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Wednesday, October 2, 2013
did you take his name?
24 comments:
I could have written this exact entry.ReplyDelete
And yesterday, my oldest told me she got made fun of for her last name. I felt so bad. Wish I could have given her mine.
Not only did I not change my name, I honestly and truly don't understand why any woman in the 21st Century would do so. It is such an archaic custom. My kids have 4 names (not hypenated) - 2 first names that reflect my husband's and my heritage, then my surname, then his. We are the G-P family and have had absolutely zero problems in our lives with the situation. If women stopped changing their names, we'd come up with new naming norms for kids and it would be fine.ReplyDelete
I didn't change my name and we actually named our kids similar to Larissa - a first name, a "middle name", my last name, then my husband's last name. For forms/school purposes, they go by their first name and my husband's last name, but they understand that mine is in there too. And actually, my husband has had a harder time with being mistakenly called Mr. Myname, more often than I'm called Dr. Hisname :-)ReplyDelete
I am planning on taking my fiance's name when we get married in a few months, during my 4th year of medical school. My family name is important to me, so I will be adding it as a middle name, but I think there's something special about sharing a name with my future husband and any children we may have. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with a woman keeping her name, and there's nothing wrong with a woman taking her husband's name. (Or hyphenating, assuming the names aren't too ridiculously long I suppose.) Whatever floats your boat. I think that names can mean different things to different people, so I wouldn't judge someone else's choices. ...Although if you decide to change your name to Metta Worldpeace or something goofy like that I may judge you a little :)ReplyDelete
I changed my name in the 21st century and have no problems doing so. I'm not bothered by other people keeping their maiden names, but the majority of my associates have changed theirs upon marriage. Now that we have kids, I really like all being The XYZ Family together, and I've noticed that the few of my friends who have kept their maiden names often go to great pains to be "The QRS Family" on return address labels, Christmas cards, etc.ReplyDelete
i love this post too--thanks for articulating the idea! i, too, kept my own name as i got married just before the start of residency. my too sons have their dad's last name and my last name as a middle name. i think i'm still pretty happy with my choice except sometimes i think it would be so much easier to be Dr. Hubby'sname because it is a nice but common name that I would never have to spell for a verbal order, unlike my own name:).ReplyDelete
i can also, however, relate to feeling a lot less strongly about it these days and feeling much less like i'd lose my identity by losing my name. i agree with do whatever seems important to you. i don't think a husband should demand a name change, but if they wife wants to, i definitely don't see that as a misogynist act.
oh, one more thing. i'm one of those people like the post above me describes who often will refer to us as "the hubby'sname family"!
I did basically what Larissa and Brig did -- kept my name and the kid has 4 names the third of which is my last name. I did this in spite of liking my husband's name better than mine and in spite of being more easily pub-meddable had I taken his name. My mom kept her name when she got married 40 years ago, and she took a lot of crap for it, and it just felt disrespectful to her for me to change my name. I have no regrets. I've had a couple of comments like, "Doesn't your husband's family mind?" but otherwise it's been a complete non-event. Ironically, where my husband is from women don't change their names when they get married, and they can't understand why anyone would.ReplyDelete
I kept my name, because I didn't feel in any way compelled to go through the MAJOR PITA it would be to get it changed, and change all my med school stuff. Also the whole thing is so bizarre--I've had the same name since birth and now I'm supposed to change it like I don't matter? and the partiarchal origin of the name-changing does bother me. My kids have his last name (my last name would be ridiculous as a middle name, kind of like "Smith". If I had a more interesting last name, maybe I'd have considered it. They think I have the same last name as them, and I don't mind people thinking that. I don't mind invitations addressed to The HisName Family or people calling me Mrs HisName.ReplyDelete
I changed my last name, and was only too glad to. I have a very long last name (never enough letters on the scan-tron on test days). And it would have been ridiculous using it as a middle name for our kids. I've never regretted it. I like all of us having the same last name. But I also understand why people don't change their name. If my name had been anything I had been attached to, I probably would have kept it.ReplyDelete
My husband took my last name. I had initially switched to his, but he revealed later that he actually wanted to take mine so I switched back and he changed his. It confuses people only a little because we live where my family (of Scottish descent) is fairly well known and has been living for almost 250 years and family connections are a big deal. He has to explain he married into the family.ReplyDelete
I changed it. My husband has a cool last name (patients love it btw). And, his family is extra conservative, it amounted to one less battle to fight. At age 26 it did cause some internal struggle with my "I am woman hear me roar" upbringing, but then I (not joking) began studying matrilineal societies and felt that even my maiden name was mine from a man anyway since the maiden name, married name is a patriarchal/patrilineal tradition. After all this I wanted to drop my last name all together and move to a matrilineal tribe in west Africa. Then, I also had a lot of pause about going from the end of the alphabet to the almost end which in all honestly felt like more of an identity switch than the actual changing of the name (like a first born forced to be a middle child). My first name has a slightly different spelling so my googlability was still possible and I hadn't yet published a paper I was working on and could publish it under my new name. Then my head felt like it was going to explode and I just went with my husbands cool name partially because of the issue with kids. I would have hyphenated but then my name would have had 3000 letters and I'm already sick of spelling as it is.ReplyDelete
So, long ridiculous story short, I changed my last name.Replies
One problem with the name change though. I prefer to be called Dr. Cool name instead of Mrs. Cool Name because it makes my ears bleed to be called the same thing as my mother in law, but I don't want to be the pompous jerk that wants people to call them "Dr." - conundrum!Delete
Ha, just the opposite - I entered medicine after being married over 10 years and sometimes I miss being "Mrs." instead of "Dr.!"Delete
- DoctorGrace (/MrsGrace)
Ha, just the opposite - I entered medicine after being married over 10 years and sometimes I miss being "Mrs." instead of "Dr.!"Delete
- DoctorGrace (/MrsGrace)
I got married halfway through med school & changed my last name. It just felt right. I haven't regretted it. If I'd already been established professionally, I'd probably have kept my maiden name. I have colleagues & friends who've gotten married since establishing their careers & it's a mixed bag what they've done as far as the last name goes.ReplyDelete
I think the main thing is to do what feels right for you about this. Oh, and to not be judgemental if someone else decides to do the opposite.
I kept my maiden name ( much shorter and easier to pronounce) but I do struggle a bit with having to introduce myself as "sons mom" whenever I call daycare or pediatrician. Also funny was when we went on a cruise vacation and brought my mother in law. She shares a name with my husband and son. I was the 4 th person with the different name and there was some confusion that those two were the parents and I was the in law! After my son was born he was in the nicu and there was mass confusion with my husbands family about why our son was under my name in the hospital. Our holiday cards are signed with first names. I am pregnant again now and am contemplating hyphenating my name during my family leave. It is a HUGE task though so I may change my mind yet again.ReplyDelete
I got married fourth year of med school and decided to change my name before graduation, licensing, etc. It's important to me that our family share the same name. To me it reflects cohesiveness and commitment. I know it has different meanings for different people. My husband is very traditional and it was very important to him. I felt like it was a gift of sorts for him; very special for the 2 of us. He would have been ok with me keeping my name especially since I worked so hard to be Dr. MS4 but luckily I really didn't mind. It helps that it's a nice name too!ReplyDelete
I come from a culture where women just don't change their last name when they get married. Like OMDG had mentioned, I really don't understand why anyone would. I grew up with my mom having a different last name than mine and had never viewed my mom as an outsider or questioned the cohesiveness of our family. I would be highly offended if my husband had asked me to change my name to his. But it's a matter of culture, really, there is not a right or wrong way.ReplyDelete
Ditto on the cultural thing. In my culture women don't change their names when they marry. My husband wasn't too thrilled about it, but he had to deal with it. Neither of my two sisters changed their names either at marriage. Our kids have my last name as their middle name, in addition to another middle name.ReplyDelete
I got married 4 years into practice. I was established, but knew that I wanted to take my husband's name. It was really not as big of a pain as I thought it would be to change all the licensing and insurance and DEA stuff as I thought it would be. I still have patients who call me by my maiden name 4 years later as they claim they can't remember my "new name". I wanted to share the same name as my husband and kids and for people to know that we are married. Granted, I went from an easy name (it was a color) to a Scandinavian name with twice as many letters. I haven't regretted it for a moment.ReplyDelete
Just like my mother, I made my maiden name my middle and my married name as my last name.ReplyDelete
I did not change my name. We were married in 1984. I figured that whole name-change thing was over and done with. Hah. I am the third generation of physicians with this name. And my husband's last name actually is Smith. And it just didn't seem like something I wanted to do. Our daughter has his name, and it's never been a problem. I don't make a fuss if people call me Mrs. Smith; I do make a fuss (gently) if people call me Mrs. Anything at work. At work I am Dr. At home I'm whatever they want to call me.ReplyDelete
I got married less than a year ago (at 20) and took my husband's name. We wanted to have one last name for all of our family, so it was just a matter of deciding which one to keep. I liked my last name, but my mom never took my dad's name, so my last name mostly only had connections to my dad to me, which were, let's say, not very positive (he was never very present and moved out when I was in 3rd grade). I had one published paper under my maiden name, which will be fun to explain on my resume, but since it's just one paper, it won't hurt me if people Pubmed me in 20 years and it doesn't come up.ReplyDelete
My husband's name sounds nice, I like it, and I like us being "one unit" by name too.
I don't think about it too much these days (self identity established and all as you said), but loved your great post/discussion. I kept my name because it's mine in the "I am woman hear me roar" sort of feminist way (see Cutter, above, and Helen Reddy), indeed, but also because I had been with my husband-to-be for about a decade before we actually did the "getting married" thing. And more importantly because I wanted to keep my last name to honor my father who died while I was in college. He married a feminist and they (my parents) raised some strong daughters.ReplyDelete
Our 2 kids (and both of my sister's kids also) have the same middle name, which is my last name. Which is also just a word.


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Are people really cancelling cable to watch TV and movies from the Internet instead?
It's a question that has dogged the pay-TV industry for a year, and a spate of quarterly reports over the next few weeks, starting with Time Warner Cable Inc. on Thursday, could provide important clues.
Much lies in the balance. If online video really is taking TV service subscribers from cable, satellite and phone providers, it's not just bad news for those companies. Analysts also see it leading to more restrictions and higher prices for online video and broadband access, a trend that has already started.
This month, Netflix Inc.'s streaming video service went from being a freebie thrown in with its DVD-by-mail service to something the company charges for separately.
On Tuesday, News Corp.'s Fox broadcasting company said that only paying subscribers of Hulu.com or satellite-TV company Dish Network Corp. will be able to watch new episodes of its shows, which include "Glee" and "Family Guy," online the day after they air. Non-paying viewers can catch them online eight days later.
Hollywood studios and other content producers have so far seen online video as an addition to the revenue they get from cable and satellite companies, and they've charged less for it. Consumer surveys showed that people didn't watch less TV just because they went to Hulu.com or Youtube.com sometimes.
But in June, The Nielsen Co. said it found that Americans who watch the most video online tend to watch less TV. The ratings agency said it started noticing last fall that a segment of consumers were starting to make a trade-off between online video and regular TV. The activity was more pronounced among people ages 18-34, a slice of the population advertisers are particularly eager to target.
That doesn't necessarily mean that people are starting to think they can get by without conventional pay-TV. While sitcoms and movies are easy to get through online services, sports aren't. But if studios and TV networks start seeing online video as something that's siphoning off their flow of cash, then it's in their interest to further restrict online viewing, like Fox did, or start charging for it.
"It appears that Fox isn't waiting for second quarter Pay TV subscriber numbers to disappoint," wrote Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett.
Cable companies have their own way of replacing lost revenue: charging more for broadband Internet access, which is essential to online video. Internet service providers are starting to charge extra when subscribers go above a certain monthly traffic allotment. These charges that will hit households that guzzle online video before they hit people who use mainly the Web and email.
The pay-TV industry first lost paying subscribers in last year's second quarter. The industry and most analysts concluded that the "cord cutting" was due to the poor economy, which forced people to cut back on spending and combine households. The second quarter is also the year's weakest quarter, because college students often cancel their service at the end of the semester.
The third quarter also showed a loss of subscribers. But then the seasonally strong fourth and first quarters showed growth, and fears subsided. Now, analysts believe the second quarter will show another decline. Cable companies lose subscribers every quarter, so the real question is whether satellite companies Dish and DirecTV Group Inc. and phone companies AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. will make up for those losses. Thomas Eagan at Collins Stewart expects the industry as whole to show a loss of 31,000 subscribers, compared to an estimated of loss of 173,000 last year.
Time Warner Cable might give an early read on the trend Thursday. Analysts expect a loss of only slightly more than the 111,000 it lost in the same period last year.
Most analysts still think the economy and ever-increasing monthly programming fees are to blame for last year's subscriber losses. A survey this spring by Leichtman Research Group Inc. found that of the 13 percent of U.S. households that don't subscribe to some form of pay-TV service, about 60 percent have broadband. But very few of them cite online video as the reason for not subscribing to pay-TV. The households were much more likely to say the cable was just too expensive or that they just don't watch much TV. These households tend to watch online video about as much as households that do pay for TV, and they tend to earn less, Leichtman reported.
"It is erroneous to think of this group as making decisions driven by online video," said Bruce Leichtman, president of the research firm. "These decisions tend to be more based on economics."
The firm called 1,500 households for the survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent.
Research firm SNL Kagan is on the other side of the debate, estimating that 2.5 million households had already given up their pay-TV subscriptions in favor of online video at the start of this year. It thinks 2 million more will do so this year. By 2015, it sees 10 percent of households as online-only. That would be a big enough number to force big changes in the pay-TV industry.

subset: commoncrawl


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Seventeen caught up with 17 year-old Kennedy Donnelly last week at a Pencils of Promise event thrown in her honor. The amazing teen had just finished biking — yes, biking — across the country as part of the Impossible Ones challenge, fund raising to build a school. Donnelly, who had no biking experience, rode 60 to 100 miles a day — from Seaside, Oregon to New York — with a group of eight other teens.
Motivated by friends who told her she couldn't do it (and wanting to do something spontaneous and crazy) the high school senior mapped out her route and set off for the east coast. The group slept wherever they could — on the side of the road, in parks, or even in strangers' houses and yards. Donnelly said there were a few hard times during her 51-day trek, but instead of giving up, she thought, "I could be helping so many kids, I could be giving them an education. That was my driving force."


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Mobile technology continues to advance weekly, with new software releases and new versions of devices. Though it has been in the headlines frequently in recent weeks, can Microsoft really change the mobile technology dynamics in the business world?
In the last three years the mobile technology market has changed completely. The dominance of Research in Motion (RIM) and Microsoft has been usurped by the vertical innovation of Apple, with its iPhone and iPad, and the openness of Google's Android ecosystem. This reversal of dominance shows that consumers can dictate what technology platform will rule not just the consumer ecosystem but also the business environment.
Over the last decade Microsoft has lost its edge in mobile technology and lost the confidence of not just consumers but also retailers and telecommunication carriers who expended significant effort to provide the Microsoft option to customers. This leaves Microsoft with a last chance to rebuild trust with Windows 8, which operates across a range of mobile technology offerings, including the recently released Surface tablet and a new Windows Phone operating system and devices. Microsoft hopes that a new user experience that involves the use of tiles to get quick access to information and applications will mean an advantage for Windows in the mobile environment. This big bet has yet to be proven in the market.
We recently conducted benchmark research on technology innovation to determine the value, priority and benefits of new technology for business and IT. We found mobile technology to be one of the top three priorities. While many companies (46%) have used mobile technology for business for more than a year, most (63%) still only have a small set of the applications and information available for mobile devices. Organizations prefer native applications (39%), but the access via web browser (33%) is right behind, and a fifth of organizations have no preference. These facts all impact Microsoft as it attempts to catch up to other mobile brands.
One way to measure the success of a mobile platform is the commitment by third-party software developers to provide a range of applications and services to meet business needs. While Microsoft is rapidly moving to provide applications and services for the consumer market, its support for business applications is less than stellar. It hopes that support for a common Windows 8 operating system will make it easier to get the support from business software providers. Don't take my word for it – visit the Microsoft application store for its Windows Phone and business applications and start looking for applications to support marketing, sales, customer service, human resources, operations and other departments. Names like IBM, Oracle, SAP, Salesforce.com and dozens of others are missing. Then visit the Apple App Store and compare the results.
My interactions with more than a hundred software providers finds a significant level of pessimism about Microsoft's mobile efforts, which is why the company's platform is on the bottom of the list of development priorities. Most organizations are taking a wait-and-see approach to determine whether the consumer markets embrace Microsoft's new offerings. Consumer preference matters because many organizations are transitioning to a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) approach, where companies provide a list of devices they support to access business applications and information in the enterprise. Companies today most often purchase smartphones (58%) for their employees, but that is less so with tablets (43%). Tablet deployments are growing (34%) but remain far behind smartphone use in organizations (85%). This BYOD approach is what Apple did to influence what now is an overwhelming support of its mobile technology in business. Whether this leaves an opportunity for Microsoft depends on business and IT preferences and how individuals influence decisions inside of businesses.
Individuals in organizations do have preference for specific smartphone technologies. Our research found Apple (50%) is first, with Android and RIM way behind and Microsoft's presence insignificant. In tablets, Apple's iPad dominates (66%), Android comes second, and Microsoft (8%) lags. Apple and Android have more applications, and have provided seamless upgrades and software revisions on a range of devices over multiple years. Apple and Android have not required updates to the underlying technology in new devices – an approach that has historically plagued Microsoft and frustrated customers who lacked enough computing power or memory to operate new mobile releases. In past years Microsoft's attempts to dominate the mobile technology market required not just a great processor but significant storage and memory to operate its environment. Historically Microsoft has been beholden to technology manufacturers who failed to adequately power mobile technology to meet its environment's demands.
Meanwhile, business use of mobile technology is growing rapidly thanks to the significant benefits it provides. Organizations see better communication and knowledge-sharing (62%) and faster response to opportunities and threats (39%). Organizations that have not deployed mobile technology have concerns about security (47%) and the risk of providing access through technologies for which they lack skills and competencies. Our research into next-generation workforce management and sales applications and technology shows the demand for mobile technology is a priority for businesses because it can increase productivity and help workers complete daily activities and tasks.
Microsoft has taken some bold steps with introduction of the new Windows 8 interface, which uses tiles and eliminates the Start menu. Having to learn a new interface is to some extent a barrier to adoption, but Microsoft is right to focus on usability, which is the top evaluation priority according to our benchmark research into business technology innovation.
Miracles have happened in the technology industry, but history, including the rise of Apple mobile technology, shows that market share and confidence build gradually over time and with consistent delivery of improvements to the technology that are easy to use and simple to get access to from the technology. Microsoft will need to do more than just provide a common Windows environment across devices to gain the confidence and trust of buyers. It will take a serious commitment to mobile technology over time to build trust, in the face of fierce competition from Apple and Android, with their own advancements in devices and operating environments.
I look forward to seeing whether Microsoft can defy reality and the research on the business climate and trends in the market and gain enough adoption by consumers to make its mobile technology a priority within organizations.
Mark Smith
CEO & Chief Research Officer


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I'm back with another video. Today is a haul video devoted to Halloween makeup. Halloween is a big time of year for makeup tutorials and sometimes you need some specialty items to create the perfect look. All items in this video will feature Graftobian makeup. I have a second video which will be up next featuring items that I purchased from Frends Beauty Supply.
Click here to see more!
Check out the video!
I plan on using a lot of these items in upcoming YouTube tutorials.
Rubber mask grease paint. Use for painting foam and latex pieces. Regular makeup on foam appliances does not look natural. This paint is super slick and applies smoothly.
Stay tuned for my upcoming Halloween tutorials where I use these cool products. Ciao Bellas!
FTC Disclosure: Products provided for review. I am not affiliated with this company. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
Atlanta Makeup Artist


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4.5 The next stage in the process involves determining the types of bread for which price samples should be constructed. This is not as simple an exercise as might be imagined and relies heavily on the judgement of the prices statisticians. In reaching decisions about precisely which items to include in price samples, the prices statisticians need to strike a balance between the cost of data collection (and processing) and the accuracy of the index. Factors taken into account include the relative significance of individual items, the extent to which different items are likely to exhibit similar price behaviour, and any practical problems associated with measuring prices to constant quality.
4.6 In this example, a reasonable outcome would be to decide to construct price samples for items 1, 3, 5 and 6. Separate price samples would not be constructed for items 2 and 4 due to their relatively small market share. Price samples would also not be constructed for items 7 and 8 (bread rolls and specialty breads) as they would prove difficult to price to constant quality due to the tendency for these items to be sold by number rather than weight.
Elementary aggregates must have a price sample
4.7 The items for which it is decided to construct specific price samples are referred to as 'elementary aggregates'. (There are approximately 1,000 elementary aggregates for each of the eight capital cities, or approximately 8,000 price samples at the national level.) The expenditure aggregates for the items that are not to be explicitly priced are reallocated across the elementary aggregates in such a way as to best preserve the representativeness of the price samples. In this example, this would be done in two stages. First, the expenditure aggregate for item 2 would be allocated to item 1 and the expenditure aggregate for item 4 would be allocated to item 3. In the second stage, the expenditure aggregates for items 7 and 8 would be allocated, on a proportional basis, across the four elementary aggregates. This process is illustrated in the following table.
Determining outlet types
4.9 Having settled on the items for which price samples are to be constructed, the next step is to determine the outlet types (respondents) from which prices will be collected. In order to accurately reflect changes in prices paid by households for bread, prices need to be collected from the various types of outlets from which households purchase bread. Data are unlikely to be available on the expenditure at the individual elementary aggregate level by type of outlet. It is more likely that data will be available for expenditure on bread in total by type of outlet. Suppose industry data indicates that supermarkets accounted for about 80% of bread sales and specialist bakeries the remainder. A simple way to construct the price sample for each elementary aggregate that is representative of household shopping patterns is to have a ratio of four prices from supermarkets to every specialist bakery price.
Selecting respondents
4.10 When price samples have been determined, ABS field staff determine from which individual supermarkets and specialist bakeries the prices will be collected. The individual outlets are chosen to be representative of the two types of outlets taking into account many perspectives. For example, the outlets should be representative of the socio–economic characteristics of the city. The prices are collected each quarter from the same respondents for the same items.
Selecting items to price
4.11 When a respondent is first enrolled in the collection process the field staff will determine, in conjunction with the outlet management, which specific items are best representative of each elementary aggregate. For example, at one outlet it might be decided that the 680gm sliced white sandwich loaf is best representative of white sandwich bread; at another outlet it might be a 700gm white toast sliced sandwich loaf.
4.12 An important part of the ongoing price collection process is the monitoring of the items for quality change. In the stylised bread example quality change could occur in various ways. A possible quality change would be a change in the size (weight) of the loaf of bread. In this case prices would be adjusted to derive a pure price for the item along the lines illustrated in the example in 2.51 above. Individual item prices are also compared with prices collected in the previous period to check their accuracy and to verify any large movements.
4.13 Price samples are constructed for the sole purpose of estimating price movements for each elementary aggregate. These estimates of price movements are required to revalue the expenditure aggregates to current period prices in much the same way as illustrated in the example on using price indexes (see 3.16-3.18 above). This is achieved by applying the period to period price movement to the previous period's expenditure aggregate for each elementary aggregate. It provides an estimate of the cost of acquiring the base period quantity of the elementary aggregate in the current quarter.
Four options for calculating price movement
4.14 There is no single correct method for calculating the price movement for a sample of observations. Four commonly used methods are described below, using as an example, the price observations from two periods for multigrain bread.
4.15 The differences between the four methods involve choices as to:
4.16 The two commonly used forms of average are the arithmetic mean and the geometric mean. For a sample of n price observations, the arithmetic mean is the sum of the individual prices divided by the number of observations, while the geometric mean is the nth root of the product of the prices. For example, the arithmetic mean of 4 and 9 is 6.5, while the geometric mean is 6 (the geometric mean is always less than or equal to the arithmetic mean).
Relative of arithmetic mean of prices
4.17 Based on these options, one method is to construct a ratio of the arithmetic mean prices in the two periods. In the example below the arithmetic mean of prices in period 1 is $4.14 and in period 2 it is $4.17, giving a relative of 1.007 (4.17/4.14) or a percentage change of 0.7%. This method is called the 'relative of arithmetic mean prices' (RAP), sometimes referred to as the 'Dutot' index formula.
Arithmetic mean of price relatives
4.18 A second method is to calculate the price movement between periods for each individual item and then take the arithmetic average of these movements. The price movement for each item must be expressed in relative terms (i.e. period 2 price divided by period 1 price as shown in the 'Price relative' column). In the example below the arithmetic average of the price relatives is 1.021, a price change of 2.1%. This method is called the 'arithmetic mean of price relatives' (APR), sometimes referred to as the 'Carli' index formula.
Geometric mean
4.19 A third method is to construct a ratio of the geometric mean of prices in each period. The geometric mean of the sample prices in period 1 is $4.14 and in period 2 it is $4.070 giving a relative of 1.017 (4.070/4.14) or a percentage change of 1.7%.
4.20 The fourth method is to calculate the geometric mean of the price movements for each individual item. Again, the price movements must be in the form of price relatives. In the example below, the geometric mean of the price relatives is 1.017, indicating a price increase of 1.7%, the same as using the ratio of the geometric mean of prices in each period.
4.21 In fact the geometric mean will always produce the same result whether the relative of mean prices or the mean of relative prices is used. These methods are simply referred to as the geometric mean (GM), sometimes called the 'Jevons' index formula.
Geometric mean is the preferred method
4.22 The method of calculating price change at the elementary aggregate level is important to the accuracy of the price index. The arithmetic average of price relatives (APR) approach has been shown to be more prone to (upward) bias than the other two methods. In line with various overseas countries, the ABS is using the geometric mean formula for calculating elementary aggregate index numbers where practical in the 16th series of the CPI. Where the geometric mean is not appropriate the relative of arithmetic mean prices (RAP) is used. The reasoning behind using geometric means is outlined below.
Geometric mean allows for substitution
4.23 At the elementary aggregate level of the index it is usually impractical to assign a specific weight to each individual price observation. The three formulas described above implicitly apply equal weights to each observation, although the bases of the weights differ. The geometric mean applies weights such that the expenditure shares of each observation are the same in each period. In other words the geometric mean formula implicitly assumes households buy less (more) of items that become more (less) expensive relative to the other items in the sample. The other formulas assume equal quantities in both periods (RAP) or equal expenditures in the first period (APR), with quantities being inversely proportional to first period prices. The geometric mean therefore appears to provide a better representation of household purchasing behaviour than the alternative formula in those elementary aggregates where there is likely to be high substitutability in consumption within the price sample.
Geometric mean not appropriate for all elementary aggregates
4.24 The geometric mean cannot be used to calculate the average price in all elementary aggregates. It cannot be used in cases where the price could be zero (i.e. the cost of a good or service is fully subsidised by the government). It is also not appropriate to use geometric means in elementary aggregates covering items between which consumers are unable to substitute. An example of this is local government rates where it is not possible to switch from a high rate area to a low rate area without physically moving location.
4.25 Once price movements are calculated for each elementary aggregate, they can be used to derive the expenditure aggregates that are then summed to derive the current cost of the basket. It is from the expenditure aggregates that index numbers are calculated at any level of the index. The stylised example above is continued to show the process for the Bread expenditure class.
4.26 The expenditure aggregates are revalued to period 2 prices by applying the movements between period 1 and period 2. The expenditure aggregate for the expenditure class Bread is the sum of the expenditure aggregates for the elementary aggregates comprising the expenditure class. Summing the elementary aggregates says that in period 2 it would cost $754.8m to buy the volume of Bread in period 1 that cost $740m. The price change for Bread between period 1 and 2 is simply the ratio of these expenditure aggregates, that is, a price increase of 2.0% (754.8/740). Thus if the price index for Bread was 100.0 in period 1, it would be 102.0 in period 2.
4.27 The derivation of the expenditure class movement as shown above is mathematically equivalent to a weighted average of the price movements for the individual elementary aggregates, that is, a weighted version of the mean of price relatives formula discussed above. In this case period 1 expenditure aggregates are the weights. The same formula is used at higher levels of the index.
4.28 Similar procedures are used to derive price movements at higher levels of the CPI. For example, the current period cost of purchasing items in the Bread and cereal products sub–group of the CPI is obtained by summing the current period expenditure aggregates of the expenditure classes Bread, Cakes and biscuits, Breakfast cereals and Other cereal products. The ratio of the current and previous period expenditure aggregates for the Bread and cereal products sub–group gives the price movement for the sub–group.
4.29 Points contributions (see 3.10–3.12 above) are also calculated using the expenditure aggregates. The current period points contribution of a CPI component, for example the expenditure class Bread, is the current period expenditure aggregate for Bread relative to the expenditure aggregate for the All groups CPI multiplied by the current period All Groups index number.
4.30 The CPI publication does not show the expenditure aggregates, but rather the index numbers derived from the expenditure aggregates. Expenditure aggregates vary considerably in size and showing them would make the publication difficult to read and interpret. The published index numbers and points contributions are a convenient presentation of the information.
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4 Marines killed in Camp Pendleton accident
- Range accident took place where artillery%2C mortar%2C bombs strike during exercises
- Accident involved detonation of unexploded ordnance
- Cause of the accident is under investigation
Four Marines were killed Wednesday in what the military described as a range accident at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The Marine Corps said the accident took place during a range maintenance operation around 11 a.m. on the base along the Pacific Coast north of San Diego.
Lt. Ryan Finnegan, a base spokesman, said the accident came during regularly scheduled maintenance of the Zulu impact area, where artillery, mortar and aerial bombs strike during training exercises. Area Zulu is near the center of the sprawling, 125,000-acre base.
Camp spokesman Cpl. Michael Iams said there were no other injuries. NBC News reported that the accident involved the detonation of unexploded ordnance.
The names of the dead and the units they were assigned to were not immediately announced pending notification of families.
"We offer our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the families of the Marines lost today in this tragic accident," said Brig. Gen. John Bullard, commanding general, Marine Corps Installations West-Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. "Our first priority is to provide the families with the support they need during this difficult time.''
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook, Jim Michaels in Washington; Gary Strauss in McLean, Va.


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February 27th, 2013
While you were working ...
Today's news you might've missed:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxhIs-oOYaY&w=420&h=315%5D
February 27th, 2013
Mindy McCready laid to rest in Florida
A funeral for late country singer Mindy McCready was held in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida, on Tuesday. Approximately 200 people attended the service, Billboard reports, which was held at Crossroads Baptist Church.
As McCready's music played in the background, photos of the troubled singer were seen on a large video screen near the altar. Those gathered to mourn the 37-year-old included her three brothers and her stepfather, who played his guitar and sang a song during the service, and McCready's mother, Gayle Inge.
February 27th, 2013
'Silver Linings Playbook' costumes up for auction
Chances are you don't have Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar-winning talent, but maybe with the right outfit you can convince yourself you do.
Lawrence's costumes from "Silver Linings Playbook" are currently up for auction, along with some of the items worn by her co-star, Bradley Cooper.
February 27th, 2013
Watch: Kristen Stewart explains 'Twilight' stutter
It took more than a pair of colored contacts to transform Kristen Stewart's "Twilight" character, Bella Swan, into the vampire Bella Cullen.
As the 22-year-old actress explains in a special feature clip from the DVD/Blu-ray edition of the final "Twilight" installment, she had to ditch the quirks that came naturally to her in order to portray an assured, super-strong and speedy vamp.
February 27th, 2013
Anne Hathaway apologizes to Valentino for Oscars Prada
A lot of fashion fans were expecting to see Anne Hathaway in Valentino at the Oscars and were caught off guard when she arrived wearing pale pink Prada instead.
It was a noticeable switch, given Hathaway's frequent reliance on Valentino - her wedding gown was custom-made by the fashion house - as well as the fact that the label sent out a press release about her dress pre-Oscars.
February 27th, 2013
Billie Joe Armstrong opens up post-rehab
We remember Billie Joe Armstrong's iHeartRadio meltdown last fall pretty clearly, but the Green Day frontman only has a faint recollection of what happened.
"I remember tiny things," Armstrong tells Rolling Stone in its new issue, which chronicles the musician's years of substance abuse and recent stint in rehab.
About this blog
Our daily cheat-sheet for breaking celebrity news, Hollywood buzz and your pop-culture obsessions.


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Sunday, March 2, 2014
43 comments:
Pandora in progress!!! The Pandora's box is oppened!!!
Endgame INITIALIZED.
Nearly crying here!!!
- AnonymousMarch 2, 2014 at 11:27 AM
Midas package..yes, that's what I need at the moment.ReplyDelete
Cobra can you comment on ukraine situation please.ReplyDeleteReplies
* Midi Endgame INITIALIZED *ReplyDelete
Creating Goddess Vortices all around the Planet NOW! Restoring the Goddess Energy and the Feminine Divine on Earth NOW!
150,000 Joining Hearts, Minds and Intentions and Dissolving the Matrix NOW!
Very happy with the approach of the planetary liberation at 100%! : D Think positive! Vitoria light is already happening! : D Cobra, I would like to tell us a bit about the state of Ukraine regarding the truth of what is really happening, is that allowed? I know that a war will not actually occur but would like to have a clearer view of events from the current viewpoint of the light. (translated by googletranslate :D)ReplyDelete
yay. one step closer to nuclear war and dollar collapse? when the music stops look for your chair.ReplyDeleteReplies
If you turn yourself around 180 degrees you will see a much more encouraging picture.Delete
Thank you Cobra, Light Forces and Ground Crew ... WE HAVE THE POWER.
Victory of the the Light ... !!
to see and project the LIGHT coming all around:ReplyDelete
"Minimum Surface conditions agreement breached" Interesting...ReplyDeleteReplies
Could be the critical mass to reach with a mass movement in the US or get it through (mass) media.Delete
L51 possible p=0.1. This meas L51 is very well known and the awareness is very high. Is this the banctrupcy of the FED?
Two things do we need the Event to kiff off: critial mass of awakened population (demos or media) and the mass awareness that the FED is bancrupt.
How many weeks will this two things take?
very good...Delete
today a big step happenedReplyDelete
In France midas is the name of a big car garage chain :)ReplyDeleteReplies
King Midas is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ability to turn everything he touched with his hand into gold. This came to be called the Golden touch, or the Midas touch.[1] The Phrygian city Midaeum was presumably named after this Midas, and this is probably also the Midas that according to Pausanias founded Ancyra.[2] According to Aristotle, legend held that Midas died of starvation as a result of his "vain prayer" for the gold touch.Delete
This is a wonderful aid to go into deep meditation.ReplyDelete
So we let them do their little thing in the Ukraine.ReplyDelete
They should have known better . . .
But They DIDN'T - and that was just UNREAL stupidity!!
Not that any of Us had expected the Dark to all of a sudden act reasonably or intelligently, or do something even remotely resembling common sense.
Ah, whatever, Dude. Let's Go BOWLING.
DDT initiated
"Okay, dude, very well. So . . . What does 'DDT' stand for?"
"THE END."Replies
@RaJah225 ''DDT initiated'' are thoses codes ment for the RM? "THE END." seems interresting :)Delete
Wow PPN continuation, minimum surface conditions agreement breached, L51 possible, there seems to have alot going on behind the scenes right now, we should organise a mass Meditation to help ease the situation in Ukraine, i suggest we start one, i am not sure what's going on in here but i believe we can assist the Light forces with our Light.
Your guess is as good as mine.Delete
Only kidding. I'm sorry, we have won and I'm in a cheeky mood ;-)
Here comes The SUN.
And here comes The Burning Hammer.
Goodness gracious Me, poor Dark forces...
Die Exponentialfuntion hat den Überschlag-Punkt erreicht.
Touch the SKY!
Thank you all for your difficult but wonderful work.....................ReplyDelete
Once, while walking in my favorite patch of woods, I asked Infinite Creator when the control/domination game on Earth would be over? This was when I realized that reality was a game being manipulated by parasites. The answer that I received was, "When all of the games have been played." That said, there is no telling when it will happen but I do know we are getting close though!ReplyDeleteReplies
Bashar says that now all games are played and now is the time. He says - Because now is the end of games you all hurry to catch and play all games that are still available to you and play them fast for the last time, because you don't want to miss something. :DDelete
OH I need to watch that video! I love Bashar !! Well, I LOVE everybody, Yes, EVERY single living being in all realms including those of the "dark" It's all about raising our vibration and Unconditional Love. NamasteDelete
- AnonymousMarch 2, 2014 at 1:44 PM
Now ALL know I AM and be I AM.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 2, 2014 at 1:49 PM
Exciting times!! Thank you Cobra and RM for all of your hard work.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 2, 2014 at 3:47 PM
Hey everyone be careful beforeitsnews.com The site is filled with disinfo, trolls, JTRIG, etc........... They have attempted smear campaign against prepareforchange.net claiming all kinds of made up nonsense I'm sure we will see more attacks against COBRA, Rob, Jeff, etc.. .And anyone else who is anti-NWO and Pro Huamnity. Also If you haven't done so you may want to buy the event handbook I did and I'm enjoying every minute of it.--Tim Victory of lightReplyDelete
- AnonymousMarch 2, 2014 at 3:53 PM
hi every one go to this link amazing stuff keske foundation just released this video please tell ever one you kno about this it must be part of the end game for sureReplyDelete
again please pass it on every were
go here for the documents
I wasn't able to participate n the meditation today due to having other plans, (This happens a lot sadly) But I got the feeling when I was driving home this evening that it has been unusually successful.ReplyDelete
Lake Charles Louisiana event support group is now connected and will be meeting soon!ReplyDelete
Now it's time to hear this again! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_L7bnCQ2ScReplyDelete
Cobra..thank you. Perhaps we can work together in the next Universe...
- AnonymousMarch 2, 2014 at 9:22 PM
I really like this tarot/angel card reading from Doreen Virtue for 2014! March is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel; and April is New Beginning and end of delays!! And the rest of the year is awesome after that! The reading starts at 12:00 mark:ReplyDelete
Some people don't believe in card readings but I absolutely do believe in them. Just thought I would share some encouragement :-).
I say it's time. Bring it on!ReplyDelete
I am bewildered when I see what is going on in Ukraine and Venezuela.ReplyDelete
hope this is all going to be really real ...ReplyDelete
I urgently & honestly do believe that something BIG indeed needs to happen to 'wake up' humanity now ...
- from Indonesia -
(PS: How can I able to see/experience all these "NON-physical things/realms/beings/behind-the-scenes ?... is there any *practical* way (step-by-step) that I need to do?)Replies
Go within. Meditation. Let the visuals come in their natural form.Delete
I've been seeing a lot of fractals or moving ink blots during my meditations.
I like to think im downloading informations from my higherself or from the non-physical realms ;)
Meditations allows you to receive msg's that may not be apparent at first.
But they never fail to surface
I feel this is a great update! And it cant be said enough that everyone needs to do their meditations if you want to accelerate the liberation.ReplyDelete
Until then, power up the bass cannons:
Dubstep reminds me of the RM and CO.BRA hard at work!! LOL
This one even more so:Delete
Is hvbn the folkestone nuclear reactor they just had to shut down?ReplyDelete


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Justin Bieber's Ferrari -- Lil Twist Was Driving at Time of Deadly Accident
Justin Bieber's Ferrari Lil Twist Was Driving When Photog Died
Rapper Lil Twist was driving Justin Bieber's Ferrari when it was pulled over Tuesday night ... moments before a paparazzo was hit by another car and killed -- TMZ has learned.
According to sources, 19-year-old Lil Twist was hanging with Bieber at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills on Tuesday afternoon ... when, for some reason, he left in the white Ferrari without Justin.
Multiple sources tell us Twist -- who is a Lil Wayne protege -- and Biebs have been hanging out and partying together for several weeks now.
They even celebrated New Year's Eve together in Mexico ... where they're both of legal drinking age.
A rep for Lil Twist tells us the rapper did not see the accident happen ... and sends his thoughts and prayers to the family of the photographer.


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According to our friends over at The U.S. Census Bureau, the
world's population is fast approaching 7 billion. That's billion with a B.
(Some say we've already surpassed it.) Anyone else feeling a little cramped?
As the population climbs, it makes sense for us to continue
thinking of creative ways to maximize our living environments with the most
efficient and eco-friendly ideas possible. Enter acclaimed architect and
best-selling author, Sarah Sunsanka and her "Not So Big" Showhouse, located in
the lively village of Libertyville, Illinois—just a stone's throw north of
Opening this Saturday, Sunsanka will use her full-scale
Showhouse to demonstrate her 'build better, not bigger' ideas for up-and-coming, urban neighborhoods. The Showhouse is an excellent way for viewers to gain insight on new ways to open up existing square footage without necessarily adding more.
More From Good Housekeeping
The Not So Big Showhouse demonstrates space-creating ideas
such as varying the ceiling heights of separate rooms to identify one space
from the next, instead of putting up walls that can otherwise make an open room
feel enclosed.
Did you know that your family can spend up to 90% of its
time in the kitchen and eating areas? Susanka recognized this and took the
kitchen from the back of the house and moved it to the front of the house,
connecting it with the front porch to create a more lived-in feel. (Not to
mention a nice dose of the great outdoors.)
A personal favorite for those of us living in the
not-so-spacious Manhattan is the outside garden and sitting area on top of the
garage. What a fabulous way to utilize an otherwise wasted space. Kudos Sarah!
For more information on Sarah Susanka and her Not So Big
ideas, visit the Not So Big Showhouse or follow Sarah on twitter, @sarahsusanka.
"With all the challenges in the housing market, it's clear we need a new
vision for the way we design our homes, our communities—and even our
lives." -Sarah Susanka


text:
Showing 15 of 237 products.
When work requires you to wear an ID badge, let our ID jewelry add some style to your work attire! We have a collection of fashion badge reel jewelry, ranging from cute and unique badge reels perfect for nurses, doctors, and other health professionals to stylish designer badge reels ideal for dressing up any work outfit. We also offer a line of college badge reels, letting you express your team pride or school spirit.
©2020 Bonitas International. All Rights Reserved.
Bonitas International
11110 Kinsman Road
Newbury, OH 44065


text:
The Portal series is of exceedingly high quality, so it's unsurprising that the game is inspiring some terrifically snazzy fan movies. In Dan Trachtenberg's Portal: No Escape, a prisoner uses her Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device to escape from her captors.
Can someone just learn from these shoestring (yet fantastic) fan flicks and make the real thing? I have no problem with Stephen Merchant getting a steady paycheck.
[Via Slashfilm]


text:
No threads for this immersive literature (and film) series on ETS? Come on, nerds.
I recently got the bug to buy physical editions of the books and read them (they're my current reading project goals). I have read the Hobbit in elementary school so it's been ages but I am familiar with all the films, related video games and have only read snippets of scenes in the Lord of the Rings. Never touched the Silmarillion or other unfinished books and tales.
So I said go big or go home if I'm going to buy these!
I bought the 75th Anniversary Edition of The Hobbit (2012) and the 50th Anniversary of The Lord Of The Rings (2004). I'm trying to scout out out a similar edition of The Silmarillion (30th Anniversary Edition, however it'd be a UK import and over $65.00+ USD). However I might just buy a standard vanilla edition hardcover to just try and match in size (since there was also a collector's edition of the Hobbit I never bought by the same company that made my 50th Anniversary of LOTR so it would've matched.)
Show ETS your editions and let's talk?


text:
Economical multiple parameter meter that simultaneously measures and records CO2, humidity and temperature
The CP11 handheld instrument is an economical multiple parameter meter that simultaneously measures and records CO2, humidity and temperature. It also calculates the dew point and wet bulb temperature. Equipped with the field-tested ROTRONIC HYGROMER® IN-1 humidity sensor, this instruments offers unbeatable value for money. Using the ROTRONIC SW21 software that comes with the device, it can be set as required and data can be downloaded, saved and analyzed.
Indoor air quality, monitoring in underground car parks (safety), Leak monitoring in filling plants (safety).
• Measures and logs CO2, relative humidity and temperature
• Calculates the dew point
• Hygromer® IN-1 humidity sensor
• 18,000 data point memory for CO2, humidity and temperature values
• Maximum, minimum and average value display
• Adjustable audible CO2 alarm
• Display with backlight
• Adjustable auto power off function
• Mini USB interface
|Range of application
|0�50 �C / 0.1�99.9 %RH, non-condensing
|Accuracy at 23 �5 �C
|�30 ppm �5 % of the measured value, <2.5 %RH (10...90 %RH), �0.3 �K
|Measuring range
|0�5000 ppm, 0.1...99.95 %RH, -20...60 �C
|Measurement principle
|Non dispersive infrared (NDIR) with automatic baseline correction (ABC)
|Adjustment points
|0, 400 ppm and 35, 80 %RH
|Pressure dependency
|+1.6 % reading per kPa
|Zero drift
|<10 ppm/year
|Power supply
|4 x AA batteries / optional AC adapter AC1214
|Current consumption
|40 mA (typical)
|Battery life
|50 h
|Measured value memory
|18,000 values with time stamp, automatic recording (%RH / �C / ppm), 99 single values with time stamp, manual recording, (%RH / �C / DP / Tw / ppm
|Warm-up time
|<1 min.
|Long-term stability
|< 1.5 %RH per year
|Humidity sensor
|Temperature sensor
|Response time
|<10 sec @ 30 cc/min. flow, <3 min diffusion time
|Response time t 63
|<30 s, without filter
|Dew point, wet bulb temperature
|Parameters shown
|CO2, relative humidity and temperature
|Real time clock
|Alarm functions
|Adjustable for CO2 measurement
|IP protection rating
|CE / EMC conform
|No maintenance (standard indoor application)
|76.7 x 41.8 x 233.9 mm
|290 g


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Spaghetti Primavera
Recipe Courtesy Tommy Habetz
If you can't find fresh morels, Tommy Habetz suggests using one-third the amount of dried, reconstituted morels. You can substitute scallions or green onions for the ramps if you have trouble finding them. Green garlic–the fresh shoots of immature garlic plants–can be found at area farmers markets from early to mid-spring.>
Serves 4
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
¼cup ramps, sliced
¼ cup green garlic, sliced
¼ cup leeks, green parts trimmed and discarded, white parts sliced
¼ lb morels, cleaned and sliced in half
1 lb spaghettini (preferably De Cecco brand)
6 stalks asparagus, woody ends removed, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 cups rapini (broccoli rabe), chopped
½ cup fresh shelled English peas
1 handful basil, roughly torn
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Grated parmigiano reggiano to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
(1) Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
(2) Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium sauté pan. Add ramps, green garlic, leeks and morels, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to low.
(3) Add pasta to boiling water.
(4) While pasta is cooking, place a colander above the boiling pasta water, and add asparagus, rapini and peas to the colander to steam them.
(5) When pasta is al dente (about 6-8 minutes), add steamed, drained vegetables to sautéed vegetables and increase heat to medium.
(6) Drain pasta, reserving 2-3 tbsp of pasta water.
(7) Add pasta and reserved pasta water to vegetables along with basil and parsley, plus parmigiano reggiano, salt, pepper and more olive oil to taste.
(8) Stir to combine.


text:
Ready, aim ... fail
Why setting goals can backfire
- |
IN THE EARLY years of this decade,
It didn't work. GM never did regain 29 percent of the market, and today, facing the possibility of bankruptcy, it looks even less likely to do so. The lapel pins are gone, and that number isn't much heard from the company.
And while the causes of GM's woes are many - from poor design to high labor costs to a prostrate economy - industry analysts argue that one of the most damaging things the company did was to set that goal.
In clawing toward its number, GM offered deep discounts and no-interest car loans. The energy and time that might have been applied to the longer-term problem of designing better cars went instead toward selling more of its generally unloved vehicles. As a result, GM was less prepared for the future, and made less money on the cars it did sell. In other words, the world's largest car company - a title it lost to
It is a given in American life that goals are inseparable from accomplishment. President Kennedy's 1961 promise to put an American on the moon by the end of the decade is held up as an example of a world-changing goal, the kind of inspirational beacon needed to surmount immense societal challenges. Among psychologists, the link between setting goals and achievement is one of the clearest there is, with studies on everyone from woodworkers to CEOs showing that we concentrate better, work longer, and do more if we set specific, measurable goals for ourselves. Goal-setting is one of the seven habits of highly effective people, says self-help guru Stephen Covey, and even Henry David Thoreau, the philosopher of dropping out, celebrates the work of goal setting. "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them," he writes in Walden.
But a few management scholars are now looking deeper into the effects of goals, and finding that goals have a dangerous side. Individuals, governments, and companies like GM show ample ability to hurt themselves by setting and blindly following goals, even those that seem to make sense at the time. These skeptics draw on a broad array of large-scale failures - the design of
The argument is not that goal setting doesn't work - it does, just not always in the way we intend. "It can focus attention too much, or on the wrong things; it can lead to crazy behaviors to get people to achieve them," says Adam Galinsky, a professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and coauthor of "Goals Gone Wild," a paper in the current issue of a leading management journal.
"Goal setting has been treated like an over-the-counter medication when it should really be treated with more care, as a prescription-strength medication," he says.
Taking on goals in this way has proven controversial, and Galinsky and his coauthors have earned a withering response from the prominent psychologists responsible for much of the literature on goal setting. But at a time when we're left to wonder how smart, seemingly responsible leaders in business and government could make decisions that helped destroy trillions of dollars in wealth, there's a new appetite for reexamining the things that motivate us - and how they can go awry.
Our faith in goals long predates the psychological research. "First, have a definite, clear, practical ideal - a goal, an objective," advised Aristotle. Generations of managers and motivators have repeated Abraham Lincoln's line that "A goal properly set is halfway reached."
It wasn't until the 1960s, though, that scholars of human behavior began to try to figure out how goals really worked. Two organizational psychologists, Gary Latham and Edwin Locke, created a theory of human motivation with goals at its center, drawing on their own extensive research and that of others. They found that goal setting had dramatic positive effects on success in just about any arena: work, school, the playing field, even the doctor's office (people took better care of their own health if they had a goal).
"When people are asked do their best, they don't," says Locke, now an emeritus professor at the University of Maryland's R.H. Smith School of Business. "It's too vague." Giving people ambitious and specific goals directs their attention, energizes them, and keeps them engaged longer.
Latham and Locke's theory quickly permeated executive suites and business school classrooms. The success of
Despite these successes, a few management experts began to wonder what sort of price we pay for our goals. Goals, they feared, might actually be taking the place of independent thinking and personal initiative. Goals gave us GE and Southwest, but they also gave us GM and Enron.
Two of these skeptics, business professors Maurice Schweitzer of the University of Pennsylvania and Lisa Ordonez of the University of Arizona, co-wrote a 2004 paper on what people do when they fall just short of their goals. According to Ordonez and Schweitzer's experiment, in which subjects played a word game and then reported how well they did at it, what people do is lie to make up the difference.
Schweitzer and Ordonez are also two of the coauthors of the "Goals Gone Wild" paper, in Academy of Management Perspectives, which takes the concern about cheating and broadens it. The new paper isn't based on original research but instead juxtaposes findings from the psychology and economics literature with a sort of greatest hits of disasters in goal setting. It recounts the hostile, dysfunctional, and ultimately criminal atmosphere created at Enron by its practice of rewarding executives based on meeting specific revenue targets. It describes how
Narrow corporate goals can keep employees from asking important questions that they otherwise might. Take the notoriously combustible Ford Pinto. In the late 1960s, Ford CEO Lee Iacocca, determined to take back the market share the company was losing to smaller imports, announced a crash program to create a new car that would be under 2,000 pounds, under $2,000, and would go on sale in 1970. Desperate to meet the conditions and the deadline, company executives ignored and then played down questions about the safety of the car's design. As a result, the Pinto, with a fuel tank just behind the rear axle, was uniquely prone to igniting upon impact, and 53 people died in such fires.
The vaunted "stretch goals," meanwhile, come with their own red flags. Sim Sitkin, a business school professor at Duke University, has found in reviewing the management literature that stretch goals are most likely to be pursued by desperate, embattled companies - the sort least equipped to deal with the costs of ambitious failures.
These findings will come as happy reassurance to workers who have chafed, Dilbert-like, at the imposition of companywide goals that they found a nuisance and a distraction from the real job at hand. But we often embrace goals voluntarily, too, and even outside the business world there's evidence that goals can have strong and often negative effects on how well we perform basic tasks. In a famous 1999 study by the psychologists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris, subjects watching a video clip were told to count the number of times people in a group pass a basketball among themselves. Most concentrate so hard on the goal that they become blind to other information, utterly failing to notice when a woman in a gorilla suit walks through the middle of the group.
Other work suggests that goals with rewards, if not carefully calibrated, can short-circuit our intrinsic enthusiasm for a task - or even interrupt our learning process. Barry Schwartz, a social psychologist at Swarthmore College who has studied decision making, found that subjects paid money to complete a slightly confusing task were significantly worse at figuring out the rules, even after completing it, than those who had received no reward.
One seminal economics study even argued that the difficulty of finding a cab on a rainy day can be blamed on the personal goals of cabbies. The 1997 paper found that cab drivers tend to have a set amount of money they aim to make every day. When it's raining they hit that target faster, since more people want cabs, so the cabbies quit earlier in the day. This narrow focus on a goal hurts everybody in the system - it shrinks the taxi supply just when demand is highest, leaving more people standing on the curb getting wet, and it hurts the cabbies themselves, who miss a chance to maximize their income on their most lucrative days.
The new criticism of goals has elicited a spirited defense from several scholars of human motivation. Latham and Locke, among others, see the newfound skepticism about goals as an overreaction. Though their own work acknowledges that goals come with risks, they dismiss the Ordonez paper as an inflammatory hodgepodge of cherry-picked anecdotes. The other work, as they see it, doesn't indict all goals, just bad ones. The problem, Latham and Locke argue, is that ultimately goals can't protect us from ourselves.
"You know how Shakespeare wrote that the fault is not in our stars but in ourselves?" asks Latham, a professor at the University of Toronto. "Well, the fault is not in our goals but in our values."
Even the most vehement critics admit that sometimes nothing works like a goal. But ensuring that it doesn't backfire requires care.
Although simple numerical goals can lead to bursts of intense effort in the short term, they can also subvert the longer-term interests of a person or a company - whether it's a pharmaceutical firm that overlooks safety in the rush to get a drug approved, or a dieter who resumes smoking to help lose 20 pounds. In work requiring a certain amount of creativity and judgment, the greatest risk appears to lie in overly simplified goals. Reducing complex activities to a bundle of numbers can end up rewarding the wrong behavior - with engineers concentrating on less promising but more straightforward research, for example, to rack up more patents.
If you are GM, argues Schweitzer, "You clearly don't want 29 percent market share, you want something much more complicated than that."
To combat this, Latham, among others, argues that what's often required is a "learning goal" - one where someone pledges to come up with, for example, five approaches to a thorny problem - rather than a performance goal that assumes that the problem will automatically be solved.
And whatever they are, goals need to be flexible when circumstances change. Francis Flynn, an organizational psychologist at Stanford, says he always tells his students that "the best goal you can have is to reevaluate your goals, semi-annually or annually, to make sure they remain rational."
Rather than reflexively relying on goals, argues Max Bazerman, a Harvard Business School professor and the fourth coauthor of "Goals Gone Wild," we might also be better off creating workplaces and schools that foster our own inherent interest in the work. "There are lots of organizations where people want to do well, and they don't need those goals," he says. Bazerman and others hold up Google as an example of a company that manages to do this, in part by explicitly setting aside time for employees to pursue their own projects and interests.
Today, as the economic situation upends millions of lives, it is also forcing the reexamination of millions of goals - not only the revenue targets of battered firms, but the career aims of workers and students, and even the ambitions of the newly installed administration. And while it never feels good to give up on a goal, it may be a good time to ask which of the goals we had set for ourselves were things we really needed to achieve, and which were things we only thought we should - and what the difference has been costing us.
Drake Bennett is the staff writer for Ideas. E-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Welcome to the Minority Peace Corps Association (MPCA) website. We are dedicated to promoting community service and raising awareness in minority communities about Peace Corps and its many programs.
What We Do
Our Mission: The Minority Peace Corps Association is a nonprofit organization founded by Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of color, which aims to:
- promote community service,
- provide support and assistance to returned, and serving Peace Corps volunteers and applicants of color,
- enhance the awareness and participation of Americans of color in international experience, international careers, and international affairs.
Through partnership, special events and outreach activities MPCA strives to strengthen Americans' understanding about the world and its peoples.
Community ServicesThrough partnerships, special events and outreach activities the MPCA strives to strengthen Americans' understanding about the world and its peoples. The MPCA is also committed to lending its support to minorities involved with Peace Corps, including applicants, volunteers and their families and returned volunteers.This section is dedicated to sharing information from the minority community related to Arts, Special Events, Community Service and other activities that allow us to support the community of color.


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The final day of the 2011 MLB regular season enchanted us with its insanity; its events became a video game montage and inspired its own tag here on Deadspin. That day, however, only determined which teams would gain entry to the playoffs. By comparison, Sunday's final day of the English Premier League was Game #162 combined with a World Series Game 7 won on a walk-off homer in extra innings.
Here's what was at stake before Sunday's matches kicked off:
Manchester City and Manchester United began the day tied for the lead with 86 points. Man City held the tiebreaker, meaning they needed only to match whatever result Man United achieved.
City's opponent was QPR, which needed either a draw or a win to secure another season in England's top league. QPR entered the day with 37 points, while Bolton (with 35) needed to beat Stoke City and hope QPR lost to avoid relegation.
The final battles involved qualification for the lucrative UEFA Champions League. Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United came into the final day each separated by a point in competing for the one guaranteed spot in the UCL.
We've done our best in the above video to document events as they happened, and to illustrate the alternating elation and desperation experienced by supporters of teams affected by those events in real time. (Clicking the "HD" button is highly recommended.) The audio/visual content is from ESPN2 & Fox Sports; the music samples portions of "Your Hands (Together)" by The New Pornographers. Ticker graphics are by Jim Cooke.


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For many Americans, Vietnamese, and others, the war in Vietnam was the defining event in their lives. It was a conflict that divided families and brought violence both to Vietnam and to the United States. Each of us had a Vietnam experience.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. as well as many other community and state memorials have been established to recognize the sacrifice of the 58,245 that gave their lives during that most unpopular and divisive war for the United States.
These memorials, which have done much to aid in the healing of the wounds brought on by this conflict, do not provide an opportunity to reflect knowledgeably on the many other aspects of the era. This turbulent period influenced events in much of the world that still affect those who lived through the era, subsequent generations and governments around the globe.
At its peak, over half a million U. S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen were serving in Vietnam, the surrounding waters and countries, along with millions of Vietnamese and thousands of Australians, New Zealanders, South Koreans, Thais, and Filipinos.
They, along with their friends and families, have been misunderstood and misrepresented for over thirty years.
Now, our museum is continuing to develop to help us remember and understand.
The National Vietnam War Museum is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Copyright © 2004 - 2023 The National Vietnam War Museum. All rights reserved.
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Ron Galperin for L.A. controller
In the five-man race for Los Angeles controller, the best-known candidate is also the one who's had the best view of city government. That would be Dennis Zine, who is finishing his 12th and final year representing the City Council's 3rd District after working for three decades in the Los Angeles Police Department. But two other candidates from outside City Hall have put forward more compelling cases for their election. Ron Galperin has worked with the city and county governments to improve collections and eliminate loopholes. Cary Brazeman has been a high-profile critic of city managers, mounting pressure campaigns against several flawed city initiatives. Brazeman offers the more far-reaching agenda, but Galperin's training and experience make him the candidate more likely to turn his recommendations into real improvements in city government. For that reason, The Times endorses Galperin.
The controller once stood as the city's last line of defense against waste, fraud and abuse, able to refuse to sign any check he or she deemed improper. The charter reforms of 1999, however, broadened the office's purview while trimming its authority. The controller lost the ability to block payments but gained the power to audit the performance of city departments as well as their finances. Former Controller Laura Chick used the expanded authority to highlight the need for change in city government's core functions, including its approaches to gang violence, fires and disasters.
Today, with the city facing large and persistent deficits, Los Angeles needs an energetic controller who can not only expose waste and fraud but also find ways to get more out of every dollar the city spends. That requires someone with both an accountant's eye for detail and a reformer's creativity — an ability to spot problems and inefficiencies even in departments with no obvious dysfunction. It also requires tough-minded independence.
ENDORSEMENTS: Los Angeles City Elections 2013
The controller can't force city officials to do anything, however. The only cudgel the office holds is its ability to make headlines, and as Chick demonstrated, that's not necessarily enough to provoke a response from the mayor or City Council. Zine argues that the relationships he's built inside city government would give him a unique ability to turn the recommendations of his audits into action. But while Zine has been a fine advocate for his district, he hasn't been a prominent critic of the financial practices that have put the city in its current fix. And there's little in his service on the council to suggest he has the analytical aptitude for improving the bureaucracy. His pursuit of the controller's job appears to reflect his desire to remain in office rather than a fascination with the nuts and bolts of city operations.
The other four candidates in the race have yet to hold elective office, although not necessarily for lack of trying. Two of them — Jeff Bornstein, a small-businessman in Winnetka who sells audio-video equipment, and Ankur Patel, a graduate student at Cal State University Northridge — are long shots who aren't up to the job's demands, although Patel's proposal to enlist citizen activists to scrutinize city departments is intriguing. Both Galperin and Brazeman, on the other hand, seem ready not just to fulfill the controller's responsibilities but to do it well.
Galperin, an attorney in Century City, has been a longtime critic of inefficient and ineffective city practices that waste or fail to collect millions of dollars. His critiques landed him a spot as chairman of the Ad Hoc Commission on Revenue Efficiency, which the council established in 2010 to look for shortcomings in the city's collections. It produced nine reports in a year and a half of work, identifying more than $100 million in annual revenue and savings from improvements in city purchases, permits and a slew of other functions. Galperin's persistence helped persuade officials to put a number of the commission's recommendations into practice, such as its call for an inspector general overseeing city collections. But other proposals hit a dead end in the council's Audits and Governmental Efficiency Committee, which Zine chairs.
VIDEO: Interviews with L.A.'s mayoral candidates
The Times endorsed Galperin four years ago when he ran for an open seat in the council's 5th District, noting his "keen interest in improving accountability and fiscal prudence in City Hall." His advisory work for the city and county shows Galperin to be detail-oriented, driven and imaginative, especially when it comes to the revenue side of the ledger. His main weakness is that he's focused too often on revenue, overlooking the controller's broader ability to push for better city services.
Brazeman, who runs a marketing company on the Westside, recognizes just how wide the controller's franchise became when voters adopted the new charter. His vision for the office is by far the most ambitious: He sees it as a way to prod departments to make the city a better place to live and work. Brazeman says he would use the controller's performance audits to try to streamline business permits, fix streets, improve how the police and fire departments allocate their resources and hold down salaries and benefits for city workers.
For someone with no experience in local government, that's a big lift. But Brazeman has shown as an activist in recent years that he's adept at analyzing city operations and finances. He was an early critic of the Fire Department's lagging response times, and his warnings about the city's exposure to risk on the downtown stadium project led to important changes in the financing.
Brazeman is right that the city's financial problems are too severe to be solved just by collecting revenue more efficiently, and that the controller has an important role to play in improving the day-in, day-out operations of city departments. But an effective controller also needs to be focused and persistent to bring about the changes the office's audits demand. Otherwise, he'll be little more than a headline-grabbing gadfly. In our judgment, Galperin is the best choice on that score, and the candidate most likely to develop an effective working relationship with the departments whose performance the controller scrutinizes. The Times urges a vote for Ron Galperin for controller.
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I was asked to write something for Howies' Autumn catalogue on the theme of "Positive Energy".
I was in a particularly punchy mood as I wrote I think, and the backdrop of a summer thunderstorm tipped me in a direction that… Well, let's just say I wasn't exactly surprised when it wasn't printed – it's not quite 'on-brand" for them – but it'll fit in just fine round here. So – remembering that although I've added some links, it's written for print, not the web – here's what I turned in:
Positive Energy / for Howies / Matt Jones / 871 words. 7.7.09
As I write this there's a thunderstorm over my head.
It's a cracking one too, literally. The thunderclaps are ear-splitting and it's blowing the rubbish around on the dilapidated flat roof our studio windows over look.
The energy released by an average thunderstorm, according to wikipedia amounts to about the equivalent of a 20-kiloton nuclear warhead going off. A large, severe thunderstorm might be 10 to 100 times more energetic.
In a digital window in front of me, I'm reading the twitter posts of a friend (Gavin Starks, @agentgav, founder of carbon calculator http://www.amee.cc) who's attending the "World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment" with luminaries such as Lord Brown, former head of BP, Sir David King, the government's former chief scientist and Mr Inconvenient Truth himself, former vice-president Al Gore. It's an impressive line-up to be sure. But some of the most impressive things he's recounting are coming from a delegation from China.
For instance, this from Dr Christine Loh (1), of Civic Exchange, China: "China believe they've cracked thin-film solar for domestic use" To explain it very simplistically: thin-film solar technology brings the price of renewable energy of the sun into the same ball-park as non-renewable sources such as oil and coal. That China, the factory of the world, is going to start cranking this stuff out could be game-changing, and biosphere-saving.
That China could become the world's number one economic superpower has been received wisdom for a while now. What's new is the suspicion they might be able to turn around their rapid ascent to claiming the top polluter crown from the USA. In fact, they might take the lead in clean, green technology from the West.
Gavin also reported this factoid from Al Gore: "China now plants twice the number of trees than the rest of the world put together. Every citizen must plant three"
Not should, not encouraged – MUST. And of course that's part of the inconvenient truth about China – that their political system and attitudes to individual freedom are very different to those we hold dear in 'The West'.
But – what if that's what it takes to survive?
Al Gore again: "We must connect the soil to the energy to the built environment, to our population and to our politics". We're in a highly individualistic democratic society. Do we have something positive and captivating enough as a vision to get us there?
We've done it before. Over the last month I've been watching the commemorative programmes on the telly marking the 40th anniversary of the manned landings on the moon. Not only were they the product of the NASA Apollo space programme – more broadly speaking, they were the product of an ideological battle between the USA and USSR in the cold war.
And it got me thinking strange thoughts: would it have been better for the long term future if McCain and Palin had got in? If America were seized by a new ideological battle – frustrated and bruised from a prolonged, controversial war on an abstract noun, nationalist fervour was directed into a technological crusade to make sure China doesn't reign supreme in green.
Instead of a space race, an earth race…
Technology isn't the answer to everything – but hair-shirt green thinking isn't either. Back-to-the-land doesn't scale when there's going to be 10 billion of us on it, and that's even without the now-almost-inevitable changes in the climate. It's certainly not the route China's going to take.
Now, wondering whether GM food or nuclear power might have to gain widespread acceptance, or whether freedom is compatible with survival, or that Obama's not going to push the US and the West far enough away from legacy thinking is pretty challenging to my personal politics. But, thinking through these kind of 'counter-factual' scenarios can throw up interesting possibilities. When we're ready to think about throwing away the things that we hold most precious, we can see new ways to hold on to them.
Another friend, Sascha Pohflepp, just graduated from the Royal College of Art with a fascinating project illustrating a counter-factual history where Jimmy Carter won against Ronald Reagan, and gave us a 1980s where the arms race was transmuted into an energy race; where a fictional government agency – "The Golden Institute" (2), turns Nevada into a weather lab and Vegas into an array of gaudy lightning catchers that supply the USA with power; where the kiloton energies of thunderstorms are engineered with silver-iodide balloons, and giant gyroscopes near the North Pole harness the world's rotation to keep the lights on in the West, while slowing down the Earth just enough to make the days longer in the USA than Russia…
Fantastic, crazy, impossible stuff – imagined with the scale and scope and audacity and sacrifice and ruthlessness that got us to the moon. That showed us the Earth. That might keep us here.
That China might be ready for.
Where's our vision of a bright green future?
There's the thunder again.
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Loh
(2) http://www.pohflepp.com/?q=goldeninstitute


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Drexel, Anthony Joseph
Drexel, Anthony Joseph drĕk´səl [key], 1826–93, American banker and philanthropist, b. Philadelphia. He entered (1838) at an early age the well-known banking firm of Drexel and Company, founded by his father, Francis Martin Drexel, an Austrian immigrant. Anthony became a partner, and later under his dominant leadership the firm expanded extensively. Drexel Institute (now Drexel Univ.), opened in 1892, was the most important of his many philanthropies.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Business Leaders


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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In an effort to motivate Americans to save for their retirement, Merrill Edge® today introduced Face Retirement, a social tool that ages a picture of consumers, enabling them to see how they will look years down the line.
"In a Stanford University experiment, people who saw age-enhanced images of themselves were more likely to save more for retirement, compared to those who weren't exposed to their future selves," said Alok Prasad, head of Merrill Edge. "Face Retirement is designed to minimize that gap by giving consumers a preview of their future self, encouraging them to take control of long-term financial planning."
According to the fall 2012 Merrill Edge Report, half (52 percent) of mass affluent have saved less than $250,000 for retirement. As a result, more than half of respondents plan to retire later than they had one year ago (56 percent), a year-over-year increase of 19 percent from November 2011.
To use the Merrill Edge Face Retirement tool, visit http://faceretirement.merrilledge.com.
Consumers can input their age and gender and use a webcam to provide their photo. Merrill Edge users can then:
- View images of what they will look like at various ages in the future.
- Preview forecasted costs of living.
- Learn about options to begin saving today.
- Share pictures of their future self on Facebook.
Merrill Edge enables clients to seamlessly manage their Merrill Edge investment accounts and Bank of America bank accounts via its online platform, phone capabilities and branch offices. Clients have the choice to manage their money on their own via an online, self-directed investment account. As an alternative to an online investing account, clients can open a type of account that enables them to receive investment guidance and specific recommendations from a licensed Financial Solutions Advisor by phone or in select banking centers.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 55 million consumer and small business relationships with approximately 5,500 banking centers and approximately 16,300 ATMs and award-winning online banking with 30 million active online banking users. Bank of America is among the world's leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to more than 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations in more than 40 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Visit the Bank of America newsroom for more Bank of America news.
Banking products are provided by Bank of America, N.A., and affiliated banks, Members FDIC and wholly owned subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation.
Merrill Edge is available through Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (MLPF&S), and consists of the Merrill Edge Advisory Center (investment guidance) and self-directed online investing.
MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, Member SIPC and wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation.
Investment products:
|Are Not FDIC Insured
|Are Not Bank Guaranteed
|May Lose Value
© 2012 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.


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From the Winter, 2010 issue: A Symposium on Caritas in veritate.
Nicholas J. Healy, Jr. (bio): Caritas in veritate and Economic Theory
From the text:
. . . Benedict is also asking us to re-conceive the meaning of economic activity and economic logic; the study of "efficient use of scarce resources" is not realistic. There is "more" to economic relations than efficiency or utility. The "economy" allows for an exchange of goods between members of the human family; market exchanges are an integral part of human life and the common good of humanity. The logic of gift is not extraneous to the logic of the market; it rather opens the door to good economic analysis. . . (full text)


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I have been swimming in the social media space for a couple of months now, but there are times when I feel great anxiety about proper netiquette. Like, "hand me a brown paper bag" anxiety. When it flares up alongside spelling and grammar worries, I might as well sit in a corner and rock until the feeling goes away.
But it never does. It's probably because I am, at heart, an introvert and people pleaser. I might as well get "LOVE ME!" tattooed on my forehead. At least then people know what they're dealing with. My need to be loved, looks like this in the real world:
I wanted to use a picture of Benedict Cumberbatch photobombing U2, but I had a panic attack about what was legal to use. Then, I thought I'd use a photo of Pinkie Pie, who is a needy and energetic, and suitable to represent my people-pleasing angst. Once again… copyright. I do not want to tick off the Ponies. So, I decided to draw my own image of Pinkie Pie. I know. It's awesome.
Ah, yes. Twitter. It's 140 characters, chock full of wit & wisdom. I understand the basics; tweet a few times a day, don't promote only your stuff, interact with your virtual friends, and don't tell the world when you're using Twitter in the bathroom. What I get stressed out about is…. When do I favorite? I usually favorite a tweet that I find amusing or when someone has tweeted me. But, what happens when I've had an interaction, but really don't have more to say? Do I just favorite? Do I add a winky face or emoticon? Is the person on the other end of the tweet sitting there, waiting for my reply and thinking, "Is she still there? Why is she not continuing this conversation? Forget her. I'm taking my ball and going home."
Other things I worry about…. When retweeting, if I want to add a response, but there aren't enough characters, is it ok to delete parts of someone else's tweet? It reminds me of college when I'd ask a friend to read one of my term papers to make sure it made sense and they would start shuffling my words around. Stick in an Oxford comma or tell me to tighten things up, but don't squirrel with my words. It's not cool. Does the same thing apply in the Twitterverse?
And, when is it OK to unfollow someone? I was following someone who I thought was humorous, and then their tweets turned into selling their own stuff and links to other random things. No real thought or interaction. For the longest time, I kept following them because I thought they followed me too, when I finally checked out their feed to see if they did tweet anything other than self-promotion, I saw they weren't following me. I nipped that twit-lationship in the bud real fast.
Speaking of unfollowing, why is it that some people will follow you to get a followback, and then unfollowing you? In the words of Stephanie Tanner, "How rude!" Why is that a thing? I am probably putting more into Twitter than need be, but I follow people that I think I'll find interesting, or at least will promote the heck out of me when I am my hilarious self. It just seems so cheap and dirty to do otherwise. All I can say is, "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
When I started blogging, I thought I would whip up brilliantly humourous blogs every other day, no problem. I had outlined several topics, set aside time to write, and had been inspired by other bloggers via Facebook and Twitter. I burned through a couple topics, and then it struck. Writer's Block. My muse left and I could only muster up my Dorothy Parker-esque wit every few days (okay, I'm no Dorothy Parker, but, you know, maybe one day). Then, worry set in. Am I not REALLY a writer? My readers will leave me! And if I'm not writing, I'm not commenting! And I look ungrateful! I am an uninspired, ungrateful hack! Commence heavy breathing into a paper bag! In, out, in, out, in, out…. Getting light headed here….
PR Friendly
I read an article that compared labeling oneself as "pr friendly" to having a sign that reads, "Will work for cupcakes."* Part of me thought, "Hey! I like cupcakes! I would work for those." And then another part thought, "Am I tarting myself out for cupcakes just to be left with an empty wrapper when the company is done with me and my Twitter followers abandon me for being such a tart?" Other than obviously putting too much thought into cupcakes and tartery, I was faced with a moral dilemma. Would my blog/twitter feed/whatevs turn into me promoting stuff? Would I feel compelled to write things like, "Hanging with my hubs on our new #SealyPosturpedic mattress. I'm getting good sleep tonight!" The thought makes me want to vurp. Or maybe that's the sushi I had for dinner.
You know… some slutty cupcakes might make me feel better. I think I'll eat them on my Sealy mattress.
*I can't find that article anywhere. If anyone knows what I'm talking about and has the URL, let me know. Thanks, love you, mean it.