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Monkeying aroundPosted Thursday, April 2, 2009, at 5:13 PM
These grandchildren stare in fascination, as wild monkeys watch them from the banks of the 5-mile long Silver River in northern Florida. Though the little critters are well-camoflaged, I see two of them, and there may be more that my old eyes can't detect!
I intend to keep her identity as deep and dark a secret as the Silver River in the moonlight... Of course, I chose the adorable photo above, because I love to see the grandchildren and the monkeys facing off across the water. There is such fascination on both sides of the water!
I find this topic very interesting. I'm probably the only person in the world who didn't know about these monkeys. As usual, I feel as if I've been living under a rock.
Turns out that the little exotic critters have been living on the Silver River for about 70 years. Two theories for their existance are told: 1) A Colonel Tooley released them in the 1930's to enhance his Jungle Cruise boat ride, planning for them to stay on an island. They didn't. 2) They escaped during the filming of a Tarzan movie. According to one source, they've been reduced from a high of 185 in the mid-80's, but I couldn't find a definite population figure for the present.
Tourists are strictly prohibited from feeding the monkeys, but sometimes the monkeys take matters into their own hands. My blogger friend tells of some friends who had a picnic on their boat, only to turn around and see the monkeys sitting in the boat, eating sandwiches!
"There is always a sentry or two, guarding the troops," adds our anonymous Floridian.
The no-feeding rule has its reasons: Bob LaMont, manager of the 11-year-old park, says, "They don't belong here. They're a hazard to people on the river (potentially through bites and disease)."
A spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection, parent agency of the state park, says that the monkey population is "being controlled, not eliminated."
Our good Florida blogger buddy has been on the river many times, but the most unusual trip featured a rare sight that they haven't seen since:
"Hundreds of them were crossing the river--headed for something! They were swinging on the vines and then leaping to the bank. Some fell in the river and had to swim to the bank on the other side. Of all the times not to have a camera!"
This scene is easy to visualize, since I've seen a similar scene in "The Jungle Book." That's my favorite scene--where the monkeys steal Mowgli from Baloo the Bear, and he dances with that cool orangutang, King Louie (enter the voice of Satchmo Armstrong!) Ahh...a classic!
In googling the Silver River monkeys, I found an account of a monkey pack which escaped from their island habitat on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 in Lakeland, Florida. There were about a dozen patase monkeys, imported from Puerto Rico, where the population was so thick that they were going to be euthanized. The wildlife experts were convinced that the monkeys would not swim the 8-foot-deep, 60-foot-wide moat around their 1-acre island reserve --- but they were wrong! Turns out that monkeys born in the wild don't have the same inhibitions as their captive-born cousins.
"They have their wild instincts intact," said one of the vets who runs the Florida Teaching Zoo in Bushnell. "It probably never occurred to them not to swim out."
A group of patases in Naples has lived on one side of a moat for decades, never venturing into the water.
I've searched unsuccessfully for an update on the story of the escaping patase monkey pack. There was a mention on Topix that five of them had been caught, but I found nothing else. Word was that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was investigating the matter, and the monkey's keepers said they carried no diseases. They were microchipped, which is very reassuring... If you Florida residents find one of these cute little critters, you can take it to the vet to see if it belongs to anyone...
That's the extent of my monkey blog, folks. I'd say that these primates are just almost as interesting as goats! And, as for that photo, wow! A jungle with real monkeys! Now, that qualifies as a "Get Away"!
From the monkeyless hills of rural Tillman, this is your roving reporter Madeline, longing for exotic boat trips down a jungle river, lined with trees full of monkeys!
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Cute little critters? When we were in Bali we visited a temple that was overrun by monkeys because they were considered sacred. You could walk through the rainforest behind the temple and the monkeys would come down to the path, begging for food.
All would be okay as long as you fed them something, but as I walked past one that was sitting on a pedestal along the path, he realized I didn't have food. I turned to look at him, and he showed me his displeasure by opening his mouth, showing his 2 inch long teeth, and screamed at me!
He wasn't so cute anymore.
http://www.vimeo.com/13473 Example of the Bali monkeys
-- Posted by lovebooks on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, at 6:27 PM
MD, I hope one of these 'patases's (plural, singular, whatever) doesn't knock on your door someday wanting to discuss this article about his tribe. Hope you haven't let the cat or monkey out of the bag by this posting. How very interesting, we used to take the kids to monkey island at the Memphis Zoo and spend hours watching our neighbors relatives....lol................they are so interesting and you could almost sometimes see your best friend's antics in their display. Now how do we explain that????
Thanks for a fun article.
-- Posted by changedname on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, at 6:49 PM
Dont know what's going on, logged on as 'dexterite' shows up as changedname'.
-- Posted by changedname on Thu, Apr 2, 2009, at 7:46 PM
Oh, NO!!! Dexterite has been HIJACKED!!!
Have I ever told the story of the monkey who came to visit us on the farm, I wonder?? She escaped from a neighbor's car and showed up on our back porch one cold February. Good thing she got help when she did, because the hawks were circling. I wondered why they were so close - Then the dogs started barking like crazy! And there she was, a tiny grey spider monkey, sitting on the porch, twisting her tail like a worried old lady! My son was about four, and he was DELIGHTED -- until the owner showed up to take her away!
-- Posted by goat lady on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, at 7:35 AM
Goat Lady, I love the monkey on the porch story! That would have been a dream-come-true when I was a kid. Isn't it amazing that she knew to come to your house for help?
-- Posted by lovebooks on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, at 8:22 AM
I love your monkey story! There are monkeys on a small island on the Homosassa River, also. They were placed there, with a hut and provisions. They don't swim to shore, for some reason. I'd much rather see those wild ones on the Silver River.
Love the blog! Good to see lovebooks back again.
-- Posted by GONENOW on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, at 10:59 AM
Haha! You should have heard me calling around to the neighboring farms, trying to find out who had lost a monkey!! I've told this so many times, but here goes:
Me: Do you know anyone who's lost a monkey?
Neighbor: A MONKEY????
Repeat conversation about 10 times with same reaction each time.
I called in to the local grocery store and could hear the customers yelling, "A MONKEY?"
Some of my neighbors even showed up at my front door asking to see the monkey. I was pretty popular for a while.
-- Posted by goat lady on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, at 11:14 AM
MD, All...Several years back, before her twins were born, my cousin Teresa, who lives in Kenya, discovered an infant monkey who had fallen from a tree outside their new house, and being the animal lover that she is, persuaded their groundsman to get a ladder so she could redeposit the foundling back into the tree....where she encountered a dominant adult who was in no particular mood to have the scent-tainted youngster returned to their midst, and attacked Teresa, knocking her about and eventually landing her back on the ground....I told her later that the lesson in this was "Don't Muck with the Fonkey!!,but you get the gist of it. I can't recall the breed of primate involved, but she hasn't bothered to play monkey patrol since!!!Not too many monkeys in London, where her twins are in school....molater, kk
-- Posted by kkcaver47 on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, at 12:09 PM
Good story, kk!! Sometimes it just doesn't pay to be a good Samaritan.
-- Posted by goat lady on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, at 1:07 PM
In Vietnam, my husband's unit took in a monkey as a pet. The most excitement the monkey brought was when he got inside a tank and started firing rounds. I think that was the last of keeping a pet monkey.
-- Posted by GONENOW on Fri, Apr 3, 2009, at 2:35 PM
A PBS program last night about an Amazon adverturer showed video of the world's smallest monkeys. They are only found in a certain area of the Brazilian rain forest. The adults are about 4" from nose to tail. The natives allow the monkeys to come into their huts and eat with them. This is a photo of two adult monkeys, http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2006/08...
-- Posted by FJGuy on Mon, Apr 6, 2009, at 8:33 PM
All together now, let's hear it: Ooooooohhhhh, how CUTE!!! What adorable, tiny monkeys!!!! I want one!!! (No, not really! But they are soooooooo sweet!!)
Thanks for that photo, FJ! I'll look at it whenever I need a fresh dose of CUTE!!
-- Posted by goat lady on Tue, Apr 7, 2009, at 10:51 AM
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Madeline (Giles) DeJournett is the Advance writer for the North Stoddard Countian. A retired high school English/history teacher, she spent 32 years teaching in 5 schools in Missouri and Alaska. These days, she lives quietly with a menagerie of wild and domestic animals on 52 secluded acres in the remote Tillman hills south of Advance. She graduated from Dexter High School in 1960 and Southeast Missouri State in 1964. She can be contacted at email@example.com.
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Actor. Author. Artist. Director. Oscars host. James Franco has many impressive titles to his name and now he's adding another - activitist.
The Spider-Man actor, 34, posted a YouTube video early Monday to protest Australia's "really silly" decision to ban a film made by his friend and collaborator Travis Mathews.
Photos: Should these shows end?
Mathews' film I Want Your Love was scheduled to play the Melbourne Queen Film Festival, Sydney's Queer Screen and the Brisbane Queer Film Festival but has since been banned in Australia because of sex scenes featured in the film. In his video, Franco said it was Mathew's film and specifically the "sophisticated way" he used sex that made Franco want to work with him. The two co-directed Interior. Leather Bar, which recently premiered at Sundance.
"Sex is such a big part of our lives and even if it isn't a part of your life - that's a conscious choice to keep it out. It's how we create children. It's how we connect," Franco says. "To keep it from films ... is very short-sighted and, I think, very hypocritical. I don't think we'd be having this conversation if he had made a very violent film."
Watch Franco's full video below:
View original VIDEO: James Franco Speaks Out Against Australia's "Very Hypocritical" Decision to Ban Film at TVGuide.com
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Lake Livingston
Quick Links: Fishing Regulations | Angling Opportunities | Cover & Structure | Tips & Tactics
BOATER ADVISORY: Zebra mussels have been found in this reservoir! CLEAN, DRAIN AND DRY your boat, trailer, livewells/bait buckets, and other gear before traveling to another water body. Draining water is required by law and possession and transport of zebra mussels is illegal. Learn more.
Lake Characteristics
Location: On the Trinity River in Polk, San Jacinto, Trinity and Walker counties. Dam is in Polk and
San Jacinto counties, west of Livingston and 50 miles north of Houston.
Surface area: 90,000 acres
Maximum depth: 77 feet
Impounded: 1969
Water Conditions
Current Lake Level
Conservation Pool Elevation: 131 ft. msl
Fluctuation: 1-2 feet annually
Normal Clarity: Moderately to highly turbid
Consumption Advisory in effect
Reservoir Controlling Authority
Trinity River Authority
PO Box 360
Livingston, Texas 77351
(936) 365-2292
Aquatic Vegetation
Native emergent plants are limited to the upper areas of the reservoir and in the backs of coves and embayments. The floating exotic water hyacinth is found throughout the reservoir.
Predominant Fish Species
Lake Records
Current Fishing Report
Stocking History
Latest Survey Report
Lake Maps
No free maps are available.
Fishing Regulations
This reservoir has special regulations on some fishes. See bag and size limits for this lake.
Angling Opportunities
Lake Livingston is a notable white bass fishery. White bass are plentiful and grow to large sizes. Also notable is the catfish fishery, dominated by blue catfish. Largemouth bass, striped bass, and crappie are less abundant but good catches are possible in areas of the reservoir where habitat is available.
|Largemouth Bass
|White Bass
|Striped/Hybrid Bass
Fishing Cover/Structure
Some native emergent vegetation can be found in the upper areas of the reservoir. Very little cover exists in the lower reservoir due to vertical bulkhead.
Tips & Tactics
White bass are most readily caught in early spring in the many creeks that feed into Lake Livingston. Striped bass can be caught around the 190 bridge area by trolling and vertical jigging spoons or live shad. Largemouth bass are most frequently caught in the bays and creeks from the Kickapoo/Penwaugh area northward. Spring and fall are the most successful seasons for largemouths. Channel and blue catfish can be caught most any time of year on a variety of organic and live baits over the main river channel and in off channel tributaries and creeks.


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It is time to tighten our belts
According to a recent story by The Associated Press, the taxpayers spent nearly $3.7 million in 2012 for pension and other expenses for the four living former U.S. presidents – George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
That's in addition to the cost of Secret Service protection for the former presidents and some of their family members.
While this isn't a huge amount of money in the context of the enormous federal budget, it is one of many expenditures by our national government that should be re-examined and trimmed.
Certainly, it is reasonable for former presidents to receive an appropriate pension and some support for legitimate office and travel costs. That's what was anticipated when Congress passed the Former Presidents Act in 1958.
No one would want a former president to be destitute. That individual's service to the nation should be acknowledged appropriately for a lifetime.
In the modern era, however, former presidents are able to earn huge sums of money through speaking fees, book deals and other arrangements. Consequently, it seems unnecessary for the federal government – and that means U.S. taxpayers – to shell out large amounts of funding to defray expenses they can easily pay for themselves.
It is imperative that the federal budget be brought in line with tax revenues. This nation must not continue to run huge deficits year after year. Reducing the funding for former presidents wouldn't make a huge dent in the deficit, but it would send a message that our nation is serious about belt-tightening.
The Messenger calls upon Congress to limit this category of spending as part of an aggressive campaign to curtail a wide array expenditures that are either unreasonable or excessively large.
It would be especially meaningful if the former presidents were to join together in a call for a reduction in the financial support they receive. Doing so would put our current leaders in Washington on notice that their predecessors in high office regard frugality as a necessity in this period of economic difficulties.


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Recent donations put Avera near fundraising goal for cancer center
MARSHALL – Three businesses and a regional organization have joined the ranks of donors to Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center's capital campaign for a cancer treatment center.
Avera Marshall announced this week that Norwegian Mutual Insurance Company of Cottonwood and Hope Mutual Insurance of Tyler each donated $25,000 to the campaign. Prairie Pride Cooperative and the Southwest Initiative Foundation each donated $10,000.
"These recent donations bring us even closer to the goal of being able to break ground for a project that will make a huge a difference in getting cancer care locally," said Marty Seifert, executive director of the Avera Marshall Foundation. "The Avera Cancer Institute will be a place of hope and healing, and we are grateful to all donors."
Including the recent donations, the capital campaign is now about $297,000 away from its $5.45 million goal.
"We are getting very, very close," Seifert said. However, support from people in the region is needed now more than ever. Fundraising efforts have intensified in the past few weeks, he said.
If the campaign reaches its goal, ground will be broken for the Avera Marshall Cancer Institute this fall. The institute will offer radiation, chemotherapy and other treatments for cancer and serve a region covering several counties in southwest Minnesota. Construction costs are estimated at a total of $12.95 million. Funding sources include $7 million set aside by the city of Marshall after the sale of the municipal hospital to the Avera health system. That money was earmarked for the development of an oncology department at the hospital.
"We felt the goal can be reached by a combination of large, medium and small donations, pooled together," Seifert said. He said support for the project has remained strong, especially as area residents have learned that they can make smaller donations and still make a difference. The ability to make a pledge spread out over more than one year is also an option.
Businesses and individuals wishing to donate, or find out more about the capital campaign for the cancer institute can contact Seifert at 507-537-9145.


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Eric Michaels
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How did I get my start? "I sent an email to the station asking for an internship. I got the job right out of High School and the rest is HISTORY!"
What is my favorite or MOST memorable interview? "I've gotten to interview a lot of people over the years. However, I really enjoy interviewing the up and coming artists. They are usually so grateful and appreciative! They are so glad that you've taken the time to chat with them and it's cool for me because when/if they make it big you can say, "I interviewed them WAY BACK WHEN!" Some of the recent ones include James Wesley, Florida Georgia Line, Darren Warren, The Wheeler Sisters and the list goes on and on."
Best part about working in radio? "Playing the music, meeting the listeners, interacting with the people that make this station so successful. We'd be nothing without them!"
If I could do it all over again, with no stipulations/no money involved/ no age limit; what would I be doing? "You're looking at it! This is all I've ever wanted to do, can't imagine doing anything else!"


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A graduate of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Delhi., Hans is an ops professional and a digital enthusiast. Data anlytics and content are his strengths.
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PACA-Albania: MAIN ACTIVITIES 2011
Provision of the expert opinion on the AML/CFT secondary legislation
In December 2011 PACA project delivered the expert opinion concerning the
recently drafted secondary AML/CFT legislation (Instruction no. 20 of the
Ministry of Finance of Albania concerning the reporting methods and procedures
of the obliged persons and entities under the Law on Prevention of Money
Laundering and Terrorist Financing and Instruction no. 21 of the Ministry
of Finance of Albania on reporting methods and procedures of designated
non-financial professions) assessing and providing concrete recommendations
on their conformity with Recommendation 5 of the Financial Action Task Force
as well as their compliance with recommendations of the MONEYVAL Report
on Fourth Assessment Visit.
Trainings on the investigation of corruption and money laundering, and on tracking the proceeds of crime
Following the agreement with the School of Magistrates and the General Directorate
of Police of Albania, PACA organised two interactive trainings with nine
certified trainers on the investigation of corruption and money laundering,
and on tracking and seizing the proceeds of crime. The trainings took place in Vlora - first one was held from 15 to 18 November 2011 while the
second one took place from 23-25 November 2011.
Conference: "Reforming the System of Immunities in Albania - the Path Ahead"
Following the dissemination of the Technical Paper (CMU-PACA-07/2011) on "Immunities
in Council of Europe Member States: Legislative, Executive and Judicial
Office Holders" in late March 2011, and PACA roundtable event on "The
System of Immunities in Albania: Comparative Analysis and Assessment of
the Stakeholders' Positions" held on 12 April 2011, PACA has prepared
a second Technical Paper (CMU-PACA-19/2011) on 'Recommendations for the
Future Regulation of Immunities of Elected Officials in Albania'. This second
paper is intended to be the key input to a final Conference to be held jointly
by PACA and EURALIUS projects on "Reforming the Albanian Law on Immunities:
The Path Ahead" which took place on 18 October 2011. The aim of
the conference was to review and discuss the recommendations and to achieve
the agreement on the reform path to be chosen.
Risk Assessments Completed
In June 2011 PACA completed the last risk assessment scheduled under the
project workplan. The assessments - Education system in Albanian,
Complaints against Judges, the Immovable Property Registration System, Social
Housing Allocation, the Healthcare System, and the Albanian Competition
Authority, analyse the vulnerability to corruption of legal and institutional
frameworks in the sectors/institutions selected, and provide targeted and
timelined recommendations to address those vulnerabilities. By September
2011 PACA had received written feedback from the relevant institutions on
all the assessments except on Complaints against Judges, and was in discussions
with the beneficiary institutions on which of PACA's recommendations
to be taken into account in official policies and how. In the case of the
Healthcare assessment, following discussions with the beneficiary small
changes were to be made to the assessment report during October 2011.
Final Stage of Training of Trainers Program


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"I prefer silent vice to ostentatious virtue. "
Hubbard Broadcasting's Stanley S. Hubbard
Some people have aviation in their DNA. Stanley Stub Hubbard got it from his father, Stanley Eugene Hubbard, who took up flying in 1916, started a few marginally successful airlines, opened an airport in Louisville, Ky., and helped organize the Metropolitan Airport Commission in 1943. By then he had already established himself in radio-and had passed on the flying bug to his son.
"My dad was an aviation pioneer and a radio pioneer," Stanley S. said proudly, as we chatted in his KSTP-TV office in St. Paul, Minn. "He bought a radio station in 1923. We were the first regularly scheduled news program in the U.S. In 1948 he put TV on the air."
The elder Hubbard stopped flying after he got into radio. Said his son, born in 1933, "We had an old Stearman in the backyard of our lake house. I used to sit in it and pretend to be flying."
But in the early fifties, Stanley E. bought a Cessna 180 and started flying again. His son started flying, too. As the family-owned Hubbard Broadcasting grew, a succession of airplanes followed, including a Gulfstream V. Stanley S. took the reins of Hubbard Broadcasting in 1981 and that year established U.S. Satellite Broadcasting as a subsidiary. USSB went public in 1996 and Hubbard sold it to Hughes/DirecTV for $1.3 billion in 1998. Hubbard Broadcasting today has some 1,100 employees and owns a dozen television/radio stations and two cable channels.
The March issue of Forbes listed Stanley S. Hubbard as the 743rd richest person in the U.S. (down from 297th in 2007), with an estimated net worth of more than $1.6 billion both years.
I understand you began working for your father in 1951. What was your first job?
I started working here at KSTP-TV as a file clerk and later became a news photographer. I'd listen to the police radios and go out to chase accidents, fires, holdups, murders-everything. We'd come back to the studio, process our own film, make eight-by-ten prints, dry them, mount them on cardboard and give them to news writers, who would write stories around what we'd tell them. Then we'd get into the studio, where we had two cameras and two easels. When the announcer went from one story to the next, the photographers would pull the pictures, faster than the eye could see. At home, all you would see was the picture change. It's a little different now.
You became president of Hubbard Broadcasting in 1967, took over the business in 1981 and became chairman and CEO in 1983.
My dad had a stroke and withdrew from the business in 1981. He was still chairman in title but was never here. He died in 1992.
I've heard you say that as chairman and CEO your job now is "chief cheerleader."
That's right. All of our companies are run by very good people. Our kids grew up in the business and are good executives. If they weren't, they wouldn't be here. I chair the board meetings and get into things about policy and large investments. I talk to people and once in a while they'll listen to my ideas-sometimes they even take my ideas. But they run the business on a daily basis. Some of our grandchildren are also working for the company.
Do you have advice for running a family business?
You better know your kids. If they haven't got what it takes, don't let them in the business. I've seen that mistake time and time again. We're lucky that our kids all get along and respect each other for what they can and can't do.
To what do you attribute this?
My wife Karen and I sent our kids to public school. We live along the St. Croix River. If you go one block back, there are low-income homes. Our kids went to school
with all those kids and got along. They are really down to earth. We made them work. The neighborhood kids would ask, "Why do the Hubbard kids have to work so hard? They can afford to get the lawn cut."
What do you consider the main role of the CEO?
To make your company profitable by providing a public service. I don't care if that public service is selling diapers or cameras-giving something of value to society for which you get paid. And make a profit-you've got to run your business, so make a profit.
What are the most egregious mistakes a CEO can make?
The most egregious mistake a board of directors can make is to hire a CEO who is a sociopath. Some of them are in jail now. A sociopath is a person who has no social conscience. Their big thrill in life is not just making the companies successful, it's scamming. I think ethics is
the most important thing.
How did you get into using airplanes in the business?
In 1957 we bought KOB-TV in Albuquerque, our first expansion outside Minnesota. Getting there by airline was a real pain. So in 1958 we bought a surplus Twin Beech, which had a crappy Air Force interior. My father didn't want to spend any money on fancy interiors. He had a carpenter do the interior walls out of plywood. You know, that plywood made the interior like a sounding box for a speaker. Boy, it was loud in that airplane. But my father wouldn't fly unless he was the pilot. He said he felt like a "rat in a trap." So he drove while other executives and I flew.
You told me you went on to buy and sell a number of airplanes over the years-an Aero Commander, a DC-3, a Martin 404, a Convair 580, a Fairchild F27, a Gulfstream I-and then you got your first jet, a Gulfstream II. Why was that?
In 1980, I wanted to get the direct broadcast satellite business going. I gave speeches all over the country and made more than 1,200 appearances. A lot of times the cable guys would be there, saying, "DBS [direct broadcast satellite] stands for 'don't be stupid.'" Cable at that time had only 12 to 15 channels. Right out of the chute we would have had 32 channels of unbelievable picture quality. If we had gotten DBS going in 1981, there wouldn't be any cable now.
When we got that business up and running, we needed a faster airplane. So I bought a GII. The GII is a wonderful airplane. We also bought a Hawker 400F and had guys flying all over the place. Then I bought another GII, which I never really used because I bought a GIII. Sold that to some guy on the East Coast and bought a GV. I went to Moscow for the Bush Administration and also flew it to China, Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam.
One day my son Rob came in to me and said, "Dad, we don't fly overseas hardly at all. Is it worth $25 million to not have to stop for fuel every two years?" So we sold the GV and kept our GII, our first jet aircraft. It went into service in 1969 and now has more than 15,000 hours. That's nothing if you maintain the aircraft. It's beyond me why anyone would go out and spend $30 million on a GIV-SP, unless they are going across the ocean 25 times a year. There's a lot of ego in airplanes.
What aircraft do you have now?
We have the GII, which we fly about 300 hours a year, a Cessna Caravan, helicopters at the TV stations, a Citabria and a Cessna 172.
The broadcasting industry has obviously changed considerably since your father bought his first radio station in 1923. How do see the industry developing in the next five or 10 years?
A lot of [advertising] money is going to the Internet that came off television and newspapers-a lot of wasted money. What do companies use to get people to go to their Web sites? Television advertising. Television is the only thing that gets a mass audience-shows like Desperate Housewives (one of my favorites) and Grey's Anatomy get the mass audience. It works.
It used to be the [television advertising] money came over the transom. Now you have to work for it. The business has changed. I think television will be around for a long time, but we may have to think of
a new paradigm.
Do you think about this often?
Part of my job as chief cheerleader is to be always thinking about where we're heading. I talk to whoever I can talk to; I listen to whoever I can listen to. I try to analyze what goes on. I ask people, "How many advertisements do you pay attention to on the Internet?" I haven't found anyone yet who does.
If you were, hypothetically, President of the United States, what would you do?
First, I'd try to figure out how to get rid of [congressional] pork.
I'd try to explain to our great American people the importance of business and jobs, and that the way to prosperity is to create more jobs. All this rhetoric about taxes on the rich is just going to destroy jobs.
I'd try to provide the leadership that's not there.
I'd back off on this global warming nonsense. It's going to be very interesting to see Al Gore and his guys made fools of in five years. Actually, global warming is a very good thing, if it happens. The last time was between A.D. 1000 and 1350. There was less sickness and fewer hurricanes, and people prospered. The Canadians and Russians are worried about global cooling, because they've been watching sunspot activity, which is down.
CEO Files Résumé: Stanley S. Hubbard
Position: Chairman, CEO and president of Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc.
Previous positions: "I grew up in the business."
Education: BA, sociology, minor in history, University of Minnesota, 1955.
Personal: Age, 75; wife Karen; married 49 years; children, Kathryn Rominski, Stanley E. Hubbard, Virginia Morris, Robert W. Hubbard; Julia Hubbard Coyte; 14 grandchildren; homes in Lakeland, Minn. and Angel Fire, N.M.
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Donna Margarita was excellent, but a little different than what I found in Naples due to the CRAZY high temps at Trianon and the wild yeast at Costa. The two other "random" places in Naples I tried were very similar to Costa. Donna Margarita reminded me of Il Pizzaiolo in Pittsburgh very much, although I think Ron is using a lower hydration (until he gets his new oven).
Here is a link to a nice clear video of forming the dough into balls as done in Italy.http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=pizzanapoletana
I was taught the technique that Marco is talking about, basically pinching off a ball from a strip of dough.I wish I could figure out how to upload from my DVR to you tube because I have an episode or Epicurious where they go to Napoli and to Da Michele. They show Da Michele forming the dough balls and they actually cut pieces off and just roll them on the marble. They never even pick them up and form balls?
Valentino @ Napule,Fulham was cutting the Dough from the tray and forming the Pizza the last time I was speaking to him.He commented to me that his Pizza was really a "Bakers Style" Pizza.I presumed that this was because he usually made it Meto style and each Pizza was a different size.I think the Brandi website used to have some video of shaping,but I'm not able to find it now?


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Skip to comments.U.S. Republicans say, "No way" to ceding debt limit power
Posted on 12/05/2012 5:18:50 PM PST by Sub-Driver
U.S. Republicans say, "No way" to ceding debt limit power Photo 7:36pm EST
By Rachelle Younglai
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers took a firm stand on Wednesday against an Obama administration proposal that would make it easier for the president to increase the nation's debt limit, worried it would undercut their leverage to cut government spending.
Republicans introduced a non-binding resolution in the House of Representatives that, if approved, would put the chamber on record opposing the plan, and a Senate Republican began circulating a letter to President Barack Obama saying it was critical that Congress' role in setting the limit not change.
As part of its opening bid to Republicans in talks to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts set to hit the economy at the start of 2013, the administration proposed allowing the president to initiate hikes in the debt limit, which now stands at $16.4 trillion.
If Congress denied the request, he could then veto the decision. It would take a super-majority in both the House and Senate to override the veto, meaning the increase would almost certainly move ahead.
The White House wants any fiscal cliff deal to include a borrowing cap hike to avoid a repeat of last year's bruising debt limit fight, which unnerved markets and led to the loss of the nation's top-tier credit rating.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Yeah, that leverage has worked REAL well so far. Why, if their "leverage" were undercut, who knows what spending might be. It might even zoom out of control.
Obama says on debt ceiling: he won't play that game.
I hear you. If we're relying on Republican 'self control', we're on our own.
The GOP will cave. They don't want the fiscal cliff to be blamed on them. Elections have consequences.
""The GOP will cave. They dont want the fiscal cliff to be blamed on them. Elections have consequences.""
They can have members talk to the press incessantly every time an accusation of "it's the GOP's fault" is uttered from the WH. Have congressmen/women available at all times to refute the WH... Fight fire with fire!! Let the American people know the WH is lying. Strong language is called for.
And do you think the press will cover that? Will they even cover the GOPs response?
Best solution — do nothing
""And do you think the press will cover that? Will they even cover the GOPs response?""
If they pick the right people, yes! Greta is the only one left who has any fire left in her!!! I don't know if she's available to pick up interviews the minute they need to be covered but it's worth a shot. She does show up in the Capitol for interviews so she's around..
You're going to ask - how many people watch Greta? There's that!!! Those who aren't interested in hearing the truth certainly don't tune her in...
The congressmen/women have to call ALL members of the media and let it be known who did and didn't show up for the TRUTH!!
Some thought it was about 10Ft deep, didn't know where it was, and other such nonsense.
Now they are really going to be stumped when axked about the "Debt Ceiling".
Once upon a time, it would've been political suicide to even think about asking for such dictatorial powers. Amazing how things have changed.
"The GOP will cave..."
No they won't. The dems have all the power, EXCEPT FOR THE DEBT CEILING.
Refusing to cave on the fiscal cliff means massive tax increases for everyone which is against all that republicans believe.
Refusing to cave on the debt ceiling means massive spending cuts for everything which is against all that democrats believe.
Fiscal cliff = advantage democrats
Debt ceiling = advantage republicans.
The presidency is a powerful office in the US. When the democrats held congress and the repubs the presidency, The debt ceiling has traditionally been used to attach all kinds of stuff to it providing a congressional check on presidential power. The repubs must hold on to it to do the same.
This is also why Obama is adamant about the repubs giving it up. It is why the repubs ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT GIVE THIS UP.
Wouldn't this be unconstitutional to start with?
RINO File.
I'm pleased you could detect it without the "/s" tag!
Not too subtle?
Oh... I wouldn't worry about that. ;)
You nailed it.
Why are they even acknowledging it. They should ignore the demand or laugh it off. It is not worth passing resolutions
So he'll take it anyway.
Who's going to stop him?
Prepare yourself for a rude awakening.
Republicans (the people) are not in control the GOPe is, and their agenda is not the same as yours.
I think we will all soon be made aware of the scam that has been pulled on the people.
The Speaker did not come out and say that the President has no power to raise the debt but that power lies with the House and the House alone. He should have but he didn't that means something.
"last year's bruising debt limit fight, which unnerved markets and led to the loss of the nation's top-tier credit rating."
Yeah, that was the cause. Liars.
When Bronc0 bammie says "we must have a balanced approach" the responsse should be: "we agree, and want to balance spending and taxes, as a start"
In the end... we know what will happen... the GOP will cave.
But Americans will still blame them anyway when the economy tanks further.
This may be a throwaway "concession" for Obama, so he loses nothing.
I'll bet the Republicans and Boehner will posture for the cameras and then do nothing if Obama just seizes this power for himself.
To anyone suggesting this is a valid concern, the understanding of our nation's laws and legal framework is obviously lost to you. Go back and read the Constitution of the United States of America.
ALL laws regarding the financing of the government MUST originate in the House of Representatives. That's one of the reasons why Obamacare is so treasonous: it originated as a Senate bill. That's not how things work. If Obama is given the ability to do anything unilaterally, then every Representative who votes to give him that power is summarily in dereliction of their duty to the oath they took upon taking office and should be executed or imprisoned for doing so.
All that being said, we live in a banana republic, and if it does happen, it'll be cloak and dagger type shit that will pass by a narrow margin and we truly will live under a dictatorship.
Obama's already violated the War Powers act by his assignment of troops in Libya and elsewhere. Going over the head of Congress would not only be impeachable but should immediately cause a streak of brown to form in the pants of every lawyer in this nation, as their ability to do anything will have been ceded to the minds of magistrates and judges appointed by "The Won."
I'm ready for CWII, folks. I hope you are prepared, physically and spiritually, for what's coming.
Obama always plays with a different set of referees and a different set of rules.
We can be sure that Boehner will follow Obama on every point; after all he can say OH voted for Obama. There may be no formal ceding of the debt limit, but informally, it's a done deal under Boehner.
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Now that President Barack Obama has been reelected, his Affordable Care Act, "Obamacare," will move forward, which is good news for the health, safety, and security of the United States. But setting up Obamacare and actually providing it are two different challenges. Both will be hard.
Setting up Obamacare. Expanding health insurance coverage to the uninsured might seem straight forward, but, unfortunately, it won't be. Some states are balking at setting up health insurance exchanges, preferring to leave the task to the federal government. The Obama administration has even had to extend the deadline for states to decide if they'll cooperate or not. As of January 4, 2013, 25 states have decided not to cooperate. Meanwhile, states that are planning to set up their own exchanges confront a myriad of options, including the type of exchange, the structure, and the governance oversight. This could be good or bad. Each state will serve as an experiment.
Access to health care is a national security issue. When people don't have insurance, they also don't seek out health care right away. That means that people sick with a deadly communicable disease could set off an outbreak if they delay seeking medical care. Such delays would needlessly worsen a potentially deadly epidemic, making it harder to contain. Expanding health insurance coverage to the millions of Americans who previously went without it -- increasing the likelihood that more people will seek early treatment -- is a critical step toward improving America's ability to detect and respond to such crises.
But that is just the first step. The second, harder step will be to actually provide medical care and drugs to millions of additional people.
Providing Obamacare: Physician shortages. Globally, there is a serious shortage of physicians, particularly primary care physicians, and it's expected to get worse in the coming years. The American Association of Medical Colleges estimates that, by 2015, there will be a shortage of more than 60,000 physicians in the United States. By 2025, the shortage could reach well over 100,000 physicians.
One reason for the shortage is that there just aren't enough medical schools and residency programs to meet the needs of a fast-growing aging population. It takes over a decade to train a physician -- from college to medical school to residencies, internships, and extra fellowships. Additionally, in general, primary care physicians aren't compensated as well as specialists, making the field less attractive to medical students, who often incur huge debts to attend medical school.
In the short term, physicians from other countries will continue to pour into the United States to practice. This isn't a new phenomenon. The United States has been dependent on foreign-trained physicians to meet its needs for years. The problem is, when doctors leave their home countries -- particularly poor developing countries -- to make more money in the United States, they leave behind nations without enough physicians to provide medical care for their own populations. And that jeopardizes global health. Epidemics begin locally and, if identified early, have a better chance of being contained. Without physicians on the front lines, deadly epidemics can spread.
Plus, even with foreign doctors working in the United States, there continues to be a dwindling number of primary care physicians. In an era of exploding medical knowledge and advanced technologies, being a generalist is proving to be very difficult. There are now so many clinical practice guidelines and algorithms for physicians to follow, the practice of medicine is becoming one big complicated flow-chart. The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 asked the Institute of Medicine to evaluate all the measures and guidelines to ascertain which were worth following. What happened? The Institute of Medicine developed standards to follow the guidelines. No wonder no one wants to practice primary care.
David D. Norenberg, an internist practicing almost 40 years in Wisconsin, wrote a compelling essay in 2009 about the demise of primary care medicine: "[T]hese well-intentioned practice guidelines, initially meant as helpful suggestions … have been transformed by politicians, business leaders, and acquiescing assurance committees into the nemesis of primary care: one-size-fits-all medicine." Norenberg believes that "quality improvement" has become so oppressive that the only option for physicians is to focus on one organ system -- in other words, practice sub-specialty medicine. Nobody wants to pay primary care physicians to provide individual-based care.
One solution is to expand the number of nurse practitioners. They take less time to train, require less compensation, are often willing to practice in underserved areas, and provide basic health care. For people with uncomplicated health problems, they're a viable option. So far, only 16 states and Washington, DC, allow nurse practitioners complete practice independence. Predictably, physicians' organizations are opposed to this strategy.
Providing Obamacare: Drug shortages. If physician shortages weren't bad enough, there are also drug shortages. In 2011, 251 drugs were in short supply. The shortages have been largely due to manufacturing flaws, prompting the deficient factories to close -- and these are the manufacturers that the Food and Drug Administration inspects. We've seen what happens when manufacturers, such as the New England Compounding Center, don't get inspected: a deadly meningitis epidemic.
In late October 2011, President Obama issued an executive order that was supposed to address the growing drug-shortage crisis. The order instructed the FDA to broaden its reporting of potential shortages of prescription drugs, provide information to the Justice Department about possible cases of price gouging or collusion, and speed up reviews of applications to begin or adjust drug production. But even this step is considered modest, at best.
If a country can't ensure an adequate supply of critical drugs during normal times, then how is it supposed to provide them during a time of crisis? Simply providing a list of drugs in short supply doesn't cut it.
On June 15, 2012, a congressional report, "FDA's Contribution to the Drug Shortage Crisis," begins by stating, "The drug shortage crisis that took off in 2010 began shortly after Margaret Hamburg became FDA Commissioner." The report goes on to accuse the FDA of failing to ensure enforcement and compliance activities. The report also found that shortages of generic injectable medications were caused by changes in a provision in the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act, which lowered the prices of these drugs, causing the companies that produce them to lose money. The lost revenue reduced the companies' incentives to upgrade manufacturing capabilities. The companies producing these drugs thus dwindled, creating a supply bottleneck -- especially if they had manufacturing problems.
In other words: It all comes down to money.
The bottom line. Everybody wants quality, affordable health care with safe, effective drugs. The challenge will be to provide it to as many people as possible without bankrupting the nation. Let's hope Obamacare is a step in the right direction.


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LINGUIST List 23.835
Sun Feb 19 2012
Jobs: Spanish; Syntax: Linguists/Syntacticians, Appen Butler Hill
Editor for this issue: Christy Bird <christy
The LINGUIST List strongly encourages employers to engage in non-discriminatory hiring practices. We urge employers not to discriminate on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, age, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. However, we have no means of enforcing these standards.
Job seekers should pay special attention to language in ads regarding employment requirements and are encouraged to consult our international employment page at http://linguistlist.org/jobs/jobnet.html. This page has been set up so that people can report on the employment standards of various countries.
To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at
1. Mandy Iverson ,
Spanish; Syntax: Linguists/Syntacticians, Appen Butler Hill
Message 1: Spanish; Syntax: Linguists/Syntacticians, Appen Butler Hill
Mandy Iverson <miverson
Spanish; Syntax: Linguists/Syntacticians, Appen Butler Hill
E-mail this message to a friend
University or Organization: Appen Butler Hill
Job Location: ---------------- (Telecommute)
Web Address:
Job Rank: Linguists/Syntacticians
Specialty Areas: Syntax
Required Language(s): Spanish (spa)
Appen Butler Hill is seeking Spanish (Spain) linguists/syntacticians to
help improve the syntax parsers for a leading global IT company.
Main responsibilities include reviewing and annotating the language data
according to specified dependency rules and refining the tag set. The
successful candidate has a background in Theoretical Linguistics with
emphasis on syntactic and semantic analysis. Previous experience in
interpreting semantic and syntactic representations and familiarity with
Dependency Grammars is a big plus.
The project will start as early as the middle/end of February 2012 and will
continue for 3-4 months with possibility of extension. All work is done
remotely; average time commitment will be approximately 20-30 hours per week.
Required Skills:
- B.A. degree or higher in Computational Linguistics, Linguistics or
related field
- Native or near-native knowledge of written Spanish (Spain)
- Excellent written communication skills in English
- Strong background in syntax and grammar engineering
- Ability to quickly understand new linguistic technologies and
client/project needs
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Demonstrated organizational skills with attention to detail
Additional Information:
The project requires excellent English reading, writing and communication
skills. Strong computer skills in a Windows environment and greater than
average comfort with software and technology are expected. You will be
required to sign a legally binding non-disclosure agreement at the time of
contract negotiation.
We offer a competitive, hourly pay rate DOE (to be paid as 1099
self-employment income).
How to Apply:
Application Deadline: 15-Mar-2012
Web Address for Applications:
Contact Information:
Mandy Iverson
Email: miverson
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Awesome Bonus Included
[SOFTWARE] Now You Can Instantly Increase The Profits of Any Ad, Email, Web Site or Sales Letter!
TTS Sketchmaker Review
As a marketer and product developer I frequently get the opportunity to test new products from my peers. So I was very excited and interested when I got access to TTS Sketchmaker as I love creating videos to advertize my software and tools. As you know video is an excellent free method of driving traffic to your sites these days and a professionally produced video can sure bring in the sales!
TTS Sketchmaker is a whiteboard animation creator with a difference, it allows you to use text to speech technology. I was a little skeptical initially because many text to speech applications can sound damn awful, reminiscent of the old Texas Instruments Speak and spell…(if you're an old git like me then you will remember that).
Anyway I watched the video on the JV page and was pleased to hear that the quality of the voices included with the software were pretty convincing. It's true that this technology still has a way to go, but the quality and tone of the voices was not bad at all.
The software is very easy to use, (I never read manuals if I can help it, as I learn better that way) the interface is logically laid out and you don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand it. Within a few minutes I'd created a short video and rendered it to MP4. Newbies will love this tool not only because it's so easy to use and that the rendered quality looks pretty damn good, but also they will find it a godsend if they do not like the sound of their voice or are fearful of creating voice overs.
The software also comes with 25 different voices and languages including Male and Female with some pretty cool British and American ones, to Russian, Slovakian and Spanish accented voices. I love the variety here and It really is good fun!
As you'd expect there is also the facility to include backing tracks in MP3 format and the volume can easily be controlled to fit in with the voices you have chosen.
There are also a range of effects you can use too and you can change the background colour or use an image background if you choose.
Combine the output of this tool with Video Maker FX, Easy Sketch Pro and/or explaindio then I think that the user is onto a winner.
Take a look at the video below I put together in a few minutes, granted I was just having some fun, but I can certainly see the potential of this tool. When I posted on Facebook too there was a lot of interest, I think we are looking at a winning product here.
Lets face it one of the best ways of getting your products or services noticed these days is through the use of video, with whiteboard tools like this you now have the ability to create cool looking promotional videos without any fuss for yourself and your clients.
Lastly another thing that goes in the software's favour is the price during the launch you can get hold of the software for only $27…which in my humble opinion makes it very eligible for my "No Brainer" award. Do yourself a favour and pick this tool up, you'll be very pleased that you did!
Facebook Anti Spammer Tool
5 Minute Sales Letters Review – Create Sales Pages That Convert Easily
Watch this video…you'll be sold!
Every now and again a tool comes along that has great potential for getting you sales, so when I discovered 5 Minute Sales Letters from Matt Cook…which promised to deliver incredible sales pages with world class copy as you can imagine I was very interested, but I was also sceptical.
To be honest it takes quite a bit to impress me, I'll never promote rubbish and only ever look at anything which delivers on it's promise…forget the hype, forget the BS, if a product is crap I won't give it the time of day.
So what exactly is 5 Minute Sales Letters?
5 Minute Sales Letters is a WordPress plugin created by a chap called Matt Cook from Australia. The plugin was based on extensive research he performed by looking at content created by the top Copywriters in the world.
The premise of the plugin is that you fill in a few fields on a form related to the product you are going to promote, and after filling in the blanks, you press submit and "bingo" out pops a killer salespage, looking like a million dollars which could have been written by Gary Halbert…
Are you serious, could it really be that simple?
Well lets take a look and see if it really is that great…(you can see my review in the video above, with a demonstration of me using the plugin, plus you'll also learn some killer information for creating awesome headlines for free…make sure you watch)
OK, so I installed the plugin on my blog…picked a product I have PLR rights to, filled in the required fields and here is the initial output and incredibly this is what the plugin created in 5 minutes:
Now that is just an extract of the page…we are talking a 6000 word salespage here…pretty damn awesome. To create something like that would have taken me a day easily, if not several!
The page comes with a story, calls to action, testimonials features and benefits, guarantee etc…it really is incredible. Take a look at the bottom of the page below, it created all this content including the JVZoo button and an image of my ugly mug at the bottom 🙂
So the initial output looks more than good…However I'd personally want to make that page my own adding my own style and images (which you can see me doing in the video).
So lets take a look at a page where I created my own images and really made the copy my own…although to be fair I didn't change the original copy too much.
If you'd like to see the entire sales page just click on the image above, I'm sure you are going to be impressed.
I was totally stunned…here was a plugin that was going to save me so much time, the initial output was great, but editing and adding my own feel and media…well I'm sure you can see for yourself…it's a "nobrainer".
Just think about any PLR content you have sitting gathering dust on your hard drive…now you have an opportunity to make money from it easily! if you take action with this plugin you are definitely going to get sales…even if you don't have a clue about writing copy, that's how powerful it is.
The only thing I don't like about the plugin is although the content created looks great, it has been designed to post the page immediately to the site, but it's much better in my opinion to use this tool to create a starting point for a sales page and then take that content and place on a new site.You can easily achieve this by copying the html code and then posting that content into a new page, but maybe I'm being too picky?
So use the plugin as a content creation hub and not so much a publishing tool…if you get what I mean?
This plugin gets 5 stars from me, it's one of the best things I've seen this year and I'm totally in love with it! Just think…in no time you will be pulling in sales and laughing all the way to the bank…I know I will be!
Another thing that impressed me was the price and the training, Matt is an ethical Marketer and a great presenter, so he's got your back covered. I was so impressed that I reached out to him on Facebook and am glad to have him as a contact, look out for stuff Matt puts out in the future he's certainly going places.
Get this plugin now, you'll be glad that you did…there is no fluffy hype or BS here…this is the real deal!
VideoMakerFX Software Review – Create Awesome Video Presentations
It's been a really exciting week, I got hold of a copy of VideoMakerFX from Peter Roszak and I have to confess I'm really impressed.
The software enables anyone to create professional whiteboard animations and presentations in minutes…that isn't hype…this product really delivers the goods.
I'm sure you have seen the incredible whiteboard animations created by software like videoscribe…You know the type with the animated hand drawing characters and writing text, very slick indeed and very effective.
However Unlike Videoscribe, which will set you back close to $700 you can get VideomakerFX for a steal..I mean how does $37 sound?…I'm totally speechless! I think what impresses me the most is that the software could have been sold for so much more, even with a price tag of $100 it would still have been great value. Also because of the price it has made this technology accessible to anyone, regardless of budget.
The software is very easy to use and its apparent when you open it up that the design is obviously influenced by Videoscribe.
If you look at the actual scribing function within the software, you'll see that it doesn't look quite as professional as videoscribe, the hand animation It's just not as slick, but don't get me wrong it's not bad at all.
Admittedly if I had to choose between Videoscribe and VideoMakerFX then I'd have to go with the former, because Videoscribe is undoubtedly the better of the two, But then you would expect it to be as VideoMakerFX is a fraction of the price and it would be insane to expect more.
With this software you'll be churning out amazing professional videos in minutes (I know because I've been testing the software today and it's amazing) Just take a look at a video below I put together in a few minutes with the software:
VideomakerFX is an essential purchase and will pay for itself many times over…there's nothing else out there that comes close for the price, just watch the demos on the sales page…you will be more than impressed.
With this video software you can:
- Create powerful sales videos easily
- Make those character explainer videos that cost THOUSANDS
- Create beautiful photo slideshows
- Create presentation style videos, faster then using Powerpoint
- Create videos in full HD and exports in record time!
- Save time! The learning curve is just minutes!
- Use over 200+ Animated Scenes and Slides for your presentations
- Combine music,your own MPs, beautiful backgrounds, photos…this is special!
Lets look at some possible applications for this software:
- Create videos for offline business
- Start your own Fiverr Whiteboard animation service
- Use to promote your own or affiliate products
- Sell the service on the Warrior Forum
I think the great thing here is that Internet marketers on a budget will easily be able to set up their own service and profit from video creation for clients, Whereas before this would not have been an option for many people.
I'm positive that if you purchase this video software and take action then it will pay for itself many times over. Don't let it sit on your hard drive and not do anything with it, start making some great looking presentations and reap the benefits.
This software is a "nobrainer" not only will the software increase your sales and generate more leads but it will also present you and your company as experts giving you a professional brand and identity online!
So if you want to profit handsomely from simple video creation, you'd be wise to get this software, nothing out there gets close for the price.
And selling for only $37…that's just crazy! as it would still be great value with a $200 price tag.
Snap this up while you can, I guarantee that you will not regret it!
List building strategies
Virtually anyone involved in internet marketing will tell you that the money is in the list, we have all heard that expression at one time or another but the emphasis has to be on not just building a list, but a list that actually makes money.
How do we get people onto our list?
To attract potential buyers we need to have an irresistable free offer,something that offers great value to the prospect.
This can work really well, especially if the gift has a high perceived value. It could be an ebook, a video, an audio recording, software application…indeed anything that has perceived value to your potential subscribers.
It's much better to have a unique product to offer, for example a product that you created yourself. PLR products may be appealing because they make it easier to quickly offer a product to your audience, but you'll need to brand the software as your own to benefit most from this method.
When creating your offer I believe it is better to offer a gift and have had my best success that way, however some people believe that a gift is not necessary
There is a school of thought that it's better not to have an offer for people to join your list and although, I've had some success with this method, I believe that you get better quality leads from offers.
Another method is to put up several pages with each one linking to the next…with an enticing hook line to encourage people to click through to the next page, make sure you use quality information for this method. You could do this for a few pages or several and on the last page inform the prospect to get more information they will need to sign up.
This also acts as a way of filtering out the time wasters and "tyre kickers". It also gives you an opportunity to connect with your audience and build trust, this wll make it easier to sell to your subscribers in the future.
Whatever List building method you use, make sure to "test" and learn what method works the best for you.
Althernative list building methods…
You don't even have to rely on Squeeze pages, popups or exit popups to get subscribers, or even use an autoresponder, believe it or not!
Look at these alternatives:
Facebook likes – when you post to your Facebook page, you'll show up in the feeds of people who've liked you.
Twitter -When you send out a "Tweet" your followers will see it and if they like it, you'll get Retweets, further expanding your reach and also attract new followers
YouTube channel subscribers – Everytime you post a new video your subscribers are notified, this is a great method for getting traffic to affiliate offers and has worked very well for me.
Pinterest followers -If the quality of your pins is good, you'll get "repinned" further extending your reach.
LinkedIn connections – if you're business focused linked in has great potential fr attracting targeted clients.
I thoroughly recommend that you try my Traffic master software, this will allow you to create redirects for Images on Facebook…you can however use these same redirects to send traffic from Google Plus and Pinterest. This is a fantastic method for sending people diretly to the affiliate offer you are promoting.
I think the best strategy is to use all of the above as you'll be giving yourself more opportunities for getting traffic to your offers and will not only build a list but makes some sales along the way.
Why You Need To Think Like A Seller
Making money online is something that so many people dream about, there's a multitude of paid sources which feed on our dreams and offer us instant results, but the reality as I'm sure you know is so much different.
If you want to do well online you're going to need to change your mindset and think like a seller rather than a buyer. This means rather than purchasing every offer that promises you the world, you need to stop and think when you read that sales page…ask yourself if you really do need that wonderful product…don't let yourself be influenced by emotion.
When I started working online I literally didn't have any money to invest in these beautiful shiny things even though I could see that many would be of benefit to my business. My strategy then was to research the topic and determine what the strategy was behind it and then by using a free programming software language (Autohotkey) I'd build my own product.
So where do you find these strategies? Take a look at forums in your niche and use Google to find related content on those forums use site:forum.com "keyword"+strategy or "site:forum.com "keyword"+"How to"
do you get the idea?
A great place to look is on the Black hat forums because you'll find some really innovative thinking, many marketers you know use these sites as a resource for building products.
Another thing to consider when tempted to purchase a new plugin for wordpress is to look at wordpress.org and check out to see if there is a plugin there that will do the job of the paid one. Many plugin developers get their ideas from browsing the plugins there and I have seen some direct clones of free plugins offered for sale on the Warrior Forum.
If you can get into the product developer/seller mindset then you will be on the right track. Think like a buyer and you'll be on the path to poverty. Even when you start making money still be frugal with your purchases.
I remember what it was like when all of a sudden I had several thousand dollars in my Paypal account, the temptation was always there to buy, because now I had the finances to do so. However, I still resisted temptation only ever investing in anything that I was certain would benefit my business or increase my productivity.
If you are able I recommend that you get into software development or creating video products where you can teach people a new skill. Think about your abilities and how you can capitalize on them. Many go down the ebook route, but software and video have so much more value based on my own personal experience.
So there you have it, I've just given you some tips which will not only save you money but also get you on the path to making money unhindered by shiny object syndrome, just think about what I've said there truly is method in my madness.


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- TouchDevelop on GitHub
- Static Driver Verifier Research Platform released
- Source code of CHESS (and Alpaca test framework) released on codeplex
- Source code of Randoop for .NET released
Recent Talks
- TouchDevelop: Scripting Mobile+Cloud Apps via Mobile+Cloud, Rutgers University, April 22, 2014
- TouchDevelop: Productive Scripting on and for Touch-based Devices and Web Services, Cornell University, Sept 12 2013
- TouchDevelop Tutorial at PLDI 2013, June 2013
- Advances in Automated Theorem Proving, Distinguished Lecture, University British Columbia, October 2012
- May 2011: A Plague of Plug-ins (Keynote, Tools as Plug-ins Workshop, ICSE 2011)
- June 2010: Concurrency Testing with CHESS (Learning From eXperience 2010)
- Mar 2010: Preemption Sealing for Efficient Concurrency Testing [pdf] at Portland State University
- Oct 2009: The SMT "Big Bang": Applications of Z3 in Microsoft
- May 2009: Program Analysis 2.0 [pdf] at UIUC's UPCRC Research Seminar
- May 2009: A Brief History of Software [pdf], at Mining Software Repositories Working Conference
- January 2008: 30 Years of Abstract Interpretation [slides,text], in honour of Patrick Cousot
- 2011 ACM Fellow: For contributions to software analysis and defect detection.
- The 2011 CAV Award is given to Thomas Ball and Sriram Rajamani for their contributions to software model checking, specifically the development of the SLAM/SDV software model checker that successfully demonstrated computer-aided verification techniques on real programs
- Most Influential PLDI Paper award for Automatic Predicate Abstraction of C Programs, Thomas Ball, Rupak Majumdar, Todd D. Millstein, Sriram K. Rajamani, PLDI 2001. The first conference paper from the SLAM project!
- Exploiting Hardware Performance Counters with Flow and Context Sensitive Profiling won the Most Influential PLDI Paper Award, PLDI 2007.
- Distinguished paper at OOPSLA 2011: Sebastian Burckhardt, Daan Leijen, Caitlin Sadowski, Jaeheon Yi, and Thomas Ball, Two for the Price of One: A Model for Parallel and Incremental Computation
- IEEE Software article "Righting Software" was selected by Software's editorial and advisory boards as one of the 25th-Anniversary Top Picks for full-length, peer-reviewed articles.
Recent Service
- PCs 2013: International Conference on Software Testing, Verification and Validation; NASA Formal Methods Symposium; ICSE 2013 New Ideas and Emerging Results Track; 2012: Off the Beaten Track: Underrepresented Problems for Programming Language Researchers (POPL 2012 Workshop),
- Co-chair, Theoretical Computer Science 2012.
- General Chair, POPL 2011. Here's my report on how it went.
- 2008 Marktoberdorf Summer School on "Engineering Methods and Tools for Software Safety and Security" (August '08)
- LASER Summer School on Software Engineering (2007)
- On the Design and Implementation of Static Analysis Tools at the University of Washington (2007)
- FLoC 2006 conference co-chair
- Program chair of PLDI 2006, program co-chair of CAV 2006
I grew up in Summit, NJ, where my claim to fame was writing a game for the Apple ][ called Falcons in 1980 with high school pal Eric Varsanyi (see The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers). I attended Cornell University (B.A. 1987), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Ph.D. 1993). From 1993-1999, I was at Bell Labs in Naperville, IL in the (now defunct) Software Production Research Department. After 12 years as a Midwesterner, I had had enough. Now I live in Mercer Island, WA. I have sung in various Unitarian Universalist choirs, play e-bass (mainly jazz, blues, some rock 'n roll) and piano. I now play in a band called the "The Middle Third".