Advertising Nursery Plants In National And Regional Magazines

Some mail order nursery companies still continue to advertise their plant products in magazines. To determine whether or not a selected magazine may have editorial pages and content concerning plants to attract mail order customers is important. The advertiser must predetermine whether or not his nursery ads will result in orders after receiving a free printed catalog or after a visit to a plant nursery website, and that is not an easy task for the inexperienced nursery man. One simple test could be: are plant nursery or other agricultural advertisers focused towards advertising in this particular magazine? A fascinating development has occurred in the past 15 years concerning the shocking and contradictory absence of nursery plant ads in so many agriculturally focused magazines. Many nursery plant advertisers in those magazines appear to have fled the marketplace and are now replaced by ads from automobile companies, farm and garden implement and tool companies, pool and fountain manufacturing companies and statuary and plant container, pot companies.

Fifteen years ago magazine subscribers could turn through a publication, page after page, of black and white classified ads located at the back of the publication. There were also boring, page after page, display ads printed in fractional page sizes or in some cases full-page ads from plant advertisers. The reasons for the staggering dropout of advertisers are several. The primary reason for the retreat resulted from the collapse of so many mail order catalog companies in years past, that failed to update and change their catalogs to meet the changing needs of the modern mail order customers. The publishers of these mail order catalogs began experience an increase in their production costs dramatically upwards every year.

The mailing costs increased every year and the U. S. postal service became an aggravating bureaucracy to deal with . The U.S. Postal Service required mail order catalog companies to jump through many hoops in order to receive bulk rate delivery. Jumping through one of the precarious hoops required the catalog mailer to have many extra employees that were needed to arrange the stacks of catalogs into precise zip code progressions. Often if one catalog was found out of order, the post office would return the whole shipment with a requirement to be rearranged by the sender, often resulting in a delay of several days. There appeared to be no active interest by the post office to improve the time of delivery for the catalogs which took ten days or more, even at the closest locations. By the time the mail order catalogs were received, many potential impulsive customers had lost interest in buying the product, or either had already purchased the plant from a local box store. Many of the catalogs were mishandled by the U.S. postal service or miss-boxed to box holders who had no interest in ordering plants. The worst policy change of the U.S. Postal Service, 15 years past, was their decision not to deliver catalogs to street addresses used by U.P.S. delivery-possibly intended to damage the U.P.S. competition, and even though a person located in a city had an assigned post office box, there would be no delivery of that persons catalog, if his P.O. box number was not designated on the catalog's shipping label, instead replaced by a street address. At that point the postal service lost its personal touch and turned an indifferent, cold shoulder to the needs of the mail order catalog companies. These so called, “undeliverable”, catalogs were sent back by the U.S. Postal Service to the sender and the catalog company was required to pay first-class postage in order to recover the catalog and the disinterested postal worker was too lazy to deliver the catalog. It is unclear, whether or not, a profit motive was in-play that resulted in the new policy change requiring an additional first-class postage fee would be paid to the U.S. Postal Service, in order to recover the “undeliverable” catalogs.

Another huge problem with the U.S. Postal Service resulted from the issuing of postal money orders, normally sent through the mail after a customer received a COD order from the mail order company. The postal money order was in payment for catalog ordered COD plants. These money orders were often lost or mis-boxed by postmen for the C.O.D. orders, and sometimes the mail order catalog nursery company never received payment for the orders that were delivered to the customer. The tracing of these lost money orders was another bureaucratic horror, that usually meant that the post office emerged as the winner, and the catalog nursery did not get paid resulting in unprofitableness and in some cases business failure. The U.S. Postal Service today is floundering in lost business, poor service, email competition, dead wood, retirement pensions, and they may eventually ride down the road to extinction like the inefficient Pony Express of the 19th Century.

There are some large, subscriber, regional magazines with circulations of over one million that still run plant nursery, full-page, color ads for box stores and regional nursery chain stores, but most smaller display ads or classified ads for nursery products have vanished. These large regional, (Southern, Northern, Eastern, Western), magazines have become heavily advertised with automobiles, food, travel & leisure, Pharmaceuticals, furniture and clothing ads. It is difficult to find the editorial articles of interest, or even the index page of contents that lies buried somewhere within the necessarily, frantic exhaustion of meaningless page turning.

Magazines normally give discounts on display or classified ads, if the ads are repeated several times. If a nursery produces its own advertisements, and additional l5% discount is normally allowed for “in house” ad production. Classified ads are the least expensive form of advertisement and appear invariably at the back of the publication in small, hard-to-read, black and white letters, but often work well for an advertiser, if the ads are repeated several times.

It appears clear through expensive years of experience, that nursery plants and products are the least effective when advertised in magazines than any other forms of media, and improvement in the future is unlikely, because of the low cost, simplicity and fast results of the inter-net. For local nursery advertisers, newspapers, radio and television do offer specialty advertising that will work occasionally on a limited basis during the proper season for selling.

Regional Cuisine Of The United States: California-Style Cooking

The great state of California carries some of the most rich aspects of American culture, from the pioneers to the gold rush to quality cuisine. Bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, and Baja, classic California food can take on many forms. The unique cuisine of California is earmarked by a tradition of freshness and home grown quality, calling forth to mind fresh leafy green salads, fruit, and organic just-about-anything.

California is one of the major agricultural centers of the United States. The state of California, as one of the nation's leading producers of fresh produce, has an extreme abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. When it comes to food in California, a lot of the focus is shifted to quality and nutritiousness rather than cost, taste, or anything else. While this does not necessarily mean that California cuisine tastes badly, it is not for everyone. Those who prefer a heavier, fried or battered food would have better luck sampling some other type of cuisine.

Fruits and nuts account for at least a quarter of California's farm income, and vegetables in themselves account for another 25 percent. This includes the famous grapes, oranges, nectarines, peaches, nectarines. and avocados that California is famous for producing, as well as almonds, pistachios, and walnuts. Organic food, which is grown without the aid of pesticides, insecticides, and other potentially harmful additives, is also an extremely popular aspect of California cuisine. Don't get it confused, though; contrary to popular belief, California food is not all about grapes, nuts, yogurt, and organic orange juice.

The taste of California is, of course, highly accented by its major influence from the south--of course, Mexico. Tex-Mex or Baja-style cooking plays an integral role in good old-fashioned California Cuisine. Mexican-style food is part of the way of life in California; with the dense Mexican-American population in California (about 34.3 percent of the total number of California residents), a great California chef can put a south of the border twist on just about anything! El Pollo Loco is a fast-food restaurant very commonly seen in California. El Pollo Loco, which translates into The Crazy Chicken, specializes in marinated, grilled chicken in tacos, burritos, or alone. El Pollo Loco is an excellent representation of southern California's obsession with Baja-style "Mexican" food.

There are some restaurants in California, even, that boast to serve the "classic Californian cuisine." The California Pizza Kitchen is a chief example of this type of restaurants. The California Pizza Kitchen has more than 180 locations all over the United States and the world. On July 5 the company even opened a CPK in Shanghai, China. They specialize in making food authentically "California-style." The Pizza Kitchen specializes in healthier foods; they mainly serve many different kinds of salad and pizza. All of their pizzas are specially prepared in an open flame pizza oven, conforming to the California trend of healthier meal preparation and eating.

Regional Cuisine Of The United States

Louisiana Cajun cuisine originated with a group of French residents of Nova Scotia, who were expelled by the British in 1755. They eventually, after years of a nomadic existence, settled in the Southern Louisiana swamplands. There they adapted their native cooking methods to use ingredients that were available in their new land. This cuisine is the food of hardworking country people, used to difficult conditions. It is practical, strong country food, taking advantage of easily available local ingredients, often an entire meal prepared all in one pot. This style of cooking became the hallmark of these people, called Acadians, which was later shortened to Cajuns.

Authentic Cajun recipes can be hard to come by, as they were traditionally passed down verbally from one generation to the next. They also tend to change a little with each generation, each adding their own flair. There are hundreds of recipes for most common dishes, as the independent nature is of the Cajun people is reflected in their cuisine, each kitchen adding their own special touches.

Some of the specialties of Cajun cuisine include gumbos, stews, etouffees, and rice dishes, such as jambalayas. Cajun dishes often begin with a roux, which is butter or oil cooked with flour. Roux is used to thicken, and for flavor. There are three types of roux, depending upon how long it is cooked. There is light or blond, medium, and dark roux. The light and medium types are primarily used for thickening gumbos, etouffees, and sauces, while the dark roux is used for flavor.

The common ingredients of this cuisine are easily available and native to the Southern Louisiana swamplands. Seafood is very common, such as crawfish, shrimp, oysters, red fish, speckled trout, and crabs. Rice is a staple ingredient. Other ingredients frequently used are pork, homemade sausages, beans, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, yams, okra, figs, pecans and oranges. Game is also used, such as wild turkey, duck, turtles and frog.

There are relatively few spices used in Cajun cuisine. The unique flavor comes primarily from the long simmering of the dishes prepared. One spice that is used liberally in this cuisine is Cayenne pepper. It is a fiery, finely ground spice made from the Cayenne Chile. It is usually used along with white and black pepper. Another seasoning common to Cajun cooking is file powder, also called gumbo powder. This is made from sassafras leaves that are dried and ground. Creole mustard is also used in many dishes. This is a coarse and spicy local mustard. Tabasco and other hot pepper sauces are standard condiments on the Cajun table

Cajun cuisine is unique to Southern Louisiana, making the best of the native resources, but still retaining the French influence brought to it by the migrants many years ago. It is varied and flexible. Whether you are craving a touch of the exotic, or a little down- home comfort food, this cuisine has managed to include both, often in one big pot. There is something for everyone to enjoy when experimenting with this wonderful style of cooking.

Perfect Blend Of Two Regional Styles

A song can be the window to your heart and kind of music you like could very well map out your personality. But again there are many of us who do not stick to particular genre of music and have a taste that ranges across barriers of the land. Music indeed can be the perfect string that ties people of different country, religion and culture in a warm bond. Country Western music is one such genre that has evolved as a result of merging together of two regional styles that were born in America. The Southeast region had a unique style (country music) and so had the Southwest and West (western music). The two styles were merged together around the 1920’s and were further consolidated as a result of the musicians of both styles mixing with each other during service in World War II.

The music lovers across the globe can get best of both the worlds through the form of Country Western music which has adapted the best points from both country and western music. The main distinguishing factor between the two styles is that country music is much simpler and stresses on the use of few instruments like the guitar, fiddle, banjo and harmonica. The Southwest style depends more on steel guitars and big bands, distinguished by a strong rhythm section, usually including double bass and drums with the tempo varying from medium to fast. Country Western music has managed to absorb the attractive aspects of the styles and emerge as a genre that has touched the heartstrings of millions of music lovers across the world.

The origin of the country western music is from folk songs, ballads and traditional music of the Scottish, English and Irish settlers with modern lyrics that describe and depict the story of the rural and urban-poor whites. The rural African-American like the Jazz and Blues has also left an impression on this particular style of music. The country western music has also played a significant role in the development of rock music. Over the last five decades or so, the genre of country western music has gained a worldwide audience. Bluegrass is also a style of this kind of country western music that is distinguished by each instrument like the fiddle, banjo, acoustic guitar, mandolin and upright bass taking a turn and improvising on it while the other instruments revert to backing. Bluegrass is also distinctively acoustic and rarely relies on electric instruments.

Country western music also has traces and influence of Celtic music, Gospel music, Hokum and North American old-time music. Country music in itself has produced two of the top selling solo artistes of all times – ‘The King’ Elvis Presley and Garth Brooks. Country western music has again undergone a revival phase with the influx of performers such as Tanya tucker, The Judds, Ricky Scaggs and Reba McEntire who have gained tremendous popularity. So music lovers across the world are in for treat with the revival of this popular genre that is country western music.

Regional Cuisine Hunan Cuisine

Hunan cuisine shares many commonalities with its close, more well-known cousin, Szechwan cooking, Both cuisines originate in the Western region of China. The climate there is sub-tropical – humid and warm enough to encourage the use of fiery spices to help cool the body, and to require high spicing of food as a preservative. With similar climate, the two regions also share many ingredients – rice is a major staple in both diets, and chili peppers are an important part of most dishes. The two styles of regional cuisine are similar enough that many restaurants and cookbooks lump them together under ‘Western Chinese cooking’ or simple refer to both as Szechwan cuisine.

There are some important differences, though. Hunan cooking is, for one thing, even more fiery than most Szechwan dishes. Szechwan dishes often include chili paste for rubbing into meats, or including in sauce. Hunan chefs include the entire dried chili pepper, with its intensely spicy seeds and rind.

The differences in the actual land of the two regions also has an effect on the differences in their cuisine. The Szechwan region is mountainous jungle, with little arable land for farming. The Hunan region, by contrast, is a land of soft rolling hills and slow rivers. Because of its fertile hillocks and valleys, the Hunan region has access to an amazing variety of ingredients that aren’t available to Szechwan chefs. Seafood and beef are both far more common in Hunan cooking, as are many vegetables.

The land, and the hardships associated with it, also give the Hunan more time to concentrate on food. Hunan cooking features complex and time-consuming preparation time. Many dishes begin their preparation the day before they are to be served, and may be marinated, then steamed or smoked, and finally deep-fried or stewed before they reach the table. The same attention is paid to the preparation of ingredients, and it is said that Hunan cuisine is the most pleasing to the eye of all Chinese cuisines. The shape of a food in a particular recipe is nearly as important as its presence in the final dish. Hunan chefs are specialists with the knife – carving fanciful shapes of vegetables and fruits that will be used in preparing meals, or to present them.

Hunan cuisine is noted for its use of chili peppers, garlic and shallots, and for the use of sauces to accent the flavors in the ingredients of a dish. It is not uncommon for a Hunan dish to play on the contrasts of flavors – hot and sour, sweet and sour, sweet and hot – pungent, spicy and deliciously sweet all at once. Hunan chefs are noted for their ability to create a symphony of taste with their ingredients. A classic example is Hunan spicy beef with vegetables, where the beef is first marinated overnight in a citrus and ginger mixture, then washed and rubbed with chili paste before being simmered in a pungent brown sauce. The end result is a meat that is meltingly tender on the tongue and changes flavor even as you enjoy it.

More and more, restaurants are beginning to sort out the two cuisines, and Hunan cuisine is coming into its own. Crispy duck and Garlic-Fried String Beans are taking their place alongside Kung Pao Chicken and Double Cooked Spicy Pork. But there is no battle between the two for a place of honor among Chinese Regional cuisines – rather, there are only winners – the diners who have the pleasure of sampling both.

Regional Cuisine Of India: Tasting East India

East India, with a complex history that includes long periods of European colonization, has developed culinary traditions that reflect centuries of tradition and a variety of cultural influences. In addition to the various cultures that have been assimilated into the cuisine of the region, the geography also has influenced the development of the culinary traditions of East India, as has the climate.

Portuguese and Spanish explorers first brought the spices of India to widespread European use in the 15th and 16th centuries, inspiring European political and economic colonization of the area. The famous British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company, both established in the 17th century, were companies specifically created for the production and sale of a variety products from the region, including spices. Naturally, as the native populations interacted with the European peoples, including through forced service in their homes, a European influence came to affect local cuisines.

The coastal area ensures that seafood is an important part of the East Indian diet. The wide variety of fish is served in many ways. Naturally, the area is well known for delectable fish curries, but seafood is also served steamed and delicately spiced, fried with spices that serve to enhance rather than to mask flavors, and is used to created snacks and appetizers like pakora, served with chutneys and other dipping sauces. Because of the prominence of seafood in the cuisine, and a climate conducive to the growth of a variety of vegetables and fruits, as well as the culinary influences of past Portuguese and British colonization and the Muslim population, the food of East India tends to be of a lighter sort. Spices are used with a lighter hand, preferred cooking methods are often of the sort that enhance natural flavors and encourage the subtle blending of flavors, such a stir frying, steaming and boiling. A moist, rainy climate allows for the production of rice, which functions as a basic element of most meals.

In addition to savory fish dishes, East Indian cuisine is known throughout the world for the quality of its sweets, with many of its confections having deep roots in Hindu culture. Many religious ceremonies and celebrations have specific confections associated with them, and include ritual offerings of sweets to gods and to the poor. As with many East Indian dishes, the sweets of this region tend to be less dense, lighter, making them a bit more appealing to westerners than some of the very heavy, ultra-sweet confections of other regions in India. In addition to candies and other similar dessert style sweets, the region is known for its fine cakes, which have a distinctly European influence, as does the preference for tea as a beverage.

East Indian cuisine has a distinct character that sets it apart from the cuisines of other parts of India. With coastal areas that made seafood a staple and a climate that made a variety of fresh foods readily available, came a tendency towards letting the natural, fresh flavors of foods take center stage in the cuisine. European explorers who were attracted to Eastern shores contributed their own culinary style to the region, as did Muslim settlers, resulting in the amazing combination of cultures that created the unique flavors of East Indian cuisine.

The Effects of Job Losses in House-Building

What’s more the construction industry was a major employer of graduates, with a third of new positions being offered to university leavers. Unfortunately these figures were estimated during a time of financial stability and a rising market. Now with the credit crunch the construction industry is being threatened just as much, if not more, than other market sectors.
Construction jobs cover a vast area of the job market including such diverse building services as: infrastructure repair and maintenance; public and private house building; and the building of factories, hospitals and schools. All of these areas are threatened. Perhaps the worse hit is the residential house building market as falling house prices are meaning that people are pulling out of property buying altogether.

At the beginning of July 2008 The Times Online told how Barrett Developments, one of the UK’s lead construction companies, made around 1000 redundant in just one day. Over two days the redundancy figure hit a staggering 2500 people. As well as all of these job cuts the company’s shares have also dropped by 97% since a peak in February 2007. Regional offices are being merged or closed entirely. Similar trends are being echoed throughout the market sector.

All of these factors add up to an unprecedented drop in the sector as mortgages become more difficult to secure and as the economy weakens generally. Not only are the larger companies, such as Barrett Developments being hit, so are mid-level companies and smaller companies. In fact the mid-range and small organizations are in much more risk of folding entirely.

Also like the swinging ball executive toy the cuts in house building are affecting all the other jobs within the construction industry. Managerial staff, and desk-based staff are being affected along with builders and other ground-level workers.

Similar trends are being seen in the USA and practically all countries around the world. One of the worst hit is Ireland and the situation there could be seen as a precursor of what is going to happen in the UK. It is now being commonly agreed that a recession is approaching, although the severity of this recession is being hotly debated. Within the construction sector the length of this recession is being estimated at one to three years depending on which expert you ask.
So as you can see the job losses in the house building market have had far reaching effects on the construction industry as a whole. Not only are there construction job cuts left, right and centre at a ground roots level but these are affecting jobs at all levels within the sector. Added to this companies are moving, or selling regional offices completely, meaning still more job cuts. What’s more the rocky period is believe to have just begun and to be lasting for at least another year meaning that we have a long way to go yet.
At a time like this a construction recruitment specialist can really help you find the best, most secure openings and advise you on how best to pursue your career move within the current economic climate.