Vincent E. Pacheco Blog: October 2016

Monday, October 31, 2016

What would happen if one planet was just deleted?

All bodies have a gravitational impact on all other bodies, but that impact is usually small enough to ignore.

For example, take Jupiter. It is 1/1000th the mass of the Sun and 5 times farther away. So Newton's F=GMm/(R^2) indicates the effect of Jupiter on the Earth is 1/25000 that of the effect of the Sun on Earth. That is pretty negligible. It's possible Jupiter's contribution has resulted in a slight increase in the Earth's orbital eccentricity - but not enough that our lives would be different if Jupiter had never existed.

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J&J vows to appeal $70m ‘baby powder’ verdict

The case is said to be about “sympathy and science.” It might also be about marketing to vulnerable populations.

A jury in St. Louis took just three hours in determining that a woman’s decades-long use of baby powder for feminine hygiene led to her cancer diagnosis. The award to the plaintiff was $70 million.

Thursday’s verdict arrived quickly, as did the response from Johnson and Johnson’s corporate communications office. In a statement on the company website, Carol Goodrich, spokesperson for J&J’s Consumer Division, said:

“We deeply sympathize with the women and families impacted by ovarian cancer. We will appeal today’s verdict because we are guided by the science, which supports the safety of Johnson’s Baby Powder. In fact, two cases pending in New Jersey were dismissed in September 2016 by a state court judge who ruled that plaintiffs’ scientific experts could not adequately support their theories that talcum powder causes ovarian cancer, a decision that highlights the lack of credible scientific evidence behind plaintiffs’ allegations.”

The iconic brand’s headquarters are in New Brunswick, New Jersey. NJ.com reported:

Much research has found no link or a weak one between ovarian cancer and using baby powder for feminine hygiene, and most major health groups have declared talc harmless. Johnson & Johnson, whose baby powder dominates the market, maintains it's perfectly safe.

But [attorney] Jim Onder of the Onder Law Firm…cited other research that began connecting talcum powder to ovarian cancer in the 1970s. He said case studies have indicated that women who regularly use talc on their genital area face up to a 40 percent higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.

[RELATED: Learn to produce newscast-ready video and B-roll that media notice and fans share.]

In an interview with the Associated Press, Onder “accused Johnson & Johnson of marketing toward overweight women, blacks and Hispanics — the very same women most at risk for ovarian cancer.”

The AP reported:

Factors known to increase a women's risk of ovarian cancer include age, obesity, use of estrogen therapy after menopause, not having any children, certain genetic mutations and personal or family history of breast or ovarian cancer.

"We are pleased the jury did the right thing. They once again reaffirmed the need for Johnson & Johnson to warn the public of the ovarian cancer risk associated with its product," Onder said.

There were numerous comments on the NJ.com website, including a few about marketing:

IBTimes had a brief comment from a juror:

“It seemed like Johnson & Johnson didn’t pay attention,” one juror, Billie Ray, 76, of St. Louis, reportedly said, adding that a warning label should have been placed on talc containers to let consumers know about the risks. “It seemed like they didn’t care.”

J&J’s website, meanwhile, has several pages and resources addressing concerns about talc.

“The Facts About Talc” section seems geared toward women:

With all the types of information we use to make products, there is no information more important than our research on scientific data and safety. We go beyond the findings of a single study because we must ensure we’ve assembled all of the available data from multiple scientific areas to reach conclusions based on evidence. One opinion or study can’t outweigh decades of conclusive, scientific, evidence-based findings. As a scientist and, equally important, as a parent myself, I can tell you the science is clear: Cosmetic talc is, and has been, safe for use in consumer products.

We are all mothers, fathers, and consumers ourselves; we understand and take seriously our responsibility to give you the information you need to make your own decisions. We created this site to help you find the facts about talc more easily.

Nearly 2,000 similar cases against J&J are pending.

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Are you using innovative digital marketing tactics?

As a savvy marketer, you know it’s not enough to just have a presence on digital channels. You have to constantly innovate, adopt new practices and explore new platforms. But it can be easy to fall behind.

Has your organization:

Built a newsroom to create content that customers and journalists will find irresistible?
Engaged millennial audiences by telling compelling snapchat stories?
Curated visual content from your employees?

Brands like Denver Water, Chrysler, and Lockheed Martin are using these exact practices to stay ahead of the competition. Learn their secrets at our Digital Marketing Conference on Nov. 14-15 in Denver. You’ll leave with the specific knowledge you need to expand your reach online and engage new audiences.

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What are the most creative and unexpected answers that kids give when asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up"?

When one of my kids was about 8 someone asked him what he wanted to do when he left school. He thought about it intently for a little while and then settled on "I'll think I'll just go home and have my tea."

Same kid, now aged 12 in the back of the car as we were driving down to London to visit family "Mum I think I know what I want to do when I leave school."

Me (inwardly hugely relieved at the first hint of ambition or future thinking) "Oh, what's that, honey?"

Him: "Grow a moustache."

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What's a cool thing you ‘invented’ as a kid, only to find it had already been invented?

The rotary engine.

I was 14 at the time and just getting interested in cars and engines and how they all fit together. I remember looking at an engine diagram and thinking “huh. I wonder how we could make this smaller.” I started by making a sort of pushrod engine shown below.

That made me wonder if I could make it less complicated so I basically came up with the Wankel Rotor design shown below

After planning how I would spend my millions of dollars I showed my design to my dad who proceeded to applaud my design and how I got there but told me I was a little too late to capitalize on it :(

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Hawthorne by Pennyfarthing

Pennyfarthing Homes brings a stunning new development to Vancouver’s West side. This amazing development will consist of 1-3 bedroom residences ranging from 680 sq ft to 1,433 sq ft over 7 storeys.

The Hawthorne is situated next to the lovely Queen Elizabeth park and just a short walk along Cambie will bring you to the Oakridge mall where you will satisfy all you shopping and dinning needs.

Pricing has not yet been determined. Please register and join our VIP list to be one of the first to receive information

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What was the last lie you told?

Earlier this week, my college held a party to celebrate the beginning of the semester. I went to the party. My mother called me during the party. Here’s what happened:

*partying*

*phone rings* Me: “OK, guys, shut the fuck up; my mother’s calling.”

“Hello, mom?”

“Jeffrey, what are you doing?”

*friends start moaning sexually in background*

“Oh, nothing. Just studying by myself.”

“Why do I hear people in the background?”

*friends start moaning loudly ‘OH JEFFREY PUT YOUR PANTS ON*”

“…..Those are just some drunken people”

“OOOOOH. Keep studying, son!”

*end of call*

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Was Ygritte responsible for Mance Rayder's/Wildlings downfall?

You could make that argument, I suppose. The wildlings may have gotten further than they did or killed more than they did or might even have taken Castle Black. But as soon as Stannis' forces were on the move, I think the wildlings were always doomed. It was just a matter of how far they got. I'm leery of attributing stuff like this to any one root cause, or playing "what if" games. The story we have is what happened, and that's it.

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Crisis PR tips for Toronto care facilities following 8 deaths

Stick to the statement.

That’s the advice that PR crisis executive Stan Steinreich, founder of a global consultancy, has for communicators at two long-term care residences in Ontario. Canadian authorities alleged Tuesday that a former nurse—Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer—killed eight elderly patients from 2007 to 2014.

How are executives at the facilities responding to the crisis? Leaders at Caressant Care Nursing and Retirement Homes—where seven of the patients died—seem to be following Steinreich’s “stick to the statement” advice.

MyFox8.com reported:

Caressant Care Woodstock Long Term Care Home said it is cooperating with police. Wettlaufer left the home’s employ two and a half years ago, spokesman Lee Griffi said in a statement.

“Our highest priority is to continue to provide for the physical, social and spiritual needs of our residents, and that remains our focus,” Griffi said.

“We deeply regret the additional grief and stress this is imposing on the families involved. We are determined to avoid compromising the police investigation in any way and are therefore unable to provide any additional comment at this time.”

Authorities offered limited details at press conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Associated Press reported:

"The victims were administered a drug. We're not in a position at this time to comment further on the specifics of the drug as it forms part of the evidence that is now before the courts," Ontario Provincial Police detective Dave Truax said.

Truax would only say that a number of drugs were stored and accessible in the nursing homes where the suspect worked. The investigation is ongoing and officials said more charges could be brought in the future. Police would not speak to a possible motive.

First steps

In a telephone interview with Health Care Communication News, Steinreich said the initial hours after a crisis breaks are crucial for PR pros and executives.

“The health care facilities [in Canada] must reassure the public about the safety of patients and employees. This has to be done in a way that doesn’t imply guilt but offers reassurance and commitment to finding answers to difficult questions. Do it quickly and modify communication as additional details become available,” Steinreich said.

Preparing a statement in a multi-platform format for news organizations—and posting it on social media—are solid first steps, he said.

Again, stick to the statement, but don’t go beyond it. “That’s a very dangerous area for communicators,” Steinreich said.

Separating people from brands

Steinreich said it’s imperative that charges such as those lodged against Wettlaufer are treated not only as criminal cases but also as acts of workplace violence.

“Health care is the same as any industry in which an employee shows up to a factory with a gun, or a worker kills people at a post office. Each is an act of workplace violence,’’ he said. “Crisis communicators can remind the public that the [former] employee is troubled and has a problem but [that] it’s not a systemic issue.”

Steinreich advises PR and marketing pros to differentiate the brand from the individual. “No organization I know of encourages violence,’’ he says.

The ‘bank of goodwill’

How can leaders deflect attention—and search engines—from a horrific situation? Steinreich says communicators should have a growing “bank” of positive community stories to “draw upon” when a crisis arises: “It reminds the public of the community service deeds the organization provides on a regular basis. It helps isolate a disturbed individual from the overall brand and goodwill.”

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What kind of conversations happen only in the UK?

I’m from London and left 15 years ago to live in New York, then Singapore. The conversation that always makes me smile when I go back is the “thank you” exchange that happens when I’m buying something from a shop:

“Thank you” (As I put the item on the counter)

“Thank you” (The check out person picks it up)

“Would you like a bag?” (Check out person)

“Yes please” (Me)

“Thank you” (Check out person, handing over my item)

“Thank you” (Me)

“That’s five pounds” (Check out staff)

“There you go” (Me handing over money)

“Thank you” (Check out person accepting the money)

“A penny change, thank you” (Check out person giving me the change)

“Thank you” (me accepting the change)

“Thank you, bye” (Check out person thanking me for the purchase)

“Thank you, bye” (Me thanking them)

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7 ways the Barcelona Principles can fix PR’s past mistakes

Communicators of the future are tasked with correcting PR misdeeds of those before them.

In 2010, PR practitioners from more than 40 countries gathered in Catalonia, Spain for a meeting on industry issues. Roughly 140 people attended the conference, hosted by the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication—the world’s largest trade body representing communications research, measurement and insights.

The result of that conference was the first draft of the Barcelona Principles: seven core principles aimed at righting the mistakes of the past in the PR industry.

These new voluntary guidelines were to be used for measuring and evaluating communications and PR campaigns. Early adopters of the Barcelona Principles included Edelman, FleishmanHillard, Ketchum and StrategyOne.

In the five years that followed, the guidelines’ adoption has been patchy across the industry. The wording of each principle has been debated and fine-tuned, ultimately resulting in the Barcelona Principles Mark II, agreed at the AMEC summit in 2015.

Here are the updated principles:

1. Goal setting and measurement are fundamental.

To an outsider, this might seem obvious—but a huge number of brand managers make up their organization’s strategy from year to year. Do these sound familiar?

“There’s a product launching next month. We should have an event!”

“We should do a press release about something. Check if the commercial team has any news we could put out.”

If so, your organization must employ the Barcelona Principles. Measurement, evaluation and goal setting should be at the core of PR campaigns across paid, earned, owned and shared channels.

2. Measure communication outcomes, rather than measuring only outputs.

Outputs can be measured easily in quantitative terms (i.e. numbers), but the second principle has now been updated to reinforce the importance of qualitative feedback (i.e. words).

The original principle stated that qualitative methods of measuring outcomes were “often preferable,” but the update recognizes that the use of qualitative methods should be used alongside quantitative measures as appropriate. It also specifically mentions advocacy as an outcome that can (and should) be measured.

3. Measure the effect on organizational performance.

The third principle is all about the big picture. It’s all well and good to talk about your PR and communications goals, but what effect are you having on your organization as a whole?

PR efforts can increase the bottom line and profits, but that is not the only effect it can have. This principle was originally focused on PR’s effect on business results, but the updated wording reflects the fact that communications can impact your organization’s overall performance.

To do this, PR pros must understand integrated marketing and communication models. PR does not exist in a silo, nor should its strategies.

4. Measurement and evaluation require both qualitative and quantitative methods.

In traditional media, quantitative measures (tactics that you can count) can include press clippings, circulation and readership figures, impressions, air time and volume of coverage. For digital media, quantitative measures include web rankings, followers gained, website visitors and social media engagement (number of likes, comments, shares and retweets.)

For a qualitative analysis, assess the effect that the activity had on tone and sentiment. Scour blogger comments, hold focus groups for consumer feedback, monitor commentary by public figures (including celebrities or politicians) and gauge how online community sentiment was affected. Internally, you can run surveys to find if the campaign had an effect on employee morale.

5. AVEs do not show the worth of communications.

Though some cling to Advertising Value Equivalent as a measure, PR practitioners following best practices should entirely reject them.

The old-school practice of measuring the success of PR efforts by the yardstick of advertising rates is dead. There are better models for calculating the qualitative and quantitative effect of campaigns.

Measuring our own industry by the yardstick of another shows an alarming lack of confidence in our own abilities. There is no common measurement for advertising and editorial. It’s akin to asking a basketball player how many home runs he scored in his last game.

6. Social media can (and should) be measured with other channels.

Many sophisticated free and paid-for tools are available to measure the ROI of social media efforts.

Between the analytics offered within social sites themselves, Klout scores and the numerous other measurement tools that detect share of voice, engagement, followers, likes, retweets and so on, there is no excuse not to measure and report on social media channels just like any other.

7. Measurement and evaluation should be transparent, consistent and valid.

Whether you work on an in-house corporate communications team (and are looking for an increased budget) or you’re in an agency looking to demonstrate your value to a client, effectively measuring the success of your campaigns is crucial.

However, in 2013, 59 percent of PR pros surveyed by the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication said that the biggest barrier they face in measuring their success is that it’s “too complex.”

When we measure performance, it’s crucial to compare like with like, and act with integrity, honesty and openness. The updated principle includes more specific guidance about valid quantitative and qualitative methods in an effort to ensure that they are reliable, replicable and/or trustworthy.

How well do you think these updated principles define the PR industry and professionals' charge?

Katie Harrington is a PR pro, blogger and author of “Strategic Communications: The Science Behind the Art.” A version of this article originally appeared on her blog.

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Could some people be supporting Donald Trump not because he'll be a good president, rather that they want to see the establishment burn?

I think that’s very likely, but they probably don’t realize just what letting the establishment “burn” entails. They also probably are not aware of the limitations of presidential power. Trump can’t do whatever he wants if Congress doesn’t give him the money for it.

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10 Great Gay Hotspots Around the World

superman and batman kissing in street art in manchester england
I’ve added an LGBT column for the website to make the site more inclusive and talk about issues that affect some members of our community. In this column, we hear from voices in the LGBT community about their experiences on the road, safety tips, events, and overall advice for other LGBT travelers! Returning this month is our column leader, Adam from travelsofadam.com.

The great thing about travel today is that more of the world is accessible and open — no matter your sexuality or gender identity. While there have been ups and downs in the political movement for LGBT equality, major cities still provide the safest and friendliest spots for LGBT individuals.

I’ve been traveling around the world since 2009 and have visited some of the world’s most popular LGBT-friendly destinations along the way. I’ve marched and danced in Gay Pride parades from Sydney to Stockholm and been to more queer music festivals than I ever even imagined existed.

As the Orlando Pulse shooting reminded us, the gay club is still an important place to find culture and community. And there are still cities that really strut their LGBT history and queer identity, so we need to hang on to them.

There are many more gay-friendly hotspots around the world, but these are 10 of my favorites because of their history of activism, the number of diverse LGBT events they host, and the fact that they’re just really cool cities. If you are a gay traveler looking for a city that has it all, check out one of these:

Berlin

a man painted in silver at a LGBT pride event in Berlin
Germany’s capital has a unique place in gay history. In the 1920s Weimar era, it was one of Europe’s most liberal cities — home to gaudy cabaret and the site of one of the first gay villages. Today, Berlin’s free-spirited attitude has propelled it to the top of many “best of” lists thanks to 24-hour nightlife, a burgeoning art and food scene, and a diverse, international population.

Historically, the gay center of Berlin was around Nollendorfplatz in Schöneberg, an area still popular for its fetish clubs and leather bars, not to mention the legendary Folsom Europe street party each September (and where you’ll also find a gay history museum). But in today’s Berlin, the new gay hotspots are found throughout the Kreuzberg and Neukölln neighborhoods in indie bars and clubs such as SchwuZ, SilverFuture, or The Club. Berlin’s legendary nightlife shines through queer parties that are increasingly not just for LGBT people — everything from the techno-fueled weekends at Berghain to KitKat Club’s bi-monthly Gegen party.

When to visit: Visit Berlin during the summer, when the city comes alive with countless festivals, open-air parties, and queer events. The annual Christopher Street Day parade (Gay Pride) is celebrated by hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists each June.

More LGBT Berlin tips: Hipster Guide to Berlin

Manchester

a plaque dedicated to alan turing in manchester england
While London still holds an important place in the UK’s LGBT scene, Manchester plays host to a number of the biggest and best LGBT events in the country. Once the home to iconic gay hero Alan Turing, Manchester became internationally famous from the 1990s Queer as Folk TV series set in and around the city’s gay neighborhood, Canal Street.

Today, Canal Street is still filled with bars, clubs, and other gay-owned businesses — from the pretty and glitzy Richmond Tea Rooms to popular nightclubs like G-A-Y and Poptastic. Manchester’s Northern Quarter, with its trendy bars, underground rock clubs, and small indie art galleries, has also become a gay hotspot a little further removed from the twinky, tank top–filled Canal Street.

When to visit: Manchester Pride is the UK’s largest, taking place each September, but other queer events happen year-round, such as the trans-focused Sparkle Festival in July and the Queer Contact arts festival each winter.

More LGBT Manchester tips: Hipster Guide to Manchester

Dallas

superman and batman kissing in street art in manchester england
Maybe it’s not the first LGBT-friendly place you think of in the United States, but Dallas, Texas, has become a hotspot in the past decade. The Oak Lawn neighborhood is the epicenter of LGBT culture there, with many gay bars and LGBT-owned businesses on Cedar Springs Road, as well as in the nearby Bishop Arts District. Legendary nightlife venues like Station 4 and the Round-Up Saloon attract big crowds each weekend with their drag shows, square dancing, and other special events. And for those looking for slightly more offbeat travel adventures, the nearby Wildcatter Ranch is a gay-friendly cowboy resort.

When to visit: Dallas Pride takes place each September, but the Oak Lawn neighborhood also comes alive, full of color and costumes, each Halloween for the annual Oak Lawn Halloween Block Party.

Los Angeles

a plaque for Christopher Street, where the first gay pride parade in Los Angeles started
With its seemingly endless warm weather, sunshine, and meticulously manicured population, Los Angeles has been one of the United States’ most gay-friendly cities for a long time. So much so that since 1969 there’s been an LGBT center in the city that now boasts it serves more LGBT individuals than any other organization in the world. You’ll also find the ONE Archives Foundation, tasked with recording LGBT history by preserving historical artifacts, publications, and testimonies. Culturally, Los Angeles is famous for being the global cinematic capital, but it also has world-class restaurants and museums, such as LACMA and the Getty Museum.

Then there’s the nightlife, including West Hollywood’s gay clubs and bars, such as crowd favorites The Abbey and Flaming Saddles. Outside of the “gay ghetto” of WeHo, Silver Lake is a popular gay hotspot. There, you’ll find The Black Cat, site of the first documented LGBT civil rights demonstration in the US and now a popular brunch hangout. For nightlife in Silver Lake, Akbar draws the bearded hipster crowd with its small dance parties.

When to visit: The LA Pride Music Festival and Parade takes place each June in West Hollywood, with hundreds of thousands of spectators, but if summertime is too hot, the biggest gay party of the year is the free Halloween Carnival, a street party on Santa Monica Boulevard.

More LGBT Los Angeles tips: Gay Bars in Los Angeles – 10 Best Places to Party

Buenos Aires

superman and batman kissing in street art in manchester england
Argentina was the first South American country to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption rights, putting the country at the forefront of LGBT equality since 2010. The capital Buenos Aires has benefited, with a large and vibrant LGBT culture.

The areas of Recoleta, Palermo, and San Telmo are where you’ll find the largest concentration of gay bars and nightlife. Palermo, with trendy bars, cafés, shops, and restaurants in its Soho district, offers a lot of cool things to see and do — from the Latin pop and drag at Jolie Club (Fiesta Jolie) every Wednesday to the gay-friendly underground speakeasies (such as the new Victoria Brown Bar).

The gay community in Buenos Aires is relatively out and open, but the culture is more subdued than other over-the-top gay destinations. But still, you’ll find LGBT life fairly well integrated in society, with many tango bars and clubs even offering queer tango lessons and dance nights.

When to visit: Buenos Aires Pride takes place in November, at the beginning of the southern hemisphere’s summer season.

More LGBT Buenos Aires tips: Gay Buenos Aires Guide

Bangkok

superman and batman kissing in street art in manchester england
A longtime favorite for LGBT tourists, Bangkok has a lot to offer, making it one of Asia’s most popular gay destinations. The fun and friendly gay scene is centered around the Silom neighborhood, specifically the streets known as Soi 2 and Soi 4. Bangkok’s best gay nightlife is at DJ Station every weekend, specifically the midnight drag shows each Friday. Telephone Pub on Soi 4 serves as an early evening hangout with drag shows and pub food, while G.O.D. (Guys on Display) draws the after-hour crowds when all the other gay bars close down for the night.

While Thailand hasn’t recognized many LGBT rights, many tourists will find the city surprisingly open-minded. And while you’ll find some seedy sex clubs throughout the city, Bangkok’s legendary shopping and culinary scenes make it equally interesting for travelers with more discerning tastes. Also: look out for gay events at Bangkok’s luxury hotels such as the Sofitel So, which runs regular gay parties on its rooftop bar and pool lounge.

When to visit: One of the biggest and best events in Bangkok is the annual Songkran water festival in April, with the largest circuit party, called gCircuit, takes place in Silom — with all the trappings of every other international circuit party (think: hunky shirtless guys and lots of electronic music raging day and night).

More LGBT Bangkok tips: Hipster Guide to Bangkok

Dublin

superman and batman kissing in street art in manchester england
When Ireland passed same-sex marriage laws in mid-2015, the country became the first in the world to offer equal rights by popular vote. At the head of Dublin’s LGBT scene sits local icon and activist Panti Bliss, who has been at the forefront of Ireland’s LGBT movement and owns the popular club Panti Bar. Gay pub The George also plays host to Dublin’s best LGBT events, with regular drag and karaoke nights.

When to visit: Paying homage to Dublin’s important place in literary history, the city plays host to the annual International Gay Theatre Festival each May. The festival began in 2004 to mark the 150th anniversary of Oscar Wilde’s birth and has since become the world’s largest queer theatre festival. Wilde, one of Dublin’s most important literary figures, has a statue commemorating his life in Merrion Square Park (near his birthplace). The park is also where Dublin Pride takes place each June.

More LGBT Dublin tips: Gay Dublin Guide

Stockholm

a rainbow flag at stockholm's gay pride event
Famous for cold winters, sunny summers, and trendsetting Swedes all year long, Stockholm has a strange mix of art, fashion, culture, and design — and one of Scandinavia’s best LGBT scenes. Sweden is also one of the most progressive countries in the world when it comes to LGBT and women’s rights.

The LGBT scene is spread throughout the city. From the underground indie club King Kong to the kitschy ABBA Museum, there’s something for everyone in the city. During the summer months, the Mälarpaviljongen restaurant (located on a set of floating docks) hosts a number of LGBT events, fundraisers, and parties.

When to visit: Stockholm Pride each August is the biggest gay event of the year, with big music acts, parties, and public seminars on everything from fetish training to human rights.

More LGBT travel tips: Hipster Guide to Stockholm

Toronto

rainbow macarons in toronto canada
Home to Canada’s largest LGBT community, Toronto has a vibrant and lively gay village. The intersecting streets of Church and Wellesley feature a number of gay-owned bars and businesses. The area comes alive each night with locals and visitors, most famously at Woody’s, one of the best clubs on Church Street.

But Toronto’s gay-friendliness extends elsewhere in the city, such as the West Queen West and Trinity Bellwoods neighborhoods. Take a walk down Ossington Avenue, College Street, or Queen Street West (bordering these neighborhoods) for a number of cool, queer-friendly businesses, from Toronto’s best macaroons at Nadege Patisserie to the monthly Yes Yes Y’all queer hip-hop and dancehall party.

When to visit: Too cold in the winter, Toronto is best in the summer when it’s sunny and full of color. Pride Toronto — one of the world’s largest Pride celebrations — attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Other popular events include the Inside Out LGBT film festival which takes place over two weeks at the beginning of each summer, showcasing more than 200 queer-themed films alongside artist talks, premieres, and industry panels.

More LGBT travel tips: Hipster Guide to Toronto

Sydney

superman and batman kissing in street art in manchester england
While Australia is currently arguing over same-sex marriage equality, Sydney remains a beacon of gay-friendliness on the continent. With Sydney’s progressive attitudes, beautiful beaches, and an active arts scene, the city is as vibrant as ever.

The Darlinghurst neighborhood, just south of Hyde Park on Oxford Street, serves as the unofficial gay neighborhood. Palms on Oxford, with its pop hits, hosts some of the biggest parties each weekend and is a longtime favorite for locals and tourists. But the areas of Surrey Hills and Newtown further out from the city center, with their cool cafés, trendy bars, and small, indie basement clubs (like the Tokyo Sing-Song bar) are also accessible and mostly gay-friendly areas.

When to visit: Sydney’s annual Pride takes shape in the form of Mardi Gras (February/March). It’s one of the world’s largest Pride parades and features weeks of events and parties. It’s a colorful event, with crowds that fill the streets and parks of Sydney all day and night.

More LGBT travel tips: Gay Sydney Guide

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Here’s the thing: just about any city in the world can be a “gay hotspot” — it’s always a matter of knowing where is safe and how to meet locals. Planning your visit around LGBT events — from film festivals and Pride parades to political activist seminars — is a pretty solid way to make any holiday that much more gay.

Adam Groffman is a former graphic designer living in Berlin, Germany. He’s a gay travel expert, writer, and blogger and publishes a series of LGBT-friendly Hipster City Guides from around the world on his gay travel blog, Travels of Adam. When he’s not out exploring the coolest bars and clubs, he’s usually enjoying the local arts and culture scene. Find more of his travel tips (and embarrassing stories) on Twitter @travelsofadam.

P.S. – Want to meet some cool travelers? The Nomadic Matt team is hosting a bunch of meet-ups around the U.S. over the next few months! You can find out how to join one of them (they are free) by clicking here! We’re even giving away prizes to attendees!

Photo credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

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Why is remorse considered during sentencing in criminal trials? Shouldn't sentencing be based on evidence rather than a judge's subjective evaluation of how the defendant feels?

Depravity, or the absence thereof, is a proper factor to consider in sentencing. A convicted armed robber who was trying to get medicine for a sick child wouldn't be viewed as harshly as one who needed money to feed his meth habit or pay his bookie. Similarly, a convicted defendant who expresses remorse and the desire to make amends to his victim is probably more deserving of mercy than this cupcake:

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A WordPress Plugin to Pull & Display Zillow Reviews?

Zillow has an API that returns reviews for a specified screen name. They clearly want agents and brokers to use those reviews on their own websites (see their widget here).

We all know a big percentage of agent and broker websites are built with WordPress. I’ll wager a guess I’m not the only one that’s thought there should be an easy way to integrate reviews from Zillow into WordPress. Yet, I looked on the plugin directory – http://ift.tt/1R9zxwu – and didn’t see one.

Thus, I’d like to ask — has anyone built a plugin that makes it easy to pull Zillow reviews using a shortcode and/or a sidebar widget?

If so, please leave a comment with further details or shoot me a note. If not and you’d be interested in using one were it to exist, I’d also love to hear from you (drew at horizonapp co).

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Facebook tests Snapchat-esque camera

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Snapchat’s creators should be blushing.

Facebook’s quest either to overtake or to imitate the popular social media app forged ahead recently with a new camera app and filters.

The Guardian reported:

On Friday came the news that Facebook is testing a new camera in its main app that offers Snapchat Lens-style photo and video filters to users. The camera, available to users in Ireland for now, is accessed by swiping right on the homescreen of the Facebook app.

Here’s what Facebook’s “new camera” looks like:

Photos and videos that users create with the camera can be posted on users’ timelines as well as sent privately through Facebook’s new “Direct inbox” feature—similar to Instagram’s message feature.

The features are part of “Facebook Direct,” which is separate from Facebook Messenger and the main Facebook app.

Facebook told TechCrunch’s Josh Constine that it might “test more variations of these before rolling this out globally,” so although the camera and filters are, for now, available only to users in Ireland, all users should eventually have access.

Offering the features isn’t the only move that Facebook has made to compete with Snapchat as the platform seeks to increase users’ sharing of original content.

The Guardian reported:

… On Saturday it was revealed that Facebook has also launched Snapchat-style filters in Facebook Live as a special Halloween feature. They’re different filters from the ones available in the main test, though, and users can’t simply save them – instead, the goal seems to be to promote more Facebook Live sharing.

Techcrunch also reported that this summer, Facebook tried to buy Snow—a Snapchat-like app from Naver. The app has roughly 80 million downloads and racks up about 10 million more per month.

The attempt ended the same way Facebook’s proposal to buy Snapchat for $3 billion in 2013: with a flat-out “no.”

Engadget reported:

But not even a big stack of cash and a personal phone call from the Zuck himself was enough to seal a deal. Instead, Naver's leaders believe that it can make Snow a big success without the help of the world's biggest social network. Similarly, Snapchat has seen its value increase dramatically post-Facebook, and is in line to go public next year at a valuation of nearly $25 billion.

Rejected deals haven’t made Facebook back down from the fight for viewers, though. We’ll probably continue to see additional features “inspired” by Snapchat as Facebook seeks to make itself a one-stop social platform.

Constine wrote:

Facebook may not be able to squash Snapchat, but by copying its best features, it could become good enough that more users aren’t tempted to shift to sharing with the competitor.

… Facebook might never be as cool as Snapchat, but it doesn’t have to win back converts, just avoid more loyalists slipping away.

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4 ways to add magic to your social media strategy

Mastering social media can feel like following Alice through Wonderland.

New platforms with new rules emerge every 10 minutes. Trends seem to contradict each other. But you still have magic-wand tools to make sense of it all.

Find those tools, and learn new trends and best practices at the Social Media Conference for PR, Marketing and Corporate Communications at Disney World, on March 27–29.

Here are a few ways you can turn your under-valued social media plan into a Cinderella-at-the-ball:

1. Use social listening to respond to audiences in real time and identify trending topics.

2. Build excitement about your brand by live-streaming events.

3. Make the comments section a critically important customer service channel.

Hear from social media experts at Disney Parks, Target, NASA and Southwest Airlines. Leave with insights on how to delight audiences, be more efficient and measure your social marketing and PR.

Be our guest—register before midnight, central time on Oct. 31 to receive a $200 discount!

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What is the weirdest/grossest/most disturbing thing seen by emergency room staff? Do you ever find it difficult not to faint?

I'd been a contract guard at a hospital for about three years and I'd seen a lot of awful things. My last day on the job -- I was starting on an ambulance as an EMT the following weekend -- I was congratulating myself for how I'd never lost control of myself. I'd always remained professional, always had everyone's back whenever they needed me, never cried.

About 2 a.m., a paramedic ran in, performing CPR on an infant. SIDS. The little guy didn't make it. Mom and Dad arrived a few minutes later. Kid had been alive long enough for the parents to get used to having a little one in the house, settled into a routine, etc., and now... gone.

The screams of tortured souls in Hell don't measure up to the sound a woman makes when her baby dies.

I cried then, and even though it's been over 25 years, I'm crying now as I type this.

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How to improve your content strategy

This article was written about a video that was inspired by an article based on another video.

That history is not unknown in content marketing. It’s the story of many a content strategy.

Many marketers don’t produce the amount of content they should be producing.

I get it. For seven or eight years, I made content by myself. I didn’t have a team of smart people to create articles, video clips, infographics and episodes to be consumed every day. It was just me.

I’ve expanded since then. I’ve gotten plenty of emails about how some of you are ready to hire your own copywriter or designer or videographer. I encourage you to make that investment if you can and you don’t mind spending the money. Invest now so you make it in the long run.

Here’s the strategy: I understand that if I invest in core content like The #AskGaryVee Show and DailyVee, I can empower my team to consume that content, see what works, and create content around it.

It’s that simple.

FREE DOWNLOAD: How to turn your executive into a brilliant speaker.

The words you’re reading right now were probably synthesized by my team from a video or a podcast or an interview and then checked for grammar and punctuation. Then I listened to it and tweaked it a bit. After that, we brainstormed some headlines, I wrote some copy forFacebook, and we created some image quotes for Instagram. That’s how we do it.

That’s our system for creating content from content. Sometimes it goes deeper. As I said at the beginning, what you’re reading now was based on a video I decided to make after reviewing an article my team wrote for me!

When you have two shows like I do, you must think about using them as a content source, especially if you allocate resources for your original platform.

For example, all podcasters can easily make content from their podcasts. All your interviews could be four Medium pieces. One sixty-second clip could be a SoundCloud bit. Another audio clip combined with visuals would make an engaging video.

You can mine an enormous amount of content from bigger pieces at the top of your content chain. Hacking the mothership-content creates micro-content.

Consider animated GIFs. Much of the micro-content that you see on Tumblr and Facebook probably came from larger content pieces.

Video snippets, article summaries, etc., often are byproducts of something larger.

Ask yourself how you can create a weekly podcast or a daily video show that can lead to other pieces of content or micro-content.

It’s all sawdust. I’m fascinated by sawdust. It’s the byproduct of your output whether you’re a podcaster or a writer or an entrepreneur. It’s someone who took the sawdust after cutting a bunch of wood, repackaged it and then sold it.

Figure out where your sawdust should come from.

Here’s where this article originated:

Gary Vaynerchuk is a CEO, entrepreneur, investor, best-selling author and speaker. A version of this article originally appeared on his blog.

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8 online mistakes for marketers to avoid

Social media has been a consistent tactic in marketers’ lives for years.

It’s been long enough that we should have a firm grasp on what to do and what not to do online—but mistakes (lots of them) still happen.

Every organization is different, each platform has its intricacies and we approach our jobs with different skillsets. So, before you launch into writing, posting, interacting, measuring and optimizing your social content, start with a firm understanding of those three things: your organizations, social platforms and your gifts (or lack thereof) in the online space.

Once you’ve established that understanding and it’s time to make serious plans, consider avoiding these eight mistakes, which come courtesy of Digital Marketing Philippines.

1. Having no social media strategy. How will you know what to post or whether your social media efforts are working unless you begin with the end in mind?

2. Creating too many accounts too quickly. Grow your presence—just not overnight.

Launch your presence on a platform when you know that your audience is already there and will be receptive to your message on that channel. You don’t want to take on too much and get overwhelmed. Start with what you can manage.

JUST ANNOUNCED: The 2017 Social Media Conference for PR, Marketing and Corporate Communicators at Disney World.

3. Paying for fake followers. Don’t do it.

4. Only pushing marketing messaging. Mix up your content with what messages your audience will find valuable and pepper in hard sales messages occasionally (if at all).

5. Using irrelevant and/or too many hashtags. Keep your hashtag use under control.

Definitely use them, but be judicious. Instagram is the only venue where it’s not a travesty if you go nuts with hashtags.

6. Too much posting. Experiment to find out how often your audience will be receptive to you posting per day/week. Once you get going, you can find your sweet spot.

7. Forgetting to proofread. If you manage an organization’s account and you make a spelling or grammar error, you’re dead to me (or at least unfollowed).

8. Neglecting the “social” aspect of social media: This can be tricky. There are certain organizations that lend themselves to having one-on-one interactions with followers. If this isn’t your presence, you still should be aware of what’s being said about your organization across social platforms.

For more on these mistakes, check out the infographic below:

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Presenting the winners of the 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Awards

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What is an incident that changed your life?

I can think of four. In chronological order.

June 23, 1984-the day I married my wife.
May 20, 1989-the day I decided to get sober.
July 1, 1990- the day I quit my dead end job and went back to school to pursue my boyhood dream of becoming an over-the-road trucker. This could never have happened if it wasn't for both 1 & 2
June 23, 2008- the day I woke up in ICU after a failed suicide attempt, which led to my diagnosis of bipolar and the end of the madness and depression that I had been plagued with my entire life previously.

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Would NASA reject someone from their astronaut training program due to their spouse's occupation?

Can't say that I know the direct answer to that question, but I can speak from some experience about spousal occupations. When I was first selected as an ASCAN (astronaut candidate) in 1998, my wife worked for the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) in the training division. In their infinite wisdom, the MOD Training Division management and the Astronaut Office decreed that my wife was a threat to our (my) training. Since the Astronaut Office had now initiated protocols that we start taking exams to help qualify us as astronaut candidates of worth (this was due to some problems with the selection of the previous class in 1996), the MOD Training Division management dictated that my wife's position within the training organization could help me cheat on those exams and that she could also get access to the training records and change my grades! Can you believe that? Pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

BTW, when I took my very first exam as an astronaut candidate --it was a general exam on the International Space Station-- I was the first "student" to exit the testing room. I rose from my seat about 12 minutes after having first entered the room; my test complete after going over my answers three times! My grade? 100% I didn't need to cheat.

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3 lessons PR professionals can learn from Halloween movies

Halloween is just around the corner; Americans are preparing to show off costumes of ghouls, goblins, and goddesses. While it may be fun to be spooked, communications pros are working to ensure their clients aren't tricked this All Hallows' Eve.

At my firm, Media & Communications Strategies, we stress to clients not to get tricked or spooked during a media engagement, speech, or any other external communication. As former journalists, many of us have learned tricks of the trade, and this Halloween we've served up three lessons from classic Halloween movies that apply to communications professionals and their clients:

1. "The Nightmare Before Christmas "—There are many takeaways from this classic; the main one for PR pros is that they must home in on publicizing particular skills of their clients. Don't try to make them expert in everything. In this Tim Burton tale, Jack the Skeleton, successful as the leader of Halloween for many years, decides to take on Christmas as well. He makes a shambles of the Nativity.

The same thing can happen for PR reps pitching clients for stories. The media get pelted by pitches, so you must focus on what makes your client special, what new angle they bring to the piece.

Occasionally, our team works with a person who wants to brand herself as an expert in her field. Regardless of her profession, we conduct media training with her right away to find out what differentiates her from others in her industry. We then can offer unique angles to the media.

RELATED: Get the newest advances in PR measurement, media relations and PR storytelling at PR Daily World in NYC.

Students by nature, we learn all about the industries of our clients so we know where to attack. We avoid spreading our clients over every possible field. Jack the Skeleton was great at Halloween. Find out what makes your client great.

2. "Hocus Pocus"—Not many people celebrate Halloween without watching this movie—and even though we've seen it too many times to count, we still squirm when Max Dennison, the new kid in town, ignores warnings not to light the black candle that brings the evil Sanderson sisters back to life. The lesson is simple: learn from others' mistakes. Max dismissed the warnings and created chaos.

When a company fumbles its public relations, they aren't the first. Many companies learned from Johnson & Johnson's product recall in 1982, when seven people died from cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. The company recalled millions of bottles of Tylenol and worked closely with police to solve this horrendous crime.

Because Tylenol put their customers first, the brand survived the crisis and leads its market today. Although this happened thirty-two years ago, it's still an excellent example of how to handle a product recall and shows how we can learn from history.

3. "Urban Legend"—This 1998 slasher flick, not as well known as the other two films, is the most relevant for communications professionals. The story is simple: a prestigious New England university harbors a serial killer who students suspect kills in the style of urban legends. The school administration denies the existence of the serial killer and brushes the student press aside when it tries to shine light on the story.

My firm works with several universities and our advice to them when a problem hits is always the opposite of the action the university takes in "Urban Legend": Never try to sweep a situation under the rug, as it will always worsen. We identify the facts and work with third parties to conduct investigations. We keep all members of the university and surrounding community informed.

Whatever your film this holiday season, there's a lesson to be learned and shared with clients. And often the lesson is very simple. What did the "Friday the 13^th" series teach me? If locals tell you your campsite shelters a blood-thirsty, revenge-seeking terror, find somewhere else to pitch your tent.

Kate Connors is the senior account manager and social media strategist at Media & Communications Strategies.

This article first ran on Ragan.com in Oct. 2014.

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I hear a lot of stories about people receiving their bachelor's degrees in non-technical fields like literature, arts, etc., but who end up working in finance, investment banking, and trading. How so and why?

Why? Because investment banking is all about sales and human relations, and if you have a degree in Greek history, that qualifies you as much as a degree in economics.

One dirty secret of Wall Street, is that most of what you learn in school is pretty useless for non-technical positions. Degrees are just a useful way for HR to toss away resumes. The important part of a college education is that you've shown that you can deal with procedure and get things done according to a schedule. If the professor gives you an assignment, you think is totally stupid, you will complain, you will get annoyed, but in the end, you will do the assignment and you won't do something crazy like punch the professor in the face.

What that means is that if you get a job, you think your boss is an idiot, and you hate your work, you will obey and the work will get done.

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Sunday, October 30, 2016

What are some of your deepest and most horrifying secrets that only you know about?

I was once on a grand jury in Texas. And I couldn’t believe how I was the sole dissenter (or assenting person) far too much of the time.

Prosecutors would word things in whatever twisted way they could to get what they wanted - either a true bill or no bill. And law enforcement get away with damn near anything. It’s there I learned that there is no real justice and that if someone wants to accuse you of a felony, your life is in the hands of twelve gullible sponges willing to give the powers that be whatever they want so they can take their paycheck and go home. Or because they’re afraid to be the one who cares more about justice than what the prosecutor wants.

I think about some of the people whose lives we ruined unfairly by us true billing their cases. And I think about some of the people who will be forever tormented because the people who made them suffer were let off the hook when they shouldn’t have been.

I am legally obligated to take every conversation I heard and every image I saw in that room to my grave. I can never tell anyone about some of the most deeply troubling trends I have ever had the misfortune of encountering. I couldn’t sleep at night before. I certainly can’t now.

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Ragan’s Video Awards might make you a star

“I’m sure that I could be a movie star if I could get out of this place.” –Billy Joel

If you’ve ever shared this thought with the Piano Man, you’ve sold yourself short.

You can be a movie star without leaving your cubicle.

Enter your work in Ragan’s 2016 Video Awards. You’ll have the chance to gain international notoriety for your video, free attendance at a Ragan or PR Daily event, global fame from a write-up on the PR Daily website and a spiffy trophy to complete your world-wide stardom.

This year’s Video Awards have 28 ways to win, including these categories:

Best Low-Budget Video
Best Use of GIFs
Best Mobile Video
Best Humorous Video
Best Overall Video
Best PR video
Best Safety Video
Best Digital Advertisement
Best Real-Time Video
. . . and more!

Your time to hit it big is now.

Enter by Sept. 28 to get the early-bird discount.

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Do you believe in karma? Does karma happen to everyone?

Three years ago a woman I knew from university came up to me at a bar, called me a name I wouldn't want to repeat, and then spat on my face. Shocked and without retort (because it made no sense to me) I walked out of the room, had a little cry and went home.

Last week, I was telling someone that I didn't believe in karma. And essentially I don't. I do believe that if you put good out in the world good does come back. I definitely do not believe that people who have had ill fortune are somehow deserving of it.

Two days ago I was walking down the street and I saw, coming towards me, the woman who had spat on my face. I was about to give her a little nod to say hello (I find holding grudges to be incredibly unhealthy) when before she even saw me, a woman standing on the footpath called her I name I won't repeat here and SPAT ON HER FACE.

Now, this is weird. In my life, spitting isn't an everyday thing. I have seen this woman maybe twice since she spat on me. But suddenly, here I am actually witnessing her getting spat on. I didn't feel happy, it was sad for her, getting spat on is pretty awful.

Maybe in some weird way, because of some not so awesome events that happened to me this year, the universe was trying to tell me that everything would work out. That karma is real.

Probably not though. Sometimes it's comforting to think that it is.

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How far are we from intergalactic space travel?

It won’t ever happen at all.

Not because of the word intergalactic but because of the word we.

By the time humanity has achieved the capacity to travel between galaxies, it won’t be humanity any more. It will have engineered itself into something so different that it might not entirely recognize us as kin.

It’s like asking how far homo habilis is from helicopters. By the time helicopters came around, homo habilis was gone.

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What has been the biggest plot twist in your life?

8yrs ago,

I fled home where I was living with my Dad,

After I mistakenly spoilt his Nokia phone I was playing games with,

For fear of getting beaten by him.

Wandering on the streets,

I met a couple of kids who fled their homes too due to abuse meted on them by their parents/guardians.

Our misery brought us together,

And we transversed the city of Calabar Nigeria, scavenging for food to eat and sleeping in uncompleted buildings and public bus stops at night.

From the young promising kid who had dreams of becoming an Engineer,

I was now a homeless kid scavenging for food on the streets.

My father wasn't even keen on looking for me and I wasn't keen on returning home even with the hardships I faced as a kid on the streets.

I lived like that for some years with my street kids 'gang' .

Before I knew it , many of us were smoking and robbing,

But I choosed a different path , abstaining from drugs and scavenging for Scrap metal to sell to survive.

A few years after and am now 17 ,with a little money, I rent an apartment in a cheap area and enroll in a school to learn basic computing in the evenings when I get back from my scavenging hustle.

Now here I am a few years after,

Regretting that I left home and didn't get an education that could have helped me to get a decent employment, but thanking my stars too that I didn't fall into drugs and criminality like some of my street gang guys who are now dead or in prison

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How does an average American gun-owning citizen rationally justify his/her possession of gun(s)?

It's true - having a gun doesn't necessarily protect you from danger. There are countless scenarios where the gun would be useless in defense, or simply not available at the moment of need.

I have three or four fire extinguishers around my house. They are placed strategically, one at the top of the stairs, one in the kitchen, etc. so that if there's a fire, I might be able to put it out - or at least render safe escape from the burning house. I also have a smoke alarm in the house, as well as some carbon monoxide detectors. I also pay a lot of money for insurance on my home.

The odds are that in my entire life, I will never have a fire in my house. So far I haven't had a fire in any of the places I've lived in my 55 years.

Based on those facts, it's a complete waste of money to have insurance, or smoke detectors, or carbon monoxide detectors, or fire extinguishers, since statistically it is extremely unlikely that I'll ever experience a fire.

I still prefer to have them, just in case.

Likewise with a gun. We already have significant restrictions on gun ownership in america. In order to purchase a gun, you must be an adult, you must be of sound mind, and you must not be a felon. A background check is performed to verify those three minimal requirements. It is illegal to buy a gun for someone else (a 'straw purchase'). It's illegal in most states to carry a gun on your person or in your car without a license. It's illegal to threaten a person with a gun if you aren't in great bodily danger. It is, it should go without saying, illegal to kidnap, rape, rob, or murder a person at gunpoint (or even without a gun).

Unlike most other countries, in the US ownership of a firearm is an enumerated civil right. Within our framework, guns simply will not ever be banned and confiscated, unlike other countries. With those facts in hand, we work within the framework of reality and do our best to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them, without unnecessarily (and uselessly) burdening those who are *not* proscribed from owning firearms.

Twenty years ago, the US had a homicide rate of 9.8/100k. As of 2012, our rate was 4.7/100k, a̶n̶d̶ ̶p̶r̶e̶l̶i̶m̶i̶n̶a̶r̶y̶ ̶f̶i̶g̶u̶r̶e̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶F̶B̶I̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶
̶h̶a̶l̶f̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶2̶0̶1̶3̶ ̶s̶h̶o̶w̶e̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶u̶g̶e̶ ̶d̶r̶o̶p̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶3̶.̶6̶/̶1̶0̶0̶k̶.̶ * In those intervening years, the two most widely known gun control measures were enacted: The Brady Bill, which implemented background checks, and the Assault Weapons ban, which expired in 2004. According to the US Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Centers for Disease Control, those laws had *no measurable effect on violent crime rates*. Yet today we have half the homicides, half the rapes, half the robberies, etc, as we had twenty years ago - without assistance from gun control.

There simply is no need - within the American framework - for law abiding citizens to justify their ownership of guns. We indeed *are* all concerned about guns getting into the wrong hands, which is why we do have laws that prohibit said persons from owning them. And the majority of firearms owners, who are responsible people, take appropriate measures to safeguard their guns from getting into the wrong hands.

This answer brought to you by Coffee.

*The FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2013 was apparently released the same day I wrote this. The homicide rate for the year concluded at 4.5/100k, a small drop. Clearly the preliminary figures were out of kilter. Other rates of violent crime also dropped year over year, as did property crimes. Crime in the U.S. 2013

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