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Work at Camp
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not hosting any programs on Ramah Darom's campus at this time. Please check back soon.
If you are looking for a fun and enriching opportunity to grow in a Jewish living and learning environment this summer, we are looking for you!
At Camp Ramah Darom, we strive to provide campers and staff with unmatched, extraordinary Jewish living and learning experiences. Our summer staff, about 250 strong, consists of carefully selected and trained college and graduate students from across the country. Together, they build a unique Jewish environment where young people can learn, question, grow and share in new experiences with special friends.
As a staff member at Camp Ramah Darom, you will have the opportunity to:
- Serve as a mentor to younger campers
- Explore and grow your own Jewish identity
- Enjoy the outdoors on our beautiful campus
- Build community
- Create lasting friendships
- Give back to the Jewish community by serving as a role-model
- And so much more!
We are looking for talented and committed Jewish college-age staff. Are you certified to work on the waterfront? Are you a talented artist who loves children? Or maybe you love planning activities and helping children grow and learn. Perhaps you are a budding educator, searching for that perfect summer laboratory. Come find out how meaningful – personally and professionally – a summer at Ramah can be.
Paid summer positions are available for motivated, energetic, positive, and hard-working individuals who want to spend their summer teaching, coaching, and caring for our incredible campers and raising the next generation of Jewish community leaders.
We are looking for people who are available from May 24 – August 5, 2020, and who are interested in any of the following positions.
Programming Counselor • Soccer Coach • Volleyball Coach • Baseball Coach • Yoga Instructor • Tennis Coach • Basketball Coach • Drama/Acting/Performance Coach • Hiking/Nature/Camping Specialist • Organic Farming Specialist • Animal Care (for farm animals) Specialist • Ceramics Specialist • Woodworking Specialist • Painting and Drawing Specialist • Jewelry Specialist • Knitting/Fabrics Specialist • Video/Technology Specialist • Photography Specialist • Aquatics – Lifeguards and swim instructors • Water Ski Instructor • Childcare specialist (for children under the age of 7) • Music – Guitar instructor • Music – Ukelele instructor – Percussion/Hand drums instructor • Disability Inclusion Specialist
Summer benefits include lodging, meals, and professional development in addition to salary!
Interested? Apply now or contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com or (404) 503-2131 for more information.
We are also seeking highly qualified, compassionate, and energetic disabilities and inclusion specialists to be a part of the Tikvah Support Program Staff at Camp Ramah Darom and work at Camp Yofi.
"I have worked with kids with disabilities in the past, both in schools and summer camp, but I never fully understood what supporting someone meant until I was invited to staff the Tikvah Support program at Camp Ramah Darom."
-Ali Katz, Tikvah Counselor


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Perfectionists apparently are highly susceptible to TMS. Perfectionism and "goodism" (the tendency to be as ethical and moral as possible; actually also a form of perfectionism) are particularly enraging to the subconscious "id" (the primitive inner animal / child-like part of the brain).
I must admit that I would not have written this article five years ago. I'm not really into unconventional medicine; but some years ago I had the misfortune of suddenly experiencing excruciating lower-back pain. I won't bore people with the details, but after following the usual conventional route of MRI scans and an epidural injection, without much success, I basically solved my back problem by reading a few TMS books and following their advice. So in my experience, TMS is real. Since then I suspect that some of my other, mainly stomach-related, previous ailments were actually TMS-related. I'm even wondering whether my lifelong stuttering, though mild these days, is part of TMS and whether TMS treatment will have an effect on it.
Let's consider the onset of stuttering, usually between the age of 3 and 5. For some predisposed kids, overt stress seems to be the trigger; for instance, some children begin to stutter after a traumatic incident such as a car accident, or after having been bitten by a dog, or after a parental divorce. Here the stress trigger seems clear.
In most cases, however, the stress is not so obvious. It could be argued that the actual learning of language also involves stress triggers: the child needs to master complex grammar, new meanings and difficult pronunciations, all of which could overstress a still immature speech system.
In this particular, genetically predisposed individual the outlet is the vocal cords that "lock" or "freeze" - as per the pioneering work of Dr Martin Schwartz, who was instrumental in identifying the role of the vocal cords that freeze when overstressed. Apparently some people are genetically and neurologically predisposed to direct their tension to their vocal cords, just as others direct their tension to other body parts. And so the stress response of freezing becomes a physical "freeze" of the vocal-cord muscles; and the child begins to stutter - the actual sound or word repetitions are simply conditioned reflexes in response to the vocal-cord freeze. The stuttering, in turn, will increase the unconscious inner rage and stress, so that a vicious circle is created, established and strengthened over the years.
The TMS argument can be taken even further. TMS experts would argue that mindbody issues are often symbolic; that the mindbody often chooses a particular body part to symbolically communicate its message. In his book The Great Pain Deception, Steven Ozanich says, in discussing spasmodic dysphonia, that the vocal cords are common targets of tension since the voice is a mechanism of expressing self. In the same way, TMS-related shoulder pain may indicate that the subconscious mind feels that it is "carrying the world on its shoulders".
A major question would be the following: if stuttering is a type of TMS, is that TMS still active in adulthood; or did the TMS only occur in early childhood, so resulting in stuttering and creating the conditioned responses, after which the TMS itself receded so that the conditioned stuttering remained as a leftover, continuing into adulthood? In the case of this last-mentioned scenario, TMS treatment will obviously not have any effect.
Major implications for treatment
A major part of TMS treatment is to convince the client's conscious as well as subconscious mind that the problem is fundamentally psychological and NOT structural (after, of course, having excluded the possibility that there is indeed a serious structural defect or injury). This convincing is necessary so that the subconscious mind - the level at which the problem arises - will stop trying to distract you by means of the symptoms. If the subconscious mind becomes aware that its distraction tricks no longer work, it stops its mischief. I know, it sounds unbelievable - but it works. The proof of the pudding lies in the eating. So many people are benefiting from TMS treatment that it needs to be taken seriously.
Applied to stuttering, it would mean that you have to be convinced, and have to convince your subconscious, that unconscious emotions drive your stuttering.
A complicating factor, of course, is that stuttering is usually developmental, with onset before school-going age, which means that the years or decades of stuttering and its conditioned components - the force of habit - will need to be taken into account. In TMS, conditioning and learning play a major role, and one can expect that the power of conditioning will be a formidable obstacle for those who want to tackle their stuttering through TMS treatment. However, the TMS treatment may stop the stutter from being fed by the subconscious source, ultimately leading to it withering away.
Most speech professionals, again, will say that the psychological approach to stuttering has long since been discarded, and that the focus these days is on neurology and brain scanning. They will be quick to tell you that Freud, the father of modern psychology and of psychoanalysis, did not succeed in treating people who stuttered (even though we have come a long way since Freud, with our knowledge of psychology and stress having expanded enormously since then).
So once again it is up to the individual with an open mind to try and find his own way, and experiment with this, or any other, approach which makes sense. Fortunately a small but growing number of doctors are embracing the TMS concept and treating patients accordingly.
Feel free to provide feedback in the comments section below if you are experimenting or have experimented with TMS treatment for stuttering. PS Don't be upset when things get worse before they get better! This is typical in TMS treatment, as the subconscious tries to maintain the status quo when it notes that things are changing. TMS treatment is a journey; so be sure to join the TMS Facebook support group mentioned above.
Update January 2017: According to new research, there are indications of reduced blood flow to the brain's speech centres during stuttering. This could strengthen the argument that stuttering is a type of TMS. Keep in mind that, according to the TMS experts, TMS symptoms are physiologically effected by a reduced oxygen supply to the affected area. It could be that the central nervous system reduces the blood flow to the speech centres, thereby reducing the oxygen supply to those areas, so messing up these centres and resulting in the dyscoordination of the vocal cords and the resultant vocal-cord freezing that in turn results in stuttering. Check out this research article.

subset: commoncrawl


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NEW HARTFORD, Iowa — Even as he rowed his flat-bottom aluminum boat down New Hartford's Main Street, Jim Johnson didn't seem especially concerned Tuesday about the flooding that had inundated his small northeast Iowa town.
Much of New Hartford's 500-plus residents had been evacuated before dawn, but those who remained and others in a nearby evacuation shelter took the flooding and damage in stride.
"I have about 8 inches of water in my basement," said Johnson, 49. "I usually stay until everything is lost."
The flooding was due to more than 7 inches of rain that pounded the area Monday. The rainwater poured into Beaver Creek, turning a stream normally a couple feet deep into a fast-moving river that is far over its banks.
Authorities responded by notifying residents of the danger via a telephone emergency system on Monday night, and then issuing an evacuation warning early Tuesday. Up to 50 emergency workers, sheriff's deputies and firefighters went door to door starting at 3 a.m. and helped townspeople flee before the water got too high and when boats and high-centered vehicles would have been required for rescues.
Nordmeyer estimated about a third of New Hartford's residents remained, but the town was largely silent by afternoon. At one point, the water reached about 3 feet deep on the east side of town, and floodwaters poured into the west side of town as well. The creek topped a levy that surrounds the town on the east side near the elementary school, Nordmeyer said.
Residents said they took the danger seriously, but they'd seen Beaver Creek surge out of its banks before, including a devastating flood in 2008 that swamped the community with 4 feet or more of water. After that flood, many residents raised their homes when they rebuilt to better withstand future flooding.
"I've seen it a lot worse," said Sue Ragsdale, 60, who evacuated her home in the early hours but returned later in the day. She found a flooded barn but a dry home.
Ragsdale's home was severely damaged by flooding in 2008, and she rebuilt and raised her home. Still, she heeded the warning from officials and moved her livestock and dogs away from the potential flooding, then stayed with family nearby for a few hours.
"It's something you're used to when you live in New Hartford," she said.
James Bergfelder, 57, stayed in his house on the southeast corner of town. He said his two-story home is on higher ground and remained dry, but by Tuesday afternoon it was surrounded by water.
"It got right up next to my house," said Bergfelder, a day trader whose home received water in 2008. "I thought for sure it was going to come in because I kept putting a stake out there in my lawn to see how it was coming up. And I kept having to move it. I thought, 'Yeah, it's going to come in.' And then all of a sudden it just kind of stopped. And now it's just gradually going down."
The National Weather Service said most of New Hartford floods when the creek rises to 14 feet. This time, it crested at 15.15 feet by 7:45 a.m. Tuesday. The weather service said the creek was at 14 feet as of 4 p.m. Tuesday and the water continues to recede. It is expected to return to the creek by Wednesday evening.
The crest, or when the river overflows its banks, is about a half-foot short of the record of 15.7 feet set in June 2008, and it is two feet higher than when the creek caused flooding last month.
An emergency shelter was set up six miles away in Shell Rock, but by Tuesday afternoon it was empty.
"There comes a point when you face the fact that you can't beat mother nature back and today was one of those days," said Kip Ladage, Bremer County Emergency Management Coordinator running the shelter. "We had some people sick to their stomach as we did the hourly cresting levels but still there's nothing you can do and you just take it."
The rest of Butler County is under a flash flood watch until Wednesday morning. The weather service said New Hartford is along a path in northern Iowa that may experience showers and thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon into the overnight hours. Meteorologist Kevin Skow said between 2 and 3 inches of rain could fall per hour from the systems moving through the area.
Any rain that falls over the town will flow back into Beaver Creek because the ground is saturated, said Skow, resulting in standing water possibly staying around longer than expected.


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The CW used to have a show, Privileged, which showed the lives of two sisters who have had a very privileged life of wealth. They had the kind of life that was filled with extravagance and excess. However, this past week I've been wondering if only this type of life is considered a type of privilege
These past two weeks I have been sharing a laptop with my brother. Mine has been out of commission and thus, he and I have disputing on whose need for it is greater with both of us presenting our arguments. I have felt so deprived because of my lack of access to technology that I have been pestering the technicians about when I can get my laptop working again.
This process brings up again the phrase: "First world problems." I have the ability to make a call without being attached to the wall, I am able to in an instant connect with someone in another country and hear their voice. I can even send them an email and write to people on blogs such as this one- sharing my thoughts to people I have never met. Sure, I may be limited in the rate at which this can occur but that is only because someone is watching a video uploaded by another person on a different continent.
As the world is quickly developing and advances in technology increase it is so easy to forget where we stand in relation to others. While the laptop I am using now shuts down when I tilt the screen just so at least I have access to it. Therefore, I've come to the conclusion that privilege comes in many forms.
Privilege can be both tangible and intangible. It can be in the form of material items or beliefs and ideas. However, it all depends on perspective and it's relative. Remember that there will always be some part of your life that someone else does not have and for that you are privileged.
To let the kids know that you are thinking of them, remember to take a look at our information page: https://schoolsuppliesforafghanchildren.wordpress.com/items-we-collect/


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A critical system on the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford that has symbolized the ship's struggles has taken "a big step forward," the Navy has reported.
The advanced arresting gear (AAG), designed to safely land aircraft on the flight deck, recently recovered a "fly-in" of an F/A-18E Super Hornet at a land-based site in New Jersey.
Prior to that, the Navy had trapped more than 200 aircraft in a "roll-in" type of land-based test.
"This milestone test event demonstrates AAG's capability and signifies a big step forward in getting the system ready for duty on board the Navy's newest aircraft carrier," said Capt. Stephen Tedford, program manager for aircraft launch and recovery equipment.
Built by General Atomics, the advanced arresting gear combines energy-absorbing water turbines and an induction motor to bring aircraft to a controlled stop. It is currently installed on the Ford, which continues to undergo testing at Newport News Shipbuilding.
Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) completed more than 1,300 "traps" using dead loads before switching to manned aircraft. The tests are being conducted at sites in Lakehurst, N.J.
The AAG system recognizes roll-in and fly-in landings as essentially the same, but the different approaches allow the Navy to test variable conditions the system will face, according to NAVAIR.
The Oct. 13 fly-in was deemed successful because it allowed the test team to gather data at 12 different points, said NAVAIR spokesman Michael Land.
Additional fly-in tests will not be needed, he said. However, the Navy will continue to conduct roll-in tests with aircraft as well as dead-load tests.
Eventually, NAVAIR will issue what's called an aircraft recovery bulletin for the Super Hornet. It instructs the crew on how to use the advanced arresting gear for a specific type of aircraft.
NAVAIR plans to issue a limited aircraft recovery bulletin so the Ford can test AAG with manned aircraft on its flight deck. That timetable hasn't been announced.
Besides AAG, several key systems on Ford have proved troublesome. The ship is well behind its intended delivery of September 2015, and the Navy hasn't specified when the $12.9 billion warship will join the fleet.
Top Navy officials have attributed the delays to a decision made more than a decade ago to pack several new, untested technologies on the Ford, the first of a new carrier class, instead of gradually introducing new components over several ships.
Frank Kendall, a Defense Department undersecretary and lead weapons buyer, recently kicked off a review of the Ford carrier program, and AAG is among his top concerns.
The Navy has acknowledged those problems and is reviewing whether to install AAG on the next Ford-class carrier, the John F. Kennedy.
The drumbeat of negative reports on AAG dates back more than a year.
In November 2014, the Government Accountability Office noted failures in land-based testing that led to further work and redesign.
In March 2015, a Naval Sea Systems Command officer said AAG was about two years behind schedule. In October of that year, a Pentagon official told Congress that AAG testing had not yet accumulated meaningful data, yet it was already installed on the Ford.
In July 2016, the Defense Department inspector general said the program had recorded a 332 percent cost increase through research, development, testing and evaluation. It represented an overrun of $571.5 million from 2005 baseline numbers.
In August, Kendall announced his intent to review the overall program.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who visited the Newport News shipyard last week, gave an upbeat assessment of the challenges that face Ford, although he declined to predict when it would be delivered to the Navy.


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"An Important Property of Cap-and-Trade"
Another quick one while I wait for a connection at the SF airport --- Robert Stavins explains the independence property for cap-and-trade systems. This property "allows equity and efficiency concerns to be separated. In particular, a government can set an overall cap of pollutant emissions (a pollution reduction goal) and leave it up to a legislature to construct a constituency in support of the program by allocating shares of the allowances to various interests, such as sectors and geographic regions, without affecting either the environmental performance of the system or its aggregate social costs":
Two Notable Events Prompt Examination of an Important Property of Cap-and-Trade, by Robert Stavins: ...In our just-published article, "The Effect of Allowance Allocations on Cap-and-Trade System Performance," [Robert] Hahn and I ... focused on an idea that is closely related to the Coase theorem, namely, that the market equilibrium in a cap-and-trade system will be cost-effective and independent of the initial allocation of tradable rights (typically referred to as permits or allowances). That is, the overall cost of achieving a given emission reduction will be minimized, and the final allocation of permits will be independent of the initial allocation, under certain conditions (conditional upon the permits being allocated freely, i.e., not auctioned). We call this the independence property. It is closely related to a core principle of general equilibrium theory (Arrow and Debreu 1954), namely, that when markets are complete, outcomes remain efficient even after lump-sum transfers among agents.
The Practical Political Importance of the Independence Property
We were interested in the independence property because of its great political importance. The reason why this property is of such great relevance to the practical development of public policy is that it allows equity and efficiency concerns to be separated. In particular, a government can set an overall cap of pollutant emissions (a pollution reduction goal) and leave it up to a legislature to construct a constituency in support of the program by allocating shares of the allowances to various interests, such as sectors and geographic regions, without affecting either the environmental performance of the system or its aggregate social costs. Indeed, this property is a key reason why cap-and-trade systems have been employed and have evolved as the preferred instrument in a variety of environmental policy settings.
In Theory, Does the Property Always Hold?
Because of the importance of this property, we examined the conditions under which it is more or less likely to hold — both in theory and in practice. In short, we found that in theory, a number of factors can lead to the independence property being violated. These are particular types of transaction costs in cap-and-trade markets; significant market power in the allowance market; uncertainty regarding the future price of allowances; conditional allowance allocations, such as output-based updating-allocation mechanisms; non-cost-minimizing behavior by firms; and specific kinds of regulatory treatment of participants in a cap-and-trade market.
In Reality, Has the Property Held?
Of course, the fact that these factors can lead to the violation of the independence property does not mean that in practice they do so in quantitatively significant ways. Therefore, Hahn and I also carried out an empirical assessment of the independence property in past and current cap-and-trade systems: lead trading; chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) under the Montreal Protocol; the sulfur dioxide (SO2) allowance trading program; the Regional Clean Air Incentives Market (RECLAIM) in Southern California; eastern nitrogen oxides (NOX) markets; the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS); and Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol.
I encourage you to read our article, but, a quick summary of our assessment is that we found modest support for the independence property in the seven cases we examined (but also recognized that it would surely be useful to have more empirical research in this realm).
Politicians Have Had it Right
That the independence property appears to be broadly validated provides support for the efficacy of past political judgments regarding constituency building through legislatures' allowance allocations in cap-and-trade systems. Governments have repeatedly set the overall emissions cap and then left it up to the political process to allocate the available number of allowances among sources to build support for an initiative without reducing the system's environmental performance or driving up its cost.
This success with environmental cap-and-trade systems should be contrasted with many other public policy proposals for which the normal course of events is that the political bargaining that is necessary to develop support reduces the effectiveness of the policy or drives up its overall cost. So, the independence property of well-designed and implemented cap-and-trade systems is hardly something to be taken for granted. It is of real political importance and remarkable social value.
Posted by Mark Thoma on Saturday, July 21, 2012 at 04:23 PM in Economics, Environment, Market Failure |
Comments (9)


text: NEWS Hot 100 Recap: Ushering in a New Decade of No. 1s 5/6/2010 by Silvio Pietroluongo FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Getty Singer Usher performs onstage during the NBA All-Star Game held at Cowboys Stadium on February 14, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. As reported earlier in a breaking news story, Usher moves to the head of the Hot 100 ranking with "OMG," featuring will.i.am, his ninth single to top the list. With the 6-1 ascension, Usher becomes the first artist to top the list in the past three decades. His first No. 1, "Nice & Slow" ruled for three weeks in February 1998, and was followed by three chart-toppers in 2001, four in 2004 and one in 2008. Only Madonna and Janet Jackson were able to pull off the three-decade achievement in the 80s, 90s and 00s. "OMG" takes both the Airplay and Digital Gainer awards, moving into the top 10 of Radio Songs (14-7) and to No. 1 on Digital Songs (2-1). Making way for Usher's chart champ is B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" which falls to No. 2 after two weeks on top. The Atlanta rapper's new single "Airplanes," featuring Eminem and Hayley Williams, jumps 9-7 on the Hot 100 and arrives on Radio Songs at No. 41, the highest debut on that chart since Usher's "Love In This Club" opened at No. 38 in the May 10, 2008, issue. B.o.B also debuts on the Hot 100 with "Magic," featuring Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, at No. 83. Rihanna's "Rude Boy" slips a spot to No. 3, as does Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart" (3-4), "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum (4-5) and Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" (5-6). Ke$ha's "Your Love Is My Drug" holds at No. 8, ahead of Jason DeRulo's "In My Head" which falls 7-9. Jay-Z once again takes the lead for most top 10s by a rapper on the Hot 100 as "Young Forever" skips 12-10, his 17th title to reach the upper tier. Jay-Z had been tied with Ludacris for that accolade as the two have been jockeying for the lead for the past couple of years. Jay-Z may soon have to share the mark yet again, as Ludacris holds at No. 11 with "My Chick Bad," featuring Nicki Minaj. The Glee Cast places five new entries on the Hot 100, led by "One Less Bell to Answer/A House Is Not A Home," which is the Hot Shot Debut at No. 53. It's the most titles the troupe has debuted with in a single week, having previously placed four tracks on four occasions, including each of the last two weeks. Notable debuts among the 13 new entries this week are the Black Eyed Peas' "Rock That Body" (No. 62) and Shakira's "Gypsy" (No. 65). The Peas track is the fifth title to chart from their album "The E.N.D.," the most they've ever placed on the list from one set. Shakira performed her new track on both "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "American Idol," prompting a 313% digital spike to 30,000 downloads. FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME


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Australia has followed Ireland in voting in favour of legalising same-sex marriage by 61.6% to 38.4%.
The results of the non-binding survey were met with celebrations from Yes campaign events across the country - as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said it was time for Parliament to act on the wishes of the nation.
The beautiful moment when Australia said #Yes2Love.#MarriageEquality #AustraliaSaidYES pic.twitter.com/I4xtdLGsFt— Hit Network (@HitNetworkAUS) November 15, 2017
Across all six states in Australia, the yes vote won - ranging from 64.9% in Victoria to 57.8% in New South Wales - while both the Northern Territory (60.6%) and Australian Capital Territory (74%) voted in favour of the proposal.
Speaking in Canberra, Mr Turnbull said: "Australians have voted yes for fairness, they have voted yes for commitment, they have voted yes for love.
"Now it's up to us here in the Parliament of Australia to get on with it, to get on with the job the people have asked us to do and get it done this year, before Christmas.
"That must be our commitment.
"I know that many people - a minority obviously - voted no.
"But we are a fair nation - there's nothing more Australian than a fair go, than equality, than mutual respect."
Australia votes YES 🏳🌈 #MarriageEquality pic.twitter.com/rN3aQRExOz— Sydney Opera House (@SydOperaHouse) November 15, 2017
With a turnout of 79.5%, the vote had a bigger turnout than the Brexit referendum and US presidential election. A change of law will need to be approved by Parliament.
Australian statistician David Kalisch announced the results in the country's capital Canberra, with 7,817,247 of the ballots cast saying yes, compared to 4,873,987 opposed to the idea.
The chief executive of Australian flag carrier Qantas urged Malcolm Turnbull to "get on with" legislating.
Alan Joyce, an Irish-born Australian described as a "passionate advocate for LGBT+ rights", said he was proud of Ireland when they voted to legalise same-sex marriage in 2015.
Addressing a Yes campaign event in Sydney, he said: "But today I am even more proud of Australia, my country of selection.
"This is an amazing outcome and we should all be proud of this amazing country."
Liberal senator Eric Abetz, who backed the No campaign, said: "The decision by the Australian people reflected in the postal survey is a decision that I regret but respect.
"Changing a fundamental societal institution that pre-existed the nation-state is something which should rightly be decided by the people as a whole and it has been with a very strong turnout despite claims from many quarters that this process would fail.
This is the moment during the @abcbrisbane FB Live broadcast when people in Queen's Park Brisbane learned it was a Yes #MarriageEquality #SSM @abcnews pic.twitter.com/LYQR2Fv4Hf— Patrick Williams (@PatrickWilliams) November 15, 2017
"While disappointed by the result, I am heartened by the strong 'no' vote in the face of such a relentless campaign from the 'yes' campaign by the media, political elites and celebrities.
"The voices of the millions of 'no' voters deserve to be recognised in the framing of any legislation.
"A hubristic winner-takes-all approach in this matter would ignore the will of millions of Australians who have concerns about changing marriage."
🎉 THANK YOU 🎉— AU Marriage Equality (@AMEquality) November 14, 2017
This all happened because of you.
We did this together. pic.twitter.com/4vWuIj9bpB


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A new Opera Omaha co-production of Mozart's masterwork The Magic Flute featuring costumes, sets and animations three years in the making by internationally acclaimed Omaha artist Jun Kaneko is making waves in the opera world. Following performances on both coasts the opera comes home to the Orpheum Theater February 22 and 24.
|February 2013
Collective Impact
More than just collaborating with area mentoring groups, the Midlands Mentoring Partnership seeks to better the lives of high-risk youth through the long-term process of collective social change.
|January 2013
January 2013 Horoscopes
|January 2013
metroMAGAZINE's Top 10 Holiday Gift Ideas for 2012
|December 2012
COVER Story-Love Donor
When Larry Kavich's borrowed time with a rare disease began to run out and he needed a kidney transplant, his daughter Amee Zetzman came to the rescue.
|November 2012
Dynamic Duo
Omaha Press Club's Face on the Barroom Floor has featured brothers (Simons); Husbands and wives (five sets); Fathers and sons (the Lee Terrys and Jack Diesings); But never in the 41-year history of the "Face" have a father and daughter been spotlighted together. Until Now.
|October 2012
Sweet Couture is a fundraising event for the omaha restaurant association. Money raised will be used toward culinary scholarships and a donation to the food bank.
|September 2012
September 2012 NHS Look Who's Sheltering Shelter Pets
Steve and Tina King are pet people from early childhood. You might have heard one of Steve's many anecdotes as he hosts his morning radio program on CD-105.9. "I can't remember a time when I didn't have a dog growing up," says Steve.
|September 2012
120 and Growing
Lutheran Family Services is a nonprofit family services center headquartered in Omaha. Started in 1892 as two orphanages, the statewide organization celebrates its 120th anniversary this fall. President and CEO Ruth Henrichs has been with LFS since 1976.
|September 2012
The Right Choice
"Our goal with the Go Red For Women movement and the Go Red For Women Expo is to empower, educate, and save lives one choice at a time," Redmond said.
|September 2012


text: What If Im Right Chords by Sandi Thom Sandi Thom - "what if I'm right" Tabs by Mary Coyote email@example.com Any doubts, just mail me! =) The whole song is just E B C#m A E You'll take me on a journey B And be there till the end C#m It won't be an uphill struggle A On you I can depend E You promised me a dream home B With roses round the door C#m You'll cover me in diamonds A There's nothing I want more And E You'll be strong B And you'll turn me on C#m A But I've got my doubts and what if I'm right? E B You'll be true and be faithful too C#m A But I've got my doubts and what if I'm right? A What if I'm right?


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Benedict XVI, emeritus pope and theologian, reflected on Saturday on classical music as an "encounter with the divine," saying listening to Mozart helps him experience "very deeply the Lord's presence."
Benedict's reflections came at a ceremony where he received honorary doctorates from the Pontifical John Paul II University of Krakow and the Krakow Academy of Music for his promotion of respect for the traditions of sacred music in the Church.
Since retiring from the papacy in 2013, Benedict has dedicated his time at the Vatican to prayer, meditation and classical music. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who served as the Vatican's guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy, he used to relax at home by playing his piano, with Mozart pieces a frequent choice.
U.S. & World
"It remains indelibly impressed in my memory how, for example, as soon as the first notes resounded from Mozart's 'Coronation Mass,' the heavens practically opened and you experienced, very deeply, the Lord's presence," Benedict, 88, said during his speech at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, a hill town near Rome where he had first stayed after resigning, citing age and frailty.
Rarely making speeches as a retiree, Benedict told his audience music is born from the experiences of love, of "sadness, of being touched by death, by pain and by the abysses of existence" as well as from "the encounter with the divine."
He called the honorary degrees "an essential contribution so that the great gift of music that comes from the tradition of the Christian faith stays strong," and so that "faith's creative force isn't extinguished in the future."
Bestowing the honors was Krakow Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who served as St. Pope John Paul II's longtime aide and who was made cardinal by Benedict.


text: The Solarnauts March 6, 2019 The Solarnauts (1967) — 25 min - Science Fiction, TV Movie - 1 January 1967 Your rating: Not rated yet! A pilot for an unproduced British science fiction space adventure series. Director: John Llewellyn Moxey Stars: David Garfield, Derek Fowlds, John Ringham, Alex Scott, Martine Beswick, Peter Blair-Stewart, John Connell, Leslie Crawford, Cliff Diggins, Romo Gorrara, Jan Leeming, Frank Maher, George Roubicek, Virgina Wetherell Photos No images were imported for this movie. Storyline A pilot for an unproduced British science fiction space adventure series. Collections: John Llewellyn Moxey Genres: Science Fiction, TV Movie Details Official Website: — Country: United Kingdom Release Date: 1 January 1967 Box Office Company Credits Production Companies: — Technical Specs Runtime: 0 h 25 min


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Kusunga's late winner clinches dramatic comeback win for Latics
An unbelievable comeback from Latics saw them clinch a 5-4 win against all the odds as centre half Genserix Kusunga slammed home an added time winner. Midfielder Gary Harkins had been the mastermind for Lee Johnson's side grabbing his first two goals for the club to clinch the sponsors 'man of the match' award.
GOAL 1-3 - The half began well for Latics, Brown was brought down on the edge of the visitors box after a terrific run had taken through three challenges. Harkins free kick being superbly tipped away for a corner by Joe Day. Harkins however wasn't to be denied his first goal for Latics as he swept home a loose ball following Smith's corner kick.
GOAL 2-3 - The fight back continued as Worrall grabbed his first goal for the club just six minutes later. Harkins being the architect with a brilliant piece of skill to leave Mark Little in his wake, before laying on a neat pass for Worrall to smash home passed Day.
With the Boundary Park crowd now fully behind them Latics were first to every ball and they were soon on their feet again as a long range effort from Brown whistled just wide.
Clarke-Harris appealed for a penalty on the hour mark, his run into the box brought an end by a combination of Michael Bostwick and Craig Alcock, referee Clark waving away his protest.
GOAL 2-4 - The game took another turn away from Latics on 62 minutes, Ajose the beneficiary following a defensive mix up. The winger slotting home to put his side two goals clear again.
GOAL 3-4 - Latics were back in the game five minutes later and again it was Harkins who created the chance. Again he showed great skill to get down the left hand side, cutting inside the box to cross for James Wesolowski to prod home under Day to bring the Boundary Park crowd to their feet again.
Within minutes Harkins created another chance, Day superbly saving to stop Worrall doubling his tally from the Scots deep cross.
Latics were now well on top, Harkins deft lob from the edge of the box then almost bringing the scores level, before Worrall's effort from the edge of the box was charged down in the six yard box by a desperate Posh rearguard.
Posh who, were being kept in their own half by the resurgent Latics, showed they were still a danger on the break as Rowe tested Oxley from long range on 85 minutes. The Latics keeper dealing with the shot with comfort.
The game took yet another turn as Latics were awarded a penalty on 86 minutes after Tomlin dived to save Clarke-Harris' header off the line. Referee Clark sending the midfielder off for handball.
GOAL 4-4 - Harkins claimed his second goal for the club, slamming home the resultant spot kick to bring Latics level.
GOAL 5-4 - Unbelievably Latics strike again in added time, centre half Genserix Kusunga smashing home from Harkins' corner to give his side a win that looked to be impossible for long periods.
FT: Latics 5 Peterborough United 4
Latics: Oxley, Grounds, Wesolowski, Kusunga, Tarkowski, Smith, MacDonald, Dayton (Brown), Philliskirk (Clarke-Harris), Worrall, Harkins.
Unused Subs: Rachubka, Mellor, Winchester, Rodgers, Lockwood.


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Every sock drawer has an old pair of nude-colored socks or knee-high stockings that never really get worn anymore. Instead of letting them clutter up your drawer or just throwing them out, why not repurpose them into an amazing do-it-yourself doll for your favorite little girl?
See More: HOW TO APPLY THE DARK MAKE UP
Follow this creative mom as she transforms an old pair of socks into a delightful handmade toy her daughter will love. You don't have to be a craft expert to tackle this project. Anyone can create this great toy that any kid would love to have, especially cause it was handmade by someone special to them.….READ MORE ON THE NEXT PAGE


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The Blago Fund Team donated slides and DVDs on Serbian monasteries to the Princeton and Harvard Universities. Slides and DVDs were created by Blago field team during their years of extensive work in Monastery Mileseva, August 2000, 195 slides; Monastery Studenica, Monastery Gracanica, June 2003, 98 slides; Monastery Decani, June 2004, 21 slides; Monastery Sopocani, August 2005, 53 slides; Monastery Ravanica, 173 scanned pictures.
We would like to thank the Princeton University for supporting our projects.
Washington - The Director of Programs for the Serbian Unity Congress Ivana Cerovic and Milka Piljak visited Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection and met with Ms. Gerri Schaad, Curator for Image Collections and Fieldworks Archives.
Dumbarton Oaks provides resources for study and publication of scholarly works in Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, and Garden and Landscape Studies. Begun as a private collection by Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss in 1920, and given to Harvard University in 1940, the library and collections include art objects, artifacts, manuscripts, and rare books. Its considered one of the richest collections and research libraries of Byzantine art in the world.
The Dumbarton Oaks museum opened its doors in April 2008 after renovation.
Buy Blago DVDs | Send free e-cards with pictures of the Serbian Monasteries
For more information visit www.doaks.org


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Phone: 651-744-7039
Degrees and Certifications:
Mrs. Lo
More about Mrs. Lo
Welcome! Nyob Zoo! This school year, I will be teaching mathematics to 7th and 8th graders. When I am not at school, I am with my family. We love to spend our free time at the parks and with all our other family members.
General Classroom Information
Students and Parents should expect assignments almost every day. Students will get some class time to work on these assignments, but should expect to complete them at home.
There will be homework help in Mrs. Lo's classroom every Wednesday from 4-5:00 pm. Students who choose to stay MUST have a way home at 5:00.
Course Syllabus


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Membership information for St Clair SLSC
We are always looking for new members to join our club.
From the age of 7 years children can join our Surf Life Saving Club to participate in Junior Surf. We encourage children to have fun and develop their skills, so they can enjoy the beach and one day might be able to save someone else too. It's about developing tomorrow's lifeguards and opening up a whole new world to children.
Our club also has a senior programme which caters for all other members from the ages of 14 and up. Members of our senior programme can become involved in anyway that they wish, members do not have to consider themselves as elite athletes as the lifeguarding and social aspects of our club is just as important to us as the sporting side.
Members over the age of 14 also have the oppourtunity to gain their surf life guard award and become involved in one of our eight rostered patrols through the summer. Further information on becoming a surf life guard is available from the Surf Life Saving New Zealand website.
Currently our club is running programmes for our Junior Surf members, members looking at gaining their surf life guard award as well as development and athletic programmes for our current members.
An online membership form for Surf Life Saving New Zealand should be completed to sign up for St Clair SLSC.
Club members also complete a registration form each year to keep details up to date and to process subs payments.


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Paramount Catalog Titles! Beverly Hills Cop was the film that cemented Eddie Murphy's status as a film star, and Le Mans put Steve McQueen in a car for much of its running time. These films have little in common, other than being very manly movies at the end of the day. Both are now on Blu-ray in the best transfers of their home video lives. Check our reviews of both after the jump.
For Eddie Murphy 48 Hrs was the breakthrough role, and though his presence on Saturday Night Live was electrifying, he got paid a shitload of money to appear in Best Defense – a fairly miserable Dudley Moore film to which he was inserted seemingly at random – which was considered a possibly career-ending decision. And though he had two hit films to his credit (also, Trading Places), there was concern he soured his audience. When Beverly Hills Cop came out in December of 1984, it was a make or break for Murphy. Cut to the chase, Beverly Hills Cop made $234 Million dollars, which in today's dollars equals something over a half a billion.
Murphy stars as Axel Foley, a Detroit cop whose old high school friend Mikey Tandino (James Russo) shows up with some unmarked bonds, and is quickly assassinated. Foley wants to investigate, and so he goes to Mikey's old job haunts in Beverly Hills, where he is the definition of a fish out of water. He quickly goes to investigate Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), and quickly susses out that he's an asshole, so he probably did it. But he gets thrown out a window, so he gets to the BHPD, where he's followed by Detectives Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton).
Though Murphy is allowed to do run wild, what makes this film still work like gangbusters is that it's anchored to a tight script (the film runs 105 minutes) that actually works as an action film. Though there's no real mystery, and it has a very black hat approach to the villain (at no point does anyone in the movie think that guy is innocent), the film has Murphy following clues and trying to put together a case. Much of his comedy here is drawn from the scene in 48 Hrs where he pretends to be a cop, but Murphy was still an underdog, and that sense of him pulling one over while still being in control works for the film. It's too bad the sequels don't work (both have interesting things, but…), but this was also Murphy at a period where he was still disciplined enough to work hard and deliver. Two years later he was bored and doing The Golden Child. Beverly Hills Cop is also populated with talent actors who come in and do what their good at. Ronny Cox has just enough meat to his role that he makes his Captain seem like he gets it but can only go so far. It works.
In terms of Murphy's work, it's hard to put this on the level of his best work; it just misses. Even though 48 Hrs has some bumpiness his performance is that much more fresh, and he's actually playing a character. Regardless, it's still a great movie, and top to bottom entertaining. After this he was really funny in Coming to America, The Nutty Professor and Bowfinger. And that's about it.
Paramount's Blu-ray offers all of the supplements from the previous DVD releases, and presents the film in widescreen (1.78:1) and in DTS-HD 5.1 Surround. The picture is excellent for what it is (this isn't a film that was known for its great look), and the soundtrack – while front-heavy – is fine. Extras include a good commentary by Martin Brest, and featurettes "The Phenomenon Begins" (29:11), covers the development of the film (with Sylvester Stallone the film's budget ballooned to $20 Million!), and it's huge success, "A Glimpse Inside the Casting Process" (10 min.), and "The Music of Beverly Hills Cop" (8 min). For more interactivity there's a location map of the Los Angeles locations with minute long interviews with the production designer on each spot, and the film's theatrical trailer.
Le Mans is one of those films that feels like it was made more by a hobbyist than a director. Until I looked at the IMDb, I assumed that a random person shot a bunch of footage from the race and then decided to build a narrative around it. But director Lee H. Katzin worked heavily in TV so there's less of an excuse. I'm sure that the film happened partly because of McQueen's love of racing, but this makes Howard Hawks's less than great Red Line 7000 look that much better. You've got some stories about a recent crash, which circle McQueen's character – who's the epitome of cool, but car racing isn't that cinematic, and so you've got the great photography of the racing, and little else to latch on to.
I can't tell if this is a guy's guy movie, or if this is just one of those films that linger because of the cult of McQueen, but this doesn't compare to his best work, and it's mostly because it feels like an anti-film. Cars crash, life is led, but the main thrust never feels like the people in it. Cars going in circles have led to some great comedies, and one of the best films by Monte Hellman. This is just boring.
Paramount/CBS Film's Blu-ray is optimal though. The film is presented in widescreen (2.35:1) and in DTS-HD 7.1 surround. Though on the grainy side of things, the picture looks perfect for its age, and the colors look spot on for a film that's 40 years old. Extras include a making of (24 min.) hosted by Chad McQueen, and features interviews with the director (who passed on in 2002). Also included is the film's theatrical trailer.


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At last... we've nailed down the lineup for this year's Houston Press Music Awards showcase Sunday, August 5. The venues are grouped into three clusters around downtown - Houston Pavilions, Warehouse Live and Phul Court - and some sort of transportation between the three (taxi or shuttle) will be available. We'll let you know.
To readers (and voters) get better acquainted with this year's showcase lineup, Rocks Off also asked each of them to fill out a brief survey basically introducing themselves. We will start running their responses... probably tomorrow. This thing is coming up soon.
Tickets to the showcase are on sale now at the HPMA Web site. Don't forget to vote in the HPMA ballot. Here are the venues and times.
HOUSE OF BLUES 1204 Caroline
Bronze Peacock Room:
5 p.m.: Glasnost 6 p.m.: H.I.S.D. 7 p.m.: Otenki 8 p.m.: The Niceguys 9 p.m.: thelastplaceyoulook
Crossroads Stage (restaurant):
5 p.m.: Electric Attitude 6 p.m.: David G. Cortes 7 p.m.: Justin Van Sant 8 p.m.: Grievous Angels 9 p.m.: Chase Hamblin
PETE'S DUELING PIANO BAR 1201 Fannin
5 p.m.: The Journey Agents 6 p.m.: Maximus 7 p.m.: cHangoMan 8 p.m.: Leah White & the Magic Mirrors 9 p.m.: Bang Bangz
LUCKY STRIKE LANES & LOUNGE 1201 San Jacinto
5 p.m.: Miss Leslie 6 p.m.: Tianna Hall 7 p.m.: Second Lovers 8 p.m.: Caretta Bell 9 p.m.: Free Radicals
RESERVE 101 1201 Caroline
5 p.m.: Brompton 6 p.m.: excuseMesir 7 p.m.: Alkari 8 p.m.: Matt Harlan 9 p.m.: The Mighty Orq
THE DIRT 1209 Caroline
5 p.m.: Skeleton Dick 6 p.m.: Female Demand 7 p.m.: The Abyss 8 p.m.: Floorbound 9 p.m.: Beetle
BEN'S BEANS 1302 Dallas
5 p.m.: Vince King 6 p.m.: Mike Stinson 7 p.m.: Nick Greer 8 p.m.: PotBelly 9 p.m.: Nathan Quick
WAREHOUSE LIVE STUDIO 813 St. Emanuel
5 p.m.: Thurogood Wordsmith 6 p.m.: Little Joe Washington 7 p.m.: Venomous Maximus 8 p.m.: Los Skarnales 9 p.m.: Doughbeezy
LUCKY'S PUB 801 St. Emanuel
5 p.m.: La Sien 6 p.m.: Another Run 7 p.m.: The Trimms 8 p.m.: Downfall 2012 9 p.m.: The Suffers
PHUL COURT 1311 Leeland
5 p.m.: Steve Krase & the In Crowd 6 p.m.: D.R.U.M. 7 p.m.: Step Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws 8 p.m.: Espantapajaros 9 p.m.: Zydeco Dots
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JET LOUNGE 1515 Pease (late-night DJ showcase)
10 p.m.: DJ iPod Ammo 10:30 p.m.: TBD 11 p.m.: TBD 11:30 p.m.: GRRRL Parts
Follow Rocks Off on Facebook and on Twitter at @HPRocksOff.


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Date: 12/24/2018
And most importantly the latest firmware of the PRS-505 adds support for DRM-PDFs (like the one you can read with Adobe Digital Editions) as well as the ePub format. It also supports PDF reflow making better use of the screen area.
This means that overall the PRS-505/300/600 is the best mobile ebook reading device available on the market today. It is sturdy, lightweight, appealing look and feel, good support of secure and unsecured formats, and strikes a good compromise between size and reading area. It is also one of the cheaper ones and can be had new for around $200 for the PRS-300 and around $300 for the PRS-600.
So what are the cons? We have to distinguish between generic problems stemming from the e-ink screen technology, which all other e-ink devices (Kindle, Iliad, Cybook, Mentor, etc.) suffer, too, and deficiencies coming from deliberate design choices by Sony.
The second fundamental advantage of an e-ink screen is its low power consumption. Once the ink particles have been moved in place the screen does not need any energy to keep its image. You can therefore read a page as long as you wish without draining the battery. Only a page turn will cost a short burst in energy and then it is back to standby mode without draining the battery. Current devices specify 5000 to 10000 page turns on one battery charge. You could be reading dozens of ebooks before you have to recharge.
One further advantage which is at the same time also a bit of a disadvantage is that an e-ink screen needs ambient light to be readable. This is great under strong light conditions because the screen remains readable under bright sun light. However at night in bed you will need a reading light. In those moments a back-lit LCD screen can be great. Unless you are a heavy night time reader I say it is more important to be readable in sunlight than when it is dark. I offer one suggestions to the device manufacturers: build into the device a little reading light. This could be easily achieved by including one or two white LEDs on a little boom that can be flipped or rotated out of the ebook reader to illuminate the screen. For me personally that would be much more desirable than the built in MP3 players.
However, so great the advance, there are still some real bummers with this technology. The biggest is the one second refresh time including a 'flash of black'. Whenever you turn a page it takes about one second for the screen to display the next page and you briefly see an inverted version of the page which is typically mostly black. The page turn delay itself is not that big of a problem, because turning a page in a real book also takes about a second, but for all the menu interactions from choosing an ebook, navigating to a specific page etc., this quickly becomes a real pain in the butt. At a recent industry convention I saw new e-ink screen models that could refresh in a shorter time and the engineers there told me that they can make it fast enough to show video, or about 60ms refresh time. Showing video would counter the low power consumption advantage and therefore I don't think the technology needs to be driven that far, but getting to about 200ms refresh for responsive interaction would be a huge plus. However, the 'flash of black' is quite annoying. I assume this has to be done to remove any ghost images and shadows, to reset the screen to a default state. But whatever the underlying reasons, this is something that needs to be fixed. Achieving a higher refresh rate would automatically take care of it as well. A black flash for 60ms would be hardly noticeable.
The contrast of the e-ink screen is more akin to newsprint. The white is not really white but light gray and the black is not really black but dark gray. For most reading it is not a big problem, but a higher contrast would allow the benefits of the high resolution to come through better.
The latest screen version has 8 gray levels (3 bit) whereas their earlier models only had 4 gray levels (2 bit). 8 levels of gray for a high resolution b/w screen is plenty in my opinion, particularly for text. Once we go into the reproduction of photos more levels would be advantageous but the low contrast is the bigger problem. And the high resolution allows one to use dithering to achieve enough shades of gray.
There are competing technologies to e-ink. Most notably Bistable Nematic screens manufactured by Nemoptic. Their advantage is faster, full color, retaining the advantages of extreme low power and paper like appearance.
For us consumers this is good news. Competing technologies mean strong downward price pressures and higher quality products. The primary reason why current ebook reading devices are so expensive is the price of the screen. Once the screen prices come down so will the end devices that use them.
The software controlling user interface and user interaction, what you see as menu, is a bit clunky and could be much more intuitive and powerful. Particularly ordering and sorting through a larger collection of ebooks is not very well supported. But this is only software and could quickly be fixed. If I would be Sony, I would open the software and let others do it for them. Their unit sales would shoot up immediately. There is so much more one could get out of this device. For example, why not turn it into a digital photo frame with a nifty slide show support. Or what about presenting your next PowerPoint to a colleague. And I am not even talking about games and other entertainment software that could run on these devices. For example, an adventure or brainteaser like game could work because it doesn't need high refresh rates.
With the release of the latest models, the PRS-300 and PRS-600, Sony has introduced improvements to the software. For example, support for Mac is now built in. Sony is on the right path and making progress.
The PRS-600 is the model I recommend to anyone who wants to buy an e-book reader and can't wait any longer.
You also get five pre-set font sizes and zooming is as easy as tapping the screen. The internal memory is twice as large as the one of the PRS-505 holding on average 350 ebooks. And page turns are faster with a snappier refresh.
The main advantage as we see it is the touch screen which together with the faster screen refreshes results into a much more pleasant interaction. Switching from one ebook to another, adding bookmarks, checking the table of contents, accessing notes and searching, all of this needs user interaction which is on the model 700 much faster and more user friendly. You will be much happier using this model than any other.
For people who read mostly fiction, where one usually does not need to make annotations or search, and who don't need the front light the PRS-505 is the much more economical option than the PRS-700BC. However, if you need to search frequently, or if taking annotations is important, or if you like to read in your bed with the lights off, then the PRS-700BC is the better choice over the PRS-505.
Sony is working on a firmware update that will allow one to export ones annotations. And they are looking into wireless connectivity, although we do not believe that this is that important a feature, particularly if it comes with a hefty price increase.
Besides all the pros and cons of the e-ink screen mentioned above under the Sony reader, the Kindle uses its own proprietary ebook format, the Mobipocket format (Amazon bought Mobipocket). And this is really a bad idea. It is extremely customer unfriendly, locking you into a proprietary format that might not be supported in the future, rendering all your ebooks useless. I hope Amazon does what Sony did and support DRM-PDF/ePub formats. If they don't I predict that the Kindle will soon be falling behind and quickly enter the museum as a failed idea.
One advantage the Kindle has is its free Whispernet EV-DO service that allows you to go online, check your email, and most importantly purchase and download ebooks wherever cellphones work. (This works only in the US. For example our Canadian friends are out of luck.) This eliminates the need to be at a wireless hotspot. This is certainly a nice feature but on the other hand I don't need to be able to purchase ebooks at any given moment. And this feature is currently limited to the Amazon ebook shop, which eliminates any price competition and is not conducive to lowering ebook prices for consumers. But one hopes that this monopoly will eventually be broken and consumers can choose where to buy their ebooks from.
At $359 the Kindle is one of the more expensive options. You can find a lightly used Sony Reader at half that price. The Kindle is therefore highly overpriced for what it offers.
Despite the fact that I think the Kindle is not a good purchase, Amazon has generated a lot of positive publicity for ebooks in general. Many more people are now aware of the existence of ebooks and what they are. And for that we have to thank Amazon.
Where I have to applaud Amazon is with the text-to-speech functionality. I like that. Although I think actual use of this feature will be low, it is a great use of existing technology to enhance such a reading device. And visually impaired people will love it.
Increased storage space is not that important but a nice to have. Better e-ink screen brings the Kindle 2 on the same level as the Sony PRS-700 which uses the same model of E-ink screen.
The Kindle 2 is still a closed ebook reader where you can only buy ebooks from the Amazon shop. Shame on Amazon to try to monopolize ebooks. My recommendation remains. Stay away from the Kindle 2.
Before you order this jumbo sized Kindle compare in particular to Iliad and the one from Plastic Logic.
But let's not kid ourselves. $500 for an e-reader? I buy full featured computers for half that price. In my opinion netbooks will take most of the future e-reader market. Their battery lifetimes are getting in the 10 hour range which allows a full days of work and charging over night - enough for any workaholic or bookworm. Some come with detachable screens or eventually two screen models (see XO-2).
In my opinion the little color LCD screen is mainly there to confuse customers into believing this is a 'color reader', which it is not. The main reading area is greyscale as all the other e-ink based readers. The color screen at the bottom can show ebook covers in color and provide colorful menu navigation - but that is the least important use of color I can imagine. The little LCD screen does have one benefit though. It allows for a fast and responsive menu navigation. One of the problems of e-ink screens is that they need about a second to refresh. For navigating a menu this can become a real pain in the neck. The LCD screen which has no such response time issues provides for a fast and instantaneous interaction.
The lending feature is a more interesting new development. It allows you to lend some of your ebooks to a friend for up to 14 days. Not all ebooks enjoy this lending freedom. And you can lend each ebook only once. Meaning once you lent it out to a friend and the 14 days have passed you cannot lend it to somebody else ever. This is a very limited form of lending but it is at least a first tiny step in the right direction. My hope would be that the lending restrictions are less tight, perhaps allow more days to lend it out and allow more than one-per-lifetime lending of a particular ebook. A suggestion if anybody at Barnes & Noble reads this: Why not limit only the total lending days and not the number of people I can send this to? So if friend 1 returns it after 5 days one can send it to friend 2 and once he returns it one can send it to friend 3 a.s.o. until the total amount of lending days is consumed. I would think that something like 100 lending days would be a good start.
And of course, Barnes & Noble had to introduce yet another propriety and incompatible ebook format. I think many customers will be surprised once they find out that none of their ebooks (except unprotected PDF or EPUB ebooks) can be transfered from a Nook to a Kindle to a SonyReader and vice versa. This is one of the big challenges the publishing industry faces. My solution would be to drop DRM altogether or at least allow for some kind of federated DRM where a user can transfer an ebook to another reader platform.
So you get a big board that you have to lug around - hardly a mobile device. That is one reason why the Que is targeted to buisness people who are supposedly carrying briefcases, but how many are these? The Que competes mostly with the Kindle DX. It has a large screen - close to letter size - which certainly provides for a nice reading experience. But there is nothing I can see that makes the Que better than any of the other devices already on the market. Once PlasticLogic turns this into a flexible device it would be able to leap ahead of the pack. Until then it is simply one of many possible choices.
However, it appears that the annoying flicker during a page change is gone and the response to user interaction is much faster than other e-ink based devices. And it has an accelerometer like the iPhone to detect the orientation of the device and possibly to enable other cool applications. It uses the same DRM system that Sony uses. That means you can transfer your SonyReader ebooks to the Txtr. You can also move any ebooks you read with Adobe Digital Editions on your desktop or laptop to the Txtr. Kudos to the Txtr team for not creating yet another system but to build on what is already available and make it compatible. I very much hope that their open and compatible approach will be a success. It certainly is customer friendly.
The form factor of the JetBook is similar to the SonyReader PRS-300 with a 5" screen diagonal. I like that the JetBook is even lighter than the SonyReader and that it supports a good range of formats. It also has a built in multilanguage dictionary. But I don't like the proliferation of buttons. The visual design could be better or cooler if you will. The price point, $200, is the same as for the SonyReader PRS-300. And some retailers for the JetBook such as Bed Bath & Beyond have their own store discounts pushing the price down to $160, making the JetBook the cheapest dedicated reading device at this form factor.
If you don't like the e-ink screen because contrast is too low or the time it takes to turn a page is too long then the JetBook offers a great alternative at an attractive price as long as you primarily want to read non-DRM ebooks.
If OLPC can actually build this device with the battery lifetime and price they are targeting, then this would immediately become the best ebook reader known today. It would be a lot cheaper than your typical e-ink reader. It would have color screens, more reading area, fast response page turning - and it would still be a regular computer with all kinds of free software available to view many file formats - an open hackable device. It would leave all other devices mentioned here in the dust.
A nice to have feature is the touch screen. As I mentioned before during the Kindle description, I believe this should be mainly a reading device and should be optimized to reading rather than writing. However a touch screen expands the usage profile and is therefore an acceptable design choice. It also improves the user interaction which is already severely limited due to the one second refresh time of the screen. In the end it comes down to a cost trade off. At $699 the iLiad is already hopelessly overpriced. Nevertheless, the fact that one can take notes, underline, and capture sketches can be a useful and sometimes a necessary feature. In that sense the iLiad offers a very different device at a much higher price point. However, with the new Sony PRS-700BC, which also has a touch screen and allows highlighting and annotating, the iLiad has become an even less attractive option, unless you need the bigger screen. At that price my recommendation is to buy a subnotebook computer or a small laptop. Then you have a real computer at your disposal.
The iLiad sports a WiFi interface, not quite as useful as the Kindle EV-DO since you will need to be near a WiFi hotspot, but for the price almost a must have feature. However, I think that these interfaces are way overrated in terms of usefulness. As long as you can transfer ebooks to the reader via USB or a memory card, everything else is better removed to bring the price down as much as possible.
If you need a large screen also take a look at the reader from Plastic Logic, which was already demoed at a recent industry show, and should hit stores early 2009. It is a very thin letter sized device. Originally I thought this will be a flexible screen reader, however in the demo the reader looks rigid although very thin. The price is unknown but it will clearly compete with the iRex 1000 mainly for the business community.
However, you might as well wait for flexible screens. As the concept device from Readius depicted on the right shows, flexible screens offer a completely new kind of mobile device. The combination of large screen with small enclosure to carry around in your pocket. Supposedly Readius will release their first flexible screen device 2009 in Europe.
Another company Plastic Logic has demoed in fall of 2008 their flexible screen device and will offer it early 2009. Plastic Logic's screen will be about twice the size of the Sony Reader. However, their demo did not show a flexible screen device. It is unclear to me if this was merely a limitation of the prototype or if the device will indeed be rigid.
Once flexible screen modules are available, it is likely that screen speed, contrast, and software have improved, too.
Unfortunately a big company, Gemstar eBook Group, acquired NuvoMedia in March of 2000, and that was pretty much the end of the success story. Once the Internet bubble burst there was no Rocket-eBook anymore. Gemstar through a licensing deal with RCA released a slightly modified version the REB-1100, but large companies are not innovative and nimble enough to care for a fragile baby like an ebook reading device through the storms of the Internet bubble burst.
It took another innovative startup, Fictionwise, owned by the Pendergrast brothers, to rescue the Rocket-eBook and continue to offer it as the Ebookwise-1150 for a bit more than $100. Since this is now essentially a decade old technology, I can't really recommend it anymore. But if you only want to spend a hundred bucks on a mobile reading device and you don't mind a bit heavier and thicker device, then this is a pretty good option.
It is conceivable, with a bit of clever engineering, to turn such an Eee PC into a handy ebook reader. What if the screen could be folded all the way to the back to turn it into a tablet-type PC? What if the screen uses a bistable LCD technology like the earlier mentioned Bistable Nematic from Nemoptic? Then this Eee PC could be operated in reading mode where it needs very little power to run. And ultimately once an e-ink type screen becomes cheap why not add such a screen as secondary screen on the outside of the PC? Then one could use it as ebook reader in its closed state and once you need to type something or need the full power of a real computer you open it and are presented with a color screen and keyboard.
Such netbooks are likely to make e-readers entirely useless. Battery lifetime of the Touch Book is 10 hours. How much more do you want to work or read each day? Over night it charges up ready for another 10 hour off grid use.
The iBooks app is great and the iPad can certainly be used as an ebook reader but it comes with a few caveats. The biggest is the glare of the screen. Depending on lighting conditions it is not as great a reading experience as an e-ink based reader. It is also heavier and does get noticeably warm after about an hour of use. Battery time is a lot shorter than your typical e-ink reader but with 5-7 hours of usage for the iPad you should be fine with nightly recharging. A big plus are the many apps you can get for the iPad. One app in particular is noteworthy for ebook readers: BlueFire Reader. This app allows you to read Adobe DRM protected ebooks as well as check out ebooks from libraries that offer ebooks. For more details see the article How to view DRM-PDF and DRM-EPUB ebooks on iPhone, iPad and Android.
If you can spend the money get an iPad for the sheer coolness and uniqueness. If you don't want to spend at least $500 it is best to wait for iPad 2.0 and see what improvements Apple has introduced.
The iPhone is therefore not a replacement for the readers discussed above - it is not the Sony or Kindle killer as some pundits try to portrait it. And I don't think anybody would buy an iPhone or iPodTouch mainly to satisfy his urges to read. But if you already have such a gadget you can certainly fill a few idle minutes here and there with reading without having to carry around another device.
The only way the iPhone could seriously compete in the ebook reading space is when Apple figures out how to incorporate a flexible screen that opens up to 3- or 4- times the size of the current screen. Then my friends hold on, because that will be the day Sony and Amazon will not forget.
Written and updated by Chris Wasshuber.
Salvador Calderon (04/05/2011)
I just received yesterday my Sony PRS 700 and quickly uploaded all my lybrary.com books. I'm so grateful of all the insight I got here to pick a reader. Salvador Calderón magicshowbuilder.com
Christoph Wasshuber (02/14/2011)
I have the Sony PRS-650 and I love it, too. It is a wonderful reading device. I use my iPad a lot, too, but not so much for reading. The SonyReader is ideal to always have a large selection of books ready to read at any given moment outside the home.
Simon Lea (02/14/2011)
Just an update. I'm still using my Sony PRS-600 and I still love love it.
Simon Lea (06/21/2010)
I went and bought the Sony PRS-600. Had it a week and I love it.
Scott Robinson (09/17/2009)
This is a nice summary of Ebook readers. Although it is not possible to be complete, with a new one being announced just about every other week, I was surprised to see that you have missed an important one that has been out since the beginning of 2008. It is called the Jetbook and it has a specially developed non-lit (for clarity) LCD screen. Of the dedicated ebook reader screens mentioned above it is the best. Here's why.
Most of your listed readers are e-ink and are all pretty much the same and share the same problems. And although some of the weaknesses with this technology have been outlined above the major problem is the contrast. The typical contrast ratio is said to be a very poor 7:1 compared to newsprint which is 10:1. At 30% below the contrast of newsprint, e-ink is nowhere near it's quality (BTW computer screens are said to be about 1000:1). With such a low contrast I wonder if in fact it is appropriate for the visually impaired. Compare this to the Jetbook which is rated at a contrast ratio of 12:1, although still low it is 20% better than newsprint. In addition unlike the e-ink there is no flash of black to make the user queasy and the page refresh is almost instantaneous.
As people age the contrast ratio is the most important aspect to reading. Low contrast causes a much eyestrain. For this reason, in the current state of the technology, e-ink readers will not be the final answer for ebooks, whether it be in standard flat or flexible form.
Chris Ragaisis (01/22/2009)
I've been an early adopter of eBook technology since the Rocket was first introduced. What an offering! The screen readability was superior to both the first and second generation eBookwise readers. I've gone through several of those units, Palms, PCs, and finally the Sony Reader. I'm grateful that anyone offers professionally formatted books for ANY of the devices. I've had to do most of that, myself. Now of only the folks at Sony would provide a Mac interface for the Reader I'd be a happy camper!
John Fells (10/15/2008)
I was very grateful to Lybrary.com for bringing to my attention the Sony 505 PRS ebook reader. I had wanting to buy one for some time and the various reviews helped me to make up my mind and I now agree with Chris that the Sony PRS 505 is by far the best when price and features are considered. I can download ebooks from a variety of sources without restriction. I encountered a problem when attempting to read a password protected PDF. It could not be opened. However a friend directed me towards a password removal software for 10 dollars on the net, so no more PWD problems. Another disadvantage is not being able to search for a WORD or CHARACTER as one can do in a normal PDF, but it is after all a reader and as such it does a fantastic job. It has an SD Memory Card slot and a memory stick duo slot. A sync facility for ease of connection to a PC and file transfer. Ebooks can be grouped into collections so they can be easily organised in the ebook reader. And as a bonus an MP3 player and image player. The e-reader is really easy on the eye. Sharp black lettering on a grey screen and the font size can be adjusted by the simple push of a button which changes the size of the page to fit the screen. Really easy and makes for enjoyable trouble free reading. A back light would have been helpful for low light conditions but I suspect it would have effected battery life, which by the way seems more than satisfactory. I am still now about 5 days later running on full charge. The unit comes with around 30 books already installed but I couldn't wait to log on to Lybrary.com and download another Lewis Ganson PDF. On The Legacy PDF (Heirloom Effect by Jamie Badman - not a Lybrary.com ebook) the images didn't appear on the reader which I find strange because I had no trouble viewing images on Lybrary.com ebooks. On the whole you will gather that I am very pleased with my PRS 505. It also comes with a plastic cover, just like a book.
Simon Lea (09/09/2008)
Thanks for this Chris. Borders are currently promoting the iLiad in their stores over here in the UK. As far as I'm aware they plan to sell them instore for £399. At that price, you are absolutely right, people are much better off buying a small laptop. I have an Eee PC, bought from Amazon for £200, and although it doesn't have the screen resolution of any of the eBook readers, its small size makes reading eBooks a lot more comfortable than a home PC or regular laptop. In addition, you can write documents, access the internet and play games.
I do a lot of writing and a lot of reading and so will at some point in the future own an eBook reader and a laptop. But at the current time the iLiad is too expensive to justify giving up using the Eee Pc for eBooks.
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text:
Studio 20 Cluj Napoca is the first live cam studio opened by our company outside Bucharest, Romania and, at the same time, it`s the first Studio 20 franchise. All our webcam models benefit of the best working conditions in the online modeling industry a friendly work environment. The new live cam studio, located in a central area, near Regina Maria medical clinic, has a modern and luxurious design.
We value the diversity of the scenery, that`s why at our location in Cluj Napoca you`ll find variously-themed rooms, such as a library, a kitchen, a shower or designated areas for relaxation. We believe our webcam models will be more motivated to achieve their financial goals if they feel safe, respected and appreciated.
Studio 20 Cluj Napoca offers to young, ambitious and hard-working webcam models, with or without previous experience in the online modeling industry, the chance to have a serious, stable and profitable job.
Here are the most important reasons why you should be part of the most successful team in the online modeling industry - Studio 20:
1. Once you are accepted as a webcam model in our team, you will sign an artist-performer contract in 2 copies and you`ll receive your very own copy. Every 2 weeks, you will sign an additional document, which lists all the financial details of your activity in the online modeling industry.
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These bonuses can be cumulated (except for the first two, of course), so any model can earn a commission of up to 65%! In order to qualify for all these bonuses, you need a positive attitude, a strong motivation, a nice physical appearance and a good knowledge of the English language.
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Louis Pasteur Street, No. 24, city Cluj-Napoca, county Cluj, Romania
(+4) 0724 773 477 | (+4) 0756 773 477


text:
Sally isn't looking for a new relationship but that changes when Jake enters her life. Being together could be everything they each desire, except for one tiny issue. Their age difference.
Unsure how her family and friends will react to the new younger man in her life, Sally decides to keep the relationship secret as she struggles with self-doubt and insecurities about Jake's motives for being with her. Jake wants Sally in his life but not at any cost. He wants more than the erotic sexual encounters Sally can't seem to get enough of. He thought she was different, but just like other older women before her, it appears she's happy to keep his presence in her life hidden.
Can the relationship survive long enough for them to overcome past insecurities, or will Jake's ultimatum destroy the relationship they both fervently desire?
Buy Links
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An Excerpt from Secret Desire
Something icy cold pressed against Sally's arm and she felt another chill run through her. She raised her head and stared at the large glass of water in front of her.
"You're probably dehydrated. You hardly stopped dancing all night." The deep, smooth voice washed over her, causing her body to begin to heat once more.
Sally turned her head toward the warmth and when she finally managed to focus her eyes, she wanted to moan in ecstasy. If there really was a God then he had truly out done himself. The man smiling down at her was perfection. He sat on the bar stool next to her, leaning against the wall. His hair was dark, almost black and hung just below his broad shoulders in long tantalizing waves. It sat brushed back from his face at the front, except for one stray curly strand that had worked its way loose to kiss up against his cheekbone.
His eyes were dark like his hair and conveyed the same warmth as his voice. His lips were thick and lush, ideal for kissing. As her gaze roamed down his body, she was taken by the hard chest and abs that were defined under his tight T-shirt, his legs were a lengthy example of perfection, muscular thighs under dark denim, and a bulge—Sally snapped her eyes back to his face and hoped she wasn't blushing.
"Drink." He leaned forward and spoke softly into her ear.
Oh, how could a man smell so divine? She had never smelt a man like him before. Sally's pussy started to tingle, as he watched her bring the glass to her lips, and take a refreshing drink. She inhaled deeply. Accents of cinnamon and spice tantalized her nostrils. Talk about olfactory heaven.
"I just thought I'd sit here while I waited for my friends." Sally had no idea why she felt the need to explain her presence to him and couldn't understand why he looked at her with a wry smile as she spoke.
"I think they've left." He gestured toward the dance floor.
"Oh God, I fell asleep didn't I?" Sally was horrified once she realized the house lights were on and the dance floor empty. In fact the whole club was empty except for a few bar staff who were cleaning up.
"We cleared everyone out and closed the club about forty minutes ago." He was smiling at her as he spoke. "You looked so peaceful I thought I'd let you sleep until I was ready to leave."
Sally gasped when his body brushed against hers as he bent forward, a blaze of heat stroking her body where he touched. She noticed how his gaze roamed along her stockinged legs as he bent to pick up her shoes. As he returned to an upright position, his lips brushed against her leg and he planted a kiss on the lace that sat mid-thigh. She wanted to move, to push her wayward hemline back in place. Instead she just stared at the heated point where his lips had been, feeling the warmth spread upward toward her quickly moistening pussy.
"Nice stockings." He stated as he took her hand and assisted her in stepping down from the stool. Sally wasn't sure how she did it, but she managed to pull the hem of her dress back into position as he led her through a door and down a hallway to the club's back entrance.


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Besides the friendly people, here's some of the things
that attract people to Bellville, whether for a day, or a lifetime.
Historic Buildings & Homes
We've been around awhile, so of course you'll find historic buildings & homes all around town to see, many of which are in use by various shops and businesses.
Farmers Market
On the 1st Saturday we have a downtown Farmers Market along with Market Day...more details on our Farmers Market page.
Great Food
If you're hungry, you've come to the right place. We have many places to eat that'll sure to satisfy. Download our Bellville merchants map below for listings of eating establishments and more.
And to see many other things to see and do in Austin County, be sure to visit HistoricAustinCounty.com
Beautiful Parks
Market Day
Market Day on the first Saturdays from 9am–4pm around the historic courthouse square. A great assortment of booths! Visit our Market Day page for more info.
Area Attractions
We have many area attractions that just might astound you.
Wonderful Schools
Specialty Shops
Our historic downtown square is surrounded by unique Antiques & Boutique shops to satisfy any shopper's curiosity. And it's Texas...you'll find plenty of western wear and tack you might need as well.
Area Events
We have many area events that draw locals and neighbors throughout the year. See our Calendar Page for details
Local Churches
Bellville Medical Center


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A very good hotel for its category in an excellent location. The hotel has a fitness centre, outdoor pool and pleasant garden area at the back of the property. (AHJ 0309)
## Location
Situated in a garden setting within Sandton in the business part of the city. The Sandton City shopping complex is within walking distance but there is a courtesy minibus to Sandton shopping centre on pre-arrangement should you prefer.
## Distance
2 kms to city centre
30 kms to the nearest airport (or tambo international airport)
10 km to the nearest station (johannesburg)
25 km to the nearest fair site (nasrec)
## Rooms
All the rooms and bathrooms are large and of a very high standard. Dark colours are used throughout and all rooms are of a high standard.
## Restaurant
Two separate restaurants both located on the ground floor. Salathai restaurant serves Thai cuisine, while the Continental restaurant is also the breakfast room and serves international cuisine. In the hotel lobby there is also a small coffee shop that offers snacks.
## Exterior
A purpose built modern construction dating back to the early 1980's.
## Lobby
Medium in size and modern in both design and decor, the reception has large windows making the whole area very bright. There is a separate reception and guest service area and it also incorporates a large seating lounge and bar area as well as a souvenir shop. There is white marble floor throughout and dark wood reception desk behind with is a small aquarium.
Club Travel Destinations


text:
As an affiliate marketer, you've probably been buying traffic from certain traffic sources and then promoting offers to that traffic. In between, you are adding value through your own special optimization funnel.
Once you start getting good at it, you might find yourself not having enough time in a day. To scale up, you could actually start thinking about getting your own affiliates to send you traffic. That is the beginning of your own affiliate network.
Brokering Traffic
There are usually 2 scenarios when you start to broker traffic.
The first is you enter into some sort of a revenue-share with someone who has traffic, whether an ad network or a publisher. Then you agree that whenever you get a conversion of any kind, you will pay them some amount of that conversion. The publisher takes on more of the risk, but a higher return on his traffic is also possible.
The second is you enter into an agreement with another affiliate, similar to yourself to send you traffic. Perhaps you have an offer that they don't have access to. Perhaps you have an offer at a high, exclusive payout. Whatever the reason, you are acting as the affiliate network and providing that affiliate the ability to run your offer.
In either case, you dramatically reduce your risk since you are not paying for traffic up-front. It's more of an arbitrage situation where you only incur cost when you get revenue, which always results in a net-positive ROI.
Be ware: you should only be brokering traffic when you have an explicit agreement with whoever you're getting your offer from.
Track Using the CPA Cost Model
The two most commonly used software by affiliate networks is Cake and HasOffers. However, when you're just starting, the cost of either can be expensive and unnecessary. In addition, they cannot do the things you need a tracker to do like THRIVE can so you can continue to run and optimize your own traffic.
The good news is you can use THRIVE to broker traffic. You can run your own campaigns along side the campaigns that are made to receive traffic from your own affiliates.
Setup the Traffic Source
First, create a traffic source in THRIVE that's just for your affiliates. You can name it something like "External Affiliates" and abbreviate it like "EXA".
Don't put anything in the traffic source post-back/pixel field. We'll do that on each campaign-specific level.
Next, setup your traffic source so that your affiliates can send in their own click IDs and also a few other variables (s1-s4) they can use to send in other parameters:
You'll notice a parameter called "aid", which is named "Affiliate ID". Since a single affiliate may run multiple campaigns, you would be able to run reports for specific affiliates across the campaigns you've given them to run by assigning each of your affiliates an ID.
Create an "Offer" for Your Affiliate
Whenever you want to create an offer for one of your affiliates, simply create a campaign in THRIVE using the traffic source "External Affiliates".
When you're creating the campaign, be sure to select the CPA cost model instead of CPC:
The default cost is the payout for this offer that you're offering your affiliate. That's your cost and their revenue whenever a conversion happens.
In the campaign, you can create a rotation of offers/landing pages just like any other campaign. Normally, you would just create a direct linked campaign with one offer that you're brokering. However, you can of course also split test your affiliate's traffic.
Once the campaign is created, the campaign URL that THRIVE generates will look something like this:
First, as mentioned earlier, we added an "aid=" parameter to identify the affiliate. You can designate your own affiliate ID. Let's say for this person, you've designed their affiliate ID as 1234.
Then, the "offer URL" that you would give to your affiliate would be:
And you would tell them to send their sub IDs through the "clickid=" variable. If they were also using THRIVE to track their campaigns, then the offer URL they would use would be:
The other variables s1 through s4 would be available for your affiliate to use to pass whatever they wanted, if anything, to help you optimize.
Setup Post-Back for Your Affiliate
You can setup real-time tracking for your affiliates by putting their post-back URL or pixel in their campaign so that whenever THRIVE gets a conversion, their post-back/pixel can piggy back off of yours.
To do so, edit the campaign-specific post-back:
In that modal, enter in the post-back URL or pixel that your affiliate has given you.
For example, if his post-back URL was:
Then, the post-back URL you'd enter into that campaign would be:
The post-back/pixel piggy-back feature of THRIVE can also post-back any number of other variables if your affiliate needs them. That is slightly more advanced, so please contact THRIVE support on how to get that done.
So there you have it. You can pretty easily within a few minutes setup your own little affiliate network with THRIVE!
Never miss a feature, product launch, or exclusive offer
2 Comments
Be very very careful with this and make sure you read the affiliate networks terms. Most affiliates network terms strictly prohibit this practice. There becomes a huge lack of understanding where traffic is originating if things get brokered out. We've had big issues with affiliates doing this. They thought the traffic was good and ended up being credit card fraud.
I wrote a very indepth article of what it takes to run a network here http://www.oooff.com/php-affiliate-seo-blog/affiliate-marketing/advertising-network-risk-and-capital-management/
Proceed with caution 😀
Thanks for the reminder, Jason. I'll edit the post to remind people to only do so when there is an agreement between parties.