You won’t be left out of the E3 festivities just because you can’t make it to Los Angeles for E3 Live. Nintendo is giving gamers in New York City an opportunity to play The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U between June 14th and June 19th if they’re will…
Everybody hates Mondays, but Spotify listeners probably hate them a bit less than most. That’s when the service’s “Discover Weekly” playlists get refreshed, which offer a selection of personalized tracks based on your listening habits. Since launchin…
Patting your dog is fun, but if you have a needy dog, it can become a chore. If only there was a robot that would pat our dogs for us. Fortunately, there is! Engineer James Cochrane has made a machine that will pat your animal and even give them a treat.
He got the idea when he was petting his dog T-Bone one day, and so he built the “World’s First OT Robot People/Pet Affectionator“. It is basically an Arduino Nano based robot that automatically shows Fido some automated affection and offers up a spoonful of kibble, all at the touch of an arcade button embellished with a paw print.
Now we can use technology to ignore our dog like we do our fellow humans and we don’t even need to feel bad about it.
[via Laughing Squid]
Our wedding kiss was… ahem… awkward. It was a shy, quick peck that even our photographer couldn’t capture. It was so unimpressive that some of our guests probably secretly held back some boos. I wouldn’t blame them if they did.
I do take responsibility for that forgetful smooch. I was so conscious and nervous about all these people looking at us that I kept telling my fiancé weeks before the big day to give me a quick kiss. Not that we would have a full-on make-out session, but I just didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable when we locked lips. I guess it was really me who felt uncomfortable.
Thankfully I’ve outgrown my aversion to public displays of affection, and kissing my husband feels as natural as breathing, especially in front of our children. Though people have varying degrees of comfort with outward affection, I think it’s healthy for children to see appropriate physical affection between Mom and Dad.
And here are our reasons why.
To Be an Example of Love
Defining “love” can result in an endless list of answers, many of which probably don’t really accurately explain love. Children see things so much more simply. And before they get clouded with the confusion of what love is, we want to be their example of it.
To Make Them Feel Safe
My parents have a strong marriage, but even the most devoted suffer through some fights and arguments. I remember, as a young girl, the feelings of anxiety and insecurity whenever I would hear my parents fight. And though our kids may have been witnesses to the mounting tension when my husband and I have had a disagreement, I hope that the physical affection we display provides them with an assurance that outweighs the worry that may have entered their minds.
To Show Them Our Commitment
Though our kiss at the altar was a bit lackluster, our vows clearly stated our resolve to remain committed to one another no matter what. Fast forward 12 years — when we kiss in front of our kids, we also want them to see those promises we made are being lived out before them.
To Point Them to the One Who Keeps Us Together
Our outward affection points to an inward resolve to be devoted to one another as long as we live. But we want our children to understand even deeper than this, peeling the layers off so they can see this lifelong commitment between Mommy and Daddy is really held together by God. When my husband and I got married, we held on to the verse, “We love because He first loved us.” We only know how to love one another because we have received it from the very One who is called Love.
So the kisses that the kids love to giggle about, playfully saying, “Ewww, they’re kissing again!”… well, that’s just one small manifestation of that amazing love.
This article was originally published on Less to More. Subscribe to get the latest posts.
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I hoped that my feisty patient who prevailed over brain cancer would be spared another terminal diagnosis, but after two years in remission her mammogram showed breast cancer. She agreed to surgery, but declined further chemotherapy. When the time comes, she asked, would I help her end her life?
The End of Life Option Act goes into effect in California on June 9, 2016, joining a handful of other states with similar legislation. The law empowers a terminally ill adult to request and receive a drug to hasten death. It also outlines rigorous screening and documentation requirements designed to protect patients and physicians. However, not only is physician participation voluntary, but health care facilities and individuals are under no obligation to discuss the option at all.
Disregarding this aspect of end-of-life care feels eerily similar to insurance companies and health care corporations choosing not to provide comprehensive pregnancy options and contraception. I realize that end-of-life and reproductive care have their differences, but some striking similarities make me wonder how this health care access issue will evolve over time. It was only last year that AB 775, the Reproductive FACT Act, was signed into law in California, requiring that all reproductive health clinics post a public notice about access to abortion and birth control. It set a precedent that patients deserve comprehensive health services and the facts they need to make informed decisions.
Imagine my patient after a few years. Her cancer treatments allowed for a fairly good quality of life, but her symptoms are worsening and the cancer is progressing. She knows her prognosis is poor and wants some control over her death. She asks her doctor about aid-in-dying, but her physician opts not to participate. What can she do?
California’s End of Life Option Act requires that the patient’s attending physician be the doctor prescribing the lethal medication, but there is no process in place to facilitate transferring care if the physician declines to participate. What will happen in rural areas if there is no local physician willing to help? Will some of these well-intended regulations cut off access to vulnerable populations? I respect and appreciate the Act’s protections to ensure that physicians are participating within the extent of the law and their personal beliefs, but what about protecting the patient’s right to access care concordant with their own values?
This isn’t an option that resonates with everyone, nor is it an option that will be accessible to all interested patients. In addition to having a physician willing to prescribe lethal medication, the patient must have a terminal disease with less than six months to live, the capacity to make medical decisions, and the physical ability to take the drug. These criteria seem straightforward, but an accurate prognosis is not always easy to determine.
Although there may be some access issues, similar laws in other states have resulted in dramatic improvements in end-of-life care. According to the Death with Dignity National Center, “the most significant impact of the death with dignity law in Oregon has been to improve the care for all dying patients, by increasing awareness among doctors, allowing an open and honest conversation, improving pain management and palliative care, and providing patients with a sense of control and peace of mind.”
The End of Life Option Act will certainly pose dilemmas. I hope it will also provoke meaningful conversations for Californians and those in other states. We often avoid discussing death until we are personally affected, but talking openly can stimulate fascinating dialogue about aging, medicine, and dying. I urge everyone to reflect on the care they might want at end-of-life, consider creating an advanced directive such as Five Wishes, and learn about physician and facility policies on aid-in-dying when choosing who provides their care.
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ExxonMobil moved to squash a well-established congressional lecture series on climate science just nine days after the presidential inauguration of George W Bush, a former oil executive, the Guardian has learned.
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Contrary to popular belief, there are things in this world that have long been existing prior to any ‘celebrities’ discovery of them.
To illustrate, drinking hot water with freshly squeezed lemon juice first thing in the morning is nothing new. However, over the past few years there has been much ado about the health and weight loss benefits of drinking hot lemon tea.
This resurgence of lemon tea drinking arose as a result of a popular singer claiming that she had successfully lost twenty pounds after fasting for two weeks and living on nothing but lemon tea infused with cayenne pepper.
As is most often the case, immediately almost everyone then jumped on the lemon tea bandwagon, with magazine articles all around the globe praising the merits of lemon, as if the humble fruit had not existed prior to this celebrity’s ‘discovery’ of it…
At the tme, one thing I also noticed along with the rising trend in drinking lemon tea was the introduction of all manner of ‘herbal’ varieties/alternatives/formulas. From cayenne pepper versions to apple cider vinegar versions, there are now dozens of lemon tea formula’s, pills and supplements promising to help you reach your perfect weight and dress size.
I personally don’t know about any of these shop bought concoctions and their promises as I personally wouldn’t touch any of them with a barge pole. Why would anyone, for that matter?
The properties in apple cider vinegar are known to aid weight loss.
The properties in hot pepper have also long been known to cause weight loss. Taken naturally, these things can indeed assist in weight loss.
However, no added complications, concoctions, gimmicks or ready, man-made formula’s are necessary to eat clean and be healthy.
To me, buying ready made lemon detox drinks/tablets/sachets/whatever is akin to buying vitamin tablets when you already have a bowl of fresh fruit in your kitchen.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice drank in hot water first thing is ALL that is required for a detoxifying and refreshing morning tea. No bottled peppers, powders or added man made extras.
Lemon and water.
Just simplicity at its best.
Lemon has long been known for its cleansing properties. It contains a fair amount of vitamin C, is less than 25 calories and is also a natural diuretic. Drinking hot water with lemon is extremely good for cleansing the liver and flushing out waste and toxins, as well as aid digestion and thus, can assist in weight loss.
I always add ginger, passion fruit and honey (my sweet tooth wouldn’t have it any other way!) to my morning lemon tea as I love the taste I get when these are all combined.
However, as well as tasting great ginger, passion fruit and honey are all also beneficial for the body. Honey includes a wealth of benefits that help to boost the immune system, assist weight loss and help the digestive system.
Recent studies have shown that increasing the amount of honey into your diet causes the body to burn fat at an increased level, which equates to weight loss!
This is because honey is thought to increase the body’s metabolism causing you to burn more fat than usual, even when sleeping.
Honey — nature’s liquid sugar. Liquid gold!
Ginger contains gingerol which is known to aid digestion and reduce symptoms such as nausea. Ginger is also known to be an appetite suppressant.
Ginger is known to aid in digestion, increase energy, speed up the metabolism and have a high fibre content. It is this combination of fat busting goodness that makes this spicy root quite magical for weight loss.
Another natural diuretic, passion fruit is also thought to aid in weight loss as it also has a high fibre content.
So refuse to jump on any bandwagon and forget about all those ridiculous man made, shop bought formula’s and concoctions when looking for ways to eat clean and instead go back to nature by using all that is readily provided for us to use… naturally!
Juice of half a fresh lemon
Flesh of half a fresh passion fruit
Approx. a thumb size of fresh ginger, grated
Organic honey, to taste
Get your favourite mug/teacup and put in the above contents. Add hot (not quite boiling) water, stir, put your feet up and enjoy!
You can add the juice (or even juice pieces) of any fruit you desire.
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“Les Misérables“? More like James Corden is “more misérables” after getting completely destroyed by Anne Hathaway in a “Late Late Show” rap battle.
Didn’t this dude see “Bride Wars“? You do not want to mess with Hathaway.
Corden tried to hit the actress with lines about hosting the Oscars and digs at “The Princess Diaries,” but like a true queen of Genovia, Hathaway turned the battle into a “Royal Engagement.”
There hasn’t been a verbal trouncing this bad since B-Rabbit in “8 Mile” revealed Papa Doc‘s real name is Clarence.
With Corden’s rhymes, he probably thought he had it made, but in the end he just learned what it’s like to get Hath-a-slayed.
“The Late Late Show with James Corden” airs weeknights at 12:37 a.m. ET on CBS.
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Getting a positive ROI from a trade show booth is tough.
Or is it?
Metro Exhibits, a full service trade show booth manufacturer in the US, found that those who incorporate strategies like the ones you are about to read were the most successful at trade shows.
The benefits of exhibiting at a trade show can surpass any marketing or growth technique. Trillions of business deals are done at trade shows every year. The biggest and best trade show booths definitely have the edge, but not all are successful.
Why is that?
Some businesses seem to have the secret recipe for networking at trade shows.
It’s no secret, it’s simply this:
Trade show success is measured by how much effort you want to put into it.
What specific strategies are behind successful trade show booths? We searched around for the most experienced industry professionals and put together a list of our top trade show tips and strategies.
Here are our top 15:
Studies show that your first impression has a high correlation with the actual long-term status of your relationship. There’s not much time for you spare on your initial presentation either.
Our first opinion of someone forms in only one tenth of a second.
Not surprisingly, we see similar results when someone’s first impression is of a brand. It takes only one fifth of a second to form an opinion of a website and 94% of that opinion is design related.
See where I’m going with this?
Creative trade show booth ideas can give you a huge edge at any event. Just check out this trade show booth display for the pharmaceutical company, Celgene:
Celgene attends a lot of shows and are always a big hit. Why? Because they understand how brand imagery affects consumer opinion.
Not all companies have a big budget, but one thing that should never be left to chance is your trade show exhibit’s design. Make your exhibit stand out.
You’re a tourist looking for the best hot dog in Times Square and you see one stand has a longer line than the others. Which one do you going to?
Social proof generates trust.
Seeing other people engaged with a brand makes them want to see what the buzz is all about. Get other employees into the show and have them surround your booth dressed as attendees.
Have people interact with your exhibit and staff, but make sure there are always employees available to engage with onlookers.
This plays off of the Monkey See, Monkey Do tip. Promotional giveaways that are easily visible are a way to extend your booth’s reach.
Hand out big stickers, wearables, light up trinkets, etc and turn it into a game. Those who wear your promo items have a chance to win something big at the end of the show.
These are great because the more people you get to wear them, the more others will want one. It’s also a great conversation starter for attendees- and your brand and booth are inserted into that conversation.
Utilize your trade show display by marketing yourself pre-show. This is where most of the magic happens…
A lot of companies reach out to attendees 4 – 6 weeks before the show. Set up meetings with them at your booth before the show starts.
Make it about networking, not selling. You want to hear about what they do more than what you do.
Collecting email addresses and phone numbers of past attendees comes in handy for this type of trade show preparation.
Most trade shows have exhibitors with the same target audience as you. Why not trade leads and contact information?
This is one of the best trade show booth tips in terms of ROI. You’ll instantly double your sales opportunities.
I don’t suggest trading contacts with direct competition, as many competitors battling for the same business can turn people off to the product or service. Rather, partner with brands selling different products and services that happen to have the same target market.
If you can make your product or service interactive, people will stay and a crowd will form.
Not all brands are easy to display. Find a way to allow your booth traffic to interact with your products or services. Not only will you generate interest, but they will get a better understanding of your value proposition.
Touch screens are a great way to display any type business offering as long as it’s interactive.
If you can’t display your business offering in an interactive way, consider creating an experience.
Take Charity Water for instance. Charity Water creates safe and clean water sources for remote villages in developing nations that don’t have a sustainable water supply.
They invite their booth visitors to walk two 40lb jugs of water across a 50 yd platform. They give visitors a small taste of the experience villagers in developing nations go through every day to fetch water from rivers miles away from their home.
For a short time people understand how hard it is to walk a couple yds, let alone a couple of miles carrying 80lbs. Charity Water creates an experience that helps their visitors connect with their brand.
Have your best sales people on the floor and make it a fun competition.
Make sure all trade show staff is well trained before the conference. Have them all are aware of the company’s strategy going in and how to utilize the resources provided.
In the end, your people are a big representation of your brand. Give the winner something nice in return.
It’s a lot easier to get someone who has bought before to buy again than it is to get someone to buy for the first time. If your best clients are not already going to the show, buy them a ticket.
What better way to wow one of your clients by getting them into one of the hottest industry events of the year. The best part is it will most likely have an automatic return on investment.
The only way to know if something works is to test it. The only way to know if the test worked is to measure it.
Know going into the show how you are going to measure success. Find a way to measure the marketing techniques and their effectiveness. Rule out biases and outliers that can skew data.
After all, if you don’t measure your return on investment you won’t know what works. If you don’t know that, you’re risking failure at the next event you attend.
What’s the best way to generate interest? Show interest in others first.
Don’t have your staff sell your product unless they are interested in it. The way you gain interest is by being interested in others first.
Ask questions about their company and where they came from first. Almost every time they will follow up by asking you the same. It’s much more natural than introducing your brand after you’ve introduced yourself.
Give people a warm welcome with things everyone can agree on. Having coffee/ tea, an abundance of comfortable seating, and fresh baked cookies always works.
Treat your exhibit as if it’s your home. One of the first things people notice when they walk into your home is the aroma. Give off a scent like home baked cookies and people can’t help but feel welcome.
Give your guests a little bit of generosity and they might just give some back.
Phil Zamloot, President of Metro Exhibits finds that those who start the process of preparing for a trade show early have the most success.
“Things like reserving space, designing your trade show booth, building your booth, details about how it will be shipped and installed, etc. When it all adds up, it can take a lot of time. Those who get it done early tend to have a better experience at the show.”
Think about it this way:
You don’t want to get bogged down by all the small details right before the show when you should be preparing mentally. Get the small stuff done early so you can focus on making the most of the experience.
Because of the large investment that’s needed to attend trade shows, novice exhibitors tend to focus 100% of their time on themselves. Before you can become a trade show leader, you need to learn from those who are.
The best of the best are all around you. Take some time to explore other trade show booths and learn how they are marketing their products and services.
No matter how prepared you are, the exhibitors with the most experience can always teach you something new.
Follow up with leads soon after the show. The longer you wait the longer they have to forget who you are and what you said.
People have many interactions at trade shows. As much as you want to believe yours were different, it’s tough to remember everyone’s name and product after the show.
Don’t be afraid of reaching out too quickly. Typically wait one day after the show to follow up with potential prospects. Waiting too long will dilute the connection.
Unique ideas get the most buzz but only if the strategy harmonizes with the brand and the industry.
Don’t go big and extravagant if it doesn’t have a purpose. The biggest success stories come from the companies with the most thought out marketing campaign at the show.
Give it your all. Take plenty of time to prepare. Trade shows are a big investment. Make it worth it.
What strategies do you use at events to maximize your ROI?
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Freddie Gray died in Baltimore police custody after being arrested last April without any good reasons. The 25-year-old African-American man suffered what turned out to be a fatal spinal injury after being shackled and laid on the floor of a police wagon without a seatbelt. His injuries from the “rough ride,” as they are sometimes called by the police, led to the death of the young man a week later.
So far, nobody has been held accountable for the death of Freddie Gray.
This week, a judge found Baltimore police officer Edward Nero not guilty of four misdemeanor charges for his role in the events that led to the death of Freddie Gray. A Baltimore circuit court judge decided that Nero wasn’t directly involved in the arrest and that the particular charges against him could not be finally proved. Last winter, the trial of another officer in the case ended in a hung jury. Four more officers involved in the tragic and deadly events that killed Freddie Gray are yet to be tried.
While I am no legal expert on the details of the court decision yesterday or whether the charges against him and each of the other officers were carefully made or effectively prosecuted, nor a spiritual expert on Nero’s motives, nor an administrative expert on Baltimore police training, one fact continues to remain clear: No one has yet to be held accountable for the death of Freddie Gray who was alive and well before being detained and put into that police wagon.
That same fact still applies to almost ALL of the young African-American men and women who have been shot or choked or beaten to death by police or who have died in police custody –despite all the publicity about these police crimes. And that is why there is so little trust in communities of color for the police that are supposed to serve them and keep them safe. There are always reasons — or technicalities, or decisions not to indict or have trials, or other complications or distractions, or blatant police or city cover-ups — to explain why no police or local officials who have done wrong have been prosecuted and sent to jail. The end result: Nobody is held accountable.
On the book tour I am still on with America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to A New America, the question always comes up, “What is white privilege?” In the town meetings we’ve been having in more than 20 cities so far, that discussion goes deeply into systemic and cultural issues. But white privilege has to also always be made very personal. So here is another personal story for me about young men being killed — or not.
Last Christmas, my family went to England to visit with my wife Joy’s family and friends. Our son Jack was warmly greeted by everyone with acclamations about what a big 12-year-old he had become. “Jack, you’ve grown so tall,” “You look so athletic,” “What an impressive young man you are becoming,” etc. He kept telling smiling faces that he, at 12, was 5 foot 7 (and a half!) inches tall. Nobody said, “Jack you look so threatening and scary.” Brian Stevenson, lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of Just Mercy, reminds us that African-American men, and boys, are assumed to be “guilty” and “dangerous” from the start. But not my white son Jack.
While we were in the U.K., the news came across the Atlantic that the Cleveland police officer who had shot and killed young 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 would not face charges. The decision meant that there would be no trial for the officer who killed Rice or his partner — despite the fact that a local judge had found probable causes of murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, negligent homicide, and dereliction of duty. The prosecutor, Tim McGinty, was widely criticized for acting more like the defender of the police involved rather than his proper role of advocating for a crime victim. I vividly remember reading assistant prosecutor Matthew Meyer’s words that the Cleveland boy was “much larger than the average 12-year-old” — he was “five foot seven.”
Let’s be honest. Would these white police officers have driven up on my white 5 foot 7 1/2 12-year-old son and shot him in two seconds, before giving him verbal commands and time to respond — even if he too was playing with a toy gun like 12-year-olds do?
Nobody has been held accountable for the death of Tamir Rice.
Until police officers and local officials are held responsible for wrongdoing in the unnecessary killings of young African Americans, there will not and cannot be confidence for law enforcement in communities of color. Plain and simple.
Until punishment and privilege are no longer the results of skin color in our American criminal justice system, there will be no trust. Put most simply, no accountability means no trust. And until such accountability is a demand from both white and minority communities, all our children will not be safe.
Unaccountable must become unacceptable for the police.
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This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
