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April 29, 2011
Apple Naming Takes to the Sky with the iCloud Brand Name
Yesterday the rumor spread across the Internet that Apple had bought the iCloud.com domain name from Swedish company Xcerion for $4.5 million, something that TechCrunch previously reported as "certainly a possibility."
It was at least clear that iCloud had changed their name to CloudMe, but their reasons were nebulous to say the least. In fact, they told TechCrunch that the name change was "to better reflect our new focus on files and storage."
However, everyone assumed that if Apple wanted to get into cloud computing (a term that I have examined at some length), they would want the iCloud brand name.
Om Malik was the one who started the rumor mill churning on The Apple Blog, in an April 27 post that said he had a tip-off indicating that Apple had the name so they could change it from a storage-as-a-cloud service to a music service. This morning the rumors were confirmed on AppleInsider, although the $4.5 million purchase price remains "uncomfirmed."
I wouldn't be surprised if iCloud became an expanded, free version of the MobileMe offering for Apple users. It is not the most original brand name, but for Apple, it certainly is the most logical.
Technorati Tags: iCloud, Apple Branding, CloudMe, Cloud Computing, File Storage, Service Naming, Brand Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 8:56 AM
Posted to Brand Naming | Branding | Consumer Electronics | Industry | Naming | Naming Rights | Technology
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April 28, 2011
Strategic Name Development Offers $2,500 Scholarship
Strategic Name Development is proud to announce we are once again offering a $2,500 naming scholarship for undergraduate college students majoring in Linguistics, English, Marketing or Mass Communications.
This unique scholarship was designed to provide those students interested in naming and branding with a rewarding opportunity to display their creative work.
Students interested are asked to develop five (5) new name candidates for an electric car innovation and write a 1,000 word essay supporting each of the name submissions.
We will award the student that submits the most creative and appropriate names a $2,500 scholarship for the fall 2011 semester.
We encourage any interested students to submit their essay by midnight EDT on August 15th, 2011.
More details can be found here.
We are excited to review the great name candidate submissions!
Technorati Tags: Strategic Name Development Scholarship, Scholarship, America's Next Top Namer
Posted by William Lozito at 12:18 PM
Posted to Automotive | Brand Naming | Branding | Marketing | Naming | Product Naming | Technology | Trademarking
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"Thugs and Wackos" to Face New Naming of Raiders Stadium
Yahoo! really says it best today: "The Oakland Raiders get a new, ridiculous stadium name."
The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Authority is going to rename the Raiders/Oakland A's stadium "Overstock.com Stadium" in a six year, $7.2 million deal. The stadium has formally been known as the Network Associates Coliseum and the McAfee Coliseum.
Overstock.com is, ironically, in the process of renaming itself, so the final name may be O.co stadium, leading Yahoo! writer Chris Chase to say the change will "inevitably lead to fledgling "SportsCenter" anchors saying stuff like 'Darren McFadden is making his O face.'"
The deal has Overstock.com paying $1.2 million annually for naming rights with half the money going to the Raiders and the other half being spilt between the city of Oakland and Alameda County.
Oakland city councilman Ignacio de la Fuente says the city and county are looking forward to the money as both have "budget shortfalls."
The name kicks into gear on Friday night when the A's play American League champions, the Texas Rangers.
The Huffington Post notes that there is "irony" here as the Raiders and the A's both had dismal attendance records last year, therefore wondering if the extra tickets will wind up on Overstock.com.
Overstock.com president Jonathan Johnson suggests we "Think of it as the three O's: Oakland, Oracle Arena and now Overstock.com Coliseum."
The good news is that the infamous "Black Hole" within the stadium (Sections 104, 105, 106, and 107), where the rowdiest Raiders fans are to be found, has not been renamed, and it is doubtful it ever will be.
This would be because it is very hard to rename a place frequented by the likes of Darth Vader, King Kong and other members of the "Raider Nation," a group of hardcore fans that writer Hunter S. Thompson (himself a Raiders fan) dubbed "the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and wackos ever assembled."
Technorati Tags: Radiers Stadium Name, A's Stadium Name, Oakland A's, Oakland Raiders, Overstock.com Stadium Naming, Overstock.com, Naming Rights, Overstock.com Naming Rights
Posted by William Lozito at 8:20 AM
Posted to Naming Rights | Sports and Recreation
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April 27, 2011
Condom Product Naming and Branding Faces Stiff Competition
The world of condom product naming and branding is highly competitive, as two developing news pieces point out. The battle between Meyer Laboratories (who owns the ultra-thin Kimono brand) and Church & Dwight (who owns Trojan) has escalated over the latter's use of "planograms."
Trojan has used these plans to entice retailers to promote Trojan condom displays over other brands in exchange for kickbacks on condom sales.
Not surprisingly, this has evolved into a legal issue, with Meyer labs arguing that this practice is anti-competitive (Trojan has grown from 64% of the market in 2001 to 75% in 2008). Meanwhile, Trojan's main competitor, Lifestyles, has deflated from 13% to 7.7% over the same period.
The lesson here, of course, is if customers can't see your brand name, they won't buy it. In an effort to fight back, Meyer filed 12 counter-claims against Trojan in 2009, "including violations of the Sherman Act, California professional and business codes, violations of California laws on exclusive dealing and secret rebates, tortious interference, unfair competition and trademark violations."
Meanwhile, Durex has plans for a new condom from Futura Medical that actually has a vascodilator (think Viagra) coating to help men who deflate while putting on condoms.
CSD500 is the current product name, but medGadget "imagine[s] that Durex, the manufacturing and distributing partner, will have a spicier nom de guerre when it goes on sale."
The magic ingredient is called Zanifil and is already being called "Viagra for condoms." Scheduled to be available in Europe with a new name by the end of the year, many believe that this will help "normalize" condoms and further promote safe sex.
Although, I doubt it will need its own display, since innovative products like this usually tend to sell themselves until the competitors create a copycat.
Technorati Tags: Condoms, Trojan Branding, Condom Naming, Durex Branding, Condom Branding
Posted by William Lozito at 9:41 AM
Posted to Brand Naming | Branding | Marketing | Naming | Pharmaceutical | Product Naming
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April 26, 2011
How Product Naming and Branding Makes Dieters Fat
A new study indicates that a name change for a food product may actually change our perception of its health benefits.
A piece in the The Journal of Consumer Research shows that consumers looking to make "healthy" choices can be easily misled into making unhealthy choices by focusing on the wrong names for foods.
Apples, for instance, are seen as more healthy than cupcakes. But what happens when we start calling milkshakes "smoothies?" Or potato chips turn into "veggie chips?" Or sugary drinks get called "flavored water?"
The study presented subjects with a "pre-prepared mixture of vegetables, pasta, salami, and cheese, served on a bed of romaine lettuce." When the dish was labeled "pasta" it was rated as being less healthy than when it was called a "salad." Dieters also choose candies that were called "fruit chews" over those called "candy chews" - and ate more of them.
The bottom line is that dieters try to avoid unhealthy foods rather than seek out healthy ones. They are "more sensitive to certain taboo food names - like pasta, ice cream, potato chips and candy - than people who aren't constantly watching their weight" and can actually wind up eating more junk food than those who don't have this bias.
Dieters focus on the name of the product they are eating over the ingredients, and this means that it is easy to deceive them. As one blogger points out, "The joke may be on us."
But of course, marketers know this. Organic food, for example, is often considered healthier than its non-organic counterpart - even when it's not.
The magic word "organic," which I have written about before is meaningless, benefits from the "halo-effect" that enables sub-par foods to be considered healthier than they really are.
This effect is best seen, as Walletpop points out, when we see a person wearing a pocket protector and glasses and assume he is intelligent, or judge a blonde person as having a "joie d' vivre."
Smoothies and salads are almost always seen as being better for you than chips and pasta... even when they are not. Changing the name on products that get the "horned effect" (my term) may actually increase sales among the very people who call themselves dieters.
I'm going to go have some cookies now... I mean organic oat cakes. :)
Technorati Tags: Food Naming, Food Branding, Food Product Naming, Naming, Branding, Product Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 10:39 AM
Posted to Food | Product Naming
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April 25, 2011
Restaurant Naming and Branding Moves Away from the Sign Over the Door to Google
Yahoo! has an article regarding the top ten athlete-owned restaurants, noting that "the reality is that while a ballplayer's endorsement might bring you in the door, many of these restaurants don't have winning dishes."
This is an interesting article, but what caught my eye was the comment at the end that says that many athlete-owned restaurants do not actually use the athlete's name. "Michael Jordan's first restaurant in Chicago, named after him, went belly-up. However, his second Windy City attempt, one sixtyblue, is buzzing. Go figure."
I think this may be because customers are better educated than ever before about the places they go to eat, and the leverage of a big name does not need to be blatant to be authentic.
In fact, we might rather go to a restaurant that uses the athlete's name in a more low-key way.
Witness the rise of "celebrity-chef culture." Here, the person in the kitchen is drawing in the patrons. The growth rate of this type of restaurant is phenomenal.
The UK sees celebrity chef naming (think Gordon Ramsay) as one of its biggest exports.
Also, look at the fact that celebrities who happen to own restaurants add an allure that is once removed from the restaurant itself.
I attribute this to Google and smartphones. When people look for interesting places to eat, consumers are going to gravitate to places owned by celebs or chefs that have (an easily Googled) notoriety.
The real sign for the restaurant is not over the door, it's in that phone that tells you at a glance who the popular owner or chef is. A glance at a smartphone shows you not only how many stars the joint has, but who owns it and who cooks the food.
Being able to leverage that is a meaningful advantage and obviously crucial.
Technorati Tags: Celebrity Restaurants, Restaurant Naming, Restaurant Branding, Naming, Branding
Posted by William Lozito at 8:22 AM
Posted to Branding | Food | Naming
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April 22, 2011
Happy Easter from Strategic Name Development
No matter how long your winter, spring has sprung and its time to start looking for those eggs!
We at Strategic Name Development hope you are able to enjoy some time this Easter Weekend with your friends and family.
Happy Easter from Strategic Name Development!
Posted by William Lozito at 3:40 PM
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Kate Moss Flaunts Addict Naming and Branding
So it is not exactly news that Kate Moss is the face of Dior's new "Addict" lipstick.
The news and the initial 30 second ad have been out for well over a month, but the short film is now out in all its decadent glory... as well as the lipsticks themselves.
The short film was created by Jonas Ackerlund (who did Lady Gaga's Paparazzi and Telephone videos) and runs with the voice over, "A girl can't make an entrance without her lipstick." The tagline? "Be iconic."
As one blogger says, the "Fashion Sphinx" speaks both these lines in a voice that is almost startlingly smooth and sexy.
Do we have a problem with a lipstick called "addict" being sold by a substance abuser? There is irony here, of course, that will be lost on no one.
The film is classic model glam, which could be seen as glamorizing the already glamorized world of drugs and fashion - the hotel room looks looks post launch party messy with Kate herself looking incredibly beautiful wearing Dior Addict Lipstick shade No. 578 "Dior Kiss," as she is whisked through Paris in a Rolls-Royce.
People may not approve of this whole naming and branding scheme but it is hard to take your eyes away from the screen. It's just brilliant.
What's not so brilliant? Kate's inadvertent connection with a website that is selling baby clothes that bear her famous credo, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."
She reportedly is not behind it, and the website does not credit her with saying it on the shirts (She did, innocently, to Women's Wear Daily), but the association is still there.
Technorati Tags: Dior, Dior Addict, Kate Moss, Naming, Branding
Posted by William Lozito at 11:00 AM
Posted to Branding | Fashion | Health and Beauty
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April 20, 2011
Toshiba, LG On Collision Course Over Thrive Product Naming?
So it looks as if the new Toshiba Honeycomb tablet is going to be called the Thrive.
It is currently referred to by its code name ANT, but it has been revealed that Toshiba recently applied for the Thrive trademark in the US.
This will pit the Thrive against the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Motorola Xoom.
An assortment of URLs have also been registered including ToshibaThrive.com, ThriveTablet.com, ThriveToshiba.com and TabletThrive.com.
It is rumored that the tablet will be an Android 3.0 Honeycomb-powered tablet that was refereed to as the "Antares" at the Mobile World Congress back in February.
According to Inquisitr, it will boast "a 10.1 inch display with 1280 x 600 pixels of resolution with 720p upscaling, a two-megapixel front-facing camera and a primary camera with five-megapixels."
The device will retail at about $450, but there is no word yet on its US release.
Toshiba has been very coy about this of course, calling it at first "The unnamed Toshiba tablet." They even registered the URL called TheToshibaTablet.com.
Interestingly, Android Police points out that the LG Thrive smartphone was just announced a few days ago.
The LG Thrive is a Froyo-based smartphone that started shipping on Friday.
It will be interesting to see if LG can fend of Toshiba since the former apparently did not submit a trademark application, and Toshiba did on April 7th.
There is no word yet from either company if this is going to become a problem. But watch this space.
Technorati Tags: Toshiba, Toshiba Thrive, LG, LG Thrive, Thrive Product Naming, Product Naming, Thrive Brand Name
Posted by William Lozito at 8:40 AM
Posted to Consumer Electronics | Product Naming
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April 18, 2011
How Much Would Your Town Charge to Change Its Name?
The small town of Altoona, PA will become "POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," but just for two months.
This odd and extremely lengthly renaming was inspired by Morgan Spurlock's new film of the same name, which is about (and funded by) product placement, hence the clever stunt.
And it only cost him a mere $25,000 to get the town of 50,000 people to change its name for 60 days, starting April 27. The money, according to Mayor William Schirf, will go to fund the police department.
The Sheetz convenience store, which is also based in Altoona, is one of the movie's major sponsors, offering up $100,000 for prime placement in the film.
Said Spurlock in a recent press release:
I can't think of a better way to celebrate the shifting tide of business in America than by purchasing the naming rights to Altoona. For the next 60 days, "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," Pennsylvania will be the most clever example of how an American city is marketing itself today.
Of course. renaming towns to make money is nothing new.
Back in 2005, I wrote about a deal from Colorado's EchoStar Communications Corporation that offered any town ten years of free satellite TV if it renamed itself DISH. The offer was taken up by Clarke, Texas.
Santa, Idaho changed its name to SecretSanta.com for a year for $20,000.
And last year Topeka, Kansas changed its name to "Google" for the month of March in order to attract ultra-fast broadband. The following April Fools' Day, Google changed its name to Topeka.
Technorati Tags: Town Renaming, Altoona Renaming, Town Marketing, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Name Changes, Morgan Spurlock
Posted by William Lozito at 8:48 AM
Posted to Brand Naming | Branding | Industry | Marketing | Media and Entertainment | Naming | Travel and Tourism
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April 15, 2011
Grey Goose Inventors Skate Close to the Edge of Vodka Product Naming
Vodka lovers can rejoice today.
Sydney Frank Importing - who brought us one of the most exclusive vodkas ever, Grey Goose - is now offering us a new concoction called
American Harvest Organic Spirit.
This is, on the face of it, an American vodka. Or should I say an American made "organic spirit" that tastes just like really good citrus-y vodka?
Why not just call it vodka, you ask?
The problem is that the company sold Grey Goose for a cool $2.2 billion to Bacardi in 2004 with the agreement they would stay out of the vodka business. But the "organic spirit" business was never mentioned, so here we are.
I was interested to see just how much work went into the naming and branding of Grey Goose: Sydney Frank had named it and gave it a country of origin (France) before making a single drop.
The new "organic spirit" comes in at $23.99 a bottle (cheaper than $30+ for Grey Goose) and they cheerily inform us how its made in Rigby, Idaho using water "distilled from aquifers deep beneath the Snake River plain."
This is a top end liquor for the frugal patriot. And it leverages the fact that it is "organic," a magic but possibly meaningless word in the world of naming and branding.
It even has a Coca-Cola-esque secret formula, or what the company calls "a proprietary blend of organic ingredients."
It's not vodka, they assure us (and maybe Bacardi's lawyers), but a "revolutionary look at the vodka category."
Sydney Frank Importing seems to be skating very close to the edge. Can they really create a new drink category? Will we actually order a martini made out of "organic spirit?" Hmm. Watch this space.
Technorati Tags: Grey Goose, American Harvest Organic Spirit, Sydney Frank Importing, Bacardi, Vodka Product Naming, Product Naming, Vodka Brand Name
Posted by William Lozito at 9:14 AM
Posted to Product Naming | Spirits
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April 14, 2011
Coach Wallops Jo-Ann For Branding Faux Pas
Coach has sued Jo-Ann Fabrics over one of its Blizzard Fleece designs. Apparently, the elongated Os in the latter are too close to the well known Coach Cs, which form a valuable part of the company's brand name identity.
Coach claims that this has caused "consumer confusion."
According to Women's Wear Daily, "The complaint [also] charges the defendants with trade dress and copyright infringement, trademark counterfeiting, false designation of origin, false advertising and trademark dilution." Ouch.
For the most part, the blogosphere does not seem to be impressed with Coach's actions, with one blogger writing, "Perso, we think if someone wants to walk around in a hand-made, head-to-toe, fleece ensemble (please remember, we're talking about the warmest fabric ever) vaguely resembling a brand last relevant in 2000, Coach should let him or her do so."
Coach, who deals with counterfeiters all the time, seems pretty fired up over this. They are seeking more than $2 Million "per counterfeit mark, per type of counterfeit good, punitive damages, attorneys fees and other costs."
Wasserman's Civil Procedure Blog is on the fence about whether a likelihood of confusion could be proved, but does think that the damages Coach is seeking is "excessive."
Other bloggers point out that Jo-Anne is the home of the crafter, "So any moms scheming to whip up a nice fleecey Halloween costume out of Coachish-looking fabric for their kids this year, consider yourselves warned." The point being, people who shop for Coach usually are not going to Jo-Ann's, so the customer confusion should be minimal.
On the other hand, Fasion etc points out that it "Looks like the 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery' excuse isn't cutting it anymore."
Technorati Tags: Coach, Jo-Ann, Branding, Copyright Infringement, Trademark Counterfeiting, Trademark Dilution
Posted by William Lozito at 8:41 AM
Posted to Apparel | Trademarking
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April 13, 2011
Apple Tops In Tech Naming and Branding? Not really.
I was fascinated to read that Apple might not be the top tech brand, according to the Harris Poll EquiTrend study.
Consumers picked Verizon as the top mobile carrier brand and Motorola was the top mobile phone brand. Yes, that's right, Motorola. Apple placed fifth behind HTC, SonyEricsson and Nokia.
I have to say this is surprising. As one Harris executive pointed out, "Apple may have the market cornered on technology enthusiasts, but Motorola satisfies a much wider audience... There is still a large audience of consumers that aren't interested in a smartphone running their life, and Apple doesn't have a product to meet that need."
Touche. Apple also didn't make the top ranking for personal computers - HP took that honor with Apple coming in as a close second. Sony was tops in consumer electronics, where Apple wasn't even ranked (odd).
According to the company's press release material:
This year's Harris Poll EquiTrend® study was conducted online among 25,099 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over between January 11 and 27, 2011. A total of 1,273 brands were rated in 53 separate categories. Each respondent was asked to rate a total of 60 randomly selected brands. Each brand received approximately 1,000 ratings.
The results were deemed to be representative of the entire US population over the age of 15.
Does this mean that Apple is losing its touch? Doubtful.
The company still demands massive brand loyalty, but other brand names are snapping at its heels.
I find the research results questionable.
Technorati Tags: Apple, Motorola, Top Mobile Phone Brand, Consumer Electronics, Consumer Electronics Branding, Consumer Electronics Brand Name
Posted by William Lozito at 9:21 AM
Posted to Brand Name Research | Consumer Electronics
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April 11, 2011
Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos Not So Loco
The blogosphere's reaction to Taco Bell's new Doritos Locos Tacos - that the name sounds like it was dreamt up by "creative stoners" - has me smiling this morning.
There is general support today for this marrying of two big brand names. Doritos Locos Tacos allows you to get your "crunchy taco shell in a Doritos Nacho Cheese chip-shell form" and leverages the kind of branding synergy that one wonders why it has not occurred to anyone before.
On the other hand, some readers at Grub Grade are saying it sounds a little too gross for their taste, while one reader comments that "Taco Smell has crossed the line and gone too far with this one. The only thing worse would be nacho cheese Dorito shell with their Pacific shrimp nestled in there. Sprinkled with toe clippings."
Another blogger writes, in a more restrained posting, "This takes Taco Bell even further away from actual Mexican food."
Purists argue that the hard shell tacos violate the essence of tacos, and that Doritos Locos Tacos gets the Spanish wrong to boot.
Do we really see Taco Bell as the home of authentic Mexican cuisine? I am pretty sure that KFC is serving chicken that is unlike that of the chicken they serve in the backwoods of Kentucky and pizza and espresso have both strayed far, far away from their Italian roots via Starbucks and Pizza Hut.
This is about creating brand resonance in an established sphere. This is just good branding.
Technorati Tags: Taco Bell, Doritos, Doritos Locos Tacos, Taco Bell Branding, Doritos Branding
Posted by William Lozito at 8:41 AM
Posted to Branding | Food
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April 8, 2011
Banane Bag Parody's Hermes Product Naming
Sometimes flagrant trademark infringement is just plain funny.
Take the Banane Taipei canvas tote, for instance that you can buy in Taiwan. Here is a tote bag that has luxury good giant Hermes up in arms.
Not only is Banane parodying its logo, it is making a canvas version of one of Hermes' best known products: the Birkin bag, favored by the rich and famous and every woman's dream according to one blogger.
The Banane logo, which has what looks like a deer or moose pulling a cart that looks like a banana on wheels, is an obvious nod to the unmistakable Hermes logo while the bag itself is pretty much an irreverent knock off.
One owner says it is "too cute to resist" and says that the bag is an "original concept" that is legal because, of course, people make posters of the Mona Lisa (this is some very lateral thinking about trademark law, let me tell you).
The Banane bag actually comes with a photo of the Birkin on it, which must be something of a nightmare for Hermes. The company argues that the image on the bag is not actually the Birkin, but a "local creation."
Hermes feels that their trademark and copyright are being violated as the Banane bag "imitates the Birkin bag's trapezoid shape, orange color and horse cart logo."
Banane retorts that "We have our own trademark that bears a banana to symbolize the spirit of Taiwan...Our tote is made of eco-friendly material and sold at an affordable price for everyone. We can hardly think that any consumer would mistake our tote for a Birkin bag" and just announced the launch of four new colors. You have to love the chutzpah.
I have no idea how this might turn out, but if Banane loses the fight it could prove rather expensive. They are being treated as counterfeiters, which is not really true. But the similarities between these products are are quite notable, even if the Banane bag is "eco-friendly."
In any event, this product is such a flagrant copy of the Birkin bag that it is hard to imagine that somebody hasn't looked into if there is a legal leg to stand on - at least in Taiwan.
Technorati Tags: Banane, Hermes, Birkin Bag, Trademark Dispute, Product Naming,
Posted by William Lozito at 10:49 AM
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April 7, 2011
Australia Bans Product Naming and Branding on Cigarette Packs
I'm pretty impressed to see Australia implement some really tough new cigarette packaging rules.
I had a feeling that this initiative was on the way since shops in Australia were already prohibited from displaying cigarette packs, but what Australia has now imposed is quite amazing.
Australia has decided that all cigarette packs will be colored olive green, and plastered with dire health warnings and images. More than that, all logos will be removed and the typography of the brand names will be made absolutely uniform.
The olive green color was chosen because research results showed that it is the least attractive color for smokers. The graphic health warnings and images will consist of "black, diseased gums, blinded eyes and children in hospital" which will cover 75% of the packaging surface.
New Zealand is likely to follow suit despite the fact that British American Tobacco Australia has already argued that these laws would constitute Trademark and international property infringement. We can expect Canada and Great Britain to give this serious thought as well.
One thing is for sure - a huge legal battle is in the making. Tobacco companies feel that this is
anti-competitive and the governments may be on shaky legal ground.
The Australian law is proposed to take effect in six months and is proof positive that product naming and branding and especially packaging have a major influence on consumers. Why else would the tobacco companies be prepared for such a massive legal battle?
Phillip Morris, Imperial Tobacco and British American Tobacco Australia have all criticized the Australian announcement and are planning to "robustly challenge" the mandate.
Plain packaging, it is felt, will fuel the trade in counterfeit cigarettes and trash hundreds of millions of dollars of intellectual property.
Nonetheless, the move is said to most likely reduce smoking in Australia by 10% in less than 10 years. Currently, there are about 15,000 Australians who die every year because of tobacco related illnesses.
The tobacco companies point out that the same kind of severe legislation would never be imposed against our soda or fast food brands.
Technorati Tags: Australian Cigarette Law, Cigarette Branding, Cigarette Product Naming, Naming, Branding, Product Naming, Cigarette Brand Name
Posted by William Lozito at 10:16 AM
Posted to Product Naming
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April 6, 2011
Naming and Branding Lessons from Bieber and Trump
An interesting article today by Denise Lee Yohn at Business Insider gives us branding and naming insights from none other than Justin Bieber and Donald Trump.
I have written about The Donald before, and I have to put his brand down as one that I love to hate. The man has his own vodka, for instance. And he has his own home collection - this from a person who is better known for hotels.
The Trump name is extremely recognizable now, and not as some kind of relic from the 80s. Trump has used his name in what Yohn calls an "exploitation" of his brand. He is essentially trying to get as much mileage off his celebrity as he can and moving in any direction to do so.
His one requirement is that whatever his name rests upon, it must be of the highest quality.
He has done such a good job that some say we may actually see Donald Trump as President.
His branding is what most would call, in-your-face, but it works.
Justin Bieber, on the other hand, according to Yohn, is using his brand as an expression of himself. He focuses on partnering with other companies and offering things that he thinks his fans will like.
He doesn't build the brand around himself, like Trump does, but instead thinks of the people that listen to his music, and the products that they might like.
The case in point here is one of the great jokes of marketing - Justin Bieber's nail polish. You may laugh, but it has sold over one million bottles. It is hard to think of a male who could sell women (ok, girls) more nail polish outside of somebody in the fashion world.
This is a person who has carefully thought out the needs of his listeners and built an identity around it that transfers to numerous products.
There is certainly a message here worth noting.
Technorati Tags: Donald Trump, Justin Bieber, Personal Branding, Branding
Posted by William Lozito at 10:23 AM
Posted to Branding | Marketing | Media and Entertainment
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April 5, 2011
NYSE Naming Has People Working on Both Sides of the Atlantic
NYSE Eronext and Deutsche Börse AG are still struggling with what to name the "6,500-employee, $5.4 billion-revenue trans-Atlantic combination."
According to the Wall Street Journal, a committee of marketers and legal specialists will be looking at over 1000 names that have been crowdsourced.
The new name will have to satisfy New Yorkers, New York politicians, and regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. With that, there has already been a big push to have the name start with "NY" or "New York."
While Europeans would own the majority share of the company, the German CEO of the combined company is under pressure to give it a German sounding name, although he has already joked that "Oktoberfest" and "The Bog Borse" are out.
Many feel a "neutral name that doesn't scream apple pie or lederhosen" would be the best route. Thus, Global Exchange Inc. was suggested (but is taken already by a human rights group).
Also favored are NYSE DB or NYSE Deutsche Börse. Others want "The Exchange" or even "Thunderbird," which has references for both Germany and the USA.
Earlier blogs on the subject suggested that the name NYSE might get the heave-ho but these new developments make me think that it will stay.
There is simply too much equity in the name. My first thought is that NYSE DB looks pretty good, not least because most people will just call it the NYSE.
On April Fools' Day, of course, a proposed merger between Nasdaq and the NYSE birthed the name NASDAQ NYSE Euronext Group Inc. Frankly, that name is just a mouthful.
Should the Nasdaq bid be successful, however, all bets are off and this new name - or one like it - may prevail.
Technorati Tags: NYSE, NYSE Euronext, Deutsche Börse AG, Company Naming
Posted by William Lozito at 8:16 AM
Posted to Company Naming | Financial Services | Naming
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April 4, 2011
Jay-Z in Another Product Naming Dilemma
I have written about Jay-Z before, most notably about his dissing Cristal champagne in favor of "Ace of Spades" Armand de Brignac."
I now note that his music publishing company, Roc Nation, is getting hit with a trademark infringement lawsuit because its logo looks too much like that of Volcom, a California clothing company.
Volcom notes that the Roc Nation diamond shaped logo looks too much like their "stone" which has been trademarked since 1991. Volcom claims to have spent north of $100 million in promoting the logo and takes exception to Jay-Z's ignoring their 2009 complaint.
The recent lawsuit was filed on March 31st and states "While Roc Nation appears to have initially used the diamond only in combination with the words 'Roc Nation' it is now using the diamond logo on its own, causing a likelihood of confusion among consumers."
The problem is exacerbated by the fact that Volcom is a "streetwear" brand that sells it products in similar outlets to where we might find Jay-Z's offerings.
We do not know what monetary charges Volcom is seeking from Roc Nation, the label of Jay-Z, J. Cole and Willow Smith, but we do know that Jay-Z is being sued for "trademark infringement, false designation of origin, trademark dilution, unfair competition and other charges."
Jay-Z is also facing problems with the NBA for getting too friendly with some Kentucky Wildcats players. After a recent game he joined in a party despite the fact that as part owner of the Nets he is not allowed to chill with players who are not yet draft-eligible.
That logo looks incredibly similar to Volcom's, and unless he at least acknowledges the Volcom complaint, he might find himself in a sticky lawsuit.
The problem is that Roc Nation is starting to use the logo by itself on numerous items, and this is where a lawsuit could find real traction against Jay-Z.
Technorati Tags: Roc Nation, Jay-Z, Trademark Conflict, Logo, Volcom, Design
Posted by William Lozito at 11:30 AM
Posted to Apparel | Branding | Fashion | Marketing | Media and Entertainment
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April 1, 2011
A Canadian Tech School Learns That Apple Protects Its Branding
A Canadian business school has finally buried the hatchet with Apple over its similar logo.
Apple and the Victoria School of Business and Technology have been at odds since 2008 over the business school's logo, which Cupertino feels is too similar to theirs.
One argument in favor of the school was that apple's have "always been a symbol of education." Nonetheless, Apple sent a letter on August 26th, 2008 to the school saying:
Your business logo... reproduces, without authority, our client's Apple design logo which it widely used. By doing so, you are infringing Apple's rights, and further, falsely suggesting that Apple has authorized your activities.
To which the school replied:
Our logo is unique and distinguishable in numerous aspects from the Apple logo including the acronym 'VSBT' being part of our logo. Are you suggesting that anyone using any variation of an apple for technology education is infringing on Apple's trademark?
This letter represented the disgust of many Canadians, who felt Apple was taking things a bit too far.
One of the more cautious criticisms came out on NetHackz, who said " It seems like Apple is getting a little too insecure about their logo cause it doesn't really seem like the School's logo is violating Apple's trademark logo in anyway."
Gizmodo, in its usual style, was a bit harsher: "Are students showing up at Apple stores demanding that the so-called "Genius Bar" reconsider their essays marks?"
I would say, however, that the school's design does seem to be based upon the Apple logo, in a case of "same but different."
This is not the case of Apple claiming that any apple logo is theirs, its a case of Apple simply gunning down any logo that looks like theirs. The designers of that logo should have known better.
Technorati Tags: Apple, VSBT, Apple Logo, Apple Branding
Posted by William Lozito at 8:54 AM
Posted to Branding | Consumer Electronics | Media and Entertainment
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Experience Makes The Difference!
Serving The Woodlands, Magnolia, Conroe, Montgomery, Tomball
Lyons Building Company, in the businesses of creating beautiful custom homes since 1975, is currently involved in Restoration and Remodeling homes due to the market demands. Contact us to discuss your project. No job is too big or too small!
Office: 713-203-6191 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com I ABOUT I GALLERY I TESTAMONIALS I PRICING I CONTACT FAQS I TERMSCopyright 2008 Lyons Building Company

subset: commoncrawl


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It is recommended that you buy organic, unsulfured blackstrap molasses and store it in an airtight container, either in a cool area or in the refrigerator. An opened container has a six-month shelf life, while unopened jars can last up to one year. Heating blackstrap molasses by placing the container in hot (not boiling) water can help reduce its viscosity, allowing it to be poured or scooped out more effectively.
Find out more about this book:Encyclopedia of Healing Foods
Buy book


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Mila has got you covered. It automatically scans your inbox and agenda to track all the people you meet.
Add to newsletter? Prospect for sales funnel? Potential hiree? Swipe through your new contacts to build your lists effortlessly.
Share your network with your team and start syncing people to your company's sales and marketing tools.


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Mary H. Culbertson
86, peacefully passed away on April 26, 2013. Mary was an extremely devoted, loving wife of 64 years. She is survived by her husband, Toops; dear mother of Steven Morningthunder, John Culbertson, Nancy Culbertson Scott (Marco), Mary Ellen Hitchiner (Doug), Mark Culbertson (Elizabeth); special grandmother of Maggie, Samuel, Sarah, Rebecca, M.E. and Katee. She is also survived by her brother, Mel Harding (Judy); their five children and families. Mary was born in Reno, Nevada, and grew up in Santa Paula, California. After marrying, she moved to Continental, AZ, whereupon she became actively involved in many different community organizations. Her volunteering included: Pueblo Juniors Club, TMC Auxiliary (past-president) and Suburban Southwest Women's Charitable Club. She contributed to many civic organizations such as the Food Bank, Smile Train, as well as other local and national groups. Due to Toops' employment with FICO, they relocated to Mexico Beach, Florida, where they resided for seven years. While in Florida, they made many life-long friends. Her husband took a different position with FICO, and they returned to Green Valley. Upon their return, she continued to donate to various organizations. Mary loved spending time with her grandchildren and many friends. She loved to attend sporting events at the University of Arizona with her husband, played poker with her family and occasionally dabbled at the casinos. Mary was an avid bridge player. Her hobbies included extensive travels with her husband, fun-filled family trips to Hawaii, the Disney Cruise, holiday trip to the Dominican Republic, and Block Island; Toops and Mary also shared many trips with their closest friends. She will be sorely missed and fondly remembered for her generous and loving ways to her family and friends. We are all truly grateful for her generosity and superb example of giving. Please join the family in celebrating her life at the Mountain Oyster Club located at 6400 E. El Dorado Circle. The Celebration will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tucson Alzheimer's Association at 3003 S. Country Club Suite 209, Tucson, AZ. Arrangements by NEPTUNE SOCIETY.


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Skip navigation.
April 24, 2012
Anyone interested in digital photography is in for a treat July 27-28, when the Northwestern Creativity Project plays host to its fifth "Picture My Weekend" event – a free photography show and workshop at the Runnymede Hotel in downtown Alva.
"Picture My Weekend" is provided to help participants at all digital photography skill levels and for varying types of digital cameras. The workshop is planned to be informal for comfortable learning. Registration is required and will open at a later date.
Anyone looking to improve their photography skills, or share their knowledge with others, is urged to attend this event. Several sessions will be available to photographers who use a standard point and shoot camera or digital SLR. Some session topics include Composition, Portraits, Landscape/Nature, Epic Photo Failures, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Photography and Using Flashes.
The annual photography show and reception will be Friday, July 27, from 7 to 9 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend to see the photographs of those who have signed up for the workshops. Refreshments and live entertainment will be provided.
In addition to Friday night's Photography show, workshops will be available for those who have registered for "Picture My Weekend." These workshops will be held upstairs in the Runnymede Hotel and will begin at 8 p.m.
Saturday's workshop begins with check in at 8 a.m., followed by a welcome at 8:30 a.m. The first of a number of roundtable sessions provided to help photographers at all skill levels begins at 9 a.m.
As is tradition, participants will be asked to complete a photography assignment during the workshop with the results culminating in a slide show at the end of the day. An opportunity to complete that assignment has been built in to the session time periods.
For additional information, contact email@example.com. Detailed information can be found at www.nwosu.edu/picture-my-weekend.
Continue to watch the website as details become available and the online registration form is posted.
MISSION STATEMENT: Northwestern Oklahoma State University provides quality educational and cultural opportunities to learners with diverse needs by cultivating ethical leadership and service, critical thinking and fiscal responsibility.


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Once you have your WordPress site up, it is natural to want to have it "pay you back" and WordPress permits easy inclusion of advertising. Remember, adding advertising code is no different in principle from adding other code, such as Podcasting or Buttons and Icons. You still need to use the basic tools of valid XHTML and valid CSS. Of course, it helps to start with valid code before adding advertising.
Your first step in adding Ads to your WordPress blog should be to familiarize yourself with the available advertising options. You should look at the types of ads and the revenue models to determine which is most compatible with your blog. You will want to examine the pros and cons of the various methods of integrating ads into your blog and understand the issues they may create. After you have determined the types of ads, you'll be ready to work on placing ads in the blog.
There are different models for "making a sale" and revenue for website advertising. They include:
Advertisers have several different ways of including ads in websites. For all of these methods, the biggest concerns are style and validation. The ads need to work within your WordPress Theme and changes to the Theme can create validation errors. After adding a new advertising program, your first step should be to revalidate. Your next step should be to check your blog, preferably in multiple browsers to ensure that the HTML in use works within your WordPress Theme.
The different ad integration methods include:
Once you have lined up advertisers, you are now ready to begin placing the code in your blog.
Start with a clean slate. Solve any other issues your blog may have before you start adding advertising code. Looking through the Support Forums, you may see questions related to a specific ad program. Remember that many of the principles will be the same for any program that uses similar methods (i.e. Javascript) to place the ads on your site.
You can place ads directly in your Template Files or there are Plugins available to help with placing and managing advertising code.
Familiarize yourself with the specific Template Files you intend to modify before you start adding advertisement code.
When editing Template Files to include advertising code either use the Theme Editor in the Administration_Panels or use a plain text editor.
Some HTML and text ads can be aligned horizontally using the text-align CSS property. More complicated issues of alignment and position within the various template files can be solved using proper CSS styling.
Again, always check and validate your site after each change, preferably in multiple browsers. It is much easier to solve one problem at a time than to wait until they accumulate.
Some Themes will allow you to place ads (or anything) in the header template file easily. The ads are added to the header.php template file. If your Theme creates the header using a
 or , you can usually place your ad code inside that and have it appear in the header. In the following example, the ad will appear just under your blog name:

 <a href="<?php bloginfo('url'); ?>"><?php bloginfo('name'); ?> <<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>>

Other Themes, often based on the Default WordPress Theme, create the header by assigning the header class/id to a headline tag that is wrapped around the title. If your Theme does that, you will likely need to place the advertising code below the Header in the content or comparable section.

 <a href="<?php echo get_settings('home'); ?>"> <?php bloginfo('name'); ?>

 <?php bloginfo('description'); ?>

 <<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>>
Play around with the placement to get it in the appropriate place dependent upon your header design and layout. Be sure and validate your page afterwards to ensure the placement works.
You can add ads to the sidebar by editing the sidebar.php template file. The standard WordPress sidebar template file features a complex nested list, so take care not to disturb the nest. You can carefully integrate ads into the list, or restructure the list to remove the nesting feature if the ad's code interupts the list format. Or add the ads to the top or bottom of the nested list, skipping any possible coding conflicts. To include the code inside of the list, you may need to put your advertisers code between a pair of

 tags or your page will not validate and may not look right. For example, you may want to include an ad between the Pages and Archives in your sidebar:
<?php wp_list_pages('title_li=
Pages
' ); ?>
<<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>>

Archives

 <?php wp_get_archives('type=monthly'); ?>

Multiple and single page views use different template tags to generate the "content" section of a web page in WordPress. All may be generated with the index.php template file, or only multiple post views will use it while single post views will use the single.php template file. If you want ads to appear on these different views, check your WordPress Theme to find out if your Theme uses different template files to display the different web page views.
In general, look for the WordPress Loop as your focal point for placing the ads. It begins with code that looks typically like this:
<?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>
Placing code just after this will generally place the advertising above each post's content. On multi-post views, the ad will be generated at the top of each excerpt or post, such as on the front page. On single post views, the ad will be at the top of the post.
The the_content() is the template tag that returns the post content. Placing advertising code just before or just after this will put your code as close as possible to the "guts" of the post.

 <<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>> <?php the_content('Read the rest of this entry »'); ?>

The Comment code at the bottom of the posts produces the link to the Comment page. Place your advertising code just before this to have it appear ahead of the Comment link.
For standard comments, to place your ad just over the comment link look for something like this:
<<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>> ?php comments_link(); ?>">Comments to this post
If you use popup comments:
<<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>> <?php comments_popup_link(__('Comments (0)'), __('Comments (1)'), __('Comments (%)')); ?>
Placing ad code on the Comment Page is an effective way to get an extra ad without violating your program's TOS agreement, limiting the number of ads per page. To add comments to your comment section, on the single post view or popup comments page, comments.php or comments-popup.php such as:
<?php if ('open' == $post->comment_status) : ?>
Leave a Reply
 <<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>> <?php if ( get_option('comment_registration') && !$user_ID ) : ?>
You must be <a href="<?php echo get_option('siteurl'); ?>/wp-login.php? redirect_to=<?php the_permalink(); ?>">logged in to post a comment.
 <?php else : ?> <form action="<?php echo get_option('siteurl'); ?>/wp-comments-post.php" method="post" id="commentform">
This example will place the advertisement just below the "Leave a Reply".
Some advertising programs limit the number of ads per page, so you may need to only include ads after the first (or second or third) post. Here is an example:
<?php if ($posts) : foreach ($posts as $post) : start_wp(); ?>
<?php $postnum = 1; $showads = 1; ?>
<?php endforeach; else: ?>
<?php if ($postnum == $showads) { ?> <<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>> <?php } $postnum++; ?>
Here is a simple example. It will show ads after the 5th post of a page.
<?php $postnum = 1; $showads = 5; ?> <?php if ($posts) : foreach ($posts as $post) : start_wp(); ?> <?php the_content(); ?> <?php if ($postnum == $showads) { ?> <<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>> <?php } $postnum++; ?> <?php endforeach; else: ?> There are no posts! <?php endif; ?>
Before placing ads in Feeds, check your advertising program's TOS as some advertisers do not allow this. Two options for placing ads in Feeds are Kanoodle, which produces a substitute feed including contextual ads, and Feedburner, which produces a substitute feed that can include context sensitive ads and automatically insert your Amazon Associates ID into existing links to Amazon products.
You may want to use some simple CSS to wrap the post around your advertising. In this example, the ad will appear in the upper right of each post, with the post text wrapped around it.

 <<ADD ADVERTISING HERE>>

Of course, you can also create styles for ads in your stylesheet.
There are a variety of WordPress Plugins that can assist you in adding advertising to your WordPress site. For a general list of all of them, see the Advertising Plugins List.
If you are having trouble with your ads, here are some possible solutions.
In many cases it has nothing to do with WordPress, but here are a few things to remember or questions to ask yourself:
Context sensitive ads spider your site and index the keywords. If your site is heavy on words and links related to blogging, you will get lots of ads related to blogging. There are two things you can do to improve this. First, eliminate unnecessary blogging references. Second, make longer, keyword rich posts. Posts over 250 words tend to produce better context sensitive ads.
If you are using Google's Adsense and having this problem, you may be able to see some improvement by using section targeting.
If you find you are getting different ads at example.com/index.php than from the URI example.com, this issue with context sensitive ads may be because the search engine reads these as two separate URLs and may index them on different days.
The URL with index.php may be read by the search engine more or less often than the same page without the index.php. Once both are properly indexed, the ads should match -- at least for a while. The only solution, other than time, is to do everything you can to eliminate the use of the index.php in links, etc. A similar situation can occur with www.example.com reading differently than example.com without the www.
These issues are generally related to XHTML and CSS validation. Check that your site validates as there may be a lost or unclosed tag.
Internet Explorer is not 100% standards compliant, so even if everything validates, you can still have problems. You may want to look at CSS Fixing Browser Bugs and you may also want to consider using conditional style sheets to direct Internet Explorer to its own stylesheet.


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The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation news page provides access to the department's news and press releases.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Formal Complaint Filed Against CPA after Guilty Plea for Tax Fraud
CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation today filed a formal complaint against Naveed Ahmed, a Certified Public Accountant, alleging violations of the Public Accounting Act. Ahmed pleaded guilty last Friday (1/25/13) to wire fraud, mail fraud and preparing fraudulent Illinois Sales and Use tax returns on behalf of eight gas station owners in a scheme to evade paying $5 million in state sales tax. His brother Asif Waheed, who works for the accounting firm but is not a CPA, also pleaded guilty last week.
Ahmed, of Arlington Heights, is a certified public accountant and owner of Midwest Financial Services, which has offices in Chicago and Arlington Heights. Today's complaint details the alleged violations of the Public Accounting Act and asks for the maximum $5,000 fine for each violation of the act, including a maximum fine for every false tax return filed with the Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax returns were filed monthly for each gas station.
IDFPR has coordinated its enforcement activities with the Attorney General's office and the Illinois Department of Revenue. Today's complaint is the first alleging administrative violations against a licensed professional resulting from an ongoing joint investigation and enforcement effort between Attorney General Madigan's office and the Department of Revenue. That investigation has resulted in the recovery of nearly $75 million in unpaid sales taxes to the state.
Midwest Financial has been in business since the 1990s and was known among gas station owners for assisting clients in lowering sales taxes owed to the state. As Midwest's owner, Ahmed served as the accountant for several of the most egregious tax evaders among them. The case against Ahmed and Waheed revealed the brothers assisted the gas stations by falsifying sales figures on their monthly Illinois Sales and Use tax return forms. Some gas station owners provided incomplete information to Midwest Financial, and Waheed then fabricated sales numbers for them.


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Home > iPad Resources > iPad Music Download - Unlimited iPad Music Downloads
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Sometimes music stored on your iPad or iPad mini will be lost due to different reasons. To avoid this situation, it is necessary for you to backup iPad mini songs on PC for security consideration. Under this situation, iPad mini Backup will help you lots.
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Yikes! With what seemed like 100% humidity and the rumbling of thunder in the distance, this was one engagement session that couldn't be rescheduled. Cathy + Trevor, our humble yet awesome couple featured here, currently live in Southern California and this was the only day they'd be here together before their wedding. I think they have become total Califonians, and forgot what it feels like in Pennsylvania on one of our lovely drippy summer days. Water ice was definitely on the agenda.
They went to prom together, and have known each other since they were eight! Cathy told me that her and Trevor are yin + yang. She being an assistant producer at AMC (yes, I got the inside scoop on a new show on the network that is starting filming soon, based in Philadelphia!) and he being a numbers guy. But they both like water ice, among other things 😉
we call this, the Mark Zuckerberg shot!
Some strange animal decoy was sitting around to, I assume, keep away other animals. "Dorothy, we're not in California anymore!"
If you've ever seen the movie Talladega Nights, remember that scene with Will Farrell is getting interviewed…"I'm not sure what to do with my hands!" Well, that's how many people feel, LOL!
While out west, they dream about Rita's Water Ice
Tags: philadelphia engagement session, rita's water ice, wedding photography


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3 of 10
3. Find your friends, fast
Apple's Find My Friends app, released in 2011 for the iPhone and iPad, works with Siri to give you precise directions to the location of your other Apple product-wielding friends. Users choose to share their locations for a few hours or indefinitely. Ask Siri "Where's (friend's name)?" and the app's map shows where they are in relation to you, as well as an approximate address for play-by-play directions.
Only friends who have accepted your request to see their location can see where you are, or allow you to see where they are. Users are signed out of the app after 15 minutes of inactivity and Apple's servers only keep last-known-location data for two hours, according to Apple's website.


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Attention Westwood: That 12 th national championship isn't coming anytime soon.
This is likely old news by now, with UCLA basketball having already suffered three losses through eight games - the most embarrassing of which was a 70-68 home upset to Cal Poly.
Barring a miraculous turnaround, the Bruins aren't going to the Final Four.
Barring significant improvements, they might even have trouble making the field of 68.
But should the season have opened with such lofty expectations? Through the summer, it was easy to envision another banner dropping down from the Pauley Pavilion rafters and new trophies filling its gleaming, renovated halls. UCLA had one of the top recruiting classes in the country, and all that stood in the way was getting NCAA clearance for its two biggest talents, Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson.
Kentucky, after all, ran to a national title less than a year ago on the backs of its own set of super freshmen, two of whom were the first names called out in June's NBA draft.
"We're no Kentucky," UCLA sophomore guard Norman Powell said Monday. "We don't have Anthony Davis. We don't have Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. We don't have those types of players.
"With Shabazz and Kyle, they're great players. But Shabazz isn't Anthony Davis. Nobody is Anthony Davis."
Indeed. Davis and his famed unibrow made for one of the most startling phenomenons ever seen in college basketball - a defensive force whose shot-blocking talents extended even to the 3-point line. In addition to earning a ring, he became the second freshman to win the Wooden Award as the nation's best player.
Eight games into the season, none of the Bruins look ready to make that sort of impact. Muhammad, projected as a top NBA pick next spring, is working his way back into game shape after missing practice time with injuries and an NCAA investigation.
Anderson, a versatile 6-foot-9 point forward, has led the team in rebounding but struggled to hit shots. He is shooting 32.8 percent from the field and - more shockingly - 51.8 percent from the free-throw line.
"It was hard for us," Muhammad said Tuesday after the Bruins' 83-60 exhibition win over Cal State San Marcos. "We really dominated on the high school level. Guys are way quicker and stronger. (There's a) different mindset on defense and offense.
"We're getting acquainted."
The relative weakness of this year's freshman class didn't help the inflated expectations, either. Jonathan Givony, founder of DraftExpress.com, said some scouts thought it to be the weakest freshman class in the past 25 years.
Had the Bruins reeled in another top group in 2013 - a stacked class that includes Andrew Wiggins, a player many feel would have been the top recruit this year, last year and the year before that - the team might look a little different.
Throw in the transfers of guard Tyler Lamb and forward Josh Smith, two juniors who left within the same four-day span last week, and you get a group of freshmen who look, well, like freshmen.
"It's a brand new team," Givony says. "These guys, most of these guys have never been asked to play the style of basketball they're being asked to play right now.
"I think it's kind of inevitable that a team that's put together like this is going struggle."
Even so, he still expects Muhammad to leave for the NBA after one year. DraftExpress.com still has Muhammad pegged in its top overall spot, but plenty could change between now and next spring.
The Bruins certainly hope that's the case for the team as a whole.
"Patience," head coach Ben Howland said this week. "We've got to be patient. Keep pushing hard. A team with youth, you've got to be patient.
"Everything is new to them. You can't take anything for granted."
Added Givony: "It's always like this, honestly. If you turn the clock back like a year ago, people were saying Austin Rivers stinks, he can't make a shot. All these guys, they grow up slow."
Rivers, by the way, led Duke all the way to - a first-round tourney exit.
The Blue Devils, a No. 2 seed, fell to 15 th-seeded Lehigh in one of the tournament's more dramatic upsets. The freshman led his team with 19 points, but did so on 5-of-14 shooting.
He declared for the NBA draft 11 days later.
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Jimmy Kijai
Jimmy KijaiTitle: Professor, Research and Statistical Methodology
Program Coordinator, Educational Psychology
Office Location: Bell Hall 160C
E-mail: email@example.com
Phone: (269) 471-6240
Ph.D., University of South Carolina
M.Ed., University of South Carolina
B.A., Spicer Memorial College
Malaysian by birth, Jimmy currently teaches graduate level courses in research and statistical methods. He is a former high school science/math teacher. He has taught in Thailand, Kenya, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Trinidad. He is married to Lucia and has three grown sons. He enjoys photography, and playing racquetball and golf.
Current Research or Professional Activities
Jimmy is a member of the American Educational Research Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education. His research interests center around school effects. He was the Principal Investigator for a research on college experiences of Adventist students in Adventist and non-Adventist colleges and universities in North America. His current research activities include a study on college expereinces of students at four Adventist colleges and universities in Asia. He is also working with a group of graduate students in examining attempted suicide among youths in denominationally affiliated junior and high schools in North America.


text:
JCrew Island Eyelet Short Dress
This sleeveless eyelet dress reminds me of my childhood. Lightweight cotton with allover floral embroidery. Swiss-dot ruffle at armholes and swiss-dot ruffle tiers at hem. Available in red, navy and white.
I am completely in love with this dress. Just so you know.Tags: dresses, ruffles, cocktail dress, purple, J Crew, party dressAdded 8 Years Ago from J.Crew
The breezy look of this dress is so appealing to me. I think this would be at the top of my list if I had a wedding or similar occasion to dress up for.
Isn't this a cute dress?


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Hi everyone,
Several changes went out in today's release, and I'm breaking up the release notes into two discussions. You can find the other discussion here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/916726 This discussion deals with changes to Product Reviews and the Cookware Board.
1) All Product Reviews now have a discussion built into the page. For example: http://www.chowhound.com/reviews/11-c...
2) If you participate in one of these discussions, you'll then see it listed in your profile, like you would with any other discussion.
3) In a top-level post in these discussions, you have the option to include a rating for the product being discussed. These ratings will be taken into account for the "Average User Rating" displayed at the top of each product review. Leaving a star-rating is optional.
4) Lower-level replies do not include the ability to leave a star rating. You can reply to any post, just like you could in any other discussion.
5) All Product Reviews can be accessed from the Product Review section of the site *or* from the Cookware Board. On the Cookware Board, Product Reviews will be marked with a special symbol which indicates that it's a product review. When the built-in discussion gets updated, that update will be reflected on the board, just like it would for any other discussion.
6) Since launching Product Reviews, we've been creating an individual discussion on each product on the Cookware Board. Those already-existing discussions have been merged in with the product reviews, and should now be marked accordingly. As we continue to publish new Product Reviews, a discussion will automatically be built in, and will thus appear on the Cookware Board automatically.
If you have any questions or notice any bugs, please feel free to ask here.
Dave MP


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Bryant University values the lifelong relationship we have with our 40,000 alumni. As an alumnus/a of Bryant you are automatically a member of our Alumni Association. We are proud to offer our members a wide range of exclusive benefits, and we encourage you to take advantage of these Alumni Association services.
Using or purchasing any of our "Partner" services offers the added benefit of providing much-needed funds for alumni programming. We thank you for your loyal support!
Put your Bulldog pride on display with clothing for men, women, and children; gifts and accessories for your home, car, or office; and special holiday, tailgating, and graduation collections.
Keep up-to-date with fellow Bryant Alums:
The Bryant Fund is a lifeline for the University, providing scholarships, supporting faculty, and enhancing educational facilities. This funding is needed every year and has an immediate impact.


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Sofia Vergara at the 2011 SAG Awards (PHOTOS)
The Colombian-born actress is up for an award in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Comedy Series category this year, as well as a group award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
What do you think of Sofia's SAG Award look? Share with us in the comments section.


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|Home > Entertainment > TV & Radio > Article
Channel Seven, desperate to prove to advertisers that it can recover from The Great Slump of 2002, scored a bigger audience share than Channel Nine on Wednesday night - its first win of the official ratings season.
But it was a hollow victory. The audience for Seven's traditional favourite, Blue Heelers, was 1.47 million in the mainland capitals - down a little on last year's average, while the 1.3 million for its gardening flagship, Ground Force, was down a lot, and its new crime thriller, Boomtown, flopped with a mere 983,000.
Meanwhile, a two-hour season opening of Ten's slick police drama, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, averaged 1.4 million - well ahead of the 1.13million the series averaged last year.
After 10 years, Ten's veteran comedy The Simpsons (new series) proved its durability with 1.28 million viewers, many of whom were not teenagers. And its new sitcom, Do Over, which specialises in '80s nostalgia, performed strongly with viewers under 40.
Nine's top show was the news, with 1.45million, but its cattle-and-cleavage melodrama McLeod's Daughters slipped to 1.33million, after averaging 1.42 million last year.
And Ray Martin's A Current Affair attracted 1.35million - well ahead of its rival, Today Tonight, but down on last year's average.
Seven emerged with a prime-time audience share of 29.1 per cent, followed by Ten on 27.5 per cent and Nine in a rare third place with 26.7 per cent.
The ABC, on 11.3 per cent, is yet to demonstrate that it even knows there's a ratings race - which is appropriate for a national broadcaster.
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There's a new anti-trust bully on the block, and its name is Google. So claims Microsoft, charging that the search giant is using its might to impede competition, notably by blocking full access to YouTube by Windows Phone 8 devices.
The charge comes in a blog written by Dave Heiner, Microsoft Vice President & Deputy General Counsel. Heiner starts his blog by writing about antitrust investigations into Google in Europe and the U.S. He writes:
"The future of competition in search is at stake in these investigations. This is important not just for Microsoft, but for the thousands of smaller companies whose businesses depend on a competitive search marketplace. That is why so many companies have made their concerns about Google's misconduct known to regulators on both sides of the Atlantic."
Heiner later writes:
"You might think that Google would be on its best behavior given it's under the bright lights of regulatory scrutiny on two continents, particularly as it seeks to assure antitrust enforcers in the U.S. and Europe that it can be trusted on the basis of non-binding assurances that it will not abuse its market position further."
And that's when he gets to the core of his argument: That Google is blocking Microsoft from developing a fully functional YouTube app by refusing to give Microsoft access to YouTube metadata, even though it makes the data available for iOS and Android YouTube apps. He repeats a claim previously made by Microsoft Senior Vice President & General Counsel Brad Smith that:
"Google has enabled its own Android phones to access YouTube so that users can search for video categories, find favorites, see ratings, and so forth in the rich user interfaces offered by those phones. It's done the same thing for the iPhones offered by Apple, which doesn't offer a competing search service."Unfortunately, Google has refused to allow Microsoft's new Windows Phones to access this YouTube metadata in the same way that Android phones and iPhones do. As a result, Microsoft's YouTube 'app' on Windows Phones is basically just a browser displaying YouTube's mobile Web site, without the rich functionality offered on competing phones."
Smith's blog was written back in March of 2011, and Heiner says that nothing has changed since them. He claims:
"Just last month we learned from YouTube that senior executives at Google told them not to enable a first-class YouTube experience on Windows Phones."
He then adds this zinger:
"Google dismisses these concerns as little more than sour grapes by one of its competitors. But the reality is that consumers and competitors alike are getting 'scroogled' across the Web on a daily basis from this type of misconduct."
I don't know whether Google is, in fact, not turning over the metadata to Microsoft. But if it's true that Google won't give Microsoft access to the same YouTube metadata that it gives to its own Android developers and to Apple for a YouTube iOS app, then Google is clearly wrong. The metadata should be made available to anyone who wants it. To do otherwise seems to me an unfair business practice and an anti-trust violation.
You may note the irony about Microsoft complaining about a company using its market might to illegally harm competition, given that's essentially what Microsoft was charged with by the U.S. Justice Department back in the 1990s, and was found guilty of doing.
But those kinds of tactics were wrong then, and they're wrong today. If Google is engaging in them, the company should halt the practices or be investigated for misconduct.


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Today, my car broke down and had to be towed to the dealership. Normally, this would be just unlucky but I work with kids and we had been fundraising for charity. I am now sitting at the dealership with my hair coloured purple, red and blue and in ridiculously high pigtails while people stare. FML
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Today, I tried to be kind to animals and get my dad to buy cage-free eggs. When I told him it was dollar more, he started yelling and making a scene in the middle of the store, saying that chickens are ugly and they deserve to suffer. FML
Today, I accidentally took my mouthwash like a shot. I don't know what burned more, when it went down or when it came back up. FML
Today, my parents went out of town and I was home all alone. I put up party decorations such as streamers, balloons and confetti. Then, I drank out of red cups, crushed them up and put them all over the house. I didn't have a party, I just wanted to convince my family that I'm not a loser. FML
Today, my daughter decided to wake me up by putting the vacuum in my hair and turning it on. FML


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Apple Pineapple Crisp
Recipe by internetnut
Spice up this comforting crumb topped fruit with cinnamon and nutmeg for a delightfully down home dessert. With chopped macadamia nuts, it has a pleasant crunch that contrasts with the tender apples and pineapple. I found this recipe in Taste Of Home Quick Cooking 2005. I have not tried this crisp. I'm posting this for safe keeping.
Top Review by Chef Joey Z.
Delicious dessert. I used lime peel instead of lemon because that is what I had. Also used arrowroot flour instead of cornstarch. The pineapple I used was one I bought at the store, not canned and I used almond meal flour instead of wheat flour to keep this gluten free. I also used vegan margarine instead of butter and Brazil nuts, I didn't have the macadamia nuts. I try to do as much Vegan baking as I can. The taste of this is great. I used Sucanat instead of regular sugar as well. I love the hint of tartness from the peel and pineapple. My DH doesn't like sweet desserts so he will love this one. Thanks for a really tasty recipe.
Ingredients Nutrition
- 2⁄3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 cups tart apples, sliced and peeled
- 20 ounces pineapple chunks, drained
- 3⁄4 cup quick-cooking oats
- 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1⁄3 cup cold butter
- 3 ounces macadamia nuts, chopped
Directions See How It's Made
- In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon peel, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add apples and pineapple; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased shallow 2-quart baking dish.
- In another bowl, combine oats, flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts; sprinkle over apple mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil; bake 15 minutes longer or until apples are tender and topping is golden.


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Class of 2011 Exhorted to Lead Exemplary Lives
Members of the Providence College Class of 2011 were encouraged to lead lives full of hard work, meaning, and truth during the College's Ninety-Third Commencement Exercises on May 15 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
In all, the College awarded 1,135 degrees--906 baccalaureate, 184 graduate, 38 from the School of Continuing Education, and seven honorary--including bestowing the first honorary bachelor's degrees in school history on two World War II veterans.
Graduating seniors in the Class of 2011 distinguished themselves in numerous categories:
• 645 were named to honor societies, and 259 of these earned either summa cum laude (45), magna cum laude (92), or cum laude (122) honors;
• 288 engaged in student government/leadership positions;
• 188 spent time studying abroad;
• 67% participated in internships;
• 117 were participants in the Liberal Arts Honors Program; and
• 87 shared a legacy tradition of having one or both parents graduate from PC.
The Class of 2011 also distinguished itself by setting a participation rate record in the Senior Giving Program. The 60% participation rate bested the previous mark of 58% by the Class of 2010. To date, the Class of 2011 campaign has raised more than $35,000.
The members of the Class of 2011 include seven distinguished individuals who were awarded honorary degrees by PC. Two of these, George Fisher and Paul V. Salley, were presented the first honorary bachelor's degrees in College history for serving in the U.S. Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) at PC during World War II. Honorary degrees also were bestowed upon John D. Ratzenberger,
William J. Christie '61, David A. Duffy '61, Dr. Stephen B. Fawcett '69, and John J. Partridge, Esq. '61.
Read full PC Now story by clicking here.
Road to Success Paved by Responsibility, Hard Work
Harkening back to his early years as a laborer, John Ratzenberger '11Hon. told more than 1,100 members of the Providence College Class of 2011 that hard work and a sturdy moral compass can carry them to success in whatever they do.
Ratzenberger told the assembled that a character--Natty Bumppo--in James Fenimore Cooper's classic novel The Last of the Mohicans served as an inspirational figure in his life.
"I've fashioned my life using him as a template," he said. "He had a moral compass. He knew the difference between right and wrong."
After studying English in college, Ratzenberger said early jobs as a deckhand and construction worker showed him the value of work and of building various skill sets.
During one of those early construction jobs, Ratzenberger said veteran workers forced him to prove himself by having him perform the most arduous duties and by playing pranks on him--namely, by nailing the boots he was wearing at the time to the rafters.
"I knew instantly that was necessary for them to test my mettle," he said.
He added, "I always have been a fan of the Judaeo-Christian ethic that you don't have to be Jewish or Christian to follow: Be responsible for yourself and the family you create and let your work speak for you."
Read full PC Now story by clicking here.
Commencement video coverage
Click here to view video of the entire Commencement 2011 program.


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Faced with the devastation wreaked by the earthquake that struck in the early hours of February 27, Chile has been left a poorer country. With hundreds dead and thousands displaced, and as much as 8% of the nations physical assets in ruins, rebuilding will be protracted, extensive and expensive.
Yet despite the tragedy, the Andean nation was spared the worst: for one of the worlds largest earthquakes in more than a century, the death toll was relatively low a tribute to high building standards.
The disaster also found the country on a sound economic footing for the long haul of recovery. The IMF noted in March that Chiles strong economic fundamentals, the result of many years of sound policies, will serve the country well as it responds to the tragedy.
The drive for recovery will fall to Sebastián Piñera, a centre-right businessman and former senator, who took office as Chiles president on March 11. Replacing the centre-left Concertación coalition that governed Chile for the previous 20 years, Piñera promised that, by invigorating economic growth, he would put Chile on track to achieve its aim of becoming a developed country by 2018, with an income similar to that of Portugal today.
Piñera, a Harvard-trained economist, believes that, after its rapid expansion in the 1990s, Chile had been sleeping a siesta. And, before the February 27 earthquake, his plan was to wake it up to stronger growth, driven by higher productivity and more efficient government.
After the economys estimated 1.7% contraction last year, activity was fast regaining momentum, with consensus local forecasts pointing to a 4.5% year-on-year expansion in the first quarter. Now, disruption of activity by the earthquake means it may suffer a double dip, warns Alberto Ramos, senior economist at Goldman Sachs.
Copper mining, by far Chiles largest export sector, was unaffected because it takes place mostly in the unscathed north of the country. But its forestry industry, which produces the pulp, paper and wood that add up to its second most important export, is located mainly in the worst-hit areas of the south. Damage to plants, as well as to roads and ports, has caused a production stoppage that is initially expected to last at least a month.
Growth over the whole year may be affected, says Leonardo Suárez, senior economist at LarrainVial, a local investment bank. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, it cut its previous projection from 5.4% ahead of a local consensus of 4.9% to 5.0%.
Others, however, have raised their forecasts. JP Morgan, for example, has increased its projection to 5.5%, up from a pre-quake 5%. Therell be a drop for a couple of months but we expect reconstruction to start kicking in during the second half, says executive director Vladimir Werning.
The earthquake has, indeed, created new opportunities for the private investment that the government had tipped to be the motor of growth over its four-year term. Its a setback, of course, but we expect the private sector to be quite responsive, says Werning.
Manufacturers report that insurance an estimated 90% of which is reinsured abroad will cover a large part of the cost for the damaged infrastructure as well as the lost business. That is also the case for roads and airports, built and operated by private companies under a concessions programme launched in the mid-1990s.
The central bank may also provide a helping hand. It had been expected to start tightening monetary policy in the second quarter but, despite a likely short-term spike in inflation due to transport-related supply difficulties, may hold its benchmark interest rate at 0.5% for longer.
Chile is in a strong fiscal position. It is one of the worlds few net sovereign creditors, with central government debt a low 6% of GDP and, as of early March, over $11 billion is held in a counter-cyclical sovereign wealth fund, the Economic and Social Stabilization Fund (FEES), built up during the 200308 boom in copper prices.
As a result, it should be able to raise money at attractive rates in the local or international debt markets. It will also receive assistance from multilateral organizations.
There is, however, concern about the impact of reconstruction on Chiles traditional fiscal discipline.
President Piñera had promised that, in line with a fiscal rule in force since 2001, he would maintain a structurally balanced programme that is, spend only the revenues the government would have received if the economy were growing at its medium-term potential, and copper prices were at their expected average for the next 10 years. Now, with reconstruction as his justification, he will be able to increase spending without being seen as profligate.
I wouldnt be particularly worried to see the sovereign wealth fund emptied and Chile become a small net borrower, says Ramos. I expect the fiscal situation to remain solid, but we do still have to see how responsible the government is.
There is also another important risk, says Werning. As insurance claims and foreign financing start to flow in, they will put pressure on the exchange rate, tending to strengthen the peso bad news for the competitiveness of the export industries that account for around a third of the countrys GDP.
Resources are, moreover, only as good as the way in which they are mobilized, says Esteban Jadresic, senior economist at Moneda Asset Management and a former director at the central bank. That is why developed countries recover more quickly from disasters than less developed ones, he says.
Still, the general view among analysts is that, beyond the short-term dip in activity, reconstruction will put extra medium-term wind behind the economys sails. Before the earthquake, local forecasts for growth in 2011 had averaged 5%, but were subsequently revised to 6% and even 7%.
That would, however, mean that the economy would be growing well above its potential. Even before the loss of a significant part of its capital stock, this was estimated at just 4.2%.
The slack after last years recession means that this shouldnt be a problem for a couple of years, says Werning.
But what of the longer term? At Goldman Sachs, Ramos is optimistic. He estimates that reconstruction can be completed in two to three years and should leave Chile with a more modern, technologically advanced and efficient production structure than it would otherwise have had.
Jadresic is also sanguine. I dont expect a persistent effect on Chileans standard of living, he says.
But there are some hidden risks. One of the main pre-earthquake aims of Piñeras government was to increase the economys productivity. In comparison to the 1990s, when it was boosted by structural reforms, including the privatization of state enterprises, and the development of new industries like fruit farming, productivity has been dropping since 2006.
The governments plans to reverse this trend include reforms in education, public healthcare and labour legislation from which it may now be sidetracked. Theyll have to worry about whether children have schools, not what pupils attain inside them, says one former government official.
The risk is that, in this case, it would achieve high growth itself but without increasing future growth capacity. The earthquake does, however, provide the government with an unexpected opportunity to shine.
Piñera said he would like to be remembered as the president who restored a culture of doing things well in Chile. He wont be short of a chance to show that he can do so. The measure of his success or failure will be whether, despite a huge setback, he can still leave Chile poised to become a developed country by 2018.


text: Just two days after grand wedding of Rajinikanths daughter Soundarya, lyricist Vairamuthus second son Kabilan entered wedlock with Ramya, daughter of district magistrate Mayandi and Amrutha. The couple tied the knot on August 05 at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, M.K. Stalin, actors like Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Oscar award winner AR Rahman and other noted celebrities attended the function.In his usual style, poet Vairamuthu gave a lengthy speech about marriage and how to lead the life after marriage. Other noted celebrities, who were present at the wedding, also spoke and conveyed their wishes to newly-wed couple.We at Oneindia wish the couple a happy married life.


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