text:
A method and system for placement of graphical objects on a page to optimize the occurrence of an event associated with such objects. The graphical objects might include, for instance, advertisements on a webpage, and the event would include a user clicking on that ad. The page includes positions for receipt of the object material. Data regarding the past performance of the objects is stored and updated as new data is received. A user requests a page from a server associated with system. The server uses the performance data to derive a prioritized arrangement of the objects on the page. The server performs a calculation regarding the likelihood that an event will occur for a given object, as displayed to a particular user. The objects are arranged according to this calculation and returned to the user on the requested page. The likelihood can also be multiplied by a weighting factor and the objects arranged according to this product.
1. A method of providing placement of a plurality of graphical objects on a page accessible by a user, the graphical objects including graphic and text symbols, the page having positions for receipt of the objects, each object having at least one link to information, the link being invoked by an event identifying the object by a computer pointing device, the method comprising:
storing and retrieving performance data associated with the likelihood of the event occurring for each object; and
arranging the objects relative to one another on the page according to the performance data.
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9. A system for providing placement of a plurality of graphical objects on a page accessible by a user, the graphical objects including graphic and text symbols, the page having positions for receipt of the objects, each object having at least one link to information, the link being invoked by an event identifying the object by a computer pointing device, the system comprising:
a device for storing data associated with the past performance of an object;
a server for prioritizing objects relative to one another on a page according to the data.
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17. A method of arranging a plurality of graphical objects on a page viewable by a user on a computer display, comprising:
storing a plurality of graphical objects;
calculating a value indicative of the rate that a specified event occurs for each graphical object displayed to the user; and
displaying at least some of the graphical objects to the user, where the displayed graphical objects are arranged relative to one another on the page using the calculated values.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for optimizing the placement of graphical objects, e.g. advertisements (ads), topic tiles, or the like on a page, e.g. a webpage, so that an event associated with the objects is more likely to occur. Such an event would include the incidence of a user identifying, or clicking on the object with a pointing device.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet provides a fast, inexpensive, and convenient medium for information providers to make information available to users on a website. Information in such websites might include, for example, sports scores, movie reviews, daily news, stock quotations, and the like. While password protected pay-sites exist on the internet, websites can generally be accessed at no cost to the user. This presents a problem regarding revenues returned in relation to providing a website full of information. Some website providers are funded to distribute various information to the public, for example NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency) or other such public agencies. Still other providers utilize their website as a commercial means in itself to sell various products, such as books or compact discs. Regardless of such external funding, the generation of revenue from a website is proving to be increasingly important, as there are costs inherent in creating, providing, and maintaining a website. Moreover, as Internet traffic continues to increase, the opportunities for the generation of revenue in association with those contacted sites also tends to increase.
In response to such concerns, website providers are increasing the amount of advertising space on their webpages in order to generate more revenues. The advertisements (or ads) appear as banners, blocks, or tiles on various portions on the webpage. Typically, an advertisement serves as a click-through point to sources of more information about that particular advertiser or topic. In other words, the advertisement exists as a graphical object which has a link to other information. The user typically chooses or identifies the object by clicking on it with a computer pointing device. The identification of the object invokes the link, and hence is often referred to as "click-through."
As with newspapers and other such advertising mediums, factors such as the location and size of the ad on a webpage will affect the price charged. Ads appearing at the start of the webpage will usually command a higher price than ads appearing at the end. This is particularly true for ads which appear further down from the initial webpage screen (as limited by the size of the user's display device). Web browsers usually require the positive act of a user scrolling down a page in order to view an ad located further down from the top. A user who sifts through web pages based upon the initial material visible on the page often overlooks such lower placed ads. Ultimately, each advertiser wants to their ad to be seen, and to increase the amount of click-throughs, or viewing traffic, which visits its particular website or webpages as a result of a click-through on its ad.
Generally, most sites sell their advertising as a function of cost per thousand impressions, where an impression is counted as an instance of the ad appearing on a webpage. Ads can be randomly placed on a webpage, or advertisers might choose locations on the page. In the latter instance, advertisers might be required to spend considerable time, money, and resources deciding where to place their advertisements, with the hope and anticipation of their ad being noticed, read, and even acted upon by the user. For instance, ads directed to younger Internet users might be placed on websites related to young celebrities, pop culture, or modern music. The ad might need to be placed near the top of the webpage in order to attract attention to the ad. This might require a costly expenditure by the advertiser, and would carry with it no assurances that the ad will attract any significant click-through traffic. As a result, the advertiser might be dissuaded altogether from placing the ad on a particular website or webpage. For every such decision by an advertiser not to place an ad, the revenues for a website or webpage which depends upon such revenues will be adversely affected.
Yet another way of selling advertising on the Internet is by charging the advertiser a certain amount for each click-through that occurs on a particular ad (often referred to as cost-per-click, or CPC). Such pricing structures might ultimately attract more attention from advertisers because the advertiser will not be required to pay unless the ad actually attracts click-through traffic. However, this pricing scheme shifts the impetus for deciding optimum ad placement back to the website or webpage provider, as no revenue will be generated for the provider if the user never clicks upon an ad.
Accordingly, a method and system are needed in this field which will serve to increase the chance of an event occurring for an object which is presented on a page. In the Internet context, a method and system are needed which would increase the amount of click-through traffic on ads presented on a webpage, and thereby increase the revenue generated by a website provider which sells ads on that webpage.
The present invention provides a method and system for placement of graphical objects on a page to optimize the occurrence of an event associated with such objects. The graphical objects might include, for instance, advertisements on a webpage, and the event would include a user clicking on that ad. The page includes positions for receipt of the object material. Data regarding the past performance of the objects is stored and updated as new data is received. A user requests a page from a server associated with system. The server uses the performance data to derive a prioritized arrangement of the objects on the page. The server performs a calculation regarding the likelihood that an event will occur for a given object, as displayed to a particular user. The objects are arranged according to this calculation and returned to the user on the requested page. The likelihood can also be multiplied by a weighting factor and the objects arranged according to this product.
As applied in context to an Internet based system, the present invention utilizes a unique system of gathering and grouping information about each particular user to the system, and then uses this information to optimize the event, or click-through traffic, for a particular graphical object, e.g. an ad, or set of ads, presented to that user. Optimization is achieved by calculating a click-through-percentage for a particular ad based upon sorted and categorized information about a particular user. This click-through percentage will consist, in part, of an estimation of the likelihood that a particular user will actually click on the ad presented: The click-through percentage is then used to group the ads, usually in descending order of calculated percentage, in the appropriate spots on a webpage. The ads might also be grouped according to click-through percentage times the cost-per-click for each ad. Topic tiles might also be displayed according to a similar formula, including for instance click-through-rate times the revenue-per-user.
According to either formula for ad placement, the revenue for the website provider will be significantly increased, as each click-through by a user will be more likely to occur, and also the page will be structured to generate an increased amount of revenue for each click-through. It has been found that the random placement of ads on a webpage yields a click-through-percentage of approximately 2-3%. By arranging the ads on a page in descending order of click-through-percentages (e.g. higher to lower), the general click-through rate has been found to at least double. By arranging the ads in descending order of click-through percentages times price-per-click, the overall revenue rate has been found to at least triple.
Other features can be summarized as follows: as a user interacts with various Internet sites, a file of information called a "cookie" is generated and maintained on a user's hard disk. A cookie typically records a user's preferences when using a particular site. A cookie is a mechanism that allows a server to store a file about a user on the user's own computer. The present invention includes providing a website which gathers and utilizes such information from the cookie file, but also generates and maintains a centralized database of information concerning each user. If a user is new to the site, then the user is redirected to areas where information about that user can be gathered. As the user proceeds through various website areas relating to topics such as movies or horoscopes, information such as age or zip codes can be gathered and stored for each particular user under a user identification (ID) number or tag. The data from the users is then analyzed, delineated, and placed in different groupings, or "bins." A device is used which creates meaningful bins, or in other words, bins of persons which have discernable behavioral differences between them. These bins might include, for example, demographical data such as persons of a certain income level, gender, or age grouping. This time intensive task of analyzing user information and creating different bins is performed as a background task, and therefore does not adversely affect the overall speed of the system.
An ad server device is also used which queries the system for information about each particular user. The bins of information are used to calculate a click-through-percentage for each of the various ads available, based upon an analytical method which includes, among other things, parameters relating to the user's information, the categorized bins of data, and the prior performance information for a particular ad. This system will allow multiple bins to be used for a performance calculation without adversely affecting the speed of the calculation. If an ad is new to the system, a performance estimation is made which will allow convergence toward the true performance percentages through subsequent click-throughs and related calculations for that ad. A set of ads is then returned by the ad server for display to a particular user on the contacted website and associated webpages. The performance calculation for each ad, along with its price-per-click, are used to determine placement of the ads on a website for optimum click-through occurrences and generation of revenue.
The system might also include an ad performance interface which will allow an advertising client to access various ad performance information from an ad performance database relating to the click-through-percentage and success of each ad. Yet another interface might be provided which will allow an advertiser to place ads directly into an ad database for access by the ad server.
Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, a system is provided wherein a page is requested by a user, with the page has positions for placement of graphical objects. Each object has associated with it a link to other information, and a certain event will invoke that link. Certain performance data is stored regarding the occurrence of events for objects in the system. The performance data is used to calculate a likelihood for each object that the event will occur for that particular user. The page is then returned to the user with a set of graphical objects arranged on the page, the objects positioned according to their event likelihood calculation.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a more specific example is provided. Namely, a system is provided wherein a website and associated webpages are made available by a web server, with the pages having ads arranged to provide optimized click-through generation of revenue deriving from the ads. The system gathers information relating to a user and stores this information in a central database under a user identification tag which is passed back to the user as part of the cookie data. The user data is further grouped into a variety of bins according to behavioral differences associated with such groups. A click-through-percentage is calculated for each ad based upon the user information, the associated bins, and the prior click-through-percentage associated with the ad. The ads are arranged on the webpage in descending order according to the calculated click-through-percentage for each ad.
According to another aspect of the present invention described above, the ads are arranged on the webpage in descending order according to the calculated click-through-percentage for each ad times the click-through-price for each ad.
Another aspect of the present invention described above displays topic tiles in descending order according to click-through-rate for a particular tile, times the revenue-per-user.
In still another aspect of the present invention described above, the device which groups the user data into a variety of bins is configured to perform its task periodically in the background, thereby minimizing slow down of the overall system.
Yet another aspect of the present invention provides an ad performance database, and an interface for the advertising client to access the performance database and review the performance parameters relating to a particular ad displayed according to this method.
A further aspect of the present invention provides an ad content and placement database, and an interface for the advertising client to place ads directly into the system.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention can be seen upon review of the figures, the detailed description, and the claims which follow.
FIG. 3(a) is a block diagram of the functional components used for arranging the ads according to FIG. 2.
FIG. 3(b) is a block diagram of the Relational Ad (RAD) Server component of FIG. 2.
The present invention provides a method and system for optimizing the event occurrences for graphical objects on a page. More specifically and for discussion purposes, a method and system are provided for optimizing revenues generated by a webpage. Optimization occurs through ranking of the ads (or topics) according to a click-through-percentage generated for each ad. The page might further be optimized by ranking the ads according to cost-per-click multiplied times the click-through-percentage. This will create a webpage that has both a high likelihood of click-throughs, and maximum revenue for each click-through that actually occurs. A detailed description of the invention is provided with respect to
The randomized placement of ads on a webpage has been found to result in a click-through-percentage for each ad of approximately 2-3%.
In yet another embodiment, the ads can also be sorted and displayed according to a method which multiplies the calculated click-through-percentage times the cost-per-click for each ad. Under this method, the cost that the advertiser pays for each individual click-through on an ad will factor into the placement of the ad on the webpage. A more expensive ad with a moderate click-through-percentage might earn a more prominent position than an ad with a high click-through-percentage, but having a low price-per-click. If the multiplied result of the two factors produces a higher number, than the revenue generated from display of that particular ad will also be higher. Hence, such an ad will be displayed in more prominent position on the webpage in order to encourage more click-throughs by the user. Webpages arranged according to this method have been found to generate at least three times the revenue per page over webpages having randomly placed ads.
FIG. 3(a) shows a block diagram of a system or network 100 for optimizing placement of ads on a webpage according the arrangement methods described above. While the elements are discussed in a certain order below, many of the processes occur simultaneously, or in other order sequences as necessary. As shown, a user 102 contacts a website 104 and requests a page 106. During the process of interacting with the web site, the user 102 will provide personal information 108 such as their birthday, gender, zip code, and the like. This information is sent from the web site 104 to a component used for recognizing certain characteristics about a user, hence referred to as the Recognizer 110. Depending upon the status of the user (e.g. new to the network, new to the website, or known by the system), the interactions of the user, website, and Recognizer will vary. A centralized database is used, however, to store various information which has been collected about a user. The information is accessible via a user identification (Id) tag or number, which is created for each user. The interactions of the user, website, and Recognizer are detailed further in the discussion of
In essence, when a site wants to show a page, it contacts an ad server component 112, shown at the center of the network 100 in FIG. 3(a). This device might also be referred to as a relational server component, and is hence referred to as the Rad Server. The site contacts the Rad Server and indicates which webpage and website will be shown, as well as the centralized Id of the user who will view the page. The Rad Server 112 performs the overall function of gathering the necessary information regarding a particular ad (or set of ads) and the particular user and generating a set of ads which have been optimized for placement on a webpage according to a calculated click-through-percentage (or click-through-percentage times price-per-click) for that user.
Referring now to both FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), additional operational steps of the Rad Server are shown. Initially, the Rad Server 112 will query the Recognizer 110 for as much information 114 as is known about the particular user. The Recognizer then returns the information requested 116 back to the Rad Server 110 for use in requesting possible ads for placement and performing ranking calculations regarding those ads.
In order for the optimizer system to have ready access to a large store of ads, an ad/content placement database 118 is provided for storing a plurality of ads, which might be used for possible display. The ad/content placement database 118 might contain, for example, information about each ad contract, e.g. price per impression, price-per-click-through, constraints on pages or positions where the ad may be placed, and/or constraints on demographic variables which must hold for the ad to be presented. The database 118 might also contain information associated with different page layouts, e.g. the number of banner or ad spots available.
Such ads are created and/or purchased by the advertiser 120 who might use an ad placement interface 122 (which is optional) to place ads 124 in the database 118. The interface 122 could be web accessible and would guide the advertiser 120 through the necessary steps for creating and uploading an ad into the database 118. Alternatively, the general content of the ads is created and/or licensed 126 by administrators of such accounts and entered 128 into the ad/content placement database 118. The Rad Server 112 requests possible ads or content material 130 based upon information from the particular user 102 from the ad/content placement database 118. The database 1118 then returns the possible ads 132 for placement on the webpage that fit the particular characteristics of the user 102.
With the possible ads 132 now collected, as shown by element 131 in FIG. 3(b), the Rad Server 112 performs a click-through percentage calculation for each ad, as shown by element 133 in FIG. 3(b). This calculation further requires access to performance information for each ad. Accordingly, an ad/content performance database 140 is provided which stores click-through-percentage data for each ad, as well as data concerning the grouping of users into different categories, or bins. A processing device, hereafter referred to as the Arbitrator 150, takes information gathered and stored about the users and processes this information into useful bins. The user data is sampled and bins are continually created which differentiate users in optimal ways for placement of ads. For example, a bin of all users under 14 years old might be created as one separate bin, rather than all users under 18 years old. This strategy for categorizing users becomes important when trying to predict or calculate a click-through-percentage for a given ad, or set of ads.
Referring again to FIG. 3(a), when a user clicks on a particular ad as shown by 107, a click-through tracker 109 is provided to track and then record the click-throughs 111 into a log file 113. The log file 113 also collects ad impression data 121 from the Rad Server 112. The log file 113 outputs the log data 115 into a device referred to as a log digester 152. The log digester 152 interacts with the Arbitrator 150, as shown by dataflows 117 and 119. The log digester 152 processes through all the user data, and places each bit of user data in its appropriate bin according to directions from the Arbitrator 150. The Arbitrator 150 runs periodically to determine how best to differentiate among users. The more differences that the Arbitrator finds, then the more efficiently it will be able to deliver ads that users will click on, or content that users will enjoy. Both the Arbitrator 150 and log digester 152 functions are generally time intensive operations and can take significant processing resources. In this embodiment, these tasks are shown to run in the background so as not to slow down the overall system performance. Typically, the Arbitrator 150 will be configured to interact with the log digester 152 every 15 minutes or less and the log digester 152 will output processed data to the ad/content performance database 118. The ad/content performance database 118 is therefore a static database that is updated periodically from the log digester 152. The update rate is variable and can be further improved through via system code optimization, increased processor speeds, dedicated hardware, and the like.
Referring again to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the Rad Server 112 sends a request 134 for performance statistical data (or performance stats) to the Ad/Content performance database 140 and the requested performance stats 136 are returned to the Rad Server 112. A click-through-percentage 133 is calculated for each ad based upon the performance stats and the user information. The Rad Server 112 thereafter ranks the ads according to a desired arrangement method 135. While other equivalent methods are intended to be included within the scope of this invention, the methods discussed above include arranging the ads according to: click-through-percentage; or click-through-percentage times price-per-click for each ad. Topical tiles might also be arranged according to the click-through-rate for each topic, times the revenue-per-user.
Referring again to FIG. 3(a), the website 104 requests ads from the Rad Server 112 as shown by dataflow 160. After the steps described above are performed, the Rad Server 112 delivers a set of ads for display to the user which have been optimized for increased click-throughs, and/or increased revenue generation for the webpage provider.
Yet another interface 170 might (optionally) be provided which would provide the Advertiser 120 with the ability to monitor and track the performance of their ads. The ad performance interface 170 would collect performance stat data 172 from the ad/content performance database 140. The interface would thereafter provide user-friendly and viewable data 174 to the client regarding detailed stats, including for instance demographic profiles of who is clicking on their ads. Such information could prove invaluable to the advertiser for targeting future customers with particular ads. The information would also serve to demonstrate the success rate, and thereafter aid in setting the pricing structure of ads, in order for the network provider to further increase revenues.
The optimizer 100 further uses a unique sequence of steps to gather information from each particular user. These sequences are shown in
According to the present invention, the previously mentioned centralized Id number or tag is created for each user and provides access to stored information about the user within the optimizer system. When a site learns a new piece of information about a user, e.g. zip code, this information is sent to the Recognizer which enters this information into the centralized database. While many different forms of databasing would provide an equivalent result, the preferred embodiment uses a non-relational database that has been written for scalability and speed. When a site queries the Rad Server for a set of ads to place on a page, the site passes the centralized Id to the Rad Server, which in turn requests any relevant information associated with that user Id from the Recognizer database. The Recognizer database might also be queried by individual site, e.g. for dynamically targeted content generation. Separate authentication would be provided for read and write access to the Recognizer database.
Hence, when the Rad Server 112 requests user information, then the databased information can be readily provided via the Id.
In each case, the website will request HTML code from the Rad Server 112 to place in the appropriate advertising blocks of the webpage. The Server outputs this information to the user, and the information is thereafter decoded and arranged by the user's web browser. When the user clicks on an ad, they are redirected through optimizer so that the click-through can be counted, and the user is thereafter sent to the URL specified by the Advertiser.
In providing further details to elements described above, the Arbitrator 150 in FIG. 3(a) has the task of creating many different bins of data as characteristics about the users are learned and delineated. Normally, when any new factor (e.g. a new bin) is introduced into a system like the present, the complexity of implementation increases greatly, as each factor will typically need to be multiplied by every other existing factor in the system. As a result, variables must be partitioned into a small number of equivalence classes in order to make feasible the learning problem. This creates pressure towards choosing a small number of bins for each variable. However, in the limit that there is only partition (one type of user), the learning problem is greatly simplified, but the available information is not being maximally exploited for monetary gain. This is the classic "information/complexity" tradeoff in learning theory: the more powerful the model, the more difficult it is to learn the parameters.
While a variety of solutions might be applied, the preferred embodiment of the present invention applies a classical statistical technique for hypothesis testing, i.e. the generalized likelihood ratio test, as follows. Starting with a given a particular random variable X which takes values in the set SX, and a set of ads A such that for each ad aεA and value xεSX, the result includes associated impressions counts IX(x,a) and click-through counts CX(x,a). Next, consider a function ƒ: SX→SB which assigns values in SX to equivalence class labels in SB. Associated with each bεSB are the impression and click-through counts IB(b,a)=Σx|ƒ(x)=bIX(c,a) and CB(b,a)=Σx|ƒ(x)−bC(x,a), respectively. These counts can be used to assign a score to ƒ for a given ad aεA via
This test can be interpreted as measuring the difference between the "explanatory power" that is achieved by assuming that the click-through rate for the ad in question varies in any fashion across the equivalence classes in question (first term), versus the "explanatory power" obtained by assuming that the click-through rate is identical across equivalence classes (second term).
The asymptotic distribution of φ is known to be X2 with degrees of freedom |SB|−1, which allows proper normalization of the score with respect to number of equivalence classes. The following formula is used to transform φ into a random variable approximately distributed as zero-mean unit-variance Gaussian.
The above score is averaged over the current population of ads to assign a score Q to the potential partitioning ƒ, Q(ƒ)=ΣaεAz(ƒ,a). In principle, a procedure to enumerate all possible partitionings and choose the one with the largest score Q is possible, but (currently) in practice a human suggests several possible ways to partition the data, Q is calculated for each candidate partition, and the partitioning with the highest score is used in the online system. Since the complexity of model supported by the data increases with the amount of data, the appropriate partitioning for the system can change with time, e.g., if the amount of visitors to the site increases dramatically. Thus the arbitrator is used both when first introducing a variable into the system, and for periodically tuning the distinctions the system makes in order to maximize performance.
In providing further detail to certain elements described above, element 133 in FIG. 3(b) describes a click-through-percentage calculation which is performed for each ad. This calculation provides a probability or likelihood, expressed as a percentage, that a user will click on a particular object or ad. While many different processes might be used within the scope of optimizing revenue generation through the placement of ads by using click-through-percentage, the present invention employs the technique further detailed as follows: The value of placing an ad includes a fixed, known amount of revenue per impression (possibly even zero), plus some amount of revenue that would be generated if the ad were clicked on. Since clicking on the an ad is a random event, the Rad server attempts to estimate the average amount of revenue that results from click-throughs, which is given by the probability that the user will click on the ad times the amount of revenue generated when the ad is clicked on. The ad server is therefore attempting to maximize, on average, the revenue resulting from a particular assignment of ads to the page. The ad server estimates the probability of clicking on an ad using formulas derived from Bayesian statistical methodology, which click-through modeled as a binomial process, and with a prior model of advertisement appeal given by exponential distribution parameterized by a single parameter p0.
First, the system should determine the value of factors used in predicting performance. Demographic information associated with a user Id is retrieved from the Recognizer. Other information is obtained from the site requesting the ad placement, e.g the page the ads will be shown on. Still other information, e.g. the time of day, is determined by the ad server.
Second, for each possible assignment of an ad to a spot on the page, and for each factor whose value is known, the ad server obtains the number of impressions and click-throughs seen for that ad in that spot with the factor in question. These counts are used to estimate the likelihood p that the user will click on the ad, according to the following formula:
These equations incorporate the assumptions that factors are conditionally independent, factor values are distributed multinominally with a product exponential prior peaked at a uniform distribution, and that clickthroughs not conditioned on factor values are distributed binomally with an exponential prior peaked at p0. p0 is purposely chosen to overestimate the probability of click-through so that the estimator converges to the actual probability of click-through from above. This is particularly true for new ads in which little (or no) information is known. A less efficient system might, for instance, randomize all the ads 20% of the time, then measure the relative performance, and then optimize the placement of ads. The present system, however, proves to be much more efficient as optimization is constantly being performed. The present system serves to automatically balance the opposing goals of gathering data on newer ads and exploiting information about older ads. In this way, the number of impressions is greatly reduced which the system might need to show in order to make an accurate prediction of click-through rate for a particular ad.
Once derived, the list of possible assignments of ads to particular ad spots is sorted in descending order of expected revenue. While there are subsequent empty spots, the ad server examines the next assignment on the list, and accepts the assignment unless it would violate a placement constraint, in which case it is discarded. If possible assignments are exhausted before the page is filled, the Rad Server might then fill the remaining positions with a canonical identifier indicating the spot is to remain empty. The list of acceptable assignments in then returned to the requesting website.
The optimizer system can serve optimized ads to any site on the Internet. In addition to the above-described features, it is intended that the optimizer system will remain able to target ads to specific demographics. For example, the advertiser can target ads only to users between the ages of 25 and 35, or to users who live in zip codes which represent upper-level incomes. Such targeting is independent of the optimization scheme described above. In other words, an advertiser can target any age group it desires, regardless of whether or not that group aligns with one of the aforementioned data bins. Relatedly, the optimizer system can be overridden. If an advertiser wishes to purchase the right to an entire section of the website or webpage, the ads can simply be placed there without having to compete their way into that position on the page.
The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.
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Welcome to the Office of Student Financial Aid
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Please visit this web page periodically for information regarding any changes to financial aid programs that may affect your financial aid eligibility. Read all e-mail communications from the Office of Student Financial Aid and remember . . .
It is the responsibility of all students to keep themselves informed as to issues that may affect their financial aid eligibility by regularly accessing the Office of Student Financial Aid web site and CSU X-Press.
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text: Prev | Next Purchase this photo Bishop Nash/For The Herald-Dispatch Huntington St. Joe's Keith Clemons (4) dribbles past Coal Grove's Brandon Adkins (15) on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013 at Huntington St. Joe. Gallery: Huntington St. Joe outlasts Coal Grove, 73-67 Dec. 23, 2013 @ 09:36 PM Bishop Nash The Huntington St. Joe Fighting Irish defeated the Coal Grove Hornets, 73-67, Monday night in Huntington. ()


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Snakes' and other eggs
Fossil echinoids have also been equated in folklore with the eggs of snakes. Called Ovum anguinum by Pliny (Kennedy 1976), druids thought that magical snake eggs were formed by froth from snakes congregating at midsummer. The froth, shaped into a ball, could be stolen from the snakes during midsummer's eve but would only retain its magical powers if the ball was kept on a piece of cloth (Kennedy 1976).
The thief was required to run away with the snake egg from the angry snakes, preferably over a river across which the snakes could not swim. The 'egg' had indentations on it, supposedly the points where the snakes were once attached. The egg was said to protect its owner from poisons and deadly vapours (Kennedy 1976) as well as from defeat in battle (Oakley 1974).
In other places it was thought that these fossil echinoids were actually tortoise eggs that have hardened into stone (Brookes 1763). Brookes (1763; p. 307) notes that they were commonly found in Malta where ...they are called by the country people the Breasts of St. Paul, because sometimes two of them are found together.
The fossil echinoids that come from the Chalk of Kent have been referred to as Chalk eggs. John Woodward (1729) suggested that the chalk filling the tests was a good cure for an acidic stomach. Given the composition of this chalk, which is calcium carbonate, this is not an unreasonable idea. Woodward also suggested that chalk eggs are good for sea-sickness, some sea-farers not venturing on board ship without them.


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Cars & Trucks
Behind the wheel of vehicles of all types
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GM Design celebrates 85 years: What are your favorite creations?
GM Design celebrates its 85th birthday this month. Which models do you think stand out as having the best design? [Read More]
Ninth annual Classy Chassis: A 2-day event at Reliant Stadium
The ninth annual Classy Chassis Concours d'Elegance will return to Reliant Stadium, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, June 9 and 10. Benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children-Houston/Galveston, Classy Chassis will feature more than 100 rare automotive icons, exotic hand-built sports cars, hot rods and full-out racing machines from some of the finest private […] [Read More]


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Extreme Homes TV Show Watchlist
A survey of unusual homes, including ones converted from a bowling alley and a train car.
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This amazing assortment of homes from all over the world includes a clapboard cottage in New York, a Danish apartment block where cars take priority over people and a house in Italy built around thousand year old olive trees.
This assortment of homes includes a California home modeled on a spy plane, a Japanese origami-style residence in Northern Ireland, a glass house with no internal walls in the Netherlands and a medieval-inspired home in Idaho.
This assortment of homes from all over the world includes a New York home inspired by a diamond ring, a house in Mexico shaped like a shark, an 800-year-old Scottish fortress and a South African home covered in colorful symbols.
Take a look into a home shaped like sand dunes, magical kingdoms and more.
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Dwellings include a glass box in Switzerland, an outlaw cave in the Arkansas wild and a pyramid in rural Ohio.
A Swiss residence that's straight out of a fairytale; a London houseboat; a Yoga-inspired home in Indonesia; a Belgian abode that pays homage to ocean liners; and a place in England modeled after a fossil.
Included: a California abode wrapped in art; a home in Spain that resembles a slice of pie; a mushroom-shaped residence in Japan; a modern jungle cabana in Mexico; a castle in Belgium; and a 200-year-old observatory in Scotland.
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RGA, Dubie settle with state in campaign caseBy WILSON RING
THE Associated Press | April 20,2013MONTPELIER The state of Vermont has settled a lawsuit that claimed the Republican Governors Association and the states losing 2010 GOP gubernatorial candidate, Brian Dubie, improperly shared polling data, causing the RGA to exceed Vermonts campaign spending limits, Attorney General William Sorrell said Friday.
As part of the settlement, the RGA will pay a civil penalty of $30,000. Dubie will pay a civil penalty of $10,000 and make a $10,000 contribution to the Vermont Foodbank.
It sends a message and an example for campaigns and PACS going forward, Sorrell said Friday.
The RGA used the daily polling information collected by the Dubie campaign to create and broadcast television and radio advertising that supported Dubie that was valued at $242,000, Sorrell said.
Under Vermont law, political action committees are limited to $6,000 in contributions to candidates.
The RGA clearly bears more responsibility here. Brian Dubies campaign staff erred in accommodating the RGAs request for polling data, said Sorrell. This case sends a message to PACs that they cannot get around the contribution limits by soliciting valuable, private information from candidates in order to shape their campaign tactics.
The RGA said it did not break any laws.
As the Vermont attorney general recognized in the settlement, the RGA acted in good faith, and we maintain that no laws were violated, said RGA spokesman Jon Thompson. Rather than incur litigation costs for the next two years, the RGA elected to resolve this matter amicably.
Dubies attorney said he was pleased with the settlement. It recognizes that Brian Dubie did not know about and was not personally involved in any of the conduct at issue, said Brady Toensing.
The lawsuit claimed that during the campaign to replace retiring Gov. Jim Douglas the Dubie campaign gave daily tracking poll data to the RGA that was not shared with the public.
Shortly afterward, the RGA used information from those polls to create and run three different ads that supported the Dubie campaign.
The attorney generals office filed suit in December 2011 after receiving a complaint from the Vermont Democratic Party on Oct. 21, 2010.
Sorrell said that two other campaign finance lawsuits from the 2010 campaign are pending before the Vermont Supreme Court.MORE IN Vermont NewsMONTPELIER The state Public Service Board on Friday announced it would fine Vermont Gas Systems... Full StoryMONTPELIER Less than a month after Vermonts out-of-state inmates were moved from a private... Full StoryA confidential memo obtained by Vermont Public Radio shows that the Agency of Education is still... Full Story
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- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day 1739, 'Richard Palmer' identified in prison at York Castle as the notorious outlaw DICK TURPIN; IN 1836, Battle of the Alamo begins near San Antonio de Bexar, Texas; 1896, the Tootsie Roll invented by LEO HIRSCHFELD.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1472, Orkney, Shetland islands put up as collateral by Norway to Scotland in lieu of dowry for MARGARET OF DENMARK on her marriage with JAMES III, king of Scotland; 1962, JOHN GLENN first American to orbit Earth.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: City mayoral candidates debate campaign issues; Hartford, Conn., woman still missing; Neal Goswami reports attempts to legislate suicide; local woman loses 100 pounds through TOPS program.
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1878, JOHN TUNSTALL murdered near Lincoln, New Mexico, by the outlaw JESSE EVANS; in 1930, ELM FARM OLLIE first cow to fly in aircraft, first to be milked airborne; 1955, nuke test WASP; '79, snow in Sahara.
- TOMORROW'S HEADLINES TODAY: Rutland Herald News Editor Alan J. Keays and staff writer Gordon Dritschilo discuss stories planned for the February 18, 2015, edition of the newspaper: Winter budgets maxed, legal marijuana, Springfield bank job, USPS slowdown
- RICHARD'S POOR ALMANACK: On this day in 1249 AD, ANDRE of LONGJUMEAU is dispatched by LOUIS IX of France to meet the KHAGAN, ruler of the Mongol Empire; in 1804, during 1st Barbary War, STEPHEN DECATUR scuttles the pirate-held USS Philadelphia in Tripoli.


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Clocking In
You have clocked in to MySA.com's business news blog about San Antonio and South Texas businesses and business people.
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Show your customers some love
Looking for a way to show some customer appreciation and lend a helping hand to those in need this holiday season? Try the San Antonio Manufacturers Association's holiday gift giving plan where companies can make donations in the name of their customers to the "Dream It Do It" program. The vocational training program helps young […] [Read More]
Government focus ought to be on jobs
The U.S. government's focus ought to be on creating jobs and economic growth, not expanding the size of government, John Engler, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, said Thursday night. Engler, speaking to the San Antonio Manufacturers Association's annual CEO Event, said the current priorities in Washington on health care reform and […] [Read More]
Texas manufacturing declines, but long-term outlook positive
Texas factory activity declined in October, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey released Monday. Production fell 8 points on the survey's index, and capacity utilitization dropped 11.3 points. The volume of new orders declined 2.8 points. Texas manufacturing wages and benefits rose 1.1 point. The company outlook and business […] [Read More]
Texas manufacturing still weak, hoping for turnaround
Texas manufacturers, like other business interests, expect improvement by early next year, but their activity in August continued in a weakening spiral downard. Those were the findings of the newest Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Production, capacity utilization and other business measures declined for manufacturers again in August, although […] [Read More]
Texas manufacturing down, but looking up
Texas manufacturing declines continued to moderate in July, according to a monthly survey by the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. Production, capacity utilization and shipments went lower in July, but a growing number of plant operators, 40 percent, said activity was unchanged this month. Nearly half of the manufacturers said growth in new orders was flat […] [Read More]
Manufacturers pessimistic about present, optimistic about future
(Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas) As you can see, outlook seems to be improving. Texas factories are still declining, but they did so at a less severe rate in June than in past months, according to a monthly manufacturing survey. So what does that mean for Texas manufacturers? It means they still have weak labor […] [Read More]
S.A. manufacturer recalls meat product
Laxson Provision Co., a San Antonio meat manufacturer, is recalling about 350 pounds of cervelat sausage that may be undercooked. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service made the announcement Wednesday. Anyone who knows what cervelat is is smarter than me. Apparently, it's a sausage popular in Switzerland and Germany. Cervelat, cerebrum, […] [Read More]
Texas manufacturing outlook improves
There still is not much manufacturing activity in Texas, but the decline has stabled and business owners expect conditions to improve the second half of this year, according to the monthly Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. An index for future general business activity turned positive for the first time since September 2007. But the report from […] [Read More]
Manufacturing outlook improves
Though manufacturing is still declining in Texas, the weakening is slowing, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reported today. While most indexes from the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey remained negative, they edged upward, particularly the production, new orders, shipments, company outlook and business activity indexes. Manufacturers continue to shrink inventories and demand for laborers as 36 […] [Read More]
Spectrum Brands files for bankruptcy in San Antonio
Spectrum Brands files for bankruptcy in San Antonio. [Read More]
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Scott Raymond Palmer
Scott Raymond Palmer, 58, of Georgetown, SC, passed away Saturday, March 10, 2012, in Georgetown. He was raised in Carrollton, OH, until he was a junior at Carrollton High School.
Born July 16, 1953, in Canton, he was the son of the late Raymond and Louise (Shultz) Palmer.
He is survived by a son, Kevin Palmer of Georgetown, SC; and a brother, Gary Palmer of Florida.
He was preceded in death by his 14-year old son, Jason Palmer, who died in 1998; a brother, Thomas Palmer, who lived in Massachusetts; and his grandparents, Ralph and Rosie Palmer and Harry and Margaret Shultz.
A memorial service was held March 14 in Regal Heights Baptist Church in Georgetown, SC.
Condolences may be sent online at www.everhart-bovefuneralhomes.com.
©2012 The Free Press Standard
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Size may double for Kosovo peacekeeping force
May 5, 1999
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- If NATO sends a peacekeeping force into Kosovo it would have to be twice as large as originally estimated, the alliance's commanding general reportedly has told President Clinton.
Several sources said Gen. Wesley Clark, NATO's supreme commander, has recommended sending about 60,000 troops. The initial plan for a peacekeeping force called for about 28,000.
The additional forces include combat troops, but also larger-than-envisioned contingents from engineering units to focus on repairs to the infrastructure, including roads and bridges. The increased troop estimate is attributed to the widespread damage that must be repaired and to the extensive number of refugees that must be helped.
Clark has not decided the specific number of troops he'll need, the sources said.
One source said Clark told the president it would be best to have most of this force in place by mid- to late summer. But the general also told Clinton that NATO military planners were drawing up new target lists in case the air campaign continued several more months.
NATO's bombing campaign in Yugoslavia is meant to force that country to accept a NATO-led peacekeeping force for Kosovo, a province of the Yugoslav republic of Serbia.
U.S. administration officials said they've only discussed a security force in a "permissive environment," meaning an agreement with the Yugoslav government, with Clark. A separate NATO contingency review of what it would take to mount a ground invasion has not been completed.
Cohen recommends release of Yugoslav prisoners
Clinton visited NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium before speaking to U.S. military personnel at bases in Germany on Wednesday. He also met with the three U.S. soldiers who were released from Yugoslav custody on Sunday, while his defense secretary said he may recommend the release of two captured Yugoslav soldiers.
A senior U.S. official says the United States would hand over two captured Yugoslav soldiers to a third party -- perhaps the International Committee of the Red Cross or Sweden, which represents U.S. interests in Belgrade -- if Defense Secretary William Cohen recommends releasing them.
Cohen says he's inclined to recommend the two soldiers be freed. Clinton is the only one who can authorize such a release.
Clinton asked Cohen to review their status following the release of the U.S. captives. The Red Cross has been asked to prepare for the Yugoslavs' release with exit exams and interviews with the men.
Another senior official, who wishes to remain anonymous, confirmed one POW already "has indicated he might not want to go back," so the United States has asked the Red Cross to explore how to resolve that issue.
Cohen said the release of the two Serb soldiers should not be seen as any goodwill gesture toward the Yugoslav government. He said the release would not be a reciprocal gesture in response to the U.S. prisoners' release, which Cohen said was an act of self-interest on the part of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Clinton declined to speculate on Milosevic's motives after a meeting with the three former POW's -- Spc. Steven Gonzales of Huntsville; Texas, Staff Sgt. Andrew Ramirez of Los Angeles and Staff Sgt. Christopher Stone of Smiths Creek, Michigan."The important thing is that he did let them go," Clinton said.
Clinton rallies troops, mourns Apache crew
Earlier Wednesday, Clinton told U.S. military personnel that they were fighting for a just cause in the Balkans.
In a speech at the U.S. air base at Spangdahlem, Germany, Clinton thanked them "for your service and your sacrifice." He spoke as U.S. troops suffered their first losses in the campaign: A crash during a training mission in Albania killed the two-man crew of an AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship.
"Today we grieve for their families, and we pray for them," he said.
But he told them that the battle was being waged to extend the peace that has prevailed in Europe for most of the last half-century.
"Kosovo is an affront to everything we stand for," Clinton said.
Clinton said a reported Yugoslav campaign against ethnic Albanian civilians in the Serbian province of Kosovo has displaced about 1.5 million people, a number roughly equal to the entire population of Nebraska.
"If we want Europe to be undivided and democratic and at peace for the first time in history -- and if we don't want your successors to have to come to this continent and fight another bitter war -- then we must stand in Kosovo for the elemental principle of the common humanity of every breathing, living person on this continent," he said.
White House Correspondents Wolf Blitzer and John King contributed to this report.
Albania might move refugees farther from Kosovo
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It's not a Ferris Wheel. It's the Sun Wheel. The California Sun smiles at you from the center of the 160-foot diameter amusement wheel.
Link to Sun Wheel at Yesterland.com.
Please discuss it here.
It's not a Ferris Wheel. It's the Sun Wheel. The California Sun smiles at you from the center of the 160-foot diameter amusement wheel.
Link to Sun Wheel at Yesterland.com.
Please discuss it here.
I have mixed feelings about the Sun Wheel
Walt never wanted a Ferris Wheel at Disneyland. He knew he had a lot of land in Florida to hold all of his dreams and I'm sure a FW was not one of them. Why have one in DCA? Yes it is unique, a slow moving at times thrilling ride. But it's based on an east coast wheel. What does that have to do with Ca?
I admit it's fun to watch and the sun design did fit in with the pier theme. As much as I love the mouse why replace the sun? With all the chatter about Disney icons appearing in It's A Small World does anyone think this is same sort of idea? I would love to know how much this facelift will cost. With so many problems with DCA I feel the billion dollar rehab will get us 2 great E-Ticket attractions, a fantastic water show and a new entrance. What will remain are state fair rides (a wild mouse, a swing ride) with Disney type names.
You've asked interesting questions. Here are my thoughts...
We can debate about whether the Sun Wheel should have been part of DCA in 2001 (or whether Paradise Pier was a good idea), but the fact is that the giant wheel is there.
When designing the current DCA makeover, Disney had 3 options for the Sun Wheel: tear it down; leave it the way it was; or make it more charming. Considering the options from both a business and creative perspective, I think Disney made the right choice.
Paradise Pier is a "land" that is supposed to look and feel like an early 20th century seaside amusement pier. Some elements were carefully designed, while other parts look contemporary, cheap, or tacky. Paradise Pier probably cost several hundred million dollars to build, and it does have rides that many people enjoy. So it makes sense to improve rather than demolish that part of DCA.
A billion dollars sounds like a lot of money (and it is), but high-quality Disney theme park environments and attractions are very expensive. By using much of what's already there, Disney should be able to achieve a true Disney quality park, without having to spend 2 billion dollars.
I'm a tad dissapointed with the Mickey Mouse head. The original creepy and artificial feeling of Paradise Pier was so close to Shell Beach from the movie Dark City. They should have just ran with that. DCA could have been the creepiest park on the planet!
Well it wont go in yesterland but just the sun face is
The changes involve more than just the California Sun face. There's also the name, the paint scheme, the signage, the loading area, and -- most importantly -- its contribution to the improved charm, style, and theme quality of Paradise Pier.
I think this is a positive change for the Sun Wheel. Everything being done in DCA is being done with reason. The park hasn't been doing all that well, so doing nothing doesn't help anything. Making actual improvements to the park that'll draw more people in and carry the park closer to par with Disneyland is what'll help it. DCA needs the makeover, and Paradise Pier itself will be in much better shape with better offerings to every visitor. I, too, am glad that the sun face will no longer be on the wheel... it just doesn't really work from an aesthetics perspective. I think introducing a little more Mickey and Disney characters into DCA will help the average visitor feel that it is really a part of the Disneyland Resort and not just a second-rate theme park that's secondary to Disneyland. Plus, they couldn't have gone with a better visual of Mickey for the "Fun" Wheel. Not only do I tend to prefer the vintage-looking Mickey, but it really does look appropriate with the boardwalk look of the Pier.
I like the reno and the Mickey face. I am disappointed that the Mickey ears are being removed from California Screamin', but I guess the neon lights aren't very vintage...


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Smokers who light up first thing in the morning are more likely to develop lung cancer and tumors of the head and neck, compared with people who wait at least an hour after rolling out of bed to smoke, according to a pair of studies published online by the journal Cancer.
Early morning smoking, defined as lighting up within the first half-hour of waking, was associated with a 79% increase in likelihood that a smoker would be diagnosed with lung cancer, compared with those who waited at least an hour. Early smokers were also 59% more likely to develop head or neck cancer than those who waited an hour or longer... Read More


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Comments by airedale1950
Posted on September 14 at 10:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
wmarincic...err...that is your real name? Were your parents dog breeders, or were they members of an obscure retriever breed?
From: Police arrest 6 men in Schenectady prostitution sting
Posted on September 13 at 8:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Seems wmarincic just writes in alleged english.
...case in point for the clueless: "sorry I didn't mean to diss you're woman."
'I didn't mean to diss you are woman'????
From: Police arrest 6 men in Schenectady prostitution sting
Posted on July 15 at 10:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Now how moderate IS your intelligence level reader1...????
From: Dozens gather in Albany to protest verdict in Trayvon Martin case
Posted on July 15 at 10:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
courtesy of washington Times: 'With President Obama set to leave for a weeklong stay in Africa, the goals of his trip — boosting economic partnerships and engagement with the U.S. and promoting democratic development in African nations — are in danger of being overshadowed.
In the days before his departure on Wednesday, much of the attention in Washington has focused instead on the high cost of the trip, estimated to be somewhere between $60 million and $100 million.
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013...
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter
From: Dozens gather in Albany to protest verdict in Trayvon Martin case
Posted on July 15 at 11:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If the Feds go after Zimmerman we should be outraged! Whatever happened to the double jeopardy rule? If the civil rights definition wasn't met for the first prosecution, why should Washington be allowed to initiate new charges? If the state authorities in Florida thought they had half a chance on civil rights charges, they would have been added to the list of original charges brought on Zimmerman. Those guys were looking to hang Zimmerman from square one, when any law student would have seen the evidence necessary to overcome the self defense statute was weak at best. The motivation of the county behind the charges is suspect to begin with ( read political), and additional federal charges would be a huge waste of resources time and money sorely needed elsewhere. How about the money to be wasted on Zimmerman be allocated for our wounded Veterans suffering serious cutbacks in vet's hospitals? Come to think of it...why not petition Obama to pay back the $100 million dollars he spent of our money on a thinly veiled vacation for he and his family in Africa? What, we have no problems here in the USA to resolve? A trip to Appalachia or Detroit would have more constructive...and a whole lot cheaper.
From: Dozens gather in Albany to protest verdict in Trayvon Martin case
Posted on July 14 at 7:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The jurors in this case should be applauded for doing a courageous job under difficult if not intimidating circumstances. To make a sound and informed decision as defined by law, while a large group of potentially violent and vengeful people stood yards away. The court of 'liberal' public opinion convicted Zimmerman 10 seconds after he was forced to protect himself from his attacker. If it were a black on black crime, under identical circumstances, no one outside of that neighborhood would ever have heard of it. That is fact.
Because it was black man and a white man, every activist with an axe to grind or bills to pay saw their chance and jumped on the 24 hour a day news cycle be heard, for cause, or profit....most likely the latter.
It is truly a shame that the people so eager to protest and condemn this perceived (or manufactured)travesty could not use their impressive publicity and organizational skills to do something actually beneficial for the people they purport to champion.
Sometimes the black kid, or latin kid, or any minority du jour.... really is the bad guy.
From: Zimmerman found not guilty in Fla. shooting
Posted on July 7 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The two knuckleheads above (who need to quit taking shots in this forum),seem to be missing the point...people need to stop putting their naked, compromising selves out there to anyone, be it friend, lover,dog catcher...nobody, no how. Learn to trust no one when it comes to this sort of thing, because down the road or sooner it WILL come back to bite you.The days of destroying negatives is a long over.The oft used axiom 'the internet is forever' is sadly very very real...once it's out there you ain't getting it back.
Exploitation by unscrupulous people is everywhere...just a text or email...or school desk away.
From: Teens warned of exploitive photo website
Posted on June 15 at 6:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We also need a much more prominent police presence in the area. Instead of just filling up the patrol cars at the city Shangri-la and running elsewhere, stick around the area, stop a few drug deals on avenue A or Foster ave. and provide a little bit of a solution to the problem. Patrol the alleys after dark on foot, catch the speeders on the roads parallel to Van Vranken, quell some of the loud and threatening youth groups roaming around each night. Put foot patrols on Van Vranken and the adjacent streets, make it harder for these 'people' to do what they do.
Why subsidise Galesi, he doesn't have enough city development help? Justapo is right,give the damn building to Union, and watch it become viable overnight...and a tax asset at that.
From: Help Galesi fix DSS
Posted on February 28 at 6:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just build in a life insurance consideration to all loans...
From: Should student loans be forgiven if the borrower dies?
Posted on February 2 at 7:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Would I be allowed to inquire why all the removals of opinions by "site staff" lately??...I believe every contributor deserves an explanation from the editorial staff as to the sudden onset of thin skin and PC conscience on behalf of the Gazette.
It seems every comment is being scrutinized the way Sister Mary Angela searched and edited our thoughts back in my Catechism Classes at Saint Madeline's so many years ago....what's next the dreaded ruler across the knuckles?
Please note readers, I have not in any way said anything that could be construed as unseemly or politically UN-correct!
From: Man who rushed officers in Gazette lobby is sentenced


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MLG Anaheim: This eSporting Life
By Charles Lam
He was once like the Backyard Beekeepers. "When the threat of Africanized bees first came about, I was adamant about the government not destroying [feral] bees," Marder says. "I was passionate about keeping the bees. My belief was that if you had a huge gene pool, you'd be able to dilute the 'mean' gene. But science proved it not to be the fact." He claims Mussen himself told Marder to stop rescuing feral colonies and giving them to other people.
Then there was the lawsuit. In 2000, Marder was called by the Freedom Village retirement community in Lake Forest to rid it of bees. Bee Busters set up a trap in a tree; it fell, and the unleashed swarm stung 77-year-old Jackie Wright more than 500 times. She sued Marder for negligence. The case was eventually dismissed, though Marder accepted full responsibility for the attack.
"God bless people who want to do live removal—they think they're doing a good thing, and maybe they are, but they have to do it the right way," Marder says. He points to the California Structural Pest Control Act, which allows live removals without a license but requires $25,000 of insurance to cover any accidents. Violating this can result in fines starting at $1,000 and even jail time. Marder claims he was once arrested for such a violation.
"When you have bee hobbyists engaged in structural pest control, which is my bailiwick, I have a problem. They're breaking the law, and that's the way it is," he says. "I would love nothing more than [feral] bees to be workable and manageable in a working environment, but when you are in a region declared Africanized, that's it. Placing such bees without trying to requeen them [the process of introducing a new queen into a hive] in order to tame them is the equivalent of placing a rattlesnake in your neighbor's back yard. A flying rattlesnake."
The Backyard Beekeepers claim they've never come across an Africanized colony and would call a professional exterminator if they did. "When you save the good ones, there'll be less Africanized bees," Andrews says. "By raising good ones, you squeeze out the bad ones."
Mussen takes a neutral approach about bee rescuers. "I would be more cautious," he says. "I don't know if I'd put [rescued bees] in a residential back yard and be fine with it," especially given that Africanized bees have had a firm presence in Southern California since the mid-1990s.
"The thing about Africanized bees is that they're not totally predictable. They can behave well for a while, but, other times, become intolerant for reasons we've never been totally sure of. It's not a good thing to keep a feral colony unless you place them in no-man's land. You certainly don't want to keep them in someone's back yard."
But Mussen also lends credence to the Backyard Beekeepers' assertion that saving such bees can help stave off CCD. "As a generality, it's likely that honeybee colonies kept in isolation from the commercial beekeeping practice are having less of a problem with CCD than commercial bees," he says. "If it's a contagious disease, their bees may not be coming into contact with whatever it is. But I've talked with hobby beekeeping groups that thought things were going surprisingly well for their bees, and then they just disappeared."
He also cautions against just anyone keeping a colony. "I guess if all beekeepers knew what they were doing and went out of their way to manage their bees in the manner that would be least bothersome to their neighbors, there wouldn't be a need for city codes," he says. "I wish they didn't have to have them. Unfortunately, I understand those rules."
Yrarrázaval finds that mentality outdated. "[Bees are] here anyway, so why not have them in a box to keep them monitored? It's outdated to keep this philosophy that we need to kill everything. Cities need to lighten up."
It's still an upward battle toward full acceptance, the Backyard Beekeepers acknowledge.
"A school once asked us to teach kindergartners about what we do," Yrarrázaval says. "We wanted the kids to visit some bees that friends of ours keep. The principal said no. It hadn't even dawned on me that some people might think the bees were dangerous! But how great would it've been?
"I don't remember as a kid learning that bees are good," she adds. "But they're so essential. Now, people want to go back to a local economy, one where everyone grows their own food and buys from local markets. And they hear about colony collapse, and they're even more interested."
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President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf kicked off the celebration of her 75th Diamond Jubilee with a reception Monday evening hosted by the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and its local chapter, Eta Beta Omega Chapter, at the new Level 1 Restaurant located on Tubman Boulevard, in Sinkor.
According to an Executive Mansion release, on hand to join President Sirleaf celebrate her 75th birth anniversary, along with Liberian well-wishers and family, were Sorors of Alpha Kappa Alpha, including the Rev. Dr. Elaine Flake, Co-Pastor of The Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Cathedral of New York; her equally famous husband and CEO of The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral, the Reverend Floyd Flake; members of their congregation; and members of The Links, Incorporated, another U.S. organization for women of color.
President Sirleaf, in her remarks, thanked everyone for coming to join in the celebration of her birth anniversary. She thanked the members of her AKA Sorority who had traveled the long distance, from the United States, to be with her on this occasion; She also thanked the supporters from other organizations, and the proprietor of the facilities.
The President said she had an obligation, working with the AKA, to ensure that this birthday was not just for having a good time to dance and sing and be merry; there was a need to give back to the people - many of them market women - who worked under poor conditions and circumstances. "My Birthday is dedicated to them," the President said to loud applause.
President Sirleaf said she hoped that people would turn out on Tuesday to interact with market women - see where and how they work, see who they are. She called upon the gathering to do all they could to help give Liberia's market women a better life. She wished everyone a great evening, and looked forward to seeing them at the birthday.
Welcoming the guests was the President of the Eta Beta Omega Chapter of AKA, Mrs. Dawn Cooper Barnes, who outlined the events to take place on October 29, the President's birthday, including the Thanksgiving Service at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion; the Children's Program at the Monrovia City Hall; followed by the ground-breaking and fund-raising program for the Omega Market to take place at the site in Paynesville.
The program included: invocation by Mr. T. Nelson Williams II, President of the Epsilon Eta Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; a video of Liberians extending birthday greetings to their President; music by a band and a selection by Ghanaian singer Ofie Kodjo.
The President ended the evening with a private dinner, at her residence, for members of the Forbes Philanthropy delegation visiting Liberia.


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Malaysia hopes Philippines opens consulate in KK soon
KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia will use the existing diplomatic channel to continue recommending the opening of the Philippine Consulate in Kota Kinabalu soon.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Ministry Ahmad Shabery Cheek said both governments had agreed during the Second Malaysia-Philippines Joint Commission Meeting in 1995 for the opening of the Philippine Consulate General in Kota Kinabalu and the Malaysian Consulate General in Davao city.
"The Malaysian Consulate General was opened on Dec 7, 1995 in Davao City, however tp date, the Philippine government has yet to open its consulate here," he said in reply to Senator Datuk Chew Vun Ming in the Dewan Negara yesterday.
In the context of diplomatic relations, it was improper for Malaysia to continue urging any country to open its consulate in the country, he said.
On the entry of illegal immigrants to Sabah, Ahmad Shabery said the government was concerned over the problem but it could not be overcome in a short time in view of the presence of technical obstacles.
"The problem would take time to be resolved," he said.
On immigrants from the Philippines, he said : "The government will continue to strive and cooperate with the Philippine government so that the problem of the arrival of illegal immigrants from the Philippines can be resolved as soon as possible," he said. – Bernama
|By :
|New Sabah Times


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April 6, 2012
Weekly Roundup: A digital divide, the rise of solo living and political art in the Middle East
Posted by: Jessica Vaughn - New York in North America
-A digital divide between countries is widening, according to the World Economic Forum's annual Global Technology Report, with the BRICs still lagging behind North America and the Nordic nations, as the FT reports.
-McKinsey argues that global pharma companies are failing to fully capitalize on Brazil's growing middle class.
-The number of people living solo is skyrocketing across the globe, according to Euromonitor research, and The Guardian takes a look at what's driving this trend.
-The FT looks at new opportunities for investors, and reasons for concern, as Myanmar opens up.
-Private jets are becoming popular among China's jetsetters, according to Worldcrunch.
-With the Eurozone still struggling, The New York Times covers the rise of the working poor across the continent, even in Europe's more prosperous nations.
-Intermarriage among Americans is increasing, according to the Pew Research Center, with 15.1 percent of new marriages in 2010 crossing racial and ethnic lines.
-BBC News suggests bamboo (one of our 100 Things to Watch in 2011) could be the next "super-material" and looks at how the developing world is embracing its potential.
-The Wall Street Journal assesses the Internet economy in the Middle East.
-The Economist looks at the rise of political art in the Middle East and the new prominence of female artists and collectors.
-The New York Times spotlights one company helping to drive the shift to a future in which voice serves as the interface between people and devices.
-GigaOM outlines the role electronic sensors play in Intel's city of the future.
-ReadWriteWeb takes a look at "How the iPad will fit into your future smart home."
-Nielsen charts how frequently TV viewers are simultaneously using mobile devices.
-The New York Times Magazine examines the rise of hyperaddictive "stupid games" like Angry Birds.
-USA Today reports that more U.S. merchants are accepting direct mobile billing.
-Reuters looks at the wave of startups hoping to leverage F-commerce via shopping apps, online garage sales and other Facebook-centric ideas.
-The radio show On Point examines the up- and downsides of the new era of bidding for work online.
-A Pew study on the rise of e-reading finds that 20 percent of American adults have read an e-book recently and that e-reader adoption almost doubled over the 2011 holidays.
-With small cars getting bigger among American drivers, Time spotlights the 10 most buzzed-about new compacts, sub-compacts and minis.
-Perhaps the most interesting vehicle introduced at this week's International Auto Show in New York: a flying car. Bloomberg Businessweek explains that it's all about making flying simpler.
-After deciding to discontinue pennies, Canada says it will launch a digital currency, reports Fast Company.
-A U.K. study finds that use of illicit drug use among people over 50 has spiked since the mid-'90s as "the hippie generation" ages, according to The Independent.
-With novel shades and patterns, 3D effects and other innovations, nail polish (one of our 100 Things to Watch in 2011) has become the beauty industry's fastest-growing segment, says The New York Times.
-USA Today spotlights the typewriter comeback and the rise of "type-ins."
-The New York Times spotlights the rise of backyard (and rooftop) chicken coops, spurred by the green and local food movements.


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Two vehicles collided yesterday afternoon northwest of Milan, sending three persons from Milan to hospitals.
(news-Leader) - A Springfield woman has been charged after allegedly brandishing a "faux handgun" that was actually a knife just outside an elementary school Friday.
The Grundy County Commission received two bids to for roof repairs, masonry work, and guttering for the courthouse and the former jail building, which is now the prosecuting attorney's office.
The North Mercer School District has received praise in an audit report for last fiscal year.
The Chillicothe police department said the response was great when it asked, on its Facebook page, for the public to notify Chillicothe police about traffic concerns.
Jamesport and Weatherby residents received injuries when their vehicles collided early yesterday evening three miles west of Winston.
CARROLLTON, Mo. - A Higbee man accused of setting his wife and house on fire in June 2013 was found guilty on three charges in Carroll County Court Tuesday.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Opponents of a new Missouri constitutional amendment creating a right to farm have asked the state Supreme Court to overturn the election results.
At a meeting yesterday, the Trenton R-9 board of education adopted a resolution opposing a ballot amendment, approved the school audit, a communications plan, policy updates, and six grant applications.
LONDON (Reuters) - A hoard of Viking gold and silver artifacts dating back over 1,000 years has been discovered by a treasure hunter with a metal detector in Scotland, in a find hailed by experts as one of the country's most significant.
Two Trenton residents, a man, and a woman have both been charged with probation and parole violations. Both were arrested last Friday, October 10th.
The Grundy R-5 Board of Education has employed Gail Young of Meadville to be a speech pathologist and Jackie Hoffman of Trenton as a speech implementer.
The Jamesport Tri-County School District will be seeking public input regarding a high school boys fall sports program.
A jury trial has been scheduled in Grundy County on a a Harrison County case in which 55 year old Ricky McCord of Albany is charged with leaving the scene of an accident, damaging property, careless and imprudent driving, and driving while under the influence of a drug or drugs, all last December.
The Winston School will be the host for a vendor fair, craft show, and soup supper as a benefit for their Backpack Buddies weekend nutrition program.
(inquisitr.com) - Elderly cat owner Nancy Cowen was sent to a nursing home, sadly separating her from her feline friend Cleo. A few weeks later, she received a surprising visitor.
(joplinglobe) - NEOSHO, Mo. — The Newton County prosecutor has dropped the charge of abandonment of a corpse that a purported Joplin Honkies gang member was facing.
The annual Parent Teacher Organization carnival and soup supper at the Newtown-Harris school is Saturday night.
The Princeton Board of Education has agreed to provide $17,000 towards the cost to install a wood gymnasium floor at the Stacy Center.
(MUTigers.com) - The 2015 schedule for the University of Missouri football program has been released, as announced today by Mizzou Athletics, in conjunction with the Southeastern Conference.
Trenton firefighters yesterday afternoon responded to a pickup truck fire in the lot of a business on Iowa Boulevard.
(ESPN) - Dallas Cowboys reserve running back Joseph Randle was arrested for shoplifting from a suburban mall Monday night.
(news-journalonline) - Six months after building a large custom house with an ocean view, Missouri residents Mark and Brenda Voss learned of a big problem – it's on the wrong lot.
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - The death of an 8-year-old boy who suffered from asthma has now been classified as a homicide.
Two Cameron residents were hurt when a pickup truck overturned off Route EE north of Cameron.
A Winterset, Iowa man who failed to yield to a Harrison County deputy's vehicle, went off a road at Bethany and overturned.
A Kingston resident received minor injuries when the car she was driving was hit from behind by a pickup truck at Hamilton.
A Meadville resident was hurt when the car he was driving overturned off Route F east of Kingston.
A rural Marceline man was injured when the all terrain vehicle he was operating in his front yard went out of control and overturned
Parent teacher conferences are Thursday afternoon and evening in each of the three Trenton school buildings.
Click To Listen To KTTN


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There is an exciting new graduate program offered by the McCarthy Center. Beginning in the fall of 2010, USF will welcome its first cohort of students working towards a Masters degree in Public Affairs.The Graduate Program in Public Affairs and Practical Politics provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for effective political action by merging hands-on experiences with rigorous graduate seminars to bridge theory and praxis. It allows students to apply their skills outside of the traditional classroom setting to create positive change in their communities and in the political system.This new one-of-a-kind program is intended for recent graduates interested in translating an interest in public affairs and politics into a career in public service for the common good. Graduates are enabled to pursue careers that make a difference in non-profits, governmental offices, political entities, and the private sector. Key features of the program include core courses in writing, statistics, and ethics taught by USF faculty and elective courses taught by prominent practitioners in their fields.
Interested students can email email@example.com with questions or for more information see link .


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Middle Eastern carrier Gulf Air is cancelling its order for 20 Airbus A330s in favour of taking up to 16 Airbus A320neos and eight baseline A320s.
It has also set out a requirement for 12-16 Boeing 787s to meet its long-haul needs.
The airline has been involved in drawn-out negotiations with Airbus and Boeing following the development of a broad restructuring plan which focuses on regional connections.
Gulf Air says it has "signed amendment agreements" with both airframers.
Its A330-300 order was originally placed in 2008. But the airline's revised strategy, implemented after chief executive Samer Majali took over, moves the Bahrain-based carrier towards a network and fleet based on high-frequency regional connections.
Under the new deal with Airbus the carrier will axe the A330 order and instead take delivery of eight A320s - all of which must be delivered by the end of this year.
It will also acquire up to 16 A320neo twinjets to replace and expand the single-aisle fleet towards the end of the decade.
Airbus has been holding an extensive A330-300 cancellation, for 14 aircraft, on its books for several weeks, but had not identified the customer.
Gulf Air had already cut its 787 orders to 16 but the new agreement indicates that this could be reduced further, to a dozen aircraft.
The 787s will arrive "towards the end of the decade", says the carrier, and replace its widebodies. Gulf Air conducts long-haul operations with a mix of Airbus A330s and A340s.
Majali says the revision more than halves the loss-making carrier's long-term financial liability, which had stood at some $5 billion, while the order change "more effectively" meets Gulf Air's requirements.
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If It's Not Scottish, It's Crap, Part Two!
Name: Traquair House Ale
Style: Ale Fermented In Oak Barrels
Brewery: Traquair House Brewery
I was recently having dinner in Newport, RI at one of my favorite restaurants, The Moorings. We decided to eat at the bar, and this proved to be a good choice, as there was a nice bartender and considerable opportunities for people watching.
They have a decent beer selection, some standards, some locals, but one stood out due to the newness to me, and the soft spot in my heart for things Scottish! It also stood out because most of the selections of bottled beers were around $6, but this was about $12. I assumed that because this was outside the normal range of most of their selection, that maybe the person responsible tasted something special, and felt that it was worthy of a try.
The Beer
The pour was pretty dark, and the head was very thick. It almost reminded me, visually, of a stout. The head wasn't as pronounced as a Guinness, but still pretty impressive for an ale.
This beer has tons of flavor, and a complexity that you don't typically see. The oak barrel's influence is obvious and appreciated. It doesn't hit you in the face, but is more of a trailing flavor that keeps you thinking about it as you contemplate your next sip.
I found this ale to be fairly sweet, and it reminded me of a Newcastle Brown. In fact, I'd say it was one of the sweeter beers I've had in awhile. I may have been avoiding them, but upon review, I shouldn't. Referring to The Hitchens Taste Scale, this would be around a -7 on the scale.
I truly enjoyed every drop of this elixir. I don't remember having an Ale that was aged in oak barrels, and if you're wondering if it makes a difference, it does. The trailing oak flavor was a perfect compliment for a cool evening in a warm bar, and I look forward to an opportunity to try it again in the near future. I strongly recommend giving this a try.
- Enthusiast


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We take pride in our performance. All job sites will be maintained in an orderly fashion throughout the course of construction. That means no nails left in the yard, no damaged landscaping, no trash and debris blowing into the neighbor's yard. We are always on schedule and never cause delays. If a customer has a concern, we will come back as many times as it takes to make it right. Final payment is not required until an inspection has been done with either the owner of the company or a project manager and the customer is 100% satisfied.
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