text:
- Oct 18:
- USA Pro Challenge report: 1 million spectators and $99.6 million impact
- Jun 21:
- Andy Schleck questionable for USA Cycling Challenge with pelvis injury
- Jun 13:
- NBC adds coverage to Colorado's Pro Cycling Challenge
- May 22:
- Shawn Hunter goes to Italy with USA Pro Cycling Challenge on mind
- Apr 16:
- Aspen budget for USA Pro Cycling Challenge increases by $100,000
- Apr 12:
- New Belgium partners with USA Pro Cycling Challenge
- Apr 4:
- USA Pro Cycling Challenge route announced for 2012 race
Boulder's Flagstaff Mountain could be the USA Pro Cycling Challenge's Alpe d'Huez, the famous climb from the Tour de France.
That's the hope of Boulder cyclist Tom Danielson.
While 12 Colorado cities celebrated their participation in next year's race Tuesday, Danielson, the highest-finishing American in this year's Tour, said concluding atop Flagstaff would solve the race's problem of no mountaintop finishes.
"With the crowd and the enthusiasm that we have in this area, I don't think it makes too much of a difference to have a finish in downtown Boulder or the top of Flagstaff," Danielson said. "I think everybody would move to the top of Flagstaff in a heartbeat. In fact, I think there will be even more people on the climb than there would be in town."
Flagstaff Mountain, just west of downtown Boulder, is 7,283 feet. It's relatively small compared with 12,095-foot Independence Pass, which will be included again in next year's race, but Flagstaff is steep at the start and ends with pitches up to 15 percent.
"It's one of the hardest climbs I've ever ridden," Danielson said.
It also could be a huge turning point in the race. The Boulder finish is Aug. 25, Day 6 of the seven-day stage race, with the finishing time trial in Denver the next day.
"We need to have a true mountaintop finish in the race," said Danielson, who placed ninth in the Tour de France and fourth in the Pro Cycling Challenge. "Being Colorado, the U.S. Pro Cycling Challenge of Colorado, you ask anyone in the world what's synonymous with Colorado and it's mountains. Look at the license plates. Nobody comes to Colorado for flat riding.
"To be honest with you, we need in the tour of Colorado a stage finish that's famous, that's our Alpe d'Huez, the climb that everybody associates with the race and wants to keep coming back to see."
Race organizers will determine the stage routes over the next two months. This year's inaugural race did not have a finish atop a mountain.
"You've got several options," race CEO and co-chairman Shawn Hunter said. "The people who've logged in comments on (Flagstaff), from riders to fans to local residents, if we left it up to a popular vote, it would win in a landslide."
Logistics remain a question. Hunter must ensure that the finish has enough room for fans and riders and still be safe.
"The biggest challenge is it's a one-way road," said Barry Siff, co-chairman of the Boulder Organizing Committee. "The crowds will be enormous. We end up with, what, 20,000, 25,000 people lining a road situated at the top. You have 150, 130 cyclists heading up to the top. The presence of the media, the presence of the crowd, it makes for some challenges to get back down there."
In Tuesday's downtown Denver ceremony introducing the 12 cities, Durango announced it would have an Athletes Village-type arrangement at Fort Lewis College for the cyclists when the race kicks off there Aug. 20. Barb Morris, Fort Lewis provost and the Durango start's co-host, said the town's history of cycling enthusiasm makes it the perfect starting town.
"Every Subaru out there has a bike rack on top of it," Morris said. "It's not only great to show all the different kinds of cycling Durango partakes in, but also it's clearly exciting to show off the town and spirit around the town and dedication."
John Henderson: 303-954-1299, email@example.com or twitter.com/johnhendersonDP


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|Blurbarian Since
|January 2010
|Dwight Gallaway
|My Web Site
|Moreno Valley, CA
|My Occupation
|US Army
|My Bio
Dwight Gallaway was born in Sacramento California on May 14, 1965. He grew up in Moreno Valley California, where he went to school at Armada Elementary, and later to Moreno Valley High school.
As soon as he finished high school he signed up for the U.S. Army along with his best friend Therron Hubbell. He went to boot camp and trained as Military Police in Fort Polk Louisiana.
Since then he was stationed in various places around the world, including Germany, Honduras and Ft. Irwin California.
In the 90's he came out of active duty Army and signed in for Army Reserve. While in the Army reserve, he worked as a Cable technician with the local cable company.
On December 31, 2001 he married Ana Gallaway. Together they lived in Moreno Valley, close to his family.
He is currently on his third deployment as an Army MP (Military Police), and hoping to retire soon.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Bloomsbury centre faces creamy refurbishment . . .
Brunswick Centre architect Patrick Hodgkinson has submitted a planning application to overhaul the 1970s Modernist 'Gloomsbury' icon for its new owners - and paint it cream.
Hodgkinson is planning to enlarge all the shops and build a new 3500m2 anchor store at the Handel Street end of the development for Allied London, which bought the Brunswick for £13 million last February and wants to enliven its 'dismal' appearance. The £20 million scheme also includes new planting, canopies, entrances, signage and lighting, and the bare concrete will be painted, he says, 'Crown Commissioner cream'.
The developers, which contacted the architect as it was buying the building, are also to 're-brand' the 59,000m2 centre as Bloomsbury's 'High Street', perhaps as simply 'The Brunswick' as it is locally known. The new-look building will also be the new location for the British Cartoon Centre and other cultural bodies. The architect is to narrow the shopping street to create the extra retail space, build new glass canopies to stop shoppers from getting wet and install new paving. Hodgkinson is working with Alexander Wright Architects on design and collaborating with Stubbs Rich Architects as executive architects. He had planned to build in a further storey of residential accommodation, but this plan for 40 further flats, which conforms to view corridor restrictions, may be submitted later. He also wants to reinstate the terrace as public space.
'I have faith in the building although it is in such bad shape,' said Hodgkinson. 'I'd like to see things put right.'
The latest scheme follows a long line of proposals attempting to revitalise the area, including a 90s scheme by RIBA president David Rock and Hawkins/Brown, which Hodgkinson objected to, 'because they were just wrong'. Allied London hopes work will start this spring for a 2001 completion.
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text:
Select Local Merchants
EAT STREET CulinaryRead MoreThe talent behind Eat Street Culinary starts with founder Chef Katie Averill, an experienced culinary artist in her own right, and an instructor of executive chefs in hot line, pastries, and other areas of cuisine. After graduating from the California Culinary Academy, Chef Averill worked in upscale restaurants under several celebrity chefs such as Charlie Palmer, Gary Danko, and Todd English. Eat Street Culinary's cooking classes cover topics from French cuisine to fresh-baked breads. The pasta-making class shares the secrets to making pasta from scratch by using homemade dough and sweet-based classes cover everything from chocolate making to cake decorating. A selection of international classes such as Night in Spain and Night in Paris teach students the art of crafting unique dishes from around the world. Each class provides a fulfilling experience for students, regardless of their skill level.270 S Clementine St.Anaheim, CA US
Create with Chef MartinRead MoreWhat services does your business offer and what makes your business stand out from the competition? At Create with Chef Martin, you will learn 5-star culinary skills in an intimate, top of the line environment at Le Gourmet Kitchen We offer unique classes from French Breads to Chocolate Workshops to Spanish Tapas. But what truly makes us stand out is our love for food and the joy of its creation. What can a student expect in one of your classes? Students can expect small class sizes and more individualized instruction from Certified and award winning Chef Martin Gilligan (Formally with The Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach, and New York). Singles, couples, friends, family, and kids - improve upon their cooking skills while and having tons of fun! What was the inspiration to start or run this business? Chef Martin Gilligan loves cooking. His passion for food is best expressed in sharing his 25 years of expert culinary skills to others in an engaging, personal way. Create with Chef Martin resurrects the joy and fundamentals of culinary expression at the state-of-the-art Le Gourmet Kitchen in Orange What do you love most about your job? I love the fact that we create with and explore great ingredients, create fantastic food and create lasting relationships everyday at "Create" with Chef Martin.541 W Chapman Ave.Orange, CA US
Saladmaster Happy Cooking Co.Read MoreHappy Cooking Co. owners and head chefs James and Jael Tanti help students and customers build a bridge between diet and wellness, aiming to prevent dangerous inflammation and maladies through healthy food preparation. The cooks' holistic techniques and toxin-free surgical-steel utensils turn fresh ingredients into medicine, family meals into daily health regimens, and cooking into an extended metaphor for disease prevention and maintaining long-term well-being. Cooking demonstrations and hands-on classes teach students to create delicious recipes such as seven-herb chicken, homemade almond milk, or potato-leek soup, preventing harmful chemical contamination and overuse of oils with Saladmaster cookware.549 S State College BlvdFullerton, CA US
Earthly JuicesRead MoreEarthly Juices supports and nurtures health with fresh organic juices, living fare, and detox programs—using many ingredients grown in its own sustainable quarter-acre garden. The juice gurus cold-press fresh nuts, fruits, and vegetables that match the season into juices, smoothies, and cold-brew teas teeming with probiotic cultures. Earthly Juices composts all leftover pulp and serves each of its elixirs in Ball mason jars for $1 per jar, though patrons can bring their own jars or mammoth skulls to avoid the fee. Patrons can purge environmental toxins or old love-letter residue during comprehensive cleanses, each customized for the individual's allergies and personal goals and ranging in duration from one weekend to an entire month. Empathic detox counselors remain on-call via Skype, phone, and in person for the duration of each cleanse to troubleshoot as well as fortify minds with motivation. In addition to its culinary and detox endeavors, Earthly Juices supports whole-body and lifestyle health with services from home-garden design to classes on raw foods and international cooking.664 El Camino RealTustin, CA US
Conrad Gallagher FoodRead MoreConrad Gallagher has many roles—television personality, restaurateur, and cookbook author, to name a few—but the same passion for cooking that he puts into each of these tasks garnered his restaurant a Michelin star when he was 24, making him the youngest starred chef at the time. He began his training in Ireland at the age of 12, when most other kids are too busy playing games or collecting seagull feathers. Conrad's persistent dedication paid off in the form of numerous awards and accomplishments, including preparing a St. Patrick's Day dinner for President Bill Clinton at the White House. These days, Conrad stretches his talents to other fields, such as menu planning and restaurant development. He also schools laymen in the kitchen with cooking lessons that focus on specific genres, including Italian, French, and seafood. Gift certificates are available for purchase.350 ClintonCosta Mesa, CA US
Bakers BodegaRead MoreFor a flaky croissant or old-fashioned chocolate chip cookie, Bakers Bodega in Pico Rivera's El Rancho neighborhood is the best bakery around. Cakes, cookies, pastries, and more — what's not to love (and sample) here? Save your formal dress for another occasion — a nice top is the perfect fit for Bakers Bodega's business casual code. Bakers Bodega is conveniently close to a parking lot. Bakers Bodega provides ample space for bikers to store their bikes. Treating yourself doesn't mean breaking the bank, come taste the great dishes Bakers Bodega has to offer. When your sweet tooth is calling, make your way over to Bakers Bodega and treat yourself to some bakery goodies.7869 Paramount BoulevardPico Rivera, CA US


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- SOL Accountability 2.0 Accompanied a story on SOLs and No Child Left Behind covering how a student's success is actually measured via testing. 2015 Illustration
- Selecting A Retirement Plan Advisor For the Society of Human Resource Management's 'HR Manager's Guide to Selecting a Retirement Advisor' 2015 Illustration
- Incredible Adventures CD cover and design for Evening Fire's "Incredible Adventures," out on Deep Water Acres / dwacres.com 2015 Illustration
- Where I've Been Is Places and What I've Seen Is Things Album cover for Evening Fires' "Where I've Been Is Places and What I've Seen Is Things," out on Sunrise Ocean Bender Records / sunriseoceanbender.com 2015 Illustration
- Target Date Funds Piece done for SHRM's HR Magazine … "HR Guide to Target Date Funds" 2015 Illustration
- Let The Right One In Unpublished piece done for Richmond Magazine on the high school admissions process 2015 Illustration
- Champs & Chumps Part of Richmond Magazine's annual Best & Worst Issue … 'Champs & Chumps' 2014 Illustration
- Point and Shoot For a story in Richmond Magazine on the preponderance of 'security' cameras … "There's no escaping Richmond's new reality …" 2014 Illustration
- New Facts Personal 2014 Illustration
- Jingles All the Way For an article on radio jingle earworms in Richmond, VA 2014 Illustration
- The Low Sand Personal 2014 Illustration
- Wilder Narcissism Done for an article on former VA Governor and Mayor of Richmond Doug Wilder's seemingly endless narcissism. 2014 Illustration
- Explore Sound For the Acoustical Society of America/Acoustics for Kids 2014 Illustration
- To the Majestie of Great Personal 2014 Illustration
- Doodad 2 Unpublished 2014 Illustration
Fro-Yo … With a Side of Nuts
Fro-Yo … With a Side of Nuts: Is the whole country going crazy for Sweet Frog?
Everyone is going crazy for frozen yogurt like it's just been invented. In Richmond, the chain Sweet Frog has approached cult status with droves of devotees … brainwashed by a secret ingredient?
Done for Richmond Magazine 2014 Illustration
- Bingeworthy Blockbusters Created for Richmond Magazine on 'how Richmond can conquer television, one episode at a time… .' With Richmond on the rise as a go-to filming location and the popularity the long story arc, there are those that feel there's enough local back-lot goings-on to warrant a few networks worth of quality television programming. 2014 Illustration
- Sunrise Ocean Bender Records Illustration for the launch of Sunrise Ocean Bender Records // sunriseocenbender.com 2014 Illustration
- The Richmond Magicicada Piece for Richmond Magazine on the ubiquitous 'Richmond Magicicada." Awarded 'Best in Show' at the Virginia Press Association Conference. 2013 Illustration
- The Reality of Festivals Done for Richmond Magazine, this accompanied a story on city festivals and those that like the idea of them, but are put off by the reality that rears its head … lines, parking, weather, crowds, bathrooms … 2013 Illustration
- Winning Websites A piece to accompany a story on how business websites have to wear many hats to address the needs of their customers/clients. 2013 Illustration
- The Mind of an Entrepreneur Created for a story on the problem of getting—and holding—the attention of an entrepreneur to focus on business matters before their mind is off to the next big thing. 2013 Illustration
Wall Street Journal
A pair of pieces for The Wall Street Journal on the ever popular abundance of conspiracy theories.
2009 Illustration
Contemporary Collecting
Book cover illustration for "Contemporary Collecting: Objects, Practices, and the Fate of Things"
"…What do the practices of collectors, surviving collections, and new and emerging fields of collecting reveal about our contemporary world and our changing sense of the past? Collectors and their collections force us to consider our relationship to objects, as the collector's obsession, scope, practices, and care put into dramatic relief the role of objects in our lives…" 2013 Illustration
- Riding the Rally Cover story illustration for Staffing Success Magazine on strategies for riding out the economic roller coaster. 2013 Illustration
- Doodad 1 'Untitled' doo-dad commissioned by the nipper. 2014 Illustration
- Kumon Quest Kumon Learning Centers 'Quest' project; pieces included posters, stickers, coloring book sheets and certificates. 2013 Illustration
- AAPS Conference Lead art for the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' conference in Washington DC. 2013 Illustration
- Professional Certification A piece done for a story on the benefits of professional employee certification. 2013 Illustration
- Locked In Cover story piece for Staffing Success Magazine on unlocking and tapping into the real potential of employees. 2013 Illustration
- Commodity, Value & Growth Accompanied a story on business/industry growth, and how it relates to 'value vs. commodity.' 2013 Illustration
- The Penguin Trainer Paired with an article on how trying to train employees outside of their skills and aptitudes can be as slippery as trying to train a penguin. 2013 Illustration
- Extra Strong and Dependable self-promotion 2013 Illustration
- Outsourcing Created for an article on the potential 'positive' benefits of outsourcing. 2013 Illustration
- Fish for Friday Self-promotion 2013 Illustration
- How Much Sleep Is Enough? A piece done for Muscle and Fitness HERS about how much sleep is enough, and healthy. 2013 Illustration
- Spielberg's Lincoln When Spielberg was in RVA filming parts of 'Lincoln,' the town was all starry eyed with celebrity sightings and rampant "beardiness.' Done for Richmond Magazine. 2013 Illustration
- RVA Best & Worst Every year, Richmond Magazine does their big 'Best & Worst' issue, doing the rundown from eateries to movers and shakers to hotspots and on down the line. A series of pieces were done, highlighting some of the best (VCU's Shaka Smart) and some of the worst (Eric Cantor, of course). 2013 Illustration
When we uprooted and headed to Richmond to set up shop & house, I had a lot of static floating through the ether … so I got it out of my head and into these.
"All's Fair" and "40" were included in the The Illustrators Club of Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia Juried Exhibition and the Richmond Illustrators Club Juried Exhibition 2009 Illustration
- Greeting Card Series 2 Greeting card series/promotion: Each card is blank for you to share your own special thoughts, 5.25" square and comes with a matching envelope. 2009 Illustration
- The Fracking Gold Rush Created for a story on the perceived potential profits of fracking and how companies, and the public, are reacting with a 'gold rush' fervor. 2013 Illustration
- The Cold Call Done for an article on the dreaded cold call, and how to avoid the freeze out and warm up your efforts. 2013 Illustration
- I'll Be The Fish Swimming In Your Heart Poster for a special edition of Sunrise Ocean Bender 2014 Illustration
- The Social Media Pool Done for the American Staffing Association, this paired with a story on the potential pros and cons of staffing firms, of all sizes, diving into and exploiting the social media pool. 2013 Illustration
- Greentech Done for Richmond Magazine, this accompanied a story on the emerging 'green technology' companies blossoming in Virginia. 2013 Illustration
- Cloud Security Created for a story in Staffing Success on the issues of cloud security. 2013 Illustration
- Problems & Priorities Book cover illustration for The National Federation of Independent Business' "Small Business Problems & Priorities." 2013 Illustration
- Building Communities Unpublished piece on companies and their role and impact on building communities where they do business. 2013 Illustration
- SPORTS: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers Exhibition banners and kiosk graphics developed in collaboration with Knowtis Design. 2014 Graphic Design
- American Health Assistance Foundation "Our mission is to eradicate age-related degenerative diseases by: advancing research seeking causes, prevention, treatment, and cures; promoting positive behaviors to combat these diseases; and facilitating the public's efforts to assist those who are affected." 2014 Graphic Design
- William Fox Elementary Poster, window banner and t-shirt designs for the annual Richmond Strawberry Street Festival held by William Fox Elementary. 2014 Illustration
- Columbia Law School Publication spotlighting the various Law Clinics and their work, in and out, of the univeristy. 2014 Graphic Design
- Cade Martin Photography Promotional campaign for Washington DC photographer Cade Martin, highlighting Cade's work in the educational market. 2014 Graphic Design
- Live at WRIR Vol. 1 A bonus of volunteering and DJing at WRIR means getting to help out the station with their first CD of live in-studio performances. 'Live at WRIR Vol. 1' was a limited edition premium for supporters during WRIR's fund drive. 2014 Graphic Design
- Telmo Medical Based in Florida and South Africa, Telmo Medical works closely with physician, early diabetes screening advocate, and footwear designer and consultant Anette Thompson. 2014 Graphic Design
- WRIR lp 97.3 Fund Drive WRIR is an all volunteer community radio station in Richmond, Virginia, on the dial at 97.3 FM or streaming online. WRIR holds two fund drives every year and the task was to develop a standard mark to be used in conjunction with their fundraising activities and premiums. 2014 Graphic Design
- ErgoLogic Solutions Serving businesses and employees, ErgoLogic is a Virginia based company that strives to reduce injury and improve performance in the workplace. 2014 Graphic Design
- Changing Neighborhoods, Changing Lives A program of Rebuilding Together San Francisco, CNCL organizes volunteers to revitalize and renovate housing and non-profits in the San Francisco area. 2014 Graphic Design
- Anette Thompson & Associates Ms. Thompson is a world renown podiatrist, footwear consultant/designer, and leading advocate of early diabetes screening. She also chairs the Footwear Committee of the South African Podiatry Association and helped design the 'barefoot science' shoe for school children. 2014 Graphic Design
E GONE/All the Suns of the Earth
E GONE/All the Suns of the Earth
Limited edition white vinyl housed in an embossed varnished gate-fold with screen printed insert. E GONE is the solo project of Daniel Westerlund (The Goner) who provided the inspiration for the package.
'All the Suns of the Earth' is out on Sunrise Ocean Bender Records. 2014 Graphic Design
- Eat Lights Become Lights/Modular Living CD and LP design for UK-based Eat Lights Become Lights release 'Modular Living.' Photography courtesy of Coodo. 2014 Packaging
- Strawberry Street Festival 2011 Every year William Fox Elementary in Richmond, VA holds the Strawberry Street Festival. It's one of the biggest fundraisers for Fox, and a big attraction in the neighborhood, as well as across the city. This is the poster and companion t-shirt design for the festival. 2013 Illustration
- Strawberry Street Festival 2012 Every year William Fox Elementary in Richmond, VA holds the Strawberry Street Festival. It's one of the biggest fundraisers for Fox, and a big attraction in the neighborhood, as well as across the city. 2013 Illustration
Gift Wrap/Origami
Clients, and you, are hit with promotions, blasts and mailings
on a regular basis. I strived for something with a little twist this
time around. The concept of gift wrapping sheets and origami provided a good framework for showcasing and creating illustrations.
Sheets came with a small guide on how to fold an assortment of objects, encouraging interaction with the promotion and its illustrations.
The pieces were featured in the book "Innovative Promotions That Work," published by Rockport. 2009 Illustration
- Keepsake Album The Keepsake Album was honored with an award appearing in HOW's Self-Promotion Design Annual. The piece was a unique handcrafted fold-out album that housed photos and other mementos. The piece was also featured along with other work in the book "Innovative Promotions That Work," published by Rockport. 2009 Illustration
- Greeting Card Series Selections from a series of greeting cards created for clients. 2009 Illustration
- WRIR Monster Mashquerade Every year WRIR lp 97.3 FM in Richmond, VA holds their Halloween 'Monster Mashquerade' to raise money for the station, showcasing local bands, DJs and performances. 2013 Illustration
- Marlbock Spot for Richmond Magazine on the tasty flavor of tobacco filtered beer. 2013 Illustration


text:
|Effect of acidification on elemental and isotopic compositions of sediment organic matter and macro-invertebrate muscle tissues in food web research.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 20872625 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
|Stable isotope techniques in food web studies often focus on organic carbon in food sources which are subsequently assimilated in the tissue of consumer organisms through diet. The presence of non-dietary carbonates in bulk samples can affect their δ(13)C values, altering how their results are interpreted. Acidification of samples is a common practice to eliminate any inorganic carbon present prior to analysis. We examined the effects of pre-analysis acidification on two size fractions of sediment organic matter (SOM) from marine and freshwater wetlands and pure muscle tissue of a common freshwater invertebrate (Cherax destructor). The elemental content and isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen were compared between paired samples of acidified and control treatments. Our results showed that acidification does not affect the elemental or isotopic values of freshwater SOM. In the marine environment acidification depleted the δ(13)C and δ(15)N values of the fine fraction of saltmarsh and δ(15)N values of mangrove fine SOM. Whilst acidification did not change the elemental content of invertebrate muscle tissue, the δ(13)C and δ(15)N values were affected. We recommend to researchers considering using acidification techniques on material prepared for stable isotope analysis that a formal assessment of the effect of acidification on their particular sample type should be undertaken. Further detailed investigation to understand the impact of acidification on elemental and isotopic values of organic matter and muscular tissues is required.
|Debashish Mazumder; Jordan Iles; Jeff Kelleway; Tsuyoshi Kobayashi; Lisa Knowles; Neil Saintilan; Suzanne Hollins
Related Documents :
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Publication Detail:
|Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal Detail:
|Title: Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM Volume: 24 ISSN: 1097-0231 ISO Abbreviation: Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. Publication Date: 2010 Oct
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2010-09-27 Completed Date: 2010-12-30 Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 8802365 Medline TA: Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom Country: England
Other Details:
|Languages: eng Pagination: 2938-42 Citation Subset: IM
Copyright Information:
|Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
|Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001 Kirrawee DC, NSW 2232, Australia. firstname.lastname@example.com
Export Citation:
|APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex
|MeSH Terms
Carbon Isotopes / chemistry
Carbonates / chemistry
Decapoda (Crustacea)*
Food Chain*
Freshwater Biology
Geologic Sediments / chemistry*
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Marine Biology
Mass Spectrometry
Muscles / chemistry*
Nitrogen Isotopes / chemistry
Reg. No./Substance:
|0/Carbon Isotopes; 0/Carbonates; 0/Nitrogen Isotopes
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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text:
Катманду Hotel Blue Horizon
Удобства Карта Streetview отзывы
Tridevi Marg (off Thamel Street) Keshermahal
Примечание: За содержимое отображаемых фотографий несет ответственность сеть отелей и/или гостиничный объект. Travellerspoint не несет ответственности за содержание и достоверность этих фотографий.
Close to the heart of the popular Thamel area, but secluded enough to escape the noise, the Blue Horizon Hotel is the perfect place to unwind and take a break from the maddening crowds.
The Blue Horizon is conveniently located near Thamel's famed shopping center, two major banks, an international library, a taxi stand, and the tourist bus depot--the starting point for many Nepal adventures.
Our rooftop garden and dining area offer enchanting views of the Mountains while blooming flowers surround you with their beauty.
Our friendly staff is here to assist you in arranging all of your holiday adventures. Just ask!
Comfortable fully furnished rooms whose windows open up to natural views of green trees and the sounds of cuckoos and nightingales, among other unique Nepal birds. The bedrooms include mattresses recommended by physiotherapists, and spacious rooms pleasantly decorated to soothe your senses
At the Blue Horizon Hotel, an experienced management team exists to serve our guests and make them feel at home. We offer 30 comfortable, spacious, fully furnished rooms with modern touches.
Deluxe furnished and comfortable bedrooms.
A private bathroom with 24 hour hot showers.
24 hour Internet, Telephone and Fax service available.
A small library with novels, Newspapers and Magazines.
Luggage storage and safe deposit box for valuables.
Travel Treks and Tour information desk for booking mountain treks, rafting, adventures, jungle safaris, etc.
24 hour room service.
Every room has television and telephone on service
Laundry Service
Doctor on call.
Pickup service from airport.
Postal services.
Assistance with the hiring of bicycles, motorbikes and vehicles.
Need some relaxation? Come to the Blue Horizon's rooftop and enjoy a panoramic view of Kathmandu and mountain scenery. Our rooftop garden has been thoughtfully designed for your comfort and pleasure, whether you are dining or just relaxing. From here you can enjoy unobstructed views of monasteries in the valley and the surrounding hills, as well as the majestic Himalayas to the north while you wine and dine in natural splendor.
An easy and quiet access from a main Thamel street leads you to this ideally located hotel, situated in a peaceful residential area with a Buddhist community and members of the Royal family as your neighbors where grandeur and purity exist. The Ayurveda Health Home clinic next door provides massage services and yoga classes. The balconies on each floor allow you to view silvery mountain ranges and the endless eternity of the Blue Horizon.
'Blue Horizon Hotel' is close to the popular Thamel area, close to Thamel's shopping centre, two major banks, an international library, a taxi stand, and the tourist bus depot--the starting point for many Nepal adventures. Please, consult the map.
We offer Free Pickup service from the airport. For more details, please, contact the property directly.
Вы останавливались здесь? Напишите отзыв
Примечание: За содержимое отображаемых фотографий несет ответственность сеть отелей и/или гостиничный объект. Travellerspoint не несет ответственности за содержание и достоверность этих фотографий.


text:
Be a Potluck Star: 12 Totally Over-The-Top Desserts Everyone Will LoveBrooke McLay
I have this secret agenda every summer. Whenever we get an invite to a neighborhood potluck, I plan for hours the perfect treat. Scour the online archives, search for a dessert that will be the first to go. Because, there's nothing more fun than being the one to tote a treat that has everyone gasping and sighing and begging for the recipe.
Let's make your hunt for the ideal potluck dessert easier than ever with this incredible roundup of over-the-top cookies and treats. Just click through these crazy delicious treats, then pull together one of these decadent potluck desserts. We guarantee you're gonna wow the crowd when you do!
PWN that Potluck! 1 of 13
Tired of being the one toting home leftovers after a summertime potluck? Fuggheddaboutit! You're thisclose to being the next, great Potluck Star. With these incredible, over-the-top treats, people are going to be clamoring around the picnic table for your eats!
Peanut Butter Cup Monster Cookies 2 of 13
These monster cookies have a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup inserted inside for an out-of-this-world taste expereince!
Get the recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Monster Cookies
Chocolat Chip Cookies Stuffed With Reeses Peanut Butter Cups 3 of 13
Make a classic cookie that much better with a peanut butter boost!
Get the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies Stuffed With Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Caramel Turtle Cookies 4 of 13
If you love caramel turtles, these cookies will more than satisfy!
Get the recipe for Chocolate Caramel Turtle Cookies
Chocolate Choreos 5 of 13
You can't go wrong with two cookies in one!
Get the recipe for Chocolate Choreos
Cherpumple- The Monster Pie Cake 6 of 13
If you're going for over-the-top, you've got to try this recipe!
Get the recipe for Cherpumple- the monster pie cake
Caramel Stuffed Snickerdoodles 7 of 13
Stuff a Rolo inside a snickerdoodle and you'll be tasting perfection!
Get the recipe for Caramel Stuffed Snickerdoodles
Werther's Caramel Stuffed Sugar Cookies 8 of 13
Everything's better with caramel, and these sugar cookies take the cake!
Get the recipe for Werther's Caramel Stuffed Sugar Cookies
Snickers Bar Stuffed Cookies 9 of 13
You won't be able to have just one of these rich and decadent cookies!
Get the recipe for Snickers Bar Stuffed Cookies
Biscotti Stuffed Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies 10 of 13
These utterly sweet treats get a salty balance from a sprinkle of sea salt!
Get the recipe for Biscotti Stuffed Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peep Stuffed Brownies 11 of 13
These rich and tasty brownies have a burst of color inside!
Get the recipe for Peep Stuffed Brownies
Coconut-Fudge Cream Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars 12 of 13
These luscious chocolate chip cookie bars are stuffed with Oreo coconut cream fudge cookies- beyond delicious!
Get the recipe from Juanita's Cocina
Cookie Dough Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cupcakes 13 of 13
These ridiculously good cupcakes have an eggless cookie dough mound stuffed inside!
Get the recipe from tracey's culinary adventures


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Once again, we'd like to thank everyone that took part in this week's 90210 Caption Contest. The submissions can flooding in, but we chose the one below this photo as the winner.
Way to go, "tvfan," as that reader was crowned the winner. What should you do if yours was not selected as the funniest?
Play again next week, and every week after that! This is a running feature on TV Fanatic and we appreciate all that participate in it.
Inflatable Ivy Doll, for awkward run-ins with exes. Now available at a retailer near you.


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November 27, 2015
At about 2:30 Saturday morning Parkersburg police responded to reports of a stabbing victim at the St. Joseph's Campus of the Camden Clark Medical Center.
The stabbing happened at The Other Side bar on 19th street.
According to police, Lindsey Ray Adkins Jr. and two others stopped at the bar for drinks.
When the Adkins tried to open the door to the bar an unknown man kicked the door shut. The two then got into a fight.
Witnesses say Adkins ran back to his car saying he'd been stabbed. Both witnesses also say they saw the suspect holding a knife.
Adkins was stabbed in his torso and is listed in stable condition.
The suspect is described as a white man in his 30's with long dark hair standing about 5'5".
If you have any information call the Parkersburg Police Department at 304-424-4444.
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ISBELL, WILLIAM (1816–1877). William Isbell, soldier of the Republic of Texas, son of James R. Isbell, was born in Greenville, Green County, Tennessee, on June 15, 1816. After a dispute with his father, he ran away from home to live in Abington, Virginia, until the fall of 1834, when he immigrated to Texas and established himself on a farm on Cummings Creek. At Gonzales in the spring of 1835 Isbell joined Capt. Robert M. (Three-legged Willie) Williamsonqv's company of Col. John H. Moore's regiment for a two-month campaign against Indians on the upper Brazos River. In October of the same year he joined Capt. Thomas Alley's company and in December took part in the siege of Bexar. Afterward he planted a crop of corn on Mill Creek in Guadalupe County before joining Capt. Moseley Baker's Company D of Col. Edward Burleson's First Regiment, Texas Volunteers. He served as a private in this company at the battle of San Jacinto. Also in Baker's company was Pvt. James H. Isbell, William's older brother, who enlisted in Nacogdoches on January 14, 1836. After leaving the army Isbell returned to Mill Creek to harvest his crop and then worked through the winter of 1836 as a bartender in Jane Longqv's tavern in Brazoria. He resided in Houston from 1837 through 1840, during which time he "wagoned west for Major Bennett" (see BENNET, VALENTINE) and in 1841 campaigned against Indians under Mark B. Lewis and Thomas Greenqv. After returning to San Antonio he served for six months as a Texas Ranger under John Coffee Hays.
During the winter of 1842 Isbell moved to Washington County and from there, sometime later, to Caldwell in Burleson County, where in 1860 he owned a farm valued at $600 and $2,700 in personal property. Isbell married Olivia Elvira Jackson on January 13, 1843. They had eight children, three of whom died at an early age. Olivia died in 1865, and in 1867 William married Mary Jane Woods Franklin, a widow. They had six children, three of whom died young. Isbell was blinded in an accident in 1856. "I have never seen my present wife and younger children," he ended his personal narrative, published in the 1872 Texas Almanac, "as I have been entirely blind for fourteen years." He died at the Burleson County community of Prairie Mound on December 11, 1877.
William Banta and J. W. Caldwell, Jr.., Twenty-seven Years on the Texas Frontier (1893; rev. by L. G. Parks, Council Hill, Oklahoma, 1933). Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Muster Rolls of the Texas Revolution (Austin, 1986). Sam Houston Dixon and Louis Wiltz Kemp, The Heroes of San Jacinto (Houston: Anson Jones, 1932). Homer S. Thrall, People's Illustrated Almanac: Texas Handbook and Immigrants Guide for 1880 (St. Louis: Thompson, 1880). Homer S. Thrall, A Pictorial History of Texas (St. Louis: Thompson, 1879).
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Thomas W. Cutrer, "ISBELL, WILLIAM," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fis03), accessed November 27, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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What Kind of Music Do You Listen to When You're Sad?
What Kind of Music Do You Listen to When You're Sad?
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When you're feeling down in the dumps, do you listen to sad music, seeking out someone who understands what you're feeling? Or would you rather hear happy music to lift you out of the funk?
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dixiedee123 8 years
Sad - will listen to a lot of U2 (especially "All I want is You")...
daniemre 8 years
daniemre 8 years
sad music )=
amanaceer 8 years
mazzy star, coldplay, kelly clarkson, pj harvey, or sad country songs to make me even more depressed.
amanaceer 8 years
mazzy star, coldplay, kelly clarkson, pj harvey, or sad country songs to make me even more depressed.
cocca 8 years
sad music... it's pathetic, but i seem to wallow for a few days... my grieving period... it's part of my cycle i guess. then, i usually feel better and that's when i listen to booty mixes and it seems like i'm always in the mood to go clubbing... :) that's how you know my cycle is done.
mabess 8 years
i love DMB "Crash." it's not really sad, not really happy, just mellow. i also love CCR. and if i'm really upset, i'll listen to rap, like DMX. it's so angry.
BonjourChaton 8 years
"Lover, You Should've Come Over" by Jeff Buckley gets me every time.
swwonder 8 years
I'm like Whip, I like to wallow. I tend to listen to something like Imogen Heap or Damien Rice. Or I'll listen to something slow and quiet like Joshua Radin. If that fails I just sit in silence. (hat sounds really depressing, really. :p)
Kazagirl 8 years
Sad music that makes me want to cry.
shannonkay 8 years
sometimes sad or melancholy sounding music, but often I listen to "hopeful" music, so I can't really say that it's "happy". Usually I put on Keith Green's He'll Take Care of The Rest.
lilibooh 8 years
Jeff Buckley, Halleluyah
WhatTheFrockBlog 8 years
I'm a wallower, so I listen to sad music when I'm sad. Or, if not sad music, then mellow music that's not necessarily sad, but is pensive. Like Kings of Convenience. It's mellow and delicate but usually lifts me out of my mood eventually.
darkbeauty 8 years
It's weird but usually I listen to Nine Inch Nail's, The Fragile when I'm sad. Amazing album
Advah 8 years
U2, always. ('Pop' being my fav choice) When sad I always stay away from indie/depressed/sweet easylistening stuff (Coldplay's a big no-no for instance). The Killers' Hot Fuss always does a really good job at kicking my a**, too.
martini-queenie 8 years
If I've got some time to spend on being sad, I'll listen to bright eyes, elliot smith etc. But if I'm trying to lift myself out, it never fails that either "aaron's party" by aaron carter, "y'all ain't ready" by kevin federline, or the partyboy song from jackass make me laugh and lift my mood.
ktownpolarbear 8 years
i definitely start with sad music, and when it becomes too much, move on to happy music. i don't particularly like wallowing.
miss-britt 8 years
i start off with Telepopmuzik and then to get over the situation i listen to Jamiroquai because he always gets me grooving.
figurine 8 years
There's nothing like silence. I don't even really listen to music when I'm happy.
glam-sugar 8 years
I listen to sad music, something with some angst...Smashing Pumpkins are one band.
ALSW 8 years
Either sad or something that just doesn't have much "pop" to it.
LaLaLaurie06 8 years
i start off with sad music and then go to happy music.
thehabra 8 years
Sad music.I like to revel in my sadness
cfeccentric 8 years
Depends on why I'm sad. If I'd like to forget about something, I listen to happy music.
Lorelei-Spirit 8 years


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Spanish film industry holds breath as pay-TV sector wavers
The Spanish film industry is up in arms over what is seen as a halt in acquisitions at pay TV platforms Via Digital and Canal Plus/Canal Satelite Digital, two of the most important financing sources for Spanish producers and distributors.
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There are no cheap ways to defend international patents. But once you've staked a claim in a country, it can pay to sue for smallinfringements every so often; a small suit can serve as a deterrent to other potential violators. "If you don't take an aggressivestand, the patent, in some cases, can be deemed ineffective," says Ross Mitchell, president of Acclimator Time, in Newton,Mass., which manufactures a jet-lag watch.
But lawsuits are lengthy, expensive, and stressful. Litigation should be far down on your list of intellectual-property priorities.One first step is to write a nonthreatening but firm letter to violators emphasizing your sole right to sell your invention or servicein that country or bloc. Mitchell, for instance, has even asked violators if they want to become licensees. If the firstletter is ignored, write a cease-and-desist order, with the help of a lawyer native to the perpetrator's country. Your generalliability insurance may help cover legal fees.


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• The elevator made more than $1 million this past year and has earned $4.3 million in the past four years. But the real good news was getting its ill manager back to work.
LAMBERTVILLE — There was plenty of good news at the Ottawa Lake Co-Op Elevator's 65th annual breakfast meeting here Thursday.
First, the co-op made a profit of $1.13 million for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31. Fertilizer sales that hit the $10 million mark for the first time helped spur income upward. The co-op, founded in 1947, has earned a whopping $4.3 million the past four years despite a sluggish economy for the region and state.
Second, about $465,000 in cash patronage dividends were paid to shareholders. Included was $335,000 paid in cash dividends based on supply sales, $78,000 in grain and $52,000 in patronage refunds from 2005 that were redeemed.
Third, the co-op bought 50 acres off Lynch Rd. across from the office to expand its operations. In May, the board of directors will break ground on an 80-by-300-foot "hoop" building to house most of its spraying and fertilizer equipment. The estimated cost of the building is $325,000. But most importantly, Dan Keller, manager of the elevator since 1983, is back and making good progress after suffering a stroke four weeks ago. Mr. Keller, who turns 61 on April 15, returned to work part time about a week ago after spending a week in the hospital and another week in rehabilitative therapy. He gave his annual report, but shortened it a bit to allow Randy Hill to show slides of the new property and the buildings on it being demolished.
"Every day is a little bit better," Mr. Keller told the 130 persons who attended the meal and meeting at Lambertville Post 9656, Veterans of Foreign Wars. "I still have two more weeks of outpatient therapy. Coming back was good therapy for me... it keeps my mind off everything."
The elevator enjoyed another successful year, auditor Andy Ruck said. Among those present were 60 stockholders and more than a dozen vendors and supply business representatives.
The $1.13 million topped the $983,647 earned in fiscal 2010 and was consistent with many of the 30 co-ops the auditing firm deals with, Mr. Ruck said.
"This is a very profitable period for agricultural co-ops," he said.
The sheer volume of business — including sales of fertilizer, chemicals and services — has helped drive profit margins in recent years. Total sales from fertilizer, chemicals, supplies and grain rose about $4 million more than in 2010, the auditor said. Fertilizer sales were the highest since 2008, when sales totaled $7.7 million. The cost of fertilizer rose about 30 percent from last year, he said.
On the expense side, the co-op incurred about $2.68 million in expenses in 2011, with more than $1 million of that for wages and labor costs. Other costs included $450,000 for depreciation, $230,000 for truck operations and $220,000 for repairs and supplies, Mr. Ruck said.
The co-op paid thousands in patronage dividends this year to growers who bought supplies and stored grain with the elevator last year. About $335,0000 was paid in cash dividend checks that were passed out at the meeting.
"We can pay this patronage back and make you guys better," Mr. Keller said. "It's your co-op."
For every bushel of grain sold through the elevator, shareholders are getting back about 23 cents a bushel, the auditor noted. There are 241 common stockholders in the co-op.
The new property and building are badly needed for future expansion.
"We needed it if we want to grow," Mr. Keller said.
Last fall, the co-op demolished an old farmhouse and several buildings on the purchased property in two days to make way for the green-and-white structure to be built this spring. The 24,000-square-foot building, expected to be finished in late June, will have 6-foot-tall concrete walls and an 8-inch-thick concrete floor.
"It's hard to imagine all of our equipment used to sit here" at the elevator, which is six acres, said Suzanne Keller, one of 20 employees and Mr. Keller's wife.
The elevator will install new conveyors and augers to improve efficiency with processing grain. The work will cost $75,000.


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July 12, 2007
Water splashes over the side of a water slide Saturday as Chris Robinson finishes his descent at the Eudora Aquatic Center. A grand opening for the center will be at 1 p.m. July 21 at the pool, 1638 Elm St.
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5 Facebook Ad Split Tests to Cut Lead Acquisition Costs
Do you use Facebook ads to promote your business?
Are you looking to increase your ROI?
Online advertising can be the best way to scale the growth of your business.
The most important step is to figure out your best targeting options, and the way to do that is through testing.
In this article I'll explain what I've learned through my own testing and share five split tests you can use to quickly discover your ideal target audience on Facebook.
Why Use Split Tests?
If you've ever tried to advertise your business on Google AdWords or Facebook, you may not have been satisfied with the results. The truth is, as efficient as they are, both platforms have become quite complex. Being successful with your paid marketing is increasingly requiring more effort.
On AdWords, you need to figure out what keywords work best. On Facebook, you target potential clients based on users' profiles. After hours of trial and error and thousands of dollars invested, I've discovered that nothing is obvious.
That's where split testing (also known as A/B tests) can make all the difference.
How to Stop Facebook Contest Fraud and Deter Prize Hunters
Did you know that some Facebook contest entries are fake?
Have you thought about how fake entries can hurt your campaign?
Left unchecked, phony entries can negatively impact your contest and drag down your page's reach and credibility.
In this article you'll discover how people cheat, and more importantly, how you can guard against prize hunters.
The Ugly Truth About Facebook Contest Fraud
With Facebook's recent changes to its news feed algorithm, it's harder to reach your audience organically. If you can't reach your audience, you lose interactivity and engagement–and your spot in the news feed.
A Facebook promotion (i.e., a contest or giveaway) is widely thought to be a good tactic to get people's attention, engagement and more eyes on your page. But if you're planning to host a Facebook promotion, be aware of potential fraudulent behavior so you can protect your fans and your brand.
Guide to Facebook Reach: What Marketers Need to Know
Have you seen a drop in your Facebook performance?
Do you want more fans to see your Facebook updates?
If so, you need to understand Facebook reach.
In this article, you'll find out what Facebook reach is, why some pages have more visibility than others and how to improve your own Facebook page reach.
What Is Facebook Reach?
Facebook is always rolling out new features in an effort to give users a more seamless and useful experience. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work in your favor when it comes to reaching as many people as possible with your page content.
Facebook reach is the number of unique people who saw your content. It affects every other metric you can track: engagement, likes, comments, clicks and negative feedback. And that's not all. There are different kinds of reach: post, page, organic, viral and paid. Everything on Facebook boils down to reach.
How to Improve Your Facebook Marketing Using Facebook Insights
Do you manage a Facebook page?
Are you overwhelmed by the amount of statistics you have access to in Facebook Insights?
Would you like to know the statistics you need to track to help you boost your growth and visibility?
In this article, I'll show you six ways to improve your Facebook page performance with statistic comparisons.
Getting Started
I've already shared with you the 6 Facebook metrics that you need to focus on to better understand your Facebook page performance. But understanding how you're performing is only the first step of the process.
What really matters is not only to understand the key metrics, but also to understand how you can improve them!
This article will focus more on how to improve the performance of your Facebook content with the fan base you already have. If you want to increase your fan base, you should check out this great article from Andrea Vahl.
By looking at each key Facebook metric individually, it's very hard to understand how you can improve it. But when you compare one metric to another relevant metric, you can see what's wrong.
How to Run a Facebook Timeline Promotion: 6 Tips for Success
Are you thinking of running a Facebook contest or promotion without using an app?
Would you like to run a contest or sweepstakes on your Facebook page timeline?
On August 27, Facebook made a major change to its promotion guidelines.
Although you can run a promotion directly on your Facebook page timeline without using a third-party app, there are several factors to address before you decide to run your contest.
In this article you'll discover six things to consider before setting up a contest on your Facebook timeline.
#1: Know How You Can and Can't Collect Entries
Facebook's new promotion rules and the accompanying guidelines are pretty straightforward.
You can collect entries by having users post on your page, message your page, comment on or like a page post and use likes as a voting mechanism.
In other words, you can ask users to enter by posting a photo on your page or in the comments on your post, and then select a winner based on which entry has the most likes.
You can ask users to enter with a message to your page, a post on your page or with a comment or like on your post, then randomly pick a winner.
You can also ask users to answer a question and pick the first correct response as your winner.
But you can't ask users to tag themselves in a photo they're not pictured in, ask users to share a post or ask users to post something on their own timelines or their friends' timelines.
How to Choose the Right Type of Facebook Contest
Are you thinking of launching a Facebook contest or giveaway?
Is your goal focused on recruiting new fans? Collecting qualified emails? Engaging your existing fan base?
How can you be sure the type of contest you choose fits your Page and your goals?
Choosing the right type of contest to run on Facebook can be a challenge.
To help you decide what will work best for your goals, here are six types of contests you can run on Facebook.
#1: Sweepstakes Campaigns
A sweepstakes is a great vehicle for collecting email addresses from existing or new fans.
Participants enter and a winner is chosen by a random draw on a specified date.
Sweepstakes are the contest of choice if you want to maximize the number of participants without spending a lot of time on the effort. But it has its drawbacks. Here's what you need to know:
How to Ensure Your Facebook Contests Attract Genuine Fans
Are you thinking of running a contest on Facebook?
Have you run a contest and had little success with retaining fans past the award date?
One goal of a successful Facebook contest should be to recruit fans who are genuinely interested in you, while avoiding the cheaters and faux fans who are only interested in material gain.
In this article you'll discover five tips to help ensure that your contests attract genuine fans.
#1: Award Appropriate Prizes
Don't offer attractive prizes that have nothing to do with your brand.
Everyone wants an iPad—not just your potential customers. A free vacation will not just attract fans who are interested in your beauty products, but pretty much anyone who sees the contest.
An appropriate award deflects the prize-hunters who hide your posts or unlike your Page as soon as the prizes have been awarded.
Offer a prize that interests your current or future customers. If your contest attracts entries from people who have no reason to become your customer, change it.
6 Facebook Metrics Marketers Should Be Measuring
Do you track your Facebook marketing?
Do you feel lost when you're looking at your Facebook Page statistics?
Well, you're not alone. Facebook metrics can be overwhelming and most Facebook Insights terminology is still hazy for many of us.
As a marketer, you know that what can be measured can be managed (and improved). So even if it seems complex, you need to measure your Facebook Page's performance.
What statistics should you measure on your Facebook Page?
First you'll want to focus on your Facebook post metrics. These are the only relevant indicators of the performance of your content. The other Facebook data can be misleading or gamed. But it's very hard to trick individual post metrics.
Here are the six key metrics you need to track to understand your Facebook Page performance, why you need them and where to find them.
#1: Fan Reach
Fan reach simply corresponds to the number of fans of your Page who have seen any given post. This is "organic" reach, which means that it only records the views that occurred directly, and not through an action of a friend of a fan (such as a like, share or comment). The views that result from a friend's actions are recorded in "viral" views.
How to Triple Your YouTube Video Views With Facebook
Do you want more people to watch your YouTube videos?
Are you looking for an easy way to improve the quality of the content you share on Facebook?
All you need is some great content and a cool Facebook technique that I recently discovered.
A Quick Overview
This technique lets you automatically attach your videos to the updates that appear on Facebook after someone likes content on your website.
By leveraging Facebook's Open Graph and using this technique, I've seen phenomenal results!
I shared this tactic with a brand operating in the travel industry and they generated more than one million aggregated views of their product videos on YouTube (and significant website traffic) in a matter of weeks.


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In Turkey Tetrazzini, Thanksgiving leftovers go from burden to blessing
It combines common holiday leftovers with some delicious add-ins to create a dish you can freeze, then, sometime in January, bake and enjoy the delayed fruits of your labor.
Tomato soup, the super sweet, gelatinous red goo that comes in a can, used to comfort me, especially when served with a grilled cheese sandwich for dunking.
But I've realized that it is the memory of that soup, not its reality that I crave. In fact, the last time I tried it, it didn't taste very good at all. It was vaguely metallic, definitely sweeter than I wanted and certainly lacking any real tomato flavor.
I'm not usually a fan of fresh tomato soups either. I think it's because I expect the childhood version but what I'm usually served is a heavy, overly spiced substitute that tastes like sauce, not soup.
My mom used to love stewed tomatoes — just tomatoes, perhaps with a little salt and pepper, preferably from the garden that have been peeled and stewed, then finished with a generous pat of butter. She'd smack her lips as she ate a steamy bowl with a slice of white bread.
I never liked those much either.
So for a while, I lived without. And as for the grilled cheese, it's not exactly a model for healthy eating, so I lived without that, too.
But then I gave Classic Tomato Soup a try. I first saw it in an issue of "Everyday Food" magazine, then somehow I lost it. I conducted to no avail a couple of half-hearted searches through my stack of food magazines and then gave up. Then one day, when I was looking for something else, there it was. I gave it a try.
It called for thyme, which I left out, and for canned, whole tomatoes. I substituted puree that I'd home-canned from my garden crop. It also called for using an immersion blender to finish the soup, but since I'd use the puree, I skipped that step as well.
It was delicious, a smooth, tomato-full broth punctuated by bits of chopped onion, not as sweet as the canned original, but rich and fresh — a taste of the summer with the warm steamy comfort we crave in the fall.
Sometime later, I read a column by Mark Bittman, a food writer for The New York Times and the author of "How to Cook Everything." He's a wonderful writer and cook who uses simple techniques and delicious ingredients to make food that's good for us and the planet.
It was one of his stream of consciousness columns, where he lists a million short ideas for great combinations of food. It was called "101 Simple Salads for the Season." My heart skipped a beat when I read: "Make a crisp grilled cheese sandwich, with good bread and not too much good cheese. Let it cool, then cut into croutons. Put them on anything, but especially tomato and basil salad. This you will do forever."
Well, they are good on a tomato and basil salad, but they are positively triumphant when you plop them, one or two at a time, into your bowl of this Classic Tomato Soup. You really do have to make the sandwich crispy, on good bread, without too much cheese, just like he says. It also helps to press the sandwich as you brown it. For extra crispiness, after you cut the sandwich into croutons, throw them back into the pan and let them crisp again on both sides. An added bonus? If you cut the croutons on the small side, you can share a sandwich without feeling deprived.
I'm still harvesting and enjoying tomatoes from my garden, but if you don't have a plot of your own, local farmers markets and produce stands still have plenty of this season's tomatoes for sale. Go get some before it's too late.
Classic Tomato Soup
4 tablespoons (half a stick) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 sprigs fresh thyme (I omit)
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cans (28-ounces each) whole, peeled tomatoes, in juice, with basil, if available, that you've broken up with your fingers (I use fresh tomatoes, pureed through a food mill so that skin and seeds are removed. No basil.)
In a 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat; add oil and onion, season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
To saucepan, add thyme (if using), broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, 30 minutes.
If you used the thyme, remove the sprigs. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot, leaving a fair amount of the tomatoes in chunks. Or, working in several batches, puree half the soup (about 5 cups) in a conventional blender until smooth; return to pot. (If using tomato puree, you may skip this step and enjoy the pieces of onion, or you may blend the soup smooth.) Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, perhaps with Mark Bittman's grilled cheese croutons. For the croutons, Bittman says, "Make a crisp grilled cheese sandwich, with good bread and not too much good cheese. Let it cool, then cut into croutons."
Original recipes from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine, and Mark Bittman's "Simple Cooking" column in the New York Times.
Jill Blanchette works at night at The Day. Share comments or recipes with her at firstname.lastname@example.com.
It combines common holiday leftovers with some delicious add-ins to create a dish you can freeze, then, sometime in January, bake and enjoy the delayed fruits of your labor.
Butternut squash pie seems to have fallen by the wayside but when I was a kid, we never ate pumpkin pie. It was always squash.
You don't have to shove tradition aside entirely, you just have to add some delicious food that doesn't contain meat, and some other great meatless dishes that don't call for dairy products.
This coarse, hulled wheat with an Italian pedigree brings a rather neutral flavor, but a delightfully chewy texture to the party.
It isn't always true that when I have that reaction to a recipe, I am rewarded with deliciousness when I prepare it. But sometimes, as with this soup, my gustatory instincts are spot on.
Pea soup, for me, is a natural choice this time of year. It's inexpensive. It's easy to make. And it helps me remember that I should never judge anything by what it looks like.
So now that I'm staring down the throat of winter and feel the first frost looming like a full moon over Fishers Island Sound, the thought of losing one flavorful leaf is unbearable.
I prefer them roasted, which preserves all that umami sweetness and royal purple-pink color.
You're going to need hostess gifts and a little something for teachers, co-workers, friends and family, so why not turn the overabundance now into thoughtful, delicious presents you'll be so happy to have on hand later.
My mom and dad anticipated the arrival of those bright yellow, bumpy gems the way the rest of us looked forward to Christmas.
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Morocco's coming elections pose a litmus test
Anouar BoukharsConstitutions matter, but what matters more is what people do with them. Saudi Arabia will lead
Nawaf ObaidIran and al-Qaeda, the kingdom's two primary foes, have been seriously weakened. Jordan: a profit and loss statement
Oraib Al-RantawiJordan should be fully aware that the second decade of the millennium belongs to political Islam throughout the region. The Saudi trinity: oil, God and security
Madawi al-Rasheed Fermenting discontent within society could erupt in violent ways.
Morocco's coming elections pose a litmus test
Anouar Boukhars
After Tunisia's historic election, it is now Morocco's turn to gear up for early polls and try to replicate that dramatic achievement in democracy. Such a feat will naturally be hard to pull off in Morocco where the population is not as motivated to vote as it was in Tunisia. Pluralities are still skeptical that the election will bring change they can believe in. Political parties have so far failed to inspire hope for real political change. The Herculean task of gaining voters' confidence and trust is amply visible in the campaign for the November 25 legislative elections. Very few Moroccans believe that Morocco's established political parties can take advantage of the opportunities that the new Moroccan political pact offers.
Despite its failure to significantly limit the king's powers, the 2011 constitution provides a margin of political maneuverability that did not previously exist. Most importantly, it enhances legislative capacity and access to the policy realm, and desacralizes the sovereign's acts and power. Under the proposed reforms, parliament--which had long been relatively weak--now has the potential to play a more assertive role. The key question, then, is whether Morocco's political parties are up to the task and ready to push the democratic envelope on constitutionally permissive activities. Constitutions matter, but what matters more is what people do with them.
Thus far, most political parties have failed to generate popular enthusiasm and interest. Even the most credible opposition political party, the Party of Justice and Development, pains to convince voters of its capacity to effectively shape the development and governance trajectories of the kingdom. Senior figures in this Islamist party have expressed to me their concern about low voter turnout. Besides undermining the legitimacy of the elections, low participation would seriously impact the party's chances of winning the parliamentary contest. The electoral law with its malapportionment favors rural areas, where the Islamists have almost no support and where turnout is always much higher than in urban areas. The PJD cannot compensate for this weakness unless it over-performs on election day in its strongholds in urban areas. That probably cannot happen without higher turnout.
The regime must also be concerned about low turnouts and the impact that might have on popular perceptions of the meaningfulness of elections and legitimacy of political institutions. Confidence in electoral processes is critical to the success of the political reforms recently inaugurated in Morocco. Mohammed VI clearly placed his bet on measured reforms to reduce social tensions and lift the country's political malaise. By placing himself at the center of the reform debates, the monarch quickly claimed the mantle of the political change the protesters demanded and positioned himself as the leading driver of the reform process. But despite broad support for the king's reform effort, most Moroccans I interviewed expect that the reform process should lead quickly to accountable and responsible governance, and low levels of economic inequality. Unless immediate remedial measures are taken to prevent corruption in the public sphere and redress the glaring social and economic disparities, Morocco is poised to experience tough times ahead. Unemployment figures are already dangerously high, standing at 31.4 percent for those under 35. Young people in this age bracket also constitute 57 percent of the 13 million Moroccans that are registered to vote.
As it stands, it would be unrealistic to expect a high turnout in the November election. Morocco is just emerging from the legacy of monarchical dominance of politics that contributed little to the real institutionalization of pluralistic politics and strengthening of broad-based representative institutions. The rushed electoral schedule also has complicated the parties' task as it left little time for them to hold their conventions, hone their electoral programs, and showcase that--in this historic time of regional change--they are determined to renew themselves. Despite these challenges, it is extremely crucial that the elections are perceived as fair and free from the manipulative practices of vote buying and other undue influences.
The electoral integrity of the contest will boost the credibility of elections and legitimacy of the newly-reformed institutions of the state. Only free and fair elections, Saadeddine Othmani of the PJD told me, can produce the new political elite the country so badly needs. It is also these elites that would be tasked with drafting the many "organic laws" that the new constitution stipulates. In other words, transitional periods, as Morocco is currently experiencing, are naturally characterized by limited levels of democracy and low popular participation, but as civic consciousness rises and free and fair political competition becomes fully routinized, potent political parties and civil society actors are bound to emerge, strengthening in the process the institutions of government and driving levels of democracy up.
The Moroccan regime has navigated quite successfully the treacherous times of the Arab awakening, though its institutional reforms did not gain the acquiescence of the February 20 protest movement, which remains fractured, disorganized, and lacking popular support. Nevertheless, the monarchy would be advised to take seriously the demands of the protesters, especially those dealing with corruption, rule of law, and public accountability. That starts with the November 25 elections, where over 30 parties will be competing for 395 seats, 70 of which are reserved for women and younger deputies.
King Mohammed has declared his commitment to substantive reforms and democratization. The stakes are considerable. If constitutional reforms lead to separation of powers and independence of the legislature and judiciary, the regional implications could indeed be significant. Morocco can become one of the Arab spring's great successes and a model for other monarchies to emulate. If the Moroccan transition stalls, then the struggle for democratization in the kingdom might start to take different forms, especially if the revolutions in neighboring Tunisia, Libya and Egypt succeed in creating efficient democratic forms of government.-Published 17/11/2011 © bitterlemons-international.orgAnouar Boukhars is assistant professor of political science and international studies at McDaniel College in Maryland.
Since the chaos of the so-called "Arab spring" began last January, the centrality of Saudi Arabia to the region's security and stability has only been enhanced. It is true that the unrest has brought challenges for the kingdom, chief among them regional instability and the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Nevertheless, over the long term the kingdom is well-positioned to emerge from this period with a stronger diplomatic hand and a more robust strategic position. As the Saudi government continues to use its resources to enhance the welfare of its people and stabilize the Arab world, its stature will grow while that of extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and rogue states like Iran will wither.
Despite the rhetoric in the West, the so-called Arab spring has ushered in a period of hardship across the region. Tens of thousands of civilians have died and the collapse of long-standing regimes has created a power vacuum where tribal resentment and regional rivalries take priority over national unity. The prospect of protracted civil war in these societies is real, especially given their vast stockpiles of unsecured weapons. Although some countries are at greater risk than others, the story is playing out in some form across the entire region. Even in cosmopolitan Egypt, which has historically had a deep national identity and was well-integrated into the global economy, early indications are that the Muslim Brotherhood is poised to dominate in the first post-Mubarak government. At the moment, there is no central authority in Egypt, and all the major organs of government save the army have collapsed.
These developments provide difficulties for Saudi Arabia because they have destabilized the region. The possibility that weapons will be easier to obtain in coming years is troubling, as is the prospect of the Muslim Brotherhood's rise. But even in this context, the kingdom has enjoyed stability and prosperity. The Saudi leadership recently oversaw a successful Hajj in which three million Muslims took part, including about two million visitors from outside the country. Despite warnings from some quarters, no unrest was seen during this pilgrimage. On the political front, the routinization of succession was demonstrated when the process proceeded in an orderly fashion after the death of Crown Prince Sultan.
More important than the challenges posed by regional unrest are the benefits to Saudi Arabia. The most important derives from the fact that Iran and al-Qaeda--the kingdom's two primary foes--have been seriously weakened by the waves of protest. Iran had staked its strategy in the Arab world on its ties to the Syrian government and the strength of Hizballah, its Lebanese proxy. However, the uprising against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has dramatically weakened Iran's position. Assad is Iran's most vocal ally in the Arab League and when he inevitably loses power, Iran will have no Arab representative for its interests. The loss of the Assad regime will degrade Hizballah's ability to organize within Lebanon and to threaten regional stability. At the same time, the unrest has helped cement the historical ties between the Saudi leadership and the Arab tribes that constitute the majority of Syria's population. Saudi Arabia led the regional diplomatic effort against the Assad regime and was the first major nation to withdraw its ambassador and suspend all contacts with the Syrian government.
The unrest has also weakened al-Qaeda, a group that declared war on the kingdom years before it began its campaign against the West. Although it has tried to co-opt the protest movements with desperate shows of rhetorical support, al-Qaeda has been completely absent from the demonstrations and has played no role in bringing down any of the regimes. This is significant because its decades-long campaign of violence was aimed explicitly at overthrowing leaders like Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia's Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. In many cases, peaceful protesters accomplished in less than a month what al-Qaeda could not do during the past 15 years. This has discredited the movement's ideology, which over the long run helps eliminate one of the kingdom's key foes.
Into the power vacuum that has appeared, Saudi Arabia's vast economic and financial resources have provided it with a unique capability to aid those that have been affected by the recent unrest. The United States and Europe are unable to provide the financial assistance that these countries need, given the severe fiscal problems that they themselves face. Saudi Arabia on the other hand has already pledged over $15 billion in assistance to various Arab countries, with more likely to follow. In addition to financial support, the kingdom's defense support for the Bahraini government against Iranian-backed protesters was key to maintaining stability in that island nation.
There is no doubt that the unrest that has shaken the Arab world over the past year has created many difficulties for the region, most notably the possibility of continued civil conflict, the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the danger of unsecured weapons. But due to its growing strength and unshaken stability, Saudi Arabia is in a unique position to lead through this challenging period. When the dust from the regional upheavals settles, Iran, al-Qaeda, and the enemies of stability will find themselves weakened and the Saudi kingdom will lead in transforming the so-called Arab spring's bitter autumn harvest into a new era of peace and stability in the Arab world.-Published 17/11/2011 © bitterlemons-international.orgNawaf Obaid is senior fellow at King Faisal Center for Research & Islamic Studies in Riyadh.
Jordan can neither join a list of winners benefiting from the "Arab spring" nor join a list of losers. It has incurred both profits and losses, even as its final statement of account is still being processed. Most probably, this statement will not be finalized until a clear picture has emerged of the changes and transitions taking place in various Arab countries, especially Syria.
When we speak of Jordan, we mean the Jordanian regime per se. Until around April of this year, the regime was on shaky ground due to losing key allies in Egypt and Tunisia. Strong revolutionary winds seemed to be sweeping Amman and the capital cities of other moderate Arab states. An express train of change seemed to be moving at high speed from one capital to another, uprooting ostensibly "well-established" regimes. It had occurred to no one that these regimes would collapse so promptly and effortlessly.
Then the "express train" parked for a long time at its Libya station, where it faced ferocious resistance by the regime and its forces. Moreover, the regime in Yemen could not be toppled. And Bahrain's leaders, with direct military support from Saudi Arabia and additional Gulf countries as well as Jordan, were able to contain the "intifada" of that country's Shiite majority.
These developments helped the Jordanian regime dismiss fears of comprehensive and unexpected change and cool down the momentum of protests that emerged in parallel with the Arab revolts. As the revolutionary wave struck Syria, and Damascus became the focus of international attention in the aftermath of the Gaddafi regime's collapse, Jordan and the Gulf countries appeared more resilient. Indeed, the Jordanian regime can boast that not a single person has been killed throughout an entire year of protests and demonstrations. This is striking, considering the accelerated level of violence employed by the Syrian authorities next door in oppressing the people's protests and the consequent rising toll of dead and injured Syrians.
The regime in Jordan has succeeded in opening the doors wide for the option of political reform. That reform might be incomplete or insufficient, but it remains the best and the most daring compared with all other initiatives launched by Arab regimes and governments.
Still, there are three developments that have not yet matured or crystallized. At the end of the day, it is these developments that will decide if Jordan's profit and loss scale tilts toward the winners or losers list.
Firstly, the Arab Islamic movements have witnessed a phase of resurrection and are poised to accede to or share power in a number of Arab countries, including Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria. This is bound to impact the future relationship between the regime in Amman and the Jordanian Islamic movement (Muslim Brotherhood); undoubtedly, that impact will favor the Islamists. Accordingly, one can say that Jordan should be fully aware that the second decade of the third millennium belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam throughout the region. Can Jordan be an exception to this rule?
Secondly, strong opposition blocs have begun to dominate the Jordanian tribes that constitute the historical backbone of the regime and its traditional base of loyalty. During the past ten months, the populous (Transjordan) areas have witnessed the emergence of youth and social action movements that strongly oppose the regime. The king's power and authority have been heavily challenged by Jordanian tribal figures and youth groups. It has become clear to all that the increasing calls for a constitutional monarchy hide a strong inclination to consecrate the "Jordanian identity" of the ruling system and the state in Jordan and that, for the first time, this inclination has collided with the "Hashemite identity and agenda" instead of challenging the Palestinian identity--which was the case for decades in the past.
Thirdly, we encounter a fear strongly and publicly voiced by ruling circles in Jordan regarding the failure and collapse of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and the deteriorating likelihood of the emergence of a viable Palestinian state. This fear depicts a solution for the Palestinian cause outside Palestine and at the expense of Jordan. Many Jordanians, including the king himself, are warning that Israel could exploit instability in Jordan and the region--that it could in fact promote instability to generate a state of "creative anarchy" that generates substantial change in Jordan--whereupon Jordan with its Palestinian majority would become the scene of the liquidation of the Palestinian cause.
This scenario used to be the scarecrow used by some Jordanian politicians to score local political gains. Now it is mainstream Jordanian, with the king personally warning of the inclination of the mainstream of the Hebrew state, led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, to embrace the "alternative homeland" plan and solve the Palestinian issue in Jordan. This is an unprecedented development that will have repercussions for both the peace process and Jordanian-Israeli relations.
In brief, the Arab revolts that have reshuffled the rules of the game and caused an imbalance in relations and balances among powers in the region require Jordan to tread cautiously in a field of "landmines" and unforeseen events. The moderate Arab camp has become weaker, yet the resistance camp at the other end of the Arab spectrum is nearly dismantled and its impact fading.
None of us can predict the future of Arab political systems. No one can foresee what attitudes and policies will be adopted. Yet one fact appears to be true amidst the fog of the moment: the regime in Jordan is no longer capable of ruling on the basis of its old media, tactics, alliances and tools.-Published 17/11/2011 © bitterlemons-international.orgOraib Al-Rantawi is director of Al-Quds Center for Political Studies, Amman.
With the winds of the "Arab spring" still blowing across the region, internally Saudi Arabia seems to have put in place three safeguards against the turbulence. Lavish economic handouts worth more than $70 billion were promised in February to absorb discontent. A package of economic, social, health and educational benefits was meant to absorb immediate frustration at lack of housing, jobs, health facilities, and welfare services. The regime promised more employment opportunities in two relevant sectors: the religious bureaucracy and the security services. The first absorbs the increasing number of graduates who cannot be employed in the private sector. The second strengthens the increasing militarization of Saudi society.
But this was still not enough. Religiously-sanctioned obedience to rulers had to be re-invoked to remind the constituency of a godly obligation. From the minarets of mosques, religious functionaries of the regime preached sermons in which they reminded their audiences of the obligation to obey God, the Prophet and the al-Saud rulers. They warned against demonstrations, civil disobedience and open criticism of the leadership. They glorified the current leadership for its adherence to Islam, and warned against chaos. They vehemently denounced Shiites for their agitations in the Eastern Province, where oil is abundant. Any call for demonstrations was depicted as a Shiite Iranian conspiracy against a pious Sunni nation. They called on the believers to support the rulers, much needed at a turbulent moment. Increasing sectarianism within Saudi Arabia is a reflection of an on-going cold war with Iran.
With the fall of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, Saudi Arabia lost a close ally against its enemy of three decades. The Arab spring is perceived by the Saudi leadership as an opportunity for Iran to increase its penetration of Arab countries and civil society. Agitation in Bahrain was definitely seen by the Saudis as yet another example of Iran's growing influence and ability to stir up trouble in a neighboring Gulf country with a Shiite majority. With the support of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Saudis sent troops to help the al-Khalifa rulers against the pro-democracy movement, allegedly an arm of the Iranian regime. The Saudis consider their intervention an important measure to roll back Iranian influence. In Bahrain, for the moment, they seem to have been the winners in their on-going confrontation with Iran. But in Syria, the situation is still unresolved. For the Saudis, the protest in Syria is another opportunity to win Syria back to the Arab fold, after President Bashar Assad increasingly drifted towards Iran. So sectarianism seems to work at two levels: repel Iranian influence and silence dissidence at home. Saudi conservative and anti-Shiite religious tradition is an effective policy against both internal dissidents and external foes.
Saudi Arabia's last step was to tighten security just in case oil and God failed to produce the desired acquiescence. A digital "Day of Rage" was announced on March 11. While Saudi opposition calls were gathering momentum in the virtual world, a different reality was unfolding on the ground. Saudi security forces were mobilized in the main cities. This amounted to a state of emergency with troops on the ground and helicopters flying low in the sky. An atmosphere of intimidation was soon established. The calls failed miserably to attract demonstrators. But hundreds of activists were arrested, including several Shiite and Sunni agitators. Two petitions calling for more political participation, constitutional rule, and social justice remained unanswered. The regime responded by introducing a new terrorism law that criminalizes any open criticism of the king and the grand mufti.
For the moment, these three Saudi regime strategies seem to have absorbed the wave of real turbulence made apparent as a result of the Arab spring. Digital activism never stopped, providing a great cathartic service to a population denied the basic principles of freedom. However, with internal protest crushed and apparent western silence over political reform, the Saudi regime seems to be comfortable in the short term. The regime deployed classical strategies to contain protest. Religious bans on demonstrations and sectarian discourse against the Shiites appealed to the Sunni majority and ensured a momentary truce between the regime and the multiple and disorganized voices calling for political reform. Heavy policing, together with tailored economic benefits rewarding those who had expressed strong support for the regime--mainly the religious establishment and the coercive forces--led to reluctance to engage in real protest.
But in an opaque country like Saudi Arabia, one is bound to believe that discontent among substantial sections in society that occasionally manifests itself through virtual activism and petitions is currently fermenting underground.
Despite revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria, it seems that Saudi Arabia is still lagging behind in terms of the structural conditions for real mobilization leading to organization and protest. The conditions that triggered revolt elsewhere, for example economic and social deprivation, in addition to political oppression and corruption, are all present in Saudi Arabia. But these conditions are not sufficient to precipitate a revolt. Saudi Arabia does not have organized trade unions, a women's movement or an active student population. These were the three important structural factors that made it possible for the virtual Egyptian and Tunisian protests to move from the virtual world to the ground.
The Saudi case attests to the limits of cyber-utopianism, the euphoria surrounding the so-called Twitter and Facebook revolutions. In addition to the three regime strategies deployed to thwart protest, the failure of the Arab spring to reach Saudi Arabia is a function of energy, lack of experience with rudimentary forms of democracy and civil society, and the monarchy's unconditional support from western governments.
But sometimes when all appears to be quiet on the eastern front, fermenting discontent within society could erupt in violent ways. In Saudi Arabia's continuous climate of oppression and secrecy, violence practiced by both state and sections of society is often an indication of deep-rooted problems. The Arab spring may be delayed in Saudi Arabia but its winds could yet blow over one of the least democratic and most opaque countries in the Arab world. In the absence of a tradition of peaceful protest and with religiously-sanctioned bans on such protest, violence against the regime and society by disenchanted groups may again become the only option--as it had been over the last century.
The Arab spring has both deprived Saudi Arabia of loyal allies such as Mubarak and put the kingdom face-to-face with the rising Iranian challenge. The outcome of the Saudi-Iranian cold war will definitely be determined not in Bahrain but in Syria, a larger and more important strategic country. It remains to be seen whether Saudi Arabia can claim victory in a war of attrition that has been brewing for more than three decades. At least for the moment, the home front seems to be quiet.-Published 17/11/2011 © bitterlemons-international.orgMadawi al-Rasheed is a professor at King's College in London.


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The United Way of El Paso County on Tuesday honored more than 120 companies at its 2013 appreciation luncheon and 90th anniversary celebration.
More than 400 people gathered for the event at the El Paso Marriott, 1600 Airway.
El Paso Electric, Western Refining, AT&T, UPS, Texas Gas Service, El Paso Water Utilities, GECU, WestStar Bank, Johnson & Johnson and the University Medical Center were among those honored for their involvement, financial contributions and partnerships with United Way.
Chairman Victor Nevarez, who has been involved in the organization for about 30 years, said it's important to recognize all the contributors who have helped United Way assist others throughout the community.
"It takes a whole city to support all the agencies that we support," Nevarez said. This year, United Way is funding 37 nonprofit organizations in El Paso under more than 50 programs.
"It's important to recognize all our donors and show them that their money is going to the causes that they are given and that we are making a difference in our community," Nevarez said.
According to the United Way's 2012-13 financial report, out of the $4.7 million raised, 75 percent was from individuals, 13 percent from corporations, 6.8 percent from grants and foundations and 4.3 percent from other sources.
The United Way has invested nearly $700,000 in education and $800,000 in basic services, the report shows.
Because El Paso has a high poverty rate, a lot of social problems need to be confronted, Nevarez said. United Way works to ensure people in need become productive members of the community, he said.
Three of its main goals are to ensure children have the skills to be successful in school, and families live in a safe environment and become financially stable, he said.
2013 United Way of El Paso Awards included:
- Chairman's Award: Rosa Sotelo of Western Refining and Teresa Alarcon of UPS.
- Alicia R. Chacon Award: The Salvation Army.
- Solidarity Award: Lucilla Clarke of El Paso Federation of Teachers and Support Personnel.
- Community Partnership Award: El Paso Electric.
- Live United Award--Volunteer: AT&T.
- Live United Award--Advocate: Justice of the Peace Brian Haggerty.
- Live United Award--Give: Western Refining.
Aileen B. Flores may be reached at email@example.com; 546-6362.