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Our Top Ten blog posts by readership in 2013
This post was originally published on August 15, 2013
It was a sunny, hot Saturday afternoon and I mingled with farmers, community leaders, coffee producers and handicrafts entrepreneurs who had traveled from all parts of Bolivia to gather at the main square of Cliza, a rural town outside of Cochabamba. The place was packed and a sense of excitement and high expectations was unfolding. It was to be anything but an ordinary market day.
Thousands of people had been selected from more than 700 rural communities to showcase their products and they were waiting for a special moment. President Evo Morales, Nemesia Achocallo, Minister for Rural Development, Viviana Caro, Minister for Development Planning, and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, on his first official visit to Bolivia, would soon be meeting them.
While waiting among them, I felt their excitement, listened to their life stories and was humbled by the high expectations they had in their government, their leaders and the international community to support them in reaching their aspirations for a better future for their families and communities. From many I heard the need to improve the well-being of their families and communities and their goal of "Vivir Bien!"
Listening and putting people first
A key challenge that we are facing in our daily work, however, is that we do not listen enough to people, their aspirations for a better life and the barriers they encounter in their daily struggles to overcome poverty. What are the mechanisms for a more meaningful and continuous dialogue between citizens, governments and the international community? Do we need to fundamentally change our approach and is there a need for "Putting People First?" How can we learn to become better listeners and learn from people's life experiences? How can we be more responsive to the real needs of people and communities?
How can we establish a dialogue that is not ad hoc but a continuous exchange? How can innovations in technology support a process of 'becoming better listeners' and to make our programs more open, effective and inclusive? Can we leverage the power and rapid spread of mobile technology to become more responsive to the real needs and aspirations not only of the people who participated in the event in Cliza but of all the people and communities that struggle every day to move out of poverty?
Based on the need expressed by local communities and policy makers to establish a direct, continuous and two-way flow of information sharing between citizens, Governments and international donors, our team at the World Bank Institute (WBI) has developed, over the last 18 months, a Citizen Feedback program called "OnTrack." The program forms part of the new agreement of the Rural Alliances program and the principal Urban Infrastructure Project of the City of La Paz "Barrios y Communidades de Verdad" both financed by the World Bank Group.
The main idea of the OnTrack program is quite simple, yet quite complex to realize: empowering the citizens of Bolivia to provide feedback in a direct and open way on project results to Governments and World Bank project staff using innovations in technologies that combine mobiles, SMS with web-feedback loops. Through the OnTrack platform (Platfaform Empoderar) over 30,000 Bolivian families that currently participate in the Rural Alliances project can now, for the first time, make their voices heard simply by sending a text message from a cell phone or directly on the OnTrack website. Government agencies responsible for implementing projects, and international development agencies, including World Bank staff, can now communicate more directly with citizens.
Francisco Mamani, a rural entrepreneur and one of the leaders of a rural producers' association from Buenavista specializing in organic coffee and handicrafts production, greeted President Jim Yong Kim: "It's a happy moment ... you have come with a mindset of listening and through the new OnTrack platform we now have a window to the world through the Internet. We can now contribute to the protection of the Amboro National Park through sustainable, organic farming."
Now let me take you a very different local context. The next day we traveled to the Bolivian highlands at around 13,000 feet and the City of La Paz which is surrounded by mountain peaks such as the majestic Illimany. On the outskirts of La Paz, thousands of people have migrated to the city, full of hope for a better future. The City of La Paz, supported by the WBG-financed Urban Infrastructure program, helps marginalized urban communities to enhance their living conditions by financing the construction of small-scale urban infrastructure, such as Community Centers.
The Mayor of la Paz, Luis Rivilla, Minister Viviana Caro and Sue Goldmark, World Bank Country Director, launched the On Track platform (Barrios Digital) in the marginalized community of La Portada to enable citizens to provide feedback, make suggestions or report a problem related to the provision of public services. An Aymara women's leader from La Portada shared her frustrations about the problems her community is facing with the collection of garbage. She shared the following message with the project team using the On Track platform: "The neighbors have to work better together to collect the garbage and to place it at a specific collection point so that the city workers can pick it up and it is not left in the streets." It was fascinating to see that her suggestion was not really a complaint to City officials, but a plea to her community members to be more organized and to work together better. The experiences from both rural and urban communities in Bolivia show that people perceive citizen feedback not only as a complaint mechanism, but would like to use it to have a voice in development and positively affect changes in their communities.
Sharing local experiences, connecting with other communities and people from other countries, and entering into a constructive and direct dialogue with policy makers seem to be even more meaningful to them.
Mamani expressed this by saying: "The OnTrack program will help us to exchange experiences and ideas with other organizations in Bolivia and other countries."
Photo Credit: Dominic Chavez/World Bank.
1) Bolivian listen to President, Evo Morales speak at the Rural Alliance Fair
2) World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim is warmly greeted while touring the Rural Alliance Fair
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Being heard is important, but
Being heard is important, but its a far cry from being involved in decision making, or even dialogue between equals. For decades those who have studied citizen participation have put consultation low on the ladder of empowerment. Often, development agencies and practitioners are so caught up in the potential of new communication technology, we forget what we have supposedly already learned about participation and power in development relationships. The challenge has never been that those in power 'become better listeners', but that the poor and excluded organize themselves in ways that allow them to have a seat at the decision-making table. ICTs may or may not contribute to this goal.
Dear Soren,
Dear Soren,
Great to read your blog ...here in Bolivia! It does sound like that the work of the World Bank is generating a lot of interest and that technology might play an important role in development and active citizen's participation.
As you know, we are also working in Bolivia to hopefully help make the Open Partnership even broader by engaging all stakeholders that are now contributing to "aid" delivery as part of what is known Private Development Assistance (PDA).
As ODA flows continue to decrease, the contribution of local actors, NGOs, private sector, volunteers, and foundations (to name a few) will increasingly change the way needs are addressed.
I think that any new technology solutions should also be guided by previous attempt and I have no doubt that ONTrack will be a success. I was just reading this recent post about Making Success out of Failure where a similar project in Africa got little pickup from the intended public (citizens). I would imagine that the cost of using time on a cell phone (rather costly in Bolivia) might be an important decision.
We have just finished an interesting process with a few regions of Bolivia to look at mapping ODA at a granular/local level as well as PDA and domestic resources mobilization. At the same time, we are looking at mapping "opportunities and needs". We also heard from various groups that there is an expectation when citizens or organizations express their needs, that a solution (financial or human) will also be available.
As the spectrum of aid continues to change and that pressure for the effectiveness use of scarce financial resources become even more essential, nurturing a space for innovative and strategic partnerships in a world of hypercollective actions will be crucial.
This exercise has been extremely useful to help demonstrate the obvious links between ODA and PDA in the context of local needs. By opening the "partnership" to new stakeholders, the efforts of ODA investment will be scaled up and the ambitious goals to address poverty will be accomplished.
As our work continues here in Bolivia and several other regions of the world, we will also focus on fostering collaborative innovation so that citizens don't focus only on raising concerns but have the human and financial resources to address them.
Technology can play a role,
Technology can play a role, but I think it must be one small part of a much wider effort to change power relations, to motivate and engage people, and as you say, to really listen and change behaviors. I'm guessing that motivation to participate and use these channels to communicate can be increased if people see an actual response and change. If not, it may be something people try once or a few times, and then stop doing. It would be interesting to hear more about local community culture, customs and habits and what mechanisms for government accountability have been used/tried/succeeded/failed in the past, and if/how the use of SMS feedback loops strengthens and/or complements these. It would also be interesting to know what levels of trust and openness are there to complain. It's interesting to see the citizen feedback as also being aimed at stimulating action among community members. How is the feedback shared with the local community that provides it, and could it be used as a way to collect and collate information for them to use the data to self-organize and plan their own activities also? One last thought is whether there are risks involved in feeding back, and how these potential risks are discussed and managed together with community members and/or government - how is space for dialogue around community concerns opened and dealt with? Is there a need for government to change its attitudes and behaviors and how can the program contribute to that? Very interesting initiative and look forward to hearing more!
Brendan Halloran nails it:
Brendan Halloran nails it: "The challenge has never been that those in power 'become better listeners', but that the poor and excluded organize themselves in ways that allow them to have a seat at the decision-making table. ICTs may or may not contribute to this goal."
The "quality" of the relationship between a particular technology, and an organization or a community, is the key factor in its level of empowerment. A tool developed, managed and convened by an international organization, capturing citizen voices through very specific channels, empowers that organization much more than it empowers the contributors.
A way to think about this is through a "hierarchy of hacking", hacking as "the artful alteration of technology beyond the goals of its original design or intent". Muki Hakley analysed "neogeography" through the lens of hackability and power https://povesham.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/neogeography-and-the-delusion-of-democratisation/. The take away for me is that the democratic potential of a technology is directly related to how hackability of that technology.
In other words, the answer to the questions you pose in this blog post are the same as the answers to "How hackable is OnTrack?"
I believe ICT Technology can
I believe ICT Technology can be used as a tool to make leaders, managers,donors and society on a whole be more aware of what is happening on the ground,in people lives real-time. This is powerful, because it can create an atmosphere for people to make critical decision that would impact their lives.
Therefore, I don't think it is really a question weither technology can empower individuals; but how far are we as a collective society on the planet, are willing to go in using the technology that exist .
I think the key challenge is, to sync the mindset across social/political borders in order for this to really take root and make the world a better place.
This is a great read Soren
This is a great read Soren and thank you for the invite. I am sure you have heard it before, technology is definitely a great enabler but it is not an end in itself. Long before mobiles phones and social media technologies, radio, newspapers, community gatherings did exists to give a voice to citizens. Technology access is merely a structural barrier and its pervasiveness will definitely bring more individuals on board especially the youth.
A more important challenge is to give the comfort to citizen that indeed they have do have a voice and that have to play an active part in the development of their communities. Translating these voices into tangible actions and following up on implementation would be next.
Rwanda is a great example where new and old technologies are made use of. Majority of public servants use twitter as mean to communicate real time with citizens and address their concerns.
Radio and TV programs are amazing tools for citizens to call in and ask questions on various national initiative or issues.
On a monthly basis, community gatherings are held to maintain cleanliness in communities across the country but also to sensitize citizens on an issue of the moment. It is also an opportunity for community members to meet.
Kenya is another example where twitter and newspapers are fascinating communication platforms for public expression of citizens.
However at the heart of it all must be the willingness and commitment of on both governments and citizens to collaborate together towards the well-being of their communities


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Cute nautical octopus hook is finished in green and gold tones to add to any beach themed decor. Made of heavy metal it's great for use as a key ring, coat hook or even towel hanger by the pool or in the bathroom. Have fun decorating with a combination of these NEW metal designer hooks.
7" h
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subset: commoncrawl


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It's been briefly touched on, but what are we feeling about the role of the Saffers in Textgate?
The leak of the supposedly derogatory nature of the messages can only have come from one side (unless KP is of seriously abnormally low intelligence) so one can only suppose what their motives for making them public were. It looks like, at best, mischief making and at worst chucking a hand grenade into the opposition changing room and sitting back to admire the carnage.


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As the First Annual Intranational Kotaku Swag-Off Champion, collecting $100s of free products in just half an hour, I've burdened all sorts of new responsibilities. We're talking ribbon cuttings, parade float waving and the occasional swag champ imposter debunking.
Recently, John Chow wrote up a cute little article on how to score free swag at tradeshows. I recommend the read and enjoyed it much in the way I enjoy my 3-year-old niece's crayon drawings or a fine rendition of Chopsticks on the piano.
His top tips include nuggets like "Attend Product Demos" and "Make An Appointment" - both viable ways to obtain the sweetness of the swag - but at what cost? Should one drop to their knees in the middle of the show floor as well, performing fellatio on resident booth staff for a "shot" at some free goodies? In my post on Kotaku, I explained a way to obtain swag quickly and without rug burn. Hit the jump for an updated list from the major leagues.
1. Your time on the floor is valuable time. If a company requests you attend a presentation in exchange for a substantial free gift, chances are their presentation isn't very worthwhile. At a CES or E3, you are looking at products that won't be available from 6 months to who knows when. Is a small piece of yesterday's technology really worth missing out on a glimpse of tomorrow's?
2. Chow's right, the last day of a conference is a great time to stock up on the leftovers, but be careful. While a few companies will greet you with open arms, most of the best swag is given out early on. If there is something you need to have, like that inflatable sword/flotation device/girl chaser awayer, swing by the booth and get it on day 1. By the way, you don't need anything inflatable, trust me. (They look horrible in trophy cases).
3. A media pass alone can actually mean very little in a conference full of media. Not only must you still often ask for swag, you must ask someone who actually gives a crap you are media. Most of the frontline booth staff is filled with temps who don't care about you, swag, or that 103-inch plasma behind them. They want to get home shower off your geekfilth. Screw them - look for someone who is either older, smarter, or is holding a clipbaord. Then guilt/beg/threaten them for some swag goodness.
We're not saying Chow wrote a bad list - it just doesn't play the system. There is a reason the Intranational Kotaku Swag-Off only lasts 30-minutes; it shouldn't take a whole conference to walk away with all the free crap you want.
How to Get Free Stuff At Trade Shows


text: Hi, my name is Catherine Milford, and I live in Auckland, New Zealand. I've been a journalist for over 20 years both here and in England, and I've written on every topic you can think of, but EatsCooksReads focuses on my favourite: food. This blog is full of recipes I've written, products I've discovered, food books I love, restaurants I've reviewed and a lot besides! If you love New Zealand food, I hope you love my site.


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Classes are currently being taught online. All physical facilities are closed to the public at this time, and employees are working remotely.Please visit
dcccd.edu/coronavirus for additional information and to
find contact information for various departments.If you need additional assistance, please visit
My Community Services and our
Community Employment Resources.
This article appeared in a September 2016 issue of the student newsletter.
By the
Richland Student Media Staff
The Fannin Performance Hall is undergoing renovations that include upgrading the sound system.
Jennifer Owen, coordinator of Technical Theatre, said she began working on the project in 2014 because there was some unevenness to the sound in the auditorium. As the music department grew and a variety of events were held in the Performance Hall, she said it was a struggle to get good sound out of the speakers.
Owen was asked to "take a look" at what could be done to resolve the problem. Years earlier in 2007, a former student who worked for a big sound company asked if he could do a sound demo at Richland.
"They brought in a whole bunch of gear and hung it in the Performance Hall," Owen said. "It was just amazing" though she lost touch with the student.
It was then that Owen became involved in what was happening in technology. She did some research and in 2014 attended the United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT) national workshop in Fort Worth.
"All the major manufacturers of gear came to town," she said. "It's really a workshop geared toward colleges, institutions and professional technicians. It's not so much about acting. It's about the technology of the entertainment industry, specifically theater."
Owen then went to the Cotton Bowl where there was a big speaker and soundboard demo.
"Listening blind, not knowing whose sound system was on, every single time I heard a sound system that I was excited about, it was D&B Audio Technica's," Owen said. "When we had the demo in 2007 here at Richland, I had heard rap music through those speakers. I had heard opera through them. I had heard hip-hop, about six or seven different types of music. Everything sounded fantastic."
Owen said she's looking for clarity of sound, particularly when you have complex ensembles, a place where each of the instruments can be heard within the mix so that there's room for the low end sounds, room for the mid-range sounds and room for the really high end as well.
"In the college, we want to be responsible with our funding, and so I'm looking for a set of speakers that are going to sound good 10 to 15 years from now," she said. "One of the advantages of the D&B speaker – that manufacturer puts a lot of research and development into what's called, 'passive design,' so how the speaker sounds straight out of the box is dependent upon the materials used and the way those materials are engineered inside – unlike other speakers that sometimes get good sound out of them, but rely upon electronic capacitors and electronics within the speaker."
Owen said she felt like the Audio Technica speakers are going to sound good 15 years from now because the electronics aren't going to go bad.
"The second part of the sound system upgrade that we've gone to is, we have moved from an analogue soundboard to a digital board," she said. "And for that, I chose the DiGiCo SD9. It is one of the top-end professional boards. It's the reason I chose it."
Owen said the DiGiCo SD9 was used in eight out of 10 rock concerts last year and the year before, and it is one of the most used consoles on Broadway.
"One of the challenges that I find in teaching students is, working in the Theater Department, we do things with sound that's a little different than what a band would do," she said. "So, if you buy a console that's geared toward rock 'n' roll, it's very difficult to make it work for what we need to do in theater. This console works for both entities."
A lot of students coming out of high school who have worked on digital sound consoles, Owen said, have worked primarily with a rock and roll concert board.
"They get very frustrated when they try to use it for theater," she said. "It's just hard to make it work.
"Because this board is set up to do both, I feel like we can be teaching our students in top-of-the-line industry technology and in terms of a teaching tool, it's going to be easy for them to learn, whether they're in the Music Department or whether they're in the Theater Department. It's going to meet their needs," Owen said.
The cost for the Performance Hall sound renovation is around $200,000, according to Owen.
She also said Bai Company, a sound consulting company, suggested an upgrade in assisted listening for students with hearing challenges. They can ask for an assisted listening device.
"Sound is one of those industries that is relatively new," she said. "It's an industry where we can train people to get jobs. There's a huge market for highly trained people. We have alumni working in the industry because of the training they got here at Richland."
Owen said she will be working with students to help run sound for the first theater production in October.


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In my years of experience working with investment advisors, the No. 1 way new clients are acquired has consistently been through referrals. Referrals come through a variety of methods ranging from a passive recommendation from a happy client to actively asking clients for referrals.
Today, information is exchanged through ever-evolving and rapidly expanding social networks. As an avid Facebook user, I often find I know more about what is going on with a friend that lives 1,000 miles away than I know about my own next-door neighbor. As we are able to connect with each other using social media, we quickly find that a good percentage of our time spent online is in a social realm. In certain situations, social networks have become our preferred communication and stay-in-touch method. As a result, this has created a huge opportunity for advisors to connect with existing clients, seek out referral opportunities and grow their business.
For most advisory firms, social media is used by your target market. In the market segment of consumers age 55 and older, over 27.4 million individuals indicated they use social networking, according to comScore, a digital measurement company. Even more staggering, Pingdom.com studied data from Google Ad Planner and found the majority of social network users are individuals over 35 years old. For many advisors, professionals 35 years and older represent their target demographics. Instead of social media, think social marketing.
In fact, social media is on fire when it comes to client acquisition. Advisory firms using social media are growing faster than their counterparts not using social media—three times faster in terms of annual revenue, AUM and client base, according to Aite Group's Q4 2009 Advisor Survey.
What is driving this growth? Social network referrals. Hopefully, you are now asking yourself, "How can using social networks lead to more referrals? How are firms using social media growing three times faster?" The answers are easier than you might imagine:
Set up your profile on the social networks. Take the time to set up your profile on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Make sure that as you do, you hook in your compliance archiving tools and that what you are doing complies with your firm's social media policy.
Connect with your clients on social networks. Do a search for existing clients and extend an invitation for them to join your social network.
Review your extended social network connections. When your clients accept your invitations to be part of your social network, you will have the ability to review their connections as well as the groups to which they belong. In reviewing this list, you will be able to quickly see and determine which individuals you would like to meet via an introduction by your clients.
Ask for the introduction. Knowing your clients' connections allows you to be very specific when you ask for a referral. As an example, you could say, "I noticed on LinkedIn that you are connected to John Doe. I have been trying to figure out a way to introduce John to our services. Would you be willing to introduce me to him?" It is no longer a generic request of "Can you provide me with any referrals?" It is a targeted request that does not leave to chance whether or not the potential prospect is a fit for you and your firm.
Now that you see how easily social media can be used to gather referrals, it's even more exciting when you realize that most of your competitors are not using social media. Again, the proof is in the numbers: A survey by the Investment Adviser Association, ACA Compliance Group and Old Mutual Asset Management found that two out of three firms say they have a social media policy, however, 83% of those firms do not even maintain a corporate social networking site. In other words, their social media policy is most likely not to participate in social marketing at all. Therein lies the true opportunity.
As you take these steps to move your firm into using social media, you will find that asking for specific referrals becomes much easier, and your firm's growth will be rapid. In addition, it will allow you and your firm to communicate with clients in a format they are most likely participating in already. It's time to take the leap and jump on the social media bandwagon.


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I got a bit over a pound at Meijer and was a bit shocked that the guy at the seafood counter had NEVER HAD SALMON! He asked me if it was good (no - I'm just spending $10 on something crappy) and I said YES YES YES - go home tonight and make some!
I decided to take my own advice and made mine. I was looking for a recipe that I could bake and that was EASY.
I did use balsamic vinegar instead of cider vinegar because that's what was in the cupboard and I think I liked it better!!!!
I LOVED this recipe - it was tart (from the vinegar), lemony (from the lemon - duh) and buttery (from - you guessed it - the butter!).
This recipe is definitely going to be saved and made again and again in our house!
Baked Seasoned Salmon Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon fillets
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Arrange filets in a shallow baking dish.
- Mix together the remaining ingredients, & pour half of this mixture over the fish.
- Bake 20 minutes, basting with the remaining sauce.
- When done, sprinkle with paprika & chopped parsley, if desired.


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Search engines – webmasters and search engine optimization (SEO) professionals follow their guidelines for the highest possible rankings on them; paid search marketers pay to be featured on them; and users turn to them when they're searching for answers, information, or entertainment.
Search Engine Watch has been covering search engines since June 1997 and has watched the industry evolve to its current state. Over time, many search engines have come and gone, as users have spoken with their keyboards (and literally with their voices – thanks to voice search technology).
In recent years, search market share has remained mostly unchanged – for much of the world, it's Google followed by every other search engine (in the U.S. the "Big 5" search engines consist of Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask.com and AOL, which combine for hundreds of billions of searches every month). Meanwhile, many of the players have consolidated or have become footnotes in history.
What follows is an overview of today's major global search engines, with some history and explanation of why each one is important to webmasters, marketers, and users. We'll then review some of the top directories.
Major Search Engines
Started in 1998 as a university project by Stanford University students Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google is now the dominant search engine by no small margin and that didn't evolve slowly.
In fact, in June of 1999 Netscape Search was updated and AOL/Netscape search began to be powered by Google bringing their search volume to approximately 3 million per day; huge for the time.
On June 26, 2000 Yahoo Selected Google to provide its organic search results (replacing Inktomi) with its impressive index of more than 25 million pages; again, huge for the time.
Google has since become synonymous with the word "search" and as most of us know, is often used in place of the word. Don't know the answer? Google it!
The continued strength of Google as a search provider is based on a large number of factors and won't be debated here, save to say, they have successfully provided the results people are looking for in a manner those searchers either enjoy or are comfortable enough with not to switch to a different provider.
Google continues to tweak their search algorithm multiple times per month and adjust the layout of their results to test for improved visitor experience and advertising revenue.
The majority of Google's revenue is derived from their AdWords and AdSense programs. In fact, advertising accounts for more than 95 percent of Google's earnings. If there is a weakness in the Google model this is it; they need to tweak their layout and results to promote the paid avenues of their offerings. This gives advantages to other engines who may have revenue generation strategies outside of search.
Bing was launched in May 2009 as a fundamental upgrade from Microsoft's previous efforts into search, MSN Search.
Since the launch of Bing, Microsoft's share of the search marketplace has more than doubled. Add to that the deal between Microsoft and Yahoo for Bing to power Yahoo's organic results and Bing powers over 25 percent of search.
With the Microsoft/Yahoo alliance also came the affect that Yahoo's paid search platform would be used to power both Yahoo and Bing's paid results. While this may not seem like a big deal on the surface, it is actually huge.
Where once business owners and marketers had to consider whether it was worth the hassle of managing both a Bing paid campaign (for the significantly lower traffic they yield over Google) and also make the same call on managing a Yahoo paid campaign – the two now are manageable in one convenient location, significantly reducing the time it takes to setup and manage.
This of course makes the cost for these campaigns less expensive and when you combine that with Bing's increased market-share then they're in a position to take some of the ad dollars from Google (or at least, gain some for themselves).
Yahoo is an interesting search engine and one which, until recently, I had a very hard time taking seriously.
Once upon a time Yahoo was a major leader in the search field but has been in decline, making bad decision after bad decision, announcing layoff round after layoff round and making what can only be described as one of the worst business decisions in history when they turned down a takeover from Microsoft valued at $33/share. Yahoo shares dove after that and have never been anywhere close since.
From that point, until 2012, it seemed that every piece of news from Yahoo was bad news, until July 16 when the announcement came that they had snagged Marissa Meyer from Google to become CEO. This was the first move they'd made in a long time and had people wondering if this might just be the breath of fresh air and change of direction that the company needed.
From reviews of all hires and selling key properties such as Alibaba to putting their own search technology back on the forefront; Yahoo has maintained its position as one of the top three search engines, despite not producing their own organic results.
Other Major Search Engines Around the Globe
Google dominates the U.S. and most of the world – but not everywhere. Yahoo and Bing have had about the same luck (zero) making a dent in Google's search market share on other continents, but a couple of search engines in other countries have managed to stay ahead of the Mountain View, California-based search engine. If you're from these countries or interested in marketing to them – pay attention.
In China, Baidu is the major player with more than three of every four searches conducted on their engine.
To say Baidu blends organic with paid search is misleading, they use a hybrid approach wherein they have pay for performance (P4P) results (users bid to have their websites place at the top of what would appear to be the organic results).
In addition, Baidu offers PPC which, similar to AdWords, is displayed at the top or right of the standard results. One could argue that the existence of the PPC-like results further confuses the users clicking on the standard results area into believing they are organically generated.
While some investors consider Baidu to be overvalued as a stock, their earnings are consistently high. For companies looking to market into China, understanding Baidu is crucial.
Yandex is the primary and most popular of all Russian-language search engines with significant market dominance in Russia.
On October 1, 2012, Yandex launched their own browser and mobile app to keep their position secure against Google, their only real competitor in the space.
Yandex's advantage in Russian seems to be based on an algorithm that performs much better in understanding the unique syntax used and integrating that into the consideration of what type of results the user is likely looking for (for example – is the search string a question or simply keyword entry).
Directories are an interesting topic. Do they carry weight? Can they hurt your rankings? Should you even bother? The answer here is yes, yes, and yes.
This section will mainly focus on general directories, but the end of this section does include a few tips on how to find niche directories (or even other general directories) and how to determine if they are worth getting a listing on.
The Yahoo Directory was started in 1994 under the name "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" but in 1996 became Yahoo. At the time Yahoo was primarily a directory with search functionality and (interestingly) neither SEO nor Internet Marketing were even categories at the time.
Through the late 1990s Yahoo pushed to become a web portal and in 2000 even signed a deal with Google that would see Google power Yahoo's search functionality. Their focus at the time was to acquire users through acquisitions such as GeoCities (RIP), bringing more people into their portal and keeping them there. Unfortunately Yahoo! didn't have the same user loyalty that Apple does and the walled-garden approached failed as users Googled their way out of the Yahoo network of sites (ironically right on Yahoo's own properties).
All this said however, they still provide a solid directory (back to their roots). The cost is a non-refundable $299 review fee.
Best Of The Web may be my favorite of the general directories due in no small part to the fact that they allow for a permanent listing. The directory was founded in 1994 as a listing of the best of the web (seems to be the year of directories) and actually gave out a series of awards (take a peek, it's interesting to see what types of things won back then). That lasted until 1998 at which time the site lay dormant until purchased in 2002 at which time it became a general web directory.
BOTW is a human edited directory. They will decline your listing if they don't like the site. A submission is $150 annually or $300 for a permanent listing.
No list of directories would be complete without DMOZ. DMOZ was founded in June 1998 as Gnuhoo. It was purchased by Netscape in October of the same year at which time it became The Open Directory Project. By April 2000 it had surpassed the Yahoo Directory in number of URLs in it's index and currently sits at about 5.2 million.
For those in the industry long enough to remember, DMOZ suffered a catastrophic failure in October of 2006 at which time they had to display a backup version of their directory. This wasn't remedied until December and new sites couldn't be suggested until January. This is the time when it seemingly became increasingly difficult to get a listing in DMOZ as any editors seemed to have found new things to do with their time.
It is still possible to get a listing in DMOZ. For the 10 minutes it takes, it's well worth the time and it's free to submit. (Tip: try to submit to a category that has an editor.)
Business.com was started in 1999 as a search engine for business and corporations. They came close to bankruptcy during the dot-com bubble bursting but after major layoffs and restructuring they became profitable once more in 2003.
Business.com is focused on business-to-business resources (so take that into consideration when thinking about submitting. The cost is $299 per year and all submissions are reviewed manually.
As with Yahoo and BOTW, the fee is non-refundable if your site isn't accepted. You're paying for the review, not the link.
Honorable Mentions
Moving past the major players, there are also a number of other good general directories. These directories have all survived many updates including the Penguin and Panda rounds.
Remember, though, link building is about balance. You don't want to submit to a bunch of directories and consider your job done. A better strategy would be to bookmark this page, submit to a few and as you're building more links using different strategies, add a directory or two mixed in with the rest.
- Jayde – Submission is free.
- Ezilon – $69 annual fee of $199 permanent.
- Alive – $75 annual fee or $225 permanent.
- 01 Web Directory – Free submission option or $49 one-time for a guaranteed 3-day response time.
- Aviva – $50 annually or $150 permanent.
- SunStream – $29 annually or $49 permanent.
- GoGuides – $69 one time.
Again, this list only contains consistently solid general directories.
Directory Guidelines
You'll want to also look at niche directories (which may well hold more weight than any of the general directories above), but you need to be careful. There are many horrible directories out there.
Here are a few directory guidelines to follow that universally apply:
- Is the submission a guaranteed placement? If a directory will list you automatically (with or without a fee) then it's not an editorial link and either doesn't carry weight or likely won't in the near future. It should be avoided.
- Do they require a link back? If they do (even for their free listings when a paid is available), it probably should be avoided.
- Is their PageRank 3 or below? Yes, it's an old metric, but is still helpful to gauge general site health. A directory with a PageRank of 3 or less will, at best, pass virtually no weight; at worst, it'll cause you problems. Generally, you should only look at PageRank 3 directories in the case of niche directories; with general directories, don't even consider anything less than a 4.
- Common sense. Ah, the toughest one because our brains can trick us into seeing what we want to see. When you look at a directory (or any other link source for that matter) you have to ask yourself, "does it make sense that this link should pass weight to my site?" If you can honestly say "yes" to this then it's likely a good link.
A Final Warning
The saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket" comes into play here. Once again, directories can provide good and relevant links to your site (and hey, even some traffic) but a solid link profile contains variety.
Never put all your energies into one single link source. If you find a lot of great niche directories, put them all on a list and add a couple each month while you're engaged in other strategies to help remind Google that you're not a one-trick pony. You have good content liked by directory editors, bloggers, social media netizens, and others.


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By GNS on 21/02/2019.
Fast Kashmir is a prime 'Digital Media' venture in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. It is a new era digital news platform for the technology savvy generation.
In the time of digital world, Fast Kashmir is a window to the State of Jammu & Kashmir for comprehensive coverage
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Traditionally comedy shows are a popular choice among those looking to make plans for a New Year's Eve out on the town. What better way to ring in a new year than with friends, food, drinks, and laughter? We decided to round up all the New Year's Eve comedy options we could find in the Philadelphia area to help you make your decision on where you'll be starting 2013.
The Northeast Comedy Cabaret (11580 Roosevelt Blvd) will hold two shows (8pm, 10:30pm) featuring comedians Sudsy, John Kensil, Steve Golassa, and Darin Martinez. The 10:30 show will feature a champagne toast and party favors. Reservations can be made online or by calling 215-676-5653.
The Doylestown Comedy Cabaret (625 N. Main St. Doylestown, PA) will feature an 8:30 show with performances by Julia Scotti, Amir Gollan, Bill Chiang, and Bob Marsdale. Tickets are only available through online presale. For any questions call 215-322-6642.
The South Jersey Comedy Cabaret (200 North Route 73 Marlton, NJ) will host two shows (8pm, 10:30pm) with comedians Patrick O'Donnell, Simply Dee, Vince Valentine, and Mike Casey. The 10:30 show will feature a champagne toast and party favors. Tickets are available through online presale. For any questions call 215-322-6642.
ComedySportz New Year's Improvin' Eve (2030 Sansom St.) will feature two shows (7:30pm, 10:30pm) with "hilarious new games, free pizza and drinks for fans, Auld Lang Syne in gibberish and yes, even Baby New Year." Tickets can be purchased online.
New Year's Eve with Gary Gulman at Helium Comedy Club (2031 Sansom St.) will have two shows, the 8pm will include appetizers from 6:00PM – 7:30PM and a ticket to a future show while the 10:30pm show includes a champagne toast at midnight, dessert, and a ticket to a future show. Tickets can be purchased online.
New Year's Eve with Mike Bonner at The Laff House (221 South St.) will also have an 8pm and 10:30 show with tickets to the late show including "butlered hors d'ouvres, champagne toast at midnight and more!" The show will also feature comedy from Philly's own Keith from Up Da Block. Tickets can be purchased online.
Chip Chantry, Carl Boccuti, and Johnny Goodtimes will be hosting A Motown New Year's Eve at La Stanza (2001 W. Oregon Ave.) The show will feature performances by Doogie Horner, Tommy Pope, Luke Cunningham, John McKeever, Mary Radzinski, and Pat House. After the comedy show there will be a "Motown/Funk/Soul dance party" with DJ Honkeytron. Admission includes the show and dance party along with food and alcohol. Tickets can be purchased in advance via PayPal by sending $50 to email@example.com (PLEASE choose "Personal" as the transaction type).
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[…] Still looking for plans for New Year's Eve? Last week we gave you this round-up of comedy shows around Philadelphia tonight. […]


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"This is a very special book, not just because it's about peaches and the surprising things you can do with them, but because it's also about growing peaches, the farming life, and, most uniquely, because it's composed by a family. While reading The Perfect Peach, I couldn't help but wish that every fruit and vegetable had champions like the Masumoto family, for surely each one deserves it. I look forward to that day."
—Deborah Madison, author of Vegetable Literacy and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
"I have one word for the writing, photography, essays, and topic of this book: luscious. The Masumoto family has produced a glorious paean to the fruit they raise along with delightful ideas about what to do with an abundance of this heavenly fruit: sangria, salsa, pizza, and, of course, shortcake. I can't wait for summer."
—Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and author of What to Eat
"Congratulations to Mas and family for putting together a long overdue tribute to the delicious peach! I can't wait to test out the tantalizing recipes in their wonderful new book."
—Ag Kawamura, farmer and former California Secretary of Agriculture
"From Shaking Beef with Peaches to Peach Lemongrass Granita, The Perfect Peach collects an abundance of compelling recipes. But as a native son of Georgia who worked his first summer job at a peach packing plant, what really appealed to me were the Masumuto family tributes to all things sweet and fuzzy, and the interstitial essays that supply the real locomotion for this book of cookery advice and agricultural rumination."
—John T. Edge, coeditor, The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook
Foreword by Rick Bayless
Introduction: Dating a Peach
chapter one
A Peach Primer
chapter two
Thirst and Sweat
Beverages and Stories about Work
chapter three
At the Table
Savory Dishes and Family Farming
chapter four
Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dishes and Peach Pleasure
chapter five
Harvest Memories
Preserves and Legacy
Measurement Conversion Charts
About the Authors


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|Allegro CL version 10.1
Unrevised from 10.0 to 10.1.
10.0 version
Arguments: socket &key reuse-address broadcast keepalive nodelay oob-inline receive-buffer-size send-buffer-size
Sets system socket options for this socket. The meanings of the options are described in the description of make-socket.
The following are boolean options, and so specifying a
true value turns them on and specifying
nil turns them off. If you do not specify a value for
one of these options, then the value is not changed.
receive-buffer-size and send-buffer-size take integer arguments. Again, not specifying a value leaves it unchanged.
Note that certain options only work with certain kinds of sockets (e.g. broadcast only works for datagram sockets). See the description of make-socket for more information on what works with what sort of socket.
See socket.htm for information on sockets.
Copyright (c) 1998-2019, Franz Inc. Oakland, CA., USA. All rights reserved.
This page was not revised from the 10.0 page.
Created 2019.8.20.
|Allegro CL version 10.1
Unrevised from 10.0 to 10.1.
10.0 version


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Brenner Children's pediatric emergency department has moved back to its original location. Learn more
In order to help protect patients, family members and health care workers from the spread of COVID-19, no visitors are allowed at any of Wake Forest Baptist Health's outpatient or inpatient facilities, except in certain situations.Learn moreMore COVID-19 Updates
Cold weather offers many pleasures, whether you're heading for the great outdoors or just curling up with a book and a warm blanket. But there are some things you need to prepare for.
Think layers when you venture outdoors into the chill of winter. Clothes filled with down, Polartec, or other manmade insulating materials offer the best protection. Wear a hat and use mittens if possible (they're warmer than gloves).
If sledding is your sport, choose your hill carefully. Avoid areas that are too steep or have obstructions like rocks or trees. The best sleds are those that you can steer; the safest way to ride is sitting up (there's less risk of head injury this way).
For ice skaters, manmade rinks are the best choice because the surface is smooth and there's no danger of falling into frigid waters. If you do want to skate on a pond or a lake, be sure the ice is at least 4 to 6 inches thick with no holes or soft spots.
Want to try snowboarding or skiing? If you're new to a sport, it's a good idea to take lessons. An experienced instructor can give you advice on choosing equipment, clothing, and accessories, and also can explain techniques to help you avoid (or reduce your risk of) injuries.
Helping your parents, grandparents, or older neighbors clear their snowy sidewalks is a great workout. For most teens, shoveling snow is not a problem, since they're usually in better physical condition than adults. But remember to bend your knees as you lift to avoid shoulder, back, and neck injuries.
Traveling during cold weather requires special precautions. If you snowmobile, you should wear several layers of clothing, a helmet, and glasses or goggles. Be especially cautious when crossing roads. It's best to avoid frozen lakes and rivers because drowning is a leading cause of snowmobile fatalities.
Driving a car is not easy in wintry weather. If you're an inexperienced driver, your best bet is to stay off the road during bad weather. To practice, ask someone with winter driving experience to take you to a vacant parking lot where you can practice driving, turning, and stopping in the snow.
If you must travel, keep your car gassed up so that the fuel lines don't freeze. Remember to clean snow off taillights and headlights. Watch out for slow-moving vehicles like snowplows.
Put together a car emergency kit that contains:
If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. Run the heater occasionally to keep warm, but avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by making sure your tailpipe isn't plugged by snow or other debris.
People who stay out in the cold too long may risk frostbite and hypothermia. With frostbite, your body tissue literally freezes. Frostbite is fairly rare in teens' everyday outdoor activities, but if your ears, toes, or fingers feel really cold, get out of the cold. If the discomfort or tingling doesn't go away after a half hour or so, it's time to call a doctor.
Hypothermia happens when a person's body temperature falls below 95° F (35° C) and his or her normal body functions start to fail. A person who is out in the cold too long, gets wet in the cold, or stays in water that is below body temperature too long may exhibit symptoms of hypothermia, which include chills, shivering, confusion, and difficulty with coordination.
If you suspect that someone has hypothermia, get the person inside, out of wet clothes and into dry ones, and wrapped in warm blankets. Feed the person warm liquids and call for emergency medical help.
Here are some other ways to keep safe during wintry weather:
Even indoors, there are some cold-weather health hazards to watch out for. More people come down with colds and the flu as activities move indoors for the winter. Avoid missing out on winter fun by getting your flu vaccine. Eat healthy foods and get enough rest to boost your immune system. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly to stop the spread of germs.
The risk of house fires also increases with cold weather. At holiday time, make sure decorations are placed away from heaters and fireplaces; check the wires on light strings for fraying or bad connections. If you light candles, blow them out if you'll be out of the room for a while. Keep electric or kerosene space heaters away from curtains, furniture, or other flammable materials (including yourself!) to avoid fires and burns.
If your family has a woodstove or a fireplace, you may want to remind your parents to get a yearly chimney inspection and cleaning. Also, put new batteries in smoke detectors and check that they are all functioning properly.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is another indoor danger. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas produced by wood- or gas-fueled appliances (such as heaters, stoves, water heaters, or dryers) that don't burn properly, as well as by charcoal grills and automobiles.
Feeling very tired (more than usual) and having long-lasting headaches are both symptoms of CO poisoning. You should also be suspicious if other people in the house are experiencing these symptoms at the same time. Having carbon monoxide detectors in your home is a good idea, too.
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: February 2012
© 2019 Brenner | Site Policies & Statements
The information on this Website is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation or care from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. If you have a medical problem or a health-related question, consult your physician or call Health On-Call at 336-716-2255 or 1-800-446-2255.


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(Reuters) - Sprint Nextel Corp's $2.2 billion offer for Clearwire Corp is likely to face resistance from Clearwire's minority shareholders, but accepting the offer may prove to be their best option.
Clearwire Chief Executive Erik Prusch said the company could face a restructuring if shareholders fail to approve the acquisition, which calls for majority shareholder Sprint to pay $2.97 per share for the roughly outstanding 50 percent of Clearwire it doesn't already own.
Clearwire, which has been seeking financing to upgrade its network and stay afloat, had no other attractive alternatives to Sprint's offer on the table, Prusch told analysts on a conference call announcing the deal.
The transaction requires approval from the majority of Clearwire's minority shareholders.
Sprint said it already has support for the deal from owners of 13 percent of Clearwire shares - Comcast Corp, Intel Corp and Bright House Networks LLC.
Still, Sprint's offer of $2.97 per share is only 7 cents per share higher than a bid that several minority shareholders said last week was both too low and undervalued the company. Some of those shareholders had suggested Sprint offer at least $5 per share.
Crest Financial, which also owns more than 3 percent of Clearwire, on Monday sought class action support for its lawsuit against the deal.
One investor, Mount Kellett, which owns 3.6 percent of Clearwire's shares, said last week that Sprint's original $2.90 per-share offer "grossly" undervalued Clearwire, for instance.
Mount Kellett did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.
And one of Clearwire's biggest minority shareholders told Reuters they were still hoping for a higher offer.
"It's not the right price," said this minority shareholder, who asked to remain anonymous due to a company policy to not speak publicly about investments.
This source argued that owning Clearwire is important enough to Sprint that it would raise the offer if shareholders reject it rather than let it go bankrupt and let even a portion of its spectrum fall into the hands of another company.
"The minority holders have some real leverage here," the person said.
Acquiring full ownership of Clearwire spectrum would help Sprint, the nation's third-largest wireless service provider, in its efforts to offer high-speed wireless services to compete better with its bigger rivals.
Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc are the largest and second-largest U.S. wireless service providers.
But based on Monday's trade in Clearwire that minority shareholder's view appeared to be in the minority. Clearwire shares tumbled 12.4 percent to $2.94 in mid-afternoon trading, below Sprint's offer price as investors appear to be betting against any hope of receiving a higher offer.
Sprint shares were roughly flat at $5.56 in early afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.
Analysts also say that Sprint's offer will prove to be the best available option for shareholders. Pacific Crest analyst Michael Bowen said in a research note, that the Sprint offer is "more than fair."
Clearwire's Prusch said on the call that the deal was the best alternative to other options he explored such as: signing up new wholesale customers; raising financing through a debt or an equity offering; selling a portion of spectrum; or taking an investment from other potential partners.
"Despite our efforts we have been unable to secure new partnerships," said Prusch, adding that part of the problem with a new investment was its governance agreements with Sprint.
"Our existing governance agreements prevented us from offering third parties the governance rights they desired in a partnership," Prusch said.
Clearwire, which also counts Sprint as its biggest customer, has been trying to attract new wholesale customers for years, but Prusch said it couldn't attract enough big customers to support it as an independent company.
Clearwire had recently received a credible, but preliminary proposal for the purchase of a portion of its spectrum from a third party that it "worked hard to improve," but its board concluded Sprint's offer was better, Prusch said.
Clearwire's comments "should be a huge bucket of cold water on the loud minority shareholders who are agitating for at least $5 per share," Pacific Crest's Bowen said.
Stifel Nicolaus analyst Christopher King said: "The odds are against minority shareholders winning the battle."
King said he still expects more lawsuits and a "very ugly" proxy battle. But since Sprint already has roughly half the support its needs from minority shareholders he does not expect investors against the deal to win enough support to block it.
As part of the deal, Sprint also agreed to provide Clearwire with up to $800 million of additional financing, which would be exchangeable for Clearwire common stock at $1.50 per share. Under that agreement Sprint will buy $80 million of exchangeable notes per month for up to 10 months beginning in January.
King said that this offering tips the balance of power further in Sprint's favor as the convertibles would dilute existing minority shareholders' voting power.
Moreover, one hedge fund manager who was listed as a Clearwire shareholder in the latest public filings said that the deal value is good news for investors who owned Clearwire shares for more than two months.
"From many investors' perspectives they were very pleased to see the announcement and see some realization of value for the Clearwire shares," said the hedge fund manager, who would not confirm if they are still a Clearwire shareholder.
Clearwire shares rose sharply in October as investors speculated that a Sprint agreement to sell a 70 percent stake to SoftBank Corp for $20 billion, would lead to a sale as that deal gives Sprint the resources it needs to buy Clearwire.
The Clearwire deal is contingent on both the closing of Sprint's deal with SoftBank and approval from Japan's SoftBank.
Reuters reported last week that SoftBank told Sprint it would not support a Clearwire deal unless it was for no more than $2.97 per share.
Both the SoftBank deal and the Clearwire deal require approval from government regulators.
Sprint's Chief Executive Dan Hesse said he does not expect the Clearwire proposal to delay the closing of the SoftBank deal provided the approval process for the Clearwire deal begins quickly. Sprint expects the Clearwire deal to close around the middle of next year, about same time as the SoftBank deal.
Citigroup acted as financial advisers and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and King & Spalding LLP acted as legal counsel to Sprint. Evercore Partners acted as financial adviser and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel for Clearwire.
The special committee of Clearwire's board used Centerview Partners as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A. for legal advice. Blackstone Advisory Partners L.P. advised Clearwire on restructuring matters.
The Raine Group acted as financial adviser and Morrison Foerster LLP acted as counsel to SoftBank. Credit Suisse acted as financial advisor and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP acted as counsel to Intel.
Additional reporting by Jennifer Saba and Herb Lash. Editing by Peter Lauria, Rodney Joyce, Sriraj Kalluvila, Lisa Von Ahn and Leslie Gevirtz


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- This topic has 0 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 8 years, 5 months ago by drsranganathan.
December 11, 2011 at 4:26 pm #15828drsranganathanParticipant
Is there anything called 'basic needs' and 'luxury needs' in human life and if so which one drives man from pillar to post or causes tyrannies and tears?
Does man run after his basic needs or luxury needs the most? How do we define or understand them better? The highly evolved man must look at the life of various animals in the forest, only then he can understand/appreciate the difference between the basic needs and luxury needs.
Every life has struggle and sorrow, be it an animal in the forest or a man in the village or city. One should be wise in seeing the purpose or ultimate goal in such struggle or sorrow instead of getting trapped in the premises of struggle or sorrow. Do animals live with struggle and sorrow or their life has struggle and sorrow? Which would be the best way to define the animal life?
The distinction between living with struggle and struggle in life is well understood by all animals except man. They largely never prefer to live a life in struggle and never let their sorrow or sufferings to dictate or dominate their life. Purely it was possible for all animals because they live for their basic needs and they are never after luxury needs. They are always in the territory of their basic needs. They never break the boundaries nor have developed any further needs beyond the basic needs. They do have plenty of struggles in life but they never script their life to be a life of sorrows and sufferings.
The idea is not to suggest the man to live like animals or be happy and contented just with his food needs alone. Nor interested in suggesting man to cut or limit the luxury needs. The whole purpose is to give a clear picture and perspective about the basic needs and luxury needs and how much turmoil they can cause in our life.
It is not man's luxury needs or his gallop towards the same only cause problems. The source of the real problem is that man is yet to understand distinctively about them.
Many executives in several big corporate do suffer from job insecurity and fear of future. The problem will be acute if they are of younger age group. The truth is that they always superimpose their basic needs on their luxury needs and assume that their luxury needs are their basic needs.
No one can live without fulfilling the basic needs. Basic needs alone support and facilitate the possibility of life. When the luxury needs has been redefined as basic needs then, he or she has to fulfill it or achieve it. When they fail to do so, frustrations and dejections slowly swallow them or eat them.
At the hour of crisis, the distinctive wisdom has to be applied and the truth has to be seen or appreciated in totality. Most animals follow such philosophy. During breeding season, nest building and the parental care becomes the basic need of most animals. For the sake of fulfilling the above new role or need, they even forgo eating food and fast during the period. Any new needs if animals include in the kitty of their basic needs, they are totally committed to the cause and are even willing to make maximum sacrifice. In the event of a threat to the young ones, they fight till the end and if they fail, they leave the scene definitely with pain but with the confidence they carry that they have only lost one of their luxury needs. They are alive to meet both their basic and luxury needs.
Borrow the wisdom from wildlife and make your life happy. Animals are the best examples to follow and best teachers to learn, learn from them you can indeed 'learn and earn' your life.
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The technosphere was all a-twitter today with news that AT&T had stopped selling iPhones in the New York City area over the weekend.
But after what was apparently unexpected by AT&T -- massive outrage -- they resumed selling them again.
Consumerist blog was first to report the service outage, when a reader wrote them saying that while shopping for a new mobile device he noticed that his Brooklyn zip code didn't work for finding an iPhone on wireless.att.com.
A call to the telecom's support and Consumerist's Laura Northrup got this response from an AT&T:
"Yes, this is correct the phone is not offered to you because New York is not ready for the iPhone... You don't have enough towers to handle the phone."
Later, however, an AT&T spokesman told Consumerist: "We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels." Whatever that means.
Wired.com reported that other people had been told that the iPhone drought was because of fraud issues. The online mag also points out that AT&T has had problems in the past keeping up with the massive data overload that iPhone users put on their network.
AT&T spokeswoman Alexa Kaufman gave NBCNewYork.com the same story Consumerist got, and pointed out that shoppers could still buy the phones in traditional stores.
"The iPhone is available in our New York retail stores and those of our partners," said Kaufman. "As for online sales, we periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels."


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Culture- ART FEATURE- Ars publica: Revolutionary book art
This past fall, the University of Virginia Art Museum hosted "Regeneration," an exhibition exploring work by contemporary Chinese artists who grew up under the anti-intellectual strictures of the People's Revolution but who are now flourishing in the post-Mao era. Now UVA's Harrison Institute and Small Special Collections Library takes an intriguing look in the opposite direction with the exhibition "The Firebird and the Factory: Modern Russian Children's Books."
Where "Regeneration" examined art loosed from state-imposed communist guidelines, "The Firebird and the Factory" looks at how Bolshevik Revolution-inspired artists and writers re-imagined children's books as vehicles to promote the new socialist agenda. According to a 1919 statement by avant garde artist El Lissitsky, whose geometric illustrations for A Suprematist Tale About Two Squares are on display, "[Books] are to our time what cathedrals with their frescoes and stained glass were to ages past— books have become monuments to modernity."
Prior to the 1917 Revolution, books belonged to the elite domain of the Russian aristocracy. Illustrations in a 1904 alphabet book by imperial artist Alexandre Benois depict luxury goods, leisure activities, and landed estates. Not so the graphic and modern 1925 alphabet book by avant gardist Vladimir Lebedev, which employs tools of the proletariat, like shovels and axes, to illustrate the Cyrillic letters.
Well-organized and with excellent signage (informative without being cumbersome), "The Firebird and the Factory" shows how children's books shifted from lavishly produced volumes of folktales and folk songs, illustrated in art nouveau-influenced style by Ivan Bilibin and his student Georgii Narbut, to books teaching about industry, transportation, labor, and efficiency. Although often printed on cheap paper with limited palettes, the strong-edged images in the latter reflect the Bauhaus, Cubist, and de Stijl movements going on elsewhere in Europe.
A particularly interesting case displays books bashing anti-socialist practices, directed particularly at the U.S. Nearby another case reveals how some artists, such as poet Osip Mandelstam, resisted the government mandate to celebrate the strong laborer.
Placed side by side, these books reveal an important political story. Nevertheless, it's thrilling simply to see such powerful early 20th century Russian art. Viewers not only have the chance to sigh over Bilibin's gorgeous illustrations for Aleksandr Pushkin's 1907 The Golden Cockerel, but they also can admire the geometric strength of Aleksandr Deineka's artwork for the Soviet book The Electrician.
When Russians became Soviets, the revolution may not have been televised (ala Gil Scott-Heron's 1970 Beat poem), but it was beautifully published.
"The Firebird and the Factory: Modern Russian Children's Books" is on view at the University of Virginia's Harrison Institute and Small Special Collections Library through April 9. 243-8969.


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Shrinking and drying units
Our portfolio includes various shrinking and drying units, capable of seamless integration into new or existing production environments. The MULTIVAC process enables a perfect shrinking result with minimal temperature loading.
Reliability, durability and comprehensive service make MULTIVAC shrinking and drying units a resilient link in your production chain.


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|Resident Services
|Landon Ridge - Alamo Ranch Assisted Living and Memory Care
|San Antonio, TX
The LVN/LPN is responsible for providing quality care and meeting resident needs while following all state guidelines and regulations. The nurses are also responsible for providing oversight during their shift to the CNA's and CMA's as directed by the Resident Services Director.
Sagora Senior Living is one of the top 50 senior housing operators in the United States offering independent living, assisted living, and memory care services. We are looking for compassionate and caring individuals to join our team to uphold our "Residents First" philosophy. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package along with additional company perks.
If you are looking for a rewarding position and a great company culture, we urge you to apply!
Position details:
- Community name: Landon Ridge Alamo Ranch Assisted Living and Memory Care
- City, State:San Antonio, TX
- Community details: www.sagora.com/landonridgealamoranch/
- Status: PRN - as needed basis
- Shift/hours: Varies
- Ensure quality and safe resident care services
- Promote resident physical and emotional health by assisting and teaching the resident regarding his/her medical care
- Comply with Assisted Living Policies and Procedures
- Provide personal care services which reflect the plan of service for each resident
- Follow Infection Control and Safety Policies and Procedures per policy
- Observe resident conditions and accurately report to Resident Services Director
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text:
Alle Heiligen
Marcel Ruijters is a Dutch comic artist, who is best known for his works based on medieval themes. He studied at the Art Academy in Maastricht and started self-publishing his comic stories in 1988. He has self-published over 30 comic books, inlcuding 'Onbegrijpelijke Verhalen', 'Mandragoora', 'Fun&Games', 'Thank God it's Ugly' and five issues of 'Dr. Molotov'. For these early creations, he regularly collaborated with other artists, especially Matthias Giesen.
A Day in the Swamp (Coyote #5, March 1984)
His work has been published in several alternative magazines, including Zone 5300, Coyote and Gr'nn, as well as a variety of magazines and anthologies from all over the world, such as Hopital Brut, Malefact and Stripburger. He has had many exhibitions, from Terneuzen to Milano, and makes paintings and sculptures as well. He is an editor with the Rotterdam-based alternative comics magazine Zone 5300. He has also made illustrations for more mainstream clients like Skepter, De Humanist, Webber, Sesamstraat Maandblad, Jumbo and Kennisnet.
Between 1999 and 2007, he releaed the 3-volume series 'Troglodytes' with Oog & Blik. Abroad, he published the mini-comic 'A Jest of Nature' in Canada in 1998, and several of his books were published by Le Dernier Cri in France, such as 'Bestiarium' (2004) and 'Tarot Corrupt' (2007).
His 2005 graphic novel 'Sine Qua Non' was inspired by medieval woodcuts and mysticism, and was well received in the press. In May 2008, Marcel Ruijters won the VPRO Award for best Dutch graphic novel for 'Inferno', his comic based on Dante's work, that was published by Oog & Blik. Marcel hosted an Inferno art exposition at Galerie Lambiek in April-June 2008, where all 119 original pages from the graphic novel were on display.
In 2010, Ruijters released a colored edition of 'Bestiarium', a collection of scraperboard illustrations that pays tribute to medieval manuscripts full of mythical creatures and human races. Ruijters has remained inspired by the art and stories of the Middle Ages for his next works, '1348' (Le Dernier Cri, 2010) and 'Alle Heiligen', a collection of fake saint's lives (Sherpa, 2013). Marcel Ruijters won the Stripschapprijs in 2015. In that same year, he was commissioned to make a comic about the 16th century Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his death.


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Here's a very safe prediction: Los Angeles is going to have change the names of a lot of its new schools.
That prediction is based on a smart LA Times story that looks at all the names that have been given to new schools in Los Angeles Unified School District during the school construction surge of the past several years. The story notes that politically connected people, from leading politicians to the parents of Congressman-elect Tony Cardenas, have got their names on schools.
But there's a bigger problem with many of these school names: The people receiving the honor of having a school named after them are alive.
U.S. & World
It's a very bad, basic mistake to name schools and other high-profile institutions after the living. That's because the living, no matter how wonderful we think they are, still have years left of living to disappoint us -- or to do revolting, embarassing or even criminal things.
That's why, despite the understandable desire to have a diverse array of role models associated with the schools, it's foolish to name schools for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama, President Clinton or Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, all of whom have LA schools name after them.
What if Obama has a disastrous second-term, or is caught up in a scandal? What if Bill Clinton behaves like, well, Bill Clinton?
LA already made the mistake of naming its central library after former Mayor Richard Riordan. I'm a huge fan of Riordan and his work, but he's also a lightning rod, sponsoring an ongoing effort to change pensions for public workers. Could his name -- particularly if he becomes unpopular -- hurt public support for the library?
It's worth worrying about this stuff.
The dead are better candidates for naming because they can't do anything to sully positive legacies. Yes, of course, there's always the possibility of post-mortem revelations of scandal. Which is why it may be wise to name things for people who have been dead for a decade or so.
Why does it matter? Because naming is a difficult, fraught choice. And it's terrible to have to take the name of a person off the school. Given LA's choice of living political players, it's a very safe bet that we'll see names taken off schools before too long.


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Saturday, May 29, 2010
A Critical Examination Of Blood Type Diets
Enjoy the explanation.....
Dr. T
A Critical Examination Of Blood Type Diets
- by Loren Cordain, Ph.D., Professor
The History And Characterization Of Blood Type Diets
Blood type diets were first popularized by Peter D'Adamo, a naturopathic physician, in his best selling 1996 book, Eat Right 4 Your Type1. The inspiration for Dr. D'Adamo's book came from subjective clinical impressions of his father, James D'Adamo; also a naturopathic physician who first proposed this concept in his book, One Man's Food is Someone Else's Poison 16 years earlier in 19802. As a member of Bastyr College's first graduating class of naturopathic physicians in 1982, Peter became interested in attempting to validate his father's subjective and personal observations from reviews of the scientific and medical literature – thus the fundamental reason for Peter writing his hugely successful diet book.
The underlying premise for Peter's dietary ideas is that ABO blood type is the most important issue in determining healthful diets. He advocates separate diets for people with one of the four most common blood types (A, B, O or AB), and has further subdivided his dietary recommendations into three arbitrary ancestral categories: "African, Caucasian and Asian." Hence 12 subgroups (4 blood types x 3 ancestral categories) exist – each with differing dietary recommendations. Each blood type diet includes 16 food groups which are divided into three categories: 1) highly beneficial, 2) neutral and 3) avoid. For each of the 12 subgroups differing recommendations exist for the three food categories. If these nutritional recommendations sound somewhat complex to you, I had to re-read them about a dozen times to get the drift myself. Although I don't want to get ahead of the game, for the observant reader, you may be curious to know how Dr. D'Adamo dreamed up this complex dietary system and if a long trail of experimental human clinical trials exist to support Peter's recommendations? I, too, had to ask myself these same questions.
Before we get into the science or lack thereof of the blood type diet, I've got to flesh out a few more of the underlying concepts. Dr. D'Adamo believes that blood group O ("O for Old") was the earliest human blood type and that all humans at one time maintained this blood group before the subsequent evolutionary appearance of blood types A, B and AB (reference 1, pp. 6-13). Accordingly, Peter believes that people with the O blood type had ancestors who were skillful hunters and whose diets were high in meat and animal proteins. For modern people with the O blood type he advocates a high meat, low carbohydrate "hunter" diet, with virtually no wheat, few grains or legumes and limited dairy products. Do these dietary recommendations ring a bell for you, or sound vaguely familiar? Keep this thought in mind, as it may well explain the lasting popularity of Peter's first book.
Peter now goes on to explain to us that blood group A ("A is for Agrarian") "appeared somewhere in Asia or the Middle East between 25,000 and 15,000 B.C." . . . and "allowed them to better tolerate and absorb cultivated grains and other agricultural products" (reference 1, p. 8). For type A's, Dr. D'Adamo recommends a mainly vegetarian diet - the diet that he personally follows. However, more importantly he recommends that blood type A's also avoid wheat and dairy (do these recommendations also sound familiar?) and replace meats with some "highly beneficial" fish and seafood – Hmm, lots of fresh fruits and veggies for type A's, little wheat or dairy and fish instead of meat? Keep these recommendations in mind.
Peter next tells us that blood type B, "developed sometime between 10,000 and 15,000 B.C. in the area of the Himalayan highlands – now part of present-day Pakistan and India (reference 1, p. 10). Peter suggests that type B's have evolved the most varied diet and can include both meats and dairy in their daily menu, but again should avoid wheat. Before we move on to the final blood type (AB) it should be noted that Dr. D'Adamo generally eschews highly processed foods (chips, pastries, candy, ice cream, snack food, fast food, etc.) for all blood groups – once again, does this not sound like another familiar dietary suggestion?
From Peter's diagram on page 6 of his book, he indicates that blood type AB appeared first in humans sometime between 500 B.C. and 900 A.D. He characterizes "AB is for Modern" and states "Until ten or twelve centuries ago, there was no Type AB blood." (reference 1, p. 13). Peter indicates that AB's are a conglomeration of type A and type B blood types, and consequently their diets should reflect a mixture of the recommendations he makes for these blood groups. AB's are therefore advised to eat meats, seafood and dairy, and to once again avoid wheat.
The Reality And The Science Of Blood Type Diets
The reality of Dr. D'Adamo's book, Eat Right 4 Your Type, is that it has overwhelmingly become one of the sustained, best selling diet books of the past two decades, and continues to sell well on Amazon and other retail outlets – 14 years after its initial release in 1996. Unfortunately, as I will shortly demonstrate, Dr. D'Adamo's explanations for the health-promoting effects of his diet have little or nothing to do with ABO blood groups. His claims about the origins of human blood types and the dietary selective pressures which elicited the four common blood types are completely incorrect and have no basis in the current scientific literature. By critically examining the faulty concepts and evidence underlying this book, it becomes almost comical how Peter's series of errors, incorrect assumptions and conclusions actually ended up with dietary recommendations that may have therapeutic value for about 60% or more of the world's population. The paradoxical nature of this book (bad science, pretty good dietary recommendations) helps to explain its lasting commercial success.
Actual Origins of Human Blood Types
Peter's suggestion that O is the original human blood type is incorrect. Studies in humans, chimpanzees and bonobos (a specific type of chimpanzee) show that alleles (different versions of genes) coding for the A blood type was actually the most ancient version of the ABO blood group, and was shared prior to the evolutionary split between chimpanzees and hominids five to six million years ago3-5. Hence, Peter's suggestion that blood type A appeared 15,000 to 25,000 years B.C. in response to dietary changes brought about by the new foods (i.e. grains) of the agricultural revolution is not only incorrect, but off base by about five million years. Now, let's play a little game of logic and apply the correct data to Peter's reasoning that "the original ancestral human blood type should be eating a high protein meat based diet." Since type A is the actual ancestral human blood type (rather than O), if we use Peter's logic then he - himself a type A - should not be following a vegetarian diet, but rather a high protein meat based diet. These kinds of games of logic - although fun to play - more importantly underscore the fundamental and incorrect assumptions upon which Peter's book is based.
The next blood type that appeared in the human lineage was B - which split from A - about 3.5 million years ago3-5, not the recent 10,000 to 15,000 years B.C. origin that Peter has proposed. The O blood type split from A about 2.5 million years ago3-5 and consequently does not represent the oldest blood type as claimed by Peter. The only fact that Peter correctly deduced about the origin of human blood types was that AB was the youngest, but once again he completely missed the correct date, as it was actually about 260,000 years ago3 - not the mere 1,500 years ago that he has proposed.
So Peter has got all of his blood group origins messed up, his dates wrong, and the evolutionary splits incorrect. Why does this matter and how does it affect his dietary theories? To begin with, even if we were to believe in Peter's underlying assumptions that diets should be prescribed upon blood types, he would have to completely revamp his original recommendations. Type A's should be eating a high protein, meat-based diet rather than the vegetarian fare he suggests. But what about type O's? With the correct evolutionary information, should they now be eating a vegetarian menu? And what about type B's and type AB's – what should they now be eating? Most telling of the logical failings of Peter's blood type diet is the observation that all four of the major blood types had evolved almost 250,000 years before the coming of the Agricultural Revolution 10,000 years ago. Yet Peter would have us convinced that three of the four major blood groups only came into existence slightly before or after the Agricultural Revolution, and as a direct result from dietary selective pressures wrought by Neolithic food introductions.
So, why has Peter's book become one of the best selling diet books in the past two decades? Because it works – but only for about 44-62% of the people who adopt it. Remember that for blood type O, Peter advocates a high meat, low carbohydrate "hunter" diet; with virtually no wheat, few grains or legumes and limited dairy products. If we look at the frequencies of the four major blood types for the entire world population, blood type O is by far the most frequently occurring version. It is found in 62% of all the world's people, followed by A (21%), B (16%) and AB (1-3%)6. In the United States, the four blood type frequencies are O (44%), A (42%), B (10%) and AB (4%)7. So you can see that Peter has essentially advocated a diet similar to the Paleo Diet for between 44 and 62% of his readers. Quite simply, Peter's diet works for about 44 to 62% of the people who adopt it – not because of their blood type, but because it emulates the same diet that natural selection has designed for us all.
1. D'Adamo, P. with Whitney, C. Eat Right 4 your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1996.
2. D'Adamo, J. One man's food--is someone else's poison. R. Marek Publisher, 1980.
3. Calafell F, Roubinet F, Ramírez-Soriano A, Saitou N, Bertranpetit J, Blancher A. Evolutionary dynamics of the human ABO gene. Hum Genet. 2008 Sep;124(2):123-35.
4. Saitou N, Yamamoto F. Evolution of primate ABO blood group genes and their homologous genes. Mol Biol Evol. 1997 Apr;14(4):399-411.
5. Lalueza-Fox C, Gigli E, de la Rasilla M, Fortea J, Rosas A, Bertranpetit J, Krause J. Genetic characterization of the ABO blood group in Neandertals. BMC Evol Biol. 2008 Dec 24;8:342.
6. Mourant AE, Kopec AC, Domaniewska-Sobczak K. The Distribution of the Human Blood Groups and other Polymorphisms. Oxford University Press, London, 1976, p. 6.
7. Stanford School of Medicine, Blood Center.
Dr. Narson is a 2-term past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association's Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and was honored as the recipient of the coveted Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award in 1999-2000. He practices in Miami Beach, Florida at the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic Center; A Facility for Natural Sports Medicine.
13 comments:
- V. lagra said...
Of course blood type diet sounds interesting but I also agree there is no science according to that.
- June 4, 2010 at 11:42 AM
- TJ said...
You use only 7 references (2 from the D'Adamos) to disprove a book supported by over 120 scholarly articles and countless hours of the author's own research? Way to be thorough. Who's paying you to endorse their diet?
- July 7, 2010 at 6:08 AM
- Dr. Todd Narson said...
"Drive55" it's not the quantity of the research or scholarly articles, it's their accuracy. There are inaccuracies throughout with his references for simply the time line for how humans evolved, where they evolved from, etc.. Loren Cordain, PhD has over 300 articles published in human evolution & diet and is an authority on the subject. I think Dr. Cordain's article does quite enough to refute the facts of the blood type diet. As he pointed out, it will work for a certain percent of the population, but because of the holes in his science, it doesn't work for most or all.
And to answer your question about "who pays me"??? My patients pay me to help them get results.
I have to admit though, in theory The Blood Type diet did sounds nice.
'nuff said
- July 7, 2010 at 6:27 AM
- Unknown said...
Yes, D'adamo got it wrong on the dates and evolution. But what you fail to mention is that he actually examined the different blood groups under the microscope and TESTED what foods/lectins caused the blood of the different types to agglutinate. And THAT builds the premise for his food recommendations. Either Cordain didnt fully read his book or he conveniently skipped that part.
- July 16, 2010 at 8:53 AM
- V said...
I would first like to state that I am not a scientist, but I do not believe that one's diet ought to be influenced by one's blood type. Nevertheless, I would like to pose a question...
You state that, "Studies in humans, chimpanzees and bonobos (a specific type of chimpanzee) show that alleles (different versions of genes) coding for the A blood type was actually the most ancient version of the ABO blood group, and was shared prior to the evolutionary split between chimpanzees and hominids five to six million years ago."
However, I note that Native Americans are overwhelmingly type O+ with some distribution of A+ in the more northern tribes. (see: http://anthro.palomar.edu/vary/vary_3.htm)
It appears from this distribution map that Central and South American Indians are completely devoid of A or B, with O types approaching 100% of the population.
I 'assume' that the distribution of A types arrived later than those of O, in successive waves of migration.
Therefore I must ask if O is indeed more ancient than A, since these Native Americans are now thought to have arrived into the Americas at a much earlier date than the previously accepted 11,000 years or so. I have heard estimates of possibly upwards of 30,000 - 40,000 years ago.
- August 6, 2010 at 7:58 AM
- V said...
Hello again:
Possibly I will, in part, be answering my own question, but I have continued my reading on this subject since posing it earlier...
Apparently there is a correlation between blood type and one's susceptibility to malaria. Researchers have found that malaria presents less severely, or there are fewer severe cases of this disease, in those of blood type O+.
See: http://www.gnxp.com/blog/2007/10/malaria-and-blood-type.php
If, as is supposed in Dr. Cordain's refutation of the "Eat Right For Your Blood Type" diet, blood type A is in fact the more ancient type, then it appears that proto-humans with type O+ may have had greater survivability in the face of malaria. I'm willing to hazard a guess that this mutation would have given them the edge needed to multiply their numbers and perhaps become the creature we recognize as fully human today. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that O+ is the most ancient blood type of homo sapiens, but not of much earlier human-like beings. After all, we branched off from the ancestors of chimps and gorillas a very long time ago.
Again, all thoughts are welcome. Thanks!
- August 6, 2010 at 12:28 PM
- Aspiring Steph said...
I agree with "V" above,
I am aware that blood type diet lacks scientific evidence, but it is definitely interesting.
I'm an A, and the foods recommended or not-recommended does really work better for me.
But most of all, chimpanzees and other apes are "A" and they happen to be basically "vegans". When "homos" started eating meat, I've read before that's when the "mutation" occurred for us to be more type O's and we were able to take a huge evolutionary step.
Well, I am not criticizing or anything, but I am just really curious. Doesn't this suggest that perhaps "some" parts of the BTD makes sense?
- November 19, 2010 at 8:15 PM
- Dr. Todd Narson said...
Interestingly, I'm sure we all remember from high school and learning how chimps, apes use a stick as a tool to get termites & ants out of their respective mounds. This is one instance that shows apes and chimps aren't vegans.
The eat for your blood type is interesting as it seems that your lineage should influence what fuels your physiology. I always tell people if they want to be healthy, research their ancestry and eat like they did. But there ends up being some commonalities when you go back far enough.
Based on the credibility of the research, I'd have to go with Loren Cordain on this. With his history of research and the too numerous to mention..times he's been published in this area really goes way beyond that of the blood type diet.
The fact that the blood type diet doesn't work for a large % of the people that try it is quite telling.
When eating with paleo principles, everyone that dose it seems to respond quite favorably.
Love the discussion. You guys really make some outstanding points.
Dr. T
- November 20, 2010 at 3:29 PM
Stephanie, Chimps could not at all be described as vegan. Although they primarily eat fruit, they also eat meat, including other primates, birds and eggs, and insects.
- July 10, 2011 at 1:04 PM
- Dr. Todd Narson said...
Based on anthropological research, our genes are linked back to about 4.5 million years ago (the last 200,000 of which are virtually unchanged and the last 40,000 the exact same). During none of this time were humans ever vegan or vegetarian.
For that matter, it's well known in (for those that actually study it rather than listen to hearsay) that chimps are not vegan or vegetarian or Fruitarian, they are omnivore. During the dry season they eat meat, small antelope and as pointed out above, other small monkeys. They've been well known for using sticks as tools to retrieve ants and termites from mounds. So the argument that we are supposed to only eat vegetarian or vegan is absolutely ridiculous.
- July 10, 2011 at 1:41 PM
- Jess said...
I've always been a little skeptical of the blood type diet, but that hasn't stopped me from loosely implementing it because I have leaky gut. It's really frustrating trying to find food that works. The guidelines from the blood type diet made it a little easier. Many of the foods on the avoid list had a negative effect on me. Lentils and red beans really bothered me where other beans didn't noticeably bother me. Your points make a lot of sense; but what about lectins? You don't address the discussion of lectins in D'Adamo's book which made a lot of sense to me. Thank you.
- January 5, 2013 at 4:49 PM
I appreciate this critique of the blood type diet, it feels very fair and balanced, and based on science. Such a refreshing approach.
I think it is easy for us to look for nutritional information in absolute terms. My issue with this diet is the idea that there are foods that are "all good" or "all bad" for you. Even if our ancestors ate certain foods, and maybe those are the easiest for us to process, humans of all blood types have been evolving over hundreds of years and I have a hard time believing that nutrition has to be a rigid formula in order to be considered natural or healthy. When you see healthy 100 year olds being interviewed, usually they describe their eating habits in a very simple way. I haven't heard any 100 year old say that they got to that age in good health because of something like the blood type diet.
- January 10, 2013 at 4:41 PM
- Dr. Todd Narson said...
I think your comments are very appropriate and bring up a great point. The "caveman" diet wasn't written in stone because of their general nomadic life-style. They roamed with their food sources. Veggies and fruit would grow in different regions at different times of the year, animals would migrate with their primary food sources and the caveman would do the same. As caveman broke off into various regions, several variations of the "paleo diet" would emerge as different foods were available in different regions of a continent. So there is some variation.
However grains were a starvation food only consumed in times of desperation. It's not something that 99.8% of Paleolithic people are for out entire genetic time on earth. Combine this with the fact that grains have substances to prevent absorption in the digestive tract (so they can make it through an animals digestive tract, be pooped out and then sprout to grow the next generation of plant species, makes them a food we shouldn't consume today.
But yes, the diet of a caveman did vary with the season and locations. But overall, is MUCH MUCH different that what we see in most societies today...
- January 11, 2013 at 10:13 AM