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See Customers Clearly Now
Feb 4, 2013 5:00 AM PT
Customers expect call centers to know everything about them -- their order history, what they've posted about the brand on Facebook, and how long they've bought from the company. Increasingly, companies are beginning to keep up with that expectation, and the more they do, the better customer service they can provide.
"A real-time 360-degree view of the client is incredibly important," Sid Probstein, CTO and co-founder of Attivio told CRM Buyer. "It's the difference between good service and bad service."
The Agent's View
With a system allowing a true 360-degree view of customers, call center agents have access to a wealth of information when a call comes in. Ideally, this information helps them to understand callers and provide a tailored customer service experience.
"Any time you're talking to a client, whether it's inbound or outbound, you can look not only at their transactions, but all of their comments they've made that reps can capture in notes," explained Probstein. "All of that data becomes available and is instantly accessible. It can include what they've been asking about, what their mood might be. It can also include product recommendations. We make this information actionable."
Systems that provide the ability to search information give agents even more access to a customer's history and data.
Circle Vision
Developing a 360-degree view of customers depends, in part, on defining what that view should include and how it should be organized.
"[A 360-degree view is an] integrated dataset of all customer-related information maintained by the company, enhanced with external data sets that enable segmentation, made accessible to the entire organization, with data security and privacy restrictions, via the appropriate dissemination channel," Rick Abbott, president of 360DegreeViewtold CRM Buyer.
The benefits of developing this view to call centers and the businesses behind them can be tremendous.
"For the business overall it can drive increased revenue due to enhanced customer satisfaction and identification of cross selling opportunities, and lower costs by facilitating automation and self-service, which lead to increased efficiency."
Achieving a 360-degree view involves both gathering data and disseminating it.
"The engine for a 360-degree customer view is data collection, integration, cleansing and augmentation software," said Abbott. "The dissemination and distribution of information includes web-based applications, spreadsheets, fixed reports, and to a lesser degree proprietary desktop applications."
Some 360-degree view systems also provide access to social media posts to give agents an even more comprehensive view of how customers have interacted with the company.
"Just having the internal view is not enough," said Probstein. "The external view of social media is just as important."
360-Degree Challenges
If it's so beneficial, why has a 360-degree customer view remained so elusive for call centers?
"The common perception is that it's a technical issue that prevents most companies from building and maintaining a 360-degree customer view," said Abbott. The technical aspects are often the least of the problems. "The main impediments are political battles where departments or business units \u2018hoard' customer data and refuse to share with other groups in the company," Abbott explained. Apathy -- usually at the executive level -- about how customers would like to interact with the company, and ignorance regarding technical feasibility and perceived difficulty of implementing a 360-degree customer view can also be obstacles.
Many companies continue to silo customer information, separating data about orders, for instance, from other facts and details. This kind of silo effect continues to hinder progress toward a truly 360-degree view.
"Companies are organized around orders, not customers," Kathleen Peterson, founder of PowerHouse Consultingtold CRM Buyer. "The consequence is when I bring up your order, I don't get any other information about you, because the industry has not yet made it a priority to merge service and distribution."
In this era of big data, more information than ever is available about customers. The ongoing task, however, is organizing and interpreting that data to make it useful for call center agents on the front lines of customer service.
"That's what this big data era is all about," said Probstein. "You really need to understand everything about your customers."


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San Francisco 49ers Express Train Collection
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Celebrate your favorite team all season long with this officially licensed collectible San Francisco 49ers train that will delight any fan, especially you! This sleek and classic electric train collection is boldly decorated with the colors and symbols of the San Francisco 49ers plus dramatic, full-color art of your favorite players in action - from the rookies to the tried-and-true veterans! Every inch of this handcrafted San Francisco 49ers NFL electric train set is precision scaled with authentic details - from the solid metal chassis and steel alloy wheels to the passenger train cars that actually light up. Hurry to bring home this unique NFL football collectible for you or give as a treasured football fan gift. Strong demand is anticipated. Order now!
- An HO-scale train collection celebrating the beloved San Francisco 49ers, available only from The Bradford Exchange, Hawthorne Village Division
- Officially licensed by NFL Properties LLC and PLAYERS INC
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- NFL football express electric train collection is carefully handcrafted with precision detailing and authentic features including a solid metal chassis and steel alloy wheels to bring you years of enjoyment
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- Individual train cars run on HO train track, complete oval track measures 38" x 56"; 96.5 cm x 142.2 cm
- Reserves the San Francisco 49ers Express Train Collection from The Bradford Exchange in your name so you never risk an increase on the price of other collectibles in this collection
- ‡Each issue will be shipped to your for your review, about one every month or two (pending availability), at the same low issue price and charged to the credit card on which your order was placed. No need to order each one separately
- You may cancel your collection at any time with no obligation
- "Issue One - the diesel locomotive" will be followed by "Issue Two - the B-unit engine with FREE HO gauge track," "Issue Three - a passenger collectible train car with FREE power pack" and additional San Francisco 49ers train cars as they become available
©2007 The Bradford Exchange

subset: commoncrawl


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LOWELL -- To the crowd of about 3,000 fans who filled a curtained-off half of the Tsongas Center to see and hear America's No. 1 horror and suspense author speak Friday night, it was their best nightmare: Stephen King in the flesh.
"I am ... talking ... to ... Stephen King!" announced 11-year-old Vaughan Supple of Carlisle as he stood at the microphone that was set up to allow audience members to ask questions of King, the featured guest in the inaugural event of the UMass Lowell Chancellor's Speaker Series.
Despite his age, Vaughan appeared to share fully in the older audience members' appreciation of the Maine native, who in a 35-year career has authored 50 full-length books that have sold more than 350 million copies, and more than 50 movies or miniseries based on his work.
Vaughan's awestruck prelude to his question drew prolonged cheering from the Tsongas Center audience.
Nearly every first mention of one of King's voluminous popular titles -- Carrie, The Shining, It, The Stand -- prompted ovations from the crowd.
King was joined on stage by another successful author, Haverhill native and UMass Lowell faculty member Andre Dubus III, who acted as interviewer for the program. The pair sat in armchairs on a platform designed to look like the cozy corner of someone's living room.
The two chairs were raffled off during the event, with proceeds going toward the Stephen King scholarship endowment at UMass Lowell. King also donated his entire appearance fee from the night's event toward the scholarship that bears his name, Dubus announced.
"It's scary as (expletive deleted) to sit here in front of so many people -- this is my first concert audience," King said after arriving on stage and hugging-out a greeting to Dubus. It was one of many of King's comments that broke up the audience in fits of laughter.
When Dubus waxed rather long in his opening about King's many literary and movie accomplishments, King cut him off with, "You make it sound like I died!"
When Dubus complimented King with having doubled the great Charles Dickens in book sales, King responded that "(Dickens) didn't have e-books back then."
The one moment he recalled scaring himself as a writer, he said, was in writing the "Room 217 scene in The Shining."
In recounting the memory of his first feeling of success, King described the phone call in which he learned that his publishing rights to Carrie had sold for $400,000. At the time, King told the audience, he was broke, sitting in a small Maine apartment in slippers and pajamas, and wondering where he was going to come up with the money for a car repair.
When an audience member followed up on his Carrie anecdote later in the evening by asking King if he spent the money to repair the car or buy a new one, King paused, smiled, hung his head and revealed, "We bought a Pinto." Which brought another roar of laughter and applause from the crowd.
King admitted to feeling like a rock star at times as his fame has grown during his writing career. A related story that was well-received by the Tsongas Center audience was King's account of his dinner out with Bruce Springsteen, when a beautiful and starry-eyed teenage girl approached the writer and rock star's table and asked only the writer for his autograph.
"She didn't look at Bruce once!" noted King, to huge applause.
Several audience members thanked King for the lifetime of pleasure he has brought them, and the author thanked his fans right back.
"You guys put my kids through college, and I scared the (stuffing) out of you while I was doing it. So it's a win-win!" said King.
King drew a standing ovation for reading at length from a novel he is working on, titled Afterlife.
He also shared that both of his sons, Joe and Owen, have debut novels coming out in the spring.
"Owen got buzzed about writing; he's going into the family business," said King, whose wife, Tabitha, is also an author.
In answer to a final question of the night, King confirmed that he does own a cellphone, but uses it sparingly, and added that there is one thing that gives the world's leading scare-master the creeps.
"When you see 10 people walking down the street, and seven of them are going like this," said King, who mimed the act of talking on a cellphone. "That creeps me out."
As his two-hour onstage appearance at the Tsongas Center came to a close, King gave the crowd a warning.
"I've read some news stories about this happening, so when you leave here tonight, you should check the back seat of your car to make sure there's no maniac hiding in there."
Follow John Collins on Twitter @ johncolowellsun.


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Should Your Dog Wear a Backpack?
Have you noticed more and more dogs wearing backpacks lately? More than just a fashion statement, backpacks offer the perfect place to stow water for a long walk and give working breeds a sense of ...View Article
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|What You Can Do for a Pet with Glaucoma
When your pet is three years old, particularly if you have a breed with a predisposition for glaucoma, make an appointment to have your veterinarian check for the disease. Although glaucoma can be difficult to treat, your veterinarian has several options. A veterinarian may also recommend referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist.
Glaucoma is typically a disease affecting middle- age to older pets. The symptoms can be very insidious in that they may not be noticeable at first, but eventually you may see a red eye or a dilated pupil, and ultimately, as the disease progresses, you can see that the eyeball is larger than normal.
Glaucoma is increased pressure inside the eye resulting from fluid build-up within the eyeball from fluid not draining properly. If your pet doesn't receive veterinary care, the condition damages the optic nerve, which can lead to blindness. When glaucoma occurs in one eye, it often eventually occurs in the second eye. When glaucoma occurs in both eyes, blindness may seem to occur suddenly.
Your pet can develop one of two types of glaucoma: primary or secondary. Primary glaucoma occurs spontaneously. Secondary glaucoma occurs because of another condition, such as cataracts, eye trauma, or cancer of the eye.
You may detect symptoms of glaucoma, but only your veterinarian can determine whether glaucoma is the issue versus another condition, such as uveitis or a corneal ulcer. The doctor will use a special instrument to measure the pressure within the globe.
Symptoms of glaucoma include a cloudy eye that tears with a red sclera (the white part of the eye). Your pet may also experience impaired vision. The eye might look swollen from the fluid buildup in the later stage of the disease.
No particular cat breed is more susceptible to glaucoma, but cocker spaniel and basset hound dog breeds have a higher risk of developing glaucoma. Other dog breeds that have a predisposition to glaucoma are Terriers, Beagles, Poodles, Chow-Chows and Dalmatians. Glaucoma is uncommon in cats, according to a recent study published in Veterinary Ophthalmology.
Usually, the earlier glaucoma is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome for your pet. Your dog might lose vision in one eye, but your veterinarian might be able to stop the spread to the other eye. Treatment includes eye drops to reduce the pressure, and sometimes also oral meds. Some ophthalmologist also try cryotherapy or laser treatment. Occasionally a glaucomatous blind eye becomes very painful, and the best option is to remove the eye surgically.
American Animal Hospital Association, Research Aims to Unravel Glaucoma Mysteries in Companion Animals
American Veterinary Medical Association, Research targets conditions of older cats and dogs. August 15, 2006
NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ophthalmology. Special Services, Technology, & Information
Veterinary Ophthalmology, Feline Glaucoma. A Comprehensive Review


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Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake & A Giveaway
So apparently we like peanut and chocolate? Are you surprised?
For the same reason we like to listen to songs on repeat (we definitely listened to "Charm Attack" by Leona Naess on repeat in the car from Lexington, Virginia to Washington D.C. and *maybe* got a speeding ticket because we were rocking out for the 534th time and had no idea we had hit 90 mph in the 240), it seems that when we get a taste hankering for peanut butter and chocolate, we need to indulge it until it's dead. Not that we could ever put an end to our chocolate peanut butter obsession ("Charm Attack" is still one of the greatest songs EVER), but we could give it a shot this month?
And, what a fitting month it has been, no, cookies? To culminate this great flavor profile with a Valentine's Day Giveaway? Perfect. Because, really, nothing says 'I love you' quite like peanut butter and chocolate. As for this cake? This is our way of saying we love our fabulous readers.
Also, the giveaway. Pressies also say we love you and it is about time we gave you a pressie! So, rules to enter, leave a comment on this post and/or like us on Facebook and/or re-tweet our fascinating Twitter feed and you will be entered to win these fabulous red Le Creuset Bakers from our personal fav, Sur La Table. You will have until 11:59 EST on February 10th to enter and we will announce a winner in Monday's post. Just an FYI too, muffins, if you leave a comment please include an email address so we can contact you if you win. We totes hate spam and don't do ads (duh) so trust us that your email is completely private! Also, unfortunately, we can only ship domestically at this point so, to our incredible international readers, we will figure something out for next time. We love you just as much!
We would additionally like to recommend that you bake this cake for a special someone as a Valentine's gift to them and then their gift to you can be doing the dishes. Because, fair warning, while it is TOTALLY worth it, this cake requires about 28 bowls and 26 measuring cups, give or take.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake
Serves 12
Adapted from Elinor Klivans
For the Cake:
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened, Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
7-8 ounces peanut butter cups, divided
For the Peanut Butter Mousse:
6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (not old-fashioned)
3/4 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 cup cold, heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Ganache:
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
9-10 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10" round cake pan, line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment.
Melt the unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Set aside. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. And the vanilla extract. On low speed, slowly add the melted and slightly cooled chocolate. Add the flour mixture in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and only blending until just combined so as not to over-mix. Using a spatula, stir in half of the peanut butter cups (you can use large peanut butter cups too that have been chopped). Bake until the tops feel firm and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until cool enough to touch and then invert the cake onto the wire rack to cool completely (use a knife around the edges to loosen the cake if necessary).
Prepare the ganache next. In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and butter over low heat until hot but not boiling. Add the chocolate chips, let stand for 30 seconds and then stir to fully melt the chocolate and blend the cream. Stir in the vanilla extract and set aside to cool and thicken.
To make the mousse, in the clean electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together the cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. Set aside. On low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar until incorporated. In another bowl, using an electric whisk, whip the heavy cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the peanut butter mixture to lighten it and then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream using a rubber spatula, being careful not to over-mix and deflate the mousse.
To assemble the cake, invert the cooled cake (top side up again) onto a serving plate. Leaving a 1" edge all the way around, use a small, sharp knife to cup out the center of the cake to create a cavity but do not go all the way to the bottom. You are basically scooping out the middle bit of the cake. Spread half the mouse into the cavity then break up some pieces of the remaining cake and mound over the mousse piling into the center of the cake. Spread the remaining mouse all over the cake and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Then, using a spatula, spread the thickened ganache (it should have a yogurt-like thickness) over the entire cake and sides. Top with the remaining peanut butter cups.
Keeps covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.


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History of the Church; Adapted from the 5th and 6th German Edition
Lortz, Joseph, and Kaiser, Edwin G. (With Preface to 1st and 2nd English editions and Translation by)
AbeBooks Seller Since August 9, 2010Quantity Available: 1
AbeBooks Seller Since August 9, 2010Quantity Available: 1
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Bibliographic Details
Title: History of the Church; Adapted from the 5th ...
Publisher: The Bruce Publishing Company., Milwaukee.
Publication Date: 1939
Binding: Hard cover
Edition: 2nd English edition.
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Serbia's drift toward Russia continued ahead of the country's presidential election with the news that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been made an honorary citizen of its second-largest city.
The criteria for becoming an honorary citizen of Novi Sad states that the nominee must have deep personal ties to the city and must have significantly contributed to its development. But Mr. Putin has not visited Novi Sad while in office – nor has he made any special contribution to the city. Analysts say that the honor – which has also been given by a number of other Serbian towns – was bestowed in an attempt to boost the prospects of the pro-Russian presidential candidate Tomislav Nikolic ahead of this weekend's election.
The hard-line nationalist won the first round of voting by a narrow margin and will face the moderate incumbent, Boris Tadic, in a second round on Sunday. The vote is being billed as a referendum on Serbia's future.
Novi Sad's local government is led by Mr. Nikolic's Serbian Radical Party, which advocates turning its back on European integration in favor of closer ties with a resurgent Russia. But in the first round of the election, more voters in the city turned out for pro-Western Mr. Tadic. The decision to honor Putin is being seen as a bid by the local government to increase pro-Russian sentiment at a crucial moment.
Mayor Milorad Mircic of the Radical Party said on Friday that "Putin contributed to the improvement of Serbian-Russian relations." He went on to mention a controversial energy deal signed between Moscow and Belgrade last week as part of the reason that Putin received the honorary citizenship. "We should be grateful to Putin for his activities aimed at signing an energy deal between Serbia and Russia," he told the assembly.
The $2.2 billion deal, completed in Moscow on Friday, handed control of Serbia's state-owned energy company NIS to the Russian energy giant Gazprom.
The deal also allows Serbian land to be used for the South Stream gas pipeline, a direct competitor to the US-backed Nabucco pipeline that was planned to relieve Europe's reliance on Russia for energy.
If built, the South Stream pipeline would cement the Kremlin's grip on Europe's gas supplies, prompting fears that Moscow would use its position as Europe's primary energy supplier for political advantage.
A confidential Serbian government document obtained by Reuters last week showed how concerned Washington was with the deal.
"The US side warned about the political influence Moscow would gain by controlling energy resources in Serbia and the region, and expressed a negative assessment about the economic justification of South Stream," said the minutes of a meeting between top US and Serbian officials in Belgrade.
Analysts express little doubt that Serbia faces an important choice this weekend. "There has always been a strong difference of opinion within Serbia over the direction the country should take," says James Lyon of the International Crisis Group. "The spectrum of anti-Western political parties who look toward the east are in the ascendancy at the moment. Putin's honorary citizenship is obviously connected to the election campaign. He has no connection with Novi Sad. It's just electioneering."
Serbia's relations with Russia have strengthened in recent months due to Moscow's opposition to Kosovo's bid for independence. Russia has refused to back any resolution at the United Nations Security Council that would make the breakaway province able to declare independence within the UN framework, and Putin said last week that "Russia is categorically against a unilateral declaration of independence" by Kosovo.
In Serbia, where Kosovo is considered the cradle of Serbian civilization, this has translated into a major boost for the pro-Russian political parties, including Nikolic's Radicals. Many Serbs are now looking to Russia rather than Europe for their future.
The concern in European capitals over Serbia's recent trajectory became clear on Monday, when EU foreign ministers hastily agreed upon a package for Serbia that would set up regular political ties, open up trade, and end visa restrictions.
But they fell short of offering Serbia the opportunity to sign a key premembership accord because of Belgrade's failure to hand over war-crimes suspects to The Hague.
"This offer sends a very strong signal to the Serbian people on their European future which is real and tangible," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said.


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Beside the Steelers winning this game, will this even be a great game or a blow out of some sorts? There really is no huge story line between these guys except for the fact that the jets beat us in the regular season and the jets upset colts and pats and Steelers want to avenge that loss. I think the Bears/Packers game will be the greatest. More history and a much greater rivalry.
Be who you are, become what you dream....
The Patriots offense isn't built for deep threats. It's built for the dink and dunk offense.
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There is always a little added pressure to pick the right venue for a holiday party. During this festive time of year, you want to show your friends, family and employees a memorable time with a little frivolity. When starting the search process, begin with the simple details and expand from there. A great holiday party doesn't have to be extravagant to ensure a celebration. But beware, with the holiday season just weeks away, you need to reserve somewhere soon; popular party places often book early.
Before anything, set a budget and select a date or two for your party. Depending on the size of your party, it may be best to float the date by some of your guests to make sure it works during this busy time of year. Next, calculate an estimate of how many guests will be attending so you'll know how many people a space needs to accommodate. Additionally, some restaurants will not book private parties unless there is a minimum number of people. Finally, it's time to start looking for a location.
Begin by looking for restaurants in a central location for your guests or in an area that is exciting to explore. Consider stopping by a few different places to get a feel for how your guests will fit into the space. If you are stumped, ask friends and family for some recommendations. Now narrow down your choices to the restaurants that meet your needs.
While many restaurants are willing to accommodate a group, not all will. Visualize your party ahead of time and seek out restaurants that offer options that fit your specific needs. Decide ahead of time if you want your party to be held in a private room, if you want a pre-set menu or if you want food served family style, buffet or by servers. To keep everyone happy, double check that the restaurant has dedicated staff for your event.
Another thing to consider is if you want your event to be a cocktail party or a full-out dinner. Cocktail parties tend to be less expensive and offer more versatility. One of the toughest aspects of party planning is picking the menu. With everyone from meat lovers to vegetarians in the same room, it can be difficult to ensure you have a variety of crowd-pleasing choices. Find out if the restaurant offers a special menu for groups. This often includes a selection of appetizers, entrees and desserts, so everyone will be happy. If it includes beverages, tax and tip, you can calculate how much your party will cost head of time, so you'll avoid any unnecessary surprises at the end of the night.
During the holiday season, it's all about the bubbly. If your party is going to include alcohol, decide if you want it to be beer, wine and/or liquors. With people attending parties nearly every weekend during December, consider adding a few unique details to help your party stand out. Some restaurants will even create a unique cocktail to add to the memories and festivities.
By following these tips, you can ensure people will still be talking about your party well into the New Year.


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Fish needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 43 designs submitted by 22 freelance designers.
I need a logo for my BBQ catering. I smoke my food, not grill.
FishStang BBQ
I need a logo for my card and my website (the website is not up and running yet). I am very small caterer, and I do it for fun.
- Item 1... I don't care about the color. I would like it to say 'BBQ Extraordinaire' somewhere, but if it will not work out, i understand.
- Item 1... No pigs or stars and stripes. I don't want it to look like the Fox News graphics dept made it. (j/k) EDIT: I cook with smoke, not flames. I would like to see a logo with smoke, rather then flames. It's all part of my 'BBQ Extraordinaire' thing..LOL!
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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by Micah Hart
Over at ESPN, the Uni Watch Blog has spent the past week unveiling their rankings of all 122 professional team jersey designs across the four major sports in North America. The top ranking NBA kit? The classic, timeless Boston Celtics, which checked in at 10th overall. Said Uni Watch on the Celts:
The Rolling Stones, "Goodfellas," a Hershey's with almonds — the classics are classic for a reason. That definitely applies to the Celtics' set. No goofy side panels, no extraneous bells or whistles — just a perfect vertically arched wordmark and a simple green-and-white color scheme. They'd jump a few more spots in these rankings if they dropped that black-trimmed alternate.
Have to say I couldn't agree more about the black trim on the alternates. After the Celtics, the Spurs, Lakers, Warriors, and Jazz rounded out the top five. I'm a little surprised to see the Jazz so high, but to be fair I haven't looked at their jerseys since they burned my retinas back in the late '90s.
As for the worst NBA uniforms? Take a bow, Sacramento. Not only do you have the ugliest threads in professional basketball, but Uni Watch lists the Kings dead last amongst all teams:
Every class has a slow kid pulling up the rear, and in this case it's the Kings. Where shall we start — the brutal color scheme? The illegible chest lettering on the home jersey? The oddly off-center front uni numbers? The clownish number font? The completely incongruous old-school script on the black alternate? A disaster from start to finish. On the bright side, there's nowhere to go but up!
Ouch babe. Take a look at the full NBA rankings and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments.
Seen something that belongs on All Ball? Let us know via email or Twitter.


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Thanks to Turner Classic Movies, I've just seen the 1945 version of Brewster's Millions for the first time. I was surprised to find a small animated segment within it.
The producer, Edward Small, was an independent who released this film through United Artists, a distributor that was not affiliated with an animation studio at the time. The moon's voice sounds like Billy Bletcher, voice of the Big Bad Wolf, Peg Leg Pete and other cartoon characters. That leads me to believe that the animation was done on the west coast. I have no idea who was responsible for this animation, which is frankly pretty crude. Does anyone know?
The actor, by the way, is Dennis O'Keefe.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Animation in Brewster's Millions
1 comment:
- Nancy said...
Hi Mark,
I don't believe that is Billy Bletcher but can't be positive. I would hazard a guess that this was probably animated at some small independent studio in the East or Midwest, rather than at a California studio since it looks stylistically at least ten years older than the contemporary animation of the forties. But who knows.
- February 09, 2009 8:46 PM
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Staff Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) is responsible for providing physical therapy services under the supervision of a physical therapist in accordance with the patients' plan of care. The physical therapy assistant will screen patients, educate patient and family, utilize exercises and physical therapy modalities in the treatment and rehabilitative of persons who have medical problems, health related conditions, or a developmental disability that limits their ability to move or perform functional activities. Some travel may be required in the provision of services between facilities and job functions. This position summary contains the most relevant duties, responsibilities and does not exclude other assignments not mentioned.
An engaging three-day event you won't want to miss.


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Dog wardens will canvas homes in Lakeville and Paupack townships in Wayne County during the week of April 15
Dog wardens will canvas homes in Lakeville and Paupack townships in Wayne County during the week of April 15, visiting neighborhoods to ensure dog owners have current licenses and rabies vaccinations for their dogs.
It's the law – all dogs three months or older must be licensed by Jan. 1 of each year. The fee is $6.45 for each spayed or neutered dog and $8.45 for other dogs. Older adults and persons with disabilities may purchase a license for $4.45 for spayed or neutered dogs and $6.45 for others.
Additionally, all dogs and non-feral cats three months of age and older must be vaccinated against rabies. Booster vaccinations must be administered periodically to maintain lifelong immunity.
Violators can be cited with a maximum fine of $300 per violation plus court costs.
Licenses may be purchased through the Wayne County Treasurer by calling 253-5970 or at the following locations:
· Amy DMV, 69 Wellwood Ave., Hawley
· Dee's Notary Service, 21 GTO Alley, Waymart
· Dessin Animal Shelter, 138 Miller Dr., Honesdale
· Magisterial District Justice Ronald Edwards, Old Railroad Station, Lakewood
· Pet Central, 344 Erie St., Honesdale
For more Information, visit www.licenseyourdogPA.com or call 717-787-3062.


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Motion picture sci-fi imagination is delivered for a winter ruled by elegance and refinement. An oversized scarf is a reinterpretation of a winter must-have accessory in soft quilted velvet provides a bold touch to show with flair.
- Product details
Product details
- Down quilted scarf
- Silk velvet exterior
- Tonal lightweight nylon interior
- Snap-front closure
- Snap pockets
- 170 cm length x 32 cm width
- Felt Moncler logo
- Composition & Care
Item Composition & Care
CompositionEXTERIOR: 82% Viscose / Rayon, 18% Silk; LINING: 100% Polyamide / Nylon; PADDING: 90% Down, 10% Feather
Do not wash; Do not bleach; Do not tumble dry; Ironing maximum temperature 110°C - without steam; Dry cleaning in tetrachloroethene - mild process; Do not professionally wet clean; Dry flat; Wash separately; It is advisable to wash and iron the garment on reverse.
- Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
We provide free pick up for your returns: you have 15 days from delivery to follow our quick and easy return procedure. For further information visit the Returns and Refunds section.


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The page you've requested has moved | 2
The page you've requested has moved. We've recently redesigned our site, and a number of the pages have moved due to this reorganization. Try our site index to locate what you're looking for.
We've moved this article to internet/discussion.
Please notify the site administrator where you found this old link.
To email the webmaster for internal webreference.com links, email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Comments are welcome


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Uncle Mantis様は99designsでロゴデザインコンペを開催しました。
I am a freelance web developer / programmer doing business by the name of Uncle Mantis. My target audience is music bands and any small business that is of free mind.
I am looking for a logo that pops. I will give more input once ideas are generated. I am a programming not a designer. I can take designs and modify them and turn them into websites but design from scratch is not my thing.
Uncle Mantis Communications or Uncle Mantis or unclemantis.com or combination of the first 2 and 3
Looking for a logo that contains a graphic and name. I would like to be able to just use the graphic itsself and have people know it is me in addition to just the monogram and also both. The colors green and black I have used in the past but it can be any color. Think rockband. Could be a mantis all rocked out. Could be just an outline.
For an incentive to make the $150 seem less trivial I have said that I am not a designer so that means future work for money that is worth more of your time in the future.
- Item 1...Professional and polished look
- Item 2...Artsy is fine but remember this is a logo
- Item 3...Finshed logo to be delivered in Adobe Illustrator with layers NOT flattened
- Item 1...I will know when I see it


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Liberty News
Missions Emphasis Week kicks off
Missions Emphasis Week kicked off at Liberty University today, giving students a chance to meet representatives from mission agencies and attend a special mission-focused convocation.
Liberty holds Missions Emphasis Week each semester. This fall, the theme is "How Will They Hear?"
Missionary representatives from Liberty's six-strategic partner agencies lined the back hallway of Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center. Many came from all over the world to network, educate and recruit students. Students were encouraged to have lunch with them in Reber-Thomas Dining Hall.
Students also have a chance to learn more about global missions during a series of seminars on Monday and Tuesday (view the schedule here).
During Monday's convocation, Rick Warren, pastor and founder of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and the bestselling author of "The Purpose Driven Life," challenged students to have a "bifocal vision of the world" by being locally and globally involved in missions.
"I want to invite you to start a revolution. All you need to do is pray a two-word prayer to God: Use me," Warren said.
Warren spoke about the five "global goliaths" that plague the world: spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease and illiteracy.
The antidote to the goliaths is an acronym he coined "The PEACE Plan," based upon Jesus' example: Plant churches, Equip servant leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick and Educate the next generation.
Warren shared an experience of having his eyes opened to missions work while traveling in South Africa. He said he had spent so much time training pastors, but never had a global outlook.
|Rick Warren spoke to students about global missions at Monday's convocation.
In America, he said, we should feel blessed with so much and missions should be a priority.
"With greater blessing comes greater responsibility ... the purpose of influence is to speak for those who can't speak for themselves," Warren said.
This was Warren's first time to speak in convocation, but he has spoken at conferences on the Liberty campus before.
In an interview before convocation, Warren said he and Liberty's founder, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell, were dear friends. He recalled in his teens, at the end of a weeklong revival he was leading at a small church, how he felt discouraged by the attendance and lack of passion. He said it was his first time feeling discouragement in ministry. He was in a pastor's study praying about it when he found a record album of Jerry Falwell speaking about how to grow your Sunday School. But the album was accidentally played on the wrong side, which happened to be a sermon from Falwell about discouragement.
He recalled Falwell saying: "'You don't determine a man's greatness by his talent or his wealth but by what it takes to discourage him.'"
"I told Jerry [after becoming good friends with him] that he should tell all the students in every graduating class that truth," Warren said.
Warren told students that to be successful in their lives, they need to remember to focus on missions, the heartbeat of God.
"Never stop learning, never compare yourself, and never give up. … Skills, not dedication, will bring success. Work smarter, not harder. If you can keep learning, God will keep using you."
Missions Emphasis Week will continue with Gracia Burnham at Wednesday's convocation. Burnham and her husband, Martin, were kidnapped by a militant Muslim group while serving as missionaries in the Philippines in 2001. They spent 376 days in captivity before Martin was killed in a firefight between their kidnappers and the Philippine army. Burnham was wounded in the fight but freed. She has since authored two books, "In the Presence of My Enemies" and "To Fly Again." She shares her story at conferences, churches and schools.


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Jacksonville Lawyer, Illinois
Barbara Fritsche
Education, Dispute Resolution, Civil Rights, Administrative Law
Status: In Good Standing
Amy L. Jackson
Administrative Law, Animal Bite, Criminal, Collection
Status: In Good Standing
Larry D. Kuster
Construction Contracts, Construction, Complex Litigation, Collective Bargaining
Status: In Good Standing
H. Allen Yow
Adoption, Alimony & Spousal Support, Child Support, Collection
Status: In Good Standing
Maria M. Gonzalez
Adoption, Alimony & Spousal Support, Dispute Resolution, Child Support
Status: In Good Standing
Jeffrey L. Soltermann
Adoption, Collection, Consumer Bankruptcy, Bankruptcy Litigation
Status: In Good Standing
Thomas L. Veith
Alimony & Spousal Support, Adoption, Corporate, Business Organization
Status: In Good Standing
Daniel J. Beard
Education, Estate Administration, Corporate, Banking & Finance
Status: In Good Standing
Bradley W. Wilson
Agribusiness, Agriculture, Banking & Finance, Corporate
Status: In Good Standing
Lawyer.com makes finding Jacksonville Lawyers fast and easy. Refine your search for Jacksonville lawyers by legal practice area. Find a quality and affordable lawyer by reviewing detail profiles for Jacksonville attorneys. Many Lawyer.com featured Lawyers in Illinois will offer free legal consultations and all have Illinois law expertise.
HEALTH ALLIANCE MEDICAL PLANS v. DHFS
... Illinois Domestic Stock Insurance Corporation, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. The DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHCARE AND FAMILY SERVICES; Julie Hamos, in Her Official Capacity as Director of The Department of Healthcare and Family Services; The Executive Ethics Commission; Matt ...
Carter v. SSC Odin Operating Co., LLC
... presented in this case is whether the antiwaiver provisions of the Nursing Home Care Act (210 ILCS 45/3-606, 3-607 (West 2006)) are "grounds as exist at law or inequity for the revocation of any contract" within the meaning of section 2 of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) (9 ...
SOUTH SIDE TRUST & SAV. v. MITSUBISHI IND.
... GARA provides, in relevant part, as follows: "(a) * * * Except as provided in subsection (b), no civil action for damages for death or injury to persons or damage to property arising out of an accident involving a general aviation aircraft may be brought against the manufacturer of ...


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Have you tried coconut milk? Or soy milk? There are a few different brands out there that you might have luck with. We never had any luck with rice milk in coffee or tea.
What type of tea are you drinking? That can affect things too as far as how the milk blends.
What about something like coffee-mate? Stuff like that is typically mostly corn syrup .... but... it will blend into things. I do know we had some sort of coconut creamer along those lines that we got to try once, but we forgot about it in the fridge, so I don't know if it was any good.
Do you have Trader Joe's or something equitable? That would be the store I'd go to for seeing about different possibilities.
Hey Penny....
..... so ..... coconut milk..... I went to try and find an example for you, and I was able to find that Countdown stores have this coconut milk:
It is an example of what I'm talking about. Growing up, if you had said coconut milk to me I would have thought the stuff inside a coconut too. But, the above link should show you more of what I mean.
Your English breakfast tea should do well with an alternative milk though. We have had troubles trying to put other milks into herbal teas. It separates and is gross.... except for mint. But, real caffeinated tea that we've used will take other milks well. It then just comes down to what flavor you like.
If you are able to get some other milks to try, if there is a vanilla version, I'd go with getting that too. Cooking you can go plain, but drinking I'd go vanilla.
BTW, you can also make your own rice milk. We buy ours.... which really is only used on cereal or in cooking. But, for anything where you might seriously taste it, I did make rice milk once and it was the only time we all thought it was good straight. You can find directions on the internet. It is a lot of work ... but if you don't have 3 kids bugging you while you try and make it, it might not seem like such a hassle!


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88 High St, Plainfield, NH 03781
This Single Family Residence is located at 88 High St, Plainfield, NH. The estimated value of this home is currently priced at $202,100, approximately $99 per square foot. This property was originally built in 1940. 88 High St is within the school district Lebanon School District with nearby schools including Plainfield Elementary School, Plainfield Elementary School, and Lebanon High School.
Home Value Estimate
Estimated Home Value
- Estimate Range$177,848 - $226,352
- Last 30 Day Change+$46,700 (23.11%)
Home Details
- beds4
- baths1
- property typesingle family residence
- exterior finishvinyl
- year built1940
- lot size487872
- fireplaceno
- neighborhoodPlainfield
Thinking About Selling Your Home?
Online estimates can vary greatly, and have a tough time keeping up with local market conditions. A Plainfield real estate professional is your best bet for getting a truly accurate home estimate. Get a quick, free, no hassle estimate of your Plainfield, NH property's value today.
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How To Finance
As a homebuyer, there are quite a few financing options to consider. Our interactive guide can help find which is right for you, and guide you through the paperwork.
$809.81Estimated Monthly Savings
Local Mortgage Rates
- A-Plainfield Elementary SchoolClass size: 9Distance: 1.03 mi
- A-Plainfield Elementary SchoolClass size: 9Distance: 1.03 mi
- A-Lebanon High SchoolClass size: 11Distance: 6.71 mi


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Last year was a tough one for the newspaper industry. Papers slashed staffs, shuttered bureaus and cut back on newsholes. What does the future hold?
By Paul Farhi Senior contributing writer Paul Farhi (firstname.lastname@example.com) is a reporter for the Washington Post.
"It could be a lot worse," the paper marveled. "Unlike such bigger newspapers as the Boston Globe and the New York Times, the Providence Journal has gone without any significant reductions in its journalistic staff" since a buyout in 2001. "Still, some of the industry-wide general anxiety has percolated through Fountain Street as ProJo managers contemplate a variety of measures to cut costs."
Shocking, but true: a newspaper that wasn't throwing reporters out the door. At least not yet.
Journalists who pay attention to their own job security know all about this sort of thing. A hard count of newsroom employees won't be available until the American Society of Newspaper Editors completes its annual census in a few months. But by most accounts 2005 was an awful year. Editor & Publisher estimated in November that newspapers shed some 2,100 jobs of all kinds during 2005, although that figure requires some asterisks. For one thing, E&P tracked only announced layoffs and buyouts at major and midsize newspapers. The tally also doesn't include new jobs, which rarely make headlines the way cutbacks do.
That's not much when stacked up against massive layoffs in the airline or auto industries. But there was certainly no shortage of grim announcements, either. Lee Enterprises, the new owner of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said in August that it would reduce the paper's newsroom staff by about 12 percent. The Tribune Co.-owned Los Angeles Times ginned up cuts of about 8 percent of its newsroom roster while Hearst's Houston Chronicle slashed about 7 percent of its total workforce (the newsroom was spared). Buyouts rippled through the newsroom at Knight Ridder's San Jose Mercury News, Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News.
Whatever the final layoff totals for the year, there isn't much doubt which way the arrows have been pointing. Newsroom employment has trended down in three of the last four years. ASNE estimated that there were 56,400 people working in the newsrooms of America's daily newspapers in 2001. In 2005, the figure was 54,100, representing a decline of 4.1 percent over four years.
A modest loss, perhaps. But the overall picture starts to look more worrisome when viewed over the long haul. The current period is the second worst in the 28 years that ASNE has been tracking editorial employment. The worst was 1991-93, during a general economic recession. There's no recession now, except within the news industry itself.
This may explain the general sense of anxiety felt in newsrooms large and small these days. Beyond the bloodless numbers lies an even more distressing suspicion that no matter what its size or relative impact, this era's body-chopping may not be like what the newspaper industry has experienced before. Over the years, newsroom employment has bobbed like a cork, up when times were good, down when they weren't (remember 1991-93). But it's hard to make the case that what's happening now is just another cyclical dip. The news business is in the midst of drastic change, if not grave distress. An industry that has weathered such upheavals as the advent of television, the suburbanization of America, recessions and wars may be facing a fundamentally different future this time. As Bruce Springsteen once sang, in a different context, "Foreman says these jobs are goin', boys, and they ain't comin' back."
"My gut reaction is that we're at a transformational stage," says Jay Smith, president of Cox Newspapers. "We're at a point as a business where so much has changed around us, and we really haven't changed with it. If we think we can cut our way to prosperity, we're kidding ourselves."
Smith isn't just a top executive of a large newspaper chain (Cox owns 17 dailies, including the flagship Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and 25 non-dailies); he's also the chairman of the Newspaper Association of America, which represents publishers. In other words, he's practically required to ooze with official optimism. It's always a bad sign when the cheerleader is wringing his hands and anxiously watching the clock tick down on the home team.
Can anyone blame Smith if he isn't radiating sunshine these days? The newspaper industry's problems are well-documented: competitive pressure from the Internet, Wall Street's demands for high returns (which has fueled the potential sale of Knight Ridder), rising newsprint prices, declining circulation, a classified ad base that is under siege.
All of it makes even the smallest cutbacks appear to be a harbinger of greater dread. And it seems self-perpetuating: Each round of belt-tightening seems to drive away a few more readers, which leads to the next round, and so on, until the belt is so tight it's strangling. "The more we cut, the less value there is to sell," says Conrad Fink, a former Associated Press and newspaper executive who is a professor of newspaper management and strategy at the University of Georgia. "We're close to the point, if not beyond it, of diminishing returns. Readers are saying the paper is not worth the time to devote to it."
A few scenes from the front lines:
With the closing of its Rome bureau in December, the Philadelphia Inquirer was left with just one foreign correspondent. A decade ago, the paper had an extensive foreign staff, with bureaus in Moscow, London, Jerusalem and three other cities. Reporters at the paper were grumbling recently, too, when the Inquirer reduced its library staff to the library supervisor and just two researchers.
After the Hartford Courant announced layoffs and buyouts that will whack 54 jobs, 16 in the newsroom, the Tribune Co.-owned paper's reader rep, Karen Hunter, wrote an unusually blunt column that ran on December 18: "Readers know and some on the news staff will admit that the job cuts are getting close to the bone. State agencies and some towns aren't watched as closely as they once were. There is no way that a news staff that has been reduced by more than 120 people in 10 years [current staffing is 265] can produce the same newspaper it once did."
When the St. Louis Post-Dispatch eliminated 12 percent of its newsroom staff, the collateral damage included Ellen Soeteber, the newspaper's editor. Soeteber announced her resignation to a stunned newsroom in November. Although her departure wasn't purely a protest action (Soeteber said personal considerations played a part in her decision), she said the decimation of her newsroom was a contributing factor. Citing similar cost-cutting pressures, John S. Carroll stepped down as editor of the Los Angeles Times in August and Howard Schneider quit the top job at Newsday in late 2004.
The Chicago Tribune shut down the storied City News wire service in December, part of a 27-person reduction at the paper. The 115-year-old wire service, which predated Chicago's "Front Page" era, had been a training ground for the likes of Mike Royko and Kurt Vonnegut, not to mention Seymour Hersh and seven other Pulitzer Prize winners. Its hard-nose reporting motto became legend: "If your mother says she loves you, check it out." And that might not be the last cut at the paper, says James O'Shea, the Tribune's managing editor: "I hope it is, but I don't know yet."
The New York Times Co. said last fall that it would cut 45 newsroom positions at the New York Times and 35 at its Boston Globe as part of a 500-person downsizing company-wide. In a memo to the Times' 1,200-person staff at the time, Executive Editor Bill Keller sounded almost numb: "Like the rest of you, I found the recent spate of retirement parties more saddening than celebratory, both for the obvious personal reasons and because they represented a sapping of our collective wisdom and experience."
Things are also tough in Akron, where the staff of the Beacon Journal is slogging through a gloomy Ohio winter. The paper is contending with a spartan budget regime imposed by its parent, Knight Ridder, which is watching its pennies now that its largest shareholder, a Florida-based investment group, has pressured management into putting the company up for sale (see "Sherman's March" February/March 2006).
So far the Beacon Journal has avoided layoffs, but for one week in December it shrank dramatically. The paper temporarily slashed its opinion pages from two to one, combined a features section with its local section and trimmed pages from its sports section. Space for daily TV listings has been cut by more than half.
Amid all the trimming, the alternative Cleveland Scene reported in December that the paper had put a moratorium for the rest of the year on buying notebooks, pens and batteries for its reporters and photographers. (In response, the Poynter Institute sent the paper two boxes of notebooks, gratis.) The story instantly came to symbolize the industry's malaise, but the Beacon Journal's outgoing managing editor, Mike Burbach, says it hasn't been quite the crisis the story portrayed: "Everyone has what he needs to do his job," he says. "We're just not buying anything we don't need."
That's not exactly a bold vision for a paper with a heritage like the Beacon Journal's. A winner of four Pulitzer Prizes over the years, the daily was the seed of John S. Knight's once-proud empire. Knight inherited the paper from his father, Charles L., in 1933, and soon after began assembling the publications that would become Knight Newspapers (Knight merged with Ridder Publications in 1974).
The perverse irony of the paper's current troubles is that it remains financially healthy. By some measures, in fact, it's booming. In an analysis of Knight Ridder's properties in late November, Morgan Stanley & Co. estimated that the Beacon Journal would make $21.6 million in 2005 on revenue of $103 million. That means the paper earned 21 cents on every dollar it brought in a spectacular margin by the standards of other industries, but apparently not enough for investors who've come to expect even higher returns from newspapers.
Burbach has concluded that the ground is permanently shifting, and not just under his own newsroom. "This is different than before," he says. "The business has changed dramatically. Google didn't exist before. How many cable channels are there now, how many magazines, how many more ways are there to reach people? If we want to keep at this, and if we believe in what we're doing, we have to adapt. Some of what we do and love to do will help us compete, and some of it won't. We have to learn the difference."
Akron is hardly the only paper into penny-pinching. In January, E.W. Scripps' Naples Daily News asked staffers to "immediately" stop using the phones on their desks as much as possible. The Florida paper wanted to keep the lines open for new subscribers and advertisers, and apparently more phone lines weren't an option.
The cutback craze might be good for Wall Street and publishers' bottom lines, but even people outside newsrooms are beginning to fret that it's not very good for democracy. While opposition to newspaper layoffs hasn't exactly coalesced into a social movement, it has caught the eye of some cultural and political organizations.
When Tribune Co. Chairman Dennis J. FitzSimons spoke at a media conference in New York late last year, activists from the liberal advocacy group MoveOn tried to present him a 45,000-signature petition decrying hundreds of job cuts at Tribune Co.-owned papers. "Politicians and corporations who should be held accountable by vigilant watchdog journalism will instead be covered by a staff that is stretched too thin," asserted Noah Winer, a spokesman for the group. FitzSimons declined to meet with the organization.
A week later, readers of the Philadelphia Inquirer were treated to an op-ed page commentary about Knight Ridder's potential breakup by Rebecca Rimel and Donald Kimelman of the Pew Charitable Trusts (an underwriter of several journalism initiatives, including AJR's Project on the State of the American Newspaper). "This is more than a fascinating business story," wrote Rimel, Pew's president and CEO, and Kimelman, director of information and civic initiatives and a former Inquirer reporter. "There is an important public interest a community interest in the outcome that deserves greater attention. For journalism is not just a business. It's a public trust, an essential element in the democratic mosaic."
It's no coincidence that the harshest cuts have tended to come at newspaper companies owned by public shareholders (Knight Ridder, Tribune), while those that have maintained family control have been more benign (not that the New York Times Co. cuts were so benign). The former group must satisfy the demands of thousands of shareholders, whose foremost concern isn't the number of Pulitzers won or foreign bureaus opened but rising profits and stock prices. Privately held Cox, for example, has had only four chairmen in its 108-year history, all members or descendants of the founding family. It also hasn't had a layoff on its news side for at least five years, says Jay Smith.
But all newspapers face the same economic realities. Reporting is a labor-intensive enterprise. Unlike manufacturers, who have learned to turn out more SUVs or rolls of steel with better technology, daily journalism still requires raw manpower. It's difficult, if not impossible, to increase the productivity of a newsroom; not much can substitute for the basic manual work of collecting facts and images and assembling them into accurate, lively and coherent packages. And manpower costs money.
Particularly labor-intensive are investigative and enterprise reporting, which dig beneath the surface and often turn up the stories that are most valuable for readers.
The question is, if newspapers, online or on paper, don't provide the resources to report on their communities in depth, who will?
So far, the answer appears to be almost no one. A dozen or so years after the Internet first began to achieve mass appeal, reporters working for mainstream news organizations still are by far the biggest and most important sources of original reporting. Internet "news" might cease to exist without print journalists to feed it. Internet giants like Google and Yahoo! do no newsgathering of their own. ("They'd be crazy to get into original news reporting," says Conrad Fink. "It's too expensive.") Instead, they aggregate and disseminate the work of reporters from the very news organizations that are now shedding workers thanks in part to competition from the Internet. "No one has figured out how to finance newsgathering on the Web" as a stand-alone enterprise, notes O'Shea, the Tribune's managing editor.
Bloggers one of the Internet's most important info-innovations don't offer much hope. Bloggers mainly chew over facts that others have collected in essence repeating, not reporting. In a survey of the 100 most popular news-related blogs in 2004 59 responded University of South Carolina doctoral students Bryan Murley and Kim Smith found half the bloggers said they got most of their news and information from newspapers. Another 19 percent got most of their information from other bloggers, who in turn were likely to have gotten it from a newspaper or some other mainstream outlet.
The much-ballyhooed citizens' or community journalism movement would seem to offer limited potential. New technologies give almost anybody the means to provide a very rough first draft of history (the first photos of last summer's London subway bombings were taken by people with cell phone cameras). But most good journalism can't be done by hobbyists. "Serious journalism is labor-intensive and time-consuming and therefore requires large amounts of money and health benefits and pensions," wrote longtime journalist Sydney H. Schanberg in the Village Voice in December. "The blogosphere has plenty of time, but as yet none of those other items." The same could be said of the community journalism movement.
The central problem may be that newspapers are caught betwixt and between eras. Print is plainly in decline, but the Internet hasn't grown nearly fast enough to offset that deterioration. Despite strong growth in both traffic and ad revenue, newspaper Web sites now collect only about $2 billion a year in advertising, compared with $48 billion on the print side, according to Borrell Associates, a media research and consulting firm.
Will the Internet side of the business ever grow as large as the print side once was? "We're in a big competitive scramble, and you don't know and I don't know how it's all going to turn out," O'Shea says. "Right now, we can't tell who's going to win and who'll lose. I don't even know" if newspapers on the Internet will make it. "My own gut tells me that newspapers will be around. They may become even better. But there are no guarantees."
Georgia's Fink thinks newspapers will stick around a while longer, too. But they will inevitably have fewer readers, he says. He predicts that circulation will keep falling as today's casual readers become tomorrow's non-readers, and the total drops to a core of perhaps 40 to 43 million (from about 56 million now). The good news: These core subscribers will be relatively upscale and well-educated society's "button-pushers," as Fink calls them. But newspapers won't need as many journalists to serve this group.
In this new world, daily newspapers won't be so daily; some will stop coming out on unprofitable days of the week, such as Saturday, predicts Bob Papper, professor of telecommunications at Ball State University. Regular features stock tables, TV listings, etc. will disappear, or appear only on the Web.
Fink says the emerging newspaper world requires more flexible journalists those who can churn out quick news stories for the Web site and in-depth analytical pieces for the next day's newspaper, which will be carried on the Web, too. The differences between "print" and "online" operations will largely evaporate within the newsroom, if they haven't already. (USA Today made this official late last year when it announced it would merge its newspaper and online newsrooms.)
Fink thinks daily journalism will be different, but he isn't so sure it will be better: "With the disappearance of so much readership and advertising support, there will be a disappearance of much of the journalism you and I love," he says. "If we're less able to support vigorous, independent journalism, that's a threat to society. It hasn't really occurred to most people that the heart and soul of journalism is being decided right now."
Newspapers still have some important competitive advantages over the rest of the news media. They have name recognition and trusted brand names. They (still) have the biggest newsrooms in town. And they have community connections. "I still think there's going to be strong demand for locally powerful journalism that no one can do like a newspaper," says Mike Burbach. "There's investigative and enterprise [reporting]. People respect and respond to the kind of information and digging that helps them make their lives and their communities better."
Jay Smith says he's optimistic about the future, too, even if he's critical of some of the penny-wise thinking that marks the present era. "We've just come through five very difficult years," he says, "and if we simply continue business as usual, it's going to be worse. But if we think about how to preserve and protect the daily paper and how we can reinvent it, if we build a huge online presence, if we can build other businesses around it, I think the future looks bright."
Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi (email@example.com) writes frequently about the media. He explored the future of newspapers in AJR's June/July 2005 issue.


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Morrigan Aensland vs. Rayne – Cosplay Clash
Morrigan holds onto her spot as the reigning queen of the Cosplay Clash, beating out Succubus from Symphony of the Night. But can she stand against the might of Rayne, the half-vampire from BloodRayne?
Vampy's Morrigan enjoys a second victory thanks to her accurate portrayal of the famous succubus, but are her Soul Fist attacks enough to fend off challengers five more times? If so, she'll become the first cosplayer to be inducted to the Arcade Sushi Cosplay Hall of Fame.
But Alyona Simonenko's Rayne wants a bite of the action and she's looking to take the crown away from Morrigan. Will this vampire hunter win against the might of the Queen of the Night?
It's up to you to decide who will win this Cosplay Clash between the sultry Morrigan and the equally-alluring Succubus.! Voting closes on April 29th 10AM PST.
Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite cosplayer. If a cosplayer remains the reigning champ for seven straight matches, they are retired to the Arcade Sushi Cosplay Hall of Fame. With so many great cosplayers out there, we have to give other cosplayers a chance!


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Welcome to the Girls On The Run Donation Page
We believe that every girl can embrace who she is, can define who she wants to be, can celebrate differences, can rise to any challenge, can change the world. And she can do this because of your support! Thank you for helping us improve, expand, and offer our life-changing program to the girls who need it most! Many of our girls are able to participate because of scholarship assistance provided by generous individuals and businesses like you. Together we can change the world one girl at a time!
Ways You Can Help:
Be a Sponsor or a Solemate!
To learn about sponsorship opportunities for businesses, click here.
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Crossing the finish line never felt so good!
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I remember when Shea closed going up to the higher reaches of the upper deck where the No. 20 was painted in recognition of Tommie Agee's monstrous homer.
Agee first popped into my consciousness when he played for the Chicago White Sox in the mid-1960's, when I rooted for the Cleveland Indians.
Agee was a tremendous fielder and will always be remembered for making two game-saving catches in Game 3 of the 1969 World Series to save a potential five runs. What people forget, however, is Agee also homered to lead off that game.
On this date in 1970, Agee homered twice in a 7-4 victory at Montreal. Agee had a 20-game hitting streak, April 16-May 9 of that season.
Unfortunately, chronic knee pain slowed Agee's career in 1971 and 1972, and he was traded to Houston after the 1972 season. The Astros traded Agee to St. Louis in August of the 1973.
After the season, the Cardinals dealt Agee to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In one of those twists, Agee was released by the Dodgers in spring training and never played for the team. However, his final baseball card showed him as a Dodger.
Agee relished being a part of the 1969 Mets and appeared as himself in a 1999 episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond.''
He suffered a heart attack, Jan. 22, 2001, and died at Bellevue Hospital Center. He was posthumously inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame the following summer.
If you have any Agee memories, I'd like for you to share them. Thanks.


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Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson dislocated a shoulder last weekend against Boston College but he should be ready to play against Florida State this Saturday, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said on Tuesday.
"Shaq told us Sunday that he should be fine," Swinney said. "And everybody else should be OK, too."
That's good news for Clemson as Lawson, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound redshirt freshman, is third on the Tigers with 6.5 tackles for loss. He has 18 tackles in all and two sacks as part of a unit that is second nationally with 24 sacks. Getting pressure on Seminoles freshman quarterback Jameis Winston is going to be vital to Clemson's success, so having Lawson and the rest of his cohorts at full speed is key.
Saturday's matchup between FSU and Clemson is the first between two top five teams in Death Valley history.


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I'm pretty sure I'm sitting in it. This must be for sins of my past. european car recently moved offices and I've been blessed with a 3' x 3' cube dressed in a color I can only describe as "suicide taupe." The greenish cast of the overhead fluorescents coat everything in sickly pallor; everyone looks like they're battling hepatitis. And losing.
I've seen enough of corporate America to know this style of workspace has become the standard for blue-collar folk. How the hell do you do it? You guys are either super tough or super medicated. Maybe both.
I've been told this is only temporary. We will be moved to proper editorial offices as soon as they are completed. No more than a month they say.
The difference between pain and suffering is time. Pain is transitory. Suffering endures. This cubist period will eventually end and the mind-numbing pain will be over. No more than a month they say. I can hack it. But what if this pain turns to suffering? What if this is the way it's going to be from now on? What if I need to endure every inane phone call of the mini-truck guy next to me? Smell the licorice Good-n-Plenty he keeps stuffing in his face. What if I'll need to whisper every phone call, subvert every bodily noise, hide every questionable Internet video from now on? Worst of all, I can't curse anymore. It's a shame because I'm real good at it, an artist of sorts.
I guess my predicament isn't all that bad. I'm simply not acclimated to such sterile surroundings, like the 2002 Honda Accord my daughter Carly just purchased. Like my temporary cube, the Honda's interior is an image of beige. It's everywhere: the seats, dash, headliner and floor. I break into a cold sweat simply sitting in it.
It's also very quiet, almost whisper-like. I cannot hear the engine nor feel any vibration. This car does a splendid job of isolating the driver from the road. It's not uncomfortable but more disconnected, like floating in a cream-colored isolation tank. I leapt out of it like I was on fire, trying to wipe the beige from my clothes.
And like the life-sucking fluorescent lights above me, this Honda is very efficient. On her last trip back to school she netted nearly 35 mpg. Not bad for a proper four-door sedan.
Anyone with a daughter can attest to the cold fear that comes from late night/early morning phone calls. We can reduce that panic by ensuring their transportation is solid. I know this Honda is a sound piece of engineering. It's as boring as the cube I'm sitting in but I know it's going to last. Honda makes damn fine cars. I've heard stories from fleet managers who have seen them run with little to no oil for thousands of miles. Pulling 300k miles from a Honda product is totally do-able. Boring, but more than a few people are willing to make sacrifices for reliability. That Carly chose an Accord rather than a GTI hurt. But I understood her reasoning.
And then it hits me like a surprise nut-trample. Is this the future of transportation? Are we destined to become cogs in a big beige machine, driving around in our transport cubes? The automotive patina is becoming homogenized. What remains is a sort of beigey goodness, the automotive equivalent of tofu.
I'm not a tofu kind of guy. And life is too short to work in a cube or drive a beige-mobile.
Les Bidrawn


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Pajarita wrote:Put out some soft food twice a day, he might start pecking at it. But get yourself a feeding syringe, just in case. Oh, and by the way, the parents touch the sides of the babies beaks for them to open up and get fed.
And, please, don't breed anymore, Liz.
liz wrote:Baby has been flying for a while now. I have to keep the cage door closed on him so I know where he is. He now has two spikes on his head. I guess he will be a non conformist.
Wolf is not here to help me with a name this time. I need one that can be changed if it is the wrong gender. I am thinking of Louie and Louies. Can someone help me with the spelling. You know I am rotten at spelling.
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Wed, 23 May 2007
Socks with sandals? WWJD? Cheering your kid at the graduation ceremony? You could get busted. Which of the presidential candidates are "Exceptional Presenters"? Tim Koegel will tell you. How do you kill skunk stink? Then, 60 Minutes will highlight an Iowa reserve unit. Wife of slain Iowan Scott Nisely joins us to talk about it.
OK, by request....the story of the National Anthem.
Direct download: mickelson-2007-05-23.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:00pm CST


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These days, it's become commonplace for blockbuster movies to draw revenues in excess of $100 or $200 million, sometimes even within the first weekend.
As far as box office revenues go, the 10 highest grossing movies of all-time have been released within the past 15 years. But with the ever-depreciating dollar, $100 million today means substantially less than it did even 20 years ago. This begs the question: how would the rankings look if revenues were adjusted for inflation?
Recently, BoxOfficeMojo, a subsidiary of IMDB, put out its newest list of all-time US Domestic box office grosses, which are adjusted for inflation by using today's average ticket prices and the film's original box office sales. When the numbers are adjusted, only one film in the past 15 years makes the top 10 and the highest grossing movie of the 21st century - The Dark Knight (2008) - ranks 27th overall.
So, what are the real highest grossing movies of all time? Click ahead to find out!
By Paul Toscano
Posted 8 July 2009


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kb33 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 26 diseños de 10 diseñadores freelance.
Produce a new micro-site design that emotionally resonates with teenagers on the topic of finances.
Teenagers embraces the idea that attending a MoneyIRL session is worthwhile.
Design an experience that plays to a teens desire to be successful, posses the best things in the world, and be admired by their peers.
Mental imagery
money, cash, spa, limousine, mansion, boat, concert, shoes, travel, beach, party
See included postcard, image assets, MoneyIRL logo
Emphasize ease of navigation.
Direct visitors toward talking with their parents about attending a MoneyIRL session.
Present opportunities for teens to stay informed through social media.
Brand Personality
Smart, Fun and Progressive
Key words
money, success, future, now, invest, smart
Key Selling Idea
Finally something that can help you get the things you want faster.
Brand Promise
It's not school. It's cool. It's for you.
Tag Line
"You want the best in life. Spend an hour to get a little closer."
U.S. teenage kids who are interested in money management
Make use of 'white-space' to improve readability, make a great first impression, create a feeling of sophistication and elegance for an upscale brand.
Incorporate green (Hex: #00653a, RGB: 0, 101, 58), but not too much.
Incorporate grey (Hex: #948671, RGB: 148, 134, 113), but not too much.
Menu Navigation
Test Your Money Skills
Links to RSS, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Like
Web page design (Photoshop layered)
Font files
Page Text
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image assets being used in print


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Evaluation of Couples with Fertility Problems
Achieving pregnancy is a team effort. The causes of infertility are just as likely to be caused by male and female factors, and the treatment always involves both members of a couple. With this in mind, both the woman and her partner should come to appointments whenever possible.
History and Physical
First, a thorough history is obtained to determine if either member of the couple has a past or current medical problem which might decrease the chances of pregnancy. Important topics to discuss include:
- General health
- Medications
- Previous surgeries
- Gynecologic problems
- Sexual activity
- Menstrual cycles
- Past pregnancies
Next, a general physical exam will focus on medical problems that might cause infertility, such as signs of PCOS. Some fertility issues, such as endometriosis or infection, can be suggested by tenderness on pelvic examination. However, most common causes of infertility will not be obvious on examination.
Semen Analysis – A semen analysis is a lab test using a sample of ejaculate from the male partner. This test is used to find out the amount of sperm and quality of sperm. Sperm that are diminished in number or function are less likely to reach and successfully fertilize the egg. A semen analysis is done for almost all couples.
The three most important aspects of a semen analysis are:
- Concentration (commonly called "count")
- Percent that are motile
- Percent that appear to be normally formed (called "morphology")
Men that have decreased values often require additional testing to look for reversible causes.
Transvaginal ultrasonography is a common part of the initial evaluation. It provides excellent images of the pelvic structures, including the cervix, uterus, and ovaries. Careful evaluation of the pelvic organs will often detect abnormalities such as uterine fibroids, fluid-filled fallopian tubes (termed hydrosalpinx) and abnormal ovarian cysts. When saline is injected into the uterus during ultrasound (termed sonohysterogram), endometrial polyps and fibroids can also be detected.
Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is an X-ray test that is an important part of the basic infertility evaluation. This test is performed in the radiology department by placing a device through the cervix to inject dye into the uterus and tubes. The test causes menstrual-like cramping, so it is recommended that the women take a pain medicine (e.g., ibuprofen) prior to the procedure.
Tests for Ovarian Reserve
Ovarian reserve is an imprecise term that refers to the quanity and quality of eggs of remaining in a woman's ovaries. Most women have normal ovarian reserve, as reflected by the tests discussed below, from the teenage years to the mid thirties. Decreased ovarian reserve becomes increasingly common after 35 years of age and is believed to be why fertility decreases with age. In some infertile women, decreased ovarian reserve will be found at a younger age. Decreased ovarian reserve is used by some specialists as an indication to proceed to more advanced treatment options at an expedited rate.
Day 3 FSH – FSH, or follicle stimulating hormone, is a hormone central to egg development. It is lowest early in the menstrual cycle and peaks the day before ovulation. As a woman ages, decreased ovarian reserve results in an increased FSH level on Day 3 of the menstrual cycle. There is some variation of Day 3 FSH levels between cycles.
Antral Follicle Count – Antral follicles are small fluid-filled areas within the ovary from which eggs can be released during subsequent cycles. Decreased ovarian reserve is reflected by a decreased number of antral follicles early in the cycle as determined by transvaginal ultrasonography.
Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) – This is a hormone made by granulosa cells in the ovaries and remain the same among cycles and throughout the cycle. Lower levels may indicate decreased ovarian reserve.
Clomiphene Challenge Test – Measuring FSH after stimulating the ovaries with the medication clomiphene citrate will detect a small number of women with decreased ovarian reserve who have a normal Day 3 FSH. Because of the increased expense of this diagnostic test, it is only performed if it guides diagnostic decisions.
Tests for Ovulation
Several tests can be used to determine if a woman is ovulating. If infertility is longstanding or appears to be related to ovulation problems, many specialists will induce ovulation with oral or injectable medications and monitor treatment effectiveness with ultrasound and hormone measurements.
Basal Body Temperature – A time-tested method that has been used for years is the measurement of a woman's basal body temperature with an oral thermometer before getting out of bed in the morning. The day after ovulation, a woman's basal body temperature increases by about 10 Fahrenheit. The patient can record her temperature every morning. Unfortunately, this test documents ovulation only after the fertile time is past, so it is not as commonly used today.
Urine Ovulation Predictors – Women can use over-the-counter kits to predict ovulation. These kits detect the increase in urinary luteinizing hormone (LH) that occurs approximately 24 hours before ovulation. During natural cycles, these kits can be used to time intercourse or IUI, which are routinely recommended the day after detecting the LH surge in order to coincide with ovulation.
Luteal Phase Evaluation – The luteal phase is the time between ovulation and menstruation, and is normally 12 to 14 days in length. The ovary must produce enough progesterone for long enough to allow the fertilized egg to implant approximately one week after ovulation. Subtle defects in the luteal phase are thought to cause infertility and recurrent miscarriages in some women. If the luteal phase is short, some women are offered progesterone to use in the second half of their cycle.
Mid-Luteal Progesterone – Ovarian production of progesterone reaches a peak approximately 7 days after ovulation, or around Day 21 of a 28-day menstrual cycle. A blood test taken at this time can determine if a woman has ovulated.
Endometrial biopsy – In the past, a biopsy of the uterine lining was taken late in the luteal phase. A pathologist would attempt to determine if the endometrium was responding appropriately to progesterone. Because this test is uncomfortable, expensive and inaccurate for detecting fertility problems, it is not commonly used today for this purpose.
Other Infertility Testing
Some of the tests for these subtle abnormalities are less frequently performed today because the commonly-used therapies will often treat these conditions. Tests such as the post-coital test and endometrial biopsy are no longer part of the standard infertility evaluation, but they may be performed in special cases.
The post-coital test (PCT) was extensively used in the past to evaluate cervical mucus after intercourse. However, cervical mucus problems are effectively treated with intrauterine insemination (IUI), which is one of the most commonly-used fertility enhancement techniques. Since this is an early treatment method for infertility of any cause, PCTs are rarely done today. Likewise, subtle endometrium and ovulation problems are effectively treated by ovulation induction with oral or injectable medications or with IVF. For this reason, many specialists will spend less time and money on relatively inaccurate diagnostic tests and more time and money on effective treatment methods.
Surgical Tests
Diagnostic Laparoscopy is an outpatient surgical procedure that requires general anesthesia, and is thus performed in the operating room. A lens connected to a camera is inserted through a small abdominal incision to examine the pelvis. Problems that decrease fertility, such as endometriosis and pelvic adhesions, can be accurately diagnosed and treated with this technique.
In the past, laparoscopy was a standard and early component of most infertility evaluations. With the increased success rate associated with IVF, this step is often omitted, since treatment of subtle cases of endometriosis or pelvic adhesions has little effect on subsequent IVF success.
Diagnostic Hysteroscopy is another outpatient surgical procedure where a small lens connected to a camera is inserted through the cervix to examine the uterine cavity. Since this procedure can be performed with minimal anesthesia, it is sometimes performed in the office. Alternatively, sonohysterography (see above) can be used to evaluate the endometrial cavity and has the advantage of causing less discomfort for the patient.
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Infertility: an overview, United States. 2003. Birmingham, Ala: American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
- Falcone T, Hurd WW, eds. Clinical Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, New York: Elsevier, 2007.
Prepared in partnership with Melina Dendrinos, MD, Class of 2008
To Learn More
- Infertility – What You Need to Know
- Becoming Pregnant
- When Should a Couple be Evaluated for Infertility?
- Causes of Infertility
- Treatment of Infertility
For more information:
Go to the Infertility health topic.


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Luke emigrated from the UK to NZ over 10 years ago, ironically because he was concerned about the number of migrants flooding into Britain.
Born and brought up in working-class Liverpool, he escaped poverty to become a highly paid adman, tory voter and a huge disappointment to his beloved, communist leaning Father. Creating snide photoshop images is his pitiful revenge for being an ageing, white, straight male.