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Investigate everyday life in ancient Rome with fun facts and activities. (Videos may not be available where you are due to BBC copyright restrictions.)
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Visit a street in ancient Rome and click on objects that don't belong. (Click on "Roman Street".)
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Hatcher practices kicking his legs in the water with the help of his dolphin pal.
Hatcher swims with the dolphin
Hatcher's enjoys time in the water with a dolphin by his side.
Hatcher swims with the dolphin.
Wish kid Hatcher plays with the dolphin.
Hatcher gives the dolphin a kiss.
Hatcher's wish …. it sparked his future as the starting point to his mental growth.
Jennifer hears a high-pitched bark. But it's not coming from the dolphin; it's coming from her son, Hatcher.
Yesterday, Hatcher could only grunt signaling his hunger or sleepiness. Today, he's mimicking dolphin sounds and blowing raspberries in the water.
He's a Make-A-Wish® kid – and the healing atmosphere of dolphin therapy awakened his need to communicate.
Jennifer is awed by the complete change in her son as he swims and plays with the dolphin.
"It brought tears to my eyes to watch his sweet face when he was in the water with the dolphins," she said. "It was like he understood their world and they, his. He came alive with them."
At Island Dolphin Care, Hatcher and his family relax and renew their spirits. Their journey has been difficult.
Hatcher was born with Down syndrome – restricting his verbal communication skills. Soon after, he was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia.
With his life-threatening cancer in remission, Hatcher and his family travel to Florida for a trip that combined Hatcher's love for animals and water.
During the five-day program geared toward special-needs kids, Hatcher's sisters join him in the water and in the classroom. Inside, they attend art and music lessons. Instructors teach Hatcher how to use an iPad as a speech device.
"Hatcher woke up and was able to communicate back with us for the very first time," Jennifer says.
With the help of the iPad, Hatcher can communicate up to 15 words. 'Juice' and 'bed' are now in his vocabulary.
Hatcher's wish …. it sparked his future as the starting point to his mental growth. Jennifer now has tools to help her son learn and grasp the world.
It brought tears to my eyes to watch his sweet face when he was in the water with the dolphins ... He came alive with them.
Share this quote
Hatcher's mom
This story makes me feel
acute lymphoblastic leukemia
I wish to go to Hawaii
More than 74 percent of all wishes granted involve travel.
When you support our Wishes in Flight® program, you help wish kids take flight.
June 25, 2012 - 11:25 AM
So sweet. He looks so happy. And we both share the gift of beautiful red hair! God bless you hatcher + family.
January 13, 2014 - 1:51 PM
A wish is a powerful thing ... I completely underestimated it.
Grace's mom
Ann Louise, 3, congenital heart defect
Dalton, 9, neurological condition
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subset: commoncrawl


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Turn It Up a Notch
This story appears in the July 2002 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Andy Cohen and Thomas Dickey see the same reports about the economic recovery, and both share an owner's perspective. But they have reached radically different conclusions about what it means for their businesses.
Cohen's company, Ticketcity.com, is spending $1 million to develop and deploy new software that will "defragment" the secondary market for sports and entertainment tickets online, where he competes furiously with three other companies. "I'm an eternal optimist," says the 37-year-old president and CEO of the Austin, Texas-based company, which raked in $11 million in sales in 2001. "But I believe if you give 100 percent, work hard and give good service, good things are going to happen."
For entrepreneurs, economic recovery can be as daunting as a recession.
Dickey acted more conservatively. Although he foresees a recovery for his Canton, Ohio-based company, Heinemann Saw Co., which reconditions saw blades for steel companies, Dickey, 65, just can't bring himself to make a purchase of $250,000 for computer-controlled, productivity-boosting grinding equipment. "I don't think any small-business owner would be inclined to do so, given the conditions," he says. Though his company projects sales of over $3 million for 2002, "We'll continue to have a cautious outlook for some time," Dickey says.
It's not exactly A Tale of Two Cities, but Cohen and Dickey's contrasting approaches underscore the fact that, for entrepreneurs, economic recovery can be as daunting as a recession. Torn between optimism about improving conditions and painful memories of the downturn that now appears to have ended, independent business owners are at a point of reckoning. Do you go on with making significant investments in your company? Or do you continue to hold back with uncertainty about the strength of the recovery and, perhaps, by other factors specific to your markets?
"I'm reading in the papers that the recession is over, the sun is coming out, music is playing in the background and everyone's happy again," says J.P. Frenza, a small-business specialist for IBM Corp. "But most owners say it's still very tight, whether they serve business-to-business customers or consumers. They're conservative with their spending, and everyone is in a hold-the-line mode."
Analyzing the Recovery
Though the circumstances of every business differ during this iffy time, there are plenty of common dynamics you can take into account as you make decisions about whether, where and to what extent to invest in your company during the coming months. Consider these factors:
* The small-business cycle: Everyone is eager to say the economy has turned the corner. Yet, even if recovery seems to have taken hold, it still may not be reflected in your company's numbers. That may be because the small-business arena is one of the last sectors to participate in an economic uptick, trailing large and middle market companies by six to eight months, says Mike Price, senior vice president of small-business banking for National City Corp. in Cleveland. He sees a small-business recovery in the second half of 2002.
Michael Butler, vice chairman of Key Corp., another Cleveland-based bank, adds "Small business might be in for a longer downturn and a slower recovery, or an even longer [period of] flattening out."
* Wisdom in numbers: The more sober outlook, bankers say, is reflected in the persistent caution exhibited by many entrepreneurs well into 2002. The majority of business owners continued to hold back from major new outlays in the second quarter. They're heeding the advice of people like Butler. "The last thing we want owners to do is gear up their business too far ahead before orders start to flow in, especially with capital expenditures," says Butler.
Of USBX Advisory Services LLC's three dozen entrepreneurial clients, "only three or four are making investments in their businesses," says Brooks Dexter, senior managing director of the Santa Monica, California-based investment bank. "The [others] are taking a cautious approach."
That's why Janet Dagle, owner of Basket Gourmet, which sells specialty foods, gourmet coffee and gift baskets, isn't spending the thousands she would like to invest in new displays and fixtures for her store in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. "There's nothing wrong with what I have, so why should I spend money now?" says the 45-year-old entrepreneur, whose company boasted 2001 sales of more than $100,000.
Similarly, David Gonzalez would like to buy some laser-equipped marking tools for his Toledo, Ohio-based company, but he doesn't trust his order flow enough yet to do so. "Customers are still only buying what they need, and they're buying in very small quantities," says the 43-year-old president and owner of Tooling & Components Corp., whose sales are about $1 million a year.
|To Spend or Not to Spend?
Rewards of the Recovery
* The rewards of confidence: If you have the confidence to back your ambitions up with action and financial exposure, the early stages of recovery can be an excellent time to be proactive. "Good ideas are impervious to the business cycle," says David Horn, a partner with Tatum CFO Partners LLP, a national group of interim CFOs. "In a period like this, people look at their business models to figure out how to make money. It can be a fertile period."
But before you place your company on the bleeding edge, he suggests you be fairly sure your investments in your business will eventually pay off. To make that determination, ask yourself the following, says Dexter: "What indicators can tell you how your business is doing? Do you have benchmarks that have been tested during past economic cycles? What drives your business? Are you able to move fast? There's always an opportunity to be cautious in the near term and aggressive in the intermediate term if you feel comfortable around your indicators. There's an inflection point."
Some owners have overcome a lot to get past such points. Gerry Elwood's company, The Maids Home Services in Red Bank, New Jersey, had sales of $635,000 in 2001. But when Elwood lost customers in the September 11 attack, business slowed substantially last fall amid the marketplace shock. Since then, however, she has bought two more franchise territories and has invested in carpet-cleaning equipment so she could diversify her company's service offerings. "A bad economy can be a great opportunity," says Elwood, 49. "When a lot of people hid and tried to wait it out, I went the opposite way."
* The appeal of cheap acquisitions: Consolidation is a popular activity at this point in the economic cycle because the differences between the haves and have-nots in many marketplaces are exacerbated, and pickups can be inexpensive. "You can do a lot of good bargain-hunting now," says Don Williams, a San Diego expert on emerging growth markets for Ernst & Young.
Good People, Hard Assets and Avoiding Debt
Triangle Printers Inc. is in such an opportunistic mode. While small printers in metro Chicago got in trouble during the recent recession after investing wildly in expensive digital equipment without being able to pay up, Skokie, Illinois-based Triangle was more conservative. "Every week, another printer is going out of business," says Harvey Saltzman, president and owner. "So we've acquired three companies in the last few years and are looking for more."
* The availability of good people: Gone is the legendary labor market tightness of the late '90s, replaced by a traditional balance between supply and demand. That means people with the experience, skills and talents you're looking for may finally be available. But upgrading doesn't necessarily mean expanding staff. "Most entrepreneurs would rather see the business first and worry about adding staff once they see more orders," says Dexter of USBX.
"You don't want to over-leverage your company if the economy doesn't recover at the pace you expected."
As a surviving Internet company, YellowPages.com has its pick of many experienced but unemployed dotcommers floating around the job market. "We've found high-quality people at prices that are shareholder-friendly," notes Dane Madsen, 44, president and CEO of the Las Vegas-based online phone directory. "We're not bringing in new people indiscriminately, but filling slots."
* The quandary of hard assets: With interest rates at a an all-time low, construction capital is cheap. But owners aren't eager to expand their factories or offices just yet. Similarly, prices of capital goods and other business properties are soft in the early stages of recovery. "Everything is favorably priced right now," notes Horn of Tatum CFO.
But for many entrepreneurs, that isn't enough to justify making big purchases. Dickey at Heinemann Saw says the attractive pricing of the equipment he'd like to buy is enhanced by his intention to purchase from a European manufacturer. That way, the dollar would work to Heinemann's advantage. "But that's still not enough to adjust the decision at this point," he says.
* The burden of adding debt: The last thing you want is more long-term debt. Solicit short-term financial help from friends and family or other sources, but avoid more bank debt even if you can obtain it. "You don't want to over-leverage your company if the economy doesn't recover at the pace you expected," says Key's Butler.
* The art of the possible: You can advance your company by focusing on what you can accomplish against today's economic backdrop rather than on the major outlays you're not ready to make. A good place to start is making sure your customers remain happy.
Entology Inc. grew robustly even through the recession, but Lawrence Prager isn't taking anything for granted. "You've got to lock down your customers so they don't have an excuse to go somewhere else," says the 38-year-old founder and CEO of the Bedminster, New Jersey-based IT consulting firm, whose projected sales for 2002 are about $19 million. That's why Entology added electronic invoicing as an added convenience for its customers. "If we can keep costs low and operate more efficiently than other people," says Prager, "we're going to invest there, because if the economy continues to be uncertain, we'll take advantage of our strength."
Dale Buss is a journalist and editorial consultant in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Contact Sources
- Basket Gourmet
- Entology Inc.
(908) 333-2300, www.entology.com
- Ernst & Young
(213) 977-3348
- The Maids Home Services
(732) 224-1105
- National City Corp.
(216) 222-3640, email@example.com
- Smith Welding Supply
644 Selden, Detroit, MI 48201, email@example.com
- Tatum CFO Partners LLP
(888) 858-2418, www.tatumcfo.com
- Tooling & Components Corp.
- Triangle Printers
(847) 675-3700, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Private Properties: Elon Musk Buys $17M Estate
Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk has bought the Bel Air estate he's been renting for the past three years for $17 million, and a pirate-themed Caribbean spread lists for $35 million. WSJ's Alyssa Abkowitz has details on this week's Private Properties.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
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I and protect what matters camp on the yuan has finally bought the property that he's been renting for the past three years ... on it with seventeen million to the bottom for it was on the market for quite a bit more for twenty seven million and were told that the seller who is can make chili and as King and capital advisors ... decided to sell because he wanted to get that failed on this year before the capital gains taxes and I think ... this is like a good deal of freedom of how absolutely any news any news to how we've lived in it for three years now it's over twenty thousand square feet it has six bedrooms nine bathrooms five fireplace is ... a huge one five for three thousand bottles of wine ... on it the pain I ... know we hear he's probably going t know ... the more tech stuff and a comparing in his cot cuff lah and the talent that ... that's probably what they will be expecting that now he can find the college how do we can all breathe a sigh of relief ... and lack of a summons me from an active when a new round two of them this is a huge grants and it's on the mark and on for fourteen point nine million it's been reduced about twenty four percent ... it is and by DXY I'm I'm the UCC is the U S as the ... founder Leon Hirsh ... actually gotten divorced in its nineteen thousand eight hundred acres and in Venice eighth I cannot plan is that gorgeous he is at the Wyoming range of the ego when range ... on my favorite part about this property ESI from the main town that is over nine thousand square and any increase in the reality is that it houses and private airstrip that is longer than you are well Guardia airport runway staff which is just incredible nine thousand five hundred ... pound feet long seen complete your entire you know private jet and feel safe and sound you're not Queens of go over on the airstrip ... on these I actually and and and this is actually willing to pay for it because it started out on the mark and assembly years ago for timing and thirty million range of one of them has been on the market in on some in the snow ... was increased properly before and now we really is that I mean ... and dare I say if the team in a deal on how but I think it is an accurate price of cement that from the landing runners and equestrian estate in Wellington Barnett family know if branching isn't your thing but you do like or sales and a wonderful ... on property is on the market and well and ten ... I it's going to be hitting the auction block II it at home and the ... former enter the Boston Celtics and need to receive an ... on line auction rather than the traditional mock book Arrow Kai Lin who is the widow of talent on hand to re now aam has to stick to traditional marketing process and supine on the market for several years now she started nine point six million and one count of seven point five million ounces like I just wanna get rid of that ... the big property for her down and I'm it's more than ten acres ... aam and that tells Stahl suspect is near the riding arena and in you can walk yourself heard her daughter isn't interests eyes and so it's very ... important to watch yourself when you're riding without a iam not so clean if every nine and for anyone interested and Reserve starts at four Million phallic really be a commune and January that the missing track ... now this one is amazing to me and that the Pirates and the candy and ... this was my favorite line and it literally adding Ukrainian listing the names just coming to market for thirty five million on the West and ten at St Thomas ... and the owner who built it for years to build ... E and it is hiring the in the ad that there is the parent TCF and he started to find this place in this ... successful retirement home for a pirate to be surrounded by as well ... and to this and it literally has authentic treasure casting cannons that were used on pirate ship ... if Meanie then is when out with Santa was the name of blacks and Bella needs on first setback in the seventeen hundreds the very famous or is this guy is like ... you know totally into it so I went in and that is in the apartment and he's now I ... want is the can for years to build over the finish added this month while Kansai my LYS the facts in question and apparently the flight stylists change now he and Nina Hoss and challenger and got remarried now ... that is why he founded his giving up the fifteen thousand square foot home that obviously has other amenities aside from higher south with ... you know in our Kaneria Newman to master venture in fact kind of thing but with a selling point of this is the pirate in the mouth clients rather than thinking so much for joining us in the health of all of the properties into my as mansion segment ... in the paper and on this date so call buying continue on this tonight ...


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We recently conducted a three-day workshop for teachers who are using iPads with kids in grades K-12. Although all of the teachers worked with ELLs, some of the teachers were ESL teachers, others taught ELA, Math, Social Studies, or Special Education. You get the picture. We were all over the map as far as our audience was concerned.
So, the obvious question is how do we train teachers from such a wide variety of settings to use the iPad effectively in their classroom? This answer lies at the very core of what makes the iPad so unique: differentiation through apps!
Once the initial how-to session about the functions and features of the iPad is completed, the emphasis must switch. Professional developers must model differentiation for the teachers, just as they would do for the students in the classroom, through the use of solid apps.
This begins by exploring applications that are truly educational and useful for each teacher in their subject area or focus. First share the apps that are basic tools for instruction such as reference tables, calculators, readers, and dictionaries. Introduce apps like iBooks, Stanza, Periodic Table of Elements, Google Earth, and CalcMadeEasy.
If you are part of a district wide initiative using iPads, there should be one set of student tools for managing notebooks, submitting classwork and studying for all students. You must decide as a class which tools you will all use. Index Card is a great app that allows users to customize flash cards and organize them into categories for studying.
Ideally teachers should create a paperless system. (Can you imagine a world where you do not have to carry home 5 classes worth of assignments on Friday night?) By allowing students to submit their work via the iPad, teachers begin to model one of the true 21st Century learning protocols.
The buzz at ISTE 2011 was that Evernote works very well for this and is a robust app for creating, storing, and sharing documents. The native app Notes is a simpler note-taking tool. Of course, you always have the option to print out assignments when necessary.
As for instruction, remember that oftentimes the best apps cross over into many disciplines. For example, after we distributed our best apps list for ELLs, a teacher shared with us her best apps for Special Ed and we discovered a whole new bunch of apps that can be used with a variety of students.Apps for brainstorming and mindmapping such as iThoughtsHD and Popplet are universal tools for differentiated instruction.
Finally, teachers have to establish a classroom routine that works for them and their teaching style. Whether you have an iPad center a few times a week, or each student uses an iPad every day, the priority must be to set up classroom rules about how and when the iPad is used to achieve the instructional goals the teacher has designed.


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BANGOR, Maine — Off-duty registered nurses covered by the union contract at Eastern Maine Medical Center plan to picket the hospital on Monday, Oct. 11.
The purpose of the demonstration is "informational," according Vanessa Sylvester of the Maine State Nurses Association, intended to raise public awareness of ongoing contract negotiations between the nurses and the hospital administration.
The demonstration will take place near the hospital on State Street from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. A rally and press conference is scheduled for noon.
Hospital officials say patient care and other operations at EMMC will not be affected by the picketing.
Negotiations have been under way since July. The nurses' three-year contract expired at the end of September but its conditions will remain in place until a new agreement is reached. About 860 registered nurses at the 411-bed hospital are covered by the union contract.
"We still have not achieved what we need for the delivery of safe, therapeutic, effective patient care," Sylvester said on Friday. Among the sticking points of the contract negotiations, she said, are nurse staffing levels, protection against increasing health insurance costs, and language affecting layoffs and unit-to-unit transfer of nurses.
Greg Howat, EMMC vice president for human resources and education, said Friday that patients should have no qualms about keeping appointments or seeking care at the hospital during the picket or the negotiations when they resume next week. There has never been a nursing strike at the EMMC, Howat said, although one was threatened when the 2007 negotiations reached a near-stalemate.
Howat said the hospital has offered some concessions to the nurses' staffing demands but would not discuss specifics. He said existing layoff and transfer language adequately protects both nurses and the hospital. Health coverage, Howat said, is "a huge issue," with about 160 nurses covered by an outdated plan that the self-insured hospital can no longer afford to provide. A newer plan that most other employees are eligible for covers routine care and wellness services 100 percent but requires participants to pay a portion of other costs.
Contract negotiations are scheduled to resume Wednesday, Oct. 13.


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Recipe from Nancy Buckley of San Miguel, Calif.
Total Time: 30 min
1 small white onion - Diced
3 Tbls olive oil
1 Tsp dill
2 Tbls Chicken Bouillon (Knorrs)
1 Cup longrain white rice
2 Cups water
1. Heat oil in medium sized sauce pan. Add onion. Cook until light bown.
2. Add rice stirring constantly to prevent burning. Cook until light brown. Add water - slowly, bouillon and dill.
3. Bring to a soft boil. Turn heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let stand for five minutes before serving. Fluff with fork. Enjoy.
Servings: Serves eight
Comments: Delicious. Healthy and easy to make. Add mushrooms and green pepper to change it.
*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.


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Audio Technica LP120 Turntable
This professional stereo turntable features a high-torque direct-drive motor for quick start-ups and a USB output that connects directly to your computer. Other features include: forward and reverse play capability; cast aluminum platter with slip mat and a start/stop button; three speeds 33/45/78; selectable high-accuracy quartz-controlled pitch lock and pitch change slider control with +/-10% or +/-20% adjustment ranges; and removable hinged dust cover. A selectable internal stereo phono pre-amplifier allows the turntable to plug directly to components with no dedicated turntable input. A USB cable and adapter cables are included along with Mac- and PC-compatible Audacity software to digitize your LPs.
AT-LP120-USB Direct-Drive Professional Turntable
USB output—connects directly to your computer for plug-&-play use
Mac- and PC-compatible Audacity software digitizes your LPs
Direct drive high-torque motor
Selectable 33/45/78 RPM speeds
Professional cast aluminum platter with slip mat
½-inch mount universal headshell with Dual Magnet™ phono cartridge
Balanced tone arm with soft damping control
Switchable built-in pre-amplifier with line-level RCA output cables
Included cables connect to your stereo or powered speakers
Stroboscopic platter speed indicator.
Motor DC: motor
Drive Method Direct Drive: Direct drive
Speeds: 33-1/3 RPM, 45 RPM, 78 RPM
Pitch Variation: +/-10% or +/-20%
Turntable Platter: Die-cast aluminum STARTING TORQUE >1.6 kgf-cm
Braking System: Electronic brake
Wow and Flutter: <0.2% WRMS (33 RPM)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: >50 dB
Output Level: Pre-amp "PHONO": 2.5 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec Pre-amp "LINE": 150 mV nominal at 1 kHz, 5 cm/sec
Phono Pre-Amp Gain: 36 dB nominal, RIAA equalized
USB Function: A/D, D/A - 16 bit 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz USB selectable; Computer interface - USB 1.1 Compliant Windows XP, Vista or MAC OSX
Dimensions: 450.0 mm (17.72") W x 352.0 mm (13.86") D x 157.0 mm (6.1") H
Weight: 10.7 kg (23.5 lbs.)
Accessories Included: Headshell/cartridge; AC line cord; dual RCA (female) to 3.5 mm (1/8") mini-plug (male) stereo adapter cable; dual RCA (female) to 3.5 mm (1/8") mini-plug (female) stereo adapter cable; 45 RPM adapter; USB cable; recording software


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"You don't need my opinion!"
iHeart Art is the fourteenth episode of the first season of iCarly.
As a surprise for Spencer, the iCarly gang invites Harry Joyner, Spencer's art idol, to the apartment, but the plan backfires after Harry criticizes Spencer's sculptures instead of praising them. This causes Spencer to become deeply depressed. To make it up to him, Carly decides to showcase all of Spencer's sculptures on iCarly, but despite the sculptures on the webcast getting many positive comments, Spencer decides to give up on art to become a dental assistant. Carly and her friends try to help him to get back to his old self by convincing Harry Joyner to admit he actually likes Spencer's sculptures. Harry Joyner eventually admits that Spencer's sculptures are good, and he lied because he was jealous that Spencer's sculptures are better than his own recent works.
Meanwhile, Sam tries to resist the temptation to insult Freddie for a whole week, or she will have to pay him $5.00 for each insult after Freddie bets her she can't do it, which almost drives her insane. When a dentist pays Spencer to make a sculpture, he splits the money with Carly, Sam, and Freddie, and Sam uses her $40 to insult Freddie.
- Mrs. Benson carries a bag called, Chips A'Soy, a parody of the popular cookie brand, Chips Ahoy. It seems a bit out of character, since it is unlikely she would eat this kind of fatty snack, or allow it around the house for Freddie, since she is known to be very health-conscious.
- Two family members of Sam are revealed: Greg Pattillo as Sam's cousin, and an unnamed cousin who is in jail.
- Harry Joyner could possibly be a play on the name Jerry Trainor.
- Greg Patillo is a real person who beatboxes while playing the flute on YouTube. He portrays himself in the episode.
- Just before Carly comes into the studio, Freddie can be seen playing a blue Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP.
- This is the first time the Video Squirrel has appeared since iPilot.
- Carly and Sam were driven by Pam. But, in iMust Have Locker 239, Freddie worried after Sam said that her mom is driving her because of the fact that she got an eye surgery. In this episode, Pam is not a bad driver.
- This is the first time that someone criticizes Spencer's artwork, the second being the art critic in iEnrage Gibby.
- At the human sculpture, the two-wheeled vehicle that Harry is driving is called a Segway.
- Before you see Spencer in the dental office for the first time, outside the building it says, "Schneider's Medical Complex," a reference to creator Dan Schneider.
- When Sam is insulting Freddie at the end, she pays him for a total of 8 insults ($40) but only insults him 7 times ($35), unless "Did I make fun of your butt yet? It's oddly shaped" counts as 2 separate insults.
Carly : It was really nice of your mom to give me a ride home from school.
Sam : Eh, she just likes me hanging out with you 'cause she thinks it'll keep me out of jail.
Freddie: Do you even know what Harry Joyner looks like?
Carly: Yeah, you know, he looks like a man, with a face and hair...
Sam: Yeah, I have an uncle that looks a lot like that.
Freddie : That is so cool!
Sam : You know what else is cool?
Freddie : What?
Sam : Not you!
Freddie: Hey. [nudges Sam with his foot] You wanna go to the Galaxy Wars convention this weeked? I'm dressing up as Nug-Nug from the planet Zorkon.
Sam: I'm not gonna insult ya, Freddie. You're not getting five bucks outta me.
Freddie: [sighs] When I grow up, I wonder what kinda girl would wanna marry me.
Sam: [grabs cushion and starts biting it to stop herself from insulting Freddie]
Freddie: After I take a shower, my mom makes me sign a piece of paper promising that I shampooed twice.
Sam: [sets pillow down and screams into it while pounding her limbs on the floor].
Carly: Should I call an ambulance?
Carly: Hello, people of Earth who own computers!
Sam: Congratulations, you have just signed on to iCarly.com!
Carly: So kick back, take off your socks, and enjoy this fine webcast!
Sam: I'm Carly!
Carly: And I'm Sam!
Carly: Wait.
[Carly and Sam switch places]
Carly: I'm Carly!
Sam: And I'm Sam!
Carly & Sam: We were momentarily confused!
[showing Spencer´s art on her webcast]
Sam: Okay...
Carly: Look at this next sculpture.
Sam: It's a robot...
Carly: Made out of soda bottles.
Sam: His eyes light up red...
Carly: Whether he's angry or not.
Sam: Now, this sculpture is called...
Carly: The Bottle Bot.
Sam: Not to be confused with "Bubble-butt," which is what I call our teacher, the horrible Ms. Briggs.
Carly: Why say that live on the web? She already hates you.
Sam: Which means I have nothing to lose!!
[Carly tries to cheer up Spencer]
Carly: Read these, the thousands of people are saying they love your sculptures!
Spencer: Then give 'em to those people 'cause I got myself a new job.
Sam: Like a REAL job?
Carly: You can't have a real job, you're Spencer!
Mrs. Benson: Freddie, you didn't sign the shampoo agreement. How do I know if you double pooed?
[Sam stares at them incredulously]
Freddie: [Looking at Sam] You thought I was kidding.
Spencer: Should I use more here?
Joyner: Don't ask me! You use as much as you need!
Spencer: But I want your opinion!
Joyner: You don't need my opinion!
Spencer: I crave it!
Joyner: I crave a hamburger!
Spencer: I'll make you a hamburger as soon as we're done!
Joyner: All right.
Freddie: I would've been here sooner, but, uh, I was helping my mom knit a sweater. Any comment Sam?
Sam: Aw, please let me insult you once for free!
Freddie: Nope! Five bucks an insult!
Sam: Then I think it's very sweet you were helping your mommy knit.
Freddie: Impressive.
Sam: You're just lucky I'm broke.
Sam : And now that I have 40 bucks ... [Hands $5 to Freddie] You're a nerd.
Freddie : [Takes the money and smiles] Thank you.
Sam : [Continues handing Freddie money] Your breath smells like dead feet.
Freddie : Sure.
Sam : No girl will ever want you.
Freddie : Noted.
Sam : I don't like your pants.
Freddie : Fair enough.
Sam : If you were a country, you'd be El Salvadork.
Freddie : Clever.
Sam : Did I make fun of your butt yet?
Freddie : Nope.
Sam : It's oddly shaped.
Freddie : Keep going.
Sam : So's your head.
Freddie : Awesome!
Freddie: Aww, I think someone needs a hug.
Carly: [hugging for a long time] Uh, Freddie? Freddie, we can un-hug now.
Freddie: Please let this last.
Carly: Spencer, it's been 4 hours. I think you need to get off the table.
Spencer: Why? Is Santa Claus here to tell me I'm ugly, and have no friends?
[Carly starts trying to get Spencer off the table]
Carly: Spencer, get up, come on.
Spencer: No.
Carly: You need to get off the table. Come on, get up, get up.
Spencer: No, I'm comfy right here. [falls to the floor] (flatly) Ow.
Carly: You weren't supposed to fall on the floor.
Spencer: (still flatly) Well, you know- gravity.
[Carly helps Spencer stand up]
Carly: So Harry Joyner didn't like your art. He's one person.
Spencer: Yeah. My number one idol in the art world, and he thinks my sculptures are amateurish, and not good. This may be the worst thing that's happened in my life. It's like a giant rain cloud has opened up above me, and- [he giggles when Carly starts tickling him] No, don't! This isn't funny!
[Spencer runs for his room off-screen, with Carly following]
Carly: Spencer!
Spencer: No!
Carly: Spencer!
Spencer: No!
[A door closes off-screen]
Carly: Spencer, open the door.
Spencer: I wanna be alone!
Related iCarly.com blog posts
Sam's blog: Sam's Insults
Photo Gallery
See photos for this episode here.


text:
It's time to pronounce the next, wicked release from Jam Vibez label. The era of "MOVE YA BODY" is coming! We're introducing 11 excellent tracks from the sign of powerfull bass which will break the dancefloor into splitters.
Riddim produced by Piotr Krakowski is already established on 12" EP which received wide coverage in the world of reggae music. We decided to go with the flow and present few of our great friends from old and new school. It is worth mentioning that some part of this album was completed by one of our greatest musical heroes: Gyasi Addae.
01. Daddy Bozo - Move Ya Body
02. Screechy Dan - Warrior
03. Purpleman - Just Pull It
04. Diego & Pablopavo - Nawigator
05. Sensi - Move Your Body
06. MadMajk - Raggamuffin Warrior
07. Major Lee - One & Only
08. Szprancyl - Autostop
09. Chris Diamond - Have Fun
10. Tasha Lee & Jango Thriller - Ain't Nobody Got Time
11. Shaka Ranks - Style & Fashion
12. Krakowski - Move Ya Body (version)
Artist: Various Artists
Title: Move Ya Body
Riddim Label: Jam Vibez
Cat: JVD004
Format: Digital
Genre: Dancehall, Raggamuffin, Dub
Release date: 02 Kwi/Apr 2014
Audio clips: https://soundcloud.c...-ya-body-riddim


text:
Counterfeiting Warning
Counterfeiting Warning
Counterfeiters have been actively selling counterfeit Shure products, particularly via websites, the majority of which are via online trading platforms or China-based web companies.
There is a proliferation of English language websites based in China that invite customers to "Trade with China Suppliers", "Buy Wholesale from China" and "Deal Direct with the Factory". Shure regularly takes enforcement action against such visible counterfeiting, which usually results in the swift modification of the offending site to remove counterfeit Shure products.
The counterfeit products cost much less than an original Shure product, are of a far inferior quality and often do not even resemble the Shure product they are replicating.
Shure is committed to providing its customers with high quality products.
To ensure that you always receive an authentic Shure product, we recommend that you only buy Shure products from an authorised Shure dealer.
Shure Against Counterfeiting
Shure Against Counterfeiting
Shure has successfully employed a diverse strategy to combat counterfeiting. We aggressively attack counterfeit manufacturers and trading companies at their source in China and sellers around the world whenever circumstances allow.
Shure also fights the makers and sellers of counterfeits by offensively and defensively protecting trademarks, domain names, designs, and other intellectual property that facilitates the activities of these criminals.
Shure has an in-house legal team that works with a cadre of outside legal counsel and investigators around the world. We also collaborate extensively with our partners in the distribution channel to identify and take action against counterfeit manufacturing and sales wherever they are found around the world.
We have participated in anti-counterfeiting efforts with other professional audio and consumer electronics manufacturers, such as Yamaha, Audio Technica and JVC in the past, and we continue to do so.
We work with various Customs authorities around the world, including Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Peru, Thailand, the U.S, Hong Kong and mainland China. In the case of mainland China, the aim is to seize shipments of counterfeit Shure products before they leave Chinese ports.
Shure is an active member of the eBay VeRO program, and conducts monitoring of eBay and other online auctions sites worldwide on a regular basis.
Advice on Purchasing Authentic Products
Advice on Purchasing Authentic Products
As a preventative measure, we urge customers to purchase Shure products only from Shure authorised resellers who can be located via the website or by contacting Shure.
We advise customers not to purchase from dubious online sources. This includes sellers at online auction sites, or who are not authorised dealers – many of whom seem to sell exclusively through a website.
These suspicious sources almost always claim to be selling genuine Shure products and they often explain their discounted prices by claiming to have a direct connection with Shure factories or to Shure dealers in China. Buyers are often enticed by these false claims and are later disappointed to find they purchased an inferior fake product with no options for a refund or warranty service.
To make detection of their fake products more difficult, counterfeit sellers will often post photo shots of genuine Shure products, as well as genuine product specifications or even links to Shure websites on the counterfeit sellers' websites or on online auction sites, in order to deceive purchasers that they are buying an actual Shure product. The product actually delivered to the purchaser turns out to be a low-grade counterfeit product.
Counterfeiters will be Prosecuted!
Counterfeiters will be Prosecuted!
Shure has participated in raids resulting in seizures up to several thousand units of counterfeit products.
We have successfully obtained the criminal prosecution of counterfeiters. The usual remedy is a large monetary penalty, as well as confiscation and destruction of seized goods.


text:
Many advisors expect to see a slight lift in pay in 2012, but with the sluggish economic recovery, ongoing global challenges and relentless cost-cutting, there is little reason to bring out the bubbly.
Compensation expert Alan Johnson frames it this way: "Even if those stock portfolios have rebounded, the scars are still there. Clients are tired. Advisors are tired. It's been a grind. What I tell my clients is we're not in a recovery, we're in a struggle. The market is better, but it's not nearly as good as we were hoping for."
New York City-based consultancy Johnson Associates is forecasting a 5-10% bump in compensation for advisors across channels, a downgrade from estimates early in the year.
The continuing drag on compensation comes as the wirehouses continue to cut fixed costs—many of which had helped prop up advisors. "Nickels and dimes are turning into quarters and dollars," observes Danny Sarch, president of Leitner Sarch Consultants in White Plains, N.Y. "It's a more subtle way, or insidious way, of taking money out of pocket."
Wirehouses traditionally have paid the full salary for an advisor's sales assistant—not any longer, necessarily. Some are also dinging advisors for state registration costs, assorted travel and entertainment expenses, even mobile feed fees.
"Wirehouses are starting to charge a la carte, which puts them in a bit of alignment with the independent sector," says Alois Pirker, research director at Aite Group, an industry consulting firm in Boston. "But they've got to be careful. A $15 mobile fee isn't going to be the killer, but if you do this consistently, you are going to get pushback."
Or, as Jeff Spears, co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Sanctuary Wealth Services, bluntly puts it: "It's death by a thousand cuts. In my opinion, and in the opinion of top brokers, it's an insult to their intelligence. Years ago, when they were making $2 million a year, they were willing to look the other way. Today, with their compensation cut in half, they're telling me that some of the things I used to not let bother me now really piss me off."
Sanctuary, an RIA that assists breakaway brokers, produced a much talked-about white paper in June that suggests that the compensation gap between top-tier wirehouse brokers and independent advisors is closing. This year, according to the report, an elite wirehouse broker will make $905,000, not counting a recruiting bonus. That's down from a high of nearly $2 million during the late 1990s and early 2000s. By contrast, the independent wealth advisor is expected to take home an $875,000 paycheck in 2012.
"Historically, it's been very different. There's always been a big discrepancy between what you can get paid on Wall Street and what you get paid as an independent," says Spears. "The new reality in wealth management is that the glory days of volatile, multimillion dollar paydays are gone forever due to changes in client preferences. Now that it's getting closer to parity, it's not the issue it used to be."
Price Adjustments
Pricing their services is always tricky for advisors—but there is some evidence that could be changing, at least at the high end.
A new study of independent advisory firms from FA Insight in Tacoma, Wash., shows what principal Dan Inveen calls "significant" movement upward in certain asset under management pricing.
The median asset under management fee for a portfolio of $500,000 to $1 million has remained constant at 1%, he reports. But the $2 million portfolio fee has bumped up from 80 to 88 basis points, and the fee for a $5 million portfolio has jumped from 63-65 basis points to 70.
"I think, and I'm only guessing here, that clients in the $2 million to $5 million range are increasingly demanding more higher touch services that were typically only available to the $10 million and up client," says Inveen. "There are more exotic asset classes that require other custodial platforms, more need for insurance planning or estate planning. To some extent, it's like what banks are doing to consumer checking account customers."
Going forward, Inveen expects to see the asset-based fee combined at times with an event-driven or project-type fee. Some firms already are charging separate fees for financial plans. Others, he said, are instituting retainers to cover the minimum fixed costs associated with maintaining a client account, regardless of asset level.
Other nuggets from the report: Looking at revenues by source, 89% of revenues were derived from asset management fees. And, notably, the median income per owner in 2011 stood at $300,000, finally surpassing 2008 levels.
That corresponds with the recently released 2012 RIA Benchmarking Study from Charles Schwab, which showed median principal income (total compensation, bonus and firm profits per principal) at $341,000. Profits grew 14% at the median firm in 2011, mostly driven by revenue growth.
"All the indicators, from client demand to retention rates and productivity, suggest that RIA compensation levels will continue to rise," notes Nick Georgis, vice president of Schwab Advisor Services. "This is in direct relation to the expectation of continued growth in this category overall as increasing numbers of investors move to independent advice models."
No matter their business model, Pareto Systems co-CEO Duncan MacPherson urges advisors to disclose to clients precisely how they are paid. It is, he admits, a potentially awkward situation but it is also one he believes advisors should confront head-on.
"From the advisor's standpoint, there's a lot of fear of having the client focus on what you cost rather than what you are worth," says MacPherson, who operates an advisor coaching firm near Vancouver, Canada. "A lot of advisors don't want to bring it up for fear it might raise eyebrows. But being forthright is incredibly refreshing."
MacPherson says advisors should use a professional "agenda-driven" format to communicate how they are compensated. A move from commissions to fees provides an obvious opportunity to have such a conversation, as does the launch of a new client relationship. "At the same time, if you've been my client for 10 years, I can still reframe the relationship—even if there's no transition involved," he adds. "Simply put it on your agenda at a review meeting as a bullet that says 'a point of clarity.' It doesn't have to be difficult."
The response from clients? Relief—and referrals.
"The more clarity I have with you and your process the easier it is for me to describe you. By taking that mystery away and giving me clarity, the next time I'm talking about you to a friend or family member, I can do it with a whole lot more conviction," says MacPherson. "There's none of that fuzziness about the relationship."
A Look Ahead
The outlook for the biggest, best and brightest advisors is positive, according to pundits. Bing Waldert, a director at Boston-based Cerulli Associates, observes: "They can stay on point in times of economic uncertainty. They're not distracted by all the noise around them."
But without economic growth or a surge in the capital markets, Waldert predicts more cost cuts, particularly at the large brokerages that are losing market share. As one high profile example of what may be to come, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in August reduced its number of complexes to 86 from 118 and cut the number of nonproducing managers to 85 from 150.
"These are fairly highly compensated people. The key point is fairly aggressive cost-cutting is still going on at these enterprises," says Waldert. "To think that will filter downstream to advisor compensation wouldn't be surprising. It's a continuation of the same theme. Certainly, we will see underlying advisor compensation affected."
Compensation expert Andy Tasnady, who heads Tasnady & Associates in Port Washington, N.Y., says the big wirehouse producers and teams will be insulated from the cuts because they are so valuable to their firms.
And, with the stock market putting downward pressure on trading volume, he suggests advisors engage in more handholding and an expansion of services beyond stock trading.
"There's insurance-based products, cash-based investments, real estate, lending. Broaden your base. A lot of firms are paying on the lending side, particularly those that have been bought by banks," he says. "If they're not trading, you should have more time to handhold. What better time than now to do a better job reaching out to clients proactively?"