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Archive for Bookselling
Kindle Smackdown
July 13, 2010 About the Book, Bookselling, Electronic Reading One comment
First, a few of updates. I just finished a draft of a new preface for The Late Age of Print, which will be appearing in the (drum roll please!) NEW PAPERBACK EDITION due out in January, 2011. The piece develops and extends some of the ideas from one of my favorite blog entries, "Books: An 'Outdated Technology?'" which I posted to this site last September. More good news about the paperback edition: Columbia University Press has decided to price it at just $18.50. That's a bargain as far as I'm concerned — at least, by academic book standards.
Now onto the business at hand: the Kindle smackdown. A colleague of mine is considering buying an Amazon Kindle e-reader and posted a query to her Facebook site inviting friends to weigh in. One of her respondents linked to a series of YouTube videos called "The Book vs. The Kindle," which was produced by the good folks at San Francisco's Green Apple Books — one of my favorite bookstores in the world. From the moment I watched one of the videos (which happened to be installment five), I knew I'd have to share it here with you:
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Cute theme, eh? Paper books, it seems, are good for picking up your fellow literati in bookstores. E-books? Not so much. Who would have thought print and paper were so hot?
The video actually reminded me quite a bit of an article appearing in the March 31, 2010 edition of The New York Times, which had this to say about the conundrums of owing an e-reader: "Among other changes heralded by the e-book era, digital editions are bumping book covers off the subway, the coffee table and the beach. That is a loss for publishers and authors, who enjoy some free advertising for their books in printed form."
It's intriguing, indeed, to hear just how "all-in" some publishers have become for e-books, now that there are some seemingly viable platforms floating around out there. I just wonder if they've paused long enough to consider how the technology they're so investing in may be thwarting one of the most prosaic ways in which the book industry goes about hocking its wares.
Update: one possible exception to the "no more covers" rule for e-readers may be something like the dual-display Toshiba Libretto W100, although with this particular device neither of the screens faces outward. Maybe a triple- or quad-screen e-reader will one day do the trick.
Cory Doctorow on the E-book Price Wars
March 29, 2010 Bookselling, Distribution, Electronic Reading 2 comments
I've been within Cory Doctorow's "orbit" for awhile now, mostly as a follower of his personal blog, Craphound, and his collective endeavor, BoingBoing. Only recently have I begun reading his novels and published non-fiction works. (Little Brother was my go-to for the first few weeks of my infant son's life, when I couldn't fall back to sleep after late-night feedings and diaper changes.)
Well, anyway, this video came to my attention as something that Late Age of Print readers might be interested in. It's a recording of a talk Doctorow recently gave at Bloomsbury, the UK publisher of the Harry Potter novels, in which he discusses the vexed matter of e-book pricing.
What I admire about Doctorow is the fact that he's a successful print author as well as someone who's unafraid to experiment with publishing's longstanding economic and technological paradigms. It's hardly a stretch to say that his success in print owes a great deal to his willingness to push the bounds online. I should acknowledge, moreover, that the free, Creative Commons-licensed PDF of Late Age wouldn't have been possible had it not been for him and others who are similarly committed to the belief that book publishing is at its best when it refuses to rest on its laurels.
Anyway, enjoy the video. I'd be curious to hear how you would weigh in on his proposals.
It'll Be War!
February 8, 2010 Book History, Bookselling, Electronic Reading, The Future of Publishing 3 comments
By now most of you reading this blog probably know about the latest dust-up over ebook prices. For those of you who haven't been following the news, here's a brief synopsis followed by some thoughts on the history of book pricing.
A couple of weeks ago officials at Macmillan, one of the largest global book publishing firms, decided to put the screws to Amazon.com. For over two years now the retailer has insisted that $9.99 is the decisive threshold at which consumers will begin trading reading material composed of atoms for stuff made of bits. Reportedly it's managed to sell three million Kindles and who-knows-how-many e-books, but still Macmillan begs to differ on the matter of pricing. Management there believes that a more flexible scale would be preferable to Amazon's flat-rate, with new e-titles starting at $15 and older works listing for around $6.
Well, Amazon got so miffed by Macmillan's proposal that it temporarily suspended sales of any new books published under its imprimatur, which includes such venerable labels as Farrar, Straus & Giroux; St. Martins Press; Henry Holt; Tor Books; and others. Macmillan responded by calling Amazon's bluff, knowing full-well that Amazon's decision to de-list the publisher's capacious catalog ultimately would hurt the retailer's bottom line more than it would help its cause of ebook pricing. With the door now open, other presses are jumping on the higher-priced ebook bandwagon.
This is a fraught issue, to be sure. As a frequent book buyer, I'm grateful to Amazon for doing its part to keep ebook prices low for as long as it could. The company clearly understands the psychology behind the pricing of digital goods. Consumers intuitively grasp that the marginal costs of producing any given copy of an ebook is next to nil, and so we're understandably reluctant to buy up e-titles and expensive hardware when paper books can be had for a comparable enough price. On the other hand, I recognize that the promise of advances and royalties gives professional authors incentive to continue producing new work. Accordingly, they have a compelling interest in maximizing their return through healthy (read: inflated) prices.
We could go around and around all day about who's right and who's wrong here. As someone whose paycheck comes primarily from my work as a university professor and only secondarily from my publications, selfishly, I'm inclined to side with Amazon.com. But really there are no clear-cut good guys and bad guys here. The whole situation reminds me of a recent dispute between physicians at my local hospital and a major health care provider, each of whom accused the other of excessive greed and bullying. In the end, the only party who suffered was the people who, for the duration of the quarrel, had to drive 50 miles to get the health care to which they were entitled.
Anyway, this may well be the first major conflict over the price tag for ebooks, but it's surely not the first time the book industry has gone to war over book prices. This has happened at least a couple of times before, first in the late 19th century and then again in the 1920s/30s. In both instances, a bunch of young, brash publishers decided to slash their prices as a strategy to gain market share. Older, more established firms responded by digging in their heels and waging a clever PR campaign designed to convince the public that it was in their best interest to pay more than they actually needed to for books. (You can read more about this history in chapter 1 of The Late Age of Print and in volume III of John Tebbel's magisterial A History of Book Publishing in the United States.)
What might these earlier price wars tell us about the present situation? Anyone looking to establish themselves as leaders in digital publishing would do well to undersell their competitors by offering electronic editions at or below the $9.99 price-point. The goal should be to sell as many copies as possible, by finding a price so attractive that no one can resist. It's funny: we hear all the time about how book reading is on the decline in the United States and elsewhere. Could it be that the falloff is attributable not only to the usual scapegoats (electronic media, waning attention spans, etc.) but also and significantly to publishers' greediness over book pricing, electronic or otherwise?
Indeed, if history teaches us anything, then it teaches us that publishers who've made their mark selling low can succeed in the long run. Just ask Simon & Schuster and Farrar & Rinehart (yes, that's the same Farrar of Macmillan's Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux). They were among the upstarts of the 1920s and 30s whose decision to sell books for a buck sent the old-timers into a tizzy.
Ringing any bells, Macmillan?
"The Localized Appreciation of Books Is Gone"
December 7, 2009 Bookselling, Electronic Reading, Reports from the Front, The Future of Publishing 4 comments
www.colbertnation.com
I love it when something that you think will be good turns out to be even better than you'd hoped. Case in point: author Sherman Alexie's visit to The Colbert Report last Tuesday night. I expected Alexie to chat up his latest book, War Dances. I didn't expect to be treated to such an intelligent commentary on the future of book culture in America.
Colbert starts out by affirming the author's decision not to allow the digital distribution of his book. Alexie cites concerns over piracy and privacy as his motivation for doing so. I've noted here on the blog how certain e-book devices can expose book lovers to all sorts incursions into their intimate reading lives. Alexie, for his part, ups the ante. "I'm an Indian," he states. "I have plenty of reasons to be worried about the U.S. government" peering over his shoulder while he e-reads. Colbert — ever the (alleged) enemy of literacy — chimes in with his objection to digital books. "You can't burn a Kindle."
Alexie then notes how the revenue structure of the music industry has changed in the digital era. Here I believe he over-reaches somewhat, but in any case his claim is that the music is no longer what primarily makes money for top recording artists. Now, touring and performances comprise their primary revenue stream. He fears the same may one day hold true for book authors as well, suggesting a future in which the book-as-cultural-artifact will become incidental to paid-for author appearances. And here Alexie echoes one of Kevin Kelley's predictions from his 2006 bombshell published in The New York Times Magazine, "Scan This Book!", from which the late John Updike recoiled in horror.
The rest of the interview offers something of a rejoinder to this vision for the future of the book. In a word, it is unsustainable. Alexie recounts how the experience of the book tour has changed for him over the last decade or so. It used to be that he would engage all sorts of local media and indy bookstores while traipsing around the country to promote his latest work. Today, Alexie complains, "the localized appreciation of books is gone." Book blogs notwithstanding, what little coverage books receive in the media today mostly occurs in the national press — in exclusive forums like The New York Times and, well, The Colbert Report. Chain bookstores, meanwhile, now play host to the vast majority of author events. The result, he notes, is not only a diminished conversation about books at the local level, but also the elimination of untold numbers of book-related jobs that are ancillary to, yet nonetheless sustain, the book industry proper.
I can't say that I agree with everything Alexie had to say about the past, present, and future of books in America, but his insights were provocative enough for me to air them here. I do agree with his final point wholeheartedly, though: "White folks should be ashamed that it's taking an Indian to save part of their culture." Indeed.
A Big Week for Books (Week in Review)
October 16, 2009 Bookselling, Distribution, Electronic Reading, The Future of Publishing No comments
I've been racking my brain for the last several days trying to figure out what to post next here on The Late Age of Print. The problem isn't there there's a lack of material to write about. If anything, there's almost too much of it. And the fact that there is so much reveals one simple truth about books today: however much they may be changing, they're hardly a moribund medium.
Consider, for example, Wednesday's debate in the New York Times, "Does the Brain Like E-books?" The forum brought together writers and academics from a variety of disciplines (English, Child Development, Religious Studies, Neuroscience), asking them to weigh in on the question. Most intriguing to me is Professor Alan Liu's contribution, in which he distinguishes between "focal" and "peripheral" attention. E-books, it seems, dispose readers toward the latter type of engagement.
In some ways the distinction Liu draws harkens back to the difference between "intensive" and "extensive" reading. The intensive mode refers to the deep reading of a small amount of texts, often multiple times, while the extensive mode designates a more cursory type of engagement with a significantly larger amount of texts. The claim among book historians is that the coming of print ushered in a new age of extensive reading, which in turn set in motion a mindful, but ultimately thinner, relationship to books and other types of printed artifacts. Could it be that in emphasizing "peripheral" attention, e-books are not breaking with but rather carrying on the legacy ushered in by print?
Next, Fast Company reports from the Frankfurt Book Fair on Google's latest big announcement. The search engine giant (it seems silly to even call the company that anymore) will be launching an online e-book store called Google Editions, beginning in early 2010. What's great about the service is that the e-titles won't be device-specific, as in those created for the Amazon Kindle. The initial launch will include a half-million e-books, and presumably more will be added as the months and years go by.
I'm still trying to determine whether the the texts that Google will make available via Editions will include those that the company has scanned for its Google Books project. If that's the case, then talk about the privatization of a public resource — practically all of the volumes having been housed originally in public libraries! And even if that's not the case, isn't it strange that the company will essentially be subsidizing its book scanning efforts by hocking electronic texts published by the very same outfits who are suing them for scanning?
Finally, we have an intriguing post from Nigel Beale over at Nota Bene Books: "Authors Claim Google's Ability to Track Readers Puts Privacy at Risk." Evidently the Electronic Frontier Foundation is contesting the proposed Google Book settlement, on the grounds that the search engine giant cannot protect the privacy of individuals who choose to read e-books through its burgeoning service.
I've been raising similar concerns recently in my speech about the Amazon Kindle. The device automatically archives detailed, even intimate, information about what and more importantly how people read on the Amazon server cloud. This kind of information is subject not 4th Amendment/search warrant protections but can instead be subpoenaed by prosecutors who are anxious to dig up dirt on suspects. The question I raise in the speech, and the question that also seems to emerge in the case of Google Books and the coming Editions service, is, what happens to a society when privacy is no longer the default setting for reading?
Whew. What a week for books indeed!
Is the ISBN Still Necessary?
August 14, 2009 Bookselling, Distribution, Electronic Reading, The Future of Publishing 3 comments
My inner distribution nerd was thrilled to discover (via José Afonso Furtado) Michael Carins' recent reflections on the death of the international standard book number, or ISBN, over on his blog PersonaNondata. The argument goes something like this. Over the last several years there has been a noticeable movement away from the ISBN, particularly in the case of e-books. Leading the way has been Amazon.com, which refuses to assign ISBNs to any of the Kindle books it sells. With book digitization there has also tended to follow dis-aggregation, or the chopping up of books into smaller, component parts that can be sold separately. How do you assign a single ISBN to what's fast becoming an exploding whole?
Cairns clearly knows his stuff. As a former President of Bowker, he was chin-deep in the trenches of the recent effort to rework the ISBN for the 21st century. The result was the shift from a 10-digit to a 13-digit standard, which went into effect on January 1, 2007. My question is this: is the ISBN still necessary?
Anyone who's read The Late Age of Print will know that I do not ask this question lightly. I devote the better part of Chapter 3 to the ISBN's history, and to tell you the truth, in the process of doing the research I developed something of a crush on this smart little product code. Personally I'd be sad to see it go. But as an historian of technology it seems clear that the ISBN has just about exhausted its usefulness.
It's important to bear in mind what computing and online communications looked like when the ISBN was first conceived, back in the late 1960s. Processing power was paltry by today's standards. Broadband was barely an inkling of an idea. The ISBN was developed within the context of these technological constraints, as a concise and thus highly efficient way in which to convey extremely detailed information about the language, publisher, title, and edition of any given book.
Today computers are capable of processing much more complex data strings, which need not be limited to numerals or the occasional letter X. Furthermore, broadband has resulted in much faster electronic communications and consequently obviates the need to "keep it simple" and to the point (Twitter notwithstanding). In other words, the constraints under which the ISBN was created hardly apply today.
The ISBN was designed not only to facilitate "back-office" communications about books. It was also designed to facilitate their distribution. And in this respect Amazon's move away from the ISBN with its Kindle editions is telling. Time and again the company has shown that it, and only it, wants to control the distribution of Kindle books. Indeed they are digitally rights managed so as to forestall their circulation beyond anyone besides the reader/customer/end-user/licensee (I'm not entirely sure what to call this person anymore). Amazon is moving us away from an era of more or less unfettered book circulation, and its slow abandonment of the ISBN is a manifestation of this.
It's also worth remembering that the ISBN grew up at a time when the book industry showed perhaps its sharpest division of labor. There were authors, agents publishers, typesetters, printers, binders, distributors, booksellers, and certainly a whole host others all working in concert in disparate places on a single product. Now consider Amazon. With Kindle the company effectively becomes an extension of the publisher, typesetter, printer, and binder, all while acting as book distributor and seller. If Amazon has its way then we are likely to see a further breakdown in the book industry's division of labor. What's the point of an industry Esperanto when centralization is fast becoming the order of the day?
Incidentally, this is precisely why the answer to my question, "Is the ISBN still necessary?" is still a "yes," despite all that I have had to say about historical contexts and the like. The ISBN was more than just a product code. It was an accomplishment — a testament to an industry's ability to achieve unity despite the pressures of competition, corporatization, and globalization. Disturbingly, the waning of the ISBN signals the opposite trend: the growing hegemony of a single player who holds disproportionate sway over the industry as a whole.
—with thanks to p.
Late Age of Print @ the Village Voice
August 12, 2009 Bookselling, Reports from the Front No comments
I spent the last week vacationing in Paris. The trip was excellent in itself, but a felicitous discovery along the way made it even better. A wrong turn while searching for the Pompidou Centre landed my travel companion and I at the Village Voice Bookshop, one of Paris' best English-language bookstores. Here I am, standing outside the store on the Rue Princesse:
There, while thumbing through the nicely-stocked "Books On Books" section, I was thrilled to discover a copy of…The Late Age of Print!
Thereafter I proceeded to have a lovely conversation with the founder and owner of the Village Voice Bookshop, Odile Hellier, who gave me a crash course in Parisian book culture. According to Hellier there's been something of a falloff in bookselling and reading in Paris in recent years, which makes it all the more challenging for English-language shops like hers, whose inventories are not underwritten by the French government, to make ends meet.
That's all the more reason why I'm thankful not only to have seen The Late Age of Print at the Village Voice but also to have had some good friends purchase the copy while I was there.
Amazon Goes All 1984 on Kindle Owners
July 20, 2009 Bookselling, Scandal! 3 comments
News broke over the weekend that Amazon.com decided to remove legally purchased but unlawfully licensed editions of books by George Orwell from the Kindles of some customers. The company did so without asking, although at least it had the good sense of sending an email explaining the action and of issuing refunds for the transactions.
Ever since, Kindle customers and technology watchers alike have been aghast at how Amazon essentially reached into the Kindles of unsuspecting Orwell fans and deleted what they had mistakenly believed to be their private property. Take Hugh D'Andre of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, for instance, who wrote: "Can you imagine a brick-and-mortar bookstore chasing you home, entering your house, and pulling a book from your shelf after you paid good money for it?"
Others such as Jonathan Zittrain have rightly pointed out that you don't actually own Kindle content. Instead you basically lease it from Amazon.com, who as the custodian of your Kindle controls most of the rights to that material in the end.
Amazon, for its part, has promised never, EVER to take such drastic action again — sort of. "We are changing our systems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers' devices," notes a company spokesperson, adding, "in these circumstances." The devil, it seems, is in the details. Thus I am inclined to agree with Cory Doctorow over at BoingBoing who states, "Amazon claims that they won't do this again. But as every good novelist knows, 'A gun on the mantlepiece in act one must go off by act three.'"
By now most everyone in the literary and tech worlds has chimed in on the scandal, and the consensus seems to be that Amazon overstepped its bounds. Clearly. But my question is this: why is anyone surprised at all by the company's actions? Did anyone actually believe that Amazon would act in good faith toward its Kindle customers and their Kindles, when it has a direct portal into the inner lives of each and every one of their e-readers?
The problem stems from a fundamental misrecognition of what Amazon is. It started out as a bookseller, and with its recent foray into Kindle it's continued to cultivate an air of bookishness. But indeed this is little more than an air. Despite what CEO Jeff Bezos and others might say, Amazon.com is totally and completely dispassionate about books. What it is passionate about is making money, and it will sell anything — from books to toilet paper to excess server capacity or warehouse space — to earn a buck.
What that means, then, is that Amazon does not subscribe to the liberal sensibilities with which book culture has long been associated. In other words, it holds little regard for the sanctity of property (other than its own), privacy, or free expression. For Amazon these are values only insofar as they can contribute to the company's value stream. When they don't, or when they prove too costly, those values are dispensed with algorithmically.
The other issue concerns the apparent irony that many of my fellow bloggers have already pointed out. Amazon didn't just delete any old books from people's Kindles. Among others it deleted George Orwell's dystopic novel 1984, which dramatizes life in a futuristic totalitarian state. The problem here, though, is that however "deliciously Orwellian" Amazon's actions may seem, Amazon.com is not a state. It is a corporation, which is accountable not to "the people" but to its shareholders.
I understand the reasons for wanting to draw the comparison to 1984, but ultimately it's an inappropriate one. As Daniel J. Solove points out in his wonderful book on privacy The Digital Person, the more apt literary reference in circumstances such as this may be to Kafka's Trial, in which people are prosecuted without ever fully knowing what if anything they've done wrong.
Late Age of Print — the Video
July 8, 2009 Bookselling, Hype No comments
After a series of delays (I hear this is how things go in Hollywood), I'm pleased to debut The Late Age of Print video at long last. It's no "Thriller," admittedly, but hopefully you'll get a kick out of it anyway.
Here's a little back-story for those of you who may be interested. Last fall my editor at Columbia informed me that the Press had begun promoting some of its books using short videos. He then asked me if I'd be interested in shooting one for Late Age. Since I'm not someone who believes that electronic media are out to kill books — I'm quite confident in their ability to help books out, in fact — I decided I'd say yes.
I was a little daunted by the prospect of shooting the video, mostly because I'm a methodological writer who's unaccustomed to speaking in sound bites. I reflected on this a bit last December over on my other blog, Differences & Repetitions. In hindsight, that should have been the least of my worries.
In chapter 2 of Late Age I touch on how the campus bookstore at Indiana University (where I teach) was designed by Ken White, the architect who went on to create the big-box bookstore template. What better location for the video shoot, I thought, than at ground-zero of the big-box bookstore phenomenon?
Unfortunately, IU decided in 2007 that it would be a good idea to outsource campus bookstore operations to Barnes & Noble — about whom I write rather approvingly in Late Age. The long and the short of it is that Barnes & Noble denied my requests to shoot the video there.
I still find it difficult to fathom how a private sector company would — or even could — refuse the use of public property for a purpose such as this. In any case, I'm sure I could have complained to the University, but by then so much time had elapsed that I just needed to get on with the shoot.
I settled on the IU Lilly Library, which houses rare books and manuscripts. It's a truly lovely location, though I fear that it may inadvertantly up the "book fetishist" quotient that I try so hard to mitigate in Late Age. The videographer also had me harp on the "books aren't going away anytime soon" theme, which, though appropriate, doesn't quite get at the substance of the book, which focuses on e-books, book superstores, online bookselling, Amazon.com, and Harry Potter.
Anyway, despite all the drama I'm still pretty pleased with the result. I hope you like it, too. Please share it, rate it, and comment on it. I'd love to hear what you think!
Now that I've entered the video age, would it be asking too much for Colbert to call?
Good Morning, Amazon…
June 1, 2009 Bookselling, Electronic Reading No comments
First it was the cola wars. Now, it's the e-book wars.
At this past weekend's book industry trade show, BookExpo America, Google announced that it will begin selling digital book content in the near future. According to this article in today's New York Times, the search engine giant has the backing of major players in the publishing field.
The move should come as a wake-up call for Amazon.com, which, since the introduction of Kindle in late 2007, has dominated the retail e-book market. Many questions remain, however, about whether Google's latest foray into the book world ultimately will pan out.
Why it Will Work
First, there's Google, whose power, prevalence, and brand recognition shouldn't be underestimated. But the success of its latest e-book initiative will stem from more than just the company's shear Google-ness. It will result from its growing recognition of itself as not merely a search engine company but indeed as a platform for online businesses. This is, incidentally, exactly what Amazon.com has been doing of late — refashioning itself, a la Google, from a retailer to a business incubator; and in this respect it's playing catch-up to Google.
Second, there's the Kindle factor. Google's plan is to release digital editions of books which, though secure (read: DRM), will not be native to any particular e-reading device. This is good news for those of us who've been less impressed with Kindle than we we ought to be; this is especially so where images are concerned. Plus, it's great news for readers who, in a time of economic downturn, are discomfited by the prospect of shelling out hundreds of dollars for the privilege of accessing and reading digital content via Kindle.
Third, did I mention Google? Besides the technology, one of the major problems that has beset e-books thus far has been distribution. Amazon has successfully addressed the issue by providing readers with a reliable, centralized hub from which to download e-titles. There aren't many companies out there who could compete with Amazon along these lines, but Google is surely one of them. It's already become a nodal point for people to access e-book content via Book Search and Google Library. Becoming a nodal point for distribution of e-content shouldn't take a great deal more than a hop, skip, and a jump.
Why it Won't Work
Book publishers are greedy and do not understand how to sell their products in and to a digital world. As the New York Times today reported, Google intends to allow its partner publishers to set their own e-book prices. If recent history tells us anything, it tells us that the publishers likely will charge something close to print-on-paper prices for content whose material support has already in essence been outsourced to consumers (e.g., in the form of computers, netbooks, and other mobile e-readers). This is unacceptable and will only hinder e-book adoption.
Relatedly, there's the Amazon factor. The company has insisted that, where possible, Kindle e-book titles should be kept low. Most bestsellers cost around $9.99, and although there are many Kindle books that cost more, Amazon should be commended for pressuring publishers to keep their e-book prices down. If Amazon can continue to do so, purchasing a Kindle with the prospect of having access to cheaper e-book content won't seem as off-putting as having to buy e-titles from Google at or near ridiculous print-on-paper prices.
Finally, there's the question of form. Will Google's e-book content largely reproduce what would otherwise be available on paper? If so, then Google e-books won't have as much uptake as they otherwise could — that is, if they broke with what Gary Hall calls a "papercentric" model of electronic content. Indeed, if the publishers want to charge near-paper prices for the e-books they sell/distribute via Google, then readers will expect additional types of features to make up for what is, essentially, lost value.
Only time will tell what will become of Google's latest venuture into e-books. I see a great many downsides that would really spell disaster for an anxious contingent of publishers who have convinced themselves, as they do about every eight years or so, that e-books will "save" their industry. More optimistically, it is my hope that Google will spur Amazon.com to move more quickly on developing cheaper, better Kindles and related e-reading systems that are even more user-friendly.


text:
Ecology of the oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta (Busck) in New Zealand
Russell, Derek Allan
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/1739
Reference: Thesis (PhD--Zoology)--University of Auckland, 1982
Degree Name: PhD
Identifier: THESIS 86-217
The current distribution of the recently arrived stone and pip fruit pest, the Oriental fruit moth (Grapholita molesta (Busck), Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) (O.F.M.) is mapped and the sharp decline in numbers in the Auckland region, as monitored by pheromone trapping over the years 1980-84 described. As a background to future integrated control strategies, this thesis concentrates on problems in the field biology of O.F.M., investigation of the timing of events in the field and of the proximal causes of these timings, and makes a close study of parasitism of O.F.M.. O.F.M. is established as having 4 larval feeding instars on peach in the field in Auckland but 5 feeding on apple at 25°C under laboratory conditions. Methods of separating the instars are provided. Diapausing larvae feed for longer and have a tendency to develop through 4 rather than 5 instars at 25°C. A re-analysis of data in the literature revealed no agreement on the temperature thresholds of development for the different life stages - this has very real implications for modeling work. The use of 7.2°C lower temperature threshold of development for pupae is supported by the summations of developmental day degrees in two thermally distinct environments. There is a temperature impediment to egg hatch early in the spring in Auckland. Oviposition schedules in the field typically span c.15 days with 65% of oviposition over by day 9. Under Auckland conditions the oviposition period is effectively temperature independent. Ist instar entry into shoots and fruits is highly competitive with most shoots and fruits supporting only one feeding larvae, regardless of egg densities. Fruits ae utilised as feeding sites from their first availability in November. Roughly 70% of larvae in all generations feed only on shoots with a mean of c.2.5 shoots/larvae. Crop damage levels at harvest on an unsprayed block of peach variety 'Golden Queen' was c.5-17% as opposed to 1-1.6% on a comparable, insecticide sprayed block. Brown rot Sclerotinia fructicola damage was strongly associated with O.F.M. damage. Of all rotten fruit at harvest c-30% has associated O.F.M. damage, whether O.F.M. populations are high or low. A larval tagging study showed pupation sites to vary over the season, with 52-83% of larvae pupating off the tree, mainly in weed stems, peach stones and the upper soil layers. Larvae generally cocooned in the first available sites. Distances moved in the search for pupation sites were greater late in the year. No phototropic effect with relation to sun direction or tree silhouette could be determined. A laboratory rearing technique utilising apple thinnings is presented. The 'quality' of insects reared in this way, as measured by flight cage sexual responses and field cage overwintering success, was not impaired in comparison with field reared insects. Diurnal and seasonal timing of moth sexual activity was examined. The lower temperature threshold for male flight is c.16°C. The spring threshold for female calling is at least as low as the male flight threshold. The summer figure was below the lowest consistent dusk temperature of around 18°C. Within the restrictions of the lower flight temperature threshold, male moths flew from c.5hrs to c.1.5hrs before sunset in the spring and in the 3hrs before sunset in the summer. Mean flight time was earlier in relation to sunset on cooler days and this effect was not due to early curtailment of flight. This shift may be sufficient to ensure fertilisation in cool spring weather. However, female calling showed no tendency to occur earlier on cooler days. No differences were determined between moths having experienced diapause as larvae and those which had not: either in temperature threshold, male flight or female calling times, or in the timing of responses to pheromone as opposed to virgin female traps. Suction trap captures of wild moths over 3 seasons at Kumeu Research Orchard confirmed the flight cage timing. There is a very small morning flight. Flight timing over the season was examined using a pheromone trap network in Auckland and Hawkes Bay. The 50% points in the cumulative spring moth emergence is around 27 September (flight from late August to early November) and 25 October in Hawkes Bay (flight from mid-September to mid-November). Three summer flights follow, the third being rather truncated by diapause in Hawkes Bay. There is a small partial fourth flight in Auckland; larger in warmer seasons. The overall timing of pheromone trap catch in the overwintering generation is constant throughout the Auckland region but sites show considerable variation in the duration and timing of summer peaks within years. The peak moth catch in any generation varies considerably at any one site between years. Neither examination of regional mean flight dates nor the plotting of results on a physiological time scale, improve the predictive value of the results. Sampling of sub-adult life stages in 'Golden Queen' peaches at Kumeu R.O. 1981-4 revealed 3 clear summer feeding generations with a fourth commencing development just before harvest in March. Intergenerational physiological distances were constant over the two years examined, with the time between the Ist and 2nd summer generations being shorter by c.14% than that between the 2nd and 3rd generations. It is shown that the timing of the presence of the Ist larval peak on 'Golden Queen' relates as much to the time of host shoot availability as to the time of early oviposition and subsequent egg hatch. Moth emergences in the spring are a function of the time of diapause breakage. Although there is a strong bimodality shown in pheromone trap catches (especially in Hawkes Bay), it is demonstrated experimentally, using a field cage at Kumeu R.O., that the date of diapause breakage is not a function of the date of entry into diapause, and that the emergence peaks do not therefore represent cohorts from the two final summer generations. However, neither is diapause breakage controlled by the accumulation of a certain number of chilling day degrees, nor is it terminated at a specific daylength. The specific cause of diapause breakage remains unknown. Diapause induction, is shown to occur progressively at photoperiods from 14 to 13hrs (c. 25 February to 20 March in Auckland). Predictions are made for the dates of diapause entry elsewhere in New Zealand; these are confirmed for the Hawkes Bay district. A small survey of parasitism of cocooned larvae and pupae was carried out in Auckland and Hawkes Bay in 1983-4 and all life stages were examined for parasitism over 3 years at Kumeu R.O.. No egg parasitism was recorded. Only one larval parasite, a braconid, is reported on one occasion. The major parasitism is of the cocooned larva, prepupa and pupa. One tachinid, one braconid, one pteromalid, and 4 ichneumonid species are recorded. Of these, only 1 ichneumonid is of significance. Two Hemiteles spp. are primary parasites of cocooned O.F.M. at very low levels and hyperparasitic on the major primary parasite Glabridorsum stokesii at levels of around 5-17% during the summer generations. G.stokesii was present at all Auckland sites surveyed, attacking O.F.M. from October to May. A method of calculating percentage parasititism from field data is presented. This takes into account the relative developmental times of the parasite and unparasitised host. Pupal parasitism by G.stokesii was consistently high in late summer (up to 100% in individual weeks). Circumstantial evidence links the decline in O.F.M. numbers in the Auckland region with the rise of G.stokesii numbers over the same period. In addition to O.F.M., G.stokesii also parasitizes other tortricid species in the orchard situation. A review of the world literature identified a number of species within New Zealand which my have future significance as O.F.M. parasites. The potential for future bio-control introductions is discussed.
Doctoral Theses - Authenticated Access [1656]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Dr Delwyn Bartlett is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Sydney and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. She has been working in the area of sleep and psychology for over 17 years. She developed a CBT insomnia group education programme at RPA Hospital and runs insomnia workshops which consists of 2 group educational sessions and 2 individual sessions. Dr Bartlett has a private practice at Hornsby Sleep Disorders Centres. More recently she has been working on an intervention to improve sleep in adolescents with insomnia; and a sleep research intervention to reduce post natal depression in new mothers. She has published a number of papers. She has and is on a number of sub committees in the Australasian Sleep Association with the long term goal of enabling good information about sleep to be available to the community.


Don't satisfied with Burgundy Wine Bottles deals or want to see more popular items and shopping ideas? Customers Who Bought Burgundy Wine Bottles Also Bought: Ak 47 Rounds, Encore Water, White Plastic Blades.
Types of Wine Bottles and Their Origins - What is the Best for You?
There are many different types of wine bottles used today but three or four designs remain to be the most common. These include the Burgundy, Bordeaux, Hock (Alsace), and the Champagne Bottle.
Sotheby's Auction House sold one bottle for $558,000, another for $496,000 and a bottle of 60-year-old Macallan Scotch whiskey for more than $843,000. CBS2's Mary Calvi reports.


At the end of this ride only the horse will be sober!
Collected by the coachman, the route takes the lads through the city on 90 minute tour. You'll get 1 beer & 1 shot – which should get you all started! This is a relaxing and traditional method of getting pissed and seeing what sites the city has to offer. You might even be able to plan your pub crawl for later on in the evening.
Please note, the coach is only designed to carry a maximum of 20 people.
The ride will start with one horse pulling the coach, by the end you will seeing double!


text:
Song, Bronze Songs, Language/English,
Songs by The Band
YouTube/Song
Wikipedia articles/Song
Songs I
The Band:I Shall Be Released Lyrics
This song is by The Band and appears…
on the album Music from Big Pink (1968)
on the live album Before the Flood (1974) by Bob Dylan
on the album Anthology, Volume I (1978)
on the album Rock Of Ages: The Band In Concert (1972)
on the album The Last Waltz (2002)
This song has been covered by…
Aaron Neville under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Bernardo Lanzetti under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Beth Rowley under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Bette Midler under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Bob Dylan under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Bob Rowe under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Chrissie Hynde under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Delroy Wilson under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Earl Scruggs under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Elvis Presley under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Jeff Buckley under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Joan Baez under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Joe Cocker under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Miriam Makeba under the title "Thulasizwe - I Shall Be Released"
Nina Simone under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Pearls Before Swine under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Peter, Paul & Mary under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Ricky Nelson under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Sarah McLachlan under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Steel Train under the title "I Shall Be Released"
The Box Tops under the title "I Shall Be Released"
The Hollies under the title "I Shall Be Released"
The Youngbloods under the title "I Shall Be Released"
The Slackers under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Tom Robinson Band under the title "I Shall Be Released"
Watch video at YouTubeMjtPBjEz-BA|209|252
Wikipedia has an article on
They say everything can be replaced
They say every distance is not near
So I remember every face
Of every man who put me here
I see my light come shinin'
From the west down to the east
Any day now, any day now
They say every man needs protection
They say that every man must fall
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Somewhere so high above this wall
Now, yonder stands a man in this lonely crowd
A man who swears he's not to blame
All day long, I hear him shouting so loud
Just crying out that he was framed
iTunes: buy I Shall Be Released
Amazon: buy I Shall Be Released
Hype Machine: search for… The Band • I Shall Be Released
Last.fm: search for… The Band • Music from Big Pink • I Shall Be Released
Pandora: search for… The Band • I Shall Be Released
Spotify: I Shall Be Released
YouTube: I Shall Be Released
AllMusic: I Shall Be Released
MusicBrainz: I Shall Be Released
Retrieved from "https://lyrics.fandom.com/wiki/The_Band:I_Shall_Be_Released?oldid=30942772"
Bronze Songs


Partnership and collaboration are essential to supporting children and families impacted by abuse and exploitation. No single agency can do it alone.
The CAC makes great efforts to collaborate with MDT team members to ensure children's needs get addressed as soon as possible.


To promote the learning and leadership capacity of women and girls locally and globally.
Women's Global Connection promotes the learning and leadership capacity of women and girls locally and globally. Middle school and high school girls from San Antonio have an opportunity to strengthen their ability to positively influence their communities and enhance their ability to serve as leaders by gaining a global perspective through Women's Global Connection programs. The leadership and civic engagement training that participants receive through Girls Global Summit and Girls Leadership San Antonio helps participants engage with the concept that all individuals, regardless of culture, ethnicity, nationality, faith or spirituality, gender, sexuality, or class belong to a "common humanity." Girls that apply and are accepted into the program work throughout each school year to design and lead the free, half-day Girls Global Summit – along the way learning not only about topics related to being a global citizen and gender empowerment, but also practicing the skills necessary to plan and execute a community event.


Are Raw, Organic Foods the Way to Go?
Business is booming for the organic food and vegetable trade, with the global industry poised to be worth a whopping $325 billion by 2025. The reasons for the boost in sales are twofold. Firstly, new studies have settled the question of whether or not organics are worth it in the affirmative. Secondly, issues such as global warming have spurred on a growing awareness of the way food makes it from the farm to our table. If you are over 65 and are intrigued by the raw and organic lifestyle, and you would like to incorporate more healthy juices into your diet, should you make the change? The answer is a resounding yes!
What's So Beneficial about Raw Foods and Juices?
Health and beauty gurus such as Leslie Kenton (best-selling author of Skin Revolution) frequently encourage their readers to consume as many raw foods as possible. Fruits and veggies contain biophoton energy: a 'light energy' which is depleted when heated.
Juicing is an optimal way to source light energy as well as an array of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, which can be absorbed by your body without having to be broken down.
Moreover, preparing your own recipes daily allows you to pick and choose fruits and veggies according to your needs. Seniors, for instance, can address fragile bones and aching joints, by juicing with antioxidant-rich ingredients such as organic cherries, ginger, kiwi or papaya to fight inflammation, and green leafy vegetables to boost their bone health.
To obtain the maximum benefit of produce, go organic; studies have conclusively shown that this type of produce contains significantly higher levels of antioxidants (and lower levels of heavy metal, cadmium) than conventionally grown varieties. Other studies have shown that organic meat and dairy contains up to 50% more Omega-3 essential fatty acids than conventional varieties.
Antioxidants are vital for battling the free radicals that can cause inflammation and cancer, while Omega-3 fatty acids are key to everything from heart to brain health.
Juicing is as delicious as it is good for you; it will help keep inflammation down, strengthen your bones, and help prevent heart disease and cancer. When juicing, make sure to read up on the vitamins and nutrients in different types of produce, creating new, exciting combinations in every color of the rainbow.
*This Blog was written by our friend Jennifer Eastman.


Building strong relationships with your workforce supports your functionality and progress. Adhering to the strict laws and policies governing labor relations ensures your legal operations. Calderhead, Lockemeyer and Peschke Law Office provides employers with day-to-day compliance counseling and just resolutions to workplace disputes that advance labor relations and further your business success.
Calderhead, Lockemeyer and Peschke Law Office is located in Loveland, Ohio and represents clients throughout Ohio. Call us at 513-426-6974 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.


Region 3 Rally, Will you be there?
The Region 3 Rally is fast approaching. It will be held in Ladson, SC May 19-23, 2004.
Before you can say "I can't make the whole rally so I am not going to pay the whole fee for the rally" I have a note here from the rally coordinator that states there will be a Pro-Rated fee schedule.
For working families ONLY the fee will be $60.00 per day for the whole family if you show up on Thursday/Friday after work. That is for the whole family, kids and all!
I have also attached the rally schedule. It is subject to change, but will give you an Idea of the events and schedules.
We will be there, looking forward to see you all!
Full Hookup = 30 amp power, water, and Sewer at each site. No dust in the coach, no navy showers, just a fun time. This is included in the rally fee, not extra!
In my book 5 days of camping with food and entertainment for $240.00 is not a bad deal at all.
We will be there for the weekend.
I have posted a revised schedule. Please download it again.
I'll be there the whole week so I want a whole button please!!!
I'll get started right away on the button design.
Looks fantastic! Do you ever consider putting the rally location on the button? That way if our memories fail us and we forget where we were, we can look at our buttons and say, "WOW, I was in Charleston, SC in 2004!".
maybe a dual purpose icon, The Palmetto State emblem.
I guess I am too late. I see the revised schedule has the Heron on the cover.
I am really looking forward to the Flea Market at both the Rally and the Coastal Carolinal Flea Market.
The Rally flea market should be great for a few reasons, I will be able to clear out the garage and maybe make enough money to pay for my rally fees. Second, I am looking forward to finding those elusive parts and accessories thatI have been searching for.
If you have not been to a Rally Flea market, you do not know how much Airstream stuff there is for sale, CHEAP! a lot of the long timers have been collecting this stuff for years and they finally decide to clean their garages out too.
The Coastal Carolina Flea market is HUGE, with many shops and open air booths. Just about anything you could imagine, and it is within walking distance, a few hundred yards.
I see DON MAR (local Airstream Dealer) is sponsoring a Frogmore stew. For those of you that dont know what that is, it is a local concoction of boiled shrimp, new potatoes, corn on the cob, smoked sausage and lots of spice. Mmmmmm Good!
Golfers, Pine Forest CC is a great venue with huge greens, challenging fairways but easy enough for the high handicappers.
SNADI is the outdoors games chairperson, and I have talked with her about that, this is going to be a lot of fun for kids and adults.
GROGAN is heading up the breakfast and I have had his servings, they are the best!
Many members of this forum are chairing efforts for this rally, so I am certain you will see many of those Forum buttons at the Region 3 Rally.
Just in case you did not know, the rally is in May, so time is short.
I also see that many of the sites are lakeside at the Rally site so you may want to get there early and get a site with a great view.
Do you ever consider putting the rally location on the button?
As a matter of fact, I thought of that as I was falling asleep last night. Since the Region 3 Rally moves around, I thought it would be a good idea to add the location/theme to the button.
I used the blue heron that was on the rally schedule, but I got to thinking that something related to "Doing the Charleston" might be better.
We are heading out this afternoon for a Unit rally, but I'll work on the button more next week.
Re: Region 3 Rally, Will you be there?
Even after my suggestions before the 2003 region 9 rally and input from many WBCCI members, the organizers of the 2004 region 9 rally made no plans for a reduced fee for working stiffs.
The doors have been opened to Airstreamers who are wondering what the WBCCI is all about.
So, even if you are not a member of the WBCCI right now, you can come and sample the goods.
I highly recommend this event if you are not a WBCCI member. You will get to experience what goes on at a "Rally" and most of all, you get to experience it with the most hip and happenest region there is.
How did you get out of doing a breakfast at Regional 3?


Under Armour Women's Base 4.0 Crew Top is the right choice when temperatures fall off the chart; when it's so cold outside it makes you cold just thinking about it! Designed with what Under Armour calls a mega-grid fleece liner, this top provides superior comfort and ultra warmth for brutally cold weather. The Base 4.0 layer is fitted which keeps the fabric close to the body and helps wick away moisture to keep you dry and warm when it matters most. Flatlock seams are a small touch that Under Armour has added that further the user comfort in this top. The cuffs have been reinforced so they don't stretch out, provide extra warmth, and increase durability. Under Armour also added thumb holes to keep the top in place and further insulate the users hands. When you have no other choice but to face the painful cold, the Under Armour Base 4.0 Crew Top helps to make it a little less painful.


Newcomer Family Obituaries - Patricia A. Gerhardt 1945 - 2019 - Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions.
Patricia Ann Gerhardt, age 73, of Mount Healthy, Ohio passed away on Sunday, February 3, 2019. She was born in Brookville, Indiana on June 6, 1945 to George and Pearl Wolpert (nee Shank).
She was preceded in death by her parents; former husbands, John M. Williams, James L. Cochran; sisters, Carol Werner, Georgia Henson. Patricia is survived by her beloved husband, Thomas J. Gerhardt, Jr.; children, Johnnyray (Rosa) Williams, Patsey S. Steiber; step-children, Ginger (Charles) Fuerbacher, Thomas J. (Carrie) Gerhardt, III, Susan Decker, Clara (Alan) Sams, Herman J. Gerhardt, Jackie Gerhardt, James Cochran, Sheila Cochran; daughter-in-law, Sharon Cochran; grandsons, Joey Steiber, Jonathon Steiber, Jeromy Steiber, Josh (Jessica) Steiber, James (Angie) Cochran; great-granddaughter, Alexa Steiber; grandchildren, great-grandchildren from the Fuerbacher, Gerhardt, Sams, and Decker families and a host of other family members and friends.
Funeral Ceremony will be at 11:00 am Friday, February 8, 2019 with a visitation from 10:00 am - 11:00 am at Newcomer Northwest Chapel, 7830 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45231. Burial to follow at Arlington Memorial Gardens.
In loving memory of Patricia, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Make-A-Wish® of Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana, 4500 Cooper Road, Suite 304, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 or online at oki.wish.org.
To share a memory of Patricia or leave a special message for her family, please click the Share Memories button above.
Add your memories to the guest book of Patricia Gerhardt.
Its been a week since my Mother, Patricia went with the angels. She suffered with so much pain, but that never stopped her from enjoying life with family and friends. I was blessed with a wonderful childhood, filled with so much love and magical memories. It was amazing to see how many friends my Mom had. She had the ability to smile and capture the hearts of so many people through her journey in life. In the final hours of her life, she was surrounded by family and dear close friends. It has only been a week since my final touch of her hand, talks to her soul, and my last kiss to her lips, but feels like a lifetime already.
Thanks to everyone for their prayers and celebrating her life with our family. I am so proud to have had a Mother so loving and giving. I will cherish my memories, love as I was taught too and will search for you at the end of my journey, so that I will live out eternity with you Mom.
My sincere condolences go out to my friend and long time buddy Johnnyray for the lost of his wonderful Mom.
I have so many fond memories of her that go way back to when I became friends with Johnnyray that started when we were about 9-10 years old. I use to love going to his house to play and she always met me at the door with a big hello and always had something nice to say to me.
Patricia made some of the best Christmas and Halloween cookies and would never let me leave without having me eat three or four of them which I gladly obliged. She always made me feel welcomed in there home and I had some fun sleep overs and she would always make a nice big breakfast the next morning.
Patricia will be dearly missed by all but her smile and the joy she shared with everyone will never be forgotten.
Oh how sad I was to hear about our soooooooo beloved friend of the park. She will be soooo missed. She kept us all informed about each other but never worried about herself. Pat, you are so loved and will be so missed by so many. MY HEART IS BROKEN. I know you are at peace and that brings me peace. RIP Pat, we love and will forever miss you!!!!!!!
I am deeply saddened by the great loss you and your family has suffered. Pat was a great, strong minded woman, who kept me laughing. She was a hoot to be around and will truly be missed. My heart goes out to you in this trying time and I hope you find much-needed comfort and peace during this sad time.
Losing our loved ones is never easy, just know she was a beautiful soul and will not be forgotten.


text:
Q: window.rootViewController returns nil when I try to access the root controller from App Delegate In iOS 13 I have set up my app that works fine and the window's root controller is a tab bar controller and I have done this setup in my scene delegate.
I am trying to implement a logic where when a user clicks on a notification, it has to launch the app and navigate to a particular tab. Say tab number 3. I do this in the didReceive response function in the app delegate. Everything works except for the fact that when I try to access the tab view controller, it seems to return a nil and the code beyond that line is never executed (obv because the root view controller of UIApplication seems to return nil)
Here is the code for my scene delegate class:
class SceneDelegate: UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate {

    var window: UIWindow?

    func scene(_ scene: UIScene, willConnectTo session: UISceneSession, options connectionOptions: UIScene.ConnectionOptions) {

        let mainTabController = MainTabController()
        mainTabController.selectedIndex = 1

        guard let scene = (scene as? UIWindowScene) else {return}
        let window = UIWindow(windowScene: scene)
        self.window = window
        self.window?.rootViewController = mainTabController
    }
}

Here is the code for what I do when user clicks on a notification (app delegate)
    func userNotificationCenter(_ center: UNUserNotificationCenter, didReceive response: UNNotificationResponse, withCompletionHandler completionHandler: @escaping () -> Void) {
        let userInfo = response.notification.request.content.userInfo
        if let partnerUid = userInfo["receivedFromId"] as? String{
            pushWhenUserClicksOnChat(partnerUid: partnerUid)
        }
    }

    func pushWhenUserClicksOnChat(partnerUid: String){
        if let mainTabController = UIApplication.shared.windows.first?.rootViewController as? MainTabController{
              //navigate to desired location
              //but this block is not executed. Main tab controller is nil.
        }
    }

A: From IOS 13 you need to get window from sceneDelegate like this
func userNotificationCenter(_ center: UNUserNotificationCenter, didReceive response: UNNotificationResponse, withCompletionHandler completionHandler: @escaping () -> Void) {

    guard var rootViewController = (UIApplication.shared.connectedScenes.first?.delegate as? SceneDelegate)?.window?.rootViewController else {
        return
    }

    // change your view controller here
    rootViewController = UIViewController()
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


9 Things To Do Over Black Friday Shopping The holidays are time for family. Here are some fun ideas from our friends at Quotacy on making the most of this holiday season, with a bit of humor.
The holidays are time for family. Here are some fun ideas from our friends at Quotacy on how to make the most of this holiday season with your loved ones, with a bit of humor. ?
With the rise of online shopping and Cyber Monday, consumers' desires to pitch a tent outside of Target after their Thanksgiving meals have been decreasing the past couple years. For those that do plan on going out and shopping on Black Friday, this means less competition! If you're undecided as to whether or not you're Black Friday shopping, maybe we can help.
We've compiled a list of nine suggestions to consider in lieu of getting your foot ran over by a cart full of discounted electronics. These are our ideas. What would you do if you were tasked with making Black Friday fun?
If you have children, this would be fun family bonding. If you don't have children, this would be fun anyway. Find your inner child and invite over some young-at-heart friends for a onesie pajama party. You can find adult-sized onesies at Kohl's, Target, and many online retailers. Leftover turkey sandwiches taste better when wearing a onesie.
Other than being animals, do you know what Nala the Cat, Doug the Pug, and Marnie the Dog all have in common? They have over two million Instagram followers – each. I kid you not.
Instagram has become a tool for pet owners to not only show off their adorable fur babies, but also promote adopting shelter pets. Many dogs and cats that have Instagram accounts were once stuck in a kennel alone waiting for someone to rescue them. Their Instagram accounts become dedicated to showing the difference a little love can make to an animal.
Is your phone storage dangerously close to capacity because of the multiple photos of your kitty stretched out in a beam of sunlight or your pup's face peeking out from under a blanket? Share the wealth! Word of advice though – don't feel bad when Mr. Puddle's Instagram gets more followers than yours.
I can tell you with extreme certainty that there is nothing better than sitting on your couch with family and/or friends eating leftover sweet potatoes watching hours of Parks and Recreation. I know because this is what I did last Black Friday.
Never seen Parks and Recreation? If you enjoy belly laughs, I highly recommend it.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has a delicious butterscotch/cream soda drink called Butterbeer on their menu, but the exact recipe is secret. This has forced fans to guess the mystery ingredients to make it at home. If you Google "butterbeer recipe" there are over one million results. This is the Butterbeer recipe I personally am attempting this Thanksgiving season.
You know what will wash down a turkey sandwich nicely? A Butterbeer. Have some fun experimenting and try to make Butterbeer yourself! It's a good family activity because authentic Butterbeer contains no alcohol; however, if kids won't be drinking it I'm guessing a shot of vanilla vodka would pair well.
Some like the convenience of a fake tree and others love the fresh pine smell of a real tree. If you're the latter, instead of going to a tree farm, why not go out into nature and cut down your own tree? It's a great way to bond with your family and get some fresh air.
The average cost of a tree from a tree farm runs about $60. A permit to cut down your own tree costs between $5-20 depending on your location. A fresh cut tree will also last about a month, which is longer than one you'd get from a tree farm. If this activity sounds like something you'd be interested in, you can get more information on the U.S Forest Service website.
Okay, I realize this wouldn't be as fun as binging a TV series and drinking Butterbeer, but how often do you get all the treadmills to yourself? Going to the gym on a holiday (or day after) is a surefire way to make sure you aren't fighting someone else for the 15 pound free weights. Not to mention it's the perfect time to get those gym selfies taken without worrying about people watching you.
The Calorie Control Council estimates that the average American could consume as many as 4500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. Does that gym day maybe sound like a good idea now?
How often do you say "Oh man, I really need to clean out my closet," but then never do because you don't have the time? Well, the day after Thanksgiving would be a great option! There are charities that would love to take your used clothing and shoes off your hands. Dress for Success and Career Gear are great charities if the bulk of your clothing is business attire. Other fantastic options are the Big Brother Big Sister Foundation and Vietnam Veterans of America.
Bananagrams and beer, anyone? What about cribbage and cabernet? Grab a friend or two, a game, and hit up a cozy brewery or winery.
Once Thanksgiving is over, that means it's free game to start putting up Christmas decorations! Unfortunately, walking into Target or Pier 1 with a mission to make your home holly jolly can get expensive really quickly. What's the point of spending hundreds of dollars on items you only use one month a year? Making DIY holiday decorations can be fun and save you money.
Pinterest has thousands of ideas for making your own holiday decorations such as a wreath or festive centerpiece. Plan which crafts you want to make ahead of time with your fellow crafters and everyone can bring different needed items such as burlap or pine cones.
These are just a few ideas of things to do instead of shopping on Black Friday. Do you have other ideas? Or are you going to join the masses and take advantage of the deals? If so, this website BestBlackFriday.com features all the 2017 Black Friday ads. As it gets closer to Thanksgiving, more retailers' ads will be added. This website can help you make a game plan to make the stress of Black Friday shopping a little more manageable.
Natasha Cornelius is a content manager and editor for Quotacy. She has worked in the life insurance industry since 2010, and has been making life insurance easier to understand with her writing since 2014. A long-time Mint user, Natasha lives in Bozeman, Montana where she loves to garden, DIY anything she can, and explore beautiful Big Sky country. Connect with her on LinkedIn.


text:
Your First Prenatal Visit
Pre-pregnancy Health Check
Symptoms of Pregnancy
Diet for a Healthy Pregnancy
The skin in pregnancy
Diagnosis of pregnancy
Urge Urinary Incontinence
Bypass Incontinence
- Preeclampsia
- Eclampsia
- Chronic Hypertension
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Gestational Diabetes
Medical conditions complicating pregnancy
Facts About Ovulation
Home Pregnancy Tests
Are You Ovulating?
Infertility Diagnosis
Secondary Infertility
Facts On Infertility
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Polycystic ovary syndrome puts glucose control in double jeopardy
Mar 13, 2013 Viewed: 593
Polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition affecting about 10 percent of women and characterized by excess male hormone and increased risk of diabetes and heart disease, appears to cause a sort of double jeopardy for those struggling the hardest to control blood sugar levels, researchers report.
Humans use insulin and other non-insulin mechanisms to convert blood sugar, or glucose, into energy and control levels in the blood, where it becomes a destructive force.
A new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism comparing 28 healthy women to 28 women with PCOS showed the latter have declines in both approaches, said Dr. Ricardo Azziz, reproductive endocrinologist and PCOS expert at Georgia Regents University.
Most surprising was the finding that the PCOS women who had the most difficulty controlling glucose via insulin were also the ones with declines in their ability to use non-insulin approaches. More typically, when insulin resistance increases, the body's non-insulin dependent usage increases, apparently to help compensate. In these women, non-insulin activity was essentially unchanged except in those with the most insulin resistance, where it dropped.
"Women with PCOS who have the highest levels of insulin resistance, the greatest difficulty controlling their sugar and the highest risk for diabetes, appear to have a double defect in how glucose is controlled, which affects both the mechanisms that use insulin and those that do not," Azziz said.
While the amount of fat around the internal organs, called visceral fat, predicted the degree to which insulin had difficulty controlling glucose, the regulation of glucose by non-insulin means was more closely associated with the amount of fat under the skin, or subcutaneous fat.
"If the fat is not as sensitive to insulin, that obviously means blood sugar levels, and probably fat and cholesterol levels as well, increase and the pancreas responds by producing more insulin," Azziz said. "Fat abnormalities can have a tremendous impact on how we feel and how we function."
The body uses insulin to convert sugar into energy for the cells in response to eating, stress or other acute causes of blood sugar increases. Fat is a big user of this approach. However, some tissues, such as the brain, red blood cells and adrenal gland, don't require insulin to convert glucose to energy.
"That's one reason why regulating only insulin does not cure diabetes," said Azziz, noting that when fasting, about 80 percent of the body's glucose usage occurs independent of insulin.
Next steps include understanding the molecular mechanisms behind these significant differences in how PCOS affects glucose usage, Azziz said.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and Helping Hand of Los Angeles Inc. Study participants, age 22-44, were from the Los Angeles area. Co-authors include scientists from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Toni Baker
Georgia Regents University
Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University
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Social media: libel and slander on blogs
6 years ago by
With the elections that just ended and the increasing use of blogs, I'm seeing more and more examples of what I understand to be libel. Is there any legal recourse if one thinks he or she has been slandered?
If you thought the blogs were out of control during the elections, you are not alone. There were certainly many attacks against candidates in those online journals, according to Joe Veenstra, a Johns, Flaherty & Collins attorney.
Were they libelous, meaning did they defame candidates? Not necessarily. To have a claim for defamation, the statement must have been published to another person, the information must be false, and, in most cases, it must have lowered the reputation of the person about whom it was said.
If you write something defamatory about your neighbor, you could be sued for libel under the negligence or "reasonable person" standard, meaning most reasonable people would not have made the statement. But if a person is a public figure, which applies to anyone running for office, then actual malice must be proven by clear and convincing evidence. Actual malice is a higher standard which means a statement was published knowing it was false or with reckless disregard for whether it was true or not.
Calling a politician ugly is a protected opinion, but suggesting he or she is a murderer without any charges being filed would be libelous.
Also, what is considered defamatory may change depending on the context in which the statement is made. For example, calling someone a communist in the 1950's might be defamatory, while calling someone a terrorist today could be libelous. "Defamation law is changing all the time," he said.
For more information about libel and slander laws, contact Joe Veenstra at 608-784-5678.
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Identify the historical, philosophical, and social foundations of early childhood education, including various legacies and impacts of racism in the United States, and how these influence current thought and practice.
Describe various characteristics of racism including how racism is related to but also differs from prejudice, stereotyping, intolerance, bigotry, and discrimination.
Understand individual differences in young childrens physical, motor, cognitive, language, social, and emotional development and approach to learning based on the context of their family, race, culture, and society.
Identify the relationships among culture, race, language and thought and the function of the home language in the development of the child.
Demonstrate how to promote children's understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of human differences due to social, cultural, race, physical, or developmental factors.
Demonstrate sensitivity to differences in family structures, race, and cultural backgrounds and respect families choices and goals for their children.
Articulate various personal responses and responsibilities to address racism and how anti-racism is resistant to and works against thoughts and/or acts of racial superiority and discrimination.
Identify the current issues, trends, and public policies affecting children, families, and programs for young children and the early childhood profession.


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With YOUNG MEDICINE, CITY OF THE WEAK And JUNEXA
Las Vegas-based horror rockers VAMPIRES EVERYWHERE have announced that they will be hitting the road on their headlining From Hell With Love Tour in Spring 2022. Fresh off the heels of The Awakening Tour, the band will be on the road again starting in early February with YOUNG MEDICINE, CITY OF THE WEAK, and <>JUNEXA. UK fans can also catch the band in London on April 15, 2022, at The Underworld. Speaking on the news, Michael Vampire shares:
"The Lost Boys are back!! What an amazing feeling to have VE front & center again. I'm excited for the many adventures to come! I am beyond excited to announce our 2nd US headlining tour since the rebirth of the band. We are bringing some amazing support this time around. Don't sleep on this & see you all on the road really soon!"
Prior to today's news, YOUNG MEDICINE, CITY OF THE WEAK ended their 5-year hiatus and released their latest EP The Awakening, as well as a music video for their reimagination of THE WEEKND's classic "The Hills".
From Hell With Love Tour Dates
2.4 - Las Vegas, NV - Rockstar Bar
2.5 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock
2.7 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
2.8 - Lubbock, TX - Jake's Backroom
2.10 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street
2.11 - Kansas City, MO - Vivo
2.12 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
2.13 - Fort Wayne, IN - Piere's (Stan's Room)
2.14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
2.15 - Memphis, TN - Growlers
2.16 - Nashville, TN - Exit In
2.17 - Huntsville, AL - HSV Sidetracks
2.18 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
2.19 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa
2.20 - Dallas, TX - Amplified Live
2.22 - Austin, TX - Come & Take It Live
2.23 - El Paso, TX - The Rockhouse
2.25 - Phoenix, AZ - The Nile
2.27 - Los Angeles, CA - Catch One
The Awakening EP Track Listing:
"Witch"
"Death Of Me"
"Timebomb"
"The Hills" (THE WEEKND Cover)
"Suffocate Me"


Chop tomatoes. Crumble feta cheese. Thinly slice spinach leaves.
In 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1 1/2 teaspoons margarine on medium. When margarine stops sizzling, pour or ladle 1/2 cup egg mixture into skillet.
After egg mixture begins to set around edges, about 25 to 30 seconds, with heat-safe spatula, carefully push cooked egg from side of skillet toward center, so uncooked egg can reach bottom of hot skillet. Repeat 8 to 10 times around skillet, tilting as necessary, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
Cook until omelet is almost set but still creamy and moist on top. Place skillet handle facing you, and layer one-fourth of crumbled feta, spinach leaves, and chopped tomatoes over half of each omelet.
With spatula, fold unfilled half over filling.
Shake pan gently to loosen any egg or filling from edge, then slide omelet to edge of skillet. Holding skillet above warm plate, tip skillet so omelet slides onto plate. Keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining margarine, egg mixture, tomatoes, spinach, and feta to make 4 omelets in all. Serve with toast and a mixed greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette if you like.