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Some thoughts on the wines of Argentina and Chile

Comparing some Torrontes

Comparing some Torrontes

A wonderful thing about spending much of 2015 travelling around both Argentina and Chile was that we had an opportunity to do quite a lot of wine tasting in two of the world’s great wine regions. This was a task we took seriously to heart and luckily there was some trekking in Patagonia to try and offset the expanding waistlines…

Bruce here…

Back to the serious business of wine tasting at the Cantina

The serious business of wine tasting in Mendoza

I must admit that I now have a great regard for the wines of this part of the world and so I decided that I would jot down some of my thoughts. As I am no wine expert, I’ll start by explaining a bit about my general approach to tasting wines in a new country, some general reflections on the wines here and then I’ll highlight a few specifics for each country. The non-vertical nature of some of the photos of bottles perhaps shows how much we enjoyed them…

A mixed selection of Reservas and Non-Reservas

A selection of Reservas and non-Reservas

When trying different wines in these (and other) countries, I tend to start with a mid-priced Reserva (say @50 pesos in Argentina and @5,000 pesos in Chile, about £3.50 and £5.00 respectively at 2015 coversion rates). In general, the Reservas are more expensive than the non-Reservas as they have usually spent six months or so in oak barrels. The Gran Reservas are yet more expensive, with extra time in the barrels. I also presume that the grapes that go in the higher end wines are more carefully selected but I have no real basis for this assumption.

One of my favourite Gran Reservas

A favourite of mine

If the Reserva tasted good to me (note – my wine tasting notes are non-technical and often consist of ‘yummy’ or ‘yeuch’!), I would then look out for wines across the range from that vineyard (and occasionally for a treat we would try a Gran Reserva). However, if the Reserva was a bit dodgy (and there were a few), then I would usually give up on that wine maker…

One thing that is obvious from the moment you step foot in a wine shop here is that there are a few very big wineries in Argentina and Chile and that these dominate the markets. This is not necessarily a bad thing as they have ranges of wines from the very cheap to the exceedingly expensive. To me it wasn’t always the case, though, that wineries that make good cheap ranges of wines necessarily do worthwhile wines at the middle end (we tried very few high end wines). Trapiche in Argentina and Concha y Toro in Chile are definitely very drinkable across their ranges, whilst I was disappointed by the more expensive Nieto Senetiner wines (the cheap mass produced Benjamin wines are very consistent and quaffable at 30-40 Argentinian pesos).

Carmelo is a one man band who has a passion for ageing his wines in the bottle

Carmelo is a one man band who has a passion for ageing his wines in the bottle

In Argentina and Chile, most wines are drunk very young, which is a shame as, although they are usually good, they can be very fruity. Occasionally, we came across some old bottles in supermarkets and snapped them up. So far, they have proved to be excellent and more ‘Old World’ in their taste, although we have had one that hadn’t improved on the ‘young’ bottles. My guess is that the Reservas and Gran Reservas are more likely to age better in the bottle because of the initial time spent in oak. There is at least one winemaker in Mendoza who tries to buck the trend. Carmelo Patti is an Italian who insists on aging his wine upside down for a number of years before selling it and shows what can be done. However, with the general taste for young wine, I fear that he is an endangered species.

Most of the wines (apart from the really cheap and really expensive ones) tend to be single varietals rather than blends. This is fine as you can then really get to experience the range of characteristics of, for example, the Argentinian Malbecs. However, more and more, bi- and tri-varietal blends can be found and they are well worth trying.

The bubblies are a lot cheaper than Europe and you do find that some of the big Champagne houses have wineries over here, particularly in Argentina. However, my advice is to look at the label and see what the grapes are and how it was made. ‘Méthode Traditionelle’ wines tended to be a bit more expensive but were generally a lot more complex and worth the extra expense.

Now for some specifics!

There is, in general, a wider range of grapes used in Chile, ranging from the ‘classics’ of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to some more obscure varietals. There is also Carmenére, which is the pride of Chile. Personally, I still remain to be converted to Carmenére and I think that Chile does the major grape varieties the best – some of the more minor varieties were a bit dodgy, unless they were in a blend.

Bruce takes on the challenge of tasting as many Chilean wines as possible

Tasting of wine flights at Boca Náriz in Santiago

There are a huge variety of terroirs and climates in Chile, from the more humid coastal regions to some of the mountain valleys, which are at altitude. This means that it can be quite difficult to get your head around the multitude of wines that are available but one good way to scratch the surface is to do a tasting of ‘flights’ (50cl tasting of each of three different wines) at somewhere like the winebar Boca Náriz in Santiago. They have a huge range of wines from all the different regions that can be tasted by a flight or drunk by the glass. This is certainly a good way to compare, for example, Sauvignon Blancs from the coast to the mountains. And the food is excellent as well…

Specific likes:

This aged really well!

This aged really well!

Morandé – this winemaker is not so easy to find but I would buy it whenever I could. They do several ranges and the cheapest is not that cheap. They are at the top of my list of likes. In fact, we unexpectedly found some bottles of the 2008 Pinot Noir Reserva in a hotel in Bolivia that tasted as good as a £20 burgundy (for half the price and without the sediment) and this was our wine of choice whilst staying there.

Conch Y Toro – They do some excellent Gran Reservas and the Reserva bubbly is not bad at all. At the bottom end of the spectrum, the ‘Exportacion’ blends were very consistent and quaffable.

An evening spent tasting Malbecs

There are a LOT of wines in Argentina but the less variable climate in the wine regions (dry, hot in the day and cool at night) makes them a lot more consistent. The wineries range from Del Fin del Mundo in the north of Patagonia, which is the most southerly region, to Viñas de Payogasta in the far North near Salta. They do a full range of grapes and their major varieties are generally consistent. The Argentinian specialities are Malbec and Torrontes, which are well worth investigating. I generally think that Malbecs from the south, around Mendoza, are often more full-bodied and robust than those grown in the northern high altitude vineyards. I prefer the bigger flavours of the southern Malbecs. Mind you I have a very strong preference for the northern high altitude Torrontes and didn’t really come across a Torrontes from Mendoza that passed muster for me.

Enjoying our Malbec tasting at the Cantina with JP and Hannie (picture thanks to JP)

Enjoying our Malbec tasting at the Cantina Wine Club with JP and Hannie (picture thanks to JP)

Mendoza, which has about 1,000 of the 1,500 wineries, is actually a difficult place to taste lots of different wines. You usually need to do organised tours of vineyards and turning up on spec is difficult. There is a good wine bar that has just opened up (Cantina Wine Club, closed on Mondays), with lovely helpful staff who can arrange an off-the-cuff tasting if you want!

A delightful setting, with the snow covered Andes in the distance, to sample their wines

A delightful setting, with the snow covered Andes in the distance, to sample wine at The Vines

South of Mendoza is a boutique vineyard in the Uco Valley, The Vines of Mendoza. The Vines is a project that sells small plots to many, many private owners who then get to decide what grapes to grow and how to blend their own wines, with the guide of the vine master and the master blender. The Vines team does most of the work throughout the whole process. People sometimes come to help at different stages, but almost always turn up for the blending. Any grapes that are left over are bought up by The Vines to make their own excellent Recuerdo Gran Corte wine. They also do tastings of wines from the vineyard and one of the best restaurants in Argentina is onsite if you want to splash out (The Siete Fuegos).

Further north, Calafayte, in the heartlands of the northern Torrontes region is a good place to visit wineries as the Tourist Information publishes lists of the wineries, opening times and prices. Many are within walking distance of the town and some are free.

My highlights:

Bubblies – Alta Vista Atemporal – expensive (£15) but stunning and as good as a £50 bottle of Champagne; Del Fin del Mundo extra brut – difficult to find but about £8.50 and excellent. This was a wine we sought out when we could.

Malbecs – Don David, Trapiche Reserva, San Filipe Roble, Alta Vista Terrior Selection (expensive). This covers a decent range of quality and I think would show off what you can get for the different prices (£5 – £20)…

Cheaper wines – most things by Trapiche for most grapes, Elementos and Benjamin. All these were very reliable and quaffable.

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7 responses to “Some thoughts on the wines of Argentina and Chile

  1. Funny how tastes can differ… We’ve tried Concha Y Toro’s “Exportacion” wines twice; we found one so bad that it went straight into pasta sauce. I often tried the 3-bottle specials at Lider supermarkets and thus came to know some of the lesser known labels.
    In Argentina we became bored with the ‘Benjamin’ Malbec, and it constantly went up in price (now mostly ARS64-68 – not for their ‘Reserva’ but for their regular wine!), so we gave up buying it. Now the much better ’33 Sur’ is in the same price range. As a real cheapy we tend to buy ‘Colon’ wines (only their Malbec and their Sauvignon Blanc), with luck ARS34, otherwise around ARS40. ‘Finca Las Moras’ has become another of our favorites and can be found almost everywhere.
    In general: dry white wines are difficult to find in South America, ‘vino dulce’ is the preferred flavour. Have you tried Brazilian wines? I was surprised by some…

    • It is probably a good thing that tastes differ otherwise there would be far fewer vineyards! The Exportacion I liked was the Exportacion Selecto, which I felt was quaffable at the price.
      The three bottle specials was definitely the way we came across different wines and I especially liked the way that there were two or three different price ranges for those. When faced with so many wines in Chile, it is a very helpful way to start!
      Has inflation hit the Argentinian wines. If Finca Las Moras is still around 60 pesos, then Benjamin would definitely be low on my list if we returned. You are certainly right that 33 Sur is a good bet as well.
      We were pleasantly surprised to find that Brazil does some quite good wines (as well as some rubbish) but was even more surprised by the Bolivian wines. They have undergone something of a renaissance in the last 8-10 years and there are some truly excellent wines. It did take us a bit of time to get away from the big Bodegases but Casa Grande and Sausini do excellent aged wines that are quite Old World in style and 1750 (from Samaipata) do the best Torrontes I have tasted outside Salta!

  2. Bob Jackson

    You are definitely in the wrong job when you get back home Bruce and that extends to being a webmaster! What a great read and spare a thought for us poor souls paying £15 for a very average bottle! Can’t summon up any enthusiasm for a shoot at the moment. It’s 4 centigrade and totally soggy. All very best wishes to you both and see you in the summer hopefully. Bob Jackson

    • Thanks for the comment Bob. Unfortunately I think inflation has hit Argentina a bit but still it was nice buying wines at about half the cost they are in the UK!
      Hope you have a good spring to make up for the winter and so get Bisley at its best…

  3. Digby & Martine

    Hola both – UK media full of news about Zika possibly affected up to 4million across the Americas with Brazil worst hit which is alarming with Rio Olympics later this year. We were in Uruguay & Argentina last year and Zika seems not to have made it that far south yet but prediction is it will?

    Hope that you’re both well as we enjoy reading your ongoing posts and highly recommend if you visit Boquete in Panama that you stay a few nights at the lovely Boquete Garden Inn run by Suzanne (Canada) and Jason (UK) lovely rooms and superb bird life right next to the breakfast patio:

    Where are you planning next as the Ferry Express stopped shipping across the Darien Gap last year so guess it will be a container for the Yellow Van as you head north?

    Best regards and continued safe travels…

  4. Pingback: Climbing in Chile and Bolivia: Places with potential | Yellow Van Days

  5. Pingback: Rock climbing in Argentina: A land of plenty | Yellow Van Days

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Download Dune (1984) YIFY Torrent for 1080p mp4 movie - yify-torrent

Dune (1984) 1080p

Movie Poster
Dune (1984) 1080p - Movie Poster
Action | Adventure
Frame Rate:
23.976 fps
English 2.0
Run Time:
137 min
IMDB Rating:
6.5 / 10
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Directors: David Lynch [Director] ,

Movie Description:
In the far future, a duke and his family are sent by the Emperor to a sand world from which comes a spice that is essential for interstellar travel. The move is designed to destroy the duke and his family, but his son escapes and seeks revenge as he uses the world's ecology as one of his weapons.

  • Dune (1984) 1080p - Movie Scene 1
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  • Dune (1984) 1080p - Movie Scene 1

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    Emanuelle goes undercover into a prison to expose the corrupted officials who are brutalizing the inmates. Emanuelle is shocked by the horrors and humiliation the prisoners are subjected to, but when her true identity is discovered, she finds herself at the receiving end. —Jonathan Ruskin

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Dune's Devil in David's Details

My review covers both versions of Dune, the 2 hour release and the extended 3 hour "Smithee" version aired on television. The first cut of the film was over four hours long, but there was never any intention to release this, and Lynch himself shot scenes which consolidated the final product into a more manageable length.

Allen Smithee, a protest pseudonym adopted by Lynch when he disassociated himself with the 3 hour version of this film, is also alluded to in Lynch's latest film - Inland Empire. A portion of a film studio in Inland Empire is "Smithee's Room" - a metaphorical insight into Lynch's feelings about Dune, and studio-controlled film-making in general.

Given the tremendous investment made by the studio, Lynch's general distaste for the final product, the repetitive cliché soundtrack, and the occasionally bizarre use of voice-over narrative in the TV version, it seems more a DeLaurentis film than a Lynch film. Although I am very interested in Lynch's films and other projects, I am evaluating this solely from my own perspective. Despite the great director's poor opinion of this film, I enjoyed it and it is one of my favorite sci-fi films.

Frank Herbert, author of the novel upon which it is based, approved the theatrical version, but he had the benefit of knowing what he was going to see. If you haven't read the book, these films can be somewhat difficult to understand. And if you come to the experience expecting something like Star Wars, you should probably find something else to do.

The soundtrack is repetitive and only interesting the first time you hear the film's major theme (the Eno composition). The use of rock orchestration simply does not work in this film. Happily, Lynch learned from the experience and used rock instrumentation beautifully in later films (especially Wild at Heart and Lost Highway). The camera work is generally less inspired than the rest of Lynch's portfolio. There are occasional visually striking scenes which will remind you of the film's origin, but there are too many static shots - especially during the action scenes. The soundtrack is easy to explain - like the inclusion of Sting in the cast - this is a marketing move by the production company, not a creative choice of the director. The camera work is much less easily explained. Perhaps Lynch was asked to avoid doing anything surreal or bizarre with this film (sort of like asking Groucho Marx to avoid being funny), or the studio was trying to appeal to fans of Star Wars by simplifying and sterilizing its story.

The recently released special edition DVD reveals some very interesting aspects of the production. Lynch's influence, not surprisingly, is best explored in the short documentary concerning the film's design. As an artist, Lynch spent a great deal of time and energy envisioning the material culture ? both historical and modern ? of each culture depicted in the film, helping to create a consistent and unique characterization for each. This spilled over quite naturally into costume design. The sets and costumes used in this film are really spectacular. The special effects, often derided by contemporary viewers, required a great deal more effort that the synthetic art of today's computerized extravaganzas and, the documentary concerning their production on the DVD is also appropriately respectful.

What you will see is an intense visualization of several, fully realized alien cultures whose art, architecture and general heritage are as well realized, if not more so, than in Herbert's epic novel. To fully appreciate this, don't just check out the extras on the DVD, turn down the sound and just watch the sets, costumes, and effects move through each scenes. There is, as with Lynch's entire portfolio, a great deal to be seen. And the acting and direction are fine throughout the film.

The longer version fleshes out the stories, themes and intricate subplots of Herbert's book more thoroughly, and maintains a much steadier pace than the cinematic release. Even so, both films, to some extent, suffer from too much story, overwhelming visualization, and a un-Lynchian frenetic pace. The later TV mini-series by the sci fi channel does a better job of telling the story in its entirety, but runs about 246 minutes and does not compare to the original in terms of design. Lynch's cinematic release, by contrast, rushes through components of the book and often feels inconsistent in pace.

PLOT: Dune is the story of Paul "Muad'ib" Atreides, the son of Duke Leto Atreides the Just and his Bene Jesserat concubine Lady Jessica. Combining aspects of fantasy, sci-fi and anthropology, the story follows young Paul through a series of tragedies which find him seeking redemption for an entire galaxy by leading an adoptive tribal culture to a revolutionary cleansing of the malignant imperial system from which he sprung. The plot is exceedingly complex ? in both Lynch versions of the film much is left out of Herbert's original work. Subplots abound, but, true to form, Lynch avoids short-cuts as much as possible and attempts to show his audience what is going on rather than resorting to a great deal of voice-over narrative in the theatrical release. The TV version, however, attempts to provide even more detail, and uses voice-over to patch up the areas glossed over by Lynch's script.

SUMMARY: If you're a Lynch fan and not a big Herbert fan or you don't have a great deal of patience, see the cinematic release. It is the class of the lot.

If you haven't read the book, or you are a Herbert purist who will accept only what was written, choose the Sci-Fi Channel version (review forthcoming soon) - but be forewarned - it is very long.

If you want something that compromises between story and cinematic artistry, go for the TV version. The weakest link, but still OK.

Outstanding Interpretation

I've talked to quite a few die-hard Herbert fans who insist that this film is rubbish. Well, I personally feel that this film is one of the most lavish and elegant science fiction movies ever made. I think it's wonderful, and am happy to have it in my collection.

The movie itself inspired me to read the next couple of books in the series.

I do agree however that there are some scenes that need to be added in a definitive collection. There are a couple of sequences from the Alan Smithee bootleg version - such as when the water of the Fremen warrior that Paul defeated in combat is re-absorbed into the collective water supply - that are absolutely vital to the story. Yet scenes like this were cut out of the final movie version that we all see on DVD.

Viewers can be divided into two categories. The first are those who are looking for flashy expensive over the top graphics with some decent dialogue and structure. The second group in this case are those of you out there who love the Dune Series and would rather be in-depth with the plot then see the flashy over the top Graphics. The casting and portrayal of characters in this film FAR surpasses the ones who tried more recently to redo the movie (TV version). I Recommend One Thing if you do see this movie. WATCH THE 3 hour version. It goes much more in-depth then the normal version and is much easier to follow. The Film is worth watching at least once, and for me, its worth watching time after time.
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Ranking your local business #5 Citations for local search

This is the fifth post in an 8-part series on how to rank your business for local searches at Google. Previously, I’ve listed the most important aspects that influence your local ranking, discussed how to get the most out of Google My Business, covered best practices for on-site optimization, and given you some ideas for building inbound links. Here, I’ll focus on another core local search ranking factor: building citations for your business. Learn why and how to do that!

I’d like you to think back 12+ years ago to early 2005. (Scary for a guy who’s 35 to acknowledge, but some present-day readers may still have been in elementary school!)

The Internet was a very different place. MySpace, not Facebook, was all the rage, and Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram weren’t even close to launching. There was no iPhone and there was no Android.

In a nutshell, the world was far less digital. When you searched at Google, it returned “10 blue links” of webpage results. The authority of those webpages was largely determined by inbound links.

But the launch of Google Maps in early 2005, and the subsequent release of the 10-pack in May 2007, portended something entirely different. Google Maps and the 10-pack ranked business listings, not websites, which required a completely different algorithm – an algorithm which remains distinct to this day.

After studying this algorithm in detail and discussing it extensively with colleagues like Mike Blumenthal, I wrote in May 2008 that “citations are the new links.”

Google now obfuscates much of the evidence that prompted my theory. But the underlying foundation of that Maps/10-pack algorithm still seems to be in place today in the Maps/3-pack interface that has succeeded it.

What’s a citation?

My premise in that May 2008 column was that while inbound links were the dominant ranking factor for “10 blue links” results, Google’s listing-based results couldn’t rely primarily on inbound links to determine rankings.

The reason? At the time, many businesses in Google’s business index didn’t have websites (some still don’t). Without a website, there’s nothing for other sites around the web to link to. So Google had to develop an alternative ranking algorithm that wasn’t dependent on links.

Based on information in a couple of Google patents highlighted by Bill Slawski, I thought about this secondary Google algorithm. I theorized it focused on the number of times Google’s spiders found references to a business across the web largely through mentions of its Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP).

I referred to these Name, Address, Phone number mentions as “citations”. This term appeared extensively in Google’s patents, and that term has largely stuck to this day.

Fingerprint picture

Your NAP is basically your digital thumbprint – it’s how Google knows that a website is mentioning your business as opposed to someone else’s. The more times Google sees your thumbprint on reputable websites, the more confident Google is that it’s displaying a reputable business in its search results.

Key citation attributes

The core citation attributes are your Name, Address, and Phone number, along with your website. These attributes must be consistent anywhere you expect Google to pick up your thumbprint.

It’s why using tracking phone numbers is such a risky practice. It’s great to know where your incoming phone calls are coming from, but implemented incorrectly, tracking numbers can pollute your thumbprint. As can stuffing your business name with keywords because you think it will help you rank for those terms.

The reality is that mixing and matching your NAP leaves makes it much harder for Google to match mentions of your business. Subsequently it’s more difficult to give your business credit in the form of rankings. It can also lead to duplicate listings if those mismatches appear in prominent enough sources. This is a headache that no business wants to develop (see Troubleshooting GMB Issues).

NAP consistency – which appears twice in experts’ top 10 individual local ranking factors – is especially important between your own website and Google My Business. The Yoast Local SEO Plugin makes this two-way consistency easy.

Where to get citations

Unless you’re blatantly spamming, there really isn’t a bad website on which to acquire a citation. But as with inbound links, certain citations are more valuable than others. Let’s take a look at the most valuable citation types below.

Data aggregators

In most developed countries around the world, Google has licensed existing databases to build its local business index rather than starting from scratch. In many cases, the licensors are the largest traditional yellow pages companies in each market. For example, Paginas Amarillas in Latin America, YPG in Canada, and Telelistas in Brazil have all licensed (or appeared to license) data to Google over the years. In the United States, the primary licensors have been Infogroup, Acxiom, Neustar/Localeze, and Factual.

Why did Google choose to license data from these companies? Because they tend to vet business information more stringently than the average web directory, through phone and mailing address verification. So Google has high confidence in the fidelity of the information they license.

These aggregators also license business data to other directories and mobile apps featuring local businesses, in addition to Google. In turn, Google crawls those websites looking for citations.

The Local Search Ecosystem

These aggregators are not perfect, however. Because they’re the original data source for so many websites, an incorrect Name, Address, Phone, or website attribute can be amplified many times over. This creates all kinds of incorrect and mismatched thumbprints. To reiterate, these mismatched thumbprints actually look like different businesses to Google. So it’s critical to get your information correct at the source – the data aggregators themselves – if you want to get credit for all of your thumbprints.

Many aggregators allow businesses to correct improper information (or submit missing information) via online portals. This includes Infogroup’s ExpressUpdate and Acxiom’s MyBusinessListingManager. Others are either not publicly-accessible (Factual) or are prohibitively expensive (Neustar/Localeze), in which case it’s best to use a citation submission service (more on this below).

Consumer directories

In addition to licensing data, Google does what it does best – crawls the Internet – looking for local business citations as well. Citations from authoritative consumer directories (such as Yelp or YP.com) carry much more weight in terms of helping your rankings than those from weak directories you’ve never heard of, like USCityNet or ABLocal.

For U.S.-, U.K.-, Canada-, or Australia-based businesses, Darren Shaw and Nyagoslav Zhekov of Whitespark have put together great resources. These resources delineate the top consumer directories on which you should list your business.

The key point here is that the quality of the citation source matters far more than the quantity of sources on which you’re listed. Despite the marketing of certain business listing services touting “dozens” or “hundreds” of directories, the reality is that there are only a handful of cross-industry consumer directories on which you really need to be listed. At that point you should move on to industry and local directories – which are largely outside the network of major listing services. It won’t hurt to be listed on longer-tail directories, but they’re just not worth your time or money.

Industry directories

As with inbound links, citations from industry-relevant websites help build the authority of your business. They also give Google a sense of the types of keywords for which your business is relevant.

Chances are that U.S.-based businesses can rattle off the important vertical directories in their industry. Sites like Avvo and Findlaw for Lawyers, Houzz and HomeAdvisor for contractors, WeddingWire and TheKnot for photographers, etc. Basically, these are the directories that rank regularly for the keywords that you want to rank for.

Businesses with an optimized thumbprint on these directories stand a better chance of ranking in Google for industry terms than businesses with a messy or missing thumbprint.

The team at Whitespark has also put together a list of the top industry directories. This is a great starting point, no matter what kind of business you are.

Local directories

Citations from local directories also increase the authority and credibility of listed businesses. As I mentioned in my inbound links column, the member directories of your local chamber of commerce and neighborhood business association are great places to start.

There may also be business listing websites that are popular with local residents. In my hometown of Portland, Oregon, the Oregonian newspaper maintains a strong directory at OregonLive.comTravel Portland and Supportland also maintain robust directories, just to name a couple.

Seek out listings on similar sites in the towns and cities where your business operates.

Advanced citation building

One of the advantages of citation building over other SEO tactics is that it’s relatively non-technical. Any business owner with enough time can be just as effective as an agency or expert SEO consultant. It’s simply not that complicated to get your business listed on major data aggregators, consumer directories, vertical directories, and local directories. There are a couple more advanced techniques that you can use to either go beyond the basics or outbuild your competition, however.

Unstructured citations

The four types of directory citations I covered above are all what SEO professionals call “structured citations” – sites on which NAP attributes are presented in well-structured format by the sites on which they appear, perhaps even in schema.org.

But mentions of your business name or phone number in general web content (such as a blog post or media article) may be just as valuable. Provided that there’s enough context for Google to identify that it’s indeed your business being mentioned.

In terms of identifying good prospective sources of these unstructured citations, many of the same linkbuilding suggestions I gave around finding interviews and guest columns apply here.

Longer-tail industry and local directories

If you’re lucky enough to operate in an industry and a geography covered by Whitespark’s lists of top citation sources, you can probably stop reading here. But if your business is in a country or market in which Whitespark has not yet done research, you can perform similar research yourself.

Simply search Google for [your keyword] and [your city] and note the directories that appear in the top 20 (or so) organic results. You can even get more specific and add the word [directory] to the end of your string, or [submit] to the beginning.

These are websites with a reasonable degree of credibility in Google’s eyes, on which it would be helpful to place your NAP thumbprint.

Through a different, but equally effective, mechanism, Whitespark’s Local Citation Finder can automate much of this research for you.

For those local businesses with a moderate budget, there are automated submission tools. These can help get your thumbprint on many important directories in a matter of days (or even minutes in some cases).

My former product, Moz Local, remains an excellent baseline citation submission service for U.S. businesses.

Whitespark’s service is a great option for those businesses with slightly larger budgets or more tailored submission needs.

Rule of thumb[print]

It’s important to be represented as cleanly and as completely as possible, as many places as you can be online. However, it’s important to weigh the benefit of citations against their cost – whether in time or money.

My overriding rule of thumb[print] when it comes to thinking about citation building is “be where your customers expect you to be.” That is, if you run a deli, and every other deli in your city is on Yelp, you probably need to be on Yelp, too. If you’re a guitar instructor, and every other guitar instructor in your region is on Thumbtack, you probably need to be on Thumbtack, too.

Being where your customers expect you to be also means you’ll be where Google expects you to be. Citations beyond these obvious websites provide diminishing returns, so be wary of that fact as you evaluate signing up with new products or services.

The place of citations in the local algorithm of the future

Citations are a rudimentary ranking factor in what is an increasingly sophisticated local algorithm. Because they’re relatively easy to build, most successful small businesses will already have a strong citation profile.

In other words, citations have basically table stakes in the Local SEO poker game. You need a strong citation profile to compete. But if your business already has a strong profile, it’s unlikely that building a few more citations will move the needle much on your rankings.

Increasingly, Google is able to assess the veracity of a business’s thumbprint from users of Maps, location-enabled Android devices, Waze, and other mobile collection devices (such as StreetView cars). Thus, the future competitive differentiators are likely to be different from the structured citations of today.

My colleague Mike Blumenthal has rhetorically posed, “are words becoming the new links?” Google’s algorithm gets smarter and smarter at detecting entity mentions that appear in natural language (such as those in interviews or media articles). This could blend the disciplines of citation building, link building, and social media even further.

  • Citations are your business’s digital thumbprint. “Optimizing” that thumbprint via business name keyword-stuffing or tracking phone numbers carries substantial risk to your local rankings.
  • Your thumbprint should appear on data aggregators, as well as prominent consumer portals, industry directories, and local directories.
  • My rule of thumb[print] for citations: be where your customers expect you to be, and you’ll be where Google expects your business to be.
  • Unstructured citations are likely to become more important in the future. More and more local businesses achieve the “table stakes” of basic directory presence.

Read on

Other parts in the Ranking your local business series:

  1. An introduction to ranking your local business
  2. The importance of Google My Business
  3. How to optimize your website for local search
  4. Why inbound links are so important and how to get them
  5. Citations for local search
  6. The impact of reviews for local ranking
  7. Social media and local SEO
  8. The impact of behavioral signals

Coming up next!

15 Responses to Ranking your local business part 5: Citations for local search

  1. Harshwardhan Solo ads
    Harshwardhan Solo ads  • 4 years ago

    Thank you, this article is very helpful, I’m still learning SEO

  2. Gil Pauley
    Gil Pauley  • 4 years ago

    I agree with you about Yext – too expensive. One problem is that many of the citations won’t let you fix errors yourself and make you go thru Yext. There is an interesting article by White Spark, a competitor of Yext. It discusses and shows data about how effective or not that Yext actually is and what happens to your citations when you drop their service: https://whitespark.ca/blog/what-happens-when-you-cancel-yext/?

  3. CompareGeeks
    CompareGeeks  • 4 years ago

    Thank you David, it seems local SEO is very important and most people don’t focus on it.

  4. Mike Carpino
    Mike Carpino  • 4 years ago

    Interesting Article!
    It is very Helpful for Local SEO.
    Thanks for Sharing.

  5. Bryan Bloom
    Bryan Bloom  • 4 years ago

    David, great job. As usual you give away so much amazing information and direction to help all of us grow our agency base and perform. Thanks again!

  6. Panav Vaishnav
    Panav Vaishnav  • 4 years ago

    Very Nice Article.
    Its very helpful for promoting local business.
    Thanks sir for sharing this useful information.

  7. Jenny Tyo
    Jenny Tyo  • 4 years ago

    Nice post. very helpful !

  8. David
    David  • 4 years ago

    Thanks for this. It’s very useful. Some more local directory sources for each country would be helpful :)

  9. Bill Slawski
    Bill Slawski  • 4 years ago

    Thanks for the mention. I’ve been trying to keep up, and this point you made was interesting. My Friend Barbara Starr pointed out something about Google Trends that is worth sharing:

    “Google’s algorithm gets smarter and smarter at detecting entity mentions that appear in natural language.”

    Look at Google Trends, and search for an entity, such as a baseball team. You will see it as a “baseball team” type, rather than a “search term”, and look, at the URL for that entity. The URL will have an unencoded ID number for the entity, much like the Meta Web ID numbers. For Example, The Chicago Cubs, on a search at Google Trends, have the URL:

    Decode that string of text and characters after the equal sign, and you get:

    Search for that in Google, and you will see the third result is the Wikidata entry for the Chicago Cubs.

    Google has been optimizing it’s search engine to better return results for entities, such as ones it keeps track of in Google Trends.

  10. Ken Gardner
    Ken Gardner  • 4 years ago

    Very informative and well written article. I’m off to check our citations. Thanks.

  11. Bill Treloar
    Bill Treloar  • 4 years ago

    A service you may want to consider mentioning is Yext’s PowerListings. Many citation sources re-synchronize their NAP data fro their original aggregators and even though you may correct a bad NAP, it can revert back within a few months. Yext alleviates the need to re-check and re-correct those listings by forcing your NAP and other data to remain as you set it via an API with each of their ~70 publishers.

    • David Mihm
      David Mihm  • 4 years ago

      Hi Bill,
      I actually don’t recommend Yext for that exact reason. Unless you clear up your listings at the source (the data aggregators, which Yext does not work with, at least publicly), you are going to continue to experience problems unless you continue to pay Yext’s annual premium–which is just not worth the cost for most small businesses.

  12. Michael Kohlfürst
    Michael Kohlfürst  • 4 years ago

    Whenever it comes up to Local Citation update pages like expressupdate.com I am missing german ones. I know one, but they want to claim the listing on their own and when you leave them your listings are getting “lost”. is there any good one for europe?

    • David Mihm
      David Mihm  • 4 years ago

      Hi Michael,
      I’m not super-familiar with the German market, but I know Uberall maintains a large European presence…have you checked with them? I also put this graphic together a couple of years ago…although it might be out of date, you might try managing listings directly with GelbeSeiten, Infobel, and Das Ortliche, if you haven’t already.

  13. Erez
    Erez  • 4 years ago

    Thank you so much for sharing this content. It’s a great source for giving a boost to local SEO.


text:
Letter of 4/4/2021 Yoga tune-Up Class Techniques Handout

Thanks for signing up for the Yoga Tune-Up class.This is a new class for me and I hope you will help me teach it.

Unlike our usual classes, where I come up with the day’s lesson plan based partly on requests I get before class, this class will follow more of a schedule. But we can talk about questions or suggestions or whatever before class (and during), so show up early if you can.  I will open the meeting at 8:45.

I plan to cover all of the body parts so you have a complete tool kit for self care. If you have Jill Miller’s book, The Roll Model, you might want to pull it out as an extra reference.  Since this is a new process for me, I haven’t totally mastered how long it will take us to get through each body section-but we will fill in with extra stuff if needed or catch up the following week.

We will start the first class with feet and lower legs.  This will be familiar for most of you who have been in class with me (and therefore a little easier for me to teach on the first week).   I don't have any fancy video equipment for this, so I am leaving it up to you to give me feed back about clarity and ball placement.  You know I like questions and comments, so if you can’t tell what I am doing…un-mute yourself!

You should plan to have a variety of balls-at least a set of Originals or Plus in the tote, an Alpha, and a Coregeous ball.  If you prefer something softer, like a Franklin Ball, that works, too. Things, like blocks, straps, blanket etc will be helpful.  There are few movements that require a wall or a chair (a hard “wooden” chair would be best). I will try to alert you in advance if you need a chair.

Almost all of the moves we do on the floor can be done at the wall.  So, please be creative or ask for advice.  The first Yoga Tune-Up class I took at Kripalu was called The roll Model Method-Ball Sequencing and Innovation and the teacher, Dinneen Viggiano (who I have now taken several trainings with), kept saying “Innovate! Innovate!”  And just as a BIG reminder, it doesn’t have to hurt for it to work.  If it feels very intense, back off, do less, use the wall…You know the drill.

Thanks as always, for all of your support.  And a big thanks to Harriet for encouraging me to teach this class. I sent the Zoom link with all of the other links.  But if you can’t find it let me know.  If you are also taking the 10 am Gentle class, you will have to leave this meeting before you can sign in to the next one.

Below is a great handout from the folks at Yoga Tune-Up. I would encourage you to print it up so you can study it.  Once you start to learn these different techniques, you can apply them to different body parts. I may be sending more emails for this class, since I can’t just open a book and share an anatomy picture.  So, make sure you have added me to your address book. I think that is everything.  If you have any question, send me an email.Julie


text:
Bonjour Monsieur – Travel experiences from a journey through France

Learning French is tough..Understanding the French people speak is tougher..Imitating their accent is toughest..

But the effort made is really worth every euro and more as the locals seem amused by your efforts to stumble through their language and actually make more effort to try and understand your feeble efforts at speaking the “beautiful language”

I wanted to visit France since a long time and was always put off by stories of rude locals, difficulties in communication and that it is a very expensive place. I am happy that all of these are misconceptions started by people who don’t want to give any effort to planning their vacation.

I started researching about the place since 2012  and bought “lonely planet – France” , which I consider a useless book. ( I have since then stopped buying the Lonely Planet). I happened to chance upon the Rick Steves series on Europe in a online sale where they were literally selling them at dirt cheap prices. The books led me to the website, the website to the free audio guides and provided me with most of the material required. This may sound like an advertisement for the series but I stayed in the recommended hotels and used the travel tips and found them to be “cest excellente”

I chose October as it is not peak tourist season and Paris sites don’t resemble a Mumbai train station during peak hours. As I zeroed in on my itinerary, I chose the places which had the most suitable weather for the period I had chosen,   the French Riviera ( Nice, Villefranche, Eze Village, Monaco & La Turbie), a place which my better half wanted to visit, the French Alps ( Annecy & Chamonix) and the place everyone in India and the tour operators considers to be all of France, Paris ( including Versailles and a sweet little cathedral town called Chartres). As I had eleven days I could cover most of the must see places and a few of the off beat places as well.

My policy with hotels is to book no frills hotels in central locations, walking distance from the tourist sites. Most of this hotels had no elevator or had a elevator which could barely fit us or our bags but not both. The rooms were of decent size , had comfortable beds and I didn’t intend to spend much time in the rooms anyway. All hotels were booked direct with the hotels themselves and that got me the best rates.

For transport in between regions we used the extremely efficient railways in France. Tickets were booked 3 months in advance (when booking opens) and doing this helps in saving a lot especially for tickets of the high speed tgv trains. Local transport in the Riviera was by the excellent bus service which is cheap and reliable. The shareable multi ticket is a great money saver and usable on all buses and trams in the region In the Alpine towns of Annecy and Chamonix all the tourist attractions were walking distance from our hotels. In Paris we used the super efficient metro system and by the last day we were experts at using the metro. We used the set of ten tickets called a carnet as it is shareable and turns out much cheaper than the Visite card for short duration travellers.

Sightseeing was on our own. Using the free audio guides mentioned earlier and using the guide books for the information needed. That gives you the freedom to see what you want and skip when you get bored or the crowds get too much to handle. As most of the travel sites will tell you in Paris the Museum pass is a super money saver. Will cover the other sites and tips for the same in separate posts for each region.

Food with me is never a problem as I am not a choosy eater. The better half is a vegetarian and had to survive on pizzas, sandwiches, salads while I ate every type of meat possible. But every restaurant will have a vegetarian option. There are Indian restaurants if you search in every big city and I didn’t go near the places.

Overall the trip was a eye opener for me. Never again will I go with a big tour company. Never again will I take coach bus day trips (Unless the region has no public transport – then I will have to swallow my pride and sit in a overpriced coach seat). I know its difficult for people to invest a lot of time planning their vacations but doing that makes you enjoy every attraction and every meal even more.

Till I get time to write about the individual regions… Au revoir!!

Picturesque Alpine Lake town of Annecy
Picturesque Alpine Lake town of Annecy
The famous Louvre museum at Paris
The famous Louvre museum at Paris
Chartres a most pleasant Cathedral town
Chartres a most pleasant Cathedral town
Aiguille du Midi - A Apline must see
Aiguille du Midi – A Apline must see
View of Nice from Castle hill
View of Nice from Castle hill
View from Hotel de la Mer in Nice
View from Hotel de la Mer in Nice

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text:
(This post is last in 3 parts series about how yoga works on different systems of our body. You can read part-1 and part-2 here)

The Mind

Aah, the mind. The final frontier of being healthy and peaceful. Mind and body are normally considered two separate entities. But yoga, body/mind are viewed as extension of each other in holistic terms. You can’t have a tensed mind in healthy or vice versa. They impact each other, because they are co-dependent. But as compared to body, mind is not easy to guide into better health. After mind is what we use to think of all the excuses in first place 🙂

Before we see how yoga works on our mind, we need to know how mind gets effected in first place. Quite simply, mind is not moving muscle, means lack of movement is not what we need to worry about here. It’s mind job to think and it does that perfectly fine.

The real problem is : Thinking is considered effortless activity with no real consumption of energy or none of mental organ being stressed.

Mind needs rest

Human brain (wiki: brain) is made up of neurons, glial cells, and blood vessels. This is physical part. There is no universally acceptable definition of what mind is, but broadly speaking (wiki again) mind is the faculty of a human being’s reasoning and thoughts. It holds the power of imagination, recognition, and appreciation, and is responsible for processing feelings and emotions, resulting in attitudes and actions. This thoughtfulness part is what drives most of brain to act. Mind keeps on jumping from one thought to other, and it uses physical neurons to stay active.

Even for normal functioning of brain, it requires around quarter of oxygen with each breath. Imagine, what happens when it is stressed for few times a day, however trivial the issue? Where do you think, that extra energy requirement is coming from? And what is sacrificed for that?

An interesting read here is “Selfish Brain Thoery”

This over worked, over stretched mind of ours needs rest. period.

So how will yoga help ?

Just to be clear,this post isn’t about preaching. It’s not about sitting and imagining yourself out of that just think imagine, Yoga is practical approach to being healthy which is based on observation and practice. If you force your mind to relax, it will resist. The only way is to bring its focus on simple thing and then allow it to relax there. This is where even simple asana practice from yoga is effective enough.

How? : When you hold any asana in class (of self practice), you need to focus on your breathing, your posture. You need to be aware to see that you are doing it right. Breathing needs to be calmed down. This act itself, in each asana of class, makes our mind to slow down to present. All other thoughts slowly take back seat, at least for the duration of class. This, along with deep gentle breathing that happens during asana practice, is all it takes to slow down the mental activity (along with body).

Also because deep breathing is happening when we hold the asana, oxygen supply to brain is also better. And, as each yoga class is recommended to end with savasana , this nourishment gets to the deepest part of both mind/brain and body.

The reason, that it is easy to ignore these simple effectiveness of yoga is because, well, they are simple. But that doesn’t mean they are not effective. So, next time when you practice, observe yourself. Relax your breath. And then see how, over the span of few classes itself, you will experience better you.

Happy practice

*If you like this article, do comment in comment section. If you click share button, that will be awesome 🙂


text:
image source: flickr /google

In next few days, 3rd month of this year will be over and done with.

As per statistics: You are where you were in first of January.

If like half of world, your financial year ends in March, then march rush is already here.

If not, then you are just getting in groove with work and other responsibilities.

But then once in a while articles like this one comes into your newsfeed:

and you are reminded of what you planned, last time when you read such article.

It seems so doable when you are reading about what other people have done with such short span ( funny that time always seems so short, when looked in hindsight)

But, when you start yourself, things present themselves in entirely different way.

Just like the new year resolution, you took (silently) just 2 months back in January 🙂

What happens ?

You are not alone.

This is what happens with most of us. You are not a failure. You certainly have reached certain level in your life.

It is only what you desire, every now and then, that seems so elusive.

What happens there?

As I just mentioned: Life gets in the way

And it will. Time and again.

So what’s the solution?

As with yogic approach to life, we will use science of observation and art of execution.

Means observe what is happening and the reasons for it.

Then find out how to take small but firm steps on consistent basis to solve it.

5 hour per week for at least 2 months

Anything that requires more than 3 months to reach as target, can be achieved if you have a more manageable 5 hours a week time frame to it.

Why 3 months cutoff?

Anything that takes less than 3 hours to achieve , will benefit most from intense efforts on daily basis.

Because the time frame is small enough to hold focus for such time.

It is longer term goals that require more than will power and initial euphoria.

As mentioned in this wonderful book “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change by Charles Duhigg” , habits are what gets us most result.

Your decision about pursuing a goal when coupled with will power can take you only up to a certain point.

What takes your beyond that is habit that you develop regarding that goal.

For example, look at your habit of brushing your teeth in the morning. The only way you are able to carry it, till now, is the daily routine that was pushed into you as kid.

Beyond a certain time frame, it is your habit which made it easy for you to do it everyday.

Same applies to nearly 90% of things you do everyday.

[This is indeed a good book to read. Tells you a lot about how habits effect us in long run]

Now back to our topic!

So anything that require more than 3 months to complete, will require a habit to take care of.

But we can’t simply replace our daily routine. Unless that goal itself becomes major part of our life. Like enrolling in a course related to a field or getting job in the field.

What it actually requires is consistent efforts with a plan.

Hence the 5 hours a week focus

So what type of goals are we talking about?

  • Loosing weight
  • Learning a new skill
  • Any health routine like yoga, running, gym etc. ( take your pick)
  • Working on improving your existing professional skills
  • Any extra-curricular activity

and so on..

Let’s get this straight: If you devote less than 60 min to a task, then effective learning or result will be marginal.

So 60 min a day, 5 days a week.

Or 60 min for 3 days and 120 min on any of weekdays.

That’s it.

The catch: You have to complete at least 2 months.

Why 2 months?

Because, as you will see, end of 1st month will be the most difficult phase.

Not because you are tired or it is difficult. You will feel nothing with 5 hours a week.

The problem will be mind games.

As you will see, you will come up with many reasons of why not to continue any further!

  • Should I do something else instead?
  • Is it worth it?

This is the time to remind yourself, why you started? and what value you assigned to the goal.

Only when you have done it for 2 months, despite the mental resistance, can you safely make right decision about whether to continue with the goal or leave it altogether.

Why to ‘waste’ time on unnecessary goal?

google images

Yes, I know this is not motivational post and the image is little cheesy for what you normally read on this blog.

This is to drive an important point home: You decided about something after due consideration to value it will provide you over time.

That doesn’t change after doing it for 20 hours ( time you will devote to it in first month).

In reality, more than physical, it is the mental resistance which will make you leave out any goal midway.

You need to know for sure that you are on wrong path before abandoning it.

And 40 hours, as price, for this surety is nothing. Compared to thinking every 6 months (or whenever you read articles mentioned above), what it would have been, if you had stayed on the path.

Second benefit: Apart from surety factor, the other benefit of 2 months ‘at least’ test is that when you have done it once, there is remote chance you will do it again.

Means, once you have delayed your decision to see through the mental resistance, it will effect how you decide about any of your future goals.

In positive way.

If I may say so, this is the most important benefit of crossing the 2 months mark.

It will improve your decision making process and it will change the way you will read about what others have achieved.

You see, not every achievement or goal requires you to pursue it.

For example, you see someone sporting a six pack. And you get inspired to have it.

But have you given thought about, do you really want the six pack or to be lean, healthy and energetic will do?

Am I against six pack or getting ripped? NO.

But it takes a totally different lifestyle to be at that body fat level. Whereas I like to enjoy food as well as being energetic and lean.

I get by practicing yoga 5 times a week. No need to count my calories, protein and other things.

Same goes for learning to code, which I started last year.

It is going well, and now I am thinking about increasing the time I devote to it.

So what next?

Why don’t you choose one of many goals, which you have in back of your mind.

Pick any one of them. Think about how you will feel once you have achieved it? Is it worth it?

If yes, plan about what steps you are going follow to achieve it.

Then get on it.

Carve out 5 hours from your weekly schedule.

If it is same time everyday, all the better, as they will develop a habit faster. (Remember the habit book)

Cross the 2 months mark.

And, once you have crossed a milestone, how about writing it down and sharing with others?

If you liked this, click the ? below and share your views in comment section below.


text:
Infocom "Travel with Infocom" Promotional Dealer Brochure - LAST ONE!

Game Title: Non-Game Items Auction Start Date: 2016-03-20 14:57:15
Seller: [hidden] (79)   Auction End Date: 2016-04-03 14:57:15
Winning Bid: $22 (2 bidders)    Time Remaining:

Item Description:

(Click on any of these images to see a larger version.)

"Travel with Infocom" promotional dealer brochure, sent to software retailers in 1986. The brochure is a four-panel color mailer that unfolds to 9" x 16", showing and describing four games -- Ballyhoo, Trinity, Leather Goddesses of Phobos, and Moonmist -- and a cardboard display stand that was available for them, complete with coupons and a slot to hold copies of Infocom's "Passport" catalog. (NOTE: The actual display stand is NOT included. I want one of these!) Also mentions the Enchanter Trilogy. The white sticker seal on the brochure is still intact. This brochure has never been opened. I am reusing a photo of a different, previously auctioned item, to show you what it looks like on the inside. It is up to you whether to open this one.

This item's condition is [F] by Mobyscale standards.

I will package this in a plastic comic book sleeve with a backboard, and mail it in a Priority Mail box. The postage amount below includes full insurance and tracking. International buyers, this means I will be declaring the full value on the customs form. I will not ship this item uninsured, or insured for less than the full value, so please do not ask.

Any questions about this item, please do ask. Any questions about BetterThanTheBay in general, check here first, and if that doesn't answer it for you, please ask.

Thanks for visiting!

You are free to browse auctions, but you must be registered and signed in to Ye Olde Infocomme Shoppe before you can use BetterThanTheBay.

Copyright © 2000 - 2021 Ye Olde Infocomme Shoppe. All rights reserved.
(Best viewed at 800 x 600.)


text:
Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation: a Guide for Parents

What is human trafficking?

Human trafficking is a crime involving the recruitment, transportation, purchase, and/or harboring of anyone by use of force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of commercial sexual acts (sex trafficking) or forced employment (labor trafficking). “Commercial” means that there is an exchange of something of value – often this is money but it can also be food, a place to sleep, drugs, clothing, jewelry, or other items. Sexual acts might include physical acts (oral, anal, or vaginal sex) or the exchange of sexual photos/videos, dancing or stripping, sexual massage, or any other situation where someone is profiting off the use of someone else’s body in a sexual manner. In the United States and most other countries it is illegal to exploit a person in this way.

What is commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC)?

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), refers specifically to victims under 18 years old, whose bodies are bought and sold for sexual purposes. CSEC is a form of human trafficking. In the past, CSEC was referred to as “teen prostitution,” but this term is no longer used because calling it “prostitution” sends a message that the victim is involved willingly in the sexual act, is old enough and mature enough to consent, and has control over their experience. We know this is NOT the case for victims of exploitation.

How does someone become a victim of CSEC or trafficking?

There is no one way that someone becomes a victim of this crime but there are a few common ways that traffickers or exploiters, sometimes called “pimps”, get their victims involved in exploitation.

Many people assume that CSEC victims are kidnapped or taken by force, and the media has reinforced this by showing similar stories on TV and in movies. This does happen sometimes, but more often young people are recruited in to the commercial sex industry by someone they meet who acts like a friend or romantic partner.

The exploiter might start out treating them well but over time start to act in more and more harmful ways, ask them to do things that make them uncomfortable or put them in danger, and eventually ask them to engage in a commercial sex act. This is a process called “grooming”, where the exploiter gains the victim’s trust and then exploits them, often using threats to keep them from seeking help. These can include physical threats, threats to harm or to exploit a family member, or threats to expose what the young person is now involved with.

However, not all exploitation involves these coercive measures. Exploiters may manipulate the young person emotionally to have them believe that they deserve what’s happening, that this is the only thing they’re good at, or that they have no other options. Some victims are involved in exploitative relationships with someone who is offering to meet their basic needs such as food and shelter in exchange for sexual acts.

It is also important to note that some victims are exploited online without ever meeting the exploiter, or are initially exploited online before later meeting their exploiter in person.

What are the signs that someone is a victim of CSEC or trafficking?

It can be challenging to know whether or not someone is a victim of CSEC or trafficking. However, there are several things you can look out for if you’re worried that your child or someone else is being trafficked or exploited.

  1. Changes in behavior- They’re acting different then they usually do.
  2. Missing/absent- They go missing or leave home without an explanation.
  3. Someone has their attention-, They are in a new relationship with someone much older.
  4. New found money or items- They have new things that they can’t afford.
  5. Bad habits-, They start to use alcohol/drugs or use more than they did before.
  6. They simply change-, They stop doing things they used to enjoy such as spending time with friends or going to school.

There can also be physical signs: such as injuries they can’t explain, sexual health issues, clothes that are very different than what they usually wear, or new tattoos they don’t want to talk about.

Finally, there may be changes in the person’s emotional state. They might act scared a lot of the time, be secretive when they used to be more open, seem tired, or just not like themselves. Not everyone will have obvious signs that they are involved in exploitation or trafficking, but there will often be some changes that could mean something dangerous is going on.

Where does human trafficking exist?

Human trafficking takes place all over the world, not just in impoverished countries as popular media would have you believe. Unfortunately the reality is that human trafficking happens everywhere that there are people willing to purchase sex. This means it happens in big cities, small towns, fancy hotels, run-down motels and apartments, office buildings, people’s homes, and more and more it is happening online as well. Access to the internet brings a lot of wonderful opportunities but it also brings occasions to take advantage of vulnerable people. Exploiters may find victims online and exploit them via photos, videos, livestream, or by introducing them to people who want to meet them in person to purchase sex.

Who is impacted by human trafficking? Sex trafficking?

People who recruit others for the purpose of trafficking do not discriminate, targeting children, teens, and adults worldwide. However, exploiters do often target groups of people who are already vulnerable.

A significant risk factor for exploitation is the experience of having already been mistreated as a child. Some young people may have been taught from a young age that they are not worthy of love, or may not know what a healthy relationship looks like. Young people who have been sexually abused are especially vulnerable as exploiters may learn about their trauma and use it to manipulate them in to believing that they deserve what is happening. Young people who are involved in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems are disproportionately victimized by this crime, especially those who may go missing from group care settings or otherwise become homeless.

Marginalized groups are also especially vulnerable to exploitation. In the U.S. more than half of identified victims under 18 are youth of color. Young people who identify as LGBTQ+ are at increased risk for exploitation and exploiters may use their status against them by threatening to expose them if they don’t comply. This is also true for those who are undocumented immigrants or who do not speak a country’s primary language. Exploiters may also target young people who are living in poverty, knowing that the promise of access to money that they or their family need can keep victims from seeking help.

Action Steps:

How can I protect my children against human trafficking?

While becoming involved in human trafficking is never the victim’s fault, here are some tips on ways parents can keep their children safe.

  1. Educate yourself, by simply reading this guide, you are learning about exploitation and the behavior of traffickers. This helps you pinpoint important signs if and when someone tries to manipulate your child. You can read more about human trafficking using the resources at the bottom of this guide.
  2. Teach your children about what to look for in a healthy relationship!
  3. Encourage safe behaviors online, such as teaching your children to avoid sharing personal information and photos of themselves. This alone can help protect them against online exploitation. Be aware of what apps and games your children are using, and know that many apps and games have a chat feature where adults may be trying to communicate with them.
If you believe that your child may be involved and/or a victim of human trafficking, it is important that you contact local authorities immediately. Depending on where you live this likely means contacting the police or possibly child protective services. This does not mean that you have done anything wrong as a parent! Many states will use child protective services to investigate any adult who is causing harm to a child – in this case an exploiter or trafficker. It is also important to contact your child’s health care provider so that your child can have a medical evaluation. This is especially important if you are aware of any harm being done to their body.  Resources and supports vary a lot by state/country so look online for agencies in your area that support trafficking survivors. The resources below are a great place to start.


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While the video of this event was going to be for the eyes or the Elevation Group Member’s only, they decided to open this footage up to YOU and the rest of public in order to let you see with your very own eyes, that despite the bad news that fills the airwaves on a daily basis, there is a group of real people from around the world who believe in a better future for themselves and their family, and who are doing something about it.

Between now and December 16th, they are going to be releasing 3 videos from this live event absolutely free.

You can see these video right now here–>

Use this link to watch Part 1 and please be sure to leave me a comment on what you thought.

After you watch Part I, you’ll also notice a link to a report where Mike Dillard shares the exact 7-Step formula he’s used to predict the financial future.

This formula has made him up to a 300% ROI despite the fact that he’s not a trader or financial guru of any kind…

When you opt in to view this video I am going to also give you a bonus of an upgrade to a Free Silver membership in the Wealth Upgrade Club, which I also belong to in addition to the Wealth Upgrade club.  This holds a true $27 value, though I will give you backdoor access to this.  Just leave a comment letting me know you opted into video one and I will confirm with Mike and forward you the details to get in!

Here is a quick video I made last year when the Elevation group came out showing the back office…I am a member, not just some affiliate who doesn’t belong and tries to sell without knowing what it is really about.  I will still honor the bonus mentioned in it if you decide to take action when the last video comes later next week.

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Community Bank Financial Education Series

  • 03 Aug 2015
  • 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Community Bank | 12590 Emerald Coast Parkway, Miramar Beach 32550
  • 3

Registration is closed

Community Bank Financial Education Series

Session 1 Topic: Consumer Finance Overview

This informative session will cover the basics of consumer finance for a young professional. Topics will include:

  • Explanation of different types of depository bank accounts
  • Personal Budgeting
  • Preparing a personal financial statement
  • Debt management
  • Understanding a credit report
  • Protecting your financial identity

Time: Networking 11:30AM, Program/Lunch 12PM

Attendance: Limited to first 12 RSVPs

Community Bank to provide lunch

Only open to YP Members!

Reservations are Required!

Young Professionals Walton County

© Young Professionals at The Beach

Walton Area Chamber of Commerce
63 South Centre Trail
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
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2021 Yellow Springs News Merchandise
Village Schools
Dawn Boyer was hired as director of advancement and community relations for the Yellow Springs Schools, a newly created position designed to raise funds. (Photo by Dylan Taylor-Lehman)

Dawn Boyer was hired as director of advancement and community relations for the Yellow Springs Schools, a newly created position designed to raise funds. (Photo by Dylan Taylor-Lehman)

Village school funding gets a face

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The Yellow Springs school district welcomed more than just students this year. More than 10 new teachers and staff make up the new faces in the district’s halls. Part of this incoming class is Dawn Boyer, who was hired as the district’s director of advancement and community relations, a newly created position designed to raise funds for the district through fundraising campaigns and the creation of a Yellow Springs schools alumni association.

Boyer’s position is part of the district’s strategic 2020 plan, which calls for “enhancing new revenue streams” and “developing new funding resources” to support the larger educational goals of the district. Boyer will lead the district’s efforts in grant procurement, development, marketing and communications, according to a district press release. The money she will raise will go primarily toward funding the district’s project-based learning (PBL) activities.

Boyer officially started her position on June 1 of this year. The job is a sort of homecoming for Boyer, who graduated from Yellow Springs High School in 1996. Boyer worked as an education grant writer in Florida for 14 years and moved back to Yellow Springs with her family to take the position.

“Boyer is a graduate of Yellow Springs schools, she knows the community, and there’s something special about bringing someone back home,” said Yellow Springs schools superintendent Mario Basora.

What her position entails

Yellow Springs schools currently operate with local, state and federal funds, which add up to the $8 million annual budget. The goal is to “create a diverse revenue stream not wholly dependent on tax-payer dollars,” said Basora.

“Fiscal stability is a critical goal for any district to preserve crucial programs that make a difference in a student’s education,” said Yellow Springs Treasurer Dawn Bennett in a press release. “Creating this position at Yellow Springs Schools is a bold step toward sustainability.”

While it is common for schools to bring in resources through various fundraising activities, or to set up foundations outside of schools to fundraise with their own staff, a full-time development director position working as an employee of the district is somewhat unique, especially for a public school system, Boyer said.

Boyer’s position is funded through the school’s general fund. Her annual $70,000 salary plus benefits has led to some discussion of whether the position will pay for itself. Basora is certain that the benefits of having a professional procurer of funds on staff will yield the kind of funding that will benefit the schools’ mission.

“Having Boyer is an investment in new revenue streams,” Basor a said. “Money invested in her will come back many times over.”

The plan is to create an new revenue stream through a variety of fundraising channels. Boyer will be pursuing state and federal grants for the district, creating an alumni network and spearheading an annual appeal to donors in the community, in which community members, former parents and students and business owners are asked to donate money or supplies to the district. According to district literature, the goal is to raise around $150,000 per year, with an ultimate goal of raising around 5.5 million dollars by 2026.

Proceeds from the annual campaign would go to funding PBL projects and related expenses, as well as PBL-related teacher training and development, such as attendance at high-level conferences and staffing a PBL training center in Yellow Springs. The money could also be used for the district’s maker space and to fund student trips to other countries, the latter of which reflects the district’s aim that its students be “global change leaders,” said Basora.

Promoting PBL is crucial to pushing the possibilities of the district, he said. Some schools have been doing deeper learning for 25 years and they’re still on the cutting edge of project-based learning. “What are the best ways to reach students and provide a well-rounded education that speaks to their needs?” he asked. The strategy is about long-term innovation, he believes.

“I have a strong belief that the community is willing to give,” Basora said. “They just haven’t been asked. People want to know what they can do to contribute.”

The inaugural campaign follows the school’s fiscal year, running from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2017.

The funds will be managed through the Yellow Springs Public Schools Capital Fund, which is administered by the Yellow Springs Community Foundation. School administrators would appeal to the foundation’s public funds committee to fund their respective projects. The funds could be used as they are collected from the community, as opposed to waiting for the whole $150,000 goal to be met. Boyer said that part of her job entails working closely with the YSCF, coordinating the dispersal of monies from the approximately 60 funds the foundation oversees.

But the goal isn’t just to ask the community for donations — Boyer said that part of her job is to build relationships with stakeholders in the community, which includes getting the school more involved with the community, and vice versa. One of the long-term goals of the fundraising efforts is to build an endowment that would help fund community internships and externships: students would intern at local businesses, and business owners and community leaders could become more involved with the schools.

“Anybody that cares about the health and vitality of our community knows that it is affected by the quality of the school district,” Boyer said.

A third duty will be establishing an alumni association for graduates of Yellow Springs schools. There are an estimated 3,000–4,000 alumni who could be included in this network, she said, a major constituency that has not yet been tapped. An alumni would be in control of dispersing the money they raise, said Bennett. These funds wouldn’t automatically go to PBL activities.

“But it’s not just about donating money — it’s about sharing resources, information and support. Yellow Springs alums feel strongly about their high school in a way that other districts don’t,” Boyer said.

State language requires that districts provide an “adequate education” to their students, Boyer said, but her position aims to ensure that resources are brought in to bridge the gap between “adequate” and “excellent” schools. Innovation in education can be tough to implement, she said, but Yellow Springs has committed to these changes, and the district needs to provide the resources to make them happen.

“Education is crucial to the kind of people we want to put in the world,” she said.

Formative years

Boyer moved to Yellow Springs from Cleveland when she was 10 to live with her father and stepmother. Although her stay in the village was intended to be somewhat temporary, she begged her mom to let her stay, which she did for the duration of her scholastic career. She loved school, she said, and humbly characterized herself as a good student. During high school, she played basketball, volleyball, and ran track, though the latter sport fell by the wayside when she discovered musical theater.

“I cannot think of Yellow Springs without thinking of my youth,” she said. “Those formative years here were so important.”

However, like any teen eager to discover the world for herself, Boyer happily went away to college in a different state and got a job in New York City not long after graduating with a degree in sociology from Northwestern University. She worked at an education research consulting firm, which entailed working with schools of all pedagogical approaches, she said. New York City alone has almost 2,000 schools.

Thanks to her writing ability, Boyer said she was sent to a “grant writing boot camp,” where she became a student of the daunting and counterintuitive federal grant writing process.

“Her writing ability is tremendous,” Basora said, noting that it was likely thanks to her teachers in Yellow Springs schools.

Boyer’s experience working on high-level grant writing for large districts uniquely prepared her for working with schools in the Yellow Springs district, Basora said.

After a stint in Florida, where Boyer was able to telecommute for 10 years, she was happy to explore other employment prospects when they came available, such as the position in Yellow Springs. Moving back to a place where she felt so included and encouraged was important to her, especially because she now has a family of her own. She and her husband will be sending their three children to Yellow Springs schools.

Boyer’s previous connection to Yellow Springs imbues her mission with the passion of someone truly invested in the people around her.

“I am eager to begin the work of furthering our reputation as a world-class, student-centered public school system,” she said. “I really care about this community.”

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The story of the style of jewelry created by Zaffiro begins over 3000 years ago in Etruria which is now modern day central Italy. Etruscan goldsmiths, influenced by even older work of Greek origin, began creating jewelry that showed fantastically detailed images like seed pods or lion’s heads made entirely out of tiny spheres of almost pure gold. These spheres were carefully arranged on thin beaten sheets of gold and then the entire piece was heated to a temperature high enough to form a permanent bond between the surface and the spheres. The finest examples of jewelry in this style were produced between the eighth and second centuries, B.C.E. Even with modern tools and knowledge few goldsmiths today have sufficient skill to compete with the Etruscan’s mastery of this process.

This goldsmithing technique, called granulation, would fall from fashion around 6oo C.E. and the skills and knowledge needed to create this exquisite jewelry would vanish for more than a thousand years.

During the first half of the 1800’s several excavations were carried out in the vicinity of Rome (Cerveteri, Toscanella and Vulci) which revealed resplendent ancient Etruscan granulated jewelry. The famous Victorian goldsmith, Alessandro Castellani, studied these artifacts in great detail to unravel the method of fabrication. It was, however, not until after his death that the puzzle of the granulation bond was finally solved, in the early part of the 20th century.

Although the secret remained undisclosed to Castellani and his contemporaries, they started an archaeological revival of Etruscan jewelry around the 1850’s deploying goldsmithing techniques to reproduce some of the finest ancient jewelry ever excavated. Many of their objects are now in important jewelry collections around the globe, together with the original counterparts.

In the tradition of ancient Etruscan craftsmen, each one-of-a-kind piece created by Zaffiro is individually handcrafted by either Jack or Elizabeth Gualtieri. They start with pure 24karat gold and using a custom alloy “recipe”, making their own 22 karat sheet, wire and granules. The granules are made in 12 different sizes ranging from .14 millimeters to 3.5 millimeters in diameter. Though they use a virtually identical process to that employed several millennia ago, these artists don’t want to recreate historical works. Their designs are a distillation of influences from a modern world that bring an individual spirit to this remarkable ancient technique.

Looking beyond the traditional, Zaffiro has expanded from the classic 22kt yellow gold granulation into a variety of metal colors and combinations, each having its own collection: Classic, Chiara, Etrusco, Jacqueline, Meredith and Isabella. One-of-a-kind pieces make up the majority of each collection, with a limited production line available in the Etrusco style. Limited production means that Zaffiro will reproduce a particular design in small quantities, yet these pieces are also individually handcrafted and meet the same high standards as the one-of-a-kind pieces.

The Classic Collection is Zaffiro’s distinctive interpretation of traditional 22kt yellow gold granulation. The Chiara Collection is platinum granulation onto 22kt yellow gold. The Meredith Collection is 22kt white gold granulation onto 22kt white gold. The Jacqueline Collection is 22kt rose gold granulation onto 22kt rose gold. The Isabella Collection is platinum granulation onto platinum. The Etrusco Collection is 22kt yellow gold granulation onto oxidized fine silver (in the one-of-a-kind pieces only), the limited edition Etrusco line incorporates granulated 22kt yellow gold elements soldered to sterling silver. The Chiara, Meredith, Jacqueline and Isabella Collections are methods of granulation that have been developed by Zaffiro. In addition, the Meredith and Jacqueline Collections are proprietary 22kt gold alloys that have been developed by Zaffiro specifically for the granulation process.

Jack and Elizabeth Gualtieri are proud of their particular contribution to the ongoing story of granulation. Given the amount of hand work required, Zaffiro produces no more than 100 to 120 pieces on average, in a year. Each piece is destined to find a collector who will appreciate the effort and artistry involved and hopefully, the history too.


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April 11, 2021

The Best Way To Bet On Sports With Points Spreads

Betting on athletics is the action of placing a wager with the final result and forecasting the consequence of sports activities. The volume of individuals that position bets on having satisfies, situations and tournaments may differ around the world. The most common method of playing on sporting activities is known as sporting events wagering. With a large number of wagers staying placed on skilled sporting events functions, some people talk about this as casino. There are click the following internet site of gambling on athletics.

One of the most common forms of betting on sports is prop wagers. Prop bets are built each time a proposition is suggested somewhere between two propositions. Propositions may be physical activities connected or non-sport connected. simply click the next website preferred prop wager in the usa is created on college and guru baseball video games. College video games are actually lengthier and considered more important than NFL game titles.

An underdog option is positioned if you find a reasonable perception that the underdogs will acquire this game. An illustration of this an underdog choice can be positioning your hard earned cash for the completely wrong group defined to create a better prospect of earning the video game. Most sports activities bettors place their cash on underdogs mainly because they believe the participants and audience will favour the team recognized to offer the superior total natural talent. In truth, the other normally arises. Therefore, More methods is usually a good idea to location your dollars in the crew identified to get a better natural talent and history.

Along with the issue propagate, an additional commonly positioned gamble among the bettors is definitely the cash line choice. Money range wagers are positioned in line with the efficiency in the underdogs. In general, the better the undertaking team, the larger how much cash which might be wagered with them.

A upright guess is a kind of factor spread out gamble. With all the previous, you can area your bet before the sport even begins,. This is the difference between a right guess along with a money line bet. Along with the second option, you must location your wager when the activity has begun. If your spread is inside your prefer.

There are numerous components you need to take into account ahead of making your bets, this means you have to win the guess. First, you will need to look at the over-all succeeding number of they you may have preferred. You can do this through taking the point distributed and splitting up it through the complete quantity of things scored over the sport. Next, you need to look at the particular shows of essential competitors and vital contributors about the crew. In order to area your bets in the underdog, you should use medical strategies, you will need to also take notice of the temperature circumstances and time of morning if the game will be used.

. For example, figures can supply you with important information. 188Bet https://nhacaisomot.com/188bet-link-188bet-link-vao-188bet-khong-bi-chan-a553.html can be used facts to ascertain the functionality from the organization involved. You could use these data as support inside your wagers.

Finally, wagering on sporting events includes knowing the propagate. Here is the amount indicating which team is anticipated to earn. With the issue spreads as signs or symptoms, you could forecast the effect of a game title. It is best to in no way bet with blind belief since there are many of people that stop working to make income from sporting activities wagering.

You may improve your chances of profitable your wagers by utilizing a variety of statistical instruments and techniques, however. There are lots of techniques and instruments that professionals use within sports wagering. If 188Bet https://nhacaisomot.com/188bet-link-188bet-link-vao-188bet-khong-bi-chan-a553.html wish to raise your succeeding possibilities, you may check with a specialist using quite a few applications and methods. If you do not learn how to utilise these techniques, it is easy to browse ebooks about sports activities wagering.

Whenever you select the sort of wager you may put on a selected online game, anyone can pick from two squads. It is crucial that you choose the team you would imagine will probably have the higher benefit inside a specific video game. A lot more you know about the 2 crews and also their gamers, the simpler it will be easy to pick which competitor must succeed.

A great technique to select the champion in a very match is by employing the pointspread. A issue spread out is how many tips that needs to be built up with the team receiving the sport. This is usually a top notch strategy in inserting your wagers mainly because it requires into consideration the overall number of things entirely possible that an individual group to get the video game. They could very well earn the game should a group has a large pointspread. If you need to enhance the chances of you successful your bets, it makes sense to place your wagers on groups having a high pointspread.


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Imren 3200mAh 25A/40A Flat Top 20700 Cell Review

I have in for review a couple of 20700 cells.  I asked for these because I expect that in the near future, more flashlights will begin to accept this size, and I want to be prepared!  Also I just like testing cells.  This is the Imren 3200mAh 25A/40A Flat Top 20700 Cell.

LiionWholesale Protected MJ1 Li-Ion Cell Review

LiIonWholesale have sent over a few more cells for testing.  I'm hoping to get something regular going, and I hope this post will motivate that to happen - it's my first pass at an actual thorough cell test!!  This is the Protected LG MJ1 3500mAh 10A 18650 Button Top cell!

Vapcell 18350 10A Li-Ion Cell Review

For a while now, I've been looking into getting a "cell sponsor."  I review a bunch of lights and I'd love to keep these cells as fresh as possible.  Luckily enough the kind folks over at LiIonWholesale agreed to send over some cells now and again.  These are the first cells they've sent - Vapcell 18350.

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