Collies: A journey from cunning Victorian sheep dog to canine movie ...

In the early nineteenth?century collies considered something the superheroes of dogs: he was guardian of the flock, who performed acts of heroism to keep its charges safe. Perhaps more than any other dog, he (and he was thought of as ?he?) had transcended his primitive animal nature. Instead of trying to kill and eat the sheep, his natural prey, he cared for them tenderly, protecting them from his wild brothers, the wolves.

Stories of his abilities have an awed quality. James Hogg (1770-1835), the Scottish writer who called himself the Ettrick Shepherd, wrote in Blackwood Magazine in 1818 of his own ?Colley,? Sirrah, a dog of uncertain parentage, ?almost black,? who had an uncanny aptitude for sheep-herding. When a big flock of lambs sped off in three directions to get lost in the hills in the dark, Sirrah went after them, collected them all in one place, and guarded them overnight in a ravine. Hogg also recounted the stales of Sparkey, a shaggy, white collie who could find sheep that were buried in snow ? 300 of them at once. Hogg?s favorite collie was Hector, a small red dog, who liked to sing hymns.

The Ettrick Shepherd

During roughly the same period, English veterinarian William Youatt, in The Dog(1845), recounted this tale: While trying to collect his flock, a shepherd lost his four-year-old child and his collie in the Scottish mists. Despondent after a long and fruitless search, he went back to his cottage. The following day the dog came home for his food, a ?piece of cake,? then left. This went on for four days until the somewhat dense shepherd decided to follow the dog and found him in a deep gorge, guarding the child,? who was eating the cake.?Few other dog breeds were so consistently the subject of these kinds of legends.

Through breeding collies, humans had a major hand in creating animals so in tune with our own. ?To the people of the time, a collies? wisdom was about way more than just a novelty or demonstration of admirable sacrificial selflessness: the collie was economically indispensable because of its gift for controlling sheep. Sheep were, of course, ?big business during the Industrial Revolution. Their wool fed the mills that were springing up everywhere, and without sheepdogs, human labor sources would have been severely strained. Hogg claimed that one shepherd and a dog could do the work of twenty shepherds without dogs. In 1859, an American writer, Eliot G. Storke, rated the sheepdog as more valuable than any other: ?on a stock farm [he] will save fifty times his cost and keeping every year.?

"Two Collies" from an 1870 painting.


The origin of the word ?collie? is not definitely known, but it probably comes from a word for black (or coal), perhaps because collies herded black-faced sheep. Before the middle of the nineteenth?century, in Scotland and England, almost any dog that was good at herding and guarding sheep? would be called a collie. His looks didn?t matter. The working collies Queen Victoria brought back from Scotland as pets in 1860 varied greatly in appearance ? in fact, one resembled a Labrador Retriever. The Globe Encyclopedia of universal information (1876-1879), defined the collie as ?a Scottish shepherd?s dog? and added that it was ?an ornamental as well as a useful dog . . . much sought after in London as a pet.?

It was right about then that collies were acquiring pedigrees, and one branch of those pedigreed dogs was the Rough Collie (Lassie?s variety), which, along with the Smooth Collie, were called simply Collie with a capital C by the American Kennel Club. The Collie was created for uniform and pleasing looks as well as herding ability. Old Cockie, born in 1867, is considered the first true-to-type Collie and, according to some, by 1886, the breed was ?fixed? ? complete with its fluffy ruff, extravagantly feathered tail, and long narrow head, which from then until now has been the subject of controversy: has it diminished the dog?s IQ?

Today Border Collies, Collies? close relatives, rank above all other breeds? in intelligence according to the? ability to learn and obey commands, while Collies don?t appear in the top ten. However, Collies are far from stupid (by those standards set by humans, that is), ranking 16th of 79. (Number 79 is the Afghan Hound? don?t tell them!)

"Halbury Jean" b. 1924, often referred to as "the mother of the U.S.Collie".

Of course, we?re the ones ranking intelligence, and our criteria is uncertain: such ranking always reflects our notion of what canine intelligence is. Is there not a tendency to give a high rank to those dogs bred to act in ways we judge to be intelligent? For instance, a dog-created IQ test might be based on the ability to outwit prey rather than follow human commands to herd it. But there?s no doubt that we?ve created a breed capable of learning with an uncommon alacrity: ?witness, for example, the plethora of YouTube clips of collies who?ve learned to discern verbal cues of more than a hundred objects.

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Buy new PC in June, get Windows 8 Pro for $15?

4 hrs.

A new report from Windows blogger?Paul Thurrott?says that people who buy a Windows 7 system starting in June may?be able to get Windows 8 Pro, a notch above the consumer version, for just $15, when the OS ships in the fall. But whether people who don't want to pay $15 will be able to get a free version of the more basic Windows 8?is unknown.

As we wrote?recently, Microsoft is expected to offer a reduced Windows 8 upgrade price for people who buy PCs immediately before launch time, and June 2 is likely to be that starting date.?

Windows, due for full release in October,? will come in three flavors: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT, the latter?mainly for people who will?only?use?Windows on a tablet.

Microsoft Tuesday declined to comment on the pricing or the report by Paul Thurrott of SuperSite for Windows, who wrote:

A coming Microsoft promotion will provide Windows 8 Pro to buyers of Windows 7-based PCs for just $14.99, according to my sources.

But the Windows 8 promotion is different. This time around, Microsoft is only offering two mainstream versions of the product to consumers: Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro. And instead of offering a free upgrade to the version of Windows 8 that most closely matches the version of Windows 7 a user buys with a new PC, Microsoft will this time offering only the higher-end Windows 8 Pro.

"Unfortunately, we have nothing further to share," a spokesman for Microsoft told msnbc.com.

The offer is likely to coincide, at least somewhat, with the unveiling of the?"release preview," one of the final beta versions of Windows 8 before it is fully baked and ready for shipment. Microsoft generally offers the betas for free to registered users, though these versions expire when the final?software is released.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)?

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on?Facebook,?and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.

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Colombia president says two die in Bogota bombing

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) ? A bomb targeting a former Colombian interior minister killed at least two people on Tuesday and injured at least 19 others in the heart of Bogota's commercial district, authorities said.

President Juan Manuel Santos said the former minister, Fernando Londono, was hurt but was out of danger.

He said in a brief televised declaration that Londono's driver and a police escort were killed in the bombing, which occurred just before midday on Calle 74 a half block from Caracas Avenue.

City health director Guillermo Jaramillo told Caracol Radio that at least 19 people were hurt.

TV images from the scene showed a badly damaged dark SUV surrounded by other, less damaged vehicles.

Londono was interior minister from 2002-2003 under former President Alvaro Uribe and is a conservative foe of Colombia's leftist rebels.

?2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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List Building Tips: 3 Vital Tools for Building a Profitable Opt-in List ...

15. May, 2012

In practice, list building seems simple. Set up a squeeze page and drive targeted traffic to it, but there are some vital tools that you must have in your Internet Marketing toolbox in order to get your email Marketing systems set up properly and working well for you.

In this article we?ll look at several examples of the three basic tools that you will need in order to get your email list building machine started and moving into high gear.

1. Squeeze page

A squeeze page is a simple landing page that you will use to attract and convert visitors into subscribers. At its core a squeeze page is very simple. You need a page some compelling copy that convinces visitors to leave their name, email and in some cases phone number in exchange for the promise of some information that has a perceived value for them. The page must include an opt-in form where they can enter their contact information, and it might also have some images that are in alignment with the purpose of the offer.

You can create a squeeze page from scratch if you know a little bit of HTML, but why go to all of that trouble when there are pre-formatted landing page templates available that take the guesswork out of it for you?

If you are running a WordPress blog, there are several plugins, both free and premium, available that you can use to create a squeeze page in minutes.

A vital step to creating an effective squeeze page is to use A/B split testing to test one element at a time to keep refining the page until you are getting the best results possible from it.

2. Autoresponders

These magical services make it possible for your email opt-in list to go on auto-pilot for you. There are several auto-responder services to choose from. Here are a few of the most popular ones:

  • Aweber
  • Infusionsoft
  • Get response
  • Icontact
  • Mailchimp

Which one you choose depends largely on several factors including the size of your business, the kinds of products and services you are selling, whether you want your email autoresponder to be integrated with your shopping cart, etc. Research the various features and benefits of each service, ask your colleagues what they use and recommend and they go with the option that will best suit your needs now and as your business scales upwards in the future.

Once you?ve chosen an autoresponder service, you will integrate it into your squeeze page. Once your visitors have entered their contact information into the form on your squeeze page, the autoresponder works in the background to subscribe them to your list and send them to the download page where they can collect the gift you?ve promised them for signing up.

3. Freemium Product download

The ?freemium? product is most often a downloadable product such as an ebook, and audio recording, or a video that shares information that the visitor has been looking for. It should be the caliber of product that you would offer for sale. This allows the prospective customer to get a feel for what you have to offer, and it entices them to subscribe in hopes of learning more about your other products and service.

So, there you have the three vital tools that you need to kick off a successful email list building campaign. Once you get it set up all you have to do is drive traffic to it and your list will begin to grow.

Email list building is just one strategy for growing your business online. For more tips and ideas, visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today.

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Susan Winter : Relationship Expert ? Breaking the Rules of ...

by Charlotte Muir

When a genuine friendship turns to lust, should you follow your head or your heart?

Let?s face it, we?ve all fallen victim to the typical ?friend crush,? that one person, who, even though you know you shouldn?t, you can?t help but have the serious hots for. Playful flirting and late night texts, it all sounds innocent enough, but what happens when the footsie under the table gets serious and feelings start to get in the way of your friendship?

Chances are there has always been an underlying spark in your friendship. That odd flicker of lust that you?ve been gently ignoring in the hope that Prince Charming will soon arrive to sweep you off your feet. But what if Mr Right doesn?t show up on your doorstep with flowers and champagne? And what if you realise that your perfect match is in fact already in your life?

We aren?t suggesting that you do a Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake on us and try the friend with benefit approach, we all know that these end in a broken heart, a box of tissues and a family size bar of chocolate. And it?s probably not wise to suddenly announce your undying love and turn all bunny boiler-esque on him. You need to decide what you want from this tricky friend/ potential lover situation and stick to it.

?Speaking up and owning your truth is the hallmark of an empowered woman,? says Susan Winter, relationship expert and author of Older Women, Younger Men. ?Courage and conviction show you know yourself and have the internal strength to stand up for what you want and speak your mind, without fear. If your friendship is based on mutual respect for each others feelings and there is an open and comfortable ability for communication, then you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.?

Taking a friendship to the next level will of course involve risks. The danger that the other person won?t feel the same and the possibility that if you do try to move things on it won?t work, might put you off admitting your feelings to him. But remember, great relationships require vulnerability, if the relationship has any chance of working then it has to be a risk worth taking.

Ella Wilson a fashion graduate from Devon has been with boyfriend Ben for three years. Friends since primary school, a relationship was the last thing on either of their minds.

?Mine and Ben?s parents have been close friends since we were youngsters so we practically grew up in each others pockets,? begins Ella. ?We would have sleepovers, go on bike rides, walk to school and tell each other secrets, typical best friend behaviour.?

It wasn?t until her late teens and a sudden move to University, that Ella?s feelings towards Ben began to develop into something more than just friendship. ?When I moved away from home the contact between me and Ben had trickled down to the odd catch up call and the standard ?happy birthday? message on Facebook. Even though we didn?t speak much, I always knew that he?d be there for me if I needed him,? continues Ella.?When I returned home from University for the summer we spent lots of time catching up, it was like we were 12 years old and inseparable again. The more time I spent with Ben the more intense things became, and I started to get butterflies in my stomach every time I was around him. The problem was of course telling him how I felt. I wasn?t entirely sure if he felt the same way and the last thing I wanted to do was make a laughing stock of myself and lose my best friend in the process.?

22-year-old Ella finally took the plunge and confronted Ben about her feelings. ?I realised that I couldn?t go on like this, if Ben did feel the same way then we were both wasting valuable time.?

?At first Ben was a bit overwhelmed with the confession, but after hours of revelations, we both admitted our feelings for one another and decided to give things a go between us. That was three years ago, and it was probably the greatest decision I have ever made. We have our ups and downs, everyone does, but our relationship has proven that there really is such a thing as being a best friend and a lover. I couldn?t ask for a better boyfriend.?

Ella?s relationship may prove that turning a friendship into something new can work, but remember, every situation is different and they don?t always end in a bunch of flowers, a box of chocolates and cuddles in bed. Sometimes, no matter how much you want something, it?s just not meant to be. Does that ?like? seriously have the potential to turn into love?

?Whatever you decide, remember to be strong,? believes Susan. ?You have many friends. Losing one man, whom you?d rather have as a lover, isn?t a loss at all. It?s a clarification. On to the next. You want what you want. If it?s love, then you should create a possibility for love to flourish. You have your girlfriends and you have a life. One man less is of no consequence.?

If your friendship is as important as you say it is then there?s nothing stopping you both from working things out. Talking is the way forward, and if he?s not prepared to talk then he?s not worth your heartache.

?

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Do you have a strategic plan for attracting talent? ? ESA Consulting

15
2012


Q:?As a longtime North Bay company, we are fortunate to be emerging from the economic downturn with a stronger than ever business position and we need to expand our management team in anticipate of rapid growth. With all the downsizing of the last few years, we assumed we would have our pick of top, highly experienced candidates yet we?re struggling to attract the right people who are willing to relocate. What should we be doing?

A:?Even though it appears to be an employers? market right now, finding and keeping the specific talent your company needs is more challenging than ever. One reason for this comes down to basic supply and demand. Despite persistently high unemployment, there is growing shortage of talent because more baby boomers are leaving the workforce as our overall population ages. So your company not only is facing a smaller pool of top management talent, but in this economic environment, the experienced professionals you are looking for most likely are not out there searching for a new position. They are busy making sure they succeed in their current roles.

You can look to the next generation of talent but just know that they are definitely a new breed of professionals. They seek different kinds of opportunities and challenges. They want to be integral team members in innovative, creative companies. They expect a healthy work culture and pleasant work environment with flexibility to work from home and spend more time with their families. Because having personal lives is important to them, this generation demands work-life balance.

They also regard themselves as valuable commodities, making professional development a high priority to them. They need to see potential and opportunities for growth. They want to know that you have plans to develop their careers. Does your company provide education and training? When you consider the fact that much of the knowledge, skills, and experience that companies like yours will need in the future probably does not exist yet, you can see why the demand for talent is high yet ?inventory? is low.

You mentioned that your business is expanding. Do you have a plan to build the workforce you will need to achieve that growth? Strategic workforce planning is vital to building competitive advantage right now yet most organizations still do not plan ahead for their talent needs.

Instead, your company has a significant opportunity to make a vital difference in the present and future success of your organization. Take the time to evaluate past, current, and future gaps and then create a roadmap for strategic hires based on your business growth plans looking ahead one, three, and five years. This is what strategic workforce planning entails and it?s all about having the workforce you will need to execute your company?s strategy.

Another major consideration is compensation. How does your company?s management compensation compare to your competitors in major metropolitan areas? I?ve discussed this before in previous columns because unfortunately, over my years of assisting North Bay companies with their talent acquisition, I?ve seen our region develop a poor reputation due to offering compensation packages that are consistently 20 to 30 percent below the greater Bay Area.

Why is that? The cost of living certainly is not any cheaper here ? particularly for housing. One major justification for lower compensation in the North Bay seems to be that those of us who live and work here regard our quality of life as an incredible benefit in itself. And so it is. But the value of this is very difficult to convey to someone who has never been here, much less lived here. If you?re serious about attracting top talent, the Wine Country lifestyle is simply not a sufficient reason for offering lower compensation. The current ?war for talent? demands more strategic positioning. To find ? and keep ? the top talent your company needs before your competition does, your compensation package needs to be better than the South Bay because, as far as the talent you are seeking is concerned, you are basically asking them to relocate to an island.

I know spending more in the current climate might be tough to swallow. But consider the fact that hiring for a critical $150,000-per-year management position actually costs your company $200,000, and if the person doesn?t work out, those costs can climb as high as $500,000. In other words, hiring is a key business investment and can be a potentially risky one.

Without strategic workforce planning and aggressively competitive compensation, North Bay companies like yours will continue to struggle with finding and retaining the talent you need to grow your business. Why not make your company so attractive that talent actually does begin to come looking for you?


About Jennifer

Jennifer Laxton is the President of ESA Consulting, located in Santa Rosa. ESA is a consulting company providing talent acquisition, organizational development, workforce planning and career coaching services. You can reach her at 707-217-4535 or jklaxton@esa.com.

View all posts by: Jennifer


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Nobody for President

Just how badly have they failed? To survive the primary, a candidate needed at least 10,000 supporters, 1,000 each from 10 states. Americans Elect claimed to have 420,000 or so such supporters. But Buddy Roemer, the former Louisiana governor turned Occupy sympathizer, had surged to the top of the pack with around 6,000 declared supporters?total.

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New 52-Week Lows: World News Affects BP, Flir and Credit Suisse ...

Best Buy Co. (NYSE:BBY)?s board has released findings of an independent investigation into personal conduct claims regarding former CEO Brian Dunn (who left the company last month). Notable findings are: Dunn went against Best Buy policy when he engaged in a very close personal relationship with a female employee that had negative ramifications on the workplace. This association showed very poor judgment and a deficit in professionalism, but no wrong use of company resources could be demonstrated, including no misuse of aircraft. Plus, during the investigation, it was shown that the Chairman of the Board of Directors behaved inappropriately by neglecting to bring the issue to the Board?s Audit Committee when he first learned of the matter (in December of last year). As a result, this subcommittee will begin a campaign to consider and improve, if appropriate, the company?s corporate rules and regulations. Best Buy shares closed at $19.56 (up $0.28 or 1.45% on the day), having traded in a 52-week range of $21.13-$32.85.

Don?t Miss: Will Carl Icahn Go Another Round With Chesapeake?

BP (NYSE:BP): In news from the Middle East, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak plans to leave all options for dealing with Iran on the table, as reported by Globes. Additionally, Barak said that his country believes the West is making too indulgent demands on Iran, which will allow the country to continue pursuing development of nuclear weapons. BP shares closed down $0.79 or 1.99% on the day at $38.86, having previously traded in a 52-week range of $33.62-$48.34.

Credit Suisse Group (NYSE:CS): The Financial Times is reporting that the unexpected $2B loss at JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) may have wider ranging consequences than the initial focus on how this could reform the Volcker rule debate. Rather, the financial journal anticipates potential speed-ups by global regulators in making the world?s largest banks shape up their trading risk models. Credit Suisse shares suffered yesterday, closing down $0.56 or 2.65% at $20.56. The firm?s shares have traded in a 52-week range of $21.18-$45.77.

Flir Systems (NASDAQ:FLIR): Defense News reported last week that U.S. Special Operations Command is aiming to begin a global network connecting special operations forces, according to a Special Operations Command deputy commander. This network, the report said, would include the special forces of nations allied with the U.S. Flir shares closed down $0.31 or 1.45% on the day at $21.08, having traded in a 52-week range of $21.86-$37.29.

Infosys Limited (NASDAQ:INFY) is looking for European acquisition as it trades at its lowest price since the financial crisis, according to Bloomberg. The Indian software services company has $4B in cash, and may be focusing in on French companies from Sword Group to GFI Informatique. Shares of Infosys closed at $43.30, down 0.98% or $0.43 on the day. The shares have traded in a 52-week range of $44.45-$68.52.

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Quasar gives the iPad untabbed windows for ten dollars and a jailbreak (video)

Quasar gives the iPad untabbed windows for ten dollars and a jailbreak (video)

The iPad was made to do many things, but windowed multitasking wasn't one of them. Leave it to the Cydia Store to provide a new app that delivers individual, rotatable, scalable, untabbed windows. Quasar, from developer Pedro Franceschi, let's you do just that across multiple apps -- without relying on home button double-taps or tricky multi-finger gestures. The video below makes it seem pretty magical, so take a look and let us know what you think.

Continue reading Quasar gives the iPad untabbed windows for ten dollars and a jailbreak (video)

Quasar gives the iPad untabbed windows for ten dollars and a jailbreak (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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