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Sample Retail Level Audit of the Brand Image and Performance
Prepared by Clarke L. Caywood, Ph.D. 2010
This task and audit memorandum is designed to apply the experience and thinking of the Department of Integrated Marketing Communications and Clarke L. Caywood, Ph.D. to retail, single site business. Many of the ideas most often applied to larger consumer goods and business to business level companies have been adapted to a retail firm located in a single site. However, the importance of the application of modern marketing practices to strengthen the store and store owner brand is just as important and may be more important since the stakes are relatively higher for the personal success of the business owner. As with any application of strategic thought and tactics; the memo is really a list of hopefully powerful suggestions that may stimulate the owner to devise his own version of his branding strategy.
First, the memo identifies a number of questions that should be answered in the eyes of the business consumer, in this case member or student. The research steps first ask the brander to understand the consumer, the employee, the co-branding partners, the lending institution, the media, community, business organizations and other stakeholders or publics at the retail level. The retail level IMC communication strategy includes these four steps: Research, plan, implementation, evaluation. See attachment for questions asked at each step for high level professional performance. Each step constantly reminds the branding manager to consider the information gathered primarily in step one (research).
Research is important to gather facts, insights, understanding of the consumer, prospective member, and other critical stakeholders who may heavily influence the consumer's perspective of the quality and importance of the store and owner brand.
1. Run the "Brand contact audit" and take notes. Ask a current, friendly member to walk through with you recording all his/her comments on their impressions starting in the parking lot.
2. Discuss the brand contact ideas from the impressionable consultant:
1. Where do I park, can I park on the side or is that for the restaurant?
2. Where is the gym? I see the sign but I don't see the windows. Is that the door?
3. Is it safe to enter? I am in 15 feet and I still don't know if it is really open?
4. "Wow! Look at all those people in the class; it looks great".
5. Is it the right place?
6. Will someone welcome me? Why don't they notice me?
7. Was there bell that sounded when I entered?
8. Should I leave now?
9. Where do I wait? Where do I sit? Is my car safe?
10. What is going on here? Do they have my centers of interest?
11. Where are the showers, lockers and toilets?
12. Is that coffee or water for me?
13. Do I like the music?
14. Why is the lighting so harsh?
15. Why are the walls so beat-up?
16. I like the wooden and rubber floors.
17. Do they have shower stalls?
18. Should they have more mirrors? I don't really like mirrors.
19. Will the class welcome me?
20. Where do I put my purse, bag, and coat?
21. Do they have "cubbies?"?
22. How much is it (wall chart)
23. Do they have personal training? Are these the people? Do they have a female trainer?
24. Where are their pictures and credentials?
25. Is it really, really, really clean.
26. Is the science part real? Can I have an article to take home? Do you have a website link on science?
27. More.
3. Audit of all your communications.
1. All printed materials, contracts, brochures, ads, letters, emails, website, billing notices, exercise sheets, directions to the gym, story of the owner, page of valuable links to website to learn, brochure on science testing device and article confirming its validity.
2. Call your store and gather an impression of how this communications works for brand building. Leave a message and check if it arrives in a timely way. Leave a message for specific trainers.
3. Leave a message on your website.
4. List of all "competitors" that you would like to compare yourself to. Other gyms big and little. Churches, schools, other non-gym gyms. Spas. Home exercise equipment stores?
5. List all formal and informal co-branding agreement and actions taken and date of next action.
a. All stores in the shopping mall and across the street, on each corner.
b. Other business partners including hospitals, doctors, dentists, schools, coaches and gym teachers, university Greek and independent houses, bike shops, sporting goods,
Etc. to place your materials and ask for rewarded referrals.
4. Focus groups and other face to face human research – each idea is an option.
1. Run 5 Post class 30 minute discussion with rewards (drawing for a prize)
2. Offer surveys for all visiting with reward (drawing for a prize)
3. Offer a survey on website
4. Email to members a free survey on "survey monkey"
5. Conduct exit interviews of members who have not renewed, have announced they are leaving because of dissatisfaction with service, price or moving from the area.
6. Interviews with customers you know have left due to service complaints in the past 6 months
7. Find and review of stories and any research on gym management and marketing
8. Locate research materials from suppliers (equipment) of their exercise related research.
9. Conduct general government and social research on exercise
10. Review and locate current scientific and supplier data on your scientific testing systems
5. Gather feedback from conferences, events, meetings
1. Data from show sponsors (pre and post surveys, trends, speakers)
2. Data from specific industry booths
3. Collect data on the floor and events of specific interest to your goals and ideas
4. Arrange to run a focus group at event for a free lunch for about 9 people.
5. Interview people watching people running at half marathons, marathons, 5Ks. What would they like to accomplish in the next 6 months to a year? Would they like to participate in the event
6. See questions on the score sheet attached.
7. more
1. Prepare new product plans that include new audiences identified above and from your own experience and study of competitors
a. Elderly and deals with senior centers
b. People planning to get in shape for an event (party, season, run, family, doctor, trip, etc.)
c. All motivations need to be examined.
d. New equipment ordered or needed to compete (crazy exercise equipment in bike shop)
e. Recent birth mothers with babies in tow
f. Father's preparing to give away the bride
g. Unemployed professionals who want to look fit, energized and great (team with spa)
2. From the audit above plan to improve the brand contact points
a. Plan specific decorating, remodeling, reorganization and new machines.
b. Use a form to list contact points:
i. List contact point, e.g. front door, front hallway entrance,
ii. List positive or negative impression,
iii. List how important it seems to be to the consumer,
iv. Quote the consumer on if the contact is positive, negative or neutral to them
v. Note improvement s needed on the brand contact point.
3. Use MBO (management by objectives) to plan your statements of success.
a. Mission is your broadest statement of what words represent your reason for being in business and serving others
b. Goals are general statement of what new and continuing actions you wish to do to improve your branding offering. Help recent birth mothers to XXX
c. Objectives are very specific intentions of the plan. By X date, Y person will increase memberships by Z% with a renewal rate of A. The cost of each new member will not exceed $B. Or, By X date, Y person will create a consumer contact database for a cost not exceeding $Z. The database will be used to contact A consumers by B date with offer C. etc.
4. Plan for the personal branding goals of Tony, but plan to improve the store contact points and brand before launching a personal brand to the media or other stakeholders.
a. Conduct a personal brand audit of Tony
b. Develop goals, objectives
c. Devise a list of communication actions that are more personality driven
5. See the questions on the score sheet.
1. Develop an 24 month schedule of action (over two budget periods and two seasons)
2. Test and do your marketing product and communication ideas.
3. Be opportunistic but follow the plan.
4. Measure everything
5. Have fun doing it
6. See question on the score sheet
1. Measure everything
2. Take before and after pictures of the store, the owner and the customers.
3. Re-interview members, consumers
4. Redo the brand contact audit
5. Measure and report on all consumer data, finances profits, costs, per customer acquisition costs, lifetime value of the consumer/member, value of leads from co-branders, etc.
6. See the questions on the score sheet
7. More
Rewrite you corporate statements, if needed. Start over.
Clarke Caywood, Ph.D. email@example.com 847 2420901.
The blog is a place to express my concerns on issues driving teaching and research on integrated marketing communications (IMC) and public relations. Postings are an eclectic mix of published, quoted and original work. Topics include education, controversy, stakeholders, trends. Links and ideas are welcome.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
IMC Retail Plan: Research, Plan, Implement and Evalulate
Posted by Clarke L. Caywood, Ph.D. at 4:32 PM
Labels: brand audit, brand contact audit, evaluate, focus groups, IMC, implement, interviews, Norhwestern University, plan, research, retail
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Award for Best Newcomer Affiliate Program goes to Affiliate REPUBLIK
22nd February 2013, Barcelona, Spain - Within six months of launching, Affiliate REPUBLIK won at the prestigious iGB Affiliate Awards 2013, held in London on the 8th February during the London Affiliate Conference. Taking home the Best Newcome Affiliate Program, this award was voted and judged by peers within the online gambling affiliate community.
'We feel incredibly honored to have won this award' stated Adnan Maslo, Program Director for Affiliate REPUBLIK 'the fact we've managed to achieve so much in a short time and that it's been recognised by the people we work with and others in our industry, gives us a huge sense of achievement. We will continue to work tirelessly on a great program for our affiliates and partners.'
Affiliate REPUBLIK was created in July 2012 to launch two long standing online casino onto the international markets. The team behind the program are veterans of the online gambling affiliate industry, having achieved their success in affiliation.
The judges recognised the effort and the results from this new program, as shown by the winning statement: 'Affiliate Republik have made a huge impression in an incredibly short space of time. Some of the quotes from the judges about Affiliate Republik were: 'if you're going to start a new brand in the right way, this is how to do it' and 'these guys are some of the most awesome people I met in the industry. They are new, but the future is bright for them.' The judges noted their solid network run by ex affiliate specialists, along with their branding and marketing tools are second to none. The judges also complimented them on their website being honest and to the point.'
More information on Affiliate REPUBLIK, it's team and online casinos can be found on www.AffiliateREPUBLIK.com.
------------------------------------- end ----------------------------------
For Press queries contact:
Marit von Stedingk
Marketing Manager
Affiliate REPUBLIK
Skype: mstedingk
+34 608 009 722

subset: commoncrawl


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I hear birds singing and the sun is shining!
We're on our way from a record February snowfall
of 49.2 inches...
of 49.2 inches...
to this,
and this!
That cold March wind can't fool me. Even with the constant, chilly breeze, I can close my eyes and imagine the promise of spring tulips, summer hollyhocks, the scent of newly plowed fields and of freshly mown grass. And like a wide-eyed kid staring at the sweet treats in a candy store, I look at my favorite gardening books over and over, flagging pages that inspire me. Yes, before we know it...it will be barefoot season!


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La Nina weather declared! Horse worm parasites rejoice!
So a La Nina weather event has been declared. This is great news for horse worms. Not so great news for horse owners….
In this article:
- La Nina – warm wet conditions over summer – a worm paradise for growth a development
- Heavy rains spreading worm eggs & larvae away from manure – more likely for horses to eat
- Unusual wet, warm conditions - consider an additional Fecal Egg Count or Wormer over the summer period.
Firstly, what is a La Nina? The opposite to El Nino which brings drought, La Nina brings humid, wet tropical weather. The Bureau of Meterology is forcasting 'typically a wetter period for eastern Australia' over this summer.
So why does a warm wet summer affect worms in horses? Put simply – they love it and are developing to the next stage in their life cycle in paddocks and pasture waiting to find their way into your horse's system.
Horse worm eggs and larvae need moisture. In Australia that means they hate our summers with our hot dry conditions causing paddocks and manure to dry out quickly, slowing or even halting worm egg development. Concentrating on survival o means they not developing to the stage where they actively seek a ride in our horse's digestive system.
We all know that horse's don't really eat near their manure. Eggs and larvae rely on other ways to get around to the pasture that horses eat. And one of the best ways is heavy rain.
The recent wet weather around the east coast of Australia means that eggs and larvae may now have travelled far away from manure piles - and be patiently waiting for a passing by grazing horse.
Worm larvae also tend to prefer grass close to the soil, so it's in your interests to prevent horses grazing grass too short.
In Australia, spring and autumn generally provide the best conditions for horse worm development in pasture. However the La Nina – a wet, warm summer - means the perfect conditions for development continue significantly increasing the risk of dangerous parasite burdens.
What should I do?
We should still aim to break the lifecycle of the worms mechanically as much as possible with pasture management (spelling, rotation with sheep & cattle, ensuring pasture isn't overgrazed) but be ready to step in with the right wormer at the right time if necessary to ensure worm burdens don't rise to a level where they might be damaging to horse health.
So, be extra careful about monitoring horses and consider reducing the time between fecal egg counts or worming to 8 weeks - particularly with young, old or vulnerable horses.
About EasyWormer
We Make Worming Simple. Choose the Worming Program. Wormers Arrive When Due. FREE Delivery 2+ Wormers. Discounts 3+ Horses. Earn FREE Wormers When Friends Sign Up. Support Local Charities. Australian Made & Owned.


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New Research Revealed
In a study presented at the Experimental Biology Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 20, 2009, Dr. Kevin C. Maki of Provident Clinical Research announced that eating the popular cereal Cheerios can help to lower serum cholesterol by up to 10 percent in one month. At the beginning of the study, each participant's blood cholesterol was analyzed, followed by a repeated lipid analysis after the study. "We monitored the diets of study participants for 12 weeks, and a clinical evaluation of their cholesterol levels showed coupling Cheerios with a reduced calorie diet significantly helps lower LDL cholesterol levels," said Maki. "We were impressed with how effectively eating Cheerios daily as part of a reduced calorie diet lowered bad cholesterol. These are simple changes that are easy for most people to make."
The 12-Week Study
During the study, participants were fed two 1 1/2-cup daily servings of Cheerios during a 12-week study. Cheerios is made with 100-percent natural whole grain oats and contains soluble fiber and 1 gram of sugar per serving. Cholesterol is involved in the production of bile, an enzyme that helps our bodies digest fat by emulsifying it into smaller fat globlets. The bile that isn't needed by digestion is reabsorbed back into the bloodstream and the rest is lost through regular bowel movements.
Oats contain a non-digestible form of soluble fiber that, when broken down, scavenges cholesterol from the walls of the intestinal tract, along with bile acids. Instead of the cholesterol making its way into the arterial walls of the coronary arteries, it is excreted from the body through regular bowel movements.
More Than Oatmeal
While eating daily servings of oatmeal (or Cheerios) is certainly beneficial to lowering cholesterol levels, the key is eating not only daily servings of oatmeal but also servings of foods containing insoluble fiber like legumes, kidney beans, lentils, nuts, fruits and vegetables to flush the cholesterol out of your system. The combined work of the soluble and insoluble fiber is effective in reducing your risk for heart disease and some forms of colon cancer.


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Recipes for Market Days
Thanks to Just A Pinch Recipes for sharing recipes.
Tomato Pie
1 9-inch pie shell
1 1/2 c flavored croutons
5 or 6 plum tomatoes, peeled and diced.
4 green onions, sliced to preferred thickness
1 c bacon, fried crispy and chopped
Fresh basil, to taste or dried basil, to taste
2-3 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 c light mayonnaise, not salad dressing
1/2 c cheddar jack cheese
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1. Blind bake the pie shell on 425 F until light brown (about 10 minutes).
2. Place croutons in a baggie and break into smaller pieces with a mallet. Then spread in bottom of pie crust. They will absorb excess juices from the tomatoes plus add additional flavor.
3. Spread the diced tomatoes over the croutons.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper, crushed garlic, basil, oregano, onions, and bacon over the tomatoes.
5. Mix mayo with the cheeses. Spread over the top to the edges.
6. Toss additional bacon and onion on top for presentation.
7. Bake at 350 F for approximately 25 minutes. When the top is nice and golden, it's done.
8. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes then dig in. It's wonderful when warm, but just as good at room temperature.
Fresh Corn Pie
1 9-inch deep dish pie shell, flute edges high
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 c heavy whipping cream
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp grated yellow onion or very finely chopped
1 1/2 c fresh corn kernels
1 c lightly packed shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1. Preheat oven to 425. Prick crust well on bottom and sides with a fork.
2. Par-bake pastry crust with parchment paper and pie weight beans for 5-7 minutes until firm but not brown.
3. Remove beans and parchment paper.
4. Cut the corn kernels from the cob.
5. Stir together rest of ingredients except paprika and parsley.
6. Pour carefully into pie shell.
7. Sprinkle with a little paprika for color.
8. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 30 minutes longer or until center is almost firm.
9. Cool about 10 minutes.
10. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired
Summer Squash Cheesy Bake
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
4 large yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/4 c olive oil
1 c Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
1/2 -3/4 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sauté onions and garlic in two or three tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Prepare a baking dish (approximately 8x8) with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Spread the onions and garlic on the bottom of the baking dish.
5. Stack zucchini and yellow squash alternating vegetables. Make rows in the baking dish, standing the vegetables vertically in the pan. Continue until you fill the pan.
6. Sprinkle squash with dried basil, salt, and pepper; then drizzle with olive oil.
7. Cover pan with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
8. Uncover pan. Cover vegetables with Parmesan cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes.
9. Then cover vegetables with mozzarella cheese and return to oven for about 5 minutes until cheese gets golden brown. You can also place it under the broiler.
Zucchini Fritters With Asiago
1 large zucchini, about 12" long or 1 1/2 medium
1/2 c Asiago cheese, freshly shredded/grated
1 large egg
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 c seasoned Panko bread crumbs
Olive oil
1. Wash zucchini; remove stem and blossom ends, and any blemishes. Shred Asiago, and then zucchini, in a food processor or by hand on a grater.
2. Squeeze excess liquid from zucchini. Methods to do this: 1. Place shredded zucchini on a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towels. Twist, squeeze and wring until all excess liquid is extracted. 2. Place a large wire mesh strainer or colander over a large bowl. Place 2 or 3 layers of paper towels in strainer. Add shredded zucchini. Cover with 2 or 3 additional paper towels. Press and squeeze until all dripping has ceased. Discard liquid.
3. Break egg into mixing bowl; whisk well. Add garlic salt, seasoned salt, and pepper; whisk well.
4. Add shredded zucchini and Asiago cheese. Mix with a spoon.
5. Add seasoned Panko bread crumbs; mix until well combined. (May be covered and refrigerated for a few hours until ready to form into patties, or make patties, cover and refrigerate until ready to fry.)
6. Form mixture into 8 equal patties. (I oil a piece of foil on a baking sheet to put place them on until ready to fry.)
7. Place a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat (a well-seasoned cast iron or non-stick skillet recommended). Add enough olive oil to generously cover the bottom of the pan.
8. When skillet is hot, add 1/2 the zucchini patties (fry in 2 batches to avoid crowding the patties). Fry until golden brown on the underside (about 3-5 minutes). Then flip and fry the second side until golden brown. Remove from skillet and repeat with remainder of patties.
9. Serve as soon as possible. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Reheat in skillet or oven.
Zucchini Bread
3 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 eggs, beaten
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c canola oil
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 c zucchini, grated
1 c nuts, chopped
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1. Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
2. Sift flour. Mix flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugars, canola oil, and vanilla.
4. Stir sifted ingredients into egg mixture.
5. Blend in zucchini and nuts.
6. Pour into loaf pans.
7. Bake at 325 for 60-70 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.


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My Anritsu
持续时间: 00:02:16
发布日期: 2012/3/22
The world has transitioned from analogue to digital terrestrial television and one of the more popular technologies adopted is the ISDBT system.
When deploying new TV transmitters or maintaining existing infrastructure, broadcasters and service providers depend on efficient measurement tools.
The ISDBT measurement options available in Anritsu handheld equipment provide the needed reliability and efficiency.


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Hydraulic steel hand operated pump with hydraulic hose for Industrial
The features of manual pressure hydraulic hand oil ram pump1.Compact design and lightweight2.Handle lock for easy carrying3.Lower handle effort minimizes operator fatigue4.Internal pressure relief valve for overload protection5.Large oil capacities to power a wide variety of cylinders and tools.
Single outlet manual hydraulic pump:
Single outlet manual reversing hydraulic oil pump:
Double outlet manual hydraulic pump:
Double outlet manual reversing hydraulic oil pump:
Manual hydraulic oil pump with pressure gauge:
It can provide power for the cutting tool, the hydraulic compressor, punching machine.and other construction machinery, which is operated in the wild field in electric power,railway, rescue, construction and other industries.
Working principle:
The cam is rotated by the motor. When the cam pushes the plunger upward, the seal volume
formed by the plunger and cylinder block decreases, and the oil is extruded from the seal volume. When the cam rotates to the descending part of the curve, the spring forces the plunger down to form a certain vacuum. The oil in the tank enters the sealing volume under the action of atmospheric pressure. The cam causes the plunger to rise and fall continuously, the seal volume decreases and increases periodically, and the pump continuously absorbs and drains oil.
We have other hydraulic pumping stations:
Accessories on the pump station:
Dezhou Taigao Import and Export Co., Ltd. is located in Dezhou City, Shandong Province, China. Dezhou Taigao import and export Co., Ltd. and Dezhou Degao hydraulic machinery Co., Ltd. belong to the same company, is a hydraulic products manufacturing, sales and import and export of industrial and trade company.
The company has machining center, CNC lathe, grinder, boring machine, rocker drill, pipelocking machine and other processing equipments. It mainly produces ultra-high pressure hydraulic products, including hollow hydraulic cylinder, ultra-thin hydraulic cylinder, single action cylinder, super-large tonnage double-action hydraulic cylinder, valve base, manual pump, electric pump, Hydraulic cracking tool, split stone rod, portable rebar extruder, portable rebar bending machine, portable rebar straightening machine and various hydraulic pipe locks. The company also provides sales of electromagnetic valve, plunger pump, cargo lifters, hydraulic pressure packing-machine, rescue equipment and some others.
Dezhou Taigao import and export tries hard to create a professional sales companywhich has rich products and quality assurance to become one-stop service of purchase andwholesale of China's hydraulic accessories and equipments.
Are you manufacture?Yes. We are one of leading manufacturers Do you have Stock productions to sell?Yes, of course. But we also offer OEM service. Please send us some drawing.What information do you want to know if i want to get a quotation?a). The model/size of your products. b). The application for your products.c). Special package methods if you needs.d). Raw material.Do you inspect the finished products?Yes.Each step of products will be carried out inspection by QC department until shipping What advantages do you have?(1) Punctual: Have your orders met with the latest delivery?We are a manufacturer with so many advanced and new machines.It ensures we have the ability to carry out the production schedual for punctual delivery.(2) We are alibaba gold member,so you can trust us,no any doubt.(3) Point to point service.There is two sales departments who will serve you from inquiry to products shipped out. During the process, you just need to discuss with him for all the problems and the way sames much times.


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Its about time! We hear all kinds of figures being bandied about, and no one is really sure how many Hindu temples there are in the country. When I checked the site earlier today, there's 1749 temples recorded.
The Hindu Places of Worship Database Project
AUM. After 52 years of Independence, the actual number of Hindu places of worship (temples, shrines, etc) in Malaysia are not known. Different groups, from politicians to NGOs, offer different figures ranging from 10,000 to 20,000; researchers from State governments, MIC, MHS and other NGOs have undertaken data-collection projects at various times for this purpose, but there is still no composite available.
Without availability of such data, it has proven difficult to develop strategies on the future of Hindu places of worship in Malaysia, especially on matters related to the defending against demolitions of Hindu places of worship.
As such, the Temple Committee of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS), as the committee under the national Hindu body that coordinates the interests and activities of temples in the context of looking out for the needs of Hindus in Malaysia has now initiated a community-based nationwide project to collect data on Hindu places of worship in the country.
To develop a truly comprehensive database, we invite ALL Hindus in Malaysia, (including NGOs) to participate in this initiative ? all one would have to do is to visit this website: www.myhindutemples.com and complete a survey online after interviewing the person in charge at the temple that is to be included in the database. We believe that a web-based platform will be able to achieve what previous initiatives could not, particularly so due to the renewed strength many of us have gained from recent events.
This is how we seek your assistance, if you wish to volunteer :
1. Volunteer intending to complete the survey goes to the website and places the cursor on the Temple Database tab.
2. Placing the cursor on the tab releases a drop-down menu, from which the volunteer is to select Registration Form ? Hardcopy.
3. This should bring the volunteer to a page where the form is available for download. Following the instructions on the page, the volunteer can download the form, print it, and visit the temple at the appropriate time to interview the person-in-charge. Considering the value of this project, it would be both practical and understandable to request a little verification on the spot for some of the information requested.
4. Upon getting the complete details, the volunteer can then return to the computer and select the Registration Form ? Online option to key in the details online immediately. The volunteer may wish to download and read the Guide to Completing the Form before doing so.
5. Once these details are keyed in, please give us 3 -5 working days before checking the Approved Temples Listing to confirm whether the record keyed in has accepted by the system. Get back to the website again.
6. Or you can mail us with a little information of nearby temple like Temple name & Address or contact number; so that we can contact them to get more information. Kindly mail to email@example.com
We thank you once again for your kindness, support and participation. AUM.


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Flea and Tick Prevention
Flea and tick prevention keeps your pet healthy. Your pet won't pick up tapeworms or have flea bites that cause itching misery and flea allergy dermatitis. In addition, you can help prevent diseases that fleas and ticks carry such as Lyme Disease, ehrlichia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tick paralysis. Don't let your pet get bitten by fleas when modern medicine has provided wonderfully effective and safe flea products.
Flea and tick preventatives can help your pet avoid:
- Flea allergies
- Hot spots
- Biting adult fleas
- Skin infections
- Tapeworms
- Lyme Disease
- Ehrlichia
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Fleas and ticks in your home
Fleas are insects that are ubiquitous in the environment – meaning they can be found almost everywhere. There are more than 2000 species of fleas, but the common cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is the one that most commonly afflicts dogs and cats.
A disease of concern that can be caused by fleas is flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), which is a severe allergic reaction to flea bites. Some pets are so allergic that even a single bite can cause a reaction. FAD makes pets miserable. In severe cases, it can cause severe itching and inflammation that, if left untreated, can lead to excessive scratching and chewing that can damage the skin. Secondary bacterial or fungal infections can develop as a result.
Fleas can also play a role in transmitting parasites, such as tapeworms, and bacterial diseases, such as cat scratch fever (bartonellosis), to humans.
Finally, in very severe infestations, particularly in old, ill, or young animals, fleas can remove so much blood through feeding that they can weaken the animal.
Fleas are prevalent throughout the United States. They prefer warm, humid conditions, so infestations are typically worst during mid to late summer and early fall. In some parts of the country, they can be a significant problem year round. Even during the cooler months, fleas can survive very well indoors once an infestation has been established.
Ticks are not insects, but they are closely related to spiders, scorpions, and mites. There are approximately 80 tick species found in the United States, but only a handful of them are of real concern to pets and people. Some of these include the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus), the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), and the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis). The brown dog tick is the only species that can complete its entire lifecycle on a dog and can infest homes and kennels.
Tick bites can be painful and irritating, but the real concern with ticks is the number of serious diseases they can transmit, such as Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These diseases can cause significant illness and even death in both pets and people.
Ticks are found in virtually every region of the United States. They are most prevalent in the early spring and late fall, although some species are well adapted to temperature extremes and can be found any time of year. In general, however, they prefer dark, moist, brushy places in which to lay their eggs.
Flea and tick prevention is very important for the health of your pet and your family. The best way to ensure the prevention of flea and ticks is to treat your pet year-round. It is relatively inexpensive, but the costs add up for Last Hope because we treat all of our dogs and cats. In order to help us continue to keep our animals pest-free, please donate HERE.
October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month
October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month and, unfortunately, there are always plenty of dogs available at local shelters and rescues to adopt. Not all of us are able to adopt a dog, but there are still plenty of things you can do to help them find forever homes:
- "Donate" your Facebook status. Just paste this message into the "What's on your mind?" box at the top of your page: "October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month! Save a life; adopt a dog from Last Hope Animal Rescue http://www.lasthoperescueia.org/ or contact them for volunteer opportunities or donation needs!"
- Tweet, retweet, and repeat the following: "October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month! Save a life; adopt a dog from Last Hope Animal Rescue http://www.lasthoperescueia.org/ or contact them for volunteer opportunities or donation needs! #savedogs"
- Contact your local shelter or rescue group and ask if they have a donation wish list or other flyer they'd like you to post around your office or neighborhood. They may be holding special events for Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month which you can help promote.
- Share an adoptable dog happy tail story on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter (#savedogs). You can find Last Hope's happy tails right here on this blog!
- Sign up as a foster parent or rescue volunteer then tell your friends how great it is. Contact your local shelter or rescue group to find out how you can help.
- Add a Petfinder widget or banner to your website or blog.
- Write an op-ed about the importance of pet adoption for your local newspaper.
- Contact your local shelter or rescue group and offer to photograph their adoptable pets.
- Donate to your local shelter or rescue group.
- Pass on an understanding of the importance of pet adoption to the next generation. Talk to your kids, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and other up-and-comers about shelters and rescue groups and why pet adoption is important.
There are many things you can do to help even if you're not able to adopt a dog! The first step is to contact your local rescue group and ASK. They'll be happy to talk to you about volunteering opportunities and other ways you can help.
Daisy Mae's Story
Daisy Mae, formerly known as Jessica, is a 16-year-old Chihuahua we got April 18th, 2013. Sonia was called that morning to rescue some dogs that were caught in a flood and off she went along with Ashley. The only thing Sonia was told was that there were dogs that needed to be rescued from rising water and if they weren't rescued they would go to the pound. The location was near the Mississippi River and with the excessive rainfall, the river was flooding. There were many dogs that needed rescuing.
They saw Daisy Mae in a kennel outside (she lived outside 24/7) in a foot of water, her nose up in the air so she could breathe. Sonia knew she would be taking Daisy Mae and she also saw two Huskies that would be rescued as well.
On the way back they went to Dr. Ahern's Animal Kingdom to have the dogs checked out. Daisy Mae was diagnosed with a heart murmur and frostbite on both ears. She was underweight, blind, and full of worms. That night she went into foster care with Kristina and has been there ever since.
A few months went by and everything seemed good but then we got the news: Daisy Mae was in the beginning stages of congestive heart failure. She was coughing all the time and restless with heavy breathing so she was put on heart medications. We then found out that she had hypothyroidism (her thyroid levels were too low) and she got medication for that as well.
In late May, 2013 Kristina noticed a lump on the side of her stomach and she had gone into heat (we did not spay due to her age and poor health per the vet). The smell was awful so back to Animal Kingdom they went. Dr. Ahern checked her white blood cell count and it was extremely high which indicated an infection in her uterus. Because it was very serious, Dr. Ahern ordered surgery for the next morning.
Kristina dropped off Daisy Mae at 8:00 AM and planned to pick her up at 3:00 PM that day. Before she left to pick her up, Kristina received a call from the nurse informing her that Daisy Mae had been doing well until ten minutes prior when she became unresponsive. Dr. Ahern told her that Daisy Mae had likely had a stroke and went into shock. Kristina went to the vet's office to sit with Daisy Mae.
At 6:00 it was determined that she should be taken to EIVSC for 24-hour care. As soon as they arrived they took Daisy Mae to the back and she went into shock again. It was a long night and was touch-and-go as far as whether she would survive. After four nights in the emergency clinic with 24-hour care by wonderful nurses and vets, and a pretty big bill, she made it and she went home with Kristina.
It took Daisy Mae about a week to recover from the traumatic experience but she returned to her normal self. About four weeks later she had an episode of not feeling well so back to Animal Kingdom she went. It was discovered that she had fluid building up on her lungs so she was given Lasix to battle the fluid. She seemed to be doing well for a couple weeks, then she fell ill again with heavy breathing and went back to the emergency clinic in the evening. They found that she had some abdominal pain which was likely causing the heavy breathing. She was released and went home that night.
Since then she's been doing okay; no heavy breathing, no wild episodes, and only occasional pain which Kristina treats with prescribed pain meds.
Daisy Mae is such a pretty girl. She loves to be held and told she's pretty. She loves her bologna and hot dogs and loves Fettuccine Alfredo. Because of weird tummy aches that she gets, she prefers to eat Natural Balance canned food because it seems to be the only thing that doesn't upset her stomach.
Daisy Mae lives with dogs and cats and her favorite thing to do is chase the cats under the bed and bark at them. For being mostly blind, she can get around well. She loves to sunbathe and enjoys the little things in life. She loves smelling and tasting the grass, rolling in bird poop, and getting snuggles.
Kristina knows that the time will come when she'll have to say goodbye until they meet again, but for now they are taking it day by day and making each and every one of her remaining days/weeks/months/years amazing. They won't waste a day; if Daisy Mae wants to sleep, they sleep. If she wants to venture out into the world, they will venture out. If she wants to sunbathe, they sunbathe. Because of Last Hope Animal Rescue and Kristina, the remainder of Daisy Mae's life will be full of love, kisses, snuggles, full tummies, warmth, and soft blankets and beds.
If you'd like to make a donation to help with Daisy Mae's medical expenses, please donate HERE. Thank you!
Ellie and Savannah Rock!
Both Ellie and Savannah celebrated their 9th birthdays in July and instead of presents, they asked for donations to Last Hope! They raised monetary donations and lots of food, toys, and chew bones for the foster dogs and cats. They got to present their "birthday presents" to Sonia…and even stayed to play with the animals!
We could all learn something from Ellie and Savannah about generosity and giving back. Happy belated birthday, girls. You guys ROCK!
Donations Needed: Odds and Ends
We are looking for some items we don't usually ask for to be donated this summer.
We are looking for a small storage shed to put up to store some of our event items and donations at Cedar Run. We've been taking over some of their storage space and with all our growth we need to move out! Donations are often held for a few days before we can distribute them to foster homes and we have tables and totes that need somewhere to be stored during the week. It doesn't need to be new, but it needs to be in fairly good condition and close securely. We will also need shelving and a few storage totes to organize everything.
We are also in need of coolers to transport our awesome homemade dog treats to the farmers' markets this summer. (If you want to bake some awesome dog treats email me at email@example.com. 🙂 ) Again, these don't need to be new but it would be nice if they were still in good condition. We would also like a few small storage totes (even ice cream buckets would work!) to keep our treats organized in.
If you, or someone you know, have any of these items you're no longer using or would like to purchase anything, please email me at firstname.lastname@example.com. We are also accepting money donations for these items HERE.
Thank you!


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Mesa 9.2 and the R600 Gallium3D shader optimization back-end can deliver some nice performance gains for various generations of AMD Radeon HD graphics cards.
Yesterday I ran the story of Mesa 9.2 & The R600 SB Back-End Are Good For AMD APUs. Testing of Mesa 9.1 vs. Mesa 9.2 Git and the R600 SB back-end occurred on an AMD A10-6800K "Richland" APU with Radeon HD 8670D graphics. Mesa 9.2 -- with and without the R600_DEBUG=sb shader optimization back-end flag -- was really good for the open-source Radeon Linux graphics performance.
For those curious what the performance gains between Mesa 9.1 and 9.2 (and R600 SB) are like for an older Radeon HD GPU, I ran some benchmarks from an HD 4650 graphics card as a new reference point. (More diverse and thorough Radeon Gallium3D benchmarks will come when Mesa 9.2 has been branched and/or released.)
The tests were done in the same manner as yesterday's article so read that for all the details.
Today's open-source Radeon OpenGL benchmarks can be found on OpenBenchmarking.org through 1307069-SO-MESA92RAD28. (Note: for all the testing, the Core i7 3960X CPU was running at its stock speeds so pardon the reported clock differences. With the recently merged Intel P-State driver for at least some CPUs the reported cpufreq max frequency is reported as a bogus value, even showing a 25GHz clock speed...)
Hit up that OpenBenchmarking.org result file for the full results and other information, embedded below is just a teaser, and stay tuned for further Radeon Gallium3D benchmarks. Also coming in a few hours will be some new R600 LLVM GPU back-end benchmarks.


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Cancellation Policy
Please Note: Timeless Day Spa sees clients by appointment only. So, to be fair to you and clients following you please be on time.
If you are 15 or more min late for your appointment you will be considered a No Show and your card on file WILL be charged for the amount of your booked service. If you do call and/or show up late we will do what we can with the remainder of time left for your appointment. If you choose not to use the balance of your scheduled appointment time you will still be charged the scheduled appointment amount.
Thank you,
Timeless Day Spa


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NEW high-tech CCTV cameras are being rolled out across the borough as part of a £1.7 million spending package to improve public safety.
The first of the state-of-the-art cameras were installed at Dudley Market place last week and work has begun to lay down new fibre optic cabling across the borough to improve the network.
The new digital cameras will be monitored from a new control base, moving away from Sedgley police station to a new highly secure facility working with West Midlands Police.
Councillor Laura Taylor, cabinet member responsible for community safety, said: "This is a major overhaul of all of the CCTV cameras in the borough – the first in a generation.
"These new cameras are more sophisticated, provide more detailed images of issues and when the roll out is complete, will provide greater coverage of our town centres and wider borough.
"I'm sure this work will be welcomed by residents, shoppers, businesses and tourists all over the borough."
Sally Bourner, Chief Superintendent, Dudley Neighbourhood Policing Unit Commander, said: "We are working closely with Dudley Council to help develop their deployment of CCTV. This is one of many ways where together we can improve the quality of life for local people and prevent crime, keeping Dudley the safest borough in the region.
"There are also many ways local people can help particularly by playing an active and neighbourly role in their communities. One of the ways I would encourage people to consider getting involved is through Street Watch. To find out more people can email firstname.lastname@example.com."
The upgrade comes after an audit of 80 cameras across the borough found many are old, outdated or in need of repair.
The new cameras will be fully installed by spring next year.


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- This event has passed.
United Ink "No Limits" Tattoo Festival
April 5, 2019 @ 2:00 pm$20.00
United Ink New York Tattoo Show "No Limits" Tattoo Festival. Presented by Tattoo Lou's & Sponsored by Inked Magazine. This festival brings together the tattoo lifestyle under one roof. Get tattooed by famous artists from around the world and your favorite reality TV stars, purchase from vendors with unique wares, watch live stage shows perform never before scene acts, and much more!


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First Look: 606 R&D in Brooklyn
"To have two dreams come true in one lifetime is pretty cool," says Ilene Rosen, chef and, with Sarah Dima, co-owner of 606 R&D. (Rosen's the R, Dima's the D.) The bar-restaurant-café-doughnut shop opened just a few weeks ago in Prospect Heights.
Plenty of eateries wear multiple hats, but 606 is very much all of those things. In the morning, there's coffee and a state-of-the-art doughnut machine (you may've heard about their Kickstarter campaign to fund it). There's a full liquor license, cocktails developed by consultant Randy Gibson, with beer (Kelso, Keegan Ales), wine (Gotham Project Cab Franc/Merlot and Chardonnay), and Kombucha (!) on tap. The menu is straightforward but enticing, items like bacon-horseradish sandwiches dubbed "Horse and Pig" and ricotta-smothered grilled doughnuts. It's American in character but as such draws from everywhere; on our visit, an uni toast shared space on the specials board with brisket and with burrata.
"It's a lot of ambition for a small place," Rosen laughs.
She spent 15 years at Manhattan's beloved City Bakery, where she met Dima, who was working as the general manager. "I grew up in Brooklyn, and I knew I wanted to move back." The two found their neighborhood of choice—Prospect Heights, with "everything always pointing back to" the burgeoning restaurant row of Vanderbilt Avenue. Their cozy storefront is deeper than it looks, with an open kitchen and a garden out back "that we'll finish up before it gets warm." The space is full of homey touches, a market-restaurant where some products are indeed sold retail. Crates of apples and old-fashioned seltzer bottles sit under the chalkboard specials menu, burlap sacks draped up front; flickering candles sit on tables, flames from the kitchen occasionally bathing the room in light. "We left as much open as we could," said Rosen, "and I love the high ceilings. It doesn't feel cramped."
Take a look at the sweets, savories, and drinks of 606 R&D's dinner menu (with some items crossing over to brunch, as well).
606 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11238 (map)
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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I had 2 giveaway boxes to mail off when I returned home from the Great Summer Road Trip of 2013.
One to Judy for winning the Boring Blog Box Giveaway and one to Linda for winning the School Supplies Giveaway.
So I packed everything up, printed out shipping labels and scheduled a Mail Carrier pickup for Monday, August 26th.
And Hubs put the boxes out on the front porch that morning at 7am.
And come 7pm at night, those boxes were still sitting on my front porch.
I checked at 3pm and the mail carrier had been by and left mail in the mailbox and had not taken the packages. I left them out for 4 more hours after that, since if it's a heavy mail day, my regular carrier will circle back around to get packages after she finishes her route.
Still no pick-up by 7pm so I brought the boxes in and figured it was a substitute carrier that day. This has happened before with subs.....they either forget to pick-up packages or they don't get the paperwork for it for some reason.
So I went back online to reschedule the carrier pick-up for Tuesday, Aug. 27th.
I get up this morning and check my email and this is what was in my inbox from the fine folks at the USPS......I have blacked out my name/address. Click on it to embiggen.
Yes, it's an email confirmation that the USPS picked up my 2 packages on Aug. 26th, received in my inbox at 4:12 am.
But guess what is still sitting out on my front porch??
Click on the second photo to embiggen and read the note I left.....
I also emailed the USPS and complained about the slack service and downright lying to their customers.
It's no wonder I hate dealing with large corporations......


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Just a small 'found on the beach' layout for you here today. In my last beach trash post, I mentioned how the last few times I had been to the beach previous to that visit it was actually very clean. It seemed like the park was on the up and up! There were new picnic benches, a fancy pants wooden fence, and most noticeably of all, it was clean. This beach that was previously covered in driftwood, and trash was actually somewhere people might want to go again. But that was before winter though. It seems as though it was ignored for a few months which meant it was a mess again. I think Earth Day marked the day that beach cleaning started up for the park. All of that to say, my preferred trash beach is fairly clean for the time being which is great obviously but means I don't find as much.
This layout was from my first visit after their clean-up. Not too many things but the stuff I did find was pretty interesting. I'm working on another found on the beach fabric collection so needless to say, I've been hunting for really great little odds and ends to make the photos really pop. I was happy to find two plastic planes, the letter 'G', and a couple of strange little animals from hair clips.
It isn't my best or largest beach trash photo but I can never resist the opportunity to arrange things in rainbow order, and get a few shots…
A quick found on the beach FAQ
- Did you find all this stuff in one trip? Sadly, yes. This isn't even a quarter of it either.
- What do you do with all after you're done? Normally I toss it in the trash. Sometimes I may take certain pieces with me if I think they'll look cool in a future arrangement. On rare occasions, I leave it as I photographed it. I'm still not sure which side of the fence I fall on here. It's a bit counteractive since it's still on the beach after I spent the time to pick it up but maybe others finding it and seeing what an issue plastic is, and possibly getting a kick out of the fact that someone made something colorful and fun from trash, is better than it sitting in a landfill forever. I don't know.
- Do you wear gloves when you pick all this trash up? No, I don't. These are things that are washed up from the lake, not just left on shore. They're no dirtier than the sand or water. That's not to say I don't sanitize my hands as soon as I get back in my car though…
- How long does it take you to do these? Maybe 20 mins (probably less) depending on the size to pick everything up, and another 20 minutes to lay everything out and shoot it.
My last arrangement inspired me to start a new little photos series where my shoe color starts the gradient in the arrangement. The white pair is still my favorite, just because I think that arrangement is the prettiest. I currently have one other colorful pair of Palladium Boots, in blue, so I'm looking forward to adding to the series. I'm thinking I'll like it a little bit more when it doesn't just remind me of the Italian flag. Heh! I also should probably get this pink pair, right?!
beach trash buddy!


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When you realize people die with the regret of not doing more, it drives you to live life to the fullest. Even before death, if I waited until I was retired to hike the Annapurna Circuit, would my health be guaranteed? If I waited 50 years to see the glaciers in Torres Del Paine National Park, would they still be there? Who knows. Walk into an old folks home and have a conversation with someone who's time is running short. By the time you leave, you will be ready to make shit happen.
I want to travel and I am doing everything I can to make that happen.
In 2015, with a wild idea in my head, I resigned from my job to travel the world for five months. Now, almost 2 years and 17 countries later, I am still on the road. Something inside keeps pushing me to keep going, keep exploring.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It
I always get asked how I pay this wild adventure. Hearing my stories and seeing photos of exotic places makes it look expensive. Perception vs. reality. It's not that expensive to travel long term (or permanently) and there are a lot of opportunities to work abroad.
I also have a trick or two that save me a lot of money.
As a backpacker or traveler, my life is simple. No mortgage, no car payment, no cable bill. No need for that new gaming system or latest million inch TV. Forget the new couch and recliner. Everything I use on a daily basis is in my backpack. Simplicity.
Check out what's in my backpack here!
Free Airline Tickets
A few years before I began this trip, I started earning airlines miles to use towards free flights. Now I didn't just get one card and put all of my daily expenses on it. I got multiple and collected all of the bonus miles. After taking 4 free flights, I got the hang of the point system and by the time I left for this trip, I had 3 free international flights waiting to be used! It truly surprises me when people think they are maximizing the power of their credit cards by earning a "mile for every dollar". It is easy to earn the bonus, then cancel the card, get a new card and repeat. I rack up the miles and get free flights without spending a dollar in interest or annual fees.
Now, this isn't for everyone, you must be good at managing your money and obviously have the means to pay them off every month. If you are paying interest, or fees, the credit card company is winning.
Read how I earn free airline tickets here
I keep a close eye on my money and expenses but that doesn't mean I pass up great experiences simply because I will go over budget. In most Asian countries, I spent about $30 per day, sometimes more, sometimes less. Excluded from this is the cost of big activities, like getting my SCUBA certification in Koh Tao, Thailand. (SSI certification and 4 days accommodation for less than $250, not bad eh?)
Check out my 7 tips for saving money for travel
One piece of advice I always give is to download a money management app like Mint, sync your accounts and after a month, analyze your spending and you may be surprised where your money is going.
Traveling in cheap countries
My first 7 months of this adventure were in Asia where prices are much cheaper than back home in the USA. Imagine being able to travel for $30 per day. The truth is, that's about all it takes to travel on a budget and sometimes even less. I traveled in India for an average of $20 per day. I may not have been staying at a five-star resort but a nice hostel can be found for $3-$5 per night with great atmosphere and travel community. I also ate curry and naan bread until I simply couldn't eat it anymore. But, I still dream about the food in India.
I have slept in many interesting places ranging from an airport floor to one of the most expensive hotels in Sydney at $1000+ per night (free of course, gotta love those rewards). But most of the time I stay in cheap hostels, guest houses and hotels with the occasional AirBnb when the price is right. Even though I say "cheap" that doesn't mean it's the Bates Motel, it's more of a comparison to the prices back home.
I once stayed in a hostel for $5 per night, it included a buffet breakfast, free beer for an hour a night and on Tuesdays, the tattoo parlor gave free tattoos for guest. I miss Vietnam.
Although hostels are not very popular in the US, around the world they are incredible. Get rid of that Lonely Planet book, the social community in a hostel is where you can learn about the area and what to do. It's like a live travel blog sitting right in your living room and the information you can get from your peers is invaluable. I have also met many amazing people in hostels who have become great friends!
In Asia, going out to eat was so inexpensive that I don't think I cooked more than a couple of meals in the 7 months I was there. $2 bought the best curry I have ever tasted when I was in India. $1 bought me a massive bowl of fresh Pho in Vietnam many of times (And 20 cents bought a beer!). Of course, there are many fancy restaurants that are much more expensive but why bother when the small local restaurant is packed with LOCALS? It's an easy choice when the idea is to taste the local flavor which is usually much different than the westernized versions. And then there is street food, simply awesome and perhaps my favorite place to get a meal. If it's busy, it's safe. That's my rule!
There is nothing like taking a seat in a kid size red plastic chair on the sidewalk and eating a delicious meal while watching the world go by.
Working Abroad
My first experience with working abroad came out of nowhere. I was in Jodhpur, India on the roof of a hostel when I received a phone call asking if I would like to be an extra in a film. Without knowing any details, I accepted. Next thing I knew I was outside of the Umaid Bhawan Palace being dressed for the BBC film "The Viceroy's House". It didn't pay much cash in US standard, but food and accommodation were also paid for and the experience was priceless.
Then, after 7 months backpacking across 10 Asian countries, I was ready to get into a routine and work for a while, but not ready to go home. So, I applied for a Working Holiday Visa for Australia. Within a month, I went from Vietnam to Sydney, Australia and began working construction. I earned about $27 an hour to work a construction job with little commitment. I could take off and travel for a few months, come back and go straight to work.
For three months I was working in a 15 million dollar apartment that overlooked the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. A couple weeks later I was working on a house next to Prime Minister Turnbull's home. It's hard to believe really, but there are heaps of opportunities in Australia. By the time I was ready to leave I had put an extra 10k in my bank and had a plane ticket to Mexico. (A FREE ticket of course)
Blogging can be a great way to bring in extra income and negotiate influencer discounts while traveling as well. Although it is not easy to make money blogging, if you enjoy writing and sharing your experiences with others then it really isn't much work anyways!
Read my simple guide on How To Start A Travel Blog
Where I am now
My journey since has led me down into South America where I am currently hiking in the Patagonian Mountains past massive glacial ice fields. The other day I watched a building size chunk of ice, 230ft high, break off and crash into the water.
This is the energy that keeps me going.
How you can get started:
The big hold up, money. If you don't have money saved, try earning a free flight and fly to Australia or New Zealand with a Working Holiday Visa to work and travel for a year. Maybe teach English in Thailand, South Korea or Vietnam. There are so many opportunities available. Keep in mind that you don't need to be making several thousand a month, it's much cheaper as a traveler in the right areas.
See where you can travel with that beautiful free ticket.
Compare destinations, check your budget, see what's possible.
No savings? Find a job in a foreign country and work & travel at the same time.
Couchsurfing, WWOOFING, Workaway or volunteering opportunities


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The weekend was murder and it was awesome, if a little on the short side. Got to say, I've been trying to find a good murder mystery for a while and found myself pleasantly surprised by The Missings, a novel by Peg Brantley batting at 376 pages.
Now I said it was a little on the short side for two reasons: one, it is most definitely not 376 pages. About thirty of those are acknowledgements and a preview of another book. Two, the chapters are extremely short–we're talking short like Taylor Swift's acceptance speech before getting cut off by Kanye West. Anyway, I like short chapters well enough, but I've always been more of a "linger longer" scene-reader myself. Keep that in mind if you think you'd like this book. Now on to the good stuff:
Chase is a police officer in the town of Aspen, Colorado. When he finds two victims in a row who have similar physical characteristics, he's sure he found a link. With his team, Chase discovers more murder cases in the last year with similar characteristics. The interesting thing? All are illegal aliens. The gruesome connection? All victims have had their organs surgically removed. The problem? Noncitizens aren't known for their trust of American police officers. The case would be impossible to solve without the Hispanic community's help.
Brantley did an excellent job weaving together the lives of over ten distinct characters and their roles in the Aspen murder mystery, both good and bad. Whether telling from the point of view of Chase, a cop with a soft spot for murder victim families, or of Daniel, a Hispanic detective who struggles with his inability to fit in either the American or Immigrant world, the author shows me characters that are deep and dynamic.
I struggled with this book mostly in the telling of the story—like I said, the characters were interesting and the plot was compelling, but the chapters were so short I felt like I only glimpsed what was happening. I wanted more! I also got lost at times because I had to remember so many names. With more development and less cut-scenes, I think Brantley could make a mystery that was just as punchy but with soft spots where I could catch my breath. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.


text: Critics wanted better roads and more education before the lane switch [EPA] Samoa has made the switch to left-hand driving with hundreds of people lining the streets in the capital, Apia, to witness the change from driving on the right. With car horns and sirens blaring, church bells ringing and roads crowded with vehicles, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, the prime minister, broadcast the formal instructions for drivers to switch sides on the highways at 6am local time on Tuesday (17:00GMT Monday). Police manned scores of checkpoints and warned drivers to slow down. There were also no signs of immediate traffic problems despite critics' prediction of traffic chaos earlier. The Samoan government declared a two-day national holiday to reduce traffic volume and a three-day ban on alcohol sales to avoid road accidents. In depth Focus: Samoa switches driving lanes The switch aims to encourage some 170,000 expatriate Samoans in Australia and New Zealand to ship used cars with right-hand steering wheels back home to relatives. This will make it cheaper for people in the nation of 180,000 to buy new and used cars built for driving on the left side. Resistance The move was met by fierce opposition with critics asking for a postponement saying that people were not prepared for the change and road improvements have not been made. Samoa is the first country in nearly 40 years to switch driving sides Lefau Waikaimoana So'onalolole, the president of the People Against Switching Sides (Pass) movement, said "the efforts to prepare for the road switch are nowhere near completed", adding that necessary roadworks had not been finished. "Not only that, but I believe there is much work to be done in educating everybody about the switch." Experts had predicted the changeover would lead to more accidents on roughly surfaced roads, which are often fringed by high vegetation. In church on Sunday, thousands in the largely devout Christian nation prayed for a changeover "free of injury and, heaven forbid, death", an editorial in the Samoa Observer newspaper said. Bus companies had threatened to go on strike because the government refused to pay the cost of changing the exit doors to the opposite side of their vehicles. However, most resistance has dropped off since a court late last month overthrew a legal challenge to the switch and the country has largely supported the bid to ensure a smooth changeover. The speed limit was reduced from 56 kph to 40 kph, while speed bumps were installed in many busy areas. Samoa, which has around 20,000 vehicles on its roads, is the first country to make the switch in nearly 40 years. Iceland and Sweden did it in the 1960s, and Nigeria, Ghana and Yemen did it in the 1970s. SOURCE: Al Jazeera and agencies Humanitarian crises Asia Pacific


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Become a Product Manager | Learn the Skills and Get the Job
You'll learn the skills that make up the entire Product Management job and process:
from ideation to market research to UX wireframing to prototyping, technology, metrics, and finally to building the product with user stories, project management, scoping, and leadership.
We even have interviews with real life PMs, Q&A sessions with students, and a comprehensive guide to preparing and interviewing for a Product Management job.
Right now, there are over 3,000+ job listings worldwide that are looking for Product Managers, that pay on average $100,000 / year.
The demand for Product Management is increasing at an insane rate.
More and more companies are finally figuring out how important this discipline and this role is to their success.
But how exactly do you get into the field?
There aren't any degrees in Product Management & there are no certifications.Most Product Managers get into the field through luck or connections.
That ends here - we'll get you up to date on ALL the skills you need to learn Product Management AND have the best chance at getting the job you want.
There's no more ambiguity to it. We'll show you what you need to know and what you have to do - all taught from a Product Management insider.
What am I going to get from this course?
- Understand the varying role of a Product Manager through different types and sizes of companies
- Decide which type of Product Manager best fits one's goals and personality
- Understand the Product Lifecycle and how it applies to every product
- Understand the modern Product Development Process that both Fortune 500s and Startups adhere to
- Know how to identify ideas worth pursuing and dedicating resources to
- Understand how to get at the root of customer pain points
- Asses the core problem of a product
- Find and compare competitors and competing products
- Differentiate between Direct, Indirect, Substitute, and Potential competitors
- Understand the process of Customer Development and how it relates to being a Product Manager
- How to find potential interviewees for product interviews, user tests, and exploratory interviews
- How to structure and run a customer interview
- How to model interview questions correctly while avoiding bias
- Navigate the four different types of customer interviews
- Find potential interviewees both internally and externally
- Write emails that will get users and potential customers to respond
- Build user personas based on both qualitative and quantitative data
- Understand the difference between a wireframe, a mockup, and a prototype
- Sketch out a wireframe with just a pen and paper
- Use Balsamiq to create wireframes at an intermediate level
- Use a sketch system called POP for digitizing product sketches
- Create specs for epics and user stories
- Properly apply acceptance criteria
- Runa a variety of MVP experiments, such as pitch experiments, redirects, shadow buttons, and more
- Correctly evaluate which product metrics to track and which to ignore
- Apply the AARRR framework to your product
- Apply the HEART framework to your product
- Track your metrics using a variety of software
- Create a product and feature roadmap
- Create a product backlog and build estimations for product delivery
- Calculate team velocity and build estimations for product delivery
- Understand the difference between Agile and Waterfall development
- Learn software development concepts like APIs, mobile development, Front End, Back End, MySQL, programming frameworks, and more
- Communicate effectively with all the satakeholders of a product
- Communicate effectively with engineers in a way they will appreciate and understand
- Communicate effectively with designers by focusing on the things they care about most
- Communicate effectively with executives and higher-ups
- Understand the role of technology in modern Startups and Fortune 500s
- Understand the basics of "The Cloud" and Servers vs.Clients
- Understand the basics of front-end vs. back-end technology, tech stacks, and how they integrate together
- Understand the basics of APIs, what they do, what they look like, and how your team might use them
- Understand how to obtain relevant experience to set up for a transition to Product Management
- Build a portfolio that will assist in a hiring application
- How to self-brand online and build a following pre-hire
- What to look for in Product Management jobs and what to ignore
- How to apply inside tips and tricks to getting hired as a Product Manager
- Craft a resume that appeals to a hiring manager for Product Management placement
- Ace the Product Manager interview
- Excel beyond getting hired
Who should take this course?
- Anyone looking to get a job in Product Management
- Anyone wanting to transition into Product Management
- Already established Product Managers who want to advance their skillset
- Entrepreneurs looking to master the product development process
Students aren't required to know anything beforehand - we'll teach you the fundamentals, how to apply them, how to develop into an advanced product manager, and finally how to maximize your chances to get a job as a Product Manager.
About the instructor
Hi my name is Stephen DeStefano, I am an Apple developer and have been creating apps for 5 years now, I have numerous apps in the app store, and i continue to stay current and grow with Apple as technology continues to evolve. My goal here is to create video instruction that makes it easy for students to work with Apple's new language called swift, and incorporate that knowledge into creating some pretty amazing apps for the apps store. If your thinking that its too difficult, then come code along with me and see how easy it is to pick this language up and turn your ideas into code, then into working apps.
Course content


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Diane Van Maren, Former Mental Health Consultant for Darrell Steinberg, Appointed to NAMI California Board of Directors
SACRAMENTO—On Sunday, August 3rd, 2014, Diane Van Maren, former health and mental health consultant for Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, was appointed to the Board of Directors of NAMI California.
Van Maren's appointment follows her recent retirement from state service, where she served as a consultant to Senator Darrell Steinberg on policy relating to health and mental health. Van Maren worked for Senator Steinberg for two years, and was a key consultant to numerous major pieces of mental health legislation passed during the Senator's term, as well as legislation to expand the Medi-Cal Program and to implement the federal Affordable Care Act in California.
"Over an illustrious career, Diane Van Maren has developed an unrivaled knowledge and capacity to get things done. She was crucial force behind the scenes in securing mental healthcare as Medi-Cal benefit, and ensuring hundreds of millions in new funding for crisis mental health care. Diane will be a great asset to NAMI California and for those living with mental illness," said California Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg.
Before working for Senator Steinberg, Van Maren served for 18 years as a senior consultant for to the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee formulating key policy initiatives and fiscal details in the areas of heath, mental health, public health and developmental services.
"Mental health wellness is a key attribute for all of us to be successful as individuals, as families and as a broader community. Due to stigma and discrimination, mental health assistance and services have been under-funded from the start and the need for assistance and services is often misunderstood and not fully valued.
"I sought a position on the NAMI California Board because I believe NAMI California is poised with its Strategic Plan and leadership to effectuate considerable change in this paradigm. The expertise and strong voice of consumers and family members offers the opportunity to influence State policies regarding implementation of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance changes, school and educational policies, and prevention and early intervention strategies. With my background in both health and mental health policy I believe I can offer NAMI guidance and policy assistance to broaden NAMI's influence, seek additional funding opportunities and achieve policy changes. I think it is a very exciting time and I'm thrilled to join NAMI California's Board as it leads into the future," said Van Maren of her appointment.
Jessica Cruz, Executive Director of NAMI California, sees Van Maren's addition to the board as a major step forward for NAMI California's advocacy program. "Diane brings unrivaled expertise and institutional knowledge to our board at time when we are rapidly growing as an organization and expanding our advocacy efforts. She will be able to provide needed expertise and guidance as we broaden our efforts to impact mental health legislation at the State and Federal Level," she said. "With the departure of Senator Steinberg due to term limits, we are extremely pleased that the person he trusted most on mental health policy is now a part of our brain-trust here at NAMI California."
NAMI California is the state's organization of the country's largest mental health advocacy organization, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Our 19,000 members and 67 affiliates include many people living with serious mental illnesses, their families and supporters. NAMI California advocates on their behalf, providing education and support to its members and the broader community.
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As we move closer toward pilot season, two new high profile comedies have headed into development. First up, The Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones will write and potentially star in an untitled family comedy at Fox. THR reports that another Daily Show vet, Steve Carell, will executive produce the series alongside About a Boy and New Moon director Chris Weitz. The story revolves around a single guy with no desire for having a family who is forced to take care of his sister's two kids when she's called back to active duty. Should the show get picked up, Jones would likely (and sadly) leave The Daily Show.
Hit the jump for news concerning Zach Braff's return to the small screen.
Additionally, Scrubs star Zach Braff is coming back to television in a big way. Per Deadline, Braff has sold a single-camera comedy series to ABC that he will write, direct, and executive produce. Titled Garage Bar, the show "is said to combine a workplace idea with the heart and humor of Garden State," as it centers on a group of friends who experience the ups and downs of fame when one of them becomes a pop star. The half-hour show was sought after by multiple networks, but ABC came out the victor.
This is welcome news to fans of Garden State, as Braff hasn't penned any produced material since his fantastic 2004 feature directorial debut. He has some experience directing in television, having previously helmed seven episodes of the long-running comedy series Scrubs. The premise for Garage Bar is a tad Entourage-esque, but I'm inclined to believe that Braff will bring the same warmth and humor to the new series that he did to Garden State. Maybe some of his musically-inclined buddies could even stop by? The actor will next be seen in Sam Raimi's big-budget prequel Oz: The Great and Powerful in March.


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The Liberty of Open Access
I'm incredibly proud of the work we've done for people living with diabetes through The PLAID Journal so far. In 5 issues, we've published 22 research and review articles related to people living with diabetes, and 22 editorials from our readers detailing the ins and outs of daily life with a chronic disease. We've also published 7 pieces called "Moving Forward," aimed at providing insights and ideas to make the future brighter, for people with diabetes and others.
Through taking a chance on The PLAID Journal and allowing us the opportunity to share their work, researchers, physicians, and healthcare professionals working in the field of diabetes have broken through the traditional publishing cost barriers to share their work directly with people living with diabetes. In this issue of The PLAID Journal, we continue to show the world that people living with diabetes and people working with diabetes can benefit greatly by reading the same information. Working together will improve our understanding of the impacts of chronic conditions on all of the parties who contribute to living well with diabetes.
Florida State University holds the copyright on all material appearing in PLAID, unless the content is produced by an employee of the U.S. government as part of the authors' official duties.
Authors retain the right to post in an Institutional Repository or website the 'postprint' version of the article (i.e. the article in the form accepted for publication following the process of peer review), and the right to use the published journal article for personal use and internal institutional use.


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We were recently asked this exact question by a travel writer and this is what we said...
HARRISBURG, PA (March 15, 2017) — Our region hosts a wide variety of unique Fairs & Festivals every year.
So you can imagine the challenge we faced when we were recently asked this exact question by a visiting travel writer.
After great thought and debate, we landed on the following three events that would be the most unique or defining of our region.
But we also want to emphasize that once you've experienced these, plan to come back and see us for another three recommendations worth checking out in the Hershey Harrisburg Region.
1. Pennsylvania Farm Show
PA Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, PA.
January 6 – 13, 2018
Since 1916, Pennsylvania's Hershey Harrisburg Region has been home to the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the country, with nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibits.
In 2018 this event will celebrate 102 years as the premier gathering for all aspects of farm and agricultural exhibits and contests.
According to the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau, this annual eight-day event draws approximately 600,000 attendees & 300 exhibitors, supports an estimated 18,000 jobs, and generates $95 million for the local economy.
2. Kipona Festival
Riverfront Park & City Island in Harrisburg, PA
Held every Labor Day Weekend
This year's event will be held Saturday, September 2 – 4, 2017
In 2016, Pennsylvania's Capital City of Harrisburg marked the 100th Anniversary of their Kipona Festival, which traditionally celebrates the Susquehanna River and the region's Native American roots every Labor Day Weekend.
The festival's name "Kipona" was derived from an American Indian translation for "Sparking Waters" and many of the festival's most popular events pay tribute to the art, culture, and food of the Native Americans.
Today, this river festival is Harrisburg's largest special event, attracting more than 50,000 people with family-friendly entertainment focused on fun, food, live entertainment, arts & crafts, interactive games and contests, and always a fireworks finale.
3. Little Buffalo Festival
Little Buffalo State Park in Newport, PA.
Always held the 1st Saturday in October from Noon to Dusk with FREE Admission.
This year's event will be held Saturday, October 7, 2017
In the fall of 2017, Little Buffalo State Park in Pennsylvania's Hershey Harrisburg Region will host this day of free family-friendly entertainment for the 34th year.
Highlights include musical performances on three (3) stages, arts & crafts, poetry reading and dance workshops, face painting and children's activities, kids musical and dance performances.
This event is set among the sprawling 923 acres of a pristine historical and recreational State Park, which features a covered bridge, a restored and operating grist mill, 8-miles of walking trails, picnic areas, a large swimming pool with 2 slides and sprayground attraction.
The 88-acre Hollman Lake is open year-round for limited boating and fishing and was ranked as a Top Place for Family-Friendly Fishing in the U.S. by TakeMeFishing.org.


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In our increasingly secular society, dogma of all kinds has been losing ground. That is, except when it comes to dating. Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider, authors of The Rules have, since 1995, been claiming that they know the method for nabbing Mr. Right.
Like the priests of romance, they demand faithfulness from their acolytes. Ever unsatisfied, they are continuing to spread word with the upcoming publication of yet another book, Not Your Mother's Rules: The New Secrets for Dating. Whew, just in time, we would have been so lost without their entirely original and groundbreaking advice telling us how to deal with dating now that there is the Internet.
See also:
The Sweet Spot: The Only Dating Advice You Need
The Sweet Spot: When Privates Go Public
Original rules included:
Don't call him and rarely return his calls
No more than casual kissing on the first date
Be honest but mysterious
Don't stare at men or talk too much
Don't talk to a man first (and don't ask him to dance)
New online rule:
"A woman cannot e-mail, or even wink at a guy's profile, without becoming the aggressor and possibly getting hurt down the line when the guy dumps her for the woman whose profile he really likes. The only way to be sure that a guy is interested is to let him make the first move."
Fein and Schneider have made a fortune preying upon the desperate and hopeful. Millions of women, and men too, have consumed The Rules praying that, at last, here was something that could rescue them from their singleness.
Being on our own, in whatever capacity, has its difficult moments and I know full well the peculiar terror and loneliness that can erupt. Wanting that special someone is a perfectly normal hankering but one that can leave us very vulnerable to stupid advice. I say stupid because I am now a married lady, despite the fact that I broke every single damn rule listed in the book.
The rule breaking goes as follows:
I spoke to him first
I did ask him to dance
I talked a lot
I drank too much and told him to come home with me
I did have sex with him
I was, in short, not mysterious.
Some time ago, I fell in love with a handsome young hipster. With desire hot in my heart and insecurity ever threatening to rise, I calculated and schemed. I dissected every text, did a crash course in coyness, and listened when my friends told me to let him take the lead. I played that game with every cell in my body. But to no avail. His love was not won and I merely grew older. The man I married however, was interested from the very first moment we met and no amount of feminine maneuvering would have made an iota of difference.The real truth is that we cannot control other people's behavior or motivations. There is no "method." The Rules , like a band-aid for a kidney infection, are a false and limpid stand-in for the only thing that can actually contribute to enjoying a healthy, loving relationship -- self respect.
That terrible potential to lose ourselves in the pursuit of romance, is where help is really needed. Says Dideon, "to free us from the expectations of others, to give us back to ourselves -- there lies the great, singular power of self-respect." The Rules authors scratch at but ultimately undermine this. They suggest walking away from dating situations where the object of our affections is not correctly responding. Indeed, it is always good to check our impulse toward self-destruction. Wise not to drunk text the musician who hasn't returned your calls. Not because he will be disturbed that you are too aggressive but because you are chasing after a lost cause.
But this only an accidental positive buried in the midst of throw back, anti-feminist, dangerous dogma. Proof that The Rules is committed to creating faithful converts to fill the author's ever-growing coffers are the other rules in the book that have nothing to do with dating.
They are:
Do the rules, even when your friends and parents think it's nuts
Don't discuss the rules with your therapist
Don't break the rules
The authors' claim that, "some therapists will think that The Rules are dishonest and manipulative. They will encourage you to be open and vulnerable in your relationships with men." Hmm. I am always very suspicious of any belief system that demands rigorous adherence to laws and advocates for disregarding other opinions. Especially as most cults also have the exact same rules.
I am not a expert on love merely because I am now married. I have no secret wisdom to offer. But just for the record, I was open and vulnerable and honest. I have pursued, with many a transgression, self-respect. A few years ago, I did sit down with the fact that love is not a given and that I very well may end my days alone wearing moo moos and harassing teenagers on the bus. I cannot say that any of these things directly contributed to finding someone to share a life with but I can say that they sure as hell didn't get in the way.
Love does not solve all problems nor heal all wounds, it is simply a grace of life, one of many. The movement that told women that they didn't need a man to define them was not made up of a bunch of hairy arm-pitted, raised fist man-haters. Those women fought for us to have a greater opportunity to cultivate our character and to not judge our worth by our marital status. They believed, as do I, that, as Simone de Beauvoir wrote: "On the day when it will be possible for woman to love not in her weakness but in strength, not to escape herself but to find herself, not to abase herself but to assert herself -- on that day love will become for her, as for man, a source of life and not a mortal danger."
The Sweet Spot is a blog column by Ginger Murray who is also the editor of Whore! magazine. Check back next week for more.