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Martin Guitar Announces Return of the 1 Series Guitar
March 19, 2009 by Charlie
Martin & Co. (March 18, 2009) – In a response to these challenging economic times, C.F. Martin & Co. is proud to announce the return of the highly popular "1 Series" acoustic guitars. Initially introduced in 1993, the "1 Series" is an affordable traditional solid wood guitar in the spirit of the Style 15 and Style 17 models that Martin introduced during The Great Depression. Addressing the concerns of consumers across the U.S. and abroad, Martin is making every concerted effort to provide players with an affordable, solid wood bodied guitar, backed by a heritage of over 175 years in skilled building excellence and a Limited Lifetime Warranty.
Constructed from solid tonewoods including a Sitka spruce top, bookmatched Sapele back and sides, as well as an East Indian Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, the "1 Series" creates the legendary rich and commanding Martin sound that has defined the acoustic guitar for generations. All four models being introduced feature Martin's modified hybrid scalloped top bracing. Two are purely acoustic guitars: a Dreadnought size D-1 and an Orchestra Model OM-1, and two add to the current selection of acoustic-electric models. The Dreadnought DC-1E and the Orchestra Model OMC-1E are each equipped with a state-of-the-art Fishman(R) sound reinforcement system featuring full volume and tone control and an onboard digital chromatic tuner. Whether you are choosing a purely acoustic or stage-ready acoustic-electric guitar, the new Martin "1 Series" models are designed and built to provide the best tone at the lowest price.
"For over 175 years, C.F. Martin & Co. has survived a wide variety of economic, social and political upheavals. From the Civil War, through the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression and two World Wars, we have remained steadfast in our vision of creating not only a reliable and trustworthy instrument, but an instrument that has been carefully crafted of the highest quality by dedicated men and women with exceptional skill," said Chris Martin IV, Chairman and CEO, Martin Guitar. "We have always believed the American consumer has sought not only the best value for their hard earned money, but the best product from a brand they can trust. This is not only something we at Martin do now, but something we've been doing for six-generations."
The Dreadnought, originally developed and manufactured by Martin Guitar in the early-1900s was first produced in 1931 bearing the Martin name, during hard economic times. The first two legendary models were named the D-1 and D-2 that soon became the now legendary D-18 and D-28. During the depression, Martin would continue to innovate and introduce several new style models, including the all mahogany Style 15 and Style 17 models, which provided an extraordinary value during that period. Those guitars became favorites of blues players in the post-depression era. More than any other acoustic guitar brand, Martin instruments have typically held or dramatically increased in value, and continue to be prized by collectors, players and guitar aficionados around the world.
All "1 Series" models purchased from dealers in the U.S and Canada are covered by a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Every "1 Series" guitar comes equipped with Martin SP strings for great long-lasting tone and sustain, as well as a hard-shell case to provide protection and security.
For more information visit martinguitar.com
Source: Harmony-Central


text: Mom Tri's Villa Royale is set atop the headland of Kata Bay between two of the most beautiful sandy beaches on Phuket, Kata Noi and Kata Yai. Twenty-seven Villa Suites offer the highest standard of privacy and comfort. Accommodation categories include Beach Wing Suites, Kata Suites, a Pool Suite, and a two-bedroom Lantom.

subset: commoncrawl


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This is a typical Egyptian dish ,made of rice meatballs soaked in delicious Tomatoe Sauce . Rice meatballs with Egyptian rice is one of my favourite dishes , it's so tasty and easy to make , you can eat it with rice or bread , or combine it with potatoes and eat it as a full meal.
It's made of minced beef meat and ground rice . You can either use the blender or kitchen machine to grind rice into a powdered form , or simply use rice flour . Earlier ,there wasn't any rice flour in the market ,so we had to grind rice at home and it was a bit hard because sometimes you can't have the powdered form that you are looking for , now with the presence of rice flour , doing this recipe became easier.
Ingredients :


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Posted by Henry on December 16, 2004
In Reply to: Marmalade, anyone? posted by Smokey Stover on December 16, 2004
: : : : : : : : Can anyone explain to me the meaning of
: : : : : : : : "Time and straw make the medlars ripe"?
: : : : : : : : Why straw? And what are medlars anyway?
: : : : : : : Medlars are a fruit which has to partially rot (bletting as I believe it is known) before it is edible. This takes time, and I think that traditionally they were packed in boxes of straw to allow the process to take place.
: : : : : : Spot on as always, David. My edition of 'Trees and Shrubs' by F. A. Bush (I kid you not!) has:
: : : : : : Mespilus germanica (Medlar) . . . If the fruit is wanted it should be left on the tree until late October and stored until it appears in the first stages of decay; then it is ready for eating. More often the fruit is used for making jelly.
: : : : : : Since it's a UK publication, I presume 'jelly' equates to the US 'jello.'
: : : : : We have jelly in the U.S., too. "Jell-O" is the brand name of a popular instant gelatin dessert.
: : : : One of the frequent areas of transatlantic confusion. There are two types of jelly in the UK - jelly the dessert (popularly known as jello in the US, I believe) and jelly the set fruit preserve that you either a) have as a relish with meat (cf. cranberry jelly with turkey) or b) occasionally spread on bread and butter. Then there's jam, which is like jelly in sense b) but which is not translucent because it contains loads more fruit pulp.
: : : In the U.S., we don't call a dessert "jelly." That word is reserved for a sweet product whose chief use is as a spread. Jelly contains NO fruit pulp. It's made from fruit juice and sugar, with pectin to thicken it if the juice came from a fruit low in pectin. That's homemade jelly. Lord knows what's in the commercial stuff. The cranberry relish served with turkey is called cranberry sauce here. Jell-O served as a dessert is considered a form of pudding, or close to it. (How else would it be served? Well, you can make salads with it.)
: : : --rb
: : Looking at the titles, I was sure someone would have already quoted "That must be jelly 'cause jam don't shake like that." Said with a lascivious leer, of course. I did a quick Google, but couldn't find a reliable original source. Anybody? It's been quoted forever.
: : Anyway, in the U.S., we're almost totally consistent. Jelly is clear and wimpy and without pulp or interest. Jam is mostly fruit. But we do occasionaly hear "cranberry jelly." Jell-O is a registered trademark and a platoon of lawyers will remind you if you lower-case it.
: I'm surprised no one has picked up the ball on marmalade. A lot of orange marmalade is eaten in the U.S., but I have the feeling that it is more at home in England. SS
Marmalade: A clear, jellylike preserve made from the pulp and rind of fruits, especially citrus fruits. Rose's lime maramalade is an intersting variant.
Etymology: French marmelade, from Portuguese marmelada, from marmelo, quince, alteration of Latin melimlum, a kind of sweet apple, from Greek melimlon : meli, honey; see melit- in Appendix I + mlon, apple.


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Corner Orly Avenue & Bader Drive, Mangere, Auckland
Mangere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku was designed to meet the needs of the culturally diverse and vibrant Mangere community.
The purpose-built complex nurtures and presents the diversity of arts, crafts and cultural activities that underpin the unique character of Mangere's 60,000 people. It will be a source of great pride to Mangere and will create ways of connecting Mangere with other New Zealanders by showcasing Mangere as an important creative and cultural hub.
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With the children back at school and the weather turning autumnal the thoughts of families turn to inside pleasures. Not least of these are the great video-games we can play together as the nights draw in.
Here are my tips for family games just out that you shouldn't miss this season.
Skylanders Swap Force The third iteration of the collectable toy figure game offers a new gimmick — mix and match characters. This refreshes the toy-line as well as the gameplay but will face still competition from Disney Infinity this year.
Beyblade Evolution 3DS The spinning top playground craze makes the jump to Nintendo's 3D handheld in some style. Every battle is simulated in Beyblade Evolution and will match real world outcomes as players customise their spinning tops and use motions controls and augmented reality to play the game.
Lego Marvel Superheroes The next in the Lego games that offer a platforming and puzzle challenge. For co-operative two player fun go for the console version, or play on the move on 3DS or Vita. No Wii version this time round, does this mark a decline in support for Nintendo's ground breaking hardware?
The Wonderful 101 An original title made exclusively for the Wii U that uses the tablet controller to command an army of super heroes. This PEGI 12 game offers the exuberance and thrills of older rated titles but in a more age appropriate package. It offers hours of fun for all the family in its five player multiplayer mode.
Minecraft Xbox, Xbox One Quite possible the most popular game of the moment for families. Here in Xbox form it not only offers value for money but an easy way to get started in the world of exploration and block building. With new updates coming thick and fast, this is a great way to game together as a family.
Knack PS4 A family launch title for Sony's new PlayStation 4 hardware. Gaining visual and gameplay advantages from the extra horsepower Knack creates a loveable platform challenge that all the family will warm to.
Animal Crossing New Leaf 3DS The evolving world of Animal Crossing changes with the passing seasons in the real world because it is tied to the 3DS system clock. On 3DS the game not only gains a 3D look and feel but many more features and ways to play it. Families can share the same island, each with a different character, and work together to keep their neighbours happy and craft a perfect life.
Disney Infinity This offers not only another take on the toy-meets-video-game play that Skylanders popularised but also a chance to make your own games in the Toybox. Go for the next generation versions on 360/PS3/Wii U for all the features, while Wii and 3DS offer scaled down experiences.
Zelda Wind Waker HD A rerelease of a classic Zelda adventure on the Wii U. This cartoon style game has a tonne of depth and playability for families. Solve puzzles together and take turns to work through the different dungeons as you control young Link on his quest to save princess Zelda.
Super Mario 3D World Wii U This takes the 3DS Mario game and paints it large on the Wii U. Not only multiplayer but also a variety of new abilities and outfits await the famous plumber and his friends this season. The challenge is considerable and will keep you and the family entertained for many hours.
Forza 5 Xbox One The classic driving experience updated to not only keep dads and sons happy but the whole family. A whole host of driving aids in this version means that anyone can pick-up and play, whilst experts will still find the usual challenge they expect. On Xbox One it looks and feels (with the new controller) even better than ever.
Mario Kart 8 Wii U The same classic Mario racing game comes back with a twist. Anti-grav karts let you race on the wall and the ceiling. New characters and new vehicles also keep the competition fresh. Along with new visuals and controls on the Wii U this is an ideal way to get the family racing together this autumn.
Angry Birds Star Wars II iPad This may sounds like another derivative update for Angry Birds but actually this introduces new Telepod characters. Like Skylanders this uses the toys to unlock characters and content in the iPad game. Moving into the collectable toy-game market may make financial sense for Angry Birds, but we need to see how convincing this is in terms of gameplay when the game is released later this month.
WonderBook Book of Potions This follow up to Book of Spells is again written by J K Rowling no less and offers more interactive witch and wizard adventure. On PlayStation 3 you use the physical book peripheral to navigate and interact with the game. What starts as a simple story book experience soon has you concocting various potions and spells.
WonderBook Walking With Dinosaurs This uses the Wonderbook physical peripheral to enable players to excavate and piece together their own dinosaurs. Not only can you complete the various puzzles to find all the bones, but then watch them come to life on the page.
Andy Robertson (@GeekDadGamer) is a freelance Family Gaming expert for the BBC and produces Family Gamer TV.


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Nielsen Gaming Report
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 more anticipated than Red Dead Redemption 2 this holiday – survey
The latest survey from Nielsen suggests Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is the most anticipated game this holiday season.
Nielsen Gaming Report headlines
Nielsen says Wii has fewest percentage of active users
Nielsen Games has released new data regarding game usage in the US and the report states that Wii has the fewest number of active users compared to the other consoles. Usage of the console even trailed behind the GameCube. According to the research, despite the recent decline in game sales, more people played games in […]
Nielsen issues correction on Wii being the least used console
Nielsen has issued a correction regarding a report that said Wii is the least-used console. As told to FastCompany, the study was mislabeled, and the correct percentages of user minutes for average sessions are: PS2 – 23.7 Wii -20.7 Xbox 360 -18.2 PS3 – 9.0 Xbox -7.9 GameCube -3.3 However, Nielsen stands by data that […]
[UPDATE] Women make up 46.2% of PC gaming, says Nielsen report
According to a new Nielsen report, the largest demographic in PC gaming is women aged 25 and upwards. The group accounted for 46.2 percent of all players and 54.6 percent of all gameplay minutes in December 2008. The most played games on PC are card games from Microsoft, with Solitaire averaging over 17 million players […]
Nielsen Gaming Report latest


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Chamomile is one of the traditional mild drinks given to small children in little amounts that provide a wonderful and strong shield against illnesses and infections. The name of the leaf directly means 'ground apple'. It has been widely used during the Roman, Egyptian and Greece Era for its health-boosting benefits, as reported in the Live Strong.
Matricaria chamomilla has some special properties: anti-bacterial, antioxidant effects and anti-inflammatory treatment. It was also said to be a great treatment for sore muscles, menstrual cramps, migraine, irregular bowel movement, skin inflammation, rashes and allergies, skin irritation, skin swelling, dandruff, and it is an effective skin moisturizer.
Helpful Benefits of Chamomile Tea
One of the most basic uses of chamomile tea during the Greek, Roman and Egyptian period is its use as salve for wounds and small cuts. It was observed to hasten the healing of wounds especially those inflicted through burns.
The Natural Remedy Ideas mentioned that chamomile has been effective in treating insomnia. Benefits of organic chamomile tea bags recipe to sleep has been described like taking tranquilizer shots because it induces sleep faster and healthier rather than taking sleeping pills or staying the night awake.
Organic chamomile plant tea health benefits and side effects vary from one person to another. Treatment solution also depends on what condition is being targeted. Certain illnesses needed more frequent drinking of the tea in fixed hours. Some people may also have allergy attacks upon drinking chamomile tea.
Chamomile Helps Fight Stress and Anxiety
Aside from keeping a person sleepy and feeling good, it is also a known relaxant. An article from the Natural Society retold the study performed by researchers from the University of Maryland Meical Center (UMMC). The study suggests that people should take about 3 to 4 cups of chamomile tea to help treat stress and anxiety. If you have the similar issues, then you should know where to buy chamomile tea extract for stress and anxiety relief .
Chamomile Tea Recipe
Tea experts advise that the usual chamomile tea flavor taken is about 3 to 4 cups per day to boost sleepiness and kill anxiety. However, chamomile plant tea and its side effects to pregnancy have also been stated by the UMMC because they have found that it increases the chances of miscarriage among pregnant and nursing mothers.


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Featuring music on the patio with David Quintana: Guitarra Flamenca.
Enjoy live music, creating a relaxing ambiance on the patio at Café Modern from 5 to 8 pm. Musicians will be featured beginning April 26 through the end of May, weather permitting. On Friday evenings, seating is available for dinner from 5 to 8:30 pm. For reservations at Cafe Modern.


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Please check back at a later stage.
We LOVE this bag! It might look like its much more expensive cousin, but it is the star of any day. Perfect for carrying your college gear, your mom stuff, you shopping list or anything in between.
For a monogram, please enter your full name and we will arrange the initials according. If you would only like a first or last name on the bag, please just enter the one name you would like EXACTLY as you want it embroidered. For example if you want SMITH in all caps, please enter it in all caps.
High quality coated canvas in bright cheery colors. The bag comes with your name or monogram in your choice of thread colors. These bags are made to order and take 2-3 weeks to ship.
This bag is shown with our casual script monogram in hot pink.
Bag Dimensions 18 x 10 x 4.75


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Jan 28, 2014 | ISBN 9780345807021
Jan 28, 2014 | 763 Minutes
"Although some say the satire practically writes itself in this state, Hiaasen raises it to a higher level. One caveat, though: Unless you have an intravenous drip of blood pressure meds, you might want to read just a few of these columns at a time."
—Tampa Bay Times
"Hiaasen doesn't really need to keep his day job as a columnist for the Miami Herald, but fortunately for the residents of Florida and for his vast readership, he has. . . . The state of Florida does not come off too well in Hiaasen's columns, but one welcome positive of the Sunshine State is obvious—Carl Hiaasen."
—The Free-Lance Star (Fredericksburg, VA)
"Hiaasen makes this parade of idiocy and avarice palatable with a kind of gallows humor. The more appalling the situation, the greater the potential for hilarity. . . . He is not so much stridently liberal as steadfastly sensible, his wit girded by palpable anger."
–The Post and Courier (Charleston)
"Hiaasen employs a seasoned bullshit detector that is among the most acute in American journalism. . . . If Florida is the poster child for a nation's fiscal and political disintegration, Hiaasen is the state's galloping knight (in)errant, slaying the dragons of ineptitude, arrogance and idiocy."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Entertaining. . . . Hilarious and unnerving. . . for Hiaasen's ability to awaken outrage and for his eye for oddity."
Praise for Carl Hiaasen's previous column collections, Paradise Screwed and Kick Ass
"Shows you that Hiaasen's seemingly implausible fictional premises aren't really far-fetched at all. He just knows Florida."
"Reminiscent of the snarky, opinionated newspaper articles of the great Mark Twain, Hiaasen's columns are finely crafted little gems."
"Lively and well-reported . . . Illuminated by all the wit and keen descriptive powers of his fiction."


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BERLIN – A revived coastal bays Citizen's Advisory Committee (CAC) met this week to work out a new vision for the group, which was formed years ago to work on policy decisions for the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP).
The CAC was formed a decade ago to oversee the creation of the MCBP's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), an extensive document listing actions necessary to improving and maintaining the health of the coastal bays.
The original CAC included a diverse membership representing many points of view, from farmers and environmentalists to developers and commercial fishermen.
Advisory committee meetings and events have dwindled, over the last few years, with only two informal meetings held in the last 12 months, according to MCBP Director Dave Wilson.
"I'm trying to get them corralled a little bit," Wilson said before this week's meeting.
The bays program board and staff asked previous CAC members and any interested parties to meet this week to consider the revived citizen committee's vision and purpose.
"Our goals, activities, priorities, we want the citizens to play a key role," said Wilson at the beginning of the meeting on Wednesday night.
A decade after the CCMP was completed, Wilson wondered if that guiding document needed to be reviewed.
"The question is, are we doing it right?" said Wilson. "Do we want to talk about some of these things again?"
Steve Taylor, first director of the MCBP, suggested that staff was better off reviewing the CCMP actions and asking CAC members for specific input, because the new CAC members do not know the management document well enough.
"It's this hybrid approach, not simply looking at the policy perspective," Taylor said.
Education and public information received strong support from the old and new members of the committee as projects for the CAC to tackle, as did advocacy efforts with local elected officials.
More educational opportunities for children would get them outside, said high school teacher Mary Gunther. Children know surprisingly little about the environment around them, she said.
"It's not just the children. Most of the parents don't know," said eighth grade teacher Pat Johnson.
There are few programs for older children and high school aged young people, Gunther said. Family programs are also needed.
"Kids are really good at nagging parents," she said.
Parks and land access also came up. "We have very few places where people can actually have access," said Jean Fry.
The county has mostly little pocket parks, Fry pointed out, and there are not many places where people can find low-impact nature trails.
The CAC could make publicizing where people can go to get out into nature part of its mission, said Gunther.
Wilson suggested that the CAC could be advocates for the coastal bays with elected officials like the County Commissioners and local Mayor and Councils.
"Sometimes those battles are better fought by the citizens," said Wilson.
Taylor added, "The CAC is most effective if people take their area of interest and be a leader in that area…it's out community and we need to take responsibility."
Wilson agreed, saying, "If it wasn't for the citizens, the county wouldn't have acted on tons and tons and tons of things."


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I found a few images online of the the Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura collection so I thought I'd give you a sneak peek. The packaging is adorable and features Karl's Mon Shu girl stamped all over it.
The collection features seventeen pieces including Shu Uemura favorites "UV Under Base Mousse, eyelash curlers (with a red pad instead of black) and the cleansing oil." (StyleJunkee). There are some really fun products too like patterned fabric false eyelashes and mulit-colored false eyelashes. The three nail colors will be sold with nail stickers adorned with Mon Shu.
The line will be available in October but I'm sure we'll be seeing more of this online before the release. What do you think of the collection? Is it worth the wait?
Source: Grazia


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No. 97,858
BEACH HOUSE, INC., and COLONY INSURANCE COMPANY,
1. The standards for grant of summary judgment are considered and applied.
2. An insurer's duty to defend is broader than its duty to indemnify. The duty to defend arises if there is a potential for liability, however remote, under the policy. An insurer must look beyond the effect of the pleadings and consider any facts which it could reasonably discover in determining whether it has a duty to defend.
3. When a liability insurance policy contains an assault and battery exclusion, a negligence claim for injuries arising out of an assault and battery is irrelevant. An assault and battery exclusion is intended to exclude all claims arising out of an assault and battery even if the insured is found liable under a legal theory of negligence.
4. An insurer that breaches a duty to defend will be bound by a consent judgment between the injured party and the insured if the issue decided in the tort case is identical with the issue presented in the garnishment proceeding. However, an insurer that fails to provide a defense under a reservation of rights is not estopped from raising an assault and battery exclusion when that issue was not decided in the tort case.
5. Under the uncontroverted facts of this case, where injuries occurred when the intoxicated injured party standing on icy steps was subject to a battery that caused him to slip and fall, the assault and battery exclusion of the insuring agreement applies and there is no coverage afforded for the resulting loss.
Appeal from Sedgwick District Court; JOSEPH BRIBIESCA, Judge. Opinion filed January 11, 2008. Affirmed.
Mark T. Schoenhofer, of Wichita, and Scott J. Gunderson, of Nelson, Gunderson & Lacey, of Wichita, for appellant.
Scott R. Schillings and Geron J. Bird, of Hinkle Elkouri Law Firm, L.L.C., of Wichita, and E. Wayne Taff, of Sherman Taff Bangert Thomas & Coronado P.C., of Kansas City, Missouri, for appellees.
Before MARQUARDT, P.J., LEBEN, J., and KNUDSON, S.J.
KNUDSON, J.: Plaintiff Jeffery Gilmore (Gilmore) appeals the district court's grant of summary judgment in a garnishment action brought against Colony Insurance Company (Colony). Gilmore had successfully sued Beach House, Inc. (Beach House) for personal injuries sustained on its premises. Colony insured Beach House. Under an assignment and covenant not to execute between Gilmore and Beach House, garnishment proceedings were commenced against Colony. The district court granted summary judgment to Colony. The central issue on appeal is whether Colony was entitled to litigate the coverage issue because it declined to defend Beach House in the tort case.
We affirm. Under the circumstances shown by the record, Colony had no duty to defend its insured in the underlying tort case nor was there coverage in the insuring agreement for Gilmore's injuries caused by a battery.
Underlying Circumstances
The parties agree the liability insurance policy issued by Colony is unambiguous and does not provide coverage for injuries arising as the result of a battery. In addition, the underlying facts are not in material dispute.
In the early morning hours of January 8, 2005, Gilmore left Beach House, a gentlemen's establishment located in Derby, Kansas. Gilmore was intoxicated, and upon leaving the club, he was intentionally shoved from behind by another individual. Gilmore slipped and fell on the club's icy steps, hitting his head on the concrete.
On April 12, 2005, Gilmore's counsel notified Beach House by letter that Gilmore was asserting a claim against the business for his injury. The letter provided: "The front steps of your business were laden with ice, and dangerous . . . . When Mr. Gilmore left the front doors of your business, another patron shoved him. Mr. Gilmore slipped on the steps and fell, struck his head against one of the concrete steps, and sustained a closed head injury."
At the time of Gilmore's January 8, 2005, injury, Beach House was insured by Colony under a general commercial insurance policy, which provided liability coverage for "bodily injury," "property damage," or "personal and advertising injury" arising out of or resulting from the ownership, maintenance, or use of the premises. The policy contained the following "Assault and Battery Exclusion":
"This insurance does not apply to damages or expenses due to 'bodily injury', 'property damage' or 'personal and advertising injury' arising out of or resulting from:
"(1) Assault and Battery committed by any person;
"(2) The failure to suppress or prevent assault and battery by any person;
"(3) The failure to provide an environment safe from assault and battery or failure to warn of the dangers of the environment which could contribute to assault and battery;
"(4) The negligent hiring, supervision, or training of any person;
"(5) The use of any force to protect persons or property whether or not the 'bodily injury' or 'property damage' was intended from the standpoint of the insured or committed by or at the direction of the insured."
Following an investigation, Colony determined that it did not owe Beach House defense or indemnity obligations based on the assault and battery exclusion, and so informed Beach House.
On October 26, 2005, Gilmore sent Colony a settlement brochure and demand, along with the police report and Gilmore's medical records related to the incident at Beach House. Colony thereafter informed Gilmore of its previous denial of coverage and reiterated its denial based on the assault and battery exclusion.
On December 7, 2005, Gilmore filed a negligence action against Beach House, alleging in part that Beach House had failed to remove the snow and ice from its steps and knew or should have known that the presence of ice on the steps would likely result in a slip and fall accident. Gilmore also alleged that Beach House failed to watch and monitor the behavior of the individual who shoved him. It is apparent these allegations were leveled to counter any representation by Colony that it owed no duty to defend Beach House or provide liability coverage.
After being served with Gilmore's petition, Beach House made demand upon Colony to defend the club in the pending litigation and to indemnify the club for any judgment entered against it in the litigation. Beach House also filed an answer denying Gilmore's claims. After reviewing the demand for coverage and conducting further investigation into Gilmore's allegations, Colony again denied Beach House's demand for defense and indemnification, citing in part the policy's assault and battery exclusion.
Thereafter, Beach House entered into an assignment and covenant not to execute with Gilmore, wherein Beach House assigned to Gilmore all of its rights under Colony's insurance policy, including all of its rights against Colony for denial of coverage and failure to defend the underlying action. Gilmore and Beach House then entered into stipulations and agreed to entry of a consent judgment. The stipulations included the following language:
"If this case were tried to a jury, it would find defendant 100% at fault for causing plaintiff's slip and fall injuries as a result of maintenance of a dangerous condition on its business premises, to wit: icy steps at the exit of its premises. The parties acknowledge that, under Kansas law, the intentional acts of the other alleged wrongdoer involved in this matter may not be compared with those of defendant."
Judgment was entered against Beach House in the amount of $250,000 plus costs, and garnishment proceedings were subsequently commenced against Colony for the full amount of the judgment.
The parties filed competing motions for summary judgment. Gilmore argued that Colony was liable because his slip and fall on Beach House's icy steps was an "occurrence" that fell within the general terms of the insurance policy and that no exclusions applied. Gilmore further alleged that Colony was bound by the underlying consent judgment finding Beach House liable for negligence. Conversely, Colony argued that it was not bound by the underlying judgment and that Gilmore was not entitled to coverage based on the assault and battery exclusion.
Following a hearing on the matter, the district court granted Colony's motion for summary judgment and denied Gilmore's motion. In so holding, the court relied on the following language in First Financial Ins. Co. v. Bugg, 265 Kan. 690, 699, 962 P.2d 515 (1998): "[A]n assault and battery exclusion in an insurance policy excludes coverage of any damages arising out of an assault and battery as a matter of law, even if the legal theory under which the insured is found liable is negligence . . . ." The district court stated:
"In the present case, Mr. Gilmore is attempting to recover from the insurance company as a result of the consent judgment, whereby Michelle's Beach House agreed to liability under a negligence theory. The Court finds that the initial battery to Mr. Gilmore is what set in motion the events which culminated in his injuries. Put another way, Mr. Gilmore would never have brought the negligence action absent the battery.
"Therefore, the Court finds as a matter of law that Mr. Gilmore's injuries arose out of the battery, and as a result, coverage is excluded in light of the assault and battery exclusionary clause in the insurance policy."
Discussion of Legal Issues Presented
Gilmore argues the district court erred in entering summary judgment in favor of Colony. Specifically, Gilmore contends that because Colony refused to defend Beach House in the underlying action, it was bound by the consent judgment and collaterally estopped from alleging that coverage was excluded based on the assault and battery exclusion. Gilmore alleges that the district court "look[ed] behind the judgment" in denying coverage based on the assault and battery exclusion.
The summary judgment standard of review is well known:
"'"'Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The trial court is required to resolve all facts and inferences which may reasonably be drawn from the evidence in favor of the party against whom the ruling is sought. When opposing a motion for summary judgment, an adverse party must come forward with evidence to establish a dispute as to a material fact. In order to preclude summary judgment, the facts subject to the dispute must be material to the conclusive issues in the case. On appeal, we apply the same rules and where we find reasonable minds could differ as to the conclusions drawn from the evidence, summary judgment must be denied.'" [Citation omitted.]' [Citations omitted.]" Korytkowski v. City of Ottawa, 283 Kan. 122, 128, 152 P.3d 53 (2007).
Additionally, whether the doctrine of collateral estoppel applies in a certain situation is a question of law. An appellate court's analysis of that question is unlimited de novo review. State v. 1990 Lincoln Town Car, 36 Kan. App. 2d 817, 820, 145 P.3d 921 (2006).
In Kansas, an insurer's duty to defend is broader than its duty to indemnify. Quality Painting, Inc. v. Truck Ins. Exchange, 26 Kan. App. 2d 473, 479, 988 P.2d 749 (1999). The duty to defend arises if there is a "potential for liability," however remote, under the policy. Spivey v. Safeco Ins. Co., 254 Kan. 237, 245, 865 P.2d 182 (1993) (citing MGM, Inc. v. Liberty Mut. Ins. Co., 253 Kan. 198, 202, 855 P.2d 77 [1993]). "Under the present code of civil procedure, an insurer must look beyond the effect of the pleadings and must consider any facts . . . which it could reasonably discover in determining whether it has a duty to defend." 254 Kan. at 245.
The duty to defend rests primarily on the possibility that coverage exists, and the possibility of coverage must be determined by a good faith analysis of all information the insurer may know or could reasonably have ascertained. Aselco, Inc. v. Hartford Ins. Group, 28 Kan. App. 2d 839, 847-48, 21 P.3d 1011, rev. denied 272 Kan. 1417 (2001). Thus, the insurer determines if there is a potential of liability under the policy by examining the allegations in the complaint and considering any facts brought to its attention or which it could reasonably discover. "Where a petition alleges an act that is clearly not covered, for example, that the defendant acted willfully and intentionally, there would be no potential of liability under the policy for intentional acts." Spivey, 254 Kan. at 245-46; see Casualty Reciprocal Exchange v. Thomas, 7 Kan. App. 2d 718, 720, 647 P.2d 1361, rev. denied 231 Kan. 799 (1982) (holding that if there is no coverage under the policy, there is no duty to defend).
Gilmore argues that Colony had a duty to defend based on language in the petition that Beach House negligently maintained the icy steps. Gilmore states that his petition alleged negligence and assault and battery as alternative theories.
However, a review of the petition indicates that Gilmore did not allege icy steps as an alternative cause of his fall. Rather, Gilmore alleged that while he was standing on icy steps in an intoxicated state, he was intentionally shoved from behind and then fell on the steps. Further, Colony immediately undertook an investigation into the matter upon receiving notice of Gilmore's action against Beach House. The insurance company reviewed Gilmore's claims, police reports, interviewed an independent witness, and determined that the assault and battery was the cause of Gilmore's injuries, thereby excluding coverage. Indeed, the police and medical reports all referred to the incident as an "assault." (It is apparent the push from behind is technically a battery.) Colony also claimed that the individual who shoved Gilmore had been arrested for aggravated battery.
As noted by the district court, "[w]hen a liability insurance policy contains an assault and battery exclusion, a negligence claim for injuries arising out of an assault and battery is irrelevant. An assault and battery exclusion clause is intended to exclude all claims arising out of an assault and battery." Bugg, 265 Kan. 690, Syl. ¶ 5; see also State Farm Ins. Co. v. Gerrity, 25 Kan. App. 2d 643, 646, 968 P.2d 270 (1998), rev. denied 267 Kan. 887 (1999) ("[I]n ignoring the negligence claims made by the plaintiff in [Bugg], our Supreme Court reasoned that theories of liability are irrelevant when injuries occur from intentional acts. Therefore, an appellate court should not look to the specific theories of liability alleged but to the underlying cause of the injuries.").
Based upon Gilmore's petition and Colony's investigation, Colony had no duty to defend Beach House in the underlying action based upon the assault and battery exclusion. Moreover, even if for the sake of argument, Colony did have a duty to defend, Gilmore would still not be entitled to prevail in this garnishment proceeding because Colony was not collaterally estopped from litigating the coverage issue.
Gilmore relies on Patrons Mut. Ins. Ass'n v. Harmon, 240 Kan. 707, 732 P.2d 741 (1987). In Patrons, our Supreme Court found that because the insurer had failed to provide its insured with a defense or reserve its rights under the policy, it was collaterally estopped from relitigating the issue of the insured's intent in a subsequent action. 240 Kan. at 710.
Gilmore points to subsequent decisions which have affirmed Patrons for the proposition that "judgments entered on consensual stipulations are enforceable, have collateral estoppel effect and may not be collaterally attacked by an insurance carrier in garnishment proceedings."
However, the Patrons holding was based on an examination of three questions: "Was the issue decided in the prior adjudication identical with the one presented in the action in question? Was there a final judgment on the merits? Was the party against whom the claim is asserted a party or in privity with a party to the prior adjudication?" 240 Kan. at 711.
Here, the issue regarding the assault and battery exclusion was clearly not decided in the prior adjudication. Although Colony was in privity with Beach House as its insurer, the prior adjudication and final judgment only involved Beach House's liability for the icy steps. Indeed, the stipulation provided that "the intentional acts of the other alleged wrongdoer involved in this matter may not be compared with those of the defendant." The issue of the third party's assault and battery was not actually litigated in the underlying case, nor was the issue of coverage before the court. These circumstances distinguish the present appeal from the underlying circumstances in Patron. We hold Colony was not prevented from raising the assault and battery exclusion in this garnishment proceeding.
Additionally, we have previously held that a breach of the duty to defend does not deprive the insurer of coverage defenses:
"[T]he court's actions in Patrons speak louder than its words. Despite the insurer's earlier refusal to provide a defense, the court considered the insurer's policy arguments and held that coverage was excluded.
"[W]e believe the cases decided to this point mean our Kansas Supreme Court would not adopt a bright line rule that insurers who fail to provide a defense and reserve their rights are inevitably equitably estopped from raising their coverage defenses. We are persuaded that an insured in [plaintiff]'s position should not automatically reap coverage without limits. Hartford is therefore free to argue in the district court that, despite the breach of its duty to defend and its failure to reserve rights, Aselco did not contract for coverage for this loss." Aselco, 28 Kan. App. 2d at 851.
We conclude, Colony was not bound by the underlying consent judgment and the district court properly applied the assault and battery exclusion. Gilmore's injury was therefore not covered under the policy. The district court did not err in granting summary judgment to Colony.


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Planning Your Contextual Advertising Campaigns – The Rookie FAQ
Contextual advertising implies displaying ads relevant to the content of the web page or relevant to search engine quality. This kind of advertising is fairly one of the most effective methods of promotion products and services. Perhaps, the main reason behind its success lies in the fact that contextual advertising is more than understandable simple user than any other ways to promote the product. The text consists of keywords is simple, concise and takes up little space. This method is appreciated by marketers due to expenses predictability.
What is the basis the effectiveness of contextual advertising?
Apart from the formal requirements of search engines that certain pose several restrictions on the use of the words, there are no specific rules on the use of contextual advertising. However, the recommendations derived from experience, do exist. So what should be considered in the preparation of content and how it should look like?
The message should look like a call to action. Moreover, it should be made wisely and with a claim to originality. Try something offbeat to catch the user's attention. But keep in mind the words limit, so not only your proposition should be catchy, but also comprehensive enough. Pay close attention to the following aspects:
- Indicate the cost of goods (services). No less important point, because this will reduce the number of non-target users.
- Produce landing pages for special campaigns. It may be reasonable to design a landing page to catch the attention of buyers and answer all the questions here and now.
- Seasonality and geography. If you are promoting warm clothes, it is logical to do it in the fall and target the coldest regions.
- Analyse your stats. It is necessary to closely monitor the results of its campaign to improve its effectiveness. Use Google Analytics & AdWords, track conversion, perform changes.
Things to avoid
The offers by large advertising organizations should be treated as means of the first choice; however, it does not mean that there are no other web resources that can advertise your products and services. Although, of course, there are some pitfalls to keep in mind.
Consider the tempting offers to organise your advertising campaigns without any commissions with caution. This means that such an agency would be interested only in constant supply of money invested in advertising (most likely in the services they are affiliated with).
Do not use automated services. They are less well-tuned to the target groups of visitors, ie your money will work less efficiently.
Context promotion is always a tough job, and to perform it effectively, you should take into account the many nuances. However, contextual advertising is a totally effective tool that can significantly increase traffic at the same time. To make the most of your marketing efforts, you may want to consider the assistance from solid, result-oriented agencies like HTP Digital, specialising in b2b digital marketing and online promotion. You can simply outsource the mission to these guys and switch to the spheres you are more efficient at.


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Anna Kendrick is a very gifted actress and singer, but more recently she's become known for her talents in another area: Twitter. In a new interview with Fast Company, Kendrick explains why she's fallen in love with the social media network as a way to get out her jokes. "Sometimes when I try to make jokes or have a sense of humor in interviews, it doesn't go over very well," she said. "But Twitter made my life easier in this way that I didn't expect. It would have taken probably 10 times as long for people to accept my voice and my sense of humor if I didn't have Twitter."
Before she became comfortable writing tweets about masturbating at Ryan Gosling movies, she used to text her friends and ask them if they thought her jokes were too risqué. "One time I dropped off some laundry and the dude was kind of flirting with me, and I was going to tweet something like, 'You can either flirt with me or wash my underwear, but you can't do both,'" Kendrick told the magazine. "And my friend was like, 'You can't tweet that, that's way too scandalous!'" She no longer needs her friends' input, but she does admit to having about a dozen potential draft tweets in her phone at any given time, most of which she describes as "jokes that made sense at 2 a.m."
Kendrick also related a cute anecdote about meeting fans of her 2013 hit "Cups" who approach her on the street. "They tell me they can do it, and then desperately look around. Because there's never a cup around," she said. "I'm like, 'I believe you, girl!'" Of course she believes them! Because she is ***flawless.
Anna Kendrick Totally Auditioned for The Little Mermaid This Weekend
Why Dolly Parton Is a Goddess Among Twentysomethings
The 21 Biggest Celebrity Hair Transformations
Follow Eliza on Twitter.
Photo credit: Getty Images


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Baltimore Ravens Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron was a young coach at the University of Michigan when his then head coach Bo Schembechler noticed a spot on his back.
The spot turned out to be a malignant mole and Cameron was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma. Melanoma is the most lethal form of skin cancer.
Cameron was treated and survived and is now speaking out about skin cancer.
He will be featured in a 30-second public service announcement for the Joanna M. Nicolay Melanoma Foundation, a national nonprofit headquartered in Maryland that promoted melanoma research and prevention.
Cameron will be promoting the importance of skin cancer for Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection & Pevention Month, which is in May.
Find a link to the public service announcement here.


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|Country Of origin:
|United States of America
Growing up in what he called "a Midwestern middle-class Jewish family," Steve Goodman began playing the guitar as a teenager. He was influenced by the folk revival of the early '60s and by country performers such as Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams. After attending college in the mid-'60s, he turned to playing in Chicago clubs by night and writing commercial jingles by day. In 1971, he opened for Kris Kristofferson and was seen by Paul Anka, who financed demo recordings that led to a contract with Buddah Records and the release of Steve Goodman, which featured his train song "The City of New Orleans," a Top 40 hit for Arlo Guthrie in 1972 and now a folk standard. Goodman made a second album for Buddah, Somebody Else's Troubles (1973), then broke with the label, which went on to issue an outtakes record, The Essential Steve Goodman (1975). Goodman moved to the singer/songwriter-oriented West Coast label Asylum for his first charting album Jessie's Jig & Other Favorites in 1975, the same year that outlaw country singer David Allen Coe made the Top Ten of the country charts with a cover of his "You Never Even Called Me by My Name" from the Steve Goodman album. Goodman's subsequent Asylum albums were Words We Can Dance To (April 1976) (featuring "Banana Republics," popularized by Jimmy Buffett), Say It in Private (October 1977), High and Outside (February 1979), and Hot Spot (1980). None became a major commercial success, but Goodman established himself on the national club and festival circuits, frequently appearing with mandolin player Jethro Burns, formerly of the country duo Homer & Jethro. Goodman turned record producer for his friend and fellow Chicagoan John Prine on Prine's 1978 album Bruised Orange. In 1983, Goodman followed Prine in establishing his own independent label, Red Pajamas, which released the live Artistic Hair and Affordable Art (1984). Goodman died of leukemia after battling the disease for many years. Red Pajamas released Santa Ana Winds (1984) posthumously, as well as a double-disc LP drawn from a concert in his memory, A Tribute to Steve Goodman, which featured John Prine, Bonnie Raitt, and others. After a second posthumous release, Unfinished Business, Red Pajamas licensed the Asylum material and put out two Best of the Asylum Years compilations. ~ William Ruhlmann~ Rovi


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The drama from Thursday night's shocking men's figure skating competition has its grand finale at the Iceberg Skating Palace Friday night.
Meanwhile, women's aerial skiing gets underway, while the skeleton competition wraps up.
If you missed Bode Miller and Ted Ligety's disappointing finishes in the two-part super combined Alpine race Friday morning (in springlike conditions), recaps are coming up.
Here are the viewing details on the day's events:
12 a.m. ET: The U.S. men's curling team, with just one win so far, ends the week with two more chances for redemption. Their first match of the day is against Germany, followed by a second against Russia at 10 p.m. ET. The U.S. women (struggling with a record of 0 and 4) face off against Denmark at 5 a.m. Catch all the games live here.
1 a.m. ET: NBC has replays of all Thursday's drama, from the jaw-dropping men's figure skating competition, to the U.S. slopestyle skiing sweep. Tune in half hour earlier for replays of women's cross-country and short track skating competitions.
For live action, click here to see Alpine skiers Bode Miller and Ted Ligety compete in the first leg of the men's super combined -- downhill skiing. Miller will attempt to defend his Olympic title and redeem himself after failing to crack the top three in Sunday's downhill event. Ligety, the reigning world champion, won the event in 2006.
3 a.m. ET: The U.S. men's hockey team gets a break after its big opening day win against Slovakia (7-1) but four other games are on the agenda, beginning with the Czech Republic's match-up against Latvia (here). Next up will be Sweden and Swtizerland at 7:30 a.m. ET, followed by Austria-Canada and Norway-Finland at noon ET.
5 a.m. ET: Cross-country skiers compete in the men's 15k classic under the warmest conditions the Sochi Games has yet to see. Watch the men's race here.
6:30 a.m. ET: Watch the conclusion of the two-part men's super combined competition -- slalom -- here.
8:45 a.m. ET: While slopestyle skiing may be over, there's still flipping action to be seen. Cheer on Americans Emily Cook and Ashley Caldwell as they face a tough roster of gravity-defying skiers in the first aerials qualifier Friday. Those who make it past this first round will have three more before the 12:30 p.m. finals get underway. (Watch all of them here.)
9 a.m. ET: Watch the women's 15km biathlon here.
10 a.m. ET: If you watch nothing else Friday, watch the second act of the men's figure skating competition, which had a Shakespearean opening night. Thursday, Russian legend Yevgeny Plushenko withdrew from competition (and essentially announced his retirement just before he was set to skate) and American Jeremy Abbott took a massive spill in what was supposed to be a redemptive routine.
With Plushenko gone, there's additional room on the podium and Friday, skaters, led by Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu and Canada's Patrick Chen, will fight for it in the free skate portion of the competition. Watch it here.
10:40 a.m. ET: Americans Noelle Pikus-Pace and Katie Uhlaender, who posted competitive scores in Thursday's opening skeleton heats, take their final two runs on Friday. Pikus-Pace is currently in second behind Britian's Lizzy Yarnold. Uhlaender is in fourth behind Elena Nikitina from Russia, but could manage to sneak into medal contention if she can shave a few seconds off her final runs. Watch the daredevil competition here.
12:30 p.m. ET: The medal round of the aerial skiing event kicks off here. For a different sort of aerial skiing sport, tune in here for the men's large hill ski jump qualifier.
3 p.m. ET: NBC recaps the biathlon and women's aerials competition.
8 pm. ET/PT: NBC replays men's Alpine skiing, skeleton and the conclusion of the men's drama-filled figure skating competition.


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The Aristocratic Washington: High Society's Darling (1876-1930s)
While the 1876 Centennial allowed people from all walks of life to get close to the relics of their country's birth, some individuals from the "more cultivated" classes grew anxious. George Washington, they argued, was a man too refined for the raw democracy the United States was beginning to represent. Several of these classes yearned for what they remembered as the glorious days of Virginia aristocracy and Washingtonian refinement, when "a 'Republican Court' still flourished--and everybody else still knew their places" (Marling, 87).
Images of Martha Washington, even before those of her husband, may have played the earliest role in heightening America's upper- class preoccupation with finding an "aristocratic" lineage. As early as 1865, a painting by Daniel F. Huntington, The Republican Court in the Time of Washington, or Lady Washington's Reception Day, elicited enthusiasm from those yearning for evidence of highly cultivated ancestry. The painting depicts the Friday evening social engagements held by Martha Washington throughout her husband's presidency and included several recognizable faces.
In the decades following, Martha Washington "teas" and "receptions" were advertised as ways to celebrate the upcoming centennials, and shared simultaneous success with the celebratory Boston Tea Parties of 1873 (Marling, 47, 44). The costumes and etiquette of such "haute couture" social engagements harked back to the colonial era and some went so far as to enlist guests as pretend Martha and George Washingtons to preside over the affairs.
By the time of the centennial of Washington's inauguration in 1889, members of the upper classes were well prepared to present the Washington they cherished. Groups claiming ancestry to Washington and other Revolutionary War heroes (in particular, the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution) sprang up at this time, gathering for balls and banquets up and down the East Coast. As early as 1887, organizers of the Centennial Inauguration secured the Metropolitan Opera House in New York for the imitation Inaugural Ball, and in doing so, also secured a privileged view of the festivities for New York's elite. If others wished to witness some of the events, the parade could be seen from the streets, or, for a small fee, one could gain a spot in the galleries of the Opera House to watch the more fortunate feast below. In fact, more than 4,000 citizens did so, gasping at the luxurious gowns, expensive table-settings and gourmet food they were supposed to associate with Washington's era (Marling, 120).
The ball itself was an event for the picture books. To accurately replicate the actual 1789 event, a group of ladies from families of famous ancestry and wealth were selected to dance a quadrille in the center of the floor. As historian Karal Ann Marling reports in George Washington Slept Here, the dance itself was relatively disappointing, but the costumes held everyone's gaze. Diamonds, pearls, lace and embroidery covered the gowns, almost all tailored in floor-sweeping, colonial style. One woman, said to be George Washington's great-grandneice, wore a buckle containing a lock of her dear great-grand uncle's hair (Marling, 114).
These inaugural celebrations may seem an extreme example of the way elite society appropriated Washington, but they set the stage for society's highest strata to crown the Father of Our Country the father of their own good taste. As Marling writes, "For good or ill, during the 1890s Washington the lover, the dancer and the courtly aristocrat displaced the rather abstract figure who once stood for national unity, moral rectitude, self denial and a stoic devotion to duty." (Marling, 143). During a time characterized by a suspicion of populism, resentment of immigration, and nostalgia for days of classed society, the more aristocratic elements of Washington's life superceded all others. By evoking the Washington of Virginia plantations and embroidered finery, America's high society could finally legitimize aristocracy in a country of increasingly blurred class lines.


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Welcome to the Arkansas Development Finance Authority Consumer website. This site is designed for the residents of Arkansas to learn more about the resources and programs available through ADFA. If you are a partner of ADFA, please click on either the Housing Partner link or Development Finance Program Partner link below to go to a Partner Site Portal, where you will find the tools and resources you rely on such as forms, handbooks, reporting and training materials.
Copyright © 2017 ADFA. All Rights Reserved.


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Scouting program takes life again in Iraq
By Staff Sgt. Michel Sauret
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq – On Saturday afternoons, a fenced-in patch of land outside Camp Victory becomes a ground for children to play and participate in their community.
Young girl scouts sit around a table to decorate arts and crafts. Some of their eyes barely make it over the tabletop as service members show them how to paint with a brush. The boy scouts hurl dodge balls at one another, while others learn how to build a fire using just twigs.
It looks like all fun and games, but there is much at stake for these young Iraqis.
"You can look around and, if nothing else, you are doing something good here because you are creating a positive impact for Iraqi families and the children," said Lt. Cmdr. Eric Fretz, who is helping bring the scouting program back to life after almost two decades of neglect in Iraq.
"We can work together and create this great program for these kids, and then they get all kinds of good life skills out of it," added Fretz, who is a Troop 8 Assistant Scoutmaster from Ann Arbor, Mich.
The scouting movement was revitalized in 2004 by the Green Zone Council, which was formed by a group of Coalition forces in Baghdad who saw value in having Iraqi children involved with their communities. Fretz learned about the council in March and wanted to help out, but logistically it was impossible for him to participate on a regular basis because Baghdad is a 30-minute convoy ride from Camp Victory, which is where Fretz is stationed.
Though disheartened, Fretz didn't want to give up.
"It's kind of a big deal for me. I was a scout from the lowest level of cub scouts since I was a youth, all the way to Eagle Scout. And when you get your Eagle Scout, you basically get what is called the Eagle Charge, which is to give back to scouting for the rest of your life," he said.
Committed, Fretz and other passionate service members decided to start their own Victory Base Council, which brings Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen together with schoolchildren from areas in southern Baghdad. The group began with just a few dedicated volunteers, plus a few other service members who helped out whenever possible.
"I was like the lens that focused everybody else's energies, so you know, yeah, the lens is important, but without those thousands beams of light of those other people's energy to focus, I've got nothing," said Fretz, a signal officer with Multi-National Corps – Iraq.
Now, the council has grown to nearly 200 members with more than 120 volunteers on Victory Base Complex. More than 60 of those members are active on a monthly basis.
"After I went out to scout the first time, I was hooked. I am not sure who gets more out of the scouting activities, me or the kids," agreed 1st Lt. Stephanie Flowers, Champagne, Ill., a member of the 11th Signal Brigade, which provides strategic communications services units throughout Multi-National Division - Center.
As much fun as the adults are having with the program, they all understand who the true focus is.
"That's where we're going to rebuild Iraq, is with the children. It's with the children where you're going to start," said Sgt. 1st Class Nevin Gordner, a scout master from Hughesville, Pa., and member of the 398th Command Sustainment Support Battalion.
The service members volunteer their time every Saturday to teach up to 80 children valuable scouting lessons and new sport activities. Often the kids will outnumber the adults, but the volunteer service members look forward to that.
"I love working with children, and I have many wonderful memories from the 12 years I was a Girl Scout when I was growing up. I'd like to see these children grow up with wonderful memories and learn new skills," said Staff Sgt. Lani Yearicks, of Gwinn, Mich., a member of the 10th Mountain Division Band.
As part of the program the volunteers organize at least one scout craft, a team-building exercise and rotate between sports, including soccer, football, ultimate Frisbee and even archery.
"They don't really have the same setup as we do in terms of handbooks and whatnot," Fretz said. "We bring in the American knowledge of scouting and how we do things, and we blend that with the Iraqi ideas … So we create sort of a hybrid program."
Iraq had a scouting program up until the 1980s, but the World Organization Scouting Movement decertified the program after they realized Saddam Hussein was using it to train children as paramilitary youths.
"Perhaps the term, 'Hitler Youth' is too strong, but it was something like that," Fretz said.
For roughly 20 years following decertification, the scouting movement simply didn't exist in Iraq. Now, it's back to the beginning stages of a project; a project that is steadily moving forward. The council members are also working with scouting adults so they may continue the project once Coalition forces withdraw from the country.
"I think my biggest mission for the next eight months is probably to get the Iraqi adults more involved so that they're actually teaching and running the program," said Maj. Cheryl Hanke, a scout pack leader from St. Louis, who will replace Fretz when he redeploys soon.
It took several months of multiple meetings and socializing and trust building with Iraqi leaders and schoolteachers before the council began working. Leaders then needed to find a site, which happened to be a junkyard once filled with tires and scrap metal.
When an Iraqi counterpart told Fretz this place would become their scout camp one day, Fretz originally scoffed. Now, he says he's astounded by everyone's collaboration to make scouting a possibility.
"If you told me that I had to sacrifice five years off my life in order to preserve what we've done here, I would do it in a heartbeat. It's that important to me," Fretz said.
To support this scouting program in southern Baghdad, please visit: http://www.victorybasecouncil.org
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Right in the heart of historic Bastakia in Bur Dubai, and once the domain of the upper echelons of merchant society, the Orient Guest House is a delight. In particular, the Orient Guest House offers a window into the past with its sparsely decorated rooms set in a traditional Dubaian house restored to its former glory. Five rooms and a majlis lounge open onto shady courtyards dotted with fountains, tables and chairs.
In addition guests at the Orient Guest House have access to the nearby Arabian Courtyard Hotel & Spa, which offers a wide variety of dining and entertainment venues as well as Zaitoon Wellness Spa.
Price rating: $$
Back to Dubai Hotels


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https://mystream.com/ Visit Website
Since 2005, Stream has been driven by a single, bold idea: selling energy by word of mouth. Today, we have grown into one of the largest direct selling companies in the global energy market, proudly serving Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Washington D.C. and Illinois.
As a result, thousands of Independent Associates in our sales channel have had the opportunity to work towards a better life for themselves and their families, on their own terms.
Along the way, we've expanded our reach far beyond Energy, with the nationwide launch of Wireless, Protective and Home Services, all powered by Stream. Through these services, customers are able to live life more connected, and a unique opportunity continues to power the success of our Associate community.


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A decision on Robert Griffin III's playing status against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15 is out of the hands of the Washington Redskins quarterback and his coaches.
NFL.com's Albert Breer cited a team source Saturday in reporting that Griffin's status will come down to the Redskins doctor's assessment.
According to Breer, Washington is willing to start Griffin at less than 100 percent in Cleveland, and it's a near certainty he would be less than 100 percent healthy if he played. What the coaches aren't going to do, per the source, is play him if there's risk of further injury to his lateral collateral ligament.
Griffin is questionable to play Sunday against the Browns as he recovers from a sprained LCL in his right knee. He practiced this week, but was limited to individual drills. Rookie backup Kirk Cousins took all first-team reps.
Redskins coaches are confident they can retrofit the offense to fit Cousins' skill-set, according to Breer, reverting to the type of offense that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan ran with the Houston Texans and in his first two years in Washington.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.


text: In the season three premiere, Beverly Hills is rocked by an earthquake. Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord) has spent the summer dealing with the aftermath of her rape by Mr. Cannon (guest star Hal Ozban, "Californication"), Annie (Shenae Grimes) and Dixon (Tristan Wilds) are dealing with the absence of their father while Debbie (Lori Loughlin) tries to hold the family together. Teddy (Trevor Donovan) and Silver (Jessica Stroup) find themselves happier than ever until he suffers an injury that could end his tennis career. Navid (Michael Steger) welcomes Adrianna (Jessica Lowndes) back from her summer tour with Javier (guest star Diego Boneta), but their arrival brings an unexpected death. Ivy (Gillian Zinser) and Dixon return from their summer vacation in Australia, while Annie and Liam (Matt Lanter) discover their friendship may be best if it ends.


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Vikes Ready For Camp, Waive Nealy
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have waived defensive end Spencer Nealy and signed tight end Mike Higgins.
The move was made Wednesday.
The NFL announced two weeks ago that Nealy will be suspended for the first four games of the season for violating rules against performance-enhancing drugs. He was a member of the practice squad for six weeks last year.
In a statement distributed by the NFL Players Association after the punishment was revealed, Nealy said he took a supplement with a banned stimulant and that he took responsibility for his action.
Higgins, out of NCAA Division II Nebraska Omaha, played for New Orleans in 2011 and 2012.
The Vikings report to training camp Thursday. The first practice is Friday.


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The University of California San Diego political scientist Thad Kousser has a smart idea for the Democratic majority in California's legislature: Stop using the so-called suspense file for bills that might have majority support.
What's the suspense file? It's a place legislative leaders can put on hold bills that have majority support -- but that they don't like and want to strangle out of public view. Kousser explains in a Los Angeles Times op-ed:
"The ostensible purpose of the file is to take all expensive bills that pass out of policy committees in the state Senate and Assembly, and hold them so that they can be judged together after an assessment of the state's fiscal condition. The state can then live within its means. The theory is fine.
"The problem is that in practice, the only bills that get off the suspense file are the ones handpicked by party leaders. The night before the appropriations committees in each house meet to act on the suspense file, party leaders get together to decide which bills get off the file and which die a quiet and hidden death. The bills they kill without a public vote are often the ones that would move policy toward the center, where moderate Democrats and Republicans would ally to form a centrist majority backing the bill. If any members of the committee dare buck the leaders' demands, they can be unceremoniously pulled off the committee."
Kousser argues that if legislative leaders believe in majority rule (as they did in supporting the just-passed Prop 25), they should reform the suspense file so each bill put there gets a hearing and a public vote.


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Recent News
January 25, 2013
Georgia Firm Recalls Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets Due To Misbranding And Undeclared Wheat
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services received information regarding the recall of 8-oz. cartons of APPLEGATE® Naturals Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets labeled as gluten-free because they contain wheat, a known allergen that is not declared on the label.
The establishment number "P-2617" can be found printed on the side of each carton. The products were packaged on Sept. 19, 2012. The lot number "210864" and the best before date "08/28/13" are printed on each carton's side panel. The UPC code "25317-00556" is printed on the back of each carton.
The full recall and photos of labels can be found at www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_003_2013_Release/index.asp.


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Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee
Allocating Emissions Allowances Under a California Cap-and-Trade Program
Recommendations to the California Air Resources Board and California Environmental Protection Agency from the Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee (Final EAAC Report).
Posted March 23, 2010. (PDF file, 87 pages, 1.8 megabytes)
REVISED EAAC Economic Impacts Subcommittee Report on Air Resources Board's Updated AB 32 Scoping Plan Analysis.
Posted: March 25, 2010, updated April 19, 2010. (PDF File, 20 pages, 248 kb)
This report is the Committee's review of ARB's updated economic analysis of the implementation of the AB 32 Scoping Plan.
Original EAAC Economic Impacts Subcommittee Report on Air Resources Board's Updated AB 32 Scoping Plan Analysis.
Posted: March 25, 2010. (PDF File, 11 pages, 104 kb)
On May 22, 2009, Secretary of Environmental Protection Linda Adams and Air Resources Board Chairman Mary Nichols appointed a 16-member Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee (EAAC) to advise on the implementation of the state's landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) and associated cap-and-trade program that will reduce California greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.
The EAAC comprises economic, financial, and policy experts with various backgrounds and experiences. (See list of Sub-Commitee Members - PDF file) It provided advice on allocation of allowances and use of their value. It evaluated the implications of different allowance allocation strategies such as free allocation, auction or a combination of both. The committee members also will help advise the ARB on its revised economic analysis.
In December 2008, the Air Resources Board adopted the AB 32 Scoping Plan, which serves as California's blueprint for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Plan called for essential complementary measures along with the creation of a cap-and-trade program. The proposed cap-and-trade program would cover 85 percent of California's largest emission sources including electricity generation, large industrial sources, transportation fuels, and residential and commercial use of natural gas.
On January 11, 2010, the EAAC presented final allocation recommendations to the state. Chair Goulder and will present both the EAAC's allocation report and economic analysis review to the Air Resources Board March 25,2010. ARB staff will propose an allocation approach, with consideration of the EAAC recommendations and extensive public process, to the board in the fall of 2010 with the cap-and-trade regulation.
Letter from Governor Schwarzenegger to ARB Chairwoman Mary Nichols and Air Resource Board members,
March 24, 2010. (PDF file, 3 pages, 948 kb)
Gov. Schwarzenegger Letter to AB 32 Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee,
May 22, 2009 (News Release)
Meeting Schedule
- January 11, 2010 EAAC Meeting - Notice and Materials
- January 8, 2010 EAAC Meeting - Notice and Materials
- December 15, 2009 EAAC Meeting - Notice and Materials
- December 11, 2009 Stakeholder Meeting - Notice and Materials
- November 18, 2009 Stakeholder Meeting - Notice and Materials
- November 4, 2009 Stakeholder Meeting - Notice and Materials
- October 7, 2009 Stakeholder Meeting - Notice and Materials
- August 13, 2009 - Stakeholder Meeting - Notice and Materials
- July 1, 2009 - Stakeholder Meeting - Notice and Materials
EAAC Drafts and Supporting Documents
- State Agency and Committee Reports and Documents
- EAAC Reports
- Materials Provided by EAAC Members (PDF files)
- External Reports
March 2010 - Example of one of hundreds of "Citizen Letters" sent to the ARB, supporting cap and trade and urging strengthening of the provisions. (PDF file)
Comments on the questions posed at the first EAAC meeting or on any topic relevant to the Committee will be accepted at any time. Please send them to email@example.com
- Comments Submitted (PDF files)
Advisory Committee Members
- EAAC Subcommittee Membership (PDF file)
- EAAC Members' Biographies, updated 12/3/09. (PDF file, 5 pages, 427 kb)
|Larry Goulder
|Stanford University
|Justin Adams
|Chang & Adams Consulting
|Vicki Arroyo
|Georgetown State and Federal Resource Center
|Matthew Barger
|Hellman and Friedman LLC
|James K. Boyce
|University of Massachusetts, Amherst
|Dallas Burtraw
|Resources for the Future
|James Bushnell
|Iowa State University
|Robert Fisher
|Gap, Inc.
|Richard Frank
|California Center for Environmental Law & Policy
|Dan Kammen
|University of California, Berkeley
|Christopher R. Knittel
|University of California, Davis
|Stephen Levy
|Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy
|Joe Nation
|Stanford University
|Nancy E. Ryan
|California Public Utilities Commission
|Nancy Sidhu
|Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
|James L. Sweeney
|Stanford University


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Q&A with Curtis Williamson
Related Links
It was a young squad that hit the water for UC San Diego Men's Water Polo Coach Denny Harper in last weekend's season-opening Triton Invitational. One of the cornerstone's of Harper's 27th Triton team is senior co-captain Curtis Williamson. A speedy, 6-1 driver, Williamson scored 15 goals and dished out 10 assists on a 2006 UCSD team that was considered by many to be the best in school history. His role figures to be significantly expanded in 2007. "Curtis has come a long way," says Harper. "He reminds me a lot of (2006 senior) Jesse Casellini—someone who has been in the program for a long time and each year gets closer and closer to being that 'go to guy.' I think he's poised to have a really good season and has emerged as such a good leader on our team." On the eve of his final collegiate season, Williamson reflected on his career and what lies ahead.
Q—How did you spend your summer?
WILLIAMSON—In additions to taking summer school I taught surf lessons for the Recreation Department at UCSD. I also played summer league water polo, and spent the time I had left surfing and free diving.
Q—What are your feelings about being one of just three seniors on the 2007 roster?
WILLIAMSON—Of the four of us that started together as freshman, three are still playing and have developed a nice bond. I think that having three seniors on a team provides a good combination of upper classman experience and leadership.
Q—There will be a significant number of "new" players in the rotation this season; how has the team been coming together during pre-season training?
WILLIAMSON—The starting lineup is a mostly composed of a group of players that were all in a rotation together last year. That rotation saw a fair amount of playing time last year. This will certainly help our team chemistry. The new players have been great so far. They have been very positive about our training which will help us reach our goals.
Q—Based on what you've seen so far, what do you think the strengths of this year's team will be?
WILLIAMSON—I think this team will have a good counter attack. Also, we do have players on the team that are very strong and are going to be able to physically match up well against larger teams.
Q—Give us a brief re-cap of your first three seasons at UCSD. What do you expect out of yourself in 2007?
WILLIAMSON—I started for part of my freshman season and learned a lot about pressure and executing in game situations. My second year there were a large number of seniors so I spent my time doing whatever I could to help them train. My third year I played on a second line up that would come in to relieve the starters aiming to wear out the opposing team with our speed.
This fall, I'd like to be able to provide consistent leadership and put to use the experience I've gained from the previous three seasons.
Q—Last year provided a string of highlights for UCSD Men's Water Polo? What was the biggest moment from your perspective?
WILLIAMSON—Beating UCLA was a great accomplishment. This was the first time ever that any UCSD athletic team had ever beaten UCLA. When we won WWPA, we did it as a team and it was a thrill to be a part of that. That WWPA win meant that we went onto the NCAA Final Four which was a lifetime experience.
Q—What do you think is more important in the collegiate men's water polo game, speed or strength? Why?
WILLIAMSON—What is most important is balance, and this year's team has got it. Our line up is composed of 3 drivers (speed) and 3 utility players (strength). Speed can break down an opponent over the course of a game. However you absolutely need strength in your lineup to combat the types of teams that like to play set offense.
Q—This will be the second year in the new Canyonview West pool. What differences have you noticed compared to the original Canyonview?
WILLIAMSON—The new pool is terrific, it has much nicer stands, decks, locker rooms, and the pool itself is nice to play in. The stands help bring the student body in to give us support and thereby the home court advantage. It feels great to participate in a new facility and we are so appreciative to have it.
Q—How does UCSD's home game environment match-up against what you find at road venues?
WILLIAMSON—UCSD crowd is unlike any other across the nation. It was pivotal in beating UCLA last year. The crowd is larger and louder than any other. Other UCSD teams come out and cheer. It makes us proud to play in front of all our friends here at UCSD. Home court advantage can be huge as it tends to intimidate our opponents and really pumps us up.
Q—Given the youth of this year's squad, how would you rate UCSD's chances in the Western Water Polo Assn.?
WILLIAMSON—I think that we have all the tools to win. We just need to train hard and execute when the time comes.
Q—You're from
WILLIAMSON—UCSD is also a great academic school. We have family and family friends in
Q—You're a Management Science major. What are some of the most interesting classes you've taken at UCSD and what do you plan to do with your degree?
WILLIAMSON—My classes in Corporate Finance were the best. I hope to do something in investment banking/finance.
Q—Besides playing water polo, what do you enjoy most about UCSD?
WILLIAMSON—The friendships I've developed both in and out of sports in an academic environment will be lasting. I enjoyed learning to live on my own. The UCSD community has been and continues to be a wonderful growing experience. It really has prepared me to move on.
Previous Q&A Articles
Ali Lai (Women's Soccer) August 25, 2007
Nate Garcia (Head Coach of Cross Country) August 13, 2007
Tony Choi (Men's Soccer) July 25, 2007
Natalie Facchini (Women's Volleyball) July 9, 2007
Chris Carlson (Head Coach of Men's Basketball) June 22, 2007
Madeleine Flint (Women's Track and Field) April 30, 2007
Leah Llach (Women's Crew) April 22, 2007
Natalie Hockett (Women's Water Polo) April 9, 2007
Jenny Maze (women's softball) April 2, 2007
Zach Johnson (Men's Crew Head Coach) March 18, 2007
Michelle Osier (Women's Basketball) March 7, 2007
Brooks Dierdorff (Men's Volleyball) March 1, 2007
Scott Clement (Baseball) February 15, 2007
Chelsea Ambort (Women's Fencing) January 29, 2007
Meaghan Noud (Women's Basketball) January 15, 2006
Susan Bell (Women's Swimming) January 6, 2007
Tim Fuller (Men's Swimming) December 20, 2006
Alexis Mezzetta (Women's Basketball) December 10, 2006


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BACKGROUND IMAGE: iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
- FeatureGaps seen in file archiving tools
- Feature10 key considerations for email archiving
- FeatureQUALITY AWARDS III: NetApp sweeps NAS awards
- FeatureWindows Server 2008 steps on some storage toes
- FeatureXiotech, Atrato spin out self-healing disk systems
- FeatureOur View: Quantifying a galaxy's worth of data
- FeatureIs there any reason why you wouldn't use data deduplication?
- FeatureTape drive prices hold steady
- FeatureCheers and jeers for tiered storage
- FeatureAsk the Expert: Connecting two data centers
- FeatureMigrate data without mistakes
- FeatureThe big crunch: Capacity grows, budgets shrink
- FeatureBackup By The Numbers
- FeatureStorage automation still not a no-brainer
- FeatureHot Spots: Data deduplication drama
- FeatureStorage Bin 2.0: Bridging the gap with just one word
- FeatureOne throat to choke
- FeatureBest Practices: Planting seeds of green
iSTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Xiotech, Atrato spin out self-healing disk systems
| Storage systems launched two weeks apart this spring have people in the industry wondering if they represent the future or are merely fads.
Systems from Atrato and Xiotech aren't identical, but they're far more similar to each other than to traditional storage systems. They use sealed components holding disk drives, promise to run for years without needing service and can be clustered for I/O-intensive applications. And they each refer to their disk arrays as "self-healing."
Startup Atrato came out of stealth mode with its Velocity1000 on March 25. Xiotech, which shipped its first system 10 years ago, looked to jumpstart its fortunes by making a splash at Storage Networking World with the announcement of its Emprise platform on April 8.
Disk drive maker Seagate's DNA is in both companies and their new products. Seagate owned Xiotech from 1999 to 2002, and the Emprise platform comes from Seagate's Advanced Storage Architecture (ASA) that Xiotech acquired last November. And Atrato will add Seagate's DriveTrust full disk encryption to its disk arrays.
Xiotech and Atrato are also bringing new acronyms to the storage world. Xiotech calls the sealed DataPacs for its SAN systems ISEs (Intelligent Storage Elements), and refers to its software grid as RAGS (Redundancy Allocation Grid System).
Atrato calls its disk technology SAID (self-maintaining array of identical disks). Confidence in its disk reliability has prompted Xiotech to give a five-year warranty, while Atrato promises its systems won't fail for three years.
Both vendors say they avoid RAID rebuilds by copying data off a problematic drive, diagnosing whether the drive has truly failed, refurbishing bad sectors if they can, and copying the data back to the repaired disk or a new one. They use error-correction codes to find potential drive failures and store data on good sectors of problematic drives.
Benjamin Woo, VP, enterprise storage systems at Framingham, MA-based IDC, says Atrato and Xiotech will likely become known more for their drive-centric approach than for their acronyms.
"Where they're most similar is the sealed disk, that's the beginning of something new," says Woo. "People are looking for more return on their system. The question is should it be three to five years or seven to 10 years? I'm not sure it's always going to be a sealed pack, but people want a physically protected disk that's more highly available."
As with any product, nobody knows what to expect until the Velocity and Emprise systems have been in production for a while. At launch time, neither Atrato nor Xiotech had any reference customers using their new systems in production. But Xiotech claims 14 early adopters, mostly customers of its Magnitude 3D who tested the Emprise.
One of them, Newsweek CTO Len Carella, gave the Emprise 7000 an early thumbs-up. Carella says his staff tested Xiotech's maintenance-free claims by banging the Emprise into walls, pulling cables and shutting power supplies, but couldn't crash it. As for performance, he says, "the Emprise is at least 50% faster than the [Magnitude] 3D" in tests. He's strongly considering buying one when Newsweek moves to a smaller data center in December. "Booting from the SAN to a diskless workstation is a reality with this system," says Carella.
Not surprisingly, established storage vendors disagree with the claims Atrato and Xiotech make of being first or best in any area. IBM and EMC have their own next-gen systems to tout. IBM acquired Israeli startup XIV in January, and is expected to bring out XIV's block-based clustered Nextra systems under the IBM brand this year, possibly as a midrange replacement for the DS6800.
| EMC is preparing its own clustered system and targeting it toward Web 2.0 companies. The hardware and software for the system is known by the code names Hulk and Maui, respectively.
But the systems from IBM and EMC won't sway as far from traditional storage architecture as do those from Xiotech and Atrato. Nextra was designed by XIV founder Moshe Yanai, who designed the EMC Symmetrix high-end warhorse.
IDC's Woo describes Nextra as "classic Moshe design. Throw enough cache and CPU at it and everything will be perfect," he says. "It's sort of a Symmetrix built on commodity parts. Moshe's systems are all focused around cache algorithms that deliver high performance."
EMC's clustered systems are harder to assess because the company hasn't given many details about the software yet. Industry buzz is that the first iteration will run software from EMC partner Ibrix until EMC gets its own clustered system running.
"Maui will be very software and compute intensive," says Woo. "The underlying disk is somewhat irrelevant. The value will be around industry-standard servers running intelligent software."
--Dave Raffo


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Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Categories: BlogNumber of views: 2595
Tags: strategic thinking strategic planning strategy innovation
Gail is co-author of The Institute Way. With a career spanning over 30 years of strategic planning and performance management consulting with corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations, she enjoys speaking, training, and writing, sharing her experience with others. She currently is the Chief Strategy Officer and VP Americas for Corporater.
Gail is co-author of The Institute Way. With a career spanning over 30 years of strategic planning and performance management consulting with corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations, she enjoys speaking, training, and writing to share her experience with others. She currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer & VP Americas for Corporater. www.corporater.com
Gail became interested in operations, efficiency and patterns as a toddler struggling to participate in her mother's kitchen.
"I tried to explain to my mother how to better organize her kitchen. She was wasting motion plus the kitchen wasn't user friendly to me, its newest user who could not reach the things I needed to be self-sufficient—so, she had to help me. Mom could have saved herself work if she'd accepted my recommendations."
During her career in aerospace and defense, Gail developed deep experience in operations, finance/accounting, information technology, human resources, purchasing/inventory management, manufacturing, engineering design, and sales and marketing. Today she consults with Fortune 500 companies, large military commands, government agencies and nonprofits.
"My diverse experience helps me be a better consultant by bringing new ideas and solutions to my clients when I see a connection or pattern to something I've experienced or observed in another industry/sector. There are common denominators, operations and issues across organizations. Just last month, I heard the same operational issue from a Fortune 150 and a city municipality—two organizations that couldn't be more different."
With clients in diverse sectors all over the globe, Gail's adept at quickly understanding business models and cultural norms, and creating a positive impact. Prior to joining the Institute, Gail owned and operated Perry Consulting LLC, a North Texas firm focused on providing performance improvement consulting services to the nonprofit sector. It was in this role that she first realized the transformational power of an integrated strategic balanced scorecard while working with her client, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, to improve its strategic planning, performance management, budgeting, and employee alignment processes.
"I've learned how to quickly absorb information and get my head around an organization, what it does, how it does it, its key processes and challenges, and learn its unique culture and language. And I have a way of explaining things that makes the seemingly complex simple."
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2013 Sustaining Our World Lecture: Thomas Knittel
The College of the Environment and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences are excited to present the annual Sustaining Our World Lecture on April 4, 2013, from 6-7 p.m. This year's lecture, Built Ecologies: Regionalism and Resource Integration in the Built World, features Thomas Knittel, vice president and project designer with HOK, a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm.
First licensed as an architect in 1986, Mr. Knittel joined HOK in 2007 and has become a leading voice and innovator in sustainable design at the firm's Seattle studio. His work in biomimicry—taking inspiration from natural systems in order to solve human problems—focuses on integrating models from nature into the design of buildings, communities and cities.
For his talk, Mr. Knittel will explore approaches to the built environment that model, mimic and incorporate natural systems. Drawing on research and project examples from Brazil and Haiti to China, he will discuss how new design strategies and solutions, in order to be more resilient, must be integrated with sustainably produced regional resources—and how design informed by nature provides insights, from the nano to the macro, toward building a sustainable future locally and globally.
"We are increasingly aware of our need to reduce carbon emissions, and using sustainably produced regional resources can help achieve this goal," says Mr. Knittel. "In the natural world, materials are generally used locally in a closed-loop system. For example, paper wasps make nests combining protein-based oral fluids and wood fibers. Form triumphs over material; the cellular configuration is strong, lasting and water shedding. Such a high degree of integration, translated at the human level, requires robust collaborations across multiple fields: scientists, designers, engineers and resource managers, to name a few—but it's a replicable model."
The lecture will be held in Kane Hall, Room 210, on the UW Seattle campus. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so advanced registration is requested. Find out more information about directions, parking and access, and register today!