Campaign optimization is the most essential part of media buying. It defines the success of a campaign. In this post, we will be discussing the campaign optimization tips for facebook, google adwords, and native ads. This would essentially cover the major part of your media buying since it caters the largest media buying sources.
Here, we are specifically discussing campaign setup, placement optimization and the best practices which will result in a better delivery of your ads keeping the CPC to the lowest possible threshold. We have also covered topics like conversion optimization, creative optimization, media buying tips, which talks in-depth and should be read along with this article. However, after completing this article, you’ll have a fair idea on how you can create and run effective native and display campaigns across the top platforms. So, let’s get started with campaign optimization tips.
Campaign Optimization Tips for Google AdWords: Best Practices
A quick overview of how you can set up campaigns on Google AdWords with campaign optimization tips that will come handy for you. One of my strongest recommendations is that you create at least 2-3 different audience segments and specifically target one platform at a time (desktop or mobile or tablet) and then keep on optimizing for other parameters. Also, make sure you tally your adword results with analytics results to achieve performance optimization.
- Define your conversion goal like sales, lead, website traffic, app promotion, brand awareness, product and brand consideration, etc. The objective is extremely crucial since it gives Google an idea of your campaign type and the performance results you’re expecting out of the campaign. The algorithms will show your ads to the targeted audience keeping in mind the objective of your campaign.
- Next, you have to choose a campaign type: search, display, shopping, and video. Based on your choice, the ads will be displayed either on Google search, YouTube, Google display network, and other platforms.
- You’ve to set up the tracking pixel to ensure the conversions are recorded. It involves placing the tracking codes before the closing of the <head> tag.
- Choose the location and the language you’re looking to target.
- From the bid strategy, either choose maximize clicks or manual CPC. I would suggest you to choose the maximize clicks option initially and then moving to manual CPC once you’ve in idea of the average CPC for your campaign.
- Enter the daily budget and choose the option to show your ads either on desktop, mobile, or tablet. Also, you have the option to opt out specific content groups which I suggest you take a look.
- Now you can choose your preferred audience in terms of interest, demographics, and keywords. You can also make a mix of them for the best targeting as well.
- Once these are done, you’ll have to create the ad units by providing the landing page url, description, and creatives. I suggest you have at least 5-10 image thumbnails per campaign.
Campaign Optimization Tips for Native Ads: Best Practices
Here, we are going to discuss some of the crucial media buying tips and tricks that can help you with campaign setup. We have tried covering as much as possible in this section, however, the campaign setting options vary based on the ad type and also the company you’re buying the traffic. Be assured, we have covered all the major aspects of campaign trafficking in this section.
- It is recommended to target desktop and mobile/tablet separately since the performance and the ROI of the platforms varies. Usually desktop CPCs are higher compared to mobile, however, the conversion rate can fluctuate based on the campaign objectives.
- Define a marketing objective which can be lead generation, online purchases, brand awareness, web engagement, mobile app install or others. This will enable the algorithm to target the appropriate audience to deliver higher ROI.
- We recommend creating geography specific campaigns since conversions can vary country wise unless you’re targeting a global audience (even then also you should create separate campaigns for separate countries since CPC vary country wise).
- Operating systems can play a crucial role for your campaigns, and if it is so, you can specifically target the OS based on your campaign objectives.
- Enable brand safety like integral ad science to ensure the traffic you’re getting is genuine.
- Define your audience based on interests and keywords which would best correlate with the objective of your ad campaign.
- You have the option to select manual/fix bid or optimized/smart bid. In the first, you specifically define the CPC while in the latter you allow the algorithm to determine a CPC. You can choose either of the two, however, I would prefer a fixed CPC and then moving to a smart bid when I have to scale the campaign.
- Define your ad delivery as optimized/balanced and set up the daily or monthly spending limit. This would ensure that you’ve sufficient time to monitor the campaign and make necessary changes if needed to your campaigns.
- Setup macros to further track the source of your traffic across campaigns so that you can better optimize the conversions and monitor the ROI. We will write a separate article on tracking code and marcos for more in depth information.
Campaign Optimization Tips for Facebook: Best Practices
In this section, we are going to discuss some of the crucial media buying tips that are essential for you to get started with Facebook advertising. One of the most important things when it comes to Facebook is choosing the appropriate audience for your campaigns and ensuring you can scale your campaign. Secondly, you’ve to optimize your ad creatives for the highest click through rate and that will only enable you to reach the lowest ever CPC and yield better conversions. So, take a detailed look at campaign optimization tips for facebook.
- Define your conversion goal like website engagement, app installs, video videos and also the landing page type aka. Website, mobile app, whatsapp, facebook messenger.
- Enable dynamic creative where you need to provide individual assets, like images and headlines, and automatically generate optimized creative combinations for your audience.
- Set up the daily budget and ensure you enable the bidding type as lowest link click strategy. In this case you’ll be charged only if the link is clicked and would not be charged for impressions. So if your CTR is high, you’ll automatically see lower CPCs based on your campaign audience type and ad bids.
- Also note that you cannot change any of the campaign budget settings once the ad is approved except the daily budget. You might have the option to set up manual CPC as well based on your ad manager account type.
- Audience selection becomes extremely crucial when you are buying traffic from Facebook. You have to ensure the targeted cities are metro, the audience is fairly defined but not specific (since this will increase the CPC) and also the interests should match the content of your landing page.
- It is advised to set up 2 campaigns with everything the same except the targeting audience and you’ll be able to see which campaign performs better eventually.
- You have the option to choose from manual and automatic placements. I’d suggest you go for automatic placement initially, see which placements are working best and then duplicate the campaign and select only those manual placements which are working fine.
- At least have 5-6 images for your creatives and a good primary text and headline. The choice of having a call to action button is entirely your decision based on the objective of the campaign.
- Enable conversion tracking through facebook pixel and define URL parameters to analyze your traffic channels on Google analytics.
- Once done, you can go ahead and publish the campaign and give it at least 12 hrs for the team to review and go live. Your campaigns may not go live if it has objectionable text and images and I suggest you go through Facebook’s content guidelines to have more idea on this.
It is imperative to test a few media buying sources to understand which platform delivers you the highest ROI. Also, it is suggested that you split your media buying across a few sources to ensure the campaign optimization and KPIs are met. This will in turn boost your media buying strategy since you’re adept with all the major platforms and are able to drive ROI across them. Hope you have found this article on campaign optimization tips and tricks informative and will continue visiting Mediabuyinginfo for more interesting posts and topics like this.
Our 'Handpicked' Tools for Internet Mareters
- Native Advertising Software Tool: Brax, Anstrex
- Facebook Advertising Software Tool: Audiencer, Revealbot, Connectio,
- Social Media Advertising Software Tool: SproutSocial, SocialBee,
- Internet Marketing Software Tools: Semrush, SproutSocial,
I and my team research various media buying platforms and can help you choose the right network; so you could rake in more greenbacks with an increased ROAS. I am just a mail away, so reach out to me if you need assistance with scalable media buying. mail: [email protected]


Auckland entrepreneur Bridgette Jackson battled through a high-conflict divorce that cost $500,000 and five years to negotiate – the experience was so traumatic it prompted her to start a new business in divorce coaching.
Bridgette Jackson Divorce and Separation Coach
Jackson, a qualified lawyer with a post-graduate qualification in dispute resolution, founded Equal Exes and wants to turn the story of divorce into “the business of divorce”.
“People don’t have to end up with a bitter, acrimonious experience because money and lawyers are involved, there can be a much more positive way that lessens the impact on children and the wider family,” Jackson said.
“Ending relationships can be less costly, less time consuming and understand the emotional impact while still delivering fair and balanced outcomes.”
In the United States, divorce coaches are common. Jackson said a US report found productivity was affected by 40 per cent during a divorce or de-facto split, costing companies and employers up to $150,000 (NZD).


Nairobi, Kenya | – Tullow Oil Kenya, the local subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange-listed multinational Tullow Oil plc, plans to drill its first exploration oil well in Elgeyo Marakwet in western kenya later this year, as the company continues to expand its oil and gas search to new areas in the country.
Speaking during a meeting with Elgeyo Marakwet leaders in Iten on Monday, Tullow Oil Kenya Social Performance Manager Rob Gerrits said the oil firm had already conducted environment and social impact assessment exercise in readiness for the drilling which is expected to be approved soon.
Tullow Oil Kenya has been conducting a series of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment meetings in Elgeyo Marakwet and Baringo Counties ahead of the start of oil exploration drilling in Block 12A which covers both counties.
The latest developments in oil exploration indicate that the company is set to start drilling its first oil well in Elgeyo Marakwet later this year.
The oil exploration company said the proposed exploration well, named Lekep-A, will be the first exploration well to be drilled by Tullow on Block 12A.
However, the company has already conducted successful seismic surveys and indentified a number of leads, including the proposed Lekep-A Well.
Results as well as data collected from this exploration well are expected to provide further information for future drilling programmes. The exploration well is expected to test if there are commercial quantities of hydrocarbons in the area.
This comes after Tullow said it would write off 2.2 billion US dollars of its exploration activities in Ethiopia, Mauritania and Norway as a result of the plunge in crude oil prices to below US$50 per barrel.
Tullow Oil has said that it would slash its global exploration budget by US100 million, but added that it would continue focusing on its East African business.
Tullow Oil Kenya trials in Turkana, in northwestern Kenya, have proved the presence of up to 10 billion barrels of oil that are commercially viable.


Well, here we are again. Indiana’s numbers have been consistently trending downward. I feel comfortable saying we’ve passed the delta peak. The “good” news is that given recent infections—plus people who have been vaccinated—winter will be less peak and more plateau. Let’s look at some graphs from my dashboard.
Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths
The rate of change in cases stopped increasing in early August. By early September, they were dropping week-over-week. With school starting and then Labor Day, there was a potential for a big increase. Thankfully, we did not see that. Even more thankfully, kids 5–11 may be able to get their first shots before October.
Hospitalizations have been falling steadily in the past few weeks. If the trend holds, we may be below 2,000 by Monday. That would be the first time since August 23. ICU beds and ventilator usage peaked around September 13. Interestingly, the ventilator usage percentage then was higher than during the worst part of last winter. I’m not sure if that’s due to a reduction in capacity or what.
Deaths have also peaked. As of right now, it appears that the peak was September 15. However, the lag in reports seems to have increased, so it’s possible that date will shift forward a bit. In any case, the precipitous drop has become less precipitous. The peak daily death toll is near what we saw in spring 2020. I shudder to think how bad things would have been had the delta variant arrived pre-vaccine.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) model has varied a lot in the last month or so. The September 1 model run seems to have captured the increase the best, although it had a stronger and later peak than what is apparently the case. Although the state hasn’t made any changes, I’ve observed more people wearing masks and the state has seen an increase in vaccination. The earlier models took a pessimistic view of behavior, which may explain the difference.
The state has changed to updating its dashboard at 5pm instead of noon. This is ostensibly to allow more time for quality control and to catch missing data. Cynically, I think it’s because they’d been hours late regularly and decided to lean into it. The updates have been less reliable, too.
Given that the briefings are now being done irregularly and without the governor present, I must stick with my conclusion that he has abdicated any claim of leadership. The state seems to have no desire to give a damn about COVID-19.
Last week I read an LA Times article about allegations of plagiarism leveled at Olivia Rodrigo. Rodrigo is a very talented artist (“good 4 u” gets stuck in my head for days at a time), but is she a thief? I haven’t heard the songs mentioned in the article, so I can’t say in this specific case.
But in the general sense, my bar for “plagiarism” in music is pretty high. The entirety of popular music is based on artists incorporating things they’ve heard before to varying degrees. Rob Paravonian’s Pachelbel rant is a great demonstration. I’ll grant that “Canon in D” has long entered the public domain. But imagine if musicians had to wait a century to reuse a few bars of music.
My personal view—which may or may not match copyright law—is that unless it’s taking audience from the previous song/artist, it’s fine. This is similar to one of the factors in fair use. As a concrete example, Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice Baby” definitely takes from Queen & David Bowie’s “Under Pressure”. And that’s fine. The existence of “Ice, Ice Baby” hasn’t stopped anyone from listening to “Under Pressure”.
Cultural works, particularly in music and Internet discourse, rely inextricably on remixing. We should embrace a very permissive paradigm.
About a month ago, I wrote that Indiana has surrendered to COVID-19. That remains the case. As you might expect, the trends have continued in the wrong direction. Since August 9, daily deaths are up 57%, hospitalizations 85%, and cases 150%. The lone comfort is that hospitalizations aren’t rising as fast as cases and deaths are rising even less. The vaccines work, if we can only get people to take them.
Not only have cases been increasing since early July, but the rate of increase has increased, too. Only in the last week or so has the week-over-week new case difference started to drop.
Hospitalizations had been showing an alarmingly exponential rise. In late July, we saw the highest week-over-week since records began on April 8 of 2020. This has slowed recently, although it still rivals the increases we saw last fall.
The death rate appears to be leveling off. However, this could be due to reporting delays, so it’s a little early to feel good about it yet. Especially since COVID-19 remains the number two cause of death in Indiana in the past week.
In a Twitter thread on Friday, I used November 9, 2020 as comparison to where we are right now. That date had a comparable number of hospitalizations as we currently have and it was on the upswing. At that point, we were about three weeks away from peak hospitalization. However, the rate then was higher, so we may peak earlier. Alternatively, we may have a broader peak since we have fewer mitigations in place as we did then and—while non-zero—our vaccination rate remains infuriatingly low.
I also looked at ICU bed usage and ventilator usage. The ICU beds devoted to COVID-19 patients is about the same (27.8% of total capacity then compared to 28.4% now). Ventilator usage is higher now (10.4% compared to 8.5% then), which is a cause for concern. What’s not clear to me is if capacity is reported as physical beds and ventilators or the number that can be appropriately staffed. I suspect the state is using the physical counts, which makes me wonder what the true utilization is. Local hospitals say they’re at a breaking point, and things are likely to get worse before they get better.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) have increased the daily deaths in the last few model runs. However, the most recent one dialed the forecast back a bit. The bad news is that we’re tracking it pretty well so far. The good news is that their model is running high on the hospitalizations, so that may mean the death toll is over-forecast, too. We should hope this continues, because both overall hospital and ICU bed usage is forecast to enter the “extreme stress” category later this month. We did not reach that category during last winter’s surge.
It feels like there are more uncertainties now than a few months ago. The IHME model does not explicitly account for school reopenings. The note that “[t]he second Delta surge in Scotland after a peak and a decline when schools opened is potentially a warning sign on the potential for school openings to drive increases in transmission.” Additionally, while mask usage has increased, we’re only at about 25% of adults saying they mask up when they leave the house. And the percentage of Hoosiers that say they have been or probably would be vaccinated remains steady just below 60%. If either of those numbers increase significantly, things could be much less bad than expected.
What to expect
It’s clear to me that Governor Holcomb will continue to do nothing. I’m not sure what it would take at this point. In fact, his recent executive order apparently reduced quarantine requirements for schools. Someone at the state health department had a moment of clarity, which was deleted.
I’m hoping to spend some time today adding Tippecanoe County school stats to my COVID-19 dashboard.
Fostering trust in our organization (video) — I join fellow Open Organization Ambassadors Jen Kelchner and Bryan Behrenshausen to discuss ways to help people feel empowered to propose their own solutions. I suggest leaders shut up for a little bit.
Open seems like it leads to hurt feelings (video) — I know that open organizations are places where people expect candid feedback and honest dialog. But that seems intimidating to me, because it seems like it can lead to harsh conversations and potentially hurt feelings. Is this true?
One of the lessons that I’ve had to repeatedly re-learn over my career is “understand the problem before you fix it.” I try to fix a problem as quickly as I can. It’s a laudable goal, but a fix without understanding may not actually fix the problem. And it may not prevent future occurrences. If you’re particularly unlucky, it will make the problem worse.
I learned this lesson late last week. On Thursday, someone reported some HTML appearing in some Fedora documentation on translated pages. “Oh! It was probably that PR I merged yesterday,” I thought. So I reverted it.
Then I started digging into it some more. And I realized that it’s probably not that change at all. In fact, it worked locally and on the staging server. It was just broken on the production server. It’s not clear to me if both staging and production sync the translation data on the same schedule (without getting too sidetracked, the staging environment isn’t really a staging environment. It needs a better name). But I became convinced that it’s not a problem in the docs infrastructure, but in the translations. So I reverted my reversion.
This is not the first time I jumped in to fix something before I took a look around to see what’s going on. Unfortunately, it probably won’t be the last.
Here’s the thing: most of the time, a slight delay doesn’t matter. No one’s safety was at risk. We weren’t losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a minute. There was no real harm in spending 10 minutes to figure out what was going on. Perhaps I could try to reproduce it. After all, if you can’t reproduce the error, how do you know you’ve fixed it?
Hopefully the next time I go to fix a problem, I’ll understand the problem first. As astronauts do, I need to work the problem.
The idea of unlimited paid time off (PTO) has been around for a while. I wrote about it in 2015 shortly after my then-employer changed from a traditional PTO policy. But unlike many practices in the tech sector, unlimited PTO has not become ubiquitous. It’s still a matter of debate, especially since it can result in pressure to take less time off because there’s no signal about the appropriate amount.
The joys of unlimited PTO
My old company was small, engineering-focused, and fully-remote. Everyone wore a lot of hats and there wasn’t a lot of redundancy to go around. But the unlimited PTO model worked for us. Employees that were there a full year before and after the switch used, on average, about half a day more of PTO in the unlimited model.
We had a minimum policy: you had to take at least two one-week periods off each year. This helped make sure people did take time off and established that “unlimited” wasn’t a way of saying “don’t actually take time off, we just don’t want to carry this liability on our balance sheets”.
For me individually, I didn’t take much more time off than I had previously (I’m pretty bad at taking PTO to begin with). What I really liked about it wasn’t the lack of a limit, but the lack of having to think about it. Need to take a day off? Just do it. There’s no “hm. Well, should I only take half a day so that I can make sure I have some at the end of the year if I need it?”
After Microsoft acquired our company in 2017, we were back to a traditional model. We received about the same number of days off as I had been taking under the unlimited policy. But now I had to think about it. At Red Hat, we also have something like the traditional model. And I’m bad at taking it. In part because I tend to flex my work time in order to attend off-hours community events. In part because I’m just bad at it. I long for the day when I can just take time off and not worry about whether or not there will be any left for me at the end of the year.
To track or not to track?
Over the weekend, Alyss asked about tracking unlimited PTO:
I can understand the hesitancy. If your manager can reject PTO requests arbitrarily, then you don’t actually have an unlimited PTO policy. But the request/approval process can be useful for coordination. You don’t want to show up one morning to find a dozen people in your team have decided to take off for two weeks. In that sense, what’s needed more is acknowledgement than approval.
Tracking can also be abused, but I think it’s good on the whole. As a manager, if you can see that someone isn’t taking PTO, you can kick them out of the office for a week. (Not really, of course. But you can encourage them to find some time to not be at work.)
At Nest With Fedora last week, someone said “I also gave my presentation without speaker notes. It’s like doing slideshow karaoke with one’s own slides.” That sparked a discussion of the different ways people use (or don’t use) speaker notes. So I thought I’d write about my own practice.
Speaker notes, if you’re not familiar, is the feature of most presentation tools that allow for additional notes not shown on the slides. These are usually displayed on a second screen that might also include a timer, the next slide, etc. The idea behind speaker notes is that it gives the speaker a reference for what they want to say. This avoids the speaker having to memorize the presentation—or worse, make slides full of text that they read to the audience.
How I don’t use speaker notes
I have never gotten in the habit of using speaker notes. Perhaps it’s because my formative slide deck years were ones in which I had but a single monitor? Even now (well…in the Before Times™), I occasionally end up in a venue where the second screen option doesn’t work well. And if you have to fall back to a PDF of your slides, then the notes won’t be visible either.
So how do I avoid the wall-of-text slides? Sometimes I don’t. But mostly I do it by preparing. For most presentations, I start by building an outline. Then I write a long-form version. This is sometimes useful with minor edits as an article or blog post. From there, I build my slides. Then I practice a couple of times. So by the time I get on stage, I’m pretty familiar with what I want to say.
How I do use speaker notes
Where I find speaker notes useful is for people who are looking at the presentation after the fact. I’ve been told “the slides shouldn’t be useful on their own.” That advice isn’t about intentionally making a bad experience, but because the slides should reinforce what you’re saying. Otherwise, you should just hand out a document.
This means if anyone looks at your slides later, they need the greater depth that you’d speak. This is where speaker notes come in handy. And that “anyone” can also be Future You. I gave a talk earlier this year that I hadn’t delivered since fall of 2019. I used my speaker notes to remind myself what the images were supposed to represent. Speaker notes are also a great way to add additional citations, etc.
I’d really hoped to not have to write another of these. The optimism I felt at the end of March when all the numbers were on the way down and vaccination was becoming widely available has now vanished. As the so-called delta variant races through the country, all of Indiana’s numbers are heading upward again.
After a slow downward trend to start the summer, the last few weeks have shown an increase in COVID-19 deaths.
This is to be expected given the increase in cases and hospitalizations. In fact, the hospitalizations have increased faster than any time since the state started keeping records in early April of 2020.
The state had over 1,000 people in the hospital on Thursday (the latest data available) for the first time since May 4. If Friday was also above 1,000, that will mark the first time with consecutive 1,000+ days since mid-February. Hospitalizations have gone up 146% in the last month.
The state used to update its COVID-19 dashboard daily. Then it stopped on Sundays. Now it’s just updated on weekdays. There’s no sign that the state government will do anything to require either masks or vaccination. Some local governments are re-implementing (or at least considering) mask mandates. I haven’t heard much about vaccination mandates except for at universities.
With schools starting or about to start, some districts have decided to have a mask mandate after all. (My kids school is among those, thankfully.) Others are leaving it up to individual families. Considering roughly half of K-12 students are not eligible to be vaccinated yet, this seems like a monumental policy failure. This is even more true if the delta variant is more severe in children than previous versions of the virus. At the moment, that appears to be more than a hypothetical.
It seems to me that the state has just surrendered. The governor is nowhere to be found on this, despite doing fairly well in the early days. In a recent press briefing, the state’s Health Commissioner was very diplomatic, but my interpretation of her answer to a few questions was “I wish we’d stop being dumb as a state and have some smart policy here. But my hands are tied without support from the Governor or the General Assembly.”
Unsurprisingly, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) forecast model continues the trends for the next few months. The latest model run projects a peak in daily deaths in the low-30s in mid-October. This is the “reference” scenario. The “worse” scenario peaks around 55. The worse scenario isn’t out of the question with an increase in in-person school and work. So much will depend on whether or not people wear masks and get vaccinated.
The good news is that if the reference scenario verifies, it will be lower than the previous two major peaks in deaths. The bad news is that a lot of people will still die unnecessarily.
As you may notice in the graph above, I had a long gap where I wasn’t adding new IHME model runs. Since it’s now clear that we won’t be done with COVID-19 any time soon, I’ll probably go back in the next few days and fill in that gap a bit. This way we can get a better sense of how the early summer model runs did.
I’ve made a few changes to my dashboard this weekend. First, I’ve changed the moving averages to be centered instead of trailing on all of the graphs. This keeps the last few days of data from distorting the trend.
In addition, I’ve added columns for a percentage change in deaths and cases week-over-week. The idea here is to produce a graph that shows the trends in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. This would allow the viewer to see the relationship and delay between the three measures. To make it less noisy, it’s actually a comparison in the cumulative data over a seven-day window. That’s not necessary in the hospitalization data because that census is conducted every day. But cases are subject to a lot of variation throughout the week, and even the same-day-last-week comparisons seemed all over the place. Deaths are a relatively small number so small changes can be a big percentage.
I’m not going to bother putting the resulting graph in this post. It’s still a lot of spaghetti and not particularly informative. Later on I might play around with doing a second derivative. Perhaps showing how the rate of change is changing will be easier to understand.
Future dashboard changes
I’m beginning to hit annoyances with Google Sheets. In particular, inserting a new column (unless it’s at the far right of the data) means I have to re-adjust all of my graphs. I’ve been toying with the idea of using the Python Pandas package to do analysis and graphing. Then I could publish the graphs to a static website. It would also allow me to do a little more analysis, like listing the top 10 days for a particular stat or trend.
Another option I’ve been thinking about is splitting the sheet into multiple tabs. I could have a tab for the observations, another for models, etc. I’m not sure how well Google Sheets would like that, but it’s something to toy around with. It doesn’t seem like as much work as completely rebuilding it in a new system, but it’s also not trivial.
Given my lack of free time and the amount of effort that either of these options would require, I wouldn’t expect to see either happen for a while. However, it seems like I’ll be maintaining the dashboard for quite a while, so who knows?


Delhi, the capital city of India, is known for its rich history, vibrant culture, and bustling streets. However, it is also notorious for its alarming levels of air pollution, which has a detrimental impact on the health of its residents. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi often reaches hazardous levels, posing serious risks to the well-being of its inhabitants. In this blog post, we will explore the harmful effects of poor AQI in Delhi and discuss ways to deal with it. We will also shed light on when it becomes necessary to seek medical attention.
Air pollution in Delhi is primarily caused by a combination of factors, including vehicular emissions, industrial activities, construction dust, open waste burning, and the burning of biomass for cooking and heating purposes. These activities release harmful pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere. When inhaled, these pollutants can have severe consequences for human health.
One of the most immediate and noticeable effects of poor AQI is respiratory problems. The fine particles present in the air can penetrate deep into the lungs, causing irritation and inflammation. This can lead to symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution.
Moreover, long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution can have serious implications for cardiovascular health. Studies have shown that air pollution can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases. The fine particles in the air can enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation, leading to the formation of plaques in the arteries. This can eventually result in blockages and restricted blood flow, putting individuals at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular problems.
Apart from respiratory and cardiovascular issues, poor AQI can also affect other aspects of health. It has been linked to an increased risk of allergies, skin problems, eye irritation, and even adverse effects on cognitive function. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to these health risks.
Given the severity of the situation, it is crucial to take proactive steps to deal with poor AQI in Delhi. Here are some measures that individuals can take to protect themselves:
1. Stay informed: Keep track of the daily AQI levels by checking reliable sources such as government websites or dedicated air quality monitoring apps. This will help you plan your activities accordingly and avoid exposure to high levels of pollution.
2. Minimize outdoor activities: When the AQI is particularly poor, it is advisable to limit outdoor activities, especially during peak pollution hours. If you need to go outside, consider wearing a mask that is specifically designed to filter out fine particles.
3. Create a clean indoor environment: Since indoor air can also be polluted, it is important to take steps to improve indoor air quality. Use air purifiers with HEPA filters, keep windows closed during high pollution periods, and avoid using products that release VOCs.
4. Practice good hygiene: Wash your hands frequently to reduce the risk of inhaling pollutants that may have settled on surfaces. Additionally, taking regular showers can help remove any pollutants that may have adhered to your skin and hair.
5. Contribute to pollution reduction: Adopt eco-friendly practices such as carpooling, using public transportation, or opting for electric vehicles. Support initiatives aimed at reducing pollution and promoting sustainable living.
Despite taking all necessary precautions, there may be instances when the effects of poor AQI become overwhelming and require medical attention. It is important to be aware of the warning signs and seek help when needed. Some indications that it may be time to see a doctor include:
1. Persistent respiratory symptoms: If you experience persistent coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath that does not improve with home remedies or over-the-counter medications, it is advisable to consult a healthcare professional.
2. Exacerbation of existing health conditions: If you have a pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular condition and notice a worsening of symptoms in relation to poor AQI, it is important to seek medical advice.
3. Development of new symptoms: If you develop new symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, or difficulty in breathing during periods of high pollution, it is essential to get medical attention promptly.
4. High-risk individuals: Certain individuals, such as children, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems or underlying health conditions, are more susceptible to the adverse effects of air pollution. If you fall into one of these categories and experience any concerning symptoms, it is best to consult a healthcare professional.
In conclusion, poor AQI poses significant risks to the health and well-being of its residents. The harmful effects of air pollution on respiratory and cardiovascular health are well-documented. It is essential for individuals to take proactive measures to protect themselves from pollution by staying informed, minimizing outdoor activities during peak pollution hours, creating a clean indoor environment, practicing good hygiene, and contributing to pollution reduction efforts. However, if symptoms persist or worsen despite these precautions, seeking medical attention becomes necessary. By being aware of the warning signs and acting promptly, we can mitigate the adverse effects of poor AQI on our health and work towards creating a cleaner and healthier environment for all.


The biggest doping scandals in cycling
Cycling is a top sport that receives a lot of attention worldwide every year. It is an intensive sport in which there is a lot of pressure on the cyclists to set the best time. This has led some cyclists to resort to illegal means to help them while cycling and thus cope better with the enormous pressure. However, the use of doping is illegal and the players are severely punished for this. The use of doping is not new in sports, it has been done for centuries. However, due to the obvious negative effects on health, it was declared illegal in 1928 by the World Athletics Federation. It wasn't until decades later, in 1967, that the organization of the Olympic Games also declared the use of doping illegal. In 1999, the World Anti-Doping Agency was established to combat doping worldwide.
Doping use is not only illegal because it provides an unfair advantage, it is above all very dangerous drugs, sometimes resulting in death. Therefore, before we open a book about the biggest doping scandals that have taken place in cycling, it is important to know exactly what doping is and what effect doping has on the human body.
Types of doping and their effect
Doping use is not linked to cyclists alone. Many top athletes internationally have been guilty of this. Doping is a Performance Inhancing Drug, so it will improve your performance. Every year the list of illegal doping is updated by the World Anti-Doping Agency. There are different types of doping that have different effects on the body. A substance is a doping if it meets at least two of the following three criteria;
- It improves performance
- It poses a health risk to the athlete
- It is contrary to the 'spirit of the sport'
Whether a substance meets this requirement is therefore determined by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
One of the most common types of doping falls under the category of stimulants. Stimulants such as amphetamines are widely used in cycling, but also in football and athletics, for example. The result of using these stimuli is improved stamina, by reducing the feeling of fatigue and pain. In addition, users can focus better. What is also important to mention, however, is that stimulant use has been directly linked to an increased risk of seizures, heart attacks, and even sudden death, among other things. Due to the serious risks associated with this, athletes are also routinely tested for it.
Hormonal doping is another common and dangerous form of doping. Hormones can increase protein production in the body, and therefore directly contribute to increasing muscle mass. An example of this is human growth hormone. However, the major drawback of this drug is that they can cause low blood sugar, swelling of the extremities, overgrowth of bones and even heart attacks.
The last one we will mention is blood doping. Using this increases the number of red blood cells in the blood, so that the muscles receive more oxygen. This gives you better endurance and more strength. However, what you can also get from it is, among other things, a heart attack and blood clots. These are serious health risks, which may make you wonder why doping is used so much.
Doping incidents in cycling
One of the first times that doping use came into full attention was after the death of the English cyclist Tommy Simpson in 1967. The cyclist died during a round in the Tour de France due to a combination of heat, fatigue, alcohol and doping (although this has never been officially announced). Because recordings were made of the match, there was a lot of international concern about the accident. It is no coincidence that the organization of the Olympic Games banned the use of doping that same year.
Probably the most famous example of doping abuse is that of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. The American cyclist used doping during each of his victories between 1999 and 2005, which eventually came to light because teammates reported doping use. The World Anti-Doping Agency conducted an extensive investigation into Armstrong and found him guilty. He lost his victories and was also suspended from the sport for the rest of his life. Armstrong himself remained stubbornly denying it for a number of years, but eventually admitted the use during an interview with Oprah. He indicated that it had to do with the culture within the sport, indirectly indicating that it was common for top cyclists to take illegal substances. This led to other cyclists getting the feeling that they had to do the same in order to have a chance of winning at all.
This was by no means the only accident that occurred in the Tour de France. In 1998 it was even so bad that the race was nicknamed Tour de Dopage . In that year, doping was discovered in many teams, including a Dutch team, after which many people were arrested. It started with Willy Voet, a Belgian physiotherapist, who was caught with many types of doping in his car. This doping was intended for cyclists from different teams. Foot was arrested and confessed what he had done. He kept a detailed record of how much and what kind of doping he gave to various riders, so that well-known cyclists such as Gert-Jan Teunissen were also caught in this way years after the criminal act.
That same year it caused a lot of commotion within the teams in the Tour de France. There were even riders from Spanish and Italian teams who, due to the intensive treatment they received, decided to stop and leave the Tour. The finish is eventually not reached by more than half of the peloton. It goes down in the books as one of the most infamous Tour de France races ever.
Another discovery of large-scale doping use was the Fuentes case. This is also a more recent incident, namely 2006. A large load of doping is found in the clinic of a Spanish doctor. Here, too, it later turned out to be mainly cyclists as end users. As a result, several riders are banned from starting just before the start of the Tour de France. One of the teams, Astana, eventually has to hand in so many starting tickets that they can no longer start the Tour.
There are more examples of doping abuse in cycling, and many more suspicions. Cycle wisely!
Would you like to read more about cycling and everything related to it?
Sign up for the newsletter and receive the latest news.


Myanmar vessel rescues 154 Rohingya refugees from sinking boat off country's coast
Myanmar rescues Rohingya: The Myanmar military said over 150 Rohingya have been rescued off the coast of the country after their boat started taking on water.
According to the military's statement, Myanmar's state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation immediately rushed two boats from an offshore operation to rescue the 154 people after finding their boat in trouble. Out of 154 people, 106 were males and 48 were females.
However, it was not clear whether the boat carrying Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh was the same one that had been reported to be in distress earlier this week in the waters of neighbouring Thailand.
Vice Admiral Pokkrong Monthatphalin, a spokesperson for Thailand's navy, stated that teams had been dispatched to search for the boat in the Andaman Sea after it received reports, but they had been unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, the United Nations' Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said it did not have independent information on the boat reportedly experiencing engine troubles in Thai waters, but urged countries in the area to help.
In a report earlier this month, UNHCR reported there had been a dramatic increase in the number of people attempting to cross the Andaman Sea this year.
Some 1,920 people, primarily Rohingya, made the crossing from either Myanmar or Bangladesh from January to November 2022, compared to a total of 287 in all of 2021.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled from Buddhist-majority Myanmar to refugee camps in Bangladesh since August 2017, when the Myanmar military launched operations in response to attacks by a rebel group. Myanmar security forces have been accused of mass rapes, killings and the burning of thousands of Rohingya homes.
It should be mentioned here that Groups of Rohingya have attempted to leave the camps in Bangladesh by sea to seek a better life in other Muslim-majority countries in the region. Malaysia has been a common destination for the boats even though many Rohingya refugees who land there face detention.
(With inputs from AP)
ALSO READ: Link of Rohingya with Pak-based terror organisation is serious threat to India: Centre to Delhi High Court
Latest World News


Sorry for the light posting schedule lately; as it turns out, having two full-time working adults in a family really cuts into blogging time. ANYWAY.
I posted in August about our crazy weekend of canning tomatoes. Because we buy organic tomatoes, and because our CSA delivers them right to our door, we save very little money canning our own tomatoes vs. buying canned tomatoes at the store. So why go through the effort? One reason: BPA.
Bisphenol-A, which many different plastic products contain, has been shown to have some worrisome side effects, especially on fetuses and children, because it mimics the hormone estrogen. Canada was recently the first country to declare it toxic. (Has Canada ever considering annexing Minnesota? I’d be all for it.)
The United States’ own FDA is also concerned, but I am skeptical that they will ever do anything beyond encouraging industries to try and find a replacement. (They prefer to merely ask them, really, really nicely.)
The big brouhaha a couple years back with BPA was its use in infant bottles and linings of infant formula cans — many of those brands now offer BPA-free alternatives. But what many people didn’t realize was just how prevalent this stuff is — nearly any can of food that you buy in the grocery store is lined with BPA. Even store receipts are printed on BPA-coated paper!
Some applications of BPA are probably worse than others. Canned tomatoes are very acidic. Canned garbanzo beans, not so much. Yet, right now none of the organic canned tomatoes for sale at my co-op are in BPA-free cans. The only glass-jarred tomato products are the strained tomatoes and tomato paste from Bionaturae. (And those travel all the way from Italy, good grief.)
Here’s another thing to consider: even home-canning is not perfect, because the lids of canning jars are also coated with BPA. But I’m taking a “less harm” approach here — the tomatoes, as they sit on my shelf for the next few months, are not in contact with the lid at all. So it’s not perfect, but still better. Right? I hope so, because that was a lot of work.
Update, Nov. 8, 2010: Here’s yet another article that I came across this morning. Basically, a consumer group found unacceptable BPA levels in a bunch of different foods. Two things to note: this article is one year old. The U.S. is still only requiring “voluntary” efforts from the food industry.
Update II, Nov. 30, 2010: Now a new study looks at BPA’s effect on adult immune systems. The study also looked at triclosan’s correlation with allergies in children. Triclosan is another common chemical found in all sorts of things (such as anti-microbial soaps).
Update III, April 4, 2011: Yet another study. This one measured BPA in people’s urine; after only three days of switching to a diet of freshly-prepared organic food, they dropped 66% on average!
The cooks were instructed to avoid contact with plastic utensils, and nonstick cookware and foods had to be stored in glass containers with BPA-free plastic lids. Researchers even told food preparers not to overfill the containers so the food wouldn’t touch the plastic lid.
Microwaving in plastic was out; so was using coffee makers with plastic parts. Coffee drinkers got their morning coffee from French presses or ceramic drip models.
I switched to French Press quite some time ago, but didn’t even think about the plastic implications. I did it for the taste, naturally. Anyway, check out this study, the most convincing one yet, in my opinion.
October 22, 2010 at 9:10 am
never apologize for not blogging – good posts with new info and without re-gurgitated (did i spell that right?) content are always worth the wait and a nice surprise in my mailbox.
August 30, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Thanks for the post on BPA. The good news is that food manufacturers are beginning to hear the public outcry about this toxin.


Title Remarks on the Signing of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967
Creator Lyndon B. Johnson
Date November 7, 1967
Source Speakers Notes, 11/7/67, “Remarks of the President at the Signing of the Public Broadcasting Act,” Statements of Lyndon Baines Johnson, Box 251, LBJ Library.
Transcription Signing S. 1160, Public TV Act: Nov. 7, 1967
Secretary Gardner, Senator Pastore, Chairman Staggers, Members of Congress, Ladies and Gentlemen:
In 1844, Congress authorized $30,000 for the first telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore. Soon afterward, Samuel Morse sent a stream of dots and dashes over that line to a waiting friend. His message was brief and prophetic. It read: “What hath God wrought?” Every one of us should feel that same awe and wonderment here today.
For now, miracles in communication are our daily routine. Every minute, billions of telegraph messages chatter around the world; billions of signals rush over the ocean floor and fly above the clouds. Radio and television fill the air with sound. Satellites hurl messages thousands of miles in an instant.
Today our problem is not making miracles — but managing miracles. We might well ponder a different question: What hath man wrought — and how will man use his inventions? The law I sign today offers one answer to that question.
It announces to the world that our nation wants more than material wealth; more that a “chicken in every pot.” We have an appetite for excellence too.
While we work to produce new goods and create new wealth, we want most of all to enrich man’s spirit. That is the purpose of this Act.
It will give a wider and stronger voice to educational radio and television by providing new funds for broadcasting facilities. It will launch a major study of television’s use in the nation’s classrooms. Finally — and most important — it builds a new institution: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
This Corporation will assist stations and producers who aim for the best in broadcasting good music, exciting plays, reports on the whole fascinating range of human activity. It will try to prove that what educates can also be exciting.
It will get part of its support from the government. But it will be carefully guarded from government or party control. It will be free and independent — and it will belong to all the people.
Television is still a young invention. But we have learned already that it has immense — even revolutionary — power to change men’s lives. I hope that those who lead the corporation will direct that power toward great, not trivial purposes.
At its best, public television would help make our nation a replica of the old Greek marketplace, where public affairs took place in full view of the citizens. But in weak or irresponsible hands, it could generate controversy without understanding; it could mislead as well as teach; it could appeal to passions rather to reason.
If public television is to fulfill our hopes, the Corporation must be representative, responsible — and long on leadership.
I intend to nominate men and women of outstanding ability. As a beginning, I have called on Dr. Milton Eisenhower and Dr. James Killian to serve as members of the Board. Dr. Eisenhower was Chairman of the first citizens which sought allocation of air waves for educational purposes. Dr. Killian served as Chairman of the Carnegie Commission which proposed the Act we sign today.
What hath man wrought? And how will man use his miracles? The answer just begins with Public Broadcasting.
In 1862, the Morrill Act set aside lands in every state — land which belonged to the people — to build the Land Grant Colleges. Today we rededicate part of the air waves — which belong to the people — for the enlightenment of the people.
I believe the time has come to stake another claim in the name of all the people; a claim upon the combined resources of communications. The time has come to enlist the computer and the satellite, as well as television and radio in the cause of education.
We must consider ways to build a great network for knowledge — not just a broadcast system, but one employing every means of sending and storing information.
Think of the lives it could change: — the student in a small college could tap the research resources of a great university; — the country doctor could get help from a distant laboratory or teaching hospital; — a scholar in Atlanta might draw instantly on a library in New York; — a famous teacher could reach with ideas and inspiration into a faroff classroom, so that no child need be neglected.
Eventually, this Electronic Knowledge Bank could be at least as valuable as the Federal Reserve Bank. And such a system could involve other nations, too — in a partnership to share knowledge and enrich mankind.
A wild and visionary idea? Not at all. Yesterday’s strangest dreams are today’s headlines, and change is getting swifter.
I have already called upon my advisors to explore the possibility of a network for knowledge — and to draw up a blueprint for achieving it.
In 1844, when Henry Thoreau (Thuh-ROE) heard about Mr. Morse’s telegraph, he made a sour comment about the race for faster communication. “Perchance,” he warned, “the first news which will leak through into the broad, flapping American ear will be that the Princess Adelaide has the whooping cough.”
I am not such a skeptic. I believe we have important things to say to one another — and the wisdom to match our technical genius. In that spirit, I sign the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.
# # # # # #
This act has had a host of fathers. But I would like to single out several who worked long and hard ot bring it about: Senators Magnuson, Pastore and Cotton — Chairman Staggers, Congressman McDonald and Congressman Springer.
I would like to send a special word of greeting to William Harley and the National Association of Educational Broadcasters who are gathered in Denver and participating in this ceremony by remote control.
As I mentioned before, Dr. James Killian and the other members of the Carnegie Commission provided many of the ideas and inspiration. At this time, I would like to call on Mr. Alan Pifer, President of the Carnegie Corporation, who has a statement he wishes to make.
# # # # # #
[handwritten] Words: 643


(author's note= I submitted this story to my work news website. It was one of four chosen for the holiday memory postings last week. That means it was read by:
164,098 — employees
15,129 — physicians
45,270 — nurses
35 — Kaiser Permenente hospitals
454 — Kaiser Permanente medical offices
I'll take my fame in small doses :)
The New Year’s Fairy
InsideKP thanks everyone who submitted stories of their favorite holiday memories. We selected four touching stories to post this week. Today’s is from Lara Mijatovich, a staff assistant in KP Antioch’s Volunteer Services Department.
My Grandparents started our family tradition of the New Year’s Fairy in the 1940’s.
Arlee Jo Anderson and Harry Thomas Sharkey, Jr. on the day they got engaged. Seattle, WA 1938.
She was 16 and he was 18...
My grandfather was a Lt. Col. in the Air Force, and he and my grandmother had four girls, each two years apart in age. Every Christmas when the decorations came out, the girls hung their stockings like all other kids. Santa brought them gifts like dolls, dresses, pajamas, and games, but he did not fill their stockings.
The stockings stayed up until New Year’s Day.
New Year’s Eve always meant a fancy party to go to for my grandparents. Papa wore his dress uniform, and Mimi always wore a long beautiful dress with gloves, smelling of Shalimar. Their girls (my mom and her sisters) always had to stay home with their grandmother or a sitter.
Late, late at night on New Year’s Eve, the New Year’s Eve Fairy would slip tiny treasures into each girl’s stocking. Tiny shampoos and soaps from hotels, toothbrushes, candies and gum, combs and brushes, ChapSticks, comic books, small toys like Hot Wheels, crossword puzzle books, movie star magazines, nail polish, etc.
The New Year’s Fairy essentially brought all the stuff parents have to buy for their kids anyway!
And every New Year’s Day, four little girls would empty their stockings onto the floor and be entertained for hours so Mimi and Papa could sleep in after their long, fancy, champagne-filled New Year’s Eve party. Pretty smart, don’t you think?
My grandparents now have 15 grandchildren and 31 great grandchildren living on 3 different continents. And the New Year’s Fairy still makes it to all of our houses every year.


Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has been the go-to platform for entertainment. Whether you’re in the mood for funny moments, news updates, or educational content, YouTube has it all. Regarding capturing viewers’ interest, some YouTube channels have stood out and secured a spot in the world’s top 10 most subscribed YouTube channels. In this article, we find out all about these most subscribed channels on YouTube.
Most Subscribed YouTube Channels: Who are the Top 10?
Have you ever wondered which YouTube channel holds the title of being the most followed in the world? Well, the answer might surprise you.
Also Read: Top 10 most-viewed videos on YouTube
Believe it or not, the most followed YouTube channel hails from India. With its captivating Bollywood songs and snippets, T-Series claims the top spot among the top 10 YouTube channels with the most subscribers (as of September 04, 2023)
Let’s take a look at the others.
|Rank & Channel||Subscribers (millions)||Primary Language & Country|
|#1 T-Series||250||Hindi & India|
|#2 MrBeast||189||English & United States|
|#3 Cocomelon||166||English & United States|
|#4 Sony Entertainment Television||163||Hindi & India|
|#5 Kids Diana Show||114||English & Ukraine – United States|
|#6 PewDiePie||111||English & Sweden|
|#7 Like Nastya||108||English & Russia – United States|
|#8 Vlad and Niki||101||English & Russia|
|#9 Zee Music Company||100||Hindi & India|
|#10 WWE||97.4||English & United States|
Now, let’s take a closer look at the successful journey of these top 10 YouTube channels with the most subscribers in the world:
- Joined: March 13, 2006
- Category: Music and Film
- Number of videos: 19,000
T-Series stands first among the world’s top 10 most subscribed YouTube channels. This Indian record label and film production powerhouse has enchanted audiences worldwide with captivating Bollywood soundtracks and mesmerising Indian pop music. Their journey started in 1983, offering users diverse language options and engaging content like music videos, movie trailers, and interviews.
- Joined: Feb 20, 2012
- Category: Entertainment
- Number of videos: 755
MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, holds an unrivalled throne as the most followed individual on YouTube and the second of the most subscribed YouTube channels. Soaring to fame and fortune, he has amassed an immense subscriber count, placing him among the wealthiest YouTubers. MrBeast’s inspiring journey, with the 100,000-counting feat in 2017, electrifying viral stunts, jaw-dropping $456,000 prize challenges, and Squid Game set recreation showcases his mesmerising devoted fan base with captivating content.
- Joined: Sep 2, 2006
- Category: Education
- Number of videos: 1000
Cocomelon, a beloved kids’ YouTube channel, is ranked third among the most subscribed channels on YouTube. Its entertaining and educational content, including nursery rhymes, made it the best YouTube channel for kids. The channel uses bright colours, catchy music, and simple language to ensure repeated views and high engagement. Its famous “Bath Song” has garnered over 5 billion views, making Cocomelon a hit.
- Joined: Sep 21, 2006
- Category: Entertainment
- Number of videos: 120,000
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India is a prominent Hindi entertainment channel, ranking fourth in the list of the most subscribed YouTube channels. Launched in 1995, it holds a significant advantage as one of the oldest players in the Bollywood industry. Various dramas and reality shows fuel the channel’s popularity. SET India’s 24/7 entertainment offerings appeal deeply to its dedicated user base, making it one of the most-viewed YouTube channels worldwide.
Kids Diana Show
- Joined: May 12, 2015
- Category: Entertainment
- Number of videos: 1100
Kids Diana Show, an English-language series for children, features 7-year-old Diana and her brother Roma in playful and entertaining videos. The channel’s excellent editing, engaging content, and consistent uploads have made them a top-rated YouTube star in the kids’ entertainment category. Their videos, which include a mix of live performances, animation, and music, are dubbed in 20 languages, appealing to a global audience and have made it one of the best YouTube channels.
- Joined: Apr 29, 2010
- Category: Gaming and Entertainment
- Number of videos: 4,700
PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, is a renowned online personality known for his diverse YouTube content, including gaming, challenges, reactions, and travel videos. PewDiePie’s consistency in uploading videos and collaborations with other YouTubers have contributed to his success. His fame has transcended YouTube, landing him on TIME’s “100 most influential” list and making him a household name worldwide. His journey from online gaming to global recognition has made him an iconic figure in the digital world.
Also Read: Top 20 most-liked posts on Instagram
- Joined: Dec 6, 2016
- Category: Kids Entertainment
- Number of videos: 832
At just eight years old, Anastasia Radzinskaya, popularly known as Like Nastya, has become a sensation on YouTube with her family-friendly content. Like Nastya holds the seventh spot on the list of the most subscribed YouTube channels. The channel’s success can be attributed to its laser-focused approach, catering specifically to children aged 2 to 8, with videos featuring Nastya and her parents playing, learning, and singing. The relevant educational app for kids also engages its young audience, promoting more views and subscribers.
Also Read: Top 10 richest people in India
Vlad and Niki
- Joined: Apr 23, 2018
- Category: Kids
- Number of videos: 599
Vlad and Niki is one of the most-viewed YouTube channels among the kids, featuring the American-born brothers Vladislav and Nikita Vashketov. Their channel stands out by providing entertainment and informative content, such as cooking videos and lessons on various cultures and languages. From toy unboxing to creating their toys, the brothers’ YouTube journey has led to remarkable success, including a deal with Playmates Toys and their very own app.
Zee Music Company
- Joined: Mar 12, 2014
- Category: Music
- Number of videos: 9,000
Zee Music Company, one of India’s leading entertainment companies, has garnered immense popularity on YouTube with a massive library of 222,000 hours of television content. The channel’s appeal lies in its vast collection of Bollywood music, catering to over a billion music lovers worldwide. From traditional classical tunes to modern pop songs, Zee Music Company offers something for everyone, making it one of the most subscribed YouTube channels.
- Joined: May 11, 2007
- Category: Entertainment
- Number of videos: 71,000
The WWE channel on YouTube has amassed a massive following of subscribers, catering to fans worldwide with entertaining content featuring favourite WWE superstars and live shows like Raw and SmackDown. Its popularity is attributed to highly entertaining videos, a global audience, and effective cross-platform promotion. WWE’s effective marketing strategies and diverse content appeal to a wide range of viewers, from kids to adults, solidifying its position as one of the most-subscribed channels on YouTube.
Also Read: Top 10 richest people in Asia
These top 10 most subscribed YouTube channels in the world continue to push the boundaries of creativity and engagement as the YouTube landscape remains ever-evolving.
1. Who is the most followed YouTube personality in India in 2023?
The most followed YouTube personality in India in 2023 is Ajay Nager, also known as CarryMinati, with an impressive 38.5 million subscribers.
2. What is the most viewed YouTube video of all time?
The most-watched YouTube video is “Baby Shark Dance” by Pinkfong Baby Shark – Kids’ Songs & Stories. This viral video was uploaded on June 17, 2016, and has since garnered astonishing views, making it the reigning champion of YouTube’s most-viewed videos.
- Click here for Business News
- Click here for Tech News
- Click here for India News
- Click here for World News
- Click here for All News
- Return to blinzo.com Latest news Articles
- Subscribe to our Social Media Pages
Twitter Link , Facebook Link , Instagram Link, YouTube Link, Google News Link Click on the links.


In a world where consumerism often leads to accumulation, finding ways to declutter and simplify our living spaces becomes increasingly crucial. Junk removal services have become a beacon of hope for those drowning in possessions, offering not just a cleaner home but a pathway to a more organized and stress-free life. In this article, we explore the transformative power of junk removal and how it goes beyond the physical act of tidying up to impact our mental well-being and lifestyle choices.
1. The Psychology of Clutter: Studies have shown that living in a cluttered environment can contribute to stress, anxiety, and a feeling of being overwhelmed. The accumulation of items, whether unused or unnecessary, can create mental and emotional burdens. Junk removal addresses the psychology of clutter by liberating individuals from the weight of possessions, fostering a sense of relief, and creating a more harmonious living space.
2. Creating Physical Space: Beyond the mental benefits, junk removal creates valuable physical space. Removing unnecessary items opens up room for functionality and creative design within our homes. It’s a chance to reclaim lost spaces, convert spare rooms into functional areas, and rediscover the joy of living in a well-organized and spacious environment.
3. Streamlining Lifestyle Choices: The act of decluttering through junk removal often extends beyond the home and seeps into lifestyle choices. It encourages a mindset shift towards intentional living, where individuals begin to evaluate the necessity and value of their possessions. This shift can lead to more mindful consumption habits, reducing the influx of new items and contributing to a more sustainable and eco-conscious lifestyle.
4. Professional Expertise: One of the significant advantages of junk removal services is the professional expertise they bring to the table. Trained professionals not only efficiently remove unwanted items but also provide guidance on effective organization and storage solutions. This expertise ensures that the decluttering process is not just a temporary fix but a sustainable transformation.
5. Eco-Friendly Disposal: Responsible junk removal services prioritize eco-friendly disposal methods. They often partner with recycling centers and donation organizations, ensuring that items with potential use find new homes rather than contributing to landfills. This commitment to sustainability aligns with the growing global focus on reducing waste and promoting a circular economy.
6. Time and Energy Savings: Attempting to tackle junk removal as a DIY project can be overwhelming and time-consuming. Professional junk removal services streamline the process, saving individuals valuable time and energy. This efficiency allows homeowners to focus on what matters most to them, whether it’s spending time with family, pursuing hobbies, or simply enjoying a clutter-free space.
Conclusion: Junk removal is not just about getting rid of physical clutter; it’s a transformative journey that influences our mental well-being, lifestyle choices, and our impact on the environment. By creating physical and mental space, streamlining lifestyle choices, offering professional expertise, ensuring eco-friendly disposal, and saving time and energy, junk removal services empower individuals to reclaim control over their living spaces and cultivate a more intentional and fulfilling life. Embracing the transformative power of junk removal is not just a cleaning strategy; it’s a lifestyle choice with far-reaching benefits.


Eddy DeMello carved a unique place for himself in entertainment as an impresario, entrepreneur and an advocate for the Portuguese community. His Music Box record store was a treasure trove for music lovers. He recorded Bermuda musicians on his Edmar and Duane labels and brought in name acts for live performances for more than 40 years.
> Read more
Bermudians celebrated Guy Fawkes Day by lighting up 8,000 pounds of fireworks. But it would be the last time islanders would participate in Guy Fawkes Day celebrations on that order.
Guy Fawkes Day was hugely popular, with fireworks—which could be purchased at retail outlets—the main attraction at family gatherings across the island. And sweet potato pudding was always on the menu.
But Guy Fawkes Day celebrations were marred by acts of vandalism throughout the turbulent 1960s, and by 1970 Government said enough was enough. A ban was issued on the sale, possession and discharge of fireworks, and despite attempts to revive the celebration over the years, enthusiasm for the event gradually waned.
According to a government press release: " Government realises that the ban of fireworks will be a disappointment to many families, and particularly children who look forward to the annual celebration, and it therefore gave careful consideration to all aspects of the matter before taking this step."
Source: The Royal Gazette, November 12, 1969 and October 29, 1970
> Watch a video of an official Guy Fawkes celebration in St. George's


Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup is a non-fiction book written by journalist John Carreyrou, which tells the story of the rise and fall of Theranos, a blood-testing company founded by Elizabeth Holmes. The book explores how Holmes, once hailed as the next Steve Jobs, built a multi-billion-dollar company on a foundation of lies and deception.
Holmes founded Theranos in 2003 when she was just 19 years old. The company’s mission was to revolutionize the healthcare industry by developing a machine that could perform hundreds of blood tests with just a few drops of blood, making it easier and less painful for patients to get their blood tested. Theranos quickly attracted a lot of attention and investment from high-profile investors such as Rupert Murdoch and Betsy DeVos, as well as partnerships with major companies such as Walgreens and Safeway.
However, as Carreyrou’s investigation revealed, the technology behind Theranos was never as advanced as Holmes claimed it to be. The company was using commercial blood-testing machines made by other companies to perform most of its tests, and the results were often inaccurate and unreliable. Despite repeated warnings from employees and outside experts, Holmes continued to promote the company and its technology, even as patients were receiving incorrect diagnoses and treatments based on Theranos’s faulty tests.
Carreyrou’s reporting led to the unraveling of Theranos and the exposure of its fraudulent practices. In 2015, a former employee of Theranos contacted Carreyrou with concerns about the accuracy of the company’s blood tests, and Carreyrou began investigating. Over the next few years, Carreyrou interviewed dozens of former employees and industry experts and obtained confidential documents and emails that revealed the full extent of Theranos’s deception.
The book delves into the toxic culture of fear and secrecy that Holmes created at Theranos, where employees who raised concerns about the technology or the company’s practices were often silenced or retaliated against. Holmes herself was portrayed as a charismatic and manipulative leader who was obsessed with Steve Jobs and the idea of becoming a Silicon Valley icon. She went to great lengths to maintain the illusion of success, including falsifying test results and pressuring employees to lie to investors and partners.
The consequences of Theranos’s deception were far-reaching. Patients who relied on Theranos’s inaccurate tests received incorrect diagnoses and treatments, while investors lost billions of dollars in what turned out to be a massive fraud. Holmes and her former partner and COO, Sunny Balwani, are currently facing criminal charges for multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy.
In conclusion, Bad Blood is a gripping and eye-opening account of one of the biggest corporate scandals in recent history. Carreyrou’s reporting and writing are meticulous and engaging, and he does an excellent job of exposing the lies and deception that were at the heart of Theranos. The book serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of blind faith in charismatic leaders and the importance of skepticism and due diligence in the business world.
Reviews of Bad Blood
Critics have generally praised Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup for its thorough reporting and gripping storytelling. The book has received numerous accolades, including the Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award in 2018.
Critics have praised Carreyrou for his dogged investigation into the Theranos scandal, which involved interviewing dozens of former employees and obtaining confidential documents and emails. They have also praised his clear and engaging writing style, which makes complex scientific and business concepts accessible to a general audience.
Some critics have noted that the book focuses primarily on the actions of Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani, and that it does not delve as deeply into the broader cultural and economic forces that allowed the Theranos scandal to occur. However, they acknowledge that this is a minor criticism and that the book still provides valuable insights into the dangers of unchecked ambition and the importance of ethical leadership.
Overall, Bad Blood has been widely praised as a compelling and important work of investigative journalism that exposes the dark side of Silicon Valley’s “move fast and break things” mentality. It has been called a must-read for anyone interested in the tech industry, entrepreneurship, or the perils of unchecked ambition.


Emily Hund, PhD, is the author of the forthcoming book, The Influencer Industry: The Quest for Authenticity on Social Media (Princeton University Press), and a research affiliate at the Center on Digital Culture and Society at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. She writes, speaks, and consults on topics related to social media, consumer culture, and technology and creative industries.
Her research on social media influencers has been published in journals such as the International Journal of Communication, Social Media + Society, and Communication, Culture & Critique. Dr. Hund’s writing and commentary have also appeared in outlets such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Wired.
She received her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication in 2019. Before her research career, she worked as a magazine writer and social media editor, and received bachelors degrees in journalism and sociology from Penn State University.


Our home regatta was very early on in the Hants & Dorset season this year, being just the third regatta on the second weekend, following the opening regattas at Ryde and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight last weekend.
Itchen regatta had a huge amount of entries, which only meant; a very busy race schedule and an early start for all of Itchen’s members.
7am saw all hands on deck as the first race was on to set everything up for the day, so the regatta was ready to start at 10am. Efficient is an understatement, with everyone helping where they could, everything was all done by 8:30am and the BBQ was on the go, with the smell of bacon filling the nostrils of everyone in the area.
One of the first races of the day saw Itchen pick up their first win of the day in the Women’s Double Sculls, featuring Jess Bull and Kady Middleton, who pushed all the way to the line and just held on to take the win, despite the commentators taking away their glory by announcing their rivals as the winners.
In the early stages of the day Itchen’s small boats were performing well, Men’s Senior Sculler (James Foad) won his heat and went straight through to the final, while the Men’s Junior Pair (James Cracknell & Oliver Starkey), Men’s Senior Pair (Mark Wardell & Luke Williams), Ladies Novice Sculler (Amelia Cole) and Ladies Junior Sculler (Georgia Edwards) all won their heats and semi finals to progress to the finals later in the day. After winning at the opening regatta at Ryde, but missing out on the point from Shanklin, the Mens Senior Sculler, Men’s Junior & Men’s Senior Pairs all had a point to prove, which they all did with comfortable wins over their opponents, making them all leaders of their respective championships 2-1. Both the Ladies Novice and Junior Scullers put up good fights but just missed out on the wins, finishing second and adding some strong points to the days aggregate.
On to the bigger boats, it was great to see our J16 girls step up and compete at the more senior level in the Women’s Novice Fours. The four of Lucy, Izzy, Venetia, India, coxed by Aly took a comfortable win in their heat to progress to the semi-final. The semi-final was not so comfortable, with the wind picking up and the water chopping up, India at stroke caught a big crab 150m or so into the race losing them the lengths advantage they had gained, with cool minds they got themselves back together and into the race and power through to take the win, progressing onto the final. The final was a close affair too, neck and neck most of the way, as our girls went into the turns first a good turn saw Christchurch come out first and gain enough to see them hang onto the finish line.
Similar to most of our crews racing the girls competing in the J16 Fours won their heat to progress to the final, sadly for both of our boys J16 fours they just missed out in their heats and unfortunately didn’t progress to the final. The girls J16 four of Ruby, Beth, Maddie, Megan and cox Aly was another close affair drew a large crowd with a lot of cheering, the girls had a fantastic race in the tough conditions and edged themselves ahead at the bouy turn, with the support of all the club members and all the cheering the girls hung on to take a fantastic win and bring the club total to 5 for the day, just three short of equalling the club record with the Ladies & Men’s Junior Fours and Men’s Senior Fours to come.
On the opening weekend both the Ladies Junior Four of (Lucy Fagan, Georgia Edwards, Charlotte Starkey, Amelia Cole & cox Sophie Foad) and the Men’s Junior Four of (Jonjo Bignell, Lorcan O’Toole, James Cracknell, Oliver Starkey & cox Owen Barnaby) were second both days and so to not let the gap slip to 3-0 in the championships stakes, it was important they fought for a win. In the heats both crews had solid performances, with the Men producing the same time as their main rivals in one of the other heats, meaning that we were in for a good race. They Men were up first in their final and unlike the previous week, they went out hard and dominated the field laying down some good power and going on to win by approx a length and producing the fastest time of the day so far. The Ladies did not have it all their own way, going into the bouy turn slightly down, a good turn saw them come up level, the ball was then in their court as to how much they wanted the win, the girls pushed hard every stroke and eventually came up on topalso winning by about a length. It’s great to see both crews back in the race for the Hants & Dorset Championship.
The last race of the day was the Men’s Senior Fours of (Mark Wardell, Luke Williams, James Foad, Wayne Harrison & cox Owen Barnaby) the four progressed comfortably with a win in their heat over Christchurch despite not having one of their best races. Onto the final and the Itchen crew found themselves up against their nearest rivals BTC. The Itchen crew took a lengths lead very quickly off the start and held this up to the turns, but a good turn from BTC put them back in the race, the Itchen crew still had the length lead but BTC were pushing hard, however everytime BTC kicked on Itchen responded and were gunning for the fastest time of the day as to not let the Itchen Junior crew have one over them. The Itchen Senior Four crossed the line just shy of a length over BTC, claiming the clubs 8th win of the day and once again retaining the aggregate.
Congratulations to all those that won at the regatta and to all those that competed and made the regatta a great event. An extremely big thank you to all those that sponsored the regatta and a huge well done and thank you to all those that helped put the regatta on and help out on the day, it wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for all of Itchen Imperial’s club members.
Highlights for the regatta cane found on youtube courtesy of South Coast Journalism here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9XktFG8XrY


Unemployment Resources for Employees
For your employees with difficulties getting through to TWC, here are some phone numbers and e-mail addresses you can share that may help:
The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) is the crown jewel of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”). The CARES Act allocates $349 billion to the PPP loan initiative in an effort to stabilize small businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak and to allow them to retain their workforces while weathering the Coronavirus storm. But while $349 billion is a staggering number, it is unlikely to be enough to satisfy the demand for capital. The appropriated funds will go fast, and it is a first-come, first-served program. Indeed, reports are already indicating that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin is seeking an additional $250 billion for the PPP loan program.
Applications for PPP loans were available for submission on April 3rd. Processing began in earnest for small businesses and sole proprietorships this week. The U.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”) is opening up applications for independent contractors and self-employed individuals starting April 10th. The PPP gold rush is on and there is plenty of confusion and chaos to go with it. With many PPP borrowers having received their loan proceeds, or receiving them soon, what should borrowers be doing after receiving their loan? Here are five things that need to be on that list according to Forbes,
Friday, April 3 was the first day small businesses and sole proprietors could apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. That day, Inc. editor-at-large Kimberly Weisul spoke with U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president and chief policy officer Neil Bradley as part of the National Small Business Town Hall webinar series. Here are some of the most popular questions Inc. readers submitted during the town hall, along with answers from Bradley and other experts.
Inc. and the Chamber will hold its third town hall in the series Friday, April 10 at 12 p.m. Eastern. Registration is now open.
1. Which lenders are accepting applications for PPP loans?
The loans are being made available using a tiered rollout system, with traditional Small Business Administration lenders being the first institutions that can accept applications. Other financial institutions--including credit unions, Farm Credit System institutions, and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)--are now in the process of being added and will begin accepting applications in the coming days--if they haven't already.
With the foodservice sector hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, Texas grocer H-E-B is helping out local restaurants by selling their meals in its stores.
Under a pilot program, H-E-B is carrying ready-made meals from five restaurants at 29 supermarkets in San Antonio, Houston and Austin. All proceeds from the sales of the chef-prepared meals will go directly to the restaurants, the San Antonio-based grocery chain said.
“We are a family of foodies, and we have a deep relationship with lots of restaurants and chefs. So this is something we wanted to do to help in these difficult times,” Dya Campos, director of government and public affairs at H-E-B, said in a statement.
Let me first say that human beings can be quarantined, but the human spirit cannot be contained. I am in awe by the amount of giving and acts of kindness taking place around the world right now. Strangers helping strangers… neighbors helping neighbors... it’s truly inspiring. I want to help too. I have decided to donate $5 million directly to female entrepreneurs to help their businesses, families and employees. This donation will immediately provide 1,000 female business owners here in the United States with $5,000 in funding each. My hope is that this gift will help alleviate some of the pressures caused by this horrible pandemic.
20 years ago, I started Spanx with $5,000 in savings and I see this as a time to pay it forward. Small business is the backbone of our culture. I know what it’s like to be a small business owner, and I want to provide some relief to these entrepreneurs during this time.
We have teamed up with GlobalGiving to manage the fund and application process. The applications to receive these donations will open April 6th and will be available for the next five months. All you have to do is visit GlobalGiving’s website at www.globalgiving.org/redbackpackfund and complete an application for The Red Backpack Fund.
National Small Business Town Hall for Small Business Owners (Inc. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) Webinar - Urgent Updates: Answers to Crucial New Questions Around the Stimulus Bill (click here)
Find out answers to:
The speakers, Tom Sullivan, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Vice President Small Business Policy, and C. E. "Tee" Rowe, President and CEO of America's Small Business Development Centers, provided essential feedback on:
How the Paycheck Protection Program is different from an economic injury disaster loan
Who is eligible?
In order to qualify for an SBA economic injury disaster loan, a business must prove substantial economic injury – that it is unable to pay its ordinary and necessary operating expenses. The point of the loan is to help a business ride out a disaster period until normal operations can resume – it applies to situations where there is no physical damage.
In order to qualify for PPP, a business must have less than 500 employees and be affected by the coronavirus. Businesses in certain industries may have more than 500 employees if they meet the SBA’s size standards for those industries.
PPP is designed to incentivize companies to keep employees on staff. It is expected to move cash more quickly than the SBA’s other program, for faster economic relief.
SAN ANTONIO – In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, some restaurants have started selling groceries and other supplies like gloves and toilet paper to customers. Governor Greg Abbott opened the door to the practice last week when he waived restrictions that prevent restaurants from selling bulk items from distributors directly to consumers.
Several San Antonio-area eateries are selling supplies to consumers. Click "Continue Reading" for the ones KSAT found online.
Foresite would like to add to this list: First Course Salad Kitchen (22015 W I-10 Suite 107) and The County Line (check location availability). Submit your restaurant or favorite local spots selling these goods to add the this list on the retailer's Facebook Group.
Their seats spread far apart from each other, Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday approved a loan program to tide small business owners over amid the economic strife caused by the pandemic.
In an effort to practice social distancing, the commissioners sat in separate desks instead of on the dais at their regular Tuesday meeting. They discussed the “Stay Home, Work Safe” orders issued Monday by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, which directs people to stay home as much as possible to avoid spreading COVID-19.
“Basically, what we’re trying to do in the order is try to get a balance as best as we can between the public health challenge and the economic consequences of that,” Wolff said. “The order is telling people to stay at home unless they’ve got an essential trip or they’re one of the employees designated by their business to be there.”
Sam’s Club Giving and the Walmart Foundation have awarded an $800,000 grant to LiftFund to extend its reach in providing small business loans and educational resources to small business owners with a portion of the funds dedicated to helping veterans.
“Sam’s Club and Walmart are committed to helping small business owners succeed,” Anne Hatfield, Walmart spokesperson said. “We support the great work LiftFund is doing for small business owners in San Antonio and hope this grant will help provide them with the education and the tools they need to run and grow their companies.”
LiftFund is proud to continue supporting entrepreneurs through the grant, and will dedicate a portion of the funds to veteran programming and services.
SAN ANTONIO – The restaurant industry is taking a hard hit right now as dining areas must remain closed because of emergency measures taken due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the dine-in ban, some eateries in San Antonio are coming up with unique ways to stay open.
Here’s a list of what they are doing:
iHeartMedia launched this incredible tool to keep up to date restaurant information. Add your restaurant for your customers so they are able to know exactly when and how they can get their hands on your grub!
Grub to Go is a source for restaurant hours, delivery options and menus during the Corona Outbreak. This page is being pushed out to all of the broadcasting stations.
San Antonio Restaurants - What's Open and Delivery Options. If you own a restaurant, we are here to help. Click here and give us your info.
The San Antonio Business Journal is focusing this week’s feature story on the impact — particularly the economic impact — of the coronavirus. It is the topic that has forced its way to the top of all our minds and will be there for the foreseeable future.
As the Alamo City area, Texas, the U.S. and the world have been forced to drastically modify our behaviors in an effort to slow the virus’ spread, we’re faced with how drastically our economy depends on our ability to move and mingle.
Although many jobs can be performed at home for the long-term, some can only reasonably be done that way temporarily, while others — such as manufacturing and stocking grocery store shelves — need people on-site. Meanwhile, many people depend on in-person customer interaction for their jobs; for them and the people who depend on them, there is great uncertainty.
SAN ANTONIO - Some new changes are coming to Bexar County in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bexar County officials are working right now to help local small businesses that are suffering because of social distancing precautions against the coronavirus.
Bexar County Commissioner Justin Rodriguez announced that the county will be offering $5 million in interest free loans and $250,000 in grants to help businesses which are struggling with payroll.
Rodriguez said the loans would be 0% interest and there would be a four-month grace period before payments would begin. The details are still being worked out and should be finalized in the coming days.
Buy gift cards
Purchasing a gift card to your favorite shop, theater or restaurant is an immediate way to put cash into the business, said Amanda Ballantyne, national director of The Main Street Alliance.
That's exactly what Luz Urrutia, CEO of the Opportunity Fund, a nonprofit microlender, has done. "I just bought gift cards to every one of the [local] restaurants that I love. They get their cash today. And I'll be able to use it later."
Shop local -- online and off
Molly Moon runs several ice cream shops in Seattle, which already has been hard hit by coronavirus. Moon, who employs 120 people, said she's now considering "extremely reduced hours ... It's breaking my heart."
For healthy customers running errands, she encourages them in good humor to "stock up on pints for the hard times." For those who stay home, Moon invites them to buy gift cards and store merchandise on her company web site.
When it comes to shopping locally, health guidance from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control "is literally disrupting business as usual," said Abigail Ellman, a director at the Cooper Square Committee, a nonprofit working to prevent the displacement of residents and small businesses on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Right now, Ellman noted, businesses are worried about how to make rent and payroll. Customers alone can't cure that strain, but she said "they need you to shop there. Support your local pharmacies and restaurants and businesses."
Take advantage of discounts
Taproom No. 307, a craft beer restaurant in New York City, is usually packed on Friday nights, and is really busy around St. Patrick's Day.
As of this week, the place has been practically empty. "People are afraid," said co-owner Roberta Souza.
It doesn't help that the restaurant is a place patrons come to watch live sports and most have now been canceled.
To entice customers who would rather stay home, Souza is offering a 20% discount on takeout.
Is your question not addressed in these resources?


Bernie Lupinacci, W1CDM, Silent Key
I was deeply saddened to receive the news that Bernie had passed away peacefully, February 14, after a long illness.
I came to know Bernie in the earliest days of the EchoLink project, back in May of 2002. Bernie had been a long-time experimenter of extensions to 2-way communications technology, and was one of the early adopters of techniques to interconnect Amateur repeaters with each other over the Internet. In those days, voice-over-IP (VoIP) was relatively new, and most of us were still accessing the Internet over dial-up connections. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the idea of extending Amateur Radio by embracing the possibilities of the Internet.
Bernie immediately offered to help with the day-to-day support of EchoLink, picking up much of the workload of handling more than 200 new-user applications each day, 365 days a year. He also worked tirelessly to answer support questions, and often would jump on the air to give help to new users via EchoLink. He was the trustee of a wide-coverage repeater in the San Diego area, which (of course) had EchoLink capability.
Bernie gave all of us wise counsel over the years, rooted in his energy and commitment to this project. I have truly appreciated Bernie's endless dedication and contributions to Amateur Radio. He will be greatly missed.


Advertise with SoGlosWeddings
Reach brides and grooms planning on tying the knot in and around Gloucestershire, with SoGlosWeddings.
5 reasons to advertise with SoGlosWeddings
Gloucestershire’s very first online wedding magazine, SoGlosWeddings uniquely combines the inspirational with the practical – quickly becoming an indispensable resource that brides visit time and time again.
Without exception, SoGlosWeddings readers are actively planning their weddings in and around glorious Gloucestershire – seeking out their perfect venue and full spectrum of suppliers.
Thousands of monthly readers will rely on SoGlosWeddings as their primary resource for planning their big day, trusting both SGW’s local expertise and industry insight.
Complete with exceptional editorial, digital innovation and stylish design, SoGlosWeddings is a quality title to complement the most luxurious of brands.
For more than seven years So Publishing has been trusted by hundreds of local and national businesses as their digital advertising partner of choice.
To find out about bespoke advertising packages for your business, please contact:
SoGlosWeddings media pack