Fishermen are pictured in Masinloc, Zambales in the Philippines April 22, 2015. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
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By Roli Ng and Manuel Mogato
MASINLOC/MANILA, Philippines (Reuters) - A 30-foot trawler named "Marvin" lies beached on a grass bank overlooking the South China Sea, idle since China's coastguard began driving away Philippine fishermen after a fierce standoff four years ago.
Its 10-man crew once made their living off the abundant fish stocks of the disputed Scarborough Shoal some 124 nautical miles away. But since Beijing's patrol boats moved in, the fishermen of the west coast town of Masinloc said they had been forced to do odd jobs ashore, or become motorcycle taxi drivers.
The crews yearn to get back into their boats and hope that the Philippine election on May 9 will bring a new president bold enough to stand up to China's assertiveness in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
It is something they say incumbent Benigno Aquino was hesitant to do, while the frontrunner to succeed him, the hard-talking mayor of Davao city, Rodrigo Duterte, has indicated he may take a tougher line with Beijing.
"We want a tougher president who would make China leave the Philippine Sea," said the Marvin's shirtless captain, Biany Mula, referring to the waters by their Philippine name.
"That area is not their property."
The sentiment is shared by fishermen from Vietnam and Malaysia, as China's fishing fleet and accompanying coastguard armada have expanded within a nine-dash line that denotes Beijing's claims to nine-tenths of the world's most contested waterway.
With a relatively small and under-equipped military, the Philippines wants no confrontation with China, but it has been vocal in asserting its claims to the Spratly islands and its rights to exploit its coastal waters.
It has also angered China by indirectly challenging its claims at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague. China has refused to recognise the court's authority or abide by the ruling, which is expected soon.
Some Filipino fishermen are optimistic a new leader can find a solution.
"I'll vote because somebody will resolve the issue in the Scarborough Shoal," said Alexander Manzano, fixing a boat moored on a makeshift dock.
"I believe someone will be able to do it. That's why I'll vote."
TOUGH TALK, MIXED MESSAGES
That someone could be Duterte, who is roaring ahead in opinion polls with talk of employing deadly methods to eradicate crime and corruption.
His position on the South China Sea is vague, however, in what has largely been a single-issue campaign.
When the topic came up in debates, Duterte promised not to put the Philippine navy in harm's way, but said he would personally challenge China by riding a jet-ski to the Spratlys to plant a Philippine flag.
For key ally the United States, a Duterte presidency brings much uncertainty. A Washington-based official closely following the election said Duterte's stance on the South China Sea appeared "contradictory", mixing both bellicose and conciliatory messages about dealing with Beijing.
Murray Hiebert, a Southeast Asia specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Duterte's comments did not seem well thought out, including pledging to negotiate with China but only after it agrees the Spratlys belong to the Philippines.
"That's not an opening position that will entice China to the negotiating table," Hiebert said.
Like Washington, Beijing has given no indication who it would prefer as Philippine president.
Its foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said ties between the two countries were "extremely difficult", but China hoped the next leadership "takes actual steps to improve relations."
The Philippine military is prohibited from discussing the election, but some senior officers privately say they are warming to the idea of Duterte as their commander-in-chief.
His talk of crushing Islamist insurgents behind a lucrative piracy and kidnap business has appeal, they say, as does his promise to take better care of troops and make national security a priority.
Others hope Duterte will pursue a more independent foreign policy through broader diplomatic alliances and new sources of defence hardware to avoid being over-dependent on Washington.
"We're no longer in the Cold War period. We could build our own capability with the help of many allies, not only the U.S." said one officer.
For Joy Topaz, a fish vendor in a Masinloc shanty town, the most pressing issue is to negotiate a deal to get Filipino fishermen back to the Scarborough Shoal.
"There has been talk here about war, but we are afraid of fighting," she said.
"Let us just fish. Let everyone be allowed to fish."
(Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in WASHINGTON and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
7 Tactics to Convert Blog Readers Into Paying Customers
January 18, 2016 By KeriLynn Engel Blogging Tips
Home Blog Blogging Tips 7 Tactics to Convert Blog Readers Into Paying Customers
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It’s a proven fact that businesses that blog get a lot more traffic than those who don’t.
But even if you’re getting thousands of visitors a day, it won’t help your business if none of those readers turn into customers.
Sure, the attention is nice, but you’re not in business to be flattered. You’re not blogging for fun – you’re blogging to grow your business!
So how do you turn those avid readers into actual paying customers? Here are 7 concrete tactics you can use today.
1. Write Blog Posts That Directly Answer Objections
When you’re blogging for a business, you know you need to write posts that are targeted for your buyer personas so you can attract the right readers.
Some of those readers might be interested in buying, but have some reservations.
TOM BIHN does a phenomenal job of overcoming price objections in their FAQ
TOM BIHN does a phenomenal job of overcoming price objections in their FAQ
Your audience might have questions like:
Which product model is the right one for my needs?
Will my personal information be kept safe if I buy from this website?
Is this service provider the right fit for my personality?
Is this the best price on this product, or can I get it cheaper somewhere else?
The specific objections will vary widely depending on your business, but they’re always there.
To find out what’s keeping your audience from buying, try doing a survey or some one-on-one interviews of your current customers or clients.
Then, write blog posts that directly address these concerns:
“Model A vs Model B: Which Is Best for SAHMs/Busy Professionals/etc.?”
“How Our Partnership With SecurityBiz Keeps Your Data Safe”
“7 Reasons You Shouldn’t Hire Me” (This post’s quirky, negative title will attract clicks while the content will weed out clients who are a bad fit for you.)
“Why Is [Product] So Expensive?”
2. Eliminate Distractions
If you’re asking your readers to do 10 different things, is it at all surprising that they don’t do any of them?
If your blog has:
Social media widgets
Advertising
Lots of outbound links
Badges
…these are all calls to action (CTAs).
elna-cain
Writer & coach Elna Cain eliminated distractions and focused her website and blog on her #1 goal.
If you have a goal for your blog, it’s important to focus on that goal and make it clear to your readers.
Writer Elna Cain does a great job with this on her website. It’s clear that her #1 goal is to get people signed up for her new email course for beginning freelance writers. Her site focuses on that goal with:
A single-column layout (no sidebars), which places the focus on her content
A big banner on the homepage inviting you to sign up for the course
Placing “Free Course” as the first menu option
Including a link to the course landing page in her author bio at the end of every post
Taking a look at her website, you can see that everything focuses on that email course. There are no distractions.
Now, take a look at your own business blog. (Go ahead and open up your business blog in another tab.)
What are you asking your audience to do?
Do you have a sidebar full of widgets, ads, badges, and links?
Is your blog’s menu clear and focused, or cluttered?
Is it 100% clear what action you want your readers to take?
Be honest with your answers, and consider removing anything that distracts from your main goal.
3. Ask Your Readers To Buy
It seems obvious, but many people are shy about self-promotion.
But really – your readers won’t know what you want them to do unless you ask them!
If you’re blogging with a goal in mind, it’s crucial to include some kind of call to action (CTA) on your blog.
That doesn’t mean ending every post with “Thanks for reading, now buy my product!”
Using a variety of CTAs can help you to deepen your relationship with your readers, keeping them coming back for more content and eventually turning into customers.
You can also use CTAs to encourage readers to comment, share the post with friends, follow you on social media, etc. These are great tactics for engaging loyal readers and building your audience.
But in order to convert that audience into customers, you eventually need to ask them to buy!
4. Sell Through Your Email List
Asking a casual blog reader to immediately buy something can be a big leap if they’re just on your site for information.
That’s why email newsletters are so powerful. They’re a great way to:
Stay in touch with interested people who aren’t ready to buy
Allow you and your readers to get to know each other and see if your business is a match for their needs
Subscribing to a newsletter is low-risk, unlike giving their credit card info to a new site, or spending money on a course they’re not sure they need. To turn those casual readers into customers (and find out if they’re really your ideal audience), a newsletter is ideal.
To convert them, ask your readers to sign up for your email newsletter by including opt-in forms at the end of every post, and include a freebie for new subscribers. Even better, set up an autoresponder series or free course that will alleviate their concerns, answer their questions, and prove your value. Tools like OptinMonster and GetResponse are great for this.
5. Show Them Exactly How You Can Help
This point especially applies to those who are offering services instead of products.
With services, it’s not always 100% clear to your readers exactly what you’re offering and how that will help them. You can explain till you’re blue in the face, but what really brings the point home is a real-life example.
Case studies help to clear up confusion and overcome objections by demonstrating exactly how you help your customers.
They’re an incredibly effective way to answer questions like:
What exactly do you do?
How will your services fit into my existing life/processes?
What kind of results should I expect?
Get started by contacting a few of your past or current customers and letting them know you’re starting a new “customer spotlight” series on your blog, and would love to feature them. Make sure you have their approval on the blog post before you publish.
At the end of the post, be sure to include a call to action for your readers to contact you if they feel they could benefit from the same services.
6. Create Urgency
When you create a sense of urgency, it encourages hesitant readers to buy now.
As human beings, we’re social creatures and have a fear of being left out of the crowd. We don’t want to miss out on something great – so if there’s a chance we’ll miss out, we’re more inclined to act now!
Some sleazy salespeople use this tactic by lying or taking advantage of people, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
You can create a true sense of urgency by:
Creating limited-time deals, bundles, or coupons
Offering seasonal products, services, or sales
Sharing a limited edition of a product
7. …But Don’t Be Too Pushy
Yes, it’s important to be clear and ask your readers to take action.
But you don’t want to be so pushy that you push them away.
It’s a difficult balance, and business owners are often so afraid of being pushy that they avoid any self-promotion whatsoever!
That’s counterproductive, though. You can be clear and ask for your readers’ business without being pushy or manipulative.
Just be honest, and ask for what you want!
KeriLynn Engel
KeriLynn Engel is a copywriter & content marketing strategist. She loves working with B2B & B2C businesses to plan and create high-quality content that attracts and converts their target audience. When not writing, you can find her reading speculative fiction, watching Star Trek, or playing Telemann flute fantasias at a local open mic.
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Not only do the children at the school, called “Nursery Fields Forever,” learn about sustainable energy from the solar panels and wind turbines, the entire school campus is designed to teach children how to farm.
Developed by Edoardo Capuzzo Dolcetta and his team of Rome-based designers, the pre-school campus brings modern technology and farming together for kids to learn with hands-on behavior. Dolcetta’s team recently won the AWR International Ideas Competition for the idea. “We think that kids should enjoy nature,” said Edoardo Capuzzo Dolcetta to Fast Company. “So we designed this strange school: No classrooms, but open spaces where vegetables grow inside and animals can come in too. It’s a mixing of the two things, school and nature.” Moving forward into a new world, the ability to grow one’s own food is invaluable. This school’s three-tiered technique of learning from nature, learning from technique, and learning from practice is catching on.
Article originally published on Minds.com an open source blog
A quick note from our founder- Over the past year, my friend Dave at PaleoHacks has been working on a secret cookbook with world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu chef Peter Servold.
Well, today this new this new incredible Paleo Cookbook is finally available to be shipped right to your door for FREE
That’s right — as a special launch promotion, we’re offering our brand new Paleo fat loss cookbook to you for free (Chef Pete lost 60 lbs using these recipes!) — All you have to do is just cover a small shipping cost (international shipping is a bit more).
Get your FREE copy of Paleo Eats Here. (Grab this today, because we only ordered a small batch of these cookbooks for this freebie promotion, and they will sell out FAST!) Michelle Toole
Michelle Toole is the founder and head editor of Healthy Holistic Living. Learn all about her life's inspiration and journey to health and wellness.
Melon is a yearlong herb. It belongs to the Cucurbitacae family, same as watermelon, pumpkin and cucumber. Melon has an abundance of vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in vitamin C, vitamin B, beta carotene, as well as calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and copper.
Thanks to the high amount of water (about 95%), low sugar content and the amazing taste and smell, this fruit is amazing summer refreshment.
No other fruit is more characteristic for the summer than watermelon because it is great source of potassium, but melon has almost three times more potassium than watermelon.
Melon’s water and potassium stimulate kidney work, regulate blood pressure, and thanks to its fiber content it soothes the process of digestion and relieves flatulence.
Beta carotene helps in the fight against cancer. According to latest research, melon can also be used against many other types of malignant diseases. This is why melon is considered to be great anti-cancer fruit.
Melon should be consumed as much and as often as possible and the reasons are following:
-- Melon is a natural remedy for detoxification of the body from harmful substances and is a perfect tool for stomach bloating treatment. Potassium (300 milligrams per 100 grams of melon) helps the body to get rid of excess sodium and thus lowers high blood pressure.
-- Melon juice coatings are used for reducing pain. Apply coating made of melon juice or ground melon onto the sore spot in order to get rid of pain.
-- In folk medicine melon has been used for calming and refreshing. It also helps in removing harmful substances from the body.
-- Melon is used against kidney stones, dealing with insect bites, burns and diseases of the stomach and intestines.
-- Helps with inflammation of the bile and urinary tract in impaired digestion.
-- Melon is not fattening so it is great if you want to reduce your body weigh
Source: www.healthyfoodstar.com
FOOD HOW-TO 4 EASY WAYS TO FREEZE BERRIES
4 Easy Ways To Freeze Berries
Four quick ways to freeze the fresh-picked flavor of summer berries.
Photo: Hector Sanchez
Story by Mary Allen Perry
There's nothing quite as soul-crushing as eating an out-of-season berry. That's why we capture the cobbler-sweet taste of the locally grown jewels by freezing them at their peak. Berries frozen with sugar better retain their color and texture, while those frozen without are perfect for adding to quick breads or cakes.
Just before freezing, gently wash berries in cool water, and pat them dry with paper towels. Remove and discard stems, leaves, and any under-ripe or damaged fruit. Pick one of the methods below, or mix and match. No matter how you freeze 'em, we guarantee you'll never be tempted to buy bland again.
1. Sliced, Crushed, or Pureed Berries
Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar per quart of berries; gently stir until sugar dissolves. Spoon into plastic freezer jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims clean; secure lids. Freeze up to 12 months.
Best Uses: Top off shortcakes, stir into yogurt, layer in an ice-cream parfait.
2. Dry Sugar Pack
Pat 1 quart of berries just until damp. Gently toss with 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar. Place in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan; freeze until firm. Pack into plastic freezer containers; cover and seal. Freeze up to 12 months.
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Best Uses: Add frozen berries to cobblers or pies, stir into pancake batter.
3. Quick Freeze
Place berries in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan; freeze until firm. Pack into zip-top plastic freezer bags, leaving 1-inch headspace. Squeeze out excess air; seal and freeze up to 8 months.
Best Uses: Add frozen berries to muffin, cake, or quick bread batter; spoon over oatmeal or cereal.
4. Syrup Pack
Stir together 1 quart cold water and 2 1/2 cups sugar until sugar dissolves. Pack berries in wide-mouth canning jars; cover with syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims clean; secure lids. Freeze up to 12 months.
Best Uses: Thaw in fridge; drain, reserving syrup, and use like fresh berries.
