text:
3 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Worth and Succeed in Tough Times
There's a lot of anxiety in the air, as so many of us deal with job uncertainty, either fearful of being let go or already among the ranks of those who've lost their jobs. This prolonged economic slump is a rough one, and it's hard not to get paralyzed by fear. The ancient Roman poet Horace offered this great observation about tough times: "Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it."
The fact is, no matter how dicey your situation or desperate your concerns, there isn't a better time than right now to remind yourself of what you're made of and to focus on realizing your potential. Don't sit on your hands, waiting for these difficult times to pass; instead, get out there and invest yourself in yourself—and reveal to the world your unique and valuable genius. Here is some genius development homework you can tackle right now:
Return to your values. During prosperous times, it's easy to drift away from living your values in the day-to-day. You compromise your values to keep the good times coming or you forget what you cared about in the first place. More than any aspect of your makeup, though, your values are the truest reflection of who you are—what others would see if everything else was stripped away and all that was left was what you stand for. When you lose touch with your values, your sense of purpose gets blurry and you can't quite say what you believe in. And I guarantee the quality and satisfaction in your work shows it.
VIDEO: Gina Rudan shares 6 rules for finding your other "G-Spot":
Albert Einstein often insisted that he had no special gifts, except perhaps his curiosity, focus, and persistence. In other words, the all-time poster child for genius pointed to his personal values as the source of his accomplishment! Take this chance to remind yourself of who you really are—what you believe, what most deeply motivates and moves you, and what you'd fight for if you had to. Put words on your values—big, specific, actionable words that will bring heart and meaning and accountability to everything you do.
A CPA I know was recently laid off. After some soul-searching, he had to admit that he'd spent the last 12 years killing himself with long hours, travel, and too much time away from his family and besides no longer having his job, he realized that all of those years of hard work had little to do with his core values and beliefs. So he decided to take his layoff as an opportunity to hit the reset button, returning to his early desire to be a teacher. Now he's a math instructor in his son's elementary school and deeply engaged in the day-to-day lives of his family in a way he never was before. He makes less money than he did as an accountant, but somehow now he's rich! Every door that closes is an opportunity to walk through the next one in a brand new way—especially when you lead with your values.
Downsize to supersize your life.
One of the ways we smother our genius is under the weight of all of the crap we accumulate over a lifetime—a big house, lots of cars, clothes, electronic gadgets, and countless other things that may demonstrate the size of our paycheck but say nothing about who we are. Take a cue from all those organizations that are downsizing and lean down yourself. Do an honest audit of your lifestyle and pick three things to cut or change. Lose the SUV and ride your bike to work. Quit going to that expensive gym and get reacquainted with your neighborhood by walking or running outdoors. Forego the $5 lattes and start making your own coffee with one of those old-school stove-top espresso makers.
When you replace the stuff you buy with stuff you do, you reconnect with the world around you in an extraordinary way. While your material assets shrink, your personal assets expand, clearing the decks for growth, new experiences, and true prosperity. Try this—it works.
Become a people collector.
Challenging times are the best times for building and growing your tribe. Instead of hibernating or wallowing in fear and self-pity in isolation, now is the time to surround yourself with genius. Identify people who inspire you, who are examples of what you believe in, or who you want to be more like and seek them out. Crowd your life with people who feed your own curiosity and thirst for learning. Warm your hands by the energy and spirit of people who make you feel full—and show the people who leave you feeling empty or depleted straight to the door.
Cultivate your crew of Yodas (your mentors) and ambassadors (your cheerleaders). And take this opportunity to fold a few Fat Brains into your life. These are the innovative, entrepreneurial, globally minded and digitally fluent under-30 types who can change the way you look at the world. Curating your life to surround yourself with genius costs you nothing but time and positive intention—an investment that will pay you back many times now and in the future.


text:
My friend is participating in a challenge on Facebook regarding posts about songs, and it looked like fun, so here I go!
Day 1: Your favorite song
Oh, no, I'm going to fail this challenge before I even really start. I don't think I can pick one song. I love so very many songs, and I have strong sentimental attachments to a lot of songs.
According to my iTunes, my top five most played songs are as follows: Continue reading

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Enjoy the show everyone. I still have over 3 hours to go here.
Thanks for the welcome. I've been lurking post of the season and figured I might as well join.I have meatloaf for dinner.
I hope you didn't eat Pork, then.
Another poor bastard on the West Coast I assume. I have to cheat, I can't wait.
I bet you are looking forward to the previews for next week Colby !?
QuoteI bet you are looking forward to the previews for next week Colby !?Yes! I hope we get some good shots of Alaska.
Page created in 0.04 seconds with 34 queries.


text:
Rhode Island Events, Coupons, Reviews!
Subscribe to KidsScoop! The monthly family event and savings newsletter.
I received three different sizes of the "Scrap-A-Round" product. I have not had any frost on my car yet this year so have not been able to test these out yet. I like how secure they feel in your hand and think they will work well. I don't think the size makes a difference so plan on putting on in each family members cars to have on hand for when needed. I will update this after our first frost so I can let everyone know how well they work. :) My readers get to save! Get FREE Shipping at http://www.scrapearound.com/ Use code LU8FBEZREU2 at checkout. http://usfamilyguide.com/coupons.php?bid=13171&dealid=3099I received this item at a discount or free in exchange for my honest opinion, and a review of my experience.
Scrape-A-Round Ice Scraper ~ Discount
Easy, Peasy, Cheap Way to Clean Off Your Car in the Winter
Scrape A Round Ice Scraper: From Ice to Clear in Less Than Two Minutes
Scrape-A-Round Makes a FUN-ctional Gift Idea!
Looking For A Great Gift For The Hard To Shop For On Your List? Look No Further Than Scrap-A-Round
Scrape A Round Ice Scraper Review
Scrape a Round Ice Scrapers
Scrape-A-Round Holiday Gift Guide 2019 @USFG
Save on the 6 pack of Scrape-A-Rounds Ice Scraper
Give the Gift of Safety This Christmas with Scrape-A-Round {A Review}
The World's Best Ice/Snow Scraper
Get ready for winter with Scrape-A-Round.
Scrape-A-Round Product
The Scrape-a-round ice scraper review!
Clear those Frosty Windows with Scrape-A-Round #ChristmasFAL16
Scrape-A-Round: Get Rid of the Snow!
Battle Windshield Ice with the Scrape-A-Round ice scraper!
Scrape-A-Round - Best Ice Scraper for your Car Windows
Scrape Your Auto Windows In Half The Time Review Of The Scrape-a-round
Review: Scrape-A-Round Complete System
Scrape Around
Scrape-A-Round | Best Windshield Ice Scraper
Scrape A Round review
Review: Scrape-a-Round Ice Scraper
It's always the little things
Scrape-A-Round Ice Scraping Just Got Easier!
Scrape your windows cleaner in half the time with the Scrape A Round
Scrape-a-round Works Great For Cleaning Ice And Snow Off Windows
Free Shipping on World's Best Ice Scraper! @usfg
5 Things to include in your winter mom-mobile
Scrape-A-Round Review
Scrape-A-Round Ice Scraper
Scrape-A-Round Ice Scraper Tool Demo
Great Tool for Clearing Your Windshields This Winter!
Scrape-A-Round: Easy way to remove ice from car windows!
Scrape-a-round Review.
Scrape-A-Round Ice Scrapper Review
Guest Blog: Scrape-A-Round Review by Sweetie
Clear Frosty Windows with the Innovative Scrape-A-Round
Scrape-A-Round The World's Best Ice Scraper Review
Scrape-A-Round Review - Under $25 Holiday Gift
Scrape-A-Round Ice Scraper {Review}
Scrape-A-Round is the World' Best Ice Scraper! #ad #scrapearound
World's Best Ice Scraper!
Last Minute Gift Idea --The Scrape-A-Round...The Best Ice Scraper Around + Get FREE SHIPPING Now!
You won't be fighting with Old Man Winter No More with Scrape-A-Round! #sponsored
Great Gift Idea: The Scrape-a-Round
Scrape-A-Round Makes a Great Stocking Stuffer This Holiday Season
Scrape-A-Round Really Gets The Job Done
Scrape Around Ice Scrapers
Make Winter Mornings Easier with Scrape-A-Round {A Review}
Make Winter Easier With Scrape-A-Round!
Scrape-A-Round Free Shipping Ends 12/31 #USFG
US Family Gift Guide Presents Scrape-A-Round
Scrape-A-Round ice scraper free shipping and a review
Introducing The Scrape Around


text:
Now that Lou Dobbs and other T.V. talking heads have mellowed on the outsourcing hysteria circa 2004, a sober look at the strategy, especially when it comes to the broker-dealer back office, is yielding positive results in efficiencies and cost containment.
TrustFort, a Woburn, Mass.-based provider of technology and back office solutions, is one company taking full advantage of the phenomenon. Founded in 2003, it specializes in working with independent broker-dealers to provide turnkey portfolio accounting systems and service teams.
TrustFort's competitive advantage in an increasingly crowded space is its flexibility and customization capabilities, Atindra Barua (left) told AdvisorOne in a phone interview on Tuesday.
"Most of our competitors offer a standardized solution, rather than what we call a focused solution," Barua said. "They bundle their offerings; we break out different pieces to fit a particular firm's needs."
And because of their offshore back-office operations, they cost less than competitors, he adds, savings they pass on to customers.
"We recently did an analysis for a client of ours and here's the answer," he said. "For corporate actions processing and reconciliation, the client uses a combined team with people from our team working closely with their own staff. The cost of processing a single corporate action event by their internal staff is $184 while their cost with us is $29 per corporate action event. That is combination of both productivity and cost difference."
Another differentiator is the firm's performance reporting engine, specifically its ability to track different lots at different periods of time.
"Consider the case where a company has spun off another company," Barua explained. "With solutions like [our competitors], the security level performance covering the two securities over the spin-off event will yield different results for accounts over the same window of time, depending on when the cost of the security in the account. That is blatantly incorrect. [Our competitors] also do not calculate security level performance correctly when you have buys and sells of the same security on the same day, which happens frequently when you have corporate actions."
The company counts Orion Advisor Services and Commonwealth Financial Network as recent clients. Its competitors, according to Barua, include Black Diamond Performance Reporting, Advent Software, Albridge Solutions and Morningstar Advisor.
"The problem with them, and the opportunity for us, is that they are all 'off the shelf' and you have to take what they give," he said. "With our integrated solution, it's customized within an existing structure. You don't have to take all the pieces from us, just what you need."


text:
Police officers in Harrison County, Miss., use mobile tools to make routine traffic stops safer and more efficient.
In Harrison County, Miss., cloud technology is connecting Sheriff's Department officers with the criminal data they need to stay safe while on patrol.
Using a cloud-based data-sharing platform called InterDEx, Harrison County cops can now pull up criminal records from seven different states and the federal government right from their laptop computer or mobile device. Instead of radioing dispatch to check an identity, officers can run a name or license plate themselves, saving time and limiting the risk of confronting a dangerous criminal without backup.
Developed by InterAct, a provider of public and private safety solutions, InterDEx is accessed from two applications — MobileCop for laptop computers and PocketCop for smartphones.
According to Capt. Walter Pitts of the Harris County Sheriff's Department, officers have been using MobileCop for about two months and have seen increases in efficiency.
"Our response times have been reduced because we can see where officers are instead of asking," Pitts said. "They are getting information faster and their time on the scene is less because instead of waiting [on dispatch] for the information, they have it right there and then."
Officers using InterDEx can also be seen on a screen by both dispatch and other officers, making resource deployment easier in an emergency. In addition, if trouble arises, a user can hit an "Officer Needs Assistance" button that notifies everyone on the system — if GPS is enabled — that an officer is in trouble.
The system also has a secure connection to the FBI National Crime Information Center database. So even if an individual has never been booked into a local jail, or a facility within the network of databases accessed by InterDEx, a positive ID would come up if the suspect has a record with the federal government.
If there is a warrant for the person's arrest, the officer will see a bright red flash on the screen and a warning tone. The app will also give the user contact information to verify the warrant.
PocketCop can be used on iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices, and MobileCop is designed for laptop computers. The department plans to PocketCop on their iPhones, but is still waiting for the app to be certified by the state before rolling it out. Pitts expected that certification to happen in the next few weeks.
With all the databases and features, InterDEx and its applications may seem on the surface to be confusing to learn. But Pitts said training took two hours to complete, and the system is user-friendly so an officer doesn't have to spend a lot of time trying to get results.
Pitts added that he had one patrol caption that was "petrified" about using the application on a laptop, but now has turned the corner and likes having information so readily available.
It helps when the push to integrate technology starts from the top. Pitts said Harrison County Sheriff Melvin Brisolara is "all about technology," and devoted to providing the tools needed to solve crime.
"Once they start getting used to it, we'll be able to solve crimes and find people a lot faster," Pitts said. "Some officers are still a little leery about it, but it gives them the information at their fingertips when they need it."
Looking for the latest gov tech news as it happens? Subscribe to GT newsletters.


text:
From the Manufacturer's Label:
Vanilla Spice Perfect Energy™ Tea
Discover Yogi Perfect Energy, a unique blend of tea with herbs. A complex blend of Green Tea and Assam Black Tea plus amino acid L-Theanine. Organic Gotu Kola Leaf and Ashwagandha are added. Flavored with vanilla bean and exotic spices, this is one delicious tea.


text:
Another PEANUTS Special, "Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales," Based on
the Works of Charles Schulz, to Air with the Emmy-Winning Classic
"A Charlie Brown Christmas" Will Air Again Thursday, December 16
The ABC Television Network will celebrate the joy of the holidays with the classic animated Christmas-themed PEANUTS special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, airing TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT; OAD on ABC: 12/6/01). The hour will also include a series of Christmas-themed animated stories entitled "Charlie Brown Christmas Tales," based on Schulz's work, in which each of the beloved PEANUTS characters - Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and Sally - star in his or her own charming animated vignette.
Editors please note: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" will repeat on Thursday, December 16, from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET.
PEANUTS focuses on the anxieties and joys of childhood as expressed by an ensemble cast of children who often seem wise beyond their years. Among them are the lovable Charlie Brown, who perseveres despite continuous failure; the philosophical, blanket-carrying Linus; the fussbudget Lucy, who dispenses psychological advice for a nickel from behind a concession stand; and toy-piano virtuoso Schroeder. Central to the comic strip is Charlie Brown's dog, Snoopy, who first stood on his hind legs in 1956 and became extremely popular for his imaginative adventures as a number of characters.
In the digitally-remastered 1965 special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees everywhere during the Christmas season. Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant, and Charlie Brown accepts, but it proves to be a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, Charlie Brown needs Linus' help to learn what the real meaning of Christmas is.
The cast of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" includes Peter Robbins ("Charlie Brown"), Christopher Shea as ("Linus"), Tracy Stratford ("Lucy"), Chris Doran ("Schroeder") and Sally Dryer ("Violet").
"A Charlie Brown Christmas" was executive-produced by Lee Mendelson and created and written by Charles M. Schulz. Bill Melendez is the producer and director, and Vince Guaraldi is the music composer.
This program carries a TV-G parental guideline.


text:
Chute Boxe standout and Brazilian light heavyweight Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira (18-6 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC and is expected to make his debut against Vladimir Matyushenko (24-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at UFC 122.
The UFC newcomer replaces an injured Jason Brilz, who recently suffered a back injury, sources close to the fighter today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
UFC 122 takes place Nov. 13 at Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.
Tatame first reported the acquisition, and MMAjunkie.com subsequently confirmed the impending matchup and Brilz's injury with sources close to the event.
UFC 122's main card, including a No. 1 contender's bout between middleweights Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami, airs via same-day delay on Spike TV.
Matyushenko was originally slated to face Jason Brilz, but Brilz suffered a back injury in training and was forced to withdraw from the Nov. 13 fight. Matyushenko vs. Ferreira is part of the unaired preliminary card.
"The Janitor" attempts to clean up this time around after a quick TKO loss to division golden boy Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 2 in August. It was Matyushenko's first loss inside the octagon since he began a second stint with the promotion in late 2009 and racked up wins over Igor Pokrajac and Eliot Marshall.
Matyushenko, a former IFL champion, signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC in August.
Ferreira, a 12-year MMA veteran, is a veteran of Brazil's old-school bare-knuckle promotion, World Vale Tudo Championship, and currently enjoys a seven-fight win streak. In the WVC, he racked up early career wins over Heath Herring, Bob Schrijber and Moti Horenstein before he took a three-year break from the sport in the early 2000s.
A submission specialist, Ferreira has earned 17 of his wins by way of first-round submission.
For more on UFC 122, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Jason Brilz)


text:
Tech Choice Universal Laptop Side Clip M...
See All
Security system accessories increase the performance of your security and surveillance equipment. To keep you, your family, or employees safe, you want your security system operating at peak performance! Solid Signal carries a wide variety of security system accessories such as motion alerts, audio jammers, and ground loop isolators. Search our online inventory for products made by Chamberlain, SecurityTronix, and other top-selling manufacturers. Solid Signal is your source for the best security system accessories. We also offer a huge variety of the best security equipment.


text:
The Southern Great Barrier Reef The Southern Great Barrier Reef is these days recognised as having the best colour, diversity and accessibility for visitors wishing to experience one of Australia's most iconic natural attractions. Over the past decade, due to rising water temperatures, the mid and northern Great Barrier Reef regions have suffered a number […]
Tantalise your Taste-Buds
If a big part of your holidays and weekends away is great food and fresh local produce, then you are in for a treat in Hervey Bay! There are some amazing dining experiences in this region, featuring incredibly fresh local produce and fantastic locations and outlooks.
The Fraser Coast offers a vast array of locally grown, caught and organic products. In fact the region is home to two of cooking's most prized natural ingredients – the Hervey Bay scallop and the macadamia nut!
Hervey Bay scallops are the most highly valued scallops in the world, appearing on menus throughout Europe, and prized for their appearance, texture and flavour. If you see Hervey Bay scallops on the menu whilst in Hervey Bay it is an obligatory order – they are amazing!!
Bauple Mountain, just down the road from Hervey Bay is widely acknowledged as the ancestral home of the macadamia nut – historically (and sometimes even today) known as the "Bopple Nut". You may see some nut vans on the side of the road as you travel throughout the region – they are always worth a stop to sample these wonderfully oily nuts that can be flavoured in some imaginative ways!
Prawns, whiting, honey, lychees and a vast variety of organic (flavoursome) local fruits and vegetables will be found and featured on local restaurant menus (and often for sale in roadside stalls). Don't be shy to ask what is local and fresh! And best of all .... Hervey Bay locals don't even own a collared shirt, so whilst the quality of the food, location and experiences are top notch, you don't need to overdress to enjoy an amazing meal!
My Top Recommendations
Breakfast / Brunch
Enzos on the Beach – a shack right on the beach ... amazing outlook! Best value ($12) Eggs Benedict in the world!!! ... I also recommend "Eggs on the Beach" - scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, baby spinach and avocado with hollandaise sauce served with toasted sour dough. Open 7 days a week from 7am.
EAT at Dan & Stephs – Dan & Steph were the 2013 winners of My Kitchen Rules! Try the Reuben or the sausage (Dan makes his own awesome snags!). Open for breakfast and lunch.
Arkarra Tea Gardens – open for breakfast on weekends and lunch Wednesday to Sunday, the Arkarra Tea House is just a 5 minute drive out of town on the Burrum Heads Road. Indulge in the freshly cooked cakes and scones sitting under your own Balinese hut within beautifully peaceful gardens. Don't forget the camera as there are some lovely walks around the lagoons with lots of birdlife.
Goodys on the Beach – a 10 minute drive north on the Burrum Heads Road, this is a local secret! Set on the mouth of the Beelbi Creek, Toogoom features little more than a cafe and a small restaurant (Guy Sebastian has a holiday house here). The little jetty out the front with drying sand banks and little old men fishing from beaten up tinnies is a photographers dream. Goodys is the place to be for a Sunday lunch when they also feature some cool acoustic guitar players.
Bayswater – a pub near the iconic Hervey Bay pier, the Bayswater has a great balcony with a beautiful outlook over the water and the 1km long Hervey Bay Pier. This is a pub with pub standard food, but it is consistent, great value and the view is pretty special (you can see the west side of Fraser Island in the distance). Try the Szechuan Squid or one of their lunch specials before walking it off with a 2km round trip stroll to the end of the pier and back.
Badger & Brown's Burgerie – our friends at the amazing Coast Restaurant have opened a flash burger bar! Eat in or take away, the burgers here feature flash ingredients and flash flavours in a very casual "Happy Days" style setting close to the beach. Pick a booth and keep your eyes open for the Fonz!
Coast Restaurant – our number 1 pick - this place is amazing! Named as one of the top 10 restaurants in Qld, and the only restaurant north of Brisbane to be awarded a "Hat" by the Good Food Guide, Coast is a true dining experience. Their "sharing" style menu features heaps of great local produce, slow cooked meats, amazing seafood, and specialty desserts. My favourites – slow roasted lamb shoulder or the masterstock pork belly with chilly jam.
Santinis – I had guests from Rome recently that told me that this was the best Italian food they had eaten outside of Italy!! A cheap, cheerful and simple trattoria this place is always busy, so be early or make a booking. Save room for their amazing home made Gelati.
Black Dog Cafe – casual dining in a small local restaurant. Sit outside on the street and order fresh local seafood off the blackboard menu. Try the Barramundi Sunset, with barramundi, local scallops and king prawns – yum! Pop next door to the Irish pub for a Guiness for dessert.
Registered Clubs
If you are staying in town without transportation, the local clubs are a great option, with courtesy buses, fantastic value meals, some excellent entertainment, and the usual poker machines and sports bars to try your luck.
Boat Club – the Boat Club has a fantastic bistro – huge servings, consistently good quality meals and a beautiful outlook over the Hervey Bay Marina. Their courtesy shuttle will also pick you up and drop you back to your accommodation!
RSL – the RSL features all the usual poker machines, sports bar, great bistro, courtesy shuttle as well as some incredible entertainment. Be sure to check out their quarterly free guide (Premiere) that is available from most accommodations in town for a guide to what entertainment is scheduled – you might find some amazing (and cheap) shows and bands.
Maddigans – a beachside town should always be about seafood. Maddigans does the best fish and chips in town. Grab some fish, chips, fresh oysters, scallops and salads and head to the park or beach for a picnic – perfect!
Smithy's Pizza – great pizza with fresh ingredients, Smithy's also does fantastic take away pasta meals as well. If you are on holidays and want a night in, Smithy's will deliver to any accommodation in Hervey Bay. Try the Capricciosa with anchovies.
Fun, Food AND Adventure
Fraser Gourmet Adventure Package
This has got to be the BEST way to satisfy your hunger for great food and exciting adventure! Our newest package features ...
- 2 nights accommodation at the award winning Emeraldene Inn
- Champagne Sunset Sail aboard Blue Dolphin
- Exclusive and private full day tour of Fraser Island (inc sumptuous picnic lunch!)
- 4 course dinner at the amazing Coast Restaurant (including limousine transfers)
From only $425 per person!


text:
2017 Is Time For Internet Marketing
Most kiwis use the internet. We're using it more and more on our mobile phones. We search for local businesses. We buy over the internet, and we use the internet to decide who we're going to use for services.
Around the world service businesses are successfully using the internet to get more business. There's heaps of opportunity and promise.
The Problem For Service Business
We have a disappointing reality. Most kiwi service businesses are not getting good results from the internet. Very frequently a website is just a cost that does nothing for them.
They get very few people visiting the website and even fewer of them turning into clients.
Websites should turn a profit. Like all marketing, it's only there to make money.
Why Websites Fail To Get Business
They fail because they don't have a marketing system; they're just web pages that look nice. On its own a website won't bring in new business.
Websites are just one cog in the wheel of internet marketing. There are important steps that come before and after a website. They need promotion to get a steady stream of prospects coming in. The website itself has to be optimised to convert those clients into prospects.
Getting New Clients
Service businesses need different marketing than product based businesses. The old "add to cart" button doesn't work. A service isn't a box of stuff that someone can pick up and buy. Your clients are buying your skills, your reputation, your trust, your expertise. On a deeper level they're buying the benefits your service offers. And at the deepest level they're buying the emotional rewards that having your service ultimately means.
A marketing system built on this basis will bring in more business and deliver the bottom line results that a lonely website cannot.
Check out the 6 Step Internet Marketing System, and see what you need to do to get business from the internet.
You might also want to get your own copy of Get Internet Smart. It's an audio CD about how to make the most of the internet. It's normally $29.95, but you can have it free if you qualify.
Best wishes with your business.
Luke Foster
Marketing Geek


text:
Our Country is Not an Exception to the Rule
"In Afghanistan, human rights are for sale," says Massood. His brother has been imprisoned without a proper trial, and the police want three thousand dollars for his release. From ordinary traffic policemen to the highest political office: in the troubled region of Afghanistan, anyone can be bought.
A commission set up in 2004 was supposed to put an end to this arbitrary application of the law. Given the unstable situation in Afghanistan, the work of the independent Afghan human rights commission AIHRC is nerve-wracking and often results in no measurable progress. Even small successes are a cause for celebration.
"In Afghanistan, you can regard it as a success that an institution like this exists at all," explains Dr. Sima Samar, the head of the Commission. "In the beginning, even calling for human rights was an absurdity." Now, she says, many more Afghans are aware of what human rights are, that they have the right to demand them – and that human rights serve to protect ordinary citizens. "They know that a policeman doesn't just have the right to torture someone in custody, or even kill him. Yes, that is progress."
High-risk mission
Dr. Sima Samar has been campaigning for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan for almost thirty years. In 2002e was appointed Minister for Women's Affairs and was also one of five deputies to the President, Hamid Karzai, until she was forced to resign a few months later, questioning conservative Islamic laws.
Championing human rights in Afghanistan is always associated with great personal risk. Samar, a qualified doctor of medicine, is a thorn in the eye of the country's extremist, anti-liberal forces. She regularly receives death threats, especially on account of her demands for equal rights for women and the integration of ethnic minorities – a concern that is still largely taboo, and highly contentious.
The extremists and ultra-traditionalists defend their positions with both vehemence and violence, yielding only when they have to reckon with sanctions. This was made very clear last year when a new family law came into force in Afghanistan. This would have granted women even fewer rights in the future than they had under the Taliban. Among other things, the law effectively denied the right of a wife to refuse to have sexual intercourse with her husband.
International pressure on the Afghan government
The implication of this law was that marital rape would be exempt from punishment – an outrageous provocation, and one to which the international community could not fail to respond. After all, it had justified its invasion of Afghanistan with reference to human rights violations and the parlous situation for women in the country.
The threat of drastic cuts to financial aid meant that the law was rescinded as swiftly as it had been passed. Activists for women's rights and human rights in Afghanistan have long called for international support for the Afghan government to be linked to specific conditions such as these.
"The true enemies of Afghanistan are those who violate human rights and the rights of women," explains Malalai Joya, a female member of the Afghan parliament and prominent human rights campaigner. She adds that this is why it is so important that such people should be banned from participation in the government.
Disastrous compromise
Under pressure from NATO and the international community, President Hamid Karzai has called on both the government and the Taliban to negotiate an end to the war. Ordinary Afghans, however, are worried that political and military considerations will take precedence over what is good for the people. For this reason, human rights organizations are demanding that human rights should not be a basis for negotiation in the discussions with the Taliban. If this is allowed to happen, the Taliban could use their role as representatives of the state to enforce human rights abuses by decree.
The focus of the AIHRC is what is referred to as "transitional justice". Classical criminal justice has often proved insufficient when dealing retrospectively with genocide and other serious human rights abuses perpetrated by dictatorships, or during a civil war. Transitional justice is a way of coming to terms with the past which can be carried out in individual court proceedings without imposing legal sentences.
With transitional justice, the courts try to find a fair way of dealing with the social and psychological fallout of serious human rights abuses. Questions of guilt are clarified, but no sanctions are imposed. The aim is to develop an understanding of injustice and atrocities without reviving old enmities.
"Our goal is to cleanse our country of war crimes and human rights abuses and give our society the perspective of a more just, peaceful and democratic future," explains Sima Samar.
The human rights commission is engaged in highlighting human rights abuses committed by the pro-Soviet governments from the end of the 1970s to the present day – described by the AIHRC president as the most difficult and untransparent period in the history of Afghanistan.
The ignorance of the international community
Like U.S. President Barack Obama Samar had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2010. In her speech to the Nobel Committee in Oslo, she took the opportunity emphatically to remind people that Afghanistan will have no future if its women are not allowed to participate fully in society.
Samar explains that she felt she had to warn the international community, because no one will trust it if it leaves the country before it has made real, enduring progress in the field of human rights. However, Samar feels that Afghanistan's international partners have now given up hope. Some, she says, have unabashedly stated that women's rights are simply incompatible with the culture and religion of Afghanistan. Outraged, Samar declared in Oslo: "This is not culture. This is not religion. This is ignorance. This is the violation of human rights."
People like Sima Samar and Malalai Joya are vital for the development of Afghanistan; especially now, when the international community would like withdraw from the country as soon as possible, and is even prepared to countenance an amnesty with the extremists. Yet if it is not to forfeit the trust of the people entirely, it is currently in even greater need of people who will insist that justice and the observance of human rights must be preconditions for reconciliation talks. Only in this way is there a chance that the Afghan people will regain their trust in political institutions and support them.
Shikiba Babori
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Shikiba Babori was born in 1966 in Kabul. She now lives and works as an ethnologist and freelance journalist in Cologne. In 2004, she headed a training course for female Afghan journalists in Herat. Since 2006, she has worked on developing of the network of female journalists in Afghanistan, KALIMA – a news agency devoted to fostering a constructive dialogue by disseminating background information on socio-cultural topics.
Editor: Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de
© Qantara.de 2010
Interview with Malalai Joya
No Peace with Fundamentalists
In an interview with Qantara.de, the Afghan parliamentarian and civil rights activist Malalai Joya criticizes the West's military invention in the Hindu Kush, the governmental policies of Hamid Karzai and the power structures in parliament
Maliha Zulfacar, Afghanistan's Ambassador to Germany
"People in Afghanistan Need More Tangible Changes"
Maliha Zulfacar is one of two female Afghan ambassadors. In this interview with Martin Gerner, she talks about her unusual career, as well as about NATO's military strategy, and the reconstruction process in Afghanistan
Women in the Afghan Parliament
In Search of Allies
In Afghanistan's new parliament one in four members are woman. But this figure does nothing to tackle the multiple problems female politicians have to deal with. Martin Gerner reports from Kabul
First Mosque for Women in Kabul
"God Isn't Only There for Men"
Over the past few decades, women in Islamic countries have become more self-assertive and have also rediscovered going to the mosque. These developments are now gradually being felt in Afghanistan. The first official mosque for women recently opened in Kabul. Ratbil Shamel reports


text:
Spoiler alert: Awesome race cars are even more awesome at Laguna Seca. It's a photographer's paradise and we sent the inimitable Brad Fox to last weekend's American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca to bring you enough grid girls, engine porn, and ferocious race cars to keep your
spank bank wallpaper folder stocked for a year.
A few real spoilers below. Just ten days after making a joke about the Aston Martin #007 car not winning a race it wins a race!
The BMWs took their second team championship after snagging a second place finish in GT behind the gorgeous Flying Lizard Porsche 911 with mountain master Jörg Begmeister and Patrick Long at the wheel. Though, technically, they all got their asses kicked by the 911 GT3 R Hybrid, which was an "unclassified" entry.
In GT Challenge, Jalopnik's favorite Discount Tire employee Jeroen Bleekemolen lost narrowly to Spencer Pumpelly.
If you're still reading this what the hell is wrong with you? Click through for the pretty pictures.
All photos credit: Brad Fox


text:
Who was/is Pete Seeger ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more
Pete Seeger
12. Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
Pete Seeger never abandoned the original vision of the Almanac Singers. With the war over and now back in civilian life, he dreamed of expanding the Almanacs' ideals into a national movement that would unify singers, performers, choral leaders and labor unions into a force for political and social change. Seeger's model was Great Britain's Workers Music Association, founded in 1939 by members of England's Communist Party.
Reaching out to New York's leftist folk, theatrical and literary communities, Seeger invited potential members to attend the December 31, 1945, organizational meeting of People's Songs. Committees were established to find office space, set up a corporation, establish a regular newsletter, secure financing and recruit new members.
Within a year's time the People's Songs concept spread to other major North American cities. In October 1947, the organization held its first national convention in Chicago. The organization set up a booking office for its members and encouraged aspiring singer-songwriters and established composers to send sheet music or demos of new topical songs for possible publication in the monthly bulletin.
Although some professional composers were among People's Songs' earliest supporters, the most enduring songs to emerge from the movement were penned by non-professionals like Vern Partlow, a Los Angeles journalist and union activist.
Born May 25, 1910, in Bloomington, Illinois, Verneil Partlow moved to California after working for newspapers and radio stations in Wisconsin and Chicago. Hired by the Los Angeles Daily News, he became an early supporter of the American Newspaper Guild, formed in 1933. In the mid-'40s forties he hosted a program covering labor issues for a Los Angeles station.
When Earl Robinson opened the first People's Songs office on the West Coast, Partlow became one of its earliest members. After interviewing scientists on the consequences of a nuclear war, he wrote Old Man Atom, a talking blues using a musical template Woody Guthrie adapted from the recordings of Chris Bouchillon. Laced with irony, the song circulated among other singer-songwriters after its appearance as Atomic Talking Blues in the January 1947 People's Songs Bulletin. Pete Seeger recorded it in 1948 for Irwin Silber and Brownie McGhee's Encore label.
Outside of activists within People's Songs, few people bought Seeger's record. One who did was Sam Hinton, curator of the Thomas Wayland Vaughan Aquarium Museum at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California at San Diego.
Various - Troubadours Troubadours -
Folk And The Roots Of American Music Vol. 1 (3-CD)
Read more at: https://www.bear-family.com/various-troubadours-vol.1-folk-and-the-roots-of-american-music-3-cd.html
Copyright © Bear Family Records


text:
Robotics Industry Insights
Industry Insights
- This industry insights is filed under:
- Industry
- Application
- Peripherals
High-Density Robotic Painting: Latest Trend Lowers Costs
by Randy Schuetz, Tech. Leader, Painting & Dispensing, and Mary Kay Morel, Staff Writer/Editor, Motoman
Yaskawa America, Inc. Posted 11/14/2008
Technology advances, including the use of wall-mounted or shelf-mounted paint robots with hollow wrists, collision-avoidance software, conveyor tracking, and computer simulation have made it possible for manufacturers to incorporate high-density robotic concepts into their painting operations. Robotic painting improves quality and consistency and significantly reduces costs and cycle times, while high-density booth layouts save considerable floorspace.
For example, typical automotive paint booth widths have been reduced by 25 percent (from approximately 20 ft to 15 ft), and the overall length of their paint booths has been reduced 50 percent by using high-density layouts with wall- or shelf-mounted robots.
For every square foot of reduced spray booth floor space, the exhaust and air make-up (supply air) requirements will be reduced significantly. For example, a spray booth measuring 20 ft. W x 40 ft. L operating at a typical 60 ft per minute of exhaust airflow velocity will require 48,000 cfm. However, a spray booth measuring 15 ft. W x 20 ft. L operating at 60 ft per minute will require only 18,000 cfm, which translates to a 62.5 percent reduction in supply air.
To provide proper ventilation, make-up air must be brought in to replace air that is exhausted from the spray paint booth. Temperature of this make-up air needs to be between about 60º-85 º Fahrenheit, depending on the paint process. Depending on the temperature of the outside air, this make-up air might have to be heated or cooled to maintain it at the proper temperature. Lowering the amount of make-up air required also means associated energy cost to heat or cool it, which result in a significant cost savings.
To reduce pollution, exhaust air containing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and other hazardous components often needs to be incinerated before it can be released into the environment. Less exhaust volume also means less incineration expense, and less energy required to run the incinerators, an additional benefit.
New wall- or shelf-mounted paint robots are able to access hard-to-reach areas of the part or vehicle body more effectively than traditional floor-mounted models, while also keeping the robots above most paint overspray, which reduces maintenance costs. In addition, large parts or assemblies can be painted with multiple robots that are wall- or shelf-mounted at different height levels, allowing one robot to paint the lower portion of a part while another paints the upper portion. With the help of anti-collision software, multiple robots can work in very close proximity to each other in the spray booth.
The new wall- or shelf-mounted painting robots also have slim hollow robot arms with internally routed air lines, paint hoses, and cables that allow the robot arm and spray gun to access difficult- to-reach areas. On many automotive, truck and other paint lines, the same model wall- or shelf-mounted robots can also open and close doors, hoods and trunk lids, as needed, due to increased payload.
Conveyor tracking features allow robots to track parts as they move down a conveyor or overhead carrier and adjust the robot path for variations in the conveyor speed. Advanced robot controllers also allow robot motion to be coordinated with that of servo positioners to provide smooth, seam-free paint application. Many types of part positioners, as well as wall- or ceiling-mounted robot tracks and robot transport beams can be used in paint environments. However, these part positioners and robot transporters might need to be modified due to explosion-proof requirements for application of flammable paint materials.
Factory Mutual-approved controllers with air purge systems to achieve Class 1, Division 1 explosion-proof ratings are the standard for electrical equipment, including most paint robots powered by electric servo motors. Typically, the paint robot controller is located outside of the actual paint booth to increase safety and reduce costs. Often, menu-driven paint gun spray control features, color change and other functions are available from the robot teach pendant, which can be used inside the spray booth, making programming much easier. Robots can easily follow complex spray paths, maintaining a constant spray gun orientation, gun travel speed, and ultimately a consistent paint film thickness.
Today, highly accurate PC-based robot simulation software allows creation and testing of high-density layouts, spray paths, cycle times, etc. The painting simulation can effectively model painting of a part or vehicle on the computer to determine the number of robots required, eliminate interference between robots, optimize the robot location, and reduce the spray booth size. When simulations are used, painting robots can be installed and operational in up to 30 percent less time, which reduces installation costs.
Simulation tools can also be used to develop robot painting programs off-line. These programs can be downloaded to the robot controller and run with little or no touch-up programming. Off-line programming increases productivity by allowing the actual robots remain in production while programs are developed or modified.
Robotic painting reduces repetitive motion injuries and keeps plant personnel away from potentially hazardous materials, including VOCs , isocyanates and various carcinogens. Paint robots are generally easy to cost-justify through material savings alone, which can be significant – as high as 35 percent versus manual painting. Robotic spray applications provide consistent film thickness control, correct color and gloss, and excellent overall appearance without runs or sags.
New wall- or shelf-mounted paint robots maximize valuable floor space and reduce operating and maintenance cost for the manufacturing facility. Robotic painting reduces exposure risk for human workers, and high-density robotic paint booths significantly improve productivity and cycle time, while reducing energy use and environmental pollutants.
Originally published by RIA via www.robotics.org on 11/14/2008


text:
The European Commission has now confirmed officially what was last week leaked – that the Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA) role is not being renewed by the incoming Juncker commission. The CSA website has already been taken down, and – as the James Wilsdon writes in the Guardian – it is not clear that the outgoing CSA Professor Anne Glover (who leaves in January) will even be allowed to attend scientific meetings she herself set up.
This is a dark day for science in Europe. Instead of having scientific advice at the heart of European policymaking, the Juncker Commission clearly wants to remove any person who might bring inconvenient scientific truths to the top EU table. Sadly, this is all too consistent with European moves to back away from evidence-based policymaking – if you can't change the science you muzzle the scientists or keep them out of the room when powerful people are taking decisions.
So how did it come to this? Who are the villains of the piece? Step forward Greenpeace, whose European unit signed a letter along with a veritable rogues gallery of anti-GMO campaign groups demanding the role be abolished in July this year. To quote:
We are aware that business lobbies urge the Commission to continue with the practice established by Mr Barroso and even to strengthen the chief adviser's formal role in policy making. We, by contrast, appeal to you to scrap this position. The post of Chief Scientific Adviser is fundamentally problematic as it concentrates too much influence in one person, and undermines in-depth scientific research and assessments carried out by or for the Commission directorates in the course of policy elaboration.
So according to Greenpeace and its pals, only business is pro-science. NGOs are… well, you decide. The letter then reveals what has triggered this campaign against science by the green NGO community:
To the media, the current CSA presented one-sided, partial opinions in the debate on the use of genetically modified organisms in agriculture, repeatedly claiming that there was a scientific consensus about their safety whereas this claim is contradicted by an international statement of scientists…
In other words, Anne Glover needed to be sacked because her advice and public statements accurately represented the worldwide scientific consensus on the safety of GMOs. Instead, Greenpeace et al advance a 'no consensus' position which is eerily reminiscent of that put forward by climate change deniers.
For the avoidance of doubt, Greenpeace UK in fact confirmed this no-consensus claim to me only a few days ago on Twitter:
@mark_lynas 'fraid not, Mark – http://t.co/Db9YJ0UZi2 GMO-specific health risk, not picked up by mandatory tests.
— Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) October 24, 2014
So who should the Juncker Commission be taking its scientific advice from? Why, the NGOs of course – many of which are lavishly funded by that very same European Commission! (Though not Greenpeace, I should make clear.) As the letter put it, not even very coyly:
We hope that you as the incoming Commission President will decide not to nominate a chief scientific adviser and that instead the Commission will take its advice from a variety of independent, multi-disciplinary sources, with a focus on the public interest. We remain at your disposal if you wish to receive more detailed explanations of our concerns.
This is a sad turn of events not only for science in EU policymaking, but also for science in European environmentalism. Since when did environmental groups, whose campaigns on issues like climate change always contain frequent references to "the science" lobby to remove scientists from the halls of power? How can anyone take seriously Greenpeace's claims to be science-led and evidence-based when it lashes out against scientists who challenge its ideology even at the expense of damaging the fundamental interests of the entire European scientific community? Whoever took this decision in Greenpeace should hang their head in shame today.
What is even more dispiriting is that this NGO-led campaign against science in Europe is already paying dividends. Earlier this week the European Parliament – informed no doubt by perpetual lobbying from the Brussels-based, EU-funded green groups – voted to allow nation states to implement indefinite GMO cultivation bans without the need to provide any meaningful scientific evidence, and to do so in the face of any advice they might receive from the scientists at the European Food Safety Authority. Science in policy is duly abolished at all levels, just as the NGOs demanded. Are you happy now, Greenpeace?
But look – who else is celebrating the decision to abolish the European science advisor role? The climate sceptics, who hated Anne Glover's equally accurate advice on the serious danger of climate change just as much as the greens hated her scientifically-accurate views on GMOs. It looks like Greenpeace has found itself with some uncomfortable but rather apt new bedfellows.
There has been a strong expert reaction from scientists and the scientific community, a few responses from which are captured in this Science Media Centre list of quotes.
Update 2:
Greenpeace has responded on Twitter:
@Greenpeace Rubbish. You didn't like the scientific advice, so you lobbied to get rid of the scientific advisor. Shameful. @MsNewall
— Mark Lynas (@mark_lynas) November 13, 2014
41 Comments
Really a sad decision, but according to Junckers remarks before his election: "we must respect peoples opinions on GMOs" and his whole opportunistic attitude this had to be expected.
We only can hope, that Juncker himself is sacked for his own criminal promotion of tax frauds (going into the billions) in his Luxembourg time.as Prime Minister.
our letter from PRRI also did not help, alas…
The Holy Inquisition of Galileo's discoveries is dated four centuries ago….↓
A victory for ignorance, bigotry and vested interests everywhere.↓
Might I suggest that the appointment as a scientific advisor to a politico-economic union of 28 member states is almost certain to end up being political rather than scientific.
There is great pressure, not least from the UK, to devolve many of those decisions back to member states – that the EU has become overly controlling to the point that many feel is downright undemocratic meddling in national affairs.
Yesterday (12 November, 2014), the EU Parliament moved closer to enabling national bans on GM crops. You may agree or disagree with that process but the plan could help reconcile anti- and pro-GM countries, unlock stalled approval processes, and lead to more GM crops in European fields—although many countries are likely to take the opportunity to further restrict them.
The alternative is potentially for the EU to tear itself apart. It all reminds me of the stupid sacking of David Nutt in 2009 by the then Home Secretary, Alan Johnson. Johnson wrote in a letter at that time to The Guardian, that "He was asked to go because he cannot be both a government adviser and a campaigner against government policy." – unreasonable thought that may be.
It is also worth noting that successful European science endeavours such as the ESA's Rosetta project are not part of the EU. ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, whereas the EU is supranational. The two institutions have indeed different ranges of competences, different Member States and are governed by different rules and procedures.
CERN is another european project that goes far beyond the political or physical limits of the EU.
In some respects the EU, as with many of its member states, is very parochial.↓
Rosetta: fully agree, important developments have been achieved at the University of Bern, – and Switzerland is still not a member of the EU and most probably will never be..
"Might I suggest that the appointment as a scientific advisor to a politico-economic union of 28 member states is almost certain to end up being political rather than scientific."
As if the decision-making process hadn't been as politicized as it could be already? As long as science-based policy decisions are being made on an EU-wide basis, we need somebody with EU-wide clout to make sure that the science trumps the politics involved. Now we don't have that person.
This is really shameful. I can't belief the EU is capable of decisions. How can it be scared of sound scientific advise. Maybe Europe does not need EU after all!↓
"Smith wants to tell us how dangerous GM crops are and why we should avoid them. He reaches too far when he says that scientists would not normally have detected the potential allergenicity of this protein…"↓
I think its not enough to imply that Greenpeace (and perhaps you add other NGOs?) are anti-science. I think you need evidence. It is a crude characterisation and often used in a partisan and self-serving way. People who are anti-GMO may or may not be "anti-science" but personally I don't know anyone who calls themselves anti-science. Most people who are opposed to GMOs for whatever reason are sceptics of individual research reports, papers, etc, but that is an honourable position. As Richard Feynman put it: "Science is a belief in the ignorance of experts". If we didnt think our predecessors were wrong we wouldnt be scientists. Ultimately, your accusation (if you take your blog seriously) is a serious one and you should support it or retract it.↓
After all the studies conducted on crop safety, and twenty years experience of growing these substances in the field, and the numerous statements by august scientific societies regarding the safety of GMOs, if someone still cleaves to the idea that these crops are inherently dangerous then it isn't as a result of any scientific reasoning process. It's as a result of turning one's back on that process.
Just because somebody doesn't claim to be something doesn't mean that they aren't that thing. How many times have we heard the phrase 'I'm not racist, but…' ?
That twenty year experience, in my view, is that GMO crops often dont work as expected and this can have radical consequences: http://www.independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/roundup-ready-2-soybeans/
That is one solitary example in a non-peer-reviewed website. It is flatly contradicted by this study http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0111629 which is a peer-reviewed meta-analysis of hundreds of studies, and goes on to state:
"On average, GM technology adoption has reduced chemical pesticide use by 37%, increased crop yields by 22%, and increased farmer profits by 68%. Yield gains and pesticide reductions are larger for insect-resistant crops than for herbicide-tolerant crops. Yield and profit gains are higher in developing countries than in developed countries."
That's why we should have scientists and scientific advisors, instead of basing policy on your or any other activist's 'view'.
Soybean yield increase has tended to be linear, according to this:
What's not shown is, to achieve that nearly constant rate, different techniques were employed over the last century. If we had stuck with, say, just fertilizing, as our primary technique, the yield curve would have topped out in the 1940's. Each technique can only go so far and must be either supplanted or coupled with newer techniques to keep achieving higher results.
As an example. Take human flight. Our first successes were balloons and gliders, then came engines and biplanes, then monoplanes, retractable landing gear, etc, etc. If we stopped using newer techniques, human flight would have simply topped out. But we didn't and know we just landed a probe on a comet using ion engines to get there.
An absolutely deplorable decision. Which countries have pressed for this? What justificatixon has been offered? What can we do to get it reversed? Somehow we need to create.a network of pro-science advocates across Europe to fight the flat-earthers and rabid greens.↓
So on top of the vote in the parliament on renationalisation of GM-crop cultivation the other day Juncker got rid of the chief scientific advisor.
Sad days for EU!!↓
"We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces."
Carl Sagan↓
My best friend of 30 years worked as a grad student in Sagan's lab, finding how terribly leaky his old Mars dust simulator was, not able to make the red stuff until being made professional, leaking toxic ozone into the lab before, likely giving Sagan his rare cancer, quite a combustible mixture of ignorance blowing up in Carl's face indeed.
Here are the risk factors for Myelodysplastic syndrome, the root cause of Sagan's death:
Ozone is not mentioned, only benzine and, "certain chemicals", typically used by the petroleum industry. It seems chemotherapy is the worst risk factor, if order of listing denotes risk.
Mark you didn't get the memo I see, from Jim Hansen's replacement at NASA, Gavin Schmidt, begging promoters of climate alarm to STOP calling debate foes "deniers" for in loaded fashion it makes "a direct reference to the Holocaust":
Schmidt can't be serious surely. Are we to remove a word from the English language because it was used in the context of the holocaust? Climate change deniers are people who deny that there is any evidence that mankind is in the process of changing climate on a global scale. Other than being in denial in spite of evidence to the contrary, there is no relationship.
Well….money certainly didn't buy this outcome….at last!↓
Unfortunately, common sense wasn't involved either.
What's with all this "worldwide scientific consensus" malarkey. GMO's are not considered safe beacuse all the qualified people agree (they probably do) but because these things have to go thru regulated trials, see http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/safety/human_health/ for example.
Saying it's safe because everyone you think matters says so is just ignorant rubbish. Def Malarkey, meaningless talk; nonsense and I'll add irrelavant to that definition too.
What's the next Lynas article – the "worldwide scientific consensus" on gravity because all the clever people say so.
"Saying it's safe because everyone you think matters says so…"
Quite right!
Until Chernobyl all nuclear scientists concluded that no reactor would explode, or only once in a million years.
Now 4 reactors (3 at Fukushima, 1 at Chernobyl) have exploded after only 12000 reactor years, which is once in 3000years!
Do you know how many people have died as a result of Chernobyl? Fifty-six. How many died as a result of Fukushima? Zero.
Now, please put a figure on the number of deaths in mining disasters over the past ten years, would you?
A general Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA) can only act as a political figure, as that advisor cannot have the needed deep scientific knowledge on all fields.
It is already centuries ago that one person could have that.
Each commissioner should decide whether he needs a scientific advisor(s), on a specialized field.
So this is one of the few excellent decisions in Brussels!↓
Right. So just cut science out of the picture. That solves everything.
Since when did environmental groups, whose campaigns on issues like climate change always contain frequent references to "the science" lobby to remove scientists from the halls of power?
You need a comma after '"the science"'. It's quite confusing to read without that comma.↓
Since always. Pressure groups fight 'for science' to be on govt panels when it suits them and fight for them to be taken off when it doesn't. There is a common thread between the two and that is the pressure groups' agenda can be propped up using 'science' as an authority.
The moves by Greenpeace would come as a surprise *only* to those who fail to see through this and instead imagine green pressure groups to be supportive of science in general. For example, Mark Lynas.
Since the EU is a massive bureaucracy, with it's own political machinations, it's difficult to be sure whether in the long run the world will be a better place with or without the Chief Scientific Advisor. But it would seem Greenpeace are sure, that strikes me as over confidence . Greenpeace have sure left themselves wide open for criticism here. They are supposed to be an environmental pressure group campaigning for a simple common good. I'm not saying the decision making process of supra-national government is beyond reproach, far from it, but if an NGO is going to lobby in that sphere they better be able to explain to their supporters why they're right. The mantra of the environmental movement is think globally act locally, that's a long way from today's Greenpeace sadly.
I used to count myself a supporter of Greenpeace, but after the financial squabbles earlier this year and now this I am reminded there are plenty of other environmental pressure groups out there worthy of support.↓
P.S. Have Greenpeace offered anything other than the original letter and THAT TWEET to explain their position?
This is what happens when NGO's, Non-elected Governmental Organizations, such as Greenpeace, dictate to elected bodies.↓
Mark, I think you're a bit conflicted: On the one hand, you love mankind and you think, with Blomberg, the faster they develop the better – but, on the other hand, you hate mankind and a la Ehrlich, you think the faster they die the better. It reminds me of an old Star Trek episode were they actually meet their Gods and reject them. What is important to you, most of all, is your 'Politics', however childish it began and still unformed, as it is. It is your identity. If you can understand, again, Blomberg, that 'intellectual integrity' is more important than its 'contiguity', a kind of childish joke, and the absurdity, in this context, of loyalty – in matters of intellect there are no 'loyalties! -, then you can have that independence that might, I say, may, give you the respect you undoubtedly deserve. Sort yourself out.↓
"What is important to you, most of all, is your 'Politics', however childish it began and still unformed, as it is. It is your identity. If you can understand, again, Blomberg, that 'intellectual integrity' is more important than its 'contiguity', a kind of childish joke, and the absurdity, in this context, of loyalty – in matters of intellect there are no 'loyalties! -, then you can have that independence that might, I say, may, give you the respect you undoubtedly deserve. Sort yourself out. "
I tend to find that people who weave verbal tangles do so to hide the intellectual vacuum at the core of their argument. That, and sheer pomposity of course.
I suspect Lewis is probably a card-carrying Greenpeace member who has his teeth radiated every two years like clockwork, or is too young to appreciate life-saving diagnostic instruments like CAT or PET scans.
"…and that instead the Commission will take its advice from a variety of independent, multi-disciplinary sources"
Complementary and alternative science?↓
@mark lynas
The letter and the twee seem contradictory. The original letter specifically refers to the Glover's GMO statement as motivation for asking to 'sack' the EU CSA.
"To the media, the current CSA presented one-sided, partial opinions in the debate on the use of genetically modified organisms in agriculture, repeatedly claiming that there was a scientific consensus about their safety whereas this claim is contradicted by an international statement of scientists (currently 297 signatories)"
So, this was about the GMO statement of the EU CSA. But in their tweet, Greenpeace claims that:
"This is not about being for or against issues like GM food, …"
If I read both carefully one might possibly argue that there is no disagreement between both. On the other hand, in the letter they don't talk "about the integrity of all scientific processes within the Commission, and respect for evidence." (see tweet). Hence, I have difficulties to disconnect this from the GMO discussion. Furthermore, if the CSA misrepresents the science (assuming that it is possible for the CSA to even represent it in a balanced way), I think it is the task of professional scientific organisations to address that, not NGO's.
It appears Greenpeace is twisting and turning to put themselves in a more favorable light.↓
This is what The Independent has to say about the matter at http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/blind-to-science-anne-glovers-progm-views-are-not-a-sackable-offence-9862675.html :
"Professor Glover was sacked from her position as Chief Scientific Adviser to the European Union yesterday by Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission (executive branch of the EU) because of her inconveniently erudite and evidence-based views on genetically modified crops. Professor Glover, in accordance with the majority of scientific opinion, believes that the ecological and health risks of GM crops are very low, whereas the benefits are potentially very big. Mr Juncker, in accordance with mass public hysteria and illiteracy on the subject of GM crops, wants to ban them from some countries, and needs to remove all obstacles to his doing so."↓
I recently attended a talk by Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore, now one the activist body's greatest critics. Moore, who has a PhD in ecological studies, said he was the only one in Greenpeace with a scientific background. He left when the body insisted on policies, such as banning GM Golden Rice, which were contrary to all scientific understanding.↓
Is the requested banning of Golden rice any more or less stupid than those pro-GM (some are supposed scientists) who are insisting upon the commercialisation of golden rice before it's developers say that it is ready?
According to the IRRI, Golden rice is not ready for commercialisation and it's development has seen a yield setback of some time, so why all the hysteria from all sides? Nothing to do with the idiotic trashing of one test site in the Philippines but a range of problems in the application of the science.
There are alternatives, for example, some Amish farmers are reinventing organic agriculture by studying the immune systems of plants, they've developed a technique that eliminates the need for synthetic chemicals. This is science in a real and meaningful sense, not a religion nor a scientific dogma.


text:
Hamlet Real Estate
Hamlet is located in Indiana. Hamlet, Indiana has a population of 771. Hamlet is more family-centric than the surrounding county with 34.54% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 28.73%.
The median household income in Hamlet, Indiana is $42,083. The median household income for the surrounding county is $40,357 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Hamlet is 32.5 years.
Hamlet Map
View Homes for Sale in Hamlet
Hamlet Weather
The average high temperature in July is 82.1 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 17.2 degrees. The average rainfall is approximately 39.7 inches per year, with 26.2 inches of snow per year.
Real estate near Hamlet
Nearby Cities
Nearby Cities Homes for Sale
Hamlet Zip Codes


text:
BENEFITING: Alzheimer's Association
ORGANIZER: Sarah
Sarah Birkin wrote -
At Bankers Life, we witness firsthand the impact that Alzheimer's disease has on our customers, their families and their caregivers. That's why in 2003 we established Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days, our nationwide fundraising campaign to benefit the Alzheimer's Association.
Each year, we go out into the community to collect donations for local chapters of the Alzheimer's Association and raise awareness of the disease. In exchange for a donation, we hand out packets of Forget-Me-Not flower seeds and ask that they be planted in honor of the more than five million people with Alzheimer's.
One hundred percent of the donations collected go directly to the Alzheimer's Association.
What started as a grassroots fundraiser has blossomed into a national fundraising campaign that has helped raise more than $4.1 million for the Alzheimer's Association through Bankers Life Forget Me Not Days collections and corporate donations.
Join us June 3 & 4, 2016 to help us plant the seed of hope for a world without Alzheimer's.