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Appendix A
Structure and Process of Strategic Planning 2010
The structure of this planning effort involved two types of groups: First, there was an eight-person faculty group at the center of the strategic planning effort, the Strategic Planning Advisory Council (SPAC). That council was charged with developing and writing the strategic plan. All ideas and input were processed through and by that group. Second, there were four working groups consisting of a total of 54 faculty, students, and staff, each focused on one of the following areas: Education; Research, Scholarship, and Creativity; Public Engagement; and Organizational Stewardship.
The SPAC provided questions and issues for these working groups (WGs), and members of the WGs "drilled down" more deeply into the goal areas of the plan and provided detailed input and suggestions to the SPAC.
Membership of Strategic Planning Advisory Council
- Lance Collins, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- Jonathan Culler, English
- Sandra Greene, History
- Martha Haynes, Astronomy
- Katherine Hajjar, Cell and Development Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College
- Edward Lawler, Organizational Behavior, ILR School (Advisory Council Chair)
- Susan McCouch, Plant Breeding and Genetics
- Michael Waldman, Economics, Johnson Graduate School of Management
Steps in Planning Process
The major steps in the planning process were as follows:
- The SPAC developed a set of questions and issues which Working Groups (WGs) analyzed in more depth.
- The WGs provided reports to the SPAC from which the SPAC developed draft objectives and actions for several goal areas.
- The SPAC sent these back for comment and suggestions to WGs, the president, provost, deans, vice presidents, and vice provosts.
- A draft plan outline was made available to the university community for comment on January 25, 2010. February and early March were devoted to gathering feedback across campus through meetings in every college, with student groups, and with staff.
- During that period, the SPAC set priorities among the objectives in each section, formulated seven strategic initiatives for 2010-2015, and developed metrics for assessing progress.
- On March 11, 2010, a complete draft of the plan outline was made available to the university community for further comments and suggestions.
- On April 7, 2010, the trustees spent half a day at a retreat discussing the plan.
- Breakout groups of trustees, based on the goal areas of the plan, provided valuable input to the SPAC.
- April to May, the SPAC drafted the final version of the Strategic Plan.
Appendix B
Open Doors, Open Hearts, and Open Minds
Open Doors
"I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study." This statement, made by Ezra Cornell in 1865, proclaims Cornell University's enduring commitment to inclusion and opportunity, which is rooted in the shared democratic values envisioned by its founders. We honor this legacy of diversity and inclusion and welcome all individuals, including those from groups that have been historically marginalized and previously excluded from equal access to opportunity.
Open Hearts
Cornell's mission is to foster personal discovery and growth, nurture scholarship and creativity across a broad range of common knowledge, and affirm the value to individuals and society of the cultivation of the human mind and spirit. Our legacy is reflected in the diverse composition of our community, the breadth of our curriculum, the strength of our public service, and the depth of our commitment to freedom, equity, and reason. Each member of the Cornell community has a responsibility to honor this legacy and to support a more diverse and inclusive campus in which to work, study, teach, research, and serve.
Open Minds
Free expression is essential to this mission, and provocative ideas lawfully presented are an expected result. An enlightened academic community, however, connects freedom with responsibility. Cornell stands for civil discourse, reasoned thought, sustained discussion, and constructive engagement without degrading, abusing, harassing, or silencing others. Cornell is committed to act responsibly and forthrightly to maintain an environment that opens doors, opens hearts, and opens minds.
Appendix C
Student Learning Outcomes
In fall 2009 the provost and vice provost for undergraduate education formed a Core Assessment Committee to develop mechanisms for assessing the outcomes of educational programs, in particular the impact on students. To accomplish this, the committee pulled together "assessment agents" designated by each college. The educational goals and competencies that were first developed in each college became the basis for the competencies defined below.
Draft Core Competencies for Cornell Students
- Courses of study at Cornell should generate proficiency in the following core academic competencies:
- Disciplinary Knowledge: demonstrate a systematic or coherent understanding of an academic field of study.
- Critical Thinking: apply analytic thought to a body of knowledge; evaluate arguments, identifying relevant assumptions or implications; formulate coherent arguments.
- Communication Skills: express ideas clearly in writing; speak articulately; communicate with others using media as appropriate; work effectively with others.
- Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning: demonstrate the ability to understand cause-and-effect relationships; define problems; use symbolic thought; apply scientific principles; solve problems with no single correct answer.
- Self-Directed Learning: work independently; identify appropriate resources; take initiative; manage a project through to completion.
- Information Literacy: access, evaluate, and use a variety of relevant information sources.
- Engagement in the Process of Discovery or Creation: demonstrate the ability to work productively in a laboratory setting, studio, or field environment.
- In addition, the Cornell environment strives to foster collegiality, civility, and responsible stewardship. Through academic studies and broader experiences on and off campus, Cornell graduates should attain proficiency in the following:
- Multicultural Competence: have knowledge of the values and beliefs of multiple cultures; effectively engage in a multicultural society; interact respectfully with diverse others; develop a global perspective.
- Moral and Ethical Awareness: embrace moral/ethical values in conducting one's life; formulate a position/argument about an ethical issue from multiple perspectives; use ethical practices in all work.
- Self-Management: care for one's self responsibly; demonstrate awareness of one's self in relation to others.
- Community Engagement: demonstrate responsible behavior; engage in the intellectual life of the university outside the classroom; participate in community and civic affairs.
Assessment Implementation Plan and Benchmarks
Stage 1 - Initial Implementation
- Each college establishes an assessment process (utilizing standing committees, e.g., curriculum committees or educational policy committees, or setting up a new committee).
- Each college surveys already-existing assessment activities (including those generated by external review requirements and those conceived within ongoing program and course conceptions), in order to incorporate these into the college process.
- Each college generates an educational goals/outcomes statement for the college.
- These statements are added to a specifically designated assessment site on the college web site.
- Each college targets 2-3 majors or programs for which an assessment plan will be generated and incorporated into curricular materials. These should be stable programs, ideally representing a range of fields/areas.
- For each major/program, 2-3 program goals should be provided and learning outcomes should be collected, using both direct and indirect measures (at least 2 measures per major/program).
- Statements of these goals/outcomes should be posted on the college web site and on other sites (to be determined).
- These activities of the colleges are coordinated and facilitated by the Core Assessment Committee.
Stage 2 - Full Implementation
- College assessment sites are maintained and expanded to include department and program goals.
- Each college continues the process of generating assessment plans for the majority of its majors/programs, with this process to be completed by the end of spring 2011.
- Progress is reviewed; process is revised as necessary; further need for resources is reviewed; wider inclusion of the campus is reviewed.
- The Core Assessment Committee becomes a standing committee, overseen by the provost's office, and given the task of coordinating and facilitating college assessment processes.
Stage 3 - Institutionalization
- College committees with designated responsibility regularly review educational goals, according to a timetable.
- Colleges maintain and update their assessment web sites regularly (according to a timetable designated within each college).
- Departments/programs review their assessment outcomes (according to a regular process established internally).
- New programs are included in the assessment process (according to the established process within each college).
- The Core Assessment Committee facilitates the assessment process, identifies needs as they arise, addresses challenges, and provides an annual report to the provost.
Appendix D
Assessing Progress
This section proposes a general approach and set of assumptions that should guide the development and use of metrics and qualitative indicators for assessing progress on plan goals, objectives, and strategic initiatives. It includes an initial list of core metrics as well as an elaboration of qualitative and quantitative indicators for each objective in the plan. The Strategic Planning Advisory Council is offering this broad framework for using existing data or institutional capacities to assess and track progress on plan priorities and objectives. This proposal is a first step, intended to be a starting point from which appropriate groups of administrators, faculty, and staff can develop and further refine the appropriate metrics and qualitative indicators.
- General Approach:
- Focus on university-wide (aggregated) metrics and qualitative indicators but include, where appropriate, unit-level ones.
- Organize metrics and qualitative indicators around goals and priorities.
- Include both quantitative and qualitative indicators.
- Have multiple indicators for each goal, given the complexity of the assessment, but as few as possible to enhance focus.
- Make the metrics flexible and adaptable to be useful across a wide range of academic areas or units.
- Consider the need to minimize the amount of staff time or additional staff to implement the metrics.
- Insofar as possible, use existing sources of data and information.
- Assumptions
- It is exceedingly difficult to develop fully adequate measures of progress toward greater excellence in a research university.
- No particular metrics or qualitative indicators will be sufficient, but some sets or combinations of them will be significantly better for tracking progress than others or than having none.
- Metrics and qualitative indicators need to be developed in consultation with those people in the areas being measured (faculty, students, and staff). The metrics developed in this plan, therefore, must be considered a draft for further consultation and development.
- Metrics help to promote progress and improvement by holding the institution or units accountable for working toward goals or objectives, but they also can do harm if action is focused on moving particular numbers or indicators rather than the larger purposes for which they are created.
- Any set of metrics will have unintended consequences that are important to analyze and anticipate.
- Any set of metrics or indicators should be viewed as a whole and be part of an overall qualitative assessment and judgment.
- Core Metrics
With the above approach and assumptions as context, listed below are a provisional set of core metrics that are important to track over the next five years. These are related to strategic priorities and initiatives in previous sections of this plan. This list should be modified and developed further over time with assumptions 4 and 5 above in mind.
- Faculty and staff compensation
Compare salaries and fringe benefits to peer institutions (faculty) or appropriate markets (staff).
- Amount and nature of faculty hiring and retention
Number of hires/year; rank distribution of hires; tracking of changes in faculty size; yearly assessment of faculty exits.
- Age distribution of the faculty
Percent of faculty 55 and above; 60 and above (university-wide and by unit).
- Diversity of faculty, students, and staff
Percent women and underrepresented minorities. For faculty, comparison to specific goals of 20% or pipeline percent (whichever is higher). Set comparable goals for students and staff.
- Number of top-ranked departments and programs
Select appropriate NRC criteria; discipline-specific rankings; regular program reviews.
- Sponsored research
Total expenditures; expenditures per faculty member.
- Student learning outcomes and health
College assessments of learning outcomes based on core competencies (see Appendix C); data from Gannett on student mental and physical health.
- Student access
Cost of Cornell education by family income quintile.
- Student surveys (undergraduate, graduate, and professional)
Satisfaction with teaching; satisfaction with research opportunities and training; perceptions of international and public engagement opportunities; ease of taking courses across boundaries and administrative/bureaucratic barriers; perceptions of living-learning environment at Cornell.
- Library rankings
Compare to research university libraries, using appropriate measures from the ARL (Association of Research Libraries).
- Faculty and staff surveys
Conduct surveys on a regular schedule.
- Ithaca-Weill interactions
Joint research grants; collaborative teaching programs; and cross-usage of core facilities.
- Stature of university as a whole
Institutional reputation based on appropriate high-quality rankings of research universities (e.g., based on NRC data and criteria); use of select metrics from above list (e.g., faculty quality, student quality; external research funding; library rankings including collections).
- Faculty and staff compensation
Indicators for University-Wide Excellence
- Institutional Reputation and Stature
- Select reputational rankings of research universities.
- Aggregate data on the university and academic units (e.g., indicators of faculty excellence, student quality, and excellence of research, scholarship, and creativity).
- Choose a set of metrics from forthcoming National Research Council evaluations to track institutional progress toward the university's aspiration.
Indicators for Faculty Excellence
- Faculty Recruiting and Size (Objective 1)
- Amount and nature of faculty hiring.
- Have there been pre-fills where future faculty quality warrants it?
- Funding for new faculty positions in strategically important departments or programs (from fund-raising, internal reallocation, or other sources).
- Has Cornell's dual-career program expanded the window for commitments beyond three years? Are there new elements that distinguish Cornell from its competition?
- Faculty Diversity (Objective 2)
- Comparison of proportion of women in departments to a 20% absolute standard or the pipeline level (whichever is higher), with the federal standard as a reference. This extends the CU ADVANCE standard across departments and colleges.
- Comparison of the proportion of underrepresented minorities to the appropriate pipeline and federal standards. Develop an absolute standard that serves the same purpose as the CU ADVANCE standard does for women in science.
- How many departments have reached the 20% or pipeline goals for women and underrepresented minorities? How many have reached the federal standards?
- Have funding mechanisms to promote diversity improved?
- Is there an efficient and effective monitoring mechanism in place for each hiring unit?
- Competitive Faculty and Staff Compensation (Objective 3)
- Define peer groups appropriate to given disciplines, fields, departments, professional schools, and staff job categories.
- Track faculty and staff salaries and fringe benefits against appropriate peer institutions.
- Faculty Retention (Objective 4)
- Have efforts to prevent exits by highly valued faculty increased?
- A qualitative assessment each year of cases in which highly valued faculty have left (to determine how responses can be improved).
- Have dual-career and work-life issues (e.g., childcare) been given appropriate attention in retention efforts?
- Track percent of faculty exits per year across faculty career stages (pre-tenure, tenure to mid-career, and more senior).
- Rewarding Outstanding Faculty (Objective 5)
- Have new forms of recognition and reward for outstanding performance among faculty (in teaching, research, and public engagement) been implemented in departments and colleges?
- Faculty awards and honors; leadership positions in field.
- Number of faculty in distinguished national academies (e.g., the National Academy of Sciences).
- Do all departments have systems for reviewing the teaching, research, and public engagement of faculty after tenure?
- Intellectual Environment (Objective 6)
- What new cross-college or cross-department interdisciplinary collaborations have formed? What is the potential impact of these?
- Has a sustainable "faculty club" been developed and/or other measures to promote informal conversation and dialogue?
- Have concerted efforts been made to improve or maintain a strong culture of collaboration in departments? Have these efforts had an impact?
Indicators for Excellence in Education
- Shared Educational Student Experience (Objective 3)
- Have academic or administrative barriers to students in one college taking courses in another been reduced?
- Have additional shared educational components for Cornell undergraduates (living-learning programs, courses, and so forth) that address core competencies been added? What impact have these had?
- Have course or credit hours out-of-college for Cornell undergraduates increased?
- Senior survey results on perceptions of how easy or difficult it is to take courses outside of their department or college.
- Student Learning Outcomes
- Assessments by colleges and other units of how they contribute to students' acquisition of core competencies.
- Are mechanisms for measuring learning outcomes, indicated by these core competencies, in place? [See Appendix C.]
- Student Psychological Health and Well-Being (Objective 5)
- Staffing levels directed at quick, effective response to students experiencing excessive stress.
- Waiting or lag times between contact and appointment or intervention.
- Regularity of communications and outreach to encourage students to seek help and ensure that they know how to do so.
- Surveys of student psychological health and well-being.
- Programs to enhance faculty and staff knowledge of and capacity to detect students undergoing excessive stress and encourage them to seek help.
- International and Public Engagement Opportunities for Students (Objective 4 in Education and Objective 1 in Public Engagement Section)
- Student participation rates (for credit and noncredit).
- Are more programs offering public engagement opportunities to students under faculty supervision and leadership?
- Have costs to students for study abroad decreased? Have administrative obstacles been reduced for international and public engagement experiences?
- Have we examined and affirmed the quality of current international and public engagement options for students?
- Student survey data about these experiences.
- Culture in Support of Teaching (Objective 1)
- Develop Cornell benchmarks for rigorous assessment, by identifying good models within Cornell, and use these to compare departments' attention to and support for teaching excellence.
- Have forms or ways to recognize excellence in teaching increased?
- Student survey data on teaching environment.
- Per capita credit hours (or courses) taught by senior faculty (full professors).
- Supporting Pedagogical Innovation (Objective 2)
- Usage rate of technological support.
- Increase in number of teaching projects supported by the office of the provost.
- Has team teaching across colleges or disciplines increased?
- Undergraduate Student Quality and Diversity (Objective 6)
- Standard student quality measures for enrolled students.
- Competitive position of financial award packages.
- Acceptance rate, retention rate.
- Costs of a Cornell education by income quintile.
- Has the percent of underrepresented minorities in each entering class grown? Has it reached 20% or greater?
- Quality of URM educational experience: percent of URMs who are deans' scholars or whose GPA is in the upper quartile.
- Senior student survey data on minority experience and perceived educational benefits from a diverse community.
- Student survey data on perceptions of academic and personal dimensions of student life at Cornell.
- Graduate Student Diversity and Quality (Objective 7)
- Standard student quality measures.
- Competitive position of stipend and benefit levels.
- Graduate student surveys (overall satisfaction; perceptions of support for research and of opportunities to develop as teachers).
- Have graduate fields been reduced in number or consolidated?
- Do more fields have teaching components in their graduate programs?
- Have fellowships for entering graduate students increased?
- Quality of job placements (graduate and professional students).
- Has the percentage of women in graduate fields or professional programs reached the pipeline or 20% (whichever is higher)? Has the percentage of underrepresented minorities reached the pipeline, 20%, or the federal standard (whichever is higher)?
Indicators for Research, Scholarship, and Creativity
- Leadership Position/Department or Program Stature (Objectives 1 and 2)
- Have dimensions for comparing departments to peers been defined, and are they being used by departments and colleges to track changes?
- Number and quality of faculty publications, appropriate to discipline or field (e.g., citation data, journal publications, book publications, qualitative assessments).
- Scholarship evaluations in regular external reviews of departments.
- Placements of Ph.D. graduates and of postdoctoral associates.
- Metrics on grant support (where appropriate), e.g., percent of faculty who are PIs on external grants; total sponsored research per FTE faculty; proposals submitted/successful, etc..
- Support for Interdisciplinary Initiatives (Objective 3)
- Inventory new interdisciplinary initiatives emerging from the faculty, how they were nurtured, and the impact to date (actual or potential).
- Annual review of faculty search results, assessing cross-departmental and cross-disciplinary impact.
- Have academic units reviewed tenure and promotion policies to determine if interdisciplinary work of untenured faculty is evaluated in appropriate and effective ways?
- Assess the success of seed funding programs on a regular basis.
- Administration and Support for Research Grants (Objective 4)
Central and Units:
- Administrative and support services: annual customer satisfaction surveys-both centrally (OSP, ORIA, SFA) and at unit level.
- Ratio of cost of research administration to sponsored funding (expenditures).
- Number of proposals submitted per research administrator.
- OSP-average number of days to execute awards by sponsor category.
- ORIA (IACUC, IRB, IBC)-average number of days to review protocols.
- Quality of quarterly financial management reports.
- Number of proposals submitted error-free.
- Number and dollar value of awards per unit research administrator.
- Number of overdue sponsor reports.
[Any metrics for improving the administration of external research grants need to be vetted by focus group discussions with faculty PI's and administrators.]
- University Library (Objective 5A)
- Annually publish the library's acquisition budget by area of research and scholarship.
- Publish comparisons to other major research universities with respect to collections, subscriptions, etc.
- [Focus groups on library services every year or two with faculty and students from different disciplinary groupings.]
- Shared Research Facilities (Objective 5B)
- Report annually on each university-supported shared research facility-number of users served, user fees generated, and the dollar amount of externally funded research enabled by the shared facility.
- Yearly number (and dollar value) of instrumentation grants submitted for and by the shared facilities, and the success rate.
- Ithaca-Weill Collaborations (Objective 6)
- Have new synergies or collaborations developed between faculty and graduate students on the Cornell campus in Ithaca and faculty and graduate students at Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School? Joint research grants? Collaborative teaching programs? Cross-usage of core facilities?
- Has there been improvement in administrative issues or barriers? Is it easier for graduate students to take courses at both locations?
Indicators for Excellence in Public Engagement
For public engagement, the appropriate metrics and indicators should come from the proposed university-wide assessment of public engagement programs and activities. The action items within each objective suggest some things to consider tracking in the interim. For example:
- Unified Concept (Objective 2)
- Has there been an increase in the use of electronic media and the internet to deliver public engagement (including extension) programs?
- Have new innovative connections among disparate outreach or public engagement programs been developed? What impact have these had?
- Research Foundation (Objective 4)
- Have new or deeper ties to research been developed?
- Partnerships with Stakeholders (Objective 5)
- Have new partnerships with stakeholders been developed or existing ones strengthened?
- Data on technology transfer (patents, licensing).
- Have we capitalized on Cornell's base in New York City in new ways?
Indicators for Staff Excellence and Organizational Stewardship
Metrics and qualitative indicators for assessing the objectives for staff excellence and excellence in organizational stewardship should be developed by the professionals in those areas.
Concluding Comment
This framework is provisional. There are many objectives in this strategic plan. While we do believe the institution should move on all of these fronts, some objectives are more important than others, and progress on some is easier to track than on others. Some may receive greater priority now and others be deferred for later. This appendix does not distinguish among the most and least important but does offer methods for tracking the university's movement along them. The purpose is to provide a general framework for the implementation stage of the university strategic plan.
- Preamble
- Cornell's Enduring Commitments
- The Institution and Its Environment
- Goal Areas: Objectives and Actions
- Strategic Initiatives for 2010-2015
- Excellence in Organizational Stewardship
- Cornell at its Sesquicentennial
- Appendices
Appendix A: Structure and Process of Strategic Planning 2010Appendix B: Cornell's Statement on DiversityAppendix C: Student Learning OutcomesAppendix D: Assessing Progress 2010-2015
- Strategic Plan Summary
- Posted June 8, 2010
- Strategic Plan (final)
- Posted May 27, 2010


text:
Well, Fading Suns is one of the best Space Opera settings out there, and this is a really useful tool for all the players wanting to find out more about this universe and wanting to make the most out of the experience.
The first section of the book offer the various points of views of the participants in the Universe, from Houses to Serfs, humans an Vorox, which is a great tool to get into the "mind" of each and use them towards creating a more defined in game persona... Nice way to keep creating a well-rounded character.
The second section deal with the tow groups that thrive in this universe: the Questing Knights and the Church Knights. All the esssentials are there, along with a few remarkable individuals. For those wondering, this is a very cruch-lite section.
The third chapter is all about what many enthusiasts call the "main powerplayers": the Religious Orders. History and structure for three such groups are covered in a concise way, and one that is crunchier than the one mentioned above, as this is where the main rites and powers, as well as new skills are presented.
The fourth section deals with guilds. And it's eight of them. Plenty of career oportunities for the players' characters and some very interesting ones... such as the Guild of Vagabonds.
Chapter five deals with the quite necessary and ever-present military. Great information about Orders of Battle, groups and even sects!, with their structure, elements and crunchy details.
6 is for Aliens. If you are into this game, and love roleplaying challanges, you are going to love the Shantor. Still great for anyone who likes the "typical atypical", the Gannok or the Hironem offer interesting opportunities in and of themselves. Finally, I believe that many will be charmed by the diversity of the Etyri--for the first time I found an Avian species that I really wanted to use more than just occasionally on my games. Then there's the Ascorbites, and the fantastic Oro'ym, races you will seeing a lot given the potential they have for GMs and players a lot.
Seven men came then,
of these the seven
all had change in them.
Mutants, mutations and mayhem. very good, crunchy section.
Section eight is all about rules. Damage, martial artes, firearms, fencing, traits, knacks, skills, psychic paths, the moolah, the chrome, the hardware, the rides... all you need to detail a character is here.
This rounds up the 211 pages of goodness you get from this book. A veritable source of great ideas, inspiration and game opportunities, this is one download you just know you don't want to miss. especially if you have the same luck I had and get it on sale (or as was my case, for free as part of an effort to promote the game system. Really, I was among the lucky and, while late, it's due: Thank you, very, very much, guys! You made a fan for life with this increadible game and this great book!)
P.S.: The splash pages by Bill Bridges are fantastic. Full of character, dramatic enough and certainly illustrative of the citizens of the Known Worlds' ways of life. I truly believe these should be all compiled into a portfolio, or better yet, made into miniatures.

subset: commoncrawl


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November 4, 1927 - June 14, 2013
Sarasota, FL
It is with tears and much sorrow that I share some sad news with family and friends. Gerald Dratch passed away peacefully on June 14th, 2013 at the age of 85.
He leaves behind his cherished wife, Charlotte; sister, Mattie Dinoffer of Sarasota, FL; children: Eric with wife, Susan of Montgomery, NY; daughter, Diane of Ashland, VA and three wonderful grandchildren: Samuel, Alexandra and Victoria of Montgomery, NY, who he loved dearly.
Born in NY in 1927, Gerry was a Naval Veteran who enlisted as a teenager during World War II. Soon after being discharged Gerry began his career in sales as a fabric salesman traveling the eastern seaboard of the U.S. selling upholstery to both wholesale and retail accounts. After several years, Gerry was hired by Covington Fabrics, a premiere drapery and upholstery manufacturer which had a 5th Ave. showroom and office. Gerry was a very successful salesman and represented Covington fabrics throughout New England and Eastern Canada for many years until his retirement. Gerry was a very professional sales representative who made many friends throughout his long career. Known for his meticulous organization, Gerry never missed the opportunity to send a birthday, anniversary or just a funny hello card to just about anyone he had befriended. That list is in the hundreds and culminated in a handmade card which he would send out around the holidays to everyone.
Gerry met his first wife, Sandra at a dude ranch in PA and later married and settled down in Monsey, NY where they raised two children Eric and Diane. With a huge geographic territory to cover, Gerry spent many weeks of the year traveling with Sandra home to maintain the house and raise the children. When Gerry returned from business trips he would always devote time with his family, often taking them on hikes and day excursions throughout the Hudson Valley. Gerry was also an avid tennis enthusiast and eventually became a USTA chair umpire. He continued to play for many years until his knees became unworthy of his body's actions.
After retiring from Covington Gerry and Sandra moved to Sarasota FL where he would find his second Career at Mote Marine Laboratory. Needing to stay busy and active, Gerry became a dedicated docent at Mote helping others understand the Marine environment which surrounds them. Eventually Gerry would become a Sunday fixture, always willing to share his knowledge with people touring the facility. Gerry immersed himself into the Marine sciences and became fairly well known for his drawings and published articles in the Pelican Press entitled Sea Watch.
In 2001, after 47 years of marriage, Sandra passed away. When he was introduced to a neighbor, Charlotte, a flame was reignited within his heart and the two became inseparable. Gerry and Charlotte were married in 2004 and until his recent illness, had been living a wonderful life together. Gerry retired officially from Mote this past November on his 85th birthday having worked at Mote Marine for over 17 years and dedicating over 10,000 hours of service.
We need to all share our thoughts and love with one another while the flame of life is still within us. Once that flame is extinguished everything fades away to memories. Gerry, Dad, Father, you will be dearly missed by everyone who had the privilege and pleasure to have known you, and loved you. The grandchildren knew the end was near when the weekly postcards stopped coming from their grandpa. I would like to thank the Glenridge Carroll Center Staff and the staff of Sarasota Hospice for everything they did to make Gerry's final days comfortable and dignified.
In lieu of flowers please make donations to Mote Marine Laboratory in care of Biomedical Research or Hospice Sarasota.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Thank you, The Dratch Family.


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A handful of popular Android devices released over the last two years are all either seeing updates today or preparing for updates in the near future. There's everything from minor security upgrades to major updates to Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.
Exactly one week ago, we told you about a "soak test" for an update scheduled to hit the Droid 4. We thought it may have been Ice Cream Sandwich, but at the time nothing was official. Today, Verizon has approved that update for consumer testing. And it is indeed Android 4.0.4. Aside from the usual ICS flavored enhancements, the Droid 4′s update to Ice Cream Sandwich will include Verizon's Remote Diagnostic Tool, the addition of global roaming capabilities and improvements to the gallery among other apps. All Droid 4 users are expected to see the update to Android 4.0.4 in the next several days. [1]
The Droid 4 isn't the only popular Verizon handset to see an update today. The HTC Rezound just received the update to Android 4.0 at the beginning of this month and is already scheduled to see another. Meant to be applied over the Ice Cream Sandwich build now running on Rezounds, the flagship feature of this latest update is the activation of global roaming. Not much else is known about the update, but it does appear to be rolling out to Rezounds now. If you've received the update, be sure to let us know what you see. [2]
In a blast from the past, T-Mobile has released updates for two of their older devices we thought they'd have long forgotten by now. Both the G2 and myTouch 3G slide have an update available to download from HTC that boasts security enhancements and improved stability. The details of the update certainly aren't worth getting excited over, but as sad as it is, a two-year-old Android device getting any kind of update is astonishing. Kudos, HTC and T-Mobile. Download link for G2. Download link for myTouch 3G Slide. [3]
The LG Optimus 2X is making headlines again after yet another report saying the device will receive an update to Android 4.0. Since as far back as last October, LG has been sending out mixed signals on whether or not the Optimus 2X would ever be updated beyond Gingerbread, Android 2.3. Today's news puts the 2X back on track to receive an update to ICS. According to Phandroid, LG's main Korean branch has confirmed that Android 4.0 for the Optimus 2X is currently in the internal testing phase. But there's a good chance not everyone will see the update, as it may be regional. Which means that even if LG does finally update the 2X to ICS, the G2X might be left out in the cold. [4]
Last but not least in today's update roundup, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi is receiving a boost to Ice Cream Sandwich. Nearly ten months after it was announced, and one major version number behind, Android 4.0.4 is finally available for the same model of tablet Google handed out at I/O over one year ago. Better late then never, right? Tab 10.1 users can grab the update from Kies, or download it over the air. [5]


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Speak to Larry Hartke!
This man wants to talk to YOU...call Larry Hartke on 201-680-8153 and ask anything about Hartke Amps!
Starting in 2006, company founder Larry Hartke published his personal cell phone number in his ads in bass magazines and advertisements around the world, making him the most accessible man ever in the history of the music industry. Larry takes calls and answers questions from players and customers seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.
Larry Hartke can be contacted directly on his cell: 201-680-8153; at his MySpace page; his Facebook page, or Twitter.
Larry answers all messages personally. As of 2007, Hartke could also be seen in what he calls "sitcom-merical video shorts" on his MySpace page, featuring Larry and his "guest star" bass-playing friends in a reality/comedy show.
All Hartke products are exclusively distributed worldwide by the Samson Technologies Corporation, and are available now at Dolphin Music.


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Goodbye to My Idol, Nora Ephron. Thank You for Making the World Funnier, Fiercer, and Bolder.
"To Nora Jr., I look forward to seeing your name in print one day too . . ."
Those words have stuck with me since the day my 11th grade AP English teacher, Mrs. Kjos, wrote them in my yearbook. The Nora is of course Nora Ephron and holding the nickname Nora, Jr. is the biggest honor I have ever received. It's held great weight with me --paving the way for my career and setting the bar for myself as a writer high. And so my heart is so heavy right now as I just learned with the rest of the world that Nora Ephron died tonight.
I've never lost an idol before, someone I can say I was truly inspired by and aspired to follow in their footsteps. The words to express what this loss means to me and the rest of the literary and pop culture world are not coming out as easily as I hoped. I am stunned, devastated, and shocked that she'll never make another movie or write a new essay.
I was one of the lucky ones who knew from the age of two that there was nothing more I wanted to do when I "grew up" but become a writer. Figuring out what kind of writer, however, was always the tricky part. And then Mrs. Kjos had us read essays out of Nora Ephron books like Wallflower at the Orgy and Crazy Salad. If you haven't read them or heard or them—please do yourself a favor and buy them now. I loved that Nora wasn't afraid to be self-deprecating without sounding insecure. I laughed out loud as she talked about the little things in life that she thought would make her so happy—like getting made over by a magazine—that just baffled her instead. And I was in awe that this same essayist, feminist rule breaker and all around bad-ass wordsmith went on to write—and direct—movies. The first Nora Ephron discussion we had in class, I blew Mrs. Kjos' mind when I spoke of how I loved that Nora Ephron also made her characters and stories visual by writing movies like When Harry Met Sally and writing/directing Sleepless in Seattle. This was before the internet and I spent hours at the library researching Nora after that first assignment. They're big shoes to fill but I did then and do now ask myself with all my big writing jobs—what would Nora Ephron say? She helped me see that what I wrote about really didn't matter as long as I had a voice, a point of view and willingness to take a risk.
About eight years ago, I went to see Nora speak. I cried when she came on stage. After her Q&A session was over, many aspiring screenwriters handed over to Nora their latest works in the hopes that she might find time to read them—I only had one two things to say to her. One--thank you for being my mentor from afar. And two--the story of being dubbed Nora, Jr. by Mrs. Kjos. I explained to Nora that the nickname had a profound effect on my life and made me feel connected to her. She took my hand and sincerely told me she was touched and honored and would look out for my work—all with a big smile on her face. I floated back home.
Tonight, I dug out a file that I created in high school—it's come with me to college and the many apartments I've lived in in New York City—that I chose to title "Nora Ephron Uncut." It's filled with essays, articles she wrote and articles about her that I've collected over the years, including the ones I proudly pulled back in high school. One of my favorites was the Vanity Fair "Proust Questionnaire" that she answered in the mid 90s. I have to share just a few of her answers . . .
When and where were you the happiest?
*Almost always Las Vegas. And East Hampton in the summer of 1993. *Which talent would you like to have?
If only I could sing.
What do you value most in your friends?
Discretion and the fact that none of them ever calls me after 11 at night.
Who are your favorite writers?
Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.
Wilkie Collins is not my favorite writer, but he wrote one of my favorite books, The Woman in White.
How would you like to die?
In my sleep, at age 84, after dinner at L'Ami Louis.
Sadly, she was 13 years too early but I know she was with those same friends and family too this evening. And there is no doubt in my mind that Jane Austen and Mrs. Kjos (we sadly lost her to cancer many years ago too) welcomed Nora to heaven with open arms. Maybe it's movie night? And if it is, I hope this is what they're watching in her honor:
What did Nora Ephron and her work mean to you? Share your own anecdotes, stories and condolences below . . .


text: On Tue, Jan 18, 2005 at 09:30:03AM -0700, Josip Loncaric wrote: > At my old job, we had the unfortunate experience of AC failing on the > hottest days of the year. Despite providing plenty of circulating fresh > 35-40 deg. C air, we lost hardware, mainly disks. In fact, we'd start > losing hard drives (even high quality SCSI drives in our servers) any > time the ambient temperature approached 30 deg. C. Hello, I would certainly agree with the assertion that disk drive MTBF has a strong, nonlinear dependency on operating temperature. While I have not run disks at out of spec temperatures, I did work at Seagate for a few years, where I learned of this very strong dependence. This thread began with the assertion that you do not need to cool disks, but I think this is a very ill-advised strategy. YMMV, Karen -- Karen Shaeffer Neuralscape, Palo Alto, Ca. 94306 shaeffer at neuralscape.com http://www.neuralscape.com _______________________________________________ Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf


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Tehran, Iran : Iran's Foreign Minister is saying Iranian legislators and scholars may have ties with their American counterparts.
A Sunday report by the official IRNA news agency quotes Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying the ties can be formed after permission by the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters.
IRNA reported Zarif has told a parliamentary committee that some American congressman and congresswoman as well as academics expressed interest in better ties.
The move is part of Iranian efforts to possibly build on groundbreaking exchanges with Washington that included a telephone call last week between President Hassan Rouhani and President Barack Obama.
Earlier last week Iran said it is examining ways to resume direct flights to and from the United States.


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Transfer from Verona - Empoli
Cheap transfer service from Verona to Empoli
Verona can compete with Paris for the title of being the most romantic city in the world. But this is not the only noteworthy title. In addition, Verona is being called "the little Rome". This city, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is one of the most beautiful Italian cities. "Golden Age" of Verona, the apogee of its development that was in the XIII-XIV century, which left behind a unique artistic and cultural heritage. Going for a vacation to this city you should appreciate every moment spent here. And of cource it is worthless to waist time for transportion waiting. When organazing your trip just contact our company and book a transfer to hotel from the airport. We will meet you at the airport and will drive you in a comfortable car to your hotel. We will also help you to get from Verona to the Airport just in time for your boarding, so that you could stay relaxed and happy. We are looking forward to receiving your orders! You can make a reservation on site and your personal driver will meet in Terminal.
How much taxi costs from Verona to Empoli
When visiting Empoli, you can book a per-hour car rental with driver from 2 hours/day and more. Meet and Greet service, offered by our company, will significantly simplify the meeting in the airport for the newcomers. Using a "car rental with driver" service you can vesit the places of interest, famous shops or outlets to do some shopping near the city, saving your time in this way. Empoli Airport Transfer will cost you much cheaper to order a car rental with driver with us than to hire a taxi driver. To book the economy car or minivan with chauffeur or a comfortable premium class car, coach, shuttle bus up to 50 seats, please choose the button. Per hour rental in the left upper corner of the page, write in the [Departure:] field the departure point and number of hours.
Company vehicle fleet
- ComfortToyota Avensis, Volkswagen Passat, Chevrolet Cruze, KIA Sportage
- Business ClassMercedes C-Class, E-Class
- Business MinivanMercedes Viano, Mercedes Vito, Volkswagen Caravelle
- Standart Minivan ExtraLongMercedes Sprinter 415
- CompactCitroen C1, Fiat Panda, Hyundai Atos
- Economy Fiat Punto, Peugeot 206, Vokswagen Golf, Fiat Doblo
- Luxury ClassMercedes S-Class, Audi A8, BMW 730, Cadillac STS
- Economy MinivanOpel Vivaro, Renault Trafic
- Standart Minivan LongMercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit
- MiniBusSewa Bus 25, Mercy, Mercedes Benz Sitcar Beluga
- Bus StandartMercedes 404
- Bus PremiumMercedes Tourismo, Setra 515, Volvo 9700
- Exotic LimoRolls Royce Phantom, Limousine Magnum, Bentley Arnage 120, Chrysler C 300 Limousine 130, Hummer H3 140, Lincoln Strech Limousine
- Vintage SedanOn Request (Alfa Romeo, Cadillac, Buick, Plyumouth etc.)
- Transfer Verona Empoli
- How to get from Verona to Empoli
- Verona Empoli taxi
- Verona Empoli transfer price
- To go from Verona to Empoli
- Transfer Verona Empoli price Euro
- Limousine service - per hour rental
- Airport transfer services
- 7 seater minibus with driver
- To get from Verona to airport or cruise port
- Transfer by minibus from Verona to Empoli
- Private driver for Mercedes E, S Class
- Book a transfer from Verona to Empoli price
- Baby seat
- A lot of luggage and ski equipment
- Mercedess Viano with baby seat
- Verona airport business transfer
- How much is taxi from Verona to Empoli
- Verona Empoli reailway station
- Transportation from Verona to Empoli price Euro
- Taxi from Verona to Empoli how much
- Book online without a credit card
- Meet and Great Service
- Book a 16 seater bus with driver
- Porta Nuova railway station
- Porta Vescovo Train Station
- North-South Rail line
- Bus station
- Villafranca Airport Caselle VRN
- Boscomantico
- International Trade Fair VRN
- Exhibition Centre


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Thomas Conneely joined Silver Lake in 2012 and is Vice President of Operations at Silver Lake Waterman. He is an industry veteran with over 20 years of fund operations experience. Mr. Conneely is well versed in all operational elements of the private technology debt business. Prior to Silver Lake, Mr. Conneely spent over 16 years at Lighthouse Capital Partners with responsibility for contract management, process infrastructure, compliance, and risk management for over $1.6 billion in invested capital. Prior to Lighthouse, Mr. Conneely held operational and management roles at GE Capital, Ally Capital, and Unicom Computer. Mr. Conneely received a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Brian Crews joined Silver Lake in 2011 and is a Managing Director at Silver Lake Waterman. Mr. Crews has substantial experience structuring and underwriting technology debt investments. Prior to Silver Lake, Mr. Crews was a Principal at Lighthouse Capital Partners, where he worked directly on more than $300 million of new investments. Mr. Crews holds a B.S. from Washington & Lee University.
Katrina Jaber joined Silver Lake in 2015 and is an Associate at Silver Lake Waterman. Previously, she worked in the Financial Advisory group at Deloitte, where she provided consulting and valuation services related to mergers and acquisitions, reporting, and strategic planning. Ms. Jaber graduated cum laude from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Finance and Economics and is a CFA charterholder.
Brian Mitchell joined Silver Lake in 2016 and is an Associate at Silver Lake Waterman. Previously, he worked in Deloitte's Financial Advisory Services group where he provided consulting and valuation services for clients in the technology and telecommunication industries. Mr. Mitchell graduated with high distinction from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Economics.
Mike Noryko joined Silver Lake in 2016 and is a Principal at Silver Lake Waterman. Mr. Noryko has more than a decade of experience working with technology companies. Previously, he was an investment analyst at Citadel Global Equities and Andor Capital Management and began his career as an investment banker with Robertson Stephens. Mr. Noryko graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Shawn O'Neill joined Silver Lake in 2011 and is a Managing Director and Group Head of Silver Lake Waterman. Mr. O'Neill has been a strategic advisor to leading technology companies and has extensive technology merger, acquisition, and financing experience from 15 years in the industry as a technology investment banker and operating executive. Prior to Silver Lake, Mr. O'Neill founded Bandon Partners, a boutique investment bank and was the CFO of two venture-backed companies. Mr. O'Neill was previously an investment banker with Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and Lehman Brothers. Mr. O'Neill holds a B.B.A. from the University of Texas, where he graduated with honors.
Rick Stubblefield joined Silver Lake in 2011 and is a Managing Director of Silver Lake Waterman. Mr. Stubblefield has been at the forefront of technology debt solutions for the private technology and venture capital community for over 25 years, helping to pioneer both venture leasing and venture debt in the marketplace. Prior to Silver Lake, Mr. Stubblefield co-founded Lighthouse Capital Partners, which under his leadership, grew into a leading debt provider to venture backed companies overseeing more than $1.6 billion in debt and equity investments across five funds. Prior to forming Lighthouse, Mr. Stubblefield served as Co-Head of West Coast Investment at Comdisco Ventures. Mr. Stubblefield holds a B.A. from the University of California at Davis and an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University.
Silver Lake has a team of approximately 100 investment and value creation professionals located around the world. Focused both on developed economies and emerging markets, Silver Lake's investment and value creation team operates in Silicon Valley, New York, London and Hong Kong and manages investments throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.


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- Inside Athletics
- Tickets
- Fan Zone
- Media Zone
- Social
- Shop
- E Fund
TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 18, 2007) - The 2007 Wilson Invitational has not been kind to the ETSU softball team as they lost four of its first five games on the weekend. The Bucs lost 4-3 to Wichita State in their first game of the day on Sunday, and then dropped a 10-2 decision to host and No. 24-ranked South Florida in game two at USF Softball Stadium.
For the second consecutive day the Bucs were held hitless as they fell victim to South Florida's Kristen Gordon and Bree Spence. Despite allowing two runs, the pitchers combined for a no-hitter, and the Bulls scored seven runs in the sixth inning to give them the victory. ETSU dropped to 2-4, while the nationally ranked Bulls improved to 6-5.
USF struck first when Courtney Mosch's double off freshman Darci Gilbert (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) drove in two runs in the bottom of the first. Gilbert got out of a jam in the first as she left runners on the corners by getting Carly Griffin to ground out to Mary Catherine Vercoe (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) to end the inning.
The Bucs kept it close as Gilbert held the Bulls scoreless during the next three innings, and ETSU pushed its first run across the plate without receiving a hit. Senior Stephanie Gaynord (Manassas, Va.) reached base by a hit-by-pitch and moved to second when Katy Jett (Talbot, Tenn.) drew a walk. With runners on first and second and nobody out, freshman Trisha Massenzo (Russellville, Tenn.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to put both runners in scoring position. Amanda Haverman (Kirkwood, Mo.) drove in the first run for the Bucs as she lined out to center, scoring Gaynord. Jett was able advance to third on a wild pitch, but she was left stranded when Vercoe struck out to end the inning.
After the Bulls made it a 3-1 game in the fifth, ETSU answered with a run of its own in the sixth when Gaynord reached on a fielder's choice and eventually scored on back-to-back throwing errors by USF. However, the host team had an offensive explosion in the bottom half of the frame, thanks to a three-run home run by Laura Wolf. The next four USF runs all crossed the plate with two outs on the board as the Bulls converted on ETSU fielding mistakes and pitching errors to cap off the seven run sixth.
Gilbert dropped her second straight decision, going 5.2 IP and allowing 10 runs (six earned) on 10 hits. Gordon picked up her first collegiate win and was charged for both runs (one earned), while the USF pitchers combined for eight strikeouts.
In game one, the Bucs faced yet another heartbreaking loss in the final inning as they lost to Wichita State, 4-3. ETSU (2-3) only needed one hit to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Katy Jett jacked her first career home over the left field wall run off the Shockers Britnee Barnett.
After cruising through the bottom of the first, Mary Catherine Vercoe faced some problems in the second. The sophomore hurler gave up a leadoff single to Wichita State's Stephanie DeLaRiva, and she eventually crossed the plate when teammate Kara L'Huillier singled. After Vercoe got Lindsie Mitts out on strikes, the Shockers Lisa Jones came through as she doubled to right center, scoring L'Huillier to take a 2-1 lead.
Vercoe kept her team in the game by keeping Wichita State (3-6) hitless during the next three innings. In the sixth, ETSU took advantage of Trisha Massenzo's two-out walk, when Amanda Haverman's (Kirkwood, Mo.) double scored the freshman, tying the game at two. Stephanie Cope (Maryville, Tenn.) came in to run for Haverman and Vercoe tried to help her cause as she singled to right, but Cope was gunned down by the Shockers right fielder when she tried to score from second. Not getting the go-ahead run across proved to be costly for the Bucs as Wichita State drew a leadoff walk in the bottom half of the inning and the base runner scored on a throwing error by freshman Cheniece Cason (Moreno Valley, Calif.), taking a 3-2 advantage.
With the Shockers leading 3-2 heading into the top of the seventh, junior Briana Knight (Brier, Wash.) led off the inning with a double to left. Jessie Hackworth (Clinton, Tenn.) advanced Knight over to third with a sacrifice bunt, and Knight tied the game at three on the next play, when the Shockers first baseman was charged with a throwing error. However, the team from Wichita, Kan., took advantage of its last at bat as Vercoe had trouble in the bottom half of the inning. Vercoe loaded the bases by allowing two singles and hit a batter. With no outs, the Bucs pitcher walked in the winning run, sending ETSU to its third consecutive loss in the tournament.
The Bucs will wrap up play at the Wilson Invitational on Monday when they take on Florida A&M at 11:30 a.m. at USF Softball Stadium.


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WILLIAMSBURG and Capel Introduce Indian-Inspired Carpet Collection at the Atlanta International Area Rug Market
Global chic accents spice up contemporary décor with WILLIAMSBURG and licensee Capel's introduction of a collection of ethnically-inspired carpets at the Atlanta International Area Rug Market through July 14. Influenced by antique Indian textiles found in the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's extensive archives, the trend-forward rugs highlight the patterns popular in the 18th century. Echoes of Indian embroideries, block prints and geometric motifs pervade the collection, providing an elegant take on enduring prints for a line of carpets that seamlessly integrate into the modern home.
Featuring rope-embroidered design of circles and diamonds, the 'Tanjib' pattern recalls the pierced screens popular in Indian architecture in rich colors such as ink, hemp and apricot. The triple-washed 'Paisley' presents the perennially lauded motif in vibrant hues reflecting the spices, jewels and landscape of India. The intricate medallion print of 'Pintado' highlights the diverse and elaborate patterns that traveled to Europe via the Spice Route in the 18th Century.
"These new collections from Capel reflect WILLIAMSBURG's continuing leadership in color and design," Capel's Vice President of Sales Allen Robertson said. "The patterns are fresh and relevant, and yet they still remain true to the brand's enduring style."
"Capel successfully translates the global chic of 18th-century inspiration into compelling designs that are trend-right for today," WILLIAMSBURG product manager Liza Gusler said.
The collection will be available in late fall 2013.
Media Contact:
Mfa, Ltd.


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Explore and filter accounting data by selecting specific dimensions of your financial documentation and assessing underlying records for additional information.
Analyse profit-and-loss statements in real time and with flexibility
SAP Financial Statement Insights
Allow finance professionals to discover hidden trends and make strategic decisions by performing personalised, real-time analysis of profit-and-loss (P&L) statements. Benefit from the flexibility and speed of a solution that is delivered in the cloud and natively integrated with the in-memory computing capabilities of SAP S/4HANA.
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(And Other Lies about Pregnancy and Childbirth)
You'll Lose the Baby Weight
(And Other Lies about Pregnancy and Childbirth)
With such chapters as "I'm Not a Doctor; I Just Play One on TV" and "Morning Sickness: It Isn't Just for Breakfast Anymore," each chapter opens with a list of tips--some serious and some not--including things not to be suckered into buying for your baby and the essentials that you really do need. This hilarious book takes readers through nine months of pregnancy and all the accompanying symptoms to labor and delivery and the weeks postpartum. It will have readers doubled over in laughter, as it walks them through pregnancy with sympathetic honesty. While acknowledging that pregnancy is not always easy, the end result of that sweet-smelling, soft baby somehow make it all worth while.
- Howard Books |
- 272 pages |
- November 2010
Articles About This Book
Posted on Tips on Life & Love
Posted by Dawn Meehan
All these pregnancy symptoms are also signs that you're about to get your period. Nature is funny that way, says Dawn Meehan, award-winning mommy blogger and author of You'll Lose the Baby Weight (And Other Lies About Pregnancy and Childbirth).


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Do Antidepressants Increase Risk of Miscarriage?
Dr. Sharon Orrange -
With depression so common, many women of reproductive age will be on antidepressant meds while attempting to conceive. Do I have to stop taking my antidepressant once I'm pregnant? That's a question we face in primary care all the time.
It's a complicated thing to study because comparing folks with depression taking antidepressants with folks not suffering from depression isn't a fair study—because depression itself may be (and likely is) a risk factor for miscarriage. See More


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
December 18, 2017, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM @ W T Bland Public Library
Learn to speak English in our weekly English Conversation Class held every Monday evening, from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Families are welcome.
Clases de Conversacion en Ingles: Todos los lunes de 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM. Ambiente familiar. Totalmente gratis y no es necesario inscribirse. Practica Ingles en la biblioteca.
No registration is required for this free class. Seating is on a first-come-first-served basis.
Practice English at your library! ALL LANGUAGES are welcome!
December 18, 2017, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM @ W T Bland Public Library
Learn the fascinating and fun game of Mahjong every Monday night at the Simpson Farm House. All skill levels are welcome and you will learn while you play American Mahjong. Please feel free to come by yourself or bring a friend.
View all calendars is the default. Choose Select a Calendar to view a specific calendar.


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Fogarty takes 25th pole in qualifying at Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Jon Fogarty extended his Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series record to 25 poles in Friday's Porsche 250 qualifying at Barber Motorsports Park.
For the second straight event this season, Fogarty waited until the final minute of the 15-minute Daytona Prototype session before clinching the pole. His No. 99 Corvette DP was clocked in a track-record lap of 104.878 mph (1 minute, 18.949 seconds).
It was Fogarty's third pole at Barber, and fourth for Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing at the circuit. He was to co-drive in Friday's two-hour event with Alex Gurney.


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Artist description:
Gosh this was so rushed. :E I just wanted to draw something because it has already been a year since I joined RMD. And I had this idea in my head for a while. I couldn't resist anymore and drew it....OTL I made this way too fast. D: But oh well...=u=
Java Draw Created Apr 24, 2012 1024 x 736px Unless noted Copyright 2012 CookieTan.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
Oooh, pretty.
rushed? I cant draw this good when I take 10 hours //sob// 5/5
Soo coool!~ Totally doesn't look rushed!~ Real cool draw tech here!~ :3
awww!! this is amazing!!! lov ya artworks!!! x333 5/5
Yaaay this for an award!! :D 5h and faved
WOW!! Awesome! too cool =w= 5h and fav! i love it, a lot!!!
Wow, really nice job
looks great! :D 5.5 and faves! :)
this looks great :D i really love the background and the details in this drawing :) nice job 5/5h C:
It is wonderful. So much detail.


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South Atlantic Elephant Seal
(Mirounga leonina)
Facts about this animal
There is a great difference in size and weight between males and females: average male weight is around 2200 kg (maximum over 4,000 kg) and a length of 4.2 m (maximum 6.2 m). Females are about five times smaller than males: the females average weights about 700-1000 kg and has a length of about 3 m. The colour of the fur in both sexes is from dark grey to brown with a lighter chest. Pups are born with dark brown-black fur, which they will molt about 1 month later for a shorter coat of gray hair.
Did you know?
that the South Atlantic Elephant Seal is the largest member of the order carnivora?
|Name (Scientific)
|Mirounga leonina
|Name (English)
|South Atlantic Elephant Seal
|Name (French)
|Eléphant de mer du sud
|Name (German)
|Südlicher See-Elefant
|Name (Spanish)
|Elefante marino del sur
|CITES Status
|Appendix II
|CMS Status
|Not listed
Photo Copyright by
B. Navez
|Sub-Antarctic regions. Main breeding grounds are several subantarctic islands.
|On the coasts of sub-Antarctic islands, on beaches of sand or small rocks. They feed in deep water, mainly on squid and fish.
|Wild population
|About 650,000 in the mid 90's (IUCN Red List 2011)
|Zoo population
|Non reported to ISIS (2007)
In the Zoo
How this animal should be transported
For air transport, Container Note 76 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.
Find this animal on ZooLex
Photo Copyright by
Jerzy Strzelecki
Why do zoos keep this animal
The South Atlantic elephant seal is of educational interest because it is the largest seal and largest member of the order carnivora, and because of its interesting lifestyle. In addition, it is a good ambassador species for marine conservation.


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Seoul - Lotte Avenuel
Situated in the heart of the most famous central shopping district, Myeong-dong, Vacheron Constantin's Lotte Avenuel boutique is a highly elegant and privileged shopping place for local customers and foreign tourists to discover the exceptional timepieces.
Seoul Lotte Avenuel
The grand, magnificent exterior decorated with black glass and black metal of Vacheron Constantin's Avenuel boutique emits a special sense of presence, befitting maison's unique and historic position in the world of Fine Watchmaking. In the size of 70 square meters, by a marvelous chandelier light on the central ceiling, guests are led into the interior where a noble touch welcome them. The private space to offer clients personal service is decorated like a comfortable and cozy study, which feels like a privileged room within the boutique. The Avenuel boutique is not just a shopping place, but a space in which the master-watchmakers' ancestral legacy, unique know-how, and culture coexist, as a consequence of eternal passion beyond time and space and long-standing professionalism.
Exclusive services
Models that are exclusive to the Vacheron Constantin boutiques
Vacheron Constantin enriches its collection with new models selected for the boutiques, including limited editions. Lovers of fine watches can enjoy discovering the new collection pieces that are available in the Vacheron Constantin boutiques around the world.
Our Vacheron Constantin team will manage the required follow-up
We invite your to drop off your Vacheron Constantin watch with the dedicated team in the boutique. We will then carefully entrust it to an approved Vacheron Constantin service center that has the appropriate technical competency for the required service.Make an appointment in the boutique
Customer service
Your Vacheron Constantin watch is an exceptional object, designed and made by master watchmakers in the Vacheron Constantin workshops. Whatever model, movement, or level of complication your Vacheron Constantin watch may be, it requires daily care and a regular overhaul. For a diagnostic service or repair of your Vacheron Constantin watch, we invite you to visit a Vacheron Constantin boutique or an authorised dealer of your choice. Vacheron Constantin makes a commitment to repair and restore all pieces produced by the brand since 1755. At Vacheron Constantin, we keep artisan traditions alive and pay special attention to our heritage, to ensure that we are always capable of responding to our customers' requests. Only the master watchmakers and experts at Vacheron Constantin are qualified to perform these delicate restoration operations that often require several days of labour.


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Hydro 系列 H50 可轻松升级您的 Intel CPU 冷却系统。与现有 CPU 风扇相比,高效的独立液冷系统更加安静高效,而且紧凑设计使其成为小型机箱的理想选择。
sku: CW-9060006-WW
Hydro 系列 H50 可轻松升级您的 Intel CPU 冷却系统。与现有 CPU 风扇相比,高效的独立液冷系统更加安静高效,而且紧凑设计使其成为小型机箱的理想选择。
当您用 Hydro 系列 H50 替换 CPU 的标准散热片后,您的 PC 将会更凉爽、更安静地运行。
紧凑的组件和可弯折管道让 Hydro 系列 H50 即使在狭小空间里也能简便安装。可让您即使在最狭小的空间里也能提高 CPU 的冷却效率 - 只要您的机箱在 CPU 附近有 120mm 的风扇安装架,就可能可以安装 H50。
Hydro 系列 H50 已预先注满液体,永远不需要补充冷却液或加水。
模块化设计简化了安装,并且与 Intel 和 AMD 处理器兼容。
The new Intel® Socket 2011, used on the new X79 motherboards and the new 2nd generation Intel Core Sandy Bridge-E CPUs, has changed significantly from Socket 1366. As you can see below there are no longer the traditional holes through the PCB. There is now a metal bracket that has been tapped to accept M4 screws. Because of this the Corsair
Hydro Series H70, H80 and H100 CPU coolers all come with separate screws to mount on Socket 2011 boards.
Included with the H80 and H100 are four standoffs that have a shorter wider end. These are for socket 2011, the shorter end screws into the metal mounting plate on the motherboard. Install all four of the standoffs as shown below. After installing and tightening down all four standoffs, the CPU cooler is ready to be installed. Next the thumb nuts are installed. Tighten these in an X pattern to ensure the pressure is even, resulting in a good mount on the CPU.
The H70 Core uses the same bracket for socket 1155, 1156, 1366, and 2011. Again socket 2011 uses larger M4 screws and does not need the backplate. Make sure all of the holes on the retention ring are towards the outside (as seen below). Then install the M4 screws through these holes. The retention ring should then be put on the H70 Core. The H70 Core cooling unit and retention ring can then be installed on the motherboard. The M4 screws will screw right into the mounting holes on the motherboard. Again tighten these in an X pattern to ensure the pressure is even resulting in a good mount on the CPU.
Lot codes for Corsair products can generally be found in the follow locations. For more specific information, please view the Corsair knowledge base Lot Code article for a particular product series.
Headset: code is located on the earcup?s arm.
Speakers: code is located on the back of the subwoofer.
Case: the code is located on the case?s back panel.
Cooling: the code is located on the radiator.
Flash: the code is located on the unit?s packaging, near UPC barcode.
Flash SSD: the code is located on the label on top of the SSD.
Mice: the code is located on the label taped next to the USB connector.
Keyboard: the code is located on the packaging near the UPC barcode.
Memory: the code is on the memory module?s label. PSU: The code is on the PSU?s label, next to the serial number.
How do I make a warranty claim?
Prior to submitting your warranty claim, we recommend checking the Corsair knowledge base at https://support.corsair.com/ first, where you can find answers to commonly-asked questions. You can also receive troubleshooting assistance by clicking Ask a Question or proceed with product replacement by clicking Request an RMA.
Valid warranty claims should be processed through the retailer where the item was purchased during the first thirty (30) days after purchase. This period may vary depending on where you purchased your product; please verify the return policy with the retailer where you purchased your product. Any warranty claims that cannot be processed through your original point our purchased should be submitted to Corsair at https://support.corsair.com/
What are Corsairs replacement options?
Corsair offers the following Warranty fulfillment options:
Standard Replacement:
Through Corsairs Standard Replacement process, Corsair will issue an approved RMA number for the return and replacement of your defective product(s). Our Standard Replacement processing time from receipt of your product(s) to the replacement product(s) shipment is 1-3 business days plus transit time.
Express Replacement:
At Corsair, we understand the need to be up and running at all times! To minimize down time, we offer an Express Replacement RMA process. Through this process Corsair will ship your replacement product(s) prior to receiving your defective product(s). This process requires a valid Credit Card where a holding fee will be applied for the cost of the product until the returning product(s) are received by Corsair. To avoid being fully charged for the Express Replacement product(s), the defective product(s) must be received by Corsair within 10 business days from the date your Express Replacement order is shipped.
Accessory Product Request:
Experiencing a problem with a Corsair Component Product? Many of Corsair products have easy to install replacement accessories which will resolve the issue and prevent the need to return the entire product for replacement.
Where do I ship my items?
Corsair operates multiple RMA receiving locations worldwide. Your RMA confirmation will specify the specific return address you must use when sending your RMA package. This will be your standard return location and should not be changed without prior approval from Corsair. Any packages received at an unauthorized location may be refused and returned to the sender at the senders expense.


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If you're seeing popular content, and not the content you liked and wanted to see on your Pinterest feed, you're not alone.
So, here's the deal . . .
Pinterest added a new "personalization" setting to your account.
Which means your feed will look different.
You'll see pins from pinners you didn't like.
Which means your settings look something like this – with the personalization including sites you've visited recently.
According to Pinterest, if you go to a Pinterest-infused site (is this like a fruit-infused water?), Pinterest uses a cookie to track your visit. Then, when you log in to Pinterest, that cookie personalizes Pinterest pins for ya.
They're just trying to be helpful.
Pinterest I love you but this, . . . I'm not so sure about. Although, one could argue very convincingly that everyone else is doing it. (Google, Amazon, Facebook.)
If you don't want Pinterest to show you pins from other sites, including old pins that are popular — change your personalization setting, clear your recent searches, and clear your recent contacts.
Then save.
Everything is back to normal.
What are you going to do?
Give it a try or change back to the old way?
(big thanks to Alea of Premeditated Leftovers for the heads up about this!)


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Belgium will beat Brazil in the World Cup final in Brazil in just over a month.
Third place will go to Uruguay, after they beat Nigeria in the game for bronze.
England will end in third place in Group D, behind Italy and Uruguay and not qualifying for the next round.
The only Icelander playing in the World Cup, the US forward Aron Jóhannsson, finds his team in the most difficult group, Group G. At the World Cup the USA will struggle against Germany, Portugal, and Ghana.
Germany and Ghana will qualify for the next step.
There are some teams in the tournament which might bring some surprises.
Iran is one of them. Russia and Switzerland are other teams that can, on a good day, play great football.
I think the pressure will be too much for the Brazilian team at the very end; having 201,032,714 fantastic football fans on its back – the entire population, of the fifth most populous country in the world.
Páll Stefánsson – [email protected]


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English Major Concentrations
All Nyack English majors receive a broad introduction to literature of the world. Students may select to focus their studies by following one of five concentrations. Through on-campus and off-campus semesters of study, field trips, and internships can supplement traditional classroom study in the following areas of concentrations:
- British Literature
- American Literature
- Writing
- Journalism


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Customer Service
We believe customer service is as important to our customers as the products we offer, so we are committed to providing the most accurate, detailed and friendly customer service department available to meet all of your needs.
If you have registered with us previously, you can see order history and track shipments by clicking on the "Log In" link at the top of this page. If you have questions about an order you placed that we are currently processing or have already shipped to you, you may be able to find your order information by logging in and accessing the "My Account" area of the site.
We currently do not accept backorders. If any of the items on your order are unavailable at the time of fulfillment, we will immediately cancel that portion of the order and ship any remaining items that are available. You will not be charged for any items that are not shipped to you.
If you have additional questions prior to purchasing Emu Gold products or if you would like to provide feedback or comments regarding our products, please contact us and we will be more than happy to assist you.
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: 800-235-8695


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Trial of the Modified Atkins Diet in Infantile Spasms Refractory to Hormonal Therapy
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01549288
Recruitment Status : Withdrawn
First Posted : March 9, 2012
Last Update Posted : April 9, 2013
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Infantile spasms comprise an infantile epileptic encephalopathy characterized by hypsarrhythmia on EEG, and frequent neurodevelopmental regression. Unfortunately the treatment of this disorder remains difficult. The first-line options which include hormonal therapy, i.e., adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or oral corticosteroids, and vigabatrin are effective in 60-70% of the patients. Hormonal therapy is considered the best available treatment. Vigabatrin being expensive and of limited availability is not a feasible option for most patients in our setting. Also, these are however associated with significant side effects, and high relapse rates. Newer drugs such as topiramate, zonisamide, and levetiracetam have also been evaluated; however these drugs are less effective than ACTH. The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. It has been used for treatment of intractable childhood epilepsy. The KD has also been shown to be effective for intractable infantile spasms; often after ACTH and vigabatrin have failed.
The modified Atkins diet is a non-pharmacologic therapy for intractable childhood epilepsy that was designed to be a less restrictive alternative to the traditional ketogenic diet. This diet is started on an outpatient basis without a fast, allows unlimited protein and fat, and does not restrict calories or fluids. Preliminary data have shown efficacy in refractory infantile spasms. This diet is also ideal for resource-constraint settings with paucity of trained dieticians. Hence this study has been planned to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the modified Atkins diet in children with infantile spasms refractory to hormonal treatment in a randomized controlled trial.
|Condition or disease
|Infantile Spasms
|Behavioral: modified Atkins diet Other: no dietetic input
|Phase 2 Phase 3
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|0 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Evaluation of the Modified Atkins Diet in Children With Infantile Spasms Refractory to Hormonal Therapy: a Randomized Controlled Trial
|Study Start Date :
|February 2012
|Estimated Primary Completion Date :
|October 2013
|Estimated Study Completion Date :
|December 2013
|Experimental: modified Atkins diet
Behavioral: modified Atkins diet
Carbohydrate restricted to 10 g/day (18-36 months) and 5 g/day (9-18 months), fat intake encouraged, proteins unrestricted
control arm
the control arm continues the anti-epileptic drugs without any added dietetic input
Other: no dietetic input
continuation of anti-epileptic medication without any dietetic input
- Proportion of children who achieved spasm freedom as per parental reports at 4 weeks [ Time Frame: 4 weeks ]
- Proportion of children who achieved >50% reduction of clinical spasm, as per parental reports at 4 weeks [ Time Frame: 4 weeks ]
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|9 Months to 36 Months (Child)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- age 9 months to 3 years
- Presence of epileptic spasms in clusters in child 9 months to < 3years of age, with electroencephalographic evidence of hypsarrhythmia or its variants), persisting, at least one cluster per day, despite treatment with either oral corticosteroids or adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and one additional anticonvulsant (valproate/benzodiazepine/vigabatrin/topiramate/zonisamide/ levetiracetam) for at least 4 weeks.
Exclusion Criteria:
Children with known or suspected inborn error of metabolism, Patients with clinical suspicion of metabolic disorder as evidenced by 2 or more of the following:
- a history of parental consanguinity,
- prior affected siblings,
- unexplained vomiting,
- intermittent worsening of symptoms,
- recurrent episodes of lethargy,
- altered sensorium, or
- ataxia,
- hepatosplenomegaly on examination
With or without 2 or more of the following biochemical abnormalities:
- High blood ammonia (> 80mmol/L),
- High arterial lactate (> 2 mmol/L),
- metabolic acidosis (pH < 7.2),
- hypoglycaemia (blood sugar < 40 mg/dl),
- abnormal urinary aminoacidogram,
- presence of reducing sugars or ketones in urine, and
- positive results on urine neurometabolic screening tests. In such patients, blood tandem mass spectrometry or urine gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GCMS) will be obtained to look for inborn error of metabolism.
- Children with renal, pulmonary, cardiac or hepatic dysfunction
- Severe malnutrition (weight for length and height for age less than 3 SD for mean as per WHO growth charts),
- Children from families who lack motivation will also be excluded as it might affect the compliance.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01549288
|Lady Hardinge Medical College and Associated Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital
|New Delhi, Delhi, India, 110001
|Responsible Party:
|Satinder Aneja, Assistant Professor, Lady Hardinge Medical College
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01549288 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|March 9, 2012 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|April 9, 2013
|Last Verified:
|April 2013
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Spasms, Infantile
Neuromuscular Manifestations
Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Signs and Symptoms
Epilepsy, Generalized
Brain Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases


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Growing tensions between the United States and China have highlighted the West's increasing dependence on China for rare earth metals.
The group of 16 metallic elements are used in the manufacture of a wide range of consumer and industrial products, but also are indispensable for many defense applications as well as new green technologies, particularly electric vehicles.
China accounts for more than 90 percent of the world's output of rare earths, and the fact that the West in general and the U.S. in particular are beholden to China for such strategically important metals creates some remarkable ironies.
First, it is ironic that the West's green technologies depend on ore supplied from high-polluting Chinese mines where workers are exposed to toxic pollutants such that the incidence of cancer is very much higher than elsewhere in China. Second, the West is developing electric vehicles as a means of reducing its dependence on foreign oil, but the chosen route makes it even more dependent on China, a country some consider hostile. The third and possibly biggest irony is that U.S. defense is dependent on components that can only be produced in China with Chinese raw materials, but with technologies developed in the U.S. and funded by the Pentagon.
These ironies have not been lost on China's neighbors, Japan and South Korea, where their governments have announced strategies for ensuring uninterrupted supplies of rare earths. Their concerns have been raised by China's policy of using export quotas to systematically reduce the volume of rare earth shipments. China's decision to limit its rare earth exports is consistent with its long-standing policy of consolidating its industries around fewer but larger players that are financially more viable and environmentally more sustainable than the many small players that characterize much of its industry. This is especially so in rare earths.
A consequence of China's decision to restrict exports is that it encourages foreign consumers of rare earths to relocate their manufacturing facilities to China, where they believe they will have an uninterrupted supply of raw materials. For the Chinese, this migration creates much-needed employment as well as transferring value-adding technologies not currently available in China. The United States has been hit particularly hard by the relocation of its high-performance magnet production to China.
Rare earths are critical ingredients in the manufacture of the high-performance magnets at the heart of many U.S. defense systems, and the loss of a domestic magnet capability has led to calls for Washington to take action to avert a perceived looming rare earths supply crisis. While hopes run high that some strategic priority will be accorded to the rare earths sector, analysts are well aware that it was government inaction in the past that enabled the nation's high-performance magnet capability to be bundled up and shipped off to China.
In the early 1990s the United States was the dominant producer of rare earth magnets and the industry was based on technologies pioneered by the Pentagon. The leading producer, Magnequench, a General Motors Corp. subsidiary, saw no value in further development so it sold its technology and associated manufacturing operations to a Chinese group that subsequently dismantled the plant and bundled it off to China.
The White House could have used the Exon-Florio Amendment to the U.S. Defense Production Act to prevent the transfer of Magnequench's facility to China. Exon-Florio permits the President to block any investment deemed a threat to national security. Similarly, the Berry Amendment requires that specialty metals, and specifically high-performance magnets, incorporated into products delivered under Defense contracts be melted in the United States or a "qualifying nation." China, which at the time had been described by President George W. Bush as a "strategic competitor," is not classified as a "qualifying nation."
Contemporary reports imply that influential groups lobbied Bush to withhold his veto, and with no opposition from the government the plant was dismantled and shipped to China while 450 skilled U.S. workers lost their jobs in a modern high-tech industry where America was the clear global leader.
U.S. dependence on China for rare earths has encouraged the emergence of a vocal group lobbying for preferential treatment for local rare earth producers and consumers. The risk is that such committed constituencies—an alliance of so-called "panda bashers" who fear China's growing influence and investors petitioning government assistance—could sway policy in the wrong direction. Policy makers should be cautious as such partisan groups could do as much harm as the free-market devotees who lobbied in support of Magnequench's sale.
In formulating their response, policy makers need to be aware that China's monopoly on rare earths is not geologically predetermined as there are significant deposits elsewhere, including in the United States but particularly in Canada and Australia. Most of these deposits are owned by publicly traded companies, but because of sustained low prices there has been no incentive for investors to develop the properties.
Understanding that with a stronger price for concentrates the rare earths supply constraint is a downstream manufacturing problem and not an upstream resource issue is fundamental to developing appropriate support polices. Funding new mines will not improve the rare earths supply chain, whereas encouragement of downstream fabricators will. Fabrication is more about manufacturing than mining, and the sustained erosion of U.S. manufacturing capabilities since the time of President Reagan demonstrates that governments of all persuasions have yet to devise strategies that can successfully stem the manufacturing migration to China.
Policy makers also need to be aware that output from new non-Chinese mines would need to be shipped to China, where almost all of the world's rare earth products are now manufactured. Complicating the policy process are situations like Magnequench, where equipment and core technologies have relocated to China, making it difficult to challenge its dominance. This challenge will only get harder as more manufacturers migrate to China, giving local rare earth producers even greater opportunity to collaborate with global end-users in the development of the applications that will sustain ever-growing demand for rare earths.
With these constraints, how should policy makers react? First, it is clear that it is in the nation's interest to have a viable rare earths industry, and if this is to happen then there is a need for some government support. Second, because of the geological abundance of rare earths there is no need to encourage new mines so public money should be directed downstream to foster fabrication and assembly capabilities. And finally, because governments are notoriously poor at picking winners, the development of national champions will require innovative policies. Indeed, the challenge for policy makers is to be as innovative as the entrepreneurs they should be sponsoring.
A possible solution to the policy dilemma is for the government to purchase rare earths concentrate and toll it through a refiner or fabricator. A tender to supply concentrate to the government should be attractive to potential investors in new mines as the winning supplier could use the supply agreement to support finance for the mine's construction. This approach also would help the downstream sector, which is handicapped because it currently does not have a reliable supply of rare earths.
While U.S. policy needs to encompass other aspects, especially encouragement for further research, the concept of tolling government-purchased concentrate has the necessary elements of a sustainable industry policy. MICHAEL KOMESAROFF
Michael Komesaroff is founder of Urandaline Investment, an independent consulting company specializing in capital-intensive commodity businesses. He also is Executive in Residence at the School of International Affairs at Pennsylvania State University.
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Every month American Metal Market takes a statistical look inside the marketplace.
We actually don't know who his investors are. At the point when we are ready, we will investigate further. There are just so many things to handle and there are a lot of items to be considered with the project."
-- Charles C. Mitchell, Barstow city manager


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New Delhi to Mandi Trains(0 Trains Found)
No trains found
Sorry! No trains found in the selected route. Please choose a different origin and destination & try again
New Delhi Railway Station
City : New Delhi
Code : NDLS
Avg Rating : 3.2
Wifi : Available
AHJU Railway Station
City : Mandi
Code : AHJU
Avg Rating :
Wifi : Not Available


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I used a wxNotebook and I passed to a wxAuiNotebook and I realized that it seems impossible to have the same options than in a wxNotebook, I mean that I can't have multiline in the wxAuiNotebook. If I use :
- Code: Select all
the wxAuiNotebook works bad and don't pass to multiline if I have many tabs.
Is my observation correct?