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The main reason for Serco's spectacular fall from grace – and, more crucially, suspension from winning lucrative government contracts – can be summed up very simply: the FTSE 100 group, though possibly not for much longer, has 120,000 employees.
That's an empire, not a company. Those at the top may have little or no awareness of, let alone any control over, what those closer to the bottom of the pile get up to.
So it was that Serco ended up referring some of its employees to the police last week over allegations of fraud related to the misreporting of numbers on a £285m contract to run prison vans in London and East Anglia. Serco insisted there was "no evidence" that senior management had any idea what was going on – and that is the root of its problems.
Having a huge, unwieldy empire is exactly what got G4S into trouble at the Olympics last year. Senior managers were shocked to discover that the group didn't have enough security guards to cover the Games, because although this was a high-profile contract, it was also fairly small fry for a company with more than 620,000 employees.
Responsibility was delegated –arguably abdicated – and authority compromised. In such disparate organisations, it is far easier for rogue employees of business units to try and hide their mistakes, and then get away with it until the problems escalate to an unsavoury degree.
The other thing Serco has in common with G4S, of course, is that they were both alleged to have assigned electronic tags to criminals who were in custody, even dead, earlier this summer. A forensic audit found that the taxpayer may have been overcharged by as much as £50m. Like the contract that sparked last week's furore, this was a deal with the Ministry of Justice. As a result, the Justice Secretary Chris Grayling is fuming and the Government is even prepared to ban Serco from future contracts if it fails to put stricter internal controls in place.
Serco's chief executive, Chris Hyman (pictured), says he has "immediately initiated a programme of change and corporate renewal". Tighter internal controls will be a vital part of this in a disparate group that now runs so many parts of our daily lives though its vast number of public sector contracts.
These include operating out-of-hours GP services in Cornwall, helping offenders get back to work, and looking after Ofsted school inspections in the Midlands and East of England.
However, this action plan still won't be enough. Mr Hyman might try and change a business culture almost overnight and it's likely he really is "deeply saddened" that the actions of a small number of his employees have reflected so badly on the "overwhelming majority" of hard-working staff.
But Serco is too big to change.
Its circumstances remind me of a story I was told about one of the biggest oil and gas groups. New executives were sent on a course, from memory, in the Caribbean, which sounds like great work if you can get it. In those sunny climes, though, they were given a gloomy message and trained in how to cope with a depressing reality: whatever their apparent clout, the executives of the oil company could only ever have a minor impact on such a monolithic beast. They might be able to steer it in certain new directions, but they could never reform it nor properly stamp their authority.
That's why investors were right to flee Serco in droves on Thursday. Around £450m was wiped off its value in a single morning, which greatly threatens its place in the blue-chip index of the biggest quoted companies.
What Serco needs to do is slim down by selling off big parts of the business and focusing on core operations. G4S announced last week that it is doing just this, at least up to a point, with the sale of its Canadian cash-security and Colombian data-solutions businesses for £100m. US subsidiaries could soon follow.
Serco works in 30-plus countries. If it is going to monitor its operations properly, management must drastically cut this number. And 120,000 staff is far too many for the company to cope with on its payroll. By stripping back the business, Mr Hyman might just have a chance of taking back control of Serco.
Sometimes there is a plan B
Blame George Osborne. The Chancellor's attempt to evoke the toughness of Margaret Thatcher by saying there is no plan B for curing the nation's economic malaise has spread to the City, as directors of troubled companies want shareholders to believe that only their way of getting them out of trouble could possibly work.
Take the way in which Nick von Schirnding, the boss of the scandal-scarred coalminer Bumi, defended how he is sorting out the group's convoluted ownership structure – a plan that will leave the Indonesian tycoon Samin Tan with nearly half the company's shares. He said it was possibly not the best solution, but it was the "best one on the table".
Co-op's chief executive, Euan Sutherland specifically said "there is no plan B" – only his solution for the woes of the group's bank, which will see angry bondholders stump up £500m.
Dismissing the notion that there are other options is not sensible practice. Mrs Thatcher's intransigence was her undoing, while Mr Osborne's obduracy borders on the narrow minded.
Executives should beware taking lessons from politicians, whose careers nearly always end in failure.
Margareta Pagano is away.


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A taxi-driving judge attempts to keep his promise to return home with a birthday cake for his young daughter while contending with everyday life in occupied territory and doing his best to keep unruly passengers in check. Abu Laila is a judge, though despite being invited to practice in Palestine bureaucracy has prevented him from procuring his papers. Today is his daughter's birthday, and if he can somehow maintain his sanity amidst the chaos of the outside world he plans to buy her a cake so they can...more
All Laila's Birthday cast + crew photos

subset: commoncrawl


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Find a taste of "Old Florida" in the town of Englewood, 50 miles north of Fort Myers. When you're not enjoying the miles of tranquil beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, try boating, fishing or bird watching – or bring your clubs to one of the town's 8 golf courses.
See you all at the Englewood Farmers Market Thursdays from 9am to 2pm. Enjoy the locally grown produce and locally produced goodies!
Englewood, Florida, gets an average of 49 inches of rain per year. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is 102. On average, there are 257 sunny days per year. The July high is around 91 degrees. The January low is 51.
Welcome to Englewood! The Englewood Florida Chamber of Commerce is the community's go-to resource for visitors, residents, and businesses!
We are a deed-restricted community of 311 single-family homes in Sarasota County, Florida, one of several single family, condominium, and villa associations within the much sought after Englewood Isles Subdivision. There is a marina where property owners may purchase or lease available dock space. Boaters have limited access through canals to fully navigable waters to Forked Creek, Lemon Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.


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Once the Jewel in the Ottoman crown, Edirne is now a somnolent backwater on the Turkish borders of Greece and Bulgaria. Caroline and Andrew Finkel catch glimpses of its glorious past.
It's a race down the westbound highway, and speed really is the essence to break through the jaw-clenching G-force of ghastliness that Istanbul pulls into its orbit. A blur of architectural grubbiness whizzes past. Our mission? We are boldly going in search of a gentle and melancholic space, somewhere out there on Turkey's final frontier.
We are bound for Edirne, the Ottoman capital until the siege of Constantinople in 1453. The sultans moved their court here in the 1350s after they took the city and, like Bursa, the capital it replaced, it boasts an extraordinary wealth of historical monuments.
Even fans of Bursa readily confess that this jewel of a city has concreted over its charm. Edirne, however, preserves not just the monuments of the past, but also a sense of scale. Once upon a time many Ottoman cities were like Edirne, a place where centuries-old structures, from bridges to caravansarays, from covered markets to mosques, are still in daily use. The grand Selimiye Mosque not only dominates the town, but, like the spires of Oxford or a medieval cathedral, it dominates the flat countryside for miles around. The imperial mosque of Selim II, the Selimiye was finished after six years of construction in 1575, and it the master work of the architect Sinan.
The Turkish yahni has evolved little since the days of Genghis Khan. Since Ottoman times it has been the same rich, satisfying dish. It fed the Janissaries, it fed the poor, it nourished students and it sustained sultans.
More cookery features
Imperial kaftans were presented in kaleidoscopic patchworks of silk that were works of art in their own right
She has long lived in France, but Turkey has inspired 'pangs of longing' since her first visit in 1946. The celebrated author of The Wilder Shores of Love and The Sabres of Paradise, talks to Philip Mansel about a life of adventure and the landscape of the heart
The exhibition at the Sabancı Museum is not only about Genghis Khan and his heirs. It starts several centuries BC with beautiful pieces created by the peoples of the Steppes that tell us about the animals on which they depended in daily life and the mythical creatutes that saw them through to the afterlife.
The Emirğan Ensemble
Bezmärä Ensemble


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In this day and age, it's simply not enough to have a great idea. In order to succeed, you need an amazing pitch that will excite potential investors enough to invest in you and your ideas. While this key ingredient sounds obvious, it's often missing in many presentations. This is a huge mistake and will lose business more often than not. Below are some tips to help you succeed and actually win the business:
Learning how to present ideas effectively takes time and practice. But if you hope to win business and beat out your competition it's worth the effort.


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Ratitovec view | [ Sizes: Orig | Med | Small | Thumb ] | |||
It's a nice winter day on Ratitovec, one of the main summits of Julian Alps fore-hills. Valleys are covered with low clouds and also above us is a layer of clouds. Afternoon already brings us warm colours. On the right is Porezen, in the distance Trnovski Gozd. | Ratitovec (Mountain/Rock) Vid Pogachnik's Image Gallery Julian Alps (Area/Range) My First Experiences With HDR Imagery (Article) The Art of Clouds (Album) Image Data
Image ID: 377872 Hits: 2627 Lat/Lon: 46.23638°N / 14.09082°E Object Title: Ratitovec view Image Type(s): Panorama |


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From | Stefano Mazzocchi <stef...@apache.org> |
Subject | Re: [Fwd: TALK:Wednesday 3-1-06 Evolution of the Java (tm) Programming Language an] |
Date | Fri, 24 Feb 2006 01:44:36 GMT |
Gerry Steele wrote: > you can ask that question. Cause i agree what the *($%^ is going on. > Seriously. I hope it is with regard to the philosophical enquiry into > the persuasive nature of technological advancement. > > Not how the bible is the handbook for the persuasive appropriation of > the waterfall method upon engineers cause, you know, he liked to walk > on water and ultimately he fell to his death cause of this fallacy. > > Or most logically, a programmer who happens to think he is a > theologian. But whats more, append it to his credentials. Now that is > silly. > > Hopefully, the first two are closer to reality. A good friend of mine used to have "cat juggler" as his title and I was thinking about using "software plumber" as mine at one point. I tend to prefer somebody who admits to be a religiously attached to something than those who pretend to be objective about it and deep inside they are not. Not sure this is the case, but that's how I read it. -- Stefano. | |
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Chemicals linked to birth defects do not belong in products marketed to women!
Phthalates are found in many leading beauty care products, including hair spray, deodorant, nail polish and perfume that you may be using everyday.
Phthalates Facts
Studies have shown that phthalates can damage the liver, the kidneys, the lungs and the reproductive system, especially the developing testes.
Where are these phthalates coming from?
Why do women between the age of 20 to 40 years have higher levels of dibutyl-phthalate (DBP) in their bodies than anyone else? We don't know for sure, but government databases state that DBP is used in cosmetics, toys, flooring, adhesives, wallpaper, furniture, raincoats and shower curtains. So cosmetics and other personal care products seem the most likely reason that women would be more exposed than anyone else. While more than 5,000 beauty and personal care products for women can be found on a drug store website, phthalates are only listed as an ingredient on some nail polishes. Could nail polish be the only source?
To answer that question, Health Care Without Harm, the Environmental Working Group and Coming Clean recently released "Not Too Pretty," a report that outlines the harmful effects of aggregate exposure to phthalates and discusses human exposures. The report tested popular fragrances, hair sprays and deodorants purchased from four drug stores. To see which brands were tested and which ones tested positively for phthalates click [here]. The answers will shock you!
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Some of the leading beauty manufactures use phthalates in their products -- such as Pantene Pro V "Healthy Hold" and Aqua Net hair sprays, Arrid and Degree deodorants, many fragrances including Poison by Christian Dior and Coty's Healing Garden contain phthalates, as well as Cover Girl, Sally Hansen and Maybelline (L'Oreal) nail polishes. Click Here to View The List
Sperm damage linked to phthalate used in fragrances, new study by Harvard researchers finds, December 9, 2002 Read the press release
On Nov. 19, 2002, the U.S. Cosmetics Ingredients Review panel failed to similarly protect Americans when it said phthalates are "safe as currently used," a ruling vigorously contested by health advocates and environmentalists who say the panel failed to conduct a thorough and credible study of the available scientific evidence.
Use your voice to demand change for the things you care about. Whether you send an email to your Senator, vote in an election, clean up your neighborhood, or talk to your children about human rights, you are making a difference. Use the tools we have provided to make it easier to tell the FDA to protect consumers from phthalates and companies to clean up their act and remove phthalates from their products NOW.
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Subject: | Re: Gonzalez - that's easy. But Aseal? maybe Azeal or Azael |
Author: | Carolyn (guest, 188.8.131.52) |
Date: | February 15, 2002 at 5:12:20 PM |
Reply to: | Gonzalez - that's easy. But Aseal? by Ivayla |
Well, I think my daughter may have miss spelled it. I have found ASAEL-which is hebrew but not sure of the meaning or root. And also it could be AZEAL. Pronounced : [As](short a)/[a] long a/[el](with a short e) Any information you could give me would be helpful.
Because this message is archived you cannot respond to it. |
Messages in this thread: |


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born + raised (and still here) in vegas, us three sisters grew up in a little brick house on the east side of town. the number hammered onto our mailbox was 1825. we live only miles from each other now and get together as much as possible to play.
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text: 3D Action Adventure Alien Animal Arcade Archery ATV Avoiding Balance Ball Balloon Bike Blocks Board Boat Break out Bubble shooter Cannon Car Card Casino Catapult Chain reaction Collecting Defense Difference Distance Drawing Dress up Fighting Float Flying Girl Halloween Helicopter Hexagon Hidden object Horror Isometric Jumping Mahjong Match 3 Maze Medieval Monkey Multiplayer Ninja Panda Penguin Physics Pinball Pipe Pirate Pixel art Pizza Platformer Puzzle Racing Retro Robot RPG Running Sea Shooter Shooting Simulation Skill Smiley Snake Sniper Space Sports Strategy Tank Time management Tower Trebuchet Trivia Truck Typing War Word Zombie | 40.95% - 210 votes Do you like this game?Help the pizza pronto chef to create the best pizza delivery ever known. Serve your customers with a big smile and of course on time! Buy upgrades for your restaurant and reach the daily goals. Use the mouse cursor to click and drag the ingredients, pizzas, boxes etc etc. Read the in-game tutorial carefully to learn more about the game play. Tags: time management, pizza More games: |


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The volume on the audio system keeps adjusting automatically - i.e. louder when I am driving faster and softer when the vehicle slows down. How do I turn this feature off? thanks in advance!
Off hand I don't recall. Perhaps? http://www.bavariansoundwerks.com/k...usting the Speed Sensitive Volume in your BMW
I think the only thing you can do is set the "Speed volume" level to the lowest setting. If you haven't changed it, it's probably at the default 1/2 way mark. Volume > "Speed volume": adjustment of volume depending on driving speed > "PDC"*: volume of the PDC signal tone rel- ative to the entertainment sound output > "Gong": volume of the signal tone, e.g. for the "Fasten safety belts" reminder, relative to the entertainment sound output
As others have mentioned, it's the SVol parameter. If you don't have iDrive, hit the Audio menu button; it should show up, and use the right knob to get to it, press it again and adjust.
What?! Speed volume? You mean we have SPEED VOLUME?! I thought there was something wrong with my ears!


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You Remind Me Of The Man
10 comments:
- Anonymous7:48 AM, September 29, 2011
How great is this - a Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory store in NY :-) Love the movie - unfortunately I do not know the original from 71 but the 'new' one with Johnny Depp (think he did once more again a brilliant performance) but I will try to get a chance to see the original 1971 movie - now I am curious :-) not only for acting but also for the songs :-) Interesting note on the message that this movie brings to kids - well yes one could see it like this. I always enjoy watching it when it's on TV but I am grown up already .. at least physical :-)
And all these classic Stephen King movies - your list of the favorites matches exact with mine. Haven't seen 'The Shining' for some time - hope it comes up again on TV pretty soon - such a brilliant performance by Jack Nicholson. Stephen King books are always an experience - love to read them .. btw his son is writing under the name Joe Hill - as far I as know there's only one book out now by him 'Heart-shaped box' - good to read .. seems that the talent for writing runs in the family :-)
The pic of Pete with his cats is great - love Pete's pose - looks like a conductor.
Have a great day & take care
-Sabine- - Anonymous8:00 AM, September 29, 2011
It freaks me out too, Darcie. Perhaps we both, watch the movie together some day...
I. I have nightmares about Salems Lot. I love the movie but the bit where the brother is outside the window floating scratching on the window and then he floats inside is really scarey. OH MY LORD PETRUS, I just went to youtube and that scene was the first one that came up. It sent chills through my body and I watched it with my eyes half shut so it was blurry! As much as I love modern special effects...that simple scene is scarey than anything else I have seen in many years. Stephen King movies are great and The Stand is definitely another one of my favourites. I love the whole good against evil, moral/ethic vibe of the movie. I also love how long it goes for. Well believe it or not I have never watched Willy Wonker and the Chocolate Factory, so I will when I get the chance.(I am a horror movie nut and dont watch alot of other genres). I say if theres no zombies..I'm not interested! Well slight exaggeration, most of the time I say that! Love the picture of Peter, he was as beautiful as ever at 48. I love all the photos of him from LTAN, they do make me sad though knowing it wasnt long after these were taken that Peter left us.I know the cat in front is Tito..who is the other one?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you opened this post with a song from the movie Labyrinth! I had such a crush on Jennifer Connelly(still do), and of course David Bowie rocked as the Goblin King! The Shining is definitely the best of the Stephen King movies, It was pretty good as well but I thought the ending was kinda lame and yeah Darcie the clown freaked me out too! Lol. (-)
ReplyDelete(in reference to the lyrics above)I LOOOOVE "The Labyrinth," that was one of my fav. movies when I was younger...gotta love those David Bowie tight pants, hehe! ANd "IT" was a movie my sister, brother and I watched all the time as kids. It never got old. Cool to know it was a fav. of Pete's...
*Happy Autumn*


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Joy Bugos
member for 8 years, 5 months, 15 days
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I have always found walking in a graveyard very peaceful and relaxing. Now I find my treck through a cemetery is filled with purpose. Years ago I began my own genealogy project. Through tracing back documentation and visiting many cemeteries I found broken tombstones, missing tombstones and missing documentation. How could this happen and why doesnt anyone care? Well I care! If I can perserve someone elses history by photographing a headstone then that is my purpose. I am particularly drawn to recording and photographing those who served our country. They should never be forgotten.
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Messages left for Joy Bugos (41)
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Parental links were added some time ago. Thank you!
Added by
on Jul 26, 2016 8:34 AM
Sent edits for parental links.
Added by
on Mar 25, 2016 8:11 AM
Dorothy Green
Liberty Hill
Thank you for the picture of Quillian's there.
Added by
Dorothy Green
on Nov 05, 2015 8:01 PM
Mary Alexander
Charles Franklin Alexander
My thanks to Joy Bugos for the photo of our fathers grave located in Sunset Memorial Gardens off the Kingston Hwy in Rome Floyd County, Georgia. His daughter and son.
Added by
Mary Alexander
on May 24, 2014 11:02 AM
Eileen Telischak
RE: skurka headstone photos
You're very welcome. -Eileen
Added by
Eileen Telischak
on Apr 14, 2014 5:24 PM
Joe Gonzalez
Can anyone who was discussing the Gillen graves below please contact me at email@example.com? I am reesearching this family as well, this is my wife's great great grandmother. Thank you so much for posting the pictures of this family, it has helped immensely with my genealogy research.
Joe G
Added by
Joe Gonzalez
on Jun 14, 2012 1:29 PM
Linda Burton Kochanov
RE: Thomas Powrie
Well..I finally got back (you probably thought I forgot!)to Kensico to look for Evelyn and guess what..I'm NOT going mad! Sadly, there is no stone for her...I'm sorry. I have some cemetery records for that plot. Would you like me to scan and send?
Sorry about no stone.
Added by
Linda Burton Kochanov
on Apr 15, 2012 3:00 PM
kimberly fetterman
anna yarina
Hi there,
I would be happy to find Anna's cemetary plot if you could find the section she is in. Holly cross is divided into saints- if you can find the saint i would be happy to search for her plot.
Thanks Kimberly
Added by
kimberly fetterman
on Mar 24, 2012 1:25 PM
kimberly fetterman
Holly Cross picture
Hi there,
I was going to go to Holly Cross in Az to take pictures for you but the management doesnt allow pictures unless I have a signed notorized letter from the family stating it is ok to take a picture. I think it is ridiculous.. so if you have any suggestions I am up to help.
Kimberly Fetterman
Added by
kimberly fetterman
on Mar 16, 2012 1:27 PM
Linda Burton Kochanov
Thomas Powrie
Hey...I'm the one who took Thomas Powrie's picture in Kensico Cemetery and TOTALLY walked right by Evelyn...A major senior moment. I know where they are and I will get back there very soon..I am so, so sorry.
Added by
Linda Burton Kochanov
on Mar 07, 2012 5:41 PM
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