text:
06/24/2008 (3:42 pm)
Hating Evangelicals
One of my readers sent me a link to this article by Prof. Rick Hills about what Prof Hills called "Theophobia". What he meant by it was that in his experience, a lot of college professors irrationally fear Christians. This discussion at the Volokh Conspiracy that followed Prof. Hills' article (the link leads to a collection of six posts about the same subject) led to the assessment that this is somewhat inaccurate; this incisive bit of research from the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, published in 2007, demonstrates that it's not Christians, per se, that academics dislike, it's Mormons and Evangelicals, especially Evangelicals.
Thirty-three percent of academics surveyed view Mormons unfavorably. Evangelicals fared much worse: 53% of surveyed professors say they have unfavorable feelings toward Evangelicals, and only 30% expressed any sort of warm or positive feelings toward them. By contrast, more than 60% of academics said they viewed non-Evangelical Christians and/or Catholics warmly or favorably. Only 22% of faculty expressed cool feelings toward Muslims, 18% toward atheists, and 13% toward Catholics. Other sections of the study show that the dislike of Evangelicals correlates strongly with liberal politics and with atheism or disinterest in religion; most notably, more than 70% of academics (more than 90% of those who self-identify as liberal) say that Evangelical Christians should keep their opinions out of politics.
So… what's with that?
The discussion among the academics and legal geeks at Volokh favored the view that the dislike of Evangelicals was mostly a statistical marker for the mostly liberal professors' dislike of conservative politics. I think they've got it backwards; the primary hatred is more about religion than about politics, and it's the hatred of political conservatism that's a misleading marker for the hatred of Evangelical Christianity.
The relationship between Evangelicalism and modern, political conservatism is indirectly causal; the American libertarian experiment is actually the product of a brand of Christianity and a level of religious devotion that more resembles modern Evangelical Protestantism than any other modern religious group, although, clearly, there are stark differences between the beliefs of America's founders and those of modern Evangelicals. It's the presuppositions of this historical brand of Protestant Christianity, the social and political effects of their particular faith, that modern, social and political progressives want to overturn. At its core, social and political progressivism are about overthrowing the Christianity of the West and replacing it with a "progressive" ethic, and since it's Evangelicals that most vividly retain the marks of that Christianity that they want to erase, they hate Evangelicals, and wish they would just shut up already.
Note the tone of that last phrase. Lots of people in America find Evangelicals to be pretty irritating. It's important to understand, though, precisely why they're so irritating. And before you Evangelicals get angry with me about saying that, please understand that I'm kinda one of you — I'm not an Evangelical, exactly, because my beliefs have evolved a little, but I met Jesus among Evangelicals, and still fellowship with them. I'm very definitely a Bible Guy. So let's unpack this.
My older brother (one year ahead of me) returned from his freshman year at college with horror stories about his roommate. College freshmen don't usually know anybody, so they take the luck of the draw for their first roommates; Bob's luck (despite the name of the blog, it's my brother who's actually named "Bob;" I'm Phil) landed him with an immature Evangelical, and he griped about it long and loud. He recalled in particular one night when he'd brought his girlfriend back to the room and she'd stayed the night. The roommate spent the entire night sitting outside the room, wondering what he should do, and what he should say to my brother in the morning.
Bob was being an insensitive jerk, true (it's characteristic of college freshmen, and unfortunately also characteristic of my family,) but if Roomie had been anything other than an Evangelical or a Mormon, chances are he'd have simply found some other place to sleep, and the next day's conversation would have been in terms to which my brother could easily relate: "Hey, it's my freakin' bed, and I'd like to sleep in it, if you please. You should at least have given me some lead time, and if it starts happening every week, we're going to have another talk." This, however, was an Evangelical, and the discussion included three unpleasant additions: 1) the emotional angst this poor religious fellow experienced from sitting out there all night wondering what to do (which he blamed on my brother); 2) the grossly unwelcome addition of a moral factor: "What you're doing is morally wrong, and I shouldn't have to put up with it;" and 3) Roomie's conscientious belief that he was morally and mortally obligated to emphasize the moral factor in order to rescue my brother from his self-destruction.
It's those three factors, buttressed by a fourth, that make Evangelicals stick out so badly. They seem unable to absorb social rules that make life run smoothly for everybody else, rules about what topics may be raised and with whom; some of them actively look for ways to bring these topics up, and with perfect strangers. They dig in their heels against social changes, refusing to drift with the rest of the culture. And then, they have the bad manners to make a fuss about it repeatedly, because they feel responsible to reverse your social drift for your own good. The fourth element lies at the root of the other three: they're basing their behavior and moral choices on their interpretation of a Book (capitalized because we're talking about THE Book,) and their reliance on the Book makes them unapproachable. They won't be dissuaded by reasonable argument if they've decided that The Book has a firm position on the subject. No number of surveys, no amount of research, no appeal to reason or good sense will move them from their stance. When Evangelicals — and, to a lesser extent, Mormons — decide they're against something that other citizens are for, they become a Permanent Stone In Their Shoe.
That is irritating.
Now, let's be fair. Social progressives do precisely the same thing, and worse. They believe they have the Special Knowledge to Save The Planet from war, poverty, pollution, and Evil Capitalists. They won't ever stop telling you about it, and they'll shamelessly resort to maudlin emotional appeals in order to trump whatever objection you might raise. They genuinely feel responsible for making you stop destroying yourself. They won't be dissuaded; they're impervious to fact or reason. And worse than Evangelicals, they resort to all sorts of illegal, immoral, and tyrannical power plays to force their Special Knowledge down the culture's collective throat. The only real difference is, they're not basing their stances on a Book. However, this post is not about them, so social progressives are off the hot seat for the moment. (Besides, social progressives rule the universities; the vast majority of professors are social progressives, so they get to answer surveys about how warm or cold they feel about Evangelicals. We should perhaps ask Evangelicals how warm they feel about their socially progressive professors.)
Actually, there's one other difference. Social progressives are nearly always wrong; what they propose is usually disastrous. What Evangelicals propose, by contrast, makes them "The Very Worst Sort of Pain In the Ass:" they're frequently right. They're right often enough that they're actually vindicated, at least partly, for relying on the Book instead of reacting to whatever catchphrase the latest research has made trendy.
I mean, it's bad when somebody gets in your face over some moral issue about which they have not the slightest clue, either making irrational moral judgments or demonstrating sheer ignorance about what you're doing. It's orders of magnitude worse, though, when someone gets in your face over a moral issue about which you know, at some level you'd rather not examine, that you're actually doing wrong.
This affects the issue in a way that I can't prove, and which even if I'm right, no research will ever uncover because most people have deceived themselves about it. It's this: I believe a huge proportion of most peoples' irritation with Evangelicals is really about sex.
It's one of those things that pops up only occasionally, when some college atheist is being unusually candid. The truth is, most of what Evangelicals believe is relatively easy to live with. We all agree that cheating on our taxes is wrong. We all agree that it's better to honor your parents than not. But, doggone it, when the culture tells you that it's perfectly natural for you to enjoy sex with your date long before you're ready to make any sort of permanent commitment, it's just horribly inconvenient to have people around actively trying to remind you that you're really being a selfish jerk (which you already know perfectly well), and that if you had the self-control God gave an amoeba, you'd say goodnight and go sleep alone. I actually think this is such an issue for so many people that a large number of atheists, are atheists specifically because it excuses their sexual incontinence. It's not that they don't believe in God, it's that they don't want to, so they can do as they please and still consider themselves good people. But, they'll seldom admit this, even to themselves. And don't get me started on homosexuality…
I'm going to leave the evidence that Evangelicals are right for other posts. Admitting that Evangelicals may have a point about sex (and pornography, and abortion, and divorce, and homosexuality, and whatever else,) however, doesn't really let them off the hook. The fact is, Evangelicals can be pretty rude about being right, and there's no good excuse for that. When I was in the middle of my marital troubles, I got lectured by complete strangers who knew nothing other than some phrase they'd overheard me utter at that moment, and who claimed full authority to intrude based on some passage of scripture that commanded them to confront sin — ignoring the intense, personal relationships that such passages take for granted, and that are a prerequisite for even the gentlest rebuke having its intended effect.
On the other hand, the culture has been absurdly rude to them, marginalizing their books, sneering at their stances, mocking their ministers, and generally treating them like they're just small-town hicks who have grown bitter, who "…cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations…" (Sound familiar?) Evangelical authors are among the best sellers in the world, but you'd never know it because the New York Times separates them into a completely separate category, for no good reason except the editors don't consider their work serious. Evangelical speakers routinely fill the largest auditoriums in major cities, but except for Billy Graham, nobody knows their names because news reports simply black them out. It's as though the culture at large decided that Evangelicals have no right to exist. And as Harry Stein observed in his entertaining rant, How I Accidentally Joined the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (and Found Inner Peace), Evangelicals mostly kept to themselves and didn't really bother anybody until the social progressives started jamming their religion down their throats — and then, they started getting politically active.
Most of us have had bad experiences with an Evangelical at some point or other, like my brother had. He had some bad experiences with me, too; I was irritating when I first became Christian. What those of us who have never been the irritant don't realize is that most of those bad experiences occur at the hands of immature Evangelicals. The ones who have been around a bit longer and grown up a bit more, have learned how to carry their beliefs in ways that don't chafe as much. They're far less likely to make an issue out of something until you've actually expressed a need to change something in your own life, and then, they're the best friends anybody could ever want: patient, helpful, sensitive, and usually not intrusive at all. The years I've spent worshiping in Evangelical churches have been good years, mostly, and the people I've known there are the finest people on the planet. You just have to be willing to overlook the ones who are still irritating.
"Theophobia" is a rotten term for something that's real — a deep-seated hatred among some atheists and non-Evangelicals against Evangelicals, a hatred that is partly about irritating habits, and partly about antipathetic social or political views. Along with hatred of white men of European descent, it's the one, remaining bigotry that's permitted in American culture. It appears as an expectation of intolerance, ignorance, and venom, expectations that are mostly unfair, but that have their roots in reactions against genuinely rude conduct. It's real, and if you're an Evangelical attending an American university, you're going to face it.
There, galynn — does that help you?
« « Another Tyrant Endorses Obama | Main | Hating Evangelicals in the Public Square » »
5 Comments »
Comment by galynn
Yes. You know, I'm always so impressed with the direction you take things. On this one, I read you explaining it as primarily a communication problem due to immaturity. As someone who spent WAY too much time in academia, my experience was that anyone who was Christian (no discrimination among types of Christians at all) was seen as "less than" intellectually. I mean afterall, they'd infer, how can you call yourself an intellect, and still believe something that cannot be scientifically proven?
These are the same people who now argue that we must be tolerant with Muslims, and somehow they ignore how incredibly oppressive is the Muslim religion. I do not make this extrapolation without personal experience. I call some of these academicians friends, and they tolerate my "conservative" beliefs because they know me. But I AM a contradiction to them — for which I am proud! I am smart AND Christian — something they find hard to fathom.
You said, "I believe a huge proportion of most peoples' irritation with Evangelicals is really about sex…" I agree with this, AND I would add that they have a tremendous fear that Evangelicals will FORCE them to behave. This puzzles me so, when they fail to see that FORCING them to behave is precisely what a Muslim-state would do.
Thanks, Phil. I feel honored that you took my suggestion so seriously.
Comment by BD57
A very fair discussion of the type of things Evangelicals do that annoy the hades out of their fellow man (or woman, as the case may be).
Unfortunately, when you combine little or no instruction about how to evangelize, the typical immaturity in the faith of recent converts and you get the kind of witness which turns people off. Just my opinion, but I think the typical convert would be far better off simply focusing on walking out their faith and saving evangelism for the first time someone asks them "What's changed in you?"
In my experience, the absolute best witness someone offers for Christ is a life which walks the walk in humility. The person who talks about why he's doing what he's doing (and has a history of doing it), and not about what "you" are doing, wins more people to Christ than the 'finger – in – the – face – you're – going – to – hell – if – you – don't – repent – right – now – like – I – did – 30 – days – ago" type.
There's still a place in the world for the person who proclaims the wages of sin – it's just that it's usually better to direct that message to mankind as a whole & let members of the audience convict themselves.
Comment by Phil
Unfortunately, when you combine little or no instruction about how to evangelize, the typical immaturity in the faith of recent converts and you get the kind of witness which turns people off. Just my opinion, but I think the typical convert would be far better off simply focusing on walking out their faith and saving evangelism for the first time someone asks them "What's changed in you?"
The only problem with this is that, according to the last survey I read on the topic (which was probably almost 20 years ago), something like 85% of converts are made by people who have been Christians less than a year. The rest of us get so insulated that we just don't know anybody who needs to hear the gospel — or we're so careful not to offend that we don't tell them.
There's a middle ground that we're missing, and I think it has to do with willingness to appear idiotic while calling for the power of God to appear… like, praying for people to be healed where you meet them in the grocery store.
I agree about letting people convict themselves, though. Our job is to bear testimony of what God's done for us. Conviction is the Holy Spirit's job.
Comment by RM
Interesting and fair post. When I read the paragraph about the Evangelicals' annoying behavior and intransigence, I was saying, "Wait a minute,, that sounds just like most liberals." But then you covered that.
I have always thought a prime difference between conservatives and leftists is that most conservatives simply practice conservatism as a part of their otherwise busy life and use its principles as guidelines on how to make some decisions. However, most leftists practice liberalism almost as a form of religion, brooking no dissent from its tenets and precepts.
While I am conservative, it's not how I define myself, it's just a part of my overall belief system, and I very often see two sides to issues. But to leftists, it seems that liberalism, in the end, trumps everything else. It's tough to express this concept, but it's there.
In the worst days of the Bill Clinton years, I never hated the man, just disagreed with his policies and didn't like some of the things he did. I never knew anyone conservative who seethed with rage when his name was brought up. Absolutely NOTHING like the hatred and loathing of George Bush from the left.
Similarly, it would never even hit my (or that of anyone I am remotely acquainted with) radar screen to hit Keith Olbermann or some other liberal pundit in the face with a pie, or to vandalize Democrat workers' cars. The religion angle is the only one that helps me understand the leftist fever swamps.
A bit off topic, but your post got me thinking.
Comment by RealChange
Very nice analysis, but I agree with the legal geeks at Volokh. I think most of the spite directed toward religious conservatives is due to their conservative politics and life-styles, rather than their religious convictions. However, I think there is also a healthy (or unhealthy) measure of the reasons you outlined, and for some persons, those reasons are the main ones.
No, you wouldn't "hit Keith Olbermann or some other liberal pundit in the face with a pie, or … vandalize Democrat workers' cars." Yes, lots of leftists would do that to you, if you and your face, or car, came to their attention. The reason for the difference is not that they hate your religion, although they do hate it. The reason for the difference is that your relationship with God tempers your behavior. They have no such constraint. They have learned "if it feels good, do it," and "the end justifies the means."
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI


text:
Depth of Anaesthesia and Postoperative Cognitive Decline in Patients Undergoing Heart Surgery
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Post-Operative Cognitive Decline (POCD) is common after cardiac surgery and associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The pathophysiology of POCD is only poorly understood. Causes include hypoperfusion, microemboli and the systemic inflammatory response, which result in a reduction of cerebral oxygen delivery.
Cerebral oxygenation can be monitored non-invasively by measuring frontal lobe oxygen saturation (rSO2).
The bispectral index (BIS) of the electroencephalogram is widely known to measure depth of anaesthesia, and there is a high correlation between BIS, a dimensionless calculated number between 0 and 100, and clinical criteria of sedation. With BIS below 60 recall is extremely low.
The investigators demonstrated recently that inappropriately high levels of anaesthesia may be associated with poorer long-term outcomes in cognition after non-cardiac surgery (Ballard et al. 2012). Whether optimisation of the depth of anaesthesia and cerebral oxygenation has an effect on postoperative cognitive function in patients undergoing cardiac surgery is unknown.
The investigators hypothesize that the incidence of POCD in elderly patients (> 65 years old) at 6 weeks is less with mildly deep anaesthesia (BIS 50 +- 10) and optimised rSO2 (interventions when rSO2 drops below 15% of baseline reading) when compared with current practice (BIS blinded anaesthesia, reflecting moderately to highly deep anaesthesia and blinded rSO2 measurements).
|Cardiac Bypass Surgery in Adult Patients 65 Years and Older Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction Postoperative Delirium
|Other: Targeted intra-operative depth of anaesthesia
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double Blind (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Effect of Depth of Anaesthesia on Postoperative Cognitive Decline in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery - a Prospectively Randomized Controlled Study
- Incidence of postoperative cognitive decline after bypass surgery [ Time Frame: Six weeks after bypass surgery ]
- Incidence of postoperative cognitive decline 5 days and 1 year after bypass surgery [ Time Frame: Five days and one year postoperatively ]
- Difference in degree of postoperative cognitive decline at 5 days, 6 weeks or 1 year after bypass surgery [ Time Frame: 5days, 6 weeks or 1 year postoperatively ]
- Postoperative Delirium [ Time Frame: 3-5 days postoperatively ]
- Postoperative central nervous system and myocardial biochemical markers [ Time Frame: up to 48 hours postoperatively ]
|Study Start Date:
|January 2011
|Study Completion Date:
|February 2015
|Primary Completion Date:
|April 2014 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
|No Intervention: Current practice (BIS and rSO2 blinded)
|Experimental: Targeted intra-operative depth of anaesthesia
Other: Targeted intra-operative depth of anaesthesia
The intervention group receives isoflurane at a concentration that results in a BIS value between 40-60 intra-operatively.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|65 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery
- patients at 65 years of age and older
Exclusion Criteria:
- diseases of the central nervous system including dementia
- inadequate knowledge of English
- a current or past psychiatric illness
- current use of tranquilizers or antidepressants
- severe visual, auditory, or motor handicap
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01743456
|United Kingdom
|King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
|London, Denmark Hill, United Kingdom, SE5 9RS
|Principal Investigator:
|David Green, FRCA, MBA
|King's College Hospital NHS Trust
|Responsible Party:
|King's College Hospital NHS Trust
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01743456 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|December 4, 2012
|Last Updated:
|May 13, 2015
Keywords provided by King's College Hospital NHS Trust:
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery
Postoperative cognitive improvement
Postoperative delirium
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Cognition Disorders
Neurobehavioral Manifestations
Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Signs and Symptoms
Neurocognitive Disorders
Mental Disorders
Central Nervous System Depressants
Physiological Effects of Drugs
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 23, 2017

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Co-Workers' Bond of Friendship Grows Through Living Donation
Becoming her close friend and co-worker's living kidney donor has been the "wow experience of my life," says Teresa Ferreri.
Teresa Ferreri knew she wanted to be an organ donor. She just assumed she would become one upon her death. But life often takes mysterious turns.
Teresa met Christine Stile-Mazzeo at work. They immediately felt a special connection and became close friends. It was only natural that Teresa was very concerned when she learned that Christine had a chronic kidney disorder known as polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a genetic disorder that often leads to kidney failure.
One day in 2007, Christine's doctor informed her that her condition was deteriorating and that, in time, she would need to start either dialysis or receive a kidney transplant. When Christine told Teresa of this, Teresa asked Christine if she could be considered as her potential living kidney donor. Christine was overwhelmed by her friend's generous offer. Very soon afterward, they both came to Mount Sinai for organ transplant testing and evaluation. Teresa had the full support of her family in her desire to become a living donor for her friend.
On Good Friday, which as a Catholic, Teresa believed was truly a sign, a transplant coordinator at Mount Sinai informed her that the test results indicated she was a good transplant match for Christine, and that she could move forward with the donation. When Teresa called to share the good news with her friend, Christine's husband answered and was elated by the news. He asked Teresa to call his wife on her cell phone to let her know. Christine was in the grocery store shopping for Easter Sunday dinner when Teresa reached her.
On December 29, 2009, Teresa donated one of her kidneys to Christine. The special bond they shared has since multiplied in ways they never imagined. Teresa now loves getting text messages and emails from Christine because they are filled with details of her very active life -- a life that would never have been possible without Teresa's living donation.
"It is so hard to express how fulfilling this experience has been. I am often overcome with emotion when I hear how active Christine is with her family, her husband's business and keeping her home," Teresa said. "Being a donor and being able to help someone I love like a sister has definitely been the WOW experience of my life!"


text:
My WordPress Blog
Before choosing a particular acai berry supplement it is important to be aware that there are two main types; acai berry extract and pure freeze dried acai berry. The later is far more effective and should be part of every acai berry diet, generally when purchasing an extract product the capsule you will also contain many other bulking fillers and far less of the acai that you actually want. For example we provide a pure freeze dried version that contains 600mg of acai berry capsule, if this were in extract form it would be equivalent to 4200mg of extract, so you can easily see how important it is to purchase a pure product.
The Acai berry is harvested from the acai tree and has been harvested for many years. Forming part of the staple diet of Native Americans, the acai berry is full of natural detox properties. The Acai berry became famous with the discovery that it aids the weight loss and was given praise in press, gaining huge publicity in local newspapers, tv shows and magazines. What has the experts so excited about the Acai berry is its combinations of natural anti-oxidants, dietary fiber and many other health promoting nutrients. It is a healthy way to lose weight.
Thought to be the number one superfood on the planet, the Acai berry is taking the fitness and health world by storm. It has replaced the Blueberry as the number one superfood and this tiny berry has changed the lives of thousands, if not millions of people who have taken it.
To be taken efficiently you need to find pure acai berry capsules, these will contain pure freeze dried acai, which has been taken from the berry, freeze dried and turned into a fine powder, this has then been squeezed into capsules to allow you to take it efficiently and eliminate the need to be constantly eating the berrys.
Both Dr. Oz and Oprah have introduced the acai berry diet and one which is effective in the breakdown of fat. The key advantage of the Acai berry is that it helps you in more ways than one, not only does it aid in weight loss, it also offers you many other health benefits such as its antioxidant properties.
More and more people are becoming health conscious nowadays, and that is because there is a reason to be so. Life has become so simple that people now spend more time sitting down than doing all other physical activities combined. As a result, obesity and heart disease have become so common among people and those affected get younger and younger each generation.
This is why diets and the different components of dieting have become rather famous nowadays. People want to stay healthy, and they run to whatever new thing that comes up that might help in keeping them so. One of the new items that people are fond of is Acai berry, that new plant that is said to have the almost magical capability of allowing people to lose weight.
What is Acai Berry?
So what exactly is Acai berry? It is a purple fruit with a reddish hue that comes from the Acai palm tree, native to Central and South America. It is a berry but it is richer in antioxidants when compared to raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, and it also has anti-aging properties. One thing that is noticeable about these berries is that it also contains amino acids and essential fatty acids that are good for the body. There is no doubt that Acai berry should be part of a good diet.
Debunking the Magic
What you have to know about the Acai berry diet though is that it is not magical as some might say it is. You cannot take a capsule or drink the juice and then lose weight overnight. Here are some things you need to remember:
a) It does not replace meals – although the berry is known to be full of what the body needs, it is not something that gives everything the body needs. Meals have to be taken so that the body would get all the nutrients needed to function normally. Some people think that this could supply all essential nutrients and end up getting sick. They do lose weight, but not in the healthy way that a normal person should.
b) It has to be taken under supervision – ask your doctor about a diet pill before taking it in, even if it is an all natural item such as acai berry. There are some people who are allergic to berries, and others have certain conditions that need to be monitored when a diet is followed. To be sure that you are not harmed when following a diet, you must consult your physician. He would know which would be safe for you and if there are some things you must avoid during the diet.
c) You still need to follow a healthy diet and a good physical regimen – taking acai berry does not give you the license to binge. It is true that the berry does have fiber and a number of other things that could help in boosting your health, but one key ingredient to healthy weight loss is a healthy body. Eat the right food and start exercising. This would increase your body's weight loss and make you a lot healthier.
Should you try it?
So many people have tried the acai berry diet and have achieved success, because the acai berry does help you lose weight. What you do have to remember is that it is an aid, and not the main item that contributes to weight loss. Live a healthy lifestyle, use acai berry as recommended and that just might be the last time that you would have to diet in your life. Just remember that once you achieve what you want, then you just need to maintain your activities in order to maintain your body.


text:
Outrigger Enterprises Group, one of the largest and fastest growing privately-held leisure lodging and hospitality companies in the Asia-Pacific and Oceania regions, is standardizing its enterprise on the MICROS OPERA Enterprise Solution. In addition to its four Asia-based properties that are already utilizing MICROS OPERA, Outrigger will begin implementation of the OPERA Property Management Solution (PMS) at its 35 properties in Hawaii and the Asia-Pacific region beginning in July 2013.
MICROS OPERA's two-way interface with the proprietary central reservation system currently used by Outrigger and MICROS' global service and support network, were major factors in the selection by Outrigger of MICROS OPERA. With over 45 Outrigger properties worldwide, MICROS OPERA's ability to offer a multi-property platform on a single database streamlines functions across all Outrigger locations, making managing hotel operations easier and highly efficient.


text:
Chinese, Britons among 19 dead in Sita Air crash in Kathmandu
Plane goes down in flames near airport; pilot reported hitting vulture
A plane flying 19 people towards Mount Everest went down in flames on the outskirts of the Nepalese capital yesterday, killing everyone on board including seven Britons and five Chinese, police said.
The pilot of the domestic Sita Air flight reported trouble two minutes after take-off and appeared to have been trying to turn back, said Kathmandu airport official Ratish Chandra Suman. The crash site is only 500 metres from the airport.
Witnesses described seeing flames coming from one of the propeller-driven Dornier plane's wings moments before it hit the ground, while airport authorities said the pilot had reported hitting a vulture shortly after take off.
"We could hear people inside the aircraft screaming, but we couldn't throw water at the plane to put out the fire because we were scared that the engines were about to explode," said Tulasha Pokharel, a 26-year-old housewife who said she was one of the first on the scene.
Suman said he could not confirm whether the plane was already on fire before it crashed. Cellphone video shot by locals showed that the front section of the plane was on fire when it first hit the ground and that the pilot apparently had attempted to land the plane on open ground beside a river.
Emergency workers lined up the 19 corpses - which included seven Nepalese along with the Britons and Chinese - near the smouldering wreckage as they picked through passengers' belongings to identify the dead.
Xinhua identified the Chinese victims as Wu Hui, Wu Qianming, Wu Lin, Wang Jhihua and Yang Chen.
Airline officials identified the British crash victims as Raymond Eagle, 58, Christopher Franc Davey, 51, Vincent Kelly, 52, Darren Kelly, 45, Timothy Oakes, 57, Stephen Holding, 60, and Benjamin Ogden, 27.
The Nepalese passengers were identified as Kumar Marshyangdi Magar, Lakpa Noru Sherpa, D. Rai and M.K. Tamang. The crew members were pilot Bijay Tandukar, co-pilot Takashi Thapa and flight attendant Ruju Shakya.
The British group was due to go on a 16-day trek to three high passes and the Everest Base Camp, their agents said.
A crowd of thousands quickly gathered around the riverbank, with many shocked bystanders clutching prayer beads and wailing in anguish as they surveyed the devastation.
The weather in Kathmandu and surrounding areas was clear yesterday morning, and the plane was one of the first of the day to take off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport. Other flights reported no problems, and the airport remained open and operated normally after the crash.
"The pilots seem to have tried to land it safely on the banks of the river, but unfortunately the plane caught fire," police spokesman Binod Singh said, adding that the accident occurred at around 6.30am.
"The record on aircraft flying hours is lax," said Toya Dahal, an air safety specialist with the Initiative for Aviation Safety in Nepal, a lobby group promoting air safety. "Also, the airlines don't conduct routine maintenance," he added, and that they also took risks by flying planes during poor weather conditions.
He cast doubt on the idea that a bird strike had brought down the plane. "This plane with double engines would have landed safely even after it was struck by a bird. If one engine is damaged, another engine can support the aircraft," he said.
"It looks like the pilot, after noticing technical problems, took the best possible decision to force-land the plane."
Additional reporting by Associated Press, Reuters
Most Popular
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5


text:
Young Writers Project: Can You Hear Me?
| Download MP3
Margaret Slate, a sophomore at Peoples Academy in Morrisville, says this about writing: "My reason for writing is simple: it lets me express feelings that nothing else can. I've always loved to draw, but my abilities, or lack thereof, hinder my attempts to really show how I feel. Writing comes so naturally and flows easily when I'm feeling strongly about something. I love the way the words flow, and the exhilaration of new thoughts expanding and blossoming on paper is such an indescribable feeling."
Can you hear me? This is important to me
By Margaret Slate
Grade 10, Peoples Academy
Hey everyone.
Can you hear me?
Listen up please, because I want to ask you something. I want to make you think, even just a little. If you disregard this, fine. But I hope someone can hear me. Here goes nothing…
When was the last time you made someone smile? Not a funny joke you told, not a superficial, artificial, fake laugh-cause-they-are grin, but really smile. Made someone's heart so happy that it just brimmed up too fast and spilled across their face? Gave someone something they really needed: food, help, a friend?
When was the last time you smiled? Why is it all too often too long ago to remember? Why don't more people get up the nerve to be different and help someone? Not because it's cool, not because it's fun, and certainly not because it's easy. So many people would tell you they'd love to volunteer, but given the opportunity, let it slip; forget; just flat out say, no thanks.
See now, I've kind of learned something recently – you don't have to be the president and change the whole world to make a change in someone else's world. Smiling at the cashier on your way out, giving someone that extra change they need, donating food for people who are grateful to be alive. We gorge ourselves on society, and forget that people struggle. I'm not here to tell you to volunteer, to raise a million bucks for homeless people, to become a missionary (though that would rock). I'm just asking you to become aware. To realize that people need help, need a friend, need a smile. I've realized this, and I'm a better person because of it. I don't have a thousand community service hours, I hold doors for people. I give them the better seat, I let them go first, I share what I can. I try to smile often and take the harder road because someone who's having a bad day will feel a little better without that problem, too.
I know that one person can change the world, one person at a time. I know that we don't have to take down big industries or alter our resources to make the world a better place. I hope that sometime in my life I can make at least one person really smile, because then I'll know that I've changed the world for the better.
What can you do? The best advice I've ever heard: the secret to life is to wake up excited about what you are going to do, and go to bed proud of what you did. Who could lead a happier life? I hope that other people can figure this stuff out, and maybe go so far as to make someone else smile… because that would make my world a better place.
Thank you all for taking a moment to listen to me. I hope you'll think on this.
Have a nice day.


text:
Knights of Prosperity Cancelled???
Geez, the Knights of Prosperity on ABC is Cancelled??? by Mike Liebner
Well, I can't say that I am suprised that The Knights of Prosperity on ABC has been cancelled. I'm not suprised because the show was bad, but because ABC had been playing games with it for months now.
|They've been taking it off the schedule at a moments notice and it'd reappear as soon as it'd disappear. How can you build an audience when you keep taking it away from where followers would expect to find it? Now it's gone…
Fortunately though it seems the other half hour in Knights of Prosperity's hour long comedy block "In Case of Emergency" is still on the ABC schedule (a great show!). But it seems it's official now and the Knights of Prosperity show has been axed. Zap2it says remaining episodes may air eventually, but I am not holding my breath as the same thing happened with ABC's Daybreak (another great show that deserved airtime).
Daybreak too had unaired episodes when it was cancelled early on and those have not been shown. What a waste and what an insult to the viewers and fans of these shows.
What is so crazy about yanking Knights of Prosperity is that they are replacing the half hour with repeats of "According to Jim". What an insult… Is there some exit clause in their contract with the producers of Knights of Prosperity that will allow them to save a few thousand bucks if they don't air the remaining episodes they already have in the can???
Why is that TV Networks and increasingly ABC do not understand that in business the goal is to develop a following. Put out a good product and earn the trust of your customers.
Network TV seems to be stuck in the stone age when Neilson sweeps actually meant something. Nowadays the sweeps are as outdated as Mannix. TV Networks charge inflated rates for prime time ad slots and then end up sticking you on repeats of "According to Jim" or "George Lopez". That's bogus and bad business – for the veiwers and the advertisers paying those inflated sweeps ad rates. I hope some of the advertisers start speaking up on this! It's a crime.
Network and Cable TV Networks run the risk of becoming a dinosaur unless they catch up and follow what people want. The same people engrossed in Youtube and other emerging video sites. ABC is making it too easy for fans of cancelled shows to go to their computers to look for entertainment… (more…)
Day Break on ABC is Dumped it Appears
I'm really getting fed up with TV networks and their sneaky little tactics.
|Yet another great new show has fallen to the wayside and in this case ABC hasn't even mentioned the cancellation of Day Break with Taye Diggs on their web site.
Finally after scouring the web I find an article with info on the show and it's apparent demise.
For weeks I have been seeking info… when will it return and it's depressing how I now find out that ABC has cancelled Day Break yet still has un aired episodes it has no intention of showing (at least not on tv).
While it has been speculated the un-aired episdoes of Day Break will be "aired" online, ABC has no info about this on their site.
So, I'll just close this rant by saying that network TV has hit an all new low. It seems each season shows are getting axed earlier than ever.
Whatever happened to allowing a show to gain it's audience???
If anything, this kind of executive game playing may just be hurting the networks more than helping them.
If they want to be more than simply online download shops they should pay a olittle more attention to nurturing well received shows like Day Break. The payoff can be good as proven by floundering shows that became huge hits (Seinfeld for example).
I hope they do air the 9 remaining episodes of Day Break, but I will not hold my breath as my faith in ABC and the big networks is at an all time low.
Daybreak – streaming free on the ABC Web Site!
Daybreak Is One Day I can See Over and Over Again
by Mike Liebner
|I must admit I am still miffed at why ABC has shut down Lost for a few months and replaced it's time slot with Daybreak starring Taye Diggs.
Lost is perhaps my favorite tv show and it seems that it had only just begun and boom – they take it off the air.
Well, since we all watch our tv shows on Tivo now (do you?) the time a series airs should have little if any impact on whether we will watch it or not. The determining factor is if we find out about a show in time to start watching it from the beginning. This is especially important for series that have continue story lines as it is much harder to jump in mid season to a show that already has a history behind it.
Daybreak has been pimped since the beginning of the Fall tv season and I must admit from the moment I had seen the commercials/trailers I knew I wanted to see this show. Since Tivo is generally only 14 days forward with schedules I only made a mental note of the show.
When Lost concluded with it's Fall Finale (man that is so stupid – a Fall finale – give me a break) and the spot ran for Daybreak I went into Tivo and set it to record the debut episode.
Generally I will watch a show before adding a season pass to record all of it's episodes. If the show sucks I simply do not watch it again. Sometimes I'll give a show a second shot and try an additional episode (like Men In Trees which I ended up removing from the Tivo season pass).
Well, I watched the premiere episode of Daybreak and I was blown away! It handled all the possible plot problems and showed me how it was a viable concept that could sustain our interest week after week. (more…)


text:
Ninth Grade Schedule
9th Grade College Preparation
Get involved in activities. Freshman year is a great time to try a lot of things. Seek out leadership roles. Take the opportunity to visit a college campus during vacations and travel.
Colleges do look at 9th grade curriculum and grades. Cultivate good study habits now. If you are struggling in a class, seek out the help of your teachers and advisors.
Westminster encourages all ninth grade students to take the PSAT in October. The school provides this test free of charge, and the test gives students the opportunity to practice for the SAT which students take for college admissions requirements at least once before the end of their junior year. Please visit the College Board website for more information.


text:
Article Preview
ASSEMBLY VOTES COMMUTER BOARD; Bill Creates Transportation Authority for City Area
Special to The New York Times ();
May 21, 1965,
, Section , Page 18, Column , words
ALBANY, May 20 -- A bill that would create a transportation authority to deal with commuter problems in the New York metropolitan area was passed by the Assembly today.
May 21, 1965
Thank you for visiting The New York Times archive.
New York Times subscribers* enjoy full access to TimesMachine—view 129 years of New York Times journalism, as it originally appeared. 99¢ for your first 4 weeks.
Or, purchase this article individually for $3.95 and download a high-resolution PDF.
* Does not include NYT Now or Premium Crosswords subscribers.
Already a subscriber? Log in to view this article »


text:
Jaguar: Finally Ready to Roar?
Ford Motor (F) sealed a deal Mar. 26 to sell its British Jaguar and Land Rover brands to Indian carmaker Tata Motors (TTM) for about $2.3 billion. That is less than half what Ford paid for the two brands—Jaguar in 1989 and Land Rover in 2000—and it reflects their dysfunctional operations, which Tata will have to sort out.
For Ford, the sale is a curious liberation from businesses it could never quite figure out and that cost it, by some estimates, in excess of $10 billion in losses over the years. For some Brits the deal marks a surprising twist in a long road for two storied corporate names. Could Winston Churchill, or even the current Queen of England, have imagined a half-century ago that a pair of Britain's proudest industrial icons would one day be owned by an Indian company?
Ford acquired Jaguar and Land Rover as part of a strategy aimed at building out its luxury car offerings beyond the venerable Lincoln brand, especially in overseas markets where Lincoln has little presence. But Ford was never able to rationalize the high costs of building Jags and Land Rovers in Britain. And labor unions kept severe pressure on Ford not to move manufacturing out of Britain. When Ford Chief Executive Oficer Alan Mulally arrived in September, 2006, and saw the record losses, dismantling the Premier Auto Group rocketed to the top of his to-do list. "These are expensive hobbies Ford can't afford anymore," he said last year.
A Field of Suitors
After Ford pays British workers around $600 million toward pension liabilities, it will net around $1.7 billion, according to company officials. It's not much, but every dime helps these days as the U.S. economy plunges deeper into recession. Ford posted a $2.8 billion loss in the fourth quarter, though that was thinner than its $5.6 billion loss in the year-ago quarter. For the full year, Ford shed $2.7 billion, compared with a loss of $12.6 billion in 2006. Ford hopes to turn profitable by 2009, but economic conditions are making that tougher to accomplish (BusinessWeek.com, 3/18/08).
Indeed, the latest estimate for March sales from Jesse Toprak, chief industry analyst for the auto information site Edmunds.com, predicts that consumers will have bought 12% fewer vehicles this month than a year earlier. J.D. Power & Associates reported that for the first half of March, information from dealers showed nearly a 22% decline from the same period last year.
Tata bested a field of suitors that included rival Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra, a private equity group including former Ford CEO Jacques Nasser, and a British investment group. At one time, Renault-Nissan (RENA.PA) was in the mix as well, though it never entered the official bidding.
Wide-Ranging Conglomerate
Tata is an interesting owner for the British luxury brands. It is India's largest industrial conglomerate (BusinessWeek.com, 2/14/08), with a broad portfolio of more than 90 companies in seven business sectors: chemicals, communications and information technology, consumer products, energy, engineering, materials, and services. One of its largest operations is steelmaking. In the automotive sphere, Tata makes tractor trailers, full-size SUVs, and the world's cheapest car, the $3,000-plus Nano (BusinessWeek.com, 1/10/08).
Tata is no stranger to consumer marketing, catering to those with fat wallets as well as those who pinch pennies. Tata Tea is one of the largest tea producers in the world and owns the venerable (and also formerly British) Tetley brand. In the lodging industry, Tata's Taj Hotels command some of the highest rates in the world—one night in a luxury suite at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai can cost $2,795. It is also building budget hotels around India with rates as low as $37.95 a night. The company also owns a chain of high-end jewelry stores, Tanishq. It operates an exclusive charter-airplane business and owns Tata Sky, which beams business news and hit movies into a million Indian households.
Most analysts and auto industry observers view the Jaguar and Land Rover purchase as good for the brands. But they wonder if Tata has the marketing experience to handle the challenges of the high-end car business. "There will be issues around an Indian company owning these luxury brands because people outside India do not associate India with vehicles in this price range," says Kishor Patil, CEO of KPIT Cummins, an India-based information technology and consulting firm that works with auto companies.
Keeping Production in Britain
Indeed, U.S. analysts say the big question for Tata in the coming months will be whether it will be a good guardian of the brands while seeking opportunities to cut costs. "If they run the brands as a British company and invest properly in new product, it will be successful because they are still attractive brands," says Charles Hughes, who launched Land Rover North America in the U.S. in the 1980s and is now a principal at marketing consultant Brand Rules.
That seems to be the game plan being written by Tata Chairman Ratan Tata (BusinessWeek.com, 8/2/07), a car enthusiast who sits on the board of Italian automaker Fiat (FIA.MI) and has said he also wants to own part of Ferrari. "Our plan is to retain the image, the touch, and the feel of Jaguar and Land Rover," Tata said at the Geneva Auto Show last month. "We will not tinker with the brands in any way… they are special global brands and whoever acquires them has a responsibility to nurture them and enable them to prosper."
Chairman Tata says his company will not transfer Jaguar and Land Rover production or component sourcing from Britain to low-cost countries, as had been feared by British unions. "We are conscious that the brands belong to Britain. These brands will continue to belong to Britain," said Tata, who added that he plans to keep existing management in place.
Still, high manufacturing costs have long been a problem for both Jaguar and Land Rover. When Ford acquired Jaguar in 1989, it inherited a bloated workforce and a factory that dated back to World War II. In 2000, Land Rover came aboard with similar problems. The previous owner, BMW (BMWG.DE), had not been able to make much headway. Ford went into a ditch with Jaguar in 2000 when it developed the X-Type sedan, priced at under $30,000, and began building them at a former Ford plant in Halewood, England, that had capacity for 200,000 cars a year. The company targeted 200,000 overall global sales for Jaguar. But the car was poorly received in Europe and the U.S., and the factory lost money hand over fist. Today, Ford builds both Jaguars and Land Rovers at Halewood and also builds Land Rovers at a factory in Solihull, England.
Sorry to See It Go
Ford has been making progress in lowering costs, cutting headcount, and improving quality. Ford's Premier Auto Group, which includes the two British brands and Volvo, earned $504 million in pre-tax profit last year. Ford doesn't have to break out profitability of each brand, but claims that Land Rover gains made up for continued losses at Jaguar to allow the two brands to finish in the black. One way to boost profits will be to expand distribution. "Tata has an opportunity to take the existing products and expand distribution into developing markets in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, China, and Southeast Asia," says a Ford executive who formerly worked on the business. "Ford just couldn't invest in that kind of distribution expansion with so many other fires to put out."
Tata's commitment to fixing the brands, its financial health, and its deep pockets, in fact, encourage even some Londoners. "Tata might in fact improve the prestige of these brands by spending more on marketing than Ford did. They might have the money to invest in research and development too so that these ranges are more high design/high performance," says Allyson Stewart-Allen, director of International Marketing Partners, a London consulting firm.
Tata inherits a decent, if thin, product line from Ford. Jaguar is about to launch the XF sedan, which replaces Jaguar's S-Type sedan. It has gotten good reviews in the automotive media and from dealers. The ill-fated X-Type is being phased out in the U.S. Jaguar also markets the XJ sedan, but the current design has not been well received. However, the XK sports coupe has drawn raves from many enthusiast magazines. In the U.S. last year, Jaguar fell to nearly an all-time low of 15,683 sales.
Land Rover is more prosperous, and the feeling among analysts and would-be buyers is that Land Rover/Range Rover is the jewel in the purchase for Tata. Besides the Range Rover models, the company sells the Land Rover LR3 and LR2. Sales in the U.S. last year were a record high of 49,550.
In recent years, Ford has combined parts and even powertrains of Jaguars and Land Rovers. It has agreed to continue supplying key parts and components to Tata. "A lot of the heavy lifting has already been done to fix these brands and get them profitable," says a Ford executive not authorized to speak about the deal. "If things were better for Ford in North America, we would have kept at it."


text:
Since the launch of our online dealing service in 2011, the Traders Own board have made every effort to offer the highest level of service at the lowest possible cost. Regrettably the board have now taken the decision that continued provision of the current service is simply untenable.
As Appointed Representatives of Beaufort Asset Clearing Services (BACS), you will no doubt be aware that the platform, dealing functionality and support services are already provided by them.
Therefore in order to minimise disruption and ensure a prompt and orderly handover, the board have reached agreement with BACS to migrate all Traders Own dealing accounts onto the BACS platform.
The link below takes you directly to the Beaufort dealing platform where you can login to your dealing account(s) and trade. The platform is functionally very similar to the old Traders Own dealing platform.
If you do not want your account migrated onto the BACS platform, or as a result of this notice you wish to close your dealing account(s), please reply as quickly as possible to this email or call the helpdesk on 020 7382 8389.
In regard to the security of your assets, BACS are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA register No. 485165), are members of the London Stock Exchange and ISDX and are incorporated in England and Wales (Registration No. 06637499). Cash, stock and assets held in a Traders Own account or BACS dealing account are protected by the very latest encrypted technologies, and are subject to the protection provided to clients of authorised firms by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
With thanks for your support,
Yours sincerely


text:
Chelsea 1 Sparta Prague 1 (Chelsea go through 2-1 on aggregate)
Eden Hazard scored a stunning last minute goal to keep Chelsea in the Europa League and potentially save interim first-team coach Rafael Benitez his job.
Chelsea were staring humiliation in the face against Czech minnows Sparta Prague, until Hazard sent them through to the last 16 with a superb shot into the top corner to level the scores, but put them through 2-1 on aggregate.
They had seen Sparta cancel out their one goal advantage from the first leg inside 17 minutes and the visitors had the chance to cause a stunning upset late on only for Vaclav Kadlec to shoot wide with only Petr Cech to beat.
Still, the fact Chelsea managed to scrape through cannot disguise an abject performance and pressure will remain on Benitez.
His gamble to rest Frank Lampard ahead of the League game against Manchester City on Sunday, he was mysteriously not even named on the bench, almost backfired, as did leaving Ashley Cole, David Luiz and Hazard out of the starting XI.
Without the quartet, Chelsea looked sluggish and the home crowd took their frustration out on Benitez, even chanting the name of former boss Jose Mourinho as the tie dragged on.
Mourinho is set to leave Real Madrid in the summer and it was a clear sign from the crowd that they would rather have the 'Special One' back in charge next season rather than Benitez.
The atmosphere soon went sour when Sparta took the lead. Chelsea fell behind just as the fans began their customary Roberto Di Matteo chants to signal that 16 minutes were on the clock.
It was a goal of startling simplicity as Vaclav Kadlec took advantage of some sloppy defending from a quick free kick to set up David Lafata to fire home.
This was as embarrassing as it gets. It was just Sparta's second competitive game in over two months, the first being against Chelsea last week, as the Czech League has enjoyed it's customary lengthy mid-winter break.
Chelsea, who won the Champions League last season beating the likes of Barcelona along the way, were losing to a side that also sits only third in one of European football's minor Leagues.
Once again it was also truly a night to forget for striker Fernando Torres, who had a terrible game even by the low standards he has set in a Chelsea shirt.
Chelsea could have had a much more comfortable evening if the £50m striker had taken just one of his many chances, but he wasted them all.
The home side should have been 2-0 up inside 12 minutes, but Torres sent one shot wide of the far post and then contrived to convert a Juan Mata cross over the bar from just six yards out.
It proved to be costly for Sparta took the lead soon afterwards and Lafata's goal gave the visitors the self-belief that a shock result was possible.
To make matters worse, the Spanish international also proved to be a liability when it came to his all-round play, with the home crowd growing in frustration with every misplaced pass and the ease in which he was knocked off the ball.
The problem was Benitez didn't have any options up front because Demba Ba, who joined from Newcastle for £7.5m last month, is cup-tied in the competition.
If anything, the 28-year-old managed to get worse the longer the game went on, sending another header over the bar from close range and then shortly after the restart ran clean through on goal, only to send his shot straight at Tomas Vaclik.
But he was not the only Spaniard at Stamford Bridge under intense scrutiny and Benitez continued to infuriate the crowd.
Instead of substituting the ineffective Torres as they craved, it was Oscar who made way for Hazard. The decision was met with a chorus of boos, as well as angry chants of 'you don't know what you're doing'.
In contrast the colourful Sparta fans were having a great time, especially as it was their side who continued to look dangerous on the counter attack and Marek Matejovsky was unfortunate to send one effort just wide.
Still Hazard's moment of magic, which was worth the £32m Chelsea paid Lille for his services in May, came to Chelsea and Benitez's rescue.
However, the awkward questions about the former Liverpool coach's future at Stamford Bridge, will surely remain.
- More about:
- Chelsea F.c.
- Europa League


text:
Jack Feuer
National news editor, Adweek
Not anytime soon. We all pay lip service to the idea that we hate advertising, but we secretly dig it. It's as much a chronicler of the culture as a seller of products and services. Great ads pass into folklore. That's why you see so many film directors – Ridley Scott, McG, Spike Lee, Spike Jonze – emerging from advertising or going into it. And you'll only see more of that now.
This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Contact email@example.com to report an issue.
Horst Stipp
Vice president, primary and strategic research, NBC
Not in the foreseeable future. Most TV programs are literally constructed around commercial breaks, and according to Neilsen, commercial TV viewing still represents 85 percent of all TV usage. The result of competition from VCRs and TiVo and HBO is that the spots have gotten better: Advertisers do more research, and ads are more entertaining.
Douglas Rushkoff
Author, Coercion: Why We Listen to What "They" Say
People who aren't wealthy enough to buy their way out of sponsors' messages will continue to endure the punishment. The media space will have neighborhoods, just like the real world. TiVo is a gated community for people who don't like ads, but media that's artificially devoid of commerce will start feeling like the suburbs. Television will return to its '40s and '50s roots in sponsored programming.


text:
Disclaimer: His car was cold and his redline was down to 4500.
BUT. I still toasted him! What a rush!! He spun his wheels too, something that would never happen to me...so maybe it was unfair, but still fun.
Just had to share that...I gave him crap all day today about it, he was quite embarrassed.
Stock Red Rex


text:
E36/7 Z3 Roadster, Z3 coupe, Z3 M Roadster and Z3 M Coupe talk with our gurus here.
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
A much better option than hardware store parts is the kit sold on z3hardtops.com For $430 shipped you get the brackets factory bolts front FActory mounting screws ,tool and instructions. perfect fit . If you want they have the options for all the covers and switches . Without the power by pass if someone activates the power soft top with the hardtop on ...#@#**&%%% and the cost will be big bucks. They even offer a heavy duty corkscrew stand to keep the top from twisting under extreme driving.
Hi I am new to posting and I have a 2000 bmw z3 1.8litre, and I need to fit my hardtop... I have everything but the two bolts for the front!:-( I saw someone said they bought some from a hardware shop, but where I live there are no decent ones. How could I go about getting the screws? Can you put any screw there? I don't even remember what they looked like or how big they were!
Another recent problem of mine with the z3 is it unlocks when I lock it? After numerous times of pressing lock it will then stay locked!
Anyone ever heard of this ?
Thanks guys :-D
I think this is the bolt you need - http://parts.bmwofsouthatlanta.com/p...119901586.html
Check realoem.com to verify.
I'm also not sure if BMW of Atlanta will ship to England. I just did a google search with BMW and the part number. You may be able to find a supplier closer to you.
2014 435i M-Sport, Mineral Gray, Black Dakota Leather, Driver Assistance Pkg, Prem Pkg, Tech Pkg, 8 Speed Sport AT, Heated Front Seats, Active Cruise Control, BMW MPPK w/MPE, BMW Limited Slip Diff, BBS CH Wheels.
2002 M Roadster, Steel Gray Metailic, Gray Nappa Leather, Black Soft Top, Steel Gray Metailic Hard Top, TC Kline Double Adj Shocks with H&R Springs, Stromung Exhaust, SSR Type C Wheels.
If BMW South Atlanta cannot get it or ship abroad, this vendor might:
Or the OP might find a hardware specialty vendor in England that sells a M8X12-8.8-ZNFE.
Last edited by vintage42; 04-03-2014 at 10:43 AM.
Pretty sure this is the one he's looking for: 54 21 8 410 534 Torx bolt. THIS is the bolt that secures the front of the hdtp to the windscreen frame.
The O-ring is supposed to hold the bolt in place when the top is removed; in nearly fifteen (<15) years with two (2) Rdstrs, I've only had a bolt fall out once (and found).
Randy Forbes
1957 Austin-Healey 100/6 Wine Red
1961 McCulloch R1 go-kart Screaming Yellow
1999///M Rdstr Cosmos Black Eurosport Twinscrew S/C
1999///M Coupe Estoril Blue Eurosport Twinscrew S/C
2001///M Rdstr Steel Gray
2011 X5 35i Sport Deep Sea Blue/Cinnamon
Randy has the correct part number. The problem is you have to buy 10 unless you have a super dealer that has stocked them. I have tried ecs and 3 dealers before and ordered 2 but they always call back and say they are sold in lots of 10. I have them but its too much to send to england sorry.
I just tried to order 2 from ECS so I will have spares.
about Z3hardtops.com
this guy is awesome though his website is still under construction
I was passing through his area and asked if we could meet and wanted to see his work. I've seen the kit from overseas and wasn't terribly impressed
His name is Mike and his cuts and welds are excellent. his brackets are solid and excellent. buy with confidence.
With the level of machine work i honestly don't think he's making any money on these things.
it started as a pet project for him when helping his son with his hardtop issues...
and it was successful and he wanted to pass it on.
at any rate, solid stuff.
If anyone needs the bolts I have the factory ones i can sell you shipped for 14.00$ not close to 22.00$ like the ecs ones will cost you , or if you are smart and just dont want them to fall out, I will send you a couple of proper size o rings free. Just PM me. I have tons of them.
Last edited by bion; 04-15-2014 at 10:33 PM.
Help i got a hard top but need brackets for z31996mod
Is there a video on youtube the shows how you put on and take off the hard top on a z3 , and how you mount the brackets ??
Have a z3 1996 and a hard top but nead the brackets , anyone where to bay ?
I don't think there is a YouTube video on mounting the hardtop. But BMW offers a download of their original mounting instructions which are clear.
Additional information appears online. I can dig it out and send it if you wish.
Mounting the brackets is easy. They go on with 3 bolts each side, after having removed a plastic trim piece.
It is much more difficult to wire the window defroster and you may wish to decide if it is worth the bother. I chose to not.
BUT you MUST PULL the PLUG on the soft top position sensor. It is located at the bracket on the (US) drivers side behind the drivers left shoulder.
If you dunna pull that plug, one can push the dash button to raise the soft top whilst the hard top in installed.
The result is a train wreck of the first order.
Early this year I bought brackets from the BMW REPAIR PARTS Catalog at BMW of Fort Wayne, Indiana. They said "These were the last new brackets available from BMW and now there are none".
But a guy in England makes after market brackets. See E-Bay. He appears competent and ships photo instructions and his price is half that of BMW. Such a deal!!
Also, it is good to have the plastic gauges BMW sold to setup the rear top clearance from the body metal. I finally gave up trying to find a set. Maybe one will appear which would be very nice.
Anyway, I muddled thru the top install with good success. If I can assist you, send me a ping via Bimmerfest.
Please do your research before buying the Ebay England sets. In fact I do not believe he makes them anymore since he had a couple of failures. I make a factory replacement set and have sold 30 sets all over the world. You can contact me at z3 hardtops.com . I do have one set left before I take a break until The first of OCT. There are brackets available from BMW at last count about 20 sets but they now are closer to 600 an that does not include the bolts wrench etc that you really need. I sell all of that for 440.
BMW link? Top adjustment & top color matching.
I have installed most everything and have begun test fitting the top and have gone on a few test drives as well. I found I need to adjust the position slightly since I am getting wind noise from the front edge of the top and a little rattle from the left rear "cam Lock".
I just saw that there are gauges (not included with mine) and wouldn't mind a drawing or spec on them as well.
For me, putting the top on my Roadster has been easy, the hard part is adjusting the thing. As easy as it looks, there may be nuances I don't know yet.
One more question to all with tops.... If your top was not of the same color as your car, did you have your top painted to match your car?
Thanks all!
Last edited by rudyrov; 09-14-2014 at 10:11 AM.
I use the rear of the door frame on both sides as my guide.... edge of the hardtop flush with the door jam and equal amounts of overhang for square side to side .... as for the gauge for the rear you really just want to compress the seal not mash it. i researched the gauge size and its right at 3/8th's of an inch..... i made a bunch of spacers out of cardboard to put all around the rear when initially fitting the top.... the extra cardboard gauges allowed me to see what the top was doing once i put tension on the posts.
you really want to make sure you are NOT twisting the top in any way when the rear posts are latched.....with all the different adjustments available it does take time to get it all perfectly lined up.
the trick i learned to keep the front from whistling is when mounting the top... set the rear posts in the sockets first.... you want them bottomed and ready to be latched - but keep them unlatched until the two header bolts are in and evenly tightened. i go side to side tightening the front bolts making sure i'm pulling it down evenly in stages...only after the windshield header is secure do i latch the rear posts.
Have Fun!
I got my top brand new in the box but it was evergreen.... for what it cost the color didnt matter :-)
yes i had it painted to match.
Last edited by Racerman27410; 09-14-2014 at 08:24 PM.
[QUOTE=Racerman27410;8590418]I use the rear of the door frame on both sides as my guide.... edge of the hardtop flush with the door jam and equal amounts of overhang for square side to side .... . i go side to side tightening the front bolts making sure i'm pulling it down evenly in stages...only after the windshield header is secure do i latch the rear posts.
Have Fun!
yes i had it painted to match.
Thanks Racerman! I will go back and try that again this week and get it seated firmly.
I see that the entire top was stripped before paint. I assume that you did that yourself?
Looks beautiful, nice, nice car!
Last edited by rudyrov; 09-14-2014 at 08:34 PM. Reason: errors
Good point about the front racerman. the 2 front screws should be tightened with the pins in the hole but not fully latched down. also the 2 bolts that hold the corkscrew stands should be loosen until the top is tight in the front and centered side to side. Proper glass adjustment is a dollar bill between the door glass and seal . It should just drag a little when you pull on it with the glass up. the front adjustment is by shims (beer can) or removal of the factory shims. If you need to loosen the cam locks on the top use the castle nut wrench to hold the nut and loosen with a I think 22 mm wrench. then adjust height with the castle nut. It can be very hard to try and loosen the castle nut instead of holding it. I have instructions and several links to adjustment procedures if anyone needs them. I also would like to make a video to help people if anyone is installing a top in the Knoxville Tn area.
Thanks, I really like the car.
the tip above about shimming the front was excellent.... don't forget there is adjustment there as well but again you don't want it too tight....the fiberglass will twist under tension and then parts will start lifting away from the seal.... then you've got wind and water leaks.
i paid to have the top professionally painted...the paint shop took the entire top apart to change the color.(it you are going to do it.... do it right!)..... it was 450.00 including the 80.00 for having the rear window professionally removed and re installed (its bonded)
All in total for everything ..Brand new Hardtop w/mounting kit and two defrost switches (one early model one late model) new in the crate... and painting it Montreal Blue was 1476.71
i consider myself very lucky to have got in on the hard top close out deal from BMW back in 2010
i really like the looks of the car with the hardtop on. makes it much quieter and the A/C works better!
Last edited by Racerman27410; 09-14-2014 at 09:48 PM. Reason: added gratuitous picture
I think your car looks great, inspires me to take better care of mine.
I drove with the hard top this weekend and noticed that the car seems more solid, is indeed quieter and yes the AC does work better. I noticed my doors felt and sounded better when I close them. All said and done, I will be very happy to spend the upcoming winter with the top on my car, definitely a good purchase.
I paid $2200 for the top, mounting kit and hoist for storage in the garage. I will be painting my top soon as well. This is the one I bought, havent taken any pictures with my car yet, but I have the dark green color (I should know the official BMW name).
|See More Related BMW Stories
|Forum Navigation
|Today's Posts Search
|Thread Tools
|Display Modes
Linear Mode


text:
Indiana grave of Medal of Honor recipient fixed up
Volunteers have spruced up the forgotten headstone of a Medal of Honor recipient from the Civil War in a northern Indiana cemetery.
The headstone in Elkhart's Grace Lawn Cemetery shows that Capt. Orville Tyron Chamberlain died in 1929. Jack Sanders tells The Elkhart Truth he noticed Chamberlain's headstone and its recognition of him receiving the nation's highest military honor during a walk around the cemetery.
Sanders and others have worked to clean and brighten Chamberlain's faded headstone ahead of cemetery tours set for Saturday. That event features Elkhart Civic Theatre actors portraying some people who are buried there.
Volunteer Bill Faus says they hope to fix up the gravesites of other veterans dating back to the Civil War and the Spanish-American War, but that Chamberlain's was the priority.
Information from: The Elkhart Truth
Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This story may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


text: At the heart of Notre Dame Centre is our mission to be an ecumenical holy place- a spiritual, cultural and educational center for Christians and our brothers and sisters of different faiths. We offer spiritual support to pilgrims during their visit to the Holy Land providing chaplain and spiritual guidance services as requested. We host cultural activities, educational conferences, concerts, temporary exhibitions, among others and provide opportunities for people from all walks life to interact and engage more deeply with each other, and the community around them.


text:
Lightning Fast Laser for Cataracts
The lens of the eye helps us focus, but as we age cataracts can develop.
More than 22 million Americans over the age of forty have cataracts and that number is expected to rise by 50 percent in the next decade.
Now, a new high tech laser is giving patients a new option to get their sight back.
Reading on her new kindle would have been nearly impossible for Peggy Nardi last year.
"It was difficult. Even with the glasses," Peggy told Ivanhoe.
Her cataracts made it tough to see.
"That's the part that turns cloudy," Dennis L. Kilpatrick, MD, Medical Director at Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons, PC, told Ivanhoe.
She opted for a new option in cataract surgery that's being hailed the biggest advancement in 30 years.
"This is a tremendous breakthrough," Dr. Kilpatrick said.
Instead of cutting the cataract out with blades, surgeons use the femtosecond laser.
"The machine will make incisions in both the cornea and the lens itself," Dr. Kilpatrick explained.
It uses high energy pulses.
"The duration of the pulse is what gives it the name Femtosecond. You might have heard of a nanosecond, that's one-billionth of a second, but a femtosecond is actually one-millionth of a nanosecond," Dr. Kilpatrick said.
The bladeless approach improves safety for patients, cuts recovery time, and gives doctors a new level of precision.
"It's something no surgeon, no matter how good they are, can do with their free hand, not as well as the laser," Dr. Kilpatrick said.
"Color, color is fantastic," Peggy said.
For Peggy, it means seeing a brighter future with her great-granddaughter.
"I'm happy, happy, happy with it," Peggy said.
Femtosecond laser cataract surgery uses similar technology to Lasik and can also be used to fix astigmatism in cataract patients. It is FDA approved. The doctor says most of his patients feel their vision is much better about two weeks after standard cataract surgery. With the femtosecond laser, it's more like one week.
BACKGROUND: For people who have cataracts, it's like they are looking through a fogged-up or frosty window. Cloudy vision makes driving at night, reading, and seeing facial expressions very difficult. Cataracts usually develop slowly and don't disrupt eyesight early on. When cataracts first develop, stronger lighting and eyeglasses are needed to help patients deal with it. Surgery is recommended if it begins to interfere with patients' usual activities. Most cataracts develop when aging or injury changes the tissue that makes up the eye's lens. However, some can be a consequence from inherited genetic disorders that cause other health problems. (Source: www.mayoclinic.com)
HOW A CATARACT FORMS: Cataracts are formed on the lens. The lens is behind the colored part of the eye. It focuses light that passes into the eye, producing sharp, clear images on the retina, which is the light-sensitive membrane on the back inside wall of the eyeball that acts like the film of a camera. A cataract scatters the light when it passes through the lens, resulting in blurry vision. Aging makes the lenses become less flexible, thicker, and less transparent. Age-related changes to the lens will cause tissue to break down and clump together, clouding areas of the lens. When the cataract continues to develop, the clouding becomes denser. (Source: www.mayoclinic.com)
TYPES: There are three types of cataracts:
Cataracts that affect the back of the lens (posterior subscapular cataracts). It starts as a small, opaque area and interferes with reading vision.
Cataracts that affect the edges of the lens (cortical cataracts). It begins as whitish, wedge-shaped streaks on the outer edge of the lens cortex.
Cataracts you're born with (congenital cataracts). Some people develop cataracts early or are born with them. Such cataracts could be a result form inherited diseases or a mother having an infection during pregnancy. (Source: www.mayoclinic.com)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: Cataract removal entails removing the cloudy natural Crystalline Lens of the eye using a technique called phacoemulsification. It requires many manual steps. In order to have a more precise procedure, doctors are using what is called femtosecond lasers. The femtosecond laser has already been successful for a number of years in laser eye surgery for the laser vision correction of common vision disorders like astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. The advantage of using femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery is that it allows the conversion and consolidation of the many skill intensive steps of cataract removal into a more predictable procedure. Surgeons believe the femtosecond laser will be useful for: creating "perfect" incisions in size and architecture, an important step to have the incision seal properly without stitches; creating a perfectly centered and sized "capsulotomy," which is the opening prepared in the front of the Crystalline Lens through which the cloudy material is removed; liquefying and softening of "chopping" the Crystalline Lens in order to allow the cloudy material to be removed; and creating the possibility of precise corneal incisions. LenSx Lasers, Inc. has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market the first generation of femtosecond laser for cataract surgery in the United States. (Source: http://www.aboutcataractsurgery.com/femtosecond-laser-cataract-removal.html)
Dennis L. Kilpatrick, MD
Medical Director
Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons, PC
More Stories
Most people know, certain precautions must be taken to maintain your…
A recall for epipen devices has expanded in the US and…
Don't Miss
- Copyright 2017 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
- Copyright 2017 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
- Copyright 2017 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Texoma's Home Page
KFDX 3 Weather
KFDX 3 Sports
TexomasHomepage.com,Follow @texomashomepage
KFDX 3 WeatherFollow @kfdx3wx


text:
Stop Touching My Hair!!!!!
View Single Post
View Public Profile
Send a private message to mamaherrera
Find More Posts by mamaherrera
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 884
Saturday, July 30, 2011 at 01:23AM
: it's not just me
someone confirm this for me please. I didn't read the entire thread cuz it's long. But yes, my son always grabs that hair, hugs me on my hair and I can hear it breaking and it hurts. But then I thought, some curly-hair girls seem to have such beautifully clumped hair that it seems like you could run your fingers through their hair? Is it true and mine is just nappy?? cuz when I want to run my fingers through my hair, no way, tangles everywhere. Is that normal in a curly/wavy girl, or am I still not getting the CG routine down, because it is nappy under there???
Medium texture
Normal porosity
Normal elasticity
can get weighed down with lots of oils
Co-wash-trying giovanni wellness
Rinse out: Garnier Body Boost, GVP
Leave-in: none right now, maybe a touch of SM curling souffle
Curl enhancer: AOMM and KCCC
Gel: Kiss my face gel
Low Poo: abba pure and natural, Giovanni Wellness
working on: getting rid of frizz from the get-go


text:
Manipur HSE Result 2017, COHSEM Class 12th Results Date @ manresults.nic.in
Manipur HSE Result 2017 Manipur Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has successfully conducted the Higher Secondary Arts, Commerce and Science streams Examination for session year 2016-17 in the Month of March/April. Now the Board is going to declare the Manipur HSE Result 2017 on the official website of Board. The Students who have… Read More »


text:
This promotion is for Rewards members only. To take advantage of exclusive offers like these, join Office Depot® OfficeMax® Rewards now!
When you visualize the ideal facility for your business, your thoughts may run along several lines. You may first think of:
- the interior layout: the amount of space, how it would be subdivided into rooms or work areas to best serve you;
- how it could be constructed or decorated to provide the capabilities and business atmosphere that best suits your operation;
- its exterior: its appearance (and that of surrounding buildings) and the impression that it conveys about your business;
- its location (on well-traveled streets, or tucked away in the country); and
- its provision for necessary features such as parking facilities and loading docks.
The Community You Choose
Possibly you also think about the community in which you will locate your business and consider the following questions:
- Will it be in the heart of a large city, in a suburb, in a small town, or out in the a wilderness area?
- Will its location provide necessities such as a trained workforce or convenient access to a major airport or other transportation facilities?
- Can you locate it "anywhere," or will you count on your presence in a particular location to make a statement about your business?
Or maybe a bad experience with a previous or current facility makes you think along the lines of what to avoid:
- poor business location,
- inadequate building space, or
- substandard transportation access for customers, suppliers, or employees.
Your Business Facility and Profitability
However you choose to envision your ideal business facility, as a small business owner, one of your vital concerns is to see that the facility where you conduct business contributes to your profitability, rather than detracts from it. If you are just getting into business, the decisions that surround the choice of a business facility can be particularly worrisome.
- Do you first decide the community in which you wish to locate the business, amassing all the information on it?
- Should you look at prospective sites and buildings, and imagine how well your business would operate in each?
- Should you look around for geographic areas not well served by potential competitors, then "hit 'em where they ain't?"
What to Consider in Your Search
These and many more inquiries deserve consideration as you search out a business facility. But, particularly if this is the first time that you have set out to acquire a business facility, we strongly suggest that your first move should be to map out your facility needs in some detail. To do this, you may wish to consider what small business owners generally look for in a business facility and how the facility can aid their businesses. As a small business owner, you can greatly increase the chances that you will acquire a business facility that will make a positive contribution to your bottom line if you carefully consider the functions that the facility must perform for your business. A good facility should:
- Foster efficient business operation
- Present your business in a good light
- Allow for future business growth
- Accomplish these objectives at an economical cost


text:
Your launch pad: Pen, paper, and a few minutes to calculate which aspects of your professional routine produce the greatest and fastest results.
One of my favorite scenes in Top Gun comes when stars Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards give each other high-fives and declare that they "feel the need for speed." While that's the sort of sentiment we associate with fighter pilots, it also applies to salespeople. No, not when you're in your car driving between appointments — please, we have enough crazy drivers on the road already — but rather when you're out there in the trenches, seeing customers, and selling.
Speed is usually expressed in miles per hour. To boost your selling speed, you must first do some calculations and then refocus your selling activities. The benefit of increasing your selling speed is that you can reach your quota faster. Alternatively, you can give yourself a raise and sell more in the same number of selling hours. The good news is that, when it comes to selling, there's no speed limit.
Increasing your selling speed involves four simple steps:
- Make a list of all your selling activities.
- Compute the selling speed of each.
- Rank them from "fastest" to "slowest."
- Devote more of your time to the activities at the top of the list.
Just like on the highway, the more hours you spend at higher speeds, the more ground you cover — or in our case, the more sales you book. What follows is a step-by-step plan to increasing your selling speed.
- Step One. Start by taking a look through your PDA or calendar and write down all the different activities you do in a typical selling month — prospecting, presenting, closing, follow-up, servicing clients, and that evil time-suck, paperwork. You can do it either on a per-client basis or a per-type-of-activity basis, whichever is easier or more meaningful.
- Step Two. Look over your results and compute the total sales return per activity over the same 30-day period. Then add up the number of hours it took you to achieve those results for each activity. Divide the results by the hours and — voila!— you've got your selling speed.For example, if it takes a total of four hours' effort to make a $1,000 commission, your selling speed is $250 per hour. By the way, if you could maintain that pace, you would earn around $500,000 annually — not bad! For those who are less analytical (count me in), simply rank the returns from your activities on a 1-to-5 scale. As in everything else, the rule of "garbage in, garbage out" applies, so the more specific your information, the more meaningful your results will be.Some of your activities may not pay off in measurable sales today, but since they are laying the groundwork for tomorrow's business, you may need to adjust your figures accordingly. Just don't be too generous when assigning a value to investments of time and effort that have yet to come to fruition, because while preparing for the future is all well and good, your bills and quotas are due now. Also, things may change, and all your work could be for naught, so be tough with yourself and focus on the more immediate rewards. A bird in the hand really is worth two (or more) in the bush.
- Step Three. Now, list in order each activity by its selling speed, starting with those that generate the most sales per hour down to those with the smallest return. The results can be really shocking — or reassuring. Post this list where you can see it all the time. Drill the concept that list represents into your subconscious.
- Step Four. When you plan your selling work, focus on those tasks near the top of the list. When you finish a task, look once again towards the top of the list for the next one. This process may result in a sweeping change in the work you do, and with a corresponding increase in your sales results. You will probably start to look for more opportunities, move more prospects further along the selling cycle, and close more sales. You will probably experience a corresponding decrease in the desire to forward funny e-mails, attend general networking lunches, and file copies of reports — in other words, to squander time on less productive pursuits.
A word of warning: While a simpleton might be tempted to do only those tasks at the top of the list and disregard the duties at the bottom, it goes without saying that Savvy Selling readers are much sharper than that. If I'm not mistaken, you will already have figured out that unavoidable, bottom-of-the-list chores with low payoffs are best delegated to your sales-support team, a messenger service, or, when possible, simply scratched from the list altogether.
I'm the first one to admit that sitting down and analyzing a bunch of numbers isn't my idea of fun. If it was, I'd be an engineer or accountant. That's when I remind myself that the U.S. Navy's elite Fighters Weapons School (the official name of the "Top Gun" academy) is for the top 1% of pilots. So sit down, force yourself to do the math, and then apply the results to your selling process. Guess what? Your chance of making the top 1% of the salespeople in your industry will skyrocket. Happy selling!
Michelle Nichols is a sales consultant, trainer, and Vistage speaker based in Houston, Tex.


text:
- Home
- News
- Programs
- Support
- About
- Contact
Students shriek with delight as teacher Brad Riegel announces that today, the lesson is ghosts, trolls and snakes!
And not just any ghosts, trolls, and snakes, but the ones recently made popular by the best-selling Harry Potter novels for young people. On Sundays during May, June, and July, Unity's youth education program is bringing Harry to church…through a series of scripture lessons based on the young wizard's adventures. It might sound, at first, like a bit of a stretch. But Unity's GiGi Talley says that, as both a parent and a teacher, she's found the series of stories to be a natural for teaching life lessons…
'Harry Potter…although he has a lot of dark things happen to him, and not-so-great things, he becomes his own person. He comes out of it on his own. And I think kids are looking for that…especially kids in the age range of 10 to 12. They go through that point where they're starting to pull away from their parents, and they want to be able to go through the challenges that they face in life on their own, and come out on the other end. So magic kind of makes that look appealing.'
The curriculum, written by a Unity teacher in Illinois, is called "Lumindorf," a name that translates literally as "place of light." You won't find it on a map…or for that matter, in the Harry Potter books. In the lesson plan, Lumindorf refers to a place inside each person's heart that's capable of learning and enlightenment. Gigi Talley…
'We want to "illuminate" the children from inside; that's where we believe Jesus lives. The "Christ light" is inside of us. So there's a correlation, metaphysically, of each teaching that we have in Unity with the stuff that comes from Harry Potter.'
The Unity movement, which is sometimes confused with the Unitarian Church, is an interdenominational fellowship founded in Missouri in 1889. Today it has some 900 churches around North America, and another 65 internationally. Talley say that finding biblical truths in popular culture is not that unusual for Unity, which often takes a different slant on traditional Christian teachings…
'A good way of putting it is that Unity is spirituality with the religious "fat" cut off. It's the meat, you know? Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself." It's all about love, it's about goodness, and kindness and being good to one another. And that's what we believe.'
Brad Reiger and GiGi Talley make the point with the kids with questions like 'We all know that ghosts are disembodied spirits. But can ghosts be…ideas? Maybe ideas that are no longer workable for you? Ideas that need to leave?'
The kids seem to understand this more abstract concept of ghosts. After they've vanquished the ghosts, the kids watch a scene from the film "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," in which Harry's cousin Dudley harasses a snake at the zoo. The young hero apologizes to the snake, saying Dudley just doesn't understand what it's like 'lying there day after day, watching people press their ugly faces in on you.'
The subject of understanding…the lack of understanding, and the pain it can cause…is a recurring theme of the Lumindorf lessons. In a discussion at the end of today's class, 9-year-old Jordan and 8-year-old Grayson tell why they think Harry makes a good role model…
'Harry Potter was a very nice boy, and he, like, wasn't mean to people?'
'Always treat someone nice, instead of just bossing them around, and giving them a hard time.'
But while British author J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books have sold some 200 million copies in 55 languages, her young hero is not universally loved. Some church pastors are preaching from their pulpits against the Harry Potter stories… arguing that the books promote witchcraft, and might lure unsuspecting children into exploring the dark side of the occult. One church group in Arkansas succeeded in having the Potter books put under the counter at school libraries, so that students had to bring a note from their parents to check one out. But after a court hearing, a judge overturned that rule. Gigi Talley says she's aware of the controversy, but that it hasn't diminished their enthusiasm for Harry Potter as a teaching tool…
'You need to lighten up. They need to look at it with a little bit more sense of, "Oh, this is just play. You know, fairy tales have been around forever, and nobody's been out slaughtering cows and doing rain dances around, because their kid read a fairy tale, you know? Our kids are pretty savvy, nowadays. They know what's a fictional story and what's not.'
Brad Riegel, who's also a father of two, agrees.
'It's fascinating to look at the curriculum and see so many wonderful stories that are wrapped up, the little "mini-stories" inside the story, that we can use to kind of open up their minds to explore things that are very similar to biblical parables. We hope that their interest in Harry…opens up their mind, and that they can walk out the door on Sunday morning, maybe not even knowing that they learned something.


text:
Hi All,
I just moved to NY State. I have a CWL from Florida where I lived for 17 years. NY doesn't recipicate...and so far I found that they don't even have their own CWL. What kind of crap is that?? Does anyone have any info on that?? I don't hunt...it's just for protection...I guess NY gets a "A" MM. I used to be the Florida state Coord for SAS, I don't know how they can have that here...no guns...