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Top Rated Rear Engine Riding Lawn Mowers Of All Times

Let us agree that getting a mower to cut your grass is one thing and getting your hands on the best rear engine riding lawn mower is quite another. There are many things that one has to look into if you were to buy a mower yes the best rear engine lawn mower. Since there are quite a number of rear engine lawn mowers in the world, there will be a daunting task of trying to sample the best out of the rest that you will be picking to your home.
Thankfully, we have made it very easy for you. Here are two of the best rear engine riding lawn mowers that you may choose from:

Snapper RE10 15.5HP

We start by giving you the main features under this beautiful yet strong machine. Rear engine riding lawn mowers are hard to find. But be keen when looking at these features:

It has a nice and easy to operate steering wheel. 11-inch adjustable mid-back seat. The mower contains a LED headlight. 20-inch radius in turning which is easier to us when mowing. Efficiently mows grass and clears the clippings as you move along. It has a 13-gauge made of steel and stamped. Comes with a side discharge. It has a 6-position height. This is ideal for any user. It comes with a patented deck that is rolled up. This is like no other. It is equipped with the ability of a much smoother ride, with responsive maneuverability. It has a foot peddle control. Its speed is variable-5 mph going forward and 2 mph on the reverse side. It has the full pressured lubrication. This is a system that is not prevalent in most rear engine riding mowers in the market. With the electric start, you are very sure of instant powering whenever you want to use it. It comes with an overhead valve-better and efficient fuel economy.

Craftsman 420cc 30” 6-Speed Rear Rider

Among the world’s best rear engine riding mowers there have been, you can comfortably add this to the list. Just as the name suggests, it is simply the work of a real craftsman that that this rear engine riding mower has come to be. Here are some of the notable features prompting it to be one of the best rear engine riding mowers in store:

It is robust. Its heavy and hard-built design gives it the ability to work on any yard there may be. It comes with a full pressure lubrication mechanism. The mower comes with an oil filter that is spin-on. This ensures longevity. It has a fuel tank with a capacity of 1.5 gallons. This will save you a lot of time for breaking in order to go for fill-ups. The mower is built with a 14 gauge steel frame. This ensures durability and strength. The size of the rear riding mower is 30”. This is ideal for any gate and space for its store preferably a garage. It has 5 cutting positions. In this, it also has the ability to utilize the positions with 1.5 to 4 inches. As mentioned in the title, it has a 6-speed transmission –shift and on the go. The turning radius is at 18 inches. This is perfect for any size of your lawn and enables efficiency. With the 6-speed, there is absolutely no need to waste time on brake and clutch. Increase and decrease the speed as you mow more grass. It comes with headlights which mean that you can even mow at night with easy. Craftsman rear engine riding mowers are equipped with a rugged front pumper that gives the rider and the mower more protection. The mower clears both grass and whatever debris with ease.

Find more high quality rear engine riding mowers:

Types of Lawn Edgers Based on Cutting Mechanism

McLane 4G-7-P 9-Inch 4HP Honda Gas Powered Lawn Edger (CARB Compliant)

It is always necessary for finding the best lawn edger for your home so that it can be possible for you to maintain the lawn at your home in best condition and in great way. There are so many things that you need to consider for the purpose of getting the best edger for your use. There are so many varieties of the lawn edgers available in the market so that you can choose the one that is most suitable for you. The categorization is available based on the power source used by them and also the kind of the cutting mechanism that is made used in them. Here are some of the varieties that you can find when you are considering them based on the cutting mechanisms used with them.

The way you think can be most suitable for cutting the lawn should be considered. The blade as well as string are the most common options that you can get as that of the lawnmower. Blades are usually equipped with cutting power that is highly dangerous and also much heavier. The string lawn edger can be available with lighter weight and also is much safer. This is an option that is highly expensive compared with the machine’s life.

String Cutter

Most of the string cutters makes use of spool. The spools are things that can be availed as precoiled or can be coiled manually. The pro systems make use of strings that are of shorter length and the one that can be used for preventing the common frustrations that are usually associated with the string cutting. Edging can easily use string in much faster pace. This is the factor which makes this kind of lawn edger an expensive option when you are considering it for frequent usage.

Most of the lawn edgers that makes use of strings are the ones that can be considered as trimmers. These are even called as weed whackers or edger trimmers. These are the trimmers that even come with rotatable head and also guide which allows them to easily be used as the law edgers. These are the ones that are great choice by the homeowners as they can provide great amount of function with the single machine. There are chances for trimmers to be used well in the purpose of having a better kind of results. A single machine can provide awesome function when the trimmers are made used.

Blade Cutters

The lawn edgers can even be available in the form of blade cutters. The blade cutters are the one that are highly durable, powerful and also strong. They can even handle the landscaping challenges as well as the thick bush in much better manner than the string cutter can do in cost effective way. The blades need to be sharpened as well as oiled in between but is not an expensive thing. The maintenance can be done well by homeowners by using the sharpening tool and also blade oil.

Find the best cordless/gas powered trimmer yard edger for garden in 2015


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Dighton junior Shambrey Budd finds herself in a sea of arms as she tries to bring down a rebound during Wednesday’s state tournament game against Norwich.

Dighton junior Shambrey Budd finds herself in a sea of arms as she tries to bring down a rebound during Wednesday’s state tournament game against Norwich.

By Rod Haxton, editor

fall to

in opener

Throughout the season, the secret to Dighton High School’s success has been no secret.

It’s their defense.

They pride themselves in being able to hold opponents well below their scoring average.

Defense helped to carry the Lady Hornets to a berth in the Class 1A-Division II state tournament. It wasn’t enough to get them past the first round where they lost to No. 2-seeded Norwich, 56-35 on Wednesday.

“Even though the girls said they weren’t nervous to start the game, I think it was pretty obvious that our nerves were getting the best of us early on,” says head coach Amy Felker. “There were too many times that we got in a hurry. We tried to do too much, too fast, and then we’d dribble the ball off our foot or something. A lot of that was nerves.”

Even though the Lady Hornets committed just three more turnovers than Norwich - 18 to 15 - many of Dighton’s turnovers came in the first half which cost them scoring opportunities.

It was much the same with rebounding. Norwich held only a 26-21 advantage and actually finished with one less offensive rebound, but many of their second chance opportunities came while they were extending a 13-12 first quarter lead into a 29-16 advantage at the half.

“Norwich is a great rebounding team. Every scouting report I had indicated they were very sound, especially with their ability to rebound,” Felker says. “I think we saw that tonight.”

The Lady Hornets were able to battle through their nerves with six consecutive points early, taking a 6-1 lead on a pair of Kiara Budd free throws with 4:10 on the first quarter clock. Shambrey Budd, who finished with a team high 14 points and seven rebounds, scored Dighton’s final six points of the quarter, including back-to-back baskets that put her team on top, 12-11.

Norwich hit a buzzer-beater which began an 11-0 scoring run that put them in control the remainder of the night.

A pair of Leslie Speer free throws were all that interrupted a 16-2 scoring run for the Lady Eagles. Dighton’s only field goal of the second quarter didn’t come until Diamond Brown’s basket with :59 remaining.

Norwich put the game away with five unanswered points to open the third period, opening a 36-16 lead.

“We were able to stay close with them until we started getting into foul trouble. When Diamond picked up her second foul and we had to bring her out of the game, we didn’t have someone who was capable enough, in that kind of a pressure situation, to run the offense,” Felker says. “Then we had to sit Liz (Heath) down for awhile when she got two fouls. They were able to capitalize on the fact we had some of our younger, more inexperienced, players on the court.”

Felker says they were able to limit Mackenzie Klaver, one of their leading scorers, to just five points. However, junior guard Bailey Poe poured in 20 points, including 2-of-3 treys, while senior Hayley Poljansek added 14 points and 11 boards.

Dighton junior Leslie Speer added 12 points and six rebounds and Brown finished with seven points.

“Give Norwich credit. They wanted it. They had state experience last year and they knew the feeling of losing a first round game. They weren’t going to let that happen again,” says Felker. “Our girls came into the game a little overwhelmed by the experience and it showed.

I think this gives us some added motivation. I told the girls after the game that we have a sound game, we have a good defensive game and we know how to run our offense. The one thing we’re lacking is an outside shooter. If we want to get back here again and get out of the first round we need someone who can fill that role and knock down the outside shot.

That’s our goal this summer, to develop that shooter and keep improving the rest of our game.

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Challenge Winners - 2nd Place 420 points (current score) Uploaded: Dec 31, 2007
Viewed 645 times.
About this scrapbook page:
I did this page of Conner Matthew for the Challenge - Little Cherubs and Princesses...and as I said in my Journaling he is the Bestest Christmas Gift a Grandparent could ask for...I hope we can bring him as much joy in his lifetime as he has in the since his birth...Yes it is true there is nothing better than Grandchildren. I cherished watching our sons grow into the men they are today and I am thankful that we have been blessed with the three grandchildren that we have.....
Design credits:
I used Scrapbook max software and the kit is from called Holiday Magic by Cinzia Loosemore and it wsa a freebie at Tracies Digital Freebies (Fridays)

Comments for this page: (view all 24 comments)
lsmum says:
Apr 21, 2008
boyle1216 says:
Beautiful Page
(¨`•.•´¨) Hugs
.`•.¸(¨`•.•´¨) from
(¨`•.•´¨)¸.•´ New York,
.`•.¸.•´ Nancy

Apr 4, 2008
Peanuts75 says:
What a beautiful photo!
Mar 13, 2008
Eva41083 says:
Wow this is just stunning. Beautiful page for a beautiful baby boy.
Jan 2, 2008
jennyd says:
absolutely gorgeous!!!!
Jan 2, 2008
zweihuffs says:
Love how the focus of the page is Conner!
Jan 2, 2008
doodlebug says:
awesome pic and lo Clara Sue
Jan 1, 2008
Lisadee says:
Beautiful !
Dec 31, 2007
Tina's Creations says:
OMG what a gorgeous baby! I love your page!:))
Dec 31, 2007
seajla says:
This pages is so adorable~~~Lovely work
Dec 31, 2007
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 © 2006-2015, Patent Pending, Aurora Digital Imaging, Ltd. Beta 5.0
The most fun digital scrapbooking site on the Internet. Free digital scrapbooking software, scrapbook templates,
scrapbook embellishments and backgrounds. Beautiful scrapbook prints and photobooks.


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80 points (current score) Uploaded: Aug 7, 2011
Viewed 145 times.
About this scrapbook page:
*Inspire Me challenge

Kevin and his 10 month old brother Owen this summer in England. The circular photo was taken at the Foxton Locks, the others in Northamptonshire at his dad's house.
Design credits:
This Is Me by Lilacs In Bloom
denim fasteners by Scrapbook Max
photos by Kevin's family

Comments for this page: (view all 5 comments)
amelia123 says:
beautiful photos of them both and sobeautifully scrapped huny xxx
Sep 20, 2011
mcleansue says:
Wonderful challenge page!!
Aug 8, 2011
dorsetkarri58 says:
Wonderful happy photos and a super LO!
Aug 8, 2011
Xguern66 says:
He must have had an enjoyable visit. They both look happy. Fantastic page
Aug 7, 2011
barbaranne says:
Wonderful memory page!
Aug 7, 2011
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 © 2006-2015, Patent Pending, Aurora Digital Imaging, Ltd. Beta 5.0
The most fun digital scrapbooking site on the Internet. Free digital scrapbooking software, scrapbook templates,
scrapbook embellishments and backgrounds. Beautiful scrapbook prints and photobooks.


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Monster Trucks Line Art / Digital Stamps Download

Exclusive to Scrappin Doodles, our Monster Trucks Collection is full of fun Monster Truck Racing  themed Graphics. Great for craft projects, teaching projects, teaching lesson plans, teacher papers, student handouts, scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, paper crafting, card making, etc.. Graphics come in JPEG and PNG format 300 dpi for perfect printing. I created these graphics large so they are suitable for printing and Digital Scrapbooking projects and can be easily resized smaller to suit other needs, graphics measure up to approx 8". Graphics shown at approx 10% of actual size. Original Artwork by Scrappin Doodles
Key words: monster trucks, truck, automobiles, racing, race, lighting bolt, mud, big trucks, clip art, clipart, graphics, illustration, doodles, art, line art, digital stamps
NOTE: Quality has been reduced in sample picture to prevent digital piracy, you will receive crisp clear 300 dpi images.

Please Choose:

This product was added to our catalog on Monday 29 October, 2012.


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Constantin named Germany's top producer-distributor for eighth year

Constantin Film has been named by the German Federal Film Board (FFA) as the nation’s most successful producer and distributor of German films for the eighth consecutive year.

The Munich-based producer-distributor was allocated a total of just over $2.56m (€2m) “reference” funding for the company to invest in future film projects and theatrical campaigns.

Constantin attracted $1.86m (€1.45m) in production “reference” funding from the release of five films during 2012, including the year’s most popular German film Türkisch für Anfänger, and distribution “reference” support of $761,000 (€593,000), based on the performance of 13 releases.

X Filme Creative Pool, producer of Cloud Atlas and co-producer of Michael Haneke’s Oscar-winning Amour, received the second highest amount of production “reference” funding ($1.1m/€ 865,000), while the Constantin Film subsidiary Rat Pack Filmproduktion followed in third place with $893,000 (€696,000) based on the performance of such films as Türkisch für Anfänger and Victor And The Secret Of Crocodile Mansion.

In the distribution category, Constantin was followed by Warner Bros Entertainment ($441,000/€344,000 for six films) and Universum Film ($327,000/€255,000 for six films).

In total, the FFA paid out $20.8m (€ 16.25m) “reference funding” to the commercially and artistically most successful German producers/distributors in 2012.

The automatic “reference” funding is paid out by the FFA to a producer if their German film (or a German co-production with another country) has reached at least 150,000 “reference points” in Germany within one year of the theatrical release.

These “points” are calculated according to commercial success and invitations to and awards at certain film festivals.

Thus, for example, 50,000 points are awarded for an invitation to screen in competition at Locarno, Rotterdam or San Sebastian, but 150,000 points could be earned if the film subsequently wins the Golden Leopard, Tiger Award or the Golden Shell.

Moreover, 150,000 points are allocated for a nomination to the Golden Globes or Oscars, and winning one of these trophies – or a Golden Palm, Golden Bear or Golden Lion – would bring 300,000 points for a film’s “reference” funding account.

However, a film must reach at least 50,000 admissions in German cinemas for any of these additional points to be considered.

The FFA reported, not surprisingly, that Haneke’s Amour was the film which had the most festival invitations and awards in 2012, followed by Christian Petzold’s Berlinale competition film Barbara.

Constantin partners with Ascot Elite

The news from the FFA came less than a week after Constantin had announced that it will be working with the leading Swiss independent distributor Ascot Elite to distribute future releases of DreamWorks Studios in Switzerland.

This arrangement comes after the German distributor entered a strategic alliance in September 2012 with DreamWorks for Germany, Austria and Switzerland for all films that have begun principal photography on or before 31 December, 2016.

The first release by Constantin under this deal is set to be the remake of Canadian sperm donor comedy Starbuck.

New German arthouse player

Husband and wife Michael and Müge Hehl have founded a new distribution outfit temperclay production & distribution to handle their own feature fiction and documentary projects as well as international arthouse and independent titles.

The Munich-based company’s first release will be Michael Hehl’s own documentary production Hasret – Desire on 18 April about the relationship between his wife and her mother in Turkey.

The second release – planned for the end of May – is Greek director Argyris Papadimitropoulos and Jan Vogel’s Wasted Youth which was Rotterdam’s opening film in 2011.

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Hitachi Stone & Masonry Segmented Diamond Blades Pack of 2

Product Code: 36453

Professional quality diamond blades for use on concrete, brick, masonry, tiles and fibreglass. With 7mm high segments.

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Product contents:
1 x (230 x 2 x 22.2mm) and 1 x (115 x 1.5 x 22.2mm) diamond blade.

Diameter: 230mm and 115mm. Cutting bore: 22.2mm. EN 13236.

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Hitachi Stone & Masonry Segmented Diamond Blades Pack of 2 4.4 5 7 7
Excellent product Cuts through block paviors with ease. Lasted through a driveway, patio and path. I had no hesitation in making a repeat order. 7 Jun 2015
Used to cut Granite blocks Only started to dip in performance after several hours of use on thick Granite. I managed to get through one 9 inch disk after a full day of cutting. I'm very happy with that kind of performance and it's great value with both disks in the pack. 7 May 2015
worst diamond blade ever have bought titan blades from screwfix in the past, very good blades long lasting neat cuts on slabs, thought i would try this hitachi blade, good price, branded name, how wrong was i never again. 31 Jul 2014
Good value for money Used only the 230mm to cut over 120 patio slabs and performed well. After so many cuts the blade looks still new. 16 Jun 2014
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Brand Hitachi
Colour Green / Silver
Disc Bore Size 22.2 mm
Manufacturer Guarantee 1 years
Manufacturing Standards EN 13236. ISO.
Model No 705423
Pack Size 2
Product Diameter 230 mm
Product Type Diamond Segmented Blade
Suitable Sawing Material Masonry & Stone
Total Product Weight 0.62 kg


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McCulloch GBV 345 25cc 2-Stroke Petrol Blower & Vacuum

Product Code: 7769D

Powerful, 3-in-1 blower, vacuum and mulcher. Ideal for clearing grass cuttings, leaves and litter. Quick and easy to start with fuel pump and intuitive controls. Anti-vibration handle with soft grip for better comfort. Cruise control with adjustable settings. Equipped with easy to change tube attachment. Includes flare nozzle for increased blowing power.

  • 700W 25cc Engine
  • 214mph Air Flow
  • 45Ltr Collection Bag Capacity
  • 1 Year Manufacturer's Guarantee
  • m³/min Suction Capacity
  • Soft Start
  • Cruise Control
  • Flare Nozzle
  • Blows & Sweeps
  • Shreds Leaves
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Fuel tank capacity: 0.54Ltr. Weight: 4.4kg.

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McCulloch GBV 345 25cc 2-Stroke Petrol Blower & Vacuum 3.3 5 6 6
Design Bad design, no where does it show in the description/ pictures that you have to disconnect the blower tube to connect the bag so you can change to the larger tube to suck up leaves. If you want this just as a leaf blower then no problem, but as an all in 1, this is very awkward. 24 Apr 2015
Broke after 3 weeks! Disappointed with this product as stopped working after only three weeks (approx four uses). Overall performance was good but there are also several poor design features. 31 Dec 2014
excellent blower bought a Mountfield in May which worked well as a blower until October but then would not run without choke-phoned Screwfix and they offered a full refund which i accepted (great Screwfix service!!!) and purchased the McCulloch. Easy to put together, started easily and used 4 times so far. Lighter than the Mountfield and therefore easier to operate over a length of time, shifts piles of leaves easily. Have used a friends Stihl blower occasionally and I rate the McCulloch as good at a fraction of the cost 24 Nov 2014
Blower vac Don't have much time to right a full review...however. When I bought this there were no reviews...so leap of faith. It's brilliant! Have worked in horticulture for years...despite the price it's robust, reliable, easy to assemble and lacks nothing when it comes to power...very very good buy 22 Nov 2014
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Brand McCulloch
Colour Black
Construction Material (Landscaping) Metal & Plastic
Engine Size (cc) 25 cc
Fixings Supplied Fittings supplied
Manufacturer Guarantee 1 years
Model Name GBV 345
Model No GBV 345
No. of Engine Strokes 2-Stroke
Pack Size 1
Power Output (Watts/Kw) 0.75 kW
Product Type Petrol Blower & Vacuum
Tank Capacity 0.54 Ltr
Total Product Weight 4.4 kg
Vac Collection Capacity 45 Ltr
Vibration System Anti-Vibration System


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Target Corp. says a glitch in its system caused delays at registers at some of its U.S. stores on Sunday night but adds that it wasn't due to a data security issue or a hacker.

Customers around the country took to social media to report long check-out lines because of registers not working. It says Target employees tried to placate waiting shoppers by handing out $3 coupons in some stores.

The Minneapolis-based discount retailer did not elaborate on the exact problem or problems. It wasn't immediately clear how many stores were affected.

Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder says the problem has been fixed.

The company is still trying to regain customers' trust following a data theft late last year of millions of customers' information.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Just happy to be diving and teaching!

Just happy to be diving and teaching!

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Next Photo Watching the big one!! Watching the big one!!

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kp scuba diver profile KP in God´s Country, Ky, USA

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Marin's critical marshes could face extinction as sea level rises

From: Marin Independent Journal by Mark Prado

Marshes that afford flood protection and support an array of wildlife along Marin's bay coast could drown as the sea level rises over the next 50 to 100 years, according to a study released Wednesday.

As the muddy, vegetation-laden life-supporting marshes diminish and are replaced by free-flowing sea water, species such as the California clapper rail, the salt marsh harvest mouse and rare plants could struggle for survival, according to the study, led by PRBO Conservation Science, a Petaluma-based organization with offices in Marin.

Flooding in coastal areas could also increase because the sponge-like marshes would be overrun. The fishing industry could also suffer: 70 percent of commercial fish depend on marshes for all or part of their lives.

"Tidal marshes are incredibly resilient to changes in sea level, depending on how fast seas rise and how much sediment is available," said Diana Stralberg, the study's lead author. "Unfortunately, marshes cannot keep up with the high-end sea-level rise predictions on their own. They will need our help."

PRBO joined with other researchers and found that 93 percent of San Francisco Bay's tidal marsh could be lost in the next century with 5.4 feet of sea-level rise, combined with low sediment levels.

The first-of-its-kind study assesses impacts of sea-level rise, suspended sediment availability, salinity and other factors on the bay's tidal marshes. The study was published this week in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

"This will allow planners to make decisions that can help the marshes," said co-author and PRBO biologist Julian Wood. "We can also help by kick-starting the restoration process by using dredge material to build up marshes."

That process could help areas like Richardson Bay, which could have its marshes hit hard by sea level rise, he said. Such an effort is occurring at the former Hamilton Air Force base where dredged material from the Port of Oakland and other locales has been used to bring a marsh area back to life.

When sea levels rose during pre-modern times, tidal marshes gradually migrated onto land and into upland areas. Today levees, development, roads, parking lots and other barriers prevent that movement, threatening the future of tidal marsh habitat and dependent wildlife, according to the report.

"Our results indicate that we must start thinking now about where tidal marshes could move up to — the future potential wetlands," Stralberg said. "If we can't slow down sea-level rise, we will need to identify and protect areas where marshes can migrate to."

That may mean protecting areas from development or moving roads or buildings, researchers said.

Of the 190,000 acres of tidal marshes that existed in the bay before the Gold Rush, only 16,000 acres remain. Another 24,000 acres have been restored or are in the process of being restored — giving the bay only about one-fifth of the tidal marsh area it once had.

As people settled nearby the area was diked and drained and claimed for agriculture and housing. About 82 percent of San Pablo Bay's marshes and wetlands along Marin's shores were diked by the time of the Great Depression. These degraded baylands, many of which have been used for agriculture or salt production, should be restored by re-connecting them to the tidal flow, the report says.

Scientists believe rates of sea-level rise will accelerate in the second half of this century, giving a window of opportunity to adjust.

"The real hope for San Francisco Bay's tidal marshes, for the birds and fish that depend upon them, and for the many benefits tidal marshes provide to our communities, is working together now to restore existing priority marshes and create new ones where feasible," said Ellie Cohen, PRBO's president and CEO.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Refugees of Climate Change Rising Steadily

From: IPSNews  by Rousbeh Legatis*

NEW YORK, Nov 16, 2011 (IPS) - Asian countries, home to about 60 percent of the world's population, will be hit hardest by changing weather patterns and a degrading environment, research indicates.
A whopping 90 percent of all disaster displacement within countries in 2010 was caused by climate- related disasters, the international body Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) reported. That year, 38.3 million women, men and children were forced to move, mainly by floods and storms.
Out of 16 countries with the highest risk of being severely affected by environmental changes in the next 30 years, ten are in Asia, according to the 2010 Climate Change Vulnerability Index, released by global risks advisory firm Maplecroft.
In Southeast Asia alone, extreme weather events like rising sea levels and storm surges "could cause economic losses of 230 billion dollars, or equivalent of 6.7 percent of GDP, each year, endangering the livelihoods of millions of people", as Bart Édes, director of the Poverty Reduction, Gender and Social Development Division of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), told IPS.
Climate change adaptation costs for Asia and the Pacific are estimated in the order of 40 billion dollars annually, the expert said.
Sea level rise particularly affects the poorest of the poor living in coastal areas 10 metres above sea level and in small island states.
Already facing the consequences of a changing environment, some Pacific Islands, including Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, are also considered among the least developed countries, meaning they possess limited resources to implement measures to effectively support those in need.
"About 100 million people would be affected by sea level rise of one metre. There are more than 30 small island developing states that would be impacted by sea level rise as well as the populations of large delta systems in Egypt, Bangladesh, Niger and Vietnam," said Mary-Elena Carr, associate director of the Columbia Climate Centre in New York.
In the early 21st century, frequent flooding in most small island states is likely to be a reality, added Carr.
Off the radar
A clear understanding of the situation of people's livelihoods in the Pacific region remains elusive so far due to a lack of data. Although the Islands are spread over a vast geographical area, their population and combined area make them an otherwise comparatively small region that tends to be overlooked in international discussions on climate change.
The infrastructure and housing of the poor cannot withstand cyclones, floods, landslides or king tides, all of which have been exacerbated by accelerated sea level rise.
In the region, climate change-related migration follows inward paths, meaning people flee from outer to main islands, as they typically lack the means to move abroad.
Protection issues can arise from this situation. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are not protected by any internationally binding legal framework. They frequently face discrimination as well as increased vulnerability to exploitation and violence.
IDPs are often deprived of rights to social services, livelihoods, housing and property.
"Specific strategies need to be developed to ensure that disaster-displaced find durable solutions, including in situations where return is not an option," explained Kate Halff, head of IDMC, in an interview with IPS.
Such methods include displacement monitoring systems to track population movements and ensure timely and adequate responses as well as joint approaches by disaster risk reduction, development and humanitarian actors.
The struggle to take action
To highlight the key characteristics and challenges of displacement, "Protecting the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in Natural Disasters – Challenges in the Pacific", a study recently published by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), compared cases and responses in Samoa, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.
Indicating major flaws in governmental responses to the needs of IDPs, the study determined that planning and prevention measures to assist the displaced were inadequate.
Political decision-makers have not taken into account complaints from the displaced or even acknowledged them as "internally displaced". They refer to them instead as "affected" or "homeless", the UN report showed.
"A lot of change is happening within a country because of climate change. Lots of decisions need to be made about where, how and who to resettle,"  Matilda Bogner, regional OHCHR representative for the Pacific, told IPS.
Additionally, hierarchical traditional systems in some countries exclude certain groups from decision- making. "Women are fairly systematically excluded from decision-making within most countries of the Pacific," Bogner said.
Resettlement efforts are further complicated by land issues on the Islands, where the majority of territory is commonly owned by different communities and individuals and not available for public use.
Since regional governments depend heavily on international development assistance, "donor governments in the region also have a particular responsibility to promote and protect human rights within the Pacific," the OHCHR study emphasised.
Understanding environmental migration in Asia and the Pacific is of paramount importance in adopting policies and programmes capable of coping with future migration flows in the region, stated an ADB paper in September.
As the number of people displaced from their homes by both sudden and slow-onset climatic events will increases, multiple aspects of migration policies - including financial - will have to fall into place to create solutions beneficial to both guest and host communities.

*This is the second in a three-part series on the impacts of climate change in the Pacific region.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Rising sea levels threaten Bahrain

From: Gulf Daily News by MANDEEP SINGH

UP TO 22 per cent of Bahrain's land could be under water by the end of the century as a result of rising global sea levels, it was declared yesterday.

This is based on an Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme report, said Bahrain's UN resident co-ordinator Peter Grohmann.

It concluded a likely global sea level rise of close to a metre or more by the end of the century, compared to a forecast of 0.18 to 0.59 metres by the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, he added.

"We are awaiting the final report of the second national communication on climate change for Bahrain," said Mr Grohmann.

"However, early results of the sea level rise modelling studies off the coasts of Bahrain suggest that between seven and 22pc of the country's entire land could be inundated (with water)."

He said as a consequence, development infrastructure, including those critical for the country's economy such as oil and gas installations; power generation plants and transportation lines, could be under threat.

Mr Grohmann said another threat was the rise in temperature.

"The Gulf region is already considered the hottest part of the world. However, with the effects of climate change the maximum temperature could be pushed further upward," he said.

Mr Grohmann said this year the heat wave that swamped the Gulf region had Kuwait registering one of the highest maximum temperatures on record.

"Increase in temperature, variable and unpredictable weather patterns will trigger higher demands for water and electricity, which are both costly and in short supply, especially during peak periods," he said.

All these factors point to the need for a revised energy policy, balancing the fact that energy is a key engine of development with the negative impacts of unsustainable energy production, said Mr Grohmann.

"This outlook calls for increased efforts in adaptation and mitigation measures," he said.

Mr Grohmann was speaking at the opening of a day-long workshop on the impact of climate change on the energy sector in Bahrain at the Gulf Hotel. It was held under the patronage of Energy Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza and was organised by the National Oil and Gas Authority in collaboration with Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife, United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme.

"This is alarming to a small island state like Bahrain," said Mr Grohmann. "It is a 'real' threat to people, natural resources and to the advancements in human development in general and has implications on all the Millennium Development Goals - from food production, health and water to environment sustainability."

He said the threat, however, also offered an opportunity to re-think development pathways and further advance national sustainable development agendas.

"The UN recognised climate change as the defining human development challenge of the 21st century and made it the focus of the Human Development Report 2007/2008."

Mr Grohmann said the report stipulated that failure to respond to the challenge would stall and even reverse international efforts to reduce poverty in the 21st century.

"No country, however wealthy or powerful, is and will be immune to the impact and associated risks of global warming with droughts, floods and storms already destroying development opportunities and reinforcing inequalities," he said.

There is now scientific evidence that the world is moving towards avoiding the point of irreversible ecological crisis, said Mr Grohmann.

He said the workshop was both important and strategic for Bahrain.

"It comes at a time when representatives of 195 countries are gearing up for the next round of climate change negotiations in Durban later this month," said Mr Grohmann.

He said Bahrain showed leadership on a global scale on disaster risk reduction efforts.

Mr Grohmann said the UN system in Bahrain would continue to support the government and the people in efforts towards putting the society on a more sustainable, low-carbon and climate-resilient development path.

Energy Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza said climate change had become a reality and was resulting in natural disasters - melting of ice and rising sea levels in many regions of the world.

"The impact is being felt on fish stocks and biodiversity, and storms and hurricanes are threatening our decades-old development and achievements," he said.

Dr Mirza said the hydrocarbon energy industry faced significant challenges due to climate change and its relation to policies and systems.

He said market indicators call for the removal of carbon from energy systems as well as increasing growth of new and renewable energies.

"In the longer term, this type of effect depends on technical progress and opportunities for improving efficiency and the use of new economically viable technologies, such as carbon capture and storage." Officials from the EWA and the Public Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment and Wildlife also spoke at the event.

Monday, November 21, 2011

China sea levels rise up to 130 mm in 20 years: report

rom: Xinhuanet

BEIJING, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- A national scientific report estimated that China sea levels will rise up to 130 millimeters in the coming two decades, due to global warming.

The Second National Assessment Report on Climate Change, a joint work of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the China Meteorological Administration and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, noted that rising temperature would lead to continuous rise of sea levels by 80 mm to 130 mm in 2030 compared with 2009.

The report, which was released Tuesday, also said the average temperature of the land surface in China had increased 1.38 degrees centigrade from 1951 to 2009.

China's glaciers have shrunk by 10 percent over the past 60 years as a result of rising temperatures, the report said.

The report said sea levels around the municipalities of Tianjin and Shanghai as well as Guangdong Province are expected to climb 76 to 145 mm, 98 to 148 mm and 83 to 149 mm, respectively, in 2030.

The absolute sea level of South China's Pearl River, the second largest river in China in terms of runoff volume, will see a rise of 90 to 210 mm in 2050.

The rise in sea levels around China is predicted to submerge 18,000 square kilometers of coastal lowlands.

The first report of this kind was released four years ago.


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After all, SEO is about getting exposure. Whether that is through on-page optimization, link building, social media, etc., the idea is to get as many targeted eyeballs on a site as possible. But that itself isn't enough, because once the eyeballs are on the site the website has to make some money too. So now SEOs focus on usability (enhancing the visitor/shopper's experience on the site) and conversions (getting sales, leads, subscribers, etc.). Exposure only brings traffic, usability allows the visitors to find the information they need, but ultimately it's the conversions that matter most.

SEO is marketing but isn't just marketing

It has taken many years for SEO to be considered a marketing expense both within the SEO community as well as the business community that seeks out SEO. I sometimes wonder if the pendulum has now swung too far away from SEO being a function of the IT department. SEO is very different from traditional marketing.

Marketing has always been about two things: creativity and analytics. The creativity creates the ads that work, but the analytics prove that the creative elements work. Analytics also can determine where the creativity will most effective (TV, radio, demographics, etc., etc.). But SEO marketing has introduced an entirely new element into the mix, and that is the need for several dozen computer related skills.

This, of course, creates a new wrinkle in the whole concept of marketing. SEO is marketing that can break things. When Marketing was just creative or analytical, there really wasn't much to break. A marketing campaign either worked or it didn't. (Of course, there was always the potential to damage company reputation, but that's a different kind of damage than I'm referring to.)

With SEO, you can break a website so it doesn't work, and you can break search engine rankings. You can break contact forms, shopping carts, links, and a whole lot more, that all effect the ability of a site to make any kind of money, despite the quality of other marketing efforts. These breaks can, and often do, make a site unusable or unrankable. Sometimes the damage is temporary, other times it can last longer. Much of that depends on how quickly the problem is discovered and a solution is implemented. Sometimes, however, breaking a website is necessary in order to make it work better.

One step back to get two steps forward

There are many analogies I can pull from to illustrate this point. Sometimes doctors have to re-break a bone in order to set it for a proper healing. When you take a car in for a tune-up, you drive it in, but for several hours or days, the car is undrivable until the tune-up process is complete as old engine parts are removed and replaced with new parts.

Another good analogy is a body with cancer. In the early stages, the person often feels just as healthy as they always have, but the doctors know that unless the cancer is treated things will only get worse. A person with severe cancer may go in for chemotherapy which essentially makes someone who may feel healthy feel very, very sick. But this is designed to rid the body of the cancer, and set the stage for what will hopefully be a cancer-free and healthy body.

Implementing search engine marketing can often do the same thing to a website. Sometimes you have to break it in order to help move the site to the next level of success.

Break it to heal it

It would be great if every time a change was made to a site that the result was positive. Unfortunately, that's not the real world. Sometimes in SEO you make a change hoping to help, but it ends up hurting. What worked somewhere else won't necessarily work everywhere.

We find this to be true of PPC just as much as SEO. Sometimes a new ad performs worse than the old one. Or a change to a landing page reduces conversions instead of improving them. But these "setbacks" are an important part of moving toward more success. With each change, you learn from what doesn't work just as much as you learn from what does.

That's the wonderful thing about testing, which is an important element to both online and offline marketing. Testing changes helps you improve upon previous successes, even if it creates minor set-backs along the way.

But there are other times when breaking a site is absolutely necessary for its success. Any site that grows from a few products which are easily manually added to HTML pages, to hundreds of products, needs a content management system. This, of course, will cause all new URLs to be created. Similarly, a site moving from standard HTML to a php framework, may also find that URLs will have to change.

I recently encountered an issue on a site that produced two duplicate pages for every one legitimate page. The only solution here was to re-develop how the site generated its pages. This, too, caused a complete change in the URL structure, leaving hundreds of pages indexed in the search engines, no longer available. Even with redirects in place, it would never be a seamless transition.

Situations like this require that you break things before you can fix them. But in the end, the result more than compensates for the temporary downtime, hiccups and losses that happen as you move through the changes.

Hurry up and wait to move forward

It would be great if we could get a tune-up without ever having our car taken out of commission. Even better, to be able to heal cancer without every having to go in for an operation or devastating chemotherapy. It would also be great if sometimes SEO created a perfect transition from mediocre to resounding success. But the nature of the world applies equally to search engine optimization.

Not every week is going to be more successful than the previous, but the idea is to make sure that the long-term trends favor improvement. But that's the funny thing about long-term trends. You can't analyze them in the short-term. It's very hard to patiently sit through a negative downturn, hoping that all things turn out rosy. But that patience can often be just the thing you need to move forward successfully.

Panicking in face of set-backs is rarely a successful approach to anything. Panicking leads to hasty decisions that are rarely in your own best interest. But having an understanding that set-backs happen and are, at times, necessary in a successful search engine marketing campaign, can certainly help one think rationally when not everything comes up rosy. Sometimes you have to take a step back, just to move forward around the obstacles in your way. Other times you have to break something in order to fix it.

March 6, 2008

Stoney deGeyter is the President of Pole Position Marketing, a leading search engine optimization and marketing firm helping businesses grow since 1998. Stoney is a frequent speaker at website marketing conferences and has published hundreds of helpful SEO, SEM and small business articles.

If you'd like Stoney deGeyter to speak at your conference, seminar, workshop or provide in-house training to your team, contact him via his site or by phone at 866-685-3374.

Stoney pioneered the concept of Destination Search Engine Marketing which is the driving philosophy of how Pole Position Marketing helps clients expand their online presence and grow their businesses. Stoney is Associate Editor at Search Engine Guide and has written several SEO and SEM e-books including E-Marketing Performance; The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist, Period!; Keyword Research and Selection, Destination Search Engine Marketing, and more.

Stoney has five wonderful children and spends his free time reviewing restaurants and other things to do in Canton, Ohio.

I bet if most companies could make enough profit with offline marketing which obviously has less chances of "messing up", they would but the internet isn't going anywhere so online marketing it is! With the algorithms constantly changing, one must remember that their competitors are facing the same issues and challenges.

That's great advice. I think you've got it right that sometimes things have to get worse before they get better – it applies to a lot of things in life really. Another thing is the fact that the company has to be willing to work hard on their site to see results.

I totally know the feeling, every time I redo an ecommerce site into something more search engine friendly like OsCommerce it just kills me to lose those rankings. We all know with 301s you can get most of the links back, but all those lost deep product links :(

Yes, search engine rankings are important. But many sites are found because they are recommended by another internet user.

When a site is not only product orientated but has quality content people come back again and again to read the content. Just like I do on this site.

I don't think I'd agree with the part about how SEOs break things. Generally speaking, we recognize things that other people have broken or implemented poorly and suggest fixes/alternatives.

I do agree with the point about how SEO is more of a marketing function than a technical one.

Thanks Rueben for your comment. Part of my article addressed simply the posibility of breaking things, simply because of the technical nature of a site. Misplace a character on an .htaccess file and the whole site goes down. Screw up a robots.txt file and you wipe out search engine rankings. These are all things that I have seen happen even with the best of SEOs.

But there is also the very real possibility that in order to fix something you have to make drastic changes. Now while these changes are not meant to render a site non-functional, they can cause a site to lose rankings albeit temporarily.

Sometimes a site re-design can do that, but most commonly is when the URL structure of a site must change. For the latter, redirects can be put in place but such a transition is rarely every an easy one.

Comments closed after 30 days to combat spam.

Search Engine Guide > Stoney deGeyter > Sometimes Fixing a Site Means Breaking It First


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Joint Athletics Facilities Development Program

The 1997 Joint Athletic Facilities Development Program (JAFDP) identified priority athletic facility projects that would increase the amount of capacity and improve the quality of play on city fields for youth and adults. The goal of the 2002 update is to increase the scheduling capacity of the city's athletic fields and examine the field system as a whole in order to make improvements for both field users and neighbors throughout the city. Seattle Parks and the School District are partners in this effort jointly providing facilities and programming to meet the growing demand for more field time and more facilities.

The 2002 Joint Athletic Facilities Development Program:
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 » resolution adopted Oct 7, 2002 (PDF)

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Top Picks for Arts and Events

Given our hectic schedules, “dinner and a show” can sound like a prehistoric notion—like we’re pining for the days of rotary phones and two-martini lunches. But with its new Studio Supper series, On the Boards has reinvigorated the preshow meal, inviting patrons to come early for a family-style dinner prepared by a big-deal local chef: Cormac Mahoney. Maria Hines. Ethan Stowell. Perfect strangers gather around two tables that seat 25 each, drinking wine and talking culture as OtB staffers spoon chicken sausage and perfectly poached sturgeon onto plates. You pay what you can afford on a sliding scale from $25–$100, with a portion of proceeds supporting local charities.

For the next Studio Supper, Hines cooks up an appetizer to the world premiere of Fire, a multimedia performance by Catherine Cabeen and Company. The local choreographer and former Bill T. Jones dancer derives inspiration from visual art—her latest evokes the mosaic installations of New Realist artist Niki de Saint Phalle—and in tandem with Hines’s creation, fills body, mind, and soul.

Catherine Cabeen and Company: Fire
Jan 17–20 (dinner Jan 17 with Maria Hines),
On the Boards, $20 (show only)

She She Pop and Their Fathers: Testament
Jan 31–Feb 3 (dinner Jan 31 with Ethan Stowell), On the Boards, $25 (show only)

Show Comments


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Borrowing a Republican idea, a group including former senior Obama and Clinton advisers is unveiling a novel proposal to let states take the lead in controlling health costs.

Individual states would set their own targets to curb the growth of health care spending. If they succeed, they’d pocket a share of federal Medicare and Medicaid savings, ranging from tens of millions to $1 billion or more, depending on the state.

The plan, released Thursday, comes from the Center for American Progress, a public policy think tank closely associated with the White House. The center’s former president, John Podesta, currently serves as counselor to President Barack Obama.

Called “Accountable Care States,” the new option would be voluntary, reflecting longstanding Republican preferences. To address Democratic concerns, participating states would have to maintain insurance coverage levels and enforce consumer quality standards to claim their financial dividends.

The state spending targets would encompass private spending, as well as Medicare, Medicaid, state and local employee insurance plans, and subsidized private coverage under the new health law. States would not have to expand Medicaid under Obama’s health care overhaul to participate.

Release of the plan follows a government report earlier this week that projects a return to unsustainable levels of health care inflation. Spending has been held in check the past five years largely because of a weak economy.

The proposal is also a sign of Democratic sensitivity to a major piece of unfinished business for Obama’s Affordable Care Act — cost control. “Obamacare” remains politically risky for Democrats in this fall’s political campaigns.

“Given the current political gridlock, it is unlikely that the federal government will take the lead on reforms to control health care costs systemwide,” the proposal said. “States must therefore play a leadership role, with the federal government empowering … them to act.”

Authors include Neera Tanden, a former top policy adviser to Obama as well as to Hillary Clinton; Peter Orszag, Obama’s first budget director; Joshua Sharfstein, former deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration under Obama, and Ezekiel Emanuel, a physician, former Obama health policy adviser and older brother to the president’s first chief of staff, current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Podesta was not on the list.

“It’s got some Republican roots to it, and it’s got some Democratic roots to it,” said Ezekiel Emanuel. “We wanted to create a bipartisan proposal that does take advantage of some Republican ideas and is cognizant of Democratic concerns, and use it to transform the whole delivery system.”

Authors plan to shop the idea around to top policymakers on Capitol Hill and in the administration. Congressional approval is needed to fully develop the concept.

That seems like wishful thinking given the polarized politics of health care in Washington. Most congressional Republicans remain adamant about repealing Obama’s health care law, in place since 2010 and now providing coverage to millions. Many Democrats don’t want to be dragged into another health care remake. But there have been openings for dialogue, such as a 2011 Medicare plan from Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

A key feature of the new proposal is the idea of cost targets that combine spending by private insurers and public programs. Emanuel said that would be nearly impossible to engineer nationally, but states may be able to pull it off. A handful of states are already experimenting.

“All health care is local,” said Emanuel. “You can probably get all the players in one room.”

The target would keep per-person state health care spending roughly in line with economic growth by squeezing waste and inefficiency. It could not be met by shifting costs to patients.

An economic analysis with the proposal sees total savings of $1.7 trillion over the first 10 years if about half the states embrace the idea. Of that amount, the federal government would save $350 billion, net of payments to states.

State savings would range from about $80 million for Wyoming to $5.9 billion for California, and about $4 billion each for New York and Texas. Twenty-one states could receive $1 billion or more.

Emanuel said the financial risk to states is low: If a state exercises a plan option to receive expected savings up front, it would have to repay Washington if it fails to meet the target.

Center for American Progress:


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Dehumanizing people for the sake of profit is an old phenomenon that seems to have a huge capacity for adapting, using whatever guise is necessary to blend into the times.

There is something about the way we look at work and workers, whether Boeing engineers or fast-food restaurant employees, that can involve diminishing their humanity.

That’s always been true at the low end of the economy. The discussions we’re having in Seattle about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour are about numbers and data and business survival.

They are also about figuring out how much working people need to be paid so that they can pay their bills.

All of that is concrete, but behind the numbers are values and assumptions about the worth of workers and about being human. What I hear in some of the resistance to better wages is a question: If the best job you can get is flipping burgers, then why should you expect to be respected as a person?

Societies have come up with justifications for peonage, slavery and child labor, all of which seem unjustifiable to most people today.

Those conditions still exist, of course, but sometimes people like us, who benefit from cheap labor, choose not to look too closely at the origin of our clothing or gadgets, in order not to feel complicit.

Modern Americans generally don’t think it’s right to mistreat people, to strip them of their humanity.

We’ve become more socially advanced, but so have the ways people and institutions have of devaluing some people to the advantage of others. That’s what’s going on in our economy today.

I know this may sound extreme, but bear with me a moment. I’m not saying anything radical at all, just that people still are often viewed primarily as economic commodities rather than as fellow humans. We don’t have to consider the feelings or aspirations of commodities.

Sometimes we go so far as to say they deserve less because in some fundamental way they are flawed. They don’t know how to behave, they’re not educated enough or skilled enough. Those things can all be true, but sometimes they’re just excuses that make exploitation OK.

I think what we are seeing is a broadening disrespect for working people.

Yesterday, The Seattle Times reported on reactions to a Boeing plan to transfer 1,000 research-engineering jobs out of Washington.

The jobs are held by well-educated people who’ve made valuable contributions to the company, and yet the story said, “Most of the local staff whose jobs will move are not expected to be offered positions at the new centers, where jobs are being reposted at lower-paid grade levels.”

You’d think Boeing must be up against the ropes, desperately trying to save itself, but the company has only said it’s “enhancing our ability to provide effective, efficient and innovative technology solutions,” according to the story.

Maybe Boeing has some good business reasons for its actions, but what I see is that the people in those jobs don’t matter to Boeing executives.

The problem isn’t just Boeing or Wal-Mart or McDonald’s. Our economy is just not human-friendly. Who and what is the economy about if not making life better for people, especially the ones who contribute their labor?

Capital and labor both make the economy go, but since the 1970s labor’s share of the income has been in decline, along with respect for people who work for a living, especially poor and middle-class people.

That’s not good for an economy that depends on rising consumption.

That’s not good for a democracy that used to depend on a strong middle class. It’s not good for humanity.

My hope is that increasing awareness of income and wealth inequalities, and the push for a higher minimum wage will coalesce into a larger movement to ensure the dignity of working people.

Jerry Large’s column appears Monday and Thursday. Reach him at 206-464-3346 or


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Mike Bolsinger threw seven innings of one-hit, shutout baseball Wednesday afternoon at Cheney Stadium, leading the Reno Aces to a 3-1 victory over the Tacoma Rainiers.

Leury Bonilla had both of Tacoma’s hits, getting a single off Bolsinger in the third and adding a double in the eighth.

The Rainiers scored their run with two outs in the ninth when Endy Chavez scored on a fielding error.


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What's Ellen Tailor Wearing - June 26, 2014

If I had to pick one nail polish to wear all summer, this would be it! Pick up China Glaze in Flip Flop Fantasy. It's a fun peachy, neon orange-ish color and the picture doesn't do it justice. Love this stuff!

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Subject: File No. 4-637
From: Cheryl Mosby

January 13, 2013

Securities and Exchange Comm.

Dear Securities and Exchange Comm.,

The Supreme Court ruling, known as Citizen's United, has brought our country a new standard in politics. The SEC has a responsibility to respond to this new standard by requiring openness of political expenditures by publicly-held companies. The political expenditures of a company effect the lives of the American people and therefore are different than other expenditures. The American people deserve to be able to judge for themselves how these now allowable expnditures are responded to by elected officials.
I’m writing to urge the commission’s prompt approval of rules requiring public disclosure of political spending by publicly-held companies. Disclosure is vital to the SEC’s responsibility to ensure that investors have the information they need to make sound decisions about when and where to put their money. Shareholders also have a right to know how companies in their investment portfolios are investing that money, particularly when the spending falls outside the company’s normal business activity.

Thank you for considering my comment.

Cheryl Mosby


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It's been nearly 31 years since Whit Taylor and Norman Jordan teamed up to produce two of the most memorable offensive performances in Vanderbilt football history.

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Solar Energy Industries Association Hires Manning Feraci, Expands Policy and Outreach Capacity

You are here

Reflecting rapid growth and potential of the solar industry, SEIA expands staff in key functional areas

WASHINGTON - The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today announced that it has hired Manning Feraci to serve as Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the organization effective Monday, May 9. Feraci will lead the organization's efforts on Capitol Hill.

Feraci brings significant experience working on federal energy and tax policy issues. He most recently served as Vice President of Federal Affairs for the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), where he spearheaded federal legislative and regulatory affairs. He also brings wide-ranging experience to the solar industry as a long-time veteran of Capitol Hill. Prior to his work with NBB, Feraci served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Kenny Hulshof (R-MO). He has over 14 years experience working for Republican members of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, which has jurisdiction over many issues critical to the solar industry.

"It is an honor to work on behalf of the fastest growing industry in America," said Feraci. "Increased efficiency and innovative business models have dramatically reduced the cost of solar energy, and the expanded use of solar is consistent with a national energy strategy that values job creation, economic investment, and diversifies the nation's energy supply in a clean and safe manner. I look forward to constructively working with lawmakers to promote stable, reliable policy that allows our nation to reap the multiple benefits the solar industry has to offer."

In addition to the new hire, SEIA has also announced that Dan Adamson, formerly Vice President Government Affairs for SEIA, will expand the trade group's regulatory efforts as V.P. of Regulatory Affairs. Adamson brings more than 15 years of experience on energy regulatory issues to his new role - including senior positions at both the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) and work as regulatory counsel for energy clients during his tenure as a Partner at the law firm Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

"As the solar industry continues to mature, SEIA needs to address many more areas of legislative and regulatory policy," Adamson said. "Regulatory policy - at FERC,the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and DOE and other agencies that interact with the solar industry – is becoming increasingly important as the solar industry grows. The expansion of SEIA's expertise in these areas is a good sign of our growing reach in Washington."

Finally, SEIA announced that Tom Kimbis has been promoted to Vice President of Strategy & External Affairs. Kimbis was previously the Director of Policy and Research. In his new role, Kimbis will help develop growth strategy for SEIA and the solar industry, as well as oversee the development of SEIA's strategic partnerships, communications, research and member growth. Before coming to SEIA, Kimbis served as Acting Program Manager for the DOE's Solar Energy Technologies Program.

"The U.S. solar industry is at a crossroads," Kimbis said. "This market is on the cusp of becoming the largest solar market in the world, but we still have work to do to reach the industry's goal of powering 2 million more homes each and every year by 2015. It will take a sustained effort to enact market-based policy at the federal, state and local effort that move the needle for solar. SEIA has greatly expanded its capacity in market research, public outreach and communications and I look forward to coordinating these capabilities to reach the industry's goal."

"We have an unprecedented opportunity as an industry," said Rhone Resch, SEIA president and CEO. "The solar industry is the fastest growing industry in America. And a robust, highly-experienced, highly-professional trade association is a critical piece of our industry's success. I am excited by our growth and staff diversification at SEIA and am looking forward to taking on the many opportunities and challenges that face our industry in the coming months and years. With our new senior management team in place the industry can expect to see great things from SEIA."

The U.S. solar market had a banner year in 2010 with the industry's total market value growing 67 percent to $6 billion in total revenue, according to the "Solar Market Insight: Year-in-Review 2010" report jointly produced by SEIA and GTM Research. In total, enough solar was installed in 2010 to power nearly 200,000 homes.

The U.S. market is distinguishable from any other solar market in the world in that it has robust market and geographic diversification. A total of 16 states installed at least 10 megawatts of new solar capacity in 2010 and all three market segments - residential, commercial and utility-scale - claimed at least 25 percent of total market share. Innovative, market-based policy at the federal and state level combined with new business models and technology costs were the key drivers of this growth and will continue to drive robust growth in 2011 and beyond.

The growth of the industry during the last five years has corresponded perfectly with the growth of SEIA, the industry's leading trade association. In 2007, SEIA had four staff members. Today, SEIA has grown to a staff of more than 30 and expects to hire many more in 2011 as the organization continues to expand the portfolio of industry issues it advances, including increased emphasis on market research and state-level policy.

About SEIA®:
Established in 1974, the Solar Energy Industries Association® is the national trade association of the U.S. solar energy industry. Through advocacy and education, SEIA is working to build a strong solar industry to power America. As the voice of the industry, SEIA works with its 1,000 member companies to make solar a mainstream and significant energy source by expanding markets, removing market barriers, strengthening the industry and educating the public on the benefits of solar energy.

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To schedule an interview with one of SEIA's spokespeople, please contact:

  • Ken Johnson, Vice President of Communications at 202.556.2885

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Solar Update

Solar Generation


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Fashion June, 23 2009

Martin Margiela Knitwear

Simplicity is what I love in knitwear. Martin Margiela does it right with two ribbed knits – one with your traditional crew neck and the second with a vneck style shawl finish. I’m pulling for the crew neck with leather elbow patches in blue. It’s as basic as it gets but produced with 100% of the finest wool. Well done. Both are available now from oki-ni.

More views of the Martin Margiela Knitwear after the jump.


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Biacore AB

Company Profile

Label-free interaction analysis is of increasing importance for scientists in the academic, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic markets. Setting the performance benchmark, Biacore??systems generate unique data on the interactions between proteins and other molecules, including small molecule drug candidates. During research, development and manufacture, these data give insights into protein functionality, elucidate disease mechanisms and play a key role in the critical decisions needed for efficient development and production of therapeutics.

Biacore systems are used in areas such as pharmaceutical drug discovery, antibody characterization, proteomics, immunogenicity, biotherapeutic development and manufacture, and many life science research applications. A range of systems meet specific application needs. Customers include leading research centers, all of the leading global pharmaceutical companies, and many biotechnology companies.

In the food analysis market, a system and ready-to-use kits provide key manufacturers with the ability to determine quality and safety in areas such as quantification of vitamin content and screening for veterinary drug residues.

Biacore AB is a GE Healthcare company. Further information:

Contact Biacore AB

+46 (0)18 675 700
Company Website

Request Info


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The Electronic Dog Repeller An Electronic Dog Repeller from JG Self Defense. The actual Super Dog Chaser uses high frequency sound to halt dog assaults. Deter aggressive dogs from a range with the electronic dog repellent.

Using a frequency range of 20,000Hz – 25,000Hz the Electronic Dog Repeller works well at stopping the approach of undesirable dogs at up to 40 ft (maximum effectiveness at 10 ft). Works by producing inner ear discomfort and pain, but won’t result in any sort of long lasting damage.

Built with a bright LED blinking strobe light. This light can be used for a 2nd type of protection in order to temporarily stun and also confuse a dog at night.

The Electronic Dog Repeller is considered the most humane and also safe method to discourage unfriendly dogs. It can also be utilized as a canine training device simply by pushing the power switch along with the verbal or even hand command.

The Electronic Dog Repeller emits a frequency which is barely audible by humans but can easily be heard by dogs or even cats. The dog chaser may harmlessly prevent the actual approach of a dog or cat whenever properly used. The device will certainly project ultrasonic wave technology as you constantly push the actual power button and also directly point the actual dog repellent towards the actual approaching unfriendly dog. The actual ultrasonic waves emitted from the dog chaser will discomfort the actual dogs and make them hightail it.

This dog chaser will help an individual establish a safe area between the person and the unfavorable dog. A built-in LED indicator will certainly light when the power button is actually depressed. Once the LED does not light or possibly is much less brilliant, it’s time to replace the actual battery.

Utilizing The Electronic Dog Repeller Properly and also Correctly

  •  Do not point the dog chaser straight at humans.
  • Do not test the device on your own personal pets or a familiar animal to avoid them from confusion because of loyalty instincts.
  •  Do not let the device come in contact with water.
  •  Do not modify or even tamper with the inner parts.
  • Covering or painting over the actual front speaker can break the product and cause it to malfunction or perhaps work improperly.
  •  The unit may not be effective upon all canines.
  • Age, disposition, illness or training might affect an animal’s behavior.
  • It will not be effective on a deaf dog.

 This particular Electronic Dog Repeller will help you develop a secure zone in between you and also the unfriendly dogs, but always take normal precautions whenever confronting a dog along with using this type of product. Consider carrying dog spray also.

Jon Good

Jon Good is an expert on Lethal verses Non-Lethal Weapons. Jon makes sure that all clients are properly evaluated in order to provide them with the tools needed to defend themselves. Educating the consumer is one of Jon's first priorities.

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Positive Thinking For Sales Professionals
Personal Selling PowerTM

Daily Boost of Positivity

Possibility   April 2, 2014

Just because something has never been done doesn't mean it's impossible. After estate planner and insurance sales rep Morris Goodman survived a plane crash in 1981 and suffered a crushed diaphragm, doctors told him he would never breathe on his own again. But Goodman remembered that people once believed it was impossible to run a mile in fewer than four minutes – until Roger Bannister did so in 1954. Goodman practiced breathing in and out with his respirator until one day he started to breathe using just his stomach muscles. With hard work and the help of positive thinking, Goodman defied the odds. Today, when Goodman speaks, he leaves his audience spellbound, taking their breath away.
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Search for Local Senior Singles in Nevada

Online dating brings singles together who may never otherwise meet. It's a big world and the community wants to help you connect with singles in your area. Whether you are seeking just a date, a pen pal, a casual or a serious relationship, you can meet singles in Nevada today! Nevada is known as the "Silver State" and is here to bring their Senior Singles together.

Search Single Senior Men in Nevada | Search Single Senior Women in Nevada

57 years old
5' 0"
Blonde hair
White / Caucasian
Blue eyes

Hi there, I am fun, loving, honest, sexy, and playful. I always see the glass half full. I go out of my way to make things right. I don't cut corners. I love life, and lo... Read More

CRISW10 Las Vegas, NV

58 years old
5' 4"
About average
Blonde hair
White / Caucasian
Green eyes

Money is only important in that it is necessary to live as well as to have fun. And my career is just necessary to obtain money to do fun things. Read More

51 years old
5' 10"
Athletic and Toned
Dark Brown hair
White / Caucasian
Brown eyes

I am 5’10” 180# and very athletic. I am a former engineer and now coach athletics, Golf in the summer Ski Racing in the winter. Read More

GOPATTI2013 Henderson, NV

59 years old
5' 3"
A few extra pounds
Dark Brown hair
White / Caucasian
Hazel eyes

I am a fun loving gal with a great sense of humor and a good heart. Having raised 3 beautiful children I am ready for a little me time!! Read More

Meet Senior Singles in Nevada


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Jason Day hits off the first tee during Saturday’s second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton. 		AP PHOTOSentinel and Enterprise staff
Jason Day hits off the first tee during Saturday's second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton. AP PHOTO

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site.

NORTON (AP) -- With an orange ribbon on his hat and nine birdies on his card, Matt Kuchar pulled within a shot of the lead Saturday in the Deutsche Bank Championship. Not that he needed a reminder, but a message posted on the scoring table spoke to the emotions involved in this tournament.

Players were offered a chance to donate to a trust fund for the 4-year-old daughter of Lance Bennett, his caddie. Bennett's wife, Angela, died of a seizure Wednesday. Kuchar decided to play to raise awareness and get the tour involved in helping the family.

His performance certainly helped.

Ryan Palmer overcame a rocky start for an even-par 71. Jason Day struggled at the end for a 68. They were tied for the lead on the TPC Boston going into the third round of a FedEx Cup playoff event that ends on Labor Day.

Kuchar was a shot behind after a 66 that featured six consecutive birdies around the turn.

"You never know how things will work out in the game of golf ..." Kuchar said. "The funeral is coming up and some things that will be difficult. But right now, I feel like there's some inspiration and some fate working."

On his bag is Brian Reed, a longtime friend who introduced Kuchar to Bennett several years ago.

Kuchar was overcome by emotion Friday when he saw caddies -- and even some players -- wearing a black hat with the orange ribbon in honor of Bennett's wife. There were times he had a hard time taking the club back.

Saturday was easier, which he attributes to the natural progression of grief.

"Still felt like Angela was on my mind almost every hole, every shot," Kuchar said.

The next few days might not be easy for anyone. The TPC Boston has a history of yielding low scores. Henrik Stenson won a year ago at 22-under 262, and the worst winning score since it became a FedEx Cup playoff event was 15-under 269.

That seems far off given these conditions -- swirling wind and fast greens that get bumpier in the afternoon.

Palmer, who started with a 63, made birdie on his first hole and thought he was off to the races. He followed with a double bogey, a bogey and then tried to hang. A birdie on the final hole put him at 8-under 134.

"It could have gone the other way real quick," Palmer said. "I was glad to get that last birdie on 18 and salvage even (par)."

Day, who shared the 54-hole lead last week at The Barclays, looked as though he might pull away. Day ran off five birdies on the front nine for a 31 to build a two-shot lead, only to drop four shots coming in. He caught a flyer on No. 12 that went over the green into a hazard, played a low chip through thick rough and made a big bogey putt.

He still had the lead when he went from the green in two on the par-5 18th. The ball went long, and he hit a flop out of thick rough that ran through the green and into the bunker, leading to his third birdie of the back nine.

Even so, he was atop the leaderboard in another playoff event. He has adjusted to a weaker grip to protect from injuring his thumb again. And his confidence is growing.

So is his respect for the TPC Boston.

"You get yourself above the trees, it can be very difficult to judge how much wind there is," he said. "And if you get too far below the trees, it doesn't get hit by the wind at all. It played tough today. I played good on the front nine, played kind of average on the back nine. But I got it in."

Billy Horschel had a 66 and joined Kuchar at 7-under 135.

A trio of players hopeful of a Ryder Cup pick on Tuesday -- Bill Haas, Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson -- were among those at 6 under. U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer had a 66 and joined the group at 5 under that included Jordan Spieth.

Rory McIlroy had a double bogey late in his round that slowed his momentum. He had a 69 and was five shots behind. Phil Mickelson is still playing, and looking better to play next week, too. Mickelson had a 69 and easily made the cup at 1-over 145.

The top 70 in the FedEx Cup move on to Cherry Hills in Denver next week for the third playoff event.

But Mickelson's work is not over. Because 80 players made the cut at 3-over 145, there will be a 54-hole cut Sunday. It will be the second straight week for a secondary cut. That has happened only two previous times in six years during the playoffs, and Mickelson has missed out both times.


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Optimising Your Site for Link Building

As SEOs we optimise for many things (clue’s in the job title, right?) – but increasingly it occurs to me that we’re missing a trick or two when it comes to link building.

I don’t want to get into a paid linking debate here – whether you choose to buy links or not is up to you. But the truth is, if no one will link to you unless you pay them, then you have problems.

Big-ass ones.

Here’s a little Smörgåsbord of issues that I frequently see that make sites sub-optimal for link building.

1) Your site is so ugly it makes my eyes bleed…

Yep, I said it. I’m shallow. Human beings are.

Psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania studied data from over 10,000 speed daters and found that most people make a decision regarding a person’s attraction within three seconds of meeting.

I’m guessing that post your beautifully personalised, witty and clever outreach email – should you reach first base (in this instance let’s say first base is your lovely link target clicking through to go visit your site) your site has approximately 3 seconds to woo said target.

Now of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As such you may be unable to see quite how ugly your site really is. Alternatively you may be fully aware of just how ugly your site is, it’s just your boss / client doesn’t.

Go get yourself some data:

Do a quick coffee shop test – take your laptop to your coffee house of choice and ask some people to rate the design of your website and your competitors. (NB don’t tell them which site is yours, you may get falsely positive results). Alternatively you could use Feedback Army, or go straight to Mechanical Turk.

But some might cry – Wikipedia is fugly and they get links!

Yes darling, they do. But Wikipedia you are not.

2) Your site content sucks…

Actually sucks is a little flippant. What I really mean is that your site lacks ‘good’ content. ‘Good’ might mean authoritative or trustworthy, or content that’s so damn awesome my head might explode if I don’t get to share it.

Remember linking to something or sharing something (in most instances at least) is still a kind of endorsement. NB there are of course links which are in no way an endorsement. But unless you’re desperate for ‘asshat’ anchor text links I’m guessing we can park those here.

So, perhaps your site is pretty enough to pass the 3 second test and your lovely link target wants to get to know you a little better. But is your site a triumph of style over substance? Is your site like, totally clueless?

“I think that the film Clueless was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it’s true lightness.” Alicia Silverstone

Don’t be *that* girl website.

The relative suck-worthy-ness of content can be difficult to quantify – but fortunately you don’t have to. Google have already done this for you in the form of their Panda questionnaire. Questions like these might help you understand what other people think of your content:

  • Would you trust information from this website?
  • Is this website written by experts?
  • Do the pages on this site have obvious errors?
  • Does the website provide original content or information?
  • Would you recognise this site as an authority?
  • Does this website contain insightful analysis?
  • Would you consider bookmarking pages on this site?
  • Could pages from this site appear in print?

Here’s an added extra from me:

  • Would you share this site with your friends via social media or email?

Not sure if your site’s content sucks? Well I’d recommend you find out – again coffee shop tests, Feedback Army – pick your poison.

3) Your site is overly-commercial

But I need to sell stuff! Sure you do. But know that your hideous squeeze page is unlikely to yield you tons of links.

Now that might suit you just fine, but if you’re creating lovely link-worthy content you might want to tone down the commercial nature of the page (or indeed pages) where that content sits. Time and time again I see content that’s actually pretty good fail to attract the links that it might have done due to the commercial nature of the page.

If you want to go down the content strategy route (and FYI – it’s a route which I strongly recommend), create a home for that content. Mint.com do this really nicely. Their blog has some information about their products in the header, however when you launch one of their infographics all that information disappears.

Blog post:

Launched infographic:

Nice huh? The commercial content has auto-magically disappeared. I’m guessing they have less issues in persuading people to link when the page looks like this.

But what if you’re a publisher and you make your money via advertising?

Just be sensible, please. Remember this question from the panda questionnaire:

  • Are there excessive adverts on this website?

You know what to do if you’re not sure, right? Yep coffee shop, Feedback Army, blah, blah, blah.

4) Your site has no human face…

Humans like humans. Well, they like some humans in any case.

Now I’m not talking about sticking some horrible stock images of humans on your site, instead I’d prefer if you included some pictures of the people who work there. As a minimum I’d like to see the pictures of the people who write on your blog. Plus of course Google may be putting more weight towards ‘whom’ rather than ‘which site’ is linking to whom – rel-author anyone?

As a minimum I’d like it to be really damn easy to get in contact with you. Email addresses, bricks and mortar addresses, telephone numbers.

Why? It’s a trust thing. Sites with no contact details and no obvious clue as to who’s behind the operation look shady. And people don’t like linking to places that look shady – unless they’re using asshat as anchor text. ‘Nuff said.

5) Your domain name reeks of spamtastic porky-ness…

This one is tough to solve.

But nevertheless I think it warrants mention here. Most of what I’ve been talking about within this post is about your potential link target’s perceptions of your site. If you’re trying to build links for a very obviously commercial domain (I think we all know what they look like) then you will struggle.

How do you solve this?

I’d be inclined in this instance to (at least think about) getting a less spamtastic domain and starting to build that up now. I know exact match domains still work well in lots of niches. However, you might like to think of it as a back up plan for when / if exact match domains are devalued in the SERPs. Of course this may not be an appropriate solution for all business models – but for some it might be worthwhile.

Are you still here?

Well done, you made it to the end :)

To sum up – I recognise that what I’m suggesting here is in no way an easy fix. These sorts of changes can be really difficult to push through whether you work in house or for an agency. But there are added benefits if you do manage to get some of this stuff through. Not only will your link building efforts reap higher rewards, but there are really great reasons for sorting out this stuff outside of link building. For one you might be able to dodge that pesky panda.

If you are planning to gather a little feedback on your site I’d also strongly recommend including the following question (yep it’s from the panda questionnaire):

  • Would you give this site your credit card details?

If lots of people are saying ‘no’ chances are the website you’re working on is missing out on a whole lot more than links.

Just sayin’ :)

Image credits:

Hat tip to Phil Nottingham who has to tolerate my ranting and raving on this subject more than any human should and who suggested I write this post. Also a further hat tip to Will who came up with replicating the Panda Questionnaire originally.

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9 Responses to “Optimising Your Site for Link Building”

  1. Ben Spak says:

    Glad someone is finally calling SEOs out for poor design!

  2. Kyle Byers says:

    Thanks for telling it like it is. I’ve never used Feedback Army, but it looks awesome. In my experience, usertesting.com has been pretty great for usability testing with video feedback… but it is more expensive, too.

  3. Jon Cooper says:

    The funny thing is that the first two couldn’t be more true.

    Here’s a fun, tangible example. I started my blog in March of 2011, and up until January 2012, I didn’t get a single natural link (in this case, a link I didn’t actively pursue). Honestly, not one.

    Then in early January I completely redesigned & relaunched my blog. I spent weeks on the design, and another week or two prepping some completely & totally awesome content.

    After about 2 weeks, I got my first natural link, but after that, they started pouring in. I think somewhere in there is where #4 came into play. People got to know me after seeing my content & my design, and after that, links built themselves.

    Not trying to be self promotional, just wanted to give a little testimonial to the fact that this stuff actually works. I know we’re in a link-happy community (there’s no denying it), so it’s hard to say you’ll get similar results, but even if you get just 2-3 natural links a month from doing these things, then trust me, it’s worth it.

    Great post Hannah!! :)

  4. Hannah Smith says:

    @Ben – Agreed – although it’s not just SEOs who are guilty of that, right? :)

    @Kyle – Not tried usertesting.com – thanks for the recommendation!

    @Jon – thanks for sharing your experience – really great to hear others have seen positive results when making these sorts of changes to their sites.

  5. Christine says:

    Love this blog. It did make me a little self conscious though, i went to make my website extra pretty now!!!!

  6. Vasko says:

    Great post Hannah!
    Two thumbs up for 4)
    Brands should embrace more humanization efforts.

  7. Daniel says:

    The article is very good and I learned many useful and interesting Nea who until now did not know. I follow your site often and loving much. Always there are many useful things for beginners.

  8. Enjoyed your post Hannah (actually, enjoying the site – I just came across it for the first time, so I’m having a good time reading the posts with a cuppa!)
    As someone who’s just recently started being more mindful of trying to do seo the right way – as well as giving my readers interesting content too, I’m glad you’ve reminded me that the visual appeal and overall trustworthyness of how a site looks matters!
    Like one of the other commenters said – it can be a bit scary asking for feedback on your site – but worth it I’m sure. I’ll start with some tame peeps first perhaps!

  9. matt says:

    Having terrible content and poor design is a death wish when it comes to SEO.

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