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Members of the House Agricultural Committee listened recently as industry members and concerned individuals came before them testifying to the harm being caused by artificial trade barriers, which they say are not based in sound science.
The Hearing on Artificial Barriers to U.S. Trade and Food Aid focused on the European Union's moratorium on agricultural biotechnology, and how it may have influenced some developing African countries to reject much-needed U.S. food aid. Because the shipments contained corn produced with biotechnology, they were reportedly turned back despite the fact that the country is currently in the throws of a severe famine.
Testifying before the committee, Leon Corzine, chairman of the Biotechnology Working Group for the National Corn Growers Association, said, "There has been a concerted campaign by some international non-governmental organizations based in Europe to convince hungry African countries that food that has been safely grown and consumed for years in the United States is unsafe, and if they permit their citizens to consume this food aid they will somehow loose export markets in Europe. While we are concerned about the potential disruption in this outlet for U.S. corn, we are more concerned at the prospect of scare-mongering about the safety of U.S. corn affecting the livelihood of citizens in the region."
According to testimony by John Kilama, president of the Global Bioscience Development Institute, there is no credible scientific evidence that any foods derived from genetically modified crops have an adverse impact on human health or any environmental degradation.
"Despite the fact that there is abundant information about the safety of genetically modified foods, many countries in Africa continue to be reluctant to move quickly to acquire the biotechnology to support their agricultural programs," he said. "Africans are concerned that Europe will retaliate against African exports if Africans accept genetically modified organisms from the United States."
Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said he too is concerned about what he calls the politicizing of agricultural biotechnology. "We can no longer underestimate the importance of this issue. Not only are U.S. farmers and ranchers hurting, but the lives of millions, primarily in Africa, are in the balance as a result of policy which is not based on sound science, as is evidenced by the fact that American consumers have been consuming genetically enhanced food for years. This is something that the committee and the agricultural community take very seriously."
Charlie Stenholm, D-Texas, the committee's ranking minority member, said, "I believe that the United States and the EU have a responsibility, as developed nations, to lead by example in developing regulatory systems that not only promote safe food, but also promote a better and more secure food supply. I am disappointed that Europe has so far been unable to construct a science-based regulatory system for food that encourages development of new technologies that can benefit developed and developing countries around the world."
The European Union's moratorium on genetically-modified products translates into an annual loss of over $300 million in corn exports for U.S. farmers, according to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
During the hearing, Speaker Hastert called for the end of the European Union's "protectionist and discriminatory" trade policies.
The use of non-tariff barriers, he said, represent an imminent threat to the cause of free trade. "Over the last few years, we have seen country after country implementing protectionist, discriminatory trade policies under the cloak of food safety — each one brought on by emotion, culture, or their own poor history with food safety regulation. Simply put, non-tariff protectionism is discriminatory and detrimental to the free movement of goods and services across borders."
Hastert said, "The European Union has had an indefensible moratorium on genetically-modified products in place for over four years with no end in sight. This is a non-tariff barrier based simply on prejudice and misinformation, not sound science. In fact, their own scientists agree that genetically modified foods are safe.
"We should all be concerned that this irrational and discriminatory policy is spreading. China, for example, has developed new rules for the approval and labeling of biotech products. An overwhelming portion of the entire $1 billion U.S. soybean export crop is genetically modified. Although implementation has been delayed, such a labeling program would certainly result in higher food costs for consumers and higher production costs for farmers."
There is general consensus, he says, among the scientific community that genetically modified food is no different from conventional food. What's different, Hastert said, is not the content of the food, but the process by which it is made. "Labeling genetically modified products would only mislead consumers and create an atmosphere of fear.
"Biotechnology products are screened by at least one, and often by as many as three, federal agencies. From conception to commercial introduction, it can take up to 10 years to bring a biotech variety to market. Throughout the process, the public has ample opportunity for participation and comment, and data on which regulatory decisions are based are readily available," Hastert said.
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Then today, the contractors have started their work hacking and drilling my bathroom.....Oooo MESSY & NOISY!! Just because of the leakage underneath the bathtub, I got to remove everything to repair it...:(
Nevermind...I'll just go entertain myself in the kitchen...LOL!! So here it is...the braided ribbon twists was done while the drilling and hacking still going on..^^ ...And also I've cooked my favourite Ribs curry too...haha! YUMMY!!
This was my 2nd attempt since last month. That time I did not do a good job, so while frying the twists...all went loosen and became small biscuits instead. This time, I make sure I twist properly and tightly before frying. Ta-Da....*clap clap* for myself....:)
Done 2 types of braids here, the 2nd one below was my daughter's idea. She keep asking me to braid it like braiding her hair...okay then...so I did some for her..hehe!

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Anitagarner necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 808 diseños de 255 diseñadores freelance.
Kwik Kopy (http://www.kwikkopy.ca) - new name KKP (with tagline of service offerings)
We are wanting to re-establish a new logo for Kwik Kopy that will provide the creative and graphic foundation for a new corporate look. We are the franchisor for the Canadian franchise of Kwik Kopy. We have 68 very diverse franchisees across Canada. Each franchisee does offer a variety of services, some are very high performers, most mid-range and some low.
The new design should have the visual power to help move the impression of Kwik Kopy from just a copy shop (or little printer) to that of a vital, modern, customer oriented company that is constantly evolving its technology and skills to be able to service the customer's future communication needs.
The Kwik Kopy customer is primarily small to medium sized businesses. Owners, Managers, Professionals. We are introducing an on-line web to print solution mid-year and this target group will expand to include small office and home office and even some consumers.
We currently refer to ourselves as: Kwik Kopy Design & Print Centre. We added the tagline "Design & Print Centre" in 2003 when we launched a new logo - this was to demonstrate that we were more than just a copy shop.
We have decided that we are moving away from the running K men in our existing logo. And thus, we would like the new name to be KKP and the tagline to be along the lines of: Business Services / KKP Business Solutions / KKP Marketing Provider... we are hoping that our design partner can help us develop a tagline that truly exhibits what we do and makes sense with the new logo.
We need to clearly communicate the broader range of services (print, copy, design, wide format, engineering, signs, packaging) - you think it, we can print it/produce it.
Logo needs to work in English (65 franchisees) as well as French (3 franchisees).
I have attached our logo brief that goes into more detail and shows the evolution of our logo. We would like you to use your creativity and are rather free to design. We do need to stay within PMS 485 and 280. Also - needs to be professional - so no cartoon characters. Thanks.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Providence Montessori offers toddler (18 to 36 month), primary (ages 3 – 6), and elementary (ages 6 – 9, and 9 – 12) programs. This three-year age span is typical of a Montessori class, and is based on Dr. Montessori's findings that children learn from one another as well as from adults. Based on these findings, she developed didactic, open-ended materials and a planned environment to enable this to happen. This environment frees children to develop individually through spontaneous interaction with the environment and with their peers.
Our toddler program can accommodate 12 students, while the primary and elementary classes typically have 25-30 children with 2-3 teachers in each class (depending on the age group). There are a number of factors considered in the placement of a child in a classroom:
- Maintaining a balance of ages
- Maintaining a balance by gender
- Individual needs of the child.


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Let's be clear. The Nikon AF-S 58mm f/1.4G is inappropriately matched on a DX body for everything other than portrait work. Though not heavy, the lens is big, fat and more importantly, expensive. It's obviously good for use at night and for gorgeous full-frame bokeh, but it's overkill compared to the 50mm f/1.4G on crop-frame. So with that in mind, this is an account of what street shooting with the 58mm is like on a D7000....
Monday, June 30, 2014
A Day with the Nikon AF-S 58mm f/1.4G (on the D7000)
Let's be clear. The Nikon AF-S 58mm f/1.4G is inappropriately matched on a DX body for everything other than portrait work. Though not heavy, the lens is big, fat and more importantly, expensive. It's obviously good for use at night and for gorgeous full-frame bokeh, but it's overkill compared to the 50mm f/1.4G on crop-frame. So with that in mind, this is an account of what street shooting with the 58mm is like on a D7000....
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Launch Review: Nikon D810 First Impressions
There are few opportunities to surprise and delight customers; the majority of the time, you would do well enough merely to satisfy them. The Nikon D800/800e surprised people; the D810 will have served its purpose if it merely satisfies them. To understand why the second time around is so tepid, it helps to think back to the end of the D700 era. The D3s had just been announced, with an unexpected high ISO bump that took many by surprise. Naturally, the fanbase wanted the D3s in the D700 body; it's not hard to image that such a camera would have sold well. But the problem with marketing is that there is a disconnect between what customers say they want, and what they actually end up buying. If Nikon had indeed delivered on the hypothetical D700s, it would seem a little long in the tooth compared to the Canon 5D Mark III of today.
Nikon basically re-aligned their high-end full frame lineup with the D800. Gone went the D2x/D3x style pro-body, leaving only the high-speed D4 and D4s to maintain the high end of the professional market. Not by coincidence, Canon went through a similar re-alignment at the same time. Why? There isn't one particular reason, by a mixture of a number of factors:
- Professional level APS-C cameras for professional use has waned with the increasing affordability of full frame cameras. Whereas semi-pros were using Nikon D300's and Canon 7D's before, it would be harder to maintain professional competitiveness today without full frame.
- Conversely, casual users of semi-pro APS-C cameras have been slowly drifting downard to smaller and lighter alternatives. The crowd that was previously using the Nikon D300 and Canon 7D for non-paid use now has alternatives in cameras like the D7100 or 70D.
Though the 36mp resolution of D800 turned off some people when it was first launched, history has shown that it was more or less the right decision for Nikon in the long run, as the combination of ultra high resolution and extremely wide dynamic range made for industry-leading image quality. Up until the D810, the D800/800e was the best camera on the market from an image quality standpoint. Had the D810 not been launched, that would not have changed. However, in business, standing still means moving backwards, so
Craigslist Used Canon DSLR Postings, U.S., June 2014
This is a rundown of Craigslist asking prices for Canon DSLR bodies across the U.S. for June 2014. There aren't many surprises, but overall, prices are trending downward across the country (See the September 2013 survey for past results). The number of listings is trending upward, apparently in anticipation of new camera announcements later in the year at Photokina. If you are buying or selling used Canon camera equipment, hopefully this write-up will help you determine your target price and get you closer to your goal. The data is more indicative than it is prescriptive; it can't be extrapolated to any one given circumstance, but it does paint a broad picture of the used market.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Review
What's better than being excellent? Being good. The pro-level Nikon D3x was excellent. Years later, the entry-level Nikon D3300 is merely good, but even at the same resolution, it arguably delivers cleaner and crisper image files under ideal conditions. Yes, of course, you can't compare apples to oranges, and no matter how good a consumer camera, it doesn't do the job of a professional one. At least in image quality, the Canon EOS T5i has the benefit of time and the march of technology over the 1D Mark II. That's not a fair, accurate nor appropriate comparison, but there is a little bit of truth to it.
So let's try this again. The Zeiss Otus is excellent. The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art is good. And yes, this time, you actually can mention both in the same breath.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Nikon Coolpix AW120 Review
For many people, summer means sand surf, the beach and lots of water. There are a few waterproof/shock resistant cameras available on the market for those occasions, the AW110 being possibly the best received of the previous generation. Nikon's AW series has been successful enough to bifurcate the branding into two lines: the AW120 and the more upscale Nikon 1 AW1. The AW120 improves upon the the AW110 with a few key features:
- Same 16mp 1/2.3" BSI sensor
- Lens is 24-120mm equiv (28-140mm for the AW110)
- Maximum aperture is now f/2.8-4.9 (previously f/3.9-4.8)
- Higher resolution OLED EVF
- Improved battery life
The AW110 wasn't a camera that you expected much of in terms of image quality, but for most people that wasn't the point. Does the AW120, then, raise photographic expectations?
Friday, June 13, 2014
Launch Review: Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 First Impressions
2014 is shaping up to be the year of the 1" sensor. Sony has solidified their lineup with the third addition of the RX100 cameras. The replacement to the Fujifilm X20 (X30?) is expected to be announced on July 3 with a 1" X-Trans sensor. A wild-sounding rumor that has so far not come to fruition has been circulating that Canon will get into the act with a 1" super-zoom as well, though that sounds far-feteched given how close to the G1X Mark II specs that rumor comes to. Which brings us to Panasonic. The FZ1000 is the first of a two-pronged launch of 1" sensor cameras; first as a superzoom in the classic "FZ" DSLR-replacement form factor, and ostensibly later in the form of the rangefinder-esque LX series (DMX-LX8).
What this proves goes to show is that if you don't have a 1" sensor in the advanced-compact category for 2014, you won't be competitive. The previous standard was the 1/1.7" sensor size found in cameras such as the Panasonic LX-7 or the Canon G16. The Sony RX100 was the first to push upwards, and now everybody is following. There's little wondering why; smartphones are eating the camera industry from the bottom up, and DSLR's are continuing to push the image quality envelope for consumer devices. An advanced compact camera has to to two things: first it must be sufficiently better than a smartphone or entry level camera, and secondly, it must credibly come close to DSLR or mirrorless camera in order to maintain credibility. That's a fine line to walk. Here are the headline specs:
- 20.1MP 1" sensor
- 16x Zoom Lens, 25-400mm f/2.8-4 equivalent
- 62mm thread, no built in ND filter
- 4K QFHD video at 30 fps
- WiFi and NFC
- 5-Axis OIS image stabilization
- "Light Speed AF" with DFD focusing
There's one more spec in that equation and that is the weight: 831g; even more than the Sony RX10 of which it is ostensibly gunning for. As with the FZ200 before it, there's a lot going on here, so it's helpful to break down the moving parts.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM
Few things live up to the designation "no-brainer." Nikon's consumer range has something of that sort in the AF-S 35mm f/1.8G DX, which has the dual virtues of being both sharp and extremely affordable. It could be said that Canon's EF-S 50mm f/1.8 comes close to that ideal, but as incredibly inexpensive as that lens is, it simply won't let you forget that it is a cheap lens.
The EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM is a good candidate for being an insta-buy lens for crop-frame Canon users. At just under $300 USD, it has a MSRP that is $180 less than the former low-cost ultra-wide champ, the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM. If you compare it against its big brother, the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM, the 10-18mm is half the cost. If that was the only selling proposition, it would be enough... but low cost isn't its only virtue.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Leica T: From Block to Camera
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Monday-Friday: 4-H Sewing Projects as scheduled
Tuesdays: 4-H Crocheting Projects; 3:30-4:30 p.m., Extension Office
Tuesdays: 4-H Quilting Projects; 3:30-5 p.m., Extension Office
2nd Tuesdays: 4-H Shooting Sports Club, Harrison County Extension Office
Wednesdays: 4-H Knitting Projects; 3:30-4:30 p.m., Extension Office
2nd Wednesdays: 4-H Saddle N Spur Club, 6:30 p.m., Extension Office
2nd Mondays: 4-H Rabbit Club, 4:30-5:30 p.m Extension Office
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Skip to Main Content
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Public Defense Services
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About the Office
Law Clerk Program
Law Clerk Program
The Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender Law Clerk Program gives third year law students and recent law graduates an opportunity to assist attorneys in many aspects of a criminal case.
Unit Assignment & Expectations
Law clerk positions are available in the trial, appeals, capital, and mental health divisions of our Office. Each law clerk is assigned to a specific unit and works directly with the attorneys within that group.
Law clerks:
Assist attorneys at legal proceedings including arraignments, evidentiary hearings and trials
Attend legal seminars and training workshops
Draft memoranda or motions
Perform legal research
Training Sessions
The Law Clerk Program includes monthly law clerk training sessions. Each session focuses on a different criminal law topic. The goal of these sessions is to provide continued learning for law clerks that will help in their daily research and writing tasks.
Arizona Public Defender Association
As employees of the Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender, law clerks become members of the Arizona Public Defender Association (APDA). The APDA holds an annual conference in June to which all staff and attorneys are invited. The conference is just one of the great training opportunities afforded to the law clerks in the Office.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis upon availability.
To apply for a Law Clerk position, submit a cover letter and resume to:
James J. Haas
Maricopa County Public Defender
620 West Jackson, Suite 4015
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Compensation & Benefits
The law clerk position is paid and benefits are available.
For More Information
For further information about the Law Clerk Program, contact:
Vanessa Smith, Law Clerk/Extern Supervisor
Maricopa County Public Defender's Office
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Monday, February 28, 2005
SAP targets retail industry with acquisition of Retek
SAP is filling out its functionality for the retail sector with the acquisition of Retek, one of the top vendors of retail management software.
Although SAP does not typically do big acquisitions, it does go after point solutions to build up its technology (e.g. its acquisition of TopTier a few years ago), or, in the case of Retek, to round out its offerings for specific industries. In acquiring Retek, SAP gets products that are deep in retail industry functionality, such as merchandising, multi-channel retailing, retail supply chain management, and demand planning. It also adds more than 200 customers in more than 20 countries to its customer base, including some big name retailers such as Tesco, Best Buy, Gap Inc., Sainsbury's, and Selfridges.
What's really interesting, though, is how rich SAP's offer is. SAP is offering $496M in cash for Retek, which is 2.8 times Retek's 2004 revenue--a pretty rich valuation. As of this writing, Retek shares are up a whopping 40% on the announcement, which shows just how far SAP's offer is above the market price for Retek.
So, why is SAP willing to pay so much for Retek? I think this is yet another response of SAP to Oracle's acquisition of PeopleSoft. PeopleSoft has pretty good penetration of the retail industry, including a partnership with JDA, a direct competitor to Retek. I suppose SAP could have gone after JDA, but it would have risked a bidding war with Oracle. So, Retek became the target.
There's more information in a press release on SAP's web site.
Related posts
SAP slams Oracle's strategy as, Project Confusion
SAP to provide maintenance for PeopleSoft products
Microsoft and SAP: the merger that didn't happenby Frank Scavo, 2/28/2005 09:30:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Friday, February 25, 2005
Getting data backup religion
Regular readers may have noticed that I haven't posted to the Spectator in about a week. But I have an excuse: the complete failure of the hard drive on my main machine--a Dell laptop. Dell was superb in replacing the hard drive. But then I found that the CD drive was also defective, making it impossible to rebuild the operating system until I got a warranty exchange on the CD drive as well. Working through these problems, while trying to get my regular job done, didn't leave me a lot of time to post to the Spectator.
That's the bad news. The good news is that I've been doing regular weekly backups, and the most recent backup was only two days old. So I was able to recover the machine with very little loss of data.
In over twenty years personal computing, this is the first time I've ever lost a hard drive. But without that backup, the results would have been disastrous: loss of personal, corporate, and client information that would have been impossible to recover. I can't even begin to imagine what I would have done if I hadn't had a recent backup.
When I tell this story, I get nearly the same response from everyone: a resolution to start doing regular backups. One associate was actually burning CDs within 15 minutes of hearing my story.
I wonder whether companies, especially small companies, realize how much they are at risk for the loss of valuable company data that exists only on the hard drive of some key employee.
So, if you're not already doing so, why not put a regular backup routine on your weekly calendar? When you need to use it, you'll be glad you have it.
And, if you are a CIO or CFO, why not review your corporate policy regarding responsibility for backup and recovery of desktop and laptop data. Then, especially in the case of laptop computers, do a pop quiz on how many key employees are actually following the policy.by Frank Scavo, 2/25/2005 07:58:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Friday, February 18, 2005
Oracle to benchmark its customer support against SAP's
In a sign of how critical Oracle views its annual maintenance business, Oracle is conducting a benchmarking study to see how well its maintenance and support services stack up against SAP's. A solicitation has appeared on the OAUG web site:The Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) and the Oracle Support organization are partnering to determine the effectiveness of how Oracle Support reaches end users — from the time a support contract is signed and the customer receives a welcome letter through to logging a service request and securing resolution. The OAUG and Oracle would like to interview customers that run Oracle and SAP products and are willing to share experiences about both support organizations. The ideal customer candidates should have experience with both support organizations.If you want to participate, follow the link to get the email contacts.
This benchmarking study is another salvo in the battle between SAP and Oracle. It follows SAP's sharp comments last week, designating Oracle's product strategy as "Project Confusion," and Larry Ellison's veiled threats to SAP concerning SAP's acquisition of TomorrowNow, a PeopleSoft third-party support organization.
Related posts
SAP slams Oracle's strategy as, Project Confusion
Ellison threatens SAP regarding PeopleSoft support
SAP to provide maintenance for PeopleSoft productsby Frank Scavo, 2/18/2005 11:43:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Wednesday, February 16, 2005
SAP slams Oracle's strategy as, Project Confusion
Sparks continue to fly this week between Oracle and SAP. The latest flame is from Leo Apotheker, SAP's president for global field operations:Commenting on Oracle's product development roadmap whereby it aims to bring together the best from the Oracle, PeopleSoft, and JD Edwards application suites in a single product currently known as Fusion, he said: "I'm not sure if fusion is the right word, maybe it should be confusion. No one has succeeded in combining four code bases into one."Apotheker compared Oracle's strategy to that of Microsoft, which plans to merge the code base for its four separate enterprise system offerings into one new product, code named Project Green. That effort has been delayed as Microsoft has found it a bigger job than it envisioned. SAP, no doubt, hopes that Oracle will face similar difficulties.
Apotheker also contrasted SAP's service oriented architecture, branded Netweaver, to what he called Oracle's "data centric view." A service-oriented architecture allows different software products to interoperate, based on open web services standards. Oracle has been slow to embrace such a view, encouraging customers to implement Oracle's E-Business Suite, over a single database instance, throughout the organization, making such interoperability unnecessary. Interestingly, just prior to its takeover by Oracle, PeopleSoft had embraced a service oriented architecture in its product roadmap. Those plans, of course, are now scuttled.
Computer Business Review has more on Apotheker's comments.
Related posts
Ellison outlines direction for PeopleSoft and JDE product lines
Microsoft slowing down Project Green
Oracle's new reseller strategy and speculation on the future of JDE
Microsoft to put enterprise applications on the auction block?
Microsoft eats more humble pie in enterprise software business
Pass the Kleenex (regarding SAP's complaint that Oracle's bid for PeopleSoft was leading to pricing pressure)by Frank Scavo, 2/16/2005 06:54:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Microsoft to put enterprise applications on the auction block?
Josh Greenbaum is pointing me to his article in Datamation last week, where he speculates that Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS), the unit that sells Great Plains, Axapta, Navision, and Solomon, is doing so badly that Microsoft might want to actually unload it.At a minimum there's a lot of egg on Redmond's face about this multibillion-dollar white elephant called MBS. It's the second-smallest business unit in the family -- only mobile devices is smaller -- and it's raking in the biggest losses. At least the losses slowed down a little last year: MBS only dropped $70 million in the second half of 2004, compared to a $193 million loss in the second half of 2003. Revenues are growing, though the year-to-year growth in the last quarter of 2004 was less that one-half of one percent.Beyond the dismal financial results, Josh relates a string of bad news for Microsoft: the new version of Axapta looks to be a year behind schedule; the next generation rewrite of the four main applications, Project Green, has been delayed; Microsoft had no viable offer for PeopleSoft customers; and, there are conflicts and consolidation issues among its resellers. He concludes,At a certain point one begins to feel sorry for the MBS gang. I'm sure they mean well, and I know from my contacts in Denmark that Axapta and Navision are great products. But one really has to wonder how long Microsoft will keep plugging away at something that is clearly outside its core competence. That's why I keep thinking they're going to sell the business and get back to their knitting.Josh wonders whether Microsoft's threshold for pain is high enough to sustain itself through these tough times, or whether it will prefer to unload the entire business. I say that Microsoft sticks it out, because it needs the presence in the applications market to pull through sales of its operating systems, database, tools, and infrastructure technologies. Microsoft can afford to throw money at the product problems, which I think it will eventually overcome.
But the problems in the reseller channel will be more difficult, because Microsoft is not entirely in control there. As I have pointed out in the past, the secret of enterprise system sales in the small and mid-market is the reseller channel, and there are simply not that many really good resellers out there. A month ago I would have said that Microsoft had a good shot at picking up some of the J.D. Edwards partners; but it now appears that, wisely, Oracle is going to strengthen the JDE channel, not eliminate it. So, Microsoft is going to have to continue to compete for resellers with Oracle, SAP, Lawson, Epicor, QAD, Infor, and every other vendor that is targeting the mid-market. It won't be easy.
Related posts
Is Microsoft dying?
Microsoft wants PeopleSoft customers but doesn't have much to offer
Microsoft eats more humble pie in enterprise software business
Microsoft: selling enterprise software is a "humbling experience"
Microsoft Longhorn cutbacks threaten Project Green
Microsoft Business Solutions is setting the stage for big-time channel conflict among resellers
Oracle's new reseller strategy and speculation on the future of JDE
Clash of the titans (regarding battle between SAP and Microsoft for resellers)by Frank Scavo, 2/15/2005 01:57:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Monday, February 14, 2005
IT: strategic investment or cost of doing business?
The CEO of a small publicly traded company has launched an anonymous blog, the CEO Blogger, as an exercise to "see what this blogging phenomenon is really about." Good for him! His blog is only a couple of weeks old, but it's a great read.
Interestingly, the very first post after his introduction is entitled, "IT Propaganda," where he puts forth the view that much IT spending is unnecessary.IT is not a profit center, it's a cost center. Once your IT department grows past the minimum size needed to maintain your company, additional money spent on IT is a loss. But IT is always trying to shake down extra unnecessary money in order to bleed away profits.I think that last sentence is a bit over the top. Just as most functional heads try to get additional budget to do their jobs, so do IT managers. But to attribute such budgetary requests as a "shake down" motivated by a desire to "bleed away profits" of the corporation is just...well, it makes me think that this CEO has had some really bad experiences with his IT group. Or, he's just trying to be provocative.
Hyperbole aside, CEO Blogger has waded into an ongoing debate in the IT community concerning the role of information technology. Is information technology a strategic investment that should be leveraged to produce a competitive advantage? Or is it a utility that should be managed to lowest cost once minimal levels of service are established? The latter view was most recently put forth by Nicholas Carr, in a Harvard Business Review article entitled, "IT Doesn't Matter," which the staff of HBR voted the best article to appear in the magazine during 2003.
My view is that whether IT is a strategic investment or a utility cost depends on what the company needs information technology to do. If information technology is a key element of the firm's product, service, operations, or strategy, then IT should be viewed as a strategic investment. Firms such as Wal-mart, which uses information technology to drive costs out of the supply chain is a good example. Walmart, which one does not think of as a technology company, in fact is a leading force in adoption of new technologies, such as Internet-based EDI and RFID.
On the other hand, if information technology is not a key element, then it should be viewed as a cost of doing business, seeking to maintain acceptable levels of service with managed levels of risk, at the lowest cost.
Of course, there are several positions that a firm may take between these two ends of the spectrum. One may view IT as a strategic investment but still not be leading the charge for new technologies, as Walmart is doing. On the other hand, one may view IT as a cost of doing business yet still make significant investments in new systems as a platform for growth.
What's needed, then, is for management to step back and decide what are the objectives for information technology, how well do the current systems satisfy those needs, and what are the actions, resources, and spending needed for IT to meet those objectives--in other words, an IT strategy.
Related posts
IT decisions that are too important to leave to the IT department
Aligning IT, when there's not much to align to
Escaping the ROI trap
Wal-Mart launches RFID pilot, but will privacy concerns stall adoption?
Wal-mart still pushing its suppliers to Internet EDIby Frank Scavo, 2/14/2005 05:28:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Sunday, February 13, 2005
Oracle's new reseller strategy and speculation on the future of JDE
Details are emerging on Oracle's new reseller program, which is of great interest to the 40 resellers of its combined products. Furthermore, it has important implications for the future of the J.D. Edwards products.
But first, some background. Oracle held a big partner meeting at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on January 29-31, and here's the bottom line, based on discussions with several individuals who were there: Oracle is building a reseller channel for its E-Business Suite and wants to strengthen the existing reseller channel for the JDE products. There will be no resellers for the PeopleSoft products, and Oracle's direct sales force is being discouraged from selling them, except in a few specific industries.
Key elements of Oracle's reseller strategy
Oracle does not seem to have made any public announcements about this yet, and might choose not to do so. Nevertheless, here's what I've been able to piece together:
As a side note, individuals who were in the partner meeting were surprised by Oracle's evaluation of its product strengths versus those of PeopleSoft and JDE. For example, Oracle initially indicated that its own HR applications were as good as PeopleSoft's, and that Oracle's offerings for the engineering and construction industry were as good as JDE's. The partners, many of whom have deep real world implementation experience, scoffed at both assertions. One source told me, however, that Oracle's position seemed to soften toward the end of the partner meeting, indicating that they are working things out as they go along.
- Oracle has signed up 16 channel partners that are allowed today to sell Oracle's E-Business Suite to companies up to $75M in annual sales. Starting June 1, the bar will be raised to $100M. These resellers are authorized for specific geographic territories, which avoids conflict between resellers.
- The 24 JDE partners that PeopleSoft kept on board will continue to be allowed to sell the JD Edwards products (Enterprise One and World), to companies under $100M in annual revenue, which was the bar that they've always operated under. However, on June 1, that bar will be raised to $500M. Unlike the Oracle resellers, the JDE resellers are not restricted by geography, meaning they can hunt for new JDE business anywhere. A few of these partners are also authorized to sell Oracle's E-Business Suite in certain territories to companies under $100M.
- Interestingly, the Oracle direct sales force is not allowed to sell the JDE products, except in a few industries where JDE has particular strength over Oracle, such as homebuilders. Otherwise, only the resellers are allowed to rep those products. So, if you are a company over $500M in revenue, you won't be able to buy JDE products, unless you are in a few selected industries.
- The local Oracle direct sales force will be compensated on JDE partner sales, however, which will help mitigate the problem of competition between Oracle's direct sales force and the JDE partners.
- PeopleSoft, prior to the JDE acquisition, did not have a reseller channel, and Oracle does not intend to create one. So, if companies want to buy PeopleSoft applications, they will have to go direct to Oracle. However, Oracle has previously announced that it will steer new prospects away from PeopleSoft applications in favor of Oracle's E-Business Suite. Oracle is now making a few exceptions to this policy, in industries where PeopleSoft is particularly strong, such as higher education.
- For JDE Enterprise One customers that are not running on Oracle technology (i.e. those running on Microsoft SQL Server, or IBM's iSeries), Oracle wants the resellers to "nudge" them toward Oracle's database and middleware. No surprise here, and I predicted this would be a key objective in Oracle's acquisition of PeopleSoft.
Assessment of Oracle's reseller approach
Oracle is notorious for poor channel relationships, changing partners and strategies at the drop of a hat. It was just a few years ago, after all, that Oracle had partners reselling its applications to small and mid-sized businesses. Around 1999, Oracle suddenly decided to switch back to a direct selling model and put many of those resellers out of business or forced them to find something else to sell. Now it has decided that resellers are the way to go: a six year pendulum swing. To be fair, Oracle indicated in the partner meeting that it is aware of its poor reputation for partner relationships and wants to do better in the future.
On the other hand, if Oracle can build and maintain the channel relationships that it has, I think it has a winning strategy in place. I especially like the fact that they are moving the bar up to $500M for the JDE partners. The JDE partners were always chafing under the $100M limit, which left the better deals for Edwards's direct sales force. Moving the bar up to $500M gives the resellers a lot of room to work. Too bad Oracle is not doing the same for its E-Business Suite resellers.
However, there may be problems with Oracle and JDE resellers competing with one another for the same deal. Our consulting firm, Strativa, often short-lists both Oracle and JDE in the same deal, and based on Oracle's apparent interest in selling JDE, we'll continue to do so. But I wonder what Oracle will do in cases where there is an Oracle reseller and a JDE reseller quoting on the same deal. Hopefully, they will let them both chase the deal and let the buyer decide who wins.
Speculation on the future of the JDE products
Putting all of these points together, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that Oracle is making it easy for prospects under $500M to buy either Oracle's E-Business Suite, or the JDE products (Enterprise One and World). But it won't be easy to buy PeopleSoft's Enterprise product. It's not clear why Oracle is treating the PeopleSoft products differently from the JDE products, but here's one possibility: Oracle wants to preserve its option to sell off the JDE products sometime in the future.
Oracle clearly wants to move as many of the PeopleSoft and JDE clients as possible to Oracle's E-Business Suite. Failing that, Oracle would like to "nudge" them to run those applications over Oracle technology. Failing that, Oracle would like them to upgrade to Project Fusion when it is available. Failing that, Oracle will continue to support the PeopleSoft and JDE products until 2013.
However, maybe at some point, Oracle decides that those JDE customers that are not willing to get with the program are worth more to someone else. This would be especially true with the older JDE World product, which runs exclusively on IBM's iSeries platform. At that point, Oracle might decide it would be better for everyone involved for Oracle to sell off the JDE products and the remaining customer base for them.
Now, if Oracle does decide to sell off the JDE business in the future, it will fetch a much better price if there is a robust reseller channel in place. This might explain why Oracle is building the reseller channel for JDE but not for PeopleSoft.
Further bolstering my speculation is the fact that Oracle is reviving use of the J.D. Edwards name, reversing PeopleSoft's move to brand the JDE products as PeopleSoft. Once again, Oracle appears to be preserving a separate identity for the JDE products, which would be important if in fact Oracle ever decides to spin off these products.
If any readers have additional information or corrections regarding what I have outlined in this message, please feel free to leave a comment on this post or email me privately.
Related posts
Oracle to steer new customers away from PeopleSoft products
Oracle: no plan to spin off JDE product lines
Ellison outlines direction for PeopleSoft and JDE product lines
Oracle, IBM, Microsoft battle for technology infrastructure of PeopleSoft customers
IBM is a loser in Oracle/PeopleSoft dealby Frank Scavo, 2/13/2005 08:59:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Friday, February 11, 2005
Is Microsoft dying?
Michael Malone has a provocative article, suggesting that Microsoft may be in the early stages of decline.Great, healthy companies not only dominate the market, but share of mind. Look at Apple these days. But when was the last time you thought about Microsoft, except in frustration or anger? The company just announced a powerful new search engine, designed to take on Google -- but did anybody notice? Meanwhile, [the] open systems world -- created largely in response to Microsoft's heavy-handed hegemony -- is slowly carving away market share from Gates & Co.: Linux and Firefox hold the world's imagination these days, not Windows and Explorer. The only thing Microsoft seems busy at these days is patching and plugging holes.It's not easy to dismiss Malone's analysis. He's been covering the high-tech industry for more than 20 years, most recently as editor-at-large of Forbes ASAP magazine and earlier at the San Joe Mercury-News. He has written for the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Fortune, and the New York Times. He has hosted two national TV shows on PBS, and he's written a dozen books.
He continues,There are other clues as well. Microsoft has always had trouble with stand-alone applications, but in its core business it has been as relentless as the Borg. Now the company seems to have trouble executing even the one task that should take precedence over everything else: getting "Longhorn," its Windows replacement, to market. Longhorn is now two years late. That would be disastrous for a beloved product like the Macintosh, but for a product that is universally reviled as a necessary, but foul-tasting, medicine, this verges on criminal insanity. Or, more likely, organizational paralysis.It's probably a stretch to say that Microsoft is dying, or that it will cease to be a major force in information technology. Still, it's hard to disagree with Malone's observations:Does anyone out there love MSN? I doubt it; it seems to share AOL's fate of being disliked but not hated enough to change your e-mail account. And do college kids still dream of going to work at MS? Five years ago it was a source of pride to go to work for the Evil Empire -- now, who cares? It's just Motorola with wetter winters.Read Malone's whole article on ABC News.
Related posts
Microsoft eats more humble pie in enterprise software business
Microsoft: selling enterprise software is a "humbling experience"
Microsoft Longhorn cutbacks threaten Project Greenby Frank Scavo, 2/11/2005 06:41:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Saturday, February 05, 2005
High software maintenance fees and what to do about them
There's an interesting side note to Oracle's takeover of PeopleSoft: it turned out that PeopleSoft's software maintenance business was even more profitable than Oracle realized. Once Oracle found out how much money PeopleSoft was making on its recurring maintenance business, it justified a sweetened offer that closed the deal.
If you're a corporate buyer of software, you might want to take a look at what you're paying for software maintenance.
What is software maintenance?
Maintenance fees pay for two services from the vendor to the customer. First, they pay for ongoing product development that provides new product features, regulatory updates (e.g. tax table updates), and bug fixes. (That's right. You pay for the software, and then you pay the vendor to fix defects in it.) Second, maintenance fees pay for phone and Web-based support for times when you need help with the system.
One little secret of the software industry: the maintenance business is really profitable for vendors. It's somewhat analogous to the situation when you shop for a big screen TV at Circuit City. You may be impressed with the terrific bargain you're getting on the sales price. But when you go to sign the deal, there's a lot of pressure for you to sign up for the extended warranty--where the store, and the salesman, make most or all of their profit. Buying enterprise software is similar, with the key difference being that you don't really have the option to forgo the maintenance contract.
I've long thought that software buyers are too focused on the up front license price and not paying attention to how much they are paying on the back end--in software maintenance fees. Buyers forget that when they pay a dollar for a software license, they pay that dollar once. But when they pay a dollar on software maintenance fees, they pay that dollar again and again, year after year, as long as they stay on maintenance. Over the life of the system, most customers pay far more in maintenance fees than they ever pay in up front license fees.
Software vendors understand this, and as new sales continue to be hard to come by, they are turning their attention to increasing revenues from their maintenance business.
Vendor tactics
Vendors are working to increase maintenance revenue in two ways. First, they are increasing maintenance fees directly. A few years ago, 15-18% of the software license fee was a typical benchmark. Now, I'm seeing vendors quoting 20% or even more. It might not sound like much, but run the numbers out three or four years and see the impact. On a $500,000 license deal, a five percent difference in maintenance fees is $125,000 over five years. That's like a price increase of 25% (not factoring in the cost of money, of course).
Second, vendors are tightening enforcement of existing agreements. In the past, vendors might not aggressively pursue customers that exceeded user counts, which usually form the basis for software pricing. Today, it's no more Mr. Nice Guy. Vendors are enforcing their contractual rights to audit customer usage of the software and are charging customers license fees for additional seats, plus the maintenance fees on those seats.
Balance of power
Why are vendors squeezing customers? First, it's a sign that, although we're not returning to the heyday of tech spending in the 1990s, business is improving. Vendors are finding that they don't need to make as many concessions as they have in the past. And, as we just saw, the easiest way to increase revenue is through maintenance fees.
But more significantly, vendors are increasing maintenance revenue because they can. Implementing an enterprise-wide system is a huge undertaking for most companies. Few customers are going to select a new system and go through the pain, risk, and expense of another implementation just because they are paying a bit more in maintenance fees than they had planned on. Customers are a captive audience--to a point.
My feeling is that if vendors continue along this path, there's going to be a backlash. There's a limit to what the market will bear, and I think some vendors are starting to reach that limit. A study by AMR last year found that because of maintenance policies, 22% of customers are considering switching vendors, 21% intend to stop taking upgrades, and 12% will discontinue paying maintenance.
Practical tips
If you are concerned about high software maintenance costs, there are several steps you can take to keep costs in line.
If you have not yet purchased the system, understand that your negotiating power will never be greater than before you sign on the dotted line. Maintenance fees as a percent of the license cost are not cast in stone. Everything is negotiable. For example, ask for a lower percentage. Ask for maintenance fees to be based on the discounted price of the software, not the list price. Ask for maintenance fees to be locked in, not allowing the vendor to increase fees from year to year.
Furthermore, don't buy software you don't need, even if the vendor offers a tremendous discount on additional modules. There's no free lunch. If the vendor is charging maintenance fees based on the list price of those modules, you'll likely be paying for software that you won't implement. If you think you'll implement it later, buy it later. That will encourage the vendor to be sure you're successful with the modules that you do buy.
If you are already a customer, your negotiating power may be diminished, but you still have options. First, check whether you are using all of the modules you purchased. If not, consider canceling maintenance on the modules you aren't using. Second, look hard at whether you are using all of the user seats that you originally purchased. Vendors will tell you if you exceed your user count but probably won't let you know if you have excess seats. Finally, if you plan on buying additional software from the same vendor, see whether you can negotiate a better deal on your existing modules in exchange for buying additional modules.
If your vendor is still not showing flexibility, consider whether more hardball tactics are warranted. Third party maintenance and service providers, offering lower fees, are one alternative. Canceling maintenance ("going naked") for older or less critical systems might be another alternative, especially if you seldom use the help desk and are not planning to upgrade in the future.
Then there's always the nuclear option: looking to other software providers. For some applications, open source software might be an alternative, with maintenance either provided in-house or through a third party.
Computerworld has more on trends in software maintenance. CFO magazine has further analysis of what vendors are doing to squeeze more revenues from existing customers.
Related posts
Customers pushing back against enterprise software maintenance fees
Software customers learn to just say no
Customers pushing back against Microsoft licensing program
Customers to Microsoft Licensing 6: thanks, but no thanks
SAP to provide maintenance for PeopleSoft products
Microsoft Software Assurance: no bang for big bucks
Software buyers turn cheapby Frank Scavo, 2/05/2005 09:22:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Friday, February 04, 2005
World's largest Linux migration reaches milestone
Computerworld reports that the German national railway, Deutsche Bahn, has successfully moved all of its 55,000 Lotus Notes users to Linux. This is the first major milestone of an ambitious program to move the entire company to Linux.The company has already shifted its vital train timetabling system from HP Non-Stop to Linux. Next, it will move various SAP systems, including sales support, from Unix to Linux. And by the end of the year, all remaining critical systems such as databases, application servers, Web servers, mail servers and network infrastructure will be running on Linux, the company said.If Deutsche Bahn is successful in migrating these remaining systems, it will be another piece of evidence that Linux is capable of doing the heavy lifting in enterprise systems. Companies that want to take control of their total cost of IT should pay attention to the experience at Deutsche Bahn.
Related posts
Software buyers turn cheap
Microsoft-sponsored study on Win2K vs Linux is NOT all good news for Microsoft
Business case for Linux is seen at Boscov's
Wall Street an early adopter of Linux for the enterpriseby Frank Scavo, 2/04/2005 01:14:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Microsoft eats more humble pie in enterprise software business
Eight months ago, Microsoft VP Orlando Ayala testified during the Oracle antitrust trial that selling enterprise software had turned out to be a "humbling experience" for Microsoft. The latest news out of Redmond indicates that Microsoft is still learning from that experience.
In the quarterly earnings call last week, CFO John Conners said that Microsoft Business Solutions (its ERP business unit) lost $29 million in the most recent quarter, compared to a loss of $139 million a year ago. The unit has never been profitable since its start four years ago.
There's more. Microsoft has also quietly indicated that the release date for a major upgrade of its Axapta ERP system, V4.0, will be deferred until 2006. Microsoft's stated reason is to add more functionality and integration with Microsoft technology, such as Biztalk, SQL server, and Sharepoint.
And in another sign of trouble, Conners said that some Microsoft ERP offerings would be moved to "maintenance mode." Although Conners refused to name the products that are being sidelined, it's a safe bet that Microsoft's Solomon product is one of them. Microsoft has already shuttered Solomon's headquarters and has outsourced product development and support to a third-party.
When Microsoft first entered the ERP space, with its acquisition of Great Plains, everyone predicted that Microsoft would quickly dominate the market. I recall a lot of commentary along the lines of, "Microsoft dominates every market that it goes after. Look at Netscape."
You don't hear that sort of talk much anymore, at least not concerning Microsoft's ERP offerings.
I do not mean to imply that Microsoft's enterprise software offerings are bad products. They are good products, and I continue to recommend them to clients. Because of Microsoft's commitment to this market, and its nearly unlimited resources, Microsoft products are generally a safe bet. I just don't think that Microsoft will dominate the business applications market the way it has dominated the market for desktop software.
Mary Jo Foley at Microsoft Watch has the scoop on the latest developments at Microsoft Business Solutions.
Related posts
Microsoft: selling enterprise software is a "humbling experience"
First look at Microsoft's Axapta ERP system
Is Microsoft upstaging Great Plains, Solomon, Navision, and Axapta with "Project Green"?
Microsoft Project Green details emerging
Yet another update on Project Green
Feedback regarding Microsoft's Project Green
Microsoft Longhorn cutbacks threaten Project Greenby Frank Scavo, 2/02/2005 09:28:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Ellison threatens SAP regarding PeopleSoft support
Just as I predicted, Oracle is hinting at legal action regarding SAP's move to provide annual maintenance and support for PeopleSoft customers, by means of its acquisition of third-party support provider TomorrowNow.
According to eWeek, Larry Ellison said at the Oracle Analyst Day in New York last week,"SAP has every right to provide support for PeopleSoft applications as long as they don't violate our intellectual and contractual property rights," Ellison said, in measured tones. "It might make it awkward for them. That's our intellectual property, and they should be cautious."As I pointed out last month, PeopleSoft maintenance revenue was the main driver in Oracle sweetening its bid for PeopleSoft. I don't expect Oracle to sit idly by and watch any of that revenue stream diverted from its coffers. Otherwise, the whole plan falls apart.
Watch for more sparks to fly.
Related posts
Competitors swarm around PeopleSoft customers
SAP to provide maintenance for PeopleSoft productsby Frank Scavo, 2/01/2005 03:21:00 PM | permalink | e-mail this!
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Help is on the way: software for SOX compliance
Corporate spending on Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) so far hasn't been the gold mine that software vendors have been hoping for. Compliance has been largely a manual effort, as companies work to document and improve internal controls under SOX Section 404. A recent AMR survey estimates that only 28% of SOX compliance spending has been for technology. The rest is for manpower: internal headcount (42%) and external consulting (29%).
But the ratio of manpower to software may be starting to change. According to an article in CFO Magazine, software vendors have been refining their SOX compliance offerings to automate some of the tasks:
New versions of Sarbox software programs represent big improvements over earlier offerings. Certainly, recent releases from Axentis, Hummingbird, OpenPages, Virsa Systems, and Approva reflect a more realistic understanding of the burdens. Some of the programs compare a company's current controls to compliance best-practices, offering solutions on how to shore up weaknesses and better segregate duties. Others help managers document policies and procedures, creating electronic archives of those policies along the way. Several programs flag internal transactions that look suspicious.Software is not going to completely automate Section 404 SOX compliance. Compliance will continue to be a huge manual effort. There's no substitute for manager's understanding of the business in assessing, designing, and implementing proper internal controls. But software can help.
Read the entire CFO article for more details.
Update: on a related note, Computerworld has a good article today on how SOX compliance programs are causing a shift in the role of the CIO, putting the IT group at least temporarily more closely associated with the CFO. For CIOs that have been struggling over the years to get out from under the management by the accounting function, it's not necessarily a good trend.
Related posts
Making SOX compliance a meaningful exercise
Sarbanes-Oxley compliance: too often a wasted effort
Sarbanes-Oxley spotlights need for controls in IT
Checklist for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance
Sarbanes-Oxley spotlights need for controls in IT
Cost of compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley isn't mainly in new systems
Is Sarbanes-Oxley the new Y2K?by Frank Scavo, 2/01/2005 07:14:00 AM | permalink | e-mail this!
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text:
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text:
Brian Hock necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 444 diseños de 93 diseñadores freelance.
I am the sole owner of the business that has been operating 10 years. We have two different companies and a few difference business lines that we operate, for which we would like a similar logo to be able to be used. The companies are HOCK Training (http://www.hocktraining.com) and HOCK international (http://www.hockinternational.com). HOCK Training is based in Moscow, Russia and we have offices in Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Belorussia. HOCK international is in the US and only sells study materials on-line.
When we started, our only business was preparing people to pass US based professional certification exams in English in accounting and finance. At that time, the name of the company was HOCK Accountancy Training. While we still do that training, we have also expanded into non-exam training in accounting and finance, communication training, English language training and in Moscow we have a conference facility (http://www.hockconferencing.com). A couple of years we dropped the Accountancy from the name and started to use only HOCK Training. We are now going to drop the Training from the main logo/design and will use only HOCK. However, we would like a logo that can then further have the words Training, Conferencing, international and any other new business lines added to it.
We want to be known now primarily as HOCK with the Training, Conferencing or international as a secondary identifier.
We are trying to position ourselves as a high-quality provider of all services that we provide. Our clients are professionals who are looking to further their skills. (Or companies looking to use our conference facilities). Because we are considered to be slightly above average cost in the markets we (Training) operate, we need to have a design and image that will make people feel comfortable that we will help them do what it is that they have come to us to do. Whether that is to pass an exam, learn English, have an event, or learn to communicate, we need our image to let them think that we will be able to deliver that.
Because of the nature of our HOCK international business, we have business not only in the former Soviet Union countries, but literally around the world - with a lot of business in the Middle East.
This means that the design and logo needs to avoid any religious symbols or cultural symbols that would not be 'accepted' in any part of the world.
I am looking for a logo design that is either a graphic a design that includes the word HOCK. It could be a logo with the word HOCK next to it or in front of it, or it can be a design that incorporates the word HOCK itself.
As for colors, Orange must be the main color. Any other color(s) can be secondary colors, but orange must be the main color. I would also like to be able to have a reason as to why we chose this graphic or idea as our design. Some ideas we have thought of have to do with teamwork, putting pieces of a puzzle together, growth, stability. I do not want a completely modern design that will look dated in a year or two. I want an image and style that I will be able to use for a number of years. Ultimately, we will be redesigning our website and also generating business cards. letter head, brochures of our programs, and other corporate identity types of things. The logo is only the first step in what will be a new image/style/design for the company.
Because of the different segments of the business, in a sense it is like three logos. However, I would like the three to be similar and obviously connected to each other. As it is now, the color is the differentiator between the specific companies' logos. This is fine to retain, or if there is another way to do this, that is fine also.
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DENVER—A tax subsidy for businesses in economically depressed areas would be minimized under a bill passed by Democrats in the Colorado House.
The proposed changes to the state's Enterprise Zone program are a response to questions about the effectiveness of the subsidy.
The credit was created in 1986 to spur economic growth in struggling areas. It was once available in a few areas but now covers 70 percent of the state.
The bill caps the credit to $750,000 for a business per year, instead of the $1 million recommended by a legislative-created panel that studied the issue last year. The Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. pulled its support for the bill because of the lower cap.
Only one Republican voted in favor of the bill Tuesday. It now heads to the Senate.


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Traditionally, towing companies relied solely on manual processes to conduct daily operations. However, in recent years, a number of software vendors have released software suites designed with towing companies in mind that can automate many processes and make the back office more efficient overall.
Towing software helps towing companies more easily handle day-to-day processes and operations, including:
We created this guide to help you better understand which systems are available—and which might be best for your organization. Here's what we'll cover:
What Is Towing Software?
Common Functionality of Towing Software
What Type Of Buyer Are You?
Pricing: Cloud-Based vs. On-Premise
Towing Software Integrations
Mobile Towing Software Applications
Other Considerations
Many towing businesses use software to assist them with back-office functions and to streamline regular processes—from sending out trucks to tow vehicles to invoicing vehicle owners to ensuring trucks are properly maintained. These systems help companies upgrade from unwieldy methods of managing their business and operations, such as spreadsheets, non-specialized software and manual processes.
Towing software falls under the larger category of fleet management software. It typically offers the same standard capabilities found in most fleet management suites, including:
There are also some capabilities unique to towing software. These systems may come with some or all of the following:
|Lot management
|Allows users to manage the lots in which towed vehicles are held. Stores vehicle information so users can quickly identify which vehicle belongs to whom.
|Collections and lien processing
|Allows users to automate their invoicing processes, send bills to vehicle owners and identify delinquent accounts.
|Customer relationship management
|Creates a database of the towing company's customers (e.g., businesses and municipal entities it has contracts with), including their contact information, transactions and case history.
|Motor club integration
|Allows users to receive calls straight from motor clubs such as AAA. This integration can automatically send relevant driver information to the towing company and help determine whether accepting the towing request will be profitable.
|Mobile accessibility
|Offers mobile applications for tow truck drivers so they can update their location and estimated arrival time.
|Auction management
|Vehicle information is synced to integrated auction module, allowing the towing company or municipal lot to auction off unclaimed vehicles and preventing duplicate data entry. Auction module also manages buyer and seller information, tracks bids and assists with accounting complexities that result from state regulations.
There are two main types of buyers when it comes to towing software. In general, most systems can accommodate either type—but some buyers may find that different systems better serve their specific needs.
Emergency services. If your company provides emergency towing services, you may wish to have some additional features. For example, some vendors offer features that allow lost or stranded motorists to provide their geographical coordinates via GPS in their smart phones and can send their exact coordinates to the towing company.
Private towing company. Whether you have one truck or 100, private towing companies will greatly benefit from the motor club integrations and mobile accessibility offered by some towing software vendors. Also consider how prospective systems will scale with your business, since some systems are priced based on the number of tow trucks in your fleet.
Municipal government and police departments. Local governments often have tight budgets. Depending on your municipality's needs, you might not need a full-featured towing system that offers such tools as auction management or motor club integration. Police departments also have specific needs, such as the ability to integrate with their other specialized software (e.g., dispatch systems), that certain systems offer.
Towing software is deployed one of two ways: in the cloud or on-premise. How the software is priced often depends on the deployment model. Here's the breakdown:
Cloud-based. Cloud towing software is hosted by the vendor, and can be accessed from any compatible, Internet-connected computer or device. With these systems, you typically pay a monthly subscription fee, which is often based on the number of users or the number of tow trucks in your fleet. Most towing software packages are available in cloud-based versions.
On-premise. On-premise towing software is hosted by the user on their own servers and computers. With on-premise systems, you will typically pay an upfront license fee based on the size of your organization. You may also have to pay annual support and update fees. However, over time, pricing for these two deployment models tends to converge.
While some towing software platforms might come with their own accounting modules, others offer integrations with accounting systems like QuickBooks so you can easily sync your data from one system to another.
Additionally, some towing software platforms also offer integrations with major insurance companies and car clubs such as AAA, meaning you can get calls automatically routed to your system from one of those organizations.
Some towing software platforms offer native mobile apps for Apple and Android smart devices. These apps allow drivers to enter data in when they're on the job, reducing duplicate data entry and speeding up processing time.
When evaluating new towing software for your company, there are several things you should keep in mind. Be sure to demo multiple products from several different vendors so you have more familiarity with how the different systems compare against each other. Consider what the total cost of ownership for a new system will be.
For example, with software that is offered as a perpetual license, keep in mind that you will likely have to replace the software or upgrade it every five years or so. Whereas with software offered as a monthly subscription, you can use the software indefinitely as it will be incrementally upgraded along the way. However, keep in mind that smaller vendors are regularly acquired or go defunct. If you're using subscription priced software, you could be without access to the software in those events.
Our service is simple and 100% free to customers like you because software vendors pay us when we connect them with quality leads. You save time and get great advice. Vendors get great referrals. It's a win for everyone!


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The first time Tennessee pop-rockers Paramore headlined a tour, they started it at Beat Kitchen in 2006. Seven years later, the band will play the much larger Chicago Theatre on Thursday as part of its first U.S. tour since 2010. Paramore then and Paramore now, singer Hayley Williams says, are like night and day.
"I don't want it to sound like I'm ever bashing the band that we were before, but I definitely feel like we are a new band now," says Williams, 24. Paramore's two founding members, brothers Josh and Zac Farro, departed about a year and a half after the band's last album, "Brand New Eyes," debuted at No. 2 in 2009.
"Now when the guys and I are hanging out, we're just friends," Williams says. "We really are friends and we know the difference between working together and having a friendship together, whereas before I think we let business really take over our friendship and we weren't good friends to each other ... It feels healthy."
The proof is in the pudding as Paramore's new, continually catchy self-titled album (which debuted at No. 1) often focuses on looking forward and moving on, compared with the previous record's disbelief that the band even existed anymore. By phone from L.A. before appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," Williams talked about how a ukulele can change an attitude, when she felt ready to put the past behind her and her male bandmates' willingness to accommodate her fondness for the Spice Girls.
Paramore, 8 p.m. May 9 at Chicago Theatre. $38.50-$49.50.
I know the interludes on which you sing with a ukulele were an important part of putting together the new album, helping you get through writers' block and not feel like the songs were coming out so bitter or angry. Why did a ukulele make that happen? Because it puts anyone in a good mood?
[Laughs.] Yeah, I think it is really that simple. We needed those interludes to get through ... we had writer's block for the last two or three weeks, and it just was super depressing. There's something about [a] ukulele which is just really happy, and it took the pressure off of us to write serious songs or write rock songs or whatever we thought we needed to do within the moment ... We were able to look at our lives in the moment with more a sense of humor and be sarcastic about the things we didn't like and be psyched and laugh about the things that we did love.
What would an angry song sound like on the ukulele?
[Laughs] I don't know, but I'm willing to try. [Laughs.] A lot of people seem to think that the interludes—we've done interviews so far about the record that people have taken the interludes as angry, vengeful songs. And we just never thought it like that. We were just having fun with it and trying to change things up and have a good time and get any kind of song out that we possibly could. In the future, if we feel like getting back to a heavy, angry Paramore song, maybe we'll try a version on the ukulele.
On "Future" you sing, "I'm writing the future, we don't talk about the past," and on one interlude you sing, "I'm not angry anymore, well, sometimes I am." How do you know when you've dealt with the past enough to feel like you're able to move on?
Well, I know that there's something really dangerous about denying yourself in dealing with the past and skimming over it. And we did try to do that; I won't lie. At the beginning of the writing process we wrote a song called "Proof" that was one of the first demos we recorded at [guitarist Taylor York's] house.
We were like, "It's just a love song. It's about long-distance commitment and choosing that over being scared." So I thought, "Oh, well, if we're going to keep writing songs like this, we won't have to talk about anything that we've gone through as people or as a band over the last two years."
I think that's where a lot of the writer's block came [from], is I was denying myself the right to feel a lot of the pain and the struggle that I was feeling in the moment. I think it came out. Some of that past stuff really did come out in a lot of the songs. Not in the way that I thought. Not in the way that I am embarrassed about. The last album that we released was all about our band, and I was very angry and I was very bitter, and I feel like we dealt with our past on this album in a way that wasn't bitter. And I don't feel like we were too angry about it. I think we were just simply dealing with it. And then once we felt like we had enough of that, we moved on. And now we really are ready to keep moving forward.
Since on the previous record you wrote a lot about life inside the band, and this one is about moving forward, how much have you thought about, "Oh, no, what am I going to have to say on the next one?"
[Laughs.] I always think like that—even way before we get into writing the records. After we were done with "Riot!," I was like, "Oh my gosh! We've seen our first taste of success; what am I going to say that anyone's going to care about anymore?" I don't want people to think that just because our band is in a good place or we're playing sold-out shows or something good is happening to us that we're still not human beings or going through life.
You say you're surrounded by dudes all the time. What's the effect of that, and how would it be different with more women?
At this point it's very normal to me. It's sort of like having brothers and growing up in a house full of boys. I'm used to it. But at the same time, I cherish my female relationships and friendships a lot more than I did before I got on the road. Because I realize [Laughs] how different the dynamic is when I'm surrounded by really positive women that are strong and inspiring to me. ... It's always great to have those breaks and [time] with all my girls. It's simple and it's cliché, but women really understand each other and connect on a level that guys can't understand.
And when you're just surrounded by guys and you tell them you've become re-obsessed with the Spice Girls movie, they can't really join in on that.
[Laughs.] Yeah, I guess. I'm kind of lucky 'cause all the guys in my life are pretty cool about my weird obsessions. Whether it's my boyfriend or the guys in the band [including bassist Jeremy Davis], we're all just goofballs together and no one takes themselves too seriously.
So you all watch "Spice World" together?
We're going to on the bus on this next tour! [Laughs]
On the sold-out Beat Kitchen show in 2006: "It was the first time we ever sold out our own show. We were freaking out. It was just one of those nights I knew we were doing what we're supposed to be doing for the rest of our lives. That was in the fall of 2006. It was a pretty amazing night. We always have a really memorable show there. We played there on Halloween in 2007, and we always talk about that show. Every time I'm in Chicago we go shopping, and we eat at the Chicago Diner."
If she could ask Tom Cruise one question (Paramore was set to appear on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after Tom Cruise that night): "Well, I already had the chance and I blew it because we [saw him] really briefly on 'The Graham Norton Show' in London. I was [planning on] asking him about 'The Outsiders' and things like that, and when we were standing face to face and I was literally looking him dead in the eye I just blanked. [Laughs.] It was over before it even started … I really want to talk to him about 'The Outsiders' because I feel like that might have been one of his first movies. It was in '81, which is when it all started for him. I don't know what I want to ask him about 'The Outsiders,' I just maybe think I want to tell him how much I love the movie and it's so crazy to meet him."
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:55 a.m. on WCIU, the U
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Can someone please tell me why Tina Fey cannot seem to keep Sarah Palin's name out of her mouth? Could it be because she is desperately in need of attention despite having 30 Rock be a hit? Could it be that she needs a personality?
After all if you Google "Tina Fey" and look for images, all you will mostly find is Tina's bony ass posing in provocative tiny leg showing outfits. Obviously, Tina really wants you to dog ear every page of a magazine she appears in. " Wow, that Tina Fey is funny and sexy" she wants you to say. However, we seem to have an epic fail here because all I see when
I look at Tina Fey is a confident-less woman who feels physically unattractive and uninteresting so she needs to bare as much skin as she can in every magazine and attempt to ridicule a woman (Sarah Palin) over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, so she be the cool girl on the block.
It is also an amusing irony that Ms. Fey authored the screenplay Mean Girls. Obviously something she knows a lot about. We all remember mean girls in our lives. One of mine was named "Ronetta". She was a heartless bitch who lived most of her high school life in the principals office. She dressed well, wore too much make-up but didn't we all at that age???
Some were more forgiving of Ronetta slathering deep red lipstick on her huge square shaped lips than she was forgiving of myself and other girls doing nothing besides going to class and breathing. A rare exception it was indeed for Ronetta to pass me in the hallway and not roll her eyes. This girl was a junior mind you and I was a peasant freshman- why did she care about me? The worse day came during 8th period study hall which was held in the school lunchroom. Innocently, I was sitting with a friend talking about boys, Duran Duran- not studying- who did in study hall?
You could hear Ronetta and her band of assholes in the background- loud cackling- sitting on the lunch tables – not at them.
"Why are they so loud?" my friend asked.
"You mean why are black people so loud?" I asked back jokingly.
Nodding, my friend replied "I so wanted to say that."
I just shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. Somehow Ronetta's evil radar picked up on us and she started in on me.
"Look at that bitch over there with the purple eyeshadow."
Suddenly everything was quiet as Ronetta's lackeys obeyed the queen bee and hum buzzed to my table.
I would be lying if I said I was not afraid. I would be lying even more if I said I did not want to be invisible.
"This heifer looks like Nancy Reagan with the eyeshadow."
Laughter erupted throughout the lunchroom, rivaling the sound of Mount Saint Helen.
"Look at her fizzy wuzzy nappy ass hair."
By now you are asking Afrocity "what did you do?".
The answer is – nothing.
Because my mother always taught me to ignore bullies, I usually just walked away from threatening situations . In this case, I could not. I sat there without a hall pass to escape. The bell literally saved me as the bitch crew scurried off to their next adventure of wreaking torment.
That day would go down as one of the worst in my high school history. Today, I would not handle it that way. A transformation came over me in college. I developed a "back off gene". What happened to my mean girl? I have only seen a picture of her but she still slathers red lipstick over her ugly square lips and looks FAT.
Mean girls may turn into mean women but inside there is still a whiny person screaming for attention at the expense of someone else.
Not all women follow the path of liberalism. To Tina Fey and other liberal loudmouths like Rosie O'Donnell and Joy Behar, that is a sin against women. Gee Rosie and Joy, what disconnected names for two women who are so obnoxious.
Sadly, Tina actually got slight applause before she ruined her gratitude to Sarah with her further comments. What a missed opportunity of true grace and class. Tina could have stood up for all women.
But I suppose she feels that Jerry Brown beating Meg Whitman was good for all women because Meg was a whore. Or that Sarah Palin losing in 2008 was good for all women because she was a cunt. Obama is good for all women because he calls us "sweetie".
Much has been made of PBS cutting some of her speech, which I find ironic because had she been a conservative woman, Anderson Cooper would have no problem with cutting off her head let alone a speech How dare you deprive everyone of the full experience of Tina's anti-Palin rant? Palin is like Marilyn Monroe to these women but what makes them hate her more is that Sarah ain't no candle in the wind.
This is all pretty pathetic but not as pathetic as Tina Fey. Her behavior actually further dumbs her down and really only makes her look like someone who owes her fame to a woman that she agrees on nothing with. Hmmm, now if I disliked a person so much why would I give them so much importance in my life?
Tina was your career nothing before Sarah Palin came along?
Sarah and her 5 million viewers want to know, and like you Tina- your material is getting OLD. Time to find another target- one who gives a damn. Wasn't there a moment when Tina said that she was glad McCain lost the election so she would not have to "play" Sarah again???
Well Tina, America helped you "be done playing this woman"…Now what is your excuse.
Just pathetic mean girl with nothing else to do with her life?
Autographed Letter Signed,


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Expedia is publishing a series of videos under the rubric "find yours" which focus on why Americans make the journeys they do.
Sounds dull, right? In fact most of the videos in the series have received fewer than 10,000 views on YouTube.
The latest video, however, got more than 2.2 million views since Oct. 2. It's an unexpectedly moving tale told by retired business owner Artie Goldstein, who describes the less-than-enthusiastic reaction he had to his daughter Vickie's announcement that she was going to marry another woman. "That startled me. I told her, this is not the dream I had for my daughter," he says.
He books a plane ticket anyway, and the ad follows him on the trip. At one point he drives past a church, and the shot is delivered in silence.
(Of course, the ad has a happy ending when he sees his daughter in her wedding dress.)
The spot — made by agency 180LA for Expedia clients senior marketing director Vic Walia and vp/gm Joe Megibow — is unexpectedly subtle, for a major brand.
Gay-audience targeted campaigns are commonplace in advertising these days, and they already have their own set cliches (smiling whitebread couples in spotlessly tasteful homes, rough-housing with their adorable kids, etc.).
What makes this ad worthy of note is the fact that it's told entirely from the point of view of a member of a generation that, frankly, isn't entirely on board with the whole equal rights thing.
The ad thus addresses its supporters and critics at the same time — which is what makes it so clever. Take a look:


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Thursday night at 7 in Allen Arena the Bisons will welcome Trevecca Nazarene, an old foe and major rival from the TranSouth Conference.
"I only played Trevecca one time and that was the first season I was here," Lipscomb coach Scott Sanderson said. "I've been told many times that the rivalry with Trevecca was bigger than the rivalry with Belmont back in the day. I don't know that, but I have been told that.
"Playing an inner-city rival will be good for our fans. It will be good for us to get out under the lights with people in the stands with the popcorn popping and the soft drinks fizzing."
Sanderson's Bisons enter the season as the overwhelming choice to win the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season and tournament championships and make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
But in the first week of November Sanderson still rates his team as a work in progress.
"There is no team that is going to be at the top of its game in November," Sanderson said. "We want to be able to compete in February and March.
"We have three new guys who are going to figure into the mix. It takes time to get them used to playing with Adnan Hodzic and Josh Slater."
Sanderson admits he likes where his team is at this stage of the preseason despite several areas he thinks need improvement.
"We are a little further ahead than we have been at this stage in years past," Sanderson said.
Sanderson likes the overall depth of the team which has been bolstered by freshmen Robert Boyd and Damarius Smith and redshirt freshman Brandon Barnes. Carter Sanderson is another freshman, but he is going to redshirt this season.
"There is a lot of competition for a lot of spots," Sanderson said. "We have seven or eight guys who are good enough and are capable of starting for us.
"That being said we might rotate guys based on who we are playing as far as the starting lineup is concerned. Our players can't get hung up on who starts games. We have to get hung up on competing, playing hard, playing smart and playing together."
Sanderson likes working with a seven or eight man rotation.
"It is hard to play nine or 10 guys regularly," Sanderson said. "You might be able to do it some in preseason, but during the regular season you want your rotation to be shorter.
"There are some guys who might be on the outside looking in. But they are right there. They are not looking in from afar."
The Bisons will open the regular season Nov. 12 at the University of North Carolina.
Written by Mark McGee, Senior Publisher/Director of Media Relations.


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Polarized Light Digital Image Gallery
As one of the few liquid alkaloids, nicotine constitutes about 5 percent of a tobacco plant by weight. While nicotine is found throughout the tobacco plant, it occurs in the highest concentrations in the leaves, and ranges from 1 to 8 percent by weight in a typical cigarette.
View a second image of nicotine.
Alkaloids, such as nicotine, are nitrogenous organic compounds that have marked effects on human physiology. Acetylcholine is the natural agonist for the same receptors that bind nicotine, which are particularly concentrated in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). As the primary addictive ingredient that acts as a stimulant, nicotine is also marketed over-the-counter as Nicoderm, Nicorette, and ProStep for weaning smokers away from their habits. These products are manufactured as either chewing gum or transdermal patches. Nicotine, evolved by plants to ward off potential herbivores, is a very effective insecticide and aquatic toxicant, and in its purified form, is a deadly poison for some individuals if ingested. However, nicotine is often prescribed to patients suffering strychnine poisoning and tetanus.
In its pure form nicotine is colorless, but when exposed to light or air, it acquires a brown color and gives off a strong tobacco odor. Both nicotine and the genus name for the tobacco plant (Nicotiana) were named for Jean Nicot, a French ambassador to Portugal, who sent tobacco seeds to Paris in 1550. Crude nicotine was known by 1571, and the compound was first purified in 1828. By 1843, the correct molecular formula had been established, and in 1904 it was synthesized in the laboratory. Featuring 10 carbons, 14 hydrogens, and 2 nitrogen atoms per molecule, nicotine is known to biochemists as 3-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl)pyridine or beta-pyridyl-alpha-N-methylpyrrolidine. It has a boiling point of 247 degrees Celsius and a melting point of -80 degrees Celsius. Interestingly, only the non-polar form of nicotine can enter the cells and blood stream while the polarized, or charged version, simply passes through the body's systems and is eliminated. For this reason, cigarette manufacturers have been well disciplined in including a base in their products in order to remove troublesome protons.
Contributing Authors
Omar Alvarado, Thomas J. Fellers and Michael W. Davidson - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Dr., The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32310.
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