text:
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar — I've been arguing that the big divide in the world these days is between the world of order and a growing world of disorder. If you're keeping score at home, the world of disorder just added another country: Libya. America quietly folded up its embassy in Libya last week and left, leaving behind a tribal/militia war of all against all. Not good.
There will be more of this. It's not easy being a country anymore. There is no more Cold War to prop up, arm and finance frail states. More important, the combined pressures of the market (globalization and the speed with which investment can flow into countries doing the right things and out of those doing bad things), Moore's Law (the steady rise in computing power that makes every good job today require more education) and Mother Nature (climate change, biodiversity loss, erosion and population growth) have all passed certain tipping points. Together, the market, Mother Nature and Moore's Law are stressing out developed countries and helping to blow up weak ones.
For me, the movie line that perfectly captures this moment was uttered by the leader of the Somali pirates who hijacked a cargo ship in "Captain Phillips," starring Tom Hanks. The pirate nicknames the Boston-bred Phillips "Irish." In a critical scene, Hanks tries to reason with the Somali hijacker, saying to him: "There's got to be something other than being a fisherman or kidnapping people."
To which the hijacker replies, "Maybe in America, Irish. Maybe in America."
It has been instructive to see all these pressures up close here in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world. The globalization of illicit trade has left Madagascar exposed to Chinese merchants working with corrupt officials here to illegally import everything from valuable rosewood timber to rare tortoises. Some global textile manufacturers set up factories then quit when the politics turned too unstable. Mandatory education here is only through age 15, and it's in the local Malagasy language. That makes it hard to compete in a world where some developed countries are teaching computer coding in first grade.
And then there's Mother Nature: the population of Madagascar is exploding, and the forests and soils are eroding. The soil for agriculture here is iron rich, nutrient poor and often very soft. Since 90 percent of Madagascar's forests have been chopped down for slash-and-burn agriculture, timber, firewood and charcoal over the last century, most hillsides have no trees to hold the soil when it rains. Flying along the northwest coast, you can't miss the scale of the problem. You see a giant red plume of eroded red soil bleeding into the Betsiboka River, bleeding into Mahajanga Bay, bleeding into the Indian Ocean. The mess is so big that astronauts take pictures of it from space.
"The more you erode, the more people you have with less soil under their feet to grow things," said Russ Mittermeier, the president of Conservation International, who's been working in Madagascar to help preserve its environment since 1984 and has been showing me around. "When I first came here in 1984, the population was nine or 10 million. It is now approaching 23 million."
When countries have rapidly growing populations and rapidly diminishing natural capital, the leadership required to match the scale of the problems they face is nothing less than herculean. After 50 years of mostly bad leadership, Madagascar has democratically elected a new, post-coup president, Hery Rajaonarimampianina. He seems to want to do the right things. We can only hope he has some Hercules in him.
Nothing he does will be more important than preserving what is left of Madagascar's pristine beaches, forests and plant and animal species (particularly its lemurs), among the most rare and diverse in the world. Parks and reserves have been set aside by the government — and even with the destruction there's still a ton to see — but they will only be sustainable if they are supported by ecotourist lodges and guides who are drawn from local communities and incentivized to protect their natural capital. But that takes a government able to expand protected areas, build proper roads (rural roads here have more potholes than pavement), crack down on illegal logging and provide credit to rural communities.
Serge Rajaobelina is the founder of Fanamby, a local nonprofit that supports villagers starting ecotourist sites, like Camp Amoureux, situated in western Madagascar amid spectacular giant baobab trees. We stayed there. Of the 25 locals working there, 22 were women. "Involving communities in ecotourism is the key," said Rajaobelina. "The people who are always in the field are the communities, and they are the best conservationists and guides." But, he added, they need help with capacity building: training, access to credit and infrastructure.
There are already too many people walking around the world saying, "Maybe in America, but not here." We don't need more. Keeping Madagascar out of the world of disorder has to start by preserving its ecosystems, which are vital for sustaining its people and attracting tourism. But that requires good leadership, and good leaders today — anywhere — are the rarest species of all.


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Hare are hunted with packs of hounds, beagles, and bassets (also referred to as 'beagling', where the hounds are followed on foot) and by harriers (followed on horseback). These hounds were bred, not for the speed but for the stamina that guaranteed the lengthy chase the hunters sought. The hare is not a native species to the UK and was introduced by the Romans. During the late 1800s, there were about four million brown hares in Britain. But recent surveys show the brown hare has declined by more than 80% during the past 100 years and the decline is ongoing. In some parts of Britain, such as the south-west, the brown hare is almost a rarity and may even be locally extinct.
The reasons for this decline are not entirely clear, but the intensification of agriculture has certainly been a major factor. Hare do not hibernate or store appreciable amounts of fat in their bodies, so they need a constant food supply throughout the year. This can only be provided by landscapes rich in biodiversity. Their ancestral homes of past eons provided a diversity of grass and herb species maturing in succession throughout the year. Hare actually prefer to eat wild grasses and herbs, with grasses predominating in the winter and herbs in the summer, but 150,000 miles of hedgerow have been destroyed during the past 50 years, depriving hare of this source of food and shelter.
Larger fields containing single crops also mean hare have to travel further in their effort to maintain continuous grazing. Due to this, the hare can only be considered a minor agricultural nuisance unless numbers are excessively high. Damage to cereal and grass crops is generally so low, as not to be noticed by farmers. In rare instances, the damage might be more severe, particularly to crops such as peas, sugar beet and vines, but this is on a small scale and, in general, farmers are not concerned by damage to crops caused by the hare. Their impact on commercial forestry is negligible, and any reduction in the growth the young conifers is generally quickly recouped. (The Brown Hare in Britain by Stephen Harris and Graeme McLaren University of Bristol 1998)
"In hunting, whether it be of fox or hare, every follower should identify himself with hounds' aims and give his entire sympathy to them. If he allows himself to sympathise with the hare, his pleasure in the chase will be neutralised and he might as well go home at once." (The Art Of Beagling, Captain J. Otho Paget. Pub. H.F. & G. Witherby. 1931. Page 217)
Despite its decline, the hare is the only game species in Britain which does not have a close season. Large, organised shoots in East Anglia during February and March can account for 40% of the entire national brown hare population, in addition to hunting by hounds. And since the breeding season is well underway by February, orphaned leverets are left to die of starvation. Hare do have a remarkable ability to recover from such slaughter, but the welfare implication of this is clearly enormous. One of the oddities of our legal system is that it is illegal to hunt the hare on a Sunday; a law which was meant to encourage church attendance. The European or brown hare (Lepus europaeus) is currently on the list of endangered and threatened animal species in the British Isles but receives no specific legal protection.
In the mid-1990s, concern at the brown hare's decline led to a government Biodiversity Action Plan which had among its aims a doubling of the brown hare population by the year 2010. Recent research at the University of Bristol suggests that this target is unlikely to be achieved by habitat management alone and that measures would need to be taken to reduce hare mortality if that is to be achieved. The reintroduction of the legalisation of coursing and hunting with hounds will, by its very nature, not assist that.
There are 59 beagle packs and 19 harrier packs registered in the UK and, despite claims of trail hunting, this has never been witnessed. When challenged, most hunts will claim to be chasing rabbits; an animal which acts in a completely different fashion to hare by running for its burrow when disturbed, as opposed to the hare, who stay above ground despite the danger. Rabbits cannot be hunted in a similar fashion to hare for this reason.
The hare hunting season runs from September or October (depending on the type of pack used) until March, a period that encompasses the main hare breeding season, in early Spring and it is by no means uncommon for hunts to kill pregnant hare or leverets. Whilst there is no formal leveret hunting to match the "cub hunting" prelude to fox hunting, there is still the notion of training the hounds on a more vulnerable quarry.
Like fox hunters, hare hunters know a few tricks to enhance their fun at the expense of their quarry. In the run up to the hunting ban (2004), the bagging of hare became like the bagging of foxes. Hare were boxed more than bagged. They were commonly netted and transported around the country in small wooden crates to be released for hunting. This caused much suffering to the transported hare and spread disease among the hare population. This was most prevalent during hare coursing events such as the Waterloo Cup, which takes place near Liverpool, and where large numbers of hare are required over a small period of time. The local hare population cannot naturally supply such excessive numbers. This bagging activity was reported in 'The Current Status of the Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) in Britain' by Michael R. Hutchings and Stephen Harris 1996 for the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
The hare hunting community also put on week long "festivals" where packs from all over the country gather to hunt a relatively small area, such as Alston (Cumbria) or Severn Vale, for a period of one or two weeks, and where there are two packs of hounds hunting each day. The impact on the local hare population is devastating unless bagged hare are also introduced. These "festivals" have continued since the introduction of the hunting act.
Hare are reluctant to leave their territory and don't venture onto new ground under threat, as a result, hare hunting takes place over a limited area of the country of not more than one or two square miles. Hare spend their lives above ground, so do not "go to ground" like foxes or mink when being hunted. The chase can last up to 90 minutes before the hare is finally killed by the hounds. Hunted hare are run to complete exhaustion and, for the individual hare, the effect on their body is devastating.
In one graphic account by the Eton College Hunt, the Master claimed: "The best run the Beagles had during his Mastership was in the region of Dorney, where they ran a hare for an hour and five minutes, covering more than six miles. In the end, she burst her heart just in front of hounds."
Lord Burns' Hunting Inquiry pronounced the not too astonishing view that hare hunting, "seriously compromises the welfare of the hare."
For most people today, the killing of animals requires justification. Doing so simply for fun is no justification. Hares were hunted with packs of dogs, not for food, not as pest control, but simply for entertainment. Such callousness would be bad enough were hare common. That they are now, by any account, locally rare is particularly outrageous.

subset: commoncrawl


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During a recent difference of opinion, my girlfriend said to me "Ooohhh, you're so logical!" The atmosphere was not improved by the fact that she had to then explain to me that this wasn't a compliment.
All of which has nothing to do with the purpose of this post (although it may help to solve the mystery as to why I was single for so long).
The other day, someone asked me over to have a look at why they were getting an error when running a particular query. Now, as quizzes seem to be en vogue in the Oracle world at the moment ( have a look at that nice Mr Feuerstein's site ), here's a quick one for you. See if you can spot what's wrong with this query
SELECT TO_DATE('12/06/1992 2:19 PM', 'DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM PM' ) FROM dual;
At this point, I should come over all knowledgable and say something like "of course the answer is that the date format is incorrect and this will return ORA-1810 : format code appears twice".
The fact of the matter is that I spent some considerable time looking at this before, in desparation , I wrote the query out again, and got it to run. It took me a while to spot that the Minutes format was specified as MM rather than MI and the query should look like this :
SELECT TO_DATE('12/06/1992 2:19 PM', 'DD/MM/YYYY HH:MI PM' ) FROM dual;
Note to self – don't try and debug anything before that first cup of coffee in the morning.
Just to keep you on your toes, what if you tried the query using a different month format ?
SELECT TO_DATE( '12-JUN-1992 14:19:59', 'DD-MON-YYYY HH24:MM:SS') FROM dual;
This will actually return a different error – ORA-1816 – month may only be specified once.
Now, you'd expect this to work the same way if you're converting a date to a character string as the other way around…
SELECT TO_CHAR( SYSDATE, 'DD-MM-YYYY HH24:MM:SS') FROM dual / TO_CHAR(SYSDATE,'DD-MM-YYYYHH24:MM:SS') --------------------------------------------------------- 20-02-2011 18:02:59
Oh. It has run, but it's given us the month numeral instead of the minutes. No sign of either error though.
The Dangers of Implicit Conversion
This is all very interesting, but not that much of a problem is it. After all, Oracle does implicit conversions between dates and strings…
SELECT employee_id, start_date, end_date FROM hr.job_history WHERE end_date < '01-JAN-98' / EMPLOYEE_ID START_DATE END_DATE ----------- ------------------ ------------------ 101 21-SEP-89 27-OCT-93 101 28-OCT-93 15-MAR-97 200 17-SEP-87 17-JUN-93
All working fine then. Look, let's try it again…
ALTER SESSION SET NLS_DATE_FORMAT = 'DD-MON-YYYY' / SELECT employee_id, start_date, end_date FROM hr.job_history WHERE end_date < '01-JAN-98' / Session altered. no rows selected
As we can see, the value to which the string is converted does rather depend on the NLS_DATE_FORMAT setting in the database the query is run against.
You could of course issue the alter session command in every date script to make sure that the conversion is as you expect. However, this does rather rely on you having the ALTER SESSION privilege on each database that you'd want to run this on.
The only way to be absolutely sure therefore, is to explicitly convert the date, specifying the format you want to convert to.
Hot Dating Tips
Number 1 – when meeting a lady for the first time, do not try to impress her with your literary prowess by boasting "I really enjoy a good Dickens".
Number 2 – Dates are numbers. This fact is so widely known it's almost forgotten. What it means is that there are a whole host of number functions that can be applied to dates.
If you want to return all records where the date is within a given date range, you could do this :
SELECT emp.first_name, emp.last_name, jh.end_date FROM hr.employees emp, hr.job_history jh WHERE jh.employee_id = emp.employee_id AND end_date >= TO_DATE('28-OCT-93', 'DD-MON-RR') AND end_date <= TO_DATE('01-JAN-98', 'DD-MON-RR') /
However, you can save yourself some typing by using the BETWEEN operator …
SELECT emp.first_name, emp.last_name, jh.end_date FROM hr.employees emp, hr.job_history jh WHERE jh.employee_id = emp.employee_id AND end_date BETWEEN TO_DATE('28-OCT-93', 'DD-MON-RR') AND TO_DATE('01-JAN-98', 'DD-MON-RR') /
TRUNC is another very useful function, particularly if your database is riddled with records entered from a Forms application which habitually stripped the time element off the date to default all date information to midnight.
Time for a quick demo…
CREATE TABLE hot_date ( location VARCHAR2(30), meeting_time DATE) / INSERT INTO hot_date( location, meeting_time) VALUES( 'The Pub', TO_DATE( '27-FEB-2011 20:00', 'DD-MON-YYYY HH24:MI')) / INSERT INTO hot_date( location, meeting_time) VALUES( 'Cinema', TO_DATE(SYSDATE, 'DD-MON-YYYY')) /
I want to find out if I've got a date today ( with the lovely Deb of course) ….
SELECT * FROM hot_date WHERE meeting_time = SYSDATE / no rows selected
Disaster ! I've not returned any records. Even a bunch of flowers from the all-night petrol station isn't really going to get me out of this one. If only I'd done this…
SELECT * FROM hot_date WHERE TRUNC(meeting_time) = TRUNC(SYSDATE) / LOCATION MEETING_TIME -------------------- -------------------- Cinema 20-FEB-2011
Phew. That's better. Note that you don't have to TRUNC the meeting_time column…provided your confident that the data in it will never have a time element ( i.e. always be set to midnight).
If you do find yourself needing to do this on date columns that are indexed, you may want to consider adding a function based index.
Some other useful date stuff
A few other odds and ends to wrap up with…
LAST_DAY will return the last day of the month of the date you enter :
SELECT LAST_DAY(SYSDATE) FROM dual /
Now, there is no FIRST_DAY function, but that's not much of a problem really…
SELECT TO_DATE( '01-'||TO_CHAR( SYSDATE, 'MON-YYYY'), 'DD-MON-YYYY') FROM dual /
ADD_MONTHS returns the date plus the number of months you specify. This is quite handy as it will also take a negative number …
SELECT ADD_MONTHS(SYSDATE, 1), ADD_MONTHS(SYSDATE, -1) FROM dual
You can add and subtract from dates. By default, the numeral you specify will be treated as the number of days. So….
SELECT SYSDATE – 1 FROM dual;
will return SYSDATE from 24 hours ago. If you wanted to work in hours ( e.g. you want to query all the entries in a log table made within the last hour), you could do something like …
SELECT * FROM my_log_table WHERE log_timestamp > SYSDATE – (1/24);
If you want to look at timing information in PL/SQL, there's always the handy DBMS_UTILITY.GET_TIME. Have a look here for an example of how this works.
I'm sure that any Oracle gurus reading this ( hello German) will have their own helpful hints to add, but in the meantime, I'm off to make myself presentable for the big night. Now, should I go au naturelle, or should I really shave my palms ?


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Kathy Griffin went the cougar route for her date to the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday night.
The star brought Levi Johnston, the teenage ex-fiance of Bristol Palin.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Photo Fun With Hollywood's Hottest Comedians!
The couple held hands as they walked down the red carpet at the event, set to be hosted by the Jonas Brothers.
So why did Levi, 19, decide to come with Kathy, 48?
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Teen Choice Awards 2008
"She's beautiful and funny," he told Access Hollywood. "She's the star of the night."
"Miley, try to top this!" Kathy added.
Levi has made a number of public appearances, including several talk show interviews, since rising to national prominence last year, when he and Bristol came forward about her pregnancy during the vice-presidential run of Bristol's mother, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Kathy Griffin
The former couple called it quits shortly after the birth of a son, Tripp, in December 2008.
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Kathy Griffin Talks 'D-List'
PLAY IT NOW: Bikini Shopping With Kathy Griffin
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Kathy Griffin - Teen Choice Awards - Politics - Celebrities


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It's Saturday, and I'm feeling lazy as ever. It's 7:45, and I'm still in my pajamas. Luckily they're my favorite pajamas, and I'm getting a little kitty lovin' while blogging. It was a rainy morning, and even though the rain stopped, I still can't seem to get my butt to the gym. Yeah, I'll get there, must maybe about 30 minutes later than anticipated.
I want to thank everyone for you open-minded comments on yesterday's post. The vegetarian/ vegan/ pescetarian/ whatevertarian debate hits close to home for a lot of us, and I'm happy you accept me for being a human garbage disposal. Seriously – I eat (and generally enjoy) just about everything.
In case you too are having a lazy Saturday, here are some links to keep you busy… well, busy doing basically nothing, that is.
- Shanna openly discusses wine and coffee (or the lack there of) while pregnant – interesting read, including the comments.
- CNN states that more educated people spend more on booze. This is not a shocker, but it's kinda sorta interesting.
- Amy explains how awful gym shopping can be – I had a very similar experience finding my gym!
- Founder's is to begin bottling their Canadian Breakfast Stout – the 4th most popular beer on Beer Advocate (I'm excited to try it!)
- I think I'm going to make Angela's Whole-Grain Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf today (served with maple butter instead of the glaze).
Lastly, I wanted to share a book with you all. I finished The Poacher's Son yesterday. It was a fast and very entertaining read. I thoroughly recommend it.
Have a good weekend!


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How it works
Period of the completion: 2-4 days
Requirements: 120 lvl
There are two ways to obtain good arena rating.
- Selfplay – you will play by yourself with our team
- Piloted – we will play on your account
The price is defined for the case you don't have any rating.
If you have any current rating, contact us via Skype or online-chat and we define another price.
Do you doubt or just compare prices?
Ask the operator to get a personal offer and become the coolest player # rightnow.
1.Why should I trust you? Wouldn't you disappear with my money?
No, we are not going to disappear. The reasons are listed below:
- We are registered entity, which is authorized by PayPal. Our documents are checked and banking account is verified. Your financial transaction is strictly protected by PayPal Buyer Protection. Usually scammers ask for credit card payment or top-up an account. We will never ask that.
- All data on the site is transferred over an encrypted HTTPS protocol. Your data is firmly protected by SSL-certificate. Our company has been verified by international certification center.
- We have passed paid certification by biggest gaming portal like EpicNPC.com, OwnedCore.com, Elitepvpes.com. Many players trust us.
We can organize stream if you'd like. You can watch completion of your order. No tricks, no fraud, everything is transparent.
2. Ok, I'll buy it. I would like to order. How can I do it?
Ordering a service is very simple. There are no long boring registration procedures and confirmations:
- Make your choice;
- Choose options;
- Fill out forms;
- Pay via PayPal.
3. I have never gave an account to another person. How does that work?
We need an access to your account. You have to give us login, password and code of Battle.net authenticator (in case it is attached).
We never ask for secret answers or something that can give full access to your account;
Keep in mind, that Blizzard tracks any attempt to log in from a new device (or from another place).
You will receive a letter from Blizzard with code. You need to give us this code.
That is quite simple procedure and it won't take long.
Do not log on after you change the password. If you do, we could not log on with new password. You will have to repeat this procedure again. If you need to do it for some reason, inform us about that.
If you have the authenticator, you have to pass us the code or press "Yes" before the service begins. Make sure you have deactivated the requirement to enter the code each time you log in game.
4. Oops, I paid, but have changed my mind. How can I get my money back?
Do not worry. We will help you next time. In case we have not started yet, we return all your money. To get your money back you should contact our operator.
In case we have started, for instance, already boosting your arena rating or leveled up several levels, your money will be return partially. It depends on what was already done.
Try us, because...
- Selfplay or Piloted
- Only fair play, no wintrades
- Trusted Gladiators team
- Private stream


text:
I have a hybrid blackguard, and am looking to add a little defender to my repertoire. I wouldn't want to do this all the time though. If I choose some paladin powers that say the target is "subject to your divine sanction" can I choose not to apply the sanction to the target?
This question might also be appropriate to other classes with powers that mark.


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click here for WhiteOak Peace Messages
click here to visit the WhiteOak Virtual Shrine
Order of WhiteOak
The Order of WhiteOak is the on-line home of the Reconstructionist Druid organization, Ord na Darach Gile and our friends.
Our tripartite mission is:
- To discuss with our peers the lessons of ancient and recent history
- To study the Brehon Laws of Ireland, the Celtic Mythological Cycles, the Wisdom Texts and other ancient sources
- To seek ways to apply this information to contemporary Druidic practice
In particular, we wish to apply the ethical insights we derive from the ancient Celtic past to contemporary concerns; environmental and ecological issues, human rights and social issues, and many other national and international political issues that are of rapidly increasing importance.
Our understanding of the roles of the ancient Druid prompts
us to follow them in an involvement in the academic, artistic
and political arenas, as well as in purely spiritual and religious
We invite interested individuals from our own Reconstructionist discipline as well as other practitioners of Druidism to join in our discussions. For those who are interested in formal initiation into the Order, participation in the WhiteOak list is a first step toward Fosterage in the Ord na Darach Gile (Order of the WhiteOak).
|Contact us at email@example.com
EOLAS Druid MagazineCatch up on the latest edition of EOLAS, a place of gathering, where we may come to speak and to share our wisdoms, to celebrate and discuss traditional lore as well as contemporary Druidic practice. EOLAS Magazine is currently on a hiatus, but we hope to return to bring it back in the near future.


text:
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Sports News
Stallworth, Edwards, McKnight cut
Send a link to a friend
[August 27, 2013]
(AP) -- Donte' Stallworth's NFL comeback from a hot air balloon accident might have ended Monday when he was released by the Washington Redskins.
Stallworth could catch on with another team, especially with so many injuries at wide receiver throughout the league during the preseason. But, for now, the 32-year-old veteran of 10 NFL seasons is unemployed.
"I thought in his best interest, since I knew he wasn't going to be on the football team, was to tell him early," coach Mike Shanahan said. "Give him a chance, possibly, to get with another football team."
Also cut Monday as NFL teams reduced their rosters -- they must be down to 75 on Tuesday -- were receiver Braylon Edwards and running back-kick returner Joe McKnight by the Jets; receiver Derek Hagan and fullback Spencer Larsen by Tampa Bay; linebacker and special teams ace Niko Koutouvides by New England; and receiver Jordan Norwood by Cleveland.
The New York Giants activated defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul from the physically unable to perform list. Paul had disk surgery on his back in June, and it's uncertain if he will be ready for the season opener at the Cowboys in less than two weeks.
"I'm not playing any preseason games and I don't even know about the Dallas game," Pierre-Paul said.
"I just want try to get better and test it out and see how it is taking on double teams and all that. Right now, there's nothing to be said about whether I'm going to play come the opener."
Stallworth was hindered through most of training camp by a hamstring injury. He caught two passes for 33 yards in preseason games.
"You could see with the setback with his hamstring, he just wasn't ready," Shanahan said.
Stallworth has played for six teams over 10 NFL seasons. He appeared in only one game last year with the New England Patriots before an ankle injury ended his season.
He was suspended for the 2009 season by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for violating the league's personal conduct policy for a DUI vehicular manslaughter charge.
[to top of second column]
The 30-year-old Edwards was dealing with a leg injury that kept him out of the Jets' preseason game against the Giants on Saturday night. Edwards was signed just before training camp began last month, marking his third tenure with the Jets.
McKnight, the NFL's kickoff return leader in 2011 with a 31.6-yard average and a 107-yard TD run back, has had a tumultuous summer.
He failed his conditioning test, then passed the next day when training camp began. He was arrested in New Jersey last month for outstanding traffic warrants, and later released on bail.
McKnight then injured his head during practice -- he confirmed it was a concussion although the Jets never officially called it that -- and was cleared to return a few days later, wearing a red no-contact jersey.
Two weeks ago, McKnight was carted to the locker room wearing an oxygen mask, after banging his head on the ground during a play. He had taken a knee three times on his way to the field earlier that day while dealing with a migraine headache.
McKnight, refusing to speak to most of the media, also gave a reporter one of the team-issued media "bridges" cards that was given to players with suggested talking points for interviews.
Veteran guard Stephen Peterman, signed in the offseason and in line to start at left guard until recently, was also released by the Jets.
Norwood, a third-year player, was limited during the preseason by a hamstring injury. He returned to practice last week, but didn't play in Saturday's exhibition loss at Indianapolis.
Norwood had 13 receptions for 137 yards in two games last season, and 36 career receptions for 405 yards and one touchdown in 16 games -- four starts -- with the Browns, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2009.
AP NFL website:
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
< Sports index
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Upcoming Season of 'Time Team America' to Feature Dr. Adrien Hannus
Dr. Adrien Hannus, professor of anthropology and director of the Archeology Laboratory at Augustana, will depart from Sioux Falls in early June to participate in the second season of "Time Team America," a science-reality series from PBS that sends archaeologists on a race against time to excavate historic sites around the nation. The episodes are scheduled to air in 2013.
The team of archaeologists has just 72 hours to uncover the buried secrets of their assigned digs using the latest technology, decades of expertise and their own sharp wits. Host Justine Shapiro guides each expedition as viewers peer over the shoulders of diggers, scientists and historians at work.
Hannus will participate in one of the season's four episodes. He will serve as a specialist on early human sites in the New World for the episode featuring "Badger Hole Site: A Folson Period Bison Kill" in Oklahoma.
The son of a French chef, Hannus is a native of Wichita, Kan. During the Vietnam conflict, he served as a lieutenant in military intelligence, where he worked with the CIA on counter-insurgency operations.
After receiving his M.A. in anthropology from Wichita State University and his Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Utah, Hannus has spent nearly 40 years studying the Great Plains region and also conducting archeological field projects in Egypt and Mexico. He has been involved in excavations at the Neanderthal cave site of Coudoulous in southern France and oversaw completion of the "Archeodome," a state-of-the-art research and teaching facility that allows excavation to be conducted year-round at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village in Mitchell, S.D. His teaching and research interests include early human populations in the New World, historic Native American cultures of the Plains, and lithic analysis.


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Volkswagen Unveils 'iPhone Car'
23 April 2013 - Wall Street Journal
The car costs 40 times more than the phone, but the iPhone integration is the big selling point on Volkswagen AG's new iBeetle, launched at the Shanghai Motor Show.
Apple Inc. and Volkswagen have done a deal to pair their iconic products: the Beetle car and the iPhone. It's the car that is hoping to get a publicity lift from the smartphone.
But before getting too carried away this is not the "car as platform," the opening up of a car's systems to allow independent developers to build car apps. Rather, the iBeetle integration with the iPhone comprises merely an iPhone 5 cradle built into the dashboard.
A fuel-economy calculator and route-comparison features aside, the iPhone's functions in the new car are still largely entertainment and social, adding to the media features of the car rather than radically rethinking the vehicle.
In one option the phone plays music via Spotify AB or iTunes, in another it reads out messages from SMS or Facebook allowing for hands-free driving. Social features let drivers send location and photos to contacts. Then there's a Foursquare-like game feature called milestones that rewards users with milestone stickers for traveling certain distances.


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The right lighting makes a difference in any space, and a new lightscape is a simple way to spur a romantic makeover for your bedroom, dining area or living room. Several elements can be adjusted to improve what you already have, or a few can be added to change the room's lighting scheme and mood. Here are the components to consider as you cast romance in a new light.
Placement: Create the right balance with a smart combination of light fixtures. Overhead lighting fills the room at whatever setting you choose, comfortable task lighting can be stationed near furnishings, and accent lighting can enhance the architectural features of a space.
Fixtures: Select fixtures that support your lighting scheme in terms of both wattage and style. Luxe chandeliers and rustic retro lamps are just a few of the design directions you can take, and the color and fabric of lampshades also have impact.
Color: Consider the actual color of light that's cast, because not all bulbs are created equal, and they're not meant to be. Light bulbs are available for a range of color effects, from cool to warm and daylight to soft light. So, pay attention to package labeling as you shop to get the right results for your room.
Dimmers: Add dimmers to existing or new fixtures for one-touch lighting control and an instant change of mood.
Natural light: Skylights can make a beautiful addition to your romantic lighting scheme, adding soft natural light during the day and early evening, and a view of the stars at night. For natural lighting in tight spaces, try installing tubular skylights—they'll cast a strategic halo in your redesigned room.


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This March marks the 5th anniv of the Invasion of Iraq. Yeah I can't believe it's gone on for so long...
Share your thoughts about the initial movement, the reasons, consequences, progression/regression? Has it affected you personally in any way?
Or just leave a post leave your condolences in memory of all soldiers and civilians who have lost their lives. Regards x
5th Anniversary Of Iraq Invasion
A dedicated spot to discuss serious issues.
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- Brown Eyed Beauty
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This was the second year for the Library Media Tech Talk Blog. The blog was created in March 2014. We hope that our posts have been both interesting and helpful to all educators! As 2015 comes to a close, I want to share our most read articles of the year.
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text:
We decided to have a little fun here at PGA.com for Election Day. On Tuesday, we asked our friends in PGA.com Facebook Nation: If all professional golfers (past and present) were running for President, who would get your vote and why?
As usual, you all delivered. We received hundreds of nominations and the results are in... It's a draw!
Take a look at some of the best answers we received below and you'll understand why this was a deadlock.
9. Jason Dufner. I was a little surprised when I saw Dufner's name on this list... until I read PGA.com Facebook friend Brett Kaehne's explanation. Now it makes perfect sense.
Facebook fan quote:
"Jason Dufner, best negotiating face ever." -- Brett Kaehne
8. Fred Couples. Something tells me if Fred Couples were president, we wouldn't have a whole lot to worry about. Everyone wants to be Fred Couples. He's that cool.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Freddy Couples. Because if he was president everything would be run as smooth as his swing and suits would be traded in the White House for slacks comfortable shirts and loafers!" -- Eric Newill
"Freddy Couples, he's just a smooth awesome guy!" -- Tony Miller
7. Phil Mickelson. Take about a man of the people. Have you ever seem Mickelson in person at a golf tournament? His interaction with the fans is second to none. He works the crowd like a politician!
Facebook fan quotes:
"Does this really need to have an answer? Mickelson would be the best President. He's fair, honest, humble, caring. Now don't go making me send him a letter, begging him to become our next President." -- Lyn Hall
"Phil Mickelson and his caddy Bones. They stick together. Whether they make the right or wrong decision they still can share a laugh at the end of the day!" -- Edward Byczek
"Mickelson for sure because Mickelson is my maiden name... gotta go with Phil!" -- Cheryl Thornton
"Phil Mickelson -- he's fair-minded, can keep his cool, and has family values!" -- Tina Johnson Baker
6. Tom Watson. A five-time winner of the British Open, it's safe to say Watson's strong-suit would be foreign relations.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Tom Watson. Class from top to bottom." -- Eric Walker
"Tom Watson, always a class act! And, a straight shooter!" -- Gary Lazetera
5. Ben Hogan. A straight-shooter -- on and off the golf course -- Mr. Hogan wouldn't mess around. He'd get things done.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Hogan... He'd tell it to ya straight. Conservative-minded and he'd work hard to get stuff done!" -- Anthony Malafronte
"Hogan. A hard worker from humble beginnings." -- Greyson Flowers
"Ben Hogan. He didn't talk much and when he did, people listened. He worked hard and it showed with victories. He led by example. It wasn't what he said he would do, it was what he did. He's a legend and his values and work ethic have stood the test of time. He is someone that I will learn from and respect until I play my last round." -- Patrick Bowman
4. Payne Stewart. A two-time U.S. Open Champion and a man who lived for representing his country in the Ryder Cup, the late Payne Stewart would be a great choice.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Payne Stewart for President because he never gave up. Won the hearts of many before and after his tragic end. He would have been a leader with integrity and commitment for all. Not to mention the best Presidential Golfer." -- Paul MacLellan
"Payne Stewart for his statesmanship." -- Denny Axon
"Payne Stewart was a class act! Still get tears in my eyes and a limp in my throat when I think about him!" -- Leslie Lloyd Renz
"I would have voted for Payne Stewart, a true gentleman of the game, fierce competitor, good family man, and how great would out president look wearing those traditional knickers outfits, in RED, WHITE AND BLUE!" -- Warren Kenney
3. Bobby Jones. The greatest amateur player of all time and an incredibly intelligent man to boot.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Bobby Jones. Knows what it took to win, and was willing to sacrifice anything to do. Oh yeah and he blessed us with Augusta National!" -- Jonathan Bebeau
"Bobby Jones... intelligent enough to practice law and had the integrity and values that make golf great. A family man and a true gentleman. Perfect for the job!" -- Brian McCormack
"Bobby Jones... Harvard grad... law degree... and smart enough to know better than to try to make a living at that time to be a golf pro for life. Why couldn't I have been that smart?" -- Jim Callahan
"Bobby Jones. He was all about integrity. He was not about money, greed, and was honest." -- Jeff Kline
"Bobby Jones without a doubt. An attorney who understood the law and a true honest gentleman to boot. Byron Nelson as his VP." -- Sean Claycamp
T1. Arnold Palmer. Although, I'm not sure why he'd want to be president when he's already the King.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Arnold Palmer. Kind, charismatic and very good with people." -- Jeremy Dunfee
"Arnold Palmer! A little bit of love, a little bit of stubbornness, and a whole lot of class, passion, and care! He is already the grandfather of all of the golf fans out there!" -- Will Fredricksen
"Arnold Palmer -- He has the skill of a successful businessman and the temperament of an effective ambassador." -- Clay Wardrop
"Arnold Palmer. By a landslide. Military service, professional, and integrity what this country really needs." -- Dave Walbeck
"Arnold Palmer, hands down. He has always been caring, giving and a true gentleman. He IS an ambassador not only to the game, but to the world!" -- Randy Harrill
"Arnold -- a man of integrity and common sense." -- Walt Goshert
"Arnold Palmer! That man already knows how to lead an army!" -- Jennifer Foulkes Myers
T1. Jack Nicklaus. The greatest to ever play the game and beloved all over the world. When you win big as often as Nicklaus did, you'd have to believe he'd be a great leader.
Facebook fan quotes:
"Jack Nicklaus. He's the Golden Bear and he's just a great man that is for all the people and would really work for us in his best way. His VP would be his son Jackie, so that's my view." -- Eric Tyler Mullins
"Jack Nicklaus because of his leadership, dedication and love for the game, and being the best ambassador the sport has ever seen. It's not even close!" -- Frankie Cacioppo
"The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus. He's a businessman. An athlete. A scholar. A true leader!" -- David Novotny
"Jack for sure, moral family man from Ohio. No skeletons!" -- John Weidner
"Jack Nicklaus as he was most Presidential Golfer ever. Not only a great player but a Great Statesman." -- Bernard J. Smyth
"Nicklaus. Has he ever done anything that was less than honorable?" -- Marc Steven Mathews
"Jack Nicklaus... Because he's a man of honor and truth!" -- Larry Holmack
Experts on the business and game of golf. The best coaching tips and latest golf news delivered straight to you. Sign Up to get the latest.


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MEDINA, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 24, 2017--
International Inc. (NYSE: RPM) today reported record sales for its
fiscal fourth quarter and year ended May 31, 2017. Net income and
diluted earnings per share for both periods declined following
impairment charges and other non-repeating items earlier in the year, as
well as a one-time severance charge in the fourth quarter.
Fourth-Quarter Consolidated Results
Fourth-quarter net sales increased 4.6% to $1.49 billion from $1.43
billion a year ago. Net income for the fourth quarter was down 16.2% to
$128.1 million from $152.9 million reported in the fourth quarter of
fiscal 2016. Diluted earnings per share were $0.94, a 16.8% decline from
$1.13 reported a year ago. Income before income taxes (IBT) was off 6.7%
to $185.7 million from $199.1 million a year ago. Consolidated earnings
before interest and taxes (EBIT) declined 5.1% to $209.1 million, from
$220.4 million a year ago and included a $15.0 million severance charge.
Excluding the $15.0 million severance charge, EBIT was $224.1 million,
up 1.7% from a year ago. Diluted earnings per share excluding the
severance charge were $1.02, a 9.7% decline from a year ago, driven
primarily by a significantly higher tax rate this year compared to last
"We took additional cost reduction measures in the fourth quarter to
position RPM to a return to double-digit earnings growth in fiscal 2018.
We were pleased with solid organic growth in both our industrial and
specialty segments during the fourth quarter, which we expect to
continue as we enter into fiscal 2018. Organic growth across our
consumer businesses was down 1.0%, principally due to lower results at
our Kirker nail enamel business, the negative impact of a very rainy
start to the spring season for home improvement sales and a difficult
comparison to our prior-year quarter in which organic growth across
RPM's core consumer product lines increased 9.9%," stated Frank C.
Sullivan, RPM chairman and chief executive officer.
"The consolidated revenue increase, particularly in a growth-challenged
economic environment, was mitigated somewhat on leverage to the bottom
line as a result of higher raw material costs during the quarter,
including shortages and availability issues in a couple of key product
lines. Also, a significantly higher tax rate in the fourth quarter this
year versus last year reduced earnings per share on a comparative basis
by $0.12."
Fourth-Quarter Segment Sales and Earnings
Fiscal 2017 fourth-quarter industrial segment sales were up 5.0% to
$733.5 million from $698.6 million a year ago. Organic sales improved
2.2%, while acquisition growth added 4.3%. Foreign currency translation
negatively impacted sales by 1.5%. Industrial segment IBT was down 14.9%
to $92.1 million from $108.2 million a year ago. EBIT was down 14.9% to
$93.4 million from $109.7 million in the fiscal 2016 fourth quarter.
Industrial segment EBIT, excluding the $7.7 million severance charge,
was $101.1 million, down 7.9% from a year ago, when an $8.0 million gain
was recognized on the acquisition of the remaining 51.0% interest in
Carboline Dalian Paint Production Co., Ltd. in China.
"The improvement in industrial sales was driven predominately by strong
growth in the U.S. by our high-performance polymer flooring and roofing
businesses," stated Sullivan. "Businesses serving the oil and gas sector
were off in the mid-single-digit range, which is actually an improvement
over declines during the past two fiscal years. European sales were up
in the mid-single-digit range in local currencies. In addition,
unfavorable transactional foreign exchange reduced industrial segment
EBIT by $5.5 million," stated Sullivan.
Sales in RPM's specialty segment increased 5.4% to $194.0 million from
$184.2 million a year ago. Organic sales increased 3.6% and acquisition
growth added 3.3%. Sales were negatively impacted by 1.5% in foreign
currency translation. Specialty segment IBT increased 0.6% to $31.2
million from $31.1 million last year. EBIT increased 0.8% to $31.1
million from $30.9 million in the fiscal 2016 fourth quarter. Specialty
segment EBIT, excluding the $2.9 million severance charge, was $34.0
million, up 10.2% from a year ago.
"The specialty segment's sales growth was driven by recent acquisitions
and solid organic growth, particularly in our specialty cleaning
products, building restoration and wood treatment businesses," stated
Net sales for RPM's consumer segment increased 3.9% to $565.3 million
from $543.8 million in the fiscal 2016 fourth quarter. Organic sales
were down 1.0%, while acquisition growth added 5.9%. Foreign exchange
translation reduced sales by 1.0%. Consumer segment IBT was up 1.6% over
the prior year, to $99.4 million from $97.9 million. EBIT was up 1.7% in
the fiscal 2017 fourth quarter to $99.6 million from $98.0 million.
Consumer segment EBIT, excluding the $4.3 million severance charge, was
$103.9 million, up 6.1% from a year ago. Included in the fiscal 2016
fourth quarter was a $9.3 million Restore product line legal settlement
"In addition to continued underperformance at our Kirker nail enamel
business, consumer segment sales were impacted by higher rainfall and
cooler temperatures in the North American market during the fourth
quarter, which slowed home maintenance and repair activities. We also
experienced 9.9% organic growth in the fiscal 2016 fourth quarter,
making for tough comparisons," stated Sullivan. "We have new senior
management in place at Kirker and believe that this business has now
established a stabilized base from which it can resume growth."
Cash Flow and Financial Position
For fiscal 2017, cash from operations was $386.1 million, down 18.7%
from $474.7 million in fiscal 2016. Total debt at the end of fiscal 2017
was $2.09 billion, compared to $1.64 billion at the end of fiscal 2016.
RPM's net (of cash) debt-to-total capitalization ratio was 54.8%,
compared to 50.0% at May 31, 2016. Capital spending in fiscal 2017 was
$126.1 million, up from $117.2 million a year ago.
"Our financial position remains strong, allowing continuation of a
robust acquisition program and capital spending for plant improvements.
During the fourth quarter, we prepaid the December 2017 524(g) trust
obligation in the amount of $119.1 million, as well as the fiscal 2018
U.S. Pension Plan contribution in the amount of $52.8 million," Sullivan
Fiscal 2017 Full-Year Consolidated Sales and Earnings
Fiscal 2017 consolidated full-year net sales increased 3.0% to $4.96
billion from $4.81 billion in fiscal 2016. Net income declined 48.7% to
$181.8 million from the reported $354.7 million in fiscal 2016. Diluted
earnings per share of $1.36 were down 48.3% from $2.63 a year ago. IBT
was down 49.5% to $244.3 million from $483.5 million in fiscal 2016.
Consolidated EBIT was down 42.0% to $327.3 million from $564.8 million
last year. Fiscal 2017 included a $12.3 million charge for closing a
Flowcrete Middle East facility, a severance charge of $15.0 million and
the Kirker goodwill and intangible impairment charge of $188.3 million.
Excluding these items, as well as last year's Kirker earnout reversal of
$14.5 million, EBIT declined 1.3% for the year to $542.9 million from
$550.3 million a year ago. After excluding the same items, net income
for the year declined 3.5% to $333.4 million from $345.5 million in
fiscal 2016 and EPS declined 3.9% to $2.47 from $2.57 last fiscal year.
Fiscal 2017 Segment Sales and Earnings
Fiscal 2017 sales for RPM's industrial segment improved 2.9% to $2.56
billion from $2.49 billion in fiscal 2016. Organic sales increased 2.0%,
with acquisition growth contributing 2.9%. Foreign currency translation
negatively impacted sales by 2.0%. The industrial segment's IBT declined
5.4% to $243.3 million from $257.2 million in fiscal 2016. Industrial
segment EBIT dropped 4.5% to $251.3 million from $263.3 million in
fiscal 2016. Excluding the Flowcrete Middle East shutdown in the second
quarter of $12.3 million and a severance charge in the fourth quarter of
$7.7 million, industrial segment EBIT increased 3.1% to $271.3 million
from a year ago.
Specialty segment sales increased 4.2% to $713.6 million from $684.6
million in fiscal 2016. Organic sales improved 2.8% and acquisitions
added 3.1%. Foreign currency translation reduced sales by 1.7%.
Specialty segment IBT was up 0.3% to $107.9 million from $107.5 million
a year ago. EBIT was up 0.6% to $107.4 million from $106.7 million in
fiscal 2016. Excluding the severance charge in the fourth quarter of
$2.9 million, specialty segment EBIT increased 3.3% to $110.3 million
from a year ago.
Consumer segment sales for fiscal 2017 increased 2.6% to $1.68 billion
from $1.64 billion in fiscal 2016. Organic sales increased by 0.6%, and
acquisition growth added 3.4%. Currency translation negatively impacted
sales by 1.4%. IBT declined 78.1% to $58.7 million from $268.2 million
in fiscal 2016. Consumer segment EBIT decreased 78.0%, to $59.0 million
from $268.2 million a year ago. Excluding the Kirker goodwill and
intangible impairment charge of $188.3 million in the second quarter and
a severance charge of $4.3 million in the fourth quarter, as well as the
Kirker earnout reversal of $14.5 million last year, consumer segment
EBIT decreased 0.8% to $251.6 million from $253.7 million a year ago.
Business Outlook
"During fiscal 2017, we completed nine acquisitions with annualized
sales of approximately $220.0 million, which we expect to add $0.10 per
share in incremental EPS in fiscal 2018. Also, in fiscal 2017, we took
steps to reduce overall operating expenses and expect those actions to
generate a net $0.10 per share increase in EPS in fiscal 2018. There
also were several items that we incurred in our fiscal 2017 third
quarter that are not expected to repeat in fiscal 2018. They were the
Restore product line impairment charge of $0.03 per share, the European
facility closure of $0.02 per share and higher acquisition-related
expenses of $0.03 per share," Sullivan stated.
"Looking to fiscal 2018, we expect the industrial segment to benefit
from steady economic activity in the North American commercial
construction industry, combined with improving results in Europe.
Therefore, we expect this segment to grow sales in the
low-to-mid-single-digit range during fiscal 2018.
"In the specialty segment, we expect low-single-digit growth driven by
fiscal 2017 acquisitions and organic growth led by our fluorescent
pigment and wood treatment businesses. Partially offsetting positive
results in the specialty segment in fiscal 2018 will be lost sales in
our edible coatings business due to a patent expiration.
"In the consumer segment, we are expecting mid-single-digit growth due
to meaningful contributions from fiscal 2017 acquisitions, favorable
market conditions, along with new product introductions, market
penetration and a stabilization of the Kirker business.
"Based upon the growth expectations above, we anticipate earnings per
share for fiscal 2018 to be in the range of $2.85 to $2.95 per share.
Throughout the year, it will be important to keep in mind the
variability of our year-over-year quarterly comparisons, in particular,
our tax rate is estimated to be in line with fiscal 2017, but may
fluctuate quarter-to-quarter. Related to this, in the first quarter of
last year we had a very favorable tax adjustment, which is not expected
to repeat, and which will negatively impact the first quarter of fiscal
2018 by approximately $0.03 per share. As outlined above, in the fiscal
2017 third quarter we identified, but did not adjust out, roughly $0.08
per share of non-operating, one-time items. These items should be added
back to the fiscal 2017 base results for our fiscal 2018 third quarter.
Given the higher-than-normal tax rate in the fiscal 2017 fourth quarter,
we would anticipate $0.05 per share benefit in the fiscal 2018 fourth
"For the first quarter of fiscal 2018, in addition to the higher tax
rate mentioned above, we expect higher raw material costs experienced in
the fourth quarter to continue through the first quarter, as well as
continued foreign currency headwinds, both translational and
transactional. Also, most of our operating groups were on plan in the
first quarter of fiscal 2017, before their results began to weaken, and
our Brazilian operation benefited in the first quarter last year when
Brazil hosted the summer Olympics. As a result, our EPS estimate for the
first quarter of fiscal 2018 is $0.83 per share to $0.85 per share.
"As we look to the balance of the 2018 fiscal year, raw material
availability issues are improving and our announced price increase
actions are beginning to take hold. Additionally, we expect that foreign
exchange for the last three quarters of the fiscal year will be neutral
or slightly positive to our results, unlike the significant negative
impact it has had over the last three fiscal years. Based upon recent
cost-cutting actions and our communicated expectations for the new
fiscal year, we look forward to generating solid industry-leading
organic sales growth and a return to double-digit earnings growth in the
12% to 15% range," stated Sullivan.
Webcast and Conference Call Information
Management will host a conference call to discuss the results beginning
at 10:00 a.m. EDT today. The call can be accessed by dialing
888-771-4371 or 847-585-4405 for international callers. Participants are
asked to call the assigned number approximately 10 minutes before the
conference call begins. The call, which will last approximately one
hour, will be open to the public, but only financial analysts will be
permitted to ask questions. The media and all other participants will be
in a listen-only mode. The call may also be accessed via the RPM website
at www.RPMinc.com.
For those unable to listen to the live call, a replay will be available
from approximately 12:30 p.m. EDT on July 24, 2017 until 11:59 p.m. EDT
on July 31, 2017. The replay can be accessed by dialing 888-843-7419 or
630-652-3042 for international callers. The access code is 43815426. The
call also will be available both live and for replay, and as a written
transcript, via the RPM web site at www.RPMinc.com.
About RPM
RPM International Inc. owns subsidiaries that are world leaders in
specialty coatings, sealants, building materials and related services
across three segments. RPM's industrial products include roofing
systems, sealants, corrosion control coatings, flooring coatings and
other construction chemicals. Industrial companies include Stonhard,
Carboline, Flowcrete,
Chemical and RPM
Belgium Vandex. RPM's consumer products are used by professionals
and do-it-yourselfers for home maintenance and improvement and by
hobbyists. Consumer brands include Rust-Oleum,
and Testors.
RPM's specialty products include industrial cleaners, colorants,
exterior finishes, specialty OEM coatings, edible coatings, restoration
services equipment and specialty glazes for the pharmaceutical and food
industries. Specialty segment companies include Day-Glo,
Wood Finishes, Mantrose-Haeuser,
Brands, Kop-Coat
and TCI.
Additional details can be found at www.rpminc.com
and by following RPM on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RPMintl.
For more information, contact Barry M. Slifstein, vice president –
investor relations, at 330-273-5090 or email@example.com.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information
To supplement the financial information presented in accordance with
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States ("GAAP")
in this earnings release, we use EBIT, a non-GAAP financial measure.
EBIT is defined as earnings (loss) before interest and taxes. We
evaluate the profit performance of our segments based on income before
income taxes, but also look to EBIT as a performance evaluation measure
because interest expense is essentially related to acquisitions, as
opposed to segment operations. For that reason, we believe EBIT is also
useful to investors as a metric in their investment decisions. EBIT
should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than,
income before income taxes as determined in accordance with GAAP, since
EBIT omits the impact of interest in determining operating performance,
which represent items necessary to our continued operations, given our
level of indebtedness. Nonetheless, EBIT is a key measure expected by
and useful to our fixed income investors, rating agencies and the
banking community all of whom believe, and we concur, that this measure
is critical to the capital markets' analysis of our segments' core
operating performance. We also evaluate EBIT because it is clear that
movements in EBIT impact our ability to attract financing. Our
underwriters and bankers consistently require inclusion of this measure
in offering memoranda in conjunction with any debt underwriting or bank
financing. EBIT may not be indicative of our historical operating
results, nor is it meant to be predictive of potential future results.
See the last page of this earnings release for reconciliations of EBIT
and Adjusted EBIT to income before income taxes and adjusted Earnings
Per Share to Earnings Per Share. We have provided Adjusted EBIT and
Adjusted Earnings Per Share as certain items are not necessarily
representative of the core operations of our businesses and accordingly
we have provided adjusted results that we believe are useful to
investors in evaluating the core operations of our business and are used
in the management of the business, including decisions concerning the
allocation of resources and assessment of performance.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" relating to our
business. These forward-looking statements, or other statements made by
us, are made based on our expectations and beliefs concerning future
events impacting us, and are subject to uncertainties and factors
(including those specified below) which are difficult to predict and, in
many instances, are beyond our control. As a result, our actual results
could differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any such
forward-looking statements. These uncertainties and factors include (a)
global markets and general economic conditions, including uncertainties
surrounding the volatility in financial markets, the availability of
capital and the effect of changes in interest rates, and the viability
of banks and other financial institutions; (b) the prices, supply and
capacity of raw materials, including assorted pigments, resins, solvents
and other natural gas- and oil-based materials; packaging, including
plastic containers; and transportation services, including fuel
surcharges; (c) continued growth in demand for our products; (d) legal,
environmental and litigation risks inherent in our construction and
chemicals businesses and risks related to the adequacy of our insurance
coverage for such matters; (e) the effect of changes in interest rates;
(f) the effect of fluctuations in currency exchange rates upon our
foreign operations; (g) the effect of non-currency risks of investing in
and conducting operations in foreign countries, including those relating
to domestic and international political, social, economic and regulatory
factors; (h) risks and uncertainties associated with our ongoing
acquisition and divestiture activities; (i) risks related to the
adequacy of our contingent liability reserves; and (j) other risks
detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including the risk factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended May 31, 2016, as the same may be updated from time to
time. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise
any forward-looking statements to reflect future events, information or
circumstances that arise after the date of this release.
EBIT is defined as earnings (loss) before interest and taxes. We
evaluate the profit performance of our segments based on income
before income taxes, but also look to EBIT as a performance
evaluation measure because interest expense is essentially related
to acquisitions, as opposed to segment operations. For that
reason, we believe EBIT is also useful to investors as a metric in
their investment decisions. EBIT should not be considered an
alternative to, or more meaningful than, income before income
taxes as determined in accordance with GAAP, since EBIT omits the
impact of interest in determining operating performance, which
represent items necessary to our continued operations, given our
level of indebtedness. Nonetheless, EBIT is a key measure expected
by and useful to our fixed income investors, rating agencies and
the banking community all of whom believe, and we concur, that
this measure is critical to the capital markets' analysis of our
segments' core operating performance. We also evaluate EBIT
because it is clear that movements in EBIT impact our ability to
attract financing. Our underwriters and bankers consistently
require inclusion of this measure in offering memoranda in
conjunction with any debt underwriting or bank financing. EBIT may
not be indicative of our historical operating results, nor is it
meant to be predictive of potential future results.
Reconciliation of Reported Earnings per
Diluted Share to
Adjusted Earnings per Diluted Share:
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The number of active-duty airmen who have been discharged from the Air Force for not meeting physical training (PT) standards has increased dramatically since 2007.
According to a report in the Air Force Times, the number of discharges jumped from 156 in 2007 to 1,319 so far in 2012. Demotions in the Air Force because of poor physical fitness also have increased as a result, from fewer than 100 in 2007 to 528 last year, the Air Force Times reported. So far this year, 458 demotions have fallen under a general category that includes failure to keep fit, failure to perform and failure to achieve appropriate skill levels for the career field.
PT test score data, obtained by the Air Force Times, show that officers at every major Air Force command are more likely to have an excellent score on their PT tests than enlisted airmen, many of whom, according to one airman, work odd shifts.
"Maintainers and cops are constantly working long and strange hours, while many other squadrons work set hours and can, most of the time, work PT into a routine," said the airman, who asked not to be identified by the Air Force Times. "Some bases provide 24-hour gyms, some do not."
The Air Force requires commanders to make discharge or retention recommendations for every airman who has received four failures in a 24-month period, the newspaper reported. More stringent standards were put in place in 2010 when new fitness scoring charts were implemented, along with a minimum score requirement in each fitness component. Airmen also began taking the test every six months instead of every 12 months, unless they achieved a score of 90, the Air Force Times reported.
Officials told the newspaper that the highest the failure rate reached was more than 22 percent. Over the past two years, the failure rate has declined to 5.9 percent, officials say.


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Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A mind-numbingly cringeworthy and deeply disturbing MySpace video release shows vacuous celebrities pledging their "service" to the incoming Obama government in the form of activities such as not flushing the toilet after taking a piss and selling their "obnoxious" cars.
The video was produced by actress Demi Moore for the MySpace Presidential Pledge project, and features a gaggle of highly annoying actors, singers and other patent phonies such as Sean P. "Diddy" Combs, Courtney Cox Arquette and Ashton Kutcher.
"The Presidential Pledge is a platform for people across the nation and throughout the world to make a first person commitment of service to our new President, articulating a specific intent or action to become an agent of positive change," said Kutcher.
In the video, Sean P. "Diddy" Combs pledges to "turn the lights off," presumably to help Obama combat "global warming" as America freezes under record low temperatures, while actor Jason Bateman promises to "flush only after a deuce never a single" and another celebrity states his pledge to "sell my obnoxious car and drive a hybrid". Red Hot Chili Peppers front man Anthony Kiedis pledges "to be of service to Barack Obama".
At the end of the clip, in perhaps the creepiest moment, Moore and Kutcher pledge to "be a servant to our President" as the shot pans out to show all the actors echoing a cult-like mantra, "because together we can, together we are and together we will be the change that we see," as the shot morphs into the now familiar Marxist motif 1984-style image of Obama.
Several respondents to the video noted that the sentiments expressed were at best misguided and at worst "creepy," "sick" and "cult-like".
Forgive my skepticism, but millionaire celebrities vacuously pledging to "plant 500 trees" when the American economy teeters on the brink of a depression that Obama's stated policies for combating "global warming" will only make worse just doesn't inspire me at all.
Furthermore, since when were the American people supposed to swear allegiance and pledge "service" to a President? The U.S. Constitution, that piece of paper that Obama will swear to defend and protect later today, states quite clearly that elected representatives are supposed to act in "service" of the people's best interests, not the other way around.
Of course, the most disturbing aspect to all this cult-like messiah complex and "service" of government is Barack Obama's intention to take this notion of "service," which is embraced by many well-meaning but naive people, and turn it against the American middle class in the form of Stasi-like informants spying on those that choose not to sacrifice their freedom and prosperity in the name of saving the planet from the menace of a problem wholly concocted and exploited by the very elite that Obama represents.
Indeed, the woman overseeing Obama's climate agenda, Carol Browner, is a card-carrying member of Socialist International, an organization that has resolved to use the threat of global warming as a means to facilitate the creation of a system of global government.
How many of Obama's promised "national civilian security force," a cadre we are guaranteed will be as strong or stronger than the U.S. Army, will make the "pledge" to spy on their neighbors for enviro-crimes and report them to the local green commissariat?
Perhaps these celebrities should spend less time worrying about when its morally right to flush the toilet and more time asking Obama and Biden about their "pledge" to protect Bush administration war criminals from prosecution.
Perhaps they should concern themselves more with Obama's "pledge" to do nothing to stop Israel's incessant and barbarian slaughter of Palestinian men, women and children in Gaza.
That really would be of "service," but only to the American people, humanity in general, and future generations, and not to the Obama government's domestic political agenda.
Watch the video clip below.
Research related articles:
- Obama Website Scrubs Mandatory Community Service Call
- Celebrities Join Backlash Against TV License Stealth Tax
- Obama's chief of staff choice favors compulsory universal service
- Obama team weighs government bank to ease crisis
- Secret Service hit for not reacting quickly to shoe throwing
- Teens Pledge Allegiance To Obama
- Ron Paul Warns Of Great Shift Toward Global Government Under Obama
- Financial Times Editorial Admits Agenda For Dictatorial World Government
- U.S. pledge fails to lift cloud over Fannie, Freddie
- Obama's Energy Czar: Socialist Agent For World Government
- Obama approval ratings top 80 percent in Canada
- Fox News Angrily Smears Nader For Daring To Criticize Obama
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I think I found this photo on Pinterest - This is just a delicious photo! :)
I am inspired by:
* Theme (food)
* The color scheme (primary and rich tones)
* The textures (smooth, grids)
* The style (fun and cute)
* Techniques (cones, rolling paper, layering, masking)
* Accent possibilities (colorful brads, fruit)
* Paper Smooches stamp suggestions (Fruitastic, Vegtastic, Sugar Rush)
So friends, that's your challenge...take inspiration from this fabulous photo. Follow it closely or use it loosely...just have fun!
Create a NEW project (card, tag, layout, altered item, etc)
You must use at least one Paper Smooches stamp or free digi
(stamps from other companies can be used, but please make sure that PS images are easily seen)
Post your Paper Smooches SPARKS project on your blog. We would love you to include our SPARKS banner (shown on the right column) somewhere on your post. Please link to our web site: www.papersmoochesstamps.com - and include Paper Smooches somewhere on your post. Submit a direct link to your blog post using our linking system below.
(right click on the SPARKS challenge banner and save to your computer. If you have any trouble, I am happy to e-mail the image to you)
If you do not have a blog, please upload your project to our Flickr Group and link to our web site in your description. Submit a link to your gallery image using our linking system below.
Here's what you are playing for:
First place...we are choosing a PRO stamper - someone who we think is a rock star - that person wins: THREE stamp sets of their choice (a $45. value)
Second place winner is called a PRIMO stamper - who we think is super fabulous - and will win TWO PS stamp sets of their choice (a $30. value)
We will choose ONE random winner to receive ONE PS stamp set and THREE shaped card templates of their choice (a $21. value)
All skill levels are welcome. You can enter as many times as you like. We do not have challenge police, so how you interpret this inspirational piece of art...just have fun, ok?
To qualify for our random drawing, you can do any or all of the following:
- create a project using our SPARKS inspiration
- comment here and tell us that you TWEETED about our challenge
- comment here and tell us that you FACEBOOKED about our challenge
The deadline for this challenge is: Wednesday,May 2
Winners will be announced on Friday, May 4---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next challenge will be posted on Monday, May7
The next challenge will be posted on Monday, May7
It brings us GREAT JOY to see you using our stamps. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your creativity with us. We truly appreciate you!
I am honored to share our design team samples with you. You can click on the links to see more of their beautiful work
Angie Hagist
Audrey Tokach
Judith Gowdy
Kelley Eubanks
Linda Beeson
Lori Barnett
Marie Forberg
Savannah O'Gwynn
May first marks the end of these VERY talented ladies design team term here at the SPARKS blog. (sigh) I ish they could stay on forever...but I do think that it's important to "change things up" every 6 months or so. :) Our new team will be contacted on April 24th, and announced here on April 25, Mannnn, there are some really amazing submissions ;) If you haven't already submitted - please do.


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Venom in Her Veins is a stand-alone novel written by Tim Pratt.
|A yuan-ti child—a pureblood who looks entirely human except for some very subtle snakelike characteristics—is found alone in a jungle ruin by a passing (and heavily-guarded) caravan of traders who harvest a rare addictive flower from the jungle for trade in a nearby city.
The head of the caravan takes in the child, not realizing its inhuman origins. The child grows up with the caravan believing herself to be human and learning both tradecraft and how to survive in the jungle, but she begins to have dreams of snakes and other racial-memory things, possibly even visions from a deity. After forcing her mother to admit she's adopted, she runs away from home to seek out her origins, but she is pursued by her adopted human "cousin" who wants to bring her home.They find the ruins where she was discovered as a child, and she discovers her true nature. She's horrified, but also enraged when she discovers denizens of the Underdark stole away the other yuan-ti from her settlement, including her real family, to use as slaves. She ventures into the Underdark to try and rescue any survivors from her "real" family.
- Organizations
- Slime Clan
|This section is a stub. You can help us by expanding it.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Tim Pratt (March, 2012). Venom in Her Veins. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0786959843.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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A Santa Monica beach house once owned by Douglas Fairbanks Sr. is listed at $7.9 million
The former beach house of silent film star Douglas Fairbanks Sr. has come on the market in Santa Monica at $7.9 million.
The neighborhood was known as the Gold Coast after Hollywood stars and industry giants built homes there in the 1920s. MGM head Irving Thalberg and his actress-wife, Norma Shearer, owned homes in the seaside area, as did industrialist J. Paul Getty and comic actor Harold Lloyd. Fairbanks' street earned the nickname Rolls-Royce Row.
The two-story Mediterranean, built in 1922, has three bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms and formal living and dining rooms in 1,641 square feet. There are views of the grounds, the pool and the ocean. The expansive second-floor terrace includes a fire pit. A wide brick terrace extends the living area off the back of the house and steps down to the swimming pool and spa, which are flanked by lawns lined with mature trees.
The property sold in 1994 for $1,815,000, according to public records.
The costume-drama "The Mark of Zorro" (1920), in which Fairbanks played the title role, cemented his stardom. The swashbuckling leading man was known for his athletic prowess, demonstrated in films such as " Robin Hood" (1922) and "The Thief of Bagdad" (1924).
Jeffrey Hyland of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills, has the listing.


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|Me and the artist who draws the handmade bookmarks
While walking back to Hougang MRT station, I saw a Malay lady in her sixty sitting down on her wheelchair and she was fully surrounded with arts creations, mainly handmade bookmarks. When I drew myself closer, she told me that all was drawn personally by her and each bookmark costs S$2.
What attracts me was the colorful pictures that she drew plus the motivation quotes or wishes that she put on top of it. You can also make a personalized name bookmark. It can be written in English, Malay, and even Arabic words. Other than for your own use, you can also purchase it as a gift to other people. It will be such a nice and simple gift for someone special and each bookmark is laminated and added with ribbon on top to make it last longer and beautiful.
From the photo above you can see how she displays her creations. Other than bookmark, she can also sketch your face on the spot, which I forget to ask her how much it costs.
|The handmade bookmark bought in Hougang
It will be the first day of fasting month tomorrow. I decided to buy to support her. At the same time I told her that I would put our photo together in my blog as to spread awareness about her creations and hopefully more people would visit and buy her products. So, if you like it, you can find her near Hougang MRT. She said most of the time she was stationed there unless if she wasn't feeling well.


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This is the old United Nations University website. Visit the new site at http://unu.edu
SCN news
The Sub-committee on Nutrition (SCN) of the United Nations Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) is the focal point for harmonizing the policies and activities of the United Nations system in the field of nutrition. The ACC, which comprises the heads of the UN agencies, recommended the establishment of the Sub-committee on Nutrition in 1977, following the World Food Conference (with particular reference to Resolution V on food and nutrition). This was approved by the UN Economic and Social Council. The role of the SCN is to serve as a co-ordinating mechanism, to provide for the exchange of information and technical guidance, and to act dynamically to help the UN system respond to nutritional problems.
The UN system members of the SCN are the United Nations itself, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, IFAD, ILO, UNDP, UNEP, Unesco, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNRISD, UNU, WFC, WFP, and WHO. From the outset, representatives of bilateral donor agencies have participated actively in SCN activities. It is assisted by the Advisory Group on Nutrition (AGN), composed of six to eight experienced individuals drawn from relevant disciplines and with wide geographical representation. The SCN secretariat is hosted by FAO in Rome.
The SCN undertakes a range of activities to meet its mandate. Annual meetings have representation from the concerned UN agencies, some 10 to 20 donor agencies, and the AGN, as well as invitees on specific topics; these meetings begin with symposia on topics of current importance for policy. The SCN brings certain such matters to the attention of the ACC. It sponsors working groups on intersectoral and sector-specific topics. Ten-year programmes to address two major deficiencies - vitamin A and iodine - have been launched.
The SCN compiles and disseminates information on nutrition, reflecting the shared views of the agencies concerned. A regular "Report on the World Nutrition Situation" is issued. State-of-the-art papers are produced on selected topics. Research priorities for solving nutrition problems are proposed in consultation with agencies and researchers in the field. Initiatives are taken to promote co-ordinated activities - interagency programmes, meetings, publications - aimed at reducing malnutrition, primarily in developing countries.
(From SCN News, 1988;1&2:44.)
Review of oral delivery of vitamin A available
The policy discussion paper Delivery of Oral Doses of Vitamin A to Prevent Vitamin A Deficiency and Nutritional Blindness (see summary in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 70-71), the second in the ACC/SCN series of state-of-the-art reviews, is available free of charge from the SCN secretariat. It is by Keith P. West, Jr., and Alfred Sommer and includes discussion by G. Arroyave, E. M. DeMaeyer, R. P. Devadas, S. J. Eastman, K. Vijayaraghavan, and V. Reddy, with an introduction by J. B. Mason with S. J. Eastman and M. Lotfi. It reviews the case for vitamin-A prevention programmes, focusing on the distribution of vitamin-A capsules as usually the first intervention for rapid effect. Fortification and dietary modification are introduced in the discussions.
Statement on nutrition and AIDS
At its meeting in Geneva, 22-26 February 1988, the SCN sponsored a symposium on Nutrition and AIDS, which reviewed the current epidemiologic information on the spread of AIDS and possible connections between nutritional status and either the initiation or rate of progression of HIV infection. The implications of the exploding epidemic of AIDS on household, community, and national structures and infrastructures were explored. In the discussion the two focal questions were "Does nutritional status, or nutritional intervention, influence the course of AIDS?" and "Is there indication that the spread of AIDS will lead to nutritional problems through reduction of supplies and services?" It was noted that AIDS results in malnutrition in the affected individual, since progressive wasting is a common marker of progress of the disease.
With regard to the first question, at present there is not a clear indication that nutritional status has an effect on susceptibility to infection or progression to overt disease, although this remains a likely possibility. In any case, it is likely that nutritional support of the subject with manifest AIDS will improve the quality of remaining life, but it is not certain that it will extend life. Several studies are now under way in this area.
In agrarian societies reductions in agricultural production associated with reduced manpower can be foreseen or alternatively the need for an increase in agricultural mechanization. It can be predicted that the health system will be faced with major increases in needs for services and may face this demand with reduced manpower and possibly disrupted infrastructures. Any of these outcomes would have major implications for food, nutrition, and health planning. They would impact on future needs for capital funding and on the debt repayment capabilities of affected countries. That is, interest areas of all agencies in the SCN family stand to be affected.
In nutrition monitoring and surveillance, it is noteworthy that, as AIDS in young children increases, interpretation of both low weight and high mortality as nutritional indicators will have to change.
While there is not a clear path for avoidance of the scenarios described above, the present epidemiologic data may be seen as an early warning in a world surveillance system. It would seem critically important that governments and the UN agencies monitor not only the epidemiology of AIDS but also the development of structural effects of the epidemic so that national and international actions can be set in motion to attempt to compensate for effects as they begin to develop.
Volume 10, number 3, of the Food and Nutrition Bulletin will have a special section with the papers from the symposium referred to in this statement.
International Foundation for Science
The International Foundation for Science (IFS), founded in 1972, is an organization created to support promising young scientists and technologists in their research work in developing countries. The support is provided in the form of grants, scientific advice, and arrangements for scientific contacts, including workshops arranged by the IFS.
The IFS is a non-governmental organization based on scientific academies and research councils in 69 countries, of which two-thirds are in developing and one-third in industrialized parts of the world. The foundation is governed by an international board of trustees, and has its secretariat, also international in character, in Stockholm, Sweden.
Criteria for a research grant are the scientific quality and promise of the researcher and the proposed research project, and the relevance of the research to the needs of the country concerned. To be eligible for a grant, an applicant must be a citizen of, and carry out the research in, a developing country.
All applications are evaluated by international panels of experienced scientists in the different research areas.
The grants are given to individual scientists and are primarily intended to provide equipment. expendable supplies, and certain technical assistance for a specific project. The grants normally do not exceed US$12,000, and the average grant amounts to about US$8,000. A grant may be renewed up to three times.
Food science is one of the seven scientific areas supported by the foundation. Aspects of research include food technology and processing, fermentation and microbiology, storage and packaging, nutrition, composition, contamination, and toxicology. The IFS grant programme also includes aquaculture, animal production, crop science, forestry, natural products, and rural technology. Abstract catalogues have been prepared for all these areas.
When a research grant is approved, a formal agreement is made between the foundation, the grantee, and the grantee's institute (or a similar authority) for the first period of research. The institute undertakes to administer the grant and to provide the laboratory, professional salaries, and other facilities necessary for the project. Instruments and other equipment financed by the grant normally become the property of the institute.
The grant can be transferred partly or entirely to the grantee's country, or a project account in convertible currency can be opened in Stockholm for special purchases.
Reports have to be submitted upon completion of a project. For renewal of a research grant, a separate application must be submitted together with a progress report.
The foundation does not claim any rights to any publication, invention, or patent arising out of a project.
The foundation's working languages are English and French, and inquiries are welcomed in either of these languages or in Spanish. Information material and application forms are available from: IFS Secretariat, Grevturegatan 19, S-114 38 Stockholm, Sweden.
(From Food Laboratory Newsletter, 1988;11:6-7.)
Food technology events
The following international events of interest were announced in the Institute of Food Technologists International Newsletter (no. 26, Feb. 1988):
- 11-14 October 1988, Bogota, Colombia: Sixth Latin American Seminar and Third Colombian
National Congress of Food Science and Technology, "Food for the 21st Century." Contact: L. E. Zapata, Seminar Secretariat, Avenida 63, #22-16, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 15-17 November 1988, London: Food Ingredients Europe '88, Exhibition and Conference on Food Ingredients and Additives. Wembley Exhibition and Conference Centre, London. Contact: Expoconsult, P.O. Box 200, 3600 AE Maarssen, Netherlands; telephone 31-3465-73777; telex 47945; fax ++31346573811.
International news about agriculture and food science and technology are welcomed by the Newsletter. Please send them to: Dr. M. A. Jimenez, Editor, IFT International Newsletter, 1604 Treboy Avenue, Richmond, VA 23226, USA.
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Media note: Photos and additional background information are available at https://cornell.box.com/WorldAgPrize
Newswise — ITHACA, N.Y. – Throughout his 43-year career, Cornell University plant breeder Ronnie Coffman has sown seeds of scientific and social change across continents and generations.
Now his efforts are being recognized with the inaugural World Agriculture Prize, awarded by the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA), an organization that represents more than 600 universities worldwide.
As a rice breeder at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines in the 1970s, Coffman, helped one generation survive the ravages of war by ensuring food security throughout Southeast Asia.
As leader of the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative – and the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Department for International Development – he is helping another generation combat new strains of wheat rust that threaten to devastate world food supplies.
As the professor behind Cornell's popular Agriculture in Developing Nations course, director of International Programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (IP-CALS), and organizer of Ph.D. training courses at the West African Center for Crop Improvement, he is mentoring the next generation of plant breeders and international development professionals.
"The world's farmers need access to the best science that the many great institutions of GCHERA can deliver in order to produce crops that are nutritionally adequate and best adapted to future challenges," Coffman said during his acceptance speech at Nanjing Agricultural University in China Oct. 20.
New technologies – including biotechnologies – must be made accessible to all the world's farmers so that nutritionally superior seeds that are well-adapted to climate change are put in the hands of farmers with limited resources, he added.
Coffman also advocated for the advancement of women in agriculture and science, and he committed the $50,000 proceeds of the prize to AWARE (Advancing Women in Agriculture Through Research and Education), a new initiative to ensure that gender is considered in all IP-CALS activities, from events to funding proposals.
"Women hold the greatest potential to make significant impacts in rural development," said Coffman. "Colleges of agriculture and life sciences need to empower women as future champions around the globe so they can become the entrepreneurs of their own future as well as the planet's."
Coffman was nominated for the award by Kathryn Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of CALS, who said he embodied the college's mission of "knowledge with public purpose."
"Ronnie excels as an agent of change. He has spent his career ensuring that people with scarce resources in some of the world's most populous countries have access to the agricultural science they need to produce crops best adapted to the challenges they face," Boor said.
A Kentucky native, Coffman had never even seen the ocean prior to coming to Cornell as a graduate student in 1967. His first trip off the continent was to Puerto Rico as a participant in the class he now leads. Coffman now travels more than 150 days and 250,000 miles a year in pursuit of advancements in agriculture and rural development.
Coffman joined the Cornell faculty in 1981, and has served as director of IP-CALS since 2001. Previous positions include chair of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, CALS associate dean for research and director of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station.
Cornell University has television and ISDN radio studios available for media interviews.