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The AIQ Podcast: Who wants to live forever?
This latest episode of the AIQ Podcast, we look at the implications of increasing life expectancy for individuals, companies and policymakers. Specifically, we'll look at what this means for the advisory, pensions and insurance industries.
In The 100-Year Life, London Business School colleagues Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott argue that the traditional three stage life is breaking down, and is being replaced by a much more fluid, multi-stage life.
Exploring the implications of increasing life expectancy for individuals, companies and policymakers. Find out more in this episode.
Welcome to the AIQ podcast. A new audio series from Aviva Investors that explores the long term themes influencing investment markets and economies. In this episode, we look at the implications of increasing life expectancy for individuals, companies and policymakers. With the very real possibility that the next generation will live to between 95 and 100, the three stage life of education, work and retirement that emerged in the 20th century, which was based on a life expectancy of around 70, is breaking down.
If you think about full time education, full time work, full time retirement, the three stage life is obviously completely ridiculous. And you need to think about a multi-stage life.
We'll hear from co-authors of bestselling book The 100 Year Life, Andrew Scott and Lynda Gratton, as well as our very own Simon Young of what this all means for financial advisors.
When Freddie Mercury mused about living forever in the mid 80s, the increasing trend in life expectancy was already well underway. Since then, give or take a very recent slowdown, it has continued at a seemingly relentless course, posing futuristic questions about what the upper limits to life expectancy are. Well, as Freddy hinted, whether any exist at all. But back down to earth for a moment. London business school colleagues Scott and Grattan argue that the traditional three-stage life is breaking down are being replaced by a more fluid multi-stage one. If they're right, it has some very real implications for all of us. In order to live what they call a good life, they argue that you have to think about four different assets and only one of them is financial. The other three are productivity and knowledge, vitality and transformation. Or in other words, the ability to deal with change, how individuals react to the shifting landscape ie how we choose to live our lives and what we plan to do with all of this extra time has massive implications across society, industries and sectors. For example, you literally can't buy a lifelong friend at 50. In the same way, a steady erosion of health due to consistently poor choices cannot be undone by a magic pill. Here's Lynda Gratton speaking at the World Economic Forum in 2017.
The first thing we did was to work out, you know, in terms of your saving rates and how much you want to retire on and so on. How long do you have to work? I don't know how long you think you're going to have to work if you live to 100, but you basically have to consider in your 80s. So if you think about full time education, full time work, full time retirement, the three stage life is obviously completely ridiculous. And you need to think about a multi-stage life, a multi-stage life where education becomes a lifelong event, a life where the work isn't just about full time work. It's also maybe about exploring is maybe about, you know, building our own business is maybe about building a portfolio. And retirement becomes maybe why do you don't even hear anymore?
Retirement becomes a word you don't even hear anymore. This is radical stuff. It raises some pretty big questions about life and what we all want from it. Too big for us to fully answer here, of course, but we'll do our best. Firstly, Gratton and Scott seem to be trying to spin working longer as a positive thing where most people would intuitively see it as a major negative. Surely we just want to retire, play golf, relax and spend time with friends and family. After all, we won't have the energy or inclination to go on until we're 80. His Grafton's answer to that.
One of the ways that we help people stay in the workforce is we change work. And that's really what corporations need to do. So, you know, if I said to anyone in this audience, you're going to work non-stop, just as you do now at the age of 80, all of us would say, I couldn't possibly do that. But if you say you're going to work, you're going to work to 80. But, you know, you'll be taking gap year like a 20 year old is or you'll be taking time off to do things or there'll be times when you only work three days a week. Then suddenly all seems possible. And I think that we've got to. And this is a real plea to corporations. Corporations have really got to think hard about the way they structure work and their expectations of how people work.
So rising longevity requires a fundamental rethink about how we structure our lives and the health benefits of staying more mentally and physically active in later life and are pretty much indisputable. This time, his Grafton's fellow panellist at the World Economic Forum, David B Ecorse, professor of medicine and engineering at the University of Southern California, downloaded it every delay retirement.
You reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's by 3 percent, so you return 85 instead of 65. That's a 60 percent reduction in the onset of Alzheimer's. So you don't use it, you lose it. And when we're talking lifespans 8, 9, 10 decades, you got to use it. You know what's interesting about your point, which I love that categorisation, is that we're all making for retirement and we all going to have a look in her bank account. I've got $20000. I have $30000. But nobody's banking health for retirement. How do you get a 30 year old to change a behaviour today that will make them live better when they're 70 or 80? How do you get someone to start to practise prevention? You get sick no matter what your age or how much you save your retirement fund. And so the challenge is to get people to start early and to do the exercise, taking the baby aspirin, the standard, all the things that we know make you live longer and better. By the way, also help society and government lower costs. You know, if everybody would take a baby aspirin over the age of 40 in 20 years, 900000 more people in the United States would be alive. We would save over 500 billion dollars in health care costs. We're not doing it. We all have a right to do what we want, but at some point we have to do the right thing in the financial services industry.
We tend to obsess over the financial aspects of later life, but pay far less attention to health. Maybe because it's much harder to measure. We can come up with a financial number and conclude with a high degree of confidence that it's sufficient to provide a basic standard of living when we retire. But doing something similar with health is far harder. This is not to downplay the need for savings and the wide funding gaps that loom on the horizons of individuals, companies and ultimately governments will come to that in a minute. It's just that it seems we don't realise or just repeatedly ignore that finances are just one part of life's puzzle. Education is another area being upended by longer lives. It's ludicrous to think that the skills and knowledge you learn at school, college and university will last 40, let alone the more realistic 60 years that they'll be required to. Education and learning will need to become a lifelong process for most of us. Technology is simply moving too fast for it not to be sung. But what's encouraging is at the very same, disruptive technology could help us retrain. All of this has pretty severe implications for financial advisers to effectively cater for their clients ever shifting needs. They will need to evolve into holistic life planners. Here's what Andrew Scott had to say when we interviewed him at his office near Regent's Park.
If we're right there, we're going to have a multi-stage life. And that suggests that the concept of a pension just disappears. Because what I need now is assets throughout life at different times. I might accumulate a lot of money in my financial stage, but then I want to write it down. I need to go back and get educated for a couple of years or I have a job where I don't touch my assets. I'm just bringing enough money into so wash my face financially, which I've seen a lot in people in their 60s, by the way. But there's a whole covariance of assets. You now need to look at health, relationships, education. That's what I see as work. So I think that we now think differently about when we shuffle money from one period to another. And that's also going to be much more individualistic. Know through sage life can be arranged in one way. Know you can have a job that I retire, but a multi-stage life you can arrange in different ways, different people very, very differently.
Shuffling money between different stages of life seems to imply that advisors may need to approach risk profiling of their clients differently, i.e. the practise of placing different clients into risk segments. According to both their tolerance and appetite for risk, here's our business development director, Simon Young.
Even if you've got somebody that's approaching the AP retirement stage now, say at the earliest you can take any retirement benefits is 55. So if you're 50, you know, hopefully you've got a significant time horizon, investment time horizon. If you're 50 years old, hopefully you can live for another 35, potentially 40 years. So that's a long time. That's a long time to be invested. And depending on how you ask those questions and depending on somebodys experience, knowledge around investment, how can one risk number be appropriate for that whole length of time? I'm sure you're speaking anecdotally. I would imagine that people are when they're answering a risk profile questions, they're probably thinking about the immediate future and not necessarily thinking about the Long-Term. It's quite difficult to imagine a 40 year time horizon and what's wants to go on eating and thinking about money that you're going to need in 30, 35 and 40 years time. There's no reason why you can't take in a significant amount of risk because you've got time for it and covers from testing.
One of the quirks of a human mind is its tendency to undertake mental accounting. We bucket things into categories like goals, for example. People do exactly the same with their finances, and yet advisers often crudely allocate just one risk profiling number, which doesn't make any sense. It's not unusual for people to have a longer term savings pot sitting next to a medium term, one that is intended to finance university or school fees. If Scott and Grattan are correct, the proliferation of these mental accounting pots will increase dramatically in coming years. It won't just be educational fees for children that people will be forking out for. He'll be retraining and sabbaticals for partners and themselves, which will mean a far more nuanced approach to risk profiling will be needed. The advisory market is clearly going to face a number of pressures as a result of increased longevity and the shifting lifestyles. One. In particular is legacy, i.e. how and what people leave behind for future generations beyond merely the financial. However, the responsibility is not squarely on the individual and their adviser. If they're lucky enough to have one. Companies will need to react to these trends and accommodate the shifting preferences of their workers. Here's Andrew Scott.
Most companies are now just pulling out a defined benefit. Pensions. Too expensive. The longevity risk is too great. So very few firms are still meeting. Members of the membership is declining dramatically. So whilst the defined benefit scheme in its current form is now no longer viable, there is a version of the defined benefit scheme that is worked very well for the hundreds in life, because if you think of your assets as not just financial, then the company says to its employees. Okay, now I'll give you auto-enrolment or something small scale defined contribution up to a certain level. But I will after five years give you six months sabbatical. After ten years, I'll give you one year sabbatical. I'll pay for you to go and get retrained. After ten years, I will flip you into different part of the team if you want to see a different skill. I think that more holistic approach to thinking about corporate pensions, including something of a financial pillar, but not only a financial, but might be a way of actually overcoming re-instating that advantage.
I can hire someone today for less than I would do otherwise, and I get it as a retention to.
This flies in the face of the received wisdom on pensions, defined benefit is dead. We all know that, don't we? Yet Scott suggests that they could make a comeback just in a very different form. It is certainly food for thought for the pensions industry, even if it sounds somewhat outlandish. What is abundantly clear from all of this is that technology will play a critical role in enabling societies to find and implement the necessary solutions. It is both opportunity and threat. The challenges ahead are clearly manifold. However, the message is inherently positive. If individuals, companies and policymakers embrace this inevitable trend, the potential for more fulfilling and enjoyable lives seems unlimited. After all the extra years gifted by a 100 year, life needn't be a curse.
Well, thank you for listening to the AIQ podcast. You can find the full interview with Andrew Scott in the latest issue of the magazine available for free at a fee for investors dot com.
A fair COP: Why social justice is vital to climate action
For too long, issues of justice and equality have been left out of the climate conversation. But policymakers, companies and investors are slowly beginning to acknowledge the social dimensions of climate action.
We need to talk about waste: Tackling renewable energy's dirty secret
Renewable energy has a vital role to play if the world is to combat climate change. But its widespread adoption comes with a price. As older installations come to the end of their useful life, countries urgently need to work out what to do with the waste.
Cleaning up: Transforming finance for a net zero-world
To align with net-zero emissions targets, the financial system needs a radical transformation. Can it get there and, if it does, what should it look like in 2050?
Counting emissions and accounting omissions: The struggle to measure, monitor and manage corporate net-zero efforts
Internalise the climate externality. That is the major task facing policymakers and corporate executives. However, this requires accurate measurement and incorporation into financial accounts and neither are straightforward.
Law and climate: Using the legal stick to accelerate change
Energy majors, cement producers, utilities and financial services providers are among the latest targets of legal action designed to make them move faster towards a lower carbon world. Could this be an inflection point, as the conversation turns to specific responsibilities rather than vague commitments to change?
The AIQ Podcast: China's tech crackdown
China's regulators are taking swift, radical action against tech companies they consider to be too big and powerful. How should foreign investors respond?
Pricing carbon: Taxing polluters is the only way forward
Nearly three decades after it first agreed to tackle climate change, the world has failed miserably to curb the growth in CO2 emissions. To succeed, it urgently needs to establish an effective price for carbon.
The going gets tough: Can heavy industry decarbonise?
Heavy industry and heavy transport are hard to decarbonise, but this must be done to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Can companies, policymakers and investors join forces to make it happen? The race is on…
Supply-chain ripples: The positive spillovers of decarbonising upstream emissions
Some of the world's biggest companies are setting ambitious net-zero targets, with significant implications for their supply chains. How impactful could the ripple effect be in helping to meet the goals set out in the Paris Agreement?
Investors should confront the dark side of tech
Technology firms are often favoured by ESG funds because of their ostensibly clean, asset-light business models. But investors need to look deeper and challenge unethical and unsustainable practices across the industry, argue Louise Piffaut and Charles Devereux.
No single technology is enough to tackle the climate crisis, a global and systemic issue that requires joined-up thinking. We flag different pathways to address warming gases in the atmosphere – five nature-based and five technical – and ask what steps are needed next.
In brands we trust
The tech-driven trend toward direct-to-consumer is transforming consumer brands, their intermediaries and their marketing. Intimate relationships with customers and new shopping experiences are alluring, but companies must tread a fine line between hyper-personalisation and intrusion.
Quantum computers have the potential to shake up finance, cybersecurity and other sectors. But investors hoping to profit from the new technology must be patient – and separate reality from hype.
China's Big Tech crackdown
Like Washington and Brussels, Beijing is worried about the growing power of large technology companies. But China's regulators are taking swifter, more radical action than their peers in the West.
RA18/0515/01052021 - 104455


Summertime is camp time at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts and to spread the word to parents and students a new video spot has been created. The 30-second spot highlights our music, theater and film camps for 2016. The spot will run in local theaters and, of course, online.
Icicle Creek Visiting Artist Series lands WA State Arts Commission Grant!


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Michelle Obama rallies Georgia residents to 'take charge of your power'
Marquise Francis
·National Reporter & Producer
ATLANTA — Former first lady Michelle Obama closed out a star-studded "Celebrate Georgia!" drive-in concert event on Sunday by delivering an impassioned plea by video to help Democrats retake control of the U.S. Senate by winning two runoff elections on Jan. 5.
"There are a lot of people out there who are counting on you to sit this election out," Obama said as more than 150 cars honked their horns as she lit up five large screens in the parking lot of the Cellairis Amphitheatre. "But if you take charge of your power, you and the folks in your community can determine the direction of this state and this country.
"Thousands of people from Savannah to Augusta to Atlanta have already voted," she added. "And we're counting on you to talk with your friends and family about making a plan to vote on Election Day."
Former first lady Michelle Obama. (Getty Images)
Other notable live guests at the event included musical artists Monica, Rick Ross and Jeezy, all of whom performed. Rapper Common, actress Tracee Ellis Ross and professional basketball player Chris Paul were among those who appeared via video.
The event was co-hosted by Obama's When We All Vote, a nonprofit organization launched to increase voter participation, and the New Georgia Project, a progressive grassroots group seeking to register Georgians to vote.
"I know that we can count on you because you all are leaders when it comes to voter participation," Obama said. "When we all vote, we make sure we're the ones shaping our future."
With early voting having ended Thursday, more than 3 million Georgians have already voted in the Senate runoffs, according to state election data. These sorts of off-cycle contests typically draw much lower turnout than the higher-profile presidential contest, but these two races have attracted national attention.
A Trump supporter at a rally for Sens. David Perdue Kelly Loeffler in Augusta, Ga. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
Republicans currently hold the majority of Senate seats, 50-48, meaning Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock would both need to win to give Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the tiebreaking vote in a deadlocked chamber. If either loses, Republicans would maintain control of the Senate and retain the ability to block Democratic initiatives and shoot down President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet appointments.
Georgia went Democratic in the presidential election by roughly 12,000 votes, flipping the state for the first time since 1992, but critics question whether it is actually turning more progressive. Two days from the runoff races, President Trump continues to loom large. On Saturday, he was recorded on a call threatening Georgia's Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, with the possibility of criminal charges if he did not "find 11,780 votes" to overturn the final result in the state.
The runoff elections will show if Georgia has become more friendly to Democrats when Trump isn't directly on the ballot.
"We are America's new swing state," New Georgia Project CEO Nsé Ufot said at Sunday's event. "Our vote is a tool to protect ourselves."
Patricia Carr, who attended Sunday's event, never thought her vote mattered before this year.
"Now that the state is turning blue, I know my vote matters," Carr, 49, told Yahoo News. "I am most confident that Warnock and Ossoff are going to win on Tuesday."
Georgia Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff, left, and Raphael Warnock greet each other onstage. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Nazar Turner brought her teenage daughter to the event to enjoy the artists but also to stress the importance of voting.
"I vote because my people couldn't vote and they died for it," Turner, 42, told Yahoo News. "Women couldn't vote 50 years ago."
Turner added that hearing Obama speak meant everything.
"She was our first Black first lady," she said. "Her speech for my child is building importance in our lineage. She knows by the time she's 18 she has to vote."
Below are key dates for Georgians to remember ahead of the state's Senate runoff elections on Jan. 5.
Graphic: Yahoo News
(Cover thumbnail photo by Elijah Nouvelage via Getty Images)
Read more from Yahoo News:
'A tremendous honor': Raphael Warnock looks to make history as Georgia's first Black senatorKamala Harris campaigns in Georgia: '2020 ain't over until Jan. 5'
More than 1.3 million votes already cast in key Georgia races
As Senate runoff vote approaches, Georgia remains as divided as ever
'I want to get something done': Biden urges Georgians to vote in key Senate runoff election
Congressional leaders, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will skip President Trump's departure ceremony in Maryland tomorrow morning in favor of attending mass with incoming President Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration, congressional sources familiar with their plans tell Axios.Why it matters: Their decision is a clear sign of unity before Biden takes the oath of office.Be smart: sign up FREE for the most influential newsletter in America.What we're hearing: The Catholic service will take place at St. Matthew's Cathedral in downtown Washington, D.C., about 10 blocks from the White House. It is expected to begin at 8:45am, sources with direct knowledge tell Axios. * Punchbowl News first reported details of the service.Trump's send-off will be held at Joint Base Andrews at 8am on Wednesday. Trump requested a military-style send-off with a band and possibly a flyover. Get smarter, faster with the news CEOs, entrepreneurs and top politicians read. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here.
Barack Obama Always Wishes Wife Michelle a Happy Birthday in the Most Adorable Way
Schumer's long to-do list as he takes over as Senate majority leader
Barack Obama Celebrates Michelle's 57th Birthday In An Adorable Instagram Tribute
Melania Trump Isn't Giving Jill Biden the Same Courtesy Michelle Obama Gave Her
Michelle Obama Posts Makeup-Free Birthday Selfie and Reflects on a 'Difficult Year'
Jean Paul Gaultier Hosts Sidaction Fashion Auction Previews
Bidens will be greeted to White House by former Trump hotel worker in historic snub by president
Georgia beats Florida in rejuvenated All-Star Game featuring multiple All-Americans
Michelle Obama, Salma Hayek & More Makeup-Free Celeb Selfies You'll Want to See
In farewell address, Trump urges prayers for next administration without mentioning Biden

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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How to Write a Book Blurb: A Guide for Novelists
Posted in: Book Marketing, Perfecting your Craft	on December 14, 2017	4 Comments 💬
What is a blurb?
How to write a book blurb in 4 steps
1. Introduce your main character(s)
2. Set the stage for your primary conflict
3. Establish the stakes
4. Show the reader why this book is for them
Optimizing your blurb for Amazon and other online retailers
1. Perfect your first line
2. Use keywords correctly
3. DO NOT keyword stuff
Examples of book blurbs
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Killing Floor by Lee Child
Download: Free Book Marketing Checklist
Make sure your marketing strategy covers all the major bases with this downloadable checklist.
Creating a book blurb, while still technically writing, is closer to a science than an art. The blurb that appears on the back cover of your book, and on your Amazon page, will either:
Work by convincing readers to take a chance on it, or
Fail to engage your target readers.
In that sense, a good blurb is anything but subjective. In this post, three publishing editors have shared their secret behind writing the best blurb for your novel.
A blurb is a short description of a book that is written for promotional purposes. Traditionally, it would be found on the inside back cover of a hardback. As paperback publishing developed, readers began seeing the blurb appearing on the back cover. Generally, 150-200 words are more than enough for a full blurb.
In the modern publishing landscape, where more books are being purchased online than in bricks and mortar stores, you are more likely to encounter blurbs on the product page of Amazon or any other digital retailer. Sometimes, you will hear them referred to as 'book descriptions.' So now that we have our basic definition out of the way, let's roll up our sleeves and get to work.
"The opening of your blurb has to be incredibly precise and dynamic," says editor Rebecca Heyman. "For a lot of first-time authors, I think there's an instinct to make sure readers understand everything that happened in the book's universe before the beginning of the actual story. That's generally a mistake."
So if it shouldn't set the stage for a reader who's about to dive into your book, what should your blurb do?
Without further ado, here's how to write a blurb in 4 steps.
Read this: "How to write a novel's blurb in 4 steps"
How to Write a Novel in 15 Steps
At its core, novels are a storytelling medium, and that means your blurb has to be about characters. Consciously or not, readers check out the synopsis to see whether they want to spend time with your main characters. They don't need to know their entire backstory, though — just enough to understand how they figure into the story's primary conflict...
The primary conflict is what drives your story. It's Harry Potter doing battle against Voldemort and his minions, FBI Agent Clarice Starling negotiating with Hannibal Lecter, or Captain Ahab's obsessive vendetta against a whale. Without a real-world conflict, you don't have a story readers can sink their teeth into.
(illustration: Rockwell Kent)
It's tempting to talk about "interior journeys" in your blurb, but that's something best avoided in most cases. While a character's compelling internal conflicts might turn out to be an aspect that reader enjoy once they read your novel, they make for terrible blurb-fodder.
"Your primary conflict has to exist in the physical world of your manuscript," says Heyman. "That's not to say that character arcs are not a critical part of what makes a plot dynamic, but they are certainly not going to hook most readers."
"If we're talking about Kafka's Metamorphosis, the story is just this big analogy for the human condition, where there's so much happening under the surface. But if we're writing a blurb, we need to talk about the conflict that's happening in the physical world of the story — which in this case is, 'A guy wakes up as a bug.'"
Without consequences, a conflict lacks drama. A blurb that says "Jack Ryan has 24 hours to rescue the Russian ambassador," isn't as impactful unless we know what's at stake: "...his failure will result in certain nuclear war."
Let's see how a few popular books from different genres establish the stakes in their blurbs. In JoJo Moyes's Me Before You, a young woman becomes a caregiver for a quadriplegic millionaire and begins to fall for him.
When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
This single sentence not only establishes the external conflict ("Louisa must convince Will to live"), it also lays out the stakes, which are literally life-and-death.
(The film adaptation of Me Before You, image: Warner Bros)
Hugh Howey's self-published sci-fi phenomenon, Wool, is set in an underground community known as a 'silo.' When its leader decides to break the #1 rule by leaving the silo, a mechanic named Juliette is tasked with putting the community back together:
…. she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising.
The conflict: Juliette must mend her community while coming to terms with its inherent flaws. The stakes: The smashing of the status quo and potential anarchy.
To show your story's full potential, the reader must be aware that something hangs in the balance for your characters.
A good blurb for a novel should set the stage for the primary conflict and establish the stakes.
Most readers have an idea of the book they're looking to read next. A well-tuned blurb won't try to sell everybody on the book — it will help people who already want a book like yours see that it's for them.
How to Write a Query Letter in 7 Steps
"It's important subtly highlight how your book is familiar by including elements that readers are already excited by," says Sione Aeschliman, an editor who regularly helps querying authors through events such as #RevPit. The key is to imply similarities between comparable books without sounding derivative: ensure you also distinguish what makes your book unique.
Introduce your main character, establish the primary conflict, lay out the stakes and let fans of the genre see that this book is for them. If you stick to this formula, you won't go far wrong. So now that you've got a kick-ass blurb adorning the back of your book, let's see how you can adapt it for online retailers.
Author Alessandra Torre self-published her first book in 2012, and for the first three months of the release, she sold between five and fifteen copies a day. Then, on a whim, she changed the blurb on her Amazon page and saw her daily sales jump to 300 overnight. Her sales kept doubling to the point where she was selling 2,000 copies a day.
How to Write a Synopsis Agents Will Notice
What does this tell us? That with online retailers, the synopsis is critical.
In the previous section, we looked at how to make your blurb attractive to browsers in bookstores. Now, we'll show you how to also make it work better on Amazon and other online booksellers.
Amazon only displays the first few lines of your product description, which is why book marketing consultant Bree Weber emphasizes the importance of hooking the reader in with your blurb's first line: "You have a limited amount of real estate to capture someone's attention. You are relying on the prospective buyer to engage and click read more to learn more about the book and the primary conflict."
In the example above, self-publishing author Mark Dawson has put the very first line of his description in bold (which you can do using HTML markup). Because of his successful track record, the first line of his blurb is able to use social validation to hook readers in. "The million-selling series starts here," it says, letting readers know that these books are really popular.
The next line is a double-whammy.
"It's impossible not to think of Lee Child's super-selling Jack Reacher" — The Times
Not only is it a quote from an internationally-renowned newspaper, it highlights Mark's central marketing message: "If you like Jack Reacher, you'll also like my John Milton books." Just look at Mark's cover designs, and you'll see that this Reacher connection is no coincidence.
Having an effusive and descriptive pull quote for your first line is really effective, and you'll see the technique used time and again by bestsellers and newcomers alike.
"If you're getting great reviews — whether they're editorial reviews or reader reviews from Amazon or Goodreads — add those into your description," says Weber. "They basically serve as a word-of-mouth recommendation."
But if you don't have any suitable reviews or sales stats to speak of (yet), make sure that your first sentence features a snappy, irresistible hook. This will often be an evocative tagline or a punchy story hook. Your aim is to appeal to fans of your genre, so browse through the bestselling books in your category and see how they go about capturing a reader's attention.
Sticking with Mark Dawson's example, here is part of a blurb from another one of his thrillers:
John Milton's life is about to change. The former government assassin follows a lead to Manila that he hopes will change his life. But he never expected to wake up in an unfamiliar hotel room beside a murder victim. And, unfortunately for him, Milton doesn't remember a thing about the night before.
Even if the reader has never heard of this series before, they can quickly gather that it falls squarely into the realm of the modern action thriller. As mentioned before, you need to give readers an idea of your genre — and keywords like murder and former government assassin will let the reader know exactly what they're in for.
"These are general themes often found in Mark's books," says Weber. "He's capitalizing on those potential keyword searches to make sure that they show up in his first paragraph, so he's gonna appear higher up in more Amazon searches."
And it works! Just enter "British government assassin" into the Kindle store search box and see whose books turn up first.
If you browse long enough through Amazon, you will see cases where the title and description are packed with as many keywords as possible. It's most obvious when you see long titles like Killer Mystery: A thrilling adventure with a twist ending.
"Amazon, like any search engine, is looking for quality content or authoritative content," says Weber. "There is an element of penalization if they feel that the description is sort of spamming the system."
Optimize your book's Amazon blurb (without having to keyword stuff)
Amazon Ads for Authors: Two Case Studies Showing They Do Work
Amazon's algorithm is mysterious and ever-evolving, so it's impossible to know exactly what level of keyword use is acceptable. As a rule of thumb, you want to stay on Amazon's good side — and not alienate actual humans who end up reading your blurb. So long as your title and product description all remain relevant and natural to read, you should be in the clear.
Learn the secrets behind Amazon algorithms
Sign up for this free 10-part course! Enter your email below and select 'Marketing - All You Need to Know About Amazon Algorithms' in the drop-down menu.
When you're refining your book's blurb, there is a lot you can learn from guides and expert advice. But, in our opinion, there are few better ways to figure out how to do something than by seeing how the professionals do it. Let's look at a few bestselling blurbs and see what we can learn from their successes.
Four examples of bestselling novels with blurbs that rock!
(image: Starz)
Scottish Highlands, 1945. Claire Randall, a former British combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding clans in the year of Our Lord . . . 1743.
Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of a world that threatens her life, and may shatter her heart. Marooned amid danger, passion, and violence, Claire learns her only chance of safety lies in Jamie Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior. What begins in compulsion becomes urgent need, and Claire finds herself torn between two very different men, in two irreconcilable lives.
What do we learn?
Main character: Claire Randall, a former Combat nurse, recently reunited with husband
Primary conflict: Trapped in the past, she must rely on a man who could tempt her away from her marriage oaths.
Stakes: Survival and fidelity
Genre keywords: Passion, compulsion, torn between, shatter her heart
This blurb does a great job riding the line between historical fiction, fantasy, and romance. It sets up just enough backstory to help us understand the main conceit: a woman from the 40s sent back to the 18th Century and being torn between two different men in two different times.
Divorced and disillusioned about relationships, Theresa Osborne is jogging when she finds a bottle on the beach. Inside is a letter of love and longing to "Catherine," signed simply "Garrett." Challenged by the mystery and pulled by emotions she doesn't fully understand, Theresa begins a search for this man that will change her life. What happens to her is unexpected, perhaps miraculous — an encounter that embraces all our hopes for finding someone special, for having a love that is timeless and everlasting....
Nicholas Sparks exquisitely chronicles the human heart. In his first bestselling novel, The Notebook, he created a testament to romantic love that touched readers around the world. Now in this New York Times bestseller, he renews our faith in destiny, in the ability of lovers to find each other no matter where, no matter when…
Main character: Theresa, divorced, disillusioned
Primary conflict: Will she, or will she not find the man who wrote the letter?
Stakes: Will Theresa find romance and find her faith renewed?
Genre keywords: Mystery, emotions love, timeless, romantic love
The first two sentences of the blurb do a great job of painting a scene that readers can easily picture: A woman running on the beach, finding the bottle, pulling out a letter and having an emotional reaction. It also happens to be describing the inciting incident of the story, which really helps give the blurb some narrative momentum.
(image: Universal)
EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She's even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
Main character: Rachel, lonely, recently lost something in her life
Primary conflict: Will she be able to untangle the mystery she's become a part of?
Stakes: Has she Rachel done something terrible? Will her life ever return to the way it was before?
Genre keywords: shocking, police, investigation, deeply entangled.
It's great how visual this synopsis is — the first paragraph almost works like a quick film montage: a bored woman on a train, the sound of the train, the houses flashing by. It takes us straight into the world of the book before it throws us into the protagonist's head. "She's even started to feel like she knows them": by giving the reader her point-of-view, an attachment starts to form, and we're more likely to care about her fate.
Also, note that this blurb does not mention Rachel's alcoholism — though it does heavily imply that she's now separated and that she's in a dark place. What the synopsis does do is explicitly define only the elements needed to understand the hook: that she thinks she has seen something bad happen, that she may have done something wrong and that she's an unreliable narrator.
Ex-military policeman Jack Reacher is a drifter. He's just passing through Margrave, Georgia, and in less than an hour, he's arrested for murder. Not much of a welcome. All Reacher knows is that he didn't kill anybody. At least not here. Not lately. But he doesn't stand a chance of convincing anyone. Not in Margrave, Georgia. Not a chance in hell.
Main character: Jack Reacher, former MP, drifter
Primary conflict: Charged with a crime he didn't commit. Will he prove his innocence in this small, isolated town?
Stakes: In Georgia? Lethal injection
Genre keywords: Murder, kill, arrested, not a chance in hell.
This blurb is a lot shorter than the previous examples. It's a perfect introduction to the hard-boiled, no-nonsense narration style of the books. The short sentences and sardonic interjections ("Not much of a welcome" and "not a chance in hell") might read like clichés, but they capture a traditional hero in the Bogart mold.
Also, the blurb gives us a sense of the setting. There's no reason the reader should be aware of Margrave, but its repetition and context let us know that this is not a friendly town. Without having to spell it out, we can tell that Jack Reacher is about to encounter some small-minded locals.
Of course, there are plenty of books to draw inspiration from. Just reach up on to your bookshelf and pull down your favorite book — see how they go about establishing characters, stakes, and conflict.
50 Book Marketing Ideas Every Author Needs to Know
As you've hopefully seen, your blurb is one of your book's biggest sales influencers, and it demands as much, if not more, attention than any other part of your marketing plan. The time and effort you put into refining and testing your blurb is money in the bank.
What are some of the best book blurbs you've seen on an Amazon page or on a back cover? Share them in the comments below and tell us why you like them.
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Book Marketing 101.
All successful independent authors have found a way to build a loyal readership who raves about their books. Self-publishing your first book? This course will go over all the basics.
Dave Temple
Perfect article: insightful, helpful, and on-point. I'll likely print and keep over my writing desk. Thank you, Reedsy!
Just Jeff
Finally! An article that gives some "how to" and, most importantly, examples. The web is full of articles that in a nutshell say "Blurbs are important. Learn how to write one. The End." Thanks so much, Reedsy!
Michael James Gallagher
allynnriggs
Perfect timing as I am struggling to write the blurb for my third science fiction/fantasy book. With this information and all the examples I may have to rewrite the blurbs for the first two books! Thank you so much.
Dynamic Character vs. Static Character: How Are They Different?
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Show, Don't Tell: Tips and Examples of The Golden Rule
Show, don't tell is one of the most frequently given pieces of advice among writers. But just like "write what you know" and "write every day," it can be difficult to follow — especially if …
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"The pen is mightier than the sword." Writer Edgar Bulwer-Lytton made this keen observation nearly 200 years ago, but it remains just as true today. Writing is one of the most powerful mediums in existence, …
How to Write a Memoir: Breath Life into Your Story in 8 Steps
Learning how to write a memoir is like studying to be an archeologist. Not only do you have to dig deep and sift through the sands for fragments on the past, you then have to …
How to Write Dialogue: 10 Simple Rules (Plus 5 Mistakes to Avoid!)
No matter what your genre, learning how to write dialogue effectively is a vital part of any writer's education. Poor dialogue can make readers put your book down in disgust — but great dialogue can …
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Faculty of Visual Arts/
Priscilla graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2015 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts (Honours) in Illustration. Following that, she completed her postgraduate studies at the National Institute of Education, specialising in both Art and English education.
During her time as a secondary school teacher, Priscilla continued to explore the intersections between Art and English in education. She collaborated with the English Language Institute of Singapore (ELIS) between 2017 to 2018, conducting classroom research and co-authoring a research paper on Visible Thinking Strategies. Her efforts earned her an Outstanding Contribution Award (Team) in 2017 and the opportunity to present her team's published research at the 2018 ERAS-APERA International Conference.
Apart from educational research, Priscilla is also a published picture book author and illustrator. Her first picture book was published internationally in 2018 by Candlewick Press and has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. With a strong passion for illustration, Priscilla has worked with a wide range of clients in the publishing, film and design industries, both locally and abroad. Additionally, her illustrations have been featured at the Society of Illustrators in New York (2013) and Los Angeles (2015), as well as at the Orchard Ion Art Gallery (2018) and the Ocean Financial Centre (2014) in Singapore. In 2019, Priscilla was a member of the organising committee for MOE's annual art teacher exhibition "aedge". She oversaw the exhibition's visual design and co-created its publicity materials with another art teacher.
With a profound love for the arts, Priscilla continues to build on these experiences and develop her craft as both an artist and a teacher. She is enthusiastic about sharing the joys of art-making with her students and is excited to help each young artist discover their creative voice during their time at SOTA.


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Tyler Brûlé has a simple word of advice for retail consultants – and that word is 'Linda'.
Why you should slow down for roundabouts, kill moths and consider a cowbell conundrum.
Up and at 'em
Picking yourself up after a fall isn't easy – especially for refugee children. But a Swiss mountaineer has found a way to help them scale the heights: climbing up a lorry.
After decades dodging the issue of art looted by the Nazis, France has set up a new mission to find the heirs to thousands of works that have lain unclaimed for decades.
The Victoria and Albert Museum's experts are rallying to move its vast store to a modern facility.
The editor in chief of 'Zeit Magazin' on where he goes to shoot the breeze over a first-rate cocktail.
Pork chops and promises are part of the race for the White House at that livestock-laden oracle, Iowa State Fair.
Nicola Sturgeon on fighting Brexit, boosting brand Scotland and leading the charge for independence.
We meet Finland's interior minister and take stock of China's plans for its 70th anniversary.
Russian construction in Gogland is making Finland nervous and the US makes an eyebrow-raising purchase from the Israelis.
Canada's ambassador for women, peace and security talks progress and problems; plus who's winning in the diplomatic stakes between Serbia and Kosovo.
Copenhagen's mayor explains why even the best cities should focus on improving top-notch transport and Kobe bans high-rise residents in its urban core.
In the right direction
Stockholm is dynamic and progressive – but challenges remain. We meet mayor Anna König Jerlmyr to talk shop.
The uncertainty of extreme weather is spurring both altruists and entrepreneurs to finesse our forecasts.
Driving force
Manfred Fitzgerald, head of Hyundai's upscale Genesis brand, on life in the fast lane.
When brands want their clothes to look their best, they reach out to mannequin-maker La Rosa.
Looking sharp
With its diverse produce and deep commitment to staff and the community, leading family-run supermarket chain Cactus could teach retailers around the world a thing or two.
A Swiss boatmaker using great design to stay afloat and how Hasselblad is staying relevant.
Goodbye summer; goodbye blockbusters and beach reads. Autumn is the time for more contemplative films, series and novels, and we've found the best of the season. And when it's time to give the screen a rest, we've got you covered for music and art too.
Houses of worship tend to have a distinct look and feel – but are these tropes out of date? We visit the buildings rewriting the rules for holy architecture.
Aspen might be known for its spectacular skiing but it's also home to an architectural legacy left by a gifted Bauhaus master.
Art of the possible
Kengo Kuma has designed a new museum in Turkey that is aiming to put locals in the frame.
Thing of beauty
Amorepacific's HQ is challenging traditional office-design concepts in the South Korean capital and aims to nurture healthier, happier workers – while increasing productivity of course.
Architecture briefing
The brave design of a new beachside pavilion in Melbourne and a school in India using good architecture to enhance its students education
Grape minds
We meet the dynamic new wave of Burgundy-based winemakers who are doing things a little differently.
Top tables and food finds from across the globe; plus a simple and sumptuous recipe.
Ari Shapiro
He's reported on Isis in Iraq and presidential elections and is now one of the most listened to news broadcasters. With a toastie in hand, he talks about foraging and trust.
Dover Street Market and Commes des Garçons CEO Adrian Joffe sheds light on the high-fashion haven's inner workings.
The autumn manifesto
The most exciting period in the fashion calendar is back, as jumpers, coats, woolly hats and chunky shoes are welcomed into the wardrobe for war with the elements.
Looking fly
Jeans: an essential item that are as practical as they are fashionable. Smart, casual or somewhere in between – our picks for men and women will never fall out of favour.
From farm to face
Creating cosmetics from surplus farming produce is the latest trend in agriculture. We meet the folk sowing the seeds.
Crest of a wave
Noah may have surf/street roots but it's delivering a sophisticated retail model based on community, transparency and some colourful clothes.
Top of the class
Tel Aviv's Shenkar College is one of the world's best fashion schools, where design skills and technical nous go hand in hand. But what happens after graduation?
Shoppers want quality at the right price. Meet the brands creating a market where nothing costs more than €500.
Up tempo
An elegant chronograph raises the tone of even the most refined occasion. A big hand, please, for our guide to keeping perfect time.
Cities at 07:00: Seoul
Need some inspiration to get out of bed? Look no further; we visit three cities at sunrise to show you what lies in store for early birds. First up: Seoul.
Cities at 7:00: San Francisco
San Francisco is relatively quiet before 08.00 so rise early to run, cycle or surf – and see the best of what the city has to offer.
Cities at 7:00: Sydney
Sydneysiders are early birds and why wouldn't they be when they've got it all: surfing, swimming and superb coffee.
We visit a US wellness retreat with a soothing Japanese-Scandinavian twist, an art deco boutique hotel in the Middle East and a luxurious guesthouse in Italy.
Morocco may only be a short hop across the Med from Europe but it is another world. When you're surrounded by salesmen flaunting their wares in souks, robed figures rushing to prayer and ancient palaces decked with dazzling tiles, it's easy to fall under its spell. We bring you the best spots to visit in enthralling Marrakech, the Atlantic-coast metropolis of Casablanca and the northernmost cliff-side city of Tangier.
Bring a friend
Playtime takes on a whole new meaning at Tokyo holiday home Trunk House.
Keen to keep business in full bloom, this garden centre offers so much more than its plants.
Coat tails
Whatever the weather, dogs and their owners have to get out and take the ruff with the smooth. And while one of the joys of four-legged friendship is having those rainy streets to yourselves, cosy canine outerwear makes for a more waggish companion. We've taken the lead with some fetching looks.
Crowning glory
The mohawk, the Jheri curl, the perm: it's easy to bring them to mind but hard to find the cut that suits you. We took a hair-raising trip to Los Angeles – clippers in hand – to lift the lid on the latest styles.
Retail / Luxembourg
Annick Weber
Robert Reiger
If you were to attend a dinner party surrounded by Luxembourgers you would most likely hear the word "cactus" popping up in conversation more than once. But the chat wouldn't be about succulents: the country's largest and oldest supermarket chain has been a household name for generations of residents for whom the weekly Cactus shop is as much ingrained in their national identity as the effortless switch between three official languages.
As a result, even though the country's population is becoming increasingly international (nearly half are now foreign nationals) and competition is stiffening with the arrival of the likes of France's Auchan and Belgium's Delhaize, Cactus has held strong. Founded in 1967, today its 57 branches enjoy 450,000 customers a week and recorded a 2018 turnover of €1bn, providing a good example for large-format retailers the world over.
Thanks to its values-driven business model, friendly staff and excellent product range, the family-run supermarket has managed to hold a special place in the hearts – and larders – of this tiny nation.
To better understand why you have to grab a trolley and get lost in its aisles. At Cactus Howald – which reopened in 2018 after an extensive redesign – shoppers can enjoy fresh-produce counters brimming with cheese and house-made charcuterie, a refill station for unpackaged organic goods, a florists corner and a café bar serving freshly baked treats. On the densely packed shelves, own-label produce rubs shoulders with Portuguese tinned sardines and English mustard, creating a colourful patchwork of packaging and languages befitting the cultural diversity of the clientele.
When we visit, a shopper is holding open the pages of a recipe book to show an employee, both of them perusing the dairy fridges for the right type of parmesan. The slogan "Fir Iech do" – Luxembourgish for "There for you" – is stitched on the back of the attendant's black-and-cactus-green vest. "Shop floor staff are knowledgeable, multilingual and happy to help, so I like asking for their recommendations," says customer Isabel Matos. "I always find what I'm looking for."
Not unlike shopping at a market, these tips come from experience and education. As the third-largest employer in Luxembourg, Cactus regularly hosts training sessions for its 4,320 staff (hailing from 38 nations), including Luxembourgish language lessons, etiquette classes and external workshops such as fishmongery in Boulogne-sur-Mer and cheesemaking in the Auvergne.
The Cactus logo is a national icon
Inside the recently revamped Cactus Howald
Cashier Eva Gomes in the staff uniform
Laurent Schonckert
Beloved mascot Yuppi
'There for you'
Delivery trucks
Free smiles at checkout
The supermarket's newspaper
Cactus, like Luxembourg, is trilingual
Card-carrying customer
Dairy aisle
A big part of the reason that Cactus is able to boast such expertise and maintain the trust of ever-more discerning customers is its low staff turnover: employees stay for 15 years on average. "There's less change in our teams because of the flat hierarchy in the company: everyone's input is valued," says Manu Kieffer, a 30-year Cactus veteran and manager of the Howald branch. "The founders, the Leeschs, come and visit us in-store almost daily, which creates a family-like atmosphere between staff and management that customers can feel."
The success of Cactus goes back to the vision of one particular Leesch: Luxembourgish entrepreneur Paul, who had a knack for recognising industry-shaping trends before anyone else had a chance. Hailing from a family of shopkeepers, Leesch realised early on that the traditional format of the counter-service grocery was on the brink of extinction due to the surge of US-style supermarkets.
Cactus in numbers:
Products stocked: 125,000
Wines stocked: More than 1,350 from 23 countries
In-house production ateliers: 4 (coffee roastery, caterer, patisserie and butcher)
Own-label coffee roasted: 300 tonnes per year
Charcuterie produced: 40 tonnes per week
When in 1967 he opened the first Cactus (a name he chose because it was universally understood) it rang in a new generation of commerce for Luxembourg, complete with self-service counters, trolleys and a large carpark. The shop soon became a countrywide chain, extending its range to organic dry goods as early as the 1970s and fairtrade coffee as well as diy retailing in the 1990s.
Today it is headed up by Paul's son, CEO Max Leesch, and managing director Laurent Schonckert. Keeping it in the family has helped the group do things that other, more profit-driven companies might not, such as paying all staff a 13th-month salary bonus. Cactus's commitment to creating a connection between the customer and the brand is also rooted in the spirit of the company. Be it off-site customer visits to producers or free cooking classes and wine tastings, it is about immersing shoppers in the world of Cactus and, in return, becoming a part of theirs.
"The kind of detail work we do is what allowed us to stay in the game and get to where we are today," says Schonckert. The figures speak for themselves: the Cactus loyalty card scheme has 293,000 customers in a nation of just over 600,000.
"Anyone can sell you a jar of Nutella at a competitive price but this is not who we are or aim to be," says Marc Hoffmann, the marketing and retail director of Cactus Group. "Unlike other supermarkets we communicate values, not just prices."
One thing that newcomers to the supermarket might notice is the smiling green cactus figure adorning promotional leaflets and badges pinned to staff uniforms. This is Yuppi – but he's much more than a mere corporate mascot. For Luxembourgers he's a much-loved point of nostalgia and for the group he's a brand ambassador, bringing Cactus's commitments to life in a way that is relatable to audiences of all ages.
Since his creation in 1987 the goofy cartoon character has taught the nation's schoolchildren about food provenance and healthy eating through brochures and events organised in conjunction with the Ministry of Health. Be it planting an orchard or visiting a beekeeper, when a new initiative or product is launched, Cactus – and Yuppi – invite customers young and old to come and learn about the process behind it. This is what catapults the company above the foreign chains diving into the Luxembourgish market: the emotional significance of these longstanding relationships with regional farmers, governmental organisations and its clientele.
Of course, keeping up with the times is a challenge for any brand with a decades-long following. In recent years Cactus has started to update its 1960s-inspired shop interiors, replacing bright-red tills and beige tiles with a more sober, grey-dominated colour palette and bolder signage. "It was important that the new aesthetic wouldn't destroy our image and the values established by our founder," says Schonckert.
For the redesign the company teamed up with a shopfitter from Switzerland, a nation Paul Leesch greatly admired and whose most famous food exports he stocked from the beginning. Almost all Luxembourgers have childhood memories of drinking their first Rivella inside a Cactus and the Swiss lemonade bottles still line the shelves today.
"A supermarket is just a hall filled with shelves and products, but our work is about something else," says Hoffmann. "There's something emotional in all we do."
Five takeaways for other retailers:
1. Invest in training. Knowledgeable staff add value to a customer's shopping experience.
2. Have a good product mix. Support local producers and companies but don't be too religious about it – variety is crucial.
3. Make sure there's a reception. Greeting people as they enter makes them feel at home and also provides an easy-to-find focal point for questions.
4. Wear a uniform. Build a brand (and a team) through some simple but snappy workwear.
5. Visit your shops. To understand a shop's pain points, get out onto the floor on a regular basis.


- Fully leased freehold investment returning $134,000.29 + GST p.a.
This modern, hands-off investment opportunity has it all. Along with offering a diversified income from three tenants, the property is located in an popular CBD retail, commercial and hospitality precinct, a short walk from Queen Street. Occupying a high profile corner position at the entrance of Chancery Square, this modern passive investment provides a rare chance for purchasers to grab a piece of Auckland's thriving Central Business District.
The property is fully leased returning $134,000.29 + GST p.a., providing a diversified income stream, along with a weighted average lease term of over 4 years. Just sit back, enjoy the cashflow and watch this investment flourish.
The property is fully leased to 3 established tenants, providing a diversified income stream, along with a weighted average lease term of over 4 years. Just sit back, enjoy the cashflow and watch this investment flourish.


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EHR Interoperability and Patient-Centered Care
In 2009, Congress passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act to modernize the U.S. healthcare system through the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), software systems that create a digital version of a patient's medical chart. HITECH incentives accelerated widespread adoption of EHRs. However, the ability to exchange information between different EHRs across various healthcare settings — known as interoperability — was not a key requirement when the digital systems were first developed. Eight years later, EHRs are in place at almost 80 percent of physician offices and doctors are increasingly reporting that interoperability is important. Data from the Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation (CHRT) Michigan Physician Survey shows primary care physicians (PCPs) consider interoperability an important feature for providing patient-centered care.
Our data show a significant change in just two years in the perception among PCPs of the value an EHR with interoperability can play in patient care. In 2014 and 2016, CHRT's Michigan Physician Survey asked PCPs how important having an EHR with interoperability was to their ability to deliver patient-centered care. Significantly greater proportions of PCPs in 2016 said it was "very important" to have EHRs that are interoperable between hospitals and practices, and practice to practice. There was no significant change in the proportion of physicians who saw just having an EHR in their own practice as "very important."
READ THE BRIEF
CHRT Authors
Melissa Riba
Marianne Udow-Phillips


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Today's reported figure is 129 deaths in hospitals in England: 109 (84%) in the last week.
2nd June: 143 deaths
21st April: 778 deaths
There were 17 (13.0%) Hospital Trusts* with no deaths reported in the last 7 days, 58 (44.3%) reported no deaths in the last 48 hours.
In 29 (22.1%) Trusts no deaths have occurred in the last 7 days.
Deaths by week by region
Region 18 19 20 21 22 23
East of England 272 200 160 128 92 34
London 272 194 110 75 59 19
Midlands 405 310 260 205 169 79
North East and Yorkshire 384 290 207 165 135 92
North West 381 288 207 200 142 82
South East 241 179 162 113 92 45
South West 97 79 38 39 40 10


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Leaving a Carbon Footprint
Everywhere you turn lately, it seems, people are talking about climate change, global warming, carbon offsets and lower emissions. Is it just hype and bluster, as some would have us believe, or is it the end of the world as we know it? Roderick Eime looks at the arguments.
It would appear that even our most recalcitrant politicians have bent to the notion that the burning of fossil fuels is at least contributing to the climate change sweeping our planet. The jury is divided on whether it is the primary contributing cause or just part of an overall planet-wide cycle. Either way, pouring carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels like oil and coal and other greenhouse gases like methane and carbon monoxide is accelerating the process.
In a quick reassessment of the public mood, our government has launched their own website, www.greenhouse.gov.au, driven by the Department of the Environment and Water Resources and its vociferous leader, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP.
He recently lauded the move by Virgin Blue to offer carbon offset packages to passengers concerned about their own "carbon footprint".
"Virgin Blue customers can now go online and choose to make each leg of their air journey carbon neutral for an average of a dollar a trip," the minister said.
"Australian air passengers have never before been able to directly offset emissions from their flights. This is a first for the Australian aviation industry and an important step for the transport sector.
"Air commuters choosing to offset their emissions will be able to make a difference to Australia's greenhouse gas emissions of which the total domestic air aviation transport sector currently contributes almost five megatonnes."
When we travel, whether it is by road, rail, sea or air, our desire for sightseeing and leisure is adding to the problem, especially when it involves long distance travel.
Environmentally responsible and sensitive travel is not a new phenomenon, but has certainly become a more widely recognised alternative in the last few years. Apart from travellers seeking out new and exciting destinations with an emphasis on nature and culture, operators are now enticing environmentally conscious travellers with taglines extolling their low carbon emissions and offset policies.
One of that rapidly growing number of tourism businesses claiming "carbon neutral" is Ecoventura, who operate a small fleet of expedition yachts in the Galápagos. This iconic group of islands west of Ecuador is one of the most precarious eco-systems anywhere on the planet and has attracted all sorts of attention over the decades, including poaching, over-fishing and habit degradation from human intervention.
The CarbonNeutral Company, a climate monitoring company, has calculated the amount of carbon dioxide that Ecoventura emits and has come up with a number of projects to counteract those effects including funding for reforestation in Chiapas, sustainable energy projects in Sri Lanka and India, and methane recapture in the US.
Kerry Lorimer, an avid eco-conscious traveller and author of the Lonely Planet guidebook, "Code Green" offers this advice:
"Since virtually any type of motorised transport emits greenhouse gases, the obvious thing is to go for non-motorised transport such as walking, riding a bike or catching a train. Using public transport is another obvious way to lessen your personal emissions.
"Jet travel has had a bad rap for its high levels of greenhouse emissions. Look to the shorthaul and stay local where practical. If all you want to do on holiday is lie on a beach, do you really need to fly to the other side of the world to do it? For business, do you really need to have a face-to-face meeting? Could a video conference get the job done?
"And when you do fly, consider off-setting your emissions via organisations such as climatefriendly.com. Their websites (as well as some airlines such as Virgin Blue) have carbon calculators, which allow you to compute the amount of emissions for the kilometres travelled. You can then pay to 'offset' these through projects such as tree planting and community development projects."
When it comes to destinations, Kerry adds:
"Do your bit for domestic tourism - choose a holiday destination close to home! We have some of the most amazing travel experiences in the world, right in our own backyard, yet many Australians think first of an overseas destination when planning a holiday.
"Walking or trekking holidays are one of the best ways to keep your carbon emissions to a minimum. Peregrine, for example, offers a range of trekking holidays around the world - close to home there are treks in Borneo, PNG and the Himalaya. The company is currently assessing all of its operations and has pledged that all its tours will be carbon neutral by 2009. Trekking is also a great way to get to know the locals and to reach views and villages that are otherwise inaccessible. There's only one way to the top of a Himalayan peak!"
Kris Madden, a consultant to government and industry on eco- and sustainable tourism, offers some balance.
"Although I acknowledge the contribution to global warming that mechanised travel can make, I'm still a little suspicious of all these carbon offset schemes popping up," warns Kris, "there is no framework of operation, no benchmarks and no real checks and balances under which these schemes operate. One has to wonder whether there is a real environmental benefit from some of them, or whether it's just 'greenwash'."
The 'greenwash' to which Kris refers is the sceptics' appraisal of these efforts to create a greener environment. In the competition for consumer sentiment, true carbon consciousness and fake green window dressing will be difficult to isolate as more and more businesses fly the "carbon neutral" flag.
"Sure, it's better than doing nothing and it certainly raises awareness of the problem, but I fear it is more important for some of the worst offenders to be seen to be reacting to the climate change issue than actually making a real difference."
Tree planting is one example. Although reforestation is a critical activity in many areas, trees planted today will take at least twenty years to reach maturity. The critics will argue that attention needs to be directed at "now" schemes. What can we do to offset emissions today?
Kris reminds us that it is perhaps the catch phrase "think globally, act locally" is just as important if not more so.
"People can really make a big difference if they modify their own behaviour on a micro scale. Walk when they don't need to drive, change lightglobes to low power and generally use less energy than they have been. It's like earning your own offset credits and you can feel less guilty when you decide to travel."
Responsible and sustainable travel is not just about how much fuel you burn, it's about how you treat the locals and how much cultural damage you do without even realising it. Genuine travel experiences are quickly vanishing in the rapidly globalising world and some of the lowest emission travel like walking, canoeing and cycling will enable us to maximise the few remaining truly enriching experiences.
Many experts believe our Great Barrier Reef will only exist for the next generation or two. Already it's showing signs of decay from the small rise in water temperature and it's one destination you should see soon.
The Arctic and Antarctic is thawing. Vast glaciers are collapsing at a frightening rate and they will soon be a past feature of the pre-climate change planet unless we turn the tide. These are certainly the predictions of the scare mongers, and can we really challenge these gloomy forecasts?
Clearly there will be a lot of "smoke and mirrors" in this climate and carbon debate with some entrepreneurs seeing an opportunity to be the new emissions trading millionaires. If you feel inclined to contribute or invest in these schemes, then do so carefully. The ultimate responsibility, however, falls with the individual. Do you really need to run a computer simulation of your intended journey to visualise your own part in the planet's demise? Or can it be boiled down to simple common sense and more considerate and simple day-to-day living? You make the call. It's your planet.
Some quick calculations by The CarbonNeutral Company [www.carbonneutral.com]:
Approximately one tonne of emissions is produced by 5000 kilometres of driving in an over 2.0 litre car.
The same amount of travel on commuter trains produces just 200kg.
A direct flight from Perth to London (14500km) produces 1.6 tonnes of emissions per person.
So, if you took the train every day to work instead of driving, you could earn enough carbon credits to offset your flight. For those who can't do without their car, the company offers "offset packages" up to A$50 that come in a ribbon bound folder complete with certificate. The money is channelled to community projects and energy-efficient technology development.
Posted by rodeime at 11:07 PM
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My new Rowenta (in pursuit of the perfect iron) - Stop staring and start sewing!
I finally replaced my old iron with this beauty (Rowenta® Pressure Iron and Steamer DG5030). I had to wait two weeks for it to arrive since Macy's had it on sale but not in stock (??). I was a little concerned at first because it kept splurting water but my smart husband pointed out that it was probably because the water settled into the hose when it sat for a while so now I just hold it up and let it splurt out each time I start using it again and then the steam is free to flow. It's 1740 watts which is nice and hot (I never buy one under 1600 watts) but the hand held part is really light which takes some getting used to when you're used to more weight (but all the weight is in the tank unit so it makes sense).
I was so thrilled when it finally arrived that I flung the plastic wrap off and didn't even realize I had thrown it onto my old iron (which was still hot, of course). Poo.
My old one crusted out far too soon and I was pretty irked because the instruction manual said to use tap water and that's what I had done. Turns out Arizona water isn't really tap water (more like gack water). Our water is so hard that it really does a job on all of our appliances/faucets and I should have considered that before I started dumping it into my precious (and not cheap) Rowenta. You can see where the minerals caused the plastic to chip away and finally the tank wouldn't hold the steam because it was leaking out the side (which scares the living daylights out of me because it reminds me of those presser cookers from my childhood).
My new iron was dribbling out the bottom at first and it turns out it was because I was using distilled water because I was so frightened of mineral build up again. So now I'm using tap water that's been filtered through our Brita pitcher and it seems to be the right balance. Sigh. So much effort in the pursuit of ironing perfection. So far so good.
And here is a cute, fat cat who likes to be in the middle of everything.
Have a great weekend and keep on sewing!


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The Silk Cord
Fri, Dec 20, 2013 - 1:24pm
By J Y
I have long had a contentious relationship with Turkey. One of my favorite novels since childhood is a historical tale about the apex moment of the Ottoman Empire. The only fly in the ointment was that my countrymen were the last ones to fall to the military machine of Suleiman the Magnificent – after about a century of TRYING, Turkey finally ground up the borders. Though it STILL needed another 30 years to secure the whole area, ultimately Turkey ruled directly or had dominion over the entire land.
But then again, it was a case of tables being turned – a millennium earlier, it had been Constantinople receiving the raids and paying the tribute…
While I was growing up, Turkey was known for three things. One was guest workers commuting to Austria and Germany, swarming the borders and roads in the summer and during Christmas. That institution of legalized 'illegal immigration' (e.g. non-assimilative, visibly ethnically different workers of a foreign culture, language and religion toiling at below-average wages WITHOUT enjoying the civil rights and social benefits of the host country) started in the sixties. While the program officially ended in 1973, the vast majority of workers stayed on, becoming ultra-long-distance commuters who would go home 2-3 times a year. The other two notable features of Turkey at the time were leather and gold. If you wanted either, Istanbul was the place to go – both because you did not have to pass through the iron curtain to get there, but mainly because both were available at a large variety and minimal prices (in terms of premium to spot, re: gold). The bazaar was held (grudgingly) in awe for its sheer volume and variety of goods both mundane and exotic. The fact that only a few had resources to make the trip, let alone buy anything, only added to the mystique.
I have been trying to keep an eye on developments vis-a-vis anti-government protests: true grass-roots movement of discontent against a corrupt and overbearing regime? Western meddling and attempted 'Syria-style' revolution highjack? Second wave of Arab spring (though I realize Turks and NOT Arabs)? And of course, one must not forget the connection of the story to precious metals – it appears by many (all) accounts that Turkey has been buying Iranian natural gas for gold bullion.
"The system was simple. As Reuters notes, Turkey purchased Iranian natural gas in Turkish lira, and transferring the proceeds to Halkbank accounts. Iranian gold traders then accessed the funds to buy gold in Turkey, which was subsequently carried in luggage to Dubai, and then sold for foreign currency to help sure up Tehran's dwindling foreign exchange reserves.
Remarkably, it was legal under the current sanctions regime, as long as the Obama administration couldn't prove that Turkish gold payments were made to the government of Iran (which strained credulity given Turkey's public admissions that they were selling gold to Iran in exchange for Iranian energy)." – May 17, 2013, The Atlantic
Some have speculated that Turkey has ALSO been facilitating a similar trade between the sanction-beleaguered Persians and the rest of the world – but in any case that trade seems to have been taking place, with or without Turkey.
"The second-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Iran said last month it will accept payment in any local currency or gold as new sanctions make it harder for trading partners to pay in dollars and euros." – March 30, 2012, Bloomberg
So I got to thinking – if petrogold is indeed re-emerging, what is happening in terms of the ongoing gold price movements? If gold is 'worth' less denominated in fully convertible, 'hard currency' like Euros, Dollars or Yen, then the gold that Iran may or may not receive in exchange for its exported barrels has less purchasing power, thus benefiting the enemies of Iran. At the same time, lower gold prices might allow those who might USE gold as payment to acquire MORE oil for the same amount of fiat – but only presuming that the trade agreement for the sale of oil was denominated in weight of gold.
In light of all of the above, the news item perhaps lost in the tumult of this week is as follows:
"Two parts Crazy Eddie, one part Gatsby and one part Trump, Ali Agaoglu, No. 527 on Forbes' billionaire list, is Turkey's most famous and arguably most notorious construction mogul, a man known just as much for his collection of luxury cars and ex-wives as he is for his links to Erdogan's government and the state housing authority in particular. […]
Today, Agaoglu is in police custody. Tuesday morning, in a series of raids that seemed to catch all of Turkey, including Erdogan's government, entirely off guard, Turkish police detained at least 50 people on suspicion of tender rigging, money laundering and bribery. In a country where corruption investigations, at least those involving figures close to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), are rare, this one has netted a number of very big fish: the sons of three Cabinet members, the mayor of one of Istanbul's biggest boroughs, the general manager of Turkey's second biggest state bank, Halkbank, several prominent businessmen, as well as a number of civil servants. And finally, Agaoglu." 12/19/13, TIME
Notice the BANK involved in the story above. Now, the Western media has been very quick to pin the affair on THIS man, a Turkish cleric who is living in Pennsylvania:
Image cannot be displayed
Whether or not that is the case, I leave for readers who are more familiar with him and with Turkish current affairs. While on one hand he himself denies/deflects any involvement, or even HAVING a movement behind him in the first place, his students (devotees? disciples?) have opened a network of schools in 140 countries – and by many accounts, the graduates from these schools have reached the highest positions at levels of Turkish government. What perhaps makes all this even MORE interesting is this:
"That the U.S. government and, specifically, the Central Intelligence Agency support the Gülen movement is conventional wisdom among Turkey's secular elite even though no hard evidence exists to support such allegations. […]
Gülen attached twenty-nine letters of reference to his June 18, 2008 motion, mostly from theologians or Turkish political figures close to or affiliated with his organization. John Esposito, founding director of the Saudi-financed Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, who, after receiving donations from the Gülen movement sponsored a conference in his honor, also supplied a reference. Two former CIA officials, George Fidas and Graham Fuller, and former U.S. ambassador to Turkey Morton Abramowitz also supplied references.
The letters may have worked. On July 16, 2008, U.S. district judge Stewart Dalzell issued a memorandum and order granting Gülen's motion for partial summary judgment and ordering the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to approve his petition for alien worker status as an alien of extraordinary ability by August 1, 2008." – 2009, Middle East Quarterly
Hmmmm…… So is this a simple shot across the bow to the Turkish PM from an elusive, shadowy figure who acts as a puppeteer, moving his 'sleeper cell' followers against the PM at will? Is Gülen in league with/controlled by/ a creature of the US-based NatSecAgencies? Or merely a political player and ersatz spiritual/cultural authority exerting his influence to retain the lifeline of his movement (the Turkish government apparently planned to close the schools in question)? The network of religious schools propagating his brand of Islam is eerily reminiscent of the organization of Wahhabi institutions sponsored by Saudi petrodollars (in their structure, funding and proliferation, if not their principal philosophy). And it would seem convenient that the Agencies mentioned earlier already have substantial experience in funding, working with and exploiting assets educated in such institutions. But this really seems to be taking it to a whole new level:
"His school network is impressive. Nurettin Veren, Gülen's right-hand man for thirty-five years, estimated that some 75 percent of Turkey's two million preparatory school students are enrolled in Gülen institutions.[12] He controls thousands of top-tier secondary schools, colleges, and student dormitories throughout Turkey, as well as private universities, the largest being Fatih University in Istanbul. Outside Turkey, his movement runs hundreds of secondary schools and dozens of universities in 110 countries worldwide." – 2009, Middle East Quarterly
Destabilizing Syria DID work, but not with the degree of efficiency those directing it might have hoped. All-out, multilateral war did not break out. Whether that bit was off-script, or if we just aren't far enough along in the play yet remains to be seem, but in any case SOMEONE seems to be keen on at a minimum reducing the power of government in countries in the area – including neighboring Turkey. Who it seems is also a key trading partner of Iran. Who may or may not be involved in a high-volume gold settlement system centered around Iranian oil and gas. Could this be considered a warning to stop the trade or to restore/increase it to levels seen before the tightening of Iranian sanctions? Was Erdogan's outfit simply skimming too much from the top?
Another (to me) intriguing angle: with the Geneva deal, US-enforced sanctions have eased, giving S. Korea, China and India waivers for buying Iranian oil. However, even if said countries are allowed to pay Iran with their own currency, or Euros, or USD, there are potentially a significant amount of things Iran wants/needs but cannot acquire with fiat currencies, due to the limits on outbound financial transactions it can make, and the types of goods which may be traded. Could it be that Iran isn't so much accepting gold because it is one of the few types of payment it can RECEIVE, but that it is preferred as a form of payment because it is one which Iran can use most widely to make PAYMENTS? So could the recent developments in Turkey have anything to do with the fact that Iran has just interrupted negotiations in Geneva over the future of global relations with the country?
Or could it be the case that honest, forthright members of law enforcement and the judicial system are standing up, and attempting to take back their country from a ruling caste corrupt to its core?
Whatever the case, this could be a story worth keeping tabs on. Just because it does not remain in the headlines ALL the time does not mean nothing's happening. An actively simmering Middle East that can be 'whipped' into all-out war pretty much at will is an ongoing requirement for the preservation/life-support of the petrodollar. Turkey itself is in a crucially important strategic position geographically, making it a target of imperial interests (and perhaps manipulation) from more than just one side. And it's not like there have been any conflicts in recent years/decades due to the production, sale and transport of hydrocarbons in this region…
In the Ottoman Empire, a ritual/custom of succession for the seat of monarch developed over the centuries:
"In earlier times, the Turkish sultans sent to high-ranking personalities who were sentenced to death, a silk thread - stylishly usually in a small jewelry box. After receiving, the condemned was strangled by a servant or soldier. This method offered the very great advantage that the sultans could vacate brothers and nephews out of the way to secure their rule, without shedding their royal blood. Occasionally, even the convicted had the opportunity to escape the strangling by suicide. If the blood flowed, this was thus the responsibility of the individuals affected."
(For those inclined to do more historical reading on what a REAL game of thrones might have looked like, and more macabre details on royal fratricide and similar hobbies, I can recommend this post and this Smithsonian article.)
A fascinating twist was also introduced for top officials/nobility who were NOT a direct threat to the ruler's position:
"For a grand vizier, however, there was still a chance: as soon as the death sentence was passed, the condemned man would be allowed to run as fast as he was able the 300 yards or so from the palace, through the gardens, and down to the Fish Market Gate on the southern side of the palace complex, overlooking the Bosphorus, which was the appointed place of execution.
If the deposed vizier reached the Fish Market Gate before the head gardener, his sentence was commuted to mere banishment. But if the condemned man found the bostanci basha waiting for him at the gate, he was summarily executed and his body hurled into the sea." -- Smithsonian Magazine
The silk cord is one step worse than a severed horse's head – it is not so much a warning to cooperate, but rather a notification of imminent violent death. It definitely seems to me that this episode was a warning, not a 'true' silk cord (yet) – the only question is who was the sender? Will the current government 'run for it', or try to make a stand?
J Y
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Function: Export images from Aperture projects or albums into iPhoto so they can be used in the iLife apps. The attached zip includes two applications… one for exporting projects, the other for albums.
Notes: Read me included for operating instructions. Tested on both Intel and PowerPC Macs and v1.0, 1.0.1 and 1.1 Aperture and into iPhoto6. Author will assist downloaders with customization to suit their specific needs or application.
Hi, thanks for the script. It crashes with: 'AppleScript Error: the previously chosen destination folder does not exist on this compuer. (-2700)'. Whatever value for 'export Subfolder' I choose, this error pops up every time.
Aperture 1.5.2 has integrated to work with the iLife applications. Look at the app preferences and select the quality of the preview. If you do not use previews for all your images already, you can do so with selected images.


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text:
Q: Does Q consider Picard a friend? Just watched the "Tapestry" episode from Star Trek: The Next Generation and always loved the chemistry between Q and Picard. But is there an in-universe answer to the said question:
Does Q consider Picard a friend?
I have found some forums here and there but the responses seemed to only point to speculation.

A: If we take Q at his word, then the answer is yes. He explicitly states that Picard is his friend in TNG: Deja Q

Q: Because in all the universe you're the closest thing I have to a friend, Jean-Luc.

and again in TNG: Qpid

Q: Oh, I was hoping for something more
along the lines of "Welcome back,
Q. It's a pleasure to see you
again old friend."
PICARD: We're not friends.
Q: You wound me, mon Capitain.

A: I would argue Yes
I have collected several pieces of evidence which, collectively, I think could be construed as an indication that Q considered Picard to be his 'friend' (although the feeling probably wasn't mutual).

In early 2367, Q defied orders of the Continuum and interfered with
  the Enterprise-Ds encounter with Locutus of Borg by keeping the
  make-shift deflector dish weapon developed by Geordi La Forge from
  overloading and destroying the Enterprise. This consequently allowed
  the Enterprise to later rescue Picard and save Earth from
  assimilation. Q felt responsible for Picard's assimilation and was
  willing to face any consequences the Continuum saw fit to set upon
  him. (TNG short story: "Civil Disobedience"; TNG episode: "The Best of
  Both Worlds")

(Source)
Here we have an instance (albeit non-canon) of Q putting himself in potential danger with the Q Continuum because he felt responsible for Picard's being assimilated - I would see this as an act of loyalty and friendship.

Soon after, when Picard had been critically injured, Q gave him look
  at his past and a chance to correct what Picard considered to be
  mistakes in his life. In the end, Picard realized that all of his
  decisions, even his mistakes, were what turned him into the man he
  was. (TNG episode: "Tapestry")

(Source)
One of the things about friends is that they are there to point out our mistakes but not to make fun of us.  Although Picard was sure that he would have been happier had he not made the mistake of taking on the Nausicaans, Q discreetly pointed out to him that making that mistake turned out to be one of the best decisions of his life.  Now, by 'discreetly' I know that you're probably thinking that sending one back in time isn't a discreet method, but when you think about how Q acted during that episode, he wasn't directly telling Picard about the importance of that 'mistake', but let him discover the truth in a conducive environment.

In 2366 the Continuum, believing that Q had stepped over the line in
  introducing humanity to the Borg, de-powered Q and at Q's request,
  sent him to live out his days as a human on the Enterprise. Q had
  actually requested to be sent to the ship, as its crew were, for
  better or worse, the only creatures in the cosmos that came remotely
  close to being his "friends" (TNG episode: "Deja Q")

(Source)
This is one of the best pieces of evidence that Q considered the crew as a whole to be something close to his friends.  Consider, though, that Q's main interactions with the crew were with Picard up to this point, so we could interpret this as Q's 'admission', if you will, that Picard was something like a friend to him.

Later in 2367, Q returned to the Enterprise to "properly" thank
  Captain Picard for his role in helping him regain his standing in the
  Continuum. (TNG: "Qpid")

(Source)
This also suggest to me that Q felt there was a positive relationship between Picard and for Q to actually be showing that he was grateful for something like this indicates to me he saw Picard as his 'friend'.
So, in summary, yes, based on the evidence I've presented above, I would think that Q considered Picard to be his 'friend', or something close to it.

A: NO
On a level of intelligence, consciousness and all-round 'being', Q outranks Picard on a scale of a person to a flea. At best, Picard is considered as the 'most favourite pet', as observed by Data in TNG 277 'All good things'- pt2.

DATA: That is true. Q's interest in you has always been very similar
  to that of a master and his beloved pet. That was only an analogy,
  Captain

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