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All New 2019 RAM
Think heritage Ram Brand style with all-new appeal. A bold new exterior with a sculpted design, smart cargo management and advanced technology push the boundaries of what you think a truck can be.
The All-New 2019 Ram 1500 drives into the future aerodynamically.
Extensive testing created 2 Class-Exclusive features. First, the Class-Exclusive active air dam deploys at a higher speeds to divert air around the truck. Secondly, the Class-Exclusive Active-Level Four-Corner Air Suspension lowers the vehicle 0.5-inches (12.7 mm) at highways speeds. To help reduce drag, Adjustable Grille Shutters open and close, the elevated hood directs air away from the wiper area, the bed rails were raised, and a new rear spoiler on rear tailgate was added.
These improvements create our Best-In-Class aerodynamic drag coefficient.
The All-New 2019 Ram 1500 offers plenty of storage space for your precious cargo.
The available Class-Exclusive RamBox Cargo Management System offers two lockable, drainable storage bins with LED lighting, plus new features like a 115-volt power outlet and remote access via the key fob.
Get A Hand When You Need It.
Blind-Spot Monitoring
Utilizing radar to monitor your blind spots, the available Blind-Spot Detection can turn on an alert to motify you when another vehicle is present.
Forward Collision Warning/Cruise Control Comfort
The available Forward Collision Warning system used a combination of radar and video sensors to alert you just in case you miss something. The Ram 1500's available Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Stop and Go system can slow you down to a virtual stop.
Bird's Eye View
Available 360 Degree Surround View. Cameras in strategic locations around the truck can provide views on the Uconnect screen from all around the vehicle.
Safety standards for peace of mind.
Advanced Technology
Interior Technology.
High-Tech Connectivity
Propel yourself into 2019 with the 4th generation Uconnect multimedia centre with available 8.4-inch or 12-inch touchscreen. Bigger is way better, especially when it's the Largest-in-Class 12-inch Uconnect touchscreen. The All-New 2019 Ram 1500 offers powerful, user-friendly technology that delivers an all-new level of enterainment, communication, comfort and convenience.
Class-Exclusive Premium Sound
The All-New 2019 Ram 1500 has the most powerful available audio system in its segment. This 19-speaker harman/kardon audio system with a 10-inch subwoofer and a 900-watt surround sound amplifier is now available for the first time in a pickup.
Interior Features
The Quietest Ram Cabin Ever.
A number of advances went into making the 2019 the quietest Ram 1500 ever. From new tires tuned to temper road sounds and the crafted hood that directs air away from the wipers to the acoustic glass that helps reduce wind noise.
On the inside, Active Noise Cancellation phases out unwanted noise, creating a quieter interior. Plus, that new HVAC system operates at a lower noise level, contributing to Best-in-class interor quietness in real world conditions of 56.7 dBA, which improves sound quality throughout the cabin.
Exterior Features
Ask the Seller for a CARFAX Canada Report
What is a CARFAX Canada report?
- CARFAX Canada provides comprehensive vehicle history reporting in Canada
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- Whether or not the vehicle was in any reported accidents
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Why ask for a CARFAX Canada report?
- Without a vehicle history report, you really do not know the vehicle's past
Let a CARFAX Canada report help you make an informed purchase decision. Enter your email below to ask the seller to send you a CARFAX Canada report.

subset: commoncrawl


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Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans cut back on using their credit cards in September for the fourth straight month but boosted borrowing in the category that covers auto loans and student debt.
Consumers increased their borrowing by $13.7 billion in September to a seasonally adjusted $3.05 trillion, the Federal Reserve reported Thursday. That is a record and follows a gain of $14.2 billion in August.
The increase was driven entirely by higher borrowing for auto and student loans, which rose $15.8 billion. Credit card debt fell $2.1 billion following a decline of $885 million in August.
The string of declines in credit card debt will likely hold back consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of economic growth.
The measure of auto loans and student loans has risen 8.5 percent from a year ago and has increased in every month but one since May 2010.
But credit card debt is essentially where it was a year ago. And it is 17.2 percent below its peak hit in July 2008 _ seven months after the Great Recession began.
Slow job growth and small wage gains have made many Americans more reluctant to charge goods and services.
But at the same time, the weak economy is persuading more people to go back to school to learn new skills. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York quarterly report on consumer credit shows student loan debt has been the biggest driver of borrowing since the Great Recession officially ended in June 2009.
Analysts had hoped that consumers would step up spending and help drive faster economic growth in the final three months of the year.
But a partial government shutdown in October lasted 16 days and left thousands of government workers temporarily without paychecks.
That disruption is expected to hold back growth in the fourth quarter. Many economists believe the overall economy is growing at a rate just below 2 percent in this quarter, down from growth of 2.8 percent in the July-September quarter.
The Fed's borrowing report tracks credit card debt, auto loans and student loans but not mortgages, home equity loans and other loans secured by real estate.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Do you like making homemade gifts & projects at Christmas? Have "crafty" people to shop for on your list? In either scenario, Elmer's products are a GREAT solution. It's no secret that I use A LOT of Elmer's products in my various crafty endeavors! Glue Spots and Painters Markers are a couple of my all-time favorite products!
So, today, I'm sharing 3 different homemade holiday gift ideas you can make! All of them use a variety of Elmer's products which would all be great gifts for the crafter in your life. (*Note: You can see even more products that I saw on my trip to Walmart via this Google + story here. And, special thanks to Mr. Mom Endeavors would lent a hand with these projects, doing LOTS of X-ACTO knife wielding for me. His hands are in quite a few of the pictures, you know, just in case you thought my hands were that big or hairy! 🙂 ).
Here we go…
Handmade Family Ornament
We have an ornament tradition and like to include at least one homemade ornament per year. Last year, we did some really cute snowmen (using everyone's thumbprints) on a glass ball. Sadly though, the glass cracked & the ornament completely broke! 🙁
- Elmer's Red Foam Board
- X-ACTO Gripster Craft Knife
- Elmer's Painters Markers
- CraftBond Glue Spots (Pop-Up)
- White paint
- sparkle texture
- family's fingers
- snowflakes or other embellishments
- ornament hanger or ribbon
Ribbon Wreath
A while back, I made a Husker ribbon wreath for football season. Well, my sister saw it, and she requested that I make her one just like it!! So, I set out to do that, but changed a few things up, starting with the base. 🙂
- Elmer's Red Foam Board
- X-ACTO Gripster Craft Knife
- X-ACTO Designer Series Scissors
- CraftBond Fabric & Paper Glue
- LOTS of ribbon & fabric
– Cut a wreath form out of the foam board. I used red because a) I had it and b) it goes well with the Husker theme! 🙂
– Then, start tying the ribbons around the wreath, alternating the different kinds and pushing the knots close together. I used the fabric glue in some places to hold down certain ribbons. Or to stick on some of the ribbon that I didn't want to tie all the way around the wreath.– Continue that process all the way around the wreath! Note: this does take awhile. Like an hour at least. So, just plan accordingly. But, the end result is great! 🙂
Large Gift Box/Basket
After making my large Glue Crew recycling box out of an Elmer's board, I thought it would be fun to make a large gift box/basket for Christmas.
- Elmer's Tri-Fold Board
- X-ACTO Gripster Craft Knife
- X-ACTO Designer Series Scissors
- CraftBond Fabric & Paper Glue
- CraftBond All Purpose Glue Stick
- Clear tape
- wrapping paper
– Use your X-ACTO knife to cut an Elmer's tri-fold board to your desired height. Then cut an additional piece of the tri-fold board, or a leftover piece or foam board for the bottom. Use the tri-fold to help measure out the square bottom piece. – Unroll your wrapping paper & place the cut tri-fold board piece on top to wrap it. I used the glue stick to help stick down the paper all over.– Wrap all sides and all pieces. Use clear tape when needed. To make the box, place the bottom board down first & add a bead of the fabric & paper glue around the outside edges (we didn't have free hands here, so sorry, no picture). Then, wrap the tri-fold around it. Use tape to secure the one open edge corner. When it's all said & done, you'll have a box that will look something like this:Use it to put together a craft package with a bunch of fabulous Elmer's products, other presents, or even use as decoration. Ours is currently a decorative piece as it's the perfect size for a few of our plush Christmas pals. 🙂 Whew! So, there you go….some crafty holiday gifts & ideas for you! Now, how would you like to win a giveaway to help you make some fun projects?! First off, there is a giveaway for TWO Elmer's prize packs here (until 12/14). And….now for another fun option!! :)…
GIVEAWAY Has Ended!
One lucky Mom Endeavors' reader will win a $50 Walmart Gift Card (so you can go get supplies to make your own handmade Elmer's gifts)! 🙂
Congratulations to lucky comment #43!!! 🙂 Niecey–I hope you enjoy shopping with your $50 gift card! 🙂
To Enter: Closed
Just tell me which of the Elmer's projects above you like best. 🙂
Get extra optional entries (leave a separate comment for each):
2. Follow Mom Endeavors on facebook &/or twitter (1 entry, even if you do both)
3. Follow Elmer's on facebook &/or twitter (1 entry, even if you do both)
4. Share about this giveaway with a link on facebook or tweet the following (copy & paste): "Enter to win a $50 @Walmart giftcard thanks to @Elmers via @momendeavors! http://bit.ly/tFUQws"


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So we left the "Korean" Travelodge in Melfort. The food was really outstanding! And it included a Ukrainian brunch on the morning we left town. Since Melfort we played to sold out houses, made up with locals, piano teacher(s), and lots of piano students. It was really heart warming to see and talk to these special audiences. And God knows, we needed some warming. Although the temperatures became more friendly and most of the ice melted, we had a bit of an adventure last night in Manitou Beach. We assumed most of the Prairies would be totally flat, but this beautiful spot, a nice lake surrounded by cliffs was not! Last night, coming back from the concert in Watrous, I took a wrong turn, and got ourselves stuck on ice on a winding hill, far away from the main road, and with no phone connection. A ditch was just inches away, while I tried to wiggle the car out of the ice for a good half an hour. It was quite an experience for a Southern Italian like myself. We kind of gave up, when I tried one last time, we somehow magically got out. We were pretty lost, and I just followed the only path my car let me go on, until we ran into some civilization and asked for directions. We got to the main road, finally, but again totally lost. We saw a deer, but didn't want to ask for directions.... and right at that time our phone somehow miraculously got enough connection to log onto Google Maps to get us out.
We asked Lynne Bailey, Executive Directore of PD to rent us a 4X4 car in December!
So tonight is our last concert of this first segment, then a 2 hour drive to Regina airport and two flights to get back home in New York, just in time for my debut recital at the Metropolitan Museum on Nov. 5 .


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Ruth Askevold
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2022 Pulse of the Bay. SFEI Contribution No. 1095. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, California.
2022. (5.57 MB) (63.26 MB)The theme of the 2022 Pulse is "50 Years After the Clean Water Act." Nine different individuals or groups have contributed perspectives on progress to date and challenges ahead. This Pulse also includes summaries, from a historical perspective, on the major water quality parameters of concern in the Bay.
Restoration Vision for the Laguna de Santa Rosa. SFEI Contribution No. 983. SFEI: Richmond, CA.
2020. (101.3 MB) (58.17 MB)The Laguna de Santa Rosa, located in the Russian River watershed in Sonoma County, CA, is an expansive freshwater wetland complex that hosts a rich diversity of plant and wildlife species, many of which are federally or state listed as threatened, endangered, or species of special concern. The Laguna is also home to a thriving agricultural community that depends on the land for its livelihood. Since the mid-19th century, development within the Laguna and its surrounding watershed have had a considerable impact on the landscape, affecting both wildlife and people. Compared to pre-development conditions, the Laguna currently experiences increased stormwater runoff and flooding, increased delivery and accumulation of fine sediment and nutrients, spread of problematic invasive species, and decreased habitat for native fish and wildlife species. Predicted changes in future precipitation patterns and summertime air temperatures, combined with expanding development pressure, could exacerbate these problems. People who manage land and regulate land management decisions in and around the Laguna, including landowners; federal, state, and local agencies; and local stakeholders, are seeking a long-term management approach for the Laguna that improves conditions for the wildlife and people that call the Laguna home. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Sonoma Water funded the Laguna-Mark West Creek Watershed Master Restoration Planning Project to develop such a management approach, focusing on the need to identify restoration and management actions that enhance desired ecological functions of the Laguna, while also supporting the area's agriculture and its local residents.
Chinook Salmon Habitat Quantification Tool: User Guide (Version 1.0). Prepared for American Rivers. Funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation Grant (#69-3A75-17-40), Water Foundation and Environmental Defense Fund. A report of SFEI-ASC's Resilient Landscapes Program. SFEI Contribution No. 953. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.
2019. (5.78 MB) (31.36 MB)The Salmon Habitat Quantification Tool provides systematic, transparent, and consistent accounting of the spatial extent, temporal variability, and quality of salmon habitat on the landscape. It is part of the multi-species assessment of the Central Valley Habitat Exchange (CVHE, www.cvhe.org). The suitability criteria applied in the tool were established by Stillwater Sciences and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and the Chinook salmon HQT habitat evaluation and User Guide development was led by American Rivers and the San Francisco Estuary Institute. The approach uses commonly-applied concepts for evaluating suitable habitat based on modeling, with methods adapted from the hydrospatial analysis approach developed by Alison Whipple (2018).
Making Nature's City. SFEI Contribution No. 947. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.
2019. (13.03 MB) (10.41 MB) (33.4 MB)Cities will face many challenges over the coming decades, from adapting to a changing climate to accommodating rapid population growth. A related suite of challenges threatens global biodiversity, resulting in many species facing extinction. While urban planners and conservationists have long treated these issues as distinct, there is growing evidence that cities not only harbor a significant fraction of the world's biodiversity, but also that they can also be made more livable and resilient for people, plants, and animals through nature-friendly urban design.
Urban ecological science can provide a powerful tool to guide cities towards more biodiversity-friendly design. However, current research remains scattered across thousands of journal articles and is largely inaccessible to practitioners. Our report Making Nature's City addresses these issues, synthesizing global research to develop a science-based approach for supporting nature in cities.
Using the framework outlined in the report, urban designers and local residents can work together to connect, improve, and expand upon city greenspaces to better support biodiversity while making cities better places to live. As we envision healthier and more resilient cities, Making Nature's City provides practical guidance for the many actors who together will shape the nature of cities.
Petaluma Valley Historical Hydrology and Ecology Study. SFEI Contribution No. 861. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.
2018. (121.7 MB) (43.68 MB)This study reconstructs the historical landscape of the Petaluma River watershed and documents the major landscape changes that have taken place within the watershed over the past two centuries. Prior to Spanish and American settlement of the region, the Petaluma River watershed supported a dynamic and interconnected network of streams, riparian forests, freshwater wetlands, and tidal marshes. These habitats were utilized by a wide range of plant and animal species, including a number of species that are today listed as threatened or endangered such as Ridgway's Rail, Black Rail, salt marsh harvest mouse, California red-legged frog, Central California Coast steelhead, and soft bird's beak (CNDDB 2012, SRCD 2015). Agricultural and urban development beginning in the mid-1800s has significantly altered the landscape, degrading habitat for fish and wildlife and contributing to contemporary management challenges such as flooding, pollutant loading, erosion, and sedimentation. While many natural areas and remnant wetlands still exist throughout the watershed—most notably the Petaluma Marsh—their ecological function is in many cases seriously impaired and their long-term fate jeopardized by climate change and other stressors. Multi-benefit wetland restoration strategies, guided by a thorough understanding of landscape history, can simultaneously address a range of chronic management issues while improving the ecological health of the watershed, making it a better place to live for both people and wildlife.
Resilient Landscape Vision for the Calabazas Creek, San Tomas Aquino Creek, and Pond A8 Area: Bayland-Creek Reconnection Opportunities. SFEI Contribution No. 870. San Francisco Estuary Institute-Aquatic Science Center: Richmond, CA. p 40.
2018. (68.63 MB) (20.14 MB)This report proposes a multi-faceted redesign of the South San Francisco Bay shoreline at the interface with Calabazas and San Tomas Aquino creeks. Recognizing the opportunities presented by changing land use and new challenges, such as accelerated sea-level rise, we explore in this report a reconfigured shoreline that could improve ecosystem health and resilience, reduce maintenance costs, and protect surrounding infrastructure.
Resilient Landscape Vision for Upper Penitencia Creek. SFEI Contribution No. 894. San Francisco Estuary Institute - Aquatic Science Center: Richmond, CA.
2018. (67.6 MB) (11.75 MB)Changing Channels: Regional Information for Developing Multi-benefit Flood Control Channels at the Bay Interface. Flood Control 2.0. SFEI Contribution No. 801. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.
2017. (62.69 MB) (23.02 MB)Over the past 200 years, many of the channels that drain to San Francisco Bay have been modified for land reclamation and flood management. The local agencies that oversee these channels are seeking new management approaches that provide multiple benefits and promote landscape resilience. This includes channel redesign to improve natural sediment transport to downstream bayland habitats and beneficial re-use of dredged sediment for building and sustaining baylands as sea level continues to rise under a changing climate. Flood Control 2.0 is a regional project that was created to help develop innovative approaches for integrating habitat improvement and resilience into flood risk management at the Bay interface. Through a series of technical, economic, and regulatory analyses, the project addresses some of the major elements associated with multi-benefit channel design and management at the Bay interface and provides critical information that can be used by the management and restoration communities to develop long-term solutions that benefit people and wildlife.
This Flood Control 2.0 report provides a regional analysis of morphologic change and sediment dynamics in flood control channels at the Bay interface, and multi-benefit management concepts aimed at bringing habitat restoration into flood risk management. The findings presented here are built on a synthesis of historical and contemporary data that included input from Flood Control 2.0 project scientists, project partners, and science advisors. The results and recommendations, summarized below, will help operationalize many of the recommendations put forth in the Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Science Update (Goals Project 2015) and support better alignment of management and restoration communities on multi-benefit bayland management approaches.
Delta Landscapes: A Delta Renewed User Guide. SFEI Contribution No. 854.
2017. (28.86 MB)A Delta Renewed User Guide aims to increase the accessibility of the technical findings in A Delta Renewed for easier application to restoration and conservation efforts across the Delta. The recommendations in A Delta Renewed focus on landscape-scale ecological guidance. We present three examples of how the information in A Delta Renewed might be used to address different management and restoration questions. Because of the complexity of the Delta system, this guide does not address all possible questions and does not replace the need for detailed, site-specific data and expertise. Rather, it shows how the information in A Delta Renewed might provide a common foundation for restoration planning.
The User Guide was written for a broad audience, including restoration practitioners, landowners, and local, state and federal agencies. The guide provides a step-by-step path through A Delta Renewed; a user is walked through how to apply the findings of the report via a series of steps to address each of the three restoration and management questions. This process is intended to help the user access regionally-specific recommendations and strategies to plan and manage future Delta landscapes that can support desired ecological functions over the long term.
The goal of A Delta Renewed and this guide is not to recreate the Delta of the past. Rather, the objective is to understand how we can re-establish or mimic important natural processes and patterns within this altered system to support desirable ecological functions (such as healthy native fish populations, a productive food web, and support for endangered species), now and into the future.
Delta Landscapes Executive Summary. SFEI Contribution No. 853.
2017. (23.99 MB)Historical Ecology and Landscape Change in the Central Laguna de Santa Rosa. SFEI Contribution No. 820. San Francisco Estuary Institute - Aquatic Science Center: Richmond, CA.
2017. (94.51 MB) (39.07 MB)This study synthesizes a diverse array of data to examine the ecological patterns, ecosystem functions, and hydrology that characterized a central portion of the Laguna de Santa Rosa during the mid-19th century, and to analyze landscape changes over the past 150 years. The primary purpose of this study was to help guide restoration actions and other measures aimed at reducing nutrient loads within this portion of the Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed.
Re-Oaking Silicon Valley: Building Vibrant Cities with Nature. SFEI Contribution No. 825. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.
2017. (65.64 MB) (31.88 MB)In this report, we investigate how re-integrating components of oak woodlands into developed landscapes — "re-oaking" — can provide an array of valuable functions for both wildlife and people. Re-oaking can increase the biodiversity and ecological resilience of urban ecosystems, improve critical urban forest functions such as shade and carbon storage, and enhance the capacity of cities to adapt to a changing climate. We focus on Silicon Valley, where oak woodland replacement by agriculture and urbanization tells a story that has occurred in many other cities in California. We highlight how the history and ecology of the Silicon Valley landscape can be used as a guide to plan more ecologically-resilient cities in the Bay Area, within the region and elsewhere in California. We see re-oaking as part of, and not a substitute for, the important and broader oak woodland conservation efforts taking place throughout the state.
Sycamore Alluvial Woodland: Habitat Mapping and Regeneration Study. SFEI Contribution No. 816.
2017. (53.95 MB) (21.31 MB)This study investigates the relative distribution, health, and regeneration patterns of two major stands of sycamore alluvial woodland (SAW), representing managed and natural settings. Using an array of ecological and geomorphic field analyses, we discuss site characteristics favorable to SAW health and regeneration, make recommendations for restoration and management, and identify next steps. Findings from this study will contribute to the acquisition, restoration, and improved management of SAW as part of the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan (VHP).
Resilient Landscape Vision for Lower Walnut Creek: Baseline Information and Management Strategies. Flood Control 2.0. An SFEI-ASC Resilient Landscape Program report developed in cooperation with the Flood Control 2.0 Regional Science Advisors and
Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. SFEI Contribution No. 782. San Francisco Estuary Institute-Aquatic Science Center: Richmond, CA.
2016. (17.42 MB) (44.8 MB)Lower Walnut Creek (Contra Costa County, CA) and its surrounding landscape have undergone considerable land reclamation and development since the mid-nineteenth century. In 1965, the lower 22 miles of Walnut Creek and the lower reaches of major tributaries were converted to flood control channels to protect the surrounding developed land. In the recent past, sediment was periodically removed from the lower Walnut Creek Flood Control Channel to provide flow capacity and necessary flood protection. Due to the wildlife impacts and costs associated with this practice, the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (District) is now seeking a new channel management approach that works with natural processes and benefits people and wildlife in a cost-effective manner. Flood Control 2.0 project scientists and a Regional Science Advisory Team (RSAT) worked with the District to develop a long-term management Vision for lower Walnut Creek that could result in a multi-benefit landscape that restores lost habitat and is resilient under a changing climate.
San Francisco Bay Shore Inventory: Mapping for Sea Level Rise Planning. SFEI Contribution No. 779. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.
2016. (20.33 MB)With rising sea levels and the increased likelihood of extreme weather events, it is important for regional agencies and local municipalities in the San Francisco Bay Area to have a clear understanding of the status, composition, condition, and elevation of our current Bay shore, including both natural features and built infrastructure.
The purpose of this Bay shore inventory is to create a comprehensive and consistent picture of today's Bay shore features to inform regional planning. This dataset includes both structures engineered expressly for flood risk management (such as accredited levees) and features that affect flooding at the shore but are not designed or maintained for this purpose (such as berms, road embankments, and marshes). This mapping covers as much of the 'real world' influence on flooding and flood routing as possible, including the large number of non-accredited structures.
This information is needed to:
- identify areas vulnerable to flooding.
- identify adaptation constraints due to present Bay shore alignments; and
- suggest opportunities where beaches, wetlands, and floodplains can be maintained or restored and integrated into flood risk management strategies.
The primary focus of the project is therefore to inform regional planners and managers of Bay shore characteristics and vulnerabilities. The mapping presented here is neither to inform FEMA flood designation nor is it a replacement for site-specific analysis and design.
The mapping consists of two main elements:
- Mapping of Bay shore features (levees, berms, roads, railroads, embankments, etc.) which could affect flooding and flood routing.
- Attributing Bay shore features with additional information including elevations, armoring, ownership (when known), among others.
SFEI delineated and characterized the Bay shore inland to 3 meters (10ft) above mean higher high water (MHHW) to accommodate observed extreme water levels and the commonly used range of future sea level rise (SLR) scenarios. Elevated Bay shore features were mapped and classified as engineered levees, berms, embankments, transportation structures, wetlands, natural shoreline, channel openings, or water control structures. Mapped features were also attributed with elevation (vertical accuracy of <5cm reported in 30 meter (100ft) segments from LiDAR derived digital elevation models (DEMs), FEMA accreditation status, fortification (e.g., riprap, buttressing), frontage (e.g., whether a feature was fronted by a wetland or beach), ownership, and entity responsible for maintenance. Water control structures, ownership, and maintenance attributes were captured where data was available (not complete for entire dataset). The dataset was extensively reviewed and corrected by city, county, and natural resource agency staff in each county around the Bay. This report provides further description of the Bay shore inventory and methods used for developing the dataset. The result is a publicly accessible GIS spatial database.
San Francisquito Creek Baylands: Landscape Change Metrics Analysis. Flood Control 2.0. SFEI Contribution No. 784. San Francisco Estuary Institute - Aquatic Science Center: Richmond, CA. p 12.
2016. (6.19 MB)Major Findings
Over the past 150 years, lower San Francisquito Creek and the adjacent baylands have been modified for the sake of land reclamation and flood control. This study focused on developing an understanding of the magnitude of habitat change since the mid-19th century through comparisons of key historical and contemporary landscape-scale habitat features, as well as several key landscape metrics that relate to ecological functions and landscape resilience. The major findings from the analyses conducted for this study are as follows:
• Historically, the San Francisquito Creek Baylands included a mosaic of habitat types, including an extensive tidal marsh plain with salt pannes and an expansive tidal channel network, a broad bay flat, and a relatively wide contiguous low-gradient tidal-terrestrial transition zone.
• Since the late 19th century, a combination of land reclamation and the inland migration of the shoreline has resulted in a 55% decrease in tidal marsh area, a 67% decrease in total tidal channel length, a 40% reduction in channel flat area, a 20% increase in bay flat area, and a 95% decrease in tidal-terrestrial transition zone length.
• Land reclamation has also resulted in the creation of new features that did not exist in the area historically including tidal lagoons, non-tidal open water features, and non-tidal wetlands.
The findings from this study provide insight into the drivers for and magnitude of habitat change within the San Francisquito Creek Baylands, and can therefore help inform climate-resilient approaches for regaining some of the lost landscape features and ecological functions. Specific management recommendations developed from the study findings are as follows:
• The dramatic decrease in tidal marsh area and associated tidal channel length since the mid-1800s make tidal marsh restoration a high priority. To make restored areas sustainable over the long-term, restoration should include reestablishing regular tidal inundation as well as reestablishing a connection with San Francisquito Creek and the delivery of freshwater and fine sediment. Restoration efforts should focus on large contiguous areas with minimal infrastructure and should ideally be done sometime over the next decade to ensure the restored areas will have a chance of surviving the sharp increase in the rate of sea level rise that is predicted to occur around 2030 (Goals Update 2015).
• Similarly, the dramatic decrease in the tidal-terrestrial transition zone makes it a high priority for any restoration vision for this area. The transition zone provides distinct ecological services and marsh migration space, and is in need of restoration throughout the South Bay. Since most of the upland land along the historical tidal-terrestrial transition zone is currently developed, near-term restoration efforts should focus on creating transition zone habitats on the bayside of flood risk management levees (Goals Update 2015).
• The landscape metrics used in this study (tidal habitat area, tidal channel length, and tidal-terrestrial interface length) can be used to help design resilient landscape restoration and adaptation strategies around the mouth of San Francisquito Creek. Specifically, the metrics can be used to assess the long-term ecological benefit associated with various processes-based restoration approaches (i.e., approaches that create habitat features and establish physical processes required for habitat resilience). Additional useful landscape metrics are being developed as part of the Resilient Silicon Valley project (see Robinson et al. 2015).
Mt. Wanda Historical Ecology Investigation. SFEI Contribution No. 743. San Francisco Estuary Institute - Aquatic Science Center: Richmond, CA. p 51.
2015. (20.92 MB) (57.9 MB)Novato Creek Baylands Historical Ecology Study. SFEI Contribution No. 740. San Francisco Estuary Institute - Aquatic Science Center: Richmond, CA.
2015. (27.13 MB)Project Background
Over the past century and a half, lower Novato Creek and the surrounding tidal wetlands have been heavily modified for flood control and land reclamation purposes. Levees were built in the tidal portion of the mainstem channel beginning in the late 1800s to convey flood flows out to San Pablo Bay more rapidly and to remove surrounding areas from inundation. Following levee construction, the wetlands surrounding the channel were drained and converted to agricultural, residential, and industrial areas. These changes have resulted in a considerable loss of wetland habitat, reduced sediment transport to marshes and the Bay, and an overall decreased resilience of the system to sea level rise.
In addition to tidal wetland modification, land use changes upstream in the Novato Creek watershed have resulted in several challenges for flood control management. Dam construction and increased runoff in the upper watershed have resulted in elevated rates of channel incision, which have increased transport of fine sediment from the upper watershed to lower Novato Creek. Channelization of tributaries and construction of irrigation ditches have likely increased drainage density in the upper watershed, also potentially contributing to increased rates of channel incision and fine sediment production (Collins 1998). Downstream, sediment transport capacity has been reduced by construction of a railroad crossing and loss of tidal prism and channel capacity associated with the diking of the surrounding marsh. As a result of the increased fine sediment supply from the watershed and the loss of sediment transport capacity in lower Novato Creek, sediment aggradation occurs within the channel, which in turn reduces the flood capacity of the channel, necessitating periodic dredging.
Currently, the Marin County Department of Public Works (MCDPW) is coordinating the Novato Watershed Program, which includes Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Novato Sanitary District, and North Marin Water District. Within lower Novato Creek, the Program is seeking to implement a new approach to flood control that includes redirecting sediment for beneficial use, reducing flood channel maintenance costs, restoring wetland habitat, and enhancing resilience to sea level rise. Included as part of this goal is the re-establishment of historical physical processes that existed before major channel modification, which in turn will re-establish historical ecological functions and help to create a tidal landscape that is resilient to increasing sea level.
Novato Creek Baylands Vision: Integrating ecological functions and flood protection within a climate-resilient landscape. SFEI Contribution No. 764.
2015. (21.5 MB)This report explores the potential for integrating ecological functions into flood risk management on lower Novato Creek. It presents an initial vision of how ecological elements could contribute to flood protection, based on a broad scale analysis and a one day workshop of local and regional experts. The Vision is not intended to be implemented as is, but rather adapted and applied through future projects and analysis. Other actions (e.g., floodwater detention basins) may also need to be implemented in the interim to meet flood risk objectives.
Shifting Shores: Marsh Expansion and Retreat in San Pablo Bay. SFEI Contribution No. 751.
As sea level rise accelerates, our shores will be increasingly vulnerable to erosion. Particular concern centers around the potential loss of San Francisco Bay's much-valued tidal marshes, which provide natural flood protection to our shorelines, habitat for native wildlife, and many other ecosystem services. Addressing this concern, this study is the first systematic analysis of the rates of marsh retreat and expansion over time for San Pablo Bay, located in the northern part of San Francisco Bay.
Key findings:
• Over the past two decades, more of the marshes in San Pablo Bay have expanded (35% by length) than retreated (6%).
• Some areas have been expanding for over 150 years.
• Some marsh edges that appear to be retreating are in fact expanding rapidly at rates of up to 8 m/yr.
• Marsh edge change may be a useful indicator of resilience, identifying favorable sites for marsh persistence.
• These data can provide a foundation for understanding drivers of marsh edge expansion and retreat such as wind direction, wave energy, watershed sediment supply, and mudflat shape.
• This understanding of system dynamics will help inform management decisions about marsh restoration and protection.
• This study provides a baseline and method for tracking marsh edge response to current and future conditions, particularly anticipated changes in sea level, wave energy, and sediment supply.
Recommended next steps:
• This pilot study for San Pablo Bay marshes should be extended to other marshes in San Francisco Bay.
• These initial marsh expansion and retreat findings should be further analyzed and interpreted to improve our understanding of system drivers and identify management responses.
• A program for repeated assessment should be developed to identify and track changes in shoreline position, a leading indicator of the likelihood marsh survival.
A Delta Transformed: Ecological Functions, Spatial Metrics, and Landscape Change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. SFEI Contribution No. 729. San Francisco Estuary Institute - Aquatic Science Center: Richmond, CA.
2014. (58.56 MB) (11.76 MB)Futures Past Exploring California landscapes with the San Francisco Estuary Institute. Boom: The Journal of California . pp 4-27.
2014. Historical Changes in Channel Alignment along Lower Laguna de Santa Rosa and Mark West Creek. SFEI: Richmond, CA.
2014. (9.78 MB)Landscape Scale Management Strategies for Arroyo Mocho and Arroyo Las Positas: Process-Based Approaches for Dynamic, Multi-Benefit Urban Channels. SFEI Contribution No. 714. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.
2014. (45.32 MB)Alameda Creek Watershed Historical Ecology Study. San Francisco Estuary Institute: Richmond, CA.
2013. (335.05 MB) (163.08 MB)Napa Valley Historical Ecology Atlas: Exploring a Hidden Landscape of Transformation and Resilience. UC Press: Berkeley. p 223.
2012. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Historical Ecology Investigation: Exploring Pattern and Process. SFEI Contribution No. 672. SFEI: Richmond.
2012. (252.87 MB) (135.09 MB) (44.2 MB)The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has been transformed from the largest wetland system on the Pacific Coast of the United States to highly productive farmland and other uses embodying California's water struggles. The Delta comprises the upper extent of the San Francisco Estuary and connects two-thirds of California via the watersheds that feed into it. It is central to the larger California landscape and associated ecosystems, which will continue to experience substantial modification in the future due to climate change and continued land and water use changes. Yet this vital ecological and economic link for California and the world has
been altered to the extent that it is no longer able to support needed ecological functions. Approximately 3% of the Delta's historical tidal wetland extent remains wetland today; the Delta is now crisscrossed with agricultural ditches replacing the over 1,000 miles of branching tidal channels.
Imagining a healthy Delta ecosystem in the future and taking bold, concrete steps toward that future requires an understanding and vision of what a healthy ecosystem looks like. For a place as extensive, unique, and modified as the Delta, valuable knowledge can be acquired through the study of the past, investigating the Delta as it existed just prior to the substantial human modifications of the last 160 years. Though the Delta is irrevocably altered, this does not mean that the past is irrelevant. Underlying geologic and hydrologic processes still influence the landscape, and native species still ply the waters, soar through the air, and move across the land. Significant opportunities are available to strategically reconnect landscape components in ways that support ecosystem resilience to both present and future stressors.
East Contra Costa Historical Ecology Study. SFEI Contribution No. 648. SFEI: Oakland.
2011. (17.71 MB) (123.69 MB) (149.82 MB) (193.36 MB)East Contra Costa Historical Ecology Study GIS data, GIS data produced for the East Contra Costa County Historical Ecology Study.
2011. (5.37 MB) (3.1 MB)Historical Ecology of the lower Santa Clara River, Ventura River, and Oxnard Plain: an analysis of terrestrial, riverine, and coastal habitats. SFEI Contribution No. 641. SFEI: Oakland.
2011. (17.09 MB) (201.86 MB)Historical Wetlands of the Southern California Coast: An Atlas of US Coast Survey T-sheets, 1851-1889. SFEI Contribution No. 586. SFEI: Oakland.
2011. (202 MB) (196.79 MB) (5.42 MB) (4.95 MB)An Introduction to the Historical Ecology of the Sonoma Creek Watershed: a Tool for the Critical Coastal Area Action Plan. San Francisco Estuary Institute.
2008. (20.83 MB)An Introduction to the Historical Ecology of the Watsonville Sloughs: a Tool for the Critical Coastal Area Action Plan. San Francisco Estuary Institute.
2008. (1.32 MB) (16.53 MB)Historical Ecology of South Santa Clara County: Preliminary Findings. A Technical Memorandum to the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan. SFEI Contribution No. 527.
2007. (36.53 MB)Historical landscape ecology of an urbanized California valley: wetlands and woodlands in the Santa Clara Valley. Landscape Ecology 103-120.
2007. (609.88 KB)Coyote Creek Watershed Historical Ecology Study: Historical Conditions and Landscape Change in the Eastern Santa Clara Valley, California. SFEI Contribution No. 426. San Francisco Estuary Institute.
2006. (188.33 MB) (27.61 MB) (27.49 MB)T-Sheet User Guide: Application of the Historical U.S. Coast Survey Maps to Environmental Management in the San Francisco Bay Area. SFEI Contribution No. 427. San Francisco Estuary Institute: SF. p 45.


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This socio-legal English collection is based on the Age of Globalization MOOC lectures (University of Texas at Austin with edX). It enables both native speakers of English and non-native speakers of English to go deeper into the lecture material with content mining technologies, highlighting key terms and concepts from the study of globalization through interactive learning designs.
The search function will help you locate where in the lectures Dr. Hoberman has talked about specific points in relation to your quizzes. The wikify function will gloss key information in the lectures and link in related resources to help you with your studies.
Please take a look at our 3 quick training videos below to guide you around the Age of Globalization MOOC Collection in FLAX.
We also have a short survey for collecting user feedback on the FLAX Age of Globalization collection to help us improve our learning and software designs. We are offering a prize of a $100 Amazon gift voucher for participating in the survey. Be in to win! Thank you.
This collaboration for the development of socio-legal English language resources is between FLAX and the Open Educational Resources Research Hub.
Image: "1901 Eastern Telegraph cables" by Unknown - A.B.C. Telegraphic Code 5th Edition, via Atlantic-cable. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.


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Social media
Creating a Davos 2014 dialogue
At the 2014 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, social media played a big role. In addition to covering the sights, sounds, and events in Davos through our Deloitte social media channels, we invited the public to participate in our DeloitteDavosLive conversation.
Join the conversation
Tweet us or comment on our Facebook wall with your response to one or more of four key questions on the role of business in driving progress, innovation and competitiveness. Include hashtag #DeloitteDavosLive to join the conversation.
Read updates, post comments, and view photos from Forum events on our Facebook page. Bookmark our #DeloitteDavosLive Facebook app to follow the conversations and look for your name and quote in our photo gallery.
Follow @deloitte for general news, updates, and media reports.
Follow @lifeatdeloitte for live updates from Lauren Mistretta, Associate Director, Global Public Relations, at the World Economic Forum.
Hashtags: #WEF, #DeloitteDavosLive
Follow our World Economic Forum boards for daily photos of the DeloitteDavosLive walls and other images from Davos.
Leadership blogs
In the days leading up to and during Davos, Deloitte delegates and thought leaders shared their insights on Forum topics through the Deloitte Perspectives blog and other member firm blogs. Check back for updated links to the articles, or subscribe to our blog RSS.
New perspectives from Deloitte leaders:
- Davos 2014: Shaping and the Shapers by Gary Coleman, Managing Director, Global Industries, of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
- Exploring innovative approaches to tackling humanitarian crises, at the World Economic Forum by James "Chip" Cottrell, Partner, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP
- Womenomics in action by Yoriko Goto, Managing Partner, Financial Services, Deloitte Japan
- What the worker of tomorrow wants by Gary Coleman, Managing Director, Global Industries, of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
- Business must disrupt the status quo by Joe Echevarria, CEO, Deloitte LLP, USA
- Safeguarding aviation and travel value chains by James "Chip" Cottrell, Partner, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP
- What Millennials want (and why employers should take notice) by Barry Salzberg, former Deloitte Global CEO.
- Shaping the future together by Martin Plendl, CEO, Deloitte Germany
- Davos 2014: Optimism with a healthy dose of reality by Gary Coleman, Managing Director, Global Industries, of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited


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It's a bank in that it makes loans, has deposit accounts and operates branches, but its major focus is trust and investment services.
"The typical bank is primarily a bank and, typically, less than 15 percent of its revenue would come from trust and investment management," said James McKay, chairman and marketing director of the West Michigan office.
Atypically, this $40 billion, Chicago-based bank derives 78 percent of its revenue from the investment world.
Eight trust and investment management veterans formed the original staff that opened the office here in February 1999. At the time the office wasn't officially a bank; it just had trust powers. It opened as a bank in December of the same year.
Northern Trust normally opens a new office with three or four people to start, McKay recalled, but the company made a big commitment in the case of Grand Rapids, "and they made it based on the fact that we sold them on the idea that we could be very successful here," McKay said.
Since then office staff has grown from its original team of eight to 16. In conjunction, it recently doubled its office space, expanding from 4,000 to 8,000 square feet in the Waters Building on Ottawa Avenue downtown.
The company's banking branch occupies an additional 2,500 square feet in the same building.
Since its founding in 1889 as Chicago Bank, Northern Trust has maintained concentration on trust and investment services in two core markets: the personal financial services market and the corporate and institutional services market.
Of Northern Trust Corp.'s 82 personal financial services offices in 12 states, the West Michigan office is its most successful. By May of its second year in business, the office had grown from zero to more than $1 billion under administration and management.
"We have the distinction of being the most successful office that Northern has ever opened," McKay said. "It's the fastest any office has ever achieved $1 billion."
McKay attributes that success to the company's "exceptional staff." Also contributing to the office's early success was the ability of staff members to attract many of the clients they had worked with before, he said.
He describes the relationship between Northern Trust staff and clients as "a mutual admiration society." Locally, the company has experienced no turnover and clients have been able to stay with their original investment officer, he pointed out.
"That's very important when you're dealing with money — to be able to have that trusted adviser that stays with you for an extended period of time," he added.
Northern Trust looks for clients with a threshold of approximately $1 million to invest. The bank's average client relationship is in the $3.5 million range.
"That allows us to give the quality of service we really feel is so necessary. We don't have a lot of small accounts that take up a lot of our time. We really concentrate on significant dollars and really spend a lot of time working with our clients.
"We don't look upon it as being necessarily exclusive; it's just that we know from experience that in order to give the quality of service that we give, we need to have people who as clients have a reasonable amount of wealth."
Its banking side is fairly small, with one office in town, a couple of lending officers and a couple of tellers. But its trust and investment side is already large after just over three years of business in Grand Rapids.
A significant percentage of its banking clients also are trust and investment clients, but Northern Trust is not a bank for the masses, McKay said. That requires a lot of branches.
"We don't have teller windows; we have desks that people sit at. It's just a very nice way to do business."
The West Michigan market is great for banking and exceptional for investment management, he said.
Though Northern Trust competes, to a degree, with other banks locally, its real competition is the investment management and brokerage firms.
The company attracts new clients, first and foremost, from brokerage firms, from other trust and investment management companies and from people who have previously managed their own money and now want some help.
For the 10 or 12 years that the market continued to climb, anybody could have been a money manager — even mediocre money managers were making money, he said.
During the last couple of years, Northern Trust has attracted a lot of clients who have gone through "the search for quality," he said. They've experienced a fairly deep depression in their assets and are looking for somebody who can manage their investment portfolio, maintain it and grow it without a lot of risk.
He characterizes Northern Trust's investment management style as "relatively conservative."
"We don't take a lot of risks. We certainly manage a lot of stocks but we also have a lot of bonds," McKay explained.
"We have a distinction in that we manage individual portfolios; we buy stocks and bonds for the portfolio rather than mutual funds. There are times when we have mutual funds in our clients' accounts, but predominantly we buy individual stocks and bonds for our clients."
Northern Trust does very little advertising, relying basically on word of mouth. McKay said the bank gets numerous referrals from existing clients, from law firms that do trust and estate work and from accounting firms.
McKay began his banking career in 1961 with First Chicago NBD Bank, then Union Bank & Trust Co. and now Bank One, as a management trainee. He worked his way up through a number of positions, including credit analyst, commercial lender, manager of correspondent banking and, later, manager of branch administration.
Prior to taking over as chairman of Northern Trust's West Michigan office, he was senior vice president and manager of trust and investment services for 13 FCNBD offices in Michigan.
Every one of those new jobs presented a unique challenge, he said, and the opportunity to shape Northern Trust Bank West Michigan into a very successful bank was another big challenge.
In a world of consolidation, mergers and newly created banks, McKay thinks it's remarkable that Northern Trust is the same organization it was 113 years ago and has managed to maintain its independence.
"There aren't a lot of institutions that can say that; most of them have gone through a lot of changes due to mergers and acquisitions. I think that's one of the huge strengths that Northern has. It has a kind of rock bottom structure; it knows what it is and knows what made it successful."


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Celebrating Two Million Geocaches
Join Geocaching in celebrating a major milestone! The 2 millionth active geocache was published on February 28 at approximately 5:11am Seattle time. It's located in Australia. The 2 millionth active geocache is Overwatch #1 (GC46N4E). The traditional geocache is rated a terrain 3.5, difficulty 3.5 and promises to take geocachers to a lookout over the city of Alice Springs. As of 6:12am Seattle time, the geocache has not yet been found.
To celebrate this milestone – Geocaching will be rewarding the global community with previously unreleased Geocaching Souvenirs. Hundreds of thousands of geocachers will receive never-before released country and region souvenirs. Find details here. Geocachers also have a new way to thank geocache hiders. Share this new "Thank a Geocache Hider" video with those who place and maintain geocaches so many enjoy.
Don't forget to spread the word about geocaching by checking out and sharing the Celebrating 2 Million Infograph, and the videos 2 Million Geocaches in 1 Minute and Travel Bug® Travels.


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I've been researching algorithmic (non discretionary) trading at the several-day to month timescale, i.e. not HFT. I am not interested in voodoo i.e. no technical analysis, I am looking for solid quant type techniques that can have a positive edge at smaller capacities that are interesting to an individual but that a larger fund would ignore.
Question: I always wonder, are people out there actually able to achieve profitable returns using a home algo trading setup? I realize you wouldn't give away your 'secret sauce' but I would be interested in some feedback as to w/not this can work.
If so what classes of strategy do you look at - stat arb? basic portfolio construction? something more exotic? Anyone care to share general experiences?
Much appreciated.


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When the going gets tough, dragons gonna get going....
WRITE TO ME! firstname.lastname@example.com Come see me! Open studio HERE! November 25-26 (11-4 each day); Aurora Art and Design, daily until 12/24; Cooperstown Art Assoc. daily until 12/24; Ellis Hollow Community Fair, 12/10; December 10, Little Red Wagon at the Space at Greenstar. All material on this blog unless stated otherwise is copyright Gary Edward Rith 2016
Saturday, November 21, 2009
RAKU PARTY part one!
(raku pots by Gary Rith)
I have a million photos and these are the last ones. The final pics. Went with Tom and Tommy and Martha and Carol to a raku party today--a fun glaze process where you quick heat and quick cool pots, creating WILD colors and patterns.
It was a BLAST and my pieces turned out PERFECT and I will post the rest of the story and more pics tomorrow and hopefully me and my pals will build our own raku kiln :)
13 comments:
- Barbara said...
Gor-gee-o-so!! What colors!
- November 21, 2009 at 3:54 PM
It has the appearance of carnival glass, doesn't it?
You know - I really like this new look to your blog, Gary. - November 21, 2009 at 4:27 PM
- soubriquet said...
That second one especially, that's come out so beautifully coloured.
I love playing with raku, all that glowing hotness, Ohhhhh i need to find somewhere to build a quick raku! I just don't know anybody fool enough to let me, who has space... All those farming relatives who sold out, Grrrrr!
(farms around here are the source of desirable "barn conversion" homes, muddy yards overpaved and scattered with gleaming BMWs.) - November 21, 2009 at 4:42 PM
Holy guacamole that is breathtaking! You must have done a little jig when you washed those babies off!
Boy I love Raku!
M - November 21, 2009 at 4:47 PM
- Gary's third pottery blog said...
I have been doing a jig, and although I COULD wash them off, I havn't. They are home, covered with ash and all, looking good au natural :)
- November 21, 2009 at 5:35 PM
- Busy Bee Suz said...
These are so awesome!!! Glad you had fun.
- November 21, 2009 at 6:28 PM
- Dez said...
RAKU ... Very Pretty!!
- November 21, 2009 at 8:47 PM
- Kari said...
Wowza! Those are Bea-U-tiful!
P.S. are we getting some delicious popcorn when I'm home next week?? - November 21, 2009 at 8:47 PM
- Anna M. Branner said...
VERY cool! Our raku here never made it to this level! Do they match the colors of your eye? :)
- November 21, 2009 at 8:54 PM
- Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...
- November 22, 2009 at 2:08 AM
- Nicki said...
These are beautiful!
- November 22, 2009 at 10:47 AM
- Kimberly said...
Raku is r'cool.
- November 22, 2009 at 4:46 PM
- Lori Buff said...
The colors are amazing. great copper on these; I'd love to know the glaze recipe.
- November 24, 2009 at 9:15 AM
Me and Missus Tastycakes
ME, the TV interview :)
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Presidential debate memes: Binders of women, a job for Jeremy
Mitt Romney's comment about seeing "binders full of women" while fielding candidates as Massachusetts governor spurs a blog and Twitter account, while Jeremy the concerned college student now has the whole country job-hunting for him.
In another example of what's fast becoming an American tradition of instant and amusing political-debate memes, a Web site called Binders Full of Women popped up before tonight's presidential face-off had even wrapped up.
The site surfaced following Mitt Romney's response to an audience member at the town hall-style debate who asked about gender inequality in the workplace. Romney said he had received "binders full of women" from colleagues while seeking to fill cabinet posts during his tenure as Massachusetts governor.
And thus, the Tumblr site Binders Full of Women was born. It features a fast-accumulating array of amusing images -- from pictures of binders with the word "women" on the cover to a photo of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton typing away on a BlackBerry with superimposed text reading "Romney still uses binders? LOL."
According to Politico, registry WhoIs indicates the URL was purchased by a fast-moving Bradley Beychok, the campaign director of liberal super PAC American Bridge, which was founded by Media Matters founder David Brock.
But binders aren't just getting Tumblr attention. In a development that will surely make sellers of school supplies grin, they're also getting the spotlight on Twitter, where the account Romney's Binder had more than 3,200 followers as of this writing.
"I contain that five-point plan for counting to five," read one tweet. Read another: "Women play a key role in the economy. My jobs plan centers around hiring mechanics for my wife's Cadillacs."
According to Twitter, users of the service sent more than 7.2 million tweets during tonight's debate, peaking at either 110,000 per minute or 108,000 per minute, depending on which official tweet you believe.
Meanwhile, in another debate-related meme, it's looking like Jeremy Epstein might not have to worry about getting a job post-college after all.
Epstein, a 20-year-old student and the first audience member to ask a debate question, opened the proceedings at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., by saying that all he hears is that he has little chance of finding a job when he graduates.
"What can you say to reassure me, but more importantly my parents, that I will be able to sufficiently support myself after I graduate?" he nervously asked the candidates. The question quickly turned #getjeremyajob into a trending topic.
"Jeremy, I can get you an interview. Give me a tweet," wrote one Bobby Sass. Tweeted Patrick Jarvis: "This just in. Jeremy named the new head of Citibank."
Welcome to presidential-election infamy, Jeremy. I think we may have found 2012's version of Joe the Plumber.


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My mother used to take the braided rug she made by hand to the clothesline once a week and beat the living daylights out of it with a broom to shake out the dirt.
Bobby Valentine often feels like that rug.
The anger directed toward Valentine seems to escalate with every Red Sox win, which accentuates the job done by manager John Farrell this season and the failure of Valentine with the 2012 Red Sox.
Valentine, now the athletic director at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, owner of Bobby V's Sports Bar in Stamford, Conn., operator of a film company, and part-time guy on NBC radio, doesn't quite get that. All he has to understand, really, is that Grady Little still gets hammered for keeping Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS and Bill Buckner still hears it for the ball that went between his legs in the 1986 World Series.
Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino and yours truly still hear it for recommending Valentine after Terry Francona presided over the awful September 2011 collapse, when it was clear the Red Sox needed more of a disciplinarian in the manager's office so the boys wouldn't get away with chicken and beer during the game.
What seemed like a right decision turned out as wrong as wrong could be. The general manager, Ben Cherington, said he accepted the management choice and endorsed Valentine at the time of his hiring, but it was clear Cherington and Valentine were not on the same page the entire 2012 season, which included a record number of injuries and players with questionable attitudes such as Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, and Josh Beckett, who were jettisoned to Los Angeles Aug. 25, leaving Valentine with a Triple A team.
There was all kinds of resentment, a dysfunctional coaching staff, and Valentine never helped himself with the things he said. Nowadays saying what comes immediately to your mind has to be filtered and re-filtered before the words appear in public.
That filter never existed with Valentine.
"I don't read or listen to it," said Valentine, who will receive his final paycheck from the Red Sox the first week of November. "I'll be at my restaurant and people will say, 'Did you hear what this guy or that guy said about you?' So I'm aware what people are saying about me. I guess I was the village idiot.
"It's the easy thing to do. It's easy to get on me. What am I gonna do? I'm 63 years old, life is good. I'm enjoying running a college program. We have great people here. Our football team is 7-1. My movie company is doing well. We have two movies out [one on the life of Valentine's father-in-law, Ralph Branca, and the other a hard-hitting look at the NCAA] and I'm having fun with that."
As for the 2013 Red Sox?
"I picked them to win the division, the ALDS, the ALCS, and now the World Series," Valentine said. "I'm rooting them on. The [12] guys left on that team that I managed were all good guys. I enjoyed all of them, so why wouldn't I root for them?"
And his replacement?
"He's obviously done a great job," Valentine said. "I haven't heard one negative thing. I haven't seen anything weird. I really enjoyed watching the two managers in the ALCS. John is this new-wave guy, but when it came to playing Jonny Gomes, he stuck with him because Gomes gave him a better look. I love that. [Tigers manager Jim] Leyland is supposed to be the old-school guy and old-school guys usually leave their pitchers in a long time. Yet he took Max Scherzer out of Game 2 after 108 pitches. So I found it interesting watching that."
Most managers get more than one year to turn around a bad ship, which tells you how bad Red Sox ownership thought Valentine's tenure was.
If Farrell hadn't been traded to the Red Sox, he would have had another year to turn around a 73-win team in Toronto. It's a good thing, in more ways than one, that Farrell got the chance to come to the Red Sox, who revamped their team and spent the money they saved in the Dodgers deal almost perfectly. Farrell was able to establish himself, because up until now there were many questions about his ability to do the job.
"I'd like to think that if I came back for my second year that, given the changes and improvements, I would have been able to do the same thing," Valentine said. "Ben did a great job this offseason rebuilding the team. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before. Usually a team will go after one or two free agents and hope they work out. When you're signing seven or eight guys and they all work out and blend in together as well as they did, that's amazing to me. The entire organization should be very proud of what they did. They should take a bow. It was amazing work."
The only players Valentine managed who are on the 2013 Red Sox are Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, Franklin Morales, Junichi Tazawa, Craig Breslow, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Daniel Nava, Will Middlebrooks, and Jacoby Ellsbury.
"Those guys went through a lot of blood, sweat, and tears with me, and I with them, so I'm happy for them," Valentine said. "I'm happy they could be part of a winning situation."
Cherington deserves a lot of credit for the 2013 edition of the team, and he personally took blame for the 2012 season. Give him credit for not only firing the manager, but firing the players, too. That's doesn't happen very often. It was Valentine who took the fall on the management side. Nobody else lost their job.
Although Valentine has not returned to Fenway Park for a game since he was fired, he has kept in touch with players and front-office people.
Pedroia said he tried calling Valentine during the season to check on him. Despite a rocky start in 2012, Pedroia and Valentine grew to understand one another. Ortiz was a Valentine backer until Valentine said at the end of last season that Ortiz decided to shut it down (because of an Achilles' heel injury) after he knew the season was over.
Ortiz has hammered Valentine ever since.
Valentine recently lost a TBS gig because he said the Yankees didn't do enough during the terror attacks of 9/11. He played a big role in helping with the healing process while managing the Mets. So he's using his words carefully now. He knows just by being quoted he'll get hammered again.
He expects it. It's easy.
It's routine.
Like my mother and the braided rug.
Nick Cafardo can be reached at email@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.


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Can someone explain how to use svn-multi
in order to typeset the current revision (i.e., not the current file version)?
I had to split a document into several .tex
files. One file is the main, and all the rest are called via \input{}
. I want the title to include the current version of the document. If I just typeset \svnrev
I get the current version of main.tex
, rather than the highest version of any of the subfiles.
Another question: I know that svn-multi
has a Perl script. Is there a way to get the desired result without any such external script?


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No. 10 Florida crushes Texas A&M for fifth straight win
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Florida coach Billy Donovan thought his team could be great defensively entering this season.
So far the Gators are proving him right.
Mike Rosario scored 19 points and Patric Young added 18 as No. 10 Florida cruised to a 68-47 victory over Texas A&M on Thursday night.
The Aggies led by one point midway through the first half before a big run by the Gators gave them a 35-18 halftime lead, and they didn't let up in the second half.
It was a letdown for Texas A&M (12-4, 2-1 Southeastern Conference), which was coming off an 83-71 victory at Kentucky on Saturday. Elston Turner scored a career-high 40 points in that win, but managed just four points Thursday on 1-of-10 shooting.
"We as a coaching staff have made some adjustments on things and we've done some different things that has helped," Donovan said of improving the defense. "You can give them facts and show them where they need to get better and why."
The Gators were proud of their defense on Turner, who entered the game averaging 17.1 points a game.
"We just didn't give him a chance to do what he wanted to do," Young said. "We made him really uncomfortable. Being able to limit a guy that just scored 40 points in his last game was huge."
Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy knows it's difficult for Turner with A&M not having another major scoring threat to take pressure off him.
"Their team defense was good," Kennedy said. "He's also had nights like that. When you have one primary scorer against a good defensive team ... they just physically wore him down and did a good job on him."
It is the fifth straight win for Florida (13-2, 3-0) which is in the midst of playing four of five games on the road.
Jordan Green had 12 points for the Aggies, while J'Mychal Reese added 10.
Texas A&M scored five straight points, capped by a layup by Kourtney Roberson, to take a 14-13 lead about 9:30 before halftime.
The Gators answered with a 22-4 run over the rest of the first half to take a 35-18 lead. Erik Murphy scored seven points in that span, including a 3-pointer, and Young had six points capped by a dunk to help the run.
Murphy finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.
The Aggies had four turnovers and missed seven shots, including two layups in that span.
"They're very, very hard to guard," Kennedy said. "But I think people don't give them enough credit for their defense."
Florida entered the game ranked third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 52 points a game. Things were no different on Thursday as they limited A&M to a season-low in points on 34 percent shooting.
The Gators have held eight opponents to less than 50 points this season, and 11 to less than 60.
Florida was playing without Casey Prather, who is out 10 to 14 days with a high-ankle sprain. But they were helped by the return of Rosario, who missed a win over LSU on Saturday with a sprained left ankle.
Rosario said he planned to play regardless of how his ankle felt Thursday.
"It felt good out there," he said. "It felt how it was supposed to feel. I was going to go out there anyway, whether it was 80 percent or 60 percent and thankfully it was 110 percent for my team tonight."
The Gators scored the first four points of the second half to extend their lead to 21 points and the Aggies never got closer than 18 points the rest of the way.
A 3-pointer by Alex Caruso got A&M within 46-28 with about 12 minutes remaining. Florida used an 8-0 run after that to extend the lead to 54-28.
Young liked that Florida didn't let up once it built the lead.
"You want to step on the gas," he said. "You don't want to give a team hope that they can come back into the game."
Texas A&M had a crowd of more than 11,000, which included Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. It was loud early in the game, but Florida's run in the first half quickly quieted the group.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Joe Lindsay
- Ted Valentine
- Doug Sirmons
2023-24 Southeastern Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
Tennessee | 11-3 | - | 21-6 |
Alabama | 11-3 | - | 19-8 |
South Carolina | 10-4 | 1 | 22-5 |
Auburn | 10-4 | 1 | 21-6 |
Florida | 9-5 | 2 | 19-8 |
Kentucky | 9-5 | 2 | 19-8 |
Mississippi State | 8-6 | 3 | 19-8 |
Ole Miss | 6-8 | 5 | 19-8 |
Texas A&M | 6-8 | 5 | 15-12 |
Georgia | 5-9 | 6 | 15-12 |
Arkansas | 5-9 | 6 | 14-13 |
Vanderbilt | 2-12 | 9 | 7-20 |
Missouri | 0-14 | 11 | 8-19 |


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It's time to answer the "who, what, when, where, and why" of investing in master limited partnerships (MLPs)…
Andrey Dashkov, senior research analyst at Miller's Money Forever, is the rare person who, when you asked for a hammer comes back with a hammer, nails, staples, and glue. In short, he often comes up with better solutions to tricky problems than I ever thought possible.
Since Andrey and I are on a nonstop mission to unearth the best opportunities for generating safe income, we have looked to MLPs more than once. Many Business Development Companies (BDCs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) also fit the bill. Today, however, we are focusing exclusively on how MLPs can produce a healthy and steady income without exposing your nest egg to unwelcome risks.
The Nuts and Bolts of MLPs
By Andrey Dashkov
An MLP is an entity structured as a limited partnership instead of the traditional C-corporation. This allows the company to avoid corporate-level taxes. The limited partners pay most of the taxes, which means that MLPs are essentially pass-through entities.
In the United States, the net effective rate of corporate income tax is 40%. That means a corporation calculates its profit, pays the appropriate income tax to the government, and then pays dividends from what remains. With an MLP all the profits are passed through to the unit holders.
While a traditional corporation can choose to pay a dividend, an MLP does not have that option. In order to maintain their status, MLPs are required to generate at least 90% of their income from qualifying sources and distribute the major portion of that income. In most cases these sources include activities related to the production, processing, and distribution of energy commodities, including gas, oil, and coal.
The government gives a special treatment to these activities to encourage investment into the United States' energy infrastructure.
Limited partners (LPs) own the company together with a general partner (GP). The GP takes care of the day-to-day operations, typically holds a 2% stake, and can usually receive incentive distribution rights (IDRs). LPs, called unit holders, (which we can become by buying shares of publicly traded MLPs) receive dividend-like cash distributions. LPs, unlike traditional shareholders, do not have voting rights.
There are many advantages to MLPs, including:
- Attractive yields;
- Inflation protection;
- Portfolio diversification;
- Tax advantages; and
- Resilient business model.
Attractive Yields
MLPs pay various yields that average 5-10%. Data for the Alerian Index, which tracks the top 50 MLPs, show that in Q2 2013 MLP yields varied from 3-12%, with an average of 6.5%.Besides the actual yield, MLP investors can count on distribution growth. Dividends per share of Alerian Index constituents grew at a compounded rate of 4.1% over the past five years.
Inflation Protection
Several factors hedge against inflation:
- Inflation-adjusted contracts renewed periodically;
- Distribution growth has historically outpaced the growth in CPI; and
- MLP unit (share) prices are weakly correlated with movements in inflation and interest rates.
Portfolio Diversification
MLPs have a low correlation to other asset classes, including equity, debt, and commodities. However, for a short time they may correlate with any asset class or the market in general.
MLPs are less volatile than the broad market. Currently at 0.5, the average beta of Alerian Index, is quite conservative. This suggests that if the broad market goes down by 10%, we should expect the Alerian Index to drop by 5%. An individual company's volatility may stray from the average, but in general MLPs should be much less volatile than the market as a whole.
Generally, the vast majority of MLPs operate in the energy sector, but usually do not own the underlying commodities; this is part of the reason for the decreased volatility. Their income generally consists of transportation fees. However, some MLPs can be exposed to commodity risk (coal, propane, and oil exploration and production MLPs, among others). Economy-wide consequences of a severe recession may impact the demand for energy commodities and, in turn, the profitability of transportation companies.
Tax Advantages
An MLP investor typically receives a tax shield of 80-90% of one's annual cash distributions, which is a very nice feature. This defers tax payments until the unit (your share) is sold.
The tax payment schedule for an MLP is illustrated below. Assume you bought one unit of an MLP for $20 and sold it after five years for $22, having received $2 annually in years 1-5. Assuming your ordinary income tax is 35%, and the long-term (LT) capital gains are taxed at 15%, you can see the breakdown.
Year 0 | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
Purchase price | $20.00 | |||||
Distribution per unit | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | |
Income per unit | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | $2.00 | |
Depeciation expense | $1.60 | $1.60 | $1.60 | $1.60 | $1.60 | |
Cost basis | $20.00 | $18.40 | $16.80 | $15.20 | $13.60 | $12.00 |
Sale price | $22.00 | |||||
Taxes: | ||||||
Earnings per unit
$0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 | |
Depreciation recapture
$8.00 | |||||
Amount subject to ordinary tax rates | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 | $0.40 | $8.40 | |
Ordinary tax rates
35% | 35% | 35% | 35% | 35% | |
Taxes owed at ordinary rates | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.14 | 2.94 | |
Amount subject to LT capital gains | $2.00 | |||||
LT capital gains rate
15% | |||||
Taxes owed at ordinary rates | $0.30 | |||||
Total taxes owed | $0.14 | $0.14 | $0.14 | $0.14 | $3.24 | |
Source: Credit Suisse |
Resilient Business Model
During periods of economic uncertainty, MLPs remain a solid source of income. In 2008-2009, 78% of all energy MLPs either maintained or increased their distributions. In comparison, 85% of real estate investment trusts (REITs) either cut or suspended dividend payments.
Now, a note of caution is in order. Despite the excellent income track record, MLP share prices stumbled as they became more correlated to the general market. However, the investors who held them through the difficult times saw the share price rise again. MLPs returned to January 2008 levels in early 2010; the S&P 500 did not do the same until 2013.
The same plunge could happen again if a severe economic crisis hits. As we said, MLPs may move with a falling market. The fact that more investors are aware of MLPs now than a decade or two ago adds to this risk. As investors have searched for yield, MLPs have become more mainstream; however, they are by no means your average S&P 500 stock.
Also, there are two immediately positive outcomes to the higher investor awareness of MLPs: higher liquidity and access to more capital. In the Money Forever portfolio we look for the best and safest available and then protect our downside with protective stop losses.
Principal Risk Areas
With any investment offering a reward, there is a corresponding risk. Here are the key risks of MLPs.
Risk #1: Economic downturns. If the US economy is hit by a severe economic crisis that drives the demand for energy products down, MLPs will take a blow. Like a trucking business that transports products for which the demand is going down, if less product is shipped through a pipeline owned by an MLP, their revenue may decrease.
This, however, is where some investors may get confused. If a pipeline MLP has a contract with an energy company, the price of the transported product may increase or decrease, but at the same time, the MLP may have a fixed-fee arrangement with the energy company. So, if the volume flowing through the pipeline remains steady, its revenue should not fluctuate.
Risk #2: Access to capital and interest rates. As a general rule, MLPs return 100% of their distributable cash flow (DCF), less a reserve determined by the general partner, to the unit holders. Unlike real estate investment trusts that must give away a certain share of their cash flow every quarter, MLP distributions are governed by individual partnership agreements, so the terms vary.
However, the majority of cash an MLP earns will be distributed, so it's only natural that they turn to issuing debt or equity to finance growth projects. When their interest costs rise MLPs that need capital right away will be at a disadvantage. We prefer companies with enough internally generated capital to finance growth, and no major ongoing projects that require billion-dollar loans and thereby run the risk of being underfunded or funded at an unfavorable interest rate. We also prefer companies with fixed-rate debt to floating rate.
Risk #3: Management and execution. Management should have a track record of successful investment in new assets and cash generation to finance distributions.
We also look for companies that have 5- to 10-year capital plans as part of the write-up, and a history of following those plans. They tend to fare better when it comes to keeping capital costs under control.
Risk #4: Sustainability of cash distributions. The above three risks boil down to whether or not an MLP will be able to churn out cash for its unit holders. The distributions should be sustainable, and should grow year after year. The primary reason for buying an MLP is income. We need to make sure the cash keeps coming in.
A company's track record of cash payments is a good, but not perfect, indicator of how it will perform in the future. Variable-rate distributions tend to, well, vary more significantly than those of traditional MLPs. Distributions in the midstream sector tend to be more predictable; natural gas pipelines and storage generate the most stable cash flows while refining/upstream MLPs do so to a lesser extent. We carefully consider these factors when evaluating our investment options.
The "Taper" Factor
When Ben Bernanke uttered the word "taper" on June 19, the markets jittered. Even the traditionally defensive sectors such as utilities took a hit.
MLPs were not immune to the potential implications of the Fed easing up on its bond-purchase program which many believe is helping the US economy. The market panicked, and MLPs dropped in price. Readers will note the index dropped in the middle of 2013. The drop was less steep than those in either the broad market or the utilities sector and MLPs rebounded—in less than a week, while it took approximately three weeks for both the S&P 500 and XLU to get back to their June 18 levels.
When evaluating a potential candidate, a prudent investor will see how they have performed during times of market volatility. Sometimes trading a bit of yield for much less volatility is a smart move.
The IRA Caveat
We do not recommend putting MLPs in an IRA account. By placing an MLP in a tax-deferred account, you may lose part of the tax advantage the MLP structure provides. In an IRA account, unrelated business taxable income (UBTI) of over $1,000 is subject to federal income tax. If you earn more than $1,000 annually from an MLP's cash distributions and other sources of UBTI, the excess will be taxable. This becomes more likely over time, since most MLPs increase their cash distributions.
A Peek Behind the Curtain
In summary, an MLP gives us a couple of advantages from a tax perspective. There is more money to pay out in dividends. Unlike a traditional corporate dividend, which is paid after a corporation pays income taxes, MLPs do not pay corporate income taxes. An MLP's income is taxed only once, when the dividends are received.
Initially, when you buy an MLP, only 10 to 20 percent of the MLP distribution is considered taxable income. The rest of the distribution is considered return of capital and isn't subject to tax when you receive the dividend. Basically you put off paying some taxes for the short term. When you eventually sell your MLP, the tax is adjusted so the net amount of taxes is the same. The formula is technical, but the information you receive from your broker can be given to a competent CPA and you should be fine.
You can see why MLPs have become so popular in a yield-starved environment. While they have attracted a lot of investors, there are still some great opportunities for those willing to do their homework.
Dennis and I added our favorite MLP to the Money Forever portfolio in October, and we are chomping at the bit to share it with you… But, because of the special relationship we share with our paid subscribers, you'll need to sign up to for a premium subscription at no-risk to your pocketbook to find out what it is. Subscribe to our regular monthly newsletter and take a peek at the MLP we recommended, along with our entire portfolio. If, after 90 days, you decide it's not right for you, we'll return 100% of your money without a fuss. Click here to get started.


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Inside the little package was also another shell and this pretty orange wool. Oh my how I love orange and yellows so this is just perfect. Thank you so much Sarah we just love everything so much :)
Now I just need to think of something really special to make with our new wool. Any suggestions?


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Make Mine Black, Please.
Decades ago I began to drink black coffee. As I recall, giving up the milk and sugar in my coffee was just one of many little alterations I have made in a lifelong struggle to save a few calories here and there (which caloric credits, unfortunately, have often ended up being squandered on pizza and beer, but that's another story).
At first, the black brew tasted a bit harsh, but in short order I realized that one can actually taste the coffee when one drinks it unadulterated with dairy products and sweeteners. So, switching to black coffee resulted in one of those rare bonuses in life where something non-fattening actually tasted better than the fattening variety. However, as it turns out, that was not the biggest benefit of learning to drink black coffee – not by a long shot.
The real benefit of drinking black coffee is that it seriously simplifies one's life.
I buy my morning drive-to-work coffee in a local 7-11. Here's the morning scene. The serve-yourself coffee is located on a counter (more like a stainless steel topped table) in a corner of the store. On either end of the table are multiple coffee pots. The cups and lids are arranged according to size in the center of the table. There are also many varieties of coffee adulterants on the table, along with stirrers.
I often walk into the place to find the table circled by a crowd of folks who are busy preparing the beverage they call coffee, but which, in reality, is coffee flavored milk and sugar. No one speaks. Arms grope all over the table to select the dairy product of choice to pour into the coffee. There are a variety of dairy products available, including skim milk, one percent milk, two percent milk, whole milk and half and half. There are also various non-dairy coffee adulterants as well, ranging from plain to the strangely flavored kinds.
Once the dairy (or non-dairy) adulterant is selected and dumped into the coffee, then comes the sweetener selection and more groping all over the table for the sweetener of choice. Some people want sugar, while others want the sweetener in the pink packet. Still others reach for the sweetener in the blue packet.
Once the sweetener is selected, next comes the "packet shake.†I'm sure you've seen it (or do it yourselves). The sweetener user feels obliged to shake the packet or packets (I have seen people shake five packets at a time) to ensure that the sweetener of choice is at the bottom of the packet (as if the laws of gravity hadn't somehow already taken care of that).
The next step in the process is the packet tearing (some can tear multiple packets at one time), followed by the sweetener dump (some can dump multiple packets at a time). The sweetener dump is followed by the search for the place to put the tops of the torn packets and the now-empty packets themselves. For the non-regulars, there are puzzled looks while they wait for a regular packet shaker customer to put the empty packets in the trash so that they can follow suit.
Next comes the stirring. This requires still more cross-table groping to grab a plastic stirrer. The stirring is made more time-consuming because the stirrer is only a thin plastic stick.
They are still not done, as now comes the sipping and adjusting or "calibrating†to use a more technical term.
Sip….hmmm…Not sweet enough…Repeat packet shaking, packet tearing, sweetener dumping and trash searching. Stir again. Sip again.
Sip…hmmm…Too hot…Add more dairy (or non-dairy) adulterant. Stir again. Sip again.
Sip…hmmm…Too weak…Add more coffee. Stir again. Sip again.
Sip…hmmm…Too strong…Add more dairy (or non-dairy) adulterant. Stir again. Sip again.
Sip…hmmm…The cup not full enough for the price…Add a little more of everything. (Always a favorite of mine). Stir again. Sip again.
Sip…hmmm…The cup is too full…Drink more. It's like getting a couple sips for free. (Another favorite of mine).
Once the stirrer is tossed into the trash, the morning coffee drinker is ready to put the lid on the paper cup and proceed to the register.
Not me.
I walk up to the table of modern-day alchemists, pour the coffee in the cup, snap on a lid, and, "See ya.â€
The same holds true at the office. When I want a cup of coffee, I just go and pour myself a cup. I needn't worry whether there is milk in the refrigerator, whether it might belong to someone else, whether it might be sour, or whether there is a ready supply of sugar or other sweeteners on hand. Pour and go. Snap City.
Black coffee. Try it. You'll like it. And, your life will be a whole lot simpler. I bullshit you not.


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Alumni Profile
Protecting America—One Job at a Time!
Kirk Nemer, SPA/BS '84, is no stranger to protecting the rights of Americans. Shortly after graduating from American University's School of Public Affairs and receiving his Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University, He was selected to be a Legislative Attorney for the United States Congress. He provided legal opinions to Members of Congress and advised Congressmen and Senators for congressional hearings.
Kirk attributes being selected for Legislative Attorney position to the foundation that he received at the School of Public Affairs. He shared that "the Chief Counsel credited the internship that I had as an American University student on Captiol Hill and my experience in Washington, D.C. as an asset that helped me to attain the position." Kirk used his legal prowess in matters of discrimination and disabilities to change the way employment and privacy of information issues were addressed in America. He worked tirelessly on two notable pieces of legislation—the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), that eventually became law.
During five years working for Congress, Kirk developed a passion for seeking justice in the realm of employment law, and he shared this passion with American University students as a lecturer at the School of Public Affairs.
Kirk notes that one of his greatest joys, when reflecting on his professional and personal success, is in knowing that he helped provide students with the tools to accurately interpret the law and seek justice in the best interests of people.
Kirk's career illustrates his commitment to protecting equality in America—from facilitating the passage of laws to providing students with the tools to do the same.
After nearly 20 years of serving as legal counsel and vice president of human resources for many Fortune 500 corporations, Kirk continues to advance his commitment to ensuring equality and protecting the rights of employees nationwide. He is the founder and president of Career Protection, a company that focuses on negotiating the legal rights of individual employees.
Kirk uses his legal background and human resources experience to help individuals protect the future of their careers. He shared that "it was through the American University alumni network that I was able to connect to many executives and employees to assist them with workplace issues, which helped me to build my company."
Kirk has found tremendous success in helping people understand their value to their employer, the rights to which they are entitled, and ways to protect their careers. He also continues to impact the lives of many current and prospective AU students.
Kirk has shared his personal AU experiences and story with many prospective students and their parents in the Denver area. His commitment to today's students is fueled by the same desire that led him into the classroom to teach, that motivated his effective litigation strategies in the courtroom, and that paves the way for him to eradicate employment injustice. He desires that students will one day share in his passion and also use the tools that they receive at American University to affect change in their respective fields.