Marine biology, scharine schiology. Pleated Jeans skips scientific facts for its series of sea life diagrams. Via Pleated Jeans. (H/T @laughingsquid) Laughing is good for you. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Most Topular Stories
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The (not so correct) anatomy of sea life
Holy Kaw!16 May 2012 | 11:52 am -
Zimfo Bytes
AgWired16 May 2012 | 5:47 amCJ BIO America broke ground on their first U.S. construction project – a $320 million lysine production facility at the North Central Ag Industrial Park west of Fort Dodge, Iowa. The American Society of Agricultural Consultants has launched a new website. TradeMark Nitrogen Corporation has named Mike Barry to the company’s management team as General Manager. Debbie Lyons-Blythe, White City, Kan., is Monsanto’s America’s Farmers Mom of the Year 2012. -
Yarn store opens in Cooksville
Knitting News16 May 2012 | 11:42 amMaryna Shevchenko says knitting isn't just for grandmas anymore. The 35-year-old Mississauga resident, who along with her husband, Oleg, hosted the official opening of their new yarn store in Cooksville on May 10, says more young people are picking up the hobby. -
On Wings
Yarn Harlot15 May 2012 | 11:33 amYesterday's day off seems to have sort of been what I needed. I've still got a bit of a stuffy nose and cough, but I've turned a corner for sure, because it's clear that I'm going to live, and I... -
Volunteers Deliver Smiles One Meal at a Time
Crochet News16 May 2012 | 5:08 amA By Cheryl Collins What's it like to be involved with Norcross Meals on Wheels ? We have been the lucky recipients of many hand-crocheted doilies and potholders from Ms.
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Holy Kaw!
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The (not so correct) anatomy of sea life
16 May 2012 | 11:52 amMarine biology, scharine schiology. Pleated Jeans skips scientific facts for its series of sea life diagrams. Via Pleated Jeans. (H/T @laughingsquid) Laughing is good for you. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
The mechanics of eclipses [infographic]
16 May 2012 | 9:11 amWhen the moon passes in front of sun, as viewed from Earth, the eclipse that occurs is visible from a narrow path on Earth that corresponds to the location of the moon's shadow. During a total solar eclipse, this path is known as the path of totality. WARNING: Never look directly at the sun during an eclipse with a telescope or your unaided eye. Severe eye damage can result and scientists use special filters to safely view the sun. Via Space. The view from space. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Clean air improves heart health, Olympics show
16 May 2012 | 8:39 amUsing the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a lab, researchers found evidence that even short-term reduction in air pollution exposure improves a person’s cardiovascular health. “Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the Chinese government had proposed to reduce pollution levels to be comparable to other Olympic host cities,” says USC Professor Junfeng (Jim) Zhang. “We wanted to take advantage of such a huge intervention and look at what happens to people biologically.” Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Permalink |… -
Why parents can’t rely on video game ratings
16 May 2012 | 7:48 amNot all E-rated video games are created equal. New research indicates content matters more than ratings when it comes to effects on kids. “In the children’s study these were are all very cartoonish games—they were all rated appropriate for everyone—and yet we still show the violent harm aspect, as well as the prosocial, good aspect of some E-rated games,” says Iowa State University psychology professor Craig Anderson. Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Photo credit: Fotolia Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Top-educated women picking family track
16 May 2012 | 7:46 amMore older, highly-educated women are choosing to have a family, but it remains unclear whether they are having children in addition to—or instead of—careers. “Women born in the late 1950s are the turning point,” says Qingyan Shang, assistant professor of economics at the University at Buffalo. Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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AgWired
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Zimfo Bytes
16 May 2012 | 5:47 amCJ BIO America broke ground on their first U.S. construction project – a $320 million lysine production facility at the North Central Ag Industrial Park west of Fort Dodge, Iowa. The American Society of Agricultural Consultants has launched a new website. TradeMark Nitrogen Corporation has named Mike Barry to the company’s management team as General Manager. Debbie Lyons-Blythe, White City, Kan., is Monsanto’s America’s Farmers Mom of the Year 2012. -
Develop a Relationship With Your Local Reporters
16 May 2012 | 5:31 amOur latest ZimmPoll asked the question, “When was the last time you talked to a journalist about agriculture?” The question was inspired by an AgChat Twitter conversation question that had been submitted by @BASFAgro! We’re supposed to stand up for our industry and livelihoods that are threatened by lots of misinformation that gets spread by the media. What are we doing about it? How are we speaking out? Are we willing to develop a relationship with the reporters at our local mainstream media outlets (newspaper/radio/tv/web)? Here are the results, 50% said Recently (I do… -
DTN/The Progressive Farmer Market Strategies App
15 May 2012 | 2:22 pmTelvent GIT, S.A., parent company of DTN/The Progressive Farmer, just launched a new Market Strategies app. It is now available via the Apple iTunes Store and Android Market. The Market Strategies app ensures producers will have the most accurate, real-time data on commodity markets with instant alerts to changes in the market. Unlike other consumer-based applications, the app shares DTN/The Progressive Farmer’s industry leading innovative market strategies and recommendations to help producers react to volatile market changes, increasing their profits and reducing input costs. With the… -
New Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Commercials Debut
15 May 2012 | 8:35 amTwo new checkoff-funded “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” online advertising video commercials will be making their world debut this week. The first spot called “Island” is full of sizzle and beauty shot that brings our hero – beef – to life. The intended message – that Lean Beef has the power to elevate the everyday – comes through in a clear and engaging way. The second spot called “Invitation” features a new child star who convincingly and earnestly conveys the message about beef. The spot’s message – that Lean Beef has the power to bring people together – is a… -
USDA Celebrates 150 Years Live
15 May 2012 | 8:09 amI’m a little late to the live webcast but right now USDA is celebrating 150 years of service. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, is commemorating the event with a variety of people on stage. When President Abraham Lincoln founded the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1862, he called it “the People’s Department,” a sentiment that still rings true today as the Department’s diverse portfolio boasts strong support for American agriculture and local and regional food systems, as well as critical nutrition assistance, food safety, conservation, rural development,…
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Knitting News
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Yarn store opens in Cooksville
16 May 2012 | 11:42 amMaryna Shevchenko says knitting isn't just for grandmas anymore. The 35-year-old Mississauga resident, who along with her husband, Oleg, hosted the official opening of their new yarn store in Cooksville on May 10, says more young people are picking up the hobby. -
History and the Knitting Bishop
16 May 2012 | 7:33 amRichard Rutt was the former bishop of Leicester in the U.K. "The Knitting Bishop," as Serenity Knitting called him, was taught to knit by his grandfather, the village blacksmith. -
Superheroes take up the knitting needles
16 May 2012 | 7:33 amSuperheroes possess extraordinary, often magical powers. Every knitter knows, that a piece of string and two sticks can create magic. -
Arts Festival, Teachers Luncheon
16 May 2012 | 6:33 amLincoln School PTA will host an arts festival tonight at the school beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Crafts to Share Club meets at the public library today from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Come join the group and take part in some knitting or crocheting. -
Ova M. Sutherland
16 May 2012 | 2:28 amShe was born Sept. 5, 1918 on Thomas Run in Belleville, W.Va. She was a homemaker and was very welcoming and loving to all she came in contact with.
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Yarn Harlot
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On Wings
15 May 2012 | 11:33 amYesterday's day off seems to have sort of been what I needed. I've still got a bit of a stuffy nose and cough, but I've turned a corner for sure, because it's clear that I'm going to live, and I... -
Jammie Day
14 May 2012 | 1:07 pmI got up this morning and staggered downstairs, making only a minor attempt to cough up my right lung as I did so - which is a considerable improvement in my health, so I put in a load of laundry... -
Dashing
9 May 2012 | 4:03 pmI'm finding it really hard to blog this week, but I'm going to try and do better. I'm travelling and teaching, driving my car around Lake Erie. So far it seems a lot like sleep, drive, teach, drive, sleep, drive,... -
Dear Kelly
4 May 2012 | 1:36 pmI know it's hard for you, to be Auntie Kelly and to be so far away from little Lou, so that's part of the reason I wasn't really totally pissed when you dropped off a basket of baby sweater chunks... -
A New Retreat
3 May 2012 | 12:22 pmAs we were weaving in all the loose ends from our colour retreat last November, we started throwing around ideas for future retreats, what would be different, what would be fun. We were looking at some of the feedback we...
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Crochet News
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Volunteers Deliver Smiles One Meal at a Time
16 May 2012 | 5:08 amA By Cheryl Collins What's it like to be involved with Norcross Meals on Wheels ? We have been the lucky recipients of many hand-crocheted doilies and potholders from Ms. -
Crochet pattern: Finding that perfect hat to crochet
15 May 2012 | 10:54 pmI was searching for a mesh hat to crochet on ravelry, and I came across a pattern called the Martha Hat and Gloves set. -
Krochet Kids International
15 May 2012 | 2:29 pmI love a good startup story. A There's just something great about hearing how someone recognize a need in the world and set out to fill it. -
Yarn garden
15 May 2012 | 2:55 amA garden pathway leading through a lush, green-carpeted landscape covered with various types of flowers and hanging vines, complete with a fountain, becomes a little reminiscent of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory when one considers that the landscape is entirely made of yarn. -
New books; KIP Day approaches
14 May 2012 | 10:41 pmWhen she's not writing headlines and designing pages for the American-Statesman, Etienne Lepine can be found crafting, singing karaoke or cooking.
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Small Business News, Tips, Advice - Small Business Trends
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Does Flextime Benefit You More Than Your Employees?
16 May 2012 | 11:30 amAre you resisting offering employees at your small business flexible working hours because you think it’ll give them an excuse to slack off? Well, some new research should convince you otherwise. It seems flextime may actually be less flexible than a regular schedule. The 2012 National Study of Employers, released by the Families and Work Institute (FWI) andthe Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), found that U.S. employers are offering employees more options for managing when and where they work. The tradeoff for the employees, however, is that employers offering more flexibility… -
Navigating the Recruiting Maze
16 May 2012 | 8:30 amFor a lot of hiring managers and small business leaders, hiring remains the most crucial pain point. If you magically get the right people, stuff just gets executed. However, we never make the perfect hiring decisions all the time. Sometimes we are in a hurry to fill the role, and the options available seem more attractive than the list of skills and qualities we carefully created. Of course, every manager has a different outlook – some of us “hire fast, learn fast and fail fast,” whereas some of us passively look at many resumes and only make an addition to the team when it feels… -
New Bulk Listing Management Tool From Google Places
16 May 2012 | 6:00 amBusinesses with multiple locations should be breathing a heavy sigh of relief now that Google has introduced a new and improved bulk listing management tool designed to make the whole process easier and faster for business owners. Google revealed several new changes last week which have been implemented to help SMBs and enable the follow actions: Edit one or more of your listings’ data at once Search through your listings, filtering by specific information or for listings with errors Upload new listings using a data file or by adding them individually within the interface Tell us how we can… -
All Eyes Are on Facebook With Multibillion-Dollar IPO
16 May 2012 | 2:30 amFacebook is a big deal these days, not just because of its multibillion IPO, but also because of the impact the social networking giant has on the 900 million who use its tools. Some of those are small business owners who depend upon FaceBook to provide services they cannot do without. That’s why today all eyes are on Facebook. Facebook in the News Facebook raises its IPO range to meet demand. The price range on the social network’s public offering rises from $34 to $38 per share, targeting a valuation exceeding $100 billion. As big as it has become, Facebook started from humble… -
Judgment Marketplace: Turning Uncollected Judgments Into Cash
15 May 2012 | 8:23 pmHas your business ever gotten a judgment in a court, only to find it was worthless because you didn’t have the time or the know-how to collect it? Judgment Marketplace aims to solve that problem for you. JudgmentMarketplace.com is a website for selling and buying judgments. Small business owners, corporations and consumers who have won a court judgment against another party can list the judgment for sale. Collection agencies and law firms that specialize in skip tracing debtors and collecting on judgments, can negotiate to buy your judgment or, just like on eBay, can “buy it…
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Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing
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5 Reasons Why Landing Pages Are a Must
16 May 2012 | 5:25 amOnline marketers have used the term “landing page” for many years to describe a sales tactic focused on getting people to take one, specific action. Today, landing pages have simply become a required element in the marketing toolbox for every imaginable business, including local brick and mortar types. Example of a personalized lead capture landing page A landing page is just the page people land on because an ad or email directed them to that specific page as opposed to your site’s homepage. Effective landing pages make it very clear what a visitor is going to get from a page and how… -
13 Questions That Will Lead You To Your Perfect Marketing Strategy
15 May 2012 | 5:54 amPlenty of startups try to determine the perfect business model to take to market only to find that the market doesn’t need, want or understand what they are presenting. The fact is most books or courses on business models take this into consideration by suggesting trial and error scenarios and market hypothesizes prior to launch. Any business model, or plan for that matter, is little more than a guess and I believe that your best chance for getting that guess right is to build your business model based on a marketing strategy. This assumes the role a fully developed marketing strategy… -
5 Non Spammy Ways To Get a Blogger’s Attention
14 May 2012 | 5:28 amEveryone, from PR firms to individuals with a product to sell, pitches bloggers these days. Getting coverage or exposure for your business by way of a number of highly read blogs should be a foundational element of your PR approach. So, I thought I would share of few of my thoughts on the most effective ways to get a blogger’s attention and stand out in a way that gives your pitch a far better chance of garnering coverage. Sadly, it would much easier to write a post on what not to do, but I like to stay on the positive side here. Whether your goal is to land a guest post, get a review of… -
Weekend Favs May Twelve
12 May 2012 | 5:39 amMy weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week. I don’t go into depth about the finds, but encourage you check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from Flickr or one that I took out there on the road. New Duct Tape Marketing t-shirt design via Hugh MacLeod Gapingvoid Good stuff I found this week: Ming.ly – A personal relationship manager that aggregates your contacts from Gmail, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter into a searchable merged address book that allows… -
Engaging Your Macro Metric As a True Measure of Success
11 May 2012 | 5:59 amBusiness owners and marketers are told to measure and quantify everything. The problem is this practice alone can lead to false assumptions and a fixation on things that simply don’t matter that much. lollipolluza via FlickrAre website visits, Facebook Likes, newsletter signups or even revenue the true measure of success for your business? Perhaps, but how so? When we simply create a list of what we might call key performance indicators without the proper focus with which to weight them, it all simply becomes an exercise in collecting. It’s a lot like having a bunch of puzzle pieces…
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Andy Sernovitz | Damn, I Wish I\'d Thought of That!
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A name with a bug, part 2
16 May 2012 | 7:00 amLast week we had an amazing conference called the Word of Mouth Crash Course. It was a fantastic day, the third in a series. But it wasn’t as big as we expected, and we discovered a critical reason why: We changed the name of the event — it used to be called Word of Mouth Supergenius — without any testing. Here’s what happened — people thought that it was an online course instead of a live conference. The word course implied online training to many people. We also failed to use certain trigger words that indicate that something is a live event: Summit, Expo,… -
A name with a bug, part 1
15 May 2012 | 7:00 amWe were going to launch a site called WordofMouthMarketing.org. During the few months we were planning it, everyone kept saying WordofMouth.org — they kept dropping the word marketing. Even employees and contractors who were working on the project. That was a problem. If our own team couldn’t get the name right, how would our customers find the site? So we killed the project until we could get ownership of WordofMouth.org. It was incredibly lucky that we caught the problem before we launched. We would have sent all of our confused customers to someone else’s site. Lesson:… -
Give them an experience they’ll never stop talking about — and a reminder to re-start the talk
14 May 2012 | 7:00 amThe Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, TX invites school and scout groups to spend the night camping in the zoo. It’s an amazing behind-the-scenes experience. More that just the camping, which is remarkable, you also get to feed a giraffe, pet a rhino, and hold a giant cockroach. Just as important: Every kid gets a free shirt with the Zoo Snooze logo on it. And everyone other kid in school finds out about the Zoo every time the shirt is worn. (And because it was a Cub Scout trip, dozens of kids in the same grade all have the shirt.) Lesson: Don’t just think about the experience. Think… -
What’s the simplest thing you can do to create a remarkable experience?
13 May 2012 | 7:00 amSubway gave us a kids meal in this nice reusable bag. We talked about it, we told people, we kept it, and we tell more people when our daughter carries it around. Probably cost them 30 cents — which is about 10 cents more than a throw-away box. But the conversations it starts are priceless word of mouth advertising moments. -
35 ways to improve sales
12 May 2012 | 7:00 amClassic advice from e-commerce master Sam Decker, now CEO of Mass Relevance, originally published in 2004 and still relevant: Can I find that item I’m looking for? Tune your internal search engine to match top search terms to product pages. Put top sellers on home page. People buy on impulse or recommendation. Match the landing page to the marketing campaign. Use vanity urls for offline advertising. Test your categories, naming and navigation with customers. They’re less intuitive than you think. Can I find something that interests me? Put top sellers on home page. Add related items to a…
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Big Marketing For Small Business
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4 Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Content Marketing
16 May 2012 | 10:07 amContent marketing has changed drastically over the last few years. In the early days of content marketing, you could get away with creating off-the-cuff content. Today, there’s a lot of competition and it’s important that your content stands out. Here are four simple ways to supercharge your content marketing efforts. 1. Develop a Comprehensive Strategy for Long-term Success Without a comprehensive plan your content marketing efforts are doomed to failure. Beyond doing the necessary keyword research it’s important to think about the style and tone of your content. Will it be serious… -
SEO 101: The Do’s and Don’ts of Search Engine Optimization
11 May 2012 | 12:41 pmSearch engine optimization, also known as SEO is a volatile industry. Google changes can come at any moment and some are worse than others. It doesn’t help they name their updates after cute animals like pandas and penguins (honestly who doesn’t like to see a cute panda?). Anyway, I digress, SEO might be a roller coaster, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t do’s and don’ts you can live by. Do—Stay Current on Industry News No matter if you have been doing SEO since the beginning of it’s inception, or just started today, you have to stay current on new trends. Google is fickle, and… -
7 Free Ways to Market a New Small Business
9 May 2012 | 9:00 amFor obvious reasons, all new small businesses need to do what they can to market themselves. Not every owner can afford to utilize the best marketing and advertising tactics though. These services and strategies can cost quite a lot of money to employ in the long run. Too many businesses overstretch their budget trying to roll out a huge campaign and wind up suffering financially. With that in mind, there are various free methods that can be employed at any time. 1. Harnessing the Power of Social Media Perhaps the best option is starting a few social media accounts on sites like Twitter and… -
Common Small Business Mistakes Made Online
9 Apr 2012 | 1:39 pmIn the online world, it is far too easy to make a mistake and have it available for countless eyes to see. While most businesses might think accidentally sending an email to the wrong recipient or posting something questionable on a social network are going to be the biggest faults to avoid, there are other mistakes businesses make online that make them look unprofessional, or even foolish. The following are some examples of mistakes businesses, especially new business owners, make online and how to avoid them. Email Addresses Not on the Company’s Domain If you have a website up and… -
Remarketing Increases Paid Advertising Conversion
2 Apr 2012 | 11:04 amWhen small firms think about paid advertising online, 99.9% of them think about one thing: Google AdWords. Not to speak negatively of this venerable platform, but AdWords isn’t always (or even often) the answer: It takes a substantial monthly ad budget to generate enough conversions to move the dial. In some niches, keywords are too expensive for small firms to compete. In other niches, search volume is too low to generate ROI. If you’re looking for an advertising model with a higher probability of success, look to one of the best-kept secrets in Internet marketing: Remarketing. How…
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A Country Living Blog For Homesteading, Organic Gardening and Country Life
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May 15, wet food for chickens
14 May 2012 | 5:01 pmI have 10, 9 week old chicks and I have been giving them wet food. I keep dry feed available in their coop at all times. They eat the wet food as if they -
May 14, Great information for a Patchwork Beginner
14 May 2012 | 4:34 pmI have read your page on how to patchwork and have found it most interesting and easy to follow. I will try to do something that is easy and basic as the -
May 14, Austin's Farm NY
14 May 2012 | 4:09 pmI just thought that I would send you a picture of Austin's Farm in Volney NY. We are just starting out on 102 Acres and so far we have 3 cows, a few pigs, -
May 14, new to raising chickens
14 May 2012 | 4:01 pmi just discovered your web site and already enjoying it. i love gardening and raising chickens. i live in central va. *************************************************** -
May 11, Thank You!
11 May 2012 | 3:15 amThank you for this website, which content is very usefull and practical. Keep going. Best wishes. Nikol
