time and then throws the vehicle into the air. On-board sensors make adjustments for factors such as wind conditions and allow the plane to intelligently compute the best way to fly and collect data. After the data is collected, the system automatically returns to the starting point and lands on its own.
"You don't need to be a highly trained user to do this. We put a lot of technology into a very small package," says Earon, PrecisionHawk CEO.
Earon says the company has focused on taking all of the diagnostics away from the user so farmers can instead focus on deciding what they want to survey and know about their fields to make decisions on their farm management. "In agriculture, [farmers] are not interested in having to dedicate somebody to be a UAV operator," Earon says. "They need something that works just like a tool. It has to be easy to use so anyone can use it. They want it to be hands-off as much as they can, and that includes the data side."


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Cardinals Molina Out Again Due to Family Illness
ST. LOUIS - Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina will miss his second consecutive game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night because of an illness in the family.
Molina's mother Gladys is recuperating from an unspecified surgery performed Wednesday.
Molina and his brother, assistant hitting coach Bengie Molina, were not at Busch Stadium the last two nights, and St. Louis manager Mike Matheny would not say when the catcher was expected back.
Tony Cruz replaced Molina in the starting lineup for the second game in a row.
Molina is hitting .318 with 11 homers and 65 RBIs in 120 games.


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