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FITNESS 2013 Gear Guide: The Best Sports Bras
The jiggle is up. We tested more than 75 styles to find these top sports bras that banish the bounce — wherever your workout takes you.
Ture Lillegraven
Pounding the Pavement
When you hit the ground running, it's with a force two and a half times your body weight. No wonder a third of marathoners in a study from St. Mary's University College in London complained of breast pain during training. Finding the right sports bra squelches that ache in 85 percent of women with the complaint.
- A/B cup: Compression-style The North Face Stow-N-Go II racerback with front pocket ($40, thenorthface.com)
- A/B cup: Asics Soriada pullover bra with peekaboo cutout in back ($46, asics.com)
- C/D cup: Lululemon Athletica All-Sport compression bra with crisscross back ($52, lululemon.com)
- C/D cup: Breast-encapsulating Adidas Supernova Racer bra with removable padding ($40, adidas.com)
- DD+ cup: Saucony Curve Crusader bra with adjustable rib band and padded cups ($45, saucony.com)
- DD+ cup: Moving Comfort Maia underwire bra with higher neckline, adjustable gel-padded straps, and hook closure ($56, movingcomfort.com)
Ture Lillegraven
Cross-Training Rules
Gymnistas, we've got your number: Like you, we heart lifting weights and sweating it out on low-impact cardio machines like the elliptical (each glide translates to a ground reaction force that's slightly more than your body weight, similar to walking) and the stairclimber (a force equal to your body weight). Our sports bra picks provide the moderate motion control that will support you through your drill.
- A/B cup: Seamless Solow Eclon Jersey racerback pullover ($37, solowstyle.com)
- A/B cup: Lightweight Nux Sublime compression bra ($40, nuxusa.com)
- C/D cup: Nike Pro Hypercool compression bra with keyhole racerback ($35, store.nike.com/us)
- C/D cup: Pullover Roxy Cross Back Seamless sports bra ($38, roxy.com)
- DD+ cup: The North Face Bounce Be Gone compression bra ($32, thenorthface.com)
- DD+ cup: C9 by Champion Women's Seamless Cami sports bra with adjustable crisscross straps ($17, target.com)
Ture Lillegraven
With a Twist
The real challenge in yoga is keeping your cleavage inside its cups during inverted poses like downward dog. Choose a higher neckline, advises sports bra expert Nicola Brown, PhD, a lecturer at St. Mary's University College. And if you're worried about straps that slip, try a crossback style: A new study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise revealed that while crossbacks produced more pressure on shoulders, wearers reported no increased pain.
- A/B cup: Athleta Namaste Seamless compress bra ($44, athleta.gap.com)
- A/B cup: Lightly padded Under Armour Seamless Advantage pullover bra with adjustable straps ($40, ua.com)
- C/D cup: Lululemon Athletica Energy pullover crisscross bra ($52, lululemon.com)
- C/D cup: Champion The Smoothie High-Support sports bra with hook closure and convertible crisscross straps ($38, champion.com)
- DD+ cup: Oakley Continuity racerback ($28 to $35, oakley.com)
- DD+ cup: Encapsulation-style 2XU Ultimate Endurance bra with hook closure ($75, 2xu.com)
Ture Lillegraven
Out of the Box
As CrossFit devotees crank out AMRAPs of plyometric moves like burpees and box jumps, their bodies — including the breasts — experience jolts comparable to those in step aerobics (one and three-quarters times your body weight) and gymnastics (more than twice your weight). Try a maximum motion-control sports bra with a higher neckline so you don't spill out while you're catching air — or showboating!
- A/B cup: New Balance The Tenderly Obsessive racerback with side mesh panels ($38, newbalance.com)
- A/B cup: Brooks Versatile pullover compression bra ($34, brooksrunning.com)
- C/D cup: Lorna Jane Comfort racerback pullover with encapsulated cups and removable padding ($60, lornajane.com)
- C/D cup: Seamless Falke Madison pullover bra ($50, available at Equinox gyms, equinox.com for locations)
- DD+ cup: C9 by Champion Women's High Impact sports bra with adjustable straps and hook closure ($22, target.com)
- DD+ cup: Encapsulation-style CW-X Xtra Support Bra III with adjustable straps and rib band ($60, cw-x.com)
Ture Lillegraven
Spin Doctor
Cycling may be a low-impact activity with little bounce, but "there can be a large amount of side-to-side breast movement," Brown says. Plus getting supersweaty at your fave indoor-cycling studio makes finding the right material a consideration: A sports bra study at the University of Portsmouth in England found that an all-polyester style proved less likely to leave you hot and bothered than a poly mix.
- A/B cup: Sugoi Verve bra with lightly padded cups ($45, sugoi.com)
- A/B cup: 2XU Comp Tri compression crop top with mesh paneling ($50, 2xu.com)
- C/D cup: Compression-style Craft bike bra with high neckline and mesh panels ($50, craftsports.us)
- C/D cup: Encapsulation-style Moving Comfort Vero bra with convertible straps and adjustable hook closure ($40 to $42, movingcomfort.com)
- DD+ cup: New Balance Fabulous Framer II racerback with midback clasp ($42, newbalance.com)
- DD+ cup: Shock Absorber Ultimate Run sports bra with encapsulated cups and adjustable straps and rib band ($79, shockabsorberusa.com)
Originally published in FITNESS magazine, September 2013.


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Candy Red Chair by Nic Nobilique
Noblique became an early lover of Picasso�s work while traveling in Europe and focused on his artistic development throughout his primary education with exhibits as early as age 13 at the Milwaukee Museum of Art. Nic developed a passion for snowboarding and skateboarding that led to a career in owning and operating skate and snow retail shops in Wisconsin, California, and Washington State. After studying pliable materials engineering in California, he made further contributions to the skateboard industry by engineering a new concave skateboard that would go on to be produced by some of the countries major skateboard manufacturers. He continued to apply creative insight with an understanding of physics to design and produce several indoor and outdoor skate and snow parks. In his early 20�s he left the skate and snow industry to work as a full time artist. �My sculpture is based on the idea of 3/5/8 mathematical beauty, suggesting everything in nature can be broken down into those proportions and that everything is a structural spiral. The finished sculpture is graceful, ethereal, soft, and happy although it comes from rough, cold, rigid recycled steel. It�s not about making a social or political statement or regurgitating a bygone aesthetic or art movement, my sculpture is about form, lines, and movement from the depths of my own imagination, that engage the natural environment in an oddly organic way. I want my sculpture to play a visual trick, a balancing act, and contradict the very nature of the material I use to produce it. I want the viewer to see it floating and balancing delicately with a confusing afterthought of the enormous weight involved. I will usually balance a piece of steel in one hand and weld it with the other, I can literally feel the tension of a 20 ft long piece of steel when it�s not right � and only if I have it in my hand can I know that, even though it looks vicariously positioned, it is perfectly stable and balanced. It may weigh a 400 pounds but it almost floats when it�s sitting right. So, that �feeling� people mention when they see my sculpture � it�s every bit intentional and has everything to do with making something graceful rather than industrial and hard feeling. My inspiration is everywhere and all around but does come from life experience and life long passions. I spent my whole life as a skate boarder. Everywhere I look I can see something skateable. Most people see a curb, ledge, stairs, a drop-off or whatever. I always see at it as the next thing I could ride. It translates into art because when I�m walking around or driving through the country or in the city I might see the way a hill comes down to the base of a tree or a tree growing up through the cracks in the pavement and be inspired. In this way a hill, valley, and a house can instantaneously realized.

subset: commoncrawl


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COLUMBUS, Ohio – How many goals Andrés Mendoza scored weren't as important as how he played and acted, and as a result, the Peruvian Designated Player is no longer with the Crew.
Mendoza, who finished near the top of MLS with 13 goals in 2011, as well as MLS all-time goal leader Jeff Cunningham were among those players who didn't have their options picked up by the Crew on Tuesday.
The others are goalkeeper Alex Riggs and midfielders Kevin Burns, Santiago Prim, Dejan Rusmir and Ben Sippola. Prim and Rusmir were previously waived, while the club has made qualifying offers to out-of-contract midfielders Robbie Rogers and Emmanuel Ekpo.
However, the big name leaving Columbus is Mendoza — he who alienated fans, teammates and coaches with a regularly lackadaisical attitude and general indifference in his first full season after being signed in September 2010.
Crew president and general manager Mark McCullers had several conversations with coach Robert Warzycha on the pros and cons of releasing the team's leading scorer.
"Robert and I have talked quite a bit about the type of team we want to be and the style of play we want to see," McCullers said. "At the end of the day, we want to stay true to who we are as a team, and a different type of forward will better serve the team in staying true to that form.
"Andrés did his job, obviously," he added. "He scored 13 goals. He was fourth in the league, but when we're talking about an overall stay of play, we're looking for something different."
Warzycha was blunt in saying that character matters. Mendoza irked everyone in the June 8 match against Real Salt Lake when he took a penalty that was intended for Cunningham so he could potentially tie the MLS all-time goal mark of 133 held by Jaime Moreno.
After the goal, Mendoza gestured disdain to the booing fans and his disapproving coaches.
"We're looking for a player that will be respected by the fans, by the teammates, the coaches and the whole organization, who will work much harder so everybody can see that," Warzycha said.
Said McCullers, "It's fair to say [Mendoza] wasn't a fit in a couple of different ways for this club."
Replacing Mendoza's goal-scoring ability won't be easy, and the Crew may opt to acquire several forwards to take his spot as well as spell injury-prone striker Emilio Rentería.
Also, Warzycha expects second-year players Tommy Heinemann, Aaron Horton and Justin Meram to compete for minutes.
"We are looking for a Designated Player for the club," McCullers said. "I don't know necessarily if it will be a forward, it could be a central midfielder because we are still looking to impact that area. The result is we've now got resources cleared and the flexibility to find another Designated Player."
Warzycha said his top priority would be in the center of the park.
"We did not get too many goals from the midfield," he said. "We can't rely only on one guy. We have to have more players in the midfield who score goals."
Other areas of need include depth at left and center back.
Warzycha salutes Cunningham
Warzycha praised Cunningham, who tied Moreno's mark at Vancouver on July 6 and broke it with his 134th goal — his final one of 2011 — on Aug. 27 at Seattle Sounders FC.
"He is going to be remembered as one of the best strikers not only in Crew history but MLS history," said Warzycha, a former teammate in Columbus. "What he accomplished is a dream for everybody in the league, but we have to move on."


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Official AFL Collingwood Magpies Supporter Guernsey - Youth.
Show the ultimate support for your team by wearing your team colours with this supporter range Collingwood Magpies AFL guernsey.
- Made from polyester material.
- Sublimated team logo and AFL logo.
- AFL endorsed product.
- Product of Burley Sekem.
NUMBERS: Want to add a number to your Guernsey order? Click here to add
SIZE CHART: Not sure which size, check out our sizing chart
Product name: Official AFL Collingwood Magpies Supporter Guernsey - Youth.
AFL Team: Collingwood Magpies


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With all the excitement of NRA week, we had one more event to participate in; the Annual Gala for the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association held on Friday night at the Fairmont. This is the major fundraiser of the year for the GNMAA and allows the organization the opporunity to beautify, enhance and market the Magnificent Mile neighborhood.
Our thanks to Chef Martha and Chef Mary for their continued dedication and a special welcome and thank you to Chef Korey and Chef Steven for participating in their gala representing Eli's.
We take great pride that our donations of dessert and our people's skill makes a great difference in the communities that we work in. An important mission is to make our community better and what a a sweet way it is to do it with donations of dessert.


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Okay…I drew Virginia's name out of the hat to win the Christmas lights and flashy button and prizes. For the book and prizes CrystalGB, you have won. (Let me know which book you would like, too.) However, because it's Christmas I pulled a few other names as well. Amy, Michele, Traveler and Kristi, you four have won a pack of Christmas Cards and Christie Craig pen (that for some reason cats seem to like a whole lot.) Anyway, please shoot me your snail mail addresses at christie @ christie-craig. Com (No spaces)
And… if you'd like to see an interview of yours truly go check out: http://www.enchantingreviews.com/2008/Interview_ChristieCraig
Oh, and Thursday, that's tomorrow, Faye Hughes and I will be guest blogging over at: www.romancewritersrevenge.com And there will be prizes to be given away over there, too.
((Make sure you check back tomorrow to see if you won. Since this is a Christmas prize, I need to get the prize out ASAP. Thanks! CC))
We all do it . . . don't we? Please, don't start getting hoity toity on me and claiming you've never done it. I mean . . . let's face it, we are all human.
What am I talking about? I'd give anything to know what's running through all your minds right now. Wait . . . I can imagine what you're thinking. But I'm not talking about that.
Or that other thing.
Oh, heck, I'm not talking about "THAT" either. I would never do that!
I'm talking about re-gifting. Don't go playing goody-two-shoes on me. We all get gifts that . . . well, don't suit us. And I mean, what kind of a person would just throw them away? Seriously, that would be a waste.
So we do the thing we don't talk about, we re-gift. Here at the Craig house there are four different types of gifts than end up in my re-gift landmine. I actually keep them in different compartments. I go to my closet, and depending on the . . . loved one . . . I'm shopping for, I pick up the appropriate old suitcase. Below are the different types of re-gifts that commonly find their way into the Craig household.
1) The Near-Miss Gift
This is the gift that in all honesty is pretty neat. You know, that gift that you'd probably keep but . . . the truth be told, you know someone else who would just love it so much more. There are little things off with the gift, like the color or the size. You haven't worn a size 6 blouse in seven years, but your mother-in-law doesn't realize it. Other near-miss gifts are things like . . . that stuffed deer head that would be perfect for Uncle Bernie.
But seriously these are gifts that aren't so bad . . . well, not so bad for someone else. And since you weren't lucky enough to get a gift receipt, you're like . . . stuck with it. Unless, you just happen to know someone who would . . . well, love it. Here's an example: one time my neighbor gave me an antique pukish green jar for Christmas. The kind you would put on a kitchen counter. It was a nice jar, but my kitchen isn't pukish green, but guess what? My mom's kitchen is puckish green and holy moly she collects antique puke-colored jars. How perfect is that? I was even proud to give my mom the pukish green jar. I mean my mom's comment when she opened the gift was . . . "Oh my gawd, how long did you look for this before you found it!"
2) The You-Shouldn't-Have Gift
Normally, these gifts come from someone who knows you. People who claim to be close to you. People who just can't wait for you to open it so they can see your expression of gratitude. And yet when you rip off the paper, the only thing you can think is. . . duh, what the hell were they thinking?
Like the time, some unnamed person, (wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings) gave me a shirt with two different colored sleeves, this shirt also had a different colored front that was the shade of blue and the back was pink, and the collar was . . . purple. You've heard of the coat of many colors, well this was the shirt of many colors. Many…many colors. I mean . . . hadn't the man been married to me for over 20 years? Had he ever, ever seen me wear a shirt with two different colored sleeves? I don't even do big prints.
3) The What-Clearance-Rack-did-this-Come-off-of Gift
These are the gifts that, well, come with that red sticker on them, or at least with the sticky stuff that was left from the clearance sticker. A lot of times, these gifts also provoke the "What the Hell" expression, but it's apparent that this well-chosen . . . piece of crap was purchased on some 75% off rack. Like a box of candy that expired last January or a fruit cake so old that it is now fermented. And you know better than to ask if they have a receipt.
4) The Already-Re-gifted Gift
Yup, this is the gift that without a doubt you know has done time in someone's closest. It's that Santa candle that didn't hold up too well during those summer months. And what's really bad is that you think you gave it to them last Christmas.
I once got a very nice book of poetry from a cousin. She went on and on of how she'd picked it out just for me because I was a writer. What my cousin didn't realize is that someone had written her a very nice and personal note in the back of the book. Since then, I always check out gifts before they go into one of my old suitcases.
5) The Okay-This-is-Supposed-to-be a Joke Gift"
Personally, I love these gifts. You know me and laughter. And when I get something that makes me laugh, I can't wait to give it to someone else. The problem is, if you break out laughing and it wasn't meant to be funny. But other "Joke gifts" include things like the roll of "Organic" Green toilet paper with large print claiming it to be made from Poison Ivy leaves. Yes, these gifts are the perfect White Elephant gifts. Things like a nice framed leopard-printed thong that I got from a friend last year. Ugg? Has that thing been worn? Shhh. I'm re-gifting it this year at my annual white elephant gift party.
Another example is . . . last week's Pooping Santa prize, or this week's prize: the delightful light and sound button. You press the button, which sort of looks like an easy button gone wild, and it lights up and plays a bit of a famous song. It is the kind of thing that after someone hits it three or four times, you want to take it away from them and force feed it down their throats. But hey…it's really cute and funny the first two or three times.
When I saw this at the Hallmark store (Yes, I love Hallmark and it wasn't even on clearance) I knew I had to get it for a prize. It plays a very special song. This song was actually showcased in my book, Divorced, Desperate and Delicious. Chase and Lacy were rather occupied, really occupied, when this song played over Lacy's sound system. Chase even joked with Lacy about never having done what he did while that song played.
Do you know the name of that song?
So . . . here's what I'm doing. Everyone who guesses the name of the song will get their name in the hat for the "Light and Sound Button," a pack of Christmas cards and a "silly" pen. However, I will also be giving away a second prize package of: one of my books, a pack of note cards and a silly pen to anyone who is willing to share their own re-gift story. Either tell me about a gawd-awful gift you received, or tell me about one you re-gifted.
Come on, play along with me. If no one guesses, I'm gonna have to re-gift it next year. And remember the age-old adage that makes re-gifting okay: It's the thought that counts.
Crime Scene Christie


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With the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3 2012) set to kick off on June 5th at the Los Angeles Convention Center, we thought we'd bring you a preview of some of the major video games that are going to be on display. This year will feature a new installment in the Halo franchise, a return to form for the groundbreaking Tomb Raider series and a few new LEGO games that will please fans of DC heroes and Lord of the Rings alike. There's also talk of a new game from LucasArts, titled Star Wars 1313 but unfortunately there's no video to share as of yet.
As someone who grew up with blocky monochrome pixels bouncing around the screen, I'm continually impressed by the level of realism and beauty that comes out of these games. Hit the jump to check out a variety of jaw-dropping trailers and previews.
Here's the synopsis from the upcoming Star Wars 1313 (via G4TV):
Named for Level 1313, a ruthless criminal underground deep below the surface of the planet of Coruscant, the game puts players in control of a deadly bounty hunter as he uses an arsenal of exotic weaponry to hunt down his marks and uncover the truth surrounding a criminal conspiracy. Star Wars 1313 emphasizes epic set pieces and fast-paced combat with a hero who uses human skills and gadgets, rather than supernatural Force powers, to make his way through this dangerous world.
Now, please enjoy the following trailers (via G4TV and GameTrailers):
Hitman: Absolution
(DC Heroes) Injustice: Gods Among Us
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Guardians of Middle Earth
Halo 4 Behind-the-Scenes
Skyrim: Dawnguard DLC
Lego Batman 2: DC Heroes
Lollipop Chainsaw
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch


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Finding a Local Church
The church is God's family. It's really important to have the support of that family around you.
God says that church is exciting for two main reasons. God uses the church (as in God's people) to keep us going until Jesus returns, and God uses the church to make His glory known to the rest of the universe. Not bad reasons for bothering with church. Watch this video to find out more about Christian Unions and the local church.


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Today is Spanish Friday so this post is in Spanish. If you participated in Spanish Friday on your own blog, leave your link in comments. English translation is below!
For today's Spanish Friday I made a video in Spanish of a special sandwich I made. Since the video is in Spanish, I'll explain here in English. Last year when we went to Parque Hula Hula in San Salvador, we stopped by some unnamed food stall and had a torta for lunch. Carlos and I have been unable to forget that delicious torta so this was my attempt to re-create it. Here's the video and the recipe.
Torta Salvadoreña – Estilo Parque Hula Hula (Hula Hula Sandwich)
bolillos or small French breads
mayonnaise (I prefer lime-flavored mayo)
shredded cabbage (boiled until tender and drained)
shredded sandwich steak
guacamol (recipe below)
#1. Cook meat in a frying pan. Add a little cooking oil if needed. Optional: Season with a little Worcestershire sauce & Goya Sazón Culantro y Achiote.
#2. Butter the bread and toast on both sides. Do this on a comal, griddle or frying pan.
#3. Spread mayonnaise on both open faces of the bread. Top with cooked sandwich steak.
#4. Top steak with shredded cabbage, then add ketchup, mustard and guacamol. Serve.
BONUS RECIPE (Fresh Guacamol for Sandwiches): To make guacamol, I put 1 avocado, a large spoonful of minced onion, a spoonful of mayonnaise, a few shakes of dried oregano, a pinch of salt and a good squeeze of fresh lime into a self-sealing plastic bag. Close the bag and massage the avocado until smooth and combined with other ingredients. Cut off the corner of the bag so the guacamol can be piped onto sandwiches.


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News from back in the day
Friday 13 September 2013 - it begins!
Our annual rain forecasting competition has begun! This year, we are guessing the date by which the accumulated rainfall on the roof of Duncan Hall will go over 2.75 inches. In light of the flooding rains in eastern Colorado this week, 2.75" seems like peanuts, but it's already MORE than the total amount of rain received since January 1, 2013 at San Francisco airport!
Here's the magic list of everybody's picks (developed after hours of intensive thought)!
August 2013
It's that time again!!! Time for the Welcome Back Party!! And ping-pong!! Date: Thursday August 29, from 2-4 3:00-4:30 in DH 614. Be there!
July 2013
Faculty updates... Congratulations to a large chunk of our faculty who have earned campus awards and grants for the forthcoming year! Professors Eugene Cordero, Elly Walsh and Alison Bridger each earned two competitive awards! Each earned a RSCA Award (Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity) to enable research projects to get underway. And each also earned an ITCR Award (Innovative Teaching - Course Redesign) to allow them to develop new teaching approaches (example: online classes). Congrats to these faculty!
July 8 2013
Congratulations to graduate student Dianne Hall !! Her paper on "Observations of fire behavior on a grass slope during a wind reversal" received the Best Student Paper Award by the International Association of Fire Safety Science. Her paper was presented at the 4th Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference held in Raleigh NC. The award carries mostly prestige - but also a small cash prize!
May 25 2013
Graduation 2013!!!! A large group of undergrads are graduating this year, along with some MS students. Congratulations to all our graduates this year! We held a reception for students and their families, and in the background the students were showing a slideshow from their time here. Here it is (it's quite large)!
May 3 2013
The 9th Annual College of Science Research Day was held on Friday May 3, and our department was well represented! Check out this link to see a slide show featuring several of our faculty and students! And follow the link in the text to see some of Dr. Clements' fire weather work!
May 3 2013
Happy birthday to us! Our department was founded in 1963, and today we're celebrating! Looking forward to the next 50!!!
March 2013
Congratulations to sophomore meteorology student Gaby De La Cruz, pictured above with mentor Professor Eugene Cordero! Gaby has been accepted into the summer SOARS program! SOARS is run by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). For Gaby, this will mean a fully-paid summer in beautiful Boulder, CO. There, she will work with a mentor in the atmospheric science community conducting a research project. SOARS is a wonderful program, and entry into it is highly competitive. We are very proud of Gaby!
March, 2013
Drs. Sen Chiao (left) and Alison Bridger (not left) pose with Sammy Spartan at the recent "Spartans Supporting Spartans" event in the Duncan Hall breezeway!
February, 2013
Our annual rainfall contest concluded early this year. Remember - the contest was to forecast the date by which the cumulative rainfall in San Jose had passed a measly 4". Last year? Nobody won (everybody chose dates that were too early...it was a dry year!). This year? Can you guess who won (clue: see photo above!) And can you also guess who almost won?
January 5-10, 2013
We storm AMS-Austin! And Austin storms on us too!! Four faculty (Bridger, Chiao, Clements and Cordero) and 23 students attended the 93rd Annual AMS meeting, held in Austin TX in early January. We had our biggest group of students ever in attendance (see the photo)! Much of this is due to travel awards we were able to make from our Walker Scholarship Fund, as well as a couple of AMS scholarships. We also hosted a very lively Alumni get-together (stay tuned for photos!). Why the fuss? Because this is all part of the department's 50th birthday celebrations! Check back soon for details of our on-campus spring event!
November 14, 2012
Professor Eugene Cordero appeared this week on the Climate Reality Project's "24 Hours of Reality: The Dirty Weather Report"! Eugene participated in panels 16, 17, and 20 of the 24-hour marathon discussion of global warming and its impacts.
November 2012 - an aluma speaks about superstorm Sandy!
Superstorm Sandy caught everybody's attention, including that of one of our alumna, Dr. Jennifer Francis, currently at Rutgers University, and BS Meteorology in 1988. Here is a recent PBS-NOVA article in which she ties the strength of Sandy (as well as other extreme weather events) to climate change. And here is a talk given earlier this year by Jennifer on "The Arctic Paradox".
September 9, 2012
Our annual rain forecasting contest is underway! This is always entertaining to the new grad students who come from rainy locations!! This year, we are forecasting the date after which our cumulative rainfall exceeds 4".Click here for details!


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Water SA
versión On-line ISSN 1816-7950
versión impresa ISSN 0378-4738
Water SA vol.35 no.3 Pretoria abr. 2009
Acidithiobacillus caldus, Leptospirillum spp., Ferroplasma spp. and Sulphobacillus spp. mixed strains for use in cobalt and copper removal from water
BB MambaI, *; NP DlaminiI; AF Mulaba-BafubiandiII
IDepartment of Chemical Technology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 17011, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa
IIMinerals Processing and Technology Research Group, Department of Extraction Metallurgy, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 526, Wits 2050, South Africa
Bacteria from the genus Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum and Ferroplasma, Sulphobacillus are often associated with water remediation. In this study a consortium of Acidithiobacillus caldus, Leptospirillum spp., Ferroplasma spp. and Sulphobacillus spp. was cultured and used to remove Cu2+ and Co2+ from synthetic aqueous sulphate solutions. The influence of experimental conditions such as pH, temperature, time, volume and metal concentration on the efficiency of the biosorption process was investigated. Biosorption of 54 to 67% Cu (pH 2, 37°C, 24 h) and 23-70% Co (pH 2, 37°C, 24 h) was observed from solutions containing 3.86 g·ℓ-1 Cu2+ ions and 3.36 g·ℓ-1 Co2+ ions. Such findings suggest that if optimal conditions for biosorption of the metals by micro-organisms are achieved, this should afford a cost-effective method of removing metal species from water and aqueous solutions.
Keywords: copper, cobalt, adsorption, biosorption, synthetic solution
Recent progress in the use of micro-organisms for industrial applications promotes not only bacterial leaching of mineral-bearing ores but also the microbial treatment of metal contaminated water (Brierley, 1982). Water contamination is a serious challenge which is ever increasing in magnitude. With respect to groundwater contamination, about 10% of the population in South Africa uses groundwater for drinking while a large number of industries and agricultural systems depend on clean and safe groundwater supplies (Botha, 2006). Contamination of groundwater can be due to leaching of effluents emanating from garbage dumps, industrial waste dumps, mine dumps and septic tanks (Vullo et al.,2008). Considerable effort is being expended to remediate this water-pollution problem. Contamination of groundwater resources by heavy metals in South Africa is also on the rise, due to large- and small-scale mining activities taking place.
Heavy metals which contaminate water bodies include, among others, copper, cobalt, iron, manganese, chromium, nickel, gold and lead. Although most of these metals have vital human body functions, their ingestion in high quantities can result in severe health implications which in some cases may be fatal. It is, therefore, crucial that concentration levels of these metals in drinking water for example, are closely monitored. Table 1 shows the allowable concentrations of copper and cobalt in drinking water according to the South African National Standards (SANS), 2006.
Most commonly reported mechanisms for metal removal from solution are biosorption, chemisorption or specific adsorption and precipitation in the form of hydroxides (Fe3+, Cr3+, and Al3+), carbonates (Fe2+, Mn2+) or sulphides (Pb2+, Co2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Fe2+, Zn2+) (Bojinova et al., 2006). While these methods have been successfully used in removing metal species from water, the challenge for research is the use of novel techniques that are less costly, more efficient and environmentally friendly. For example, these conventional methods can be effectively used for solutions of high metal concentrations while for low metal concentrations the same techniques may be costly. With respect to the environment, the removal of metals from solutions emanating from metallurgical and mining operations would serve to protect ground and surface water, especially when taking into consideration repercussions from acid mine drainage. The use of micro-organisms for the removal of metals from metallurgical aqueous solutions has not been reported largely. Recently, reports have been published where bacterial species such as Pseudonomonas spp. have demonstrated capacity to remove significant amounts of heavy metals by biosorption from aqueous solutions (Donalkova et al., 2005; Vullo et al., 2008).
Copper is a major component of haemoglobin, the protein responsible for oxygen transport in blood cells. Copper, along with vitamin C, forms elastin, a protein required to keep skin, blood vessels, and lungs supple and elastic (Araya et al, 2007). It is also an antioxidant and is required by the central nervous system as a component in the production of noradrenalin. However, consumption of copper in large quantities can cause serious ailments and people with ulcerative colitis may tend to accumulate copper, aggravating the disorder. A daily intake of more than 20 mg of copper can cause vomiting and stomach ulcers (Araya et al., 2007). Cobalt, on the other hand, forms part of vitamin B12 which is essential for human health. It is also used to treat anaemia in pregnant woman because it stimulates the production of red blood cells. However, consumption of high amounts of cobalt can cause serious lung ailments like asthma and pneumonia. Drinking water with a high cobalt concentration induces vomiting and nausea, and can cause vision problems, heart-related ailments and thyroid damage (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov ).
In this study, copper and cobalt were chosen for biosorption experiments due to their wide use in industry and their potential water-pollution impact. What is of significance is that the micro-organisms will be utilised in removing metal species from single-element synthetic solutions as well as from multi-metal synthetic solutions where there would be potential interference by other metal ions present in solution. Hence, the combined effects of two or more metals present in solution and their effect on their removal from aqueous media will be explored. While research on single species of heavy metal-ion uptake in solution by various micro-organisms is well reported, the synergetic effect of two or more metals in the biosorption process has, to date, received less attention (Chang and Chen, 1998).
A mixed-strain culture of bacteria containing 4 types of bacterial strains namely Acidithiobcillus caldus, Leptospirillum spp., Ferroplasma spp. and Sulphobacillus spp. was obtained from Mintek's Hydrometallurgy Laboratory Division in Randburg, South Africa. It was then grown in a culture medium Postgate's Medium B (Postgate, 1984). The mixed-strain culture sample (20 mℓ) was mixed with 100 mℓ of nutrient medium and thoroughly shaken in a 1 000 mℓ volumetric flask. This was kept at constant stirring using a magnetic stirrer and the temperature was maintained at 36°C and the pH was constantly monitored within a range of 1.5 to 2.0.
Test solutions (synthetic solutions)
Standard synthetic solutions were prepared in our laboratories using copper (II) and cobalt (II) sulphate salts. The metal solutions were divided into 3 categories, i.e. single metal system (Co or Cu), binary metal (Co and Cu mixed system and multi-element system (Co and/ Cu in varying ratios). Concentrations of 3.86 g·ℓ-1, 19.32 g·ℓ-1 and 38.6 g·ℓ-1 Cu2+ ions in solution and 3.3 g·ℓ-1, 16.7 g·ℓ-1 and 33.4 g·ℓ-1 Co2+ ions in solution (which is 0.07 M, 0.33M and 0.66 M for both Cu2+ and Co2+). Their ratios were varied depending on the category of testing.
Extraction experiments
The factors that affect the biosorption rate were examined in a batch system. Five parameters were examined for their effect in the biosorption of metal ions from solutions and these are biomass concentration (bacteria), metal-ion concentration, contact time, presence of co-cations and solution pH. All experiments were carried out with micro-organism suspension in Erlenmeyer flasks in an incubator at 37±0.5°C with constant shaking to create optimum conditions (contact time, pH, initial metal concentration and bacterial dose). The contents of the flasks were thereafter filtered and the filtrates were diluted (10 mℓ was pipetted into 100 mℓ volumetric flask and filled to the mark with distilled water). This was done in order to obtain lower concentrations which could be analysed by flame absorption spectroscopy to obtain residual metal concentrations. The metal adsorbed by biomass was calculated as follows:
% metal adsorbed by biomass =
Ci is the initial metal concentration
Cf is the final metal concentration
Control experiments
Control experiments were conducted to monitor other factors which may affect metal concentrations in solution like precipitation. This was done by having a similar experimental set-up without any bacteria added to the solutions. Solutions from all 3 different concentrations were put in Erlenmeyer flasks in an incubator at 37±0.5°C with constant shaking to emulate optimum conditions for biosorption (contact time, pH, initial metal concentration).
Effect of biomass (bacteria) and metal-ion concentration
In the first stage of batch biosorption experiments, the combined effects of the amount of biomass (bacteria) and metal ion concentration were examined. Three different amounts and concentrations of bacteria were used (50 × 104 CFU/mℓ, 100 × 104 CFU/ mℓ and 150 × 104 CFU/mℓ ), i.e. 1:1, 1: 3 and 3:1 ratios and 0.07 M, 0.33 M and 0.66 M solutions of both Cu2+ and Co2+ ions, respectively, were used.
These results are presented here as a bar chart in Fig. 1.
Metal removal with respect to the concentration of Co2+ and Cu2+ ions in solution is shown in Fig. 1. The results demonstrate a decrease in metal uptake with an increase in the equilibrium concentration. This observation is linked to the metal-concentration gradient between the active and available sites of the bacterium, which suggests that metal uptake decreases with an increase in initial ion concentration. This could be due to the fact that biosorption in dilute solutions is mainly through ion exchange, whereas in concentrated solutions biosorption is mainly through precipitation which is much slower compared to the latter (Zachara et al., 1991).
Table 2 and Fig. 1 also shed some light on the effect of biomass concentration on the recovery of the metals. It is observed that an increase in the amount of biosorbent results in an increase in metal adsorption efficiency (removal efficiency). This observation is due to the fact that there is an increase in binding sites (surface area) as the bacterial species increase (Brady and Tobin, 1994).
Effect of contact time
The effect of contact time was also examined for the bacterial species. This was done to ascertain the threshold in terms of the time the microbial biomass is capable of spending in aqueous solution while still active, i.e. recovering (adsorbing metal ions). Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the effect of contact time observed over a period of 12 d.
The increase in metal uptake with an increase in the initial ion concentration is linked to the metallic concentration gradient with respect to the active and available adsorption sites of the bacteria, which suggests that metal uptake increased with an increase in initial ion concentration. However, at very high metal concentrations the biosorption rate is reduced. The proposed explanation is that biosorption in dilute solutions takes place mainly through ion exchange whereas in concentrated solutions biosorption is mainly through precipitation which is much slower compared to the latter (Zachara et al., 1991).
Figures 2 and 3 show a trend that is not in line with the typical bacterial growth curve, as the lag phase was very short and almost insignificant. This could have been due to the fact that these strains are indigenous and are well adapted to harsh environments. Copper removal in all concentrations exponentially increases with time and reaches equilibrium after 7 d of exposure. Cobalt removal, on the other hand, shows an increase in all concentrations at a lower gradient when compared to copper removal. The 0.07 M concentrated solution shows high removal efficiencies for both copper (54%) and cobalt (25%). Copper removal decreased with an increase in concentration, whereas cobalt was taken up more effectively from the 0.66 M solution after 12 d than its removal from the 0.07 M concentrated solution.
Viability tests performed using fluorescence microscopy confirmed that in solutions of low concentration, the rate at which bacteria die is less than in the case of highly concentrated solutions. Different biosorbents used for the adsorption of various heavy metals yielded similar observations. For example, in a study conducted by Abu Al-Rub and fellow researchers using C. vulgaris algal cells, a substantial viable biomass remained after biosorption of less concentrated copper solutions (0.1 g/ℓ than in the case of highly concentrated copper solutions (20 g/ℓ) (Kumar et al., 2006; Fiol et al. 2006; Abu Al-Rub et al., 2006, Pan et al., 2006).
In solutions of low concentration, the rate at which bacteria die is less than in the case of highly concentrated solutions. Different biosorbents used for the sorption of various heavy metals yielded similar observations. For example in a study conducted by Abu Al-Rub and fellow researchers using C. vulgaris algal cells, a substantial viable biomass remained after biosorption of low concentrated copper solutions (0.1 g·ℓ-1) than in the case of highly concentrated copper solutions (20 g·ℓ-1) (Kumar et al., 2006; Fiol et al., 2006; Abu Al-Rub et al., 2006, Pan et al., 2006).
The effect of co-cations on metal extraction
Extensive research has been done on the effect of co-cations on metal extraction (Tsezos, 1983). However, the majority of published work on biosorption only involves one metal species. Very little information is available for binary and multi-metal biosorption systems (Gonzalez Davila, 1990). If biosorption is to be implemented in the fields of water treatment and hydrometallurgy where complex multi-component metal systems are common, further research on such systems is essential. The CuSO4 and CoSO4 solutions were further mixed in order to represent a real sample where the effect of one metal ion on another may be examined. This was done by varying the concentrations of the two metal cation solutions as shown in Table 3.
The occupation of active sites of an adsorbent during ion exchange is also a competitive process whereby one cation is favoured over the other. This could be attributed to cation-cation interactions as well as to water molecules that surround the cations in solution. Inglezakis et al. (2005) documented that selectivity for one ion over the other in a matrix is a result of physico-chemical and stereochemical factors which are hydrated radii, hydration enthalpy of the cation and the space requirements in the micropores of the adsorbent in connection with the incoming ions. It has been reported as shown in Fig. 4 that every metal cation that is dissolved in water possesses its own specific hydrated layer which has a characteristic thickness and degree of stability which determines its capability of being taken up by an ion exchanger (Tansel et al., 2006).
Therefore, for the larger anhydrite ions, with the charge more dispersed, the water of hydration is held less strongly to the cation which enables biosorption to occur.
Mixing of the 2 cations seemed to affect the rate at which biosorption occurred when compared to the single element matrices in Table 2. There was better biosorption in more dilute solution combinations than in concentrated solutions.
The 5:1 and 9:1 copper: cobalt ratio (0.33 M, 0.07 M and 0.66 M:0.07 M respectively) in Table 3 and Fig. 5 shows an almost comparable recovery of copper and cobalt, with cobalt being slightly favoured. This could be due to the fact that the cobalt in solution is more dilute than the copper solution and hence binds easily to the surfaces of the bacteria.
The effect of solution pH
pH is one of the parameters that affects the biosorption mechanism. In order to determine the optimum pH for biosorption, experiments were carried out for 24 h at pH values of 1.5, 3 and 4.5 using 0.07 M as initial concentrations of CuSO4 and CoSO4 CuSO4 and CoSO4 solutions. Usually the pH has a significant effect on the solubility, speciation and biosorption of heavy metals (Abu Al-Rub et al., 2006). The increase in metal removal with increase in pH can be explained using the analogy between the reaction of metal hydrolysis Eq. (1) and the reaction between binding sites of the sorbent and the metal Eq. (2).
In both reactions the O-H and S-H bonds are broken and hydrogen ions are released followed by substitution by the metal, M (HOM and SM) (Pagnanelli et al., 2003). Figure 6 shows metal uptake as a function of pH.
From Fig. 6 it can be observed that the best biosorption results occurred at pH 3.0 for both Cu (II) and Co (II) where 67% and 70% were respectively adsorbed by the biomass.
Such a trend was also observed by other authors that investigated the effect of pH on biosorption using different biomaterials (Kiran et al., 2005; Fiol et al., 2006; Uslu and Tanyol, 2006). The different pH binding values of these components could be due to the nature of the chemical interactions of each component with the microbial cells. At highly acidic pH values, metal ions compete for binding sites on the cell wall, which results in a lower metal uptake (Bueno et al., 2008).
Langmuir biosorption isotherms
It is important to note that sorption studies determine the capacity of the sorbent, which can be described by a sorption isotherm, characterised by certain constants whose values express the surface properties and the affinity of the sorbent (Ho and Mckay, 2000).
The Langmuir model represents a theoretical treatment of non-linear sorption and suggests that uptake occurs on a homogenous surface by monolayer sorption without any interaction between adsorbed molecules. Langmuir isotherms were plotted for the single element category. The Langmuir equation is given by:
x / m = (ab / Cr) / (1 + bCr)
Cr is the equilibrium concentration of the metal in solution left after adsorption (mg/ℓ)
x/m is the number of metal ions adsorbed onto the bacteria
a and b are Langmuir constants related to adsorption capacity and adsorption energy, respectively
constant a is the maximum sorption capacity and represents single layer coverage of the adsorbent (bacteria) in contact with the adsorbate (metal solution)
variable b represents enthalpy of adsorption and changes with temperature
To draw the Langmuir plots, the equation is first linearised as follows:
Cr/[X / m] = (1 / ab) + (1/a)Cr
Cr/(x/m) is then plotted against Cr. to obtain a straight line.
The adsorption data were then fitted in the Langmuir equation as illustrated in Fig. 7.
Interaction of bacteria with metal ions
Interactions of the micro-organisms with the metal species were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), model SEM Joel JSM 5600 and Transmission Electron Microscopy, Joel 100S model as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9. The SEM micrograph shows the accumulation of metal ions on the cell wall of the bacterial species and the darkish accumulations seen on the cell wall of the bacterium in the TEM image support the SEM observations.
It is also observed that under all conditions there was better biosorption of Cu2+ than Co2+. This may be accounted for by the nature of the 2 metal ions. Although the charges on both Cu2+ and Co2+ ions are the same, the hydrated radii differ whereby Cu2+ has a lower hydrated radius than Co2+. Biosorption of a metal-ion using an ion exchanger largely depends on its hydrated radius. Similar observations on an adsorbent called clinoptilolite were observed by Erdem, who concluded that the larger the diameter of the metal ion the slower its mobility and the less likely its ionic exchange capability will be (Erdem et al., 2004). It would appear that for ease of biosorption there should be fewer water molecules surrounding the cation.
This study has revealed that micro-organisms tend to remove or adsorb more metal ions at low concentrations and for shorter contact periods. Also, the data accumulated thus far suggest that the mixed strain bacterial consortia containing Acidithiobcillus caldus, Leptospirillum spp., Ferroplasma spp. and Sulphobacillus spp. can adsorb both copper and cobalt from their synthetic sulphate solutions. These results demonstrate the potential for using these micro-organisms for the removal of copper and cobalt from sulphate solutions of leached mineral ores. We are currently investigating the use of these bacterial consortia in the removal of metals including copper and cobalt from mine effluents resulting from metallurgical operations.
The authors wish to thank Mintek for providing the bacterial strains. Funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF), the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and assistance from Mr E Fosso-Kankeu and Mr N Tshabalala (UJ Clinic) with bacterial isolation is gratefully acknowledged.
ABU AL-RUB FA, EL-NAAS MH, ASHOUR I and AL-MARZOUQI M (2006) Biosorption of copper on Chlorella vulgaris from single binary and ternary metal aqueous solutions. Proc. Biochem. 41 457-464. [ Links ]
ARAYA M, OLIVARES M and PIZARRO F (2007) Copper in human health. Int. J. of Environ. Health 1 (4) 608-620. [ Links ]
BOJINOVA DY and VELKOVAR RG (2006) Bioleaching of metals from mineral waste product. Acta Biotechnol. 21 275-282. [ Links ]
BOTHA FS (2006) Groundwater in South Africa, where to from here? Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria, South Africa. [ Links ]
BRADY JM and TOBIN JM (1994) Adsorption of metal ions by Rhizopus arrhizus biomass: Characterization studies. Enzym. Microb. Technol. 16 (8) 671-675. [ Links ]
BRIERLEY CORALE L (1982) Microbial mining. Sci. Am. J. 247 42-50. [ Links ]
BUENO BYM, TOREM ML, MOLINA F and DE MESQUITA LMS (2008) Biosorption of lead(II), chromium(III) and copper(II) by R. opacus: Equilibrium and kinetic studies, Miner. Eng. 21 65-75. [ Links ]
CHANG JS and CHEN CC (1998) Biosorption of lead, copper and cadmium with continuous hollow-fiber microfiltration processes. Sep. Sci. Technol. 34 (8) 1607-1627. [ Links ]
DONALKOVA A, MARSHAL MJ, KENNEDY DW, GORBY YA, SHI L, BELIAEV A, APKARIAN R and FREDRICKSON JK (2005) Micros. Soc. Am. 129-132. [ Links ]
ERDEM E, KARAPINAR N and DONAT R (2004) The removal of heavy metal cations by natural zeolites. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 280 (2) 309-314. [ Links ]
FIOL N, VILLAESCUSA I and MARTINEZ M (2006) Sorption of Pb(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution by olive stone waste. Sep. Purif. Technol. 50 132-140. [ Links ]
GONZALEZ DAVILA M, SANTANA-CASIANO JM and MILLERO FJ (1990) The adsorption of Cd (II) and Pb (II) to chitin in seawater. J. Coll. Interf. Sci. 137 102-104. [ Links ]
HO YS and MCKAY G (1998) Kinetic model for lead (II) sorption on to peat. Adsorp. Sci. Technol. 16 243-255. [ Links ]
INGLEZAKIS VJ, ZORPAS AA, LOIZIDOU MD and GRIGOLOPOULOU HP (2005) The effect of competitive cations and anions on ion exchange of heavy metals. J. Sep. Purif. Technol. 46 202-207. [ Links ]
KIRAN ISMAIL, SIBEL TUNALI and TAMER AKAR (2005) Chromium (VI) biosorption characteristics of Neurospora crassa fungal biomass. Miner. Eng. 18 (7) 681-689. [ Links ]
KUMAR YP, KING P and PRASAD VS (2006) Equilibrium and kinetic studies for the biosorption system of copper(II) ion from aqueous solution using Tectona grandis L.f. leaves powder. J. Hazardous Mater. B137 1211-1217. [ Links ]
PAN J, GE X, LIU R and TANG GH (2006) Characteristic features of Bacillus cereus cell surfaces with biosorption of Pb (II) ions by AFM and FT-IR. Colloids Surfaces B: Biointerfaces 52 89-90. [ Links ]
POSTGATE JR (1984) The Sulphate-Reducing Bacteria (2nd edn.) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 105-107. [ Links ]
TANSEL B, SAGER J, RECTOR T, GARLAND J, STRAYER RF, LEVINE L, ROBERTS M, HUMMERICK M and BAUER J (2006) Significance of hydrated radius and hydration shells on ionic permeability during nanofiltration in dead end and Cross flow modes. Sep. Purif. Technol. 51 4047. [ Links ]
TOXICOLOGICAL PROFILE FOR COBALT- http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp33.html Accessed (2 April 2008). [ Links ]
TSEZOS M (1983) The role of chitin in uranium adsorption by Rhizopus arrhizus. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 25 2025-2040. [ Links ]
USLU G, and TANYOL M (2006) Equilibrium and thermodynamic parameters of single and binary mixture biosorption of lead (II) and copper (II) ions onto Pseudomonas putida: Effect of temperature. J. Hazardous Mater. 135 (1-3) 87-93. [ Links ]
VULLO DL, HELLENA C, MARIA AD, SILVANA AM and RAMIREZ AZ (2008) Cadmium, zinc and copper biosoption by Pseudomonas veonii 2E. Bioresour. Technol. 99 5574-5581. [ Links ]
ZACHARA JM and COWAN CT (1991) Sorption of divalent metals on calcite. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 55 (6) 1549-1562. [ Links ]
Received 12 November 2008; accepted in revised form 16 March 2009.
* To whom all correspondence should be addressed.
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What if Your Broker Goes Out of Business?
Ever wonder what would happen if your brokerage firm went out of business? Brokerage firms are required to segregate customer assets from their own in order to keep them safe. In the majority of cases, customer assets are safely transferred to another brokerage firm.
When a brokerage firm fails and customer assets are missing or have been stolen from their accounts, its the job of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) to step in. SIPC, however, should not be confused with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which offers blanket protection of FDIC-insured bank deposits. As discussed below, SIPC protection is more limited.
What Does SIPC Cover?
In a nutshell, SIPC will replace missing stocks and other securities that have been stolen by a brokerage firm. However, SIPC does not protect the value of your investments or provide relief if you were sold worthless stocks. SIPC is not insurance against securities fraud or account mismanagement. If your portfolio were to crash and the underlying security values were to drastically decline, SIPC will not bail you out.
What SIPC will do is help investors get back all of the securities (such as stocks and bonds) that are registered in their name. SIPC will also distribute the brokerage's remaining customer assets on a pro rata basis. If the failed firm's funds are insufficient to satisfy customer claims, SIPC will supplement the distribution from its reserve funds, up to a ceiling of $500,000 per customer, including a maximum of $100,000 for cash claims.
Make Sure Your Broker is an SIPC Member
Appearances can be deceiving. Some SIPC members have affiliations with entities that are not SIPC members. These non-SIPC affiliates may even operate out of the same offices and have the same employees. The SIPC gives the following useful advice to investors:
Be sure you receive written confirmation of each securities transaction in your securities account with the SIPC member, and that each confirmation statement and each statement of account is issued by the SIPC member and not by a non-SIPC affiliate. Deposits for credit to your securities account, by check or otherwise, should not be made payable to your account executive, registered representative, or to any other individual, but generally only to your SIPC member broker-dealer or, if your account is carried at another SIPC member who provides clearing services for your SIPC member broker-dealer, then to that other SIPC member. If your check or deposit is payable to other than a SIPC member broker-dealer (such as to the issuer of the securities you are purchasing or to a bank escrow agent), you should take steps to insure that your funds are properly applied.
For more information about the SIPC, visit www.sipc.org or call the SIPC Membership Department at (202) 371-8300 to find out the status of your brokerage firm.


text:
Beginning ASP.NET 4.5 Databases, 3rd Edition
Book Description
Beginning ASP.NET 4.5 Databases
Beginning ASP.NET 4.5 Databases introduces you to the world of building data-driven Web sites using ASP.NET, ADO.NET and the Entity Framework using C#. Since ASP.NET developers need to access databases quickly and efficiently, this book teaches the best practices and methods to help developers achieve professional ASP.NET and database solutions.
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- Understand concepts of non-relational databases and why you need them
- Develop strategies for building Entity Data Models using Entity Framework 4.1
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Table of Contents
- ASP.NET 4.5 Data Sources
- The Future of Relational Databases
- Introducing Non-Relational Databases
- Data Access Services using ADO.NET
- Introducing Language-Integrated Query (LINQ)
- ADO.NET Entity Data Model and Entity SQL
- Designing Data Access Applications using Entity Framework
- Entity Framework Data Access Paradigms
- Consuming Data using WCF Data Services
- Data Binding in ASP.NET 4.5
- Building Extensible Data-Driven Web Applications Using Dynamic Data
- Techniques to Deal with Issues in Building Data-Driven Web Sites
- Application Lifecycle Management
Book Details
- Title: Beginning ASP.NET 4.5 Databases, 3rd Edition
- Author: Damien Foggon, Sandeep Chanda
- Length: 280 pages
- Edition: 3
- Language: English
- Publisher: Apress
- Publication Date: 2013-03-20
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What do the plummeting oil prices tell us not only about our near term economic future in Canada, but the political fragility of the world's petro states?If Canada fully joins the petro state club, as our prime minister and his party desire, is oil's volatility just the cost of doing business, or a threat to our nation's well-being?The ideal person to ask is Terry Lynn Karl, one of North America's foremost experts on the politics of oil. The Tyee recently caught up with Karl, who teaches at Stanford University and lives in San Francisco.
The Daily IKN email digest, get all daily posts sent to you next day (& no ads)
Terry Lynn Karl: "Falling Oil Prices Could Rock Canada's Politics"
The Friday OT: Robert Earl Keen; Merry Christmas from the family
The seventh year running, I believe:
It's still the best Christmas song ever, no matter how many times I try to stuff it down your throat. Merry Christmas one and all, hope you have a pleasant one with your families, too.
McEwen Mining (MUX): Mr. Market changed his mind
Chuqui: Going underground
Chart of the day is...
Two questions about Anglo American at Michiquillay
Music for a Thursday afternoon
Impossible not to love...
...Rocks, by Primal Scream.
This makes up for tomorrow's Friday OT.
Breaking News: Sellside mining analysts shock the world by daring to state...
- The US Automotive Retail Chamber of Commerce today said that it's a smart idea to buy a new car in 2015.
- The potato marketing board of Idaho today stated that potatoes are delicious, nutritious and you should eat more potatoes.
- Scientifically based findings in a groundbreaking medical report sponsored by the World Chocolate Council show overwhelming evidence that eating chocolate is good for you, helps weight control and stimulates a higher sex drive as well as imparting more pheromonal scent into the air arround you that will immediately attract the more beautiful and otherwise unattainable members of the opposite sex.
- The Tree Frog Society of Madagascar predicts a threefold growth in the popularity of tree frogs in 2015.
- The Campaign To Prove That The Pope Is Catholic today released susbstantial evidence to support the case that the Pope is indeed Catholic.
- The Fur Coat Club of Canada today released experimental results using cutting-edge brainwave reading technology that proves beyond reasonable doubt that small furry animals enjoy being trapped and killed in large metal trapping devices and that people should take this evidence into account when shopping for their next warm and luxurious winter coat.
By nastily and unfairly and horribly picking on one just one bullshit airbag zero-chance junior exploreco IKN offers insight into many others
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Dec 18, 2014) - Rokmaster Resources Corp. (TSX VENTURE:RKR)(RKR.V) ("Rokmaster" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its exploration team has made significant progress in narrowing its search for a silver-gold property having near term production potential. Our recent exploration initiative has culminated with the detailed evaluation and identification of three contending high quality properties. Two have near term silver-gold production potential with exploration upside and the third property is currently in small scale production. All three properties are available for acquisition and well located with existing infrastructure in stable jurisdictions in the Americas.
The fundamental interconnectedness of all things
Chart of the day is...
Another bottom signal
Another blogger gives up.
They come, they go.
On this, Ritholtz and I thoroughly agree
From here, this bright and sunny early Thursday morning:
"Those of you who continue to insist you can even remotely forecast what might happen next continue to reveal incredibly foolish, thoroughly disproved beliefs, despite an overwhelming avalanche of evidence that you haven't the slightest idea what the fuck is going on now, much less what is going to happen next."
Timmins Gold (TMM.to) (TGD) throws $10m cash and 16m of its shares down the toilet
PS: Anyone stupid enough to think CEO dot CA is the place to hang out in order to get good investment advice deserves what's coming to them, good and hard. Frequenting a website that exists for the sole purpose of licking the collective assholes of mining company management proves how fucking stupid you are.
"Considerable time"
That Commie subversive anti-American Ronald Reagan
Nicely done by Eric Garland over at his joint. Picture stolen here:
More junior drilling bullshit
How rumour info on IKN works, Paramount (PZG) edition
WINNEMUCCA, NEVADA--(Marketwired - Dec 17, 2014) - Paramount Gold and Silver Corp. ("Paramount" or the "Company") (NYSE MKT:PZG)(PZG.TO) and Coeur Mining, Inc. ("Coeur") (CDE) have entered into an agreement and plan of merger, dated as of December 16, 2014 (the "Merger Agreement") pursuant to which Coeur will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Paramount and the San Miguel Project (the "Merger"). As a condition to closing the Merger, the shares of Paramount's subsidiary holding its Nevada mining assets will be spun-off to holders of the Company's common stock.
Aberdeen (AAB.to) vs Meson: A proxy slate
Tax loss selling
Aurcana (AUN.v): Lenic has left the building
In order to spend more time with his yacht in the Med. Link here
Some of the most informative NRs are the short ones that say very little.
Even at the bottom of a market the junior mining bullshit never stops
GDD002 intersects 48m @ 4.09 g/t Au, 15.82 g/t Ag and 0.22% Cu from 38 m, including: 4m @ 47.6 g/t Au, 90.55 g/t Ag and 0.57% Cu from 60 m. -- This mineralisation is predominantly hosted in skarn and can be correlated on section to previously reported high-value surface channel samples approx. 250m to the south-west. -- Three broad zones of highly elevated copper with associated gold and silver geochemistry returned in assays for the top 228m of this hole, which was completed to 768m. Assays are awaited for the rest of the hole. -- The significant intersection in GDD002, in combination with GDD001, provides further evidence of a large, strongly mineralised porphyry system at Misima. -- The new results have helped define a structural corridor within which upper level propylitic or halo alteration and associated porphyry mineralisation occurs, suggesting that this is the priority target area for further deep diamond drilling. -- Scout diamond hole GDD003, located 500m to the south-east from GDD0002, is currently at a depth of 631m.
UPDATE: Best feedback received so far is from reader M: "Why didn't they go for 160m at 1g/t, amateurs!"
The Deutsche Bank 2015 Commodities Outlook report
It's 5.3Mb, it's 142 pages, it's dated today December 16th 2014, it covers all the angles, it's on this link right here. As for the front cover summary:
#1 Benchmark indices & a third year of under-performance: Following powerful price corrections, investors may be tempted to re-establish long exposures. However, US dollar strength should sustain the under-performance of commodity benchmark returns relative to equities.
#2 Living with lower oil prices: We believe Brent oil prices below USD60/barrel would, over time, inflict damage on US oil supply prospects. A more powerful and sustained slump in oil prices towards USD40/bbl would, in our view, be only likely to occur in a much weaker global growth environment.
#3 Natural gas supply growth: With 2015 supply growth likely to exceed the level needed to balance the market, we expect this year's storage deficit to be eliminated by the end of Q1-15. Building surpluses over the balance of the year are likely to weigh on prices particularly in the summer.
#4 The Fed & gold: Lower oil prices will inflict more damage on the S&P500 than the US real economy and encourage an expansion in central bank balance sheets outside of the US. These may provide pockets of support for gold, but, US financial forces will eventually overwhelm and drive gold prices lower.
#5 The curse of over-valuation: Palladium has taken on the mantle of the world's most richly priced commodity. While lower oil prices and a falling US unemployment rate should propel US auto sales higher, palladium fundamentals have to remain robust to justify our bullish price forecasts.
#6 Copper's exposure to the property slowdown in China: Unlike energy, agricultural and bulk commodities, where prices are back to levels last seen in 2009, industrial metal have been more resilient. However, the copper market is moving into surplus and the lagged effects of the weaker Chinese property market will hit copper demand, as a result copper is our preferred short.
#7 Bulk commodities & the US dollar: Depreciating currencies have given bulk producers some breathing space to tolerate further price declines. This may delay the necessary production cuts, which will mean prices drift lower.
Whole thing here. Up to you whather you agree with DB or not.
On a happier note...
Vile esteemed really sucks, y'know
Not by our feeling, but by others' seeing.
1) FR.to stock pops hard and against the grain of market peers at the open.
2) People start going "Huh WTF?" and the way things are these days I'm roped in (wholly voluntarily, but I'm pulled into the loop all the same) by those looking for an answer. We look together, pool resources, ask around, usual style.
3) Reasonable intel comes back over the jungledrum (and in all these cases "reasonable" involves a vetting process else you'd get to hear about all sorts of sillystuff rumours on these pages).
4) Instead of keeping the reasonable junglydrum snippet inside the usual walls, I pass it on here at the blog to (as noted yesterday) 'level the playing field', as it kinda irritates me that there's this two tier rumour system in Canada that rarely lets retail in on the juice.
Chart of the day is...
It's now eight weeks since the Doug Casey "Market To Crash NOW" call
On October 21st Casey Research charged its bleating flock $20 for its "Prepare For the 2014 Crash" report. And after urging you on by saying (and we quote)...
"Now is the time to take action. Not in the next few months or even in the next few weeks—Right now."...in the panic-laden Crash report, let's see how the Doug Casey prediction is panning out. Unlike the memory-lapsing Olivier Garret who tried to lull us into some revisionist bullshit on November 26th, we at IKN are clear about the main calls and trade recos offered by Casey Research in its paid-for panic call in October. The integral parts of the plan were the following:
In short:
- The S&P500 hasn't crashed, it's 2 1/2 % over the last eight weeks
- Also true for KRE, which is up 3%
- IYT has been higher of course, but it's still 5% up in the period
- Meanwhile, the safe haven call of gold, the one that should have gone up, is down by nearly 5% in the period.
The cheque's in the post, Pacific Potash (PP.v) edition
VANCOUVER, Dec. 15, 2014 /CNW/ - Pacific Potash Corporation (TSX-V: PP) ("Pacific Potash" or the "Company") announces that its personnel in Brazil have advised that the funds wired to Brazil in order to make the tax payment due to the DNPM at the beginning of December were not received for unknown reasons and therefore the tax payment was not made by the required deadline. As a result, management has been advised that the Company's tenemants in Brazil may be revoked by the DNPM. The new management team for the Company is working to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
Peru and Chile GDP growth: Lockstep
Today's First Majestic (AG) (FR.to) rumour
UPDATE: An extra thought here
Your financial overlords do the thinking so that you don't have to
"Oil prices have dropped $50 a barrel. That may not sound like much. But when you take $107 and you take $57, that's almost a 47 percent decline…!"–James Puplava, The Financial Sense News Network
Ah, now that's almost as good as "Waste Not Throw..." below. From here
Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. I vary my wit to suit my company.
Waste Not Throw Civilized Behavior Significantly
IKN Recommends: "Bitcoin: The Future Of Money?" by Dominic Frisby
The IKN Weekly, out now
Your IKN ebola news update
No white people dead.
No news.
Merry Christmas.


text:
Geeks and gamers agree "Attack of the Show's" silly/sexy Olivia Munn's all kinds of perfect. Now she's hoping to seduce the sitcom crowd with an NBC series called "Perfect Couples."
"It's a single camera half hour comedy from the people who did 'Friends' and '30 Rock,'" Munn tells us. "Every sitcom that you ever loved, it's just like that! Like 'Mr. Belvedere': just like that. And 'Small Wonder': yeah, I'm a robot."
Calm down, nerds. She's not a robot.
U.S. & World
"The premise is about three couples, six people, and how they all interact and really what I think is that it's more of a moment to really spotlight people," she says. "Our writers are so fantastic that they really show people in their very horrible states, and in a way that we're all going to go 'Yeah, I'm kind of like that. I say those things and I do those things.' But we do it unapologetically and with a wink."
Munn's never shied away from goofing on her sexier side, and in her series, which bows in January, she'll bring that same sensibility to relationships. "I believe that if we're all honest in the beginning about our faults, we can kind of embrace them and relate to each other in that way. I think the show has that really un-PC thing that I really embrace and like a lot."
Her co-star Christine Woods ("FlashForward") is impressed by how seamlessly Munn's brings her saucy sensibility to acting. "She's known so much for being a comedian and a host, but this show really showcases her acting ability. People are going to be very pleasantly surprised by what she brings to the table as an actress. As a woman, I love her so much because I think that she paves the way for sexy ladies trying to be funny. I had respect for her before I even met her, but getting to know her is just never a dull moment."


text:
FPA Crescent: A Great Fund for Uncertain Times
This Kiplinger 25 fund aims first to minimize losses, and only then tries to earn money for shareholders.
Even in the best of times, Steven Romick worries a lot. Unfortunately, notwithstanding the stock market's rollicking first-quarter performance, these are not the best of times. "Investing is especially challenging today," says Romick, the veteran manager of FPA Crescent (symbol FPACX).
Unsettling Romick is the halting economic recovery and the huge amount of government debt sloshing around in the economy, thanks to an ineffectual Congress and the loose money policies of the Federal Reserve. Just as consumers paying down debts remains a continuing drag on the economy, Romick believes we'll encounter new problems when the government seeks to cut back on its debt burden. "We expect continued economic struggles," he says
At the end of the day, though, Romick is still doing what he has done since he launched Crescent in 1993: buying good businesses at reasonable prices and hanging on for the long term. At least that's his strategy for the stock portion of the portfolio.
Nowadays, that's leading him to the shares of high-quality, large businesses that trade at reasonable valuations and boast low debt and, often, attractive dividend yields. He finds stocks of most small companies too pricey. He's also steering away from cyclical companies because of his concerns about the economy. That means that Crescent, a member of the Kiplinger 25, will continue to underperform if the economy keeps strengthening, he says.
The fund has been a laggard lately. Over the past three years through April 2, Crescent returned an annualized 16.8%. That's an average of 5.1 percentage points per year less than the return of Standard & Poor's 500-stock index.
But longer-term returns paint a different picture. Over the past ten years, the fund gained an annualized 8.6%, double the return of the S&P 500. Crescent has lagged in bull markets but more than made up the difference in bear markets. To me, how a fund holds up in lousy markets is the acid test. In the 2007-09 bear market, Crescent lost 27.9% while the S&P plunged 55.3% (both figures include dividends).
Crescent is hardly a pure stock fund. On average, Romick invests roughly half of its assets in stocks. Because of that, not surprisingly, Crescent has been about 40% less volatile than the S&P.
In spite of his bleak big-picture outlook, Romick is investing more in stocks than he usually does. Romick tells me the fund is now 64% in stocks. But that's only because he owns few high-yield bonds -- in which he usually invests a sizable chunk of assets. Yields on junk bonds are unattractive, he says. Romick thinks of both junk bonds and stocks as "risk assets."
Indeed, Romick is shying away from bonds altogether. Bond yields, which move inversely to prices, have gone about as low as they're likely to go. Instead, he has about 30% of the fund in cash.
One of Romick's many strengths is that he often finds unusual places to invest a little of Crescent's capital. He owns some whole mortgages; he actually hired a loan servicer to collect the payments. And he's invested in farmland through a non-publicly traded real estate investment trust.
Among his favorite stocks is Wal-Mart Stores (WMT). Wal-Mart's price-earnings ratio, based on the giant retailer's earnings over the past 12 months, is 14 -- lower than it has been in at least a decade. Even so, Romick is worried. Now that Wal-Mart is so big, it obviously can't grow as fast as it did in the past. Plus, corporate profit margins, in general, are far above their long-term averages. As companies hire more people, margins have to come down. Wal-Mart also has a lot of competition nowadays, from Dollar Tree (DLTR) and the like.
Another favorite, which Romick admits he bought too early, is Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ). "The company has made stupid investments," Romick says. New leadership, he believes, will bring better decisions. The stock is cheap, trading at just 8 times trailing earnings. Still, Romick concedes that it will be a while before the changes lead to improved financial results.
FPA Crescent is one of my favorite funds. Romick, 49, strikes me as smart and careful. The fund has $8.4 billion in assets and seven full-time analysts. The expense ratio is 1.18%.
Crescent won't keep up in a buoyant market. But it will keep you relatively safe in poor markets. If that doesn't appeal to you, your memory may be too short.
Steven T. Goldberg is an investment adviser in the Washington, D.C. area. One or two of his clients own both Hewlett Packard and Wal-Mart.


text:
It's a milestone year for Canada's Best Managed Companies program as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. The program reflects the success of its winners and it has also helped further that success by having evolved into a network of the best and brightest companies willing to share their knowledge. It is a powerful group and a powerful brand.
"Private companies are the lifeblood of the Canadian economy. Day in and day out, they are focused on continually improving, on helping their people succeed, on serving their customers and on giving back to their communities, but few people appreciate this quiet work they are doing," says John Hughes, leader of the Toronto Growth Enterprises practice for Deloitte and national leader for Canada's Best Managed Companies program.
"When we launched the Best Managed Companies program 20 years ago, our goal was to share their stories and turn the spotlight on their achievements. But the program and the vision have evolved well beyond celebrating their successes. Canada's Best Managed Companies program is a thriving community in which members help each other to grow.
"At our annual symposium, many of the Best Managed company leaders facilitate learning sessions. They are educating their peers because often that's where the best learning comes from. Today, our vision and mission for the program is much bigger. We want to help all private Canadian companies get better and become global and world-class players," Mr. Hughes says.
To that end, a new national sponsor has joined the program: MacKay CEO Forums is a CEO Peer Group that brings CEOs together throughout the year, to talk about challenges and learn from shared experiences to help accelerate performance.
"Best Managed Companies is a natural fit for MacKay CEO Forums," says Nancy MacKay. "We share a common objective and we are excited to help facilitate events that will enable Best Managed Companies to network and learn from each other."
In honour of the program's 20th anniversary and to help share those lessons with all Canadian businesses, Peter Brown, national leader for Growth Enterprises at Deloitte, and Mr. Hughes took part in a cross-country book tour for Power of the Best: Innovative Strategies from Canada's Best Managed Companies.
"Some Best Managed leaders offered insights into their own businesses and, in the process, reflected the sea of change that has taken place over these past 20 years," Mr. Brown says. "Technology and globalization have forever changed the way businesses operate. What hasn't changed is the adaptability and sustainability of Best Managed Companies."
In fact, in 2012 total revenue for Best Managed Companies grew by 14% to about $5.4-billion — and profits grew by 24%. These numbers were achieved in a low-growth economy marked by global uncertainty.
"It's amazing," Mr. Brown says. "A reasonable profit margin for private companies ranges between 5% and 10%. To achieve these results shows just how strong Best Managed companies are. They have to do a lot of things right — execute strategy, leverage core competencies, manage capital and technology and build talent — that's what we're celebrating."
Best Managed Companies are optimistic about the future, focused on growth and investing in systems and people to further drive revenue and income. And that's good news for the entire country.
"These companies are taking their earnings and reinvesting them into new products, new technologies, upgrading the talent of their teams, and expanding to international markets," says Dino Medves, senior vice-president, CIBC Commercial Banking. "It gives them financial leverage to do bigger and better things."
For many, that means expanding into markets beyond North America. Often, Canadian private companies view entering international markets as too risky. This is not true of Best Managed Companies, which recognize that significant growth is also possible in growing markets such as South America, so they are going to where the opportunities are.
As a result, many are looking at buying opportunities and expect M&A activity to increase over the next two to five years. Best Managed companies also continue to look for strategic alliances and joint venture partnerships to mitigate the risk of entering new markets. The timing could not be better. Complementing their strong balance sheets is significant increased interest in funding M&A activity from private equity firms, not just in Canada but also in the United States and the United Kingdom.
"There is a lot of money available to help great companies grow and we are seeing more and more Best Managed Companies using private equity and tapping those firms for intelligence around how to build a platform of products and services and reach beyond our borders," Mr. Hughes says.
One key theme that has been consistent since the inception of Canada's Best Managed Companies program is the focus private company leaders place on their people.
"The success of these companies is never about the strategy — it's about the people who are executing it," Mr. Hughes says. "When we meet with CEOs, the top two agenda items are always growth and talent. In Canada in particular, there is a leadership gap. We simply haven't developed enough leaders and that is at least in part reflected by the relatively small size of our companies. Very few reach the $100-million mark in sales. The reality is we need to start developing leaders who can take companies beyond revenues of $100-million, and that means going global. The message we at Deloitte have been sharing is to give employees the opportunity to work outside Canada. Bring talent in from other countries. Hire people who have grown businesses outside Canada. This is how we can help our private companies get better and grow. The Best Managed Companies we see that bring in people that have built businesses in global markets are able to take their businesses to the next level."
Innovation is another key driver of success for Canada's Best Managed Companies. Innovation can mean many things, Mr. Brown says.
"It can mean internal efficiencies in managing supply chains and processes. It can mean new products and processes. We see a lot of Best Managed Companies bundling solutions, for example. Canada is not a low-cost provider. You have to be able to put together a suite of products/services that solves a number of problems."
Best Managed Companies are also closely connected to their customers and use their feedback to find the best way to add value to their offering. So, they are investing in customer relationship management systems to help determine how to innovate. "They are using these tools as well as social media to collaborate with their customers," Mr. Brown says.
This commitment to the customer is core to Best Managed Companies' focus on sustainable businesses. Among their key competitive advantages is the ability to think long-term instead of just to the next quarter. For this reason, succession and transition planning is becoming top of mind for Best Managed Companies. What that looks like takes many forms. Some businesses plan to pass management on to the next generation as founders/owners retire. Others plan for an outright sale. Others still are bringing in professional management while ownership remains with the family.
"It all comes down to the objectives of the owners but they are absolutely focused on building sustainable businesses, creating value and protecting that value," Mr. Hughes says.
"The same is true of the Best Managed Companies program. The vision is to create a global network that not only helps Canadian companies but every private company on the planet", Mr. Hughes says. "The success of the Canadian program has already led to its expansion into the Netherlands, Mexico and Ireland. It's a grand vision and an important one."
"As we celebrate our 20th anniversary it has been the privilege and pleasure for the program sponsors, Deloitte, CIBC, Queen's School of Business, National Post and MacKay CEO Forums to share the insights and stories of Best Managed Companies. The program allows all of us to enrich the lives of all Canadians both personally and professionally and we want to thank all of the companies, their founders, CEOs, management teams and employees."


text:
- "Gotta make hay while the sun shines."
- ―Gordon Sargent during "Waste Not Want Knots".
Gordon "Gordo" Sargent is a supporting character in Grand Theft Auto IV.
He is an enforcer for the McReary crime family and is a friend of Kenny Petrovic, one of Liberty City's biggest gangsters. He's also probably connected with the Messina crime family in gambling business through Mark Volpe, an Italian Capo based in Dukes.
Gordon is a member of the McReary crime family who often worked with fellow members Patrick McReary and Michael Keane. He frequents several bookmakers, often using the money he earns from criminal activities to pay them.
Gordon accompanied Patrick, Michael and Niko Bellic to an Ancelotti waste management plant at Colony Island, shooting their way in and successfully stealing the Ancelotti's payment. Sargent and Keane provided covering fire as Patrick and Niko made their escape.
Later on, Gordon assisted with the 'storage' of the kidnapped mob daughter, Gracie Ancelotti, who was snatched by Niko. Gordon stayed holed up with Gracie for a time, until the Ancelotti Family made a deal to trade her for the diamonds stolen from the Libertonian Museum deal by The Lost Brotherhood.
Gordon always complains about the place of the McReary's in the criminal food chain in Liberty City. He takes orders from Packie, but often argues with him and mocks him. It is possible that the only authority for Gordon is Gerald McReary, because Packie always says that Gordon can't be so brave in front of him.
LCPD Database record
Mission Appearances
- In the cutscene for Waste Not Want Knots, Gordon is left-handed, but during gameplay he is right-handed.
- According to Michael Keane, Gordon lost a large bet over the previous night's Liberty City Swingers game in which they were defeated in the ninth after the opposing team's worst hitter hit a three-run walk-off homerun. Gordon called the ending of the game "bullshit" and that it was only bad luck and not a bad bet to make.
- It is possible that Gordon will die in the mission Waste Not Want Knots, but it will result in failing the mission. Niko must follow Packie out of the warehouse and his associates stay behind and shoot the mobsters. It is best to just follow Packie and escape to the destination.
- During the Mafiya Work multiplayer mode of GTA IV, it is revealed by Kenny Petrovic that Gordon did a favor for Petrovic.
- He is believed to have a gambling problem. Michael Keane warns Gordon during Waste Not Want Knots against wasting his money at the bookies. Just before Packie and Niko swim for the boat, he starts worrying about the money, stating " I don't know how my bookies gonna be about wet notes". His creditor is probably Mark Volpe from the Messina Family, based in Dukes, who rules sport gambling illegal industry for his gang.
- His favorite snack seems to be Fries, possibly from Burger Shot, as he will keep asking for them during (Ransom).
- After the last leader of the Irish Mob leaves Liberty City, it could be possible that Gordon has taken over the family.