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Preservation Vision Cafés
Preservation Vision Cafés are interdisciplinary dialogues between colleagues in historic preservation and allied fields. Part-guided discussion, part-networking session, each Café transforms the Neighborhood Preservation Center into that local watering hole where the bartender and a regular embark on a conversation that grows to engage everyone at the bar.
The Preservation Vision Cafés continue the discussions initiated during Preservation Vision: Planning for the Future of Preservation in New York City and aim to strengthen the future of preservation in New York City by fostering more conversation within and outside the field. We thank Michael Webber for his design of the Preservation Vision Café banner.
Preservation Vision Café No. 4
New York City's Landmarks Law pioneered historic preservation activity across the nation. Two recent events are challenging the law's enforcement strength and stringency—City Council is currently reviewing 11 proposed bills, 6 of which would alter the landmark designation or pre-designation process; and the real estate lobby is issuing its own recommendations for changes to the Landmarks Preservation Commission's process. Preservation Vision Cafe 4 on December 10, 2012 brought together preservation law expert David Schnakenberg* and Randy Mason**, head of PennDesign's Center for Research on Preservation and Society, in a conversation unpacking these challenges. The beverage paired with this conversation was beer, generously donated from Brooklyn Brewery. For a summary of the discussion, click here. For photos of Cafe No. 4 see our Picasa page.
The suggested reading list for this conversation:
- Massey, Daniel, "Business, Labor Team Up to Target Landmarks", 6/6/12
- Bankoff, Simeon, "HDC: Proposed Legislation Would Undermine the Landmarks Preservation Commission", 10/5/12
- http://www.responsible-landmarks-coalition.org/
- Schnakenberg, David, "Speech: New York City's Landmark's Law" (pdf from the Widener Law Review issue centered on the Fitch Forum: 45 Years of Preservation Law held on 2/5/11)
- Benfield, Kaid, "What Smart Growth Advocates Get Wrong About Density", 1/18/12
*David Schnakenberg is an associate with Rosenberg & Estis, P.C. Before joining R&E, David was the Ralph C. Menapace Legal Fellow at the Municipal Art Society of New York, where his work focused on the legal issues surrounding land use and planning, historic preservation and New York City governance. Mr. Schnakenberg is a member of the New York City Bar Association's committee on Land Use, Planning & Zoning, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Historic Preservation Law at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.
**Randall Mason is Associate Professor and Chair of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Design. He earned a PhD in Urban Planning from Columbia University. Prof. Mason's current research focuses on socio-economic impacts of preservation policies and urban conservation strategies in the U.S. and abroad. His current work includes two books - How Priceless is the Past? Economics and Historic Preservation (under contract with W.W. Norton); and a book on North Brother Island with the photographer Christopher Payne - and he is the recipient of the 2012-13 National Endowment for the Arts Rome Prize.
Preservation Vision Café No. 3: Preservation and the Sustainable City
What is preservation's role in a successful, sustainable megacity? On Tuesday July 26, 2011, Lisa Kersavage* and Nathan Storey** led the first Café of the season, discussing the common ground and conflict with preservation and sustainability goals. For the summary of the discussion and Nathan's cocktail recipe, click here. For photos of Café No. 3 see our Picasa page or our Facebook page where we invite the conversation on this topic to continue.
Some readings were referenced and discussed at the cafe:
Preservation Vision New York City's Statement on Environmental Sustainability
National Trust for Historic Preservation's Position Statement: Historic Preservation and Sustainability
Roberts, Tristan "Does Saving Historic Buildings Really Save Energy?"
Glaeser, Edward L. "Reservations about Landmark Preservation"
Ourossoff, Nicolai "An Architect's Fear that Preservation Distorts."
Birnbaum, Charles A. "Nostalgia 2.0: Has Historic Preservation Become a Spectator Sport"
Kersavage, Lisa "The Green Opportunity in New York City's Historic Buildings"
*Lisa Kersavage is the Senior Director of Preservation and Sustainability at the Municipal Art Society of New York and the Historic Preservation Policy Strategy Development Consultant at the William Penn Foundation. She has served as the Executive Director of the James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation; the Executive Director of Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, and was the Publications Specialist at the architectural firm Polshek Partnership.
**Nathan Storey is an urban planning graduate student at Hunter College and is the Commissioner for Institutional Responsibility for the Graduate Student Association at CUNY. He also serves as the Communications Manager for City Atlas at the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities and is a contributor to PlaNYC. Previously he was the Digital Media Fellow for ioby.org. Nathan is also a mixology consultant (nathanstorey.com/mixology).
Preservation Vision Café No. 2: The Next Generation: Inciting a Young Preservationist Movement in New York City
On October 19, 2010, Seri Worden lead a discussion to consider the emerging guard of preservation-minded civic leaders in New York City, with presentations by Mike Webber on One Past 5, Historic Denver and Dan Holland on the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh.
A summary of the discussion and cocktail recipes click here. For photos of Café No. 2 see our Picasa page. This program is made possible through the gift of an anonymous donor. We also thank Michael Webber for his design of the invitation for Café No.2
Preservation Vision Café No. 1
The Preservation Vision Cafés were launched on June 22, 2010. Simeon Bankoff demonstrated his mixology skills while he and Anthony C. Wood led a discussion with the participants about the current landscape of preservation in NYC and together the group conducted a diagnostic on preservation today by exploring several recent preservation efforts to identify what worked, what didn't work, and what new approaches to preservation they might suggest.
For a summary of the discussion and Simeon's cocktail recipes, click here, and for photos of Café No. 1 see our Picasa page. This program was made possible through the gift of an anonymous donor.


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Prosperity and World Population Growth
Readers of Matt Ridley's The Rational Optimist and Ronald Bailey's columns in the Reason magazine will not be surprised to hear that the rate of population growth is slowing — dramatically — throughout the world. Jeff Wise's article in the Slate magazine, "About that Overpopulation Problem," revisits that familiar territory and makes some interesting points. Ultimately, however, Wise fails to appreciate the real reasons for the fall in population growth rate.
First, the good news. As Wise notes, "[The] rate of global population growth has slowed. And it's expected to keep slowing. Indeed, according to experts' best estimates, the total population of Earth will stop growing within the lifespan of people alive today. And then it will fall… the long‐dreaded resource shortage may turn out not to be a problem at all."
"For hundreds of thousands of years," Wise's article continues, "in order for humanity to survive things like epidemics and wars and famine, birthrates had to be very high. Eventually, thanks to technology, death rates started to fall in Europe and in North America, and the population size soared. In time, though, birthrates fell as well, and the population leveled out."
Why might that be? "The reason," Wise avers, "for the implacability of demographic transition can be expressed in one word: education. One of the first things that countries do when they start to develop is educate their young people, including girls. That dramatically improves the size and quality of the workforce. But it also introduces an opportunity cost for having babies."
True enough, better education is a by‐product of development, but where does development come from?
For that we have to look to Ronald Bailey. As he writes, "In 2002, Seth Norton, a business economics professor at Wheaton College in Illinois, published a remarkably interesting study on the inverse relationship between prosperity and fertility. Norton compared fertility rates of over 100 countries with their index rankings for economic freedom and another index for the rule of law. 'Fertility rate is highest for those countries that have little economic freedom and little respect for the rule of law,' wrote Norton. 'The relationship is a powerful one. Fertility rates are more than twice as high in countries with low levels of economic freedom and the rule of law compared to countries with high levels of those measures.'"
And, "Economic freedom and the rule of law produce prosperity which dramatically lowers child mortality which, in turn, reduces the incentive to bear more children. In addition, along with increased prosperity comes more education for women, opening up more productive opportunities for them in the cash economy. This increases the opportunity costs for staying at home to rear children. Educating children to meet the productive challenges of growing economies also becomes more expensive and time consuming."
So, education is a proximate cause of population growth slowdown. The ultimate cause, however, rests with economic freedom and resulting prosperity.

subset: commoncrawl


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Coming Down
This story appears in the April 2001 issue of Entrepreneurs Start-Ups magazine. Subscribe »
As this article goes to press in winter, the talk of the nation for the past two months has been about a U.S. economic slowdown. Journalists are trotting out reams of data to detail plunging corporate profits and a bear stock market. And some indicators, undeniably, look bad:
- The Commerce Department showed growth slowing to an annual rate of 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter from the third quarter's 2.2 percent and the second quarter's 5.6 percent.
- The Conference Board saw its widely followed Consumer Confidence Index fall to its lowest point in more than four months: 114.14 in January from 128.6 in December.
- OPEC seems determined to keep oil at or above $25 per barrel, while natural gas prices have risen astronomically.
- Such stalwarts of the New Economy as Intel are issuing profit warnings.
- Fed chairman Alan Greenspan reported to Congress less-than-encouraging news on January 25: "As far as we can judge, we have had a very dramatic slowing down, and indeed we are probably very close to zero [growth] at this particular moment."
Judging by the statistics, it looks like Morgan Stanley Dean Witter chief economist Stephen Roach may have been right when he predicted a recession for 2001 in a January 8 report.
But...maybe not. The majority of economists think we're headed for slower growth-not a recession. The Wall Street Journal's annual forecasting survey asked 54 economists for predictions. Consensus has growth slowing to 2 percent in the first quarter before accelerating to 2.9 percent at year's close. Unemployment should also remain low.
"The economy has too much momentum to be in a recession in 2001," says , chief economist at the National Federation of Independent Business, adding that federal, state and local governments spending their budget surpluses will be an added buffer in the coming year.
Another factor to remember is the breadth of the American economy. "Over the past 20 years, not every sector has gone into recession at the same time," says William B. Gartner, the Henry W. Simonsen Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "There's not just one industry cycle."
Still, it's hard not to get skittish-especially if you've never been through this before. At press time, we were closing on the 10th straight year of economic boom-plenty of time for many firms to mature without ever feeling the nasty backside of the economy's hand.
And, for fast-growing companies, 2 to 3 percent growth can feel like a recession, says , principal and founder of capital market advisory service The Econoclast Inc. and participant in the Blue Chip Economic Indicators survey. With lower inflation expected in 2001, pricing pressure will be tight. At the same time, customers will be squeezing you to cut prices further as slow growth limits their expenditures.
"We have a slowdown in expectations but not in spending," says Dunkelberg. "It's a question of how fast or whether these expectations get translated into spending."
Canaries In the Coal Mine
What data gives you the best indication of where the economy is headed? Here's what economists and entrepreneurs say:
"Watch job creation, " says the National Federation of Independent Business' Bill Dunkelberg. "If that turns negative, that's a clue we've got weakness."
David Friend of eYak keeps an eye on the annual rate of IPOs. A slowdown there means VCs are funding fewer startups, which reduces the number of fast-growth firms that fueled development in the '90s.
Economist Michael Cosgrove suggests tracking the value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currency. If the greenback remains strong, he expects more easings by the Federal Reserve-which should prime the economy. "But should the dollar weaken significantly," he says, "the easing may be off, and we could have an extended slowdown into 2002."
Dunkelberg also watches another economic barometer. "We could see a sharp curtailing of capital spending, especially since it's discretionary," he says. If so, that's a vote of no confidence by your fellow business owners-and a good indication to take things slow.
Finally, Houston financial advisor Ronald P. Schutz has a folksier approach. "I use the weight of the paper after I pull the classifieds out," he says. "When the newspaper gets light, retailers aren't spending money on ads."
The purveyors of financial information know that scenario all too well.
Proceed With Caution
If only the paranoid survive, it pays to be cautious. The economy's growth has slowed faster than anyone expected, and a recession may show up as quick as a champagne hangover.
We've talked to academics who study entrepreneurs, business owners who've weathered these storms before and professionals who work with distressed firms. Here's their advice on dealing with rough financial waters:
Set and monitor benchmarks.
First and foremost, you need to establish realistic goals-and monitor them religiously. , who sold his 300-employee landscape company to ServiceMaster Co. in 1998 and is now the director of the James A. Ryffel Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, notes that only 30 percent of the entrepreneurs in his executive education class have budgets. Do you?
Minor suggests working on zero-based-not zero-growth-budgeting. "Start from scratch every year," he says. "Don't assume you're going to [spend] the same just because you did [before]."
In a slow-growth period, Minor says, it's particularly important to get financial statements from the previous month by the 10th of the current one and to revise your budget every three to six months. "If you're not hitting your top-line numbers, you're going to want to evaluate the expense side," he says.
Not all benchmarks should be related to money, though. "Financial monitoring comes at the end," says Earl Eisenberg, a business consultant and workout restructuring specialist in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. "[But] you also need monitoring at the beginning and in the middle." For example, try establishing the time it should take employees to finish tasks and then monitor how long it takes them to do so. If employees meet interim goals, you'll stay on budget.
Focus On: Money & Employees
Line up cash.
Money is always king, but never more so than in a downturn. That's why , founding partner in Newport Beach, California, firm Squar Milner CPAs and Business Consultants, advises businesses to check their lines of credit before things get out of hand.
Or if you're thinking of selling a stake in your firm to venture capitalists, there's still money out there, according to Paul R. Johnson, professor of global entrepreneurship at the American Graduate School of International Management (known as Thunderbird) in Glendale, Arizona. But VCs are much pickier about the firms they invest in.
That makes it a good time to be flexible about giving up more equity than you normally would, says David Friend, founder of software company eYak Inc. in Boston. Says Friend, "I'd rather have a smaller piece of a company that survives than a larger slice of a company that fails."
Manage your staff.
If you live through an economic downturn, you'll thank your employees. And they'll thank you if you've been forthcoming with them.
"If you're anticipating problems, don't bury your head in the sand and try to handle them yourself," Minor says. "Communicate the way it is and the challenges that lie ahead, and work as a team to solve the challenges."
To avoid layoffs, don't staff up. Friend, for example, throttled back for 2001. "We were about 90 employees headed to 140," he says, "and we decided to head to 110." Telling employees the reason for the cutbacks boosted the staff's sense of security.
Also, try filling openings with temps, says Minor. And if cutbacks are required, cut perks (golf-club memberships, free sodas, etc.), overtime and benefits before cutting people. A salary freeze might be in order, too. "Give bonuses in lieu of salary increases," he says.
Of course, that means leading by example, says , managing partner of the Irvine, California, law firm Marshack, Shulman and Hodges LLP, which has worked with many distressed small businesses. Says Shulman, "Executives should only take what they need for reasonable living expenses."
Spend wisely.
Salaries and benefits aren't the only places to cut corners. "Don't overexpand; don't overcommit; don't overleverage," says Dunkelberg.
Just as Minor recommends leasing talent, he also suggests using rentals. "Forgo capital expenditures unless you know you'll be at capacity," says Minor. "You can lease just about anything."
"If it can't generate revenue in the next 12 months, we're putting it off," says Robert L. Wallace, founder and CEO of two computer training companies, EntreTeach.com LLC and The Bith Group Inc., both in Columbia, Maryland.
But don't expect to find all your savings in big-ticket items or office supplies; dig around to find less obvious budget killers. "In good times, there's a tendency for principals who have credit cards to purchase at higher amounts," says Squar. "A leakage can occur on the managerial level as well."
Focus On: Customers & Suppliers
Eye your clients.
If more than 60 percent of your business comes from one client, you're overexposed-but you're especially exposed during an economic downturn. "You want to have as many different clients as you can," says Johnson.
At the same time, you've got to curry favor with your stronger clients. "How do you make sure you get your share of fewer dollars?" asks Wallace. "Most of that is a result of your relationship with your customers." Now may be the time to get in closer touch with big clients and spend your skinnier entertainment budget on taking those clients to dinner more frequently.
It's also a good time to develop tighter partnerships with larger firms, says Wallace. In a budget-tightening period, you may win outsourced business by delivering a service for less than big firms can do it themselves internally.
Strengthen your supply chain.
Your customers aren't the only ones to watch. Suppliers impact the health of your business, too.
Even if your business is fine, you have to consider the sources of any raw materials. "Think about critical components and resources you need and how strong your suppliers are," says Gartner.
You might even try to barter with your suppliers, especially if you run a service company. For example, Wallace traded the computer skills of some of his underutilized staff for legal services. "It's kind of like fixed cost," he says. "I'm paying their salaries even when they aren't billable."
Shulman notes that if your own finances start to look shaky, you should approach suppliers early. "A company can negotiate forbearance or stand-still agreements to keep out of the bankruptcy-court arena," he says. That assumes, of course, that you've whittled expenses down and you approach suppliers before problems become acute.
Focus On: Advisors and Decision-Making
Seek good advice.
If you've never been through a down-turn, find someone to help you. But be careful, says Eisenberg: "[Bad consultants] may slash enough cost to create a profit short-term but ruin the infrastructure of a company so it can't recover."
Eisenberg also warns against relying too heavily on CPAs, bankers or lawyers-who often analyze your problems from their own professional standpoints rather than a broad perspective.
Other business owners are another source of good advice, says Ronald P. Schutz, founder and chair of The Smart Group Houston, a Houston-based financial consulting firm. Schutz belongs to the Emerging Entrepreneurs division of The Executive Committee, which can be used as a mutual support society when members face down times. Says Schutz, "At least one of us is in a low spot each year, but we support each other so we know we're not alone."
Act quickly.
Regardless of what options you face in the coming year, most experts suggest you don't dawdle. "Make difficult decisions quickly," says Squar.
That may include the toughest decision of all: "The choice is always plateau and be stagnant, or sell the company while it's worth a lot and move on," says Friend. That's not an easy call to make if you've always seen yourself moving on to a new venture. But if you're unwilling to fish for several years to come, it's better to cut bait now. That way you can get your next enterprise ready for the next upswing.
If you decide to stick with it, though, you'll have it easier if you've taken care of all the previous points. With financial information, a solid economic foundation and people to act as your sounding board, you'll be able to make good decisions without much worry-even in a down market.
A former editor of Success magazine, Chris Sandlund writes about business from Cold Spring, New York.


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Planned Giving – Estate Planning
If you've ever wished you could do something for the San Antonio Botanical Garden and did not think you were able, we hope that you'll consider naming the Garden in your estate planning. Connecting people with nature is at the heart of everything we do at the Garden. We know that many of you share this deep respect for nature and all that it means in our lives. Since 1980 the Botanical Garden has engaged families in exploring the diverse world of plants on our 38 acres. We realize that if we teach children to love nature, they will become its stewards in the future. Your bequest helps to continue and grow this legacy for generations to come.
There are simple ways to support the Garden by making future instead of current gifts. You can include the Garden in your will by indicating an amount or a percentage of your estate as a gift to the Botanical Garden. Another simple gift is to name the Garden as a beneficiary in your life insurance policy or retirement plan. When choosing which types of assets to leave to charity versus family, you might wish to consider making the Garden a beneficiary o f your IRA. A charitable gift annuity is another simple means of making a gift to a charity, in which you receive income from the gift for life and the residual passes on to the charity.
Please consult your attorney, accountant, or professional advisor about making a gift to the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Contact us if you wish to know more about our future vision or about programming at the Garden. We're happy to share information with you.
To name the San Antonio Botanical Garden in your will, estate plan, or as a beneficiary to your life insurance or a retirement plan, please list us as the San Antonio Botanical Garden Society, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with principal business address of 555 Funston Place, PO Box 6569, San Antonio, Texas 78209. Tax Identification #74-2178792. Contact information: 210-536-1408.
If you've already included us in your estate plans, please let us know. We would like to thank you and confirm that we can honor your wishes. If you'd like additional information and to speak to someone personally and confidentially, please contact the Development department at 210-536-1408.


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Knowledge skills are the cinderella of the skill set. Nobody really puts grades in Knowledge (local), Knowledge (Nature) or Knowledge (Royalty). If you have a bard in the group, all these knowledge are made useless by any bardic lore, otherwise you can always roleplay them out of NPC conversation. Grades in knowledge are wasted, and players know it.
This is the reason why, as far as I understand, grades in knowledge are prerequisite for prestige classes. Nobody would pick them otherwise.
The question stands. How can I increase, either as a player or a GM, the importance of grades in knowledge skills without appearing insanely pedantic ? Should I force the players to dedicate at least one grade per level in knowledge ? Is it a viable strategy ?


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Archive for January 10th, 2013
'Ring Rats' by R Garcia y Robertson
So we move from puppy loves to a 13 year old hitchhiker sucking off a space trucker. The tonal shift from Asaro's story is presumably intentional but it is still jarring. 'Ring Rats' has a veneer of grimness rather than realism, however, and this ludicruous story of white slavery actually shares some of the same properties as 'Aurora In Four Voices'. Namely, action crap, idiot plotting and unbridled escapism. I mean white slavery? Seriously?
Quality: *
I promised myself I'd ignore Hartwell and Cramer's chopshop intros but I can't help quoting the vital information they opening their piece with: "He's one of the few SF writers who does not thus far own a computer."


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I took my bike into a dealer to replace the cracked rubber boots on the drive shaft and final drive that were covered under warranty. When I got home I noticed there was small noticeable ding (through the paint and into the metal) on the top of the final drive. Then I remembered when I peeked into the service area to see if my bike was on the lift, the mechanic dropped the final drive and it swung on the bottom hinge and it hit a jack, and he cussed. I didn't think anything about it until I saw the damage a few days later. I called the dealer and he said to bring the bike by to see what he can do.
I haven't had time to swing by the dealer yet and I'm sure they'll do the right thing, but this kind of stuff puts me into an uncomfortable spot. Am I being petty? I don't want to ruin my relationship with my dealer, yet they are at fault. Is he going to replace my whole final drive costing him about $1000, just for a ding?
Has anyone had this happen to them? What was your outcome?
Tip: Inspect your bike fully after every service.


text: The magic of landscape photos lies in their ability to transport your mind to anyplace in the world. My name is Kevin Boldenow and I am the owner of KRB Photo Imagery. My business, based in Stuart, Florida, offers a variety of scenic landscape photography. I also provide a number of commercial photography services including family portraits, modeling portfolios, and business photos.


text: The Adult Sanctuary Choir is made up of approximately 30 adult singers who meet weekly throughout the church year to rehearse and prepare service music as well as anthems of all varieties which are integrated into the 11 AM traditional worship service each week. The goal of the choir is to lead and enhance the worship of the people of God. The Adult Sanctuary Choir meets in the Music Room on the A-level at 7:15-8:30 PM on Thursday evenings.For more information contact Mary Wolling at firstname.lastname@example.com event has a Google Hangouts video call.Join: https://plus.google.com/hangouts/_/beverlyheights.org/adult-choir?hceid=YmV2ZXJseWhlaWdodHMub3JnXzR2ajVnMnZmZjk3a29ycWx0aTE2NDVucjY0QGdyb3VwLmNhbGVuZGFyLmdvb2dsZS5jb20.n33lgu49qumqou1cnnp61l1tk4&hs=121


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Microsoft's $732 Million Fine: Did Google Snitch?
The European Commission levied a new $732 million fine on Microsoft, but was rival Google somehow involved? Tom Gara discuses on Markets Hub. Photo: AP.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
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# Bath
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48 Isabella 48 Isabella St, Toronto 1- Studio Price: $1500 Available from: August 01, 2018 For more photos and information, copy the link below to our website! http://www.hollyburn.com/rental-apartments/48-isabella Suite Features 0 bedroom(s) Hardwood Granite Dishwasher City View Building Amenities On-Site Resident Managers Free Wifi in Common Areas 24-Hour Laundry Facility Rentable Storage Lockers Smoke-Free About Downtown Toronto Embrace the big city lifestyle with unique Canadian flair. Representing a diverse collection of neighbourhoods and apartments for rent in Toronto, living in the downtown spotlight never gets old. Inspired by urbanism, art, cuisine, culture, and fashion, Downtown Toronto is also the central business district and home to the city's largest concentration of skyscrapers - North America's third highest skyline behind New York and Chicago. Take a selfie at 1,136 ft. at the top of the iconic CN Tower, or wander to Nathan Phillips Square where Torontonians gather year-round for community and special events. Call 1- to book a viewing with our staff! Images shown are display suites and may not accurately represent each specific listing available. Proudly owned and professionally managed by Hollyburn Properties, building rental communities across Canada since 1975


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It's safe to say that actors get more attention than any other position involved with making a movie. People like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and so on are mega-celebrities, household names and constantly in the public eye. Those of us who are more into film than the average movie-goer can rattle off the names of this director or that screenwriter, but most people tend to focus on the actors. The Descendants isn't "the new Alexander Payne film." It's "the new George Clooney film." This line of thinking often seeps back to critics and bloggers in a way. I can only speak for myself (though I see this in the writings of many people), but I know I certainly spend some time in my reviews talking about the actors. He was great, she was awesome, this guy did the best work of his career, etcetera. Even a brief cameo can be worth mentioning. But when was the last time I talked about, say, the sound mix of a movie? I don't think I ever have, which seems unfair. The sound of a movie is always present, affecting me from beginning to end. And yet I'll still be more inclined to mention the performance of an actor with 15 minutes of total screentime. I don't have any real reason for this, other than the fact that it's an established way of thinking that I rarely reflect over.
Since the actors is what many people care the most about when they see a film, they get a lot of passionate support. Everyone has their favorites, whether they're Ryan Gosling, Robert De Niro, Catherine Deneuve, Tilda Swinton, Humphrey Bogart or what have you. The ones that make you want to see everything they've ever been in, or whose mention in the opening credits always puts a smile on your face.
But then there's the other side of the coin: the actors you hate. They keep popping up in movies you see, and you're never impressed by them. You find them distracting, boring, annoying, overbearing. You wonder how they keep getting work and why people would pay to see them. Whether they're leading stars or supporting players, you wish they would just retire. Some oft-mentioned targets for derision nowadays seem to be Megan Fox, Michael Cera and Shia LaBeouf. Others have more unusual dislikes. For instance, a real life friend of mine thinks Peter O'Toole is pretty much the worst thing in the world. To each their own.
I try to maintain a positive attitude as much as I can when it comes to film. That's not to say that I won't point out stuff I don't like, but I do try to focus on the good things. This goes for acting too, especially since acting is a two-man job. A great performance is the result of a collaboration between the actor and the director. The director needs to convey just what it is they want from the actor. Some director-actor pairings just don't function, because the people work in ways that don't gel. Time constraints during shooting can mean that there's just not enough time to get that one really great take. There can be many factors at play, and a lackluster performance can not always be blamed solely on the actor. Actors are among the many tools a director uses to craft a film. Is the hammer to blame when a nail bends? Some actors can shine in anything. Others need the right project and motivation. That doesn't mean that the latter group is bad at what they do.
All I need from an actor to convince me that they have talent is one good performance. No matter how many hum-drum rom-coms Kate Hudson stars in, I'll always have Almost Famous to remind me of how good she can be. Adam Sandler can be in as many unfunny films as he likes, because Punch-Drunk Love still tells me he has real chops. And while I went a long time thinking that Keira Knightley was pretty much useless, that changed once I got around to seeing Atonement. Another example: Keanu Reeves. Often described as wooden and life-less, but what if he had stuck to comedies a la Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, a film many seem to like him in? He'd be much more loved today, I reckon. On a side-note, I thought he was pretty good in Thumbsucker too.
As such, there are few actors I find unbearable. Few, but they're there. Two examples stand particularly tall – or low. One is Orlando Bloom, who is just boring as all hell. Boring in Lord of the Rings, boring in Pirates of the Caribbean, boring in Troy, boring boring boring. The other is Anna Faris, a particularly annoying example as she happens to be in my favorite film Lost in Translation. Her effort there isn't terrible, but then it boils down to nothing but a caricature of Cameron Diaz (would it be unfair to label her entire career as that?) with maybe 5 minutes of total screen-time. She tends to stick to comedies, despite the fact that she's never funny or charming. Even when she ventures out of that comfort zone to try out different stuff, the results aren't pretty. Evidence A: her turn in quirky horror film May, where she plays a seductress with a tone so disconnected from the rest of the movie. Highly jarring, and a blight on what is otherwise a very fine film.
That said, I'd be happy to be proven wrong about both Bloom and Faris. If you know of any great performances they've turned in somewhere, please let me know.


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Many observers tend to conceive any changes in media businesses as trends that are irreversible or to combine them with other changes to make sweeping generalizations about industry conditions. The results are often wrong and distract observers from asking deeper more appropriate questions about longer-term developments and how media companies use the resources they have.
To understand changes one needs to consider developments separately to determine their origin and expected duration. This allows one to determine what are the result of external trends and what are the result of company choices. Only then can one begin combining them with other observations.
Thus, one needs to consider whether the ratings increase for AMC is due to people spending more watching cable channels or an effect of the AMC's investments in quality programming and the popularity of programs such as Mad Men? If it is the former, one can enjoy benefits with little effort or extra investment; if it is the latter, the company will want to consider additional investments in other programming.
Is the decline in broadcast television advertising in the first half of 2008 a harbinger of a advertisers moving expenditures out of broadcasting or a reflection of the current economy and the condition of the automobile industry and its declining ad budget? If it is the first, long-term trouble is brewing and companies will need to give significant thought to their business models and cost structures. If it is the latter, the financial difficulties caused by the reduction may be short- to mid-term and will merely have to be endured until conditions improve.
Is the decline the in national newspaper advertising the result of reduced spending by advertisers or because of changes in the number of national advertisers and the ways they allocate their budgets. The latter requires rethinking income potential and expenditures for selling national advertising, whereas the former will create less longer-term trauma.
Many observers also seem to think that budgets cuts are necessarily bad and unusual for companies, but they are normal occurrences because of the cyclical nature of advertising expenditures. When ad dollars are flowing vigorously, media companies expand their budgets; when that flow lessens, companies reduce their budgets.
What is important about budget cuts is that they be instituted in strategic way to leave the core capabilities of the firm intact so the firm can benefit when conditions change and not miss critical time and financial benefits by having to rebuild those capabilities when better times occur.
It is alo important that budget cuts not be made equally and across the board, but that they be made by clearly analyzing the necessity of existing cost structures and operations. The challenge for many traditional media is that they are labor intensive and labor costs often are the one of the leading portions of their expenses. If one must cut labor, it should be done considering which employees can easily be replaced later, whether all operations, products, and services need to be maintained, and whether outsourcing some functions is an option.
Many companies also forget to look at the top as well as the bottom of their operations when cost cutting occurs. Today, for example, many newspaper companies need to be asking whether expensive corporate offices, private jets, and high corporate salaries and perks are warranted and necessary or if they should cut those corporate expenditures and the management fees they lay on local newspapers to pay for them.
In times of change, one needs clear vision of what is happening to an industry and company and to ask broader questions than are typically asked in firms and by industry observers. Those who do so benefit; those who don't pay a price.
Labels: advertisers, audiences, business models, finance, strategy


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Iowa State University
Awards and Honors
2010 Iowa State University Impact Award
2009 Asics/Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year
2009 Big 12 Coach of the Year
2009 AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year
Christy Johnson-Lynch enters her 13th year as head coach at Iowa State having rewritten the history of the Cyclone volleyball program. The program she inherited on Dec. 17, 2004 is unrecognizable compared to today's situation.
There are many ways to define Johnson-Lynch's tenure at Iowa State. There is the winning. She enters her 13th season at Iowa State with a 246-123 record in her career. The Cyclones are one of just 11 programs nationally to appear in each of the previous 11 NCAA Volleyball Championships. She has guided the Cyclones to the NCAA Regional Semifinals three times and to the Regional Final on two occasions in 2008 and 2011.
Johnson-Lynch's 141-75 record against Big 12 opponents is incredible in many contexts. In ISU's nine Big 12 seasons before her arrive, ISU had only picked up 13 conference wins compared to 167 losses. The Cyclones had anchored the Big 12 standings in seven of those nine campaigns. In 2009, alone, Iowa State won a program-record 17 Big 12 matches en route to a school record 27 victories on the season. In '09, Johnson-Lynch was named Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Iowa State has won 20 matches in a season six times under Johnson-Lynch, a feat only accomplished three times in the 15 years before Johnson-Lynch joined the Cyclones. To go with the 2009 Cyclones' 27 wins, the 2011 Cyclones earned 25 wins and the school's highest NCAA Championship seeding ever at No. 4.
The Iowa State program has produced a line of talented players in Johnson-Lynch's tenure. The Cyclones have had 12 student-athletes earn AVCA All-America honors under Johnson-Lynch. The Iowa State program had never had an All-American prior to Johnson-Lynch's arrival.
2015 saw Caitlin Nolan become a two-time All-American, as she added to her 2014 Third-Team honor with Second Team All-America recognition, as the libero also earned All-Region honors and All-Big 12 First Team recognition to go with winning Big 12 Libero of the Year again. Nolan wrapped up 2015 with three Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week awards and 5.78 digs per set, the most in program and Big 12 history.
Prior to Nolan, Kristen Hahn was the latest of an outstanding line of liberos to come through "Libero U". A three-time All-American, All-Region and Big 12 Libero of the Year to go with two unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selections and a Big 12-record 17 Defensive Player of the Week awards, Hahn's work in the ISU program helped her become the first Cyclone to represent USA Volleyball's Senior National team in May 2014.
Prior to Hahn, Ashley Mass was highly accomplished as a three-time All-American, All-Region and Big 12 Libero of the Year winner and a two-time All-Big 12 selection. In 2009, Mass became the first libero and first Cyclone ever named an AVCA First Team All-American. Iowa State has won the previous eight Big 12 Libero of the Year honors.
Mass is one of three Cyclones to earn First Team All-America honors under Johnson-Lynch. Victoria Henson redshirted her first season at Iowa State, but eventually became one of the most feared outside hitters in the country in spite of being under six-feet tall and being a First Team honoree in 2010. In 2011, setter Alison Landwehr earned First Team honors through the guidance of Johnson-Lynch, a two-time All-American and a national champion setter in her playing days.
Iowa State players have received all-conference recognition from the Big 12 on 35 occasions, including winning the league's top libero award from 2008-2015 and the best defensive player honor in 2006. Mass was the Big 12's best libero from 2008-10, Kristen Hahn earned the award from 2011-13 and Caitlin Nolan picked up the award in 2014 and 2015. Erin Boeve was the league's top defender in 2006.
In 2012, Iowa State garnered its first Big 12 Freshman of the Year honor with right side Mackenzie Bigbee, who also earned distinction as the first Cyclone to be named AVCA Region Freshman of the Year. 2015 saw freshman Jess Schaben, who played her club volleyball for the same club Johnson-Lynch did (River City Juniors), earn both Big 12 Freshman of the Year and AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year honors.
With the success has come the Cyclone Nation. Hilton Coliseum is no longer just the home of elite basketball and wrestling programs, as the ISU volleyball program boasts one of the top game-day environments in the country thanks to Johnson-Lynch and ISU's success.
In 2013, Iowa State averaged its second-highest season attendance in school history, with 2,700 fans per match entering Hilton Coliseum, second-most in the Big 12 and 12th in the NCAA. The past three seasons, Iowa State has broken its season tickets sales record.
In 2009, ISU saw one of the most memorable events in the school's athletics history take place when a state of Iowa record 10,203 fans poured into Hilton Coliseum to see the eighth-ranked Cyclones face 10th-ranked Nebraska. It marked the fifth-largest crowd in the country in 2009.
Iowa State's successes have not been limited to the court, as Johnson-Lynch's Cyclones have also been stars in the classroom. The Cyclones have put 52 student-athletes on Academic All-Big 12 teams including a program-record 10 honorees in 2011 when eight players made the academic first team. Iowa State is the only Big 12 school to ever put 10 student-athletes on academic all-conference teams in a single year.
Johnson-Lynch has also earned the respect of her peers. On Jan. 1, 2016, Johnson-Lynch assumed the position as President of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She will hold the position until Jan. 1, 2018.
Before Iowa State
When Johnson-Lynch was tabbed to become Iowa State's 10th head volleyball coach on Dec. 17, 2004, the Cyclones landed one of the nation's brightest assistant coaches. Endowed with an enthusiastic approach, a determination to build a strong winning program and one of the most impressive résumés of any assistant coach in the country, Johnson-Lynch took over in Ames after an illustrious playing and coaching career at Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Johnson-Lynch's playing and coaching career has brought her in touch with some of the game's greatest coaches, including Terry Pettit, her coach while playing at Nebraska, current Nebraska head coach John Cook and Wisconsin head coach Pete Waite. She also has international coaching and playing experience.
Johnson-Lynch coached in the 2000 NCAA Division I Championship match and has been on the sideline in four regional finals (one at ISU; three at Wisconsin).
Johnson-Lynch's experience in the NCAA Tournament goes back to her collegiate playing career at Nebraska. She earned All-America honors for the Huskers in 1994 and 1995. Johnson-Lynch was the starting setter on the 1995 Nebraska team that won the school's first NCAA championship. The Huskers made four NCAA tournament appearances and won three Big Eight titles during Johnson-Lynch's collegiate career.
In her junior and senior campaigns in Lincoln, Johnson-Lynch led Nebraska to a 63-2 mark, the second-best winning percentage of any setter in Nebraska history. The Huskers were a perfect 24-0 in Big Eight play during that span and captured two Big Eight crowns.
Johnson-Lynch was also named to the 1995 NCAA Championship all-tournament team, the 1994 and 1995 NCAA Regional all-tournament team and the 1994 and 1995 Big Eight Conference all-tournament teams. In addition to her athletic honors, Johnson-Lynch was a 1995 second-team academic All-American and a three-time All-Big Eight academic honoree.
Johnson-Lynch has international experience as a member of the 1989 U.S. Junior National team and as a member of the 1993 U.S. National "B" Team. She played with the Nebraska Tornadoes of the National Volleyball Association for two seasons, leading the Tornadoes to the league championship in 1998.
A 1996 graduate of Nebraska with a bachelor's degree in education, Johnson-Lynch spent one year coaching at Millard North High School in her hometown of Omaha, Neb. She also served as a coach in the River City Juniors Volleyball Club program for two years.
Courtesy: Cyclones.com
Click here to watch more videos from Christy Johnson-Lynch


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Paging Our Ophthalmologist…Posted by rtmsf on January 21st, 2009
Ed. note: if you have some nominees that we missed, send them to us at email@example.com or leave it in the comments and we'll try to get a photo up…
While we were sitting around watching a closer-than-it-should-have-been game between Memphis and Central Florida a couple of weekends ago, it occurred to us that we were spending more time staring at the appallingly hideous UCF Knight plastered onto the middle of the floor. And when the tv cameras took us to one end of the court, away from the menacing black knight ready to swallow up half of the players, my eyes were forced to contrast their two-tone floor where everything within the three point line was one color (light beige) and everything outside of it, another (beige). It was horrible. But our visual disaster is your gain, as it gave us an idea for a neat post comparing the ugliest home floors in America.
Central Florida – UCF Arena
The first thing we did was contact our loyal RTC correspondents, because who else will know about some abominable court hidden away in the Big Mountain South USA whatever Conference than our guys. Here are some of their entries:
Eastern Michigan – Convocation Center
It's never a good thing when you start painting giant basketballs on the court and coloring in the three-point areas. Never. A. Good. Thing.
Moving to the Big 12, which has not one, but two nominees…
Texas A&M – Reed Arena
We're uncertain what bugs us about this particular floor, other than the bizarre checkerboard parquet and the enormous outline of the state of Texas in the middle of it. Yeah, Texas is a big state, but come on… And the T-star situation isn't helping – what is that thing?? We thought the A&M logo always had the letters "A" and "M" in it.
Baylor – Ferrell Center
This one isn't all that bad except for one minor major annoyance – unless you're sitting in the first five rows, who thought it was a good idea to paint the new 3-point line in yellow on a hardwood-colored floor? Especially when watching Baylor on tv, it's nearly impossible to track what is a three and what isn't a three because of that fact (sorry, we haven't moved to HD in the RTC West Coast Compound yet).
Georgia Tech – Alexander Memorial Coliseum
This place has always bothered us – something about the deli mustard borders and the gigantic bee in the middle of the floor. Why not go with the black/gold setup like Vandy or Wake instead?
Colorado State – Moby Arena
Oh, Lord, no… this just can't be allowed to continue. The photo isn't great but you can clearly make out the outline of a ram's horns all over this court.
Boise State – Taco Bell Arena
But the school that takes the cake, not once, but twice, has to be our blue-turfed friends in Boise. Both incarnations of their home floor in recent years (the top is their current one) have been downright offensive (the horse heads are bad enough, but we esp. hate the half-basketballs in the corners).
Princeton – Jadwin Gymnasium
Honorable mention goes to Princeton, not so much for its floor (which is solid) but for its multipurpose arena known as Jadwin Gymnasium. The space-age Epcot-style lighting and airport-hangar background there really scares us. For Chrissakes, they have temporary restraining walls on the sidelines so the ball doesn't roll into the indoor track/field area. What a disaster.
Reader nominees:
Rutgers – The RAC
The floor at the RAC isn't great – the gargantuan "R" in the middle seems a little Napoleanic, but otherwise we don't think it's all that bad. Others?
Vanderbilt – Memorial Gymnasium
It's an awkward setup, but we don't see a big problem with the floor itself…
Fordham – Rose Hill Gymnasium
What's wrong with this floor? Nothing that we can discern…
Kansas – Allen Fieldhouse
Yeah, it's got a cartoonish Jayhawk square in the middle, but it's ok otherwise…
Kansas State – Bramlage Coliseum
Again, an oversized logo here, but otherwise, we don't see too many problems with it (we assume those are shadows)…
A GREAT nomination from Michael – last year's Women's F4 Court. HIDEOUS.
Oklahoma State – Gallagher-Iba Arena
Yeah the Eddie Sutton 'graph is fairly awful. Apparently below was an older photo, and the new OSU court looks like the one below it (we can't find a decent picture of the new one).
Buffalo – HSBC Center
A great reader submission. Who wouldn't want placid blue ponds on each end of their floor?


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Lino Rug
Expert artisans hand weave our rug from tonal blended yarns, creating sumptuous pile with rich visual texture and organic variations in shading. Our rugs are artisan crafted and no two are alike. Given their handwoven nature, slight variations in shading and size are inherent to the design. Imported. 100% viscose.
Viscose rugs are characterized by tonal variations that may be affected by the light in a room as well as the angle from which the rug is viewed. Shifting highlights and lowlights in the surface color of the rug are to be expected.


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Accommodation means making changes to certain rules, standards, policies, workplace cultures and physical environments to ensure that they don't have a negative effect on a person because of the person's mental or physical disability, religion, gender or any other protected ground. Accommodation is a way to balance the diverse needs of individuals and employers. For example, a person may be unable to work on a particular day because it conflicts with his or her religious beliefs. In such cases, the employer must try to resolve the conflict in a way that is agreeable to both parties. An employer's duty to accommodate is far reaching.
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that an employer has a legal duty to take reasonable steps to accommodate an employee's individual needs based on a protected ground to the point of undue hardship.
Undue hardship occurs if accommodation would create onerous conditions for an employer such as intolerable financial costs or serious disruption to business.
For example, an employee with a physical disability that prevents him or her from climbing stairs may be required to carry boxes up a flight of stairs as part of the job. If the business has no elevator, it may be deemed an undue hardship to expect the employer to install an elevator to accommodate the employee. However, it may be possible to have another employee do that task. In exchange, the person with a disability could assume one or more of that other employee's regular tasks.
Accommodation that is reasonable in one case may not be reasonable in another situation. Every situation should be handled and assessed on an individual basis and in consultation with employees. Employees must cooperate in the accommodation process and accept reasonable accommodation. An employee is not legally entitled to instant or perfect accommodation.
For detailed information about undue hardship and the duty to accommodate, see the Commission information sheet Employment: Duty to accommodate and human rights guide Duty to accommodate.Reviewed: February 5, 2010
The Alberta Human Rights Commission is an independent commission of the Government of Alberta.
Due to confidentiality concerns, the Commission cannot reply to inquiries about specific situations by email. Please call the Commission's Confidential Inquiry Line if you have a specific question.
You can access information about making FOIP requests for records held by the Commission on our Contact us page.
The Commission will make publications available in accessible formats upon request for people with disabilities who do not read conventional print.


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Playtex Nursers to a sippy cup.. transition issues?
My son is 1 year, 3 weeks. I used the Playtex Nurser bottles with him.. the ones with the bag that you can get all the air out of. Loved them. They were GREAT! Now we have...
Started by Ink on 05/18/2010 in Welcome To Circle Of Moms!!
Last update on 05/18/2010 by Ink


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Environmentalism plays key role at ESF
MORRISVILLE -- A leader in the state education system, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse stands as a staunch supporter of environmentally-responsibility initiatives.
SUNY ESF President Cornelius "Neil" Murphy has been selected as one of two keynote speakers for Feb. 24's "Shades of Green in Madison County: A Green Living Experience," a day-long event aimed at showing individuals, businesses and communities the economical viability, sustainability and healthy advantages of promoting and participating in green initiatives.
Murphy, who graduated from Syracuse University and went on to earn a Ph.D in chemistry before completing a 30-year career at O'Brien & Gere, will focus his speech on how colleges and universities should be used as a agents to increase green construction, renewable energy and sustainable practices.
As the president of SUNY ESF since 2000, Murphy has played a pivotal role in fostering green initiatives at the heart of the institution.
Leading by example, the campus' physical infrastructure reflects a passion and commitment to be an economically responsible member of a global society that is evolving to use more friendly practices and resources. The college has also made a commitment to be carbon-neutral by the year 2015.
When energy use emits carbon dioxide, it readily acts as a precursor to climate change, Murphy explained.
To lessen the college's contribution, the campus is in the process of installing a combined heat and power system that will be driven by wood biomass. The college also has a contract with the New York State Power Authority to improve its energy efficiency.
Other systems are already in place on campus to reduce reliance on non-renewable forms of energy, among them are solar panel arrays and 250 kw fuel cells that both reduce power usage and produce heat that's converted and used as energy.
Systems to mitigate storm water runoff are also in the works, along with rain gardens, porous pavement and other projects that will facilitate the capturing of storm water for use and to recharge water aquifers instead of going into storm water sewer systems.
Beyond the basic function of these systems, they provide stimulus to students who may ask "how does this work, what does this do?," Murphy said.
The school currently offers a minor in renewable energy systems and has submitted a proposal to the SUNY system and the state's education department to add a sustainable energy management program.
It's imperative that colleges and universities be leaders in environmental sustainability and demonstrate "what's possible," Murphy said.
"If we, in higher education, don't provide leadership in this area, who will?," he asked. "By providing leadership we are producing scientists, engineers and managers in the future that will have a focus on sustainable projects."
By providing an example of what is possible, Murphy said "we have the ability to influence the communities in which we (colleges) reside."
"Part of educating people is to show what's possible," he said. "It's about creating a vision for people to see what they're capable of doing. I think that's very important."
As a whole, the impacts of being environmentally irresponsible are real and can be seen now.
"We can look at climate change as one of those major impacts in the future on civilization as a whole," he said. "Anything we can do to reduce or emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and reduce human kind's impact on climate."
Murphy pointed to studies conducted by the United Nations that have indicated that as many as 250 million environmental refugees may be created as a result of sea levels rising, lack of precipitation or flooding in areas with excessive precipitation.
"You add that up and it has a potentially tremendous impact on people and the global ecosystem," he said. "We have a moral imperative to move in this direction.
As the cost of energy is on an ever-increasing rise, Murphy said "there's an economic need to manage our energy consumption and manage our natural resources responsibly."
At SUNY ESF in particular, Murphy credited the college's students as the driving force behind its progressiveness.
"We have students that very much believe in this whole idea of sustainability and climate change and their responsibility to mitigate that," he said. "Our students believe that if we teach green, we have to be green."


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The 2019 Kia Soul is offered in base Soul, Soul Plus (+), and Soul Exclaim (!) models, with a very generous list of standard features on the base Soul. . Power windows and locks, heated mirrors, Bluetooth connectivity and a 6-speaker sound system with satellite radio compatibility and USB and auxiliary inputs are all part of the base feature set. On base models, a Convenience Package adds touchscreen audio, rearview camera and satellite radio.
Soul+ models add larger 17-inch alloy wheels, additional fender trim, outside-mirror turn signals, a driver armrest and upgraded center console, a rear camera system and a center armrest in the back seat. The Soul! level comes with 18-inch wheels, fog lamps, projector headlamps, front LED marker lamps and rear 'halo' lights, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, a power driver's seat, cooled glove box and glossy piano-black trim for the dash.
Plus and Exclaim models come with the UVO eServices capability, which includes an 8-inch touch screen, plus apps for Pandora and many more. Plus Souls can be ordered with the Designer Collection package, which adds 18-inch wheels, a leather steering wheel, and 2-tone exterior paint -- either white with a red roof or red with a black roof.
Options include a full navigation system, 350-watt Infinity audio, a panoramic sunroof, fog lamps, ventilated front seats and heated seats for all four outboard seating positions.
While the Soul's exterior makes the vehicle stand out, the interior shines as well. There are soft-touch materials throughout, with fun features such as lighted speaker rings and customizable LED mood lighting. Well-bolstered front seats should help on longer trips, and the back seat is large enough for a couple of adults, or three across if it's kids headed back from practice.
Powertrains are what the Soul most has in common with other small sedans and hatchbacks. The base Soul includes a 130-horsepower, 1.6L DOHC 4-cylinder engine, while Plus models step up to the 2.0L four, making 164 horsepower. For 2019, a 1.6L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, making 201 horsepower, now powers Exclaim models. Base trims are available with either a 6-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual, while 2.0L Souls come standard with the automatic. The new 1.6L turbocharged engine in the Exclaim comes with a 6-speed dual clutch gearbox.
The Soul EV is Kia's first all-electric vehicle. It carries a 30-kilowatt-hour battery pack that makes 109 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque. Kia claims a 111-mile range on a full charge. The Soul EV is similar in shape and size to the gasoline-powered Soul, but feature a unique grille and energy-saving LED lighting. Base Soul EVs come with 16-inch alloy wheels, heated power mirrors, a UVO infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen interface, voice activation and smartphone integration. Bluetooth, a heated steering wheel, remote keyless entry and dual-zone climate control are all standard as well. The Plus model adds ventilated front seats and a proximity key system.
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Cisco IOS Software provides full support for the integration of the IP and MPLS Differentiated Services (DiffServ) Quality of Service (QoS) domains. The integration of the IP and MPLS DiffServ domains supports the multi-service strategy for support of Layer 2 and Layer 3 VPNs over an MPLS network, providing flexibility and scalability.
In addition, MPLS Traffic Engineering and MPLS DiffServ Traffic Engineering provide full control of network resources, enabling admission control, bandwidth protection, constraint-based routing, and explicit routing. Cisco IP Solution Center supports provisioning of IP and MPLS QoS policies on PE routers, and managed/unmanaged CE devices.
Review additional information about Multiprotocol Label Switching Quality of Service in the Technical Support site area.
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Testing Agencies In Foodservice
"NSF", which stands for National Sanitation Foundation, is an agency that is dedicated to protecting the environment and public health safety across a wide range of industries and products. In the foodservice industry specifically, the NSF approval means a few things in the mind of the customer. First, this listing reassures that equipment has met health standards and has undergone rigorous inspection testing which in turn instills confidence in the end user's purchasing decision. Second, having this stamp of safety on your equipment tells your health authorities that you have made a sound decision by investing in equipment that is constructed with proper sanitation principles in mind. Below are a few of the different NSF "Standards" that have been created to meet various equipment types:
- ANSI/NSF Standard 3: Commercial Spray-Type Dishmachines
- ANSI/NSF Standard 4: Commercial Cooking Equipment, Rethermailization & Hot Food Holding & Transportation Equipment
- ANSI/NSF Standard 7: Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers
- ANSI/NSF Standard 12: Automatic Ice Machine Equipment
- ANSI/NSF Standard 18: Food & Beverage Dispensing Equipment
Since 1894, UL has been one of the leading agencies in safety certification with 75 years of experience in the foodservice industry dealing with cooking equipment, refrigeration, food processing equipment and food preparation for manufacturers of gas and electric equipment. Equipment can be tested for a UL listing for Electrical Safety, Gas Safety and Sanitation. This non-profit, independent agency has nearly 20 different UL safety standards just for the commercial foodservice industry. Energy Star®:
When people see the blue Energy Star sticker on a piece of equipment, there is a level of confidence that is added to the user experience. Energy Star was introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy as an initiative to help the end-user find products that not only saved energy (and energy costs) but also helped the environment. Originally, this program was solely dedicated to the residential sector, ranging from home heating to home appliances, but in 2001 that all changed. At this time the EPA expanded the Energy Star® effort to the commercial refrigeration equipment sector. Later they rolled out the program to steamers, fryers, holding cabinets and other cooking equipment, and they continue to add this seal of energy efficiency to other categories in foodservice.


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If you can't make it to Italy this summer, you can find a little bit of Naples in a 50-seat corner restaurant in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
There, chef Luigi DiMeo kneads the dough and cooks the sauce used on his eponymous coal-oven pizzas. DiMeo follows many of the rules created by the official Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana. His crust is crisp and just a little chewy. It's thin, but not too thin. Ask for it well-done, and it arrives with the blackened edges that I adore.
To truly test DiMeo's prowess, order the simple margherita Napoletana ($11.95, 12-inch/$14.95, 16-inch), fresh tomato sauce, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and extra-virgin olive oil. The menu says, "no substitutions," and I can't think of any reason you'd want to. The sauce is densely flavored, but neither too sweet or too spicy. I'd also recommend the broccoli rabe and sausage pizza ($16.95, 12-inch/$19.95, 16-inch), which combines the bitterness of the greens with the richness of sausage.
I didn't care for another popular pizza known as bruschetta Napoletana ($13.95, 12-inch/$16.95, 16-inch), with diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic, oil, Parm-Reg and fresh arugula. While the menu says the herbs are fresh, I'm quite sure they were dry. They gave the entire dish an almost metallic taste. Switch back to fresh, please. Who uses dried herbs on bruschetta?
The house-made Caesar salad ($7.95) was plenty big for four to share. The greens were fresh, and the dressing had a nice, garlic creaminess. But the house-made croutons suffered from the same fate as the bruschetta pizza. They tasted packaged. The house salad ($13.95) is a mixture of romaine, garbanzo beans, onion, boiled egg, olives, pepperoncini, cucumber and tomato. DiMeo also does a classic Caprese with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, olive oil and pesto ($8.95).
We couldn't resist coal-oven chicken wings ($9.95, 10-piece/$17.95, 20-piece), served along with triangles of focaccia and a big pile of caramelized onions. You'll want to eat those onions on top of the bread or save them to eat with pizza crusts. They're that good.
There are panini sandwiches ($9.95-$10.95), a calzone ($10.95) and just a few other specialties, including a generously sized portion of spaghetti and meatballs ($15.95). The meatballs were rather bland, but like the pizza sauce, the tomato sauce was textbook perfect. Eggplant parmigiana ($15.95) is a multilayered beauty served with spaghetti and tomato sauce. There's enough here for two meals.
Two-year-old Luigi's has a very nice bottled-beer menu with many international choices and a delightfully well-priced wine list, heavy on Italian. Finish the night with house-made ricotta cheesecake ($5.75), sweeter than many Italian cheesecakes, but still very good.
I like to think of Luigi's as a neighborhood pizza joint for discerning pizza fans. Guests sit at the bar or at one of the 14 tables set with sometimes wobbly cafe chairs. Service is efficient and friendly. Families with children come for early dinners. The takeout business is bustling. And if any of our professional sports teams are playing, Luigi's is packed with fans, eyes on the three big screens, tables piled high with cold beer and DiMeo's beautiful coal-oven pizzas.
email@example.com or 954-356-4632. Read his blog at SouthFlorida.com/sup and follow him on Twitter at @FloridaEats.
1415 E. Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale
954-522-8888, LuigisCoalOvenPizza.com
Cuisine: Pizza/Italian
Cost: Inexpensive-moderate
Hours: Lunch and dinner daily
Reservations: Not accepted
Credit cards: All major
Bar: Beer and wine
Sound level: Can be noisy
For kids: Highchairs
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Parking: Small lot or city parking lot


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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—No. 16 Birmingham-Southern turned the ball over four times in a 30-21 loss to Trinity, Saturday, in Panther Stadium.
BSC falls to 5-2 with its second straight loss after falling to No. 6 Wesley last weekend on the road. The Tigers move to 4-2 on the season with their sixth-straight win against BSC in as many years.
Before either team scored, there were five turnovers between the two teams. Trinity received the ball to start the game but the Tigers' first drive ended on an interception by senior Zack Lambert. BSC recorded another interception early in the second quarter after turning the ball over on a fumble. On Trinity's first drive after the fumble recovery by Thomas Puskarich, BSC sophomore Ty Keenum recorded his second interception of the season, giving the Panthers the ball back deep in Trinity territory. BSC didn't hold the ball long, though, turning it over again four plays later on a fumble.
On the ensuing drive, the Tigers put the first points on the board with a 43-yard pass from Mason Blaschke to Matthew Kennemer. Garrett Biel's extra point was good to put Trinity up 7-0 at the 7:18 mark of the second quarter.
Trinity scored again on its next drive, this time on a one-yard rush by Blaschke. Biel's kick was good to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead with 1:25 left in the half.
BSC got on the board late in the second quarter. A 41-yard pass from senior quarterback Jimmy Stainback to sophomore Michael Cowan put the Panthers on the four-yard line with eight seconds left in the half, and Stainback connected with sophomore Sam Vermilyea on the next play for Vermilyea's sixth touchdown of the season. Junior Ryan Laughlin's kick was on the mark to cut it to 14-7 heading into halftime.
The Panthers turned it over again early in the third quarter on a fumble, recovered by Martel Matthews at the BSC 24-yard line. Trinity ended the drive with a 43-yard field goal by Biel, putting the Tigers up 17-7 with 10:45 left in the third quarter.
BSC answered on its next drive, scoring with a 21-yard pass from Stainback to Cowan. Laughlin made the extra point to cut the Trinity lead to 17-14 with 5:47 left in the quarter. The Tigers turned it over again on the next drive as sophomore Austin Hansard forced a fumble, recovered by senior Jake Robertson at the BSC 48-yard line.
Trinity would score again at the 9:41 mark of the fourth quarter after a fake field goal conversion, with Nykolas McKissic connecting on a 17-yard pass to Mason Lytal. The extra point hit the post, however, to put the Tigers up 23-14.
The Panthers scored on their next drive, which culminated in a 13-yard dash to the end zone by junior Joseph Moultrie. Laughlin made the extra point to cut it to 23-21 with 6:38 left in the game.
The Tigers also scored on their next drive on a one-yard rush by Blaschke. Biel made the extra point and Trinity pulled ahead 30-21 with 3:08 left. BSC committed its fifth fumble of the game and sixth turnover on the next drive as Christopher Hobbs knocked the ball out of Vermilyea's hands after a completed 50-yard pass. Jamal Murray recovered the ball for the Tigers at the Trinity 21-yard line with 1:44 left in the game.
Stainback was 16-20 with two touchdowns for 234 yards. Morris led on the ground with 86 yards on 23 carries, and Vermilyea led with 103 receiving yards on six catches.
For Trinity, Blaschke was 7-10 with 109 yards and a touchdown, and McKissic was 6-11 for 56 yards and a touchdown as well as two interceptions. Travis Williams led with 101 rushing yards on 12 carries, and Kennemer led with 62 receiving yards on three catches.
Hansard led BSC with seven tackles (six solo); Kyle Trella led the Tigers with 11 (eight solo).
BSC is at home again next weekend for the final home game of the year, facing Sewanee on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 1 p.m. for Homecoming 2012.


text: As part the Unseen tour and Black History Month, award-winning documentary maker, broadcaster, director, writer and actor Reggie Yates discussed the release of his first book Unseen: My Journey with Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo at London's Round Chapel. In Unseen Reggie takes us behind the scenes on his journey from TV presenter to documentary storyteller. Using some of the key moments and extreme circumstances he has found himself in, Reggie examines what he has learned about the world, and himself as a person. In this inspiring talk with Clara, Reggie discusses his career, the future, and why he felt it was so important to write Unseen now.


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From Wednesday, October 5th to Sunday, October 16th American Eagle is partnering with Cotton to bring 'Old Jeans, New Hope' to AE stores all over the US. Customers are encouraged to bring in their old denim to an American Eagle store and in turn, they will receive 20% off their entire purchase!
What can you donate to Old Jeans, New Hope?
Any type of denim! It can be your jeans that don't fit anymore, your dad's old jean shorts you can't stand to see ever again, or Daisy Dukes from the 1970s! That denim jumpsuit trend didn't seem to pan out? Bring 'em in and get 20% off your entire purchase! It's that simple!
Where is my old denim going?
Your old denim is going to be turned into UltraTouch Denim Insulation. Ultra Touch Denim Insulation then gets sent to communities in need all over the United States to assist with their building efforts. Your old denim is going to help keep someone warm!
Why is Ultra Touch Denim Insulation so awesome?
Ultra Touch Denim Insulation is made of 85% recycled cotton fibers. This insulation does not have carcinogenic warnings, formaldehyde, or any irritating chemicals. You can let babies roll around in Ultra Touch Denim Insulation, that's how safe it is! This type of insulation has exceptional thermal performance and even helps block out sound 30% better. Can Ultra Touch Denim Insulation get any better? Yes! It has a natural mold and mildew inhibitor. Oh, and did we mention that your denim won't be taking up space in your closet or in a landfill?
Step One: Take your old denim to AE, get some new clothes and 20% off your purchase!
Step Two: Your old denim gets sent to a recycling company.
Step Three: All the denim is processed back into its original cotton fiber state.
Step Four: Cotton is converted to insulation by Bonded Logic and put into homes for those in need all over the country!
Cotton: From Blue to Green Fun Facts
- Approximately 500 pieces of denim insulate one house.
- 1 pair of jeans makes insulation the size of a light switch on your wall.
- An estimated 1,333 pieces of denim divert one ton of waste from a landfill.
- In 2009, a Guinness World Record for collecting the most clothes to be recycled was set. Over 33,000 pieces of denim was collected to set the record and contributed to the Cotton. From Blue to Green.®program for recycling.
- In total, over 1300 homes have been insulated with denim from 'Cotton From Blue to Green's collections.
Still want to know more?
Check out: http://www.cottonfrombluetogreen.org/.
Ready to donate?
Locate your nearest AE store: http://www.ae.com/web/storelocator/default.jsp


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One of the ongoing controversies in the search engine optimization field is whether or not you should use the keywords meta tag.
Recently word came from Google, apparently confirming that they do not in any way, shape or form, use the keywords meta tag.
Bing recommends the keywords meta tag. While people may write Bing off, it is only going to continue to increase in popularity. It's certainly got the financial clout of Microsoft behind it. The Bing Webmaster Center team also talks about using the meta keywords tag here.
Yahoo also indicates that using the keywords meta tag is good practice to obtain good rankings. I think it's safe to infer from this that they use the data in the keywords meta tag, otherwise, why would they say anything about it?
Gone are the days where you only optimize for Google. If you can make a small change in how you do SEO (add the keywords meta tag) and start ranking better in 10 per cent of the search market, why not? You're building a foundation for the future.
With Yahoo at nearly 20 per cent of the search market, if you don't use the keyword meta tag, you're turning your back on almost 30 per cent of the searches out there. Can you really afford to do that? How about your clients?
SEO is a bit of a competitive field and you're bound to find lots of strong opinions out there about using keywords meta tags. You're likely to find incendiary blog posts saying that SEOs that the keywords meta tag are idiots and likely the reverse as well.
Let's get one thing straight: there isn't an SEO person out there who actually knows what is in the algorithms of the major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. While those same search engines may say they do or do not use a particular metric in their algorithm, there's no independent method to verify it.
The algorithms of all the search engines have changed over time and hopefully improved. There are also examples of search engines making substantial changes in how they handle things such as nofollows, like Google's admission recently.
Running a search engine company is extremely competitive and they don't like to give out any information they don't have to. Do you really think you absolutely know one way or the other exactly how the search engine algorithms operate? Good luck with that.
SEO isn't a field like chemistry where there are bedrock scientific principles we can rely on to make decisions. So, we make educated guesses about what is or is not the case. Sometimes you can count on explicit statements by the search engine companies, and sometimes you can't.
My experience with the keywords meta tag
I'm not going to sit here and take pot shots at one SEO practitioner or the other and say they don't know what they're talking about. I think it's probably better to base our decisions on whether or not to use the keywords meta tag based on evidence.
I actually do use the keywords meta tag and how I use it has changed from the time I started doing SEO until now.
I look at it this way: I don't know the algorithms the search engines use and, as far as I know, it's not hurting the search results of my clients.
One argument that could be raised is that by stuffing a keywords meta tag with all your keywords, you're just giving your competition a leg up and allowing them to take advantage of your hard work. There's some truth to this.
The best practice, according to my research and talking with other people in the search engine optimization field, is to use 5-7 keyword combinations in the tag. Varying from that isn't going to hurt you, but that's more or less ideal.
Listing dozens of keywords in the keywords meta tag will certainly make life easier for your competition. I'm not giving away the company store by telling you that one of the first steps in SEO is to see what your competition is doing. If you're not doing that, then what are you doing? It's just good practice in any business.
On the other hand, just because you research your competitors and drop all their keywords into your list doesn't mean you're instantly going to rocket to the top of the search results.
I've had good success getting my clients ranked well for the keyword phrases that I feel will work best for them. I've done it while using the keywords meta tag.
Evidence Google uses the keywords meta tag to determine rank
Just this past summer I had read something that indicated that Google does use the keywords meta tag in its algorithm, but only a small part. It's one of over 200 factors Google uses apparently. Think I can find that now?
It stuck with me because that runs counter to all I've heard. I'm quite sure it was an official source too. I PDF almost every article I read, but I can't find it now. And I would have bookmarked that. Typical!
I've also read anecdotal evidence from others where they've just changed the keywords meta tag and have had their rankings in Google shoot up. Of course I can't independently verify that, but it is interesting.
Use the keywords meta tag or lose it?
I am going to err on the side of using the keywords meta tag. It doesn't take that much extra work to construct it and unless I hear that Google and the other search engines are actually dropping pages because of it, I'll continue to use it.
I've found explicit statements by Yahoo and Bing that they factor the keywords meta tag into their ranking decisions, so it makes sense to continue using them.
I'm not worried that my clients' competitors are going to be able to siphon huge amounts of competitive information from the keywords meta tags. There's not that much there for them. There are other ways of figuring out what the best keywords are and they're not necessarily going to be the same for everyone, even in the same industry.
I'm also not going to criticize other SEOs for using the keywords meta tag or not. I would like to hear about why you use it or why you don't. Like I said earlier, this isn't physics or chemistry. We don't really know the 'laws' that govern SEO in any firm way.
As long as we've got competitive search engines, we're not likely to either. Even if we only had one search engine, they're not going to tell you how they rank sites because they know there are thousands of people out there who will try to game the system.


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The Breville Die Cast Blenders solid construction, powerful motor, and multiple speeds allow you to have the ultimate blending experience when you use this machine.
This blender is also made by one of the best companies out there. Though Breville is not a household name in the United States, their products are well-known in Australia. Their quality is not to be surpassed anywhere, as is being proven by the popularity of their products across the globe.
Breville Die Cast
Hemisphere Blender – 800BLXL The Breville 800BLXL Die-Cast is the 1000 watt Hemisphere blender that can handle even tough tasks like chopping ice. It's easy controls allow you the best of access to the 2 speeds and pulse action that gives you control over your blending needs. The blender also features a stainless steel and polymer motor, which means that it can be both powerful and quiet.
In addition, the Breville Die Cast blender features extra wide blades unlike its competition the Waring BB185 NuBlend, that are set into a small bowl at the bottom of the blender, so your food isn't trapped but is instead blended to your precise standards. It's 67-ounce polycarbonate blending jar comes with measurement markings and a lid that will not leak, in addition to being entirely dishwasher safe.
The Breville Die Cast blender has a powerful motor, so you will be able to complete even difficult blending tasks, like chopping ice, without the problems that other blenders might give you. This makes it the ultimate in kitchen blenders, because you won't have to keep other tools on hand to do these other tasks.
While the commercial Waring MX1000 XT Smoothie Maker and their 48oz Margarita Madness are similar in many ways, the Breville 800BLXL Die-Cast Hemisphere blender also has blades and a bowl that are key to your blending success. Breville's special design means that the blender will do its job better than some of these other models with similar power and structure.
The fact that the Breville Die Cast Blender does not have more than two speeds is disappointing. While too many speeds on a blender can be overkill, two seems like not enough options when you're talking about a machine with 1000 watts of power. It would be nice to have more control over that power.
The blender's polycarbonate blending jar is also frustrating. Many blenders in a lower class than this one have a glass jar, and it would be nice to see the rest of these features with that, as well. It looks better and some say that it functions better.
Finally, some users report problems with the blender's motor, even though it has 1000 watts of power. It can overheat, producing a burning smell and even burn out after only a few uses. Though this problem seems to be scattered among users, it has been reported enough to be of concern.
If you're looking for a powerful kitchen blender and have some extra money to spend, the Breville 800BLXL Die-Cast Hemisphere blender would be a great addition to your kitchen. Its power allows you to complete all the tasks you would want to with a blender and its construction means you can complete them again and again for years.