YaYa Duchess

7:37:39 PM PDT

Found this on the Reuters Investment website.  Certainly explains why they're doing banner ads, but at the same time makes you question why they're going out of their way to drive away their faithful subscribers.  Think they'd be going out of their way to keep us, but nooooooooo!   Bye Bye AOL!!!!!!!!!!  See you at Blogspot!

 

Reuters-Company Focus Free AOL a good idea 06 Jul 2006 Time Warner may seem like it's giving away the AOL farm after a report it plans to drop subscription fees, but it's actually saving it. Please read this first: the following is independent investment and analysis from the Reuters.com investment channel, and is not connected with Reuters News. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by Reuters.com. The possibility that Time Warner Inc. (TWX) might drop its subscription fees for broadband customers of AOL, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, might seem suicidal for the unit. But because of dwindling subscriptions and the models of major competitors, it's a good idea whose time has come. Time Warner's cable division has seen robust growth recently in its data subscriptions. While Time Warner Cable had only 5.2 million residential high-speed data subscribers as of the end of March, compared with AOL's 18.6 million U.S. subscribers, it added 346,000 subscribers in the first quarter. That's growth of about 7.1 percent. AOL, on the other hand, lost subscribers in that period: 835,000, or 4.3 percent. Subscription revenues declined 13 percent in the first quarter, even though it raised its subscription fees by $2, or 8.4 percent, to $25.90 on March 9. A research report by Sanford Bernstein dated March 14 notes that the reason for the price hike then was to "encourage dial-up subscriber migration to broadband." AOL's charge for broadband is the same as for dial-up service. That relationship would end, of course, if it dropped the broadband fee entirely. But the conclusion has to be that AOL's user base is dwindling rapidly - at the rate of the first quarter's cancellations, AOL's subscriber base would hit zero within six years -- and that management has to try to monetize them not as subscribers, but as Internet users. Time Warner chairman Richard D. Parsons said on May 3 that one of the top priorities for AOL is "enhancing our advertising performance to take even greater advantage of continuing strong secular online trends." On the Internet, the classic comparison for that model is the portals. Neither Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) nor Google Inc. (GOOG) charge for their services; the lack of subscription fees hasn't hurt them, though. Google has an operating margin of 32.5 percent, Yahoo has 18.8 percent, and the computer services industry average is 21.4 percent. AOL's operating margin in the first quarter was 13.5 percent. The idea of AOL getting out of the hardware-intensive access business and instead relying upon advertising revenues could be the best one they've had in a while. (At the time of publication, Paul DeMartino did not directly own puts or calls or shares of any company mentioned in this article. He may be an owner, albeit indirectly, as an investor in a mutual fund or an Exchange Traded Fund.)

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5:45:43 PM PDT
Feeling Angry
Have finally abandoned all journals here at AOL, can find me at blogspot now.  YaYa journal is www.yayats.blogspot.com  Come visit! 

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1:42:51 PM PDT

Just got done reading that AOL is now going to put ad banners in their uk journals, and other international journals.  I moved my original journal to the uk version because of the lack of banner ads, but not anymore!   I've permanently removed that journal and this one will be too, soon.  Have set ALL of my journals up at blogger.com and will be doing all my posting there now. 

My YaYa journal at blogspot: http://yayats.blogspot.com/

My photo journal at blogspot:  http://hsent.blogspot.com/

WHEN WILL AOL LEARN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Next thing to go is my aol account, all together!  Just need to get all my "favs" saved somewhere else, then I'll be gone.  Anyone have any easy way to do that?  I have lots of genealogy links saved, and hate to lose them. 

 

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9:44:09 PM PST

Funny thing, after reading Monica's new journal, and trying for myself, I found you can actually set up a journal on the uk version, and there are no banner ads.  Why is that, I wonder?   Almost leary to start a new journal, only to have it demeaned by having ads on it too.   The ads are just so tacky and tasteless, especially if you don't like what is being adverstised.    Monica's has been around since Nov. with no ads, yet, so guess I'll jump into the "UK" waters, and give it a try.   Thanks to Vivian for the link to make our own signs: http://www.untitledstates.com/

Below is the link for the new-and improved?-YaYaDuchess journal.  Hopefully, I'll have time to get back into it, and catch up reading my favs.  Have been really caught up in genealogy and home improvement projects of late, has kept me busy for the past six months.  http://journals.aol.co.uk/hsent/YaYaDuchessuk/

By the way, I've moved my photo journal to blogspot, here's that url:  http://hsent.blogspot.com/

 

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8:29:26 PM PST

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year!

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8:19:10 PM PST

Hope everyone had a great holiday season, and a happy, healthy New Year in 2006. 

Our little Santa baby, Sophia, is now almost 5 mos. old, and has gotten so chubby.  She is so cute and precious.  In her young life, Sophia has already been on 3 plane trips- to San Diego, Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, and she is now vacationing in Vermont with her mommy's side of the family.  What a little world traveler she is already.  She's a very happy baby, and mommy and daddy are so smitten with her.  Fun to watch them both, they truly delight in being parents. 

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12:21:53 PM PDT

Geez, missed my journal anniversary again.  Just haven't had time or energy for journaling lately, and miss reading others journals too.  Out of the loop with all that's happened with everyone. 

Hope all of you that have, or are, being affected by all the hurricanes have come out of it ok.  Can't believe all the destruction that has happened.  Makes one wonder?!?  Hope to read all my fav journals again soon, hopefully with winter around the corner, things will slow down somewhat. 

Think we are in for a early and long, cold winter (again).  We've already had our first two snowfalls in the mountains, thankfully nothing yet in our valley.  Have had freezing temps (below 32 degrees) several nights already.  Our past several days have been beautiful and warm, in the 70's, perfect weather.  With the cold we've had already, the trees had an early change of color, and has been gorgeous for the past several weeks, and still continues.  Have yet to get out and shoot any of the fall colors yet.  Very unlike me!

My gang is all doing well, including my beautiful little grandaughter (who is on the beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico as I write this).  Thankfully, they are no where near hurricane Wilma's destruction.  Have friends who were headed for Cancun on Monday, thankfully they weren't there already when the hurricane hit.  Have seen pics of all the tourists seeking shelter.  Must be disconcerting when in a foreign country. 

Our grandaughter is doing well, she has gotten so chubby since the last photo I posted, she weighs 13 lbs. now, so rolley polley, cute.  She's like her daddy was when he was an infant, his little arms and legs were so chubby I had to spread the rolls apart to clean in between them.  I told him he looked like a little Sharpei puppy when he was an infant.  He laughed and said "Well, Sophia is sure looking like that now".  Cute.  I'm lucky that I get to see her at least once a month (so far, anyway).  Mommy has gone back to work (cryed all the way there, she hated leaving her baby, know how she felt).  Next week, Rene's mom will be there with the kids for a few months to help out with baby sitting until the baby gets a little older, and they can find good daycare.  Wish we lived closer so I could help out too, have already watched her all day on two different occassions, loved every minute of it!  She loves her grandma!  

Our son Kevin, who had been off work for almost four months with a fractured ankle, is finally back flying (he's a flight attendant for a major airline).  He was going stir crazy being off work that long, and not even being able to do much around the house or anything else, for that matter.  Was supposed to be off his feet, but didn't do as well with that part of it as he should have.   Part of the problem was he had no real pain, just some swelling, so it didn't keep him down as he should have been.  Just glad he is finally back to work again, as I know his wife definitely is.  He'd gone back to International flying again, based out of the East coast, but had his injury before he was able to get backinto the swing of things  again.  He is now indeed flying international, and has already been to Paris, Caraccas (Venezuela), Costa Rica, and Buenos Aires (Argentina).  That last one he had a really long layover, which gives them time to do some sightseeing.  I could have gone on that one, but had no way to get to the East coast in time to catch up with him.  Sure would have been fun, and definitely someplace new for me.  Next time?

As for me, still dealing with a bad back.  Nothing has helped yet, including an epidural that was done a month ago.  See the doctor next month, see what steps to take then.  Have always joked about "being over fifty, it's about maintenance and repair".  So true. 

 

Take care all of you, hope all is well with everyone. 

 

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2:13:12 PM PDT
I just love this pose!  Mom and Dad call it "party girl", but I think she's showing a lot of attitude in that pose.  What a photo, what a cutie!  I can see I'm going to love being a grandma, what a fantastic new journey for us as grandparents. 

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1:47:40 PM PDT

Our little Sophia is all settled into her new home now, and getting cuter by the day!  She has the pinkest lips and almost always has her hands up by the side of head, too funny.   She slept in my arms for four hours, two different days.  Just amazed by her, she's perfect , the little face, fingers and toes, her lips and eyes.  She's definitely melted the hearts of us all. 

Can you tell I'm a happy Grandma! 

Tommy and I went back down to the kids house for the weekend, got to spend lots of time with the little one.  Her other grandparents were still there too, got to visit with everyone, and got to hold the baby a lot.  LOVED it!  We got back home last night, and dragging today, playing catch up. 

Even Lacey is tired out today, she had her first experience of staying in a hotel.  Actually found one that was close to the kids house, and took pets, that was lucky.  The first night Lacey woke us up several times.  She's very protective of us, and any little noise she heard, she barked and growled.   Kept trying to hush her up, but she was having none of it.  The next night, we were all so tired after a full day with the kids and the baby, that all three of us hit the pillow (about 11:30 pm) and went right to sleep, and never woke up until 8:00 am.  Even Lacey, she never made a single sound all night, slept right through everything.  Thank goodness.   Didn't want to get booted out of the hotel because of her barking.  Definitely an experience for all three of us. 

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7:53:26 PM PDT
Feeling Ecstatic

Our beautiful little grandaughter made her "grand appearance" yesterday morning, Aug. 3 at 12:01 am.  She was almost two weeks late, and mommy ended up having labor induced, which did cause a few minor problems for both baby and mommy, but both are doing well now.  Tommy and I went down there for the birth, and the grandma's and Aunt Michele got to be in the room for the birth.  Was so wonderful to see our first little grandchild come into this world, and of course, we think she is beautiful!  She weighed in at 7 lbs., 11 ozs. and is 20 inches long.  She has strawberry blonde hair (like her daddy had) and we think she'll have blue eyes.  Right now they look real dark gray, but both parents have blue eyes, so pretty sure that's what she'll have.  Tommy and I are headed back down tomorrow, to stay for the weekend.  By then, the kids and baby will be settled in at home, and can enjoy fussing over the baby more there.  Can't wait!

Know it's been months for me to journal, but what better news to get me back online again.  Has just been too crazy the past several months, with lots of things going on, and no time or energy to write about it by the time all was said and done.  Hope to be back again on a regular basis, but don't think it will be as often as it has been in the past.  I do so much work on the computer now, Tommy's business has gotten so busy again, that when I'm done with work, I barely feel like getting on the computer just for emails and a few other things.  Will have to see. 

With our new grandaughter, I'm sure we'll be traveling down to Brian and Rene's more often too.  So, maybe more traveling and less journaling ??!!?? 

 

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