text:
From the editors: When you look at Rich Villar's writing, his command of language is striking. Not just in the sense of writing well – although that, also – but in the sense that he understands the nuances of tone and diction like few others. In interspersed English and Spanish, Villar captures the emotional resonance of language, the political and class ramifications of word choice, and a thousand splintery details besides. This sense of reality, with all of its messiness and subtle negotiations, is at the core of what makes Villar such a vital and compelling writer.
Latino Studies
By Rich Villar
sacred cristobal colon island outposts,
empires relocated stone by stone to the sea,
misnomer maps cracking new smiles to new nations
border lines looped around the neck of ownerless dust
moving melancholies of iron bellies purifying temples
economies of raw wrists, sifting tongues
names rattled in cheeks, spit for building clay
gothic architectures pushed through infertile soil
honed edges glided through soft slave throats,
tupac amaru's tongues torn, language betrayed
patois spanish creole mixto yoruba yenyere bruca manigua
machetes burned claiming old blood and new blood
mestizaje risen in the voice of el zambo manuel
silver memories quickened the feet of bronze titans
monroe doctrines and catholic teachings
title passed from South to North, set down in constitutions
negritude, mambises, bolivar guevara dictadura,
allende and neruda buried in the same grave,
debt piles and roosevelt corollaries.
FROM: email@example.com
SUBJECT: RE: Latino Studies Conference
Yes! This is all exciting! Great stuff. Let me run this past the head of the department and see if I should apply for travel stipends. I'm going to email you the Call For Proposals today or tomorrow. If you have any support materials, please, if you would, when you have a chance, the deadline is tomorrow, attach me their hot urban spoken word, attach reclaimed epithets, attach black and gold Yankees caps, attach Pun's wife pistolwhipped on camera, attach the recipe for your mother's pasteles, attach a pregnant 15 year old Dominican, attach a copy of the Young Lords documentary, attach a copy of Samuel Huntington's essay on Latino assimilation. If you need help with the language, send me an email and you can copy what I did last year. Don't worry so much about including uplift or machetes in your proposal. I'm sure someone in the audience will provide that. Maybe we can even open up the floor to questions.
From Villar: I remember meeting Willie Perdomo at the Bronx Museum in late 2003 or so, when I was just a baby poet. I said something utterly fanboy to him, and I remember muttering something about not wanting to write for the slam, or not wanting to write a lot of easy spoken word stuff. Because I wanted to sound smart in front of someone I respect. I realize now that I've been having some form of this conversation with him, and myself, ever since.
The nice thing about having mentors like Willie is that when he gets to talking with you, he'll immediately squash your fanboy language and place himself in the context of colleague—he'll tell you, without telling you, there's no need to fawn or feel intimidated, because I'm a poet just like you, and you have important things to talk about, things to say about poetry, the culture, and so forth. It's funny, you read about how poets were in conversation with each other, one perhaps looking up to the other, and the relationship seems almost matter-of-fact to them, something obvious. I count it as a blessing, a rare one, even.
What I admire about Willie, what I can relate to, is his desire not to be pinned into one particular style or subject matter, to keep moving forward the way Miles Davis did. The poem Have It Your Way is a mosaic of sorts, a groundbreaking interrogation of the diasporic Puerto Rican experience. It asks necessary questions about authenticity, post-colonial politics, and how poets are permitted to capture these contradictions using language. It is also turns out to be somewhat prophetic, because the student strikes at the University of Puerto Rico are turning these questions over in our heads yet again.
Have It Your Way first appeared in So Much Things To Say: 100 Poets from the First Ten Years of the Calabash International Literary Festival, edited by Kwame Dawes and Colin Channer.
Have It Your Way
By Willie Perdomo
You should start talking about the half-Puerto Rican girl
in your workshop who used a palm tree in her symbol exercise.
Paradise, she says. That's what it means.
You tell her that on the way to workshop
your taxi caught a red light at the intersection
of Fernández Junco y Avenida Kennedy in Santurce
& you saw Anacaona sitting under a palm tree,
picking shingles off her arms. You saw her
do a sloppy open back to outside turn toward your car
& break into a salsa rendition of Jingle Bells.
She pushed her beat-up, super size Burger King cup
against the driver's window, asked for some epidemic chip-ins,
because her habit just got bigger by one trimester.
Freddy the Touristica driver said that you
don't see what you just saw in the tourist guides,
so fijate.
Real will recognize real once they see
that your R's were traded for L's
& your S's got clipped somewhere
across the Atlantic.
Don't go to the beach in the winter—
you won't find real Puerto Ricans &
at least three construction workers
from DR will opine that if PR
goes free the sand will go quick &
you just ain't ready for that kind of noise.
On the way to pick up his financial aid package,
Carlito received a voicemail from his Tio Pedro.
It said that Mami Juanita just walked into a precinct,
strapped head-to-toe with dynamite sticks,
demanding that the San Juan Ritz-Carlton Casino
give back all her Social Security checks.
First Tuesday of every month
dale pa Viejo San Juan, Noches de Galería.
Beware of bleached trigueñas, dudes
who thread their eyebrows & Pro-Statehood politicos
who use bomba y plena groups to fundraise.
Tap a cobblestone for good luck and with
the best of luck you'll end up at Café Seda,
on your tenth can of Medalla, DJ Velcro
spinning the summer jam out of you.
You might even try to get symbolic with it
& puff a blunt by El Morro, putting yourself
in the persona of the first dude who saw Columbus
& told him to take off the brim, lose the doublet,
get rid of the girdle, it's hot, yo & you being
the Paseo Boricua that you are,
the dirt-eating Ponceña that you are,
the Filiberto Ojeda Ríos that you are,
the che-che cole that you are, the thirty
seconds it takes to steal a car that you are,
the olive skin Buddhist pop star that you are,
will pass Columbus the blunt & tell him to
take a hit before the government is forced
to shut down for a day.
Now remember—your conjugation game
needs to be tight. It's true—Puerto Ricans
love for free. But in the immortal words
of my compay John, "What the fuck is a vosotros?"
After the first ¡hola! you will be from out there,
de afuera, no matter your authentic Taíno DNA pattern,
no matter how many boleros abuelo sang when you were born,
no matter how many flags are hanging out your window.
You don't hear as many coquís these days so when
the mic opens remember how Don Pedro blasted
the interrogator with that me cago en la madre
que te pario, cabrōn but you have to make sure
that you do it all in lengua madre because there will be
that one dude dressed in full black regalia who will
crash your class, set fire to a stolen PNP poster &
without saying whaddup, what's going on brother,
he will ask you, the Visiting Nuyorican Poet,
if you know Spanish.
From Villar: In December 2008, Raina Leon, my co-editor, sent along that month's submissions for The Acentos Review for perusal and proofreading. Sean Dalpiaz's poem Volvió A Nacer hit me, not like a ton of bricks, but a punch to the gut. His sparse lines are evocative of William Carlos Williams (a Boricua writer, point of order!) as well as Pedro Pietri, in that every line hits, and every line builds. Emjambment is your friend, people!
In a poem published in Boog City 48, A Round Walk, Dalpiaz' takes on Pablo Neruda's image-rich Walking Around by resetting it inside a prison. Here's a line I wish I'd written: "One man's steam is the next man's melted dream." Considering how many of Neruda's colleagues ended up in prison themselves, I'd like to think Neruda would have appreciated the new perspective.
I'd like to see Sean write some stupid-long poems, book length maybe, just to hear where that voice goes, and what it builds to. What it builds.
A Round Walk
By Sean M. Dalpiaz
Rounded steel ordering footsteps that grant a thought
to a guard's lips;
lip service cracks the concrete, the state workers
plow their machines through to fill the cracks
with hot tar;
the masked never walk on hot tar,
one man's steam is the next man's melted dream;
these are the days spent hoping
the back door will be open;
a straight-faced silent obsession and compulsion sets in as
the texture of fake wood railings ooze their oils
onto frightened palms,
locks turn,
and the shuffling from both sides begins:
"the other prisoners": a duty or chance to release someone
else's beliefs,
the prisoners: an ease, a breathing backwards stance of courage,
of life;
a scattered, rushed breech of confidence stolen
from some false idol's sermon.
I scatter the images and check if my heart is still
In place.
Not dance.
All faces are blurred and stretched:
I smile at its temporary nature.


text:
These Oceanic Forest aquariums are unbelievable. The very realistic looking forests are actually completely submerged in water, but still manage to look like they're real forests. The underwater forest worlds are a hobby in Asia and are created as gardens for fish and to create mini biospheres.
The realistic oceanic forest aquariums are created by ADA Japan and are not only just fish tanks, but pieces of art as well. Imagine having one of these oceanic forest aquariums in your house? So cool!
ADA Japan Creates Underwater Forest Habitats that Look Real
Allison Love — May 22, 2010 — Eco
References: adana.co.jp & blog.jonathanarena.me

subset: commoncrawl


text:
What is mediation?
Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution, giving parties an opportunity to resolve their dispute without going to trial. It is a voluntary process, meaning all parties must agree to participate and any party may terminate the mediation at any time.
If the parties agree, they will meet with a mediator: a neutral individual who does not decide the case for the parties nor act as an advocate for either party. Because of this, the mediator will not give any legal advice, but instead facilitates the parties in achieving a mutually acceptable resolution.
Why mediation over litigation?
Mediation is usually less costly and more expeditious than going to court.
Parties may explore many different options during mediation but remain free to return to the traditional court process at any point.
Mediation allows you to explore options that may be unavailable in court. You decide an outcome that's right for you.
Anything said during the mediation is completely confidential, meaning nothing can be repeated in court and the mediator cannot be called to testify as a witness at trial.
In mediation, you decide an outcome that is right for you rather than risk a potentially adverse decision by a judge or jury.
Why choose Korn Law Group?
Experience. Our mediators are highly respected attorneys that come from diverse backgrounds and practice areas. Such extensive legal expertise is augmented with ongoing training in mediation and alternative dispute resolution.
Commitment. We strongly believe in the mediation process and work hard to help people arrive at the best possible outcome of their dispute. Our mediators are dedicated to each stage of the mediation process – from preparing for the mediation to the signing of the settlement agreement.
Compassion. We provide a professional and comfortable environment and strive to handle complicated disputes in a friendly and dignified manner. In addition to legal and business acumen, our mediators possess the credibility, tact, patience, and settlement skills needed to resolve even the most contentious and complex matters.
What disputes are appropriate for mediation?
While the majority of disputes are appropriate for mediation, certain ones are not. Contact our office today for a free consultation to see if your dispute can be mediated.


text:
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Italian prog masterworks 4- New Trolls "Searching for a land"
5 comments:
Hi Colin,ReplyDelete
listen please carefully to this album, especially disc 1 and especially "A land to live, a land to die"... I'm sure that you'll love it!
Hi RobyReplyDelete
Listening to disk 1 now so I will let you know what i think tomorrow if i get the time(very busy at work at this moment). Sorry to inform you but the last track on disc 2 (Lying Here) wont extract as its corrupt
Cheers for now
Hi RobyReplyDelete
Ignore that last comment. I had a foul day yesterday and it didn't occur to me that the problem might be with me and not the file, in my haste I stopped the download before it had completed.
I really enjoyed the first disc and am listening to disc 2 as write this
Thank you for your comment, Colin... I'm very glad that you enjoy first disc, this is one of my preferred album of Italian prog. I will post another gem of New Trolls next weeks, Concerto grosso n° 1, and i suggest to all prog lovers to don't miss next Italian Prog masterworks post...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 12, 2011 at 5:52 PM
Looking for a 1983 new trolls song by called America Ok. Got that?ReplyDelete


text:
Coming into this season, I tried to avoid ramping up talks pertaining to the length of tenure that Coach Mark Fox may or may not have as the head basketball coach at the University of Georgia. I felt like such commentary might put a damper on a season that had yet to begin, even though some questioning of Fox's ability to lead this UGA team certainly seemed deserving.
For starters, how did a team with the SEC Player of the Year in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope manage to finish with a sub-.500 record?
Or, why is it that Georgia has had just one winning season in Fox's four years as head coach?
Under Fox, the Dawgs have reached the NCAA tournament once, though arguably that might have happened with or without him considering the talent he inherited in Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie.
While I may have resisted to mention Fox's vulnerability in regards to remaining the Dawgs' skipper, other media outlets did not shy away from putting CMF on their preseason "Coaches on the Hot Seat" lists:
NBC Sports, Athlon Sports and Yahoo Sports all listed Fox as a candidate that could potentially be ushered out the door at season's end.
After 11 games this year already it appears that Fox is going to need a major turnaround in conference play to salvage his job. Though Georgia is 6-5 on the season, the Dawgs have yet to beat a team from a power conference, losing games to Georgia Tech, Temple, Nebraska and Colorado – this does not bode well for SEC play.
In CBS Sportsline's RPI rankings, UGA currently sits at #271 in the nation – the lowest ranked team from a power conference. The Dawgs schedule thus far has been far from daunting – #303 in the country according to the same poll – which makes their barely above .500 record even more troubling.
As recently as December 5th, Daniel Karpuc of RantSports.com wrote an article – Top 10 College Basketball Coaches on the Hot Seat – identifying the coaches that were in the biggest trouble in terms of stability after the first month of the season.
Guess who Karpuc pinned down as the coach with the hottest seat? I will give you a hint: he spends a majority of his time inside Stegeman Coliseum.
Karpuc cited Fox's amazing records at Nevada, but then he went on to say that since Fox came to Georgia "the success has faded" and he is now "on the clock".
I will be the first to admit that I was fully onboard with Mark Fox's hiring, and I was excited to see what he would bring to the program heading into the 2009-2010 season.
However, I am going to need to witness a major change in the direction of this year's team before I can feel comfortable with CMF leading the Dawgs into the 2014-2015 season.


text:
The usual method to do this is for any player to begin dealing cards from the shuffled deck face up. It can be enjoyed by children as well as adults.
Use One Deck Of Cards To Play Solitaire Card Games Solitaire Card Game Playing Solitaire
When a match is made that player then can play.
How to play pitty pat. Before play begins, the first dealer should be determined. A player may only state a number. Anyone can play the pitty pat game at any time.
In fact, this game is often cited as the national card of that country, although it is relatively unknown outside that region. Learn how to play the card game pitty pat quickly and easily. See the written rules on gamerules.com.
Frustration rummy is a clever twist on the popular card game known as rummy. Pitty pat card game how to play. Entirely, grandma mcqueen years himself in the upshot town of radiator thingswhere he is input to raised preserve and which to cathedral.
Videos you watch may be added to the tv's watch history and influence tv recommendations. Seeing's cab is designed red, and has a debate grille with his name on pittg. How to play 'pitty pat' card game after receiving your hand of cards, see if you've got any numerical pairs and set them aside.
It is played by from two to four players with a standard 52 card pack. Although it may not seem obvious at first glance, pitty pat is essentially a rummy card game. Details can be found on the pitty pat page of the belizeans.com web site.
Rules of pitty pat to achieve the main objective of this game, that is to be the first to get rid of all the cards in your hand, you just have to match the cards in your. Pitty pat is the national card game of belize. The player who sits to the dealer's left starts the game.
Pitty pat is a very simple matching game where play is solely based on the rank of the cards. Pitty pat is the national card game of belize. This video teaches people how to play the card game pitty pat about press copyright contact us creators advertise developers terms privacy policy & safety how youtube works test new features.
Deal out the deck until each player has a total of 5 cards in his hand. How to play pitty pat menorahs wearing both twos of has, others or both just of clubs. The game is played using one standard 52 card deck with no real relative card ranking necessary amongst the cards in this game.
It is very easy to keep score while playing pitty pat. The card game pitty pat is played by two to four players. If you want to give your players the best possible gaming experience, and avoid sticky, bent, or torn cards, you're going to want to use a deck of denexa 100% plastic playing cards.
Shuffle and deal five cards to each player. Most hands take only a few minutes to play, and oftentimes less than that. In the end all players can tally their scores and the player with the greatest number of victories wins the game.
If you're looking for a card game that is easier for beginners to understand, why not give belize's favorite game pitty pat or idiot the card game a try. With a mechanism similar to that of conquian.the goal is to create 3 pairs starting from 5 cards at hand. You can do this by matching the discard pile's top card with the cards in your hand+.
The rest of the deck is placed toward the center with the top card flipped over and placed next to the deck. Starting from the left of the dealer, the player will aim to get rid of their remaining cards by drawing the same number from the deck to make a pair. How to play pitty pat | game rules & instructions.
The top card from the remaining deck is flipped over in a separate stack. All one needs to do is know how many pairs the player has made until all the rest of the cards are in pair form. Though it may not be apparent at first sight, pitty pat is essentially a rummy game with a similar mechanism to conquian, in which the objective is to make three pairs starting from a five card hand.
The last card discarded becomes the new upcard and play passes to the left. Then, turn the top card of. If you enjoy playing cards in a group when visiting a bar consider trying out some of our favorite darts games as well, such as 'killer' or 'shanghai'.
Each player is dealt five cards, and the objective is to make three pairs using those five cards. They begin by comparing the cards they have in hand to the upcard. Most hands take only a few minutes to play, so you'll easily be able to squeeze a game of pitty pat in on any given night.
Pitty pat is a very simple matching game where suits are irrelevant and play is solely based on the rank of the cards. This easy to learn card game is said to be popular in belize. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.
How to play pitty pat 1on1 lil mir vs mema sanders (fun commentary)!subscribed & hit notification subscribe to lil mir channel: The first person to make three pairs starting from a five card hand is the winner. If they have a card in hand of equal rank to the upcard, they must discard it along with any other card in hand they wish.
Pitty pat is a very easy matching mini game where play is solely based on the rank of the cards. How to play pity pat!
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text:
How did the Seacombe passageway, and the nearby Swimming Baths get their name?
Most people know of the public swimming baths on the Seacombe waterfront, named 'Guinea Gap Baths', but they might not know that this is the oldest public swimming pool on the Wirral. Costing £15,000 to build, it was opened on 7th April 1908, and, between that year and 1957, 205 world and national swimming records were set here.
Although it later had a very sophisticated filtration and heating system installed, originally the water was pumped into the pool directly from the Mersey. This meant that it was not only very cold but was a permanent murky-brown colour! But, why 'Guinea Gap'?
The name comes from a natural cleft, or gap, that had formed in the high embankment above the river, sometime in the early 18th century following a storm. The gap is still there but is now a paved pathway from the road down to the modern esplanade that runs along the Wallasey waterfront. However, when the gap first opened up it also created a large natural basin against the shore. This was big enough for a number of people to swim safely in at low tide. This proved to be very popular indeed, and local boys came here regularly to strip off and frolic about in the river waters.
But, around 1850, one of these youngsters felt something round and hard beneath his foot in the sand under the water. When he lifted up his leg to see what was caught between his toes, he, and his very excited friends, saw a golden guinea. This bore the head of King William III (1650-1702), so dated from the end of the 17th century.
The boys now scrabbled around in the sand, where they discovered around fifty of these valuable gold coins. As a result, the gap soon became known as 'The Guinea Gap', and the coins were believed to be some of the hoard of the local smuggler chieftainess, Mother Redcap. Her isolated tavern had stood for very many years, further along the coast at Egremont, where a large treasure had always been believed to have lain undiscovered.
What happened to the gold coins is not known; there are no records stating into whose pocket or bank account they eventually found their way. It is almost certain that the boys who found them never got to keep them, so all that remains of this curious incident today, is the Guinea Gap itself.


text:
"Whenever there are two people in the same room, there's politics."
– Eugene J Webb (1934-1995)
Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor for over 25 years
One of my former professors made the argument that anytime there are two people in a room, there's politics.
Normally the term "corporate politics" has an enormously negative connotation.
Politics = Bad
The reality is that politics simply describes the interplay between two or more people's goals.
If you and a co-worker have conflicting goals, that's politics.
If you and a co-worker's goals align, that too is politics.
The first case just feels worse.
It's politics in either case.
The key with politics that feels good (versus not) is the degree to which there's alignment between goals.
The first step to aligning goals is to recognize 1) your goals, and 2) the other person's goals.
If you have a fairly open relationship with the other person, you can often just ask them what they're trying to accomplish.
However, in many cases, people are not always candid and open about their goals — especially if the goal isn't socially acceptable to others in the organization.
For example, if your boss's goal is to replace her boss — she might not be willing to tell you.
However, if your boss's goal as Vice President of Sales is to hit the annual sales target for the company, she'll likely be very open about that goal.
There's a simple rule for how to be politically savvy. It's quite simple really.
Help others achieve their goals.
That's it.
There are two practical challenges with this simple concept.
1) You need to determine the other person's goals through a combination of asking and observing.
2) You need to figure out a creative way to embed YOUR goals as a byproduct of the other person's goals.
I'll give you a simple example.
When you first signed up for this newsletter, I promised to provide you with help and assistance in developing case interview skills.
If you signed up, it's fairly likely that your goal at the time was to gain familiarity with the case interview.
My goal was to build a website that would get a lot of word-of-mouth referrals.
Now, these two goals are not mutually exclusive.
Your getting better at the case interview does NOT cancel out my ability to build a website on word-of-mouth referrals.
My goal of getting word-of-mouth referrals to my website does NOT cancel out your ability to gain familiarity with the case interview.
In my case, I opted to provide a lot of free and useful resources to improve one's case interview skills.
Many of you found the assistance helpful enough to suggest that others visit CaseInterview.com.
(This is the main reason why CaseInterview.com gets over a million visitors a year. Thank you for helping me achieve my goal.)
This too is a form of "politics."
The key to being effective at "politics" is to figure out what other people want and help them get it in a way that includes you getting what you want.
To do this effectively, it helps to have the emotional intelligence skills to notice what other people care about.
It is impossible to be effective in this collaborative style of "politics" when you're only oriented on yourself.
You absolutely must develop an external orientation (though not at the expense of ignoring your own goals either).
It's the underlying ability to notice how others respond emotionally to the people and ideas around them that gives you the insight to be politically effective (in a way that's welcomed by others).
To develop an effective orientation around others also requires you to have excellent emotional self-awareness and emotional management.
There's a reason that in a heated argument, most people can't focus on the other person… they're too busy feeling irritated, angry, or self-conscious to pay attention.
Having a high emotional intelligence involves equal parts knowing (and managing) yourself emotionally, and knowing other people in the same way. The former provides the foundation for the latter.
If your education and professional development have provided too little exposure to developing your EQ skills, I invite you to learn more about my class on How to Develop Your Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to Advance Your Career.
I will be releasing How to Develop Your EQ later this month for a limited time. To join the notification list for the release and receive my emails about emotional intelligence, just complete the form below.
Yes, Please Notify Me About Any Future Release of the Class on How to Develop Your Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
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We'll never spam you or share your email. Unsubscribe at any time.


text:
Based on Long-standing IP call recording technology, Synway has upgraded its USB-based license to Cloud license, enabling software developers and system integrators to quickly respond to customer needs. This upgrading delivers some tangible values for Synway's over 500 partners worldwide:
Improve delivery efficiency: license could be provided instantly and automatically from WEB;
Minimize Cost: cloud license helps customers shorten development cycle and reduce expense;
Higher security: sophisticated encryption technology to protect users'software security;
The VoIP recording software stacks, named SynIPR, inherits Synway SIP and media processing technologies and have been optimized and customized to comply with mainstream IP-PBX and IP phoneset(please refer to Synway's website for compliance list). It consists of two components: SynIPAnalyzer and SynIPRecorder. SynIPAnalyzer is responsible for monitoring and analysis of sessions over IP lines and transferring the RTP packets to be recorded to SynIPRecorder. SynIPRecorder is for recording of the received RTP packets and writing them to the hard disk.
Key Features:
Flexible monitoring modes of protocols and ports
The monitoring of multiple protocols is supported by SynIP Analyzer, and the types of protocols that can be supported are increasing. The driver provides configuration items and API., users are able to monitor certain kinds of protocols and ports through the configuration item to fix configuration, and the monitoring of protocols and ports can be changed dynamically as well.
Convenient and efficient monitoring way
Both general monitoring and station monitoring are supported by SynIP Analyzer, that two different monitoring ways are able to meet various monitoring requirements via API flexible changing methods of monitoring.
Considerate event types
Various event types are provided by SynIPAnalyzer, including call control events, status events, media events, terminal events, and D channel events. Therefore users are offered enough information from these considerate events to program the application.
Unified D-Channel Events
Adopting unified API like Synway's other call recording products, SynIPR's D-Channel events are the same as Synway's DST series. Developers and System integrators could migrate TDM-based applications to IP-based effortlessly.
Unified SynCTI Driver Development Platform
Synway's unified SynCTI driver development platform can be used in conjunction with the other boards in the same environment, using an unified API, configuration items and event interfaces.
Supports simultaneous monitoring of a variety of protocols on a same line
Support D-channel events parsing
Support telephone administration
Support session administration
Support RTP administration
Support configuration of monitoring protocols
Support a variety of monitoring modes
Characteristic Features
Flexible Ways to Monitor Protocols and Ports
Multiple Monitoring Modes
Abundant Event Types
Unified D-channel Event IDs
Flexible Authorization Strategy
Authorization Code Identification Circuit
Synway's Unified SynCTI Driver Development Platform
Supports a variety of recording formats
Supports a variety of RTP streaming formats
Multiple recording methods, including recording of incoming calls, recording of outgoing calls, mix recording of incoming and outgoing calls, are optional
Support of volume adjustment
Support of DTMF parsing
Both file recording and memory recording supported
Supports more than one way to stop recording
More than one format optional to save the recording file
Support query of recording status
Support recording pause and re-recording
Support distributed recording
Support reconnection from the break point
Characteristic Features
Distributed Architecture
Various Encoding Formats Supported
Supports Standard WAV File
Various RTP Decoding Formats Supported
Supports Memory Recording
Flexible Authorization Strategy
Authorization Code Identification Circuit
Synway's Unified SynCTI Driver Development Platform


text:
Geneva Sound System Model XL Wireless / Black
Chapelle Chalkboard
Chapelle Chalkboard: Dimension shown 55" wide x 86" high.
Also available in 42" wide x 73" high.
Solid wood frame in wood finish with some hand distressing. Also available in white wash finish. The frame comes complete with two vintage lights in pewter finish.
How to buy
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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
The Street Maintenance Division is under the direction of Deputy Director of Public Works, Michael Wodalski. The Village of Weston has approximately 300 miles of paved public streets, The Streets Department provides maintenance of city street right-of-way, including patching, paving, seal coating, traffic control signage and street sweeping In addition, the department provides for the snow and ice removal from streets in the winter.


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It took five days to incorporate details into my design for the mural that will be painted by 20-25 muralists during the Seward Music and Arts Festival, September 23-24, at the Alaska Railroad Terminal, Seward, Alaska. I am working on a very reduced scale drawing, and it still fills my 5' wide drafting table. The final product will be 8' high and 34' long and will be mounted on the exterior of a building in downtown Seward.
So far I have spent two days applying color to the design, and assigning a number to each color. These numbers will be placed in their respective spaces on a line drawing that will be projected to size on the mural panels. The muralists will paint each area the assigned color.
Designing this mural is an exacting and complicated task. As I add color, I am constantly changing the design to make the color choices more pleasing and to make the composition work. The subject is a garden of wildflowers, emphasizing wild iris and the Alaska state flower the forget-me-not. The mural will give the residents and tourists in Seward a glimpse of summer all year long, and I am certain they will enjoy this colorful scene during the long dark cold months of winter.
I expect I have at least another week of work to complete the color mockup, maybe longer. The mural project has to take a rest right now, because we have an art show to do and visitors from southern California staying with us. Keep checking my blog, I'll keep you posted with updates on the progress of the mural.
Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist


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Lawmakers expressed shock and concern after learning that President Trump had revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador during a meeting in the Oval Office last week, according to current and former U.S. officials.
"Obviously, they are in a downward spiral right now and have got to figure out a way to come to grips with all that's happening," Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said of the Trump administration.
"The chaos that is being created by the lack of discipline is creating an environment that I think makes — it creates a worrisome environment," he said.
[Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador]
Trump's disclosures jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State, according to the officials. The information Trump relayed, officials said, had been provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government.
The news created a sensation as it spread through Washington and up to Capitol Hill on Monday, where senators were returning for evening votes.
"If the report is true, it is very disturbing," Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. "Revealing classified information at this level is extremely dangerous and puts at risk the lives of Americans and those who gather intelligence for our country. The President owes the intelligence community, the American people, and Congress a full explanation."
A spokesman for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) emphasized the importance of safeguarding sensitive intelligence.
"We have no way to know what was said, but protecting our nation's secrets is paramount. The speaker hopes for a full explanation of the facts from the administration," Ryan spokesman Doug Andres said in a statement.
The revelation came at a sensitive time for the president, who less than a week ago cited "this Russia thing with Trump" in explaining why he fired FBI Director James B. Comey, who was leading an investigation into Russia's interference with the 2016 election. Investigators are already probing possible coordination between Trump's campaign and the Russian government, and the president has struggled to shake the issue as he tries to advance his legislative agenda.
The news is likely to raise questions on Capitol Hill about Trump's handling of classified information. It could also increase pressure on investigators looking into Trump's possible ties to the Kremlin.
And it could pull attention away from Republicans' policy priorities this week. The Senate GOP is working to hammer out the details of a health-care plan, and the House is returning from a one-week break.
The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee called the news a "slap in the face to the intel community."
"Risking sources and methods is inexcusable, particularly with the Russians," Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) tweeted around 6 p.m.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the panel, said the report was of the "gravest possible concern."
"This kind of disclosure could harm national security by jeopardizing important sources of information needed to disrupt terrorist attacks," Wyden said in a statement.
In Moscow, a Russian Foreign Minister spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, posted a statement on Facebook denying that classified information was provided by Trump, calling the reports "yet another fake." But denials by Moscow were expected to avoid being pressed for further details.
As senators gathered for their first vote of the week, Republicans and Democrats said they were worried about the developing story. The House was not in session Monday evening.
"Pretty terrifying," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). "If true, it is astonishing, appalling and should be investigated. It was astonishing and absolutely surprising. I would never have imagined the chief executive of our great nation would undertake that kind of disclosure."
Sen. John Thune (S.D.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, said, "I would be concerned anytime we're discussing sensitive subjects with the Russians." Thune reacted after an initial briefing on the news report and said he had not reviewed details.
Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), a member of the Intelligence Committee, said he'd only heard the basics of the report but called them "very serious." He noted that fewer than 25 senators are ever given access to the nation's most sensitive secrets and he learns things he "can't even talk about with other senators."
If the reports are true, "it's very damning, very damaging," Manchin said, adding that such disclosures "would be extremely dangerous and concerning to all."
Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) said had he just read The Post story and, "if true, that would be genuinely shocking."
"It's disturbing if true," Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said.
Several senators said they did not know the details of The Post report but called the news troubling nonetheless.
"This is not the appropriate move on his part, and I just think it's part of a pattern of recklessness that we've got to get a handle on," said Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said, "We certainly don't want any president to leak classified information, but the president does have the right to do that … I think any president needs to be careful."
About a dozen reporters continued to stake out a bipartisan health-care meeting around 7 p.m., intent on asking questions about Trump. The scene was reminiscent of the prior week, when Capitol Hill was consumed by news of Comey's firing.
McCain, clearly flustered by reporters pressing for answers, walked off the Senate floor and said he hadn't read the reports, adding, "I can't comment on every breaking news story."
Later, he said: "That's why it's classified. They have a reason to classify it, okay? And when they say it's classified, if it was public knowledge, then it could hurt the national security of the United States. That's why we classify." He said the news would be "disturbing" if true.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was silent as he walked from his office to the Senate floor. Asked how concerned he was about Trump sharing information with Russian officials, he looked straight ahead, offering no reaction.
Sen. John Cornyn (Tex.), the Republican whip and a candidate to replace Comey as FBI director, said he didn't have "any information about that at all."
"I'm just not going to answer a hypothetical question," he told reporters.
Sean Sullivan and Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report.


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From farm to table… and beyond! What happens to all of the food that gets thrown away off of grocery store shelves or scraped off of our plates? These are some of the "outputs" of our food system, along with other kinds of waste, like chemical residues. And let's not forget about food packaging!
How Can We Help?
Just as with most other waste, there are three main ways we can reduce the impact of these outputs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle! As actors in our food system, we can encourage food distributors to utilize packaging that can be recycled and/or reused. Consider bringing your own takeout containers for your restaurant leftovers.
When we have food waste at home, we can incorporate composting to reduce and reuse the waste we have. If composting at home is too big of an endeavor, consider working with neighbors or with local producers to make better use of your compost.


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As the afternoon rolls along, we're getting details of the terms of the contract extension that Clay Matthews signed today with the Green Bay Packers.
With $3.73M left on his rookie deal and folded in, Clay Matthews' deal will come to about $69.73M over 6. Percy Harvin's 6-year take: $67M.— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 17, 2013
That's a lot of cash, Clay. And if you were wondering how much of it he's likely to get in 2013, here you go:
Clay Matthews will get paid $22 million by the end of 2013. A total of $27 million in the next 12 months.— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) April 17, 2013
Yikes. Then there's the big phrase nowadays, "guaranteed money", which means more than the maximum value of the contract. In this case, Matthews continues to clean up:
Numbers not precise but not far off: Matthews deal worth about $65 million in new money, including about $31 million gtd.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 17, 2013
That's a lot of green going to the best defender on the green and gold.


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Moonshine: Coming Soon to a Cocktail Near You
The Written Geek™/flickr
To try Derek's recipe for the Silver Fox, a high-octane moonshine cocktail, click here. Or scroll down to watch a video of a tasting with moonshine expert Max Watman, who was profiled in Wayne Curtis's "Hipster Moonshine" in the current issue of the Atlantic.
How often do you find yourself in a group of people sitting around a mason jar full of 'shine discussing the organoleptic features of the raw spirit, alternatively known as white dog, popskull, and panther piss?
"Chewy grain and malt character with a vibrant nose of apricot ..."
Well, for me that happened exactly once. I joined Max Watman—the author of Chasing the White Dog: An Amateur Outlaw's Adventures in Moonshine—and Atlantic editor Rachael Brown to taste a range of moonshines, some of which might have the long bearded, overall-clad hillbilly folk scratching their heads. House Spirit's 100% Malted Barley spirit from Oregon, for example, might not exactly fit the profile of most white lighting.
Why? Well, primarily because it's not poisonous. In fact, it's quite good. Moonshine or not, it's definitely at the forefront of an emergent trend: small batches of raw white spirits, or un-aged whiskey. Wayne Curtis does a great job of summarizing the current trend and Max's excellent book in his Atlantic article on hipster moonshine.
In the meantime, I found not only a few good spirits at the tasting but have also been able to scratch out some drink recipes as well. My favorite base is either the House Spirits 100% Malted Barley or, locally, Wasmund's Rye Spirit from the Copper Fox Distillery in Sperryville, Virginia. My favorite recipe is similar to San Francisco bartender Neyah White's White Manhattan. I substitute apricot brandy for the Benedictine and add a dash of Laphroiag 10-Year-Old Scotch Whiskey.
The smokiness of the Scotch brings the fullness of taste out of the white whiskey, which means this is a full-bodied, high-octane drink. But the fruit-driven apricot brandy and Dolin Blanc keep it well balanced. For an extra touch, add moonshine-soaked cherries.


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Balian has survived the devastating defeat on the Horns of Hattin, and walked away a free man after the surrender of Jerusalem, but he is baron of nothing in a kingdom that no longer exists. Haunted by the tens of thousands of Christians now enslaved by Saladin, he is determined to regain what has been lost. The arrival of a vast crusading army under the soon-to-be-legendary Richard the Lionheart offers hope -- but also conflict, as natives and crusaders clash and French and English quarrel.
It all started with Hollywood.
Ridley Scott's film "The Kingdom of Heaven" which describes the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin in 1187 in techno color captured my imagination. Being a historian by training (I have a PhD in it), however, and being equally familiar with Hollywood's tendency to – shall we say – take liberties with the historical record, I wondered just how much, if anything, in the film was true. To my astonishment, I discovered that Balian d'Ibelin, the hero of Ridley Scott's film. was a historical figure, and that he really had saved tens of thousands of civilians from slaughter and slavery in 1187!
What was more, just a cursory look at the facts revealed that his biography was not only significantly different from that of the Hollywood character, it was also significantly (at least in my eyes) more fascinating. Hollywood made him a blacksmith, but contemporary Arab chronicles described his as "like a king." In the film, he dallies with a princess, in history he married a Dowager Queen and founded a dynasty.
In the film, he is born in France and only arrives in the Holy Land shortly before it is overrun by the Saracens; historically Balian d'Ibelin played a leading role at the Frankish victory over Saladin at Montgistard in 1177, played a critical role in opposing the usurpation of the throne by Guy de Lusignan, and also succeeded in reconciling warring factions within the kingdom.
In the film, Balian doesn't take part in the fateful Battle of Hattin; in fact, Balian commanded the rear-guard and was one of the few noblemen to successfully fight his way off the field, while the majority became capives. Most intriguing of all, however, rather than returning to France to become a blacksmith again as in the Hollywood film, the historical Balian fought in the Third Crusade and was Richard the Lionheart's principle ambassador to Saladin in 1192.
In short, I felt Balian deserved a biography that reflected his historical accomplishments better than "The Kingdom of Heaven" did. I sat down to write a biographical novel – and it turned into a trilogy.
For readers tired of cliches, cartoons and fantasy, my three-part biography of Balian based on the above facts not only brings this important and attractive historical character back to life, it provides refreshing insights into everyday life in the late 12th century crusader states. Populated with complex characters, "Envoy of Jerusalem," provides psychologically sound explanations for the decisions and actions of the men and women who made history in this fateful place and period. It offers humans in place of villains and supermen.
"Envoy of Jerusalem" covers the critical five years between the fall of Jerusalem to the end of the Third Crusade. When the novel opens, Balian has survived the devastating defeat of the Christian army on the Horns of Hattin, and walked away a free man after the surrender of Jerusalem, but he is baron of nothing in a kingdom that no longer exists. Haunted by the tens of thousands of Christians captives now in Saracen slavery, Balian is determined to regain what has been lost. The arrival of a vast crusading army under the soon-to-be-legendary Richard the Lionheart offers hope - but also conflict as natives and crusaders clash and French and English quarrel.
This novel follows the fate not just of kings and barons, but also knights, squires, sailors and tradesmen. It particularly focuses on the horrific impact of a lost war on women - many of whom were condemned to slavery and prostitution in the wake of defeat. It also portrays the clash of cultures between the natives of the Holy Land and the crusaders. It, unlike most novels set in this period, describes the Third Crusade through the eyes of the men and women who called the Holy Land "home," rather than those that came out from the West. Likewise, Richard the Lionheart is shown as a man of many parts, rather than a brute, buffoon or paragon of virtue.
Last but not least, "Envoy of Jerusalem" explores the crisis in faith that the fall of Jerusalem produced among Christians of the period. The characters struggle with understanding the will of God and their individual role and place in the presumed divine plan. Hope I've whet your appetite!
Helena P. Schrader
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About the Author
Award–winning novelist Helena P. Schrader has a PhD in History. She has published non-fiction books on WWII and the Berlin Airlift. Her novels are set in Ancient Sparta, the crusades and WWII. The second book in her three-part biography of Balian d'Ibelin, Defender of Jerusalem, earned five literary accolades. The third book in the series, Envoy of Jerusalem, has won a Pinnacle Award for Biographical Fiction and been awarded a B.R.A.G. medallion. Helena is a U.S. diplomat currently serving in Africa. Find out more at Helena's website and blog. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter @HelenaPSchrader.


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• Psychiatric Evaluation & Diagnosis
• Therapy
• Medication Management
• Medication Management in Collaboration with Your Existing Therapist
• Coaching for Parents and Caregivers of Special Needs Children
• Coaching for Individuals and Couples
Psychiatric Evaluation & Diagnosis
When you request an appointment, we'll speak briefly over the phone so we can discuss if I can provide you with appropriate care prior to taking up your time.
In our initial consultation, I'll ask you about yourself, address any questions you may have for me, and begin a collaborative conversation about how to work together.
Talk therapy, or psychotherapy, is a tool that can increase your quality of life. Individual therapy can help you understand yourself, change how you think or act, make important decisions, adapt to major changes, find patterns in your current or past relationships, grieve over the loss of a loved one, make connections between your past and present realities, and learn how to deal with difficult people in your life.
We will take into consideration what you are struggling with and your past experiences with therapy to find a type of therapy that is appropriate for your current situation.
Medication Management
Psychopharmacology is part of my clinical training. All medication management will be collaboratively discussed with you to determine if it is necessary for treatment. Medication is just one form of treatment that you may benefit from in our work together. Other forms of treatment include different types of therapy, meditation, nutrition, exercise, coaching, and behavioral changes.
Personal & Life Coaching
You may prefer a more straightforward, problem-solving style that focuses on a particular dilemma you have in your life. With coaching, we will focus on crafting specific goals for you and exploring potential behaviors that may be holding you back in your relationships or career.
Parent/Caregiver & Academic Coaching
With a rich background as a special education teacher and classroom counselor working with adolescents who struggle with emotional, academic, and behavioral issues, I am in a unique position to understand how to best work with your child and you towards their academic and personal success.
My experience includes working with teenagers with mood, behavioral, and learning disorders related to anxiety, depression, trauma, eating issues, fighting with peers, destroying property, arguing with teachers and authority, impulsivity, inattention, obsessive-compulsive traits, experimenting with drugs, and difficulty with reading, writing, and math.
Adolescence is a difficult time developmentally, so sometimes teenagers with learning disabilities struggle academically and may have a pattern of behavioral acting out. Particularly when there is also a predisposition for depression or anxiety present, families and caregivers often find it overwhelming to help their child.
As parents or caregivers, it is hard to know exactly how to ensure the academic and psychological wellbeing of your children without support. You may find that your attempts to help your child are actually straining your relationship and causing stress in the household. Drawing from my experience, I can help you and your family with an individualized approach that may involve practicing behavior changes, undergoing individual or family therapy, implementing consistency in a busy schedule, and integrating medications, if necessary.
Get In Touch
(917) 858-1232
315 Madison Avenue, Suite 1301, New York, NY 10017
(866) 282 5533


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0 Can You Still Grow Your Business During COVID-19 Shutdown?
Yes, you can! There are several actions you can take to manage, improve, and grow your business from home during the COVID-19 business shut down. During the current COVID-19 outbreak, many businesses are closed and/or not able to perform their daily operations as normal. This obviously makes it quite difficult for small businesses to continue doing business as usual. However, this could be a good opportunity for businesses to focus on important areas of their business that may be neglected when operations are in full swing. Generally, small businesses have too much work and not enough time or personnel to accomplish everything. Taking advantage of this time to make improvements to your business online will surly benefit your business and your customers. Customer Engagement on Social Media Just about everyone is spending more time at home during the current crisis, so what are they doing? They're getting on the internet. This presents the perfect opportunity for your business to engage your customers on social media. There are various ways to engage your customers through social media. If you are offering online orders or curb-side service, you can offer a sales promo. You can run a contest asking for your customers to post a picture or video of themselves engaged with your product and offer an incentive for doing so. Posting consistent updates to social media and replying to each comment establishes your brand personality and makes it easier for customers to make a connection with your brand. In the fast-food industry, Wendy's does an excellent job of creating a fun and playful personality by making witty comments and jabs at other fast-food restaurants. If you have a service based business and unable to operate at this time, such as interior designing, hair salon, photography, etc., social media can still prove to be a valuable tool during this time to engage with your customers. You can post instructional, or how-to, videos on quick room decorating ideas, maintaining your hair coloring, utilizing natural lighting for photos, etc. These types of videos can be very beneficial for potential customers and could make them more inclined to choose your brand in the future. Eventually, you will be able to continue your business as usual. Interacting with customers during this down time will build a relationship with them and keep your business at top-of-mind for when your services are available once again. Update your Website Small businesses often create their website and don't make regular changes or updates because they simply don't have the time. Now is the perfect opportunity to update your website and improve your users' experience. This is especially important since most purchases and interactions with your business are done online. You should ensure that the navigation of your website is user-friendly and it's easy for customers to find what they are looking for. It's also a good idea to consider new design features. Website design trends are constantly changing, and outdated designs are unappealing to customers. Update your website design to appeal to the current trends and your customers will have a better experience on your site. Take a gander at our Above the Fold blog to learn more about current web design trends. Improve your SEO While you're updating your website, you should keep search engine optimization in mind. Optimizing your website for search engines will improve your website's visibility and make it easier for potential customers to find your products and services. To optimize your site there are several things to consider. Popular keywords can change frequently based on what people are searching for on search engines. Updating the keywords in your page titles and in the content of your pages will allow your website to appear more frequently in search engine results. Updating the meta descriptions on your website pages is also a good idea. This is the description that will appear on a search engine results page (SERP) and gives the viewer an idea of what your page is about. Google only allows a certain amount of space, based on pixels, to show a description. Since the amount of space is measured in pixels, it is difficult to determine exactly how many characters Google will show (some characters take up more pixels than others). This means that to ensure your most important information and keywords are visible to your viewers, they should be written in the beginning of your descriptions. Learn more about optimizing your SEO with Instagram and Google My Business. BONUS: Free SEO Report Learn from your Customers Learning from your customers is another great way to improve your business and customer service. Customer reviews are the best means of learning from your customers. If you haven't had the time to look at your business's customer reviews, now is the time to do so. From reviews, you can learn what your business has been doing well and where you could make improvements. Customer service is very important for small businesses, because generally they see a much smaller customer base than large corporations and depend on returning customers. Looking at your reviews, you may notice a common problem that many of your customers are experiencing. If the problem can be fixed, your customers will be more satisfied with your business and more likely to make a purchase. Even if the problem isn't fixed immediately or can't be fixed it's best to respond to all reviews to show other potential customers reading the reviews that you are making an attempt to improve and satisfy your customers. Learn more about increasing your website's visibility with customer reviews. Explore New Tools There are numerous free tools available that can help improve your business. The problem with many of these tools, however, is that there is a bit of a learning curve to use them effectively. Many of these tools are ignored because business owners don't have the time to learn them. Social media is one tool that all businesses should know and understand. There are various channels of social media to choose from, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Your business may already have a Facebook page but nothing else. You now have the opportunity to explore and expand to new social media channels and increase your reach to a new audience. Many social media channels also offer paid advertising for businesses. This feature is also often overlooked by small businesses that are short on time but could be worthwhile to explore the possibilities and opportunities of social media marketing. There are also various free analytics tools that can help you improve your website SEO and digital marketing strategy. Google Analytics is a free tool for businesses and provides helpful data about your website traffic, target audiences and can even be used to monitor ad campaigns. Getting to know and understand these analytics will help you make improvements to your website for usability, target specific audiences more effectively, and get the most out of your ad campaigns. Visit our Free Tools blog for more free tools that can help you improve your website. Conclusion Although this time of business closures and social distancing is challenging, it can be a great opportunity for small businesses to improve and update their operations. Eventually, everything will return to normal, but for now, it is best to make as many improvements to your business as possible and connect with your customers.
0 Above the Fold is Important to Your Website
"Above the fold" is a term that often refers to the top of a newspaper and is generally the most interesting or exciting topic in the entire paper. This is designed to attract the reader's attention and get them to purchase the newspaper. Due to the advancement of technology, this term has evolved and now applies to website design. The above the fold section of your website is the section that a viewer will see immediately upon viewing your site before they begin to scroll down. Just like the front-page article of a newspaper, the above the fold section of your website should be interesting enough to attract the attention of your viewers. Importance of the Fold The above the fold section of your website is one of the most important sections on your website. This will be the first thing anyone who visits your site will see, so it should be attractive and provide a positive first impression for your viewers. For B2B businesses, this section is a great place for a call to action. Businesses with a call to action above the fold generally generate more leads and tend to have higher conversion rates than businesses that do not. Where is the Fold? The section above the fold is impossible to measure exactly. The size of this section varies depending on the size of the screen and the device the viewer is using to view the site. In a best-case scenario with an average desktop screen size, the section is approximately 1,000 pixels wide and 600 pixels tall. This would mean that the window is maximized and there are no toolbars installed that would push the content downward. Using certain analytics, such as Google Analytics, you will be able to see which devices many of your viewers are using to access your site and adjust your design accordingly. Mobile Considerations The majority of today's online traffic comes from mobile devices. This must be taken into consideration when designing any aspect of a website but is especially important for the above the fold section. Since this is what your viewers will see immediately upon loading your site, it is a major deciding factor for the viewer to continue viewing or to leave your site. Most mobile viewers use their mobile device in portrait mode rather than landscape mode to search the internet. This means that your webpage will be turned sideways in order to fit to the screen. This could cause many different problems in your website content if it is not properly designed. This could contribute to a high bounce rate if many of your viewers are attempting to view your site on mobile and the content of your page above the fold does not appear properly. Designing Above the Fold Content When designing your above the fold content there are several considerations that you should account for. Many viewers make the decision to continue or leave a site within seconds, so they should be able to get a general idea of what your business is and what products/services you have to offer almost immediately. First, you should be sure to include a company logo so your viewers immediately see a recognizable logo and can easily determine that they have reached the correct site. This will also reinforce your brand image. Along with your company logo, there should also be a navigation menu that makes it easy for your viewers to find what they are looking for on your website. Another very important consideration is an image. The image above the fold will be one of the first things that catches a viewer's eye, so it should be attractive enough to keep the viewer's attention. You should also include an effective headline and some content that encourages the viewer to continue to view your website. A call to action could also be included above the fold and could potentially increase your lead generation. Lastly, your above the fold design should be unique. It is a good practice to look at competitors' web design to differentiate yourself and make your website stand out. Testing Your Design Testing of your design can be done through A/B testing. A/B testing is a comparison between two different versions of the same page. In this case, you would be comparing two different versions of your above the fold content. The changes you make could be as simple as rewording a header or changing your main image, or they could be a complete redesign of the page. Once both designs are completed it is time to test them. Design A will serve as the control and Design B is the variance. Using a tool such as Google Analytics, monitor data such as bounce rate and session duration for a set period and then switch to Design B for the same period. Then, compare the results from the analytics to determine which design had more success. Conclusion Your above the fold content can be make-or-break for your website. If your content above the fold does not attract enough attention within the first few seconds of viewing, it is likely that the rest of your site won't be viewed at all. Always be sure to keep mobile devices in mind while designing your above the fold content (as well as the rest of your website). Once you have a design for your above the fold content, be sure to refine it with A/B testing for the best possible results.
Search engine optimization can seem like a daunting task. There are many components of SEO that factor into your ranking on search engines. The challenge is to figure out how to find your website SEO and ranking information. Thankfully there are many free tools available that provide analytics, reports, charts, and information about your website. There are many free tools available, but these are our personal picks to help you better understand your SEO and track your rankings. Google Analytics Google Analytics is a great tool to provide you with valuable information about your website. From the homepage of Google Analytics, you will be able to monitor the number of users on your site, your website's bounce rate and the average session duration on your site. Under the Audience tab, Google Analytics shows a more in-depth view of who is viewing your site. Here you will see what pages of your website your viewers are looking at. You can also find what devices your viewers are using to access your website (desktop, tablet, or mobile). If you have a high bounce rate and many of your viewers are attempting to access your website via mobile devices, it could mean that your website is not mobile-friendly, and it is difficult for mobile users to navigate your site. Google Analytics also shows the location of all your viewers, so you will be able to see where all of your potential customers are. This is valuable information for a local and expanding businesses to ensure that they their target audience is responding to any marketing efforts. In the Acquisitions tab of Google Analytics, you will be able to find information about where your website traffic is coming from. Website traffic comes from one of four sources: direct (from URL), organic (from search engines), referral (from external link), or social (from social media). With Google Analytics you can see how your viewers are finding your website. Google Trends Google Trends is another free Google tool that helps you choose the best keywords to use on your website. Google Trends allows you to compare up to five different terms to see which terms are the most popular. For example, if your business sells t-shirts you could use Google Trends to compare the terms "t-shirt", "tshirt", "shirt". You will find that the term "shirts" receives many more searches than "tshirt" or "t-shirt". This is helpful when selecting which keywords to use on your website to attract more traffic. Search Console Search Console is yet another free tool from Google. This tool will provide you with more information about your website traffic. This tool will provide you with the total clicks and total impressions that your website has had over a given time. The Queries tab on Search Console shows what searchers have typed into search engines to find your business, how many times your business has appeared in the results and how many times your link has been clicked. Search Console also shows this data by country, by device, by date, and for individual pages on your website. SEM Rush SEM Rush offers a free site audit that can be used to determine the health of your website. The site audit will provide you with errors, warnings and notices about your site. These reports will show you any errors on your page and help you to fix them. For each error, SEM Rush provides a "why and how to fix" button. This will explain why the error is occurring and what you should do to solve the problem. Screaming Frog Screaming Frog is a website spider that crawls websites and pulls information such as title tags, header tags, meta descriptions, and much more. The free version of Screaming Frog allows you to crawl up to 500 pages on a website. This tool works well when used along with the SEM Rush site audit. You will be able to find errors on your page from the SEM Rush site audit and verify these errors with Screaming Frog to better understand the issues. Screaming Frog also gives the option to display a search engine snippet. This is what your link will look like when it appears on a Google search. It is useful to see how much of your title and description will be visible on Google. If your description is too long and your important information does not appear until the end of your description, a viewer may not be able to see it when they search for your business. Moz Moz is a useful tool that provides information on your website's SEO ranking. With a free account, Moz provides your domain authority and page authority. Domain authority ranked on a 0-100 scale with 100 being the best. The higher your domain authority, the higher your website ranks on search engines. Page authority works the same way, except it is for a specific page on your website. Keep in mind, however, that your domain authority on Moz could differ from your actual Google score. Moz domain authority only considers 40 different factors when calculating your websites domain authority, but Google factors in much more. Moz also displays your top-ranking keywords. These are the keywords that are attracting the most traffic to your site. Conclusion SEO needs to be monitored consistently to be effective. Keyword rankings and SEO requirements change frequently based on various factors such as trends, your competitor's SEO initiatives, and search engine algorithm changes. While these free tools will provide valuable insight and information, some are still limited in the information they provide. Some businesses may decide to work with an outside company to provide SEO consultation and services due to the lack of resources or personnel. SEO companies have the resources and knowledge to assist you in reviewing your current SEO and can assist you in developing a plan to achieve your SEO goals for better rankings on search engines. Many businesses find working with an SEO company is worth the investment as better rankings provide more business and more customers.
0 Create a First Impression with Web Design
Website design is a feature often overlooked by businesses. It is, however, very important in forming a first impression on your customers. Your website will most likely the first interaction a new customer has with your business and will be how they form their first impression of your business. Your web design is what determines if a viewer engages with your site and becomes a potential lead or leaves your site and takes their business elsewhere. Importance of Web Design Studies show that it takes a viewer just 50 milliseconds to generate a first impression of a web page. Many viewers of your site will use your site's design as a way to judge your business's credibility. If your website is poorly designed, difficult to navigate, or out of date a viewer might think twice about the credibility of your business. An effective web design will build trust for your viewers. With a well-designed website that is easy to navigate a viewer will feel confident in the quality of your business and feel more inclined to purchase your product or service. In addition, your web design will influence how your customers perceive your business's customer service. If a potential customer sees that you haven't put effort into your website design, they may feel that you won't put effort into your customer service. A Good First Impression To create a positive first impression on your viewers it's important to focus on the "above the fold" section of your webpage. This is the section of your homepage that a viewer will see immediately upon arriving at your website before they start scrolling. This section should contain your company logo so that the viewer knows immediately that they've arrived at the right site. This is also a good place for a captivating image to catch your viewers' attention. The viewer should also be able to get a general idea of what your business offers within the first few seconds of viewing your page. Differentiation is another great way to create a positive first impression. If your website looks very similar to all of your competitors, it may seem dull and boring. Your site should stand out from the competition and be its own unique design. Build A Solid Web Design There are many components that go in to creating a great web design. The colors of your website are one of the first components of your website that a viewer will notice. Too much white space is boring and unattractive, but too much color is busy and distracting. It's best to choose a color scheme of 2 or 3 colors that aligns with your brand to use on your website. Your navigation menu will probably be the next component a viewer will notice. Your viewers will be using your navigation menu to find what they are looking for on your site, so it should be straight-forward and easy for them to use. The written content of your page will also be noticed very quickly. Although the content itself is important for search engine optimization and to educate your viewers, the design of your content is important to attract their interest. Try to avoid writing a novel on your webpage. On the other hand, you don't want to have too little text on your page. It's important to find a balance in the amount of content you write. Also, be sure that the color of your text is easy to read against the background and that the size of the text is appropriate and isn't too small for your viewers to read. Take a gander at these two website designs. Does one look more visually appealing than the other? Conclusion Website design is crucial for creating a first impression on your viewers. Viewers will make judgements about your business very quickly based upon the design of your website. Differentiating your website from your competition is a good way to separate yourself from the common rabble. Designing an attractive and functioning website is a must to build trust and credibility for your business.
0 Increase Visibility with Customer Reviews
You most likely purchase products or services from a favorite brand you trust on a regular basis. It may be your favorite brand of potato chips, a certain brand of shoes, or maybe even a brand of coffee that you just can't get enough of. But what if you decide to purchase a new product or a brand that you're not familiar with? You will most likely do some research and look at some customer reviews online before you make your decision. Other customers' opinions and experiences will affect your decision to make a purchase, just as they affect other customers in the process of making the same decision.Importance of ReviewsGoogle support states: "High-quality, positive reviews from your customers will improve your business's visibility and increase the likelihood that a potential customer will visit your location." *Customer reviews are critically important for online visibility, customer engagement and building a reputation for your brand online. In 2019, 97% of consumers used online reviews to choose which local businesses they bought their products and services from, and trends over the previous year's indicate this percentage may grow even larger in 2020. What customers are saying about your products or services online is important to capture new sales and grow your business. Frequent positive reviews will reinforce your brand's image and encourage customers to make a purchase. Replying to Customer ReviewsResponding to your customer reviews is a must. Responding to reviews shows that you value your customers and the feedback that they leave about your business, product, or service. Regardless if the review is positive or negative, a timely response will vastly boost your customer engagement. Responding to your negative reviews shows customers that you are invested in their interests and are willing to address their concerns. A ReveiwTrackers study from 2018 shows that 53% of customers expect a reply within 7 days of their post, so be sure to keep up with your replies.Negative Reviews Unfortunately, customers are more likely to leave a review after a negative experience with your business than with a positive one. However, the fear of negative reviews should not keep you from building your online reputation. Negative reviews are not necessarily a sign of bad business practices. A customer could have a misunderstanding regarding your product or service. You can mitigate the negative impact on your business from negative reviews by responding to them. Showing concern in the customer's complaints and finding a solution to their problem will improve your business's reputation and draw in more customers. You may remember the reinvention of Dominos' Pizza in 2010. This was a campaign sparked by numerous negative customer reviews claiming that their pizza "tastes like cardboard" and was largely successful for the brand's image due to Dominos' response to the reviews.ConclusionCustomer reviews are one of the most important factors in building your visibility and reputation online and is growing in importance. A business or brand with no, or very little, reputation will see a loss of customers and sales. Be sure to pay close attention to your customer reviews and respond to each review including positive ones, and mitigate the negative ones.* https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en
Instagram accounts are notoriously difficult to index and display in the search results because they block search engines from indexing your Instagram images. However, there are other ways to optimize your Instagram account for search engines and drive more traffic to your business website. We discovered a great article by Search Engine Watch that outlines the steps you need to take to get the most out of your Instagram account. The following is the short version. You can find the complete article with step-by-step instructions at https://searchenginewatch.com/optimize-instagram-account-search-enginesPublic ProfileThe first step in optimizing your Instagram account for your business is to make sure that the profile is set to public. This is to ensure that people can easily access your posts on your Instagram account.Profile SchemaSecondly, you want to set up your social profile schema. Google allows you to use schema.org markup to tell them which social media accounts belong to you and will display them on the Google Knowledge panel. You will need the assistance of your web developer to ensure this is set up properly. Keyword(s) In Your Instagram NameThe title tag for your Instagram account is automatically generated using your profile information. "Including your primary target keyword under your profile name is the only way to get your most important keyword into your Instagram title tags", says Manish Dudharejia of searchenginewatch.com. Specific and Keyword-Rich BioYour bio is meant to describe who you are right ? That's the same thing you should do when developing your bio for your business Instagram account. Make sure to place those keyword(s) associated with the product or service that you offer so that your business Instagram page has a better chance of displaying in the search engine results (SERPs) page. Your bio information is one of the few areas that is crawlable by search engines, so this is where a massive chunk of the optimization takes place.Your Image Caption Is Your Title TagYour image captions should be treated at title tags. Title tags have limitations on the amount of characters will be displayed in the SERPs. Therefore, make sure your image captions contain keyword(s) in the beginning as the title tag will be cut off if it is too lengthy.Link to Your Instagram PostsYou cannot promote your individual Instagram posts by promoting only our Instagram page. Whenever you cross promote on other social media platforms, be sure to provide a link directly to your Instagram post(s). This can lead to a higher conversion rate for any of the promotions you post on Instagram. Contact us if you have any questions about this article.
0 Enhance Local SEO with Google My Business
Looking for a free, easy way to enhance your local SEO ranking? Google My Business. Google My Business (GMB) is an SEO tool that is beneficial when utilized to its fullest potential. SEO is important because it is the implementation of your keyword(s) or what product or service that you offer so when a person searches for a product or service that you offer, you're ranked highest. GMB has many features you can incorporate as part of your Local SEO marketing plan. Description What good is having an existing business and people don't know what products or service that you offer? On your GMB account you can write an up to 750-character description of your business. This is a handy tool for utilizing keywords for ranking. Messaging Gogle My Business offers a neat customer service tool using messaging system so you can speak directly with potential customers. When a potential customer has a question, they can message you from their phone utilizing a messaging app you use or through the Google Allo app. You can set up automated responses in case you are out of the office. Google Posts GMB has a posts tool which allows you to write posts with images, text, event titles, and call to action buttons. You can post about the daily or weekly specials deals you may have going on or promote things deemed necessary to your business. On mobile this is an efficient way to maximize your SEO and conversion rates because people can sign up or make a purchase from their devices. Book Appointments You can now take bookings on Google My Business. If you have a booking service provider GMB allows you to integrate it with your GMB account or you can use a URL or landing page. A person can schedule an appointment right from their device. If you are using a partner service, GMB can give you financial insight to your booking statistics as well. Q&A The GMB Q&A tool allows you to post Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to give a better understanding of your products or service. This can be beneficial as it possibly limits the number of messages that you receive that ask the same question. Small Thanks Reviews are very important when people search for a product or service. How many of us look up reviews prior to making that purchase? A neat feature that GMB has is the Small Thanks tool. Which allows you to use the highlighted reviews as posters to display on your brick and mortar store. The posters are free and are not limited to how many you can have. You can also export them for design campaigns or share them on social media. Be careful not to oversaturate your online social media accounts with only information about your company. Check out these free tools at https://smallthanks.withgoogle.com/ Complete & Updated GMB Accounts are Vital to Local SEO It is reported that only 44% of businesses have claimed their Google My business listing. This number is shocking considering It is a free service to use. An updated GMB account is an important part of your local search strategy as more and more people are turning to the Internet to make purchasing decisions. Implementing and updating your GMB content will assist you in ranking higher in searches. The GMB tool saves you time (easy to do), money (it's free) and helps find new potential leads (local rankings) Have you claimed your Google My Business account? If you need assistance or have questions, call or email us.
Starting in July 2018, Google Chrome will start warning users if a site is not secure. Up to this point Chrome would display a neutral icon. It will now have a very clear statement that an http site is not secure. This will coincide with the rollout of Chrome 68, the latest version of the Chrome browser. What does this mean for your site? Google has been making the push to secure websites for quite some time. They have even given incentives to https sites in rankings over http sites. It isn't a significant push, but one none-the-less. Google hasn't come out and stated they will 'punish' http websites but, they are giving preference to https sites, so one can argue they are 'punishing' http websites.In my opinion, the biggest concern is user perception. If a user is surfing with Chrome, lands on your site, sees "Not secure", panic is likely to set in and the user will debate if he/she wishes to stay on your site. Data security is the hottest issue right now as new stories break about data breaches and data mining of our personal data. In my opinion (I do have a lot of them) it is worth the effort and money to ensure your users your website is secure. The amount of effort and the cost is dependent upon the size and complexity of your website, and whether you can do this in-house or depend upon an outside company or firm to perform your IT functions. Either way, it is a good investment to protect your site traffic and your users.How do you make your site HTTPS compliant?The process to make your site secure is through the use or purchase of an SSL. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a standard security protocol for establishing encrypted links between a web server and a browser in an online communication. HTTPS encryption protects the channel between the browser and the website, ensuring no one in the middle can tamper with the traffic or spy on what the user is doing. Without that encryption, someone with access to your router or ISP could intercept information sent to websites or inject malware into otherwise legitimate pages.An SSL can be purchased through your host provider and installed by your IT department or provider. There are some sites that offer free SSLs, however, not all host providers can accommodate them. Others cost as little as $25 annually. ResourcesThe best way to navigate through these changes is to understand the process. The following articles provide in-depth reviews and information on the process of securing your website:A Comprehensive Guide to SSL Certificates HTTP to HTTPS: An SEO's Guide to Securing a WebsiteUsing the Mixed Content Audit Tool in Lighthouse Do NOT PanicIf this article has created panic, please allow me to assure you the process is not as daunting as it may seem. When my neighbor explains how to repair my lawn mower by replacing the spark plug, I get that frozen-deer-in-headlights look. While I may understand the words, I have no clue how to do what is required. That doesn't mean the task is impossible, expensive, or requires the planet to stop rotating … it only means I need to acquire the assistance of those who have the knowledge and understanding to
0 Is WordPress the Right Solution?
WordPress has become a popular website building tool for small businesses and the web development community. While we understand the appeal of WordPress, it is not our 'go-to' for web site development within our firm and it is not a solution that we recommend for every business. There are a few factors to consider when deciding to use this platform in building your website. Many in our industry boast of its ease of use in not having to know coding or have technical training to implement a WordPress website. Those statements are misleading and somewhat untrue. Customization WordPress's original design was for blogs. Additional customization will require what is referred to as plug-ins. These are add-on components for your site to incorporate a certain layout, calendar, online catalogs, e-commerce, event listings, and so forth. The more you want on your site, the more plugins will be required. You will then need to configure these plug-ins to flow within your website. Configuring basic functionality is not an issue. However, not all basic customization will meet your needs. If you desire more customization such as font styles, colors, sizes, etc, you will need to understand web file structures and coding to customize the plug-ins. If you do not have anyone to assist you with customizing your website, then the only other place to look for answers would be with online tutorials and YouTube because there is no official support team to turn to for help. Chances are that as a beginner you will have to learn yourself. There are thousands of tutorials online made by other users of WordPress; however, those tutorials may be outdated or incorrect due to WordPress changing so frequently. Database Functions As stated previously, WordPress was created for blog sites. This system was not originally intended to house database functions such as catalogs, e-commerce, listings, etc. While smaller databases are not an issue, the more your database grows the more you risk how well your site functions when queries are made on your site. Site visitors could experience a slow response or receive errors on your page. In today's mobile environment the speed in which your site loads and functions is important. Google has recently released their new speed test tool to rate your site's loading time. This was not done completely out of good will. Google will now be using speed in determining search engine result placement. Frequent Updates Being that it is an open-source project, with lots of developers working on it, WordPress releases updates frequently to 'plug in' some of the holes. These updates can include theme or plugin updates. When these updates roll out, all your plugins or themes need to be updated. Otherwise they will break on your site, which is why you must always make a backup and test all the new features before updating the live site. Small business owners may not have the time, money, or knowledge to deal with these situations. Security and Vulnerability to Hacking Because WordPress is the most used CMS platform, it is regularly a target for hackers and spammers. Even downloading the most reliable security plugins will not protect your website from hackers and spammers completely. If your website is a web platform with thousands of users, security is of vital importance, because any vulnerability can affect the users and bring negative credibility to your website. Conclusion WordPress is a very popular platform due to its simplicity and is a great solution for blogs; however, if you want to develop a powerful, secure and functional website, WordPress is not the optimal solution. Instead of spending extra time and money fixing the WordPress based website, hire a professional team of developers who will make your dream website. Sources: https://jpwdesignstudio.com/blog/heres-7-reasons-why-you-should-not-use-wordpress-for-your-small-business-website https://www.beunanimous.com/unanimous-blog/you-deserve-better-wordpress https://www.nikpixels.co.uk/blog/why-you-maybe-shouldnt-have-a-wordpress-site-built https://ministrywebsitedesigns.com/no-wordpress-for-church-websites/ https://jpwdesignstudio.com/blog/heres-7-reasons-why-you-should-not-use-wordpress-for-your-small-business-website
0 Why You Should Diversify Your Digital Marketing
I'm sure many people have heard of the popular idiom "don't put all your eggs in one basket". The concept is easy to understand. For stocks as an example, you wouldn't put all your money into one stock because it would take just one turn of event for all your money to be gone. That's why you learn to diversify. Digital marketing is the same thing. To be effective with digital marketing, you need to diversify and not put all your eggs in one basket. That way you reduce your risk and extend your reach at the same time. Think about it. If you were dependent on Facebook for 80 percent of your leads, what would happen if Facebook suddenly decided to tweak its platform? You would lose control over your brand and business. If your single platform goes through major changes, it can impact your digital marketing success. This is happening to Facebook right now. Not only is Facebook dealing with the backlash of the Cambridge Analytica scandal and many of its users protesting or leaving, but Facebook is also changing its News Feed. Mark Zuckerberg said "you'll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard—it should encourage meaningful interactions between people". This means that Facebook users will expect to see more content from their friends and family instead of businesses, brands, and media. Businesses that heavily relied on Facebook as a tool to market themselves will likely have to double down on buying ads since it will be more difficult to ensure a post gets seen outside of paying for it. Outside from changes to the News Feed, Facebook is also anticipating people spending less time on its site. Zuckerberg said that people are devoting 50 million fewer hours a day to the social network, which comes out to two minutes per person on average out of the 1.4 billion daily users. According to AdAge, Facebook could be suffering from fatigue among users, who have been put off by the daily political conversations. An argument could be made that a handful of companies ruined this powerful digital marketing tool for everyone else; however, you can't argue that businesses that diversified are less hurt by Facebook's changes. Many businesses did not anticipate these changes for Facebook; however, this could happen to any platform. Digital marketing platforms such as email marketing, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and many more are all susceptible to changes. The best practice for marketers is to utilize multiple platforms to minimize risks to your marketing. With so many other marketing platforms, it would be a missed opportunity to not branch out to other options. Email marketing for example is a great tool to use to market your business. When you post on social media there is no way of knowing if your target customer is even seeing your content; however, sending the target customer an email ensures they will see it the next time they check their email. Using multiple digital marketing channels simultaneously will generate more success than just funneling content through one. Using only one digital marketing platform to market your business is like playing Russian roulette. Diversify your digital marketing and have less risks. Sources: http://adage.com/article/digital/facebook-reveals-plans-change-news-feed/312184/https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10104413015393571https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/technology/facebook-news-feed-changes.html