An impossible choice stands before me. One I must make in between heartbeats.
I can't save them both.
Whichever choice I make will weigh on my heart forever.
I hear his voice in my head. In my heart. I came here to protect them.
And I know the choice I have to make. The choice that will break me.
The house burns, flames licking at the dark sky, turning the pitch of night into a violent sunset of oranges and reds. I inhale the smell of burning wood. I can feel the heat against my cheeks, even from a distance. I can hear the screams of the neighbors crying out in fear, then in anger. The man stands in front of the burning house staring at his hands, his eyes wide, his bewildered face cast in shadows.
I know him. He sells produce at our farmer's market every Saturday. He always gives me free strawberries, and he has a nice smile. A kind smile.
But he's not smiling now. He never smiles again.
I run to him. I can feel in my stomach that something bad is going to happen.
I know he broke the law. No one knew he was a Zenith. Maybe he didn't know. But now, everyone knows. And as they grab him and drag him to the tree in his yard, I see the fear in his eyes.
I run faster. I have to stop them. I have to help him.
I stumble on a fallen branch, scraping my knee. It stings and the blood wells on my pale skin. They've already put the rope around his neck, and they are stringing him up.
"No! Stop!" I scream to them, but no one ever listens to little girls.
I'm running again, ignoring the pinch of pain in my knee, but I'm too late. I hear the snap of his neck as he's dropped from the tree like a sack of potatoes. A dark spot spreads over his pants, and I turn my face away.
My dad catches me around the waist and holds me to his chest, hiding my eyes with his large hands. "Scarlett, we have to go."
"You have to help him, Daddy. He didn't do anything wrong."
The crowd is already bored. They walk back to their homes alone or in twos and threes. My dad pulls out his pocketknife, walks over to the tree and cuts the rope around the man's neck. His body falls to the ground. There's no life left in him.
His house burns to the ground, casting shadows of light and dark over his fallen corpse.
A voice nags at my subconscious, pulling me out of dreams. Or were they nightmares? The images flee, leaving me with nothing but impressions of strong hands holding me. My father.
I peek through bleary eyes and sleep-filled lashes to see who's in my room calling my name at this ungodly hour. I see the pink hair first, a long bob on one side and buzzed short on the other. The girl, who looks to be a bit younger than me, smiles big, her purple eyes far too lively. I reach for my eGlass, knocking a thick book to the floor. I was up all night reading about the Four Orders, political history and the different royal families that have reclaimed their old titles as part of the Orders, so my head is full of cobwebs and sleep. The time on my eGlass blinks 5:58 in red numbers. I groan and roll over, pulling the blanket over my head. "Sorry, but Scarlett is unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep…"
My brain shuts down, my body instantly ready to return to the land of dreams when a small hand shakes my shoulder. "Scarlett, I'm Corinne," she says in a British accent. "We're roomies."
I hear the smile in her voice, but I just groan again. I was hoping I'd get to keep the room to myself. This will make sneaking out so much harder. But it's a huge room, with two beds, dressers, desks, an eScreen and a private bathroom, so it makes sense they'd put me with a roommate, and Agatha warned me I'd likely have to share. I roll over to face the girl attached to the voice, and she smiles even bigger.
"Jax told me wonderful things about you. I'm…" her face shifts, her smile dropping, "I'm sorry about your parents. They were great Knights."
I sit up a little in my bed at this news. "You knew them?"
"My father's a Templar. He tells me stories."
The girl steps back and sits down on the bed opposite mine. She has a suitcase at her feet, but hasn't unpacked yet. Probably because of her jerk of a roommate. I smile and lean forward. "Sorry for brushing you off and being a grouch. I don't usually get up this early."
She taps her eGlass and mine beeps, indicating an incoming file. "Guess you haven't seen your class schedule yet," she says.
I access the file she sent, trying to read through the haze of sleep still in my eyes.
She smiles at me encouragingly. "You'll get used to it."
When the numbers clear, I choke out a laugh. I will not be getting used to this schedule. Ever. "We have physical training at 0530 every day?"


Chin implant is placed through a submental incision.
Cheek implants are placed through an intra-oral incision.
Valium, Demerol, Benadryl, and/or Clonidine.
Nasal O2 cannula with CO2 monitor.
If under general, see facelift sheet.
On Stryker Eye Bed Dr. C marks pt. in holding.
Have holding start IV on right side, O2 in Holding.
Gel pad, w/ rolled Teri cloth towel.
Nasal prongs with CO2 monitor.
Dr. C will bring implants and sizers.
● Small blue bulb syringe.
ASK before opening: Bacitracin ointment, Vaseline gauze, Mastisol, ½ inch Steri-strips, 4" Kling or Kerlix, 4" Ace.


All the information on this website is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. www.caringinthechaos.co.uk does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (www.caringinthechaos.co.uk), is strictly at your own risk. www.caringinthechaos.co.uk will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.


Thanks to all of you who submitted a Twitter client library for our developer contest! We have all the repositories cloned and are reviewing the libraries. However, with the number of entries we received it's looking like we'll need additional time to test and vette them all. We will do our best to settle on a winner today, but it may spill over to Monday – we want to make sure we pick the most robust implementation to support for the community going forward.
Previous articleTwitter Library Contest – Ends Tonight!


text:
Annetts, Robyn
Robyn Annetts
Robyn.Annetts@ropesgray.com
LLM (Commercial Legal Practice), Distinction, BPP University, 2020
University of Warwick, 2016
Robyn Annetts joined Ropes & Gray in May 2021 as an associate in the firm's data, privacy and cybersecurity practice. Prior to joining the firm, Robyn trained at a large international law firm in London. As part of that training, Robyn spent six months on a client secondment with a leading consumer goods company.
Robyn has gained transactional and advisory experience acting for clients across a range of industries, particularly in relation to commercial, data and technology issues.
Notable transactions in which Robyn has been involved prior to joining the firm include:
Advised a U.S. technology client on the acquisition of an AI solutions company.
Represented a shipping company in a threatened dispute in relation to domain names.
Advised a leading consumer goods company on a partnership agreement with an education focused NGO.
Conducted a global survey for a social networking platform on the age of consent for an individual to consent to terms and conditions and to the use of their data.
Advised an international data centre company on a $1 billion joint venture in Europe with a sovereign wealth fund to develop and operate data centres.
Joint Ventures, Collaborations and Alliances
Ropes & Gray Advises Humble Group on Solent Acquisition
Ropes & Gray has advised Humble Group AB– a Swedish food-tech and FMCG-group supplying the next generation of products that are good for people and the planet – on its up to SEK 1.384 billion acquisition ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Memoirs of a Country Vet
Mixed practice in the 1970s and more
1) Doc's Memoirs
2) Author Page
3) Contact Email
4) Blog Feed, Current Posts
5) Blog Archives
The Deadly Breakup
Posted byd.e.larsen.dvm March 8, 2021 March 10, 2021 Posted inCommunity, Veterinary MedicineTags:Equine medicine, Necropsy, Veterinary Medicine
D. E. Larsen, DVM
"The sheriff is on the phone for you," Sandy said as she leaned against the surgery room doorway. "I don't know what he wants, but you don't want to get in the middle of a mess."
"Good morning," I said into the phone, not sure who I was going to be on the other end of the line. "This is Dr. Larsen. How can I help you?"
"Doc, this is Jerry, I'm a Deputy Sheriff," Jerry said. "I have a case that needs your expertise."
"I'm not looking to become an expert witness in a long trial," I said. "I can't afford that kind of time away from this practice."
"Nothing like that, we have a situation out on Berlin road where a couple had a breakup, and the guy caused a lot of problems."
"That doesn't sound like something I have any expertise to provide."
"During the breakup, the guy shot her horse," Jerry said.
"Is the horse dead?"
"Oh, yes," Jerry said. "The horse is dead, but we need the bullet."
"You want me to find a single bullet somewhere inside of a big horse?'
"That's right! If it can be done."
"And who is going to pay this expertise?" I asked.
"I'll have the girl's mother give you a call and take care of that part," Jerry said.
"Okay, I can give it a try, but if I am going out to a place where things are getting shot, I'll ask to have a Deputy with me."
"That's no problem," Jerry said. "As soon as you get the payment taken care of and set up time, I can either stop by the office and follow you up there, or you could ride along with me."
"That sounds like a mess," Sandy said as I hung up the phone.
"Jerry didn't provide any names, but when a lady calls for me to look at a dead horse, you get her credit card information and tell her there is no way to know how much this is going to cost. Once we get the payment details worked out, we can schedule a time. I don't want this horse laid out there in the sun for a few days before I have to go digging for a bullet."
We had no more than finished the conversation when the mother called. Apparently, when the kids broke up, the guy went berserk. He tore up the little house they lived in and shot the horse.
"That poor horse," Sandy said. "He had nothing to do with the situation, and he gets shot. Why would the guy do that?"
"Just his way of causing the most amount of hurt he can," I said. "She's probably lucky that it was the horse and not her."
With the appointment set up for right after lunch, Jerry was waiting at the clinic when we returned from lunch.
"Why don't I follow you," I said as I headed out the door to my truck.
It was a short drive out to the small house on Berlin road. The landlord was there cleaning up the mess when we arrived.
"Look at this house," Bud said, waving at the inside of the small house. "He slashed the water bed, and the whole place is flooded. He tore the doors off the cabinets and broke the bathroom door. I don't know how much this is going to cost to fix."
"The story goes that he stood here on the porch with a 30-30 and shot the horse out in the pasture," Jerry said.
"That is a pretty good shot," I said. "That horse is over a hundred yards out in the field. Let's go get a look at him."
The horse was lying on his left side. The ground was undisturbed, giving evidence of no death struggle.
"This horse was dead when he hit the ground," I said as we approached the horse.
There was a single bullet wound. In the perfect spot, just right between the eyes and a little higher.
"I would hate to have this guy shooting at me," I said. "This is an amazing shot for a 30-30 with open sights, from over 100 yards."
"Do you think you can get the bullet," Jerry asked?
"We will know pretty soon," I said as I swiped my necropsy knife on the wet stone.
I pulled the horse's head back and slit the throat, dissecting rapidly to its attachment to the first vertebra. A couple of knife strokes then, and the head was severed.
I set the head on the horse's shoulder to explore the wound.
It was easy to trace the bullet's path through the head. The bottom of the brain case was blown off.
"Look at that," I said, showing Jerry the exit hole from the brain case. "If there is anything good about this whole affair, it's that this horse didn't feel a thing."
Returning to the horse's neck, I got a little lucky. The bullet's path went into the left side of the neck, went through a couple of feet of muscle, and came to rest just under the skin.
I sliced the skin over the bullet and picked it up.
"Here you go," I said, holding the bullet up for Jerry to see.
I dropped the bullet in Jerry's little evidence bag and pulled off my gloves.
"That was a whole lot easier than I thought it was going to be," I said.
Jerry tucked the baggy into his pocket and looked back at the house.
"I hadn't thought about it before," he said. "That was one hell of a lucky shot."
"There is a difference between lucky and good," I said. "This guy might be an SOB, but I think he is one hell of a shot. I could stand up there and shoot a hundred times with a 30-30 and not hit a target like this."
Photo by Erik-Jan Leusink on Unsplash
Published by d.e.larsen.dvm
Country vet for over 40 years in Sweet Home Oregon. I graduated from Colorado State University in 1975. I practiced in Enumclaw Washington for a year and a half before moving to Sweet Home to start a practice. View more posts
Elk Delivery
From the Archives, one year ago
4 thoughts on "The Deadly Breakup"
Lavinia Ross says:
You have certainly been called with some very unusual requests during your time as a vet. I hope you never got another call anything remotely like this one. It is very sad the horse was the victim here. As you said, the woman was lucky it wasn't her.
d.e.larsen.dvm says:
The sad truth is that animals often find themselves the victims of domestic abuse.
Animals, and children.
franhunne4u says:
Poor horse was unlucky that even though he was in a rage he was a cool blooded shooter.
The Burrito January 30, 2023
The Grand Tour, July – August 1956, Part 3 January 27, 2023
Edith and Coco, from the Archives January 25, 2023
Memoirs of a Country Vet, Start a Blog at WordPress.com.


Watch the webcast presentation of the Principles, hosted by Joel Makower of GreenBiz Group.
The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) envisions a world where the production, distribution, use and disposal of goods and services enhance the long-term health and vitality of society, economies and the planet. SPLC supports and recognizes leadership in sustainable purchasing to accelerate the transition to an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future.
The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council and its membership strive to define and accelerate environmental, social and economic progress through sustainable purchasing. Organizational purchasing decisions send powerful economic signals up and down the entire supply chain, with environmental, social, and economic impacts throughout the lifecycle of purchased goods and services.
By adopting a consistent, practical definition of leadership in sustainable purchasing, organizations can collectively advance a positive future for society and the planet by using their purchasing power to promote marketplace innovation that delivers broad benefits to customers, suppliers, employees, investors, other stakeholders, and society at large. To this end, we define leadership in sustainable purchasing according to the following principles.
Understanding. Understanding the relevant environmental, social, and economic impacts of its purchasing.
Commitment. Taking responsibility for the relevant environmental, social, and economic impacts of its purchasing by committing to an action plan.
Results. Delivering on its commitment to improve the relevant environmental, social, and economic impacts of its purchasing.
Innovation. Actively promoting internal and external innovation that advances a positive future.
Transparency. Soliciting and disclosing information that supports a marketplace of innovation.
The full version of the Principles includes detailed explanations of each principle, as well as interpretations for stakeholders other than institutional purchasers, including: suppliers of products and services; standard and certification developers; and public interest advocates. This enables the entire purchasing community to share in and accelerate progress on addressing the most significant environmental, social, and economic impacts of purchasing.
SPLC Founding Summit (Washington DC, Aug 2013).
The following SPLC Members took part in the Principles Comment Period: American Chemistry Council; City of Portland, OR; EcoVadis; Elliott; Kuhn Associates and Sustainability Advisors, LLC; Lockheed Martin; Province of Nova Scotia; Pre Sustainability; SCS Global Services; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. General Services Administration (Central Office); and U.S. General Services Administration (Regional Office). Download the Member Comments and SPLC Responses.
The final iteration of the Principles reflects the deliberation of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) made up of SPLC members from the purchaser, supplier and public interest advocacy communities.
Download the Principles TAG Charter.


We provide advice on real estate matters to a wide range of clients. From mergers and acquisitions for commercial real estate and hotel companies, to the purchase, sale and refinancing of office buildings, industrial properties and shopping centers, we are at the center of the real estate marketplace. In addition, we counsel individuals and companies on secured lending transactions, private securities offerings, project financings and restructurings that contain significant real estate components.
The firm represents developers, lenders, investment banks, and investors. Our activities include work on the purchase, sale, construction, financing and operation of commercial, industrial, residential and retail projects, the public and private offering of various types of real estate securities; leasing on behalf of landlords and major tenants; real estate-secured lending; land use and other regulatory matters; real estate litigation; and restructurings on behalf of lenders, borrowers and joint venturers.
Our firm has extensive experience in handling eminent domain cases. The Firm has represented State and local governments, and utility companies involving constitutional challenges and appropriation procedures, disputes as to the value of the property taken and damages resulting from diminution to the residue. Our firm has an extensive network of resources to assist in handling eminent domain cases, including, but not limited to, appraisers, traffic consultants and engineers.
We have a broad background in all areas of real estate practice that give our clients the edge to succeed. The members of our team have extensive and impressive experience that gives them practical business insight into the challenges our clients face.


After six years of service as Duke Raleigh's Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Ted Kunstling is retiring, effective at the end of this year. Dr. Kunstling is a well-respected and lauded pulmonologist, but those of us at Duke Raleigh Hospital know him as a trusted colleague and teacher who has always been quick to share his vast knowledge. Most importantly, Dr. Kunstling has been a friend to those who have had the privilege of serving beside him.
He's leaving us in good stead, though.
One of Dr Kunstling's priorities has been to encourage teamwork between our medical staff and hospital administration to better address the challenges facing our hospital and health care system in the 21st Century. He is convinced that physicians and surgeons must be part of the solution. To this end, he has aided development of and has participated in Duke Raleigh Hospital's Physician Leadership Training Program held in 2012-2013 and has sought to strengthen relationships between medical staff and administration. He has advocated for Duke Raleigh doctors and staff to have "a place at the table" within the Duke University Health System.
Since 2008, Dr. Kunstling served as editor-in-chief of MDialogue, our hospital's medical staff newsletter. He's always enjoyed communicating with fellow physicians about the many changes and new developments constantly occurring at Duke Raleigh Hospital. He also organized a successful series of primary care symposia and other CME events. Over the years, Dr. Kunstling has served in numerous medical leadership roles in Raleigh and has always worked to serve his fellow physicians.
His commitment to the health of Wake County residents has been steadfast. Dr. Kunstling served uninsured patients at the Open Door Clinic, a part of the Raleigh Urban Ministries from 1994 through 2001, and he is currently a board member of Urban Ministries. From 2002 until 2009, he served as a pulmonary consultant for Project Access sponsored by the Wake County Medical Society.
In 2013, he represented Duke Raleigh Hospital on the Wake County Community Health Assessment Team which seeks to identify, prioritize and address Wake County's greatest health needs. He's always believed that access to healthcare is deserved by all human beings and that those blessed with talents and resources should help those who are less fortunate and in need.
Dr. Kunstling has maintained a commitment to his community and church in nonmedical ways as well. He has served as president of the Executives' Club of Raleigh and of the Raleigh Civil War Round Table. Currently he is a member of the North Carolina Symphony Board. He has held numerous leadership positions in the United Methodist Church and is a certified lay speaker.
Dr. Kunstling has earned many honors in his career, but one of the most prestigious is his 1981 induction by Gov. Jim Hunt into The Order of the Longleaf Pine. He earned that recognition for his chairmanship of the Governor's Brown Lung Study Committee which developed guidelines utilized by the North Carolina Industrial Commission when evaluating textile workers' compensation claims for brown lung (byssinosis). As a result of this work, he was also invited to testify before a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives chaired by then Representative Al Gore.
Dr. Kunstling served his country in the U.S. Navy from 1970 to 1972. He was Battalion Surgeon for 1st Battalion, 9th Marines in West Pacific and Viet Nam and, subsequently, a general medical officer at the Naval Hospital in Bremerton, Washington, leaving the active duty as a lieutenant commander.
As Dr. Kunstling approaches the end of his career in December, he has been working closely with our new CMO, Michael D. Spiritos, MD for the past few months to ensure a smooth transition.
Best wishes, Ted, on a well-earned retirement. You have the gratitude of the entire staff and all the patients you've cared for – and those whose care you've influenced. We'll miss your leadership, but we're grateful you've trained and mentored a generation of doctors. You've left an indelible impression on countless healthcare professionals and will continue to inspire and educate others who join Duke Raleigh long after you've retired.
Your few paragraphs were a noble goal indeed to describe Dr. Kunstling and his accomplishments as a physician and prominent citizen here in Raleigh. All you said about his positive influence in the "Duke world of medicine" is equally as true in our community, church and many other civic organizations. I have been privileged to be a patient under his care for many years and I know firsthand his level of compassion for those under his care. Many say about others in this world " Well when he takes his hand out of the bucket of water (Called medicine in this case) there'll be no hole left. Well Duke. . . I think in his case "THERE WILL BE A HOLE" !
Congratulations Dr Ted for your many years of exemplary service.


text:
Inspection System S3088 DT Wins Two of the Most Prestigious Prizes in China
The design of the award-winning S3088 DT shows off its advantages particularly when space is tight in production
Hanover, Germany, May 2019 – SMTconnect, Stand 4A - 120
With the S3088 DT, Viscom AG has expanded its diverse range of inspection systems for the electronics industry to include an especially flexible, compact machine for dual-track operation. After a very successful appearance and two awards at Nepcon China, the new alternative to the S6056 will be on display at SMTconnect in Nuremberg, Germany.
The S3088 DT is configured as standard with a dual-track system for use in automatic optical inspection (3D AOI) and confidently claims both one of this year's "Vision Awards" and an "EM ASIA Innovation Award" in this design. The prizes were awarded at the end of April during the international trade show Nepcon China in Shanghai.
Visitors to SMTconnect in Nuremberg from May 7-9 can experience the advantages of the S3088 DT in person at Viscom's stand (4A - 120). The system features a unique combination of affordability, efficiency, speed and technical performance that meets all the requirements of large-scale mass production today, including, for instance, full connection to state-of-the-art Industry 4.0 interfaces. The S3088 DT ensures reliable inspection of sophisticated 03015 components at an impressive throughput rate.
The system adapts to the varying track widths of the relevant production jobs and can also be used in single-track operation as required. The S3088 DT then offers the advantage, for example, of being able to inspect even the largest printed circuit boards.
Compared to the S6056 3D AOI system that many Viscom customers use in a dual-track version, the S3088 DT is considerably more compact, particularly with regard to its width. Moreover, the monitor features a fold-out keyboard integrated in the door of the S3088 DT housing to save even more space – an innovative design solution that Viscom introduced in this system.
With regard to its sensor technology, the S3088 DT provides outstanding flexibility: in addition to its configuration for the most sophisticated 3D AOI tasks, configurations for solder paste inspection (3D SPI), conformal coating inspection (CCI) and underfill inspection (UFI) are also available.
(PDF, 0,52 MB)
Image 300 dpi
(JPG, 0,88 MB)
Publication advice
Upon publication please send two voucher copies to:
Viscom AG
Carl-Buderus-Straße 9 - 15


text:
May 11, 2015 at 9:50am
Venice Police Declare Christoph Büchel's Biennale Installation a Security Problem, Threaten to Shut It Down
Randy Kennedy reports in the New York Times that Swiss artist Christoph Büchel's contribution to the Icelandic Pavilion at the Fifty-sixth Venice Biennale, a mosque installed in a former Catholic church and the first Mosque ever in the historic center of Venice, has been designated a "threat to safety" by local authorities in Venice. The project, titled THE MOSQUE: The First Mosque in the Historic City of Venice and installed in the tenth-century building of the Santa Maria dell'Abbazia della Misericordia, moved police to notify the Icelandic Art Center in mid-April of concerns about the location of the installation.
The mosque is located near a pedestrian bridge and police claim it will be difficult to provide safety surveillance around the area, arguing that the Icelandic pavilion requires surveillance due to "the current international situation and the possible risks of attack by some religious extremist." Büchel and Nína Magnúsdóttir, the curator of the pavilion, have sought legal advice but intend to continue the project as planned and keep the mosque open to the public. Hamad Mahamed, who will be leading prayers there, said that it is an important project for the Muslim community because it will give them a chance "to show people what Islam is about, and not what people see in the media."
The temporary mosque will remain operational until the Biennale ends in November.
UPDATE, May 11, 2015, 9:30 AM: City officials have argued that special legal permission is required to create a place of worship in Venice, and they have rejected claims by Büchel and Icelandic art officials that the mosque is simply a work of art functioning as a place of worship, reports Randy Kennedy in the New York Times. The municipality warned in a letter last Friday morning to Bjorg Stefansdottir, the director of the Icelandic Art Center and the commissioner of Iceland's pavilion, that the installation would not be allowed to continue if it functioned as a place of worship.


Knowing how to actively engage potential consumers with mobile marketing campaigns for the holidays can result in increased revenue via both your ecommerce website and physical store.
One way that has already been proven effective on the smaller screen is the use to mobile video, Luxury Daily reports.
"In the early stages of mobile marketing, it has been established that video content is an excellent mobile engagement tool in the brand marketing portfolio and I only see that continuing to increase in popularity," Scott Forshay, director of mobile strategy for Austin, Texas-based Morpheus Media, told the news source.
He added that content which chronicles the creative process behind, say, holiday window displays or the creation of a holiday collection act as engaging video that can be uniquely suited for mobile devices and provide the user with a sense of connectivity toward the brand.
What types of video content work best on this medium? Flash-heavy media won't cut it on a mobile device, as you risk bogging down users with loading times. Also, longer isn't necessarily better when it comes to mobile video - instead, the news source recommends creating content that's short in length - typically around one minute long - and has an episodic theme.
If your company doesn't have the resources or time to create new video content, you may want to consider alternatives to keep users engaged, such as constantly refreshing product offerings. There will be heavier traffic on ecommerce sites throughout the holidays, and seeing a stagnant mobile page with the same products may be a turn-off.
Another option is promoting holiday-specific items that can only be found via mobile devices. This tactic will incentivize consumers to use their smartphones to make purchases or receive certain benefits such as free shipping or gift wrapping paper on mobile orders.
Marketers should be aware, however, that many consumers would rather make important holiday purchases in-store, and may simply be using the mobile site to conduct research. In that case, inserting a store locator - preferably one with geo-location technology - can be a helpful addition to guide a consumer to your brick-and-mortar location to make a purchase.
Mobile Commerce Daily reports that Gap recently rolled out its mobile campaign for the holidays, combining with Visa to offer tailored discounts and promotions based on a user's location.