text:
Iraq's Shia-dominated government faced an Iranian and Syrian (under Assad) attempt to tip Iraq into civil war through support for rival terrorists and death squads in the Shia and Sunni Arab communities. In addition, perhaps 300,000 Iraqis (mostly Shia) died in the 1980s fighting Iran in that long war.
Iraqi hostility to both Iran and Assad should be easy to leverage into a close alliance between America and Iraq.
Hey, how's this for the fruits of smart diplomacy?
Iraq's prime minister warned Wednesday that a victory for rebels in the Syrian civil war would create a new extremist haven and destabilize the wider Middle East, sparking sectarian wars in his own country and in Lebanon.
Nouri al-Maliki stopped short of voicing outright support for Syrian President Bashar Assad's embattled regime. But his comments in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press marked one of his strongest warnings yet about the turmoil that the collapse of the Syrian government could create.
The prime minister's remarks reflect fears by many Shiite Muslims in Iraq and elsewhere that Sunni Muslims would come to dominate Syria should Assad be toppled, and his statements could provide a measure of moral support for those fighting to keep Assad in power.
Again, not that I blame the Iraqis. They need to be careful about angering the Iranians. Not a lot of Iraqis are fond of Iran and far fewer are fond of Syria under Assad. But Iran is close and willing to fight for Iraq. Iraq's military has not had the time (or opportunity, arguably) to transition to one capable of conventional warfare in a clash with Iran. Where, the Iraqis can ask, is America?
Twenty-five thousand American troops. That's all I wanted to keep in Iraq to reassure Iraqis that it was safe to resist Iranian pressure and that it was safe to practice democracy. That's all I wanted to defend the gains we made until Iraq could handle the role on their own.
But no, our president had to "responsibly end" the war that continues without us. All he wants is a decent interval before Iran can win in Iraq to avoid responsibility for the debacle.
And now we have a Secretary of Defense who doesn't want to dictate to anyone, let alone Iran, and is famously eager to cut a deal with Iran on top of that. Yeah, that will reassure the Iraqis who should be our natural friends based on our common enemies and shared sacrifice.
We may yet win this. Iraq could buy the time they need to strengthen their military (which we are helping, I'll say) and then reject Iranian influence so that their prime minister doesn't have to sing the praises of the stability provided by killers with so much Iraqi blood on their hands. Heck, the odds might even be in our favor. It's hard for me to say. But it would be easier to say if we were still there and in the game competing with the Iranians rather than looking for ways to cut deals with the murderous SOBs in Tehran.


text:
Best Selling Author Barry Eisler On Copyright, Piracy And Why SOPA/PIPA Are 'Extremely Disturbing'
from the papyrus-scrolls-are-difficult-to-pirate deptI've written about best-selling author Barry Eisler a few times, for his recent decisions to turn down a half million dollar publishing deal in order to focus on alternative paths to bringing his books to market (first self-publishing ebooks and then doing a deal with a much more innovative and nimble Amazon). I had the pleasure of meeting up with Barry for lunch recently, where we had a fascinating conversation on a variety of topics -- some of which we decided to turn into a few interview posts for Techdirt. The first one is on copyright, a subject Eisler is quite familiar with. Prior to becoming such a successful author... he was an IP lawyer. Of course, now, as an author, many might think he would support stricter copyright laws, but he actually goes the other way and makes a bunch of cogent points not just on copyright in general, or even the legal proposals like SOPA and PIPA, but also why we're in such a situation with those laws being proposed.
Techdirt: While millions of people know you as a bestselling novelist, many people might not realize that prior to your career as a writer you were an intellectual property lawyer. Obviously, the combination gives you an unusual perspective on the question of copyright law. What are your thoughts on the state of copyright law today?
Eisler: It�s out of balance. The purpose of copyright laws�indeed, the purpose of intellectual property laws generally�is to create a limited monopoly on the part of the copyright holder sufficient to incentivize artists and inventors to create. The theory behind copyright is that without a means by which they might profit from their work, many artists might not bother, in which case the wider society would be denied the benefit of paintings, movies, music, novels, software, etc. But extending the monopoly past the point at which it creates the incentive itself is harmful to society, because doing so keeps copyrighted works out of the public domain. Think of it this way: anything beyond what�s required to incentivize artists is a windfall to artists and a detriment to society.
Historically, copyright law has moved in one direction only�it�s expanded. A common theory of copyright is that great protections must be good for authors, and if it�s good for authors, it�s good for the public. In your experience, is that accurate... and as an author, how do you feel about this view of copyright law?
Many people approach the question of how long a copyright should endure from the standpoint of what�s fair to artists (purely coincidentally, many of these people are artists). �But the artist created it!� the thinking goes. �Shouldn�t she profit?�
The answer is yes�but unless you believe that, for some sort of artist-centric moral reason, the artist should profit forever (along with her heirs into perpetuity), the next question is, �For how long?� And this question is properly answered not only by reference to profits for artists, but also by a consideration of benefits for society.
Imagine you�re starting a new country and that you have three alternatives for the creation of the country�s copyright law. You can have no protection for artists at all, in which case less art and fewer useful inventions will be produced, meaning that society is denied the benefit of these unproduced items. Second, you can have copyright protection lasting forever, in which case art and inventions will be available but always at a price. Third, you can have a limited copyright term just sufficient to incentivize the production of art and useful inventions, in which case art and inventions will be available and in relatively short order will become part of the public domain. Of these three possibilities, if your primary concern is what is good for the wider society, you�ll design your copyright laws based on #3, and you won�t have a term that�s a day longer than what you judge necessary to incentivize artists and inventors.
Copyright terms have grown to be over a century. No reasonable person can claim that, with a term of less than a century, artists wouldn�t be adequately incentivized to create. So current copyright terms are clearly too long from the standpoint of what�s best for society overall. Personally, I think a twenty-five year term would be more than enough. Anyone who claims he wouldn�t bother creating if he could only commercially exploit his creation for a quarter century wasn�t going to create anything worthwhile anyway.
Frequently, the battles over copyright law are positioned as being the �tech industry� vs. the �content industry.� And yet, many of the innovations from the tech industry have resulted in a much healthier content industry�since the tech world provides many of the tools that help create, distribute, promote and monetize works. As someone who�s lived in both worlds, is this a battle between two sides? If not, why do you think many view it that way?
I don�t see it as a battle at all, for precisely the reason you articulate. For example, I sell more books now in digital than I ever did in paper, so without the advent of digital distribution technology, I�d be making less of a living from my books. Now, digital enables piracy in a way paper never did, so you might argue that digital is bad for authors, but this argument is belied by my own bottom line and that of increasing numbers of other authors. In fact, anyone who thinks that new distribution technology, by enabling piracy, must be bad for artists must also believe artists were better off in the age of papyrus scrolls and stone tablets, which, as we all know, are notoriously difficult to pirate.
Anyway, all these concerns about new technologies enabling piracy are missing a larger and more important point. To prove that piracy has hurt an artist�s profits, you have to demonstrate that: (i) the artist would be making more money in the absence of the pirate-enabling technology than in its presence (that is, that for example a novelist would be making more money in a pure paper world than in an increasingly digital one); and (ii) pirates, if somehow denied the opportunity to pirate the artist�s work for free, would have instead purchased a legitimate copy. These are exceedingly difficult things to prove and so far as I know no one has ever offered empirical evidence in support. By contrast, there is ample empirical evidence to show that piracy actually boosts legitimate sales.
One other thing you�d have to do to prove that piracy is harmful: you�d have to screen out the benefits of piratical word of mouth. Because how many legitimate copies were purchased as a result of the wider awareness of the work caused by pirates accessing it for free? Novelist J.A. Konrath, for example, practically begs people to pirate his books, and has sold over a half-million legitimate copies in part as a result. Anyone who believes there�s no word-of-mouth benefit to piracy must also believe there�s no word-of-mouth benefit to library loans.
The only way to fight piracy, and the best way to turn it to your advantage, is with cost and convenience. Fighting piracy with DRM and lawsuits is not only futile; it�s actually detrimental to the artist�s bottom line.
As to why some people insist on viewing the relationship between content and distribution technology as a battle, I think it�s a manifestation of a weird but widespread human tendency to think in either/or terms when more often things are both. Look at the way digital publishing is often discussed, with many people, including authors, insisting that writers must be legacy-published or self-published when common sense and empirical evidence demonstrate that in fact, authors can (and often should) be both.
I think there�s an element of fear at work, as well. After all, if we�re making a living one way and something disruptive comes along, it�s natural to see the new thing as a threat to what�s established rather than as an enabler of something even better, and we�ll often fight the new thing rather than opening our minds and figuring out a way to embrace and exploit it. Natural, but from a business standpoint, counterproductive.
Do you have any thoughts specifically about the new bills proposed in Congress to expand copyright law (SOPA in the House, PROTECT IP in the Senate) by making third party service providers liable for certain forms of infringement and/or requiring them to cut off access and services to accused websites?
I�d call these bills insane except that, like many bills that seem insane when you judge them by their ostensible purposes, this one begins to make a great deal of sense when you understand what it�s really intended to do. For example, you might wonder why the Bush administration scooped up thousands of terror suspects and tortured them in Guantanamo and black sites, or why Obama administration has been so public about its torture of accused Wikileaks whistleblower Bradley Manning. Both cases, at first blush, seem to be public relations disasters for the politicians in question, and it�s only when you understand what these politicians are in fact trying to accomplish�a demonstration that the US government can pluck you out of any recognizable legal framework, prevent you even from access to a lawyer and from visits from the Red Cross, hold you indefinitely and abuse and torture you mercilessly�that you can begin to understand that these policies are not insane, but are instead carefully designed to strike fear into the hearts of anyone who might oppose US policy or undermine its obsessive secrecy.
Similarly, you might think Obama�s attempts at health insurance reform were a fiasco, until you realize that it makes perfect political sense for him to pay lip service to progressive goals so as to garner progressive votes, and then blame Republican obstruction for the failure to achieve those goals and for the passage of insurance industry-serving legislation instead, thereby ensuring continued receipt of industry campaign contributions. Votes from the base; money from the corporations. Every politician�s wet dream, and no accident when it happens.
So yes, on the surface, the notion that the government might via SOPA shut down any website that doesn�t police content to the government�s satisfaction seems insane�as insane as penalizing kitchen knife manufacturers for stabbings or automotive companies for drunken driving or telcos for crank calls. But when you consider that SOPA will not only grant content providers enormous power to intimidate and disable content outlets of which they disapprove�a shortcoming that has been extensively covered here on Techdirt and elsewhere�but also that SOPA will give the government, too, unprecedented power to police Internet content, you start to understand that from a certain nefarious perspective, SOPA begins to make a great deal of sense indeed. And for anyone who values Internet freedom, such a purpose and result should be extremely disturbing and worthy of a fight.
As someone who has long relied on new technologies yourself�and who is now betting strongly on ebooks�do you worry about the unintended consequences of bills like these to actually do more harm than good to your own efforts as an author?
I do. Every time content providers try to slow, control, or stop new distribution technology, they wind up hurting not just consumers, but also themselves. Hollywood fought television and then video recorders, both of which turned out to be huge Hollywood moneymakers after Hollywood�s litigation attempts failed. The music industry succeeded in destroying Napster, and in the process helped turn Apple into the world�s largest online music retailer, with the record labels as its supplicants. Lower-cost, more efficient distribution methods are developments content providers should embrace, not attempt to stymy, and fighting technologies that benefit consumers is about the best way I can imagine to lose money, create new pirates, and seed business opportunities to competitors.
And of course, then there�s the problem of a new Chinese-firewall level of governmental control over content. But as I note above, that�s not an unintended consequence. That one is by design.
What would you say to the big traditional publishers in New York who think laws like this are necessary?
I�d tell them to make original mistakes instead of repeating ones already made by the music and movie industries. I�d tell them to stop relying on monopoly rents to shore up their business and learn to compete in the digital marketplace, instead. I�d tell them that properly understood, digital distribution is an enormous opportunity, not a threat, and if they could only focus on building windmills rather than windbreaks, they could survive and even thrive in the digital world that, whether they like it or not, is fast displacing analogue.
Thanks to Barry for an enjoyable conversation. We'll have a further discussion more specific to publishing and his experiences there soon....
Filed Under: barry eisler, copyright, pipa, protect ip, sopa

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sarah Palin could soon make a move on Kate Gosselin's reality-TV crown.
The politician-turned-author-turned-Tea Party mascot is shopping a reality show with "Survivor" super-producer Mark Burnett, network sources told Entertainment Weekly as Palin reportedly made the rounds to major TV networks.
Palin visited ABC with Burnett Wednesday and met with reality honcho Mike Darnell at Fox Tuesday, according to EW sources, who also confirmed Palin made a trip to CBS and has plans to meet with an NBC exec.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
The program will reportedly be a docudrama about Alaska and will take a "planet-Earth type look" at the ex-governor's home state, the insiders said.
It will be produced by Burnett, famous for his successes into reality television, including long-time hit "Survivor" and Donald Trump's "The Apprentice."
The Palin family would be on-camera for the show, according to the Hollywood Reporter, though it was unclear whether Palin's teen-mom daughter Bristol or husband Todd would appear on the program with the former vice-presidential candidate.
Network executives told the Hollywood Reporter the series could be a success.
"There's an awful lot of interest in her," one exec said. "As a short-order series, it might work. It would depend on what kind of footage you get."
The announcement comes on the heels of news Palin would write a second book, one that will focus on "key values -- both national and spiritual" of the ex-governor's life, her publisher said.
Palin's first book, the bestseller "Going Rogue," was a memoir that detailed Palin's personal and political life and sold over 2 million copies.
The politician spoke to talk-show titan Jay Leno earlier this week as he made his return to "The Tonight Show," telling Leno she had dreamt before of appearing on TV: her previous ambition was to be a sportscaster, she said.
This won't be Palin's first TV rodeo -- she was hired as a Fox political analyst last month and made her on-screen debut in January on "The O'Reilly Factor."


text:
Comparative effectiveness research is designed to inform health-care decisions by providing evidence on the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of different treatment options. The evidence is generated from research studies that compare drugs, medical devices, tests, surgeries, or ways to deliver health care.
There are two ways that this evidence is found:
- Researchers look at all of the available evidence about the benefits and harms of each choice for different groups of people from existing clinical trials, clinical studies, and other research. These are called research reviews, because they are systematic reviews of existing evidence.
- Researchers conduct studies that generate new evidence of effectiveness or comparative effectiveness of a test, treatment, procedure, or health-care service.
Comparative effectiveness research requires the development, expansion, and use of a variety of data sources and methods to conduct timely and relevant research and disseminate the results in a form that is quickly usable by clinicians, patients, policymakers, and health plans and other payers. Seven steps are involved in conducting this research and in ensuring continued development of the research infrastructure to sustain and advance these efforts:
- Identify new and emerging clinical interventions.
- Review and synthesize current medical research.
- Identify gaps between existing medical research and the needs of clinical practice.
- Promote and generate new scientific evidence and analytic tools.
- Train and develop clinical researchers.
- Translate and disseminate research findings to diverse stakeholders.
- Reach out to stakeholders via a citizens forum.
Common questions about comparative effectiveness research
Q: Why is comparative effectiveness research needed? What problem is it trying to solve?
- If you don't get the best possible information about your treatment choices, you might not make an informed decision on what treatment is best for you.
- When you shop for a new car, phone or camera, you have lots of information about your choices. But when it comes to choosing the right medicine or the best health-care treatment, clear and dependable information can be very hard to find.
- It's true that some treatments may not work for everyone, and that some treatments may work better for some people than others. This research can help identify the treatments that may work best for you.
Q: What are the practical benefits of comparative effectiveness research?
- You deserve the best and most objective information about treating your sickness or condition. With this research in hand, you and your doctor can work together to make the best possible treatment choices.
- For example, someone with high blood pressure might have more than a dozen medicines to choose from. Someone with heart disease might need to choose between having heart surgery or taking medicine to open a clogged artery. Reports on these topics and others include the pros and cons of all the options so that you and your doctor can make the best possible treatment decision for you or someone in your family.
- Every patient is different — different circumstances, different medical history, different values. These reports don't tell you and your doctor which treatment to choose. Instead, they offer an important tool to help you and your doctor understand the facts about different treatments.


text:
competition Dorpsbouwmeester
|Dorpsbouwmeester, stichting Wasteland
|Benjamin Robichon
|project team:
|Daniël Grünberg, Ramon Acha Valls, Kirsten Dijkgraaf
|Zeestraat, Den Oever
|July 2012
Den Oever has potential to attract a large number of visitors. Currently, Den Oever knows 7.000.000 passers. Next to this, Dudok's monument on the Afsluitduik is visited annually by 300.000 people. Then there is the water connection between the Waddenzee and the IJsselmeer providing 30.000 water and sailing passers. The renovated and upgraded parts of buildings in the Zeestraat are called 'Pop-Ups'. These Pop-ups are temporary residence places, which might function as single hotel rooms or as clustered hotel rooms. All Pop-Ups are autonomous working objects, linked to the existing buildings.
The project 'Pop-Up Zeestraat' proposes a strategy containing the revitalization of an old shopping street into an artery of tourism and recreation. This strategy is part of the urban masterplan of Knevel Architecten for Den Oever, in the north-west of the Netherlands, near the Afsluitdijk.
The dike between the village of Den Oever and the harbour is named the Havendijk. The Havendijk contains a gap; called a 'coupure'. By this coupure, the Zeestraat in Den Oever is spatially connected to the harbour. Because the Havendijk no longer meets current standards, it must be raised. The current buildings of the Zeestraat will be renovated and upgraded. The project consists of the idea to create an additional space in order to give back visual sight towards the harbour, also after the dike is raised. In addition, it is necessary that the Zeestraat strengthens the connection between the village and the harbour. In order to achieve this, point wise differentiations in the streets are added. By these programmatic and spatial differentiations, the connection between the harbour and the village is accentuated. Currently, an investigation is started by the Municipality of Hollands Kroon for a new 'coupure' in the Havendijk. As an extension of the Kapelstraat, this new coupure might replace the current coupure at the Zeestraat. Or, both coupures could stay intact and cooperate.
The remaining space next to the hotel room, can be made suitable for public services and housing. On the ground floor Pop-up stores can be developed for recreational shopping. By attracting tourism and providing hotel rooms, the Zeestraat can be interesting for local entrepreneurs to rent a Pop-Up space for one week, one month or one quarter of a year. This requires a certain neutrality of the shopping space, so shopkeepers can adjust the space suitable for their shop. The facade of the Pop-Ups might be executed of wood from a forest in the neighbourhood and solar panels can be applied to generate sustainable energy.


text:
SKF Commutation Sensor-Bearing Units
Three digital commutation signals for 6 step-drive control
The units are customizable to electric motor size and number of pole pairs. The sensor body can be angular-shifted in order to align the output commutation signals with the E-motor back electric magnetic force.
Combined functionality benefitsSKF Commutation Sensor-Bearing Units integrate sensor function into the bearing – an SKF patented design that allows very precise management of the sensor-bearing unit air gap. The result? The units are insensitive to severe magnetic field disturbances, and can withstand application vibration and continuous temperatures up to 150°C. Other design and performance benefits include:
- Compactness
- Simplified assembly
- Sensing performance unaffected by assembly line mounting tolerances
- Optimized torque ripple and system noise
- Excellent e-motor torque stability
- Improved safety and reliability


text:
¡exploremos! 1 (chapter 1-2)
Created by CONJUGUEMOS
Choose Activity
Record Practice
Quit Practice
Restart Practice
Quit Practice
Every time you want to get rid of a card, choose either "I know it," "I sort of know it," or "I don't know it."
CONJUGUEMOS © 2000-2020 Yegros Educational LLC, INC. (Alejandro Yegros) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


text:
Welcome to wadebridge.com - ONLINE GUIDE
latest news:
latest forum posts:The online guide for residents, visitors and businesses alike.
Use the menu or search box above to find what you are looking for!
The site uses a clutterless design with easy-to-find items.
We operate independently of any outside body on a not-for-profit basis.
Advertise on our site from just £30 for a whole YEAR!
Want a personalised email address? Yours for just £12 a YEAR!
People find us...
by either guessing at a likely name for a Wadebridge web site
OR by typing 'wadebridge' into a search engine.
Our position on the search results page can change daily.
Click the search-engine names below to see where we appear:
Please remember to mention wadebridge.com if you contact a business from this site!


text:
Praise the bench: Glen Davis and Nate Robinson lead Celtics to game four win over Lakers
Backup Glen "Big Baby" Davis scored half of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Celtics bench as it pulled away from the Los Angeles Lakers to win 96-89 on Thursday night and even the best-of-seven series at two games apiece.
Game 5 is Sunday night in Boston. The Celtics' win guaranteed them a trip back to Los Angeles and averted a 3-1 deficit that has never been overcome in NBA history.
Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and Pau Gasol had 21 for the Lakers.
HoopsVibe's Very Quick Call: Down the stretch, the Boston Celtics needed a spark. And their bench answered the call, winning game four for the green-and-white.
With starters Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo struggling, coach Doc Rivers went with four reserves and first-stringer Ray Allen for most of the fourth quarter.
And this makeshift unit responded in the final frame: Glen Davis tallied 9 of his 18 points; Nate Robinson scored and set up others; Tony Allen forced Kobe Bryant left and made the game's best player work for every point; and Rasheed Wallace's length and physicality eventually wore on Pau Gasol.
Best of all, Ray Allen, Tony Allen, Davis, Robinson, and Wallace brought an energy that Boston was missing for most of the game.
The news gets worse for the Los Angeles Lakers: Andrew Bynum sat out the entire second half and only played 12 minutes because of his injured knee.
Bynum's numbers have been mediocre due to his poor health; however, his height and length has given the Celtics problems. Also, with Bynum on-court, Gasol can shift to the four-spot, his natural position.
However, give the Celtics credit. They capitalized on Bynum's absence. And their bench came through in the clutch.
Got thoughts on game four?


text:
2CHYP Portfolio Analytics
2CHYP Portfolio Analytics 3Q19
Welcome to the 2CHYP quarterly analytics. Each quarter we analyze our holdings both at a portfolio level and at a company level. PDF link: Here Earnings analysis PDF Earnings analysis PDF Earnings analysis PDF Earnings analysis PDF Earnings analysis PDF Earnings...read more
2Q19 Quarterly Portfolio Analytics
Welcome to the 2CHYP quarterly analytics. Each quarter we analyze our holdings both at a portfolio level and at a company level. PDF link: 2CHYP 2Q19 Analytics CBL Earnings Update PDF GOOD Earnings Update PDF IRM Earnings Update PDF MAC Earnings Update PDF MPW...read more
Portfolio Analytics 1Q19
Welcome to the 2CHYP quarterly analytics. Each quarter we analyze our holdings both at a portfolio level and at a company level. PDF link: 1Q19 Portfolio Analytics WPG 1Q19 Earnings PDF IRM 1Q19 Earnings PDF WY 1Q19 Earnings PDF CBL 1Q19 Earnings PDF GOOD 1Q19...read more
Important Notes and Disclaimer
The information contained herein is confidential, privileged and only for the information of the intended recipient and may not be used, published or redistributed without the prior written consent of 2nd Market Capital Advisory Corporation (2MCAC).
Material Market and Economic Conditions. January 2019: Tax-loss selling's calendar expired and the government re-opened on January 25, 2019. The combined effect caused our shares to rise more than the broader markets. December 2018: Another Fed-Funds rate hike, unresolved US-Chinese trade, a partial government shutdown, and an exaggerated tax-loss selling season put extreme downward pressure on equity prices. All of these factors contributed to diminished liquidity and more significant share price declines in small cap/value issues; 2CHYP is focused on small cap/value issues, so our decline was significantly more precipitous.
Suitability. Information contained herein is impersonal and not tailored to the investment needs of any particular person. It does not constitute a recommendation that any particular security or strategy is suitable for a specific person. We cannot determine whether the portfolio holdings presented are suitable for any given reader. Readers are encouraged to contact their financial professional to discuss the suitability of any strategies or holdings prior to implementation in their portfolio.
Forward-looking statements. Commentary may contain forward-looking statements which are by definition uncertain. Actual results may differ materially from our forecasts or estimations, and 2MCAC cannot be held liable for the use of and reliance upon the opinions, estimates, forecasts, and findings in these documents.
Holdings. The specific securities identified and described herein do not represent all of the securities purchased or sold for advisory clients of 2MCAC. It should not be assumed that investments in the securities identified and described were or will be profitable. We do not intend presentation of 2CHYP's holdings as a recommendation, but rather as a statement of historical fact. It should not be assumed that purchases and sales made in the future will be profitable or will equal the performance of the securities in this list.
Past Performance does not guarantee future results. Investing in publicly held securities is speculative and involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Historical returns should not be used as the primary basis for investment decisions. Although the statements of fact and data is this commentary have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, 2MCAC does not guarantee their accuracy and assumes no liability or responsibility for any omissions/errors.
Benchmark Comparison. 2CHYP portfolio is compared to the I Shares REIT ETF (IYR) and Vanguard REIT ETF(VNQ) because these are common methods for investing in a portfolio of REITs and we view these as competitors or alternatives to 2CHYP. Both IYR and VNQ have fees that are factored into performance, while 2CHYP does not have a fee aside from trading commissions which are factored into performance. 2CHYP's dividends are reinvested, while VNQ's and IYR's dividends are paid but not reinvested.
Expenses. Returns reflect the deduction of any transaction expenses. There are no costs or management fees charged nor deducted.
Calculation Methodology. Partial year return, unaudited. Dividends in 2CHYP are reinvested.
Conflicts of Interest. We routinely own and trade the same securities purchased or sold for advisory clients of 2MCAC. This circumstance is communicated to clients on an ongoing basis. As fiduciaries, we prioritize our clients' interests above those of our corporate and personal accounts to avoid conflict and adverse selection in trading these commonly held interests.
Contact Us
2nd Market Capital Advisory Corp
650 N. High Point Road
Madison, WI 53717
(608) 833-7793 - phone
(608) 833-5549 - fax
Investment advisory services offered through 2nd Market Capital Advisory Corporation, a Wisconsin registered investment advisor.
View disclosure information for 2nd Market Capital Advisory Corporation and our investment professionals by visiting the SEC Investment Advisor Public Disclosure website.
Copyright 2020 2MCAC | Website built and maintained by Jack Knesek


text:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gainesville Police Department said it has identified those responsible for the robbery of the Gainesville Internet Cafe last Wednesday.
Police said 39-year-old Xavier Gunn entered the business in the 4100 block of Northwest 13th Street, displayed a handgun and obtained an undisclosed amount of cash from the cashier, 21-year-old Courtney Hamilton.
Police said Gunn and Hamilton conspired to stage the robbery as a cover for their planned grand theft.
Hamilton has been arrested on charges of armed burglary and conspiracy, but Gunn has not been found. He is also wanted on the same charges.
Gunn is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 185 pounds. He should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Police Department at 352-393-7615 or text "GPDFL plus your tip" to 274637 to make an anonymous tip.


text:
148 Changi Rd, Singapore 419727
Opening Hours:
Opening Hrs:
10:30am - 7pm (Mon,Tue Wed,Fri)
10:30am - 6pm (Sat/Sun)
Public Holidays & Thurday closed
Tel: +65 6481 1194
Help fellow cyclists get to know our local shops better (in 20 words or more)!
Chat Seller
Upload, Manage and Browse thousands of bike ads on your Apple and Android Phones! Buy and sell with more than 160,000 cyclists on the go!
Login to togoparts.com to use all the facilities!
If you are not yet a member,why not register using your facebook accountor sign up directly to Togoparts.
Still have trouble logging in? Get Help.


text:
Unless Congress takes action within the next week to preempt sequestration, USDA might be forced to make big cuts to its budgets that will disrupt service to farmers and consumers. That was the message delivered today by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at his department's Agricultural Outlook Forum 2013.
When it comes to managing risk in agriculture, Vilsack notes, discussion usually turns to risks such as weather or international economic risks outside the industry's control. But the biggest threats that face agriculture today are man-made.
The first would be the impending sequestration. If Congress doesn't enact a deficit-reduction package by March 1 or amend current law, Vilsack will be obligated to make cuts to USDA budgets, including those for food-safety programs.
USDA would be forced by law to reduce every line item in its budget by 5% to 6% on an annual basis. But because the cuts couldn't be made until the final half of the year, they might have to be larger.
"It will feel like 10%," Vilsack says.
The cuts could undermine programs such as food safety, which has few budget lines, most involving people. A total of 6,000 food inspectors could be furloughed for several weeks if sequestration occurs, The Hill's Floor Action Blog reports, resulting in millions of dollars in lost wages and some plant closures.
On March 27, if Congress hasn't passed a budget or a continuing resolution, USDA and other federal agencies will have to stop spending money. That will negatively affect the Department's ability to promote exports and provide credit to farmers, Vilsack says.
Then there's the man-made risk of not having a farm bill. The lack of a five-year plan, Vilsack says, creates uncertainty about the safety net for farmers and livestock producers "who are facing potential economic disaster" from continuing drought conditions.
Farm families, Vilsack says, need and deserve the certainty of a farm bill. They face financial risk even as they provide extraordinary national security. "We are a nation that can feed itself," says Vilsack, noting that most nations around the world can't say that. "Less than 10% of a paycheck in this country goes to food, compared to 15% to 20% in most developed nations."
The lack of a farm bill frustrates the USDA's ability to settle trade disputes such as the cotton industry's imbroglio with Brazil over domestic subsidies. Vilsack says that dispute could result in "significant penalties without a farm bill." It also hampers the government's ability to bring down foreign trade barriers.
That includes dealing with Russia, which has barred the import of U.S. beef over the use of ractopamine, a food additive that helps animals produce lean meat rather than fat. Russia's decision "is not scientifically based and contrary to international law," Vilsack says, noting that the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) recently declared that U.S. beef and pork products are safe.
Without a farm bill, rural economies may continue to suffer, jeopardizing the nation's ability to develop a new bio-based economy, Vilsack says.
He sounded a call for immigration reform as well.
"Agriculture relies to a great extent on immigrant labor," says Vilsack, adding that some crops weren't harvested last year for lack of available labor. "Everyone in the room understands that many of those workers are in the country illegally ... . It's important and necessary that we have immigration reform."
The agriculture department, Vilsack says, is doing what it can to help control other risk to farmers. After taking steps last year to mitigate drought-related problems, it is now focused on the potential to do multi-cropping throughout the U.S. The department is trying to identify and mitigate barriers to multi-cropping, including its own insurance programs.
Another focus is reducing the risks of producing genetically engineered and organic crops in the same vicinity. The department will do case studies, develop best practices and hold a conference later this year. It is looking for ways to indemnify farmers who might suffer economic loss, and it might set up a different insurance program for organic crops.
Climate change is another issue USDA is tackling. The department recently produced two studies that demonstrate its impact on agriculture. "There's no question that the climate is changing," says Vilsack, adding that the department is looking for ways to help farmers reduce their risk. It will expand its pest forecasting and increase soil health management.
At the same time, Vilsack complimented the industry for its technical know-how. Farmers produced a relatively large crop last year, despite the drought. "The reason we did was because of the technology and techniques that our farmers use," Vilsack says.
He encouraged the audience of farmers, producers, policymakers and other agricultural interests to reach out to their lawmakers and urge them to act.
"We need you to encourage Congress to help us help you," he says.
Unless Congress takes action within the next week to preempt sequestration, USDA might be forced to make big cuts to its budgets that will disrupt service to farmers and consumers. That was the message delivered today by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at his department's Agricultural Outlook Forum 2013.


text:
Council wards
The Highland Council area has 21 wards each served by 3 or 4 councillors, depending on ward population.
To engage with local communities and improve service delivery there are ward forums which the public can attend.
Each ward has a Discretionary Fund which is managed by the ward manager. Each ward receives a Discretionary Budget of £16,000. Ward Discretionary spend.
Disabled access guides (provided by DisabledGO.com)
To find your ward, either:
- Browse our list of wards
- Click on top of your home in the map below to get a link to your ward.
© Crown copyright and database right 2015. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey licence number 100023369.


text:
Using Accordance to Teach a Bible Study, Part 2
In my previous post, I began showing how I taught a Bible study using the Slide Show feature of Accordance. This feature lets you present any workspace with tabs as a series of "slides," with each tab constituting one "slide." The only caveat is that all the tabs have to be in a single zone, so you may have to drag one into another before you use this feature.
In setting up the workspace I would present as a slide show, I began by assembling the various passages I would be reading. My main passage was the story of Elijah's showdown with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18, but I also wanted to read a few related passages. I set each passage up in its own tab so I could quickly turn to each one without scrolling or navigating. Again, see my previous post for details on how to do that.
Next I wanted to add some visuals: a map showing the location of Mount Carmel (the setting of this story), photos of the location, images of Baal, etc.
To get the map, I simply selected the word "Carmel" in my main passage and clicked the Map button on the Resource palette. A map opened with Mount Carmel highlighted. Because this story took place during the period of the Divided Kingdom, I chose to overlay the Divided Kingdoms region layer on my map.
Now, here's where I used a little power-user trick. Because I had searched for Mount Carmel, the name Carmel was highlighted on my map in red. When I added the Divided Kingdoms region layer, the kingdom of Israel was shaded pink, and the combination made the Carmel label difficult to read. So I decided to change the red text to black.
To do that, I simply chose Set Map Display from the Display menu. In the dialog that appeared, I chose Extra Region Names from the main pop-up menu, then changed the Color pop-up from Red to Black.
By the way, the Extra Site Names and Extra Region Names in the main pop-up refer to site and region labels which have been added to the map as the result of a search. They are "extra" in the sense that they appear on the map regardless of whether or not they are actually included in the currently displayed map layers. Accordance gives you the ability to customize those extra labels independent of other map elements.
When I clicked OK to close the Map Display settings dialog, my map now looked like this:
During the course of the Bible study, while I was presenting the map, I realized that I wanted to remove the Divided Kingdoms region layer so people could better focus on the topography. If I had anticipated that need, I could have set up a second map tab with a different set of layers and simply switched to it. Because I hadn't done that ahead of time, I had to exit Slide Show mode in the middle of the Bible study, tweak the map to look the way I wanted, and then enter Slide Show mode again. Fortunately, exiting Slide Show mode is as easy as hitting the escape key, and entering it again merely requires choosing Slide Show from the Window menu. The entire process only took a few seconds.
If you use the Slide Show feature a lot, you should also learn the keyboard shortcut command-option-S, which will toggle the Slide Show on and off.
In my next post, I'll demonstrate how I gathered the images I wanted to present in my slide show.


text:
Outlook 2015: Indian equities
Outlook 2015: Indian equities
India's Nifty index surged by close to 30% in 2014, yet despite this rally, market returns have been modest for the 2008-2014 period. The significance of the 2014 rally is that it has heralded the birth of a new bull market in India. The bull market came about because of three factors; cheap starting valuations, a turnaround in the economic cycle and a change in political leadership. The initial period of the bull market has seen the returns dominated by reratings of price-to-earnings ratios rather than earnings growth. We think that as this market matures in 2015, the contribution to returns should shift in favour of earnings growth.
As economic growth picks up, a meaningful demand revival is expected towards the end of 2015 and once this happens it will give a further large boost to earnings
Corporate profits to GDP
Source: JP Morgan, as of 31 March 2014
Corporate profits have trailed nominal GDP growth over the last few years. The pressure on profitability has come from a number of factors – a weak economy, large capex projects (many of which have got stuck or delayed), high interest rates and high input cost inflation. As most of these issues get sorted, we should be entering a period where earnings growth can outpace nominal GDP growth over the next few years.
The high number of capex projects that are under way should start paying off as delayed projects get back on track. The new government has sharply fast-tracked project approvals and is also untangling other roadblocks such as coal availability and fuel linkages for power plants. Furthermore, a number of leveraged companies are exiting projects that they do not have the capacity to finish. These projects are being acquired by companies and funds with plans to get them commissioned as soon as possible and this is being facilitated by banks that are under pressure from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on restructured loans and non-performing assets (NPAs). For example, a few companies in the power sector have announced initiatives to acquire troubled power plants with similar initiatives underway in other infrastructure sectors such as highways and ports. Buoyant equity markets will allow companies and private equity funds to raise capital to invest in such projects.
Capital WIP/ Net Fixed Assets
Source: Prowess, Barclays, as of 31 March 2014
Input cost inflation for the manufacturing sector has been high in recent years on account of high global commodity prices and a weak currency. The sharp fall in commodity prices (especially crude oil) and the stability in the Indian rupee (on account of improved macro fundamentals) should bode well for bringing down input costs and improving margins. The fall in commodity prices is also helping bring down inflation in the economy. This fall in prices is creating the headroom for lower interest rates, which should bring down finance costs for companies.
The most significant driver for earnings growth over the medium term is operating leverage. Current low capacity utilisation levels will allow companies to take advantage of any demand revival through existing capacity, thus providing high marginal profitability of incremental demand. As economic growth picks up, a meaningful demand revival is expected towards the end of 2015 and once this happens it will give a further large boost to earnings.
(Article continues below)
Capacity Utilisation (%)
Source: RBI, as of 30 June 2014
OECD Leading Economic Indicators – India
Source: OECD, as of 31 October 2014
Nifty Earnings growth
Source: IIFL Research, as of 31 March 2014
Last year saw the return of the Indian investor to the equity market after many years and we expect the inflows to continue into 2015 as well. Equity ownership within Indian households remains abysmally low – both in absolute terms as well as compared to historical levels seen in 2007-08. As these holdings start to normalise, they can sustain large inflows into equities. Large domestic inflows are structurally important for the market for two reasons. Firstly, they can provide a counter-balance to foreign institutional investor flows and secondly, they also allow the absorption of the equity supply that will hit the market in 2015 as the bull market matures.
The market has gone through the entire year in 2014 without seeing a correction of over 10%. Historically, any bull market experiences corrections – the 2003-2007 market witnessed a number of 10% falls as well as some that were over 20%. So a correction can reasonably be expected to take place at some stage. The key lesson for investors is that they should not fret too much on the short-term ups and downs of the market and instead focus on the maturing bull market which still has a number of factors driving it in 2015.


text:
Recipes offer creative ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers
If your turkey outlasted your Thanksgiving lunch or you are on mashed potato overload, try some recipes with a twist for using leftovers.
There are so many ways to reconfigure the remnants of your Thanksgiving Day feast, and you have free rein over what ingredients to include according to your leftovers.
TurkeyBroccoli Quiche
1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked
3/4 cup chopped fresh broccoli
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup chopped cooked turkey
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon curry powder (or garlic powder if you prefer)
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a large skillet over medium-low heat, cook broccoli and onion, stirring frequently, until tender. Drain.
Sprinkle broccoli and onion, turkey and cheese into prepared pie shell.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs slightly; beat in half-and-half, curry powder and salt. Pour egg mixture over turkey and broccoli mixture. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and continue baking for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
TurkeyWaldorf Salad
2 cups shredded leftover turkey meat
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 cup celery leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more whole leaves for garnish
1 crisp apple, such as Gala or Macintosh, cored and chopped
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into matchsticks
Freshly ground black pepper
In a large bowl, gently toss the turkey, celery, celery leaves, apple, grapes and pecans until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, honey and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined. Put the celery root in a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the dressing, and toss to coat completely. Add the remaining dressing to the turkey mixture, season with salt and pepper, and toss gently to evenly dress the salad.
To serve, spread the celery root evenly onto a serving platter, top with the dressed salad, garnish with celery leaves and serve immediately.
Traditional KentuckyHot Brown Open Faced Sandwiches
5 slices bacon
Leftover gravy or make some new
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 thick slices white bread, toasted
Dijon mustard, for spreading
1 tomato, sliced
3 cups shredded or sliced roast turkey
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the broiler. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour out all but about 1 tablespoon fat from the skillet.
Make the gravy (or use leftover gravy): Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Increase the heat to medium high, add the milk and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
Arrange the bread on a baking sheet. Spread each slice with mustard, then drizzle with some of the gravy and top with the sliced tomato. Toss the turkey with the remaining gravy in the skillet. Divide the turkey evenly among the bread slices, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Broil until golden, about 2 minutes.
Crumble the bacon over the sandwiches; sprinkle with the parsley.
2 cups shredded Cheddar and Monterey cheese blend
1 onion, chopped
1 (2-ounce) can sliced black olives
24 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 (19-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
4 cups cooked turkey, chopped
Top with your choice of toppings: chopped tomatoes, sour cream, chopped cilantro, salsa, etc.
Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, onion and black olives. In a small skillet, heat enough oil to lightly coat one tortilla, and cook until soft. Remove and dip in enchilada sauce to coat. Add turkey and cheese mixture to center of tortilla, roll and place in the prepared dish. Repeat until bottom layer of pan is covered with enchiladas. Spread enough sauce over bottom layer to cover.
Repeat process with a second layer; spread remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted.
Turkey, Cheddar and Green Apple Sandwich
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
2 slices whole-grain bread, toasted
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
4 thin slices cooked white-meat turkey
1 ounce thinly sliced extra-sharp cheddar cheese
4 thin slices green apple
2 pieces red-leaf lettuce
Spread mustard on 1 slice of bread and mayonnaise on the other slice. Layer the remaining ingredients on mustard, and top with second slice of bread. Cut in half, and serve immediately.
Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (12-fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely crushed herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
1 cup cooked, diced turkey meat
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
Preheat oven to 350F (175 C). Lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in the flour. Slowly stir in evaporated milk and water, then season with salt, pepper and onion powder. Stir sauce over low heat for 5 minutes. In a separate saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Blend in the dry stuffing mix. Place the turkey in the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce over turkey, then sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Spread mashed potatoes over cheese. Top mashed potatoes with the stuffing mixture.
Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven.
Tammy Kelly is director, Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Center, 1791 N.C. 11/55, Kinston, NC 28504. Reach her at 252-527-2191 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Time Warner Cable says the vast majority of its customers can access the Internet after Thursday night's problem.
"Engineers have deployed a restoration fix and the vast majority of customers are able to access the Internet," a company statement said.
The widespread failure of Time Warner Cable Internet service affected California customers for several hours. No details were released about what caused the outage.
U.S. & World
Its unknown exactly when the service went down but word about the failure started spreading around 6 p.m. While the failure was in full swing NBCLA contacted Time Warner using a website chat feature. We were told the outage affected "almost everyone from California."
It appears television service was not affected.
In an e-mail to NBCLA Time Warner Cable spokesman Darryl Ryan said "we apologize for this intermittent service issue."


text:
There is tons of information out there to help people understand Obamacare. And so I decided to compile some of where you can find it in order to help us spread the word.
First of all, bookmark the page for Enroll America. They are the non-profit group that is going to be working over the next year to get the word out.
One of the group's that has consistently put out quality information on the Affordable Care Act is the Kaiser Family Foundation. To get started on how much you do/don't know about the reforms, take their short quiz. They also have a pretty helpful video that gives a summary.
And they have a calculator to help people determine if they'll qualify for a subsidy.
Of course one of the best places to go for information is HHS's own Healthcare.gov. Two of the things I found most helpful there are the map that provides implementation progress by state and the tool to help people find their insurance options.
Healthcare and You also has lots of helpful information - including some details broken down by state.
Young Invincibles is specifically working on getting good information about health care reform out to young adults. And yes...there's an App for that!
The Washington Post can help you find out exactly how Obamacare will affect you.
That does it for now. But it should be enough to get you started. We have NO excuse for not knowing/sharing all the good stuff that is about to happen with the implementation of Obamacare. My plan is to link one of these resources per day on Facebook and Twitter. What's yours?
UPDATE 11/26/12: FAQ: Everything you need to know about Obamacare's coverage options, in one post. A good summary.
UPDATE 7/8/13: Obamacare: A Fact of Two
UPDATE 7/19/13: To counter GOP fear tactics:


text:
Geography Program
Housed within the College of Science and Management, the Geography Program (www.unbc.ca/geography/index.html) has ten faculty.
Gail Fondahl is involved in a project under the aegis of the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council to develop and then test a set of social indicators for tracking human development in the Arctic. The Arctic Social Indicators (ASI) project, which is a follow-up to the 2004 Arctic Human Development Report and involves over two dozen collaborators, is led by Joan Nymand Larsen of the Stefansson Arctic Institute and Peter Schweitzer of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The team is modifying common indicators of human development (such as education, life expectancy, and material well-being) to reflect the arctic context and developing new indicators reflecting relationship to nature and cultural resilience as measures of domains arctic residents have indicated as critically important to their well-being. The ASI report will be published in late 2009; the indicators will then be tested and verified.


text:
What happens to your digital estate and online holdings when you die?
Have you planned your online estate? While nobody wants to talk or think about their own death, you owe it to the ones left behind to do some serious planning. My estate planning attorney says treat that just about like any other property you own. That's the starting point. Although your digital estate carries its own set of rules, it needs careful, accurate estate planning just like your real-life estate. April 21, 2013


text:
April 5, 2011 Elmbrook School Board Ballot Picks: Brunner & Write-In Kormanik (Yes, that was Brunner! UPDATED)
Yes, it is true! I am voting for Dick Brunner for Area 1 Elmbrook School Board Member.
Here is my sample ballot with all my picks selected: David Prosser for Supreme Court Justice, LloydCarter for Circuit Court Judge, Branch 1, and School District of Elmbrook Board Members: Richard Brunner for Area 1 and Write-In Nancy Kormanik for Member-at-Large.
Why Brunner? (Pictured left) He is the more conservative of the 2 men running. Notice, I did not say he was a conservative, just that he was more conservative. While they both* support 4K, (*Brunner just emailed me to clarify that he is "not necessarily a proponent of 4K, but [he] would consider it as an option if appropriate"), at least Dick Brunner realizes if we cannot reduce the budget by other means, we must close some of our existing schools because of excess capacity. He has stated this privately to me in an email as well as publicly at the Candidate Forum.
He wrote, "As it stands now, we're in a box if the [enrollment] numbers don't change. We have to work within our revenue limits and expenditures. Expenses have to go down. We have two choices: lay off teachers and increase class size or close schools. Closing schools won't save nearly as much as layoffs though. I've been looking at administrative staffing and [it] appears that they are VERY well staffed!"
Brunner also wrote this about his financial background, "I was employed by Waukesha County for 16 years as a financial manager. During that time, I was the primary architect of the annual budget. Each budget was scrutinized line by line and the responsible manager was asked to fully justify each item. If this technique was applied to the Elmbrook budget, I believe we could make a substantial cut in the deficit. ...I sincerely believe that there are substantial amounts of fat in that budget."
He closed with this statement, "I am committed to our students getting the best education possible..."
So, Richard Brunner has my vote, while Mr. Moe seems to think that renting out vacant old school space could be a money maker. History would not prove that to be true, but he can believe what he wishes.
UPDATE: I see from the comments, that this race needs a bit more explanation. Ken Moe was a former Superintendent for Brown Deer schools. Superintendents historically are in favor of growing their empires. It was true of our former Elmbrook Superintendent Cronin, who pushed numerous building referendums at the community, and is true of our present Superintendent Matt Gibson, who was hired in 1995 because of his reputation of passing building referendums. (By the way, some fought against these referendums because data showed declining enrollment.)
Even now in the face of our schools only operating at 70% capacity, Moe still doesn't believe we need to close a school. Keep in mind even if we rent out the space, which is VERY difficult to do at a profit, or even at a loss, these buildings still need maintaining--think heating, lawn care, boiler care, roof repairs, etc. The roofs need resurfacing regardless of occupation and is a huge expense. These costs are what Tom Gehl referred to as OPERATING COSTS, and a reason to close a school if too high.
In shopping for a new Superintendent, would you rather have an empire builder on the board or someone who realizes our financial shortfall and need to cut back. It is your choice.
For the Member-at-Large position, I am voting for Nancy Kormanik (pictured in the center). Since I have written much about Kormanik's candidacy already, perhaps this would be a good time to explain why I cannot support Kathryn Wilson. (Sandra Schultz was never a consideration since she is pro 4K and anti school closings.)
Had I not entered into some back and forth with Kathryn Wilson regarding 4K in mid February, I easily could have had a Wilson sign in my yard right now. But after some email exchange and conversation, it became clear to me that I no longer trusted Wilson's judgment on what constituted a priority in the Elmbrook School District.
In a nutshell, though Kathryn Wilson agreed with me that 4K had no real academic value and no real revenue enhancement value, she still was supportive of it. She admitted it would probably fail if the vote was taken, but she felt it was important because parents wanted it. This wasn't a little wobble in her former position, it was a complete about face.
When I pressed her that taxpayers shouldn't be asked to fund an unnecessary 4K program, she then wondered what we could cut out of Elmbrook's budget to afford 4K outright--that we would take the state reimbursement but not charge the remainder of the cost to the Elmbrook taxpayers by increasing the tax levy. In other words, Elmbrook would absorb the extra cost within their existing budget.
That really shocked me, since the whole reason the Enrollment Management Study Team was considering starting 4K was that it would increase Elmbrook's revenue via new taxes. Why were we looking at these options if there were areas in the budget we could cut to make up the $16 million budget shortfall for the next 5 years?
So Wilson was willing to divert scarce funds from what we are told is money needed for valuable programs in Elmbrook, to start an academically unnecessary 4K program?
I retorted if there was excess money in the budget, it should be used for building maintenance, and referred to the maintenance deferment article--that we needed to be a better steward of our buildings. She agreed. (I have since found out that East High School's roof is leaking onto the newly tiled floors. This neglect has got to stop!)
I told her I was disappointed in her; she said she needed to go. So Kathryn was going to vote for 4K. But then 4K was taken off the agenda. I still attended that school board meeting on February 23rd and spoke against 4K. But before I spoke, a very articulate woman spoke out against starting 4K. That woman was Nancy Kormanik!
About 2 weeks later on March 4th, Wilson emailed and indicated she was backing down on 4K in response to a constituent asking, "Is this [4K] the most important thing you have to do right now?"
But for me, this isn't a reassuring retreat. As the Patch reported, "Only one candidate (Nancy Kormanik) expressed opposition to adding a 4-year-old kindergarten program, while four favored adding 4k and one (incumbent Kathryn Wilson) did not clearly endorse or reject it." Wilson admits, "so far I have not been impressed with 'revenue,' per se, as a reason to support 4K", but is still looking at 4K. At this point she is willing to wait for more data on it to see if it is necessary for the district to remain competitive in the future.
And that is why I have a Write-In Nancy KORMANIK sign in my yard instead of a Wilson.
To vote for a Write-In on any race, just connect the arrow next to the write in space and print in your candidate's name.
How to Write-In candidate Nancy Kormanik.
If you want to help the campaign, email Nancy: email@example.com
You may LINK to her pdf to view an exact copy of her campaign flier or to print yourself to share with friends.
More Reading:
March 23, 2011 Budget has board hopefuls' attention Some want to cut, others seek better financial picture "Kormanik, a former educator and program coordinator at Milwaukee Area Technical College, said it may sound obvious, but the district needs to stop spending money unnecessarily. She said all options - closing a school, increasing class sizes, changes to pay and benefits - need to be considered."
March 23, 2011 Elmbrook School Board at-large race "There is nothing off the table anymore, all the way from toilet paper to contracts. We need to look at everything: insurance policies, contracts not just for teachers but for other personnel, personnel, staff, bills that have to be paid, investments, fees."
March 21, 2011, Elmbrook Candidates Disagree on 4K, School Closure "Only one candidate (Nancy Kormanik) expressed opposition to adding a 4-year-old kindergarten program, while four favored adding 4k and one (incumbent Kathryn Wilson) did not clearly endorse or reject it."
School Board candidate forum to be replayed [3 times daily] through Election Day
Cindy Kilkenny Public Forum: Kormanik will stand up for taxpayers
Cheri Mastel Public Forum: Kormanik has can-do attitude Elmbrook needs
Nora Schumann Public Forum: Kormanik offers choice beyond names on ballot
Barbara and Michael Shore Public Forum: Kormanik has the courage to make hard choices
Blog posts: What? Families who HAVE 4K petition to join Elmbrook WITHOUT 4K?
Conservatives, you now have a real choice:Write-In Nancy Kormanik
Links: Practically Speaking, Fairly Conservative, RandyMelchert, Betterbrookfield, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation
Labels: Conservatives, Elections, Judiciary, Wisconsin


text:
Search Fr. Z's Blog
SHOPPING ONLINE? Please, come here first!
Your use of my Amazon link is a major part of my income. It helps to pay for insurance, groceries, everything. Please remember me when shopping online. Thanks in advance.
Try AmazonFresh Free Trial
Shop Amazon Gold Box - New Deals. Everyday
Shop Amazon Gift Cards - Instant Delivery or Free One-Day Shipping
Try Prime Discounted Monthly Offering
And you do need a Kindle! - HERE
Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans
About this blog…
"This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque 'salon' with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West "saloon" with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven." – Fr. Z
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
CLICK and say your daily offerings!
Do you want to show some appreciation?
Do you have a faithful Catholic website that needs competent and reliable tech support?
- JesusFreak84: Two of them look a lot like their father. Only the Pope Emeritus looks a lot like his mother. I hope being the last living Ratzinger doesn̵ 7;t bring the former Holy Father to his...
- Tom: How would one know whether the host had been consecrate d?
- Joe: I refuse to believe that Our Lord, who knows our thoughts, would allow.His body to be desecrated . The exact mechanism effecting this is unknown. Call it "ins tant deconfecti on."
- Chris Garton-Zavesky: " While many have and will accept the gift Christ won by the pouring out of His Precious Blood, not all will.̶ 1; It appears to me straightfo rwardly obvious that...
- Charlotte Allen: Commemorat io sancti Aaron, de tribu Levi, qui a Moyse fratre oleo sacro unctus est sacerdos Veteris Testamenti et in monte Hor depositus. Commemorat ion of St. Aaron, from the...
- Chrisc: Don' t negotiate with terrorists . Preach to them, convert them, but don' t negotiate.
- JustaSinner: Everyone is waiting for Hugo First̷ 0;BE HUGO FIRST and LEAD, NOT FOLLOW. Organize civil patrols, multiple people watching statues. Cellphone cameras with 911 on speed dial....
- RosaryRose: I am ready to fight back. Any ideas? I'm offering up, fasting, praying the rosary with LifeSite news daily, and our Pastor has agreed to learn to TLM if I can get enough support for...
- Gab: Specifical ly beheadings , eh? Hmmmm. Wonder who would do that? Sounds like a religious hate crime to me.
- grateful: In Paradisum – Requiem – Faure https://ww w.youtube. com/watch? v=rvYt-QA9 vT0
- Mariana2: In paradisum deducant te Angeli.
- JustaSinner: Another what if thought experiment … What if Satanists steal a Host and are intending to use it in a black perversion of the Holy Mass… ;what can a Catholic in good consci...
- monstrance: johnr , Wasilla would make sense – But no, the school was in the middle of Anchorage.
- OssaSola: Oh dear! I am at least glad that his brother could be with him.
- GHP: As the old phrase goes when questioned : "Why do you carry a gun?" "Because a cop is too heavy." Or: "Whe n seconds matter the police are minutes away.̶ 1;
- Gerard Plourde: My only concern (and this is coming from me wearing my attorney hat) would be the possibilit y of being crosswise with the parish's or diocese's liability insurer in the event a...
- xavier: Father, Sigh. What is about guns that freaks out these beatos? (aka people who view life as some kind of angelic outlook) Would they react similarly if it was swords and other assor...
- Suburbanbanshee: Amen.
- Joy1985: Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.
- philosophicallyfrank: Ah! St. Frances of Rome, I grew-up in the parish in Cicero, Il. From 1943 thru 1952 I went to St. Frances of Rome elementary school (K – 8). I was in the choir for 5 of...
- Fr. John Zuhlsdorf: Josephus Corvus says: they could be coming for your fish fry next As a transplant here, my impression is that they would have to pry their fish fries from their cold, dead...
- Josephus Corvus: [I'll bet a steady diet of Wisconsin parish fish fries has killed more people than guns sold in that gun show.] Father, please don' t give our illustriou s leadership in...
- Semper Gumby: [I'll bet a steady diet of Wisconsin parish fish fries has killed more people than guns sold in that gun show.] *chuckle* Deo gratias for that Catholic parish and the Second Amendme...
- Semper Gumby: "Eve n a free-think ing deist asserted that humanity has an "inalienab le right to life" given by the Creator. 8221; A solid point by Bishop Hying. Excellent quote and book by...
- Texdon: I don' t live in the diocese of Madison but I am beginning to like Bishop Donald Hying the more I read about him. Perhaps having the gun show in an unused Catholic school in a small...
Fr. Z's VOICEMAIL
Nota bene: I do not answer these numbers or this Skype address. You won't get me "live". I check for messages regularly.
020 8133 4535
Books which you must have.
Don't rely on popes, bishops and priests.
"Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, and the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops."
- Fulton Sheen
Therefore, ACTIVATE YOUR CONFIRMATION and get to work!
Send Snail Mail to Fr. Z
Fr John Zuhlsdorf
Tridentine Mass Society of Madison
733 Struck St.
Madison, WI 53744-4603
For email HERE
"The modern habit of doing ceremonial things unceremoniously is no proof of humility; rather it proves the offender's inability to forget himself in the rite, and his readiness to spoil for every one else the proper pleasure of ritual."
- C.S. Lewis
This blog has to earn its keep!
PLEASE subscribe if it is useful.
That way I have steady income I can plan on, and you wind up regularly on my list of benefactors for whom I pray and for whom I periodically say Holy Mass.
For a one time donation...
I set up a
account, which functions rather like PayPal. Some of you use it. Here is a QCode you can use with your smart phones. Try it!
Also, to receive a link to donate via Continue To Give using your smart phone SEND MESSAGE:
Some donations also come through CHASE. That works well. I don't think they take any percentage as fees.
I was at this conference last year. IT IS ON FOR THIS YEAR!
As for Latin…
"But if, in any layman who is indeed imbued with literature, ignorance of the Latin language, which we can truly call the 'catholic' language, indicates a certain sluggishness in his love toward the Church, how much more fitting it is that each and every cleric should be adequately practiced and skilled in that language!" - Pius XI
"Let us realize that this remark of Cicero (Brutus 37, 140) can be in a certain way referred to [young lay people]: 'It is not so much a matter of distinction to know Latin as it is disgraceful not to know it.'" - St. John Paul II
Recent Posts
- 2 July – Traditional Latin Mass – Visitation of the BVM – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- 1 July – Most Precious Blood and St. Aaron and St. Junipero Serra
- The lunacy is spreading: Northern Ontario
- ASK FATHER: Should we ransom Hosts that have been taken so they are not desecrated? At what cost?
- R.I.P. Msgr Georg Ratzinger
- 1 July – Traditional Latin Mass – Most Precious Blood – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- Fishwrap's case of the vapors over a annual, rural gun show hosted in an unused Catholic school
- 30 June – Traditional Latin Mass – Commemoration of St. Paul – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- NEW ADDITIONS TO THE FAMILY! Three more relics have arrived. Fr. Z tells a story.
- Searching for a specific reader who sent something from my wishlist
- SCOTUS decision on Louisiana abortion clinic law.
- 29 June – Traditional Latin Mass – Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- Your Sunday Sermon notes – 4th Sunday after Pentecost (13th Ordinary) 2020
- CQ CQ CQ – #HamRadio: Fun with Morse
- Concerning statues
- Archbp. Cordilone recites the Exorcism where a statue of St. Junipero Serra was town down. OORAH!
- First Blessings by new priests. Indulgenced? NO! Interesting Latin texts. And Fr. Z rants.
- 27 June – Traditional Latin Mass – Our Lady of Perpetual Help – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- COVID-1984 UPDATE: Doctors say Communion on the tongue while kneeling is safer than Communion on the hand
- WDTPRS – 4th Sunday after Pentecost: "O Captain, my Captain!"
- 26 June – Traditional Latin Mass – Sts. John & Paul, Martyrs – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- BOOK: The Next Pope: The Leading Cardinal Candidates by Edward Pentin
- ASK FATHER: Can a Roman Catholic in good conscience date a Sedevacantist?
- ASK FATHER: What to do with old occult objects after repentance and confession?
- ASK FATHER: Books on the history of the traditional Roman Rite
- ASK FATHER: Ocular Communion
- 25 June – Traditional Latin Mass – In Time of Pandemic – LIVE VIDEO: 1200h CDT (GMT/UTC -5)
- Will Black Lives Matter now turn on Big Business Abortion?
- Three Francis appointed Cardinals offer their hats and rings to women. Fr. Z responds.
Let us pray…
Grant unto thy Church, we beseech Thee, O merciful God, that She, being gathered together by the Holy Ghost, may be in no wise troubled by attack from her foes. O God, who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people making supplication unto Thee,and turn away the scourges of Thine anger which we deserve for our sins. Almighty and Everlasting God, in whose Hand are the power and the government of every realm: look down upon and help the Christian people that the heathen nations who trust in the fierceness of their own might may be crushed by the power of thine Arm. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.
Yes, Fr. Z is taking ads…
Because it matters what children read…
Be a "Zed-Head"!
I carry one of these super-strong rosaries in my spare mag pouch! The Swiss Guards have them too!
My "challenge coin" for my 25th anniversary of ordination in 2016.
Want one? I do exchanges with military and LEOs, etc. and you can make a donation.
PLEASE RESPOND. Pretty pleeeease?Loading ...
This is really useful when travelling… and also when you aren't and you need backup internet NOW! I use this for my DMR "Zednet" hotspot when I'm mobile. It's a ham radio thing.
If you travel internationally, this is a super useful gizmo for your mobile internet data. I use one. If you get one through my link, I get data rewards.
Please use my links when shopping! I depend on your help.
WDTPRS POLLLoading ...
"Rigid"? Pfffft. "Faithful!" No priest's desk or kitchen is complete without one, for young, old, and priests in general.
Fr. Z's stuff is everywhere
Help support Fr. Z's Gospel of Life work at no cost to you. Do you need a Real Estate Agent? Calling these people is the FIRST thing you should do!
GREAT causes to support
Tag Archives: Christian Unity
Communion given to Lutherans in St. Peter's Basilica – The Wrap Up
There was a kerfuffle about some Lutherans who visited Pope Francis and then – horribile scriptu – were somehow invited to receive Holy Communion during a Mass. Frankly, I didn't follow this too closely, though the very thought irritated me … Continue reading
Posted in Liberals Tagged Christian Unity, inter-communion, Lutherans 35 Comments
Seeking Jesus outside Church? Pope Francis says: "Dangerous and harmful"
His Holiness Pope Francis said during his last Wednesday audience before the summer break that those who believe that they can have a relationship with Jesus outside the Church are on a harmful and dangerous path. From AsiaNews, which has … Continue reading
2006 comments by Card. Kasper about Anglicans, women bishops, and ecumenical dialogue
Fr. Finigan at his fine blog, The Hermeneutic of Continuity, has a piece today about something Card. Kasper told Anglicans at Lambeth in 2006 as the then-President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Here is an excerpt: It [viz. … Continue reading
QUAERITUR: Anglicans using a Catholic church for their services
From a reader: I have been informed by an Anglican group that my Bishop gave the green light to let an Anglican (not an ordinariate group, but a schismatic Anglican group) use one of our school's sanctuary and altar to … Continue reading
Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, ASK FATHER Question Box, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, Our Catholic Identity, Pope of Christian Unity, The Drill Tagged Anglicanorum coetibus, Anglicans, care of souls, Christian Unity, cura animarum, Decree on the Principles and Norms on Ecumenism 86 Comments
True ecumenical gesture: Catholics, Orthodox together give Pope new Papal Tiara – WDTPRS POLL
UPDATE 26 May 0305 GMT: From a reader: Seeing today's post on the new tiara made me remember that there is a list in the papal Caeremoniale Romanum of the days, other than the Pope's coronation, when the tiara is … Continue reading
A mordant observation about the Week for Christian Unity
I missed this on the great Fr. Blake's blog the other day. Fr. Blake is the P.P. of St. Mary Magdalen in Brighton. About the week of Christian Unity: Strange that it should be more acceptable to welcome into one's … Continue reading
Posted in Pope of Christian Unity Tagged Christian Unity 38 Comments


text:
Off the northwestern tip of West Papua, Indonesia is a remote chain of stunning islands surrounded by the world's richest coral reefs. The islands are called Raja Ampat ("the four kings"), and are part of the Bird's Head Seascape; they're also my ancestral home. Both as a CI employee and as a member of Raja Ampat's indigenous council known as the Adat, I work for the conservation of Raja Ampat's rich marine resources for my community.
Last week, that work was threatened by 33 illegal poachers who entered Raja Ampat in search of sharks, rays and other marine species that they had long since fished out in their own waters. This is the story of how Raja Ampat fought back.
I was conducting a community outreach event on a small island in the middle of the Raja Ampat, when I got the call — an urgent SOS message from my colleagues in the Kawe Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the most remote corner of Raja Ampat. The MPA was under attack!
The Kawe MPA is known as "the crown jewel" of the Raja Ampat archipelago. This uninhabited area is owned by the Kawe tribe; it is a unique and world-renowned site that features the stunning Wayag karst islands, regionally significant green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting beaches, and important shark and ray birthing grounds.
Despite its global importance, the area was previously a hotbed of illegal activities such as dynamite fishing and shark finning from outside fishermen. However, in 2006 the local Kawe tribal leaders decided enough was enough. With support from CI, they declared a 155,000-hectare (383,000-acre) MPA in a bottom-up process that included a declaration both by the Papuan traditional Adat council as well as the Raja Ampat government. This was eventually followed by a national declaration affording it the highest level of protection for any MPA in Papua.
The Kawe communities took it one step further, declaring over 97.5 percent of the MPA as a "no-take zone" through a traditional Papuan sasi declaration, meaning that no fishing of any kind is allowed within this area. With this declaration they made the Kawe MPA into the single largest no-take zone in all of the Coral Triangle, a region stretching from Indonesia to the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. In addition, in 2011 the area was additionally protected under the Raja Ampat shark sanctuary decree, which forbids any shark and ray fishing anywhere in Raja Ampat.
Most importantly, through the dedicated work and mentorship from my colleagues Kris Thebu, Henki Dimalou and Meity Mongdong, the Kawe MPA is 100 percent managed by well-trained and highly capable local villagers from the Kawe tribe. For six years, the communities have carefully guarded this area, working with local police to regularly run joint patrols of the whole area. And they were starting to see results. Previously bombed reefs were recovering with new coral growth, and my friends from the Kawe MPA field station boasted about the abundance of baby sharks swimming in front of their dock.
But now, six years later, we were receiving news that seven fishing vessels from outside Raja Ampat — with fake fishing licenses issued from a village chief from another province — were inside the MPA, illegally fishing for sharks at a dangerous rate.
My first reaction was rage. The people of the Kawe tribe had set aside this area for the benefit of their children. They guard it with passion because it is theirs, and now in the blink of an eye, poachers were trying to steal it from them. I wanted to rush to Kawe and capture them myself!
However, I knew that was not my role. Instead, I immediately left for Raja Ampat's capital Waisai to get the Kawe communities the additional support they would need. There, my colleague Alberth Nebore and I worked with the chief of the Raja Ampat water police, as he planned out the patrol strategy and enlisted two members of the navy for the effort.
The team decided to leave at sunrise. Unfortunately in our eagerness to depart, we made the long journey on hungry stomachs, having only packed fried bananas and one flask of tea. However, we passed the time quickly with animated discussions on how we should best approach the poachers.
We arrived at the Kawe community patrol post at 9 a.m., where we were quickly updated on the situation by the community before heading out to where the poachers had last been seen. The patrol team included six community members, a Raja Ampat police officer and two navy officers who carried firearms for the group's protection. Myself and a few other CI staff joined the team to help document the process.
The patrol team quickly found the seven fishing vessels, some still with long-lines targeting sharks. The boats immediately tried to flee and the fishermen acted extremely aggressively towards us. With only one small speedboat, it was incredibly difficult to chase down and secure all seven boats, but eventually the navy officers managed to gain control of them all without resorting to violence.
While the police and navy officers worked to check the ships' documentation, the community patrol members recorded the catch and gear on board each vessel. As we boarded the first ship we were confronted with the sight of five dying sharks struggling on deck. It was difficult to contain our emotions as deep heartbreak and anger welled up in each of us as we chronicled the destruction that these fishermen had been able to do in three short days. We found freshly caught sharks and shark fins, manta ray carcasses and sea cucumbers, along with long-lines and illegal compressors. In total the estimated value of the catch and gear was over 1.5 billion rupiah (about US$ 160,000).
The patrol team confiscated all of the ships' documents, catch and fishing gear, but unfortunately because it was getting late and we only had one small speedboat (now weighed down with the confiscated catch and gear), the navy decided that they would be unable to keep control of all seven boats traveling at night back to Waisai. They made an official arrest and ordered the fishermen to report for processing in Waisai in the morning. Unfortunately, they chose to run instead.
There is one positive outcome of this sad incident: The communities, police and navy have committed to maintaining a heightened patrol presence in the Kawe MPA to prevent this from happening again.
However, the escape of the fishermen was a bitter disappointment for the communities, who feel like they have been deprived of full justice, despite such a successful apprehension of the fishermen. However, the Raja Ampat government does plan to pursue them — and we are working around the clock to make sure that is exactly what happens.
Bram Goram is the outreach and engagement coordinator for the Bird's Head Seascape. Thanks to Laure Katz for her help with English translation.


text:
It used to "take two to tango," but the women of Tango Con*Fusión bend the gender-related customs of this century-old dance. This troupe of collaborative artists explores the idiom of Argentine Tango beyond its traditional boundaries.
As professional performers and teachers of Argentine Tango, with varied backgrounds in contemporary and classical dance, they create a fusion of genres within their choreography.
For more information, visit TangoConFusion.com or view Tango Con*Fusión's videos on YouTube.


text:
I am hosting my first giveaway!
I recently ordered several Swaddlebees AIO* diapers and although I love how much they absorb, they run a little small for my guy. Since he won't be wearing them for very long I won't be keeping all the diapers I have purchased. I've decided give a way one to one of my readers!
This giveaway is for a BRAND NEW, NEVER WASHED, large lavender Swaddlebees AIO* stuffable diaper.
You have the chance to enter several entries by the doing the following:
- MANDATORY ENTRY-counts as 1: Have you used an AIO? What is your favorite brand?
- Follow my blog publicly.
- Blog about my giveaway, linking back to this giveaway. Leave the URL where you blogged.THIS COUNTS AS 5 ENTRIES!!! Leave a comment for each entry such as, "Blogged giveaway @_____ #1", "Blogged giveaway @ _____#2", etc.
- Grab my button. Leave URL where it is posted.
- Follow Smell_the_Rose on Twitter (link on right sidebar) and tweet about this giveaway. After initial "tweet" you may gain an extra entry each day you tweet. Limit to one tweet a day. Leave URL where you tweeted in your comment.
- Become a fan of Take Time to Smell the Rose on Facebook. Link on right sidebar.
- Vote for me at the Top Mommy Blogger by clicking here
Giveaway ends Monday, September 14th 2009 at 9:00 p.m.(CST) Winner will be drawn by the random number generator at Random.org and will be notified by email. Winner will also be announced on this blog. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
This giveaway is open to continental USA residents ONLY. Must be 18 years old or older to win.
* September 7, 2009: Please note I just received an email from the company today about the diaper I am giving away. According to Swaddlebees this is a diaper made by the company, but it is not a "branded diaper". When I purchased the diapers I did not know this. In any blog or "tweet" please reference to as "AIO " or "AIO from Swaddlebees Outlet" per Swaddlebees company. I am sorry to my readers for any inconvience.


text:
Managing Director & Senior Partner
Johan Öberg is a core member of The Boston Consulting Group's Principal Investors & Private Equity practice, and he leads the private equity topic globally. He is also a core member of the firm's Health Care, Corporate Development, and Global Advantage practices, and he leads BCG in Sweden.
Johan coordinates many of BCG's health care activities in Europe and is an active contributor to firm's medtech sector there, focusing on strategy and growth-related assignments as well as operations initiatives across medtech, biopharma, and provider clients. Since joining BCG in 2000, he has worked in a variety of industries in the Nordics and throughout Europe, as well as in the US and Asia.
Johan has specific experience in private equity and mergers and acquisitions. He has led a wide range of commercial due-diligence projects for top investors seeking opportunities in health care, including private providers and clients in pharma, medtech, and biotech. He also has deep expertise in growth strategies for health care systems, including market assessments and mergers and acquisitions.
Before joining BCG, Johan worked at Ericsson in a general management position and at Accenture.


text:
BSA completes Manchester campaign
The Business Software Alliance (BSA)has wrapped up its campaign to target companies in Manchester with initial signs of an impact on the unlicensed software problem.
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has wrapped up its campaign to target companies in Manchester with initial signs of an impact on the unlicensed software problem.
Although it will take the BSA around three months to filter through the impact of its actions the traffic to the microsite set up for local businesses has been busy and there have been a number of local politicians and business leaders that have also engaged with the issue.
"We are already seeing more interest from people going to the site to find out information about software asset management," said Julie Strawson, chairwoman of the BSA's UK committee.
The Manchester month long campaign followed on from a similar approach taken in Glasgow last year that led to some companies being found to have used unlicensed software.
Strawson said that it was working with Trading Standards, which now had the power to search premises to protect intellectual property without the need for a warrant.
Similar moves are also being taken by the Federation Against Software Theft, which is working with Trading Standards currently on a pilot scheme in Cardiff.
See also: