If you have been struggling to get to work on time and you have been reprimanded by your boss then you need to make sure that you change your commute plans. One of the best things to do is change the way you travel and the route that you take. While you may not be able to change the route with a public transport you can do so when you rent a car from limohire-sportcarhire.co.uk. If you are not too sure which car rental service you need to opt for then you can go ahead and check the services online and opt for the best possible service that you see. You will be able to see the ratings online and you will be able to see feedback from past customers as well.

Renting a car on a daily basis does turn out to be quiet affordable and you will even be able to reach whenever you need to go to on time. This is not the case with a public transport because public transports run as per a timetable. If you miss one train or bus then you will have to wait for a specific time to get the next one. This will definitely be a hindrance in you reaching work on time or even school on time. You need to be in control of your daily life and renting a car is one of the best ways to do so. When you are looking to book a car you need to make sure that you speak to someone who has done so in the past. This way you can make a note of their experience and also ensure that you do not repeat the same mistake. If certain people have complained about a particular model or a particular driver you can ensure that you do opt for these services from the car rental company.

You can state all your preferences and the rental company will take care of it. This way you will not have to be stressed while commuting and you can just sit back and relax. If you have a big meeting coming up you can prepare for the meeting inside the car. Similarly if your child has to go to school you can go ahead and book a car for them to take them to school and come back. They can study in the car peacefully without any other children pestering them. Once you realize how useful car rental services are you will not have to worry about anything ever again. These services are truly helpful and they will ensure that you travel comfortably no matter where you need to go. Even the drivers for car rental services are well trained and then know exactly what needs to be done. Even if there are any instances of misbehaving you can inform the car rental service and they will take action immediately. They will compensate you in some way or the other and inform you of the action that is taken against the driver.

The most common dice game you’ll find at casinos is craps. It’s a game where you wager against other players or the house on the outcome of each roll of the dice. Depending on the type of bet you make, the payout could be as much as 30 to 1. To get that payout, you need to understand how the game is played.

Dice Handling

When handling dice in casino craps, you must hold and throw the dice with a single hand. When you throw the dice, they must hit the wall on the opposite side of the table. If the dice go off the table, the stickman will inspect them before putting them back into play.

How the Game Moves

Only other shooters (people throwing the dice) can bet on the current shooter. The progression of shooters moves in a clockwise direction around the table.

The Come Out Roll

The first roll of the dice is the come out roll, which begins a new game. A new game starts if the shooter makes his point. A come out roll also happens after the previous shooter fails to make his point or seven out and a new game begins with the new shooter.

Pass or Don’t Pass

As the shooter you will be required to make a pass line or don’t pass line bet on the come out roll. Pass wins with 7 or 11 and loses with 2, 3, or 12. Don’t Pass wins with 2 or 3, loses with 7 or 11 and ties with 12.

Making Points

If you throw a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 on the come out roll, that’s your point. You continue to roll until you roll your point or a 7. You can bet that you’ll make the point before you roll a 7 or vice versa. If you make your point, you can continue as the shooter. If you roll 7 out, the dice goes to the next shooter.

Other Bets

There are many other types of bets you make in craps (come and don’t come, odds, place, field, proposition), but his is the basic flow and rules of the game. Understanding the best and their percentages against the house would require another article. However, with this you can throw dice and not look like a fool.

A survey conducted by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council and Lithium, a social media tech firm, revealed a huge divide between what marketers think consumers want vs. what consumers really want when it comes to social media.

Querying over 1,300 consumers and over 120 CMOs and titled the “Variance in the Social Brand Experience” study, “… the findings challenge marketers to better understand cognitive, behavioral, and attitudinal dynamics as they seek to integrate social media into their overall marketing mix.”

Well based on the findings, brand marketers, product managers, chief marketing officers and on down the line have a long way to go to ” to better understand (the) cognitive, behavioral, and attitudinal dynamics” of their customers for consumers are speaking loud and clear as to what it is they want in exchange for connecting with a brand on social media.

This question was posed to consumers…

There is another chart which shows the responses to the question “Why do you like a brand on Facebook?” and 67% of the respondents said they do so to get exclusive offers.

People are connecting with brands on social media because they expect something in return.

Liz Miller, Vice President of Marketing Programs for the CMO Council…

“The social brand explosion has created a wave of loyalty among social consumers who are eager to show their support and share their experiences with others online, but this loyalty comes at a cost—from savings to games—that consumers see as their social currency. Social can garner significant influence and pull for marketers who can bridge this gap in expectation and execution.”

From the looks of things not many CMOs and marketers are putting enough weight to the idea of social currency…

As you can see nearly 60% of CMOs believe people like their brand or follow them on social media because they like the content they are sharing, while only 33 percent believe their fans are looking for incentives or rewards, and only 27 percent believe customers are seeking special savings or experiences exclusive for followers.

See the disconnect now?

From the findings…

“Social customers not only want but expect to be rewarded for connecting with brands online, and there are a variety of ways to go about satisfying them. Special offers and promotions bring new customers into the fold while the chance for increased status, privilege, or rank keeps them engaged and motivates them to contribute more.

A mere 7 percent of marketers report that they reward their most active online contributors, which creates an open playing field for those who gamify the social customer experience in 2012; marketers should give social customers something to work for and a reason to level up. Socially savvy brands will reward social customers with greater status and privileges not just for their likes, but for a full range of beneficial behaviors—from voting on product ideas to blogging about a technical solution.

Those who see the most social success in 2012 will have something for everyone, offering multiple paths to success. While some social customers are product experts, others are friendly and welcoming, and still
others are good at getting conversations started. Each is a valuable member of the complex ecosystem that is a brand community, each has something to offer, and each expects to be rewarded for their contribution.”

Here’s one more chart I want to share which speaks to the need for social currency… this one was posed to consumers:

See what this chart above is saying loud and clear? The key word is “new” as in “… new ways I’m using social media.” Consumers now have the expectation of being rewarded. They are coming to the social media party with the expectation to be rewarded and if a brand is not rewarding them, there are others in that “open playing field” mentioned above that will gladly take their place.

Ok Brand Managers and Product Managers and CMOs and anyone else in a marketing role…

What do you say to all of this?

What do take away from it?

How are you rewarding your customers currently?

How are you integrating social media into your overall marketing mix?

The “no indictment” finding of the grand jury in the Michael Brown case has, predictably, ignited a firestorm among the black community. Officer Darren Wilson (white) shot Michael Brown (black) in August. Now there are riots in Ferguson, Missouri despite the fact that 93% of blacks were murdered by other blacks.

There are no “riots” over the fact that 93% of blacks are murdered by other blacks.

Reminds me of this graphic:

There is no money to be made in blacks murdering blacks but get a white killing a black and there’s blood in the water.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said as much:

• “What about the poor black child that was killed by another black child?” Giuliani asked. “Why aren’t you protesting that?… Why don’t you cut it down so that so many white police officers don’t have to be in black areas?”
• “When I become mayor, I’ll do that,” replied Dyson, exasperated.
• “White police officers wouldn’t be there,” Giuliani said, “if you weren’t killing each other.”

The Liberals racists are an odd coalition however their goal is the same (which is why they are united): they want to see the dominant power structure (composed of whites) replaced by the “oppressed” class (Hispanics and blacks).

Anything that damages the dominant power structure is something these “activists” favor.

Thus blacks killing blacks doesn’t further their agenda so they ignore it.

Things will continue to get more polarized as black “leaders” keep feeding their supporters a string of lies and excuses further sending them from reality.

Welcome to Ferguson… it’ll be in your backyard, eventually.

Hiking plays a natural part in the activities planned at any girls’ camp. It provides exercise, opportunities for nature observation, time for relationships to develop and a chance to experience the beauty of the outdoors. While simply hitting the trail makes a perfectly acceptable camp activity, sometimes adding a twist to an old favorite can renew the experience. These easy activities will jazz up any hike and challenge girls to see the beauty around them through new eyes.

Nature Journals

Keeping nature journals gives girls an opportunity to take a moment and reflect on the surrounding environment. They make observations and record them in a journal, detailing what they’ve seen, heard, felt, smelled and possibly tasted.

Nature journals provide girls a medium to record their experiences while developing artistic and writing skills. A nature journal can be a one-time event or an ongoing camp project, resulting in a personal memento to take home. The time spent on a hike to work on the journal will provide less athletic girls a chance to catch their breath without drawing undue attention to them. All the girls can use the journaling techniques they learn even after camp ends.

Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt using native flora and fauna as the items to be found creates an exciting way to educate girls about the wildlife around them. You can use a specific hiking trail, or scatter the scavenger items throughout the campground and encourage girls to hike during their free time. Use scavenger hunts either to encourage individual or team competition, or as a mixer activity encouraging all the girls to work together to complete the hunt.

Fairy Journals

The entries in a fairy journal assume that fairies may be real while recording natural observations. Fairy journals allow girls an opportunity to be creative while using similar techniques to those for nature journals. Younger girls and those who enjoy fairies will quickly get involved in the pretend aspects of keeping fairy journals.

Challenge older girls or those who consider fairies foolish to view this as a problem-solving activity. Considering what challenges you would face if your total height were only 3 inches actually provides a valuable mental exercise. Even adults find it challenging to see the world from someone else’s point of view.

Edible Plants Hike

The plausibility of this hike will depend on the camp’s resources. The instructor leading this hike must have training and experience in identifying edible plants. The season will also affect the appropriateness of this hike.

An edible plants hike gives girls another opportunity to learn about native flora and fauna. The ability to safely identify edible foods in the wild provides a sense of independence. During the hike, teach the girls which plants in the area are edible. Have the girls gather samples of the plants and bring them back to camp. Use the gathered plants to prepare a salad or other dish.

Orienteering Treasure Hunt

A treasure hunt makes an exciting way to practice the skills learned in orienteering class. Orienteering simply means the ability to use a map and compass to travel unfamiliar terrain. Using their map and compass, the girls must use orienteering skills to travel a trail and reach a hidden treasure. An orienteering course can be as short as a quarter of a mile, or 5 miles or longer for girls with experience.

You can start a treasure hunt from one point with teams following the same trail in timed intervals. Or teams with different sets of directions can start from one point and end at different places. As a third option, start the teams from a variety of different points and have them follow directions to the same destination. Regardless of how you set up the treasure hunt, each group of girls working together will need a compass and either a map or a set of directions to follow. The treasure may be anything from a simple “No KP duty” pass to a package of candy bars.

Here’s my top 10 Healthy Foods Women Love:

Pomegranate Juice – helps you keep the sniffles away. High levels of germ fighting antioxidants in pomegranates kill viruses in your mouth before they have a change to spread to your body. Drink 8oz of pomegranate juice a day to keep the germs away.

Dark Chocolate – tasty way to take care of that pesky diarrhea. The Catechin found in dark chocolate helps stop fluid loss in the intestines. Break out that chocolate stash, ladies. Today, chocolate made it to the healthy foods section.

Pistachios – helps to keep your stress levels at bay. Just 11/2 oz of Pistachios a day will bring your blood pressure down during stressful situations .

Bananas – help your body to get rid of excess fluid caused by PMS bloating or if you over did it with the salt shaker . Bananas are healthy foods that are considered diuretic due to their high potassium content. Just one banana a day can take the puffed up feeling away.

Popcorn – helps you to feel happier instantly. Munching on crunchy foods like popcorn helps the brain to release mood-boosting chemicals.

Citrus Fruit – another stress buster with high content of vitamin C. Just one glass of OJ or one grapefruit in the morning gives your body enough vitamin C to keep you stress to a minimum.

Coffee – not only it is loaded with caffeine that many of moms need to start the day with, but it also has enough fiber that keeps you regular. I love the fact that coffee is included in healthy foods category….time for another cup.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich – will help you fall asleep faster. Peanut butter contains sleep inducing Tryptophan and grape jelly is loaded with sleep regulating hormone called Melatonin. So snack on some PB&J few hours before you go to sleep.

Carrots – just 4 raw carrot sticks a day can cut the risk of ovarian cancer by 54%. Carotenoids found in carrots helps to clean up ovary damaging chemicals.

Chamomile Tea – drinking 5 cups of this “magic” brew for two weeks will help to relieve your muscle spasm and help ease your cramps. It will also help to calm you down.

I am sure we all can incorporate most if not all of these powerful healthy foods into our daily diet. I know I love every one of them and knowing that they are good for me is just a delicious bonus.

A brand is more than just a logo and a tagline. When different pieces of the marketing mix can be brought together with cohesive planning and execution, an enduring and profitable brand platform is created. Chipotle’s first national commercial succeeded in strengthening their brand thanks not only to creative, but because its messaging linked back to the company’s core promise.

For the sake of full disclosure, let me start by saying that I love Chipotle. I enjoy their food, I use their iPhone app to order without waiting in line, and I appreciate their insistence on making “food with integrity.” That said, it may come as no surprise that I also very much enjoyed their new commercial.

Not only was this commercial more impressive and interesting to me than any of the commercials during the “big game” this year, it also managed to be touching and memorable without straying from Chipotle’s core message and brand promise.
From the simple-looking geometric animation, to the perfect song (which became all the more appropriate when warbled by the legendary Willie Nelson), to the wordless but crystal-clear storytelling…everything in this ad hit exactly the right note. Head over to their website and the brand message is there, loud and clear, “learn more about food with integrity.”

A brand is more than just a logo and a tagline, and when handled properly, its messaging permeates everything that is created and released, to the point that you can see a single piece of collateral and know immediately who it belongs to. At Star we believe that a company’s goals need to align messaging and design elements with market trends and customer insights. When these pieces come together, an enduring and profitable brand platform is created.

While Chipotle may not quite be up to the level of a McDonald’s or a Burger King, they offer a solid brand message to potential customers that is reinforced with all of their current collateral as well as in-store signage. With this ad, they solidify the brand promise that differentiates Chipotle from all of their competitors, which, in essence, is the true purpose of branding.

In a world nearly overrun with fast food joints and quick food choices, a differentiator like this could easily make someone walk a block further to get lunch. I heard more than one person mention that the commercial gave them chills or even brought them to tears, how many ads have you seen that could boast that claim?

People use social media for a wide variety of reasons – catch up with old friends, make new connections and so on. But when it comes what they use social media for regarding a given brand or product or service, most people use social media to see what other people are saying about these very same brands, products or services.

Back in August I wrote a post called Why Marketers Need To Pay Attention To Online Reviews in which I revealed a survey finding that showed that 80% of online customers change their mind about making a purchase after reading negative online reviews. I also explained in that post why a negative review can have a positive impact. It really can. Trust me. Read the post and you’ll see what I mean.

New research by NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Company shows that the #1 thing consumers use social media for as it relates to their favorite brands is not to get coupons/discounts, or to get information about new products or even to provide feedback of their own, be it positive or negative.

The #1 reason consumers use social media as it relates to their favorite brands is to read. As in read what others are saying about their favorite brands or products or services. The chart below shows that people use social media on a personal level to connect with old friends, for entertainment purposes and so on. And on a career level to network. But look at the section labeled “Products/Services.”

Each year many couples choose Las Vegas as their vacation getaway. To many, a couple’s visit to Las Vegas usually means they are either going to get married or gamble. Even though this happens plenty, there are other reasons why couples visit Las Vegas. There are numerous fun activities for couples to make their stay a non-stop action-filled experience.

The Fountains of Bellagio

When couples arrive to Las Vegas they should visit The Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas. The fountains can add to a romantic stroll through Las Vegas. They provide spectators with a water, music and light show like no other. The fountains are cleverly designed to display a well choreographed water show that dances and jumps into the air. Show times are available seven days a week, including holidays at specified times (i.e. Monday through Friday 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., every 30 minutes). As of June 2009, there’s no price to visit the Fountains of Bellagio. Please, contact the Bellagio for more information.

3600 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(888) 987-6667
bellagio.com/amenities/fountains-of-bellagio.aspx

The Roller Coaster

Thrill seeking couples ought to visit The Roller Coaster located atop the New York-New York in Las Vegas. Couples will find themselves clutching to one another as the coaster takes them 203 feet up and then drops them 144 feet. They will also turn 180 degrees and hang 86 feet in the air. If couples who want to remember their ride they can take home a photo of themselves taken will traveling at 67 miles per hour. As of June 2009, The Roller Coaster is open to the public for $14 a day from 10:30 a.m. to 12 a.m.

3790 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
(702) 740-6607
nynyhotelcasino.com/entertainment/entertainment_therollercoaster.aspx

The Forum Shops

Couples who love to shop ought to check out The Forum Shops, which are located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Forum offers couples a unique shopping experience thanks to its design which resembles Ancient Roman Streets. The design can also spark a romantic outing. There are more than a 160 retail shops that provide visitors with high fashion shopping opportunities (i.e. Gucci and Louis Vuitton). The Forum Shops features replicas of the Trevi and Triton Fountains. It’s open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and until midnight Friday and Saturday.

3500 Las Vegas Blvd. So.
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
702-893-4800
simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=224

Visitors to New South Wales looking for a little rest and rejuvenation will be glad to know that there are a number of health spas worth visiting all across the state. Health spas can be found in the Blue Mountains, Kangaroo Valley and even in the heart of busy Sydney. Whether you plan to spend just a few hours there or are going on a weekend retreat, you’ll find a spa to meet your needs.

Bilpin Health Resort

Bilpin Health resort is located in the Blue Mountains, just 90 minutes away from Sydney. Among the activities for guests at the health spa are taking strolls through the 11 acres of grounds, and practicing yoga and meditation. Spa treatments include standard fare, such as facials, massages, reflexology and body wraps. In addition, the spa offers the Vibrosaun, a chamber much like a one-person sauna, except that the head is not inside the chamber. The Vibrosaun is popularly used for weight loss, and to help high blood pressure, arthritis and insomnia.

Ayurve

Ayurve is a day spa in the heart of Sydney. Amongst the different types of massages offered at Ayurve are Indian massages, Swedish massages, aromatherapy massages and the Ayurve signature massage, which incorporates hot steam towels the spa claims will deepen relaxation. The spa also offers a variety of facials, plus waxing, manicures, pedicures and other beauty treatments one might expect from a day spa. In addition to these standard services, Ayurve offers Ayurvedic lifestyle consultations, helping to restore balance in your body and life.

Spa Sublime

Spa Sublime is located within the Mountain Heritage Hotel in Katoomba. The spa offers massages, hot stone therapy, manicures, pedicures and other standard spa services. In addition, the spa offers “beautiful bride” packages. The grounds for the hotel include a garden, reading library, and lounge with mountain views and roaring fire.

Kangaroo Valley Getaway Cottages

This spa, located in Kangaroo Valley, just two and a half hours from Sydney’s Central Business District, consists of luxury B&B cottages. The cottages come with a fully equipped kitchen, washer, television, spa bath and outdoor barbecue. Breakfast and picnic hampers are provided, as is gourmet dining with a private chef for those who choose. Spa services include massages, facials and the spa’s signature Sothys Eau Thermale body treatment. The site also features a library, and 16 acres of land and private gardens.