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What To Expect When You're Not Expecting It
Dr. Nichole McDonald, OB/GYN at Lexington Women's Care, was a guest on WLTX recently to talk about "What To Expect When You're Not Expecting It." The discussion centered around everything you wish you knew, but no one ever told you. Check it out in the link below.
Here are a few notes from Dr. McDonald's interview:
~Puberty begins in African American girls around age 8 or 9, and in Caucasian girls around age 10. It's important that parents help walk them through their daughters through those changes.
~A woman should see her gynecologist once each year, beginning when she becomes sexually active or between the ages of 18 and 21.
~We begin screening for cervical cancer at age 21. As long as pap smears are normal, we now screen every 3 to 5 years.
~During pregnancy, nausea and vomiting are typical early in pregnancy. But if it causes more than 10 pounds of weight loss, call your doctor. And, if you feel regular tightening of your abdomen before 34 weeks gestation, you should call your doctor.
~Before menopause begins, women will begin noticing changes in their menstrual cycle – the cycle will become more erratic and irregular. Menopause occurs when a woman goes one year without a menstrual cycle.
~Bone density is a measure of the amount of mineralization of a bone per cubic centimeter. When a woman starts to have thinning of the bones, we start worrying about osteoporosis. We begin screening for that around age 65. Women should get a good amount of calcium throughout their life to prevent osteoporosis. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


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May 28, 2014
If you follow me on Twitter, you know my love of pizza is well documented. But in this case, the headline for this post is not just an homage to my favorite dinner choice.
I just read a really interesting piece from Business Insider about a marketing insight John Schnatter had early on that helped propel the success of Papa John's. That insight? Finding a unique market position.
See, while large chain competitors of Papa John's held brand positions based on speed, price and variety, Papa John's biggest chunk of competition (65%) was the local independent pizza shop. How could Papa John's compete with that group? By focusing on quality, which is what consumers had come to love about their local pizza joint. And that positioning – Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. – is the brand promise that's still used today.
So what can your B2B brand learn from a pizza chain?
Know your competition
In the case of Papa John's, it wasn't necessarily the other national chains that made up the biggest chunk of competition. In fact, independent pizza shops held the biggest slice of the pie. (Sorry. Bad pun.) How does that notion apply to your B2B organization? In today's increasingly fragmented world, we're seeing many niche players – not large multinationals – presenting the biggest competition to our B2B clients. It's important to know who your biggest challengers really are in order to effectively take them on.
Find your unfair competitive advantage
In the case of Papa John's, other national chains offered economies of scale, but local pizza shops offered quality. Papa's John's opportunity – its unfair competitive advantage – was to blend those two concepts. How does this apply to your B2B organization? Think about what your competitors offer that you can't. Then – and perhaps more importantly – think about what YOU can offer that they can't. The place where there's a hole in the marketplace between the established old-line companies and the new niche players is where you have the biggest opportunity to carve out your unique brand position. What is your brand's unfair competitive advantage against peers of all shapes and sizes?
Nail your brand promise
Once you identify who you're going up against and what makes you special, how will you capitalize on it? Enter the brand promise. Papa John's brand promise is quality. What's yours? Do you have engineers with more experience than any other company in the industry? Are you always first-to-market with product innovations? Do you offer products that are better value (high quality, lower cost) than your competitors? Nailing your brand promise is critical in today's increasingly competitive landscape. A strong brand promise must be relevant and believable to your customers. In other words, if customers don't care about price, building your brand promise around low cost won't get you very far. Likewise, you can't claim to be innovative if your products are generally known in the marketplace as "me too"s.
When was the last time your B2B organization went through a brand positioning exercise like this? Given today's ever-evolving competitive landscape, it might be time to revisit your brand to determine whether it will position you for future growth. If you don't, you face the risk of being eaten up by the competition.
Want to learn more?
For more information about B2B branding, check out our marketing communications capabilities or email me.

subset: commoncrawl


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The Best of the Web!!!
Rummy Out?
Another Hurricane?
Americans say Stay Home!!!
More Problems for BaROID!!!
Psychology and Trading from Dr. Brett!!!
Beware of Bonds (securities)!!!
Dougie's Tenets of Investing!!!
Sell in May and Go Away???
Time to Pull the Plug???
The Ultimate Weapon- OIL!!!
The Best of MSN Stockscouter!!!
A few interesting tidbits- year to date returns on various Stocks/ ETF's:
The ETF is trading at about its still uptrending (barely) 50 day SMA and the 2 day RSI is at about the 20 level.
The VIX and the VXO are still about 5% stretched from their respective 10 day SMA'S, so the indicators tell me its still time to be long.
The Pivot for Monday is should be right back at the 128.9 level and support and resistance are going to be at the 128.3 and 129.2 respectively. I plan to hold over the long weekend and look for buyers to come in on Monday.
Many traders are asking the same question I am asking; I knew today would be like this, Why am I sitting watching the screens? The SPY continues to trade near the Pivot Point (128.9), hopefully, we get one more ramp on the day into the 129.2 level which can then be sold. The NAZ internals have held up all day around the positive 750 area.
Technology and the Semiconductor stocks have been the leaders all day (bullish) with most of the other sectors being relatively flat. Oil stocks have rallied and are now firmly in the green.
The Vix and VXO are basically unchanged and remain in overbought territory. Oh, and AROD and Jeter, hitless on the day.
I wish I had some great insight into todays trade , but I think its just buy dips and flip rips as I expect the pre holiday trade will meander in a fairly tight range.
Tech/Semis are still the strongest sector, which is bullish, and homies and reits are lagging. Oils and Metals are meandering flat, and yikes, the IBB is green (+1%) on the day.
The oils have now flipped to flat and the metals are trying to make a stand lower by .5%.
The SPY Resistance in the 129/130 level will most likely keep the major indexes from getting much more of a ramp today.
The open looks lackluster as market internals show losers ahead of gainer by 1,900 issues. It is interesting that the tech sector is the onlyone with a bid as the SOX index is up .5% and KLAC up another beaner. SNDK is higher on the SPX add and the oils are continuing there southerly journey down by about 1%.
The SPY Pivot Point today is the 128.9 area, and I would look to sell any rallies to that level. Multiple support exists in the 128 area resistance under the 130 levels.
This is definitely one of the more boring trading days as the range on the SPY has been a whole 52 cents and even better on the QQQQ as the range there is 28 cents.
It is my opinion that the market would have rallied if the 10 Year Bond were not sneaking back to the 5% level. It is currently trading at 4.976% and if it goes lower equities will probably go higher and vice versa.
The market internals keep flipping from green to red and back so I will call them flat. The sector mover of the day are the metals, up over 2% with PAAS SSRI NEM and RGLD leading the way higher. The Oils are a bit lower as crude has traded back down under 69. There are lots of former bears on Oil now getting bullish for a push higher. Hmmmm, hate em at 45 love em at 69. That doesn't sound like a strategy I wish to invoke.
The SPY has basically been treading water all day trading under its daily Pivot Point of 129. The trading for tomorrow will probably be similar as many traders take the rest of the week off.
So the blue chips have been underperforming the Small cap stocks for how long? The chart I just looked at showed the IWM has outperformed by about 50% over the last five years. So is the worm about to turn? I know lots of smart guys are making the bet on the turn by being long SPY and short IWM. Not sure its time yet, but it will happen.
The bulls and da bears are battling out and right now and I would give the edge to the bulls as market breath has flipped to 800 more winners than losers with NAZ internals leading.
The sectors impressing the most are the Small guys(+1%), Semis(+1) and the Metals(+2%).My favs in the Silver patch, PAAS and SSRI are acting quite well.
KLAC in the Semi sector is up a buck and that is always a good sign for the bulls.
Volatility Indexes are down a bit and I do not expect much change there for the rest of the day and I do not expect much fluctuation in the indexes as the holiday trading will kick in shortly.
So far so good as the world has not imploded and the market has not crashed. As a matter of fact, the SPY has traded right back to the Pivot of 129 and there are 200 more winners than losers.
The leading sectors are Small Caps(+.4%), Financials (.35%) Semis(+.6%)and of course the metals (+1%).
The 10 Year Bond is back down to 4.92% and I would watch any slippage there for signs that equities can get some traction. Also, note the OIH can't get traction. Why would that be selling off if with all the Iran chatter?
Jim Cramer over at realmoney.com had some insights this morning and I quote"
"It's just that you can't trust the market. We have had no crescendo, no big give-up, just the dribs and drabs that never produce a bottom. Sure, maybe this time is different and we'll get a bottom based on nothing, without the big give-up. History says no, though. History says we will have another failure today.
I, like you, don't like this market. We are levered to oil, gold, silver, zinc and copper. That's just plain unhealthy. In every case when you get those going higher, there's so much that can go lower. "
Don't lose sight of the fact that on April 3, 2006, Jim wrote a column called "A Dozen Reasons to Love this Market." It is comical, yes, correct the SPY hit near its high of 131 on April 3.
The SPY pulled back yesterday and closed near the 128.5 area. This morning futures are a tad higher. Dick Arms on realmoney.com is getting concerned about a possible downtrend as he says;
"For a number of weeks, I have been warning that the markets looked as though they were encountering resistance, were overbought and would move out of the consolidation to the downside. Tuesday's action was very important and telling on this point, I believe.
An early attempt to rally quickly failed on no apparent news, and the subsequent drop, while not huge, was enough to decisively break two important levels. One was the bottom of the consolidation that we have been in for the last three weeks. The other, and probably more important, level that was broken was the uptrend line that goes back to last October.
Breaking that uptrend line is ominous. That break says the intermediate-term market direction has changed from up to sideways, at best, and perhaps to down.
If you have not acted already to nail down some profits on earlier buy suggestions, I do not believe it is too late. "
Dick could be correct and we may be starting a downtrend. My take is a bit different. I think we are at the bottom of the trading range in a rangebound market. All the bearish talk I hear now is reminiscent of all the "happy talk" I hear on CNBC when the DJIA goes up 150. Has anyone thought that the Iran problems get resolved favorably and oil goes lower with commodities. I like to anticipate where the market is going rather than focus on where it went yesterday.
I will continue to follow my signals and right now they are all giving buy signals.
The markets close just as the guy on the left sends one into the left field stands. Enter Sandman and we will see if he can close the deal.
The markets had an ugly day as the market internals were about 3,000 to the red. I do not know how many folks have picked up on it, but the SMH only lost twelve cents today( the first to turn)? The Volatility Indexes came through with enough fear to give buy signals as did the low price on the index ETF's. The IWM took it on the chin the most and now sports a 2 day RSI of 3.4.
I think we get the bounce tomorrow but I also think we get a probe lower which may shake out some weaker holders.
No point in tracking Jimmy today as he doesn't give us a pick for the Maserati and says to buy Alcan Aluminum. No mention of the BOL blowup either. Ok, maybe it never happened.
Back to the important stuff, the market internals are dismal at 3,200 to the red and lots of depressed people on CNBC. Is that a tell? Also, I just heard Maria B tell us all what a great year tech has had already. Y0, Maria, the QQQQ is up about 3.5% on the year and the Morgan Stanley Hi Tech index is up 4.5%. I think most folks would be disappointed if that were considered a terrific quarter.
The Volatility Sisters are our lone bright spot on the day as the VIX and the VXO are both giving ETF buy signals as they are stretched more than 10% from their 10 day SMA'S.
SPY has hit the level I was looking for and is now trading at 128.5 with a 2 day RSI of under 9 and I continue to scale in to the trade.
Tomorrow's Pivot Point looks to be in the 129 area and support and resistance at 127.8 and 129.65.
So its 2:00 and we have seen not a glimmer of any attempt at a rally. The market internals are now 2,900 to the darkside and the only sector green is, oops, there is no sector to the green.
My question is this; if the selloff is due to IRAN and their appetite for nuclear weapons, why are Oils and Golds lower? My feeling is this is a technical selloff to the 128/129 area and the guy in Iran is a good excuse.
The SPY 2 day RSI is about 10, the VIX giving a buy signal with the 10% stretch, and I have dipped in on some SPY in the 128.75 zone. I have plenty of ammo for scales at lower prices.
I read an interesting quote while away over the weekend; "The difference between a successful trader and a not so successful trader is the successful trader does not make a habit of buying the high of the range or selling the low of the range."
Did not take long for the SPY to fall off the table. Right down to the Second level of Daily support and the first level of Weekly support at the 128.8 area. I am not very confident that these levels will hold today as the action of the market internals is very weak (-2,400) and the only sector I see to the green side are the metals.
My plan 0f action is to start scaling in to the ETF'S as they are now at the buy levels for both the 2 day RSI signal and the 10% above the VIX stretch test. However, I expect to see the 128.5 area and that is where I expect to use most of my ammunition.
Everyone's favorite gold stock, KRY, is now down about 15% from yesterday's high and gold has barely budged. Hey Jimmy; Where does this "stock" trade if gold tanks all the way down to $575 an ounce?
The IWM is lower and this may be a little preview for the bigger brother indexes. Market internals are pink and the usual sectors are leading the markets, Oils (+1%) and Metals (+2%).
My best guess is that this week is one to use for vacation or to join the folks at the big ball park in the Bronx.
Its opening day in the bronx but its also time to take a look at the Buy and Sell indicators on some of the ETF'S.
The VIX is now at 12.19 which is about 5% above its 10 day SMA. The general rule is that when the VIX is stretched more than 5% above its 10 day SMA it is not the time to sell stocks.
The readings on the VXO are similar and with yesterday's close of 11.67, it is also about 5% above its 10 day SMA.
The 2 day RSI on the SPY is 31, IWM 14, and the QQQ 27. So we are fairly close to buy signals on these indicators and if today is a down day we may get there.
The Pivot Point on the SPY today is 129.7, First Support is 129.3 and Resistance is 130.15. The Weekly Support area is 128.8 and Weekly Resistance at 131.
Also, if one looks at the SPY chart, it is apparent that the SPY broke out of its range in mid March at the 128 area. It would not surprise me if we retested the 128.5 area and put in a short term bottom there.
The SPY was rejected at the 130 area and is now back down to 129.4. I continue to believe we will see the 128/129 area (daily/weekly SPY support) before too long and that is where my buying interest will perk. Also, note on the above chart that the SPY broke to the upside from the 128 area in mid March. Another support tell?
The market internals have now flipped to 1,300 red. The Metals have also flipped to slightly pink and the only sector that I see as green are the Oils. All the other major market sectors have flipped to flat or red.
The final on KRY is this- the stock is trading at around $6 today(lower by 1%), and the price of gold is approximately $593. When Jimmy said to back up the truck on KRY it was trading at about $3 and gold was trading at about $560 (March 24) .
In September/ October of 2005 the price of gold was trading in the $475 range and KRY was fetching a whole $1.5 and in November of 2004 when KRY was trading at $4.5 and gold was trading at around $450.
Note to self or loyal Jimmy followers: What exactly does the price of gold have to do with the price of KRY?
The financials, metals and oils are acting well but the techs, semis, homies and Volatility Indexes have no jig.
With the SPY pivot directly above, I am not getting a warm fuzzy feeling about the market ripping higher from here.
The techs and Volatility Indexes are flattish and INTC is higher by almost 1% on the Lenny Dykstra recommendation on Bulls and Bears on Saturday(lol).
The SPY is trading up 25 cents at 129.8 below its daily Pivot Point which is 130.1. I think it will have a hard time getting through there but I will be watching closely.
"I have been harping away, almost daily, about the lack of expansion in the number of stocks making new highs.
I have shown that chart here repeatedly so I will not show it again, although it did fail again on Friday morning.
I have also shown how the number of stocks making new lows continues to expand, not contract. Friday was no exception, as new lows rose once again. That too is not bullish. However, when we put the two together and plot them on a 10-day moving average, we can see a trend that has developed over time. That trend is one of lower highs as the market has risen. This translates into a market that is being carried higher by only a handful of stocks, not a vast majority.
Think of building a structure with Tinkertoys: the bigger the base, the sturdier the structure; the smaller the base, the shakier it is."
The point I would make is that, yes, this matters eventually, problem is I have no clue as to when eventually shows and I want to make some money while I wait. The money trade has been to buy the dips and selling the rips and until that stops working I will be doing just that.
The VIX rose on Friday to 12.26 and is now about 7% above its 10 day SMA. The question: Is now the time to buy the SPY ETF? I am going to wait for Monday's morning action to guide me, but my guess is we still have some work on the downside. I would like to see the SPY come down to the 129 area and maybe then we get the double signal: VIX (110% above the 10 day SMA) and the 2 day RSI on the SPY below 10.
The Pivot Point for tomorrow is the 130 area and support is 128.8 with second support around 128. The weekly points are the same as the daily points for tomorrow because the range on Friday from high to low exceeded that of the entire week. If one would like more information on the Pivot Points, I recommend "A Complete Guide to Technical Trading Tactics."


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On 4 April 2014, the Canton of Vaud's executive authority announced a plan for a massive decrease of the corporate tax rate to remain attractive in this regard.
Swiss Corporate Tax Reform III
The upcoming "Swiss Corporate Tax Reform III" aims at strengthening Switzerland's attractiveness for international headquarters. Within the framework of this tax reform, the Canton of Vaud, where many multinationals have their international global or regional headquarters, published its roadmap on how to replace the various tax regimes questioned by the European Union by sustainable and effective new tax planning tools to maintain and even strengthen the attractiveness of the region. Key elements of this roadmap are
- a general reduction of the corporate income tax rate at cantonal/communal level, and
- the introduction of specific reliefs for financing and IP activities as well as of a notional interest deduction on surplus equity.
Mirroring the decisions of the authorities of the neighboring Canton of Geneva, which adopted similar decisions last year and announced a plan for a reduction of the effective tax rate to 13%, the steps taken by the Canton of Vaud should help maintain the Greater Lake Geneva region's attractiveness for multinational companies even in the current environment.
Significant reduction of corporate tax rate
The Canton of Vaud is planning to significantly reduce the corporate tax rate from currently 22.33% to 13.8% by 2020. This effective tax rate includes cantonal and communal and federal income taxes, thus making the Canton of Vaud one of the most tax-efficient locations in Switzerland and Europe.
Other tools to decrease the corporate tax rate
In addition to the lowering of the corporate tax rate, the Canton of Vaud plans to introduce an IP Box reducing profits associated with patents and IP as well as a notional interest deduction on surplus equity. These two measurements will reduce the basis of the taxable income and further leverage the effects of the reduced tax rate.
Further information:


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Are you confident that you can keep up to date with all the changes in tax law, practice, tax tribunals etc? It's hard enough when it's your full time job, so should we as sessional GPs be managing our personal tax or should we be seeking the services of a professional?
Why use an accountant if you are not trading through a limited company?
Are you confident you can deal with pension certificates, calculating your pension input figures for tax purposes and calculating unused relief to carry forward?
Can you think of a better use of your time spent dealing with it all yourself?
If you are salaried, with just a claim for professional subscriptions and no other income, no complications around child benefit or pensions annual allowance charge – then you will probably be capable of doing your own return safely – but it may be time consuming, particularly checking HMRC's calculation of your tax/student loan repayments etc.
If it's more complicated than that, look at how much time it takes you to deal with it – and work out how many hours you need to work to pay an accountant – you'll probably get a lot more pleasure doing the work you trained to do to pay your accountant, than trying to do your tax return yourself.
You may keep immaculate records, but if you are not sure what you can and can't claim, you still need an accountant to review them to produce the figures for your return.
What can you expect of your accountant?
- An understanding of the quirks of medical practitioners from a taxation point of view.
- Accurate and timely work of course, but they should make sure that you are claiming for everything you should, and equally importantly not claiming for things you shouldn't to protect you from the consequences of a tax investigation.
- Warning of amounts and dates of payments due (the length of warning will of course depend on how quickly you get information to your accountant), so you don't have any nasty shocks.
- Adjustments to payments on account where there has been a material reduction in your tax liability so you don't pay more than you need to.
- Warning you if you are getting close to your annual allowance limit for pension contributions, and estimating resultant tax liabilities before the pension savings statement is available.
- Assistance with your pension certificate (and annualisation where applicable).
- Prompt provision of SA302 substitutes when you need a mortgage.
- Advice at relevant stages of your career, such as effect of maternity leave, review of accounts before joining a practice as a partner, arithmetic advice in connection with your pension (note you do still need a properly qualified and experienced pensions specialist for advice about stopping/starting contributions/retirement options etc).
- Consideration of your personal circumstances to see if the use of a limited company could be beneficial
- Other general tax advice as needed – capital gains tax and inheritance tax for example.
What will it cost?
- Each firm of accountants will have their own charging scale. Don't be afraid to ask for a formal quotation or a fixed fee for specific work, but do not expect to have a fixed fee for totally open-ended services (that would be a bit like agreeing a fee for a locum work session at a practice, and then the practice asking you to do all sorts of other unrelated tasks after the agreed session for no extra payment!).
- Look at value for money rather than the cheapest fee. Remember you will get tax relief on the fee paid.
- Keep the fee low by having good records, using locum specific software (like the NASGP's LocumDeck which contains Bookkeeper) and by providing all information in one go, rather than drip-feeding it via dozens of emails.
Once you've decided you want an accountant – or you want to change your accountant – how do you go about finding someone?
- If the firm is a member of AISMA (the Association of Independent Specialist Medical Accountants) you can be sure that they will understand the medical profession.
- Talk to your colleagues and get recommendations; practice managers can be a good source of information too.
- Look at websites and social media for prospective accountants to ensure they have a medical specialism.
- Once you have a name or two – get in touch with them and either meet them face to face, or have a telephone conversation with them. Find out if that individual is the person you'll be dealing with, and ideally meet/speak to the person you'll actually be dealing with. You need to find someone you understand and feel comfortable with. Whilst it's no use having a personable accountant who knows nothing about doctors, it's equally no use having a really clued up person that you don't understand or don't feel comfortable that you can work with.
- Decide if you want someone close by that you can pop in to see (that's rarely necessary nowadays and will start to get expensive) – or if you're happy dealing with someone by email/phone etc. We successfully deal with a large number of doctors that we've never met face to face (or only via Skype) – and we can follow our clients' careers as they move around the country (and even out of the country!) without it affecting our relationship.
- If you are wanting to change accountants – the handover process is very simple – just advise your previous accountant that you are moving and the new one will contact them, obtain the necessary information and get on with what is needed without any hassle on your part.
- There are rumours that changing accountants will increase the likelihood of getting investigated. Whilst that might be a risk if you chop and change regularly particularly using unqualified accountants, I've certainly never seen it with people who have moved to us. You are more likely to get investigated if you are making unsubstantiated claims or where costs look disproportionate to income.
- If you are dealing with a reputable firm of accountants, then HMRC will rely on them to have sorted problem areas correctly before the return is submitted, thus reducing the risk of an investigation.
- Most firms will also offer some sort of professional fee protection that will cover their fees if you are the subject of an HMRC investigation (provided you have not deliberately misled the accountant or hidden income etc).
- It's useful to let your new accountant know what you felt was lacking with the previous accountant, just to make sure that everything you need is properly covered.
- Ideally don't change while your current accountant is in the middle of doing some work for you as that is likely to result in a duplication of charges. A good time to change is after one year's return has been completed and before any work is started on the following year's return.
Liz Densley is medical specialist partner with Sussex Chartered Accountants, Honey Barrett, and is secretary of AISMA (the Association of Independent Specialist Medical Accountants). Contact her at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Two Thumbs Up For Miley Cyrus
I'm supposed to dislike Miley Cyrus.
I know this because she appeared on some award show on Sunday night and by Monday everyone was saying I should dislike her.
Actually, by Sunday night, those who had watched in New York were already madly tweeting like Jesus clearing the temple of tradesmen.
They were Oh-My-Godding and Bless-My-Souling as if she'd stripped off to her underwear on national television.
Which, actually, she had.
But not to the point of distaste. Just to the point of "Oh, you're 20 and you'd like us to think you're sexy, I see."
This was utterly standard behavior for a 20-year-old American women. Doesn't anyone in America remember "Girls Gone Wild"?
This was "Girl Gone PG-13ish."
There were a few suggestive gestures. There were some odd poses with a foam finger. And there was Miley pointing her thickest parts toward Robin Thicke.
For this we're supposed to deride her? Mika Brzezinski — who is a traitor to her Polish nation as she rightly is Mika Brzezinska — mused that Cyrus's gyrations were "disturbing." Not only that, but "disgusting" and "pathetic."
Surely not. The media's prostrate reaction to so many political events might certainly deserve those words.
But a very wealthy 20-year-old trying to attract a little attention by mimicking the raunch she's seen in other people's music videos? No, that's merely growing pains.
"She clearly disturbed," offered Brzezinska, who, unbeknownst to many, seems to have got her postdoctoral degree in psychiatry in her spare time.
Many watching MSNBC, Fox and other cable networks might have had similar thoughts about the likes of Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and Glenn Beck for example.
What was truly disturbing was the media offering up a picture of Will Smith's family — rumored to be Scientologists, which some might feel to be very disturbed indeed — staring aghast at Cyrus's performance.
Only later in the day did it emerge that the picture was taken while they were watching Lady Gaga.
Which surely suggests a media veering from disturbed to positively gaga, googoo and gone fishing.
We're so fond of ascribing madness to others and so reluctant to diagnose ourselves.
"I must have been mad!" we occasionally shriek, reminiscing about a past choice of lover or a weekend trip to Fresno.
We weren't good enough to know it at the time, but we claim to be good enough to see it in Miley Cyrus.
If Miley Cyrus wants to twerk it up with very large teddy bears, who are we to stop her?
We have done worse. The only difference is that MTV chose not to air it live.
We've cavorted with strangers in kitchens, with our pants around our ankles. We've stubbed out cigarettes on our own stomachs. We've mounted cars at three in the morning and sung the greatest hits of Tina Turner.
When I say "we," I of course mean "you."
And yet the likes of Mika Boudicca feels she can sit in judgment on someone who's been Disneyfied at an early age and would merely, dearly love to be something else.
Miley, if you want to twerk in public wearing a fetching, if beige, two-piece underwear set, be my guest.
In fact, please, be my guest.
My house is open to you and your fellow twerkers.
At heart, this isn't about Miley Cyrus being disgusting. It's about America's long and tortured battle with sex.
For too many Americans, guns are sexy and sex is dirty.
Wouldn't it be lovely if it was the other way around?
Image: MTV Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk


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Freedom of Speech is a fundamental part of a healthy democracy. The 'offense to offend' type provisions of Section 17 of the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Act have long been criticised for their low threshold of complaint which many believe leads to a stifling of free speech.
Do you support lifting the threshold in removing 'offensive to offend' provisions?
Yes, I absolutely support free speech. While I believe current provisions were drafted with the best of intentions in recent times they have been abused in attempts to intimidate and stifle debate.
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Rumors surrounding the fate of the Star Wars franchise have been in high gear since Disney's acquisition of LucasFilm was announced last week. According to Collider, fans currently have an abundance of reports to fuel their endless speculation.
Perhaps the biggest rumor regarding the franchise was the announcement that Harrison Ford is open to reprising his role as Han Solo in a future cinematic installment of the series. Entertainment Weekly reports that Ford has a few stipulations for producers.
"Harrison is open to the idea of doing the movie and he's upbeat about it, all three of them are," a source explained to the website. The other individuals interested in returning to the Star Wars universe are Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.
Ford strongly believed that his character should have died in Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi. However, Lucas had other ideas for Han Solo.
"I thought he should have died in the last one to give it some bottom. George didn't think there was any future in dead Han toys," the Indiana Jones star said in a 2010 interview.
According to Crave Online, Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn is rumored to have left the latest X-Men movie to helm the next Star Wars movie. Of course, nothing has been officially confirmed as of this writing.
Since very few details about the next movie are currently available to nerds, fanboys, and Star Wars aficionados, speculation about where the story is headed next have been spiraling out of control. While some believe the film will be based on the novels by author Timothy Zahn, sources have stated that the plot will be completely original.
Even Eric Geller at TheForce.net thinks Zahn's books are the next logical step in the series.
"Of all the speculation out there about the content of this new trilogy, that's the single most concrete idea," he explained. "It's almost inevitable that the story will take place in the same time frame as those books."
Are you excited that Harrison Ford might return to the Star Wars universe? Do you think Matthew Vaughn is the right choice to the direct the film?


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Supreme Court of Wyoming
March 11, 2016
IN THE MATTER OF THE PATERNITY OF HLG, minor child: JN, Appellant (Respondent),v.RFSG, Appellee (Petitioner)
from the District Court of Natrona County. The Honorable
Catherine E. Wilking, Judge.
Appellant: Guy P. Cleveland of Cleveland Law, Cheyenne,
Appellee: Jason E. Ochs of Ochs Law Firm, P.C., Casper,
BURKE, C.J., and HILL, DAVIS, FOX, and KAUTZ, JJ.
Page 903
[¶1] JN (Mother) appeals from the district
court's order granting RFSG (Father) custody of their
son, HLG (the child). She
Page 904
claims the district court abused its discretion by refusing
to allow the child's therapist to give opinion testimony
at the custody hearing. We conclude the district court
properly applied the rules of civil procedure and, therefore,
[¶2] The issue in this case is:
the district court abused its discretion by refusing to allow
the child's therapist to give opinion testimony because
Mother did not comply with her discovery obligations.
[¶3] The child was born to Mother and Father
in 2008. The parents were not married, but the family lived
together until January 2010. After the parties'
separation, the child lived with Mother and, although there
was no order on visitation or custody, Father regularly
visited the child for a time. The State filed a petition to
establish support for the child, and the district court
entered an order requiring Father to pay child support in
January 2011. He consistently paid child support but did not
visit the child after Christmas 2010.
[¶4] In February 2013, Mother, who had since
married, filed a petition for adoption of the child by her
husband. Father contested the petition, and the district
court denied the adoption. Father filed a petition to
establish paternity and visitation in March 2013. While the
matter was pending, the district court granted Father
temporary visitation with the child. For several months,
Mother did not comply with the temporary visitation order.
Father filed two motions for order to show cause, and the
district court found Mother in contempt of court. Eventually,
regular visitation between Father and the child was
[¶5] In December 2013, Father amended his
petition to seek custody of the child. The district court
held a trial on Father's petition in April 2015. Mother
called the child's counselor, Cindy Parrish, to testify
at trial. The counselor testified about her observations
during therapy sessions with the child. However, when
Mother's attorney asked the counselor about her opinion
on a drawing the child made during counseling, Father
objected. The district court sustained the objection, ruling
that Mother had not disclosed the counselor's opinion
prior to trial as required by the Wyoming Rules of Civil
[¶6] After the trial, the district court
granted custody of the child to Father, subject to
Mother's visitation rights. Mother appealed.
[¶7] We review the district court's
interpretation of the rules of civil procedure de
novo. Dishman v. First Interstate Bank, 2015 WY
154, ¶ 13, 362 P.3d 360, 365 (Wyo. 2015); Windham v.
Windham, 2015 WY 61, ¶ 12, 348 P.3d 836, 840 (Wyo.
2015). The district court's decision on the admissibility
of evidence is reviewed under the abuse of discretion
standard. CL v. ML, 2015 WY 80, ¶ 15, 351 P.3d
272, 277 (Wyo. 2015).
A trial court's rulings on the admissibility of evidence
are entitled to considerable deference, and, as long as there
exists a legitimate basis for the trial court's ruling,
that ruling will not be disturbed on appeal. The appellant
bears the burden of showing an abuse of discretion.
Wise v. Ludlow, 2015 WY 43, ¶ 42, 346 P.3d 1,
12 (Wyo. 2015), quoting Glenn v. Union Pacific R.R.
Co., 2011 WY 126, ¶ 12, 262 P.3d 177, 182 (Wyo.
2011). See also CL, ¶ 15, 351 P.3d at
277. Likewise, the district court has discretion in selecting
an appropriate sanction for discovery violations, and we
interfere with its decision only when the district court
abused its discretion. Roemmich v. Roemmich, 2010 WY
115, ¶ 22, 238 P.3d 89, 95 (Wyo. 2010); Ruwart v.
Wagner, 880 P.2d 586, 592 (Wyo. 1994).
[¶8] In her W.R.C.P. 26 pretrial disclosure,
Mother listed Cindy Parrish as a " will call"
witness but did not designate her as an expert. Mother
described ...
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This was published 1 year ago
What's on TV: Saturday, July 20
Shakespeare and Hathaway
ABC, 7.30pm
A detective show called Shakespeare and Hathaway? Fantastic! The legendary bard and his no-nonsense wife, solving crimes in Tudor England. What a brilliant concept! Except, no, this isn't about that Shakespeare and Hathaway, it's just a pair of private investigators in modern-day Stratford called Frank Hathaway and Luella Shakespeare.
It's always a bit suss when a show features such obtrusive names: it strongly suggests the monikers are being used as a substitute for making the characters interesting. This quietly unoriginal show is no exception to this rule, as Frank (Mark Benton) and Luella (Jo Joyner) engage in good-natured banter, try to wring every drop of quirkiness from their mildly defined character traits, and fail to justify the show's title in any way.


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Knowledge and understanding is key to successful customer retention. Digital channels combined with insight from analytics have empowered Webhelp to predict customer behaviours with ever-increasing accuracy, based on an understanding of all of the information that can be collated about them. Both the static information in customer accounts and the dynamic insights garnered from interactions are used to form a strong understanding of what each customer wants and needs, and accurately identify the reasons for account cancellation.
Once this information has been collected, we use it to determine Next Best Action retention strategies on the basis of each profile. When customers get in touch to cancel their contracts, our people can present them with tailored offers. This ability eliminates the need for aggressive tactics and even promotes an increase in financial gain. For one telecom client, we not only retained more customers – we also dramatically increased customer spend, generating £60 million in revenue over 12 months.
A fundamental element of customer retention at Webhelp is the ability to predict customer dissatisfaction before they even make contact. Using data analysis, it is possible to identify signals or triggers that could indicate a potential defection. From there, we can determine the Next Best Action; whether that is getting in touch proactively to make an offer that better fits the customer's circumstances or lining up the perfect response for when they next get in contact.
One of the most intense experiences I had recently was with a customer, a mother of two, who had organized a trip for her family to Tahiti. After saving for 5 years, she was ready to make her family vacation dreams come true. While making the reservation online, she, unfortunately, entered the wrong date of the departure flight. When she realized her mistake, her world was falling apart...Read
Webhelp Business Continuity in a responsible manner Our response to the Covid-19 crisis ensures the continuity of our business for our people, our clients and their customers. We face an unprecedented time of disruption and uncertainty. From individuals, to families, to companies, we have all...Read
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We are happy to present the 10th edition of The HUB magazine! Our latest issue entails numerous and interesting topics for you such as influencer marketing and how it is rapidly becoming a mainstream way for brands to reach their target audience.Learn how companies are implementing this marketing...Read
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Friday, October 19, 2007
One Of G-d's Small Miracles, 10/19/07
From time to time, I'm going to try and post items that may not have much to do with the overall theme of this site...or then again, they may everything to do with it.
From Tuscola County in Michigan comes this story of a baby miraculously surviving a major storm while trapped beneath the rubble of his home.
When a major storm approached their home, Joe Soyring and Nichole Opperman went to gather their family and flee their home to safety.
Before they could get their kids out, the couple fell into the basement of the house.
"Next thing you know, the house started shaking. Both of us thought it was an earthquake. And the next thing you know, I got sucked down into the basement...and I watched the tornado go that way," Soyring recalled.
When the storm passed and they were able to crawl free from the wreckage, Soyring and Opperman found three-year-old Makayla, but couldn't find their 15-month-old son, Blake, who had been sleeping in a crib when the storm hit.
Neither they or their neighbors,who came to help could find the baby. Jeff Hawks came running when he heard the screams for help.
"We're looking all over the baby. I mean, we scoured the whole three acres over here, the whole three acres on my side, and we couldn't find the baby.
"All of a sudden, I heard this little whimper and I told everybody to be quiet so we could hear it. And the baby was under this huge pile of debris, probably about this deep (motioning about five feet high) -- floor rafters, you know, everything."
They pulled off the wreckage to find Blake very much alive. "The crib had flipped over, and the mattress was the only thing that saved the baby. The mattress was on top of the baby, but I mean there was thousands of pounds of stuff wrapped over this baby. I don't know how he made it."
The crib and Blake were thrown about 25 feet from the house. He suffered minor cuts and bruises, but is otherwise fine.
"We're lucky to be alive," said Joe Soyring. "Look at it. That's where the house sat."
One of G-d's small miracles.
4 comments:
Thank God you were saved. Why miracles happen and to whom and when, we can not know, as we are not God. But, we know they happen.
Thirty very stunning incidents
I have experienced in my life in different countries, I have related in my book SMALL MIRACLES
by Askin Ozcan - ISBN 1598001000
Available at all major internet bookshops.
Re Jihad: Unfortunately this word
is misunderstood by those who do not speak sufficient Arabic and have not studied the Koran deeply.
Just the same as many concepts have been misunderstood by the Christians who made the crusades or
burned a fine astronomer like Kepler who said the earth was round and was revolving around the sun; or were about to burn Galileo
for the same reason.
Jihad does not necessarily mean
it can be done by "killing", it can be done by education. Islam is a religion of peace like Christianity or Judaism. But, come to tell it to the ignorant ones.
Having read the Bible and the Koran, I find no difference in their messages of love, peace, brotherhood, justice, sharing with others what God has given to one, respect for truth, for one another,
self-control, humility, for beauty and knowledge and for the prophets of God. They are the books of the religions of the same God- as God is one.
May God be with you always.
- Always On Watch said...
IMO, taking a break from the ugliness all around us (the political front, for one) is refreshing. I have to take a break, too, from time to time.
- Freedom Fighter said...
Hi Always ,
Thanks as always for dropping by.
There is a lot of good is this world as well as ugliness, and there are things worth fighting for. That's what keeps me going when a lot of other bloggers have packed it in.
I've always had a very deep and personal belief in G-d, and my faith is only strengthened when
G-d shows up in a time of need when one would least expect it.
Anonymous, Ummm,thanks for letting everyone know about your book. We'll call this one a freebie, but I suggest you contact me regarding advertising in the future.
As for your explanation of jihad, I'm quite aware that there are many different types. My pal Irshad Manji promotes intijihad, the struggle against evil within.
However, as you know if you've actually read the Qu'ran and the Hadiths, jihad's common meaning in Islam is Holy War against the Kuffar, the non-believer, and most Muslim clerics make no bones about it, even today.
The last thing Mohammed said to his followers before he died in 632 CE was that they should fight the unbelievers until they either died, became Muslims or paid jirzya (monetary tribute) and `felt themselves subdued.'
Does this bit sound familiar? "In the shade of swords shall ye find paradise".
Until Islam at large renounces that sentiment, and actually acts against those who promote it, muslims are going to be lumped together with the jihadists and no serious personis going to consider Islam a religion of peace in the least.
Maybe this quote from New Testament will help "By their fruits ye shall know them."
I urge you to have the courage to challenge your fellow Muslims to abandon the poison fruit of jihad and plant something better.
Response from the Anonymous to the freedom fighter:
Thank you for taking the time to reply to me. Koran (other books too) must be taken in their entirety. If only parts of it are
referred to, without referring to the whole, misunderstandings do occur. Koran states also, that one should react against the non-believers ONLY if the non-believers
attack the believers (and by believers all believers are understood, not only those who believe in the Koran) and when the non-believers give up attacking the believers, the believers should
also give up reacting to them.
The meaning of the word "Muslim"
is the one who believes in peace...
In the Koran, Jesus, in the last dinner, says "Thank God we are Muslims..." meaning "we are the believers in peace..."
All religions have been unfortunately greatly misunderstood. I have met few imams who correctly understood the Koran. Many say "Islam is the best religion" whereas the Koran says "all religions of God, on earth, have equal value". Etc.
Priests and rabii as well, are found in varying formations...
I have met orthodox priests who
recite their Bible and state
that one should not pray to Jesus, but to the Father (The God) as Jesus has himself said so and priests who look for the same paragraph in their Bible but can not even find it.
Religious education is not an easy one. The best, I find, is to read
all the books of God and respect
all the God's religions. Koran says, " your job as a Muslim is to protect the other books we have sent before the Koran..." Can it be clearer?
And "for those who hold all the prophets of God equally, we have a special present in the other world"- yet the same Koran also admits that some of the prophets God sent were more important than the other prophets... The books are great, but must be taken as a whole.
In my book (I won't mention the name again not to be accused for advertising) there is a whole chapter about bringing closer the
different religions of God as both the Bible in the Genesis, says "Humanity will find holiness
in the Nation of Abraham" and the Koran says:"Talk to the Christians and the Jews and try to build a nation of Abraham altogether, as God is one. If they accept, they would be doing the best and the most beautiful."
Thank you for your site and giving me the chance of saying what I know.
Bible: "No one will come to me in darkness."
Mohammed's Hadith:"Go even to China
if you will find the science there."
Both Bible and the Koran: "Those who believe in God from their hearts, are brethern."
Note: Koran is one, but not all the Hadith of Mohammed are his real words. Some are attributed to him, yet are not parallel to Koran.
Turks are now making an in-depth study to clean out those Hadith which do not belong to Mohammed.
May God give peace to our world!
And may God be with you always!
Askin Ozcan


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Vision & Mission
The vision of Catalina Village is to provide apartment style living with the independence one deserves while providing the assistance when it is required.
The Catalina Village mission is to provide assisted living programs which care for the physical as well as the emotional needs of our seniors and disabled residents of all ages. Our lifestyle enhances the quality of life for all of our residents while allowing independence in their daily activities.


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Here is a few pics t show what looks I went for over the bank hol weekend, I took most of yours advice and went for curly hair on my night out but it was so hot in there they dropped a fair bit! This is me and one of my besties and I went for my usual smokey eye/pink lips combo =)
So with 3 hours of sleep and super aching I woke up to go to London Excel for an animation exhibition. Here I am with a Jack Sparrow imposter and may I say I look pretty rough! eyebags and all! not a good look lol. A combo of lazy Tempting on the eyes and coral on the lips..
Me and ghostbusters / Im not a fan of all of this but its pretty intersting to see how much effort people put into their outfits/costumes! =p


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Hallelujah! We've been saved. At roughly 12 p.m. on Oct. 24, the pothole gods came down from their thrones of cement and saved the Godwin community from the death-defying depths of the Godwin potholes.
For the past few months, these hindrances have endangered the lives of students and parents, alike, growing deeper every day. Whippin' into the parking lot around 8 a.m. was like playing a game. If I successfully made it through the maze of terror, then I won, and protected my car from total destruction.
Spoiler alert! I never won. Instead, my car would hit these holes making a screeching sound like a dying cat. Honestly, the most stressful part of my day was when I had to choose the route to take to avoid the trench-like holes. My AP classes had nothing on the amount of brain power needed to get around the potholes.
When entering the senior lot, you had two options: (1) either hug the curb and risk hitting the big papa pot hole and scraping your new paint job, or (2) maneuver your car into a wide swing around the corner while hitting about 500 miniature potholes, giving your car tires a massage.
Either way, hitting the treacherous holes in the wee hours of the morning was possibly the best way to start your day. Not only did the holes give passengers a fun little roller coaster ride, but they also acted as an alarm clock, waking students up from their early morning daze. Let's face it, the holes were the only reason you were awake enough for your frantic sprints to first period.
However the best part about the holes, was when you could say goodbye to your car and say hello to your mechanic.
Yes, I think I'm going to miss our potholes – especially during the winter when the foot-deep holes got frozen over and played the dirtiest mind game ever. What you thought was a normal snow covered street was actually the potholes filled with evil black ice that made your car skirt and slide around the corner. Watching my peers try to navigate these deadly booby traps was like watching Bambi try to walk on ice.
Yes, many students did complain and even reported our endangerment to Silence Hurts. Teachers, as well as administration, said they had it bad with pot holes and were sympathetic to our dangerous battle. However, not parking in the senior lot, they didn't truly understand the extremity of our problem, and the true endangerment of our lives as we plunged through the ocean of holes- some large enough to engulf a Mini Cooper.
Before our problem was fixed, I personally volunteered to fill the holes myself as the good citizen I am. Sadly, I was told I would end up in jail by the administration and therefore, my good deeds could not be fulfilled.
We are all "#blessed" because the hole filling was scheduled for this summer. However, the problem "as a hole" was becoming too large to ignore. So on behalf of the lives of all Godwin students, thank you administration and the kind workers of Henrico for saving our cars and our hearts from the constant destruction that we faced.


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28 Jun 2017
The Matrix accreditation is a training provider's equivalent of a glowing Ofsted report.
The New Directions team works with businesses and young people aged 15 to 29 to match people with jobs, traineeships, apprenticeships, training and work placements as well as provide information, advice and guidance (IAG) to young people to remove barriers and enhance their journey into the world of work.
The team achieved the Matrix standard following a rigorous two-day audit interviewing a total of 12 customers, eight staff and three external partners that the New Directions caseworkers refer to for additional support. They also assessed our leadership and management processes, resources, New Directions service delivery and standards.
The sought-after accreditation puts us on a list of highly regarded IAG service providers that includes colleges and major universities.
This standard is a recognised benchmark, which help us attract future external opportunities linked to the delivery of IAG and employability services.
Contracts Manager Karen Kenmare, said: "This is fantastic news for the whole team. It is similar to when a school is rated outstanding by Ofsted, so we are extremely proud.
"It recognises our approach to IAG, employability & training standards, and also the commitment of our staff and the dedication they have to our clients and partners. "The accreditation is an excellent endorsement of the New Directions service, and we are very proud to have received this within our first year."


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Jack Bleiberg's Tax Services helps our clients assess and manage diverse tax complexities.
Jack's Clients are able to deal with their business realities as they are while driving innovation in their tax departments preparing for tomorrow.
I Have worked with Jack for years. He never fails to find the best strategy possible in handling my accounting and tax requirements. I have worked with many other accountants and Jack is the "Best".
Over many years Jack has provided accurate and responsive service for my business and personal needs.
Jack has been working with my fast growing company for seventeen years. He has consistently provided excellent operational and systems guidance.
Accounting Services
Accounting transactions occur as a by-product of doing business.
Accounting is the art of creating useful information from these transactions for the use of management and for compliance.
Accounting Services provide the skills needed to help owners better understand their business and to make informed decisions which help accomplish their goals.
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It's also not unusual for writers to look backward. Because that's your pool of resources.
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They require consultation with another business person.
Management Consulting Services allow the business owner additional resources on an as needed basis


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Kendall and I dropped Delaney off at practice today and then ran errands, getting her school supplies. We came back, and waited, with my having the chance to chat with the coach a bit. He told me a little about what to expect, and also said I could run with the kids if I wanted, and if it were OK with Delaney.
As the kids came back from their run down to the park, where they did some hills, I was glad to see Delaney cruising along with a group of kids, and not the last group. It was an easier day, but he didn't look anywhere near as tired as the last few days.
He's getting in shape.


text:
You know, I really like how Rihanna portrayed herself in the 20/20 interview, but I'm not buying this hard, edgy image AT ALL. Why, you may ask? It's simple: her music doesn't back up her edgy look. There's nothing unique, mind-blowing, or edgy about it. It's all still very generic, and typical of much of the music out these days.
Girl, take a note from Santigold and get some style in your music.
On that note (no pun intended), click away for a look at her Rated R booklet. I was close to saying she looks fierce, but this image is obviously so manufactured that I'm not even going to. And taking off your clothes isn't exactly the best message to send to your young fans unless there's an actual empowering reason behind it. Just sayin'.


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Galrahn isn't too impressed by the Russians' plan to send a small naval task force led by a Kirov-class cruiser to maneuver with the Venezuelans this November:
If the ship blows up then we'll be interested. The other three ships include a destroyer, an oiler, and a … you guessed it, fleet tug.
And no, that's not the cruiser in question in the photo up top. That's an earlier Pyotr Veliky.
On a more serious note, Galrahn offers his guess as to the Russians' motives:
This development should be seen for what it is, a response to the Russia's objections to humanitarian response and naval activity in the Black Sea. While Russia will be sure to hype it, and Hugo Chavez will be part of the over hype, it is very much a good thing because it is one of those small steps towards Russia saving face. Sometimes this type of non-escalation – media escalation stuff is necessary to bring about the normalization of relations.
Sounds about right to me.
Filed under: International, Military | Tagged: Black Sea, Hugo Chavez, Russia, Venezuela, Vladimir Putin | Leave a comment »


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Welcome to my new site! You can check out this page by clicking on the blog link. I am an 18-year-old student at Georgia Tech who loves to share about his life. I am the hot dog eating champ of Bold Bite in Bethesda, Maryland. Throughout this year, I will work on my communication skills by studying the way that people communicate science through all types of modes. I am a biomedical engineering major with plans to go onto medical school and become a doctor. Doctors need to be able to communicate efficiently and effectively because their time is extremely valuable. Both of my parents are doctors, and both have published studies, an extremely professional medium to disperse new findings in science or medicine. All of the best doctors I know, from Dr. Owen Rennert to Dr. Posnick, have all published studies or books to further their field in medicine. My mom says she learns something every day and it is only fair to the rest of the world that she communicates that knowledge. It is vital for me to learn to perfect my communication skills so that I too can communicate my knowledge and further the total human collective.
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Read this if you want to learn something
"Curiosity can be as obsessive as hunger or lechery, swamping the senses." This quote is straight from Kim Todd's "Curiosity" and I completely identify with it. I feel this the most when I find a question on a test that I don't know the answer to. I will remember that question and research exactly what … Continue reading Read this if you want to learn something
Project Nim
Man does some pretty incredible things in the name of science. Often these incredible things are terrible. Animal testing in particular is one example that is very controversial. We have animal testing to thank for countless advancements in science. In the 1940s and 1950s, Jonas Salk developed his polio vaccine by using monkeys to grow … Continue reading Project Nim
I may change majors to AE
Its 11:19pm Thursday night and I am just starting this blog post that is due in less than twelve hours. Why starting this so late? Well I got back from fall break Tuesday afternoon and spent all of the past 2 days studying for my biology exam today because I completely forgot all of genetics … Continue reading I may change majors to AE
Why you should Read about things you aren't Interested in
Every human on this planet has likes and dislikes. I like football and watching cool robot videos such as the Boston Dynamics videos; you may like ping pong and watching cooking videos for all I know. We know what we like. Our likes are unique and help us develop our personalities. Of course the opposite … Continue reading Why you should Read about things you aren't Interested in


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Getting to 4.21.12 was not easy, but once the day came, it went by seamlessly, beautifully, and it was just PERFECT for us. In the end, I am glad we went through with a friends and family wedding, because we had a great time and lovely pictures and memories to show for it.
Wedding slideshow by Hollie Dyson Photography
Grammy took video footage of us (I'm not sure how I didn't notice that the entire night!). We didn't hire a professional videographer, so I was grateful that someone recorded this for us. My favorite clip of the wedding would probably have to be Coco popping a squat. hahaha oh well, she is a dog! I know sometimes we forget that! The best part of the reception was the guys coming out and doing "The Bernie." Hilarious!


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Articles by Colin D'Mello
- Ontario's projected deficit will grow to a record $38.5 billion this year
- Ontario movie theatres will be allowed to dramatically increase capacity this week
- Premier Ford launches inquiry into Ontario long-term care, says criminal charges possible
- Ontario spent $466M less on healthcare than planned ahead of COVID-19 pandemic
- Ontario municipalities to get $4B in COVID-19 bail out
- Ontario MPP 'disappointed' after being turfed from PC party by Premier Doug Ford
- Ontario premier rejects calls for preparedness review into possible second wave of COVID-19
- No dates, no details yet on Ford government's commission into long-term care
- Ontario allows more regions to advance to Stage 3 this Friday
- Some Ontario parents planning to keep kids home in September: survey
Colin D'MelloContact
Colin D'Mello is a videojournalist at CTV News Toronto, serving as the station's Queen's Park Bureau Chief, covering provincial politics for all local CTV News stations in Ontario. D'Mello has covered all levels of politics in Canada, including the 2018 Progressive Conservative leadership race and CTV News' province-wide 2018 Ontario election special.
Soon after joining CTV Toronto as a reporter in 2011, D'Mello began anchoring the station's weekend broadcasts alongside Andria Case. He has covered major local news events including Toronto's April 2018 ice storm, the Yonge Street van attack, and the Bruce McArthur case.
D'Mello jump-started his career as a 19-year-old when he moved to Moncton, N.B. to work as an announcer for News 91.9. He then helped launch 1310 News, an all-news radio station in Ottawa, before moving to Toronto where he spent four years as an anchor and city hall reporter at 680 News. While there, he was part of the station's award-winning coverage of the 2008 Sunrise Propane explosion, the Tamil protesters occupying the Gardiner Expressway in 2009, and the G20 protests in 2010.
D'Mello was born in Kuwait and lived there until 1998. He credits the events of the first Gulf War for shaping his interests in storytelling. D'Mello is a graduate of the broadcast journalism program at Seneca College. He is married with two children.
D'Mello speaks English.
Follow him on Twitter: @ColinDMello


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Further education concerns in the United States began with the authoring of A Nation at Risk in 1983. This publication asserted that schools throughout the United States were failing. The report highlighted various studies that supported students in the United States were under achieving on national and international scales. A Nation at Risk ignited reform efforts throughout public schools receiving federal funds in an effort to increase achievement (United States, 1983).
In 2002, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was reauthorized with bipartisan support. The name given was No Child Left Behind. This reauthorization was under the guidance of President George Walker Bush. President Bush intended to eliminate the achievement gap among underserved groups of students. The No Child Left Behind legislation ramped up accountability on all District's served with federal funds (http://www.wed.gov/esea). This accountability included the implementation of statewide assessments that measured student achievement in a disaggregated format. The disaggregation of the data provided comparison measures of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and disability (http://www.ed.gov/esea). Achievement results were to be reported to the public after data was released.
Although accountability has its place, opponents have consistently applied pressure on legislatures to eliminate assessment requirements of these legislative actions. On December 10, 2015 the United States signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act. This reauthorization of ESEA had some appropriate adjustments, however, it did not go far enough to bring into balance two important components of a child's education, achievement AND creativity.
For a look at comparative data between ESSA and NCLB, click here.
The federal government and citizens of the United States have applied extreme focus on accountability since 1965. Starting in 2002 that focus was applied to standardized assessments. In Minnesota, students take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments each spring. The final results of these assessments arrive in districts the following fall. School districts throughout the State are then "graded" on their achievement results and progress. Parents and community members are provided the results through website postings, newspaper articles and mailings. Although accountability and communication are important, it is my firm belief that we need to reprioritize for our students' sake. In an effort to save you time from further reading, I have provided bullet points below in support of my argument for efficiency purposes:
- We need to move from one test for accountability to a system of balanced assessments that inform instruction and track growth.
- We need to move from a heavy focus on achievement data to a balanced blend of creativity, rigor, and results.
- We need to move from academic rich preschool environments to engaged play based classroom instruction and learning.
- We need to move from the regurgitation of facts to sustained learning.
- We need to move from the factory model of education to a personalized practice.
- We need to move from highlighting student achievement only to the development of the whole child.
- We need to move from isolation to sustained collaboration and connectivity.
- We need to move from skepticism of public education to trusting our well prepared and motivated teachers and administrators.
- We need to move to a balanced system of creativity and achievement.
Obviously we want to ensure our students learn at high levels and leave our schools exceptionally prepared to enter college or careers. However, I believe this can be achieved by balancing our systems to ensure all students are provided with what they need. If we can partner in this effort to transform our educational practice, I believe the students at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton will be eternally grateful for the education we provided them.
The video below was prepared by Sir Ken Robinson and is a nice depiction of current systems of reality in the United States. This video is a bit lengthy (11 minutes and 41 seconds) but well worth the time. Enjoy!
Here are some other interesting pieces to consider:


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Kudos to Ireland for rejecting the EU Constitution in Thursday's referendum. Although the rejected document was actually titled the "Lisbon Treaty," voters realized that it was nothing more than the previously-rejected Constitution under a different name. How do we know this? Angela Merkel admitted it last year.
The main question on everyone's mind at this point is whether EU proponents will find a way to implement their treaty over the objections of their citizens. I'm more interested in Gordon Brown's position. During the last General Election, the Labour Party promised voters that the UK would not implement the EU Constitution without first obtaining the people's approval in a referendum. Sensing his country's opposition to the treaty, Brown ignored his party's promise and rammed the Lisbon Treaty (EU Constitution) through Parliament without holding a referendum. Thankfully and ironically, the Irish saved British sovereignty for the time being.
Brown has already paid an enormous political price for his arrogance on this issue (and many others). Despite this, he is now desperately searching for some other way of forcing this Constitution upon his unwilling country. Let's just hope the Cameron's Conservatives can win the next General Election occurs before this abomination is implemented


text: Wow, this meal was incredible. It is a recipe from Martha Stewart's Whole Living Magazine, slightly adapted. The thing I love most about it, besides the fact that it's the best stir fry I've ever tasted, is that it is a no-waste meal… using even the stems of the swiss chard!


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In the last few months, the "Evil Pickle" has turned friendly.
Instead of chilling in a jar with other mad pickles, it decided to join the gurkenlabs coorperation for a fulltime job in the marketing department.
The first job in this new position was a photo shooting for our company's new logo.
You can watch the results below.
You can also find a matching wallpaper in our Downloads section.
Stay tuned for more news from our development process as well as upcoming reports on the "Evil Pickle's" career.


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2014 was full of big surprises. And I'm sure 2015 will be too! But Million Mile Secrets readers are always prepared for new ways to get Big Travel with Small Money!
Here are the biggest, most unexpected, and unlikely twists we all experienced in 2014. Maybe there's something you missed that will help you in 2015!
Emily and I would like to wish all our readers (even the angry one who called me a murderer!) a safe, happy, and prosperous New Year in 2015! May it be full of travel and adventure for you and your loved ones!
And we'd like to thank you for a wonderful 2014. We wouldn't be here without your support, comments, and enthusiasm for miles and points!
A safe, happy, and prosperous New Year to all in 2015! May it be full of travel and adventure for you and your loved ones!
2014 – A Year to Remember
There were many changes in the world of miles and points in 2014. From great credit card offers (100,000 American Airlines miles anyone?), to not-so-awesome changes in our hobby (thanks, Cary Chaney at CVS!), to traveling and meeting up with like-minded folks, 1 thing is clear. 2014 was a very interesting year!
January 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets January 2014
Did you get in on the Citi Executive AAdvantage deal? After spending a (whopping!) $10,000 in 3 months, you'd get a 100,000 American Airlines mile sign-up bonus. Plus another 10,000 miles from meeting minimum spending requirements.
This meant that from 1 credit card, you'd have enough American Airlines miles for 4 domestic round-trip coach class tickets. Or a round-trip, Business Class ticket to Europe!
Some folks were able to get this card 2 or 3+ times! Were you 1 of the folks that did?
Later in January, Southwest revealed that they'd start flying internationally beginning July 2014. They started with 3 destinations: Aruba, the Bahamas, and Jamaica.
Since then, Southwest has grown its international network even further, with flights to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica (starting March 2015), and Belize (starting October 2015)!
And folks who have the Southwest Companion Pass can now get even more 2-for-1 travel with these new destinations!
Did you travel to the tropics on Southwest this year?
February 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets February 2014
Thanks to the US Winter Olympic Team, which won 28 medals at the games in Sochi, Russia, folks were able to get ~$600 in free flights when they signed-up for the US Bank Flexperks card!
I didn't get in on this deal, because I was too busy signing-up for 3 credit cards that got me 100,000 miles and ~$890 in statement credits. 🙂
I got the 100,000 mile Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard® (now 50,000 miles), the Barclaycard Arrival Plus, and the American Express SimplyCash cards.
Note: The American Express SimplyCash increased sign-up bonus is active again! You'll get a $250 statement credit after you spend $5,000 in 6 months, as long as you apply by
February 24, 2015. September 21, 2015.
March 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets March 2014
Many folks were unhappy in March when the news came out that American Express would start restricting sign-up bonuses on their personal cards starting in May 2014.
This meant that after that date, you could only get the sign-up bonus ONCE per person, per lifetime on any of their personal cards. 🙁
The good news is, you can still get the bonus more than once on American Express business cards as long as it's been more than 12 months since you've had the card. Let's hope it stays that way!
Also this month, the (relatively) new website TravelPony came on strong with big discounts on hotels and promotions. At the time, their deals were almost always better than other websites!
But as I predicted, TravelPony couldn't keep up with the deep discounts. While they still run the occasional promotion, their prices are now generally similar to other online travel agencies.
There will likely be new hotel discounters with funny names who will try to gain market share at 1st by giving us some great deals in 2015! I'll keep you updated!
April 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets April 2014
There were more changes to our hobby in April. Much to everyone's chagrin, CVS stopped allowing Vanilla Reload purchases with a credit card. This was a method many folks used to load their Bluebird accounts and pay bills that couldn't otherwise be paid with a credit card.
But I've always said because our hobby is constantly changing, we have to adapt.
So I told you about new way to earn miles and points from paying bills that couldn't normally be paid with a credit card. Evolve Money let folks pay bills like utilities, student loans, and mortgages using gift cards bought with miles-and-points earning credit card.
As the year went on, Evolve Money…well, evolved (again, and again, and again). You can still use it to pay bills, but they've added some restrictions. And you can now use your Discover IT card directly to pay certain bills.
I wonder what 2015 will bring for Evolve Money? Hopefully direct payments with Visa and MasterCards!
May 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets May 2014
If our hobby were around in biblical times, I'm sure 1 of the 10 Commandments would say, "Thou Shalt NOT Covet thy Neighbor's Southwest Companion Pass."
That's because the Southwest Companion Pass causes envy and jealousy when folks see that your companion can travel with you for nearly free anywhere in the Promised Land*.
*Note: Southwest promises to land in every state they operate plus Mexico, and New Jersey.
The increased 50,000 point sign-up bonus on the Chase Southwest credit cards came back for a limited time. And many folks used the opportunity to get closer to earning their Companion Pass.
Did you take part in the Hyatt Diamond Challenge? No, that's not when you propose to your fiancée in the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome. Although that would be romantic!
It's not available anymore, but for many, it was an easy way to get suite upgrades, free breakfast & internet, and a fast track to Diamond elite status.
That said, you can still get free status and perks from certain credit cards, like the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card or Chase Hyatt cards.
June 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets June 2014
One of the workarounds folks used after CVS stopped selling Vanilla Reloads with a credit card was loading Bluebird with Vanilla Visas at Walmart.
But that method ended in June, when Walmart stopped accepting Vanilla Visas to load Bluebird. Other cards, like Metabank, still work.
I'm always looking for new methods to share with you!
For example, in June we learned that some banks allow you to fund a new account with a credit card! But don't use Citi cards, because they code as a cash advance.
July 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets July 2014
There were some big changes to 1 of my favorite credit cards in July. The Chase Sapphire Preferred added primary car rental insurance as a benefit, and doubled its trip cancellation and interruption insurance.
But it wasn't all good news. Chase also discontinued the Sapphire Preferred's annual 7% points dividend. I know lots of folks will miss this perk (including me!).
But there was great news for Citi ThankYou Premier Card, Citi Prestige Card, and Citi Chairman cardholders. Citi introduced ThankYou points transfers to airlines, including Singapore Airlines and Etihad.
This gave folks another kind of flexible points (which can be transferred to many different airline and hotel partner) to use for Big Travel (along with American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards points).
There was more good news in July. Even though you couldn't load Bluebird with Vanilla Visas at Walmart anymore, it turns out you could still use them to load Serve at Family Dollar! And that turned my disappointed "Phooey!" into a relieved "Phew!"
August 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets August 2014
There were some great increased credit card sign-up bonuses in the month of August, including Marriott, Delta, and United Airlines cards!
And 1 of the best deals was the Chase Ritz-Carlton 140,000 point sign-up bonus. The offer didn't stick around for long, but there's good news – it's now back again (I'm not sure for how long!).
That's enough for 2 nights in a top-tier Ritz-Carlton hotel, like the Ritz-Carlton New York Central Park. Or 3 nights at the Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi (with points left over!).
Remember, if you'd rather wear your jeans than your fancy-pants, you can use Ritz-Carlton points at Marriott hotels, too!
September 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets September 2014
More big credit card sign-up bonuses popped up in September. The 70,000 point Chase Ink Plus was a big hit, because you could get at least ~$875 in travel (and usually much more) from ONE credit card bonus!
For example, some folks transferred the 70,000 point sign-up bonus to United Airlines and used them for round-trip tickets to Hawaii or Europe!
Note: The current offer for the Chase Ink Plus is 50,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the 1st 3 months. But the annual fee is waived for the 1st year (unlike the 70,000 point offer).
There was some sad news, too. Amazon sent out emails announcing the end of Amazon Payments, which was a favorite (fee-free!) way to earn miles and points with a credit card.
Will there be an equally good replacement method for generating miles and points? Time will tell… But some folks have already moved to loading AMEX Serve with a credit card.
October 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets October 2014
We might have had a lot of posts about the Chase Ink Plus 70,000 point bonus in October, because the offer was extended by several weeks. 🙂
And we got more details on the American Airlines – US Airways merger.
Most folks were relieved that there would be no major changes to the American Airlines frequent flyer program, and that their US Airways miles would be converted to American Airlines miles at a 1:1 ratio.
November 2014
Link: Best of Million Mile Secrets November 2014
In November, the increased 50,000 point sign-up bonus on all 4 Chase Southwest cards came back for a limited time. And that meant great timing for folks who wanted to earn the Southwest Companion Pass!
And a better 30,000 point bonus came around for the Citi ThankYou Preferred card.
You can't transfer points directly from the Citi ThankYou Preferred to airline and hotel partners, but you CAN if you also have the Citi ThankYou Premier, Citi Prestige, or Citi Chairman (no longer available) cards.
Did you get an (almost) free hotel night with the $100 off Orbitz promotion on Cyber Monday? I did! 🙂
December 2014
December brought changes to the Hyatt award program, which take effect early in the New Year. Some hotels will cost more points per night, but there are quite a few that will cost less.
Lots of folks applied for the better, 50,000 point offer on the Barclays US Airways card. This is probably the last increased bonus on the card we'll see, because it's being discontinued in 2015.
Folks who already have the card can refer friends and family and earn bonus points!
Many of us woke up on December 25th to an amazing holiday gift! An Etihad mistake fare had folks buying round-trip tickets for as low as $187 from New York to Abu Dhabi, ~$300 to India and Southeast Asia, and ~$400 to Johannesburg!
Note: Other times of the year Santa uses his AARP discount to fly on British Airways.
The great news is, Etihad will honor these fares! I got in on the deal – did you?
If you're new to this hobby, you might want to check out the brand new Beginner's Guide to Miles and Points we completed in 2014. Emily and I wanted to create something helpful for folks who are learning about Big Travel with Small Money!
Bottom Line
In 2014 we were reminded to expect the unexpected.
Sometimes it was to our benefit (mistake fares that let us fly for 75% off and huge credit card sign-up bonuses that helped us fly First Class or more often). And sometimes it was the end of 1 way of doing things and time to start another!
I'm sure 2015 will be the same, but different. And that's 1 thing I've learned while traveling the world thanks to this amazing hobby.
The sameness gives me a sense of comfort. The differences excite me because there's something new to learn, to see, to taste, to listen to.
This year I hope you gained a sense of comfort by getting closer to your loved ones. And I hope you discovered new places, new people, and new customs that changed your perspective.
Emily and I are so grateful to have you here to share our joy of Big Travel with Small Money. And on a personal note, travel has helped Emily and me grow as a couple.
With each place we travel, I see her excited smile and we're the same…I'm as enchanted by her as the day we met. But we're forever different and changed by the memories we've made all over the world.
We wish you a Happy New Year full of Big Travel.
What were your favorite moments of 2014?


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Ideas to pick a mattress for your kid's room
Sleep better 2 inch visco elastic memory foam mattress topper is obviously the perfect material for use in mattresses. The froth contours towards the form of the body removing all stress points when you are sleeping. Another help to Foam is the fact that it lets the body breathe which means you remain cool. But the issue with this particular bit of luxury as well as comfort would be that the bed mattresses cost more.
Tempur pillow is literally from this world! Pressure relieving materials in most tempur pillows is the space age technology. It is the one & only pillow identified by NASA & certified through the space foundation. Fabric is temperature sensitive & visco elastic meaning that responds for your body's temperature and the body shape, moulding towards the normal curvature of the spine. So you don't only stay cool throught at night time, the pillow also cradles your face to help you very comfortable.
If you're looking for any bed for the child's room that won't cost an excessive amount of but in addition helps to supply more space to allow them to play. Also it's worth considering purchasing a metal platform beds for his or her room when they are of sufficient age. Certainly with regards to purchasing this kind of bed for any children room it will only be looked at for people who are gone age six.
After you have spent cash on buying adjustable air beds for the child's room then it's necessary that like other furniture pieces in your house you are taking proper care of it . If you do not then it will not only begin to look so shabby in an exceedingly short period of time yet damage could be caused towards the frame that may allow it to be unsafe to make use of.
If you have an iron bed frame or other same style, you realize very well the fun of aesthetic enjoyment, and also the troubles of sleeping over an unpleasant position. It is necessary that simply like other furnitures you attempt to wash it every day. If this isn't possible and then make sure it's clean every second day or each week. The less dust & dirt that's permitted to develop at first glance from the metal bedframe will make sure that less damage will probably be caused into it.Next PagePrevious Page


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Study: SMBs Continue to Invest in Social Media, Not Sure It's Working
November 19, 2018 | Contributed by: Courtney Dobson
There's a significant gap between the importance small businesses place on social media as a marketing channel and their confidence that it's working. That was reflected in a recent survey from Sensai (n=468 SMBs) that sought to understand "behavior, usage and attitudes around small business marketing."
Despite the fact that 57% of SMBs reported that social media is one of their most important marketing channels (31% ranked it #1 in importance), 66% say they aren't confident when it comes to their social media marketing. But why?
Nearly half of respondents (46%) said that ever-changing algorithms are making it impossible for them to succeed at social media marketing. These algorithm changes ultimately end up confusing SMBs and prevent them from reaching their target audiences successfully and efficiently.
There were a number of other challenges that included rising marketing costs, ads and content boosting and being left behind by competitors using AI. There was also a high level of indecision and general confusion, with 39% stating "we know we need to be on social media, but there are too many platforms and confusing choices."
When respondents using social media were asked whether they were satisfied with its ROI, only 33% said yes. Accordingly, 67% said no or not sure.
Most SMBs lack the resources required to invest in proper social media marketing, making it difficult to determine where to focus and how to execute.
Yet even with numerous obstacles in place, the survey showed that over half of the SMBs surveyed remain optimistic, with 56% stating, "I'm hopeful I can figure it out; I just wish someone would show me the way." Over half (67%) of SMBs say are even investing roughly the same amount as they did last year, 19% are investing more.
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The focal point of Trine's work is innovation processes and the interaction between people, technology and nature.
She has a background in landscape architecture and is also an expert in user involvement, co-creation and interaction design. She has many years' experience of facilitating innovation processes in companies where users are active participants.
She is dedicated to helping companies develop innovative digital solutions that foster sustainability.
Trine is an experienced lecturer and speaker and has a particular passion for disseminating knowledge about how people interact with each other and with objects in our surroundings, and how nature can be used as a source of inspiration when developing sustainable solutions.
Trine has an MSc in landscape architecture (cand.hort.arch) from the University of Copenhagen, an MSc in Information Technology with digital design and communication (cand.it.) from the IT University of Copenhagen, and a BA in Socio-Economic Planning (bach.tech.soc) from Roskilde University. She has also studied psychology and Human Computer Interaction at Stockholm University, as well as project management and leadership at DISPUK.