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Unless your team is in contention, you probably watch the Super Bowl for the commercials—to see what sort of clever plays on words or humorous images emerge from Madison Avenue when money is no obstacle. But cleverness aside (my personal favorites are the Mac versus PC ads), there aren't a whole lot of positives emanating from the advertising industry, whose primary aim is to make you feel so good about yourself—or, more typically, so bad—that you will buy products and services that you don't really need with cash you don't really have. With that in mind, take this trip with me through the dark side of the advertising world: everything you ever wanted to know about the topic, from A to Z.
Anatomy of an Ad
Apparently, Old Spice—the cologne of salty sailors everywhere—was beginning to feel the heat from such "hip" new body sprays as Axe and TAG. How else to explain this attempt to refashion the brand's crusty reputation, employing its competitors' shameless use of sexual imagery to sell what is essentially male perfume?
Here's what the ad is telling you:
• Of course, it all starts with the photo, a young woman in a classic pornographic pose: face flushed, eyes closed, mouth open, tongue flattened and protruding. The purpose here is clearly to awaken sexual desire in the male viewer, and the phallic ice cream cone only confirms this impression.
• The picture is framed by the color red, the most emotionally intense of all colors, known to stimulate a faster heartbeat and shortened breath. Red is also a color associated with love and lust. Its inclusion is meant to intensify an already rousing scene.
• According to the Gutenberg Diagram of English-language reading patterns, when confronted with an ad, your eyes move from its top-left corner to its bottom-right corner in a diagonal path. The first thing you read is thus the text on top, which in this case serves two purposes: First and foremost, it reinforces the sexual message, calling special attention to the color of the ice cream—just in case you missed it. But the text also initiates what's called "interpellation," the procedure by which a viewer is "hailed" or "named." Here you are being identified as one who sees sex in everything, even where it's not.
• This is the second bit of text that you are meant to read. The admonition to "keep it clean" refers both to the purpose of the cologne and your supposed "misreading" of the photograph. The irony here is intentional and part of the interpellation process; Old Spice presents you with a photograph that is provocative and then chastises you for finding it so. It's a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" tactic meant to suggest the exact opposite of what the ad actually says: namely, that you should most definitely NOT "keep it clean," since that's how an Old Spice guy rolls.
• Most likely the third block of text that you will read, these two sentences ensure that the ad's irony is understood. Indeed, the descriptors "attractive" and "sultry" draw attention back to the woman in order to assure you that your lust is warranted.
• Note that Old Spice did not change its logo, probably for the sake of brand recognition, but did decide to crop off the bottom in keeping with contemporary graphic design. "This may be Old Spice," the logo seems to say, "but it sure ain't the Old Spice that your grandfather once used," a sentiment with which those old enough to remember the brand's comparatively innocuous "whistling-sailor" ads will readily concur.
Those shocking and scandalous fashion ads found in Vogue and Cosmo? It all started back in 1982 when Italian clothier Benetton hired photographer Oliviero Toscani and gave him carte blanche to direct its print advertising campaign. Over the next eighteen years, Toscani gradually replaced pictures of the brand's product—brightly colored sweaters and accessories—with a politically correct barrage of inflammatory photographs. Lowlights included photographs of an exposed black woman breast-feeding a white baby, an African guerilla holding a Kalashnikov and a human leg bone, masculine and feminine genitalia, a priest kissing a nun on the lips, and a black stallion mounting a white mare—all accompanied by the Benetton logo. According to company founder Luciano Benetton, the purpose of such ads was "not to sell more" but "to communicate the company's values," though Benetton quickly dumped both Toscani and his controversial photographs once profits began to plummet in 2000. Even so, the damage had been done, and high-fashion advertising has never been the same.
Calvin Klein
What Benetton did for obscenity, Calvin Klein continues to do for kiddy porn. Beginning in 1980, when a 15-year-old Brooke Shields told television viewers that "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins," the company has tried everything short of sexualizing infants in its lecherous ad campaigns. After Shields, there was the child-like Kate Moss hawking Obsession perfume, followed by the pubescent models used to sell Calvin Klein jeans on a set intended to suggest that of a low-budget porn shoot, complete with a salacious off-camera voice urging the kids to take off their clothes. When the latter ads were eventually pulled, due to a US Justice Department investigation, the brand launched a children's underwear line whose ads featured elementary school children dancing together in their skivvies. The resulting public furor ended this campaign after only 24 hours, but its availability online should fuel the fantasies of child molesters everywhere for many years to come.
Dolce & Gabbana
Topping off our list of fashion-ad misdeeds are those produced on behalf of gay clothing designers—and onetime couple— Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, which pretty much epitomize the high-fashion push to represent the avant-garde via disturbing print advertisements. Three of the company's most recent ads are enough to prove the point. In the first, which premiered in the March 2006 issue of Esquire magazine, a man stands with his pants down around his ankles while another man kneels on the floor before him in a simulation of oral sex. The second ad, from earlier this year, depicts a woman held to the ground by a bare-chested man who clearly intends to rape her, while several other men—likewise with their shirts off—look on. And then there is the most bizarre of the three advertisements: a photographic tableau suggestive of a baroque painting that portrays one gentlemen in the act of stabbing another, a third individual wielding a gun, and a fourth dead and bleeding on the floor. One wonders whether such perplexing shock tactics will continue to escalate among fashion advertisers, as well as to what extent they have already polluted the psyches of consumers.
Eating Disorders
American author and diplomat Clare Boothe Luce once stated that "advertising has done more to cause the social unrest of the twentieth century than any other single factor." No doubt part of the unrest that Luce had in mind was the destructive effect that ads have had on female body images. Currently, eight million Americans are wrestling with eating disorders, and among college-age women, bulimia afflicts nearly one in every five. Meanwhile, 75% of all women consider themselves overweight, and 90% overestimate their body size. And when asked to what they compare themselves to arrive at such warped self-assessments, the answer is almost invariably the models depicted in advertisements. Keep in mind now that today's fashion models weigh 23% less than the average female; indeed, a woman between the ages of 18 and 34 has only a 1% chance of ever being as thin as a supermodel. Even so, a study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 69% of young girls appeal to magazine models as their idea of the perfect body shape. Another research study, conducted by Sandra Key and Maryclaire Lindgren, subjected 118 college-age girls to twenty advertisements from women's magazines and then noted signs of depression in each one of them—the same sort of depression, the researchers argue, that can eventually lead to disordered eating habits.
Science fiction describes dystopian futures to get us to curb the destructive tendencies of the present. Once you mix sci-fi with advertising, however, you get a whole different beast, as evidenced by the current Svedka vodka ad campaign. Perhaps you've seen a few of the billboards; they feature a disturbingly voluptuous robot and the tagline, "The Future of Adult Entertainment," a double entendre meaning both that Svedka will eventually become the most popular way to have fun among grown-ups and that fembots like "SvedkaGrl," the name of this particular leggy android, will ultimately service human sexual needs. As if that weren't disconcerting enough, the ads also come with a bit of cultural commentary, as in "Svedka. The choice of the stem cell baby boomer generation in 2033"; "Svedka says 'thank you' for making the gay man's gene available over-the-counter in 2033"; and "Svedka toasts Hollywood for making celebrity worship the fastest growing religion." So not only do these advertisements forecast an immoral future of self-gratification and vice, but they revel in it; indeed, Svedka is banking on its association with such depravity to sell its value-brand vodka, and increased sales would seem to indicate that the tactic is working. Now, the porn site Nerve.com is commissioning sixteen writers, including Jay McInerney, Rick Moody, and Joel Stein, to write original stories based on the ads. Apparently, there's also a literary market out there for mechanized prostitution. The future indeed looks grim.
Guerilla Marketing
In this age of marketing saturation and new media outlets, advertisers have had to find new ways to shill their products. The average American is already exposed to more than 3000 ads a day, and that number is only going to grow as the guerrilla marketing trend continues to peak. For those who have been living under a rock the past twenty years, guerrilla marketing is the use of cheap, unconventional means to promote products, quite often leaving the target audience unaware that they have even been marketed to. Its popularity is quickly translating into a culture of near-constant promotion, not to mention a citizenry who conceive of themselves, primarily, as either consumptive entities or the creators thereof. Here are just a few of the guerrilla marketing campaigns to which you may have already fallen victim:
• Earlier this year, the Cartoon Network placed magnetic light displays around Boston that depicted characters from its television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The displays were mistaken for explosive devices, and several subway stations and bridges, as well as a portion of Interstate 93, were shut down as a result.
• In late 2002, entrepreneur Justin Kapust launched the organization Headvertise. Its purpose? To transform college students into human billboards by running advertisements on their foreheads. Soon thereafter, eBay likewise began hosting auctions for such premium ad space, and now many are tattooing themselves with company logos and catchphrases in exchange for cash.
• When the company Essential Reality began selling its "P-5 Glove," an innovative videogame controller, in 2004, they decided to market it guerrilla-style, planting users of the glove in various coffee shops around the country and equipping them with a readymade set of sound bites. Unsuspecting "customers" were lured into trying the product without ever knowing that their conversations were staged.
• Sony paid individuals in 2005 to paint black-on-white graffiti on subway walls in Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York, and several other large US cities. The "ads" depicted an anime-style cartoon character "riding a PlayStation like a skateboard, licking it like a lollipop, or cranking it like a Jack-in-the Box." Philadelphia eventually sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sony, citing several zoning violations.
• New York ad agency Interference, which traffics exclusively in guerrilla marketing, helped relaunch About.com in 2005 by leaving voicemail at three in the morning for 10,000 people in the entertainment, media, and internet industries. The messages featured only a female voice asking, "Hello, is there anybody out there?"
It's no secret that what advertisers promise to consumers above all else is happiness. Think about those creepy Enzyte commercials, the ones with naturally enhanced Bob and his perpetual smile: an exaggeration, to be sure, but not far off from the über-contentment peddled by the average advertisement. But here's where the irony kicks in; according to current happiness research, advertising itself is one of the leading contributors to widespread unhappiness, causing most people to feel less well-off than they actually are. Baylor University marketing professor James Roberts argues that "the research is overwhelmingly clear. The more materialistic you are, the less happy you are," a fact that even some governments are beginning to acknowledge. In the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, for example, where policy stems from an ongoing assessment of Gross National Happiness, most street advertising is banned. Meanwhile, in the UK, the National Consumer Council (NCC) is attempting to ban advertising to children younger than ten on the grounds that it makes them despondent. Such increasing recognition of advertising's depressing effects is also impacting American attitudes toward consumerism. Indeed, one recent survey conducted by Juliet Schor of Boston College found that a whopping "81 percent of Americans say the country is too focused on shopping and spending." Dare we dream of the day when the "inalienable right" to pursue happiness likewise includes freedom from Madison Avenue?
The latest demographic to have advertisers all in a twitter is the 0-to-2 market, which some experts estimate spends $20 billion a year. It all began with the success of Teletubbies, the PBS television show that started targeting the pre-rugrat crowd in 1998, and the program's resultant merchandising deals. And then came the Baby Einstein videos, which still promise to make geniuses of the 27% of infants who now own one, followed by the British-based BabyTV, an entire network devoted to programming for children under two. Needless to say, TV is the major culprit in manufacturing an infant market. Today, 26% of kids under two have televisions in their bedrooms, and 68% of this same age group watch some sort of screen media for an average of more than two hours a day. According to Susan Gregory Thomas, author of the book Buy, Buy Baby, Gen-Xers bought into the notion that the TV could help educate their children. But instead of creating a cadre of whiz kids, she says, these well-meaning parents have raised a cohort of hyper-consumers. "The only thing they were getting was how to recognize characters," Thomas argues. "It's Dora. It's Elmo. The only other scenario in which they're going to encounter these characters is in a scenario in which the character is trying to sell them something. Backpacks, Band-Aids, toothbrushes." Marketing guru James McNeal points out that "at six months of age, the same age they are imitating simple sounds like 'ma-ma,' babies are forming mental images of corporate logos and mascots." Marketing early to kids ensures that they will be life-long consumers, contends McNeal. Some advertising research has even found that babies are requesting particular brands as soon as they can speak.
Blame it on Elvis Presley. In 1956, Levi Strauss & Co., then the only denim clothier, decided to break with its marketing campaign of evoking both the Gold Rush and the Texas cowboy and release a line of black denim pants it called Elvis Presley Jeans. And though Elvis himself did not much like denim, considering it working-class apparel, he did agree to wear a pair of Levi jeans in the film Jailhouse Rock. Almost instantly, black jeans became the rage among teenagers, as well as synonymous with teen rebellion. It didn't take long for the likes of Marlon Brando and James Dean to adopt the style, not to mention such Beat writers as Jack Kerouac, and the stage was set: Other jean manufacturers came out of the woodwork, and they all began doing what they could to hold the attention of the burgeoning youth culture. Flash forward fifty years, and one can see the legacy of this attempt to sell jeans as symbols of risk and defiance. Leading the pack in this regard are clothiers Lee, Buffalo, and Diesel. The current slate of Lee Jeans ads feature young, Lolita-like girls in suggestive poses—only partially dressed, of course, and sucking on lollipops. Buffalo's campaign portrays female masturbation (and in adolescent-oriented CosmoGirl!, no less). And Diesel, whose jeans cost $200, just recently employed guerilla advertising tactics on its website, using a live webcam to record the kidnapping of a man by two women who then strip and engage in some very "adult" torture techniques. A far cry from Elvis's thrusting pelvis, to be sure, but borne out of the same desire to associate denim with transgressive behavior.
Keys to Ad Analysis
To negate the influence of advertisements, one must first learn to analyze them, and that requires knowing the right questions to ask when confronted with a particularly seductive ad. Following are just a few such questions gleaned from Antonio Lopez of World Bridger Media (world-bridger.com):
• Where does the ad appear'in what magazine, sponsoring what television show, in what geographic location?
• As far as you can tell, who paid for the ad? Knowing who is responsible for the advertisement will help lead you to the motivations behind it.
• At whom does the ad seem to be aimed? Is the advertisement directed toward women or men, the young or the old, the wealthy, the poor, or the middle class?
• What is the message of the ad? What is it trying to tell you about the world—about yourself? What sort of values is it promoting?
• What sort of lifestyle is the ad advocating? Is it commensurate with your own? Does it encourage unhealthy or immoral behavior?
• What does the ad actually say, and what lies beneath the surface? Is there a subtext there that might be trying to manipulate you?
• What kind of technological techniques are used to convey the ad's message? How do they improve the product being advertised? What messages are embedded in these techniques?
• What is left out of the ad? Is there information that the advertiser doesn't want you to think about? Does the ad gloss over possible disadvantages of its product?
• Is the ad truthful? Does it present a fair picture of the world—of its product? Could anything be added to or taken away from the ad to make it more honest?
Language of Ads
Advertisers don't exhibit much originality in terms of the language they use to manipulate you, and this is probably because they don't deem it necessary. The same tricks that worked 100 years ago still work today; indeed, most of the following language techniques are so prevalent—so much a part of our everyday lives—that you probably don't even notice them. Well, all that's about to change. Once you familiarize yourself with the ten basic types of advertising claims, you'll start to recognize them everywhere.
1. The Weasel Claim
When modifiers and disclaimers are used to cancel out the claim to which they are attached.
"Helps control dandruff symptoms with regular use."
Not one word of this statement says that the product actually stops dandruff.
2. The Unfinished Claim
Occasionally, an ad will insist that its product is better than or has more of something but then fails to complete the comparison.
"Magnavox gives you more."
More of what, exactly?
3. The "We're Different and Unique" Claim
Advertisers will call attention to the one feature of its product that competitors do not have. We're supposed to interpret such statements as signs of superiority.
"Cougar is like nobody else's car."
I'm sure that's true, but one could say the same about a '78 Gremlin.
4. The "Water is Wet" Claim
Some statements of fact used by advertisers do not really distinguish their products from the competition.
"Mobil: the Detergent Gasoline."
Um, I'm pretty sure that any gasoline can be used as a cleaning agent.
5. The "So What" Claim
Sometimes, ads provide facts that sound good but are ultimately meaningless.
"Strong enough for a man but made for a woman."
Now you know why it's called the "so what" claim.
6. The Vague Claim
These are statements that can be neither proved nor disproved.
"Lips have never looked so luscious."
I don't know; I saw some pretty good-looking lips back in '85.
7. The Endorsement
Typically, this is when a celebrity appears in an ad to create a link between his or her reputation and the product being advertised.
"Darling, have you discovered Masterpiece? The most exciting men I know are smoking it."
Eva Gabor was the spokesman for this now defunct brand of cigarettes.
8. The Scientific Claim
Many ads employ statistical numbers, scientific language, or perplexing mystery ingredients to lend a sense of legitimacy to their products.
"Certs contains a sparkling drop of Retsyn."
Mmmm. Retsyn.
9. The "Compliment the Consumer" Claim
This is merely flattering consumers so they will buy your product.
"You've come a long way, baby."
So nice of you to notice.
10. The Rhetorical Question
These ads demand a response from the audience and are meant to get the consumer to affirm the qualities being associated with their products.
"Shouldn't your family be drinking Hawaiian Punch?"
I have no idea why, but yes, I guess my family should be drinking Hawaiian Punch.
Manipulation Techniques
In addition to linguistic trickery, advertisements use associations to invoke particular feelings in consumers. In other words, by associating their products with a particular image or activity, advertisers play on the desires of the viewer to be either someone or someplace else. In no particular order, here are the top eight ways that ads attempt to manipulate us.
1. Beauty Appeal: Ads employ models and other beautiful people because most of us want to be thought of as beautiful as well.
2. Escape: The idea of getting away from it all is very seductive for some. If the escape promised in the ad is an impossibility for the consumer, it becomes all the more alluring.
3. Individuality: We all want to be thought of as unique and independent, though we also want to fit in with the crowd. Many ads, though mostly those for clothing items, promise both; they say their products are used by all of the most independent people.
4. Intelligence: Advertisers invariably try to portray their products as the "smart" choice. No one wants to buy something that will make them feel dumb.
5. Lifestyle: You've seen the ads with the young and hip twentysomething surrounded by beautiful and exciting people. These offer the promise of living the same sort of life once the product in question is purchased.
6. Nurture: Advertisers depict babies and animals to trigger our maternal and paternal instincts. The idea here is to associate a given product with caring for someone you love.
7. Peer Approval: Most ads implement this technique in the form of a threat: If you don't buy our product, then your friends and family will no longer like you.
8. Rebel: Primarily used in ads that target the youth market, this technique associates a product with transgressive or anarchical behavior.
The Holy Grail for advertisers is that which will MAKE the consumer buy their products—a failsafe, automatic trigger that they can activate at any time and with the same endlessly repeatable result. It is in search of such a "buy button" that marketing research firms find themselves turning increasingly toward the field of neuroscience and what it might reveal about how, why, and when an ad actually works. Chiefly, such research involves the use of brain-scan technology, especially the fMRI. For example, one of the earliest studies to employ this technology involved a MEG (Magneto-encephalography) scanner; consumers were asked while in the scanner which of three brands they would purchase, and researchers found that familiar brands stimulated the right parietal cortex, what they now call the "location of brand equity." Later, DaimlerChrysler discovered that their sports cars stimulated the "reward" center of the brain, the same place triggered by alcohol, drugs, and sex. And most recently, the Ad agency Arnold Worldwide used fMRI to "gauge the emotional power of various images" among 25–34 male whiskey drinkers; the results reportedly helped shape the 2007 ad campaign for Jack Daniels. Now whether such strategies actually result in increased sales is of course another matter entirely, and practitioners of neuromarketing are divided on the subject. That said, most believe that the day is fast approaching when what we buy is no longer up to us.
If you haven't watched Saturday-morning cartoons in a while, you might be surprised by the commercials that accompany these TV shows. It has been estimated that $15 billion was spent on marketing to children in 2004 alone, and one third to one half of that money was spent on television food advertising. The majority of these commercials were for sugary breakfast cereals, fast food, soft drinks, snacks, and candy—a fact that is easily corroborated by a single viewing of SpongeBob SquarePants. Consequently, many conclude that such advertising is primarily responsible for the growing rates of childhood obesity, which has coincided with the explosion in media targeted toward children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the proportion of overweight children ages 6–11 has more than doubled since 1980, and the rate for adolescents has tripled. During this same period, the average time children spend using some form of media has grown to five-and-a-half hours a day—"the equivalent," says the Kaiser Family Foundation, "of a full-time job, and more time than [these children] spend doing anything else besides sleeping." Pediatricians and child development experts claim that advertising and obesity have three primary causal links: Ads encourage unhealthy food choices; the cross-promotion between these unhealthy foods and popular TV and movie characters promote high-calorie eating habits; and children tend to eat excessively while using popular media. And there is little to compete with the influence of such ads. For example, in the year that funding peaked at $3 million for the main government nutrition program, McDonald's alone spent $500 million on a single campaign aimed at children. "We love to see you smile," this campaign exclaimed, though one might hasten to add that McDonald's no doubt loves even more those love handles that currently envelope our kids.
The world would be such a better place without People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and this is especially true when one considers just about every ad campaign that the organization has ever run. When not dehumanizing whole groups of people or objectifying others, Peta is mocking Christians, trivializing child abuse, or poking fun at the medical afflictions of the rich and famous. Here are just a few lowlights:
• As part of its anti-fur campaign, PETA ran print advertisements depicting an almost nude woman with pubic hair escaping from the sides of her underwear. The text read, "Fur trim. Unattractive."
• PETA's most popular series of ads featured attractive nude women in shackles or cages with marks on their bodies that were meant to suggest the wounds inflicted on abused animals.
• Another ad included a very unflattering portrait of Vogue editor Anna Wintour with the caption, "Fur is worn by beautiful animals and ugly people."
• PETA mocked Christians with an ad caption that read, "He died for your sins," followed by a photo of a pig.
• PETA's "Animal Liberation" campaign juxtaposed pictures of black people in chains and shackled elephants and chickens. Asked NAACP spokesman John White, "They're comparing chickens to black people?"
• In the UK, PETA ran an ad with a photograph of an overweight child eating a burger; the text stated, "Feeding kids meat is child abuse. FIGHT THE FAT. GO VEG."
• An advertisement that ran at all Boston-area colleges displayed a newly hatched chick and the words, "Pro-Life? Go Vegetarian!"
Quotations about Advertising
"Advertising—a judicious mixture of flattery and threats." —Northrop Frye
"Advertising is an environmental striptease for a world of abundance." —Marshall McLuhan
"Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket." —George Orwell
"Advertising is the modern substitute for argument; its function is to make the world worse." —George Santayana
"Advertising is legalized lying." —H. G. Wells
"As advertising blather becomes the nation's normal idiom, language becomes printed noise." —George Will
"Advertising is a valuable economic factor because it is the cheapest way of selling goods, particularly if the goods are worthless."—Sinclair Lewis
"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising."—Mark Twain
"[Young people] are threatened . . . by the evil use of advertising techniques that stimulate the natural inclination to avoid hard work by promising the immediate satisfaction of every desire."—Pope John Paul II
"[I cannot] think of any circumstance in which advertising would not be an evil." —Arnold Toynbee
Key to negating the influence of advertising is media literacy, and there'sa ton of great resources on the web to help navigate you through the lies andmisinformation of our consumerist culture. The best of the bunch:
A huge internet portal for media literacy education that includes lesson plans, links, and a speakers bureau.
Action Coalition for Media Education
Develops media literacy curricula, encourages independent media-making, and supports local, state, and national media reform efforts.
Alliance for a Media Literate America
A national non-profit membership organization that specializes in networking and information exchange with regard to media literacy skills.
Center for Media Literacy
Provides information about media and technology and their impact upon cultures, particularly those of children and young adults.
Just Think
Encourages young people to make healthy behavior decisions, enhance their consumer choices, and think for themselves.
Subliminal Advertising
First off, it's a myth—or, rather, its effectiveness is a myth. Way back in 1957, market researcher James Vicary claimed that by quickly flashing messages between frames in a movie, he persuaded people to buy more concessions. Indeed, according to Vicary, sales of popcorn and Coca-Cola in the New Jersey theater where he conducted the test increased by 57.5% and 18.1%, respectively. All attempts to replicate his findings failed, however, and Vicary eventually admitted that he had fabricated his results. Nevertheless, Wilson Bryan Key took up Vicary's mantle in 1973, claiming that subliminal techniques—such as hiding the word "sex" in liquor-ad ice cubes—were widely employed in advertising. This led the FCC to hold hearings on the subject in 1974, leading to an official ban on subliminal ads in the United States. All subsequent studies on subliminal messages have concluded that the practice simply does not work, however, and media-watchdog groups argue that there are much more important things to worry about than hidden messages to consumers anyway—namely, those equally troubling messages that advertisers make no attempt to hide whatsoever.
Teen Magazines
If you're a parent and want to freak yourself out, pick up that copy of Teen Vogue sitting on top of your daughter's dresser. And I'm not talking about the magazine articles either, though these have some shock potential as well. No, it's the advertisements in these teen-oriented magazines that will really curl your hair. Thong underwear, bras that bear rhinestones, and breast enhancement pills are just some of the products currently being shilled to young girls in the pages of teen magazines. According to Teen Research Unlimited, teen spending reached $172 billion last year with the average teen shopping 54 times a year and buying eight to twelve pairs of jeans. Consequently, all of the major clothing designers are trying to dip into the teen market, and they're doing it in an extremely adult fashion. The aforementioned Teen Vogue, for example, which boasts over one million subscriptions, contains exclusive ads by the likes of Armani Exchange, Burberry, Chloe, D&G, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada, and these designers aren't exactly taming down their advertisements for the youth market. Most, in fact, run the same ads used in adult magazines, which means lots of skin and a whole lot of provocative situations. One ad that continues to run in Seventeen and Teen People features a couple getting intimate along with the following text: "Scent to bed: FCUK fragrances." (FCUK is an acronym for "Fashion Company of the United Kingdom.") And a full-page ad for Bloussant's Breast Enhancement Pills touts "increased breast size and firmness" in Teen Vogue. It's enough to make you want to lock up your little girl until she's thirty.
United States of America
Just as you would expect, the U.S. leads the world in advertising spending. Global expenditures just recently hit another record, jumping 2.4 percent in only a year, and of this $570 billion, the U.S. spent nearly half of it (48%), which brings its total expenditures to almost $274 billion. And on what, exactly, did US advertisers spend all of this money? Well, in recent years, they have been using it to generate direct mail, due in part to the implementation of "Do Not Call" regulations in 2004. Indeed, direct mail accounts for about 21 percent of all US ad dollars, or $56.6 billion and 41.5 billion pieces of mail. The rest of the cash went to major media outlets, including television, newspapers, magazines, billboards, and the internet. Global spending in these areas likewise just reached an all-time high of $404 billion.
Viral Advertising
A close cousin of guerilla marketing, viral advertising is any marketing strategy that encourages consumers to do the advertising themselves via social networking sites, email, text messages, and so on. The term originated with Tim Draper of the ad firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson to describe his efforts to create the impression of spontaneous, word-of-mouth enthusiasm for a product or service. According to Ralph Wilson, a prominent eCommerce consultant, there are six basic principles of viral advertising: 1) Give away products or services for free; 2) provide for effortless transfer to others; 3) ensure that it scales easily from small to very large; 4) exploit common motivations and behaviors; 5) utilize existing communication networks; and 6) take advantage of others' resources. What does a viral ad campaign look like? Following are descriptions of just a few of the more successful viral ads. Were you infected?
• Hotmail.com gave away free email addresses and services, but then attached a tag to the bottom of every free message sent out: "Get your private, free email at http://www.hotmail.com."
• The makers of the film The Blair Witch Project launched a fake website that made it seem as if the movie were actually a true documentary.
• The creators of Snakes on a Plane made it possible for you to fool your friends with a pre-recorded telephone call from actor Samuel L. Jackson.
• Nine Inch Nails littered the web with fake websites, phone numbers—even thumb drives—that detailed events leading up to 2022, the year that serves as the basis for all of the songs on its new album.
• Clothier Diesel posted video clips on YouTube purporting to show secret footage of strange creatures as part of its "Fallen Wings" designer-jean ad campaign.
Worst Ads of All Time?
Somebody had to do it. I slogged through dozens of lists of the most offensive ads of the last two years and selected those advertisements that I thought were the very worst. And if my theory is correct—that ads push new boundaries with each passing year—then these may be some of the worst ads of all time. One thing is certain: If something doesn't change—and fast—we are going to find ourselves unintentionally confronted on a daily basis with advertising so vile that we will become desensitized to all but the most revolting of human activities and behavior.
• A poster campaign for the TV series The L-Word, a show featuring lesbian relationships, showed the crotch of an oiled-up woman, clad only in the scantiest possible underwear. The underwear bore the legend, "Girls Allowed."
• A Mazda commercial depicted two female mannequins being taken for a ride in a car; as the drive progressed, the viewer was made to believe that the mannequins had become aroused by the rumble of the engine.
• A British ad on behalf of the Gay Police Association featured a Bible and the claim that homophobic attacks stemmed from religious motivation (see below).
• French Connection—they of the aforementioned FCUK slogan—ran an ad in which two women had a martial-arts contest that culminated in a kiss. According to the clothier, the idea here was to "symbolize the competition between fashion and style."
• A Viagra print advertisement showed a light switch with a picture of a man painted onto it. In the place of the man's sexual organ was the upturned switch.
• An ad for condom brand Durex depicted two high-heel shoes embedded into the back wall of an elevator. The text read, "Better Shape, Better Sex."
• Honda ran an ad for one of its hybrid vehicles that portrayed a man who had just recently hanged himself in his garage, the idea being that the zero emissions of his car failed to be an effective means of suicide.
• An advertisement for Cialis erectile dysfunction pills showed a vibrator doubling as a kitchen whisk; apparently, your partner must find another use for this device once you take Cialis.
X-rated Ads
If you've been paying attention at all to the foregoing entries, then you knew this was coming. Yes, that's right; advertisers are now beginning to do away with technicalities and use actual pornography in their ads. Naked breasts have long been a feature of high-fashion advertising, but clothing label Gucci took ads to a new low with its depiction of a woman pulling down her underwear to reveal pubic hair shaved into the shape of a "G." The reigning king of ad porn, however, has got to be the European fashion maker Shai. Last summer, it launched a new website, Sexpacking.com, that includes actual X-rated movies of couples who begin their liaisons wearing Shai clothing. And while one can click on various clothing items to open small pop-up bubbles that provide their prices and available colors, you can bet that shopping is not first among the priorities of the site's browsing clientele. One wonders if such marketing is really about sales at all, or whether the real goal is to subvert traditional notions of decency and virtue.
Our culture worships youth; there's simply no getting around it. And among the chief perpetuators of the myth that growing old is a thing to fear and dread are advertisers. At the turn of the last century, people over 65 made up about four percent of the American population—about 3.1 million out of 75 million; indeed, the median age in 1900 was just under 23 years. In contrast, there are more than 65 million Americans over the age of 65 today—12.1 percent of the population. Even so, the vast majority of today's ads, when they address the elderly at all, do so in a decidedly patronizing fashion. For example, a recent ad for a calcium dietary supplement features a woman's silhouette as she ages, growing increasingly stooped before our eyes as she falls prey to osteoporosis. By ad's end, the woman is a hobbled and pitiful creature, needing the support of a cane. From whence does such ageism arise? Some from within the advertising industry itself assert that the practice can be traced to the young age of the ad execs who create such advertisements; it is only the young who are willing to expend the long hours necessary to compete in the advertising marketplace. Whatever the cause, you can be certain that such messages are a lie. Frank Gehry was 70 years old when he designed Seattle's Experience Music Project, Georgia O'Keefe produced her best paintings when she was in her eighties, Isaac Bashevis Singer won the Nobel Prize for Literature when he was 74, and Dickens wrote Great Expectations when he was nearly fifty. Clearly, growing old translates into mastery and excellence and not the frailty that advertisers suggest.
The "zeitgeist," defined by Webster's as "the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era," is what all advertisers are trying to capture; they are forever trying to determine what consumers care about—the spirit of any given moment. Currently, it would appear that our national zeitgeist centers around global warming. The term "eco-chic" speaks to this fact, evidencing a growing preoccupation with any product or service that comments on the theory of man-made climate change. Leading the charge in this regard is the clothier Diesel, which is currently running ads that feature locations rather than products. Landmarks such as the New York skyline, Mount Rushmore, and the city of London are depicted submerged in water, while the Great Wall of China is buried in sand and the pigeons of St. Mark's Square in Venice are replaced by parrots. Similarly, Greenpeace ads depict miniatures of famous monuments inside of aquariums, and Ecoganik, a new clothing company based out of California, markets itself as offering products made only of certifiably organic or eco-friendly fabrics. Now, whether global warming is in fact occurring is hardly the point; rather, it is the perception of such changes that is fueling this fascination with eco-chic companies, as well as the wads of cash being exchanged for anything that demonstrates concern for the environment. •
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text: Is there a more beloved actor alive than Bill Murray? The Saturday Night Live veteran can steal a movie by appearing in only a single scene, and the public is happy to instantly forget flops like The Monuments Men and Mad Dog and Glory as long as he keeps churning out things like Moonrise Kingdom and popping up at random Williamsburg parties. We asked our readers to select their favorite Bill Murray movies. Click through to see the results.

subset: commoncrawl


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Jeep Commander vs. Hummer H2
The Hummer, using the Humvee as a prototype for the civilian model, entered the consumer market priced for the luxury class who craved a macho machine. GM released the H1 in 1992, and by 2005, the automaker had two more versions of the Hummer for civilian consumption. With the H1 version of the Hummer receiving its civilian equivalent to an honorable discharge in 2006 (or perhaps dishonorable, considering fuel economy), the non-military based Hummer H2 SUV has been promoted to the front lines.
Willys-Overland Motors popularized the off-road market when it started selling surplus Jeeps to the public after World War II. Through the years, Jeep has moved from providing vehicles for the modest consumer to schlepping more upscale models during the 1990s. The Jeep Commander is Chrysler's soldier of fortune in the civilian war against the H2.
Let's take a look at these brawny machines of steel and rate them on a scale of 100 that's influenced by such things as performance, goodies and design.
Jeep Commander Overland 4x4Price: $41,080
Engine: 5.7-liter HEMI V8
Horsepower: 330 hp @ 5,000 rpm
Torque: 375 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
MPG: City: 13; Highway: 17
Performance - 18/20
Working with 4,936 pounds, the lower-trimmed Jeep Commander Sport relies heavily on the standard 3.7-liter, six-cylinder powerplant. Knowing that this engine would be received with deep yawns, Jeep made it possible for serious buyers to adopt either the 4.7-liter V8 or the high-performing 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with 330 (standard on the Overland) horsepower on the Jeep Commander's upper echelon.
The multi-speed, automatic transmission with overdrive, providing a solid, proper gear transitions as you travel over various surface types, comes standard on the Limited and Overland models. The Jeep Commander's 4x4 option, however, is the only way to genuinely declare your Jeep worthy of its seven-slot grille. Assuring that Jeep's "Trail-Rated" image is properly represented, Quadra-Drive 2 is available with a full-time transfer case and an electronically controlled clutch pack that gives the Commander best-in-class traction as it detects tire slip and smoothly redistributes torque to the wheels that do have traction.
Exterior design - 15/20
Many Jeep enthusiasts may feel nostalgic when looking at the Jeep Commander. With a squared-off appearance, the resemblance to the 1984-2001 Jeep Cherokee is uncanny and intentional. Sharp, straight lines form a boxy shape that fully communicates Jeep's off-roading persona. Based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee's platform, the Jeep Commander was created from the auto brand's desire to market two distinctive vehicles from one chassis (consider the Jeep Patriot and Compass).
Only 1.85 inches longer than the Grand Cherokee, the Jeep Commander appears grander in size thanks to a roof line that towers 4.16 inches higher.
Interior design - 8/10
Thanks to the high, stepped roof, the Jeep Commander preaches to the tall with forward and rear headroom residing at a class-leading dimension of 42 and 40 inches, respectively. Using interior design appointments that border on Range Rover territory, the overall cabin appearance projects a very rich feel that involves interior accents of real Walnut Burl wood and premium leather seats — the Jeep Commander delivers luxury without compromising basic ergonomics.
Capable of seven-passenger capacity, the Jeep Commander Overland's third-row bench is mostly a novelty suitable for children primarily. When the Jeep Commander's seven-passenger seating capacity is not in use, the two rear seats can be folded in a variety of configurations for up to 68.5 cubic feet of cargo space.
More on this challenge between the Hummer H2 and the Jeep Commander Outlander…
Have a question? Get it answered by AskMen's guyQ.


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Shoping for rudraksha,amulets ,kavach,Siyar singhi,lucky charms , khodam, Hatha jodi at site click
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Siyar Singhi
Siyar" (Jackal) does not have horns. But same of the siyar have a small bunch of hair with horn emerges from its forehead when it hoots facing downwards. This is called "Siyar Singhi". If "Siyar Singhi" is kept in the house, it is said to ward off evil spirits, bestow good luck and wealth, help overcome enemies, and achieve success in law suits. It is always kept in vermillion (Sindoor) in a silver box in the pooja room. Its hair grows automatically.If one keeps a Siyar Singhi in the house, one is blessed with wealth, one remains fearless of beasts, Ghosts and it provides protection, from enemies and evil spirits and gives success in law suits. Siyar Singhi shall be kept in vermillon and in silver box . You can find genuine siyar singhi at site www.astroyogiforu.com
Posted by Yogesh at 2:16 AM
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- Details
Gripper 30™ Badge Holder
- Comes in black only
- Badge Holder is 11/16" W x 1"H plastic with a silicone inner core
- Priced per holder, must buy a minimum of 100 badge holders
SpecificationsSelect options above to see specifications.
Description Stock Gripper 30™ Badge Holder Easy Reorder Eligible Yes
- Help
Need more details or have questions about this product?
We have experts on staff to answer all your questions Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 7:00pm EST


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4343 E Camelback Rd #400
Phoenix, AZ, 85018 United States
(602) 957-1650
Londen Insurance Group, doing business as The Londen Companies, has stuck its white fangs in a number of ventures, including life insurance, real estate development, and television. Its flagship company, insurer Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance, serves some 450,000 policies and specializes in final expense insurance and funeral planning services for mature individuals (50 and older). Active throughout the US, Lincoln Heritage Life also sells supplemental Medicare policies. The group's other operations include Londen Land Company (residential and commercial real estate development) and Londen Media Group (owner of Arizona television station AZ-TV). CEO Jack Londen founded the family-owned company in 1963.


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CCChampions is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that helps kids with cancer through year-long friendships with inspirational role models in Pittsburgh.
Whatever our kids want to be when they grow up -- athletes, dancers, police officers, bookstore owners, video game designers -- we find someone inspirational who does just that, and can be there every step of the cancer journey.
In 2015, 75% of kids diagnosed with cancer are signing up for a friend in CCChampions!
Contact our team!
(412) 301-5304 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Every year, CCChampions hosts "the charitable bracket competition."
Let's use the power of March Madness to help children in need!
Get updates here.
A special evening of cocktails & awards to benefit local child cancer patients!
Every child receives a personalized award for how they inspired us with his or her bravery.
Get updates here.


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Product Type: Program Brochure
Audience: Educators, Informal Education
Grade Levels: K-12, Higher Education
Publication Year: 2012
Product Number: NP-2012-10-910-HQ
Subjects: Education
NASA's Office of Education is charged with the role of inspiring interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics among America's students through a variety of programs and initiatives. During 2011, the agency's innovative efforts reached thousands of learners, educators and institutions nationwide with NASA STEM content. The agency's four major education outcomes are focused on the following:
- Strengthening NASA's and the nation's future workforce.
- Attracting and retaining students in STEM disciplines.
- Engaging Americans in NASA's mission.
- Building strategic partnerships to promote STEM literacy.
Read the highlights of NASA's education strategy in pursuance of these goals. In 2011, NASA's STEM education programs reached more than 700,000 K-12 students and 4,000 students through higher education initiatives such as NASA internship, fellowship and scholarship opportunities. Additionally, NASA-related exhibits and programming were featured in more than 400 museums and science centers, engaging students with STEM through educational and creative activities.
2011 NASA Education Highlights [2MB PDF file]


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When: Friday, December 6, 2013, from 8am to 4pmWhere: Morristown Medical Center, the Malcolm Forbes Amphitheatre, 100 Madison Avenue, Morristown NJ 07960 Did you know that more than 90% of people with developmental disabilities become victims of sexual violence during their lifetime? Are you and your agency prepared to identify, assess and provide services for this very underserved population?Come hear nationally-acclaimed psychologist and author, Dr. Nancy Razza, Ph.D, Keynote Speaker, as well as Linda Hickson, Ph.D and Dr. Ishita Khemka, Ph.D, Center for Opportunities and Outcomes for People With Disabilities at Columbia University and co-developers of the award-winning ESCAPE Curriculum; Melissa Keyes DiGioia, Planned Parenthood; and Tracy A. Higgins, LPC, Morris CARES, discuss:
And more!!!! Who Should Attend: Nurses, mental Health professionals, health and human service providers, sexual violence advocates and SANES, developmental disabilities agency direct care staff, case managers, behavior specialists, parents and caregivers. Registration: To register go to http://miniurl.com/5n6m [2] or visit www.njcasa.org [3]. We can accommodate certain dietary requirements (gluten free, vegan, kosher, etc.); please just let us know your needs in the notes field during checkout. Cost: $55 Full day fee – early bird registration; $35 For Collaborating Partners, Sexual Violence Advocates and SANEs (for the discount code, please contact Margaret Mikkelsen at 609-631-4450, ext. 1208 or firstname.lastname@example.com [4]).For all other questions and/or if you are in need of accommodations for disabilities and/or other health related needs please contact Tracy Higgins, at Morris CARES, at 973-971-4754 or firstname.lastname@example.com [5]. CEU information:5.5 nursing and 4.5 social work continuing education credits. For more information about continuing education credits for social workers, counselors and nurses, please contact Tracy Higgins at 973-971-4754 or firstname.lastname@example.com [5] Sponsored by:The Morris CARES Developmental Disabilities Task ForceMembers include:Morris CARES (formerly known as the Morris County Sexual Assault Center) part of Atlantic Health systemsNJ Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA)Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) NJElizabeth M. Boggs CenterPlanned Parenthood of Central and Greater Northern NJDevelopmental Disabilities Center at Morristown Medical CenterMental Health Association of Morris County
[1] http://www.njcasa.org/events/131206/morrisCARES
[2] http://miniurl.com/5n6m
[3] http://www.njcasa.org
[4] mailto:email@example.com
[5] mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com
[6] http://www.nsvrc.org/states-territories/new-jersey
[7] http://www.nsvrc.org/event-type/trainings


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|Gesch, Russell
|Kang, Il-Ho - UNIV. OF FL
|Gallo-Meagher, Maria - UNIV. OF FL
|Vu, Joseph
|Boote, Kenneth - UNIV. OF FL
|Allen, Leon
|Bowes, George - UNIV. OF FL
Submitted to: American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 7, 2002
Publication Date: August 7, 2002
Citation: GESCH, R.W., KANG, I., GALLO-MEAGHER, M., VU, J.C., BOOTE, K.J., ALLEN JR, L.H., BOWES, G. PHOTOSYNTHETIC ADJUSTMENTS IN TWO RICE ECOTYPES TO HIGH GROWTH CO2 AND TEMPERATURE. AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANT BIOLOGISTS. 2002. ABSTRACT P. 137. Technical Abstract: Rice (Oryza sativa L.) photosynthetically acclimates to elevated CO2 and is sensitive to high temperatures. However, little is known about intra-specific responses to elevated CO2 and temperature, although genetic modifications will likely be needed to cope with global climate changes. This study compared adjustments in the photosynthetic apparatus of two rice ecotypes to elevated CO2 and temperature. IR72 (Indica) and M103 (Japonica) rice were paddy cultured in sun-lit, environment-controlled chambers under ambient (350 ppm) and elevated (700 ppm) CO2 and day/night temperatures ranging from 28/18 to 40/30 deg C. At elevated CO2, leaf photosynthesis in M103 declined with temperature, while that of IR72 increased from 28 to 34 deg C before decreasing at 40 deg C. At ambient CO2, the rates were lower for both cultivars with little response to temperature. Rubisco activity and protein content declined with elevated CO2 and temperature, but the response was greater for M103. Rubisco protein decreased as much as 50% in M103 due to high CO2. Between 28 and 40 deg C, Rubisco protein in IR72 leaves declined 20 and 24% under ambient and elevated CO2, respectively, while it was reduced by 47 and 69%, respectively, in M103. Under ambient CO2, rbcS expression increased in IR72 with temperature, while it decreased for M103 under both CO2 treatments. Measurements of FV/FM showed that neither high temperature or CO2 affected the photochemical efficiency of PSII. There was a small, but consistent increase in psbA (codes for D1 protein of PSII) expression for IR72 with temperature, whereas M103 declined slightly. Genotypic variation appears to exist in rice for carboxylation responses to elevated CO2 and temperature.


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|Ready for SUMMER!!
|Ready for SUMMER!!
|Come so far
Hello peoples, and welcome to my page!
One thing you should know:
I love horses
just in case you hadn't realised :3
The best moments are always at Pony Club
Away from the stables I would rather be in the pool playing Canoe Polo
feel free to ask about my sports
And check this sexy beast out...
12yo Haflinger
My beautiful angel
I will never let you go.
Back at ya girl!
Tag a quality deviant, You're it! Quality doesn't mean that you have a lot of followers, or a lot of messages. It means that you're nice to other people, and you deserve to be happy. If you get this message, someone is telling you that they love you as you are, and they don't care how much followers you have. Send this to 10 deviants who deserve it. If you break the chain, nothing will happen. But it's just good to let someone know that you love them! ♥
yeah this is not just a chain thing ^^ i mean it!!


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Get a jump on your Oscar pool with this opportunity to see the films nominated in the Animated Short film category in advance of the Academy Awards ceremony on March 2, 2014. This evening of inspiring short films collects all the nominees together and pairs them with interviews from past winners. This is one evening you won�t want to miss.
Lake Placid Center for the Arts 17 Algonquin Dr, Lake Placid, New York 12946 View Map


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Edit Article
How to Defend Your Property Against an Intruder
Four Methods:Scenario 1Scenario 2Scenario 3Scenario 4Community Q&A
According to the second right on the Bill of Rights, "People have the right to bear arms". That can sometimes save your life in the case of a home invasion, which are becoming all too common. Knowing when and how to defend your house can be vital to the survival of your family. To know how to defend your home, go to step 1.
1Consider acquiring a gun. A handgun like a .38 special will do. The easiest handgun to operate is a revolver. When you pull the trigger, they will fire. There is no guesswork whether a round is chambered or in the magazine. Additionally, there is no safety, other than a sluggish, heavy trigger pull.
- What type? As mentioned above, a revolver has the simplest requirements for engagement. A good firearms store will assess your proficiency, and steer you to the weapon best suited for your situation. Home defense depends as much on what happens to a round after it is fired. Other members of the household and neighbors are important considerations when deciding if shots should be fired. Modern ammunition manufacturers sell specific home defense rounds that are less likely to over-penetrate, causing harm to innocent bystanders. Ask for those when you buy home defense ammunition.
- Buy second-hand guns only from reputable dealers with established business relationships with you community.
- Less important than magazine capacity is familiarization with the weapon. Again, it is important to direct fire with skill and not just volume.
- Purchasing accessories is a personal choice; use your intuition. A holster is a good idea, and for a little more money, a laser sight makes aiming easier. Some sights glow in the dark, and others are like scopes.
- Ammunition varies in types and options. For safety reasons, opt for the highest quality, which is typically the most expensive. Remember these names when purchasing ammo: Federal and Remington and Hornady.
- Some states, not all require you to have a Firearm Owners ID, or a permit to purchase guns.
2Learn to use a gun. The first rule of gunfighting is owning a gun.
- Practice as often as you can, at least several times yearly. This should be easy and enjoyable, and learn to use one even if you don't own a gun. Dry practice several times a week in your home with an unloaded weapon. Practice bringing the weapon up and putting the front sight on a target. Squeeze the trigger.
- Shooting. It may help to shout while firing. Never close your eyes; never look into the assailant's eyes. Look at the front sight of your weapon and keep it on the assailant's chest. Squeeze the trigger. If the assailant already has you in his sights, then train yourself not to go for your gun but to avoid being a target. Keep your hands away from the front and top of the gun; keep them only on the grip. A lot of bad things can go wrong if you don't.
3Store the gun. Keep the gun loaded, with the safety on. This way, in the event of a break in, you can simply switch the gun to fire and cock it. Once you learn how to properly use the gun, put it somewhere hidden and safe (a dresser, closet, under your bed, etc.). Make sure it is somewhere you can easily get to it in an emergency.
Method 1
Scenario 1
1Knock at the door/doorbell:
- Make it a habit to retrieve your weapon and put it in your pocket or close by when you hear a doorbell or a knock. Install a peephole, or look out the window. If the person looks strange or like somebody you don't know, don't answer. Generally, it's something like their car broke down and they need something. Let it pass and they will move on if you live in at least a semi-populated area. Don't feel guilty. Better safe than sorry.
Method 2
Scenario 2
1Strange noises, thumping, knocking on the door or what seems to be voices:
- Be on guard, this may be something as simple as a branch rustling on the side of your house. Simply turn out the lights and look outside, don't venture out the door, and if you feel the need to, holster your weapon and be alert.
Method 3
Scenario 3
1You're home alone and asleep or preoccupied, you hear the door open and footsteps:
- Unless you live alone, do not not panic, this simply may be a family member coming in or making noise in the night. But do not always assume that it is or is not an attacker. Stay in the room you are in. Hide behind a bed, couch, desk, etc.. Have a flashlight either in your hand or mounted to your weapon.
Method 4
Scenario 4
1A definite break in or property intrusion:
2Do not panic. Retrieve your weapon, make sure it is loaded, turn the safety off, and cock it. The gun is ready to shoot. From a different room, warn the intruder you have a gun and will shoot. If they do not leave, find out where they are in the house or on the property. Only if they're in the house, aim for the largest part of the body: the chest. Shoot twice, and shoot to kill.
3Call the local authorities and let them know your house has been broken into. Answer 'no questions, anything you say can and will be held against you, either in criminal or civil court. Leave the body where it lays, don't touch anything but the phone. Comfort any loved ones and assure them everything will be O.K.
Community Q&A
Unanswered Questions
What are the applicable laws in Virginia for shooting someone who breaks into my home?
Is it true that we should shoot to stop their actions, and not shoot to kill?
What does shoot to kill mean?
Ask a Question
- Purpose. You are not a TV or movie hero with a license to kill. You legally own a weapon for self defense, and if you are attacked, you may decide not use your gun. Never point a gun at anyone unless you intend to shoot them. You can't use a gun to solve all of life's problems.
- You know your house and property better than the intruder: move around, sneak, be quiet, and use corners. Nothing in a house really, other than a corner, is safe against a bullet.
- If you can, don't even let the intruder know you are there: hide under a table, behind a couch, in the shadows, on the stairs, etc., etc.
- Keep the gun placed somewhere easily accessible, do not play with the gun or mess with it in any way. If you do, unload the gun, and turn the safety on, keep your finger off the trigger.
- It is important to have a conscience when owning a gun. Life is fragile, and taking it away in the heat of the moment can be extremely regrettable. There is no way to give back the life you've taken if you shoot someone else.
- Keep the gun loaded at all times, with the safety on.
- The police. They would like nothing more than to help you, but you must help yourself too. You should always consult your local and federal gun laws before purchasing and carrying a gun. If you have been pulled over or asked to talk, or have been arrested the correct thing to say is, "I have a gun license and I am carrying a weapon". Then offer to show the gun and temporarily hand over the weapon while being detained by law enforcement.
- Avoid being 'trigger happy'. Look, think, and ask questions before you fire. Always think of your defensive position before considering an attack. You don't want to fire at the wrong person, and you certainly don't want to be injured while identifying a potential stranger.
- Do not blindly run into the open to dispatch the intruder.
Things You'll Need
- Basic firearm training
- A loaded gun.
Article Info
Categories: Self Defense | Home Security
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Apr 25, 2012 10:50 AM
We had a neon pink bathing suit with a peplum ruffle when we were little (shut up, it was the '80s), and thought it was the HEIGHT of fashion. Who'da thunk it kinda is now? Peplum dresses and tops are everywhere, and they're a fun way to add a new silhouette to your wardrobe for spring and summer. (Plus, when
we you wear one, we you can't resist twirling to watch the ruffle fly up.)
This Julie Haus Novak Peplum Top (#1) is stunning, but $270 is more than we're willing to spend. So, we did a little digging, and found Ganni's Peplum Ponte Tank (#2) for $78, and this ASOS Top with '40s Peplum (#3) for just $46.True, they're not exact matches, but for nearly two Benjamins less than the original, we'll take either one of them!
And, as always, if you've got something you love that's out of your reach, email us and we'll find you some more budget-friendly lookalikes for a future Aspire/Acquire feature!
If you've got a product or service that you'd like to promote on Outblush, click here to find out about our advertising opportunities.
Outblush is a blog for girls who love to shop. Our staff digs up the best clothes, home stuff, beauty items, and more. New items are posted every day — bookmark us and check out:


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The price of freedom: Nearly half of returning veterans seek disability
Robert Ray, File, Associated Press
Read more: Photos: Americans honor troops for Memorial Day
America's newest veterans are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate, claiming to be the most medically and mentally troubled generation of former troops the nation has ever seen.
A staggering 45 percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now seeking compensation for injuries they say are service-related. That is more than double the estimate of 21 percent who filed such claims after some other relatively recent wars, top government officials told The Associated Press.
What's more, these new veterans are claiming eight to nine ailments on average, and the most recent ones over the last year are claiming 11 to 14. By comparison, Vietnam veterans claimed less than four and those from World War II and Korea, just two. Problems can be anything from a bad back to hearing loss to post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
It's unclear how much worse off these new veterans are than their predecessors. Many factors are driving the dramatic increase in claims — the weak economy, more troops surviving wounds, and more awareness of problems such as concussions and PTSD.
Government officials and some veterans' advocates say that veterans who might have been able to work with certain disabilities may be more inclined to seek benefits now because they lost jobs or can't find any. Aggressive outreach and advocacy efforts also have brought more veterans into the system, which must evaluate each claim to see if it is war-related. Payments range from $127 a month for a 10 percent disability to $2,769 for a full one.
As the nation commemorates the more than 6,400 troops who died in post-9/11 wars, the problems of those who survived also draw attention. These new veterans are seeking a level of help the government did not anticipate, and for which there is no special fund set aside to pay.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is mired in backlogged claims, but "our mission is to take care of whatever the population is," said Allison Hickey, the VA's undersecretary for benefits. "We want them to have what their entitlement is."
The 21 percent who filed claims in previous wars is Hickey's estimate of an average, dating back through World War II. The VA has details only on the current disability claims being paid to veterans of each war.
The AP spent three months reviewing records and talking with doctors, government officials and former troops to take stock of the new veterans. They are different in many ways from those who fought before them.
More are from the Reserves and National Guard — 43 percent of those filing disability claims — rather than career military. Reserves and National Guard made up a greater percentage of troops in these wars than they did in previous ones. Details on how their rate of claims compares to other branches of the military, taking into account how many of them saw combat, are not available.
More of the new veterans are women, accounting for 12 percent of those who have sought care through the VA. Women also served in greater numbers in these wars than in the past. Some female veterans are claiming PTSD due to military sexual trauma — a new challenge from a disability rating standpoint, Hickey said.
The new veterans have different types of injuries than previous veterans did. That's partly because improvised bombs have been the main weapon and because body armor and improved battlefield care allowed many of them to survive wounds that in past wars proved fatal.
"They're being kept alive at unprecedented rates," said Dr. David Cifu, the VA's medical rehabilitation chief. More than 95 percent of troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have survived.
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This past Thursday, Raine Magazine hosted a party at Two E Bar/Lounge at The Pierre Hotel on the Upper East Side to celebrate their International Issue with cover star Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin. Notable personalities in attendance included Vito Emanuele, Leesa Rowland, Rafael Feldman, Nicole Noonan, Gillian Harding, Nova Lorraine, Steven Knobel, Michel Piranesi, Michelle-Marie Heinemann, and R. Couri Hay.
During the event, guests enjoyed Magnifico Giornata and Maker's 46 cocktails as Consuelo's latest hit, 'Here We Go' played in the background. Consuelo said a few words during the event to thank everyone for attending and providing their support. Guests enjoyed mingling and dancing the night away. It was definitely a great way to celebrate the new cover of Raine Magazine!


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Home buyers taking advantage of the soon-to-be-expiring tax credits lifted existing-home sales in March, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The existing-home sales report, which does not reflect new construction, is a highly anticipated monthly snapshot of housing markets across the country.
Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 6.8 percent over March 2009, nationally. Median existing-home prices rose 0.4 percent, to $170,700. 14 of 20 markets showed an increase in median home prices.
Metro Atlanta results: Atlanta's median price dropped 2.3%, from $116,300 in March 2009 to this year's $113,600. Atlanta actually outperformed the national average in sales units, though, increasing 7.0% over last year.
Other fun facts:
• First-Time Homebuyers purchased 44 percent of homes in March, up from 42% in February. Investors were steady at 19 percent of sales.
• Total housing inventory, while increasing slightly, dropped to an 8.0 month supply, versus 8.5 months in February.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, stated it is encouraging to see a broad home sales recovery in nearly every part of the country, with two important underlying trends. "Sales have been above year-ago levels for nine straight months, and inventory has trended down from year-ago levels for 20 months running," he said.
"The home buyer tax credit has been a resounding success as these underlying trends point to a broad stabilization in home prices. This is preserving perhaps $1 trillion in largely middle class housing wealth that may have been wiped out without the housing stimulus measure."


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Top Teachers: Karla Ott
Rivers Edge E.S., fourth grade
Inspiration can come from almost anywhere. Karla Ott found it as a college student in the far reaches of Slovakia, working with children on a church mission with whom she had no way to communicate other than expression.
"We had absolutely no language connection with them," she said. "It was simply about loving the children."
Still in college at the time with aspirations of becoming a veterinarian, something clicked for Ott on the trip.
"I had never seen teaching and education as a field that I would be good in," she said. "But I realized that it was not as much about teaching as much as developing connections with kids and loving them."
Ott is now in her fourth year of teaching fourth-graders at Rivers Edge – a group she calls the perfect age for her.
"These kids, they haven't developed the need to just get away from adults and away from having so much structure," she said. "They still really crave the structure that elementary education gives them.
"And they still kind of think you're pretty cool."
Ott herself is a product of Henrico County Public Schools – a Tucker graduate who attended Shady Grove Elementary and Short Pump Middle and has lived in the River's Edge zone nearly her entire life – since before the school itself ever existed.
She teaches a fitness class at the nearby Shady Grove YMCA before school in the mornings and for the past three years has also coached girls' lacrosse at Deep Run High School in the afternoons. She's given that up this year but has a new afterschool program that excites her just as much – a running club that she and two other teachers created.
"We were expecting 10 or 15 kids might be interested," she said, "but our numbers are in the low 90s now. It has just exploded. The kids are so excited."
The 'River Runners' club brings fitness experts and yoga instructors, among others, to educate second- through fifth-graders about different activities they can enjoy outdoors. Club members spend an hour each day running.
Ott credits her own love of running – which she developed after college at the behest of a friend – with changing her life by making her a more fit, confident person. (She's since run several marathons and half-marathons.) She believed it could do something similar for her students, who will compete in the kids' run at this year's Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k.
"I just picture all of our kids in their River Runner shirts coming to the finish line," Ott said, smiling at the thought.
County plans Fourth of July event
Henrico County Recreation and Parks will present "Red, White, and Lights" at Meadow Farm Museum/Crump Park July 4.
Henrico County has hosted a Fourth of July celebration annually since 1981, but this year's event will offer a later start time and expanded hours and be highlighted by new entertainment.
The free event will begin at 4:30 p.m. and will feature the Richmond Symphony, a laser-light show, patriotic performances, and family activities. > Read more.
Tuckahoe YMCA to host Refugee Community Resource Fair
The Tuckahoe Family YMCA and ReEstablish Richmond will host the third-annual Refugee Community Resource Fair Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to noon at the YMCA, 9211 Patterson Avenue in Henrico. The event is designed to provide refugees in the region information about jobs, local businesses, housing, health care, education and more.
As part of its strategic plan, the YMCA of Greater Richmond works to identify, address and eliminate economic, geographic and cultural barriers. > Read more.
Weekend Top 10
For our Top 10 calendar events this weekend, click here! > Read more.
Training for homeless youth featured at workshop
CVWMA to begin accepting more varieties of bottles, containers, cartons
Virginia man arrested with gun at RIC checkpoint
Community celebrates opening of Short Pump Park
Henrico Police seek woman involved in suspicious situation
- More News
Print Edition
Jun. 16, 2016Click here to read the print edition.
Weekend Top 10
Muse Paintbar opens at Willow Lawn
Weekend Top 10
Restaurant watch
Weekend Top 10
- More Entertainment
Obituary – Paulette McLennan Smith
Obituary – Robert W. Dement, Sr.
Obituary – Blanche T. Cerveny
- More Obituaries
County plans Fourth of July event
Tuckahoe YMCA to host Refugee Community Resource Fair
Short Pump Park grand opening planned June 25
- More Community
'Good old days' were good – for some
Of character and parenting
Opinion: Rename school for late Henrico officer
- More Opinions
Varina HS to host Basketball Skill Development Academy June 20-23
Strawberry visits Tuckahoe Little League
- More Sports
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Place an Ad | More Classifieds
CalendarThe Summer Nature Series at Three Lakes Nature Center, 400 Sausiluta Dr., begins with "Predators of the Sea: Sharks" from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Nature center staff will open… Full text


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You may have reached this page due to new security upgrades that have been implemented regarding multiple user logins. For security reasons, only one user is able to be signed in to an account per session. If multiple users at a single site need online access, please contact email@example.com for firm access reduced pricing. If, however, you believe your login information has been compromised, please call customer service at 1-800-451-9998 to determine how to reset your password. Already a paid subscriber but not registered for online access yet? For instructions on how to get premium web access, click here.
Commercial Confidential: Matthews Corners
It sits at the intersection of Matthews Township and Northeast parkways, but Matthews Corners hasn't cornered the market for attracting shoppers. The 167,459-square-foot shopping center is literally on the corner of the busiest section of retail in the town of Matthews.


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This section outlines the University's expectations for the induction of research degree students at School and institutional level.
123. All new research students should be able to start their studies with an understanding of the academic environment in which they will be working.
124. The University Graduate College provides a general induction programme ('Starting Out'). It is offered on multiple occasions at the beginning of the academic year, and further sessions coincide with the entry points of January, April and July.
125. 'Starting Out' introduces students to relevant University regulations and procedures, to the training and development opportunities available through the University Graduate College, and to the effective planning of skills training in order to support progress on the research project and wider professional development. The induction programme also includes discussion of students' responsibilities and reasonable expectations, as well as those of the supervisor, and it signposts University-wide services and information, including the Student Charter.
126. Each School is required to provide a complementary induction programme at the beginning of the academic year. Topics for School induction programmes typically include:
.1 the formal introduction of students to key School staff, including the Director of Postgraduate Research Studies;
.2 an introduction to the School's portfolio of research activities, infrastructure and facilities;
.3 relevant health and safety requirements;
.4 information on supervision and the monitoring of academic progress;
.5 the School's arrangements for communication and feedback with students;
.6 the School's policy for researcher development and skills training, and opportunities provided locally, including research seminar series and support for conferences.
127. Unless there is a particular and valid reason, all students are expected to make arrangements to attend their School in person at the commencement of their studies, regardless of their mode of study.
128. Supervisors are also expected to be available to meet with their students at the commencement of studies, and Schools may choose to build first supervision meetings into welcome and induction schedules. In all cases, each student must be provided with an early opportunity to meet their supervisor, in person or on-line if necessary, to discuss their research goals and planning.
129. Those students who are unable to attend the School's induction programme in person should be issued with written guidance – e.g. those students whose start dates do not coincide with the running of the programme, or, exceptionally, those studying part-time or at a distance from the campus.
130. All new research students should be issued with written information appropriate to the School. This may be in the form of a hard-copy handbook or electronic format.
131. Students who belong to a consortium-based Doctoral Training Partnership may be required to attend additional induction. Their School should ensure that these students have been issued with clear written information about the aims and requirements of their training programme in addition to the standard School-based information.


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WASHINGTON - President Bush praised the arrest of Slobodan Milosevic and urged that Yugoslavia's former president stand trial on charges he violated international law.
"His arrest represents an important step in bringing to a close the tragic era of his brutal dictatorship," Bush said in a statement Sunday.
"We cannot and must not forget the chilling images of terrified women and children herded onto trains, emaciated prisoners interned behind barbed wire and mass graves unearthed by U.N. investigators," the president said.
Milosevic's arrest followed U.S. threats to suspend $50 million in economic aid if President Vojislav Kostunica's government did not show willingness by Saturday to cooperate with the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. But government officials said the detention was not linked to the deadline.
Bush made no direct reference to the aid issue, but did say the Yugoslavian government and people "can count on the friendship of the United States as they continue down the path of democratic and economic reform."
Congress had set a midnight Saturday deadline for the Bush administration to certify that Yugoslavia was cooperating with the tribunal, but Secretary of State Colin Powell planned to withhold an announcement until Monday.
At stake is the $50 million in U.S. assistance that has not yet been disbursed. Congress has set aside $100 million for Belgrade for the current fiscal year.
"Milosevic's arrest should be a first step toward trying him for the crimes against humanity with which he is charged," Bush said.
The tribunal indicted Milosevic in connection with atrocities committed during his crackdown on ethnic Albanians.
Kostunica has refused to extradite Milosevic to The Hague, insisting he should be tried at home for corruption and other alleged crimes. However, Yugoslav authorities clearly hope that the arrest of Milosevic, regardless of the charges, will lead to U.S. certification that the new democratic government has met conditions for the aid.
Bush said he Yugoslavia was cooperating with the tribunal and called on Kostunica to "continue this cooperation and see that Milosevic is likewise brought to justice."
The Yugoslavs have taken to several steps to cooperate with the tribunal, including permission for tribunal officials to open an office in Belgrade.
The legislation does not require Yugoslavia to transfer Milosevic to The Hague for trial as a condition for certification. Rather, it seeks cooperation with the tribunal as well as a cutoff in support for the Serb entity in Bosnia and respect for minority rights and the rule of law.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the arrest was "an important first step." She declined to say what she thought Powell should do. But she did say Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition" that Serbia, the main Yugoslav republic, "has to be able to dig itself out of the hole Milosevic put it in."
On Capitol Hill, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Powell has "a really tough call" to make. "My personal view is that the aid ought to be cut off until Milosevic is handed over to the international tribunal. ... I don't think they have the infrastructure there in Yugoslavia to put on a free and fair trial," he said on "Fox News Sunday."
Milosevic was taken to prison Sunday after a 26-hour armed standoff with police who arrested him to face corruption charges stemming from his term as president.
Milosevic, who at one point in the standoff reportedly brandished a gun and threatened to kill himself and members of his family, surrendered after late-night negotiations between the government and his Socialist Party.
Police said pending charges against Milosevic include abuse of power and corruption that cost the state close to $100 million, and that Milosevic would face a maximum five-year prison term if convicted.
Bush issued his statement from Camp David, Md., where he spent the weekend.
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This haute couture Junko Yoshioka dress has never been worn in a wedding, only on the runway. It is 100% silk (see photo of label), A-line strapless dress with a beautiful train in the back. It's a lovely white with a silver/grey beaded sash and flower decoration at the waistline. It's simple yet completely timelessly elegant. In terms of sizing, it's perfect for a size 4, B or C cup, and up to about 5'9" (including heels). It does need to be dry cleaned, however I will cover shipping costs anywhere in the US.
I bought this dress as a backup for my 2012 wedding because I was 4 months pregnant and worried my original fitted dress wouldn't fit by the big day. Turns out it did, and I never wore this dress! I bought this dress for just over $2200 (marked down from $4000) at Bridal Garden NYC which is a non-profit that sells designer dresses and donates the profits to NYC schools.
I am selling now (over a year after purchasing it) because I am running in a charity 10k and trying to raise money for Noah's Light Foundation, and it occured to me I could sell this dress! You will love this dress and you'll be supporting a great cause as well! Here's my charity page: https://www.noahslightfoundation.org/donate/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm/pcp/info&Itemid=144&reset=1&id=195
- Label Size: 4
- Street Size: 4
- Bust:
- Waist: about 29 inches
- Hips:
- Height with Shoes: about 50 inches from waist
- Alterations:
- Color: White
- Silhouette: Aline
- Material: Silk
- Neckline: Strapless
- Style: Belt/Sash, Classic, Glamorous
- Condition: Used
- Original Owner:
- Has Original Receipt:
- Preservation Method:
- Terms of Sale: All Sales Final
- Location: Ridgefield, CT
- Will Ship to: Anywhere at Seller Expense
- Payment Methods Accepted: Escrow.com
Please read our BUYER'S GUIDE before purchasing a dress online.


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Little Darling, that smile's about to return to your face.
We were so excited to hear that Demi Lovato's Glee guest role would involve a love story with Naya Rivera's character Santana that we almost forgot she'd also be singing. Lovato's "Dani" will make her debut on October 4th in part two of Glee's Beatles themed episode. Here comes the duet:
"Here Comes The Sun" is a "cheer up" song, so we're guessing—and our guesses are famously dead on—Dani is feeling down about Breaking Bad being over, and Santana lent her a shoulder to cry on. We know that Breaking Bad isn't on FOX, but that just has to be it.
We'll be tuning in to find out. Will you?


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Hands on: Alienware Aurora R5 reviewNot yet rated
E3 2016The Aurora gaming desktop is finally back, and it was well worth the long wait.
E3 2016The Aurora gaming desktop is finally back, and it was well worth the long wait.
A homage to Apple's Mac Mini from an obscure Chinese manufacturer.
UpdatedThe Lenovo Ideacentre Y900 is a new breed of pre-built gaming PC with all the trappings of a modern desktop tower.
Intel's Skull Canyon barebones NUC is a no-brainer on the surface, but is it worth configuring?
ComputexWhat is it like to wear a backpack gaming PC while in virtual reality? It's works surprisingly well.
Primed for VR gaming, this pre-built rig brings beefy performance.
This is a compact barebones system for the enthusiast needing a portable but powerful box.
This ultra-small PC offers more pep than your average compact computer.
Palicomp's latest PC uses two GPUs to unleash benchmark-breaking power - and it looks good while doing it, too.


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Dr. Laurence Young specializes in vascular surgery in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Dr. Laurence Young has been compared 112 times. Details of Dr. Young's 21 years experience as an MD and education at New York University are available on your free doctor report.
Primary Location for Dr. Young
Southern New Hampshire Medical Center
8 Prospect St
Nashua, NH 03060
Patient Ratings and Reviews
Dr. Laurence Young has an average rating of 2 stars (out of 5) with a rating of Fair based on 3 reviews.
Have you visited Dr. Laurence Young? Rate you experience below.
Board Certification, Specialty and Expertise
Dr. Laurence Young has been identified as specializing in Vascular Surgery.
Dr. Young attended medical school at New York University School of Medicine and graduated in 1995 having 21 years experience.
While there is no proven correlation between the quality of one's educational institution and the quality of one's professional competence, it is often an indicator. Medical schools have various levels of selectivity (some are harder to get into than others), and both the quality of their clinical training and level of research are measured. Additional medical training in both residency and fellowships and the facilities they are conducted at also provide a history of the doctors' level of training and experience.
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Bookstore Tour •
Events & Readings •
Storefront Banner Series / Mural •
Map/Directions •
Contact Us
Marcovaldo is an unskilled worker in a drab industrial city in northern Italy. He is an irrepressible dreamer and an inveterate schemer. Much to the puzzlement of his wife, his children, his boss, and his neighbors, he chases his dreams-but the results are never the expected ones.
261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133
phone: (415) 362-8193 • fax: (415) 362-
4921 • Open daily 10 am to midnight


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The specialty of geriatrics includes many syndromes; one among such is urinary incontinence, observed in over 1 in 3 older women. This condition greatly diminishes the individual's quality of life, associated with increased social isolation, falls, fractures, and admission to long-term care facilities.
Women with urinary incontinence often fail to report it. Physicians and other caregivers should ask about its possible existence while taking histories during encounters in all older women.
From a thorough history, a doctor must delineate the chronicity of the incontinence, and make a diagnosis of the type of incontinence:
1] stress occurring during increased abdominal/pelvic pressure, such as is seen in coughing or laughing;
2] urgency, where the woman senses incoming bladder stimuli, associated with reflex micturition; or
3] mixed type of urinary incontinence, in which loss of urine results from factors of both types 1] and 2].
Making a history-based diagnosis in a woman with urinary incontinence allows prescription of optimal therapy.
Evidence-based incontinence therapy includes pelvic floor muscle exercises, such as Kegel exercises improve urinary symptoms related to urge and stress incontinence.
Kegel Exercises
What are Kegel Exercises?
These pelvic muscle exercises often benefit both men and women with stress and urge incontinence. The exercises strengthen the pubococcygeus (PCG) muscle simply by tightening and relaxing it. A person can learn to identify these pelvic muscles by simply tensing the ring of muscles around the rectum while sitting or standing. The abdominal, thigh and buttock muscles should remain relaxed. Stopping and starting the flow of urine while voiding is another good way to identify these muscles.
The Exercises
Quick Kegels: Tighten the PCG muscle. Hold it for a count of five, and then relax.
Pull In: Pull up the entire pelvic floor as though trying to suck water. Hold for a count of five, while breathing normally. Relax for a count of five and repeat.
At first, do 10 of each of the exercises (one set) four times every day. Each week increase the number of times of exercise by five (15, 20, 25, etc.). Complete four sets each day. Be patient because it may take at least 3 months for results. Make the exercises a part of your daily life to help assure ongoing benefit.
When you have control of these muscles, use them to help prevent "accidents." Tighten your pelvic muscles:
When you have the urge to urinate.
Before you get up from a chair.
Before you move to get out of bed.
Before and while lifting heavy objects.
When someone is going to tell you a funny story.
When you feel a sneeze or cough coming on.
See link below:
A study was conducted of women over age 65 living in a rest home: 25 with urinary voiding symptoms were treated with Kegel exercise training, while a control group of 25 with the same urinary symptoms was given standard care.
Before study treatment was initiated, interviews were conducted of treatment and control participants regarding:
1] Quality of Life Scale,
2] Mini-Mental Test,
3] Rankin Scale,
4] Daily urinary forms, and
5] Pad tests.
Bladder training and Kegel exercises were given to the treatment group for 6 to 8 weeks. A second evaluation on both groups was done at 8 weeks. The last evaluation was done 6 months later.
Urgency, frequency and nocturia were significantly reduced at 8 weeks and 6-month evaluations in the treatment group compared to the control group. The strength of pelvic floor muscles increased significantly by 8 weeks in the treated women
Conclusion: Behavioral therapy can be used easily as an effective treatment for urinary incontinence in elderly women living in a rest home.


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Train Reading: Stocks Look Top-Heavy
Dow's notches worst day this month – WSJ
Are stocks topping out? Maybe – Doug Kass at TheStreet
Dividend aristocrats admit the landed gentry – Barron's
Nasdaq's Facebook make-up plan under fire - WSJ
A lost decade for America's middle class – Yahoo Finance
How Wall Street thwarted HFT regulations – Huffington Post
A musical interlude: Foo Fighters, Baker Street (for our money, best cover of any song ever) – YouTube
Two of China's "left behind" children, a photo essay - Beijing Shots
Who gets your digital collection when you die? – SmartMoney
For more MarketBeat and other streaming markets coverage from The Wall Street Journal, point your mobile browser to wsj.com/marketspulse.