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An amiable session in which the Big Ten and ESPN cleaned up "housekeeping matters" — schedules and announcers — took a nasty turn at the one-hour mark. That's when talk turned to a contract extension, a negotiating session that went nowhere. Fast. "The shortest one I ever had," [Jim] Delany, [Commissioner of the B1G Ten] told the Chicago Tribune. "He lowballed us and said: '[t]ake it or leave it. If you don't take our offer, you are rolling the dice.' I said: 'Consider them rolled.'"
This moment represents the proverbial line drawn in the sand between arguably the most innovative business man college football has ever seen and the Network that has cornerned the market on sports entertainment. The latest salvo that was fired was revealed in a $157 million dollar lawsuit filed this past Monday by the University of Maryland in which, amongst other things, the school is claiming that the ACC, directed by ESPN, attempted to convince two members of the B1G Ten to leave the conference and join the ACC. What ultimately resulted instead was a high stakes acquisition of two monopoly properties (think Mediterranean and Baltic Avenues), though the ACC, backed by ESPN, might have had something altogether different in mind—a shot fired over the bow meant to weaken a conference that dared to tell them to "step into my office, you're fucking fired." While this guy thinks the lawsuit filed by Maryland is a brilliant tactical strategy to get the ACC to forgive its fifty-two million dollar exit fee, here's to hoping this drama and all the dirty laundry gets spilled in a Federal Maryland North Carolina Courtroom in the not too distant future.
In 2011, amidst the never ending conference realignment saga, then Boston College Athletic Director Gene DeFilipio, apparently erroneously, uttered: "[w]e always keep our television partners close to us. ..ESPN is the one that told us what to do." DeFilipio later apologized and said that he misspoke. As DJ Byrnes of 11 Warriors said it: "[y]ou're damn right he misspoke, but only in that he spoke about college football's wizard-behind-the-curtain in public. But should the existence of ESPN's other, invisible hand, surprise anyone?' Only to those who aren't initiated with the facts.
A brief review of history will help us understand how we have gotten to where we are today and just how events shaped the chess match that was never far from the tentacles of the World-wide Leader in Sports Related Revenue.
In 2008, ESPN signed a TV deal with the SEC for $2 billion dollars to run for the next 15 years, with the 24/7 SEC launch set for this fall. ESPN will have rights to every SEC home football game not on the network package and all league matchups will be shown on some outlet, including at least 20 a year on ESPN or ESPN2. That includes two primetime Thursday night matchups and Saturday night games. "We're thrilled with the historic nature of this deal," ESPN executive vice president John Skipper said, adding that college sports have been part of our DNA" for nearly 30 years. It's not hard to figure why we'd want to be involved with it, given the quality of SEC sports, for 15 more years."
In 2010, ESPN signed a TV deal with the ACC worth 1.86 billion over the next twelve years. The deal would give the four letter network exclusive rights to conference football and men's basketball games. Partnering with ESPN ends talk for now about the ACC following the lead of the Big Ten by creating its own television network. Commissioner John Swofford said the league did its "due diligence" by researching the issue, but said the ACC opted to avoid the upfront startup costs and the financial risk in favor of utilizing ESPN's in-place broadcast and multimedia outlets. "When you go with somebody for that kind of money with no financial risk and they have the extensive platforms they have to distribute your games — plus they have the technology and the desire to be on the cutting edge with new media — it really begs the question: Why would you need your own network?"
Not to be left out, the Big 12 and Pac 12 also have multi-billion dollar deals with ESPN, as does the University of Texas, with whom ESPN helped launch (and of course owns various rights to) the Longhorn Network, a potential conflict some really smart guy wrote about here.
And of course ESPN owns the rights to just about every one of the Bowl games played, even those named after car parts that no one cares about. And care to guess which network has the rights to the new twelve year playoff that begins in 2014? Ding Ding Ding Ding!
All of this stands in contrast to April 30, 2004. 'That's when a posse of ESPN executives, led by Mark Shapiro, John Wildhack, Loren Matthews and Chuck Gerber, met with conference honchos at Big Ten headquarters in Park Ridge. The Big Ten's long-term deal with the network had three years remaining, but Commissioner Jim Delany wanted to dip his toe in the pool. Turns out the water was ice cold. And shark-infested." That same Chicago Tribune article referenced at the beginning of this piece, characterized the negotiations as follows:
Delany had warned ESPN officials that without a significant rights-fee increase, he would try to launch a new channel that would pose competition both for TV viewers and the Big Ten's inventory of games: the Big Ten Network. He threw his weight around, Shapiro said in a telephone interview, and said, 'I'm going to get my big (rights-fee) increase and start my own network.' Had ESPN stepped up and paid BCS- type dollars, I think we could have prevented the network. In retrospect, that might have been the right thing to do. Jim is making a nice penny on that.
All that stands between the network and its monopolistic footprint is one stubborn and visionary man who refused to march to the beat of the network conglomerate's drum. Ask an executive of the Network what the four letters stand for, and you will be told "Entertainment, Sports, Programming Network." If the four letter network had had it their way, at least as it pertains to college football, ESPN would have stood for Every Single Program's Network.
Let's be clear, Maryland's lawsuit is probably little more than an effort to maximize leverage against the ACC in order to whittle down its $52 million dollar exit fee obligation, a lawsuit the university was unable to get thrown out of court. The legal wrangling that will likely result in a compromised settlement is of less interest to this guy—the idea being that if this actually turns into a courtroom battle, depositions and interrogatories will detail back room deals and dirty secrets that the fat cat-power-brokers and television executives (redundant?) would prefer remain in documents far from public scrutiny. This is precisely why some deal will probably be brokered before we witness legal armageddon, lest all parties risk slaying the golden goose (one of Maryland's claims is that the exit fee is an antitrust violation, an argument that is amusing when one considers that many "public universities" generate tens of millions of dollars in profit each year that is tax exempt because of their public university status—it's best that these fights do not distract a congress that would prefer to wrangle with much more pressing legislation).
The juicy rumor in the conference realignment gambit is that the ACC had contacted two B1G schools and attempted to persuade them to join their conference, a move many believe was backed by that same conglomerate network. The school said [Maryland] the ACC's desire to expand is driven "in large part on counsel and direction that the conference received from ESPN." Whether that guidance was given formally or informally," the document alleges, ESPN has "incentivized the ACC to compete more aggressively in the market for conference affiliation/membership." ESPN responded with a brief statement Tuesday: "[a]s we've said many times, decisions about potential realignment and expansion were made by the individual schools and conferences." This statement is significant for what it fails to say–that ESPN is not offering advice to conferences as they consider adding partners to their multi-billion dollar dance card.
The belief by many is that the dominoes fell this way: the ACC (possibly with a little birdie whispering in their ear) attempted to lure Penn State and one other B1G Ten school to join the ACC (though the lawsuit does not name the targeted schools, this guy believes the other school was Northwestern, as its academic prestige fits the ACC and it doesn't hurt having a school in the lucrative Chicago market), a move that would have strengthened an ESPN property while simultaneously striking a blow against the lone conference that has dared to defy "The Network." Others have theorizied that the B1G struck back by taking ACC school Maryland (and Big East school Rutgers), in part to appease a Penn State school that has no geographical rivals (personally, I think Penn State is happy to keep cashing B1G checks, but who knows what happened in smoke filled rooms behind closed doors. But then, that is precisely the point).
At this juncture, these are merely allegations in the legal pleadings of a school that clearly has an agenda–avoiding a massive exit fee that the financially challenged school would prefer not to pay. But if true, this appears to be the second round in the fight between Jim Delany and ESPN, with the former remaining undefeated and unscathed. Here's to hoping there is no quick settlement so we can get a peek behind the curtain.
Let's be clear about one thing—I do not wear a tinfoil hat, do not come running downs the stairs expecting free gifts from a fat man with a penchant for wearing red velvet, and I have never plunked down money on the counter for a National Enquirer touting articles suggesting that a dead Elvis was spotted riding Nessie. One need not bust out the "c" word in order to understand that a network that shells out some $700 million dollars annually for college football entertainment might try and pull some strings meant to protect said investment. As Mr. Byrnes put it:
[a]s cable subscription numbers continue to dwindle, is ESPN supposed to sit idly by while conferences (into which they've sunk billions) enter this brave new world? Is it not standard business practice to wring every cent out of their investment? It's not as if ESPN is asking Dabo Swinney to run cocaine up the eastern seaboard during the off-season recruiting trips.
Beyond questions about ESPN's influence in college sports are concerns about its pervasiveness. ""It approaches a monopoly, if it's not literally one," says Stephen Weber, a former member of the NCAA's Division I board of directors who retired as president of San Diego State University in July of 2011. You always have potential issues when you're in a situation like that. Can ESPN objectively weigh in on realignment discussions when one conference stands to gain, another to lose and the network has contractual ties with both? (The ACC and Big East, for example. Or the SEC and Big 12.). 'I suppose it is a conundrum for them,' Oklahoma athletics director Joe Castiglione says. 'We understand they have multiple partnerships with institutions and other conferences. We all agree there's a concern. I'm just not sure how we do anything about it.'"
ESPN has always denied any direct involvement in the conference expansion waltz. Instead, insider discussions have characterized the conversations as inquiries from the conferences regarding the impact of various team movements on prospective television contracts. For instance, prior to Notre Dame striking it's ACC deal, rumors swirled that the Irish might forego independence and join the Big 12, a conference that has attempted to rebuild itself after watching Nebraska join the B1G Ten, Colorado the Pac 10, and Texas A&M and Missouri join the SEC. The Oklahoman uncovered memos from then interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas that demonstrate that ESPN and FOX had specifically advised the Big 12 that only Notre Dame added TV value for the conference. The question for the astute observer becomes, is this the TV networks driving conference expansion, or conference commissioners merely doing their due dilligence and consulting with the networks in order to maximize revenue ahead of such seismic shifts?
Purely from a business perspective, it makes sense that ESPN would encourage the ACC to poach properties from the B1G Ten. Think of it like this–ecouraging the ACC to steal a school from, say, the Pac 12, is a little like robbing Peter to pay Paul–while the value of ESPN's ACC portfolio would increase, this would be offset by the corresponding decrease in the value of another asset. In terms of the monopoly parlance, it would be the equivalent of trading North Carolina Avenue for Pacific Avenue. But acquiring a school (or even better two) from the conference whose secondary rights you do not own has the value of increasing your asset at the expense of your rival–this would be like taking Pennsylvania Avenue from an opponent in the game to complete the set of green properties (and ESPN knows all about the house and hotel construction business). So while sticking it to Delany might be a nice ancillary benefit, it is just that, as first and foremost, ESPN is a business conglomerate that has proven it understands how to maximize the value of its assets.
I will admit, the more research I did on the topic, the more blurred the line became for me regarding the role networks played in recent conference realignments, and that's because that is probably exactly how the Network wants it. Its why I hope that this lawsuit does not settle quickly, that preliminary depositions and interrogatories are at least conducted, and memos that otherwise might not see the light of day will be splashed on pages of internet news providers who would love to expose the clandestine back room deals of the true emperor of college football (he's nude sir). In particular, I would love to know all the scandalous details of the cat-fight between the revolutionary man who runs the most profitable "independent" college sports network and the behemoth sports conglomerate that he has twice spurned. Just in case, I will have my peanuts and popcorn at the ready.
Categories: College Football


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William Underwood has a groundswell of support for immediate release from members of the community, professionals in the music and entertainment industries, scholars, civil rights and bipartisan leaders, and formerly incarcerated mentees.
Conservative leaders have called for William Underwood's release. Pat Nolan, Director of the American Conservative Union Foundation's Center for Criminal Justice Reform, stressed that "Prison is for people we are afraid of, not those we are merely mad at. We are mad at William Underwood because he sold drugs. We are mad at him because he did not cooperate with the authorities. But at age 61, we are not afraid of him." Craig DeRoche, Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy for Prison Fellowship and Executive Director of Justice Fellowship stated, "Mr. Underwood has earned back the public's trust by maintaining a clean disciplinary record and mentoring younger prisoners and setting them on the right path … As a transformed person, his incarceration no longer serves the interests of justice and a second chance through commutation of sentence to time-served is the right and merciful solution." Mark Holden, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Koch Industries, Inc., who personally met and was impressed with Mr. Underwood's daughter, Ebony, sent the Underwood Family a general statement regarding clemency for inclusion in the clemency package.
Civil rights leaders, scholars and advocates such as Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Hilary Shelton, Director of the NAACP Washington Bureau; Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century; Dr. Carl Hart, Associate Professor of Psychology at Columbia University; Michael Skolnik, political director to Russell Simmons and Glenn Martin, President of JustLeadership USA have likewise called for his return to family. Jason Hernandez, whose life without parole sentence was commuted by President Obama in 2013 and is now successfully and gainfully employed, stated, "Some of the greatest, charismatic, compassionate, and greatest minds this country has produced are imprisoned … Some of those individuals are, but not limited to, William Underwood."

subset: commoncrawl


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The following is an excerpt fromDuctigami: The Art of the Tape by Joe Wilson (The Boston Mills Press, 2006).
Not to be confused with origami — the ancient Japanese art of paper-folding to create delicate, fragile items for the moment — ductigami employs ordinary off-the-shelf duct tape in the creation of functional folded objects that are built to suffer the rigors of modern life. Once you master the art of the tape, you will be able to construct some of the world's most unique items of function and fashion. And part of their beauty is that if they ever wear out, they can be repaired quickly with more duct tape.
I am sure that you have enough knowledge and imagination to create a purse out of a solid sheet of tape, but here is a twist. We are going to do advanced ductigami: the weave. (Doesn't work for hair, if anyone asks.)
And remember: A number of companies sell different colors of duct tape, so you're not limited to just classic gray.
1. Make 14 14-inch little strips in the color of duct tape of your choice.
2. Make 14 more 14-inch little strips in another color of your choice.
3. Lay down a piece of tape 12 inches long on your work area. Now lay your 14 14-inch pieces side by side halfway up the 12-inch piece. Once completed, fold the piece over to secure them. (See diagram in the Image Gallery.)
4. Now take one of your 14-inch pieces and begin to slide it into place at the top of your 12-inch piece by going over and under your 14-inch strips.
5. As you slide pieces into place, keep them as close together as you can to create a tight weave. Continue until you use all your strips and you end up with a woven sheet. (See diagram in the Image Gallery.)
6. Now take three pieces of tape and close all open ends to complete the sheet.
7. Take your completed woven sheet and bring the ends together so you have two open sides. Measure the open ends so you know how large of a sheet you will need to close them.
8. After you have your measurements, make the two sheets you need to complete your purse. On one of the sheets, get a round template to create the circular bottom. (I used a lid to a jar as my template.) Now cut the sheet with a round bottom halfway up the sheet to make the final cut and make the sheet look like a giant teardrop. (See diagram in the Image Gallery.)
9. After you have the piece done, put it on top of the remaining sheet, trace it and cut it so you have two identical pieces.
10. Take one of the ends and tape it into place inside and out to finish the side. Repeat on the other side to complete the purse. (See diagram in the Image Gallery.)
You can cover the entire sheet with a layer of tape to act as an inside liner for the purse. Add a series of credit card slots to the inside of your purse to keep yourself organized. Add a cell phone cradle to the inside or outside of your purse so you don't have to dig for it when it rings. To do this, make two small strips based on the size of the phone, then tape them together and into place. (See diagram in the Image Gallery.)
1. Make two big strips about 27 inches long using two pieces that match your purse. If you have trouble with strips that long, you can make three strips 18 inches long. Once completed, tape your strips together to create one big strip that's 54 inches long. (See diagram in the Image Gallery.)
Depending on the size and the style of purse you design, you can make different handles or shoulder straps. Here's another option.
1. Let the roll of tape hang down to whatever length you want and give the roll a spin so you form a twisted length of tape. Cut the twisted piece and set aside.
2. On your work area, lay a piece of tape sticky side up the length of the twisted piece you created. Take the twisted piece and place it on the very bottom of the piece on your work area and roll it up to make a duct tape cord. (See diagram in the Image Gallery.)
3. To attach the shoulder strap to the purse, you have to cut a slit 1 1/4 inches from the top of the purse and another 1 1/4 inches from the bottom. Feed the strap through the top so that the strap is visible from the outside, and then feed it into the bottom slit and fold back up inside and tape into place. Repeat on the other side and you are done.
As I said at the start, this is just one style of purse. You can make a solid-sheet or woven purse, and you can make it bigger or smaller by adjusting your measurements. You can make your sheet longer and finish it off by having a flap to close the opening. With your ductigami knowledge and your imagination, anything is possible.
Reprinted with permission from Ductigami: The Art of the Tape, published by The Boston Mills Press, 2006.


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Jazz instrumentalist Brian Culbertson issues the single "Still Here" featuring R&B songstress Vivian Green. On the record, Green paints a passionate tale on how "taking a risk on love can have a happy ending."
"Still Here" is lifted from Culbertson's recently released 4-track EP Dreams, which serves as a precursor to his forthcoming album of the same title, due out this summer 2012. The set was released via Verve/Universal, and also feature collaborations with R&B vocalists Noel Gourdin and Stokley Williams of Mint Condition.
Having worked with an array of stellar R&B artists such as Faith Evans, Ledisi, Brian McKnight, Kenny Lattimore, Musiq Soulchild and Avant, Brian has produced or performed on over 25 No. 1 records.


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I have a 2014 M5 and flashed the car, the junction box and a bunch of other modules too, with ISTA/P 2.52.4 and an BMW ICOM clone A2 from www.obd2tool.com. It was the fourth or fifth car that I had flashed with this equipment.
It seemed that ISTA/P crashed during flashing. ISTA/P is now not able to read the VO from VCM (also E-sys) and if you load the stored VO and read out the ECU with E-Sys (read VCM isn't possible) you see 0 ECUs.
It looks like that all ECUs are unavailable and in programming mode. He can open and close the car but nothing more.
Connection via E-Sys is only possible by Gateway/Url (OBD Ethernet cable) or ICOM IP. ZGW is of course not available.
What I did to fix it is, I used Esys to fix the BMW Diagnostic Tool.
I need to use the Psdzdata that was on the module before it was flashed.
Run these step like flashing a module
Here are the basic steps:
Go to Comfort Mode => TAL-Calculating
– Read and Save FA
– Activate FA
– Read and Save SVT Actual as SVT_ist
– Create an SVT Target
Under KIS/SVT Target Calculation Strategy, select Complete Flash
Select I-Step (shipm.) to match your original I-Level as read and shown in VCM I-Step (Shipment)
I-Step (target.) will be unselectable as it is fixed based on current PSdZData I-Level
Do a KIS/SVT Target Calculation and Save as SVT_soll
– Do a TAL Calculation and Save as SVT_tal
Go to Expert Mode => TAL-Processing
Load TAL (SVT_tal)
Load SVT Target (SVT_soll)
Select "Read FA" button.
Check radio button for "read VIN out of FA"
On ECU Tab, uncheck let top box in column "All" (All checked boxes should toggle to unchecked)
On ID Base Row for Modules, make check boxes in blFlash, swDeploy, cdDeploy, and ibaDeploy columns.
Press Check software availability
Press Start and it will proceed with processing TAL to flash
blFlash, swDeploy, cdDeploy, and ibaDeploy uncheck all boxes but these in the modules it finds.
Then Esys finds the modules its strange mine were half on 53.5 and half on 53.2 in some strange state.
after doing this I was able to restore them back to a working state before the upgrade. And everything was normal again
Mine looked like the attached picture. It was pretty bad. I really don't trust Ista/p on a BMW ICOM A2 clone doesn't seem to cause more issue then good during programming on these new model cars. ICOM clone from reliable sellers sometimes can be nice also.


text: Who can you trust when it comes to SAT prep? You have to wonder if the College Board (the test maker) is the best source given that used to to say the best prep was to simply study hard in school and maybe go through their pamphlet. They don't really have a clear incentive to help people dramatically raise their scores, since it diminishes the value of their test to their end clients: the colleges that want consistent, reliable, and predictable data. I think it's like expecting cigarette manufacturers to show you how to quit smoking. They'll tell you, but just doesn't work too well for some weird reason.


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For many years, Balcrank has offered service training at our facility in North Carolina for all our distributors in North America. This is a 2 day course focused on installation, service, and maintenance of our equipment. Proper installation and commissioning of equipment has everything to do with the overall reliability of any lube system installation. Up until now, there has not been any formalization of training or any type of authorization that goes with attending our service training. Balcrank's new ABI program encompasses technical service school and online courses to meet the needs of all our customers nationwide. Participants in the ABI program will be able to closely connect to Balcrank Corporation's factory and its tech-service department.
The Authorized Balcrank Installer (ABI) training program is focused on training installers and service technicians of all distributors in the areas of:


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Here at Kabbee we know how much our customers love a treat, that's why we've made it even easier to become a "LoyalBee"! Here's the new Kabbee Treats system works:
- GoldBees – will now need to earn just 400 miles to qualify!
- SilverBees - will now need to earn just 200 miles to qualify!
- BronzeBees – will now need to earn just 50 miles to qualify!
Here's how passengers can earn miles:
- Every £1 spent = 1 mile
- Referring friends that make their first booking with Kabbee = 10 miles
- Choosing an executive car: £1 = 2 miles
- NEW! Travelling to or from the airport: £1 = 2 miles
Kabbee Treats includes: a full refund for late cabs as part of its 5 Minute Punctuality Promise, upgrade to an executive cab, and £5 credit.
We're always on the look out for new Kabbee Treats provided by our great partners to bring even more choice for your rewards. Here is the list of current brands you can get exclusive offers from:
- Bloom & Wild
- Pact Coffee
- LateRooms.com
- Naked Wines
- Hubbub.co.uk
- La Gourmandina
- Housekeep
Go to Kabbee Treats, discover your status and start redeeming your rewards!
Happy travels,
The Kabbee Team


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Mobile Device Management
Behind the Software Q&A with Beachhead Solutions
As we've talked about in the past, mobile device proliferation for work purposes isn't going anywhere, and for good reason, but unfortunately, neither are the associated security risks. With so many devices floating around there's any number of attack vectors for those who wish to breach security and get at sensitive and/or proprietary data.
Beachhead Solutions, a mobile device management (MDM) company based out of San Jose, California, has been aiming to address the gap in mobile device security for small-to-medium-size businesses, a segment of the market where many organizations simply operate with no security solution at all. In this Q&A with Beachhead Solutions, we talk to Jeff Rubin, VP of strategy and business development, and Cam Roberson, director of marketing and reseller channels, we ask about Beachhead's dynamic approach to security.
Tell me a little bit about how Beachhead Solutions got started. At the time was there a specific security need that wasn't being addressed by competitors?
WEBSITE: www.beachheadsolutions.com
LOCATION: San Jose, CA
Jeff Rubin: First of all, I will start with a little story. One of my cofounders was working for the federal government at the time as an internal consultant.
He was with a reasonably high level member of the U.S. Army. The guy was worried because he had devices–electronic devices–with disk storage on them. These were PCs or Palm Pilots that could fall off the back of a Humvee in Afghanistan, which the bad guys could then get their hands on. What can you do about that?
Our guy came up with an idea, which he demoed on a little Palm device. The technology was pretty simple. Basically, he set it up so that when he gave the device to someone–let's assume it was a general–he said, "Go ahead and enter your password on this device."
The general said, "I don't know the password for this device." Our fellow said, "Sure, you'll be the bad guy who picks this thing up. Try to put one in." The general typed in two or three wrong passwords, and suddenly he felt that the device was getting a little bit hot in his hands. He had to put it down on the table. Within moments, a little whirly wisp of smoke came flying out of the thing, and it had melted itself into oblivion. What our guy had simply done was put in a way of destroying the data by having this trigger of multiple bad logins. The little agent he put in commanded the device to overclock itself and run as fast as it could, then little faster than that, and then melted itself.
Believe it or not, that little story–although we never built that product–was the genesis of the company. The idea was we needed a way to be certain when a device with some sort of storage was lost or stolen, you needed a way to be certain that whoever it was that picked up the device had no access to that data. When we looked at the marketplace for such a thing, we found PC products that were generally software based and had encryption as a kind of boot lockable drive.
But if the password was known or knowable, encryption is completely useless. It's designed to decrypt when an authorized user wants to look at the information. Not only that, it was very burdensome. This was a very heavy piece of software that sat on top of the drive, and it locked the whole drive including operating systems, folders and executables. Everything was slow and ponderous.
So we saw the opportunity to do two things then, which was to encrypt what was then the very beginning of regulatory compliance requirements for such; but to do it in a way that would not be burdensome to users at all; and secondarily offer a set of security tools that go beyond the encryption to include what we ultimately referred to as "data quarantine," which is a way of eliminating access to the data without necessarily eliminating the data itself.
Here's a hypothetical: Say an employee at financial services organization gets his smartphone stolen. It's a personal device since this organization has a BYOD policy where he can use it for company data. Say this phone has access to an email client that has spreadsheets of user data on it. What would you be able to do on your end to address that?
Jeff: There are several ways we can handle that. The administrator at the company typically would be the one turning knobs, not Beachhead. Possibly, also the managed service provider (MSP) if they bought it through a channel where the service provider is actually providing the service.
They have a web-based console that they can get on. If the user reports that device stolen, the administrator would change the status flag on it to "stolen." There are a set of commands normally associated with stolen. If a device is stolen, you would want to take draconian measures. There isn't any reason to tread softly.
Before the device was ever stolen, encryption had already been enabled on the device. So everything on the device is encrypted. Now the problem is that the unauthorized user may be able to figure out the passcode. That's why there's passcode policy enforcement built into our system as well. It may very well be that you are already protected because the bad guy doesn't know the passcode, so long as it isn't "1111." But we want to ensure that it isn't knowable.
Let's say that's not good enough. Let's say that the user had the passcode written on a note connected to the device. Even if the user didn't and the thief types in incorrect login criteria it may very well self protect if that's the way it's set up beforehand, much like the story of the general. Let's say that's not in place, and the administrator sets the device to stolen status. As soon as that phone is connected to the Internet it will phone home –it will check in with the server–for just this purpose. It will see if there is any change in status. In this case it would receive the notice at that moment that it was stolen, and be told to swallow a "cyanide tablet", which could take on a number of forms. Certainly it could be to wipe all the data from the system. Depending on whether we are talking about an iPhone or an Android it could be a factory reset. Or it could be more destructive than that.
Even if it weren't a phone–even if it were a PC, we would certainly find it possible to wipe all local copies of the encryption certificate. If the criminals somehow managed to get through the passcode and could open the device and make it work, all the data would still be gibberish. Because there's no local key. We create a key in escrow, and part of the reason it's there is because if the rightful owner gets the device back, one push on the console by the administrator, and the key is pushed back onto the device, and all the data comes back in readable form.
My next question is probably one for Cam. What was the motivation behind having a free version for SimplySecure? How does that work as far as being a marketing tool for you guys?
Cam Roberson: As you might guess, it is somewhat of a loss leader to introduce customers and potential customers to our approach to providing mobile device security. We believe that companies, particularly smaller businesses, would prefer not to install or support hardware or software infrastructure and/or manage multiple consoles to protect all their mobile devices. We want to encourage businesses to try it as a very easy to manage web-based tool to protect all their mobile devices.
Laptops are mobile too. They are out there. In fact they may even be a greater data vulnerability. That's where we cut our teeth. When we developed our endpoint data security strategy it was about encryption first, but it was a managed approach whereby the administrator for the tool has visibility into his or her environment of endpoint devices. They are checking in and providing information on the console about how frequently they are checking in, from where they are checking in, if any security measures have taken place automatically or by administrator action. Most importantly this channel can be utilized by the organization to change policy or control access to a compromised device. The administrator could wipe data or quarantine a device for example as Jeff's just described.
This approach was unique and a bit before it's time. Our competitors in the encryption space were not doing that. This communication-focused approach is naturally the approach taken with MDM because communications channels are ubiquitous and they are available all the time. We have always believed in this approach with PCs and Macs and now we have a unique capability to manage all endpoint devices utilizing this same methodology – PCs, Macs, Phones, Tablets and USB Storage.
The free version is there to introduce and to get us into environments that would see those benefits. One console to manage everything without the installation of a great deal of hardware, software and oversight requiring large IT groups to manage it.
Jeff: If I can add one final thing to that: recent studies have come out. I'm thinking of one in particular from SpiceWorks in May where they looked at SMB customers. More than 60 percent of the customers allowed BYOD or encouraged it in their environment. Yet something like less than 20 percent–I think it was 17 percent–actually managed it at all. It's an enormous vulnerability. You have to ask yourself the question: why the gap? Why would you allow it and then not protect it?
The answer is that protection was viewed as expensive; a big infrastructure undertaking, hardware/software training, installation, perhaps being unable to offer users the ability to use native apps, which would cause a commotion, especially when on their own devices. So that's one of the reasons we wanted to go and offer a free service that's not hampered. It isn't an under-configured service. We wanted to give them a chance to use the real thing on some select number of devices to try to get them over that hurdle because we believe the way we would approach the problem avoids all those terrible things that keep them from trying it and securing their environment.
To what extent do you run into prospective clients who are running either at host solutions that they developed internally or cobble together internally? Is that a challenge in terms of reaching out to people?
Jeff: There are few parts to it. I think the greatest competitor at the moment is inertia. For many doing nothing is much more comfortable than doing something, even though they are well aware that doing nothing is a problem. I do think that's the hardest part.
The whole MDM business is still relatively young in its development. It's not very far down that maturity cycle. In fact, to the extent that there is maturity, it's almost entirely focused on enterprise-level solutions. Almost all of the major players in the industry are there, and it's logical. It's where the pain is felt most severely. It's where you can take an expensive piece of software and amortize it. That's usually the way things go on security.
The combination of having a relatively limited set of options for SMBs, the newness of the problem and the fear of upsetting users' satisfaction with their own devices–it's not like the olden days when you could command and control whatever they did because the company owned the devices as well as the data. There is a trickier game to play now, and they know that.
That said, there's still quite a bit of competition. Everybody sees the rapid deployment of phones and tablets and their use in business settings. That's hardly a secret to anyone. The BYOD nature of it makes it very obvious that there is a security problem associated with sensitive corporate data. When those elements are in place a lot of attention and money typically runs right to that problem. That's the way business works. I would argue that it is not a low-competition field overall, but specifically meeting the needs of SMBs has not been covered all that well, certainly not to the extent of enterprise.
Cam: We've got two types of competition really, perhaps uniquely so. Previously we've built PC tools by and large and had only one set of competitors. Now we are building MDM management and tools, and we have a whole other set of competitors. We think we've carved out a nice differentiator in that we handle all mobile device –PCs, phones, tablets and USB devices as well. We have a rather unique position here in the market.
You mentioned that SMBs are an underserved market for this kind of software. Would it be fair to say that you guys specifically target the SMB category?
Cam: I think that's a fair assertion. Beachhead has customers who have many thousands of devices under management. By and large, however, I think the focus of our effort is on the SMB. I suppose everybody defines SMB in different ways but we are well positioned with organizations with less than 1000 employees.
We have a customer-managed solution. We sell it as a subscription, as Jeff said. That's a good solution for even a small IT staff of one. But there are other even smaller businesses that don't have the wherewithal or the technical bandwidth to manage PC encryption and MDM security and so forth. They might choose to have somebody do it for them – perhaps along with other services that they're already buying. We have a multi-tenanted solution whereby Beachhead bills our authorized MSPs monthly for only the device licenses they've deployed on behalf of their customers. The MSP in turn services those customers and bills them monthly for the service as well.
Our definition of is SMB can go down to as few as five managed by one of our resellers on up to tens of thousands of course. But our sweet spot is anywhere from 10 up to 500 employees/users. It is clearly a direction for us. We believe it is underserved, and we believe that most small businesses, and certainly very small businesses, don't have the intestinal fortitude to build and support big infrastructure and in-house deployments of server-based software, for instance. They'd much prefer a cloud-based administration console that does it all for them.
What kind of experience have you guys had working with your MSP partners? You have an extensive network just in the United States itself, but also internationally as well.
Cam: We've gotten a really good response. We have just come out with the MDM tool and it's been well received – we are picking up a lot of excitement. There's a lot of new resellers put it in the hopper quite frankly who aren't even referenced on the website who are advocating and making this part of their group of services that they are reselling to customers.
We think we have a unique advantage there as well, whereby we can address the parts of the small business market that doesn't have the appetite for or the bandwidth to manage this kind of thing. Our resellers appreciate the ability to offer this service, and the customers seem to be receiving it well.
What's the biggest challenge you guys are currently facing? That can be either technology or business. How are you addressing it?
Jeff: There are a few answers to this. Let's look at both sides. I think from the business side, the challenge is, first off, getting to those players who are in the gap that we talked about before–the players who know they have a need to do something about device security. Getting them to look to embrace something other than status quo is a big challenge for us. I think the biggest challenge for us as a category is moving businesses into action. If they go into action and do some evaluation, we will do very well. But getting them into action is the bigger question.
From a technology perspective, we have always held to and still do cling to a couple of core tenets of how we want the users and administrators to experience our form of control and security. Sometimes that's a difficult thing to marry with deep security because in general, not necessarily in every case, the tighter you make the security control the smaller the allowances you have for any variability. It becomes more difficult and onerous for users to operate in the way they choose to operate.
We have always felt that if you think about it metaphorically: a river of data flowing down, a lot of security tools put boulders in the river to control its speed–very difficult passwords to crack, which are also very difficult to remember, which also have to be changed frequently if you have a certain kind of security policy. To make their lives easier and more productive, this leads people to find ways to flow around that boulder, often overflowing the bank. They start writing their passwords down and using other tools to store the data that don't require they live through these difficult conditions. This means that security policy makers may be unintentionally creating data leaks that they cannot find or track.
Our philosophy is always to find a way to not burden those people, to not put things in their way. Let them work they want to work and just make the banks taller rather than put stuff in the center of the river. Sometimes that leads to challenges because we would love to, for example, at the first sign of the security problem, wipe the device clean. That's the most secure thing to do. That's also going to tick off somebody in the organization who has brought their own device in and just had a lapse of memory. Six hours later they find the device again and they would really like everything to come back and not have it be a brick. That's our real challenge – constantly finding a better way to provide that security while still not burdening the users. That is, honestly, tricky. If we had the ability to not care about the burden on the user, it would make things much easier.
Cam: One of our pursuits in trying to achieve this balance is the quarantine feature. That is the ability to change access to any device or preclude access to it and provide the capability to once again restore access to a device remotely and quickly from the administration console. So if a circumstance is less than certain as to whether the device is truly at risk, the company can take this step instantly through these communication channels. That immediately eliminates the risk and it is absolutely recoverable. If the administrator becomes comfortable that she has control of the device she can immediately provide access to it, remotely. It's done literally with a push of a button on the console.
Jeff: And without having to go through a lengthy backup cycle. This is particularly valuable on a PC with a terabyte drive. You're not going to be able to pull up a backup restoration on something like that in a reasonable amount of time. There has to be a faster way to restore access to the data.
Where do you see this industry going in the near future? What kind of challenges do you see on the horizon–and what kind of opportunities?
Jeff: Obviously we think that in the future there's going to be a merging of security, independent of device size, operating system, device type, hard drive size. Whatever laptops become in the future and whatever tablets become in the future, maybe we won't even be able to distinguish between the two.
BYOD is likely to stick around. There's going to be a lot of hybrid environments where companies purchase tools, maybe for more specific tasks operating alongside employee-delivered tools. In the future–and today, but even more in the future I think–we will have to handle a hybrid environment where you have the ability to do have control over some kinds of devices and less control over others, but maintain policy consistency.
If you want more information on some of the leading MDM solutions, we've compiled the top product reviews, blog posts and premium content on our IT management software research page. Also, be sure to compare some of those solutions on our Top 10 Mobile Device Management Software report, where we give you the lowdown on pricing, key features and technology models.


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10 Restaurants in Korea Owned by Celebrities
Fairlane is a devout Asian entertainment fan. On the side, she is a professional screenwriter and author.
South Korea is known for its glamorous and healthy entertainment industry, but it's also commonly known for being a country that values entrepreneurship. This is why many of its celebrities invest the money they earn from performing. One of the more common businesses they invest in is restaurants.
10 Korean Restaurants Owned by Celebrities
Cafe Dani
Niel (Ahn Daniel)
Kang Ho-dong
Little Tin Drums
Park Shin Hye
Chilk Naengmyun
B2ST Yoseob
Super Junior Yesung
Yeolbong Jjimdak
Miss A's Suzy
Taeil Korean BBQ
#1 Teen Top's Niel Cafe DaNi
Café Dani (which is named after Niel himself, since his real name is Ahn Daniel) offers various drinks selected by Niel himself. Sometimes (although very rarely due to his busy schedule), NieL himself visits the café and treats himself, but he is also willing to serve some lucky customers if he's there.
#2 Kang Ho-dong's Yook-Chil-Pal (678)
Former wrestler and current MC/Comedian Kang Ho Dong's restaurant specializes in barbecued meat. Be prepared to have the restaurant's catchy theme song stuck in your head: "When you think about pork, 6-7-8, when you think about beef, 6-7-8… what Kang Ho Dong eats everyday!"
Aside from the premium jeju island beef being its main selling point, visitors of 678 should try their galbi-jjim, which is a spicy Korean pot roast made with bone-in rib meat.
678 has branches in various parts of the world (including Los Angeles CA), but the main branch is at 46-1, Eoulmadang-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul.
#3 Park Shin Hye's Little Tin Drums
While technically owned and managed by Park Shin Hye's parents, Little Tin Drums is still the go-to place if you're a fan of the actress. The walls are covered with posters and pictures of Shin Hye, and the actress herself is a frequent visitor. Just be warned that there is an unspoken rule in the restaurant: respect Shin Hye's privacy, so no taking of pictures or asking of autographs (it is her mother's restaurant, after all.)
The restaurant is part of a franchise that is known for barbecued pork intestines, so if you want to try the best that the place has to offer, definitely order those. You can also try their noodles with roasted intestines if BBQ is not your thing.
Read More From Delishably
Seoul Gangdong-gu, SeoNae-dong 548-3
#4 HaHa's 401
Formerly a branch of Pal Ja Mak Chang, Haha's 401 is a Korean BBQ restaurant that uses reggae-inspired decorations and Haha memorabilia as designs. Like with many Korean BBQ restaurants, the waiters will help customers grill the pork. Haha on rare occasions visits the restaurant and helps with the grilling.
- Ever since the rebrand, 401 has streamlined its BBQ selections as intestines and expensive parts of black pork were removed from the menu, but it still offers some of the best BBQ black pork, which goes along with the vegetable side dish and cold kimchi noodles.
- Pricing is decent, as a person is likely to spend 27,000 won per head (which will include a bottle of soju.)
Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, 395-17. From Hongik University Station Exit 9, the place is just opposite of Sang Sang Ma Dang art exhibition hall.
#5 Leessang's Paljamakchang
As the name implies, LeeSsang's Pal ja mak chang specializes in Mak Chang, which is pork intestines. Since the restaurant uses a wide assortment of Leessang memorabilia as interior décor, it can't be helped that the place has taken on a hip-hop feel in terms of visuals. The owners do visit and they serve the guests, but the occasions are very rare due to their busy schedules and the fact that they have two branches.
- Barbecued pork intestines, and they also offer various parts of black pig. Grilling is the primary method of cooking, and like many grills, the waiters will grill for you if you ask.
- The prices are decent, and surprisingly inexpensive if you believe that having a celebrity as the owner commands a higher price—a meal for 2 people (consisting of 2 sides of rice, 2 orders of samgyapsal and an order of pork intestines) cost 2700 won (or $27 US).
48-20 Hwayang-dong (52 Dongil-ro 22-gil)
Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea
#6 B2ST Yoseob's Chilk Naengmyun
Yoseob's parents own the place but the interior is designed around him, with the small but comfy interiors having its own Yoseob shrine (which includes pictures of baby Yoseob). The place is technically a noodle house, as implied by its name.
Naengmyun, which is a Korean noodle dish consisting of thin and long handmade noodles made from flour, starch, buckwheat, and sweet potatoes. It's a delicacy that's been enjoyed by Koreans as far back as the Joseon Dynasty.
38-6 Wolgye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul
Note that at time of writing, the restaurant is closed due to contract/rent difficulties, but Yoseob's parents have promised to come back with new ideas after resting, most likely at a new location.
#7 Super Junior Yesung's Babtol's
Babtol's is a restaurant that Super Junior's Yesung bought for his parents. As expected, the place is decorated with Super Junior memorabilia, and is frequented by fans. Unlike many celebrity-owned restaurants that focus on Korean cuisine, Babtol's has a decidedly Western influence, combining its cuisine with the usual Korean offerings.
Yesung only rarely visits, so don't expect to see any fruits of your labor if you decide to camp at the place. However, it is personally managed by his parents and they are very gracious of their son's fans, so you can still visit and have a little bit of chat with them if you can't get enough of Yesung.
- Babtol's most popular offering is their omelet rice, which provides a twist to the usual kimbap omelet rice, as it also infuses western styles in both the ingredients and the presentation.
- The price is inexpensive even if you compare it to a non celebrity-themed establishment—the aforementioned omelet rice is big enough to feed two people (technically it's a single serving, but it's a HUGE serving.) and is only worth 6500 won.
Seoul, Mapo-gu, Seokyo Dong, 343-2
#8 Se7en's Yeolbong Jjimdak
Yeolbong Jjimdak is a chicken-oriented restaurant owned by Se7en. Unlike other celebrity restaurants on this list, he doesn't make regular visits (probably because of his busy schedule—he was recently doing his service for the military) but the place is regularly visited by other Korean celebrities like SNSD's Yoona, and Rain (which could either mean that the food is really good or that these celebrities are close friends and loyal supporters of Se7en).
- Yeolbong Jjimdak's specialty is braised chicken, but the one new visitors should try out is the Andong jjimdak, which is a braised chicken marinated in ganjang (Korean fermented soybean based sauce) and boiled over high heat. Be warned that even though you can specify the level of spicyness (1 to 3), even the lowest level is too hot for non-chili eaters.
- The price of a small andong chicken is not cheap, as it costs around 23000 won, but it can feed 2—4 people, depending on the side dishes ordered.
Daehyun 27-4, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
#9 Miss A's Suzy's CAFFE 秀 SOO
A café that is run by her parents, Caffe Soo is completely Suzy themed as pictures, posters, and all sorts of Suzy memorabilia adorn the walls. Suzy herself is a regular (though infrequent) visitor, so you can be lucky enough to see her in person during a visit.
- It was originally a small Korean snack bar but Suzy used her earnings to renovate it into a cozy café. It's offering the usual beverages and food you can expect from a café, and while they're good, they're not out of the ordinary. The main draw of the place is that it's basically a Suzy museum. The atmosphere is also warm and more personal compared to the usual celebrity restaurants that are noisy and always busy.
- The price is surprisingly cheaper compared to other cafes—even non-celebrity ones. It retains the mom-and-pop shop prices that Suzy's parents' snack bar had before their daughter became famous.
130, Myeonang Road, Buk-gu, Gwangju
#10 BlockB Taeil Korean BBQ
Even before Block B was formed, Taeil's family was already running a Korean BBQ restaurant, and the name is somewhat unimaginative but effective: it's simply named "Korean BBQ." As with many celebrity-owned restaurants, Korean BBQ's interior and exterior is adorned with the celebrity's memorabilia.
- As the name implies, the place's specialty is Korean BBQ, even though Taeil himself admits that he's tired of eating BBQ, so the restaurant's menu is varied, offering non-BBQ food as well.
- Price is decent, considering that it was already in business before Taiel became a celebrity and would have had to compete on price and service alone.


text: Sharp Prestige is an insurance enhancement that works with your current policy to provide you with more coverage, OEM parts, superior repair quality, and a brand new vehicle in the event of a total loss claim. If you purchased a pre-owned vehicle, you will receive what you paid for your vehicle at the time of purchase. Depreciation will not factor into your settlement amount. Sharp Prestige is endorsed by the Motor Dealers' Association of Alberta and is underwritten by Intact: Canada's largest insurance company.


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What obligation does the CEO have as the moral leader of a privately held enterprise? Sounds like a good roundtable discussion that could result in energized conversation for hours. It will not take that long to make my point.
Personal virtue was part of the Roman culture 2000 years ago. Although the Roman republic turned out to be a failed experiment, and the ensuing empire was far from flawless, the Roman concept of virtue had a lot to do with the profound influence of that culture on the history of Western Civilization.
I often preach the importance of defining core values for any privately held business. I have several exercises for helping CEOs (and their leadership team) define their most important values. They spring from personal virtue. Still, it's often hard to know where or how to begin the process. What context is appropriate?
The ancient Romans might help. Their list of personal virtues included (but was not limited to) the following:
- Veritas (Honesty in dealing with others)
- Industria (Hard work)
- Firmitas (Ability to stick to one's purpose)
- Dignitas (Personal pride)
- Severitas (Self-control)
- Comitas (Friendliness)
For organizational core values, a short list – a list of those values that are really important to you and your business – is preferable to a "laundry list" of traits that merely sound good. These should be core values that the CEO lives and breathes.
Part of your strategic planning process must include writing down the core values of the enterprise. They are foundational to the planning process.
It isn't particularly easy to define your short list; and it takes time to embed them into your company culture. That's because people aren't perfect. Our Founding Fathers struggled with this realization. They could not agree on how much to rely on personal virtue to maintain the balance between federal and state government, or the checks and balances among the three branches of government. They agreed on the necessity of personal virtue among our elected and appointed leaders, but they disagreed on how likely the system was to become corrupt.
So, if you have your doubts about achieving a perfect company culture even with solid core values, you're not alone. However, both the Romans and the early leaders of what became the United States of America placed great emphasis on striving for personal virtue. You may not be building the equivalent of the Roman Empire or the United States, but these are powerful examples to consider.


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The linear and nonlinear optical properties of a new organic dye, trans-4-[p-(N-ethyl-N-ethylamino)-styryl]-N-methyl-pyridinium tris(thiocyanato) cadmates (II), are reported in this paper. When pumped with a picosecond laser at the wavelength range of 850–1200 nm, intense upconversion fluorescence can be obtained. The upconversion efficiencies at different pump energies were measured when pumped with a 1064-nm laser beam from a mode-locked Nd:YAG laser. The highest upconversion efficiencies were measured to be 5.8% and 7.6% in dimethyl formamide (DMF) and methanol. The lifetime of the dye in DMF was measured to be 75 ps. The strongest nonlinear absorption was at the wavelength of 940 nm, and the highest upconversion efficiency was at the wavelength of 1030 nm. The difference of the two wavelengths was caused by excited state absorption in the dye at wavelengths shorter than 1000 nm. The dye solution in DMF and methanol show a clear optical power limiting effect.
© 2002 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
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Frank Hiner has practiced law in Elizabeth City for four years, but these days his career is at Fort Bragg. The Army reservist was called to active duty to replace other soldiers who deployed to support the war against terrorism.
"I didn't really expect to get called up for a year," he said.
As a result of being called up, Hiner had to shut down his law practice. He sent his clients to other attorneys and laid off his two employees. He said that he will basically have to start from scratch when he goes back home.
"It will be developing a base again because as it is, I don't have any clients right now and I had a good number," he said.
There are currently more than 2,500 reservists at Fort Bragg. In rare instances, a soldier can actually benefit financially.
Marian Jackson works as a correctional officer in California. That state is still paying her full-time salary while she also collects a paycheck as a transporter in the Army.
"It feels good, you have a job that understands the second job I have, which is the military," she said.
Hiner's military job forced him to take a significant pay cut, but still he said he has no regrets.
"The biggest negative materially is the lose of clients. There's also a positive because my daughter gets to learn that freedom isn't free," he said.
To help some of these soldiers out, the Soldier Relief Act lowers the interest rate on any debt they have to 6 percent. Small business owners are also eligible for special federal loans.


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Monday, January 21, 2013
Kindness of Strangers
I was speechless over the support given to me by the artisan community when I had my traffic collision- and now when I see these posts I do what I can for them- perhaps a little more than I usually would.
People often consider these sorts of things tacky; I can't see how. People like to support each other, and sometimes the only way you can do that is through money. That necessity of daily life, that which comes easy to some but not to others, that which is so unevenly distributed throughout the world and provides such a burden on the mind no matter how much you do or don't have. And to have that burden released at a time when the head and heart are heavy enough, that is something good.
7 comments:
- darlene said...
glad you are sharing. tacky? hmmm. i agree that i cannot see how. we have fundraisers constantly in my community. we have to survive one way or another and the help of a close-knit close-to-home or far-reaching community can make a difference. xoxo
- January 21, 2013 at 9:07 AM
- StaroftheEast said...
Thank you so much for spreading the word, Sparrow!
- January 21, 2013 at 11:30 AM
- Sea Witch said...
Not sure why anyone would could support for another tacky, but you are correct. The artisan community is a special bond of people.
- January 21, 2013 at 1:00 PM
- Annette Tait said...
thanks for sharing Penny :)
glad to have been able to help
- January 21, 2013 at 8:48 PM
- Unknown said...
Sandra's shop is very unique with lovely, original items, I have seen a hedgehog ceramic on her shop it was so cute and There are also amazing, unique items on this raffle for Sandra, I hope one of them will be mine:))
- January 22, 2013 at 2:39 AM
- Tammigirl said...
Oh my goodness, are you always on holiday!? I found, through the glories of pinterest, a post of yours from July. In said post you were on holiday and taking pictures of your bird. I go to your etsy site and what do I find? You are on vacay again! This is not fair. Life is not fair. No, wait, the sun is out! You are forgiven.
- January 22, 2013 at 7:22 AM
- fanciful devices said...
the only ppl who could think it tacky have never lived in need. never not one day.
i send hugs.
- February 1, 2013 at 7:35 PM


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ZIP code boundaries come in all shapes and sizes and are developed to increase mail delivery efficiency. Several of these factors that are considered are as follows:
ZIP codes are not necessarily defined by community perceived boundaries or municipal boundaries because of these reasons. For these listed reasons, boundaries are subject to frequent changes as the United States of America continually grows.
In 1942, the Post Office Department started to divide larger cities into smaller delivery zones. In 1963, the United States of America was completely divided into ZIP codes. This created for increased efficiency in the mail delivery system.
Since a hearing in 1990, the USPS has continually developed a reviewing process to asses ZIP code boundaries. Postmasters in individual areas are given charge of their areas in which they oversee.
Changes to ZIP Codes
With the help of locals and others who are familiar with local changes, the USPS does allow and respect requests for boundary changes through something the USPS calls a "ZIP Code Boundary Review Process." As these changes occur on a regular basis, we offer monthly and quarterly updates to changes made to ZIP code boundaries to keep our customers up to date.
Many ZIP codes are allowed to have multiple, acceptable city names within its boundaries due to these requests made by locals living in that ZIP code. That is why our data has multiple city names associated with certain ZIP codes. These added, acceptable names are denoted in the "CityType" column of our data by the letter "A."
Many ZIP code boundaries are drawn contrary to what many would intuitively think. The ZIP code 85254 is the ZIP code for Scottsdale, Arizona. However, many of the recipients of this ZIP code live in Phoenix. Therefore, it is important to have and consult the correct data for ZIP codes.
Our Products


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Iowa is believed to have the largest percentage of homes in the U.S. with radon levels above what the EPA calls "acceptable." Mindy Uhle, with the Iowa Department of Public Health, says at least half of the homes in the state have an elevated radon level.
"Iowa's designated as a 'zone one,' which means that we have a high risk for radon in a lot of homes in the state," Uhle says. Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that causes no immediate health symptoms, but long-term exposures may cause lung cancer. It comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil.
Uhle encourages all homeowners to purchase a radon test kit, which typically costs less than $20. "We would recommend doing that test every couple of years," Uhle says. "Some people also like to do it after they've done major renovations or any kind of work in the home that might affect how air moves through the home."
Radon gas typically seeps into a house under the home — through cracks in the foundation, floor or walls, and openings around floor drains, pipes and sump pumps.
Uhle suggests having a second test done if a first test shows high levels of radon in your home. Repairs to fix the problem are expensive. "It's basically a vent pipe and fan system within the home to move the air around," Uhle says. "It draws from underneath the foundation and then it vents it to outside of the building. That can cost anywhere from $800 up to $2,500, it really just depends how the air is moving under your home and where they're able to pull from."
Governor Branstad signed a proclamation last week formally declaring January as "Radon Action Month" in Iowa.


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For years and years already Ubuntu's installer, Ubiquity, has an OEM mode. And for years and years I know it doesn't really work with the Qt interface.
An understandable consequence of not actually having any real-life use cases of course, disappointing all the same. As part of the KDE Slimbook project I took a second and then a third look at the problems it was having and while it still is not perfect it is substantially better than before.
The thing to understand about the OEM mode is that technically it splits the installation in two. The OEM does a special installation which leads to a fully functional system that the OEM can modify and then put into "shipping" mode once satisfied with the configuration. After this, the system will go into a special Ubiquity that only offers the configuration part of the installation process (i.e. User creation, keyboard setup etc.). Once the customer completed this process the system is all ready to go, with any additional software the OEM might have installed during preparation.
Therein lies the problem in a way. The OEM configuration is design-wise kind of fiddly considering how the Qt interface is set up and interacts with other pieces of software (most notably KWin). This is double true for KDE neon where we use a slightly modified Ubiquity, with the fullscreen mode removed. However, as you might have guessed, not using fullscreen leads to all sorts of weird behavior in the OEM setup where practically speaking the user is meant to be locked out of the system but technically he is in a minimal session with a window manager. So, in theory, one can close the window, when started the window would be placed as though more windows are meant to appear, and it would have a minimize button etc. etc. All fairly terrible. However also not too tricky to fix once one has the identified all problems. Arguably that is the biggest feat with any installer change. Finding all possible scenarios where things can go wrong takes days.
So, to improve this the KDE Visual Design Group's Jens Reuterberg and I again descended into the hellish pit that is Qt 4 QWidget CSS theming on a code base that has seen way too many cooks over the years. The result I like much better than what we started out with, even if it isn't perfect.
The sidebar has had visual complexity removed to bring it closer to a Breeze look and feel. Window decoration elements not wanted during OEM set up are being removed by setting up suitable KWin rules when preparing for first boot.
Additionally, we will hopefully soon have enough translations to push out a new slideshow featuring slightly more varied visuals than the current "Riding the Waves" picture we have for a slideshow.
For additional information on how to use the current OEM mode check out the documentation on the KDE UserBase.
Ubiquity code
Slideshow code (most interest translations setup this)


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February 2019
I had the best experience working with Jose. He is very professional, and always went out of his way to help me find my dream home. Choosing him was the best decision that I had made. He is an angel. He helped me to find a Lender, which I had Rachna, who like Jose, was so sweet and helped me like a family. Jose is so kind, and very knowledgeable in all aspects of finding the right home for all the people that he helped. I personally experienced a world class top of the line service from Jose. Thank you so much Jose, i would personally recommend you to all the people I know. You are the best. Thank you so much for helping us get our dream home.Glitzy Z.


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ghost onigiri (filled with sauteed mushrooms and miso paste), nori and cheese eyes, nori mouth, pickled radish cheeks. he's peeking out from behind a "bush" made from parsley.
also in this bento: a carved jack-o-lantern mini pepper, made with sherimiya's excellent tutorial (thanks sheri!), snap peas and two red grape tomatoes, a silicon cup filled with asparagus and takuwan sticks and purple potato stars, and a spider food pick.
[as seen on holidash and japanisches allerlei (all things japanese)]


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Message I just posted on KTBS's website (which now seems to have disappeared from the page): Rhonda Lee is absolutely beautiful! And her response to the viewer criticizing her length of hair was measured, thoughtful, and well-reasoned. Even HE apparently agreed with her response. Why KTBS should fire this beautiful, intelligent woman is a mystery to me. Unless… of course, now that I see those four white faces in the picture above – three of them with blond hair – I think I have an inkling… bigotry is not a pretty thing. – Karen Molenaar Terrell, a middle-aged white lady from Washington State.
If you haven't heard about the firing of Rhonda Lee, here's the link to the story: http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/meteorologist-rhonda-lee-she-fired-defending-her-hair-200400289.html
And if you'd like a link to the KTBS website, here it is: https://www.facebook.com/KTBS3
I hate bigotry. I mean – I REALLY hate bigotry. Bigoted busybody bossy britches bullies who brazenly brandish their bigotry really toast my cookies. What happened to Rhonda Lee is a prime example of bigotry. But we see it everywhere, don't we? Any time you see individuals of a particular group being stereotpyped and lumped together and seen as some kind of monolithic entity, you're seeing bigotry.Whenever I read sentences about groups of people that start – "All atheists think…" or "All Christians believe…" or "All Muslims feel…" or "All gay men want…" – I can bet that I'm about to read an example of bigotry. If we want to understand each other, I do not think it is helpful to lump individuals under one big umbrella and assume we know what all these individuals think, believe, feel, or want. If you want to know what an individual thinks about something – ask him.
I have never felt the need for everybody else to believe exactly the same way I believe about things. Whatever beliefs others want to hold about life – so long as those beliefs don't cause harm to others – I'm fine with that. As my dear Aunt Junie used to say: Whatever makes your socks go up and down. I think we're all drawn to the path in life that makes the most sense to us, as individuals – some of us will be atheists, some of us will be Buddhist, and others of us will be Christian Scientists – and, so long as we're not tromping on someone else's rights in our own life journey – it's all good.
But bigotry DOES harm others, and DOES lead to tromping on the rights of others. When bigots prevent others from their basic human rights – from getting (or keeping) a job, from the freedom of owning a home in the neighborhood of one's choice, from voting, or marrying, or getting a drink of water from a water fountain – this we cannot support. This is not right, or good, or in any way helpful to the advancement of mankind. This kind of thing must end. We – all of us – as the children of Love – deserve better from ourselves and each other.
"The weapons of bigotry, ignorance, envy, fall before an honest heart." – from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy
"And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." – I Timothy 5
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." – Exodus 20: 16
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love…There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. " – I John 4


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Teacher Self Report and Evaluations
As a teacher, you can do the following in PDAS:
The Teacher Self Report criteria consists of 3 Sections:
Completing and Submitting your PDAS Self Report:
Objectives (Section I):
If your district does not use Forethought for lesson planning, you would simply fill in these text fields as normal and click "Save".
If, however, your district uses our Forethought application for lesson planning, you can fill out #1 with the aid of the "Forethought Courses" button shown in the screenshot below.
If you click the "Forethought Courses" button, you will then see the following page:
The "Select Course" dropdown on the top right lets you select a curriculum course from your Forethought planner schedule.
After doing so, you can also use the "Select All" or the "Select TEKS previously used in my planner" options.
When you are done selecting all the TEKS you plan on adding for a particular course, click "Add Objectives".
You will need to repeat this step for each course - the "Add Objectives" button only applies to the TEKS selected on your current screen.
When you are finished filling out this page, be sure to click "Save".
Remember that this option is only designed to be a helping tool. It is simply copying and pasting information in the appropriate box. You can manually edit, erase, and add to the content that it creates. You do not have to repeat these steps every single time if it is not necessary.
Assessment Processes (Section I):
For this page, you will simply check the relevant checkboxes and fill in the text field if applicable, and then click "Save".
You may then click "Submit Section I" up at the top of this page (also located on the "Objectives" page) when you are ready to submit Section I of your Teacher Self Report.
Keep in mind that you can update the information in your self report throughout the year, even after submission, simply by making your changes and hitting "Save".
Summative Questions (Sections II and III):
You will fill out the text fields as expected for Summative Questions (II & III), but if you use Workshop for Professional Development, then you will have an additional option covered below.
Note that for Question #7 above, if your district uses Workshop for Professional Development, you can use the circled "Workshop Portfolio" button in order to pull down your professional development activities from the past year.
After clicking "Workshop Portfolio", you'll get a screen similar to the one below.
It will automatically put checks next to all your courses from the previous school year. You may then click "Add Events", and then click "Close" to go back to editing your Self Report.
To submit Sections II & III, you will fill out each field, hit save, and click the "Submit Sections II & III" button on the top toolbar.
Please note that this "Submit Sections II & III" button will only appear when the "Summative Questions (II & III) category has been selected in the middle pane.
Remember that this option is only designed to be a helping tool. It is simply copying and pasting information in the appropriate box. You can manually edit, erase, and add to the content that it creates. You do not have to repeat these steps every single time if it is not necessary.
NOTE: Teachers are allowed to modify their self reports up until two weeks prior to the Summative Conference. PDAS will allow these updates without the need to resubmit. Simply make the necessary changes and click SAVE.
Teachers also have the ability to check the spelling of and print their self report. The spell check will only check the spelling of the currently displayed screen.
Viewing Evaluations:
Click My Evaluations to view all available documents. As your principal completes evaluations and makes them available to you, the documents will appear in your Walkthroughs and Evaluations list. You will also receive an email when a new evaluation is available. Click an item to view the details. By default, you will be able to print your evaluations, but you may also be able to post comments about and electronically sign evaluations we well (see below). When printing, PDAS will generate an Adobe Acrobat file which you can save to file or open right away.
File Attachment: (only available if enabled by your district)
Teachers have the option of uploading electronic documents for appraisers to view.
1. Click on My Evaluations
2. Click on Upload File Attachment
3. Follow the wizard to upload an electronic file (.pdf, .doc, etc.).
4. Once you've uploaded your file, the principal will be able to view the attached document.
Documents to Complete:
If group evaluations are enabled, teachers will see a document to complete in this section. Teachers will receive an email when an evaluation is required to submit.
1. Click on Documents to Complete.
2. Select the document.
3. Complete the document.
4. Use spell-check options as needed.
5. Click Submit Evaluation.
Group evaluations are anonymous.
Electronic Signature: (only available if enabled by your district)
PDAS allows you to electronically sign your evaluation to show that you have viewed and understand the evaluation. In order to electronically sign an evaluation, you must have set the security question when setting up your profile in Eduphoria. (Click My Profile on the main application screen.)
If you would like to refuse to sign the document, fill in your information and place a check next to 'By checking this box, I am indicating a refusal to sign this document' and then click 'Electronically Sign Document'. You will be confirming that you refuse to actually sign the document.
Adding a Comment: (optional feature)
PDAS has the capacity to allow staff members to enter comments about particular evaluations. These could be questions, comments, or rebuttals. For this option to appear, it must be enabled by your district.


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Contract negotiations, due diligence, mergers and acquisitions, and other sensitive business matters all have one thing in common — their success depends on effective document management and team communication. However, the vast majority of communication for these transactions is still being conducted in insecure ways. Businesses need to consolidate their transactional information into a single, safe repository that offers flexibility and simplicity.
Knovos' highly secure, scalable virtual deal rooms enable both internal and external parties to discuss, share, edit, assign and track all activity on a deal and its related documents and tasks in one place. Our solutions also offer advanced encryption, monitoring capabilities, and permission control over all users and documents. The combined effect of robust functionality, customizable workflows, and granular reporting not only enables teams to work better and faster but also provides valuable insights.


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THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- An American medical missionary who survived infection with Ebola has donated blood to a colleague who's struggling to fight his own infection with the often deadly virus.
Dr. Rick Sacra was given blood transfusions from Dr. Kent Brantly last Friday, shortly after arriving at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. The 51-year-old Sacra has also been given an experimental drug and other treatments, hospital officials said.
Sacra and Brantly, 33, are good friends. Both work for missionary groups. They were infected while caring for patients in West Africa, where the Ebola epidemic has killed more than 2,200 people and infected more than 4,200 others. World Health Organization officials have said the outbreak could eventually infect more than 20,000 people.
The theory behind the transfusion therapy is that Brantly's blood contains vital antibodies to the Ebola virus, and they may help Sacra's immune system fight off the infection.
Sacra is showing signs of improvement, his wife, Debbie, and his physician, Dr. Phil Smith, the medical director of the Omaha hospital's biocontainment unit, said at a news conference Thursday, USA Today reported.
Brantly himself was given a blood donation from a teenage survivor of Ebola while still in Liberia, one of the West Africa nations hit hard by the epidemic, the newspaper reported.
Four American medical aid workers have been infected with Ebola while working in West Africa. Brantly and colleague Nancy Writebol, 59, were flown from Liberia to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta last month for aggressive treatment that included the experimental drug ZMapp. Both recovered and are no longer contagious. It's still not clear what role, if any, ZMapp played in their recovery.
The fourth infected American, so far unidentified, continues to undergo treatment at Emory.
Sacra is being treated at the Nebraska hospital because health officials want to make sure several U.S. medical centers are capable of combating the highly lethal disease.
At Thursday's news conference, Sacra's wife, Debbie, said, "It really meant a lot to us that he [Brantly] was willing to give that donation so quickly after his own recovery."
Meanwhile, U.S. and World Health Organization officials have warned that the Ebola virus is spreading faster than health workers in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone can work to contain it.
Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Ebola is primarily being spread in West Africa in two ways: The first is among people caring for people with the disease, whether at home or in health-care settings and hospitals; the second is unsafe burial practices.
On Wednesday, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, acting in response to the Ebola outbreak in Africa, announced it had pledged $50 million to help combat the epidemic. Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft.
The money will be made available to United Nations agencies and international organizations involved in the response effort. It will enable them and national governments to purchase "needed supplies and scale up emergency operations in affected countries," the foundation said in a news release.
The grant will also be used to develop therapies, vaccines and diagnostic tests to treat patients and prevent further transmission of the disease.
SOURCES: Sept. 10, 2014, news release, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Sept. 11, 2014, USA Today
Copyright © 2014 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Published: September 2014


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Encounter Environment: The Gravity Chamber
This week I saved all my creative energies for one big post, and TGIF!
(Seriously, I've sold pdfs shorter than this… )
The Gravity Chamber
The Gravity Chamber is an encounter environment idea. It's a room in which gravity swaps one a round, every round, randomly and often with little warning. Down becomes up, and then the next round becomes down again. PCs must deal with being constantly slammed up and down, hopefully while you also add another encounter (like driders with boxes of caltrops and a cyclops alchemist) to keep thigns fresh and terrifying.
The Set Up
Have this be a big room, with a ceiling that's 20 feet high, plus 10 feet per 5 full levels of the PCs. Also, describe the weird bloodstains, scattered gear, and broken crockery everywhere…
Once the PCs are all inside, something triggers the room. Maybe it's an ancient eldritch trap that goesn;t go off until everyone is inside. Maybe it's a malfunctioning antigrav drive with an AI that waits for all passengers to be aboard. Maybe it's just bad timing. Maybe a super-powerful psychic child is sitting in the middle of the room waiting for her powers to kill her, and she throws a tantrum. Maybe there's a big shiny button, and the fun starts when someone presses it. Your game, your call. This is just a tool in your toolbox.
Once it's going, the Big Swap rolls initiative every round. Keep this secret. When it's number comes up, down and up switch places.
If there's an off switch, the PCs can try to reach it. If not, the effect likely lasts 10 rounds.
The Difficulty of Reverse Gravity
The difficulty of anything you attempt in the Gravity Chamber is modified by how much warning there is before gravity takes hold, and how suddenly it happens once the switch occurs. Those aren't things that exist in real-world terms, so there can be as much or as little warning as you, the GM, want.
To keep things interesting, I recommend you make the Difficulty Value 1.5x the Average party Level of your group. When a calculation of a DC calls for a value of X + DV, this should keep things interesting for characters of any level. For example, if a wizard who is part of a 5th level group is flying in the gravity chamber, his Fly check have a DC of 22 (15 + a DV of 7.5, rounded down to 7).
You could of course decide that the gravity chamber is the most dangerous, most sudden, most unpredictable version possible, and make all the DV's 30. But that's not going to be much fun for 8th level characters.
If you want to use the gravity chamber more than once, you can actually vary the DV and give the players careful explanations. If they run into a gravity chamber at 5th level with a DV of 7, explain that there is some warning, a sense of tilting or a brief moment of weightlessness, before each gravity switch. If they run into another one at 8th level, rather than a DV of 12 (as the formula would suggest), perhaps it has a DV of only 5. Explain that there is a groan and a series of clicks before the gravity switch, and that gravity fades in and out, quickly but not with no warning. It's actually easier than the first one they encountered (which also allows you to put a more dangerous complementary encounter in the chamber).
This, of course, sets them up for the extremely violent, no-warning gravity chamber they encounter at 10th level, with a DV of 20. One hopes by then the players have made some preparations for these types of encounters.
The Details
What happens when gravity reverses itself depends on what you were doing at the time.
Standing: If you are standing when gravity reverses itself, you are going to fall. The only question is, can you reduce the damage by "jumping" toward the new ground, flip midair, and land on your feet? That's a DC 10 + DV check, rather than a flat DC 15. Also, since otherwise people are standing from prone every round, you may wish to give people a choice of reducing the damage by 10 feet 9and falling prone if they take any damage), or landing in a heroic 3-point stance, which means they take full damage but *aren't* considered prone.
Deadpool would approve.
Flying: Flying characters don't get a pass just because they aren't touching the ground. Flying means you are pushing against "down" with some force to counteract gravity. Since you don't know when gravity will reverse itself, there's a definite risk that the force used to push against "down" will slam you into the new down when gravity flips. After all if it's just 40 feet from one side to the other, at 1g it only takes about 1.5 seconds to fall that distance (ignoring things like wind drag), and if you are flying at the midpoint it's less than 1 second.
When gravity reverses, anyone flying must make a Fly check with a DC of 15 + DV. The exception to this is flight with perfect maneuverability, which only needs to make a DC of 0 + DV. On a failed check you move a number of feet toward the new "down" equal to double the amount you missed the check by. If you move so far you hit the current "down," you take following damage and are prone.
Climbing: Climbing the walls or trying to use the Climb skill to stick to the floor when it becomes the ceiling is tricky… but not impossible. Usually an "overhand with handholds and footholds only" is DC 30, which is pretty epic. But you could, of course, add actual rungs, loops, gnarly roots, or even netting strung across every surface. To make a Climb effort a viable option you may want to go with a DC of 20+ DV, and be liberal with bonuses for doing things like hammering in pitons or getting clever with an immovable rod.
If a character has a climb speed and can stick to a surface gecko-like, it's MUCH easier to stay stuck to a surface when gravity reverses itself… but like flight it's not automatic. DC 5 + DV.
If you fail a check by 1-4, you may choose to be staggered and immobile, but stay in your space (representing a death-grip to stay put), If you fail by 5 or more, or aren't willing to be staggered, you fall and hit the new floor.
Landing: Things like wind drag, randomly pushing off other objects by accident, and gravity eddies mean you don't land exactly above or below your starting point. If you succeed at an Acrobatics check as described above, pick a square either directly under you or adjacent to the one directly under you, and you land there. For any other result, roll 1d8 and 1d20. The 1d8 determines your direction of scatter, if any. If it and the d20 result in the same number, you land directly under your starting space. If the d8 result is smaller than the d20 result, you drift 5 feet in the direction indicated by the d8. If the d8 result is bigger than the d20 result, you drift ten feet in the direction indicated by the d8.
If two or more creatures end up in the same space, they all make grapple checks. The creature with the highest result is standing (and may shift one space if necessary). All others are prone. No one is actually grappling, that just represents the mad scrabble to end up on top as they are flung together.
Remember I mentioned the driders you could add might have boxes of caltrops? This thing is a giant washing machine, and everything is being banged about. Each round, everyone must make a Reflex save with a DC of 5 + DV. On a success, you dodged all the debris. On a failure, you take damage equal to falling half the distance to the ground, as pebbles, old gear, and even small rodents slam into you.
You can also have small fields of caltrops, alchemists bombs, and angry hornet's nests bouncing around, with people trying to avoid landing on them. Move these the same way you move creatures, but if they end up sharing a space, the creatures automatically slam into them.
If you follow the guidelines given here, the Gravity Chamber is an encounter roughly the same CR as the party's average level. If you add another encounter to it, boost that encounter's CR by +2.
Of course being a higher CR encounter means more treasure… but what if everyone gains some special ability as a result to exposure to the strange gravatoinic radiation of the chamber? Perhaps everyone can feather fall once per day as a spell-like ability? And if they encounter a second chamber, maybe double exposure means they can each levitate once per day… and so on…
Or maybe they just get to gather up adamantine caltrops!
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Posted on February 17, 2017, in Adventure Design, Adventure Sketch, Game Design, Microsetting, Pathfinder Development and tagged Development, Experiment, gaming, Pathfinder. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.


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Sales lead professionals love Seth Godin.
If you've read one of his books or heard him talk about marketing, you cannot but love him, too, especially for his brilliant ideas and great sense of humor.
He also runs one of the most popular, insightful blogs on the internet today, in which he covers everything business-related from marketing and customer behavior to building a tribe and social media.VIEW ALL POSTS


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The lack of women on Wall Street has been written and discussed ad nauseum. Women don't like the long hours at investment banks, they leave top management positions faster than men and sexism still exists, although it's much more subtle.
So it's interesting that Dealbook has a story today about the Carlyle Group's effort to close the gender gap. Six of Carlyle's 90 partners are women while five of its nonpartner managing directors are female, the story says. About 44% of Carlyle's 949 employees are women. The story also highlights Karen Bechtel, who heads Carlyle's healthcare team. Bechtel recently led the PE firm's $6.1 billion deal to sell the real estate of nursing home operator HCR ManorCare.
"It's not an all-boys club here," Bechtel told Dealbook. "It's about doing the right thing for investors."
FINS, the finance career site of the Wall Street Journal, has written much about why women are leaving Wall Street. Computers have replaced junior, back-office workers, which are positions typically filled by women. Wall Street has also lost its allure. More than men, women hate Wall Street's seamy reputation.
With so much written on the topic, I still found the Carlyle story interesting. Just two months ago Forbes came out with its list of 100 Most Powerful Women. At the time, I was shocked that no female PE exec made the list. In fact, when I asked my sources about the lack of women on the list, one head of a PE firm confessed that he didn't know any senior female buyout executives.
In light of this, I'm glad Carlyle is making efforts to bring in more women. I should also note that buyout shops do face an extra hurdle in expanding their diversity than investment banks. PE firms aren't as big as IBs and have a more limited job selection with more specific skill requirements. Instead of the hundreds of jobs women can apply for at an investment bank, there are only three or four. So kudos to Carlyle for at least trying to bring in more women (although six of 90 means that roughly 7% of Carlyle partners are female, which seems a little low to me).
A Carlyle spokesman says the PE firm has made workplace diversity a priority. When the firm is recruiting for a position, it tells headhunters to show them a diverse pool of the best people. "That's the goal," the spokesman says. "To always hire the best and to make sure we have a diverse pool to choose from."
(I did ask the Carlyle spokesman why Bechtel, or any other woman at the firm, didn't make the Forbes list. "They didn't ask us," the spokesman says.)


text: Grant Earl Jensen, 75, returned to his Heavenly Father on November 17, 2011.\n\nHe was born to Ezra Peter Jensen and Nina Bayliss Vanfleet on 20 June, 1936 in Garland, a small agricultural community in northeastern Utah. Soon after, he moved to Ogden where Grant attended school, graduating from Ogden High School in 1955. He then attended Weber College, a two-year school at the time, and graduated with honors. Following this, Grant served in the South Australia Mission from 1957-1959. Returning to the states, he graduated with honors from the University of Utah, and went to work for Arthur Andersen accounting firm in Denver, Colorado. He rose quickly, becoming the Controller of O.K. Tire and Oil in Denver, then Assistant Controller of Ashland Oil in Ashland Kentucky. In 1961, on June 16, he married Joan Opal Tondro in the Salt Lake Temple.\n\nHe served as Bishop of Ashland Ward, President of the Charleston West Virginia Stake, and President of the Huntington West Virginia Stake. Following his retirement in 1993, he and his beloved wife Joan served seven full-time missions: Japan Tokyo; Papua New Guinea/Australia; Russia Moscow; Philippines Manila; West Africa Ghana Accra (where he served in the temple presidency); Russia Yekaterinberg; and Japan Fukuoka. He was a temple sealer and an ordinance worker in eight temples on four continents around the world.\n\nGrant and Joan had three children, Gary, Grant, and Jeanette, sixteen grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Preceded in death by his brother Dale, Grant is survived by sisters Lucile Thorne (Ogden) and Mary Jean Ballingham (Brigham City), and brother Evan Jensen (Preston, ID). The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the LDS Church missionary and temple funds.\n\nFuneral services will be held Monday, November 21 at 11am at the River Ridge Stake Center at 10190 South 1000 West in South Jordan. Viewing is Sunday, November 20 from 6:00 to 8:00pm at Jenkins-Soffe South Valley at 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway (10600 S.) and Monday from 9:45-10:45 am at the church.