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Defining Metrics to Promote the Value of your Creative Work
Metrics, metrics, metrics! Setting business metrics, measuring return on investment, quantifying value—when did design go all Wall Street?
If your professional training was steeped in creative development, and the metric system was the closest you ever got to "metrics" (but heck, you're much more comfortable with points, picas, and pixels), then the thought of measuring your creative impact probably ranks somewhere between word problems and tax preparation on your fun list.
All snark aside, the focus on numbers has been a significant obstacle for designers to overcome. Whether it stems from an inability to place measurable parameters on creative work, or from fine art roots that culturally emphasize aesthetics, we don't like proving our worth with spreadsheets. But our relatively young profession has matured to a level where, if we are to make the argument that "design can change businesses and culture," then we have a responsibility to demonstrate how. And numbers, well, they're the universal language.
In recent years, there has been a stronger push for organizations to allocate resources to endeavors that are results-based. When budgets are tight, everyone wants assurances that the work they commission will yield measurable returns, and rightfully so. Understanding the numeric impact of your work makes you a better advocate for design, a better business partner, and ultimately, better at selling your services.
Determining which metrics best suit the assignment is also part of your job. (Better your determination than someone else's.) Measurement doesn't always require financial framing. Understanding a range of assessment concepts will provide you with the right evaluation tools for each project. There is an art to establishing functional metrics.
- The good news is, like most everything else, it's about 5 percent talent, 5 percent experience, and 90 percent practice.
Setting Metrics: Return on Investment
The most common and broadly used tool to establish financial success in business is return on investment (ROI). ROI is a basic measure for determining profits earned by a specific business investment.
It can be used to formulate the rate of return on projects, processes, and business decisions. Showcasing high rates of return for the work commissioned, or being able to discuss positive returns for previous projects, enables design activities to be favorably showcased to clients in terms that they understand and value.
ROI is most commonly discussed as a percentage or a ratio, calculated by dividing returns (money made by the project) by the initial cost of funding an endeavor or investment. The most basic formula for ROI is expressed as:
- (Gain of Investment - Cost of Investment) / Cost of Investment x 100 = % ROI
For a simple example, if the design and production of marketing materials cost $10,000 (design fees, copywriting, printing, paper, shipping all included) and helped foster $60,000 in new sales, then ROI for the project would be 500%. The calculation looks like this:
- $60,000 (Gain of Investment) - $10,000 (Cost of Investment) = $50,0001
- $50,000 / $10,000 = 51
- 5 x 100 = 500% ROI
Using this equation, any percentage greater than zero indicates that the investment yield is more than the initial cost. Higher percentages indicate more profitable investments and better business decision making. Simple, right?
Return on investment is often used as a summative evaluation, meaning in order to thoroughly understand the relationship between the initial investment and the return, you have to see the payoff. It evaluates a project after it is completed.
One obstacle when applying simple ROI calculations to design projects is that often the work commissioned is not easily broken out from other factors that influence consumer decision making. In the example above, what role did the design of the material play in purchasing decisions? How can the design of the material be separated from the efforts of the sales staff using it? Were other market forces at work, like the bankruptcy of a competitor, which may have influenced the subsequent increase in sales?
Some types of design practice are easier to evaluate with ROI than others. For example, packaging design is highly influential because of its direct consumer connection. How often have you knowingly overpaid for soap, lotion, candles, or chocolate bars because the package was so unique, lovely, homespun, or luxurious that you just "had to have it"? Often, these purchases are of products that the consumer has had no previous encounter with via advertisement or sales staff interaction. Positive brand associations, in these cases, are highly linked to the design of the packaging—and we can therefore measure the ROI of that design with less complication from additional factors. In contrast, design for business-to-business collateral, especially that which supports the interpersonal efforts of sales staff, is more difficult to measure in terms of ROI. You can calculate numbers, but they're more subjective because of the additional forces at play.
- If design is only one part of the total picture (and that's almost always true), find additional ways to evaluate success.
In the marketing materials example used at left, evaluation beyond ROI might involve partnering with the client to determine what role the materials played in closing sales and fostering new business. This can be achieved through ethnographic review, including surveys and interviews with sales staff and the clients served. Conversations with the individuals involved can lead to invaluable insight on how design influences consumer decisions. Factoring other metrics into your summative analysis will paint a broader picture of the value generated.
This 10-year retrospective box set, designed for Fontsmith by Thompson Brand Partners (shown at left and on the next page), delivered big results in several key areas: Fontsmith's sales increased by 53 percent, and corporate licensing went up 255 percent. The end result is a 415 percent return on investment in the first year after project launch (ROI OMG).


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In news certain to delight indie games fans, Minecraft has done something that has not been seen in a long time — knock a Call of Duty game out of the top two on the Xbox 360's most-played list.
To put this in perspective, the only thing that knocked Call of Duty: Black Ops out of the No. 1 spot from its release in 2010 was the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in 2011. And those two have run No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, ever since. Until Minecraft elbowed Black Ops out of the way last week.
The figures are according to Major Nelson's regular listing of the top Xbox Live activity. It counts numbers of unique users, worldwide, that are playing the game while connected to Xbox Live — so it's not just multiplayer figures (although one can assume that's the bulk of Call of Duty's total here.)
The last time I could find something other than the two most recent releases of Call of Duty holding the top two was in 2010, after the release of Halo: Reach (Halo 3 was a steady No. 2 before that, to Modern Warfare 2). Whatever the case, the idea that Minecraft — a downloadable title, no less — did that to a position that has been dominated by a retail big-budget first-person shooter since forever, is rather damned remarkable.
And, oh yeah, the 360 version was the most purchased Arcade title — by a mile, one expects.
LIVE Activity for week of May 14th [Major Nelson]

subset: commoncrawl


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The DeWitt Area Chamber of Commerce would like to welcome you to our community, where local businesses have partnered with local government and non-profit entities to promote balanced growth in the DeWitt area. The Chamber's goal is to enhance economic stability and business opportunities while protecting the characteristics the community values.
DeWitt is more than a cluster of neighborhoods and geographic areas; it is a community of people. Everyday people, committed to growing the community in a responsible way; a community that supports entertainment and recreational programs for all residents; a community that appreciates the value of education and safe neighborhoods; a community with unwavering pride and commitment to the future.
DeWitt is centrally located 10 miles north of the State Capitol, 10 miles northwest of Michigan State University, 65 miles east of Grand Rapids, and 90 miles west of Detroit. Regardless of your destination, commuting has never been easier thanks to the proximity of two major highways that intersect in the heart of the area; US 127 provides great access north to the Mackinaw Straits and Michigan's Upper Peninsula and south through Ohio; I-69 provides ease of travel across the state from Indiana to Port Huron and entry to Canada. In addition, the Capital Region International Airport provides opportunities for private and commercial, national and international air travel as well as air freight.
The DeWitt Area Chamber of Commerce and its membership is available to assist residents, businesses, and visitors as we hope you will enjoy and prosper in our community!


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WOOSTER, Ohio – With fields beginning to dry out from the excessive rains experienced throughout the state and as temperatures begin to warm, crop growers should look to scout their fields for insects that have the potential to cause economic losses, an entomologist with Ohio State University's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences said.
In addition to cereal leaf beetle, alfalfa weevil and black cutworm, crop growers need to be on the lookout for slugs, especially in fields with a history of slug damage, said Andy Michel, an Ohio State University Extension pest expert.
The region is likely entering into a period of heavy slug feeding, so corn and soybean growers need to be out inspecting their crops for the slimy pests, said Michel, who also has an appointment with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
OSU Extension and OARDC are the statewide outreach and research arms, respectively, of the college.
The slug issue is exacerbated by the cooler, wet weather experienced throughout the region this spring, which has caused delayed planting, he said.
"Slugs could be worrisome this year because we've had a lot of moisture and they are at their heavy feeding stage," he said. "We've got a lot of crops that are just getting in the ground or just emerging, which is when they are most susceptible.
"Delayed planting is impacting the ability of the plants to withstand some of the pest damage."
Management options are more limited for slugs, Michel said.
"While slugs aren't really widespread, those fields with history of slugs will likely continue to have slug issues," he said. "This is significant because slugs have a high potential to contribute to significant yield loss for corn and soybeans."
More information on slugs can be found at ohioline.osu.edu/ent-fact/pdf/0020.pdf.
Some of the other invasive and damaging pests that growers can expect this year include:
- Alfalfa weevil: This pest has been spotted on several fields this spring, with some of the fields approaching threshold. Those growers can make their first cutting of alfalfa, which is recommended over insecticide applications when large numbers of alfalfa weevil have infested taller alfalfa. Alfalfa 12-inches long with greater than two weevils per plant or alfalfa 16-inches long with greater than four weevils could be harvested early to avoid further damage.
"With the rain that we've had this spring and the rapid alfalfa growth, some growers may be able to cut early for alfalfa weevil rather than spray," Michel said.
- Black cutworm: A record flight of this pest has been reported by Purdue University. Therefore, corn growers should start scouting their fields with corn that is emerging or has come up, for cutworm activity. Growers need to pay extra attention to those fields conducive to cutworm problems, such as no-till and or weedy fields.
"Black cutworm has the potential to be a big problem this year," Michel said. "Some growers may count on seed treatments or Bt hybrids for control, but seed treatments alone won't control cutworm, and not all Bt events work on cutworm.
"So some growers may think they are protected when they aren't."
More information on black cutworm can be found at ohioline.osu.edu/ent-fact/pdf/0035.pdf or extension.entm.purdue.edu/pestcrop/2014/issue6/index.html#moths.
- Cereal leaf beetle on wheat: Both adult cereal leaf beetles and eggs were spotted in some wheat fields last week, which is a concern as both adults and larvae can cause defoliation. However, since larvae can do the most damage, growers should scout their fields for larvae, which are small, black, and resemble bird droppings. Heavily infested fields will have a frosty appearance due to the type of feeding this pest does. Growers statewide should check their fields and those who spot an average of two or more larva per stem should treat their fields with insecticides to prevent yield loss.
Andy Michel


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Please enter the state where you will pick up your rental vehicle.
Unfortunately, our SLI policy does not cover vehicles picked up in New York.
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Post-cancer fatigue "overestimated"
Despite widespread belief to the contrary, as few as 6% of women experience cancer-related persistent fatigue a year after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, a new study has found.
Despite widespread belief to the contrary, as few as 6% of women experience cancer-related persistent fatigue a year after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, a new study has found.
Despite widespread belief to the contrary, as few as 6 percent of women experience cancer-related persistent fatigue a year after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, a new study has found.
Prolonged and disabling fatigue is a common side-effect of many cancer treatments, with large numbers of women reporting that cancer-related fatigue persists for many months after treatment ends. Some studies put the figure as high as 50 percent.
But a study of breast cancer survivors from a group of collaborating hospitals in Sydney together with staff of the UNSW's newly established Cancer Survivors' Centre has found that figure is overstated, with the previously reported high rates of fatigue most likely attributable to factors unrelated to the cancer or its treatment.
And while the study, published this month in Journal of Clinical Oncology, looked at breast cancer, the researchers believe the same results would apply to survivors of other cancers.
"The good news is that the vast majority of women who have undergone cancer treatment either never experience ongoing debilitating fatigue in the weeks and months after treatment ends or if they do, it passes relatively quickly," said study author, Professor David Goldstein, from UNSW's Prince of Wales Clinical School.
"This is not to say that cancer-related fatigue is not a problem. It is still one of the main symptoms of cancer and a major side effect of treatment, but people can be reassured that for the vast majority receiving adjuvant treatment, it is not an ongoing or long term debilitating experience," Professor Goldstein said.
The 5-year prospective study followed 218 women with early-stage breast cancer. The women were observed and questioned at three-monthly intervals for a year after treatment and again at five years. A rigorous definition of fatigue was used to rule out any "background" fatigue.
The study found the case rate for cancer-related fatigue fell from 31 percent at the end of treatment to 11 percent at six months and 6 percent at 12 months.
The findings suggest that previous studies have overestimated the prevalence of cancer-related fatigue and included transient fatigue states associated with unrelated infections, surgery and minor psychiatric disorders and chronic fatigue states attributable to other conditions.
The researchers say for the significant minority of people (6%) who do experience ongoing fatigue, attention can now be focussed on early identification and directing resources where they are most needed.
The success of cancer treatments and the increasing number of cancer survivors makes finding find better ways to manage survivorship essential. Researchers believe exercise may be one key element.
To that end, the UNSW Cancer Survivors' Centre, in conjunction with one of its partners the UNSW Lifestyle Clinic, has begun trials of a twelve-week intensive program of exercise and cognitive behaviour therapy to help people with established cancer-related fatigue.
"Exercise is increasingly being identified as a medicine, potentially even with a dose response, and it may have a very important role as a therapy not only in cancer recovery but also in the treatment process itself," Professor Goldstein said.
UNSW's Cancer Survivor Centre is the first comprehensive centre in Australia and is also one of very few worldwide to focus on survivors of both childhood and adult cancers.
Media Contact: Steve Offner, UNSW Media Office, 02 9385 8107


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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced the availability of up to $20 million in FY 2012 grant funding to establish clean diesel projects aimed at reducing harmful pollution from the nation's existing fleet of diesel engines and improving air quality and Americans' health. In addition to these grants, approximately $9 million will be available through direct state allocations. EPA estimates that for every $1 spent on clean diesel funding up to $13 of public health benefit is realized.
"Technology has evolved to make diesel engines more efficient and cleaner than ever," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "These grants enable owners of older diesel vehicles to make investments that modernize their vehicles while making the air in their communities cleaner and healthier to breathe."
This is the first competition since the Diesel Emission Reduction Program, also known as DERA, was reauthorized in 2011. The program cleans up existing diesel vehicles, many of which can be operated for decades, by targeting projects that utilize the most cost-effective clean diesel strategies. By reducing diesel emissions in areas that have significant air quality issues the program can have a direct impact on community health.
Diesel engines are durable, fuel efficient workhorses in the American economy. EPA has standards in place that make new diesels more than 90 percent cleaner. However, older diesels that predate these standards emit large amounts of air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). These pollutants are linked to health problems, including asthma, lung and heart disease, and even premature death. Nearly 11 million older diesels still operate throughout the nation's transportation system.
States, tribes, local governments, and non-profits are eligible to apply for these grants. Projects can reduce air pollution from older school buses, transit buses, heavy-duty diesel trucks, marine engines, locomotives, and other diesel engines. The closing date for receipt of proposals is June 4, 2012.
DERA was enacted in 2005 and since it was first funded in FY 2008, EPA has awarded over 500 grants nationwide. These projects have reduced hundreds of thousands of tons of air pollution and saved millions of gallons of fuel. As part of EPA's National Clean Diesel Campaign, many of these projects fund cleaner diesel engines that operate in economically disadvantaged communities whose residents suffer from higher-than-average instances of respiratory ailments.
Request for Proposals forms and related documents: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/prgnational.htm
This free educational webinar will provide a detailed process for climate-driven "pre-response" in a variety of key areas including: Supply Chain Disruptions, Employee Safety and Productivity, Regulatory and Compliance Risks …and many more areas.


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Incorporated Association | |
An association or group of people who, as a group, are recognised as a legal entity separate from its members. An association may be incorporated under commonwealth, state or territory legislation. Once incorporated, an association has all the powers of an individual and is legally able to do things in its own name, such as own land, sign a lease, or appear in court. |
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Lavender Eucalyptus Soap
Soapy Gnome Soap
5 Reviews
Ask a question
Lavender Eucalyptus is a nice blend to start your day balanced. Lavender is relaxing, while eucalyptus is energizing. With added apricot kernel or poppy seeds, this soap is exfoliating. If you like a scrubby soap, you'll like this one.
Soapy Gnome's all-natural soaps are specially formulated with premium skin-loving oils that caress your skin and give it a hug all day long.
Our soaps are:
- Handcrafted in the U.S.
- Made with buttermilk for a creamy lather
- Made with premium base oils: coconut, shea butter, organic olive oil, organic sunflower oil, apricot kernel, and avocado oils
- Scented with essential oils
- Vegetarian friendly
- GMO free
- Palm oil free
- 4.2 oz
Soapy Gnome soaps are comfort food for your skin. You'll feel great all day!
Returns, Shipping, Pick-up and other Common Questions
Return Policy
- We stand behind our product 100%. If there is an issue with the quality of the product within 30 days, contact us, and we will issue a replacement of the same item or offer credit toward another item from our store.
- If you wish to return a non-defective product, returns will be sent at the buyer's expense.
- All items are shipped Priority Mail via USPS for a Flat Rate Fee of $8.
- If orders are placed before 12 noon, the product will be shipped out the same day(with the exception of holidays and Sundays).
- We ship to the US and Puerto Rico. At this time, we do not offer international shipping.
In-Store Pick Up
- You can order online for in-store pickup.
- Most orders will be ready within the hour.
- An email will be sent when we have completed the order.
- If you have a subscription to pick up, any shipping charges will be refunded.


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It takes one small ingredient to irritate sensitive skin. Many companies have created hypoallergenic formulas free of harsh chemicals and scents for those with easily irritated skin. Choosing a product to cleanse your body is not an easy choice and comes with many considerations. When in pursuit of the perfect body wash for sensitive skin, consider the ingredients of the product in relation to your skin type and the scent.
If you are looking for a pH-balanced mild hypoallergenic body wash, the Dove Hypoallergenic Body Wash for Sensitive Skin is the top choice.
When purchasing a body wash for sensitive skin, consider the ingredients. Sensitive skin is reactant to chemicals and the environment, unlike any other skin type. Those with sensitive skin require moisturizing and soothing ingredients, such as rose water, jojoba oil, aloe vera, and vitamin E. If you have acne, opt for a body wash that contains benzoyl peroxide to get rid of blemishes and reduce acne scarring.
All good body washes for sensitive skin will contain vitamins and antioxidants that prevent premature aging while cleaning the skin. Avoid sulfates and parabens when purchasing a body wash for sensitive skin, as these ingredients can irritate the skin further and worsen acne in some cases.
Due to your skin's reactivity to certain ingredients, consider using an all-natural body wash that is free of formaldehyde, fragrance, and preservatives. These can cause bacteria to flourish and can lead to inflammation and allergic reaction. In addition, body washes that contain oatmeal, chamomile, and aloe vera are recommended to nourish the skin. However, stay away from essential oils, which can further initiate the skin if they are not diluted. To test a formula before use, rub it into your hand. If your skin becomes irritated, do not use the body wash on the rest of your body.
A good body wash for sensitive skin will be free of any type of alcohol. Alcohol can dry out the skin and cause further irritation. If you have sensitive skin, there is a higher chance of alcohol contributing to irritation rather than soothing it. To prevent further irritation, look for a body wash that does not contain alcohol.
When purchasing a good body wash for sensitive skin, consider your purchase's effect on the environment. Make sure the container is biodegradable and the wash is made with non-toxic ingredients. Some companies will make the bottle out of recycled material and go a step further by ending animal testing with their product.
When purchasing a quality body wash for sensitive skin, consider opting for a product that is unscented and uses a clean formula. Even products with all-natural essential oils can be harmful to delicate areas of the body when washed. If you are concerned about irritation and redness, avoid products with scents.
A body wash for sensitive skin will cost anywhere from $5-$40, depending on the size of the bottle, the formula, and the brand. A cheap body wash will contain less vitamins and ingredients that benefit the skin and will be priced at around $40. Higher-end soap with many skin benefits and a consistent formula will be anywhere between $12-$40.
A. Some body washes are safe enough to be used on the face. Before washing your face with a body wash, check the product description to make sure the formula is safe for use on all parts of the body.
A. Certain shampoos can be used as a body wash, but some contain too much fragrance to be used on sensitive skin. For example, when washing the private areas of your body, use an unscented soap rather than a shampoo or a scented body wash.
Dove Hypoallergenic Body Wash for Sensitive Skin
What you need to know: This body wash gently cleanses the skin with a pH-balanced formula. It contains all-natural nourishing properties and moisturizes to absorb into the top layer of the skin.
What you'll love: This body wash is cruelty-free, paraben-free, and plant-based, and the bottle is made from recycled plastics.
What you should consider: This product is advertised as unscented, but some users claim that it has a slight scent.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Jason Smoothing Coconut Body Wash
What you need to know: This body wash is infused with vitamin E and vitamin B5 to hydrate and nourish the skin while cleaning. As a result, it leaves skin feeling soft and energized.
What you'll love: This body wash is not tested on animals and is free of parabens, dyes, sulfates, and petrolatum. The shea butter and coconut oil soothe irritated skin.
What you should consider: This product does not lather well.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Unscented Liquid Soap
What you need to know: This soap is made with organic ingredients and is certified fair trade. It is vegan and poses no threat to the environment due to its biodegradable packaging.
What you'll love: This product is not tested on animals and does not contain synthetic preservatives or dyes.
What you should consider: This product is very concentrated and needs to be diluted before use.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Logan DeLoye writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.


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8 Tips for Surviving on Mars
Your checklist for living on the red planet from the author of The Martian
By Andy Weir
So you want to live on Mars. Perhaps it's the rugged terrain, beautiful scenery, or vast natural landscape that appeals to you. Or maybe you're just a lunatic who wants to survive in a lifeless barren wasteland. Whatever your reasons, there are a few things you should know:
1: You're going to need a pressure vessel.
Mars's atmospheric pressure is less than one percent of Earth's. So basically, it's nothing. Being on the surface of Mars is almost the same as being in deep space. You better bring a nice, sturdy container to hold air in. By the way, this will be your home forever. So try to make it as big as you can.
2: You're going to need oxygen.
You probably plan to breathe during your stay, so you'll need to have something in that pressure vessel. Fortunately, you can get this from Mars itself. The atmosphere is very thin, but it is present and it's almost entirely carbon dioxide. There are lots of ways to strip the carbon off carbon dioxide and liberate the oxygen. You could have complex mechanical oxygenators or you could just grow some plants.
3: You're going to need radiation shielding.
Earth's liquid core gives it a magnetic field that protects us from most of the nasty crap the sun pukes out at us. Mars has no such luxury. All kinds of solar radiation gets to the surface. Unless you're a fan of cancer, you're going to want your accommodations to be radiation-shielded. The easiest way to do that is to bury your base in Martian sand and rocks. They're not exactly in short supply, so you can just make the pile deeper and deeper until it's blocking enough.
4: You're going to need water.
Again, Mars provides. The Curiosity probe recently discovered that Martian soil has quite a lot of ice in it. About 35 liters per cubic meter. All you need to do is scoop it up, heat it, and strain out the water. Once you have a good supply, a simple distillery will allow you to reuse it over and over.
5: You're going to need food.
Just eat Martians. They taste like chicken.
6: Oh, come on.
All right, all right. Food is the one thing you need that can't be found in abundance on Mars. You'll have to grow it yourself. But you're in luck, because Mars is actually a decent place for a greenhouse. The day/night cycle is almost identical to Earth's, which Earth plants evolved to optimize for. And the total solar energy hitting the surface is enough for their needs.
But you can't just grow plants on the freezing, near-vacuum surface. You'll need a pressure container for them as well. And that one might have to be pretty big. Just think of how much food you eat in a year and imagine how much space it takes to grow it.
Hope you like potatoes. They're the best calorie yield per land area.
7: You're going to need energy.
However you set things up, it won't be a self-contained system. Among other things, you'll need to deal with heating your home and greenhouse. Mars's average daily temperature is -50C (-58F), so it'll be a continual energy drain to keep warm. Not to mention the other life support systems, most notably your oxygenator. And if you're thinking your greenhouse will keep the atmosphere in balance, think again. A biosphere is far too risky on this scale.
8: You're going to need a reason to be there.
Why go out of your way to risk your life? Do you want to study the planet itself? Start your own civilization? Exploit local resources for profit? Make a base with a big death ray so you can address the UN while wearing an ominous mask and demand ransom? Whatever your goal is, you better have it pretty well defined, and you better really mean it. Because in the end, Mars is a harsh, dangerous place and if something goes wrong you'll have no hope of rescue. Whatever your reason is, it better be worth it.
ANDY WEIR was first hired as a programmer for a national laboratory at age fifteen and has been working as a software engineer ever since. He is also a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of subjects like relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. The Martian is his first novel.
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Bentley shows Muslanne and Series 51 Continental GTC at NAIAS
Bentley Motors, the only ultra-luxury manufacturer with a stand alone display at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, pulled the wraps off the all-new Bentley Mulsanne flagship sedan and 'Series 51' designer edition of the Continental GTC convertible during the vehicles' first motor show debut in The Americas.
The new Mulsanne, designed and engineered at Crewe from the ground-up, reaffirms the marque's intent to create a new flagship Bentley with refined performance and unparalleled levels of luxury with the coach building elegance for which the marque has long been renowned.
The Series 51 Continental GTC represents Bentley exterior and interior styling at its most vibrant and will enable customers to order 'off the peg' from an exclusive range created by Dirk van Braeckel's renowned team of Crewe-based designers.
"The Detroit Motor Show remains an important stop for Bentley on the annual calendar of international motoring events," said Christophe Georges, President & Chief Operating Officer for Bentley Motors Inc. "Detroit is also the motor show debut for our flagship Mulsanne and the Series 51 Continental in The Americas region – our single largest worldwide – so it is an important opportunity to reach key influencers.
"Our annual NAIAS private customer previews have also proved successful and that proud record looks set to continue especially as we're the only ultra-luxury manufacturer with a stand alone display this year," Georges added. "Bentley has a busy year ahead and displaying our Mulsanne and Series 51 Continental GTC among Detroit's automotive insiders, influencers and customers is central to our launch strategy."
Flagship Bentley Mulsanne The Bentley Mulsanne, which goes on sale in the fall of this year, will be priced at $285,000 in the United States. The Mulsanne will offer customers a degree of choice when commissioning their cars which is unmatched in the industry. The luxury Bentley flagship offers a palette of 114 paint colours, 21 carpet colours, nine wood veneers and 24 interior leather hides, all of which will be tanned using a decades-old process to ensure this future classic retains its distinctive scent.
In addition, through Bentley's bespoke service, unique colours can be developed which will exactly match a customer's vision and taste. With more standard leather and wood veneer than any other Bentley in the modern era, it is understandable that each Mulsanne will take nine weeks to build.
Bentley's legendary hand-assembled V8 engine pays homage to its predecessors yet for the new Mulsanne it has been comprehensively re-engineered to employ advanced technologies that deliver unstressed, refined performance. The new Bentley V8 engine is lighter and features cylinder de-activation and variable cam phasing, a combination that can significantly reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Advanced technology is exquisitely packaged within the Mulsanne's opulent cabin. Behind its heritage-inspired dials and new glass-effect switches lay leading edge features including iPod and mp3 connectivity, Bluetooth and a SIM card reader, as well as a 3G MMI system. Those opting for NAIM's premium audio system will be treated to the world's most powerful system fitted to a production vehicle – a 20-channel 2,200-watt experience.
Series 51 Continental GTC The Series 51 package, available on the Continental range's GT, GT Speed, GTC and GTC Speed models, will be priced from $192,750 for the GT coupe model. It provides for a virtually bespoke vehicle experience due to the thousands of configurations available through Bentley's expansive colour and trim catalogue.
Series 51 is named after the year that the first official styling department was established in Crewe by the gifted John Blatchley, who shaped the original and iconic 1950s Bentley Continentals. Every Series 51 car will feature a highly-distinctive interior colour palette and unique exterior design cues.
Bentley's Colour and Trim team, managed by Melinda - June Jenkins, has designed some specially tailored three-tone interiors which demonstrate the full potential of leather hide colours and showcase the creative application of contrast stitching and piping. The colour combination on the Detroit show car is Imperial Blue as the main and secondary hide, Linen seat and door inserts and Saddle contrast stitching and piping.
Bentley's designers have also selected a range of premium-quality materials for the dashboard and centre console to complement the three-tone interiors. The Dark and Bright 'Engine Spin' aluminium options provide a striking contrast with darker and lighter hide colour choices and a special, limited-edition Amboyna veneer reserved for solely for Series 51.
Both the Continental GT and GTC offer a powerful road presence and the Series 51 cars further accentuate these sporting credentials with some eye-catching exterior styling. A 20" 14-spoke polished Diamond wheel with a dark centre cap provides Series 51 cars with a purposeful and stylish appearance. The cars will be distinguished by a signature '51' badge on the front wings.
To enhance and personalise the Continental GT still further, a new two-tone paint can be commissioned which complements the contrasting interior configuration. This highly distinctive colour split (with one colour running over the bonnet, roof and flowing down to the boot) is a classic design used on many sporting Bentleys of the past.


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HURT PEOPLE by Cote Smith
It is no surprise to find Cote Smith's debut novel, Hurt People, published under the FSG Originals imprint, which has a penchant for tales from the dark underbelly of America. Among the ominous landscapes drawn by FSG authors such as Frank Bill and Amelia Gray, Smith's hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas fits right in, with its prisons looming over the novel like watchful guards. Opportunity, here in the center of a prison industrial complex, is a chance at catching an escaped convict, while seemingly the only entertainments on offer are rented movies, darts, and boxed wine. This setting is depicted through the eyes of a pre-adolescent younger sibling with a matter-of-factness that cannot but inspire the sympathy of the reader; not old enough to know what he is missing out on, he takes his surroundings for granted while knowing on some level they could be better. The nice suburban house his family lived in before a divorce sends him, his mom, and older brother to a ramshackle apartment across town serves like a long-lost vision of the American Dream.
For Smith's nameless pre-adolescent narrator and his slightly older brother, the summer recreation of choice is sneaking out to their dingy apartment complex's pool in direct disobedience of their overworked, lonely mother's orders. Against a backdrop of tornado sirens and escapee alarms, the eldest brother comes increasingly under the spell of Chris, a young man who loiters by the pool in wait of unsuspecting boys just like themselves. Oblivious to the growing threat to their sons, both parents increasingly withdraw into problems relating to their dissolved marriage; meanwhile, the quality of attention paid towards their sons ranges from distracted to negligent. The siblings' bond frays under the strain, and the younger brother watches helplessly as he finds himself excluded from the secret relationship between his brother and new older friend. The inattention of their parents alternates with sporadic and unsuccessful efforts at discipline, and it becomes clear that their own unreliable behavior is the cause of a brewing rebellion amongst the brothers. All of these family dynamics are carefully, empathetically drawn, and amplified by the mother's struggle to pay her bills. Even the mother's unpleasant new boyfriend is depicted sympathetically: his own background of abuse has contributed to his authoritarian approach to her children, whom he treats as if in need of a lesson to put them in their place—a physical one, if need be.
This soft touch to character is undercut by a somewhat programmatic approach to plot development. Expanded from a short story first published in One Story, the claustrophobic summer slowly builds to a head in a predictable, even exploitive fashion, and the pacing sags toward the end; the result is a novel that must have been more comfortable in shorter form. While the escaped prisoner who invades the town's gossip never makes an appearance, his presence influences Chris, who serves as a channel for the town wide unease. Headlines of the prison breakout dominate the imagination of the children, particularly since their father is a police officer expected to bring the man to justice. Hints are given of the escapee's grudge toward the father, and Chris is cast in such a light as to seem like the possible escapee himself. Certainly he is an unstable character, and his presence in the boys' lives becomes increasingly disturbing until he is revealed to be the worst kind of child predator. The dramatic climax revealing this falls flat, however, and worse, feels cheap and narratively convenient. It punctures the fog-like sense of unease and replaces its interesting, complicated mix of emotions with one lurid stroke that rings cheap. Instead of allowing the uncertainty of the divorce, the new boyfriend, and the looming poverty of the family to cast an appealing dimness over the novel, Chris's act makes all of these implicit threats concrete while simultaneously belittling real-world instances of child abuse by implementing it as a cheap, late-breaking plot device.
Nevertheless Smith has a cinematic verve in his writing, and while the plot feels recognizable and eventually takes a turn into the tawdry, it is also always easy to visualize, with several strong family relationship scenes. Smith mostly manages to steer clear of the overly self-conscious precociousness that sometimes attends child narrators, and his quiet depiction of a family falling apart has an honesty that can be devastating. It is only too bad that he saw fit to add the unnecessary 'dramatic' touch of the older brother's rape and abduction, which disturbs the delicate tone of the novel to no good purpose.
Cote Smith grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas, and various army bases around the country. He earned his MFA from the University of Kansas. His work has been featured in One Story and FiveChapters. Smith lives in Lawrence, Kansas.


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16 signature guitar effects pedals
Ibanez Jemini Distortion
From the Gibson Les Paul to Eddie Van Halen's Peavey 5150, guitar heroes have been slapping their names on customised equipment since the dawn of rock 'n' roll. Fortunately, it's resulted in some truly brilliant stompboxes. Here's a round-up of all the weird and wonderful signature effects pedals we've reviewed on MusicRadar, including signature gear from Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, John Petrucci, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.
Ibanez Jemini Distortion
Guitarist: Steve Vai
MusicRadar's verdict:
"If you're a Vai fan, you'd be mad to miss out on one of these uniquely-finished, limited run pedals, all for a reasonable price."
Ibanez Jemini Distortion review
Jim Dunlop BG95 Buddy Guy Signature Cry Baby wah
MusicRadar's verdict:
"At a full £90 more than a standard Cry Baby, it is very pricey indeed. Nevertheless, it's among the most musical wahs we've ever played."
Jim Dunlop BG95 Buddy Guy Signature Cry Baby review
TC Electronic John Petrucci Dreamscape multi-fx
MusicRadar's verdict:
"Even if you're not hacking your way through the Images And Words songbook, The Dreamscape is still a super-cool one-stop box for modulation."
TC Electronic John Petrucci Dreamscape review
John Petrucci talks TC Electronic Dreamscape
DigiTech Brian May Red Special multi-fx
MusicRadar's verdict:
"For those of us who do revel in the guitar sounds of Brian May, the models here are absolutely the best available today. We're told that Brian has been considering using a unit on stage and surely there's no better recommendation than that."
DigiTech Brian May Red Special review (pedal discontinued)
Morley Mark Tremonti wah
MusicRadar's verdict:
"Not the best for funk or blues, but for everyone else the Tremonti pushes all the right buttons."
Morley Mark Tremonti Wah review
MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase
MusicRadar's verdict:
"To use a culinary parallel, it's like adding oregano to a bolognese - it's subtle and not exactly vital, but a nice finishing touch to impress your dinner guests/bandmates. But there are an awful lot of other stompboxes on the menu…"
MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase review
Jim Dunlop Jerry Cantrell Cry Baby wah
MusicRadar's verdict:
"It may be a fair bit pricier than the standard model, but Jerry Cantrell's signature wah is a proper Cry Baby, and then some…"
Dunlop Cry Baby Jerry Cantrell Wah review
DigiTech Eric Clapton Crossroads multi-fx
MusicRadar's verdict:
"While the absence of the Bluesbreaker sound is disappointing, there's still enough great sounds on the Crossroads to justify the pedal's price tag. The acoustic guitar and rotating speaker simulations alone make it superb value for money."
DigiTech Eric Clapton Crossroads review (pedal discontinued)
MXR Eddie Van Halen wah
MusicRadar's verdict:
"While the looks aren't to everyone's taste, this is a seriously impressive wah pedal that's well worth trying out."
MXR Eddie Van Halen wah review
Jim Dunlop JH3s Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz
MusicRadar's verdict:
"It might look like a block of cheese but this pedal will help you sound like Jimi Hendrix. The fuzzed-out octave sounds it produces might be a bit too raw for some, but retroheads will love it."
Jim Dunlop JH3s Jimi Hendrix Octave Fuzz review
DigiTech Jimi Hendrix Experience multi-fx
MusicRadar's verdict:
"A fantastic pedal that manages to faithfully reproduce Hendrix's fat, rich tunes."
DigiTech Jimi Hendrix Experience review (pedal discontinued)
MXR EVH117 Flanger
MusicRadar's verdict:
"Despite the cost this is great fun, and if Ed's your hero it's unlikely that anything else will do."
MXR EVH117 Flanger review
Vox Satchurator distortion
MusicRadar's verdict:
"It sounds great; the perfect mix between vintage and ultra-modern distortion stompboxes."
Vox Satchurator review
Jim Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Cry Baby wah
MusicRadar's verdict:
"A superb blues and rock‑oriented wah."
Jim Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Cry Baby wah review
Jim Dunlop Joe Bonamassa Cry Baby wah press release
Blackstar HT Blackfire distortion
MusicRadar's verdict:
"At £199, it's a pretty serious purchase, but with two channels of convincing valve tones, pro build quality, tonal flexibility via the ISF control, and that handy emulated output, this is a viable option for any rig that's in need of a sonic power-up."
Blackstar Gus G HT Blackfire Distortion review
Blackstar Gus G HT Blackfire Distortion press release
Jim Dunlop SC95 Slash Cry Baby Classic wah
MusicRadar's verdict:
"If you use a wah in a rock environment and don't necessarily need to double as a Nile Rodgers-style funk guitarist at weekends, you should give this a try."


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Joe Biden on Principles & ValuesVice President; previously Democratic Senator (DE) | |
Politico, citing "several sources in the room," reported that Biden, during a closed-door meeting with House Democrats, agreed with an argument by Rep. Mike Doyle (D, PA), who asserted that "we have negotiated with terrorists." The report said Biden asserted in response, "They have acted like terrorists."
Biden told CBS News he let lawmakers "vent," but he did not agree with the terrorism comparison. "There were some people who said they felt like they were being held hostage by terrorists," he said. "I never said that they were terrorists; I just let them vent." [Asked his opinion of Tea Party House members, Biden responded], "they'll learn that they have to have compromise. Compromise is not a dirty word. In a democracy like ours, that's the only way this place can work."
"I just want to tell you, this guy's got a backbone like a ramrod," the vice president assured House Democrats last week. He repeated a line he'd heard to sum up what his party should campaign on: "Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive."
Biden, the only pol in town who can be more revealing on the record than off, dished up some of the confidential details of how the decision was made to go after Bin Laden in Pakistan. Obama had to make the toughest call of his presidency based on the moon. Would there be too much moonlight that night for the brazen secret operation--the kind that went wrong and marred Jimmy Carter's presidency?
Obama sat with Biden, going over the package. But now Obama said, "No, I'm not going to make some of these trades." Biden, who'd been waiting for his friend to step up and assert more control, gladly stepped back.
A: A: Lyndon Johnson. For all the foibles he had as president, in people�s minds, he really knew how the system worked. He was able to be a significant facilitator of a new frontier, new policy. People in the Congress knew him, knew he knew a lot. And so I hope one of my roles as vice president will be as the person actually implementing Barack Obama�s policy. You gotta get the Congress to go along with it.
BIDEN: I will place my record and Barack�s record against John McCain�s or anyone else in terms of fundamental accomplishments. Wrote the crime bill, put 100,000 cops on the street, wrote the Violence Against Women Act, which John McCain voted against both of them, was the catalyst to change the circumstance in Bosnia.
PALIN: But even more important is that world view that I share with John McCain. That world view that says that America is a nation of exceptionalism. And we are to be that shining city on a hill, as President Reagan so beautifully said, that we are a beacon of hope. We are not perfect as a nation. But together, we represent a perfect ideal. And that is democracy and tolerance and freedom and equal rights. Those things that we stand for that can be put to good use as a force for good in this world.
A: I worked in the African-American community, as the only white employee for a long while when I was a kid. And I got involved in the civil rights movement. The decisive moment in me life that put me on the broader path was the civil rights movement. When I realized that it does make a difference if you�re engaged. You actually can change people�s lives. You can actually change the state of the nation.
If you do politics the right way, you can actually make people�s lives better. And integrity is the minimum ante to get into the game. Nearly 40 years after I first got involved, I remain captivated by the possibilities of politics and public service. I believe my chosen profession is a noble calling.
Almost all White House partnerships deteriorate in the end, undone by diverging politics, festering policy disputes--or simply human fatigue amid the strains of trying to turn what is inevitably a shotgun marriage into a love match. Bill Clinton and Al Gore were barely on speaking terms by the time the disputed 2000 election came around, with Gore furious at Clinton's sexual indiscretions and Clinton appalled at Gore's lame political skills. Even the celebrated team of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney came unraveled by the final few years, as Bush abandoned the hawkish policies of his veep and turned to a more conciliatory set of advisers.
"If we have a Democratic president," he said, "I can have much more influence, I promise you, as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee than I can as vice president." And he laughed, walking off to rejoin his family and get back to Wilmington. For most of the nation's history, the vice presidency had been avoided like a plague by most ambitious politicians. More often than not, especially in the first hundred years of the Republic, the office was regarded as a dead end, a sort of gold watch in retirement.
It was that kind of cogitating that had gotten Biden into the 2008 race in the first place--that and a hunger for redemption. At 64, he saw it as his last chance. But his respect for Hillary Clinton was undiminished. In fact, he told Obama point blank that he should pick her as his running mate.
Obama knew Biden was the right call. The working-class thing. The gray-hair thing. The foreign-policy thing. Oh, and the attacking-dog thing. Obama was convinced that he could count on Biden to maul McCain.
Evidence of Jefferson's lingering ghost was provided by none other than Joseph Biden, Obama's eventual partner on the Democratic ticket. Earlier in primary season, he unwittingly echoed the author of the Declaration of Independence when he marveled at Obama's ability to bathe regularly and string sentences together. To Biden, the candidate seemed to be a character straight out of fiction. "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," he declared. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."
A: I had a long talk with Barack. Let me tell you what Barack asked me to do. I have a history of getting things done in the US Senate. John McCain would acknowledge that. My record shows that on controversial issues. I would be the point person for the legislative initiatives in the US Congress for our administration. When asked if I wanted a portfolio, my response was, no. But Barackindicated to me he wanted me with him to help him govern. So every major decision he�ll be making, I�ll be sitting in the room to give my best advice. He�s president, not me, I�ll give my best advice.
And one of the things he said early on when he was choosing, he said he picked someone who had an independent judgment and wouldn�t be afraid to tell him if he disagreed. That is sort of my reputation, as you know. I look forward to working with Barack and playing a very constructive role in his presidency, bringing about the kind of change this country needs.
A: Look, this is a very rough game. My referring to Barack as articulate, it was a mistake. The good thing about being around a long time is people have a basis upon which to judge you. And I didn�t find any serious person in the civil rights community, because of my long history and long support for civil rights, thinking that I was trying to insult Barack Obama in any way. I didn�t find anyone suggesting that anything else I have said goes to the heart of whether or not my record is being undercut by what I�ve stated. But it is true. It is true that my candor sometimes get me in trouble.
Kinnock said of his predecessors, "Anybody really think they didn't get what we have because they didn't have the talent, or the endurance, or the commitment? Of course not. It was because there was no platform upon which they could stand."
That last phrase particularly captured Biden's attention. At the Iowa debate, the campaign hadn't prepared closing remarks. An aide suggested, "Why don't you use the Kinnock stuff?"
Biden closed with, "Why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go to university? Were they not smart? Were they weak? No, they didn't have a platform on which to stand." He hadn't made the attribution to Kinnock that he usually did. [Newspapers called it plagiarism].
A: I don�t think they�ve changed politics.
Q: Have they been a positive force in politics?
A: On some things, yes. I mean, look, I don�t think you can castigate them for the ad [saying �Patraeus or Betray Us?�]. But the idea that I was initially told--I�m going to get in trouble for this, but--that the quote, �It�s their party�--they�re part of the party. It??s not their party.
I asked my sister, Val, if she�d run the campaign. She was a methodical organizer. She got voter records going back several elections, had an index card for every block in every neighborhood and started recruiting block captains. I spent most of my time in Democratic precincts, but I also spent time going door to door in the middle-class neighborhoods like the one I grew up in. They were overwhelmingly Republican in 1970, but I knew how to talk to them. I understood they valued good government & fiscal austerity & the environment. I promised to fight for open space. Those voters were key for me. The 1970 elections were a washout for the Democratic Party in Delaware, but I won election to the County Council by 2,000 votes.
When the political reporters started to find out how hard I was working to win over voters, none of them called my running for the Senate ridiculous. I was �one of the bright young men of the Democratic party.� I think they liked fresh blood to write about. At the same time, the smart guys covering Delaware politics didn�t give me a snowman�s chance in August. They�d note my lack of a war chest, Sen. Boggs�s long-standing popularity, his quarter century of serving Delaware, and the slew of Democratic challengers he�d left by the roadside. [In 1972, Biden won by 3,000 votes and became the 2nd youngest senator ever elected.]
A: Well, I wrote a book back when I thought I was going to be working with John Kerry in a Kerry administration. It had nothing to do with presidential politics. I was encouraged to write it by a guy named Richard Ben Cramer, who wrote the book �What it Takes,� and asked how my personal values inform my public policy. And I talk about everything from the Supreme Court to the Balkans to Iraq, and how I think that the most significant thing about what we need in leadership is people who are willing to get back up. My dad used to have an expression. He used to say, �The measure of success is not whether you get knocked down; it�s how rapidly you get back up.� And the American people always get back up. And I think what they�re doing is looking for somebody who is going to give them the opportunity to be able to take on the tough issues that are out there and just tell them the truth.
Biden has gained some credibility with his articulate, objective and forthcoming analysis of the Iraq War, given from his perch atop the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But he is, after all, another has-been who never was.
As the speech goes on, he toggles back and forth between Detroit's bright future and his darker past. "My dad, [a used-car salesman], didn't have a lot of money, but he [bought us] a brand-new 1967 Corvette convertible as a wedding gift. Well, I still have it. I still love it." The audience erupts when he tells them his two sons, Beau and Hunter, who were grievously hurt in the 1972 crash, bought him a new clutch as a Christmas present last year.
A: �Chariots of Fire� is probably my favorite movie. There is a place where someone put personal fame & glory behind principles. That to me, is the mark of real heroism, when someone would do that.
Q: Do you remember your favorite scene from that movie?
A: The favorite scene is when he is making the decision & talking about, �Do I do this?� He so desperately wanted to run, but concluded he couldn�t. It was that moment of decision that was my favorite scene
It�s a funny thing to say, but even if I could, I would not wish away the darkest days of the stutter. That impediment ended up being a godsend for me. Carrying it strengthened me and made me a better person. The very things it taught me turned out to be invaluable lessons for my life as well as my chosen career.
Washington & the Senate had no hold on me. I was supposed to be sworn in two weeks, but I could not bear to imagine the scene without Neilia. I told the Senate majority leader, Mike Mansfield, that I wasn�t going to be a Senator. Mansfield was relentless. He called the hospital every day to tell me he needed me in the Senate and to keep me up to date. Mansfield told me I owed it to Neilia to a Senator. My wife had worked too hard for me to kick it away. Give me six months, Joe, Sen. Mansfield kept saying. So I agreed. Six months.
I�d given her my word. I�d already let a few people know they might want to be ready to run for the Senate in case I got out. I was going to have to show Jill I meant it, [so I concluded] �I�ll tell Bill Frank I�m not running.� Frank was the chief political reporters at the Wilmington News-Journal. I could hear Frank�s phone ringing. Then I heard a dial tone. Jill had her finger on the phone cradle. She�d cut off the call. She told me later why: �If I denied you your dream, I would not be marrying the man I fell in love with.�
Jill and I were married by a priest at the UN chapel in NYC in 1977. Beau and Hunter stood with us at the altar. The way they thought of it, the four of us were getting married.
The size of the worst bulge and the leak meant that a fatal rebleed could be imminent. Surgery to shore up the spot where I�d bled was the best chance I had of survival. My chances of surviving the surgery were certainly better than 50-50. But the chances of waking up with serious deficits to my mental facilities were more significant. Any incidental damage could leave me seriously impaired.
The most likely incidence was loss of speech. Dr. George said what he was about to do was going to be difficult, but he had done many of these before. But he recommended I speak to my family--it might be my last chance. [Biden fully recovered from the surgery.]
A: My mom has an expression. She says that, �God sends no cross you�re unable to bear.� The time to pray is when you�re told, as I was, that my wife and daughter are dead, to have the courage to be able to bear the cross. Pray that God can give you the strength to deal with what everyone is faced with in their life, serious crosses to bear. The answer to the question is, no, all the prayer in the world will not stop a hurricane. But prayer will give you the courage to be able to respond to the devastation that�s caused in your life and with others to deal with the devastation.
The Adherents.com website is an independent project and is not supported by or affiliated with any organization (academic, religious, or otherwise).
Such factors as religious service attendance, belief, practice, familiarity with doctrine, belief in certain creeds, etc., may be important to sociologists, religious leaders, and others. But these are measures of religiosity and are usually not used academically to define a person�s membership in a particular religion. It is important to recognize there are various levels of adherence, or membership within religious traditions or religious bodies. There�s no single definition, and sources of adherent statistics do not always make it clear what definition they are using.


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2014 Maintenance Study: Planned maintenance leads to uptime, safety, productivity
Plants utilize multiple strategies to keep facility up and running.
The merits of a planned maintenance program are clear to the plant manager who must find it and keep it on task, according to Plant Engineering's 2014 Maintenance Study. More than 60% of survey respondents said a planned maintenance program can decrease downtime, improve safety, and reduce the probability of production failure.
The main benefit of a reactive maintenance program, on the other hand, is its low initial cost, which was cited by 51% of survey respondents. Only 15% of respondents said such a strategy decreased downtime, and just 7% said it improved safety.
"The value of any kind of planned maintenance effort has been clear to most manufacturers, but this research clearly shows that even the people who practice reactive maintenance—what we call 'break-fix'—don't believe it helps their operation," said Bob Vavra, content manager of Plant Engineering.
"This 'break-fix' mentality is driven largely by an attempt to save money up front," Vavra said, "but it has been shown time and again that the cost of downtime extends beyond the cost of the broken part to lost product, wasted man-hours and safety concerns."
In any of the planned maintenance strategies, decreased downtime was seen as a significant advantage. Additionally, the study found:
- Condition-based maintenance: Sixty-one percent of respondents said this strategy reduced downtime, another 61% said it reduced the probability of parts failure, and 58% said it increased the probable life of a component. Fifty-two percent of respondents said it was, overall, cost-effective.
- Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM): Sixty-four percent of respondents said it decreased downtime, 57% said it reduced the probability of parts failure, and 54% said it increased the probable life of components. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said it was, overall, cost-effective.
- Predictive maintenance (PdM): Seventy-six percent of respondents said it decreased downtime, 70% said it reduced the probability of parts failure, and 64% said it increased component life. Fifty-five percent of respondents said it was, overall, cost-effective.
- Reactive maintenance: Twenty-seven percent of respondents found it to be cost effective overall, with just 15% saying it decreased downtime, and 3% said it reduced the probability of failure. Its primary benefit is seen as its low initial cost.
Plants do use multiple strategies within the facility, however. The study found 87% of plants use some level of planned maintenance, 57% use reactive maintenance, 49% use predictive maintenance, 35% use condition-based maintenance, and 23% use reliability-centered maintenance.
"There are some pieces of equipment for which reactive maintenance does make sense," Vavra said. "The use of multiple strategies on the plant floor, therefore, would be a sound overall strategy. What is clear from the research is that a reactive maintenance strategy alone is a recipe for disaster, and any strategy that includes reactive maintenance must include some other plan as part of the overall maintenance process."
The time spent on maintenance seems to buttress this difference. Among respondents, 42% said they spent at least 30 hours a week on scheduled maintenance, while 39% said they spend between 10 and 30 hours each week. Just 20% of respondents said their maintenance took up less than 10 hours a week.
Maintenance attitudes
There was an even split in the study over the value of maintenance in manufacturing. While 41% of respondents said maintenance was a profit center that could deliver increased plant capacity, 39% saw it as a cost center, but necessary to keep equipment running. Just 7% of survey respondents said maintenance was a necessary evil.
The greatest challenge to overcoming unscheduled downtime is not maintenance, but aging equipment. The study found 45% of respondents said equipment age was the leading cause of unscheduled downtime, while 21% cited operator error. Another 16% said the lack of time to complete maintenance was the key factor, while a lack of overall maintenance was cited by just 12%.
The plan to decrease downtime, revolves around better planning and better equipment. Increasing preventive maintenance was cited by 31% of respondents as the way they were looking to decrease downtime, while 20% were looking to upgrade equipment, and 14% wanted to improve maintenance training.
"After four solid years of growth in the manufacturing market and with the continuation of historically low interest rates, capital investment may be a key theme in 2014," said Vavra. "This study shows that plant managers believe new investment in equipment and strategies could yield lower long-term costs for manufacturers willing to reinvest in their plants."
The issue of outsourced maintenance also was discussed with Plant Engineering readers. While just 4% of survey respondents said they outsource most or all of their maintenance functions, 63% said they do outsource at least some of their maintenance, and another 16% outsource up to half of it.
The changes in skills sets for both the workers and the equipment were cited as the primary driver for outsourcing. The 47% of respondents said the lack of current staff skills led to outsourcing some maintenance, while 46% cited the number of specialized skills needed for such maintenance, and 35% said the budget wasn't in place to hire specialized individuals on a full-time basis. Another 26% said skilled workers, even on a full-time basis, simply were not available.
The type of equipment also dictates the amount of attention from maintenance. Rotating equipment, for example, received more direct attention (65%) than any other type of process, although plant automation systems (52%), fluid power systems (51%), material handling systems (49%), and electrical distribution systems (44%), all received significant attention, and no single system was ignored by more than 12% of respondents.
Download the complete 2014 Maintenance Study report at www.plantengineering.com/research.
Do you have experience and expertise with the topics mentioned in this content? You should consider contributing to our CFE Media editorial team and getting the recognition you and your company deserve. Click here to start this process.


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Strategies for Successful NAGT Field Trips
Created by Kaatje Kraft, Mesa Community College, Mesa, AZ, President, Southwest Section of NAGTPlanning Stage
- When designing your field trip, try to choose a location that will have wide interest and provide something intellectually insightful for all levels.
- Advertise early (months), late (weeks leading up to actual date), and often (both in paper and electronically)
- Provide an opportunity for professional growth hours for local school teachers (Due to No Child Left Behind Act, many states now require yearly professional growth for all teachers). Other NAGT groups have had success with providing certificates of attendance or creating a continuing education credit course in conjuction with the trip. Check with your state department of education (or the local school teachers) to determine what qualifies for professional growth credit in your state or region.
- Establish an itinerary that includes appropriate attire, anticipated rest stops (even details on what type of bathroom accommodations), volume of water appropriate for the trip, food needs, and any other considerations (backpack? rock hammer? collecting bag? camara? etc...).
- Provide information about what might be the "goodies" from the trip: sample collection opportunities, cool picture opportunities, etc...
- Written directions and visual maps of the meeting location.
- If people are coming from a distance, provide information about where to stay. If possible, arrange for a special deal with a local hotel/motel. If that's not possible, at least provide hyperlinks or phone numbers, approximate prices, and distances from field location or meeting location to local hotels.
Who to Invite
- Send word out to your NAGT section.
- If appropriate, invite neighboring NAGT sections.
- Contact your local NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) representative and (if possible) your local ESTA representative (Earth Science Teachers Association) in order to get the word out to local school teachers.
Other Considerations/Logistics
- If possible, provide transportation.
- Keep the cost as low as possible to make it as accessible to as many as possible.


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Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Paging Dr. Yossarian
14 comments:
- Packer said...
Brave new world
- December 4, 2013 at 9:15 AM
Pretty sums up everything wrong with American health care.
- December 4, 2013 at 12:37 PM
I didn't even realize that Comcast was in the health care business.
- December 4, 2013 at 1:15 PM
- jen said...
Well isn't that ... special. And Optum's my dad's Rx provider.
- December 4, 2013 at 1:53 PM
Went to a Medicare supplement sales session yesterday. She had a hard time wording: "We don't cover a lot of stuff, but you can always appeal a denial." Do they always approve an appeal? "Ummmm...no."
- December 4, 2013 at 2:18 PM
- Officer Cynical said...
"There, there," Yossarian said, because he did not know what else to say. "There, there."
- December 4, 2013 at 6:30 PM
And, around, and round, and round she goes, and where she stops, nobody knows.
- December 4, 2013 at 9:08 PM
Welcome to the f-ing fantastic world of pharmacy.
- December 4, 2013 at 11:49 PM
I'm thinking of making a collage with all the medicare/medicaid denial letters my office receives...maybe copy them on brightly colored paper to brighten things up. And they all come with pages and pages of appeal instructions. The last instruction should read: Don't bother!
- December 5, 2013 at 2:35 PM
Great! that will be our rx insurance this coming year. So far all I can figure out is it's costing us $200 more a month and doesn't cover ANYTHING!
- December 6, 2013 at 11:43 AM
Yes, par for the course with optum Rx. They tried to force my daughter to have growth hormone stimulation testing on a next to nonexistent pituitary verified with imaging... You know, to make sure she REALLY doesn't produce her own, in spite of years of clinical documentation to that effect. 5 months, 2 appeals and an escalation later we got approved. It was bloody.
- December 7, 2013 at 1:47 AM
- Andrew_M_Garland said...
Your prescription could have been an error, or an extravagance, or just something you doodled while talking to the patient. So, they just deny the prescription.
When you call them, they can tell that you exist, that you really care, and aren't drunk (at least not all the time) because you have dialed their number correctly and speak without a slur.
They think a while, then regretfully deny the prescription. Cost control, you know.
Finally, you can send a nice card (get well is good) and a small gift expressing a heartfelt sentiment. Then, they will probably approve the meds.
A greeting card. When you really need to show that you care. - December 8, 2013 at 2:56 AM
basically the insurance company is f***king with you. The hoops you have to go through to get the medication approved by insurances.... from my personal experience, I went through 5 transfer calls and at the end, the person threatened me that she will disconnect because I was the intern...
- December 10, 2013 at 2:04 PM
Oh criminy. They are such morons. I have reason to know because I have the great misfortune to have them as my Rx insurers.
I am in Europe for 2-3 months at a time twice a year and what I have to go through to get my meds is unbelievable b/c their policy is no more than one "vacation override" per year.
When you see a skinny blond screaming into her cellphone at the pharmacy pickup window, please feel free to introduce yourself to me. - December 13, 2013 at 7:00 PM


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If you do not like science, there are now more and more commercial verification of climate change
Last year was the first year that the Arctic Ocean became a major shipping route — but in 2011, the "Northeast Passage" is blossoming with trade, now that ice has melted enough to allow smooth passage in the summertime.
According to Reuters:
Danish shipping company Nordic Bulk Carriers said it has saved a third of the cost and nearly half the time in shipping goods to China by taking advantage of receding Arctic ice to sail north of Russia instead of via the Suez Canal.
As the climate warms up and ice melts, many shipping companies are eyeing the Northern Sea Route as a way to cut voyage times and costs in the future.
The trip to China via the Northern route is 30 percent shorter, and requires 1,000 tonnes less fuel.
You can argue with the science of climate change, but you can't argue with money. Photos via AP/John McConnico. [Reuters, via Hans Rosling on Twitter]


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Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg of the information visualization duo HINT.FM have looked at the problems of inconsistency in digital reproductions of fine art images. Noticing how multiple reproductions of the same work of art could vary wildly in terms of quality, color, texture, and cropping, they started their project "The Art of Reproduction":
For a set of famous artworks, we downloaded all the plausible copies we could find. Then we wrote software to reconstruct each artwork as a mosaic, a patchwork quilt where each patch comes from an individual copy.
The resulting compositions (which explore paintings, photographs, drawings, and detailed sections) visually demonstrate the discontinuities of the individual files, creating what HINT.FM calls "a tapestry of beautiful half-truths". To view all the reproduction-compositions they created, click here.
And don't forget—if you ever have any trouble finding, creating, or displaying the most accurate images possible, don't hesitate to contact the VRC!
via HINT.FM


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Our brand new state-of-the-art gym is suitable for all levels of experience and fitness. We want your work out to be fun, effective and safe. Every member is assigned a Wellness Adviser to help you to plan a programme of activity unique to you, motivating and encouraging you every step of the way.
Your Wellness Journey begins with a tailor-made programme designed for gradual and sustained health improvements. Whether your goals are fitness related, sport specific, for rehabilitation purposes, weight loss or functional strength, an activity programme will be designed for you using the best facilities for your needs. Your Wellness Advisor will keep close contact and review your progress, amending your programme to help you achieve your goals.


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For episode 2.15, SVENNESS makes a stop at the Belgian National Cyclocross Championships, which took place January 12 at the Gaverbeek Hippodrome in Waregem, West Flanders, Belgium. The race was staged on a flat track with several flyovers and drainage ditches. It is a bit muddy and there is one long stretch of sand that plays an important role in this race.
We focus on the sand, the planks, the attrition of an already small field and the solidification of a legend. For the Belgian elite race, only racers who have full-time contracts are allowed to compete. That means the field is only 14 deep. The elites without contracts race a minute after the full-time pros start their race.
This episode is presented by Skills Drills and Bellyaches: A Cyclocross Primer, which is available at cyclocrossbook.com.
SVENNESS is also presented by CrossVegas. Find out more at crossvegas.com.
SVENNESS t-shirts remain on sale at SVENNESS.com. Quantities are limited.
Footage for this episode via Sporza: sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/veldrijden
If you like the music, please purchase the track. Support the artists who liven up these episodes. Tracks for 2.15 are:
When I'm Down~Simone Rubi: simonerubi.bandcamp.com/
A Button on Your Blouse~The Drowners: soundcloud.com/frenchkiss_records/a-button-on-your-blouse/s-NC0Wj
Weird Purr~Eugene Quell: eugenequell.bandcamp.com/track/weird-purr
Tell the Teller~Toy Soldiers: soundcloud.com/toy-soldiers-1/tell-the-teller-1
Miss Teen Massachusetts~Skaters: soundcloud.com/skaters/miss-teen-massachusetts
Thanks for watching.
#SVENNESS 2.15 from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.
SVENNESS and the #SVENNESS hashtag © 2014 CXHairs LLC


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This article is more than 1 year old
SQL attacks inject government sites in US, UK
Click for 'road of pain'
A new round of SQL injection attacks has infected millions of web pages belonging to businesses and government agencies, including those that belong to the National Institutes of Health and Education Department in the US and the UK Trade & Investment.
This search shows at least 1.45 million infected pages and queries here and here out some of the US and UK government websites that have been hit by the attack. Not exactly reassuring to know that government-run websites are open to such a basic attack.
We strongly recommend not clicking on the infected sites unless you know what you're doing. Punters unfortunate to land on infected pages that are still live can wind up at sites "where a CGI script starts the road of pain," according to this post from Sans.
SQL injections take advantage of web developers who write applications that accept user-supplied data without inspecting it for malicious characters. The input is usually entered into search boxes or other fields that interact with the site's SQL database. Commands in the entered data instruct the website to add links that redirect visitors to websites under the control of attackers.
We've said it before, but it bears repeating: Given the prevalence of pages from supposedly reputable organizations that threaten their users, Firefox using the NoScript extension is an effective, but by no means perfect, measure to insulate yourself against these attacks. ®


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Might the tools and technology of ancient builders have come from distant galaxies? Evidence suggests that an ancient mountaintop fortress in Peru was constructed with laser-like tools... temples at Vijayanagara India were built to harness cosmic energy... and an acoustic chamber in Malta enabled interplanetary communication. If the ancient builders did use advanced technology, could it prove that aliens visited Earth thousands of years ago?
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Alterations to the Informed Consent Procedure:
Federal regulations on informed consent do allow for modifications in the consent procedures and, under certain circumstances, informed consent may be waived entirely if the research meets certain conditions (as noted above) [see 45 CFR 46.116(c)(d)]. Note that such modifications and waivers are not allowed under FDA regulations. See 45 CFR 46.116(c)(d).
Alterations in the Documentation of Informed Consent:
Typically, informed consent must be documented through the use of a written informed consent form that has been approved by the IRB and signed by the subject or the subject's legally authorized representative. A copy should be given to the individual signing the form. However, documentation of informed consent may be waived in some circumstances. See 45 CFR 46.117(c) and the above exceptions for more information.
(989) 964-7488(989) 964-7488
IRB Chair
Elizabeth Roe
IRB Manager
Melissa Woodward
Wickes 314
Upcoming Meeting: Third Friday of the Month
Submission Deadline: First Friday of the Month


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Free Shipping on all products over $49.9!
- 7 pcs of Copper Dice- Each dice is well weight and well balance
All the products are handmade items, so each order will take about 1.5 - 2 weeks to process before it was shipped out, I just hope you guys know that I will make them with my heart and passion. So I think it is worth to wait :) But if you have any questions about the order, please contact me by email, I will let you know each detials of you order. Estimated shipping times:
US orders: Regular shipping time is 8-10 business days to arrive. Other Countries : Regular shipping time is 10-18 business days.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Show All Answers
Driveway permits are necessary for the installation of a new driveway or for existing driveways if making any structural changes/additions/etc., such as replacing a culvert pipe.
A driveway permit is required before being issued a building permit via the Building/Planning department or obtaining a legal address.
For additional information, such as specifications and fees and/or to print an application for a Driveway Permit, please visit our Driveway & Logging Permits page.
To report a pothole, road hazard, or missing sign on a county maintained road, you may submit your request under the Report a Pothole/Road Hazard page or you may call our office at (812) 988-4545 during office hours which is Monday - Friday from 8 am to 4 pm.
To report a tree blocking the roadway, please call the Highway Dept. at (812) 988-4545. If you should need assistance after hours, please call the Brown County Sheriff's Dept. at (812) 988-6655.We can only remove trees that are physically in the roadway - we do not have the equipment nor jurisdiction to remove trees that are hanging above the roadway. ***If a utility line is involved/attached to the downed tree, please contact the appropriate utility company to report the damage first - for safety reasons, we cannot assist in the removal of the debris until the utility lines are cleared.
The county tries to keep the shoulders of the road mowed for safety reasons. Mowing increases the visibility when driving on a narrow roadway or pulling out of intersections.
Trees and bushes may be trimmed or removed from the right-of-ways that interfere with drainage and/or safety to the traveling public. Sometimes there may be a need for additional clearance from the edge of pavement to allow for mirrors on heavy-duty trucks and school buses.
The right of way is typically 16.5 feet from the centerline of the road, HOWEVER, the right of way may vary throughout the county. If you have any questions or concerns, you may call our office.
The highway department takes care of all county roads with the EXCEPTION of state roads, private drives, roads within the Cordry-Sweetwater district, and roads within the Town of Nashville limits. For more information, visit the County Roads section of our page.
To report a dead animal in the road, please contact our office at (812) 988-4545 or Animal Control at (812) 988-6655.
You can find a listing of all available jobs on our jobs page.
You can check out our jobs page and follow the steps, you may print our job application (PDF) and mail it to the HR office, or you may apply in person.
You can find your rights in our personnel manual located here (hyperlink) or in the HR office.
You can find all employee benefit and personnel here (hyperlink to benefits page).
Visitation Hours
There is a dropbox in the lobby at the Brown County Sheriff's Office.


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This commentary was originally posted on EDF's Texas Clean Air Matters blog.
Last week was a busy one in Texas, with the beginning of the 83rd Legislative session attention was focused on incoming lawmakers, both seasoned and freshmen, and the opportunity that only happens every two years to address serious issues in Texas including water scarcity, education, tax issues, and of course energy issues.
So it's understandable that no one seems to have noticed a strongly worded letter to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) last Monday demanding more action to ensure electric reliability in Texas, and asking ERCOT to report back to NERC by April 30 on additional actions taken. NERC isn't some federal boogey man either; it's a corporation founded by the electric industry to create commonly accepted standards for electric reliability across North America, usually through voluntary compliance. President Bush's Energy Policy Act of 2005 gave the corporation "the authority to create and enforce compliance with Reliability Standards," which is where this letter comes into play.
In their 2012 report, NERC highlighted ERCOT as the only region in North America that was not maintaining adequate electric reserves to meet demand, and with this letter they made it very clear that the actions taken to date have not done enough to mitigate that risk. In the letter, NERC President Gerry Cauley notes that the PUC and ERCOT are continuing to address energy reliability issues, but finds that "solutions have not yet sufficiently materialized to address NERC's reserve margin concern."
Cauley goes on to say that "it is still unclear to us how ERCOT intends to mitigate issues that may arise on the current trajectory and when new resources may be available to meet growing demand." So according to the corporation whose membership consists mostly of utilities, grid operators, large and small customers, and electric regulators, the actions that the PUC and ERCOT have taken at this point are not enough to ensure we'll have reliable electric supply, risking blackouts as soon as this summer.
As lawmakers settle into Austin for the next few months they'll certainly be paying close attention to this issue, though many have indicated they would prefer that ERCOT and the PUC develop the solutions to this problem. Cauley's letter serves as notice that the PUC and ERCOT need to be more aggressive if they want to ensure a reliable supply of power in Texas. Certainly both agencies are putting serious time and effort into keeping the lights on in Texas, including effort so expand existing demand response programs, but NERC clearly thinks they need to be doing more.
All of this reminds me of the Texas drought: a year ago it was a huge looming crises, but a break in the weather took everyone's mind off of the drying rivers and lakes, even though they never really recovered. Lately the drought has been back in the news as Texans realize that we're basically in the same place that we were in 2011.
No one could accuse ERCOT or the PUC of sitting idly by or pretending this risk isn't real. However, they have yet to send a strong enough signal to the market to spur investors in demand response or any other resources to develop new projects. About the only thing that has been done is the extension of the federal production tax credit for wind energy, which has wind developers racing to build new projects in Texas. The concern is that the solutions they've begun work on to date may not get us to where we need to be by this summer.
This letter is a reminder that the energy crunch hasn't gone away, things are not likely to change in the near term if serious action isn't taken soon. That is a risk we can't afford to take given a looming drought, a growing economy and a stagnant electric market. NERC has asked ERCOT to report to them on their progress by April 30, near the end of our biennial legislative session, and one in which the critical PUC/ERCOT sunset legislation is expected to pass, maybe legislators should consider a similar request.