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Hi. My name is Brian Fromme and I work at Canonical in the Launchpad tools team. One topic area I am most interested in is the human side of software development. We developers often put great tools together only to find that the people using them still have problems getting their jobs done.
As part of my job at Canonical, I am trying to research and solve the human issues that come with distributed team collaboration. This blog is part of my work toward solutions (or just improvements) in that area.
Distributed Team Collaboration
This first post is meant to collect my initial thoughts, research, and potential solutions to issues with working in a highly-distributed workplace. At Canonical, work teams are distributed across every timezone in the world. This model is typical for open-source development, but creates challenges for teams and projects that involve cross-functional teams.
One goal of this blog is to gather existing information on this topic, both within and outside of Canonical. Also, it is assumed that phsychological and socialogical research will be helpful in understanding the complexities of human needs. Issues such as motivation, connectedness, and attachment to goals are just the beginning of this area.
I hope that this work will be a starting place for that dialog. Other tools, such as a public wiki will also be useful for the ongoing contributions that are hoped for as part of research and experimentation processes.
Simplistic Model of Communication
The following diagram (Figure 1) shows a simplistic model of communication vehicles being used today in many distributed teams.
In this model, the most interpersonal methods are from the top down and the most ubiquitous methods are from the bottom up. In general, text-based methods are good for assigning and updating tasks (and other forms of work), but have complications based on time and understanding of the written word. In-person meetings have the benefits of strong interpersonal communication, but are expensive and taxing.
A model for best use of specific resources could help in this area. In particular, such a model should take into account the plethora of human needs for specific interpersonal communication. For example, email seems a good way to assign a task to someone. But, that person may have a very different understanding of the task, based on many factors. Also, the assignee might have a personal reaction to the task. Email typically assists little in these issues, particularly since people will sometimes gaurd their views until pressed in person.
So, does this mean that phone calls and in-person meetings are the solution? No. Rather, a more detailed model is required – one that accounts for specific situations and possible reactions. This may mean that a combination of communication technologies is required, again based on circumstances. It is this area that is intriguing and seems to have the possibility of great returns.
This blog is meant to begin a dialog about the challenges of working in distributed teams. Study and potential solutions for cross-functional teamwork is also a goal.


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Energy efficient, stylish and high performing sauna heaters from TylöHelo are made for superior sauna sessions and rejuvenating experiences. Innovative solutions and quality materials provide long-term durability.
We are TylöHelo, the world's leading sauna and steam manufacturer. What we do and the wellness experiences we create set us apart. The built in sense of pride and genuine feel that signifies our sauna and steam products can't be replicated. It is the people behind the scenes that institute it. The innovators, the visionaries, the entrepreneurs. Hard work and commitment to our clients' needs and an inherent drive to continously do better and promote health and fitness.
Scents are more powerful than you might think. We all know that a simple whiff of a smell can trigger memories of places and people, and has the power to evoke strong emotions. But what you might not know is that smells have a significant and direct impact on our bodies through our nervous system.
1. A sauna session is like a workout for the heart and blood vessels. The heat makes the blood vessels expand and raises the heart rate, thus exercising the whole cardiac system. When we cool down the vessels contract again, and the whole procedure is beneficial for the blood pressure.
The solitude and serenity of the sauna promotes introspection and relaxation, and saunas and sweat rooms have traditionally been used in meditative rituals all over the world. Create your own sweat ritual and take your sauna experience to the next level.

subset: commoncrawl


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Every Thursday the Get On team try & find you an edge in assessing the form for the weekend races in Victoria & around the country.
With Hamish McLachlan & Ross Stevenson takes a look at what's offbeat, over the top & often intriguing in the great game.
Racing.com shares some of the best racing stories, with legends of past and present
Join Sam Doran as he takes a look at some of the regional towns of Australia, the racing heartland.
Join Ben Asgari for a full analysis on all the big races
Jason Richardson, David Gately, Matt Hill, Mike Symons and Grace Ramage on The Wrap - Sunday Edition
Dissect all the latest racing news and talking points with a variety of special guests.
Brent Zerafa and Nic Ashman take a look at the stand-out performances from the weekend's racing.
Ben Asgari takes a look at the early markets for the weekend's races and finds some value for punters.
Every fortnight Clint Hutchison & Warren Huntly review the trials which have caught their eye & who you should be following out of the trials.
Every Tuesday Ben Asgari speaks to trainers & jockeys at trackwork ahead of the weekend races.
Racing.com personalities reflect on their 10 stand-out performers in a variety of categories.
Meet the major contributors, unsung heroes & characters of Victorian racing. Hosted by Matt Hill
Racing.com's Matt Hill gets an in-depth insight into some of racing's most interesting participants.
Weekly program hosted by Racing.com's Terry Bailey, highlighted by live studio interviews with racing participants.
A show that showcases the review of all the Country Racing action around the state.
Host Mick Wall is joined by Simon Marshall & Julian Vallance to dissect the weekend's best racing and give their best bets for around the country
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Jump Off - There is life after racing. Hosted by Hamish McLachlan
The Off The Bit team review & preview all the country racing action from around the state with special guests in studio each episode.
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Captures the essence of racing and equestrian lifestyle by taking you behind the scenes, meeting the people and the horses.
The racing.com form experts provide horses to follow out of each hosted Victorian meeting.
Each week on Premier we will be joined by industry participants & visit stud farms to preview this year's Inglis Premier Sale
A comprehensive preview show of Hong Kong racing which focuses on form, trackwork, interviews & race analysis.
We look at some of the most historic racetracks around Victoria.


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The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific has been successfully completed from 9 - 13 August 2009 in Bali, Indonesia. The Virtual Media Centre will remain accessible for both media and non-media users to get easy access to 9th ICAAP news and information. If you have any difficulties with these pages, please email us at email@example.com!
9th ICAAP AUDIT: CALL FOR PROPOSAL
The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific invites qualified international and national audit firms with offices in Jakarta to submit a proposal to conduct an audit of the 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP).
Click here for the complete terms of reference and proposal submission guideline.
Click here for the Latest Press Conference Schedule!, Plenary Press Conferences!, 9th ICAAP Media Programme!, Official Song of the 9th ICAAP!
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| 13 August, 2009


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so they say "Fashion is a general term for a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, footwear, accessories, makeup, or furniture. "Fashion" refers to a distinctive; however, often-habitual trend in a look and dress up of a person, as well as to prevailing styles in behavior". well it is the time for you to splurge.. fashion is to be loved not understood.
About Me
- Mapule Malope
- This is a time for you to splurge... honey.... set a corse on how youll dress for all seasons. be DISGUSTING!
Monday, 26 September 2011
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NPR's Michele Norris hosted a fascinating discussion on Black men and "hyper-masculinity" on Thursday with Duke University s Professor of African & African American Studies Mark Anthony Neal. Listen to it HERE.
Neal is the author of the newly-released Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities, which analyzes how high profile Black men such as Jay-Z and Barack Obama frame our perceptions of Black masculinity in America. The "Leroy" in the title refers to the character "Leroy Johnson" played by actor Gene Anthony Ray in the iconic 1980s film and television series Fame. Looking for Leroy: Illegible Black Masculinities was released in late April.
[I] watch[ed] Fame on television as a high school student in the Bronx and [became] fascinated by this character. The cornrows, the way his body moved, the way he dressed, the way that he dealt with the black world, the way he dealt with the white world - particularly in the arts school that he went to, and I was just fascinated by this character.
But as of 15 and 16 year old, I also thought this was a character that was gay, and we hadn't seen an out gay character on television in the early 1980s, and nothing about the show even suggested that he was an out gay character, but there was just some way that I read the character that struck me as interesting.
The passage on "basketballs vs violins" and hip-hop is particularly insightful.
The example I always use is if we see a black man with a basketball, we don't even have to process that. We've seen it so many times in our lives, we know exactly what that means. If we were to see a black man with a violin, that gives us reason to pause, right? We have all of these questions that are now attached, you know, how did he get the violin? Does he know how to play the violin? How can he afford the violin? I mean we can go on and on.
Hip-hop becomes a very interesting space in this conversation because it [has] monetized the image of black masculinity, and made several of these figures incredibly wealthy - the Jay-Zs and the Snoop Doggs and the Will Smiths But it's also a space that limits our understanding of the range of possibilities of what black masculinity can look like.
It's a terrific interview and definitely worth the time to listen.
Among other credits, Ray also danced in The Weather Girls' music video for "It's Raining Men". The song and video have became in gay and Black gay pop culture. Ray later struggled with addictions and homelessness and died from HIV/AIDS-related complications in 2003. He was only 41-years-old.
On a personal note: Professor Neal is spot-on with his take of Leroy. I was a pre-teen and teenager during the television run of Fame in the 1980s. Leroy was fearless, fascinating and all kinds of sexy. It was one of the very few television shows that I watched during those years.


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Wine International's A-Z of Online Wine Merchants
Thu 2 Jun 2005
In a review of online wine merchants in the July 2005 issue of Wine International magazine, our web site has received recognition from top internet wine expert Tom Cannavan.
Tom noted that 'Here the specialism is the wines (and foods and olive oils) of Spain, with a small but interesting portfolio that features not just Cava, Rioja and Ribera del Duero, but the wines of Toro, Utiel-Requena and Catalunya. A neat and usable site'


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The ability to taste PTC (phenylthiocarbamide) and other bitter compounds probably evolved as a way to protect animals from eating poisonous plants, according to Wooding and Bamshad, senior authors of a study reported in the April 13 cover story in Nature. Being a PTC taster or non-taster has far-reaching implications for human behavior, such as in the foods people eat and even whether they smoke cigarettes, said Wooding, research assistant professor of human genetics at the U of U's Eccles Institute of Human Genetics.
Evidence that humans and chimpanzees harbor different kinds of mutations suggests that the similar patterns of PTC sensitivity in the two species may be an evolutionary coincidence. "With this particular gene, it shows that humans and chimps probably faced different pressures from natural selection," Wooding said. "Chimps and humans outwardly show the same patterns of variation, but the mutations in each species are affecting taste sensitivity in completely different ways."
About 75 percent of people worldwide can taste PTC, while the remaining quarter can't. PTC tasters are less likely to smoke cigarettes than non-tasters, but they're also less likely to eat cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, that are important sources of nutrition, Wooding said.
Differences in PTC sensitivity were first discovered in 1930, when American chemist Arthur Fox accidentally let loose some of the compound in his laboratory. Fox noted that while some people complained of a bad taste from PTC, others could not taste it all. After that, he conducted experiments and found that about 70 percent of people were PTC tasters.
Following a study of chimpanzees more than 65 years ago, scientists thought the gene responsible for the ability to taste PTC evolved long before humans and chimps diverged into separate species. But after examining patterns of variation at a molecular level, Wooding and Bamshad, along with collaborators at the German Institute for Human Nutrition, Arizona State University, and the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, concluded that the "insensitive" form of the gene evolved separately in humans and chimps through completely different mutations.
People carry two functional forms of the PTC gene, one of which evolved over the last 1.5 million years or so--long after people and chimps had emerged as different species 7 to 10 million years ago. Although they're not sure why humans developed mutations of the gene that aren't sensitive to PTC, Wooding, Bamshad, and their co-researchers theorize that people who can't taste the substance developed sensitivity to a different, bitter compound, which might have provided an evolutionary advantage.
The researchers also conducted a taste test with 39 chimpanzees, to observe their sensitivity to PTC. Using a test similar to that used in many classrooms, in which children are asked to taste a piece of paper containing minute concentrations of PTC, they fed plain apples and apples soaked in small concentrations of PTC to the chimps. (PTC is not harmful and the chimps suffered no ill effects from eating it.) These results verified the same gene is responsible for the ability to taste or not taste PTC in both humans and chimps.
Comparisons of the taste test results with a gene sequence analysis showed that, like humans, chimps carry two forms of the PTC gene, but unlike the functional non-taster form that reduces PTC sensitivity humans, the one found in chimps is broken. After examining the molecular structure of the gene, Wooding and his fellow researchers pinpointed a mutation in a single nucleotide--one of the structural units of DNA--as the difference between the taster and non-taster forms found in chimps. A single nucleotide's difference indicates the mutation occurred long after humans and chimps diverged, Wooding said.
Evidence that chimpanzees have a "broken" form of the gene indicates that taste sensitivity likely was diminished in chimps for different reasons than in humans.
Wooding and Bamshad theorize chimps lost some PTC sensitivity as a result of plants disappearing and their diets being altered over eons, so that they were no longer pressured to taste the poisons found in those plants. But it also could be from a change in chimp behavior, such as a change in diet choice, Wooding said.
"Different mutations in humans and chimps might have emerged for different reasons," he said, "but in both cases we think what's driving it is the need to avoid toxins found in plants, which are common in primate diets."
The PTC gene is one of about 30 known to produce sensitivity to bitter tastes. A national group of U.S. researchers, including Mark F. Leppert, Ph.D., professor and co-chair of the U's Department of Human Genetics and Hillary Coon, Ph.D, research associate professor of psychiatry, discovered the PTC gene in 2002. If scientists can unravel the nature of sensitivity to PTC and other bitter chemicals, they may be able to produce compounds with important ramifications for human nutrition and diet, according to Wooding and Bamshad.
"Ultimately, we'd like to connect the patterns of variation in genes to human behavior," Wooding said.
The University of Utah Health Sciences Center is internationally regarded for its research and clinical expertise in the health sciences. Through its School of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, College of Nursing, College of Health and Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, the Health Sciences Center conducts leading-edge research in cancer, genetics, pharmaceutical sciences, and numerous other areas of medicine. The Health Sciences Center also is the major training ground of Utah's physicians, pharmacists, nurses, therapists, and other health-care professionals.


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ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The WTA announced Tuesday it has narrowed down its choices in the bidding process to host the WTA Championships for 2014 and beyond to Monterrey, México; Singapore; and Tianjin, China.
WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster will visit Monterrey this week, Singapore the week of February 25 and Tianjin the week of March 4. The winning host city will be announced in April.
"The WTA Championships provide cities around the world a stage on which their cities can be showcased. I am very pleased with the amount of international interest the Championships' bidding process has received," Allaster said. "I look forward to meeting with each finalist city and having the opportunity to review, in-person, the details of each bid."
Forty cities originally expressed interest in hosting the WTA's season finale, with Kazan, Russia, and México City, México, the latest to be removed from contention. The event was first played in 1972 in Boca Raton and has also been held in Los Angeles, New York City, Oakland, Munich, Madrid, Doha and its current home of Istanbul.
The WTA Championships features the Top 8 singles players and Top 8 doubles teams of the season competing for $4.9 million in prize money.


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Asian, Latino farmers lead strawberry industry
Yong Va Yang put four children through college thanks to hard work at his Turlock strawberry patch.
He and his wife, Blia, who both fled war-ravaged Laos in the 1970s, started farming the 6 acres along Monte Vista Avenue about 20 years ago.
Today, they are part of a notable trend: 85 percent of the state's strawberry farmers are of Asian or Mexican descent, according to a report this week from an industry group. That's not the case with any of the other major sectors in California agriculture, where the vast majority of farmers have European roots.
The report, from the California Strawberry Commission in Watsonville, offered a few reasons for the success of these groups: The fruit produces high yields from small plots. The land typically is rented rather than purchased, which reduces upfront costs. And consumers can't seem to get enough of the product, which has health benefits to go along with the flavor.
The Yang farm, on land leased from a housing developer, relies on family labor in preparing the beds, weeding, watering and harvesting. It's hard work – there's still no machine for picking the delicate fruit – but it has been worthwhile for these immigrants.
"They don't take anything for granted," Bee Yang, the youngest of the couple's four children, said Thursday. "They see how hard it was before."
Yong Va Yang was a police officer in Laos but had to flee when a new regime took power. The family made their way to Thailand, where Bee Yang was born, to await their journey to the United States. The Yangs lived in Memphis before moving to California.
The farm, now managed by Bee Yang, produces berries mainly for freezing by Dole Packaged Foods in Atwater. It also sells them fresh, along with other produce, at a farm stand.
The patch is surrounded by homes, businesses and California State University, Stanislaus. That has forced the family to no longer fumigate the soil for diseases. The Yangs also are concerned that this year's drought could stress the well that irrigates the plants through drip lines.
The Northern San Joaquin Valley accounts for less than 1 percent of the state's nearly 40,000 acres of strawberries. The season here used to run from April to July, but heat-tolerant varieties have stretched it into October. Merced County is the region's top producer.
Almost all of the California crop grows in the coastal belt between Santa Cruz and San Diego counties. It ranked sixth in gross income among the state's farm products in 2012, bringing an estimated $1.94 billion to growers.
The report is titled "Growing the American Dream: California Strawberry Farming's Rich History of Immigrants & Opportunity."
It said 65 percent of the farmers are Latinos, a quarter of them former field workers. The 20 percent who are Asian include Japanese American farmers, who have been part of the industry for about a century, and people with roots in Laos.
Alfredo Ramirez, an immigrant from Mexico, went to work in 1973 for Lassen Canyon Nursery, a strawberry plant producer based in Redding. Today, he manages the Manteca-area branch of the company, which produces about 500 million plants a year for farmers and gardeners around the world.
"I don't have any worries," Ramirez said Thursday. "I make enough money to live."
The same sentiment came from Laotian immigrant Brian Saetern, who lived in Merced before taking on a 4-acre strawberry patch near Manteca.
"I like strawberries," he said in the report. "They give me enough for my family to survive."


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The images above are a few examples of Best Pretty Nails Images, you can view and download the corresponding picture sizes to be used as a reference in decorating the nails to make it look more beautiful. In addition there is still another example related to the Nail in the other articles.
Nail Design And Art Ideas


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Contributing writer
It is not often that a sense of humor is a major element of a team's, but Goessel cross-country coach Tyler Schroeder said, "There is no doubt that this group's camaraderie and sense of humor will benefit this team as they make strides to return to state."
Four runners on this year's boys' team participated at Wamego in the state cross-country meet in 2012. Seniors Heath Goertzen, Jake Herrel, and Ben Wiens will give leadership to this year's team. Sophomore Zach Wiens also competed at the prestigious race in late October.
Other runners expected to contribute at the varsity level this year will be Dane Kruger and Aaron Woelk.
"We talk to each other when running and sometimes even sing," smiled Herrel.
"Running on grass is much better than running in circles on the track," Goertzen said.
Kylee Unruh, a sophomore, will be the only returning girls' letter-winner from last year. As a freshman, she completed the 4-kilometer race under 19 minutes several times, with hopes to improve this season.
"I find running enjoyable," she said. "It helps me clear my mind."
The Bluebird season begins Sept. 5 at Clearwater. Most races for the boys will be 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) and the girls will be 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).


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The best part of eating clean are the cheat days, and the best part of having children is when you can turn them into your own personal indentured servants. It's all about the payoff, and I look forward to the day when I have kids to vacuum and clean up dead squirrels from the front porch, because I am TOO FANCY for such things.
And the best part of being a food blogger is the swag for just cooking up stuff and writing about slave labor. My friend Isabel over at Family Foodie invited me to a Desserts in Jars party she was hosting at Datz Dough, a new pastry-centric restaurant spinoff from the highly acclaimed Datz Delicatessen in Tampa, FL. They have boozy milkshakes there. Just…just let that thought marinate a minute.
The event was to celebrate Datz's induction of various desserts in jars as inspired by Shaina Olmanson's newest cookbook, Desserts in Jars. Their newest menu items include Shaina's peanut butter cup cupcake, caramel crème cheesecake, pull apart cinnamon bread, cherry almond crumble, and lemon meringue pie with thyme shortbread crust.
All of these recipes and more are in the above aforementioned cookbook, and I am giving it away to one lucky winner! To qualify, use the RaffleCopter below to enter.


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Hell Rell Speaks On Suing Koch Records! "I Helped Koch Records Gross 10 Million Dollars. They Are Playing Games With My Money"
Hell Rell discusses media driven beef with Jim Jones and how these record company's be enslaving artist. Hell Rell "LIVE FROM HELL" Nov 3rd, 2009
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The first annual Burton 'High Fives' snowboarding competition, presented by MINI, concluded today at Snow Park NZ in Wanaka, New Zealand with the climactic halfpipe finals. Burton riders, Kelly Clark (USA) and Ayumu Hirano (JPN), took home US $10,000 each for their impressive winning performances in the pipe.
It was another beautiful 'bluebird' day at Snow Park NZ for the halfpipe finals. Women were up first in the pipe for the exciting one-hour jam session. Kelly Clark (USA) and second place rider Queralt Castellet (ESP) took it to a whole new level in women's pipe as they duked it out for the top spot run. In the end it was Kelly's incredible second run that took the win with 94.60, starting with a frontside 9, backside 5, front 7, cab 7 and stalefish. Queralt's third run was a stunning series of spins, opening with a front 5, back 9, front 9, back 5, and a frontside 10 to finish for 92.40 points. Rounding out the podium with a score of 75.40 was USA's Kaitlyn Farrington whose solid run consisted of a backside 5, stale, crail, corked front 7, cab 7, and backside alley-oop 5.
"The girls rode really great today and Queralt and I were run for run throughout," said Kelly. "But in the end I was really happy with my riding and it was so much fun to be putting down 9's and 10's in the summertime."
The men's halfpipe finals were dominated by the Japanese riders whose sky high boosts lead to the top two podium spots. Leading the charge was none other than 13-year old Ayumu Hirano (JPN), who laid down the gauntlet with his first run. In the end he was theonly rider to top his own score with a 92.40 run that consisted of a frontside air, front 10, cab 10, front double, and crazy alley-oop rodeo 5. Ayumu's talent showed through in spades earlier this year at the Burton US Open in March where his winning score in the Junior Jam broke all records. Burtongirls.com highlighted Ayumu's recent success in an interview at http://burtongirls.com/snowboarding/little-big-time/ Last year's Burton NZO winner, Ryo Aono (JPN), claimed second place today with 89.60, starting his run with a front 10 lein, cab 10 melon, front 9 lein, and back 9 lein. At one point it looked like it might be a clean sweep for the Japanese riders, but Greg Bretz (USA) put down a solid run for 88.60 points, nudging Kohei Kudo (JPN) off the podium for third place. Greg's run started with a front 10 tail, cab 10 nose, front 9 lein, back 9 tail, and a front 10 double cork.
"I am so stoked to have placed first today in my third run of the jam at the Burton High Fives," said Hirano. "I am now ready to go even bigger in my next competition."
The amazing week of competition started with a non-traditional approach for a snowboarding event as riders showed off some of their unknown talents in unique Kiwi-influenced, off-snow team challenges at Oxbow Adventures, taking place at Ferguson Lodge, and the MINI Countryman Winter Driving Challenge. Riders were grouped into 12 Teams of five to compete in fun and rugged outdoor activities like skeet shooting, ATV racing and knife throwing, to name a few. Heading into the individual snowboarding events, team 'Low Fives', consisting of Roger Kleivdal, Kaitlyn Farrington, Scotty Lago, Kyle Mack, and team captain Kelly Clark, had taken a commanding lead in the team challenges. The 'Bench Warmers' were in second and went on to achieve solid results on snow, but it wasn't quite enough to beat the Low Fives team whose strong snowboarding scores rose them to the top. The Low Fives gang took home the trophy and US $10,000 to split between them.
"The Burton High Fives' creative approach to a snowboarding event was a lot of fun to be a part of," said Kelly. "My strategy in team selection was to pick great riders with hidden talents like Scotty Lago with shooting and Kaitlyn Farrington with driving. That then set us up to do what we do best – snowboarding."
Prize money today totalled US $35,000 for the Halfpipe, with an additional US $10,000 going to the winning Low Fives team. The 2012 Burton High Fives has dished out a total prize purse of US $80,000 – the largest to date in New Zealand snow sports history.
The halfpipe awards ceremony was as unique as the Burton High Fives itself, complete with boardgiveaways and live sheep. It was followed by the High Fives Sunset Sessions on the sun-drenched deck at the Woolshed at Snow Park NZ, featuring Dudstown Soundsystem. The entertainment will continue later this evening with the High Fives Closing Party at Opium Bar in Wanaka, also featuring Dudstown Soundsystem.
For fans that missed it, the live webcast of the Burton High Fives can be viewed on demand at opensnowboarding.com. The 2012 Burton High Fives is the first event in the Burton Global Event Series and is a 5star event on the World Snowboard Tour. A special thanks to High Five partners MINI, Nokia, Red Bull, Snow Park NZ, Jagermeister, Juice TV, Skinny Mobile, The Edge, Stoke Lager, and Mighty Campervans.


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Book 2: The Prophet Lot (pbuh)
The Prophet Lot's (pbuh) Life
Allah informs us that a number of prophets lived during the same period. For example, the Prophet Aaron (pbuh) supported his brother, the Prophet Moses (pbuh), in his struggle with Pharaoh and in relaying the Divine message to the Children of Israel. The Prophet Jacob (pbuh) and the Prophet Joseph (pbuh) also were honored by Allah with prophethood during the same period.
We gave right judgment and knowledge to Lot, and rescued him from the city that committed disgusting acts, They were evil people who were deviators. We admitted him into Our mercy. He was one of the believers. (Surat al-Anbiya', 74-75)
The Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and the Prophet Lot (pbuh) lived in the same region. Although they lived among different people, they still supported one another. Our Lord reveals that:
He [Abraham] said: "You have adopted idols apart from Allah as tokens of mutual affection in this world. But then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will reject one another and curse one another. The Fire will be your shelter. You will have no helpers." And Lot had believed in him. He said: "I will emigrate to [the service of] my Lord. He is the Almighty, the All Wise."( Surat al-Ankabut, 25-26)
Immigration (hijra) means to submit to Allah willingly, knowing that He is your only friend and guardian, and taking refuge in His protection. The Prophet Lot (pbuh) migrated to our Lord by moving away from his unbelieving tribe. Like all of the prophets, he was a chosen individual who left an example for all people of sincerity and submission to Allah. The Prophet Lot (pbuh) and the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) were sent to different tribes. Allah reveals in the Qur'an that the society to which the Prophet Lot (pbuh) relayed the Divine message was steeped in homosexuality, a practice cursed by Allah.
The Prophet Lot's (pbuh) Misguided People
In the Qur'an, Allah states "So set your face firmly toward the Religion, as a pure natural believer, Allah's natural pattern on which He made humanity" (Surat ar-Rum, 30) and that He has created human beings with a specific disposition. Satan, on the other hand, asserts "… I will command them, and they will change Allah's Creation…" (Surat an-Nisa', 119). He seeks to turn people away from that disposition and to lead them into various prohibited practices.
To those who do not believe, the life of his world is painted in glowing colors and they laugh at those who believe. But on the Day of Resurrction those who fear[and respect]Allah will be over them. Allah provides for whoever He wills without any reckoning. (Surat al-Baqara:212)
"Picos de Europa" (1860) Carlos de Haes Museo del Prado
One of the prohibited practices to which satan incites human beings is homosexuality. Indeed, Allah describes the situation of those who follow satan's urgings and live an immoral lifestyle: "If they see every Sign, they will not believe in it. If they see the way of right guidance, they will not take it as a way. But if they see the way of error, they will take that as a way" (Surat al-A'raf, 146). As Allah states "Allah desires to turn toward you, but those who pursue their lower appetites desire to make you deviate completely" (Surat an-Nisa', 27), these people wish to draw everyone away from the true path. Allah states in the Qur'an the reward that such people will receive:
An evil generation succeeded those who neglected the prayer and followed their appetites. They will plunge into the Valley of Evil. (Surah Maryam, 59)
This prohibited practice has appeared in many societies throughout history. In the Qur'an, Allah specifically tells the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) tribe, who was well known for this custom. The Prophet Lot (pbuh), an esteemed prophet who believed fully in our Lord and possessed the proper moral values and resignation to Allah, called on his tribe to fear (and respect) Allah, abandon their homosexuality, and live a life that would please Him. But they responded to his words with hostility. Due to their monstrous temerity and immorality, they fully merited our Lord's chastisement. As Allah tells us, they met the following fate:
And Lot, when he said to his tribe: "Do you commit an obscenity not perpetrated before you by anyone in all the worlds? You come with lust to men instead of women. You are indeed a depraved tribe." The only answer of his tribe was to say: "Expel them from your city! They are people who keep themselves pure!" So We rescued him and his family—except for his wife. She was one of those who stayed behind. We rained down a rain upon them. See the final fate of the evildoers! (Surat al-A'raf, 80-84)
These people, who refused to abandon their sin despite being warned, threatened the Prophet Lot (pbuh) and the believers with exile. Saying "They are people who keep themselves pure!" (Surat al-A'raf, 82), they imagined that they were mocking the believers. Despite their sinful lifestyle and excesses, however, the Prophet Lot (pbuh) continued to relay His message in order to earn Allah's good pleasure.
Prophet Lot (pbuh), who was a patient, determined, and courageous servant, manifested his joyous faith in and respect for Allah. His tribe's mockery and attacks only reinforced his enthusiasm and determination. Like all of the other prophets, he continued to command what is good and forbid what is evil, thus scrupulously fulfilling the duty Allah has entrusted him with. In the Qur'an, Allah reveals the following:
O Prophet. We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good news and a warner, a caller to Allah by His permission and a light-giving lamp. Give good news to the believers that they will receive immense favor from Allah. Do not obey the unbelievers and hypocrites, and disregard their abuse of you. Put your trust in Allah. Allah suffices as a Protector. (Surat al-Ahzab, 45-48)
Then We sent Our messengers, one after another, at intervals. Each time its messenger came to a community, they called him a liar. So, We made them follow one another too and turned them into myths and legends. Away with the people who do not believe! (Surat al-Hajj, 44)
Believers must take the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) superior moral values as models for themselves, always behave patiently when presenting His message, and explain religion's moral values to people in the most appropriate and effective way.
The Prophet Lot (pbuh) Warns His Tribe
The people of Lot denied the messengers, when their brother Lot said to them: "Will you not guard against evil? I am a faithful Messenger to you. So fear [and respect] Allah and obey me." (Surat ash-Shu'ara, 160-163)
And ishmael, Elisha, jonah and Lot. All of them We favored over all beings. (Surat al-An'am,86)
The Prophet Lot (pbuh) wished that his tribe would abandon their indecent acts and join him in worshipping Allah. Immediately after relaying the Divine message, he made it clear that he expected nothing from them but their willingness to gain Allah's good pleasure:
"I do not ask you for any wage for it. My wage is the responsibility of no one but the Lord of all the worlds." (Surat ash-Shu'ra, 164)
He then described his tribe's gross immorality:
"Of all beings, do you lie with males, leaving the wives Allah has created for you? You are a people who have overstepped the limits." They said: "Lot, if you do not desist, you will be expelled." He said: "I am someone who detests the deed you perpetrate." (Surat ash-Shu'ra, 165-168)
Just like some people today, his tribe sought to portray the sin of homosexuality as acceptable and justified. In fact, such an attitude is one of the causes for the present moral degeneration all over the world. Muslims, however, live according to Allah's decrees and thus must adopt the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) attitude toward this sin.
Allah reveals in the Qur'an that these unbelieving and immoral people, who responded to the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) warnings with threats and attacks, felt secure due to their large numbers. People who live far removed from religion often have this erroneous perspective. However, our Lord reveals that believers have always formed a small minority of people. As for the number of believers among the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) tribe, Allah says: "But [We] found in it only one house of Muslims" (Surat adh-Dhariyat, 36). However, Allah's support and help are always with believers, for our Lord promises that those who believe with a sincere heart, seek only His good pleasure, strive for the Hereafter, and spread religion's moral values will always be victorious. As Allah states:
llah has promised those of you who believe and do right actions that He will make them successors in the land, just as He made those before them successors; will firmly establish for them their religion with which He is pleased; and give them, in place of their fear, security. "They worship Me, not associating anything with Me." Any who do not believe after that, such people are deviators. (Surat an-Nur, 55)
Our Lord has always implemented this Divine law, and small numbers of believers have always achieved enormous success against their far more numerous peoples. Allah gives the faithful the following glad tidings:
... How many a small force has triumphed over a much greater one, by Allah's permission! Allah is with the steadfast. (Surat al-Baqara, 249)
The Angels Who Came to the Prophet Lot (pbuh)
The angels who came to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) gave him the glad news of a righteous child and told him something about the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) people:
When Our angels came with the good news to Abraham, they said: "We are going to destroy the people of this city. Truly its inhabitants are wrongdoers." (Surat al-Ankabut, 31)
And Mary, the daughter of 'Imran,who guarded her chastity-We breathed Our Spirit into her and she confirmed the words of her Lord and His Book and was one of the obedient. (Surat at-Tahrim,12)
Allah describes this visit in the following terms:
When Our angles came to Lot, he was distressed for them, very concerned for them, and said: "This is a dreadful day." (Surah Hud, 77)
When his people learned that messengers had come to the Prophet Lot (pbuh), they came running towards him and, as revealed in the Qur'an:
They even wanted to seduce his guests!... (Surat al-Qamar, 37)
The Prophet Lot (pbuh) warned his tribe in these terms:
His tribe came running to him excitedly—they were long used to committing evil acts. He said: "My people, here are my daughters. They are purer for you. So fear Allah and do not shame me with my guests. Is there not one rightly-guided man among you?" They said: "You know we have no claim on your daughters. You know very well what we want." (Surah Hud, 78-79)
The Prophet Lot's (pbuh) reference to his daughters informed in the verse may mean his own daughters or else the tribe's young women. (Allah knows the truth.) In other words, he was saying that his tribe to marry those women, as this is the type of relationship of which Allah approves. The expression "is there not one rightly-guided man among you?" shows that his entire tribe was caught up in this sinful behavior and excess. As an honorable and moral man chosen by Allah, the Prophet Lot (pbuh) wished to depart from his immoral people:
He said: "If only I had the strength to combat you or could take refuge in some powerful support!" (Surah Hud, 80)
However, our Lord used these angels to reveal to the Prophet Lot (pbuh) that his tribe would be punished severely for their excesses:
He said: "You are people we do not know." They said: "We have come to you with what they had doubts about. We have brought you the truth, and we are certainly truthful men. Travel with your family in the dead of night, following behind with them in front of you. None of you must look back. Go to where you are ordered." We revealed to him the command We had decreed: that on the following morning the last remnant of those people would be cut off. (Surat al-Hijr, 62-66)
They said: "Lot, we are messengers from your Lord. They will not be able to get at you. Set out with your family—except for your wife—in the middle of the night, and none of you should look back. What strikes them will strike her as well. Their promised appointment is the morning. Is the morning not close at hand?" (Surah Hud, 81)
Allah reveals that the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) wife would be destroyed, despite her position as a prophet's wife. Although Allah had honored and elevated her husband with prophethood, this blessing and honor gained her nothing because of her insincerity and denial.
Has the news of those who came before them not reached them,the people of Noah and, And and Thamud,and the people of Abraham and the inhabitants of midian and the overturned cities? Their messengers brought them the Clear Signs, Allah did not wrong them rather,they wronged themselves. (Surat at Tawba,70)
Her death shows that such connections as being related to or descended from the prophets of Allah will be of no benefit in the Hereafter. Only one's deep faith, submission and obedience, and strong fear and respect of Allah will be of any benefit. If one's heart contains no sincere faith, one will find no salvation, regardless of his or her physical or familial closeness to Allah's prophets. Indeed, such proximity may well increase one's responsibility in Allah's Sight, for Allah reveals:
O wives of the Prophet. If any of you commits an obvious act of indecency, she will receive double the punishment. That is an easy matter for Allah. But those of you who are obedient to Allah and His Messenger and act rightly will be given their reward twice over; and We have prepared a generous provision for them. O wives of the Prophet. You are not like other women, provided you guard against evil. Do not be too soft-spoken in your speech, lest someone with sickness in his heart becomes desirous. Speak correct and courteous words. Remain in your houses and do not display your beauty, as it was previously displayed in the Time of Ignorance. Perform [the prescribed] prayers and give alms, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah desires to remove all impurity from you, O People of the House, and to purify you completely. (Surat al-Ahzab, 30-33)
Our Lord cites the wives of the Prophet Lot (pbuh) and the Prophet Noah (pbuh) to serve as a deterrent in this matter. Allah also refers to Pharaoh's wife, who is a fine model of sincerity, fear and respect of Allah, and heartfelt prayer:
Allah has made an example for those who do not believe: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were married to two of Our servants who were righteous, but they betrayed them and were not helped at all against Allah. They were told: "Enter the Fire along with all who enter it." Allah has made an example for those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh when she said: "My Lord, build a house in the Garden for me in Your Presence, rescue me from Pharaoh and his deeds, and rescue me from this wrongdoing people." (Surat at-Tahrim, 10-11)
The Destruction Is Sent
Prophet Lot (pbuh) first informed the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) of the news he had received from the angels:
German researcher Werner Keller, who bases his arguments on archeological and geological studies, said that Sodom and Gomorrah were located in Siddim Valley. He states that these cities were at the lowest edge of the Dead Sea (Lake Lut), where, over the years, large settlements gradually developed. As a result of the catastrophe in the region, some of these cities' remains, which slipped toward the lake, now stand at its edge. These remains show that the people enjoyed a rather high standard of living.
He [Abraham] inquired: "What, then, is your business, messengers?" They said: "We have been sent to a people of evildoers to unleash upon them lumps of clay earmarked by your Lord for the profligate." We brought out all the believers who were there, but found in it only one house of Muslims. (Surat adh-Dhariyat,31-36)
After they had fulfilled their mission to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), the angels visited the Prophet Lot (pbuh) and told him that his tribe would be destroyed. A Muslim society, however, will be protected from such destruction. According to the Qur'an:
They even wanted to seduce his guests! So We put out their eyes: "Taste My punishment and warnings!" (Surat al-Qamar, 37)
When Our command came, We turned their cities upside down and rained down on them stones of hard baked clay, piled on top of one another in layers, each one earmarked by your Lord. And they are never far from the wrongdoers. (Surah Hud, 82-83)
Perhaps turning upside down signifies the region's destruction by a powerful earthquake. The expression rained down on them stones of hard baked clay may indicate a volcanic eruption and the hard baked lava and stones thrown up by it. The same event is described elsewhere: "and made a rain come pouring down upon them. How evil is the rain of those who are warned!" (Surat ash-Shu'ara, 173). In other words, the tribe may have been destroyed by an earthquake followed by a volcanic eruption. (Allah knows the truth.)
Historians opine that the site of this great disaster is the shore of the Dead Sea, also known as Lake Lut. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, located alongside the Dead Sea, between the West Bank and Jordan, are regarded as the cities of the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) mainly homosexual people. Archaeological research shows that these cities collapsed after a powerful earthquake. According to researchers, one area, shallower than the rest of the Dead Sea, houses the remains of these people, who entered the deep parts of the sea. (For further details, see Harun Yahya, The Perished Nations [Istanbul: 2002]).
The expression turning upside down may be describing how the region was destroyed in a violent earthquake. Indeed, the Dead Sea (Lake Lut) is located in an active seismic region.
In the same verse, Allah reveals that He rained down on them stones of hard baked clay. Keller explains: "The subsidence released valconic forces that had been lying dormant deep down along the whole lenght of the fracture. In the upper valley of the Jordan near Bashan there are still towering craters of extinct volcanoes; great stretches of lava and deep layers of basalt have been deposited of the limestone surface." (Werner Keller, Und die Bibel hat doch recht [The Bible as History; a Conformation of the Book of Books], William Morrow, [New York: 1956, 76.])
"Do you come with lust to men instead of women?You are a people who are deeply ignorant."The only response of his people...
...was to say: "Drive the family of Lot out of your city! They are people who keep themselves pure!" (Surat an-Naml, 55-56)
The Fate of Pompeii
Pompeii was the symbol of Rome's moral degeneration. Just like the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) tribe, the inhabitants of Pompeii, who had also strayed far from religious morality, chose a lifestyle contrary to the morals and life commanded by Allah. And so Allah punished them, just as He punished the Prophet Lot's (pbuh) tribe. Every society that rebels against Allah inevitably is punished, either in this world or the next, for this is one of Allah's laws. As Allah reveals:
... You will not find any changing in the pattern of Allah. You will not find any alteration in the pattern of Allah. (Surah Fatir, 43)
Pompeii was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE. Mount Vesuvius is the symbol of Italy, particularly the city of Naples. Dormant now for some 2,000 years, it is also known as the Mountain of Misfortune. Naples stands on the mount's western slopes, and Pompeii stands on its eastern slopes. This disaster struck Pompeii so suddenly that everything seems to have been frozen in time.
A few examples of the petrified human bodies unearthed from the ruins of Pompeii.
This fresco depicts a banquet that brought the people of Pompeii together. (Left)
Frescoes from Pompeii. (Right)
There are important lessons to be learned from Pompeii's fate. Historical sources reveal that before its destruction, Pompeii was a hotbed of vice and debauchery and was known for its widespread prostitution. Yet Mount Vesuvius wiped the city from the map in a single moment. Interestingly, despite its terrible eruption, nobody fled. It seems that the people were rooted to the spot, as if unaware of the tragedy. A number of couples have been found, among which are same-sex couples and young boys and girls. Some of the petrified human remains contain perfectly preserved facial features. Their general expression is one of surprise, for Pompeii was destroyed suddenly. Allah gives an example of the people of a city:
It was but one Great Blast, and [then] they were extinct. (Surah Ya Sin, 29)
"My Lord,rescue me and my family from what they are doing. "Therefore We rescued him and all his family-except for an old women who remained behind. Then, We utterly destroyed the rest. (Surat ash-Shu'ara;169-172)
The Immigration (Hijra) of the Prophet Lot (pbuh) and the Prophet Abraham (pbuh)
These ruins contain four mills used to grind flour.
Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and the Prophet Lot (pbuh), along with the believers, migrated at Allah's command and settled in a delightful new land. In the Qur'an, our Lord reveals their blessed destiny:
We delivered both him [Abraham] and Lot to the land that We had blessed for all beings. And in addition to that, We gave him Isaac and Jacob and made both of them righteous. We made them leaders, guiding [them] by Our command, and revealed to them how to do good actions, perform prayer, and give alms. And they worshipped Us. We gave right judgment and knowledge to Lot, and rescued him from the city that committed disgusting acts. They were evil people who were deviators. We admitted him into Our mercy. He was one of the righteous. (Surat al-Anbiya', 71-75)
Hijra is a religious observation that only devout believers can perform. People who live far removed from religion can never agree to suddenly leave behind everything they own and emigrate to an unknown destination. Their homes, goods, and property are most important to them. Yet wherever believers may go, since they know that Allah will meet all of their needs, they have no hesitation about leaving everything behind and emigrating for Allah's good pleasure. The Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and the Prophet Lot (pbuh) demonstrated their submission to Allah in the finest possible manner. They renounced their material possessions and homelands to gain His good pleasure. In return, our Lord settled them in a good land and endowed them with the infinite blessings of Paradise in the Hereafter.
Believers, who trust in Allah and know that He will meet all of their needs at every moment, must follow the Prophets' model of complete submission to Allah. That is because people who are attached to the world and are concerned about the future are far removed from religion's moral values. Our Lord gives believers the glad tidings that as a reward for not indulging in material interests, believers will receive matchless blessings in both worlds.
In addition, Allah informs us of the prophets' vast property as a blessing from Him. The Prophet David (pbuh) had a great deal of property, and the Prophet Solomon (pbuh) possessed so much power and wealth that nobody could match them. Allah reveals that He gave the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and his line a lot of property:
Or do they, in fact, envy other people for the bounty Allah has granted them? We gave the family of Abraham the Book and wisdom, and We gave them an immense kingdom. (Surat an-Nisa', 54)
Goods, property, and power are always causes of arrogance and self-love among those who do not believe and are heedless. On the other hand, the prophets and the believers who follow them use the goods and property Allah has given them to spread His religion, earn His good pleasure, and achieve their abode in the Hereafter. Furthermore, believers also know that all of their property belongs to Allah. When sincere Muslims are given blessings in this world, they thank our Lord. More importantly, when such blessings diminish they still thank Allah with all of their hearts and display the proper patience, for they know that this life is a test and that Allah will reward them in Paradise:
Those who believe and emigrate and strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and their selves have a higher rank with Allah. They are the ones who are victorious. Their Lord gives them the good news of His mercy and good pleasure, and Gardens where they will enjoy everlasting delight, remaining in them timelessly, forever and ever. Truly, there is an immense reward with Allah. (Surat at-Tawba, 20-22)


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Looking for reviews from real users! Not Headzone distributors)))
talking about Headzone - how is the quality of helmet itself? radio and battery life? sound quality? any real pros and cons?
Maybe anybody knows any alternatives to Headzone helmets?
Found few descriptions of Voz helmets, but they seem to be outdated and company website gives no info...
would appreciate any comment or recommendation!


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It's tough being a small player in a big field. But about 250 regional seed companies are doing just that — competing in the massive U.S. corn and soybean seed market. Combined, regional companies hold 40% of this market. But individually, only a few can count market share above 1%. As a result, successful regional companies are constantly learning to carve out a niche in the highly competitive business.
Beck's Hybrids, for example, has staked out a 140-mile market radius and aggressively sought to meet customer needs in that area. "We decided that we would carve out our area and be one of the three to five major players delivering product to a customer," states Sonny Beck, president of the Indiana-based company.
The strategy has worked. Beck's is the second largest seed company in its market area. But if you go outside its defined area, you won't find Beck's seed for sale.
The soybean seed market doesn't lend itself to geographic identification as well as corn does. So regional companies such as Iowa's Latham Seeds carve a niche by finding innovative ways to help customers. Latham's latest development is selling soybean seed by seed count. Next year's seed will be sold in 140,000-seed units instead of 50-lb. bags. It also was the first in its area to market CystX soybeans, which are highly resistant to soybean cyst nematodes.
Dairyland Seed takes another tack. "Our focus is to improve the engine in the car," reports Tom Strachota, president. "The real engine driving seed is genetics." So the company puts 15% of total sales into a research and development budget to improve plant genetics.
"Traits can be extremely valuable, but as traits gain market share, they almost become commodities," Strachota says. "One problem with Roundup Ready soybeans is everybody has them in their lineup and every company has reasonably good products. So you have to have very good products and products that you can prove are better."
Regional contraction?
While regional companies work to stay competitive, many challenges lie ahead, including trait licensing and pricing issues. Next year, Monsanto's agreement to license traits to Holden's Foundation Seed/Corn States ends. Monsanto's licensing across the 250 regional companies may start to contract.
"In my opinion, you will see another consolidation of the seed industry when we don't have [Holden's] to protect broad licensing," Beck suggests. "We're going to prepare for what looks like a narrowing of the industry. I hope I'm wrong, though."
Seed industry consultant Tray Thomas thinks Monsanto will tighten its licensing agreements with regional seed companies that have been slow to pay or difficult to work with or that don't abide by the rules. But he doesn't think the market share of smaller seed companies will change. "I imagine that, slowly, the number of seed companies will decrease but the share of the companies will stay the same," he says. "They are too valuable of a distribution point for Monsanto to cut them off."
Uneven playing field
Seed trait pricing represents another point of concern for regional seed companies. Monsanto's recent announcement of a price hike for Dekalb and Asgrow Roundup Ready (RR) soybean seed highlights this issue. (See "Roundup Ready price increase," page 11.) The regional companies that license RR technology assume they also face a similar price increase, even though this information is confidential.
Regional companies say they must price their seed against other major seed companies that don't pay high technology fees for RR traits. "In soybeans, it is an uneven playing field in that we suspect that some major players pay either no royalty or a highly reduced royalty on RR soybeans," states Bill Latham of Latham Seeds. "It is a matter of competitiveness to us. We can be highly efficient and still be less competitive in the marketplace if these other players decide to play the price game."
Strachota agrees: "Roughly 60% of the seed market including Pioneer, Monsanto, and Syngenta have a unique cost basis for RR soybean technology. The remaining 40% of the market are Monsanto seed partners. These are companies that, when selling RR seed, must accept whatever level of tech fees or royalty is required."
John Raines, Monsanto's director of U.S. marketing, says the company does have licensing agreements with other companies and the agreements are confidential. But it is still up to each seed company to price its own seed. "We know that if our technology and system doesn't offer greater value than other choices that the farmer has, they ultimately will choose somebody else's seed," he says.
"We do have wonderful relationships with our seed partners. And we chose the path of broadly licensing our technology a number of years ago," Raines adds. "We are committed to that strategy today because our customers want the technologies and they want to have a choice of the brand they want to buy."
Trait boom
There is no doubt that Monsanto's wide licensing of its premium seed traits has helped regional companies while helping Monsanto. "Technology has improved our products for a whole bunch of reasons," reports Gene Kronberg, NC+ Hybrids director of sales and marketing. "It's important environmentally. It has improved yields. From a supplier standpoint, it means a shift in where margins are generated [to seed]. And we can access some of the most up-to-date technology available."
Kronberg also thinks that Monsanto wants to work with regional seed companies like NC+, located in Lincoln, NE. "They need us to help them get that technology out to folks," he says. "I think they truly understand that. I think they look at NC+ as a key player, especially with our strength in the West."
The big question ahead is what will happen when another major seed company like Syngenta offers to license traits that compete with those offered by Monsanto. Will regional companies have enough room in their Monsanto licenses to take on competing traits?
The answer will come in a few years. Syngenta is expected to offer traits similar to Monsanto's by 2007, if goals for its newly acquired Golden Harvest and pending acquisition of Garst Seed are achieved.
Meanwhile, regional seed companies are examining their future in the seed industry. Strachota says, "Yes, we are competitors, but we have a lot in common. The aggregate is a very sizeable, powerful market segment. But individually, no company remains that strong."
Here's a look at how four independent Midwest seed companies position themselves in the tough regional seed market.
Dairyland Seed
Located among dairy operations in Wisconsin, Dairyland Seed focuses on soybeans, corn and alfalfa for the north and central Corn Belt. It has built its presence by differentiating its product lines from those of competitors. In soybeans where Strachota says they rank fifth for share of the U.S. market, Dairyland focuses breeding efforts on soybean cyst nematode resistance. "It is still a challenge because the highest-yielding products are still cyst susceptible," Strachota adds. "The most cyst-resistant products are on the lower end of the yield spectrum."
Dairyland also is offering unique stacked soybean varieties for 2005 that include RR and STS tolerance, a trait from Dupont. Dairyland has offered the STS trait since 1993 but only recently received permission from both Monsanto and Dupont to stack the two traits. Together, the traits should help growers obtain one-pass control of weeds in soybeans, Strachota says.
Dairyland has one of the largest staffs of corn plant breeders in the independent segment of the industry with four corn breeders. The company relies on their efforts to seek the best products for its geographic area. "We can focus our efforts on the markets we serve and go with the best products instead of making trade-offs to take a product that will be adapted more broadly across the entire Corn Belt," Strachota explains. The company also specializes in the corn silage market with a new line of hybrids called highly digestible forage (HiDF) hybrids.
Dairyland is a major player in the alfalfa seed market with the first hybrid alfalfa product ever sold. It took a Dairyland Seed researcher 24 years to develop the hybrid alfalfa. But today the company is seeing the rewards with strong sales and a second hybrid line coming onto the market soon.
Looking ahead, Strachota says the seed business will continue to be challenging especially for regionals like Dairyland. "We're all working at the same question of trying to maintain and improve the bottom line so we can build our future while selling seed at the highest prices ever due to technology fees," he says. "And we're finding our seed margins are squeezed due to the cost of technology that regional seed companies pay. That's a big challenge. It will take more precision in running a business. There is much less room for error, whether small or large."
Beck's Hybrids
In the early 1990s, Purdue University asked Sonny Beck to prepare a paper on the future of small- and medium-sized seed companies. What he learned changed the course of Beck's Hybrids. In the paper, Beck wrote that, by 2000, one-third of the companies would be gone, one-third merged with others and only one-third would be known by their own name. Would Beck's be among those still in business under its own name? It was going to take a change in strategy to ensure Beck's future.
"We decided we were going to succeed by carving out our area and saying we will be one of the three to five major players in it to deliver product to a customer," Beck explains. "There is only room for three to five major players in any given market in a capitalist society."
The company embarked on a plan to increase sales 20% a year for five years. It increased its market area by moving from a 90-mile radius of Atlanta, IN, to a 140-mile radius. Then Beck's added district sales representatives to the payroll. As a result, the company met the 20% growth goal each year and continues to post impressive sales growth today.
Beck says the company now is the second largest seed provider in its market area. Being a major player is important to keeping access to traits and other seed products. "The strategy is to be a big enough player in a certain area that [other seed companies] have to deal with you," he explains. "If you're going to sell in this area, you're going to know we're here."
To survive in the future, the company must help customers select and grow the best products for each field, Beck says. "We will survive by giving that grower the very best agronomic information on how to plant that $200 bag on that field so he has success," he says. "If we're good at it and they trust us, they'll be back next year. You better be good at helping the grower get the most from every acre he has."
NC+ Hybrids
NC+ seed company describes itself as a large regional, small national seed business headquartered in Lincoln, NE. Owners of the company are seed corn producers. "We stress that we are independent and not owned by any outside investors or corporation," reports Ken Anderson, marketing manager, "although we have some pretty significant seed partners like Monsanto, Gustafson and other companies that we work with."
NC+ markets seed in 24 states and has always had a strong presence in the western High Plains. Drought has lingered in this area for five years, which has been tough for growers and seed companies like NC+.
But Gene Kronberg, director of sales and marketing, says NC+ is poised to thrive in the future. "We are genuinely optimistic about the seed business," he reports. "Things have happened in the last year that have us feeling good about the future." The ag economy is generally stronger this year than in the past years. "If farmers do better, we do better," he says.
Seed with European corn borer resistance and corn rootworm resistance stacked with RR has improved the company's products. "Now finally, growers are seeing the value of technology," Kronberg says. This has changed what NC+ offers for hybrids. This year, only 11 hybrids were conventional compared with 44 conventional hybrids in 2000.
"We can access some of the most up-to-date technology available," he adds. NC+ is a seed partner with Monsanto and views that as crucial for its future success. Both Kronberg and Anderson believe Monsanto wants a good relationship with seed partners like NC+.
With these factors coming together, Kronberg and Anderson think that regionals like NC+ are ready to take more market share. "We've survived the storm of the last five to six years and we feel like we're in a pretty good position to take off here," Anderson reports.
Latham Seeds
A 100% soybean seed company, Latham Seeds has seen the business of selling soybeans change dramatically since RR technology entered the market. Bill Latham, president, doesn't expect that to diminish in the future. "We're going away from soybeans as a number-one grade commodity to a lot of different soybean end products," he says. "That will mean many different types of genetics, traits and characteristics. The identity-preserved part of the business will expand greatly to separate different soybeans for different needs."
Latham Seeds has gotten into the market-specific soybean business by selling soybeans for food to several family businesses in Asia. Latham says regional seed companies are better able to meet specific end-use customer needs like this than national seed companies, which sell in a broad market.
The CystX trait has been popular with growers battling soybean cyst nematode, Latham says. It will take meeting the specific needs of growers through products like CystX to stay competitive in the soybean business.
Latham Seeds sells soybeans in a six-state area surrounding its home office in Alexander, IA. The independent soybean seed company isn't quite as independent as it used to be. Latham says, "We have partners, the owners of the traits, so in a sense, this business is not as independent as it once was. While Monsanto gives us incentives to stay with their traits and programs, we do have the freedom to look elsewhere. We do appreciate that Monsanto has broadly licensed their traits."


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Alfie Crow was born and raised in Jacksonville, has been blogging about the Jaguars since 2004 and currently manages the SB Nation Big Cat Country blog. He's an entertaining Twitter follow (@AlfieBCC). Diehard. Has opinions. Has reasons to support his opinions. Doesn't put up with nonsense. That's good by me, even if he is a Jaguars fan.
He has been kind enough to share the following Q&A about the Jaguars. I hope you find it of interest:
What is different between this Jaguar team and previous ones?
"The two biggest differences for the Jaguars from 2010 to 2011 are the quarterback and the defensive back seven. The Jaguars released David Garrard prior to the start of the season and have been starting rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert since Week 3. He's struggled as rookies are wont to do, but he's shown some flashes of his ability.
The other major change on the Jaguars is the defensive back seven, as there are four new starters. The safety position was a massive hole last season, but now with Dawan Landry and Dwight Lowery, it's become a position of strength. It's freed up the Jaguars cornerbacks to play man coverage because the safety help will actually be there, which is a big reason the Jaguars pass defense has gone from ranked 31st in 2010 to Top 10 in 2011."
Any particular Jag injuries of note?
"The most notable injury for the Jaguars is to offensive lineman Eben Britton. Britton injured his back in training camp and wound up having surgery for a bulging disc. Britton missed all of the preseason as well as Week 1 and 2 of the regular season before coming back in the line up. His replacement Guy Whimper played well at right tackle, so Britton was slotted at left guard to take over for a struggling rookie in Will Rackley. Prior to the Pittsburgh game, Britton's back flared up once again and he's since missed the past two weeks. He's currently listed as day to day and his status Sunday is up in the air. The Jaguars offensive line has dealt with a new line up nearly every week, but losing Britton for significant time puts a big damper on pass protection."
What do you think are the strengths of this Jaguars team?
"Running back Maurice Jones-Drew is the heart of this football team. He currently leads the AFC in rushing and is second in the NFL behind only Adrian Peterson. Jones-Drew has been able to do that all while teams load up to stop him, given the Jaguars offense is quarterbacked by a rookie.
Defensively, the Jaguars strength is their linebacking group. Led by Daryl Smith, who's one of the most underrated guys in the league, the addition of Paul Posluszny has made the position a big part of the Jaguars defensive success. Gone are the mental errors and missed tackles that plagued the unit last year."
What concerns Jaguar fans about the team?
"The biggest concern for Jaguars fans seems to be on rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. He's completing under 50% of his passes on the season, but his first five games in the NFL haven't been exactly easy. His first game in Carolina was in a monsoon and the past three weeks he's faced the top three defenses in the NFL in succession. Jaguars fans are still yearning for that "break out" game from Gabbert, especially given what rookies Cam Newton and Andy Dalton are doing on their respective teams."
What do you think is the best way to beat the Jaguars?
"The best way to beat the Jaguars is to force them to pass the football. They have a rookie quarterback and an offensive line that has yet to gel because of all of the line up changes. Couple that with the fact that the Jaguars receiving corps is very lack luster, putting the team in obvious passing downs puts the pressure on the league's worst ranked passing attack. Stopping Jones-Drew isn't easy, but that's the best way to beat the Jaguars. Keep their defense on the field and force the offense to pass the football."
Who are some Jaguar players that Texan fans may not know who may have an impact on the game either in a negative or positive way?
"Two players on defense have had a big impact on the Jaguars improvement; defensive end Jeremy Mincey and safety Dawan Landry. Mincey has been a force rushing the passer, though his sack numbers don't show it. He's constantly in the backfield forcing the quarterback to move and step up in the pocket. Safety Dawan Landry has taken control of positioning the Jaguars secondary and picking up on offensive tendancies. He doesn't put up big stats, but his influence over the defense as a whole is readily apparent."
Thanks to Alfie for this Q&A.
I want to thank Alfie for his time in putting this together. I really enjoy reading these pregame Q&As about the team the Texans are facing. Want more information about the Jags? I suggest visiting his very good SB Nation blog.
I expect Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio to do something scrappy and weird during the game–seems like he makes an odd call at least once every game against the Texans–sometimes they work, sometimes not so much.
Jaguars-Texans By The Numbers.
Given their record and the oddness of the Jaguars' year ditching their longtime QB at the last second, I find the Jaguar's numbers peculiar. Typically, it's been my observation looking at NFL numbers over the years that it is very difficult to have a NFL team that ranks very well on defense but is that badly ranked on offense. (I've seen good offenses with bad defenses–they get into track meet games. But terrible offenses put so much pressure on a defense to stay on the field too long). The Jaguars are certainly are going to want this game to be an old school ugly-style one.
Jaguars: Points (31st), Yards (32nd) Pass offense (32nd), Rush offense (10th). Defense (6th), Pass defense (6th), Rush defense (10th).
Texans: Points (7th), Yards (7th) Pass offense (10th), Rush offense (5th). Defense (8th), Pass defense (8th), Rush defense (7th)
Football Outsiders Efficiency Ratings (Considers per play situation compared to league average factoring in opponent–more than just total yards in conventional stats. More info at FO FAQs page)
Jaguars: Overall (28th), Offense (32nd), Pass offense (32nd), Rush offense (25th). Defense (6th), Pass defense (8th), Rush defense (5th) , Special Teams (18th)
Texans: Overall (8th), Offense (6h), Pass offense (5th), Rush offense (16th). Defense (11th), Pass defense (9th), Rush defense (20th), Special Teams (5th)
What My Spam Commenters Say.
Since this has become a popular feature, and I get a lot of spam commenters, I figure I will continue this until it grosses both you and me out. This week, I heard from yet another spam commenter who has bowel concerns. Spam commenter "Colon Cleanse" writes:
Hello there, simply turned into aware of your blog thru Google, and found that it is really informative. I'm gonna watch out for brussels. I will appreciate if you continue this in future. A lot of other folks will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Thank you but I am concerned that Colon Cleanse has "turned into aware." This Halloween season, sentient colon cleansing repeatedly commenting on my blog is of great concern. I want zero part of that. I can understand CC warning of brussels, as the sprouts can make some people gassy, being cabbage related. Personally, I get along fine with brussel sprouts, the country of Belgium and their delicious waffles.
The spam commenter with the seemingly offensive name, "no more girls" writes:
"I have back acne scars. I am really white complected and my back acne scars are dark. If I tan will they go darker? What if I use a tanning lotion like jergens, what will happen? I want to cover up the scars or get rid of them somehow.."
Ew. No more gross spammers. You talk to strangers about that sort of thing, and I can understand your issues with the ladies. This commenter is violating the first rule of spam commenting: You are supposed to say how lovely the writing, layout and topic of the blog is with the hope of getting the comment published despite it being obvious, poorly written spam. I don't know the answer to this question other than stay out of the sun. Tanning isn't a healthy thing to do. Of course, I am biased being a pale blogger sort.
Early Reliant Roof Report Says Open Roof.
Speaking of the sun, the roof is supposed to be open at Reliant Stadium for the first time this year. Hello cold front! If there are no clouds, it can get very toasty as it can get 15 degrees hotter in the direct sun within the stadium due to lack of air circulation and many human beings. I suggest a strong sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. If you are male, I kindly suggest not to borrow your girlfriend's sunglasses as demonstrated by the Titans fan in the previous blog post.
Mentioned in my National Football Post Texans writeup of this matchup, the open roof can present problems for returners inexperienced at fielding kicks at Reliant Stadium. When returners are in the north end zone, sometimes they have issues tracking the ball from the shade into looking into the direct sun. On a cloudless day, which we have had many of lately, this picture is what the returner is looking up into.
Oh, and it is the gigantic ketchup bottle game, otherwise known as Battle Red Day. You are supposed to wear red. Don't be the doofus who screws up the game day pictures. Given that it is also the game closest to Halloween, you will likely see all sorts of odd outfits.
Your Predictions.
What say you about any of this? Any game predictions? Personally, I would like a repeat of last week but that may result in more happiness than I am accustomed to.