text:
Until the 1980s the women in these Aboriginal cultures were not given the opportunity to paint for the market. As Aboriginal Australian men began to claim a viable market for their art production, women followed suit. This exhibition also narrates a story about a deeply profound sisterhood of women artists, who have risen to the challenge of becoming new leaders of their communities.
The Miami leg of this North American tour features the full breadth of the collection with seventy works showcased in the museum's Grand Galleries, spanning more than 4,000 square feet. Miami-based collectors and philanthropists Debra and Dennis Scholl have lent the artworks, many of which are being seen publicly for the first time. The opening reception is free and open to the public on Saturday, Jan. 28 (4:00 - 7:00 p.m.), on view through May 7
The reception will commence with a special walk-through presentation for the public by Dennis Scholl and curator Henry Skerritt. The exhibition features some of the most acclaimed artists in Australia, all of whom have works in the Australian National Museum's collection. Nyapanyapa Yunupingu's work has been shown at the Sydney Biennale. Her sister, Gulumbu Yunupingu, has work in the permanent collection of the Musée du quai Branly in Paris. Regina Wilson's work was shown at the Moscow Biennale.
"These women have re-drawn the boundaries of Aboriginal art and are re-defining the vision of contemporary art," says Dr. Jordana Pomeroy, Director of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU. "With subject matter ranging from faraway celestial bodies to the tiniest of flowers on the native bush plum, they assert the wisdom of revered matriarchs and grapple with the most fundamental questions of existence."
The exhibition will continue to travel throughout North America for the next two years, to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Arizona, the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC and the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
One of the largest free-standing art museums in Florida, the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University was founded in 1977 and is the Smithsonian Affiliate in Miami.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Leslie Zines Constitutional Law Scholarship
1 scholarship on offer
Once-off payment for full value
Application periods
Monday 18 March 2019 - Sunday 7 April 2019
Reference documents
Conditions of Award - Leslie Zines Constitutional Law Scholarship (391.97 KB)
ANU College of Law Marketing and Communications team
+61 2 6125 4178 firstname.lastname@example.com
The ANU Law School, of the ANU College of Law, in association with the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department, is proud to offer the Leslie Zines Constitutional Law Scholarship.
The Scholarship will support an ANU Law student to undertake a supervised internship of 10 weeks in the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department. Subject to the operational needs of the Department, it is anticipated that 5 weeks will be spent in the Office of Constitutional Law and 5 weeks in the Office of General Counsel in the Australian Government Solicitor.
Funding for the award has been provided from the Leslie Zines Endowment, established in memory of Professor Leslie Zines AO, a former Dean of the ANU Faculty of Law and one of Australia's leading constitutional law scholars.
Field of study
To be eligible a student needs to be enrolled full-time in a program of study leading to the award of either the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) or the on-campus Juris Doctor degree and have successfully completed the course Commonwealth Constitutional Law (LAWS2202/6202). Both domestic and international students are eligible. Applicants should have a strong academic record and can demonstrate in the application an interest in, and aptitude for, constitutional law.
Selection Criteria
Selection is made on the basis of academic merit and application. Applicants will:
- Have strong academic merit, with particularly emphasis on the achievement in constitutional law courses;
- Possess strong critical thinking, writing, and communication skills;
- Possess an interest in, and aptitude for, constitutional law.
- A 10 week supervised internship in a constitutional law area of the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department during December 2019 – February 2020.
- $15,000 scholarship (normally used to assist with accommodation and day-to-day living expenses whilst undertaking the internship).
- The opportunity to experience realistic, high-level and varied legal work experience and gain an insight into the practice of constitutional law.
Further information
The Internship is for 10 weeks. Start and finish dates are flexible, but the program must be completed between December and February.


text:
Last weekend, while flipping through all 10 channels of network television we landed on "The Racial Draft," a classic skit from the second season of Chappelle's Show--on KIAH-TV (Channel 39). Apparently the network has been airing back-to-back episodes of the groundbreaking comedy series from 12 a.m.-1 a.m. every Sunday, and the skits (although edited) remain shocking, relevant and really (really) funny.
Even though the show only aired for two seasons (116 sketches), it was nearly impossible to choose a top five--they're all just so damn good. With that in mind, we moved our focus to the second season--in our opinion, the better of the two.
In the words of the late Rick James, "Enjoy yourself, bitch."
|Chappelle's Show
|Tyrone Biggums' Red Balls Energy Drink
Does the endless pursuit of crack leave you tired and depleted? Why not have a Red Balls--It's cocaine in a can, baby. HAMANAHAMANAHAMANAHA
FAVORITE QUOTE "Mayday, Mayday, we've got a crackhead lifting up the bus."
RELATED "Tyrone Biggums: Fear Factor" Fear is not a factor for crackheads.
|Chappelle's Show
|Samuel L. Jackson Beer
Why settle for a Samuel Adams when you could have a Samuel Jackson. Good Motherf*@kin' Beer--It'll get you drunk. And scream in your face. And reference bad movies.
FAVORITE QUOTE(S) "Mmmmm Mmmm bitch!" "They ATE me. A fuckin' shark ATE me...Drink Bitch!"
|Chappelle's Show
|The World Series of Dice
ESPN-like coverage of the 8th Annual World Series of Dice, Live from The Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, NY.
FAVORITE QUOTE(S) Announcer 1: [Grits 'n Gravy is] best known for rolling 77 "sevens" in a row in a casino in Las Vegas, making him a millionaire in the process. Earlier today we asked him what he did with the money. Grits 'N Gravy: I bought my momma a car...I spent the rest on PCP. Announcer 1: Ok, simple enough. Announcer 2: I like his style! Announcer 1: Loves his mother. Announcer 2: Loves PCP.
|Chappelle's Show
|True Hollywood Stories - Rick James Pt. 1
This sketch became an iconic piece of work and was a pivotal moment for the show. It made Charlie Murphy a household name, and had everybody saying "I'm Rick James, BITCH!"
FAVORITE QUOTE(S) "He had this orange aura, I'm not kidding you, I seen it." "He's a habitual line stepper." "The one in the front, he had crooked eyes. One eye was looking at me, and the other was lookin' at Rick."
RELATED "True Hollywood Stories: Rick James (Part 2)" Darkness, dirty cowboy boots and cocaine (it's a hell of a drug).
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
|Chappelle's Show
|True Hollywood Stories - Prince
"There's some great story tellers in the world we live in today. But who the fuck can make up THAT shit?" Charlie Murphy recalls the surreal experience of being taken to school on the basketball court in a shirts vs. blouses basketball game with Prince and The Revolution. And then they ate pancakes.
FAVORITE QUOTE(S) "Shoot the J...SHOOT IT" "Why don't you purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka" "Game...Blouses"


text:
Latest News
How Conveyor Belts Have Changed
Conveyor belts and their use can be dated all the way back to around the 1700s. Back then they were pretty rudimentary in design and were usually used for moving grain over long distances.
Historically, conveyor belts were original made from leather or canvas and have wooden frames - things have moved on a long way since then!
Conveyor Belts in the 20th Century
By the time we moved into the 20th century conveyors were not only being used for transporting grains but were being used in mines and in the car and construction industries. In the USA a conveyor belt was constructed which was underground and over five miles long where it was used to convey coal.
The longest conveyor belt in the world currently is in the Sahara and it is 60 miles long. It is also used in mining and is used to transport phosphate from the Bou Craa mine.
Modern PVC Conveyor Belts
Modern conveyor belts are now generally manufactured from synthetic materials such as PVC which can be easily cleaned and maintained. In fact modern conveyor belts have practically eliminated the need for expensive maintenance and can be maintained simply and easily. New technologies are constantly keeping conveyor belts today moving forward (literally!) and computers are now used to control sophisticated actions and with the increased use of automation this means that costs are reduced and productivity is increased.
Find out more from our specialised conveyor belt team at Mobility Engineering.


text:
Calling all Mixers! We have the perfect gifts for you to add to you Christmas lists, or treat your Mixer friends and family in your life. You're going to love these!
1. Little Mix bobble hat. If you want to look cute and stay cosy, this is exactly what you need. Find it here.
2. Little Mix mug. Perfect for all those hot chocolates!
3. Little Mix's 'Wishmaker' perfume. Fruity, floral scents to suit any Mixer. Available from Boots.
4. A calendar for the Mixers who need a bit of help with organising 2017… Get it here.
5. The ultimate Little Mix onesie. Be like Jade and add this to your list! Get it here.
6. A super cosy dressing gown. Think pamper days, lazy Sundays and sleepovers! Get it here. There's one in every colour you could think of!
7. Little Mix earphones for the Mixer who can't live without hearing the girls on the daily. Get them from Vibe Audio.
8. A stylish t-shirt from the Little Mix store!
9. A personalised gym/PE/dance bag for those active Mixers. It's on Amazon!
10. Little Mix nails for the glamorous Mixer. There's wraps and press-on nails, each designed by the girls individually. So many styles to choose from! Purchase here.
11. A Little Mix poster. Show the the girls the best kind of love by decorating your room with their beautiful faces. Get it from the girls' merch store.
12. 'Glory Days' – obvs! For those of you who still don't own it (really?!). Imagine the girls having a Christmas number 1 album. Help them doing it by buying 'Glory Days' on CD.
13. This cute iPhone case which is perfect for the Mixer in your life who is always checking to see what the girls are up to. You can get this one from Etsy.
Are you adding these to your Christmas list? Which one's your favourite? Let us know in the comments below!


text:
Simmons and Bratsis to 2003 Nike CupMassachusett's National Referees Erich Simmons (N. Reading) and Niko Bratsis (Norwood) have been selected to officiate at the 2003 Men's Nike Cup.
From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:
47 Teams To Play at Home of U.S. Soccer's U-17 Residency Program;
Fox Sports World to Televise Three U.S. Matches
CHICAGO (November 25, 2003) — U.S. Director of Youth Development and U-17 Men's National Team head coach John Ellinger has finalized a 90-game, four-day schedule for U.S. Soccer's third annual Nike Friendlies from December 5-8, 2003. Highlighting the schedule will be a trio of matches televised by Fox Sports World featuring the U.S. U-17 Men's National Team, Brazil's U-17 Men's National Team and a Nike Friendlies All-Star Team.
"Having these matches on national TV offers great exposure not only for our team and players, but for our entire residency program," said Ellinger. "We have had some great young players come through our program over the years, and this class of players is no different."
As they did last year, the U.S. will field two teams in the tournament from their 40-member residency program divided by age level. The U.S. Under-17 1987s will play the first two televised matches, while the U-17 1988s will play one. The U-17 1987s will face the Brazil U-17 MNT on Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. ET and that match will be aired at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 11 on Fox Sports World. The second televised game for the '87s will be against a Nike Friendlies All-Star Team on Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. ET (delayed at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 12). The '88s will also face Brazil on Dec. 7 at 1 p.m. ET (delayed at 11 p.m. ET on Dec. 12).
In their last meeting with the U.S., Brazil eliminated the U.S. in the quarterfinals of the 2003 FIFA Under-17 World Championship in Turku, Finland, and this rematch is the beginning of the road for both teams to the 2005 FIFA Under-17 World Championship in Peru.
The overall competition begins when the first six matches kick off at 10 a.m. ET on Friday, December 5 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Games will be played throughout the weekend, with the last matches starting at noon on Monday, December 8.
The Nike Friendlies are an annual youth soccer event presented by Nike and U.S. Soccer that invites elite soccer clubs from around the United States and Youth National Teams to the IMG Academy at Bradenton, Fla. Most teams will play four games (one per day) and no standings are kept so that the emphasis is put on quality soccer and player development as opposed to wins and losses.
In three years, the event has become a highly anticipated event by clubs and college coaches because of the emphasis on quality soccer. This year a total of 47 teams are scheduled to compete in three age groups (Under-16, Under-17 and Under-18), representing 15 different states. More than 90 matches will be scheduled and seven fields will be used.
As part of the four-year-old residency program, the U.S. players attend classes at the nearby Edison Academy and then return to the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Fla. to train daily under the guidance of U.S. Under-17 head coach Ellinger and his staff.
Started in 1999, the U.S. Soccer full-time residency program has become an important piece of the overall player development picture. Alumni to the program include Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Bobby Convey and most recently Eddie Gaven and Jonathan Spector, who joined the MetroStars and Manchester United, respectively, in 2003. Freddy Adu, who will be at the FIFA World Youth Championships with the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team during the Nike Friendlies, is currently a member of the residency program.
2003 Nike Friendlies TV Schedule
Teams Date / Time Fox Sports World Air Date / Time
U.S. Under-17 MNT ('87s) v. Brazil Under-17 MNT Friday, Dec. 5 / 2 p.m. Dec. 11 / 8 p.m.
U.S. Under-17 MNT ('87s) v. Nike Friendlies All-Stars Saturday, Dec. 6 / 2 p.m. Dec. 12 / 8 p.m.
U.S. Under-17 MNT ('88s) v. Brazil Under-17 NMT Sunday, Dec. 7 / 1 p.m. Dec. 12 / 11 p.m.
For the full schedule and list of teams, please visit ussoccer.com: http://www.ussoccer.com/events/competitions.sps?iType=5748&icustompageid=8382
- www.ussoccer.com -


text:
- Page 1 Nikon D5100 Hands-On Review
- Page 2 New Features and Modes Review
- Page 3 Design and Value Review
DSLR video enthusiasts are well catered for with an improved movie mode that offers 1920×1080 Full-HD recording at up to 30 frames per second, in H.264 MOV format. Autofocus remains operational while recording is in process and it's possible to attach a stereo microphone using the connection panel on the side of the camera. Mindful of the increasing popularity of DSLRs for video work, Nikon has also announced the introduction of a dedicated ME-1 stereo microphone designed specifically for use with Nikon DSLRs, priced at £120.
In addition to the stereo microphone input, external connectivity includes an HDMI port for attaching the camera to your HDTV with, a port for attaching external GPS devices such as Nikon's GP-1 unit, and a USB 2.0 port.
In terms of styling the D5100 signals something of a departure from recent Nikon DSLR designs, with sharper edges and pronounced curves. More importantly, it's also 10% smaller and a hundred or so grams lighter than its predecessor. The outer shell is plastic with some mottling effect around the side and back, imitating the magnesium alloy cages of more expensive DSLRs. As might be expected for a camera of its price, there is no dust or weather sealing.
In-hand it feels quite small and delicate, especially when compared to rivals such as the Canon 600D or Pentax K-r. More detailed impressions will be included in the full review, but this is one area that could cause some concern – especially for photographers with larger hands. Thankfully the finger grip has been rubberised and is deep enough to accommodate three fingers, giving a fairly reassuring grip.
The styling refresh also extends to button placement, with the addition of a new easy-to-reach slider control next to the Mode dial that toggles live view on and off. When in live view mode, instant movie recording is facilitated using a red-dot button moved from the back of the camera to the top-plate, next to the shutter release button. Nikon claims this makes switching between stills and movie recording more intuitive, although anyone already used to a video recording button on the back, it may require a little readjustment of muscle memory.
At its launch RRP the D5100 is slightly more expensive than the Canon 600D and significantly more than the Pentax K-r and Sony A580, all three of which are its natural competitors within this segment of the entry-level and first-time-upgrade DSLR market. Depending on demand, we'd expect to see the street price of the D5100 fall within a month or so of launch, bringing it much closer to the current street price of the Canon 600D.
The Nikon D5100 will be go sale in the UK from 21 April, priced at £610 for the body only, or £780 when purchased with the Nikkor 18-55mm VR kit lens.
The D5100 looks like a another solid entry into the Nikon DSLR range. Its headline specifications make it an instantly attractive proposition, while premium features such as the hi-res tilt-and-swivel LCD monitor and Special Effects are sure to bolster its appeal. Our only real reservation based upon what we have seen so far is that in a attempt to reduce the camera's physical size, Nikon may have made it too slight for folks with large hands. As ever, keep an eye on TrustedReviews as we'll be bringing you a full review as soon as possible
Unlike other sites, we thoroughly test every product we review. We use industry standard tests in order to compare features properly. We'll always tell you what we find. We never, ever accept money to review a product. Tell us what you think - send your emails to the Editor.


text:
What Intuitive Type Are You?
I have talked about intuition before - check out how to listen to your intuition right here - But did you know that there isn't just one way to be intuitive? I didn't until recently. Therefore, I have asked Jessica from Jessica Ellen to tell us more about the different types of intuition and if you want to know what type of intuition you have then download here workbook right here and learn more about yourself - it is completely free.
But let's get into her post on the different types of intuition:
But let's get into her post on the different types of intuition:
My name is Jessica Ellen and I am a New Age Clairvoyant & Soul Enlightenment Coach from Brisbane, Australia. I am so excited and grateful to be here writing this guest blog post for you on intuitive gifts so that you too can connect and work with spirit and your spirit guides!
Let's just get one thing clear before we get started.
Human fear when it comes to working with spirit is a liar (in fact fear is the biggest liar ever, but that is another topic for another day).
Don't get me wrong I completely understand why there is so much fear based around working with and communicating with spirit and spirit guides because even I had to go through a massive process of dissolving those human fears and perceptions before I could connect.
Here is the thing, you probably have a human perception in your mind what working with spirit or being able to communicate with your spirit guides is like. These perceptions might come from stories, your parent's perceptions and teachings, schooling experiences or TV shows and films but I want you to take your power into your own hands and realize none of these things you have heard or seen are your authentic truth when it comes to working with and communicating with spirit.
I guarantee you that the perceptions you have about communicating or working with spirit are not how it is actually like to have that open channel of communication with the higher realms especially in the New Paradigm of Light (or "The New Age" as my guide Angela calls it).
It is loving, it is full of light, it is fun, it is playful, it is funny, it is encouraging and it is the most heartwarming experience I have ever felt in my life.
Spirit acknowledges that everything that has ever been thought of in some shape or form exists as the balance of positive and negative is the natural order of our universe.
However, they don't harp on that and instead encourage us all to realize that via the laws of the universe WE are in complete control of the type of experiences we have in our physical realm as well as the higher realms. This is basic Law of Attraction and Quantum Physics at play here, what you put out energetically is the exact experience you will have here in our physical dimension as well as the higher realms.
On that note now that we have gotten human fear to go to the sidelines let's dive into the intuitive gift types, below I have listed out the six main intuitive gift types and how they work.
Pay attention to what stands out to you cause often this is your soul nudging at you to take note:
Clairvoyance (clear seeing); Clairvoyance is the ability to receive and have clear visuals in your mind's eye (commonly referred to as your third eye). If you feel drawn to visuals or even prefer to learn via visuals this may be your main and strongest intuitive gift.
Claircognizance (clear knowing); Claircognizance is the ability to know things or outcomes extremely clearly without being told, an example of this is that you know you are going to win an award or receive a new job offer. This often comes through in what we commonly refer to as "gut feelings" or an "inner knowing".
Clairsentience (clear sensing); Clairsentience is the ability to sense things incredibly clearly without being told; this can be other energies or information that you defiantly didn't know about before. This is often a gift that co exists with Claircognizance and being an Empath.
Clairaudience (clear hearing); Clairaudience is the ability to hear things that are not coming from our physical dimension either physically with your own ears or internally.
Clairscent (clear smelling); Clairscent is the ability to be able to pick up on the scent of a passed over loved one or something spirit is trying to convey to you. This could be a passed over loved ones cologne or perfume or you could smell something in relation to the visuals spirit is conveying to you to help put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Clairgustance (clear tasting); Clairgustance is the ability to be able to pick up on the taste of something spirit or a passed over loves one is trying to convey to you. This could be that a passed over loved one used to love having tea and biscuits which will result in you having that taste in your mouth.
What stood out to you the most? If you would like to further deepen this process I actually created a workbook + guided meditation on identifying your strongest intuitive gift and the best part? It's FREE! You can download it here: iamjessicaellen.com/freebies
I hope this blog post assisted you in understanding intuitive gift types and also encouraged you to drop those pesky human fear perceptions. A big thank you to Camilla for asking me to write a guest blog post on this topic!
Much love,
Jessica xo
Thank you so much Jessica! It was an absolute pleasure having you write this piece. Do yourself a favor and check out her workbook! It is an amazing tool to get closer to your own intuition and your gift. You get a great understanding of each type and she guides you through each of them asking great questions to connect you with the type that resonates with you. It helped me a lot and I am sure you will benefit from it too.
Check Jessica out on her social media right here:
Thank you so much Jessica! It was an absolute pleasure having you write this piece. Do yourself a favor and check out her workbook! It is an amazing tool to get closer to your own intuition and your gift. You get a great understanding of each type and she guides you through each of them asking great questions to connect you with the type that resonates with you. It helped me a lot and I am sure you will benefit from it too.
Check Jessica out on her social media right here:
Instagram: IamJessicaEllen
Facebook: Jessica Ellen
Did you know that there were more types of intuitive gifts?
Soluuna ♡


text:
Our Social Media Services
What We're Thinking
How to Personalize Connection Requests on the LinkedIn App
Do you use LinkedIn on the go? The main LinkedIn mobile app is a great […]
Meme-Shaming on LinkedIn (and Why It's Not a Good Idea)
Does civility matter any more?
The other day I posted an update to LinkedIn posting the […]
LinkedIn Introductions Broken? Pick Up the Phone.
There's a segment in my Mastering LinkedIn class that's focused on using First-Degree Connections to […]
LinkedIn Group
Kevin's Classes
A private group for professionals who have taken Kevin's LinkedIn workshops at Labor Department offices on Long Island.


text:
Oh, yes. I have many excuses as to why this mountain of wool has yet to be spun into gold.
For the most part, I think they are pretty good excuses.
#1. It's been gawdawful hot and humid. Absolutely unacceptable weather for downeast Maine.
I sweat. Wool sticks. Nuff said.
#2. My 81-year-old Dad has moved back home to Maine.
Enjoying some long overdue quality time.
#3. Winter's coming. We are still house-less.
Busy building and 'holding up the other end of that 2 X 4'.
#4. Daughter #1 is getting married in September.
I'm responsible for the 'bride sweater' (of course, sport weight hand spun island lamb)
& cake topper (of course, it involves fabric, paper, glue, & scissors).


text:
Mrs. Pickwick's
About Mrs. Pickwick's
Mrs. Pickwick's is one of the rare "Old Fashioned Shops", in a 16th Century building where courtesy and service go hand in hand with quality goods.
I opened 32 years ago, catering mainly for the older generation.
I have ladies and gent's underwear (including Thermal), nightwear, knitwear and hosiery all by leading brands and at reasonable prices, also Dents gloves and Sloggies.
I also stock needlework – counted cross stitch, tapestries, Aida & linen, Anchor & D.M.C threads and most sewing needs – Framing for completed work.
My shop has recently been extended into my father's former clock shop.
Please visit – no obligation and there is Free Parking nearby.
39 Queen Street, Horbury, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 6LP


text:
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Janet L. Yellen as the chairwoman of the Federal Reserve on Monday, marking the first time that a woman will lead the country's central bank in its 100-year history.
As a Fed official, Ms. Yellen, 67, has been an influential proponent of the Fed's extraordinary measures to revive the economy, even though interest rates are already close to zero.
But as chairwoman, Ms. Yellen will face the arduous task of overseeing the gradual unwinding of those measures, despite an uncomfortably high unemployment rate of 7 percent and subdued inflation.
During the confirmation process, senators from both sides of the aisle criticized the Fed for not doing enough to aid the economy and help middle-class Americans, and for trying to do too much, thus distorting the markets and risking new bubbles.
"I fear that they are already in way too deep," said Senator Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, on the Senate floor, before the confirmation vote. Mr. Grassley questioned how the Fed would pull back on its recent campaign of large-scale asset purchases "without spooking investors," and whether that might stoke inflation.
Despite those objections, Ms. Yellen won confirmation easily. Ms. Yellen was approved 56 to 26, with many senators kept away from the Capitol by inclement weather.
Nearly a dozen Republicans — including Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma — crossed the aisle in support of Ms. Yellen. She will be the first Democratic nominee to run the Fed since President Jimmy Carter named Paul Volcker as chairman in 1979.
Still, Ms. Yellen's was the thinnest margin of Senate approval for a Fed chairman in the central bank's history. Ben S. Bernanke, the most recent chairman, was confirmed for a second term with 70 yes votes and 30 no votes in 2010.
As a woman, Ms. Yellen will be a rarity among the world's central bankers, a club dominated by men. "Practically one hundred years to the day from when the Federal Reserve was created, the central bank finally has its first woman president," said Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women. "It's about time."
Ms. Yellen has been a powerful force in the Fed during the deep recession and sluggish recovery. She has argued for the central bank to provide more clarity to market participants and supported its campaign to soak up trillions of dollars of Treasury and mortgage-backed debt in order to bring down interest rates and spur investors to start spending.
She has also publicly expressed concern over the problems in the American labor market. In particular, she has focused on the persistent high rate of long-term joblessness — which might scar the unemployed even after they find a job, depressing their earnings and even their children's earnings down the road.
The employment crisis "has imposed huge burdens on all too many American households and represents a substantial social cost," Ms. Yellen warned in a major speech last year. "If these jobless workers were to become less employable, the natural rate of unemployment might rise," meaning a higher jobless rate and a less vibrant economy even during good economic times.
Her views have prompted speculation among market participants that Ms. Yellen — long considered a contender for the top position at the Fed — might be a stronger proponent for the Fed's extraordinary policies than Mr. Bernanke.
But their views have not differed all that much.
In December, Ms. Yellen joined Mr. Bernanke in supporting the Fed's decision to start tapering its purchases of Treasury and mortgage-backed debt to a pace of $75 billion a month from $85 billion a month. The decision came as new data showed stronger economic growth and a significant drop in the unemployment rate, to 7 percent in November from 7.8 percent a year before.
The Fed's decision "to modestly reduce the pace of asset purchases at its December meeting did not indicate any diminution of its commitment to maintain a highly accommodative monetary policy for as long as needed," Mr. Bernanke said in a speech this month, reflecting on his tenure. "It reflected the progress we have made toward our goal of substantial improvement in the labor market outlook."
The strategic shift will likely dominate the early part of Ms. Yellen's tenure, which is expected to start on Feb. 1. Fed watchers have warned that withdrawing support from the economy comes with significant risks. Pull back too soon and the economy could face subpar growth; Wait too long and the markets could overheat.
"The Fed will need to exercise caution as it scales back further on its pace of asset purchases," David J. Stockton of the Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics said in an analysis of the challenges that lie ahead for Ms. Yellen. "We have experienced several episodes in the past few years when a burst of favorable data led to increased optimism that soon proved unwarranted."
"The Fed could taper purchases now and then ramp them back up should economic results fall short," he continued. "But reversing course like that would be a difficult maneuver to execute and communicate."
There are already signs that the Fed's decision to ease up on stimulus has affected lending activity. Interest rates on 30-year mortgages jumped after Mr. Bernanke indicated that the Fed might start to reduce its asset purchases last year, although rates remain low by historical standards.
In her confirmation testimony, Ms. Yellen stressed that the Fed's extraordinary measures were bolstering growth, even if the pace of the economy's expansion had been frustratingly sluggish at times. She also said that the Fed's policies had helped not only Wall Street, but Main Street.
The bank's stimulus campaign has "made a meaningful contribution to economic growth," Ms. Yellen said. "The ripple effects go through the economy and bring benefits to, I would say, all Americans."


text:
Board of Directors
Joshua E. SchechterChairman
Joshua E. Schechter was appointed to serve the Company in April 2018. Mr. Schechter is a private investor who has served as a director of each of Viad Corp, an S&P SmallCap 600 international experiential services company, since April 2015, and Support.com, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based software and services, since June 2016. He previously served as a director of Aderans Co., Ltd. ("Aderans"), a multi-national company engaged in hair-related business, and as the Executive Chairman of Aderans America Holdings, Inc., Aderans' holding company in the United States, from August 2008 to May 2015. From 2001 to June 2013, Mr. Schechter served as Managing Director of Steel Partners Ltd., a privately owned hedge fund sponsor, and from 2008 to June 2013, Mr. Schechter served as co-President of Steel Partners Japan Asset Management, LP, a private company offering investment services. Mr. Schechter previously served on the board of directors of The Pantry, Inc., a leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern United States and one of the largest independently operated convenience store chains in the country, fromMarch 2014 until the completion of its sale in March 2015; WHX Corporation (n/k/a Handy & Harman Ltd.), a diversified manufacturer of engineered niche industrial products with leading market positions in many of the markets it serves, from 2005 until 2008; and Puroflow, Inc. (n/k/a Argan, Inc.), a provider of a full range of power industry and telecommunications infrastructure services, from 2001 until 2003.
Charles F. CargileDirector
Prior to joining Sunworks as Chief Executive Officer in March 2017, Charles Cargile served as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Newport Corporation from October 2000 until April 2016, when Newport was acquired by MKS Instruments. At Newport Mr. Cargile was responsible for all accounting, financial reporting, tax, treasury, investor relations and information technology functions. In addition, Mr. Cargile led Newport's efforts in strategic planning, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining Newport, Mr. Cargile was Vice President, Finance and Corporate Development for York International Corporation (now a division of Johnson Controls, Inc.), a manufacturer of air conditioning and refrigeration products. He joined York in November 1998, and served in a number of executive positions, including Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, until his promotion to Vice President, Finance and Corporate Development in February 2000. Prior to joining York, Mr. Cargile was employed by Flowserve Corporation, a global company engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and service of industrial flow management equipment, in various positions, most recently as Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer from February 1995 to November 1998. Mr. Cargile is certified as a Professional Director by the American College of Corporate Directors. Mr. Cargile has his undergraduate degree in Accounting from Oklahoma State University and a Master's in Business Administration from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
Daniel GrossDirector
Daniel Gross was appointed to serve as a director of the Company in April 2018. Mr. Gross is a private equity and infrastructure expert focused on renewable energy and clean technology. He has served as a Managing Director at Oaktree Capital Management and was one of the founding Partners of Hudson Clean Energy, a private equity firm with over $1 billion in assets under management. Prior to Hudson, Mr. Gross worked in the U.S. alternative energy investment group at Goldman Sachs as well as GE Capital's Energy Financial Services unit, where he founded the renewable energy investment business. Mr. Gross is a Fulbright Scholar and holds a Master's Degree in Environmental Management, Master's in Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts Degree (Phi Beta Kappa) from Yale University. He also holds an appointment at Yale University where he teaches a course on the finance of renewable energy.
Rhone ReschDirector
Rhone Resch has served as a director of the Company since November 2016. Since 2004, Mr. Resch has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Solar Energy Industries Association. From 1998 until 2004, he served as the Senior Vice President of Natural Gas Supply Association, and from 1994 until 1998 he served as the Program Manager of the United State Environmental Protection Agency - Office of Air and Radiation. From 1992 until 1994 Mr. Resch served as a Senior Analyst at Project Performance Corporation. Mr. Resch received a Bachelor of Arts, English/Natural Resources from the University of Michigan, a Master of Environmental Science from State University of New York and a Master of Public Administration, Management from Syracuse University. Mr. Resch is qualified to serve as a Director because of his industry expertise and corporate leadership experience.
Stanley SpeerDirector
Stanley Speer was appointed to serve as a director of the Company and Chairman of the Audit Commit in May 2018. Mr. Speer is the principal of Speer and Associates, LLC., a consulting firm he founded to provide practical operational, financial and strategic solutions to public and private businesses. Previously, Mr. Speer was a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), in Los Angeles specializing in advising and assisting boards of directors, investment groups, management groups and lenders in a wide range of turnaround, restructuring and reorganization situations. Prior to joining A&M, Mr. Speer spent 10 years as CFO for Cadiz Inc., a publicly held real estate and water resource management company and its subsidiary, Sun World International, a fully-integrated agricultural company. Prior to Cadiz, Mr. Speer was a partner with Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), where he spent 14 years in the Los Angeles office specializing in business reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions.


text:
There are over 11,000 registered Twitter applications in development and production, according to a weekend tweet from Twitter CEO Ev Williams.
That is a pretty big number and it shows the vitality of Twitter as a platform.
Assuming most of those apps were created by businesses, it also shows that there are at least several thousand ways Twitter could make money some day.
11,000 is a relatively small number compared to 52,000, the number of apps built for Facebook, a site that continues to move itself into closer competition with Twitter.
Here are Facebook's latest numbers for its platform:
- More than 950,000 developers and entrepreneurs from more than 180 countries
- Every month, more than 70% of Facebook users engage with Platform applications
- More than 52,000 applications currently available in the Facebook Application Directory
- More than 100 applications have more than one million monthly active users
- More than 10,000 websites have implemented Facebook Connect since its general availability in December 2008


text:
SQL Server 2016 SP1 was released in November 2016 only five months after the initial release.
There have been some significant changes and additions in this release. The most significant of which is that many features that once only existed in Enterprise edition, such as Always Encrypted, partitioning, in memory, Columnstore and compression are now available in lower editions as well.
The image below shows a list of previous enterprise edition features that are now available in other editions:
|SQL Server 2016 SP1 previous Enterprise-Only Features
The one feature that remains Enterprise only is Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) which is a shame given how important security is becoming.
So the main difference between Enterprise and Standard edition is now over the amount of memory and CPU they can access. With so many new features now available in standard edition there is even less reason not to move to SQL 2016.
One new T-SQL command that was introduced in SQL 2016 was "DROP IF EXISTS". So rather than writing a complicated query to check if an object exists before dropping it you can now simply say
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS [Person].[CountryRegion];
As a result of this there was a campaign to add a function that Oracle has had for a long time namely "CREATE or ALTER". And in SP1 we now have it. You can now write:
CREATE OR ALTER PROCEDURE dbo.sp_MyProc as
PRINT 'This is a new Procedure';
These two commands can be used against most objects in SQL Server 2016. For those of you that write installation scripts for your applications these two new commands should make your code much easier to manage.


text:
- Accessories
- Amplifiers
- Bags and Cases
- Bass
- Cables
- Christmas Gift Collection
- Clayton
- Clothing
- Collectibles
- D'Angelico
- Dr. Case
- Drums
- Effects & Pedals
- Evidence Audio
- Frontpage
- Gig Posters
- Graph Tech
- Guitars
- Heartbeat
- König & Meyer (K&M)
- Music
- On Sale
- Parts & upgrades
- Picks
- Pigtronix
- Pre-owned
- Sakae
- Sale
- Supro
- TUSQ Picks
- Ukelele
Featured Products
Elixir® Strings Acoustic Phosphor Bronze with NANOWEB® Coating - Custom Light .011 - .052
16027 Custom Light .011 .015 .022 .032 .042 .052
Elixir® Strings Acoustic Phosphor Bronze with NANOWEB Coating deliver distinctive phosphor bronze warmth and sparkle together with extended tone life.
- #1 acoustic guitar string*
- Only coated string brand to protect the entire string with an ultra-thin coating, keeping gunk out of the gaps between the windings
- Extended Tone Life – players report their tone lasts longer than any other string, uncoated or coated
- Consistent performance and tone – ready to play whenever you are
- Smooth feel that is easy on your fingers and enhances playability
- Reduces finger squeak – good for both performance and recording
- Anti-Rust Plated Plain Steel Strings resist tone-deadening corrosion, ensuring a longer life for entire set
- With less hassle and expense of frequent string changes, spend more time making music
Returns Policy
You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).
You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the 'Complete Orders' link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.
We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.
When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.
Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.
Related Products
Recently Viewed Products
is added to your shopping cart.
is added to your wish list.


text: > -----Original Message----- > From: r-help-bounces at r-project.org > [mailto:r-help-bounces at r-project.org] On Behalf Of Patrick Breheny > > The latter type of plot is called a "partial regression plot" > or "added variable plot". They are discussed in any > regression textbook, as well as wikipedia and probably dozens > of other web sites. They are also available in the car package. S Ellison******************************************************************* This email and any attachments are confidential. Any use...{{dropped:8}}


text:
Feb. 25, 2006
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Santa Clara's big bats came out swinging Friday night as the Broncos banged out 15 hits and put up the same number of runs to deal the No. 22 Cal Poly Mustangs a 15-9 defeat at Baggett Stadium. Five Broncos posted a multi-hit game as the team has now won three in a row and scored 26 runs in the past two games.
The Broncos got to Cal Poly starter Gary Daley early, knocking him out of the game with a big eight-run second inning. The big inning helped SCU (6-5) put Cal Poly on their heels and force them to play catch-up the rest of the evening.
After Eric Newton and Matt Long respectively doubled and singled to start off the inning, Gabriel Alcantar and Brady Fuerst each doubled to give Santa Clara a quick 3-0 lead. Following a walk and a fielder's choice, Daniel Nava and Dustin Realini both singled in a run to cap the big Bronco inning.
Cal Poly (9-4) fought back, closing the gap to 8-7 at the end of three but Santa Clara quickly answered with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth to acquire a four-run cushion.
The Mustangs again made things close by cutting the lead to 11-9 later on but four Bronco runs in the ninth put the game out of reach.
Dustin Realini led the Santa Clara offense with three hits and two runs driven in while Kris Watts swatted a pair of doubles and had two RBIs. Matt Long and Alcantar also added a pair of hits and runs driven in.
Daniel DeMarco provided four and one-third strong innings of long relief to earn his third win of the year and freshman Mark Willinsky finished of the eighth and closed out the Mustangs in the ninth to earn his second save of the year.
The teams return to action tomorrow afternoon at Baggett Stadium with first pitch set for 1 p.m.


text:
Art City Lunch Ladies Rock!!Published by julia.murray on Tue, 10/17/2017 - 17:20
Art City Lunch Ladies Rock!! Our lunch ladies had a lot of fun during National School Lunch week, October 9-13. They were almost as excited as the kids were to see the fire trucks and ambulance pull up on Wednesday and when the Payson police officer came on Thursday. Our lunch ladies are some of Art City's finest heroes. Thank you ladies for feeding us and making lunch fun.


text:
As two artist living in the heart of Paris, we have we grown exhausted of our interconnectedness and sought simplicity and freedom exhibited in the animal kingdom. Pinar a hyena, Viola a white tiger together, we performed contemporary rituals where we reconnected with nature.
Read more on Dazed.
Year 2013
Investor Creative Industries Fund NL
Directed by Pinar&Viola
Script Pinar&Viola
Post-production and sound Christine Gogev
Director of Photography Elodie Tahtane
Production manager Nais Kinet
Production assistants Anna Fernandez & Loïc Drussel-Martzolf
Location Parc Buttes Chaumont Paris
Location manager Fabrice Bousba
Makeup Artist Adélaïde Baylac-Domengetroy
Nail artist Logane Françoise
A heartful thanks to Creative Industries Fund NL, Superette Production Agency, Jeremy Ayer and Le Musée du Fumeur Paris


text:
Rotarians are hard at work leading service projects that support education, fight disease, provide clean water, and promote peace around the world.
When you donate to The Rotary Foundation, it makes a difference in communities that need our help most. It is because of these donations that Rotarians are empowered to create lasting, meaningful change.


text:
DINA MERI NICO SINGLE MANICURE TABLE: With Single Cart. - Cart is molded of high-impact ABS plastic with elegant smudge resistant black crystal finish.
Comes with 4 pullout trays, easy rolling twin-hooded casters.
Laminated top in black or white only.
Measures: 30"H x 36"W x 16'D.
Optional: Armrest, Nail Polish Rack, Lamp Available Vented:


text:
Esteemed nonprofit executive will lead Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's venerable professional development program
Bill Stanczykiewicz has been appointed director of The Fund Raising School and senior lecturer in philanthropic studies at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Stanczykiewicz currently is president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute, a statewide nonprofit that promotes healthy youth development and academic achievement by providing capacity-building professional development, technical assistance and funding for educators, youth workers and other community leaders.
"Bill is a proven chief executive, a seasoned fundraiser and a passionate spokesperson for the unique value The Fund Raising School brings to each nonprofit it serves," said Amir Pasic, dean of the school. "As we address the training needs of those who lead society's vital organizations, we are fortunate to have him lead this effort and join the leadership of the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy."
Stanczykiewicz will forge The Fund Raising School's future as it begins its fifth decade of service to fundraisers, volunteers and nonprofit leaders. Dedicated to teaching ethical fundraising for more than 40 years, The Fund Raising School has taught on six continents and has a global network of more than 43,000 alumni.
"The Fund Raising School is the nation's premier resource for teaching practical skills and useful strategies that strengthen fund development for a diverse range of nonprofit organizations," Stanczykiewicz said. "I look forward to continued expansion of The Fund Raising School's extraordinary impact as part of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy's unique and comprehensive efforts to improve philanthropy and the world."
As director, Stanczykiewicz will oversee the professional development program's 10-course, research-based curriculum and its team of more than 50 faculty members whose expertise and hands-on experience bridge the academic and professional perspectives.
The Fund Raising School is widely respected as the leader in fundraising training, helping nonprofit organizations build their capacity to fulfill their important missions. In fact, a recent alumni survey found that 98 percent of participants increased funds raised or held steady as the nation emerged from the recession.
Stanczykiewicz succeeds Tim Seiler, who has led The Fund Raising School for more than 20 years. Seiler will continue serving as Rosso Fellow and clinical professor of philanthropic studies at the school.
Prior to leading the Indiana Youth Institute, Stanczykiewicz was policy director for community renewal for the office of the mayor of Indianapolis, where he devised and directed the Front Porch Alliance, an innovative collaboration among faith-based and other community organizations to strengthen families and communities in Indianapolis. He previously served as a key legislative aide to U.S. Senator Dan Coats on the Senate's Subcommittee on Children & Families.
For the last eight years, Stanczykiewicz has taught an undergraduate course in nonprofit leadership and management at Purdue University. His community activities have included volunteering with an inner-city youth organization, coaching youth sports and serving on the board of the local community foundation.
In addition to earning a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master's degree in public administration from George Mason University, he holds a post-graduate credential in executive leadership from Vanderbilt University.
Stanczykiewicz was identified as a "Next Generation Leader" by the Rockefeller Foundation, presented at the White House Conference on Helping America's Youth and was named a "Distinguished Hoosier" by the Office of the Governor of Indiana.
About the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its academic, research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, and the Women's Philanthropy Institute. Follow us on Twitter @IUPhilanthropy or "Like" us on Facebook.


text: Starting A Construction Project? Name Get an Estimate Today Use form to make an appointment, request an estimate, or ask the contractor a general construction question. Name Email Address Number Project Type Project TypeType of Project New Construction Kitchen Renovation Bath Renovation Flooring & Tile Roofing Additions Commercial Other Your message Where we are Address 5017 Kalanianaole HwyHonolulu, HI 96821 Emergency (24/7) Phone: (808) 670-1182 Email [email protected] Working Hours Mon to Sat - 8 AM to 6 PMSunday 10 AM to 3 PM


text:
Europe is a great place to visit for a boating holiday as most of the countries are criss crossed with rivers, canals and lakes. Europe is relatively easy to get to so you can take a short break or have a longer holiday for a week or two. Countries such as France, Holland, Italy and Germany have fantastic facilities for boating holidays and you will get to see some of the most spectacular sights in Europe. Boating holidays in Europe make a welcome change from lying on a beach, packed full of tourists and staying in a half built hotel with a building site outside your bedroom window.
Enjoy taking your Boating Holidays in Europe in areas that include:-In France you can cruise the wine region of Burgundy or the beautiful countryside of Brittany. You will want to stop off at a vineyard and sample the wines and try the excellent French cuisine. At a slightly higher cost a luxury hotel barge may be more to your liking. The barges can sleep from six to twelve people and come with a crew of five, including a master chef. The boats have a sun deck, a spa pool, a twenty four hour bar and bikes are available for you to use. Visit Holland with its network of city centre canals in Amsterdam.
In Italy you can cruise the Venice Lagoon and see the world famous sights such as St Mark's Square and the Bridge Of Sighs. Boat trips start at Chioggia, which is at the southern end of the lagoon
and it is famous for its fantastic fish restaurants. Germany is also one of the great countries for boating holidays in Europe. The waterways of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg are one of the most scenic regions in Europe, with a stunning network of lakes and
canals. The landscape consists of farmland and forests. As you drift along you will pass famous castles, ancient towns and historic palaces.
Boating holidays in Europe have something for everyone and they are great value for money. You can head out to rural places or be in city centres have a big night out. This is a holiday with a difference and everyone will remember it for a long time after it is over.


text:
Now we were getting into the nitty-gritty, and the days of rough carpentry were over.
Once all the flooring was installed, we started the finicky detail work of trim and moulding for the walls and windows. It's impressive how many hours you can spend at the lumber store comparing all the different options and prices. It is equally impressive how many hours it takes to cut and install said items. Completing this part of the project took about forty-five hours which included an initial three-hour trip to the lumber store to price out our options.
The precision in this kind of detailed work takes patience and dedication. It would be so easy to do a shoddy job, but half-ass isn't in Mike's vocabulary.


text:
The Hope College men's soccer team scored two second-half goals to beat Madonna University 2-0 on Wednesday night.
The Flying Dutchmen evened their overall record at 1-1-1 with the nonleague win in front of a Van Andel Soccer Stadium crowd of 350.
Sophomore David Porte, pictured at right, snapped a scoreless tie in the 72nd minute. The midfielder/ forward from Mattawan (Mattawan HS) headed a long cross in the corner from junior midfielder Tarwo Konbloa for his first
collegiate goal.
"That was just a scramble play," Porte said. "Tarwo had a little combination play with another forward, and served the ball up. It looked like it was going to go out of bounds — I think's what all the team thought. I was like 'I think it's going to stay inbounds.' I started running toward it, threw my body at it. I didn't even know it went in (until) I started hearing everybody cheering."
Six minutes later, junior Gavin Midlam of East Lansing (East Lansing HS) swiped possession from Madonna, then dribbled a few feet before finishing from 12 yards out. It was Midlam's second goal of the season.
"It's really frustrating when you're dominating a team, and you don't get a goal out of it," Porte said. "As soon as we got that first one, we were able to sit back and start actually enjoying the game then put away another one."
Junior goalie Will Morlock of Grand Haven (Grand Haven HS) earned his first win for the Flying Dutchmen by posting three saves.
The Flying Dutchmen return to action on Saturday, Sept. 7, when they host Wheaton (Ill.) College. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Van Andel Soccer Stadium.


text:
Scientific publications
Errors in recognition and management are still frequent in patients with cluster headache
Sánchez Del Rio M (1), Leira R, Pozo-Rosich P, Laínez JM, Alvarez R, Pascual J.
(1) Service of Neurology, Ruber International Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
Magazine: European Neurology
Date: Jun 1, 2014Neurology [SP]
To analyze the trajectory to diagnosis and information provided in a series of cluster headache (CH) patients from five headache clinics.
CH patients were asked to fill in an ad hoc questionnaire.
Seventy-five patients (mean age 41.5 years, 67 males) completed the questionnaire. Patients had visited during an average of 4.9 years a mean of 4.6 physicians who had obtained 2.5 neuroimaging procedures per patient before getting a diagnosis of CH. Sixty-three (84%) had received no diagnosis (21 cases; 28%), while 43 (57%) had been given an average of 2.1 alternative diagnoses. Migraine, trigeminal neuralgia and sinusitis were the most frequent mistakes.
After diagnosis, 55% had subjectively received poor/very poor information on CH. Ninety-five percent had poor or incorrect information about the nature of the disease, or acute (70%) and preventive (61%) treatments.
Etiology (90%), management options (36%) and potential adverse events of medications (29%) were their main information demands.
Although CH is an invalidating and clinically clear-cut disorder suffered by around 1/1,000 people, it is still frequently unrecognized and/or mistaken for other disorders, which calls for a better knowledge and education in the diagnosis of the main primary headaches.
CITATION Eur Neurol. 2014;72(3-4):209-12. doi: 10.1159/000362517. Epub 2014 Sep 13.
you mayBE INTERESTED
The Clínica is the greater private hospital with technological equipment of Spain, all in a single center.
The professionals of the Clínica perform continuous research and training, always to the benefit of the patient.
Learn why we are different from other healthcare centers. Quality, speed, comfort and results.


text:
There's a wealth of constantly evolving IT products available that can be leveraged to answer some of the most difficult missions in government.
How has government attempted to harness an incredibly fast moving market while adhering to regulations that govern the notoriously slow process of federal procurement?
Six different government entities took similar approaches to that business problem by creating large, long-term contracts by essentially vetting an initial group of government-savvy manufacturers and resellers. This process gave them each a contract where these companies compete on a daily basis for government IT commodity requirements by offering the latest technology at the best prices.
Today, these high-volume, billion-dollar contracts include Air Force's NETCENTS -2 NetCentric Products, Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) First Source II, Department of Veteran Affairs' (VA) Commodities Enterprise Contract (CEC), Army's ITES-3H, NASA SEWP V, and National Institutes of Health's (NIH) CIO-CS.
These contracts, which are task order contracts, have long been a very successful and useful tool.
Many of these contracts are in their second or third iteration. And all of these contracts were opened again for competition in this decade, offering an opportunity for new technology resellers and manufacturers to earn a spot on these contracts and force existing awardees to compete again to maintain their position. Despite being an established concept, something started to go very wrong for all of these contracts. It's a story best told in dates and numbers.
Despite being an established concept, something started to go very wrong for all of these contracts.
The NETCENTS II solicitation was issued Feb. 2, 2010, and was finally awarded and functional by Nov. 6, 2013. That's 1,373 days. During that time, the Air Force attempted to make awards twice, but the decisions were protested 27 times. Eventually, the solicitation resulted in awards to 25 bidders, well over the original goal of nine awardees.
First Source II took 433 days to award after solicitation release and endured several protests.
CEC went 495 days before the dust settled and performance began.
ITES-3H's RFP came out on Sept. 25, 2012 and has still not been awarded. It has been protested in each phase of the procurement, with 17 protests occurring in the first phase and 19 protests in the second.
The Army hopes to make awards in the second quarter of 2015, which is nearly three years from the solicitation release.
SEWP V was released on Aug. 16 2013. NASA successfully resisted several pre-award protests and made awards on Oct. 1 of this year, but then received 25 more protests. Rather than fight their protests as had been done on First Source II and CEC successfully, NASA rescinded their initial awards in order to dismiss the protests and will now reevaluate the hundreds of proposals they received.
NASA states they will make an award in 2015. NIH issued CIO-CS on May 7th 2014, and it is already battling pre-award protests.
While it's not unusual for billion dollar procurements to take up to a year to award from RFP release, these contracts are taking well over a year, in some cases several years. They are also loading the Government Accountability Office's bid protest docket, with many of the protests resulting in corrective action on the Government's part.
So, what happened?
These procurements were conducted by six different contracting offices, working with completely different program offices, over the course of four years. Some of the solicitations contained traditional evaluation factors such as past performance and management approach, and some, like NETCENTS, discarded with these factors entirely.
Some used a multi-phased approach that rejected proposals in stages and others attempted to do all their evaluations at once. Some of these procurements were made up of smaller contracts that separated businesses based on their size and socio-economic profiles, while others lumped all contractors together.
However, there are a few commonalities that each of these procurements share.
Each procurement required bidders to propose products that fit a profile of specifications given by the government. In each solicitation, the products covered a wide spectrum of technology, from basic personal computers to enterprise-class equipment.
Many of the procurements had a long list of products, sometimes hundreds of items long. The flexible nature of these contracts means the government is not obligated to buy any item from that original list, and it is widely known that proposing items against this list is done primarily for proposal evaluation purposes, and has little to do with post-award activities.
That's because each of these contracts has a mechanism known as "technology refresh" and "technology insertion," which allows bidders to update the list of products they offer after award. These mechanisms are necessary to keep pace with a rapidly changing technology market.
The companies that bid on these contracts will tell you that these contract features, while central to the success and identity of these contracts, combine in such a way that makes the initial procurement process ripe for delays and protests.
The companies that bid on these contracts will tell you that these contract features, while central to the success and identity of these contracts, combine in such a way that makes the initial procurement process ripe for delays and protests.
It initially appears logical for the government to request a broad list of technology products from bidders that are vying for seats on billion dollar contracts. Successfully doing so proves the contractor can properly vet products that meet not only the technical requirements of the customer, but also government-wide regulations that cover these purchases, such as the Trade Agreements Act and Energy Star.
Essentially, each procurement asked bidders to do exactly what they would do post award: provide compliant technology at their best price, only on a much larger scale than the average delivery order. That seems fair enough.
In practice, it has proven to be a nightmare.
In every case, the government used this initial list of products as a pass or fail measure for the technical evaluation factor. That means a bidder had to provide a combination of technology products that met every single specification the government marked as mandatory to be eligible for an award.
For example, when the government asked for a blade server in the evaluated product list, it asked for a blade server with a specific number and type of processors, a specific number and type of memory, storage capacity, type of warranty, redundant power supplies, and so on. The list of requirements attached to a single product could sometimes be 20 or 30 specifications long.
When you multiply this list by the dozens or sometimes hundreds of products, you end up with individual pass/fail elements that can go well into the thousands.
The vast number of requirements caused significant delays during the proposal phase and much longer delays during the government's evaluation and award periods. In many cases, the technical requirements for a product were initially unclear, impossible to fulfill, or specific to a single manufacturer.
The vast number of requirements caused significant delays during the proposal phase and much longer delays during the government's evaluation and award periods.
Because these were pass/fail requirements that could invalidate an entire bid with one deficient response, bidders asked questions to clarify requirements. Many offerors also used the question and answer period to do what they do best: compete. They tried to steer the specifications to their preferred manufacturers, thereby eliminating part of their competition.
And their competitors, of course, did the same. That, coupled with the fact that these procurements attracted a very large number of bidders (NASA has stated that there were 233 initial proposals for SEWP V) resulted in some of the longest lists of questions and answers and subsequent amendments seen in all of federal contracting.
SEWP V exceeded 1,000 questions and the Q&A period went on for months, delaying the submission date several times and no doubt clogging internal NASA resources. CEC was delayed 62 days, much of it stemming from its lengthy and intricate list of specifications for enterprise equipment.
The delays and frustrations during the proposal period were nothing compared to what actually happened when the government began evaluating proposals, which resulted in mutual aggravation between industry and government, often ending in litigation.
Anyone who has spent time developing proposals for federal contracts will tell you that much of the evaluation process is subjective, except when it comes to pass/fail evaluation factors. Those should, by definition, be black or white.
When the government created these long lists of initial products and specifications, I imagine they felt like they were making their procurements more substantial, and perhaps they might even scare away a few of the more marginal bidders. They may not have considered the workload and liability they created for themselves. They took on the responsibility for correctly verifying the compliance of hundreds of products and all individual requirements for each and every bid.
In a perfect world, with plentiful and skilled resources and no gray areas, it would take an evaluation team several months to properly evaluate and document the number of proposals received.
In an imperfect world, the one we live in, resources are scarce and there is plenty of gray area. In the imperfect world, people make mistakes and omissions, particularly when large volumes are involved with limited resources.
This occurred both with government and industry.
The product evaluation decisions for NETCENTS-2 and ITES 3-H, the two contracts that have experienced the longest delays, were thoroughly protested by industry. And while the government successfully deflected some of the protests, many of them pointed out valid evaluation errors, causing the agencies to take a corrective action and revisit what we've established is a tedious, lengthy, and dangerous evaluation process.
Most of the First Source II awards were delayed by a single bidder that went all the way to the Court of Federal Claims to combat their dismissal for a single omission on their products list.
CEC, which likely had the smallest evaluation volume being a highly complex small business set-aside, went through a careful process to clarify requirements and allow offerors to fix their proposals after submission. CEC's awards were still protested, but they were not based on the products list, and the protests were dismissed. The nature of the most current SEWP V and CIO-CS protests are unclear.
At best, the products list evaluation method is a time consuming endeavor, and at its worst, it's a liability for litigation. But some undertakings that are hard and risky are worth it. So what value does this onerous evaluation process offer to government? When looking at pricing methodologies, I believe the most knowledgeable and honest in industry would tell you that it offers none.
It is important to remember that the government is not buying any initial products with the creation of these contracts. They simply serve to initiate the vehicles that will later fulfill billions of dollars of competed delivery orders after award. We've established that contractors will also refresh, replace, or insert entirely new products into their offerings after contract award to stay current with technology on these multi-year contracts. This creates an environment where the initial pricing submission has little basis in reality.
Most often, evaluators compare the prices of bids by looking at the entire price of a bid, known as a total evaluated price (TEP). The government isn't precluded from looking at individual cost elements, but it becomes increasingly difficult to look at individual cost elements when there are hundreds of cost elements and the volume of bids is more than an evaluation team can handle.
So evaluators tend to rely quite a bit on the TEP. In the contracts we've discussed, the majority of the TEP is calculated by multiplying the unit price given for each individual item in the bidder's product sheet by a given quantity. The bidder is aware, or can figure out, these quantities.
Because the price of some products are significantly less than others (for example, an LCD monitor and an enterprise-class storage system), certain products, based on their price and quantity, end up contributing much more to the TEP than other products.
In industry, we call this "weighting," meaning that one product "weighs" more than others as far as its impact on pricing. Extreme weighting give rise to a pricing methodology known as gaming. All of these procurements had weighting issues.
Extreme weighting give rise to a pricing methodology known as gaming. All of these procurements had weighting issues.
Gaming can be easily explained through an example. Let's say one of these procurements was vastly simplified and asked for 100 keyboards and 10,000 laptops for the initial submission. As a bidder, you know a compliant keyboard will cost you $9 a unit and a laptop will cost you $900 unit. You decide to propose the keyboard at $10 a unit and the laptop at $1000 a unit.
When you look at the TEP in this scenario, the laptop dwarfs the keyboard in weighting, making up 99.99% of the price. Would you make the smart business decision to propose the laptop at a much lower profit margin to win the overall contract? Sure. Would you consider even selling it with no profit? Why not? It's a small portion of what you could make on the entire contract. But would you sell it a loss?
Remember, neither of these products is likely to be sold with the awarded contract. By the time a contract is actually awarded, much of an original product list has reached end-of-life and is no longer available as new on the market.
Even for the products that are still available on the market, because these are multiple-award contracts, an awardee is not necessarily obligated to bid on a large delivery order post-award for serious quantities. Everything above a low dollar threshold has to be competed on these contracts, and an offeror can simply choose not to bid on an RFQ for an item they proposed below their cost.
Because these contracts allow you to regularly change your catalog post-award, you can propose a product with the initial submission that is compliant and cheap, but you know to be inferior and undesirable, with the intention of replacing it or putting another item on the contract post-award.
With these options, each bidder is presented with a much lower risk when understating prices. Bidders know to understate the price on the most heavily weighted items - it's grade-school math.
This gaming approach has become the standard rather than the exception on these large procurements.
The government is fully aware that gaming happens. It's not a practice that was created by the technology commodity industry and it has been practiced for some time. There is an entire acquisition regulation dedicated to gaming, which the government addresses as "unbalanced pricing."
They define this in FAR 15.404-1: "Unbalanced pricing exists when, despite an acceptable total evaluated price, the price of one or more contract line items is significantly over or understated as indicated by the application of cost or price analysis techniques." The government has the right to reject offers for unbalanced pricing.
The government can find unbalanced pricing by comparing the prices of units among offerors or using other information.
But what happens when gaming becomes a wide-spread practice? It becomes very hard for evaluators to find and prove that pricing is unbalanced.
With each of these procurements, industry has experienced a consistent lowering of the bar for what is considered competitive, but reasonable, among companies for product pricing. With each debrief after an award decision, bidders were often shocked to find that their supposedly rock-bottom price was actually relatively high when compared to the field of bidders.
This has created a downward spiral with each bid, as prices move lower and lower, becoming less and less realistic while testing business ethics.
In summary, the common evaluation strategies undertaken by government on large IT commodity contracts is an incredibly arduous activity for both industry and government that causes massive delays and litigation. It results in contract awards with an initial list of products that Industry will almost never sell and government will likely never buy.
Once the government makes it over the solicitation hump and has an actual contract these contracts can be greatly beneficial to the government. They are dynamic and responsive to technology needs and can often be updated much faster than a GSA schedule. The competitive aspects of the contract drive down prices on products while also offering technology solutions the government might not have previous considered.
So, there's no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. But we do need to change the bathwater.
I believe government and Industry would be in favor of a change for the next round of competitions. I believe there is a middle ground that allows the government to truly evaluate a company in a reasonable amount of time while deriving actual value from the initial procurement. The key is to make the product evaluation portion simple.
The government should rely more heavily on subjective evaluation factors like corporate experience, past performance, and written technical and management approaches. These elements provide the government with valuable information to evaluate a company while not presenting a protest minefield.
Detailed corporate experience and past performance information are reliable sources for evaluation in this industry as it's not something that is often fabricated. This information should only come from the prime contractor. Subcontractors come and go in this industry. Technology resellers and manufacturers that participate in the federal space keep copious records on each transaction. They should be able to provide extensive information on their previous contracts and performance.
If a bidder is unable to provide this detailed information, it can be an indication that they lack business intelligence on their own operations.
Technical and management approaches are a bit trickier. Bidders can hire outside technical consultants to generate quality technical solutions or write a management approach that makes a fly-by-night operation look like an orderly and precise enterprise. However, the government can ask for bidders to disclose their current (and not future) business practices by asking for information on their supply chain or manufacturing practices, reseller certifications, lines of credit and financial practices, and information on their internal business systems and process.
If the government finds out that a bidder uses a spreadsheet to track all of their quotes and orders today, they will know the bidder presents an unacceptable performance risk on a billion dollar contract tomorrow. The more the government focuses on specific bona fides rather than future promises, the more valuable and realistic information they will receive in a proposal.
But how do we handle the part that has derailed the largest IT commodity procurements?
The proposed list of products should be vastly simplified, in both number of products and specifications. If the likelihood of a contractor having to deliver on their initial list of products is very low, then it should be reduced to a simple exercise for both industry and government. Using a much shorter list of products that are widely available and compliant with government standards, like laptops and monitors and servers, will ease several pre-award problem areas. At a minimum, it will reduce the amount of data the government has to evaluate, which should significantly speed these procurements up. It would be a change welcomed by both Industry and government.
Printable Format
E-Mail this page
This is one of the better articles I've ever read on Washington Technology. Bravo, Mr. Shafer.
I agree with the other commenter that the recommendations are a little generic, but (as a participant in several of the contract competitions noted) I agree that these types of product evaluation are unnecessarily arduous and voluminous. I would like to see the government move to more of a sample delivery order model for these types of contracts. The RFP should provide a few hypothetical buying scenarios, with some basic background information, and ask contractors to propose BOMs on their own. DHS CDM did this well, IMHO. Forcing every contractor to bid to the same BOM promotes a race to the bottom. The government would be better suited to let the contractors be creative and propose their own solutions. This would show better technical prowess, understanding of industry trends, and understanding of value propositions.
As a diagnostic, this is a tour de force. The recs, however, are only good--plausible and adequately sensible, if unoriginal. Overall, tho, great thinking. The threshold problems are trust and competence. When it comes to corp experience, one cannot expect truth-telling from the companies, or for them to surface their problems. The govt cannot sense these flaws, and, the customer involved, will want to cover them up as much as the contractor. This is why contractor performance rating and performance eval data bases are so troubled, controversial, and unreliable. When it comes to the government, competence is a perilous threshold issue. Those who come up with reqts often do not understand them or are subject to vendor manipulation--that explains why so many Section Cs and other RFP sections are hosed or obviously defective or reflect institutional COI. The same people evaluate proposals. Further, many govt emps have COI individually, as in looking for their next job, for example. We cannot expect sufficient integrity. Accountability, administrative discipline, or the necessary criminal investigations are never conducted. And the miscreants stay in place, haplessly condemning the end-customers and the companies to live in an untrustworthy, flawed environment where the taxpayers' dollars are often wasted or misused. Solutions include: buying less, buying more OTS commercial, using truly independent evaluation people. Note, this would clearly exclude the FFRDCs, which are particularly conflicted due to their intimate, decades long relationships with their sponsors and their shelter from all competition. Again, great analysis, good conclusions, recs need work. Thanks, Mr. Shafer
Advanced Search
Don't miss our Aug. 2 Washington Technology Power Training session on Mastering Stakeholder Engagement, where you'll learned the critical skills you need to more fully connect with your customers and win more business.
Read More
In our latest Project 38 Podcast, editor Nick Wakeman interviews Tom Romeo, the leader of Maximus Federal about how it has zoomed up the 2019 Top 100.
Read More
Sign up for our newsletter.
I agree to this site's Privacy Policy.


text:
Say hello to the all-new Friends & Family Rewards Program!
From day one, Breckenridge Grand Vacations has been committed to creating lasting memories for you, your family and your friends. And, we've made it even easier to share Breckenridge with the all-new Friends & Family Rewards Program. Start sharing Breckenridge and experience more of what matters – together.
The Soul of Breckenridge Grand Vacations is Creating Smiles!
Easy as 1, 2, 3
You Share: Log in to ShareBreck.com and use your custom referral portal to share exclusive offers at our coveted BGV properties with your friends and family.
They Experience: Your friends and family enjoy special savings when they book an exciting Breckenridge getaway with your exclusive Friends & Family rate.
You All Win: Your friends and family fall in love with Breckenridge and you receive 50 Reward Dollars when they take a preview tour – plus, 200 more if they purchase a BGV ownership.
What are Reward Dollars?
For each qualified guest who completes a preview tour of a BGV property, you will earn 50 Reward Dollars and an additional 200 Reward Dollars if they purchase!
How To Pay Your HOA Dues
Reward dollars can be used for a lot of things and it's possible to earn thousands of dollars in reward dollars per year. Yes, you heard us correctly, thousands of dollars!
For the first time ever!
Share offers with your friends and family at each of our Breckenridge Grand Vacations properties. While the offers vary throughout the year, your Exclusive Friends & Family rate you share will always be the best deal available!


text: Health & Safety Training Courses Ascendlearning Training Courses. Health & Safety is such a big part of everyday life within businesses now! Are you aware of your responsibilities? Our health and safety courses help maintain the high levels of health and safety that are expected! 07951 056580 email@example.com www.ascendlearning.co.uk Posted by Tony Umpleby 08/11/2017 Categories: Health & Safety Tweet Comments(0)


text:
The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission has concluded a major statutory investigation into mental health discrimination by travel insurers.
Final report: Fair-minded cover
The Commission's report, Fair-minded cover, details the findings of the Investigation, which looked at the compliance of several Australian travel insurers over an eight-month period.
The Investigation focused on three companies that made up around 37 per cent of Australia's travel insurance industry – Allianz & AGA, Suncorp and World Nomads Group.
The Investigation found that, in an eight-month period, these travel insurers sold more than 365,000 policies containing terms that discriminated against people with mental health conditions.
These insurers were unable to establish that they could rely on any of the available exceptions under the Equal Opportunity Act to lawfully discriminate.
We are pleased to report that, during the investigation, all three insurers committed to changing their practice of issuing travel insurance policies with a blanket mental health exclusion. This means that some of the largest travel insurers in the Australian market will now provide some cover for mental health conditions.
The report also considered important steps insurers can take to comply with the law in future.
Read our media release and watch our video explainer below.
Download the report
Fair-minded cover - Travel insurance investigation - Full report (PDF, 900KB)
Fair-minded cover - Executive summary (PDF, 405KB)
Fair-minded cover - Ch1 Introduction (PDF, 190KB)
Fair-minded cover - Ch2 Overview of insurance(PDF, 240KB)
Fair-minded cover - Ch 3 Relevant laws (PDF, 205KB)
Fair-minded cover - Ch 4 World Nomads Group (PDF, 190KB)
Fair-minded cover - Ch 5 Suncorp (PDF, 210KB)
Fair-minded cover - Ch 6 Allianz and AGA (PDF, 220KB)
Fair-minded cover - Ch 7 Zurich and Cover-More (PDF, 155KB)
Fair-minded cover - Ch 8 Enduring change (PDF, 170KB)
Fair-minded cover - Glossary (PDF, 95KB)
The issue
Victoria's Equal Opportunity Act 2010 protects people from being discriminated against because of a disability when they are buying goods and services.
Mental health conditions are a form of disability, and travel insurance is a service.
Leading mental health advocates – including Beyond Blue, Public Interest Advocacy Centre and SANE Australia – have, for several years, highlighted concerns about the way insurers offer and sell policies for people with a mental health condition.
Unlawful discrimination on the basis of a mental health condition in travel insurance policies also came to the Victorian community's attention as a result of the case of Ingram v QBE Insurance (Australia) Ltd [2015] 1936 VCAT.
The Commission suspected that insurance companies could be unlawfully discriminating by:
- refusing to provide someone with travel insurance cover for their mental health condition
- offering travel insurance to people with a mental health condition on unfavourable terms.
With one in three Australians suffering a mental health issue in their lifetime and thousands of Australians travelling each year, the Commission believed that these policies were potentially harmful to a significant number of people.
The process
The Commission conducted this Investigation into travel insurance through its investigation function under the Equal Opportunity Act.
Investigations can play a critical role in holding organisations and industries to account and are an important way the Commission can effect real change and ensure fairer treatment for all Victorians.
The Investigation examined travel insurance policies offered by Allianz Australia Limited, Suncorp Group Limited and World Nomads Group that maintained general, or 'blanket' exclusions for any cover of a mental health condition.
We also sought input from insurers that had taken steps to remove the blanket clauses, to better understand their approach.
The Commission then asked insurers who maintained the blanket exclusions to explain their decision to offer these kinds of policies, and to provide any statistical or actuarial information they legally rely on to substantiate that. Importantly, the law requires that information used by an insurer must be reasonable to rely on – which means it should be relevant and up to date.
Insurers must also consider whether there are alternative actions they can take to not discriminate against people with mental health conditions.
In addition, the Commission sought independent expert advice from an actuary to review the information provided to the Investigation, and to help identify better alternatives that insurers could adopt.
Finally, the Commission engaged with key industry stakeholders, such as the Actuaries Institute and Insurance Council of Australia.
Summary of findings
- During the Investigation Period Allianz, Suncorp and WNG issued travel insurance policies including a blanket mental health exclusion and failed to indemnify people under those policies based on a mental health condition.
- During the Investigation Period Allianz, Suncorp and WNG had a legal obligation under the Equal Opportunity Act to not discriminate against people with a mental health condition in the provision of travel insurance.
- The information provided to the Investigation by Allianz, Suncorp and WNG did not demonstrate a sufficient basis to claim the data exception for insurers.
- On that basis, Allianz, Suncorp and WNG unlawfully discriminated against people with a mental health condition during the Investigation Period.
- Allianz, Suncorp and WNG did not take sufficient steps to meet their positive duty under the Equal Opportunity Act to eliminate discrimination as far as possible.
Summary of recommendations
- All insurers who participated in the Investigation should develop a strategy for compliance with the Equal Opportunity Act.
- Allianz, Suncorp and WNG should apply rigorous actuarial analysis to the policy terms they use to offer or exclude travel insurance cover to people with a mental health condition (having regard to the DDA Guidelines).
- Allianz, Suncorp and WNG should contact claimants denied indemnity or claims based on a mental health condition during the Investigation Period to notify them about the Investigation and its outcomes.
- All insurers who participated in the Investigation should provide their staff with regular education and training on anti-discrimination law.
- All insurers who participated in the Investigation should develop risk profiles and appropriate coverage for different mental health conditions.
- All insurers who participated in the Investigation should provide clear reasons to travel insurance customers for refusing to offer cover or deny indemnity based on a mental health condition.
- The Actuaries Institute and the Insurance Council of Australia should facilitate education on anti-discrimination law for actuary members and insurers respectively.
- The Insurance Council of Australia should incorporate its Guidance on Mental Health as a mandatory and enforceable part of its Code of Conduct.
Agreements with insurers
Following the investigation, the Commission entered into an agreement with nib holdings (parent company of World Nomads Group) regarding the removal of travel insurance products that included discriminatory clauses. We confirm that, since this agreement was executed, nib holdings has now removed the clauses from its products and have accordingly met all requirements of the agreement.
nib Travel Pty Ltd - final compliance agreeement (PDF, 115KB)
Tracking improvements
In six months' time the Commission will seek an update on progress made towards implementing our recommendations from the insurers and entities. We will publish their responses here.
Making a complaint as a consumer
Fair-minded cover - Consumer fact sheet (PDF, 95KB)
If you believe you have been discriminated against because of a mental health condition, disability or another protected personal characteristic you can call the Commission on 1300 292 153, chat with us online or submit an online complaint form.
The Commission offers a free, fair and timely dispute-resolution service that can help to resolve complaints of discrimination and harassment.


text:
Electrolux Appliances Repair and Services
Don't you love your Electrolux appliances? They are amazing, aren't they? It's important to keep them this way by scheduling regular maintenance and timely repair.
Appliances Electrical Services is here for you to help! If you experience any problem or difficulty with your Electrolux appliance, please call us at once (800) 520-7044. We are open 24/7. Our technicians are best experts on the market in Southern California (Los Angeles, Pasadena, Altadena, Burbank, Glendale, La Canada, La Crescenta, North Hollywood, Encino, Tarzana, West Los Angeles, Granada Hills, Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and surrounding cities). They are factory trained, licensed, insured and very friendly. We have one of the most experienced teams. Appliances Electrical Services is over 10 years old, and it's a family owned business. We treat all our clients as close friends.
This is what our service includes:
- 24/7 operator (800) 520-7044,
- Same day home visit,
- Free estimate, if we do repair
- Same day service- no extra charge!
Here are your benefits:
- 25% discount for first time Electrolux appliance repair clients,
- 10% discount for retirees,
We service the following Electrolux appliances:
- Electrolux Cooktop repair
- Electrolux wall oven service
- Electrolux ranges, cooktops, stoves repair
- Warmer drawer
- Ventilation
- Electrolux microwave oven
- Electrolux dishwasher service
- Wine storages and Wine cooler repairs
- Electrolux refrigerators repairs
- Freezers commercial and residential services
- Electrolux ice maker repair
- Frontload washer and Topload washing machine
- Electrolux electric dryer and gas dryer service
- Trash compactors


text:
2019 Audi Q2 Redesign, Changes, Release Date and Prices
2019 Audi Q2 is a vehicle that features a large amount of enthusiasts, is trusted and it has become the very best-selling of his time. A few weeks ago appeared a gossip that the corporation brings the following era of the Crossover. This newest model supposedly will bring a number of improvements in various areas, exterior, and interior, in addition to a more powerful motor and fuel economy, turned a in its growth, there are also issues say that This 2019 Audi Q2 can don Hybrid engines that more ecofriendly.
2019 Audi Q2 Redesign and Improvement
Supposedly, the 2019 Audi Q2 can experience a change of style to the exterior, with this latest model will have dimensions that it has a lighter weight and are a bit more compact. The scale are very beneficial to aerodynamics, The Headlight you can find also changes that make it a far more attractive. About the back of maintaining the smoothness of this automobile, the size of the wheels remain the identical. The brand new search is fairly outstanding, some netizen also stated that they were extremely considering his new more futuristic's look.
The Interior of 2019 Audi Q2 there's also an alteration in the active photography, we can note that the dash of the vehicle is having a bit of the contact of modern, adequate Touchscreen LCD may present GPS with specific, the Speedometer it's very modern. Sitting part covered with real leather which makes it stylish and luxury, there are a number of shade options to select from. 5 passengers can be it really is quite wide, accommodated by traveler capacity of the automobile with good, 7 or actually 6 people. Trunk Room is also quite broad, the dimensions are enough to carry the material you need when going a picnic, to Work, or camping. This automobile is it possible to depend for comfort and looks on your.
2019 Audi Q2 Engine Specs
To run the job as a multipurpose car, This 2019 Audi Q2 seems to utilize a more powerful engine compared to past type, we still do not have obvious details about his. However uncertainty we V6 1.5 M would be used by this crossover with a few of the latest technology stuck within this automobile, about the fundamental version, we think that this Truck will encounter an increase in power. Rocketing shots created would be excellent both over a city street or offroad.
There's also gossip information saying the diesel version shown brings higher power in addition to more gas -successful. The Hybrid version is also believed to be a logic selection given the current folks are presently conscious of the importance of ecofriendly automobiles.
2019 Audi Q2 Release Day and Cost
Price and launch 2019 Audi Q2 haven't been introduced, but that surely buyers have a pastime in this, go through the value of the previous type when first introduced, we considered the price isn't less than $25000 and might be available by the end of this year or early next year. We simply wait.