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By Dr. Nicole Milburn, Clinical Psychologist and Internal Consultant for Infant Mental Health at Berry Street Take Two
The Berry Street Childhood Institute has a primary task of helping the community think about what makes a good childhood. In health and welfare work, we are so often required to focus on what is not good enough and what requires improvement. To have an institute in our field that is dedicated to sharing a conversation about what makes a good childhood is a really wonderful addition.
I am a Clinical Psychologist and Infant Mental Health Specialist. The field of infant mental health has been burgeoning over the last 50 years and has much to say about what constitutes a good childhood. Infant mental health has particular strengths in this area, having come from the fields of both psychoanalytic theory and developmental psychology.
Psychoanalysis has a long history of thinking about what lies inside people's heads; what conscious and unconscious drives and motivations are acted out in behavior, and how people see themselves in relation to one another. Continue reading "What makes a good childhood?"


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~ Joanne W.Read more Read less
Send last minute holiday gifts from Gift Basket Village and save yourself time and money. We know what last minute shoppers need and we offer enough last minute gifts for all.
If you have questions or just need advice just call our Customer Service department (800) 563-8890 and we'll be happy to help your last minute holiday gift baskets get where they have to go as efficiently as possible.

subset: commoncrawl


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As an agency offering General Practitioner services, we have a number of special contracts in place. This enables Integrated Care Group to offer the best permanent and locum doctor roles available, leading private hospitals across the UK and Ireland.
We offer competitive rates of pay, and many new job opportunities. To find doctor jobs, search using the filters below, or apply direct by clicking the following link.
Integrated Care GroupBroxbourne Business CentrePindar RoadHertfordshireEN11 0FJUnited Kingdom
You can earn up to £500 when you recommend a friend once they have completed 150 hours working with us.
Integrated Care Group are searching for experienced Advanced & Emergency Nurse Practitioners, GPs and Clinical Advisors.
To find out how it works, click here


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Aesthetic Wellness' aesthetic dermal services run the gamut from cutting-edge treatments and methods to weight loss consultation and teeth whitening. It is supported with a diverse range of products. Supported By CMS products and is a daily-use cosmeceutical product line that is applicable before and after skincare therapies.
Tel: 66597611/66597110


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Wishlist Rewards helps organizations give the gift of experience! You set the budget, they pick the experience. We help teams be happier, inspired, and more productive. Simple software and memorable gifts for the modern company.
Flock connects inclusion-minded companies with diverse, experienced developers whose values align with their own. Each placed developer completes a 6-month Fellowship program involving strengths assessment, goal-setting, mentor introductions, and check-ins. Host companies gain a qualified software developer, greater diversity of perspective, and a promising leader within the organization.
With NextWave Hire, show off your employer brand through a branded, mobile responsive career site that show candidates what life inside your company is like through in-depth employee testimonials that are specific to roles, office locations, and affinity groups. No need to work with IT or your web team to get content added, removed or changed as you'll have complete control through your NextWave administrator dashboard.
Recruiting Innovation provides a platform that offers online courses designed specifically to help technical recruiters become quota-crushing, tech-savvy top performers. Equili is honored to instruct the Diversity and Inclusion course for Recruiting Innovation. View our course!
Spark helps companies connect their employees to share ideas face-to-face. Using Spark, companies can match employees one-on-one for real-time social interactions. By meeting over coffee, lunch or video, employees can create real social connections that can help them be more connected, innovative and ultimately more productive.
BetaGig matches top talent with great companies. Create a profile. Speak with our team. Apply to interesting jobs and receive interview invitations from great companies. Our Experiential Hiring Process helps end your job search in no time. Ready to beta test your next hire?
Redhead Momentum's mission is to positively and productively impact the successful growth of leaders at all levels around the world.Building and sustaining high performing teams, inspiring and growing high performing leaders and cultivating an engaging culture is Jolene's jam. When it comes to these things, most organizations focus only on the tactics and plan. Jolene starts with the psychology and the strategy to well-inform and lead effective tactics and an applicable plan.
I'm Erica Breuer. Founder of Cake Resumes. I help career changers, entrepreneurs, and consultants expand their visibility, hireability, influence, and street cred with strategies that aren't "more of the same."
Jaime Roth is the founder of Roth Legal Solutions LLC, where she provides general counsel services for growing businesses and employment law counsel to companies and individuals. She provides counsel and guidance to individuals and organizations to help create a more inclusive, solutions-focused culture.


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Blog Archives
Another Big Island Wind Storm
Man oh man we have just about seen it all within the past 12 months. We have had Tropical Storm Iselle (pretty much a hurricane), a few major wind storms, mini-droughts and active lava flows. Despite all of this I'm not complaining, just observing it all as it unfolds. I mean, really, what else are you going to do? Move? Where? There is no other place like this island for better or worse.
This last wind storm really did a number on the remaining Albizia trees throughout the windward side of the island, knocking out power to over 5,000 households and businesses. From the northern tip of the island to Hilo down into the Puna District and South Point. Bam. Break out the candles.
Our power was restored this morning, just before 11am, after being snuffed out Saturday morning just after 8am. The crews working in the field to restore power have worked around the clock and have done a great job. Much appreciated. Some of our neighbors down the road are still waiting for power thanks to the extensive damage to the infrastructure by the falling Albizia trees.
I used to miss the big giants along the 'Cathedral of Trees Road', but not anymore. https://wildhawaii.net/tag/albizia/ I have officially jumped on the 'get those darn trees out of here' bandwagon. With both feet. I'll even help cut them down.
Yes, to me they can look majestic, impressive and beautiful. But you can't eat majesty or beauty and it only goes so far when they continue to topple and destroy the infrastructure, homes and everything else they slam into. Too bad they have to go but it's them or us.
I hope this is the last time we are trapped in our subdivision by these pains in the butt.
With the destruction of the trees and the current lava flow, the face on this side of the island is most definitely changing.
Just a couple of images from the other day to show a micro-view of what our roads looked like.
What do you do when you can't even get out of your own road and neighborhood? Shoot flowers in the yard.
Cathedral of Trees, Puna District
This section of the Pahoa-Kapoho Road has been on many top ten lists as one of the most beautiful tree-lined drives in the world. It's easy to see why as you view images of the way it used to be.
After Iselle blew through in August of 2014, the landscape was forever changed.
Few people realize that the Albizia were planted at the onset of WWII to hide movements of troops, supplies and citizens from planes and dirigibles. The Albizia have been at home on Hawaii far longer than most of the people.
You will never be able to drive under the canopies and listen to the trees play tag with the breeze, but you can see what once was in the following images.


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26 Aug, 2015
Midtown's Top 5 Things to Look Forward to in Gotham Season 2
Posted by Midtown Comics in: .Blogs | No Comments
By Daniel Gladston
After an action-packed, eventful first season, it's no surprise that fans are eagerly awaiting the second season of FOX's hit series Gotham. As James Gordon continues his fight to end corruption in a city of madness, some of DC's deadliest villains are making their rise to power. At the head of the pack is Oswald Cobblepot, also known as the Penguin, but others will stop at nothing to take his place. Both the Riddler and the Joker have finally shown their true colors and it looks as if there are plenty more villains where that came from. There are many things to look forward to going into the second season, but we've narrowed our list down to the top five.
Read on for the complete list and show us your own in the comments section below. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »


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Thompson Prolific
Out of stock
A very productive dent type! Thompson Prolific Corn (Zea mays) yields two, 8-inch long, whitish-yellow ears of excellent quality per stalk. Great for oven roasting, grilling or just plain fresh eating! (90-110 days)
Note: The USDA's Yearbook of Agriculture recommended this variety for Tennessee farmers in 1936.
Each packet contains approximately 75 seeds.
Planting and Harvesting Tips:
Plant this warm-season vegetable directly into the soil two weeks after your average last-frost date. Sow 1 inch deep, 8 to 12 inches apart. Crops require full sun, ample water and deep rich organic soil to perform well.
Harvest ears three weeks after tassels appear. Look for brown silks, dark green husks and plump kernels that squirt "milky" liquid when pinched; clear juice is immature. Prepare and cook shortly after picking — flavor is lost quickly!


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Pobble is a safe platform for children to use. Consequently, we readily comply with the associated legalities.
It is integral that the parents of the children who use Pobble are aware of and are familiar with the platform and the benefits it may have on their child's education. Parents will always maintain the opportunity to speak up if they have concerns. Following clear legal guidance, we believe that the safest, most compliant and correct way to operate Pobble is by asking for specific permission from a parent or carer for every child's account. This can be provided in two ways:
• Via the parent's email address provided by the school, confirming agreement to our Terms of Use.
• Via a paper form provided by each school, which is then attached to the child's account and verified by their teacher.
By giving their consent, parents and carers grant us the right to hold personal data about their child such as their name, school and their year group. This is defined specifically in the Terms of Use. It also covers the commercial aspect of content shared on Pobble. These steps protect the child, parent, teacher, school and Pobble collectively, which is consistent with our philosophy that online user safety is paramount to our community.
Please also visit our Parents Page for more information.
Read next:
How does Pobble keep users safe online?


text: Nigel's background is in Account Management, originally learning his trade at Leo Burnett after a brief and spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to become a lawyer. He founded BBH with John Bartle and John Hegarty in London in 1982. The three had met eight years previously when they were each approached to start the U.K. office of TBWA. Taking no business and just five people, they set up BBH with the objective of producing truly outstanding work. The agency swiftly became one of the most talked about in the advertising industry and their founding client, Audi, is still with the agency today. Nigel was the architect of the micro network which has emerged as a new and different model to conventional networks in servicing global and regional accounts including Unilever, Diageo, Google and British Airways. His mantra is "When the world zigs, zag."


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A key distinction between VantageScore and competing developers is the fact that VantageScore credit scoring models are solely patented to operate identically on data from all three national credit reporting companies (CRCs—Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Competing developers tailor their models to each CRC's database, an approach that introduces an inherent degree of inconsistency to the scoring process. The result is an unclear determination of risk.
VantageScore employs a single, uniform model and a patented characteristic leveling process to treat pieces of data from each CRC the same. That means less variation in scores pulled simultaneously from multiple CRCs. It also means those variations can be chalked up to differences in credit-file content, rather than the scoring process itself. Importantly, VantageScore credit scores can be pulled and used independently, i.e., it is not a "tri-merge" report.
To yield consistent and equitable attribute definitions across multiple sources of information, the VantageScore 3.0 model uses a patented characteristic leveling process. Simply put, this ensures that when the same data is present in multiple sources — at least two CRCs — it is interpreted the same way, even though there may be differences in how the data is defined.
Review this fact sheet to learn more about the advantages of VantageScore 4.0.
Visit our Video Hub to see both recent and classic releases from VantageScore Solutions.


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One of the easier things to spot in live no-limit games is the predictability of hand strength through raise sizing. Small raises on the flop, especially on wet boards, are almost always indicative of top pairish types of hands. You can use this information to your advantage especially facing a small check raise on the flop in position. After you call and then face a small turn bet if the river is checked to you you can almost always bet top pair good kicker for value. A lot of the time, especially if the draw misses, you will get paid off.
Let's look at an example:
In a $2-$5 no-limit game with effective stacks of $800 we open raise to $20 in the cutoff with K♦ Q♦. It gets folded to the big blind who is pretty loose and he calls.
FLOP: K♣ 5♣ 4♠. He checks and we bet $30. BB check raises to $70, we call.
Turn 9♦. BB bets $85, we call.
River 7♦. BB checks. What is our play here?
A clear cut value-bet is in order and expect us to get looked up by a weak K a lot. This particular situation gets misplayed all the time by inexperienced recreational players. Once the pot gets big low stakes players like to go to showdown especially in position. They always fear getting check-raised on the river, when in fact the frequency of check-raise river bluffing is almost nonexistent.
One of the most common betting patterns of live players is their sizing in these types of situations. If they flop big, like two pair plus, especially on wet boards, and choose not to slowplay they will raise big. Players like this, especially if they are tight, are always scared that they are going to get sucked out on so they bet to protect against the draws. The chance that the villain has a set of 5s or 2s in the above example is very small due to his sizing.
Some would ask then why we would not reraise the flop or raise the turn if we think that we have the best hand? There is a simple answer to this question and it is a concept called "way ahead way behind." You never want to put so much money in the pot or take such an aggressive line where everything that is weaker than your hand folds and only stronger continues on. If you reraise the flop or bomb over the top of a turn bet your hand looks incredibly strong – strong enough where top pair medium kicker may very well fold. By calling the flop and the turn, especially on wet boards, our hand looks like a draw and we can value bet the river to death.


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Detecting Persistence Mechanisms
- Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 1:00 PM EST (2013-01-10 18:00:00 UTC)
- Alissa Torres
You can now attend the webcast using your mobile device!
Persistence mechanisms are techniques used by malware to increase survivability on compromised host systems. For an incident responder, the identification of specific artifacts created by such techniques can provide excellent insight into the function of the malicious code. In fact, these host-based artifacts aid in unraveling the adversary's methodologies and the subsequent identification of other compromised systems on the network. This presentation will cover both common persistence mechanisms such as modified registry keys, Windows service persistence and other methods seen in past campaigns as well as newer techniques from malware hitting today's enterprises. Also during this hour, several tools useful in isolating and identifying persistence indicators will be introduced. This session covers key skills needed on effective security teams and is a "must attend" webcast for those working in the IR profession.
Speaker Bio
Alissa Torres
Alissa Torres is a SANS Analyst and certified SANS instructor specializing in advanced computer forensics and incident response (IR). She has extensive experience in information security in the government, academic and corporate environments. Alissa has served as an incident handler and as a digital forensic investigator on an internal security team. She has taught at the Defense Cyber Investigations Training Academy (DCITA), delivering IR and network basics to security professionals entering the forensics community. A GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA), Alissa holds the GCFE, GPEN, CISSP, EnCE, CFCE, MCT and CTT+ certifications.
Need Help? Visit our FAQ page or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Not able to attend a SANS webcast? All Webcasts are archived so you may view and listen at a time convenient to your schedule. View our webcast archive and access webcast recordings/PDF slides.


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To ensure every guest is able to enjoy a complete and relaxing nail salon and spa experience, we recommend appointments be made in advance. However, walk-ins are welcome and will be accommodated on a first-come first-served basis. We appreciate your business and patience.
Confirmation Required
The best way to schedule an appointment is by phone. By calling (727) 822-0123, we can confirm that the time you want is available. Using the form below is convenient, but is not a guarantee of an appointment. We will contact you to confirm your appointment by phone or email, whichever you choose.
If you make your request after hours, we will not be able to confirm appointment availability until we open the next day. We will call or email you with your confirmation.


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Another quick upgrade for the Airfix Wildcat are these two exhausts. They are direct replacements for the kit parts and have very thin walls. While you can paint the insides black I think for the best effect you would still want to drill out the exhaust hole from the engine. Just be careful on how you hold them, the resin is that thin.
No instructions are provided as they are a direct replacement for the kit part.
Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit.


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This rare spotted-tail quoll has now been returned to his bushland habitat in the Blue Mountains after he ventured into the suburban outskirts along Erskine Park Road last week. Also known as the tiger quoll, the critter is a critically endangered species and the largest carnivorous marsupial in mainland Australia.
The introduction of feral animals, diseases and the destruction of their forest habitats has greatly reduced their numbers in recent years.
Renowned for their feisty nature, this young quoll was in perfect health and enjoyed an overnight feast of frozen chicken necks before being returned to the bush the next day.
"It's extremely unusual to see one in Sydney," said Jilea Carney, a spokesman for WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Incorporated), Australia's largest wildlife rescue organisation.
WIRES volunteer rescuer and St Clair resident Sean Cade, who spent Thursday night caring for the quoll, believes recent backburning in the Blue Mountains forced the quoll to venture further afield and become displaced. ``He was very frightened,'' he said. ``It's in the middle of breeding season, so he would have been looking for mates.''
Mr Cade said it was unlikely there were others in the area. ``There are people who have been with WIRES for 20 years who had never seen one until now,'' he said.
Residents who spot one should contact WIRES on 89773333.


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INITIAL LICENSING (first time applicants only)
A license to practice is granted for a 1 year term ending January 31 each year and is subject to annual review by the Registrar. The RRT annual licensing fee is $450.00. Graduates of an accredited educational program may apply for licensing in their graduation year for a one time reduced fee of $150.00.
First time license applicants of any class, will be charged a non-refundable $60.00 registration fee, which must accompany the initial application. This fee is not applicable to the annual license renewals. A secure online application may be submitted by clicking here (not to be used for renewal).
Applicants are advised that the $60.00 registration fee will be charged and a credit card will be required to complete the online application process. Candidates will be advised of their license status following a due diligence investigation by the Registrar. Successful candidates will be invoiced the full annual license fee if approved prior to July 1st, or half the annual fee thereafter. Upon full payment of the required fee, the candidate will be added to the roster of Active Practicing RRTs and a license card issued.
To begin your application, have your credit card handy and click here (not to be used for renewal).


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A story of relentless commitment to empowering communities to improve their quality of life.
A highly driven team working together to create purposeful change.
Our work spans across health, education, violence against women and community institution building.
We believe systematic and scientific research is integral to creating change.
Our new ideas and approaches continue to transform lives.
From big ideas to little gestures, there are endless ways to get involved.
Give as little or as much as you like to support us.
Come, be part of creating change that matters.
Trustees with vast experience in leading organisations and teams govern KHPT.
Managing Trustee
Technical Advisor, Monitoring & Evaluation, Research & Special Studies
Technical Advisor, Programmes
Director, Social Protection
Technical Advisor, Health Systems and Services
Technical Advisor, Quality Improvement
Technical Advisor, Research
Director, Finance
Director, Quality Improvement
Deputy Director, Monitoring and
Deputy Director, Advocacy
Deputy Director, Health Services
Deputy Director, Human Resource
Deputy Director, Administration
Deputy Director- Communications and Partnerships
Deputy Director, Research
Director, Research and Monitoring and Evaluation
Deputy Director, Capacity Building and Counselling
Deputy Director, Programmes
Director, Technical
Deputy Project Director, OVC programme
Director, TB programmes
Deputy Director, Quality Improvement and Quality of life
Deputy Director, TB programme
Deputy Director, Communications
Technical Advisor
Senior Technical Advisor
Manager, Nutrition & Public health
Zonal Coordinator
Zonal Coordinator
Deputy Director- Research
Manager – Community Intervention
Manager, Finance
Trustees with vast experience in leading organisations and teams govern KHPT.
Deputy Director, Health Services
Gururaj H Patil is a programme specialist with over a decade of experience in starting, sustaining and transitioning new projects. He is well experienced in establishing systems for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and mentoring teams.
Previously, as team leader of the SHOPS TB project and project manager of the MBPH TB project in Karnataka, he has established close working relationships with the State TB teams, WHO TB consultants and health departments. He participates in joint evaluation visits of the state TB teams, and provides inputs into the state level annual TB programme planning.
He has coordinated and monitored training of private practitioners for STI, HIV and TB, using networks of private and government medical colleges. He has developed and managed innovative IT initiatives including bio-matrix tracking in clinical services for key populations, logistic management information systems for ART drugs, and TB Careline.
He holds Master's in Business Administration as well as in Economics.


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Department of Foreign Affairs (Canada), July 6, 2015 - Andrew Bennett, Canada's Ambassador for Religious Freedom, today issued the following statement on the occasion of the 80th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama:
"I extend my warmest wishes to His Holiness the Dalai Lama as he marks his 80th birthday today. An internationally respected spiritual leader, Nobel laureate and honorary Canadian citizen, His Holiness has worked tirelessly to promote human rights and religious freedom. His message of compassion, peace and human dignity resonates across Canada and is an inspiration to people around the world.
"I wish His Holiness the very best on the occasion of his 80th birthday."


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Ten Ways To Improve Your Memory
- 8 Months ago
- 4.0
"With age, comes wisdom and you can use your acquired wisdom to help fight memory problems in new and creative ways." Whether you're occasionally forgetting a name or you just can't seem to stop forgetting your keys, you can do something about it. With the right lifestyle choices and basic knowledge of memory enhancing strategies, you can boost your memory!
• Solve puzzles or riddles to get your brain cells working. This exercise helps your mind because you involve a number of mental tasks such as logical reasoning, mathematics, pattern recognition and nonlinear thinking.
• Clench your fist, because research suggests that balling up your right hand and squeezing it tightly makes it easier to memorise phone numbers and shopping lists.
• Quit multitasking, because studies show that it takes eight seconds to fully commit a piece of information to memory so concentrating on the task at hand is vital.
• Associate the memory with the environment, for instance a joke is learned in the presence of a particular smell, that same aroma may cue the memory for that joke
• Use mnemonic devices to remember information, often used by student to aid recall. A mnemonic is a way to remember information. For instance, one might associate a term he or she needs to remember with a common item that one is very familiar with. The best mnemonics are those that use positive imagery, humour or novelty. One can even come up with a rhyme, song or joke to help remember a specific segment of information.
• Address your stress because when you're stressed, the stress hormone cortisol may interfere with the brain's control centre for learning and memory, thus further interfering with encoding information or retrieving it.
• Get adequate amount of sleep because losing just three or four hours of sleep on one night can erode memory. During deep sleep, it is believed that the brain shifts memories from temporary to longer term storage.
• Exercise regularly, as researchers believe that exercise boosts the brain chemical called norepinephrine which has a strong influence on memory.
• Nutritionists suggest that in order to maximize memory, one should maintain a balanced diet that includes healthy fats, plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains.
If your memory loss affects your ability to complete daily activities, contact your doctor immediately for a proper evaluation of your symptoms!


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Toyota Attempts to Stir Silly Social Media Debate for Prius
Want to get a social media conversation going? Then create a false controversy.
That's the approach Toyota has taken for its new Prius line. To get the word out in social media circles, the automaker could have talked about the Prius V's 50% increased trunk space or emphasized the line's green credentials. Instead, the campaign focused on a grammatical debate over the plural of "Prius."
The idea came about because there will now be a few different Prius models on the road, but it's also an acknowledgment that after 10 years, most people know only basic facts about the Prius. "We really wanted to tap into the passion and enthusiasm of Prius owners," says Kimberley Gardiner, national digital, marketing and social media manager for Toyota, who adds that the debate over the correct plural of Prius (Latin for "first") is actually a topic that has come up among such owners.
To stoke the debate, Toyota and agency Saatchi & Saatchi released a web video yesterday that features a droll children's song musing on the illogical forms of the plural in English. "There's octopus to octopi, spiky cactus to cacti then how come when we multiply, platypus doesn't become platypi?"
Other outreach includes a Facebook page where consumers can vote on their preferred plural (including "Prii," "Prien" and "Prium") and a "Prius goes Plural" promoted trend on Twitter.
All this for a car that won't hit showrooms for at least six months.
But Gardiner says that six months is about the time that consumers need to make their decision on a new car purchase. Social media, it turns out, can help that decision-making process. "It's very reasonable, in fact it's expected for [consumers] to have some early information about what's coming out," says Gardiner. "They don't just want information, they want to know what their friends are saying."
It's a measure of Toyota's confidence that it's able to build a campaign around such a silly premise. A year ago, the company was grappling with product recalls that severely tarnished its stellar brand image. Time and the deft use of social media helped Toyota rebuild its image somewhat, but Ted Marzilli, senior vice president and global managing director of YouGov's BrandIndex, says that Toyota's buzz score before the recalls was 27, meaning that, averaging fans (+100) and detractors (-100), the brand had a fairly positive image. But after the recalls, the buzz score slipped to -55 and is now at 13, Marzilli says. (The BrandIndex is tabulated by polling 5,000 consumers a day online.) "They've come a long way back," says Marzilli, "but since October of this year, their score has sort of flattened out."
A campaign focused on a trivial topic is a good way to change the subject, especially given Toyota's newfound appreciation for social media. It's significant that Gardiner's position is a new one. She also expects future Toyota campaigns — the next one is for Camry — to lean heavily on social media. "One thing we've learned is that you have to be open and have more transparency," says Gardiner.
And by the way, Gardiner says the preferred plural of Prius in-house is "Priuses."


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Festival organisers confirmed to Screen on Monday that the authorities were looking into the unprecedented incident over the weekend.
"The FBI is reviewing the case," said a Sundance Film Festival spokesperson, "At this point, we do not have any reason to believe the cyberattack was targeted towards a specific film.
"No artist or customer information was compromised."
Saturday's hack temporarily paralysed the festival's box office and online ticketing operations before full service was restored by the afternoon.
None of the festival screenings were impacted as the festival struck a defiant note on the day, saying: "The show goes on and our artists' voices will be heard."
The incident marked the first time the festival had been subjected to a cyberattack, which occurred shortly after the #MarchonMain event in Park City marking the first day of Donald Trump's US presidency.


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There is nothing routine about Next-Generation Sequencing.
Every step counts.
Next-generation sequencing is a time consuming process with multiple steps—from nucleic acid extraction to confirming results. You need reagents, protocols and support that you can count on.
Nucleic Acid Extraction ›
NGS success depends on the input of high quality DNA or RNA.
Sample Quantitation & Quality Control ›
The amount of DNA or RNA added to your library preparation step dramatically affects your sequencing results.
Library Preparation ›
Minimize sample loss during reaction clean-up steps and protect your RNA during library prep.
Confirmatory Testing ›
Sequence variations and expression level changes need to be verified.
Let the new ProNex® suite of
ProNex® Size-Selective Purification System
ProNex® DNA QC Assay
ProNex® NGS Library Quant Kit
NGS products help guide your way
- Step 1
Nucleic Acid Extraction
Nucleic acid extraction is the first step in your NGS workflow. The goal is to purify DNA that meets the highest standards, free of inhibitors and of a certain length is important for success of downstream steps.
Choose from manual or automated purification systems to produce the highest quality, NGS-ready DNA and RNA—even from difficult samples such as FFPE or plant tissues.Tools for Nucleic Acid Extraction for NGS Talk to an NGS Expert
- Step 2
Sample Quantitation & Quality Control
Sample quantitation is necessary to determine how much nucleic acid you have and, therefore, informs how much you should add to library preparation. The quality of your estimation will affect subsequent library preparation efficiency and overall fragment diversity.
Six (and a Half) Reasons to Quantitate Your DNA ›
Find instruments and dyes that provide you with accurate and sensitive fluorescence quantitation of DNA and RNA for many sample types including human FFPE samples.Tools for Quantitation for NGS Talk to an NGS Expert
Take the next step with ProNex® DNA QC AssayProNex® DNA QC Assay BioRad CFX96™ ProNex® DNA QC Assay ABI 7500/7500FAST
- Step 3
Library Preparation
Library preparation is the process of manipulating your purified DNA into a format that is compatible with a certain sequencing chemistry and instrumentation.
From preventing RNA degradation to efficiently purifying DNA fragments during library preparation, use the highest performing reagents and systems to ensure your NGS success.Tools for Library Preparation for NGS Talk to an NGS Expert
Be sure footed with the ProNex® Size-Selective Purification SystemProNex® Size-Selective Purification System
Get Accurate, Reproducible Quantitation for NGS LibrariesProNex® NGS Library Quant Kit
- Step 4
Confirmatory Testing
Your NGS experiment doesn't end when the raw data are analyzed—you also need to verify sequence variations or expression changes with confidence. Verify results with confidence using Sanger sequencing, end-point PCR, reverse transcription, qPCR and RT-qPCR systems.
Choose from reagents designed to be sensitive enough to identify your rare variants and robust enough to work with samples that may contain enzyme inhibitors.Tools for Confirmatory Testing for NGS Talk to an NGS Expert


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The King of Twitteronia
Sure, Twitter can help you connect with fans, friends, and customers; it can keep you up to date on the latest news; and, depending on who you talk to, it might even save journalism or something. But as far as I'm concerned, the best reason to use it has nothing to do with any of that. Instead, it all comes down to one thing: You might actually meet Shaq.


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Long gone are the days of a secret magical world and heroic boy wizards, famed Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has moved onto more adult fare. The Casual Vacancy takes place in the idyllic little English town of Pagford who has just suffered the tragic loss of it's beloved Barry Fairbrother. While the town may seem so quaint and peaceful with its classic cobblestone streets, the town residents are at war.
Not a violent war that paves the streets with blood and tears, but one fought in the shadows with daggers in the back. The rich fight the poor, teenagers fight their parents, teachers fighting pupils, and wives war with their husbands. Now that dear old Barry Fairbrother is gone and his city council seat lay empty and new war is about to begin over who lays claim to the supremacy of Pagford.
The paraphrased description above sounds intriguing enough for a decent book, but one would suppose it has to. For J.K. Rowling to break out of the deep rut she has dug herself into as a children's author, she really had her work cut out for her with this novel.
The content of The Casual Vacancy involves rape, child abuse, self-mutilation, drug use, and other various ugly bits of society are all wrapped up in a soft fuzzy blanket of black comedy. This makes it in no way a children's' book. I found myself thinking that the author seemed to be trying to hard to place the darker side of humanity into this book, but I caught myself. Maybe I was being too critical BECAUSE I knew her as a children's' author who filled her books with wonder and made the darkness in the Harry Potter series not seem so dark. Perhaps she was trying to make this shock a little more than Snape killing Dumbledore, or at least shock a little more realistically.
If mayhaps someone who had never read the Harry Potter series were to pick up this book, would they think she was trying too hard too?
Regardless, Rowling really tried to stretch her literary wings with this one. The style of writing seemed borderline Jane Austen at times with the rich adjectives and thick use of a thesaurus.
The characters were aplenty, but it seemed particularly hard to bond with them. Perhaps this was done on purpose because it was so easy to bond with characters in the Harry Potter series. Although to me, it just sort of seems like the characters were rushed past being relatable.
The plot is decent enough, but everyone seems to agree that it leaves you wanting. The ending is expected and a wee bit disappointing in that way. However, the picture Rowling paints is filled with people, each with a story and intrigue of their own.
The Casual Vacancy is by no means book of the year, but it is not exactly a read to pass up either.The Casual Vacancy is a darkly witty story filled with schemes, all wrapped up in that ugly orange vintage cover. I personally feel that I would have had a vastly improved opinion of this if I had not read the Harry Potter series before this. It's definitely worth a read, but go into it with a more open mind than I.
Amazon Price: $35.00 $2.95 Buy Now
(price as of Jan 5, 2014)


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Alcoholism as a biochemical disease
In the early 1950s, clinical researchers exploring the therapeutic value of the psychedelic drug d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) achieved intriguing results with subjects suffering from alcoholism. Spiritual or transcendental experiences produced by LSD were a powerful adjunct to rehabilitative psychotherapy for alcoholics. They provided a profound and chemically-induced awakening or enlightenment that often led to sobriety. This article investigates LSD as a treatment for alcoholism. The increased focus on drug therapies brought changes in treatment options and ushered in new theoretical explanations for the causation of alcohol abuse as a disease.
The psychiatrist Humphry Osmond was one of the key figures in the development of LSD treatments for alcoholism. Osmond was a Senior Registrar at the psychiatric unit at St George's Hospital in London, England in 1950, where he worked closely with his colleague John Smythies and cultivated a keen interest in chemically induced reactions in the human body. Smythies and Osmond examined the properties of mescaline, the active agent in the peyote cactus. Nearly 2 years of research led them to conclude that mescaline produced reactions in volunteers that resembled the symptoms of schizophrenia, including hallucinations, delusions, disorganised thoughts and behaviour.
Further work suggested that mescaline's chemical structure was remarkably similar to adrenaline. These findings led to the theory that schizophrenia resulted from a biochemical 'imbalance' in the sufferer. These findings led to the theory that schizophrenia resulted from a biochemical 'imbalance' in the sufferer. This tantalizing hypothesis captivated Osmond's interest for the next 2 decades and inspired him to embark on a variety of experiments.
Osmond and Smythies' colleagues at St George's Hospital were not particularly interested in their biochemical research, but Osmond was intent on continuing the work. After responding to an advertisement for a deputy director of psychiatry at a Canadian Mental Hospital in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, he and his family moved to Canada in October 1951. In the prairie province of Saskatchewan he established a biochemical research programme. Within a year, Osmond met Abram Hoffer. Hoffer had graduated from the provincial university in Saskatoon with a Bachelor of Sciences degree in agricultural chemistry. He later graduated with a Ph.D. in agriculture before beginning a medical degree the following year. In medical school, Hoffer developed a particular interest in psychiatry. On 1 July 1950, the Saskatchewan Department of Public Health hired the recently graduated Hoffer to establish a provincial research programme in psychiatry.
Hoffer and Osmond soon joined forces and began collaborating on their mutual research interests in biochemical experimentation. Osmond's curiosity about mescaline soon introduced him to d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), which, he discovered, produced similar reactions to those observed with mescaline. However, LSD was a much more powerful drug. As in the case of mescaline, early trials with LSD, too, seemed to substantiate their theory that mental illness had biochemical roots.
During their initial LSD experiments, Hoffer and Osmond hypothesised that the drug might possess therapeutic benefits. In 1953 they began introducing the drug to a new set of subjects: diagnosed alcoholics. They wanted to test its curative effects on individuals for whom temperance reformers advocated the development of more will power and self-actualisation. Perhaps, they reasoned, the LSD reaction would cultivate precisely that kind of strength and insight. Early trials with LSD seemed to substantiate their theory that mental illness had biochemical roots. Osmond reasoned that it would not be difficult to convince lay people that excessive drinking or alcoholism, as a disease, constituted a meaningful concept.
In Saskatchewan in the 1950s, LSD played a prominent role in reconstructing alcoholism as a disease. The growing public perception of drunkenness as a physiological condition reinforced the need for medical attention and, moreover, redefined problem drinking behaviour as something that could be cured.
Condensed from the study found here: http://www.maps.org/research-archive...ck_22866_1.pdf
Ayahuasca, a cure for alcoholism
By Pablo Noguiera
Jorge* is around 60 years old, works a white collar job, has gray hair, married children, and grown grandchildren. People who work with him would never imagine that he participates in religious rituals using a mind altering tea. Yet thanks to ayahuasca, Jorge renounced his alcoholism - a big change for someone who, when he was younger, would buy a few cases of whiskey at once. "I opened the boxes and started emptying the bottles in the kitchen sink. My wife was shocked," he told me.
He's not the only alcoholic to renounce booze after an experience with ayahuasca. In 2010, after a decade of failed treatments, Robert Rhatigan took a trip to the Peruvian Amazon, where he participated in 4 rituals conducted by a shaman. During a speech at a TEDx event, he recounted how he "saw several components from his mind floating in space, as if they were pieces of a puzzle" while under the effects of ayahuasca. The experience lasted two hours and by the end of the ceremony, he "saw" the pieces returning to his head. The one that corresponded to his alcohol addiction no longer fit in. There he knew that he was cured. "My transformation is something far from understood in Western medicine," he says.
There are some hospitals, universities, and research institutes around the world that are experimenting with powerful psychoactive substances, such as psilocybin, ibogaine and even LSD are being analyzed in hospitals and research institutes all around the world.
"Regarding ayahuasca studies, Brazil is at the forefront of research," said Luis Fernando Tófoli, professor of the medical psychology and psychiatry department of Unicamp and coordinator of the Laboratory of Interdisciplinary Studies of psychoactive drugs, in Portuguese.
This year, a study conducted by Brazilian researchers was published in Nature. The piece examined the effects of the drink on two men and four women who showed symptoms of depression, ranging from moderate to severe. The participants consumed ayahuasca only once in doses that ranged between 120ml to 200ml prepared by a church of Santo Daime. They then had their mental health monitored through three questionnaires repeated eight times, the first one 40 minutes after intake and the last one three weeks later.
The results showed that there were improvements shown by every participant, disregarding the levels of depression they displayed. According to one of the surveys, one day after the experiment, there had been a reduction of 62 percent in symptoms. One week later, the efficacy kept going up, getting up to 72 percent. According to another survey, depression symptoms such as sadness, difficulty concentrating, suicidal and negative thoughts, had been reduced by 82 percent. Side effects were not detected, although half of the subjects had vomited under influence of the tea.
The results impressed the researchers. "We observed antidepressant effects the first hours after administering ayahuasca, and they remained significant for two to three weeks," Flávia de Lima Osório and Rafael Guimarães dos Santos, two of the authors, said in an email in Portuguese. She's a lecturer in the department of neurosciences and behavioral sciences of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) Medical School in Ribeirão Preto and he is a postdoctoral researcher in the same department. "Besides, ayahuasca was tolerated quite well by the patients. The majority described the experience as positive, even if there was vomiting and nausea."
The results are good news for those needing quick-acting treatments. "Antidepressants that are currently available take weeks to produce therapeutic effects, in addition to having significant side effects, such as sexual dysfunction and weight gain," Flávia wrote. "Many patients don't get an effective therapeutic response. New pharmaceuticals, that act faster and more efficiently with less side effects, are necessary."
Beneficial effect of LSD on alcoholism
By Nick Collins
In the 60s and 70s several clinics ran trials to determine whether lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, could help alcoholics overcome their dependence with varying degrees of success. The supervisors of one trial noted: "It was rather common for patients to claim significant insights into their problems, and to feel that they had been given a new lease on life, and to make a strong resolution to discontinue their drinking."
None of the experiments featured enough patients to draw any firm conclusions, but now a reanalysis of all the data taken together, totalling 536 patients, suggests the treatment could have potential after all. The new study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that LSD had a positive effect on alcohol misuse in each of the trials, with 59 per cent of patients who took the drug having improved at follow-up, compared with 38 per cent who took a placebo. A single dose of LSD produces benefits which last between six and 12 months, and repeated doses along with modern treatments could ensure longer term results, the researchers said.
The drug, which causes hallucinations that make users experience the world in a distorted way, is not physically addictive but some experte believe users can become dependant on its effects, for example from a need to distance themselves from reality.
Pål-Ørjan Johansen, Norwegian researcher and fellow of Harvard Medical School, who led the research, said: "Given the evidence for a beneficial effect of LSD on alcoholism, it is puzzling why this treatment approach has been largely overlooked."
Dr David Nutt, former advisor on drugs to the government, said: "I think this study is very interesting and it is a shame the last of these studies were done in the 1960s. I think these drugs might help people switch out of a mindset which is locked into addiction or depression and be a way of helping the brain switch back to where it should be, in a similar way that Alcoholics Anonymous programs do."
PSILOCYBIN: A radical new approach to beating alcohol addiction
By Jennifer Bleyer
Jason didn't fit the stereotype of an alcoholic. A 39-year-old marketing executive with a master's degree, he never blacked out or erupted in a stormy rage. His family's home in Albuquerque wasn't strewn with empty liquor bottles. He had never crashed his car. Yet Jason had been drawn to alcohol ever since his first sip of beer at age 8, and it was typical for him to have half a dozen drinks after work. He was crushed but not entirely shocked on the spring afternoon in 2015 when his wife announced that she couldn't tolerate his inebriation anymore, packed up their kids, and moved out.
The next day Jason saw a notice in the alternative weekly newspaper: "Concerned about your drinking? Interested in alternatives to the treatments that are currently available?" The ad announced that University of New Mexico researchers were seeking participants for a new trial involving an experimental medication that might help curb alcohol abuse. Jason dialed the phone number on the ad and was surprised to learn that the experimental medicine was psilocybin*.
Jason was accepted into the second trial, which included 12 weeks of psychotherapy. After four weeks of psychotherapy, he arrived in a clinical room that had been appointed with art, homey furniture, and soft lighting and was given a pill of synthetic psilocybin. He lay down on a couch and donned eyeshades and headphones that piped in a programmed selection of music. Sitting nearby throughout the session were male and female co-therapists, who did little more than direct Jason to focus his attention internally and go where his mind took him. Within minutes, he burst into tears.
"I wept for almost six hours. It was a really heavy purging, as if I had just needed an excuse to stop the world and take this emotional ride." He saw that his alcoholism was a major stressor in his family's life and gazed with unalloyed clarity at his own lack of commitment to the most important thing in his life—his marriage and kids. "I believed that I had screwed up in every way," he says. "There was so much internal guilt bottled up." After several hours, the emotional tempest settled, and Jason was left with an incandescent feeling of love for his family, and forgiveness of himself.
Four weeks later, he arrived for the second psilocybin session, which he described afterward in a journal. "The initial fall was swift and intense," he wrote. "I wanted to immerse myself in the sounds from every corner and crevice of the room. Fully aware that I had no control over any circumstance or train of thought, I simply took the ride. There came a point where I realized I could in fact navigate."
With a greater sense of control this time, he focused his attention again on his life and aspects of himself that felt broken. He saw himself and his wife far in the future, happy and profoundly connected, and envisioned his stepdaughter and the couple's then 4-year-old daughter both as strong women that he and his wife had lovingly guided into adulthood. Jason's attention barely drifted toward his relationship with alcohol. It was all about his relationship to himself and his loved ones.
Even though there was little explicit content about drinking in his two psilocybin sessions, Jason was effortlessly abstinent after their completion. He eventually drank again, but moderately, with a conscientiousness he'd never experienced with alcohol before.
Two years after completing the UNM study, Jason's drinking remains limited and under control. He may have a couple beers or glasses of wine after work, but, he says, "I'm not using it to medicate myself anymore. I've come to see drinking as an individual decision—one I can decide against."
His wife took him back and moved home with their kids. They entered marriage counseling, and Jason credits the "inner peace" he found in the sessions as one of the most important factors in his success. The couple strengthened their communication and renewed their bond. Their family life now feels harmonious and connected. And although the psilocybin trial seldom crosses his mind, the insights it catalyzed reverberate in his life daily.
"I think alcohol was a way for me to disassociate from the here and now," he says. "The sessions taught me to hit the 'Pause' button and take time for things that actually matter. I learned the importance of really being present."
Forever grateful
By Daniel Wilby
My first LSD trip pretty much cured my alcoholism. The second and third put me well on my way to working through my four year-long depression. I was utterly astounded by the miraculous effects, so of course I had to google it.
A few clicks and I had, among other things, learned that:
* LSD had, before being criminalized, been used with fantastic results to cure addiction problems, such as alcoholism, where it often took only one trip to cure the person.
* One of the founders of AA was a strong advocate of LSD and was actually well on his way to start a program to distribute it throughout AA.
* LSD had a far greater success rate in curing alcoholism, than the AA 12 step program has ever had.
* LSD has also been used with great success to cure depression.
* Albert Hofmann's 100th birthday was right around the corner and he was alive and kicking.
* In his honour there was a LSD conference being arranged in Basel, Switzerland, and everyone who was somebody in the psychedelic community would be there, along with the guest of honour, Albert Hofmann himself.
I had to go.
I was flat broke, but there are moments in life that are just too important to miss. This was one of them. I was probably the most inexperienced of the whole crowd, having taken LSD four or five times by then. The lectures were absolutely amazing and confirmed scientifically the effects and experiences that I was trying to describe to friends and family.
On the final night, after listening to Albert Hofmann tell about his first experience, there was a wonderful party on a boat. It was full of psychedelic explorers, psychonauts of all generations. There were academics and hippies mixed up with ravers and artists. And of course the best LSD I have ever encountered.
I had never been to a rave before. My first encounter was on two drops of LSD and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Everyone on the dance floor was dancing in the same direction and they were rediscovering and reinventing what dance, body language and social interaction was. It was as if they had taken out social programming A, and were busy programming social programming B. People were friendly and caring, not at all the type of interaction that I was used to from night clubs.
Today is the 19th of April. It is Bicycle day. Today it is 71 years ago (1943) that Albert Hofmann first took his first intentional LSD trip to try to determine the effects of the peculiar substance that he had synthesized, while looking for a migraine cure. He took 250 micrograms, which he thought would be a threshold dose. It turned out that LSD was really potent. A threshold dose is approximately 20 micrograms. 250 micrograms is a powerful trip and feeling uneasy Hofmann early on decided to go home. Due to war time restrictions he took his bike and it was under that
bike trip that the LSD really came to full effect.
Thank you, Albert Hofmann, for this truly miraculous substance. And thank you, LSD, for saving my life. In honor of you, I have named my son Albert. I am forever grateful.
LSD as a treatment for alcoholism
By Arran Frood
The powerful hallucinogen LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) has potential as a treatment for alcoholism, according to a retrospective analysis of studies published in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The study, by neuroscientist Teri Krebs and clinical psychologist Pål-Ørjan Johansen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, is the first-ever quantitative meta-analysis of LSD-alcoholism clinical trials. The researchers sifted through thousands of records to collect data from randomized, double-blind trials that compared one dose of LSD to a placebo.
Of 536 participants in six trials, 59% of people receiving LSD reported lower levels of alcohol misuse, compared to 38% of people who received a placebo. "We were surprised that the effect was so clear and consistent," says Krebs. She says that the problem with most studies done at that time was that there were too few participants, which limited statistical power. "But when you combine the data in a meta-analysis, we have more than 500 patients and there is definitely an effect," she says. In general, the reported benefits lasted three to six months. Their findings are published today in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Psychedelics were promoted by psychiatrists in the 1950s as having a range of medical uses -- to treat conditions such as schizophrenia, for example -- before political pressures in the United States and elsewhere largely ended the work. "Alcoholism was considered one of the most promising clinical applications for LSD," says Johansen. Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson is said to have espoused the benefits of LSD in the book Pass It On: The Story of Bill Wilson and How the AA Message Reached the World.
In the last decade or so, however, a new generation of researchers have been interested in harnessing the therapeutic benefits of illicit drugs -- such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) for post-traumatic stress disorder, ayahuasca for drug and alcohol dependency, and psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, for smoking cessation.
How psychedelics exert such effects, especially after a single dose, remains unclear. LSD and its chemical cousins share structural similarities with the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is linked to many aspects of mood, memory and pleasure. These psychedelics also bind the same receptor sites in the brain as serotonin, but there the similarity may end -- studies have shown that the hallucinogens elicit chemical cascades different from other compounds that bind at the same receptor. To complicate matters further, LSD also acts at other receptors.
For the moment, studying human behavioural responses rather than brain chemistry may be more helpful in understanding how the drugs work. Robin Carhart-Harris, a psychopharmacologist at Imperial College London who has researched how psilocybin could treat depression, says that psychedelics must work at both biological and psychological levels. "Psychedelics probably work in addiction by making the brain function more chaotically for a period -- a bit like shaking up a snow globe -- weakening reinforced brain connections and dynamics," he says.
Roland Griffiths, a behavioural biologist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, is investigating the influence of psilocybin on smoking cessation, and says that psychedelics sometimes give rise to distinctive, insightful experiences that can produce enduring positive changes in attitude, mood and behaviour.
"This is impressive and important work," says Matthew Johnson, a psychiatrist also at Johns Hopkins University who is now running a small trial looking at the effectiveness of psilocybin to treat nicotine addiction. "Although this meta-analysis does not replace the need to test the approach in new, well-designed and rigorous clinical trials, it puts some more muscle behind the interpretation that the older literature shows hints that psychedelic therapy might really help addiction."
However, Ken Checinski, a consultant addiction psychiatrist and independent researcher based in London, says that although the results are exciting, no pharmacological treatment should be seen as a magic bullet and that modern therapeutic techniques have improved. "The included LSD trials pre-date the use of psychological techniques such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behaviour therapy," he says.
How ibogaine reverses alcohol addiction
By Biotech Daily
Researchers using rodent models have found that the controversial drug ibogaine reverses alcohol addiction by increasing the level of the protein GDNF (glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor) in the ventral tegmental area of the brain.
Ibogaine, which is extracted from a West African shrub, has been shown to reverse addiction to alcohol and some drugs, but potentially serious side effects have prevented its widespread acceptance.
In a paper published in The Journal of Neuroscience, investigators at UCSF showed that ibogaine acted specifically on the ventral tegmental area of the brain. After injecting the drug into the brains of rats, the investigators found that loss of craving for alcohol was accompanied by an increase in the level of GDNF expressed by cells in the ventral tegmental area. Treating the animals with specific antibodies to prevent GDNF expression reversed the anti-addictive action of ibogaine, and direct injection of GDNF prevented addiction in the same manner as injection of ibogaine.
"By identifying the brain protein that ibogaine regulates to reduce alcohol consumption in rats, we have established a link between GDNF and reversal of addiction--knowledge of a molecular mechanism that should allow development of a new class of drugs to treat addiction without ibogaine's side effects," said senior author Dr. Dorit Ron, associate professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. "If we can alter the GDNF pathway, we may well have a new treatment against alcohol and drug addiction without the unwanted side effects of ibogaine."
Depression, Alcoholism and Ayahuasca
By Erica Baran Fasano
The day of my ayahuasca ceremony finally arrived. I'd never been so excited to get there, get started, and get it over with. The two months leading up to this day had been like the 12 days of Christmas. I was dying to open up my beautifully wrapped presents under the tree. Except, this was a different type of unwrapping altogether. As my friends and I arrived to the ceremonial space, we were greeted by other participants sitting on their beds on the floor alongside their buckets facing the shaman's alter. My friends and I turned towards each other as I said, "What the hell did I get us into?" But, there was no turning back now. It was go time. We set up our beds and buckets at our assigned seats. The ceremony started promptly at 5pm.
The shaman sat down, welcomed the newcomers as there had been a ceremony the evening prior. He briefly explained how he was going to dose and serve the Ayahuasca over the course of the ceremony. We are asked to state our intentions before our first serving of the medicine. Then, we begin. I sat in between by friends as we prepare to to take our doses. I've never been so terrified. Little did I realize that this night was about to change the rest of my life forever. After everyone received their serving, we now wait for the medicine to take effect. The shaman begins chanting and singing Icaros. These are songs sung in Spanish to the spirits of plants to help them start taking effect.
About 30-40 minutes into the ceremony, I feel the presence of the Mother inside of every cell of my body. She has come to sit with me. I felt her gently coursing through my veins, my stomach, and my mind. I felt an ultimate surrender and laid down on my bed. Then, I felt the most intense wave of nausea hit me and began to purge into my bucket. It felt amazing to throw up and I continued to do so for about an hour. I felt all of my fears, insecurities, traumas, depression, doubts, anxieties, and addictions being flung out of my body mercilessly into the bottom my bucket. I felt freedom from it all! I looked at all of the demons in my bucket and said goodbye forever. After my hour of purging came to end, I began to sob uncontrollably for another hour. I had been filled with intense gratitude, compassion and love. I felt myself as a child being held in my mothers arms rocking me back and forth hearing the words, "It's ok. I'm with you and I'm not leaving your side. You take as much time as you need to cry. You need this."
The Mother was consoling me as I was being shown my life in chronological order, it's geneaology, down to the roots of each generation. I was shown the pain and it's origins in my family tree and kept saying "Thank you" repeatedly. I felt like I was wrapped in a blanket of unconditional love, so safe, so grateful. I clung to my blanket and pillow like they were my only possessions and felt immense gratitude for having them to hold. I felt myself going from repeatedly saying thank you to "I'm sorry". I felt all the pain inside of myself, my family, my past choices and the pain they caused others, and the pain that my family carries unknowingly. I felt one with it all. I was seeing it through compassionate, loving, and truthful eyes for the first time in my life.
I finally understood the root cause of it all. I suddenly felt touched by a blissful feeling I had never experienced but always knew existed. I tuned back into the beautiful Icaros permeating the room, connecting me deeper to my Mother. I sat up and began to rock back and forth in delight. The sun was setting and the fire was radiating a glowing warmth throughout the room. I felt in love. I felt loved. I felt safe. I felt free. I felt so grateful. I felt forgiven. I felt whole again. For the next several hours of the ceremony, I was in conversation with the Mother. It was like a Q & A session, hearing her give me answers to questions I've been seeking out for what felt like an eternity. It was like I was being rewarded for all the hard work and preparation leading up to this moment. I continued to unwrap my gifts one at a time slowly, savoring each second. I was so in each moment that it was almost impossible to think of anything else. She wouldn't allow for it. She had my commanded my undivided attention in such a seductive way, like a snake slithering rhythmically through the jungle that resides inside my body.
I felt her presence starting to fade slowly, not wanting to part with her yet. I could've stayed there with her forever. Before she slipped away for the evening, I heard her say to me, "We are just getting started. I'll be here when you are ready to come back. We have more to do." I felt like I was just made love to and couldn't wait for it to happen again. It was the most amazing and most profound experience of my life. It was difficult to sleep that night as I was overloaded on processing all the new information I had just been gifted. I went outside and looked up at the stars in the night sky and cried. I felt overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment. That I had just done something so important and life changing. My life was forever changed this night. I looked up, understanding everything, but not sure how to use this new set of vocabulary and context. I knew I had my work cut out for me in the life that was waiting for me back home.
The next 3 months ahead of me, post-ceremony, packed a brutal punch. It was the transition and integration that proved to be the toughest part of it all. The ceremony seemed like a walk in the park in hindsight. I found that the plant medicine was continuing its work within the real world. I had some hard times, profound shifts, hard conversations, and found myself retreating inward to make sense of what I just did to my life. I turned it completely upside down, inside out, sideways and every which way. I felt alive again. I felt in love again with myself and my life. My consciousness was completely shifted. I was able to see all the same things with a new set of eyes, perspective and a whole new vocabulary to describe them. My depression was non-existent. I had developed a physical aversion to alcohol anytime I saw it. Remembering the part of the ceremony where the Mother showed why I do not need alcohol anymore. She explained that I used it as a coping method as well as self-medication for a very long time. I no longer needed that as I'm entering a new frontier of my life that doesn't have room for that.
It's been 13 months since to took my last drink as well as being off anti-depressants. And, I've lost over 30 pounds. Talk about a snake shedding it's old skin! My love affair with alcohol, deep in the throes of depression, seems like a lifetime ago. I've been given a true gift of living a life in transformation. I have absolutely no cravings for alcohol. My creativity is off the charts. I've been gifted with a profound and prolific time of creativity in my life. It's bubbling over with a new joy, meaning, and application. I've found a new love for my life, my art, my music, my wife, my family, and my friends. I'm in love again for the first time as I found a new relationship in my life. This new relationship has removed the veil that was once shrouded with guilt, unworthiness, self- loathing, suffering and death. I have a new life filled with unconditional love, endless support, prolific creativity, deeper meaning and purpose in my relationships and a new found self-love and a relentless self-worth. I am truly grateful for having been given another chance at my life. I'm beyond humbled to share my story with others in that it may reach those who are in need of a new perspective on how to live again. You are not limited to your diagnosis. You can see it as a life sentence as I once did. Or, you can see it as a shiny new gift placed at the center of your heart, awaiting it's opening.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for alcoholism
Ketamine is a prescription drug used for general anesthesia. In subanesthetic doses, it induces profound psychedelic experiences and hallucinations. The subanesthetic effect of ketamine was the hypothesized therapeutic mechanism in the authors' use of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for alcoholism. The results of a controlled clinical trial demonstrated a considerable increase in efficacy of the authors' standard alcoholism treatment when supplemented by ketamine psychedelic therapy (KPT). Total abstinence for more than one year was observed in 65.8 percent of alcoholic patients in the KPT group, as compared to 24 percent of the conventional treatment control group (p<0.01). The authors' studies of the underlying psychological mechanisms of KPT have indicated that ketamine-assisted psychedelic therapy of alcoholic patients induces a harmonization of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) personality profile, positive transformation of nonverbalized (mostly unconscious) self-concept and emotional attitudes to various aspects of self and other people, positive changes in life values and purposes. important insights into the meaning of life and anincrease in the level of spiritual development. Most importantly, these psychological changes were shown to favor a sober lifestyle. The data from biochemical investigations showed that the phannacological action of KPT affects both monoaminergic and opioidergic neurotransmitter metabolism, i.e., those neurochemical systems which are involved in the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence. The data from EEG computer-assisted analysis demonstrated that ketamine increases theta activity in cerebrocortical regions of alcoholic patients. This is evidence of the reinforcement of limbic cortex interaction during the KPT session.
-Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
Ketamine for the treatment of alcoholism
Evgeny Krupitsky, MD, PhD, chief of the research laboratory at St. Petersburg Regional Center of Addictions and Psychopharmacology, has been researching the treatment of alcoholism and addiction with ketamine since the 1980s and hopes to extend his research to encompass post-traumatic stress disorder in the near future. In 1985, he developed ketamine psychedelic therapy - which was initially merely a method for increasing suggestibility and enhancing aversive treatment for alcoholism - publishing his first report on the method in 1992.
He found that ketamine induced total abstinence in 66 percent of his alcoholic patients (versus 24 percent of the non-psychedelic control group) for as long as a year. He observed improvement in personality profile, positive transformation of self-concept and emotional attitudes to various aspects of self, positive changes in life values, and improved spiritual development in the ketamine group. What is the contribution of the psychedelic experience to this improvement? Krupitsky posited nine factors:
1. Stable, positive psychological changes.
2. Personality growth and self-cognition.
3. Important insights into existential problems and the meaning of life.
4. Transformation of one's "life value system."
5. A change of view of one's self and the world around.
6. Insight into life and death.
7. A rise of creative energies.
8. Broadening of spiritual horizons.
9. Harmonization of a person's relationships with the world and with other people.
In 1991, another Soviet psychiatrist, Igor Kungurtsev MD, who initially worked with Krupitsky and later immigrated to the United States, published a summary of his own experiences treating alcoholism with ketamine.
Although, like Krupitsky, he initially felt that ketamine simply made alcohol aversive in a purely behavioral way, he radically changed his approach following a series of ketamine self-administrations and instead It is gratifying to see that NIMH is following MAPS' lead in supporting the treatment of psychiatric disorders with psychedelic drugs adopted a transpersonal model for therapy in order to better utilize the profound mystical experiences induced by ketamine. He found that successful treatment of alcoholism with ketamine was correlated with a changed spiritual outlook.


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Specifying a category 6 cabling system can appear to be a problem, because it involves several individual peculiarities, comparing to Category 5. An interaction of various components in Category 6 requires special cabling system, in order to provide a high network performance. This clause can be satisfied only under the condition of using one supplier`s components. Though, MD Networking Solutions can offer you other options.
You can easily buy required components from different companies, and we will make them work together. You just have to make sure that all details have passed professional Network Cable Certification. It will help you to get a wonderful and universal system equipment that will meet all your requirements and demands. We are profiled on testing and certification of connecting hardware and patch cords. MD Networking Solutions is working for you to be sure you receive only the high – quality components of 6 Category.
Modulating plug considers to be the weakest point in the whole cabling system. Unfortunately, pairs twists cross over and split too often, so it leads to immediate breakages. Plugs can be crushed by mechanical crimps , what leads to undeniable Return Loss. Cords, usually, take the brunt: pulled around the desks, flattened by heavy furniture, or run over by chair wheels.
1. Wrong modular plugs
It is extremely important to use appropriate type of plugs, following the color code.
2. Regular cable twisting
Watch your cables, mind the direction of the cutter, otherwise it will break.
3. Bad cable routing
Keep cable away from power and another telecom cabling, do not exceed 25 lb of tension on cables being pulled.
4. Poor documentation
You need to write down the places of cables location in case of further changes.


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When you're concerned that your rights have been violated on the job, you need to step back from the situation first and make sure that is truly the case. One false accusation could cost you your career, and with the job market not really what it used to be, it could be quite a while until you get back on your feet again.
This is why it is so vitally important that you contact a Connecticut employment law attorney before you try to fight for your rights. Your lawyer knows all about what's legal, what's not, and how you should proceed and protect yourself.
Connecticut Employees Have Rights—Protect Yours!
With all of the time people spend at their jobs, there are understandably many pieces of employment law to cover several different situations. Although Connecticut employers and employees are both bound by the "at will" employment rule—meaning you can quit or be fired at any time for any reason—there are still exceptions that you should be aware of, and you still have important rights.
- Wrongful discharge and wrongful termination. Unfortunately, an unfair termination is not always an illegal one. Examples of wrongful discharge or termination would be unlawful discrimination in termination decisions, retaliation for refusing to work under hazardous conditions, employment contract violations, and other situations listed below.
- Employment discrimination. In Connecticut, there is great protection from employment discrimination. State and/or federal laws in Connecticut forbid employers to refuse to hire, fire, bar from employment or otherwise to discriminate based on race, color, religious creed, age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, present or past history of disability, intellectual disability, learning disability, learning disability, or physical disability including blindness.
- Sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is defined fully under the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act and may include things like unwelcome sexual advances, suggestive or lewd remarks, and requests for sexual favors.
- Genetic information. In Connecticut, your employer can't request genetic information or hire or fire based on genetic information, or otherwise discrimination based on genetic information.
- Pregnancy rights and protection. In Connecticut, there is great protection to those who are or are pregnant, or are contemplating becoming pregnant.
- Medical leave cases. If you were eligible for medical leave under the federal Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act and your employer fired you or punished you in the workplace, you probably have grounds to pursue a case for compensation or reinstatement.
- Age discrimination. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act protect those in Connecticut from age discrimination. If you are being discriminated against or targeted based on age, we can help you.
- Disability cases. Individuals with significant disabilities are protected in many different ways, including the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 that forbids discrimination on the basis of disability.
- Retaliation cases. If you stood up for yourself and complained about a violation of an employment-related law, or your status as a member of a protected group or class, and your employer punished or retaliated against you, you may have a retaliation case on your hands.
- Workers' compensation. If you are injured on the job you are entitled to workers' compensation benefits which include lost wage benefits, disability benefits, medical benefits, and other important benefits.
- Retaliation for filing or exercising rights under the Workers Compensation Act. Employment discrimination and retaliation against those to file workers compensation claims is common. At our office we fight for those who have been retaliated against on the basis of filing a workers compensation claim or for otherwise exercising their rights under the Workers Compensation Act.
Contact Our Groton Employment Law Attorneys For a Consultation
If you believe you have been treated unjustly in the workplace, your first response should be to confer with a trusted workers' rights law firm in Connecticut for a basic understanding of the issues. Unfortunately, not all consultations are free because it takes significant time to truly evaluate the merits of an employment law case. You get what you pay for in life, and the same is true with an employment law case review. The rules in this area of the law are complex and ever changing. And frankly, it takes a lot of time to hear facts even when our client tells us they are "making the long story short." But we have created a very efficient process so that poor cases are quickly identified at no or minimal legal fee to our client. You should always have an experienced legal professional's opinion from The Bartinik Law Firm LLC as to whether or not you have a valid employment law case. We work hard to make sure employees in Connecticut are treated fairly and legally, so contact us today at 860-445-8521 or toll free at 888-717-4211 to set up an appointment or ask for our intake form.


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This information is from the BBC Actionline
If you or someone you know are feeling emotionally distressed, like Iain Dean's storyline. The following organisations offer advice and support.
Samaritans is available 24 hours a day for anyone struggling to cope and provide a safe place to talk where calls are completely confidential.
Phone: 116 123
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
HOPELineUK offer support, practical advice and information to young people considering suicide and can also offer help and advice if you're concerned about someone you know.
Phone: 0800 068 41 41
CALM, the campaign against living miserably aims to prevent male suicide in the UK and offers anonymous, confidential listening, information and signposting.
Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (daily 5pm-midnight)
Lifeline provides support to people suffering distress or despair in Northern Ireland, regardless of age or district.
Phone: 0808 808 8000 (24 hours a day)
Community Advice & Listening Line
Community Advice & Listening Line offers emotional support and information on mental health and related matters to people in Wales.
Phone: 0800 132 737 (24/7) or text "help" to 81066
Visit the Community Advice & Listening Line website
Breathing Space
Breathing Space offers a confidential phone and web based service for people in Scotland experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety.
Phone: 0800 83 85 87 (Mon-Thu 6pm-2am, weekends 24 hours).
A BSL service is also available via the website.
Visit the Breathing Space website
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide exists to meet the needs and break the isolation of those bereaved by the suicide of a close relative or friend.
Phone: 0300 111 5065 (9am to 9pm daily)
Visit the Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide website


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23 Mar 2015
ACCESS TO CREDIT FOR FARMERS – 23 MARCHBrussels Daily
Conference: "EC-EIB co-operation in agriculture and rural development within the EU" (Brussels, 23/03/2015)
On 23 March 2015, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) organised a joint event launching the co-operation between the two institutions in the field of agriculture and rural development.
This conference followed the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 14 July 2014.
This MoU provides for a close cooperation between the two institutions concerning the implementation of EU rural development policy as well as the research agenda of the Commission in the fields of agriculture, food and forestry, notably in view of fostering both policy areas by boosting the use of financial instruments.
Following the signature of the MoU, the Commission's Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development and the EIB have developed a joint work programme, which was presented during the event.
The conference was opened by Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, and Wilhelm Molterer, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank.
In addition, the EIB Group presented its financial instrument for agriculture as well as its lending activities supporting rural development.
The newly created EC/EIB fi-compass advisory platform on financial instruments was also introduced.
- Opening statement by Commissioner Phil Hogan: text [173 KB] video recording
- Presentation: "Support for EAFRD financial instruments from the EC/EIB fi-compass advisory platform 2015 and beyond" [1014 KB] (Kieran Kearney, Advisory Services, EIB)
- Presentation: "The EIB's lending activities in support of Rural Development" [2 MB] (Jane Feehan, Natural Resources and Agro-Industries Division, EIB)
Supporting EIB documents:
Fi-compass factsheets and relevant documents:
- "A sustainable way of achieving EU economic and social objectives (ESIF) with Financial instruments"
- "A short reference guide to managing authorities on Financial instruments in ESIF programmes 2014-2020"


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Connect the Dots Games
Print and solve these fun and free educational connect the dots games. Dot to dot games can improve cognitive perception and visual development in young children and those with learning disabilities.
Dot to dot count and solve picture puzzles are entertaining methods of teaching analytical, problem solving skills. Next time a trip is in the planning stage, drop the cell phones, ipods and electronic gizmos and mind-dulling DVDs and print a collection of dot to dot games, load up on colored pencils or crayons. While you're at it, print other color book images from scissorcraft for children and teach children to play together while taking a break from modern technology.


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A member of one of the original hip-hop crews, Treacherous Three, Kool Moe Dee later became a solo star in his own right in 1986 by teaming with a teenaged Teddy Riley (later famed as the king of new jack swing) on the crossover hit "Go See the Doctor." The single earned him a contract with Jive Records, for which he recorded three successful late-'80s albums, dominated by his skillful speed-raps. A long-running feud with LL Cool J — who stole his aggressive stance and rapping style, he claims — gained Kool Moe Dee headlines for awhile, but he began to fade by the early '90s.
Born Mohandas Dewese in 1963, Dee was an early hit at local block parties, performing with high-school buddies L.A. Sunshine and Special K plus DJ Easy Lee as Treacherous Three. Introduced to longtime producer Bobby Robinson (Gladys Knight, the Orioles) by Spoonie Gee, Treacherous Three debuted on wax in 1980 with "The New Rap Language," released on Robinson's Enjoy Records. "Body Rock" and "Feel the Heartbeat" followed during 1980-1981 before Robinson sold the group's contract to Sugar Hill Records. Treacherous Three recorded several singles for Sugar Hill, but broke up by the mid-'80s.
Instead of climbing aboard the solo wagon after the breakup, Kool Moe Dee enrolled in college. After earning a communications degree from SUNY, he enlisted an unknown producer for his solo debut, "Go See the Doctor." The 17-year-old Teddy Riley more than vindicated himself, though, and the single became an underground hit. By 1986, Kool Moe Dee was signed to Jive Records, and his self-titled debut album appeared that same year.
With 1987's How Ya Like Me Now, Dee struck back at the brash young generation who had forsaken their forebears; the cover featured a red Kangol hat — the prominent trademark of LL Cool J — being crushed by the wheel of a Jeep. The album went platinum and was followed two years later by the gold-certified Knowledge Is King, for which Dee became the first rapper to perform at the Grammy Awards ceremonies. Also in 1989, Dee worked on two important projects: the single "Self-Destruction," recorded in conjunction with KRS-One's Stop the Violence Movement; and Quincy Jones' all-star Back on the Block LP, which united hip-hop stars with their musical forebears.
Kool Moe Dee's fourth album, Funke Funke Wisdom was a bit of a disappointment when compared to his earlier successes, and Jive/RCA dropped him after releasing his Greatest Hits package in 1993. Hardly washed up, though, Dee recorded a Treacherous 3 reunion album in 1993 and signed to DJ Easy Lee's label for the 1994 album Interlude. The title wasn't quite prophetic, however, it being his last album. ~ John Bush


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Marketing Development Planning
This content was COPIED from BrainMass.com - View the original, and get the already-completed solution here!
1. Undertake an evaluation of the macro, micro, and internal environment, assessing your findings with a SWOT analysis.
2. Develop marketing objective from the results of this analysis and in line with your corporate goals.
3. Develop a range of options to meet these objectives, reviewing their relative feasibility.
4. Prepare a strategic marketing plan.
5. Explain the method to be used to implement and control the plan.© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com October 1, 2020, 9:21 pm ad1c9bdddf
Solution Preview
I have taken Microsoft as an example for this study.
Company Background
Microsoft is one of the largest computer software organizations in the world having revenues of more than $45 billion annually. It has a monopoly in the operating software industry and provides a wide variety of software and e-commerce services and products. This includes operating systems for personal computers and servers; server applications for client/server environments; business and consumer productivity applications; software development tools; and Internet and intranet software and technologies. The company has expanded its interactive content efforts, including MSN (the Microsoft Network online service), various Internet-based services, and entertainment and information software programs. Microsoft also sells PC books and input devices, and it researches and develops advanced technologies for future software products. This other important data is as follows:
Corporate Headquarters Address
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
Fiscal Year End: on June 30th
Vision Statement
"Empowering people through software."
Mission Statement
"Our mission is to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential. We work to achieve our mission through technology that transforms the way people work, play, and communicate. Since our founding in 1975, we have been a leader in this transformation. We develop and market software, services, and solutions that we believe deliver new opportunity, convenience, and value to people's lives. We do business throughout the world and have offices in more than 100 countries."
Environmental Analysis
If we closely analyze this statement, the patterns of an organization's actions will be clearly reflected not only in the financial performance of an organization over the years but in the relative strengths, weaknesses and strategic positioning of the firm in the business environment, industry or economy it operates in. The understanding of these elements is the prima facie requirement in the strategic planning and management process and is closely analyzed in the environmental scanning process of an organization. These factors are very important in establishing the corporate level strategies of an organization. But one has to remember that there are numerous other factors also such as the general state of the economy and industry growth rates which influence the formulation of strategy. Thus let us discuss the environmental analysis of Microsoft in detail.
External Environment
Here we will analyze the affect of societal forces and to see what trends are likely to affect Microsoft. The business environment of the new millennium will have to contend with:
1. Turbulent markets that change rapidly and unpredictably
2. Highly fragmented 'niche' markets instead of mass markets
3. Ever greater rates of technological innovation in products and processes
4. Shorter product life-cycles
5. Growing demand for tailored products - 'mass customization'
6. The delivery of complete 'solutions' to customers, comprising products and services.
Economic Forces
Globalization has increased opportunities. Moreover, globalization leads to the creation of the universal customer, one who expects the same quality of products and services regardless of where he or she is located in the world. This does not mean one customer, one world, one brand or one positioning platform.
Exchange rate exposure may affect financing costs volatile cash flow. Transaction exposure reflects the exposure of Microsoft's future cash transactions to exchange rate movements. Economic exposure measures the direct and indirect risks to cash flows from exchange rate movements. Translation exposure focuses on consolidated financial statements. (Measuring Exposure to Exchange Rate Fluctuations, 2004)
General Economic and Geo-Political Risks
Events like terrorist attacks and political instability may affect the revenue and profitability. Similarly the business cycle, inflation, softness in corporate information technology spending, or other changes in general economic conditions that affect demand for computer hardware or software could adversely affect the revenue or our investment portfolio (Annual Report for Microsoft, 2006).
Technological Forces
The impact of the internet, portable information devices, electronic networking, smart mobile robots, and increase in the speed of microprocessors will have tremendous impact on business. There has been tremendous impact of e-business on the typical business. The information is exchanged much more quickly than any other medium which is helping organizations to make more quick and accurate decisions. E-business has removed geographical and time restrictions for the organizations.
- Recording and analyzing strategic management records: processing these strategic management records into industry trends reports, market share reports, mission statements, and portfolio models. (Information Systems, 2007)
- Use of all the above to implement and control the businesses.
Thus they are more connected and knowledgeable in seeking to improve the processes, quality, technology and overall customer delight. Due to e-business there is much more agility to improve and also to respond to the needs of the customers, vendors, government and to society at large. It is also reducing the costs and making supply chain more efficient.
Political Legal regulations
As a large company Microsoft will find it tough to handle regulations. Moreover it had faced numerous antitrust regulations and suits.
Microsoft has to be cautious about various laws regulating the internet and e-businesses. There are CAN-SPAM, gambling laws, the Federal Telecommunications Act and the Computer Decency Act and other laws which must be considered. Moreover B2C websites have more legal responsibilities for conducting their businesses with integrity and lawfully protecting the privacy of their customers. Customers provide details of important personal information and credit cards over their website to facilitate the purchase of goods and services.
Complex legal issues such as intellectual property, competition, privacy, consumer protection, equal access and opportunity are to be addressed by Microsoft online services. Issues such as intellectual property, consumer protection, access, confidentiality, sustainability, reliability are very important.
Thus, they are subject to government litigation and regulatory activity. They also face scrutiny from government agencies under U.S. and foreign competition laws. Some jurisdictions also provide private rights of action for competitors or consumers based on alleged anti-competitive conduct (Annual Report for Microsoft, 2006).
Demand Conditions
In this case, when the market for a product is larger in domestic markets then the local firms devote more attention to that product than do foreign firms, leading to a competitive advantage when the local firms begin exporting the product.
In the USA, Microsoft has huge local market which was more attractive to the foreign market. Thus it led to national advantage. It also helped in anticipating global trends.
Moreover the customers of USA are more demanding which has led to greater pressure on firms to constantly improve their competitiveness via innovative products, through high quality, etc
Globally also Microsoft is seeing rise in demand because:
- Due to global communications and cross-cultural experiences
- Globally standardized products can be sold the same way across the world
- Microsoft has also implemented product modifications from country to country
Related and Supporting Industries
When local supporting industries are competitive, firms enjoy more cost effective and innovative inputs. In USA the supporting industries are well developed which has led to the cost efficiency to Microsoft. There is also proximity of upstream or down stream industries facilitates the exchange of information and promotes a continuous exchange of ideas and innovations.
Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry
There is healthy local rivalry such as Google, yahoo, Oracle, IBM, competing with Microsoft. In long run more local rivalry is better since it puts pressure on firms to innovate and improve. The direct competition has impels firms to work for increases in productivity and innovation.
All this has led to:
- Setting up facilities overseas to match lowers labor costs of foreign competitors.
- Expanding internationally to amortize investment in world scale production, and/or funding for world scale R & D.
- Rationalization of product lines to ...
Solution Summary
This response discusses strategic marketing planning and the assessment of the macro, micro, and internal environment of a corporation.