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warc | 201704 | Board of Trustees of Univ. of Ala. v. Garrett (99-1240)531 U.S. 356 (2001)
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Syllabus Opinion
[ Rehnquist ]
Concurrence
[ Kennedy ]
Dissent
[ Breyer ]
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Board of Trustees of Univ. of Ala. v. Garrett CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
Respondents Garrett and Ash filed separate lawsuits against petitioners, Alabama state employers, seeking money damages under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibits the States and other employers from "discriminat[ing] against a qualified individual with a disability because of th[at] disability … in regard to … terms, conditions, and privileges of employment,"
42 U.S.C. § 12112(a). In an opinion disposing of both cases, the District Court granted petitioners summary judgment, agreeing with them that the ADA exceeds Congress' authority to abrogate the State's Eleventh Amendment immunity. The Eleventh Circuit reversed on the ground that the ADA validly abrogates such immunity.
Held: Suits in federal court by state employees to recover money damages by reason of the State's failure to comply with Title I of the ADA are barred by the
Eleventh Amendment. Pp. 4-17.
(a) Congress may abrogate the States'
Eleventh Amendment immunity when it both unequivocally intends to do so and acts pursuant to a valid grant of constitutional authority. Kimel v. Florida Bd. of Regents, 528 U.S. 62, 73. Only the second of these requirements is in dispute here. While Congress may not base abrogation of state immunity upon its Article I powers, see e.g., id., at 79, it may subject nonconsenting States to federal-court suit when it does so pursuant to a valid exercise of its power under §5 of the Fourteenth Amendment, see e.g., id., at 80. Section 5 authorizes Congress to enforce the substantive guarantees contained in §1 of that Amendment by enacting "appropriate legislation." See City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507, 536. Because it is this Court's responsibility, not Congress', to define the substance of constitutional guarantees, id., at 519-524, §5 legislation, to the extent it reaches beyond the precise scope of §1's protections, must exhibit congruence and proportionality between the injury to be prevented or remedied and the means adopted to that end, id., at 520. Pp. 4-7.
(b) The first step in applying these principles is to identify with some precision the scope of the constitutional right at issue. Here, that inquiry requires examination of the limitations §1 of the
Fourteenth Amendment places upon States' treatment of the disabled. To do so, the Court looks to its prior decisions under the Equal Protection Clause dealing with this issue. Kimel, supra, at 83. In Cleburne v. Cleburne Living Center, Inc., 473 U.S. 432, the Court held, inter alia, that mental retardation did not qualify as a "quasi-suspect" classification for equal protection purposes, id., at 435, and that, accordingly, a city ordinance requiring a special use permit for the operation of a group home for the mentally retarded incurred only the minimum "rational-basis" review applicable to general social and economic legislation, id., at 446. Although "negative attitudes" and "fear" often accompany irrational biases, their presence alone does not a constitutional violation make. Thus, the Fourteenth Amendment does not require States to make special accommodations for the disabled, so long as their actions toward such individuals are rational. They could quite hardheadedly-and perhaps hardheartedly-hold to job-qualification requirements which do not make allowance for the disabled. If special accommodations for the disabled are to be required, they have to come from positive law and not through the Equal Protection Clause. Pp. 7-10.
(c) The requirements for private individuals to recover money damages against the States-that there be state discrimination violative of the
Fourteenth Amendment and that the remedy imposed by Congress be congruent and proportional to the targeted violation-are not met here. First, the ADA's legislative record fails to show that Congress identified a history and pattern of irrational employment discrimination by the States against the disabled. See, e.g., Kimel, supra, at 89. Because Eleventh Amendment immunity does not extend to local governmental units such as cities and counties, see Lincoln County v. Luning, 133 U.S. 529, 530, the Court rejects respondents' contention that the inquiry as to unconstitutional discrimination should extend to such units as well as to States. Congress made a general finding in the ADA that "historically, society has tended to isolate and segregate individuals with disabilities, and, despite some improvements, such forms of discrimination … continue to be a serious and pervasive social problem." 42 U.S.C. § 12101(a)(2). Although the record includes instances to support such a finding, the great majority of these incidents do not deal with state activities in employment. Even if it were to be determined that the half a dozen relevant examples from the record showed unconstitutional action on the part of States, these incidents taken together fall far short of even suggesting the pattern of unconstitutional discrimination on which §5 legislation must be based. See, e.g., Kimel, supra, at 89-91. Moreover, statements in House and Senate committee reports indicate that Congress targeted the ADA at employment discrimination in the private sector. Second, the rights and remedies created by the ADA against the States raise the same sort of concerns as to congruence and proportionality as were found in City of Boerne, supra. For example, while it would be entirely rational (and therefore constitutional) for a state employer to conserve scarce financial resources by hiring employees able to use existing facilities, the ADA requires employers to make such facilities readily accessible to and usable by disabled individuals, §§12112(5)(B), 12111(9). The ADA does except employers from the "reasonable accommodatio[n]" requirement where the employer can demonstrate that accommodation would impose an "undue hardship" upon it, §12112(b)(5)(A), but, even with this exception, the accommodation duty far exceeds what is constitutionally required. The ADA's constitutional shortcomings are apparent when it is compared to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Holding the latter Act to be "appropriate" legislation to enforce the Fifteenth Amendment's protection against racial discrimination in voting, South Carolina v. Katzenbach, 383 U.S. 301, this Court emphasized that Congress had there documented a marked pattern of unconstitutional action by the States, see id., at 312, and had determined that litigation had proved ineffective to remedy the problem, see id., at 313. The contrast between the kind of evidence detailed in Katzenbach, and the evidence that Congress considered in the present case, is stark. To uphold the ADA's application to the States would allow Congress to rewrite the Fourteenth Amendment law laid down by this Court in Cleburne. Section 5 does not so broadly enlarge congressional authority. Pp. 10-17.
193 F.3d 1214, reversed.
Rehnquist, C. J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, and Thomas, JJ., joined. Kennedy, J., filed a concurring opinion, in which O'Connor, J., joined. Breyer, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Stevens, Souter, and Ginsburg, JJ., joined. | 7,663 | 3,454 | 0.000294 |
warc | 201704 | Perez-Camacho A.,Spanish Institute of Oceanography | Aguiar E.,CSIC Instituto Investigaciones Marinas | Labarta U.,CSIC Instituto Investigaciones Marinas | Vinseiro V.,CSIC Instituto Investigaciones Marinas | And 2 more authors.
Ecological Indicators | Year: 2014
The present study seeks to establish industry management strategies based on ecosystem-based indicators in an intensive mussel culture area. Spatial differences in the environmental conditions and in the productivity of mussels cultured on hanging ropes were examined at five locations in Ría de Arousa (NW Spain). The environmental conditions of the ecosystem were described on basis of the next ecosystem-based indicators: hydrography (salinity, temperature and chlorophyll a), dynamics (current velocity) and food availability (FA). Mussel productivity was assessed by measuring the biomass per rope, total fresh weight, and length of cultured mussels. Mussel productivity was successfully modeled from empirical relationships with current velocity, chlorophyll a and culture density. Commercial production (in kg) was evaluated from biomass and translated into economic value taking into account mussel commercial category. Finally, economic gross yield of each location was related with environmental conditions and culture densities by means of empirical relationships. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. Source | 1,381 | 703 | 0.001437 |
warc | 201704 | Michel T.M.,RWTH Aachen | Michel T.M.,University of Wurzburg | Michel T.M.,Kings College London | Gsell W.,University of Wurzburg | And 12 more authors.
World Journal of Biological Psychiatry | Year: 2010
Objectives. Oxidative stress (OS), is defined as an imbalance of pro-and antioxidants, leading to increased production of free radicals, which can lead to cell damage and death, has been postulated as important factors in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Most research has concentrated on the antioxidant system, for the first time, this proof of concept study examines the prooxidant system by investigating kinetic parameters of the free radical producing enzyme xanthine oxidase directly in post mortem brain tissue. Methods. We determined the MichaelisMenten constant (KM) and the maximal velocity (VMax) of xanthine oxidase (XO) in the cortico-limbic system of patients with AD using activity assays. Results. We found the MichaelisMenton constant of XO significantly decreased in hippocampus of patients with AD compared to controls. None of the other brain regions showed any significant alterations of these parameters. Conclusions. These results add further evidence to the amount of research indicating that OS plays an important role in AD. Moreover, these results should encourage more research in this field and it maybe speculated that this might open new avenues for treatment and prevention in AD. © 2010 Informa UK Ltd. Source
Junger J.,RWTH Aachen | Junger J.,Julich Aachen Research Alliance Translational Brain Medicine | Habel U.,RWTH Aachen | Habel U.,Julich Aachen Research Alliance Translational Brain Medicine | And 11 more authors.
PLoS ONE | Year: 2014
Gender dysphoria (also known as "transsexualism") is characterized as a discrepancy between anatomical sex and gender identity. Research points towards neurobiological influences. Due to the sexually dimorphic characteristics of the human voice, voice gender perception provides a biologically relevant function, e.g. in the context of mating selection. There is evidence for a better recognition of voices of the opposite sex and a differentiation of the sexes in its underlying functional cerebral correlates, namely the prefrontal and middle temporal areas. This fMRI study investigated the neural correlates of voice gender perception in 32 male-to-female gender dysphoric individuals (MtFs) compared to 20 non-gender dysphoric men and 19 non-gender dysphoric women. Participants indicated the sex of 240 voice stimuli modified in semitone steps in the direction to the other gender. Compared to men and women, MtFs showed differences in a neural network including the medial prefrontal gyrus, the insula, and the precuneus when responding to male vs. female voices. With increased voice morphing men recruited more prefrontal areas compared to women and MtFs, while MtFs revealed a pattern more similar to women. On a behavioral and neuronal level, our results support the feeling of MtFs reporting they cannot identify with their assigned sex. © 2014 Junger et al. Source
Jacobi H.,University of Bonn | Reetz K.,RWTH Aachen | Reetz K.,Julich Research Center | Reetz K.,Julich Aachen Research Alliance Translational Brain Medicine | And 34 more authors.
The Lancet Neurology | Year: 2013
Background: Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are autosomal, dominantly inherited, fully penetrant neurodegenerative diseases. Our aim was to study the preclinical stage of the most common SCAs: SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, and SCA6. Methods: Between Sept 13, 2008, and Dec 1, 2011, offspring or siblings of patients with SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, or SCA6 were enrolled into a prospective, longitudinal observational study at 14 European centres. To be eligible for inclusion in our study, individuals had to have no ataxia and be aged 18-50 years if directly related to individuals with SCA1, SCA2, or SCA3, or 35-70 years if directly related to individuals with SCA6. We did anonymous genetic testing to identify mutation carriers. We assessed participants with clinical scales, questionnaires, and performance-based coordination tests. In eight of the 14 centres, participants underwent MRI. We analysed relations between outcome variables and time from onset (defined as the difference between present age and estimated age at ataxia onset). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01037777. Findings: 276 participants met inclusion criteria and agreed to participate, of whom 12 (4%) were excluded from final analysis because DNA samples were missing or genotyping failed. Estimated time from onset was -9 years (IQR -13 to -6) in 50 carriers of the SCA1 mutation, -12 years (-15 to -9) in 31 SCA2 mutation carriers, -8 years (-11 to -6) in 26 SCA3 mutation carriers, and -18 years (-22 to -16) in 16 SCA6 mutation carriers. Compared with non-carriers of each mutation, SCA1 mutation carriers had higher median scores on the scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA; 0·5 [IQR 0-1·0] vs 0 [0-0]; p = 0·0052), as did SCA2 mutation carriers (0·5 [0-2·0] vs 0 [0-0·5]; p = 0·0037). SCA2 mutation carriers had lower SCA functional index scores than did non-carriers (-0·43 [-0·91 to -0·07] vs 0·09 [-0·30 to 0·56]; p = 0·0007). SCA2 mutation carriers had worse composite cerebellar functional scores than did their non-carrier counterparts (0·915 [0·861-0·959] vs 0·849 [0·764-0·886]; p = 0·0039). All other differences between carriers and non-carriers were non-significant. In SCA1 and SCA2 mutation carriers, SARA scores were increased in participants who were closer to the estimated age at onset (SCA1: r = 0·36, p = 0·0112; SCA2: r = 0·50, p = 0·0038). 83 individuals (30%) underwent MRI. Voxel-based morphometry showed grey-matter loss in the brainstem and cerebellum in SCA1 and SCA2 mutation carriers, and normalised brainstem volume was lower in SCA2 mutation carriers (median 0·015, range 0·012-0·016) than in non-carriers (0·019, 0·017-0·021; p = 0·0107). Interpretation: Preclinical SCA1 and SCA2 mutation carriers seem to have mild coordination deficits and abnormalities in the brain that are more common in carriers who are closer to the estimated onset of ataxia. Individuals in this early disease stage could be targeted in future preventive trials. Funding: ERA-Net E-Rare and Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. Source
Pohl A.,RWTH Aachen | Pohl A.,Julich Aachen Research Alliance Translational Brain Medicine | Anders S.,University of Lubeck | Schulte-Ruther M.,Julich Aachen Research Alliance Translational Brain Medicine | And 6 more authors.
PLoS ONE | Year: 2013
Imitation of facial expressions engages the putative human mirror neuron system as well as the insula and the amygdala as part of the limbic system. The specific function of the latter two regions during emotional actions is still under debate. The current study investigated brain responses during imitation of positive in comparison to non-emotional facial expressions. Differences in brain activation of the amygdala and insula were additionally examined during observation and execution of facial expressions. Participants imitated, executed and observed happy and non-emotional facial expressions, as well as neutral faces. During imitation, higher right hemispheric activation emerged in the happy compared to the non-emotional condition in the right anterior insula and the right amygdala, in addition to the pre-supplementary motor area, middle temporal gyrus and the inferior frontal gyrus. Region-of-interest analyses revealed that the right insula was more strongly recruited by (i) imitation and execution than by observation of facial expressions, that (ii) the insula was significantly stronger activated by happy than by non-emotional facial expressions during observation and imitation and that (iii) the activation differences in the right amygdala between happy and non-emotional facial expressions were increased during imitation and execution, in comparison to sole observation. We suggest that the insula and the amygdala contribute specifically to the happy emotional connotation of the facial expressions depending on the task. The pattern of the insula activity might reflect increased bodily awareness during active execution compared to passive observation and during visual processing of the happy compared to non-emotional facial expressions. The activation specific for the happy facial expression of the amygdala during motor tasks, but not in the observation condition, might reflect increased autonomic activity or feedback from facial muscles to the amygdala. © 2013 Pohl et al. Source | 8,870 | 3,736 | 0.000274 |
warc | 201704 | Metabolic syndrome
People with three or more of these risk factors are considered to have a condition known as metabolic syndrome:
High blood pressure High triglycerides Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol Abdominal obesity High fasting blood glucose
In addition to being at increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, adults with metabolic syndrome often develop a type of liver disease, which may lead to irreversible liver damage.
Up to 75% of obese adults have fatty liver disease, a kind that is distinct from alcohol-related liver damage. Since a definitive diagnosis of this type of disease requires a liver biopsy, levels of a liver enzyme are instead used as a marker for the disease.
In this study, more than 1,300 people participated as part of the National Health and Nutrition Study. It found:
Higher body mass index (BMI) was associated with elevated enzyme levels in boys. Metabolic syndrome was strongly associated with elevated levels in non-Hispanic adolescent boys, regardless of their BMI. The association between the elevated enzyme and metabolic syndrome was not as strong for girls.
In other words, regarding the raised levels of the enzyme markers, “both overweight and metabolic syndrome were independently contributing,” the study’s authors commented.
Tips to sidestep metabolic syndrome
Like many modern diseases, prevention is key to avoiding metabolic syndrome and the diseases that can result from it. Parents: remember too that following these steps, not only protects your own health, but increases the chances your children will as well:
Encourage exercise. Focus on getting yourself and your kids moving, balancing sedentary screen time with activity. Exercise increases heart-healthy HDL cholesterol levels, improves insulin activity in the body, and lowers blood pressure. Eat well. Emphasize fruits and veggies—the mainstay of every healthy lifestyle—in your daily meals. Limiting sugary foods helps lower triglyceride levels, and fresh vegetables provide the body with blood pressure-lowering nutrients and help keep weight in check. Don’t pick up the habit—or model it for your kids. Smoking is a major risk factor for a host of chronic diseases, heart disease and diabetes among them. Encourage children to keep their bodies healthy from the start by not smoking. | 2,364 | 1,184 | 0.000865 |
warc | 201704 | In order to successfully obtain a Masters qualification, you will need to obtain a number of credits by passing individual modules. Most taught Masters will have a number of core modules which you must take and pass in order to obtain the qualification. The assessment of research Masters is almost always entirely by a single dissertation module or project.
Professionals who have studied economics and administration comprehend both the larger economic picture and smaller, individualized trends. It is an interdisciplinary field in which specialists are trained to consider and analyze many components in both the public and private section and make recommendations based on current and potential conditions.
A country found in East Africa is officially called the Republic of Kenya. Though the education system was colonial and Britain’s, the country today has a 8-4-4 systems of education. 8 years of primary and 4 years for secondary education. The university education takes 4 years. This replaced the 7-4-2-3 system.
Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya. This city is known for its good educational institutions and their diversified degree programs. Some of them are University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Daystar University and African Nazarene University.
Request Information Master's Degrees in Economics and Administration in Nairobi in Kenya 2017
Doing Business In Africa Program (DBAP) is a program designed by Strathmore Business School (SBS) to provide executives with a unique exposure to the African continent by providing practical skills and knowledge required to successfully operate and grow a business on the African continent. The in-depth curriculum draws from SBS’ experience of the case study methodology, lectures, industry guests’ sessions and syndicate group discussions. [+]
The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa (BMIA) aims to increase the pipeline of skilled financial journalists and analysts, embracing a data-driven journalism culture across Africa. If well trained, the contribution that financial journalists and development experts can make as continental informers, educators and watchdogs is significant. [+]
A nation’s competition policy (sometimes called its antitrust policy) is a set of laws and institutions that promote economic efficiency through the protection and encouragement of competitive markets. Kenya has recently entered a new, modern, era in its competition policy history through the passage of the Competition Act (2010) and the establishment of key new institutions for its implementation: the Competition Authority of Kenya and the Competition Tribunal. [+]
A country’s prosperity depends on its competitiveness which is based on its productivity in producing goods and services. Agents such as consumers, firms, counties and public sector agencies play an important part in creating value and supporting their economic development as well as that of their country, region or county. [+]
People negotiate daily. As a matter of fact negotiation happens several times a day. Despite the frequency of negotiations few people know how to negotiate well and achieve the most optimal outcomes. Many people believe that good negotiators are born. However, in reality anyone can improve their negotiation skills very considerably through training. [+]
OMP is designed with the entrepreneurs in mind. The program will help you to create value and meet the customer demands as your organisation grows. This program provides a unique opportunity for owner managers to step back from the day-to-day demands of running their businesses. [+]
The School was established in 2008 from the then Department of Economics that was housed in the School of Humanity and Social Sciences. Formation of a School of Economics was to give the economics discipline at Kenyatta University a chance to evolve and increase its research activities in order for the School to contribute its fair share to knowledge augmentation in Economics. [+] | 4,018 | 1,928 | 0.000524 |
warc | 201704 | A Masters degree is an academic degree awarded to individuals who successfully denote a higher level of expertise. There are two main types of Masters - taught and research.
Econometrics uses statistics, mathematics, and economic theory to help create understandable economic models. Those economic models are then used to make important economic policy decisions that can impact greater areas such as finance and labor markets.
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the largest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the east of Sweden and Denmark. More than 90% of Lithuanians speak at least one foreign language and half of the population speaks two foreign languages, mostly Russian and English.
Being the largest city and the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius aims to build a bright educational future. The city is greatly filled with quality of educational institutions such as Vilnius University, Mykolas Romeris University, and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
Request Information Master's Degrees in Econometrics in Vilnius in Lithuania 2017
Students can specialize in the theory - or applications-oriented study mode [+]
In recent semesters, students from different countries were brought into the same classroom at Vilnius University, adding to cross-cultural [+] | 1,383 | 755 | 0.001332 |
warc | 201704 | Towards open and equitable access to research and knowledge for development
PLoS Medicine (2011)Get full text at journal
Abstract
Leslie Chan and colleagues discuss the value of open access not just for access\n to health information, but also for transforming structural inequity in current\n academic reward systems and for valuing scholarship from the South.
Readership Statistics 71Readers on Mendeley
by Discipline
34% Social Sciences
13% Computer Science
11% Medicine and Dentistry
by Academic Status
25% Student > Ph. D. Student
17% Researcher
13% Librarian
by Country
6% United Kingdom
6% United States
3% Germany | 641 | 420 | 0.002458 |
warc | 201704 | A couple weeks ago, Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched Aurora, a new database-as-a-service (DBaaS) offering and a rather obvious shot across the bow at Oracle and other proprietary database vendors. It’s a “commercial-grade database engine at open-source cost,” according to AWS Senior Vice President Andy Jassy. Specifically, the claim is 5x the performance of MySQL, 1/10 the cost of [insert-red-logo-database-vendor-here]. Aurora is MySQL-compatible, and indeed could be intriguing for MySQL shops that are a) hitting performance walls, b) sick of paying Oracle, or c) both.
But AWS’s launch of Aurora is less interesting as an isolated product launch and more interesting in terms of what it has to say about the database and ops worlds more broadly.5x the Performance. It’s not uncommon to hit scaling and performance problems with relational databases, especially for apps that are expected to be globally available to increasingly large user bases. (Who builds apps for senior citizens anyways?)1/10 the cost. Customers are frustrated with vendors like Oracle and Microsoft that charge them through the nose; that antagonize them with punitive licensing contracts and renewal cycles; and whose cost models (big upfront license) don’t align with how customers expect to pay for value over time (-aaS).Spark Development. We hear from lots of customers (e.g., MetLife, Forbes) that the ability to get started fast and compress development cycles is the new driving force behind many of their decisions. Aurora, or any DBaaS for that matter, helps you get up and running faster because you don’t have to focus on standing up and maintaining your database – it’s just there for you.
Lots of folks are exploring DBaaS, which comes in many shapes and sizes. Aurora does not address any of the less appealing attributes of relational databases (delivered as-a-service or not), which can draw out to your early development cycles or increase the time and effort required to make changes down the line.
More importantly, not everyone is already running in AWS or wants to run there. What if you outsource to a different data center provider? At MongoDB we speak with lots of customers who run on AWS, but also plenty of others who use different hosting providers. Whither the solution for these well-meaning folks?
And what if you run your own data centers? Some of our largest customers have built their own DBaaS because a) they already have their own internal data centers, and b) the ROI for providing an internal DBaaS to their developers is compelling. These customers include:
After building their own DBaaS, they report non-trivial results. A Top 3 US bank said they they can spin up instances of MongoDB in a secure enterprise environment in minutes, a process that used to take weeks or months.
The top 3 reasons these customers tell us that they’re pursuing internal DBaaS are:
Compress development cycles. When companies can build products and turn around new features in weeks instead of months or years, good things happen. Empower developers. The ability to stand up database instances quickly helps developers experiment, go big (or fail fast), and build prototypes uber-quickly. This is how you build things no one has built before. Help ops. By owning the process of spinning up new database instances, ops can maintain control of the environments; standardize and enforce governance; rationalize the stack; and templatize based on best practices.
Like your apps, a DBaaS can take many shapes and sizes. For those considering building out an internal DBaaS, here are some of the areas you might want to consider:
Technical choices. There are a lot of technical decisions to make – like what servers to use, how to size your instances, how to isolate environments for security and how to manage chargeback. We recommend customers get out in front of these evaluations early since they can often be the biggest hold-up in getting your DBaaS off the ground. To learn more about best practices taken from the customers who have built a DBaaS, read our whitepaper. Build vs. Buy. A DBaaS comprises many parts. Some of our customers want to build them all. Many of them want to buy some components in order to a) get a functional DBaaS up and running faster, and b) take advantage of best practices to lower the risk of messing something up. This could include tools like Docker, Chef and Puppet – tools you know already work. It may also include database-specific tools. (Sneak peek: for instance, MongoDB is coming out with software that you can run in your own data center to automate provisioning and deployment to get you much farther down the DBaaS path with a lot less time and risk. To learn more, contact us.) Resources and Expertise. A DBaaS is powerful but can also be a complex undertaking. Do you have the resources in-house to make this DBaaS a reality? Or would it be worthwhile to (shameless plug) engage the services of your friendly green-logoed open-source database company?
Finally, to the sysadmins, production engineers, system engineers, directors and VPs of ops, DBAs, CIOs and anyone else responsible for keeping the lights on, consider the following: DBaaS can help ops can play a powerful role. With DBaaS, ops gives developers the technology they want without sacrificing security and compliance. It gives the business faster time for prototypes and development cycles in general. And it helps separate your company from the pack.
MongoDB-as-a-Service: Top 10 Considerations
As more internal business units and project teams build modern applications on MongoDB, architects and operations teams can improve agility, efficiency, accountability and governance by offering MongoDB-as-a-Service.
This whitepaper provides the top 10 considerations you make including:
Systems design Virtualization and multi-tenancy Management, accounting and compliance
About Graham Neray
Graham is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at MongoDB. Graham works closely with customers, partners and the open-source community to articulate why MongoDB is becoming the world's most popular database. Prior to joining MongoDB, he was a Senior Business Analyst at CSMG, a boutique management consulting firm specializing in the high tech and telecom industries. | 6,348 | 3,003 | 0.000337 |
warc | 201704 | Problem
According to a recent study cited in a Microsoft website, "cumulative data will grow 44 times over the next decade." That surge in data growth can only increase the demand for data professionals. More and more people will be needed to fill that demand. There is no better time to become a SQL Server professional than now. I have friends that expressed their interest in becoming a SQL Server DBA or Developer, but they don't have the resources to afford formal training in SQL Server. A week of end-to-end introductory courses could cost around $2,000-$3,000. Those that are on tight budget may not be able to afford that. Check out this tip to learn about training on a budget.
Solution
If you have a good background in IT and have some exposure to tasks or projects that are related to data in some form or another, you could take the self-study route. I would high recommend taking the Microsoft Certification exams on SQL Server to validate your self-study effort. I still recommend formal training, plus real-world experience with SQL Server, as a better way to learn.
Below are few tips for SQL Server training on a budget.
Set Your Goals
You must set some goals. SQL Server is a multifaceted software platform, and it is quite easy to get overwhelmed with it. I suggest you pick a particular SQL Server certification to pursue.
There are two stages of the SQL Server Certification. Your first step is to become a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA). You can advance to the next level by becoming a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) in which you have two tracks to choose from - MCSE in Data Platform or Business Intelligence. Decide on which path you want to take in order to focus your self-study effort.
Create Your Study Plans
Once your goals are set, your next task is to build your study plans. Your study plans serve as a concrete outline of how would you work toward your goals. The Microsoft Exam Study Guides are great outlines to use for study. They provide the topics you need to focus on to pass the certification exams.
Your primary resource for studying SQL Server is the Books Online. You might also want to invest in a book from the Microsoft Training Kit Series. Get the book specific to the exam you're going to take. Blogs are also great resources for studying.
Invest In Tools
You need a good computer to run SQL Server. If you have the budget, I recommend a laptop, but not just any laptop. SQL Server requires a computer more powerful than most consumer computers. You might want to buy a laptop with Core i7 Processor and 16GB of memory if you have the budget. Features such as Failover Cluster and AlwaysOn Availability Groups require multiple SQL Servers. You need at least two instances of SQL Server, aside from a separate Windows Server Domain Controller, to setup AlwaysOn Availability Groups.
For the software, you can purchase the Developer edition of SQL Server, which contains all features of the Enterprise edition, but cannot be used in a production environment. Or you can download the trial version. There is no Developer edition for Windows Server, but you can also download the trial version.
Another option for your software needs is a TechNet Subscription, which provides full versions of Microsoft Software - Windows Server and SQL Server included - for use in a non-production environment.
Set Your Training Hours
Find time to study in a distraction-free environment. You need a lot of focus and it is very important to have a schedule to follow. Have "off-limit" hours in the evening (or day) so you can sit down and focus on studying. You might need to sacrifice some other activities that are in conflict with your study hours.
Get Help
Just because you're on a self-study training doesn't mean you're all alone. Once you decided to study SQL Server, the whole SQL Server Community has "got your back". You only need to let them know you need their help. The Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) is dedicated to helping you advance your SQL Server knowledge in any reasonable way.
The good thing about the SQL Server Community is there are multiple channels with which you can reach SQL Server professionals ready to help you at any time of the day. You can find them on: SQL Saturday events, SQL Server User Groups, forums, and even on Twitter. Use the #sqlhelp hash tag on Twitter to get answers for your SQL Server questions.
Next Steps Read "Starting your SQL Server Career Path", a great tip from MSSQLTips on how to get started with SQL Server. Practice your new SQL Server skills in the real world. If there is no "On the Job Training" opportunity for you now in your current job, talk to your management to see what opportunities may be available. Continuously build upon what you already know and take advantage of any learning opportunities that you might come across.
Last Update: 9/21/2012
About the author View all my tips Related Resources | 4,980 | 2,313 | 0.000435 |
warc | 201704 | Assistant Professor of Nursing Sharon Guthrie was inspired to have her class provide encouragement and positive messaging for others after reading an article on the powerful impact art can have on people suffering from mental illness.
Lecturer in Nursing Julie McIntosh, who co-taught the course alongside Guthrie, recognized the way the project united students and helped them embrace positive lifestyles not only for themselves, but also for others.
“Every night these women staying at the Catherine McAuley Center can fall asleep knowing somebody does care. It might be the message that sticks in their head to get them through the next day,” McIntosh said.
Colin Johnson, a senior history major from Bakersfield, Calif., found the project to be a meaningful form of community service.
“I hope the residents get as much out of the pillowcases as I did. I hope they know that people do care and ultimately they don’t look at the pillowcases as fabric with writing, but as a gift and inspiration,” Johnson said.
The Healthy Lifestyles course, like many at Mount Mercy, regularly engages in service projects within the community. Last year the class created inspirational calendars for the Catherine McAuley Center. This year’s project was even more personal and meaningful for both the students and recipients.
“It’s a lot more than buying food and bringing it in,” Guthrie said. “This is something the students put thought and effort into. They knew they were doing something special for someone else.”
Emily Boyer, a senior nursing major from Vinton, Iowa, previously partnered with the Catherine McAuley Center as she conducted her public health clinical rotations. For her, service projects on behalf of the organization fall in line with her academic interests while also allowing her to make a difference in someone else’s life.
“The way Mount Mercy integrates service into classroom time makes me not want to lose that part of my life when I graduate,” Boyer said. “I will be more inclined to fit service opportunities into my schedule after graduation because I see how positive it is and I enjoy giving back.”
Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the Catherine McAuley Center offers educational tutoring and transitional housing for women. For more information, visit www.cmc-cr.org. | 2,380 | 1,193 | 0.000872 |
warc | 201704 | By agreement with the publisher, this book is accessible by the search feature, but cannot be browsed.
NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
Kufe DW, Pollock RE, Weichselbaum RR, et al., editors. Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine. 6th edition. Hamilton (ON): BC Decker; 2003.
Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine. 6th edition.Show details
Studies of the
INK4a locus on chromosome 9p illustrate well how observations from initially disparate lines of investigation often converge to implicate a particular locus as a critical factor in cancer development. LOH of chromosome 9p was frequently found in many different tumor types, including melanomas, gliomas, and nonsmall cell lung, bladder, and head and neck cancers, as well as leukemias. 119–122 Of considerable interest were observations establishing that a subset of such tumors had homozygous (complete) deletions affecting the 9p21 region, 123–125 strongly supporting the existence of a tumor suppressor gene in the region. In addition to the frequent somatic alterations of chromosome 9p sequences in cancers, linkage studies of some families with inherited melanoma indicated a melanoma predisposition gene mapped to essentially the same region of 9p. 126
These observations stimulated great interest in the chromosome 9p region presumed to contain the tumor suppressor gene(s). One of the genes identified in the region as a result of positional cloning efforts was initially termed
MTS1. 127 Sequence analysis of MTS1 showed that it was identical to a previously described gene, encoding the Cdk inhibitor protein known as p16. 128 Because the p16 protein functioned by inhibiting Cdk4 and Cdk6, the protein was termed an INK4 protein. Another highly related gene, mapping immediately next to the p16/ MTS1 gene on chromosome 9p, was found to encode a second INK4 protein, known as p15 (Figure 7-6). The gene encoding the p16 protein is most often termed INK4a and the gene for p15 is INK4b. 129, 130 Subsequent studies show that heterozygous mutations in INK4a are present in some patients with inherited melanoma, and in some families with inherited melanoma and pancreatic cancer. 131–134 Somatic mutations in INK4a are present in a significant fraction of many different cancer types, including but not limited to melanomas, gliomas, pancreatic and bladder cancers, and leukemias. In some tumors, deletions affecting the INK4a gene also involve the INK4b gene. In rare tumors, deletions inactivate INK4b but not INK4a. 135 The prevalence and specific nature of INK4a mutations vary markedly from one tumor type to another. In contrast to other tumor-suppressor genes, like RB1 and p53, homozygous deletion is a fairly common mechanism of INK4a inactivation in cancer. 136
Detailed studies of the
INK4a locus led to the identification of a novel alternative transcript containing nucleotide sequences identical to those in transcripts for the p16 INK4a protein, but with unique 5′ sequences (see Figure 7-6). 129, 130, 137 The alternative INK4a locus transcript encodes a protein known as p19 ARF with p19 denoting its apparent molecular weight and ARF denoting alternative reading frame. The human version of the mouse p19 ARF protein is sometimes referred to as p14 ARF because of its smaller apparent molecular weight in gel electrophoresis studies. However, both proteins appear to have identical functions, and the discussion below uses the p19 ARF terminology because it is found more frequently in the literature. The p19 ARF protein contains sequences from a distinct first exon (exon 1β). Exon 1β is located upstream of exon 1α, the first exon present in transcripts for p16 (see Figure 7-6). Exon 1β is spliced to exon 2, which, along with exon 3, is present in the transcripts for both the p19 ARF and p16 INK4a proteins. However, the p19 ARF protein shares no sequence similarity with the p16 INK4a protein because p19 ARF synthesis initiates at a unique methionine codon in exon 1β and continues through exon 2, using an alternative open reading frame with no similarity to the p16 INK4a open reading frame. Careful studies of somatic and inherited mutations at the INK4a locus indicate that localized mutations inactivating the p16 INK4a protein are common in human cancer, but that localized mutations inactivating p19 ARF are uncommon. 129, 130 However, the frequent occurrence of homozygous deletions at the INK4a locus implies that mutational inactivation of both proteins may be strongly selected for during tumor development (see Figure 7-6). Other findings suggest that p16 INK4a and p19 ARF expression may be lost in some tumor types as a result of methylation of DNA regulatory sequences at the INK4a locus (see Figure 7-6). 138–140 Furthermore, studies of mice with germ line inactivation of p19 ARF and p16 INK4a indicate that these proteins function as tumor-suppressor genes in vivo. 141–143
The mechanism through which the p16
INK4a protein controls tumorigenic growth is apparently through its inhibition of Cdk4 activity. As indicated above, phosphorylation of pRb impedes its ability to transcriptionally regulate E2F-target genes (see Figure 7-4). The cyclin D1/Cdk4 complex has a critical role in regulating pRb phosphorylation and function. 140 Hence, the p16 INK4a protein, by virtue its regulation of Cdk4 activity, is, in turn, a critical factor in regulating pRb phosphorylation. Presumably, inactivation of p16 INK4a results in inappropriate phosphorylation of pRb and a subsequent inability of hyperphosphorylated pRb to bind E2Fs and appropriately regulate gene expression at the G1/S transition.
Initially, insights into the means by which p19
ARF functioned as a growth regulator and tumor suppressor in vitro and in vivo were lacking, in part because the p19 ARF protein lacks significant similarity to proteins with well-established function. It is now clear that p19 ARF binds directly to the MDM2 protein, and its binding blocks both MDM2-induced degradation of p53 and MDM2's effects on p53-mediated transcriptional activation of genes. 130 Hence, p19 ARF function is important for maintaining the appropriate function of p53 in cells, much like p16 INK4a function is critical for appropriate pRb function. The findings on the functions of the p16 INK4a and p19 ARF proteins emphasize the concept that oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes do not function in isolation. Rather, they function in intricately linked cascades/networks (Figure 7-7). 98 | 6,571 | 2,780 | 0.000364 |
warc | 201704 | Roles of Plant Traits and Nutrient Availability in Predicting Species Invasion Principal Investigator(s):
Invasive species are a threat to biodiversity and ecosystem services worldwide. Humans have been transporting non-native species both intentionally and unintentionally ever since they first began exploring the globe; however, the rates of invasion, and thus the impacts of invaders, have greatly increased in recent decades in concert with increasing global commerce.
For centuries ecologists have been fascinated by the question of what allows a non-native species to be successful in a new place. I am seeking to understand the relative roles of plant traits and nutrient availability in predicting species invasion.
First, I am testing the hypothesis that species invade because they possess novel abilities, or traits, that allow them to utilize resources in ways that the natives cannot. This hypothesis is based on the concept that each species has a "niche," and that if two species are too similar, they will compete strongly for the same resources, resulting in one of the species being excluded from the community. Thus, in addition to investigating the role of plant traits, I am asking whether increasing resource availability allows non-native species to invade. Nitrogen is one of the most important limiting nutrients for plant growth, and is becoming increasingly available in natural areas as a consequence of pollution from tailpipe emissions and agricultural fertilizer runoff.
To ask these questions I am working with a group of researchers at Long Term Ecological Research sites across North America. Many sites have conducted nitrogen addition experiments, and documented which species increased or decreased in abundance, and whether new species invaded. I have assembled a database including the traits of the species in the experiments, and their responses to nitrogen addition. I expect that non-native species differ in their traits as compared to the native species at each site, but that nitrogen addition would allow invasion regardless of functional traits, due to decreased competition for this limiting resource. | 2,159 | 1,032 | 0.000973 |
warc | 201704 | Senate Bill 2026, a bill which would establish the Hawaii apprentice hunting license program, unanimously passed the House Water & Land Committee last week.
Lengthy hunter education requirements often discourage potential hunters from going afield because they are unwilling to dedicate the necessary time to complete the course in order to pursue an activity that they are simply trying out. The apprentice license program that would be created by SB 2026 would allow them to experience hunting while under the supervision of a mentor before taking the course. Eventually, the goal is for these apprentices to complete a hunter education course so they can hunt on their own, which has largely been the case in the states with similar programs. Since 2006, nearly 1.5 million apprentice hunting licenses have been sold in participating states and have proven the value and safety of mentoring newcomers in the field.
Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates on this bill. | 1,012 | 578 | 0.001737 |
warc | 201704 | Researchers continually search for new or better medicines to treatmultiple sclerosis (MS). MS appears to be adisease in which theimmune system attacks the covering of the nerves(myelin) within the brain and spinal cord. So treatments that reduce the activityof the immune system may slow the progression of the disease. Medicines thatwork in this manner are called immunosuppressants. They are a major focus of MSresearch.
Several immunosuppressants being studied or used for MS are:
Azathioprine (Imuran), which has shown conflicting results but may reduce the number of relapses in relapsing-remitting MS.
Cladribine(Leustatin), which has been used successfullyagainstleukemia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not approve this drug for treatment of MS because of serious side effects, including death.
Cyclophosphamide, which some expertsbelieve stabilizes MS without improving it. But research has shown conflictingresults.
Methotrexate, which has also been used to treatcancer andrheumatoid arthritis. This drug may be of limitedbenefit in reducing the progression of MS.
Monoclonal antibodies, such as:
Daclizumab (Zenapax), which may reduce disease activity in relapsing-remitting MS.
Rituximab (Rituxan), which has been shown to reduce the number of relapses in relapsing-remitting MS, but has had serious side effects, including PML.
Laquinimod, which is still experimental. It has been shown to reduce the number of active lesions in people with MS, as seen on MRI.
Any therapy that can be used to treat MS must be judged by how itaffects a person's degree of disability. Newer studies rely on the results ofMRI scans and the progression of disability to evaluate how well therapy isworking.
ByHealthwise Staff Primary Medical ReviewerAdam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine Specialist Medical ReviewerKarin M. Lindholm, DO - Neurology
PeaceHealth endeavors to provide comprehensive health care information, however some topics in this database describe services and procedures not offered by our providers or within our facilities because they do not comply with, nor are they condoned by, the ethics policies of our organization.
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content. | 2,509 | 1,254 | 0.000802 |
warc | 201704 | John Wingerd, Siskiyou Corporation
Several different technologies offer a range of performance options within the confines of an optical microscope for patch-clamp studies,
intracellular recording and other demanding experiments in electrophysiology.
Electrophysiology encompasses the measurement and analysis of transient ion flows and resultant voltage changes across cellular membranes (e.g., sodium ion channels that enable nerve-cell signal transmission).
A key but often unheralded component of these experiments is the micromanipulation system used by the researcher to maneuver the micropipettes or other electrodes. These micromanipulators must move and position a pipette/electrode with micron-level precision and stability. However, the spectrum of commercial and research applications has a range of requirements in terms of performance, features, cost, speed and flexibility. To optimally meet the needs of each of the diverse uses, equipment suppliers have developed a range of micromanipulator technologies that can be combined in modular ways. This provides the right mix of degrees of freedom, coarse and fine control, and manual and automated adjustment that each user requires.
Each micromanipulator technology offers a unique set of advantages. In this article, we will compare three of them and examine how each best meets the needs of specific applications.
Voltage and patch clamps
The simplest way to study ion flow and resultant electrical potential changes across a membrane is to place an electrode on either side of that membrane. The oldest – and most popular – method is to insert a micropipette inside a cell, neuron or other study target. Electrical measurements are then made relative to a reference electrode located in the external buffer in which the sample is bathed.
Depending on the cell type, the current flow can be extremely small (picoamp to nanoamp regime). To overcome noise and to quantitatively measure the current, specialized circuitry maintains a set potential difference between the two electrodes (i.e., to clamp the voltage difference). This is often chosen to be a zero difference – that is, temporarily depolarizing the membrane. The transient currents required to maintain this difference are recorded as a function of time as the ion channels in the membrane respond to this externally induced perturbation in the potential across it.
The term “patch clamp” refers to the most common experimental configurations, where the aperture of a micropipette is used to define a test area or membrane patch, as shown schematically in Figure 1. A low level of suction draws the membrane into the aperture and makes an ion-impervious seal. By using a small micropipette aperture, a patch or membrane containing anything from just a single ion-channel protein (typical pipette diameter <0.3 µm) up to hundreds of ion channels can be sampled. “Cell attached” measurements then can be made by depolarizing and polarizing the patch and by observing the transient current flows that characterize the ion channels being studied.
(
Figure 1. a) The pipette is brought into proximity of the cell wall. ( b) In simple “cell attached” patch-clamp studies, it is placed over a small area of membrane, and suction is applied to make an ion-impervious seal. ( c) In some “inside out” studies, the pipette is retracted to separate some of the membrane in the “inside out” configuration. The number of channels in the sampled patch can vary from one to hundreds. Images courtesy of Siskiyou.
Alternatively, the suction can be increased to break the membrane and to physically remove the patch for isolated study. Clever tricks allow it to be studied from either side – in “inside out” or “outside in” configurations. As another option, the patch can be more abruptly torn by suction so that the cell contents and pipette interior are at least temporarily contiguous. This allows “whole cell” recording in an alternative configuration to piercing the cell membrane with a pipette/electrode.
Many variants of these basic methods allow researchers to target intracellular membranes or to make measurements on specific intracellular volumes. All are dependent on precise X-Y-Z positioning of one or more pipette electrodes. Specifically, they require the ability to move the pipette along its axis direction with precision and control on the micron scale, and with minimal lateral uncertainty or errors.
Today, numerous technological approaches (e.g., mechanical, electrical and hydraulic) to this challenge exist, as well as supplier-specific implementation details. The ideal choice for a given application is determined by matching the performance specifications to the requirements of the experiments, as well as a few practical factors and cost considerations. Typically the complete solutions are modular so as to optimally combine one or more axes of lower-cost coarse positioning/adjustment with the requisite amount of fine positioning. (Performing experiments with all-fine adjustments throughout the necessary range of travel would be unnecessarily and prohibitively costly.)
Huxley-style flexures: tried and true
Electrophysiology pioneer Andrew Huxley’s original experiments were performed using all-mechanical micro-manipulation systems. These were based on flexures where the position is controlled by driving the pipette holder – usually mounted on a head stage – via manually turning a fine-pitched leadscrew against resistance provided by a metal flexure. This type of simple, time-proven mechanical flexure combines modest resolution with low cost. A commercial example is Siskiyou’s MX300 series, which uses manually driven 100-threads-per-inch (TPI) screws and ball-bearing translation stages to deliver a resolution of <1 µm.
Traditional Huxley-style mechanical micromanipulators are based on flexures and usually incorporate dial-like knobs for manual adjustment. With this modular MX310L system from Siskiyou, coarse adjustment is provided by incorporating lower-resolution stages at the top of the assembly. Simple pipette replacement is supported by a rotary stage at the base of the system with a hard mechanical reference stop.
Figure 2.
Experiments typically are performed under an optical microscope, often with less than 2 mm of working distance under the objective. As a result, the probe has to
be brought into the sample within a very limited, angular range. To enable simple probe/pipette replacement under these constraints, the complete assembly incorporates a low-resolution rotation stage equipped with a hard (settable) mechanical stop. This allows the head stage to be able to swing out of the experimental position and then to be returned with kinematic fidelity. Coarse adjustment is optionally provided by mounting a five-axis stage module on top of the fine flexure motion system.
These axes are also driven manually, but with 20-TPI screws. Along the critical pipette axis, the end result is 20 mm of coarse motion and 2 mm of fine motion.
These Huxley-style flexures are optimized primarily for teaching laboratory applications, where typical experiments require lower resolution and are targeted at larger cells (50 µm to 1 mm in diameter). Compared to other micromanipulator systems, they deliver the robust durability and low cost needed for a teaching lab, albeit in a somewhat bulky format.
As with all micromanipulators for electrophysiology applications, it is important that the rotational axis of the motion is perfectly aligned with the electrode/
pipette on its accompanying head stage. At the same time, it is advisable to electrically isolate the pipette and head stage from the micromanipulator
assembly. In principle, both plastics and ceramics could be used for this isolation. However, we have found that using a solid cylindrical ceramic rod for this mounting connection minimizes thermal drift and provides maximum rigidity.
In electrophysiology studies, the confined experimental space under a microscope objective means that the micropipette electrode(s) only can be introduced in a narrow range of angles.
Figure 3.
Hydraulics: smooth and fast
Engineers have long known that some of the smoothest continuous motion can be driven using hydraulics. Here liquid is forced into or out of an expandable, sealed enclosure that permits motion in a single axis, such as a bellows or a cylinder and piston. An example is the MX6000 series from Siskiyou, which combines a metal bellows for longevity and durability with a crossed-roller bearing translation stage. Crossed-roller bearing stages are widely used in demanding photonics applications because they deliver precise linear motion (eliminating play like pitch and yaw) with extremely long lifetimes. As with the flexure actuators, motion is manually controlled by the rotation of a large dial. The fine-positioning adjustments on the three axes – probe (X), Y and Z – use ultrafine 127-TPI adjustment screws to deliver
5 mm of linear motion with 0.5-µm resolution. Also, a coarse-positioning system is optionally integrated into the complete modular assembly, as well as an optional rotary stop for accurate repositioning after pipette exchange.
A key design consideration for any hydraulic system is the choice of fluid. For example, viscosity will directly impact system responsiveness. Another important factor is thermal expansion, as changes in ambient temperature can cause the liquid to expand or contract, which potentially may result in minor positional drifts. Overall we have found that water is the best liquid for actuators for electrophysiology; it delivers the requisite responsiveness but with two to three times lower thermal expansion than that of typical hydraulic oils. The result is a drift of <2 µm per hour under nominal, constant temperature conditions. However water can be problematic when using nylon and related plastics because these organics slowly absorb water. For this reason, Teflon tubing is used to connect the drive and output bellows. Nonetheless, we recommend flushing and refilling every two years to maintain specified performance levels.
The responsiveness of hydraulic systems means that they are well-suited to demanding research applications with typical cell diameters around 10 µm or less. They often represent the best solution for intracellular recording, where an abrupt impaling action is needed to pierce the cell with a sharp electrode. Generally, these types of experiments are less than 20 minutes in duration, so minor long-term drift is not an issue. The ability to make rapid piercing movements is the reason why hydraulics often are preferred for microinjection and similar applications. As one example, they are widely used by in vitro fertilization laboratories to perform genetic material transfer, as well as fertilization.
DC servos: highest stability and lowest noise
High-end micromanipulators offer higher resolution as well as automated (i.e., electronic) control, rather than solely manual adjustments. There are several types of electronic actuators widely used to drive stages in all kinds of photonics applications, including stepper motors, DC servos and piezoelectrics. At Siskiyou, we use only DC servos in our MX7000 series because these best meet the needs of patch-clamp studies, which form the majority of the electrophysiology market’s high-resolution segment. Also, because they are intended for the highest-resolution applications, they are paired with crossed-roller bearing stages and assembled as four-axis micromanipulator modules.
Higher-performance micromanipulators provide automated (push button/software) positional control by incorporating electronic actuators. Siskiyou’s MX7600 system is based on DC servos that produce zero electromagnetic interference when stationary, unlike piezos or microsteppers.
Figure 4.
As a result, a single DC servo driver moves the pipette smoothly along its axis. In contrast, some commercial electronic axis control systems synthesize a “virtual” probe axis; they iterate X and Z motion in predetermined ratios only. In that case, the probe doesn’t go straight into the target but enters the cell by stepwise iterating the X and Z axes. The system also can include a low-resolution rotary stage to set a micron-accuracy hard stop for simple pipette replacement.
Patch-clamp studies are the most electronically demanding of all electrophysiology procedures because they usually involve the smallest signals; a small patch may contain just a single ion-channel protein complex. In fact the signals are so small that no external electronic noise sources can be allowed to reach the amplifier circuitry. Although the pipette/electrode and amplifier head stage are electrically isolated by a ceramic connector rod, the intimate proximity of the actuators to the experiment means that even minor free-space electromagnetic interference must be avoided. This is a potential problem for steppers (especially when microstepping) and piezo systems, where current is continuously drawn to maintain position. This ongoing current draw also means these systems create unwanted heat, even when stationary
(i.e., during the measurements). Thermal drift is always the enemy of precision positioning.
In contrast, a DC servo system draws current only when it is moving. In fact, the power supply can be completely disrupted without causing any shift in position. As a result, DC servos produce no electromagnetic interference when stationary and offer the lowest drift of any electronic actuator.
The term “servo” refers to the fact that these actuators can be moved directly or in response to position sensor feedback. Direct push-button control delivers spatial resolution of 0.1 or 0.2 µm, depending on the choice of system controller. Also, in closed-loop operation using integrated optical encoders for servo feedback, these systems deliver even higher resolution. These encoders also support high-speed motion – up to 1.7 mm/s.
Meet the author
John Wingerd is senior mechanical engineer at Siskiyou Corporation in Grants Pass, Ore.; email: johnw@siskiyou.com. | 14,367 | 5,996 | 0.00017 |
warc | 201704 | SiteLock automatically scans your website looking for Malware on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. A SiteLock Security Shield reassures your visitors that your website is secure & Malware free
If any Malware is found you are notified immediately so that you can take action as quickly as possible
If you use the ‘Find & Fix’ or the ‘Find, Fix & Prevent’ service then SiteLock automatically removes the Malware or fixes the issue for you.
SiteLock Feature Comparison
Features Find Find & Fix Find, Fix & Prevent Description Find scans the site inside and out, to search vulnerabilities or evidence of malicious code. It also provide a protective layer around the website to help prevent future compromises from occurring. If a website is compromised, Find & Fix can diagnose the source of the issue and deliver a fast solution to get the site back online. Find, Fix & Prevent includes the SiteLock TrueShield™ Web App Firewall which proactively protects websites from malicious traffic and blocks harmful requests. Requires no installation, takes only 5-minute to setup and blocks all of OWASP’s top 10 threats. Cost £19.99/yr £39.99/yr £269/yr Daily malware scanning Reputation monitoring Verifiable trust seal Malware: daily Spam: daily Network: daily Spam & black list monitoring Automatic malware removal Automatic malware removal (SMART) File change monitoring Advanced vulnerability scans TrueShield™ Web app firewall CDN (Content Delivery Network)
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Malware scan pages: 25 500 2500 App Scan 1 time Monthly/quarterly Monthly/quarterly SQL Injection 1 time Monthly/quarterly Monthly/quarterly Cross-site scripting (XSS) 1 time Monthly/quarterly Monthly/quarterly Order Now Order Now Order Now
Sitelock FAQs
Ensuring your website is safe and secure is a must for all website owners. If your website gets hacked it can get result in your website being reported and even removed from search engine listings meaning you effectively become invisible online. By preventing your website from getting hacked you are ensuring that your online reputation does not suffer and you keep your data safe.
Hackers are always looking for ways to exploit weaknesses in websites for a variety of reasons. In some cases it is to steal valuable or sensitive data such as customer records or credit or debit card details. In other cases it is so that they can upload Malware or use your website to send out unsolicited emails (Phishing).
Hackers do not publish their methods but usually it is by exploiting known security weaknesses in a website. This could be through an out of date script or through a content management system like WordPress which has not been updated to the latest secure version.
Once you sign up for the service you will be able to set up a regular scan for your website. The SiteLock system will scan your website on a daily basis looking for known threats. If it identifies any Malware or any other issues then you are notified by email and through your SiteLock control panel.
If you are using the ‘Find’ Service there is no Malware removal. You (or your developer) would need to remove the malware. If you use the ‘Find & Fix’ or the ‘Find, Fix & Prevent’ service then the removal of the Malware is included.
Your website is scanned once a day. You will see the last scan date on the SiteLock Security Shield that appears on your website. You can choose to set the scan daily, weekly or monthly.
Yes, If you are using the ‘Find’ Service there is a limit of 25 pages. If you use the ‘Find & Fix’ service there is a limit of 500 pages. With the ‘Find, Fix & Prevent’ service up to 2500 pages are scanned daily.
When Sitelock is first deployed it needs to scan all of your website’s files. If you have a large website this will take longer than for a smaller site. However, over time, SiteLock will then only scan any new or changed files so it will not have any long term effect on performance.
You are responsible for uploading the SiteLock Security Shield to your website. If you are not comfortable doing this then our technical team will perform this for a small one-off fee.
If you decide not to secure your website then it could get hacked. This may mean that it then contravenes our Terms of Service and our Acceptable Usage Policy which may result in your website being temporarily suspended pending removal of the Malware. In the worst case scenario you could lose some or all of your website data. | 4,575 | 2,002 | 0.000515 |
warc | 201704 | The first lunar eclipse of 2016 is coming up and there are important scientific and astrological implications to know about. As rare events, lunar or solar eclipses are fascinating to watch. An eclipse can also remind us of our small place in this vast cosmos.
In astrology, the impact of the relative position of the planets, moon and sun to us here on Earth have meaning for our lives. Some people do not believe in astrology but they do believe in science and observable evidence.
The supporters of astrology can point to observable evidence to back up their theories as well. As an example, the energetic pull of the tides as the Earth spins and the moon appears to travel across the sky is one observable change that is indisputable.
As humans who are made of mostly water, then, is it not possible that our bodily fluids feel the pull of the moon in response as the ocean tides do? And if we can feel the pull of the moon, even in the slightest way, is it also not possible to feel the effects of other planetary motion?
Astrologers say that these small changes in energy result in big changes for our emotions, thoughts, health, and consequently, our actions. A lunar eclipse is a significant astrological event that means big changes.
Here’s Whatt You Need to Know About the First Lunar Eclipse of 2016 The shifting energies prior to a lunar eclipse can begin in the weeks leading up to it.
A lunar eclipse is significant for astrology because it is a rare event and also because it always occurs with the full moon. A full moon has more effect on us than a crescent moon.
What astrology has to say about the coming lunar eclipse
The effect of a lunar eclipse is a stronger one than that of the full moon. So what is the effect that we can look forward to? Change. Change can be stressful, but this change will be an improvement of some kind.
For example, you might have a change in job, but it will be one that is an increase in pay or some benefit to you than your prior circumstances. In some way, this change will be a loss of something that you once had, but which now is no longer important to your happiness.
It’s time to let go and begin anew.
Releasing something from your current situation will make it easier to make room for the good new change that is coming. After all, you can’t be ready to catch a gold coin if your arms are holding bags of pennies.
The best advice that you can heed with the coming lunar eclipse is to mentally and emotionally prepare yourself for an upheaval. Expect the worst and hope for the best. Be open to whatever possibility is coming. Think about prior changes that you have experienced that have been good for you, like breaking up with a horrible relationship.
The Scientific Facts of a Lunar Eclipse
This will be a prenumbral lunar eclipse which is different from a total lunar eclipse. During a prenumbral eclipse, the moon will appear foggy and darker colored, but there will not be a definitive line across the surface of the moon.
During this lunar eclipse, Australia, Asia, North and South America will have a view. The eclipse will begin March 23, 2016 at 6:47am Central time zone and will last for 4 hours and 15 minutes.
The sun will be rising around the time of the lunar eclipse so it will be even more difficult to see any change in the face of the moon. Catch this eclipse early, if possible to see the maximum difference in the face of the moon. You will notice a darkening of the moon, like an unseen cloud has passed over it.
In a prenumbral eclipse, the moon is moving through the Earth’s shadow, but at the weakest, outer edge of our shadow. That is why there is no defined line of shadow on the face of the moon with this type of lunar eclipse. | 3,755 | 1,724 | 0.000586 |
warc | 201704 | I'm East Indian. I was wondering if broken capillaries on the face can be treated by sclerotherapy instead of laser? I've read too many horrible stories on real self about laser and since I'm a person of color with very sensitive skin I'd like to stay away from laser. What are the pros/cons, costs, things I should know? Many thanks.
Can Broken Capillaries on the Face Be Treated with Sclerotherapy Instead on Laser? What Are the Pros/cons? Doctor Answers 10 Facial capillaries - treatment options - Buffalo Vein Treatment Center Laser Best for Facial Veins
The 1064nm long-pulsed Nd-YAG can be used safely in the darkest skin types, and a vbeam would also be appropriate if the right cooling settings are used. As long as the appropriate cooling is used, there is no reason why the laser isn't the safest option for this condition. I perform sclerotherapy of the legs, but do not prefer it for the face as it can cause visual disturbances if there is retrograde flow through a larger vessel, which is hard to visualize. If it connects to an artery, an ulcer can form, as one cannot control how far the solution travels.
Sclerotherapy can be used on facial veins.
Facial veins can be treated by several modalities including laser, radio frequency, IPL and sclerotherapy. Sclerotherapy is possible if the vein is large enough to accommodate the needle. As with other treatments, sclerotherapy may require several sessions usually 3 to 4 weeks apart. The pros are that it covers a larger area per injection than laser, is less painful than laser and doesn't cause burning . The cons are that it can cause brownish discoloration of the skin. The cost varies with the physician, location of the veins and amount of veins treated.
You might also like... Broken capillaries can be treated with sclerotherapy in patients with darker complexions.
It is easy to treat the larger venules on the face with sclerotherapy at 3-4 sessions a month apart. Light electrocautery also is a safe and effective method. Sincerely,
David Hansen,MD
"Broken Capillaries" (Telangiectasias) Respond Well To Radiowave Treatments & Sclerotherapy
So-called 'broken capillaries" (more correctly known as telangiectasia, since they are actually permanently dilated small vessels rather than broken ones) can be treated by both radiowave therapy and sclerotherapy. Radiowave therapy uses a device that sends radiowaves into the vessel causing heating and destruction of the undesirable vessels. Sclerotherapy accomplishes the same thing but by injecting an irritating solution, such as high concentration salt (and other types of materials) collectively referred to as sclerosants, since they effectively causing scarring, shrinkage and elimination of the unwanted vessels.
In general, sclerotherapy is used for treating the tiny "spider veins" so common on the lower extremities. In fact, despite the plethora of laser hype and marketing, sclerotherapy remains the gold standard from treating this problem in that region. On the other hand, radiowave treatment as described above or electrodessication are considered the treatments of choice for facial telangiectasias. That having been said, I have had good success, especially when treating larger telangiectases on the nose, with the use of sclerosing solution.
Naturally, you would do well to seek the services of a board certified aesthetic physician with experience in treating these kinds of problems with all the current modalities.
Can Broken Capillaries on the Face Be Treated with Sclerotherapy Instead of Laser
I actually disagree wholeheartedly with other doctors on here. I have used a specific type of sclerosing for over 20 years to effectively treat facial veins. It can take a single treatment or two, rather than multiples treatment as often are needed with lasers. My office has done over 150,000 laser treatments, but I often find that there are some veins that simply cannot be treated with lasers, and for these I turn to sclerotherapy. Also, like in your case, lasers may not even be an option, depending on a person's color. This type of sclerotherapy is absolutely different than what I do on the legs, but it is tremendously effective.
Treatment of Facial Capillaries
I would not recommend sclerotherapy in the face. Laser treatment or sometimes electrodessication is best.
Broken Capillaries on the Face
I would not use sclerotherapy on the face for fear of developing scarring if the sclerosant leaks out into the soft tissue. A needle point electrode can be beneficial. I would definitely try a test area first.
Treatment of Capillaries on Face
Sclerotherapy should not be used for broken capillaries on the face. A very safe and effective way to treat them is with electrosurgery (electrodessication). There is minimal downtime and after anywhere from 1 to 3 treatments, the capillaries are gone.
Veins on the face
Sclerotherapy should not be used for face spider veins. Results are poor and risks unacceptable. Laser does improve some veins but with less success than thermavein or veinwave 11.
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship. | 5,344 | 2,418 | 0.000416 |
warc | 201704 | Continue Reading
In the early 20th century, the average number of U.S. coal mining fatalities were 1,000 per year, decreasing to about 450 in the mid-20th century and to 140 in the 1970s. Since the 1970s, fatal coal mining injuries have decreased by 92 percent despite a 63 percent increase in coal production.
Historically, the deadliest year in U.S. coal mining history was 1907 with 3,242 fatalities. The three worst coal mine disasters in U.S. history were the Monongah, West Virginia explosion in December 1907, claiming 362 lives; the Cherry, Illinois fire in November 1909, claiming 259 lives; and the Dawson, New Mexico explosion, claiming 263 lives.
Currently, the Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration employs about one coal mine inspector per 2.5 coal mines to advise and enforce the safety regulations of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 and the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006. These regulatory measures, along with improved mining technologies, have helped decrease the annual rates of mining deaths, measured as the number of deaths against hours worked. The incident rates of coal mining deaths have decreased from 0.2000 fatalities per 200,000 hours worked in 1970 to 0.0393 in 2000. 2011 saw the lowest incidence of fatalities at 0.0114.
In 2013, the coal mining industry experienced a fatal occupational injuries incident rate of 20.8 per 100,000 workers. Comparatively, the logging industry had an 86.5 incident rate; the fishing, hunting and trapping industry had a 63.4 and the crop production industry had a 22.9.Learn more about Industries | 1,629 | 833 | 0.001205 |
warc | 201704 | Bladder removal is the standard treatment for invasive cancer, but bladder preservation options, such as chemoradiotherapy, partial bladder removal and radical transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, are sometimes possible, according to UpToDate. However, patients who choose bladder preservation risk a cancer relapse.Continue Reading
During a radical transurethral resection of a bladder tumor, a surgeon views the interior of the bladder and removes any tumors or suspicious looking tissue, explains UpToDate. A few weeks after treatment, the surgeon examines the lining of the bladder again to look for any signs of cancer. If there is evidence of cancer, the surgeon recommends bladder removal.
Cancer patients with a single tumor or other specific characteristics may qualify for a partial bladder removal that allows them to keep the majority of the bladder, according to UpToDate. Bladder cancer patients may also consider chemoradiotherapy, which a combination of radiation and chemotherapy, to eradicate their cancer. However, many doctors recommend radical transurethral resection of a bladder tumor before attempting chemoradiotherapy.
After a bladder preservation, an estimated 30 to 60 percent of patients later have another bladder tumor, notes UpToDate. An estimated half of those tumors are invasive. Patients who choose bladder preservation surgery and have a tumor recurrence have a survival rate that is approximately 10 to 20 percent lower than patients who choose a complete bladder removal as their first course of treatment. If tumors recur after bladder preservation, a radical bladder removal is the suggested treatment.Learn more about Cancer | 1,680 | 748 | 0.001341 |
warc | 201704 | Continue Reading
According to Drugs.com, Tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory drug. Tylenol is a pain reliever and fever reducer containing acetaminophen. Tylenol is used in the treatment of numerous conditions, including muscle aches, backache, toothaches, headaches, arthritis and colds.
Drugs.com notes that Tylenol should not be taken in amounts greater than the recommendation, as an overdose can result in liver damage or even death. Individuals who consume more than three alcoholic beverages a day or have ever had cirrhosis need to consult a doctor prior to starting use of the medication. A doctor is to make the determination of whether Tylenol use is safe during pregnancy. This drug can pass into breast milk, potentially causing harm to a nursing baby. Tylenol should not be given to a child under the age of 2 without first discussing it with a doctor.Learn more about Medications & Vitamins | 909 | 524 | 0.001917 |
warc | 201704 | Continue Reading
Soapstone is a good choice for kitchen countertops because it is resistant to bacteria growth, less susceptible to cracking and stains, and easy to clean. It is also warm to the touch and requires no sealing or substrate support.
For a coordinated look, homeowners can incorporate soapstone into the sink, back splash and flooring. Soapstone is sanitary enough to prepare dough, meat and fresh fruit and vegetables directly on its surface. With an occasional mineral oil rub, it maintains its "wet look," and owners can easily buff out with steel wool. The cost of soapstone is comparable to that of a mid-range granite.Learn more about Building Materials | 678 | 416 | 0.002425 |
warc | 201704 | Continue Reading
A pet crawdad's diet consists of shrimp pellets, green vegetables and frozen foods. Appropriate green vegetables include zucchini, cabbage leaves and shelled peas, while frozen foods that a crawdad enjoys include blood worms, fish and brine shrimp.
A crawdad hides its food and is a messy eater, so its aquarium requires frequent water changes. A crawdad is a cannibalistic animal, so an owner with more than one pet crawdad needs at least a 20-gallon capacity aquarium with places for animals to hide. It may reach up to 3 inches in length at maturity and moults regularly. Its average lifespan is two to three years, but some species live longer.Learn more about Aquatic Pets | 698 | 414 | 0.002429 |
warc | 201704 | Are Cruise Ships Safe From Zika? Be Careful About Those Shore Excursions
It's peak cruise season in the Caribbean region right now — but active Zika virus infections have been reported in popular Caribbean cruise destinations such as Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, among others. So are cruise ships safe from Zika? For the most part, yes — only one Zika case has been linked to a cruise. Out of the thousands of passengers aboard cruise ships traveling in Zika-affected regions this spring, this should provide some measure of reassurance. That said, travelers, especially pregnant women, planning to travel to any area affected by Zika — cruise or otherwise — should still take precautions.
Even though the risk for contracting the Zika virus on a cruise ship is relatively low, cruise lines aren't taking any chances. Since the Zika virus is especially dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn fetuses, the outbreak has certainly put a dampener on many babymoon cruise getaways: Many cruise lines have begun offering refunds and even waiving their cancellation fees for pregnant women. While pregnant women have not been outright barred from traveling on any cruise ships, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should talk to their doctors about the risks associated with traveling to Zika-affected areas.
The Zika virus is a mosquito-borne illness, and not all mosquitos actually carry the virus. Contracting Zika while on board a cruise ship is highly unlikely — the risk comes from disembarking from the ship into any areas where the Zika virus is present. Popular shore excursions such as hikes and other inland treks present the greatest risk for cruise passengers to contract the disease. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that travelers should take preventative measures against Zika such as covering exposed skin and using insect repellant that contains DEET.
Despite the large number of cruise travel regions affected by Zika, Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Arnold Donald told Yahoo News on Thursday that "Zika hasn't affected our business." But even though the Zika virus might not be hurting cruise travel, it's still a global public health concern.
Zika has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect that causes abnormally small heads and abnormal brain development. It's a complex virus, and science has just barely scratched the surface on the Zika virus in the wake of recent outbreaks. While the primary transmission vector is by mosquito, Zika can also be sexually transmitted.
On Wednesday, the White House announced that it will allocate nearly $600 million to fight the Zika virus. Hopefully, that means that even the most cautious of cruise travelers can soon rest easy (and keep their babymoon plans intact). | 2,848 | 1,403 | 0.000722 |
warc | 201704 | If you are reading this, there is a good chance you’ve decided to start pushing for matching gifts. You’ve seen the easy fundraising opening and you are about to take it.
The biggest issue facing nonprofits seeking matching donations is a knowledge gap amongst donors. Most donors just really don’t know about matching gifts. In order to secure those additional corporate funds, it is the nonprofit’s job to ensure that donors are aware of the valuable money at their disposal.
There are many relatively easy and cost effective ways to market matching gifts to donors. One of the best promotion methods is to incorporate them across your online presence.
Below you’ll find a list of four great ways to promote matching gifts online. #1: On a Dedicated Matching Gift Page on Your Website
A nonprofit looking to promote matching gifts must have a matching gifts page on its website.
Typically, there will be a “Ways to Give” section of the website—make sure to feature matching gifts there and link to the dedicated page.
You’ll be linking to the dedicated page across your online platforms, from emails to donation confirmation pages. Given how often traffic will be driven to it, it is crucial that it is set-up well.
The matching gift page should both educate people on what exactly matching gifts are and help those people determine if their company has a program.
There isn’t a set formula for dedicated matching gift pages, but they should try to anticipate and answer the kinds of questions donors would have, such as:
What are matching gifts? How do donors submit matching gifts? Are there forms? What does the donor need to do? What are a few examples of companies that match donations? What is the organization’s contact information What companies have matched gifts to your organization in the past?
For example, here is the National Kidney Foundation’s “Matching Gifts” page:
As you can see, this page provides the necessary information and a tool for the donor to learn if his company participates and to access the appropriate forms, guidelines, and instructions.
Tip : Have you checked out the Salsa and Double the Donation matching gift integration?
The matching gift process isn’t too complicated; you want your donors to understand that. A donor should leave the dedicated page confident and ready to apply for matching gifts.
#2: During the Online Donation Process
One of the most important times to advertise matching gifts is during the actual donation process. There are two main points within the process to do so.
A. On the Actual Donation Pages/Forms
When a donor is physically in the process of submitting donation forms, he is in a position to be receptive to matching gift information so that he can maximize his donation. Once he’s done donating, it is less likely that he’ll go out of his way to seek out details on matching gifts.
While the funder is on the donation page, make sure she is seeing a call to action regarding matching gifts. There are a few ways to incorporate the call to action:
Insert a link that takes the donor to your dedicated matching gift page Insert a matching gift search box that allows the donor to enter her company name and learn all about how to get her donation matched Tell the donor she can ask her HR department to see if her employer will match what she has donated
The third option here requires more work on the donor’s part, but it is still at least promoting the option of matching gifts, so it has some benefit.
The first two make things very easy for your donor. Let’s walk through an example to get a better idea of how the linking could actually work.
The image below is an example of a sample organization which has inserted Double the Donation’s plugin into a Salsa donation form.
As a donor using the site, while filling in the necessary blanks, you’d notice the prominently placed “Employer Gift Matching” box. The box itself contains a search box which opens up additional directions for a donor.
The experience is seamless for the user and eliminates any doubt about what matching gifts are and how to get them.
After the donor submits his form, there’s a final step in the process that matching gifts can be tied into.
B. On the Confirmation Page
Some nonprofits prefer to promote matching gifts at the close of the process on the confirmation page. The donor will read through his confirmation info, usually including a thank you and tax-exemption details. You can make matching gift links part of the confirmation materials.
Just like with the donation pages, you can either include a search box or a link to your dedicated matching page.
Confirmation pages can have, but don’t have to have, a major call to matching gifts. Something as subtle as a bold link that says “Find out now if your employer will match your gift” will work, like in this example from the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy.
Alternatively you can add more detailed information on matching gift programs or a lookup tool directly on the page.
Confirmation is a good stage to make the matching gift ask because employees cannot submit match requests until they have actually donated. Hook them right as they wrap up donating.
#3: On Social Media
Increasingly tech savvy donors have helped transform social media into a major marketing component for all types of nonprofits. Hopefully you already have a carefully curated social media strategy, but make sure to incorporate matching gifts into it.
There seems to be a social media site for everything nowadays, but the two key sites for matching gifts are Facebook and Twitter.
With Facebook and Twitter it is quick and easy to get a post out there about matching gifts. If a donor is on social media there is a good chance he is on either Facebook or Twitter or both.
For Twitter, your space is obviously limited. A brief call to action regarding matching gifts with a link to your dedicated page is the best option.
Follow the Center for Puppetry Arts’ Twitter feed lead and get straight to the point.
On Facebook you’ll have a bit more flexibility. The post can be matching gift-centric, like on twitter, or it can be a part of a larger fundraising push. Try to vary how you broach the subject.
Below you’ll see how Welcoming America managed to successfully add a paragraph about matching gifts to a post about another topic, mobile giving.
Or here’s an example from the CMTA where they feature matching gifts in a dedicated post:
Brainstorm ways to incorporate matching gift mentions into your preexisting post types. For instance, you might have a weekly Facebook shout-out in which you recognize one donor who has helped the organization. Try to find a donor who has matched gifts for one week and mention how her company helped her raise even more funds.
Donors will grow tired of seeing the same posts over and over, so diversity in your approach will make a big difference.
#4: Within Emails
Email requires little time and work and can reach thousands of your donors. Surely you’re already using email as a fundraising tool, so why not incorporate matching gifts into the routine?
Donors will be numb to seeing the same thing in every email you send so be strategic about when and how you bring up matching gifts.
One email option is to include some level of discussion of matching gifts in a newsletter.
The newsletter can be mostly dedicated to matching gifts at an educational level such as the following from the CMTA:
You could also choose to carve out a small place in a newsletter on other topics to write a brief blurb about it. Or, combine both of those techniques by starting with a matching gift newsletter and then later throughout the newsletter series add in the blurbs.
The Colon Cancer Alliance email below presents a unified newsletter with a small spotlight on matching gifts. And it does the trick.
Another email option is to place matching gift details in an email signature. Design a nice graphic with a link to your matching gift page. Have staff add the graphic to the bottom of their email signatures. Now every time a staffer sends an email, matching gift programs will have a spotlight.
There are also always opportunities to include matching gifts in other email correspondence like acknowledgement letters. Much like confirmation pages, after thanking the donor, while the donation is still a recent memory, let the donor know how he can double his contribution on his employer’s dollar.
You already have an established online presence. None of these options are going to drastically alter how you do things on the web. They’re simply minor tweaks here and there to make the most of your donations.
If you have questions about all things matching gifts, make sure you read the Ultimate Guide to Matching Gifts. | 8,968 | 3,778 | 0.000272 |
warc | 201704 | All Seedex varieties will once again be primed by XBEET. Even though Seedex sugarbeet seed is known for fast emergence and supreme seeding vigor, XBEET amps up the process.
The XBEET Boost XBEET is a priming process that uses a specifically calibrated combination of heat and moisture to remove or weaken germination inhibitors in the raw seed cork. It also starts the germination process that naturally occurs in the field until the seed reaches a certain physiological point. Then the process is stopped and the seed is boxed and ready to be delivered to growers. Once the grower plants Seedex XBEET seed, it absorbs moisture and starts the germination process just where it left off. Because the seed is allowed to naturally return to the germination process, it takes more quickly. This fast emergence leads to stronger stands and less risk of crop loss. XBEET Means Speed The emergence speed of Seedex varieties enhanced with XBEET means Seedex will not be beat out of the ground. Period. Most growers agree they like seed primed with XBEET. Emergence provides stronger stand establishment, and Seedex is already known for having some of the most vigorous varieties around. Adding the acceleration of XBEET gives your seeds standing power. Staying put means staying alive. It’s Standard
All Seedex varieties, both conventional and Roundup Ready
®, will be coated with XBEET. That means all this becomes standard: Accelerated Emergence Enhanced Vigor and Vitality Lower Stand Loss resulting in Higher Plant Populations Higher Recoverable Sugar Bigger Yields Better Bottom Lines
Roundup Ready is a registered trademark used under license from Monsanto Company. | 1,679 | 855 | 0.001181 |
warc | 201704 | Filter Results: Publication Year
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Two-photon scanning fluorescence microscopy has become a powerful tool for imaging living cells and tissues. Most applications of two-photon microscopy employ a Ti:sapphire laser excitation source, which is not readily portable or rapidly tunable. This work explores the use of two-photon fiber laser excitation (TP-FLEX) as an excitation source for scanning… (More)
A voltage-controlled birefringent cell based on ceramic PMN-PT material is used to enable fast intensity modulation of femtosecond laser pulses in the 800 nm wavelength window. The birefringent cell based on a PMN-PT compound has comparatively high electro-optic response, allowing for a short interaction length of 3 mm and thus very small size, low… (More)
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a robust method for the detection of intramolecular dynamics in proteins but is also susceptible to interference from other dynamic processes such as triplet kinetics and photobleaching. We describe an approach for the detection of intramolecular dynamics in proteins labeled with a FRET dye pair based on global… (More)
We demonstrate a wavelength tunable optical excitation source for coherent Raman scattering (CRS) spectroscopy based on a single femtosecond fiber laser. Electrically controlled wavelength tuning of Stokes optical pulses was achieved with soliton self frequency shift in an optical fiber, and linear frequency chirping was applied to both the pump and the… (More)
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) can be coupled with Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to detect intramolecular dynamics of proteins on the microsecond time scale. Here we describe application of FRET-FCS to detect fluctuations within the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of the Ca(2+)-signaling protein calmodulin. Intramolecular… (More)
We demonstrate coherent Raman spectroscopy (CRS) using a tunable excitation source based on a single femto-second fiber laser. The frequency difference between the pump and the Stokes pulses was generated by soliton self-frequency shifting in a nonlinear optical fiber. Spectra of C─H stretches of cyclohexane were measured simultaneously by stimulated Raman… (More)
We used single-pair fluorescence resonance energy transfer (spFRET) to track distance changes between domains of fluorescently labeled calmodulin (CaM) on the sub-millisecond time scale. In most cases, CaM remained in the same conformational substate over time periods of up to 1 ms, showing that conformational interchange occurs on a longer time scale.… (More)
We demonstrate multi-mode microscopy based on a single femtosecond fiber laser. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and photothermal images can be obtained simultaneously with this simplified setup. Distributions of lipid and hemoglobin in sliced mouse brain samples and blood cells are imaged. The dependency of… (More)
We analyze single molecule FRET burst measurements using Bayesian nested sampling. The MultiNest algorithm produces accurate FRET efficiency distributions from single-molecule data. FRET efficiency distributions recovered by MultiNest and classic maximum entropy are compared for simulated data and for calmodulin labeled at residues 44 and 117. MultiNest… (More)
The speed and accuracy of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements can be improved by rapidly alternating excitation wavelengths between the donor and acceptor fluorophore. We demonstrate FRET efficiency measurements based on a fiber laser and photonic crystal fiber as the source for two-photon excitation (TPE). This system offers the potential… (More) | 3,873 | 1,706 | 0.000599 |
warc | 201704 | Topical hemostatic agents are used intra-operatively to prevent uncontrolled bleeding. Gelfoam(®) Powder contains a hemostatic agent prepared from purified pork skin gelatin, the efficacy of which is increased when combined with thrombin. However, the effect of increasing concentrations of thrombin on resultant hemostasis is not known. This study sought to… (More) | 378 | 256 | 0.004034 |
warc | 201704 | Filter Results: Publication Year
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The interleukin-1 (IL-1) family of cytokines has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in previous studies. The NLRP3 inflammasome has recently emerged as a pivotal regulator of IL-1β maturation and secretion by macrophages. Little is currently known about a possible role for the NLRP3 inflammasome in atherosclerosis progression in vivo. We… (More)
Connexin36 (Cx36), a trans-membrane protein that forms gap junctions between insulin-secreting beta-cells in the Langerhans islets, contributes to the proper control of insulin secretion and beta-cell survival. Hypercholesterolemia and pro-atherogenic low density lipoproteins (LDL) contribute to beta-cell dysfunction and apoptosis in the context of Type 2… (More)
The goal of this study was to investigate the performance of 3D synchrotron differential phase contrast (DPC) imaging for the visualization of both macroscopic and microscopic aspects of atherosclerosis in the mouse vasculature ex vivo. The hearts and aortas of 2 atherosclerotic and 2 wild-type control mice were scanned with DPC imaging with an isotropic… (More)
We have previously demonstrated that exercise training prevents the development of Angiotensin (Ang) II-induced atherosclerosis and vulnerable plaques in Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice. In this report, we investigated whether exercise attenuates progression and promotes stability in pre-established vulnerable lesions. To this end, ApoE-/- mice… (More)
In cancer patients treated for venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), analyzing mortality associated with recurrent VTE or major bleeding is needed to determine the optimal duration of anticoagulation.This was a cohort study using the Registro Informatizado de Enfermedad TromboEmbólica (RIETE)… (More)
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common disease with increasing prevalence, presenting with impaired walking ability affecting patient's quality of life. PAD epidemiology is known, however, mechanisms underlying functional muscle impairment remain unclear. Using a mouse PAD model, aim of this study was to assess muscle adaptive responses during early… (More)
Cx40-deficient mice (Cx40-/-) are hypertensive due to increased renin secretion. We evaluated the renal expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and cyclooxygenases COX-1 and COX-2, three macula densa enzymes. The levels of nNOS were increased in kidneys of Cx40-/- mice, as well as in those of wild-type (WT) mice subjected to the two-kidney… (More)
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warc | 201704 | We report the results of a randomized controlled evaluation of the effectiveness of pedagogical agents as providers of affective feedback. These digital learning companions were embedded in an intelligent tutoring system for mathematics, and were used by approximately one hundred students in two public high schools. Students in the control group did not… (More) | 370 | 254 | 0.004013 |
warc | 201704 | Cerebral Palsy Hip Health Related Quality of Life Overview This trial is active, not recruiting.
Conditions cerebral palsy, patient undergoing hip surgery, quality of life Treatment cerebral palsy, post hip surgery Sponsor University of British Columbia Start date February 2011 End date December 2016 Trial size 24 participants Trial identifier NCT01773161, CW11-0006, H10-03210 Summary
Children with cerebral palsy are at an increased risk of having their hips move partially or completely out of joint. This can cause pain and restrict movement at the hip, making sitting in a wheelchair uncomfortable and make personal care difficult. This condition may be treated with surgery. Surgeons use x-rays taken before and after the surgery to determine whether or not the surgery has been successful. However, it is also important to know whether the surgery has improved life from the child or the caregiver's point of view. The investigators will also evaluate if waiting for surgery affects the child. This information will be added to results from a physical exam and an evaluation of the child's x-rays for a more complete picture of how this surgery impacts the lives of our patients. It is predicted that that the health-related quality of life of children with cerebral palsy will improve following surgery.
Study Design
Observational model cohort Time perspective prospective Primary Outcomes
Measure
Change in quality of life from pre-op to one year post-op
time frame: Baseline to 1 year post-op
Secondary Outcomes
Measure
Changes in variables obtained from physical and radiological examination
time frame: Baseline to 1 year post-op
Eligibility Criteria Male or female participants from 4 years up to 18 years old.
Inclusion Criteria: - Ages 4-18 - Undergoing surgical treatment for hip subluxation or dislocation - Diagnosis of cerebral palsy or similar condition causing motor impairment - Consent to participate Exclusion Criteria: - Diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders other than cerebral palsy - younger than 4, older than 18 - Reimer's migration percentage <40%
Additional Information
Official title Health Related Quality of Life in Patients With Cerebral Palsy Undergoing Surgery for Dislocating Hips Principal investigator Kishore Mulpuri, MBBS, MS, MHSc Description HRQoL will be measured using the Child Health Index of Life with Disabilities (CPCHILD). Our specific hypothesis is that health related quality of life, as measured by the CPCHILD will change by at least a mean of 10 points from pre- to post-surgery. Call for more information
Phone Principal Investigator Trial Trial ID Institution Location | 2,647 | 1,322 | 0.000762 |
warc | 201704 | Security vulnerabilities are commonplace in software products, leaving users open to attacks. Responsible software vendors, when aware of the problem, create and issue patches to address the vulnerability.
There are companies that pay researchers to identify new vulnerabilities. There are also hackers that sell new vulnerabilities on the black market. When an attack exploits a vulnerability before it has been discovered or patched by the vendor, it is known as a "zero day" attack.
To reduce vulnerabilities, you should apply the latest available patches and/or enable the auto update feature on your operating system and any installed applications.
(See Exploit, Patches)
Back to Security Threats A-Z
Back to Threatsaurus Home | 740 | 422 | 0.002399 |
warc | 201704 | Image: Matthew Loffhagen
Villains are one of the great gifts of fiction; inarguably antagonistic forces against which we can nurture a private, justified animosity safe in the knowledge that thousands of other readers hate them exactly as much as we do:
O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!
– William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Yet nothing grabs a reader like a villain. Someone who, as the (very accurate) cliché goes, they can ‘love to hate’. A presence who can be intriguing and exciting while still being reviled.
So what’s the secret to writing this kind of villain? Well, actually, there are two of them.
Secret 1 – The Mirror
A good villain holds up a mirror to the hero,
but they are not themselves the reflection. Invent your villain as a reflection of your hero and you end up with a clearly ‘created’ character, devoid of their own drives and traits. That way lies only a gibbering mad man. Fun, but not a character who will stay with a reader. Hero and villain should instead act as critiques of each other.
To do this successfully you need to know what your hero is about, the values and actions that define them, so that you can create a villain who at least suggests the validity of opposing actions or philosophies. A two dimensional villain simply believes in the opposite philosophy to the hero, freedom fighter vs. fascist dictator, but a great villain seems like they might have a point.
One of culture’s favorite villains, Darth Vader of the
Star Wars novels and movies, is so relevant because his position is so seductive. He possesses enormous power, both literally and politically, and the hero can too if they’ll just agree to join him. It’s a plot point that’s been done before, but what makes it work so well is that the power, and therefore the offer, feels real, and so the villain’s offer is tempting.
The key to pulling off a mirroring villain is to understand that they can oppose the hero either in philosophy or practicality.
Philosophy and practicality
Heroes need to have a point of connection with their villains for the villains to really get under their skin. That’s why the best villains share either the practicality or the philosophy of the hero, while offering a critique of the facet they do not share.
For example in the hero/villain pairing of Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty, the two are divided on philosophy. Holmes is moral, repulsed by Moriarty’s willingness to use and sacrifice others for his own gain:
I could not rest, Watson, I could not sit quiet in my chair, if I thought that such a man as Professor Moriarty were walking the streets of London unchallenged.
– Arthur Conan Doyle,
The Final Problem
However, practically the two characters are very similar. They are geniuses, exacting and brilliant in their fields, and Holmes openly admires his adversary:
…in calling Moriarty a criminal you are uttering libel in the eyes of the law — and there lie the glory and the wonder of it! The greatest schemer of all time, the organizer of every deviltry, the controlling brain of the underworld, a brain which might have made or marred the destiny of nations — that’s the man! But so aloof is he from general suspicion, so immune from criticism, so admirable in his management and self-effacement, that for those very words that you have uttered he could hale you to a court and emerge with your year’s pension as a solatium for his wounded character.
Is he not the celebrated author of The Dynamics of an Asteroid, a book which ascends to such rarefied heights of pure mathematics that it is said that there was no man in the scientific press capable of criticizing it? Is this a man to traduce? Foul-mouthed doctor and slandered professor — such would be your respective roles! That’s genius, Watson. But if I am spared by lesser men, our day will surely come.
– Arthur Conan Doyle,
The Valley of Fear
This is their point of connection, a key facet which allows a degree of understanding and even intimacy to enter their relationship. The shared practicality of the characters, the reality of who they are and how they act, makes their differing philosophies all the more pronounced. One could feasibly be the other, although both are complete characters, and so their animosity becomes a metaphorical, internal struggle.
This is how your heroes and villains can embody the good vs. evil (or altruism vs. selfishness) paradigm that will always fascinate readers. Holmes and Moriarty are strange, unique characters and yet the differences between them stem from a central philosophical dispute. Instead of being asked to choose one character over the other, often dangerous when bad guys have so much more freedom to be enjoyable, the reader is instead asked to come down on the side of a binary disagreement. Since the author has the power to make the side of their choice seem preferable, they can persuade the reader to take the hero’s side. The reader has had their own split from the villain, their own disagreement, and suddenly it’s personal.
This method will get the reader firmly involved in the conflict between hero and villain, but for a truly great villain we still need that presence that is intriguing but not inviting. Make your villain too interesting and their way of doing things might start to seem too palatable. For this we need the second secret of a great villain.
Secret 2 – The Justified Grotesque
One sure fire way to make a villain stick in the reader’s mind is to give them a unique aesthetic. This look should be consistent with the villain’s character, which means it will usually lean towards the unattractive. Vapid but attractive villains can happen, the debonair murderer is an accepted character type, but most often inner ugliness is best communicated by a grotesque appearance. This is an effective technique, but it does create potentially serious issues.
The problem of the villainous grotesque is identified brilliantly in Norman Spinrad’s
The Iron Dream. The book is split into two parts. The first is a classic science fiction story, in which an Aryan, male hero combats a race of ugly, sub-human monstrosities on behalf of the ‘normal’ humans. The book takes a twist in its second half, which reveals the sci-fi story was written by an alternate reality’s Adolf Hitler. A fictional book reviewer goes on to examine how Hitler’s ideals are woven into the narrative, exposing the underlying menace of a ‘pretty is good, ugly is evil’ mentality.
Grotesque villains therefore run the risk of perpetuating a more unsettling philosophy in reality than they do in fiction. Despite this, a horrifying feature is often an incredibly effective way of cementing a villain in the reader’s mind.
One way to defuse the ‘ugly is evil’ problem is to create a justified grotesque. This is when the striking aspect of a villain’s aesthetic is caused by their problematic actions or philosophy; a typical example is the mad scientist, turned into a monstrosity by their own experimentation.
A good example of the justified grotesque is President Snow, from the popular
Hunger Games trilogy. A fascist dictator, Snow is followed by the scent of blood and roses (the latter to cover the former.) It is later revealed that the smell of blood is on his breath and, in the final book of the trilogy, the reader learns why:
“And now, on to our good President Coriolanus Snow,” says Finnick. “Such a young man when he rose to power. Such a clever one to keep it. How, you must ask yourself, did he do it? One word. That’s all you really need to know.
Poison.” Finnick goes back to Snow’s political ascension, which I know nothing of, and works his way up to the present, pointing out case after case of the mysterious deaths of Snow’s adversaries or, even worse, his allies who had the potential to become threats. People dropping dead at a feast or slowly, inexplicably declining into shadows over a period of months. Blamed on bad shellfish, elusive viruses, or an overlooked weakness in the aorta. Snow drinking from the poisoned cup himself to deflect suspicion. But antidotes don’t always work. They say that’s why he wears the rose that reeks of perfume. They say it’s to cover the scent of the blood from the mouth sores that will never heal. – Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay
Collins gives Snow a horrifying aesthetic, but ties it to his own evil. The character is viscerally repulsive, intriguing but not inviting, and yet the value judgement the reader is being asked to make is fixed firmly on his actions.
Conversely, in
The Hunger Games movies the vapid, fashion-obsessed, notably effeminate upper class are portrayed as a form of unjustified grotesques (a problem which is not present in the books). Here it could be argued that fashion and even certain forms of sexuality are critiqued as the preserve of the shallow and decadent, showing that every type of notable aesthetic can have unsettling consequences if mishandled. The ideal villain
The ideal villain is therefore striking in a way which highlights their difference from the protagonist, a difference which is itself bound up in their similarities. Villain critiques hero, hero critiques villain, and so the two represent the opposing sides of whatever subject is at the centre of the story’s plot.
In this way you don’t just have a compelling villain, but one who supports and increases the relevance of the hero and the novel’s overarching themes.
Of course, crafting a character whose philosophy and actions seem real and (from their point of view) justified takes a lot of work. One useful technique is to spend a bit of time building your villain’s backstory. Or for the more malicious, check out our article on when to kill off characters for that moment that cements the antagonist as a real threat.
Do you have any villains that break the mould, or one that you think outshines their respective hero? If so please get in touch in the comments. | 10,235 | 4,718 | 0.000219 |
warc | 201704 | Premier Shares
With an initial investment of $100,000 or more, Premier shares of each of the funds can be purchased at the public offering price, which is the net asset value per share plus a sales charge (commission). The applicable sales charge schedule can be found below. There is no initial sales charge for new investments in Premier shares of the Money Market Fund.
Effective May 23, 2016, Legacy Class A shares were renamed Premier shares, which became subject to new minimum investment amounts. Premier shares are available to shareholders whose account balance(s) in Class A and/or Legacy Class A equals or exceeds $100,000. For a complete list of conversion eligibility requirements, please refer to the prospectus.
The sales charges for Premier shares are a percentage of the fund's offering price and net amount invested. For a detailed explanation of how sales charges are calculated, please see Explanation of Sales Charges Reference Guide [PDF-220.3KB]. If your investment meets or exceeds certain amounts or breakpoints, you may qualify for a reduced sales charge. The following methods are ways in which you can qualify for a reduced or waived sales charge:
Combined purchases Rights of accumulation Letters of intent Plan transfer agreement Special waivers Initial Sales Charge (Bond Fund and Tax Advantaged Bond Fund)
Amount to Purchase As % of Offering Price As % of Net Amount Invested 1 Less than $50,000 3.00% 3.09% $50,000 to $99,999 2.50% 2.56% $100,000 to $199,999 2.00% 2.04% $200,000 to $299,999 1.50% 1.52% $300,000 to $399,999 1.00% 1.01% $400,000 to $499,999 0.50% 0.503% $500,000 or more 0.00% 2 0.00% Initial Sales Charge (excluding Bond, Tax Advantaged Bond, and Money Market Funds)
Amount to Purchase As % of Offering Price As % of Net Amount Invested 1 Less than $25,000 5.00% 5.26% $25,000 to $49,999 4.50% 4.71% $50,000 to $99,999 4.00% 4.17% $100,000 to $199,999 3.00% 3.09% $200,000 to $299,999 2.50% 2.56% $300,000 to $399,999 2.00% 2.04% $400,000 to $499,999 1.50% 1.52% $500,000 or more 0.00% 2 0.00% Distribution and Shareholder Services Fees
Premier shares of each fund are subject to a distribution fee, commonly known as a 12b-1 Fee, of up to 0.25% (0.15% for the Money Market Fund) per year of the fund's average daily net assets. The distribution fee reimburses State Farm VP Management Corp. for services and expenses associated with the distribution of fund shares. In addition, Premier shares of each fund pay a shareholder services fee of up to 0.15% per year of the fund's average daily net assets. Please read the prospectus for complete information on the funds' fees and expenses.
1 The percentages for "Net Amount Invested" are rounded to the nearest one-hundredth or one-thousandth of one-percent. Your net amount invested may be slightly different than indicated by these percentages due to rounding. 2 No sales charge is imposed at the time of purchase on amounts of $500,000 or more. For an investment of $500,000 or more in Premier shares of any fund other than the Money Market Fund, a contingent deferred sales charge will be charged if shares are redeemed within 12 months following their purchase at the rate of 0.5% on the lesser of the value of the shares redeemed (exclusive of reinvested dividends and capital gains distributions) or the cost of such shares. Please read the prospectus for further details. Risk Disclosures
Investing involves risk, including potential for loss.
Bonds are subject to interest rate risk and may decline in value due to an increase in interest rates.
An investment in the Money Market Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund.
AP2016/05/0617
Not FDIC Insured
No Bank Guarantee May Lose Value | 3,921 | 1,716 | 0.000585 |
warc | 201704 | Oct 22, 2003
by Mary Anne & Pamela Aden
It's been two months since our last article and what a wild and interesting two months it's been!
For starters, the New York gold conference was filled with excitement and enthusiasm last month, especially since gold was hitting a new bull market high. It then went on to close at a 7-year high on September 24. But on October 3, gold fell sharply, marking the end of the intermediate rise we call C.
GOLD: Correcting in a bull market
Based on average historical timing, the rise was due to end in mid-October with gold near the $415 level. But even though it was a couple of weeks short and gold didn't reach $415, it was a good, normal C rise and it fulfilled its primary objectives based on timing and by hitting a new bull market high. So all is well.
Most important, gold's been in a solid bull market since reaching its lows in 2001, almost three years ago, and it's been performing like it usually does in a bull market. For now, gold will likely correct downward in what we call an intermediate D decline, which is normal in any market following a strong rise, and it'll then head higher, probably until at least next year and possibly longer.
The bottom line is, gold is hot, and gold and silver shares have been even hotter this year, reaching a six-year high. This alone is impressive for a bull market that's barely gaining notoriety and we're planning to stay invested in gold and gold shares as long as that's the case.
FUNDAMENTALS ARE SOLID
Newmont Mining is the world's largest gold mining company and it moves closely to the XAU and HUI gold share indexes. Its president, Pierre Lassonde, believes gold is rebounding from a 20 year bear market that began with a war on inflation in 1980, and ended with a war on terrorism and a loose fiscal policy that is flooding the world with dollars. Plus, the 20 year bear market weeded out marginal gold producers and cut down production.
On the demand side, we have China and India who are prospering and understand the power of gold. India, home to a billion people, is increasingly buying gold. He adds, China by itself could become 40% of the entire gold market, which is the most important thing that's happened to gold in the last five years.
China has been deregulating gold. A year ago, the Shanghai Gold Exchange opened and started free trade in gold for the first time in China's history. More recently, China's allowing its 1.3 billion citizens to buy gold. Considering the high savings rate in China, gold is a logical investment and it's estimated that a $36 billion equivalent in Chinese private money could move into gold. Plus, the Chinese government is moving to increase its low 2% gold reserves. And it certainly makes sense when you consider the huge dollar reserves that're piling up.
Gold demand looks very bright and we believe a golden era is starting, which in many ways is similar to the early 1970s. In other words, gold is still cheap.
GOLD: Step by step bull market also technically solid
For now, gold's steps are solidly in place and as long as they continue, the bull market will provide us with ongoing profits. Chart 1 shows the big picture steps since 1981. As you can see, the gold price moves in a major 1 through 4 cyclical pattern. Briefly, the #1 rises are the best bull market rises and gold's been rising in a #1 bull market rise for 2 years now. It formed a #4 low in February, 2001 and it was the first #4 low that didn't fall to a new low like the others did. This was the first step in the change.
Gold then rose above its 65-week moving average, its major trend identifier, in August, 2001 where it has stayed since then. This provides solid bull market support at $342. Last December, gold completed its next major step when it rose above its prior #3 peak at $330 for the first time in over 20 years. This was very important because gold moved into a higher level of the bull market.
Gold's current higher level is between $330 and $415, which was the prior #1 peak in 1996 and the #3 peak in 1999. With gold reaching a new high in September, the bull market is getting closer to the higher side of the band. As long as gold stays above $342, our next target is $415. A break above $415 means gold would be moving into an even higher level of the bull market, which would be very bullish.
Read more by the Aden Sisters in GOLD: THE COLOR OF HOPE ... Mary Anne & Pamela Aden are internationally known analysts and editors of The Aden Forecast, a market newsletter providing specific forecasts on gold, gold shares and the other major markets. | 4,607 | 2,239 | 0.000448 |
warc | 201704 | For many commentators, September 11 inaugurated a new era of fear. But as Corey Robin shows in his unsettling tour of the Western imagination-the first intellectual history of its kind-fear has shaped our politics and culture since time immemorial. From the Garden of Eden to the Gulag Archipelago to today's headlines, Robin traces our growing fascination with political danger and disaster. As our faith in positive political principles recedes, he argues, we turn to fear as the justifying language of public life. We may not know the good, but we do know the bad. So we cling to fear, abandoning the quest for justice, equality, and freedom. But as fear becomes our intimate, we understand it less. In a startling reexamination of fear's greatest modern interpreters-Hobbes, Montesquieu, Tocqueville, and Arendt-Robin finds that writers since the eighteenth century have systematically obscured fear's political dimensions, diverting attention from the public and private authorities who sponsor and benefit from it. For fear, Robin insists, is an exemplary instrument of repression-in the public and private sector.Nowhere is this politically repressive fear-and its evasion-more evident than in contemporary America. In his final chapters, Robin accuses our leading scholars and critics of ignoring "Fear, American Style," which, as he shows, is the fruit of our most prized inheritances-the Constitution and the free market. With danger playing an increasing role in our daily lives and justifying a growing number of government policies, Robin's Fear offers a bracing, and necessary, antidote to our contemporary culture of fear. | 1,641 | 901 | 0.001113 |
warc | 201704 | Scalability Definition - What does Scalability mean?
Scalability is an attribute that describes the ability of a process, network, software or organization to grow and manage increased demand. A system, business or software that is described as scalable has an advantage because it is more adaptable to the changing needs or demands of its users or clients.
Scalability is often a sign of stability and competitiveness, as it means the network, system, software or organization is ready to handle the influx of demand, increased productivity, trends, changing needs and even presence or introduction of new competitors.
Techopedia explains Scalability
To further understand scalability, here are two examples. First, a basic anti-virus program can become premium and be used by enterprises through downloading certain add-ons or paying for subscription. Because more resources may be added to it, it is considered scalable. On the other hand, more computers and servers can be added to a network in order to increase throughput or intensify security. This makes the network scalable.
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warc | 201704 | Savarkar: clear goals
Hindu Nationalism: Origins, Ideologies and Modern Myths By Chetan Bhatt,
Berg, £ 14.99
In the political and social scene of India today, there is nothing more controversial and more exciting than the rise of religious fundamentalism based on
Hindutva. The subject is mired in prejudice and bias. This makes it a minefield for the social scientist. Chetan Bhatt’s sympathies are clear. He has no love lost for this brand of fundamentalism. It is difficult to avoid bias on the subject because there is something amoral in adopting a value neutral position on as ominous a movement as the one represented by the sangh parivar. There is also the bigger question about the possibility of a value neutral position. Fortunately, for human beings, creatures from another planet cannot write history.
The use of the term Hindu nationalism is by itself a trifle contentious since the sangh parivar advocates Hindutva which may not be the same thing as Hindu/Hinduism. Moreover, very large sections of believing and practising Hindus do not subscribe to the ideology of the sangh parivar and what it defines as Hindutva.
Bhatt traces the genealogy of what he calls Hindu nationalism, which represents “a dense cluster of ideologies of primordialism, many of which were developed during processes of vernacular and regional elite formation.” The cluster was given rigorous shape by V.D. Savarkar, who used the term Hindutva. Savarkar departed from Hinduism by emphasizing race, militarism and culture. He made India into the land of Hindus. He made a heady punch of patriotism, militancy and hatred. Savarkar himself was an atheist and his ideology had nothing to do with religion. It had clear political and cultural goals and these were exclusivist. It was a movement for the Indians who were
a priori defined as Hindus. Non-Hindus were excluded. They could live in India on terms set by Hindus or leave.
This ideology received an organizational structure in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh which saw itself, and still sees itself, as a cultural organization. Bhatt argues that the “RSS and its characteristic ideology of ordered and disciplined society, bodily control, hierarchy, conformity and unanimist conceptions of collective Hinduism were formed in opposition to the national movement’s strategies of disobedience, disruption, non-cooperation, equality and freedom.” He underlines the RSS’s orientation towards Nazi Germany and Italy under Mussolini.
In the Fifties, the Jan Sangh was formed as the political wing of Hindutva. This was later recreated as the Bharatiya Janata Party. Side by side were born other members of the Hindutva family. The most important of these was the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Bhatt examines in some detail the VHP’s use of religious symbols, mythologies and practices in order to politicize Hindu devotional traditions and direct them towards the concerns of landscape and territory.
At the heart of the RSS-VHP-BJP ideology and movement, Bhatt underlines, is “narcissistic self-aggrandizement and revulsion at the independent existence of autonomously formed identities that are not completed within their narrow Hindutva ideology.” The ideology also has embedded in it the demand that India must be considered sacred by all its citizens. This makes it easy for the advocates of Hindutva to label those who disagree with them as anti-national.
Bhatt’s research is good but his analysis is at times marred by his occasional lapses into obfuscating jargon. After Christopher Jaffrelot’s study, this will stand as the most valuable contribution to the understanding of the Hindutva movement. | 3,715 | 1,826 | 0.000559 |
warc | 201704 | Texas’ State Board of Education didn’t distinguish itself in the annals of good public-policy making last week. And that’s putting it gently.
Even by its own low standards, the State Board really outdid itself.
The 15 board members spent three days toying with the social-studies curriculum that students will study in Texas public schools. As usual, board members tried to insert their own political and religious beliefs into the curriculum. Everyone was guilty of this, though the seven Christian conservatives on the board were the worst offenders. They treated the social studies standards like it was their own manifesto.
You’ve no doubt heard the highlights by now: Their decision that kids shouldn’t learn separation of church and state because this group of 15 apparent constitutional scholars believes the fringe view that the founders never intended the two to be separated; the removal of hip hop from the standards because of its “nihilism” (either they don’t know what nihilism means or they’ve never listened to hip hop or both); and the determination that only white people died defending the Alamo. There were many more embarrassing moments.
In the past few days, every major newspaper in Texas has editorialized that the State Board needs to be reined in and that we need to elect more sensible members. The
Statesman was the latest to chime in today with an opinion piece entitled, “Vote Some Sense Into State Board.”
That’s a quaint notion. Problem is, nobody follows State Board elections. The direction of the board is often determined in low-turnout, regional GOP primaries, which means several hundred voters in a small section of Texas can largely determine education policy for the whole state. While the recent primary results in State Board races signaled a momentary shift back toward the center, that may only be temporary. Christian conservative activists will certainly try again to take over the board.
So it might be time to simply abolish the board all together.
I explored that issue in a short piece for the magazine last week (see third item down). I wrote:
“Given that board meetings have devolved into one culture-war battle after another, in which dentists and insurance salesmen on the board waste hours debating the details of evolution, global warming, geology and world history—subjects about which they have little expertise—should the board even exist?
“The duties of the board—developing curriculum, approving textbooks, and overseeing the multibillion dollar Texas school fund—could easily be handled by the Texas Education Agency.”
I can think of no other state agency that has a separately elected board of non-experts that controls key agency functions. Some people argue that education is so important, it requires this added layer of policy-making (and I’m using that term in its loosest sense).
But is education any more important than other policy areas—like ensuring we have clean air, monitoring doctors, dispensing food stamps to poor families, determining which children receive government health insurance—that we delegate to administrative agencies? I don’t think so.
In fact, one frustrated board member, Mary Helen Berlanga, even said several times during last week’s meeting that the Legislature should consider abolishing the State Board, telling the Texas Tribune that, “I think we’re going downhill.”
In the 2009 session, state lawmakers from both parties proposed bills that would have stripped the State Board of much of its power or abolished it entirely. None of them came close to passing. But there’s always next session.
And after another State Board meeting filled with cringe-worthy moments, quite a few legislators probably find the notion of abolishing the board rather appealing. | 3,916 | 1,958 | 0.000532 |
warc | 201704 | The hospitals with the highest number of deaths linked to superbug infections were today named and shamed by the government.
A report by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) identified George Eliot hospital, in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, as having the highest number of patients who died from the superbug Clostridium difficile, with 235 deaths between 2002 and 2006.
This equated to 3.62% of the 6,486 deaths over that period involving C difficile infections.
Derriford hospital, in Plymouth, had the highest number of deaths due to MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), with 94 deaths between 2002 and 2006.
But Maelor hospital, in Wrexham, north Wales, had the highest proportion of deaths from MRSA over the same period, with 1.35% (79 deaths) involving the superbug.
Other hospitals with high numbers of deaths caused by C difficile over the same time included Walsgrave hospital, in Coventry (233); the Royal Infirmary, Leicester (203); Birmingham Heartlands hospital (177); Sunderland Royal hospital (152) and Musgrove Park hospital in Taunton, Somerset (148).
The other worst hospitals for MRSA deaths included Royal Sussex County hospital, in Brighton (75) and Addenbrookes hospital, in Cambridge (68).
Christopher Cefai, a consultant microbiologist at Maelor hospital, said the problem with MRSA was "no worse" than in any other hospital in the UK.
He said the figures in the ONS survey were due to the hospital taking an unusually rigorous approach to recording deaths linked to MRSA. "The hospital took a decision several years ago to name MRSA as a cause of death when it occurred.
"We might have been the only hospital in the country at the time to record that MRSA was involved in deaths. There was no legal requirement to do so."
The ONS figures do not represent deaths from C diff or MRSA but show only that it was mentioned on the death certificate. Nor do they show where the infection was picked up.
Graham Tanner, a founder of the National Concern for Healthcare Infections patient group, said: "It should be remembered that these figures are about real people, and our sympathies go out to their families.
"We feel these figures are an underestimation by at least one third, with the actual number of people who die as a result of healthcare-associated infections masked by the fact that doctors do not rigorously apply guidelines to the completion of the medical certification of cause of death."
Mark Enright, a superbug expert at Imperial College, in London, said C difficile and MRSA were likely to be "with us for the long term" despite a high-profile government programme to combat their spread.
The government last year ordered a "deep clean" of every hospital in England, which involved scrubbing and disinfecting hospitals a ward at a time. But there was a 0.6% rise in the number of cases of bloodstream MRSA - to 1,087 - during October to December 2007 compared with July to September.
"We might just have to live with a higher level of infections for the foreseeable future," Enright said.
Earlier this year, the ONS said there had been a 72% increase in deaths linked to C difficile between 2005 and 2006.
The infection, which causes severe diarrhoea among patients whose resistance has been weakened by antibiotics, was mentioned on 6,480 death certificates in England and Wales in 2006, compared with 3,757 in 2005.
More than half registered C difficile as the underlying cause of death, while the rest mentioned it as a contributory factor.
The number of deaths linked to C difficile was nearly four times more than deaths involving MRSA, which fell slightly in 2006 after rising for 10 years. Most of the deaths were among people over 85 who had had courses of antibiotics to treat other medical conditions.
The antibiotics can kill helpful bacteria in the patient's gut that would normally provide resistance to C diff infection. | 3,919 | 1,886 | 0.000535 |
warc | 201704 | Republican Donald Trump will become the next US president. Many will be wondering who, among the estimated 129 million voters in the 2016 election, Trump has to thank for his victory.
Possibly, not most of them. Current projections suggest that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton might narrowly claim a larger share of the popular vote. But the distribution of votes in the electoral college still means that Trump finished the night with 276 of the 270 college votes needed to win – and, once final counts come in from states that still haven’t officially been called, that count will probably jump to 306.
As I have written, part of the reason Trump’s win is being described as a “stunning upset” is because most opinion polling was inaccurate. And yet, the only information we have right now to make sense of Trump’s victory is yet more polling data – this time from exit polls.
Those exit polls point to one clear, deep divide in voting behavior – race. White voters chose Trump, non-white voters chose Clinton. This appears to be different from previous polling data, where the difference between candidates’ national popularity was so narrow that relatively small errors could affect the overall accuracy of results. The gap in Trump support between white voters and non-white voters is so large that even if exit polls were inaccurate, that difference probably still stands.
Perhaps that’s not surprising for a candidate who was endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan. What’s more surprising though is that exit polling suggests Trump was able to slightly increase his vote share among black, Hispanic and Asian voters compared with Mitt Romney’s performance in 2012.
There are other demographic cleavages in US voting, but they don’t appear quite as dramatic as the racial one. Exit polls suggest that, as expected, more women voted for Clinton while more men voted for Donald Trump. Much like the UK’s Brexit result, younger voters (a demographic which typically has lower turnout rates) seemed to choose the losing candidate. Only 37% of voters aged 18-29 voted for Trump, compared with 53% of those aged 65 and over. Those numbers come from Edison Research, which spoke to 24,537 voters leaving 350 voting places across the country on election day.
Exit polling data on income points to another surprising result. The poorest voters, those with an income of $49,000 or less, seemed to choose Clinton over Trump –albeit by a much smaller margin than in 2012. For months, Trump was projected to win big among this group.
All this doesn’t necessarily mean that the numbers were wrong. These exit polls don’t reflect how people, or demographics, really work. American voters are not poor
or black or female or college educated. In reality, people fit into multiple different groups at once. Two facts are simultaneously possible – that the poorest voters chose Clinton and that the poorest white voters chose Trump.
In data analysis, this process of looking at two different variables at once means looking at the “crosstabs”. The exit polling data does offer us one such crosstab – race and educational status. Those numbers suggest that Trump has one very clear group supporting him: white voters who don’t have a college degree. The numbers on race and education point to such a clear cleavage that even if they are slightly inaccurate, the overall conclusion still likely holds true.
That group might also offer some clues as to why polls were so badly off. Analysts have found that the states where Republican support was underestimated correlate with the states with a large non-college-educated white share of the population.
But it might be an overstatement to say that this group secured Trump’s victory. To understand that, we would need a detailed breakdown of votes by state, which we don’t yet have. There are other factors here, such as the millions of votes which went to third-party candidates, and whether Democratic turnout overall was down (it appears that it was).
Again, these numbers have their limitations – and they can be dangerous. Similar polling data led the Clinton campaign to feel quietly confident of a victory in Wisconsin and Michigan, and to therefore air few advertisements in those states. Both ended up voting for President-elect Donald Trump. | 4,419 | 2,070 | 0.000499 |
warc | 201704 | An edited interview with Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi – loves people, loves Calgary, loves Canada, loves the future.
You’ve spent almost all your life in Calgary. It’s not the city now that it was when you were a child, and it’s far from the city it was 100 years ago. You, in Alberta, have immense resources, and those resources can generate even greater resources. What can Calgary be in the future?
I often say Calgary is not successful because there are carbon atoms in the ground nearby. The great head office jobs in our glittering office towers could be in Dubai, or Shanghai, or Houston. So we ask ourselves the question, “why is this place so successful?”
The resources are certainly a foundation, but it’s not just because of that. I would argue it’s because of a certain generosity of spirit. A certain openness.
We figured something out here that too many people in the broken world we live in have not figured out. That we are all in this together. That our neighbour’s strength is our strength, and that our neighbour’s pain is our pain, and that we each have a stake in the success of each other. Which sounds like a funny thing to say when you think about the stereotypes of Calgary as a ruggedly individualistic place.
And in some ways it is, but we have to remember it comes from a place in time where you couldn’t build a barn without your neighbours. There’s something very deep. We saw it in the floods last year, of people just looking after one another.
There’s also a sense of openness that allows anyone to succeed here, a remarkable porousness of the social networks in Calgary. Nobody in Calgary cares what you look like, or where you came from, or where you worship, or whom you love.
What people here care about it is what you bring to the table. Are you smart? Are you willing to work hard? Do you have good ideas? And I think that is truly at the core of our success. As a city, as a nation, it’s this sense of openness, that’s what we’ve got in us. That is the core of our success as Canadians. The fact that we can say to anybody, look, you have the opportunity right here, right now to live a great Canadian life.
So it’s the oil in the ground but also a generosity that’s the basis on which any future gets built?
The oil in the ground certainly helps. We need a source of wealth in our community and in our nation. But there are lots of places with lots of oil that have not managed to create a successful, resilient society, and I think that’s the missing ingredient, that generosity, that willingness to share prosperity.
Is the act of community building inherently selfish, because you know that that person will be there for you when you need them? Let me give you a little anecdote. It was the night after the flood, I was walking down a pretty badly devastated street, and I met a woman I’ll call Sam’s mom. Her house had been stripped down to the studs.
“Everything in my house is gone,” she said. “I don’t have a fridge, I don’t have a stove. But you know what Mayor,” she said, “tonight for dinner we had hot shepherd’s pie.” I think about the hands that made that pie, and delivered it to a stranger’s house. And made sure to deliver it when it was hot, with no question of reward. That was my biggest learning in dealing with the flood, just how much people care about one another. I’m sure it would happen everywhere, but I really think it’s what makes this place successful.
The flood is a powerful common experience for people. How do you build on that?
When I look at that power and that resilience of humanity that we saw after the flood, I ask myself all the time, how do we harness that power, to deal with poverty, to deal with homelessness, to deal with the environment, to deal with all these issues we face as a community every single day?
How do we get people to come together as a community the way they do in times of crisis to help us work on all these sorts of things? I wish I knew the answer. But now that we know that power exists, there has got to be a way to leverage it.
There’s a fellow who used to run a terrific non-profit called Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids that made lunches for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have nutritious lunches at school. He once said to me, I don’t consider myself successful, because the solution to child hunger is not for me to make even more sandwiches and for volunteers to deliver them every day to every school. It is for every parent to put an extra sandwich into their child’s lunch that they can share with someone in their class.
Business people in Calgary are always telling me that their biggest problem is attracting talented new Canadians into their workplace. One senior executive from a big company complained to me about how poorly we treat our immigrants. He says there’s a guy who has two PhD’s from India and the only job he could get was working in his call centre. I told him, you should get him a better job. Are you sending him to language training so he can overcome the barriers he’s got? If not, don’t blame government policy.
I’ve been asked to give a talk next year. I’m going to call it “A Naive View of Canada,” because I am naive about what we’ve created in this country, and what is possible.
I believe multiculturalism works, that diversity is amazing and is what makes us work, and that we’ve figured something out in Canada that other people in other places haven’t figured out. But I think we need to help to unleash the potential of the nation.
We each have to understand our own responsibility in doing that. It’s not about politicians or business leaders or non-profits taking the initiative. It’s about every one of us having power in our own hands and our own hearts to make change.
A guy tweeted me saying, I love that Calgary has so many festivals in the summer, but they all seem to be downtown. Why aren’t there any festivals in the deep south suburbs where I live? I tweeted back to him, “That is a great idea, here’s some resources to help you organize one, please invite me.”
To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the flood, we’re having something we’re calling neighbour day. All it is is inviting people to be with their neighbours that day. If you have a barbecue, have it in your front yard instead of your backyard and invite your neighbours, or organize a community clean-up together, it doesn’t matter. Just be out with your neighbours.
I think that’s the best way for us to remember what we’ve been through this year and to build those ties, to continue to build our community.
What keeps you awake at night with excitement? What keeps you awake at night with anxiety?
What keeps me awake at night with excitement is just the potential of this place. Potential of what we can accomplish together as a mass of human beings looking out for one another. That if we get out from behind small mindedness, intolerance and hatred in our communities and understand that every human being has potential, then we’ll lead the world in anything we put our minds to. I really do believe that.
What keeps me up at night with anxiety is the exact flipside of that coin. It is small-mindedness and intolerance taking over who were are as a community. There’s lots of concrete things that keep me up at night. I worry about housing. I worry that in a place that is so prosperous, that’s so unequal, that we’re forgetting about the need to lift people out of poverty. I worry about the long-term economic sustainability of our community. And I worry that small-mindedness is going to keep us from tackling these big important issues we need to tackle to make sure our community’s sustainable.
You’ve been described as a post-partisan politician. It is one thing to be non-partisan in civic non-party politics, and it’s another to be so in provincial or federal politics which functions within partisan parties. What can politics be? What is in us as Canadians to make it? What is in you to make it?
Citizens are interested in a government that is effective and that makes the community better. That’s what they care about. They don’t particularly care if it’s Liberal or Conservative or right or left. I believe right or left has no meaning anymore. But they care about what you can do for a community.
There are fringes on both sides who are so blinded by ideology that they cannot see beyond that. But I believe that the median citizen really just wants what’s right for her family and her community, and we have to speak to that citizen. I’ve been given seven years as mayor, where I get to wake up every morning and go to work and do my absolute best to build the community. Maybe that means that at the end of seven years people will say we don’t want you anymore. But I had seven years to do what I could do. To me, that’s what we need to focus on, that we have a limited amount of time to make positive change for the world around us.
To add your insights and ideas about Canada and the future, please tweet @torontostar #kendryden, or comment below the story at thestar.com/kendryden | 9,435 | 4,096 | 0.000255 |
warc | 201704 | You are using an outdated browser. Therefore, it is possible that some of the content on this website may not display correctly. Please update your browser. If your computer is part of a network, it may be necessary to contact your IT administrator.
What are the advantages of the Toll Collect system and what requirements does it meet?>
The Federal government's requirements for the German toll system are high:
The toll system must
Recognize a fixed toll road network (about 12,800 kilometres of federal motorways and 2,300 kilometres of trunk roads) and only charge tolls there. This road network must be expandable at any time
Be able to take the vehicle emission class and number of axles into account in calculating fees in order to influence environmental policy
Offer the technical prerequisites to introduce other fee classes, such as the time and place of the trip
Be a free-flow system that charges toll without causing stops and traffic jams
Be a dual system with automatic and manual log-on options to ensure that all truck drivers can use the toll road system without discrimination
Be able to handle the full load of logged-on vehicles through a manual system if the automatic system fails
Moreover, the toll collection system should have the technical prerequisites to support other systems in Europe in the future.
The Toll Collect system meets all the requirements with an automatic log-on option based on innovative GPS (Global Positioning System) technology and mobile telecommunications along with a manual system based on toll station terminals and the Internet.
The system is technically complex, unique in the world, and future-oriented. This platform can be used by many traffic telematics service providers, including small and medium-size providers.
How does the system operate?>
Unlike the use of vignettes, the system developed by Toll Collect calculates and collects the road toll based on the exact number of kilometres travelled on route segments. This is different from the vignette system. The satellite-supported free-flow system ensures that toll collection does not interfere with the flow of traffic. In contrast to conventional systems, Toll Collect requires no speed limits, traffic stops, or restriction to prescribed traffic lanes.
As a dual system, the toll system offers two basic log-on possibilities: automatic log-on via On-Board Unit and manual log-on at toll station terminals or over the Internet.
The system of automatic log-on is based on an innovative combination of mobile telecommunications technology (GSM) and the satellite-based GPS (Global Positioning System). The main element of the automatic log-on system is the On-Board Unit or OBU, which uses satellite signals to determine the truck's position and distance travelled, automatically calculates the amount of toll, and transmits this information the Toll Collect computer centre.
As an alternative, Toll Collect offers the option of manual log-on at a toll station terminal or over the Internet. This type of log-on is particularly suited to trucks that seldom use German trunk roads, e.g. those operated by foreign drivers and companies.
What are the options for booking the toll?>
The easiest way for you to take part in the toll system is by automatically logging on via an On-Board Unit in your truck. The On-Board Unit (OBU) takes care of toll entries and calculations as much as possible. Register your company and vehicles with Toll Collect for this. You will receive a confirmation of registration per truck by e-mail or post. If all the vehicle data has been entered correctly, you can arrange an appointment with a service partner authorised by Toll Collect to get an On-Board Unit fitted.
The OBU determines the route travelled with the aid of GPS satellite signals and other positioning sensors, calculates the toll fees based on the vehicle data and tariff parameters that have been entered, and transmits this information to the Toll Collect computer centre by mobile telecommunications.
The alternative to the automatic system is manual log-on. This is mainly provided for truck drivers and transport companies that only rarely use routes subject to toll. Here you can enter your planned route at one of the some 3,600 toll station terminals or online. You have to register your company with Toll Collect before you can log on manually online. You don't have to register to be able to log on at a terminal.
Can I register online as a customer with Toll Collect?>
Of course that is possible. If you have registered as a customer on our website, you automatically can use all of the benefits of the customer portal.
Online user registration is the quickest and easiest method. The registration process takes only a few minutes to complete. You can immediately use all of the functions in the customer portal, such as vehicle registration.
Does the Toll Collect system also support toll systems in other countries?>
The Toll Collect system is designed to provide the technical prerequisites for supporting other toll systems. Toll Collect is currently working with ASFINAG, the Austrian toll system operator. Only one device - the Toll Collect On-Board Unit - is required to pay road toll in Germany and Austria. Further information.
Is my tractor unit toll-liable when driving solo without a trailer or semitrailer?>
If your tractor unit has a gross vehicle weight of at least 7,5 t, then it is toll-liable. If it is under 7,5t it is exempt.
How do particle reduction systems affect the toll level?>
Trucks that have been retrofitted with a particulate reduction system pay significantly less due to this modern and low-emission exhaust technology than vehicles that cause high emissions. Therefore, vehicles assigned to emission class S2 in combination with particulate reduction class* 1, 2, 3 or 4 can use the lower category C toll rate. Vehicles assigned to emission class S3 in combination with particulate reduction class* 2, 3 or 4 pay the category B rates.
Where can I find my Customer Number?>
The Customer Number you can find for example top right on your toll statement and on each document forwarded by Toll Collect.
It is not possible to contact your Service Hotline by phone. What is the reason therefore?>
Our telephone number is exempted from charges and nearly worldwide reachable, only a few countries and providers are not supporting this service. If this should be the case, please dial: +49 30 25291303. Please note that costs will occur for this call which are based on the contract conditions of your landline or cell phone provider.
How do I determine the emissions class for German/foreign vehicles?>
The emission class for vehicles registered in Germany or in other countries can be determined in several different ways. Detailed information is available in the "Guide for determining emission classes" published by the German Federal Office for Goods Transport (BAG). If you have any questions about the information outlined in the guide, please contact the Federal Office for Goods Transport, Tel: +49 (0) 221-5776-0.
Who do I contact if there is a change to vehicle or company information?>
Please let us know about any changes to your operating and vehicle data as soon as possible.
You can change your payment method in the customer portal. If the legal form of your company has changed, please notify us in writing. You will find the necessary forms in the Download Centre.
You can change your contact details in the customer portal, such as: address, telephone number, contact person and e-mail address. In addition, you can also deregister vehicles there and change the following vehicle data: licence plate number, emission class, number of axles, vehicle identification number, gross vehicle weight and country of registration.
What is a master PIN? What is a fleet PIN?>
Following your successful "user registration", you will receive your master and fleet PIN.
The master PIN serves to authenticate the registered customer. You will need this number for telephone contacts with Toll Collect Customer Service, for changing data, and as a default password for initial login when you use the Internet booking system.
You only need a fleet PIN if your company wants to log on to toll station terminals using a vehicle card. The payment method selected during user registration is stored on this card. Toll Collect will send you a vehicle card on request. If you have not received a fleet PIN, please contact our customer service department.
What is an axle class?>
The axle class is a tariff feature of the truck toll. The toll rate per kilometre consists of two parts:
Share for air pollution. This is determined according to the emission class of the truck.
Share for infrastructure costs. This is determined according to the axle class.
The truck toll system has differentiated between four axle classes since 1 October 2015:
Axle class 1 = 2 axles
Axle class 2 = 3 axles
Axle class 3 = 4 axles
Axle class 4 = 5 or more axles
The axle class from the tariff description is disclosed in the toll statement and itemised journey list.
The weight class is a tariff feature of the truck toll. However, there is currently just one weight class: Vehicles exceeding 7.5 tonnes are subject to toll charges. The weight class is disclosed in the tariff identifier on the toll statement and the itemised journey list. It is reported here with "2" until further notice and has no impact on the toll rate. | 9,517 | 3,855 | 0.000261 |
warc | 201704 | CALL NOW (866) 226-4049
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warc | 201704 | This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers.
A Learning Log is basically a log or record or journal of your own learning. It is not necessarily a formal 'academic' piece of work. It is a personal record of your own learning. As such it is a document which is unique to you and cannot be 'right' or 'wrong'. A Learning Log helps you to record, structure, think about and reflect upon, plan, develop and evidence your own learning
What is a Learning Log?
A Learning Log is a journal which evidences your own learning and skills development. It is not just a diary or record of "What you have done" but a record of what you have learnt, tried and critically reflected upon.
For example if in your Learning Log you include details of what you did or how you did something then consider asking yourself questions such as:
Did it go well? Why? What did you learn?
Did it go badly? Why? What did you learn?
How can you improve for next time
A Learning Log contains your record of your experiences, thoughts, feelings and reflections. One of the most important things it contains is your conclusions about how what you have learnt is relevant to you and how you will use the new information/knowledge/skill/technique in the future.
It may contain details of problems you have encountered and solved (or not solved). Examples of where you have started to try out and practice a new skill and examples of your own formal and informal learning. Formal learning is 'taught' in a formal academic setting - for example via a lecture. Informal learning is learning which takes place outside a formal academic setting, for example, though talking with friends or colleagues in a social setting.
A Learning Log is a personal document. Its content may be very loosely structured and only of relevance to you. Once you have commenced a Learning Log you will find it a valuable and useful 'tool' to help your learning and to help you to think about and structure your own learning.
How do I 'do' a Learning Log?
Try to write something down after every new learning experience. Normally use an A4 pad ring binder of paper.
What you did
Your thoughts
Your feelings
How well (or badly) it went
What you learnt
What you will do differently next time.
On a regular basis (usually 3-5 weekly) review what you have written and reflected upon this. Be honest with yourself.
Ask yourself questions such as:
Have I achieved anything? If so, what?
What progress have I made
Have I put any theory into practice?
How does what I have been doing lead to me becoming better at a skill?
How can I use this to plan for the future?
How can I use this to plan new learning?
Experiences?
In addition to 3-5 weekly reflection you should also ask yourself these questions the next day or within 24-48 hours of each one of the taught sessions you attend or within 24-48 hours of having practiced a new skill. You will find that how you view something, (your perception of something) changes over time. For example you may have been trying to develop your communication skills and have had a bad or negative learning experience when something went wrong and you feel you have made little or no or even backwards progress. You may reflect upon this the next day and your thoughts and feelings may be mainly negative ones. If you reflect about the experience 3-5 weeks later on you may find that you have now overcome the negative experience and have used it to develop further and improve yourself. Skills rarely suddenly develop or improve 'overnight'. Learning new knowledge and applying it within a skills context usually takes time, effort and perseverance. A Learning Log will help you to become more aware of how you learn, what learning tasks you enjoy (and don't enjoy) and of your emotional and cognitive (thought) processes
At first it may seem difficult to start to critically reflect upon your own learning. Over time though you will find that it becomes easier. The more often that you practice the skill of self reflection then the easier it will become.
You can use your Learning Log to record courses you went on, books you have read, discussions you have had, Internet sites you have looked at, television programmes you have watched. At the end of the day your log should become something that is directly relevant to you and your learning.
Is there a 'best' or 'correct' way of producing a Learning Log?
Not really, the log should be relevant to you and your job/studies/role/activities. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way of producing a Learning Log. Perhaps the three key questions when engaging in the process of producing a Learning Log are:
Am I being honest with myself?
Is this a useful process for me?
Is this helping my own process of learning?
If the answers are 'yes' then your Learning Log is correct and right for you. If the answers are 'no' and you have genuinely asked yourself some of the questions previously mentioned then perhaps a Learning Log may not really be of much use to you.
If you require any help, advice or guidance about your Learning Log or about how to get started on one then please discuss it with your tutor.
How can producing a Learning Log and developing the skill of critical self reflection help me?
Again, that depends very much upon you. Some people will get more out of engaging in the process of producing a Learning Log than other people will. Research has identified that reflection can help people to change. Some of the changes which have been identified are listed below.
(Adapted from C Miller, A Tomlinson, M Jones, Researching Professional Education 1994, University Of Sussex).
Changes associated with reflection. From To
Accepting Questioning
Intolerant Tolerant
Doing Thinking
Being Descriptive Analytical
Impulsive Diplomatic
Being Reserved Being more Open
Unassertive Assertive
Unskilled Communicators Skilled Communicators
Reactive Reflective
Concrete Thinking Abstract Thinking
Lacking Self Awareness Self Aware
You may wish to photocopy the sheets overleaf to use when writing your journal or alternatively produce your own
LEARNING LOG
What did I do?
How do I think/feel about this?
What did I think about but not say (or what did I want to say but did not)
How well (or badly) did it go?
What did I learn?
What will I do differently next time?
How will I do it differently next time?
What have I achieved?
What have I learn about myself?
How have I put any theory into practice?
How does what I have been doing lead to me becoming better at a skill
How can I use this to plan for the future?
(How) can I use this to plan new learning experiences?
C:\Users\IAN~1.JON\AppData\Local\Temp\document7648893048972793754.doc | 6,808 | 2,864 | 0.000353 |
warc | 201704 | You are here Nursing and Mental Health
An ambulance siren wailed. It's a sound the two nurses had heard many times. A sound the patient they were speaking with had also heard throughout his life. Now the sound, usually just part of the day's background noises, forced the patient from the exam table to cower in a far corner of the room, yelling for everyone to take cover.
The stunned nurses approached him, assuring him all was well. That's when he screamed, "It's a bomb. Get down before it goes off."
The patient's diagnosis is post traumatic stress disorder, more commonly known as PTSD. The scenario is similar to dozens of reactions by those suffering from the condition. Fortunately for the nurses and the patient, this scenario is a simulation.
In the last two years, the School of Nursing has bolstered the mental health portion of its curriculum with the introduction of standardized patient simulations, which take place at the Clinical Simulation Center Las Vegas. The "patient" is a professional actor specially trained to portray aspects of PTSD and the nurses are fourth-semester students of the nursing program.
Students also work with patients diagnosed with psychiatric and mental health conditions under the supervision of clinical faculty. The psychiatric nursing experience gained by students includes observing courtroom cases involving juvenile behavioral and mental health issues, visiting psychiatric hospitals and substance abuse treatment facilities, and attending group sessions with those suffering from mental health issues.
According to Dr. Michelle Giddings, psychiatric nurse practitioner and assistant professor with the School of Nursing, the enhanced curriculum focuses on changes in mental health policy, trends in mental health care, and evidence-based practice for treating patients -- including pharmacological and nonpharmacological options.
"The increase in hands-on learning furthers the students' understanding about what mental illness actually entails," Giddings said. "A majority of people learn by exposure, and during these experiences many students discover the human side of mental illness, which helps demystify the concept for them."
Giddings pushed for and co-wrote the PTSD scenario with nursing professor Jessica Doolen, a simulation expert, because the condition is prevalent in society and is severely underserved. The goals are to help nursing students become more aware of the disorder and strengthen their assessment, intervention, and treatment skills for these patients. The students face three other mental health simulations, each focusing on a person who has bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and generalized anxiety disorder.
Groups of eight students are present during the scenarios, enabling two to interact with the different patient actors. During a simulation, the two students speaking with the patient are observed by their instructors and peers from another room.
When the simulated encounter concludes, the instructors host a debriefing session during which all students discuss what transpired, identify what actions were appropriate, and suggest alternative approaches. The actor relays feedback to the students from the simulated patient's perspective.
"We stress that psychiatric and mental health needs are not limited to psychiatric hospitals. They can be present in any unit, facility, and work area," Giddings said. "The students, as new nurses, must be prepared to identify the disorders and their immediate needs. In certain circumstances, they may be the only person in the room who can de-escalate a potentially dangerous situation."
Since 2012, Giddings has seen interest in a mental health specialization rise to nearly 10 percent of each year's graduating class.
According course evaluations and comments, students appreciate the hands-on opportunities the mental health section affords them. Many note the shift in their thinking about mental illness and develop empathy for those afflicted by the various disorders. As one student summarized, "I no longer link mental illness with 'crazy' and want to do more to help these patients."
Comments
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warc | 201704 | Posted by:
Manfred Mareck, Managing Director, Research Marketing
Read my reports from day one and day two of ESOMAR Congress 2012, and browse all of the available papers from ESOMAR Congress 2012.
The big data trend was a major focus for the third day of ESOMAR's 2012 Congress, held in Atlanta. There is still a gap between gaining more insights and translating this knowledge into winning concepts and successful new products. The problem, so the authors of What's a Nice Insight Like You Doing in a Concept Like This is a lack of foresight and their paper aims to bridge the gap between initial insight identification and subsequent development of new concepts, products and communication ideas.
The authors of In 2030 the Best Market Researcher in the Organisation Will Be the CEO invited the audience on a journey to what market research might look like in 2030. It started with today’s key challenge, that is to turn the “quintillion bytes of data created every day into user-friendly business dashboards and easy to understand visual solutions that pop up on an iPad” and then offered ideas for particular developments that will take market intelligence to new levels between now and 2030. By then the bulk of delegates to the 83rd annual ESOMAR Congress will be made up of CEOs, as they are now directly in charge of customer insight and relations.
Which probably sums up nicely the underlying story of the conference: the future of MR is consumer insight driven, the old data centric market researchers are confined to history – or are they?
One last piece of business remained: the awards for the best papers presented at Congress. This year, the prizes went to: | 1,700 | 916 | 0.00111 |
warc | 201704 | Every four years, Ghanaian citizens take to the ballot box to cast a vote, allowing each and every citizen the opportunity to choose a president who they believe is fit to lead the nation; and since 2000, Ghana has been one of very few African countries to be able to this peacefully.
It’s interesting that every Ghanaian election year also happens to be an election year in the United States, with the United States voting a good month before Ghana gets to do the same. To the extent where one wonders if this is no coincidence but rather by design, as though Ghana is inadvertently being shown how the democratic process is supposed to be done. This isn’t bad… at least, not when you consider that the USA is the oldest working democracy and this being said – especially with recent events – it really wouldn’t hurt to learn a few things about what it takes to create a vibrant, working democracy.
Up until the beginning of October, the political arena had been extremely ordinary, in other words, predictable. With Candidates doing what they do best, shaking hands, taking pictures, and making statements.
READ ALSO: Woyome denies Occupy Ghana allegations
This isn’t to say that it’s been a quiet or dull state of affairs, no, no, dear reader, far from it. This year has definitely been a very eventful political year. From mass presidential candidate disqualifications that sparked a flurry of lawsuits, which finally ended with a Supreme Court ruling. Not to mention all the drama that went in between, surely the entire country’s appetite for political scandal has been sated.
The governing NDC’s message has been that of infrastructure development, while a majority of the opposition parties have responded by saying it’s not enough to keep people happy and prosperous. Add to that the all too many allegations of corruption throughout the last four years, and you have an opposition that’s pretty confident that they’ll have the last say.
The government’s response, howver, is that infrastructure is needed first, before the social interventionism can be entertained.
If you Googled social interventionism you’d get this definition:
Social interventionism is an action which involves the intervention of a government or an organization in social affairs.
A good local examples of such initiatives are the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), The Education service, which many have accused the current government of severely mismanaging.
Now with 7 days to go before the country goes to the ballot boxes, one can’t help but wonder what the Ghanaian will be voting for? Is the average Ghanaian still the person that votes for the road that was built or repaved, or is he/she now voting for social intervention initiatives. Because the answer to that is bound to tip the scales one way or the other in the coming elections. | 2,924 | 1,467 | 0.000704 |
warc | 201704 | Newsroom
News Releases from Region 10
Aircraft Equipment Manufacturer in Kent, Wash. Will Pay Over $12,000 for Failing to Report Dangerous Chemicals
Release Date: 08/24/2009
Contact Information: Suzanne Powers, EPA Office of Environmental Cleanup, (360) 753-9475 Hanady Kader, EPA Public Affairs, (206) 553-0454 Company will provide $50,000 for an emergency notification system to the City of Kent for two years as part of settlement with EPA (Seattle, Wash. Aug. 24, 2009) GKN Aerospace Chemtronics, an aircraft parts manufacturer in Kent, Wash., failed to properly report its use and storage of hazardous chemicals to EPA, state and local agencies, alleged a consent agreement and final order issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. The actions violated the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
“It’s critical that companies report the storage and release of toxic chemicals—if they don’t, public safety is jeopardized in an emergency,” said Edward Kowalski, EPA’s Director of the Office of Compliance and Enforcement in Seattle. “Companies need to minimize public risk from hazardous chemicals by following the law.”
EPA alleges that in 2006, GKN failed to report its releases, waste management activities and transfers of nitric acid, a dangerous substance that can cause severe burns and explosions, to the Toxic Release Inventory. GKN used approximately 12,000 pounds of nitric acid in 2006, exceeding the Toxic Release Inventory reporting threshold of 10,000 pounds, according to EPA’s order.
In addition, EPA alleges that in 2007 the company stored approximately 8,000 pounds of hydrofluoric acid and 34,000 pounds of nitric acid, but did not report this storage to the appropriate government agencies. The threshold for reporting storage of hydrofluoric acid, an extremely hazardous substance that can cause severe burns, is 100 pounds. The threshold for nitric acid is 1,000 pounds.
Emergency responders rely on this information for their safety and to help protect nearby residents during an emergency, such as a fire or earthquake. Citizens can also access the information to find out what chemicals are being stored and used in their neighborhoods.
The company will pay a fine over $12,000, and has agreed as part of the settlement to perform a two-year project worth $50,000. It will provide the City of Kent with an emergency telephone notification system that can quickly warn the public in the event of a chemical release or other emergency. For information on EPA's Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act, visit http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/epcra/epcraenfstatreq.html For information on EPA's Toxics Release Inventory Program, visit http://www.epa.gov/TRI/ | 2,771 | 1,341 | 0.000761 |
warc | 201704 | ROE can also be used to gauge a company’s organic growth rate. This means how fast the company can grow without relying on external factors like M&A, gahmen support, tax relief, Toto winfall, father mother sponsorship or anything else other than its own profits.
Remember that Net Profit, though a volatile no. due to multiple manipulation from sales, to operating costs, to interest and tax, does measure the profit that should go to shareholders if the accounting is done with integrity. And Net Profit is actually added to Shareholders’ Equity at the end of the year. So Return on Equity or ROE which is Net Profit / Shareholders’ Equity tells you how the growth rate of shareholders’ equity has been, in the past 1 year. Now if past ROE is a good gauge for future ROE, we can then assume that next year’s Shareholder Equity will grow exactly by its ROE right? Savvy huh! This is the critical part, usually, high ROE will not last into the future bcos things always mean revert. But if you tracked this particular Co. which had ROE of 20% for the past 20 yrs, then maybe you can quite safely assume next year it will be 20% as well. Btw, ROE of 15-20% is sort of a long term average that things mean revert to. If the Co. has like ROE of 50%, then probably it will mean revert to 20% after some time. Ok, analogy time. Say Co. X has a ROE of 20% for the past 20 yrs and shareholders’ equity of $100 at the end of Year 20. Since ROE has been 20% for donkey years, we can assume that it is also 20% in Year 21. And Voila, it IS 20% and Co. X earns $20 in net profit. Assuming the Co. X pays no dividend, this $20 is then added back to shareholders’ equity at the end of Year 21 and so Co. X shareholders’ equity becomes $120. In Year 22, Co X again earns 20% of $120 in net profit which will again be added back to its shareholders’ equity and become $144. Shiok huh! So as you can see, ROE measures the growth rate of the company’s shareholders’ equity if the company does not distribute out net profits as dividends. (If it does, the growth rate simply becomes ROE x (1 – payout ratio), where payout ratio is between 0-100%.) So when a company has an ROE of 20% and can maintain that, it means that the company can grow its equity base organically by 20% every year (i.e. without relying on M&A etc). Sounds attractive right? This is another reason why people look at ROE so much. PS: Shareholders’ equity can grow by 20% per year doesn’t mean that stock price will also grow by 20% per year, There is difference between performance of the company and the performance of the stock! See also ROE Part I Saturday, June 23, 2007
ROE can also be used to gauge a company’s organic growth rate. This means how fast the company can grow without relying on external factors like M&A, gahmen support, tax relief, Toto winfall, father mother sponsorship or anything else other than its own profits.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Ok, Return on Equity or ROE measure the return that can be earned by the portion of shareholders’ money in the company. Mathematically, it is defined as
Net Profit / Shareholders’ Equity
This is totally different from earnings yield so pls don’t get confused. ROE has to do with the financial performance of the company while earnings yield deals with the performance of the stock. Over the long run (i.e. very long lah, like 20 yrs or more), both should converge, but fundamentally they measure different things.
So why is ROE important? Bcos it measures the profitability of the company with respect to shareholders’ funding. Equity capital comes at a cost (just like debt) and a company with a low ROE runs the risk that it cannot earn its cost of capital (equity in this case) and this means that the company is in deep shit.
As an analogy, say Investor T decides to invest in this Company S and T demands a 8% return over the long run. If you are asking why 8%, don’t ask bcos it introduces a lot of chim stuff like CAPM and more Nobel Laureates which will make it quite complicated. So let us save that for another post.
So T wants 8% but say this S is actually quite crappy and can only do 5% return. This means that T is not adequately compensated for investing in S bcos S is a in a risky business and T might as well have put the money in a bank or perhaps invest in a structured product tied to the growth rate of ministers’ pay which could have given T 8% return or more. So that’s bad news for S bcos equity funds will pull out and S may have to cease operations. So in order for S not to cease operating, it must has a ROE at least as high as its cost of equity.
In other words, a company should earn its cost of equity in order to justify its existence to shareholders. The higher the ROE, the easier for the company to earn its cost of equity and the better the company is as an investment. This concept can be expanded to the cost of capital of the company, where we bring in the cost of debt together with the cost of equity. So a company has to earn a return more than its cost of capital to justify its existence to both shareholders and debtholders.
There are other ways to look at ROE and we shall examine them in later posts.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
One way of using Price Earnings Ratio (PER) is to look at its inverse: Earnings Yield. This has been discussed in a previous post, but I would like to emphasize the importance of Earnings Yield, hence the PER strikes back. Do not under-estimate the power of PER… Ok ok, let’s move on.
Earnings yield is the inverse of Price Earnings, meaning when I say I will only buy stocks with PER of 18x and below, I am actually saying I will only buy stocks with earnings yield of 5.6% and above. Or stocks that will give me 5.6% return over the long run. (1/18 is 0.056 or 5.6%, this is what I meant by the inverse) Consider the China market now. Its PER is over 40x. This means that the Chinese farmers and the Chinese students are willing to buy stocks that will actually only give them 2.5% return (1/40 is 0.025 or 2.5%). They might as well put their money in fixed deposit in Singapore! The other time when the PER of a market reached 40x was during the dot com bubble. Of course, with bubbles, you can never know when it will break, so 40x can go even higher, to 100x. And with China, it may be possible bcos there are maybe another 800mn farmers and students waiting to open brokerage accounts. This is the perfect Greater Fool Game, if you are those who like to play this game. Earnings yield can also be incorporated with the risk-free rate to calculate the equity risk premium, i.e. the excess return to investors who are willing to risk their money to get better return, hence a risk premium. Remember higher risk, higher return. For STI, the earnings yield currently is roughly 5% while the risk free rate is roughly 3%, so investors are being compensated an additional 2%, the equity risk premium, for investing in risky equities or stocks. That’s actually quite low by historical standards. Equity risk premium should be around 3-5% on average. For the case of our lovely China, the risk-free rate is now roughly 3% while the market earnings yield is 2.5%. This means that the equity risk premium is actually negative! 2.5% minus 3% gives -0.5%. You are being penalized to invest in risky equities. This is higher risk lower return! What an ingenious break-through! However, I must stress that a lot of this stuff is academic talk and offers little help in the real world, China’s equity risk premium can go to -3% for all you know, meaning the stock market can still double from current levels. But earnings yield is a very handy concept to use when you want to gauge the potential return that you will get from your investment (if you hold for the long term). Next time you want to buy a stock with PER 30x, ask yourself, am I ok with this stock giving me a mere 3.3% return over the long term? I would advise you to go open fixed deposit! | 8,079 | 3,442 | 0.000296 |
warc | 201704 | Sometimes You Need a Good Cry, but Why?
Over the weekend, my husband and I put our little guy to bed and snuggled up on the couch to watch the Tina Fey/Amy Pohler movie, “Sisters.”
While a bit crude at times, the movie has some incredibly hilarious parts and one scene made me laugh so hard that my stomach started to hurt. And then it happened. I went from laughing hysterically to crying really hard. I had no idea why. My little guy is a year and a half, so I can’t blame it on hormones anymore.
Do you ever wake up and feel like you need to cry, but don’t know why? Do you ever start laughing at something and end up crying? I was really curious why a switch was flipped inside of me and I went from extreme happiness to extreme sadness, so I decided to do a little research. What I found on WebMD was pretty interesting.
Stephen Sideroff is an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and explains that crying is, “
…a release. There is a buildup of energy with feelings.” He also says, “ Crying is a natural emotional response to certain feelings, usually sadness and hurt. But then people [also] cry under other circumstances and occasions.”
Jodi DeLuca, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist at Tampa General Hospital in Florida, dove even further and said ”
When you cry, it’s a signal you need to address something.”
When I got done with my good cry, I found myself thinking really hard about what might have made me so incredibly sad in the middle of something so funny and suddenly, the answer was clear.
In the movie we were watching, the parents sold their home, the one the sisters grew up in. Earlier that day, I’d grabbed a flier for a house that my husband and I have been eyeing for the last two years. Even though the sale price has been dropped by $50,000, we still can’t afford the house, and especially not the almost $10,000 a year in taxes. I’d been sad earlier in the day thinking about how much we want that particular home and how much we want to own our own place- an actual home of our own rather than renting a home. And it makes sense that watching the movie about a family who had what we want- their own home filled with memories- coupled with looking at the flier would make me cry. It wasn’t a random, hormonal cry- it was all tied together.
So, then next time you feel like you have a heavy heart and need a good cry, or you just erupt into tears, remember that it means there’s a buildup of energy inside you that needs to get out, and there’s something going on in your life that you might need to take a hard look at. And then cry it out. I promise that you’ll feel better.
[via WebMD] | 2,754 | 1,415 | 0.000736 |
warc | 201704 | Anglo American University Colleges Abroad [AAUCA]is a global consortium of academics which was brought into being, in the 1980s, in both Britain and Southern California.
Today AAUCA is actively involved on every continent and proudly numbers – amongst its senior executives – distinguished academics, researchers, practicing faculty and educational officials from many nations. (more…)
The need for understanding, and cooperation, among all the people of the world is the imperative for any academic programme which hopes to develop – alongside the primary intent of acquisition of academic competence – an authentic sense of global citizenship. AAUCA’s avowed intent is to provide international education opportunities for a rapidly-changing world. Our mission, therefore, is, and has been, to encourage and develop effective international management, leadership and human behavior skills in a variety of professional areas, for all the interested participants among our global audiences.
Today, with the new century now upon us, AAUCA accomplishes its mission by continuing to provide degree opportunities for outstanding students from all over the world. The transborder and intercultural character, and thrust, of our Group is not an accident…it is our Chairman’s purposeful intent for AAUCA. We are actively engaged upon enhancing those meaningful values which are common to all peoples. We believe in the limitless potential of men and women to learn from each other, understand each other, work toward common goals and to foster international understanding. We expect all our students – while in our care – to maintain and amplify the depth and credence of their own cultures, heritage and national identities. Ensconced in the philosophy of the Group is the belief that the ideological, and political, system challenges facing all of us are surmountable by our active participation – in an enlightened educational environment – toward developing the world’s human, and leadership, resources.
International Commitment
As a group of academics – all experienced faculty members and with meaningful academic administrative experience – actively engaged in international education, we frequently speak of the objectives we wish to achieve through the interaction of excellent students from all over the world. We speak of fostering greater peace and a new understanding; the sharing of mutual intellectual and cultural resources across usually-impenetrable, national divides. We speak – particularly – of strengthening the global awareness of British and American citizens/students, and of their capacity to deal with other peoples…other societies. Perhaps most frequently, we consider the training of students from outside the United States – the developing world in particular -and through their successes the promotion of social and economic development abroad. All these facets of our
purpose, we believe, are worthy and legitimate goals.
However, whilst this investment in domestic and international “human capital” is often- erroneously – seen as one of the keys to successful development…our Chairman has always maintained (a stance all of his colleagues support) that the “transfer of knowledge” – that flow of expertise and learning – is NOT only in one direction. In all our international and domestic endeavour, therefore, we reject any inference that – in international educational development – the United States is always superior whilst the other actors (the developing nations, their educational infrastructure and their institutions) are inferior and, thus, dependent. We acknowledge our technological superiority and the largesse of educational opportunity in the west…but reject the idea that this necessarily implies superiority in other areas – for instance in political and economic organization, or in ethnic, cultural, religious and moral values.
Today, as ‘new’ nations – steeped in hundreds, sometimes thousands of years of heritage – take their rightful place among the world’s fora…we feel that this facet of our deep-dyed philosophy is particularly apt. With this in mind, in all our international educational undertakings , our personnel are specifically intent on sharing of our expertise of American and British academic mores… with the senior administrative staff of the organization with which we are working. Our intent is to provide the wherewithal for local staff to embellish – as they wish – their own institution with whatever they wish to incorporate from British and American academia….and to continue to do this into the future. To that end, all local staff are trained in all aspects of U.S. university administration, are provided with the documentary wherewithal to understand and develop educational systems, methodology, testing procedures etc…in keeping with the highest tenets of American and British academia.
Adherence to Special Values
Whenever and wherever we have helped create institutions, or brought degree programmes to overseas venues, we have worked in the belief that our endeavour should serve the global family of mankind. We expect our academic offerings to make a difference in the quality of the future leadership of our world. We expect the systems we apply and the institutional changes we institute to meet with the approbation of the local educational/governmental authorities. We are, in addition, confident that among US academic entities our work will also accrue approbation for the quality and credence of the academic/educational systems and programmes we have instituted.
To that end we have tried to determine which facets of our educational endeavour are most important, and to focus these resources for the greatest, most enduring, benefit. In these undertakings we are continuously reminded of the inherent worth of all the people of the world. | 6,052 | 2,691 | 0.000386 |
warc | 201704 | 1Hand and Upper Extremity Service, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yawkey Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
2Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
Abstract
Background: Although upper-extremity disability correlates with psychosocial aspects of illness the association with sleep disturbance in upper extremity disability is less certain. To evaluate whether sleep disturbance is associated with upper-extremity disability among patients with upper extremity illness, accounting for sociodemographic, condition-related, and psychosocial factors. Methods: A cohort of 111 new or follow-up patients presenting to an urban academic hospital-based hand surgeon completed a sociodemographic survey and measures of sleep disturbance (PROMIS Sleep Disturbance), disability (PROMIS Upper-Extremity Physical Function), ineffective coping strategies (PROMIS Pain Interference), and depression (PROMIS Depression). Bivariate and multivariable linear regression modeling were performed. Results: Sleep disturbance correlated with disability (r=-0.38; P<0.001) in bivariate analysis. Symptoms of depression (r=-0.44; P<0.001) and ineffective coping strategies (PROMIS Pain Interference: r=-0.71; P<0.001) also correlated with upper-extremity specific disability in bivariate analysis. Pain Interference was the only factor associated with disability in multivariable analysis. Conclusions: Sleep disturbance is not as strongly or directly associated with symptom intensity and magnitude of disability as ineffective coping strategies. Interventions to reduce pain interference (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy) hold great potential to decrease musculoskeletal symptom intensity and magnitude of disability, and perhaps even sleep disturbance.
Ring D, Kadzielski J, Fabian L, Zurakowski D, Malhotra LR, Jupiter JB. Self-reported upper extremity health status correlates with depression. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2006; 88(9):1983-8.
Lindenhovius AL, Buijze GA, Kloen P, Ring DC. Correspondence between perceived disability and objective physical impairment after elbow trauma. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2008; 90(10):2090-7.
Menendez ME, Bot AG, Hageman MG, Neuhaus V, Mudgal CS, Ring D. Computerized adaptive testing of psychological factors: relation to upper-extremity disability. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2013; 95(20):e149.
Bot AG, Doornberg JN, Lindenhovius AL, Ring D, Goslings JC, van Dijk CN. Long-term outcomes of fractures of both bones of the forearm. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2011; 93(6):527-32.
Doornberg JN, Ring D, Fabian LM, Malhotra L, Zurakowski D, Jupiter JB. Pain dominates measurements of elbow function and health status. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2005; 87(8):1725-31.
Das De S, Vranceanu AM, Ring DC. Contribution of kinesophobia and catastrophic thinking to upper-extremity-specific disability. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2013; 95(1):76-81.
Patel JN, McCabe SJ, Myers J. Characteristics of sleep disturbance in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Hand (N Y). 2012; 7(1):55-8.
Patel A, Culbertson MD, Patel A, Hashem J, Jacob J, Edelstein D, et al. The negative effect of carpal tunnel syndrome on sleep quality. Sleep Disord. 2014; 2014(10):1-7.
Cho CH, Jung SW, Park JY, Song KS, Yu KI. Is shoulder pain for three months or longer correlated with depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance? J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2013; 22(2):222-8.
Shulman BS, Liporace FA, Davidovitch RI, Karia R, Egol KA. Sleep disturbance after fracture is related to emotional well-being rather than functional result. J Orthop Trauma. 2014; 29(3):e146-50.
Wilcox S, Brenes GA, Levine D, Sevick MA, Shumaker SA, Craven T. Factors related to sleep disturbance in older adults experiencing knee pain or knee pain with radiographic evidence of knee osteoarthritis. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2000; 48(10):1241-51.
Buysse DJ, Yu L, Moul DE, Germain A, Stover A, Dodds NE, et al. Development and validation of patient-reported outcome measures for sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairments. Sleep. 2010; 33(6):781-92.
Hays RD, Spritzer KL, Amtmann D, Lai JS, Dewitt EM, Rothrock N, et al. Upper-extremity and mobility subdomains from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) adult physical functioning item bank. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2013; 94(11):2291-6.
Amtmann D, Cook KF, Jensen MP, Chen WH, Choi S, Revicki D, et al. Development of a PROMIS item bank to measure pain interference. Pain. 2010; 150(1):173-82.
Pilkonis PA, Choi SW, Reise SP, Stover AM, Riley WT, Cella D, et al. Item banks for measuring emotional distress from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®): depression, anxiety, and anger. Assessment. 2011; 18(3):263-83.
Chakravarty EF, Bjorner JB, Fries JF. Improving patient reported outcomes using item response theory and computerized adaptive testing. J Rheumatol. 2007; 34(6):1426-31.
Yu L, Buysse DJ, Germain A, Moul DE, Stover A, Dodds NE, et al. Development of short forms from the PROMISTM sleep disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment item banks. Behav Sleep Med. 2011; 10(1):6-24.
Vranceanu AM, Barsky A, Ring D. Psychosocial aspects of disabling musculoskeletal pain. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2009; 91(8):2014-8.
Owens J, Adolescent Sleep Working Group, Committee on Adolescence. Insufficient sleep in adolescents and young adults: an update on causes and consequences. Pediatrics. 2014; 134(3):e921-32.
Blumen MB, Quera Salva MA, Vaugier I, Leroux K, d’Ortho MP, Barbot F, et al. Is snoring intensity responsible for the sleep partner’s poor quality of sleep? Sleep Breath. 2012; 16(3):903-7.
Palhares Vde C, Corrente JE, Matsubara BB. Association between sleep quality and quality of life in nursing professionals working rotating shifts. Rev Saude Publica. 2014; 48(4):594-601.
Orbeta RL, Overpeck MD, Ramcharran D, Kogan MD, Ledsky R. High caffeine intake in adolescents: associations with difficulty sleeping and feeling tired in the morning. J Adolesc Health. 2006; 38(4):451-3.
Noland H, Price JH, Dake J, Telljohann SK. Adolescents’ sleep behaviors and perceptions of sleep. J Sch Health. 2009; 79(5):224-30.
Overbeek CL, Nota SP, Jayakumar P, Hageman MG, Ring D. The PROMIS physical function correlates with the QuickDASH in patients with upper extremity illness. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2015; 473(1):311-7.
Vranceanu AM, Hageman M, Strooker J, Ter Meulen D, Vrahas M, Ring D. A preliminary RCT of a mind body skills based intervention addressing mood and coping strategies in patients with acute orthopaedic trauma. Injury. 2014; 46(4):552-7. | 6,595 | 3,083 | 0.000327 |
warc | 201704 | Lightning – A Force to be Reckoned With!
Lightning – A Force to be Reckoned With!
We all like to watch the fireworks that a summer lightning storm can provide. A lightning strike is also a potentially dangerous event.
A Few Lightning Facts:
• Lightning is a
giant discharge of electricity accompanied by a brilliant flash of light and a loud crack of thunder. The spark can reach over five miles (eight kilometers) in length, raise the temperature of the air by as much as 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (27,700 degrees Celsius), and contain 100,000,000 electrical volts 1.
• Lightning detection systems in the United States monitor an average of 25 million strikes of lightning from clouds to ground during some 100,000 thunderstorms every year. It is estimated that the Earth, as a whole, is struck by an average of more than
a hundred lightning bolts every second.
•
The odds of becoming a lightning victim in the U.S. in any one year are 1 in 700,000. The odds of being struck in your lifetime are 1 in 10,000 3.
•
Lightning can kill people (over 3,696 deaths were recorded in the U.S. between 1959 and 2003) or cause cardiac arrest. Injuries resulting from being struck by lightning range from severe burns and permanent brain damage to memory loss and personality change. About 10 percent of lightning-strike victims are killed, and 70 percent suffer serious long-term effects. About 400 people survive lightning strikes in the U.S. each year 1.
• Lightning is not confined to thunderstorms. It’s been seen in connection with
volcanic eruptions, extremely intense forest fires, surface nuclear detonations, heavy snowstorms and in large hurricanes.
• Lightning is the leading cause of farm fires.
Lightning can cause a great deal of damage in a farm environment. A lightning strike can start fires in buildings, damage electrical equipment and electrocute humans and livestock. Losses from lightning can be very costly. Replacing buildings, equipment or livestock incurs considerable expense and time. Farm operations are likely to be severely disrupted. Human life cannot be replaced. Fortunately, most losses caused by lightning strikes can be prevented by installing proper lightning protection systems.
Per the National Agriculture Safety Database, lightning can enter a building in one of four ways:
1. It can strike a metal object on the roof;
2. It can strike a building directly (called a direct strike);
3. It can strike a tree or silo near the building and jump to the building. This occurs when the building provides an easier path to ground; or
4. It can strike a power line or a wire fence and follow the line or fence to the building.
2
A lightning protection system can help protect your property by directing the lightning into the ground and dispelling electrical charges away from your property. Consider connecting silos to your lightning protection system as well to help prevent jumps in the current to other property. It is also possible to extend protection to trees (think of the lone tree in the pasture, under which livestock gather).
Understand Lightning Protection Systems
There is nothing complicated or unusual about a lightning protection system and there are many companies which can offer assistance in choosing and installing a system which will work best for your property. Lightning protection systems consist of five parts:
1)
Air Terminals: Air terminals are rods or tubes of metal that are installed at every projecting high point of a building, such as roof peaks, chimneys, dormers, ventilators, gables, flagpoles, towers and water tanks. To be effective they must not be spaced too widely apart;
2)
Conductors: Conductors connect air terminals with the ground. Conductors are copper or aluminum cables. Galvanic action will occur between aluminum and copper; therefore, only one metal should be used for the system;
3)
Ground Connections: These connections provide contact with the earth for dissipation of the lightning charge. Usually, at least two ground connections are needed for any building, more for large or complex structures. They should be apart from building foundations and extend deeply enough to reach moist subsurface earth no matter how dry the weather.
4)
Bonding: Bonding is the interconnecting of metal parts to prevent “side flash”.
5)
Arrestors: Lightning arrestors guard against damage that might occur by way of the electric power lines. Properly designed lightning arrestors should be placed between the power circuit and the ground where the circuit enters the building. Large trees need protection from lightning. In addition, trees that are taller than, or within 10 feet of a building, need protection to prevent flashover. Lightning may also cause a tree to fall on a building. Wire Fencing & Lightning
According to the National Ag Safety Database
, wire fencing surrounding livestock pastures presents a significant hazard to livestock and humans if struck by lightning. An ungrounded wire fence can transmit current from a lightning strike a distance of almost two miles. Wire fences supported by wooden or steel posts in concrete are not grounded. The best method for grounding wire fences is to drive ½ to ¾ inch steel rods or pipes next to a fence post at least 5 feet into the ground. Once driven into the ground, the fence wiring should be securely fastened to the rod. This process should be repeated every 150 feet to be most effective. Using a galvanized steel fence post every 150 feet will also provide the same protection. See Diagram 2. IMPORTANT: Electrified wire fences should not be grounded in the manner described above because they already include a “path to ground” in their circuitry. Protect Yourself
Protecting humans from injury or death during a lightning storm is also important factor to which you should attend. Here are a few safety tips for you and your employees to remember when lightning starts to crack:
Stay away from water faucets, telephones, or electrical appliances and lamps. All of these items conduct electricity from outdoor conductors and can transmit electricity from a strike. Stay away from chimneys, fireplaces and stovepipes. Lightning will often strike chimneys which can then funnel the bolt to inside the home or building. If you are in a car during a storm with lightning, try to remain there until the storm passes. If you are caught outside and no shelter is available, seek a low place away from lone trees and fences and lie down. Find The Right Resources
Does your farm have adequate lightning protection? It is never too late to evaluate your needs and the available protection. Proper lightning protection is not a “do-it-yourself” job. A safe and effective system should be designed and installed by professionals. Here is a list of resources that provide useful information on codes and standards that a lightning protection system should follow:
LPI-175: The lightning protection code, published by the Lightning Protection Institute. NFPA 78: National Fire Protection Association Lightning Protection Code. ASAE EP381: American Society of Agricultural Engineers, Engineering Practice. 96AUL: Requirements for Master Label for Lightning Protection, developed by Underwriters’ Laboratories.
Lightning is a dangerous force that should be given serious consideration. You can take several simple steps to protect your family, employees, buildings and livestock. Ground your building high points and (non-electrified) wire fences. A small investment can protect your farm from a lightning disaster.
Have you or anybody you know been affected by a lightning strike?
References:
1 National Geographic News http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0623_040623_lightningfacts.html 2National Ag Safety Database http://nasdonline.org/document/1892/d001825/lightning-protection-for-farms.html 3National Weather Service http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/medical.htm Acadia is pleased to share this material with its customers. Please note, however, that nothing in this document should be construed as legal advice or the provision of professional consulting services. This material is for general informational purposes only, and while reasonable care has been utilized in compiling this information, no warranty or representation is made as to accuracy or completeness. Distribution of this information does not constitute an assumption by us of your obligations to provide a safe workplace. Maintaining a safe workplace in accordance with all laws is your responsibility. We make no representation or warranty that our activities or recommendations will place you in compliance with law, relieve you of potential liability or ensure your premises or operations are safe. We exercise no control over your premises or operations and have no responsibility or authority to implement loss prevention practices or procedures. | 8,994 | 4,000 | 0.000254 |
warc | 201704 | - Following up on yesterday's column, Michael Harris offers his take on how Stephen Harper refuses to accept anything short of war as an option:
Stephen Harper talks as if this is yet another of those good-versus-evil fables he is always passing off to the public as deep analysis and sound policy.- Meanwhile, Duncan Cameron summarizes how we reached the brink of war, while Scott Stelmaschuk offers a more detailed analysis. Rick Salutin makes the case for non-intervention rather than bombing. Jeffrey Simpson points out that the Cons' supposed rationale and strategy are based on nothing but wilful ignorance and wishful thinking. And Anthony Fenton reports that the Cons are already misleading the public about the scope of Canada's current involvement. More honest and experienced minds make a more rational case. In the United Kingdom, the former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove said that politicians are merely taking advantage of a distortion towards Islamic extremism. That distortion was branded on the public consciousness by the 9/11 attacks. It has since been used to exaggerate all kinds of threats, ISIS being just the latest of them. Dearlove correctly points out that fighting in Syria and Iraq is essentially Muslim on Muslim. He thinks that governments and the media make a great mistake in sensationalizing the threat represented by ISIS because the oxygen of publicity actually encourages their excesses. It is, he says, time to move away from the distortion that 9/11 understandably created, time to regain our footing. It is an idea not without appeal. ... Thomas Mulcair and Justin Trudeau are right, plain and simple. The PM needs to make the case for war, if there even is one to be made. And he needs to make it to the Canadian people, not in an interview with the Wall Street Journalwhile in the offices of Goldman Sachs. If he doesn’t hold a real debate, it will demonstrate that he is in the same headspace as Republican freshman Senator and presidential hopeful Ted Cruz. According to one wag, Cruz’s idea of foreign policy is part John Wayne and part Sarah Palin; “shoot first and don’t ask any questions.” Sound familiar?
- Tim Dickinson offers a thorough look at the Koch brothers' toxic empire. And David Dayen discusses how a "benching" remedy can make sure a corporation doesn't merely treat the price of stalling and eventually settling regulatory proceedings as a cost of continuing to do improper business.
- Finally, the Economist discusses the growing disconnect between work and wealth (and associated rise of inequality). But it is worth going further than the Economist proposes in response: in fact, the lack of a link between individual work and incomes serves as a compelling basis to both collect more revenue on higher incomes which don't reflect work or merit, and to ensure that work isn't a precondition to participation in society through a guaranteed basic income.
[Edit: fixed typo.] | 2,975 | 1,600 | 0.000632 |
warc | 201704 | Adopt-a-tude He’s so lucky to have a parent like you. She’s lucky to be here.
Every adoptive parent hears the “lucky” comment at some point, especially if a child was born in a developing country like Vietnam, as my son was. Most of us have ready-made responses:
No, I’m the lucky oneor We all feel lucky to be a family.
If you haven’t adopted internationally or spent time with adult adoptees, it’s probably hard to imagine the mix of guilt, irritation, and confusion the “lucky” comment sparks. I’ve heard it from extended family members, strangers on the street, friends, even from a security worker at the Phú Quốc airport last December.
I’m never sure if people say it because they think it will make me feel good, because they think it’s what I want to hear, or because they simply don't know what else to say. In the case of the Vietnamese airport worker, I think she really believed it.
Talking about my lucky son doesn’t make me feel better, however. More than anything, the notion of luck emphasizes the randomness of life and the fact that a child I dearly love might not ever have crossed my path. How could that be? The thought scares me; I’m also deeply grateful. I’m all too aware of the cognitive dissonance I experience as an adoptive parent: I'm thrilled we are a family; at the same time, I know my gain is another woman's loss—and possibly a loss for my son as well.
When Mei-Ling Hopgood titled her terrific memoir
Lucky Girl, I’m sure she was invoking cognitive dissonance, too, as an adult adoptee. A child’s understanding of luck changes over time. It’s not a simple notion, particularly if you’re grappling with what luck means in two different cultures and the way that has shaped who you’ve become.
Talking about adoptees as "lucky" makes them sound like charity cases. This construction of international adoption was foisted on an earlier generation from Korea and Vietnam, including those adopted through the infamous or humanitarian (depending on your point of view) Operation Babylift in the mid-1970s.
There’s been plenty of criticism of this humanitarian approach, much of it justified. Yet now the pendulum has swung the other way, with many current adoptive parents claiming they were motivated by a desire for a family rather than by charitable impulses. Critics snap back that we’re buying babies. Celebrity international adoptions and ethical violations put us on the defensive even more.
In recent discussions on blogs like
Racialiciousand Harlow’s Monkey, there are bracing comments about the “selfishness” of international adoption and the havoc it wreaks for children of color. These are well worth a read; they make clear that mainstream media representations of adoption and the debate about it are misleading at best.
But if you extend this reasoning—as some more hyperbolic commenters do, especially when railing again Madonna—no international adoptees are lucky. They’ve been torn from their birth families and cultures; they are saddled with unresolvable grief and identity confusion.
So, when a well-meaning person beams at my charming seven-year-old and says, “He’s so lucky,” I’m extremely uncomfortable. Knowing the sharp criticism of some adult adoptees, how can I not squirm?
Nevertheless, there really are millions of children who need homes
now. Not in some distant future when all sending countries have completely overhauled their systems and the U.N. is satisfied— now.
In this way, I think my son
islucky. I don’t believe he would have been better off in an orphanage. He’s lucky to have escaped an institutionalized existence or life on the streets.
Like so many adoptive parents, I’ve been tempted by the idea that fate brought this child to my husband and me. Our being together just feels right. But if I’m honest, luck makes more sense than fate. I can’t pass off a decision I made—and the resources I have to carry it out—on God or the Universe. I’m responsible for it, for good or ill. And I'm an American, after all, who believes we make our own luck.
At the moment, my son is going on eight years old and confused about what his luck means. He still clings to me whenever he gets worried that we aren’t a “real” family. Yet close to a year after we took a return trip together to Vietnam, my son’s understanding of his own situation also seems to be deepening.
He tells me lately that he feels sad, as if he left a part of himself in Vietnam.
“You did,” I say, because it's the truth.
This post originally appeared in WOMEN = BOOKS, the blog for the Women's Review of Books. Read Martha’s review of Lucky Girl by Mei-Ling Hopgood and Culture Keeping by Heather Jacobson in WRB 's September/October 2009 issue. | 4,959 | 2,455 | 0.000432 |
warc | 201704 | Watch this video and see how easy it is to learn hands-only CPR.
Women sometimes have different symptoms of a heart attack, and they tend not to recover as well as men.
Many think that studies with “obvious” conclusions need not be conducted at all. Here’s why they’re wrong.
Men with HIV tend to have a greater risk of developing soft plaques (and larger ones) in their coronary arteries.
Researchers want to inject patients with HDL (good cholesterol) molecules that have a statin attached to them.
A closer look at some recent studies suggesting vitamins might not help heart attacks or cognitive function.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is fatal in ~ 90% of cases. If we can predict one is coming, survival increases.
This is from a study just published in JAMA today, and it’s a big deal.
Reductions in the incidences of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular disease in chocolate-eaters. | 940 | 580 | 0.001791 |
warc | 201704 | Gilead Sciences has massively outperformed Nasdaq Composite YTD. Gilead stock is facing resistance from the 100 day SMA The company has strong fundamentals and attractive valuations.
Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) has been on the list of best growth stocks for quite a few investors, generating an overall return of more than 500% in the last five years. Gilead stock analysis shows that the company has registered strong revenue growth and high profitability. Gilead stock is our one of the top rated stocks. And it’s not only us, many analysts’ are bullish on the stock. The company has been rated a “strong buy “ by Zacks. Gilead stock has outperformed the market, returning more than 17% Year to date compared to 2.63% gains in Nasdaq.
An Acquisition On The Anvil?
Recently Gilead sciences announced its intention to raise $10 billion in low interest bearing debt. While the company said that the proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, there are speculations that Gilead is preparing for its next big acquisition. The speculation has gained currency because Gilead already has a strong cash balance and an increasing free cash flow, which is more than enough to cover Gilead’s buyback programme and its dividend payouts.
Gilead is not new to acquisitions. Gilead has taken the acquisition route multiple times, the most famous being its acquisition of Pharmasset for $11 billion in 2011. The acquisition has enabled Gilead to develop Sovaldi and Harvoni, two of its best selling drugs.
While we can speculate about the method in which Gilead is likely to deploy the cash, we can be quite certain about the fact that Gilead is an investment opportunity.
Gilead Technical Analysis
Gilead Stock is facing resistance from 100 day and 50 day SMA. However, in a bullish crossover the MACD has crossed over the signal line, indicating that the stock is gathering momentum. This would mean that Gilead is likely to trade around current levels in next few trading sessions before it breaks above the resistance line.
Gilead Has Strong Fundamentals
The company has seen its revenue grow at compounded annual growth rate of 48% over the last three years (ttm basis). In last quarter, YoY revenue growth stood at 26.2% and the revenue growth is likely to continue, with analysts estimating Gilead’s Q3 2015 revenues to be around USD 7.78 billion, indicating yoy growth of 28.8%.
Gilead is also a highly profitable company with operating margin of 68.1% and net profit margin of 54.5%. The 3 years average operating margin stood at an impressive 52.6%. Gilead has a return on equity of 93.6% and return on invested capital of 79.5%.
Low Relative Valuation
What makes Gilead stock even more attractive is its cheaper valuation. Gilead is trading at a Price to Earnings (ttm) multiple of 11.65 compared to 23.3 for Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), 15.5 for Merck (NYSE:MRK) and 47 for AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV). And Gilead has higher profitability and stronger revenue growth than its competitors.
Conclusion
The recent dip in Gilead’s stock price is a good opportunity for those investors who want to increase their exposure to Gilead. The company has strong fundamentals and low valuation. While Gilead has always been in the list of growth stocks, the current valuation makes it a strong contender for entering the list of value stocks.
Image Copyright: rbhavana / 123RF Stock Photo | 3,419 | 1,643 | 0.000618 |
warc | 201704 | N Chromosome Royal Jelly for Disease Control and Increasing Human Libido
Caspian Bee
Royal jelly production has always been a difficult part of beekeeping as it requires much skill. That said, the benefits of royal jelly outweigh the difficulty and thus it is worth practising and perfecting the skill. We have discovered a new way of producing royal jelly by using drone larva for queen grafting. In so doing, the drone larva is supplied with quantities of royal jelly we separate the drones from the jelly in their pupa stage. The combination of both worker jelly and royal jelly produces amazing results. We call the combination of these two jellys N Chromosome Royal Jelly.
We found the following benefits of N Chromosome Royal Jelly. When we tested royal jelly and its ability to improve hormone production and increase libido, we discovered that N chromosome is at least 10 times more effective than normal royal jelly in increasing libido. Caspian Apiaries is the only company producing N Chromosome royal jelly.
In addition, we found people who had long time ulcer problems did not have these issues after 48 hours of using the N Chromosome royal jelly. We therefore tried to find as many individuals as possible who suffered from either short-term or long-term ulcer problems. The results were shocking. Our study looked at 480 individuals who had ulcers for two months to nine years. These individuals used antibiotics and pain relief products to relieve their pain; however, when they used N Chromosome Royal Jelly for 2 days to 28 days their ulcers went into remission.
We also found almost any metabolism disease was cured or significantly reduced with our royal jelly treatments. | 1,700 | 829 | 0.001211 |
warc | 201704 | If you happen to be in Tanzania and see a mother — or expectant mother — on a cellphone, she's probably not playing
Candy Crush. Instead, she may be reading text messages that come as part of a recent initiative to help give lifesaving tips to moms-to-be in fast and easily consumable ways.
Though infant mortality rate in Tanzania has decreased over the last two decades, 250 women still die during childbirth a day. These deaths, along with a high infant mortality rate, are the reason activists and government health services (including those of the CDC) have found a way to help women and children in the country have safer pregnancies and go on with their babies to live the most healthy lives.
Enter the Wazazi Nipendeni, or the "Parents Love Me" campaign. According to Reuters, the program is a text-based initiative that sends messages to Tanzanian women with lifesaving tips, such as reminders for doctor's appointments and basic health information. All they have to do is text "CHILD" to the code 15001.
"The messages cover timed information concerning prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS, antenatal care, family planning, malaria prevention, nutrition (for mother and baby), danger signs, individual birth plan, postpartum care and entertaining information such as fetal development milestones," said Sarah Emerson, country manager of the Health Tanzania Public Private Partnership Center for Disease Control Foundation.
Reuters reports that 5 million texts have been sent to the 25 million subscribers thus far.
Reuters used a woman by the name of Halima Rahim as an example of where the texts could be useful. When she had her baby, locals advised her to feed her baby porridge as she wasn't taking breast milk, which isn't the best practice. A text for proper breastfeeding would come in handy.
The CDC Foundation explained the goal is to "reduce maternal and infant mortality numbers by three-quarters by 2015."
With its cited 45,000 newborn and 13,000 maternal deaths in 2008 alone, these texts are worth the screen time. | 2,084 | 1,128 | 0.000899 |
warc | 201704 | Aqua Eden is an award-winning, professional pond construction and pond supply company. We are based in the city of Faribault, Minnesota. Faribault is conveniently located within 45 miles of many major Minnesota cities including: Mankato, Rochester, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Red Wing. Our ideal location allows us to provide affordable pond construction, pond design consultations, and disappearing pondless waterfall installations.
Aqua Eden also helps educate the do it yourself pond builders with numerous
pond installation seminars, backyard waterfall installation techniques, and online technical pond support. We also offer pond supplies, pond kits, disappearing pondless waterfall kits, hybrid koi pond kits and pond construction equipment for residents in Minnesota and all across the country.
We have seen first-hand how a
quality installed pond or waterfall can greatly enhance the enjoyment of life. Imagine the soothing sounds of running water, the soft glow of underwater lights at night, or being hypnotized by swirling, vibrantly-colored Koi fish for hours. All of this can be in your very own backyard pond or waterfall paradise!
Now is the perfect time to PLAN your 2015 backyard water landscaping investment. Set up a
DESIGN CONSULTATION and Aqua Eden can present you with a detailed water landscaping presentation – right from the comfort of your own home.
Our
backyard pond and waterfall installation schedule in 2015 was busy. So far 2016 is shaping up to be even busier! For more reason why you should start to plan your backyard waterscape paradise today, visit our WATER LANDSCAPING FOR 201 6 page.
We do not mow lawns, we do not install sprinklers, we do not sell hot tubs. We do what we do best –
Create Waterscape Environments That Enrich Life. We set-up a local network of landscape designers, landscaping companies, sprinkler system installers, hardscape craftsman, electricians, etc. We let them do what they do best. This allows us to focus strictly on the constantly evolving culture of water gardening. This symbiotic relationship with other specialized companies ensures the customer will have the highest quality components at all levels of their backyard landscape.
Aqua Eden is inspired by nature. We spend much of our time going on hikes, bird watching, and canoeing. This allows us to get a first-hand look on how mother nature moves water through the landscape. We take detailed notes and numerous pictures of natural waterfalls and ponds. Our goal is to keep people guessing if our water features were actually manmade or placed there by mother nature herself.
The owner,
Jake Langeslag, graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato receiving a bachelor of Science degree in Ecology and a minor in Chemistry. While at Mankato, he took numerous courses in biology and wetland ecology. Jake has also worked for various research centers around the United States, studying everything from the behavior of birds, frogs and turtles to wetland species interactions.
The waterscape world is changing every day. We make sure we are offering our customers the latest advances in technology. Aqua Eden has recently been introduced to many revolutionary technologies that will set the standard for the way that the world builds
water features. Aqua Eden is proud to be one of the few Minnesota water feature companies to use many different water feature supply brands such as: Russell Watergardens, Easy Pro, Savio, Flow Ranger, Sequence, Oase, Helix and many other water feature installation materials. This translates to happier customers with cleaner water who are allowed to spend more time enjoying their water feature and less time maintaining them. These new advancements will now open to the door to many people who once thought that they could never have a waterscape or waterfall, fearing that they were too expensive or time consuming.
We have found that no single waterscape company has the best products for every aspect of water feature installation. Some companies may have better pond filters, while another may supply the best energy efficient waterfall pumps. All too often we find
pond installers who use only one manufacture for all of their pond installations! While Aqua Eden finds that staying updated on many different water feature products to be very time consuming, we firmly believe that this is the only way to ensure that our customers have the highest quality waterscape materials for their application and budget. Aqua Eden has turned a hobby into a business. Being a long time water artist, Aqua Eden, knows first-hand the power of water and how it has greatly improved the quality of our life. We are passionate about passing this gift on to our customers. We want to make sure you get the maximum enjoyment out of your water feature. We will continue to educate you through numerous seminars, pond forums, free newsletters, pond tours, and other water feature events. Our goal is to create a growing community that shares the enjoyment of water. | 5,045 | 2,363 | 0.000426 |
warc | 201704 | THE CHARGE WAS SO FAMILIAR, the scenario so ritualistic, that much of the public just tuned it out. The Congressional Black Caucus was calling Sen. Jesse Helms a racist—again. Yet as tired as the charge of racism sometimes seems, it still stings. It worked in this case to shame Mr. Helms, as it works every day in countless other settings—even when it isn't stated explicitly—to shame white people and dictate decisions made by politicians, corporate executives, and ordinary citizens.
To a degree, of course, this is a good thing: social opprobrium discouraging distasteful behavior. But too often, the need people feel to appear virtuous on race issues actually does little to advance the interests of minorities—and in many instances, it interferes disastrously.
The Helms incident revealed again, in case anyone had forgotten, just how frivolously the R-charge can be leveled. The brouhaha began earlier this month when the North Carolina Republican declared his opposition to the nomination of former Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun (D., Ill.), who is black, to be U.S. ambassador to New Zealand. Part of Mr. Helms's concern, he said, had to do with ethics: Ms. Moseley-Braun has been accused of diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds for clothing and luxury vacations for herself and a former boyfriend.
A second part of Mr. Helms's objection was about Ms. Moseley-Braun judgment in matters diplomatic: She and her boyfriend had traveled several times to Nigeria to pay court to now-deceased dictator Gen. Sani Abacha. And then there was an old personal grudge. As Mr. Helms was foolish enough to admit to the press, he is still smarting over a speech Ms. Moseley-Braun gave in the Senate in 1993 that successfully blocked a favorite bill of his sanctioning the emblem of the Daughters of the Confederacy—an emblem that happened to include the Confederate flag.
Mr. Helms's opposition to Ms. Moseley-Braun's nomination met a storm of protest. White House spokesman Joe Lockhart immediately denounced him; Democratic Senate leader Tom Daschle followed suit. "The array of antiminority sentiment expressed almost each week now by Republicans is historic," Mr. Daschle declared. "It is very dangerous for this country and very, very harmful to the progress we've made on minority rights."
Such charges would be laughable if they weren't so potent—a harbinger, apparently, of Democratic strategy in the coming election year. No sooner were the Democrats done savaging Mr. Helms than they turned on Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft, whose offense had been to derail Mr. Clinton's nomination of black Missouri Supreme Court Judge Ronnie White to the federal bench.
To anyone who knows Washington, what Mr. Ashcroft did was simply politics as usual. Faced with a tough re-election campaign next year, he enlisted his colleagues to defeat a nominee he considered "pro-criminal" and squeamish about the death penalty. But to Reps. William Clay (D., Mo.) and Maxine Waters (D., Calif.), both members of the Congressional Black Caucus, opposition to Judge White was nothing less than an "evil, racist act." Angry black leaders in Missouri planned a protest rally at the courthouse where the
Dred Scott slavery case was argued. President Clinton echoed the charge of bias, and Mr. Ashcroft found himself on the defensive. "An accusation of prejudice or racism is meant to hurt, and it does hurt," he said. Once again, the R-charge had proved all but irrefutable and—just as the Democrats hoped—bitterly polarizing.
To be sure, not all accusations of bigotry are frivolous; there is still plenty of prejudice in America. But doing right by race has become a universal shibboleth of virtue, and the appeal is as strong for Republicans as Democrats. Hardly a week goes by when George W. Bush doesn't visit a black church or a ghetto school or have his picture taken with a Hispanic child. In part he does this to attract minority voters. But Mr. Bush also knows—and his staff has acknowledged—that this show of concern is a sure way to endear him to white swing voters, who have come to see racial sensitivity as the hallmark of a man's decency.
Isn't this a good thing? Yes, it is, or would be, if it actually benefited anyone. But the problem is that displays of racial virtue are not the same thing as helping disadvantaged minorities. Consider the three major race-related initiatives of the past 35 years: the War on Poverty, busing, and affirmative action. All three enjoyed wide support among liberal whites, who felt passionately that the nation should do whatever it could to make up for the past and remedy racial inequality. But none of these policies ended up doing much for their intended beneficiaries. Most of the provisions of the Great Society were bureaucratic boondoggles from the start. Two decades of busing have had virtually no effect on black educational outcomes. And even affirmative action's staunchest defenders now acknowledge that it can do almost nothing for the disadvantaged blacks who need help most: poor, ill-educated, ghetto-bound blacks who have no access to elite universities or corporate jobs.
Still, even in the face of these failures, well-intentioned whites continue to defend all three initiatives. Why? Because, as Shelby Steele argues so powerfully, even if these policies don't work, they make supporters feel good about themselves and their racial virtue. In too many instances, they serve the psychological needs of whites more than the material needs of blacks and other minorities.
No wonder, then, that so many racial issues of the last few years have been largely symbolic—from the number of black actors in Hollywood to stiffer penalties for "hate crimes." Meanwhile, for all our talk of doing right, the real challenges facing black America go unattended. Well-meaning university administrators sleep easier when they boost their diversity numbers. But as the nagging gap in black-white school performance shows, this does little to advance the educational development of black America—still the only avenue to any kind of meaningful equality.
Today as in the past, the charge of racism can be a useful goad, a reminder of America's core ideals and its aspiration to do better by all its citizens. Like any powerful moral claim, the accusation is easily misused, and it's important to resist that kind of abuse. But even harder is to figure out how to channel the nation's racial shame and guilt in a useful direction—so that what we say and the incentives the government creates actually make a difference for the people who still need help. And so far, despite 35 years of self-righteous bickering, we haven't proved very good at that. | 6,786 | 3,328 | 0.000305 |
warc | 201704 | Panelists will discuss the proposal and accompanying addenda. Particular focus will be on specific questions this proposal and the existing continuing instrument raises. Attendees are encourage to read the RySG documentation and additional resources recommendations below prior to the session.
Here are some questions that will be discussed regarding the RySG alternative proposal as well as the existing continuing instrument model offered by ICANN.
Considering ICANN's Mission, what is the appropriate role for ICANN to create a fund or act as an insurer? Under which circumstances? Can the same end be accomplished through a third party? Will an insurance company underwrite this?
The current COI model outlined on the Applicant Guidebook is designed to provide some safeguards regardless of the number of gTLD registries that fail.
For the existing COI model:
There will be an incentive to underestimate the projected size of the new registry, and therefore lower the cost of the COI to below what it should be to protect registrants. How could this be addressed?
For the COF model:
Who should determine how much reserve must be set aside? What criteria should be used to ensure sufficient funding and a mechanism to provide registrant protections? In the estimates shown in the addendum (Proposed Continuity Operations Instrument), what are the assumptions can be made in creating the basis for the proposed fund? How should the both the existing COI model and the newly proposed COF model ensure that it appropriately meets the needs of multiple registries sizes from small to large? Will the allocation of costs need to be adjusted over time if new registries enter the pool after the target balance is achieved? How can this account for some level of predictability and fairness for all registries? What appropriate level of internal resources should ICANN have for collections, tracking of deposits and outlays from the fund? What are the foreseeable challenges to move funds in timely manner to various parties as required responding to emergency situations? Additional Resources: gTLD Registry Transition Process Memorandum: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/registry-transition-processes-clean-30may11-en.pdf Emergency Back-End Registry Operator Request for Information (EBERO RFI): http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-14sep11-en.htm New gTLD Applicant Guidebook (particular attention should be given to Q50 in the application and spec 8 in the agreement): http://newgtlds.icann.org/applicants/agb Chairs: Brian Cute, Ken Stubbs Panelists: Antony Van Couvering, Adrian Kinderis, Richard Tindal, Paul D. McGrady, Jr. Structure: Opening remarks ~ 30 minutes by Chairs Discussion ~ 40 minutes - panelists express point of views Q&A - 20 minutes | 2,786 | 1,420 | 0.000707 |
warc | 201704 | A condominium board is responsible to maintain, repair and replace the common elements. (Fuse, Getty Images)
Q: I live in a 600-unit condominium that is undergoing a $750,000 lobby renovation project that is wreaking havoc on unit owners. The owners, many of whom are senior citizens, are forced to use rear doors to exit the building. There is no way the board received two-thirds unit owner approval to carry out this menacing, inconvenient and unnecessary alteration. And, if the board did receive the necessary votes, there is no way that unit owners would have approved this work had all the pertinent and relevant facts been correctly presented by the board. Any input is most welcome.
A: Pursuant to Section 18.4(a) of the Condominium Act, a condominium board is responsible to maintain, repair and replace the common elements and the board is not restricted to how much it can spend related to the maintenance, repair and replacement to existing common elements.
In fact, two-thirds unit owner approval is not required for the board to spend money to redecorate an existing common-element lobby.
However, if the lobby renovation project contains components that are not existing common elements, but are additions and alterations to the common elements to be paid via a special assessment, Section 18(a)(8) of the Condominium Act does require two-thirds unit owner approval.
Q: I live in a garden condominium unit and recently had rocks thrown through all three of my windows facing the alley. I have paid to replace the windows, but I also want to install protective screens to prevent this from happening again. Is the condominium association required to pay the cost of the screens to protect my windows, or is that a unit owner cost?
A: Per Section 4.1(a) of the Condominium Act, and most declarations, windows are classified as a limited common element.
Standard provisions in condominium declarations state that unit owners are responsible for the costs to maintain, repair and replace limited common elements, and unit owners are prohibited from modifying a common element and/or limited common element without board approval. Therefore, the window replacement cost is a unit owner expense, and if the board allows a unit owner to modify his/her windows to install a protective screen, the screen and its installation costs would be a unit owner expense.
Q: I live in a suburban condominium development with over 500 units. I drive a taxicab for a living and want to park my cab in the common element parking lot behind the building when off-duty. However, the association has a rule prohibiting residents from parking commercial vehicles anywhere on the property.
Is this parking restriction applicable to my taxicab?
A: Section 18.4(h) of the Condominium Act allows condominium boards to adopt rules and regulations to govern the association. Illinois law holds that such rules must be reasonable. A rule prohibiting commercial vehicles being parked on common elements is fairly common, and reasonable, thus, enforceable. Vehicles with commercial license plates or used exclusively for commercial purposes, may be legally prohibited from parking on association property, which would include taxicabs.
ctc-realestate@tribune.com | 3,257 | 1,386 | 0.000724 |
warc | 201704 | Last October, the magazine New Scientist published a survey gauging the dependence of randomly selected U.S. patients' groups on drug manufacturers. Combing through the tax returns, annual reports and voluntary disclosures of 29 nonprofit patient-advocacy groups, the publication found that most accepted financial backing by companies developing or producing drugs used to treat patients supported by the group. In some groups, such as the American Heart Assn., the drug makers' financial backing was huge ($23 million in 2005) but represented a small portion (4%) of revenue. For seven groups, donations from interested drug companies represented more than one-fifth of revenue. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance said it received more than half of its 2005 funding from the drug industry, and the Colorectal Cancer Coalition got 81% of its funding from drug makers.
New Scientist's probe found that some donations appeared directly tied to marketing interests. In 2003 and 2004, when the drug giant Pfizer was developing a drug to treat restless leg syndrome, it was a major donor to the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation. But in 2005, after Pfizer announced it had abandoned development of the potential drug, its donations to the patient group dried up.
Many of the best-known groups, including the Alzheimer's Assn., American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Assn., typically have a board of physicians who vet the scientific accuracy of the information they provide to patients. And most solicit "unrestricted" grants that allow them freedom to use the drug makers' donations as they see fit.
But even large groups often provide a gateway to the products of corporate sponsors, say those who have surveyed them. Many list FDA-approved medicines available to treat the disorder that is their focus and provide Web links that lead patients directly to marketing sites. And many offer their corporate sponsors access to their members, a potential gold mine of direct-marketing opportunity.
The corporate-donor pitch posted on the website of the national infertility patient group, Resolve, is typical of many patient groups. "Whether you become a site sponsor, a resource partner, or a sponsor of Resolve's chats, [the group's website] is the ideal place for your company to market its products and services to thousands of men and women across the country," the appeal states. Among the benefits the group lists for becoming a member of the group's "Corporate Council" are access to data on utilization of the group's programs and services and "the opportunity to establish topics and sponsor special briefings for patients, the medical community and public policy makers." Serono and Organon, both makers of prescription medication used to treat infertility, are among the group's corporate sponsors.
Patient groups also mobilize patients -- sometimes armies of them -- to push for coverage of prescription drugs by insurance companies and states' Medicare and Medicaid agencies. To pharmaceutical companies, this can make or break the market prospects for a new drug because 80 million Americans -- among them, the heaviest prescription-drug users -- receive healthcare coverage through Medicare and Medicaid, and roughly 155 million have prescription drug coverage through private insurance companies.
--
Strength in numbers
When insurers balk at reimbursing patients for new prescription medications, these groups typically swing into action, rallying sufferers to appear before public and consumer panels, contact lawmakers, and provide media outlets a human face to attach to a cause. Infertility patients mobilized by Resolve, for instance, have been extremely effective in extending states' insurance coverage of infertility treatments. Groups such as the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance have fielded experts and patients who have done the same for psychiatric conditions. And a wide range of patient groups, most with substantial backing from the makers of erectile dysfunction drugs, have mounted successful campaigns to get wary insurers to cover drugs such as Levitra, Viagra and Cialis. | 4,143 | 1,954 | 0.000514 |
warc | 201704 | A swimming pool is an aesthetic adjutant that gives a royal appeal to your home surroundings. It is not only a source of entertainment but also a life time accessory that enhances the outlook of your home. If you want your swimming pool to be safe and hygienically strong then you should opt for timely
pool cleaning and maintenance services. Pool cleaning is significantly required to maintain hygienic environs all around your home for the better health of your children and other members of the family.
Nowadays, many companies are offering
pool plumbing and leak repairs services at affordable rates. These companies have licensed technicians who are having experience of several years in pool, deck and spa cleaning. The various kinds of pool cleaning services offered by such companies include complete pool and deck repair, acid and chlorine wash, glass tile cleaning installation and repair, solar system and salt systems repair, installation of motors, pumps, heaters and filters, plumbing and leak repairs, and other related services.
Moreover, maintaining a swimming pool at regular intervals of time will not only keep it hygienic but also increases its life span. For the right maintenance of swimming pool, it is necessary to check all the equipments which are used on a daily basis. Also, it is very important to keep a check on the right ratio of water chemicals in the swimming pool. Companies offering
pool cleaning services avails you with water balancing service in every service.
There are many companies which are offering bi-weekly and monthly swimming pool maintenance packages including test and balance water chemistry, complete maintenance service, skim pool surface, salt cell inspection and cleaning, and other pool cleaning facilities. We all know that water imbibes dirt so easily and bathing with dirty water can kick you into major troubles. Therefore, you must keep a check on your pool filter so that no unwanted material enters into your swimming pool. If your pool filter requires any kind of repair/service then you can contact a company offering pool cleaning services via helpline number or you can also contact them through email address.
When you choose any company for
pool cleaning and maintenance, it is advisable to go through the services/packages it offers. A good company never disappoints its customers in terms of price and quality both. Companies have an experienced team of technicians who can easily detect any technical issues causing problem and at the same time they know all the knacks to resolve those issues. | 2,578 | 1,193 | 0.000841 |
warc | 201704 | From riches to rags: a narrative approach to entrepreneurs' experience of venture failure
Singh, S; Corner, P; Pavlovich, K
Permanent linkhttp://hdl.handle.net/10292/5670 MetadataShow full metadata Abstract
This paper investigates entrepreneurs’ experience of stigma associated with venture failure. We implement a narrative approach to understand how stigma was experienced personally by entrepreneurs. Findings draw on the lived experience of 12 entrepreneurs and tell a collective story of what stigma meant and how it affected entrepreneurs’ actions, behaviors, and decisions as they anticipated, enacted, and moved beyond venture failure. Overall the paper shifts the focus of stigma research from the socio-cultural perspective that constitutes the bulk of research to date, to the level of the microprocesses underlying these socio-cultural trends. Importantly, findings show how entrepreneurial failure engendered epiphanies or sudden deep insights for entrepreneurs that ultimately transformed failure from a very negative to a positive life experience. This transformation inspired entrepreneurs to contribute their knowledge gained through failure to future entrepreneurial efforts, even if these efforts were not their own. We discuss implications of findings for failed entrepreneurs’ future start-ups and for the application of learning from venture failure. | 1,392 | 707 | 0.001435 |
warc | 201704 | Aggression boils over all too often on the road. What can you do about it?
First, don’t be the aggressor – if somebody’s driving behaviour gets up your nose, because they appear to be incompetent, inattentive or aggressive, just turn the other cheek. It’s not that hard. Inflaming someone’s anger on the move is not worth the risk, however personally satisfying it might seem in the moment. So, don’t blast others with the horn, flash your lights at them, gesture rudely, shout abuse, or behave in an otherwise offensive manner. You could be putting yourself – and them – at risk by doing so. Good rule of thumb: if a normal person wouldn’t behave like that face-to-face, don’t act that way behind the wheel.
Next, don’t retaliate if somebody vents his anger at you. A wave and a mimed apology aren’t a bad idea if you make a mistake and inconvenience another driver. But if that doesn’t work, and the other driver has clearly become unreasonably angry, don’t respond. Do not become engaged in a game of road-rage one-upmanship. If another driver loses it, don’t respond at all … not even by making eye contact.
If an angry driver drives aggressively towards you, your only job is to insulate yourself from danger. So, if he tailgates you, don’t speed up. Don’t hit the brakes. Slow down gently and look for a place to indicate left and slow down even more to let them past – which is generally what they want anyway. To prove their ‘superiority’.
Above all, if confronted by an angry driver, don’t stop the car and get out. Things only get worse at this point. If the behaviour of the other driver is supremely unreasonable or threatening, or if you think you’re in danger, call the police and tell them your rego number and the rego number of the other car, as well as your location and direction of travel. Alternatively, drive to a police station. Lock the doors and wind the windows up, for security – not a bad idea generally for urban driving. | 2,076 | 1,054 | 0.00101 |
warc | 201704 | Earlier this week, the IRS released long-awaited guidance on liability allocations under Internal Revenue Code section 752 and disguised sales under section 707. These regulations represent some of the most substantial changes to partnership taxation in years. This Tax Alert provides an overview of the two significant items addressed in these regulations. Additional analysis and commentary will be issued once this guidance has been evaluated in greater detail.
The first change addresses debt allocations under section 752 and affects and curtails so-called “bottom-dollar” guarantees. These changes are effective on Oct. 5. However, the temporary regulations will allow partners to get basis for “vertical slice” guarantees and provide a seven-year transition period.
The second change affects the disguised sale rules under section 707. Strictly for purposes of this section, the regulations will treat all debt as nonrecourse. This change becomes effective 90 days from the date the temporary regulations are published in the Federal Register (Oct. 5). The new rule will severely limit the effectiveness of leveraged partnerships and the debt-financed distribution exception to the disguised sale rules.
These provisions are discussed in detail below.
Debt allocations under section 752
Under the temporary regulations (Regulation section 1.752-2T), “bottom-dollar payment obligations” are not recognized for purposes of debt allocations under section 752. A bottom-dollar payment obligation, or bottom guarantee, is an arrangement in which a partner guarantees the least risky portion of the debt. Such transactions are typically entered into to defer recognition of a negative capital account, thereby delaying the recognition of “phantom income” (i.e., taxable income without the corresponding cash).
Example: Guarantee of first and last dollars. A, B and C are equal members of a limited liability company, ABC, that is treated as a partnership for federal tax purposes. ABC borrows $1,000 from Bank X. Partner A guarantees payment of up to $300 if any amount of the full $1,000 liability is not recovered by the bank. Partner B guarantees payment of up to $200, but only if the bank otherwise recovers less than $200. A is obligated to pay up to $300 if, and to the extent that, any amount of the $1,000 partnership liability is not recovered by Bank X. Since A’s guarantee covers the riskiest portion of the debt, it would be respected under the temporary regulations, and the $300 liability would be allocated to A for basis purposes. However, because B is obligated to pay up to $200 only if, and to the extent that, the bank otherwise recovers less than $200 of the $1,000 partnership liability (a bottom-dollar guarantee), B’s guarantee does not satisfy the requirements under the temporary regulations and B’s guarantee is not recognized. As a result, B does not receive a special allocation of the $200 for basis purposes; rather, that debt is allocable to all partners as nonrecourse debt. Limited exceptions
Under the temporary regulations, if a payment obligation doesn’t put the obligor “on the hook” for any portion of the first dollar of the debt, the obligor generally will not get basis credit for the debt. An exception applies for vertical slice guarantees. If the partner guarantees a percentage of each dollar of a liability — for example, 10 percent of every dollar — he will get basis credit for the guaranteed debt under the section752 rules.
. However, the vertical slice percentage has to be fixed for every dollar of debt and cannot be on a sliding scale
The temporary regulations also include another exception to the bottom-dollar guarantee prohibition for cases where the guarantee is indemnified. “If a partner or a related person has a payment obligation that would be recognized
but for an indemnity or reimbursement or similar arrangement, and the partner or related person is liable for at least 90 percent of their initial payment obligation,” . then it will be recognized as a good payment obligation Transition relief
The temporary regulations preserve the seven-year transition rule included in the proposed regulations. Under the relief, “any partner whose allocable share of partnership liabilities under Regulation section 1.752-2 exceeds its adjusted basis in its partnership interest on the date” the regulations are effective will be deemed a “transition partner.” Transition partners can continue to apply the existing section 752 rules for seven years or until they zero out their negative tax capital account.
Impact on DROs
Offering a preview of the regulations, panelists from the Treasury Department at a tax conference held last week by the American Bar Association said the new bottom-dollar guarantee rules will apply to deficit restoration obligations (DROs). The regulations provide that if a DRO isn't recognized for section 752 purposes, in other words, if the DRO does not qualify as recourse debt, it also wouldn't be recognized for section 704 purposes.
Disguised sales
Under current law, with careful planning, taxpayers can essentially sell a business without triggering current gain by entering into a leveraged partnership with a would-be buyer. The business/asset is contributed to the partnership, which then borrows money (essentially the sales price of the business), and distributes borrowed funds to the seller. The transaction does not constitute a disguised sale as long as the would-be seller is on the hook for the borrowing. The debt is then allocated back to the seller/contributing partner, who defers taxation on the “disguised sale.”
Under the newly issued temporary regulations, all debt is treated as nonrecourse for purposes of disguised sales, thus curtailing the effectiveness of many leveraged partnership structures by limiting the applicability of the debt-financed distribution exception under Regulation section1.707-5(b).
The new rule means that the maximum amount of debt that could be allocated to the partner is the debt that would be allocated to it based on its share of profits. This is a major rule change which effectively eliminates leveraged partnerships. A guarantee will no longer serve to shelter the gain for disguised sale purposes.
The information provided here is of a general nature and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any individual or entity. In specific circumstances, the services of a professional should be sought. Tax information, if any, contained in this communication was not intended or written to be used by any person for the purpose of avoiding penalties, nor should such information be construed as an opinion upon which any person may rely. The intended recipients of this communication and any attachments are not subject to any limitation on the disclosure of the tax treatment or tax structure of any transaction or matter that is the subject of this communication and any attachments. | 7,088 | 2,829 | 0.000361 |
warc | 201704 | Independent Texas A&M student paper thebatt.com covers bed bugs this week. They mention the seminars in New York City, and the interesting research out of the Center for Urban and Structural Entomology (CUSE, housed at Texas A&M) on bed bugs and chicken farms. And–because it’s a college paper, perhaps–they dig right into the fascinating and violent concept of bed bug reproduction in the third paragraph.
But what I found intriguing was the following comment:
Used and freebie couches are breeding grounds for these pests and a center-piece in many college students’ living rooms. Many apartment complexes warned tenants of the commingling of on-campus and off-campus Aggies, with reference to spreading bed bugs. The Luxor Management Group told tenants to avoid visiting residence halls and “if someone who lives in the dorms must come to visit you in your residence, [we] strongly recommend that they do not sit or put their belongings on your beds or even enter your bedrooms and to just stay in your living or dining rooms.”
This management company is warning residents of off-campus apartments that they should avoid visiting students who live in dorms, and treat visitors from dorms with caution, keeping them in the living room and dining room, and their belongings off the beds.
Bed bug awareness is a good thing, but this advice is a bit off.
Yes–I would absolutely advise people to avoid putting guests’ belongings in their beds. The whole party “coat pile on the bed” (or coat pile anywhere) concept is a bad idea, and aversion to it is a litmus test for whether people have experienced bed bugs or not.
And taking in used couches and other items from the street, Craigslist, or other sources, is a bad idea. (Though surely some of the students in private accommodation have done this too?)
On the other hand, you should realize that if your friends have bed bugs and bring them to your home on belongings or on their clothing, they can infest other rooms as easily as the bedroom. Keeping friends to the living and dining room is not going to do it. Sofas and upholstered furniture are common targets, but bed bugs do also move into rooms themselves, and wooden furniture items.
Better advice for Texas A&M students is to talk about bed bugs. Make sure your friends know about them and know that experts claim as many as 50% of people may experience no bite marks and no itching–that means you can have them and not know it.
Make sure they know what unfed first instar nymphs look like (1 mm or 1/32 inch, white or translucent; not 6 mm or 1/6 inch and brown), since–as Lou Sorkin keeps reminding us–this is not what the media usually tells people to look for, but they may be all you see.
Talk to your friends about avoiding curbside furniture, lawn sales, flea markets and the like.
While Luxor Management may have the idea that students in a dorm are more prone to bed bug outbreaks than those in private accommodations, it is true that
anyone can get bed bugs anytime.
And you do not have to share your bed with a student who lives in a dorm–or trash-pick furniture–to get them, as most of us will attest. | 3,213 | 1,562 | 0.000659 |
warc | 201704 | Do you remember where you were and what you were doing 9 years ago? I do. I don’t have an exceptional memory, and it wasn’t a special occasion, but my life changed with one phone call.
I was sitting in my office cubicle trying to focus on work, but I was anxious about my recent spinal tap. I hadn’t heard anything from my doctor, which I thought was probably good news. After my MRIs a few weeks earlier, I got a phone call insisting I come in right away, which I knew meant bad news.
I finally stopped pushing paper around my desk and called the neurologist’s office to see what was going on.
Let’s back up for a minute
In the Spring of 2006, I was training for the MS 150, a cycling event to raise funds for MS research. The owner of the company I worked for has Multiple Sclerosis and inspired me to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He was in a wheelchair and I was going to ride for him.
Things were crazy-busy at work and I wasn’t feeling well. After coming home from a trip to Europe, what I thought was a little jet lag turned into a lot of vertigo. I had experienced vertigo before and I figured it was just some type of ear infection. My doctor thought the same thing. As the weeks progressed, I couldn’t walk a straight line let alone ride a bike.
Along with vertigo came fatigue. One side of my face and my hands were tingling. None of these symptoms were brand new, but I had never had them all at once or this severe. Two months later, I still felt like I was stumbling out of a bar whenever I stood up. I had missed the bike ride and was diagnosed with MS.
My diagnosis wasn’t as tidy as the paragraphs above. Instead of a few sentences, it was days and weeks of fatigue, vertigo, and uncertainty. It was MRIs with Gadolinium contrast agents delivered via IV that made me want to throw up, eye tests, blood work, ultrasounds of my heart to rule out mini strokes, balance and neuro exams. And the cherry on top .. a blood patch to stop the debilitating headache caused by the leaking fluid in my spinal cord after a lumbar puncture.
By the time I called for my test results, I was vulnerable, scared, sick and tired.
Me: Hi, I’m calling for test results from my lumbar puncture.
Them: Yes, we have them right here. You don’t have MS.
Me: Thank you so much!
Them: I can’t believe you didn’t know. We got your results back last week.
Me: That’s not possible. My lumbar puncture was this week.
Them: (big, painful pause) We’ll call you back.
After the pause.
Them: Hi Courtney, Sorry about that. You do have MS.
Me: What? (thinking to myself: did you just diagnosis me with MS over the phone?) What should I do now?
Them: Come pick up some marketing brochures and pick a drug.
Me: OK (Thinking … this is not ok. Nothing will ever be ok again.)
I left the cubicle and cried all the way home. I thought my life was over. I was afraid that MS would take over and ruin my health, my family, my work, and everything I cared about.
And then, inch by inch, I changed my life. I changed what I ate, what I owned, what I owed, where I worked, and how I loved. I changed all of it. Today, 9 years later, I am practically symptom free. I haven’t had a relapse in more than 7 years and recent MRIs show no new lesions or MS progression.
I moved from powerless victim to the hero of my own story. I realized I have choices. I didn’t choose MS, but I do choose what foods I put in my body, what treatments I take, who I spent time with, who is on my medical team, and how I view my life and the world.
How a Devastating Diagnosis Taught me How to Really Live
I didn’t want MS, and I don’t wish it on anyone else, but it has been a blessing in my life.
Dealing with the uncertainty of MS helped me to become more comfortable with uncertainty in other situations. I am more concerned with what’s happening today vs. what’s happening next week, or next year. Working through the fear of an unpredictable diagnosis reminded me that fear is only what I think, and not what is. That gave me confidence to make big changes, and take risks that I would have walked away from before. Ignoring the people who told me not to share my diagnosis with co-workers, my daughter, and other people taught me that showing up and being honest about who I am and what I’m going through isn’t a sign of weakness. Honesty and vulnerability may repel some people, but it attracts the right people. The unexpected diagnosis helped me to worry less as I realized that the things we worry about and stress over every day are typically not the things that actually happen. My busy life may not have been the cause of MS, but I had overlooked the damage that chronic busyness was doing to my health and relationships for years. MS gave me permission to listen to my body, and to create a life with time and space for what really matters to me. When you share your story, you open your heart and let people in.
Being diagnosed with MS was a defining moment in my life that I will never forget, but MS does not define me. You’d never know I had it if I didn’t tell you. So why tell the story? In 2010 I wrote this post for my friend Leo at Zen Habits. Later that week, I got an email from a woman who was diagnosed with MS the same day she read my story. She said my words gave her hope and made her a little less scared.
Thousands of people read my story, but I wrote it for her. We met in her hometown a few months later and I knew she was why I shared my story.
I often skim over my diagnosis here, because this blog isn’t really about MS. Then again, it’s not about living with less either. I write about decluttering, paying off debt, and living more simply, but those are just little chapters in a bigger book about love, connection, light, and living. Really living.
In Daring Greatly, Brené Brown says, “We either own our stories (even the messy ones), or we stand outside of them—denying our vulnerabilities and imperfections, orphaning the parts of us that don’t fit in with who/what we think we’re supposed to be, and hustling for other people’s approval of our worthiness.”
Let’s use our stories (even the messy ones) to help each other. Think about the defining moments (big and small) in your life, and share them. The stories you share will inspire others, give them hope, and help people connect with you in ways you can’t imagine. | 6,549 | 3,097 | 0.000334 |
warc | 201704 | In most cases, the conventional wisdom on credit cards is to avoid paying an annual fee. An annual fee, that you pay for the privilege of borrowing money, seems like a terrible idea to many people. However, in some cases it might actually make sense to pay an annual fee.
Do the Rewards Offset the Annual Fee?
The first thing you have to ask yourself is whether or not the rewards offset the annual fee. Some of the credit cards that charge an annual fee actually have more generous rewards programs. Airline branded credit cards might offer passes to whatever executive club they have in an airport. The cost of access to such clubs can be relatively high; getting access can be worth the annual fee.
In other cases, cash back rewards cards with annual fees are more generous. For example, with the American Express Blue Cash Everyday card, the category with the highest cash back (groceries) offers 3% on purchases. Pay the annual fee for the American Express Blue Cash Preferred credit card, though, and you earn 6% cash back in the highest category — and there are no caps on the rewards you earn.
Making the Most of Your Annual Fee Credit Card
Of course, if you want to make the most of your annual fee credit card, you have to use it. You have to use it a lot. When you buy everything with the enhanced rewards, you are more likely to earn enough cash back that it offsets your annual fee, and still provides you with enough in rewards for a profit.
You also have to be careful to avoid carrying a balance. Many credit cards with generous rewards programs also come with higher interest rates. You can reap the rewards, but you will also have to pay higher interest if you carry a balance. If you are going to get a card that charges you an annual fee, make sure to pay off the balance each month.
Use your card on every day purchases, and then, when the bill is due, pay it off with the money sitting in your checking account. If you can leave the money sitting in an interest bearing account for the month, before you use it to pay off your credit card balance, all the better. While you won’t earn a ton of interest, you will, at least, earn a little more than you had before. This only adds to the benefits of using a card with a generous rewards program.
Bottom Line
If you aren’t going to use your credit card for most of your purchases, there really isn’t much of a reason to get a card that charges an annual fee. It’s just cost you more money. Cards with annual fees and generous rewards/perks programs are best suited to those who plan to use their cards regularly, and pay them off each month.
If you are a casual card user, who thinks the rewards are a nice bonus, get a rewards card with no annual fee. | 2,758 | 1,221 | 0.00083 |
warc | 201704 | For organized road cycling events, there are a series of typical distances that travel to complete them. Since cycling is generally considered an endurance event, a variety of distance choices are available for the rider, from beginner to advanced rider.
Typical ride distances (all approximate) are as follows:
8 mi/13 km - for fun and beginner rides
12 mi/19 km - longer beginner ride
20-25 mi/32-40 km - first "serious" distance ride distance; frequently used as a short ride to train for longer rides
35 mi/56 km - moderate distance ride
45 mi/72 km - longer distance ride
62.5 mi/100 km - the metric century Most people, with appropriate training, can ride such. Achieving such is nevertheless a personal milestone.
70 mi/112 km - slightly longer than a metric, for a bit of additional challenge
100 mi/160 km - the full century; quite a challenge, considered the longest typical 1-day endurance event
130 mi/200 km - the double metric
190 mi/300 km - the triple metric
200 mi/320 km - the double century
As one can see, the range of rides varies tremendously. There are also multi-day events such as the BRAT (Bike Ride Across Tennessee) from September 11-17 of this year. Longer supported rides of 40 mi or more typically have one or more rest stops along the way for cyclists to obtain additional water and food, as well as taking a break.
How long does it take to ride such rides? Cyclist speeds vary tremendously, and the amount of energy needed to travel a distance is quite sensitive to speed. A typical slow speed is around 10 mi/hr, and 18-20 mi/hr is typical for elite cyclists. For group rides, frequently people will specify whether the ride is a "no-drop" ride, where no slow riders will be left behind, or not.
Hot on the trail - Barnard House B&B (Image: Cathy Kentzel) When Cathy and Paul Kentzel lost their jobs and faced a job market teeming with younger, more educated competito...
2 days ago | 1,938 | 1,022 | 0.00099 |
warc | 201704 | Overcoming a major hurdle, death penalty repeal in Connecticut has passed in the state Senate by a vote of 20-16. The bill, with the endorsement of
179 murder victim family members, would remove the death penalty as an option for all future crimes. It now goes to the House and, if it passes there, to Governor Dannel P. Malloy, who has said he will sign it.
Connecticut would become the 17th state to abolish the death penalty, meaning that more than one-third of
U.S. states would no longer have capital punishment. Connecticut would also be the 5th state in 5 years to get rid of the death penalty. In 2007, New York’s last death sentence was commuted, officially ending that state’s association with capital punishment. In December 2007, New Jersey legislatively repealed its death penalty. New Mexico did likewise in 2009, and Illinois in 2011.
As Amnesty International
reported in March, two-thirds of the world’s countries no longer use capital punishment. This vote in Connecticut is yet one more sign that the death penalty, both around the world and here in the U.S., is on its way out. | 1,118 | 617 | 0.001653 |
warc | 201704 | Colorado’s skiers and snowboarders were recently presented with a misleading article that stated:
“When someone dies or is seriously injured on a Colorado ski slope, it is ski patrollers — not trained police officers, sheriff’s deputies or forest rangers — who document and determine what happened.”
That’s true, and it’s exactly the way you, as a skier, should want it. Here’s why:
Allow me to extrapolate:
Ski patrollers are
the best option for incident reporting when it comes to skiing and snowboarding accidents. First and foremost, Ski Patrol is first on the scene to administer medical attention, and then to record the facts surrounding the incident. Most ski areas are reasonably remote, are located in challenging climates with ever-changing weather conditions, and require a breadth of skills and experience to navigate. Ski Patrollers deal with all of that every day. It’s what they’re trained to do, and they take it very seriously.
The aforementioned series of articles seems to suggest that incidents would be better-reported if another entity were called in to investigate. Such a practice would almost certainly result in inferior information gathering; long before a third party could arrive on-scene, witnesses would have skied away. Evidence would have melted, been skied over, or blown off in the wind. Weather conditions that may have been a factor in the incident may have changed. Ski Patrol is able to gather all this information immediately. A third-party investigator? They would
certainly take longer to respond than Ski Patrol, and could take hours longer to arrive on-scene. When you’re reporting incidents in a mountain environment, the evidence and information can be compromised with every passing minute.
If I were interested in getting the best possible information and evidence following an incident, I would want it gathered as quickly as possibly by professionals who are trained and experienced in the activity and environment surrounding the incident. I certainly wouldn’t want to wait hours for someone who doesn’t necessarily know anything about skiing or mountains try to draw conclusions based on compromised evidence and incomplete information. To do that would just be crummy reporting.
-Mountain Correspondent | 2,337 | 1,137 | 0.000911 |
warc | 201704 | A Klingon is one of the bad guys in Star Trek; a Marketing “Cling-on” is also dangerous…someone who clings on to rules of thumb from the past, believing the world is really not so different after all.
Trekkies know what a Klingon looks like, but how about a Marketing “Cling-on?” Here are some examples. In a recent column in Ad Age, Al Ries talks about “Metrics Madness”. He contends that mathematics is logical but marketing is not; it is a discipline that can only be learned by exposure to marketing case histories over an extensive period of time. OK, from Star Trek to Yoda. Ries says, “there are many situations where the ROI is zero and yet the marketing expenditures are worthwhile…Suppose a leading brand spends $50 million a year on advertising. And suppose that brand’s market share doesn’t budge at all. Was that $50 million wasted? Not necessarily.” Paraphrasing, he says that advertising is the best way to insure brand leadership positions. Time travel…very 1980s. Cling-on to a simple world—consistent commitment to brand advertising and positioning and the ship will stay right on course. In this economy, $50MM budgets do NOT remain sacrosanct without proof and optimization. Where is social media in this brand leadership blueprint? Certainly there is little insight about social media in case histories “over an extensive period of time” (Twitter is like two years old, right?) Math and marketing are oil and water? Isn’t Google basically math? Isn’t Tesco overtaking Sainsbury largely a triumph of insight emerging from terabytes of shopper data? Another example of Marketing Cling-ons. A recent study from McCann Erickson UK reports that 67% of marketing executives confess they do not know enough about social media and 86% “admit” it is here to stay. Wow! Wouldn’t you like to know who the 14% are who do NOT think social media is here to stay? (“There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home…”) Wouldn’t you also like to know how many of the 33% who say they DO know enough about social media are even on Twitter or active on Facebook? I’m betting a lot aren’t. One final example of a Marketing Cling-on. In a blog posting, I saw the quote that “social media is just one boat on the ocean of word of mouth” (implied, which has been around for countless years…). Social media is BIGGER than word of mouth! It has forever changed the way we live our lives, and how many marketers think, turning marketing from an announcement to a conversation. Come on people, skate to where the puck is going! Social media has put the human at the center of marketing thinking, placing the marketing research function at center stage. Mommy bloggers brought down a major ad campaign via social media. Newsrooms and tweeple are constantly monitoring social media for breaking stories. Susan Boyle has over 100 million views on youtube. Obama is president. This is NOT the world of word of mouth that has always existed. Oh, by the way, this week it was reported that traffic to Twitter exceeded traffic to the NY Times. Two hours ago, I just saw a link posted by Pete Blackshaw of Nielsen Online in FB that “Hulu Grows Nearly 500% Since This Time Last Year”. Need I say more?
You can follow @joelrubinson on twitter. | 3,407 | 1,718 | 0.000613 |
warc | 201704 | Many use the terms brand equity and brand health interchangeably; they shouldn’t.
Brand equity refers to the size of a brand. A brand with high brand equity has lots of customers, big market share, and a presence in the marketplace that leads one to believe that it will stay big. Take two brands—Microsoft and Apple. Both have lots of brand equity and because the corporate name is the brand, we can think of market cap as reflective of brand equity. I am an outsider to both firms but I think the marketplace would believe that the trajectory of the two brands is somewhat different at this point. Their brand health is different.
So, let’s think about brand health. When David Meer and I worked together at The NPD Group, we had an impromptu “Synectics-style excursion” one day to explore the meaning of brand health by thinking about how you can tell if your dog is healthy.
Signs your dog is healthy
Has a normal appetite Comes when you call it Looks like the breed it is Heals fast Puppies need to grow into their paws to normal size Has a bright, shiny coat Doesn’t have accidents in the house Cold, wet nose
So, following the metaphor, here are the signs that your brand is healthy
Dog is healthy if:
Brand is healthy if
Has a normal appetite
Brands “eat” Advertising and promotion support. If the brand needs to increase marketing support, especially promotion support, to maintain market share it’s not a healthy sign
Comes when you call it
Does your brand come when consumers call? Are they “calling it” (via social media conversations). Is the marketing team listening and responding?
Looks likes the breed it is
Does your brand have the meaning to consumers it intends to have? Is it positioned as intended?
Heals fast
Good brands can receive bad news that, in an era of social media, can turn into massive body blows in an instant. One of the most powerful signs of brand equity is that your customers will forgive you; is your brand bouncing back?
Puppies need to grow into their paws to normal size
Is your brand growing the way it should? Are you aware of the geometry of a brand, the signs across multiple information streams that it has grown to full size? For example, high penetration or trial that is not supported by commensurate customer retention means the brand will stop growing short of its full size. This was the point that Nielsen made about Twitter a year or so ago.
Has a bright shiny coat
Dogs’ coats shine, making them attractive from a distance. In the era of shopper marketing, nothing could be more important than having your brand jump off the shelf and tells shoppers in an instant what it is about.
Doesn’t have accidents
Well, no brand team wants to be fighting fires and cleaning up after the brand. Brands are about trust and therefore consistency. You should be able to have exactly the brand experience you expect, or better. If your brand has inconsistent quality or train wrecks it will keep the brand team on defense.
Cold wet nose
Touching your dog’s nose regularly is a way of tracking if it is healthy or if you have to look further. In this digital age, track your brand in all layers of consumer expression: surveys, social media, search, activity in owned media, etc.
So, we’re not talking about the size of the dog, we’re talking about if it’s healthy. Brand health is critical to understand and measure because it is predictive of the future. A big brand that is unhealthy won’t stay that big for long.
OK, that brings me to my final point. At the ARF Research Transformation initiative, we talk about “The River”. Today in our digital society there is a constant river of information that is fed by numerous tributaries. The river is flowing continuously so conversation about your brand and people’s needs don’t happen on your schedule but on theirs. Someone can search for your brand (or a competitor) anytime they choose to. Today, tracking surveys alone are not enough to fully understand brand health. We must also look in the river and consider ALL the signs and signals in a digital age to see if your brand has a cold wet nose. | 4,230 | 1,954 | 0.000529 |
warc | 201704 | When I think about what makes social media so unique, I always come back to one thing: relationships. Nowadays, getting to know your audiences and building relationships with them is easier than ever. Through social media and analytics, marketers can understand their audience base in ways we never could before.
Let’s take a look at the numbers that prove the value of social media further. Social Media Today reports that social media users have risen by 176M in the last year, with 12 new active mobile social users joining every second. A study by Universal McCann found that 71% of social media users are more likely to purchase from a brand they follow online. And with 78% of the U.S. population having at least on social networking profile, it’s a channel you can’t afford not to invest in.
You simply need to be where your audience is to stay relevant and remain profitable. It’s no secret that the majority of your buyer’s journey is self-directed. People self-educate online, searching for as much information as possible about the products and services they want before they purchase. In order to capitalize on that behavior, you now need to show your audience some love.
Engaging on social media platforms can feel overwhelming at times. People are seeing streams with thousands of posts every day. So how do you make sure your brand stands out?
Here are four ways to create lasting relationships with your followers on social media: 1. Establish a Voice
Why does a brand voice matter? It’s important to establish a tone of voice for your brand to maintain consistency in the position you’re taking as an authority or expert in a certain field. In fact, 64% of people who have a relationship with a brand cite shared values as the primary reason for it, according to Harvard Business Review.
Take a look at your company mission statement and see what values resonate with your company culture, then incorporate that tone in your day-to-day messaging. Once you’re clear on your company values, take time to research and understand your audience. Follow trending conversations to see if there are certain values that are important to your prospects and customers. By highlighting how those values align with your brand, you can increase loyalty.
2. Show Up
Brands who engage on social media channels enjoy higher loyalty rates from their customers. Audience engagement shows you’re not a robot, mindlessly pushing company messaging. Rather, there’s something behind the brand–a voice. People are looking for reasons to connect with a brand, so give them many.
These are a few different ways you can engage with your audience across social media:
Initiate and contribute to ongoing conversations and become part of the story. Look for ways to show up in different social channels, from using trending hashtags to participating in top-of-mind discussions. Favorite or like when people share their photos and ideas. Respond when your followers incorporate you into their day-to-day conversations. This could be something as simple as a retweet, like, or favorite. Comment when you see funny or relevant content. 3. Share Relevant Content
Social media is the megaphone for content. However, all the yelling in the world isn’t going to matter if the content you’re providing isn’t interesting, relevant, or authentic. In fact, 91% of consumers most value honesty about product and services, according to Cohn & Wolfe’s Authentic Brands Report.
So how do you put your audience’s interests first? There are several tools out there to help you evaluate your audience demographics to understand what they’re interested in and how you can deliver it. Perhaps the easiest one is a social media channel’s native analytics dashboard. You can gain insights into your audience demographics such as age, interests, profession, location, to name a few. By understanding and engaging with your audience based on their demographics, you can consciously build meaningful relationships. Always be asking yourself if what you’re posting will resonate with your audience. Will it empower them in any way? Are you providing them with something they’ll care about? If your audience finds value, they’ll continue to come back.
4. Customer Service
Social is the new front line, providing you the opportunity to actively listen for both positive and negative feedback. Research from Lithium Technologies found that 70% of users expect to hear back from the brand they’re interacting with on Twitter, and 53% want a response within the hour. And if they don’t hear back, there are
major consequences. The majority of respondents said they would tell their friends and family about the experience and escalate concerns through other forms of communication. This means that you not only need to have a social media presence, but be actively listening and engaging as well.
Jay Baer recently addressed this in his new book “Hug Your Haters.” He recommends businesses leave no complaint unaddressed. In doing so, you have the opportunity to create a deeper brand experience. And on the other side of the coin, showing love to your enthusiastic following is just as important. Take the time to acknowledge people who are mentioning and advocating for your brand by responding to them. Acknowledging posts, direct messages, and comments broadens your relationship and creates a sense of community with your followers.
Social media is no longer “new” but it’s star is continuing to rise as it increasingly becomes a preferred channel for communication. Utilizing your social media channels to build relationships will help you in your journey to increase your reach, build your brand, and expand your customer network. So make sure you’re consistently looking for new and innovative ways to build relationships with your audience and increase engagement. Provide them what they’re looking for with great, quality, consistent content they can learn from. Value those relationships, nurture them, continue to remain engaged, and hopefully when they’re ready to buy, they’ll think of
you.
What other tips do you have for building a loyal follower base? Share them in the comments section below! | 6,347 | 2,893 | 0.000356 |
warc | 201704 | Recent Press
“Pro stock traders looking to Twitter, Facebook for tips.” Walter Hamilton. Los Angeles Times. March 30, 2012.
“The Financial Psychopath Next Door.” Sheree Decovny. CFA Institute Magazine. March/April 2012.
Bloomberg TV with Lisa Murphy on using social media for investing. March 3, 2012.
Bloomberg TV with Sarah Eisen on February 27, 2012 discussing using Twitter to predict the stock market.
List of Past Press.
New Newsletter and Speaking
To shorten the length from idea to recommendation, we are launching a weekly newsletter which will give you specific investment recommendations and less commentary. Click and fill out to receive our FREE weekly investment strategy newsletter (if you already requested the Newsletter, then this step is unnecessary).
In addition to our usual haunts of
New Yorkand Los Angeles, we will be speaking in Atlanta (Socionomics Summit), Las Vegas, and San Franciscoin April and May – we’re look forward to catching up with our friends in those cities!
We’re hosting a one-day
Optimize Your Investment Psychologytraining in London’s Canary Wharf on June 19 th,2012. We will help you improve the performance of the most essential component of your investment decision making - your mind.
We deliver keynotes and trainings globally, and going forward our good friend Derek Sweeney at the Sweeney Agency is handling our bookings: Derek@thesweeneyagency.com, +1-866-727-7555.
We also do many free educational talks. Dr. Frank Murtha recorded this webinar on Conflict Management for the CFA Institute in late March:
Dr. Murtha’s CFA webinar .
What Makes a Bubble?
After my medical school research into bubbles in 2000, internet investment chatter continued to proliferate, and sophisticated predictive analytics software became available to the masses. To capture these trends we wrote software to download all the social media discussions (and later all media and text about businesses) on the web. We identified expectations and emotional expressions about individual companies in these conversations, such as the level of positive expectations around Apple’s (AAPL) share price. Our analysis has now expanded to monitor over 1,000 influential factors including sentiments and macroeconomic variables in conversations about companies, countries, commodities, and currencies.
Recently we decomposed those factors into the ones prevalent at bubble tops, but not prevalent at bubble bottoms. We studied 6 bubbles in our sample (internet, housing, oil, and others). Using our bubble profiles, we created a probabilistic measure of the presence of bubbles in different asset classes, based on how people are speaking. For example, when positive expectations jump far ahead of reality, and when anger and fear are very low, we are likely to be in a speculative bubble. We combined 20 such factors into our “bubbleometer” index. See below for the 2-year Bubbleometer of the S&P 500:
Sure enough, this indicates a short-term sell-off is imminent. And lo and behold, due to the long production cycle of this newsletter, it already started! But never fear, you can sign-up for our weekly newsletter or use our free web services at www.marketpsychdata.com/tools/ to track sentiments and securities of interest (updated daily).
Is AAPL in a Bubble?
Apple has been in the news a lot lately –
“Will it be the first $1 trillion company? When will the stock price hit $1,000?”- are common refrains in the blogosphere.
And sure enough we see the psychological hallmarks of a bubble around AAPL. See chart below.
Yet I believe that
“this time is different.”Based on the Bubbleometer, AAPL is at its 2-year Bubbliest. So a short-term a correction is certainly possible/probable. Yet the long-term fundamental story for AAPL is reasonable, and valuation (often correlated with emotion) is the best long-termpredictor of prices. Most people are inclined to think AAPL is bubbly because its stock is going up so fast. But in fact, AAPL is a relatively cheap stock by traditional metrics (P/E ratio, price to book, cash flow, margins, and on and on).
So why do so many people think it is in a bubble? For one, we all have a tendency to believe in mean reversion -
“What goes up must come down”– which is a symptom of the Gambler’s Fallacy (thinking independent sequential events are mutually dependent). “What goes up…”is true about objects that no longer have any momentum behind them. But AAPL has more than momentum, it has its own fuel supply.
The other interesting fact about AAPL is how much money it is creating in paper wealth for investors in the United States (and the world). In the past
4 monthsAAPL has added $200b in notional wealth to the United States equity markets via the appreciation of its stock price (about $700 per person), not to mention the economic efficiencies reaped by Apple’s products and the success of Apple suppliers. Which raises an interesting - and important - question: Could AAPL be single-handedly pulling us out of our economic slump?If so, Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ives, Tim Cook, and the other A-players at Apple may have been our society’s best investment of the decade. I hope we will produce more like them going forward.
Inside the Quant Brain
Two weeks ago I moderated a panel of the hedge funds who are trading on text analysis and sentiment at the New York “Battle of the Quants.” FYI, here is a video of an interview with me about sentiment-based trading strategies from that event.
Sitting in the audience during the “Extracting Sentiment From News” panel, my friend Richard Brown - Head of Global Data Products at Thomson Reuters - was asked about the future of news analytics. He mentioned two hypothetical conversations read by news-crunching machines - one pessimistic and one angry. Both are equally “negative” according to news-analyzing computers, but they generate very different predictions for the future: “a sad person is more likely to hurt themselves, while an angry person is more likely to hurt others,” he noted. He’s absolutely right - regime change happens when people are angry (negative), but not necessarily when they are gloomy (also negative).
Once social anger crystalized in the Middle East, the Arab Spring began. This is the rationale behind our detailed interpretations of emotive sentiments and topics from the news Our GovernmentAnger variable, which measure the amount of anger expressed toward the government, is currently highest for media reports about (it’s obvious) … Syria. Next highest for GovernmentAnger are Sri Lanka, then Hungary, Israel, Bahrain, Turkey, Mexico, Nigeria, and the United States.
I noticed an interesting crowd reaction at the Battle of the Quants when Richard Brown mentioned sadness and anger. The crowd froze. The room
feltuncomfortable. And no wonder – the crowd’s reaction is likely innate – talking about emotion actually primes us to feel that emotion. It is uncomfortable to talk about sadness and anger, because to relate to those words, we call up subtle memories of times we have felt the same – which is uncomfortable – our natural defenses shut down our processing – no more listening, perhaps some scoffing, and a wall of skepticism rises. It is perhaps this reaction that, in my opinion, will keep emotive text analytics as a long-lasting source of alpha. But no need to belabor the point about emotional priming, time to turn back to something joyful…BUBBLES!
Researcher’s Corner: Bubbling With Excitement
Research has shown that anticipation of making money activates specific neural circuits. We are emotionally primed – and our subsequent decisions are biased – after such simple acts as watching an emotional movie clip, reading a positive (or distressing article), or simply looking at our portfolio performance. There is already evidence that pornography (sexy photos) change financial risk taking and emotional faces do so as well.
Vernon Smith shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Economics for his creation of an experimental asset market bubble in the lab. Smith found that experimental subjects will bid prices far beyond “rational” levels in his market environment. A recent twist on Smith’s bubble-model at the University of California at Berkeley found that the emotional states of the participants influence prices even more (and those emotional states can be manipulated by emotional primes). “Bubbling with Excitement,” a study by Shengle Lin, Terry Odean, and Eduardo Andrade indicates that seeing an emotional movie clip in advance of participating in an experimental market leads to increased risk-taking (bigger bubbles) and ultimately bigger losses for the emotional participants.
Source: Shengle, Lin; Odean, Terrance; Andrade, Eduardo. 2012. “Bubbling With Excitement: An Experiment.” SSRN:
Revisiting the Bubbleometer
The U.C. Berkeley researchers are clearly onto something. As noted above, we found that high levels of positive emotions (Joy and Love) and low levels of negative emotions (Anger and Fear) are correlated with Bubble tops (and price declines the following month). Our findings mesh fairly well with this graphic developed by Westcore Funds and reproduced by Bank of American Merrill Lynch (where we obtained it). In fact our findings have been discussed anecdotally for many decades:
So where is the bubbliest talk now? For economic sectors, we are seeing Bubble-talk from investors in
Homebuilders, Energy, Environmental Services(waste management), and Social Media.
Interestingly, the countries we see with chatter indicating bubbly thinking include:
Myanmar(did optimism about political liberalization run ahead of itself?), Qatar(Can it be this good, really? Maybe so if you have the world’s 4 thlargest gas reserves), Netherlands, Peru, Dubai(a perennial bubble due to a testosterone-fueled refusal to stop building and admit defeat [ Gentlemen, STOP the redundant construction already!]), and our warm and fuzzy neighbor to the north, Canada(Is their housing-bubble ready to pop as commodity prices fall? Affirmative), and Singapore(a Chinese contraction would leave Singapore vulnerable).
Talks in April and May
We love to chat with our readers about their experience with psychology in the markets, so don’t be shy - we look forward to hearing from you!
We have
speakingand training availability. Please contact Derek Sweeney at the Sweeney Agency to book us: Derek@thesweeneyagency.com, +1-866-727-7555 Happy Investing! Richard L. Peterson, M.D. and The MarketPsych Team | 10,787 | 5,221 | 0.000198 |
warc | 201704 | ieUS-based) applicants. Patentology has already considered the possible issues for foreign applicants in this earlier article.
The Patently-O survey asks, among other things, about the price-point, in terms of official fees, at which fast-track examination might be an attractive option. The subtext appears to be that if the fee were set too low, a large proportion of applicants might request prioritised examination, such that the priority queue would become, in effect, the same thing as the current standard examination queue, such that little improvement in examination time could be achieved.
Patentology is not convinced, however, that the setting of the fee is a major issue. As we have previously noted, many jurisdictions already provide applicants with substantial control over the pace of examination. Just north of the US border in Canada, for example, applicants can delay requesting commencement of examination until up to five years from the original filing date. In Australia, a similar five-year deadline also applies, with the difference that the Commissioner of Patents can issue an Official Direction at an earlier date, requiring the applicant to request examination within six months. Examination Directions are presently issuing no earlier than around three to four years after the priority date, with the delay being longer in around half of all cases.
There is no additional cost to file an earlier request for examination. Furthermore, in Australia a request may be made for accelerated examination, with
noassociated official fee. In our experience, however, applicants rarely request exam prior to the issue of a Direction, and requests for expedited exam are even more unusual. Those applicants that do accelerate the process tend to do so for sound commercial reasons, which would probably justify the payment of any official fee.
The particular circumstances of the applicant, rather than up-front cost, therefore appears to be the major driver for requesting accelerated examination. Early examination and grant might appear, in the abstract, to be beneficial. However in practice most applicants elect to delay the associated costs, presumably because a granted patent would provide no immediate business advantage.
However, we acknowledge that the Australian experience might not provide a meaningful comparison by which to predict the utilisation of fast-track examination in the US. As we have previously noted, one possible reason for delaying examination in smaller markets, such as Australia, is to gain the benefit of search and examination in the world's major patent offices, such as the USPTO.
We have therefore tracked down statistics for the utilisation of the European Patent Office's "PACE" programme for acceleration of applications. The programme attracts no additional official fees, and allows applicants to accelerate the initial European search, the subsequent examination, or both.
The following table summarises the utilisation of the PACE programme between 2004 and 2009, drawn from the EPO's annual reports for these years:
Year Accelerated Search (%) Accelerated Exam (%) 2004
4.5
5.8
2005
4.8
6.5
2006
5.3
6.7
2007
4.0
5.6
2008
4.8
5.8
2009
5.6
6.8
It is apparent that there has been no significant variation in utilisation of the PACE programme over recent years. Requests for accelerated search hover around 5% of all cases, while requests for accelerated examination are slightly higher at around 6% of all cases (presumably some of these are prompted by favorable search reports). The slightly higher proportion of accelerated examination requests in 2009 seems a little incongruous, in view of the economic circumstances following the GFC, however this must be seen the context of a 6% decrease in the overall number of requests for examination last year.
We therefore wonder whether the likely rate of requests for prioritised examination at the USPTO might be around 5%, even if the associated fee were to be nominal, or nonexistent?
It will be interesting to see whether the results of the Patently-O survey suggest otherwise.
Experiences and thoughts from practitioners in other jurisdictions would be most welcome. | 4,219 | 1,887 | 0.000534 |
warc | 201704 | The year 2013 is upon us and as we reflect on the year behind us, we also look to the year ahead and everything it has to offer. For many, this time of year provides the inspiration to make life-altering changes and resolve to live better. Fast forward to January 30, 2013 and most of […] Read More
weight loss
Spring is here and with the increase in the amount of daylight naturally lifting most of our spirits, there isn't a better time to make a few other changes to improve your health. This is the best time of year to think about small and easy ways to make changes that will make a difference […] Read More | 627 | 373 | 0.002742 |
warc | 201704 | NATO’s guidelines ask its members to devote 2% of GDP to defence spending, and currently there is a debate in the UK about whether spending plans are consistent with that. Most NATO members don’t meet the 2% target; it comes from a time when defence was about the prospect of a major land war in Europe, and as the prospect of such a war receded, most countries took advantage of the ‘peace dividend’ to wind down. As it stands, the figure is difficult to defend – not because there may not be a case, but because it isn’t visibly related to defence needs. It seems fairly basic to public spending decisions that we ought to know what money is being spent on and what the spending is supposed to achieve.
It’s fairly unusual, in public policy, to start with a fixed amount of money and then to thrash around looking for ways to spend it. Most spending starts with a set of commitments or a recognisable set of demands or needs, and the purpose of budgeting is to try to do what’s necessary with the resources available. There is however a parallel in another field. We are also committed to providing 0.7% in Official Development Assistance (ODA), and in recent years we’ve managed to do that. ODA has been taking a battering from the political right, often for the same reasons that might lead to reservations about defence spending – the distribution of benefits doesn’t seem to be related to the needs (why does so much go to Afghanistan and India?), it’s not self-evident that the money is being spent on the right things, and it’s difficult to tell whether the money is being used to best effect.
The parallel is instructive. Spending on ODA is elective in its character – despite the international obligation, we can spend most of it as we think fit. Whatever we spend, the problems of development are bigger than our capacity to deal with them, and we can only make a limited contribution. In some ways, that’s liberating. We don’t have to do the things we do in other forms of public spending – identify needs, assess the demand, or determine priorities. It’s possible simply to do anything that seems effective and worthwhile. If it turns out that ODA is not being used well in some cases, we can divert the money to other activities which work better, and there are plenty of those. We’ve been refining these approaches for some time, which is why ODA appears to be rather better used than many of its critics suppose.
Back to defence. What is implied by setting defence spending at a set proportion of national income? On one hand, the proponents of higher spending are arguing that expenditure on defence represents an irreducible minimum for any government – it’s something that governments absolutely have to do. On the other, the case is being made for a figure that’s almost completely unrelated to that irreducible minimum – that treats defence as if it was elective, like ODA. The two positions seem woefully inconsistent. If defence is a necessity, then we should be paying what is necessary. If defence spending is really an area where we can do as we think fit, we can use the money in any way we think effective, and it needs to be justified in those terms.
I’m not convinced that defence money is used effectively at present. I don’t really understand – maybe someone out there can tell me – why we have maintained separate defence services fifty years after supposedly unifying the Ministry of Defence; why we try to do bits of everything in international cooperation rather than specialising in what we’re good at; or why we’re so focused on international actions that we don’t have the capacity to defend our territory or maritime interests. If we are going to spend 2% of our income on defence, let’s have a defence policy that works. | 3,922 | 1,854 | 0.000562 |
warc | 201704 | Adam Spencer is a radio host in in Sydney during the morning commute. But he says he’s here not as a radio host or as a comedian, “But as someone who is was and always will be a mathematician.”
He got bit in second grade when a teacher told him, “That would be like putting a square peg in a round hole.” He said, not trying to be funny, “But Miss, surely if the diameter of the square is less than the diameter of the circle, then surely the square peg will go straight through the round hole.” Silence until his friend leaned over and punched him in the head. That punch was meant to send a message — the world was branching into two paths and he had to make a decision. “I took a look at the road map of life, and ran off down the street marked GEEK as fast as my chubby, asthmatic legs woud take me.”
Spencer explains his love of mathematics: “Numbers are the notes with which the symphony of the universe is written.” Today, his goal is to show us some of the most beautiful notes. For him, those are the prime numbers. Most of us remember that 6 isn’t prime, while 7 is, because 6 is the product of two smaller numbers, 2 and 3, while 7 isn’t. There are two things Spencer wants us to know about primes: 1 is not a prime (“Proving that fact is a great party trick. At the right party.”), and there are an infinite number of them.
Despite the fact that there are infinitely many primes, mathematicians at any point in history want to know: What is the biggest prime we know? Now he’s going to do some math, but, “Don’t. freak. out.” Just remember that 2
5 is 2x2x2x2x2.
It turns out most of the giant primes we know take the form 2
(prime number) -1. Not all of them, 2 11-1 is not prime, but 2 13-1, 2 17-1, and 2 19-1 are. “Then they thin out.”
Over the years, many have searched for primes like these. In 1876, 2
127-1 was proven to be prime, an accomplishment that earned Edouard Lucas a place on European currency, “Back when that was a compliment.”
It can also be dramatic to show that a number is not prime. For decades, mathematician knew that 2
67-1 was not prime, but didn’t know the factors. In 1903 at a major mathematics meeting, Frank Nelson Cole walked up to the board and started writing. He never said a word, just multiplied the numbers out, showing that he had factored the number. The room went wild.
Computers, of course, changed everything. By 1996 2^
1,398,269-1 was known to be prime. Most recently, in fact so recently Spencer had to change is talk because of it, Curtis Cooper found that 2 57,885,161-1 was prime. That number is 17,425,170 digits long, and would be one and a half times the length of the Harry Potter novels if you wrote it out.
What comes through so clearly in the talk is just how excited Spencer is about this. He says, “We know this is prime as confidently as we know the number seven is prime. That fills me with almost sexual excitement, and who am I kidding when I say almost.”
Why do we care about this? There are practical uses of primes in cryptography and testing microchips, but for Spencer it’s much more. Currently the searches are done as a large networked hunt, with many people and computers participating. “This is a metaphor for the time in which we live,” says Spencer, “When human minds and machines can conquer together… How lucky are we to live in this age when mind and machine can work together.”
It is inspirational, because, like the Higgs Boson and many other scientific voyages of discovery, “We thought it might be there and we went and found it.”
Adam Spencer’s talk is now available for viewing. Watch it on TED.com » | 3,800 | 1,899 | 0.000556 |
warc | 201704 | The Capital Region is a relative bright spot in what otherwise is a gloomy assessment of the upstate economy by chief executives, senior
managers and chief financial officers at companies across the state.
That’s the finding of the sixth annual First Niagara/Siena Research Institute poll. Results were released Tuesday morning.
The decline in confidence from last year’s survey of CEOs caught Don Levy, the institute’s director, by surprise, particularly because consumers have been feeling more upbeat lately.
“For the first time, consumer confidence is higher than CEO confidence,” Levy told reporters at a press conference at First Niagara Bank in Loudonville. “This year, only 21 percent of CEOs felt conditions improved. Thirty-seven percent felt conditions worsened.”
In the Capital Region, the figures were only a bit better: Twenty-four percent thought conditions improved while 34 percent thought they worsened, Levy said.
CEOs locally were more optimistic about the future, however, with 36 percent expecting conditions to improve while 31 percent expecting them to worsen.
The survey has been accurate in past years, Levy said, predicting the recession that turned out to be the worst since the Great Depression.
He said that survey drew criticism for being so negative, even though it turned out to be accurate.
And he conceded that such factors as the re-election of President Obama and concern over the fiscal cliff may have contributed to CEOs’ pessimism.
“As a group, they tend to be conservative,” Levy said. “As a group they tended to be disappointed by the outcome in the national election. They want spending under control.”
The divergence with consumers provided what Levy hopes will be a silver lining, given that the consumer confidence index is believed by economists to be an indicator of their willingness to spend, and that consumer spending makes up nearly 70 percent of all economic activity.
“Right now, the CEOs in upstate New York have retrenched,” concerned that the economy will worsen, he said. “We’re actually hoping that this year, they’re wrong.” | 2,189 | 1,106 | 0.000949 |
warc | 201704 | Twitter, the microblogging site that hosts more than 200 million users, has slowly developed into a professional platform. Professionals use it for news-sharing and networking, and university faculty and staff utilize it as a learning tool in the classroom. As the prominence of Twitter as a tool for education and professionalism grows, students across Elon’s campus are recognizing how beneficial Twitter can be in their education and in their future.
MORE: Read about using Twitter in Higher Education Tweeting for the classroom
“The purpose for [using Twitter for class] was twofold,” Harder said. “We were gaining more experience and learning how to properly use Twitter, and we were engaging in a professional discussion of the topics at hand.”
In addition to Media Writing, Harder’s Writing Technologies course incorporated Twitter in its curriculum. Despite her original hesitation, she now utilizes her Twitter accounts to engage in professional discussions and stay informed about the public relations industry, one she wishes to enter professionally.
Harder may be a supporter of Twitter’s academic purposes, but she does have a warning for faculty and staff who decide to use Twitter in their classrooms.
“It is important to first teach students the proper ways to use Twitter before having them use it,” Harder said. “Twitter can help students learn how the media world works, keep them updated on news and teach the skill of concise writing.”
Tweeting for an organization The Pendulum; previously, he served as the organization’s Sports Editor and he still covers men’s basketball games. He found that Twitter became a vital resource for his reporting because he could reach a broader audience faster and he could give his followers up-to-date coverage.
“I tweet out news about the team, analysis about that news, and most prominently live-tweet during games I attend,” Horner said. “I provide updates of the score, analysis of plays and key stats in certain moments. I also try to throw in a little humor in there every now and then. “
Though his position at
The Pendulum prepares him for a job in the sports reporting industry, Horner acknowledges that Twitter is playing a huge role in helping him stay current with his journalistic practices. His Twitter account is something that Horner would discuss on a job interview.
“I would definitely talk about it, the live-tweeting especially,” Horner said. “It’s something that a lot of sports reporters use in this age to keep their readers up-to-date on what’s happening with their teams. I would say to my employers, ‘This is something in which I have experience, and I could bring that experience to your organization.’”
Tweeting for an internship
“The executive producer I interned for saw my tweets from an Orioles game over the summer, realized how into it I was and messaged me on Twitter saying, ‘We need to get you a press credential,’” Beach said. “Within two weeks, I had my first press pass and was watching a game from the press box at Camden Yards. My tweets gave me an incredible opportunity.”
Beach has also employed her tweets to stay connected with her co-workers from her internship. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has even retweeted her. Beach says she definitely understands why Twitter is important in the professional world, so she actually maintains a second Twitter account for purely professional reasons.
It seems to be the consensus among students: if used correctly, Twitter can be a viable resource in both the classroom and in the real world. The key to success is developing the skills and knowledge to use Twitter now, and honing them before entering the job market.
If you are interested in Twitter and want to discuss ways it could it into your teaching or research, contact Teaching and Learning Technologies at 336.278.5006 or tlt@elon.edu. | 4,012 | 1,884 | 0.000555 |
warc | 201704 | Special Olympics is holding an awareness day today to encourage people to give up use of the R-word in casual, everyday language. I wrote about my support last Friday. But ever since then I’ve found myself fretting about the two words the R-word originates from: mental retardation.
Divorced from our culture, the words are relatively benign, indicating mental slowness. My angst stems from the realization that there is no way of separating out the stigma our culture attaches to these words.
My post may have implied that I’m totally cool with the clinical use of the words, when really, I’m not. They felt like an assault the day I first saw them attributed to my son, and they still do.
More importantly, I never, ever think of him in that context. What I mean by this is that I do not see my son—in any way—as “abnormal, subnormal and deficient” or as somehow of less value than someone with average or Einstein-like intelligence. He is a child who struggles to learn, but I do not see him as “slow.”
Mental retardation is not a topic of discussion in our house and we never told Ben about the diagnosis. We may talk about why things are harder for Ben to do, but we don’t label that under the catch-all of mental retardation. This is similar to our approach to our adopted daughter who has issues related to trauma and attachment. We might talk about why kids whose biological families are disrupted early have problems trusting others, but we would never tell our daughter: “You have attachment-disorder. You are attachment-disordered.”
On an everyday basis, these clinical terms that seek to categorize and delimit have no relevance to our life.
I remember a family whose healthy son had a massive, unexpected bleed in his brain. After months of gruelling rehab he regained his speech and some mobility. When his mom spoke to him about the fact that he’d lost his vision, his response was: “Mom! I may not be able to see. But I'm not BLIND!”
No one wants to be defined by a label that puts them in a box!
Perhaps some of you have the same feeling about the word disability. Because I've worked in a pediatric rehab hospital for so long, I've become desensitized to the word. But I remember when Ben was young I didn’t in any way identify him with having a disability, or being the opposite of “able.” I still don't think of him as “disabled” even though he has multiple disabilities.
People with disabilities have taken ownership of a word that was once used to stigmatize them, but the word itself—taken at face value as a negation of ability—hardly seems a starting point for describing the complexity of a human being. It doesn't in any way describe the flesh-and-blood people who adapt to all kinds of differences.
When I look at my son, the defining characteristic that rises to the surface is not disability. It's a mix of honesty, capacity for great joy and connection, and enthusiasm for life.
I see a kid who loves scrolling through photos of his classmates and family on his iPod. A kid who loves to dance to Pixar theme songs like “You've got a friend in me.”
I see a young man who stops on a busy sidewalk to wave his hello to the homeless man sitting on the concrete. One time he approached a man using a walker in a park and spontaneously gave him a hug. Another time he saw a man with dwarfism in a store and gave him an enthusiastic pat on the back (Ben too has a form of dwarfism).
I see a kid who humors his mother by calling her “cool.” And a kid who knowingly signs “sad” when his mom talks about missing Grandpa.
I see a teen who’s never been able to speak and struggles to hear, but surprises his parents and researchers by scrolling through an iPod he’s been given to communicate and finding folders we didn't think he could read: one for “manners,” one called “categories.”
My son experiences life fully. He’s already looking forward to his birthday at the end of the month. So last night when a package arrived that he figured held Star Wars characters he’s been asking for, he couldn’t contain his excitement. “When are you wrapping them?” he signed repeatedly. “When will I open them?” Then he went downstairs to look for the big container we keep the wrapping paper in. “Can I help?” he asked.
He’s a boy who adores tradition – he still likes pin the tail on the donkey and piñatas.
He’s someone who can lose himself in the silliness of a funny book or movie—giggling with abandon—even though he’s experienced more physical pain than I can imagine.
A couple of weeks ago I rubbed his back when a doctor held a mask to his face and he breathed in the stinky propofol that would knock him out for a cat scan. He's got more guts than I'll ever have.
My son is my hero. He's taught me more about life, about love, about courage and about what matters, than anyone.
Is it any wonder that parents like me want to throw off words that don’t in any way do justice to the essence of our children, and which have been twisted into epithets of cruel abuse? | 5,258 | 2,546 | 0.000415 |
warc | 201704 | Arctic/Atlantic exchanges via the Subpolar Gyre TypeJournal article Peer reviewed publishedVersion Date2012 Share
MetadataShow full item record Abstract
In the present study we investigate the decadal variability in the strength and shape of the Subpolar Gyre (SPG) in a 600-year pre-industrial simulation using the Bergen Climate Model. The atmospheric influence on the SPG strength is reflected in the variability of Labrador Sea Water (LSW), which is largely controlled by the North Atlantic Oscillation, the first mode of the North Atlantic atmospheric variability. A combination of the amount of LSW, the overflow from the Nordic Seas, and the second mode of atmospheric variability, the East Atlantic Pattern, explains 44% of the modeled decadal variability in the SPG strength. A prior increase in these components leads to an intensified SPG in the western subpolar region. Typically, an increase of one standard deviation (std) of the overflow (1 std = 0.2 Sv, 1 Sv = 106 m−3 s−1) corresponds to an intensification of about one half std of the SPG strength (1 std = 2 Sv). A similar response is found for an increase of one std in the amount of LSW, and simultaneously the strength of the North Atlantic Current increases by one half std (1 std = 0.9 Sv).
CitationJournal of Climate PublisherAmerican Meteorological Society Collections
Copyright 2012 American Meteorological Society | 1,407 | 716 | 0.001413 |
warc | 201704 | George Lakoff has an article on Huffington Post about how our brains work and what this has to do with the rise and popularity of Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for President of the United States of America. There is much food for thought in this article. Because of my love of languages and the phenomenon of language, I was struck by one section:
Direct causation is dealing with a problem via direct action. Systemic causation recognizes that many problems arise from the system they are in and must be dealt with via systemic causation. Systemic causation has four versions: A chain of direct causes. Interacting direct causes (or chains of direct causes). Feedback loops. And probabilistic causes. Systemic causation in global warming explains why global warming over the Pacific can produce huge snowstorms in Washington DC: masses of highly energized water molecules evaporate over the Pacific, blow to the Northeast and over the North Pole and come down in winter over the East coast and parts of the Midwest as masses of snow. Systemic causation has chains of direct causes, interacting causes, feedback loops, and probabilistic causes — often combined.Direct causation is easy to understand, and appears to be represented in the grammars of all languages around the world. Systemic causation is more complex and is not represented in the grammar of any language. It just has to be learned.
Direct versus systemic causation and grammar: fascinating. Many of my readers will remember, with varying emotions, the practice of diagramming sentences in order to understand the syntactic relationships among words. I loved sentence diagrams because I lucked out; my brain instinctively twigged to the way words were relating in sentences so this was easy, made sense, and was fun. It is not so obvious for most people and I suspect the vast majority would prefer to keep sentence diagrams locked away in distant memory.
In English we show the structure mostly with word order, prepositions, and conjunctions. In a highly inflected language like Latin, word order can be extremely flexible because the endings of the words indicate their functions. "Femina videt canem" means "The woman sees the dog." "Feminam videt canis" means "The dog sees the woman." Same word order, different endings. Whether the concept is expressed in sequence or inflection, one element (the subject) acts upon the other (the object). The direct causation is very clear and easily grasped.
Lakoff asserts that that no language has a grammar that expresses systemic causation. Whether that generalization is absolutely true, I do not know. He is the linguistic expert; I am an amateur lover of languages. His statement matches what I have encountered in Indo-European languages (Germanic, Romance, Greek, Armenian) and what very little I know of Ural-Altaic and Semitic languages (Turkish and Hebrew).
Do I have any grammatical way to express the Buddhist concept of interdependent co-arising? Everything that is happening right now is interrelated with everything else and nothing has a single causation. Cause and effect are no longer sharply delineated. At this point we move into a Zen approach where the archer, the bow, the arrow, and the target are all one; none of them may be understood as independent of the others. As Lakoff says, this understanding may be learned but it is not embedded in our grammar. The way in which we arrange sounds or written symbols to express thought does not support such complexity; it is expressed not grammatically but in an abstract conceptual manner. We can learn it, we can understand it, but the basic structure of language must be transcended for this to happen.
The progressive world view is rooted in the nurturing parent model, not the authoritarian parent model of the conservative world view, and the former is a more complex, systemic approach. It is less instinctive, less simplistic, yet it is also embedded in the most basic human experience, that of family. Trump follows the easier path: simple solutions to challenges we may know to be complex but which he describes, in a way that has easy and powerful appeal, as being simple. He has no need to explain how; he simply asserts and reassures that he can do it, he will do it, and we will rejoice in it. How nice for everyone, and it sounds as though it requires no effort from the citizenry, no cooperation and hard work from various segments of our government, no struggles with centuries of history and the intricacies of geopolitics. Everyone will sit down with the Donald, because he tells them to, and he will convince them of what must be done, and they will all do it. How easy is that?
After illustrating ways in which someone can use the unconscious power of how we understand the world and ourselves to manipulate us, specifically illustrating this with what Trump has done, he concludes that even if Trump loses he will have changed the way Americans think.
Reporters and commentators are supposed to stick to what is conscious and with literal meaning. But most real political discourse makes use of unconscious thought, which shapes conscious thought via unconscious framing and commonplace conceptual metaphors. It is crucial, for the history of the country and the world, as well as the planet, that all of this be made public.
Lakoff urges us not to rebut the negative but to assert the positive, to speak to values, to build on the best and most universal aspects of our history and what matters to us all. The latter part of his article shows us how progressives can address the challenge of Trump in a manner that might actually touch all segments of our society.
I commend the article to your attention.
--the BB | 5,752 | 2,673 | 0.000376 |
warc | 201704 | The first year after tying the knot has a lot of "firsts." One of the more important, but likely least exciting, is filing your first tax return. For many new couples, it's advisable to to file jointly, but there are a few circumstances under which you may decide to file separately.
Joint Filing Benefits
Deciding to file jointly may come down to the simple fact that it's sometimes just easier to file one tax return than two. For some couples, though, it goes beyond that. For example, if you and your spouse both work and one makes significantly more, filing jointly makes the most financial sense. Alone, the higher earner may get taxed more by falling into a higher tax bracket. By filing jointly, the person earning less evens the field into a more reasonable tax bracket.
Tax Concerns
If you have any concerns about what your spouse claims on his returns, you should consider filing separately. Most of time, if you're filing together, you accept equal financial responsibility for what is stated on the tax return. If any information is false or incorrect, you may get charged fees or owe more. If you keep many accounts separate, filing jointly may not be the best decision.
Itemized Deductions
In some cases, you or your spouse might be able to reach the deduction threshold on only one income. If this is the case, it may make more financial sense to file separately. A caveat here is that if you file separately and itemize your deductions, your spouse usually has to as well, which may result in having to pay more. Weigh the costs and benefits of whether this would benefit your household prior to filing.
Considerations
Deciding whether to file jointly or separately depends on a variety of factors. The Internal Revenue Service suggests you calculate your taxes for both joint filings and separate before you actually file. This way you can figure out which method would result in the lowest taxes. Keep in mind with separate filing, the IRS cautions that your tax rate generally will be higher than it would be on a joint return. If you do decide to file separately and later would like to change to joint status, you can always do so by using Form 1040X to file an amended return.
References Photo Credits TAX TIME image by brelsbil from Fotolia.com MORE MUST-CLICKS: Can I Claim Home Additions on a Tax Return? Define M-1 Adjustments on Tax Returns How to Change an Income Tax Return After Filing Taxable Income Limits How Often Do They Actually Audit a Person's Tax Return? How to List a Stepchild on Your Tax Return What If I Just Realized I've Been Doing My Tax Returns Wrong? Why Do Some People Get More in Tax Returns Than They Pay Into It? Does the 125 Plan Affect My Tax Return? What Will Happen if I Forgot to File a 1099R? | 2,764 | 1,401 | 0.000717 |
warc | 201704 | EIEOE OK, playtime is over. Enough with the "Bad Ideas", Story Hour and Meme fun. Back to work already! Whhhhhptttttttinnnnngggggg (that's that whip-cracking noise you make when you say someone is whipped - does not translate well from spoken to written form). Let's get goin' green again! Here's Green Idea #167.... It's happened. FINALLY, it has happened. And I couldn't be more excited!!!!! See, FIVE exclamation points AND bolding AND color -- THATis how excited I am!
After six months on the waiting list, I am now a bonafide, card-carrying member of a local CSA! Well, I don't actually have a card,
per se. But I do have $100 less in my wallet! That counts for something, right?! And yes, I am still tossing around the exclamation points -- I'm positively giddy!
If you don't know about CSAs, let me enlighten you, oh unenlightened one. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and, in a nutshell, this is how it works: A local farmer decides to start a CSA, so he sells "shares" of his garden. Every week, he harvests whatever is ready to be picked and divvies the food up into equal portions. Each shareholder then recieves one of these baskets filled with fresh, local, organic fruits and/or veggies.
Now that's the basic version -- there are a
tonsof variations out there. You can find CSAs that will give you a share without a monetary donation, if you donate your time. You can find CSAs that will also have eggs, dairy, flowers or other products. Some CSAs bring the weekly baskets to a central meeting place for pickup, some require you to go to the farm while others may even offer home delivery. Some CSAs will even let you pick and choose which items you want in your basket. They're all different, but all worth checking out!
Finding a CSA in your area is super-simple, thanks to local harvest, the number one informational resource for the Buy Local movement. They have a database of hundreds of US-Based CSAs that offer a wide variety of products. It is easily searched by zip or city and provides all the contact information you would need to get in touch with your local CSA(s). It's how I found my farm, Victory Farms, located just outside of Richmond.
Every CSA is different and I'm sure the costs vary widely. My particular CSA is $500(payable in three separate installments) per season, which runs from April - December. It could, in theory, be a money losing investment if we happen to experience a nasty drought or have locusts descend on us or something. However, I haven't yet heard anyone who said they regretted joining a CSA, and the fact that it took six months to even get in, tells me they must be doing something right.
And I love that I won't have to read labels when shopping to determine whether my produce is local, in season and organic. I'm guaranteed all my veggies will meet those requirements - without wasting any precious brain power - after all, I don't have lots to spare. Also, I'm hoping that getting a big ass basket of fruits and vegs each week will force me and my family to eat healthier. After all, who wants to see their investment end up in the compost heap? | 3,137 | 1,699 | 0.000591 |
warc | 201704 | Posted on October 24th, 2008 by
The use of the hormone agent Novaldex (tamoxifen) may reduce the risk of bone fractures in women 50 years or older. These results were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Women with hormone-positive breast cancer have cancer that is stimulated to grow from exposure to the female hormones estrogen and/or progesterone. These women typically are treated with hormonal therapy so that the female hormones do not affect cellular growth of the cancer. Historically, tamoxifen was the most commonly used hormonal therapy agent and it is still a commonly used agent for hormone-positive breast cancer among postmenopausal women.
Fortunately, tamoxifen has been associated with an increase in bone density among its users; however, the effect of increased bone density has not yet been evaluated in terms of its association with bone fractures.
Researchers from Canada recently conducted a clinical study to evaluate the effects of tamoxifen on bone fractures among women aged 50 years or older. Women treated at the Province of Manitoba from 1996 to 2004 for bone fractures were also evaluated regarding their use of tamoxifen. These women were compared to another group of women who had not had bone fractures.
Current use of tamoxifen was associated with a 32% reduced risk of a bone fracture.
Past use of tamoxifen was not associated with a reduction in bone fractures.
The researchers concluded that current use of tamoxifen among women 50 years of age or older reduces the risk of bone fractures; however, past use of tamoxifen does not reduce this risk. It is important for patients to remember that tamoxifen is associated with its own side effects, therefore, it?s always a good idea to discuss with a physician the risks and benefits of all treatment options.
Reference: Cooke A, Metge C, Lixe L, et al. Tamoxifen Use and Osteoporotic Fracture Risk: A Population-Based Analysis. Journal of Clinical Oncology. Early on-line publication October 8, 2008. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2007.15.7123.
Copyright © 2010 CancerConsultants Breast Cancer Information Center. All Rights Reserved.
You must be logged-in to the site to post a comment. | 2,197 | 1,050 | 0.00096 |
warc | 201704 | Fifth Dimension Site Map Search Contact Us
Mucositis - Esophageal and Gastrointestinal Problems and Solutions Ernest H Rosenbaum, MD, Sol Silverman, MA, DDS, Bernadette Festa, MS, RD, Isadora R. Rosenbaum, MA, Julie Matel, MS, RD, Rosemary Elliott-Snow, RDH, and Robert J. Ignoffo, Pharm D
Nutrition Dry Mouth (Xerostomia) What You Can Do If You Have Dry Mouth Tips for Foods and Hydrating the Mouth Swallowing Difficulties Positioning of Body and Head Feeding Methods Esophagitis Heartburn, Reflux and Indigestion Early Filling and Bloating Diarrhea Diarrhea Medications for Radiation Therapy Milk (Lactose) Intolerance Mucositis Table of Contents
Nutrition Back to the Table of Contents
A normal high-protein, high-calorie diet with supplements as needed will help your sore mouth or tongue heal faster. Drinking lots of fluids will also help with healing as well as making your mouth sores more comfortable.
A high-calorie, high-protein diet includes scrambled eggs, custards, milkshakes, malts, gelatins, creamy hot cereals, macaroni and cheese and blenderized or pureed foods. Commercial supplements such as Ensure®, Boost®, and Carnation Instant Breakfast Drink® can be helpful.
Until your mouth sores heal, you should avoid: - Very cold foods - Tomatoes and citrus fruits such as grapefruit, lemons and oranges, which can burn your mouth, and salty foods, which can cause a burning sensation - Hot, spicy, coarse or rough foods, including toast, dry crackers and potato chips - Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, which irritate the lining of the mouth - Any medications that contain alcohol, such as mouthwashes or cough syrups
Your diet should consist of soft, bland foods. Solid foods should be soft or cooked until tender. A liquid diet or a pureed diet may be needed if you find solid food too irritating. Frequent small meals served warm or at room temperature will be more tolerable.
Foods especially well tolerated are: applesauce, cool or room temperature drinks, cooked cereal, strained cream soup, custard and puddings, eggs, plain ice cream, sherbet, Jell-O, milkshakes, mashed potatoes and popsicles.
Dry Mouth (Xerostomia) Back to the Table of Contents
Saliva serves many functions. It initiates the digestion of starch. It mixes with food to form a bolus that can be swallowed, and it is the first line of defense to protect the teeth and mucosa from oral bacteria and fungus. Radiation therapy to the head and neck area affects the salivary glands by destroying gland acini and creating hyposalivation (decreased salivary flow). Saliva production is decreased, and saliva becomes thicker, resulting in a dry mouth, a condition called xerostomia. This can interfere with chewing, swallowing, speech and hygiene. It is an uncomfortable sensation and a major complaint that often persists for prolonged periods.
What You Can Do If You Have Dry Mouth Back to the Table of Contents
Dry mouth (xerostomia) can occur in certain patients and can be managed with drinking fluids, sugar-free sodas, sucking ice chips, eating fresh fruits or sugarless chewing gum and sugarless lozenges/candies. Preparations containing alcohol or glycerin should not be used because they may irritate or aggravate dryness. Dryness should not be overlooked, as it may predispose to ulcers and infections. (See Radiation Effects under Radiation Effects)
Tips for Foods and Hydrating the Mouth Back to the Table of Contents - Choose foods with a high liquid content, such as: Applesauce,custard, puddings,ice cream, sorbet,most fruits,water (add lemon juice),yogurt, and cottage cheese. - Add gravies, sauces, melted butter or margarine, broth or salad dressing. - Dunk breads or other baked goods in your beverage. - Drink generous amounts of nutritious liquids with meals. You may find that you eat less because you fill up on the liquid. Add lemon juice to water. - Suck on sugar-free hard candy (such as Tic Tacs®), lemon drops or chew sugar-free gum. This may help to stimulate saliva production. Avoid sweet products, since your teeth have lost the natural protection that saliva provides. You can also suck on popsicles or flavored or plain ice cubes. A dry mouth can make it difficult and even impossible to swallow. There are a few tricks to hydrate, or moisten, the mouth and increase saliva. Use popsicles, hard sugarless candy or crushed ice or take frequent sips of water throughout the day. You can buy over-the-counter artificial salivaat a drugstore. When saliva production is a problem, choose sour foods, which may increase saliva; avoid sweet foods that may be cariogenic. If there are remaining functional cells in the major salivary glands, systemic salivary gland stimulants (sialogogues) may help. Pilocarpine (Salagen®) solution (1 mg/cc-5mg/teaspoon {15-20 mg/D} 3-4 teaspoons or 5 mg tablets)and cevimeline (Evoxac®) may help. These must be prescribed, with average doses of pilocarpine being 15-30 mg/d, and Cevimeline being 30 mg t.i.d. Doses are adjusted to balance beneficial and undesirable effects. Caution must be used in patients with asthma, gastrointestinal ulcers, narrow angle glaucoma Salivary Function - Artificial saliva products may be helpful. Ask your physician, dentist or speech therapist about these. Commercial preparations such as MoiStir® and MouthKot®, an oral saliva substitute, or Oral Balance®, a moisturizing gel, may help. - Make your own mouthwash with liquid lidocaine (Xylocaine®), baking soda and salt dissolved in 1 quart (1L) of water, or mix 1 quart water and 1 tsp. (5mL) salt and 1 tbsp. (15mL) baking soda. - Use lip balms, lanolin-based products, chapsticks or lipstick if your lips are dry. Avoid petroleum based products that could promote microbial growth. Vitamin E oil is also a good product to use when lips are chapped or cracked.
Swallowing Difficulties Back to the Table of Contents
Completely swallow each bite before taking another bite.
Feelor look to see if the food has cleared the mouth. Sensewhether food has cleared the throat. Do you feel or see any food in the mouth? Do you feel food stuck in your throat? If you answer yes to either of these questions, attempt dry swallows until no food pieces can be seen or felt.
Positioning of Body and Head Back to the Table of Contents
The proper position can often markedly reduce swallowing difficulties. In the beginning, eat without the distraction of conversation or noise so that you can concentrate on the swallowing process. The standard position for swallowing is sitting as upright as possible with the hips at a right angle to the body. Sit in a firm chair, preferably one with a high back, so you can place a pillow behind your head. Place your feet on the floor or another firm surface.
After you swallow, tilt your chin down toward the chest to close off the trachea (windpipe) and help prevent food moving into the lungs, which can cause pneumonia.
If you have to eat in bed, sit up and use a wedge-shaped cushion behind your back to achieve as upright a position as possible. If you are in a hospital bed, put the head of the bed in a full upright position. Never eat lying down or in a reclining position unless your swallowing therapist has suggested these positions.
The position of your head is also important to effective and safe swallowing. Your swallowing therapist will prescribe the best head position for your particular situation.
Feeding Methods Back to the Table of Contents The following feeding methods may be helpful while you are learning to swallow and to manipulate foods of different consistencies. Be patient with yourself during all stages of your swallowing rehabilitation. - Never rush feeding. Time and patience are needed on your part and the part of your caregiver. - Always make sure your mouth, tongue and teeth are brushed and clean before you start to eat. - After eating, sit upright for at least 20 minutes. - Do the exercises for lips, tongue, jaw and swallow response that may be prescribed by your swallowing therapist. Do these four to eight times a day. The more frequently you do them, the faster you will recover. You may wish to keep a record of your progress. The goal of your training program is to be able to swallow safely and enjoy your normal diet. By achieving this goal, you will help achieve another vital goal, a highly nutritious diet, which is crucial to your healing and well-being.
Esophagitis Back to the Table of Contents Esophatigitis or inflammation of the lining of the esophagus (the tube leading from the throat to the stomach) may be a side effect of chemotherapy or radiation therapy to the head and neck area. It may occasionally occur because of an infection.
The recommended dietary approach is similar to that used with a sore or ulcerated mouth or throat (see above). In general, eat slowly and only small amounts at a time.
Medication - Any medications should be prescribed by your physician. You might ask your doctor about gargling with and swallowing an analgesic solution such as liquid or viscuous Xylocaine® gel before meals to lessen irritation. A similar solution may be made by dissolving 1 tbsp. (15mL) baking soda and 1 tsp. (5mL) salt in 1 quart (1L) warm water. Use 2 to 4 tbsp. (25mL to 50mL) before each meal. Systemic analgesics such as Tylenol® or codeine my be needed to relieve pain. Carafate ®(sucralfate) suspension may reduce symptoms and discomfort and help healing by coating the esophagus. - If symptoms persist, a candida (monilial fungal) infection may be present, which can be effectively treated with ketoconazole (Nizoral®), nystatin (Mycostatin®), fluconazole (Diflucan®), amphotericin (Fungizone®), itraconazole (Sporanox®) or Mycelex®.
Heartburn, Reflux and Indigestion Back to the Table of Contents Over one million people experience heartburn, which is commonly caused by acid reflux (the movement of acid from the stomach into the esophagus). Heartburn is a sensation of burning or pressure in the upper stomach and the esophagus. It can cause an inflammation of the esophagus called esophagitis. Indigestion, an uncomfortable feeling in the abdomen after eating, is usually caused by eating too much or by eating foods that are too spicy or too fatty. Indigestion may also accompany stress, constipation, bloating or eating when you have no appetite. What You Can Do about Heartburn - Avoid spicy, acidic, tomato-based or fatty foods such as citrus fruits, fruit juices and chocolate. - Limit your intake of regular tea, alcohol, colas and coffee, including decaffeinated versions of these. - Stop or at least reduce smoking. - Watch your weight. Obesity causes an increase in intra-abdominal pressure, which can aggravate reflux. - Eat small frequent meals. - Avoid exercising too soon after eating. - Walk around after meals rather than sitting down. - Avoid bedtime snacks. Eat meals at least three or four hours before lying down. - Elevate the head of your bed with 4 to 6 in. (10 to 15 cm) of blocks to help gravity drain stomach and gastric acids. Or use several pillows to elevate your head when you are lying down or sleeping.
Medication for Heartburn An antacid taken one or two hours after meals and at bedtime may provide relief. If heartburn is excessive or recurrent, consult your doctor about stomach-acid blocking medicines such as Tagamet®, Zantac®, Pepcid®, Axid®, Prilosec® and Prevacid®. Over-the-counter antacids include Maalox®, Mylanta®, Gaviscon®, Tums® and Gelucil®.
What You Can Do about Indigestion Again, frequent small meals and a bland diet can be helpful. In general, avoid overeating and avoid foods you have found cause you indigestion.
Medication for Indigestion An antacid taken one or two hours after meals may help relieve discomfort. Antispasmodic drugs such as Donnatal block help block acid production in the stomach.
Early Filling and Bloating Back to the Table of Contents
A common problem during radiation therapy or chemotherapy is early filing-a feeling of being full after having taken only few bites of food. Bloating may be defined as an over-full feeling occurring after eating, often after just a few bites. Bloating is due to the inability of the stomach and intestines to properly digest the food you eat. It may also occur because of a slowdown of the passage of food from one part of the intestines to another, which may be caused by nervousness and tension, anticancer drugs, narcotics, strong pain relievers and other medications, lack of adequate exercise, or constipation. Bloating may also be related to the type of food you eat. Fatty, fried and greasy foods tend to remain in the stomach longer and may cause you to feel full. Carbonated drinks, gas-producing foods and milk may also cause bloating.
What You Can Do Eat frequent small meals instead of three large meals a day and emphasize sweet or starchy foods and low-fat protein foods. Sit up or walk around after meals.
Avoid fatty, fried and greasy foods, gas-producing vegetables (such as dried beans and peas, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, cucumber, green peppers, sauerkraut, turnips and winter squash), carbonated drinks, chewing gum and milk. Stir carbonated drinks to remove gas bubbles.
Medications Mylanta® Gas Tablets (simethicone) help relieve and reduce symptoms of excess gas.
Diarrhea Back to the Table of Contents
Several anti-cancer drugs can damage the digestive tract, at times leading to diarrhea. Specific drugs particularly associated with diarrhea are 5-FU, methotrexate, cytarabine, capecitabine (Xeloda®), and irinotecan (Camptosar®). Because it is difficult to predict which patients will develop diarrhea, prevention is not an effective management strategy and antidiarrheal therapy is the mainstay of treatment. In addition, adequate fluid intake is critical in order to prevent dehydration. Drinking water, soup or non-caffeinated beverage is adequate in mild diarrhea, and oral fluid replacement preparation (such as Gatorade®) is preferable in moderate losses. Intravenous fluid support might be required in a severe case of dehydration. Diarrhea can be controlled with Lomotil® or Imodium®, unless the diarrhea is caused by an infection.
Diarrhea is a condition marked by abnormally frequent bowel movements that are more fluid than usual. It is sometimes accompanied by cramps. You may get diarrhea because of chemotherapy, radiation therapy to the lower abdomen, malabsorption because of surgery to the bowel or sometimes a bowel inflammation (ileitis or colitis) or infection. Some antibiotics, especially-broad spectrum antibiotics, can cause diarrhea. Diarrhea may also develop because of an intolerance to milk (see Milk (Lactose) Intolerance below), difficulty absorbing fats, sensitivity to a specific food or group of foods, food allergy or emotional or psychological problems.
Treatment - Effective treatment depends on finding the cause. A general approach is to limit your diet solely to fluids to allow the bowel to rest. Drink plenty of mild liquids, such as fruit drinks and Gatorade, ginger ale, peach or apricot nectar, water and weak tea. Hot and cold liquids and foods tend to increase intestinal muscle contractions and make the diarrhea worse, so they should be warm or at room temperature. Allow carbonated beverages to lose their fizz or stir them before you drink them. Inform your physician, nutritionist or health care team if you are on this diet longer than one day. - When you are feeling better, gradually add foods low in roughage and bulk. Examples include steamed rice, cream of rice, bananas, applesauce, mashed potatoes and dry toast and crackers. These foods should be eaten warm or at room temperature. - As your diarrhea decreases, you may move on to a low-residue diet (see Chapter 33). Frequent small meals will be easier on your digestive tract. Foods to AvoidMany types of foods are likely to aggravate your diarrhea and should be avoided. These include: - Fatty, greasy and spicy foods - Coffee, regular (not herbal) teas and carbonated drinks containing caffeine - Citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit - Popcorn, nuts and raw vegetables and fruits (except apples) - Drinks and foods that are served too hot or too cold What You Can Do - Talk to your physician and other health team members to determine the cause of the problem. It may be due to a variety of causes as mentioned above, including an intestinal blockage, antibiotics or the cancer. - Diarrhea can cause dehydration, so you will have to drink plenty of fluids (see Clear Liquid Diet). When you have diarrhea, food passes through the gut more quickly, so many nutrients are not absorbed. You also lose electrolytes, which are vital to the fluid balance of your body. To replace the fluid, sugar and salt you will lose, a good general formula is: 1 quart (1 L) boiled water, 1 tsp. (5 mL) salt, 1 tsp. (5 mL) baking soda, 4 tsp. (20 mL) sugar and flavor to your taste. As with any specially prepared concoction, however, check with your dietitian or doctor to make sure you can tolerate the ingredients. - Potassium is lost in diarrhea. It is a necessary mineral and must be replaced. Foods high in potassium include bananas, apricot and peach nectars, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, citrus juices and milk. A potassium supplement may be needed if diarrhea persists. - Gatorade® may be useful for replacing fluid, potassium and electrolytes. - Try the BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, tea and toast. - Eat foods that are high in protein and calories. - Reduce your intake of foods that are high in roughage and residue. - Talk with your dietitian about ways to improve your diet. - Ileostomy and colostomy diarrhea may be severe enough to require specific medical and dietary treatment and food. - An antidiarrhea medication such as Kaopectate®, Imodium® or Lomotil® may be prescribed.
Diarrhea Medications for Radiation Therapy Back to the Table of Contents
Drug Name Usual Dose Side Effects Cost Water, broth, no coffee or soda 8 to 10 glasses daily No Caffeine-containing liquids, as they can worsen diarrhea Minimal Rehydration formulas As indicated Well tolerated $$ Loperamide (Imodium®) As indicated 2 capsules followed by 1 capsule after each loose stool, up to 8 capsules per day Sedation, drowsiness $$ Lomotil® 1 or 2 tablets 3 to 4 times per day Nervousness, drowsiness $$ Diarrhea caused by irinotecan (Camptosar®) {CPT-11}) is treated in a different manner. If diarrhea occurs during or less than 24 hours after the infusion, often before administering chemotherapy, IV atropine is given to control the symptoms. For late-onset diarrhea (more than 24 hours after infusion), the patient should take 2 caplets (4 mg) of Imodium loperamide after the first episode of loose stools, followed by one or two caplets (2mg-4mg) every 2 hours until diarrhea-free for 12 hours. During nighttime, the patient should take 2 caplets (4mg) every 4 hours. This regimen is tailored for irinotecan-treated patients and should not be used for others, unless indicated otherwise. - Kaopectate® (30 cc to 60 cc after each loose bowel movement) - Lomotil ®(one or two tablets every two to six hours as needed to a maximum of eight tablets a day. Most patients require only two or three tablets per day after the diarrhea has been controlled.) - Imodium ®(loperamide) (two tablets initially followed by one tablet after each loose stool, not to exceed 16 tablets per day); Imodium is also available in liquid or tablet form without a prescription. - Donnatal® (one or two tablets every four hours for abdominal cramping). - Paregoric ®(1 tsp every four hours) (requires a physician?s triplicate prescription.) - Tincture of opium is very successful for severe uncontrollable diarrhea (requires a physician's narcotic triplicate prescription) - For severe diarrhea from drugs, infections or post-surgery, octreotide (Sandostatin®) injections can be helpful.
Milk Lactose) Intolerance Back to the Table of Contents Lactose intolerance can sometimes develop after intestinal surgery, radiation therapy to the lower abdomen or chemotherapy. Some people are also born with lactose intolerance or develop it later. The intolerance results from a deficiency of lactase, an enzyme that digests milk sugar (lactose) in the intestine, and is marked by bloating, cramping and diarrhea. - If your diarrhea is caused by lactose intolerance, avoid milk and milk products such as ice cream, cottage cheese and cheese. Depending on how sensitive you are to milk, you may also have to avoid butter, cream and sour cream. - If you are very sensitive, use lactose-free, nonfat milk solids or soy milk. - You can make your own lactose-free milk by adding Lactaid-a tablet containing lactase-to your milk and keeping it in the refrigerator for 24 hours before drinking it. - You can use buttermilk and yogurt because the lactose in them has already been processed and is easily digested. - You might tolerate some processed cheeses. - Try Mocha-mix®, Dairy Rich® and other soy products, or some lactose substitutes like Imo ®(an imitation sour cream), and Cool Whip®. - See the Lactose-Free/Lactose-Restricted Diet
You are welcome to share this © article with friends, but do not forget to include the author name and web address. Permission needed to use articles on commercial and non commercial websites. Thank you. | 21,644 | 8,938 | 0.000114 |
warc | 201704 | I'm applying to become a bank holding company / Starsucks is symbolic of what is wrong with America
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, American Express, and now Deej. That's right, since everyone and their mother is applying with the government to become a bank holding company I've decided to open the Bank of Deej so that I too can have access to the cheap funds that the Fed is throwing around.
Just like AmEx, I will make sure to cite "emergency conditions" in my application with the Fed. American Express is applying with the Fed for access to cheap money because "it's seen the value of its primary assets decline," making it harder for it to borrow money to pay for its daily operations. Wow, what a coincidence, the same thing has happened to me.
AmEx hopes that access to cheap government funds will provide it with "maximum flexibility and stability in this challenging economic environment." Sign me up. I could do some amazing things if I was able to borrow money at 1% to 2%, with bond and dividend yields sitting where they are right now. I feel like I'm the only one out there who isn't getting free money from the government, so if someone couple provide me with a link or fax me an application...I'm in.
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Is it just me, or is anyone else confused by why anyone would have purchased stock in Starbux (SBUX) over the past year. I hear people suggesting that it is a good buy from time to time and I am completely confounded. How on Earth can anyone buy stock in this company right now? Starbux is symbolic of what's wrong with America, we're lazy and wasteful.
Setting aside the fact that I can't stand the taste of the Company's coffee, why would anyone purchase a cup of Joe for five bucks or whatever it costs there when they could brew one at home for a few pennies (like I do) or buy a cup at Dunkin Donuts / McDonalds for half the price?
Consumer spending is in big trouble, and one if the easiest places for someone to cut back is overpriced coffee. Many people are arguing that consumers are in the first inning of a long, drawn out replenishment of their balance sheets. Even if you don't believe that savings rates will rise, people certainly will have less money in the near future. Think about it, where does the money that you spend come from? Your job, your investments, and your home. Are any of these things worth more or more stable today than they were a year ago? No. The unemployment rate will likely approach double digits, at best home prices will slow their rate of decline but still continue to fall or sit on the bottom, and anyone who is here has seen what has happened to the stock market.
I'm far from a perma-bear and I believe that people who purchase the right stocks today will be very happy that they did so several years from now, but Starsucks is not one of these companies. Not only does it seemed to have lost much of its trendiness, but consumers are also cutting back. Heck, the company isn't even cheap. At yesterday's close it was trading at 16 times its trailing, and those earnings are falling fast.
In its fiscal fourth quarter, SBUX earned a lousy penny per share, sure excluding charges to shut down stores and cut jobs that number rises to $0.10...and after backing out my mortgage and car payments I did great last quarter, too. During the quarter, its same store sales fell 8%.
The company expects this number to improve to down 2% to 7% in 2009. Why? Using these numbers, it is forecasting earnings of $0.59 to $0.78 for fiscal 2009. Good luck. Starsucks is broken. Stay away from it.
Deej | 3,671 | 1,821 | 0.000552 |
warc | 201704 | Organizational Structure Case Study:
Every company or other structure that consists from a certain number of participants has it’s own unified objective or several. In order to make the system work – you have to know what
organizational structure is. Organizational structure defines allocation of tasks and divide the big objective into several smaller that makes work of the structure more organized and efficient.
Organizational structure is a very important phenomenon, which enable the organization work successfully and qualitatively. The better structure is, the more effective will be the work of the whole organization.
Organization is required everywhere, so if one wants to make a good firm or company, he has to organize the best structure and divide the duties of every member of the firm to make the whole working process as effective as possible.
The whole world is a great complex structure or system, that is why the topic of organizational structure is very useful for studying. A well-analyzed case study should be informative, logical and direct. One has to research the problem offered by the professor and investigate the cause and effect of the problem in the marked case site. The aim of the case study is to understand the model of an organizational structure on the concrete example from life or certain sphere of human activity (business, medicine, police, school, etc.). Moreover, one has a chance to illustrate his knowledge of the discipline and ability to think critically and creatively offering some new solutions to the problem under research.
The process of writing a case study is not easy and students always have troubles with it. First of all they have to collect enough data about the case site and the problem which occurred there, analyze the reasons of the problem and determine its consequences. Sometimes it is complicated to find enough data on the topic and the only way for students is to interview the staff of the organization they are writing about. Nevertheless, if students manage to find information, they have to organize it in good order. Here only free sample case studies on organizational structure and design will be helpful for young people.
A good free example case study on the effect of organizational structure found in the web is a reliable help for students to see how to compose and format the paper professionally, how to present data effectively and analyze things properly.
*** WARNING! Free case study samples and examples on Organizational Structure are 100% plagiarized!!! At EssayLib.com writing service you can buy a custom case study on Organizational Structure topics. Your case study will be written from scratch. We hire top-rated Ph.D. and Master’s writers only to provide students with professional case study help at affordable rates. Each customer will get a non-plagiarized paper with timely delivery. Just visit our website and fill in the order form with all paper details: | 2,985 | 1,382 | 0.00073 |
warc | 201704 | Fate of Nitrogen in Sewage Effluent Applied to Soil byJ. Clarence Lance, Research Soil Chemist; U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Dept. of Agr., Phoenix, Ariz., Serial Information: Journal of the Irrigation and Drainage Division, 1975, Vol. 101, Issue 3, Pg. 131-144 Document Type:Journal Paper Abstract:Natural chemical and biological reactions will remove nitrogen from sewage effluent applied to soils if the wastewater is applied in a carefully managed treatment system. Only denitrification can remove the tremendous quantities of nitrogen applied in a high-rate land filtration system where nitrogen loads may be 10 to 30 times greater than those applied in irrigation systems. Columns packed in the laboratory with loamy sand removed 80% of the nitrogen applied at infiltration rates below 6 in./day (l5 cm/day). Percent nitrogen removal decreased exponentially as the infiltration rate increased from 6 in./day - 22 in./day (l5 cm to 55 cm/day). Nitrogen was also removed by the soil columns when high-nitrate water was collected, mixed with sewage, and recycled. Nitrogen may be removed by applying sewage to soils of low permeability and allowing it to trickle slowly down grassed slopes. Removal is probably due to a combination of plant uptake, denitrification, and immobilization in microbial tissue. Subject Headings:Nitrogen | Sewage | Irrigation systems | Chemical treatment | Effluents | Soil treatment | Denitrification | Columns Services:Buy this book/Buy this article
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warc | 201704 | When my daughter was 5 months old, she attended her first Kentucky State Fair. As a new mom, I was just starting to get the hang of things but taking on 4 days in a show barn with a baby was going to be whole a new experience.
Luckily, I had my own mom to help and some fantastic advice from veteran show moms on facebook and twitter.
Fast forward 4 years – I’m packing for baby #2’s first state fair and ended up in a facebook conversation with a friend swapping tips on avoiding the “Louisville crud” head cold we all know and dread each year.
I’ve learned a lot over the last four years and I was eager to help her just like so many other show moms had once helped me. That’s when I realized I haven’t shared any of these show mom-ing tips on my blog. (
Sorry y’all!) So here’s the run down on our absolute favorite things for stock shows with a baby. *** This post contains affiliate links. *** Clorox wipes
Clorox wipes are the duct tape of cleaning supplies, they can be used in pretty much any situation. Which is why they’re just a show staple for us, baby or not.
When we do have a baby, we know that everything is going to end up in their mouth. This makes the Clorox wipes that much more valuable, even if it seems like we’re constantly wiping things down.
Toys that are easily sterilized
Our barn toys are almost all hard plastic so that they can easily be wiped down with Clorox wipes. When we get home from the show, I put them all on the top rack of the dishwasher and run a sterilizing cycle.
We especially love these plastic rings. Babies love to chew on them, plus they can be used to attach toys to a stroller, high chair or baby carrier. (
Which keeps them from getting thrown into a hog pen!) Snack cups
If your little one has reached the finger foods stage, these Munchkin snack cups are a must! They can reach in and get their snacks but when the cup inevitably gets knocked down it doesn’t spill. There are few things as frustrating as when a whole cup of Puffs ends up dumping in the barn!
Bonus points – these cups have handles you can attach to those rings I love so much!
Baby wipes with a flip top
You guys know I’m all about saving money, but this is one time I pass up the best deal.
Obviously we use wipes for diaper changes but also anything else that I don’t want to clean with a Clorox wipe. (Wiping off baby’s hands/face, wiping my hands, etc…)
The little travel cases of wipes don’t hold nearly enough for a long show day and you don’t want to fool with a big bulky box. The flip top packs are the perfect middle ground.
Blankets, bibs and burp cloths
Showing in Louisville means that even in August, we have to make sure to keep our baby warm. We always bring one warm fleece blanket into the barn for just that reason.
I also bring a bib and burp cloth for each day of the show. Drooling babies in dusty barns are a recipe for nastiness. Having a fresh bib and burp cloth each day helps keep that under control. I also keep a spare of each in the diaper bag, just in case of a major spit up.
Our Barn Baby Boutique blankets, bibs and burp cloths work wonderfully for this!
Basic medicines and a thermometer
My daughter decided the NAILE would be the perfect place to cut her first tooth. So at 10 p.m. we were leaving the show barn with a sobbing, feverish baby, driving around Louisville looking for an open drugstore to buy her some Tylenol. NEVER AGAIN!
We’ve found saline spray to work wonderfully when our kids are too young to take any cold medicines. Be sure to talk to your pediatrician before trying it though.
I also bring my thermometer with us on every trip. I LOVE this Braun no-touch because I can check their temp without disturbing them while they’re sleeping. (I’ve heard it also works pretty good on sleeping husbands who don’t like to admit they’re sick).
Menthol baby bath
This tip comes straight from my mom, which makes it a tried and true one! She discovered Johnson’s Baby Soothing Vapor Bath when I was a kid and we’ve been using it ever since. Adults, kids, everybody!
Its basically baby soap plus menthol, so we bathe with it when we shower at night after being in the barn all day. The menthol helps clean out your sinuses and we’ve found that really helps to fight off the “Louisville crud.”
Travel humidifier
We’ve been using a travel humidifier in our hotel room for about 2 years now and I really think it helps us fight off the sinus colds.
The air in the show barn is so dry and then we go back to a hotel with dry air and its just miserable on your nose and throat. The humidifier adds a little moisture back to the air.
We use this travel version but you can bring a full sized one if you’d like. We prefer the compact version and have found that since we usually go to bed late and wake up early at shows that its able to run the whole time we’re sleeping.
Baby carrier
I listed this one last because it is by far the biggest investment but I also feel like its a game changer. When my daughter was a baby, someone always had to hold her while she was napping. Which meant if you wanted to watch the show you were completely worn out by the time she woke up.
Sometime in between babies I made friends who were into baby wearing and introduced me to Tula baby carriers, which completely changed my life as a mom. I wear my son almost daily! Its so much easier to keep up with my 4 year old when I have both hands free. I could go on and on about how much we love it.
For the sake of this post, let’s focus on baby wearing at stock shows.
Its so helpful for my son to be able to nap at shows in the Tula. I don’t miss a single class and since his weight is distributed evenly I don’t wear out my back/arms either. Next year when he’s running around, the carrier will also be perfect for keeping him out of harms way!
You should
never do anything while wearing a baby that you wouldn’t do while holding baby in your arms. So I don’t recommend showing in a boar class or anything crazy like that! But I am able to do basic tasks like carrying water buckets and walking pigs while baby wearing. Did I miss anything? Is there a show baby secret we show moms need to know?
Feel free to share your advice in the comments, I know there’s always more to learn from the show moms who have been at this longer than I have!
They say “it takes a village,” you know. I definitely can’t think of a better one to raise my babies in than the show barn! | 6,667 | 3,181 | 0.000327 |
warc | 201704 | The cliched cliche in writing is “It was a dark and stormy night.’’
And I mean cliched cliche.
There is even a famous writing contest, the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest based on that phrase. The contest is named for
Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton, who used the phrase as the opening to his 1830 novel, “Paul Clifford.’’
I find it unfortunate, because it has made writing about the weather very difficult, nearly impossible. Yet, at least in the outdoors world, my world, the weather is often the No. 1 impact on a story. If you are sitting in a deer stand with 40 mph winds, that’s the story. Same, usually, if it is 35 degrees and raining and your ass is sopping wet.
That’s makes for a writing quandary. You don’t want to sound cliched and be writing about the weather, but the weather matters.
BTW, I get really tired of people who complain how much importance the weather has on local television newscasts and news radio. Frankly, I think those people are trying to prove they are cooler than slugs like myself who find the weather important.
The weather matters greatly to many of us. There’s a reason
Tom Skilling is a god. There’s a reason WBBM-AM continues with the weather on the 8s. It matters.
Take this morning, we had our first brush with frost, as you can see on the the roof of a car in the parking lot by the auto repair shop next to the bus barn downtown.
State climatologist
Jim Angel had an interesting blog entry a couple days ago on frost. It explained a couple things that I think are important, including that official temperatures are taken 5 feet off the ground.
That explains how the official temperature was 38 this morning, but yet there was frost on the some cars and a smattering of frost in the grassy areas by the town pond.
There’s a more extended explanation of first frost dates in Illinois if you click here. With frost today in many areas, it pretty much is right on time.
I think the cold clamped down on wildlife.
The first animal or bird other than ourselves I heard or saw as
Lady, our family’s mutt, and I rambled off was a belted kingfisher. I first heard it rattling as we neared the side rail separating the town from the wildness of the town pond. Then a couple more times as we neared the bridge over the neckdown between the two old clay pits. But I never saw it.
Spectacular dawn was coming over the town pond. Made the ramble, made my morning.
The cold must impact the Osage orange. I counted 31 hedge apples on the ground–and yes I counted them–on the east side of the south pit. Just a couple days ago there was only three. I picked up one, cold and hard in my hands, to take back for my wife. She half believes in the magic of hedge apples and the one I picked up for her a couple weeks ago is getting soft.
Coming out of the wildness around the town pond, I looked at rail cars lined up by the grain elevators on the edge of town, ready to be loaded. (Hello
Charles Demuth.) (Hey, and hello to you too, Larry Green.)
It is such a contrast to come from the natural lines around the town pond, then find the stark sharp lines of the grain elevators, rail tracks and boxcars. Straight and narrow.
The grain dryers blasted the morning with noise.
As we turned back into town, the first gray squirrel of the morning sat perfectly still by the stop sign next to the Station Street Pub. Cod Perch Tilapia Shrimp on the white sign on front. Thank God it is Friday.
The bank thermometer read 40.
The first rabbit of the morning sat perfectly still in the lawn a block from home. Give Lady this, she spotted it.
A gray squirrel loped down the sidewalk in front of our house. Lady eyed it but did not chase.
My fingers were stiff with cold. I should have worn gloves. But mid-October seems too early for gloves.
Yes, the weather matters. At least to those of us who get outside. | 3,929 | 1,927 | 0.000533 |
warc | 201704 | funny duck photos
funny duck photosImportant Furnishings for Your Chicken House -- Nest Containers and RoostsOK, you are making progress regarding how to build a simple chicken house. You have chosen on your coop's size and you have established exactly where in your yard that you are going to build it. Now you have to come to a decision on furniture for the inside of your house. Let's start out with Nest Containers: We're speaking about boxes exactly where your chickens will truly feel comfy in laying their ova. You are able to acquire containers or you can assemble them. If you want to save several money create them your self -- which is not complicated. Listed below are some organizing recommendations for creating poultry nesting containers: Make your hens' content material by building your box specifications a minimum of 12 inches long, 12 inches wide, and one foot heavy. If you want to make them much more joyful, develop them slightly bigger. For each two or 3 hens inside your poultry flock intend on creating 1 box. And plan on locating them next one to the other so that your hens can chat whilst carrying out their business. Egg lounging for any chicken is really a personal factor so be advised to find your boxes from the typical activity area within a candle lit part of the house. Keep your containers neat and dry and include existen for your containers to increase comfort and ease. Stick to individuals easy recommendations as well as your chickens will compensate you with a constant way to obtain fresh ova. Moving on to Roosts: Without effort, your chickens would like to roost (that's to go to sleep) inside a spot raised high inside the house. Roosts are as uncomplicated as a plank or perhaps a pole built-in an raised placement within the chicken house for the birds to perch on and retire for that evening. For claw comfort and ease your crew will certainly choose roosts constructed of wood instead of steel, in addition to a rounded area instead of square for exceptional grasping. Your roosting design really should set aside one foot of space for every chicken for perching and erected as high within the house as you possibly can permitting sufficient ceiling area for your wild birds to stand up on the perch. Your house strategy should include specifications for erecting roosts on the back wall with out planning for any type of house furnishings or water and food stations beneath. Chickens poop and chickens feces a lot. Clean out the decrease region. Yet another thing to think about -- your chickens as they age and heavier won't be skilled leaflets and will eventually need your aid in getting up towards the perch. Intend on creating horizontal steps to assist them to result in the journey as the head ages. Stations for Meals and Drinking water: Clearly you can make procedures to give your chicken flock by hand from time to time throughout the day time, but which may be even more than a little bit of trouble. Rather, make provisions for some type of containers or bins for that birds to be capable of nourish what ever they want. It's the very same for drinking water. Containers, or ideally an automated procedure to ensure a constant supply of H2O could be the method to go. Just make sure they in no way go with out water. Covering up, having obtainable and straightforward to stick to formula created for the total newbie in creating your coop designs is undoubtedly an motion step worth reflection. funny duck photos funny duck photos funny duck photosThe Eco-Pleasant Chicken CoopThere's a growing awareness concerning the effect of something individuals do on the environment which is something which should have been raised in the past. Nevertheless, it is not too late to make sure that from this point ahead, what ever can be achieved to help environmental surroundings ought to be done, even if it means simple things like creating a chicken coop. It's a small action, but it is a begin.Helpful not WastefulJust like any living thing which will consume foods, hens will produce waste products from the meals that they can't absorb. Fortunately, this waste isn't waste' by itself. It can be grow fertilizer.Hens are herbivores, they do not need to eat meat and other kinds of animal protein or body fat to outlive, which makes their plant foods perfect as eco-friendly fertilizer. It has the required stability of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash to assist your vegetation grow greener and lush.Gathering and StorageIt will require some time to get used to the odor of poultry plant foods, but if you want to be able to utilize it, you really will need to. To gather all of the waste that the chickens will make, lay out a coating of straw beneath the chicken house to trap it. Following the straws are dirty, attract individuals up and put them in a garden compost bin with the other veggie scraps out of your kitchen. Ask them to cut into smaller sized pieces for quicker decomposing.Don't include pet products or by-items in the garden compost rubbish bin. Should you consist of animal items by-items in error, you will know immediately because you will see maggots in the soldier jigs in it. Don't panic, soldier jigs are very safe and they will get rid of the animal materials.Make sure to aerate the compost by combining it now and then. This makes certain all the supplies inside are broken down into reusable components. Before long the garden compost will forfeit the offensive scent, and scent natural and musky. You will subsequently be able to use it by placing it over the dirt to feed vegetation that have already used underlying or mix with the floor soil for new farms.If you can't use all the garden compost you have made, simply put them in sacks and store them away. For those who have neighbors who choose growing, offer some to them for their garden or yard.Saving the EnvironmentMaking your personal garden compost in the chicken squander acts two environmentally-friendly purposes: you get to reduce the waste that needs to be thrown out, and also you create fertilizer that has no negative effect on the environment. Add that that you receive clean ova in the morning- also can you ask for? funny duck photos
Tags : How to funny duck photos,Blueprint funny duck photos,Secret funny duck photos,Quick funny duck photos,How can you funny duck photos,Amazing funny duck photos,To solve funny duck photos,To cure funny duck photos,Sale funny duck photos,Bonus funny duck photos, funny duck photos compare | 6,530 | 2,985 | 0.000337 |
warc | 201704 | Read: 1 Timothy 2:8-10;
I desire . . . that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel. —1 Timothy 2:8-9
Bible in a year:
Psalms 4-6; Acts 17:16-34
As we hurtle through the first part of this new century, we see an increase in people questioning time-honored standards. This was plainly detailed recently by a teen pop star—a girl who professes faith in Jesus.
While discussing standards for modesty in how she dresses, she discounted criticism of her skimpy clothing by saying, “That’s so old school.”
This young woman is both right and wrong. In a sense, she’s right. The standards of dress for Christians are “old school.” They were written down more than 2,000 years ago. But her attitude that suggests ancient standards can be set aside is wrong. In the truest sense, the principles in the Bible are not “old” as much as they are timeless. While written ages ago, they are still fresh and applicable.
As to the question of modesty, when the Bible says women should “adorn themselves in modest apparel” (1 Tim. 2:9), it is still true today that we shouldn’t dress to draw attention to ourselves. A more general principle, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed” (Rom. 12:2), is a 2011 command that can guide the question of how we dress.
So whether you’re a pop star or a pew sitter, don’t worry about being “old school” if what you are doing is done according to the Book.
Dear Lord, help us to follow the timeless
standards of the Bible in speech, clothing,
and other lifestyle matters. May all
we say and do bring glory to You. Amen.
Do my choices bring glory to God or draw attention to me? | 1,726 | 922 | 0.001158 |
warc | 201704 | KENT, Wash. - To get people outside, REI brings them in. At stores around the nation, climbing walls and indoor hiking trails mix with racks of backpacks and rows of bicycles. There are snowshoes, camp-sized espresso makers and more synthetic fleece than a flock of polyester sheep.
Recreational Equipment Inc. started as a basement co-op founded in 1938 by Seattle mountain-climbing buddies selling ice axes, sleeping bags and tents. Today it is the toy store for devotees of muscle-powered recreation and people who want to look like them.
"They have everything," said Sunni Rudd, 53, who was shopping for triathlon gear at the Seattle flagship.
With 82 stores in 26 states, REI cleared $1 billion in sales in 2005 for the first time. More stores are planned, and a new East Coast distribution center will be built in Bedford, Pa.
Still, REI is trying to balance its glitzy success against the values forged in that Seattle basement.
They have become the 800-pound gorilla in an industry where hitting the top of a climbing pitch once meant more than hitting profitability.
Not anymore.
"Everything is driven by the bottom line," said Michael Hodgson, co-owner of Specialty News, an outdoor retail trade journal who tracks REI and its thousands of vendors. "I'm not sure you could say that five or six years ago."
He said REI has transformed outdoor retailing from a cottage industry to a real business. REI says 159 million Americans participate in at least one outdoor activity each year, spending $18 billion annually.
"When REI goes into a community more people play outside," said Sally Jewell, 50, a climber, hiker, kayaker, sailor and former banker, who took the helm as REI's CEO last year. "We're not looking to take business from the little guy. When we go into a market we're looking to make that market bigger."
Jewell said the real competition for REI is in the living room.
"Our competitors are television and video games," she said. "If we can get people off the couch and doing something they aspire to do, that also helps keep them in shape and helps them achieve life balance, then we know we're doing things that are all good."
Many in the company and industry credit Jewell's energy, business smarts and leadership as central to REI's recent boom. She joined the company's board a decade ago, and became chief operating officer in 2000, a year in which the company lost money for the first time.
The more recent success is a combination of strategic business practices, luck with good weather and an unusual business model for a big retailer: REI is a member-owned cooperative.
Anyone can shop at REI, but only customers who pay a one-time $15 fee to join the co-op are entitled to a 10 percent annual dividend based on their purchases.
In 2005, the company paid out more than $50 million to 2.8 million active members, up nearly 14 percent from 2004.
But REI's critics - who are hard to find - say the growth has moved the company away from its co-op roots.
"I would argue vehemently that it's not a co-op," said Hodgson. He said limited participation in governance - the company says only 3 percent of members actually vote - means REI is more a corporation that happens to be a co-op, than a co-op run like a corporation.
David Blanke, a history professor at Texas A&M who studies co-ops, said that historically that model is problematic for co-ops.
"Those market forces will overpower the values of a co-op," he said.
Jewell flatly rebuts that argument.
"Others may assume you have to be small and a poorly run business to be a co-op," she said. "People vote with their dollars."
Some manufacturers quietly express fear that REI holds too much sway in the industry. With nearly 100 stores, an order from REI can make or break a company.
"If REI wrote me a 'Dear John,' it wouldn't put us out of business, but we'd have to run a really lean ship to recover," said Mark Day, a spokesman for La Sportiva, a manufacturer of rock climbing shoes and mountaineering boots.
But most REI vendors say they are treated with respect, and they praise the company's expertise.
Fred Hugelmeyer, president of the Outdoor Industry Association, a trade group, said REI helped establish practices for manufacturers that help them avoid using sweatshop labor.
"With their size comes great responsibility," Hugelmeyer said. "They take that very seriously."
For Jewell, being a co-op means being able to focus on long-term objectives and staying true to three core constituencies: members, employees and the community.
Once criticized for not paying well, REI has increased retail salaries by about $4.5 million in the last two years, said Michelle Clements, REI's personnel chief. It has extended an incentive plan to cover the entire company and last year began offering health benefits to part-time employees.
And to maintain the great outdoor playground it equips people to enjoy, REI invests millions in organizations like the National Park Foundation.
Since Jewell came on board, REI has ramped up its giving from less than $900,000 in 2000 to $4 million in 2006.
The money goes to a variety of causes, from maintaining open spaces to providing gear that youth groups can borrow for weekend camping trips.
What concerns Jewell most about the future, she said, is encouraging young people to get outside - and making sure there still is a wilderness to enjoy.
"I don't want the REI of 50 years from now to have to resort to selling outdoor-themed video games because there's no place to play anymore," she said.
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