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News > Medscape Medical News > Psychiatry News
Genesis of Schizophrenia May Lie in the Placenta
An interaction between gene expression in the placenta and obstetric or neonatal complications may increase schizophrenia risk, new research suggests.
Dr Daniel Weinberger
Investigators found that the expression of schizophrenia risk genes is particularly enriched in the placenta from male offspring, which may explain the higher incidence of the disease in men.
The results underline the importance of the placenta in schizophrenia risk and perhaps in risk for other male-dominated disorders, such as autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Daniel R. Weinberger, MD, director and CEO, Lieber Institute for Brain Development, and professor of neurology, psychiatry, and neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, told Medscape Medical News.
"It's clear that the placenta, at a basic molecular level, mediates some genetic risk for developmental behavioral disorders," Weinberg said.
Yet the placenta remains "profoundly neglected. It's the only organ taken out of a human body that does not routinely get sent to the laboratory for examination but is typically thrown out," he said.
The study was published online May 28 in Nature Medicine.
Gene-Environment Interaction
Both genetic and environmental factors affect schizophrenia risk. But researchers have long wondered how these risks are related.
"The question is, are they independent risk factors, or are they risk factors that actually exaggerate each other's effects, which is the principle of the gene-environment interaction?" said Weinberger.
To examine the interaction of genomic and environmental risks, the researchers used a number of large samples. The "discovery" sample included 501 unrelated white US adults (234 with schizophrenia, and 267 healthy persons) who were participants in the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch Sibling Study of Schizophrenia at the National Institute of Mental Health.
The study also included more than 2000 unrelated adult individuals in four replication samples from Italy, Germany, and Japan. Two were composed of only patients with schizophrenia, and two were composed of schizophrenia patients and control persons.
Researchers calculated the cumulative polygenic risk score (PRS) for each participant. This is a measure of genomic risk, calculated as the weighted sum of risk alleles for schizophrenia from recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs).
Initially, they selected relevant genes mapping to the PRS1 loci. According to Weinberger, on the basis of GWAS significant alleles, PRS1 had a significance of P < 5 X 10-8.
The investigators examined the interaction between PRS and early-life complications (ELCs), which are conditions occurring during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the neonatal period that are potentially harmful to the offspring.
Such complications include hypoxia, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, placenta previa, breach delivery, and premature birth.
The researchers assessed ELCs through medical records and personal interviews. They also used the well-validated McNeil-Sjöström questionnaire, in which each ELC is assigned a severity level of 1 to 6. The severity levels reflect the degree of inferred potential harm to the offspring's central nervous system.
ELCs with a severity weight ≥4 are considered potentially clearly harmful factors or factors that are relevant in fetal stress.
The researchers divided individuals into quintiles on the basis of their PRS1 levels and determined odds ratios associated with being in each quintile compared to the lowest quintile in the absence and in the presence of ELCs.
Investigators responsible for recruitment and clinical evaluation of control persons and patients were blinded to their PRSs and ELCs.
"Dramatic Finding"
In the discovery sample, results showed an interaction between PRS1 and ELCs in patients with schizophrenia. The risk, or "liability," of schizophrenia accounted for by PRS1 was more than five times greater in persons with ELCs compared to those without.
Weinberger said that without information on early-life complications, "you can predict about a 3% probability" of schizophrenia. "But if you know who didn't have an early-life complication and compare that to who did, there is a fivefold increase in prediction liability."
The researchers investigated whether the interaction between genomic risk and ELCs occurred in PRS levels 2-10, constructed from alleles showing association with schizophrenia, but at lesser statistical levels (ie, the associations were not GWAS significant).
They found that the ELC-dependent change in schizophrenia risk variance accounted for by PRS gradually decreased and that PRS2 — which, along with PRS1, showed the strongest association with schizophrenia in GWAS (P < 1 × 10–6) — was the only other PRS to interact with ELCs.
Weinberger stressed that it is the severity of the complications, not their frequency, that matters in the prediction.
The findings were essentially the same in the four replication samples.
The researchers also carried out analyses of RNA sequencing in placental tissue collected at the University of California, San Francisco. The samples came from complicated pregnancies as well as normal pregnancies.
They found that the genes in the regions of the genome that were shown in the clinical samples to interact with ELCs "are much more abundantly expressed" in placentae from complicated pregnancies compared to normal ones, said Weinberger.
They also compared gene expression in placental samples taken from male and female offspring. They found that schizophrenia-related genes that interact with ELCs are much more dramatically expressed in the placentae of male offspring than in those of female offspring.
"This is a very dramatic finding. We have known for a long time that all these developmental disorders are two to four times more common in males than females, and we have never understood how this could be," he said.
At this point, researchers are not certain what accounts for the sex difference in placental gene expression, said Weinberger.
His team examined the potential role of stress response in the placenta. Many factors can put stress on the placenta, including exposure to a virus or smoking.
They found that the more that schizophrenia genes are expressed in the placenta, the more an immune response is generated.
"These effects in the placenta ultimately translate into risk for the fetus," said Weinberger.
Although researchers have long known that prenatal care is critical to early child development, "I think we have never before had an insight at a molecular and genetic level of how this plays out in the placenta," he said.
"Someone once said that the missing link between maternal risk and fetal brain development has been hiding in plain sight for a long time. Now we know it's the placenta," he said.
These new results generate a myriad of questions that, if answered, could provide insights into how to make the placenta healthier, said Weinberger.
"If we can reverse some of what looks like placental stress and genomic risk for stress, we might be able to prevent the emergence of some of these conditions in some individuals," he said.
To that end, the investigators are using stem cell technology to generate what he called "little placentas" from people at high risk for placental stress to try to determine what goes on in these cells very early in their development.
Weinberger predicts that monitoring the state of the placenta and determining what may be a risky threshold of gene expression in that organ will become "a new area of research."
"This is the first clue to a road map that could possibly lead to some type of prevention. This is preventing biology of risk long before this risk really gets established," he said.
The authors note that the frequency of ELCs in the study samples may not be representative of that in the general population.
Weinberger also pointed out that obstetric or neonatal complications occur in an estimated 15% to 20% of pregnancies and that in most cases, these do not lead to negative outcomes.
Commenting on the study for Medscape Medical News, Christopher A. Ross, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, called it "groundbreaking" and "paradigm shifting."
"I think it's one of the most important studies in psychiatric genetics in the past few years," he said.
Researchers knew that genes contribute substantially to schizophrenia risk, but it was assumed that these were genes in the brain, because schizophrenia is a brain disorder, said Ross.
"But what this study puts together is the idea that part of that genetic contribution to schizophrenia actually comes from genes that are predominantly expressed in the placenta," he commented.
Researchers also knew that environmental factors — for example, malnutrition or infections — during pregnancy contribute to schizophrenia risk and that there seem to be subtle developmental abnormalities in people even before they have detectable schizophrenia symptoms.
"What this study basically does, in my view, is put all of those important pieces together and assembles them in an entirely unexpected way," said Ross. "It says that if a mother's placenta is not functioning optimally, that contributes to the risk for schizophrenia."
Although this is "a very first step," extrapolating these findings to treatment possibilities "is exciting," said Ross.
"This study opens up so many different new ways of thinking about schizophrenia, new avenues of investigation, and potentially new preventive interventions," he commented.
In light of these results, psychiatrists may want to "talk more" with their colleagues in obstetrics and pediatrics about avoiding obstetric complications, he said.
Authors' acknowledgements of financial and other support are listed in the original article. Dr Weinberger and Dr Ross have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Nat Med. Published online May 28, 2018. Abstract
Cite this: Genesis of Schizophrenia May Lie in the Placenta - Medscape - May 30, 2018.
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FDA Stands Firm on Deadline for Clozapine REMS Recertification
No More Excuses: Vaccine Trials Prove Clinical Trial Diversity Is Doable
Psychiatric Illnesses Share Common Brain Network
Lipid Signature May Flag Schizophrenia
Diseases & Conditions Schizophrenia
Relapse in Schizophrenia: Why It Occurs, How Often It Occurs, and What We Can Do About It
Emergent Treatment of Schizophrenia
Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia
Fast Five Quiz: What Do You Know About Schizophrenia?
Fast Five Quiz: Schizophrenia Comorbidities
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Major Depressive Disorder: Disabling and Dangerous
Sleep Abnormalities Common In All Stages of Psychosis
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Schizophrenia, ALS Share Genetic Roots
Depression or Early Schizophrenia? New Biomarker May Tell

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Moral/professional dilemma re Institute of Fundraising's new jobs partnership
Home | Topics | Misc | Moral/professional dilemma re Institute of Fundraising's new jobs partnership
This topic has 6 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 11 months ago by
Posted in: Misc
15 October 2004 at 2:52 pm #1850
I find myself in a quandary re the new service announced today that the Institute of Fundraising has entered a partnership with Charityjob.co.uk to promote the latter's online job recruitment service. See:
http://www.charityjob.co.uk/IoFPress.asp
As a long-time member of the Institute, I have to agree by the code of conduct which states:
"All members of the Institute of Fundraising undertake to… ensure that their actions enhance the reputation of themselves and the Institute."
By running a commercial online recruitment advertising service (since 1995 incidentally), UK Fundraising is now effectively encouraging potential advertisers not to support the Institute with their £25-per-job-ad donation. In short, advertise on UK Fundraising and the Institute will lose out on £25 each time. That's hardly enhancing the reputation or financial benefit of the Institute.
The same applies to all the other online recruitment agencies whose staff are members of the Institute.
Sour grapes? Yes, of course, but no I don't think we, The Guardian or other online recruitment services will go out of business as a result. But I think how far the Institute should support and endorse one commercial organisation to the possible detriment of others, especially members' organisations, is an important issue.
Has anyone else found themselves unexpectedly in commercial competition with an element of the Institute's work?
As an "industry"-wide body and practically a QUANGO when it comes to policy/good practice, IMO it is wrong – in fact, I would go so far as to capitalise that – it is WRONG for the IoF to ally itself with any single commercial company.
(NB I am not an IoF member).
Accepting commercial sponsorship is always a thorny question for charities and the institute is no exception. It is a very different relationship to that of accepting a donation and thereby (implicitly) accepting that the donating organisation is a reasonable operator working (one hopes) to the general benefit (and not doing anything inimicable to the charity's objects). However with commercial sponsorship I believe very strongly that the charity should only agree terms – and thereby recommend the service or products – if they are sure that the deal is both the best that the charity could get and also a good deal for its members/supporters/donors.
If the institute are convinced that the deal meets each of these criterea I think its entitled to enter such agreements. Members can (and of course will) decide for themselves what the best service is for them personally.
Did the Institute involve you in the tendering process? One might think, since UKFundraising has been such a longstanding and valued service to the sector, that you should have been consulted, and perhaps asked to tender for the role, if it was decided that such a scheme would be prudent.
However, I don't think you should feel guilty about your service – you were there first!
The Institute of Fundraising is – by definition – run by Fundraisers who will seek to gain every bit of advantage they can, but having said that, and as a proud to be member of the Institute, I do not believe that the Institute should be involving itself in such a service. I thought that the £70 a year I pay to be a member covered the costs of the Institute!
It will be interesting to see if sponsorship from the Guardian (and the like) will still be quite so forthcoming!!
2 February 2006 at 3:52 pm #6855
Charityjob has just increased its fee for Institute of Fundraising members by 60%, although it didn't mention that percentage in its latest email alert:
"You may already be aware that we have been working with the Institute since October 2004. The cost of advertising your fundraising jobs with the Institute has been £25 since our partnership was formed. From January 2006 this has increased to £40 to reflect the growing value of the service."
Source: CharityJOB Employer's Newsletter 2 February 2006
Of course, that's still a very low figure and well below the £199 that UK Fundraising charges. Read their impressive visitor stats and its clearly a good deal.
But, a price rise of 60% from an exclusive partner to the Institute of Fundraising just doesn't reflect well on the Institute, in my view.
Or should I just get over it? 😉
3 February 2006 at 12:12 am #6856
You're a bitter, bitter man… I've had nothing but friendly helpful advice every time I've spoken to someone from IoF. But the institution itself seems to have taken on a life of its own, in the way that a lot of organisations seem to hit a certain size then decide that increasing turnover must equate to achieving its key goals. I halfheatedly resent paying £50 for them to recognise my 10-year-old OU course, and going to the helpful member area of the website, carefully picking a few key issues I don't mind getting email about, then being bombarded with increasingly panicked mails trying to flog me a ticket to the conference. Now I think of it, I don't remember getting a reply to my email asking who their data protection officer was, either.
Hmmm. Maybe we're both bitter, bitter men.
James (MInstF, but not Cert till I part with the pair of ponies)
Funding Research / statistics Technology Finance Celebrity Institute of Fundraising Individual giving Giving/Philanthropy Digital Recruitment / people Volunteering Ireland corporate Management Community fundraising Consulting & Agencies Law / policy Awards Events Trading


There is one thing government could do which I will support. One thing I believe it needs to spend more time doing. It's the one thing government can do best, the one thing government can do which will actually help, and the only thing which can justify taxation.
What is this extraordinary government activity? Nothing.
I support government doing nothing, and I believe it needs to spend more time doing nothing. Nothing government does is better than what the market can do. Government does nothing which helps, and nothing justifies taxation.
This doesn't mean I'm against everything government currently does; I'm against those things being done by government with money stolen from my neighbors who may not want such "services" at all. It's an important difference.
As long as people are going to imagine government is necessary or even desirable, I want it sitting in a donut shop day after day gossiping, eating, and drinking coffee rather than being out there meddling in our lives. I may still have to pay for it, but at least this would limit the additional abuses. If people are truly desperate to encounter government, let them go find it napping in its office, never running free in the community among the people.
It's why I favor gridlock. It's as close to government doing nothing as we're likely to get.
As lawyer, newspaper editor, and politician Gideon J. Tucker once observed, "No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." He noticed this fact back in 1866; the situation has only gotten worse since then.
Gridlock is a partial solution-- the one way, under the current circumstances, we can stay a bit safer from government's probing fingers.
As long as gridlock is paralyzing Washington, DC, neither side will let the other have a win, so new laws aren't being imposed.
While the politicians are at each other's throats, trying to prevent the other side from having its way with us, perhaps they'll be too distracted to find new ways of grabbing for our wallets, touching our bodies, and fighting against our liberty. It may be the best we can hope for until the people stop tolerating a distant gang of criminals always seeking new ways to control their lives.
I'm in favor of anything which helps government approach the ideal of doing nothing, even if it's only temporary and limited in scope. Gridlock is a good start.
Agreed. Nothing is the best thing that government can do.
The reduction of government should be the primary goal of government. Government is a symptom of societal and cultural failures. Once those failures are corrected, government has no further use or purpose and should be reduced or eliminated.
reduction toward elimination is good.
The heaviest element known to science was recently discovered by investigators at a major U.S. research university. The element, tentatively named administratium, has no protons or electrons and thus has an atomic number of 0. However, it does have one neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice neutrons and 111 assistant vice neutrons, which gives it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson-like particles called morons.
Since it has no electrons, administratium is inert. However, it can be detected chemically as it impedes every reaction it comes in contact with. According to the discoverers, a minute amount of administratium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete when it would have normally occurred in less than a second.
Administratium has a normal half-life of approximately three years, at which time it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which assistant neutrons, vice neutrons and assistant vice neutrons exchange places. Some studies have shown that the atomic mass actually increases after each reorganization.
Research at other laboratories indicates that administratium occurs naturally in the atmosphere. It tends to concentrate at certain points such as government agencies, large corporations, and universities. It can usually be found in the newest, best appointed, and best maintained buildings.
Scientists point out that administratium is known to be toxic at any level of concentration and can easily destroy any productive reaction where it is allowed to accumulate. Attempts are being made to determine how administratium can be controlled to prevent irreversible damage, but results to date are not promising.


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Marketer-to-Marketer
Using Video and Audio to Reach Your Audience
by: Pamela Muldoon, Matt Pierce
Can you create a podcast with only audio and never incorporate video? Absolutely, this has been proven with the adoption of radio in the 1900s and the resurgence of audio podcasts with mobile phones.
What about creating a video without audio? Sure! Although it would not be the norm, many people prefer to watch videos online without the audio using closed or open captions to read the content.
And finally, do you even need audio or video in your content marketing? Nope, a blog, article, or book is a great way to reach people who like or prefer reading content.
However, what happens when you mix the three together? Magic!
In this episode, we will demonstrate, and Matt Pierce and Pamela Muldoon will discuss, how using video and audio together can be the approach you have been looking for with your next Content Marketing pivot.
Listen to "Using Video and Audio to Reach Your Audience with Matt Pierce and Pamela Muldoon" on Spreaker.
- Hi, how's it goin'?
- Hey, I'm doing great.
- I'm Matt Pierce.
- Matt, I am Pamela Muldoon. It's really nice to meet you.
- It's nice to meet you too, Pamela.
- It's awesome to meet you.
- Yeah, so let's, I don't know anything about you so let's--
- You're a stranger to me, Matt.
- Let's get to know each other.
- Yeah, for sure.
- Where are you from and what do you do?
- And when you say where am I from, do you mean company or do you want to go back to when I was born?
- Well, your existential existence, you know, where did it start?
- Where are we all from?
- Kind of where are you based out of, company, and role?
- My current position is a campaign and contents strategist for a consulting agency called the Pedowitz Group. And the Pedowitz Group is actually located in Atlanta but we're a remote company so I get to work out of my home office, which is awesome. And I live in Henderson, Nevada currently. My thing is, we have this thing called the Las Vegas Strip. Perhaps you've heard of it.
- [Matt] I have indeed. I've been there once or twice.
- Henderson is where I live but you know, there's these lights in the distance.
- [Matt] It just grows and lights, there are no stars, there's only the strip.
- 24/7. Pretty much, pretty much.
- [Matt] Awesome.
- Yeah.
- [Matt] So what kind of stuff do you do for the agency?
- Well, I'm a strategist, a consultant strategist, which of course, that's kind of a buzzy thing to say, right? But at the end of the day I work with clients to help them put up their campaigns around marketing animation. Say Marketo, Eloqua, et cetera. I write for LeGen, DemanGen. But I do it mainly around the content that they're providing. What are they actually providing to the audience to get the objective. And so it's, you know, work with a lot of enterprise companies. So it's interesting and frustrating sometimes, all at the same time.
- Those things usually go together, right?
- And I'm really glad I work from home because sometimes I just need to walk outside. Turn it all down.
- Turn it off and sorry, bad cell connection. Vegas got in the way.
- Yep, I'm sorry, what, what? Yes, so Matt, you're with TechSmith, I know this.
- Yes.
- So, and all I know about TechSmith are the products that I really play with, which is of course your Snagit and your Camtasia from back in the day, I worked a little bit with that. But what do you do with TechSmith? What's your role?
- So my role is a unique one. I am the learning and video ambassador is my title.
- [Pamela] Wow, learning and video ambassador.
- So my role is a couple fold. One is to come out to events like Content Marketing World, and to give sessions, presentations. So I teach people--
- [Pamela] So the learning really is you teaching?
- Me teaching both in person. I'm also, my background is instructional design.
- Nice.
- So where a lot of people come from the background of, oh, I'm a marketer or I'm a sales person, I'm coming from a learning background, focused on years ago creating tutorials on how to use products like Snagit and Camtasia. And so I come out and speak at conferences, I meet people, I also write content, create content working on this idea of teaching people how to create video through using video to do that. So we know a lot of people, especially at events like this, they're like, hey guys, I want to use video. Or my boss is telling me I have to use video and so what I am, is that, say, here, let me help you to learn some of those fundamentals so that you can start. And it might be just a basic of like here's the most simple basic video you can do, or here's some things that you can do better and learn about more so that you can improve your quality so you can actually do the things that you want to do.
- So because of your instructional design background, do you find that you are better equipped in your own skill set to meet them where they're at?
- I think, yeah.
- 'Cause when you say video that's a huge topic right now, right? From technology to the content, to the angles, to the lighting, right? It gets a little insane. But I'm guessing that with the fact that you've been educating others for a long time, you've written education models, right? Or content that you've really kind of learned how to get very specific and detailed where you need to be. And when you're saying too much because it's too much.
- I mean there's always a risk, especially the more you learn, with anyone. You just get this cursive knowledge where it's like I don't know what I don't know anymore. Or I don't know what I know because there's fundamental layers upon layers. You've gotten complex in your system of thinking. What a basic person's like, I don't even know how to turn the camera on. You're like five steps beyond that 'cause you never even think about turning the camera on.
- Right, so you gotta step back to the basics with these folks.
- Yep, and there's strategies you can pull on and you learn as an instructional designer. Especially if you interview lots of subject matter experts, but I think it does give an advantage in that way, 'cause I'm used to teaching people who are at either ground zero or just above ground zero. But like you said, there's so many things that what to decide to teach on or what people need, I know it's across the board and it's harder to narrow in. Especially when you're talking to a group like--
- Well, a lot of times, we don't even know what we want, like when we come to someone like you, and I'm like, oh, I have to do a video. Well, that's a very broad statement. Yeah, no, I can imagine.
- Absolutely, so it's super interesting. I find it kind of this exciting challenge because I think video is such an important medium for us at this point. And it's so still underdeveloped. Even though it's actually quite big, there's so many different opportunities to do things that are new, to do things that are gonna change the way the industry thinks, or the way your business is working. Because you can get things in there that, even if you're a great writer, it's really hard to do. Like get emotion, get feeling, make it really compelling. You can do that but you can do it on a different level I think with the visual, the audio, the music, and all the components coming together.
- Well, and you said a word that to me is very important, audio. I've been a podcaster longer than this conference.
-That's awesome! I love podcasts.
- So I know one of the things that I was coached to talk to you about, was the importance of audio in video. So I would love just to do a little chit chat around that because I've always told people, 'cause I get the question, I do some podcast consulting. I've helped with that with some companies and some individuals, and I get a lot of questions like, should I do video or a podcast?
- [Matt] Interesting. Oh yeah, which one should I do? Which to me, that's the wrong question to ask. So I love your take on just kind of that methodology 'cause they're coming to you 'cause they already know they wanna do video probably. But when people are asking me that, and it always surprises me. Why are you making a choice? You could probably do both and do them well or work them together in your plan in some way. But then the importance of audio when it comes to video and some of the struggles and opportunities you see.
- Do we have like three more hours today because--
- I think we have as much time as we want.
- I'm interested in your answer for this too. Don't let me just answer and then you not answer 'cause I think with the question of do I do a podcast or do I do video, like I said, I think it's getting at the wrong question because those are just mediums. It's like well do I write for my website or do I do a video for my website?
- [Pamela] I know, right?
- Well, what are you trying to accomplish? Where's your audience and who is it that you're trying to reach? 'Cause we've seen a resurgence of podcasting that's gone, it was kind of big for a little bit and then it dipped and now in the last couple years, we've seen it really grow. Which is interesting though because you look at the top podcasts and a lot of them are professionally produced. Like NPR, which is great--
- [Pamela] Editing resources, they've got professional studios and yeah, yeah, right.
- But I know for a fact that the cost of entry to a podcast, 'cause I've actually started two podcasts. One of them--
- Is the keyword started?
- Started, yes. It's always time and these are personal projects of mine.
- For sure, yeah.
- And one of them, I was highly producing interviews with people called the Backstory Project where I was just like, like you would be someone I'd interview and be like, let's figure out how you got to where you are. And so it was super fun but just a time commitment. And I'm like, okay, with all the other things in life, I can't really do that.
- If you want it done well, you're gonna put the effort and effort, yeah, I totally get it.
- So that, from a cost perspective, yes, of course that's gonna be more or less than some other things you can choose to do. Now the other one I did is actually what I call community-driven podcast. It's called Five Trainers In a Car. So it's a L&D focus. I know, it was a spur of the moment rant. There were five people in this little Mercedes Benz convertible and we're talking about stuff that was really relevant and interesting and somebody said, "This would make a great podcast." And I had a digital recorder and I pulled it out and I said, "Let's do it."
- Oh, that's hilarious.
- And so we did that one episode. Then someone said, "Well, I want to do one." And they're like, "But Matt, you're not here." And I said, "I don't have to be here." And so at events like this, for the L&D space, what I did is said, "You want to make a podcast, "get a couple people together, get in a car, "pick a topic and record it. "Send it to me, I'll probably "have you write content for it or whatever, "but let's do this." You know, we haven't done a ton of episodes and again, there's some time, 'cause if I'm the only person driving it. But the cost of entry was a digital recorder, and that's actually really it 'cause I had, you know you can use free software, or if you have software on your machine you do audio editing. And the quality isn't perfect because you're in a car.
- [Pamela] Right, it's kind of, your environment almost forgives the proper quality for say a studio-driven type of experience.
- Right, now I don't recommend recording in a convertible every time.
- [Pamela] There's a little ambient noise going on
- But the thing is it wasn't bad. It was, there's kind of that background noise so it worked.
- [Pamela] Just a little bit of a hum?
- Yeah, and people have become really, wow, this is really fun. Because you get to have this conversation and kind of that authenticity.
- Well, you're putting them in an environment that's very comfortable and they're just gonna talk. They probably forget the recorder's on.
- Sometimes, yes, some of them did. We did an episode in Las Vegas and it was like, whoa! Talkin' about bodies and anyway. So the entry cost to podcasting is pretty low. So if your budget constrained, do that. If you're just like, I just need to get media out there and I want to do something that's not rin, podcasting can be really affordable.
- Absolutely.
- But if you wanna do it well, of course you've gotta put time and effort into it. Dedicate some resources. Now video, it used to be we had to go high-end. Like oh my gosh, this is gonna be $10,000 entry point, but the advent of cell phones and smartphones with decent cameras, that cost has come down. Now that's now what you want to do everything, you don't wanna do everything to be a smartphone. But I feel like we're at the point where you can make really good video with the device in your pocket and a lot of just thoughtfulness. And so the cost is kind of getting eliminated in some ways so you can do neat things. Or you can take the audio, if you plan how that content's gonna flow, you can do both.
- [Pamela] Right, right.
- Part of this weekly, they do every Fridays, we call it video Fridays. It's a learning development group that gets together. Livestream kind of chat, and they've started turning that into a podcast 'cause not everyone can watch it. And the visuals, it's really three people or four people talking. It's like that's not that interesting to look at. Kind of maybe like us talking.
- That's a really valid point. I hadn't really thought of it from that angle but that's totally valid, right? Like we get a lot of now what I consider them webcasts, not podcasts, when video's involved. I'm kind of a purist that way So when someone tells me they're doing a podcast and it's a video version or it's a two-headed video that they're recording or whatever the case is, I'm like you're doing a webcast or a video. And because the delivery model is so different and kind of to your point, I'm hoping that as people are watching us talk, this is awesomely fascinating. But with four people kind of talking to each other, it kind of changes the dynamic of video. Unless you're probably doing like cool shots or you know--
- Well, this is all remote even. It's like, so it's just the squares of people in whatever space room.
- You're doing a conference call--
- And everyone's listening in. Everyone's listening in and they're chatting on the side about what you're talking about or not. But I think, so those experiences you gotta plan for. So again, the question isn't do I do this or do I do that. Which one should I do? It's where's your audience 'cause podcasting, unless you already have a good distribution method inside your organization, you're gonna go to iTunes, you're gonna go to GooglePlay. And is your audience there and do they care? I think a really good example of an organization that's done an interesting podcast is Slack.
- Yes, I agree.
- And it was interesting when they went through the change because they had the podcast and they were going ahead, and also like, we're taking a break. When we come back it's gonna be completely different.
- Right
- I was like, whoa, well that's interesting. Could they have done video? Yeah, but it would've probably upped their budget a ton and the cost of getting on location for what they were trying to do to tell the story. But can you tell the effective story and then does your audience care enough to find you there? And then same with video. You can do all the video you want but if your audience isn't gonna watch it, who cares?
- [Pamela] That's so true.
- Long answer but what's your thoughts?
- In terms of the either or conversa? I mean, I'm right there with you. It's always struck me as an odd question but I think what they're really saying is we only have the budget for one thing. Which one should we do? And it always goes back to bigger questions. Who's your audience, what's your objective? What's the business result if you're doing it for business that you want to obtain? And I think it is important. But I also think that if you have the resources, whether it's a small group of people, a small company, where you can have different people try different things, or even a bigger marketing department in an enterprise situation, I say try. Try a little bit of everything because I think along with the audience and objective questions, I think one of the things I'm taking out of the conference this year too is just get your foot wet. Just go out there. It's so funny, Matt. I have been a purist. I actually started my first career in radio.
- [Matt] Okay, so you--
- Like 30 years ago, like seriously.
- [Matt] I won't tell anyone.
- So I'm a purist audio person and I'm not afraid of a video. Obviously I wouldn't be sitting here but it's not something that I automatically think, I want to do some video because I'm very conscious of how different the delivery model is. Because that's the other thing is I really want content creators to respect the medium that they've chosen. To learn as much as they can, how they want to look.
- Stop slouching, man. That's my cue to stop slouching.
- But you know, even this, if we did this, if we scrape the audio on some very visually descriptive, where the visual is more descriptive than the audio, we lose a little bit. Does that makes sense?
- [Matt] Yeah, you absolutely lose a ton.
- Totally and then at the same time, I have no doubt you've experienced this, people are doing video and their audio is horrendous. And what's the odds of watching, our viewership, when that happens?
- We find that it goes down dramatically and that's one of the points I talk to a lot of people about is audio is 50% of your video in a lot of ways. And there's things you can do. Especially like you look at Facebook and people are not watching videos with audio and there's ways to compensate for that but it's really tough. Because if they are watching it and you don't have a voiceover or somebody talking about something, how are you conveying that mood and that feeling? And you could use music, you could use all sorts of stuff for that but it's such an integral part of telling the story, whatever that story is. Even if it's a more formal, like a CEO talking to the company. You wanna convey and dictate what that message is to all the mediums. And that's what's great about video. Now as someone who, as an audio purist, I'm curious. I hear a lot of people, and particularly, there's different videos, not every video needs a voiceover. A lot of people hate their voice. So what tips, what would you tell to somebody, they're like, I can't do a podcast 'cause I have a terrible voice.
- Right, right. And did they tell you I was a voiceover talent as well?
- No, no! I didn't know that, that's awesome.
- I literally been doin' the mic thing for a long time.
- You can tell I'm not 'cause I'm like all raspy.
- But you've got your own voice and I think that's what's really critical. I actually had a chance, I thought the podcasting panel here at Content Marketing World this year. And afterwards, a member of the audience, we talked about delivery. And it was fascinating because he said, our agency's recommend we hire a voiceover talent, a professional voiceover to possibly do the podcast but they don't know our content. Versus like me, I know the content but I sound funny. Or I don't like the sound of my voice. And I actually recommended to get over that. And I don't mean that in a negative way but practice. I think what Mitch Chule said today was, "Put your reps in." Get behind the mic and practice and just get comfortable because at the end of the day, whether it's video, audio, the written word, it's about that connection. And we're talking about mediums that are very intimate in a way, right? Sometimes the way the camera works with a person is intimacy. What we do in audio is pure intimacy. And yes, you can use a professional voice and that might sound good, but they can't speak about your brand and your services and your community the way you can. And they were a membership association on top of it. I'm like, dude, you have got to be you. And it's practice. I mean we always sound different in our own ear, right? I was very fortunate. I started in broadcasting when I was a teenager and went into radio school and did that. I learned to get past that, 'cause I hated the sound of my voice just like everybody else. But when you're getting airchecked every week by your boss, you get over it really fast. So I always say aircheck yourself. Or find other people you trust that are gonna give you positive and negative feedback. Do you know what I'm saying?
- So aircheck, when you say, that's a phrase that I don't necessarily know.
- Oh my God, that's so awesome. I don't even realize I'm probably even dating myself 'cause we used cassette tapes
- Get the pencil, gotta rewind.
- Aircheck was when you're on the air, you actually would put a cassette into the recorder and the studio would record your whole, all of your shift. You would actually stop recording during the commercial breaks, or when you were playing the songs, and whenever you hit the microphone, it would start recording.
- Oh, yeah.
- So it would aircheck you, basically it could check yourself on the air.
- What you sound like, your levels are right and things like that?
- And then you'd sit down with your program director usually once a week, maybe once every two weeks, and he would listen and give you feedback.
- [Matt] Oh, interesting.
- You know, so like a review basically only it was all the time. Like this was a really funny bit, yeah, keep doing stuff like that. You ran into this commercial stop too fast. So giving you tips on how to be better at delivery as well as how to build your own personal brand as a DJ.
- So I love that concept because I think whether it's audio or video, that feedback, and I think for me, when people say, "I don't love my voice." I'm like, yeah, get over it, you got a great voice.
- [Pamela] Right, I know, it's easy to say.
- Build a personality and I tell people to be a persona of yourself. Be you but either figure out how to take that up a notch a little bit so you're just a little bit bigger so it comes through, but also, seek out that feedback. I remember, so when I started at TechSmith, I've been there, gosh, over 11 years now.
- Did you come in on your walker today?
- 11 years ago, way back when. But it was really the first videos I was creating, I think I made one for my interview and I had made maybe one video before that. And here I was expected to make tutorial videos and I did some of the voiceover work for the tutorials and I remember one of the guys that was over, the product manager of the product said, "You're too Midwestern, too Michigan."
- Oh my goodness.
- And I'm like, I was like devastated. Like oh my gosh, here I am trying to do these videos. And it was fine, he went and did it with his very Californian, even keel, neutral. And I realized I as a person, my voice is not gonna be as good as some people that do voiceovers for us and they're just really good. They got a good, some of the guys have this nice, clear kind of bass and I'm not that. But I just be me. And I just ramp up me.
- But you have a personality and I think that's what's so critical. And honestly voiceover is a very different audio model versus a podcast, right? And I think what's really critical about understanding that is that personality part. That edge-you-tainment element. And there's a reason that when we, 'cause even in the voiceover world, one of the things I've been coached and mentored by some of the biggest names in voiceover. And I've talked to a lot of agents. A lot of people in the industry that are hiring people. And it all comes down to this basic thing that when people tell you you have a voice for voiceover, that's not the reason to get in it. The reason to get in it is because you have the ability to be a character or you have the ability to be conversational. Way back in the day we had the big announcer voices like Gary Owens from Laugh-In. I'm totally dating! Don LaFontaine, yes, the trailer guy, right? And they were paid because the announcer voice was a very special kind of delivery. Not everybody could do that. We're actually finding voices like you, Matt, are the way people want to hear us. They want to hear just people talkin' and that's why podcasting is awesome.
- [Matt] And I think that translates to video too. From a brand perspective because, and I've noticed this 'cause I do a lot of video for TechSmith. I do Facebook live videos. I did a web show back, starting in 2010 and so I've done a lot of these things. And what I find is I go out and people are like, I know you! And I'm like, hi, I don't remember who you are but because they connect. I'm just a real person. I'm not anyone.
- Wacky.
- [Matt] I'm a little weird.
- You are a little weird but that's okay.
- [Matt] I've got some nerd cred but people respond to that in video as well I think just from a voice, because all of a sudden you become the friendly face that makes it okay to be approached. Like oh, he talked to me on Face, I was on their Facebook page and he was there.
- He talked to me on Facebook. That's so funny. That is probably literally what it feels like, right? He's talking to me on Facebook 'cause it's in the feed and there it is.
- So yeah, so I think there's a lot of parallels and going back to our kind of original which one, using and learning from both and then as you said, I think going and just continuing to learn, if you don't like your voice, get over it. And start learning what makes it a little bit better.
- Yeah, and I think too, do you see this, I'd be curious. Do you see this, when people get in front of a camera, they act a little different?
- Oh yeah.
- Because there's another eyeball lookin' at 'em. Like even I am trying to not look at the camera because I know we're supposed to talk to each other And it's driving me a little crazy 'cause I don't do video as much so it's not a comfort place. I mean I can do it but it's not, and yet, I think the same things happens when people get behind a mic and they realize it's there. So when you're talking about your podcast and people forgot the recorder was on, that's when the magic happens is when you forget it's there. But that's really hard for a lot of people, I think especially with cameras, with video.
- It is 'cause it's right there in your face. Especially with video, I mean, you got lights, it's bright. It doesn't feel natural. You're asked to sit--
- [Pamela] How's my hair?
- Can I move my face? And you know that someone out there on the Internet is probably judging what you're doing. Fair or not, they're doing it and so you feel all this pressure. We had an executive we were making a video for and he's gonna do an announcement for the company and he's a good public speaker but put him in front of that camera and he really struggled. He just froze because it was just this different dynamic. And I think you can coach people so much and really my solution for him, had I been heavier involved in production, would have been let's take him down to get a drink. Not a lot.
- [Pamela] You're gonna do shots and then--
- Just one or two, he was Irish, he'd be fine. He was a good guy.
- [Pamela] Yeah, bring a bottle of whiskey whenever he came. That's all you need. When he shows up, get that whiskey out.
- And you know just helping people to feel comfortable. Doing things so they can be natural. Having someone that they can talk to rather than talking to the camera. Because a lot of the video that people do, you don't have to have, I'm looking in the camera talking to an audience. Now for I think Facebook Live and some of those things, yes, you do that 'cause you're talking to them directly. But like this, and it's just a matter of habit of not doing the thing where I'm looking over for approval because there is no approval when I look at the lens. Only scolding looks of we told you not to look!
- It's actually quite intimidating. And this is exactly how the podcast situation is at its best as well, right? Whether it's yourself talking or maybe you do have a co-host or interviews, whatever. Even if we're not sitting next to each other, it's the idea that we are sitting next to each other. And that's why the show works. Because you just broke down that barrier and you're just talking. You're just having great conversation and really connecting.
- And I think this is a really great example 'cause we literally met three minutes before we sat down?
- Maybe three.
- And the only thing that we knew about each other is you knew TechSmith. But I think the thing that regardless of your situation, whoever you're putting on camera or whoever you're putting on audio, if they have a passion for the topic or they care, even if they're not the brightest and the most eloquent person that's gonna be able to talk about it. They maybe have a little lisp or who cares? But they're passionate and that translates better than anything. And the podcast I was talking about earlier, the Five Trainers In a Car, the reason it works is because the people that come in the car, they're passionate about something. And they want to talk about that topic. I want to talk about a learning management system and why they stink or why they're great. And it doesn't matter what their position is so much, but that they care. And then it's like, oh my gosh. Of course I want to listen to them because they do have that fire in the belly. They do have something to say. They took a position.
- [Pamela] Yes, they have a strong point of view.
- Yeah, 'cause there's nothing worse than somebody that's like, I don't know, I don't care.
- Right.
- It's awful.
- In any podcast, I've done mainly interview format podcasts, and I loved them because I would only talk to people who were passionate about what they did. And I always said my job is just to hold you right here and ask you a great question and you're gonna do everything else. Because you already know all the answer. You know the answer. I'm just here to help pull out a little bit of your excitement and your enthusiasm which isn't hard to do if they already have passion. And we connect with that, that's what connects us.
- So we probably should wrap up at some point but you talk about holding them in your hand and I kind of said something like going to get the whiskey.
- [Pamela] I kind of like your take better.
- And I don't even drink, it's crazy. What's the one thing that you do, if you've got someone that's nervous, I mean there can be passion and all that but they're nervous, what do you do to help them just feel more confident?
- One thing I've always done with my, especially the interviews, 'cause I interview a lot of the writers and the book authors, the presenters. They're really good at what they do but you're right. You get them in a media situation and they kind of shift a little. Or they're afraid they don't have all, did I get all the questions ahead of time? I want to be perfect, right? And it's the imperfection that actually makes it really cool, right? But what I always make sure I do is I set up enough time in the interview, we have time in what I call the green room, where we're just talkin'. You know as we're kinda gettin' set up, we're just talking and breaking down that first initial uncomfortableness and just giving them kind of this is how the format works. This is how I'm gonna work with you. And there have been so many times where I'll say, "Okay, I'm gonna count down three, two, silent one "and then we're gonna get started." They're like, oh, we aren't recording yet?
- I love actually recording those.
- And I am recording. Yeah, I know, it is funny 'cause I can edit out obviously. But the idea is that they've already gotten so comfortable that they just thought this was part of the interview. And to me, just get them comfortable. Get them talking about their kids, something personal. Something that doesn't put that big business feel to it but we're just humans, we're just having a good time. We're gonna talk and the people out there are gonna have a really wonderful time listening to you.
- [Matt] Yeah, awesome.
- This is so fun, Matt.
- We could keep, I know we could keep going. I'm absolutely positive we could keep going but I think--
- Absolutely, well it's been a pleasure.
- Yeah, absolutely, a pleasure.
- And I really love Snagit, by the way.
- Well, thank you.
- It's one of my favorite tools.
- Thank you, I appreciate it.
- I'd be remiss if I didn't say that.
- Well, appreciate it. Appreciate everyone that uses it because, I mean, it takes care of my family so
- I'm happy. I'm happy that your kids could eat this week
- And I love that people find value in something that we get to build.
- [Pamela] Absolutely, yeah.
- It's cool to come to a conference like this and hear the love and hear how it's making people's lives just a little bit better because work is hard and work is long. And having something that just kind of works--
- And you do make my life easier. You're absolutely right. So, Matt, thank you.
- You're welcome.
tagged with: Video Marketing, Content Marketing, Strategy
CONTRIBUTOR: MATT PIERCE
Matthew Pierce is an experienced instructional designer, training manager, speaker, and multimedia creator. He currently managers training and development at TechSmith Corporation (creators of Snagit and Camtasia), including overseeing instructional design, documentation, training, and technical support. He also has experience leading and managing the social media, video, Public Relations groups at TechSmith.
For several years Matt ran TechSmith's visual communication web show, The Forge, interviewing guests from around the world discussing the use of visuals, video, and technology in education, training, marketing and more.
Matt is a regular contributor to several online publications and has published articles in various training publications in the U.S. and U.K. He has spoken multiple times at national and international conferences including ASTD TechKnowledge, the Society for Technical Communication Summit, Technical Communication UK, and Online Educa Berlin. A graduate of Indiana University's School of Education's Department of Instructional Systems Technology.
CONTENT TEAM: MARCIA FRANCIS
Marcia Francis has more than a decade of digital strategy and management experience. As the manger of the marketing and communications digital strategy team for The University of Kansas Health System and The University of Kansas Cancer Center, she and her team are responsible for overseeing social media and web development for kansashealthsystem.com and kucancercenter.org.
CONTENT TEAM: JEFF JULIAN
Lessons Learned From Journalism to Help Enterprise Content Marketing Next
Being Known for Your Niche
The Future of Advertising and Augmented Reality (AR)
By: Luke Hurd, Joe Cox
On today's Explicit Content Podcast I am talking to Luke Hurd who by day works as a Digital Immersion Director at Signal Theory & augmented reality filter creator artist with over 100k followers on In…Read More
The Science of Customer Messaging
By: Tim Riesterer, Katie Martell
In this episode, Katie Martell and Tim Riesterer dig deep into the science of customer messaging for sales and marketing.Read More


The Financial Times report on a new aggressively pro-Russian party in Poland – Zmiana – was probably not deliberately published on March 16, the anniversary of the so-called referendum in Crimea on 'joining Russia'. A probe into the party leader Mateusz Piskorski's involvement in that event and others would, however, have been appropriate given Piskorski's denial of "suggestions that he is an "agent of the Kremlin".
Piskorski also denies receiving any financing from Moscow which we can only hope others will check. What is quite undeniable is his extremely active role in providing services to Moscow, including with respect to rubber stamping its 'electoral' stunts in, for example, Crimea, Donbas, St. Petersburg and Moldova.
Piskorski led a team of 'international monitors' of the Crimean 'referendum', most of whom are from far-right or neo-Stalinist parties in Europe and beyond. At least some were financed by the Russian-based Eurasian Observatory for Democracy and Elections headed by Luc Michel and Jean-Pierre Vandersmissen, both supporters of the neo-Nazi Jean-François Thiriart and members of the extreme right Parti Communautaire National-Européen (PCN-NCP). The list of supposedly 135 observers included representatives of the far-right parties Jobbik (Hungary); Ataka (Bulgaria); Vlaams Belang (Belgium); Freedom Party (Austria) and others. There were also members of neo-Stalinist or extreme left-wing parties, including Germany's Die Linke. Two Bundestag deputies from this German party recently illegally entered Ukraine from Russia and helped in a propaganda stunt for Kremlin-backed proxies of the self-proclaimed 'Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics'.
An unsigned Joint statement by the independent International Observers can be read on the Internet, together with numerous other reports, praising the running of the 'referendum' as exemplary, and fully endorsing 'the electoral will of the Crimean people' it supposedly expressed.
The 'referendum' was condemned by the UN, the EU and basically all democratic countries and its results have been scorned even by Russia's own Human Rights Council.
Whether Russia's President Vladimir Putin miscalculated, believing that the West would swallow such an obvious farce, remains unclear, however the value of such 'observers' in legitimizing Moscow's land-grab within Russia should not be underestimated. A quick Google search will make it clear that within a year or so of the events, it will be easy to deceive many people in other countries about the true nature of the 'referendum' and the role the 'observers' played.
If in March 2014, these 'observers' were not breaking the law by entering Crimea, this was not the case in early November where many of the same brigade, including Piskorsky, gave the same glowing praise of the 'elections' held by the Kremlin-backed militants in Donbas. This time, all 'observers' entered Ukraine illegally, after being put up in a four-star hotel in Moscow and then taken to Rostov and the militant-controlled border. Ladislav Zemanek, deputy head of the Czech far-right Eurosceptic 'People's Party' stated on facebook and then confirmed to Radio Svoboda that his trip had been organized and paid for by Moscow. Piskorsky was especially active in providing good propaganda for an event in which Russian 'humanitarian aid' was sold at throw away prices to entice people to the polling stations, and they entered a 'polling booth' surrounded by men with machine guns. Although Moscow was later to change its 'recognition' to mere 'respect' in the hope of averting sanctions, Piskorski, Luc Michel and all the other far-right 'observers' praised everything without exception.
Nor is this the full extent of Piskorski's 'electoral services' for Russia. Anton Shekhovtsov, researcher into far-right movements, reports that Piskorski was the coordinator of a team 'observing' the St Petersburg regional elections in September 2014. Shekovtsov speaks of "almost a regular pool of individuals who are invited to legitimise controversial or unfair elections." Piskorsky, he says, has since 2007 "been the head of the European Centre for Geopolitical Analysis that specialises in legitimising controversial elections in Eastern Europe and Asia".
The united position in support of Russia's 'electoral' initiatives shown by extreme right and left parties is, incidentally, reflected also in the Polish Zmiana Party. Its founders include the extreme right Falanga Party and the neo-Stalinist Communist Youth of Poland. Falanga and its leader Bartosz Bekier have been extremely active in supporting Russia's undeclared war in eastern Ukraine.
Henry Fox, writing from Poland for FT, mentions only that Piskorski's party "rejects suggestions of a Russian military invasion of Ukraine, condemns western sanctions against Moscow and seeks a friendly partnership with president Vladimir Putin".
Any reference to Piskorski's highly active efforts to legitimize the behaviour of both Moscow and its proxies in Crimea and Donbas is confined to mention of Piskorski's invitation to "the self-styled foreign minister of the unrecognised Donetsk People's Republic to his party's founding congress".
For the leader of a new political force hoping to win 10% of the votes in the next elections, it is surely of major importance to know the role he played in events condemned by virtually all democratic countries and the EU. It is also of critical importance for people in EU countries to follow who is trying to change fundamental trends in EU countries' foreign policy and how.


Vicki Gunvalson has finally gotten proof that ex-boyfriend Brooks Ayers lied to her about receiving cancer treatments at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Los Angeles. The Real Housewives of Orange County star didn't want to believe he had lied to her and others about having cancer, but more and more discrepancies in his story kept cropping up.
Tami Dennis is the Executive Director of Communications at City of Hope. She confirmed to Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday that Brooks Ayers hasn't been getting cancer treatments there.
"City of Hope has not provided any cancer treatment to anyone by the name of David Brooks Ayers," Dennis confirmed.
Soon after word about this proof hit the media, Twitter lit up with questions and comments. Vicki Gunvalson responded to one Twitter user.
Vicki Gunvalson and Brooks Ayers broke up in August, yet she has still come under fire for sticking up for him and his claims that he has cancer. Gunvalson's daughter always had doubts. Now she, too, has proof she wasn't crazy for doubting his claims.
Will this proof finally end the question of whether or not Brooks Ayers lied? How long will it take for people to forgive Vicki Gunvalson for having lied for him?


The two hobbit movies have been given official release dates. An Unexpected Journey debuts December 14, 2012, and There And Back Again on December 13, 2013. Now I just have to be patient!
I know, it's a long wait until the first one arrives. Have you been watching Game of Thrones? I caught an episode at the hotel when I was at Balticon. No elves, but looks good anyway.
I like GoT so far but dont love. Have had a love/hate relationship with the books and its carrying over.


text:
Campaign of the Month: Ad Council – End Family Fire
Lorna Keane
Do guns belong in the family home?
Across America, this is a question that regularly features in the political arena. But in the media, it's one that brands tend to shy away from. The Ad Council, Droga5 and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence are trying to change that.
With their new public safety campaign, the discussion is boldly directed at an audience traditionally left to one side: gun owners.
Highlighting the need for better gun safety measures in U.S. homes, the campaign works to "make gun owners part of the solution, not the problem."
Coining a new phrase to spark a new conversation, here's why we chose 'End Family Fire' as our August campaign of the month.
8 kids a day are accidentally killed or injured by 'family fire'.
This is the alarming insight that shaped the campaign, portraying a serious need for public attention.
This, along with the findings from the New York Academy of Medicine, who found that more than 4.6 million kids live in homes with guns that are unlocked and loaded, and three out of four of them know where those guns are kept.
Launched on the 8th of the 8th to reinforce the number of young lives lost daily, the multi-platform campaign to "end family fire" is aimed at preventing accidental shootings in the home.
Image credits: The Drum
The core message is a deeply emotional one that tugs at the heartstrings to reinforce the notion that:
"There's no more tragic a death than when it's by someone you love."
But instead of urging people to take sides on the topic of gun ownership, the message is a call to gun owners to make safety their number one priority.
"This really came from a desire to fundamentally change the landscape with regards to gun violence prevention," Ky Hunter, VP of programs at the Brady Center told AdAge. "I'm a gun owner myself, I grew up in the gun culture. A large majority of owners feel excluded. This is about engaging gun owners and making them part of the solution, not the problem."
For Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Center, the campaign is about shifting perceptions around gun culture: "Just like the term 'designated driver' changed perceptions about drinking and driving, the term 'family fire' will help create public awareness to change attitudes and actions around this important matter."
With this goal in mind, Droga5 spoke to the families of gun owners across the country. From their conversations, the team identified overarching themes of closeness, love and fear which governed this innate urge to protect their own.
Running nationwide online, in print and across broadcast media, the campaign is supported by a website, endfamilyfire.org, offering practical tips on how to practice gun safety in the home.
Using an impactful insight to change the conversation and shift perceptions around gun ownership, the strengths of this campaign lie in its ability to pose questions rather than point fingers, urging people to think differently.
It says that regardless of whether you're for or against, there are measures we need to take collectively to prevent tragedy.
The Brady Center sought to create "something independent of any politics, completely non-partisan and non-political," Brown tells Adweek.
"This is a nonpolitical issue where gun owners and non-gun owners alike can come together and play a role in reducing the number of innocent lives lost to gun violence."
The campaign has received support from a number of groups, including the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, Bishops Against Gun Violence and Veterans for Gun Reform.
Lorna Keane is Content Lead at GlobalWebIndex. She enjoys telling stories with data, and helping businesses shape people-first campaigns.


Hackney resident MalvOnTheTrack, has been making music since the age of 12. Malv claims not to be musically constrained.
"I appreciate the artistry and don't just stick to one genre," he states. Lyrically, some of his music draws influences from afroswing and dancehall music.
With his influences evolving Malv's production gradually started making a name in the underground UK hip hop movement as a producer, and before long he was signed to J.O.A.T. Music Group. Malv has since been developing his sound, working with artists in and around the UK—current credits include Not3s (Addison Lee), T Mulla, Baseman and Afro B.


I have an eclectic group of friends. They are a mix of races and creeds. Some are extroverts; some are introverts. Dark hair, fair skin, freckles, bunions—you name it, each of my friends has a set of features that make him or her unique. The one thing they have in common is that I love them.
The same can be said of my dogs. I have two pit bulls and a hound. Otis and Frosty, my two pits, love other dogs. Otis is more outgoing, while Frosty hangs back a little before rushing up to say hello. Ozzie, my Coonhound, sniffs random dogs' butts when he's in the mood—which is not often. Otis can't eat chicken. Frosty has a perineal hernia. Ozzie's aloof. The one thing they have in common is that I love them.
Given the differing proclivities of my friends and my dogs, you won't be surprised to learn that I view BSL (Breed-Specific Legislation) as unfair. BSL (also known as "Breed Discriminatory Legislation" and "Canine Profiling") singles out dogs with specific traits, usually bully breeds, for special treatment. In other words, it relies on stereotypes.
Do I think pit bulls are special? Yes. I think they're smarter and more affectionate than most dogs. Likewise, I find Coonhounds more fun to hike with, but German Shorthaired Pointers are easier to train on recall. Bully breeds often have breathing problems, and never get a hound if you have a cat! I really just prefer mutts because they don't have all those health problems.
See what I did there? It's convenient to label a dog based on its prevalent breed. But it's also unfair. Pit bulls (and German Shepherds before them, and Rottweilers before them) are the latest dog type to be labeled dangerous. The media fans these flames, of course. One media researcher found that simply teasing a dog incident as a "pit bull attack" attracted more viewers to the evening news.
An alleged supporter of BSL is California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom. Social media has skewered Newsom, rallying around his 2005 comment—made after a pit bull tragically mauled a child: "People like pit bulls, but there's a reason we don't have polar bears or mountain lions in the city." The Facebook group Pit Pulls Against Gavin Newsom intermingles sweet puppy photos with reminders of his mayoral push for BSL legislation.
I'll admit I'm a bit flummoxed by this response. I find references to the CDC and ASPCA—both of which ultimately rejected BSL—encouraging. The implicit support of the Hayden Law is also a good sign. If Newsom were ever pro-BSL, his campaign may now be walking it back.
But the wording itself represents the characteristic double-speak of the practiced politician. Euthanasia is only one of many bad outcomes that befall misunderstood or mislabeled dogs. And what ARE the best practices, anyway? I like to think of Gavin Newsom as experienced, studied, and thoughtful. This response was vague enough to leave room for any number of BSL-type proposals.
New breeding permits should be difficult to obtain.
California's spay and neuter laws should be enforced.
Owners should have adequate liability insurance.
Animals should never be chained or tethered.
Dogs should have proper and regular behavior training.
Illegal puppy mills and backyard breeders should pay hefty fines.
Shelter managers should be measured by the number of live releases.
What I'm saying is this isn't a breed issue—it's an issue of responsible stewardship of our companion animals. And if you disagree, don't get a dog.


Which duckie would look best???
Thx CatKween 4 the insporation!!!
I think the Santa ducki would be cute!!
Your welcome!Thanks for letting me know it inspired you.
3 words per post please!!
I know they are all funny rather looking good!
Subject: Re: Which duckie would look best???


We're back with an emergency episode published just in time to inform your frantic preparations for DNS Flag Day on 1 February 2019. We're delighted to welcome another special guest, Petr Špaček from CZ.NIC, to fill us in and let us know if we should stockpile food for an impending Internet collapse and the ensuing end of civilization as we know it. Or maybe it's just the story of a few DNS developers whose patience has finally run out. Then Matt recommends the Netflix show Babylon Berlin, and Cricket and Matt lament their years-long study of German with not nearly as much to show for it as we'd like.


Notes Aaron Shantz, "was born May 27th, 1839. On June 10th, 1863, he was married to Barbara Nahrgang who was born December 31st, 1841, and died June 21st, 1876. On December 23rd, 1877, he was again married to Mary Biehn who was born November 21st, 1847. He resides in Wilmot Township, where he is engaged in farming. His family is as follows, namely:....."


....Sonic booms are also used as a tactical weapon of sorts in, e.g., Gaza.
course diving one can approach the sound barrier quite easily.
...I don't know that they're harmonics, per se, but just the phenomenon of aerodynamic flutter, which was very poorly understood and is basically a resonance thing. (the nonlinearities in the state equation for air doesn't help with understanding, of course).  Flutter can occur at lower speeds, too (it's what sets Vne on some small planes), but at lower speeds, how to deal with it is easier to solve empirically AND it's testable by gradually creeping up on it and waiting for the evil moment.  When you get close to sonic speed (and actually, it's localized sonic speed over part of the airframe that's troubling), then you get very fast changes.  One needs to be a manly man test pilot.
BTW, demonstrating sonic flow is easy.  Your run of the mill air nozzle is probably in "choked flow" with a shock wave in the throat.  If you have a usual shop air compressor, and the air is damp (bad for the tank, but good for the demo), and vent it through something like an 1/8" hole, you'll probably see a nice Mach cone, as the rapid change in pressure causes the water to condense.  An old style non-OSHA safe air blowing nozzle does nicely, so does a 1/4" or 1/2" ball valve feeding a pipe cap with a hole drilled in it.


Pretty sure these guys are a scam.
Do you have a comment about (03) 5426 2317?
looks like they have moved on from the ATO scam.
I called back number (03) 6264 4912 rang once then gets disconnected automatically.
I called back number (02) 8998 0700 reached iVR for Farron Research.


This value pack is for six of the Victor Model M205 Rat Snap traps and includes Priority Mail shipping to any domestic USA address that the USPS delivers to.
Six Victor Snap type rat traps Model M205 with large yellow pan.
Large expanded release pan for highest catch rates.
Made environmentally responsible from forest stewardship council certified wood.


text:
How the broad brush of Ferguson transformed the local arts scene
St. Louis Public Radio | By Nancy Fowler
This painting of an officer and an artist wearing a "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" shirt, by Solomon Thurman shows the thin line between police and protesters, according to gallerist Freida Wheaton.
Solomon Thurman
Brian Owens performing in St. Louis' O'Fallon Park, four days after Michael Brown's death
Nancy Fowler
The Gitana Productions play "Black and Blue" explores historical and present tensions between law enforcement and African-American communities.
Gitana Productions
In a single moment and with a half-dozen gunshots, St. Louis was shaken to the core on Aug. 9.
The shooting death of Michael Brown by Ferguson police office Darren Wilson unleashed continuous waves of local and national protest that significantly shifted the St. Louis arts scene. Since then, musicians, dancers, and visual, performing and literary artists have sung and performed, and written and painted the issues revealed by the tragedy.
We talked with a handful of people about what it's been like to respond to these concerns in an artistic way. Some narrowed it down to a single moment or artistic work; others reflected broadly about how the past year has affected their art — and how their efforts might impact our city.
St. Louis Symphony resident artist and Ferguson resident Brian Owens discusses a shift in the artist community toward socially engaged art.
"Black and Blue" playwright Lee Patton Chiles, on how a 13-year-old named Valerie changed the course of the play about tensions between African-American communities and police.
Alliance of Black Art Galleries founder Freida Wheaton on how a specific painting in the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" exhibition illustrates the thin line between police and protestors.
Artist Damon Davis, on gaining national attention for his poster and fine art project All Hands On Deck.
Artist and Arts Administrator De Nichols, on developing "rapid response" artwork to address police brutality in the year following Ferguson.
St. Louis Poet Laureate Michael Castro, about the way Michael Brown's death inspired him to bring together the area's diverse poetry community.
Follow Nancy Fowler on Twitter: @NancyFowlerSTL
Follow Willis Ryder Arnold on Twitter: @WillisRArnold
Arts Ferguson one year laterArt and ActivismFerguson
Nancy is a veteran journalist whose career spans television, radio, print and online media. Her passions include the arts and social justice, and she particularly delights in the stories of people living and working in that intersection.
See stories by Nancy Fowler
'Cut & Paste' podcast: Collage of thoughts from year of artists responding to #Ferguson
From activist to actor: Gitana Productions casts Ferguson resident in original play
Love And Desperation: Two Musicians Respond To Ferguson
'Hands Up' Exhibit Features 101 Artists, Includes City Of Ferguson Among Venues
Poet Laureate's 1st Official Words Include 'Homophobia, Racism, Sexism'—And 'Healing'
STL Dancers Putting Their Spin On Ferguson And Michael Brown's Death
Ferguson Protesters Delay Symphony After Intermission
African-American Art: It's Not Just For February Anymore, In St. Louis


text:
Dead Conspiracy
Dead Conspiracy: Abomination Underground
Artist: Dead Conspiracy
Title: Abomination Underground
Portland's death metal granddaddies Dead Conspiracy have hooked up with Terrorizer to unleash 'Dormancy' upon your unsuspecting eardrums, a killer cut from the forthcoming vinyl edition of of their comeback EP 'Abomination Underground'. The band are often credited as being one of the first bands to help define the nascent death metal sound, and their highly sought after '87 demo tape has gone on to achieve legendary status amongst the most avid of underground death fiends. Napalm Death axeman Mitch Harris has fond memories of the band, as he recalls, "Dead Conspiracy was one of the world's first death metal bands. We were seriously surprised at how heavy and driving and intricate the material was, well advanced back in the day; before it's time. Fucking glad it"s finally getting out there!" Dead Conspiracy called it a day in 1990, and would remain silent until 2006, when Hells Headbangers Records contacted the band with the intention of finally reissuing those early demos on one CD. The result was the 'Gore Drenched Legacy' compilation, a lavish set that brought the band's eerie, evil rumblings to a much wider audience. Spurred on by the new found attention, the band would eventually regroup in 2012 for a series of live shows and a new EP, the crushing 'Abomination Underground'. Now, that EP is being released on vinyl with a brand new bonus track 'Rites of the Ululatus', plus the band's debut demo tape in it's entirety on side B. 'Dormancy' originally hails from that cult tape, and it's a total rager, blasting forth with a feral intensity that will have fans of Master, Massacre and early Death foaming at the mouth within seconds. Check it out.
1.1 Rites of the Ululatus
1.2 Shadows of War
1.4 Abomination Underground
1.5 Cessations
1.6 The Immortal Strife
1.7 Dormancy
1.8 Grotesque Disjunction
1.9 Stygian Darkness


Treat Mom to special, home-cooked food for Mothers Day this year with some of these diabetic Mother's Day recipes. This is a great opportunity to create family teamwork with delicious, healthy dishes that will fit in with her meal plan. It's fun for children of all ages to take part in the preparations, from table setting to flipping pancakes, so get everyone involved while mom relaxes with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Happy Mother's Day!
This flavorful egg and turkey frittata recipe will wake up your taste buds. Recipe for Mexican Turkey Frittata from our Brunch recipe section.
Creamy buttermilk dressing pairs well with juicy, fresh strawberries and crisp spinach. A great choice for lunch or brunch. Recipe for Strawberry Spinach Salad with Buttermilk Dressing from our Salads recipe section.
Recipe for Fresh Asparagus Topped with Sunny-Side Up Eggs from our Breakfast recipe section.
Top Sirloin is one of the most versatile cuts of beef. It is lean, well-flavored, juicy and tender. It is also a lean cut according to USDA guidelines. Recipe for Peppered Top Sirloin Roast with Sauteed Broccolini from our Main Dishes recipe section.
Beef Tenderloin is the most tender cut of beef available. It is lean and boneless and is sold as a whole roast or a smaller center-cut roast. This roast also meets government guidelines for lean. Recipe for Beef Tenderloin Roast with Garlic-Roasted Vegetables from our Main Dishes recipe section.
Recipe for Applesauce Cake from our Desserts recipe section.
Dense wedges of chewy chocolate are paired with a sweet coffee-flavored cream and fresh berries. Recipe for Warm Brownie Wedges With Java Cream from our Desserts recipe section.


The National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP), in partnership with Smartmatic-TIM Corporation, organized the 2nd National ICT Summit last November 5-7, 2009 at the Fontana Convention Centre, Fontana Leisure Parks and Casino, Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga.
On November 6, I attended the Special Kick-Off Workshop that aimed to put together potential stakeholders to plan on how to carry out the efficient hiring, training, certification, and active involvement of the more than 50,000 on-site technical support for the 2010 election. I was with sir Edwin Maranon, Mam Grace Tyler and the PSITE Region 3 officers.


text:
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All publications (by date order)
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Let's go fly a kite: International
This blog, co-authored by IHE's Director of Policy and Development, Joy Elliott-Bowman, was first published on the Wonkhe website.
Multiple-level study visas
Joy Elliott-Bowman – Director of Policy and Development, Independent Higher Education
For every course an international student wishes to study in the UK they will need to apply for a new visa. This includes students moving from school to university, college to university or those applying for PG study. It also includes many studying an English language programme before study or a foundation programme to prepare them for university. Every visa requires an application fee, an NHS surcharge, a new biometric residence permit, and in some cases, additional costs such as English language tests or re-tests, travel to visa centres, additional interviews and even travel home as some students will not be able to apply from the UK. To reduce the bureaucratic burden on the state and student of all these processes, New Zealand has introduced a pilot programme which would allow students a single visa for multiple levels of study, even across multiple institutions.
The NZ model aims to attract more students to study at multiple levels while also reducing cost and burden for the institution, student and government. It is estimated (by foundation degree providers, college and school groups) that over 50% of international students studying in higher education in the UK will already have taken a prior course of study before their degree. If the NZ model were implemented in the UK it could significantly reduce visa cost and burden across the process, encourage more study in UK schools, colleges and pathway providers, with more of these students staying on to study at university, and even encourage more students to study both UG and PGT degrees in the UK (40% of all UK PGT students are from outside the EU).
The UK offers more pathway courses than any other country in the world, so this is a model that's working for us. Our independent schools are regarded as high quality and a pathway to UK universities, and our college-university partnerships to support student success and progression are already a key part of the UK HE landscape for domestic students. More international students would enhance and expand these offers. The UK is more set up for a visa of this type than New Zealand is. It's a wonder we didn't think of this first.
Reduce overseas fees
Hugh Jones – HE consultant
It is a truism that UK universities benefit from overseas students. The diverse student population provides huge opportunities for learning; connections made benefit students and staff throughout their lives, and the UK gains soft power. And the huge benefit, of course, is the financial gain from overseas tuition fee income, which amounted to almost £4.7 billion in 2016-17. That's 13% of the total sector income.
It's instructive to look back to when policy was changed to require universities to charge the full cost of teaching overseas students. The House of Lords debate is illuminating: on 12 December 1979, Lord Gladwyn held that "it is obvious that … this will result in a heavy fall in the total number of students. It is impossible to argue the contrary." Impossible perhaps to argue, but the facts (and the money!) said otherwise.
So maybe it's time to let money make its mind up again and look at the downside of high overseas fees. Many overseas students think (reasonably) that universities regard them as a cash cow. And some programmes – particularly taught postgraduate – are composed almost entirely of overseas students, which damages the value proposition of UK higher education. It's no Brideshead if you and all of your classmates are from the same town in China.
If differential fees were no longer permitted, all students would be of equal value to their university. A blight on universities' habitual value of fairness would be cleaned. The UK's soft power would grow. And, post-Brexit, a tariff barrier to our exporting education would be removed.
Would the government enable this? Removing the fee cap as part of Augar would help, creating a genuinely open market and enabling universities to balance their books. Relaxing student visa restrictions, to enable free recruitment of overseas students, would also help. And the prize? A business model which doesn't exploit one group of students compared to another.
On 8th January 2019
1 October 2019 - Marketing & Recruitment Staff Network
3 October 2019 - Student Services Staff Network
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With the latest version of DFL-WDII or DFL-FRP WD module, users can easily unlock the new WD password protected hard drives. The new hard drives are a little different from the old WD ROYL and L series and the algorithm changes and therefore we have upgraded our algorithm to remove the password automatically by simple clicks.
Here is the Video case study for users to check the steps to clear the password for new WD hard drives of PCB 1640 and newer PCB series, pls note users need to wait the status bar completes the processing so that the password can be removed successfully.


Do we truly use all we have and get?
I remember a discussion after watching Sardar some years ago. Someone remarked how we don't really value the freedom we got because we don't know what it is like to live without it. I remember thinking that was such a typical statement to make.
But when you look around and see how one tends to take everything you have for granted — from expecting the government to do without participating, shrugging and blaming without trying, pulling others down for trying.. all manner of things, I realise maybe we truly don't realise the vision our leaders had when they fought for freedom.
On a more personal note, even freedom as women today is quite different from our mothers' times, as is the case with every generation. Discussions I often have with batch mates and friends are often peppered with phrases like — "Thank god we don't live in the times our mothers did," or "We didn't have to fight for our right to education," (in most cases these women are largely urban), we could do what we wanted, marry whom we wanted, when we wanted..and many such "coulds and "haves".
But what we forget to discuss is do we really know and use this freedom and independence (political and personal)? Did we ever stop to think are we truly free to do what we want? And since I think it is a yes, do we really do what we want..?
Most of the women my life (no surprises) are in my age group and effectively single. But very of them want to actually remain that way. Very few are single not because they choose to be that way but it's happened to be such. They are almost always trying to change that. Willfully and consciously or at least in gestures and wishes.
I realise most don't want to be alone, women included, but we are so conditioned into believing that living alone is equivalent of the worst possible hell that we are expected to do everything in our power to change that status.
Most want to eventually be a part of another whole. While am sure it is somewhere lurking inside me, I notice it has become another level of achievement in our generation of women. Yes, you studied and worked for a few years and had the requisite exciting flings and affairs, but now, come on, how come you aren't still married!
Oh, you have done this that and the other but how come you aren't married?
Oh come one, now you are in your 30s, you must settle (for) and get married.
Among the different versions said, one person even said to me.. the only reason everyone always wants you to get married is because they are unhappy that you are not.
But all these tedious lines apart, even everyone my age, seem to want to come to marriage and stop. That seems to be a finishing line or the medal, something I can't decide.
Am not entirely sure whether or not I will or wont or do or don't want to get married but I know it won't become my life's goal. I don't want to go after "eligible men" who are not "divorced" and feel smug that marrying in my 30s has "netted" me such a nice find.
This is not marriage bashing or man bashing but, funnily, about doing what you want, even if it's not something everyone wants. Why is it so difficult to digest that?
PS This was a nice article I stumbled upon..
and Humpty Dumpty came falling down..
A software professional, at a social gathering, recently pronounced a dire warning for the Indian It industry. Albeit he was a few pegs down and I didn't know him very well but what he said held some merit. He gave the industry only 10 more years thanks to ever-present need of everyone to become a boss.
Forget the fact that being boss should not mean forgetting your core competency. He was taking about coding and the lack of it and bloated middles (much like us Indians) and the need for everyone to be the boss. He mentioned a big company in particular, which every year, found new posts and departments to promote its middle management to. It was slowly leading to fewer and fewer people 'coding' or writing software (is how I understand it). Coding has been, incidentally, the Indian IT industry's claim to fame.
This entire disucssion started with project managers and why were they so inept. Typically in a group of 8-10 project managers, at least 6 would be under-performing (and yes I remember Pareto's rule). But I cannot explain how difficult it becomes when PMs make a hash of things.. it's a mess worthy of any cleaning liquid worth its brand name. That's how he and I got talking. Apparently PMs mismanage and under-perform everywhere. Following the trails of conversation, we got to a point where he mentioned the aformentioned company. How it has so many bosses now and fewer and fewer workers. "Top heavy" became his favourite phrase.
Is that happening to other companies too? I've experienced it in the media industry. Seniors become expensive and stay put (as they are unable to find jobs to hop), creating and engineering new positions (and rarely any new value) But media is a diffierent bargain… the industry rarely mentors or encourages juniors. It's a raging turf war so I can understand. But IT companies usually have a very complicated procedure of rating, appraisals, discussions and ratification. At the end of it, what happens usually is, more queen bees are created and some more worker bees quit. In an industry supposedly driven by the people, whose talent runs the company, they are the last asset to be cared for.


There are just a few more days to take advantage of a very special Pip and Posy offer – we're offering a FREE signed hardback copy of either Pip and Posy: The Super Scooter, or Pip and Posy: The Little Puddle, for everyone who buys one of our beautiful, signed and numbered, limited edition Pip and Posy giclee prints.
All you need to do to receive one of these signed books is add the title of the book that you'd like to receive in the 'Order notes' on the payment page.
These beautiful Pip and Posy prints are produced at a local Southwark press – printed on A3 (29.7 x 42.0cm) heavyweight (308gsm) Hahnemuhle German Etching paper with a hand-deckled edge finish. Each print is signed and numbered by Axel, and one of a limited run – and available exclusively through the Nosy Crow website.
The signed editions of both Pip and Posy books are also available to buy separately – you can buy The Super Scooter here and The Little Puddle here.
This special offer will end this Friday (September 25th) – so if you'd like a beautiful, signed art print AND a signed book, don't delay!