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Party Hop In Piedmont, Become A Beekeeper, & More Weekly Events!
Cloud 9th: Inner Sunset Microhood
We think it's about time the Inner Sunset gets to step out of the shadows (er, fog) for some doting attention. The Bold Italic has knighted the hood's 9th Street as its latest microhood, and — you know what that means! — a kickoff party is definitely in order. So, brave the temperamental weather, and head out to hang with TBI and co-sponsor Crossroads Trading Co. to celebrate what's going down on the block. In the case that you feel peckish or parched, the list of servings is endless with restos like Nopalito, The Cutlery, and Patxi's dishing out the grub. Yum!
When: Thursday, July 18, 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: 1248 9th Avenue (between Lincoln Way and Irving Street); 415-681-0100.
Skillshare Classes
Ever wonder what all of those accomplished peeps do with their industry secrets? Well, they reveal them via Skillshare, of course! This week, you can add a new line to your resume in the talent department, because there are some seriously cool classes happening! And, if you don't have time to leave your desk, do it right from your office chair. Classes like Intro to Infographics, Proposal Writing, and Creating a Threadless Design, are only the beginnings of what you could adopt as your latest bit of knowledge. Warning: Skillshare is highly addicting and you may turn into one of those super-multifaceted hobbyists.
When: Monday July 15, through Sunday, July 21, anytime.
Where: Locations vary by class.
Variance Objects and Earth Tu Face Pop-Up
This week Good Stock has found two ways to ensure we sparkle and shine with its latest pop-up. First, look to Variance Objects, which will be supplying gleaming jewels featuring earthly elements that we can pile on for 15% off! Then, pick through beauty-enhancing products by local line Earth Tu Face. The lotions and potions are all completely plant based and whipped up by herbalists who know what your skin needs. We say it's time to tune back into Mother Nature because it looks like she's got the goods!
When: Thursday, July 18, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Good Stock, 4198 Piedmont Avenue (Linda and Ridgeway avenues), Oakland; 510-653-8518.
Kinfolk and Lacanche Honey Harvest Party
Whatever we were planning for this Sunday suddenly seems, well, dull compared to this awesome shindig that's sure to be a buzz. Kinfolk Magazine and Lacanche are teaming up to show folks how to harvest honey by taking a stab at beekeeping. Bonus: You'll be whipping up your very own jar of herb- or spice-infused honeys, while munching on other sweet treats.
When: Sunday, July 21, 1 to 4 p.m.
Where: Marshall Farms, 159 Lombard Road (between Klamath Court and Hess Road), American Canyon; 707-556-8088.
Job & Boss At Mercy Vintage
Trying to limit our purchases from local designers is no easy feat, and we're pretty close to giving up the fight. Helping us indulge in this habit is Mercy Vintage Now with its latest pop-up. (Pssst: It's next door to Good Stock — hello, party hoppers!) This Thursday, you can catch a glimpse of Job & Boss designer Brook Lane and her gorgeous new line of hand-dyed items, all inspired by her adventures afar. Get lost in her lustful textiles while you soak up the good vibes in one of Piedmont Avenues' coolest haunts. You never know, the designer may just share her travel stories over a cocktail!
When: Thursday, July 18, 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Mercy Vintage Now, 4188 Piedmont Avenue (at Linda Avenue); 510-654-5599.
Photographed by Eva Kolenko


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Five things you can do to be a great team member
Now that you've joined the Mix It Up team competition, you may be wondering what you can do to be a great team player. Each team member needs to be committed to the group and participate in events and activities, but a great team player is willing and able to:
Communicate. Communication is a two-way street; it involves speaking and active listening. From the very beginning, it's important to convey your goals and expectations, while making sure you clearly understand everyone else's. Throughout the program, check in with other team members at least weekly to obtain feedback on your participation and discuss any ideas or obstacles.
Recognize individuality. The key ingredients of a team are the individuals who comprise it. To be a great team member, remember to acknowledge that each person's contribution matters. Try not to overshadow others or let others overshadow you; only you can bring your unique point of view, enthusiasm, and insight to the team.
Encourage, don't discourage. One of the most rewarding experiences of being on a team is the support you'll receive to help you meet your nutritional goals. And when supporting others, you'll want to remain positive and provide helpful, encouraging advice. For example, if someone on your team isn't seeing the results they expected, focus on what they're doing well and suggest they build on that.
Set a good example. Being a good example will help motivate and inspire others on your team, while at the same time making you feel proud. Examples of setting a good example include maintaining an upbeat attitude, practicing good attendance, giving constructive feedback, and being flexible.
Stay focused on team goals. Whether you're experiencing success or lagging a bit, staying focused on team goals is necessary to keep everyone dedicated and moving forward. Be in it for your teammates — not just yourself.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hiroyuki Saeki and Kana Ito had the opportunity for an unlikely Japanese double in the singles today at the Polish International, however only one of the two succeeded in their quest.
Mens Singles:
Hiroyuki Saeki's 11th match of the week seemed to be a bridge too far against Pablo Abian of Spain, with the Spaniard in excellent form after defeating Peter Mikkelsen and Joachim Persson to reach the final. After a close opening to the first game, Abian pulled out a lead and stretched out his advantage and won the opening game 21-12, with 13 smash winners.
The momentum was still with the Spaniard and took a commanding lead in the second game after stringing a streak of 7 points to take an 11-2 lead at the interval, Saeki remained competitive in the second half of the game, but Abian took the second game 21-10 and the title.
Women's Singles
Kana Ito played her 7th match in 4 days, winning the previous 6. Her opponent in the final was 4th seeded Chan Tsz Ka of Hong Kong, who was also in the women's doubles final too. However, Ito was unfazed by the stage she was on and dominated the opening game, winning it 21-14. The Japanese women continued her excellent form in the second game, before a spirited comeback from Chan levelled the score at 18-18, only for Ito to serve out for the match and take the match 21-14, 21-18.
Chan Tsz Ka's second final was the same result as her singles, losing 21-18, 16-21, 10-21 to the top seeds Sari and Yao of Singapore. It was a bad day for another Hong Kong pairing, the top seeds in the men's doubles, Wiratama and Wong lost to 2nd seeds Ivanov and Sozonov 17-21, 21-14, 14-21. Russia took a second title in the mixed doubles as Ashmarin and Prokopenko defeated the Singapore pairing of Triyachart and Yao 21-12, 21-17 in Sunday's last match.


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So when I saw the redemptions hit the market for this card, I really didn't think I'd ever get one of them. Then the redemptions started to get mailed out and one or two made its way to eBay.... and finally one dipped low enough in price I could snatch it up! Check it out!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Another Day, Another Biggio In The Books!
Thrown together by The Dimwit at 5:00 AM
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One of the more appealing ideas in hedge funds and mutual funds is the long-short strategy, in which funds buy a portfolio of attractive stocks while selling the ones likely to underperform the market. The strategy, which comes in several variations (130/30 is the best known) uses moderate leverage, should produce a cushion in bad times, come close to matching long funds in good times, and reward smart stock picking.
In real life, it's not that simple. Bloomberg's Nikolaj Gammeltoft and Alexis Xydias report today on the squeeze at long-short hedge funds. In December, the most-shorted stocks in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 5.1%, easily outperforming other shares as the market turns bullish and funds that have gone short rush to cover their positions.
Yikes. Let's unpack that. The shares that everyone expected to fall have not only gone up, but have done better than others. How could that happen? One possibility, of course, is that they were all great companies to start. Much more likely, however, is that investment managers are reaping the bitter bounty of following the crowd — shorting shares that are already badly beaten down, and buying them as they rise.
The chart of mutual fund returns above tells the unfortunate long-short fund story. Gammeltoft and Xydias talk specifically about hedge funds; the issues with long-short mutual funds are similar, and the data is easier to sift through. Compared to large-cap long-only funds, long-short funds have been lackluster — even over five years, a period that covered a historic market drop (Morningstar's full data is here). Versus small or mid-cap funds, the long-short funds do still worse.
There are successful short sellers out there. James Chanos is one. Bill Ackman is another; a story today delves into Ackman's continuing battle with Herbalife. As the Herbalife story illustrates, though, folks like Chanos and Ackman tend to go all in: they're interested in the companies with crumbling foundations that they believe will go to zero. Their approach is very different from that of long-short funds, which generally try to short sectors that will underperform the broader market. That strategy turns out to be more difficult to execute than it first appears.
A version this post also appears in the Market Now newsletter. Click here to register at Bloomberg.com and subscribe to The Market Now daily email.


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A Integrity Home Inspections home inspection includes in-depth analysis and an on-the-spot report detailing the condition of your new home. You'll not only get the facts you need to feel confident about your purchase decision, but you'll also receive useful and practical information about how to care for your new home and protect your investment. Your professional Integrity Home Inspections home inspector performs a thorough inspection of your home's structure, major systems, interior, exterior, roofing and grounds.
home inspection
Williamstown, WV
Integrity Home Inspections
If I were to say I had just one strong point, it would be that I have the ability to communicate with people explaining the visible truth of a situation without injecting my own personal preference.


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Senior from Snohomish breaks school record in the hammer on back-to-back days
Nicole Luckenbach of the Eastern Washington University track and field team has been named Big Sky Conference Field Athlete of the Week for the week of April 5-10. This is the second-straight week she was given the honor.
She will compete Friday (April 16) at 3 p.m. at the Mt. Sac. Relays/Combined Events in Walnut, Calif. The senior is a 2005 graduate of Snohomish (Wash.) High School.
At the WAR 3 (Washington versus Oregon, Montana and Idaho) on April 10, Luckenbach had a winning throw of 199-2 to break her own school record and move her into ninth in NCAA Division I and sixth on the NCAA Division I West Region best list. It was the fourth-best hammer throw in Big Sky Conference history.
Her throw of 193-0 on Friday at the 39th Annual Pelluer Invitational broke school, meet and stadium records. She broke her own school record that she set last year at the Big Sky Conference Championships with a mark of 191-11. The previous Pelluer record was set by Gabby Midles in 2009 with a throw of 185-11 and the old Woodward Field record of 183-7 was set by Ashley Jones of Montana State in 2006.


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UPDATE: An earlier version of this post reported that the Board was meeting in closed session. This was incorrect.
The Board is meeting today to consider amending the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency's (SFRA) budget to issue an additional $70 million in tax increment bonds and appropriate $75.4 million ($70 million in bond proceeds, plus $5.4 million tax increment). The request, which comes on the heels of last year's $64 million request, represents a 109.4 increase of tax increment bonds in 2010-2011. The city says thiis has nothing to do with Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to eliminate redevelopment agencies. But the last-minute timing of today's session looks a tad fishy at best. And it's playing out as a vote on Treasure Island's final environmental impact report approaches, and against a backdrop of extreme funcertaintly related to all things Redevelopment, as Mayor Ed Lee and other city leaders try to figure out ways to prevent or reduce the affordable housing fallout from the governor's elimination proposal.
According to a Budget and Legislative Analyst's summary of today's request, the requested bond issuance and expenditure is part of the "SFRA's normal course of fulfilling its obligations under the tax increment allocation pledge agreements between the city, SFRA and FOCIL-MB (Catellus' successor entity at the Mission Bay redevelopment sites), and not as a result of the Governor's proposal to eliminate local redevelopment agencies. Ms. Lee [deputy executive director at the SFRA] states, that, as of the writing of this report, the impact of the Governor's proposal on the Mission Bay Redevelopment Project is currently unclear and ambiguous as to whether approval of the Governor's proposal would affect the requested bond issuance and expenditure authority."
"At the time of the development and approval of the FY 2010-2011 budget, the Agency and Tax Assessor did not have available tax roll information that resulted in a significant increase in property taxes in Mission Bay due to the accelerated assessment agreement between the Assessor and the Agency," states today's Board resolution that Mayor Lee sponsored, explaining why there's a request for an additional $70 million in bonds, so soon on the heels of the $64 million that the Board approved last year.
"The Agency wishes to amend its budget for the fiscal year 2010-2011 to permit the receipt of additional tax increment of $5.44 million and bond proceeds in the amount of $70 million for the purposes of low moderate housing and for the reimbursement of public improvements made by Catellus pursuant to the tax increment allocation pledge agreement between the City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco Redevelopment Agency and Catellus made in November 16,1998 for Mission Bay North and South," the resolution continues.
Mission Bay North and South are two separate redevelopment areas that encompass 303 acres, bounded by King Street and AT&T Park on the north, the San Francisco Bay and the I-280 freeway on the east and west, and Mariposa Street to the south, according to Redevelopment Agency documents.
The Budget and Legislative Analyst notes that of the $5.4 million in additional tax increment, an estimated $3.48 million would fund a portion of the Agency's required educational revenue augmentation fund payment to the state for FY 2010-2011. And that the remaining $1.95 million would be distributed to tax entities, with $870,400 to be expended on the agency's low and moderate income housing fund.
The BLA notes that the proposed sale of $70 million in tax increment bonds will provide $60.345 million bond proceeds, including $12 million (20 percent) to fund the construction of 1180 4th Street, a development of 150 units of family rental housing, including 25 units for formerly homeless families and $48. 276 million (80 percent) to reimburse Catellus' successor, FOCIL-MB, LLC, for public infrastructure development that FOCIL-MB constructed..
"If the proposed resolution is approved, of the $177 million total estimated debt service, $100, 890,000 or 57 percent will be paid from the City's General Fund. The City's General Fund estimated additional annual cost would be $3,648,000 for the first 20 years, decreasing to $2,793,000 for the next ten years." The BLA concludes, explaining that approval of the proposed resolution is a Board policy decision because it adds up to a total General Fund cost of more than $100 million.
According to the BLA report, Amy Lee, SF Redevelopment Agency deputy executive director, the requested $70 million in tax increment bonds would be sold in late March 2011, "such that no debt service payments would be required in FY 2010-2011.
The BLA also notes that if the Board approves the proposed resolution, the net effect of each property tax dollar expended for tax increment that is provided to SFRA would result in a reduction of $0.57 on each dollar from the city's General Fund.
"In other words, for each tax increment dollar provided to SFRA, the City would no longer have to provide payments to other tax entities," the BLA observes.
These entities include the city's Children's Fund, Library Preservation Fund, Open Space Acquisition Fund, and the General City Bond Debt fund, the Community College district, the San Francisco United School District, BART, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which total approximately $0.43 of each property tax dollar.
It's because of these property tax dollar equations that the annual cost to the city's general fund for proposed increased debt service would rise, if the Board approves today's Redevelopment resolution, by more than $100 million over the next 30 years.
And as local Democratic Party chair and former Board President Aaron Peskin explains, there's nothing much the Board can do about the deal today, but they might want to reconsider getting into more deals like this at Treasure Island and beyond, in future.
"A deal is a deal is a deal," Peskin said. 'So, there's nothing the Board could do differently, but that's $3.648 million that otherwise would be going into the General Fund, and it's a sign we should pay attention to, when considering Treasure Island, as deals like this will continue to impoverish the General Fund."
"Even though they deny it has nothing to do with Gov. Jerry Brown's pending legislation to eliminate redevelopment agencies, I have never seen something scheduled so quickly," Peskin added, noting that the Board's agenda is published Thursday evening or Friday morning, but this item wasn't on that agenda, hence the need to publish a separate notice.
Meanwhile, Treasure Island's final environmental impact report has been released, and the way the current plan looks, will forever alter our view of the Bay.
"It will have enormous impacts on services for the City and traffic for the entire Bay Area," Saul Bloom, executive director of Arc Ecology, told the Guardian.
On April 7, a joint session of the San Francisco Planning Commission and Treasure Island Development Authority will be meeting to consider certifying the EIR, but Arc is asking for an extension of two more weeks to provide the public with 42 days for review.
"Fourteen additional days for public review is a very modest request for a project with such significant impacts yet, the City has thus far refused," Bloom notes.


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Back in November I mentioned a new study of women-owned businesses being conducted under the auspices of the National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO). What prompted the study was a strong hunch that official census figures were significantly understating both the number and the economic importance of women-owned businesses by focusing on sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corporations, and excluding C corporations. It turns out the hunch was right. The study (by David Birch's Cognetics Inc.) is now finished, and here are some of the highlights:
* There are about 1.3 million more women-owned businesses in the United States than previously reported. The 1987 census counted 4.1 million women-owned companies, an increase of 57% from 1982. The NFWBO study raises the total to 5.4 million by identifying companies missed by the census or started since 1987. Thus, as of 1990, 28% of all businesses in the country were owned by women.
* All women-owned businesses are not tiny operations, and their contribution to job generation is far from negligible. The survey uncovered about 11,000 women-owned corporations -- with more than 2 million employees -- that the census had overlooked. And that's a conservative figure. Because of time and money constraints, only corporations with 50 or more employees were included in the study. Total employment in women-owned companies would probably increase by another million if all women-owned corporations were included.
* By the end of 1992 women-owned businesses will employ more people than the entire Fortune 500. In 1990 women-owned companies had close to 11 million employees, and the number has been growing. Meanwhile, Fortune 500 employment was 12.3 million as of 1990 and has been declining at a rate of about 300,000 a year. And remember that the Fortune 500 figures include employees outside the United States.
However one interprets the data, the report provides yet another fascinating glimpse of what has become known as the New Economy, and poses provocative questions for business strategists and policymakers alike. Perhaps the most disturbing question is this one: at a time when we desperately need more up-to-date, accurate information on the true sources of economic growth, why can't the government give us reliable data about one of the most dynamic segments of the economy -- women-owned businesses?* * *
For a copy of the full report, contact the National Foundation for Women Business Owners, in Washington, D.C., at 202-833-1854.* * *


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What's the most important lesson you can teach your children?
According to a recent survey conducted by Braun Research out of Princeton, New Jersey, many Americans think giving their kids the knowledge to be responsible and successful with their finances is near the top of the list.
This particular study questioned 1,000 people last month who have investable resources of at least $250,000. So it's important to point out that this research focused on those who are on the wealthier side.
What's really interesting is that 51% said "financial know-how" was the most important life lesson compared to 54% who said "maintaining family ties" should be the top priority. Obviously some of those questioned must have given both choices the same weight – but it shows how much importance this section of America puts on financial security.
So how can average Americans teach their children about personal finances?
Good parenting means you don't rely on the school system to teach your children everything they need to know. Good parenting means being someone your child can look to as an example.
The first step to teaching your children how to be good stewards with their money is to get control of your own personal finances.
Start making sure you balance your checkbook on a regular basis. Depending on how old your children are, you may want to sit down and explain how to do it with them.
Personal checks can be a great way to teach kids how to be responsible with money. Even the simple skill of properly writing out a personal check can be a valuable lesson for your elementary age kids.
The brains of children are like little sponges. When you teach them things like personal financial management early on it sticks with them into adulthood.
Children really are our future. But sometimes it does seem that the future isn't quite as bright as we'd like it to be. Social Security probably won't be around when our kids are ready to retire. The cost of going to college keeps going up, but the need for a college education keeps becoming more crucial if young people want to find a good job. Too many Americans are falling deep into debt because of unhealthy spending habits and using credit cards too often.
All these reasons make it extremely important to teach kids about personal finances. But it really shouldn't be your top priority. That family connection should always Number One on the list.
Fortunately – the two go hand in hand.
If you want to show your kids you really care about your family, taking care of your household's finances should be part of that, and teaching them the skills to do it when they are on their own should as well.
Remember – learning can be a lot of fun especially if you make it that way. If your child gets an allowance, start teaching him or her how to budget.
It can also be a lot of fun when you order new checks online. There are so many different designs to choose from, and your kids will love helping you pick them out.
So grab the kids – get online – go to Check Advantage – and order your new personal checks today!


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OlbermannWatch.com "My Faves" Set
OlbermannWatch.com Favorited Photos from other Flickr Users
Got OlbyPhotos? See some on Flickr? DO NOT email us. Send us a FlickrMail instead. Include a link to the photo. If we like the photo you will see it displayed in the Olby Flickr Flood above.
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I have fine tuned the Olbermann Flood RSS Feed which appears as a "badge" widget from Yahoo Pipes in the left sidebar (scroll down a bit).
I am going to link to the post in the left side bar permanently and use this post as a place to manage the list of RSS feeds that flow into the Yahoo Pipes to generate the torrent of OlbyNews we called the Olbermann Flood or just "The Flood".
Complete List of RSS Feeds piped into Olbermann Flood
Surfing the web is so yesterday. All the cool kids use RSS Readers to pull the web to them. If you do not know about RSS then go to Newsgator, sign up for a free account, download the free software and get with the program. There are many other RSS services/apps out there but my favorite is Newsgator. Feel free to use what you like. If you are one of those people who fears change and likes doing things the way you have always done them then here is my advice: do not listen to yourself !!!. RSS is the best way to read the web period. If you are not using RSS then you are being ridiculous (with RSS you get the headlines and links and can click to go to the web when you see something that interests you).
Once you have a Newsgator (or other) account, there are two feeds you will want to add right away:
Olbermann Watch: http://www.olbermannwatch.com/index.rdf
Johnny Dollar's Place: http://homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/blog/xml/jdp.xml
If you want EVERYTHING about Olbermann you can get both of those feeds plus many more by adding the mother of all Olbermann Feeds:
The Olbermann Flood Feed: http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.run?_id=tmtRNTxu3RGlpr_ErbQIDg&_render=rss
It is this feed which is displaying in the left sidebar.
The CORE component of the Olbermann Flood Feed is a special Delicious Feed that is fed by a select group of Olbermann Watch contributors and commenters. We use this to bookmark items on the web that are not on the "beaten path" of the Olbermann-related sources below. If there is a story on Olbermann in The New York Times or on TVNewser or in Huffinton Post or Hot Air or Inside Cable News that story WILL appear automatically in the Olbermann Flood Feed so there is no need to bookmark it with Delicious. Posts and articles that fall outside of our "net" are bookmarked into Delicious.
Olbermann Watch Delicious Feed (unfiltered, every post is piped in to the feed)
To this feed we then added groups of feeds from other feeds starting with KO-only sources.
Keith Olbermann Specific Sites (unfiltered, every post is piped in to the feed)
[NOTE: "Thank You Keith Olbermann" removed due to bad RSS feed]
Friends of Olbermann Watch (filtered for keyword="Olbermann", only those posts with the word "Olbermann in them are piped in to the feed)
Gossip Sites (filtered for keyword="Olbermann", only those posts with the word "Olbermann in them are piped in to the feed)
Blue Blogs (filtered for keyword="Olbermann", only those posts with the word "Olbermann in them are piped in to the feed)
Funneling all these feeds into one pipe gives us most of what is out there on Keith in the blogs. To pick up MSM coverage we then mix in Google News
Google News Feed (filtered for keyword="Olbermann", only those posts with the word "Olbermann in them are piped in to the feed, dupes stripped out)
We then use additional filters to further strain out duplicate stories (with about 98% success rate) and lastly order them so the most recent stories appear on top.
No one knows (and Yahoo is not telling) how often Yahoo Pipes pulls a feed but the frequency is not counted in seconds. We will just have to see how often the content updates but no one should expect that a post on one site will appear instantly in the feed.
If you have a feed that you think ought to be included drop us a link at the robert_a_cox account over at yahoo dot com.
Olby Wiki War: Add heavily truncated feed of Wikipedia edits to Keith Olbermann entry; this will put just one edit post into the feed at a time so these edits are really more to remind folks of the war going on over there over Keith's entry.
Technorati: feed://feeds.technorati.com/tag/olbermann?authority=a7&language=en filtered for "Olbermann"
Google Base: There is a source in Yahoo Pipes to pull from a beta service from Google called "Google Base" which has all sorts of stuff jammed into it. I tried out all of them and found that pulling from the "Personals" and "Products" sections were interesting so I kept them in and dropped the others. Just like with Wikipedia, I heavily truncated this feed otherwise we would get every "Olbermann" t-shirt at Cafe Press showing up in the feed. The "Personals" feed pulls from dating sites where people mention their interest in Keith to get dates; the "Products" feed pulls from sites like CafePress.com, eBay and others auction and online merchandise sites.


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ATLANTA (WXIA) -- The state of Georgia has passed on nearly $2 million of
federal funding, after the governor declined to include questions about
Annually, the Centers For Disease Control provides a Youth Risk Behavior Survey to middle schools and high schools nationwide.
On each survey there are a series of questions about students' sexual history.
Governor Nathan Deal has opted to leave them out. According to a
spokesperson, Brian Robinson, the governor was not comfortable asking 12
year old students about sexual partners and condom use.
"The governor does not think Georgia parents want their children asked such explicit questions," said Robinson.
The federal government requires that states include at least four of
the sexual history questions in the survey to be eligible for an
estimated $1.8 million dollars in federal funds for STD and HIV
prevention. The money would have been provided over the next five
Robinson points out that Georgia has received that sort of funding in
the past, but this is the first year the money was tied directly to
those sexual questions.
"We have not included those questions about sex since the early 1990s
because many kids didn't even fill that portion out and there's no way
to tell if others were telling the truth," said Robinson.
There are four states that do not include the sexual questions on the
Youth Risk Assessment Survey: Georgia, Louisiana, Utah and Virginia.
Some states opt to only include some of questions. At least four have to be included to be eligible for the federal money.
Some say avoiding survey questions about sex shows the state is simply burying its head in the sand.
Georgia Equality, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy
group. Spokesperson Jeff Graham said not only does the CDC need updated
data about teenagers and sex, but Georgia sorely needs the federal
"We can't just ignore the problem. Teens are having sex. These are
basic questions that deal with STD and HIV prevention," said Graham.
Multiple choice questions on the 2013 Middle School Youth Risk Survey include:
Have you had sexual intercourse?
A. Yes
B. No
How old were you when you had sexual intercourse for the first time?
A. I have never had sexual intercourse
B. 8 years old or younger
C. 9 years old
D. 10 years old
E. 11 years old
F. 12 years old
G. 13 years old or older
How many people have you had sexual intercourse with?
A. 1 person
B . 2 people
C. 3 people
D. 4 people
E. 4 people
F. 5 people
G. 6 people or more
The last time you had sexual intercourse, did you or your partner use a condom?
B. Yes
C. No


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More Parenting Teens Articles
Teenage Bullying in Our Schools
Do you wonder if your teenager is being bullied or is bullying someone at school? You may be right. According to a 2001 study by the American Medical Association, almost 30% of American teenagers are involved in school bullying. They are either being bullied, are doing the bullying, or both. (1) Below are some helpful tips for parents of teens who might be involved in bullying.
Is Your Child a Victim of Bullying?
There are warning signs to look for if you have concerns that your teen is being bullied. (2)
Does your teenager:
Is Your Teenager a Bully?
Did you know that:
Those who bully other teenagers often share some common characteristics. Does your teenager (2)(3)(4):
The Link to the Family Environment
Teenagers who bully are more likely than those who don't bully to have a home life in which (2)(4)(5):
What Should Parents Do?
If you suspect bullying, parents must (6)(7):
The Long-Term Effects of Bullying
The effects of bullying last beyond the teen years. Teens - especially boys - who bully are more likely to engage in such things as vandalism, shoplifting, absenteeism, and drug use into adulthood. They are four times more likely than teens who don't bully to be convicted of crimes by age 24, with 60 percent of bullies having at least one criminal conviction. (8) Bullying can affect a teenager's self esteem and sexual relationships and can make a person depressed or suicidal. (4)
Teen Bullying Sources:


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November 28, 2015
The City of Grand Junction hosts a press conference to announce the opening of the Riverside Parkway on August 15th.
The parkway project is the largest capital improvement project in the city's history, valued at $110,000,000.
The parkway is seven miles long, connects three state highways, and crosses two major railways.
City officials say the new parkway will alleviate congestion and provide commuters with more options.
The parkway took four years and nine months to complete.
KKCO firmly believes in freedom of speech for all and we are happy to provide this forum for the community to share opinions and facts. We ask that commenters keep it clean, keep it truthful, stay on topic and be responsible. Comments left here do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of KKCO 11News.powered by Disqus
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Edward "Scooter" Mullins
Funeral service for Edward "Scooter" Mullins, 47, of Auburn is 11:00 AM, Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at Jeffcoat-Trant Chapel. Burial will held in Town Creek Cemetery. Reverend Bobby Elliott is officiating. Visitation is Monday from 6-8 p.m. at Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home. Mr. Mullins was born April 2, 1965 in Texas. He passed away Thursday, October 18, 2012 at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika. Scooter had been a resident of Auburn since 1995. He had been employed by UPS for the past 11 years and was also a privately employed floor covering installer. He was a devoted and caring husband, father, son and friend, touching many lives through his life's journey. He was preceded in death by his father, Emmitt Thomas Mullins. Survivors include his wife Joy Johns Mullins of Auburn; daughter, Lauren Mullins of Auburn; mother, Patricia D. Mullins of Smithville, TX; three brothers, Tonka (Theresa) Mullins of Giddings, TX, Tim (Tammy) Mullins of Montgomery, TX, Johnny (Lucy ) Mullins of Smithville, TX; three sisters, Kay (Robert) Hurst of Smithville, TX, Cherrie (Jimmy) McRee of Bastrop, TX, Quanah Gonzales of Conroe, TX; three brothers-in-law, Tim (Brenda) Johns of Willis, TX, Randy (Sandra) Johns of Auburn, AL, Steve (Kim) Johns of The Woodlands, TX and parents-in-law, George M. and Eloise Johns of Auburn. Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home & Crematory is directing. www.jeffcoattrant.com


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See here for the Florida Secretary of State's web page, with results for all nine candidates who were listed on the ballot.
Virginia Supreme Court Won't Block Lawsuit Challenging Legislature's U.S. House Districting Plan
On January 31, the Virginia Supreme Court refused to derail the lawsuit filed to invalidate the legislature's U.S. House redistricting plan. The lower state court had said that the plaintiffs have standing. They are charging that the legislature can't draw U.S. House districts, because the state constitution says the redistricting must be done in the
Texas Redistricting Blog Says April 17 is More Likely for Texas Primary than April 3
Texas Redistricting blog here says that an April 17 primary for Texas is more likely than an April 3 primary. If the primary does indeed get moved to April 17, independent presidential candidates will only have 27 days to collect 80,778 valid signatures of voters who didn't vote in the primaries. It is conceivable that
New National Voter Registration Data Shows Very Little Change Compared to October 2010
All 29 states (as well as the District of Columbia) that have registration by party have now released fairly current registration data. The new data in all cases is as of September 2011, October 2011, November 2011, December 2011, or January 2012. National totals show Democrats with 42.64% of the registered voters in those states,
Libertarian and Green Parties File Lawsuit Against Oklahoma's March 1 Petition Deadline for New Parties
On January 31, the Oklahoma Libertarian Party, and the Oklahoma Green Party, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Oklahoma petition deadline for newly-qualifying parties. The 2011 session of the legislature moved that deadline from May 1 to March 1. The case is called Libertarian Party of Oklahoma et al v Zeriax. The
Tacoma News-Tribune Carries Op-Ed Explaining Impact of Top-Two on Voter Choices in November
The January 31 Tacoma News-Tribune has this op-ed by John S. Mills, explaining that the Washington state top-two system has given voters greatly restricted choice in Washington state general elections. Mills focuses on the disappearance of minor party candidates from the November ballot. Although his op-ed does not say so, minor party or independent candidates


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LAS VEGAS (AP) - Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman is making good on a bet with the mayor of Denton, Texas, after UNLV lost a bowl game last week.
Goodman will sport a University of North Texas T-shirt at a Wednesday morning City Council meeting. She's already paid $100 to the UNT athletic department.
Goodman had made a bet with Denton Mayor Mark Burroughs when their respective teams squared off in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on New Year's Day. The loser would wear the winning team's shirt to a council meeting.
The Mean Green beat the Rebels 36-14.
The matchup at Cotton Bowl Stadium was UNLV's first bowl game since 2000. UNT was playing in the postseason for the first time since 2004.
Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Bleak and windy
These sub-antarctic islands are buffeted by wind that knocks you off your feet, and this mid November day on Campbell Island was no exception. Even in the shelter of towering tussock plants a wandering albatross chick needs a good cover of down and feathers.
Helen Howden
Moubray Ridge, Campbell Island
Wandering albatross
Lonely islands
Canon EOS 1000F, Canon 35-80mm


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From OLEG
Spring Semester
Prof. Escuti teaches the advanced special-topics course "Soft Electronics: Organic Devices & Liquid Crystal Displays" (ECE-592-S for graduate and ECE-492-S for undergraduate students). This course focuses on the foundational principles of organic electronic and photonic devices, whose operation is fundamentally based on "soft" condensed-matter principles and materials. A set of NSF-sponsored laboratory experiments a the major feature of the course, where students will each fabricate the following devices:
Fall Semester
Prof. Escuti serves as one of the instructors in the sophomore course "Introduction to Electrical Circuits, Signals, and Systems" (ECE-200), a key foundation of the ECE curriculum.
Spring Semester
Prof. Escuti occasionally teaches the advanced special-topics course "Optical-Fiber Communications" ([1]) for undergraduates.
Relevant NCSU Courses


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Allergy Alert - Undeclared Allergen - no name® Chunky Vegetable Pasta SoupRecall / advisory date:June 21, 2013Reason for recall / advisory:Allergen - MilkHazard classification:Class 1Company / Firm:Loblaw Companies LimitedDistribution:NationalExtent of the distribution:Consumer
Ottawa, June 21, 2013 - The following alert was transmitted by Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) to the news media on June 21, 2013.
BRAMPTON, ON – June 21, 2013 – Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) is advising the public who have sensitivities to milk not to consume 540 ml size cans of no name® Chunky Vegetable Pasta Soup, as they have been mislabeled and may contain beef and milk ingredients. The product is sold nationally in Loblaw banner stores.
NN CHUNKY VEGETABLE PASTA SOUP(no name rich & chunky vegetable with pasta soup)
Best Before: 2014 DE 04
The vendor has identified the source and corrected the issue to ensure no further product issues.
Out of an abundance of caution and care for our customers, Loblaw has removed the affected lot code of this product from sale in stores. No illnesses have been reported to date.
The products were sold at:
For a complete list of store information please visit: http://loblawstores.ca/LCLOnline/
We sincerely apologize to our valued customers for any inconvenience or concern due to the unavailability of this product and its recall. The health and safety of our customers is paramount to us and we are committed to providing our customers with a clean and safe store environment and offering products that are produced, sourced and handled responsibly.
Customers can return the products to any of the above mentioned Loblaw banner stores in the provinces indicated where the customer service desk will provide a full refund (including without receipt) or contact customer service at Customer Service 1-800-296-2332 or firstname.lastname@example.com
- 30-
For more information:
Customers please contact: Loblaw Customer Relations1-800-296-2332 or email@example.com
Media please contact:Public Relations Department,Loblaw Companies firstname.lastname@example.com or 905-459-2500


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Get it for me Service Replaces Library Recall
Marketing and Communications | August 09, 2011
To expedite library user requests, the Texas A&M University Libraries will no longer ask users to submit a recall request if the desired book is checked out. Instead, they can simply click the Get it for me button from the online catalog, and the Libraries will get it from another library.
"We can often get it from another library quicker than waiting for the user to return the recalled item," explained Lan Yang, interim associate dean for Collection and Technical Services. "We hope this change will improve our timely delivery service to students, faculty and staff," she added.


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View related content: Elections
WASHINGTON — Fact-checkers from Politifact, FactCheck.org, and The Washington Post's Fact Checker blog were out in force after the first two debates as they have been for much of the 2012 campaign season. Do Americans want journalists to assess the accuracy of debate claims, candidate speeches and TV ads?
Brooks Jackson, who heads FactCheck.org thinks so. He was quoted recently as saying: "In an age where the typical citizen is subjected to an avalanche of the kind of pure baloney that journalists used to keep out of the public discourse … they are looking for journalists to be kind of adjudicators or referees. That's what we try to do."
The media's job used to be to report the news – who, what, when and where. Their new role as adjudicators extends their warrant at a time when skepticism of the media is already sky high.
In a September Gallup poll, 60 percent said they had either "not very much trust or confidence" or "no trust at all" in the media to report the news "fully, accurately or fairly."
It's far from clear that Americans want the media to go into the uncharted waters of assessing candidate claims and counterclaims. A new poll from Annenberg suggests that around 9 percent of respondents have reported visiting a fact-checking site.
But a second and more fundamental reason for skepticism about the rationale for fact-checking operations is that they misunderstand how most Americans make decisions. I don't know about you, but I haven't read yet alone fully digested the 2,000 plus page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or listened to Fed chair Ben Bernanke's four-part lecture series about the Fed and the financial crisis.
"Fact checkers seem to believe that factual information is the be all and end all in terms of public judgment. It's not." -Karlyn BowmanNor have I spent hours on the candidates' websites reading the fine details of their approaches to corporate taxation. Like most people, I suspect, I have general impressions of the candidates and their claims based on what they say themselves and on news reports.
Fact checkers seem to believe that factual information is the be all and end all in terms of public judgment. It's not.
Here I am indebted to the great social scientist Daniel Yankelovich who wrote an essay about this years ago. While he wasn't writing about fact-checking operations, his observations have broad application.
Yankelovich argued that journalists are the "chief drumbeaters for the importance of factual information."
It's not unimportant, of course, but it is not, in Yankelovich's words, the "royal road to public judgment." He says that people form their opinions by weighing "what they hear from others against their own convictions. They compare notes with each other, they assess the views of others in terms of what makes sense to them, and about all they consult their feelings and values.
The public doesn't distinguish between facts and values as journalists and social scientists do." Yankelovich believes the public's way of knowing has great validity for the important questions of our time.
Fact-checking fervor from news organizations is unlikely to have much impact on the credibility of journalism or on the public. The American people, without the assistance of fact-checkers, have a pretty good track record of arriving at sound judgments about who their presidents should be.
Karlyn Bowman is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. Readers may write to her at AEI, 1150 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036; website: www.aei.org.
There are no comments available.
1150 17th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036
© 2015 American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research


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With an idyllic location in the middle of the delightful village of Bourton-on-the-Water, this high quality accommodation offers a well judged mix of professional and efficient service with a relaxed ...More about Dial House
This converted barn lies in a peaceful Cotswold village and has splendid country views. Its well-appointed bedrooms either have a jacuzzi or large shower cubicles, one with hydro-massage jets. The att...More about Moat End
This charming farmhouse offers superb views over the peaceful Cotswold countryside and has comfortable, well furnished bedrooms located in the main house or an adjoining cottage. The garden with relax...More about Corsham Field Farmhouse
Set in the heart of the pretty Cotswold village of Ebrington, this late Victorian house offers thoughtfully equipped accommodation. Bedrooms are housed in buildings that were formerly used by the loca...More about Holly House
This charming 18th-century house enjoys superb views across the Windrush Valley and is ideally positioned for a relaxing weekend exploring the Cotswolds. The spacious and thoughtfully equipped bedroom...More about Wyck Hill House Hotel & Spa
A hotel with a wealth of historic charm and character, the Lygon Arms dates back to the 16th century. There is a choice of restaurants, a stylish cosy bar, an array of lounges and a smart spa and leis...More about The Lygon Arms
In prime position on the delightful village green near the river, this 16th-century inn has spacious public areas with open fires, uneven floors, beams and wood furnishings. The comfortable restaurant...More about The Kings Head Inn
Situated in the centre of picturesque Broadway, this restaurant with rooms makes a great base for exploring local attractions. The superbly appointed bedrooms, each with its own character, have air co...More about Russell's
Located in the picturesque Francombe estate this manor house hotel is a charming grade two listed property with eight stylish designed bedrooms. Relax in the lounge or on the terrace where fires are l...More about Foxhill Manor
Currently the rating for this establishment is not confirmed. This may be due to a change of ownership or because it has only recently joined the AA rating scheme. (Please note: The Fish is due to ope...More about The Fish


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Straightbourbon.com Forums
Other Alcohol Related Discussion
General Non-Whiskey Alcohol
> looking for a Hot Buttered Rum recipe for the Holidays.
View Full Version :
looking for a Hot Buttered Rum recipe for the Holidays.
12-07-2008, 21:28
There I said it! I am looking for your favorite Hot Buttered Rum Recipes. Please share if you have one.
12-08-2008, 16:12
This drink has always sounded so good to me. However, I have never had one that I really enjoyed. I don't know if I have never had one made correctly or if it is just, in the end, a drink I don't like. :skep:
12-08-2008, 19:23
Here is a great recipe from Gourmet magazine, page 53 of the February 2006 issue. A great drink for a cold night with the winds whipping around the house and down the chimney and into your bones.
To make four drinks:
2 cups water
one-half stick unsalted butter
one-fourth cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
one-half teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
one-fourth teaspoon ground cloves
one-eighth teaspoon salt
two-thirds cups dark rum
Bring water, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking occasionally, for ten minutes. Remove from heat and stir it rum.
I would guess any dark rum would work, and that an expensive dark rum would be wasted when charged with defending against this onslaught of spices.
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Demonstrates different design strategies, best practices, and actual code examples for creating a web site that can adapt to multiple devices, screen sizes, and browsers.
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more from our members »


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The Music of the War of 1812
Early American music historian David Hildebrand talked about the creation of the national anthem. He told how the Battle of Fort… read more
Early American music historian David Hildebrand talked about the creation of the national anthem. He told how the Battle of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the lyrics to the "Star-Spangled Banner." He talked about musical expressions of patriotism during and after the war of 1812. He illustrated his points with slides and music. Mr. Hildebrand also responded to questions from members of the audience.
"'O Say Can You See': The Story of the Star Spangled Banner" was part of the Maryland Historical Society Francis Scott Key Lecture Series, held in France Hall. close
People in this video
- David K. Hildebrand Director Colonial Music Institute
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A discussion was held of the civil rights movement in Maryland, with personal stories from individuals who took part in…
Vincent Vaise at Fort McHenry National Monument
On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain. At a commemoration of the start of the War of…
War of 1812 200th Anniversary Ceremony
A ceremony was held to launch the international bicentennial commemoration of the declaration of war against Great…


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Phenomenon (film)
|This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (August 2013)
Theatrical release poster
|Directed by
|Jon Turteltaub
|Produced by
|Barbara Boyle
Michael Taylor
Charles Newirth
|Written by
|Gerald Di Pego
|John Travolta
Kyra Sedgwick
Forest Whitaker
Robert Duvall
Jeffrey DeMunn
|Music by
|Thomas Newman
|Phedon Papamichael, Jr.
|Edited by
|Bruce Green
|Distributed by
|Buena Vista Pictures
Release dates
|July 5, 1996 (USA)
Running time
|123 minutes
|United States
|$32,000,000 US (est.)
|Box office
|$152,036,382 US (est.)
Phenomenon is a 1996 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by Jon Turteltaub, written by Gerald Di Pego, as well as starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall, and Jeffrey DeMunn.
In the film, an amiable, small-town everyman is inexplicably transformed into a genius with telekinetic powers. The original music score was composed by Thomas Newman. It was filmed in Auburn, Colfax, Davis, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, and Treasure Island, all in Northern California.
Plot summary[edit]
George Malley (John Travolta) is an amiable auto mechanic who lives in a small friendly town in northern California. While celebrating his 37th birthday at a local bar, he steps outside and notices what appear to be a ball and shining bright white lights moving around in the sky. The ball then hits him in the head, making a loud sound and knocking him off his feet. When he recovers and re-enters the bar, he learns that nobody else saw the lights or heard the loud sound. His friends playfully suggest that he has had too much to drink.
Over the following days, he inexplicably begins to exhibit remarkable levels of intelligence. He easily absorbs vast amounts of information, formulates new, revolutionary ideas, as well as develops telekinetic abilities. Suffering from insomnia, he sits up at night reading multiple books.
George tries to use his new intelligence for the good of his community. At first, locals are intrigued and amused by George's new abilities, but as time goes on, they start to fear him. Nevertheless, he receives support from love interest Lace Pennamin (Kyra Sedgwick), town physician Doc Brunder (Robert Duvall) and best friend Nate Pope (Forest Whitaker).
While playing around with his friend Nate, George decodes a mysterious Morse code signal that Nate picked up on his shortwave radio. However, the two are unaware that they have decoded a top-secret FBI signal and are arrested. George gets shaved. Nate is briefly questioned and released, but George is held in FBI custody because of their interest in his intelligence. He is put through a series of difficult quizzes and exams which he answers with remarkable ease. He is finally released when he threatens to tell the press he is being held without cause.
After temporarily secluding himself out of fear of the public, George decides to participate in a county fair to ease fear, quell rumors, as well as show the community some of his new findings. However, his appearance causes a stir, as people begin to demand that he demonstrate his telekinesis, magically heal a sick child, as well as accuse him of being a fraud. The frenzied crowd overwhelms George and he is knocked to the ground. He then experiences another hit by the bright ball similar to his previous incident and loses consciousness. He awakens in a hospital where Dr. Brunder explains the cause of his new abilities. He has an astrocytoma brain tumor that has "spread out like a hand." However, the tumor has been stimulating brain function instead of destroying it. Thus, George has a larger area of active brain use than anyone ever tested. The tumor is also claimed to have caused the dizziness and illusion of light, rather than a supernatural or extraterrestrial source, but this is never definitively concluded, leaving the viewer to speculate.
The tumor is terminal and George doesn't have much time to live. Government-employed doctors propose cutting George's life even shorter by examining his brain before he can die a natural death and argue that if he objects to their plan, the objection itself would be proof that he is mentally unfit to make such a decision. Held against his will, allegedly just for observation, George eventually escapes the hospital, hoping to continue his research. He hopes that seismologist Dr. Ringold (Jeffrey DeMunn), from UC Berkeley, might continue his experiments and ultimately, complete the research he will never get to finish.
After returning home, George gives Nate notes which served as a journal and instructs him to give some of them to Doc Brunder. He retrieves his scientific research and then goes to Lace's house. There, he aims to give his final farewells to Lace and her children, Al (David Gallagher) and Glory (Ashley Buccille). George and Lace share a romantic moment later on and the two make love. He dies peacefully during the night in her arms.
Dr. Ringold arrives at Lace's house to look for George, only to learn that he is too late. Lace gives him the research materials, promising to finish them. As she sobs outside in mourning of George, she notices the trees rocking in the same direction as her.
The film ends one year later. Nate (more fluent in Portuguese) is now married to Ella, expecting their first child together (her second). They arrive at the bar for George Malley's birthday party, with the song "Change the World" by Eric Clapton playing in the foreground.
The film earned mixed reviews from critics and maintains a 50 percent average rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 34 reviews.[1]
The film was a box office success, having earned more than $16,000,000 on its opening weekend, debuting on third position and later climbing up to second. It finally grossed $104,636,382 in the US and $47,400,000 elsewhere, grossing approximately $152,000,000 overall.
A scene in which Malley asks Pennamin, "Hey, would you, uh, love me for the rest of my life?" and she responds, "No, I'm gonna love you for the rest of mine" inspired Trace Adkins' late-1997 single "The Rest of Mine".[2]
Awards and nominations[edit]
Travolta and Whitaker both won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for their performances in 1997. Whitaker also received an Image Award. In the same year the film was nominated for a Saturn Award. Travolta was nominated for a MTV Movie Award for his performance as well as for Best Kiss with Kyra Sedgwick. Eric Clapton was nominated for his song Change the World and won an ASCAP Award and the BMI Film & TV Award. Thomas Newman also received a BMI Film & TV Award for the score.
Phenomenon II[edit]
On November 1, 2003 a television movie titled Phenomenon II was broadcast on the ABC Network. It was directed by Ken Olin and starred Terry O'Quinn, Jill Clayburgh, and Christopher Shyer as George Malley. Although it was billed as a sequel to the film, Phenomenon II is actually a partial-remake of the original film, essentially retelling the original story while adding new characters and introducing a sub-plot involving the NSA. The open ending of the telefilm suggests that it may have served as a pilot for a new TV series, though a Phenomenon series has not materialized.
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes entry for Phenomenon.
- ^ Flippo, Chet (13 September 1997). "Adkins gets 'Big Time' radio rush". Billboard.
External links[edit]
|Wikiquote has quotations related to: Phenomenon (film)
- Phenomenon at the Internet Movie Database
- Phenomenon at AllMovie
- Phenomenon at Rotten Tomatoes
- Phenomenon at Box Office Mojo
- Phenomenon II at the Internet Movie Database (the Made-for-TV remake)


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Wilmot Warren papers, 1867-1880
This collection has:
1.20 cubic ft.
Wilmot L. Warren graduated from Tufts University in 1868 and began work as a proofreader at the Springfield Republican. He quickly moved up the ranks, working finally as the general editor beginning in 1871. Warren served as a Trustee of Tufts College from 1880 until his death in 1887. Warren was also a prominent member of the Universalist Church and wrote several editorials for the Tufts Collegian and Tuftonian espousing his views on journalism and Universalism.
View Online Materials
Some of the materials from this collection are available online. Not all materials have necessarily been digitized. View the finding aid or contact DCA for more information.
View Finding Aid
A finding aid is a description of a collection of archival material, which will help you discover what records are available for research. It provides information about a collection, the collection's creators, and an outline of the collection's contents. Learn more about finding aids.


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Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG 45th Anniversary Edition
45-years in the making. The storied AMG celebrates its 45th birthday, and to celebrate, Mercedes-Benz is producing a limited run of 45 units of the new Mercedes SL65 AMG. Each individually numbered roadster features a Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG high-end surround sound system, NECK-PRO head restraints, Panoramic vario roof with MAGIC SKY CONTROL, Automatic, pop-up roll-over bars for driver and front passenger, and other various amenities. The SL65 AMG will be wrapped in extremely exclusive matte "Magno Graphite" color and treated with numerous high-gloss chrome applications as well as an assortments of spectacular carbon fiber accents.[vc_gallery type="nivo" onclick="link_image" img_size="600×375″ images="4190,4191,4195,4192,4193,4194″ width="1/1″ last="last"]


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Photo: Courtesy of LSU,
Nowhere Else Do Football Games Register on the Richter Scale
On Oct. 8, 1988, LSU trailed Auburn at home 6-0 with less than 2 minutes left when LSU quarterback Tommy Hodson found tailback Eddie Fuller in the end zone for the winning touchdown. The score whipped the crowd of 79,431 at Tiger Stadium into a frenzy that reverberated in Baton Rouge. A day later the stunned campus geologists discovered the moment had registered on the Richter scale. Tiger stadium hasn't played host to any official seismic events since, but its crowds have produced enough intimidating ones to keep opponents quaking in their cleats.


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just paste the form inside the template, this is easier with phproxy.
I've found a nice template and want to know how to make it into a glype theme and i know many people do it here for free but i want to learn how to do it myself.
so i tried just renaming index.php to main and that didn't work the layout went all funny. so is there any tutorials around or resources?
just paste the form inside the template, this is easier with phproxy.
copy the form field code and repaste it in your new template page. i think it should work.
Get wordpress installation service here!
yea i did that and it will proxify the page and all that but the whole theme layout goes all over the place and images dont load it really strange im using xampp so maybe that's the problem.Ill upload to my site a see if that helps.
just be sure to paste it in a place where it wont interfere with the rest of the template and remember to resize the form so it fits inside the html template
Do you have some HTML and PHP basic knowledge? because converting plain HTML template into glype template is not that simple. You need to break it into at least 3 files, Main.php Config.php and framedForm.inc.php where main.php is the structure of the layout, config.php is where the content reside, and framedForm.inc.php is the top navigation bar in the proxified page.
i only got a very basic knowledge but ill give it a go a keep reading through the source from other templates and c if i can get it that way.
another question do you have to make it into main.php and config can i not just make one index file.Im not really planing on sharing this theme?
You can skip using the config.php file to store your site content and just add eveything into the main.php file itself, everything should still work ok. I do that sometimes.


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September Stroll, the annual garden tour sponsored by the Ripon Garden Club, will feature four country properties and two in town. The event, which is now in its 17th year, will be held Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each property offers features that will inspire visitors. Some of the homes will be open to walk-through as well.
All signs point to a positive first-year experience for the Ripon Farmers Market at Stouffer Park.
Seven years and thousands of hours came down to this one night in Ripon.
Ziggy Robeson couldn't have asked for a better first day of school.
Imagine a standalone two-sided clock in downtown near the Ripon Memorial Library.
In recent months, the City of Ripon has explored a new domestic well site.
The South San Joaquin Irrigation District is sponsoring a river clean-up on Saturday, Sept. 20.
For some time, elected leaders have been in search of new blood to help spark the Fourth of July Committee.
Stephanie Hobbs, president of the Ripon Community Athletic Foundation, is eagerly awaiting the celebration of the revitalization of Stouffer Field.
It's like a bow placed on a package – the new wrought iron and steel entry gate at the refurbished Ripon High Stadium just in time for next week's opening celebration after years of work and leadership by Vince and Stephanie Hobbs.
Ripon Unified just added 12 new hires for this school year.
Last month, the City of Ripon saved 8.7 percent in total water consumption based a numbers from a year ago.
There is no homeless population living in Ripon thanks to the Ripon Police Department and the courtesies they extend when locating adult transients entering the community, according to Lt. Steve Merchant.
The City of Ripon could be taking a harder stance on water conservation.
There are several things a freshman should know at Ripon High during the first few days of school.
Page 12 of 59
The Friends of the Dog Park are in the process of requesting financial support to help make their dreams come true.
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text: "Nassim Taleb sits down for a quite extensive interview based around his new book Anti-Fragile. Whether the Black Swan best-seller is philosopher or trader is up to you but the discussion is worth the time as Taleb wonders rigorously from the basic tenets of capitalism - "being more about disincentives that incentives" as failure (he believes) is critical to its success (and is clearly not allowed in our current environment) - to his intellectual influences (and total disdain for the likes of Krugman, Stiglitz, and Friedman - who all espouse grandiose and verbose work with no accountability whatsoever). His fears of large centralized states (such as the US is becoming and Europe is become) being prone to fail along with his libertarianism make for good viewing. However, his fundamental premise that TBTF banks should be nationalized and the critical importance of 'skin in the game' for a functioning financial system are all so crucial for the current 'do no harm' regime in which we live. Grab a beer (or glass of wine, it is Taleb) and watch..."


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Watch, ca. 1630–40
Movement by Johann Possdorffer, or Poestdorffer (Bohemian or German, recorded 1620–24)
Case: rock crystal and gold, partly enameled; Dial: painted enamel on gold, with a single gold hand; Movement: gilded brass and steel, partly blued; 1 5/8 x 3/4 in. (4.1 x 1.9 cm)
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.1525)
The association of Possdorffer with the superb Swiss clockmaker Jobst Bürgi (1552–1632) during a period when both worked in Prague for Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein (1569–1627) undoubtedly provided the opportunity for the transmission of the technical secrets of Bürgi's cross-beat escapement from Prague to Dresden. There, Possdorffer made a watch with a cross-beat escapement, which probably made it one of the most accurate portable timekeepers until the invention of the balance spring. The watch is now in the Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden. The Metropolitan Museum's watch has an ordinary verge escapement, and with an enameled dial that registers hours and half hours only, it is remarkable more for its tiny size than for its accuracy. The rock crystal cover is a replacement.


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Will PR and Marketing Get Married One Day?
Inevitably the question arises when you're in a room full of communicators: how do we break down the silos between PR and Marketing? I recently moderated a panel with Andrew Bowins of Mastercard and Jay Bartlett of Pitney Bowes on the topic of marketing-PR collaboration, or lack thereof in many organizations. We agreed that a path toward "togetherness" – as we're all in this together – could mean better performance for your organization.
Both Jay and Andrew agreed that the departments need to not only talk to one another more often, but force collaboration into the culture until it becomes the culture. A few audience members shared how their organizations are literally breaking down the cubicles and re-engineering work spaces so that marketing and PR colleagues are sitting side by side.
There are a few elephants in the room when it comes to PR-Marketing collaboration and these animals are filling the space: budget and org chart. Most organizations have separate PR and marketing budgets and there's an inherent competition between the two to get a larger slice of a smaller pie. Then there's the organization chart which is dusted off every now and then and tweaked, not transformed. Who reports to whom and who ultimately has the CEO's ear is inextricably linked to budget, performance and outcomes. Understanding the new skills needed to accelerate growth may mean rethinking job titles, responsibilities and organizational structure.
At PR News' Social Media Summit last week there was a consensus that marketing and PR need to partner more regularly and in particular when it comes to the rapid pace of social media communications. Who owns social media is not so much the question when both departments agree that their audience owns it.
PR and Marketing may get married one day – perhaps by necessity. But for the marriage to last it needs to do what most successful couples do: spend a lot of time together, move in and get to know how each other lives (my mother would disagree on this) and then get engaged. Work out the money issues and day to day responsibilities. Stick together in sickness and in health. You're going to need each other.
– Diane Schwartz
PS: Check out the PR News Webinar on April 23 on this topic: Breaking Down the Silos Between PR & Marketing
Measure Twice, Cut Once? How About We Just Measure!
Measurement is one of those irrefutable initiatives in the PR and marketing world. You cannot argue with the idea that what can't be measured can't be managed. Nor can you dispute the reality that many practitioners do not take measurement seriously.
Is PR Measurement like hand washing at the restroom? Let's face it: there are those who always wash their hands, those who sometimes do, and others who pretend they do. Unlike washing your hands in the bathroom, measurement is not mindless, and it can't be done in a minute. Some would even say it's a bit messy. Communicators still do not have a standard by which to measure communications practices, though it is finally agreeing that ad value equivalencies are ineffective in moving the needle.
This week marks the first annual AMEC Measurement Week, a global "event" sponsored by the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication. PR firms and communicators at organizations worldwide are hosting meetings, events and social media discussions to tout the benefits of both measurement and evaluation. Check out PR News's web site, newsletter and social media (#prmeasure) for interviews with measurement leaders and practical ideas on measurement. This week shines a spotlight on an area of our practice that is less shiny and new. Now is a perfect time to reflect on your personal philosophy about measurement and your commitment to the daily practice of measurement.
In countless conversations with communicators, and on the stage at PR News's Measurement Conferences in DC (and coming on Nov. 20 in Chicago), experts on the topic are heated and singularly passionate about measurement. Attendees take copious notes and nod in agreement. These are clearly the people who care about measurement and carry the torch.
It is beholden on every communicator to understand The Barcelona Principles (66% of communicators in a recent PR News survey said they never heard of the Principles), to set measurable goals and to be willing to acknowledge when a campaign or idea didn't hit the mark. The latter takes time, courage and teamwork.
Please share your measurement thoughts with us at PR News, and contribute to this important conversation.
– Diane Schwartz
On Twitter; @dianeschwartz
'Meet the Team,' Ferguson and PR's Diversity Problem
Take a look at your "Meet the Team" and "About Us" pages on your web site. Do these pages reflect a multifaceted workforce? Do the photos of your team and their bios underscore an understanding of your many stakeholders? In other words, can visitors relate to you? You might not think these questions are worth asking until a reporter clicks on Meet the Team and asks just that.
That's what happened late last month when Common Ground Public Relations was hired by the City of Ferguson, MO, to handle calls from the media following the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer in the St Louis suburb. As if the media didn't have enough angles with which to cover the Ferguson story, it was handed one on a white porcelain platter. The PR firm that was hired to take all media calls following the crisis, as Talking Points Media noted, "appears to be staffed entirely by white people." Noted Daily Kos in its headline about the firm's hiring: "City of Ferguson PR Firm Has Something In Common with Its Police Force."
The PR industry has been slowly working on its diversity problem, recognizing that less than 15% of PR professionals in the US are of African-American, Asian or Hispanic/Latino descent (per the Bureau of Labor Statistics). It is a real problem that needs a more aggressive push by our industry associations, PR leaders and hiring managers in communications departments and at PR firms. PRSA's Diversity Tool Kit is a nice-to-have resource, along with its Diversity Committee, but is it enough? Ironically, the press hasn't mentioned that Common Ground's team supposedly includes just one male among the seven pictured. Diversity comes in all colors, races and genders.
I agree with Denise Bentele, president and CEO of Common Ground Public Relations, when she told Odwyer's that "the color of our skin reflected nothing of our concern to help our broader community respond to the watchful world." It appears the firm is doing a decent job helping the City of Ferguson communicate not only to its residents but to a world that's watching the investigation and public unrest.
There was nothing Common Ground could have done in the time that it was solicited by the City of Ferguson and the hours that it took for the media to click on Meet the Team and see a sea of white faces. To have quickly added some diversity to that page would surely have been snuffed out and would have positioned the firm as disingenuous. (That doesn't stop Common Ground, however, from exploring diversity in its hiring practices.)
The knock on the City of Ferguson for hiring an "all white" firm amid a race-infused crisis is fair, and such obvious bait for reporters that it's already a non-story. For the PR industry, the bigger problem is why more people with diverse backgrounds do not want to make PR their career. Here's to a future where Meet the Team is not met with scrutiny.
- Diane Schwartz
Let's connect on Twitter: @dianeschwartz
Ferguson, Missouri: When You've Lost Control of the Story, and the Situation Itself
I've been riveted by the fast-moving situation in Ferguson, Missouri. It seems like an event from the sixties, a dark reflection of an ugly period long past, when cities burned and communities writhed in confrontations with law enforcement. I paid oblique attention for the first few days, but was shocked this morning (Thursday, August 14) to see that the situation hadn't merely continued, but escalated dramatically. The footage was staggering—police firing tear gas, accosting journalists, knocking down TV cameras, advancing with military equipment on peaceful protestors.
The whole militarization of police is a story for another day, though it's getting a lot of attention now, in many media outlets, including Vox.com and Time Magazine.
What struck me today was that in five days now, it seems like hardly anyone is moving to regain control of the situation, or the narrative.
The Ferguson police chief gave a press conference yesterday, which was something, but I had to ask: Does Ferguson even have a mayor? Does the Missouri governor care as one of his towns is in anarchy and a militarized police force is exacerbating the situation, not calming it down?
Well. There is a mayor. His name is James Knowles. I looked it up on Google. He was even on MSNBC this morning to defend the police.
But other than essentially defending the near complete absence of information, Knowles didn't say very much. He might have answered any of these questions with some precision and with actual facts, but he didn't.
• Who's in charge of the police in this ongoing crisis?
• Why is basic information about the incident that precipitated this confrontation (the shooting by a police officer of an unarmed 18-year-old) being withheld?
• Is it legal to withhold the name of the police officer who did the shooting?
• Which of the several law enforcement agencies on the scene is in charge?
• Who's the media point person?
• On whose authority are law-enforcement officers pointing machine guns at unarmed citizens?
• Does the militarized police reaction really reflect whatever threat exists?
The governor, Jay Nixon, was scheduled to make a statement later today. Which is good, I guess, but about five days late. In the meantime, Anonymous, the online hacking collective, claimed to have penetrated the Ferguson municipal computer system and gotten the name of the officer, as well as other information.
In the meantime, in the midst of the worst crisis imaginable for a small municipality (and a significant one for the state of Missouri) it's clear there is no effective crisis management plan, and certainly no crisis communications plan, and social media is lighting up with negative reaction.
—Tony Silber
6 Things to Learn From "Band of Brothers" and a Week at the Beach
I have a stack of business books that I've either started reading or plan to start reading soon. I'm looking forward to getting into them, and I took three of them with me for a vacation last week on the beach in North Carolina.
As it turns out, I didn't read any of my business books. Instead, I read Stephen Ambrose's 1992 book, "Band of Brothers." The book, for those of you who don't know, follows the World War II journey of Easy Company, a unit of the 101st Airborne Division, which parachuted into France on D-Day. The elite unit then fought its way out of Normandy, went to Holland for the disastrous Operation Market Garden, fought at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge, and finally was the first unit to get to Hitler's mountain lair at the end of the war.
I felt a little guilty at first for not having gotten through my business books, but the story of these World War II soldiers was very compelling. The book refers in a few places to the "heroes" of that war and that unit, but it doesn't sugarcoat the brutality or glorify the mass killing of other human beings.
Someone I once knew referred to business as "war without death." He was completely serious. So with that as the connecting thread between "Band of Brothers" and PR and business, I did gain some great insights and takeaways from the book. Here are a few.
• Endurance. When you think you just can't take it (whatever "it" is) anymore, you realize you can. When Easy Company was at Bastogne, under constant barrage from German artillery, in foxholes dug into deep snow with inadequate clothing and no heat or fire to fend off the single-digit temperatures, one man related how he had an important revelation that helped him carry on, even with trench foot and nonstop shivering. He thought his body could not take anymore, but then days (and weeks) later, he was still there, still alive, and he had learned something important about himself.
• Take good from the bad. Sometimes, the bad boss whom you (legitimately) dislike can have a very positive long-term impact. Easy Company started training in Georgia under Captain Herbert Sobel, who was universally disliked because of his pettiness and mean-spirited ways. But most of the men who survived the war would say, decades later, that Sobel's hard-driving, relentless focus on training and fitness forged a true team of capable professionals.
• Leadership. Several times the company's leader, Richard Winters, saved the platoon—and changed the course of a given battle—because of his counter-intuitive boldness. At Normandy, he led 15 men in an attack on a reinforced German artillery position that was blocking a causeway. He succeeded. During Operation Market Garden, he and 30 men were trapped out on a patrol after they ran into a much larger German force. Winters evaluated the situation. He concluded he could not pull back and could not stay where he was. He attacked the surprised Germans, and routed them, just when they were threatening the larger operation.
• Don't take the easy way out. There's a story of a patrol at Bastogne that was intended to scout German positions when it suddenly came under artillery fire, causing the men to scatter. One soldier ran past a foxhole where his comrades encouraged him to dive in. Seeing it was full, he kept going and somehow made it to his own. Later he went back to the first full foxhole and found it had taken a direct hit, leaving no survivors.
• Leaders fail often, so be prepared to take initiative. Woven through the book are accounts of junior officers and non-commissioned officers who were not suited for their roles, leading them to make terrible decisions in combat. Luckily, the defining characteristic of U.S. soldiers in that war, Stephen Ambrose wrote, was that they had the confidence and the sense of initiative to make independent decisions and avert disaster.
Resting and recharging are a good thing. Sure, I read a non-business book on my vacation, but I came back to work focused and relaxed. So enjoy your time off, and don't do work out of a sense of obligation. You'll be better off for it.
—Tony Silber
4 Ways to Get a Reporter to Pay Attention to You
Back in my reporting days, I spent a good amount of time doing something that might strike many as nostalgic: interviewing sources and talking to PR people on the phone. If only today's reporters had time for telephonic activities. Surprise: they do! And they will take your call if you lay the groundwork first. They won't take your call if you have nothing new or interesting to tell them. Now, this is assuming you want to talk to a reporter on the phone, as opposed to just emailing them, liking their Facebook Post, or tweeting them from afar. Let's assume that a journalist-PR relationship is strengthened by some human interaction.
The concept is simple yet may feel out of reach in today's always-on media environment: reporters will pay attention to you if you pay attention to them. Here are four ways to get a reporter's attention:
- Give them the story by which to tell their story: as a consumer of news and information yourself, you are attracted to the stories about people, about a certain person, or family or community. You want to read about or hear an interesting narrative that is personal, not general. Do not send them a press release and then leave them a message in the dead of night asking if they got your press release. There's nothing wrong with sending them a press release, but don't mistake that (and the robocall) for "the story."
- Serve up the visuals. Whether it's a few charts and graphics, an infographic or eye-catching photographs, visuals are gold for reporters who are now (somewhat reluctantly) multimedia journalists. Make her job easier by handing over the visuals.
- Know (and understand) what they report on: I used to cringe at the advice at industry conferences that implored practitioners to "do your homework" — it was so basic, so obvious. And yet. Make sure you read up on what the reporter has covered in the past year, take notice of his writing style and technique, and be ready to accept that maybe this particular reporter does not cover your industry. Also be in tune to what their competitors are covering – reporters are a competitive breed and will appreciate your keeping them up to date on competitive coverage they might have missed.
- Share information with no strings attached. Info is currency: give it to the reporter without expecting an instant payback. This is a difficult task to master! Share industry news that's not widely reported yet, tell the reporter what you heard or saw at an important industry conference (which of course, you attended), and don't ask for anything in return. Reporters will think the world of you.
With tight deadlines, smaller newsrooms, a more educated readership and an unrelenting news cycle, journalists need trusted, go-to sources and great PR partners who understand them.
– Diane Schwartz
Visit me on Twitter: @dianeschwartz
9 Social Media Tips that You Can't Afford to Overlook
If you weren't at the PR News Social Media Summit last week, I forgive you. But really, you should try to attend an upcoming conference of ours because you are going to pick up a lot of unique, sound and creative tactics and strategies – what we like to call "stealable ideas" – that will move your PR and marketing efforts forward more than a notch. I must confess that I am engaging in shameless content marketing as I write this blog post. I get very excited after one of our PR News events and want to share some (not all!) of the gleanings from the day's event. So herewith I present 9 really smart social media tips to get your week off to a #greatstart. These are made possible by our outstanding summit speakers, attendees and sponsoring partners.
- Best quote of the conference: "No one wants to be friends with a butter cracker." Kathryn Sheaffer, brand manager for Ritz Crackers, so aptly summed up the challenge of Facebook communications for brands. Be realistic about your brand's presence on social media and engage with your fans in realistic ways.
- Get a few social platforms rights, then start to take chances on others. In other words, don't dive into the entire social media pool. Pick a few lanes to swim in first, be it Twitter and Pinterest, or Linkedin and Facebook, master your strokes there, then start exploring other waters.
- Take your press release off cruise control. First of all, the press release is not dead. But the old-fashioned press release should be put out to pasture. Make sure your releases are optimized for search, have multimedia components that drive stakeholder engagement, are written well and most of all, are interesting!
- Tweet short: A tweet that's less than 100 characters lifts share rate by 17%. You thought 140 characters was short? Think again.
- During a crisis, Twitter is for news and Facebook is for hugs. Don't mix it up.
- Great question posed to the audience: Why don't PR pros do more A/B testing with their campaigns? Smart advice from Brandon Andersen of Cision, noting that A/B testing goes to the heart of Marketing 101 yet the PR discipline often overlooks this smart exercise in testing your messaging, be it on social media or in a traditional PR campaign.
- You cannot automate judgment. With all the talk of data mining, programmatic and cloud-based communication, the truth is that people still drive decisions. Make sure you put a premium on good judgment when hiring talent and executing on campaigns.
- Content marketing is a commitment not a campaign. Most brands are engaging in some type of brand journalism and the jury's out on how well it's working. Those committed to content marketing, weaving it into their marketing-PR matrix rather than a one-off campaign here and there, are most likely to succeed in this area.
- Visuals are the new headlines. A picture is worth a lot more than 1,000 words. Invest in video, infographics, photography and graphics. Take time to learn about Vine and Instagram. See what your audience is seeing and then give them some of that.
I hope you'll heed a few of these tips and let me know how it goes for you. Also feel free to add a kernel of advice below.
– Diane Schwartz
Let's connect on Twitter: @dianeschwartz
The One Thing Every PR Person Needs to Do
"PR is losing its leadership position in Social." That's what the founder of a new company that provides social media measurement/monitoring tools to brands told me the other day when I asked about his target audience. He continued to note that "PR got too comfortable" and now Marketing, Advertising and automated services are taking over Social.
Let's say we had a friendly disagreement over his claim, as I defended PR's role in Social and shared stories gleaned from the PR News front lines of communicators' role in driving social media. But perception can be reality, as we know.
If there's a sector of the marketplace that is devaluing PR's role in any medium, then every PR professional needs to do a better job of tying Social and other activities to the metrics that matter to their organization. Just as importantly, we need to make sure we're communicating our success stories – effectively and regularly. That is one thing every PR person needs to do to help advance the communications profession.
Take a lesson from the trope about the cobbler's children having no shoes. As communicators, you're busy doing PR. Your days are filled speaking with stakeholders, writing, listening, measuring and implementing. Do you sometimes forget to tend to your PR success stories? It's the last mile of your efforts: to communicate your successes not only to your superiors but to your superiors' superiors, to the media, to your counterparts in Marketing, Finance, HR, IR, IT and Sales. I'd like to think the cobbler eventually noticed that he forgot to provide shoes for his own kids. PR needs to take care of its own, as well.
– Diane Schwartz
14 Pieces of PR Advice to Read and Heed
Dispensing advice is a centuries-old activity and it never gets old. When the PR News team decided to produce a Best PR Advice Book, it looked to the smartest people in the room to write it: the speakers and attendees of our PR News conferences. Over the past two years, we've disseminated the little black Advice Book to our conference attendees, asking them to write one piece of advice that has helped them get ahead in their career. With smiles on their faces, our friends of PR News would stare up at the ceiling for a second until they had their Eureka moment, and with pen to paper (most but not all legibly), they'd share an interesting piece of wisdom. Key themes emerged – among them the need to be empathetic, to constantly hone writing skills, to humanize PR efforts, and to not be afraid of failure. The Advice Book is validation and a reminder that the best communications efforts require the best communicators.
I had the honor of editing this first volume of The Best PR Advice Book and enjoyed the contributions from PR professionals from all walks of life and organizations, including Southwest Airlines, Clorox, Easter Seals, IKEA, Raytheon, Weber Shandwick, Ogilvy, AARP, NASCAR, sole practitioners and small businesses. We all know how easy it is to give advice; it's the heeding that's the challenge. The book is divided into chapters based on the themes shared by our community: Social Media, Crisis Management, Leadership, Employee Communications, Media Relations, Agency/Client Relations. Below are some of the highlights. I'd say they are my favorites, but as my mother told me when my second child was born: "Remember, never play favorites."
Check out these words to the wise from your peers who contributed to the Advice Book:
"Empathize before you strategize."
"Don't bury the bad."
"Give social media platforms a face, not a logo."
"Communication is not what you say, it is what the other person hears."
"If you come with a problem, come with two solutions."
"The harder you work, the luckier you get."
"If there is a smile on your face, then there is a smile in your voice."
"Do the job you want before you get it."
"Talk to strangers."
Choose your boss carefully."
"Get on the good side of your IT department."
"Flawless execution of a bad strategy is still a bad strategy."
"You cannot improve what you don't measure."
"Give your people the resources to do their work, then get out of the way."
…Please feel free to add your favorite piece of advice to this blog post, and we'll consider it for the next volume of the PR Advice Book.
– Diane Schwartz
When an Old Crisis Resurfaces: 4 Principles for an Effective Response
Yesterday, I was driving home with a friend, and the conversation turned, as it inevitably does, to Howard Dean's famous scream in the 2004 presidential campaign.
(Okay, it's not really inevitable, it's just funny to say that, and it goes to a point I'm about to make.)
And that point, to borrow from an old Douglas MacArthur phrase, is that old crises never go away.
Today, as Paula Deen launches a comeback, and as the 20-year-old allegations against Woody Allen are back in the news, and the Monica Lewinsky scandal resurfaces, that's a fact worth addressing. For brands and their communications teams, crises are part of the permanent record. Dealing with that, though, can be tricky. It starts with the knowledge that while apologies will be demanded in the heat of the crisis—and most of the time must be offered—and forgiveness will be granted by many, mistakes are never forgotten. (In the case of Woody Allen, of course, he denies the allegations absolutely and has never apologized.)
So what to do? Here are a few essential principles.
1. Be aware that the record will include the crisis, no matter how old. This means you must plan for that inevitable resurfacing. That starts with the creation of a plan, but even more fundamentally, you need to learn from the crisis, and resolve never to repeat it. All subsequent business activities and decisions need to be made to ensure that objective. The elements of the plan, though, start with these next concepts.
2. Be open and non-defensive. You've acknowledged that the crisis occurred and is part of the permanent record, so there's no point in reacting defensively if it comes back up. Don't be emotional or angry. Don't be indignant. If appropriate, use humor, as Howard Dean does when asked about his scream. And outline how you've learned and changed.
3. Have testimonials lined up. One of the best ways to reassure stakeholders when an old crisis crops back up is to have credible testimonials from well-selected supporters. It may be that you won't want to directly address an old crisis, or respond to those who are reviving it. But having others speak for you can be very effective.
4. Deliver on your word. This is the most important. If an old crisis resurfaces, the most eloquent response you can make is to have a record in the intervening time that demonstrates that you didn't just apologize and promise to make adjustments to get past the crisis. If you have years of a flawless track record, then that will be very persuasive in the court of public opinion.
—Tony Silber


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They may contain less calories, but they will DESTROY your health! Is that worth it? Are you more concerned with the idea of being skinny than living a long healthy life. You should be concerned with insulin resistance which will mess with your ability to lose weight and keep it off. Are you willing to sacrifice remembering your life and loved ones? Are you willing to get cancer? Would you like anxiety, depression, headaches, seizures or tremors?
I asked a nurse practioner if she heard that artificial sweetners were dangereous she had printed out some info and it scared me Splenda-your body doesn't recognize it so it hooks on to anything, artificial sweetners such as Equal and sweet and low are not in the healthy group, so I went to my doctor and told him I was not going to use sugar or sweetener and told him about the article he told me since I drink hot tea to use honey and I use a teaspoon of sugar on anything else I need sweet-----
My dietitian is REALLY against artificial sweeteners like Splenda and such but she isn't against Stevia!
Diabetes is different for every diabetic so no one artificial sweetener is safe. A carb is a carb no matter what and carbs raise blood sugar. Be careful with artificial sweetners and count the carbs.


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- Filed Under
Oshkosh authorities are urging parents to make informed decisions about whether their children should walk to school or home alone after a second student in a week was approached by a stranger.
They also are urging caution in the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus area after three women reported being followed home and pursued by men. They do not think the student and campus area cases are related.
In the latest case, an 11-year-old girl got off the bus at the intersection of Rosalia Street and Winnebago Avenue earlier this week and was walking home when she noticed a man following her. ...