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The VMware Technical Journal recently published a paper entitled "Memory Overcommitment in the ESX Server." It traverses similar ground to my recent blog entries on the subject of VMware memory management, and similarly illustrates the large potential impact paging can have on the performance of applications running under virtualization. Using synthetic benchmarks, the VMware study replicates the major findings from the VMware benchmark data that I recently reported on beginning here.
VMware being willing to air performance results publicly that are less than benign is a very positive sign. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for VMware customers to configure machines where memory is overcommitted, subject to severe performance problems. VMware customers require frank guidance from their vendor to help them recognize when this happens and understand what steps to try to minimize these problems arising in the future. The publication of this article in the VMTJ is a solid, first step in that direction.
Memory overcommitment factor
One of the interesting results reported in the VMTJ paper is Figure 6, reproduced below. It reports application throughput (in operations per minute for some synthetic benchmark workload that simulates an online DVD store) against a memory overcommitment factor, calculated as:
S guest machine allocated virtual memory / available machine memory
Figure 6. Reproduced from the article, "Memory Overcommitment in the ESX Server" published in the VMware Technical Journal.
Finally, the authors attempted to run the benchmark workload in a machine configured with only 7 GB of RAM, yielding the degradation shown on the line chart. Under severe memory constraints, the benchmark app managed less than 9,000 operations/minute, a degradation of about 3X.
The same sequence of experiments was repeated on the machine, but this time with a solid state disk (SSD) configured for VMware to use for swapping (plotted using the green line). With the faster paging device configured, throughput of the test workload increased about 10% on the 12 GB machine. The magnitude of the improvements associated with using the SSD increased even more for the 7 GB machine, but the workload still suffered serious performance degradation, as shown.
Reading the SSD comparison, I experienced an extremely acute (but very pleasant) sense of dejà vu. Thirty years ago, I worked for StorageTek, which was selling one of the industry's first SSDs, known as the 4305 because it emulated a high speed disk drum that IBM built called the 2305. Due to its limited capacity and the fact the storage itself was volatile RAM, the 4305 was best suited to serve as a fast paging device. It was often attached to an IBM mainframe running the MVS operating system.
In the system engineering organization at STK, where I worked, I learned to assess the potential improvement in performance from plugging in the 4305 by calculating a V:R ratio using the customer's data. I was very taken with the idea that we could use this V:R calculation for performance prediction, something I explored more rigorously a few years later in a paper called "Nonlinear Regression Models and CPE Applications," available at the Computer Measurement Group's web site. V:R remains a very useful metric to calculate, and I have also used it subsequently when discussing Windows virtual memory management.
By way of comparison to the results reported in the VMTJ paper, the overcommitment factor in the VMware ESX benchmarks I reported on was 2:1; the performance impact on throughput was an approximately 3X degradation in the elapsed time of the benchmark app under the impact of VMware memory ballooning and swapping.
By way of comparison to the results reported in the VMTJ paper, the overcommitment factor in the VMware ESX benchmarks I reported on was 2:1; the performance impact on throughput was an approximately 3X degradation in the elapsed time of the benchmark app under the impact of VMware memory ballooning and swapping.
Flaws in the analysisI can recommend reading the VMTJ paper on its merits, but I also noticed it was flawed in several places, which I will mention here.
Transparent memory sharingThe first is an error of omission. The authors fail to report any of the shared memory measurements that are available. Instead, they accept on faith the notion that VMware's transparent memory sharing feature is effective even when machine memory is substantially over-committed. That is not what I found.
Transparent memory sharing is an extremely attractive mechanism for packing as many idle guest Windows machines as possible onto a single VMware ESX host. What I discovered (and reported here) in the benchmarks we ran was that the amount of memory sharing was effectively reduced to near zero as the guest workloads started to become active.
The VMTJ authors do note that when the Windows OS initializes, it writes zeros to every physical page of RAM that is available. Since VMware can map all the pages on the OS Zero list to a single resident machine memory page, transparent memory sharing is a spectacularly successful strategy initially. However, once the Windows OS's own virtual memory management kicks in when the guest machine becomes active, the contents of the Zero list, for example, become quite dynamic. This apparently defeats the simple mechanism ESX uses to detect identical virtual pages in real-time.
VMware transparent memory sharing is a wonderful mechanism for packing as many mostly idle guest Windows machines onto ESX Servers as possible. On the other hand, it can be a recipe for disaster when you are configuring production workloads to run as VMware virtual machines.
Measuring guest machine Active MemoryA second flaw in the paper is another error of omission. The VMTJ authors decline to discuss the sampling methodology VMware uses to measure a guest machine's current working set. This is what VMware calls guest machine active memory, the measurement that is plugged into the formula for calculating the memory over-commitment factor as the numerator. To avoid duplicating all the effort that the guest machine OS expends trying to implement some form of LRU-based page replacement, VMware calculates a guest machine's active memory using a sampling technique. The benchmark results I reported on showed the guest machine Active Memory measurement VMware reports can be subject to troubling sampling errors.
The VMTJ authors manage to avoid using this dicey metric to calculate the memory overcommitment factor by relying on a benchmark program that is effectively a memory "sponge." These are programs designed specifically to stress LRU-based memory management by touching at random all the physical pages that are allocated to the guest machine.
With their sponge program running, the authors can reliably calculate memory overcommitment factor without using the Active Memory counter that is subject to measurement anomalies. With the sponge program, the amount of guest machine committed physical memory is precisely equal to the amount of active memory. For the other DVDStore workload, they were able to assess its active memory requirements by running it in a stand-alone mode without any memory contention.
Again, thing aren't nearly so simple in the real world of virtualization. In order to calculate the memory overcommitment factor for real-world VMware workloads, customers need to use the Active Memory counter, which is not a wholly reliable number due to the way it is calculated using sampling.
To manage VMware, access to a reliable measure of a guest machine's active memory is very important. Assessing just how much virtual memory your Windows application needs isn't always a simple matter, as I tried to discuss in my discussion of the VMware benchmark results. A complication arises in Windows whenever any well-behaved Windows application is running that (1) expands to fill the size of physical RAM, (2) listens for low physical memory notifications from the OS, and (3) uses these notifications to trigger virtual memory management routines internally. Examples of applications that do this include Microsoft SQL Server. Any 64-bit .NET Framework application, including 64-bit ASP.NET web sites, is also in this category of applications because the Framework's Common Language Runtime (CLR) triggers garbage collection in its managed Heaps whenever it receives low physical memory notifications from the OS. With processes designed to take advantage of whatever physical memory is available, it is actually quite difficult to assess how much RAM they require for good performance, absent, of course, internal performance statistics on throughput or response time.
Memory management in Hyper-VFinally, the VMware paper mischaracterizes the memory management features in Microsoft's Hyper-V product, dismissing it is an inferior derivative of what VMware accomplishes in a more comprehensive fashion. Moreover, this dismissal is unaccompanied by any hard performance data to back up the claim that VMware ESX is better. It may well be true that VMware is superior, but I am not aware of any data in the public domain that would enable anyone to argue conclusively one way or the other. (Hmmm. I smell an opportunity there. J)
It seems entirely possible to me that Hyper-V actually currently holds the advantage when it comes to virtual memory management. Memory management in Hyper-V, which installs on top of the Windows Server OS, can leverage the Windows Memory Manager. Memory management benefits from the fact that the OS understands the guest machine's actual pattern of physical memory usage since the guest machine appears as simply another process address space executing on the virtualization host.
In its original incarnation, Hyper-V could not take advantage of this because the entire container process that the guest machine executed in was relegated to non-paged memory in the virtualization host. Guest machines acquired their full allotment of virtualized "physical" memory at initialization and retained it throughout as static non-paged memory, which put Hyper-V at a significant disadvantage compared to VMware, which granted guest machine memory on demand.
In the case of a Windows guest machine, VMware would initially have to grant the guest all the physical memory it requested because of the zero memory initialization routine Windows runs at start-up to clear the contents of RAM. While a Windows guest machine is idle, however, VMware's transparent memory sharing feature reduces the guest machine memory footprint by mapping all those identical, empty zero-filled pages to a single page in machine memory. This behavior was evident in the benchmark test results I reported.
So, VMware's dynamic approach to memory management let you over-commit machine memory and pack significantly more guest machines into the same memory footprint. This, as I have indicated, works just great so long as those guest machines are mostly idle, making, for example, virtualization of machines devoted to application testing and QA no-brainer candidates for virtualization.
However, the most recent versions of Hyper-V have a feature that Microsoft calls "Dynamic Memory" that changes all that. It is fair to say that Dynamic Memory gives Hyper-V parity with VMware in this area. RAM is allocated on demand, similar to VMware. When you configure a Hyper-V guest, you specify the maximum amount of RAM that Hyper-V will allocate on its behalf. But that RAM is only granted on demand. To improve start-up performance, you can also specify the amount of an initial grant of RAM to the guest machine. (I suspect a Windows guest machine is "enlightened" when it detects it is running under Hyper-V and skips the zero memory initialization routine.)
There is one other configurable parameter the new dynamic memory management feature uses called the memory buffer. The VMTJ authors mistakenly conflate the Hyper-V memory buffer with the ballooning technique that VMware pioneered. In fact, since the Hyper-V Host understands the memory usage pattern of its guests, there is no reason to resort to anything like ballooning to drive page replacement at the guest machine level when the virtualization host faces memory over-commitment.
The configurable Hyper-V guest machine memory buffer is a feature which tries to maintain a pool of free or available pages to stay ahead of the demand for new pages. In Hyper-V, the virtualization host allocates machine memory pages for the guest based on guest machine committed memory. (My guess is that the allocation mechanism Hyper-V relies on is the guest machine's construction of the Page Table entry for the virtual memory that is allocated.)
The memory buffer is a cushion that Hyper-V adds to the guest machine's Committed bytes – but only when sufficient machine memory is available – to accommodate rapid expansion since the number of committed bytes fluctuates as processes come and go, for example. Requests for new pages are satisfied from this pool of available memory immediately without incurring any of the delays associated with page replacement, which can often be relegated to background operations.
Configuring a guest machine's memory buffer is basically a hint to the Hyper-V virtualization host memory manager – essentially, the Windows Memory Manager – to allocate and maintain some amount of additional virtual memory for the guest machine to use when it needs to expand. This is a good practice in any virtual memory management system. It is not a ballooning mechanism at all.


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I used to be a Fernando Poe Jr. fan when I was a kid. My favorite of course were the Panday series and I've always wondered where those epic fight scenes with his arch nemesis Lizardo were shot, in the Middle East perhaps, I thought to myself.
I never imagined that those scenes were filmed just ten hours away by bus from Manila. Encompassing 85 square kilometers of arid land, the Paoay Sand Dunes in Ilocos Norte is something out of the ordinary for a tropical country like the Philippines.
I have been dying to see this dry landscape ever since visiting the Ilocos Region years ago but it was always somehow never in the itinerary and when I got the chance to visit it by myself, I can't find a cheap way to get there.
I was ecstatic then when the powers that be of Lakbay Norte 3 decided to drop by for a few minutes at the Paoay Sand Dunes for a few Temtation Island photo ops.
The blinding heat of twelve noon greeted us as we got off the bus and stepped into the dry landscape of the sand dunes. My mind was flashing images of Panday and Frank Herbert's Dune. I kept expecting to see a sandworm suddenly leap out of the curving dunes and FPJ to appear and plunge his sword down.
Considered a National Geologic Monument, the landscape's a neverending sea of brown and grey punctuated once in a while by green pine trees and hardy dessert plants. The Lakbay Norte team looked like ants on hills; we were dwarfed by the immensity of the desert.
Besides gawking at its beauty, I read about how one can ride its dunes via 4x4 trucks, not as fun as a Fremen riding a sandworm, but totally exhilarating nonetheless. I have also heard of sandboarding activities in the area which is perfect for adrenaline junkies.
Our visit at Paoay's Sand Dunes took a total of ten brief scorching minutes.
I wish I was able to explore its landscapes more, I wish I was able to ride a 4x4 and surf its sandy waves and I wish I was able to wait for the sun to rise and set on its infinite horizon. But one step at a time; for now, I'm actually satisfied to just be able to set foot on its sandy hills.

subset: commoncrawl


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Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso held the 4th edition of the West African Business Development Forum (AFRICALLIA) in an attempt to entice foreign investors.
The event was organized to enable entrepreneurs to explore business opportunities and gain business contacts in the West African region. The major objective was to try to build 4000 business partnerships.
Harouna Zoundi and his associates manage agricultural business worth nearly 170 million FCFA, during the conference, they were able to find a partner who will help them diversify their business.
I am satisfied with it, in fact very satisfied. We met with partners who are in the same domain as us. Today we have just met a partner who is in support of SMES and SMIS
"I am satisfied with it, in fact very satisfied. We met with partners who are in the same domain as us. Today we have just met a partner who is in support of SMES and SMIS. We presented our idea and the partner was happy to have met us. And he promised to have a contract with us from the discussion we had. So our project is sorted"
The forum was launched in 2010, and the year 2016 edition is expected to enhance Burkina Faso's economy in the post transition era. The country had initialized a $7 billion program to boost its economy. Two years after, the results are still below expectations.
"When a company like Sosuco cannot sell its sugar, while God only knows that all days, we consume sugar. And when doing the estimate of needs, it is said that it produces a lot, and that is half of our needs. Yet it is only a third of the needs of the market. The remaining two thirds is for commercial activities. If the third party there cannot sell, it means that there is a problem".
Despite the security threats from Islamist militia, 450 participants and 374 companies from 23 countries took part in the 2016 AFRICALLIA Forum.


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Comic Review: Darth Vader #8
Bounty hunters and "Plasma Devils?" OK...
Following last issue, Doctor Aphra and her robots have teamed up with a ragtag group of bounty hunters to rob an Imperial cruiser. When that is a success they disband (talk about a short trip), leaving Aphra with a new assignment from Darth Vader. Meanwhile the Dark Lord has to put up with Grand General Taggee and a new group of underlings that just get on his nerves. Man I miss the old Vader who had no problem putting that Force Choke on them.
Maybe it was just me or the fact that the current issue of Star Wars was a strong one but this story just left me flat. Maybe it was the fact that much of it was just talking with little resolved. Or that writer Kieron Gillen throws in too many new characters who don't pop or stand out. Or that Darth Vader is barely in this and spends most of the time being talked down to by these guys.
On the plus side Salvador Larroca's artwork was great and eye-catching. So at least there is that.
I hope the next issue picks up the tempo and gives us more Vader and action. Until next time fellow readers.


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The IHE Radiology Technical Committee has published the following white papers as of December 17, 2012:
This blog provides information on conferences and novelties in the area of Medical Imaging Informatics (MII). MII has a broad scope ranging from the Radiology Information System and Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) to Advanced Visualization and Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD). To find new opportunities in healthcare we need to look at informatics solutions in other areas to apply them into the medical field to achieve higher level healthcare at lower costs.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
NEW! IHE Radiology White Papers Published
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Identifying and nurturing tomorrow's leaders is a non-stop job for any business. For one simple reason: Quality businesses are driven by quality leaders.
The Talent Development Company provides a path for identifying and growing talent, with the goal of helping businesses improve performance, one future (quality) leader at a time.
The company is an offshoot of Alghanim Industries, which has long embraced a simple but incredibly powerful philosophy when it comes to career development. And that ethos boils down to this: Managers should reward and promote employees who perform and excel. No qualifiers; this is the foundational idea and driver behind the success of Alghanim Industries, one of Kuwait's oldest and largest businesses.
Indeed, at Alghanim Industries, performance excellence is the yardstick of performance — for everybody. Even the company's CEO, Omar Alghanim – whose family patriarchs founded and grew the business more than 100 years ago — had to earn his way. (Omar's first job out of Harvard: selling used cars for Alghanim Automotive, one of the largest and oldest GM dealers in the Middle East.)
Likewise, The Talent Development Company ("TDC") is similarly focused. The management team is comprised of international experts who embrace and embody the Kuwaiti-Western ideals that the Alghanim family pioneered in the Middle East, via Alghanim Industries. Working in partnership with clients, TDC offers talent management assessments as well as consulting and practical development services to help build successful corporate cultures. And by that we mean, cultures that reward positive performance, promote based on merit, and encourage openness and collaboration up and down the management chain.
Alongside this team are carefully curated partner organizations that work seamlessly with TDC to offer holistic talent management, assessment and coaching. Other topics covered by our talent counselors include, but are not limited to: How to locate talent; how to retain talent; preparing for future talent deficits; how to adapt international "best practices" in leadership for the Gulf region; and more.
For more information about The Talent Development Company, please visit us online HERE.


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Mother nature is someone whom you can't define in shape or size, from small invisible organisms to a giant blue whale, all constribute to her grandiosity. I always wanted to improve the lives of wild animals. But, who knew that over the time; beautiful animals and mother nature would teach me some of the most important lessons that will change my perspective towards my life.
Once, I came across a snake covered in the hot molten tar with a half-burned body. I tried every possible treatment, and the snake co-operated well as if he knew that I was helping. The snake showed tremendous willpower and fought hard to survive and get out of that critical state. Sadly, the snake succumbed to the injuries. But, that snake in his last moments taught me a very important lesson and made me think about times when I gave up without even trying. Thus, I learned the first lessons from the mother nature, 'Don't give up without trying'. From that day onwards, I made mother nature my greatest life teacher.
Over the years, I learned many things by observing various animals and our beautiful mother nature. It made me realise the level of intolerance that I had to some trivial issues, and how mother nature can help me overcome them, and most of my life worries. And I know that mother nature has shared just a drop from her vast ocean of knowledge, and there is still an infinite amount of learning left.
Here is how mother nature helped me overcome following life problems:
How can I avoid failures and tough phases in life?
I was surprised to know that apex predators like wolves have a hunting failure rate of ninety per cent, and that lion has an eighty per cent failure rate. Their life is very hard, and every day brings new challenges with it. But that's how mother nature makes sure that only strong one should sit on top of the food chain. When these apex predators fail; instead of giving up, they learn, evolve, and become stronger than ever before. Thus, failures and tough phases ensure that only fittest and strongest survive.
I learned that failures are necessary for one's development. As I was getting into my comfort zone; I was not becoming a better person. I have learned that breakdowns can help me overcome my weakness, and I have to surpass them in order to achieve something greater in life. Although failures are inevitable and can make us feel bad; we must remember that lions fail most of the time; still, they never give up, and that's why they are called 'King of the Jungle'.
2. Why my friends/peers are better than me?
"My friend is earning more than me.", "He has already bought a car; should I follow his footstep", "How can I have an exciting life like him," I was comparing myself to others and let's be honest, it's not a good thing. I was worried about my future after comparing myself to someone else. But, after looking deep into the mother nature; I soon realised that every living being is special in its own way. You just can't compare the strength of a tiger with that of ant and the teamwork of the ant with that of the tiger. Mother Nature has created each living being unique, and it's irrelevant to compare them. It made me realise that instead of comparing my weakness with someone's strength; I should find where my strength lies and utilise it to bring a positive change in my life.
3. Where can I find true friends?
I was going through a tough situation, I needed a helping hand, and I asked one of my friends, but at the eleventh hour; he broke my trust. It made me think about my friendship, and I realised that it was based on some materialistic criterion. This was the moment of introspection and learning, and I went back into the woods behind my home; where I usually observe mother nature to relax my mind and learn new lessons. There I saw a pack of wild boars munching on fresh leaves, and I saw two baby boars playing with each other and enjoying the sunny morning. I think they were friends as their mother were different, and that's when I learned a very valuable lesson. Those baby boars bond of friendship was pure. They enjoyed each other's company, and that was the foundation of their friendship. This lesson is forever etched in my heart, and it helped me make very few friends, but I know they can do anything for me.
4. How can I find happiness?
There is no place for weakness in mother nature, and every animal goes through a life and death situation on a regular basis. But, have you ever seen a depressed animal? Or have you seen a tree which wants to end its life? The answer is no. The reason is, they live in the present moment and don't worry about the future. If you look at the pride of lions, you will see that when they are together, they look so happy, and it seems that there are no difficult stuff going on in their life. So, what did I learned? I came to know that I have to be in the present moment not only physically but also mentally. When I am having dinner with my family members, I must laugh, chat, and have fun, instead of galloping my food silently with thoughts running through my mind. Also, animals don't possess anything materialistic in this world yet they are so happy, and that's when I learned that true happiness is inside me and not in any materialistic pleasure.
I strongly believe that mother nature has solutions to all of our life problems, we just have to trust and observe her. As Richard Slavin has rightly said,
"Mother nature is always speaking. She speaks in a language understood within the peaceful mind of the sincere observer. Leopards, cobras, monkeys, rivers and trees; they all served as my teacher when I lived as a wanderer in the Himalayan Foothills."
Ketan Pande is the founder of GoodVitae, a platform where entrepreneurs and corporate leaders share life tips and advice. He is also a wildlife enthusiast, who finds inspiration from nature. You can follow his amazing twitter page here: https://twitter.com/goodvitae
How to Get Sh*t Done will teach you how to zero in on the three areas of your life where you want to excel, and then it will show you how to off-load, outsource, or just stop giving a damn about the rest.


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Webster County is located in north-central Mississippi. The County Seat is Walthall and the largest city is Eupora. The Official Web Site is located at http://www.ms.gov/content/Pages/LocalGov.aspx?county=Webster. The 2014 population estimate is 9,972 and the 2010 census population was 10,252. The land area is 420.94 square miles and there are 24.4 persons per square mile.
78.9% of the population is White, 19.7% is Black or African American, 1.3% is Hispanic or Latino, 0.3% is Asian, 0.2% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0% is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 0.9% is two or more races. 81.3% have a high school degree or higher, and 19% have a Bachelor degree or higher.
The median home value is $70,900, there are 4,084 households, an average of 2.45 persons per household. The per capita income is $18,728, the median household income is $33,524, and 24.9% of the persons in Webster County are considered below poverty level.
The total number of firms, at last estimate, was 1,065. Retail sales (in $1000) were $69,649, and sales per capita were $7,119. The percentage of black-owned firms is 0%, and the percentage of women-owned firms is 34.7%.
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Lunenburg is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,086 at the 2010 census.
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Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate
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- One Warrior against a Thousand Battles— Densely populated battlefields with up to 100 enemies on screen, each with progressive AI add to the exhilarating battle, amplified by new moves including Aerial Special attacks, Triple Rush (a system which allows the player the ability to switch between individual characters or unleash attacks as a party of 3 and True Musou Burst, the powerful finishing move executable by up to 6 characters
- New and Crossover characters— The legion of warriors is larger than ever with 145 playable characters including the introduction of Abe Seimei and Shennong, just 2 of 9 that are new to the series, cameos include Xu Shu from the DYNASTY WARRIORS franchise and Rachel from NINJA GAIDEN Sigma 2 with more to be announced including the Atelier and SAMURAI WARRIORS series
- Captivating Lands and Stages— Lands and battlefields are dramatically rendered drawing from the dark, sinister imagery in the OROCHI series totaling 51 distinct stages with cross-over stages melding universes including Atelier, DYNASTY WARRIORS, NINJA GAIDEN Sigma 2 and SAMURAI WARRIORS, furthermore, Musuo Battlefields allow for customization including character models and battle cries
- The mythology of the OROCHI universe expands— A new main storyline brings the heroes together again after the death of the Demon Snake as they are called upon by a mysterious stone to return to the chaotic din of battle. Additionally, new side stories provide a multitude of new scenarios and uncover secrets, the story extends with the ability to battle from a different point of view or even "what if" hypothetical stages that exist in a parallel world
- Gameplay modes— Adding to both Online and Offline competition, new modes include Duel Mode, a fusion of team battles (up to 3 vs 3) and card battles, Craft Weapons function to alchemy even more powerful weapons, Officer Requesting and Summoning, Formation Skills and Dragon Portals that can be used to escape the battlefields, weaken enemies or recover party members Life Gauge
- Share experiences Online— PS4™ system players will be able to capture screenshots and live stream, share and see live comments which can impact either players' games or co-op in Story mode, Free Mode and the new Gauntlet Mode
- Cross-Play and Cross Save functionality— Co-op, data sharing and saving, and save data is now possible between PS3™ system, PS4™ system and PS Vita system versions, including save data importing of the original WARRIORS OROCHI 3 on PlayStation 3
Warriors Marched to Next Gen Consoles:
Japan's highly anticipated game finally comes to US in next gen consoles as Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate! It is the latest entry to the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors spin off series that expands the original game's story and combines legendary characters and stages from across the titles for an ultimate battlefield fans of the series and new players alike will surely dig in.
Back in the Battlegrounds:
Following the death of the Serpent King Orochi, a new evil has risen that threatens to take away peace and warriors must unite once more for a battle that will determine mankind's fate. Choose from over 145 playable characters from across different titles including Sophitia from the SoulCalubur series, Rachel from Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and Xu Shu from Dynasty Warriors along with new characters like Abe and Shennong. Finish off enemies with new weapons and finishing moves like Aerial Special attacks, Triple Rush and True Musou Burst. Put your skills to test with the game's new modes like One Warrior against a Thousand Battles in which a player is swarmed with up to 100 AI; Dual Mode, a mix of team battles and card battle; And online and offline competition modes.
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great remaster/port
great game for fans of koei's dynasty warrior and sengoku musou with nice range of characters to choose from
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Drive: Mercedes-Benz X-Class
Advertising feature
The Mercedes-Benz X-Class brings new levels of safety and refinement to the ute market.
A proper high-riding, four-wheel-drive, turbo-diesel ute with Mercedes-Benz badges is now available.
This sort of car was unthinkable a decade ago. But we should not be surprised by its appearance.
Dual-cab pick-ups have exploded in popularity in recent years, triggered by the promise of adventure, a desire to stand apart from the SUV crowd, and tax breaks which encourage people to run them as company cars.
High-end models are leading the push.
Dianne Tarr, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Vans in Australia, says the brand is "super excited" about the potential offered by the new X-Class.
"We see it as a real game changer," she says.
"We've had a little bit of a white spot between the passenger car and commercial portfolio and I know the X-Class really fills that spot with its natural Mercedes-Benz heritage, strong four-by-four qualities, and the genes of Mercedes Benz – the safety and off-road capabilities that come from the star.
"We've been waiting for it."
This advertising feature is sponsored by the following business. Click the link to learn more:
Our time with the X-Class during its brief Australian launch was spent in the range-topping X250d power, which features a decent level of equipment as standard. 18-inch wheels, LED front and rear lamps, dual-zone climate control and seats trimmed in "Artico" faux leather join a proper Mercedes-derived 7-inch infotainment system with sat nav, a 360-degree camera and more.
As usual for a luxury car, an extensive options list includes extras such as metallic paint, a towbar wired up with an electronic brake controller, side steps and a soft cover for the load bed.
Prestige know-how emerges on the road, where the X-Class feels much quieter than rivals. Wind and road noise is lower than expected, as is the hum from Nissan's engine. The manufacturer claims this is the quietest ute on the road – without testing rivals back-to-back, we're inclined to believe them.
Test drive an X-Class at Taree Motorama, 54 Victoria Street, Taree. Phone 6539 3300.
Source: Drive


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In today's increasingly fast paced; always connected, always 'on' world, it feels as though there are never enough hours in the day to get done what needs to get done. Time feels like it slips through the fingers like sand but suffers from the polarity of being both fiercely protected and recklessly squandered. A way of making the most of the time we have; our precious 168 hours a week; is to improve our work/life balance, but is that as easy as it sounds?
Work/ life balance is something we all talk about, but achieving the perfect balance appears to be the Holy Grail. The Millennial generation (those born between 1980 and 1995) are particularly protective over their work/life balance and as the Deloitte Millennial Survey (2014) highlighted, by 2020 75% of the global workforce will be millennial, and so understanding what they are looking for in the workplace is increasingly important.
An international study published in the Harvard Business Review report from February 2015 (https://hbr.org/2015/02/what-millennials-want-from-work-charted-across-the-world) demonstrated that the term work/life balance means different things in different parts of the world. Many interpret it as work/me time. Interestingly, except for Central/ Eastern Europe, in every other region, over half the respondents said they would give up a well-paid and prestigious job to get better work/life balance.
Source: Harvard Business Review, What Millennials Want From Work Charted Across the World; February 2015
Broadly speaking, most Millennials across the world cited spending time with family and to grow and learn new things as the most important to them, if they could prioritise in life.
Source: Harvard Business Review, What Millennials Want From Work Charted Across the World; February 2015
This is great in theory, and companies such as Google and Apple are famous for having mastered it, however many organisations still have a prevailing culture of presenteeism i.e. I have to be able to physically see you to know you are working. Frederic Laloux's fabulous book Reinventing Organizations tries to tackle this very issue, citing the companies around the world that have moved to self-management; putting the power in the hands of the staff rather than the management. He describes these types of organisation as being evolutionally teal, the characteristics of which appear to be looking after the spiritual well-being as well as the emotional and financial well-being of their workforce. In reality, these organisations are the exception rather than the rule, so the real challenge is how to move away from a culture of presenteeism to one that values effective outputs.
This demands a different kind of leader; one that is comfortable with a more collective or distributed type of leadership; who moves the power to where the skills, energy and motivation lie and creates the right conditions for innovation to flourish (West and Dawson 2014; Kings Fund).
Enabling staff to have more flexible and agile working practices is crucial to ensuring the recruitment and retention of the best talent. Unusually for an NHS organisation, over half of our staff are under the age of 40 (54% against the NHS average of 41%) and so understanding what is important to different generations, particularly millennials, is an important part of our workforce strategy. We are about to undertake some research looking at what is meaningful to the different generations and different professional groups in our organisation, so that we are better able to tailor our training and development; workforce policies and support different working practices. Moving our managers away from a prevailing culture of presenteeism to one where they are comfortable in treating staff as individuals; interpreting policy and managing staff on the basis of the quality and timeliness of their outputs will require investment in supporting our managers to think differently and will require our leaders to change the 'ask' in the organisation.
This feels like the right direction of travel and should enable a different type of workforce to emerge to ensure that we remain one of the best employers in the NHS and are growing a workforce that has the work/life balance they both want and deserve.
About the author
Sarah Morgan is the Director of Organisational Development for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust


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Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton wallpapers for your PC, Android Device, Iphone or Tablet PC. If you want to download Tilda Swinton High Quality wallpapers for your desktop, please download this wallpapers above and click «set as desktop background». You can share this wallpaper in social networks, we will be very grateful to you.
Tilda Swinton (born Katherine Matilda Swinton) – British actress. Born on November 5, 1960 in London in a family whose history includes more than a thousand years. Tilda's father – Sir John Swinton – seventh Lord Kimmergema, mother – Lady Judith Balfour Killen. The interest in the theater began to show Tilda, studying in a boarding school in Kent. Even then, she played in school plays and sang in the choir. Further education Swinton received in college Fetts in Edinburgh and New Women's College Hall. In the latter she studied sociology, political science, English literature. Here she played in the student theater "Cambridge mummers."
In 1983 he joined the troupe of Tilda "Royal Shakespeare Company" of the famous theater, but then reveal the artistic talent she did not work. In search of new theatrical forms Tilda Swinton went to Edinburgh. At the theater Travers, she played in a production of "The White Rose". The actress appeared in the form Pasportnikovoy Irina – woman, opposed the Nazis in Stalingrad.
In 1986 she made her debut on television and in movies. Swinton appeared in the TV movie "Zastrotstsi" and in the film "Egomaniya: an island with no hope." This was followed by participation in the drama "Caravaggio" director Derek Dzharmenom, who had a great influence on the formation of Tilda Swinton as an actress. No wonder she punctually appeared in his projects: "All that is left of England", "War Requiem", "Garden". Successful for the actress began 1992. She was fortunate enough to play the main role in "Orlando" film – the novel-biography of Virginia Woolf. The picture Tilda brilliantly played a woman and a man.
More great fame it brought "The Beach" Danny Boyle – film dystopia, in which she played the matriarch of the islanders of the commune. After that it was invited to Hollywood. First there were the "wiser", then – "Vanilla Sky" and "Adaptation." Among recent works Swinton – participated in the filming of several paintings by the product of CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. "
In 2008, the actress received the award "Oscar" for best supporting actress in the thriller "Michael Clayton."


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A horse pulling a cart died on Bourbon Street this afternoon while its owner was with it, according to Louisiana SPCA and police officials. The state Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received a call around 2 p.m. that a horse had passed out in the French Quarter, said SPCA spokeswoman Katherine LeBlanc.
She said by the time an official arrived, the horse had died.
New Orleans police were also at the scene in the 700 block of Bourbon, said police spokesman Officer Frank Robertson III.
LeBlanc said she was not aware of the owner being ticketed. She said the cart the horse was pulling was not for commercial or tourism purposes. It was not large enough to carry a person, she said.
The SPCA has begun to try to find an equine veterinarian who can determine the horse's cause of death and if it was related to animal cruelty.
Mules pull the carriages that give tours throughout the French Quarter.


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BRT seeks to invest with experienced partner operators who:
- Have a significant track record and expertise in the specific market where the asset is located
- Are capable of investing at least 20% of the equity required for the project (and can provide additional equity if needed)
- Have a relationship with the agency lenders and are able to (i) effectively navigate the agency loan application process, and (ii) sign on any necessary guarantees
- Have management capabilities or a good association with high quality third-party management companies.
BRT seeks to invest in properties and acquisitions which are:
- Stabilized, undermanaged, or "value add" multi-family opportunities which would benefit from a capital improvement program and better hands-on management
- Well located in areas showing positive indications of growth and which contain catalysts that promote employment and housing demand (e.g. universities, new commercial developments, airports, hospitals, and business centers)
- In need of equity investment ranging from $2 million to $20 million


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Orale! Jedi Gang Fight! [Video]
Vatos Locos get ready for a gang fight...a Jedi gang fight that is. Check out this funny video showing what it would be like if gang members had the power of the force. I especially like the lightsaber switchblade. You can see the video below:


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Product Description
Viners – Viners Cutlery – Viners Executive Suite – Viners Executive Suite Teaspoon – Viners Executive Suite Tea Spoon – In FAIR condition with some light signs of use and wear + The black insert details are in the main missing through use with this item . This is reflected in the price We may have a number of this item in stock. Please enter the number you require when ordering
Remember that in most cases postage and packaging is FREE to a single UK mainland address


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Recovery at home:
Physical activity
Daily walking is the best exercise during recovery. Try to increase your distance a little each day, setting a pace that avoids fatigue or severe pain. Climb stairs when you feel able. Sexual relations may be resumed during the recovery period, but positions that strain the neck or cause pain should be avoided. "Listen" to your body. Discomfort is normal while you gradually return to normal activity, but pain is a signal to stop what you are doing and proceed more slowly.
Healing and Recovery:
Test your knowledge of anterior cervical discectomy by answering these questions.
The human body is an intricate network of interrelated systems. Each system functions on its own but is also influenced by and dependent upon the others. When illness or injury occurs, it disrupts the function of one or more of these systems. Surgery is a human effort made to correct one system's malfunction, but it will affect all others. Because of this complex interrelationship, surgical outcomes cannot be predicted.


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The Watertown Humane Society works hard towards our goal of placing animals in forever homes. In order help ensure that this happens, we do not do same-day adoptions. Adoption application approvals are generally completed within 24-48 hours.
We encourage you to visit with your prospective new pet a few times before and after completing your application to be sure the animal will fit into your household. This precious time also allows your potential new pet to get to know you and your family and will help ease any fears the animal may have during the transition to it's new home!
Our policy requires that you complete an adoption application before you will be permitted to adopt any animal in our care. Applications are available at the shelter or for your convenience, you may download an application in PDF format using the link above. Bring the completed application with you when you visit the shelter. Contact us if you need assistance in completing the application.
Completing an application before you arrive at the shelter will allow us to complete the preliminary paperwork and required verifications prior to your arrival which will make your adoption process move more quickly and efficiently.
Applications are in PDF format. You must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view the application. If you don't have the Adobe Reader you may download it FREE from the Adobe web site. Simply install it on your own computer, then return to this page to view, save or print the document.


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The Miami Dolphins are expected to win between seven and eight games next season, according to Las Vegas' latest over/under win totals.
Many fans are probably perplexed at the 7.5 win total after Adam Gase led the team last year to its first playoff appearance in eight years.
The Dolphins won 10 games a year ago and, if anything, improved heading into the 2017 season. They return healthy impact vets on both sides of the ball in Reshad Jones and Ryan Tannehill — both missed a chunk of the season that included the first-round playoff game — while adding some quality free agents on defense (their biggest weakness last year) all without losing any obvious impact players in Free Agency.
So what the hell was Vegas thinking by essentially projecting the team to finish 7-9 or 8-8? Well, it's not some vendetta blindly targeting your favorite football team.
No matter what anyone tells you, the Miami Dolphins overachieved last season.
Their "expected wins," a metric based on point differential (a better indicator of strength than record), was 7.6 wins and they had the AFC's third easiest schedule, per Football Reference. They were the 17th best overall team last year, per Football Outsiders' efficiency ratings.
So despite the 10-6 record Miami was the quintessential average football team.
While I think the over/under of 7.5 wins may be a hair low, we also must keep in mind their schedule in 2017 appears to be unfavorable. This is before considering the fact they punted another home game, as they'll "host" the Saints in London in Week 4.
They still have the look of an eight-win team.
You can add or subtract a couple of victories based on randomness that includes good/bad luck but until a few key players — think Tannehill, DeVante Parker, and Xavien Howard, to name a few — take that next step, I'm not buying into the fact Gase has built a sustainable winning formula just yet.
The 7.5 over/under feels about right.


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www.nytimes.com -- ...the institutions that service about two-thirds of the mortgages in this country offered to pay $5 billion to settle allegations about robo-signing and other shady practices that quick-step troubled borrowers out of their homes.That figure is a fraction of the $20 billion that state attorneys general had apparently floated. If regulators accept the lowball offer, perhaps that would be because they haven't dug deep enough.Because evidence of extensive and abusive servicing practices does in fact exist. It is piling up at the offices of the United States Trustee Program, the arm of the Justice Department that monitors the bankruptcy system. Over the past six months, the trustee has drawn material from 95 field offices covering 88 judicial districts. The findings should dispel any notion that toxic servicing practices were atypical or have done no harm.
Click here to read full article...
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00:31 | Sun 26th May 2019
Business Buyers Directory – Press Release Distribution – Advertising – e-newsletter - SEO – PPC - PPI
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Defending immigrants and people of color is no longer what happened in the civil rights movement. In 2017 it has to become an intricate part of our everyday lives. I built Comadre.com to challenge the economic power structure, technology has given us a unique opportunity to buy from and support businesses that are minority owned. Over the next few years my vision for Comadre is to build women of color businesses and transform that into political power. We will support women businesses and women political candidates, because if women ran the world we wouldn't be in this mess!
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Groupon understands the American mentality. We are not charitable. We are not drippy, caring, altruistic, do-gooders.
We want a deal. We love a deal. We will sacrifice our feelings for whales, the rainforest, even the plight of Tibetans, for a deal.
So, in spots that just might be appearing in the Sunday's Super Bowl, the company that's possibly worth multibillions of dollars has decided to go for the cut-price jugular.
We don't see do-gooders. We see Cuba Gooding Jr. We also see other stars who are, perhaps, from the cut-price rung of the stardom ladder rather than its heady apex.
Each of these stars wants you to believe that they are supporting some worthy cause. When, in fact, that worthy cause is their own need for a wonderful deal.
Some might pause, especially with the Tibetan spot, to wonder whether Groupon is nuzzling up to the PR gaffedom enjoyed by designer Kenneth Cole, who earlier this week tweeted the idea that Egyptians in the streets are actually excited about his summer collection.
The difference here, though, is that the joke is on us. And, just in case someone doesn't get it, Groupon is offering a site called Save the Money, where those who really do have a sense of responsibility--or sheer guilt--can donate money to whales, the rainforest, and people of Tibet.
One can only imagine that, come tomorrow, come this evening, come the next two hours, people might just become emotionally involved with these ads. Unless, which I feel is unlikely, LivingSocial has done a joint promotion with the Mother Teresa Foundation.
11 TV shows to watch after Game of Thrones ends: Need to fill your Game of Thrones void? These shows might do the trick.
Devilish David Tennant is a hell of lot of fun in Good Omens: Apocalyptic new miniseries adapts Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's book.


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Latest News
ALL NIGHT LOCK IN – Saturday August 30th
The 6th Annual All Night Lock In. Saturday August 30th 2014 at Skatelab. 7pm to 7am. Ages 8 to 18. $75 registration fee. Sign up at Skatelab or by phone (805) 52-SKATE
The LOCK IN is an all night action packed event at Skatelab from 7pm to 7am. Open to skateboards, scooters and bikes from ages 8 to 18. The excitement never skips a beat with constant contests, games, prizes, product toss and a raffle that everyone wins! Let's not forget the pizza, nachos, donuts and snacks for all riders throughout the night. Plus all the Gatorade you can drink! Seriously, all you can drink!! The LOCK IN creates a fun filled up-all-night experience while keeping each rider safe and supervised throughout the night. Bring a sleeping bag and knock out or keep it going til dawn! With 5 LOCK IN's under our belts, we're ready to make this years event the best one yet! $75 locks you in. Do not miss this one of a kind, once a year event!
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Neonatal Hydrotherapy on the NICUAndrea Salzman Published: 24 May 2016
As a brand-new physiotherapist barely twenty-four years old, I found myself working as the lead on the Burn Unit at a major trauma centre in North America. It was a wee bit intimidating. The specialised protocols, extensive need for precautions, and generalised fear of the "big screw-up" kept me on my toes. But sister, let me just say, the Burn Unit's got nothing on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. That place will put the fear of the Almighty (meaning, of course, the nurses) into any physio.
NICU nurses are very protective of their charges – and rightfully so. Anything that disrupts the Zen in that place means additional stressors on amped-up bambini. So imagine the reaction that a physio might get if she entered the NICU and said, "Today, we try pool therapy!"
The History of Neonatal Hydrotherapy
I first became aware that physiotherapists dared to bring the benefits of "aquatic therapy" into the NICU in the 1990's. At that time I was the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Aquatic Physical Therapy and I came across a pilot study published in 1983 by Jane Sweeney, PT, PhD, PCS. (Note: Sweeney's name is now synonymous with many of the advances in water-based treatments on the NICU. Even the swaddled bathing techniques I outlined in an earlier blog borrowed heavily from her ideas.)
When I first heard of neonatal hydrotherapy, I pictured Sweeney rolling a mini Hubbard tank of sorts onto the unit, wrestling lines and leads and horrified parents; frankly, in my head, it looked insane. Of course my visualisation was nothing near reality, but the fascination was planted. From that original pilot study, I have kept tabs and read with delight every development in this esoteric field.
The Need For Neonatal Hydrotherapy
To a newborn, neonatal units must appear exceedingly loud, astonishingly bright, unbelievably chaotic and intermittently painful. Nurses do everything they can to maximise the peace and comfort of their charges, but there is only so much that can be done. So, any technique which can reduce pain, decrease physical stressors, induce sleep and increase hunger and the tendency to suck…. all without robbing the infant of energy is like a gift from the NICU gods.
Aquatic therapy, performed by a physiotherapist on the unit in a specialised warm basin, can be this gift. It's not the same thing as swaddled bathing (although swaddled bathing borrows heavily from the protocols established by the physio Sweeney). In swaddled bathing, the intent is to handle, clean and calm the infant without producing physical stressor or temperature variation. The emphasis is on quickness and little is done to encourage specific movements. In aquatic physiotherapy (or neonatal hydrotherapy as it was originally called), the intent is different.
With aquatic physiotherapy, the goal is to improve the neonate's capacity for sleep and quantity and duration of sucking, and to decrease pain, especially post-invasive procedure.
In 2015, the Cochrane Collection published their findings of the benefits of non-pharmacological management of infant and young child procedural pain. Their findings showed that these little ones gained the most benefit from non-nutritive sucking, swaddling/facilitated tucking, and rocking/holding. Neonatal hydrotherapy allows physiotherapists trained to work in the NICU to marry the use of rocking and holding patterns with immersion in soothing warm water environment. The techniques also make use of swaddling both during and after the session to help maintain temperature and decrease the stress which premature infants feel when they are not flexed and held closely bound.
Candidates For Neonatal Hydrotherapy
Infants who are being considered for aquatic sessions should be medically stable and have either lost their umbilical cord or have the cord covered with a bio-occlusive dressing, according to Sweeney. Children who remain on ventilator support, those whose temperatures remain unstable and those who are experiencing apnea or episodes of bradycardia are not candidates for this technique. (See Sweeney's suggestions for greater details on evaluating a child's candidacy.)
Performing Neonatal Hydrotherapy
As already discussed, neonatal hydrotherapy is not the same thing as swaddled bathing. An experienced clinician can manage a seven to eight minute swaddled bathing session without a helping hand, even on the littlest neonate. With neonatal hydrotherapy, it works best with two caregivers. While this is not essential, it makes more movement possible to have a caregiver at the head and shoulder area and another at the lumbar and pelvis region. The baby starts out swaddled in a flexed position, neutrally postured. Upon immersion there is an opportunity for water adjustment by the child. After a minute or two, guided movement patterns are performed from a base of stability. One clinician stabilises (e.g. the head and shoulders) and the other promotes movement (at the lumbar spine and pelvis).
Therapists looking for potential movement patterns should consider the Accordion, Rotating Accordion, Near Leg and Far Leg Watsu patterns described by Schoedinger in Watsu in aquatic rehabilitation. Sessions are performed in near 98° fahrenheit (36.7° celsius) water in specialised basins lasting no more than ten minutes and end in swaddling and – when possible – nursing.
Practitioners who are interested in exploring the exploding world of physiotherapists working in the NICU are directed to Chokshi. Clinicians who are not yet sold on the need for swaddling during bath time should take a look at this 2014 study comparing the effects of swaddled and conventional bathing methods on body temperature and crying duration. The evidence is accumulating. Warm water immersion, especially when coupled with skilled movement exploration, is becoming an important, safe and viable option on the NICU.
[show_more more="Show References" less="Hide References" align="center" color="#808080″]
- Edraki, M, Paran, M, Montaseri, S, Nejad, MR & Montaseri, Z 2014, 'Comparing the effects of swaddled and conventional bathing methods on body temperature and crying duration in premature infants: A randomised clinical trial', Journal of caring sciences, p 83.
- Chokshi, T, Alaparthi, GK, Krishnan, S, Vaishali, K & Zulfeequer, CP 2013, 'Practice patterns of physiotherapists in neonatal intensive care units: A national survey,' Indian journal of critical care medicine: peer-reviewed, Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine, p 359.
- Lovelace-Chandler, BR 1990, The effects of neonatal hydrotherapy on selected vital signs, 118 leaves.
- McManus BM, Kotelchuck M 2007, 'The effect of aquatic therapy on functional mobility of infants and toddlers in early intervention,' Pediatr Phys Ther, pp. 275-82.
- Pillai Riddell, RR, Racine, NM, Gennis, HG, Turcotte, K, Uman, LS, Horton, RE & Lisi, DM 2015, 'Non‐pharmacological management of infant and young child procedural pain: New search for studies and content updated (no change to conclusions)'
- Schoedinger, P, Becker BE & Cole AJ 2011, 'Watsu in aquatic rehabilitation,' Comprehensive aquatic therapy, 3rd edn, Washington State University: Butterworth-Heinemann, pp. 137-154.
- Sweeney, JK 1983, 'Neonatal hydrotherapy: An adjunct to developmental intervention in an intensive care nursery setting,' Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 3(1), pp. 39-52
- Sweeney, JK 2003, 'Feeding proficiency in preterm neonates following hydrotherapy in the NICU setting,' Pediatric Physical Therapy 15(1): p 63.
- Sweeney, JK 2007, 'Neonates and infants at neurodevelopmental risk,' Neurological rehabilitation, 5th edn, St Louis: Mosby, pp. 303-356.
- Vignochi, CM, Teixeira, PP & Nader, SS 2010, Effect of aquatic physical therapy on pain and state of sleep and wakefulness among stable preterm newborns in neonatal intensive care units, Revista Brasileira de Fisioterapia, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 14(3), pp. 214–220.
- Zhao, S, Xie, L, Hu, H, Xia, J, Zhang, W, Ye, N, Chen, B 2005, A study of neonatal swimming (water therapy) applied in clinical obstetrics, 17(1), pp. 59-62.
Andrea Salzman
Andrea Salzman, MS, PT graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Master's degree in physical therapy in 1992. Over the last two decades, she has held numerous prominent leadership roles in the physical therapy field, with a heavy emphasis on academic writing and administrative functions. Between 1995 and 1998, Salzman served as the Editor-in-Chief of an American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) journal. In 2010, Salzman received one of the highest honors given to a physical therapist from the American Physical Therapy Association, the Judy Cirullo Leadership Award. Between 2012 and the present, Salzman has written 12 physical therapy courses for Care2Learn, Relias Learning and reviewed over 100 other course offerings. Currently, Salzman continues in her writing, leadership and administrative roles at Aquatic Therapy University and 10K Health.


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|[Incubator Wiki] Update of "SynapseConfigurationLanguage" by Asankha Perera
|Tue, 25 Apr 2006 12:50:49 GMT
Dear Wiki user, You have subscribed to a wiki page or wiki category on "Incubator Wiki" for change notification. The following page has been changed by Asankha Perera: http://wiki.apache.org/incubator/SynapseConfigurationLanguage New page: ====== Synapse Configuration Language ====== The Synapse configuration language is designed to support a processing model where messages come into Synapse, are processed via some number of mediators and then delivered to an endpoint somewhere. This design currently does not support the concept of "service mediation." It is also currently direction agnostic, but directionality can easily be added as a selection mechanism for mediators (see below for details). ===== Overall Structure ===== A Synapse configuration looks like the following at the top level: <synapse> <definitions> (sequencedef | endpointdef | literalpropertydef)+ <definitions>? <rules> mediator+ </rules> </synapse> ===== Definitions ===== The <definitions> section defines reusable elements that can be used from inside the rules and the <rules> section contains the sequence of mediators that every message is processed through. ==== Sequences ==== A sequencedef token represents a <sequence> element which is used to define a sequence of mediators that can be included later as a mediator. <sequence name="string"> mediator+ </sequence> ==== Endpoints ==== An endpointdef token represents an <endpoint> element which is used to give a logical name to an endpoint address. If the address is not just a simple URL, then extensibility elements may be used to indicate the address. <endpoint name="string" [address="url"]> .. extensibility .. </endpoint> ==== Properties ==== The token literalpropertydef refers to a <set-property> element as follows: <set-property name="string" value="string"/> which is used to set a glboal property with a constant value. These properties are top level properties which are set globally for the entire system. Values of these properties can be retrieved via an extension XPath function called "synapse:get-property(prop-name)". ===== Mediators ===== A mediator token refers to any of the following tokens: send | drop | log | makefault | transform | edit | filter | switch | class | validate | setproperty | sequenceref ==== Send ==== The send token represents a <send> element. The <send> element is used to send messages out of Synapse to some endpoint. In the simplest case, the place to send the message to is implicit in the message (via a property of the message itself)- that is indicated by the following: <send/> If the message is to be sent to one or more endpoints, then the following is used: <send> (endpointref | endpoint)+ </send> where the endpointref token refers to the following: <endpoint ref="name"/> and the endpoint token refers to an anonymous endpoint defined inline: <endpoint address="url"/> If the message is to be sent to an endpoint selected by load balancing across a set of endpoints, then it is indicated by the following: <send> <load-balance algorithm="uri"> (endpointref | endpoint)+ </load-balance> </send> Similarly, if the message is to be sent to an endpoint with failover semantics, then it is indicated by the following: <send> <failover> (endpointref | endpoint)+ </failover> </send> ==== Drop ==== The drop token refers to a <drop> element which is used to drop a message: <drop/> Once the <drop> mediator is executed, the message processing is finished. ==== Log ==== The log token refers to a <log> element which is used to log the message: <log [level="string"]> <property name="string" (value="literal" | expression="xpath")/>* </log> The optional level attribute selects a pre-defined subset of properties to be logged. e.g. level=simple|headers|full ==== Transforms ==== === Faults === <makefault [version="soap11|soap12"]> <code (value="literal" | expression="xpath")/> <reason (value="literal" | expression="xpath")> <node>? <role>? <detail>? </makefault> === XSLT/XQuery === <transform xslt|xquery="url" [source="xpath"]> <property name="string" (value="literal" | expression="xpath")/>* </transform> === Headers === The edit token refers to any of the following elements: <remove-header> and <set-header>: <remove-header name="qname"/> <set-header name="qname" (value="literal" | expression="xpath")/> Note that <set-header> currently only supports simple valued headers. In the future we may extend this to have XML structured headers by embedding the XML content in the set-header element itself. ==== Selection ==== === Filters === <filter (source="xpath" regex="string") | xpath="xpath"> mediator+ </filter> === Switch === <switch source="xpath"> <case regex="string"> mediator+ </case>+ <default> mediator+ </default>? </switch> ==== Validation ==== <validate schema="url" [source="xpath"]> <on-fail> mediator+ </on-fail> </validate> If the source attribute is not specified, the validation is performed against the soap envelope ==== Properties ==== The setproperty token refers to a <set-property> element which is a mediator that has no direct impact on the message but rather on the message context flowing through Synapse. <set-property name="string" (value="literal" | expression="xpath")/> These properties are set on the message context of the message currently flowing through the system. The value of property can be queried via the XPath extension function "synapse:get-property(prop-name)". ==== Class Mediators ==== <class name="class-name"> <property name="string" (value="literal" | expression="xpath")/>* </class> ==== Reusing Sequences ==== A sequenceref token refers to a <sequence> element which is used to invoke a named sequence of mediators: <sequence ref="name"/> ===== Examples ===== The sample configuration presented below applies in the following hypothetical scenario. Assume that two web service endpoints exists, where registration requests could be processed. Requests may fall into Gold and Silver categories, and a specialized endpoint exists to process the Gold requests. If the Gold endpoint cannot be reached for whatever reason, requests should be processed via the Silver endpoint (i.e. failover). Once message arrive at Synapse, the 'to' address is looked up and different mediation rules applied depending on it. For registration messages, first we need to validate the incoming message against a schema, and if the validation fails, a log entry should be made and a fault reply should be sent back. For valid messages, we determine its category and attempt to use the Gold endpoint, failing which the Silver endpoint is tried. For requests that does not fall into the Gold category the default silver endpoint is used always. <synapse> <definitions> <sequence name="registration_flow"> <validate schema="http://registry/xsd/registration.xsd" source="//regRequest"> <on-fail> <set-property name="error-code" value="100"/> <set-property name="error-reason" value="validation failed"/> <sequence ref="fault_flow"/> </on-fail> </validate> <filter xpath="/regRequest[@Category='GOLD']"> <send> <failover> <endpoint ref="gold_registration"/> <endpoint ref="silver_registration"/> </failover> </send> <filter> <send> <endpoint ref="silver_registration"/> </send> <sequence> <sequence name="fault_flow"> <log level="simple"> <property name="application" value="synapse:get-property('reg-app')"/> </log> <makefault version="soap11"> <code value="synapse:get-property('error-code')"/> <reason expression="synapse:get-property('error-reason')"> <makefault> <send/> <sequence> <endpoint name="gold_registration" address="http://gold/registration"/> <endpoint name="silver_registration" address="http://silver/registration"/> <property> <set-property name="reg_app" value="Registration Application"/> </property> <definitions> <rules> <switch source="synapse:get-property('to')"> <case regex="/registration"> <sequence ref="registration_flow"/> </case> <case regex="someother"> ... </case> <default> <drop/> </default> </rules> </synapse> --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: email@example.com For additional commands, e-mail: email@example.com
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is gathering input on shore-based shark fishing from the public.
Individuals can share their thoughts on the future management of this fishery by attending one of the following workshops, which all start at 6 p.m.:
- Today, July 18: State College of Florida, Library and Learning Center, Together Manatee Community Room, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton
Article Photos
- July 19: Joseph P. D'Alessandro Office Complex, Rooms 165 C and D, 2295 Victoria Ave., Fort Myers
- Aug. 6: Gulf Coast State College, The Russell C. Holley and Herbert P. Holley Language and Literature Building, Sarzin Lecture Hall, 5230 W. U.S. Highway 98, Panama City
- Aug. 7: Sanders Beach-Corinne Jones Resource Center, Parks and Recreation Department, 913 S. I St., Pensacola
- Aug. 20: Piggotte Community Center, Reception Hall Room, 504 Big Tree Road, South Daytona
- Aug. 21: Jacksonville University, J. Henry Gooding Building, Swisher Auditorium, 2800 University Blvd. N., Jacksonville
- Aug. 27: Melbourne Beach Community Center, 509 Ocean Ave., Melbourne Beach
- Aug. 28: Palm Beach County, Department of Planning, Zoning and Building, The Vista Center, 2300 N. Jog Road., West Palm Beach
- Aug. 29: Miami City Hall, Commission Main Chambers, 3500 Pan American Drive, Miami
- Aug. 30: City Hall, 600 W. Ocean Drive, Key Colony Beach
Those who cannot attend can submit their comments online at MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments.
FWC staff is working on an advance copy of the presentation and virtual workshop that will be available online in the near future.
Additional details and updates to the workshops will be posted at MyFWC.com/Fishing and can be found by clicking on "Saltwater Fishing," "Rulemaking" and "Workshops."


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Disturbing New Short Film Comes from Rising Female Talents: Director LOGAN KIBENS and Exec Producer/Actor DAWN DAVIS
Los Angeles (July 28, 2014) – Supernatural thriller HARMONY is ready to unnerve audiences when it premieres at the 10th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF), on August 19, 2014 at the TLC Chinese Theatre and Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.
This 5-minute short film tells the story of a clairvoyant Hospice nurse fighting for her life when a psychotic intruder tests the limits of her intuition.
To get this subtle yet chilling story onto the screen, Executive Producer Dawn Davis, who also stars in the project, brought in rising female director Logan Kibens, a Sundance Screenwriting Lab fellow, HBO Directors Guild fellow and winner of Film Independent's Project Involve and Sloane grants. Actor Chris Kerson ("Cost of a Soul") and a 'sensitive' cat named Monkey round out the cast of this story penned by writer Warren Fast. Davis also involved the highly-respected Stunt Coordinators Dan Speaker and Jan Bryant to assist.
Davis is excited to finally unleash the film, explaining "I can't wait to share this little five-minute film that cost so much of myself, took so long to get to, and that has forever changed the way I see my place in this industry. I'm no longer an actress waiting for a part; I'm a creator who has something to say and something to give."
About LOGAN KIBENS - Director:
Logan Kibens is a 2012 Sundance Screenwriters Lab fellow and recipient of the HBO/DGA Directing Fellowship. She was selected as one of Film Independent's Project:Involve fellows after completing her CalArts thesis film, "Recessive." Her films have screened at museums and festivals such as BAM, Chicago International Film Festival, Outfest, Frameline, REDCAT, among others. Kibens worked as a commercial editor for eight years, and is an award-winning projections designer for theatre and dance. www.LoganKibens.com
About DAWN DAVIS – Exec Producer/Actor:
Dawn Davis is passionate about stories of transformation. Some of her favorite roles have been women like Joan, in "Saint Joan"; Agnes, in "The Shadow Box," directed by Keith David; and Goneril, in "King Lear," opposite Apollo Dukakis. She appeared in Avicii's hit summer music video, "Wake Me Up," and got down and dirty as Katie in the zombie-horror series, "Dead Souls," which is currently on the festival circuit. As a producer, her shows have been staged off-off Broadway, at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, at the Brattle Cinema in Cambridge and at the Electric Lodge in Venice. She is currently developing a feature-length historical biopic. www.DawnDavis.net
About HollyShorts Film Festival:
The HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) is an annual film festival showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe. The festival showcases the top short films produced 30-minutes or less. www.HollyShorts.com
Screening Details – "HARMONY"
Edge of My Seat: Thriller Shorts II
Tuesday, August 19th at 7:30pm
TLC Chinese Theaters 6, Hollywood, CA
To watch the trailer of HARMONY or for further information about the film visit:


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We have all seen pictures of the hurricane damage in Puerto Rico. A month after the storm 80% of the island is without power and people are drinking from streams. Banking is unavailable to most people and fuel is in critically short supply. People are still struggling to survive.
It is only a matter of time till a similar storm hits Oahu. Oahu is 3 times as far from resupply as Puerto Rico. Oahu is surrounded by deep, deep, deep ocean. The advice to leave our island is not going to work any better here than it did in Puerto Rico.
You cannot depend on Government help. Our Government will be overwhelmed trying to get our basic infrastructure repaired.
Are you prepared to live completely off the grid with no access to grocery stores, banks, gas stations and without electricity and no water? If you have health issues do you have a backup supply of medicine, oxygen, and whatever else you need to live? How will you handle your human waste and other sanitation problems?
How well you can prepare depends on your income. The poorest amongst us will be hit the hardest.
Our community can do a lot to prepare for the next big storm:
There is a lot of work to do to make Koolaupoko a truely resilient community. Do you want to help? Fill out the form below to join us and get your free go-kit checklist.


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"One person's trash is another person's treasure"
The theme for this year's World Environment Day celebrations is THINK-EAT-SAVE to reduce your foodprint.
"1 in every 7 people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die daily from hunger."
The Planet needs to Paradigm Shift to change the way we deal with Food Waste and Poverty. We need to find answers on how to waste less food and re-distibute the food that is wasted to people that don't have any food. I would say that for all of the people that throw out food, which includes manufacturers, producers, families, individuals and restaurants, there are the same amount of people that are hungry in the world. You know when your parents would say "there are people starving in Africa so eat your food", well they were sort of right. There are people starving or short of food everywhere in the world while others throw out food.
The impact of food waste is not just financial. Environmentally, food waste leads to wasteful use of chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides; more fuel used for transportation; and more rotting food, creating more methane – one of the most harmful greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change. Methane is 23 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. The vast amount of food going to landfills makes a significant contribution to global warming.
- Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted.
- Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 million tonnes) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tonnes).
- The amount of food lost or wasted every year is equivalent to more than half of the world's annual cereals crop (2.3 billion tonnes in 2009/2010).
- Food loss and waste also amount to a major squandering of resources, including water, land, energy, labour and capital and needlessly produce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change.
- In developing countries food waste and losses occur mainly at early stages of the food value chain and can be traced back to financial, managerial and technical constraints in harvesting techniques as well as storage –and cooling facilities. Thus, a strengthening of the supply chain through the support farmers and investments in infrastructure, transportation, as well as in an expansion of the food –and packaging industry could help to reduce the amount of food loss and waste.
- In medium- and high-income countries food is wasted and lost mainly at later stages in the supply chain. Differing from the situation in developing countries, the behavior of consumers plays a huge part in industrialized countries. Moreover, the study identified a lacking coordination between actors in the supply chain as a contributing factor. Farmer-buyer agreements can be helpful to increase the level of coordination. Additionally, raising awareness among industries, retailers and consumers as well as finding beneficial use for save food that is presently thrown away are useful measures to decrease the amount of losses and waste.
- Discarded fish alone amounts to as much as 30 million tonnes, compared to total landings of 100–130 tonnes/year.
- In the United States 30% of all food, worth US$48.3 billion (€32.5 billion), is thrown away each year. It is estimated that about half of the water used to produce this food also goes to waste, since agriculture is the largest human use of water. (Jones, 2004 cited in Lundqvist et al., 2008)
- United Kingdom households waste an estimated 6.7 million tonnes of food every year, around one third of the 21.7 million tonnes purchased. This means that approximately 32% of all food purchased per year is not eaten. Most of this (5.9 million tonnes or 88%) is currently collected by local authorities. Most of the food waste (4.1 million tonnes or 61%) is avoidable and could have been eaten had it been better managed (WRAP, 2008; Knight and Davis, 2007).
- In the USA, organic waste is the second highest component of landfills, which are the largest source of methane emissions.
Global Food Losses and Food Waste - FAO, 2011
The environmental crisis: The environment's role in averting future food crisis – UNEP, 2009
Global Food Losses and Food Waste - FAO, 2011
The environmental crisis: The environment's role in averting future food crisis – UNEP, 2009
I feel food guilt every time I throw out a bag of garbage that has rotten food in it because I know that I have thrown money wasted into the garbage and have depleted the environments critical resources. I waste a lot of food because I live alone and find that I don't always use up all of the containers or fresh vegetables before they spoil. Even with all the preservatives put into food these days the food isn't meant to last forever and if it does it isn't real food. We need to find ways to keep less food out of the landfills and have it go to the people that need it.
I know that the Food Systems around the world are changing and we may not have enough food to feed everyone on the planet one day. With the increase of Climate Change and Extreme Weather in the world and the lack of financial assistance for farmers and the shift towards genetically modified food there will be a shortage of farmers producing healthy Organic non toxic foods in the future.
We need to find ways to manage the food we produce and eat now.
Some ideas that I think might be helpful are:
1. Have government create more incentives for farmers to grow Organic crops and farm with practices that keep the earth sustainable.
2. Have incentives for manufacturers to produce Biodegradable eco packaging for all food products.
3. Impose financial penalties on companies that don't comply with environmental food practices.
4. Manufacturers get tax incentives to produce chemical laden junk foods that are sold for less money than healthy foods. The government should provide tax incentives and credits for Independent food producers that focus on local, organic and affordable food that is sold to the public.
5. Many families struggle with obesity because they survive on high carbohydrate and highly processed foods because they have longer shelf life and are available everywhere for less money. Healthy food should cost less than junk food because there is a price to pay in increased health care costs as a result of the epidemic of obesity, diabetes and heart disease because of the lack of proper nutrition for many families in the World.
6. Food education needs to be provided in the schools for children at a young age so they develop healthy eating habits and they learn about the costs to the environment and the health care system in their future.
7. Manufacturers and grocers and markets should look at ways to sell people only what they need. I find that I can only buy a whole stalk of celery but I only end up using half of the celery stalk before it goes bad. I am sure that a lot of food is wasted because of the big box packaging of foods. Even when you buy food at farmers markets you are restricted to certain sized containers of food. Maybe it's time to rethink how we sell portions of food.
8. People have lost the skills on preserving foods and expect manufacturers to do it for them. We need to look at programs that can teach people how to preserve their foods and use foods efficiently so that less food is wasted.
9. Maybe a tax incentive for people that maintain healthy weights instead of punishing people that are obese.
10. Food banks need to be changed to food re-distribution centres where people that have surplus food can donate in their areas so that people that fall on hard times can access emergency food easily.
We need to look at the whole food system differently. From how it is produced to how it is distributed to how much it costs and what the impact to the environment is.
With the increase of unemployment and climate change and the increasing numbers extreme weather disasters and the increase of health issues and diseases in the world, we need to find new ways to solve some of the issues that occur from all of these factors.
Once the resources are gone they are gone. We need to find ways to stop the food waste NOW before it's too late.
Without food there is no LIFE.
Food is connected to everything on the planet, the health of the people the animals and the environment.
We need to figure out how to take better care of it NOW before we lose it ALL.
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY is on JUNE 5, 2013 - THINK -EAT-SAVE the Planet on this day.
For more information go to United Nations Environmental Program at http://unep.org/wed/


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Whew! Been awhile since I wrote a blog, eh? I often envy the CEO/Founder bloggers that have nothing better to do with their time than to blog 24/7, either because they've figured out some epic magic trick to keep them from working like a maniac on client projects for 22 of the 24 hours of their day, or because they're just plain smarter than I am at running a business. Either way, let's just be happy I cranked this out despite my mile long to-do list staring me point-blank in the face. (gun reference, #1)
When I awoke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning in Boston, a city much quieter than the throws of Los Angeles sirens, morning traffic, and summer construction, I felt relaxed. Relaxed enough to actually take the time to sit at the dining room table, make half a bagel, and *gasp* read the newspaper. I know, I'm as shocked as you are.
Normally, much like daily television news programs (outside of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report), there isn't much that interests me in the newspaper. My interests lie in entertainment, technology, and social change (i.e. forward-thinking peace-like movements). Sadly, there's not much of that in the news, since everything today is about traffic numbers, and those seem to peak from bombings, gun-shootings, horrific accidents, and melee that was drama for someone somewhere. We'll get back to traffic in a minute, though.
The paper that happened to be sitting on the table was The New York Times (way more intellectual than the LA Times, by the way — now I see where I've been going wrong), and the headline was "Computer Scientist Begins Fight Against Big Data." Interest piqued. The article is really a big boner stroke for Jaron Lanier's new book, "Who Owns the Future?", and while I haven't actually read the book (but plan to), it brought up a lot of great points that should resonate with anyone involved in creating content or marketing said content (which by the way, is pretty much — everyone!).
There was one paragraph in particular that really inspired me to share this with you:
Mr. Lanier may not have any personal animus against Mr. Schmidt (Eric, Google). But he describes listening to him and Amazon's Jeff Bezos discuss the future of books just as he, Mr. Lanier, was struggling to write his first one. This prompts an attack on how Siren Servers (read the article) could undermine and impoverish the world of reading, just as they did music.
His point here, less clear without having read the full context of the article, is that "web businesses exploit a peasant class". I know, I know — what the f@$% does that mean? It means this:
The big web companies are growing larger and larger by the second. They also monitor your data and web usage, and then use that data to serve up advertisements and content they think you will find relevant. Meanwhile, all the content you publish not only becomes their property, but now we're beginning to see lack of privacy and control over said data, which in all technicality, should still be your property (although, I say if you don't want it on the 'net, don't put it there). The more we allow these big data companies (Facebook, Google) to control our web experience (and thus, our world, really), the more risk we have of losing the "middle class" of the Internet.
But how?
You see, the Internet and .commers have all been successful because they've done one thing: unite us. For example, my background is in music and tv/film. I've been doing it for over a decade now, and I've been lucky enough to work with top of the top in those industries; but even with that, that's limited to America, nowhere else. But with the Internet, the entire world now becomes your oyster — you have access to everything, from people to information to, most importantly, content.
An Example: My Mad Fat Diary
Last week, I stumbled across a blog in my news feed touting a show called My Mad Fat Diary, which is a British series set in the 90s. I'm going to go ahead and post the OP's comments that got me to watch the show in the first place:
Maybe I've never been to England, but – like Rae (Sharon Rooney) and everyone in the gang on the show – I was 16 in 1996, and that makes everything about this show a nostalgia goldmine. It's like they pulled it all directly out of my 8th-10th grade years. The fashion: chokers and Dwayne Wayne sunglasses, denim spaghetti strap mini-dresses and baby tees, rollneck sweaters, hunter green and navy Tommy Hilfiger shirts, grunge plaid tied around your waist. CK1. Going to raves. Spin the bottle. I'm pretty sure my best friend had the same alarm clock as Rae. Really bad teenage sex advice. Caesar cuts and tiny backpacks. Being worried about Toxic Shock Syndrome. That horrible time before everyone had cell phones. The detail paid to the decade is awesome.
Yup, that was me too. She goes on to outline the music, of which, I couldn't deny reliving. Who could abandon the temptation of Oasis (wow, 90s website!?)? But you know what else it did? I made me start researching some of these other bands in the show that I liked, but had never heard of. I started learning more about British culture and catchphrases, which are fascinating. I started recognizing the incredible amount of talent over the pond that I would have never known existed (Sharon Rooney and Nico Mirallegro are both incredibly talented. I was wowed with their performances. Keep these folks working, people!).
So that's all great and all. Thanks to the Internet, we've found ways to access information on a global scale, although even that's diminishing. With Google's local view on search, it's becoming nearly impossible to find things outside of your geocached zip code unless you happen to be savvy enough to access the in-depth advanced features. Even if you do find the content, such as I did thanks to YouTube with My Mad Fat Diary (thank God e4 didn't protest that!), good luck getting that money back to the people that deserve it. E4 isn't making ad money off the folks that put it on YouTube, which means the actors aren't getting residuals (if they do in the UK? I would assume so, right?). Is E4 going to front making multi-region DVDs and risk high shipping costs in a down economy? Not likely, at least not without a massive spike in Interest. But if everyone can watch it for free on YouTube already, what's the appeal in buying the product once you've gotten it for free? Welcome to the Napster conundrum. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's why Spotify is great. Thanks for redeeming yourself, Sean Parker.
So, back to Mr. Lanier's point. It's the content creators that suffer. If this is the case for a show on a major network in the UK with proven desire internationally, then what about the baby content creators that don't even have an opportunity to get their shown seen or marketed t?. When big data companies like Facebook and Google automate the content curation process to an algorithm and only serve the needs of traffic and advertisers, it limits your ability to discover new content naturally. You can see this today in your news feed and in your search results — in fact, I'll screen grab my attempt at finding the NY Times article through search. Advertisers. None of it was what I wanted (yes, this is not the only search I tried, nor the only parameters. I'm not an idiot, promise). My friends statuses are becoming less and less visible in Facebook. My search results are almost always irrelevant to what I'm looking for. The system is broken. And it's only going to get worse the more people put content on a platform that no longer serves them.
We're in danger of losing what was great about the Internet: uniting through discovery.
Look, as marketers, we all understand it's about monetizing. I've spent the last year with Plastick Media trying to figure out how to get butts in seats at the theater, convince people to buy VOD, support Day & Date VOD / theatrical releases, and get people to buy music on iTunes, content from websites, and how to get sponsors to buy in to the whole ordeal. It's a jungle out there, I get it. But at some point, you have to stop chasing the dollar and start remembering where the dollar is coming from. Serve the content, and the users will come. Serve the advertiser, and you lose the free market discovery tool that gives everyone, equally, an opportunity to get their content in front of valuable eyeballs.