text:
CHICAGO, July 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Illinois human service providers urged Illinois lawmakers today to pass a balanced and fair 12-month budget that does not include deep cuts to human service programs. They also urged legislators to vote "no" on a bill to override Governor's veto of (S.B. 1197) which included cutting human services programs by 50 percent.
Meanwhile, providers around the state have begun to lay off staff and close offices.
"Unfortunately, we have no choice but to begin dismantling the state's infrastructure for helping those who are most in need - the mentally ill, elderly people living in their homes, teen moms, abused mothers, children in day care," said Nancy Ronquillo, executive director, Children's Home and Aid, and spokesperson for Illinois Partners for Human Services, a coalition of organizations providing human services throughout Illinois.
"Like any other business, we can't spend money we don't have and right now we don't have it," Ronquillo continued. "In previous years, social service agencies shrunk programs and drew upon private reserves to keep going. We were hurt last year when the state made cutbacks midyear in promised funding. It is our fiduciary responsibility to cut back now and not wait for a potential break-through in the revenue picture.
"What the Governor and the Legislature fail to understand is that human service programs which close are not easily re-opened when funding is made available and that a caring relationship between client and provider is damaged when ended abruptly," Ronquillo added.
To date, approximately 1,500 employees of human service agencies have received layoff notices. Illinois Partners for Human Services estimates these layoffs will impact services for approximately 150,000 Illinois residents.
Some examples
|SOURCE Illinois Partners for Human Service
Copyright©2009 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved


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Tour Information
- Tour Time: Daily
- Type: Private Tour
- Tour Code: V3-113
- Tour Length: 7 Days
- Depart from: HaNoi
- End in: HaNoi
At a elevation of 1600 meters, Sapa is a delightful old French hill station situated in the mountainous region of Vietnams' northwest, close to the Chinese border. The region is home to many ethnic minorities groups all wearing their traditional and colourful attire. This trip includes a 4-day trek through the hills and valleys in the Sapa region. Average walking time for each day is around 6 hours, passing through H'mong, Day, Tho, Tay, Nhang, and Red Dao communities. Three nights are spent in these minority villages so be warned, you will have to do without some modern comforts on this one. Often there is no electricity or running water and bedding can be a layer of straw covered with a mat in some cases. The apparent hardships are worth it though as we walk through some of the most spectacular scenery that Vietnam has to offer.
Included Highlights
- Day 1: Overnight on the train to Lao Cai station
- Day 2: Visit Lao Chai and Ta Van villages (B,L,D)
- Day 3: Visit Ban Ho village (B,L,D)
- Day 4: Visit a village of Xa Pho ethnic group in Nam Ken (B,L,D)
- Day 5: Visit the ancient stone circle on the way to Sapa (B,L,D)
- Day 6: Breakfast, free to go around and explore the town (B)
- Day 7: Getting back to Ha Noi
Recent Photos of this Tour
Flexible Itinerary
Day 1: Overnight on the train to Lao Cai station
Trekking Sapa's tour guide pick up you from your hotel to Hanoi Railway Station for the night train to get to Lao Cai Station. Sleep on the train.
Sleep on Train
Day 2: Visit Lao Chai and Ta Van villages (B,L,D)
The train arrives at about 6:00 am. Look for the "Trekking Sapa Logo & Your Name" sign when you exit the train station, as our guide will pick you up there. Take a morning drive through the clouds by car / van to Sapa, about 1.5 hours. When you arrive in Sapa you will be taken to a local restaurant for a morning shower, breakfast, a short rest and some last preparations before our inspiring trek. Walk around Sapa and then start trekking from Sapa at 10:00 AM to visit a village of the Black H'mong (Lao Chai San). Go though hillsides along Muong Hoa river. Cross the river by a suspension bridge to reach Lao Chai village. Take the paths across the paddy fields to get to the 3rd village of the Dzay minority (Ta Van) and stay the night at a Dzay family in this village. Picnic lunch on the way and dinner at the family.
Home stay
Day 3: Visit Ban Ho village (B,L,D)
Breakfast with the local family and then get to a village located at the foot of Hoang Lien Son range via bamboo forests. Visit a waterfall and a rattan bridge. After the village, get down to the river, cross it and keep going to Su Pan village for 2 minorities – The H'mong and the Red Dzao. . Get off the road to go down hill to Ban Ho village. Overnight at Ban Ho with a Tay family who have houses on stilts. Picnic lunch on the way and dinner at the family
Home stay
Day 4: Visit a village of Xa Pho ethnic group in Nam Ken (B,L,D)
Get up early in the morning for fresh air and peaceful daily life of the people. Breakfast and leave the village for a hard day. Walk up hill to a smallest and almost untouched village of the Red Dzao (Nam Toong). Go further to another village on the same side of of the mountain range to see the Xa Pho ethnic group in Nam Ken. Get down to the river and go up to Mi Son to visit the Xa Pho again. Spend the night in Thanh Phu village at a Tay family. Picnic lunch on the way and dinner with the local family.
Home stay
Day 5: Visit the ancient stone circle on the way to Sapa (B,L,D)
Breakfast at Thanh Phu village. Walk back to Su Pan village where to take a jeep back to Sapa. On the way back, visit the ancient stone circle (stones decorated with ancient car or vanvings which are said to have described the life of the people lost in the mists of prehistory) Check in hotel. Lunch at Su Pan and dinner in Sapa.
Sapa Hotel
Day 6: Breakfast, free to go around and explore the town (B)
Breakfast, free to go around and explore the town. Leave Sapa for Lao Cai Station by Trekking Sapa's bus in the afternoon. Dinner on your own at Lao Cai Station , get the night train to Hanoi.
Sleep on Train
Day 7: Getting back to Ha Noi
Getting back to Ha Noi from Sapa trip so early at around 5am, taxi to hotel on your own. Finish unforgettable Sapa Tours with Trekking Sapa. Good bye & see you in the next time! Trekking Sap can arrange additional customized trips for you if the above itinerary does not match your expectations.
|Price Per Person in US Dollars
|Rate from 01st May to 30th Sep 2015
|2 Pax
|3-4 Pax
|5-8 Pax
|Single supplement
|Mid-range (3*)
|Superior (3*+)
|Deluxe (4*)
|Child under 4 years old
|Free of charge,01 child share the room and meals with 02 adults
|Child from 4 – under 10 years old
|75% 01 child share the room and meals with 02 adults
|Price Per Person in US Dollars
|Rate from 01st Oct 2014 to 30th April 2015
|2 Pax
|3-4 Pax
|5-8 Pax
|Single supplement
|Mid-range (3*)
|Superior (3*+)
|Deluxe (4*)
|Child under 4 years old
|Free of charge,01 child share the room and meals with 02 adults
|Child from 4 – under 10 years old
|75% 01 child share the room and meals with 02 adults
Last Minute Deal
Book Now & Best Price Guaranteed
|Mid-range (3*)
|Superior (3*+)
|Deluxe (4*)
|Sapa Lodge Hotel, Bamboo hotel or similar
|Chau Long hotel in New Wing room
|Victoria sapa resort & Spa
What is included in the tour cost :
- Food (All meals on the tour: B=Breakfast, L = Lunch, D=Dinner
- English-speaking guide
- Entrance fees
- Accommodation (Hotel and home-stay)
- Train tickets 2 ways Hanoi-Laocai -Hanoi (soft sleeper with air-conditioning)
- Transport by private jeep or minibus as tour program.
What is not included in the tour cost :
- Insurance
- Drinks
- Phone calls and other private expenses
What to Bring?
- Sun Block >
- Wide brim hat
- Camera + Film
- Comfortable shoes
- Rain gea
- Warm clothes
- Insect Repellent
- Original Passport
What Exactly is a Private Tour?
Many people ask what the difference is between a private tour and any other kind of tour. The main difference is simply that on a private tour only you and members of your party are included. So it will be just you and your guests, drivers and tour guides. This allows you to tailor the tour to suit your needs perfectly.
So Much More Flexibility
Private tours offer the individual much more flexibility than open tours. You can decide start times, meal times and just about everything else. Of course our experts are here to guide you and point out any pitfalls.
Your own Private Guides and Drivers
Once a private tour is booked you will be allocated an English-speaking guide who will stay with you throughout the tour. Any drivers will also be your exclusively and this of course gives you the opportunity to get to know them. Our guides are professional, friendly and fun and will guarantee to enhance your enjoyment of any activity.
Private Transfers
You have the peace of mind of knowing that once you have booked your private tour, all transfers will be included. Professional drivers will transport you by private car or minibus to hook up with the next aspect of your journey. If there is a place of interest on the way to your destination that you wish to see, inform your driver and it can be arranged, easily.
Choose Your Type of Accommodation.
Your level of comfort is in your hands. If you are on a budget we can recommend the best places to stay. Alternatively if you want luxury all the way, that too can be sorted out. Any specific personal needs can be dealt with, swiftly and efficiently. Dietary requirements of health issues will all be handled professionally and tactfully.
Q: If I wish to make changes to my itinerary, will there be a cost?
A: Any changes made early enough normally do not incur any changes. You will need to check directly with the service provider for that particular part of the holiday. We do not charge any money for changes but will have to pass on any charges we incur from hotels or other service providers. We do however promise to try our utmost to avoid any costs to our customers. In the case of any changes required, please email us at your earliest convenience include your full name, booking code and any other relevant details.
Q: What is meant by 'Net Price'?
A: This is the full price of what you pay us for your tour. No commission will be added and no discounts are given. Please note: credit card and Traveller's check customers will be subjected to a surcharge. It is worth noting that if you pay a small deposit by Credit Card, then the rest in cash upon arrival, you can save money on bank transfers and credit card charges.
Q: What do you mean by B,L& D regarding meals? Are all meals included?
A: All our tours list the meals that are included. B = Breakfast, L = Lunch and D = Dinner. Where a meal is not included we are always happy to recommend good restaurants.
Q: Why are some trips described as Standard, Superior or Deluxe?
A: This normally relates to the type of Cruise boat or Hotel for your particular trip. Every other aspect of your trip will be of the same high standard.
Q:What do you mean by Vietnam Package Tour?
A: The phrase refers to the part of your holiday that you have booked through us. Package tours are pre-arranged to include transfers, ground transport, hotels and other accommodation, guides, entrance fees and service charges. From the moment you are picked up to the moment we drop you off at the end, everything listed is part of the package.
Q: What is a good length of stay in Vietnam?
A:Vietnam is one of the most interesting countries in the world. It has amazing scenery from the Mekong Delta in the South to Sapa and Halong Bay in the North. All points in between offer amazing holiday destinations with Saigon and it beautiful French colonial Architecture, Hué and Hoi An steeped in history, and of course the amazing capital of Hanoi in the North. Whether you are looking for a one-week break or a three month stay, there is much to see and do and we guarantee that you will not get bored.
What are the differences between a Private Tour and a Group Tour
There are so many different types of tour available these days it is important to know the differences in order that you, as the customer, can make informed choices. The main two types of tours are Private Tours and Group Tours. A group can also travel as part of a private tour which further complicates the issue. Open Tours are where you as an individual simply join in with other people on shared travel.
Private tours are where you employ a tour company to tailor a tour to your specifications. Only you and your guests will be included on the tour and guides and drivers will work exclusively for you. The advantages are many and varied. You get to set the itinerary, the start times in the mornings, even the places which you wish to visit. As tour specialists we will of course advise and assist you along the way. But if you have to drive, say from Hanoi to Halong bay, and there is something along the way that you wish to see, simply inform your tour guide and it will be fitted in.
Group Tours are sometimes called seat in coach or SIC Tours and are pretty much self explanatory. It is merely a case of booking a seat on a tour and going with the flow. These are perfectly fine, offer less flexibility but have the added pleasure of travelling in a group and of course the chance of making new friends. An advantage of group tours is that there are often group discounts available for venues and these can be passed on to the customers.
A group tour can be a great way of meeting people. Spending a few days within a group of people normally throws up a few friendships and these can be rewarding and lasting. Shared experiences are a great way to start off a friendship. Staying at the same hotel and travelling in the same bus, does can of make it impossible not to break down barriers and hold conversation.
Both types of tour have their merits and it is simply a matter of deciding what you would like to experience. For single people a Group Tour can be a great way of travelling safely and not feeling lonely. Which ever type of tour appeals to you, we have the expertise and professional staff to help ensure that you get the very best out of your trip.
5 reviews
Traveler rating
See reviews for
- Family
- 1
- Couples
- 1
- Solo
- 1
- Friends
- 2
- Business
- 0
Rating summary
- Price
- Customer Service
- Accomodation
- Food
- Tour Guide
Visited Mar 2015,
Travelled Couples
"Sapa Trekking 5 Days"Reviewed On: Apr 02, 2015
We booked our great Sapa Tour via TrekkingSapa.com Company and had a great expeience. We have 5 days for trekking in Sapa. They organized for us many things to do, trekking and visit many famous places in Sapa. They also arranged private sapa train . The accommodation of train is comfortable. The guide is good in English and very friendly and helpful. Well worth a trip and would recommend. Putao Putao Discovery – Australia
Tracey Lewis
United Kingdom
Visited Feb 2015,
Travelled as Family
"Fantastic time"Reviewed On: Mar 09, 2015
We did the 3 days for Sapa Tours in early January. We stayed at homestay in Sapa Vietnam. When we returned to Sapa we did the 1 day tour to Cat Cat village. Our female guide was Ms. Pang was really friendly and wanting to talk about the scenery, the cultures. Her knowledge is wonderful. We had very comfortable accommodation, wonderful food ,we learnt some Hmong words. We had a chance to speak with other local people. The trekking wasn't very difficult and we learn a lot. Also the online booking with TrekkingSapa.com was excellent. The train tickets, and bus connections were all well organized. A great travel company, and doing a wonderful job locally. Best regards,
Ms. Betsy Lynn Timmerman & Ms. Kristine Lynn Mighon
United States
Visited Dec 2014,
Travelled with Friends
"Perfect company"Reviewed On: Jan 13, 2015
I thought enjoyed my Sapa trip with trekkingsapa. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to travel to Asia special to Sapa. The hotel was wonderful with a great staff. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and very accommodating. Thanks for your follow up, Sincerely, Betsy Timmerman
Stevie Nguyen
United States
Visited Aug 2014,
Travelled with Solo
"The trip was very emotional and culturally fascinating"Reviewed On: Nov 20, 2014
Being born to Vietnamese parents but growing up in America I was looking forward to seeing the country from which my parents fled after the war. They always told us stories as children about how beautiful Vietnam was and how good the people are. I always viewed the stories with a certain amount of romantic scepticism. However, I wanted to see for myself. So it was that I found myself on a flight from New York to Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon and hometown of both my parents. The trip was very emotional and culturally fascinating. I was filling in gaps in my knowledge on a daily basis. After a week in the south of the country I flew up to Hanoi and visiting Halong Bay and the amazing Sapa. My parents had never even mentioned this place, yet for me it was just about the best of all the amazing places I visited. I did my own thing for this vacation but for this section I decided use a tour company. mainly because I had been warned that the roads up hear can sometimes be a bit dangerous. I used a company that I found online, Trekking Sapa, and should say thank you at this point, especially to their drivers and guides. The road conditions are more than I would want to tackle, but they made it seem easy. Meeting up with ethnic people in their costumes and seeing how they lived was both humbling and emotional for me. These are people from my parents past, I suppose. My folks are Kinh, so they are not hill tribe, but the idea that so many of these ethnic tribes still survive is heart warming. Sapa was utterly amazing and I would recommend a visit there to anyone thinking about traveling to Vietnam. My parents loved the photographs when I got home and were quite tearful as I told the stories of events on my vacation. Sadly they are too old and in failing health to ever make the trip. I am so glad, I did.
Alun Edwards
United Kingdom
Visited Oct 2014,
Travelled Friends
"Just an incredibly trip"Reviewed On: Nov 20, 2014
This is a full on 5 days of trekking and partying in one of the best places on earth. If you get the chance to do it, go for it. We started from Hanoi on the overnight train to a small town near to China. The guide met us here and took us by car to the old hill station of Sapa. It is confusing because the town and the area both have the same name. We went to hill tribe villages, met the local people and even stayed in their houses. The women wear colourful traditional dress and each tribe can be recognised by the colours. The children were lovely and liked to try out their English skills. Many spoke better English than some of the kids back home. At one point we had to cross a river on an India Jones type rope bridge, it was very rickety and the girls in the group were definitely worried. The perfect opportunity for some male chivalry, though my knees were knocking! The village of Xa Pho was really good fun, the people were so pleased to see us. We had picnic lunches and generally everything was just perfect.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Anne Dodge | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information Official Broadway League sites: - sites - broadway.org broadwayleague.com broadwayfanclub.com kidsnightonbroadway.com stagespecs.org tonyawards.com Quick Search For: In This Category: All Show People/Org. Theatre Season Anne Dodge Performer Female Productions ProductionsDate of ProductionsTribute[Play, Original] Performer: Anne Dodge [Mrs. Everhardt]Jun 01, 1978 - Dec 02, 1978 Find out where Anne Dodge and are credited together © 2001-2015, The Broadway League, All Rights Reserved. (Copyright and Disclaimer)


text: Beatrice Bowen | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information Official Broadway League sites: - sites - broadway.org broadwayleague.com broadwayfanclub.com kidsnightonbroadway.com stagespecs.org tonyawards.com Quick Search For: In This Category: All Show People/Org. Theatre Season Beatrice Bowen Performer Female Productions ProductionsDate of ProductionsThe Oyster Man[Musical, Comedy, Original] Performer: Beatrice Bowen [Chorus]Dec 16, 1907 - Jan 04, 1908 Find out where Beatrice Bowen and are credited together © 2001-2015, The Broadway League, All Rights Reserved. (Copyright and Disclaimer)


text:
Global network of CAP accredited laboratories. Extensive test menu.
Integrated services that cover planning, management, execution and analysis.
Insight on strategies and execution for long-term value to maximise success.
Global experience in all Phases of oncology drug development.
Experience in cardiovascular trials supported by a global team of experts.
ICON has conducted diabetes trials in all global regions.
Analysis of operational, clinical and real world data to enhance the design and delivery of clinical development.
ICON's risk based, patient focused methodology for the design and execution of an adaptive monitoring strategies
Web-based, single sign-on solutions designed to improve communication, workflow and compliance at investigator sites.
Overview of ICON Clinical Research »
Enhancing Site Performance: Firecrest Services »
We provide customised services, which can be deployed on a stand alone basis or as part of an integrated "full-service" solution. These services can support both global and locally managed projects.


text:
Could you imagine being
chained up outdoors as floodwaters rose around you? With no one there to help
as you struggled, cried out, and even screamed? For dogs who are left chained
outdoors during hurricanes like Katrina, Irene, and most recently Sandy, this
is more than a scenario—it
is likely how they spent their last few minutes alive.
As officials declared states of emergency in their communities and ordered evacuations, PETA sent urgent letters to governors in Virginia, New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and other at-risk states, asking them to enact immediate bans on chaining dogs. Chained dogs are always at especially high risk during storms: They have no means of seeking protection from the strong winds and widespread flooding and don't stand a chance of escaping rising floodwaters and violent wind gusts. They are in terrible danger of freezing, strangling, drowning, or being hit by flying debris. It is impossible to forget the haunting images of dogs who were stranded, abandoned, and left to die on chains during hurricanes Katrina and Irene. Dogs should never be left chained outside, and you can help by taking action now!
Please join us in asking state governors to ban chaining during extreme weather conditions by signing the petition below.
Sign This Petition
Full Petition Text: [Decision Maker],
Keeping dogs chained outdoors is a cruel and common practice that is often deadly in times of extreme weather. Animals kept chained outdoors during dangerous storms have no means of seeking protection from the violent winds and widespread flooding. Chained dogs often drown, unable to escape rising floodwaters and violent wind gusts. I urge you to issue a "no chaining" order during extreme weather conditions in your state so that all citizens--both two- and four-legged--are kept safe.Thank you.
Signed,[Your Name]
Heads up! By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with our privacy policy as well as to receiving e-mails from us.
Powered by the McGrath Family Foundation


text:
Buy 2009 or 2010 Sport Crew 4x4 in Canada
View Single Post
Dodge Ram Forum Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Ontario
Posts: 221
Gender: Male
Vehicle: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
Trim Level: Sport
Color: Mineral Gray Metallic
Engine: 2009-2010 345ci (5.7L) Hemi V8 390hp 407lb/ft
Rep Power:
The ipod cable is available for the 09. Although there is better ipod integration onthe 2010 radios. The dealer can install the cable for you if you don't want to do it yourself.
82211263AC, 82212000, 82211853 See Dealer to find out which one for your truck. $30-$75 USD
The locking tailgate is about $30 USD for the parts to upgrade it and very easy to do.
I installed a power lock on mine last week $157 CDN. (the is an option on the 2010) I will do a write up once I figure out how to post pics within the thread and not at the bottom of the thread. This will be posted in the '09 section.
The biggest thing is finding one with the options you want. I wish I had waited a couple week and got a 2010 to get exactly what I wanted. but I'm still very happy with my 09
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October 5-9, 2015
Yoga, Culture and Food on the island of Sardinia, Italy
Yoga, relaxation and immersion in local culture at a beautiful space in Alghero, Sardinia, in the Mediterranean.
Enjoy this utopian itinerary that includes daily yoga, influenced by Ashtanga and Restorative practices, cultural tours, fun in the sun on Sardegna's infamous beaches, and exquisite Sardinian cuisine.
Yoga, Culture and Food Retreat – $1000 per person
Retreat includes:
~daily group yoga
~3 meals per day
~group excursions, tours, yoga discussions and cultural outings
~one personalized, private yoga session
Accommodations – Separate booking. Special discount pricing for this retreat is available directly from our luxurious host Villa Mosca (range
$1100-1600 $750-950 price drop!). Contact Nadine directly for detailed pricing options or book directly with the Villa.
You are free to make your own accommodation arrangements and join the retreat each day.
Daily Schedule
7:00 – 8:30 am, Vinyasa Flow
9:00-11:00, Breakfast
11:30am – 4:00pm Various depending on the day: (examples) day trip to cultural sites, free time, cooking lesson.
4:30 – 6:30 pm, Evening restorative yoga, sunset meditation
6:30 pm, Dinner
Fly into Alghero-Fertilia Airport (AHO) arriving by 11am on Monday, October 5, 2015. If you'd like to arrive earlier, let the hotel know when you book your room for a discounted rate for the extra day.
Please contact Nadine directly with any questions.


text:
How to Build a Digital Library
- Ian Witten, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
- David Bainbridge
- David Nichols
How to Build a Digital Library is the only book that offers all the knowledge and tools needed to construct and maintain a digital library, regardless of the size or purpose. It is the perfectly self-contained resource for individuals, agencies, and institutions wishing to put this powerful tool to work in their burgeoning information treasuries. The Second Edition reflects new developments in the field as well as in the Greenstone Digital Library open source software. In Part I, the authors have added an entire new chapter on user groups, user support, collaborative browsing, user contributions, and so on. There is also new material on content-based queries, map-based queries, cross-media queries. There is an increased emphasis placed on multimedia by adding a "digitizing" section to each major media type. A new chapter has also been added on "internationalization," which will address Unicode standards, multi-language interfaces and collections, and issues with non-European languages (Chinese, Hindi, etc.). Part II, the software tools section, has been completely rewritten to reflect the new developments in Greenstone Digital Library Software, an internationally popular open source software tool with a comprehensive graphical facility for creating and maintaining digital libraries. As with the First Edition, a web site, implemented as a digital library, will accompany the book and provide access to color versions of all figures, two online appendices, a full-text sentence-level index, and an automatically generated glossary of acronyms and their definitions. In addition, demonstration digital library collections will be included to demonstrate particular points in the book. to access the online content please visit, http://www.greenstone.org/howto
Librarians, digital librarians, metadata librarians, special collections librarians, institutional repository managers, publications managers, documentation managers, library IT support personnel, and Library and Information Science faculty/students.
Book information
- Published: October 2009
- Imprint: MORGAN KAUFMANN
"This book provides broad coverage of related work in the field. That is handy, since there is a large international community working on DLs."--
"These chapters (along with the others) are well written and fully illustrated by screen shots and other examples, making the presentation of the technical content very effective.... [T]his is a very worthwhile addition to the literature of digital libraries"--
Table of Contents
Part 1 Principles and Practices
Chapter 1 Orientation: The world of digital libraries
Example One: Supporting Human Development
Example Two: Pushing on the Frontiers of Science
Example Three: Preserving a Traditional Culture
Example Four: Exploring Popular Music
1.1 Libraries and Digital Libraries
1.2 The Changing Face of Libraries
1.3 Searching for Sophocles
1.4 Digital Libraries in Developing Countries
1.5 The Pen is Mighty: Wield it Wisely
1.6 Planning a Digital Library
1.7 Implementing a Digital library: The Greenstone Software
1.8 Notes and Sources
Chapter 2 People in Digital Libraries
2.1 Roles
2.2 Identity
2.3 Help and User Support Services
2.4 Working with Digital Collections
2.5 User Contributions
2.6 Notes and Sources
Chapter 3 Presentation: User Interfaces
3.1 Presenting Textual Documents
3.2 Presenting Multimedia Documents
3.3 Document Surrogates
3.4 Searching
3.5 Metadata Browsing
3.6 Putting It All Together
3.7 Notes and Sources
Chapter 4 Textual documents: The raw material
4.1 Representing Textual Documents
4.2 Textual Images
4.3 Web Documents: HTML and XML
4.4 Presenting Web Documents: CSS and XSL
4.5 Page Description Languages: PostScript and PDF
4.6 Word-Processor Documents
4.7 Other Documents
4.8 Notes and Sources
Chapter 5 Multimedia: More raw material
5.1 Introducing Compression and Transforms
5.2 Audio
5.3 Images
5.4 Video
5.5 Rich media
5.6 Music
5.7 Notes and sources
Chapter 6 Metadata: Elements of organization
6.1 Characteristics of Metadata
6.2 Bibliographic Metadata
6.3 Metadata for Multimedia
6.4 Metadata for Compound Objects
6.5 Metadata Quality
6.6 Extracting Metadata
6.7 Notes and Sources
Chapter 7 Interoperability: Protocols and services
7.1 Z39.50 Protocol
7.2 Open Archives Initiative
7.3 Object Identification
7.4 Web Services
7.5 Authentication and security
7.6 DSpace and Fedora
7.7 Notes and sources
Chapter 8 Internationalization: The global challenge
8.1 Multilingual Interfaces and Documents
8.2 Unicode
8.3 Hindi and Indic scripts
8.4 Word Segmentation and Sorting
8.5 Notes and Sources
Chapter 9 Visions: Future, past, and present
9.1 Libraries of the Future
9.2 Preserving the Past
9.3 Trends in Digital Libraries
9.4 Digital Libraries for Oral Cultures
9.5 Notes and Sources
Chapter 10 Building collections
10.1 The Reader's Interface
10.2 The Librarian Interface
10.3 Working with Documents
10.4 Formatting
10.5 Dealing with Metadata
10.6 Non-Textual Documents
10.7 Learning More
Chapter 11 Operating and interoperating
11.1 Inside Greenstone
11.2 Operational Aspects
11.3 Command-Line Operation
11.4 Under the Hood *
11.5 Interoperating
11.6 Distributed Operation
11.7 Large-Scale Usage
Chapter 12 Design patterns for advanced user interfaces
12.1 Format Statements and Macros
12.2 Design Patterns
12.3 The Greenstone Research Project


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Narrow your search
NASA recently outlined its plan to get astronauts to Mars roughly two decades from now. Here are some of the biggest planned milestones it hopes will make that happen.
The world was supposed to end in May 2011, according to one prophecy, unless that was really just the beginning of the end, in which case the end of the end is set for Wednesday.
Featuring a now-discontinued logo known as "the worm," this manual offers an insider's look at a captivating piece of the space agency's history.
If a mission extension is approved, the New Horizons spacecraft will take a short jaunt to a mysterious icy object in the Kuiper Belt.
A 4-mile-high mountain on dwarf planet Ceres comes into focus as the Dawn spacecraft scoots up close for its most detailed images yet.
Did you miss out on your boarding pass to be part of NASA's mission to Mars? The space agency is giving you another chance to hop aboard the InSight lander.
The landscape on Mars continues to impress with a weird and wonderful collection of sand dunes and surface fractures.
The first images of Pluto's atmospheric hazes sent back by the New Horizons spacecraft show that mornings there might not be so different from Earth's -- in at least one way.
We often see the moon sailing through our night skies from down here on Earth, but a new NASA video shows a perspective we never get.
An album full of dogs, weather and human noises meant for the listening enjoyment of extraterrestrials is now available in its entirely for online streaming.


text:
Support engineer for Metaswitch Networks. I hack around in Python, spend more time than I'd like with shell, and am proficient if somewhat rusty with C. I'm also the Git maintainer for Cygwin.
You can also find me in a wide variety of larp fields, or on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and other places by request.
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text:
Kensa is a command-line tool to help add-on providers integrating their
services with Heroku. It manages manifest files, and provides a TDD-like
approach for programmers to test and develop their APIs.
WWW: https://github.com/heroku/kensa
NOTE: FreshPorts displays only information on required and default dependencies. Optional dependencies are not covered.
To install the port: cd /usr/ports/www/rubygem-kensa/ && make install cleanTo add the package: pkg install www/rubygem-kensa
cd /usr/ports/www/rubygem-kensa/ && make install clean
pkg install www/rubygem-kensa
No options to configure
Number of commits found: 3
- Add NO_ARCH
Approved by: portmgr (blanket)
www/rubygem-rest-client: update to 1.8.0
Differential Revision: https://reviews.freebsd.org/D2696
Submitted by: Sevan Janiyan <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Approved by: swills (mentor)
Security: CVE-2015-1820
Security: CVE-2015-3448
Add rubygem-kensa v2.0.2.
This brings the following additional ports
* devel/rubygem-launch22
* misc/rubygem-mime-types117
* textproc/rubygem-nokogiri14
* www/rubygem-heroku-nav
* www/rubygem-mechanize26
* www/rubygem-net-http-digest_auth11
* www/rubygem-net-http-persistent25
With the exception of heroku-nav, all the other ports are just older versions
of already existing ports.
Reviewed by: swills
Servers and bandwidth provided byNew York Internet, SuperNews, and RootBSD
28 vulnerabilities affecting 92 ports have been reported in the past 14 days
* - modified, not new
All vulnerabilities


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Bullet Raja is Saif Ali Khan's finest performance, says co-star Jimmy Shergil! - 0 views
Actor Jimmy Shergil and director Tigmanshu Dhulia's collaboration has been running ever since the latter debuted in Bollywood with Haasil. Be it Charas, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns or latest release Bullett Raja, Jimmy is one common thing in all the mentioned films.
Released on November 28, Bullett Raja features Saif Ali Khan in the title role with his lady of affection being Sonakshi Sinha. Jimmy plays Saif's partner in crime and has covered prominent part in the film. While Saif plays a character with an adventurous streak, Jimmy plays a much more headstrong guy.
"The three of us have a lot of sequences together though, as you can see from the promos. The film's script is such that it brings us together. It would definitely have been a different space for Sonakshi to be working with Tigmanshu. However I could sense that Sonakshi was comfortable in what she was doing. As for Saif then well, he adapted to things so well from day one. He was bang on as the character. According to me, it is one of his finest performances. No one has ever seen Saif on these lines," averred Jimmy.
About the director, he added, "Tigmanshu was clear from the very beginning during the narration stage itself that bond between Saif and I had to be very prominent right through the film's narrative. There is jugalbandi between the two of us during dialogues as well as action sequences."
Bullett Raja is produced by Rahul Mittra, Nitin Tej Ahuja and Tigmanshu Dhulia, under the banner of BrandSmith Motion Pictures and Moving Pictures.


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Before I really dig into this thing, let me just say: Brett Favre absolutely deserves the moment he's getting this weekend at Lambeau Field. And he absolutely deserves the ceremony honoring him on Thanksgiving night at Lambeau, as well.
He's one of the two or three greatest players in the history of the Green Bay Packers. He played a major part in ending two decades of darkness for the team. He's one of the top 10 – or even top five – quarterbacks ever to play the game. Yes, that is all true.
And it all means nothing to me.
I'm completely and totally numb to Brett Favre.
I don't remember the exact moment I came to this realization – it may have been when I watched his NFL Network interview before the Seahawks/Broncos Super Bowl – but at some point, fairly recently, it hit me that I have no real emotions for the man. If you know me at all, you're probably surprised to hear that. If not, let me explain.
From the moment he stepped on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1992 until his initial teary retirement in March 2008, I loved Favre. Loved him. LOVED him. You couldn't find a bigger Favre backer than me. I had two of his jerseys. We had a Favre Fathead in our college apartment in Minneapolis. I'd high five the Fathead when the Packers would score. He and I share a birthday for God's sake!
The day after he retired from the Packers, I frantically drove around my hometown of Marquette, Michigan trying to find the commemorative issues the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Green Bay Press Gazette put out honoring him. When I found places that still had some left, I bought all the issues they had left.
And then, that summer, things got dark. And the next summer, they got even darker. And they stayed dark. The hurt was real. The anger was real. I despised him. I laughed at his failures and I wanted YOU to laugh at his failures, as well. I'd mark every Twitter milestone – tweet No. 1000, 2000, etc. – with "(Bleep) Brett Favre."
Then, after retiring for the final time, Favre just sort of vanished. Not totally, of course – it's impossible for someone like that to completely drop off the radar. But we didn't hear that much about him. That, combined with the Packers continued success, allowed many to find forgiveness for Favre. Some continued to hate him just as much.
For me, as I now see in hindsight, all the passing of time did was allow the memories – all the good, all the bad – to combine into nothingness. It's as if the man's entire career basically canceled itself out in my mind, in terms of my fandom. That's not to say I can't remember the good times fondly – or the bad times not as fondly, because I do both if those moments come up in conversation or whatever. But there's almost no emotion stirred up in me, either way, when I talk about those moments. Just a brief smile or a brief wince, really. It's very detached. And unless someone else brings him up, he's not a Packer I ever think about.
Take his recent hour-long radio interview with ESPN Milwaukee, for example. I didn't listen to it and I still haven't. Not because of any anger or hatred – I have no ill-will towards him – but because, honestly, I just don't care.
How strange is that? Favre makes the needle of public interest move unlike any Packer in my lifetime and here I am, just not caring. Same goes for his two upcoming ceremonies. I'm going to the Brewers game Saturday so I doubt I'll watch the first one. And on Thanksgiving night, I'll probably be taking a smoke break or hitting the bathroom. Again, I won't be doing these things out of anger, because that anger has long since subsided.
I'll be doing them because, while he may be everywhere you look right now, he's nowhere to me.
-Chris Lempesis


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- Filed Under
It's hard to know where to begin answering a recent letter about homosexuality and socialism. I will make four points here.
1. The writer states: In the Communist Goals to Destroy America, homosexual acceptance is listed. It is always amusing when people quote the Communist Goals to prove a conservative point. That list was not written by communists or socialists, but was taken from the book "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen, a conservative, faith-based author and political theorist who seems to have used that list to equate everything he was against with communism. The book was published in 1958, following closely on the heels of the McCarthy era, at a time when fear of communism was still at a fever pitch. As such, it is practically useless as a documentation of communist or socialist thought.
2. The writer states: They (the Democratic Party) needed the votes of one-issue voters to control America. It is blatantly and stunningly hypocritical for a conservative to accuse anyone of using marriage equality for political purposes.
Liberals and Democrats dragged their feet for years on this issue, because doing the right thing and openly supporting equality was seen as a losing proposition. But Republicans have been trotting out constitutional amendments and the fear of the homosexual agenda for years in order to motivate their base.
3. The writer states gay marriage will put too much pressure on the nation's cornerstones of family and Christianity. I will not waste space rebutting the laughable cornerstone statement. But if heterosexual families are so threatened by marriage equality, they have no inherent strength or worth to begin with. If the Christian religion is so threatened by marriage equality, it is also bereft of strength and worth.
4. Finally, the writer opens his letter with this: I do not hate gays. As is usually the case with such opening statements, it sounds as if the writer is trying really hard to convince himself.
David Diachenko


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A Vietnamese Republican Wins in the Big Easy
Obama wasn't the only advance in race blindness this fall.
New Orleans
It was around noon one Saturday earlier this month when I noticed a ruckus outside the window of my third floor apartment in uptown New Orleans. Parked across the street was a big red truck with a large group of people on top dancing and playing music. It turned out to be a rolling campaign float for Anh "Joseph" Cao, a long-shot Republican candidate running for Congress in Louisiana's Second District, which encompasses most of the city and a part of a neighboring parish.
The group atop the truck, led by a man I assumed to be Mr. Cao -- though from that distance it's hard to be sure -- wasn't dancing but waving at passing drivers, a few of whom offered enthusiastic honks in return. Up the block, people filed into our neighborhood polling place to vote in one of the most overlooked congressional races in local memory. The campaign, which stretched into early December due to postponements caused by Hurricane Gustav, hadn't stirred much interest. New Orleans, like much of the country, was exhausted from the recently concluded "Obamathon." Besides, what chance did an unknown, Vietnamese-born immigration lawyer and ex-Jesuit seminarian have of unseating William Jefferson, an entrenched, nine-term incumbent Democrat?
Granted, Mr. Jefferson's campaign had been somewhat hampered by the fact that he is facing trial early next year on 16 counts of public corruption -- charges stemming from a federal raid that found $90,000 in cash in his freezer a few years ago. But he remained one of the state's most powerful black politicians running in a district that is almost two-thirds African-American and hasn't sent a Republican to Washington since the 19th century.
Watching the festive red truck pull away, I shook my head ruefully at the misguided sense of mission that led men like Mr. Cao to waste their time and treasure on political futility.
Later that evening I went to Mr. Jefferson's election-night headquarters intending to interview his supporters about how he had managed to defeat a broad field of challengers and win re-election despite his extensive problems with the feds (two of Jefferson's siblings and a niece are also under indictment). Mr. Jefferson's pending return to Congress was seen by many as a further stain on Louisiana's already well-tarnished political reputation. That he would be re-elected was viewed as a forgone conclusion following his victory in the Democratic primary.
I mean, Anh Cao? C'mon!
But as the returns came in Mr. Cao grabbed an early lead that he never relinquished. Just after 10:30 p.m., a weary and slightly stooped Mr. Jefferson took to the podium and struggled to explain what had happened to stunned supporters: "I think people kind of ran out a little bit at the end of, I guess, the juice it takes to keep on going."
In the two weeks since Mr. Cao's unlikely triumph, GOP leaders have been crowing about the broader significance of the upset. "The Cao victory is a symbol of what can be achieved when we think big," said Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.
Well, maybe. But a closer look indicates the result was more a product of fortuitous timing than grand GOP thinking. To start, the Republicans owe a thank-you note to the Louisiana legislature, which adopted a closed primary system in time for this year's elections. That meant that while Mr. Jefferson had to fight a tough primary and runoff just to secure the Democratic nomination, Mr. Cao, as the lone Republican, skated through unopposed to the general election. It also meant that when Gustav forced a mass evacuation of the lower part of the state in September, the general election could not be held until December. So while a huge turnout of African-American voters for November's presidential election helped Mr. Jefferson win the Democratic primary, that support evaporated in the general election when only 18% of eligible voters went to the polls.
The decline was particularly steep in majority black precincts. On election night, Mr. Jefferson said he sensed trouble on the trail when supporters kept asking why he was campaigning since he had already won in November.
Still, the election of Mr. Cao, and that of Gov. Bobby Jindal last year, marks a political sea change in this Deep South state. Just 17 years ago a majority of white voters in Louisiana supported ex-Klansman David Duke for governor. Now Mr. Cao (pronounced "Gow") becomes the first Vietnamese-born citizen elected to Congress, just as Mr. Jindal was the first American of Indian heritage to be elected governor. Their victories carry the same message that Barack Obama's did in the presidential race: We are finally at the point where competence can trump skin color in politics.
In Today's Opinion Journal
- Declarations: Who We (Still) Are
– Peggy Noonan
- Potomac Watch: Democrats Are the New Ethics Story
– Kimberley A. Strassel
Certainly, Mr. Cao's compelling personal story played a part in his win. He fled the Communist takeover of his country in 1975, arriving from Saigon at age eight and speaking no English. He ended up with degrees in physics, philosophy and law. Key also was the support of New Orleans's vibrant Vietnamese community. Many of its members settled here after the war to live in a humid, heavily Catholic, tidal region that reminded them of home.
And over the decades, their connection to the state has grown roots. After Hurricane Katrina wiped out Vietnamese neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city, they aggressively rebuilt, refusing to be driven from their adoptive home. It was the destruction of Katrina and the failed government response to it that led Mr. Cao to get involved in politics -- he felt compelled to take a leadership role in rebuilding New Orleans.
Of course, one group's historic triumph is another's historic defeat. The Second District was created in large measure to ensure that Louisiana's black citizens, which comprise almost a third of the state's population, had a voice in Washington. With Mr. Jefferson's defeat, there are no African-Americans in the state's congressional delegation. Many believe that this is temporary and will be reversed in the next election.
But Mr. Cao's fate is now in his own hands. Republican leaders in Congress, eager to show that one of their members can successfully represent a "majority-minority" district, will likely help him become an effective legislator. It's up to Mr. Cao to capitalize on this opportunity and set himself up to run for re-election in two years on a platform of accomplishments. If he does that and wins, his success will say a lot about the future of race relations not only in New Orleans, but in 21st century America as well.
Mr. McCollam, a freelance writer living in New Orleans, is a former correspondent for BusinessWeek and The American Lawyer magazines.
Please add your comments to the Opinion Journal forum.


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Apple introduced panoramic photo mode since iOS 6 with Apple's build-in camera app. However, you can only take panoramic photos on iPhone 4S, 5, and later version including iPhone 5S/5C and probably upcoming iPhone 6 as well. Also, you can take panoramic pictures with the latest generation iPod touch.
In order to take panoramic photos on iPhone / iPod Touch, open your iPhone's Camera app, tap on Options, and choose Panorama. This will launch the panorama mode, which is explained in more detail in the following video.
But, what if you have an older device? Like iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS? How-to Take Panoramic Photos on iPhone 4 and 3GS?
Luckily, there's an app for that.
There are a few good apps to take panorama photos with iPhone 4 and older device model. Here they are:
- 360 Panorama apps sold by Occipital, Inc in App Store to fulfill your need of taking panoramic photos for iPhone 4 and 3GS.
Download 360 Panorama here https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/360-panorama/id377342622?mt=8
Beautiful panoramas made easy.
Take stunning 360 panoramas everywhere. 360 Panorama turns your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad into a full featured 360 degree panoramic camera. Easily capture immersive panoramas in seconds and instantly share your 360 view with the world. Simply pan the camera and watch as images are stitched seamlessly. 360 Panorama captures the scene in a way you never could with a traditional camera.
According to its description, here is the list of supported device to take panoramic photos:
– iPhone 3GS
– iPhone 4
– iPhone 4S
– iPhone 5
– iPod Touch (4th generation)
– iPod Touch (5th generation)
– iPad mini
– iPad 2
– iPad (3rd and 4th generation)
Also it supports iPhone 5S/5C, iPad Air and newer Apple devices, it's jsut not mentioned because the apps has not been updated for a while. However the app still works great in iOS 7.1 as I'm writing this article.
Take Panoramic Photos/Picture with iPhone 4 and 3GS with 360 Panorama
Cycloramic By Egos Ventures
Download: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cycloramic/id587578368?mt=8
Another iPhone app that will help you to take panorama photos on iPhone 4 and 3GS is Cycloramic
Panorama 360 Camera By Go2Share
Download: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/panorama-360-camera/id399394507?mt=8
360 degree, yes real 360 degree! Gyroscope Auto Shutter supported, you just need to sweep, the camera will capture all frames automatic. It is the best way to make very high quality 360 panorama photo within 10-30 seconds.
Photosynth By Microsoft Corporation
Photosynth for iOS is the panorama creation app that makes it easy and fun to capture and share interactive panoramas of the places, people, and events that are important to you. Using the latest in computer vision techniques, you can create panoramas not only from left to right, but also up and down, enabling you to capture a full sphere.
Watch the video:
AutoStitch Panorama Cloudburst Research Inc
Download: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/autostitch-panorama/id318944927?mt=8
Chosen by Apple for App Store Essentials
AutoStitch is the highest-quality panorama app available on the App Store, generating beautiful wide-angle panoramas of up to 18 megapixels, with no visible seams.
AutoStitch is the only panorama app that can stitch photos in any order or arrangement, including vertical, horizontal, or mixed arrangements. It achieves superb image quality by stitching full-resolution camera images rather than low-resolution video frames as used in other apps.
Watch the video:
360 Panorama apps by Occipital, Inc
We will soon add more apps which support to take panoramic photos on iPhone 4 / iPod Touch 4G and iPhone 3GS.


text:
Studies find they might add to traditional risk factors
WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- A bundle of four offbeat biomarkers accurately predicted the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in a study of older Swedish men, researchers report.
It is just a preliminary finding in a long process that might one day lead to widespread medical use of these biomarkers in addition to well-established risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, said Dr. Johan Arnlov, a researcher at Uppsala University, and lead author of a report in the May 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
But the study is important, because it goes against the widely publicized findings of two American trials which found that unconventional biomarkers did not add clinical information over and above that provided by established risk factors.
"There are two major explanations why there is a difference in our study," Arnlov said. "First, our study was based on a cohort entirely of elderly men. In the elderly, established cardiovascular risk factors have been shown to be less predictive. Also, we used entirely different biomarkers than in those studies. Our biomarkers may be better risk markers."
In the study, Arnlov and his colleagues tested 1,135 men, average age 71, for four body chemicals: troponin I, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), cystatin C and C-reactive protein. Over a 10-year follow-up, "all of the biomarkers significantly predicted the risk of death from cardiovascular causes," the researchers said. The predictive value was as great for men who did not have cardiovascular disease at the start of the study as for those who did.
Tests for the four markers already are in clinical use, in some cases widely. Tropinin I is produced when heart muscle is damaged, and a test for its levels is used to assess the probability of heart damage in people who have chest pain. Cystatic C levels test fo
|Copyright©2008 ScoutNews,LLC.
All rights reserved


text:
digital audio insider
Digital Audio Insider is David Harrell's blog about the economics of music and other digital content. I write from the perspective of a musican who has self-released four albums with the indie rock band the Layaways.
My personal website has links to my LinkedIn and Google+ pages and you can send e-mail to david [at] thelayaways [dot] com.
If you enjoy this site, please consider downloading a Layaways track or album from iTunes, Amazon MP3, Bandcamp, or eMusic. CDs are available from CD Baby and Amazon.
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March 16, 2015Beats Music Beats Spotify
by David Harrell
In terms of subscribers and market share, Beats Music (acquired by Apple as part of its purchase of Beats in May of last year) is way behind Spotify. But there's one area where Beats Music appears to be ahead -- the per-stream payout to artists/labels.
The first payouts from Beats Music just appeared in my CD Baby account. After adjusting for CD Baby's commission, for December 2014, we received 1.801 cents per stream. For comparison, our per-stream payout from Spotify averages out to 0.428 cents for the past few years:
On its support site, Beats states that its payout rate will higher than that of other streaming services as, unlike Spotify, it has no free option:
We pay higher royalties than the other services because we are a paid subscription-only service (in other words, we have no free version of our service that we have to subsidize).The payouts we've received from Spotify have varied greatly, as some are coming from premium subscribers and some from free subscribers. For the latter, the payout amount is based on a share of advertising revenue and is very small. However, our initial payout from Beats included two rates -- approximately 1.926 cents for some streams and 1.300 cents for others.
My only guess here is that the higher rate is for listens by monthly subscribers who pay $9.99 a month (or $119.88 a year) and the lower rate for listens from annual subscribers who pay $99.99 a year, though the payout difference is greater than the pricing differential for the two plans.
Labels: Apple, Beats Music, Spotify, streaming royaltieslink 0 comments e-mail listen to the Layaways on Spotify
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December 10, 2014Free Holiday Music from the Layaways
by David Harrell
My apologies for the light blogging in 2014 -- you can expect more frequent updates in 2015!
If you're in the mood for some holiday music, "Maybe Next Year" from my band the Layaways is available for free download from NoiseTrade:
You can also stream the album at Spotify.
Labels: holiday music, The Layawayslink 0 comments e-mail listen to the Layaways on Spotify
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September 18, 2014Punching U2's Gift Horse in the Mouth
by David Harrell
Zack Huggins/Flickr
Andrew Sullivan has a good roundup of opinions on U2's "junk mail" (to quote Bono) distribution strategy. It links to a post from Marco Arment, who wonders why U2/Apple just didn't go with an opt-in strategy, instead of the opt-out approach that was used.
However, U2 and Apple actually did that back in February, with a 24-hour free iTunes giveaway of the song Invisible, which resulted in more than 3 million downloaded tracks. My guess is that the band already had a decent idea of how many downloads might result from an opt-in strategy and wanted to go bigger.
There's no going back on that decision, as the mandatory gift horse is already out of the barn. So we're left with the following question: Was this a better strategy, in terms of money and listeners, for U2 than a standard album release?
According to Wikipedia, the band's last album, No Line on the Horizon, sold more than five million copies worldwide. An impressive number, but it's less than each of their three previous albums. We don't know how much U2 and its label received in payment from Apple, but solely from an attention standpoint, it seems safe to assume that Songs of Innocence is receiving a wider listening audience. (And Billboard's Glenn Peoples notes that the band's back catalog is getting a boost as well.) Though given the backlash, it also seems safe to assume this will be the last time the approach is used.
One final thought: Given my age/demographic it seems impossible, but a large proportion of the complaint Tweets about the album listed here are from people who apparently were previously unaware of U2! link 0 comments e-mail listen to the Layaways on Spotify
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September 09, 2014U2: It's Free for You, But We Got Paid
by David Harrell
In a post on the band's website, Bono makes it clear that the free album is a giveaway from Apple, not U2:
It's also free to everyone on iTunes thanks to Apple. To celebrate the ten year anniversary of our iPod commercial, they bought it as a gift to give to all their music customers. Free, but paid for. Because if no-one's paying anything for it, we're not sure "free" music is really that free. It usually comes at a cost to the art form and the artist...which has big implications, not for us in U2, but for future musicians and their music...all the songs that have yet to be written by the talents of the future...who need to make a living to write them.So did U2 (and Island Records) receive a flat fee for distribution of the album to more than 500 million iTunes customers, or is Apple paying a per-download amount, based on the number of iTunes customers who actually receive the album? Either way, with cash reserves of more than $160 billion (as of June), Apple can certainly afford it.
Update: According to this NY Times story, it was a flat fee:
To release U2's album free, Apple paid the band and Universal an unspecified fee as a blanket royalty and committed to a marketing campaign for the band worth up to $100 million, according to several people briefed on the deal.link 0 comments e-mail listen to the Layaways on Spotify
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March 04, 2014More Thoughts on iTunes Radio and Music Sales
by David Harrell
After an e-mail discussion with my bandmate Porter about last week's iTunes Radio post, I'm wondering if there are two factors in play here:
1. It's certainly possible that iTunes Radio listeners are buying more music than they would have otherwise purchased.
2. But music purchasers might be a shrinking group. That is, as more people use Spotify and other "on demand" streaming services, the total number of music fans who feel the need to own any specific song is getting smaller.
Hence, iTunes Radio could be increasing music purchases among its listeners, but any such gains aren't enough to offset the overall trend of decreasing download sales. (This is all conjecture on my part, but it reconciles the intuitive idea that iTunes Radio listeners would be more likely to purchase downloads with the continued decline in music download sales since its introduction.)
Labels: Apple, iTunes Radio, music sales, Spotifylink 0 comments e-mail listen to the Layaways on Spotify
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February 28, 2014Does iTunes Radio Increase Music Sales?
by David Harrell
Back in 2009, my band the Layaways released a digital-only holiday album. While we sell some tracks from the album every year, 2013 was, by far, our best season ever for download sales. I was stumped -- we always get some holiday airplay on Internet stations like Soma FM and the occasional spin of a few tracks on terrestrial college radio stations, but there was no evidence of increased airplay in 2013 and we hadn't made any additional promotional efforts for the album.
The mystery was solved when someone tweeted that he had discovered the record via iTunes Radio. Our version of "O Christmas Tree" had been added to the "Rockin' Holiday" station, where it was receiving regular spins:
It seems very likely that the large increase in sales of our song (relative to previous years) was a direct result of the iTunes Radio spins it received. The big question, of course, is does this single anecdotal example represent an overall trend -- is iTunes Radio increasing the sales of music downloads?
It seems intuitive that ease of purchase -- you're already in iTunes and you can click to buy right there, as opposed to being directed from another website or interface to iTunes or Amazon MP3 -- might boost sales. Yet that doesn't appear to be the case. As Glenn Peoples reported in Billboard last year, the introduction of iTunes Radio did nothing to halt a year-long trend of declining download sales in 2013.
In our case, iTunes Radio was a net positive, because more than 100,000 listeners heard a song they probably wouldn't have otherwise known about, and a small percentage of those listeners purchased the track. But as noted in Billboard, a recent study by Music Forecasting makes the case that listeners are using iTunes Radio for a "lean-back" passive listening experience, one that is unlikely to result in large increases in music purchases. (The full PDF of the report is here.)
In addition to the download sales, we also received a payout from Apple for each spin of the song. As reported last year by the Future of Music Coalition and Digital Music News, Apple opted to make a direct payment to artists/labels for digital performance royalties instead of taking the compulsory path and making payments to SoundExchange.
For 103,874 spins of "O Christmas Tree" on iTunes Radio, we received $114.99 (before the deduction for CD Baby's commission). That translates to a little more than 0.11 cents per play. That's slightly less than the "$0.0013 per song plus 15% of net advertising revenue for the first year" spelled out by Apple's contract with indie labels, though I'm uncertain if that rate also includes payments Apple makes to music publishers. After I receive my BMI statement for the quarter, I can calculate the total payment we received for each iTunes Radio play.
Labels: Apple, holiday music, iTunes Radio, music saleslink 0 comments e-mail listen to the Layaways on Spotify
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August 26, 2013Some Advice for Writers...
by David Harrell
...that probably goes for musicians as well:
"Also get a job; eating is a good habit and you will never make enough of a living as a writer to support a family. Be honest with yourself about the size of your gift. Expect no money but be diligent about sending pieces out for publication. All money is gravy."-- Brian Doyle, via the Dish.
One downside of digital music stores, which provided instant worldwide music distribution to anyone who wanted it, is that they also introduced a new level of expectations for musicians. Before digital music, a local band might sell some tapes or CDs at gigs or a friendly record store, but there was zero expectation that music sales would provide any real income. However, having your music available to the entire world creates the hope that people around the world are going to buy it. Yet the overwhelming majority of self-released musicians (as well as most musicians on major labels!) simply aren't going to sell a lot of music.
Labels: music sales, self-released musicianslink 0 comments e-mail listen to the Layaways on Spotify
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June 17, 2013I'm In with the In Crowd
by David Harrell
A presentation by Alan B. Krueger, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers for the White House, highlights an experiment that confirms something I've long believed to be true -- that listener perceptions of the popularity of a song have a huge influence on its actual/subsequent popularity:
Now let's see what happened when the download counts were flipped, so that the new participants thought the least popular song was actually the most popular. As you can see, the download count for the least popular song grew much more quickly when it was artificially placed at the top of the list. And the download count for the most popular song grew much more slowly when it was artificially placed at the bottom of the list.More good stuff here.
Labels: consumer behavior, music popularitylink 0 comments e-mail listen to the Layaways on Spotify
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Out Now -- "Maybe Next Year" -- The New Holiday Album:
"This is a sweet treat, deliciously musical without being overbaked for mass media consumption." -- Hyperbolium
"Perfect listening to accompany whatever holiday preparations you may be making today." -- Bag of Songs
O Christmas Tree - free mp3 lyrics and song details
Away In A Manger - free mp3
Download from eMusic, iTunes, Amazon MP3, or Bandcamp. Listen to free streams at Last.fm.
"...about as melodic and hooky as indie pop can get." -- Absolute Powerpop
"Their laid-back, '60s era sounds are absolutely delightening." -- 3hive
"...melodic, garage-influenced shoegaze." -- RCRD LBL
Where The Conversation Ends - free mp3
January - free mp3
Keep It To Yourself - free mp3
Download from eMusic, iTunes, Amazon MP3, or CD Baby, stream it at Last.fm or Napster.
"The Layaways make fine indie pop. Hushed vocals interweave with understated buzzing guitars. The whole LP is a revelation from the start." -- Lost Music
"Catchy Guided by Voices-like rockers who lay it on sweetly and sincerely, just like Lionel Richie." -- WRUV Radio
Silence - free mp3 lyrics and song details
The Long Night - free mp3
Download from eMusic, Amazon MP3, or iTunes, stream it at Last.fm, Napster, or Rhapsody.
"These are songs that you want to take home with you, curl up with, hold them close -- and pray that they are still with you when you wake up." -- The Big Takeover
Let Me In - free mp3
Ocean Blue - free mp3
Download from eMusic, Amazon MP3, or iTunes, stream it at Last.fm, Napster, or Rhapsody.
More Layaways downloads:
the layaways website


text:
Top-ranked recipe named "Dill Crackers"
Try this Dill Crackers recipe, or contribute your own. "Herbs" and "Appetizers" are two tags used to describe Dill Crackers.
COMBINE OIL, DILL AND SALAD DRESSING MIX. PLACE CRACKERS IN A LARGE BOWL. POUR DRESSING MIX OVER CRACKERS AND TOSS GENTLY. ALLOW TO STAND AT LEAST 1 (ONE) HOUR BEFORE SERVING. Posted to T.nt (sdm-marked) recipes, 8 Jan 97 From: "Jenny S. Johanssen"
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hollirussell 3 years agoVery tasty! So easy and inexpensive. Thanks for sharing.


text:
Banana Smoothie
Makes 4 drinks.
Gourmet | June 1984
- 2 bananas
- 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 2/3 cup plain yogurt
- honey to taste
In a blender blend at high speed the bananas, the pineapple juice, the orange juice, the yogurt, and the honey until the mixture is smooth and frothy and divide the mixture among chilled glasses.
Epicurious.com © Condé Nast Digital, Inc. All rights reserved.


text:
- Mollie (Moosewood) Katzen born (1950)
The Alternate Guide to America's Best Wine Regions
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Wine country is endlessly romantic. Whether you're in the Willamette Valley, Sonoma, or Texas Hill Country, the idyllic rolling hills of vineyards and the precious tastings of their products are reason enough to spend the weekend indulging in wine-soaked afternoons and leisurely, well-paired dinners.
But, dare I say, there is only so much time you can spend sipping and spitting before you start yearning for a few non-dizzy hours. These regions may be known for their grapes, but they all offer a range of activities and sights worth seeing when you're ready to take a break from comparing cabernets.
Napa Valley, Calif.
The best-known wine region in the U.S., Napa Valley is home to some of American wine's most famous producers. And with Ubuntu, The French Laundry, and La Toque, the region is no stranger to some of the country's best chefs and freshest ingredients. But once stomachs are full and happy, and glasses have been emptied, Napa Valley is ready to satisfy art lovers, theater aficionados, hot air balloon curiosities, cyclists, gliding enthusiasts, and farmers market obsessives.
One of our favorite activities is at the Fatted Calf (pictured), where you can take classes in butchery, preparing terrines and pâtés, or learn how to make sausages at home. We'd also stop by the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for a quick browse through their marketplace of spices, a cooking demonstration, or a peek into how chefs balance flavors in the Flavor Bar. (Photo courtesy of Flickr/{Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester})
The outdoor extravaganza that is the Di Rosa Art Center boasts sculptures, photographs, drawings, and paintings from some of California's most notable artists. Guests can stroll the gardens and hills, with a new art work popping up at every turn. And in the evenings, Napa's Uptown Theatre hosts live music, theater, and performances like Beck, Rufus Wainwright, and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Taking a glider ride or flying lesson at one of the many outfitters in Napa will be just enough of a thrill to make you waltz right back into those tasting rooms for a bit of Northern California calm.
Willamette Valley, Ore.
One of the most exciting regions for wine in the U.S. right now, Oregon's Willamette Valley is a food-, wine-, and outdoor-lovers dream destination. Known particularly for pinot noir, the valley boasts more than 200 wineries to visit on your own or on a designated wine route.
Once the last glass has been poured, step into another kind of tasting room — at SakeOne. Then, sobered up, we'd rent bikes and venture out to one of the valley's classic roads. You can bring bikes onto the Historic Canby Ferry to cross the Willamette Valley to continue your ride. Lovers of rest and relaxation will appreciate the rustic, off-the-grid feel of the Bagby Hot Springs.
Space geeks can indulge in a trip to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, where the Spruce Goose, a B-17 Bomber, and the SR-71 Blackbird are on display, while food nerds will want to take advantage of the tours and olive oil tastings at the Oregon Olive Mill or book a trip with A Helfrich Outfitter to catch trout and salmon in the McKenzie River.
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