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Will "Downton Abbey" Inspire You to Write?
16 Jan
The popular, award winning PBS series "Downton Abbey" returned this month to the delight of fans everywhere. The characters always receive news via handwritten letters. In the age of tweeting, facebook, email and Instagram, could this show bring back the art of letter writing? I sure hope so. Nothing leaves a bigger impression on someone that receiving a handwritten letter or note card. What a pleasure to open your mailbox to receive a handwritten note from someone instead of just a pile of bills and catalogs. Take a moment to tell someone how much they mean to you or to thank them for something they've done.
Happy Writing!


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Yeah, one a week isn't really realistic, I'm afraid. Although now that I can stream them, it should be easier! Thank you, CW Seed!
So I'm aiming to watch Episode 4 this week. Anybody else up for that?
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BOSTON, Mass. – Despite a 41-21 advantage in shots, women's ice hockey was unable to find the back of the net just one more time, as they settled for a 2-2 ECAC East conference tie with Nichols College Friday afternoon in the Clark Athletic Center Ice Arena.
The draw extends the Beacons four-game unbeaten to 2-0-2 and gives them an overall record of 7-9-3 and a 4-5-3 mark in the conference. Nichols, who fell to UMB by the final of 6-1 on their home ice back in the beginning of the season earned their first tie of the year as they now stand at 3-14-1 overall, 1-9-1 in the ECAC East.
With the exception of the second period, where both teams recorded 10 shots each, UMB's offense dominated the shots column in the first, third and overtime period. In the opening frame the Beacons outshot the Bison 12-5, while in the third they recorded 14-6 advantage in shots, and in the overtime it was all UMB as they outshot Nichols 4-0.
Nichols, would get both of their goals on the power-play, while UMB picked-up goals from Emily Howard (Terryville, Conn.) and Kelsey MacIsaac (Durham, N.H.).
Howard netted the afternoon's first tally at the 5:26 mark of the first period. The goal, which was her team-leading seventh of the season, was assisted by Angle Dandreo (Swampscott, Mass.). Leading by with less than two minutes to play in the opening period, the Beacons were blown for a tripping call, giving the Bison their first power-play attempt of the day.
Thirty-nine seconds later UMB was whistled for too many players on the ice making a 5-on-3 advantage in favor of the visitors. With 28 seconds left in the period, Nichols tied the score at 1-1 on a goal by Grace Murphy, with the assist going to Lisa Coskren.
The period ended with Nichols still on the power-play, which they used in their favor in the first 30 seconds of the second period. Giving the Bison the then go-ahead goal was Murphy, her 12th of the year off of another Coskren assist.
Trailing by one for most of the period, the Beacons finally got knotted it up at two goals each, when MacIsaac fired home her third goal of the year off of a Dylan Caron (Burrillville, R.I.) helper. Neither team would find the back of the net for the final two minutes 23 seconds, and all of the third period and in the five minute overtime, despite outshooting the Bison 18-6.
Between the pipes Kailyn Burke (Franklin, Mass.) totaled 19 stops and now holds a record of 4-2-2. Francesca Palazzo earned her first tie of the year after making 38 saves and now stands at 0-3-1.
Nichols closed out the game 2-for-4 on the power-play, while UMB finished 0-for-1.
The Beacons return to action tomorrow when they host #8 Manhattanville College at 1 p.m.


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Artist description:
^_^ Looks animated..LOL... Alomst like it was a charactature drawing. Just a very quick draw so go easy on me. :P
Java Draw Created Jun 28, 2010 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2010 Majestic.
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You did an amazing job on this. Very lovely painting.
I don't know the subject but I love the drawing! 5/5
The skin looks flawless. Lovely draw :)
thanks for ur wishes and kind words , you are an awesome friend and i'm happy that everything is fine with ur son:) great work here , she look beautiful , very well detailed too 5/5
very cool one Pat ^^
Almost real very good
oh wow it really looks like her u got her right 500/5
very beautiful drawing,i like the happy smile which she has! The dresson the shoulders is lovely ^^
loves britain's got talent and amanda holden :D 5/5 and favs
Hello :D lovely drawing XD it does look like her too!


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Jackie Alemany grabbed seven rebounds against Princeton (photo courtesy of Gil Talbot).
The Particulars
Harvard closes out its Ivy League season against Dartmouth Tuesday at Lavietes Pavilion. A win against the Big Green would give the Crimson its ninth season with 20 or more wins and best record at home since 2002-03.
Follow From Home
Greg Kadetsky will have the call for the Crimson Tuesday night with Brian Maurer providing color commentary. Click on the audio link above for more information on how to watch and listen to the Harvard women's basketball team this weekend.
Scouting the Crimson
The Crimson sports a 19-8 overall mark and a 10-3 Ivy League record and has won 10 of its last 12 games. Emma Markley continues to lead the team with 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. Victoria Lippert is second in scoring with 13.2 points per game. Brogan Berry paces the team in assists with 5.7 per game and is third in scoring with 12.0 ppg.
The Crimson is shooting 43 percent from the field, which is
second in the league. Harvard shoots a league-best 37.7 percent
from beyond the three-point line and a league-best 74.3 percent
from the charity stripe. The Crimson's 68.9 points per game
is second best in the league.
Last Time Out
Emma Markley posted her seventh double-double of the season and two other Crimson players scored in double figures but it wasn't enough to overcome Princeton as Harvard fell 78-66 Saturday night.
Markley led the Crimson with 21 points and 10 rebounds,
connecting on 10-of-18 shots from the field. The Yorktown Heights,
N.Y., native also had four blocks. Freshman Victoria Lippert added
15 points, while sophomore Brogan Berry had 13 points, seven
rebounds, seven assists and two steals on her 20th birthday. Junior
Jackie Alemany also had seven boards.
A Winning Season
Harvard has already secured its 24th winning season in program history and 20th under head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. This is the fourth season in a row with a record of .500 or better and eighth since 2000.
Home Sweet Home
The Crimson returns to Lavietes Pavilion after four road contests. Harvard is 11-1 at home this season and could have its best winning percentage at Lavietes since going unbeaten in 1997-98. The Crimson has already posted the most victories at home since 2002-03 with 11.
20 Win Plateau
Harvard is just one win away from its 20th victory of the season. The Crimson has 20 or more wins in one season eight times in program history. Harvard last accomplished that feat in the 2004-05 season.
Moving On Up
Brogan Berry has 156 assists entering the weekend which is second on the Harvard single season assists list. She is also ninth on the all-time career assists list with 256 handouts, she is six assists away from moving into eighth
Harvard Single Season Assists List
1. Jennifer Monti 178
2. Brogan Berry 156
3. Heidi Kosh 152
4. Jess Gelman 152
5. Jennifer Monti 152
6. Emily Tay 151
7. Maura Jealy 150
8. Emily Tay 147
9. Jess Gelman 144
10. Emily Tay 143
Postseason Action
The Crimson is headed to the postseason for the eighth time in program history and to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) for the second time in as many years. Harvard has made it to postseason play seven times including six trips to the NCAA tournament. The Crimson has played in the postseason four of the last five years, including a trip to the WNIT last year.
Scouting the Big Green
Dartmouth enters its final game of the season with an 11-16 overall record and a 6-7 Ivy League record. The Big Green is 2-3 in its last five games, having split with Penn and Princeton in its final home weekend.
Brittney Smith, the 2009 Ivy League Player of the Year, paces
the team with 12.1 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Dartmouth has one of the stingiest defenses in the league, holding
its opponents to just 58.9 ppg.
The Dartmouth Series
Harvard and Dartmouth have met on the court 66 times over the past 34 years, with the Crimson leading the series, 35-31. The Big Green has won eight of the past 11 meetings, including the last four. The Big Green last won on Harvard's home turf on Jan. 5, 2008, a feat that has happened just nine times since 1976.
Last Meeting
Harvard fell to Dartmouth, 45-44, in the Ivy League opener for both teams Jan. 16. Juniors Emma Markley and Christine Matera led the Crimson in scoring with 11 points each. Markley grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the team along with Jackie Alemany. Harvard trailed 25-18 at the break and used the season half to chip away at the lead.
With under a minute to play, a layup by Alemany gave Harvard its
first lead of the game since the opening possession to put the
score at 44-43. But with five seconds left on the clock,
Dartmouth's Margaret Smith was fouled and sealed the victory
for the Big Green as she made both of her free throws.
When Brogan Berry Has…
Nine assists in a game, the Crimson is 3-1.
Eight or more, the Crimson is 5-1.
Seven or more, the Crimson is 12-3.
League Leaders (as of March 7)
Brogan Berry leads the league in free throw shooting (.844) and assists (5.7). Emma Markley paces the conference in blocks per game (2.7) and Christine Matera leads the Ivies in three-point field goals made (2.4).
The Offense
Harvard ranks second in the Ivy League in scoring offense with 68.9 points per game. The Crimson leads the Ancient Eight in free throw percentage (.743), blocked shots (5.4 per game), three point field goal percentage (.377) and three-point field goals (6.9 per game).
Scoring Threats
Harvard has four players who average 10.0 points per game or more. Emma Markley leads the team with 14.3 ppg, followed by Victoria Lippert with 13.2 ppg., Brogan Berry with 12.0 ppg., and Christine Matera with 10.0 ppg.
Down But Not Out
In 2005 and 2008, the Crimson lost its Ivy League opener to Dartmouth and bounced back to win Ivy League titles. Harvard has also won Ancient Eight crowns in 1996, 2002 and 2007 after losing one of its first two conference games.
Block That Shot
Junior Emma Markley has 74 blocks this season for an average of 2.7 per game (first in the Ivy League). She set a Colorado Tournament record for blocks in a game with six against New Orleans (Nov. 27), while Harvard's 10 blocks against the Privateers was also a tournament record.
Junior Emma Markley had recorded seven double-doubles through 27 games this season, including a stretch of four in a row. Victoria Lippert posted her third collegiate double-double in Harvard's win over Yale. The Crimson is 6-3 when a Harvard player notches a double-double.
Help Me, Help You
Sophomore Brogan Berry has 156 assists this season, averaging 5.7 per game. She has handed out nine, four times this season.
The Crimson From Three
Harvard is averaging 6.9 three-pointers per game after 275 contests. The Crimson hit 11 threes against Boston College and Boston University and posted double-digit treys three times. Harvard is shooting 38.0 percent from downtown, which stands 12th in the nation.
On the Bench
Kathy Delaney-Smith, the winningest coach in program history, is in her 28th season on the bench for the Crimson. Delaney-Smith, who has led the Crimson to 11 Ivy League titles, recorded her 400th career victory with a 68-47 win over Brown on March 7, 2008. She sports a 438-307 record 27 games into her 28th season.
Assistant Coach Bri Fecteau is back for her seventh season, while Kelly Finley returns for her second. She served as a volunteer assistant in 2008-09. Todd Earl, another Colorado State graduate, joins the staff as a volunteer coach this season.


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A Rustic Country Club Wedding at The Country Club at Castle Pines in Castle Rock, Colorado
rn High school sweethearts Elizabeth (Liz) Bender (28 and an accountant) and Grant Plost (28 and a dermatologist) used a contemporary rose gold palette for their traditional and sophisticated wedding. Though the couple did a first look, Liz still wanted to surprise Grant during the ceremony. She added a long veil outlined with lace for her walk down the aisle. A blend of roses, blushing protea and hydrangeas accented the chuppah for the interfaith ceremony. At the reception, the table linens had the same rose gold trellis pattern as the invitations. Music was an important part of the couple's day: They hired a string quartet for the ceremony, an a cappella group to entertain guests during cocktails, a live band for the reception and a DJ for the clubhouse after-party. "We provided flip-flops for guests to ditch their heels and get down!" Liz says.


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Search For Properties In Luxuria
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A fabulous new beachfront boutique condominium, Luxuria sets the gold standard for luxury living with just 26 exclusive residences in a ten-story architectural masterpiece capturing endless ocean views from an exceptionally wide stretch of Gold Coast sands. Luxuria luxury real estate combines the experience of a grand estate and a world-class resort in an indulgent oasis with a peerless array of amenities and services. A work of art by award-winning Marc-Michaels Interior Design, Luxuria's dramatic two-story lobby centers on a spectacular glass-and-onyx-cased water wall framed by sweeping staircases.
Served by private elevator lobbies, Luxuria luxury homes for sale feature expansive indoor and outdoor living spaces capturing vistas over the crystalline Atlantic Ocean waters and sun-drenched sugar sands. Oceanfront balconies are outfitted with outdoor kitchens and relaxing heated whirlpool spas. Representing some of the most coveted Luxuria homes for sale, only four residences feature their own private terraces with swimming pools. In sumptuous floor-plans with at least four bedrooms, Luxuria real estate also features one-of-a-kind designer showplaces replete with exquisite finishes.
With private gated beach access, Luxuria also provides an oceanfront garden terrace with swimming pool plus a resistance pool. There is also an oceanfront lounge with catering kitchen and bar, a fully equipped fitness center, and a plush private screening room. Attending to each and every need, Luxuria's comprehensive range of services include round-the-clock concierge.
Unquestionably one of Boca Raton's finest oceanfront condominiums, Luxuria is close to all of the finest attractions the city has to offer. The internationally acclaimed Boca Raton Resort & Club is only minutes away, as are the world-class shopping, dining, and entertainment of beautiful Mizner Park. For the executive commuter, Boca Raton's private airport is a convenient 15±-minute drive.


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Looks like it belongs on my granny's dressing table… Until you open it up – then R-KAID-R looks like a vintage arcade powerhouse. That belongs on your granny's dressing table. Seriously, look at those adorable little filigree designs around the screen.
Yes, but why does it look like an antique? Manufacturer Love Hultèn reckons that we're addicted to the upgrade cycle – and too ready to chuck electronic kit away after a couple of years. It's trying to create a product that'll last and acquire a patina – hence the solid wood construction. You can pick up the R-KAID-R in a variety of finishes, including emerald green maple, walnut and black ash, with brass detailing.
What can my silver-haired grandma play on it, then?Quite a lot; it runs MAME, so pretty much any vintage arcade game is up for grabs. The R-KAID-R supports (deep breath) Neo Geo, PC Engine/Turbo Grafx 16, PS1, Atari 2600, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, NES, Super NES, Sega Master System and Mega Drive and SCUMMvm titles, as well as Doom and Duke Nukem 3D.
What about the hardware? You get an 8-way joystick, 10 push buttons and a mono speaker to play your games with – and an 8in, 800x600 monitor to watch them on. The R-KAID-R also comes with USB and SD card connections, plus a stereo jack and HDMI out.
Well, I'm sold. How much? €2500. Or RM10,830.
I'm sorry, there must be something in my ear, because I could swear you said RM10,830. You heard correct. You'll have to be pretty dedicated to want to spend that much on an arcade emulator, but the R-KAID-R is a rather beautiful object. So you'll undoubtedly want to snap up the hand-stitched leather carry case to tote it around in, for a mere €240 (RM1040).
[Source: Love Hultèn via Gizmodo]
READ MORE: Suitcase speakers that pack in bags of sound


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Woman escapes as tree crushes taxi
A taxi passenger who was injured when a tree crashed into a cab during a freak storm had a very lucky escape, her husband has said.
June Stephenson, 57, was in the back of a taxi in Hull waiting for her husband Martin to get in when a tree fell on to the vehicle during a sudden burst of extreme weather the couple said was "like a tornado".
The damage in Hull was one of a number of flooding and wind-related incidents yesterday as the effects of ex-Hurricane Bertha moved across England and Wales.
The scene in Hopewell Road, Hull, after the weather brought down trees on houses and cars, as the remnants of Hurricane Bertha swept across the nation.
Stormy conditions spread north overnight as driving rain and winds of up to 50mph swept through northern England and Scotland.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for rain - which means "be aware" - covering large parts of Scotland today.
Mrs Stephenson suffered minor injuries to her arms and face in the incident in Hopewell Road, in Hull, which left a trail of uprooted trees, damaged roofs and flooding.
Her husband said they were just preparing to go out for a family celebration when the winds suddenly whipped up.
"We rang for a taxi," Mr Stephenson, 55, said.
"It was raining at the time and she ran to the car.
"We were going to meet my daughter for her anniversary. It was very windy but, as I locked the back door I could see there were some panels flying about and the sound of the wind changed.
"I came round the front to see the car was buried by the three trees.
"The wife was in the car and I didn't actually know what had happened."
Mr Stephenson said his wife went back to hospital today to have glass removed from her arm.
He said: "It had come and gone in a matter of 15 or 20 seconds. It was all over with.
"As she was getting in, just as she shut the door, the tree's actually come down on top of her, on top of the car."
Mr Stephenson said the taxi driver, a friend of his, was trapped inside but was not injured.
"It's very, very, lucky," he said.
"We've never had this before. I've seen it windy before, I've seen these (trees) what was there, I've seen them bend and sway but they've just got snapped off, just straight across the road to the car - powerful, very powerful."
Mr Stephenson said: "It was like a tornado."
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said crews dealt with a number of flooding incidents in the Filey area last night.
A pump was brought in from Scarborough after water levels overwhelmed the on-site pumping facilities at the Primrose Valley holiday park.
A spokesman said around 22 properties were affected by flooding at the nearby village of Hunmanby Gap.
Crews from Scarborough and Filey used a range of pumps to reduce water levels, he said.
While Wales and many parts of England were left drenched yesterday, it was the turn of northern parts to endure the unpleasant conditions today.
The town of Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, recorded more than a month's rainfall in the past 24 hours, with 100mm (4ins) falling by 9am today.
Meanwhile, Aberdeenshire saw gusts of 50mph.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) issued 38 flood warnings, indicating flooding is expected, and seven flood alerts, where flooding is possible.
The Environment Agency issued four flood warnings and 30 flood alerts across England and Wales.
Met Office forecaster Charles Powell said: "There has been quite a lot of heavy rainfall in northern Scotland today.
"The rest of the UK has been left with a breezy day. We've had quite a few showers. Some of those have been heavy, but because of the strength of the wind they are moving through quite quickly.
"For August, it's relatively unseasonable in terms of the rain.
"The low pressure will stick around until at least tomorrow, if not Wednesday.
"We're going to have to wait until Thursday or Friday before we see something more settled. It's a slow, gradual improvement through the week."
In Scotland, motorists were warned to expect disruption and Transport Scotland - alongside its partners, including the local authorities, Sepa and Police Scotland - said it was monitoring the situation closely to ensure it was well prepared for the conditions.
Traffic Scotland operator manager Stein Connelly said drivers in parts of the North East and Highlands and Islands were likely to face difficult road conditions due to heavy rain.
He said: "We would advise people in these areas to prepare for some travel disruption and to allow extra time for their journeys. They should also check the relevant websites for up-to-date travel information."
Zoe and Wayne Ritchie said their home in Norland Avenue, Hull, was flooded for the second time in five weeks yesterday.
Mrs Ritchie said the water very quickly rose to kerb level.
"Within another five or 10 minutes it was down the garden and coming in, really quickly," she said.
The couple said the water level began to reduce within about 45 minutes of firefighters arriving with pumps.
But Mrs Ritchie said the flood has left a stinking mess in her home.
She said: "Knowing that this street floods quite a lot, something should have been done about these drains. Obviously they can't take the water. Every time it rains it tends to pool.
"A t the end of the day it's people's homes, people's belongings and the upheaval. It's not fair."
Photo taken from the Twitter feed of @HumberbeatRoads with permission of emergency services at the scene after trees were blown over in Hopewell Road, Hull
Vehicles on a flooded road in Chilwell, Nottingham
Pedestrians dash through torrential rain along the Millennium Bridge in London
People are buffeted by wind at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
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Campus Technology / 01-27-11 / Dian Schaffhauser
A slew of schools are testing out a blend of course management functionality and textbook content that could make for a simpler transition for institutions to the use of more digital curriculum. Blackboard and McGraw-Hill Higher Education have put together an integrated digital course system that combines a single point of access, learning tools, and class content, along with multiple other features.
Currently, 20 colleges and universities are running pilots tests, and an additional 100 instructors are expected to participate. The offering combines the latest version of Blackboard Learn, a learning management system, with McGraw-Hill's Connect and Create. Connect is an application to help faculty create digital course content and assignments and do automatic grading; Create lets faculty compile textbooks that use their own materials as well as content from the company's publishing portfolio.
[snip]. Faculty can build their own textbooks by compiling chapters from the McGraw-Hill catalog and then selling them to students through a link on the course site. Other tools enable instructors to provide students with textual content and recorded lectures, also from within the course site.
The product is expected to be widely available in summer 2011 and will run on Blackboard Learn version 9.1.
"As instructors, we have limited time with our students in the classroom, and have found that digital programs allow us to continually engage with them on their schedule and in an online environment that they are comfortable in," said Kayla Christensen, a lecturer of accounting at Iowa State University, one of the schools that will pilot the new platform. "This solution will give us more time with our students and facilitate on-going learning and assessment through streamlined access to course materials.
Ray Henderson, Blackboard Learn president, believes the new offering will lead to "faster and deeper adoption of digital products" in higher education. "This is the industry's first solution that effectively pairs a top-flight learning platform with high quality, cloud-based publisher content and tools," he said. [snip].
The companies have provided a video that explains the integrated system online.


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Top 50 Cities for Singles Looking for Love
Facebook ranked 50 major cities with the best odds for turning a "Single" status to "In a relationship"
Colorado Springs, with its snow-capped Rocky Mountain backdrop, is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Olympic Committee.
It is also the most romantic major U.S. city. According to data gathered by researchers at Facebook Inc., Colorado Springs residents couple up in committed relationships at a higher rate than in other major cities.


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Klingons to be main villains in Star Trek 3?
- Bang Showbiz
- 3 May 2013
'Star Trek Into Darkness' writer Damon Lindelof has hinted that evil alien race the Klingons will have a much more prominent role in 'Star Trek 3'
Damon Lindelof has hinted the Klingons will feature more prominently in the 'Star Trek' next movie.
The writer-and-producer says the latest film in the space saga - which features the first appearance of the infamous alien race in the updated 'Star Trek' franchise - teases what could evolve into a larger plot in the third movie.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz at the world premiere of 'Star Trek Into Darkness' in London's Leicester Square on Thursday (03.05.13), he said: "You can never see enough Klingons. I feel like in this film we've given the audience a little taste, but there's also a promise that there's a larger conflict on the horizon. That would be fun to see."
Lindelof - who wrote the film's script with Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, producer Bryan Burk and director J.J. Abrams - also revealed that the team had already laid down plans for 'Into Darkness' while filming 2009's 'Star Trek' and could also have some ideas already for the third flick.
He said: "The fundamentals - this is what the plot is going to be, this is who the bad guy is, this is what they're up against - that came very, very early. Even while we working on the first movie, I think we had plans for the second one."
Quizzed whether they had already discussed the plot for 'Star Trek 3', he added: "I think that's a reasonable conclusion. You should always know where you've been, you should know where you are, but most importantly - and I learned this from [working on] 'Lost' - you should know where you're going."
'Star Trek Into Darkness' is in cinemas on May 9.


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In a country often stereotyped for being too genteel, the Canadian city of Moncton prides itself on a special distinction: It was named the most polite.
So what happened here Wednesday seems unimaginable to residents.
A man dressed in fatigues and carrying a rifle went on a rampage, killing three police officers and wounding two others.
Thursday morning, the shooter was still on the loose.
Residents were asked to keep their doors locked and their outside lights on, as helicopters hovered overhead and the hunt for the gunman continued.
Police say they know who the suspect is: 24-year-old Justin Bourque of Moncton.
What they don't know — or haven't disclosed — is what prompted the attacks.
Terror outside the window
The rampage began Wednesday evening when police responded to a report of an armed man in the north end of Moncton.
The gunman opened fire.
Three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were shot and killed, Constable Damien Theriault told reporters.
"Two of our officers were also injured, but their lives are not threatened at this time," he said, his voice breaking at times.
Joan MacAlpine-Stiles recalled seeing the gunman when she opened a window.
"It was really warm in the house, so we opened up the windows in the family room and there he was going across through the back with this rifle on his shoulder," she told CNN partner CBC.
"I said, 'Oh my God, there he is with camouflage and the headband and a gun, and it looked like a bow he had with him, and I mean he was just through our backyard,'" she said.
After police arrived, neighbor Vanessa Bernatchez watched with a couple of others from a living room window. She uploaded a video of the confrontation to Facebook.
"He shot him. He shot the … cop," a man in the video exclaims. "Call 911!"
Shocking location
Moncton, a city of about 100,000 people, is about 90 miles (150 kilometers) northeast of St. John.
The Canadian magazine "Chatelaine" has described Moncton as one of the best places to live and work in Canada, according to the city's website.
In addition, "Reader's Digest" recently named Moncton as the most polite city in all of Canada, the city said.
Such accolades seemed to matter little now.
As the hunt dragged into Thursday morning, police continued giving updates and warnings throughout the night.
"Shooter still believed to be in Pinehurst Subdiv. area of Moncton. Stay locked inside. Avoid area," the RCMP's New Brunswick office tweeted.
All entrances to the neighborhood where the attack took place were blocked off, city spokeswoman Isabelle LeBlanc said Wednesday night. Her husband had not been able to get home.
Even some buses were pulled off the road because out of concern for public safety, she said.
Hospital calls in more help
As the two injured officers were being treated for their wounds, a local hospital had to get reinforcements.
"We have called in extra staff and physicians at The Moncton Hospital to help deal with this situation," said John McGarry, president and CEO of Horizon Health Network.
"We are restricting visitors to those with critically ill family members, and ask all others to refrain from visiting at this time."
Searching while grieving
As police keep looking for the gunman, they must do so while grieving the deaths of their colleagues.
When asked how officers would push through, Theriault said "we are professional."
Moments later, he choked up and ended the press conference.


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Using Networking for Competitive Advantage: The Lippo Group of Indonesia and Hong Kong
Networking has always played an important role in banking, and this has been especially true on an international level. Witness the growth of the Euromarket in the 1970s as Western bankers competed for syndicated loan mandates by serenading heads of state and finance throughout the world. Now, in her article on the Lippo Group of Indonesia and Hong Kong, Professor Kanter looks at a new and striking example of international networking and banking synergy - this time emerging from the Chinese community in Southeast Asia.
The story of Dr. Mochtar Riady, and how he grew the Lippo Group into a federation of companies with $11 billion in assets and headquarters in both Jakarta and Hong Kong, is likened to the Rothschilds, Europeís financiers at a time of expansion much like Southeast Asian development now. Kanter uses her study of the Lippo Group to illustrate 11 key principles of networking - showing the way ìlocalsî can transform themselves into ìcosmopolitans,î her description of the burgeoning business class that has learned to function on a global stage.
Clearly, Kanter says, the Riady family and the Lippo Group are masters of the principles of global networking, excelling ìat collaborative advantage - building and using connections to open doors, join forces and absorb the knowledge of more-experienced partners.î Starting with their ethnic ties which served as an entrepreneurial springboard, they moved to more universal alliances to create an international financial network that diligently pursues the paths of trade. Today, their connections extend from the highest government circles in world capitals to partnerships with corporate titans in Japan, the United States and Europe.
To understand the power of networking in the global economy, let us travel around the world with a company that excels at collaborative advantage -- building and using connections to open doors, join forces and absorb the knowledge of more-experienced partners.
The company is a financial network called the Lippo Group. Its base is Southeast Asia, one of the world's most important growth opportunities, an area sometimes called "the Asia America is ignoring." In the past, American companies have served as teachers and talent scouts for companies like Lippo. Now, in a fascinating reversal of roles, Lippo and others like it will be the allies, or rivals, of the Americans in future competition. And they will teach the rest of the world how to build effective networks for the coming alliance-based competition of group against group.
Discovering the power and importance of Lippo Group's founder, Dr. Mochtar Riady, was a journey of a thousand steps. Most Americans do not expect role models to come out of Indonesia, even from a large financial group headed by ethnic Chinese. But Dr. Riady, it turns out, is extremely well-connected throughout Asia, Europe and America.
Just consider his connections to the Americans. When I visited Lippo's Hong Kong headquarters in January 1992, the late Ron Brown, appointed President Clinton's Secretary of Commerce the next year, had just been Lippo's guest there. A few months later, I ran into Lippo's main representative in the United States, John Huang, at a meeting of chief executives in Chicago; Mr. Huang left Lippo and joined the Commerce Department as principal deputy assistant secretary for international economic policy in mid-1994. (He is now vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee.) At the Presidential Transition Economic Summit in Little Rock in December 1992, I saw James Riady, Lippo's deputy chairman and the president of Lippobank California, the only foreigner among 325 C.E.O.'s and business leaders. Lippo Group had helped Bill Clinton, "a good friend of the Riadys," I was told, in the Chinese-American community in the pivotal state of California.
Clearly the Riady family and the Lippo Group are masters of the principles of global networking.
Lippo's remarkable growth shows how ethnic ties can serve as an entrepreneurial springboard while more universal business alliances are formed. It shows how locals transform themselves into cosmopolitans -- the burgeoning business class that has learned to function on a global stage -- as they build connections, relationship by relationship, with international companies. It shows how allegiances that transcend national affiliations grow, making cosmopolitans "dual citizens" of both nation and network. And it shows how the formation and growth of business networks create a universal world culture of management -- especially in the financial industries that move capital around the globe.
Indeed, for the Lippo Group, networking is not just supportive of the business strategy, networking is the business strategy. Over a 36-year period, Dr. Riady, the son of immigrant shopkeepers, has created an international financial network out of nothing more than his personal drive, ethnic ties and skills as an innovator and collaborator. Dr. Riady's goal is "to be the bridge to help firms go to the United States, China or elsewhere. Without a network we can do nothing. The target is to make a foothold where the giants are."
By now, that foothold extends from the highest government circles in Beijing, Washington and other world capitals to partnerships with corporate titans in Japan, the United States and Europe.
Along the way, the Lippo Group grew into a federation of companies with $11 billion in assets and headquarters in both Jakarta and Hong Kong. And the Riady family has been likened to the Rothschilds, Europe's financiers at a time of expansion much like the Southeast Asian development the Riadys are helping to finance.
Lippo's name and logo represent Mochtar Riady's vision as well as his success. The Chinese words Li (energy) and Pao (treasure) capture the essence of his business philosophy: to find the synergy between human endeavor and financial resources. The logo is a stylized graphic rendering of the letters L and P in a continuous loop whose core simulates the mathematical symbol for infinity and unending growth.
The Lippo Group's growth -- which shows no sign of ending -- illustrates 11 key principles of networking.
Becoming the "Rothschilds of the Pacific": Buying and Selling Trust
Cosmopolitans can come from anywhere, as long as they have the desire to seek connections, concepts and competence from outside their home territory and possess the resources to be effective network partners.
Hence, the Lippo success story begins with networking principle No. 1: To be desirable partners, network members must bring distinctive resources to the relationship. This means achieving individual excellence before seeking to broaden connections. Mochtar Riady had to create the resources from scratch by using opportunities close to home. He also proved a corollary to principle No. 1: Small local networks can create resources for entry into wider global networks.
Confucianism is Dr. Riady's guiding philosophy, Christianity the source of his spirituality. He was born Lie Wen Chen in East Java, Indonesia, in 1929, to a couple from Fujian Province, China, just across the straits from Taiwan. Along with Guangdong, adjacent to Hong Kong, Fujian accounted for half or more of all those leaving China.
His parents were proprietors of a batik shop in the small town of Malang, near the ancient spice port of Surabaya. From childhood, he dreamed of being a banker. His dreams were interrupted in 1947 when he was deported by the Dutch to China for his part in anti-Dutch agitation while studying at an Indonesian Chinese high school. Two years later, he ended his formal education when the Communists overran Nanking. After six months in Hong Kong, he petitioned to return to Indonesia. He settled in Surabaya, got married and began working in a department store owned by his mother-in-law.
A few years later, he moved to Jakarta, a city still impoverished and unsettled from the Japanese occupation in World War II. He sought work among the bicycle traders from his native province in China, eventually finding a relative who gave him a start in a bicycle shop. He soon prospered in the trade. His first three children were born between 1953 and 1955, followed by the three who would join him in banking: sons James in 1957 and Stephen in 1960, and daughter Minny in 1962. In 1967, Dr. Riady adopted his Indonesian name and became known as Pak Mochtar (a term of respect); the overseas Chinese community outside of Indonesia continued to know him as Mr. Lie.
Dr. Riady's start in banking came in 1960 through his Chinese connections. He was asked by friends who knew of his banking dreams to raise $200,000 in equity and even more in working capital for the ailing Bank Kemakmuran. He found an ethnic market ignored by other bankers -- Fujianese immigrants dominating bicycle manufacture and repair -- and a source of capital from Chinese moneylenders to those Fujianese businesses. A banking novice, he spoke persuasively to the moneylenders over dinner; three joined the board. Dr. Riady took options on 20 percent of the bank's shares if he could turn it around.
He was so inexperienced, he later told Asian Finance magazine, that he "couldn't tell the left from the right of a balance sheet." He learned how to do that over time, but never thought that was the key to the bottom line. "To me, banking isn't a business of buying and selling money,'' he said. "It buys and sells trust."
Dr. Riady's view of banking as relationship-based and his willingness to innovate produced remarkable results. "In nearly every case, whatever bank Mochtar touched turned to gold," a leading Indonesian banker commented. Between 1960 and 1963 he helped turn around Bank Kemakmuran using a sectoral niche strategy that would be replicated in later successes. He followed the trade flows looking for niches. From 1963 to 1971, he rebuilt Bank Buana, concentrating on the textile and agricultural produce market. From 1971 until 1975, he led Panin Bank as executive president to a position as Indonesia's largest private commercial bank, increasing its assets more than twelvefold. Panin specialized in the import market.
In 1975, Dr. Riady left Panin to buy 20 percent of the equity in Bank Central Asia and take a management contract. B.C.A. was a 20-year-old troubled bank that had just one branch, 27 employees and $3 million in assets. But it was the financial center of the prominent Liem Sioe Liong industrial group and had good connections -- President Suharto's sons held a sizable share. In Southeast Asia, Chinese businesses often bargained with those in power, partnering with government enterprises, ruling parties, military interests and presidents' families. By 1992, The Economist estimated that companies owned by the Liem family accounted for 5 percent of Indonesia's G.N.P.
While working on the B.C.A. turnaround, Dr. Riady also invested in other ventures. In 1976, the name Lippo was used for the first time when the Riady family established a trading company. Pairing with Liem helped Lippo grow. Lippo Holding was 100 percent owned by Dr. Riady; most other companies were owned by Liem and Dr. Riady on a 50/50 basis. These extensive cross-holdings and investments in each other, a hallmark of Asian business groups but also of effective alliances everywhere, illustrate networking principle No. 2: Networks are strengthened when members place "side bets" -- tangible investments in each other beyond their initial joint venture that signify their commitment to the long-term future of the relationship.
By 1983, through continuous expansions and sales innovations, B.C.A.'s assets had multiplied 332 times and deposits 1,253 times. As the largest private bank in Indonesia, B.C.A. provided a basis for international relationships. Dr. Riady felt that Indonesia would be a major player in trade flows as an essential source of logs and plywood -- an industry in which B.C.A. specialized. As other industries developed, B.C.A. was there, moving into apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, shoes and building materials.
Pioneering Concepts: Explosive Growth Through Innovation
The Lippo Group's big break came when the Indonesian Government deregulated banking in October 1988 and sought foreign investment. Lippo was ready to capitalize on the unprecedented demand for financial services. In 1989, Lippo changed the name of Bank Perniagaan Indonesia, in which Dr. Riady had bought a 49 percent stake seven years before, to Lippobank and merged it with Bank Umum Asia. By the end of the year, Lippobank ranked as the second-largest private retail bank in Indonesia; only B.C.A., still 20 percent owned by the Lippo Group, was bigger.
With deregulation, banking became much more competitive. Private Indonesian banks had an easier time adding branches, but foreign banks had easier entree. The program also limited intracorporate lending; Lippobank could not count on the major deposits B.C.A. got from Liem-owned companies.
But Lippobank found a fertile growth area in retail banking, a field in which it could pioneer, attracting Indonesia's growing pool of middle-class professionals and meshing with the Government's desire to mobilize domestic savings to reduce foreign debt. Its success attests to networking principle No. 3: Broadening the network as quickly as possible to reach as many places as possible is critical in competitive markets. Overdependence on a single connection is dangerous. Developing extensive ties through a visible presence in many markets provides an advantage with respect to customers.
Lippobank started opening branches at a breakneck pace, spending large sums on marketing. It was run along American lines, with sophisticated technology and professional management. It brought banking to small depositors by developing "bank-mindedness," offering simplified procedures, efficient service and a convenient branch network, all of which allowed premium pricing.
And its rise was meteoric. In less than a year, deposits soared by 432 percent, to more than $1 billion (U.S.) in December 1989, while other private banks grew an average of 70 percent. The branch network expanded to 100, from 30, and then to 160 by October 1991. In December 1989, Lippobank became the first Indonesian private bank to issue a floating-rate certificate of deposit in international markets. It was widely distributed among financial institutions in the United States, Japan and Europe, all of which constituted potential new partners for the Lippo Group.
While it was aggressive in marketing, Lippobank was conservative in its financial stance. It avoided currency risks by staying out of foreign exchange dealings except for covering commercial trade transactions. It concentrated on customers below the manufacturing sector, e.g., distributors and traders, who would not be as adversely affected by economic conditions. And it focused on consumer banking for deposits -- about four-fifths of its 1.1 million clients were in this category.
Dr. Riady sought state-of-the-art concepts wherever he could find them. Lippo's financial strategy -- providing beginning-to-end financing following the trade flows and finding niches where ethnic ties built relationships of trust -- was similar to one Dr. Riady observed in the success of Japanese banks in the United States. This constitutes networking principle No. 4: Cultural assets, such as natural ties of kinship or shared background, rival economic assets in their value for business networks. Cultural capital provides a basis for trust and compatibility of business philosophies.
Banking was not Lippo's only game. Through the 1980's, the Lippo Group acquired interests in a variety of businesses and developed others, inside and outside financial services: investment banking, insurance, brokerage, infrastructure and urban development, information technology and manufacturing (textiles, automotive parts, consumer products). But banking remains the cornerstone of Dr. Riady's Asian Pacific strategy, because banks bring image, reputation, human resources and an earnings base that allow exploration of other opportunities. Above all, they bring networks.
Stockpiling Connections: International Growth Through Relationships
Overseas Chinese like Mochtar Riady constitute one of the world's great economic engines, the second-largest economic force in Asia outside Japan. Indonesian Chinese constitute 4 percent of the population but control 17 of the 25 largest business groups. Most of these are adept at making connections with other overseas Chinese businesses across borders, but they are often more tribal than cosmopolitan, confining their deals to members of the ethnic group.
The Riady family, however, is more cosmopolitan than tribal. Dr. Riady and the Lippo Group augment natural ethnic ties with a series of important international connections in Japan, the United States and Europe that have nothing to do with ethnicity. In each of these connections, Dr. Riady demonstrated networking principle No. 5: Every relationship contains the potential for further connections. Cultivating relationships involves "making friends," not just making deals -- because unknown future possibilities might turn out to be even more significant than today's venture.
Dr. Riady had long anticipated the opportunities that would come from globalization. Multipoint trade was taking the place of traditional point- to-point trade. The relocation of manufacturing facilities from the developed to the industrializing world -- such as the growth of apparel production in Southeast Asia -- was bringing into play a new stream of capital flows. Such trends augured well for Dr. Riady's strategy of providing end-to-end financing for trade flows throughout the Pacific Rim. He would eventually develop significant activities in Hong Kong, a foothold in California and offices to facilitate trade financing in Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
Hong Kong was the first target. In 1969, less than a decade after his start in banking, Dr. Riady undertook his first Hong Kong venture: the acquisition of the Central Asia Capital Corporation from B.C.A.
The United States was the second target. In 1977, Dr. Riady made a bold bid. It was the early days of the Carter Administration, and Bert Lance, President Carter's director of the Office of Management and Budget, was under financial scrutiny. Mr. Lance decided to quietly sell his 30 percent share in the National Bank of Georgia with the help of Jackson Stephens, an Arkansas investment banker. Dr. Riady, then almost unknown internationally, was the first and fastest Asian bidder. The bank's board was impressed by Dr. Riady's proposed operational plans as well as his vision for increasing the international presence of a regional American bank.
Though pressure from Indonesia caused Dr. Riady to withdraw his bid, he and Mr. Stephens became friends. Dr. Riady's stockpile of connections was once again enlarged. Later in 1977, the two men developed a 50/50 joint venture in Hong Kong, Stephens Finance Ltd. In 1982, they established Lippo Pacific Finance in Indonesia as a leasing company joint venture. The Stephens connection also led to Dr. Riady's ownership stake in the Worthen Bank in Arkansas, where he sent his son James for training; both father and son became active in Little Rock and developed a warm relationship with the state's young Governor, Bill Clinton.
Each deal led to still further connections. Dr. Riady and Mr. Stephens agreed to buy the Seng Heng Bank in Macao as the base for a move into Hong Kong. The Hong Kong venture was a chance to establish a connection with Cantonese business leaders. The bank grew steadily in both assets and profitability for the six years it remained under Dr. Riady's guidance. In 1989, Seng Heng was sold to Stanley Ho, a prominent Macao entrepreneur with whom the Riady family maintained a variety of relationships.
Dr. Riady had already bet on another bank as his Hong Kong base. In 1984, through the Worthen Bank, Lippo acquired the Hong Kong Chinese Bank, a sleepy retail institution. In 1985, younger son Stephen came to Hong Kong to represent Lippo's interests.
Walking Through Open Doors: International Ties at Home
Continuing to use networking principle No. 3 -- the ongoing broadening of network ties -- the Lippo Group increased its strength at home through international partners at the same time that it was finding partners for international markets.
Following financial deregulation in Indonesia, Lippo established local joint venture banks with Tokai Bank of Japan and Banque Nationale de Paris, thus insuring ties with France and Japan, which Dr. Riady identified as Indonesia's fastest-growing investment sources.
The Tokai relationship soon proved important in Hong Kong as well as in Indonesia. In June 1990, Tokai announced it would participate with Chemical Bank, Banque Nationale de Paris and five others in lending $150 million (Hong Kong) to Lippo Strategic Holdings Ltd. in Hong Kong for operating funds.
By being a good partner at home, Lippo thus gained new opportunities away from home, illustrating networking principle No. 6: Relationships for one purpose and in one place, if successful, can open new opportunities or bring prestige in other places with other partners. Networks are options on the future, and therefore they have to be assessed in terms of their potential future benefits rather than only their immediate returns.
Using Cultural Capital to Connect to California
A presence and base in the United States was essential to Dr. Riady's international aspirations, more important perhaps than even the direct financial returns it might bring.
Networking principle No. 7 is illustrated in Lippo's foray into American banking: The value of any part of a network cannot be calculated solely on the basis of the direct economic value located there; it needs to be viewed in terms of increased benefits to other parts of the network or the network as a whole.
Whatever their financial returns, Lippo's California operations serve many functions for the network: They anchor one end of end-to-end trade financing, solidify overseas Chinese ties, provide a base for reinforcing political connections in the United States and serve as a training ground in American banking for Asians.
Through Mr. Stephens, the Riady family was already involved with Worthen in Arkansas. But an Arkansas base does not take advantage of Lippo's cultural capital -- its Chinese ethnic ties, linked to Pacific Rim trade. For that, Lippo would have to travel to California, a center of the so-called bamboo network. Lippo made the trip in 1981 when James Riady, then 24 years old, bought a passive 5 percent stake in the Bank of Trade of San Francisco.
Bank of Trade was founded in 1961 to serve the 24 square blocks of San Francisco's Chinatown. It was a troubled bank, poorly managed, with an ineffective board of directors; banking regulators were demanding change. In 1984, James Riady took control of the bank to save it.
James Riady wanted the bank to expand outside of San Francisco. The bank's biggest advantage in penetrating the relationship-oriented Chinese community in other parts of California was Mochtar Riady's fame and reputation. Negotiations to lease a building in Los Angeles' Chinatown almost bogged down, for example, because the owner had never heard of Bank of Trade. But she signed the deal after being shown a photo of Dr. Riady, whom she recognized immediately.
Lippo Group became a greater part of the picture after the Los Angeles office opened. Lippo pulled out of the Worthen Bank, which was experiencing its own difficulties, and James Riady moved to Los Angeles to run things in 1986.
The Bank of Trade soon mushroomed. Wide contacts with influential people in the Asian community, coupled with extensive marketing, drew business. The customer base consisted of ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs with an international trade capability. The goal was to reach out to those who were not being served by traditional banks because their businesses were not yet established. The strategy was highly risky and it coincided with a downturn in California banking, so profits proved elusive.
Nonetheless, the bank kept growing. In 1988, it opened its third branch, in Westminster (Orange County), in the midst of the largest Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam; a majority of the population were ethnic Chinese. This was followed seven months later by a San Jose office, also located in an area populated by Vietnamese ethnic Chinese. In early 1990, the Bank of Trade changed its name to Lippobank, giving it the same name as the Riady family's flagship bank in Indonesia.
A substantial portion of Lippobank's California business involves trade financing for goods moving to and from Pacific Rim countries. The San Francisco branch, on a corner six blocks from the ornate carved gateway to Chinatown on Grant Avenue, is surrounded by potential customers. The sign hanging above the building features the logo and name in giant Chinese characters at the top, with English in smaller letters at the bottom -- a marked contrast in linguistic emphasis to the nearby Citibank and Bank of America branches. For the Riadys, the Chinese connection is a visible advantage, while the Indonesian connection is not. As cosmopolitans, however, the Riady family can stress its Chinese roots and Hong Kong activities when in California.
The California operations are used as a training ground for other Lippo companies, to expose them to American banking practices. Young staff members, some with American M.B.A.'s, come to California for two-year assignments. This foreshadows principle No. 8: Networks are learning vehicles that can spread concepts and competence to all parts of the business.
Connections as Competitive Advantage: Good Guanxi in China
Dr. Riady is keenly aware of his cultural assets. "America, Japan, Europe are strong and big," he commented. "We're small. But we can target a market of overseas Chinese where we have many family ties."
He wants to enhance those ties because of the major role the overseas Chinese community is playing in financial and trade flows of the region as well as in the development of China.
In 1990, when Indonesia normalized relations with Beijing, Mochtar Riady went on an eight-month car tour of China, speaking to everyone from academics and economists to waiters and villagers. Chinese officials honored him: his ancestral home in Fujian Province, due to be razed for redevelopment, was preserved until his visit. By 1992, a Lippo executive in Hong Kong could confidently claim, "All the major C.E.O.'s in China are friends of Dr. Riady."
Thus began a period of explosive entrepreneurial growth as Lippo strengthened its Hong Kong assets and springboard to China.
Hong Kong is the base for investment banking, insurance and tourism activities that Mochtar Riady sees as significant growth areas for Southeast Asia in the last part of the 1990's. Each area grows through alliances. Lippo's merchant banking unit, for example, joins syndicates with Japanese banks. And its Hong Kong-based international insurance business had joint ventures with Tokyo Mutual Life, Fuji Fire and Marine, and Alexander & Alexander, an American insurance broker and risk-management specialist.
As in Indonesia, bank ownership provides an important centerpiece for the other ventures with which Lippo might want to be involved. Indeed, through its ownership of the Hong Kong Chinese Bank, the sleepy institution it acquired in 1984, Lippo developed a relationship with China Resources (Holdings), Beijing's premier international trading group.
Established in 1948, China Resources is one of the largest mainland enterprises in Hong Kong, with 30 principal subsidiaries. It provides about 40 percent of Hong Kong's food staples, trades in oil and gas and owns supermarkets as well as port and hotel developments -- a spread of businesses similar to the giant Jardine Matheson group. Key managers include American-educated Chinese nationals such as Frank Ning, head of China Resources Enterprises, the main stock market-listed unit. C.R.E.'s influential shareholders, in turn, include well-known entrepreneur Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong group. And that group is also an investor in Lippo.
Such cross-shareholdings among influential members of the Chinese business community cement ties for future business development -- echoing networking principle No. 2, mutual investment. In addition, the tendency for members of one group to generate additional opportunities that let newcomers into the action illustrates principle No. 9: Networks with open boundaries willing to spawn additional networks gain more clout than those that remain closed circles. When alliances create additional ventures that add new partners, they expand power.
The deals among Lippo and its allies quickly moved Lippo into a strategic position in China. In 1992, Lippo announced plans for a joint venture bank in Shenzhen in China, adjacent to Hong Kong. Branches in 10 major cities in China were planned. In November 1992, the Lippo Group opened its own Beijing office.
Then, in July 1993, China Resources (Holdings), which had been investing in Lippo's Hong Kong Chinese Bank, increased its stake to 50.46 percent, deepening the alliance. This move was not intended to change the bank's direction -- it would continue its focus on trade finance and be controlled by Lippo with equal representation on the board: Dr. Riady as chairman and Zhu Youlan, president of China Resources Enterprises, deputy chairman.
But the partnership brought important business advantages. China Resources would place a substantial amount of its Hong Kong business with the bank and provide a "bridgehead to expand into China," as Dr. Riady put it. Certainly the Government connection would not hurt the plans to create branches in China. For China Resources, the move marked a significant penetration of the Hong Kong financial sector by a Chinese state-controlled company.
The mutual benefits involved in this deepening relationship illustrate principle No. 10: For networks to continue to create opportunities, all members must derive benefits. Networks are stronger when the benefits are complementary and the partners interdependent -- that is, each gains something it could get only through the partner.
Lippo's opportunities and choices reflect the importance of what the Chinese call guanxi -- connections. Knowing how to create guanxi is a key part of making a sale in China, as experienced managers advise: "If a customer doesn't feel that you are his friend, he will not sign with you because he does not trust you."
Learning: Absorbing and Spreading External Competence
The Economist has reflected on the challenge facing overseas Chinese business groups: "A business system based on a multitude of autocratically owner-managed firms with intimate links to others like them has two big advantages: fast decision-making and acute sensitivity to markets. The disadvantages are institutional. As the firm gets bigger, it will eventually outgrow the overseas Chinese network for the partners and capital it needs. This means that both the size of the Chinese firms and the lines of business they go into could be limited."
Lippo wants to transcend those limits, and its network partners are a principal way it would absorb the competence to do so. Lippo's actions in using connections to build competence demonstrate networking principle No. 8, briefly mentioned earlier: In addition to providing connections with opportunities, networks are important sources of new concepts and competence. Those that get the most out of networks will use them for learning as well as connections.
Dr. Riady sees that foreign investment in Indonesia and opportunities in China bring a different kind of company -- big American, Japanese and European conglomerates or multinationals with a separation of ownership from management. He greatly admires Japanese companies and their management style, especially Sumitomo, because it is highly diversified, yet focused on certain strategic businesses, and its principal companies are made public to increase its capital base. He wants Lippo to follow this structure and thinking. He wants to professionalize it, to allow management freedom from the founder-owner and his children.
Indeed, Dr. Riady is a pioneer in departing from the family control typical among Southeast Asian conglomerates. In addition to using strategic partners as a potential talent pool, Lippo Group built its professional management team by bringing in seasoned executives with experience in American multinational companies.
A reorganization in 1990 gave more power and control to these professionals. In 1992, Lippo created public holding companies for Hong Kong and Indonesia, giving Hong Kong corporate prominence as a second headquarters and a springboard to China. The public company status of the two holding companies means senior executives can have stock options.
High-caliber professionals from American and British companies, some of whom come directly from Lippo's network of partners, are attracted by Mochtar Riady's reputation, Lippo's expansion aspirations and growth opportunities, and the company's unusually high pay. As Lippo attracts cosmopolitan executives, its stock of competence expands to world standards.
Joint venture partners are also management models; Multipolar, Lippo's information technology company, absorbs ideas from partner I.B.M. Lippo includes a training clause in joint venture agreements whereby the foreign partner is required to train personnel or provide technical assistance to Lippo.
Lippo also finds experienced expatriates to train executives. For instance, Keith Prothero, who is British and has a background in insurance, was hired on a five-year contract to teach Billy Sindoro, the head of Lippo's Indonesian life insurance company, how to be a C.E.O. Mr. Sindoro has an American M.B.A., but little practical management experience. He attends all meetings with Mr. Prothero, who passes on business knowledge and helps him develop a longer-range view. Mr. Prothero's job is to be a mentor. As such, he is teaching Mr. Sindoro techniques for action planning, problem solving and program implementation.
In Hong Kong, too, the Lippo Group uses well-connected and experienced executives as advisers and teachers as well as sources of guanxi.
Maximizing Network Value: Creating a Common Culture for Synergies
Dr. Riady's strategy for the Lippo Group is clear: create a network that could provide end-to-end trade financing. Lippo seeks information about all the companies within an export/import loop and then actively goes after their business. A Hong Kong company can use the Hong Kong Chinese Bank at home and for export finance; Lippobank Indonesia for its factory in Indonesia, and Lippobank California for imports into the United States and wholesale operations. Payments would be made back and forth but never leave the Lippo network. Lippo's units can also introduce customers across the triangle to each other for joint ventures -- often a requirement for doing business in countries such as Indonesia, which insists that foreign investors have local partners.
To make all this work, the Lippo Group needs the power of its entire network, both within the group and with its external partners. Furthermore, as the global financial services industry enters a period of massive consolidation, only the strongest companies -- those that can draw on all of their resources -- will succeed at serving global customers.
Therefore, to become a truly significant financial presence in the Pacific Rim, Lippo needs not only to expand its international operations but also to increase their coordination and integration.
Though the Lippo Group was establishing a strong presence in Hong Kong, for example, there was little interaction between its Hong Kong and Indonesian executives. Each country's companies appeared to be pursuing their own missions. Taking advantage of Lippo's opportunities, however, required strength within each group company and strong links among them across industries and geographies. A Lippo senior executive commented, "Globalization stretches our existing skill set. We need to develop a new attitude and a new set of operating practices."
Networking principle No. 11 thus comes into play: Organizational networks begin by being joined through direct personal relationships among leaders. But unless they become joined at multiple levels throughout all the organizations, their value will be limited. This means that organizations in every place the network operates must become more similar, to gain the compatibility required for full exchange.
Synergy is therefore an important part of Mochtar Riady's strategy. Building a network of companies and allies that can provide multiple financial services along each link of the major trade flow routes in and out of the region requires cross-border and cross-business integration. By managing within its own network and through its partners the entire chain of financial transactions involved in international trade, the group can develop deeper and longer-lasting customer relationships.
As a first step in building a common culture throughout the Lippo Group, assuring connections across units at all levels, 100 top managers gathered in Jakarta in February 1991 for a conference on the importance of synergy.
In April 1992, the search for synergy was accelerated at a second conference, "Team 2000." This time, 150 senior executives gathered to ponder numerous proposals for collaboration: A Lippo trading group linking all Pacific Rim locations to exploit trade opportunities? A privatization capability involving Lippobank as a think tank? Lippo Securities as a financing arm? Lippo retail centers to sell insurance, banking, travel and other financial products with its partners?
In May 1993, the top 150 executives convened again. The key synergy target was Lippo Karawaci, the town Lippo planned to build on Jakarta's western rim, using its internal network -- combining property development with innovative financing from Lippobank -- and new partners. Less than three years later, the town's modern office towers and California-style houses made the synergy real.
By 1996, Lippo Karawaci features Wal-Mart as the anchor for Indonesia's largest shopping mall. Wal-Mart uses Lippo's Multipolar for its information systems and teaches Lippo service-management skills. The town's new hospital, developed with a Singapore company, is the flagship of a proposed Lippo chain, backed up by computer links to American medical centers. And the remarkable growth of Lippo's insurance unit, headquartered in Lippo Karawaci, is a tribute to cross-selling opportunities offered by Lippobank, whose most state-of-the-art branch occupies the first floor of Lippo Group's new offices. A May 1996 report on Lippo's publicly traded companies by Crédit Lyonnais Securities calls synergy Lippo's sustainable competitive advantage.
The Importance of Networks
Networks like the Lippo Group are more difficult to manage than single organizations. What's more, network ties are fragile and partners are easily replaced.
But the important thing about networks is not their complexity and lack of permanence. Instead, it is that their existence changes the rules of competition. The rise of formal business networks, of group-to-group competition, puts unconnected companies at a huge and growing disadvantage.
Networks like the Lippo Group are populating the new world class of business with a specific set of people who know each other, putting a human face on what would otherwise be just an abstract construct. At the head of the class is a global elite that makes deals with each other, combines forces to find new opportunities and encourages governments to tear down barriers to cross-border collaboration. And networks extend a global managerial culture that transfers competence from the best of the developed world and creates new centers of competence throughout the world.
Thus, the three resources for success in the global economy build on one another, combining to give advantages to those affiliated with wide networks. The creation of successful concepts through innovation and entrepreneurship makes a company desirable as a partner, providing the basis for relationships. Those relationships enlarge the stock of connections, which permit active collaboration to gain benefits for partners. Association with world-class partners enlarges competence, as partners learn from one another.
In these ways, cosmopolitans like Lippo become more advantaged while local competitors become increasingly isolated and fall further and further behind.
Reprint No. 96306


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Original Shorts - Black
Ambitious and risky yet yields the highest reward. A contemporary take on a classic look, the original fit is a style which gets better with age.
* Pre-orders will be shipped 1st day of Spring 2017. *
(4 inch inseam) 100% cotton
Sizes are exact waistband size in inches
Yimps are made-to-order right here in California.
Free domestic shipping
Returns/Exchanges - You take care of shipping, we take care of the rest. *Please send back in same condition received in for full refund.


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Football rules changes to watch for this fall
From toughening rules against targeting defenseless opponents to timing rules that could have a big effect on late-game strategy, there are plenty of changes to watch for on the college football field for the 2013 season.
Courtesy of Rogers Redding, national coordinator of College Football Officiating, and the National Football Foundation, eight need-to-know rules changes:
1. Targeting fouls: automatic ejection part I
Players will automatically be tossed for targeting fouls, including targeting and initiating contact with the crown of the helmet, and targeting and initiating contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, elbow or shoulder. The foul itself has not changed. These plays have been subject to penalty since 2008, but the penalty has been stiffened to include automatic ejection plus the 15-yard penalty. The ejection can be overturned by replay review. However, even if the ejection is overturned, the penalty still will be marked off.
2. Targeting fouls: automatic ejection, part II
A player is at great risk of being ejected for a launch (leaving his feet to attack an opponent by an upward and forward thrust of the body to make contact in the head or neck area); a crouch (followed by an upward and forward thrust to attack with contact at the head or neck area); leading (with helmet, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with contact at the head or neck area); or lowering (the head before attacking by initiating contact with the crown of the helmet). Should a player be ejected in the second half or overtime, he also is suspended for the first half of the next game.
CLOSE CALLS:Targeting in the cross hairs
"We want to protect the game and to help reduce critical injuries with this message: play the game hard but stay away from serious fouls," said Redding in a National Football Foundation news release. "By making changes, we are signaling that the safety of the student-athlete stands at the very top of our list of priorities. The clear intent is to change player behavior."
3. Offensive blocking below the waist
The rule establishes a zone for the offense that extends 7 yards on either side of the snapper toward each sideline and goes 5 yards into the defensive secondary and in the other direction all the way to the offensive team's end line. Within this zone, an offensive back who is stationary inside the tackle box and an offensive lineman inside the 7-yard zone may legally block below the waist until the ball has left the zone. Everyone else on the offensive team may legally block below the waist only if the block is clearly to the front of the opponent. This only-from-the-front rule also holds true for everyone on the offensive team once the ball has left the zone. In addition, no one on the offense is allowed to block below the waist if the block is directed toward his own end line.
4. Expansion of the 10-second runoff
If a player is injured within the last minute of a half, and this is the only reason for stopping the clock, the opponent may choose to have 10 seconds subtracted from the game clock. The injured player's team can preserve the 10 seconds by using a timeout.
5. A player may remain in the game via a timeout after his helmet comes off
The rule requiring a player to leave the game for one down if his helmet comes off has been modified to allow a player to remain in the game if his team is granted a charged timeout to adjust the helmet. As before, if a player's helmet comes off as the result of a foul (for example, a face mask penalty), the player does not have to leave the game.
6. Minimum time to spike the ball
Teams will need a minimum of three seconds from the referee's signal to "spike" the ball to allow for another play at the end of a half. Teams must still execute the spike, but they will have a reasonable opportunity for another play. If the clock shows one or two seconds, a team will only have enough time to run a play without first spiking the ball.
7. Changing jersey numbers during a game
If a team wants to use a player at different positions during the game, and the player needs to change jersey numbers, the player must report to the referee who will in turn announce the change. In addition, two players who play the same position at different times in the game may not wear the same number during the game. For example, two quarterbacks may not both wear No. 12.
8. Uniform numerals must contrast with the color of the jersey
The color of the jersey number itself must be clearly and obviously in contrast with the jersey, regardless of any border around the number. For example, teams will not be allowed to wear black numbers on black jerseys with a border of a bright color around the numeral; it must clearly contrast with the jersey in and of itself.


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UNA Math/CS Faculty Team Receives $188,000 Partnership Grant from State Department of Education
Mar. 20, 2013
By Elise Cofield, Student Writer
FLORENCE, Ala. – Four University of North Alabama math and computer-science faculty recently received a $188,000 National Science Foundation Math/Science partnership grant from the State Department of Education to support the first phase of their three-year initiative designed to improve STEM education in Alabama high schools.
The principal investigators for the grant are Dr. Cynthia Stenger and Dr. Jessica Stovall, professors of mathematics; and Dr. James Jerkins and Dr. Janet Jenkins, professors of computer science.
The team's initiative is called Collaborative Partnership to Teach Mathematical Reasoning through Computer Programming (CPR^2). It uses an instructional treatment the team has been investigating for its effectiveness since the summer of 2012 which merges computer programming and mathematical problem-solving, according to Jenkins.
The team found that high school students better understand mathematical concepts when they explore the essential concepts in each problem as a simple computer program, Jerkins said. The grant will provide a vehicle for the UNA math and computer-science faculty to form partnerships with regional high school mathematics faculty.
The team is partnering with the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI), a State Department of Education program designed to improve math and science education in Alabama. UNA's East Campus is the AMSTI host for northwest Alabama.
"Mathematical problem solving and computer programming are essential to innovation, and STEM education is where it all begins," Jerkins said. "Our long-term goal is to see this deployed, through AMSTI, statewide."
The grant was awarded March 1. It will fund on-site training visits for 24 northwest Alabama high school teachers, an interactive web community for instructional support, and the cost of hosting a two-week professional development seminar at the AMSTI in-service center this summer.
The team's plan is that, by Sept. 30, 2015, 75 high school math teachers will integrate the instructional treatment into their classrooms, and more than 8,000 high school students in Alabama will actively participate in computer programming and mathematical reasoning.
"We will be presenting the material to the high schools," Jenkins said, "but also the plan is that over time the teachers become comfortable enough to do it themselves and it becomes a part of their regular curriculum."
For more information, contact Tanja Blackstone, director of the Office of Sponsored Programs, at 256-765-4523 or by email at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Hello Board,
I've joined a small company who needs me to setup an infrastructure for their new half rack. That said, I'm not a network engineer and realize I need some major input here. Im very open to suggestions and when this is done Id also like to take all this knowledge and post a How-To doc.
Heres what Im aiming for so far:
1. What should I expect my datacenter to provide me with (ip block, what dns I use gateway, subnet masks, etc )Code:Line In --> Router/Firewall --> DNS Primary Mail Server and DNS Secondary Database Server Webserver CARP 1 Webserver CARP 2 Webserver CARP 3 NFS RAID 5 WWW Data
2. What should the Router/Firewall be? Is there a hardware firewall/router that has a good web admin interface? Or even a software once with web interface?
3. Will all the machines use the Router/Firewall as their default gateway and have their own publicly accessible IP address? If so, will blocking an outside IP on the Router/Firewall disallow access to the client trying to access the database boxs IP directly.
4. Is running the DNS Secondary on the mail server a terrible idea?
5. If either the Primary of Secondary DNS goes down, will there be any service interruption?
6. Is it better to have all the boxes on internal 192.168 ips and have the Router/Firewall redirect all external IP addresses to a private IP?
Phew .I guess thats it for now.


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Lost Alum William Mapother Books a Trip to Hawaii Five-0
Jul 23, 2014 4:48 PM EDT
Another Lost alum is making their way back to Hawaii! William Mapother, who played one of the Others — the sinister Ethan Rom — has been tapped to guest-star on the upcoming season of Hawaii Five-0, according to Entertainment Weekly. Excl… Read more


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Dear Scouting Friend:
The Boy Scouts of America's timeless values of character-building, citizenship training, duty to God, being prepared and doing a good turn daily give Scouting and the Denver Area Council our competitive edge over other youth serving organizations. Scouts are Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent. More than just words, these are timeless values that shape our very foundation and help us build a spark for life in the hearts of thousands of Scouts every year.
Denver Scouting programs prepare our young people to become successful, responsible adults. From citizenship and leadership, to cutting-edge programs like STEM and Exploring, more than 34,000 Scouts in the Denver Area Council are being equipped with the tools to succeed in life with the support from over 10,000 volunteers.
Tufts University conducted a study over three years to measure the character attributes of both Scouts and non-Scouts. Results showed Cub Scouts reported significant increases in cheerfulness, helpfulness, kindness, obedience, trustworthiness, and hopeful future expectations (visit TuftsCampStudy.com).
Baylor University also conducted a study, Merit Beyond the badges (visit DenverBoyScouts.org/EagleScoutStudy), and found that Eagle Scouts are more likely than men who have never been in Scouting to:
We must continue to work together to extend the benefits and opportunity of Scouting to youth in every neighborhood in Denver. We look forward to the future that our life changing programs provide to our youth!
Yours in Scouting,
John G. CabezaScout Executive/CEOBoy Scouts of America, Denver Area Council
2018 Annual Report
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2016 Annual Report
2015 Annual Report
2014 Annual Report
2013 Annual Report
2012 Annual Report
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This event has already occurred.
Michael Fox, PhD, Associate Professor, and Rosalyn Moran, PhD, Assistant Professor
Brain School: The Stuff of Brains and How They Process Information
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute
2 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, VA 24016
The Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute will host Brain School as part of Brain Awareness Week on the evenings of Monday, March 11 through Thursday, March 14, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Dr. Fox's presentation will provide a general overview of the human brain, from its structural organization to its cellular makeup, including neurons, glial cells, the brain's circulatory system, and the "matrix" or mortar that forms the scaffolding for the various cell types in the brain. Students will also learn how individual neurons chemically communicate with their partners through synapses, the concept of neural circuits, and how information is transferred in the brain.
Dr. Moran's presentation will outline how multiple scales of "wet-ware"—from "grandmother cells" to the brain at rest—support the software that our brains run to allow us to experience cognition and to carry out behaviors. Her talk will consider how neuroscience spans multiple empirical domains, from monitoring the electrical activity of individual nerve cells to imaging the structure and changes in blood flow in a living brain, with examples of how these disciplines intersect. Key to information processing is the site where one nerve cell communicates with another at the synapse, where learning results in changes and new information from the environment becomes instantiated. Dr. Moran will also highlight different ways of modulating synaptic information processing with reference to human memory and attention.
Brain School is free, yet preregistration is required as space is limited.
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Published at Saturday, April 20th, 2019 - 03:37:21 AM. Curtains. By Garland Lemaitre.
Let's start with bedrooms bedroom curtains need to be good and pleasant to look at and add something to the room while crucially blocking as much sunlight as possible to allow you to get your beauty sleep made-to-measure curtains made of thick fabrics are suitable for bedrooms and you don't Want to go as drastic as complete blackout curtains as you may not know when Dawn has broken. For children's rooms the majority of curtains are usually colorful or have their favorite TV shows decorated on the fabric if you're buying ready-made curtains with made-to-measure curtains you can buy some fantastic colored fabrics to add to your child's bedroom.
If you are looking for something trendy or fashionable, you can go for rod pocket curtains for your windows. These curtains/drapes/panels are very popular and extensively employed to give a trendy decor look. These curtains are hung on curtain rods.
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Any content, trademark's, or other material that might be found on the Mipente website that is not Mipente's property remains the copyright of its respective owner/s. In no way does Mipente claim ownership or responsibility for such items, and you should seek legal consent for any use of such materials from its owner.


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After a whole year of shooting this recipe , At last had some time to write it :)
Actually now we are celebrating the holy month of Ramadan & I do search for very easy & fast recipes to do without wasting feel energy in the Kitchen :) Just made this yesterday again & wanted to share this super easy & delicious recipe with you.
One year ago I tried -for the first time- doing Mussles at home & found them too delicous ! I never tried them before because I never knew how to do them & I'm not a sea food fan & lastly , I was afarid that my kids won't really like it !( I used to eat them only in Resturants on the beautiful beach in Egypt ) Surprisingly , they all loved it & since then I do it a lot as a side dish & they sneak into the kitchen to eat it from the pot :) ( I don't say no for that ) . I do it with so many sauces , Tomatoe Sauce, Garlic & Butter Sauce, Lemon Sauce ...etc. & you can also invent your own sauce !
You can eat it as a side dish or eat it with Pasta ! I personally love it both ways ! Their magical smell brings me back years ago when I ate them on our vacations to the beautiful beach of Alexandria ,Egypt , & brings up all the beautiful beach memories to my mind (Childhood memories are pricless! )
Now let's start with the "How to cook Mussles" basics :
HOW TO COOK MUSSELSI don't actually name it "cook" ,it's more like "steaming" & they usually take few minutes to open up & compeletely cook !


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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Environmental groups praised state regulators for delaying a decision on shale gas development until a more in-depth health study is finished, but landowners eager to reap profits from their mineral resources were frustrated at another delay in a rulemaking process that has kept drilling on hold for 4 1/2 years. "We're glad to hear that they're not putting an artificial deadline on completion of the regulations, and giving the scientists time to do the science," said Deborah Goldberg, an attorney for Earthjustice. Nick Schoonover, a landowner in southern New York who organized a coalition of landowners five years ago to pursue gas leases, said Tuesday the delay is "irresponsible. That's all there is to it." The Department of Environmental Conservation had faced a deadline Wednesday to complete its comprehensive environmental impact study of drilling for gas using high-volume hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said Tuesday that the deadline will be missed, meaning regulations due to be released Feb. 27 will be delayed. Martens said he expected Health Commissioner Nirav Shah's review to be done in a few weeks. But Martens said issuing of permits for shale gas drilling could begin even while regulations are being finished, if the Health Department's review finds the Environmental Conservation Department's impact study adequately addresses health concerns. But if the Department of Health review "finds that there is a public health concern that has not been assessed in the (environmental impact study) or properly mitigated, we would not proceed, as I have stated in the past," Martens said. Goldberg said it would be illegal for the state to issue permits before the regulations were finished. "If they try to proceed without rules, we'll be suing them in court," she said. Shah said he needed more time to review recent studies. He said his review focuses in particular on the relationship of fracking to the health impacts of drinking water, as well as other areas such as air quality and community impacts. "Commissioner Shah is correct that the state needs to take the time to do a comprehensive study of the health effects of fracking to protect the public health," said biologist Sandra Steingraber, a leader of the anti-fracking movement. "We are confident that such a review will show that the costs of fracking in terms of public health are unacceptable." A coalition of landowners is considering a lawsuit over the state's repeated delays in completing regulations and issuing drilling permits. "We're incredibly disappointed that our state could not get this done," said Scott Kurkoski, a lawyer representing a large coalition of landowners in the southern part of New York near the Pennsylvania border where gas drilling is most likely to start. "We've been at this for 4 1/2 years. Ohio was able to accomplish their revision to regulations in eight months." Karen Moreau, executive director of the New York State Petroleum Council, said industry best practices and state regulations "have proven effective in the safe use of the hydraulic fracturing process for more than 60 years and in over a million wells." Shah noted several studies that have been initiated or published by the scientific community: an EPA study on potential impacts of fracking activities on drinking water, due to be completed in 2014; a Geisinger Health Systems study in Pennsylvania, which is analyzing health records in areas where shale gas is being developed; and a study recently announced by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania in collaboration with scientists from Columbia, Johns Hopkins and the University of North Carolina. "As we have been reviewing the scope of these studies, I have determined - and prudence dictates - that the DOH Public Health Review will require additional time to complete based on the complexity of the issues," Shah said. He said he and his team will be in Pennsylvania and Washington in coming days for briefings on the studies. He said he has also extended the terms of outside researchers assisting in his review.
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There are 11 item(s) tagged with the keyword "plan design".
Displaying: 1 - 10 of 11
Last week, 120 employers and industry leaders came together in Washington, DC for the NBGH Employers' Summit on Health Care Costs & Solutions. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from Dr. Kathryn Phillips, founder and director of the UCSF Center for Translational and Policy Research on Personalized Medicine regarding the evolving landscape of genetic tests and treatments and the ways to evaluate their economic value.
There are 50 million parents in today's workforce and more dual-earner households, single parent homes and female breadwinners in 2018 than ever before.
Despite this, a recent survey from Ovia Health featured in NBGH's recently released Parent Package found that only 65 percent of women working at companies with 1,000 or more employees feel supported in balancing their work and family lives.
According to a study published this month, physicians estimate that 20.6% of overall medical care is unnecessary. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine interviewed 2,106 doctors from across the United States, asking them about the prevalence and causes of overtreatment.
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are being considered as one the key strategies in the next frontier of efforts to improve health care delivery and control health benefit costs. Roughly one in four large employers plan to pursue an ACO strategy in 2017 and that number is expected to grow in the coming years. However, employers have many questions about how ACOs deliver value better than the network models they offer today. To help employers better understand and evaluate ACOs in their markets, two groundbreaking tools have been released by the National Business Group on Health.
The CDC estimates1 that one in 68 children has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and diagnoses continue to rise. Whether that's due to increasing prevalence or more accurate diagnosing, large employers must have a strategy for supporting plan members with ASD and the employee caregivers who assist them.
You can help the Business Group by supporting The Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network (LAN), an initiative launched by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2015 to align stakeholders across sectors in moving payment from traditional fee-for-service (FFS) methods to ones linked to quality and alternative payment models (APMs). The LAN's next initiative will focus on providing support and resources to drive improvement in maternity care outcomes via episode payments.
Patient (or "copay") assistance programs and coupons present a bit of a double-edged sword. While they help facilitate payment for certain drugs, they also complicate the payment process immensely. Both help patients ultimately gain access to expensive drugs that otherwise may not be affordable. However, the intention behind each approach differs considerably, as does the overall impact.
Large employers have more potential partners than ever to choose from to connect employees to high-value care. The Business Group's Marketplace identifies dozens of vendors that provide second-opinion services, transparency tools, medical decision-support programs, disease management and several other condition-specific programs. Dozens more exist and startups looking to partner with large employers are being created regularly.
In today's workplace, more generations are working side-by-side than ever before, with the largest portion of the U.S. labor force made up of millennials (34%), Generation X (34%) and baby boomers (29%).1 To best support the needs of a multigenerational workforce, employers should consider taking a refreshed look at how they develop benefits and programs, with an eye to what is most important to employees at each life stage.
Twenty-one percent of large employers plan to actively promote accountable care organizations (ACOs) in 2018 and another 26% are considering doing so in 2019/2020. Close to a quarter of large employers (24%) plan to actively promote accountable care organizations (ACOs) in 2017. ACOs consist of health care providers that are creating a delivery model that ultimately accepts responsibility for the quality and cost of care for a defined population. However, it is not always clear how ACOs differentiate from the market or how they are consistently achieving initial contract goals and reducing costs. A common question employers ask is, "Is an ACO right for my company?"
Displaying: 1 - 10 of 11