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A Comparison of the 3 Health Care Plans: single-payer vs. the public option vs. the status quo
See also: For Chrissakes Democrats — Wake Up and Fight for Health Care Reform! Here's How. and American Health Care Reform: Socialist Plot or Evil Conspiracy? You decide.
The health care debates have been thick on fiction and thin on facts. Below are some of the facts & figures and information originating from credible sources in health care reform — hailing from Capitol Hill, to the health care industry, to health care advocates, to the offices of insurance industry executives.
Option #1: THE SINGLE PAYER PLAN
(aka: H.R. 676; the United States National Health Insurance Act (or the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act), universal health care; the Conyers Bill; not-for-profit health care. The for-profit insurance industry calls this plan "government-run" or "socialized" medicine).
The average American knows relatively little, if any, about true universal health care (H.R. 676), despite that this bill was introduced in the House in 2007 (by Rep. John Conyers) and currently has 93 co-sponsors in the House. While the supporters of H.R. 676 have worked hard to educate the public on the benefits of a universal, single-payer health care plan, they lack the lobbying clout and the 1.5 million dollar-per-day budget that the private, for-profit insurance industry spends to wage a PR campaign extolling — not the virtues of their industry but, rather, the evils of health care reform, their tazers pointed directly at both the single-payer plan (H.R. 676)and the public option plan (H.R. 3200).
Here are a few numbers on the cost of the single-payer plan (HR 676) from the website of the Rep. John Conyers, the sponsor of the bill:
- BOTH FAMILIES and BUSINESS WILL PAY LESS: The private, for-profit insurance industry currently charges employers approx. $12,000 per year for a family of four. Of this, the employer pays 74%, which leaves the employee to pay the balance of just over $4,000 per year. Under H.R. 676, the employer and the employee would each pay approx. $2,700 per year to cover a family of 4 with a median income of $56,200 per year.
- THE NATION WILL PAY ABOUT THE SAME, WHILE COVERING ALL AMERICANS: Savings from reduced administration, bulk purchasing, and coordination among providers will allow coverage for all Americans while reducing health care inflation in the long term. Annual savings from enacting H.R. 676 are estimated at $387 billion.
This bill can be read in entirety here, at the Thomas Library of Congress pages. Below are some of the virtues of the H.R. 676, single-payer plan, which would be common knowledge among Americans, had the topic of single-payer health care not been barred from taking a seat at Obama's big table:
- Every resident of the US will be covered from birth to death.
- No more pre-existing conditions to be excluded from coverage.
- No more expensive deductibles or co-pays.
- All prescription medications will be covered.
- All dental and eye care will be included.
- Mental health and substance abuse care will be fully covered.(1)
- Long term and nursing home services will be included.
- You will always choose your own doctors and hospitals.
- Costs of coverage will be assessed on a sliding scale basis.
- Tremendously simplified system of medical administration
- Total portability – your coverage not tied to any job or location.
- Existing Medicare benefits for those over 65 will remain the same or be vastly improved in many cases.
- No corporate bureaucrat will ever come between you and your doctor to deny your care
VIDEO: H.R.676 The Single-Payer Solution, Part 2 of 4 (see also Part 1, Part 3 and Part 4)
Paul Krugman: Death by Insurance ( May 1, 2006)
Reader's comments to the above article: Medicare for All: More Than a Band-Aid
Paul Krugman: Health Care Realities (August 1, 2009) At a recent town hall meeting, a man stood up and told Rep. Bob Inglis to "keep your government hands off my Medicare." The congressman, a Republican from South Carolina, tried to explain that Medicare is already a government program — but the voter, Rep. Inglis said, "wasn't having any of it.
1-minute speech by Dennis Kucinich with facts & figures on the number of uninsured & under-insured Americans, plus bankruptcies due to medical expenses.
The chart, below, prepared by the League of Women Voters of Arizona, offers a comparison of the single-payer plan (HR676) vs. the public option (HR 3200).
Option #2: THE PUBLIC OPTION
(aka: HR 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, "Obama care," "government-run" health care, "socialism")
While this bill is commonly called "Obama care," HR 3200 is not an Obama invention, but was sponsored by several Democrats in Congress. It would cover most, but not all Americans. It does not cover illegal immigrants. The plan would begin, if at all, in the year 2013. The provisions of HR 3200 are difficult to pin down. One of the better explanations I've found of this bill's provisions is at the News Junkie Post, in their piece titled, "What's In This Healthcare Bill Anyway?" from which I drew the following birds-eye view of this 1000-page bill:
Everyone would be required to carry health care insurance (see options below).
Businesses with payrolls over $250,000 would be required to provide insurance to their employees, or face a tax penalty
Existing employer-based insurance would be grandfathered into the new system, but be required to meet federal requirements
A hardship provision (state-run Medicaid*) would available to those who qualify, based on income (133% of the poverty rate, or under $14,400 for an individual), and who don't receive employer-health care
Those who don't qualify for Medicaid would be required to purchase insurance from a pool of providers regulated by a Health Insurance Exchange, that would include private insurers and, possibly, a government-run program, such as Medicare,*which would, in theory, compete with private insurance companies and, in doing so, help lower costs.
People who are not insured will face tax penalties.
Insurance compannies could no longer deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions
*The inclusion of a "public option," which includes hardship provisions, such as Medicare/Medicaid, for people who cannot afford private insurance appears to be off the table, as yet one more compromise to the insurance/pharmaceutical industries and the ongoing fallacy of bipartisanship.
For some excellent info, in plain language, on the particulars of this bill, be sure to follow the link above.
Here is another piece, from the June 7, 2009 Billings (Montana) Gazette, titled, 'Public Option' Insurance Plan Stirs Debate. This article is likely dated, due to the ongoing behind-the-scenes 'compromises; being made to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
Option #3: Keeping the Status Quo
(aka: private insurance, the for-profit insurance industry)
According to a study released in the August 2009 American Journal of Medicine, 8% of bankruptcies in 1981 were due to medical bills. This number jumped considerably in twenty years, to over 46% in 2001. Six years later, in 2007, the number had grown even higher — to just over 62% of bankruptcy filings due to medical bills.
This means that, of the 1.5 million Americans filing bankruptcy this year, a projected, 930,000 will be due to medical bills. Of these, three-quarters had health insurance. In other words, almost 700,000 American citizens with private health care insurance will file bankruptcy this year, due to medical bills. These figures do not take into account the numbers of Americans teetering on the edge, in a chronic, hardscrabble struggle to keep from going under.
VIDEO: Bill Moyers interview with former Cigna insurance executive, Wendell Potter. This informative and, at times sobering interview offers an insider's view into the insurance industry — from their ties to Washington and Wall Street, to their their strategies to maximize profit by denying care, to their fight against health care reform. (37 minutes, well worth the time)
3 Responses
[…] to cut to the chase (thereby skipping my 24-paragraph editorial hooplah, below) simply skip to page 2 of this piece for info and links on the 3 health-care options currently under […]
[…] canarypapers: A Comparison of the 3 Health Care Plans: single-payer vs. the public option vs. the status quo […]
[…] a comparison of single-payer vs. the public option vs. the status quo, read my post here. For a glimpse of how the single-payer, Medicare-for-all advocates were treated when they protested […]


text: What do you want out of life right now? Romans 14:17 says "The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking but of Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit." When we think of the Kingdom of God, we often think of the future i.e. Heaven. There is so much talk of God's Love and Grace and Forgiveness all of which are amazingly valid. However, as it goes with the human race, we tend to let the pendulum swing way to one side or the other. We sing the little song, "Heaven is a wonderful place, filled with Glory and Grace. I wanna see my Savior's face. Heaven is a wonderful place." We can't wait to get there. But, what about the here and now? We eat, we drink, we live. How? Is our attitude one of "I can live however I want because His Grace and Love forgive me"? Most of us who call ourselves Believers would say "'Heavens' no"! Yet, in fact, how are we living? What are we allowing into our lives because we believe such? I have one of my first Bibles around the house somewhere and there is a note taped inside the cover. It goes something like this: "Anything that robs you of your closeness to Him, no matter how big or how small, to YOU it is sin." Yes, God loves us, obviously! But, he is still a Father. I have a friend who wrote this song years ago. One of the lines are, "I have a Father who watches over me. He kinda makes me tow the line but he also makes me free." Freedom ironically comes from towing the line; line being the precepts of the Lord. Line upon line, precept upon precept we live. We literally live life to the fullest. Not with a life of self-gratification but of a life focused on building up the treasures that are eternal in value, the things of Righteousness, Peace and Joy. It is not humanly possible to exist without the desire for self-gratification. It is only possible as we walk and live according to the Spirit of God. Jude 17-22 with emphasis on verse 20: "But, you dear Friends, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life." I want to make it clear. There is nothing wrong with self-gratitude, loving yourself and appreciating who you are. For those of you who understand my meaning, you deserve the last piece of pie on the plate. You have to love and forgive yourself to love and forgive others. I want the following verse ever before my spiritual eyes, "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But, I have come that you might have life and life more abundantly." Spoken by Jesus. I want to spur others on to be alert and watch out for the "thieves" who will rob you of the things of the Kingdom. I want to inherit the Kingdom now and for Eternity.

subset: commoncrawl


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Rakel McMahon in Nau Gallery
View of Motivation in Nau Gallery, Stockholm
Vernissage 29th of April at 18-20
Football as a social activity and a platform for communication is the subject of Rakel McMahon´s latest series of paintings, View of Motivation. The game itself, the players and spectators become a metaphor for a much broader interpretation on such issues as gender identity, stereo-typing and sexuality. In her work McMahon uses actual photographs of players in action on the football field, analyzing their physical expression and interactions with each other. By transferring actual moments on the field into a neutral setting the artist creates a highly ambiguous context. Through this shift McMahon utterly transforms the impression we have of football players as well as changing the role of the spectator.
In McMahon's work the imagery of art and the world of soccer meet and the resulting dynamic is a radical alternative and unexpected take on the gender equality debate. Simultaneously, McMahon seeks to draw attention to sociological discussion about gender, gender identity and sexuality and in so doing throw new light on sensitive human emotions and motives.
An exhibition catalog is to be found here.
About the artist
Rakel McMahon was born in 1983 in Reykjavík, Iceland. She graduated with a BA in Fine Arts and M.Art.Ed. from the Iceland Academy of the Arts and holds a diploma in Gender Studies from the University of Iceland. Her work has been exhibited at various places both in Iceland and internationally. These includes exhibitions in Þoka, Kling & Bang and Sequences in Reykjavík, as well as several group exhibitions and collaborative projects abroad; such as Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Berlin, Helsinki and Warsaw. In addition she has organized exhibitions, artist-run spaces and other cultural events. McMahon is a former member of the artistic board of Sequences — real time art festival and is currently a member of the board of The Living Art Museum (NYLO).
About the curator
Ingunn Eyþórsdóttir works as a freelance journalist and editor, specialized in culture and contemporary art, event manager and curator. She was the founder and a co-editor of Konsthopp, a website about the Nordic visual art scene and a former member of Artima gallery, an exhibition space based in Reykjavik.
The exhibition is open until 22nd of May.
Opening hours
Tuesday-Friday 12.00-18.00
Saturday 12.00-16.00
Nau Gallery
Hudiksvallsgatan 4b


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Funny. Rocking. Intriguing. Engaging. Modest. The best talk. The best music. Simply put: The Best. (Visit homepage.)
Also available as an MP3 podcast. More info at our Podcast Central page.
<-- Previous playlist | Back to The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Scharpling playlists | Next playlist -->
October 12, 2010: Best Show 10th Anniversary with Guest Hosts Mike and Therese
A retrospective and appreciation of the first 10 years of the Best Show on WFMU. Thanks to Spoony C, Ramsey Ess, Evan "Funk" Davies, Patrick "Big Plastic Head" Satterfield, Brian "Master of Sparks" Varney. Ben Stockwell, Joshua Arcurio, Shaskanka, Omar the Scrivener, Fredericks of New Port Richey, David Hart, Evan Wilson, Matthew "Scratchbomb" Callan, Chris M, Ted Allen, Myles Peterson, Martin Degrell, Ronnie Bronstein, and David "Dorvid" Burns for providing a cornucopia of clips. Thanks to Ted Leo, Aimee Mann, John Hodgman and Paul F. Tompkins and everyone who called in. Extra big thanks to Terre T for behind the scenes coordination. And the biggest thanks of all to Jon Wurster and Tom Scharpling. You can't stop the Best Show. You can't top the Best Show.
Listen to this show:
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|The Ballad of El Goodo
|#1 Record/Radio City
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|Volcano Suns
|Bumper Crop
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|Tom, Belinda and Belinda's Mom
|Tom Gomps Belinda's Mom
|Original air date: 6/7/2005
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|Ted Leo Calls In!
|0:29:44 ()
|Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
|The World Is In the Terlet
|Composed and recorded during the 6/3/2008 episode of the Best Show
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|Tom and Ambrosia
|Cowboy Star- The Worst Song
|Original Air Date 7/3/2007
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|Michael K Call
|Original Airdate: 9/17/2007
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|Sonny Wants To Send Chazz Palmimtieri to Space
|Original Air Date 1/8/2008
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|Original Airdate 1/31/2006
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|Tom & Ted Leo with PFT, John Hodgman, Aimee Mann, AP Mike & Terre T
|Someone Saved My Life Tonight
|WFMU 2009 Marathon
|Original Air Date 3/11/2009
|2:57:54 ()
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2014 is my last year as Managing Director of Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum. It has been six fun and stimulating years but now it's time to hand over the leadership to Johan Eklund, who I consider an excellent successor. I will still remain within the organization as Research Director and will also continue as Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. I want to thank everyone who participated in Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum's various events and contributed to making our mission successful during my time as Managing Director.
It was a busy spring with numerous report launches and seminars, followed by an almost equally busy fall with many qualified seminars and conferences. I have also made a trip to China to meet with representatives from a number of top universities and other organizations to explore possible opportunities for cooperation. A first result of the trip will be a seminar together with a Chinese research institute in the spring of 2015.
Some other highlights this year has been:
On May 21 we organized the Stockholm Philanthropy Symposium for the second time in cooperation with the Swedish-American Roger Svensson. The conference attracted over 200 people and offered many Swedish and international participants from both the research side and the political sphere as well as donor and receiver side.
On June 10, we launched the national Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, the largest international survey of entrepreneurship where the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum is responsible for the Swedish part. The report launch seminar was commented by Annie Lööf, then Minister for Enterprise, and President of the Centre Party, and the current Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg from the Swedish Social Democratic Party and the entrepreneur Stefan Krook.
The first week of October, we invited the internationally renowned Professor Mariana Mazzucato, Oxford University together with the Swedish Innovation Agency Vinnova. Mazzucato participated in two different events; one seminar with Vinnova on September 30, commented by Tobias Krantz, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, Maria Ludvigsson, Svenska Dagbladet – a daily Swedish newspaper and Ola Pettersson, Swedish Trade Union Confederation. The second was a conference on innovation and growth that we co-arranged with Statistics Sweden (SCB) 1-2 October.
The Swedish Schumpeter Lecture was held for the third time on 5 November. This year's speaker was Deirdre McCloskey, Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago, who spoke on the topic "How We Actually Got Rich: The Liberal Plan of Equality". Other participants were Monika Arvidsson from the think-tank Tiden, Jesper Roine SITE, Stockholm School of Economics and PJ Anders Linder, Axess Magazine.
The launch of the sixth edition of the Swedish Economic Forum Report (SEF) took place on November 20, this year's focus was higher education, labor and innovation. Once again we had the pleasure of having highly qualified commentators, including Karolina Ekholm from the Ministry of Finance, Anna Kinberg Batra presumably the next President of the Moderate Party, Anna Felländer Swedbank, Lena Hallengren from the Parliamentary Education Committee (Social Democratic Party), Annie Lööf, President of the Centre Party, Jonas Milton, Almega, Madelene Sandström, KK-Foundation, Per Tryding, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden and Hulya Ulku who wrote one of the chapters in SEF together with Silvia Muzi, both from the World Bank.
On December 3, Shaker Zahra was awarded the prestigious Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research 2014 for his research in Corporate Entrepreneurship, Intrapreneurship, i e the ability of firms to develop innovations and contribute to economic growth, using their own resources.
I want to thank you for the years that have passed, and together with my colleagues wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
We look forward to coming events and activities in 2015 under new leadership.
Pontus Braunerhjelm with colleagues at the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum.
Pontus Braunerhjelm
Managing Director Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum and
Professor Royal Institute of Technology, KTH


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By Morgan Smith
Most people who love the NFL, love to play fantasy football. It is fun and frustrating all at the same time. Here is our list of the top players in their respective positions.
1. Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has finished as one of the top two fantasy players the last 5 seasons. There is no reason to think he won't continue that streak again this year. Rodgers finished the 2012 season with 39 passing touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. Rodgers won't last past the first round.
2. Drew Brees. Brees is right behind Rodgers in the top fantasy QB you should take. If you don't get Rodgers, don't worry about it because Brees is a huge pickup. He has finished in the top two in fantasy points among quarterbacks in four of the last five years. Last season, without Coach Payton, he threw for over 5,000 yards again, and 43 touchdowns. Sean Payton is back to call the plays so expect another explosive year for Brees.
3. Tom Brady. Brady was the third highest scoring player based on fantasy points. Brady no matter his age or weapons has produced every year. Last season he tossed 34 touchdowns and added 4 rushing touchdowns to his total. For the third straight year he has had no fewer then 37 combined scores. Brady will have another great year even though he has a new lineup at wide out.
Click HERE to Read The Rest!!!


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Recipe: Pumpkin soup for the lazy chef/
Whenever Autumn rolls around, I always crave pumpkin soup. The Pumpkin Festival at Collector is coming up and pumpkin soup is the perfect way to use up all the pumpkins you bring back! It's a hearty and comforting soup, consisting pretty much of three ingredients. Add a crusty baguette and you've got a simple and easy lunch or dinner option.
· Half a butternut pumpkin, cut into 2cm cubes
· 2 cups chicken stock
· ½ tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
· ½ tbsp sour cream (optional)
· Pumpkin seeds for garnish
1. Place pumpkin and stock in a saucepan. Bring to the boil.
2. Simmer until pumpkin is soft and falling apart (about 20 mins).
3. Use stick blender to blend completely.
4. Stir in cinnamon or nutmeg.
5. Serve in a bowl. Dollop sour cream on top and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
Serves 2. Enjoy!


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3 Checklists for IVF Success
Prepare for IVF Success in 3 steps
Follow the steps in these 3 checklists to prepare for your miracle:
- Step 1: CLEANSE the chemicals your body absorbs from products and foods that impact our hormones
- Step 2: NOURISH your body with the nutrients & support it needs now that you've cleared the junk from your system
- Step 3: BELIEVE and receive your baby by refocusing your thoughts to increase your chance of successful IVF—using your mind and spirit
- Get access to all 3 checklists free when you sign up for our newsletter below
Why Christina's IVF Worked After 7 Attempts
"I'm so pleased to let you know that I'm pregnant. I detoxed and nourished before my 7th ICSI. I'm sure that this made a difference, but actually I have a feeling that working on my thoughts/beliefs made the biggest change in clearing the road for conception! I'm turning 42, and of course my age has occupied my thoughts quite a lot because of the doctors' explanation that the prior 6 ICSI's didn't work because of my age. So again I want to thank you for the Believe checklist you offered. It was the help I needed to change my fears and doubts and turn negative beliefs into positive ones."
– Christina, Denmark, due October 14th, 2017
With these 3 checklists you'll prepare for IVF success from the outside in: first by preparing your body and environment, then by readying your mind and spirit. Because—just as Christina shares—the outer preparation is necessary, but it's even more important that you believe in your body's ability to conceive a baby and bring that baby into the world. ~ Love and delight, Zahra.


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So my morning started early- I wanted to get up early and get in my T25 workout (Total Body Circuit) before the kids needed to get up and have breakfast. I finished up just as my oldest was coming downstairs, so perfect timing! He actually found me "recovering" on the floor.....that was a tough workout.
After dragging my second grader out of bed and getting breakfast served, I started my speed work treadmill run. Complete with my Magic Mile Monday:


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Ultra-Precision Air Bearing MicroForm Roundness Gages / Gauges
ABTech designs and manufactures turnkey MicroForm™ gage/gauge systems for performing ultra-precision form measurements. Each gage incorporates our proven air bearing technology and the latest electronics to deliver ultra-precision results quickly and easily. The MicroForm system was designed to be fully scalable for 6"- up to 36"- diameter tables and larger, if necessary.
Nearly perfect linearity over the full probe measurement range (correlation coefficient of 1) with overall system accuracy under 5.0 micro-inches (0.125 micron); spindle angular error less than 1.0 micro-inch/inch (0.025 micron/25mm); and 0.1 µ" (2.5 nm) resolution.
- Direct drive motor for fast "automated" measurements
- Tilt and center worktable assemblies with spherical seat designs (4-knob and 8-knob options) for fine part alignment
- Dual gage / gauge heads and stands for simultaneous reference data and measurement surface results
- Vacuum controller and feed through the center to hold sensitive lightweight parts safely and securely


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Trusted CI is pleased to have partners join with us to improve the cybersecurity of National Science Foundation (NSF) science and engineering projects. Trusted CI collaborates with:
The Science Gateways Community Institute (SGCI) by advising gateway developers on cybersecurity issues and providing security reviews for existing gateways
The Engagement and Performance Operations Center (EPOC) to assist at the intersection of networking performance and cybersecurity
ESnet on developing a threat profile for open science
EU Authentication and Authorisation for Research and Collaboration project on enabling use of identity federations for international research collaborations
Open Science Grid, XSEDE, and REN-ISAC on situational awareness for NSF CI projects
NSF CICI Regional Cybersecurity Collaboration projects: CORE, SAC-PA, SCEPTRE, and SouthEast SECURE
The Software Sustainability Institute by sharing best practices on software engineering and operating a CI center
The ResearchSOC provides operational services to the research community. Trusted CI and the ResearchSOC share leadership and coordinate to provide the NSF community with comprehensive cybersecurity leadership and resources.
The CI COE Pilot project to share experiences on engaging the NSF community and advise on cybersecurity aspects of cyberinfrastructure
The Cal Poly Pomona Scholarship for Service project to support workforce development in cybersecurity
Internet2 and InCommon on federated identity and access management for research collaborations
The EDUCAUSE Cybersecurity Program, led by the Higher Education Information Security Council (HEISC), supports higher education institutions as they improve information security governance, compliance, data protection, and privacy programs.
Trusted CI and WISE share a common goal to support research through the development of appropriate cybersecurity practices balanced with the research mission. Through close collaboration, the groups will ensure that cybersecurity frameworks, templates, and policies for our international infrastructures for research will grow increasingly aligned and framework implementations more interoperable.
FABRIC on cybersecurity transition to practice


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Well, as someone who is a self proclaimed snackaholic, I should probably share another recipe as it's been way too long!
Between taking indoor cycling classes, training, and commuting to and from the studio, I grab these since they are easy to make and easy to take with me. BEHOLD, the seriously addicting, but also seriously easy, OLLY NUTRITION protein bites. Although extremely customizable, I'm more of a quick and easy kinD of girl, so I stuck to the basics, BUT Feel free to add dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips. However, I tend to stick with these four ingredients because I usually have them on hand.
Makes 12 balls
- 1/2 c instant oats
- 1/2 c protein powder (I used OLLY Nutrition in Cafe Mocha)
- a heaping 1/2 c nut butter
- 1/4 c agave syrup
Mix all four ingredients together in a bowl and BOOM, you're done. Refrigerate or eat immediately.
Caution: I don't recommend eating more than 1-2 at a time. They taste very good, but it's A LOT packed into a little ball and you don't want to stuff yourself. Trust me, been there done that. <3
Thanks to OLLY Nutrition for providing the Smoothie Blend and sponsoring this post to create these delicious bites!
Enter their contest to win OLLY Smoothie, $500 Target, $200 Athleta and Pasternak Blender click HERE


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One of the biggest benefits of branding your business is the opportunity to set it apart and differentiate it from all the other businesses in your industry.
But nowadays, too many brands look the same.
And it's for one of two reasons:
1 | There are so many businesses out there that it's hard to come up with anything new
2 | Business owners don't know how to come up with a distinct aesthetic for their brand
I don't buy the first reason. We're creative business owners; new ideas should be a fun challenge for us.
I blame the boring brands on reason #2: People just don't know how to make their brand stand out.
And that's why I invited brand designer Kadie Smith from Drop Cap Design to join me for last week's Ellechat.
Kadie has a very distinct style; so much so that I'm able to spot her designs on Instagram before ever seeing her profile photo or handle.
Kadie's not only great at coming up with a distinct style for her own brand; she's a pro at coming up with one-of-a-kind brands for her design clients, too.
And she shared her secrets for creating a one-of-a-kind brand with me in last week's free Ellechat webinar.
Here's a look at what we covered:
- Why it's important that each brand has it's own aesthetic
- Examples of brands that do a really great job differentiating themselves
- What steps to take during the design process to make your brand stand out
- Tips for designers and creatives on how to differentiate their own brand when they work with clients who have different brands and styles
- And more!
You can watch the replay by registering through the Crowdcast window below, or keep scrolling and take a look at the transcript.
Lauren: Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's Ellechat on honing in on a distinct style for your brand. I'm really excited to have Kadie Smith joining me, a friend and graphic designer who has a really great style. I immediately thought of her when this topic came up. We've been doing the brand challenge, this is the first week of the Elle & Company brand challenge. I would love to know if any of you tuning in have been taking part in that challenge too. It's a four-week challenge to help you create a one-of-a-kind brand. It walks you through step-by-step exactly how to create a brand from the ground up. It's been really fun, but I found that people tend to struggle with making their brand look different from what's already been out there, from all the other businesses in your industry.
Today's Ellechat guest is Kadie Smith from Drop Cap Design. Let me go ahead and invite her on screen.
Lauren: Right there! Thank you for joining me today.
Kadie: Of course, thank you for having me!
Lauren: Yes, so tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get started in graphic design?
Kadie: So I actually switched schools for high school when I was a lot younger, and there was an obligatory art class before you graduated, and my mom's brilliant idea at the time was that I was going to really struggle with the transition, and she wanted me to take an art class to express myself as I kind of got familiar with the new school, which is hilarious.
Lauren: That is funny.
Kadie: I totally clicked with it and loved it and ended up actually shadowing at a branding agency for career day in high school. I went to Auburn University for college, I actually did not want to do branding. I was like, "I am not into that, that's not my thing, it's to corporate. I was trying to decide whether or not to be an English major or graphic design. It was like, "Perfect, publication. I will do both and then go into magazines." I moved out to Dallas and got a job as a layout designer at an agency, and just very quickly was not the right fit. I felt like I wanted to abandon design altogether, just start over, just scratch it, new career.
Lauren: I can totally relate to that.
Kadie: Yeah, and so I started freelancing as a way to stay creative and see if it was even something I wanted to do with my life, and it snowballed. I started waking up at 4:30 in the morning and working with a few clients, and had no social life, and loved it, and had never felt more inspired or excited, and feeling in control, like I can explore lots of different things, and meet lots of people. Then the opportunity came where I just blindly jumped in, and just hustled to make it happen.
Lauren: That is awesome.
Kadie: Yeah!
Lauren: Yeah. How long ago was that?
Kadie: We're coming up on three years. March 1st, three years ago, is when I just took the lead, so it's exciting.
Lauren: Yeah, and then as of today officially, Drop Cap Design is started.
Kadie: Yes!
Lauren: So you decided to rebrand recently. Tell us more about that.
Kadie: Yeah. We went completely from the ground up rebrand. I started DesignbyKadie, which is what it was before, actually as a student at Auburn. It was part of a student project to brand yourself and your freelance design.
Lauren: We had that too, yeah.
Kadie: Yeah. Hated the process. I was like, "This is so hard, I hate dong it for myself, I'll never do this again, I'm so glad it's a student project." Which is hilarious, because it turned into a full-time business, and I had no plans for that when I originated it. I actually struggled with what a lot of people struggle with when they start businesses, is that they just tie their entire identity and self-worth into their business. I had the hardest time, I was a major workaholic, I was just all the time just constantly doing new things. Every time anyone would ask me how I was or what my goals were, they were just all business related. I just did not separate the two at all.
It was about this time last year that I started thinking, I really need to create some separation between how I view myself as a person and my business, so that if, for whatever reason, one day this were to crash, I wouldn't just completely sink into a hole. I started bringing on other designers, starting with Allie, who's ... I call her my other designer, she's more of a business partner anyway. It was such a collaborative effort between the two of us that my name ... I just wanted to take it out, just to completely transition into a new phase, where it was more a partnership, and it was more team-focused. I just felt like the longer my name was in it, the more it was holding us back from a lot of our communities. That's not the case for everybody a lot of people experience a ton of growth when their name's still on the business, but for us it just felt like it was hindering a lot of opportunities, and creating a lot of confusion.
I pulled back from my editorial roots as a student, and Drop Cap is actually a typography term, which is ... Usually it's one letter, but it's at the beginning of a story, and I loved the design of drop cap, so now it's hard to say that in the phrase without thinking of our business name.
Lauren: Right. Drop cap, yeah.
Kadie: I wanted to pull it in because we have some editorial clients, but we do mainly branding, and I felt like that whole idea, it just sets the stage for the tone of the story, and sometimes it's really illustrative. We kind of felt like that's our philosophy on branding, is that it's really setting the stage for a story to develop. There was just such a relationship between a drop cap's role and editorial layout, and then its symbolism in branding. It just all tied together, and suddenly ... the whole process was so much easier after that point.
Lauren: Yeah, I love it. The website went live an hour ago, is that right?
Kadie: Yeah. I'm sure there are some mistakes on there, so if anyone goes to look and finds any funky stuff on there, let me know.
Lauren: It's beautiful. You should totally check it out! I love hearing the story behind your name too, because I feel like that's so important, is to put the thought and intention into why you're naming your business what you're naming your business. That's a huge part of your brand, and it's often very difficult to land on that perfect name.
Kadie: Totally. And it took years to finally find something.
Lauren: Yeah, and it usually comes at the most random time, when you're driving in the car, or talking to someone ... I don't know.
Kadie: Absolutely.
Lauren: Yeah. That's awesome. On the topic of setting the stage for that story, I think branding is a term that is often thrown around, and not many people can pinpoint exactly what it is. How would you define the term brand?
Kadie: That's so funny that you mentioned that too, because I was talking with someone the other day. I feel like the term "personal branding" is ruining branding. It is, because people don't know what that term means any more. Basically a brand is the perception that someone has on the business, but branding is influencing that perception. I related, because it can get tricky with those terms. That's really abstract, but it's kind of like a college game day. I would say, you wear your team colors so that people know you're on the same team, like it's an identifier.
Lauren: Right.
Kadie: The process of branding is kind of letting people know, "I'm one of you," or, "You're in my circle, you're who I service." It's just like a subconscious, really immediate way to identify who you are and who you're trying to work with, that eliminates a lot of that discovery. It's more instant when you go through the proper process of branding.
Lauren: I love that, team colors. I haven't heard that analogy, but that's so true. It should be just like sports teams, polarizing. People should either love your brand or really not be attracted by it if they're not your potential client or customer.
Kadie: Totally.
Lauren: I love how you made that up.
Kadie: People are like, "I want it to appeal to everybody," and then I'm like, you're not going to have those loyal, diehard people when it's just a wash.
Lauren: Right.
Kadie: It's the same with, I always go back to this analogy of Kate Spade and ESPN. Kate Spade is very classic, feminine; men are not going to be attracted to the Kate Spade brand. Even some women aren't attracted to it, and that's okay, it's not trying to appeal to everyone. But ESPN, they have that bold font, it's slightly italicized, it's more masculine, and they're two totally different audiences, and you can tell by their brand.
Lauren: Totally.
Kadie: There's value in doing that, how much more often you get to work with people who really value what you do, and understand where you're coming from, and it's less frustrating. It's like natural interaction.
Lauren: Yes. I feel, like, like you said, loyalty is built around a brand so much more when it isn't trying to appeal to absolutely everything.
Kadie: Totally.
Lauren: Yeah. With that being said, a lot of people have a tendency to look at everything else that's being done in the industry, kind of see what other businesses are doing, and try to emulate that style for their own brand. What happens is, it starts to become boring. A huge benefit of branding is differentiating yourself, so what benefits would you say come from honing in on an aesthetic, or a distinct style, for your brand?
Kadie: Yeah, totally. I feel like, especially having gone through the process recently myself, it's given me so much more empathy towards the process of branding, and also walking a lot of clients through it. There is this tendency to feel like you want to be validated as professional, looking like your competitors, which ends up defeating the purpose. Yeah, it might feel professional, but you're not really making a mark.
Lauren: Right.
Kadie: As consumers, when we see options ... when I go to shop, I'm looking for different products, or brands, that represent how I view myself. When everything looks the same, it takes out that joy of customization. I want to be able to purchase something that feels tailor-made to me, that is so part of how I view myself and what I value that it becomes like an extension of me. There are certain things that, they're just standard, and it kind of takes the joy out of it. Part of distinguishing is really allowing your customer to be like, "Yes, this person gets me, this is exactly who I need to be with." It creates this immediate resonance, and it just also allows the business owner to really tailor who their audience is so that they're saying things to an audience that's really receptive to that message.
Lauren: Right.
Kadie: It's definitely a process of weeding out, and if you're not distinct in communicating who you are and where you're coming from that's different from your competitors, then no one's going to really feel this personal connection to your business. It's just going to feel like one more thing.
Lauren: Yeah. That leads to recognition and being memorable. I feel like the brands that aren't afraid to step outside of the box of what everyone else is doing, those are the brands that I'm going to remember, and get excited to see content from, and visit often. The brands that blend in are easily forgettable.
Kadie: Totally.
Lauren: It's, "Which one was that? It looked like this ..." You don't remember the name as much, you just forget about it.
Kadie: So true. Especially for you and I, there are so many online brand designers, I feel like I find 20 new ones every single day.
Lauren: Yeah.
Kadie: It's like for photographers, or really anyone in creative or online business now. There's just so much competition. Even among a really saturated market, there are so many people who come on day one and just stand out, because they're coming in with a completely new story, or look, and they're just owning it, and everyone pays attention.
Lauren: It is. It does, it stops you in your tracks.
Kadie: Yeah.
Lauren: What are some examples of brands that stick out to you, or do a really good job of honing in on their own aesthetic?
Kadie: My first and favorite is Anthropologie. Part of that is, when I was in high school, at the very end of high school, early college, I actually worked for Anthropologie, and when they took me to their training, day one they introduce you to the "Anthro woman," which is their target customer. It's insane. There's actually been articles written about it. One's called The Sophisticated Sell, if anyone wants to read about it later. This lady is described in so much detail, and it influences every single decision Anthropologie makes, from what they buy to the scents that they have about the store. There's a whole scent story that's going on as you walk through the store, and this whole experience of here life, and here inspirations and travels, is being revealed as you go through the store. It becomes so much more than just a boutique. It becomes this whole ...
Lauren: Experience.
Kadie: Yeah! It's crazy how this lady ... they describe her, she even has a name, but so many women identify with different parts of her character, and they see themselves in different components of her life, that it creates this massive loyalty with really diverse audience. I think a lot of people wonder, "What's going to happen if I get really specific? I'm going to lose my people." It's just, people resonate with different components of that type. I think Anthropologie does a phenomenal job with identifying who their customer is and creating an experience around her.
Lauren: Love it. I'm glad that you said that about creating a profile, because that was ... actually that's the action step for the brand challenge today, is to create a profile. Because so many people don't understand that branding isn't about putting yourself on display, and all about your interests, and your favorite colors, and your favorite fonts, and what you like; the point of branding is to attract that ideal client, to repel or attract someone. In order to understand who that ideal client is, it's helpful to do a profile, and it's helpful to get to know them, just like the Anthropologie woman.
Kadie: I actually had a client who gave me this idea, and I wish I'd thought of it myself, that goes along with that. When she went through our Brand Scratchpad, she actually created a Pinterest board under the name of her audience, and went through and pinned things that that person would be interested in, from their perspective. It totally changed how she approached the project, and I thought it was brilliant.
Lauren: That is so smart.
Kadie: Isn't it?
Lauren: Especially with Pinterest boards, because you pin things that mimic how you want your brand to look, to feel, and to pin it from their perspective ...
Kadie: She would use it every time she made a social media post or content, and thought, "Is this person, would they be pinning that, or would they be interested in that? It was cool.
Lauren: So smart. I love that. Anthropologie is such a great example too, because you can see their brand in every sense, like smell, taste ... Well I don't know about that one. The whole experience. Also the way that they sound. Not only the music they're playing, but their tone that they use on social media, and in all of their marketing material. It is, it's that whole experience, that's a good one.
Kadie: It is. If anyone is curious about what actually goes into it, The Sophisticated Sell, that article nails it.
Lauren: Marisa shared it in the comments.
Kadie: Perfect. Another one, I know you asked me for two, and another one that just occurred to me that is brilliant, and it's a love it or hate it, Kinfolk actually did a phenomenal job branding in the editorial publication world. It's so crazy now, people even say, "I want a Kinfolk wedding." It applies. Everyone knows it's neutral tones, white space, minimal typography, it's a style, and it's so recognizable. They came into the game when it was either a lot of really elaborate coffee table books, or glossy magazines. They came in with this publication that had tons of white space, and it was just so distinct, and so different. They found a way to make their brand not just about their product, which I thought was crazy. It went out to this entire lifestyle. Now people, it's not even just about the magazine, it's about the company as a whole. I've gotten a ton of inspiration just from how they developed that. It's so successful.
Lauren: Yeah. That's a really great example. You know that you have hit the nail on the head with your brand if people are trying to emulate it, and use it as a verb almost.
Kadie: Totally.
Lauren: That is awesome. I love that. Those are two really good examples.
Kadie: Oh, thank you.
Lauren: Now taking it, Anthropologie, Kinfolk, they're both bigger brands, and so when people step back to brand for themselves, they can get overwhelmed with how to create that distinct look, or that distinct style. With so many different brands out there, how do you go about creating a distinct look for your clients? What does that look like? What goes into that process?
Kadie: Our process is interesting. It's about half research, and then half designing. We have this thing called the Brand Scratch Pad, and it's in our discovery phase, and every client goes through it for, I think six to eight weeks before they start, depending on when their start date is. It goes through their whole story, like their personality, why they started, how they got to where they are, what their dream scenario looks like, who they enjoy being around. It's this almost, "Let's be best friends ASAP so I can get to learn everything about you." We go through trying to understand this person to where we feel like we could make decisions for them, knowing their whole history and background, and we try to pull a lot of symbolism.
It's easy to get, essentially a lot of clients will send us inspiration, and they're inspired by trends. For good reason, because trends capture a lot of attention. We take those trends, and we table them for a second for style, but we pull ... We have this list of words that have visual symbols. Whether they have historical reference to their trade, or they have a cultural thing about where they're from or who they're trying to work with. We go through and we try to just dig and dig and dig and dig and dig, until we have like 20 or 25 visual cues. These could translate either into shapes, or patterns, or color, or something, and then that way, once we pull the style and the trend back in, the whole design ... It's not even about the design any more, it's about what every single element represents as part of the story.
Then what's fun is, then Allie and I, before we show the client we pitch it to each other, so I have to explain why I did something, and how it relates back to their story. If it isn't really, it's kind of a stretch, she'll for sure call me on it. It doesn't fly.
Lauren: That's awesome. I love that. I feel like that's what a lot of brands miss. Especially for people who aren't designers, who are trying to create their own brand, it's going after what looks pretty and what's aesthetically pleasing to them, instead of taking it one step back and thinking, "What is the point of this? What does this mean? Why am I making these decisions?" And being able to have explanations for why they made certain design choices.
Kadie: Those styles and trends, that's all in execution. That's at the very end.
Lauren: Right.
Kadie: If we don't do the first part it's just going to look like everything else.
Lauren: Right, I love that. Then once it passes with her and vice versa then you present it to the client. Is that right?
Kadie: Yeah. We go through, gosh, tons of concepts, and we pitch back and forth, and we go through lots of rounds, until we get two that we like, "These are both super solid. Either one of these is going to work." We totally hash it out like, "Does this have a lot of flexibility? Would this one actually work with packaging, or on social media? We start to play with application before we pitch it, and then we end up pitching something that actually isn't going to go very far. Then once we pitch it, then we collaborate with the brand to make them feel comfortable, make sure we're accurately representing parts of their story visually. Especially if there's a cultural reference, that we're really getting that cultural component right. For instance, right now we're working with a tea shop, and she's giving me all these materials on tea process, and plants in Japanese tea gardens. It's this huge process. I have two books on how to make tea right now.
Lauren: Oh my god.
Kadie: Once we go to her I'm like, "Okay, if you get a major tea connoisseur in your shop, is this accurate? Are these illustrations accurate? We kind of go through that, and then we develop it so that they can see what it's like as a whole. It's definitely more than a logo. It's more of a visual system.
Lauren: I'm so glad you said that. It's similar to what I'm saying in this brand challenge. It's perfect, it's like we planned it or something.
Kadie: Yeah, because a lot of the times ... it's funny, Allie and I had this conversation two months ago where she's like, "I feel like people come to us and they're wanting just a logo, a primary logo." We go through that primary process, but what we know is, what they're going to get the most use out of is this one pattern, or this one color pallet or something, that is really going to be a game changer, and we really need to spend the most time there. But it's hard to tell a client, "Your logo's important. For your specific instance, this part of the system is what we really want you to pay attention to." That's how it all works together.
Lauren: Yeah, I love that you said system, because that's the word ... In upcoming weeks, I've already written the content, they haven't seen it yet, but what's to come is how that brand really is a system where you have all these components: You have the colors, you have the fonts, you have icons, you have all of these different things. If you build that out ahead of time it's so much easier to create blog post graphics, it's so much easier to create all kinds of different collateral, because you just pull the parts of the system ... it's like an equation or something, a math equation. This plus this equals that.
Kadie: Exactly like this. Then it's, why is this so much easier?
Lauren: It is. It is so much easier. That keeps you, too, from switching things up all the time. Because I think part of that distinct aesthetic and style is just consistency. It may seem boring to you to use the same fonts over and over again, and the same colors over and over again, but that's what creates that recognition, is the consistency.
Kadie: It really does. I even was guilty of it when I first started. My first year of freelancing, I switched and nobody would even notice. I would switch it to Helvetica and Garamond and
Baskerville. All the time I couldn't decide ...
Lauren: All the time, yeah.
Kadie: They're all serif fonts, and they're all so similar.
Lauren: That's right.
Kadie: But two years ago I landed on one, I was like, if I'm going to be a brand designer, I cannot break the rules myself.
Lauren: Yup!
Kadie: Yeah. It is crazy how much easier it is for me to be like, "Yeah, this is right." Whereas in the past I'd be like, "I can't decide if this feels like me or not." It's because I had too many ... I just said anything goes.
Lauren: Right.
Kadie: Then it's like being paralyzed.
Lauren: Right. I feel like it's better ... Because there is an experimentation phase, especially when you're DIY-ing your own brand, where you're like, "What fonts can I use?" It is so good to stay consistent, and then eventually work with a designer, or go through a rebranding process if you are a designer, and then make those updates. I've been guilty of those things too, Kadie. As a designer I feel like it's super hard too, because you have the ability to switch things up all the time.
Kadie: No one's going to even notice. But they could.
Lauren: Yes. On that note, because as there are probably a lot of people tuning in who are creatives and designers, who are working with a lot of different brands, so whether you are a florist, or a wedding planner, or a designer, you're working with a bunch of different styles. For me, all of my brands are going to look different that I design, but when I go to create my own brand it's really difficult. How do you choose colors, how do you appeal to people with different styles? Does that make sense? Am I making any sense?
Kadie: Yeah.
Lauren: It's always hard, in that sense, to create your own brand. You just went through this with Drop Cap Design and the branding process. What did that look like for you specifically? How did you create a distinct brand when you're working with so many brands all the time as a designer?
Kadie: Yeah. This is where it's interesting, because I do think that brands that lead with their target client are more successful, but when it comes to really honing in on the ideas, that's where you come in, you as a business owner.
Lauren: Right.
Kadie: Because at the end of the day you have to be the one that maintains it. I, for the longest time, would do such a simple look, that could just be going in so many different directions, and I would show how versatile it was by using a lot of work I did for clients, and showing everything. I felt like, "I'm not going to be legitimate unless I show every single project, and how I work with every single industry," and all of those things. It started to become, for me, confusing on how to maintain it creatively, and I started to feel really uninspired, because I felt like there wasn't any structure. Then I started coming in and being like, "Yeah, I work with a lot of different brands, but at the end of the day the thing that's consistent is my perspective on design," and Allie and Hector and all of the other contractors that we work with.
What drew all of us together is this really natural minimalism. Which I know is a word that goes everywhere, but it's really the mindset of editing. A lot of that came back from my background in editorial, and just storytelling. I wanted it to be a framework. Like for a magazine, you create a template and a framework that's recognizable, but it fits the content that's going to go into it.
While I wanted there to be some structure, and what we showed to create a lot of consistency, especially online ... I do a lot with color, so I'll try to apply it to a lot of different things to keep the color the same. I could've gone in a different direction, where I kept the style the same and showed all these different colors. There's a lot of different ways. It's kind of like science class in high school, where you keep one variable the same and try to change some other things.
That pillar really helps you maintain great consistency, even when you're really wanting to show versatility, or promote your clients. There are some clients I work with who have crazy loud colors, and a lot of vibrancy and energy, and our brand's just a little bit quieter. I still want to promote them, but I just sometimes find, what's the best application? How does their brand fit into our philosophy on design and create a stronger story? I'm trying to think of another example of how that's played out.
Lauren: I can say from my experience, when I was approaching my brand, I can try to work with a bunch of different industries, and I know a lot of designers who like to mix that up all the time, I really like creative small businesses, and usually I'm branding for female entrepreneurs. That's not always the case, but that's who gravitates toward my more feminine colorful style. When I was branding Elle & Company, I knew that I wanted a black and white simple logo that would be sort of timeless, and I love a good ampersand. That was already in my head. I kept that simple so that the colors of my branding projects, that would pop. Keeping that kind of as my variable that doesn't change, or I guess that's not a variable, my constant, my variables are the colors of my blog post images and that sort of thing.
Kadie: Yeah. All of your images, very illuminated. There's a lot of light, there's a lot of color, but it's not necessarily bold, vibrant ...
Lauren: Yeah.
Kadie: More like clean. Yeah, pops of really clean color. You've kept that so consistent, even though the women that you work with range from so many different actual businesses.
Lauren: Right.
Kadie: It's almost an industry example, where so many different women use it and it's still the same look.
Lauren: Right. The same goes for you, in that I always know it's one of your designs, because it is more minimal. With what you share on Instagram especially, you have the neutral tones, pops of green, just like your work space right now. It's so on brand. I think that that's important to keep in mind, honing in on your aesthetic as a designer, or as a creative, and showing that off in your brand.
Kadie: My style has always been minimal, but through life experience it shifts a little bit. When I first started creating brand identities, there are so many rules, and I would keep it so structured that it can be stifling. That's that whole idea of a system, because it allows you to shift slightly in one direction or another as your business grows. Going through the rebranding process was very eye-opening, and understanding a lot more about how it feels on the other side.
Lauren: Yeah. Also, just popped into my mind too, but when you're working with clients, do you ever ask them ... I'm sure when you're doing that whole discovery phase, and research, you really find out what makes them different from others in their industry, and trying to highlight that through the brand. I feel like that's what makes brands distinct. I don't know if you've heard of Kimra Luna, but she's a business strategist and online marketer, has bright blue hair. Her brand is just kind of wild, and I don't know, but it goes from here blue hair to, it just sweeps across her website and everything that she does. It's just consistent. It's kind of fun, it goes to show she doesn't take herself too seriously. That kind of makes her different, and she's just taking off with it.
Kadie: Yeah, and I won't lie, sometimes it's hard. Sometimes there's a lot of vulnerability that comes in honestly answering a lot of those questions, and it doesn't always happen the first time. Sometimes I'll have a new client who, for whatever reason, gives just really generic answers, and it's hard to pull something distinct. You have to go back and say, "Can you dig a little deeper on this part, or pull a little more out of this story? Because we need to get to that heart." Because everyone has a unique factor, it's just sometimes people don't know how to share it. Or they don't know what is interesting about them.
There's a great relationship, it's funny, it's almost like ... I tell some people it's almost like half designer, half therapist. Because it gets to this point where they're very much sharing their life story, and things that have really impacted them, or reasons why they feel very passionate about what they do. We try really hard, and it's a constant learning experience, to create this atmosphere that's really safe and trusting, so that they feel like they can really, honestly show us who they are, and put themselves out on the line so that we can then create a brand out of it. Sometimes it's a process of really pulling the story out if it's not coming out the first time.
Lauren: Yeah. I know a brand designer, I think it's Jen Olmstead, I love her work too. She invites her client over, and usually a spouse or a friend that knows them really well, and she'll interview them to find out more about ... pick up on things that people might not say about themselves, or brag on them, because they probably won't brag on themselves. It's just really interesting to start pulling out those bits and pieces, and try to incorporate them in a brand.
Kadie: Totally.
Lauren: I know for one of my clients, she had seven children ...
Kadie: Oh, wow.
Lauren: Yeah, seven children. She took photos of families. Family was really important to her. We had seven green dots at the bottom of her logo, and it gave her a cool story to tell if someone asked her about that. Or some people may have thought it was just a design detail, but it's little things like that, that I feel like go along way in the branding process.
Kadie: Yeah. I feel like it's such a success if at the end they're like, "Oh my gosh, this feels so much like me. This is what I would've designed for myself if I had known how to design." You can see this confidence, and that's the exciting part, is when we dig really deep, and keep going back. Even though I know they're ready to get into color pallets, I know they're really wanting to see design, going back and really landing the story, by the end it's really exciting.
Lauren: Yeah. Especially when it represents them well and also appeals to their ideal client.
Kadie: Absolutely.
Lauren: It comes together.
Kadie: All of a sudden we hand it over and they're like, "Now I'm nervous because I have this thing that feels so much more like me, and it's talking to all my favorite people. What do I do with it?" Even though it's hard, it's exciting. It's really fun.
Lauren: It is exciting. That's awesome. I love that. Are you up for some questions?
Kadie: Yeah!
Lauren: Hannah asks, "What are some uncommon ways to differentiate yourself from other brands?" Uncommon ways.
Kadie: I do have an example for this one. I knew a designer way back who took personal branding so seriously, down to what they would wear every day, how their house was decorated, their entire life was around their brand.
Lauren: Their brand.
Kadie: I will say it was maybe a little extreme, but it created this consistency in their life and their interactions. For instance, Ashlyn Carter, who, she's Ashlyn Writes, she's incredible, but she talks about copy writing as it relates to branding. And visuals, I know you've said it before, and it's a statistic that it's 90%, and copy's the other 10%. Copy can be a great way to bring a lot of recognition. It just goes that extra little step.
Lauren: Yes. I agree. Branding too, you think often of the logo, and patterns, and icons, and that sort of thing; photos can make a huge difference. I know the hardest projects I've worked on, especially for websites, if my clients don't have images for me to use that go along with the whole brand, the final product falls short. The best results are from clients who have photos professionally taken, have someone on their team. They can take the photos and they look gorgeous, but it really goes such a long way.
Kadie: I will say, and a lot of people might not agree with me, but there are times that I need photos, and I'm not able to take them or get them made in time, and I have one photographer on a stock photography site, that I only pull photos from them.
Lauren: Being consistent.
Kadie: Even if I'm not in a crunch, and she's my style, she actually would be my ideal client, and consistency-wise, it's seamless. That's kind of helped when I am in a bind. I just stick with one photographer, even if it's stock. I just stick with one.
Lauren: That's really good, because I feel like that's the hangup I have with stock photography, is clients will pull from a whole bunch of different sites and it won't look consistent, but if it's one stock photographer that's really smart. I like that one. Awesome. That's good, I'm trying to think of other unconventional ways. I think even the way that you name ... your tone and terminologies, the things that you name your products, can have a huge impact on your brand. If you think about Apple, with iMac, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, they've kind of created their own language. That's a way to be distinct.
Kadie: Something else, I do this because I'm obsessed with magazines, which I've talked about just about a million times already. I got one magazine that really represented my male ideal client, and one magazine that really represented my female client, and I subscribe to both, and I circle words and phrases out of those that I can repurpose. It helps a lot.
Lauren: I love that, and I love that you said that too, because that's an action step in an upcoming brand challenge. It's just right in line. Look who's awesome!
Kadie: It just represents all of the users.
Lauren: I love it. Hannah, I hope that was helpful for you, some uncommon ways right there. Maybe the photo one was a little common, but the other ones were good. Elaine says, "If you were trying to establish a personal brand for your portfolio, where do you start when it comes to picking fonts and colors?
Kadie: Damn, it's hard.
Lauren: I know.
Kadie: I always go straight to Pinterest and start a board, and start pinning a lot of random things that I know relate to the project, or relate to what I'm trying to talk about. Then I look for patterns, and I start editing away what doesn't feel relevant any more, and so I come down to all pictures that work together really well. Usually somewhere in there, there's some type references or color references, and I use that as a starting point.
Lauren: Yeah. That's what I do too, with inspiration boards. It's a great visual starting point to pull together ... usually a color system starts to come in there, and I'm able to pull colors from that. Then with fonts, I look back to brand keywords, and the ideal client profile, and that sort of thing to find out. Of course you need an idea of type, you need some knowledge on type to know what types of fonts to choose. Do you go serif, sans serif, do you use a script? I think that doing your research, I'm sure during your discovery phase too, helps you kind of know what colors and fonts would be fitting.
Kadie: Totally. It's a process. We go through a couple color stories, and a couple type stories, and have to go back. Sometimes three will kind of work and then one will really work, and it takes a second to figure it out.
Lauren: Right. Yeah. Editing through colors and secondary colors, all of that ... Elaine, stay tuned, because in a couple weeks we'll be covering exactly that in the brand challenge. Alby asks, "Now that social media plays a huge part in branding, how do you go about creating a visual identity on sites like Instagram beyond having your logo as your avatar?
Kadie: That's a good one. I like these questions. That's a great place for assets to come in. For those of you all who aren't familiar with the term assets, it's just like the icons, or patterns, or illustrations, or any complimenting visual that goes inside your logo. Even color pallet. Color pallet's huge for social media. Editing your photos in a similar way, that all goes along with whether or not your brand has a lot of pattern, and ornate visual stimulation, or if there's a lot of white space and breathing room. Compositionally you'll kind of want to mimic that with photography, but also, every now and then, I'll throw out the quote of one of our brand patterns as just a way to further develop that brand's story, or that brand identity, on social media. That kind of, a little bit more robust, I guess.
Lauren: Yeah. I think visually you can mimic your ... You said colors, incorporating the same colors in your images. I always shoot for white space with pops of color, because that goes along with my website. Also something that you can do, Alby, is think about the tone and terminology in your description. Whether it's your Pin description, or on Instagram, the caption, there's just as much branding there as in the visual side of it. That's what pulls someone in.
Kadie: Yeah. Content's huge. I think it's Jenna Kutcher that actually has a little freebie download on Instagram that might be perfect for Alby ...
Lauren: Yeah.
Kadie: But it even talks about how you put categories of content that relate to what's important to your brand, your brand values. I never thought of it that way, but it's really helped.
Lauren: Yeah. She is the Instagram pro, so that is a good guide. Colors, composition, and the copy that you use in captions, are great ways to brand social media. Good question. Camilla asks, "How much of you, personal styles/preferences, should be translated into your business brand? I understand the need to design brand to a target audience, but what if you identify yourself with that said audience? Too tricky?
Kadie: That's perfect. If you identify yourself with your target audience then you've landed on the right target audience.
Lauren: Yeah. That makes it easy to understand your target audience, hopefully.
Kadie: Yeah, I'd say equal parts. It's a relationship. You want to show up halfway and have them show up halfway.
Lauren: Yeah. I think, too, that comes through ... those are the most authentic brands, I feel like, when you can really identify with your audience and their needs, and it meshes together well. That's a good ... I shared an example today in my Instagram stories about having a client who was working with Southern brides, or that was her ideal client. She wanted to work with Southern brides. I was thinking blush, navy, I was thinking of more Southern colors.
Kadie: Classic Southern colors, yeah.
Lauren: Yes. Then she told me she wanted to use purple and teal because those were her favorite colors, and I'm like, no.
Kadie: That's more like traditional Indian weddings.
Lauren: It's just, no, we can't do that.
Kadie: Yeah.
Lauren: I understood what she was saying, in that she wanted her bubbly personality to be seen, so we added a secondary color that was pinkish purple, it lent it self to what she was going for, but it wasn't an all-out purple and teal brand that was going to scare off her ideal client. I feel like it's that balance between, like you said, between your ideal client, and then infusing bits and pieces of yourself in there as well.
Kadie: Color's such a sensitive one too. There's so many associations with color that are just innate culturally, and you don't want to go against those.
Lauren: No, no, no, no, no. Yeah, the purple and teal, super sweet client. We did not go with purple and teal, and she ended up loving her brand, and it turned out great, but a little education went in there. That's a good question Camilla, thank you. Okay, we have time for a few more.
Jackie says, "When watermarking/branding photos that are meant to be both great images as well as images with blog titles on them, what is the best way to show your business name while not creating visual clutter? Should you water mark be a brand icon, a logo, or our handle for social media accounts, or a small font for our websites?" This is good. Branding your blog post images and social media images. Should you have your log, should you have your handle, should you have your URL? What does that look like?
Kadie: I have used all of those in different ways
Lauren: Yeah.
Kadie: First I would say to look at your piece of content and figure out, what's the purpose of that. For instance, if it's a blog graphic, that you intended it pinned on Pinterest, then maybe the title of what that content is really needs to be primary, and your website, of how to find more about that topic, should be at the bottom. Then if it's announcing your business in some way then your logo needs to be primary. It's really just figuring out, what's the purpose of that content, and then how much of your branding needs to be apparent, and then using your assets to either make it ... This is design terminology, so bear with mr.
Lauren: I love it.
Kadie: Break it down if you need to, but hierarchy, like what needs to be primary, secondary, and tertiary. A lot of times your branding needs to. That's when having a system really helps, in making that simple. So there, it's simple.
Lauren: Yeah. I'm a fan too. I don't have my logo on any of my blog post images, which I've gone back and forth on. I like the simplicity of it. My hope is that they're branded already with the colors and the fonts and the layout, that people will see it and think Elle & Company, even without seeing my logo on it.
Kadie: Yeah.
Lauren: Usually if it's pinned then it'll have the Elle & Company logo right underneath it. If someone tries to rip it off then that's unfortunate. If I'm sharing posts on social media myself, like outside of blog post images, my handle is right there as well.
Kadie: Yeah, I usually don't put logos on anything on Instagram or anything like that.
Lauren: Yeah. Usually, if they're clicking through on a pin, they're going to land on my website anyway. I don't know, that's my two cents on that. Other brand designers would be like, "No, put your logo everywhere!" I think it's like Chipotle, they don't have to put their logo on the tinfoil on their burrito.
Kadie: You just know when you see someone with it.
Lauren: Right, exactly. I take that stance with blog post images, but that's just my two cents on it.
Kadie: I like that stance. I second it.
Lauren: Thank you Kadie, I appreciate it. Good question Jackie. Catherine asks, "Inspiration is everywhere, and sometimes it's hard to tell what's totally original versus adapted from someone else. How do you navigate such a fine line, and how do you focus on your brand voice while not completely tuning out other brands. Differentiating yourself I guess, how do you tell what's original?
Kadie: I don't know if you have the perspective of a designer or business owner. I don't know, I'm a little bit curious on that question, knowing the fine line between how you need to stand out, or who else is kind of mimicking each other or with your own clients.
Lauren: Or maybe as you're building your brand, if you're inspired by something like Anthropologie, and using it as inspiration, but not necessarily ...
Kadie: Mimicking.
Lauren: Ripping it off. What's that fine line? That's how I take it.
Kadie: Yeah, okay, I get it now. I was like ... I don't know. For our ideal client, I do get very inspired by Anthropologie. We have girls and guys that both come, and I have the two client archetypes, and I absolutely have to pull inspiration, or else it would just be too abstract. Then for the guys, the most interesting man in the world is our ...
Lauren: Dos Equis, yeah.
Kadie: When I go to those two I pull, what are the similarities between the two? They're very cultured and worldly and sophisticated, a little bit older. I start to pull patterns of how that brand and my brand are similar. For Anthropologie, a lot of our similarities is that this woman's very interested in other cultures, and diversity, and cultural influences, and history. Then where we're different is that I take a much more neutral, minimalist approach, and Anthropologie takes a lot more color inspiration from that same foundation. You can both be inspired by the cultures, and apply it completely different.
If you're inspired by another brand and you really want to bring it into your own, try to get down to the root of what their story is, and then see if that's the same. If it's the same then just apply it in a different way, but it'll still have that same feeling, of a similar message.
Lauren: Yeah. I've found too, I usually tell my clients to steer clear from pinning other brands and logos to their Pinterest board that we use for inspiration. Because even subconsciously it'll get stuck in my head, and I find that as a designer it's hard to see outside of it. If I ever feel like I'm being too heavily influenced then I'll stop following along with a certain brand for a while, or I'll get outside of the brand components and try to think more, instead, of colors, patterns, textures, that sort of thing, to get out of that.
Kadie: Yeah.
Lauren: I like that advice for seeing the similarities between them, because I think that why-component, and the explanation, I super important.
Kadie: Totally.
Lauren: That's really good. Great question, Catherine. That was the last one, because we're coming up on the hour and I want to be respectful of Kadie's time and your time guys, but we got through six of them, so we made it in. Thank you so much, Kadie. This was a lot of fun. I'm glad that you came on and shared your wisdom with us. Thank you so much.
Kadie: Thank you! This is just so much fun. I never get to do things like this, and breaks up the work day. It's a lot of fun to get to talk about something I enjoy doing so much.
Lauren: Yes, and congratulations on Drop Cap Design.
Kadie: Thank you.
Lauren: You had some really positive feedback in the comment section, people saying it's so beautiful ... the icons are my personal favorite, I'm always drawn to icons. Really, really well done, so congratulations.
Kadie: Thank you so much.
Lauren: You are so welcome. Thank you all for taking the time to tune in today. I hope that you found some nuggets of wisdom in here that you can implement in your own brand, for making it stand apart and be one of a kind.
Next week we'll be talking about how to create an inspiration board. I'll be taking you through the process for start to finish that I go through. I'm taking you behind the screen and showing you how I go about that. I hope you join in. Thank you all. I hope that you have a great remainder of the week, and I'll see you in another ElleChat soon. Bye.
Kadie: Thank you guys.


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Dialogical Christmas
During this Advent season the biblical account of Jesus's birth has reminded me how much God favors dialogue. The buildup to Christmas—the entire Old Testament—shows him as the God who speaks and listens. God had conversed with his human creatures in Genesis 1 and 2, but the real give-and-take begins in Chapter 3. In verses 8-13, God calls the pair out of hiding, asks them four questions, and they reply three times.
God also dialogues with their firstborn. In his conversation with Cain in Chapter 4, God asks five questions. Cain gets in a question of his own. And his spoken responses reveal his heart—both dishonesty and fear. The relationship between God and Abraham is often a ping-pong-like series of questions and responses. The patriarch's responses to God took many forms: falling down in worship, laughing, asking how, and negotiating. Moses, too, had a dialogical relationship with God, beginning at the fiery bush.
In his book, Communicating the Gospel God's Way, Charles H. Kraft contends that "God's interactions with human beings are characteristically in the form of dialog, rather than monolog. The Bible, from beginning to end, represents God as seeking conversations with people." Imagine that: the God of ocean-like wisdom asks for input from those with nanodroplets of insight!
Birth Announcements: Dialogical
So no surprise that, when God began to speak to the world through his embodied Son, the advent is announced dialogically. Conversation does come as a shock, though, to Zechariah the priest. As he goes about his usual routine, burning incense in the Temple, a heavenly being suddenly appears and begins to speak. The announcement that Zechariah's aging, childless wife would have a son—welcome as that might have been—prompts the elderly man to ask how he can know for sure. After all, he reminds the angel, "I am old and my wife is well along in years" (Lk. 1:18).
Several months later, the same heavenly visitor addresses a young woman in Nazareth. Again, the angel makes a birth announcement, this time of her Son to be called Jesus—but also the Son of the Most High. And as with Zechariah, the angel allows Mary to speak, to ask a logical question raised by this incredible announcement. After a bit more dialogue, the angel takes his leave.
As promised, Mary delivers the One who will save his people from their sins. Twelve years later, Joseph and Mary, in company with others, take Jesus to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. On the return trip, however, they discover the Boy is not with them. So back they go, only to find that Jesus has—for at least three days—been dialoguing with the rabbis in the Temple: listening, asking questions, and offering answers. All this prompts even more dialogue among Jesus, Mary, and Joseph (Lk. 2:41-50).
Adult Ministry: Dialogical
The Boy with the dialogical beginnings becomes the Man who relates to people with back-and-forth conversation and interaction. Far more than 100 times the Gospels show us Jesus "asking" and "answering." The Master Teacher understands the cooperative process of involved in effective teaching and learning. Why, then, do so many churches continue to make the monological sermon the centerpiece of the Sunday gathering?
Reuel L. Howe, in The Miracle of Dialogue, asks: "How does the Church or any other group of people become a community?" His answer: "It becomes a community when as persons, the members enter into dialogue with one another and assume responsibility for their common life." In his opening paragraph, Howe says, "Dialogue is to love, what blood is to the body." And he flatly states, "Monologue is not effective communication."
Contemporary Sermons: from Monological to Dialogical
My book, Curing Sunday Spectatoritis, includes interviews with pastors who have seen the advantages of dialogical preaching. For example, Dan White, one of the pastors in Axiom Church in Syracuse, NY, had preached monologically for years. Influenced by his training and experience, he saw himself as a platform preacher. "When I visualized what preaching is all about," he says, "it came down to me, a pulpit, and an audience. I relied heavily on my personality, my words, and my ability to bring the Word of God into focus for his people."
But that all changed when he began to look into some of the New Testament Greek words surrounding the preaching/teaching of Paul. "Most of his preaching," White says, "had an element of proclamation, but it was very dialogical. I began to realize that I had been interpreting what the New Testament said about preaching through my own contemporary lens." How, White asked himself, could he translate the way preaching was done in the first century into the twenty-first century context?
He wanted to make certain his congregation continued to hear messages rooted in the authority of Scripture. And he determined to avoid the pitfall of a meandering, rudderless conversation. Over time, he developed a method of dialogical preaching—now used by himself and the other pastors—that includes four "movements":
Instructive. White takes 10-15 minutes to explain his text in its historical and sociological context. This segment includes no dialogue. Following this, he asks two thought-provoking questions: (a) in what you have just heard, where is there conflict for you? and (b) where is there clarity? He then calls for a full minute of silence to "level the playing field" between those who tend to dominate and those who need time to process what they have just heard.
Expressive. In this 10-minute segment, White invites the congregation to respond to the two questions posed just before the waiting period. He acts as moderator, drawing out comments and relating them to the theme of the message. Sometimes, White says, a comment from the congregation may contain a better insight than what he had planned.
Collective. Next White moves to a whiteboard on which he summarizes what has been shared during the expressive segment. This 5-minute Collective time, too, is interactive, with opportunities to refine what has previously been said.
Summarative (a word coined by White). In the final 10 minutes, White uses material prepared beforehand to draw together the truth from the text and the congregational comments. He usually ends with questions, such as: "What is God proclaiming over our lives," and "What is our take-home?" As the congregation has grown in dialogical experience, this segment includes more and more of what has been written on the whiteboard. Together, all four segments total about 40-45 minutes, of which more than half has been prepared in advance by the one teaching.
Sharing the Body-Building Workload
The interviews with 25 church leaders in Curing Sunday Spectatoritis includes accounts of other pastors who have also developed methods of dialogical preaching. As one of them says, "All in all, participatory church meetings have made it clear that there is a lot of wisdom in this church—far more than just what I am able to bring." This insight seems to echo the last half of Eph. 4:16, that the Body of Christ "grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." When practiced on Sunday, the dialogue seen throughout the Bible and in the Christmas story distributes the body-building work—shared-church work. Does it also point toward a way out of pastoral burnout?


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Reindeer-Delivered Beer Is the Most Festive Way to Get Your Brew This Season
Santa's got some stiff competition this year now that a British brewery has started delivering something with a reindeer-drawn sleigh that is a lot more important than presents: booze.
Wiltshire's Box Steam Brewery (who you may remember as supplying the highest bar in England) has enlisted the help of two reindeer named Cupid and Comet – probably not the same ones Santa uses – to power a traditional wooden sleigh and make cask deliveries to nearby pubs. The brewery made its first drop this past Tuesday. And though it was probably a bit slower trip than using the company's usual diesel van, it's definitely a lot more festive.
Reindeer power is also more environmentally-friendly, the brewery points out. "We use an energy-efficient steam kettle to produce our ales, so this draydeer-powered service is really just an extension of our commitment to maintaining a low carbon footprint," said managing director Andy Roberts, according to the Belfast Telegraph. Unless he's had a bit too much of his own product, I'm guess that's a bit of a joke.
Regardless, delivering beer via reindeer is a fun idea. And maybe if you're on the upper echelon of the nice list, you can even convince the beer sleigh to swing by your house.
Related: These Christmas Themed Burgers Are an Odd Sort of Food Porn
The Grown-Up Whiskey Filled Advent Calendar Is the Best Way to Count Down to Christmas
Nick Offerman's Yule Log Should Be Left on All Season Long


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What events and classes are on offer at The Inky Nook?
Crafty Cuppa
This is a drop in event where attendees can come and make an easy and simple card whilst having a cuppa and a chat.
I currently only run this at Claypole Village Hall once a month but I'm looking into other venues as we speak so that I will have a weekly event. Use the link to see the upcoming dates.
Jump to Crafty Cuppa events page
Memories and More class
This is a monthly event where you can bring along your own memories album, photos and materials to keep up to date with your memory keeping.
If you've never tried this then I offer an alternative so pop over to the Memories and More page for dates and further information.


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Olivia Palermo Kicks Off New York Fashion Week in One Stylish Outfit
No one does New York Fashion Week better than Olivia Palermo. The sartorial star stepped out in Brooklyn yesterday looking très chic—perfectly dressed for both warmth and style. For the outing, Palermo donned a chic oversize cape complete with a fur collar, leather skinnies, a CH Carolina Herrera fringe shopper, Westward Leaning sunnies, and tasseled maroon loafers.
RELATED: What It's Like Being a Fashion Week Fixture Like Olivia Palermo
"I have many shows throughout the day and many appointments, so I don't always have a chance to change," Palermo previously told InStyle about Fashion Week. "If I can just find a great outfit that lasts me throughout the day and feel comfortable, I'm good to go." One thing's certain: we can expect to see the fashionista glamming up multiple front rows this season.


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Premium Party Package
60 minutes of field time on Field 2.
60 minutes in the Birthday & Video Game area for presents, cake, etc.
We Provide:
A server to assist with set up & clean up
Napkins & cups
Unlimited pitchers of soda
Please call (413) 543 - 8554 to book your party.
Rate: $245 for 14 children
Additional time: $50 per 30 min/ $100 for 60 min
Additional children: $10 per child
Deposit: $100 due at time of reservation
Please Remember:
Food is not included in our party package. However, we are conveniently located next to a Big Y Supermarket that offers custom cakes, pizza and other party foods. We also ask that an adult supervises during field time, as we do not provide supervision.


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Beyond the black metal band I mentioned, the beast's place in pop culture is embedded mostly in books, whether self-published novels, or Robert Louis Stevenson's text Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes:
For this was the land of the ever-memorable Beast, the Napoleon Bonaparte of wolves. What a career was his! He lived ten months at free quarters in Gévaudan and Vivarais; he ate women and children and 'shepherdesses celebrated for their beauty'; he pursued armed horsemen; he has been seen at broad noonday chasing a post-chaise and outrider along the king's high-road, and chaise and outrider fleeing before him at the gallop. He was placarded like a political offender, and ten thousand francs were offered for his head. And yet, when he was shot and sent to Versailles, behold! a common wolf, and even small for that. (49)
This is an excellent quote to conclude with, simply because it gives a definitive description of the true nature of the beast—of there are many. There was really only one single thing was agreed upon in all my searching: that the beast was not imagined and that it was far more malignant than any common wolf killing—there's a reason why the Beast of Gévaudan is so welled remembered in the collective French mind. Its reign of terror truly was terrifying, but despite all that, there really isn't any definitive answer as to what the beast really was. In the quote above, Stevenson says the beast was a mere common wolf, while Jay M. Smith, probably the premiere academic on the beast believes the beast was actually a collection of beasts, a pack of wolves, perhaps—while some older sources believe it to be a rather warped hyena. With so many speculations, it's difficult to choose a singular answer. But one thing is true—La bête du Gévaudan did exist.


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The sudden departure of the former House of Representatives majority leader reflects the rising toll on the Republican party of a far-reaching bribery scandal and the party's increasing nervousness about its ability to maintain a hold on Congress at November's elections.
Mr DeLay was facing a neck-and-neck re-election race in what was once a safe Republican seat in the Houston suburb of Sugarland, against a Democratic challenger campaigning on the shadow over Mr DeLay's ethics.
"I refuse to allow liberal Democrats an opportunity to steal this seat with a negative personal campaign," Mr DeLay, a former pest exterminator known as "the Hammer" for his tough congressional style, said in a video announcement of his resignation released yesterday.
After years of gerrymandering, much of it masterminded by Mr DeLay, only a few dozen of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives are competitive, but most recent polls suggest that if the congressional elections were held today, the Democrats would retake the chamber for the first time in 12 years.
Mr DeLay's fall from grace has been rapid and dramatic. He stepped down as majority leader last September after being indicted in a separate case of political money-laundering in Texas. The pressure on him increased hugely last Friday with the news that his former deputy chief of staff, Tony Rudy, had pleaded guilty to accepting bribes while on the congressman's staff and maintaining improper links with his office after becoming a lobbyist.
Mr Rudy was the second former DeLay aide caught up in what is potentially the biggest political corruption scandal in recent US history. Michael Scanlon, Mr DeLay's ex-spokesman, pleaded guilty on a conspiracy charge last year.
The central defendant is Jack Abramoff, a flamboyant Republican lobbyist and a fervent Bush supporter with close links to Mr DeLay, who showered congressmen with gifts and perks in return for political favours for his clients, who included Indian tribes running casinos and the commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific.
Mr Abramoff's links to a string of Congressmen, including Democrats but mostly Republicans, are under investigation. A senior White House budget official, David Safavian, has also been indicted in the same investigation. A golfing trip to Scotland Mr DeLay took with an entourage in 2000 was charged to Mr Abramoff's credit card. But Mr DeLay said he believed that the trip had been paid for by a non-profit organisation.
He denied doing anything illegal in a Time magazine interview on the eve of his resignation. Asked if he'd done anything immoral, Mr DeLay laughed and said: "We're all sinners."