(CNN) -- Gas prices have jumped nearly 20 cents over the past two weeks, approaching the all-time high, according to a survey published Sunday.
The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular is $3.76, the Lundberg Survey found. The previous survey three weeks ago found an average of $3.57.
That means prices are now just 35 cents -- "within firing range" -- of the all-time high of $4.11 set in July 2008, said publisher Trilby Lundberg.
"This doesn't mean that we will get there," she said. "Crude oil will decide."
Crude prices have been impacted by the unrest in the Middle East, she said, but also by two other major underlying factors: increased demand in developing nations and the weak dollar.
"Unless crude oil relents and slips, we can expect a further rise at the pump because pump prices do not reflect all of the crude oil price hikes that have occurred," Lundberg said.
CNNMoney.com: All eyes on oil and earnings
The latest Lundberg survey, which tabulates prices at thousands of gas stations nationwide, took place on Friday. Of the cities surveyed that day, the lowest average price was in Tucson, Arizona, at $3.41. The highest average price was in the San Francisco Bay area at $4.13.
Here are the average prices in some other cities:
-- Chicago - $4.11
-- Seattle - $3.85
-- Boston - $3.71
-- Houston - $3.67
-- Atlanta - $3.61
-- Memphis, Tennessee - $3.56
-- Denver - $3.49
Monday 11 April 2011
Gas prices in 'firing range' of all-time high
Friday 8 April 2011
STAND WITH ANNA HAZARE
220,595 have signed. Wow we hit our 100,000 signature goal in 15 hours!! Let's get to 500,000
Campaign launched on 7 April 2011
Right now, Anna Hazare, a 73-year-old Gandhian, sits fasting in the burning sun, and he will stay until death -- unless the government agrees to consider a powerful law that could rid Indian politics of the scourge of corruption.
This “Modern Mahatma” is taking the utmost act of courage and determination to push through a bill that would give an independent body the power to punish corruption -- even in the Prime Minister’s office. Across the country a movement has exploded, driving a media storm of pressure that’s engulfing Singh. But dirty politicians are desperately trying to water down or kill the law.
For the first time in forty three years, we have the chance to change the way politics is done. Let's join together and stand with Anna Hazare to tackle corruption and clean up Indian politics. We have no time to lose -- sign the petition to be delivered directly to Prime Minister Singh and reported to the media, and spread the word to everyone:
Click here to sign the petition!
Hazare is championing a citizen-developed bill called “Jan” Lokpal that will create an independent body, selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities, with enough power to investigate and punish all politicians. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence its investigations.
Since 1968, when this bill was first introduced, greedy politicians have thwarted its passing. Now the government is pushing for a watered down Lokpal with no hope of ending fraud, vice and dishonesty -- it gives politicians overriding power to decide who will be investigated, and is a complete sellout.
Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Singh to endorse the "Jan" Lokpal. Members of the opposition party have begun to make the right noises in support of Anna Hazare. And even the National Advisory Council, a powerful advisory body to Sonia Gandhi have come out in favour of the bill. But corrupt politicians and vested interests are doing all they can to kill it.
Anna Hazare has set the example. But only a national citizens movement can ramp up the pressure to get Singh to endorse “Jan” Lokpal and save Hazare's life.
Click here to sign the petition!
Corruption in politics has become a plague across our country, it is draining our resources and demoralizing our nation. This bill would go a long way to deterring those that steal and undermine the public good. Last year, the Avaaz community in Brazil won an important victory -- against the odds millions of people came together and pushed through a historic anti-corruption law. India has a proud history of people power overcoming oppression -- today if we all stand with one voice we can fight this corruption that is poisoning our political system.
Wednesday 6 April 2011
Indian style in desert city
The fashion fervour has set in in full swing. If the ongoing fashion week in the city is keeping the style savvy in spirits, there’s more in store later this month. The upcoming Dubai Fashion Week (April 19 - 23) will have an inimitable Indian flavour with many of our home-grown designers all set to showcase their collections in the desert city.
The strong Indian designer contingent that is Dubai bound this month, shortly after the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week is over, comprises of Delhi based designers such as Gaurav Gupta, Reynu Taandon, Hemant and Nandita. Other designers such as Ekta Singh, Meher and Riddhima will also be part of the showcase. And designer Raajesh Pratap Singh will carry the torch of the grand finale at the Dubai Fashion Week.
Designer Reynu Taandon who’s not participating in the ongoing WIFW says, “I have set up a stall at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week so that I do not miss out on making my presence. For the fashion week in Dubai I have come up with an exciting collection that reflects the sensibilities of the place. My collection for the Dubai show is all about the jungle resort look. There will be lot of kaftans in georgette, embellished with African embroidery.”
Dubai is the city of buyers, which is another reason for the designers’ strong interest in the city. “Dubai has a lot of buyers so it’s always good to showcase in such places. I’m going to showcase the holiday collection which emphasises on kaftans, tunics, lots of zebra print with tribal embroidery,” says designer Nandita from the designer duo Hemant and Nandita. Another reason that draws Indian designers to the city is that they consider Dubai to be more fashion forward as compared to India. Designer Gaurav Gupta who’s participating at Dubai Fashion week buys that thought completely.
“Dubai is cosmopolitan and fashion forward for sure. The fashion sensibility of the people there is very modern. Keeping that in mind, my collection is semi-couture with interesting detailing and contemporary designs,” says Gupta. Designer Nandita adds, “They demand for trendy and attractive clothes. For them fashion comes above comfort unlike Indians.”
Tuesday 5 April 2011
Keep your eyes to yourself
There’s an unwritten rule followed by nearly all city dwellers—never make eye contact. If you attempt to do so, your glance will be met with utter disregard. You do not exist, other than being an object to avoid. I learned this the hard way. Upon moving to San Francisco from Minnesota—the friendliest of all possible places—I would attempt to make eye contact with strangers on the street out of courtesy. In Minnesota, this is commonplace. There, my glances were often met with a polite smile or a courteous “hello.” In San Francisco—even on streets that were anything but crowded—they were ignored with complete indifference.
Imagine, then, my surprise when I learned of San Francisco’s reputation as a friendly city. If San Francisco is considered friendly, I thought, then I’m steering clear of New York. I mused that such indifference to others must be an artifact of city life. That’s not to say there aren’t friendly people there—it’s true that San Franciscans are a generally genial bunch once you get them off the sidewalk, as are the New Yorkers I’ve met and nearly every other person from a big city. But when I’m in a small town, things sure do feel different. Walking down the street is no longer a sterile affair. It’s no family reunion, but it is degrees warmer than in cities. Still, my own experiences weren’t enough to convince me that this could be a universal trend.
Luckily, my hunch was proved correct the other day by a study which compared the rates of eye contact among people in central Philadelphia, suburban Bryn Mawr, and rural Parkesburg. The study’s authors parked two college students—a guy and a girl—outside a post office and a store in each location for two hours. The students counted the number of people who made eye contact and if anyone said “hello,” “how are you,” or the like. Lo and behold, rural Parkesburg held true to the small town stereotype. Between 70 and 80 percent of passersby glanced at the stationary students in the Parkesburg, while just 10 to 20 percent did in Philadelphia. Bryn Mawr’s pedestrians fell predictably in the middle, with around 40 to 50 percent making eye contact.
The rural types were also much more likely to say something to the strangers. One quarter of people in Parkesburg opened their mouths in greeting, while just three percent did for Bryn Mawr and Philadelphia combined. (The city center was by far the least friendly—only one person said something to each person at both the post office and the store.) In addition, everyone who did say something did make eye contact.
The study’s authors contemplated a few possible explanations for why the city dwellers were so hesitant to make eye contact. They favored the sensory overload hypothesis—that people in big cities are surrounded by too many people, noises, and other distractions—though they also speculated that city folk may fear strangers more or that small town people may be more curious about strangers. They also touched on the idea that city people are more hurried than either suburban or small town people. This notion has been covered both before and since by a number of different researchers. In general, people in larger cities do tend to walk faster, so there may be some truth to this.
Whatever the reason, I admit I exhaled a slight sigh of relief when I discovered that science confirmed my suspicions. San Franciscans, New Yorkers, Londoners—no matter how friendly they are underneath, suffer the same aversion to eye contact as other big cities. Small towns do feel friendlier.
TEPCO stops leak of radioactive water into Pacific
FUKUSHIMA —
Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) succeeded in stopping highly radioactive water from leaking into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant early Wednesday morning after injecting a chemical agent, it said.
In a bid to stem the leak, TEPCO injected about 6,000 liters of ‘‘water glass,’’ or sodium silicate, and another agent around a seaside pit located near the plant’s No. 2 reactor water intake, through which the highly radioactive water had been leaking heavily.
The leak has apparently seriously contaminated the marine environment, as a seawater sample taken near the water intake Saturday showed a radioactive iodine-131 concentration of 7.5 million times the maximum level permitted under law.
As the first case of contamination levels in seafood have exceeded the limit, radioactive cesium over the limit was detected in young launce in the sea near the northern part of Ibaraki Prefecture.
The highly radioactive water has been filling up the basement of the No. 2 reactor turbine building and the trench connected to it. The water, believed to have come from the No. 2 reactor core, where fuel rods have partially melted, ended up in the pit.
In order to make room for the storage of the highly contaminated water, TEPCO also continued to dump low-level contaminated water into the sea.
While officials have said the crack in a maintenance pit plugged was the only one found, they have not explicitly ruled out that radioactive water is leaking into the sea from another point.
Authorities insisted the radioactive water would dissipate and posed no immediate threat to sea creatures or people who might eat them. Most experts agreed.
Radiation concerns in the area intensified after the discovery over the weekend of the crack, which photos showed water pouring out of and splashing into the sea.
Since then, workers have raced to find a way to seal it, pouring in concrete and injecting a mixture of polymer, sawdust and shredded newspaper. Both failed.
But TEPCO spokesman Naoki Tsunoda said the injection of 400 gallons (1,500 liters) of “water glass,” or sodium silicate, and another agent near a seaside pit appeared to be successful.
It was a rare bit of good news for the utility that owns the crippled nuclear plant. But highly contaminated water continues to pool around the complex. Tsunoda said officials were investigating whether the contaminated water is leaking from other places.
Japan nuke plant spews more radiation into sea
16:00 JST April 5: Radiation in seawater at the shoreline off Japan's tsunami-ravaged nuclear power plant has measured several million times the legal limit over the past few days, though officials contended Tuesday that the contamination still does not pose an immediate danger.
Radiation has been pouring in to the Pacific from the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake spawned a massive tsunami that inundated the complex. Over the weekend, workers there discovered a crack where highly contaminated water was spilling directly into the ocean.
Experts have said that radiation dissipates quickly in the vast Pacific, but they have also said that it's unclear what the long-term effects of large amounts of contamination will be.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that samples taken from seawater near one of the reactors contained 7.5 million times the legal limit for radioactive iodine on April 2. Two days later, that figure dropped to 5 million.
TEPCO said in a statement that even the large amounts would have "no immediate impact" on the environment but added that it is working to stop the leak as soon as possible.
The readings were taken closer to the plant than before - apparently because new measuring points were added after the crack was discovered - and did not necessarily reflect a worsening of the contamination. Other measurements several hundred meters farther away from the plant have declined to levels about 1,000 times the legal limit.
Radiation measurements from Tokyo Electric Power Co. were called into question last week, and the nuclear safety agency ordered the utility to reanalyze its samples. As a result, some figures were held back and several days worth of measurements were released Tuesday.
Radioactivity is pouring into the ocean in part because workers at the plant have been forced to use a makeshift method of bringing down temperatures and pressure by pumping water into the reactors and allowing it to gush out wherever it can. It is a messy process, but it is preventing a full meltdown of the fuel rods that would release even more radioactivity into the environment.
It means means water is pooling throughout the plant, and some of it is making its way to the ocean. Workers are now desperately trying to find a place to store it because it is also preventing them from restoring normal cooling systems.
Starting late Monday, they have been pumping more than 3 million gallons of less contaminated water into the sea in order to make room in a storage facility for the more highly radioactive water. That process is expected to take two days.
Friday 1 April 2011
10+ Points About Google +1
Google +1 hit the press yesterday and many are wondering whether Google can get a truly social product off the ground. However, the product announcement is more of an invitation to join an experiment rather than a Google-wide launch.
The success of Google +1 really is in our hands. Here is a summary of the fundamentals:
1. It's just a voting button for search results pages.
In line with Google's latest social strategy, Google +1 is a social layer for search results pages, rather than a proper social network.
2. Everyone needs a Google Profile to use it.
Yet, it sort of is a social network because it can only be used by users with a public Google profile. Anyone who uses any Google products, already has a Google Profile, but it has to be upgraded to be made public.
Strictly speaking Google +1 is not a social network. At this stage it is more like a collaborative set of tools for users of Google products.
However, pay attention because, the bad news is that regardless of whether you want to use Google +1 or not, all Google Profiles will go public or be deleted July 31.
3. +1's are shared publicly, but can be undone.
Anything you +1 gets shared publicly with your 'social circles'. This means that people you are directly connected to will see, where relevant, what content you +1 and anyone visiting your public profile will also see everything you +1.
However, any +1 you make can be undone, both in the search engine results pages and in your public Google Profile. The +1 tab in your profile can also be made private - but it is important to note that it just hides the aggregated view of what you personally vote up, not the +1's themselves.
In all cases, anything you +1 is public in the Google search results pages unless you manually undo it.
4. Your 'social circle' will see your +1's.
Who gets to see what you +1 is defined by your social circle. Essentially your social circle is dictated by the Google products you use and any web apps that you use that use Google Profiles authentication (similar to Facebook Connect or Login with Twitter).
You can manage who can see your +1 activity via your profile dashboard - you need to scroll down to the "Social Circle and Content" section. There you can edit your social connections and your social content connections. The former is who you know in your Gmail contacts book and the latter is services you are connected to using Google Profile authentication (e.g. Blogger, Youtube and external services such as Quora).
It is worth noting that the social graph of Google +1 is exactly the same as the social graph of the fated Google Buzz.
5. You will see total +1 counts for sites you are not socially connected to.
Although personally identifiable +1's will only be shown to people you know, you will also see general counts for URLs in the search engine results pages (SERPs) which have received many +1's. This will be display is the same way as the 'shared by' counts which appear in universally targeted Google News results.
6. Paid search ads can be +1'd.
One fairly unique feature of Google +1 is that ads can receive votes. In effect, this means users can bookmark ads. Social buttons in search ads would mean social clicks could potentially turn into earned media (which in turn impacts social networks). Could +1 be the 'killer app' for Google's Pay-per-click business?
SEW expert, Alex Cohen, posed these questions on how +1 buttons might affect paid search campaigns to Jim Prosser, Manager, Global Communications & Public Affairs at Google:
How will +1 on ads impact Quality Score?
+1 does not change how we calculate Quality Score. As always, we look at an ad's performance relative to that of other ads for the same query, position, and UI treatment. However, while advertiser performance will of course vary, we believe that +1's may increase CTR, which would positively affect high quality ads.
Will advertisers ever be able to opt-out of it?
The +1 button and personalized annotations are the default experiences for all signed-in Google.com users searching in US English. If advertiser
Acquisition Marketers And The SEO ROI Dilemma
After over 12 years practicing the art of SEO, and selling SEO services to clients, I thought the industry had reached a stage of “acceptance”.
But there is still a very smart group of people out there that are doubters – The Acquisition Marketers.
SEO Personality Types
Company executives and owners have varying degrees of sophistication when it comes to understanding why SEO is important, or why it should be an important part of the marketing mix. I would break down the most common personality types as follows:
Me Too – My competitors are doing it, I will too.
The Rank Hound – I want to be #1 for my favorite keyword because I know it’s important (without any proof to back it up).
The Small Portfolio Ranker – I understand that there are a number of relevant keywords that appear to drive business for us, let’s attack them as a group.
The More, The Merrier – Capturing the long-tail is an important part of driving relevant visitors to our site, and they are more likely to be buyers.
Doing Great, Just Need A Bit More - Our SEO is performing well for us. It would be nice to push it up a notch or two, what’s the latest and greatest?
Been There, Done That – I’ve hired consultants before, and we just haven’t see the results we needed.
The “Been There, Done That” group is the closest to The Acquisition Marketers in terms of mindset. For the most part, these are sophisticated marketers, who use tight measurements to determine where to spend their marketing dollars.
ROI Focused Marketers Still Doubt
Stock image from Shutterstock, used under license
The surprising part for me in recent weeks is that there are many Acquisition Marketers who still doubt that investing in SEO is even worth the effort. And, they have not even given it a try.
In some sense, it’s the “paralysis by analysis” conundrum. As SEO practitioners, we have all been faced with the question of “what’s the ROI?”
In my last article, 10 Quick & Dirty SEO Success Metrics, I made the case that tracking SEO success can get messy when you look at attribution tracking, and that you may have to resort to some more basic measurements to prove success.
It is exactly this messy success tracking that makes Acquisition Marketers hesitant to invest in SEO.
The Case For SEO As An Acquisition Vehicle
So, here’s my case for why SEO is a necessary piece of Acquisition Marketing:
A well-executed SEO strategy requires crafting and generating valuable content, promoting that content, and finding ways for trusted resources to link to that content. It takes time to see organic search results.
In this process, the most likely scenario is that “The Rank Hound” will be disappointed, and the “The Small Portfolio Ranker” will begin to have doubts, but may see some positive signs. “The More, The Merrier” will see the breadth of keyword traffic begin to expand, and will be happy to see that progress. But, even “The More, The Merrier” will begin to question if the right tail keywords are bringing in traffic.
However, this entire SEO process is moving the acquisition dial in the right direction!
Acquisition benefits include:
Purchase Influencing. Quality content that is generated is positively influencing buyer behavior. Whether or not the content is found via a search engine (at the beginning), the content is still pushing website visitors closer to being buyers. By “content”, I don’t just mean written text (which is of course valuable) – great content will take many forms, including video, images, graphical depictions (including infographics), webinars, contests & promotions, local search assets (e.g. Google Places), and many other forms of great, creative, and convincing content.
Awareness. Visits from long-tail keywords, even if not the best-converting keywords, are building brand awareness, and planting the seed that your site is there for them to come back to. You may see this traffic come back to you in future visits in your analyitcs as “Direct/Bookmark” or search queries for your brand name. But, it wa
Japanese earthquake and tsunami top SA Google searches
South Africans flock online to find out more about the Japanese disaster that shocked the world
Natural disasters once again take prevalence on the list of fastest rising South African searches from the last 30 days.
Google Zeitgeist, a tool that provides insight into web searches, reveals that the earthquake and tsunami that took place in Japan on the 11th of March have captured five places on the list, after the quake in New Zealand took the top spot last month.
‘Japan earthquake’ comes in at number one, followed by ‘tsunami’ and ‘tsunami in Japan’. The last few places on the list focus on the current Cricket World Cup, with many South Africans still in mourning over the Proteas’ disappointing early exit from the tournament.
Fastest rising searches, last 30 days, South Africa
1. Japan Earthquake
2. Tsunami
3. Tsunami in Japan
4. Tsunami Japan
5. John Cena
6. Japan
7. CNN
8. Cricket Scores
9. Live Cricket
10. Cricinfo
The events in Japan also appear on the list of fastest rising Google image searches for the month of March 2011, indicating that many South Africans wanting to comprehend the extent of the disaster, turned to the Internet for visuals.
With multimedia sources becoming increasingly available, users also flocked to YouTube to see actual footage from the day. Videos such as ‘Tsunami slams Northeast Japan’ and ‘Powerful quake hits Japan’ have already received over 9 million and 5 million views respectively.
Despite global events, celebrities also feature on the image list - as always. Model Tracy McGregor appears in fourth position, perhaps because of the recent notoriety she received as Playboy South Africa’s first cover girl.
Vanessa Hudgens’ break-up with High School Musical veteran, Zac Efron, has also captured a lot of attention, with the young actress claiming the number seven spot. Controversial R&B artist, Chris Brown, takes eighth place amidst the media frenzy surrounding his recent backstage outburst after an interview on ‘Good Morning America’, an interview that he felt had focused too much on the Rihanna assault scandal.
Fastest rising image searches, last 30 days, South Africa
1. Japan Earthquake
2. Japan Tsunami
3. Japan Tsunami 2011
4. Tracy McGregor
5. Japan
6. Tsunami
7. Venessa Hudgens
8. Chris Brown
9. Smoking
10. Space