Tag Archives for " Professional services "
Professional services cover a wide variety of industry, from law to accounting, and beyond. What makes these businesses unique is that they don't offer tangible products to their customers, but rather, knowledge-based services instead.
People in this line of work are essentially selling relationships with a promised outcome, often making it difficult to prove their value. Additionally, these businesses are often inundated with competitors fighting for their audience's attention.
Those in professional services know all too well how hard it can be to separate themselves from the crowd…but it can be done.
My recommendation? Start with content. Content is essentially the air of marketing these days. Without it, your business will fall behind. With that being said, here are a few ways to use it to give you a competitive advantage if you're in this space.
First things first, you have to make time for marketing. It is not uncommon for people in professional services to want to dedicate 100% of their time to client work, but if you want a consistent flow of prospects coming in the door, you need to do your part and stay active with marketing.
This doesn't mean you need to always have an endless supply of leads coming in, you only need enough to keep your business going, so identify that number and revise your efforts from there.
If you're a CPA or a lawyer and don't want, or have the time, to focus on the marketing efforts yourself, it's OK to delegate these tasks and even outsource outside of your business. This will allow you to focus on client work and other tasks that require your attention. As long as you own the overall strategy, it's OK to ask for help on the rest.
Before you do anything, you must clearly define who your ideal client is, otherwise the marketing efforts you put in won't even matter. Don't just base your target audience on a hunch or what you believe to be true. Be sure to actually do your research, call clients, look at past client conversation via email, etc. The list goes on but it's important to be extremely thorough with this and understand their pain points and how your business can help solve them. Once you're aware of them, you can address them in your content (more on content later).
When talking to my clients in professional services, I often find that they find the most success by being really specific about who they're trying to reach. This isn't a necessity necessarily, but it can help you get really targeted with your messaging and establish a strong emotional connection with that group of people. Specializing can be a great thing, as long as you know how to reach and communicate with the people you're going after.
One of the first things a professional services business needs to do as part of their marketing efforts is to develop a content strategy, which very few businesses actually do. However, a documented strategy can help to keep your business on track and make you more effective with your efforts. Knowing your goals, what you'll be creating and what you'll be measuring will help you optimize your marketing efforts moving forward and can prevent you from spinning your wheels.
Since professional services don't sell tangible products, it is especially important that these businesses show their knowledge and expertise through content to help establish trust and credibility with their audience.
Since you're selling services and not a product (per se), you need to establish yourself as a thought leader within your industry (and location if you're a local business) and prove that you have a lot of experience and are more than capable to handle your client's needs.
Often times, clients of a professional services business don't really know what they're getting into or fully understand the process and services. Many times, the only things they care about are that you're reputable and know what you're doing due to extensive experience.
Whatever expertise you have, make it known through testimonials, case studies, association badges, the works! Remember to be original and show your personality. Your prospects are likely doing their research and they don't want to hear the same thing from every business they're approaching. Make yourself unique and memorable through your content.
The purpose of your website isn't to sit there and look pretty. It needs to actually do work for your business. In a nutshell, in addition to it carrying your message and showcasing your personality, it can act as a lead generating machine and be the hub of your marketing efforts.
I discuss the content necessities for a professional services website in this post and highly recommend that you check it out for a deeper dive into this topic.
Many businesses don't immediately think SEO when they think of content, however, these days, they are almost one in the same. The more valuable content you put on your site, the more Google will recognize you as a website to watch. They want their users to have an exceptional customer experience. If Google recognizes you do that for your clients and prospects, they'll be more likely to increase your rank in search engine results pages.
If I haven't implied this enough throughout the rest of the post, let me state here that your content must be valuable to your audience. It must be well-written and truly useful for its viewers.
Within the content, it's important to include relevant keywords to help alert Google of what the content is about. Note, and this is a big note: Do not keyword stuff. The keywords you use should flow naturally. Google can tell when you overuse keywords and will penalize your site for it.
Include these keywords in your content, header tags, meta descriptions, page titles, alt text, and URL.
As with most areas of marketing, your SEO strategy isn't something you should just focus on sporadically. It's important to give it consistent attention to make sure that the tactics you're implementing are working.
To wrap everything up, content marketing in the professional services space needs to be about truly helping your audience and establishing yourself as an expert in your field. Show each prospect and client that you truly care and that they've been heard. Essentially, make them feel special, both in your one-on-one conversations with them as well as in your content.
By making your content revolve around your prospect and not your business, you'll be one step closer to turning them into a client.
Need more tips on how to grow your business? Check out our entire Guide to Marketing Professional Services.
Sure, people in professional services need to be good at what they do, but their audience hopes that's a given. Sometimes even the best of the best have a hard time growing their business because they are so focused on the services they provide, they just don't dedicate time to the growth of their company (or simply don't know where to start to do that).
Whether you're in accounting, law, tech consulting, or provide any other professional service, the advice below still applies if you want to separate yourself from the competition and grow your business.
To take control of your growth efforts, take some of my advice below.
Who needs the services you provide?
Who can you deliver the greatest value to?
Who do you enjoy working with?
What are the must-haves to be a client (this will help you narrow down your list)?
What attributes are you looking for in a client (not required, but preferred)?
What behaviors signal that they are the right fit for you?
Once you can answer these questions, put the list together and keep it nearby to help qualify prospects moving forward. This will help to ensure you don't waste time spinning your wheels on the wrong candidates.
Once you have your ideal client in mind, it's important that you create a clear promise for them that can help you articulate you understand their wants and needs and that you are the right business to help them.
What's tough about professional services is that they're intangible, which is what makes your promise (and that you live up to your promise) so important. The promise needs to reinforce that you can help them reach their goals.
In addition to your promise, make your distinct point of view and point of differentiation from your competitors clear. This will help to separate you from the rest of the crowd.
I have a friend that owns an SEO firm and he basically says, "All you need to know about SEO is that we make the phone ring." He doesn't dive into how his business works, or SEO jargon, he gets to the root of what his clients care about and how he'll help to get them what they want. See how that works?
What I'm essentially saying here, is focus on what your ideal clients are experiencing, not your services. People don't really care about what you sell. All they care about are that their problems are solved and that you can help them solve them.
What is the biggest pain point your customer experiences?
Once you have all the information mentioned above, you can actually start to solve their problems.
Start by refocusing your messaging and match your message to your ideal client so that it resonates with them quickly.
Develop an attention-grabbing headline to put on your website (think back to your promise with this one).
Through content, show them that you are experts in the field that will help to make their pain points go away. Providing actionable advice can go a long way.
Be responsive to comments, emails, and social media in an effort to build trust and establish a connection.
So many people are focused on the changes in marketing and all the new things we have to master and pay attention to.
The fact is the most significant driver of change today isn't the way marketing is changing, it's the way buying is changing.
With clients now in charge of their buying journey, the most important marketing element still left in our control is the customer experience.
While they are in charge of their journey, it's your job to influence it, and in my opinion, this starts with your website.
Your website today is the jumping in point of the customer journey. Its job is to lead and guide prospects into a journey of awareness, trust, knowledge, insight, and conversion. All your ideal client wants is is a frictionless path to the information or action they've gone there to find. Website design should be renamed customer experience design.
Additionally, when it comes to the customer experience, the most tenuous point of the relationship is the beginning. Once a person becomes a client, you must look at their first 90 days as a trial period where your entire goal is to construct the type of experience that can only turn them into a raving fan (and great referral source down the road!).
At the end of the day, businesses that deliver the best customer experience do so because they care about helping the people they serve.
There are many other important factors that lead to a successful business, but nailing the points mentioned above is a great start. What have you found to be helpful in growing your business?
If you own a professional services business, odds are you're trying to get leads in the door. What I often see is that these types of businesses develop automated lead funnels, because that's what they're told to do, and spend a lot of time vetting these leads, but let's face it, they probably don't have a ton of time to do that!
Instead of focusing on building an endless supply of leads, you should only be focusing on the amounts you actually need as well as how to balance bringing new customers in, and keeping new customers around. For example, if you're a CPA, wouldn't it be easier to focus on the clients you already have year after year as opposed to constantly be looking for new ones?
Here's how I believe you should approach lead generation for your business.
Hopefully, you have a pretty good idea of who makes an ideal client for your business, but if not, you should figure that out ASAP. To get started, it's easiest to target the group you can help the most, the fastest because you'll probably be able to demonstrate how you can get quick results and build raving fans.
I have worked with a lot of service professionals, and from what I've seen, most of them want to work with roughly ten of the right clients at any given time. That's it.
The typical service professional acquires new clients by attracting a lead that wants to meet and learn about how they might help them. Let's say you have four clients now and you'd like to get six more. If one in four meetings turns into a new client (this is very low for our approach but will use this for easy math), it will take 24 meetings to get those additional clients you're looking for.
You need to ask yourself what it takes to schedule consistent appointments and how you can increase the conversion rate of these appointments. If you can understand this and build a system around it, you'll remove a lot of headaches that many service professionals experience in their lead generation efforts.
Before you put any meetings on the calendar, you need to determine your annual revenue goal. This will give you insight into how many clients (and in turn, meetings and proposals) you need to obtain in order to reach that goal.
You simply need to factor how many appointments it will take to land one new client, and move forward from there.
Content development may not necessarily be in your professional wheelhouse, but it's essential for your business. You must create a valuable piece of content that will resonate with your target audience. Many find blogging to be the easiest way to format this content.
To ensure this one piece of content is the workhorse you need for your system, spend time researching the questions and problems your audience experiences the most.
Do your research. Interview past clients, conduct keyword research, and/or look at online forums to better understand what your audience experiences and common questions they have. The information found in your research may provide invaluable information as you search for hot topics for your blog post.
Once you know who you want to target, develop a list of people that you'd like to reach. If the list is properly targeted, it doesn't have to be very large.
Use this list to build a custom Facebook audience and further create an expanded lookalike audience to increase the number of potential targeted prospects.
In order for your promotion to work, add a "content upgrade" to the blog post you created. This is an offer for related content made inside the blog post that entices visitors to exchange an email address to receive the upgraded version of the content as well. Your content upgrade can be in the form of a checklist, ebook, or even a video. The email should then be used for follow-ups and lead nurturing efforts.
Once your audience is in place, create Facebook ads driving people to your piece of content. To make things easier, you can even promote your blog post in a status update and "boost" your post to the custom or lookalike audience you created to get their eyes on it. The post will then show up as a sponsored post in the timelines of those you've targeted.
Once a person responds to your content upgrade offer, reach out to them and offer a valuable service for no charge as a way to demonstrate how great it is to work with you and the type of service they can expect.
Make sure that your prospect is qualified to move forward before you propose any services to them. Remember, you want to enjoy working with them too. Even if they're an ideal client on paper, they may not be the best match based on personality which can make it a difficult working relationship for both of you.
Provided all seems good to go, be sure to understand your lead's objectives, goals, and potential challenges.
Once the lead is qualified, over deliver on what you promised as you set the appointment. Identify the ways you can truly help them and really show them the value of working with you.
The key here is to help your lead tell you in their words what's wrong and what not fixing it costs them. Listen to them before you mention anything related to your services.
Once you've heard their story, at that point you can identify ways to help them, but just make sure they know they have been heard. Show them how they can get immediate and long-lasting results by hiring you.
A customer generating system doesn't have to be that complex, but it does have to be based on your overall growth needs and goals, so make sure you know what those are from the beginning.
As a professional services provider, your website should be your most valuable marketing asset and the hub of all of your marketing efforts. Your website shouldn't just be a pretty design that people can look at. It needs to act as an actual tool for your business and work as a lead generating machine.
Get found – Search engine optimization (SEO) should be a priority for your business to help you rise above the competition in search engine results pages.
Build trust – I write more about this below as well, but your website needs to work the way your customers need it to and expect it to. You need to instill confidence in your audience.
Educate and inform – Help your audience understand what their problems and challenges actually are and how to solve them.
Nurture and convert – This is where the whole lead generation component comes into play. It's common for people to visit your website numerous times before deciding to work with you. To ensure you stay top of mind, put enticing forms and CTAs in place (that link to valuable resources) to get their email address and continue to create valuable content that is relevant to their stage in the customer journey. This will help to move them closer to the sale.
I'm not going to lie, after working with countless professional services businesses over the years I can say that many websites look the same. They have the exact same structure and messaging (this even applies across industries) and it can be difficult to separate one business from another.
To help you stand out from the crowd, keep the points mentioned in this post in mind.
Now, the core of this is that you have to have a deep understanding of who your audience is in order to speak to them directly. You want them to feel special when they land on your site and this happens best when they feel an emotional connection with your messaging.
Focus on the messaging on your audience, not your business (i.e. replace "we" with "you"). It will resonate much better with them if you take this approach (easier said than done, but it's a must).
Write as if you're talking to one specific person, not a group of people.
Avoid using jargon. This is especially important for professional services. It can be so easy to get caught up in your everyday lingo, but the fact of the matter is, it doesn't always make you sound smart. It confuses your audience more often than not because they don't understand what you're saying.
Write conversationally. This makes your business less intimidating and can make your prospects feel like you're talking to them, rather than at them.
As mentioned, so many professional services websites look and feel the same, so you need to find a way to stand out. To do this, take a look at your brand's company, culture, and services, and identify what makes you unique.
A good place to start is by looking at your culture (the most relatable aspect of your business) and showcase your culture through storytelling and various aspects across your site. You will have competition that provides the same services as you, but your company's personality can truly set you apart.
Let your audience know who you are. Create an about page, show pictures of your team, share fun facts, and so on. Provide your mission and values that people can connect with. There are so many things that you can do. Start thinking of what these are and add them to your site ASAP.
You know the phrase, "you need to dress to impress?" Well, this saying goes for your website as well. Your website is often a potential customer's first impression, so you need to make it a good one. Make sure the visuals assist with guiding people through the buying process and that they accurately represent your culture and target audience.
Do the best you can to avoid common stock photos. They make you appear less authentic.
Take a look at your competitors' websites when putting the design together. While you may be able to gather a few good ideas from what they're doing, you should also look at them as designs to stay away from.
Your customers are busy and are likely researching your business on the go, so you need to provide a stellar user experience for them on their handheld devices. Google is actually penalizing sites that aren't optimizing for mobile, so to avoid frustrating potential customers and losing rank in search, optimize ASAP.
A promise and sub-promise – You need to make a clear promise that will solve your customers' problems. A sub-promise is a trust factor that a company offers (such as "Kansas City's most trusted"). Make sure these elements are clear.
A call to action (CTA) – CTAs help to guide people through the customer journey and advise them on next steps. It provides a clear path for customers to take and removes ambiguity.
Contact information – Make it easy for people to get ahold of you. This is especially important for local businesses since a company's NAP (name, address, and phone number) is a local ranking factor.
Video – Video allows you to give people an understanding of your personality, who you are, what you stand for, and let people hear your story. Some of your clients or customers may be intimidated by the professional services you provide, so providing an element that can humanize you or establish an emotional connection is ideal. A video can do just that.
Trust, proof, and authority elements – As a company that provides professional services, I can almost guarantee you are being compared to others that provide the same services you do before a person makes a decision on who they want to work with. To stand out, you must do your very best to include the following elements on your homepage: testimonials, client logos, association badges, client results, case studies, media recognition, and awards.
Fresh content – In order to best serve your prospects and clients, you need to always be providing valuable information for them. It shows your company is active and cares about the audience's experience with your brand.
Core services – One of the things many companies don't do enough of is list out their core services on their homepage. This can be a point of differentiation but can also help boost your SEO because it provides a good user experience.
If you own or run marketing for a professional services business, what are you doing on your website to help separate you from the competition?


text:
HBRACC Blitz Build
Meet the Homeowners
Apply for home
Our board of directors is made up of dedicated individuals from many fields, including construction, real estate, social services, finance, and faith leadership. Their collective expertise helps guide our programs, informs our strategic direction, and assesses the effectiveness of our organization. These men and women lead us in our mission to build homes, hope, lives, and community.
President - Nancy has spent 40 years as a consultant to the food ingredient industry, 22 of those years at Arthur D. Little, Inc., where she was Vice President and managing director of the company's international consulting practice to the food, beverage and food ingredient industries. Currently, she is a partner of TFG (formerly The Food Group) a boutique consulting firm focused on the food ingredient industry. Her consulting activities focus on helping clients understand the critical interfaces among technology investment, business strategy and market opportunities. Nancy was a member of the Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod's 25th gala event committee and has been a volunteer in the Habitat office helping in resource development. She splits her time between her homes in West Yarmouth and Waltham.
Debra Anderson
Clerk – Deb is an Assistant Vice President of Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, working in their Trust and Asset Management Group as an Estate Officer. Deb has over forty years of financial and banking experience with Cape Cod Five and other financial institutions. She has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for many years, working not only on the first women's build in Harwich, but has also been involved in some capacity with other builds, working on the Credit Review Committee, and she is currently running the Financial Workshops and budget meetings for new homeowners with another Cape Cod Five volunteer. Deb was first introduced to the Habitat organization through her church, Dennis Union, who covenants with Habitat on an annual basis. Deb resides in the Town of Dennis with her husband, Gary. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her large family, children and two grandchildren.
Warren Brodie
Warren is the principal of Law Offices of Warren H. Brodie, P.C., a law firm with offices in Falmouth and Wellesley, MA. The firm specializes in construction law and litigation, including the representation of developers, general contractors, subcontractors and material suppliers at all levels of the judicial process, including the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court. Warren has been involved with Habitat since 2003 primarily with land acquisition and permitting, including Comprehensive Permits under Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 40B. Warren has been involved in over 80 Habitat homes.
Peter is a management consultant and founded his own practice, Four Bays Consulting Group, after holding management and consulting roles at IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and several startups. His work focuses on technology-enabled business strategy and financial analysis. Peter formerly served two terms as Habitat Treasurer and currently participates in the Finance and ReStore Committees. He supports many Cape Cod and national charities. Peter and his wife, Joan, reside in Osterville where they enjoy many outdoor activities.
Jaime Carey
Jaime is a former Chief Operating Officer and Chief Merchant of Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world's largest retail bookseller. His senior leadership responsibilities included the areas of strategic planning, marketing, merchandising, e-commerce and new store development. Jaime served for eight years on the Board of the National Book Foundation, the presenter of the National Book Awards. He is currently a member of the Advisory Committee for Habitat's ReStores here on the Cape. In addition, he is a family partner and construction volunteer. Jaime and his wife Rosemary live in North Falmouth near the Shining Sea Bikeway, which they both love to ride.
John DeMello
John has served as President and CEO of The Barnstable Group since 2011. In his words, "CEO should stand for Chief Explanation Officer because providing context and teaching are the most important aspects of the position. Being the CEO of The Barnstable has been a great fit, allowing me to add value to an already great business." A 1988 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with a Bachelor's degree in Finance and Accounting, John joined The Barnstable in 1996 as Treasurer. The needs of policyholders, who count on The Barnstable to put their lives back together at their greatest time of need, and the partnerships with its independent agents are particularly important to him. For John, a life-long resident of Dartmouth, each crossing of the Sagamore Bridge reinforces that the Cape is an island with its own unique culture and geography. "I love the ocean," he adds, "and spend most of my free time on the water boating and fishing." He believes in Habitat's mission to sustainably provide access to affordable housing on Cape Cod.
Rabbi David Freelund
David is the rabbi of the Cape Cod Synagogue in Hyannis where he has been for the last thirteen years. Prior to living on the Cape, he served a community in Tucson, AZ where he was introduced to Habitat. His other interests include music, cooking, and social justice. He and his wife, Bettina, live in Centerville.
Peter Kimball
Peter is president of AP Kimball Construction based in Yarmouth Port. He has more than 10 years of residential construction management and 30 years of business experience. Peter was team leader for Blitz Build 2013 in Orleans, where the Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod (HBRACC) built a Habitat home in one week. He currently serves on the Town of Yarmouth Old Kings Highway Historic Committee as well as on the Board of Directors of HBRACC. Peter resides in Yarmouth Port with his wife and business partner, Angela.
Josh Jalbert
Josh S. Jalbert has worked at Shepley Wood Products of Hyannis for 8 years and is currently in an Outside Sales position. He was born and raised on Cape Cod into a large family. He has 13 aunts and uncles most of whom still live and work on the Cape and too many cousins to name! He grew up in the home building industry and is proud to be serving Habitat and the local community in which he lives. He currently resides in South Dennis and enjoys spending time on the beach or at the parks with his wife Farran and son Russell.
Steve Jenney
Steve is CEO and President of Oceanside, Inc. Steve has been involved in the restoration industry for over 25 years. Serving as Director of Operations at Oceanside for over 20 years and having worked previously as an Insurance Adjuster for a local adjustment firm. In 2012, Steve had the opportunity to purchase Oceanside, Inc. Steve holds a Mass. Construction Supervisors license as well as many other certifications. He was born and raised on Cape Cod and attended schools in Yarmouth. He now lives in West Barnstable with his significant other, Eileen Kennedy. He is the proud father of three daughters and two stepsons. Four of their five children have recently graduated from college and the youngest is in her junior year at Seton Hall. Steve and Eileen are avid golfers and spend time between the Cape and Myrtle Beach when the weather changes. Oceanside is proud to be a supporter of many charitable organizations on the Cape including Cape Kids Meals, Community Connections, Cape Cod Military Foundation, and the Sandwich Food Pantry to name a few.
Patricia Mormann
Patricia, now retired, has thirteen years of marketing and communications experience in the HVAC industry. In addition she also served as a market analyst and director of business development. She has background in governance and strategic planning and appreciates the special challenges volunteer organizations face. Initial Habitat involvement grew from church mission trips to the Gulf coast following hurricane Katrina. After moving to the Cape in 2011, she and her husband have increasingly supported the work of Habitat in this region.
Kathleen Nagle
Kathleen is a top producing Real Estate Agent with Kinlin Grover working out of their Wellfleet office. She specializes in representing clients who want to purchase single-family homes or income/investment property on the outer Cape. Prior to moving to the Cape she worked for the Nine West Group at their corporate headquarters in Stamford, CT. When Kathleen moved to the Cape in 2000, she was introduced to Habitat by working on a build site in Orleans as well as in Chatham. From there she served on the Family Selection Committee, and then as a Family Partner in Eastham and Wellfleet. Kathleen lives in Wellfleet.
Sue Partridge
Sue is an HR professional with over 25 years of experience. She is Director of Human Resources for Convention Data Services in Bourne, MA, where she's been for 10+ years. She's also held HR leadership positions in healthcare and human services, and began her career in banking and manufacturing. Sue is active with the Cape Cod Human Resources Association, currently serving as VP/Program Chair. She also serves on the SHRM MA State Council. Sue earned her BA from Bridgewater State University and holds SPHR and SHRM-SCP designations. She grew up in Norwood, MA, spent much of her adult life in the Wrentham and Plainville areas, moving to the Cape 11 years ago, when the nest emptied. Sue and her husband Brad live in West Barnstable with their 13 year old Bichon Frise. They are very lucky to have 2 sons, 2 daughters-in-law and a precious granddaughter who they love to spend time with. Sue also enjoys the beach, yoga, reading and all the other good things life on the Cape can offer.
Jill Scalise
Jill has been helping to reduce homelessness, professionally and on a volunteer basis, for 25 years. She has a Masters of Social Service with a concentration in Advocacy, Planning and Program Development. Since 2004 she has worked for the Cape Cod Council of Churches as the Director of Case Management and Hospitality Housing, where she helps those seeking housing and provides support services to those now in housing. "I believe my experience will be helpful in understanding both the needs of, and resources for, families moving into Habitat homes." Jill lives in Brewster.
Leslie Schneeberger
Leslie took the helm of the Siemasko + Verbridge, SV Design, Chatham office in 2015, where she heads up SV Design's practice on the Cape and Islands. A long-time Cape Cod resident and accomplished architect, Leslie has a passion for designing innovative buildings that complement their surroundings, elevate the community and enrich their owners' daily lives. Over the past fifteen years, she has designed and administered the construction of custom homes and commercial projects throughout the Cape. Leslie earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Colorado; a BA from St. Lawrence University; and studied Interior Design at Pratt Institute. She serves on the building committees for the Monomoy Regional High School and the Cape Cod Technical High School and Facilities Committee for Pleasant Bay Community Boating. Leslie is passionate about community projects that make Cape Cod a more vibrant place for year-round living. She lives in Chatham with her wonderful family – husband and two girls – who give her a great inventive to make the Cape, our community, the best it can be.
Father Joe Towle
Joe is a retired Catholic Priest who has always been dedicated to working with people on the margin, whether in Latin America or in the United States. He is an active volunteer with both the Family Pantry of Cape Cod in Harwich and Habitat for Humanity, where he is a regular on the construction sites. Joe says "I look upon construction with Habitat as an undoing of some of the destruction in the world." Joe lives in Harwich Port.
Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod
411 Main Street (Route 6A) Suite 6
Copyright 2018, Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod. All rights reserved.
"Habitat for Humanity®" is a registered service mark owned by Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat® is a service mark of Habitat for Humanity International.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Originally slated for a March debut, Jordan Brand's "Pinnacle" edition of the Air Jordan 4 is finally set to hit retailers this upcoming weekend. Looking something like a Don C. collab, the luxurious version of the classic silhouette opts for a clean combination of black and white to highlight details like scaly tumbled leather construction, faux pony hair applications and metal hardware.
Finished with black laces and matching leather lining, the Air Jordan 4 "Pinnacle" will hit spots this Saturday, April 9 in limited quantities.
Willow Joins "Punks And Poets" To Design Her Own Collection Of Socks!
Nike Zoom Kobe Icon White/Gum.
"Lemonade" Merch Is Now On Sale!
Khloe Kardashian Has Wrapped Her Car In VELVET!


text:
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII">
<title>Header <boost/units/physical_dimensions/luminous_flux.hpp></title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="../../../../../../../../doc/src/boostbook.css" type="text/css">
<meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.76.1">
<link rel="home" href="../../../../index.html" title="Chapter 1. Boost.Units 1.1.0">
<link rel="up" href="../../../../dimensions_reference.html" title="Dimensions Reference">
<link rel="prev" href="luminance_hpp.html" title="Header <boost/units/physical_dimensions/luminance.hpp>">
<link rel="next" href="luminous_intensity_hpp.html" title="Header <boost/units/physical_dimensions/luminous_intensity.hpp>">

Home
Libraries
People
FAQ
More

Header <boost/units/physical_dimensions/luminous_flux.hpp>

namespace boost {
  namespace units {
    typedef derived_dimension< luminous_intensity_base_dimension, 1, solid_angle_base_dimension, 1 >::type luminous_flux_dimension;  // derived dimension for luminous flux : I QS
  }
}

Copyright © 2003-2008 Matthias Christian Schabel
Copyright © 2007-2010 Steven
      Watanabe

        Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
        file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2019.17945
Why national databases are necessary for pediatric and congenital heart surgery practice?
Tayyar Sarıoğlu1, Ersin Erek1, Yusuf Kenan Yalçınbaş2
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Division of Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery, Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
2Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Acıbadem Bakırköy Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
DOI : 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2019.17945
In international experience, performance improvement, patient safety, and quality assurance are mainly based on database studies in the field of pediatric and congenital cardiac surgery. Data collection and analysis of the databases allow the clinician to identify the complexity, to predict possible risks and complications, and to appropriately evaluate the outcomes and performances. Recently, the Children"s Heart Foundation Working Group has developed a database project in Turkey based on the parameters and methodologies of the international databases, namely the Pediatric Heart Surgery National Database. Currently, it is a must for us to put this project into practice to reach the global standards in the pediatric and congenital heart surgery in our country. We believe that all children with congenital heart disease should have an opportunity to benefit from the most recent medical and surgical treatment modalities with the most favorable results.
AbstractReferences
Over the past three decades, the concept of quality has evolved in every aspect of daily life. From the philosophical and overall perspective, quality can be defined as an attempt to reach perfection. In other words, it is the degree of excellence with commitment and aim to do best in any work, production, or service industry. However, this aim is not an abstract desire or demand. For the quality improvement and assurance, a methodological system based on the accurate assessment and evaluation process, identification of problems, and solution and improvement must be functioned.[1]
Considerable improvements and advancements have been made in pediatric and congenital heart surgery over the past six decades. The increased success rates in complex congenital heart malformations in neonates and infants have promoted further expectations and efforts to be undertaken to predict perioperative risks and early and late complications and to improve the patient outcomes. In recent years, several studies carried out in developed countries to improve quality and patient safety using data collection and outcome analysis have led to improved quality and patient safety. From this point of view, we hold the responsibility for delivering all treatment opportunities with best possible outcomes for each child with congenital heart disease in Turkey. The liability is primarily held by pediatric cardiac surgeons and cardiologists, medical societies, health policymakers and health management authorities. In this context, the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery National Database Project of the Children"s Heart Foundation (CHF) is one of the mainstays to fulfill this responsibility.
Improvement of the performance and quality assurance in pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery are mainly based on database projects.[2-4] Data collection and analysis of the databases allow the clinician to identify the complexity, to predict possible risks and complications, and to accurately evaluate the outcomes and performances. We believe that our national database project would pave the way for reaching the global standards in the pediatric and congenital heart surgery practice.
The national database project of the CHF has been designed as a national data collection and analysis system. It offers to maintain quality and performance assurance and to optimally coordinate the pediatric heart health and congenital heart surgery procedures in Turkey. It is also a guide to identify national socioeconomic policies on pediatric heart health, to ascertain necessities and priorities, to provide budget and financial support, to utilize sources appropriately, and to evaluate productivity. It is also helpful to shed light into several issues including the number of pediatric heart centers, geographical distribution, architectural and technological infrastructure, human resources, and administrative organization and to provide basis for scientific studies and publications in accordance with the international standards.
International systematic studies on the quality improvement and patient safety in the pediatric and congenital heart surgery practice date back to 1990s.[2-4] Extensive studies conducted by the Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS), the European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery (EACTS), and the European Congenital Heart Surgeons Association (ECHSA) are ongoing. Initially, the STS and EACTS jointly adopted the uniform diagnostic, procedural, and complication codes (Nomenclature and Coding System) and, later on, the STS and ECHSA database projects were developed to collect data from national and international sources.[2-6] According to each procedure, risk factors, difficulty level, complication rates, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality were classified. In this context, at the beginning, the STS-Risk Adjustment Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-I) method was used. Currently, however, the Aristotle Complexity Score developed by the EACTS (ECHSA) Congenital Heart Surgery Database and STAT Mortality Scores and Categories developed by the Joint STS-EACTS Congenital Database Committee have been used.[5,6] Databases compare and classify the outcomes according to these results and performances.[7,8] The STS National Database Initiatives, on a regular basis, announce data regarding operative mortality and length of hospital stay related to the common index procedures.[9-11] In addition to STS and ECHSA databases, national database projects are being conducted in Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia recently. In January 2017, the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery (WSPCHS) attempted to develop a global database (World Database). This project, which particularly encourages the participation of the developing countries, has been carried out by the Alabama University, United States, World Database Team under the supervision of James K. Kirklin.[12,13]
In recent years, many attempts have been made to develop a national database in Turkey.[1,14,15] The meetings of the Turkish Children"s Heart Health Platform organized by the CHF, Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery (TSCVS) and the Turkish Pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery Association (TPCHSA) with the participation of the Turkish Ministry of Health and Social Security Institution (December 2012 and 2013, Istanbul), the Children Heart Centers workshops jointly held by the TSCVS and Turkish Ministry of Health (September 2016, Istanbul), the Joint Database Workshop by the TSCVS, Turkish Society of Cardiology (TSC), and TPCHSA (February 2017, Izmir) have highlighted the importance of national databases and the basic principles have been discussed.
In practice, international databases may be restricted by several limitations to analyze data and may be unable to meet the all expectations of the data registry centers and national requirements. The transferred data are at the risk of becoming almost disappeared or lost in the data pool. The annual fee of data transfer is also not affordable for many centers, and the registry does not allow the user to analyze their own data. To illustrate, the basic inquiry is unable to be performed including the number of neonates operated and the outcomes of a procedure. As a data input center to the EACTS Congenital Database for many years, we have only a simple volume-complexity-outcome bubble graphic.[14] In addition, with the introduction of annual fee, we are unable to reach our own data. Also, the systems configured by the foreign companies pose several challenges in the maintenance with expensive installation and maintenance fees. In 2000s, the TSCVS settled an agreement with the Dendrite Database; however, this attempt failed due to sluggish processes and non-affordable costs. Considering all these facts, it is, currently, a must for us to establish a national database on pediatric heart surgery using national resources and facilities.
Recently, the CHF has obtained the results of its long-term efforts in which we developed the national Pediatric Heart Surgery Database. This program has been designed as a web-based online national system. It allows data input from all centers in Turkey. It is configured as a rapid, simple, and user-friendly software. It is open to have further requirements and expectations. A professional software company is responsible for the technical support, maintenance, and follow-up.[16]
The database has been developed in accordance with the variables and methodologies of the international databases including STS-EACTS Nomenclature and Coding System for diagnostic, procedural, and complication codes. The complexity, risk factors, and difficulty level of an individual procedure are evaluated using the Aristotle Complexity Scoring and STAT Mortality Scores and Categories with certain adaptations. Through this attempt, it would be possible to compare our experiences and knowledge with global data.
The main advantage of the national Pediatric Heart Surgery Database is that it allows the user detailed data analysis. Currently, the global databases lack of an extensive preliminary analysis reporting system. Our national database offers 10 online analysis reporting forms for data analysis (examples: Figure 1 and 2), as follows:
Figure 1: The simplified Aristotle complexity category statistics in the national pediatric heart surgery database.
Figure 2: Comparison of centers according to the STAT mortality scoring system in the National Pediatric Heart Surgery Database.
1. The number of centers and patients
2. Procedures and results
3. The number of procedures, mortality rate, and mean Aristotle scores
4. The number of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)/ventricular assist devices (VADs) and results
5. Complications
6. Age group statistics
7. Simplified Aristotle Complexity Category statistics and STAT mortality categories
8. Comparison of hospital scores
9. The number of procedures and results according to the priority status of the operations
10. The length of hospital and intensive care unit stay according to the procedure
This database offers instant access to the data analysis in active graphics. It also allows all participating centers to access their own statistics and results and to compare their results with other results in the online setting. The users are also able to reach the number of participating centers and the total number of patients and the overall results. On a regular basis, the database offers data analysis reports of selected most common index procedures.
It has been anticipated that the execution and management of the national database project by the TSCVS in accordance with the local regulations. The verification audits can be carried out by an empowered commission of the society. Of note, the identities of the participating centers are kept confidential and no comment or status for a specific center are permitted. In addition, necessary precautions have been taken to keep personal health data confidential. The participation is on a voluntary basis. The database also enables another version for the users to solely registry and analyze their own data. Undoubtedly, as in all data registry and analysis system, accurate and complete data registry is of utmost importance for the national database to obtain successful and beneficial results.
It is obvious that the quality is a more important measure in healthcare systems than other work, production, and service industry. As the CHF, our first work on quality concept dates back to nearly 20 years ago. In March 2002, for the first time in Turkey in a hospital in which we, as the CHF, were the founding managers and administrators, we were awarded with the accreditation certificate of the Joint Commission International (JCI)[17] which was established to accredit healthcare organizations around the world and developed measures in quality and patient safety. With this occasion, international healthcare standards and quality concepts were introduced to the Turkish healthcare sector. Later on, the Turkish Ministry of Health, Directorate of Healthcare Services, Office of Quality and Accreditation was established, bringing the patient safety and quality control in healthcare centers to the forefront. In this context, we believe that the national Pediatric Heart Database project of the CHF will be a remarkable progress to reach the global standards in the pediatric and congenital heart surgery practice. All children with congenital heart disease should have an opportunity to benefit from the most recent medical and surgical treatment modalities with the most favorable results. Being committed to this effort, it is our mission to put the project of the CHF into practice.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.
1) Sarıoğlu T. Genel değerlendirme. Türkiye I. Çocuk Kalp Sağlığı Platformu. İstanbul: Çocuk Kalp Vakfı Yayınları; 2013.
2) Lacour-Gayet F, Maruszewski B, Mavroudis C, Jacobs JP, Elliott MJ. Presentation of the International Nomenclature for Congenital Heart Surgery. The long way from nomenclature to collection of validated data at the EACTS. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2000;18:128-35.
3) Maruszewski B, Lacour-Gayet F, Elliott MJ, Gaynor JW, Jacobs JP, Jacobs ML, et al. Congenital Heart Surgery Nomenclature and Database Project: update and proposed data harvest. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2002;21:47-9.
4) Jenkins KJ, Gauvreau K, Newburger JW, Spray TL, Moller JH, Iezzoni LI. Consensus-based method for risk adjustment for surgery for congenital heart disease. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002;123:110-8.
5) Lacour-Gayet F, Clarke D, Jacobs J, Comas J, Daebritz S, Daenen W, et al. The Aristotle score: a complexity-adjusted method to evaluate surgical results. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2004;25:911-24.
6) O"Brien SM, Clarke DR, Jacobs JP, Jacobs ML, Lacour- Gayet FG, Pizarro C, et al. An empirically based tool for analyzing mortality associated with congenital heart surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2009;138:1139-53.
7) Jacobs JP, Mayer JE Jr, Mavroudis C, O"Brien SM, Austin EH 3rd, Pasquali SK, et al. The society of thoracic surgeons congenital heart surgery database: 2016 update on outcomes and quality. Ann Thorac Surg 2016;101:850-62.
8) Jacobs JP, O"Brien SM, Pasquali SK, Gaynor JW, Mayer JE Jr, Karamlou T, et al. The society of thoracic surgeons congenital heart surgery database mortality risk model: Part 2-clinical application. Ann Thorac Surg 2015;100:1063-8.
9) Jacobs JP, Shahian DM, D"Agostino RS, Mayer JE Jr, Kozower BD, Badhwar V, et al. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database 2018 Annual Report. Ann Thorac Surg 2018;106:1603-11.
10) Jacobs JP, Mavroudis C, Jacobs ML, Maruszewski B, Tchervenkov CI, Lacour-Gayet FG, et al. What is operative mortality? Defining death in a surgical registry database: a report of the STS Congenital Database Taskforce and the Joint EACTS-STS Congenital Database Committee. Ann Thorac Surg 2006;81:1937-41.
11) Overman DM, Jacobs JP, Prager RL, Wright CD, Clarke DR, Pasquali SK, et al. Report from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database Workforce: clarifying the definition of operative mortality. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg 2013;4:10-2.
12) Jacobs JP, Tchervenkov CI, Stellin G, Kurosawa H, Mavroudis C, Jatene MB, et al. History of the world society for pediatric and congenital heart surgery: The first decade. World J Pediatr Congenit Heart Surg 2018;9:392-406.
13) Available from: http://www.uab.edu/medicine/wdpchs/
14) Erek E, Yılmaz B, Kaya M, Selen Onan İ, Şen O, Öz K, et al. Analysis of results according to the aristotle scoring system in congenital heart surgery. Turk Gogus Kalp Dama 2014;22:509-16.
15) Yıldız O, Kaşar T, Öztürk E, Tüzün B, Altın HF, Onan İS, et al. Analysis of congenital heart surgery disease. A comparison of four systems. Turk Gogus Kalp Dama 2018;26:200-6.
16) Available from: https://www.ckcv.org/
17) Available from: https://jointcommissioninternational.org/
Keywords :	Outcome analysis, patient safety, pediatric and congenital heart surgery, quality improvement
Viewed : 0
E-mail to Author


President Obama said Wednesday he intends to nominate Joseph A. Smith, Jr. to be the new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
FHFA is the regulator and conservator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the regulator of the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks, according to the agency's website.
Smith is North Carolina Commissioner of Banks, an agency charged with the bank supervision and consumer regulation. Smith is a graduate of Davidson College and the University of Virginia Law School and is licensed to practice law in New York and North Carolina.


It's funny how the efforts of hundreds of astronomers have been converted into memes.
Internet is a funny place. It's even funnier how people find humour in the most hopeless place. While growing up and reading dozens of books about black holes, who would have thought that a real image of black hole can be turned into memes. This really happened when NASA announced it's new-found feat; a real image of black hole clicked by Event Horizon Telescope. Hundreds of astronomers painstakingly took the pictures to create history and some bunch of netizens converted it into memes. Here are some of the most hilarious Black Hole memes that are doing rounds on the social media.


Marketing professionals need to be able to adapt new strategies in order to keep their companies relevant. Aaker walks them through the strategic challenges created by the dynamic nature of today's markets. Strategic Market Management, 10th Edition emphasizes a customer perspective and the fact that every strategy should have a value proposition that is meaningful to the customers. Sections are included on energizing the business and how to overcome the barriers that powerful organization silos create to inhibit cooperation and communication. Specific case studies delve into real world and engaging issues.


On the hunt for the purple sweetheart sweet sixteen dresses with beading and ruffles ? Sparkle on your special night in one of our quinceanera dresses! We carry all the hottest trends for Quinceanera 2019. This page collect nearly all kinds of purple sweetheart sweet sixteen dresses with beading and ruffles in this season. If you want to purchase purple sweetheart sweet sixteen dresses with beading and ruffles , this will your best place to choose. All products are of the latest series shown in this page. Just one page can make you find your best fashion one.


text:
// Type definitions for mock-knex 0.3
// Project: https://github.com/colonyamerican/mock-knex
// Definitions by: Jesse Zhang <https://github.com/jessezhang91>
// Definitions: https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped
// TypeScript Version: 2.8

/// <reference types="node" />

import * as Knex from "knex";
import { EventEmitter } from "events";

/**
 * Attaches mocked client to knex instance
 *
 * @param knex initialized knex client
 */
export function mock(knex: Knex): void;

/**
 * Detaches mocked client from knex instance
 *
 * @param knex initialized knex client
 */
export function unmock(knex: Knex): void;

/**
 * Returns query Tracker instance
 */
export function getTracker(): Tracker;

/**
 * The tracker enables you to catch and respond to queries that occur during testing, see Test for more examples.
 */
export interface Tracker extends EventEmitter {
    /**
     * Enables query tracking mock on mocked knex client
     */
    install(): void;

    /**
     * Disables query tracking mock on mocked knex client. Also resets 'step' counter.
     */
    uninstall(): void;

    /**
     * Add event listener for 'query' event. It gets esecuted for each query that should end up in database.
     * Instead of this callback gets executed and its up to you to assert queries and mock database responses.
     *
     * @param callback A function that gets executed on 'query' event.
     */
    on(
        event: "query",
        callback: (query: QueryDetails, step: number) => void
    ): this;

    once(
        event: "query",
        callback: (query: QueryDetails, step: number) => void
    ): this;
}

/**
 * The object containing query details that is being sent to knex database dialect on query execution.
 * Object properties signature matches with knex toSQL() output with additional method returns(values).
 */
export interface QueryDetails extends Knex.Sql {
    transacting: boolean;

    /**
     * Function that needs to be called to mock database query result for knex.
     *
     * @param error The Error, string or instance of Error, which represents why the result was rejected
     */
    reject(error: Error | string): void;

    /**
     * Function that needs to be called to mock database query result for knex.
     *
     * @param values An array of mock data to be returned by database. For Bookshelf this is mostly array of objects. Knex could return any type of data.
     */
    response(values: any, options?: QueryDetailsResponseOption): void;
}

export interface QueryDetailsResponseOption {
    /**
     * Is this a stream response, defaults to false
     */
    stream: boolean;
}


If you would like to receive every new cover of Lindys Pro Football Uk Version Magazine by email as it is released in the UK, please insert email below. We will not send you any other emails and you can stop them at any time.
With American Football taking off in this country, it is only fitting that that the UK gets its own magazine and where better to get this from than the leading U.S. authority on all things gridiron, Lindys Pro Football!
Buy a single copy of LINDYS PRO FOOTBALL UK VERSION or a subscription of your desired length, delivered worldwide. Current issues sent same day up to 3pm! All magazines sent by 1st Class Mail UK & by Airmail worldwide (bar UK over 750g which may go 2nd Class).
Founded in 1982 by Lindy Davis, Lindy's Sports publishes magazines about most of America's main sports and is a renowned and trusted source of news and information about them.
Building on this success and ahead of the two National Football League (NFL) games being played at Wembley this coming autumn, Lindy's Sports is launching its iconic preview magazine into the UK for the forthcoming season, with features and articles just for British fans of the sport.
Since the Miami Dolphins played the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium in 2007, American Football has taken off in the UK in recent years and become a popular late night TV programme.
Not only has there been an official NFL regular season game played in the UK since the original 2007 match, but audiences, both at Wembley and on TV have grown significantly each year and it is estimated that more than 500,000 people have applied for tickets to see a game in this time.
Because of this, the NFL announced that for 2013 there would be two regular season games this year, the first on 29 September when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Pittsburgh Steelers and another on 27 October, when the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the San Francisco 49ers.
As well as this, the NFL has revealed that the Jacksonville Jaguars will play a regular season game at Wembley Stadium every year until 2016, showing a commitment to British NFL fans.
Every year, LINDY'S SPORTS PRO FOOTBALL PREVIEW has the schedule of matches, team rosters with player comments, biographies of drafted players for the coming season, as well as the statistics, match reports, tactics and analysis of the games from the previous season.
In addition to all this, the UK launch issue of the magazine will have a 16-page insert about London as a venue, previous game at Wembley Stadium, debate whether London is ready for a full-time franchise team and take a detailed look at British-born NFL players past and present.
Create your very own LINDYS PRO FOOTBALL UK VERSION subscription using the slider below to select how many issues you would like.
Use the arrows to view and buy single issues of Lindys Pro Football Uk Version Magazine currently in stock, as well as pre-order future issues. WORLDWIDE DELIVERY!


text:
require 'chef/config'
require 'chef/exceptions'
require 'chef/log'
require 'mixlib/cli'

class Chef::Application
  include Mixlib::CLI

  def initialize
    super

    trap("TERM") do
      Chef::Application.fatal!("SIGTERM received, stopping", 1)
    end

    trap("INT") do
      Chef::Application.fatal!("SIGINT received, stopping", 2)
    end

    trap("HUP") do
      Chef::Log.info("SIGHUP received, reconfiguring")
      reconfigure
    end

    at_exit do
      # tear down the logger
    end
  end

  # Reconfigure the application. You'll want to override and super this method.
  def reconfigure
    configure_chef
    configure_logging
  end

  # Get this party started
  def run
    reconfigure
    setup_application
    run_application
  end

  # Parse the configuration file
  def configure_chef
    parse_options

    Chef::Config.from_file(config[:config_file]) if !config[:config_file].nil? && File.exists?(config[:config_file]) && File.readable?(config[:config_file])
    Chef::Config.merge!(config)
  end

  # Initialize and configure the logger
  def configure_logging
    Chef::Log.init(Chef::Config[:log_location])
    Chef::Log.level(Chef::Config[:log_level])
  end

  # Called prior to starting the application, by the run method
  def setup_application
    raise Chef::Exceptions::Application, "#{self.to_s}: you must override setup_application"
  end

  # Actually run the application
  def run_application
    raise Chef::Exceptions::Application, "#{self.to_s}: you must override run_application"
  end

  class << self
    # Log a fatal error message to both STDERR and the Logger, exit the application
    def fatal!(msg, err = -1)
      STDERR.puts("FATAL: #{msg}")
      Chef::Log.fatal(msg)
      Process.exit err
    end

    def exit!(msg, err = -1)
      Chef::Log.debug(msg)
      Process.exit err
    end
  end

end


Cyclamen are tuberous rooted perennials in their native habitat. They are grown for their beautiful flowers that resemble shooting stars.
Cyclamen are native to the Middle East, Cypress, and Crete. They have a common name of Sow Bread because pigs eat the big roots. Their tubers contain cyclamin,� which is harmless to pigs, but, when ingested by humans, can cause gastritis and nervous tension.
The toxicity of cyclamen is destroyed by roasting. In ancient times, tubers were roasted, beaten, and made into small cakes, said to be an aphrodisiac. Much of the folklore about cyclamen refers to love and conception. The power of the plant was considered so great that it was dangerous for a pregnant woman to even step on the plant. There are many other powers believed to be held by cyclamen including: healing snake bites, warding off magic spells, and influencing the affairs of the heart. The essence of the cyclamen is supposed to bring good luck.
Cyclamen persicum is the wild ancestor of the florist cyclamen. The name cyclamen� comes from kuklos, meaning circle. It is thought to have gotten this name from the spiraling of the seed capsule stem to the ground. The original species has pale to pink or white 2 inch fragrant flowers on 6 inch stems. Selective breeding has given us large flowers but lost their fragrance.
Todays cyclamen bloom in late fall to spring in many colors: crimson, red, rose pink, salmon, purples and white. The flowers are usually large, uniform, 3 to 4 inches, borne on 6 to 8 inch stems above kidney-shaped, dark green leaves. Some varieties have silvery marbling on their leaves. Cyclamen have a firm, upright habit and are quite vigorous.
Dwarf or mini cyclamen are popular because their 1/2 to 3/4 size makes them perfect for smaller gardens or for the window sill.
Plant outdoors in southern areas as a fall and winter bedding plant. Cyclamen are a good choice to replace caladiums or impatiens in shady, moist spots. They prefer rich, porous soil with lots of humus. Cyclamen are hardy to 20 degrees F. Plants will lose their leaves and go dormant in hot weather but may survive if drainage is good and soil is not waterlogged or too dry.
Fertilize cyclamen every 3 to 4 weeks with Heirloom Gardens Blooming Plant Fertilizer.


text:
Chanukah Greetings
Alberta Jewish Schmooze
What's Going on in our community?
Jan 19, 2021 | Renowned historian Deborah Lipstadt will speak at Alberta virtual event on January 27
Jan 19, 2021 | Morocco becomes the second Arab country to allow an NGO to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism
Jan 15, 2021 | op/ed: Jews in Alberta should take note of what is happening in Washington DC
Jan 15, 2021 | Partnership 2Gether: Connecting Israel and Canada
Jan 15, 2021 | CNN's Wolf Blitzer describes painful associations of seeing 'Camp Auschwitz' T-shirt
Home News National
0p/Ed: To protect free expression, strengthen hate speech legislation
TOPICS:antisemitismfree speechpolitics
by Corey Shefman
You might want to think twice before swearing that "you'll defend to the death" a person's right to say something you disagree with. That saying, a popular rallying cry in defence of freedom of expression, is misguided at best and sets expression, regardless of its content, on a pedestal which it may not deserve.
Words are powerful. Anyone who has been the target of racism, homophobia, misogyny or other bigotry will tell you that the old adage "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me", is far from accurate. Words hurt. Words can hurt even when nothing comes from them except the vitriol with which they're said. But words can be especially potent in their ability to incite people to violence.
In the wake of the attack on the offices of Charlie Hébdo in Paris, commentators have called for both greater and fewer restrictions on free speech and hate speech. This debate misses the point. The cartoon images of Mohammad, while unquestionably in bad taste, in my opinion, were not hate speech. They do not expose Muslims to hatred or contempt, and they do not incite people to violence against Muslims. I wouldn't buy an issue of Charlie Hébdo, but I also wouldn't ban it.
But at a time when ethnic divisions in North America are at their most visible in fifty years, the way in which free speech exacerbates those divisions must be considered.
Today, Canada's hate speech laws make it a criminal offence to communicate "statements in any public place [which] incites hatred against any identifiable group where such incitement is likely to lead to a breach of the peace." In other words, if your 'free speech' (1) incites hatred, (2) against an identifiable group, and that incitement is (3) likely to cause a breach of the peace, you can be charged with a crime. Even then, however, a charge under that section of the Criminal Code can only be brought against the person who made the speech if the Attorney General consents. The Attorney General's consent provides a significant barrier in even bringing a charge.
Hateful expression might not always rise to the level required for criminal prosecution, yet that fact does not necessarily mean that it is any less hurtful, hateful or harmful.
Until 2013, Canadians who found themselves on the receiving end of hateful speech had another recourse – the Human Rights Act. Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, now repealed by the Harper government, allowed individuals to bring a complaint to an administrative tribunal when "a person or group of persons" communicated "any matter that is likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt" because of the fact that "… those persons are identifiable on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination."
This was the legislation which led to the downfall of white supremacist John Ross Taylor. Similar provisions in Saskatchewan's human rights legislation were used to prevent William Whatcott from distributing jarringly homophobic flyers in Saskatoon and Regina.
Today, Canadians do not have the benefit of the protection of section 13. Hate speech that does not rise to the level required for criminal prosecution will instead simply infect the public discourse.
The common retort to the call for strengthened hate speech legislation is that society will self-regulate. By this argument, those who engage in hate speech will lose their jobs and face social pressure. The theory might sound nice, but when the wife of former Mayoral candidate Gord Steeves was revealed last year to have made racist comments on Facebook, as many people leapt to her defence as condemned her. When a leader speaks out, like Winnipeg's Mayor Brian Bowman and former Grand Chief Ovide Mercredi did last week, you're as likely as not to find commentators on Twitter raising the issue of "anti-white racism".
And in one of the most egregious examples of society not self-regulating, in late-2012, Sun News host Ezra Levant went on-air with a tirade targeting Canada's Roma community (he referred to them as 'Gypsies', a pejorative term), which made use of language reminiscent of the propaganda used by the Nazis before the Holocaust. Although Levant 'apologized' nearly half a year later, the damage was done.
Much to the chagrin of free speech purists, the Supreme Court of Canada Justice Marshall Rothstein found in the Whatcott case that it was acceptable in Canada to restrict freedom of expression where the expression was "likely to expose" the targets to "hatred or contempt."
It is particularly important that the Supreme Court recognized that statutory restrictions on hate speech are not designed simply to prevent individuals from experiencing 'hurt feelings.' Rather, the law stops (or should stop) hate speech which seeks "to marginalize the group by affecting its social status and acceptance in the eyes of the majority."
While the cartoon published by Charlie Hébdo may not have been hate speech, the aftermath of the inexcusable attack on its offices nevertheless reminds us that free expression must have limits. In the aftermath of the attack, one French Member of the European Parliament, Aymeric Chauprade, published a video which claimed that "the roots of violence and totalitarianism are in Islam, even in its sacred texts."
If you want to have a respectful debate about important political issues, Canadians should be able to expect that such a discussion will be had respectfully and in a way which promotes, rather than stifles, debate.
The abuse of free speech to demean and strip minority groups of their basic human dignity has no place in a truly democratic society.
Corey Shefman is a lawyer and activist in Winnipeg, by way of Thornhill, Montreal and 11 summers at Camp BB-Riback. Corey can be found @coreyshefman on Twitter.
Talmud Torah Community Ma Nishtana
5 things to know about Israel's attention-grabbing COVID-19 vaccination spree
'I don't recognize our country today': Jewish lawmakers under siege in Congress give their accounts
10 heartwarming Jewish stories from 2020, a year to otherwise forget
Book review: The Flight Portfolio, by Julie Orringer
A Jewish bartender's 5 tips for perfectly delicious homemade cocktails
Jonathan Pollard arrives in Israel 35 years after arrest for spying
Those we lost in 2020: Remembering the rabbis, pioneers, innovators and family members
I'm Jewish. I love Hanukkah. I'm obsessed with Hallmark Christmas movies.
How Pixar's 'Soul' borrows from an ancient Jewish idea
OPH and JFED announce: Our Parents' Home sold to Revera
Bidens attend mass with Republican, Democratic leaders before inauguration
Departing Trump gets his parade, but few show up for sendoff
Pfizer vaccine appears effective against British virus variant — study
Trax plans to fire dozens of employees as it prepares for $2 billion IPO
Two HMOs say they'll vaccinate those 35 and up, without Health Ministry okay
Belgium Jews join religious faiths' demand to allow more worshipers at services
PODCAST: The Daily Briefing – ToI blogosphere weighs in on end of Trump era
Four years after leaving post, will Dan Shapiro return as old-new US ambassador?
Academy Awards American Politics anti-semitism antisemitism B'nai Brith Canada Benjamin Netanyahu beth israel Beth Israel Synagogue Beth Shalom Synagogue Calgary Calgary Jewish Federation Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Chabad Edmonton Chanukah CIJA COVID-19 Digital Edition Edmonton Edmonton Jewish Film Festival Edmonton Talmud Torah School Edmonton Talmud Torah Society Hanukkah Holocaust Iran nuclear accord israel Jewish Federation of Edmonton Jewish National Fund Edmonton JNF Edmonton Kosher Recipe Kosher Recipes Middle East conflict Netanyahu Parenting Passover Purim Recipes Rosh Hashanah Shavuot Sukkot Talmud Torah Temple Beth Ora University of Alberta US politics Yom Hashoah Yom Kippur


During the coldest and hottest days in Bossier City, your heating and cooling system is an essential ally in keeping your home comfortable. Unfortunately, it's also your worst enemy when trying to reduce your energy consumption. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, your HVAC system could make up nearly half of the energy you use.
That hefty draw of energy makes your HVAC unit a perfect place to start changing your energy habits. Whether you're looking to reduce your carbon footprint or want to lower your energy bill, there are plenty of ways—big and small—to direct how your heating and cooling system expends energy.
The air filters in your HVAC system are important to upholding your home's air quality. They help collect a variety of debris—including dust, dirt and other small particles—and block them from polluting your space. However, more than just your air quality suffers when your filters are full of debris. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a dirty filter can lower air conditioner efficiency by up to 15 percent. Changing out your air filter consistently keeps your system from using an excessive amount of energy. Replace one-inch pleated filters once a month. Remember, filters could need more frequent attention if your HVAC system is in constant use, is subject to dusty conditions, or you have pets inside. Reach out to Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning to find out what frequency of filter change is correct for your system.
If you depend on your HVAC system to run as efficiently as possible, routine maintenance is key. During spring, have an HVAC expert assess your air conditioner and clean its coils, check refrigerant levels, adjust system controls and more. In the fall, have them return to check up on your furnace and make adjustments before the winter weather sets in later. Regular maintenance ensures your equipment is ready to run exactly as it was intended to—with peak efficiency. Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning professionals are trained to help your system get back on track.
Lowering that utility bill can be as simple as adjusting the temperature in your home while you're asleep or not at home. The closer the temp in your house is to the conditions outside, the lower your energy bill can be. However, this doesn't mean you'll need to take drastic measures all the time. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends lowering or raising (depending on the season) your temperature by easily resetting your thermostat when you are asleep or not at the house.
You could make these adjustments manually each day, but a programmable thermostat streamlines the process. These thermostats allow you to set a schedule for your HVAC system and automatically regulates the temperature in your home to meet that temp. A smart thermostat takes your control a step further, usually allowing you to adjust the temperature wirelessly from almost anywhere. Talk with Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning to see if either of these options are a good fit for you.
Old HVAC equipment can be a burden on your energy bill each month. Whether they're no longer operating efficiently, are the wrong size for your home or lack the energy efficiency new systems offer, there's a likelihood your system is costing you extra money if it's more than 10 years old.
When you've decided it's time to look for a replacement system, Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning can give give you a hand. We'll help you understand different efficiency ratings and select a system that will work for your needs.
If you have additional questions about watching your energy costs, need to arrange maintenance or want to discuss new system choices, the team at Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning in Bossier City is prepared to guide you. Reach us at 800-COOLING or schedule an appointment online.


text:
Divorce Lawyers Williamsburg – Local Attorneys VA
Following are some of the top-most divorce attorneys at Williamsburg in Virginia.
Deborah M. Wagner PLC
Martin, Ingles & Ingles, Ltd.
Terry Noland Grinnalds
Miller, Walsh & Kutz, PLLC
1 Deborah M. Wagner PLC
2 Martin, Ingles & Ingles, Ltd.
3 Terry Noland Grinnalds
4 Miller, Walsh & Kutz, PLLC
The full-service law firm of Deborah M. Wagner is sited at 1315 Jamestown Road, Suite 101, Williamsburg, Virginia. Deborah M. Wagner PLC comprises of Deborah M. Wagner who is a renowned Williamsburg divorce attorney, and an associate Michael A. Hyman. Ms. Deborah completed her law education from University of Illinois in 1996 and was admitted to Virginia Bar, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia and U.S. Court of Appeals and Fourth Circuit. She is an active member of Williamsburg Bar Association and Virginia State Bar.
Having been established in 1921 Martin, Ingles & Ingles, Ltd. is located at 6516 Main Street, Gloucester, Virginia. The attorneys of Martin, Ingles & Ingles, Ltd have a reputable name in Williamsburg's public. This law family comprises of two attorneys Breckenridge Ingles and Devin G. Hensley. This law firm covers different areas of law but focuses on family law. The lawyers here try their level best to resolve issues of clients promptly and professionally. Both the attorneys are renowned Williamsburg divorce attorneys. In 1979, Ingles completed his law education from Lee University and joined Virginia Bar. He is a valuable member of Virginia State Bar, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and The Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
Terry Noland Grinnalds,a sole-practitioner, founded his own law firm in the business district at 133 Kings Way, Suite 202, Hampton, Virginia. This law firm also serves Williamsburg County and covers numerous areas of law but the major areas of practice are family and criminal law. Terry's experience and skills have made him a reputable name among Hampton and Williamsburg divorce attorneys. He is a law graduate of College of William & Mary and in 1976 was admitted to Georgia, Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court, in 1977, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Georgia, in 1978, Virginia, Virginia Court of Appeals, Virginia Supreme Court and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, in 1991, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit and in 2006, U.S. Supreme Court. He is a member of Hampton Bar Association, Virginia State Bar and Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.
Miller, Walsh & Kutz, PLLC is located at 610 Thimble Shoals Boulevard, Suite 102, Newport News, Virginia. This four attorneys' law firm is famous over the county for its result-oriented and aggressive legal services. Robin Karl Kutz, Wendy L. Laster, Darrell J. Miller and Michael J. Walsh are the members who also practice in Williamsburg, Virginia. Michael Walsh is the one practicing law as a divorce attorney. He, in 1985 became a law graduate of College of William and Mary and in the same year joined Virginia and U.S. District Court and Eastern District of Virginia. He is a member of Newport News Bar Association and Virginia State Bar.
Automobile Accidents and Injuries


What to do if you're forced to reveal the password for your encrypted documents or somebody tries brute-forcing?
Say you encrypted something. If you used one of the standard algorithms, the only possible ways to decrypt it illegally is to either guess/brute-force or enforce the sender to reveal the pass (i.e. the Rubber-hose attack!) Now, this enables you to transmit that ciphertext in way that it opens up a dummy message by giving up a dummy password (in the rubber-hose case), or runs an executable (in the brute-force case).
Truecrypt had some very interesting features. Plausible deniability was, for example, one of them. However using that feature required you to use the software suite. Regular encryption methods like AES also don't provide anything similar.
Say you want to encrypt a file (e.g. image or a clip etc.) or a text message. Using this software, you'd also encrypt another file or text message and then using a bijective map, generate another ciphertext that opens up the first encrypted content if you feed the the first one's password or opens up the second encrypted dummy content if you feed it its password. This process can go ad infinitum. You merge an encrypted image with the merge of an encrypted clip and an encrypted pdf etc. You could also pair an encrypted executable as the dummy ciphertex. If one enters the dummy password, that executable would be unlocked.
Without loss of generality assume we want to encrypt a plaintext(s). We use standard encryption algorithms like AES (here we used AES-128 CBC mode) to encrypt that text. We encrypt another dummy text as well. Then, we assume the ciphertext is a number in base 256. We change the basis to something larger than 10 but small enough for us to assign alphabets. Here we hexlified those ciphertexts. Now we change them to base 10.
We assume one of the ciphertext is a numerator of a fraction and another ciphertext is the denominator of that fraction. Since both ciphertexts would be integers, the resulting fraction is rational. Since rationals are countably infinite, there exists a bijective map from rationals to natural numbers.
We use such a map, called "Cantor's pairing function". The output of that function, is just a single natural number. We change the base back to 256 and consider it as the ciphertext which is to be transmitted.
To reverse the process, one would evaluate the inverse of Cantor's function by feeding the newly created ciphertext to it. The output is two ciphertexts. If one uses the first password, the second ciphertext won't get deciphered and vice versa.
The double precision floating point backend of Python's Long type which is used for handling of arbitrary large integers will be inaccurate for the outputs of functions whose codomain are the floats for sufficiently large inputs. To do that, we've defined the (de)pairing function in Mathematica and connected the two together.
Having plausible deniability is cool - though I'd probably never use it!
Everything -except AES primitives- have been implemented from scratch.
The process is just transformations on the standard results of AES algorithm which makes it both to be as secure as the vanilla one (because one would be touching the ciphertext which by definition shouldn't have any identifiable information regarding its plaintext) and to be independent of the encryption algorithm (because, again, it's transformations on the ciphertext).
refer to the "challenges" above.
Polish it. Publish it as open source.


text:
https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/CBB-Kansas-State-upsets-No-3-Missouri-11514959.php
CBB: Kansas State upsets No. 3 Missouri
Published 12:00 am EST, Tuesday, February 21, 2012
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Rodney McGruder scored 24 points and Kansas State upset No. 3 Missouri 78-68 Tuesday night, the Wildcats' second win this season over the Tigers.
Kansas State (19-8, 8-7 Big 12) led 40-30 at halftime and by 16 points in the second half before a late run by Missouri (25-3, 12-3) got the Tigers within 63-60.
Missouri trailed by 4 after two free throws by Michael Dixon with 2:21 left, but Jordan Henriquez answered with an alley-oop dunk. The Wildcats extended the lead on two free throws by Henriquez and built a cushion from the foul line in the final minute.
Thomas Gipson added 13 points for Kansas State.
Dixon scored 21 and Marcus Denmon added 19 for Missouri, which fell short of the best start in school history.
No. 7 NORTH CAROLINA 86, N.C. STATE 74
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Kendall Marshall had a career-high 22 points and 13 assists.
Harrison Barnes added 20 points for the Tar Heels (24-4, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who extended their domination of their nearby rivals. North Carolina has won 12 straight meetings and hasn't lost to the Wolfpack (18-10, 7-6) in five years.
The Tar Heels shot 51 percent, including 10 for 19 from 3-point range. And Marshall was a big reason for that success, whether he was knocking down outside shots against sagging defenders or finding teammates for baskets.
C.J. Leslie had a career-high 24 points to go with 12 rebounds for N.C. State, while Lorenzo Brown had 18 points. But the Wolfpack just couldn't keep up with the Tar Heels.
No. 8 OHIO STATE 83, ILLINOIS 67
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Deshaun Thomas scored 19 points and No. 8 Ohio State regained its shooting touch, shooting 65 percent from the field.
William Buford, much maligned for his recent poor shooting, had 17 points, and Aaron Craft added 11 to go with five assists. Jared Sullinger, third in the conference at 17.5 points a game, managed just nine before fouling out.
The Buckeyes (23-5, 11-4) stayed on the heels of Big Ten leader Michigan State with three games remaining. The Spartans are 11-3 in league play heading into a game at Minnesota on Wednesday night. Ohio State will visit Michigan State in the regular-season finale on March 4.
Meyers Leonard had 21 for Illinois (16-12, 5-10), which has lost six in a row and nine of 10.
SETON HALL 73, No. 9 GEORGETOWN 55
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Jordan Theodore scored a career-high 29 points to lead Seton Hall to the signature win it needed for its NCAA tournament resume.
The Pirates (19-9, 8-8 Big East) put on quite a shooting performance against one of the conference's best defensive teams. They shot 61.0 percent (25 for 41), the best against the Hoyas this season and only the third time any team shot 50 percent or better. Georgetown (20-6, 10-5) came in allowing 38.4 percent shooting this season.
Theodore made all five of his 3-poimnt attempts to lead Seton Hall, which finished 8 of 13 (61.5 percent), and that came against a team that was allowing 27.6 percent from beyond the arc this season. The previous best effort from 3-point range against Georgetown was 44.4 percent by Marquette, the only time any team shot better than 40 percent.
No. 12 FLORIDA 63, AUBURN 47
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Kenny Boynton scored 20 points and No. 12 Florida used a hot-shooting night and a huge run in the second-half to overcome 18 turnovers and beat Auburn 63-47 Tuesday night.
But the victory may have been costly for the Gators (22-6, 10-3 Southeastern Conference).
Yeguete, one of the team's best rebounders and the heart and soul of coach Billy Donovan's full-court press, broke his left foot midway through the second half against Auburn (14-13, 4-9).
X-rays confirmed the severity of the injury after the game.


yell at them (cats) for pushing stuff off my shelves.
But… but… but… that is their JOB! You should be congratulating them on doing good work.
They managed to shove a two-inch deep stack of 20x20" Baltic birch sheets off the top of a 6' bookshelf the other day. The whole stack at one time, not just a piece at a time. Freaking annoying beasties.
Okay, they're kinda cute. Mostly when they're sleeping.
Oh, also? They've learned to turn the faucets on in both the kitchen and the guest bathroom. I keep finding them running full force. Good thing we have a well, so there's no water bill!
That is one patient and well trained dog. Every dog I've had would see a let's play tug machine and not a petting machine. It would be humorous for the second or two it lasted.


Looking for a place to speak/practice Japanese, French or English? Do you want to make new friends while enjoying a nice cup of coffee in the process? If yes, then you shouldn't miss this meet up!
The cafe-themed room is for English speakers and the meeting room is for French speakers. Feel free to move around and meet interesting people! Participation fee is 1,000 yen and includes unlimited supply of coffee and cookies.
Meet the Language Ambassadors: Era and Clothilde (French) and Giselle and Maia (English).
Note: This is not a language lesson. This is a place to relax, have fun, and make new friends through a casual conversation in French, English, and Japanese.


"I love how he takes an otherwise mundane event and draws you in. Stellar work!"
"His art made me look up and notice the beauty around me...his murals, paintings, they all intrigue me and capture my attention for hours. A gorgeous artist I am blessed to have found. Now where's the "
"hey ! the art is so pretty I cant think people made them"
"WOW. This artwork is awesome! (And not just because there are bugs in them. LOL)"