Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Web Design In San Francisco Resources Can Help Increase Your ...

The bay area is a very competitive market that is familiar to the San Francisco SEO specialists who comprehend that market. In order to keep up with the competition it is very imperative for your business to have a strong Internet presence. Many businesses that serve only local or regional customers did not realize that if they were on the Internet they could draw more local customers to their business. We can explain why that is an incorrect interpretation.

The majority of individuals today immediately check the Internet for guidance and information. Residents automatically do an online search when they are looking for a local dentist, hair dresser or carpet cleaning service to locate that type of business in their area. If your establishment does not appear near the top of the results in whatever search engine they may be using, you are possibly losing out on customers and the revenue that they could create for you.

The area web design in San Francisco professionals have the skills to focus on search engine optimization including paid search management and link building marketing that can give your business the competitive edge and stay ahead of the local competition by driving more traffic to your website. Your business name will appear at the top of the list for various search engines that will drive more customers to your business as you achieve the results of a complete web marketing program that provides full service.

A combination of strategies will assure your success, and these strategies are best put in place by trained skilled experts of Internet marketing San Francisco area specialists who have a proven track record of successfully achieving results for the local area businesses. Internet search engine optimization is not easy to accomplish, and definitely not a do it yourself project. These skilled experts develop a specific strategy for your business using specific keyword research tailored for your success. Link building services are another fundamental step that is important to the marketing strategy used for the success of your business. Local San Francisco business links are imperative to be part of the quality inbound links.

To assist the visibility of your business and increase the online market to target the San Francisco area localization can use a combination of local web directories, local paid search management, and local listing optimization. Social media optimization can be added to your plans to exponentially increase the visibility of your business. Social media offers the chance for people in the area to follow or become friends of businesses in their area. Local customers can easily be attracted to your business with the employment of social media which can be powerful.

To learn more about how your business can grow simply check out the information on Crexendo San Francisco SEO or you may go to our local SEO provider.


For more information...

web_design_and_development

Source: http://homebusinesswinners.com/blog/4634/web-design-in-san-francisco-resources-can-help-increase-your-customers/

orange crush harden nor easter nor easter ted nugent veep los angeles kings

Telluride 2012: Ben Affleck to Filmmakers - The Hollywood Reporter

Can movies change the world? That was the topic on the table at a Telluride Film Festival panel on terrorism hosted by film scholar?Annette Insdorf. And?Ben Affleck, whose new film Argo, emerged as the top Oscar contender unveiled at this year's festival, argued forcibly that they can.?

In the fact-based Argo, Affleck plays a CIA man who saves six Americans in the 1979 Iran hostage crisis by defying orders to abandon them. "He was aware of how the policies of the CIA had put them in the place they were in," Affleck explained. (In 1953, the CIA overthrew Iran's elected president to install the brutish Shah, who was overthrown in turn by the current Islamist regime.) "But he still wanted in some measure to try to make it right. So this idea of not giving up is noble. And I would also caution the other members of this panel to ward off their cynicism and remember that those of us in America get our education from movies. We know Adams because we saw Paul Giamatti with his hat on marching around on HBO, and we learn about Lincoln because we see Daniel Day-Lewis in a Spielberg film. We know Harry Potter can fly because we've seen him do it."

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Telluride Film Festival

"The people who see these films will believe them," said Affleck, referring to the films by his fellow panelists:??Dror Moreh's The Gatekeepers (about Israel's secret police), Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing (about the 1965 US-backed Indonesian genocide) and Ziad Doueiri's The Attack (a fictional but deeply fact-inspired film about a Palestinian suicide bomber). "I genuinely -- not believe, but know, that there will be an impact."

Terror-war expert Mark Danner remained skeptical. "We live in the era of frozen scandal," Danner said. "What happens if we see wrongdoing, torture, WMD, or a genocide in Indonesia that kills a million people -- what if people find out about it and nothing happens? Anwar Congo in Joshua's film killed 1,000 people with his hands. The perpetrators were not punished. In fact, they continued to rule that society."

The Gatekeepers shockingly documents the 1995 assassination of Israel's peace-deal-seeking premiere Yitzahk Rabin by religious extremists, who were barely punished and whose power has grown since, and the escalation of the conflict since the Six-Day War. Moreh doubts peace is at hand, even though the tough, terrorist-hunting Israeli secret police he interviews wound up in favor of it.?

STORY: Telluride 2012: Sights and Sounds at the Parties

"People ask me, do you think film can bring about change? I didn't believe it for a long time," said the Lebanese Doueiri, whose The Attack was so popular at Telluride the staffer introducing it on Saturday told the crowd, "Congratulations for getting in!"

"I live in a place where you're fed antisemitic feeling," said Doueiri, who said his mind was forever changed by a screening of Night and Fog at film school. "I thought, how can those people have a narrative? How can those people have a story to tell?" Watching Waltz With Bashir, an Israeli soldier's-eye view of the Lebanon invasion, "About 15 times I was about to walk out of the film, because the film takes place on the street where I grew up." Watching The Gatekeepers, said Doueiri, "I came out of the film plenty pissed. I felt I wished the Arabs would talk."

In The Attack, the Arabs do talk -- as well as others like an Israeli secret-serviceman, who resembles two of the real guys in Moreh's film. More than any film I have ever seen, Doueiri's takes you into the heart and soul of an Arab caught between Israel -- where the hero is a prominent, prizewinning doctor -- and Nablus, the Palestinian town devastated by the conflict and bitterly resistant. The hero's wife is the accused suicide bomber. Accepting an award, the hero jokes that every Jew is a bit of an Arab, and vice versa. "The Jews talk with their hands, yell and talk over each other; so do the Arabs," said Doueiri. "Israelis claim they invented the felafel; Lebanese say we invented the felafel."

STORY: Telluride 2012: 'Argo,' 'The Gatekeepers' and 'Frances Ha' Among Todd McCarthy's Standouts

Like blended cuisines, Doueiri's and Moreh's films go together. They are almost mirror images, the ultimate double bill, giving the conflict a deepening stereoscopic view. Taken with Affleck's big studio movie with a brain and a political consciousness, they will change hearts and minds. And in Telluride, they all came together. "Something has broken," said Doueiri of his own experience as a filmmaker and festivalgoer. "I'm glad I went through this journey." Maybe they'll all reunite on Oscar night.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/telluride-ben-affleck-argo-terrorism-367652

xfactor frankincense cloudy with a chance of meatballs the hobbit movie hanukkah gpa calculator menorah

Obama, Democrats to make their case as convention opens

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - Democrats launch their case for U.S. President Barack Obama's re-election at his nominating convention on Tuesday, looking to draw a sharp contrast with Republican rival Mitt Romney and convince voters that Obama has the more sensible plan for economic recovery.

First lady Michelle Obama's appearance highlights the opening night of the three-day Democratic gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, which concludes with Obama's acceptance speech on Thursday to more than 65,000 supporters in a downtown football stadium.

The convention gives Obama a chance to recapture the political spotlight from Romney and Republicans, who used their nominating convention last week to repeatedly attack Obama's economic leadership.

The task for Obama and his allies will be to convince voters disappointed by his first White House term that things will be better the second time around, while portraying the budget-slashing economic remedies offered by Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan, as unacceptable alternatives.

"There are two paths ahead and a crystal clear choice before us," said Democratic National Convention Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles.

Romney and Obama have been running fairly even in opinion polls ahead of the November 6 election, but Obama hopes to get more of a convention "bounce" in polls than Romney, who gained a few percentage points at most from the Tampa event.

A Gallup poll on Monday showed Romney's speech last week got the worst scores of any convention acceptance address going back to 1996, when it began measuring them. Thirty-eight percent rated the speech as excellent or good; the previous worst had been Republican John McCain's in 2008, at 47 percent.

Democrats plan to use their convention to highlight the party's diversity, featuring black, young and Hispanic speakers to appeal to the voting blocs that helped Obama to a comfortable victory in 2008. The keynote speaker on Tuesday will be San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, a Hispanic rising star in the party.

Michelle Obama's Tuesday speech will counter a successful Republican convention appearance last week by Romney's wife, Ann, who helped present a softer and more personal side of Romney to voters who polls show have had a hard time warming up to the sometimes stiff former Massachusetts governor.

"I think the first lady plays a special role because she will have personal perspective on the president's leadership - his grit and determination during a challenging time for our nation," said Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt.

'A CHARACTER WITNESS'

"She is a character witness for the president and someone who can address how he has made decisions as the nation has confronted these challenges," he said.

Former President Bill Clinton will highlight Wednesday's slate of speakers in an address that could remind voters of his Democratic-led economic growth in the 1990s while appealing to the white working class Democrats that Obama has had difficulty winning over.

The Obama campaign also plans to use the convention and Obama's speech on Thursday as an organizing tool to help them in North Carolina, a battleground state that Obama won in 2008 but polls show is too close to call this time around.

Democrats will use the convention as a backdrop to spell out Obama's successes during his first term, from ordering of the mission that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to the bailout of the auto industry and the healthcare overhaul.

But the two camps squabbled again on Monday over the question of whether voters were better off now than when Obama took office nearly four years ago.

Republicans said the slow economic recovery and 8.3 percent unemployment showed Obama had flunked that basic political test. But Democrats were adamant that there had been improvement under Obama.

"Absolutely," Stephanie Cutter, Obama's deputy campaign manager, said on NBC's "Today" show.

"By any measure the country has moved forward over the last four years. It might not be as fast as some people would've hoped. The president agrees with that," she said.

(Additional reporting by Eric Johnson; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-democrats-case-convention-opens-050224895.html

super tuesday epidemiology total eclipse of the heart jionni lavalle earthquake san francisco donald payne elizabeth berkley

Californians Lose in Battle over Direct Access to Physical Therapy ...

Californians Lose in Battle over Direct Access to Physical Therapy Services

California Physical Therapists See Rules Committee's Decision to Block SB 924 from Moving Forward as Costly for Consumers

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 31, 2012, Senate Bill 924 (SB 924) that was sponsored by the California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA) and would have improved access to health care services for millions of Californians, died in the Assembly Committee on Rules. Currently, patients seeking physical therapy services are denied direct access to treatment by the physical therapist of their choice unless they obtain a physician's diagnosis first. This often translates into the patient enduring needless pain while waiting for treatment as well as duplicative visits to physician offices for the same condition that a highly qualified physical therapist can treat. SB 924 would have corrected this problem.

As SB 924 moved through the state Assembly and Senate, CPTA made significant compromises to the original bill language. Earlier this year, CPTA representatives participated in negotiations, organized by Senator Darrell Steinberg's office. Opponents to the bill, including the California Medical Association and the California Orthopaedic Association, attended the meeting that resulted in CPTA accepting multiple amendments to SB 924.

California physical therapists interpret the actions of the Rules Committee and Speaker John Perez as a purposeful decision to block California consumers from accessing timely and affordable physical therapy treatment, therefore, promoting unnecessary delays and extra co-payments.

Dr. James Syms, PT, DSc, ATC, SCS, president of the CPTA, issued this statement:

"Californians took a big step backward today with the defeat of SB 924, which would have allowed them access to necessary and affordable health care services.

"This is a slap in the face of California consumers who vote people into public office to do the right thing. By disallowing access to timely health care services and perpetuating unnecessary visits to physicians for referrals, delays in treatment and extra co-payments, policymakers have put their agendas ahead of the well-being of Californians.

"We are extremely disappointed that during this time of health care reform, the Assembly Committee on Rules and Speaker Perez chose to turn a blind eye toward streamlining the delivery of health care services and expanding consumer choice and access to cost-effective health care services.

"SB 924 had strong bi-partisan support. We acted in good faith and made every effort to work with opponents, which translated into making substantial amendments to the bill.

"California remains the only Western state without direct access to physical therapy services without delay. Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii already allow consumer direct access.

"By holding SB 924 in the Rules Committee, our policymakers have allowed physicians to gain tighter control on the health care delivery marketplace and sanctioned an increase in unnecessary visits, co-payments and costs to California consumers."

SOURCE California Physical Therapy Association

California Physical Therapy Association

CONTACT: Heather Pino, Executive Associate, Membership & Communications, CPTA, +1-916-929-2782

-------
Profile: intent

Source: http://internationalentertainmentnews.blogspot.com/2012/09/californians-lose-in-battle-over-direct.html

sovereign citizen komen chrome for android hatchet leah messer freedom riders 9th circuit court of appeals

Monday, August 13, 2012

Food stamps don't alter kids' sugary drink choices - Dieting -Food ...

? Dieting ? ? Food & Nutrition ? Aug 12, 2012

Despite hopes that the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can steer people toward healthier eating choices, there?s no evidence the program currently influences - for better or worse - how many sugary drinks kids consume, according to a new study.

When children from families participating in the federal assistance program for poor families, commonly known as food stamps, were compared to peers not in SNAP, there was no significant difference in how much milk, soda and fruit juice the kids drank.

The findings don?t mean that banning the use of food stamps to buy sweetened beverages, as some have proposed, wouldn?t cut down on their consumption.

But the results do suggest at least that having food stamps doesn?t encourage families with kids to buy more unhealthy drinks, according to the report in the August issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In short, ?SNAP does not affect beverage consumption among low-income children,? said Meenakshi Fernandes, the study?s author and a senior analyst at the health and policy research organization Abt Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

SNAP provides - on average - about $284 per month for people with low incomes to use at grocery stores on food. Purchases of alcohol, tobacco and other non-food items are not permitted.

In 2010, New York City attempted to add sugary drinks to the banned-items list, arguing that sweetened drinks are helping to spur the obesity epidemic, which disproportionately affects poorer households.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, denied the city permission to implement its proposed pilot project in 2011.

That, however, has not stopped other proposals for limiting soda consumption on public health grounds.

One approach is to impose an additional tax on sugary drinks, such as that passed by the city of El Monte, California late last month. (see Reuters story of July 27, 2012.).

In New York City, the Mayor recently proposed limiting the size of drink containers that can be sold, to cut down on ?super-sized? beverage purchases.

According to Fernandes, approximately one fifth of American homes participate in SNAP and children live in more than half of those homes, so the question of whether the program influences food and drink choices interested her.

To find out, she used information from a national survey that asked fifth and eighth grade students how many times a week they drank certain beverages.

Ultimately, a sample group of 3,126 kids, all of whom lived in homes with incomes less than $75,000 were surveyed in 2004 and 2007. About one in five of those children were SNAP participants.

Overall, Fernandes found that kids from SNAP households drank sugary drinks slightly less than those who were not in the program, and drank fruit juice and milk slightly more. The differences were so small, though, they could have been due to chance.

Among eight-graders, for instance, kids overall reported drinking milk eight times a week, soft drinks six times a week and fruit juice 5.6 times a week. Those in the SNAP program, on average, reported 0.6 fewer episodes of soft drink consumption and 0.51 more episodes of milk consumption.

Anne Barnhill, a lecturer in the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, told Reuters Health that although she thinks the study is great, it still does not answer the question of whether telling people they cannot buy soda through SNAP would reduce sugary drink consumption.

Barnhill, who supported New York City?s 2010 proposal, said more research is needed into that topic along with how incentive programs work, such as the ability to buy fruits and vegetables at a discounted price.

?What we really want to do is increase the consumption of healthy food and decrease the consumption of unhealthy food,? she said.

SOURCE: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, online June 6, 2012.

###

Effect of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on Frequency of Beverage Consumption among Youth in the United States

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Volume 112, Issue 8, Pages 1241-1246
Meenakshi M. Fernandes

Provided by ArmMed Media




?Comments [ + Post Your Own ]?

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]


Get free support - Headache Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment on HeadacheCare.net

Source: http://www.health.am/ab/more/alter-kids-sugary-drink-choices/

carrier iq carrier iq linda perry world aids day horse slaughter horse slaughter world aids day 2011

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Schleck positive doping test jolts Tour de France

Bradley Wiggins of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium of the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 158.5 kilometers (98.5 miles) with start in Samatan and finish in Pau, France, Monday July 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

Bradley Wiggins of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium of the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 158.5 kilometers (98.5 miles) with start in Samatan and finish in Pau, France, Monday July 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

Bradley Wiggins of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides with teammates Christian Knees of Germany, right, and Michael Rogers of Australia, left, during the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 158.5 kilometers (98.5 miles) with start in Samatan and finish in Pau, France, Monday July 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Cadel Evans of Australia, right, and Bradley Wiggins of Britain. wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, cross the finish line of the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 158.5 kilometers (98.5 miles) with start in Samatan and finish in Pau, France, Monday July 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Bradley Wiggins of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides in the pack during the 15th stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 158.5 kilometers (98.5 miles) with start in Samatan and finish in Pau, France, Monday July 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Team Sky with overall leader Bradley Wiggins of Britain, front right, trains on the rest day of the Tour de France cycling race near Pau, France, as Pyrenees mountains are seen in the background Tuesday July 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

(AP) ? The RadioShack Nissan Trek team pulled Frank Schleck, one of the biggest names in pro cycling, out the Tour de France on Tuesday after he failed a doping test, threatening to overshadow Bradley Wiggins' bid to win the three-week race in Paris this weekend.

The 32-year-old rider from Luxembourg, who was third in last year's Tour, left a police station in Pau where he had discussed the case with authorities after cycling's governing body announced the positive test.

The International Cycling Union, or UCI, said Schleck had tested positive for banned diuretic Xipamide in an anti-doping test conducted by a French anti-doping lab on a sample taken from him on July 14.

It marked the second doping scandal to hit this Tour, and was another reminder of the doping cloud that has damaged the image of cycling and its biggest event for years.

Schleck, the RadioShack leader, had been in 12th place overall ? 9 minutes, 45 seconds behind leader Wiggins ? going into the second and latter rest day on Tuesday.

The revelation was likely to add stress on the crash-and sickness-depleted pack, just as they were gearing up for two grueling days in the Pyrenees starting Wednesday.

Wiggins, who is aiming to become Britain's first Tour champion, leads fellow Briton and Sky teammate Christopher Froome by 2:05 and Vincenzo Nibali of Italy by 2:23. Defending champion Cadel Evans of Australia is fourth, 3:19 behind.

Competitors in the 99th Tour had plenty of time to ponder the tricky 16th and 17th stages on the rest day, with the Pyrenees visible on the horizon from the medieval, palm tree-lined city of Pau.

Wednesday's stage runs through the so-called "Circle of Death" along four brutal climbs ? none more daunting than the 7,000-foot Tourmalet. On Thursday, the last summit finishes atop the 5,300-foot Peyragudes.

Wiggins is talking a big game in his bid to become Britain's first Tour de France champion. He says Wednesday's stage "isn't any more difficult than any other stage we've done up to this stage, really."

Wiggins said the Tourmalet was nothing special.

"It goes uphill like all the others, doesn't it?" he said.

The four renowned passes the riders will climb Wednesday are the Peyresourde, Aubisque, Aspin and Tourmalet, the highest point on this year's Tour. The pack on Thursday must ascend the Col de Mente and Port de Bales before scaling Peyragudes.

"Generally, the Pyrenees are a bit harder than the Alps," said U.S. cyclist Tejay van Garderen. "The roads are a bit rougher. They're just a bit more taxing."

But the more immediate question for the whole pack was how it would surmount cycling's latest positive test for doping ? this time at the heart of a well-known cycling family and one of its big-name teams.

The RadioShack team said in a statement that it had decided to withdraw Schleck from the race, and said that the diuretic is not present in any medicine used by the team.

The statement said "the reason for the presence of Xipamide in the urine sample of Mr. Schleck is unclear to the team. Therefore, the team is not able to explain the adverse findings at this point."

Team spokesman Philippe Maertens said Schleck went to the Pau police station of his own accord to cooperate with authorities. Maertens said the rider knew police would likely be coming for him.

Maertens said the team is likely to ask for the "B'' sample to be analyzed. That request must come within the next four days, according to the UCI.

"If it comes back positive he will be suspended by the team," Maertens said.

He added that police did not search the riders' rooms at the hotel, and that RadioShack will continue to compete in the race, he said.

Still, it was more bad news for the RadioShack squad, which was built on the remains of former teams of Lance Armstrong, who helped land the top-line sponsorship of the American retail chain for the team.

The team manager, Johan Bruyneel, has been targeted in the same U.S. anti-doping case targeting the seven-time Tour champion. Bruyneel opted to skip the Tour to avoid being a distraction to the race and RadioShack riders.

Schleck's younger brother and RadioShack teammate, Andy, was awarded the 2010 Tour victory after Alberto Contador was stripped of the title over his positive test for clenbuterol.

The younger Schleck is missing this year's race because of a spinal injury.

The case is also likely to cast new doubt on cycling's ability to root out drug cheats despite vigorous controls put in place by the UCI and its allies in the anti-doping fight.

It is the second doping-related case to emerge at the Tour this year. Cofidis rider Remy Di Gregorio of France was arrested on the first rest day on July 10 as part of a Marseille doping probe.

The diuretic is classified as a specified substance and does not require a provisional suspension. The World Anti-Doping Agency defines specified substances as those that are "more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation." Bans for such substances are often shorter, and athletes have a better chance of proving that they did not intend to consume it or enhance their performance.

Contacted by phone by The Associated Press in Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg, Frank's 36-year-old brother Steve said he had tried to contact the RadioShack rider by phone but was not successful.

"We're a little bit shaken up," Steve Schleck said.

___

Eds: Samuel Petrequin and Greg Keller in Pau contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-17-Tour%20de%20France/id-301fa68d3ac24ad49a323ad7f0301c32

breaking dawn part 2 trailer mississippi state chris carpenter chris carpenter dick cheney hcg drops reason rally

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Andy Griffith dies: The last Great American Dad who knew best

Andy Griffith was "Paw" to a city girl from a broken home ? the last Great American Dad was so much more than TV fathers today who have slid into comic relief and perpetual beer swilling, cheating, idiocy.

By Lisa Suhay,?Correspondent / July 3, 2012

Andy Griffith dies: He was the last Great American Dad for a city girl.

AP/File/1983

Enlarge

?Paw is dead.? Despite the fact that I learned of the passing of Andy Griffith on my impersonal, smartphone?s news alert, my internal self heard a seven-year-old Ron Howard tearfully delivering the news to my city girl heart.

Skip to next paragraph Lisa Suhay

Lisa Suhay, who has four sons at home in Norfolk, Va., is a children?s book author and founder of the Norfolk (Va.) Initiative for Chess Excellence (NICE) , a nonprofit organization serving at-risk youth via mentoring and teaching the game of chess for critical thinking and life strategies.

Recent posts

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "off"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

To me ? a kid growing up in a broken home in the mid-1960s, raised by a single mother in New York City ? watching "The Andy Griffith Show" in black and white re-runs was my version of The Fresh Air Fund.

Opie (Ron Howard) was my pal and Sheriff Andy and Aunt Bea were my role models in a world that came without aprons, apple pie, or emotional stability. That was Mayberry and a tune I still whistle as my own blue heaven in every place I have been ? from reporting in Tel Aviv during a SCUD missile attack to living on a sailboat.

It hurts me to hear him eulogized as ?folksy? because folks just don?t really see that as a good thing these days but more as something to be dismissed as cute.

Frankly, I think I am the happiest I have ever been in life since moving to Norfolk, Va. seven years ago because there is that twang and homespun feel that reminds me of the childhood I pretended to have in Mayberry. Mr. Griffith?s home in North Carolina is just close enough to send that vibe by osmosis. Urban legend even has it that Griffith himself chose the name of the fictional Mayberry community after the community of Mayberry, Va.

It probably explains my unending patience with every version of Don Knotts (Barney Fife, the goofy deputy) I have ever met.

I will never forget the episode wherein Opie and a new ?city kid? played a prank on the loveable Goober Pyle character by putting a walkie-talkie under a dog?s collar and making the poor guy believe he had himself a ?talkin? dawg.?

This was a lesson nobody in my house was around to teach me, the little prankster, always acting out and being smart-alecky to cover for being caught in the adult cross-fire. I remember the sad, stern countenance of Griffith when he made the discovery and how low Opie felt when he realized he and ?city boy? had been cruel to a trusting, kind-hearted, innocent.

I was ?city girl? acting just like ?city boy,? and I knew I needed to mend my ways and my fences. That wasn?t something the writers accomplished with a simple storyline. It was what happened when Andy Griffith sorrowfully shook his head and then gave that look of disappointment.

The best thing was watching Griffith get angry or annoyed with some hopelessly clueless person he was stuck trying to help. When my dad got angry, things got broken ? people included. When Sherriff Andy got angry, he?d say something like, ?You blew it. You stood right there and blew it.? No exclamation point. Just a simple, plain, honest statement of fact, head shake and a look that told us he?d rather be out giggin? a frog than dealing with whatever the crisis of the day was.
?
As a teen his gruff, witty, Matlock wisdom made me like lawyers. Today, my own lawyer is pretty much a carbon copy of Matlock right down to the Carolinian accent. I can see him delivering the Matlock line, ?What's the matter with you? Did someone cut the wire between your brain and your mouth??

The Andy Griffith Show was also one of the last times American television allowed fathers to know and do best. Not long after that fathers began to slide into comic relief and perpetual beer swilling, cheating, idiocy. Homer Simpson and Married with Children became the new, lower standards for fatherhood and the lessons kids watching learned began to change society and family structure here in America.

Still, Andy Griffith was the bedrock and no matter how much polluted TV water flows over his legacy there are still those whose lives he touched, like Ron Howard, who are there to filter out the impurities and pass those lessons on in their work.

I know we always complain that kids ?are being raised by the idiot box? (TV), but if you were like me, raised on the likes of Andy Griffith, then the parenting wasn?t all that bad.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/nVEqh5uh6Lo/Andy-Griffith-dies-The-last-Great-American-Dad-who-knew-best

whitney houston in casket photo resolute national enquirer whitney houston casket photo jk rowling