text:
package org.apache.lucene.facet.taxonomy.directory;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.logging.Level;
import java.util.logging.Logger;

import org.apache.lucene.document.Document;
import org.apache.lucene.facet.collections.LRUHashMap;
import org.apache.lucene.facet.taxonomy.CategoryPath;
import org.apache.lucene.facet.taxonomy.ParallelTaxonomyArrays;
import org.apache.lucene.facet.taxonomy.TaxonomyReader;
import org.apache.lucene.index.CorruptIndexException; // javadocs
import org.apache.lucene.index.DirectoryReader;
import org.apache.lucene.index.DocsEnum;
import org.apache.lucene.index.IndexWriter;
import org.apache.lucene.index.MultiFields;
import org.apache.lucene.search.DocIdSetIterator;
import org.apache.lucene.store.Directory;
import org.apache.lucene.util.BytesRef;
import org.apache.lucene.util.IOUtils;

/**
 * A {@link TaxonomyReader} which retrieves stored taxonomy information from a
 * {@link Directory}.
 *

 * Reading from the on-disk index on every method call is too slow, so this
 * implementation employs caching: Some methods cache recent requests and their
 * results, while other methods prefetch all the data into memory and then
 * provide answers directly from in-memory tables. See the documentation of
 * individual methods for comments on their performance.
 *
 * @lucene.experimental
 */
public class DirectoryTaxonomyReader extends TaxonomyReader {

  private static final Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(DirectoryTaxonomyReader.class.getName());

  private static final int DEFAULT_CACHE_VALUE = 4000;

  private final DirectoryTaxonomyWriter taxoWriter;
  private final long taxoEpoch; // used in doOpenIfChanged
  private final DirectoryReader indexReader;

  // TODO: test DoubleBarrelLRUCache and consider using it instead
  private LRUHashMap<CategoryPath, Integer> ordinalCache;
  private LRUHashMap<Integer, CategoryPath> categoryCache;

  private volatile TaxonomyIndexArrays taxoArrays;

  private char delimiter = Consts.DEFAULT_DELIMITER;

  /**
   * Called only from {@link #doOpenIfChanged()}. If the taxonomy has been
   * recreated, you should pass {@code null} as the caches and parent/children
   * arrays.
   */
  DirectoryTaxonomyReader(DirectoryReader indexReader, DirectoryTaxonomyWriter taxoWriter,
      LRUHashMap<CategoryPath,Integer> ordinalCache, LRUHashMap<Integer,CategoryPath> categoryCache,
      TaxonomyIndexArrays taxoArrays) throws IOException {
    this.indexReader = indexReader;
    this.taxoWriter = taxoWriter;
    this.taxoEpoch = taxoWriter == null ? -1 : taxoWriter.getTaxonomyEpoch();

    // use the same instance of the cache, note the protective code in getOrdinal and getPath
    this.ordinalCache = ordinalCache == null ? new LRUHashMap<CategoryPath,Integer>(DEFAULT_CACHE_VALUE) : ordinalCache;
    this.categoryCache = categoryCache == null ? new LRUHashMap<Integer,CategoryPath>(DEFAULT_CACHE_VALUE) : categoryCache;

    this.taxoArrays = taxoArrays != null ? new TaxonomyIndexArrays(indexReader, taxoArrays) : null;
  }

  /**
   * Open for reading a taxonomy stored in a given {@link Directory}.
   *
   * @param directory
   *          The {@link Directory} in which the taxonomy resides.
   * @throws CorruptIndexException
   *           if the Taxonomy is corrupt.
   * @throws IOException
   *           if another error occurred.
   */
  public DirectoryTaxonomyReader(Directory directory) throws IOException {
    indexReader = openIndexReader(directory);
    taxoWriter = null;
    taxoEpoch = -1;

    // These are the default cache sizes; they can be configured after
    // construction with the cache's setMaxSize() method
    ordinalCache = new LRUHashMap<CategoryPath, Integer>(DEFAULT_CACHE_VALUE);
    categoryCache = new LRUHashMap<Integer, CategoryPath>(DEFAULT_CACHE_VALUE);
  }

  /**
   * Opens a {@link DirectoryTaxonomyReader} over the given
   * {@link DirectoryTaxonomyWriter} (for NRT).
   *
   * @param taxoWriter
   *          The {@link DirectoryTaxonomyWriter} from which to obtain newly
   *          added categories, in real-time.
   */
  public DirectoryTaxonomyReader(DirectoryTaxonomyWriter taxoWriter) throws IOException {
    this.taxoWriter = taxoWriter;
    taxoEpoch = taxoWriter.getTaxonomyEpoch();
    indexReader = openIndexReader(taxoWriter.getInternalIndexWriter());

    // These are the default cache sizes; they can be configured after
    // construction with the cache's setMaxSize() method
    ordinalCache = new LRUHashMap<CategoryPath, Integer>(DEFAULT_CACHE_VALUE);
    categoryCache = new LRUHashMap<Integer, CategoryPath>(DEFAULT_CACHE_VALUE);
  }

  private synchronized void initTaxoArrays() throws IOException {
    if (taxoArrays == null) {
      // according to Java Concurrency in Practice, this might perform better on
      // some JVMs, because the array initialization doesn't happen on the
      // volatile member.
      TaxonomyIndexArrays tmpArrays = new TaxonomyIndexArrays(indexReader);
      taxoArrays = tmpArrays;
    }
  }

  @Override
  protected void doClose() throws IOException {
    indexReader.close();
    taxoArrays = null;
    // do not clear() the caches, as they may be used by other DTR instances.
    ordinalCache = null;
    categoryCache = null;
  }

  /**
   * Implements the opening of a new {@link DirectoryTaxonomyReader} instance if
   * the taxonomy has changed.
   *
   *

   * NOTE: the returned {@link DirectoryTaxonomyReader} shares the
   * ordinal and category caches with this reader. This is not expected to cause
   * any issues, unless the two instances continue to live. The reader
   * guarantees that the two instances cannot affect each other in terms of
   * correctness of the caches, however if the size of the cache is changed
   * through {@link #setCacheSize(int)}, it will affect both reader instances.
   */
  @Override
  protected DirectoryTaxonomyReader doOpenIfChanged() throws IOException {
    ensureOpen();

    // This works for both NRT and non-NRT readers (i.e. an NRT reader remains NRT).
    final DirectoryReader r2 = DirectoryReader.openIfChanged(indexReader);
    if (r2 == null) {
      return null; // no changes, nothing to do
    }

    // check if the taxonomy was recreated
    boolean success = false;
    try {
      boolean recreated = false;
      if (taxoWriter == null) {
        // not NRT, check epoch from commit data
        String t1 = indexReader.getIndexCommit().getUserData().get(DirectoryTaxonomyWriter.INDEX_EPOCH);
        String t2 = r2.getIndexCommit().getUserData().get(DirectoryTaxonomyWriter.INDEX_EPOCH);
        if (t1 == null) {
          if (t2 != null) {
            recreated = true;
          }
        } else if (!t1.equals(t2)) {
          // t1 != null and t2 cannot be null b/c DirTaxoWriter always puts the commit data.
          // it's ok to use String.equals because we require the two epoch values to be the same.
          recreated = true;
        }
      } else {
        // NRT, compare current taxoWriter.epoch() vs the one that was given at construction
        if (taxoEpoch != taxoWriter.getTaxonomyEpoch()) {
          recreated = true;
        }
      }

      final DirectoryTaxonomyReader newtr;
      if (recreated) {
        // if recreated, do not reuse anything from this instace. the information
        // will be lazily computed by the new instance when needed.
        newtr = new DirectoryTaxonomyReader(r2, taxoWriter, null, null, null);
      } else {
        newtr = new DirectoryTaxonomyReader(r2, taxoWriter, ordinalCache, categoryCache, taxoArrays);
      }

      success = true;
      return newtr;
    } finally {
      if (!success) {
        IOUtils.closeWhileHandlingException(r2);
      }
    }
  }

  protected DirectoryReader openIndexReader(Directory directory) throws IOException {
    return DirectoryReader.open(directory);
  }

  protected DirectoryReader openIndexReader(IndexWriter writer) throws IOException {
    return DirectoryReader.open(writer, false);
  }

  /**
   * Expert: returns the underlying {@link DirectoryReader} instance that is
   * used by this {@link TaxonomyReader}.
   */
  DirectoryReader getInternalIndexReader() {
    ensureOpen();
    return indexReader;
  }

  @Override
  public ParallelTaxonomyArrays getParallelTaxonomyArrays() throws IOException {
    ensureOpen();
    if (taxoArrays == null) {
      initTaxoArrays();
    }
    return taxoArrays;
  }

  @Override
  public Map<String, String> getCommitUserData() throws IOException {
    ensureOpen();
    return indexReader.getIndexCommit().getUserData();
  }

  @Override
  public int getOrdinal(CategoryPath cp) throws IOException {
    ensureOpen();
    if (cp.length == 0) {
      return ROOT_ORDINAL;
    }

    // First try to find the answer in the LRU cache:
    synchronized (ordinalCache) {
      Integer res = ordinalCache.get(cp);
      if (res != null) {
        if (res.intValue() < indexReader.maxDoc()) {
          // Since the cache is shared with DTR instances allocated from
          // doOpenIfChanged, we need to ensure that the ordinal is one that
          // this DTR instance recognizes.
          return res.intValue();
        } else {
          // if we get here, it means that the category was found in the cache,
          // but is not recognized by this TR instance. Therefore there's no
          // need to continue search for the path on disk, because we won't find
          // it there too.
          return TaxonomyReader.INVALID_ORDINAL;
        }
      }
    }

    // If we're still here, we have a cache miss. We need to fetch the
    // value from disk, and then also put it in the cache:
    int ret = TaxonomyReader.INVALID_ORDINAL;
    DocsEnum docs = MultiFields.getTermDocsEnum(indexReader, null, Consts.FULL, new BytesRef(cp.toString(delimiter)), 0);
    if (docs != null && docs.nextDoc() != DocIdSetIterator.NO_MORE_DOCS) {
      ret = docs.docID();

      // we only store the fact that a category exists, not its inexistence.
      // This is required because the caches are shared with new DTR instances
      // that are allocated from doOpenIfChanged. Therefore, if we only store
      // information about found categories, we cannot accidently tell a new
      // generation of DTR that a category does not exist.
      synchronized (ordinalCache) {
        ordinalCache.put(cp, Integer.valueOf(ret));
      }
    }

    return ret;
  }

  @Override
  public CategoryPath getPath(int ordinal) throws IOException {
    ensureOpen();

    // Since the cache is shared with DTR instances allocated from
    // doOpenIfChanged, we need to ensure that the ordinal is one that this DTR
    // instance recognizes. Therefore we do this check up front, before we hit
    // the cache.
    if (ordinal < 0 || ordinal >= indexReader.maxDoc()) {
      return null;
    }

    // TODO: can we use an int-based hash impl, such as IntToObjectMap,
    // wrapped as LRU?
    Integer catIDInteger = Integer.valueOf(ordinal);
    synchronized (categoryCache) {
      CategoryPath res = categoryCache.get(catIDInteger);
      if (res != null) {
        return res;
      }
    }

    Document doc = indexReader.document(ordinal);
    CategoryPath ret = new CategoryPath(doc.get(Consts.FULL), delimiter);
    synchronized (categoryCache) {
      categoryCache.put(catIDInteger, ret);
    }

    return ret;
  }

  @Override
  public int getSize() {
    ensureOpen();
    return indexReader.numDocs();
  }

  /**
   * setCacheSize controls the maximum allowed size of each of the caches
   * used by {@link #getPath(int)} and {@link #getOrdinal(CategoryPath)}.
   *

   * Currently, if the given size is smaller than the current size of
   * a cache, it will not shrink, and rather we be limited to its current
   * size.
   * @param size the new maximum cache size, in number of entries.
   */
  public void setCacheSize(int size) {
    ensureOpen();
    synchronized (categoryCache) {
      categoryCache.setMaxSize(size);
    }
    synchronized (ordinalCache) {
      ordinalCache.setMaxSize(size);
    }
  }

  /**
   * setDelimiter changes the character that the taxonomy uses in its
   * internal storage as a delimiter between category components. Do not
   * use this method unless you really know what you are doing.
   *

   * If you do use this method, make sure you call it before any other
   * methods that actually queries the taxonomy. Moreover, make sure you
   * always pass the same delimiter for all LuceneTaxonomyWriter and
   * LuceneTaxonomyReader objects you create.
   */
  public void setDelimiter(char delimiter) {
    ensureOpen();
    this.delimiter = delimiter;
  }

  public String toString(int max) {
    ensureOpen();
    StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
    int upperl = Math.min(max, indexReader.maxDoc());
    for (int i = 0; i < upperl; i++) {
      try {
        CategoryPath category = this.getPath(i);
        if (category == null) {
          sb.append(i + ": NULL!! \n");
          continue;
        }
        if (category.length == 0) {
          sb.append(i + ": EMPTY STRING!! \n");
          continue;
        }
        sb.append(i +": "+category.toString()+"\n");
      } catch (IOException e) {
        if (logger.isLoggable(Level.FINEST)) {
          logger.log(Level.FINEST, e.getMessage(), e);
        }
      }
    }
    return sb.toString();
  }

}


Email Marketing at WilliamsSonoma, Inc.
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You're kind of supposed to be helping your ailing grandfather, but with so much interesting stuff going on in the lives of the surreal creatures in town, it's hard not to lose focus.
Mutazione follows Kai, a young woman who travels to the community of Mutazione in order to nurse her sick grandfather, Nonno. As you take care of him, you're also free to explore the village and chat with the locals, steadily getting to know them through small-town gossip and conversation. And boy, the things you'll learn as you talk to your neighbors.
Mutazione offers an entire community of characters with intertwined stories to unravel, unveiling monster secrets hidden by these unique creatures. Except, it all depends on who you take the time to talk to over an in-game week. Whose betrayals will you unveil? Whose secrets? Whose dirty laundry will you air? It all depends on who you befriend and what you find.
On top of small town secrets, you can also grow a musical garden that changes the audio of the game. And you can send those seeds out to other players. So, if being a snoop doesn't appeal, how about creating a garden of song?
Mutazione's looking and sounding quite wonderful, all right.
Mutazione is currently in development, but you can sign up for updates via newsletter from the game's site.
September 24, 2014 | By Konstantinos D.


While art owners can't trade paintings or sculptures like a stock or bond, art is an asset class unto itself. Investors typically describe assets like art as "alternative investments": like an ugly duckling, they're often ignored, but many still turn into beautiful investment swans.
Other alternative investments include real estate and typically high-risk hedge funds, crowdfunding, cryptocurrencies, private equity, and venture capital. But none of these are as aesthetically pleasing as the lie that makes us realize truth; after all, you can't put bitcoin on your wall.
The short answer: diversification. The long answer: di-ver-si-fi-ca-tion.
A masterpiece of an investment portfolio should contain a wide selection of different assets (stocks, bonds, cash – and, yes, alternatives). The idea is that any losses in one area (say, stocks) should be offset by gains in others (bonds, for example).
The proportion of an investor's portfolio that should be invested in art varies depending on individual investing goals and how much risk they're willing or able to take.
According to the Wall Street Journal a few years ago, almost 8% of investors' cash was held in "passion investments" like art. An economics professor noted for research that visualized artworks' increasing value since 1875 believed that investing 10-20% of a portfolio in art was reasonable – but, as ever, it's different (brush)strokes for different folks depending on individual circumstances.
Arty farty or arty smarty?
Art investors have a few ways to draw themselves into the market. They can buy artworks by relatively unknown, aspiring artists; classics by well-known, usually deceased, legends; or works by artists somewhere in between the two.
The barriers to investing in unknown artworks are relatively low, since it can be as simple as buying a friend's piece or something you've taken a shine to at an art fair. In doing so, investors take on the risk of volatility, for better or worse: the price of the piece could rocket if its creator is discovered and critically lauded in the mainstream – or it could melt lower if the starving artist goes à rebours.
Pretty, right? Certainly for investors in Artprice100 works – these are the "blue chips", i.e. the most stable segment of the art market, including works by the 100 best-performing artists at auction in the previous five years who had more than ten major works sold every year – think Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, and the like.
The value of the top artworks rose by an average of 9% each year between 2000-2018, while the US stock market rose an average of 3%. The index tracking the value of the most important artists' work is adjusted annually – as with a stock market index like the S&P 500 – with newly successful artists supplanting those falling from favor.
One point to keep in mind is the dividends – a share of profits – that companies in the S&P 500 payout to investors. Including dividends in the chart below would increase the S&P 500's performance by around 50%. By comparison, investors don't receive anything just for owning art – the payout only comes when they sell it on.
The number of major art sales began falling months after the onset of the 2008 global financial crisis – and art's value didn't fall as much as stocks' during the downturn. Research by economists shows that the price of high-end artworks doesn't typically move in lockstep with the stock market – i.e. its correlation with markets is relatively low.
That may be because art isn't subject to "systemic risk": the notion that a market tends to behave as a single entity.
When the economy's healthy, art changes hands frequently: there's high "liquidity". But while stock market investors often race to sell their assets when things head south, owners of expensive artworks (who tend to be pretty well off) usually don't resort to desperately flogging their Rembrandts and Warhols for whatever they can get.
Instead, they simply hang onto them until the market becomes more favorable for selling.
Mind the sharp edges: let's bring some of the risks of investing in art into the picture.
Counterfeits are a concern for many art investors. Naturally, a fake isn't worth as much as an original, and its discovery as such can render an investment nearly worthless. Luckily, specialists focused on detecting forgeries and technology – including artificial intelligence – are working together to lower investors' chances of getting duped. These days, forging art is much tougher than The Thomas Crown Affair made it out to be.
As with all assets, investors are subject to market fluctuations – for better or worse – affecting the value of their investments.
Some investors are negative on art altogether – one common opinion is that it's more guesswork than thoughtful investing, since tastes can change and most pieces lack any inherent value beyond the aesthetic (unlike companies' stocks, the values of which are based on expected future profits).
Another concern art's detractors highlight is that, while art's typically a good way to preserve the value of money (fine art's value, as demonstrated, tends to rise over time), it's not so good when it comes to getting that cash back out, since major art sales are few and far between – and there's no guarantee investors will find a bidder willing to pay the price they want.
How do you actually invest?
For investors with serious cash lying around – think five, six, seven, even eight figures – buying a work of art outright is a legitimate option. Fancy a plate by Picasso? Yours for $5,000. An oil painting of his mistress? More like $155 million.
The process of buying and selling high-value art tends to be centered around a few big auction houses which hold regular public events as well as organizing private sales – Christie's and Sotheby's are two of the best known.
They act as brokers, and so get paid a double commission (from the buyer and seller) on any sale, just as if an investor bought or sold a company's stock. But unlike stock market brokers, there's not as much competition to keep fees low: in the UK, Christie's charges buyers a fee of around 20% for its services.
Once investors have their artwork, they can display it at home or put it into storage for safe keeping. But some savvy investors might loan their art to a gallery. Sure, they risk damage (remember what Mr Bean did to Whistler's Mother? 😂) or theft (which is less likely than Hollywood would have you believe), but having it on display is a constant reminder of the art's value – and might help it sell on for a higher price in the future.
If the above seems a bit beyond your reach (at least right now), don't worry. Thanks to advances in technology – including blockchain – these days, investors who don't have millions going spare can invest in fine art, too.
Just as robo-advisors have helped to democratize access to financial advice and portfolio-based investing, there are platforms that allow investors who aren't filthy rich to own a share of an artwork and enjoy access to its investment potential for only a few hundred or thousand dollars.
By and large, art investment platforms work in fairly similar ways. Some buy an individual artwork themselves, then create and list shares that other investors can buy – making money by charging a fee for managing the process, as well as for storing and insuring the art on investors' behalf.
When the piece is eventually sold, platforms tend to take a share of any profit, too. Other platforms may not buy art directly, instead connecting investors with owners who might want to sell a fraction of their artworks.
There are also platforms focused on allowing investors to buy and trade works by as-yet-undiscovered contemporary artists. Artists can sell shares of their works and thereafter distribute income from any fees received if the pieces are loaned out to galleries or sold outright.
Should the art become more valuable over time, investors who got in early can paint the town red with their profits.
Is the artist well recognized by major institutions or art scholars?
If the artist is deceased, do they have an estate or trust to look out for their works' best interests – helping to preserve and increase their value?
Is the artist part of a movement? The Impressionist movement, for example, raised the profiles of many artists beyond just Monet and Degas.
Is the artist recognized and highly rated by import dealers and critics, and therefore likely to have good resale value?
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" – just because a piece is by a famous artist, that doesn't guarantee it's not a dud.
Much of the work produced by Picasso, for example, isn't considered as important as his blockbuster pieces (hence the relatively cheap ceramics mentioned above).
Do you have access to networks of dealers who buy and sell the art you're interested in?
Access may matter more than price – so it might be worth paying a little over the odds to buy art that could lead to more opportunities, both buying and selling, down the line.
Since the value of the most well-known art tends to rise over time, that might not be quite as crazy a prospect as it sounds. Think, for example, of "dollar-cost averaging" when buying stocks.
It goes against almost all investment advice. But with art, the thinking is that when buying works outright (as opposed to a share of one), most investors are better off spending their money on one or two expensive pieces rather than a handful of cheaper ones.
Highly rated, critically acclaimed work tends to be pricier. And it follows that a more expensive piece has a greater chance of being considered important – and of subsequently increasing in value over time.
Now you're loaded up with arty insights, visit Finimize Discover to compare investment options for accessing the sector – including robo advisors, cryptocurrency exchanges and beyond.
This guide was produced in partnership with Masterworks.


If you are new to social media or if you are just considering its use to add to your marketing campaigns, you'll need to keep a basic record of the campaign. This is, of course, to see what works and what doesn't.
The following are key areas that need to be considered and included in an overall strategy in order to maximise the impact of a social media marketing campaign.
•Set Objectives – be clear about the purpose of your campaign and what the success criteria are. Set goals such as increasing the number of inbound links to your website, increasing the number of subscribers to your newsletter or improving brand awareness. It is very important to set measurable goals for your objectives.
•Target Audience – research and determine who you want to broadcast your message to, what interests your targeted customers and where they spend their time discussing, learning and reading online.
•Delivery method – once you know your target audience consider which tools to use to deliver your campaign message. For example will you be using blogs or forums or are you only going to target selective social networks? Are answers being searched for on LinkedIn Facebook or Twitter?
•Involvement level - Participate actively via social media and become part of the community since the amount of influence you exert will be based on how actively you join in the conversations and contribute. Join in on forum discussions, comment on blogs, follow and Tweet on Twitter and be active using social networking. Why not create your own blog and create your own community?
•Monitor and measure - Listening is a must for Social Media Marketing and using Google Alerts or other paid tools to track your brand mentions, social media awareness, blog conversations or Tweets provides an effective barometer. If your goal is purely for search engine optimization, monitor your rankings and links but to be successful with Social Media and to increase your brand awareness takes time and planning so treat your Social Media Marketing campaign exactly the same as you would any other marketing campaign.
Social media marketing can feel a little bit like that old saying about trying to keep a wave on the sand. Yes, all of what you're suggesting is definitely noteworthy in a social media campaign. Tracking your results and maintaining involvement in an approachable "non-sales" kind of way is key in my opinion. In this media saturated and marketing savvy culture it's important to remain as sincere as possible while putting your message out there.
What is your opinion on numbers? For example, in your opinion, what would be a solid number of Facebook fans or Twitter followers for a company beginning a social media campaign to use as an objective?
There are so many factors are working to be successful social media marketing campaign like product quality, surety (Guarantee/Warranty), most effective services, etc. , you can do all these in clubs, social functions, schools, colleges etc.
Popularity and effectiveness of social media marketing are growing day by day. New launched like Google+ have redefined the way people were thinking about social media marketing. So it has become crucial in overall marketing strategy to keep the business present on all popular social media platforms.
Last edited by lillianabe; 09-13-2012, 06:46 AM.
Those social media sites can be a great communication point between you and your audience so my tip would be is that you should make sure that you entertain your clients when they contact you through social media. if it is too big for you to handle, it means you need to hire a team which is always a good sign.
One strategy that works well with social media is the inclusion of real-time events. Humans are drawn to instant gratification and social media can be a great conduit to that tendency. One good strategy to keep in mind for social media is to use it for its speed of communication. Never underestimate the value of real-time feedback and live events / promotions.


text:
Colonial Revival
Hotel Bond
By Weston Ulbirch Colonial Revival, Demolished, Hartford
Hotel Bond, Hartford, Connecticut: Hotel Bond on Asylum Street was once Hartford's most luxurious establishment. It was built in two stages in 1913...
Catlin House
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Catlin House, West Hartford, Connecticut: At 1110 Farmington Avenue is a Dutch Colonial Revival mansion that last sold in 2001 for $535,000. The…
The Ledges
By Weston Ulbirch Berlin, Colonial Revival, Mansions
The Ledges, Berlin, Connecticut: This oversized Colonial Revival at 845 Worthington Ridge was built in 1930 for George E. Prentice. An immigrant from…

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text:
package iso20022

type TradingCapacity6Code string

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text:
Michael Avenatti pleads not guilty to defrauding Stormy Daniels
NEW YORK -- The pugilistic and embattled attorney Michael Avenatti pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that he defrauded his most famous client, porn star Stormy Daniels.
Avenatti barely spoke during his 10-minute appearance before a federal judge in New York, except to answer a few brief procedural questions. His lawyer entered the plea on his behalf on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Bail was set at $300,000. Avenatti, who surrendered to federal authorities in the early morning, agreed to have no contact with Daniels while the case is pending.
Later Tuesday, Avenatti was asked by reporters to comment as he walked to courthouse elevators.
"Anybody know when the president and Don Jr. are going to be arraigned?" he quipped.
It was the continuation of a feud he has carried on with President Donald Trump and Donald Trump Jr. during television appearances and through social media.
In his second appearance of the day, one of Avenatti's lawyers told U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts, who would preside over a trial, that he thought the case should be combined with charges Avenatti faces in California. A prosecutor disagreed. The judge left the issue for future consideration.
Then, Avenatti headed off to a third court appearance, this one involving separate charges that Avenatti tried to extort millions of dollars from Nike, the sportswear company.
Avenatti rose to fame representing Daniels in her battle to be released from a nondisclosure deal she had signed regarding an alleged affair with the president. He made scores of appearances on cable news shows criticizing Trump, who has denied that an affair occurred.
Avenatti was indicted last week on charges that he cheated Daniels out of $300,000 she was owed for her book, "Full Disclosure," which was published in October.
According to the indictment, Avenatti emailed a letter, purportedly from Daniels, to her literary agent with instructions that payments from her $800,000 book deal be deposited into an account he controlled. Prosecutors say Daniels never authorized the letter and was unaware of it.
Avenatti then used the money to pay business and personal expenses, including the costs of hotels, airfare, dry cleaning and his Ferrari, the indictment said.
The charges related to Daniels are the third criminal case brought against Avenatti.
In late March, charges against Avenatti were announced the same day in New York and Los Angeles.
In New York, he was charged with trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike by threatening to expose claims that the company paid the families of high school basketball players to get them to attend Nike-sponsored colleges.
In Los Angeles, he was charged with stealing millions of dollars from clients, including much of the $4 million owed to a paralyzed man, along with dodging taxes, defrauding banks and lying during bankruptcy proceedings. When the charges were enhanced last month, federal authorities seized a private jet Avenatti co-owned.
Avenatti has repeatedly asserted he is not guilty.
If convicted, he faces a potentially long prison sentence because the charges carry maximums stretching to hundreds of years in prison.
stormy danielsu.s. & worldfraud
Michael Avenatti charged with defrauding Stormy Daniels
Michael Avenatti could face 333 years in prison if convicted
Stormy Daniels bringing comedy tour to Houston
Stormy Daniels ordered to pay Trump $293K in legal fees


text:
Home > Topics > Palm > News > Acer unveils palm-based PDA
Acer unveils palm-based PDA
October 22, 2001 by CNET Reads (1,901)
Acer unveils palm-based PDA By Sumner Lemon (IDG) — Acer has pulled the wraps off its S10 personal digital assistant, the first such device to be based on the Chinese version of the Palm OS. The Chinese version of the Palm OS was developed by Acer under an agreement with Palm that was announced in June. Under the terms of that agreement, Acer is to be the only company to offer devices that use the Chinese version of the OS for "many months," says David Nagel, president and CEO of Palm's Platform Solutions Group. Other companies have licensed the Chinese version of the Palm OS but they will not be allowed to ship their products until that period is over, he says, declining to reveal which companies had been granted licenses. The S10 includes Chinese-language versions of the Date Book, Address Book, To Do List, and Memo Pad applications that are standard with other versions of the Palm OS, as well as Chinese-English and English-Chinese dictionaries. The device also offers support for multiple Chinese text input methods, a trainable handwriting recognition engine, and suggests characters based on character and phrase associations. The Chinese version of Palm OS is able to run applications written for the English version. Acer and Palm have plans to jointly promote the development of additional Chinese-language applications for the OS, Nagel says, adding that the two companies plan to host a Greater China conference for Palm developers in the first half of next year. The S10 includes an audio recording function, an MP3 player, built-in microphone and speakers, and two Memory Stick expansion slots. Acer opted to use the Memory Stick rather than the Secure Digital format used by Palm because Memory Stick is better known among Asian users and offers support for a greater range of I/O expansion options, such as GPRS (General Packet Radio Service Support), says Eric Lee, an Acer spokesperson. Acer has made changes to the text-input area of its Palm-based PDA compared with other devices running the OS. The S10 adds several additional soft keys for switching between English and Chinese text entry, accessing the dictionaries, switching between half-sized and full-sized Chinese characters, and shifting between multiple Chinese text input methods. Weighing in at 5 ounces, the S10 measures 4.7 by 3 by .5 inches. The S10 is based on Motorola's 33-MHz DragonBall VZ processor and includes 16MB of SDRAM, a 16-bit gray-scale display, and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The S10 is priced at $390.


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José Jobson de Andrade Arruda (1942) é um historiador e pesquisador brasileiro. Professor emérito da Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas da Universidade de São Paulo (FFLCH-USP), exerceu  a posição de professor titular do Instituto de Economia da UNICAMP. É autor de diversas obras didáticas na área de história econômica do Brasil.

Formação
Graduado em História pela Universidade de São Paulo, em 1966, fez doutorado em História Econômica em 1973. Professor de pós-graduação na USP, também leciona na Universidade Estadual de Campinas e na Universidade do Sagrado Coração.

É autor de Uma colônia entre dois impérios (2008), livro sobre os 200 anos da abertura dos portos às nações amigas com a transferência da corte portuguesa para o Brasil em 1808. Financiado pela Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (Fapesp), a obra faz uma "análise estrutural–dependista" e de uma historia totalizante tendo como ponto de partida as análises do historiador marxista Caio Prado Júnior e de contribuições de Fernando Novais. Foi descrita pelo historiador Carlos Gabriel Guimãraes, da Universidade Federal Fluminense, como "uma estimável contribuição para o debate sobre o tema."

Publicações
Além de artigos e participação em obras coletivas, Arruda publicou os seguintes livros:
O Brasil na Revolução Industrial (1780-1830). Bauru-SP: EDUSC, 2009.
Dinâmica mercantil e potencialização industrial: Itália e Portugal (1796-1811) (no prelo). Bauru-SP: EDUSC, 2009.
Uma colônia entre dois impérios: a abertura dos portos brasileiros 1800-1808. 1. ed. Bauru: EDUSC, 2008. v. 1. 185 p.
Nova História Moderna e Contemporânea (v. 1): da transição feudalismo-capitalismo à Guerra de Secessão dos Estados Unidos. Bauru-SP: EDUSC, 2006. v. 1. 260 p.
 Nova História Moderna e Contemporânea (v. 2): da difusão do capitalismo industrial à descolonização da Ásia. Bauru-SP: EDUSC, 2006. v. 1. 260 p.
Nova História Moderna e Contemporânea (v. 3): da descolonização da África e Oriente Médio à Guerra do Iraque. Bauru-SP: EDUSC, 2006. v. 1. 304 p.
Nova História Moderna e Contemporânea. Bauru-SP: EDUSC, 2004. 798 p.
Toda a História. São Paulo: Editora Ática, 1999.
O Trágico 5º Centenário do Descobrimento do Brasil, Bauru-SP: EDUSC, 1999.
História Total. São Paulo: Editora Ática, 1998. v. 4.
A Grande Revoluçao Inglesa 1640-1780. SÃO PAULO: HUCITEC, 1996. 210 p.
História Integrada. São Paulo: Ática, 1995.
Toda História. SÃO PAULO: ÁTICA, 1994.
História Moderna e Contemporânea. 26. ed. SÃO PAULO: ÁTICA, 1994.
História Antiga e Medieval. 10. ed. SÃO PAULO: ÁTICA, 1994.
O Brasil no Comércio Colonial : 1982. SÃO PAULO: ÁTICA, 1994. 420 p.
A Revolução Inglesa. SÃO PAULO: BRASILIENSE, 1994. 90 p.
Atlas Histórico Escolar. São Paulo: Ática, 1989.
A Revolução Industrial. São Paulo: Ática, 1989.
História Moderna e Contemporânea. 19. ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1986.
História Moderna e Contemporânea (Compacta). 19. ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1986.
História Moderna e Contemporânea (Compacta). São Paulo: Ática, 1985. 264 p.
A Revolução Inglesa. São Paulo: Brasiliense, 1984.
Revolução Industrial e Capitalismo. São Paulo: Brasiliense, 1984.
História Moderna e Contemporânea. 15. ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1980.
História Moderna e Contemporânea. Caderno de Atividades. São Paulo: Ática, 1980.
O Brasil no comércio colonial. São Paulo: Ática, 1980. 710 p.
História Antiga e Medieval. 18. ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1976.
História Antiga e Medieval. Caderno de Atividades. , 1976.
História Antiga e Medieval. São Paulo: Centro de Recursos Educacionais Objetivo, 1975.
História Moderna. São Paulo: Centro de Recursos Educacionais Objetivo, 1975.
História Contemporânea. São Paulo: Centro de Recursos Educacionais Objetivo, 1975.
História Moderna e Contemporânea. 30. ed. São Paulo: Ática, 1974.
História Moderna e Contemporânea. Caderno de Atividades. São Paulo: Ática, 1974.
A História através dos texto: Antiga e Medieval. 1. ed. São Paulo: Centro de Recursos Humanos do Curso Objetivo, 1971. v. 1.
História Moderna e Contemporânea. São Paulo: Abril Cultural, 1969.
História Geral. São Paulo: Abril Cultural, 1969.

Como organizador ou co-organizador
(Org.) Documentos manuscritos avulsos da Capitania de São Paulo (1618-1823) - cátalogo 3 - Índice Mendes Gouveia. Bauru-SP: EDUSC, 2006. v. 1. 474 p.
(Org.) Documentos manuscritos avulsos da capitania de São Paulo. Bauru/São Paulo: EDUSC / FAPESP / IMPRENSA OFICIAL, 2002. v. 2. 804 p.
(Org.) ; FONSECA, Luís Adão da (Org.) . Brasil-Portugal, agenda para o milênio. 1. ed. Bauru: EDUSC/FAPESP/ICCTI, 2001. v. 1. 636 p.
(Org.) . Documentos manuscritos avulsos da capitania de São Paulo. 1. ed. Bauru/São Paulo: EDUSC/FAPESP/IMPRENSA OFICIAL, 2000. v. 1. 5 p.
(Org.) ; TENGARRINHA, J. M. (Org.) . Historiografia luso-brasileira contemporânea. Bauru-SP: EDUSC, 1999.
(Org.) . Decadência ou crise do Império Luso-Brasileiro: O novo padrão de colonização do século XVIII. Cascais: Câmara Municipal de Cascais, 1998. v. 3.
(Org.) Mercado Nacional e Mundial Entre O Estado e A Nação: Brasil, da Colônia Ao Império. CASCAIS: ED., 1996.
(Org.) Exploração Colonial Mercantil. LISBOA: FUNDAÇÃO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN, 1995.

Ligações externas
Análise da obra "O Trágico 5º Centenário do Descobrimento do Brasil"

Historiadores do Brasil
Professores da Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas da Universidade de São Paulo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Jalisco Fire Opal (Ovl) Ring in Platinum and Yellow Gold Overlay Sterling Silver 2.00 Ct.
This swanky looking ring shall make you stand out of the crowded fashion arena with its fiery aura of the Jalisco Fire Opal and the lovely filigree around the silhouette and the shank. The ring features oval shaped fire opal stones famed for their rich orange hue. The vintage look of the ring (2.00 Ct) is embellished by the metal art highlighted in dual tones of platinum and Yellow Gold overlay on sterling silver.


Increasingly customers request services from the cloud and managed services. Systems integrators, who would like to utilise this business opportunity, have to position themselves accordingly. We have talked with ICT entrepreneurs Mike Bergmann (Exabyters) and Marcel Sternkopf (SecureHead IT) about the necessity to rethink. The digital transformation in industry, economy and society continues to take shape. The intensity with which companies use cloud services is growing and it is already clear that organisations will operate their IT primarily in hybrid architectures and allow service providers to manage their applications. This development signifies a paradigm shift for systems integrators and a new understanding of the roles: From time against money to efficiency against money, from workman on demand to a "Managed Service Provider 2.0" (MSP 2.0).
Of course, positioning as an MSP and development of complementary competencies/cooperations cannot be achieved overnight. "A systems integrator, who takes this seriously and develops comprehensive managed services in parallel to their existing core business, will start to see the effect after around six months. It takes around two years to break even and experience sustainable success with the MSP-2.0 model." This is the assessment by Mike Bergmann, the founder of Exabyters in Uelzen, who for the past six years in seminars has trained and advised other systems integrators (for example on behalf of acmeo) as well as delivered individual consultancy with regards to digital business models. In the ICT sector and sector specialists' cooperations such as iTeam, Bergmann is known as one of the most well-known 'missionaries' for managed services and an early advocate of IT flat rates.
Besides the six basic components (see graphic), a prequisite for the transformation from a conventional provider to a MSP 2.0 is an internal organisation, which allows the application of the economical principle: to look after as many customers as possible with the lowest possible effort and maximised results.
This requires a high degree of automation and in-house MSP technicians who, as a trustworthy customer interace, are better suited than conventional sales people. And "… not least a commission model, which takes away the sales team's fear of the new model", reports Sternkopf. He positioned his systems integrator SecureHead IT right from the start as an MSP 2.0. In his other role as partner manager at oneclick, Sternkopf also understands the sensitivities, challenges and needs, which other systems integrators experience with regards to their customers' digital transformations.
According to Bergmann's and Sternkopf's experience, the biggest challenge for ICT channel businesses willing to change is to 'pole change' their thinking from reactive to active".
Those who may be able to achieve this, would successfully score with customers with the two pillars Convenience and Consulting. An example would be an Application Delivery/Workplace-as-a-Service, which is already on offer today by partners of oneclick AG. After Consulting (from consultation and clarification of the legal position about the questions how standardised the applications are, up to necessity of procedural and organisational changes), such services become a "Convenience" for customers: Apart from the convenience of no longer having to look themselves after a seamless operation of their applications and simply being able to call up individual workspaces via browser, customers also benefit from predictable expenditure for their IT.
With conventional event driven enquiries, it is possible that obscure hourly rates for service technicians accrue, while around the clock "Managed Services 2.0" is highly automated and offers predictable fixed costs. The customer always pays a fixed price for support, "similar to a tenant, who transfers a certain rent per square meter to a landlord and does not need to look after the operation of the house nor its maintenance and modernisation", according to Bergmann.
The example of a former seminar participant shows just how profitable the business model MSP can be. Nowadays he can already cover 120 percent of his fixed costs at the beginning of each month with the flat rates of his customers alone.


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Industry Updates Articles Creating jobs and improving access to justice in Calgary
Creating jobs and improving access to justice in Calgary
via Government of Alberta
Funding for infrastructure projects at five justice-related facilities will improve access to justice and support more than 200 good-paying jobs in Calgary.
As part of Alberta's Recovery Plan, Alberta's government is investing $36 million into capital maintenance and renewal projects at the Calgary courthouse, old court of appeal building, and the correctional and remand centre facilities.
"Building and maintaining justice infrastructure is putting Albertans to work and keeping our communities safe. Building for the future with important upgrades like these is a key component of Alberta's Recovery Plan – a plan to diversify the economy and create jobs."
Prasad Panda, Minister of Infrastructure
"Albertans will be excellently served by this investment in Calgary's court and justice-related buildings. These projects will ensure that the facilities that deliver justice to Albertans day in and day out will be in optimal condition – all while creating jobs and boosting our economy."
Kaycee Madu, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General
These projects involve vital upgrades and maintenance to existing buildings. Some of the work includes repairing heating, ventilation and air systems, replacing roofs and mechanical system controls, as well as upgrading to new high efficiency boilers.
About $10 million of this funding is shared between the governments of Canada and Alberta through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) COVID-19 Resilience stream. The province is providing the remaining funding through the Accelerated Capital Maintenance and Renewal initiative to help boost local economies and get Albertans working to counter negative impacts brought on by the pandemic.
Capital maintenance and renewal projects are underway at the following justice-related facilities in Calgary:
The historic Court of Appeal building will receive $2.5 million for new high efficiency boilers
The Calgary Courts Centre will receive:
$3.67 million to repair the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system
$180,000 to replace optical turnstiles
The Calgary Correctional Centre will receive:
$6.3 million to replace boilers
$4.9 million to replace the exterior cell block window assembly
$1.2 million to upgrade the fire alarm
$175,000 to install a cell block smoke evacuation system
The Calgary Remand Centre will receive:
$1.3 million to replace chillers, air handling units and controls
$300,000 to replace mechanical system controls, compressors and a water cooled chiller in the kitchen
$800,000 to replace the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system
$650,000 for elevator modernization
Various correctional centre buildings within the Spy Hill Complex will receive:
$5 million for roof replacements
$4 million to replace pedestrian walkways and roadways
$5 million to replace an underground sewer line
$95,000 for landscaping the exterior ground
Alberta's Recovery Plan


The following policies govern the use of the Student Computing Cluster locations on the UNH Durham campus.
... are prohibited. Food, beverages, and tobacco products all can easily lead to a broken computer. This is especially true of liquids! Drinks are only allowed near computers if they are in sealed bottles or travel mugs. Unsealed containers are strictly prohibited.
... is strictly banned. Extra software eats up space on the computer's hard drive and can damage existing programs to that they no longer function correctly. Also, leaving software which UNH does not own on the computers can lead to violations of federal copyright laws. Installing hardware can lead to physical damage to the computer.
If you are a faculty member and need some type of software or hardware installed for one of your courses, please contact us for further information.
... is illegal by federal copyright law. If you like the programs you see in the clusters, and you want to put it on your home computer, please go out and buy it yourself. That is the only way it will be legal.
... is prohibited in the clusters. The computers are for academic purposes.
... are given for you to learn about computers and how to use them. You may not ask the staff for help on these assignments insofar as how to do them. This is against the UNH Academic Honesty policy for you to receive assistance from someone else in completing your assignments. You may ask for help if the computer or printer is malfunctioning but not about any details of how to complete the tasks in the assignment. If you do need assignment-related assistance, contact your instructor.
... is restricted to current faculty, students, and staff of the University of New Hampshire. Alumni, family, and friends of the above are not allowed to use the computers. All students, faculty, and staff get accounts setup automatically. Any users having problems with logging into the Clusters should see the Academic Technology Support Center in Dimond Library or call the UNH IT Service Desk at 603-862-4242.
... is available in all locations. We have screen-reading software, dictation software, screen magnifiers, and more. Also, our facilities are either designed to be wheelchair-accessibile or have height-adjustable tables. If you are in need of any special assistance, please contact the UNH Accessibility Services for Students office to coordinate that.
... is on a pay per sheet basis. You must have a Cat's Cache account in order to print. Once you print, you must go the the Print Station machine near the printers, select your print jobs, and swipe your UNH ID or Cat's Cache guest card in order to release your job to the printers. Any attempts to bypass this system are strictly prohibited.
... applies when using the clusters. Please make sure you have reviewed the USNH Acceptable Use for Information Technology Resources policy and that you obey its restrictions and regulations.
... from posted signs or the staff must be obeyed at all times.
These policies must be followed at all times. Failure to do so may result in suspension of computer access privileges, action through the student conduct system, or criminal charges.
If you have any questions about any of these policies, please feel free to contact the UNH IT Service Desk at 603-862-4242.
Posted - Thu, Apr 30, 2015 at 12:24 PM. This article has been viewed 1545 times.


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Ground Zero, More Pizza and the Knicks at MSG
Started off the day with a bagel and a shmear. Almost as good as bacon. I would be happy alternating between the two for the rest of my life. We had bought tickets yesterday for a tour today. First stop, Ground Zero.
Was some serious security (airport style) getting into the memorial and inside the police and security presence was also very visible. We hadn't told the kids much about what happened as we still need to catch two flights home, but gave them an overview. Inside the memorial there are two giant holes where the twin towers used to stand. They have been turned into beautiful, cascading waterfalls which are a really nice way to remember those that died not only in the attacks, but also in the aftermath. All their names have been engraved into the side of the holes.
Next stop was the Empire State Building and some lunch. The building is huge but we didn't go inside. Mikarla and Luci went to get some Vietnamese for lunch so we decided to get some slices. Little Italy Pizzeria was the venue of choice today. Probably the best crust I had had since I have been here but the topping was not as good as Two Bros. Also a bit more expensive. We circled around on the tour bus, looking at some of the different areas around Manhattan. There were still five diehards at Occupy Wall Street but the authorities have pretty much squashed it for now.
We all hopped off the tour at Central Park. From what I understand, the warden took the kids to a playground before some more shopping, a giant famous toystore and Magnolia Bakery. I wasn't there as I was on my way to Madison Square Garden to see the Knicks play. I had a bit of time to kill before the game so I popped in to one of the many Irish pubs in the area to wet my whistle. A few beers later and I was standing in front of Madison Square Garden.
The worlds most famous arena. Or so my beer cup would have you believe. That being said, for a sporting venue, they don't come much more famous than this. I headed straight to the merch booth to get my support on. Ended up with a Knicks Stoudemire replica jersey and a novelty giant finger. As you do. Now that everyone could see who I was going for, I headed up to my seat. Right up in the nosebleed section but surprisingly, still a really great view of the game. I am not exaggerating when I say that the next forty eight minutes were some of the greatest of my life. Back in the day basketball was my life. I used to play four or five hours a day, and more on the weekends. Seeing this game made me realise how much I miss it. Was a close game but in the end, the Knicks came away with a good win over Charlotte Bobcats. Stoudemire dominated for most of the game. Also got friendly with some of the locals who twisted my arm to come and celebrate with them afterwards. Irish Americans can drink. So can I. Game on.
Currently listening to: The crowd chanting at MSG
Currently drinking: Random beers
Night At The Museum... During The Day. Plus a Bunc...
Washington District of Columbia, Meaty.
Horribleness, Dinosaurs and Walking Philly Style. ...
Philly walking, Benjamin Franklin, Liberty Bell an...
Reading Terminal Market Cheesesteaks, 76ers, Readi...
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia... Except For To...
Goodbye NY
Date night, The Daily Show, Soul Food and The Colb...
Musicals, Horses and Dylans
Billyburg, Beers and Some Kind of Football
Liberty and Ellis Islands and The Rock
More Ribs and a Spoonful of Sugar
The Amazing Race Meetup followed by a quiet day
Cold and awesome. But really, really cold. And awe...


text:
Proposed Permanent Supportive Housing Moves Forward in West Adams
Plans call for 46 studio apartments for homeless persons.
January 15, 2019, 4:00PMSteven Sharp Comments
PATH Ventures is inching closer towards the construction of a permanent supportive housing development in the West Adams neighborhood.
The PATH Villas Montclair, slated for a currently vacant site at 4220 Montclair Street, would consist of a five-story building featuring 45 studio apartments reserved for chronically homeless individuals and homeless persons with special needs. Plans also call for ground-floor commercial spaces and 47 parking stalls at-grade and in a basement garage.
The Albert Group Architects is designing the low-rise development, which would feature an outdoor courtyard and covered terrace on the second floor in the center of the building. Other common features would include a laundry facility, a community room, and supportive services.
According to a staff report by the Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department, the $26-million project will be owned in part with LINC Housing Corporation.
The City of Los Angeles is scheduled to issue a request to the U.s. Housing and Urban Development Department later this month for the release of Section 8 Project-Based Vouchers for the PATH Villas. Approximately $9.5 million is being requested, to be paid out in installments of $633,000 over a period of 15 years.
Other recent projects from PATH Ventures include permanent supportive housing in Rampart Village and senior affordable housing in Inglewood. Other projects in Hollywood and South Gate are also in the works.
A block north of the project site, non-profit developer Abode Communities has announced plans for two affordable housing complexes at the intersection of Montclair and Adams Boulevard.
West Adams (Urbanize LA)
4220 Montclair Avenue
PATH Ventures
PATH Villas Montclair
The Albert Group Architects


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From the TV series of "Astro Boy," three episodes were selected for theater re-edition, "Robot Rocket" (46th episode), "Earth Defense Troops" (56th episode) and "The Last Day of Earth" (71st episode). Of these three, "Earth Defense Troops" was the only one originally derived from Tezuka Osamu's story "Number 7." Its settings were diverted to the "Astro Boy" series. In this film, the whole scene of "Earth Defense Troops" and a part of "The Last Day of Earth" were reproduced in color for this theater version.


Brazilian and South African inflation rates were lower than expected, which further increases the attractiveness of local rates in these two countries. Large protests hit the streets in Venezuela. Turkey's election court approves the referendum result and China's property market responds to government intervention. In Chile, the government formally launches a challenging pension reform programme. In the snippets, we touch on robust trade numbers from Asia and industrial production surprises to the upside in Poland and Russia. The global backdrop meanwhile looks brighter this morning: Macron, a protest candidate, won the day, but there are protest vote candidates and protest vote candidates. Vive la difference!


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text:
City Council gives OK for solar facility with modifications
September 5, 2018 | 0
By Kayleigh Rahn & William Rahn
The Tuscola City Council during its meeting Monday, Aug. 27 approved a special use permit for a solar facility proposal to be located along Egyptian Trail.
The proposed 2-megawatt solar facility would sit on 22 acres on the west side of the road, at 1298 Egyptian Trail, according to Cypress Creek Renewables representatives. The $3.9 million project interconnects with Ameren services, and the site would have the potential to service about 321 homes. Local spending during construction could reach about $2.3 million and local annual spending is estimated to reach about $27,000 following construction.
The application was introduced to the community during a Thursday, July 19 special use permit hearing where the Tuscola Planning Commission opted to not recommend the application for approval by the city council.
During the Monday, Aug. 27 meeting, David Striker, who is counsel for Cypress Creek Renewables, requested the city council members approve the permit with a modification to move the facility 600 feet to the west.
"We have listened to some of the comments made during the planning commission meeting, and in an effort to acknowledge those we optimized the footprint of the project and moved it 600 feet further from some of the occupied residences," Striker said.
Matt Kauffman of Cypress Creek Renewables noted that in addition to the change in setback, the company added a vegetative buffer around the east and north side of the project.
"We believe that is a vegetative buffer that's going to include evergreen, year-round species in that location," he added. The trees would be between 3 to 5 feet tall when planted and grow up to 9 feet at maturity within three years and planted along the fence line of the facility.
Although two residents spoke with concerns that remained following the adjustments.
Angela Hawkins, a Tuscola resident, asked the counsel if this particular use of the dedicated land was in line with the city's comprehensive plan, and Rich Lamb, Tuscola resident, voiced concern about the facility's location, which would dead-end Washington Street for development to the south.
The full story can be found in the Wednesday, Aug. 29 edition of The Tuscola Journal.
Piercy is building a career in his hometown
Travel Event at Iron Horse
Villa Grove considers rental charge for public plaza


It can be hard to bird watch in a city. It can be even harder for them to know where to find enough food to last the cold days of winter.
Fitting an effective bird feeder is one way to mutually benefit all concerned. Those wishing to attract a little wildlife into their world are guaranteed many avian visitors; while the birds themselves can use your supplies to survive until spring.
While looking for a bird feeder to do just this, I encountered something which gave me pause. Amazon's best-selling item - from its whole Pets Supplies category - is precisely that. And here it is.
It's fine for those in the countryside, an array of birds flock to their doorstep at any given time. A little more effort is required for bird watchers in the city.
As the dark days of winter deepen, it's growing ever more icy outside my window. No-one ventures out without coat and scarf, hurrying towards the next source of warmth.
Those long summer days seem so far away, yet I'm day-dreaming about them still. I recall camping in the middle of nowhere, sitting outside my tent and watching the natural world play out its minute dramas all around me.
There were brave birds then, ones I couldn't even name in their beautiful unfamiliarity, which swooped down from tree-tops to raid my picnic stores. I waited, watching unseen, until those bold, feathered souls had taken their fill.
It was idyllic, quite wonderful, but something which I thought could never be brought home. Until it occurred to me to just fix a bird feeder to my urban window pane.
If you had asked me an hour ago to guess the best-selling Pet Supplies item on Amazon, I'd have got it wrong. I'd have assumed that it was something to do with dogs or cats. The internet likes dogs and cats.
I'd navigated to the animal section with a view to finding a bird feeder. You can imagine my surprise to find that one was right there, at the top of the home page.
Birdscapes Clear Window Feeder holds pole position as THE most popular animal related product on the site. And here's me thinking it was going to be the cat's inflatable unicorn horn. So what's all the fuss about then?
Birdscapes window bird feeder does the job without breaking the bank.
Naturally, its elevated placement in the ranks of pet products made me wonder what was so great about it. I mean, did it whistle Dixie at the approach of rare species? Or transform itself during idle hours into a vacuum to clean your floor?
As far as I can ascertain, the Birdscapes Clear Window Feeder is cheap, but very effective at what it does.
There are many more expensive window bird feeders out on the market. Those look fabulous and incorporate all many of weird and wonderful features. But at the end of the day, you just want to feed the wild birds.
The Birdscapes feeder does that. It's also very sturdy. I was reading in the comments about someone who hadn't attached the suction pads correctly. (Washing the window and pads in soapy water first is great; as apparently is adding a bit of natural oil - sweat to you and I - onto the pad before sticking it to the window.) Their feeder fell three storeys onto concrete, yet wasn't even dented.
There's also the fact that it's clear. Secretly watching from the other side of the window, you can observe every feathered visitor, even as they head into the feeder for some seed.
It's too small for nesting. You won't be risking bird droppings over your glass or any of that stuff. They'll merely swoop on in, nick some food and fly away again to enjoy it. Just like that summer day at camp.
Don't Forget the Bird Seed!
The trick is to match the food on offer in your feeder with the species of birds that you wish to attract. Quite obvious really, isn't it?
Have you ever looked at your cat and thought, 'what this kitty needs is an inflatable unicorn horn'? Then you've come to the right place!
Ah! I see. The bread crumbs in the garden thing evidently works too!
It's a bird feeder I could build I suppose. But no. It's an affiliate product but I thought it looked really cool! My husband loves to feed birds. We never use seeds though. Just bread crumbs. He tosses them out in the yard and we wait quietly by our window and peek out to see the birds come and eat.
cmoneyspinner - Awww! I wouldn't like to see that happening! Is yours a bird feeder that you've created or merely promoting?
It's a wacky Saturday morning for me. But guess what? I'm still keeping the faith.
In the Amazon comments, there were a lot of people with these on the windows of their high rise apartments. I can really see why too. Your friend's experiences says it all.
These are great if, like me, you live two floors up! The birds feel safe at that height too. My friend who is disabled also has one and gets great pleasure from watching the birds very closely through her window.
Abby - I was with you there. I tended to think of bird feeders as wooden boxes attached to poles or trees.
WriterArtist - That sounds wonderful. Your Dad was an astute man.
Dustytoes - I wonder why they couldn't see through the glass? Weird! But great for photographs and driving the cats half-insane!
I used to use a similar type feeder that attached to the window and the birds can't seem to see through the glass. I could get right up close and photograph them. Also my cats did love to get nose to nose with the oblivious birds. I really need to get another one.
My father used to keep water and seeds for the birds outside in the garden. It was fun watching rare and unique birds flying into our compound.


text:
Jayhawks Trump Missouri Valley College, 10-3
Final Stats
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Junior David Narodowski went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, while freshman Jason Brunansky hit his first collegiate home run Tuesday as the Kansas baseball team won its sixth straight, 10-3, over Missouri Valley College Tuesday afternoon at Hoglund Ballpark.
The Jayhawks improve to 8-3 on the season, while the Vikings fall to 2-11.
Narodowski, KU's starting shortstop, collected two singles and a double in three official plate appearances to raise his season average to .316. He also added a stolen base in the contest.
Left fielder Jimmy Waters also had two hits and three RBIs, including an RBI triple in the bottom of the first as KU grabbed an early 3-0 lead.
The Jayhawks used four pitchers in the game as junior Brett Bollman started and pitched a career-high three innings to earn his first victory of the season. The 5-foot-9 junior allowed just one hit – a solo home run to Jay Walkup in the second – but retired nine of the 11 hitters he faced.
Freshman Kelson Boyer pitched four innings of relief and held the Vikings scoreless on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Fellow freshman Kevin Burk pitched a perfect ninth.
Brunansky connected for KU's lone round-tripper of the afternoon in the bottom of the eight, giving the Jayhawks home runs in each of their last five games, after the team started the year homerless in its first six.
KU (8-3) will face in-state rival Wichita State Wednesday at 6 p.m., in the first of two meetings with the Shockers this season. The game can be heard live on KLWN (1320 AM).


text:
Hannah Blilie est la batteuse du groupe de rock américain Gossip. Elle a aussi joué avec Sarah Dougher. Elle intègre le groupe Gossip en 2003 en remplacement Kathy Mendonca. Elle a réalisé la tournée standing in the way of control, ainsi que celles faites par le groupe jusqu'à sa fin.

Tout comme Beth Ditto, son amie chanteuse de Gossip, Hannah Blilie est ouvertement lesbienne.

Notes et références

Batteuse américaine
Batteuse de rock
Naissance en juin 1981
Personnalité ayant fait son coming out
Lieu de naissance inconnu


Some people can not live without bread. I am not one of them. You will rarely see me eating bread except at a restaurant. During the bread section at pastry school, 80% of the products which I brought home were desperately given to my sister, my in-laws, my in-law's in-laws and whomever else because my rate of consumption was too slow and my freezer was too small. My appreciation for bread making and the baker has certainly grown exponentially since pastry school.
Making bread by hand (no bread machines, no KitchenAids) is very satisfying and I do not do it often enough; however, since obtaining a block of fresh yeast recently, my interest in baking bread has been rekindled. I prefer using fresh yeast but it is quite challenging to find so I resorted to asking a local bakery whether they had a block to spare and they kindly gave me one for free!
There is something inherently pleasing about mixing the simplest elements like bread flour, water, yeast, and salt, and with your hands alone, forming a shaggy mess into a supple smooth perfectly spherical ball of dough. Bread dough is a living thing, full of happy budding yeast, which bring flavour and texture to the final product. With just a few variations, additional ingredients, and different techniques, the possibilities are endless, from the simplest baguette to the most complex Viennoisserie.
Posted by Charmaine at 3:09 p.m.
Mmmmmmm bread...I think I can smell it from here.
October 30, 2007 at 10:14 a.m.


Summary: I-912 was a 2005 initiative fronted by right wing talk show hosts Kirby Wilbur and John Carlson which unsuccessfully attempted to repeal a set of increases in the statewide fuel tax approved by the Legislature as part of the 2005 Transportation Package. Passage of I-912 would have wiped out billions of dollars in revenue appropriated for the improvement of Washington's highways. I-912 was defeated by Keep Washington Rolling, a broad and diverse coalition of businesses, labor unions, environmental groups, and civic organizations, which included NPI's Permanent Defense.
Ballot Title: Initiative Measure No. 912 concerns motor vehicle fuel taxes. This measure would repeal motor vehicle fuel tax increases of 3 cents in 2005 and 2006, 2 cents in 2007, and 1.5 cents per gallon in 2008, enacted in 2005 for transportation purposes. Should this measure be enacted into law?
400,996 signatures were submitted to the Secretary of State's Elections Annex (see qualification announcement).
Validation was conducted by random sample check. 12,224 of the I-912 signatures (a 3% sample) were checked. From that inspection, it was determined that the measure had an invalidation rate of 13.94%.
Ballot Summary: This measure would repeal a motor vehicle fuel tax rate increase enacted by the 2005 session of the Legislature for state-wide transportation purposes. The 2005 enactment provides that the motor vehicle fuel tax rate would increase by three cents per gallon in July, 2005, by three cents per gallon more in 2006, by two cents per gallon more in 2007, and by one and one-half cents per gallon more in 2008.
The following is the explanatory statement prepared by the Attorney General's office in advance of the November 2005 general election.
The basic motor vehicle fuel tax rate is 23 cents per gallon applied to the sale, distribution, or use of motor vehicle fuel. In 2003, the Legislature added an additional 5 cents per gallon to fund a series of projects for which bonds were issued. This additional tax will expire when the bonds have been retired.
The 2005 session of the Legislature enacted a series of four "step" increases in the motor vehicle fuel tax (often called the "gas tax") primarily to fund a series of public transportation improvements set forth in the biennial transportation budget. The "step" increases are: 3 cents per gallon effective July 1, 2005; 3 additional cents effective July 1, 2006; 2 additional cents effective July 1, 2007; and 1.5 additional cents effective July 1, 2008. The four increases add up to 9.5 cents per gallon. The revenue from these four increases is placed in a new transportation partnership account, after removing funds appropriated for administrative expenses of the motor vehicle fuel tax and special fuel tax programs and refunds, with one exception: approximately seventeen (17) percent of the net revenue from the first two steps is distributed to towns, cities and counties for transportation purposes. Money in the transportation partnership account may be appropriated by the Legislature only for projects and improvements identified as 2005 transportation partnership projects or improvements listed in the biennial transportation budget, including principal and interest on bonds authorized for those projects or improvements.
Initiative Measure No. 912 would repeal the four "step" increases in the motor vehicle fuel tax as enacted by the 2005 session of the Legislature. If the measure were enacted, the tax would return to its pre-2005 rate, and revenue from the anticipated increases would not be available for the purposes for which it is earmarked, including funding the transportation projects and improvements for which the transportation partnership account was created.
The following is the fiscal impact statement prepared by the Office of Financial Management in advance of the November 2005 general election.
Initiative 912 would over 16 years eliminate $5.475 billion in fuel taxes and net bond proceeds, eliminating 80 percent of funding for 265 new transportation projects specified by the Legislature. About $562 million in fuel tax revenue for cities and counties – for new, local-government transportation projects over 16 years – also would be eliminated.
The Initiative repeals the phased-in, 9.5-cents-a-gallon increase in the state gasoline tax that is scheduled as follows: 3 cents a gallon on July 1, 2005; 3 cents on July 1, 2006; 2 cents on July 1, 2007; and 1.5 cents on July 1, 2008. The Initiative does not affect scheduled increases in the state tax on diesel fuel.
Over 16 years, the gasoline tax increases would generate $4.434 billion plus $1.041 billion in net bond proceeds – or 80 percent of the cost of 265 new transportation projects specified by the Legislature.
Eliminating the scheduled gasoline tax increases also would eliminate $562 million that cities and counties would have received over the next 16 years for local transportation projects. This revenue includes $482 million that cities and counties would receive as direct revenue distributions from the gasoline tax increases, as well as $80 million in grants to local government.
This information has been prepared by the Washington Office of Financial Management (OFM) in response to questions from the public concerning the financial impact of the initiatives listed below, all of which will appear on the November 2005 general election ballot.
The analyses are in addition to 100-word fiscal impact statements that OFM is required by law to prepare for inclusion in the Washington State Voters Pamphlet to be distributed this fall by the Secretary of State's office. The following analyses are not intended as expressions of support or opposition to the proposed measures.
Repeals the phased-in 9.5 cents per gallon gasoline tax increase portion of the 2005 transportation tax package. Repeals increases of 3 cents on July 1, 2005, 3 cents on July 1, 2006, 2 cents on July 1, 2007, and 1.5 cents on July 1, 2008.
Does not repeal the phased-in diesel-fuel tax increases of the same amounts, nor does it repeal the increases in weight or license fees.
Prevents the sale of bonds that would have been financed by the new gas tax.
Over 16 years, Initiative 912 would eliminate $5.475 billion in gasoline taxes and net bond proceeds, which is 80 percent of the funding for new transportation projects specified by the Legislature.
Repealing the gasoline tax increase would also eliminate approximately 80 percent of revenue to be distributed by formula to cities and counties, effectively reducing the 2005 Transportation Revenue Bill's distribution of 1 cent of total fuel tax revenue to the equivalent of approximately 1/5 of 1 cent. As noted in the following chart, cities and counties will receive $120 million in direct distributions if Initiative 912 passes, compared to $682 million assumed in the 2005 transportation funding package.
1Bond proceed estimates for ESSB 6103 are based on combined, estimated net motor vehicle and special fuel tax revenues. Bond proceed estimates for I-912 are based on estimated net special fuel tax revenue only. The amounts shown for bond proceeds and debt service are for illustrative purposes and represent one possible outcome. The actual amounts will be dependent on the timing of the bond sales and interest rate at the time of sale.
The initiative repeals the phased-in, 9.5 cents-per-gallon increase in the state gasoline tax that is scheduled as follows: 3 cents a gallon on July 1, 2005; 3 cents on July 1, 2006; 2 cents on July 1, 2007; and 1.5 cents on July 1, 2008. The initiative does not affect scheduled increases in the state tax on diesel fuel.
Over 16 years, the gasoline tax increases would generate $4.434 billion plus $1.041 billion in net bond proceeds – or 80 percent of the cost of new transportation projects specified by the Legislature.
Eliminating the scheduled gasoline tax increases would also eliminate $562 million that cities and counties would have received over the next 16 years for local transportation projects. This revenue includes $482 million that cities and counties would receive as direct revenue distributions from the gasoline tax increases, as well as $80 million in grants to local government.
The following is the text of the argument that appeared in the 2005 voter's pamphlet urging a no vote on I-912, including the rebuttal.
I-912 SLASHES FUNDING FOR ROADS, HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES, DOES NOTHING TO RELIEVE CONGESTION.
Our roads, highways and bridges are crumbling; threatening our lives, leaving us stuck in traffic and wreaking havoc on our nerves and pocketbooks. I-912 drastically cuts funding earmarked to fix priority projects on Interstate 405, Interstate 90, US 12 and other roadways throughout our state. It offers no solutions for escalating congestion, it only makes matters worse.
I-912 PUTS CITIZENS AND THE ECONOMY AT RISK.
Highway engineers have declared 900 bridges in Washington to be obsolete or deficient. The Alaskan Way Viaduct and 520 Bridge will likely collapse or be rendered inoperable by another major earthquake, putting citizens at grave risk, striking a disastrous blow to trade and crippling our economy. I-912 guts a package that invests in every part of the state and creates thousands of private sector jobs.
I-912 IGNORES SAFEGUARDS THAT ENSURE OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE SPENT WISELY.
We need to protect transportation dollars. The state constitution mandates that gas tax monies be used for highways, roads and bridges. It is the only transportation funding source the Legislature cannot divert.
We are all concerned that our taxes haven't always been used wisely. That's why an unprecedented level of checks and balances – including extensive performance audits – is attached to new transportation dollars. You will get what you pay for.
Waiting won't make it any cheaper. We must improve our roads and bridges now. Visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/Funding/2005 to learn about projects in your area.
Save Lives. Reduce congestion. Create jobs. Please vote No on I-912.
We have a choice – pay a few dollars more per month to fix our roads, bridges and highways, or just accept ever increasing congestion and more dangerous roads. I-912 eliminates funding for 274 transportation projects across our state. I-912 offers no solutions; only delays and increased risk on our roads. Protect your transportation dollars and you'll get results: fewer bottlenecks; reduced congestion; safer roads. Please vote no I-912, it takes us in the wrong direction.


Wicked Game" singer Chris Isaak will perform songs from his recent album, "Beyond the Sun," which celebrates the music of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and others who recorded at Memphis' famous Sun Studio, along with some of his other hits for a PBS special on Feb. 13, ACL Live announced Wednesday.
Wanda Jackson will open the show. Tickets for the event are $39-$58 and go on sale at noon this Friday, Jan. 27, through acl-live.com.
Tickets also go on sale Friday for Death Cab For Cutie's show with Youth Lagoon.


Digital marketing isn't easy – that's why you hired a digital marketing agency in the first place, right?
In a sense, your agency has one job: to help you grow your business.
When your agency does its job, you get to focus on the things that really matter, both at work and at home.
Unfortunately, not all digital marketing agencies are created equal.
Many agencies rely on a "one size fits all" approach. Instead of creating a specific strategy designed to help you meet your goals, they start spending money left and right.
…and take it from us: no strategy = no results, no matter what you're trying to achieve.
Before they used a single dollar of your ad budget, did your digital marketing agency follow these 5 important steps?
1 – DID YOUR AGENCY SET CLEAR MARKETING GOALS?
As you started, developed, and grew your business, you set goals, whether you knew it at the time or not!
There's another set of goals, however, that you need to be thinking about: marketing goals.
It's simple: without them, how will you know if your marketing is working – and if your agency is doing a good job?
You need to be as specific as possible – with both yourself and your agency – about what you want your marketing to achieve.
…Then your goals are too vague – and can lead to wasteful spending.
Of course, all these goals sound great at first … but they're not detailed enough. If results like these are all your agency promised you, you may have a problem.
More customers? How many more? 1? 2? 10? 100? … You get the point.
If the goal is just "more customers," 1 new customer is, in fact, "more" … but you're probably expecting better than that.
Ask yourself questions and work to come up with solid answers – like how many new customers you actually need for your marketing campaign to be considered a success.
These goals work because they're definite objectives you're working toward … like any other type of realistic, achievable goal!
SMART goals provide you with real metrics for success. They also help you identify problems and help you improve and refine your processes.
They don't know what to aim for … and your advertising budget is thus being spent aimlessly.
2 – Does Your Agency Clearly Understand Your USP?
Your USP is your Unique Selling Proposition – it's simply what makes you and your business stand out from everyone else.
It's why your customers – and your prospects – pick you over the competition.
In many fields, there are hundreds – if not thousands – of businesses that, in some sense, all do the same things.
Think about the fact that there are well over 10,000 places in the world where you can get a hamburger.
Some people choose to eat at McDonalds because they know they'll be able to get the same burger anywhere in the world in just a couple of minutes. Others choose a neighborhood burger shop because that particular burger isn't available anywhere else.
Others still will travel to a restaurant thousands of kilometers from home to try a burger with three different meats, three different cheeses, a ton of toppings – and the possibility of having their photo on the wall if they can finish it in an hour – if that's what they want!
Customers choose different kinds of burger joints for different reasons. All three of them have completely different USPs, even though they all sell (sort of) the same thing!
Each of these businesses has dialed in its USP. You need to do the same – and your digital agency needs to understand it in order to effectively market your business!
If your customers don't buy from you now, why should they?
If you can't answer these questions, neither can your customer – and they'll almost certainly give their business to someone else.
Once you have good answers, you have the power to show your target audience why they should choose you over your competition.
Your digital marketing agency needs to know not just who, what, and where, but also why – and your USP is the key to understanding why.
Your agency needs to be able to take that USP, fine tune it, and turn it into direct language that resonates with your ideal customers.
…and if your agency didn't spend some serious time working on this with you, there's a very good chance that they're spending a LOT of money on ineffective ads!
3 – Does Your Agency Know Who Your Ideal Customers Are?
You and your marketing agency are working together to help you meet your business goals, as discussed earlier.
Along the way, any advertising they run has to target someone, which means they need to answer another big question: who is that someone?
Lots of potentially great ads don't succeed because they target the wrong audience.
For example, if you sell fitness plans to beginners just starting to learn about exercise, you're unlikely to have any success if your agency targets experienced bodybuilders. They already know what you have to teach them, so they're unlikely to buy!
If you try to be everything to everyone, you're equally unlikely to succeed. It's impossible to solve everyone's problems all at once … and you're unlikely to attract a premium audience or sell at your best possible rates when you try to do that.
Think of it this way: you're not looking for just more customers. You're looking for more ideal customers.
But what, exactly, is an ideal customer?
Your ideal customer may be someone who will give to your business for years to come, will refer you to their friends, and will provide you with tons of word of mouth advertising – all of which they'll do for free because they love what you do!
Once you've determined who your ideal customers are – and what problem of theirs you're uniquely qualified to solve (this is where your USP comes into play) – you can start producing laser-focused ad campaigns that require less work from you, but produce a significantly greater ROI.
Your agency should have taken you through this process … speaking with you to build out your ideal 'customer avatars'. Once you have those clearly defined and you can work your USP into the campaign targeting these specific avatars, it helps you focus your campaigns on smart, selective growth.
If they haven't, they're likely wasting your money on general-purpose ads, essentially trying to be all things to all people … and that won't lead you to financial freedom – or anywhere at all!
4 – Has Your Agency Helped You Create an Irresistible Offer?
If you know your ideal customer, you also know their problems – and you're ready to show them that your business is uniquely qualified to provide the solution.
When you present this audience with your USP, they should be convinced that you – and only you – can solve their problems easily and effortlessly.
However, there's one last piece: the offer.
Without a great offer, you're unlikely to make the sale – or grow your business.
Now an offer isn't sending someone to your website and telling them how good you are and why they should by from you … the days of being able to market and sell to people like that are long gone!
Instead, your offer needs to be something to show your prospects why you're the best choice for them, by providing them something of value.
If you stop selling and start offering something of value … something that actually helps solve their problem, then your prospects will start to sell themselves on your products or services, so you won't have to.
So, what makes an offer great – as opposed to merely okay?
A great offer provides real value for your customers. It is unique – and helps you stand out from your competition online.
If your offer speaks to your audience's needs at the right time, they're more likely to take the action you want – and in turn, help your business grow.
Basically, anything that adds value to your ideal customer so they can learn more about your business and realise you're the perfect solution for them.
Your agency is almost certainly not running your ads anywhere near as efficiently, or effectively as they should … and could be!
5 – Has Your Agency Discussed What Your ROI Should Be?
If you're spending money on advertising, you need to be able to clearly measure if your investment is producing returns.
Are you spending $1 and making $3 for example?
To dig a little deeper, if you're spending $5,000 per month on marketing and advertising based on costs, profit margins, and other variables … are you generating $15,000 in revenue? If you are, then you're seeing a positive ROI.
It's important to keep a close eye on these numbers, as they provide you with clear benchmarks – and will help you determine whether your campaign was a success or a failure.
If your agency isn't thinking in terms of numbers – and sets unmeasurable goals – that's a huge red flag that your money is being wasted.
A good agency doesn't just help you grow – they help you grow intelligently. Most importantly, they don't waste your hard-earned advertising dollars!
There's a good chance that you need to re-evaluate your digital marketing – and, perhaps, your agency!
These are the key steps that lead to big results – and choosing to ignore them can lead to unsustainable development, wasteful spending, and a lack of growth!
Perhaps we can be of service here and clear things up for you. We offer a few free 30-minutes strategy sessions each month, so feel free to see if there's any space available and we'll happily give you some direction to clear this stuff up.


The Cambridge site does not offer pre-scheduled weekend and holiday urgent care appointments, however, we do offer urgent care at these sites: Braintree, Chelmsford, Kenmore, Peabody, Somerville and Wellesley. Please call your doctor's office to make an appointment at a location that is most convenient for you. Click here to view the hours for all of our urgent care sites.
DIRECTIONS: Click here for directions to the Cambridge practice.
PARKING INFO: Parking is available at our offices for $2.00 per visit.
MBTA INFO: Take the MBTA Lechmere-Harvard Bus #69 that runs along Cambridge Street, and ask the driver to let you off at Robert Road.
The Harvard Vanguard Cambridge practice has been caring for residents of Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, and other nearby cities and towns since 1979. The office is conveniently located between Harvard and Inman Squares, opposite Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and next to the Youville and Cambridge Hospitals.
Our Cambridge practice provides primary care for adults and children, as well as a wide range of medical and surgical specialty care. Our preferred hospital partners include Mount Auburn Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital and New England Baptist Hospital.
Our building is open from 7:30am – 6:00pm during the week. Department appointment hours can vary, so please refer to the department times below or call a specialty department listed in the right-hand menu.


text:
Fall Out Boy announces new album, 'So Much (for) Stardust'; listen to "Love from the Other Side"
Fueled By Ramen/Elektra
Fall Out Boy has announced a new album called So Much (for) Stardust.
The eighth studio effort from the "Sugar, We're Goin Down" outfit will arrive March 24.
"Technology has made it really easy to make records much more quickly these days. There's nothing wrong with that, and that spontaneity can be exciting," says vocalist Patrick Stump. "But we wanted to get back to the way we used to work. We wanted to make a record that was really lovingly crafted and deliberate and patiently guided — like someone cooked you a delicate meal. I'm not a very proud guy, but I'm pretty proud of this record."
Your first preview of Stardust is the previously teased single "Love from the Other Side," which is available now via digital outlets. The track is also accompanied by a video that features, among other things, Pete Wentz in old-age makeup. You can watch that streaming now on YouTube.
Fall Out Boy is celebrating the album news and single premiere with a performance of "Love from the Other Side" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday, airing at 11:35 p.m. ET/10:35 p.m. CT on ABC.