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Verve Wireless is behind the AP iPhone app and is enabling many newspaper publishers' mobile efforts. Today the company announced that it had expanded its roster of clients:
Verve Wireless, the leading provider of mobile publishing technologies to local media companies, today announced partnerships with Media News Group, A.H. Belo Corporation, Hearst Corporation, and Cox Newspapers to mobilize local media properties such as The Denver Post, The Dallas Morning News, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Palm Beach Post, and Examiner.com. Verve now mobilizes over 450 local media properties, covering the top 200 designated market areas in the U.S. and continues its international expansion by partnering with the Khaleej Times of the United Arab Emirates.
These properties also constitute a local-mobile ad network. In addition, the company announced that its platform now automatically generates iPhone optimized versions of publisher sites/content for the Safari browser:
Verve rolled out enhancements to their platform that automatically creates a version of the publisher's site optimized for the new Safari browser on iPhones, as well as providing mobile video delivery across the leading smartphones in the market. The iPhone module allows publishers of all sizes and markets to participate in the fastest growing smartphone segment. Publisher's can create a specialized version of their own mobile site to take advantage of the Safari browser's unique capabilities, such as location awareness, automatic short cut that places an app icon on the phone for quick access, exceptional layout and navigation elements, and world class rich media delivery. The demand for this new module was stemming from news organizations like The Orange County Register who see in excess of 40% of their mobile web traffic coming from iPhones.
As we wrote before, when it comes to newspapers and magazines, smartphones are the new print.
Tested with a small group of roughly 10 publishers for several months, including Urbanspoon and Pandora, Google is now expanding its beta for AdSense for Mobile Apps. These are display ads (text and graphical) that appear within apps on the iPhone or Android. New publishers are welcome to apply but must meet page view thresholds and a few other criteria.
Unless they opt-out all advertisers in the Google content network will automatically appear on these apps, if contextually and/or geographically relevant.
Most of Google's advertisers don't yet have optimized-for-mobile landing pages. So the landing page or CTR page will be the one designated by the advertiser as part of its traditional online campaign. Google feels that the browsers on the iPhone and Android will make for a good enough experience for users to not require a mobile landing page or mobile-optimized site. In fact Google shut down its mobile landing page building tool several months ago.
For those advertisers that do have such landing pages or sites, Google will detect the handset and if it's an iPhone or Android device show the appropriate mobile site/page accordingly.
While mobile-only ad networks such as AdMob, JumpTap or Quattro have advantages for publishers over Google because they're only focused on mobile advertising, Google brings many more advertisers to the table and can potentially monetize more page views and queries accordingly. It's a trade-off.
Speaking in Cannes, France Scott Howe, VP of the Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group at Microsoft, said that he believed mobile advertising "will account for 5-10 percent of global media ad spending within five years." That's quite a bullish prediction but we like it.
Microsoft also recently announced that Hyatt is the inaugural client for its mobile partnership with Verizon. Here's a screen showing one of the Hyatt ads:
Here are some Bing-Verizon screens (Bing is now the default search provider on Verizon). This is mobile Web.
Yellowpages.com (AT&T), as Microsoft's partner, is a huge beneficiary of the deal and is the sole (current) provider of local ads:
We're waiting for a rebranded and updated version of the Live Search client, which was very useful and effective but under-appreciated. This time around it will likely get more attention, given that Bing is having some initial consumer success and as part of the multi-million dollar Bing ad campaign. It will also probably offer an improved user interface/experience as well.
The advent of push notifications and IM on iPhone 3.0 has raised the question (again) of how IM might impact SMS and related carrier fees. In 2007 we speculated about whether IM on mobile devices might one day take over vs. SMS:
[O]ver the long term IM could potentially replace SMS for mobile users, especially if people shift from text plans to Internet plans (unless they're bundled) as the mobile Internet becomes more important.
With a growing range of SMS alternatives such as Facebook, Twitter, mobile Skype, Google Latitude "shout outs" and various mobile IM clients (and aggregators) we're likely to see some shift in messaging volumes to IM from SMS. There's no immediate danger to SMS (and carrier fees) but that's certainly going to be the long-term trend.
Microsoft put out a press release that announced its initial mobile advertising campaign under the Verizon partnership is with Hyatt Hotels, a local advertiser, although the campaign doesn't appear to leverage location:
The mobile advertising display campaign is designed to drive people to register for the Hyatt Gold Passport frequent guest rewards program and encourage people to visit Hyatt's new, fully functional mobile Web site using their mobile phone.
I haven't seen the campaign, but Verizon is providing data and placement to Microsoft and Redmond is offering mobile in the context of a multi-screen "one stop shop" digital ad solution:
"The powerful combination of Microsoft's popular destination sites like MSN and Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web service not only offers exceptional reach to our target audience, but provides us with an efficient solution to work with both a large publisher and service provider through one simple platform."
As part of the announcement Microsoft released some impressive findings from an earlier study done in France:
To demonstrate the value of mobile advertising, Microsoft conducted a research study for Toyota in France in preparation for the launch of its IQ car. The goal of the study was to determine the impact of using a "two screen versus one" advertising approach in reaching consumers. The findings indicated that incorporating mobile advertising with online display advertising provided an increase to Toyota's online presence, driving a 200 percent incremental lift in ad recall and a 40 percent lift in brand recall. In addition, the synergy between mobile search and mobile display showed similar results, with mobile display experiencing a 350 percent lift in ad recall and a 125 percent increase in brand recall through the inclusion of mobile search ads.
T-Mobile is announcing today that its myTouch 3G (G2) is coming out formally in August. As I've written it's a much better phone than the G1. One of the features I like quite a bit is the Google voice search capability in general and on Maps. I find that it's accurate most of the time.
One of the featured apps on the new myTouch 3G is called "Sherpa," a personalized LBS discovery tool. The company behind the app is Geodelic, which put out a release about the app this morning:
Created by Geodelic, in partnership with T-Mobile, Sherpa is a local discovery application that learns a user's favorite types of locations and preferences over time. The more it's used, the more it customizes itself to the user's taste, learning their likes and dislikes so it can prioritize recommended and relevant local retailers, restaurants and attractions. By combining a user's location and interests, with other contextual information such as time of day, Sherpa aggregates and presents contextually relevant, location-based information about the "real world" that surrounds a user at any moment.
Sherpa uses a learning engine called GENIE (Geodelic ENgine for Interest Evaluation) that automatically learns a user's favorite locations and lifestyle behavior. If a user eats out more than they shop, it modifies itself and tailors the experience to begin showing more restaurants and less retail stores. So no matter where a person goes, whether they are traveling or exploring their neighborhood, Sherpa prioritizes recommended locations and presents them to users.
Just as a browser allows Internet users to surf the web, the Geodelic application serves as a "geobrowser" for users allowing them to browse the "real world" through an interface optimized for a mobile experience. Geodelic's advanced technology searches the web, gathering the best public and proprietary information from sites like Yelp!, MenuPages, City Search, and a large number of specialized sources to supply the most complete content based on users' location and interests. The application's learning capability allows it to then automatically organize a user's environment by what is most important to them.
Accordingly, the app aims to present information to users, based on their location/context, and not require them to actively search for it (enter keywords in a query box and evaluate links). This is by no means the first app with such an ambition. Indeed, the interface and some of the features resemble those from other iPhone and Android apps: AroundMe, Earthcomber's mobile client, MapQuest4Mobile and Google's Places Directory. However Geodelic's Sherpa seeks to combine location awareness, recommendations, advertising and local data in a more comprehensive, "next-generation" sort of way.
I've spoken at some length with Geodelic founder and CEO Rahul Sonnad, but haven't yet used the app. So all of this remains abstract until I can actually test it out.
The Geodelic site offers a video of the user experience and some of the ad capabilities.
Mobile search provider and ad network JumpTap has been issued a mobile advertising patent (No. 7,548,915) that appears to have broad implications. Here's how it's described in the press release:
The patent relates to a method for presenting an advertisement in association with a web page displayed on a mobile communication facility, the method comprising the steps of:
- determining a first relevancy score based upon a statistical association between at least a first advertisement and one or more keywords;
- determining a second relevancy score based upon a statistical association between at least a second advertisement and the one or more keywords;
- receiving a web page request from the mobile communication facility;
- receiving contextual information from the web page, wherein the contextual information includes at least the one or more keywords; and
- presenting the first advertisement in association with the web page to be displayed on the mobile communication facility based upon a determination that the first relevancy score is greater than the second relevancy score.
The patent application was originally filed in 2006 and is among more than 30 applications that the company filed that year. The patent appears to be focused on ads responding to mobile search queries (through a variety of input methods, including voice). Here's the "background" discussion from the application:
Online search driven by Web-based search engines has proven to be one of the most significant uses of computer networks such as the Internet. Computer users can employ a variety of search tools to search for content using different user interfaces and search methods. In some circumstances, mobile device users can also access Internet search tools to search for content. However, users of many mobile devices such as cell phones encounter difficulties using search technologies intended for conventional online use. Difficulties include the inability to display appropriate content, difficulty entering queries and taking other suitable actions such as navigation in an environment adapted to full screen displays, full-sized keyboards, and high-speed network connections. Furthermore, Internet search engines are currently unable to optimally deliver search results for a mobile communication facility because these search engines are specifically designed for the Internet and not mobile uses. A need exists for improved search capabilities adapted for use with mobile communication devices.
Again the implications appear to be very broad, however we're in a period of flux with patent law and it would be foolish to make any definitive statements at this point. However a strong IP portfolio makes the company more attractive as an acquisition target or potentially gives it another (licensing) revenue stream down the line if it remains independent.
Having spent some time with it, I can tell you that the Samsung Instinct is a vastly inferior phone to the iPhone. However, according to Millennial Media's Mobile Advertising Scorecard for May, "the Instinct replaced the iPhone as #1 on the list of the Top 20 Mobile Phones across our network."
This created something of a mystery in my mind because it's inconsistent with most other data in the market.
The following chart shows the hierarcy of devices across the Millenial network:
The traffic above doesn't include iPod Touch devices. Although the Instinct has sold reasonably well for Sprint, it has not sold numbers that approach the iPhone. How then do we explain this result?
Like all mobile platforms and providers putting metrics into the marketplace, these data are based on activity on Millennial's own network. AdMob's data are based on traffic it sees on its network and Opera's data are drawn from the Opera Mobile and Mini browsers. While they may be reflective of trends across the mobile Internet, they're not an "objective" view of the marketplace.
The answer to how the Samsung Instinct beats the iPhone lies in a closer examination of Millennial's network itself, which over-represents Sprint traffic vs. AT&T and other carriers relative to their actual shares in the US market.
If there are 270 million wireless subscribers in the US this is how the numbers break out on a percentage basis (numbers are approximate):
However the traffic distribution on Millennial's network's is as follows:
In terms of the mobile Internet, until the Palm Pre the Instinct was the most user friendly Sprint device and the one driving the highest engagement among Sprint users. But as you can see from the comparison, AT&T is considerably under-represented (not counting WiFi) and Sprint is somewhat over-represented on Millennial's network.
It's likely that Sprint users who want a smartphone and wish to remain with Sprint will opt for the Pre, which supersedes the Instinct in almost every respect.
Parks Associates released its mobile ad forecast, which predicts that mobile advertising revenues will reach $1.5 billion in the US and Canada by 2013. Those dollars are mostly going to be US based because of the relatively small size of the Canadian market. The IAB recently said that in 2007 Canadian mobile ad revenues were $2.7 million.
The Parks forecast reportedly includes apps, SMS, search, display and video. Our previous mobile ad forecast, which is being substantially refined, predicted ad revenues of $2.3 billion in North America by 2012.
Parks also estimated that there were 62 million smartphone users in North America in 2008, with user penetration to reach 239 million in 2013. If the combined mobile user population of the US and Canada is roughly 290 million, 62 million smartphones would represent just over 21% of the current market. That number is about 7 points too high. Smartphones are selling well and represent a key growth driver of mobile Internet adoption, but the number is closer to 14% of the market.
There are a wide range of companies that have been dancing around a user experience that combines search, machine algorithms and human editorial input. Companies such as Yahoo! (Answers), ChaCha, Mahalo, Mosio, Amazon (Askville), kgb, Vark -- and now arguably Facebook and Twitter -- among others are playing in this space. Whether we call it "social search," "social DA," "Q&A" or something else it's an effort to scale human discrimination and input into unstructured queries and questions over the Internet or mobile networks.
ChaCha, one of the pioneers in the space, just announced it had hit "150 million questions" since the January, 2008 launch of its mobile offering ChaCha Answers:
ChaCha ranked among the top 10 short message services with the most traffic -- including Facebook, Twitter and American Idol -- according to the newly released Q1 Mobile Messaging Report from The Nielsen Company. Providing answers for the Sundance Film Festival to the history-making Presidential Election, ChaCha is growing faster than any other SMS answers service, including Google SMS and Yahoo! SMS. Since its launch 18 months ago, ChaCha has answered more than 150 million questions via mobile cell phones and the web . . .
ChaCha's audience extends to the web, too. According to Quantcast, www.chacha.com (http://www.chacha.com) ranks among the top web sites in the United States with more than 2.3 million monthly unique users. With more than 14 million searchable questions and answers and thousands of new answers published to the site every day in categories such as sports, entertainment, health, beauty and travel, ChaCha has increased its traffic 1,000 percent since its launch in January 2008.
Like all mobile marketing firms ChaCha is seeking to educate marketers about the value and ROI of mobile. The firm uses sponsorships, contextual and geotargeted advertising to monetize up to three SMS messages that a user may receive during an individual session.
Danoo refers to itself as a place-based media network. The company puts screens (1,000+) in local stores, airports, retail sites and cafes, providing content and advertising to those locations. There are other companies doing this as well. But Danoo recently added mobile marketing to the mix -- or rather is using its screens to validate their worth as well as get people to take action (i.e., downloads) with their mobile devices.
According to the press release:
Danoo, which delivers relevant, entertaining and localized media to highly mobile, upscale audiences in coffeehouses, cafes and airports, announced the results of its first mobile content download campaigns. Initial trials were conducted in 39 venues in Los Angeles, with each advertiser leveraging Danoo's web-connected HD screens to drive discovery of and engagement with a mobile content download opportunity. Visitors to Danoo locations viewed video content on Danoo's digital screens accompanied by an on-screen prompt to download exclusive content such as sneak peeks and ringtones from their Bluetooth or Wi-Fi-enabled devices via the Danoo network.
Results show that Danoo's audience is particularly receptive to downloading content to their mobile phones while in a Danoo venue. On average, 10% of Danoo's audience had their mobile device set to "discoverable", nearly one-third above the national average, and of those viewers, 28% opted-in to receive the mobile content download. These numbers translate into to a net download rate of nearly 3% of total venue traffic, which could result in more than 200,000 downloads per two-week campaign as this product rolls out to the rest of the Danoo network.
Again, Danoo can report on action rates and advertisers get immediate response. ADCENTRICITY and Impact Mobile recently partnered to bring mobile and digital OOH together as well. Other companies such as HipCricket are using SMS with traditional media (radio, TV) to both measure and extend the value of the traditional media buy.
This combining of media types, especially with mobile as a metrics tool and extender, will become more and more common in the next couple years and may be one of the primary ways that agencies and traditional brands enter mobile marketing.
Some time ago I wrote about Danoo and place-based media at Screenwerk.
A number of years ago I thought that print newspapers would remain relatively "safe" because commuters still found them more user-friendly than trying to read news on a laptop on a train or standing on public transportation. Cut to 2009 when smartphones are rapidly gaining mainstream acceptance. (See also, the Kindle and forthcoming e-readers from all quarters.)
Over on Screenwerk I posted a link to a video interview with Rob Samuels, director of mobile product development for the NY Times. Samuels says there were more than 60 million mobile page views for the NY Times in April, 2009. The Times has an iPhone app (1M downloads and "tens of millions" of monthly page views) and a couple of mobile Web sites (40M monthly views).
News is already a huge category on mobile and represents a critical opportunity for publishers to extend their reach and the reach of their advertisers. It also represents a more viable subscription or paid opportunity than trying to turn back the clock online and get people to pay that they're used to getting for free.
The new iPhone 3Gs is a lot more location savvy. For example:
In particular, on the last point, location in the browser means that publishers and websites can localize their content, functionality and potentially ads through the browser. They no longer have to build apps to capture the phone's location awareness. This is a big deal for both the user experience and for publishers/marketers potentially.
Users will still need to opt-in to share their location. However the experience will be simple as with the current "X would like to use your location" message for apps.
Rather than driving or boosting "local search" this will allow location to be more seamlessly integrated across mobile sites and into the broad user experience.
Coming out of its conference last week the MMA offered estimates that mobile ad spending would grow from roughly "$1.7 billion this year to $2.16 billion in 2010," according to coverage of the event in MediaPost. The MMA simultaneously released a survey in which it found that 50% of brands and agencies were doing some advertising or marketing in mobile:
Brands have reportedly embraced mobile more than agencies, half of which still view the medium as "experimental" according to the survey findings. However, despite very strong ROI metrics in the market, most respondents said they were only having "average" success with the medium according to the MediaPost coverage.
Perceptions of "average" success represent generally bad news for mobile, which has to sell itself either as a superior medium or perhaps more realistically as a way to extend other advertising and/or reach tough-to-reach audiences.
A related story coming out of the conference was this one about the need for more than clicks (or calls) to define ROI in mobile: Brands need to reinvent ROI metrics for mobile: MMF panel.
The danger in mobile is that because the click or CTR is the currency of online marketing (and so familiar and accepted by marketers) it will creep over into mobile -- it already has. But the click is generally a myopic measure of the success of a campaign and should only be used to define ROI in purely direct response contexts.
AdMob has benefited tremendously from the success of the iPhone and has introduced formats and innovations specific to the device. Most recently the company unveiled an "exchange" that enables developers to use excess ad inventory to drive more apps downloads. Now the company is adding new, richer ad units for the iPhone based on advertiser feedback and requests, according to AdMob VP Jason Spero.
The new units enable marketers to add a search box to banners or to send users directly to social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. In a screenshot provided by AdMob, here's an example of a Zappos ad that sends a user to its Twitter account to follow the company:
The same thing can be done for fan pages on Facebook. That makes for some very interesting "cross platform" possibilities in terms of customer acquisition and loyalty (e.g., "follow us on Twitter to receive offers and deals").
A second new type of ad unit enables consumers to search directly within a banner. While this has been done for some time in rich media units on the Internet it's novel in mobile display. Here's another screenshot from AdMob showing an eBay ad:
One could imagine this being used very effectively in a vertical context as well: think travel, automotive, real estate. When I spoke to Spero yesterday I immediately thought of Bing, the new Microsoft search engine, which might want to use these units to get people to try search from their iPhones. Online Microsoft is in fact using rich media that invite peole to search Bing within the ad unit (I saw these last night but couldn't find examples this morning).
Spero agreed with my hypothetical regarding Bing but didn't confirm that Microsoft was an advertiser. It would be fascinating (for several reasons) if Microsoft were to use AdMob ad units on the iPhone to try and attract new search users to Bing. Let's wait and see.
The new ad capabilities are tied to iPhone OS 3.0.The ad units will be available for marketers in roughly a month.
Coupons, deals and offers are consistently regarded with more consumer interest and less "hostility" than other forms of mobile advertising. When you ask consumers in the abstract whether they're interested in ads on their phones they typically say "no" or "not at all." More experienced or sophisticated users with smartphones are more open to mobile advertising and generally more engaged. However the concept of mobile advertising (vs. the experience) is often distasteful to users.
In previous research Jupiter (now part of Forrester) found that 30% of consumers had some interest in mobile coupons. Last year in our own survey, we found that closer to 43% were either "somewhat interested" or "very interested" in mobile deals/offers. And SMS marketer HipCricket had almost identical results to ours in its own survey last year.
In our most recent survey (3/09) we found that 57% of respondents agreed "strongly" or "somewhat" with the statement: "I'm interested in any ad that offers me a discount or way to save money."
ValPak found dramatic results when it revamped its mobile site to make it more user-friendly. And coupon interest on the PC has been growing remarkably this past year. So there's no question in my mind about consumer interest. However, there have been many challenges with mobile couponing on the merchant side, both from an infrastructure perspective and in terms of a practical POS sale entry. There are also some residual merchant concerns about fraud, although those will disappear over time.
Mobile loyalty marketer Tetherball has just introduced something unique in the US market: RFID-based mobile loyalty/couponing. There's some complexity here but the system is very interesting. Here's how the press release explains it:
Tetherball's unique 360˚ approach helps clients "tether" their brand to target audiences by identifying what their customers want and delivering mobile campaigns that interact with the ultimate call to action through permission based mobile coupons, mobile rewards, mobile sweepstakes and mobile notifications. Integrating traditional marketing methods such as in-store advertising, customers are engaged to sign up for mobile loyalty rewards programs offering promotional discounts. Upon joining, customers are given a Tetherball Tag™, a tiny RFID chip that is easily affixed to their mobile phones, which uniquely identifies them through Tetherball's sophisticated technology platform. Tetherball clients are then able to send offers to their customers via standard text messaging. Offers are redeemed electronically using existing in-store RFID point of sale terminals or stand-alone RFID kiosks provided by Tetherball.
Mobiquitous™, a patent-pending real time web-based reporting system, delivers detailed visibility and analytics into coupon redemption rates and overall program performance. Whether it's reporting at a campaign level, geographical level or for a specific period of time, Mobiquitous provides clients with "real time visibility" so that they can adjust quickly and leverage the real time nature of mobile marketing.
Essentially a customer is prompted to sign up for a mobile loyalty program (as part of that s/he affixes an RFID tag to his/her phone). She later gets an SMS message (targeted based on a range of parameters) and is given an incentive to visit a local quick service (fast food) restaurant -- a coupon. The user swipes their phone with the RFID tag in front of a physical kiosk and gets a paper coupon, which is printed out, to present at the register.
In one sense this isn't a "mobile coupon" program because the coupons themselves aren't mobile. The prompt and notification of the deal is however.
I spoke last week with Jay Highley, formerly of ChaCha, who is now President of Tetherball. He conveyed some of the results of the program, which has been quite successful and been running for some time. He said that the company has tried all the existing approaches to mobile couponing and is convinced that this addresses the deficiencies that they've found. Quoted in the release, Dairy Queen said:
Due to the success of our program, we now average over 900 members per store and continue to see solid growth in membership and redemption rates - which is making a measurable difference in our year over year traffic and revenue.
Highly says the program is really about loyalty and not about couponing. When I asked him about the challenges of getting all these kioks installed, Highly said that the cost was inexpensive and the merchants liked the kioks because it removed the confusion of mobile coupon redemption from the register line and simplified the process. He added that the kiosks themselves in the stores become marketing vehicles for the program: people wonder what they are and investigate.
Highly stressed also with me that this solves all the current challenges of mobile couponing: fraud, tracking, redemption. There can be no fraud because the system knows whether the user has already taken advantage of the offer and so on.
We're likely to see lots of innovation around RFID and mobile marketing in the next few years. But this is a pretty interesting example already in the market.
Related: Here's CBS News' piece on Tetherball.
We've written in the past about how text messaging (or barcodes) can add both tracking and a dynamic promotional element to traditional media, including newspapers, radio, TV and, in this case, outdoor. Yesterday CBS announced a new program called txt2go:
The program, called txt2go, will include a text keyword on advertiser signage that the public can use to access marketing messages from the client, including special offers and promotions. The interactive feature enhances an advertiser's ability to connect with prospects and deliver messages with more relevance and a measurable ROI, in addition to building a long-term database of interested consumers.
In launching txt2go, CBS Outdoor becomes the nation's very first out-of-home media company to provide a complete text messaging solution for its clients. The add-on feature creates an affordable new avenue for advertisers looking to package into their media features like digital couponing, sweepstakes, direct response and point of purchase. The technology will allow advertisers to track responses to their marketing in real time.
Expect other outdoor media companies to follow suit. (This is also being done with digital OOH.) Eventually most traditional media will use mobile to track effectiveness (much like call tracking has historically been used). But the interactive element adds something truly compelling, the ability to associate dynamic promotions with otherwise static media.
NearbyNow has also been doing something similar with some of its retail customers on their outdoor ads.
Ahh the coupon space . . . Newly resurgent online it represents both danger and opportunity.
I just discovered another mobile coupon provider: Coupious. The company is offering location-enabled mobile coupons as a marketing vehicle for local businesses. Right now it's only in a single market: West Lafayette, Indiana.
With slick apps for the iPhone and Android, the company's "infrastructure" is way ahead of its model/marketing. The model is CPA; local businesses only pay when coupons are redeemed. While that model is relatively easy to sell as risk free and is easy to track and prove value accordingly, the challenge is going to be sales and inventory. Cellfire (focused on nationals) has had mobile coupons forever but has yet to really gain traction because it's had very few vendors/companies providing coupons, although that may be changing. More recently it's beefed up its coupon inventory with CPG content.
Many companies have tried to crack the SMB market with coupons and it's very tough. To name just a few examples, there was Zixxo (now done, acquired by MSFT) and more recently there was Dizgo (Boulder, CO; not sure the status) and 8coupons in New York (still at it). The problem that all of these and others who cater to SMBs confront is scale. Sales generate inventory, which gets distribution and consumer attention.
Even Google has fumbled local coupons pretty badly.
Larger, more established companies are at a big advantage in the segment. Companies such as ValPak and RetailMeNot are in a much stronger position. ValPak deals with SMBs but it has what amounts to a national "feet on the street" sales force (though the business is franchised). Smaller companies need to align themselves with established companies or piggyback on others' sales channels.
There's no question regarding the opportunity and consumer demand. I recently wrote about ValPak's early findings in mobile:
I was told that for every four site visitors to ValPak.com on the PC the company sees one coupon print (25% response/conversion) on average. But in April, with a smaller base, the company saw four coupons selected/downloaded for every mobile site visitor (400% response/conversion). This grew from 200% in March.
Coupious needs to do distribution deals both for its advertisers and as a way to get other content into its apps in the near term. That's because people won't go to a party when nobody's there yet.
The Associated Press put out a release summarizing data from a year of being on the iPhone and more broadly in mobile. Here are some of the numbers from the release:
We wrote about the AP iPhone app when it launched (Verve Wireless provides infrastructure).
Steve Smith in his "Mobile Insider" column this week writes about newspaper and magazine opportunities to "re-establish" themselves in mobile:
[M]edia brands have a golden opportunity on mobile to reestablish some of the brand equity and loyalty they may have lost in the commoditized content environment of the Web. There are aspects of mobile that actually replicate the disappearing print world very effectively.
I agree and wrote something similar regarding newspapers in 2007:
Mobile now offers an opportunity for newspapers to get out in front of the market and establish the kinds of relationships with mobile consumers they probably wish they had done more proactively online . . . The analogy between the state of mobile and "the early days of the Internet" is a strong one, although there are some key differences. But getting out in front of mobile now gives newspapers a chance to rectify mistakes of the past.
In the past year most major news organizations have established themselves in mobile and even have iPhone apps in many cases.
Yahoo announced that it was going to incorporate third party ad technologies into its dynamic "Smart Ads" platform. The first two partners are Teracent and Tumri. As explained in the press release:
Yahoo!`s new Smart Ads program will help marketers to develop Smart Ad campaigns quickly and execute them at scale across personal computers and mobile phones in North America. Yahoo! will consider expanding the program to international markets in the future.
Smart Ad campaigns use ad-optimization technology to create a near-limitless variety of creative executions through a combination of offers, colors, images and messaging in real time. These combinations can be finely tuned to match customized messages with users, helping marketers to find the right ad for the right set of users and the right time. Testing of this initiative has already helped advertisers significantly improve campaign performance based on a variety of metrics, including click performance, conversion and overall return on investment.
For example, Yahoo! and Tumri worked with Hewlett-Packard to create a Smart Ad campaign that generated more than 20,000 unique creative experiences, reaching more than 140 million US users. This campaign documented a return on ad spend that was more than 20 times higher than their traditional display campaigns. HP has developed separate Smart Ad campaigns with Yahoo! and Teracent, also producing higher results than traditional campaigns.
While this is all part of Yahoo!'s YOS movement toward openness, it's not entirely clear to me why Yahoo! needs the third parties. Smart Ads was supposed to be able to do dynamic creative and targeting on the fly (from a 2007 release):
Yahoo! SmartAds is powered by Yahoo!'s leading behavioral, demographic and geographic targeting capabilities and aim to connect users with what they are looking for based on their distinctive, expressed interests. For example, if a user is browsing for hybrid cars in Yahoo! Autos and has selected San Francisco as their default location in Yahoo! Weather, Yahoo!'s SmartAds platform can assemble and deliver a display ad in real time that showcases a hybrid vehicle from a major auto brand, as well as local dealer information and current lease rates. This provides a relevant experience to the user and allows the marketer to reach a user who is likely to become a customer.
Smart Ads is also being used in mobile by Yahoo!. And is doing dynamic creative and targeting in the products context via a partnership with ShopLocal.
Dynamic creative and ad delivery is also being done by Placecast and is the key to truly delivering on the promise of LBS. Agencies and marketers can't create 300 separate ad units for every major city and ad copy permutation. Thus being able to deliver the right ad with the right copy on the fly is critical to creating the "inventory" required to capitalize on LBS whether online or, even more importantly, in mobile.
Here's more on how SmartAds works, with some examples, from the Yahoo! Search Marketing Blog.


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Further information
Freelance Design Manager - Main Contractor - Hertfordshire
The Company
Our client is a national main contractor with a regional office located in Hertfordshire. They operate throughout the UK and benefit from a number of stable and on-going client relationships in multiple sectors. Projects they complete are a mix of complex refurb and new build with values in excess £100+ million, these include schools, hospitals, commercial developments and residential projects.
They are now looking for a design manager for a freelance role to work on a £100 million commercial office development at tender stage. The work is likely to last well into the new year and an immediate start can be facilitated.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
by Daniel Fisher, Forbes Staff
The SEC announced today it has ordered a halt to trading in 379 "dormant" shell companies to prevent them from being "hijacked by fraudsters" and used in pump-and-dump schemes.
Among them are some of the best-known names of the 1980s and 1990s including Cray Computer, LA Gear,
and Dunes Hotels & Casinos. The list also includes a stock whose
name alone should serve as a warning to anybody clueless enough to
invest in it: Miniscribe, the Texas disk-drive manufacturer that imploded in 1989 accounting scandal that provided an early taste of the Enron, Worldcom and Adelphia accounting frauds.
The SEC said it suspended trading to tamp down the well-worn scamster trick of buying publicly traded shells, launching them on an eye-catching new trajectory like green energy
or social networking with a blizzard of press releases, and dumping
millions of shares of stock on mullet investors before closing up shop.
pump-and-dump schemers what guns are to bank robbers — the tools by which they ply their illegal trade," said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement.
Some of the stocks have highly recognizable names, although most
stopped reporting financials to the SEC years ago. Cray Computer, an
offshoot of the pioneering supercomputer company Cray Research founded
by Seymour Cray in Chippewa Falls, Wis. in 1972, went bankrupt in 1995.
Cray Research was sold to Silicon Graphics, was subsequently spun out as Cray Inc. and trades on Nasdaq with a $386 million market cap. Cray Computer, which filed its last report with the SEC in 1997, was still listed on Pink Sheets with a flatlined stock price.
LA Gear, which blasted its way into public consciousness on the feet of a moonwalking Michael Jackson in 1989, faded in the late 1990s
and went bankrupt in January 1998. A company with the same name still
sells shoes, although the original still had a ticker on the Pink
Other faded but familiar names in the SEC's role of death included
Dunes Hotels & Casinos, which despite the name was in the
grain-processing business as of its last SEC filing in 2002; Freuhof Trailer Corp.; NetObjects; and Smith Corona Corp.
Then there are the neverwuzzes
who should have had their moment in the stock-market sun, but failed to
achieve greatness. My favorites are Electro Brain and Ben Ezra,
Weinstein Co. This last one I wrote about back when I was with Bloomberg
in the 1990s. It was a company that was going to develop software to make it easier to go public.


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Honors and Awards
- K99/R00 Career Award, NIH-NIDCD (2013)
- F32 NRSA Fellowship, NIH-NIDCD (2010)
- F31 NRSA Fellowship, NIH-NIDCD (2007)
Professional Education
|Doctor of Philosophy:
|Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2009)
|Cornell University, Electrical Engineering (2003)
Stanford Advisors
|Anthony Ricci:
|Postdoctoral Faculty Sponsor
Research & Scholarship
Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Mechanotransduction mechanisms in mammalian hair cells
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About the Tag Cloud Topics
The list of topics shown in this "tag cloud" are derived from MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) thesaurus used by the National Library of Medicine. These headings are applied by the NLM to all publications represented in the MEDLINE/PubMED® database and are imported automatically along with your publication information. The font size of the topics is relative to the number of occurrences of the specific heading across all of your publications.
-The IRT CAP team.
- Adaptation of Mammalian Auditory Hair Cell Mechanotransduction Is Independent of Calcium Entry NEURON 2013; 80 (4): 960-972
- Faster than the Speed of Hearing: Nanomechanical Force Probes Enable the Electromechanical Observation of Cochlear Hair Cells NANO LETTERS 2012; 12 (12): 6107-6111
- Swept Field Laser Confocal Microscopy for Enhanced Spatial and Temporal Resolution in Live-Cell Imaging MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS 2012; 18 (4): 753-760
- Integrating the biophysical and molecular mechanisms of auditory hair cell mechanotransduction NATURE COMMUNICATIONS 2011; 2
- Somatic motility and hair bundle mechanics, are both necessary for cochlear amplification? HEARING RESEARCH 2011; 273 (1-2): 109-122
- New Devices for Investigating Hair Cell Mechanical Properties WHAT FIRE IS IN MINE EARS: PROGRESS IN AUDITORY BIOMECHANICS 2011; 1403


text:
Results tagged "Al Qaeda"
Would you like to limit the tag results display to a specific section?
If you do, then pick any of the sections below:
Or simply go to the aggregated tag results from:
Bin Laden raid commander seeks global expansion
Afghanistan - Taliban's Momentum Higher than US
Panetta: al Qaeda is 'still a real threat'
Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti Played Crucial Role in Somalia Rescue
US adds IMU, IJU operatives to list of global terroristsMounir and Yassin Chouka, two Germans who are operatives in the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Mevlut Kar, an Islamic Jihad Union facilitator, were added to the list of Specially Designated Global terrorists. All three have ties to al Qaeda.
The cartoon jihad continues
Al Qaeda monthly: Hitteen delivered to your doorstep
Bombs in the Sinai Desert Fuel Israel Fence-Building on Border With Egypt
Spate of kidnappings in Pakistan triggers unease
David Cameron: human rights laws stop Britain protecting against terrorism
Torture and lawlessness as Libya victory high ends
Boko Haram got al Qaeda bomb training, Niger says
AQAP withdraws from Yemeni town after negotiations: report
Navy SEALs free 2 Western hostages in Somalia
Ansar al Jihad swears allegiance to al Qaeda's emir"We give you allegiance for obedience in good and bad, in difficulty and ease," Ansar al Jihad told Ayman al Zawahiri in a statement released on the Internet.
East Afghan frontline emerges as major hurdle
Shabaab suicide bomber targets Ethiopian troopsShabaab claimed a member of its "Martyrdom Brigades" killed 33 Ethiopian soldiers and officers in an attack in western Somalia.
British al Qaeda/Shaabab leader may have been killed after calling home
Threat Level Rising: How African Terrorist Groups Inspired by al-Qaeda Are Gaining Strength


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Mrs. Q on the move…
27 Responses to Mrs. Q on the move…
Viki August 23, 2010 at 12:43 pm #
I picked up the Parents magazine in the bookstore a few days ago and read through it. Good Stuff. All this attention though, how does no one at your school know it is you, I wonder?
I think it will be extra hard to eat those school lunches in a few weeks. You know so much more now. You know what those chicken nuggets are made of, you know more about the containers they are served in, you will remember much more clearly what fresh veggies taste like.
Would you have ever believed in January that your decision to eat school lunch and blog about it would land you in Parents magazine and in a Mayo Clinic Symposium?
Michelle August 23, 2010 at 12:50 pm #
When I first found your blog, I wondered what health implications you faced eating that garbage each day. I hope they've changed, but I doubt it. When I went in for my daughter's birthday lunch the other day, the kids had a choice of three milks: strawberry, chocolate, or vanilla. No plain. I was sickened.
Kelly August 23, 2010 at 1:09 pm #
Mayo Clinic and Parents Magazine???!!!! How super exciting! I could not be happier for you… what a great thing for this project/blog.
If it makes you feel any better, it would appear that at least one Midwestern town is jumping on the slightly healthier school lunch bandwagon. The other day I downloaded the lunch calendar for my kids' elementary school and it would appear that SEVERAL of the regular school lunches have gotten a "health makeover". Still not what I'd like to see, but even baby steps should be applauded at this point.
Maggie August 23, 2010 at 3:13 pm #
Congrats Mrs. Q! I'll look for Parent's magazine, and hope you can let us know what you talk about at the symposium.
As far as school meals this fall, maybe your school will be one of the 100.
Scattered Mom August 23, 2010 at 4:19 pm #
Best of luck, Mrs. Q. I feel honored to have actually "met" you.
I understand your mixed feelings about going back to work. I love my job too, but I also love the freedom of being able to sleep in, cook, and putter around my house. September is always so full of uncertainty while schools figure out funding, classes, and who will be where. I dont like the transition either. On the other hand, I also love fall (it's my favorite season too!).
Have a wonderful time at the conference.
Kim August 23, 2010 at 5:17 pm #
Mrs. Q, your post gave me goose bumps! These things couldn't happen to a more deserving, capable person. Congratulations!
I'd also like to take this opportunity to say that at the start of your summer break, I assumed we'd see posts from you maybe 3 or 4 times a week. Here we are near the end of your break and you've barely missed a day. I'm amazed at how interesting and thought-provoking I consistently find your posts to be. Time and again, you manage to open a topic I didn't even know I care about! Many thanks for working so hard and putting your heart, soul, and infinite patience into this project. Here's to your increasing success!
Anonymous August 23, 2010 at 7:02 pm #
Mrs Q,
Why would you lose your job over this blog? I guess I just don't get it. All you are doing is posting what you eat for lunch at the school every day. Any other teacher eating the same lunches could stumble upon this blog and probably figure out who you are.
I don't understand why you have to be anonymous at all. Wouldn't you have a legal protection, some sort of protected speech clause.
If someone were to threaten your job just for posting what you eat every day then it's shameful, and frankly they'd be proving that they have something to hide in the lunches they serve and I guarantee that school would be hearing from thousands of us in your defence.
Bartelmy August 23, 2010 at 10:02 pm #
I remember my school lunches fondly, but then, they were cooked by the dinner ladies, and we had an hour to eat them. Plus, at home, I was raised on chips for every meal (British, so 'fries').
I now work in a McDonalds while I'm doing my degree. I don't eat the food there, although I'm entitled to a free meal. I bring a packed lunch in for every shift.
Over the last two years, I've watched my coworkers, especially the women – the teenage boys seem to handle the extra calories easily – put on more weight around their stomachs and hips. When I did used to eat the food, after a series of morning shifts, eating hash browns and sausage McMuffins, my heart began to feel very weird. I read the information on the back on the tray mats, and I was shocked to find out just how many calories were in the food. I know calories are only a rough guideline for nutrition, but finding as many in a milkshake, or a brownie, or one of those tiny sausage McMuffins as in a Big Mac was quite a shock.
Melissa August 24, 2010 at 2:41 am #
It will be interesting to find out if there are any changes in your lunches this year. As a Registered Dietitian in WV, I review some of the daycare/preschool/headstart menus in the area. A specific headstart program does follow school regulations/recommendations for meals. I have been told by them that some regulations have changed in WV for the new school year. Supposedly WV schools received a grant to help get more fresh fruits and vegetables (not canned or frozen) into the schools. They also are discouraged from using breaded meat products. For snacks, they can only offer juice to drink preferably once a month but no more than once a week. The amounts of whole grain products are also increasing.
These are the few regulations that really got my attention. I really like that they are being encouraged to offer more fresh foods. I would like to add though that the headstart program did not receive money from the fresh fruit and vegetable grant, but they are still working to increase the fresh offerings. From what I have heard from other dietetic professionals and parents, the schools here are on their way towards healthier offerings for school provided meals/snacks.
I look forward to one day hearing that your state is also on its way towards making some major changes in regulations for school meals in order to offer a larger variety of more fresh and healthy options.
Thank you for your dedication to this project! I am currently working in a hospital setting, but if I would ever leave, I would really like to become more involved with child/school nutrition. We can not always change how/what they eat at home. However, I feel that children can be greatly influenced by what they learn about food, nutrition and exercise outside the home.
Anonymous August 24, 2010 at 2:49 am #
Thought you might like this-posted on the Facebook page of my local market:
New Seasons Market: Does your child have a taste for adventure? Check out the FREE class, "Build a Better Lunch Box," 2–3:30pm, Saturday, Sept. 4 at our Concordia and Mountain Park stores. For the Concordia class, register at 503.288.3838; call 503.496.1155 for the Mt. Park class. Space is limited!
New Seasons Market
whatevs August 24, 2010 at 12:33 pm #
Congrats on all the exciting thing going on in your life! As for lunches, we start next week and yesterday our lunch menu was posted. While some of it is the same old chicken and pizza, I was happy to see a few positive changes. In addition to the fries or tater tots, kids have an option of fresh veggies every day-side salads, carrot sticks or cucumber slices(!). Also, the salad bar was brought back from near extinction to a daily happening, including salads available with turkey, grilled chicken and tuna. I also saw dried cherries and fish sandwiches on the menu, as well as soup-and-sammie days. I was pleasantly surprised and I am hoping you are too!
CLAMCO August 24, 2010 at 6:35 pm #
We started school yesterday. I'm a lunch lady and our food service has promised to put some new things on the menu but not for a couple of months. Today we served beef tacos and chicken patties. We don't assemble the tacos. The kids make their own. We just provide the fixins and the food is made by cooks in another kitchen and sent down to us. The taco meat today consisted of these tiny little balls of meat that, to me, resembled rabbit pellets floating in a sea of grease. Kids commented that it looked like dog food. I couldn't disagree. Needless to say, the chicken patties were the top seller today. lol!
Good luck with the food this year in your school. I hope it's better than last year.
Mrs. H August 24, 2010 at 7:05 pm #
I still see the see the same high-carb, high-sugar snacks and "treats" for sale at my school (chips, crackers, chex-mix, ince cream, etc.). Of course there is a weak-looking bowl of fruit and some hard-boiled eggs, but it's hard to pick those when you have Cheetos and ice cream to choose instead!
I'm very happy about all the great attention you are getting, Mrs. Q. What you are doing has really brought this topic out into the mainstream, and a lot more people are talking and thinking about these issues – not just us radical, crazy people who want kids to be healthy. I hope to see (or not "see") more of you in the future.
And another thing…it's awful to hurt people's feelings, but surely the school cooks will understand and agree with your motives. Most cooks can't do anything about what they serve. But if they can do something, and they're not, that's a different story.
Maggie August 25, 2010 at 12:10 am #
Mrs. Q, that's an interesting concept about the feelings. As long as the food service workers don't know what you are doing, it's OK.
Mrs. H, you've got a point about food service workers not being able to do "anything". I'd suspect there are quite a few who would much prefer things to be better. Why wouldn't we?
It's a challenge. Food is a very personal issue. Ten people would have ten ideas about what lunch should be. Add regulations (some in general public have little knowledge – granted, regulations can change but for now…got to follow them), funding (lack of?), little control over the circumstances we work in (schedule of meals, time allowed, etc.). Hearing a lot of "don't do that", and not a lot of "what to do instead". It's an interesting situation. Small steps happen, but it's too little, not fast enough in many eyes.
Yes, it is a challenge. It will change, it is changing (yes, small steps).I have faith, but need teachers, administration believing it matters, that lunch/breakfast is important & honestly a part of the school day, not an aggravation and annoyance.
Mrs. Q, if you are ever able to come out from under cover, I hope you will be a driving force in your teacher's association/union to say that it's OK to have longer school days, more time to eat, see teachers eating with students and so on.
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California has more employees than any other state. And that number is projected to grow by nearly 40% by 2025.
The Golden State is a global hub for technology, biotech, arts and entertainment, agriculture and green energy. It's also home to employee-friendly courts, aggressive administrative agencies and a vast and unique body of employment laws and regulations.
Obscure state and municipal laws further complicate areas of employment that already require watchful attention—such as pay and wages, discrimination and harassment, employee leave and reductions in workforce.
And incentives for whistleblowers and employee-led lawsuits and class actions heighten the risk for employers.
Our team of more than 30 dedicated labor and employment attorneys in California guide our clients through this maze of laws so they can capitalize on the state's abundant opportunities.
This article, authored by San Francisco Labor & Employment counsel Paul Lynd, discusses the California Court of Appeal's resolution of two frequent questions arising under California's reporting-time pay and split-shift premium requirements.
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Don't forget! California's minimum wage increases on July 1, along with minimum salary for exempt employees
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May 16, 2014
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Brinker sequel: no attorney's fees allowed on California meal and rest period claims
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California Supreme Court sets stage for major decision on employers' rounding of time entries
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New ruling further expands California's commission pay overtime exemption
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California clarifies reporting time pay for scheduled meetings, split shift premiums
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California Labor Commissioner issues template notice under Wage Theft Protection Act
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San Francisco raises minimum wage to over $10 an hour
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November 14, 2013
| San Francisco, CA
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text: Podcast: Play in new window | Embed Jodi is one of the first travel bloggers that I met when I first began my journey around the world. She also is one of my favorite travel bloggers. Not because bird poop loves her. No.. no… it's because she is awesome. One of the most genuine people […]Keep Reading →


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Meet Deb Kalas
I'm a storyteller with a camera. My passion is to identify the subtle nuances that make each person unique, catch them at just the right moment, and produce exquisite works of art that will be cherished forever. My photographs have been described as heartfelt and sensitive, warm and engaging. My entire life has been dominated by my passion for photography. From the minute I picked up a camera, I was hooked. Read more


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June 9, 2014
It's time to show pop some love. Father's Day is this Sunday, June 15, and to celebrate dear ol' dad, a slew of Philadelphia restaurants, bars and attractions host Father's Day celebrations all weekend long. From free steak dinners and free beer for Dad, to an outdoor extravaganza on Independence Mall, making every father in […]Read more»
March 24, 2014
Philly Wine Week continues to fill stemware all around town thanks to tastings, educational events, happy hours and dinners through this Sunday, March 30. With so many events on tap for the upcoming days, it's easy to get a little overwhelmed by the first-ever Philly Wine Week. So, we've compiled a list of restaurants to […]Read more»
January 6, 2014
[Philadelphia's charms as an eating town are increasingly well known, but it's also a city that harbors a fair number of hidden delights. Visit Philly asked five local food luminaries to share where they like to go on their off-hours, what they snack on late at night, their favorite low-cost meals and why they love […]Read more»
February 5, 2013
With a little more than a week to go before Valentine's Day, now is the time to make a V-Day dinner reservation for you and that special someone. Restaurants across the city are offering special set-price, multi-course menus so you can make the evening's meal one to remember. Below are some of our top picks […]Read more»
December 14, 2012
Ring in the New Year at Philadelphia's top restaurants with dinner specials, festive celebrations and champagne toasts. This year is extra-flexible with the return of two sets of (free!) fireworks shows on the Delaware River Waterfront, at 6 p.m. and midnight. Enjoy the 6 p.m. show with kids, or not, followed by dinner and a […]Read more»
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[Evenings in Philadelphia are always action-packed, and we want to help you cherry-pick from all the events and activities going on. On certain days that promise particularly bustling evenings, we round up our selections for the most can't-miss pursuits with which to fill your schedule. See you out there!] As always, there's a lot to […]Read more»
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After a trip to Provence, Chef Jose Garces is bringing the flavors of southeastern France back to Garces Trading Company with endless steak frites all fall long for just $25! The special French meal will be available during both lunch and dinner. Guests will start with a green salad, and then dish on grilled hanger […]Read more»
October 16, 2012
In a five-page, full-color spread in November's Travel + Leisure, the magazine profiles Philadelphia as a must-visit culinary destination. Titled "Hungry in Philadelphia," the article posits that "a new generation of chefs is putting Philadelphia on the map," and highlights ten restaurants from diverse neighborhoods around the city: Farm & Fisherman, Kanella, Koo Zee Doo, […]Read more»
September 21, 2012
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Until that is done, there will continue to be uncertainty about the safety of the deep injection disposal sites in Russia.
It is unfortunate that the papers presented on Mayak contained no references, so more detailed information was not easily available.
I am indebted to my Russian and American colleagues for more detailed discussions on these topics and the detailed discussions on remediation of Russian sites covered in Alexakhin et al.15
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I get asked this question all the time, and here's a great infographic from Business.com talking about the various forms of incorporation. I'm not a lawyer, but there are tons of great firms in town that specialize in tech startups.
Visit Business.com for more resources on How to Start a Business


text: well nothing interesting has happened since yesturday. i just feel like writing bc u know how i was saying that i was getting feelings for "secret crush" yesturday, well...me and him talked about it and i think something might happen b/w us...ahh how scary! i havent held hands with someone i really liked for the longest time and like cuddled and be all cute....eek!! how strange. well thats all...byee


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Sapphire Court
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Now that summer is almost over (September? See you next week.) the sun decided to give us yet another glorious weekend of weather.
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Very nice! I highly suggest Brothers Strawberry Cider, it is sooo nice!
I think that is the most elegant arrangement for outdoor eating I've ever seen. Very pretty.
Melaina, I'll have to look out for that one. I love strawberries!
Aisling, thank you! Whenever we eat outside I always throw on a tablecloth, clip a flower or two from the garden and the candle is one that is supposed to keep the bugs away. The little things make it so much more enjoyable!
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Comments from labador4
|Story title
|2011-12-05 20:39:49
|Daddy Makes Out with my Girlfriend 2
|You should bring in anal at some point. That'd be the hottest thing ever!
|2011-12-08 14:52:46
|Step sister's a babe (part 2 - returning the favour)
|Oh my god such a hot story! Very well written :) If I may suggest something though, try making the stories much longer. It kinda feels like we just get into it and then it's over! But I totally love this story. It's very well done and I can't wait for part 3!


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|Property type
|Minimum Stay
• 2 King suites – both with full baths. Jacuzzi in master bath.
• Cable TV including Disney, VCR and WIFI and telephones.
• Coffered ceilings in living room, dining room, kitchen and bedrooms.
• Sun porch with: Jenn Air grill and rotisserie, table, chairs overlooking Table Rock lake and pool.
• Kitchen with: dishwasher, full size stove, oven, frig, coffeemaker, toaster, blender and crock pot.
• Full size washer and dryer with supplied detergent and etc. along with iron and board.
• Hair dryers in both baths. Ceiling fans in bedrooms and on patio.
• All linens, soap and paper products provided.
• Baby crib.
• Climate controlled sports dome with 2 tennis courts, basketball and volleyball.
• Large outdoor pool with slide, 2 large sunshades, abundant tables, chairs and chaise lounges.
• 16 person hot tub with waterfall and sauna.
• Clubhouse with: exercise equipment, pool table and movie library.
• Boat dock with slip rentals ($15 daily) and free daytime courtesy boat dock.
Newly built playground with tree house.
Check in SAT 4:00 pm, check out SAT 10:00 am.
30 Day cancellation notice for full refund.
Keywords: Lakefront/View Condo, Table Rock Lake, Paradise Point, Hollister, Branson, Dock, Fishing, New, Tennis, Golf, Level, Pool, Kids, Paradise, Elevator, Boat, Playground, Rec Center, Launch Ramp, ski, luxury, vacation, rental
The Kraus Family chose Paraside Point because it offers water sports, shopping, and world class entertainment. Table Rock Lake is recognized for its pristine waters, outstanding trout, bass, walleye, and crappie fishing. Nearby Branson Creek was voted one of the top ten new golf courses in the U.S. by Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, and Golf Magazine. The landscaping, construction, and acreage at Paradise are known as some of the best and most luxurious, in the area.
In addition to enjoying the lake, we always spend time at the wonderful pool which is within a few steps of the condo. The spacious pool area features a water slide, abundant chaise lounges, chairs and tables, restrooms, and a 16-person waterfall hot tub. Pool-side canopies offer shade while you relax, enjoy the landscaping, and have a light lunch or snack.
Newly opened Top of the Rock golf course features spectacular views of Table Rock lake and the surrounding mountainous countryside. A unique driving range with 17 greens is a must experience. Fine dining restaurants, a wedding chapel and free tours compliment this memorable Ozark experience. Only a 15 minute drive from Paradise Point.


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We get a first teaser look at an upcoming collaboration between Asics, Barcelona store 24 Kilates and Tres ZZZ. The pack will release on July 10th, and will coincide with the Spanish San Fermines Fiesta and is thus called the San Fermin Pack. More info to follow soon.
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December 19 2014 Latest news:
Norfolk police are appealing for witnesses after two women attempted to defraud a salon.
By MARK BOGGIS
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Police need to trace a man who was riding a moped after a car window was smashed in an incident in Oulton this morning (Wednesday, February 20).
A 19-year-old man was sat in his Fiat Punto at temporary traffic lights in Sands Lane – near the Penny Lane junction – about 11.40am when the moped – described as black and with a P-registration - pulled up alongside him and the rider told him to get out of the car.
When the teenager refused, the man punched a window of the car, causing it to smash, before he rode off. The 19-year-old was uninjured.
The offender is described as white, in his late 20s to early 40s, of slim build and about 5ft 9ins to 5ft 10ins tall. He was wearing a black helmet, a black leather jacket, blue jeans and gloves with plastic knuckles.
A police spokesman said: "Police would like to speak to anyone who was in the area around this time this morning or anyone with information about the moped rider."
● If you can help please call PC 1475 Plummer at Lowestoft police on 101.
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Torrance Memorial New Grad Program 2012 - page 5
Hi all,I noticed that there was no thread for the upcoming program and thought I would get one started. I have had my interview and I'm not in the waiting game. Hopefully this thread can be a place for information and support as... Read More
- 0Jul 10, '12 by pripreezyQuote from BeachBlueRNMy friend had her panel on June 27th and was called on July 3rd.No I haven't heard from them yet, they told me it would be about 2 weeks. When did you friend have their panel interview?I have not heard anything about a 3rd interview.That's interesting. I'm more nervous now that I know they have been making calls and I haven't heard anything.
Congrats to those that made it! Ive got mine in 2 days. *crossing fingers*
- 0Jul 18, '12 by BeachBlueRNAny news for anyone here?
- 0Mar 21, '13 by ourbabaWhat exactly is the Versant program? Ive kindah heard a little about it...but its only because im about to start on the AccBSN program at Mount St. Mary's. I thought they pay for about 2/3rds of your tuitions in exchange for you working with them for 2 years. But does that mean I have to finish the AccBSN program first, apply. OR I apply right this instant.
- 0Mar 21, '13 by ExPharmaGirlI don't think anyone pays your tuition anymore. Unless you work for an under served hospital and apply for the government program, but the money is limited.


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What does GSP mean in Transportation?
This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand GSP in the Governmental field in general and in the Transportation terminology in particular.
Garden State Parkway
Find a translation for GSP in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss this GSP abbreviation with the community:
Use the citation below to add this abbreviation to your bibliography:
"GSP." Abbreviations.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2014. Web. 22 Dec. 2014. <http://www.abbreviations.com/term/87664>.
GSP also stands for:
- Game Service Provider
- Gazeta SPorturilor
- Gelatin Silver Print
- Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
- Generalised System of Preferences
... and 34 more »
Nearby & related abbreviations:
Alternative search:
- Search Garden State Parkway on Amazon.com
- Search Garden State Parkway on Google


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Are you planning to take a vacation abroad just to take a break from all the hustle and bustle? You might not be thinking to too isolated a place. To experience natural landscape while staying within a city, you would want to check out the list below, which features 10 of the most beautiful cities of the world.
10. Budapest
The capital of Hungary, Budapest takes you back to the times of renaissance with its awe inspiring monuments. The river Danube which runs through the city makes it an even better place to live.
9. Rome
This city is like an object that has been able to survive war and colonization for thousands of years. The capital city of Italy is beautiful because of its monuments and works of art. The great cafes and restaurants would make the experience living here even more enjoyable.
8. Bruges
A town in Belgium, Bruges is quite small compared to some of the other entries on this list. That is what enhances its beauty even more. Because of its location at the dead center of Europe, it is one of the most visited tourist attractions.
7. Amsterdam
The capital of the Netherlands is full of buildings that are aligned perfectly with the main canals of Amsterdam. The design and architectural work in Amsterdam really hits the spot, which makes the city a favorite for film makers.
6. Rio de Janeiro
The view of the whole city from the peak of Sugarloaf Mountain at Corcovado statue is one that you would probably not witness for the rest of your life. It is a wonderful mix of natural landscape and manmade structures.
5. Florence
Florence is another where the renaissance era buildings and other manmade monuments beautify the city, like many other European cities.
4. Paris
The cost of living in Paris is among the highest in the world and the main reason for that is the exceptional beauty of the city. The entire city can be explored from the outside by taking a boat ride on the Seine.
3. Prague
Prague is another traditional renaissance era European city and every single monument and building is a museum in itself. You can explore the entire city by going for a boat ride through the Vltava River, which runs all along the city.
2. Lisbon
Lisbon is located on a set of hill and this natural landscape makes the city all the more beautiful. The hills run all the way down to grand Tagus River. At every corner of almost every street in Lisbon there are awe inspiring extraordinary views of different buildings and monuments that can be enjoyed. The pastel-colored roofs of the buildings just add to the beauty of the city.
1. Venice
Probably the most romantic place to spend a vacation with a loved one, Venice is also known for the buildings that are designed and colored uniquely from each other. Venice is one magical and amazing city that simply cannot be compared with any other.


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Southern offers a free 3 credit-hour class in the summer for undergraduates enrolling at Southern for the first time. Just pay for books, food, and rent, and the tuition is on us. But it's not all about the money (although saving more than $1,750 is pretty sweet). SmartStart is a great opportunity to learn your way around campus, make some early friendships, and get accustomed to the independence and responsibility that university life is all about. In 2014, Smart Start begins July 27. View sample list of available courses.
|SmartStart Finances
|Tuition (for one 3-credit-hour class)
|Residence Hall Rent
|$300 Residence Hall rent waived for 2014 students.
|Commitment Deposit (due June 1)
|Dining Hall and Books
|$550 + food and books
Ready to take the next Steps?
Here's a sampling of the classes typically offered. Check the course schedule anytime after mid-March to see what classes are available.


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If you can't win,cheat.
If you can't win,cheat.
Maryland is carried by only a few, albeit populous areas, if you look at the county by county (not district) breakdown, then you can see how each county votes. Calvert County, my home, is more favorably Republican.
I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it.
If you take out the populated areas in California, I'm sure this state would be leaning republican... albeit with about 25 million less people lol. We have certain counties that are strongly republican but only have a few thousand people. That argument can be made for any state. And even here republicans are still to lose grip of those traditionally republican counties. One key example of this is Raul Ruiz beating long time republican Mary Bono Mack.
I'm not familiar with Maryland, but gerrymandered or not... it is a reliably democrat state and will continue to go towards that direction.
If so then they wouldn't need to gerrymander Maryland. District 5 is set up to actually silence southern Maryland, specifically Calvert county.
Calvert was once much more Democratic but swung around
I was just saying that if you look county by county you get a different look at how the votes come in. Look at a blue/red state county by county and you can see that just a few counties can carry the whole state. Interesting.
I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it.
And I'm saying urban areas have more votes and swing more democrat. The areas with lower populations tend to vote republican. But it's not really a good point to make. It kinda reminds me of Karl Rove's meltdown. He went on and on about quite a few republican counties that still had votes but conveniently ignored urban areas like Cuyahoga county.
To silence Southern Maryland? Yea right.
Dem's gerrymander congressional districts also -- but it doesn't make it right that republicans do it too.
It's time for the process of gerrymandering to stop. It's not good for the people involved.
I am now separated from my form district and live in a long thin line that encompasses 2 miles on either side of a highway for many miles. The lines were drawn by a republican state legislature with the assistance of my former congressman -- Emmanuel Cleaver. I'm not sure what the republican legislature got out of the deal -- Cleaver probably would have lost if the district was drawn to reflect a more county by county alignment.
If the gerry mandering process were to stop, Texas would become a democrat leaning state. So lets not kid ourselves... some here wouldn't be in favor of it. If it were to stop, this country as a whole would suddenly be more blue leaning.
If you could fit 3 million Marylanders into a 20 mile high residential tower, the voting majority would not even show up on a map, or at the very most a single pixel.Maryland is carried by only a few, albeit populous areas, if you look at the county by county (not district) breakdown, then you can see how each county votes. Calvert County, my home, is more favorably Republican.
Last edited by JockBoy87; January 29th, 2013 at 12:43 PM.
If the republicans were to stop voter suppression in Florida and Ohio those states too would be further out of their reach. They tried so hard to rig Florida's election and it still went to Obama by nearly 90,000 votes (if I recall right).
Both parties have done it after stinging losses. Learn your history.The Virginia scheme is not an attempt to "fix" any problems with the electoral college. It is an attempt by Republicans to steal offices they cannot win with votes. Democrats have not tried to discourage Republicans from voting, have not tried to reduce voting hours in Republican areas but not Democratic, and have not tried to make the votes of Republicans count less than those of Democrats.
This is not a bipartisan tyranny. It is Republican and Republican alone.


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Showing 1-24 of 272 items
A.L. Van Den Bergen Statue " Abraham Lincoln"
This bronze statue was originally dedicated in 1931 to commemorate Lincoln's "Fool the People" speech.
CITY: Clinton
African American Civil War Soldiers Monument
This unique artwork is one of only a handful of sculptured tributes to the African American Civil War soldier in the entire United States. Commissioned by the City of Decatur, the work was designed and created by renowned artist, Preston Jackson. Jackson created several concepts for the statue and allowed the citizens of Decatur to vote to select the final design.
CITY: Decatur
Albert Taylor Theatre at Millikin University
The Albert Taylor Theatre is located in the historic Shilling Hall. The 275-seat auditorium was built as Millikin University opened in 1902. Renovations to the theatre were completed in 2006 and include Handicapped Accessible and Wheel Chair Accessible seating. Annual productions by the Millikin University Department of Theatre & Dance, School of Music, and Opera Program are all held in this theatre. Lectures, classes, and rehearsals are also held in the facility.
CITY: Decatur
Allerton Park & Retreat Center
Allerton Park was the private estate of Robert Henry Allerton, who donated it to the University of Illinois in 1946. It features 1,500 acres of woodlands, formal gardens and more than 100 sculptures. The park is open to the public for hiking, picnicking, cross-country skiing and leisurely garden strolls.
CITY: Monticello
Unique ambiance and cuisine will provide you with an unforgettable Chinese and Hawaiian dining experience. Great food, wonderful service & family-friendly.
CITY: Decatur
America's Best Value Inn - Decatur
60 rooms, restaurant nearby, small meeting rooms, free movie channel, newly remodeled.
CITY: Decatur
Amish Adventures & Stellar Tours, Inc
Amish Adventures will give you an up close and personal tour of the Illinois Amish culture and religion as you travel back in time along our quaint country roads with our professional and informed tour guide. To help our visitors learn more about the Amish culture, we offer a variety of tours that are customized to fit your itinerary. Tours of Amish homes, Amish farms, Amish woodworker's shop, a meal in an Amish home and a Step-on Guided Tour of the Amish countryside!
CITY: Arthur
Amish Country Tours with ACM Tours
ACM Tours is a full service, receptive tour guide company with many special services available at no additional cost. We literally open the door to fabulous Illinois Amish Country! We are ready to assist you with meals, attractions, lodging and step on guide service. We have available trained, professional, local step-on guides who are well versed in the history, customs and folklore of this most unique part of Illinois.
CITY: Arthur
Amishland's Country Restaurant
Enjoy Atwood's meat services, award winning meats. Home cooked meals include drink and dessert. Open for breakfast and lunch.
CITY: Atwood
Anna Bethel Fisher Rock Garden
Created in 1927 from an old sand pit across the road from Lake Decatur, the city's oldest garden was extensively renovated in 1992. Its resurrected look features secluded paths leading through rocky terraces planted with unusual trees, and landscapes brimming with colorful perennials. Towering bald Cypress trees, planted in the 1920s, still reign over these delightful grounds.
CITY: Decatur
Anne Lloyd Gallery - Madden Arts Center
The warm, welcoming and slightly funky Madden Arts Center is a richly renovated hub where the Decatur Area Arts Council makes its home. The building houses galleries, classrooms, an art shop, photo lab and rehearsal spaces. The Anne Lloyd Gallery showcases local exhibits as well as extraordinary traveling collections. The gallery spotlights an International Arts Experience exhibition over an 8-week period each summer. Participating in the downtown Decatur "art walks" the gallery holds a "First Friday" reception on the first Friday evening of each month, showcasing a different artist or artistic medium each time.
CITY: Decatur
Arthur Amish Country Information Center
This visitor's center offers maps and information on the entire Amish area, including the 150 Amish craft shops that dot the countryside surrounding the village of Arthur.
CITY: Arthur
Arthur Flower Shop
Floral items.
CITY: Arthur
Arthur's Country Inn
Conveniently located on IL 133, this facility is a short distance from an Amish pastry and coffee shop, a cheese shop, woodcraft store, and a family restaurant. The 16 modern rooms are all moderately priced.
CITY: Arthur
Asia House
Healthy & Delicious Food, Vegetable, Sweet & Sour, Sushi & Sashimi Dinner, Sushi & Sahimi, Special Combination, Soup, Shrimp, Pork, Moo Shu, lo Mein Noodles, Fried Rice, Egg Foo Young, Chow Mei Fun, Beef. Eat In Or Take Out.
CITY: Decatur
Atwood Visitor & Information Center
Early trains made an "at-the-woods" stop, and in 1873 the town of Atwood was formed. Main Street today features split-rail fences, benches, grassy areas and country crafts, collectibles and antiques.
CITY: Atwood
Avon Theatre
Promoting Timeless Excellence in Film The Avon Theatre, featuring the best of independent, world and documentary films, foreign and Hollywood classics, and educational programming that will enhance the cultural richness of the downtown Stamford community. Once again, discerning film goers can ask: "What's on at the Avon?" It was formed in 2003 under the name the Avon Theatre Film Center, Inc., to restore a vital downtown landmark and reopen it as a community venue for the presentation of timeless film. A Brief History of the Avon Theatre The Avon Theatre has been described as an eclectic and whimsical picture house, with a prevailing Neo-Colonial motif that incorporates traditional Art Deco themes. The theatre is highlighted by a strikingly original exterior facade, framed magnificently by a restored vertical "AVON" marquee that lights up the Connecticut sky at night.
CITY: Decatur
Barn Quilts of Dewitt County
Barn quilts of DeWitt County is a project designed to celebrate Clinton and DeWitt County's rich agricultural history, showcase our rural areas, promote agritourism, the arts, and create a sense of community pride. Throughout the county, vibrant, hand-painted 8'X8' quilt blocks on 'wooden canvases' adorn numerous barns, making a drive through the countryside all the more enjoyable.
CITY: Clinton
Baymont Inn & Suites - Decatur
99 rooms, restaurants nearby, business center, meeting facilities. Each room is equipped with iron, ironing board, hair dryer, in-room coffee service, free satellite movies and extra long beds. Complimentary breakfast.
CITY: Decatur
Beach House Restaurant
The Beach House Restaurant offers wonderful American cuisine in an elegant setting. Dine inside or outside and take in an amazing view of Lake Decatur. Fresh seafood flown in daily from Florida makes this one of Decatur's treasures.
CITY: Decatur
Bean Scene Cafe
Coffees, scones, breakfasts, imported teas, homemade pastries.
CITY: Monticello
Value shopping -- traditional department store.
CITY: Decatur
Best Western Monticello Gateway Inn
44 guest rooms. Inside entrances, elevator. There are some extended stay rooms with kitchenettes. Conference facilities including banquet room (350), meeting space/conference room, olympic size indoor pool and extensive outdoor deck area that is available for private events.
CITY: Monticello
Birks Museum
Once the original reading room of Millikin University's Gorin Library, Birks Museum maintains a montage of memories: Among them, a Belleek mirror made for Queen Victoria; a life mask of Abraham Lincoln circa 1864; and 700 paperweights.
CITY: Decatur


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Make perler bead keychains and ornaments
Free Driver Education Practice Tests!
How well do you know the rules of the road?
We are now able to offer you FREE Maine DMV Practice Tests to help you study for your Maine permit test/driver's license!
Click on the link below to check it out!
Teen Summer Reading Winners!!!
Here are our Teen Summer Reading Game winners! Congratulations to everyone for reading 1827.3 hours this summer! That is a great achievement!
Please pick up your prize at the 2nd floor desk if you haven't already done so.
Raffle Winners:
Art Set – Asha Shueyb
$50 Flagship giftcard – Peyton Latham
Basketball – Pablo Reyes-Mejia
Basketball – Reginald Beaulieu
MP3 player – Mariah Madore
Wireless speaker – Aden Mohamed
Backpack with school supplies – Isho Mohamed
Soccer Ball – Miski Mohamed
Soccer Ball - Jason Almquist
Also, we had a secret grand prize to give away this summer to one individual who really exceeded their reading goal and read the most hours. That winner of a Kindle Fire is:
Amina Aden
Blackout Poetry
Come to the teen room on Tuesday, July 29th at 2:00PM and make blackout poetry!
You can black-out words in discarded books and newspapers to create unique poetry!
Grades 7-12. Materials will be provided. No registration is necessary.
Contact the Reference Desk at (207) 513-3135 for more information.
Sync YA Literature Free Audiobooks
Did you know you can download two FREE teen audiobooks every week this summer from Sync? Head to www.AudiobookSync.com for details, or ask us at the Reference Desk!