text:
Dear Marvin,
My husband, Tim, and I were married after knowing each other only six days, and we come from two completely different worlds. He was born and raised on a farm in Duluth, Minnesota, and I am from Chicago. I love the city, he loves the country. While he loves to hunt and fish, I love books and poetry and am content to be indoors. While he loves to go camping, my idea of "roughing it" is when a hotel has no room service. We are complete opposites.
Ever since we wed 14 years ago, I have tried to find ways to delve into his world of interests and make those interests my own so as to find more in common with my husband. A few years ago, Tim would go out every Monday night to play cards with the guys and watch ABC's "Monday Night Football."
So I began to watch "Monday Night Football" myself, learn about the plays, the players, the teams, etc., so that when he came home I'd be able to talk over the game with him. He was amazed when I would say, "Hey, did you see when so-and-so did such-and-such?" or "How 'bout those Bears!" It didn't take long before the guys were coming over to our house on Mondays, and I became an even bigger fan than Tim. Now, football is something we both love and, more than that, it's something we share.
I also did the same with golf (which is Tim's first love). I sat through endless hours of tournaments, again got to know who the players were, etc. I even learned to play a little, and now it's an annual event on Tim's birthday that we go golfing together.
This now brings me to the final frontier: cigars. Tim loves cigars. We live on a somewhat modest income, but he has always loved the finer things in life--fine dining (he used to be a chef), golf and, of course, cigars. A few years ago, Tim discovered what he considers the ultimate pleasure--a fine smoke. He also discovered Cigar Aficionado. It takes him a month to get through one issue, as he reads it cover to cover. This newfound interest of Tim's did not please me in the least. Cigars were stinky, an unnecessary indulgence and a bad habit, as far as I was concerned. He has smoked cigars for a few years now, and I have been adamantly opposed as well as extremely uninterested in the whole thing (although it did make it easier to shop for Tim for Christmas and birthdays). This was one of Tim's pastimes I could not, would not attempt to share with Tim.
One day last summer I got up early and sat on our deck soaking up the peace and quiet of the morning. I felt like reading and found a Cigar Aficionado Tim had been absorbing the night before. I brought it outside and, alas, I was enthralled with the articles and everything else behind the glossy cover. I was hooked. Since then, I too am an avid reader and the first to purchase the magazine off the newsstand. I usually place the new edition on Tim's pillow, and he's always surprised and grateful that I had thought of him (he just doesn't know that when he's asleep I grab it and read it, too). But there was still the matter of my negative feelings toward the cigar smoking itself.
About a month ago, Tim and I went out to a nice pool hall. I love to play pool, but I soon realized there was an ulterior motive in his choice of places to play pool. This particular place has a huge cigar selection, and everyone can enjoy a good smoke without the usual stares and comments from non-cigar smokers. When Tim perused the display case of cigars for what seemed like forever, then picked one, I was very disappointed. He was actually going to puff on that reeking tube while we shot pool! But my enthusiasm for the game outweighed my disgust, and we went to pick a table and (finally) started to shoot. We played game after game while he took puff after puff. Would that darn cigar ever end, I asked myself?
I still cannot believe what happened next. When Tim went to get us something to drink, I took my shot, missed, then sat and waited for him to come back. So there I was, waiting. Then I looked at the cigar. I looked again. "No, I shouldn't," I thought. "I can't," I thought. "It would be really disgusting to take a puff of that tobacco sausage they call a cigar," I said to myself. Tim had been after me for so long to just try it, but I had always refused, no matter how long he extolled the virtues of cigars, no matter how endlessly he described the variety of tastes that could be enjoyed in just one smoke. I never believed a word of it. But that cigar beckoned me.
I walked over to it. I looked at it. I touched it. Then I picked it up. It felt good between my fingers. I then did what I had always considered the unthinkable. I lit it. I took a puff. I took another, this time a little longer. I savored the flavor of it. I sat on a chair and I found that I enjoyed each puff more than the last. So this is what all the talk is about! Why didn't I listen? I realized then how much pleasure I had missed out on.
When Tim came back to the table, his mouth dropped in shock at what he saw--his wife, who had for so long rebelled against the idea of smoking a stogie, in her own little world, relaxed, head tilted back, eyes closed, not even in a hurry to resume her all-time favorite sport. The look of sheer pleasure on Tim's face at seeing me with a cigar between my lips could not possibly compare to the look of pleasure on my own face.
Since that night we have discovered another common interest. We often go out on the deck, even when it's freezing cold outside, and lose ourselves to that world to which only a fine cigar can take us. Only now, we go to that world together. Love and a fine cigar--what more can one ask out of life?
Kathleen Mosier
Duluth, Minnesota
Dear Marvin,
On June 7, the Detroit Red Wings took the Stanley Cup in a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers! I had a wonderful day with family and friends.
The day started out sunny and beautiful, a picture-perfect day to enjoy a hometown team winning the most coveted prize in all of hockey. I have played hockey since I was six years old, and have been a Red Wings fan ever since I could skate. I have seen that team go through some very rough seasons, but I always enjoyed watching them play.
From the old Olympia Arena to the new Joe Louis Arena, fans from all over were dedicated to that team! I know many people will say that their hometown team has the most dedicated fans, but after I saw how many fans showed up for our team's parade in downtown Detroit, I am convinced that the Red Wings have the most dedicated fans. Also, I can't describe to you the electricity that was felt inside Joe Louis Arena that night. It was something that I'll never forget. I was hugging and slapping high-fives with people I didn't even know, and it was great!
Anyway, back to Saturday, June 7, 1997. I had a party at my home in St. Clair Shores, and family and friends came to enjoy the historic event. To start it off, I hand-painted the Red Wing logo in my front lawn for everyone in my neighborhood to enjoy. Then, the party started! We enjoyed the game in my garage, because I have a 10-month-old, and I promised my wife to never smoke cigars in our home. I started off the evening with a Zino No. 6, one of my favorite cigars. I was kind of disappointed to see it rated so low in the August 1997 issue--maybe your tasters had a bad batch! After Darren McCarty scored the second goal of the game to give the Wings a 2-0 lead, I lit up a Por Larrañaga Fabuloso--another favorite. During this time, my father, father-in-law, uncle and friends were all enjoying cigars. Then the moment came: the Wings won, and Steve Yzerman was hoisting the Stanley Cup! My friends and I lit up Cuban Montecristo No. 1s! Nothing will describe that feeling: an excellent cigar, my favorite hockey team winning the Stanley Cup, and sharing that experience with my family and friends! The moment was awesome. We partied the rest of the night! Way to go, Red Wings!!
Mike Stabnick
St. Clair Shores, Michigan
Dear Marvin,
Here's one for romance! In May, while traveling in Paris, France, I came upon a wonderful discovery: Cuban cigars. Is it true what they say about these? Realizing that I would be in Paris for only 10 days, I knew that it would require a lot of sampling to get through all of the different varieties at hand. I tried Romeo y Julietas, Montecristos and Cohibas, and felt that the Romeo y Julietas were the find of the year!
I had imagined Paris to be number one in the fashion industry. Imagine how surprised I was when I could not find anyone enjoying a cigar. This did not stop me; after dinner and a drink, I lit up a fine Cuban cigar! Shocked onlookers turned and whispered, "A woman smoking a cigar--oh, my!" They watched, I smoked! They stared, I smiled and smoked some more.
Then the bravest man would approach and inquire about this. "Did I enjoy smoking cigars?" "Yes, very much so!" "Where are you from with that accent?" "Los Angeles, California." "Oh! This could only happen in California." They were so inquisitive. This went on almost every night; they finally concluded this to be sexy.
On my last night there, in the most romantic city, while enjoying my Romeo y Julietas, thinking how romantic things were--the name, the cigar, the town--the only thing missing was my Romeo. No sooner thought...a single stem, red rose appears...and a moment later a young gentleman approaches the table, intrigued by the woman with the cigar. After 10 questions, he wanted to enjoy also! We shared the cigar together. I then took the band off and set it on the table. He picked it up, memorized it and placed it on the table, then played with it--as though it were made of gold. I smiled and told him to be careful, that I would "make him my husband if he was not careful." He laughed and said, "I have always wanted an American wife!" We laughed.
Realizing that I had about 20 minutes left to my cigar, I agreed to be his American wife--for 20 minutes! He quickly asked for a kiss. Oh, Romeo!!!
Then he quickly asked for the honeymoon; wow, did this "French Romeo" move fast!! Enjoying my Romeo y Julieta, I laughed and told him that this was the honeymoon.
We then decided to go dancing. I had not found a dance place in Paris and wanted to try it all, so I agreed. He quickly tightened the band on his finger, reminding me that "I was his American wife!" Off to Moulin Rouge, to dance all night, with my new French husband, who was my husband for nine hours until he kissed me goodbye and off I went to the airport. Who knew that one cigar could make for such a romantic event!
Martha Rodriguez
Covina, California
Dear Marvin,
I just wanted to present this poem to you to say thanks. Thanks for a great magazine and for bringing me together with others who enjoy the finer things in life. As an entrepreneur, I have a great appreciation for anyone who has the guts to put his money where his vision is and take on the risk of starting such a venture. It's people like yourself who ought to be admired in our society today, instead of our current crop of human debris. Anyway, I wrote this poem to honor one of my favorite passions and to all those likewise who savor one of God's greatest gifts to mankind -- a CIGAR! My best to you and to all those at Cigar Aficionado.
A cigar is a smoke it's plain to see,
One of life's little treasures it ever will be
On a warm Summer's day or a crisp Autumn's eve,
A cigar is delightful to give or receive.
From its smooth, silky wrapper with its bright oily sheen,
To the binder and filler that lies in between.
From its spicy aroma to its wafting blue smoke,
Light up in sorrow or while telling a joke.
When others around you just don't understand,
Smoke to the freedom you hold in your hand.
When life's constant worries leave you in a huff,
Just burn them away with each savored puff.
From Churchill to Burns, to Kipling to Twain,
Each cherished joining tobacco to flame.
At the end of the day there's no better greeter,
Than a cigar wrought with the scent of a humidor's cedar.
Hecho A Mano, it's made by hand,
Nourished by sunlight in a tropical land.
You can search the World over near and far, But please, if you do, take a cigar!
Greg Cunningham
Charlottesville, Virginia
Dear Marvin,
In your August 1997 Cigar Aficionado, Doug Shaw of Carl Junction, Missouri, ended his letter with: "If a guy can do better that that, please tell me how."
Well, just a few months ago, I'd been married all of eight or nine hours to my new beautiful Brazilian bride, and the scene at my home was intoxicating: the deck surrounded with Latin torches, flames flickering in a soft spring breeze; two grills billowing smoke for the last two hours with the smells and morsels of Brazilian cuisine tantalizing every taste bud. My best friend and his family were there, over in the lounge chair my grown son sat with his girlfriend in his lap, other good friends were all around in gaiety and laughter. Sitting beside me was my brother, five years my elder. We watched his Brazilian wife, guitar in hand, as she and my new bride sang love songs to us in their native tongue. I sat there, floating on a cloud with my favorite brew in hand, when my brother, without a word, looked at me, grinned and handed me a beautiful, hand-rolled Dominican cigar. The next hour was nothing short of pure, relaxing ecstasy! Doug, I wasn't there for yours, but I sure wish you could have been there for mine.
After kicking the awful cigarette habit, I can now enjoy good cigars. I'm a police officer in a moderate-size city, and after a day of dealing with criminals, I like to come home to my waiting wife, shed my gear, throw on some old shorts and sit out in the quiet of the night with my wife while looking into the stars and drawing on a good cigar. I have to laugh at myself sometimes when I'm on patrol and I catch myself wishing the shift was over just so I could get my hands on that cigar. When I do enjoy these late-night rendezvous, my wedding day Churrasco always fondly sweeps through my mind.
You folks at Cigar Aficionado are first-class. Muito obrigado.
Dean Charlton
High Point, North Carolina
Dear Marvin,
I am an attorney with a large communications corporation based in New York City. We also have offices on the West Coast, where I frequently travel. Several months ago I was in San Francisco for a three-day meeting. One evening, I went out to dinner with two gentlemen associates (from the San Francisco office). We went to a splendid restaurant on the Wharf. At the conclusion of dinner, we went outside to the dockside lounge for a drink. One of the gentlemen I was with asked me if I would be offended if he lit a cigar (which was very considerate knowing I was a nonsmoker).
Well, I truly cannot tell you if it was the atmosphere, the B&B, or a combination of both, but I suddenly had an urge to try a cigar! It took me a few minutes, but I gathered enough courage to ask Jim if I could try one. The next thing I knew, I was gently blowing puffy clouds of delicious smoke into the sea air and enjoying it more than I could ever imagine! In a few short minutes, I went from a nonsmoker to someone who can cut a cigar, properly light it and, most important, savor it. I will never forget my first H. Upmann Corona.
When I returned home two days later, there was a box of H. Upmann Petit Coronas, along with a sterling silver cutter, beautifully gift-wrapped on my desk. Later that evening, after a long day's work and take-out dinner at the office, I returned home. The first thing I did was kick off my heels, peel off my stockings, open a bottle of Chardonnay and light up on my terrace overlooking the Great South Bay of Long Island. Since then I enjoy those evenings perhaps two or three times a week and have purchased a humidor and have added some Macanudos, Don Diegos and Onyx to the collection. Now, all I have to do is gain enough courage to inform my wonderful fiancé, who is a huge nonsmoking proponent. I love him dearly, but I also love my cigars.Wish me luck!
Pamela M.
Long Island, New York
Dear Marvin,
So often we hear the adage, "You get what you pay for." The implication being, of course, that the costlier the product, the better the product. In discussing the pricing of cigars with dealers and friends, I have found this notion to be especially prevalent; on many occasions, for example, a cigar dealer has dissuaded me from choosing among relatively inexpensive cigars, suggesting that "the quality demanded by the discriminating palate" is much more likely to be found among the higher-priced, so-called "premium" cigars.
Cigar Aficionado's blind ratings of cigars, however, tell quite a different story. As a scientific researcher, I could not keep myself from running some statistical analyses on these ratings (please forgive me) to see whether there really is any correlation between cigar price and quality. Using the ratings of cigars available in the United States from your last four issues (361 in all) and analyzing them by cigar type, by country of origin and by combining all of the ratings together, the results consistently show that there is, in fact, virtually no correlation between cigar price and quality.
When the information is graphed, it is immediately apparent that the average quality of the rated cigars differs little across a wide range of prices, and the chances of finding a highly rated cigar among those costing just a few dollars are about the same as they are among those costing considerably more; similarly, the chances of finding a relatively poorly rated cigar are also about the same in the low and high price ranges. For the mathematically inclined, the "r-squared value" for this (linear) correlation is a minuscule 0.02, indicating that 98 percent of the pricing of these cigars is related to factors other than quality (as assessed by Cigar Aficionado's tasters). Of course, it is possible that cigars not included in these ratings may fare otherwise, but the large number of cigars included in this sample makes it unlikely that this would often be the case.
In short, where fine cigars are involved, costlier is not better. Routinely purchasing the lesser-priced cigars rated by Cigar Aficionado will not only give you many hours of great smoking pleasure, but will leave you with plenty of money left over for renewing your subscription to this excellent publication.
Jack G. Modell
Leeds, Alabama
Dear Marvin,
I consider myself a very fortunate man. My golf buddy/cigar compadre bought tickets for the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. We watched all the action as it unfolded on Friday and Saturday. I got to see the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus; the newest phenom, Tiger Woods; and all the fabulous pros in between.
I also met up with some friends from high school whom I had not seen in more than a year. Needless to say, my friends and I lit up some beautiful hand-rolled Dominicans over our two-day outing. During the rain delay on Friday, I enjoyed a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur No. 2, lukewarm beer and good conversation.
On Saturday, I had waited to light my Montecruz Robusto until the afternoon. We were watching Davis Love III come down the ninth fairway. No sooner had I lit my stogie than one of the off-duty marshals started giving me a hard time about my cigar. He said, "Oh, no! You're one of those people!" as he waived his hands mockingly, blowing away the smoke. I told this ignorant gentleman (who was clearly high on his "marshal" powers) that I had every right to smoke a cigar in the open air and if he didn't like it, he should move. My friends shouted "Aire libre!" and whipped out their cigars and lit up in my defense.
It was about a half hour later, as our smokes were nearing an end, that we got to see Jack Nicklaus up close and personal and cheered him on with a "You the Man!" My love of golf and cigars have always gone hand in hand. The joy I derive from both of these activities should not have to take a back seat to anyone, especially a cranky, off-duty, overzealous marshal.
As I said earlier, I am a very lucky man. On Aug. 16, my wife, Sheryn, gave birth to a 10-pound, 1-ounce boy, Ryan Joseph, and I look forward to the day that I can walk down the fairway with him enjoying a good smoke, teaching him about the finer things in life: golf and cigars. Also, I would be remiss if I did not thank my friend, Ed, for giving me the opportunity to experience a U.S. Open.
Patrick J. Vincent
Marlton, New Jersey
Dear Marvin,
Myself and 14 friends were out on our annual golf excursion to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this May. On Saturday, May 3, we were dining at Umberto's restaurant at Barefoot Landing. The owner, Bob, was a great host and bent the rules slightly to accommodate 15 cigar smokers in the semi-enclosed porch, which was greatly appreciated.
This particular Saturday night was a special one in Myrtle Beach due to the grand opening of the new House of Blues Club and Restaurant. While we were eating, the waiter mentioned that the partners in House of Blues were also eating dinner at Umberto's. I noticed Jim Belushi sitting a couple of tables away from us. Knowing how much Jim enjoys a good cigar, I approached the table to briefly introduce myself and pass along a La Gloria Cubana Charlemagne to him. As I made my way back to my table, Jim called me back to his table and reciprocated with a La Gloria Cubana Wavell! We chatted briefly about how much we both enjoy the fine products of Ernesto Carillo and Co. and, of course, how difficult they can be to find.
The next day on the seventh tee of our morning round, I sparked the Wavell he gave me and promptly birdied the next two holes on my way to a victory over a good friend!
This story is just another example of the unbelievable camaraderie that exists among cigar smokers. Keep up the great work!
Pierce H. Foster Jr.
Greenwich, Connecticut
Dear Marvin,
In mid-June my father and I headed to California for one of his business trips. Normally I would not be included in one of these trips, but I had recently finished a semester at school and needed a vacation. We were heading to the Sacramento and San Francisco areas--Sacramento for the business portion of the trip and then San Francisco to visit relatives and sightsee.
To make a long story short we had spent a week looking around and taking in all of the sights, and the next day we had a flight back to Virginia. My father and I had spent a week worth of quality time together and I figured I would top the trip off by sharing a cigar with my dad on Father's Day. Before this night I had never smoked with my dad, so this was a special bonding night; I have always been real close to my father, but this night was incredible.
Before we left home I happened to pick up a couple of Cuban Montecristo No. 2s and, thanks to your Web site, the name of some popular cigar bars in San Francisco. So heading out for our last night on the town, I took my dad to Fume, a cigar bar right next to our hotel. The bar was quiet on a Sunday night, but what a great atmosphere for a smoke with my dad. With jazz playing over the speakers we sat down, ordered some drinks and lit up our cigars. I had heard about Cuban cigars being good, but this cigar was probably the best I ever had. My dad smoked his down to the nub and practically burned his knuckles. We sat around talking about cigars and life. I will always remember that evening for the pleasure that my father and I experienced from sharing one of life's simple treats together.
J.K. Ronay
Fairfax, Virginia
Dear Marvin,
If it wasn't for the Internet, I would never have been introduced to the wonderful world of cigars. Last year I bought a new super-duper computer and decided to go on-line. The world of the Internet opened up before me; locating anything on the Internet is a bit like searching through a darkened Library of Congress with a pen flashlight. Eventually I found IRC, or Internet Relay Chat, and parked myself as a regular in one of the chat channels.
Around that same time a man in Oklahoma named Ross was discovering the same chat channel and we began talking. It turns out that Ross is a cigar lover, and I shared with him the fact that although I have never been a smoker I have always had a desire to smoke a cigar, sip a glass of Port and read a good book. That was my picture of peace and tranquility and some day I would try it.
Well, for Christmas I received a package from Oklahoma. You guessed it! Included in the package was my very first cigar, along with a little handbook on how to smoke it. The cigar wasn't anything fancy, but it was perfect for a newcomer. I fell in love with cigars.
Now I've had the experience of sharing some cigars with Ross; we both try different types and share our cigar adventures. We've both also had the opportunity to acquire a few Cuban cigars for each other--what a treat.
Not long ago I flew to Oklahoma to meet Ross and his family. He had set aside some special cigars for me and I brought him a few that he had never tried. We had a wonderful visit and each evening we would sit on the back porch and enjoy a fine cigar and warm friendship.
Ross and I have many years of friendship ahead of us--but we also have many years of cigar swapping and experimenting ahead thanks to the Internet. As our friendship continues to grow, so will our cigar icollections!
Kathleen M. Bradley
Olympia, Washington
Dear Marvin,
Tonight is my last night of undergraduate work at a small Christian college in west Tennessee. As I'm about to transfer to a nearby professional school, I can't help but reflect on the memories of the past few years. I've developed friendships here that cannot compare to anything I've ever experienced.
Though I have a few close friends who choose not to smoke, I have had the opportunity to develop relationships with several young men who share my love of a good cigar. I cannot count the times that have been shared, whether in deep conversation or in silence, with the accompaniment of a good smoke. These experiences have ranged from celebration of a new job or acceptance to professional school to consoling one over the loss of a parent.
Tonight being our last night on campus, we're going to do it one last time. I've chosen for this evening an Arturo Fuente that I've kept perfectly humidified for almost a year. Tonight will be different, though. Following graduation this weekend we will all be going our own way.
Marvin, I write this letter to say thank you. Thank you to Mr. Floyd, our local fine tobacco dealer, for supplying us with the catalyst for these experiences. Thank you to these friends for being there and sharing some of the best times of my life. And most importantly, thank you to God, for blessing me with these relationships and memories that I hold as priceless.
Kelly D. Green
Jackson, Tennessee
Dear Marvin,
I was recently returning from our family vacation home on the Colorado River near Lake Havasu, Arizona, when I was caught in a summer flash flood. The storm rolled in right as the sun was setting and while I was traveling west on a road affectionately known as Rice Road. This type of storm dumps a lot of rain in a short period, and usually has a spectacular light and sound show to go with it.
Fortunately, I was on high ground, so I pulled to the side of the road and pulled out an Arturo Fuente Hemingway that was a gift from a good friend. Sitting in my vehicle smoking the cigar while the storm raged over my head, with thunder shaking the car and lightning bolts from horizon to horizon and enough rain to form puddles in seconds, all I could think of was how small and insignificant we are in comparison to the might of Mother Nature.
The storm passed through in about 40 minutes, leaving in its wake numerous newly formed streams. The remnants of the sunset lit up the sky in a burning red and purple glow. While proceeding slowly down the road, I was thankful for being an unscathed witness to this awe-inspiring natural phenomenon, and for good friends with excellent taste.*
James P. Rose
Belmont Shore, California


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LOSSY JOINT SOURCE CHANNEL CODING FOR MULTICAST AND MULTIPLE DESCRIPTION APPLICATIONS by Ozgun Bursalioglu Yilmaz A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Ful llment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING) December 2011 Copyright 2011 Ozgun Bursalioglu Yilmaz
Object Description
|Lossy joint source channel coding for multicast and multiple description applications
|Yilmaz, Ozgun Bursalioglu
|Author email
|Doctor of Philosophy
|Document type
|Degree program
|Electrical Engineering
|Viterbi School of Engineering
|Date defended/completed
|Date submitted
|Date approved
|Restricted until
|Date published
|Advisor (committee chair)
|Caire, Giuseppe
|Advisor (committee member)
Ortega, Antonio
Dimakis, Alexandros G.
Ghandeharizadeh, Shahram
|The broad objective of this thesis is to tackle the problems of delay intolerant multimedia transmission over wireless networks. Robust, finite block length code design that can operate at different rates to satisfy heterogenous node connections and sources is of interest. ❧ In the first part of this thesis, we propose a joint source-channel coding scheme that combines the advantages and simplicity of standard transform coding with the robustness of modern linear codes. The idea is to combine entropy coding and channel coding into a single linear encoding stage. If the channel is symmetric, the scheme can asymptotically achieve the optimal rate-distortion limit. However, its advantages appear even more clearly in the practical case of finite coding delay and complexity. Besides its effective performance for finite block length, it is also shown that the proposed joint source-channel coding architecture can be easily incorporated into existing networks, while maintaining the advantages and the flexibility of the separated paradigm. To this end we consider multicast and multiple description scenarios. ❧ Multimedia services such as audio and video streaming represent one of the most important Internet applications. Beyond many possible architectures, the fundamental problem consists of multicasting a source to several users subject to some desired fidelity levels. In this thesis this problem is addressed from a source-channel coding viewpoint where a number of relevant system optimization problems are formulated. ❧ Next, the multiple description coding over bit error channels is considered. A novel practical multiple description coding scheme is proposed based on scalar embedded quantizers and rateless codes. A peer-to-peer network model is studied where users can receive different number of descriptions and an arbitrary large number of descriptions can be created and transmitted between peers. For this network model convex system optimization problems are defined and solved. ❧ Moreover, the proposed joint source channel coding scheme is applied to the important case of lossy transmission of digital images. A new coding scheme for image transmission over noisy channel is proposed. Similar to standard image compression, the scheme includes a linear transform followed by embedded scalar quantization. Joint source-channel coding is implemented by optimizing the rate allocation across the source subbands, treated as the components of a parallel source model. Due to the quantizer selection, non-binary code design for the linear encoder is established. ❧ Finally, we investigate the effect of block length in Unequal Error Protection schemes. In these schemes, the source and channel coding parts are separated where the file transmission is done progressively using finite length coding blocks which are not necessarily of the same length. Dynamic programs are established for optimal rate allocations in multicast scenarios.
|image transmission; information theory; rateless codes; source-channel coding
|Part of collection
|University of Southern California dissertations and theses
|Publisher (of the original version)
|University of Southern California
|Place of publication (of the original version)
|Los Angeles, California
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|University of Southern California. Libraries
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|University of Southern California
|Yilmaz, Ozgun Bursalioglu
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|The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.
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|University of Southern California Digital Library
|Repository address
|USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA
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|LOSSY JOINT SOURCE CHANNEL CODING FOR MULTICAST AND MULTIPLE DESCRIPTION APPLICATIONS by Ozgun Bursalioglu Yilmaz A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Ful llment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING) December 2011 Copyright 2011 Ozgun Bursalioglu Yilmaz


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Welcome To Foodie Friends Friday Party 194
It's Time to Party and Celebrate Spring!
Link up your favorite springtime recipes and DIY/crafts, 'mingle' by visiting some of the other party goers, and enjoy the delicious recipes and new DIYs.
As our thank you we continue to share on our social media outlets each weekend.
Below are the 3 Recipes/Posts that received the Most Clicks from Last Week's Party:
Below are the Host Favorites from Last Week's Party. They are featured on the Foodie Friends Friday Daily Dish Magazine. Each featured recipe or DIY/craft is linked back to the original blog post.
You also do not want to miss a few extra "Too Good Not Share" favorites as well.
One of my favorites shared last weekend was Homemade Catalina Salad Dressing from the Little House Living blog.
Stop by for the Recipe HERE and you can also Pin For Later.
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I'm sorry guys, I don't feel like talking now. Just put down, "Papi stinks."At the plate:
1st: K, man on second, 2nd outIt was Ortiz's worst day in a Red Sox uniform. One hard-hit ball in seven trips to the plate, 12 men left on base (tying a franchise record for futility), an inning-ending out in each of his last five at-bats. When the Red Sox loaded the bases with one out in the 12th, I wished we could skip Flo's spot in the order and have Bay bat after Pedroia. I never thought I'd say that, but he looked defeated even before he stepped into the batters box.
3rd: L9, man on second, 1st out
4th: K, bases loaded, 3rd out
6th: K, man on second, 3rd out
8th: F7, men on first/third, 3rd out
10th: 3U, man on second, 3rd out
12th: 2-3, bases loaded, 3rd out
Ortiz (.208/.318/.300) will get the night off as Boston plays in Seattle; his only other day off this year was on May 7. But then what? In addition to any troubles with his swing or pitch recognition, Ortiz's emotional state is also shot. Even if the Red Sox decide to DL him -- he did get hit on the wrist the other day -- that is simply another pause button to postpone dealing with this problem.
Ortiz showed some signs of live in a nine-game stretch in late April, when he hit .316 (but with zero walks). And while he is walking more in May, his batting and slugging averages are worse this month than in April. No matter how much regular playing time the Red Sox decide to give him to get back on track, he cannot continue to hit #3.
Say the Red Sox move him to #5 in the order (where he spent most of his time in 2003), and nothing changes for another month? I cannot see them releasing or trading him. Do they go with a platoon at DH, giving Youkilis, Drew, Kotsay, Lowell, etc. an occasional day-off -- and use a roster spot for a part-time, DH-only player? Do they give some DH time to Carter and Bailey? Do they look for a bat outside the organization?
The best solution would be if Ortiz can start hitting again -- even a repeat of 2008 would be welcome -- but judging from both his performance and body language over the past few days, he's got a long way to go.
I guess we'll take this one game at a time. And David Ortiz will watch tonight's contest from the bench.


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tggzzz, syau, vk6zgo, mansaxel, Wolfgang, 25 CPS, Kosmic, opabob, lucatz, Hexley and 36 Guests are viewing this topic.
Here - as a certifiable TGAS sufferer (who am I kidding - I'm not suffering - I enjoy it!!) - let me flesh that ellipsis section out:5. Buy op/service manuals for test gear on evilBay6. Troubleshoot test gear7. Seek out obsolete/discontinued components to repair test gear 8. Read nixie thread and/or look at old HP Instrumentation catalogs 9. Repeat steps 2 through 7, now searching for older, heavier, more expensive to ship things ....12. Buy or build more shelves to hold test gear 13. (or later) - build first circuit -Pat
14. Repeat steps 2 to 12 numerous times, either till the house is full ( then move to a bigger house) or the wife leaves.
Today i just filled the last spot in my 42U high rack cabinet by adding in a Gigatronics 6100 8GHz synthesizer that managed to repair at 2 in the morning. ...but i also scored a Tektronix pattern generator for 40 bucks on ebay a few days ago. For me it mostly started as getting the test gear i needed for a better price since quality brand new gear costs a fortune. But in order to find a good deal on places like ebay means looking trough a lot of pages and keeping eyes open, as good deals go fast, but along the way one keeps coming across other gear that you perhaps don't need right now but it would be neat to have. But hey all this test gear is useful for doing work and you can always sell it (If done right for more than what you payed for it)... tho i only ever sold 1 piece of test equipment so far (And lost money on it cause i bought it new).Still better than collecting stamps (Tho they are easier to ship overseas il give them that)
will your house also serve coffee? I don't drink TEA
I need some therapy...I think i have replaced all my test equipment about three times over From now i pormise myself to go with the 2for1-method, i have to sell two instruments to buy me a new one.
Just say NO to TEA.
Its just a small step from TEA to SPEED (Systematic Preservation of Endangered Electronic Devices). SPEED destroys lives!
Just say NO to TEA.Its just a small step from TEA to SPEED (Systematic Preservation of Endangered Electronic Devices). SPEED destroys lives!
1. Buy essential test equipment at bargain price2. Investigate faults.3. Fix major faults4. Buy a similar model for parts5. Repair both, and keep both in case one breaks6. Find minor faults in functions you'll never use7. Buy another piece of test equipment to fix / calibrate it with8. goto 2
@artag. That scenario does sound strangely familiar. I've gotten some gear just to calibrate earlier acquisitions.Fixing stuff is great. But deciding which to keep and which to sell can be difficult. It's easier when considering that selling them quickly enables one to acquire and fix more cool stuff. Uh oh.
Quote from: lwatts666 on January 16, 2017, 10:01:34 pmJust say NO to TEA.Its just a small step from TEA to SPEED (Systematic Preservation of Endangered Electronic Devices). SPEED destroys lives!when youre already on SPEED, then its only a small step towards METH, Maintaining Endangered Test gear at Home.


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About Indiana
Indiana sits at "the crossroads of America." It borders Lake Michigan and the state of Michigan to the north, Ohio to the east, Kentucky to the south, and Illinois to the west, making it an integral part of the American Midwest. Except for Hawaii, Indiana is the smallest state west of the Appalachian Mountains. After the American Revolution the lands of Indiana were open to U.S. settlers. The influx of white immigrants brought increased war with the Native American tribes. The conflicts continued until the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe, which was won by General, and future president, William Henry Harrison. With a name that is generally thought to mean "land of the Indians," Indiana was admitted on Dec. 11, 1816, as the 19th state of the union. Its capital has been at Indianapolis since 1825.


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Přímý kontakt ve Vaší zemi (česky).
Obrázek 1/5
The evacuation system has an air volume of 140,000 m3/h and is operated by two blower units. "In order to avoid a drop in pressure, we needed to use a duct of large dimensions and since the air itself is relatively acidic, a stainless solution was also required," explains Peter Orrö. "The choice of Lindab as the supplier for this part of the installation was made by YIT in collaboration with us and Flygfältsbyrån." FB Engineering has overall planning responsibility for the entire plant and Lindab's customer,YIT, has been responsible for the technical installations.
Hanholmsvägen 69
602 38 Norrköping


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these Valentines are cool.
60 bugs. (I love this song.)
Free People (free download)
Promise Tangeman (free download)
Leo on the Loose (free coloring page download)
Moosejaw's emergency love poem.
The Domestic Scientist.
Ryan Jacob Smith.
happy deliveries.
LOST valentine via io9. (free download)
And another one from here.
And holy awesome ... these!
6 comments:
now i want a boyfriend.ReplyDelete
these are so cute!
Ok, those LOST Valentine's are just plain awesome, thanks for finding them!ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for including my Valentine's Day coloring sheet printables! xoxoReplyDelete
love those Valentine's.ReplyDelete
I love the one "Dump her and be mine". That cracks me up : )ReplyDelete
Great post.
I love that first card, one of my favorite songs. I think I need that card!!!!ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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\nQ. What should I do if I accidentally climax too quickly during sex?
First, there's no need to apologize or be embarrassed. Unless it happens all the time, most women are understanding about a fast finish and may even take it as a compliment. Just don't think that sex is over when you orgasm-she can still catch up. Take a few breaths to clear your head, and then turn your attention back to her. Kiss her deeply, massage her breasts and belly and thighs, run your fingers through her hair, and slowly bring her to bliss using the other tools at your disposal. Your penis may no longer be cooperating, but you still have 10 fully functioning fingers and a perfectly capable tongue, right?
Q. My girlfriend wants me to say "I love you," but I'm just not there yet. How can I handle the situation without losing her?
You have to make it clear that while you're not ready now, you do think you will be in the future. How direct you need to be depends on how blatantly she asks what's up. If she's just saying "I love you," don't say it back, but don't leave her hanging either. Give her a big hug, tell her that she's wonderful, and say you feel closer to her every day. If she's asking point-blank why you won't drop those three little words, then gently explain that you're falling hard, but you want to make sure you really mean it when you finally do say it' you just need some time. She won't like it, but she'll have to accept it.
Q. My wife wants to role-play. How do I do this without feeling and looking like an idiot?
I totally understand the sexual stage fright-any kind of acting gives me sweaty palms, which is not exactly a turn-on. The good news is that you don't need to don full-on Renaissance Fair garb and call her a lusty wench right off the bat. Start slowly. Watch a sexy movie together, and perform whatever sex acts the characters do (try 9 1/2 Weeks, Y Tu Mamá También, or Basic Instinct for starters). Or rent a hotel room, and then
go to the hotel bar to pretend that you're meeting each other for the first time, and just see what happens from there. The key is to kick back and have fun, not stress about staying true to character.
Q. When a woman offers to split the bill on a first date, should I take her up on it?
At your own risk, buddy. I always reach for my wallet at the end of a date, but it's only because I don't want the guy to think I feel entitled or am unappreciative, and I'll be disappointed if he doesn't wave me off, at least on date one. (By date two, it's a different story.) It's old-fashioned, sure, and I can see why these expectations are technically unfair. But the truth is that when a guy pays, it says that he wants to do something nice for me, which makes me feel special; when he doesn't, it makes me feel like he doesn't really like me. Is that the message you want to send?
Q. I'm renting a room in my apartment, and the most trustworthy candidate is a woman. My girlfriend is not happy. How can I make her relax?
Honestly? By finding a dude to live with instead. Barring that, you need to make her feel like the new girl isn't a threat to your relationship. So whatever the next step is, consider taking it: Buy her a toothbrush to leave by your sink, give her a drawer in your bedroom, or hand over a spare key and let her know she's free to barge in on you playing video games any time she wants. Prove to her that you're thinking about your future with her, not about Miss Craigslist in a towel, and she'll feel (slightly) placated that she's still the woman of the house. But again: To avoid the drama, just find a guy.
Q. Which is more important, width or length?
Gun to my head: Width, and surveys show that most women agree. The most sensitive part of a woman's vagina is the first few inches, so the more stimulation in that area, the better sex tends to feel. However, penis size is only one factor in a woman's pleasure, and the perfect penis (whatever that is) can't make up for a guy who doesn't know what to do with it. Worried you don't measure up? For deeper penetration, try doggie-style positions. For a snugger fit and maximum stimulation, grind your hips in circles during sex. Whatever you do, don't ask her if your member is big enough. Lack of confidence is far more of a turn-off than smaller-than-average anatomy.
News Flash, Not All Women are Relationship Obsessed
For more tips just like these, check out CFG: Cosmo For Guys, a monthly app for men on the iPad. Download CFG for him here.


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Penelope's Genuine Fondness Promise Ring
Express your love for all your special loved ones with our personalized promise rings. Begin customizing your very own promise ring for your significant others. Nothing says I love you more than a gift that was specifically designed and crafted for your loved ones. Make your ring as personal as possible by adding their birthstones and engraving their names and a special message for them into the ring.You also have the option to engrave your name and birthstone to the ring to make it extra special and unique. Your significant others are guaranteed to love their gift. If they aren't in love after 15 days feel free to return it Hassle free!


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Harvey hurls four-hit shutout for first complete game
Collins loosens reins on young Mets ace, who is nearing innings limit
NEW YORK -- One year and two weeks into his big league career, Matt Harvey's life remains a clutter of pitch counts and innings limits. On an organizational level, the Mets continue to make decisions about him far above his pay grade. They will almost certainly shut him down at some point this season.
Manager Terry Collins understands all that, and accepts it, but also knows his job is to mold Harvey's star within the confines of those limits. So despite a litany of reasons why he might not have let Harvey finish off his first career shutout Wednesday night -- a four-hit, 5-0 masterpiece over the Rockies -- Collins stuck with his ace.
"You don't have many opportunities to pitch shutouts," Collins said. "He needs to know how to do it."
It was a bucket-list item for Harvey, the way some people might consider skydiving or a trip to Europe. Though he had done little but excel over his first year-plus in the big leagues, Harvey had never pitched a complete-game shutout. Twice this season, he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Six times, he struck out double-digit batters. Once in May he even fired a nine-inning one-hitter, only to take a no-decision in an extra-inning victory.
But never a shutout. So despite Harvey's impending innings limit, and despite the line drive that ricocheted off his right kneecap with two outs in the ninth, Collins wanted his young ace to finish it.
The last batter was Troy Tulowitzki -- the most fearsome Rockies slugger with Carlos Gonzalez injured. Falling behind, 2-0, Harvey eventually ran the count to 3-2 on a 98-mph fastball, his 105th pitch of the night. He said afterward that he felt so strong, he might have been able to keep pitching if needed.
But Harvey did not want to. Nor did the 27,581 spectators at Citi Field, most of whom were on their feet at that point, chanting his name as he stared in, came to the set ... and stepped off the mound.
"I was so locked in," Harvey said, "that I completely forgot to look at the signs."
A second glance revealed that catcher John Buck wanted a slider, which Harvey delivered over the heart of the plate at 91 mph. Tulowitzki popped it up to seal the shutout.
"When he's on, he's one of those guys you're not going to string a lot of hits together off of," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said, before adding: "He was on."
"He was dirty," clarified Rockies first baseman Todd Helton, who has faced 1,231 different pitchers over his 17-year career. "As good as I've seen in a long, long time. They found them a good pitcher."
The requisite offense came early for Harvey, on RBI singles from Omar Quintanilla in the second inning and Buck in the fourth, both off Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin. Rookie Wilmer Flores then blew the game open with a three-run double in the eighth, six innings after recording his first Major League hit.
But the night belonged to Harvey, despite the fact that -- according to Collins, at least -- he was actually performing at less than full strength.
The evidence was there; though Harvey may have appeared formidable from the start, his fastball ranged mostly from 93-95 mph, a few ticks slower than his best. Harvey struck out only three of the first 17 batters he faced -- impressive, but somewhat mundane for a pitcher who leads the National League in strikeout rate.
The key, everyone agreed, was his ability to induce weak contact, resulting in quick outs and a low pitch count.
"When we had chances to put [guys] away, he did that," Buck said. "When we had counts where we could produce a ground ball, or take advantage of a guy being really aggressive ... he did that."
Harvey had thrown only 91 pitches when he came out for the ninth, hitting the century mark on a fastball that Charlie Blackmon smoked off his leg. Though Harvey called it "nothing," Collins knew he was downplaying the pain. But the manager also understood that this was a chance for something rare -- particularly "in our world today, where six innings with less than three runs is a quality start."
"Guys get paid for quality starts," Collins said. "To have that beast that wants to go out there for the ninth, especially with a five- or six-run lead? Very unique, and it's good to have him."
The Mets may have Harvey for only three or four dozen more innings this summer, before shutting him down in an effort to reduce the stress on his developing right arm. They did the same thing last year with great success, and are giving him a bit more rope this season. The goal is that by 2014, Harvey will be able to pitch without restrictions.
Imagine what he might be able to do then.
"My mindset's never going to be not to throw a complete game," Harvey said. "That's always my approach. That always going to be my approach. And fortunately enough tonight, it happened."


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In the best part of this book, Berube succeeds in his defense of his own liberalism and fairness in the classroom by revealing to us how he himself deals with a variety of students and their beliefs. Penn State is an institution that includes students from every sort of background, and Berube effectively demonstrates how he as a liberal and a Democrat tries to avoid alienating any of his students in the classroom while at the same time challenging them to think and to analyze using literature as their tool. In the chapters titled "Race, Class, Gender" and "Postmodernism," Berube skillfully depicts the inner workings of his classroom, his own teaching methods, and his students' response to works ranging from The Great Gatsby to "Pulp Fiction."
Berube is no doubt correct in his contention that many of his colleagues, perhaps a majority, approach literature, politics, free speech, and other issues with the same evenhandedness that he himself displays in his own classroom. Despite the fierce critiques from the right of biased teaching in America's colleges and universities, most professors do not enjoy crushing students in the classroom, preaching rather than teaching, or repeating bosh rather than attempting to seek the truth. The interaction between student and teacher simply doesn't work that way.
Once he steps outside of his classroom, however, and begins any sort of his own generalizations regarding liberalism and conservatism, Berube inadvertently transforms himself from a wise teacher to a foolish pundit. His ideas regarding conservatives and Christians — he seems to know few of either crowd, other than a few of his students — are a mess of clichés and misinformation. Here he writes from a base of his own biases: he reacts, for example, to the writings of David Horowitz, the sixties radical turned conservative gadfly, with some élan and force, but seems woefully ignorant of the ideas of other conservative writers.
Berube is sometimes unintentionally comedic in this blindness toward his own prejudices. He speaks numerous times, for example, of the possible dialogue between "liberals and thoughtful conservatives," intending to postulate that only thoughtful conservatives can speak on the same level as liberals, yet failing to observe that his statement could be taken as a reversal to his intended meaning: that liberals are so dumb that only thought-filled conservatives can speak to them. He notes that in most universities liberals in the liberal arts are the vast majority, in some cases comprising over ninety percent of the faculty, but he states that this disparity is not the result of any bigotry in terms of hiring conservatives.
It is instead the fault of conservatives themselves. Conservatives are either too stupid to enter the liberal arts — he offers as evidence a comment by Robert Brandon, chair of the philosophy department at Duke University, who "cheekily suggested that professors tend to be liberal because liberals tend to be smarter than conservatives" — or else they don't really want to enter academia anyway, preferring instead to work for think tanks and legal foundations.
What's Liberal About The Liberal Arts? was published about the same time that the Duke University rape case was dominating the headlines. This case provides an interesting counterpoint to Berube's arguments. The liberal arts departments at Duke, particularly the English Department, are renowned (or notorious, depending on your point of view) for their left-wing approaches to their subject matter. So how did the liberal academics at Duke comport themselves when three of their lacrosse players were accused of rape? Did they abide by Berube's standards of fair play? Not at all. Instead, many of them rushed to judgment before the trial, helping lead savage attacks on the accused students, supporting the dismissal of the coach and the cancelled lacrosse season, and issuing a statement against racism and sexism. Ironically, it took a chemistry professor, Steven Baldwin, to stand up and denounce his liberal arts colleagues in the Duke student newspaper, The Chronicle, for their prejudices and poor judgments.
Like certain conservative commentators, Berube simply seems blind to the arguments of those in opposing political camps. This inability to try and understand — not to stand in agreement, but simply to understand — a viewpoint opposed to our own seems endemic in our country today. We have become a nation of conflict, from talk shows to courtrooms, and our reactions sometimes seem Pavlovian in their ferocity: say the word "Bush" to some people, and it's like watching a pit bull yanking at its leash. Ten years ago, conservatives had precisely the same reaction to the word "Clinton."
What's Liberal About The Liberal Arts? has many interesting points to make about teaching, about students, and about life in academia, but does little to help bridge the yawning gap between liberals and conservatives. If anything, with its snobbery and implied superiority, this book is, like so many other recent works from both the left and the right, simply one more brick in a wall of misunderstanding and mutual contempt.


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Bend, Oregon – In the world of tech, exponential growth is commonly talked about, but what isn't talked about is how many other companies fail. What about the other businesses out there? How come they don't grow as quickly?
That's the question Tim Matthews, founder of The Powerful Man, had when he sought out solutions to help his company grow so they could reach more men. Here's how he did it.
Tim partnered with an experienced marketing and branding company, Branded Innovation, to do a complete diagnostic of his business. It's been said, if you aren't assessing, you're guessing.
The Assessment Phase
The team did a complete audit of all The Powerful Man's online assets, starting with their home base – their website.
What most people don't realize is that your website is the only asset on the Internet that you have control over. You can't control what Facebook is going to do (just ask brands that invested heavily in getting "Likes" how that went) nor any other platform – just your website.
The team at Branded Innovation went through The Powerful Man's website from both a user perspective (UX) and a technical perspective to make sure all the components of proper on-page SEO, or search engine optimization, were in place. Having all of these elements in place will allow you to put your best foot forward and will have a better chance of getting found by your ideal clients who are out there searching for you and what you offer. The items missing were noted, and suggestions for changes were made. A heat map was also put in place to see how users were actually interacting with the site rather than guessing.
"Without the data, you're simply playing a game of pin the tail on the donkey and running your business blindly," said Doug Holt, founder of Branded Innovation.
The Right People
This next step may seem obvious, but according to Mr. Holt, it's one of the most commonly missed or incomplete items when he works with a client, and that's making sure you know your ideal client inside and out. Do you know where your ideal client hangs out? How about what they read and who they follow? Do you know if they have kids or are married? Mr. Holt took Tim and the team from The Powerful Man through a series of exercises to help get clear on who their ideal client is and where they spend their time so the messages that The Powerful Man puts out get in front of the right people at the right time.
"Going through the avatar [ideal customer] is a process that surprises most of our clients. They think they know who they are trying to market to, but after getting crystal clear, they realize that they are often missing the target. It's fun to see their eyes light up when they realize the potential." Said Darcy Curry, head of Operations at Branded Innovation.
Once the ideal customer is clearly defined, the team moved onto the company's messaging. "Knowing what to say and how to say it is essential in any relationship. Business is done by people, and for people, so proper communication is critical. It's also important that the brand's messaging be authentic and clear," said Doug Holt.
Legs on The Table
The Powerful Man had been focusing its marketing efforts on Facebook, and although it was working, the playing field was getting more crowded, and the cost of ads was increasing.
"A common mistake many businesses make is only having one to two legs on the table. Think of a large dinner table, the more legs it has, the bigger and more stable it can become. Each leg represents an avenue of marketing. Email marketing is one leg, SEO another, and LinkedIn yet another. The key is to get as many solid legs on the table as possible for your company," says Mr. Holt.
According to Mr. Matthews, developing out other areas for the men he was targeting made a significant impact on his leads. The Powerful Man was no longer relying on one advertising platform, but now had over ten sources of lead generation.
"The legs on the table concept Doug presented was a game-changer for our business. We grew over 400% and are still growing rapidly," said Mr. Matthews.
The key to growth of this nature is to start with an assessment, then work your way through a process, and finally, develop a strategy that you and your team can execute upon.
Here is what you can do today to grow your business just as Mr. Matthews did:
Step 1 – Get an audit done of both your website and your online presence. You can't go anywhere if you don't know where you're starting from. You can start by getting a free audit over at www.brandedinnovation.com. Google also offers tools to help you understand your site's speed performance, and if your website is mobile-friendly or not.
Step 2 – After you have your audit, make the changes that need to be made. This may involve hiring a programmer to make some coding changes, this could be you making some content edits, or it could be time for a complete overhaul.
Step 3 – Run through a Buyer Persona Sheet to understand your ideal client intimately. You want them to be a person that you can speak to within all of your messaging and assets you are putting out into the world.
Step 4 – Get clear on your messaging. What is it that you want to portray as a person and as a business? What values do you stand for, and what core ideas do you want your audience to take away from engaging with you? Work with a professional if you can as they can draw the right messaging out of you and help you clearly communicate to your ideal customer or client.
Step 5 – Once you're clear on your messaging, run through all of your assets (from your lead magnets to your website). Is your messaging on point within these assets? Or do you need to make some changes?
Step 6 – Take a look at the legs you have on the table. How many streams of lead generation do you have? Do you have a sturdy table, or are you relying on one avenue? If the answer is that you are relying on one or a few avenues, then it's time to explore some other options to gain even more exposure.
In the end, you're running a business, and that business happens to have an online presence. Making sure you are covered on all bases is a critical foundational step to scaling your business.
Media ContactCompany Name: Branded InnovationContact Person: Doug HoltEmail: Send EmailPhone: 805-403-8114Country: United StatesWebsite: www.brandedinnovation.com


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posted by Pitrocks14
One night, my cousins were watching Bleach. I didn't like that show so I just waited until they turned it off. Then when I told Catherine that I wanted to watch Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card, she told me she didn't like the show so I tried to watch it for myself and she brought her brother down named Nick to come to tease the movie. They were calling it "Brainwashing Generation" and thinking that the movie was for four-year-olds. They said that I was smarter than the movie and thinking that the movie would brainwash me so her brother had to get down on his knees and pray. She was also teasing Tomoya about rubbing her video camera and Sakura as she was blushing her cheeks.


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Hay-on-Wye has more bookshops per capita than anywhere else, making it the perfect place for one of the most storied book festivals
Why thousands flock to a sleepy, little town in Wales to celebrate books each spring
In an age of digital downloads, e-books and podcasts, a small town nestled below the Black Mountains of Wales offers proof the traditional book is still very much alive.
The Hay Festival, which runs every spring, is held in a farmer's field in the charming town of Hay-on-Wye. Now in its 32nd year, it's grown to become the U.K.'s largest book festival, attracting thousands of people. This year, the festival sold 278,000 tickets. That's not too shabby for the town of 1,500 that resides 240 km northwest of London.
Founder Peter Florence thought his hometown with 22 bookshops — more per capita than anywhere else in the world — was the perfect place to hold such an event. World leaders, award-winning novelists, musicians and the like have all made the journey along the windy road, hemmed in by hedgerows and past fields dotted with sheep, that leads to the little town, with old stone homes and a river flowing through it. "I remember dreaming about meeting heroes," says Florence, who over the years has met several of them. Desmond Tutu, Paul McCartney and Margaret Atwood to name but a few.
Once there, they join thousands of others alternately braving torrential downpours in wellies and eating ice cream in the sun, while walking around the festival site and taking in various readings and panel discussions. The BBC films special segments, aspiring writers take workshops and kids let their imaginations run wild. There's fresh asparagus and strawberries, Welsh blankets and pottery for sale and, of course, the book tent — where you can purchase all the books and get them signed by the authors.
Carole Cadwalladr, the Observer journalist who broke the Cambridge Analytica story, says it's a beautiful setting — though as someone who grew up in a Welsh town by Cardiff she may be slightly biased. Speaking at this year's festival, Cadwalladr explains how big data subverted the democratic process in 2016 in both the U.K.'s referendum to leave the European Union and in the American presidential election. And she warns that many countries with upcoming elections — such as Canada and possibly the U.K. — are still vulnerable to big data breaches.
Mary Robinson, the UN's Special Envoy for Climate Change and the former president of Ireland, encourages people to take better care of the environment. She speaks passionately about global warming and simple actions people can take to create a healthier world. (She for one has become a pescatarian and aims to reduce, reuse and recycle more.)
And Martin Rees, Britain's Astronomer Royal, speaks about the world's growing population, biodiversity and the importance of using technology wisely.
Festival-goers also listen to the likes of the Gipsy Kings and comedians such as Dylan Moran to lighten things up.
"Hay Festival is a space to think, and to think again, and to put the great issues of the day in a context of global history," Florence says, adding that it's also a place to talk, dance and party.
This year, there were more than 600 speakers and 800 events during the 11-day festival.
The mix of readings, interviews and performances has been so successful that Florence has taken the concept beyond the Welsh borders and out into the world.
The Hay Festival now hosts events in Mexico, Spain, Peru and Colombia. And it's behind initiatives such as Europa28, a project exploring the future of Europe through the eyes of 28 prominent women, Trans.MISSION II, a joint project with the Natural Environment Research Council that pairs leading climate scientists with award-winning artists, and the Living Knowledge Network, a partnership with the British Library, which live-streams Hay events to the Living Knowledge Network of libraries.
But at the heart of it all is the simple pleasure of the written word — which can be appreciated in Hay, or indeed anywhere in the world. "Bound paper is best for continuous 2-D prose," Florence says. And with about 100,000 books expected to be sold at this year's festival, he's obviously not alone with that sentiment.


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Debbie is a mixture of soft gracefulness from Hula and toughness from the Hawaiian defensive bone-breaking art of Lua. Her husband, Billy, a former Marine and Vietnam Vet is also a Lua practitioner. My recommendation to the young men out there. Stay away from their beautiful daughter. Far away...
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Posted by Ka`iana at 7:37 PM
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Free monthly blank calendar planner for printing
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Rowing Set for Scrimmage at No. 1 UVA on Saturday
The Lady Monarchs will race along the Rivanna Reservoir on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.
Lady Monarchs Defeat UNC
Old Dominion won the Varsity Eight and Varsity Four races
Lady Monarchs Set to Host UNC on Saturday
The first race will begin at 8:45 a.m.
Row, row, row your...
(O.K., don't say boat)
Rowing Announces the Signing of Seven for Incoming Class
Future Lady Monarchs have already signed from: Wash., Texas, Mich., N.J., R.I. and Va.
Monarch Media caught up with head rowing coach, Dan Garbutt
ODU Director of Broadcasting, Ted Alexander caught up with head rowing coach, Dan Garbutt to discuss the past, present and future of his program.
Monarch Media's Ted Alexander Tours the ODU Rowing Center
Daniel Garbutt has been instrumental in the early success of the Old Dominion women's rowing program not only having helped build the team from the ground up, but in the Lady Monarchs making headlines in the world of collegiate rowing in just three years as a varsity program.
Garbutt was elevated to head coach after serving as interim coach in the summer of 2011 by Old Dominion Athletic Director Wood Selig after a monumental season. Not only did the Lady Monarchs achieve a second place showing by the Varsity Eight and Varsity Four at the prestigious Dad Vail Regatta, ODU also had sweeps of Miami and Colgate, wins over six-time Patriot League Champion Bucknell, a third place finish at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships, and Grand Final appearances at the Knecht Cup.
Along with the success on the water, Garbutt also helped open the the $2.3 million ODU Rowing Center in the spring of 2011, representing a joint partnership project between the city of Norfolk and the University. A two-story, 13,000 square foot, boathouse facility that houses the Lady Monarchs rowing program just minutes away from ODU on the Lafayette River, is a state-of-the art facility that provides first class accommodations for the program that provides training year round as Garbutt continues to build the highly competitive Lady Monarch program .
Garbutt originally joined the Lady Monarch coaching staff in July of 2008 as the first assistant coach as the team geared up for its first season of varsity competition.
A 2001 graduate of Princeton University, Garbutt's collegiate career began in 1998 with him winning the Freshman Award and being named a member of the United States National Team, while the Tigers captured the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Championship. He went on to earn three varsity letters in men's heavyweight crew as Princeton won three Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC) Championships (1998, 1999, 2001). As a senior in 2001 he received All-Ivy League and All-American honors.
Garbutt's collegiate coaching career began as an intern and technical assistant at the University of Washington in 2001. He then went on to spend two years as an assistant men's rowing coach at Northeastern from 2002 to 2004. Garbutt also spent time as a volunteer coach with several high school programs, as well as the Princeton's lightweight men's crew team, while working full-time as a senior specialist for the Centralized Business Review Unit of Merrill Lynch.


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TE Connectivity 1-2306132-1, LED Mounting Clip & Ring Set for Light Controller Base
Temporarily out of stock - back order for despatch 16-03-2021, delivery within 2 working days
- RS Stock No.:
- 146-8840
- Mfr. Part No.:
- 1-2306132-1
- Manufacturer:
- TE Connectivity
|Per unit
|1 - 9
|10 - 24
|25 +
TE Connectivity (TE)'s ANSI 136.41 compliant 76 mm and 81 mm diameter photo control base assemblies with sleeves and covers in varying heights, providing a total power and signal interface between the photo control and dimming receptacle. This interface can be used in applications such as LED outdoor roadway, street and area lighting fixtures. The base assembly solution includes power twist lock terminals, spring leaf signal terminals and a separately packaged foam gasket.
Translucent covers are configured to transmit daylight to the light sensing device IP66 rated UL 94 flammability rating with a 5V A rated cover Sleeves are designed with side or topside aperture openings to accommodate directional light sensing devices
|For Use With
|Light Controller Base


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Development and Economics (BSc)
Study the BSc Development and Economics and understand economics in conjunction with global development inequalities.
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Waco Watermelon Teething Bracelet
Discover why Mom's LOVE our modern approach to teething jewelry. Each design is crafted to coordinate with Mom's outfit, while still being functional for your teething baby. Our teething bracelets are the perfect option for Mom to have a "teether on hand" in case of emergency. Simply roll bracelet off and hand to baby as a teething ring.
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During this extraordinary time in the history of humanity, there has been a major breakthrough in quantum physics, grand unification theory, and the science of consciousness. Science has confirmed the ancient wisdom that Tao, the Source of all life, is a vibrational field with unlimited energy and matter. If we connect with the Tao Source, we open up boundless possibilities for ourselves.
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Star-Studded Oct. 26 Special To Be Hosted by SNL's Kenan Thompson
With a Performance by Pop-Star Cody Simpson and
America's First Teen-Girl Pop-Group, Fifth Harmony
Along with Costume Competition Judges, Martha Stewart,
Hal Sparks and Coco Jones
Bailee Madison, Rico Rodriguez, Nolan Gould, Zachary Gordon,
Keean Johnson, Todd Newton and More to Present
LOS ANGELES - The Hub Network, a destination for kids and their families, announced today that entertainment journalist Nancy O'Dell ("Entertainment Tonight"), actress Tamera Mowry-Housley ("The Real") and actresses Candace Cameron Bure ("Make It or Break It") and Gina Rodriguez ("Filly Brown"), along with their furry pets, will make a special celebrity paw-stumes appearance, on the "Hub Network's First Annual Halloween Bash," Saturday, October 26, 8-10 p.m. ET/5-7 p.m. PT. The star-studded event will also include celebrity appearances by Bill Nye the Science Guy, actress Joey King ("The Conjuring") and actor Nick Purcha ("Spooksville), including a performance by illusionist, Nathan Burton.
Named one of "Television Week's" 10 Most Bankable Stars in Syndication, Emmy(R) Award-winning entertainment journalist Nancy O'Dell has proven to be a force in all areas of her career as a host, author, producer and entrepreneur. O'Dell is the co-host of the most watched entertainment news program in the world, "Entertainment Tonight." O'Dell's credits also include being a contributing reporter on "CBS This Morning," NBC's "Today" show and "Dateline." She is the executive producer and host of "Celebrities at Home." O'Dell's dog is named Buttercup.
Actress Tamera-Mowry Housley gained fame from her popular 90's series "Sister, Sister" co-starring her twin sister, Tia Mowry. Mowry-Housley is currently featured with her sister on the reality TV series "Tia and Tamera," and is co-host of the daily talk show "The Real." Additional credits include the television movies "Christmas Angel," "To Sing About" and "Seventeen Again." Mowry Housley's dog is named Milano.
Candace Cameron Bure is an actress, producer, New York Times' bestselling author and inspirational speaker, who is known to millions worldwide from her role as "D.J. Tanner" on the iconic family sitcom "Full House." Cameron Bure continues to flourish in the entertainment industry by most recently starring in the television movies "Puppy Love" and "Moonlight & Mistletoe." Additional credits include her role as "Summer Van Horn" on the television series "Make It Or Break It." Cameron Bure's dog is named Samson.
Gina Rodriguez, known for her role in the hit Sundance film "Filly Brown," has also starred on "The Mentalist" and "Happy Endings." Rodriguez's additional credits include feature films "Our Family Wedding," "California Winter," "Go For It" and the upcoming indie flick "Sleeping with the Fishes." Rodriguez's dogs are named Casper and Ted.
Scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, Bill Nye the Science Guy, has used his love of science to foster a scientifically literate society by helping people everywhere understand and appreciate all things science. Nye has used his knowledge to educate people by appearing on television series such as "Back to the Future," "The Eye of Nye" and "Numb3rs." Most recently Nye appeared on the television competition dance series "Dancing with the Stars."
Teen actress Joey King has been featured in several box office feature films including "White House Down," "CRAZY, STUPID LOVE," "The Dark Knight Rises" "Ramona and Beezus" and "Oz: The Great and Powerful." King has also guest starred in the Daytime Emmy(R) Award-winning "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series."
Rising teen actor Nick Purcha is series regular on the Hub Network's upcoming fall series "Spooksville," which premieres Saturday, October 26 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT immediately following the "Halloween Bash." Purcha has also starred in the hit online feature "Wonderland High" and in the film "Thirteen."
Illusionist, Nathan Burton has been headlining major Las Vegas casinos for the past eight years with his hit family-friendly show, "Nathan Burton Comedy Magic." Burton wowed judges on the first season of the competition show "America's Got Talent" and will be appearing on multiple episodes of Criss Angel's new television show, "BeLIEve."
Hosted by Kenan Thompson ("Saturday Night Live"), the "Hub Network's First Annual Halloween Bash," will feature the first-ever nationwide Halloween costume competition. Fifty semi-finalists representing each state in America will win a trip to Los Angeles to be a part of the televised costume competition to be judged by Halloween-expert Martha Stewart, actor Hal Sparks ("Spider Man 2"), and actress, singer and dancer Coco Jones ("Holla at the DJ"). One lucky winner will take home $25,000 and will have a chance at a walk-on role on the Hub Network's Daytime Emmy(R) Award-winning series, "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series." The star-studded, two-hour special also includes a performance by pop-star Cody Simpson and America's first teen-girl pop-group, Fifth Harmony, including appearances by Bailee Madison ("Trophy Wife"), Rico Rodriguez ("Modern Family"), Nolan Gould ("Modern Family"), Zachary Gordon ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid"), Keean Johnson ("Spooksville") and Todd Newton ("Family Game Night"), among many others. Additional presenters and chart-topping musical acts will be announced shortly.
The "Hub Network's First Annual Halloween Bash" will take place at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. Bob Bain serves as executive producer and Paul Flattery is producer for Bob Bain Productions. Viewers can visit hubworld.com/halloween to view all of the Halloween costume submissions and learn more about the special.
Sponsors of the "Hub Network's First Annual Halloween Bash" include Activision's Skylanders SWAP Force, Hasbro's Furby Boom!, Party City and Sparkle(R) Paper Towels.
About the Hub Network
The Hub Network is a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) and Hasbro Inc., (NASDAQ: HAS) with a goal of entertaining, enlightening, empowering and educating children and their families. The cable and satellite television network features original programming as well as content from Discovery's library of award-winning children's educational programming; from Hasbro's rich portfolio of entertainment and educational properties built during the past 90 years; and from leading third-party producers worldwide. The Hub Network's lineup includes animated and live-action series, as well as specials, game shows, and family-favorite movies. The network extends its content through a robust and engaging online presence at www.hubworld.com. The Hub Network rebranded from Discovery Kids on October 10, 2010, and is available in over 73 million U.S. households. The Hub Network logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.
To find the channel in your area, please visit http://www.hubworld.com and check the channel locator at the top of the page.
Visit the Hub Network on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/hubtvnetwork and Twitter @HubTVNetwork


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Family Day: Featuring Chris Sauter & Katie Pell
Family Day, April 30th from 1-4pm
Join us at Artpace for our Spring Family Day on Saturday April 30th from 1-4pm.
Create cupcake designs with local artist Chris Sauter, then help local artist Katie Pell build a pop-up art installation.
Artpace is also teaming up Lindsey Smith from San Antonio Museum of Arts, Lenora McQueen from Southwest School of Art, and Gemini Ink, who will be leading contemporary art projects, created from art you will experience at Artpace. Other Artpace sponsored art activities will include screen-printing, button making, and 3D hologram prisms.
Bring cash for the food truck, El Tacomiendo!
All ages welcome. Free and open to the public.


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6273 St. Catherines Street, Vancouver Listing #: R2490193
BRAND NEW custom built gorgeous home in a beautiful quiet street of central Fraser area. This luxurious home offers a functional, open layout with an office on the main floor and rarely available 4 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms upstairs, 2 bdrm laneway home, 2 bdrm legal suite plus potential 1 bdrm suite, 3 kitchens, 3 laundries, 8 bathrooms, main kitchen with maple wood cabinets & Bosch appliances, HRV, high-efficiency boiler, radiant heated floor, alarm system, landscaping. Very convenient location close to all amenities, shopping, banks, restaurants, public transit & schools. BSMT measures are for laneway house. 2-5-10 warranty.
Taxes (2020): $6,831.00
- ClthWsh
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- Heat Recov. Vent.
- Security System
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- Vacuum - Roughed In
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Listed By: Team 3000 Realty Ltd.
Disclaimer: The data relating to real estate on this web site comes in part from the MLS Reciprocity program of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver or the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. Real estate listings held by participating real estate firms are marked with the MLS Reciprocity logo and detailed information about the listing includes the name of the listing agent. This representation is based in whole or part on data generated by the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver or the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board which assumes no responsibility for its accuracy. The materials contained on this page may not be reproduced without the express written consent of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver or the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board.


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A natural eye makeup look is an important one to master. Many occasions call for subtle or natural looking makeup, from conservative business settings to an early morning dentist appointment. You want to look put together but don't want it to be too obvious you are wearing makeup. Here are a few tips for giving your eyes some definition without looking like you tried too hard.
Start with a base to neutralize any redness you may have in the eye area and to help your color last all day without creasing. Eye makeup products like MAC Bare Canvas Paint or Too Faced Shadow Insurance are perfect for prepping your lid for a neutral look.
Swipe a soft neutral shade all over the lid. You can go with a beige, peach, or bone color depending on your skin tone. Matte shades or slightly shimmery ones such as MAC Grain are ideal choices.
Apply a taupe or brown color in your crease using a rounded crease brush. Avoid red-based browns. A color like MAC Satin Taupe is flattering to most skin tones. After applying, use a blending brush to blend as much as possible so the color fades gradually.
Use a pencil eye liner in a medium brown color. A soft pencil in a color similar to your lashes like Urban Decay Bourbon or MAC Teddy Eye Kohl gives you the most natural look. A gel liner like the soft shimmery brown MAC Ostentatious applied with a light hand can also look pretty and natural. Liquid liners should be avoided altogether.
Curl your lashes and then apply one coat of mascara to the upper lashes only. Go with a brown mascara or dark brown if your hair is very dark. Black can look too harsh for natural makeup looks.
Be sure to fill in your brows. This is an essential step for making your face look complete. Use a powder or soft pencil in a shade that is just slightly lighter than your natural brow color. Follow your natural arch and fill in the brows, being sure to blend well.
A brow highlighter helps round out your look. A neutral shadow such as MAC Vanilla applied to the brow bone just under the brows adds a little highlight/definition without adding color.
It is very easy to get a natural eye makeup look with the right makeup products and a little bit of practice. After a few tries, achieving this look will become just as effortless as it appears!