7 Reasons Your Facebook Ads Do Not Convert by Marie Page on Social Media Examiner.
The Ads Manager wizard guides you step by step in creating ads and part of that process is completing the Detailed Targeting box. You add in a slew of interests and behaviors, and instantly your mindset is focused on new customers—people you've never met before but who at least fit the profile of the ideal persona.
This kind of targeting is what we've all been taught as marketers: Define your ideal customer, create a persona, and target your ads accordingly.
However, this targeting is to a cold audience, and your ad copy may well be aimed at people much further down the funnel. Why take the difficult road when there's an easier path?
They might also be your Facebook fans. But be aware that some pages have a legacy of dubious fan acquisitions (buying fans, and those lured by competitions) or simply a fan base that was acquired many years ago and now is pretty stale.
All of the people in the list above know who you are, they like what you do, and they'll be open to offers.
One reason your Facebook ads may not be converting is that you're targeting people who could be the perfect customer in the future, with the wrong ad for where they are in the customer journey. The ad copy is better suited for people much further down the marketing funnel.
You're effectively proposing marriage on the first date.
How to Fix This: Use a funnel marketing approach that will segment people by different stages in the customer journey and serve them Facebook ads according to where they are. It may take a series of ads but it's an approach that works.
The Facebook ads you design for a cold audience will be entirely different from those for a warm or hot audience.
The TOFU (top of the funnel), MOFU (middle of the funnel), and BOFU (bottom of the funnel) models are also relevant. Funnel marketing theory is closely aligned with the customer journey. You take people through the funnel to conversion at the bottom.
At this stage, you want the audience to know you exist and have interesting content that addresses their pain points. That content may well be what draws people to find you in the first place. To illustrate, web searches lead them to a blog post, or an interest-targeted ad on Facebook pops up in their news feed at just the right time.
Your content should be educational and entertaining, and emphasize your expertise in the problems your target is facing.
In terms of ads, sell the brand, not a product. Free guides, white papers, checklists, informative articles, and videos work well. Many of these will be delivered via read and lead magnets, which are likely to be found via ads or search.
At this stage, you have a solution to your audience's pain points but you're not going to hard sell it to them right now. Potential buyers are in evaluation mode, figuring out what to do about their problems. They're interested in stories about people who share their pain (and have overcome it), and articles that examine the issues they're wrestling with and teach them how to choose a solution.
Your Facebook ads should drive connection and commitment while building trust in your brand. Content types might include webinars, buying guides, and spec sheets.
At the bottom of the funnel, folks are ready to buy and just need that perfect offer such as a free trial, a webinar, or an online chat. This is the point where ads should start to become more salesy and more like, well, ads. Offer discounts wrapped around urgency and scarcity messages to push the conversion. Case studies and testimonials that demonstrate the value of your product work well.
Look at the TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU model and match up your own ad campaigns with it. Have you been plying TOFUs and MOFUs with offers, and wondering why they aren't converting?
Marketing communications are a process. People rarely convert the first time they see an ad, but the solution is rarely to keep showing them the same ad time and again. The trick is to show them an ad that's at the right stage of the customer journey for them. Once they've engaged with that content (watched the video, viewed the blog post, signed up for the lead magnet), start warming them up with the next set of ads.
You have some fantastic video content on your website or Facebook page, and people are responding to it. You decide to retarget them with an ad, but you use static images in the ad or a click to website ad.
If you know this target audience has responded to video once, why aren't you serving them up a video ad? It's really not rocket science.
How to Fix This: Start using the Facebook ad types that your audience has shown a preference for.
So, despite the recommendations above to target low-hanging fruit and then retarget from there, you're still intent on interest and behavioral targeting. I know; it's tempting.
But at least if you're doing that, use the Detailed Targeting tool to its full potential.
How to Fix This: Rather than build interest lists that simply grow with each new interest added, use the Detailed Targeting tool to narrow your market. In doing so, you'll reach fewer people but they'll be much more likely to convert.
Let's look at an example of how detailed targeting works. Suppose you want to target women who like a combination of British fashion brands.
Facebook's detailed targeting lets you use Boolean logic to target women who like Joules, Monsoon, or Whitestuff. If you click Narrow Further, you can target women who like Boden, Mint Velvet, or Phase Eight. Set up your targeting to match at least one brand from each list.
Just like that, you've reduced your target market from over a million (these are the people who like any one of those six brands) to just the 99,000 people who like two of them. This audience segment is much more likely to be in the target market you have in mind of women likely to buy classy, fashionable mid-priced clothing.
Go look at your news feed now and count how many Facebook ads are pushing a sales pitch at you. Many of these ads are likely from brands that you've never heard of nor engaged with. Are you responding? Probably not.
How to Fix This: Save your sales pitch for retargeting ads, where you show a very specific ad to a very specific person, such as an ad about one of your products because they've visited a web page talking about that product. Or they've already clicked on an ad that was profiling that product or a problem associated with it.
Retargeting ads won't cost you anything like the amount that reaching a cold audience will because the numbers you retarget are so much smaller.
Facebook is really keen that your ads are as relevant to your target audience as possible. It rewards advertisers who get it right by showing their ads to more people and charging them less.
$0.142 per website click for an ad with a score of 2.9.
$0.03 per website click for the same ad but targeted to a website custom audience of users who had recently visited their website. This same ad was given a relevance score of 8.0.
How to Fix This: Tighter targeting is a surefire way to improve relevance scores, as are impactful images, clear calls to action in the copy, or a call-to-action button. Lower ad frequency will also help, as will ads that are designed with your target market in mind—Facebook rewards conversions too.
You may have made the perfect ad but if your landing page is off, you'll lose that conversion. Landing pages need to have considerable congruency with the ad, so the images, copy, look, feel, and tone need to be the same or similar.
How to Fix This: A well-designed landing page should include social proof, counter any objections, use clear and concise headlines that make it easier to skim, and include friendly body copy free from errors.
Also add trust indicators and make the call to action highly visible, repeating it throughout the page. In fact, everything should lead to that action; it's the sole objective of your page.
It's also important to minimize links. You want people to click on the call-to-action button rather than be tempted to look elsewhere on your website (or worse still, to another website due to Google ads lurking on the page).
It's easy to get fixated on the lure of finding brand-new customers with your Facebook ads rather than working with what you've got and maximizing the potential of those warm leads. If you're not happy with your Facebook advertising results, the seven factors above could be negatively impacting your ad performance. Try these troubleshooting tips to see if they make a difference in your campaigns.
What do you think? Which of these factors may be impacting conversions for your Facebook ads? Can you think of any other areas to look at for subpar ad performance? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.


text:
Q: Why does $\langle 1/p^n+\mathbb{Z}\rangle\supseteq\langle 1/p^m+\mathbb{Z}\rangle$ imply $n\geq m$? I'm trying to show that if $G=\{a/p^n\in\mathbb{Q}:a\in\mathbb{Z},n\geq0\}$ for a fixed prime $p$, then the quotient $G/\mathbb{Z}$ is Artinian.
One minor detail I need to finish is
$$
\langle 1/p^n+\mathbb{Z}\rangle\supset\langle 1/p^m+\mathbb{Z}\rangle\implies n\geq m
$$
This is one of the last details in the example on planetmath.
This should be minor, but I can't figure it out. If $1/p^m+\mathbb{Z}\in\langle 1/p^n+\mathbb{Z}\rangle$, then $a/p^n-1/p^m\in\mathbb{Z}$ for some $a\in\mathbb{Z}$ nonzero. Towards a contradiction assume $n<m$. If $p\mid a$, then we can write this as $b/p^l-1/p^m\in\mathbb{Z}$ for $(b,p)=1$ and $l<m$, which is essentially the same case. This would imply
$$
\frac{bp^{m-l}-1}{p^m}\in\mathbb{Z}
$$
which doesn't look true. Is there an obvious contradiction to be had here?

A: $a/p^n-1/p^m\in\mathbb{Z}$ and $m>n$ means
$$
\frac{ap^{m-n}-1}{p^m}\in\mathbb{Z}
$$
Since $m>0$, this implies that $p$ divides $ap^{m-n}-1$ and, since $m-n>0$, we conclude that $p$ divides $-1$, a contradiction.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The sentiment here is we tend to over rely on a familiar tool. Because VLOOKUP is such an incredible function, this can happen to Excel users. We tend to use VLOOKUP for everything. But, here's the hack. There are other options that are often better suited to the task at hand.
So, in this, the final post in the VLOOKUP Hacks series, we'll explore several alternatives to VLOOKUP.
Let's just take them one by one.
SUMIFS is not typically thought of as a lookup function, but, it actually makes a great lookup function when the return value is numeric. Why would we use SUMIFS instead of VLOOKUP? There are a few reasons. The sort order doesn't matter, multiple conditions are supported, the column order doesn't matter, and it will match equivalent values even when the data types are different.
Often, Excel users use VLOOKUP to perform list comparisons. It works well in many situations, especially when you want to return a related value. But, if you are simply trying to determine if one item appears on another list, and not return a related value, COUNTIFS is great because it supports multiple conditions.
I hope you have enjoyed the VLOOKUP Hacks blog series as much as I have! It is a critical function for Excel users. If you have any other fun VLOOKUP tips or alternatives, please share by posting a comment below.
Thank you for the links. They are very helpful!


text:
Boston Market's CEO, George Michel interviewed by the Opportunity Coalition's CEO, Brian Watson
January 12, 2015 by Opportunity Coalition Admin
Brian Watson: Welcome to the Opportunity Coalition podcast. Today we have George Michel, who is the CEO, also known as the "Big Chicken," of Boston Market.
George, welcome to the show.
George Michel: Thanks for having me here, Brian.
Brian Watson: George, let's start off with on your business card, it says that you're the Big Chicken; and I love that. So tell our listeners a little bit more about that.
George Michel: You know, when I first started here, I noticed that employees when I went to the restaurants -- because I always loved going to our restaurants and speaking to our employees, engaging them in the discussion, getting their point of view of the business -- that when I introduced myself as the CEO and President, sometimes there is the fear factor or the fact that these young kids are not interested in the title.
And then I looked at our business and the idea came to me, why not call myself the Big Chicken? And it really results so well with our employees that most times when I go to the restaurants and I introduce myself as the Big Chicken, I get a big laugh. Usually, eight out of ten times, the employee wants to see my business card because -- is this for real? Show me your business card. And a few actually wanted my business card so they can show it to their family and friends. So it breaks the ice, and it allows me to get own to their level and talk to them just as a person to a person. That's why I've changed the title, and it's worked really well for me in communicating with our employees.
Brian Watson: I think it's fantastic. I've seen a lot of business cards in my day, but never one with The Big Chicken on it. So I appreciate that.
George, for our listeners, most everyone has heard of Boston Market. But would you mind giving us a little bit of background about the company and where you've come from and where the company is going today?
George Michel: Sure, Boston Market started as Boston Chicken in Boston; and that's where the name came from. We've been in business for 29 years, celebrating our 30th anniversary next year. We started as a home meal replacement with very small restaurants. They were primarily takeout restaurants. And the concept really took off in the '80s and became the darling of Wall Street at one point, and it grew very rapidly.
And at that time, there wasn't much competition in people being able to pick up a meal, take it home and practically put it on the table ready to be served for the family. So it was a concept for busy moms and busy parents looking for a solution to their busy lives. And we grew very fast. At one point, we added other proteins; and during that time, the name was changed to Boston Market.
With such a phenomenal growth, that led to basically lack of execution in the restaurants and lack of focus on operations and standards; and the company got into trouble and actually went into bankruptcy at a certain point and got delisted from the stock market. Then the company was picked up by McDonald's, who owned it for seven years. And in '06, an equity fund group, Sun Capital Partners -- who I work with at this point, they're the current owners of Boston Market – acquired the concept from McDonald's. And in the last four years, we've been really focusing on turning around the business and improving the customer experience in our restaurants. And we've fine-tuned our menu.
We've had some great success. You know, we've enjoyed comparable sales growth of about 28% the last three and a half years. That's same restaurant sales. And for the first time in seven years, we opened our first new restaurant in 2013.
Now, myself, I've been in the restaurant business for over 44 years. I started as a part-time burger cook at an A&W restaurant in Toronto, Canada, when I was going to university. And that really funded my university studies, and I grew up with that chain and ended up as CEO of the company after 20 years of being with the brand. And I moved to the States to run A&W International and have been in the restaurant business ever since then.
I've worked for brands such as Burger King for eight years. I've also worked for Brinker in their international division, which comprised brands like Chili's, Macaroni Grill, at that time On the Border, and Maggiano's. And then I also spent, with Sun Capital, two years running a coffee business in Canada, and I moved to Denver in October 2010 to actually lead and run Boston Markets.
So that's a bit of my background and a background about the company.
Brian Watson: So the company obviously went through a roaring period of growth. And my understanding that it got up to about 1,700 locations or so around the country, and then it had its challenges that it went through and decreased the amount of locations. And my understanding is that it's on a growth period again. And, obviously, you stepped in at a very crucial time for the company. Talk to us a little bit about that in terms of when you stepped in, how many locations were there from the height, and what you are putting in place to make Boston Market the company that's a known name and that a lot of people want to go and visit.
George Michel: Great, Brian. You know, the concept grew through developers at the height of growth. And when we went into bankruptcy, all of the developers were acquired. In a number of cases, restaurants were shut down; and a number of restaurants basically were taken back by the company. So when I stepped in, all of the restaurants were company owned and operated with no licensees or franchises in the system.
So when I came in, in October 2010, we had about 515 restaurants; and currently, we have 460 restaurants. So we had to go through a period of closing some of the underperforming restaurants that did not do well. And in some cases, closing restaurants as visas were expiring because those restaurants that were opened 20-22 years ago were in the wrong place. You know, markets move and trade areas shift in a lot of cities and towns. So we had to look very carefully at our portfolio and do that.
At the same time, we looked at our business; and there was a transition from the growth period through the acquisition by McDonald's and then when I stepped in, in that the focus was on turning the business into a fast food concept whereas originally it started as a fast casual concept. So we decided that the best thing to do is to go back to our roots and operate the restaurants as a fast casual.
So we implemented America's Kitchen Table, which was mainly a focus on better service. And at the same time, we introduced plates and real cutlery in our restaurants, as opposed to plastic ware because as you can imagine, it's very hard to cut into a chicken with a plastic knife and fork on a plastic plate.
We also invested some money in updating some of our restaurants. Well, the changes we made resonated extremely well with our customers. So between November 2010 and the end of 2011, we enjoyed some tremendous success with our comp sales. You know, we reversed the negative trend that we had been experiencing for quite a while.
At the same time, we looked at our menu offering. We took out menu items that were not selling. We eliminated some costs from our operations that were not necessary. And we really redeployed some of those savings into additional service at the restaurant, as well as training of our employees so that we can focus on the guest experience.
Then we also made a commitment to reduce sodium levels in our food. And so in 2012, we took away all of the salt shakers from all our restaurants and placed them on a counter where it was not easy for a customer to access a salt shaker and add salt to the food. And we made a commitment, working with the University of Colorado Health and Wellness Center, to reduce sodium by 15% on our menu. And we've been able to achieve those targets this year, and we're very pleased with the work we've done on sodium reduction in our food.
In 2013, we introduced ribs to our menu. And we believe that chicken and ribs go very well together. That has also been met with tremendous success by our customers. And then I went around in 2013, and I did a tour of all of our restaurants across the country. I spent one and a half months visiting restaurant managers across the country to learn from them, to engage them but, importantly, to find solutions for how we can take the service to the next level. We called those meetings the Big Chicken Chats. I learned a lot, but it allowed me to interface with every restaurant manager across the manager in a month and a half. Really, it was a win/win relationship, a win/win dialog; and it really helped us understand what are the areas we need to focus on.
And then this year, we introduced America's Kitchen Table Version 2.0, where we really are upping the guest experience and making sure that we continue to work on how we interact with our customers in our restaurants and bring the service level to the next step.
So all of those initiatives, engaging our employees, working with our employees, and we've learned all along that the best way to have an effective turnaround is to engage the employees. And we call that internal PR. And without internal PR, it's very hard to then go to external PR. So we've decided, let's engage our employees, work with them, get them involved; and then they're usually our best ambassadors to effect whatever changes or improvements we need to make in the restaurants. And that's what has led to our success in the last three and a half years.
Brian Watson: Well, it's interesting that you say that. You know, I think that there's a perception out there sometimes in the world by some people or groups that say, big corporations, all they care about is themselves. And obviously, I'd love to hear the number of how many employees you have around the country. You're focusing on your employees and getting them involved, and that obviously partly comes from your personal background and how you grew up through different organizations and had interactions being an employee yourself and now being the Big Chicken at Boston Market.
But I also like how you're focusing on your customers, the idea of reducing salt and trying to provide a great quality product for them. So what would be your rebuttal to some of those out there that say, big corporations are only out for themselves and they take advantage of their employees. They may even take advantage of their customers in feeding them food that may not be the best for them. What would be your response to naysayers like that?
George Michel: Well, you know, we at Boston Market really strive to work with our people because we believe that our employees are, at the end of the day, the difference. And they're the ones that interact with the customer. So we've created values to make sure that we work with our employees. We want them to focus on service. One of our values is love to serve. We also want to make sure that they have fun while they're doing that. But anything we do, we always want to make sure that we first engage our employees before we talk to the customer.
So even this year, when we introduced America's Kitchen Table Version 2.0, we went around the country and held 52 meetings. We did 26 meetings with the George Michels and the Assistant Managers of the restaurants. And that same afternoon, we brought the hourly employees into a conference room and talked to them about what it means to effect a change through America's Kitchen Table.
And technically, America's Kitchen Table 2.0 was tested in a couple of markets; so it was not an idea that we came up with. It was ideas that were generated by our employees in Phoenix and Philadelphia. They were the ones that actually provided the training materials that then we showed in those 52 meetings. So they were employees talking about how excited they are about AKT 2.0, about how they came up with the ideas and the impact it had on the customers.
At the same time, when we look at food, we look at our employees. We have 11,000 employees that eat in our restaurants. So whatever we do to the menu, whatever changes we make to the menu, we know not only it impacts our customers, but it impacts our 11,000 employees that eat in our restaurants on a regular basis. And so when they're proud in what they're eating, they're going to be proud in serving that food.
And we are proud of the fact that we have no fryers in our restaurants. So we really focus on making sure that since we provide home meal replacement to busy moms and busy parents, we want to make sure that the food they buy at Boston Market is the type of food that they would personally cook at home and are proud to serve their families.
Brian Watson: And that's so important. And you know, I've seen firsthand the culture of your employees. For full disclaimer, I, as the owner and founder of North Star Commercial and Partners, one of the buildings we own is the corporate headquarters building for Boston Market. And every time I go in there, the employees look to be very engaged and very happy to be doing the work that they're doing. And obviously, that's coming through in terms of your performance.
In terms of the future for Boston Market, would you be looking to grow the locations and the footprint of the company in the coming years?
George Michel: Absolutely, as you and I chatted before, the main focus was to improve execution in our existing restaurants. We also developed a new operating system where we can serve the customers faster. So we've redesigned the kitchen and, more importantly, the front service area. We've implemented those changes in about 12 restaurants right now; and we're getting some great, great response and success. So all the new restaurants that we're going to be building would be modeled after the new operating system.
As I mentioned to you, we opened our first restaurant in 2013 in Jai-Alia, Florida, after a seven-year hiatus. And then this year we opened a new concept for us. It's a Boston Market in a food court in a regional shopping center in Syracuse, New York. It's a much smaller footprint. It's about 900 square feet. And that has had a lot of appeal so that we can now develop some of the Boston Market restaurants inside shopping centers.
We also signed a 20-year agreement with the Army Exchange, where we're going to be opening Boston Markets on Army bases throughout the country and eventually overseas. In October, we open our first Boston Market on an Army base in Fort Bliss in Texas. Just this weekend, we open at Fort Meade as well our second Boston Market location.
At the same time, we're focusing on growth in some of our great markets in the Northeast. We have leases for five locations at this point in the New York, Bronx, Brooklyn area. We're also focusing on New Jersey and Florida as sort of our top markets, followed by Texas. And we just started also looking at international expansion. We're actually engaged right now with a group out of the Middle East to potentially open 40 to 50 Boston Markets throughout the Gulf countries and the Middle East.
And we believe that chicken is international. Chicken is a protein that is consumed all across the world. And in meeting with some of the key players around the country, they say the future is in birds; and we believe that. And we really believe that we can take our concept to places like Asia; down the road, we can take it to South America and at the same time to Europe. But we believe that there is going to be tremendous growth for our brand in the U.S. as well. So we're very excited about the next few years and the potential for the business.
Brian Watson: George, I want to transition now to you on a personal level, specifically as a CEO. You've had a very interesting life and been involved in many international ideas and things like that. So my understanding is that you speak four languages. And obviously, you're not originally from America. So tell our listeners a little bit about that.
George Michel: Yes, I'm a U.S. citizen; but I also hold a Canadian citizenship. I was born in the Old City of Jerusalem, so I had the fortune to be born in a city with diversity, grew up speaking Arabic and Hebrew, and I learned French and English at school. And then I came to Canada when I was 17 and went to the University of Toronto. I graduated from there and then moved to the U.S., where I got married in Detroit. Both my children were born in Detroit, and currently one of them resides in the U.S. And my daughter at this point is pursuing her undergraduate studies in Canada, eventually moving back to the U.S.
It's been great for me to speak the four languages, but also the fact that I've lived in different countries. Throughout my career, I've done business in Canada and the U.S., back and forth. Also, as a family, we lived in Dubai for four years, when I was responsible for the Burger King business in the Middle East and Asia. I've done business internationally in Asia, the Middle East and parts of Europe. And the fact that I speak languages has allowed me to communicate very well with employees because the U.S. is a mosaic of diversity.
And every time I step into any one of our restaurants, I usually look at people's name tags. And a lot of times, I can connect with them by finding out from which country they originated from or their parents are from. And then when I switch to their language, using my four languages, it resonates so well with our staff. And it has helped me as well a lot in doing business in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East – the fact that I can understand the culture but, more importantly, use my languages where it's needed.
Brian Watson: You know, I got the opportunity to visit the Old City of Jerusalem and one of the most amazing cities of the world. So I'm sure that that did prepare you well for a lot of diversity and being involved on an international basis. So thank you for giving us that background.
George, what is one of your favorite quotes or sayings and why?
George Michel: Good question. You know, my favorite saying is by John Quincy Adams. And I really believe in it. I try to remind myself every day that that is the purpose of me being a leader. And the quote goes like this: "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, become more, you are a leader." I love this quote, and it really resonates very well. And it reminds me every day about the purpose for me being here at Boston Market.
Brian Watson: You know, I hadn't heard that quote before; and I really like that a lot. And that's just so true in that role of a leader and helping to empower others and help them achieve their dreams and create a greater good overall. So appreciate you sharing that.
George, what is some of the best advice you have ever received?
George Michel: The one advice that sticks with me throughout is more of an advice that the Director of Operations when I was a restaurant manager at A&W used to write on cards for people. Normally, when people are leaving a company or moving on or they get a promotion, you know, cards are sent around; and we sign them with a message. But this Director of Operations, whose name is Bill Armstrong, used to always write: "Make your own luck." He never used to say, good luck. And that always stuck with me that it's not about having good luck; it's about making your own luck. And I've always lived by that and continue to remind myself that it's your actions that create your luck.
Brian Watson: It reminds of that saying that the more and more you see lucky people, you realize that those are the people that work really hard and are well-prepared for the moment. And it's so true at the end of the day. It just doesn't happen to you; you've got to go out and start to be a force to make that happen. So I like that a lot.
George, what is your definition of success on a personal level?
George Michel: It's about the team achieving incredible results beyond my expectations and their wildest expectations while having mutual respect and trust. That's what I always feels is success on a business level. On a personal level, it's the kind of family I have and the success that my spouse and children are enjoying. That is what to me is the definition of my success. And that's how I treat my personal life, and that's how I look at the business aspect of my interactions with my people here and the teams that I work with.
Brian Watson: Interesting, well, I agree that those are two good measuring sticks for success because it definitely impacts a lot of people.
George, tell us about one of your proudest professional moments.
George Michel: You know, the one that comes to my mind is opening our first Boston Market after seven years of hiatus, of closing restaurants, of shutting down underperforming restaurants, is to open a brand new Boston Market. Just the excitement that created with our employees and our management and our support staff here in Denver. The look in their eyes when we cut the ribbon and opened that first restaurant, which is the signal of the future. That, to me, was the proudest moment I've enjoyed.
Brian Watson: Well, that definitely signaled the turn of the tide; that's for sure. And I'm sure that that was very, very powerful and, frankly, probably very emotional for a lot of the employees. I've met a lot of them out there and at your corporate headquarters, and several of them have worked there for many, many years and saw the upside and then the challenge period and now the growth period in creating that foundation.
George, what is the best way for our listeners to learn more about you and Boston Market online or in any other way?
George Michel: The first one is to look at our website. Our website is very comprehensive: www.bostonmarket.com. There are different tabs because we're in two or three businesses really. I mean, we're a bit of a hybrid. We're not a restaurant and we're not a supermarket; we're in-between. Customers use us for three different occasions.
One is to eat in the restaurants, and they can look at the menu. We also do a lot of takeout. We do very well during Thanksgiving. The next four weeks is really our Super Bowl, where people are looking for solutions. And we provide great solutions during the holidays and Thanksgiving, where people can come and pick up ready-to-heat food at our restaurants.
And then at the same time, we have a catering business. And we do very well with catering where, again, we take food to offices. We take food to work places. We provide food to airline employees that work behind the scenes during holidays. So our website would be a great place to look at our business, where we do in dining; we do takeout with a lot of families; and we do, at the same time, catering through the whole year but especially during the holidays and on weekends as well.
At the same time, we have a Facebook. People can get on our Facebook and enjoy some of the news stories and clippings and interviews and press releases that we have, and the interaction that we have with the customers so that they can learn more about our business. So these would be the two areas that I would suggest that if people are interested in Boston Market is to go to those two sites.
Brian Watson: Thank you for that. And what parting advice or golden nuggets of wisdom would you like to share with our listeners?
George Michel: You asked me about quotes. I have sometimes my own quotes as well that I always use with our people here because it helps them understand how I manage and how I look at the business. So the first thing I always say to my team and to people, "It's not about how fast or how hard you skate; it's all about how many pucks you can put in the net."
And the second thing that I aspire to is as a leader, you have to walk the talk. You cannot ask or tell people what to do. You have to be the role model for them. One example of that is, as I mentioned to you, Thanksgiving is a big period for us; and it's our Super Bowl. Thanksgiving Day, myself and my wife, we put on uniforms; and we work in the restaurants. And then at the end of the day, we serve our employees their Thanksgiving meal. Because when we're asking our employees to work on that day to take care of our customers, I need as a leader to be a role model and show that it's okay for me also to work on Thanksgiving Day and not to be home enjoying my time off while our employees are working.
And then the last thing is, I always say, "I operate under the no surprise principle." Don't surprise me; I won't surprise you. If you're in doubt, just let me know what's going on. It's okay if we're failing; let's learn from it. But don't hide anything because at the end of the day, we should always operate under the no surprise principle.
So those would be three things that I'd like to share with you about areas that I focus on and I use in my management day after day.
Brian Watson: Well, each one of those is powerful and could have a positive effect. And I especially like the hockey metaphor from someone who has spent some time in Canada. So I appreciate that one.
George, I want to thank you for participating in this podcast and sharing your story about the company and congratulate you on your success. And I also want to thank you for your tenancy in one of our buildings and look forward to being a customer of yours for many years to come. So thank you for your time today.
George Michel: Thank you, Brian. We really enjoy our relationship with you as well. We love being here in Denver. We love doing business and being a solution to busy people. Thanks so much.
Brian Watson: Thank you for listening to the Opportunity Coalition podcast. We'd love to have you subscribe on iTunes. If you'd like to learn more about the Opportunity Coalition, please visit www.opportunitycoalition.com. See you next time.
January 12, 2015 /Opportunity Coalition Admin

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Airport Improvement Fees to increase at Halifax Stanfield Airport in 2021
As the result of drastic falls in revenue due to…
13 October 2020 | By International Airport Review
As the result of drastic falls in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Halifax Stanfield Airport has been forced to increase its Airport Improvement Fees by $7 per originating passenger.
ACI-NA publishes 42 aviation industry COVID-19 recommendations
In order to support the industry as air travel begins…
30 June 2020 | By International Airport Review
In order to support the industry as air travel begins to recover, ACI-NA has released 42 recommendations and priorities for aviation during COVID-19.
Airport Insights
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International Airport Review is published by:
Videh Kumar Jaipuriar
Videh Kumar Jaipuriar has been nominated for his exemplary leadership in managing and navigating Delhi International Airport (DEL) during the COVID-19 pandemic. He led multiple initiatives to ensure business continuity at DEL, which included passenger safety and convenience, stakeholder management, cash conservation, adoption of new technologies, and care for environment and employee safety.
He proactively engaged with the government stakeholders and supported them in safeguarding aviation through strong confidence building measures for travellers, such as developing several indigenous technology solutions like air circulation with six changes per hour and a combination of UV and plasma disinfection systems to provide safest journey experience to their passengers. Under his leadership, DEL has been forefront of implementing safety measures which was later adopted across the country.
Despite lockdown, Jaipuriar ensured that DEL was operational for rescue missions, medical evacuations, and transporting medical essentials to various parts of the country. He further led the Vande Bharat Mission flights of Government of India (a rescue mission to get Indians back to India), as well as rescue flights by other international governments. His outstanding leadership across all areas across the stakeholders in the aviation ecosystem and going beyond the call of duty in managing and navigating this crisis for a national capital airport having national importance makes him the apt choice for the Person of the Year Award.
Eng. Adnan Saggaf
Hajj and Umrah Airport – Jeddah – KSA
Adnan Saggaf continues to demonstrate strong leadership skills throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and brought out of the box ideas in attracting traffic and to support his team during this difficult time. With new innovative ideas in balancing cash flow, the facilities were kept maintained and the personal were kept employed.
Saggaf has protected the financial stability of his staff income, ensured valuable cost cutting management, shown excellent performance of crisis management, and exceptional negotiation skills shown with authority regarding agreement restructuring and receivable payments.
To handle the loss of Umrah traffic to the airport, Saggaf chose to attract new airlines, mainly LCCs, to use the terminal with attractive offers and more reliable services. He built a new strategy by diversifying the airport offers. He prepared the facilities by deploying new technology and working on enhancing passenger experience. Saggaf also initiated a capacity building programme for the airside team by drafting SOPS, training and coaching, as well as initiating dedicated workshops to discuss ideas and to deploy new initiatives.
Leaders show strength in difficult times, and this is exactly what Saggaf showed and why he deserves to be awarded as the Person of the year 2021.
Peter Hall
Sangster International Airport Jamaica
Peter has been with the Sangster International Airport for over 25 years.
He has experience in customer service, operations and now oversees the security function and is also the Chief Operations Officer.
Peter has been instrumental in co-ordinating the preparation and implementation of a COVID-19 response plan for not just MBJ, but to guide the operation of all agencies operating on airport. The aim of this plan was to ensure a safe environment for staff and the travelling public; therefore, this plan was instrumental to establish consumer/travellers/public confidence and provided information and guidelines on the new protocols implemented at the airport.
Peter is well known for his expertise in investigation and aviation security. His co-operation with law enforcement stakeholders has been unrelenting in assuring the security of the airport and stakeholders alike.
While Peter is known as a firm individual that displays the outmost professionalism and integrity, he operates on the basis of equity and fairness in all matters relating to staff, clients, passengers and the general public.
Robson Freitas
Head of Operations, Safety and Emergency
Belo Horizonte International Airport
Robson Freitas has developed and led the BH Airport plan for the resumption of airport operations post-COVID-19, as well as being responsible for leading the group of Directors and Managers at the airport, defining the three main pillars of recovery: Health and Safety of People, Institutional and Integrated Communication and Institutional Partners. These central pillars include ensuring hygiene and health and social distances measures for passengers, users, and the airport community, in addition to participating in strategic committees involving the public sectors to comply with regulatory rules. Freitas developed the COVID guardians programme, who were responsible in monitoring and following up on the measures already implemented for COVID-19 and advising users, employees and other people on compliance with distancing, hygiene and health measures recommended by health authorities. He also developed a COVID booklet with information and guidance for the airport community regarding good hygiene and health practices and led the beginning of the publication of a monthly newsletter with passenger curve information, allowing the planning of reopening and rehiring by commercial stores. Freitas also supported the reduction of OPEX by planning the temporary closure of areas, toilets and equipment in common use and internalising some activities.
Satyaki Raghunath
Chief Strategy Development Officer
Bangalore International Airport Limited
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Raghunath worked closely with all the aero concessionaires and cargo operators to minimise disruption and provide financial relief to them. The airline marketing team helped launch a historic first route to the U.S. West Coast and the cargo team at BIAL also achieved record numbers over this period, with the airport becoming India's leading airport for the export of perishables. Despite the impact of COVID-19, Raghunath has led a digital transformation and expansion at BIAL airport, with new initiatives and the deployment of the fully biometric-based self-boarding solution for seamless passenger flow and travel experiences and a process automation and analytics platform. These initiatives amongst many others, meant that the airport won ACI World's 'Voice of the Customer' initiative, which recognised BIAL airports efforts to prioritise their customers during COVID-19. Raghunath has remained a staunch and resilient leader during such an uncertain time and is very much appreciated by his team.
Alicia Prince
Cairns Airport
As Head of Operations, Alicia Prince has played a critical role in leading and navigating Cairns Airport through the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, Prince implemented a functional plan to ensure business continuity and staff welfare, segregating front-line operational staff into work teams to avoid interaction between groups, as well as strict sanitisation processes. She ensured that the $55 million domestic Terminal upgrade continued safely despite the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.
She also deployed the COVIDSafe Operation Plan for Cairns Airport, which was endorsed and later commended by Queensland Chief Health Officer. As part of this plan Alicia developed an airport layout to provide physical separation of low risk and high-risk arrivals and initiated increased hygiene and sanitisation protocols. The health and safety of the airport community was paramount to maintaining operations, and in response to this Alicia initiated a COVIDSafe training program for the entire airport community and worked closely with her team to deliver.
As a result of the great work Prince has done to ensure COVID-19 best practices, Cairns Airport was one of the first Australian Airports to be awarded an ACI Global Health Accreditation.
Alicia also led the terminal optimisation project, which assessed and implemented terminal downscales due to the crisis. Significant savings (both financial and environmental) were achieved by reducing the operational footprint of the airport.
Whilst maintaining operations throughout the pandemic was a priority, Alicia ensured her team were kept well informed and engaged. Cairns Airport has a team of 33 volunteers which form part of Alicia's wider team. To ensure they remained connected and cared for, Alicia and her team created care packages including home-made cakes and personally delivered to each of the volunteers' houses in a COVIDSafe manner. Alicia demonstrated great leadership throughout the pandemic and continues to do so today. Her clear and transparent communication and collaboration with other Australian Airports and key agencies to ensure best practice and alignment contributed greatly to business continuity. Furthermore, all the above was managed whilst working remotely and juggling home schooling with her two young boys.
Balram Bheodari
Airport General Manager
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Balram Bheodari leads Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as North America's most efficient airport, due to his vast knowledge of and astute attention to efficiency in aviation, which has allowed the airport to thrive in the most difficult of markets. Bheodari combines operational expertise, integrity, and selflessness to provide a quality of leadership throughout Atlanta Airport. He oversees all facets of airport governance, including operations and a multi-billion-dollar capital improvement programme, ATLNext, designed to pave the way for Atlanta's growth over the next 20 years. During COVID-19, Bheodari developed a comprehensive resumption of operations playbook that served to support ATL's recovery efforts. With guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amid evolving health and safety guidelines, Bheodari steadfastly encouraged collaboration among stakeholders, team-building among aviation employees, and adaptability in uncertain times. Throughout the pandemic, he participated in daily calls with Airports Council International and other large-hub airports to share best practices as well as information from Washington, D.C. federal offices and the CDC.
He aimed to restore customer confidence and ensure the airport was a healthy facility using COVID-19 safe protocols. Since, the airport achieved Airport of the Year by the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC).
During the height of the pandemic, Bheodari was the most ardent supporter of our mission-critical employees. Having worked his way up through the ranks, he fully appreciates the oftentimes thankless jobs these employees perform that keep the Airport safe and running optimally at all times. Morale never flagged because Bheodari made sure those employees felt valued through hazard pay, special meals, social media posts, intranet spotlight features, and other incentives.
His actions and his directives all reflect his commitment to the three key focus areas of our organisation's strategic plan: people, purpose and performance.
Jonas Abrahamsson
Swedavia Airports
Jonas Abrahamsson has shown the strength to steer the company towards its long-term sustainable goals, despite the challenges of COVID-19. Abrahamsson has ensured that Swedavia achieved its net zero target for all ten of the airports in 2020 and has continued to support strategic development and innovation to further the cause of sustainable air travel. During 2020, when passenger numbers where down over 90 per cent and a lot of investments were paused, he decided that investments in the company's net zero target should proceed, allowing Swedavia to become the first net zero airport group by the end of 2020.
Chris Dinsdale
Budapest Airport
Chris Dinsdale has worked at Budapest Airport since 2015, originally as CFO until March 2021, where he was nominated for the position as CEO. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dinsdale, as CFO of the airport at the time, fought relentlessly to make sure that the company survived the crisis and worked with great commitment to secure the funding of the airport. For example, a voluntary salary cut for the executives and the founding of the Budapest Airport Foundation, which supports blue collar workers who lost their job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After being nominated to CEO position in March 2021, Dinsdale continues to work closely with the executive team to create a clear COVID-19 recovery strategy for Budapest Airport. This will also mean that we come out stronger of the pandemic and have a clear focus. Dinsdale is an inspiring true leader who helped us all to cope with the very difficult times of the pandemic and I am convinced that he truly deserves this award.


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Home > Trademarks > Replacement – a way to get your cloned trademark rights in the UK covered by your international registration?
January 18, 2023 Annelies Van Esbroeck Trademarks
Since 1 January 2021, EU trademarks (EUTMs) are no longer protected trademarks in the UK due to Brexit. In light hereof, the UK IPO created a comparable UK trade mark for all right holders with an existing EUTM. Consequently, you might now have 2 national UK trademarks. One comparable UK trade mark and an international trademark registration designating the UK. To solve this duality, the old principle of replacement comes into play, but is this effective? Is replacement useful? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this principle?
For a better understanding of the principle of replacement, we will outline in this article (i) what is meant by "replacement", (ii) which steps need to be taken to implement this principle, (iii) what are the advantages, and (iv) what are the disadvantages.
1. What is "replacement" ?
The principle of replacement is an old principle dating back to 4 December 1900. This principle entails that a national or regional trademark registration in any designated territory of the Madrid Protocol, for example, a comparable UK trademark dd. 1 January 2015, is deemed to be replaced by an international registration such as an international registration covering the UK dd. 1 January 2020. This situation can only occur if all conditions, stipulated in article 4bis(1) of the Madrid Protocol, are cumulatively met.[1] The international designation must:
be in respect of the same trademark;
be held by the same holder;
list the same goods and services[2]; and
take effect after the date of the national/regional registration.
Furthermore, the international registration is deemed to replace the national or regional registration without prejudice to any rights acquired by virtue of the latter.[3] This means that once replacement has taken place, the holder essentially has two rights – one at the national/regional level and one at the international level, as long as it is renewed by the holder.[4]
2. Which steps need to be taken?
Article 4bis(2) of the Madrid Protocol provides that "the office in whose national or regional register the mark is recorded, is required, upon request, to take note in its register of the international registration".
From the wording of this article, it is clear that this should not be interpreted as a mandatory requirement to benefit from replacement, which is deemed to take place automatically after the UK has been designated in international registration.[5] The holder is not required to do anything. However, it is possible for the holder of the international registration to request the relevant national/regional IP Office to take note of the replacement.[6] Particularly in the UK, requesting the recordal of a replacement of a UK national registration is a relatively straightforward process and can be done at any time after the international mark achieves protected status in the UK.[7]
The owner (or its representative) will have to file a Form TM28 'Application to record a concurrent registration' at the UK IPO.[8] If the UK IPO is convinced that all requirements are fulfilled, it informs the World Intellectual Property Organization (hereinafter 'WIPO') which maintains the international trade mark register.[9] If the notification complies with the prescribed requirements WIPO confirms the replacement to the owner and records it on the international register.[10]
However, the Madrid Protocol does not elaborate further on the effects of replacement or the exact reasons such replacement is advantageous.
3. What are the advantages of replacement?
The three main advantages of replacement are (1) the centralization of your trademark, (2) the saving of renewal fees, and (3) the application of a new grace period for use. We will now elaborate a bit further on these advantages:
(1) Centralized management: This replacement allows the holder to regain the advantages of centralized management at WIPO.[11] For example, updating the owner's name or address, change of names, assignments and renewals can be recorded at the same time which reduces the costs.[12]
(2) Renewal savings: After replacement , the owner of the replaced UK trademark is able to renew its international registration through WIPO, without renewing the separate UK registration.[13] The owner may then choose to let its national registration lapse when it is due for renewal since its rights will continue to be embodied in the international registration.[14] This should result in some financial savings for the owner since the owner only has to pay renewal fees once instead of twice.[15]
(3) New grace period for use: In addition, the replaced UK trademark will have a new five-year grace period for use that is calculated from its date of protection in the UK and will, therefore, take advantage of the earlier priority or filing date of the UK national registration.[16]
However, from the above it seems that the principle is easy to apply and has many advantages. This is also the way the UK IPO, WIPO and the current doctrine presents the principle of replacement to the public. They only see the principle as something good, but neglect the disadvantages.
4. The disadvantages of replacement
We believe, just like A. King, that the other side of the story should not be underexposed. The main disadvantages are related to (1) the filing costs, (2) the examination and publication of the subsequent designation, (3) the scope of the subsequent designation after the examination, and (4) the dependency period. Below we will explain these disadvantages further.[17]
(1) Cost: the trademark owner must keep in mind the cost involved for filing a subsequent designation for the UK under the existing international registration.
(2) Examination and publication risks: the new UK subsequent designation must first be examined and then published for opposition purposes before the Statement of Grant of Protection will be issued.[18] Any problems that arise at these stages could, at worst, jeopardize the entire replacement strategy. In addition, the cost of responding to any such issues will reduce the financial attractiveness of the replacement.
(3) Scope: after examination, publication and/or opposition, it is possible that the new UK subsequent designation might have undergone significant changes to the goods and/or services which it protects. Therefore, replacement might not be possible anymore.
(4) Dependency period: not the least important but a clear disadvantage is the dependency between the international registration and the national/regional registration that serves as its basis during the first five-year period. If the replacement has taken place just before cancellation of the basis trademark, you will lose both national UK trademarks. It is therefore advisable to renew the national/regional registration that is to be replaced if the dependency period is still ongoing instead of replacing it.
In our opinion, these disadvantages should not be underestimated. As stipulated above, replacement cannot only cost you a lot of money, but also can lead to a limitation or worst case scenario to the termination of your protection in the UK. Therefore, integrating the principle of replacement in your IP strategy is not without risk and should be assessed case-by-case.
We look forward to the evolution of this principle in practice and are happy to assist you if you would have any questions or comments.
Annelies Van Esbroeck – Intellectual Property Attorney
[1] Article 4bis(1) Protocol of 27 June 1989 relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (as amended on November 12, 2007), WIPO Lex, p. 8. (hereinafter referred to as "Madrid Protocol").
[2] It should, however, be noted that partial replacement either way is possible and acceptable. The national registration can cover greater or fewer goods or services than the international registration, but there must be at least some overlap.
[3] Article 4bis(2) of the Madrid Protocol provides that the office in whose national or regional register the mark is recorded, is required, upon request, to take note in its register of the international registration.
[4] WIPO, "What is replacement and how does it work?", 2022, Madrid System: Frequently Asked Questions (wipo.int) (last consultation 7 April 2022); Guide to the International Registration of Marks under the Madrid Protocol, WIPO Publication 2021, No. 455E/21, p. 133 (140).
[5] T. Torzsás, "Replacement procedure under the Madrid Protocol in the post-Brexit era, rule 21 of the regulations amended" 2021, Replacement Procedure Under the Madrid Protocol in the Post-Brexit Era, Rule 21 of the Regulations Amended | PETOŠEVIĆ (petosevic.com) (last consultation 7 April 2022).
[6] Guide to the International Registration of Marks under the Madrid Protocol, WIPO Publication 2021, No. 455E/21, p. 134 (140).
[7] UK IPO, "International examination guide – TM28", 2021, International examination guide – Manual of trade marks practice – Guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) (consultation 07/04/2021).
[8] Form TM28 'Application to record a concurrent registration', Application to record a concurrent registration: Form TM28 (publishing.service.gov.uk) (last consultation 6 April 2022); A. King, "The principle of replacement in trade marks", 2021, HTTPS://WWW.MEWBURN.COM/NEWS-INSIGHTS/THE-PRINCIPLE-OF-REPLACEMENT-IN-TRADE-MARKS (last consultation 6 April 2022): There is no official fee associated with the filing of the application. The Form TM28 is quite straightforward. The requestor only needs to provide basic information about the UK national and international registrations, its own identity, the identification of the goods and/or services that are to be covered by the replacement and the filing and priority date (if applicable) of the UK trade mark registration that is being replaced.
[9] Rule 21(1) of the Common Regulations under the Madrid Agreement concerning the international registration of marks and the protocol relating to that agreement of 1 January 2015, WIPO Lex (last consultation 7 April 2021).
[10] WIPO, "What is replacement and how does it work?", 2022, Madrid System: Frequently Asked Questions (wipo.int) (last consultation 7 April 2022); For more information see Guide to the International Registration of Marks under the Madrid Protocol, WIPO Publication 2021, No. 455E/21, p. 132-138.
[11] WIPO, "Centralized management under the Madrid System for a comparable United Kingdom trademark", 2020, https://www.wipo.int/madrid/en/news/2020/news_0015.html (last consultation 7 April 2022).
[12] T. Torzsás, "Replacement Procedure Under the Madrid Protocol in the Post-Brexit Era, Rule 21 of the Regulations Amended", 2021, Replacement Procedure Under the Madrid Protocol in the Post-Brexit Era, Rule 21 of the Regulations Amended – Lexology (last consultation 7 April 2021); E. Coates, "Trade Mark Replacement – What is Replacement and what are your options post-Brexit?", 2021, Trade Mark Replacement – What it is and your options post-Brexit | Legal Updates – Murgitroyd (last consultation 7 April 2021).
[13] W. Dickinson, "BREXIT – EUTM Registrations and Cloned United Kingdom Registrations", 2021, https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/brexit-eutm-registrations-and-cloned-1822276/ (last consultation 7 April 2021).
[14] WIPO, "What is replacement and how does it work?", 2022, Madrid System: Frequently Asked Questions (wipo.int) (last consultation 7 April 2022).
[15] Nuance made by A. King, "The principle of replacement in trade marks", 2021, HTTPS://WWW.MEWBURN.COM/NEWS-INSIGHTS/THE-PRINCIPLE-OF-REPLACEMENT-IN-TRADE-MARKS (last consultation 6 April 2022): UK IPO official renewal fees for the UK registration may only be marginally more expensive than the WIPO renewal fees for the UK designation, with the difference apparently narrowing the greater the number of classes that are protected.
[16] E. Coates, "Trade Mark Replacement – What is Replacement and what are your options post-Brexit?", 2021, Trade Mark Replacement – What it is and your options post-Brexit | Legal Updates – Murgitroyd (last consultation 7 April 2021).
[17] A. King, "The principle of replacement in trade marks", 2021, HTTPS://WWW.MEWBURN.COM/NEWS-INSIGHTS/THE-PRINCIPLE-OF-REPLACEMENT-IN-TRADE-MARKS (last consultation 6 April 2022).
[18] WIPO, "United Kingdom: statutory instrument providing for continued protection in the United Kingdom to designations of the European Union under the Madrid system in case of a no-deal Brexit", p 8. dis_uk_no_deal_brexit_explainer.pdf (wipo.int) (last consultation 7 April 2022).


Testimonial widget - can I change what text is linked?
I am new to WordPress and Elementor and am learning as I go. So far I'm figuring it out on my own, but now I'm stuck. I appreciate any guidance!
I am currently working on a Testimonial page for my website. I'm editing using Elementor and used the Testimonial widget to enter the information. I like the layout of the testimonials, however it's odd to me that the name and title of the person giving the testimonial both link to the website. I actually have entered the title and the name of the company into the Title field, and would really prefer that the name and title don't link, only the company name should link to the company website.
Although I don't generally want to dig into html, I would if it would mean that I could make this change. But after just dragging and dropping so far, I don't even know where to find the code that's behind what Elementor is creating. Can I do this? Thanks.


About 3 months ago a long lean light and dark grey spotted cat showed up on our back porch and did not leave. After a few weeks we decided to have him fixed and got him his rabies shots. I thought he would eventually leave. He did not. He grew very attached to my daughter. He would call out for her when she left and ran up to her when she came back home. She wanted him to come in. So I got him his other shots and after a couple of weeks I began to let him in and introduce him slowly to our dog (12) and cat (7). They have slowly warmed up to him. But as I was looking at him, he was getting bigger, his spots were really beginning to show, I think this may be due in part to a better diet. I started looking and saw that he may be an ocicat. He has every single characteristic As soon as I am able to load a picture on this darn computer, I will post it here. But as I am watching this kitten grow, the vet said he was less than a year old, he is getting pretty big. The only info I can find on size is 15 lbs for males. But how long or shoulder height in inches? from tip of nose to tip of tail in inches? Our other cat is quite huge as it is. He is about 8 lbs. And they are eating A LOT! lol. He has been a great addition to our family and my daughter is learning to care for her own cat. A valuable lesson at an early age. Thank You!
Congratulations on the rescue, and on being Chosen by a very special boy. He sounds lovely.


The French cleaning federation is encouraging sustainable business, explains correspondent Christian Bouzols.
The French cleaning federation (Fédération des Entreprises de Propreté & Services Associés - FEP) is the only employer organisation in the country that helps businesses to meet their corporate social responsibilities. In all the regions it has set up schemes to help cleaning company managers to better practise sustainable development.
The French cleaning sector has for quite some time taken its social responsibility seriously by investing in the training and integration of its employees. This sector is one of services and intensive labour. Almost 70 per cent of its workers are employed part time and work staggered hours, being called to duty early in the morning or late in the evening at the express request of their customers. Despite this, cleaning jobs can be considered as stable work since 83 per cent of workers in the sector are under open-ended contracts. Their having to work part time is not their choice but a constraint made necessary by the operations of their customers.
At least 30 to 40 per cent of cleaning workers have several employers. This situation has been brought about by a provision in the collective bargaining agreement stipulating that when a customer company calls on the services of another cleaning contractor, the workers that had been on the job have to be retained by that new cleaning contractor. This provision has contributed to job stability in the cleaning sector.
Among all the cleaning workers that work part time, 45 per cent say they had in fact chosen to work such hours. Given those circumstances, the French cleaning federation is currently thinking about how to change and improve the current way work is organised.
It is also implementing training policies designed to help people with little or no qualifications to integrate into the workplace. It has given priority to continuing education, with the result that some 60,000 cleaning operators get 1.4 millions hours of training every year. Efforts are also being made to help workers with poor knowledge of French to understand their instruction manuals. Furthermore the sector has set up a structured approach to the employment of handicapped people. Finally, more than 6,000 young people each year undertake the various cleaning diplomas available, from the certificate of vocational aptitude to a master's degree.
In 2007, the two sides of the industry agreed on a new professional qualification certificate (CQP – Certificat de qualification professionnelle) which can be obtained on the job and is complementary to certificates obtained in the classroom. This professional qualification enables people with no diplomas to be certified and thus be recognised for their skills.
Sustainable development is another area where more work can be done, particularly concerning the environment. The various stakeholders have an opportunity here to review what their responsibilities are.
• Health and quality of life.
• Preserving resources and protecting the environment.
• Contributing to the aims of local authorities.


Consciousness shift is one thing, but what do we do about systemic ills?
I asked Julia Bystrova of Transition US about the governmental corruption holding us back from systemic policy-level changes—the big changes we are going to need, if we have a prayer of surviving the linked crises facing us. She had an interesting answer.
She pointed out that a healthy consciousness shift is already manifesting on the local level—witness sensible policy changes in cities all over the country. In LA, for example, a group called Tree People convinced their city that urban forestry is key to watershed management.
Photo by Lida, via Flickr Commons.
More than 1000 mayors have endorsed the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, vowing to reduce carbon emissions in their cities below 1990 levels, in line with the Kyoto Protocol.
And my own city, right smack in the middle of the stolid Midwest, shows some movement. This year we are gaining both a bike share and an electric car share program.
But beyond the local level where we can see real change happening, the picture looks bleak. As Julia put it, much of our larger governmental machine was "hijacked by corporate pirates." These titans are not interested in seeing communities flourish on a local scale—not when there are profits to be had.
Greed and control are their modus operandi. Their greed is so extreme that they are willingly sacrificing people's lives. And they're deliberately sacrificing the life of the planet.
But spiritually awake people can shine a light on the collective shadow. That's what these madmen, as Julia calls them, represent: our collective shadow. It's up to us to gain the maturity to stand our ground, in love and compassion, in the presence of this darkness.
In psychological work, the shadow is the unacknowledged, hated part of ourselves that rules our behavior—unless we turn toward it with love.
It's time to look at such perpetrators in the face, with full awareness, unafraid.
Rebirth, by Jason Samfield, via Flickr Commons.
Julia believes that more and more of us are reaching this level of awakening. If we confront them from a high level of integrity, institutions entrenched in corrupt power will crumble.
Again, a powerful vision to hold.
Next: Evidence of the shift.
This entry was posted in Inspiration, The Big Picture and tagged Activism, Climate change, consciousness shift, Environment, Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, mindfulness, Permaculture, resilience, Sustainability, Transition US, Tree People, Urban Forestry, Urban planning. Bookmark the permalink.