text:
Headline today (August 8, 2010) [Notice the word "apparently" in the title]
Matt Simmons "apparently" drowned at his home Sunday night
NORTH HAVEN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) – The Knox County Sheriff's Department says Matthew Simmons, the founder of the Ocean Energy Institute, drowned at his house on North Haven late Sunday night.
Simmons was a leading investment banker for the energy industry and had recently retired to work full time on the new Ocean Energy Institute.
He was a leading proponent of offshore wind power and had started raising money to develop and build offshore turbines.
The news release fails to mention Simmons was the leading proponent of sending a small nuclear bomb down the BP leaking well:
May 29 – Simmons, a "prominent energy expert" and investment banker known for predicting the oil price spike of 2008, tells Bloomberg News on Friday, sending a small nuclear bomb down the leaking well is "probably the only thing we can do" to stop the leak.
I have been working with Dr. Tom Termotto, the National Coordinator of the Gulf Oil Spill Remediation Conference to ensure that the BP oil spill didn't become "A radioactive oil spill."
Below is an expose on Matt Simmons, which was ready for publication when the BP well was finally capped without resorting to a nuclear device.
The material was useful to Dr. Tom Termotto when he was interviewed on Rense Radio July 19 just four days before the BP well was finally capped.
Jeff Rense' first question was, if Dr. Termotto would consider Matt Simmon's nuclear option to cap the well? Tom immediately interjected and made it clear that we should never, never ever consider a nuclear option to cap the well, and went on to relentlessly discredit Matt Simmons throughout the interview.
Here is the expose provided to Dr. Termotto:
The Well is Capped, So why is Matt Simmons Still in this Picture?
By Katherine Smith
"The cap on the BP horizon well bore, which on July 15 stopped the crude for the first time since the April 20 explosion unleashed the spill is still holding and the media is reporting the public beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama, had its busiest day in weeks on Saturday [despite oil-stained sand and a dark line of tar balls left by high tide]."
Should we celebrate?
No, not while Matt Simmons is still in the picture.
Something is Wrong Here
A few days ago you couldn't go to a Gulf Coast beach without getting arrested for a Class D felony and fined $40,000 but today you can go fishing on the pier beside the Grand Isle Bridge and throw a Frisbee on the beach.
We may never know the real story behind the blow out on April 20th that killed 11 people and created an environmental disaster for the U.S. Gulf Coast region. [1] However, it doesn't matter because as long as Matt Simmons insists that "the only possible solution to capping the well is a small diameter low level nuclear device" we need to remain on guard (vigilant) to ensure that the BP oil spill doesn't become "A radioactive oil spill."
Matthew R. Simmons Recent Titles
Prior to May of 2010 –Chairman of Simmons & Company International, the company he founded in 1974.
May 29 – Simmons, a "prominent energy expert" and investment banker known for predicting the oil price spike of 2008, tells Bloomberg News on Friday, sending a small nuclear bomb down the leaking well is "probably the only thing we can do" to stop the leak.
June 21 – Abruptly Retires as Chairman Emeritus of Simmons & Company
International [2]
July 18 – Founder of the Ocean Energy Institute
Matt the "expert" told Ian Masters on KPFK's Daily Briefing and King World News July 16 that nuking the well is "totally safe" because he is attributing the idea to "all the best scientists" and that we should try it because the Russians did it five times.
Komsomoloskaya Pravda suggested that the United States might as well take a chance with a nuke, based on the historical 20-percent failure rate. Still, the Soviet experience with nuking underground gas wells could prove easier in retrospect than trying to seal the Gulf of Mexico's oil well disaster that's taking place 5,000 feet below the surface.
The Russians were using nukes to extinguish gas well fires in natural gas fields, not sealing oil wells gushing liquid, so there are big differences, and this method has never been tested in such conditions, not to mention the risks when dealing with radiation.
Contrary to Matt Simmons' assertion that he is attributing this idea to "all the best scientists", the scores of scientists from the Los Alamos National Laboratory and other government labs ridicule the nuke option.
In theory, the nuclear option seems attractive because the extreme heat might create a tough seal. An exploding atom bomb generates temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and, detonated underground, can turn acres of porous rock into a glassy plug, much like a huge stopper in a leaky bottle.
Kevin Roark, a spokesman for Los Alamos in New Mexico, the birthplace of the atomic bomb, said that despite rumors to the contrary, none of the laboratory's thousands of experts was devising nuclear options for the gulf.
"Nothing of the sort is going on here," he said in an interview. "In fact, we're not working on any intervention ideas at all. We're providing diagnostics and other support but nothing on the intervention side."
A senior Los Alamos scientist, speaking on the condition of anonymity because his comments were unauthorized, ridiculed the idea of using a nuclear blast to solve the crisis in the gulf.
"It's not going to happen," he said. "Technically, it would be exploring new ground in the midst of a disaster — and you might make it worse."
President Barack Obama Wants to Kill the Well
Our current president is still making cryptic remarks about this disaster. [3]
On July 16 President Obama called the apparent success of BP's efforts to cap well good news but underscored the problem would not be resolved until relief wells had been completed and
"We won't be done until we actually know that we killed the well and that we have a permanent solution in place."
Relief Wells Won't Work
Matt Simmons tells Ian Masters (and he is correct) that technically without casing a relief well cannot work, "it's just a technical fact."
Ian replies: "Lets look ahead a few weeks for now and we just discount the possibility that the relief well which they will announce in a few weeks has struck, and is not going to work, at what point. "
Simmons Interrupts: "it will be only the 45th announcement that something was going to work…and didn't. The only possible solution is a small diameter low-level nuclear device. They insert it down the well 18,000 feet, and set it off. It will fuse the rock and glass, and it's totally safe, three miles under the seabed."[KPFK's Daily Briefing ]
No, that isn't the only possible solution just ask Dr. Tom Termotto, National Coordinator for the Gulf Oil Spill Remediation website.
Simmons the former energy advisor to the President with the worst environmental record in history shouldn't make such irresponsible statements. [5]
Fortunately Lisa Margonelli (Oil on the Brain) follows Simmons and his nightmare scenario,
"here is the really scary thing, if we basically have a storm let alone a hurricane, what the hurricanes do is the churn up all the cold water from the base of the Gulf of Mexico. This time around it's not going to be cold water it's going to be this black poisonous crude and, and it will also shut down their 18 power plants along the gulf coast that will have shut down and create a black out and we'll have to shut down the refineries so we'll have trapped 20 million people in harms way."
When Ian Masters asked for her reaction to the Simmons doomsday scenario, she replies:
"There is a lot we don't know…some of the things that he says… gosh there is just a lot we don't know. First of all we need to step back from this nightmare scenario and look at what we know… We have an overwhelming disaster that has changed the whole eco-system of the Gulf which is North Americas most important fishing ground, in the world.. and 40% of our wetlands.
So then to move on to some of the specific points. Let's just back up.. one thing that I would caution about this sort of information is that I have found people commenting on Mathew's comments and what he has been saying since May 26th, so this is not the first time he said it.
He told Barons that he hosted Susan Collins and Stephen Chu on June 14th, so he would have been able to talk to them. There is no higher person than Stephen Chu to talk to about this. So this is not the first time he has been saying this stuff. He says he has also been talking to people from Noah, and that is a full month ago.
So presumably those scientists should have felt there was open and enough space to come forward with this, umm, that doesn't mean that what's going on down there is something that is easily under control.. I don't know whether he… I don't know where he gets his information… we can't track it down.
Given that he spoke to them more than a month ago, in theory more articles would have shown up. I am not saying some of this isn't true, I am saying the conspiracy of this doesn't work out. And there is a lot we just don't know."
She finally concludes talking about Boots and Coots, experts in which drill relief wells.
I will say there is an article in Barons… I will say that I have talked to… I will say there is an article in Barons that people may want to read more about from a month ago about him (simmons) talking about the hole… and uh.. I will also say I have spoken with various Oil executives who have been involved in drilling in the Gulf and um who have said and assumed that one way or the other the Relief well will WORK. It may not work on the first try and it may take several months, um but one or the other they expect to be able to get it to work. Uh you know everything in this whole accident has been so completely beyond what people conceived of before it's totally possible that something else will happen. We don't know.
Never Again (September 2008)
We must not allow our frustration with any of BP's failed attempts to manipulate us into giving the green light for a Nuclear option to cap the well.
This reminds me of September 2008, when the American people against all logic, (according to the EIA) agreed to drill for oil in the ANWR because they couldn't tolerate $4.55 a gallon gasoline. [Appendix B]
NPR reports (date):
"This scares everybody — the fact that we cannot make this well stop flowing," Suttles and BP CEO and chief spinmeister Tony Hayward is lowering expectations. This mess is officially out of control.
One listener called in with a "suggestion"
"The environmental effects of all this oil spewing out are pretty bad," he says. "Could it be that worse if we knew that a small bomb would plug the hole? I say explode it."
On CNN, reporter John Roberts suggested last month, "Drill a hole, drop a nuke in and seal up the well."
There are solutions to this crisis, but inexplicably our elected officials are not listening, and I am concerned that when our frustration reaches a critical threshold (as it did in September 08, See Appendix B) we will demand they do something… anything… and that will give them an excuse to nuke the well.
Let's not fall for this ruse a second time. Appendix C has the information for you to send a message to everyone you know to raise awareness about this very important issue.
Drilling offshore & in the ANWR, are there benefits? (reprinted below) is my attempt at humor and an explanation of why Matt Simmons was able to predict the oil price spike of 2008.
Don't let him con us into turning an oil spill into a "A radioactive oil spill."
Katherine Smith, PhD email@example.com
Drilling offshore & in the ANWR, are there benefits?
Why did President Bush and his buddies want to drill, drill, and drill (in 2008)? Hot, Flat Friedman wonders, "what planet are they on?" Vote for the best explanation or post your own in comments.
President Bush was concerned about American families,
The President cites tough times for families in urging lawmakers to allow a vote on the bill to open ocean drilling: "American drivers are counting on Congress to lift the ban and so are American workers." Bush said that high gas prices are cutting into consumers' food and housing budgets. "The time for action is now, this is a difficult period for millions of American families," July 30, 2008 [Gasoline $4.32, Oil $122.46]
Psychological affect on speculators
Even though the drilling would not produce results, "It Would Help America Now!"
Oil prices are high now because of the speculators. From a psychological point of view, if news came out that we were going to open up offshore drilling or even ANWR, prices would start to drop because the speculators would have to start selling off their position because they would know the prices wouldn't be able to go much higher. I think we would start to see a decrease within weeks of an announcement.
Psychological affect on Bush's buddies
So, the thinking goes if we relax federal prohibitions against drilling offshore and in the ANWR, knowledge of this fact will cause Bush's Oil buddies to change their pumping decisions today. Though the additional barrels from ANWR wouldn't physically hit the market for years, it will lead to immediate relief at the pump. Beyond that, the ideal solution would be to completely privatize federal lands.
The members of a club were getting bored and thought it would be interesting to see how high the price of gasoline would have to go to get Americans to give up their last Arctic wilderness, a 1.5 million-acre habitat for seabirds, caribou, and polar bears. The winning ticket had $4.79 a gallon. In 1973 (the Oil Embargo) the same members of the club had a bet to see if long gas lines would get the public to agree to the Alaskan Pipeline, Within weeks of the Arab oil embargo, President Nixon signed into law the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act, which authorized the completion of 800 miles of pipeline through the frozen passes of the Brooks Range, and through some of the most pristine country in North.
[Today they are betting on how many times they have to fail to cap the well]
Local control and Jobs in Alaska
Governor Palin stressed the need (in 2008) to enact an energy policy that includes oil and gas production from domestic sources, since failure to enact a sound energy policy is having real-life consequences. Alaskan residents pay higher prices for their gas than residents in other states do, and everything is far away. The state is as big as a third of the continental US, which means Alaskans have to drive further to get their gas than most people do in other states. Finally, because of the rugged terrain up there, everybody has big cars. If ANWR were opened for business, Alaskans might see a decrease in oil and gas prices or, at the very least, receive reimbursements because of the stipends. The people in Alaska overwhelmingly want it. "In my opinion, if they want to look at an oil well outside their back door, that's their decision, not mine. I find that part of this argument persuasive."
Reduce our dependence on foreign oil
The oil companies and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), an independent statistical agency within the Department of Energy, estimate that new oil from ANWR could lower the world price of oil by a minimum of .44 cents and as much as a whopping $1.44 per barrel but, that won't take effect for 20 years. The EIA projection for oil production in the ANWR is 0.4 to 1.2 percent of total world oil consumption in 2030 and that amount would reduce our foreign oil dependence.
Oil companies are greedy and hoarding
Oil companies only have 70 million "offshore acres leases" remaining from a total 90 million; they are concerned they will run out of places to drill for oil in 3030 (yes, I meant 3030). Some Democrats also charge that oil companies are deliberately not drilling on the land to limit supply and drive up oil prices.
Oil companies prefer to drill in cold climates.
I don't have an answer but neither does Hot Flat Friedman
Thomas Friedman author of Hot Flat and Crowded doesn't know about any wager because when interviewed on NPR about drilling in the North Slope to promote the burning of coal, oil and gas exclaimed loudly:
drill, drill – what am I missing here
drill, drill – what planet are they on?
it's crazy, the Ohio senator actually voted against it (tax credits)
Maybe President Bush wasn't joking when, after rejecting the global climate change targets of the July 2008 G8 summit, he said, "Goodbye, from the world's biggest polluter." Maybe he covets and wants to retain that title?
"Give Us the ANWAR and Keep Shopping"-They Found They Can't Have Both
[Essay at OpedNews in 2008]
Associated Press (AP) reported on September 13th, 2008 that the unprecedented rise in gas prices had brought a change to the American way of life that even a drop in oil prices below $100/barrel won't erase. As AP put it, "Public transportation is in. Hummers are out. Frugality is in. Wastefulness is out."
Apparently, the worst gas price hike has produced the worst-case scenario for the select group of people who raised the price of gasoline to almost $5.00/gallon, smug in their belief they could get Americans to give up their last Arctic wilderness while continuing to buy useless, wasteful consumer goods.
Two significant things happened recently after gas approached $5 a gallon and oil was selling for $142 a barrel:
• Retail sales fell in July as shoppers shunned autos and other big-ticket items. In spite of government stimulus payments to U.S. households, retail sales dipped 0.1 percent last month when a variety of economic woes including skyrocketing gas prices combined to blunt America's shopping habits—habits which wreak havoc on the environment.
• August 14, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signaled her willingness to consider opening up more coastal areas to oil and gas exploration. Just weeks before, Pelosi was resolved to block any votes to allow offshore drilling.
Once the environment's last bastion of defense (Congress) had fallen, and gasoline prices rose so high, it tremendously curbed American buying habits, gasoline prices mysteriously came down almost a dollar and oil is now under $100 a barrel.
Really? Solely because a month ago we agreed to consider more drilling, oil drops by $45 a barrel? Is that possible?
No. It appears the price of gasoline stayed high too long. A $45/barrel drop in oil isn't enough to fool anyone into thinking the "economy" is back to normal. You can't cover up bank failures, home foreclosures, high unemployment and experts like Warren Buffett predicting major disruptions in financial markets.
Even with the recent drop in gas prices, Americans seem to have realized they can live comfortable lives by returning to a time when they valued stewardship, resourcefulness, and thrift…and that just might be good for everyone who has to live on this planet.
So the same select group of people who were betting on trashing the ANWR and the planet by getting the public to shop for billions of dollars of useless, non-recyclable consumer goods appear to be losing. As the AP press said, "Americans have changed; being frugal is the thing." And that makes winners of the rest of us, for now. [End of my attempt at humor. (The same group are betting we will agree to nuke the well. Don't let them!)]
Katherine Smith, PhD email@example.com
[1] Thank God the devastating 2010 Deepwater Horizon Spill has finally been capped. While the media focuses our attention on cleanup of 219 million gallons of crude oil the real doomsday trigger was that unleashed with the oil goes largely unnoticed. A catastrophic legacy that we leave behind for future generations, with far greater long term danger to life on Earth than the leaked oil, is the impacts of the leaked methane from the failed 2010 Deepwater Horizon Spill. Doomsday: How BP Gulf disaster may have triggered a 'world-killing' event by Dave Nocera
[2] I think it's VERY important to compare what [Chairman Emeritus] Simmons is saying in the last video at this link with what Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and host of Sci-Fi Science, is saying in the video at this link. It's really not that hard to imagine what these lunatic oil people might end up doing especially if what Simmons is postulating is decided to be the only viable option to halt this out-of-control oil volcano! THIS IS TOTAL MADNESS!! Editorials : Those Crazy Cassiopaean's
Steven Earl Jones is an American physicist. For most of his career, Jones was known mainly for his work on muon-catalyzed fusion. In the fall of 2006, amid controversy surrounding his work on the collapse of the World Trade Center (which Jones believes was as destroyed by controlled demolition during the September 11 attacks), he was relieved of his teaching duties and placed on paid leave from Brigham Young University. He retired on October 20, 2006 with the status of Professor Emeritus.
[3] On June 15, 2010, Barack Obama addresses the nation on the BP Oil Spill:
"The millions of gallons of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico are more like an epidemic, one that we will be fighting for months and even years. But make no mistake: we will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long it takes. Tonight I'd like to lay out for you what our battle plan is going forward: what we're doing to clean up the oil, what we're doing to help our neighbors in the Gulf, and what we're doing to make sure that a catastrophe like this never happens again."
[4] Gulf Oil Spill Remediation website
[5] If "trashing the planet" was his military objective, our last President Bush was not stupid, but a brilliant commander-in-chief waging an all-out war on biodiversity, animals and rainforests. He wanted to drill in the ANWR to trash America's last Arctic Wilderness. Sonar Testing is about torturing whales and dolphins. And the Border Fence that keeps everything out but illegal's will disrupt an extraordinary source of biological diversity along the 2,000-mile long region.
Appendix B
The oil companies and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), an independent statistical agency within the Department of Energy, estimate that new oil from ANWR could lower the world price of oil by a minimum of .44 cents and as much as a whopping $1.44 per barrel but, that won't take effect for 20 years. The EIA projection for oil production in the ANWR is 0.4 to 1.2 percent of total world oil consumption in 2030 and that amount would reduce our foreign oil dependence.
Chronology of the price of Gasoline and Oil
April 29, 2008 [Gasoline $3.89, Oil $113.86] (Gasoline is average regular gasoline in California (Consumer Reports), Oil is Spot Brent Crude (Energy Information Administration, official statistics from the U.S. Government))
President George W. Bush in his speech in the Rose garden
"Americans are concerned about energy prices, and I can understand why. The past 18 months, gas prices have gone up by $1.40 per gallon. I've repeatedly submitted proposals to help address these problems. Yet time after time, Congress chose to block them. They repeatedly blocked environmentally safe exploration in Alaska National Wildlife Reserve ANWR." Later the president says, "If you mention ANWR it means you don't care about the environment. Well, I'm hoping now people, when they say "ANWR," means you don't care about the gasoline prices that people are paying".
June 12-14 [Gasoline $4.43, Oil $132.11]
Zogy takes a poll about drilling offshore and the ANWR
June 26 [Gasoline $4.59, Oil $136.82]
Zogby poll Released. Three in four likely voters – 74 percent – support offshore drilling for oil in U.S. coastal waters and more than half (59 percent) also favor drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge
July 3 [Gasoline $4.55, Oil $143.95]
Makes for a depressing July 4th
July 14 [Gasoline $4.49, Oil $142.43]
Bush lifted a presidential moratorium on drilling for oil and natural gas on the Outer Continental Shelf
July 16, 2008 [Gasoline $4.52, Oil $133.11]
the Federal Reserve reported holding $2,349 billion of US government paper in custody for central banks.
July 30, 2008 [Gasoline $4.32, Oil $122.46]
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — President Bush called Wednesday for Congress to allow offshore oil drilling, citing an "urgent" need to reduce pressure on crude and gas prices.
President cites tough times for families in urging lawmakers to allow vote on bill to open ocean drilling. "American drivers are counting on Congress to lift the ban and so are American workers," "I've lifted the ban, I've done my part," Bush said. Bush said that high gas prices are cutting into consumers' food and housing budgets. "The time for action is now, this is a difficult period for millions of American families,"
July 30, 2008 [Gasoline $4.32, Oil $122.46]
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — As the nation struggles to meet its energy needs, a majority of Americans think offshore drilling for oil and natural gas is a good idea, according to according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Wednesday. The debate over offshore drilling has become an increasingly important political issue in the era of $4 a gallon gas. The bans prohibiting offshore drilling, which were put in place decades ago, are outdated and should be lifted, proponents say. But opponents argue that more drilling offshore could damage sensitive ecosystems.
Lifting the ban would send a "strong signal" to the oil futures market, which could help bring the price of crude down immediately, she said. (Is this possible, lifting a ban on drilling oil that would take 15 years to access could affect the price of oil in the next 7 days?)
August 1, 2008 [$4.36, Oil $124.16]
In some key battleground states, (like Florida) voters are shifting toward support of offshore drilling to reduce dependence on foreign oil and to ease those bug-eyed shocks at the pumps as the numbers keep moving upward,
August 5 [$4.21, Oil $116.50]
During his speech, Obama admitted he is no longer opposed to expanding offshore oil drilling if it is part of a broader energy plan. Sen. John McCain: "I call on Senator Obama to call on Congress to come back into town and come back to work. Democrat joining together: And a very vital part of that is nuclear power, and another vital part of that is offshore drilling. We have to drill here and drill now."
August 7 [$4.23, Oil $116.94]
the Federal Reserve reported holding $2,401 billion, a 38.4% annual rate of growth.
August 12 [$4.16, Oil $108.98]
Democrats' stance against offshore drilling has shifted more.
Pelosi's radio remarks were the latest to hint that the energy debate in Congress is still evolving, and that Democrats are budging on the issue.
August 13 2008 [$4.22, Oil $111.33]
Retail sales fell in July, the weakest performance in five months, as shoppers shunned autos and other big-ticket items. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that retail sales dipped 0.1 percent last month when a variety of economic woes combined to blunt the impact of billions of dollars in government stimulus payments to U.S. households. "Cautious and uncertain consumers are watching their wallets and with the back-to-school shopping season under way, that does not bode well for retailers," said Joel Naroff, chief economist for Naroff Economic Advisors.
August 14, 2008 [$4.20, Oil $110.16]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaling her willingness to consider opening up more coastal areas to oil and gas exploration. Just weeks ago Pelosi seemed resolved to block any votes to allow offshore drilling.
Once the last holdout Pelosi signaled her willingness to drill the markets responded. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says it would take about 20 years for increased offshore drilling to have an effect on world oil prices, and even then it would be a small one. To step up domestic drilling now when we wouldn't see the results until 2030 would be like investing in steamboats after the invention of the nuclear submarine. Therefore there is no other conclusion other than the Administration wants to drill in the most environmentally sensitive places on the planet. [End of Appendix B]
Appendix C
Normally I don't recommend those "take action"- campaigns: the ones that tell us, it's not too late, click-here to importune our "elected"- representatives with emails and faxes.
But the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf is different.
The inconvenient truth for our elected representatives, their families and staff who live in the Gulf states is that this disaster will affect them, they need a fighting chance to know if and when this perfect storm will hit and can get out of the way.
And for those of us who don't live in the path of this disaster we will be affected as well.
A disaster of this magnitude will have an impact on everything we take for granted on a daily basis, food, shelter, energy and social order.
So go ahead and email, fax and phone, this is one email campaign that might just work.
Here is a sample draft that you can customize with your personal concerns.
President Obama: The BP Oil disaster in the Gulf has the makings of a perfect storm.
The time for bold, decisive leadership is now.
- We will not tolerate any nuclear option to cap the Oil spill in the gulf.
- Demand BP release the Mud Log Data.
- Begin to implement proven mitigation technology NOW.
Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Address] [City, State ZIP]
Start with the website on How to Answer President Obama's Call to Action to Fix the Gulf Coast Spill and then Contact The U.S. Department of Energy
The Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, By Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
By Phone: 202-586-5000, By Fax 202-586-4403
By the Website contact form
Follow up by Contacting the Elected Officials where you live
If we work together we can make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans.


text:
Free Beer & Hot Wings: Great Dane Puppy Doesn't Want to Wake Up Early [Video]
There are some things that puppies love, like running, jumping, playing and eating.
There are also some things that puppies DON'T like, such as waking up super early at 3:30 in the morning.
Thor, a super-cute Great Dane puppy, is NOT a fan of getting up before the sun comes up.
But his owners are also owners of a bagel shop, so they have to be up bright and early. And if the owners are up early, Thor is up early as well, but not without a fight!
Source: Free Beer & Hot Wings

subset: commoncrawl


text:
List of Policies
Conflict Minerals and Electronics Policy
Ethics Policy: Fair Vendor Relations
Procurement Staff
John Storti
(781) 736-8686
Courtney Sampson
(781) 736-4266
Ellie Hunter
(781) 736-4484
Mark Jay
(781) 736-4505
Paola Briamonte
(781) 736-4510
Procurement Policy
Mission Statement
The mission of Procurement Services is to be the leader in higher education procurement by delivering the highest quality customer service to the Brandeis community through an efficient and collaborative best-in-class sourcing and procurement process.
Who Should Know this Policy
Any University employee, staff, or faculty member responsible for requisitioning, procuring or paying for products or services
Procurement Services Department: Roles & Responsibilities
The goal of the Procurement Department is to support all departments in the acquisition of products and services for Brandeis University at the lowest total cost of ownership. University departments may work independently to source their requirements and select vendors in accordance with University policy and procedure. Procurement staff is readily available to assist departments with questions and work collaboratively in an effort to communicate with vendors, facilitate the vendor relationship, and execute final contract and agreements. The Procurement Department maintains ownership and has the responsibility for making the final determination of all purchases, negotiations, and contracts.
Specifically, the Procurement Department
- Works in a proactive manner with campus staff to ensure the successful administration of expert procurement services and methodologies.
- Conducts training for campus staff on effective procurement processes and procedures.
- Establishes and facilitates a competitive vendor marketplace wherever applicable through the development of best-in-class sourcing methodologies and procurement specifications, soliciting and processing requests for proposals, and directing and managing negotiations for pricing, terms and conditions, and contracts, and where necessary, conferring with General Counsel for advice and resolution of specific matters.
- Administers and maintains purchase records for federal, state and internal procurement audit requirements.
The Procurement Department is the central purchasing authority for the University and is responsible for facilitating and managing the purchasing process on a University-wide level. In conjunction with the Office of Financial Affairs, the Procurement Department is responsible for ensuring compliance with University procurement policy.
Authorization to a vendor or supplier for the purchase of products or services must be completed through an approved University Purchase Order or a Procurement Card (P-Card).
The University requires competitive bidding in order to appropriately safeguard University assets. As a condition for receiving federal funding for research, the University maintains a purchasing system that is routinely audited to confirm compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). These regulations mandate competitive bidding. When audited, the University must certify that the University's policies are in compliance for all transactions - not just those that are federally funded.
In some circumstances, competitive bids are not appropriate and the requirement for obtaining them is waived. These circumstances include those outlined on the Sole Source Policy section below.
To ensure objectivity and eliminate unfair competitive advantage, vendors, supplier and/or contractors who participate in the development or drafting of specifications, requirements, requests for quotes or proposals must be excluded from competing for such purposes.
Unless an invoice received is substantiated in advance of the initial order by an official Brandeis Purchase Order Number, the University is under no obligation to pay for goods or services.
To avoid potential conflicts of interest, no employee, officer, or agent of the College should participate in the selection, award, or administration of purchases or contracts in which, to his or her knowledge, the employee, immediate family, or partner has a financial interest in the supplier's organization.
Competitive bidding is required for products or services with an aggregate total value of $5,000 or more.
Purchases shall be made on the basis of competitive prices, considering quality, suitability, delivery and service. Brandeis policy requires acceptance of the best bid. When determining best bid, consideration may be given, but is not necessarily limited to, the following: price, bidder's previous record of performance and service, ability of bidder to render satisfactory service, quality and conformance to specifications, delivery schedule, life expectancy, warranty and end of term.
The following minimum guidelines have been established to promote competitive bidding. Upon request, the Procurement Department will assist in locating potential suppliers and obtaining pricing and product availability information.
Purchases less than $5,000
The Procurement card should be used for non-repetitive purchases under $5000. Requestors should follow their own judgment in identifying potential suppliers. If the goods or services can be obtained from a contracted/preferred supplier, it is required that the requestor purchase from this source.
Purchases between $5,000 - $24,999
All purchases over $5,000.00 but not exceeding $24,999 require a minimum of two (2) quotations be obtained from suppliers if not utilizing a contracted/preferred supplier. All quotations must be in written form so they can be attached to the requisition. If there are limited sources of supply or the low bid is found unacceptable because of some factual circumstance, the department head or principal investigator should write a clear, concise, and factual justification for not accepting the lowest bid. If the requestor is unable to identify three suppliers, Procurement Services should be contacted to assist in identifying additional suppliers.
Purchases over $25,000
All purchases over $25,000 require the requestor to contact Procurement Services to conduct more formal bid process. Procurement Services will work collaboratively with the requestor to facilitate this process for the requestor's review and evaluation.
Exceptions to Competitive Bid Policy
There are a few circumstances and items excluded - in all or part from the competitive bid policy. Failing to anticipate needs resulting from poor planning is not an exception to this policy.
For an exception to be valid, a clear statement of justification for waiving the competitive bidding process must be submitted in writing and authorized by a department director.
Certain situations which may justify purchases without following the competitive bid procedures are as follows:
- Items purchased from current University, State, Federal, or other cooperative contract or pricing agreement.
- Emergency purchases when:
- Human life, health or University property is in jeopardy.
- Repairs of equipment involve hidden dangers.
- Repairs are immediately needed for equipment where delay would lead to higher expense.
- Library acquisitions (books, periodicals and films).
- Subcontracts
- Legal Fees
- Audit Fees
- Recruitment costs and expenses
- Items which are proprietary (software, etc.)
- OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) requirements for equipment under lease, rental, warranty or maintenance.
- Design compatibility with existing equipment.
Sole Source
A sole source purchase is one where a good or service can only be purchased from a single source. This situation makes it impossible to obtain competitive bids. The requisitioning department must furnish documentation to justify why the technical characteristics inherent in the item make it essential to purchase the particular good or service.
Written documentation of price or cost analysis is required on all sole source purchases with an aggregate expenditure in excess of $5,000. Appropriate documentation may include copies of published price lists, advertised pricing in established magazines, journals, and newspapers, and similar indices.
The Sole Source Justification Form must be completed for goods or services purchased from a single source or when the supplier offering the lowest bid is not accepted.
Final responsibility in determining whether an item is a proprietary item and may be purchased from a sole source rests with the Director of Procurement.
Purchase Approval & Signature Authorization
All purchase contracts, vendor agreements, and transactions for the purchase of goods and services must receive approval for both contract signature and payment approval. The Procurement Department is authorized to execute contracts and place orders for goods and services, subject to the receipt of an approved purchase requisition from the initiating department.
Requisition & Purchase Approval Authorization
In order for Requisitions and transactions for the purchase of goods and services to be approved, they must (1) be processed through the Office of Procurement, and (2) must be approved by individuals with the proper approval authorization concurrent to the threshold listed in the Purchase Approval Authorization. (Approval and authorization list is maintained by the Office of Financial Affairs).
Signature Authority to Bind the University for Contracts
Brandeis University's bylaws provide that only appointed delegates may bind the University in contracts, leases, and other legal agreements. Specifically, the Signature Authority Policy clarifies the delegation of authority to individuals to make legally binding obligations on the University. (Signature Authority Policy list is maintained by the Office of Financial Affairs).
Purchasing Card (P-Card)
The P-Card Program is intended to provide a simple, efficient, cost-effective means of purchasing non-repetitive low dollar items.
The P-Card is a University-liability credit card issued to individual Brandeis staff which allows departments to charge University related purchases and expenses less than $5,000 per purchase.
Cardholders are prohibited from "splitting" purchases that exceed $4,999 into multiple P-Card charges.


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Embark on a startling and beautiful voyage through our solar system, galaxy, and universe in search of water - a key ingredient for life on Earth. Your exploration starts on Earth, with its vast oceans that make life possible. Along the way, you'll fly by the other planets and their moons, learning about their characteristics such as atmosphere, temperature, and composition. Learn where water comes from in the cosmos and the conditions necessary for it to exist as a precious, life-giving liquid. Recommended for third grade children and up. 24 minutes.
Show and show description provided by Spitz Inc.
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Wednesday Shorts: Dog fighting, DDO, Madden, God Hand, Angry Birds, Romero, sales
While a lot of folks feel they've been kicked in the neck over this PSN business and have seen loads of reports on the situation, other stuff happened in the world of games as well. Below, you will find that other stuff.
3000ad headlines
3000AD announces Line of Defense
3000AD has announced its newest MMO, Line of Defense.
Weekly MMO news round-up: Halloween comes early, free trials and welcome backs
Loads of MMOs are planning Halloween and fall festivities for users, but some have already launched tricky goodness.You can find out more about those past the break, but while you are headed that way you will also learn other sorts of stuff like: Legends of Norrath's eighth expansion has launched, CrimeCraft is headed to iPhone […]
Indie and other games of interest: Become a shark, hunt down vampires
There are a few tidbits of indie and other games of interest stuff past the break this week. One stand out, in our opinion, is Miami Shark, where you literally get to play as one of the giant fish. Awesome stuff.Also, there's the usual free stuff, sneak peeks and a barrage of other stuff you […]


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Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Value of Black & White
I first began to use value as most art students do during art school; where black and white work is mainly seen in drawing class, or as a preparatory step towards a more complicated full palette painting. Had I gone to an Atelier', there would have been even more time spent in black and white before even being allowed to venture into color.
In my case, as an illustration major at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, my pivotal moment came when I was given a class instructed by Dan McCaw... Painting I. In Dan's class we painted the model and still life in a full value palette, I think it was a mix of Thalo or Prussian blue and Raw Umber or something like that. In other classes we used black and white to do prelim's and design considerations, not to mention all of the drawing from the model that went on. I'll admit to wanting to 'get to color' back then, but now know how important that was for me to have gone through.
I didn't fully realize the 'value' in those early instructive moments until I began to teach students myself. Once faced with the issues that students bring to a class, I began to go back in time and search for the most important lessons that I had learned during my own schooling so that I could bring that to my own classes and students. I quickly realized that the most valuable training that I had in school was centered around understanding value and it's relationship to color. This is the basis for what most people seem to want to know and understand more about than any one thing in a class... COLOR!
The understanding of value relationships and how they translate to color relationships in and around the subject, and consequently onto the painting, is key to using color in a more effective way in painting.
Now in my own workshops and classes, there are at least two days of value work before we move onto color theory and practice. Consistently I get feedback saying that those couple of days are the most valued segments of the class time. Most of us don't think to head outside and paint, the landscape for instance, in black and white. Why would you with all of that color out there? But I think that once we find out that what we're doing a lot of the time outside is trying to 'understand' nature, to look for the truth to what we are seeing, it becomes obvious that understanding value structure is as important to the mood of the painting as is color.
Here's a blog that some of my students started after a workshop to encourage each other to continue to work in value. They've added color but still continue to use the value studies to enhance and boost their knowledge.
"Black & White Painting Challenge 5.26.09'
In the exhibit I'll be showing plein air work. Possibly one large studio piece. If you're in the area, I hope that you will stop into the gallery before the end of the year to take a peak at the show.
Thanks... Marc
5 comments:
- John D. Wooldridge said...
I guess these types of exercises are something I should give a shot. I feel that one of my biggest deficiencies is value. It certainly wouldn't hurt!
- October 21, 2010 at 1:27 PM
- John Baker said...
You keep inspiring me. I went out this morning hoping for two and came back with one. I got tripped up by a half lit bridge over water with dark and light stones. Local color versus basic value. As I cleaned my brushes and admitted it was time for lunch, I promised myself I would return soon and do it in black and white. Thanks for all the great teaching.
- October 22, 2010 at 7:00 PM
- Kitty Wallis said...
Thank you for writing this Marc.
This piece about value is so needed.
Most students that come to me have no idea about how the black and white value scale relates to color. As a result they are making paintings that miss the richness of accurate value readings in their color.
They lose the light structure and/or punch holes in their shadows, or even resort for contrast and drama to all the darks and lights of their palette, missing the middle values, resulting in a truncated painting, devoid of the full perception of value and color.
I've admired your command of value in your paintings and I am very glad you teach it.
- October 23, 2010 at 5:37 PM
We're bringing the family up from KC for Christmas in Door County this year! Thanks for the info, I'll be sure to stop by and see the show!
- October 23, 2010 at 9:16 PM
- Marc R. Hanson said...
Exactly Kitty!!! I think it's the most important thing to teach. So many things about being an artist simply take time to mature and develop. But instructing in the importance of value to one's painting is a concrete exercise and it does open eyes. There are more 'Aha' moments when working in the area of value with a class than in any other area of teaching, I've found.
Thanks for the post...
- October 24, 2010 at 8:48 AM


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Pragmatic; not campaigning.
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We work with all sectors of society to build and nurture an environment which enables people to develop effective solutions to environmental and social concerns.
Rather than imposing solutions, Living Earth helps to develop people's knowledge, skills and abilities in response to their needs.
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The Latest on BROS Forever Home!
September 24, 2018
BENEFITING: Baltimore Rock Opera Society Inc
On December 5th, 2016, the Bell Foundry building at 1539 N Calvert St—the space that has been our production home for the last four years, the heart of our community, and the engine of our operations—was shut down. We were forced to cease operations, the power and gas were shut off, and the building was declared vacant.
The shuttering of BROS HQ on the first floor of the Bell Foundry and the eviction of the tenants, bands, and individual artists from the rest of the space is another tragic example in a long history of artists being removed from spaces that they do not control. Over and over again, we witness artists building and cultivating communities only to have them taken away. There are a variety of reasons why this happens, but there is one fundamental truth in every example: the artists are never in control.
We're starting a campaign that will allow BROS to take control of its own destiny. We are hellbent on acquiring an equity stake in a permanent home for the BROS community and for BROS performances. We are going to build a palace that can bring rock 'n' roll to Baltimore for 7,000 years!
Lost In Space(s)
When we founded our company in 2008, we were a loosely organized group of DIY artists with really big dreams. We produced work in people's backyards, living rooms, and basements. We borrowed resources and subsisted on the goodwill of others. From the very first moments of planning, we opened ourselves up to any volunteers who wished to get involved.
Between 2010 and 2013 BROS put huge amounts of labor and funds into improving the Autograph Playhouse, which is where we produced some of our best work. We cleaned up and improved every aspect of the theatre, painted the walls, built a gigantic new stage, and rehabbed the lobby, all with volunteer labor. During our production of Murdercastle in 2013, the building was almost shut down just a few days before opening night because the Autograph did not comply with fire code. A monumental effort was undertaken to ensure that didn't happen, and we succeeded. Murdercastle proceeded to sell out every show and receive rave reviews. It was the epitome of everything BROS strives to be. We survived impossible odds yet were forced to forfeit everything we built due to mismanagement by the landlord who controlled the Autograph. Despite the thousands of dollars in rent payments, safety upgrades, and countless hours of volunteer labor we gave to the space, the Autograph Playhouse was never able to obtain a completed Use and Occupancy permit.
Since we began leasing our operations headquarters at the Bell Foundry, BROS has been a nomadic performance company, using 7 different spaces for our last 7 full-scale rock operas. This has come at a significant cost to the financial sustainability of BROS, with each new venue requiring a massive investment of time, labor, and money to adapt it to our use. Yet again, after putting in four years of improvements and labor into the Bell Foundry, and just one and a half years after becoming a 501(c)3 organization, the future of our company has been made uncertain. Our programming, including feature-length rock operas, is effectively halted. Despite adhering to our lease and supplying labor to drastically improve the space we were still forced to close the doors to BROS HQ because we are not in control of our own space. and not in control of our future.
BROS cannot continue producing art without owning the means of producing it. Above all else, we are now convinced we must acquire our forever home.
The Campaign
Here is our plan to secure BROS future:
PHASE ONE: We're asking for your help in raising $75,000. The first $50,000 will become our nest egg reserved exclusively for improvements to our future permanent home. BROS does NOT plan to spend any of this money for acquiring the building itself (we will seek grant funding for this), or for initial development and construction (space stabilization, environmental analysis and remediation, basic utility service, and basic buildout). This money will go to the things BROS needs in order to put on epic rock operas:
- Lighting infrastructure: a grid, fixtures, dimmers
- Audio equipment: a PA system, microphones, soundproofing
- Customizing the space for our needs: a badass set of curtains, venting for our workshop
- Decorative elements: like a giant fire-breathing steel pegacorn to put on the roof
The other $25,000 of this money will be designated for funding of normal BROS operations and will go directly toward upcoming shows, rental of equipment and show spaces, and production tools. BROS wants to remain on a path of creating bigger and badder rock operas. This budget reflects the increasing costs we face in putting on our spectacle-driven shows, fixed costs (including rent and insurance), and constantly improving our volunteer experience.
PHASE TWO: After we have identified our forever home, we will use the $50,000 nest egg as leverage towards matching grants, foundation money, tax credits, building acquisition loans and development loans. These later rounds of funding will enable us to fully fund the acquisition and development of the BROS rock palace. As these plans unfold, we promise full financial transparency to our supporters and frequent updates on the status of our mission.
Creating Baltimore's First Rock Palace.
BROS is a passionate community of artists who create unforgettable experiences through live, original rock theater. We want to remain a hive of electric energy for the makers, musicians, and artists of Baltimore, and we want to offer this experience to more people, from all parts of our city. BROS represents the voices of over 300 artists living and working in Baltimore, and we want the number and diversity of voices within BROS to grow. We are asking you to help us find a space we can own – one that is a haven for any artist, arts-lover, or party animal in Baltimore. We need the support of the Baltimore community at large to help make lasting changes that will not only ensure a glorious rock-filled future for Baltimore, but also will create a space for artists to gain new skills and put existing ones to use. This is our vision for our rock palace, a new home for the arts in Baltimore, owned and controlled by Baltimore Artists. We call it, "The Paradise."
Click here to learn more about "The Paradise."
Click here to get more involved with this campaign.
Perks for Donating and Fundraising
Donors of $500 will get their custom portrait hung on our Wall of the Righteous. The Wall of the Righteous will live with us forever in any home that we occupy for the next 6,993 years! The BROS will bring to life your concept for a completely epic photo portrait, including props, costuming, and rock 'n' roll attitude. Don't have a concept? We'll help you develop one! You'll also receive an 8x10 photograph to keep.
The Team: $77,264 TOTAL RAISED SO FARJOIN THE TEAM
Donor Comments
Krigel Philanthropy
I'm the real winner here since I believed in Debra first. 2 years ago
Ariel Diliberto
May the tide of displacement stem for all people, and property be used for shelter, art, and the benefit of society, not for profit! <3 your comrade 2 years ago


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For more than two centuries, customers trust the high quality and reliability of GF's products and services. With worldwide production locations, customer proximity and performance are ensured around the globe. The decentralized research and development centers in the major markets allow GF to better understand customer needs and quickly act upon them.
Key Figures
|Million CHF
3 795
3 766
3 720
|Return on sales (EBIT margin) %
|Return on invested capital (ROIC) %
|Free cash flow before acquisitions/divestitures
|Dividend (proposed) per registered share in CHF
|Employees at year-end
|14 140
|14 066
|13 412
Service at GF
All about GF
Our Profile //
GF comprises three divisions: GF Piping Systems, GF Automotive, and GF Machining Solutions. Founded in 1802, the Corporation is headquartered in Switzerland and is present in 31 countries with 126 companies, 47 of them production facilities. Its approximately 14 100 employees generated sales of CHF 3.80 billion in 2014. GF is the preferred partner of its customers for the safe transport of liquids and gases, lightweight casting components in vehicles, and high-precision manufacturing technologies.
GF Piping Systems
GF Piping Systems is a leading supplier of piping systems made of plastics and metal. The division focuses on system solutions and high-quality components for the safe transport of water and gas in industry, utilities, and building technology. Its product line includes fittings, valves, pipes, automation and jointing technology and covers all water cycle applications.
GF Piping Systems supports its customers in over 100 countries
through its own sales companies and representatives. The division is
present in Europe, Asia and the Americas with more than 30
manufacturing sites and research and development centers, which also
energy-saving use of raw materials and resources.
GF Automotive
GF Automotive is a technologically pioneering development partner and manufacturer of lightweight cast components and systems made of ductile iron, aluminum and magnesium for the global automotive industry as well as a variety of industrial applications. The highly complex lightweight components contribute to making modern vehicles lighter and reducing the CO2 emissions.
GF Automotive manufactures at 9 production plants in Germany, Austria, and China. In those countries as well as in Switzerland, Korea and Japan it operates sales offices. The lightweight research and development competency is in Schaffhausen (Switzerland) and Suzhou (China).
GF Machining Solutions
GF Machining Solutions' electrical discharge, high-speed milling and laser texturing machines, along with automation solutions, make it the world's leading provider to the tool and mold making industry and to manufacturers of precision components. Most important customer segments are information and communication technology, aerospace, and the automotive industry.
The division has its own sales companies in more than 50 countries
and production plants in Switzerland, Sweden, and China. GF Machining
Solutions operates research and development centers in Meyrin, Losone,
and Nidau (Switzer-
land), Vällingby (Sweden), Beijing, and Changzhou (China).
Market proximity
Being close to the market is crucial to develop the best solutions for customers. GF has 38 Centers of Competence (CoCs) around the globe. Extensive training centers and large product demonstration areas provide customers with tailor-made services and personal support worldwide.
Success stories
Letter to the Shareholders
GF keeps its earnings growth path
Dear shareholders
GF generated sales of CHF 3 795 million in 2014 for an increase of 1%. The operating profit (EBIT) rose 9% to CHF 274 million mainly thanks to significant productivity gains.
The EBIT margin went up from 6.7% to 7.2% and the return on invested capital (ROIC) from 16.7% to 17.9%. All three divisions generated ROICs well above their cost of capital.
Free cash flow before acquisitions and divestments stood at CHF 110 million compared to CHF 174 million in 2013 mainly on account of higher investments in fixed assets, especially at GF Automotive. Furthermore, the high turnover in December led to a clear increase of the net working capital at year-end compared to 2013.
The number of employees rose slightly from 14 066 to 14 140. The increase due the acquisition of Meco Eckel (Germany) and Liechti Engineering (Switzerland) has been nearly offset by the divestment of the gravity-die-casting operations in Herzogenburg (Austria).
Net profit grew 34% to CHF 195 million and earnings per share 32% to CHF 45 also supported by the disposal of non-operative real estate. The Board of Directors will propose a dividend of CHF 17 (CHF 16 for 2013) at the Annual Shareholders' Meeting.
Strategy implementation well under way //
For the first time ever, GF Piping Systems became the largest division of GF, a change which continues to reduce the corporation's overall exposure to economic cycles and increases its overall profitability.
GF Automotive has divested its non-core activities and significantly improved its position in the pressure die-casting sector by entering in July into a strategic partnership, including a majority stake, with Meco Eckel, a leading German manufacturer of pressure die-casting molds.
GF Machining Solutions
is now well focused on less cyclical, more profitable
market segments such as the promising electronics and
aerospace sectors. In the latter, it became a leading actor in
2014 by acquiring Liechti Engineering AG, the specialist of
5-axis milling machines for the production of the key rotating
components of aircraft engines and power generating
All three divisions increased their operating results, GF Automotive the most
All together at the service of our customers //
We highly value the constructive feedback and the close cooperation we enjoy with our customers. Our before and after sales services stand at the heart of our constant efforts to keep in touch with them, adapt our offering and quicken our innovation pace.
We express our
heartfelt gratitude to our shareholders for their
continuing trust. Our deepest thanks go to our employees.
Their willingness to act as a team, their dedication,
flexibility and tremendous commitment to GF make outstanding
achievements possible.
Andreas Koopmann
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Yves Serra
President and CEO
Corporate Report 2014
Topics of the Corporate Report
"Today's services bring the orders of tomorrow"
Is GF a service company?
Yves Serra: Yes. All three divisions of GF are selling solutions, not only products. Services are essential to our solutions offering, before and after sales are concluded. In fact, they often play a decisive role to convince customers and certainly to retain them. Today's services bring tomorrow's orders.
What does service mean for GF Piping Systems?
At first glance, service in this sector consists in the availability of all components and products wherever our customers need them. This we ensure by maintaining a proper stock in each region or each country. In fact, GF Piping Systems offers much more than that. GF Piping Systems has developed the most comprehensive handbook regarding the use of plastic piping systems for virtually any industrial application, a reference which is used by our customers to select, joint, and inspect every kind of plastic piping systems. Our skilled engineers provide technical support during the design phase as well as by selecting the right piping materials for aggressive media. We also train every year more than 10 000 customers worldwide to ensure a proper layout and installation. GF Piping Systems is present in virtually all sites where construction happens.
And for GF Automotive?
GF Automotive is specialized on offering lightweight solutions to its customers, the car and truck manufacturers. The division acts as a partner, developing its own materials and component designs in close contact with its customers. Its test centers can handle the largest car and truck components, even whole vehicles. Thanks to its extensive production facilities in Europe and China and production partners in the US and Japan, it offers to international car customers the same solutions worldwide. In addition, the division develops and builds its own molds and patterns and undertakes their maintenance including at our customers' premises, 24 hours a day.
"Services are essential to our solutions offering, before and after sales are concluded."
GF Machining Solutions is a machine tool business. Can service be described as the delivery of spare parts?
Not only. Service starts with advising of our customers regarding their projects. For example the development of automated solutions, typically tailored to each client's needs. GF Machining Solutions also offers in each and every one of its worldwide facilities the necessary test cuts to prove the validity of its offering. The exclusive training of customers' operators upon delivery and the availability of application engineers plays thereafter a key role to maximize the efficiency and utilization of the proposed solutions. Finally, GF Machining Solutions ensures a prompt delivery of components and parts close to its customers and a whole array of preventive maintenance contracts for each and every one of its clients. All the above account for 30% of the turnover of GF Machining Solutions.
Where do you see opportunities for the service business of GF Piping Systems?
GF Piping Systems recently developed geolocalisation tools and services to enable customers to trace the location of the components they install, a real novelty in this business. We also see opportunities in the offering of novel plastic weld inspection technologies but also in innovations regarding leak detection across plastic pipe networks.
Will service be more relevant for GF Automotive in the future?
With the development of electric cars or even the strict application of CO2 reduction targets, the expertise of GF Automotive in lightweight component construction will certainly be an asset regarding the competitiveness of its offering. Also, the upstream support of our customers at the R&D and component design stage will become even more relevant. For example for aluminum die-casting components we also offer the relevant molds, an essential part of their design.
Can you describe how GF Machining Solutions can expand its service business?
With internet chips inside the machine controls, remote services will certainly be expanded, just like the services offered in cars. They include for example software additions and advanced diagnostics.
How can GF benefit from a further enhancement of its service business?
Service activities are less cyclical, especially in the machine-tool business. They are an important and growing source of revenues. Services offered worldwide are also a key differentiator, especially for our international customers in the car, aerospace or electronics sectors, for example. Finally, services bring us closer to our customers, to their needs and allow us to quickly adapt our offering, in other words to quicken our innovation pace.
Each customer can count on us
This team from the Competence Center in Irvine (USA) is exemplary for all 14 140 employees of GF who put their heart and soul into their work. Thanks to the personal dedication and passion of each of them, GF delivers exceptional products and services to customers worldwide.
Customer Services
Individual service for your needs //
Customer needs are in the center of whatever GF does. From on-site training to adapted design and tailor-made processes – GF provides individual service which fits customers best.
GF Piping Systems
GF Automotive
GF Machining Solutions
Organization of GF
Georg Fischer Ltd, the Holding Company of the GF Corporation, is
organized under Swiss law, headquartered in Schaffhausen
(Switzerland), and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
Board of Directors //
The ten members of the Board of Directors, elected individually by the Shareholders' Meeting, are responsible for determining the Corporation's strategic direction, the design of accounting, the financial controlling and financial planning. It appoints the Executive Committee and has ultimate responsibility for supervising and monitoring the management of Georg Fischer Ltd. All members of the Board of Directors are non-executive.
A shared corporate culture is becoming increasingly important with the spread of globalization.
Executive Committee //
The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the management of the Corporation. Under his leadership, the Executive Committee addresses all issues of relevance to the Corporation, takes decisions within its remit and submits proposals to the Board of Directors. The Heads of the Divisions and the Corporate Staff Units are responsible for drafting and achieving their business objectives and for managing their units autonomously.
Corporate structure //
GF Corporation is organized in the three divisions GF Piping Systems,
GF Automotive and GF Machining Solutions and the two Corporate Staff
Units Finance & Controlling and Corporate Development. The Heads
of the Divisions and the Corporate Staff Units are responsible for
managing their businesses and for achieving their business
Corporate Center //
The CEO and the CFO form the Corporate Center in the narrower sense. The Corporate Center is closely involved in management, planning, IT, communications, finance, management development, and corporate culture and is supported in these tasks by a team of about 50 people. The Corporate Center ensures that risk management, transparency, corporate governance, sustainability, and compliance practices meet the requirements of the owners and the public, and it supports the Board of Directors in meeting its responsibilies.
Finances //
Corporate Finance & Controlling uses powerful information systems to ensure the time-critical financial management of the Corporation. A standardized system of financial reporting is used throughout the entire Corporation, guaranteeing immediate and complete transparency. Currency, interest-rate, and credit risks are monitored and managed at Corporation level.
Management development //
Strategically important competencies and information are shared and made available throughout the Corporation. Considerable importance is attached to internal training and to the focused nurturing and development of leaders and managers.
Communication //
Thanks to the long history and the consistent enhancements, the
Corporation has a strong brand with GF. In 2013, the company has
implemented a rebranding and an alignment of its brand architecture.
As part of this rebranding, a new Corporate Design will be adopted
worldwide throughout all three divisions by 2015. The Corporation
builds confidence in its products and services with an open and active
communication policy to the customers, employees, media, analysts, and
Corporate values //
Shared corporate values are the basis for overall sustainable development and are becoming increasingly important with the spread of globalization. The Corporate center conveys and promotes the fundamental corporate values throughout the company, thereby nurturing and fostering its corporate culture.
Corporate Governance //
For detailed information about the Corporate Governance of GF see
pages 42 to 51.
Download Organization of GF
Related topic
Corporate Governance
The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of GF attach great importance to good Corporate Governance in the interest of shareholders, customers, business partners, and employees. The implementation and ongoing improvement of the generally accepted principles of Corporate Governance ensure the necessary transparency to enable investors to judge the quality of the Corporation. This Report provides information on structures and processes, areas of responsibility and decision-making procedures, control mechanisms, as well as the rights and obligations of the various stakeholders.
Contents //
The present publication fulfills all obligations of the relevant SIX Swiss Exchange directive on information relating to Corporate Governance in terms of content and order and is based on the Swiss Code of Best Practice for Corporate Governance of Economiesuisse, the Swiss Business Federation. The Compensation Report is presented in a separate chapter on pages 52 to 61. All data and information apply to the cutoff date of 31 December 2014, unless otherwise noted. Any changes occurring before the copy deadline on 13 February 2015 are listed at the end of this chapter. Any changes occurring after the copy deadline can be found on our website. GF also publishes the Articles of Association of Georg Fischer Ltd, the internal Organization and Business Rules, its policies, and much more information online Corporate Governance - Policies.
More information about Corporate Governance
Related topics on georgfischer.com
- Corporate Governance
- /content/gf/com/en/investoren/strategie-2015/CorporateCultureValues
Compensation Report
Introduction by the Chairman of the Compensation Committee
Dear shareholder
On behalf of the Board of Directors of GF and of the Compensation Committee, I am pleased to present the 2014 Compensation Report.
2014 has been a good year for GF; due to improved productivity, profitability was increased. All divisions achieved a ROIC well above their financial costs.
From a compensation perspective, the Committee has prepared the amendments to the Articles of Association relative to the requirements of the new Ordinance against excessive pay. These amendments will be submitted to shareholders' vote at the upcoming Annual Shareholders' Meeting in parallel to the binding shareholders' vote on the compensation amounts of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. Further, the Compensation Committee has undertaken a thorough review of the compensation model of the Board of Directors, considering that it has been in place for several years. Based on this review we will simplify the remuneration structure of the Board of Directors in 2015.
At the upcoming Annual Shareholders' Meeting, we will ask you to approve the principles of compensation, included in the Articles of Association as well as to approve prospectively in a binding vote the maximum amounts of compensation for the Board of Directors and for the Executive Committee. In addition, we will also ask you to vote on a consultative basis on the Compensation Report 2014.
Looking ahead, the Committee will continue to review and fine-tune the compensation programs, in order to ensure that they remain aligned with market levels and the business strategy of GF as well as the long-term interests of our shareholders, while being compliant with the various regulations.
We would like to thank you for sharing your views on compensation with us and we trust that you will ind this report interesting and informative.
Ulrich Graf, Chairman of the Compensation Committee
Contents //
The Compensation Report provides information about the compensation
policy, the compensation programs, and the process of determination of
compensation applicable to the Board of Directors and to the Executive
Committee of GF. It also includes details on the compensation payments
related to 2014. This report is written in accordance to the Ordinance
against excessive pay in stock exchange listed companies, the
standards related to information on Corporate Governance issued by the
SIX Swiss Exchange and the principles of the Swiss Code of Best
Practice for Corporate Governance of Economiesuisse.


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A bunch of video for your Friday:
Title: Cranksgiving '12 from Boda Boda 2012
Title: In That Spiniard Dreamland
Title: Murder Of Couriers Trailer 5
Seen on: Urban Velo
After a couple of years in the works the Murder of Couriers film is complete and gearing up for the film festival season. Check out the latest trailer.
Title: Brompton Urban Challenge-Milano-BFF 2012
Seen on: Urban Velo
Ah yes, those aged hipsters on Brompton's or at least the aged being so aged they now look like hipsters. Anyways, Brompton hosted an Urban Challengein Milano complete with a folding contest, some sort of crashing into boxes finale and other tweedtastic camaraderie. It's like alleycat culture for the retired. Nah, it actually looks like a good time, if clown bikes are your thing. I kid, I kid.
Title: Fixed Alpcross
Seen on: Urban Velo
Four riders, four days, 400 km and 4000+ m of climbing crossing the Alps from Germany through Austria and into Italy. Check out the teaser video and the four day diary "This is so ridiculous that it is fun again…"
Title: Black Metal Fixed-we ride along
Seen on: Urban Velo
Black Metal Fixed is a clothing company created by riders in Singapore, an this video was created to show off the local scene and a different perspective riding the outskirts of Singapore's urban core.
Title: Fijate 2012
Seen on: www.urbancyclistworldwide.com
Seen on: www.urbancyclistworldwide.com


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I usually tell people that in Georgia Pre-K, we don't do a lot of art projects or "canned art". I realized recently that most of the "art" pictures I have featured in my posts are of precisely these types of projects. We don't feature these on our bulletin boards and our program guidelines don't allow us to use them in our portfolios. (I am currently working on a post about all the guidelines and requirements that are part of our program. Stay tuned.)
A teacher selected subject with teacher selected materials is not "real art", but they do have some purpose. Projects are great practice for following directions. And let's face it, honestly, they can be a lot of fun! Parents usually love them, and schools usually want some sort of class display regularly. We do a few seasonal projects, usually displayed on our classroom door or a picture window in our school lobby. I save them and plan to make a little scrapbook for the parents of just the "projects" we've done seasonally.
I have 5 bulletin boards in my classroom. A small section of one is a parent information board, and one large one is for circle time, calendar, math, literacy, etc. All of the rest of our bulletin boards, along with the doors, windows and cabinet faces feature student art. Materials and mediums are all child selected. Our program guidelines require an abundance of art materials be "open and accessible" so children may freely create. I wanted to show off some of the wonderful ART in my room, since I have shared some of the "cute projects".
Coffee filters are a staple in our art center and very early in the year, I introduced coloring them with markers, then lightly spraying with water to achieve a bleeding effect. This is a popular activity in our art center. Recently I read a wonderful post about putting the coffee filters outside when it is drizzling to achieve the same effect. We did these earlier in the week and they turned out beautifully! I wish I could remember who posted it so I could properly give them credit! (Please leave me a link if it was yours--I'd love to give you credit!) What an awesome twist on an old favorite!
The friends love to explore with different materials making collages.
Glitter is always popular in our art center, and we have worked hard helping the children learn to use it properly without a lot of waste.
The cotton balls we keep in our art center took on new life with our weather unit.
Our family and friends are some of the favored subjects.
I found some extra large sequins at the dollar store. They are adorning everything they can put glue on!
Sometimes, the art is a favorite book character!
We love to make letters, our names, and friends' names!
Some art is still life and some is abstract!
I am truly blessed to be surrounded daily with walls covered in masterpieces by some of the greatest artists in the world. Their creativity is exhilarating and moves me in the same way the wonderful art at MoMA did when I visited, except I have the unique opportunity to share in watching these masterpieces as they unfold daily. No museum can compare to that!


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Pomme's birthday, precious Pomme deserves a precious cake! A cake that faeries might design if they were into that sort of thing. Something deviously healthy and yet richer than sin, delicate like tea-time but exotic, too. Something refreshing that can still be cut into a nice solid "wodge" of nutty pink cream... something like a pistachio rosewater cheesecake!
I think I've outdone myself this time.
I'm saving this recipe for the zine, but I *can* tell you that there's cardamom in the cream, cocoa and orange in the crust, and it's really really impossibly easy to make (and makes a cake like no other!). Amazing straight from the freezer, like ice cream except completely unlike ice cream...
There was birthday dinner, too, which was almost equally as special as the cake, at least if you like guacamole as much as we do (which is with undue passion). A spicy papaya salsa on red leaf lettuce with a nice tender-browned brick of cumin-lime tofu, with guac on the side... heaven! (and credit where credit is due, totally inspired by susanv's recent post).
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Birthday #5: raw rosewater cheesecake
Pomme's birthday, precious Pomme deserves a precious cake! A cake that faeries might design if they were into that sort of thing. Something deviously healthy and yet richer than sin, delicate like tea-time but exotic, too. Something refreshing that can still be cut into a nice solid "wodge" of nutty pink cream... something like a pistachio rosewater cheesecake!
44 comments:
- Celine said...
looks absolutely brill!
- July 12, 2008 at 7:26 AM
- Nicole said...
Wow! That is gorgeous! I bet it tastes amazing.
- July 12, 2008 at 7:30 AM
- Carrie™ said...
Wow! I don't know what else to say. The whole meal looks stunning! I know that cumin lime tofu is delicious because I've made it. It's ridiculously easy too. That cake is beyond words. Beautiful!
Ummm....wanna mark you calendar for my birthday? ;o)
- July 12, 2008 at 8:14 AM
- Leigh said...
That is, by far, the prettiest cake I've ever seen. Right down to the frilly scalloped pan.
- July 12, 2008 at 8:43 AM
- Katy said...
That is the prettiest cake ever!
- July 12, 2008 at 10:21 AM
- Anonymous said...
Oh my god, that cake is ridiculous! So gorgeous.
- July 12, 2008 at 12:26 PM
- A.M. said...
That cake is SO pretty! I'll make sure to bookmark the recipe, looks great!
- July 12, 2008 at 12:38 PM
- tofufreak said...
GORGEOUS!!! really pretty. i must try this soon! i like the fluted edges, yet it doesn't quite resemble the typical fluted pans that i've seen. what kind of pan did you use?
- July 12, 2008 at 1:31 PM
- Alicia said...
Don't know what too say, I'm way too impressed by the cake!
- July 12, 2008 at 2:27 PM
- Anonymous said...
What zine do you write for? Be sure to post a link once its out!
- July 12, 2008 at 3:13 PM
- LizNoVeggieGirl said...
OH. MY. GOODNESS. GRACIOUS. That cake!!! Stunning!!!
- July 12, 2008 at 3:58 PM
- Theresa said...
That cake is just beautiful. Are those figs on top? Yum!
- July 12, 2008 at 4:28 PM
- Little Miss Sunshine said...
JEBUS!! Pomme must have felt SUPER DUPER special!!!
Wow .... the cheesecake is SUPERBLY gorgeous - LOVE the way you decorate it with 'exquisitely sliced' figs, crushed pistachios, pearly sprinkles and rose - just ZOMG-ly gorgeous! I'm surprise noone passed out when they saw the cake!
And note that you have WAYYYY outdone yourself with this cake!
Hope you have a super duper great weekend :0)
- July 12, 2008 at 11:22 PM
- Amy said...
That cake is the single most beautiful thing I have seen today. YUM!!
- July 12, 2008 at 11:23 PM
- Anonymous said...
Everything for this anniversary is simply breathtaking - what a job!
- July 13, 2008 at 12:14 AM
- Eileen said...
there really isn't anything else to say. ok, besides "I WANT ONE."
- July 13, 2008 at 11:20 AM
- Anonymous said...
WOW-that cake is beauuuutiful. Yummy looking dinner, too!
- July 13, 2008 at 1:19 PM
- aTxVegn said...
You are awesome! That pie and dinner are truly gorgeous!
- July 13, 2008 at 1:46 PM
- Anonymous said...
Wow, that cheesecake looks stunning! I've never seen a raw version that cut so nicely... I can't wait for that zine of yours!
- July 13, 2008 at 4:23 PM
- Fearful Deeer said...
That's the prettiest cake I've ever seen! And figs..... yum.
- July 13, 2008 at 11:40 PM
- Rural Vegan said...
Hands down, that's the prettiest cheesecake I've ever seen.
- July 14, 2008 at 6:32 AM
- Erin said...
The dinner and the cheesecake both look delicious! The cheesecake is so pretty, like something you'd see in a magazine.
- July 14, 2008 at 11:42 AM
- Mihl said...
Please, can I have a slice of this most awesome cheesecake I have ever seen? Please?
- July 14, 2008 at 11:47 AM
- KP said...
That cake looks absolutely amazing!
- July 14, 2008 at 2:01 PM
- Judy said...
Wow, that cake looks and sounds absolutely amazing. I can't wait to maybe one day get a chance to try making it :)
- July 14, 2008 at 2:40 PM
- Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...
unbelievably beautiful!
- July 14, 2008 at 3:09 PM
- Lizzy said...
What an amizingly beautiful cake. I imagine it might taste like a cake from fairy land!
I always love your food pictures and of course THE FOOD in it ;)
I love your combination of things and the various spices you use. I'd love to eat with you some time, because it's stuff I'd love to try but am too scared to experiment with myself =p
- July 15, 2008 at 4:39 AM
- Picks Over Peas said...
That cheesecake looks so beautiful and delicious! And the tofu and salsa looks absolutely yummy. How lucky Pomme is to have you!
- July 15, 2008 at 11:46 AM
- Cakespy said...
Heartbreakingly gorgeous. xoxo
- July 15, 2008 at 7:27 PM
- Ruby Red said...
i can't believe you are tempting us like this... that cheesecake is the most amazing thing i have ever seen! you have outdone yourself. (and it gets extra points for being my favorite color.)
- July 15, 2008 at 8:29 PM
- Meghan said...
the most beautiful cheesecake i've ever seen. really...i do mean EVER.
- July 15, 2008 at 10:36 PM
- Carrie said...
that looks absolutely beautiful!
- July 16, 2008 at 8:54 AM
- Jes said...
Most delicious cheesecake idea ever? Yes. Yes it is. :)
Happy belated veganersary to you! Isn't it fun to make it a year?!
- July 16, 2008 at 10:11 AM
- Vegan Invasion! (Ashley Nicole) said...
So elegant! What a beautiful cheesecake, it sounds delicious!! You are amazing, this cake is a thing of beauty.
- July 16, 2008 at 10:30 AM
- trina said...
oh la la. That is some cheesecake.
- July 16, 2008 at 8:45 PM
- bazu said...
ok that cheesecake is beyond amazing! with figs! and shiny silvery things! aaaah! happy birthday to pomme.
- July 18, 2008 at 6:14 AM
- Pink Theory said...
That cake is simply amazing and so elegant looking! I'll be waiting to hear about the zine b/c I want to make that cake....so pretty!
- July 22, 2008 at 6:00 AM
- Anonymous said...
Holy mother of yum - I want that cake.
- July 27, 2008 at 12:09 PM
- Vegan_Noodle said...
You have totally outdone yourself... that cheesecake is beyond gorgeous.
- August 1, 2008 at 2:30 PM
- Anonymous said...
Wow. That cheesecake looks incredibly delicious - not to mention how gorgeous it is!! Beautiful job, so impressive :)
- August 2, 2008 at 7:07 AM
- Jenn said...
That cake looks great - is it coconut based? raw cashew based?
- August 13, 2008 at 2:44 PM
- Anonymous said...
Hi there,
Found your picture of this marvelous cake on Flickr. Since next week is my birthday, I'll try to make it myself. Now I'm wondering wether you already posted the recipe somewhere...
'd love to be hearing from you
- March 8, 2009 at 1:52 AM
- Steph said...
I would love to make this for Valentine's Day...is there any way for me to get ahold of the recipe?
- February 1, 2010 at 1:30 PM
- Weight Watchers Memphis said...
This cake seems to be very nice and i hope that will be in the taste but it is a new great delicious recipe for the food lovers and of course foe me as well.
- March 29, 2012 at 6:49 AM


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MILFORD, Conn. (WTIC/CNN/Gray News) – Officers were called to a home in Milford, Conn., after people grew concerned about what they were hearing on a video being live-streamed on YouTube.
On May 9, people watching the live-stream of a video game heard a man yell: "I'm going to throw you out the [expletive] window if you don't shut the [expletive] up!"
An arrest warrant says there appears to be striking or slapping sounds while the man shouts.
Viewers eventually contacted police.
The arrest warrant says Alessandra Sillo answered the door and acknowledged the reason why officers showed up. She brought down her two children, ages 2 and 3.
Officers said the children were living in poor conditions.
"They just felt that it was uninhabitable due to sanitary conditions," said Michael DeVito of the Milford Police Department. "They've seen some houses that are less than perfect, but this one was really deplorable."
The warrant goes on to detail how officers eventually confronted the children's father, Daniel Perez, about the video, which Perez initially denied being heard in.
The warrant says Perez eventually admitted to police the voice heard in the live-stream was in fact his. Police said he claimed he was shouting at one of the children because they spilled donuts on the bed and floor.
Police said Perez yelled in the video: "Look at the mess you made! Look at this mess! Eat it!"
WTNH reports Perez at one point told police the video wasn't real, and he blamed it on online trolls and hackers who were jealous that he'd raised thousands of dollars to create a "Game of Thrones" card game.
Police also said there were old, visible burn marks on one of the children's collar bone and ear.
The Department of Children and Families discovered there was no running water in the house. Sillo claimed she'd given the children a bath the night before, despite photographic evidence of clutter filling the tub.
The parents agreed to meet with DCF and a doctor the next day, but police said the family instead disappeared.
They were eventually found at a hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island.
Sillo is charged with risk of injury. Perez is facing charges of risk of injury and threatening in the second degree.
WTNH reports Perez is also facing additional assault charges.
The children are back in Connecticut in foster care.
Copyright 2019 WTIC via CNN. Gray Television Group, Inc. contributed to this report. All rights reserved.