Myth Of The 28% Foreign Aid Budget By Ezra Klein November 7, 2013 For years, the example budget wonks turn to when they want to underscore the public's ignorance about the budget is the baffling, but persistent, belief that foreign aid is bankrupting the country. "Foreign aid is the only program that [people] consistently favor cutting," said Bruce Bartlett with a sigh, "perhaps because of grossly overestimating its share of the budget." He went on to list poll after poll showing the public's wildly incorrect opinions about how much the United States spends helping other countries. And yet the perception persists. Of course, foreign aid isn't that pricey. But as of yet, budget wonks haven't had a shadow of success at convincing the country that foreign aid is a tiny sliver of federal spending.
We Are Social’s Monday Mashup #112 Capturing social value with new Google Analytics toolsSocial media is deeply woven into people’s purchase decision journeys, but it’s not been easy to measure this, even when solely looking at people’s online behaviour. Google have now made this easier with its a new set of social tools built into Google Analytics, allowing you to see how traffic coming from social sites leads to ‘goals’ on your site (for example ecommerce purchases, test drive requests), both immediately and in future visits. Social has double the value than previously thoughtIn line with Google’s new kit, a new study from Adobe says that social media drives twice as many sales as it’s normally credited with. A visitor interested in buying a new watch might click through to a jeweler’s website from a Facebook link posted by a friend. Finally, Facebook is cutting the number of characters in ad copy from 135 to 90, and ad images are getting smaller as well, as part of a more streamlined approach.
NHANES - Key Statistics from NHANES What are the Key Statistics from NHANES? These statistics represent the most up-to-date and acurate published estimates of the prevalence of health conditions and diseases in the U.S. population using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The articles and reports cited were authored or reviewed for accuracy by the Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys staff. How to use the Key Statistics from NHANES The statistics are organized into topic areas in the left pane. You can also use keyboard shortcuts to navigate the categories.
Confessions of a Public Defender I am a public defender in a large southern metropolitan area. Fewer than ten percent of the people in the area I serve are black but over 90 per cent of my clients are black. The remaining ten percent are mainly Hispanics but there are a few whites. I have no explanation for why this is, but crime has racial patterns. Hispanics usually commit two kinds of crime: sexual assault on children and driving under the influence. Blacks commit many violent crimes but very few sex crimes. As a young lawyer, I believed the official story that blacks are law abiding, intelligent, family-oriented people, but are so poor they must turn to crime to survive. The media invariably sugarcoat black behavior. Although blacks are only a small percentage of our community, the courthouse is filled with them: the halls and gallery benches are overflowing with black defendants, families, and crime victims. When I am appointed to represent a client I introduce myself and explain that I am his lawyer. No fathers
The 10 Best Agencies in New York City "I wanna wake up in a city, That doesn't sleep, And find I'm king of the hill, Top of the heap..."It's not likely that anyone would question Sinatra's words, much less if we're talking about design, advertising or web development. Yes, New York is the top, a fantastic place of inspiration, talent and full of opportunities.Today we present to you the best agencies in the city that never sleeps, a selection made by Joshua Long, a talented visual designer who's currently working at R/GA and is a memeber of our Jury. He sat down with us and told us about the 10 agencies he considered to be the best in NYC. FI - Fantasy InteractiveFi has earned its highly respected reputation as a full service agency by creating beautiful digital experiences for clients such as Google, Porsche, Microsoft, USA Today, Nickelodeon and Wacom. Blue Fountain MediaBlue Fountain Media is a digital agency in NYC founded on the premise that client results come first.
YRBSS - Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System - Adolescent and School Health Note: 2013 national, state, and local YRBS resultswill be released on June 12, 2014. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors six types of health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults, including— Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence Sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection Alcohol and other drug use Tobacco use Unhealthy dietary behaviors Inadequate physical activity YRBSS also measures the prevalence of obesity and asthma among youth and young adults. YRBSS includes a national school-based survey conducted by CDC and state, territorial, tribal, and local surveys conducted by state, territorial, and local education and health agencies and tribal governments. Youth Online Interactive Data Tables Results & Fact Sheets, 2011
31 states have heightened religious freedom protections The recent flurry of state bills giving religious exemptions from certain laws -- including the Arizona law that Gov. Jan Brewer (R) just vetoed -- raises a question: How many states already provide heightened protection for the exercise of religion? The answer? Thirty-one, 18 of which passed state laws based on the 1993 federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. "These state RFRAs were enacted in response to Supreme Court decisions that had nothing to do with gay rights or same-sex marriage," explained University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock in an e-mail. A new political fight has emerged in part because some of these more recent proposals are shifting the definition of when citizens can opt out on religious grounds. Kansas, for example, already has the Kansas Preservation of Religious Freedom Act. This week the Kansas state Senate declined to take up the House bill. Indiana Gov. Continue reading 10 minutes left
Social Media Marketing Software by Argyle Social Barry Goldwater Those who seek absolute power, even though they seek it to do what they regard as good, are simply demanding the right to enforce their own version of heaven on earth. And let me remind you, they are the very ones who always create the most hellish tyrannies. Barry Morris Goldwater (January 1 1909 – May 29 1998) was an American politician. §Quotes[edit] I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is "needed" before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! My faith in the future rests squarely on the belief that man, if he doesn't first destroy himself, will find new answers in the universe, new technologies, new disciplines, which will contribute to a vastly different and better world in the twenty-first century. … To my mind the single essential element on which all discoveries will be dependent is human freedom. §Washington Post interview (1994)[edit] §Misattributed[edit]
customer journey Marketing channels (such as email, display ads, paid search ads, social, and direct visits to your website) influence the customer at different points in the path to purchase. Awareness Consideration Intent Decision ASSISTING channels build awareness, consideration, and intent earlier in the customer journey or “purchase funnel.” LAST INTERACTION channels act as the last point of contact prior to a purchase. All Industries ▼ Legend A channel’s position on the chart is defined by the “assist/last interaction ratio.” Source: Google Analytics, Q4 2012. Tips Your marketing impact With the Multi-Channel Funnels reports in Google Analytics, you can see how and when channels impact purchase decisions (and other non-purchase conversions). Search keyword paths If you’d like to explore the performance of different types of keywords within AdWords (for example, comparing generic and brand keywords), try AdWords Search Funnels. Average Order Value (AOV) by Days Days Total Purchases by Days Total Revenue Legend
The War on the Private Mind In Indiana, in Arkansas, and in the boardroom There are two easy ways to get a Republican to roll over and put his paws up in the air: The first is to write him a check, which is the political version of scratching his belly, and the second is to call him a bigot. In both cases, it helps if you have a great deal of money behind you. Tim Cook, who in his role as chief executive of the world’s most valuable company personifies precisely the sort of oppression to which gay people in America are subjected, led the hunting party when Indiana’s governor Mike Pence signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, while Walmart, a company that cannot present its hindquarters enthusiastically enough to the progressives who hate it and everything for which it stands, dispatched its CEO, C. Douglas McMillon, to head off a similar effort in Arkansas, where Governor Asa Hutchison rolled over immediately. RELATED: Religious Liberty and the Left’s End Game RELATED: RFRA: Now More Than Ever