The distress of having to drive to a meat space casino is more than enough to drop it altogether. All those traffic jams, the distress, and zillions of things to take care of are too much to justify the nuisance for the mere prospect of wagering at meat space casino, yet if you happen to be a person who greatly ache for gaming houses then having a try at online games of chance will likely be an alternate option.
There’s no obligation for you to go out to try online roulette etc as everything will be conducted from your familiar home office provided you have a fully functional laptop or pc with access to the Internet. In spite of this, do note that there’s a lot of hints that you’ll need to mug up concerning online roulette etc, in particular if you’re still a rookie in this area. Good, so defuse that excitation to scrutinize what follows. Here’s a mini blueprint that was written to illuminate what to attend to if you are picking a reliable online roulette etc website. The topmost thing that a keen web plunger like me would definitely check is an online roulette etc website of the category which has high odds. Here are a lot of additional cues concerning spotting your virtual texas holdem etc website.
Always establish that the virtual texas holdem etc website is licensed verifiably, for instance by tracking down the official permit as documented on the casino site webpage. If you’re unable to localize any official permit on any given virtual texas holdem etc website, don’t ever think of laying at this place. Next, you will want to examine very conscientiously the sundry bonuses that the virtual texas holdem etc website has decided to offer you.
Online Poker Room Gets Generous with Referral Rewards
Yet another tip could be to place your wager initially with limited amounts rather than laying out so much it will hurt instantly. First thing, check the soundness of the virtual texas holdem etc structure rather than running some serious hazard- in particular money loss… And now, our last most vital prompt concerning online video poker. It can only be always to recall that bets is only about entertainment rather than big bucks. Casino gambling isn’t a job, but, rather a leisure pursuit that ought to help you feel happy and life as a whole gratifying.
And now, having gone along with all these infos, you’re at liberty to give yourself up to the enthrallment of virtual texas holdem etc!
Dongs might be difficult to include into a beautiful marriage Some users will often find the introduction of dildos In a partnership daunting & it can bring up questions such as “does he fancy me anymore”? However, sexual toys will be a stunning and satisfying endeavour and dildos also help to build trust between you & your partner. Get scared with Huge Dildos from Sex Bomb.
Figuring out which sexual aid to choose might well be an adventure. A time where you and your husband can sit down and chat about what you together want out of the endeavour & choose a dong together that meets both of your wants. Do not go straight in for the big time colossal sex toys, just start off easily.
Once you have chosen a marital aid & have had the bliss of unwrapping your new vibe both of you need to get into the mood. Soft lighting & romantic music are the perfect platform to start off any sexual adventure. Make the time romantic, unplug the mobile phone, turn off the DVD player and concentrate fully on your husband. Elongated sensual stimulation before bringing out the new toy is a lovely idea. Sensual & loving strokes heightens the sexual sensations and helps towards a relaxing and satisfying session.
And don’t forget to relax, have loads of fun & enjoy it.
Millions of dollars are spent every year on cosmetics by women who want their skin to appear smoother. The portrait of themselves that they like the best will make their skin smooth and silky, their eyes shining in gem like clarity and their hair glowing with natural shine. Unfortunately, the camera lens sometimes portrays them in merciless detail, every blemish and pore etched in clarity. Their hair lies dark and dank and their eyes dull and shaded.
But all is not lost. The proper soft focus application can solve most of these problems. There are many ways to soften a portrait.
Soft filters fall into three categories. The simplest is the diffusion filter. Examples of these are a filter made of stretched nylon stocking, a glass filter with raised rings or a randomly etched pattern on lucite. A second category is the soft focus lens or the Hasselblad Softar filter. A new type is often included in digital imaging software.
The advantage of the diffusion filter’s low cost is mitigated by the soft effect being accompanied by a lowering of contrast and a muddying of shadow detail. All of the light coming through the lens and the filter is diffused over the whole picture, thereby diminishing the sparkle in the highlights and throwing unwanted light into the shadows. The effect does soften the skin tones, along with dulling the eyes and hair. Only a super close portrait could be satisfactory with this type filter.
The soft image lens replicates the achromatic spread of light inherent in the early portrait lenses. In those days, only two, three or four lens element lenses were used for portraits. Only when stopped down to F16 or F32 were they completely sharp. On the other hand, when opened up to F8 or F5.6 these lenses produced a glow of uncorrected light spreading out from the sharp image.
Unlike the diffusion filter, the soft focus lens adds light to the highlights and prevents the diffused light from reaching the shadows. The effect was a soft portrait overlaid with a gradually diminishing circle of light stretching from the point source. Skin appears smooth and unblemished, the eyes taking on a wet glow.
Fortunately, contrast is not diminished with this type of diffusion.
The Hasselblad Softar I and II glass filters simulate this effect quite nicely. There are even inexpensive ($35.00) clones made of French acrylic plastic that do the same job. The most effective modern equivalents are the Rodenstock Imagon lenses. These soft imaging lenses can be adjusted from super soft to quite sharp with graduated pierced attachments inside the lens.
For the digital portrait artist, Adobe Photoshop, ArcSoft and other professional imaging software include a soft filter or two. The effect is quite strong and should be used at fifty per cent or less for a good look. There is a strong inclination to sharpen the eyes and hair with the sharpening tool, but too much sharpening is quite noticeable and should be used with discretion.
A soft image portrait can be extremely flattering and beautiful
When done properly and with restraint. Try it out on your loved ones, she’ll love you all the more.
Retired portrait photographer. Now writes and sings.
BLOGS! What a crazy name for the “NEWEST” Internet marketing trend to hit the Internet.
But, I like it.
It makes this new form of communication kind of mysterious in a way, though, BLOGS have been around for quite some time and only recently have been recognized as a VERY valuable asset to Internet marketers.
Recently, I was visiting some Internet marketing related Forums and noticed many of the threads having similar “Subjects” saying… “What the heck are BLOGS?”
So, I did a little research and this is what I came up with since I was Very curious myself.
I think it’s best that I clearly define to You exactly what a “BLOG” is so that as I go through this article with you, you’ll have a clear picture in your head of what a Blog IS and so there won’t be any confusion.
A “BLOG”(A.K.A. Web Log) by definition is:
A combination of online diary and/or guestbook. You sign up for a blogger account and then you enter the information You want on your Website. Then you can set it so that only you can place entries on it or so that anyone can. Then you can either keep a private journal or you can have a place where your readers can get together and place entries to each other or to you.
So… there you have it in a nut shell.
To simplify it even more let’s just say BLOGS are a place to go and post your personal thoughts that you can share with your subscribers and/or readership and receive feedback.
Now, for the purpose of this article, now that you know the true definition of a “Blog”, I’m going to share with you some reasons WHY they’re becoming a widely recognized “POWER TOOL” for Internet marketers around the world.
So, with that said, lets go to Reason #1.
Reason #1. Great way to stay in touch with your subscribers.
Blogs are a great way to stay in touch with your subscribers and/or readership and builds regular readership Traffic to your little community where you can interact with them.
It also helps build rapport, which in turn, will help develop that TRUST in You, Your Products and/or Services that You recommend.
Reason #2. It’s a great way to get “Feedback”.
Blogs are a great way to get Feedback from your subscribers/customers simply because they have the ability to leave comments on each “Post” you make which will then help you find what it is they’re looking for making YOU look like a “Hero” in there eye’s and putting $Money$ in your pocket.
Reason #3. Can be managed by ONE individual.
Blogs require NO “HTML” experience, making it easy for ANYONE to get started.
Most “Blog” communities online use what is called a “WYSIWYG” HTML editor.
Did I lose you there with the “WYSIWYG” abbreviation. That simply stands for… “What You See Is What You Get”.
It’s one of the easiest HTML editors to use, making it easy for You to get started right away.
Reason #4. Your able to list your “Main” website details.
When you sign up for your Blogger account you’re given an area to set-up your “Personal Profile” where your able to list your Main website and URL, plus, any other personal information you wish to share that will be displayed on your Blog.
Reason #5. A great way to publish “Information”.
This is probably ONE of the Biggest benefits to Blogs because you have the ability to post informative information in the form of “Articles and/or Reviews” for your subscribers and/or readership which will make you look like an Expert on the subject and giving you INSTANT credibility in the eye’s of your reader.
Reason #6. You get your own URL.
That’s right, you get your own URL you can use in all your promotions and/or on your personal website if you have one.
This feature is great, especially for people just starting out and don’t have there own website up and running yet.
Here’s my Blog for you to take a look at.
It’s called… The Internet Wonders Blog.
http://theiwe.blogspot.com
Reason #7. Search Engines love them.
Search Engines love Blogs because they are so “Content Rich” and are always being updated on a Daily to Weekly basis.
When you compare a regular static website, which might be updated on a monthly basis, to a Blog, which is updated on a Daily to Weekly basis with NEW content, you’ll gain favor with the search engines with your Blog.
The S.E. “Spiders” will then gladly stop by to munch down on whatever NEW content you posted and Index your website more often since that is what Search Engines love and are constantly looking for.
Reason #8. The ability to use RSS with Blogs.
A powerful feature about Blogs is the use of RSS(Real Simple Syndication) that allows you to Instantly send your Blog highlights to your readership upon publication which will keep your reader up to speed on your business and your Products and/or Services.
Not only that, RSS also gives your Blog more exposure to a wider audience of subscribers building a bigger readership in less time.
By simply adding an human element to your business through the use of a “Blog”, IS a great way to build rapport and gain the trust of your subscribers and/or readership, which in turn, will turn them into buying “Customers”.
Well, there you have it, “BLOGS! What They Are… And WHY They’re Becoming A POWER TOOL For Internet Marketers”.
I hope this article clearly answered the questions you once had about “Blogs” and the benefits of starting one of your own.
Want to get MORE ‘Insider’ marketing Secrets on How-To drive HUGE amounts of Laser Targeted Traffic to your website? Then you need to subscribe to Cory Threlfall’s ezine called… The Internet Wonders eZine at — internet marketing
Background
The company was experiencing an increase in the number of customer complaints and an increase in the cost of processing them and we were hired to analyze the current situation and develop recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the process of administering and resolving the complaints.
Identify Customer Requirements
A consultant was assigned to the design of customer service systems and complaint processes, and who had done extensive work in QFD (Quality Function Deployment), which is a methodology that analyzes the needs of the customer and integrates them with the company processes to ensure the needs are met.
The first task was to identify what the customers’ requirements were for complaint handling and how well customers felt their complaints were resolved. This involved conducting interviews with customers who had filed a recent complaint.Customers were asked to talk about their experience with the complaint handling process.
The purpose of this exercise was to:
determine positive and negative incidents in the complaint handling process
determine important information regarding the customer’s feelings about the resolution of his/her complaint
identity the main reasons for deficiencies in the process
develop suggestions on how to improve the system.
Review Existing Complaint Process
The review of the process started` by developing a complaint management questionnaire that was administered to all complaint handlers. This provided a view of the complaint handling process across all departments of the company and at the same time it identified areas for improvement.
An operations study was performed on the current complaint handling process.
A Service plan was developed that detailed the complete current process for a customer reporting a complaint to the company. A Serviceplan shows a cross sectional view of what is happening to all participants of the process at each step. This includes
the customer, front line personnel,
support personnel,
other departments, and
outside regulatory agencies.
With the Service plan it is easy to see escalation points and interfaces to other personnel and departments. This is critical information to understand when streamlining a process.
Other aspects of the process were analyzed, such as where do the customers call first to report a complaint, how do they find the number to call, and how many calls did they have to make before the complaint was resolved.
Analysis of Complaint Data
A complete analysis of complaint data for the past four years was conducted. Starting at the beginning of this process, a review was conducted of what information was being captured from the interaction between the complaint handler and the customer.
The review continued by investigating how the complaint data itself was captured and logged into a complaint database.We also looked at what types of reports were generated from complaint data and the frequency of distribution.
We also analyzed the claims data, searching for potential causes for the claims and the trend and frequency of claims. The data revealed certain tendencies that indicate that a new method for the administration of claims would have positive effects.
Recommendations
Aa synthesis was developed of the analysis, investigations, and review of the activities associated with the claims process in the holding company.
Based on this, several recommendations emerged which were customized to the specific needs of each of the subsidiaries.
The recommendations included:
establish a Centralized Center
negotiate with the regulatory agencies in various states so they can direct the customers with complaints to the Center
establish stronger links with the service recovery process and the Center
establish diagnostic activities to prevent future complaints
implement prevention planning
establish targets for complaint reductions
The new system for administration and resolution of complaints has resulted in:
more effective and timely resolution of customers’ complaints
focus on prevention and avoidance of recurring problems
integration of the different work units involved in the claims process
reduction of costs associated with the handling of claims
increased customer satisfaction
Managing Partner, Management Resources Inc.
In my opinion, a skin biopsy is a very valuable tool in medicine. Unfortunately, it is seldom used by many doctors.
A biopsy is a simple procedure that can be done in most cases with mild sedation or light anesthesia combined with a small dose of a local anesthetic. The procedure usually takes about five minutes, and in most cases stitches are not even necessary. Several small pieces of skin are removed from the pet using tiny incisions or punches with a special tool. The pieces of skin are placed in formalin solution and sent to a pathologist. The pathologist stains the biopsies and examines them microscopically. While not always 100% diagnostic, in most cases a skin biopsy is the best test that can be done to determine the cause of your pet’s skin condition.
I recommend a skin biopsy in several instances.
First, if the skin lesions look strange and not typical of common skin disorders. Second, any time a pet has not responded to what I think should be the “correct” therapy. Finally, anytime I see a pet with a chronic skin disease (usually several months old) that has not improved or has worsened.
While underutilized, skin biopsies quickly, easily, and inexpensively diagnose a number of problems that cause dermatitis in dogs and cats. If your pet has a chronic dermatitis that won’t get better, or has strange looking skin lesions, I suggest talking with your pet’s doctor about using this important test.
Dr. Shawn Messonnier is the author of 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog, The Allergy Solution for Dogs, and the award-winning The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats. Dr. Shawn is the medical consultant for Pet Togethers, a pet supplement company.
http://www.pettogethers.net/healthypet
http://www.petcarenaturally.com
Copyright 2005 Michael Port & Associates LLC
If you haven’t already heard the buzz, Michael Port is the guy to call when you’re tired of thinking small! Michael Port & Associates LLC is the premier marketing and sales strategy-consulting firm for professional service providers. He is the author of the best-selling Book Yourself Solid program and is thrilled to share 7 Keys to getting more clients than you can handle even if you hate marketing and selling. Over the next seven articles, he’ll share the secrets he used to turn his own self-employed business without a pulse into a healthy $112,200 income in less than 10 months.
If you’re out there on your own and absolutely love your work but hate the thought of selling yourself or having to get new clients, you’re not alone. If you feel uncomfortable asking a client to buy from you, he has the answers. If you dread having to bring up the subject of money, fear no more. If you’ve ever been hesitant to boldly declare, “the best thing for you would be me”? Look no more! Thousands of entrepreneurs share your same frustrations and simply, easily and profitably attained success using Michael’s 7 Keys.
Remember how excited you were when you first launched your business? You knew you had a gift to offer the world… and the universe was telling you that your message needed to be heard. Nothing has changed. If you have a message to deliver it means there are people who are meant to hear it! If you don’t offer yourself with complete confidence and conviction, you minimize yourself, your services and your business. You are robbing people of creating a better life. You are limiting your potential and the experience of the services you provide and of being around you – not a small thing.
Book Yourself Solid, Key Number 1: Know Why People Buy What You’re Selling
Since it’s super normal to feel like marketing or “talking yourself up” cheapens the integrity of your work, I have a simple solution… stop talking about what you do. The secret is to know what your clients want. So… every second of every day focus on clear, specific, and detailed solutions, benefits and advantages that appeal to your potential clients. Because people aren’t buying what you do the science, technique or technical name that you use doesn’t matter in the slightest! Who cares what you call yourself?!
The fancy diplomas on the wall aren’t getting you more clients. Clients will come to you, however, when you speak with them about their problems and needs. Start by identifying their urgent needs and compelling desires and then offer them an invest-able opportunity and you’ll be booked solid in no time.
WRITTEN EXERCISE:
Develop a list that starts to identify what your clients are actually buying when they are buying your services.
What are your clients’ urgent needs? (What problems do they need to solve?)
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
What are your clients’ compelling desires? (What are they working toward?)
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
What invest-able opportunities do you offer your clients? (What are the specific and quantifiable benefits?)
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
Now, every time you communicate in person, through writing, on the internet, in advertisements, on the phone, etc… articulate and re-articulate these urgent needs and compelling desires. Your potential clients will connect with you immediately. Most importantly, they’ll feel understand and they’ll be interested in learning more about the invest-able opportunities you offer.
Stayed tuned for Key #2
About the Author
Michael Port is the President of Michael Port & Associates LLC and is known as the guy to call when you’re tired of thinking small. To spend some more time with Michael and to think bigger about who you are and what you offer the world go to http://www.MichaelPort.com.
Walking the fields this morning after a heavy night rain, I couldn’t avoid the big puddles – there was just no way through.
So, I had to get my feet wet.
There was quite an initial shock of the cold on my feet and once I was in, I was able to push on without worrying about it any more.
Indeed after only a short while, sure, my feet were still wet and surprise, surprise, they started to warm up again.
When I got home, my feet were dry quickly and, in fact, even warmer.
In business, there are all sorts of things our day job brings us that could give us cold, wet feet. Most times they are issues; challenges we avoid, because the cold and wet equivalents in business are discomfort, challenge and, horror of horrors, even confrontation.
So we edge around them, day after day, cautiously. Until the day comes where there is no other way and we plunge in, get through it and build ourselves up for the next time.
Experience shows us that it wasn’t that bad, actually. We got through it and survived.
And became even stronger.
Cold, wet feet don’t bother us anymore. I don’t worry about the experiences I’ll have when walking. They are surmountable and in some ways, a different experience I like to have once in a while.
Today, whenever you are reading this, think about something that is your patch of cold water to walk through, and face into it right now.
Take the first step right now, today because it will never be the first step again.
© 2005-6 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com
Writing engaging articles and energizing ad copy takes more than just typing out what you want to say. By correcting these major mistakes, your copy will soar to newfound heights. While there are many common mistakes made by copywriters, seven in particular are deadly.
Mistake One: Don’t take that tone with me!
Many writers fail to write to their intended audience by writing in a general or wrong tone. Either way is costly. It is important to identify and write to the intended audience. Review the following two statements to see how the same information differs based on the intended audience.
Audience One is comprised of computer neophytes.
Move your mouse pointer over to the START icon, which is located in the lower left area of your computer screen. Next, click your left mouse button one time. Your start menu should now be displayed.
Audience Two is comprised of knowledgeable computer users.
Open up your START menu.
Notice the stark contrast between the two examples. If we continued with the examples, “Audience Two” would be spoken to in more technical terms whereas “Audience One” would be spoken to in very simple terms with every action described in full detail.
Mistake Two: Welcome to the claims department.
Most non-fiction writing, especially ad copy, makes a claim of some sort. Hard to believe claims destroy credibility. The golden rule of claims: Always support your claims fully.
I can’t believe it!
When a claim sounds too good to be true, credibility is lost. Perhaps the ad copy is claiming that a person can lose up to 300 pounds in 30 days on a certain type of program. The more substantial the claim, the more support required. Still, if the claim is hard to believe, all the support in the world won’t help much.
4 out of 5 dentists agree.
A claim made must be supported. An article reporting that 4 out of 5 dentists agree about using a certain product must include the supporting evidence. Never expect people to take your word for it, because they won’t.
Mistake Three: So enough about you, what about me?
Have you ever visited a website or heard an ad that chimed in with “we here at [insert company name] believe…?” The majority of people will react by simply ignoring the copy all together. It is important to build up a rapport with the reader before talking about yourselfif possible. The reader must first be given a reason as to why he or she should care. This mistake is most common in ad copy. Focus on the reader first and foremost.
Mistake Four: Could you repeat that?
Repetitious wording occurs when a word is used that was previously written in close proximity. Try to keep sentences fresh and flowing with new words. This is a great reason to pick up a thesaurus and learn some word alternatives. In ad copy it is sometimes necessary to use a word more than once for effect. An example of this would be: Excellent service. Excellent selection. Excellent prices.
Don’t do this
I really like the quality of the shoes and the overall quality of the store. Store X is an all around high-quality establishment.
Notice the word “quality” was used three times quickly. These two sentences should be rewritten with the world quality being used only once.
Mistake Five: At this present time, the fact of the matter is, you are reading this article.
This mistake plagues us all because our normal speech is full of redundancies. Some redundancies are simply two words that say the same thing, while others are phrases that repeat something previously mentioned in the sentence. Fluffing up text does not make for good writing or reading. Let’s look at some examples.
“It is a true fact.”
Is there a false fact? Revised: “It is a fact.”
“I found a total of 927 websites with my name on them.”
Eliminate “total of”. Revised: “I found 927 websites with my name on them.”
“The future to come is full of surprises.”
The future is something to come, which is why it is called the future and not the present or past. Stating “future to come” is wordy and does nothing to enhance the reading experience. Revised: “The future is full of surprises.”
To find out more, visit your favorite search engine, and look for results under these terms:
- Pleonasm
- Redundant writing
Mistake Six: You’re its owner therefore it’s yours.
It is amazing how four simple words can become a virtual wrecking ball to the prose of so many. The four words are: its, it’s, your, and you’re
Its
This is possessive and has no apostrophe. Example: Put your hand on its mouth.
It’s
This version has the apostrophe and means “it is.” Example: It’s mine.
Your
Again, this is the possessive and has no apostrophe. Example: Your car is stalled.
You’re
With the apostrophe, it means “you are.” Example: You’re smiling at me.
Many writers make this mistake because it’s simple to do. Writing fast will increase the possibility of making this mistake, which is why rereading your copy many times is crucial.
Mistake Seven: I think I can. Well, maybe I can try.
It is important that the reader feels secure about the author, which is why writing in a passive voice will render the prose helpless. It is very easy to use passive writing without knowing it because everyday speech is filled with passivity. Recognizing passive writing and replacing it will make a tremendous difference in your copy.
Passive: The final exam was failed by over half of the students.
Active: Half of the students failed the exam.
Notice the difference between the two sentences. Overcoming this mistake takes practiceas does learning to write well.
Ad copy should be dripping in confidence. Word selection and order are extremely important. Using words like “try” should be omitted when possible.
Common Example: “We work to make our clients happy.”
Rewrite: “We have satisfied clients.” or “We will make you happy.”
In the “Common Example”, it implies that you might not be happy. The company will “work” to make you happy, but there is no guarantee they can. In the rewrite, the implication is removed by altering the text.
Crafting solid prose takes practice. By running this checklist against your copy and correcting mistakes, it will become more effective. Every printed word is priceless. A single word or sentence can cause decent copy to fail. Should you require a copywriter, visit my website.
©2005 Jason Andrew Martin LLC
All links must be included to use this article on your website.
About the Author
Jason A. Martin, a copywriter and entrepreneur, has been conducting business on the Internet for 11 years. His Internet business website: Internet Business Entrepreneur.
Official web site, which contains articles you can use for your web site: Jason A Martin
Do you have a 401(k) retirement account? Are you vested yet? Before you move on to your next job, it is critical for you to find out if you are fully vested in your retirement account before you make the move. If you are not, you could lose hundreds if not thousands of dollars in employer contributions.
Vesting refers simply to the non-forfeitable percentage of your account’s assets. In other words, whatever you contribute to your 401(k) plan is always yours to keep including any rollover money.
If your employer contributes to your plan, a vesting schedule for the employer’s contribution is part of the plan. This schedule ties in a non-forfeitable percentage to the employer’s contribution for each year of service until you are fully vested – 100% – in the employer contribution.
Vesting schedules vary with the employer. A sample schedule could include you being fully vested after three years of service. After year one the schedule may have you one third vested; after year two you could be two thirds invested; finally upon your third anniversary you would have full entitlement to your employer’s contributions, thus you would be 100% vested.
In all cases, upon leaving a company your contribution and any rollover funds are yours to keep. However, depending on your employer’s vesting schedule only a percentage of the funds contributed by your employer may actually be yours to keep. If you leave before you are fully vested, you stand to lose a significant amount of money. Thus, it behooves you to calculate whether the financial benefits of the new job outweigh any potential loss of employer contributions to your 401(k) account.
Matt Keegan is The Article Writer; please visit his site for samples of additional articles written on a wide variety of topics.
