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Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Professional Interests
Our laboratory is focused on the development and testing of cancer immunotherapy and non-immune-based cancer therapies. Since most cancer deaths occur by metastases (primary tumors can often be removed by surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation), our therapies are focused on the treatment of metastases. We have developed various therapies using different novel approaches, in preclinical mouse tumor models with metastatic breast and pancreatic cancer. For instance, we use an attenuated bacterium Listeria monocytogenes as a platform for the delivery of anticancer agents to the tumor microenvironment and into tumor cells such as radioactivity, tumor-associated antigens, or small molecules like alphagalactosylceramide, or we kill tumor cells through cryoablation by freezing and thawing tumor cells, combined with various adjuvants targeting myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) such as stimulator of interferon genes (STING)-ligand cyclic di-guanylate (c-di-GMP, Curcumin, and AMD3100. Since MDSC play a major role in immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment, MDSC are an important target in cancer immunotherapies. We also focus on the age factor since most cancer patients are old and elderly react less efficient to vaccines than young adults. The MDSC are present in blood of patients and mice with cancer. This MDSC population is strongly increased in the tumor microenvironment particularly at older age, and contributes to the age-related T cell unresponsiveness.
Listeria-based cancer vaccines
Attenuated Listeria monocytogenes is a weakened facultative anaerobic bacterium (non-toxic and non-pathogenic) and has been used to deliver antigens into antigen-presenting cells. We developed various Listeria-based constructs expressing tumor-associated antigens including Mage-b, Survivin, p53 etc and tested these constructs in mice with metastatic breast and pancreatic cancer, and demonstrated a significant reduction in metastases and tumor growth. In addition, we have further improved the efficacy of the Listeria-Mage-b vaccine with help of MDSC-targeting adjuvants like c-di-GMP and Curcumin. However, in 2009 our lab discovered that the Listeria infects and kills tumor cells by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) through the activation of the NADPH-oxidase pathway, and left healthy tissues unharmed (Fig 1). Based on this tropism for the tumor microenvironment we started using Listeria as a platform for the selective delivery of anti-cancer agents to the tumor microenvironment. For more detail see Kim et al. Cancer Res 2009; Chandra et al, Cancer Immunology Research, 2014.
Mechanisms that contribute to the selective survival and multiplication of Listeria in the tumor microenvironment
We have analyzed potential mechanisms explaining why Listeria survived and multiplied in the TME and not in healthy tissues. We discovered that Listeria is protected from immune clearance in the TME through strong immune suppression, but is rapidly killed in healthy tissues that lack immune suppression. In addition, we found that MDSC play an important role in the selective delivery and survival of Listeria in the tumor microenvironment. MDSC are selectively attracted by the primary tumor through the production of attractants such as granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin (IL)-6, A100. Listeria infects, survives and multiplies in MDSC of tumor-bearing mice, and is protected from immune clearance because of the immune suppressive character of MDSC. We have shown that Listeria, once at the tumor site, infects (and kills) tumor cells directly or spreads from MDSC into tumor cells through the cell-to-cell spread mechanism specific for Listeria (Fig 2). For more detail see Quispe-Tintaya et al, PNAS 2013; Chandra et al, BJC, 2013.
Radioactive Listeria for the treatment of pancreatic cancer
Ninety six percent of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have only 6 months to live, despite aggressive treatments. This underlines the urgent need for new effective therapies. In collaboration with Dr. Ekaterina Dadachova (Department of Radiation, Einstein), we developed a radioactive Listeria for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, by coupling 188Rhenium to anti-Listeria antibodies followed by incubation with Listeria bacteria. This resulted in the synergistic destruction of cancer cells through Listeria-induced ROS and through ionizing radiation of the 188Re. The number of metastases was reduced by 50% in mice treated with Listeria alone, and by 90% in mice treated with Listeria-188Re. This correlated with the accumulation of radioactivity in the metastases. This was the first time that a live attenuated bacterium was successfully used to deliver radioactivity selectively to the tumor microenvironment (Fig 3). The potential of the radioactive Listeria for the treatment of pancreatic cancer was discussed in several high profile journals like Science, Nature, as well as lay Journals like The Economist, Forbes Magazine and many others. Currently, we are testing Listeria with other radioisotopes. For more detail see Quispe-Tintaya et al, PNAS 2013.
Listeria incorporated with alphagalactosylceramide
In collaboration with Dr. Steven Porcelli (Department Microbiology and Immunology, Einstein), we incorporated alphagalactosylceramide (αGC) into the Listeria bacteria simply during culture. This method was originally developed for mycobacteria. αGC is a marine sponge that activates natural killer T cells (NKT) cells, which in turn stimulates other immune cells like natural killer (NK) cells and T cells. We demonstrated that Listeria expressing tumor-associated antigen Mage-b incorporated with αGC created an immune-stimulating environment that attracted the NKT cells to the metastases, resulting in improved activation of CD8 T cells to Mage-b and a dramatic reduction in the number of metastases in a mouse model of metastatic breast cancer (4T1). For a mchanistic overview see Fig 4. For more detail see Singh et al, BJC 2014.
Cryoablation combined with adjuvants
Cryoablation involves killing of tumor cells through freezing and thawing, resulting in recruitment of tumor-specific T cells. Since MDSC strongly inhibits these T cells we have the cryoablation combined with MDSC-targeting adjuvants like STING ligand c-di-GMP, Curcumin, and AMD3100. c-di-GMP reduces the number of MDSC and converts a subpopulation of MDSC into an immune-stimulating phenotype producing IL-12 (stimulates T cells). Curcumin reduces IL-6 produced by MDSC and breast tumors. IL-6 strongly inhibits T cells in the tumor microenvironment. AMD3100 is a small molecule that prevents the interaction of CXCR4 on MDSC and stromal cell-derived factor (sdf-1) on tumor cells. Currently, these combination therapies are under investigation in mice with metastatic breast cancer in collaboration with the Anticancer Fund (Brussels, Belgium). Preliminary results are extrmely promising. Cryoablation and Meriva (Curcumin derivate) significantly delayed the onset of metastases and eliminated completely the primary tumor, prolonged the the survival rate compared to the control groups in correlation with improved CD8 T cell responses to multiple tumor-associated antigens. For more detail see Chandra et al, OnoImmunology 2015.
Feasibility of cancer vaccination at older age
Cancer is a disease of the elderly. When cancer becomes metastatic, it often needs aggressive second-line treatment, for which the options are limited. This is particularly challenging for frail, elderly cancer patients in which comorbidity plays an antagonistic role. Immunotherapy is the most promising and benign option for preventing or curing metastatic cancer in such patients. Unfortunately, cancer immunotherapy is less effective at old than at young age, due to T cell unresponsiveness, especially in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Various causes have been described for T cell unresponsiveness at old age, such as lack of naïve T cells at older age, deficiency in the upregulation of co-stimulatory molecules on aged dendritic cells (DCs), and most recently, the increase in the population of MDSC in the TME of old compared to young mice, among other age-related immune impairments. As mentioned above, Listeria has an intimate relationship with MDSC. We have shown that Listeria-based vaccination was equally effective in young and old mice with metastatic breast cancer by targeting MDSC. The Listeria killed the tumor cells directly through ROS, and Listeria-activated T cells killed the infected tumor cells presenting the Listeria antigens. For more detail see Chandra et al, BJC, 2013.
Lab Members Einstein 2009 and 2015
Dinesh Chandra, PhD (Faculty Associate)
Arthee Jahangir, PhD (Graduate student, received PhD in 2014)
Wilber Quispe-Tintaya, PhD (Post doc)
Manisha Singh (Graduate student, received PhD in 2013)
Ilyssa Ramos (Technician)
Denise Asufu-Adjei (Technician)
PHD or PhD/MD students
Jackie Coley (PhD student)
Marika Osterbur (MD/PhD student)
Karin Skalina (MD/PhD student)
Summer students
Alice Kwon
Swathi Krishnan
Lukman Solola
James Gibson
Marianna Vitiello
Rodrigo Alves Da Silva
Most recent peer-reviewed publications relevant to the field of cancer vaccination and cancer therapies selected out of 56
Kim SH, Castro F, Paterson Y, Gravekamp C. High efficacy of a Listeria-based vaccine against metastatic breast cancer reveals a dual mode of action. Cancer Res. 2009; 69(14): 5860-5866. PMID 19584282
Castro F, Leal B, Denny A, Bahar R, Lampkin S, Reddick R, Lu S, and Gravekamp C. Vaccination with Mage-b DNA induces CD8 T cell responses at young but not at old age in mice with metastatic breast cancer. British Journal of Cancer, 2009; 101:1329-1337. PMID 19826426
Quispe-Tintaya W*, Chandra D*, Jahangir A, Harris M, Casadevall A, Dadachova E, and Gravekamp C. A non-toxic radioactive Listeriaat is a highly effective therapy against metastatic pancreatic cancer. PNAS, 2013; 110(21):8668-73. PMID: 23610422.*Both authors contributed equally to the manuscript.
Singh M, RamosI, Asafu-AdjeiD, Quispe-TintayaW, ChandraD, JahangirA, ZangX, AggarwalBB, and Gravekamp. C. Curcumin Improves the Therapeutic Efficacy of Listeriaat-Mage-b Vaccine in mice with Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) in correlation with improved T cell responses in blood. Cancer Medicine, 2013; 2(4): 571-582 PMID: 24156030
Chandra D*, Quispe-Tintaya W, Jahangir A*, Singh M, and Gravekamp C. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells have a central role in attenuated Listeria monocytogenes-based immunotherapy against metastatic breast cancer in young and old mice. Brit J Cancer 2013, 108(11): 2281-90. PMID: 23640395. *Both authors contributed equally to the manuscript.
Chandra D, Quispe-TintayaW, Jahangir A, Asafu-AdjeiD, Ramos I, Sintim, HO, Zhou J, Hayakawa, Y, Karaolis D, and Gravekamp C. STING ligand c-di-GMP improves cancer vaccination against metastatic breast cancer. Cancer Immunology Research, 2014; 2(9): 901-910. (DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-13-0123). PMID: 24913717
Singh M, Quispe-Tintaya, W, Chandra D, Jahangir A, Venkataswamy MM, Ng TW, Sharma S, Carreno LJ, Porcelli SA, and Gravekamp C. Direct incorporation of the NKT cell activator a-galactosylceramide into a recombinant Listeria monocytogenes improves breast cancer vaccine efficacy. British Journal of Cancer 2014; (doi: 10.1038/bjc.2014.486). PMID: 25314062
Valdor R, Mocholi E, Botbol Y, Guerrero-Ros I, Chandra D, Koga H, Gravekamp C, Cuervo AM, Macian F. Chaperone-mediated autophagy regulates T cell responses through targeted degradation of negative regulators of T cell activation. Nat Immunol. 2014 Nov;15(11):1046-54. doi: 10.1038/ni.3003. PMID: 25263126
Chandra D, Jahangir A, Cornelis F, Rombauts K, Meheus L, Jorcyk CL, and Gravekamp C. Cryoablation and Meriva has strong therapeutic effect on triple negative breast cancer. OncoImmunology. 2015. In Press. Doi: 10.1080/2162402X.2015.1049802.
Chandra D, Selvanesan CB, Yuan Z, Libutti SK, Koba W, Beck A, Casadevall A, Dadachova E, Gravekamp C. 32-Phosphorus selectively delivered by Listeria to pancreatic cancer demonstrates strong therapeutic effect. Oncotarget. 2017 Feb 6. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.15117. PMID: 28186976
Revskaya E, Jiang Z, Morgenstein A, Bruchertseifer F, Sesay M, Walker S, Fuller S, Lebowitz MS, Gravekamp C, Ghanbari HA, and Dadachova E. A radiolabeled fully human aspartyl (asparaginyl) beta-hydroxylase is a promising agent for imaging and therapy of metastatic breast cancer. Cancer Biother Radiophar. 32 (2): 57-65, 2017. PMID: 27907230
Jahangir A, Chandra D, Quispe-Tintaya W, Singh M, and Gravekamp C. Immunotherapy with Listeria reduces metastatic breast cancer in young and old mice through different mechanisms. OncoImmunology, 2017. http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/dnkC4emkjuSeYUeJtZGz/full. PMID: 28932647
Most recent invited publications relevant to the field of cancer vaccination at older age selected out of 17
Gravekamp C. 2009. Cancer Immunotherapy and aging: Lessons from the mouse. In: Handbook on Immunosenescence: basic understanding and clinical applications, Eds Fulop T, Pawelec G, Franceschi C, and Hirokawa K. Springer. Pp1217-1243.
Gravekamp C, Kim SH, and Castro F. Cancer vaccination: manipulation of immune responses at old age. Mechanism of Ageing and Development 2009:130(1-2): 67-75. PMID 18561984
Gravekamp C. The importance of the age factor in cancer vaccination at older age. Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy 2009; 58(12): 1969-1977. PMID 19259666.
Pawelec G, Lustgarten J, Ruby C, and Gravekamp C. Impact of aging on cancer immunity and immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2009: 58: 1907-1908. PMID 19787858
Gravekamp C, and Paterson Y. Harnessing Listeria monocytogenes to target tumors. Cancer Biol and Ther 9: 1-9, 2010. PMID 20139702.
Gravekamp C. The impact of aging on cancer vaccination. COII 2011; 23: 555-560. PMID:21763118.
Gravekamp C. Cancer vaccination in older age. Interdiscip Top Gerontol. 2013;38:28-37. PMID: 23503513.
Chandra D and Gravekamp C. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells: cellular missiles to target tumors. Oncoimmunology 2013; 1;2(11):e26967. PMID: 24427545
Gravekamp C and Jahangir A. Is cancer vaccination feasible at older age? Exp Gerontol 2014 Jun;54C:138-144. PMID: 24509231.
Gravekamp C and Chandra C. Targeting STING pathways for the treatment of cancer. OncoImmunology, 2015. In press. doi: 10.4161/2162402X.2014.988463.
Kohanski RA, Deeks SG, Gravekamp C, Halter JB, High K, Hurria A, Fuldner R, Green P, Huebner R, Macchiarini F, Sierra F. Reverse geroscience: how does exposure to early diseases accelerate age-related decline in health? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2016 Dec;1386(1):30-44. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13297. Epub 2016 Dec 1.
Commentary on paper about Radioactive Listeria by Quipe-Tintaya et al. in PNAS 2013. Stritzker J, and Szalay AA. Single-agent combinatorial cancer therapy. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1305832110.
Websites of Journals and magazines that discussed the impact of the radioactive Listeria for therapeutic treatment of pancreatic cancer:
Click image to enlarge
Material in this section is provided by individual faculty members who are solely responsible for its accuracy and content.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Forchheimer Building, Room 407A
Bronx, NY 10461
Science features new research by Drs. Claudia Gravekamp and Ekaterina Dadachova that uses radioactive bacteria to destroy metastatic pancreatic cancer.


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Instagram-ish Photo Sharing with EyeEm for Windows Phone
Just making sure I show the Windows Phone folks some love. If you've been secretly lusting over all the Instagram hype, EyeEm is a newly launched photo sharing & discovery app that gives WP users similar features, but wrapped up in the sexy 'Metro' look and focused heavily on photo sharing & discovery.
In order to use EyeEm, you must first log in using your Facebook credentials (don't pretend you don't have an account). If you REALLY don't use Facebook, you can use you email instead. After you've given EyeEm access to your location & address book as well *side eye*, the next step is to find some friends to follow, or you can skip that step and start snapping/uploading pics and adding filters - There are a total of 11 different filters to choose from.
This is where EyeEm differs from Instagram - Once you've got your picture looking all nice, you tag your photos with albums and/or locations, instead of writing out a comment/hashtag about the photo. There are some default albums ("Working Hard", "Checking in", "Taking Photos", etc.), or you can create a new album. Once you've tagged your photo, it gets added to that album and is shared with all the other photos from other users who also added images to that album. You can also share to Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare & Tumblr for your social networks to view.
From there, the app shows you new albums, topics, places & events to browse and share, based on your location and activity for a true photo sharing & discovery experience. Speaking of sharing, EyeEm is also available on iOS, Android, and via the web, so albums can come from anywhere, versus Instagram where only a "few" iOS and Android users can benefit.
So Windows Phone users do have options for sharing their photos in a cool way (if you're concerned with being cool). EyeEm is definitely one you should take a look at. Check it out for free in the Windows Phone Marketplace and let me know what you think in the comments section.
[via WPCentral]


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What's needed is a long-term plan
What's the plan — what's the vision for getting our national debt to a manageable level? Continuing to increase the limit, and especially to do so under duress every time we're confronted with these debt ceiling deadlines, doesn't instill confidence or have any semblance of a plan. I rarely see good decisions made or actions taken when they are forced by threats or accompanied by rhetoric.
Grudgingly, I'll agree that the level should be raised (again) in order to prevent the defaults and potentially crippling impacts on the markets and our economy. However, this time it should be done only in conjunction with a bipartisan commitment (and it needs to be a real commitment) that a long-term debt plan will be created and implemented long before the next debt ceiling deadline crops up.
MARK LASSWELL, Eagan
• • •
Reasonable people could think that President Obama should meet the House Republicans halfway and find a way out of this mess. After all, the consequences could be severe if there is no solution. Gov. Mark Dayton did so when the Minnesota government shut down. The difference is that Dayton negotiated over an actual budget, not a 45-day extension or over allowing the government to pay bills already incurred.
The problem is that if the president gives in this time, what is it next time? The only way to stop the cycle is to say no and hang tough. Negotiate and pass an actual budget, but not an extension.
ALICE JOHNSON, Minneapolis
• • •
According to some theories, Tony Blair (former British Prime Minister) supported the United States in Iraq not only because he wanted to preserve the special relationship, but also because he believed going to war was morally right. He supported the war without regards to his party's support.
The Iraq war is in no way, shape, or form, similar to the government shutdown, but Blair's approach to it is still one to be admired. Boehner needs to forget about being in good standing with Republicans, and do what is morally right for this country.
EMMA GARTON, Eden Prairie
• • •
I have just finished reading Gregg Cavanagh's column in Sunday's paper ("Two years to two Americas: Let's give it a go!" Oct. 6). It is always good to see people mix a little humor and sarcasm into their thoughts.
May I add a thought of my own? We may already have the situation that Cavanagh is talking about: Red and blue states and red and blue cities. If you happen to notice, it's generally the blue states and cities that are running out of money. But I am afraid this is nothing to be humorous about.
EDWARD MCHUGH, East Bethel
Why housing plan is wrong for Cambridge
The letters debating whether sex offenders are human (Readers Write, Oct. 4 and 5) missed the issue. The issue is whether it is appropriate to locate sex offenders, human or not, in proximity to a residential area full of small children. The facility in Cambridge where the Department of Human Services proposes to house sex offenders is across the street from an area of single-family homes, townhouses and a small park.
When Minnesota closed the Cambridge State School and Hospital and transferred the property to the city of Cambridge, the city established an affordable-housing community on the property with green space, walking and bicycling paths. More recently the city, in cooperation with master gardeners and the Isanti County Environmental Coalition, established a large community garden where families can grow healthy food and stretch their budgets. The DHS proposal would put all of this in jeopardy and penalize the city and its residents for working hard to create a very livable, sustainable community.
I find it hard to believe that the DHS, if willing and able to think creatively, could not reconfigure existing space at either St. Peter or Moose Lake to meet the federal court mandate to offer less-restrictive treatment alternatives. DHS needs to go back to the drawing board and rethink its plans.
KAREN S. LEE, Cambridge, Minn.
The heart of the matter is still being ignored
Yet another allegation of sexual misdeeds of the Catholic clergy hits the headlines ("Under fire, archbishop scrambles to respond," Oct. 6). There is a glaringly prominent elephant in the room that is being ignored: Did not the Lord God that made us all make us all sexual beings? Why does denying that part of one's humanity make any of us more holy or closer to our maker? I do not intend to be flippant on this matter, but if priests, popes and other clergy members believe so fervently in the importance of a chaste life, I can see only one way to ensure that, without the strong urges and temptations that lead to scandal. One word: eunuchs. Being such would ensure that their vows would not be compromised, and although seeming severe, would also show a total commitment to their calling. In no way am I advocating this extreme measure, I am merely urging people to consider all aspects of this persistent situation and the realities that are left unsaid.
MARGARET DEHARPPORTE, Eden Prairie
Nature of defeat was misrepresented
As a former Marine infantry officer and Vietnam veteran, allow me to add an asterisk to the Oct. 5 headline "Communist leader defeated both French and Americans." Although Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap was the architect who defeated the French militarily, he did not defeat Americans militarily. He did defeat America politically.
GARY NASH, Chanhassen


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This is just a quick note to let you know we really appreciate the great job that Denhan is doing looking after our properties.
Denhan Guaranteed Rent has been managing rental properties in the London borough of Wandsworth for over 15 years and our property specialists have built up excellent relationships with landlords during that time.
We are one of the leading letting agents covering the borough of Wandsworth because our knowledgeable and experienced team has an in-depth knowledge of the borough.


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New research from Kwik Fit, the UK's leading automotive repair and servicing company, reveals that in the last two years more than four million car owners have had to keep their car off the road because they couldn't afford repairs needed on their vehicle.
With 21 million owners saying they have needed repairs in the last two years, this means that one in five have been forced to go without their car while they got their finances in order. Half of these motorists had to keep their car off the road for a month or longer.
A shortage of money has driven many drivers to make some risky decisions. Over 1.2 million drivers admitted to having driven their car in an unroadworthy condition because they couldn't afford repairs with men twice as likely as women to have done so.
The research also found that:
· 1.2 million drivers admitted to having driven their car in an unroadworthy condition
· A third of car owners who either carried out a repair themselves or had a friend or relative do it for them
· Nearly half a million motorists say that although they were concerned about their DIY repairs they didn't do anything as they sold the car soon afterwards
· 77 per cent of those skipping their car's annual service had to get repairs carried out on their car in the last two years
More information can be found at www.kwik-fit.com


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Bradford White Standardizes on Coe Coil-Line Controls
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Thursday, August 1, 2013
Coe Press Equipment, Sterling Heights, MI, has installed two new coil lines at the Bradford White water-heater manufacturing plant in Middleville, MI, following the retrofit of two 1999-vintage ServoMaster Series 3 roll feeds with ServoMaster retrofit packages. The retrofit packages include replacement of the operator interface, controls console, servo motor, cable sets and pneumatic valve. The upgrade provides streamlined entry of machine setup information, and enhancements to the operator prompts, machine diagnostics and serial communications to the press controls. Additional capabilities include production-data reporting and downloading of setup data or job-number selection.
See also: Coe Press Equipment Corporation
Related Enterprise Zones: Coil Handling
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WASHINGTON - With my 17-year-old daughter headed to college, I tried out the new college scorecard tool launched by the Obama administration following the president's inaugural address.
I was not impressed. Some links didn't work and certain information I wanted wasn't there. Overall, the tool just didn't add much value to help our family figure out which college would be the most affordable.
The tool, which you can find at whitehouse.gov, is too general when it comes to the final price of college, what the academic industry calls the 'net price.'
'Net price is what undergraduate students pay after grants and scholarships (financial aid you don't have to pay back) are subtracted from the institution's cost of attendance,' the scorecard tells us.
Designed by the Department of Education, the scorecard includes the average net price data for in-state students, the school's graduation rate, loan default rates, and median borrowing. Oh, and the data used for the average net price are for the 2010-11 academic year.
Honestly, given what I've been experiencing and after talking to numerous other parents, the college scorecard doesn't address our most pressing needs. What would help more would be an intensive effort by the administration to bring down the cost of college so families wouldn't have to borrow so heavily.
During a recent college tour, we saw one parent become very disheartened because her daughter, a good but not great student, wouldn't be able to afford the cost of college - and she was a state resident visiting a state school. If a degree is a ticket to a middle-class job, then we've got to do something about bringing down the price of attending. Even with a lot of merit and need-based scholarship and grant money available, there isn't nearly enough to go around.
My daughter Olivia, who has excellent grades, applied to four colleges - two in-state schools and two out of state. She was accepted at North Carolina A&T, Towson University, and the Honors College at the University of Maryland, College Park.
The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill turned her down. The UNC rejection notice was nice enough, a more 'it's not you, it's us' rebuff. 'With many more candidates than spaces, we cannot avoid making thousands of difficult decisions,' the vice provost wrote.
My heart sunk when Olivia didn't get into UNC. But the penny-pincher in me was jumping for joy. We've saved for her education, but not enough to pay the $43,848 annual out-of-state price for UNC.
Across the country, families are now waiting for their letters that lay out how much money their kids might get to finance their educations. And when I say money, I don't mean loans. We are waiting to see if our kid gets a grant, scholarship or work study from the colleges. If that money isn't offered, many families will opt for loans. We won't borrow. We hope if our daughter gets aid, we can use what we've saved to help her finance an advanced degree, which is increasingly required for many fields.
Roberto Rodriguez, special assistant to the president for education, said the college scorecard is meant to be part of a suite of tools that families can use to help in the college selection process. You can find the tools by going to the National Center for Education Statistics' website (www.nces.ed.gov) and searching for College Navigator.
A useful tool I'm looking forward to is one the administration previously announced, a financial aid shopping sheet. The administration has gotten more than 600 colleges to agree to provide important financial information to incoming freshmen starting with the 2013-14 school year. As part of their financial aid packages, the schools said they would disclose these key pieces of information: They will be clearer about how much one year of college will cost; they will provide a better distinction between grants, scholarships and loans; they will provide estimated monthly payments for the federal student loans that graduates will likely owe; and they will supply information about the percentages of students who enroll from one year to the next, graduate and repay their loans without defaulting.
The shopping sheet is a tool the administration should demand that colleges provide. Right now it's only voluntary.
As hard as she tried, Olivia also didn't make the cut for some very lucrative scholarships she applied for. Those letters said much the same as UNC's rejection letter - that the competition is just too great.
At least UNC saved us the trouble of breaking my kid's heart. The rejection allowed us to exhale because the school's net price calculator told us not to expect any financial aid anyway.
Now we wait, like so many others, hoping we get some money from the schools that do want our daughter.
Readers can write to Michelle Singletary c/o The Washington Post, 1150 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20071. Her email address is firstname.lastname@example.com. Comments and questions are welcome, but due to the volume of mail, personal responses may not be possible. Please also note comments or questions may be used in a future column, with the writer's name, unless a specific request to do otherwise is indicated.


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Facilitating the spread of knowledge and innovation in professional software development
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Randy Shoup starts with the organization itself - how to form teams, give them scope, and manage their growth. He discusses communication strategies for getting the best out of far-flung teams, how to foster & maintain the human bonds and empathy critical to good work, and explores the human side. By looking beyond a single physical site, we can find better, more diverse, more motivated employees.
Three pain points every company must address when addressing cybersecurity include threat volume and complexity, a growing cybersecurity skills gap, and the need for threat prioritization. This article describes each of these in some detail, and includes recommendations for corporations to deal with them.
Authors discuss how to build intelligent conversational applications and skills using the conversational AI technology and its three components: interaction flow, natural language understanding (NLU) and deployment.
In this podcast Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods, spoke Ivar Jacobson about his work defining the essence of software engineering.
Mirco Hering explores what is hindering many large, complex enterprise organizations from achieving mature DevOps, providing guidance on how to progress.
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Ronin + WooCommerce Integrations
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Create a new client in Ronin.
An individual contact within Ronin.
Creates an Invoice in Ronin.
A new invoice is created in Ronin.
Create a task inside Ronin.
Triggers when a new task is added to your Ronin account.
Creates an Estimate in Ronin.
Triggered when a new client is created in Ronin.
Create a new expense in Ronin.
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Alexandra Pelosi film hits Sundance
PARK CITY, Utah — Alexandra Pelosi was beaming: She had just made her Sundance Film Festival debut with the HBO documentary "Fall from Grace," about former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey; her mother, Rep. Nancy Pelosi was on hand to witness it; and Sundance's founder and Pelosi's hero, Robert Redford, made it a point to stop by to witness the event.
"I'm 42 years old and finally made it to Sundance. This is the best day of my life — it's downhill from here," she cracked.
Story Continued Below
( PHOTOS: 10 stars who ran for office)
That's highly unlikely. With the film set to make its debut on HBO on March 28 and the growing buzz around it, Pelosi is bound to have more celebratory moments for "Fall from Grace." It's her eighth HBO film: She's also done documentaries on homeless children, the tea party movement and Ted Haggard, the pastor who became ensnared in a drug and sex scandal.
"I'm drawn to broken men — Why is that?" Pelosi pondered at a brunch Friday morning to celebrate the documentary. "I don't know. I'm really drawn to the recovering politician. . there's a lot of that in the film."
McGreevey was the governor of New Jersey and considered a rising Democratic star when he resigned in 2004 after it was revealed that McGreevey, then married with a child, was cheating on his wife with another man.
The scandal became a tabloid sensation, but after that, McGreevey came out as a gay man, trained in the seminary and started working with incarcerated women. The film follows McGreevey as he helps the women in prison and in their attempts to make the transition after their release.
"He's taken his own shame and turned it into something good, which most of the other fallen men don't do," she said, adding that a return to politics was unlikely for him: "He's too sincere."
McGreevey, who was also at the brunch with partner Mark O'Donnell, said he was initially reluctant to do a documentary about his life.
"I think my personal story had been told time and time again, but when Alexandra said she was willing to follow the women and get to know the women . it became something different," he said.


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Taganga is a small fishing village 5km north of Santa Marta at the Caribbean coast in Colombia.
Taganga is a great and idyllic fishing village. Many tourists, local and international, visit this beautiful place every year. It has great charm and the surrounding attractions are plenty.
Although Taganga is a popular place to go, it has also its share of problems, mainly with the infrastructure and public services. There has been a prolonged drought in the area, so water pressure is very low, sometimes non-existent. Many hotels, businesses and residents have their water delivered in tankers. Be careful when you walk alone at night or in remote areas.
Get in
Get around
Taganga is surrounded by beautiful desert mountains covered in natural flora and fauna. There are millions of lovely fish and corals which can be reached by short walks and snorkeling out to corals. People watching and good mellow times are to be had along the beach road and loads of beautiful tourists.
There is only one ATM in Taganga and as there is a high demand of cash, it often runs out of money. It also does not work with all types of foreign cards, some banks cards do not work, despite the ATM having VISA/Mastercard symbols. If you run out of cash just take the bus to Santa Marta and get off along the street next to the beach, there are several large banks near here. In addition, many hostels and dive shops also accept credit card payment (although there may be a surcharge).
Scuba diving
Taganga turned in to a popular scuba diving spot. Diving spots are usually near the small island "Aguja", a part of Tayrona National Park. The underwater of Taganga has a big diversity of marine life. There are a dozen diving schools in town, but be careful where you do your courses. There are many reports of travelers doing their courses, paying and never receiving any certificate. Be careful for your safety: some diving centers have pretty old equipment, never follow safety rules such as safety-stop and even skip important skills/exams during the course or have dive masters teaching courses, check if you will be with a real instructor. For more information check PADI alerts [16].
Prices for a half day with 2 dives all equipment included are between COP$150,000-250,000. Open Water courses are among the cheapest in the world, between COP$750,000-1.000,000 (January 2018 prices).
Available dive centers (incomplete list):
Spanish lessons
Get homemade seasonal sweets and delicious frozen fruit treats at Kelly seasonally. And check out the handmade Wayu and Kogi shoulder bags. Excellent crafts and very Colombian! There are many local stalls with the usual arts and crafts, hammocks, bags, etc. Be prepared to bargain hard, but still expect to pay much more than at the market in Santa Marta - Taganga is a tourist town!
It would be good idea to take a couple of "Stubbie Coolers" (Australian vernacular for an item which keeps the beer in your bottle cooler or longer) as the heat in Taganga will have you drinking warm beer by the time you are at the end of your drink (or just don't hold your bottle when not drinking from it and don't take half an hour to finish each bottle).
There is a great little internet cafe a block to the west of the police station and ATM, which adds little friendly touches like the occasional cup of water.
Stay safe
Taganga has recently become notorious for mugging and robbery, so regular precautions should be taken.
There are quite 7 small beaches outside of Taganga (15 minutes walk), which are connected by walking paths covered by vegetation. These paths are used by local robbers, especially on late hours when there are not many people walking to and from. Do not walk there by yourself. Wait for a small group. If you carry valuables with you and don't feel adventurous, it's better to take a boat (3 minutes; COP $3.000).
If you consume illegal/recreational drugs (you can't walk down the main beachfront street without being offered them multiple times) be careful of getting shaken down/searched/harassed by the local police. If they find anything on you be prepared to be taken into custody and threatened with jail unless you pay an on-the-spot fine (in cash, of course). Anyone traveling with you is also subject to harassment and could be made to contribute to your "fine" as well. Know the law - marijuana has been decriminalised in Colombia - but it is still wise to exercise discretion and caution and may less hassle to pay a small fine if caught by the police.
Get out
Santa Marta airport can be reached by either Taxi or Regular Colectivo. Direct flights to Medellín, Bogotá and elsewhere. Taxi is a 30-40 minutes journey and will cost about $40,000 COP. You could catch the Collectivo Bus out of Taganga past the Santa Marta beach front till it gets to the corner of Carrera 4 and Calle 22. Here change buses to one marked Rodadero Aeropuerto, which will take you directly to the airport for 3,200 COP (60-90 minutes).


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UXBRIDGE - Police are trying to track down a would-be robber whose failed money-grab was caught on a surveillance camera.
The Police Department posted the video on its Facebook page.
Sometime overnight, a man broke in to Jumbo Donuts, 5 Douglas St., and headed for the cash register. After examining the underside of the register, the man was able to unlock the cash drawer. But a quick look inside revealed it to be empty.
The disappointed man walked away.
Police are asking the public to look at the surveillance video and contact them if they can identify the suspect. Detective Steven Prior can be reached at (508) 278-7755.
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Post by Uxbridge Police Department.
Contact Mike Elfland via email at email@example.com.


text: I've set my valves and am now ready to do TB adjustment. Shouldn't the left cable have a certain amount of slack? I did the adjustment last week but I couldn't seem to get the manometer to be even on both sides. The left hand side had no slack at all. I got all of the surging out of it but I have a vibration at 3200 RPM and no where else. Thanks ahead


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Exocet Wind SUP Saves the Day
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Joined: 22 Apr 2005
Posts: 85
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:14 am
Post subject: Exocet Wind SUP Saves the Day
Once again the Exocet Wind SUP saved the day when what would previously have been considered a pretty much unsailable day, turned into a really fun ocean and wave riding afternoon. This board continues to reward time and again. It provides the ability to get out on the ocean in light on shore to side on winds to catch a bunch of fun wave rides and downwind swell surfing. Then just head way back up wind with ease thanks to the daggerboard and repeat the whole process again and again. Overall the Wind SUPs versatility as a light wind ocean/wave board, an SUP for paddling, a flat water windsurfing long board, and a stable easy board for beginners to learn on, is very impressive.
Does it have drawbacks? Yes, it is big at 118 long and fairly heavy. Hence it is more weight to lift and launch and more prone to ding damage when handling /transporting if you are not careful. There is also more potential risk for damage to the board and rig in the surf inherent to sailing any big SUP or windsurfing long board in surf conditions. Still these are drawbacks and risks I understand and accept in turn for all the fun this board can provide. Would I prefer to be shortboarding? Of course, but when the winds and conditions are not cooperative then boards like the Wind SUP certainly beat just sitting on the beach wishing and waiting for better conditions.
So after several straight days of really light south and straight on shore wind at Emerald Isle, NC, this last Saturday it finally began to swing a little SSW and more side-on. By 2:00 p.m. it was up to around 8-10 knots so I decided to take the Wind SUP with a 7.5 Aerotech Phantom down to the beach. The tide was still fairly high and due to the more on-shore winds, higher tide and shore break it was not easy to just flop the board down in the water, beach start and go like you would in more side-shore winds. The best method is to wade out while pushing the board and rig out past the in close shore break area. Once out and about 10 - 15 yards off the beach, you could then just climb aboard, up-haul quickly and go. Here again, the high volume and stability of the Wind SUP makes uphauling far easier in the rock and roll surf conditions.
Then by kicking the WindSUP daggerboard down I was able to quickly sail upwind to just east of Bogue Pier. The waves are usually better there and thus the reason for the Pier being a popular and well known North Carolina surfing spot. However, although the waves were 2-3 feet the onshore-side on wind made for pretty poor conditions for surfers with only a few out and in close. There were no SUP paddle surfers or Kiteboarders to be seen either. So I had the whole place pretty much to myself. By then the wind began increasing to 10-12K and I was able to more easily plane up and onto a number of fun wave rides almost into the beach and fast tacks back out.
After catching a few waves I then kicked the dagger back down and headed out about 300 yards past the pier to clear all the fishing lines, and sailed upwind about 1/2 mile west. Made a few more wave rides there and by then the wind had increased to 12-14K with a few higher periods. This made for some really fun beam to broad reach planing and swell surfing - down-winder style, back to the east side of the pier. Now with the added wind strength and being able to plane easily you could catch waves farther out and get some really long fun and fast rides in. Plus the Wind SUP with its wide classic long board nose just climbs up and over the breaking surf and white water with such ease when heading back out. This really makes going out over the surf in light winds so much more stress free!
Finally after about 3 hours non-stop on the water, and having made a whole bunch more powered up beam to broad reach runs in and out while catching more waves and swell rides back to where I started, I called it a day. Thanks again to the Wind SUP I had the opportunity to get out and have a really fun windsurfing and light wind wave riding session in what before were generally considered unsailable ocean on-shore wind conditions. The Exocet Wind SUP made it not only sailable but a whole lot of fun on a beautiful sunny and warm June afternoon off the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.
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Joined: 25 Jul 2007
Posts: 77
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:36 am
Post subject:
No kiters? Awesome!
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Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 66
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:56 pm
Post subject:
I just got the windsup. I normally use a 130l JP xcite but needed a big board to replace my mistral super light. Last week I used the windsup to sup with my wife and son. It was great. This week I went to long island sound and decided to try it in 10 knot winds with an old Naish noa V 8.0 sail. That sail always really sucked on the 130 l board. It felt big and heavy and cumbersume and i never once had it planing So I figured I would try it with the windsup one last time or give away the sail. Guess what? It was awesome. I was planing around and giddy. Literally lughing that this big monster board could be so much fun. We do not get lots of windy days on long island sound. So I might have the perfect summer rig now: The windsup and a 8.0 sail. I even got the kiddie sail rig to take my 7 year old out. I think this board might restart my water passion. Hooray. I am glad this pricey board is starting to pay off.
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Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 403
Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:51 pm
Post subject:
Great post .... That got me thinking that I'd like one, too, especially with my daughter starting to enjoy the sport.
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Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 66
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 9:42 am
Post subject:
Getting the windsup was a total gamble. And an expensive gamble. There is no real way to try anything around here. So its just going on instinct and reviews online. Kinda scary when buying a big 2k board sight-unseen! Some people have raved about the WindSUP. Others poo poo it that you should have either a good SUP or a good sailboard but they think the windsup is not great at either (sacrifice).
So far i think this hybrid board opens up more potential for me to simply get on the water. If there's good wind, i use my 130L board. If there is light wind, i use the windsup now. If there is no wind, i use the windsup to sup. And since the wind here is so finicky, that makes sense to me. Simply getting my ass to the beach is hard enough. So at least i know i can get on the water one way or another!
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Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1208
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 10:49 am
Post subject:
After reading a lot of enthusiastic posts on this forum, I gambled on the Exocet WindSUP 10. Seems I lost when
the thing broke
second time it saw waves. Others had
similar problems
I then bought the BIC WindSUP 10.6, which costs only about $1000, and has a more durable construction. It has a much nicer glide that the Exocet. That's not just my opinion, but was shared by ABK instructors. Andy Brandt really liked the BIC (but not the Exocet), and even ABK wave sailor Eric really was impressed. The BIC planes similar to the Exocet - both plane nicely in waves, and decently on flat water, but neither is exiting when planing on flat water.
The BIC does not have a daggerboard, which may limit its use for teaching a bit. But for an intermediate to advanced sailor who knows how to dig in the windward rail, it goes upwind
than the Exocet WindSUP 10 with the dagger board down. The Exo performance with the daggerboard down is
impressive, and a pretty far cry from older longboards.
In my opinion, the BIC is a better board at a significantly lower cost. The hype about the Exocet planing is just that - hype. If there's enough wind to plane, most windsurfers would be on a different board. If the goal is low-wind planing, a formula or formula-type board will give a much more exiting ride.
James Douglass
is a case-in-point: after moving to low-wind Florida, he first got a big sail for his Exo WindSUP, but then also got a formula board very shortly thereafter. From his posts, his formula board gets a lot more use.
If playing in waves is important, keep in mind that the Exocet WindSUP weighs substantially more than most sailable SUPs. That's a big issue when trying to get through shore break. Unfortunately, the high weight does NOT seem to mean it can take more of a pounding.
I think getting a sailable SUP is a great idea. They can increase the number of fun days on the water dramatically. But as the owner of both an Exocet WindSUP and a BIC WindSUP, I do not think that the Exocet should be top of anyone's list. There are plenty of other sailable SUP options. Some brands and shops have regular SUP demo days - just bring a rig and see how the SUPs sail before you buy.
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Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Posts: 45
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 2:08 pm
Post subject:
My experiences with the Exocet 11'8 are extremely good. Excellent upwind performance with the dagger down, better than the dagger-less Curve 11'5 and Amundson 11'3. I read about boardsurfr 's unfortunate experience with his 10' windsup (on his excellent blog) and happen to be very interested in the BIC ace tec wind that he's referring to. But regarding his Exocet windsup, it sounds to me more like a problem with Exocets warranty and lack of interest in customer service. I think this 11'8 is awesome. I prefer it to shortboards because it has far more range and versatility. Regarding the marketing ploy of branding it a beginners board or light wind board, I refer anyone interested to a fun to read windsurfing book, "Windsurfing--wherever there's water and wind" by Glenn Taylor--Copyright 1979, so keep that in mind, if you can find it. Windsurfers used to do all kinds of cool, talented, complex maneuvers on the original windsurfer, which this board reminds me of. It is a lot lighter than that board, more modern, but has similar dimensions.
This Exocet 11'8 can be used in far more diverse situations than simply light wind and save the day mentalities. Yes, the volume becomes redundant at higher wind speeds, but it will get you back in lulls or in the occasional gear breakdown. I broke my mast one time way out in the outer swells and limped this board back in pretty easily, standing up. Meanwhile, I windsurfed it with a 4.7 sail on a 25 mph day (that was predicted to be 15), and it kept up with my friends 115 liter shortboard. Yes, it is big---I've broken my windshield on the SUP ( was able to fit it inside barely, on the diagonal)and just traded it in for a long bed pick up. The 11'8 looks pretty cool with its tail and fin sitting up back there. If you are smaller than my 6'1, 185 lbs, you might not find this 11'8 as useful.
The other thing I would add is that I wouldn't call this a very good wave SUP, when paddling. I'm sure it's good for catching small waves or on flatter water paddle cruises, but this to me is a replacement for my Kona one for windsurfung in the waves (emphasize the waves, b/c that Kona one is a great board). I have had no problem with wave durability from my Exocet 11'8. But for paddling in surf, I don't use it. I bet that BIC wind ace tec paddles in surf well. I have heard great things about its durability and its windsurfing ability. And it's $500 less than the windsup. The BIC is on my list for the future, but I sure hope to see this 11'8 remain viable--I love mine....
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Joined: 03 Aug 2010
Posts: 66
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 10:23 am
Post subject:
I did read about your problems with the Windsup. That made me nervous. I also narrowed it down to the Windsup and the Bic (not alot of other choices). I spoke with someone at Isthmus sailboards who helped guide me. I have no way to compare it to the Bic. I hope the Windsup doesnt start to fall apart. The padding on it seems a little lazily installed. Uneven cut edges and some of the glue shows at the seams. Even the paint job is kinda wobbly. But otherwise it seems solid.
FYI, I am 6'5" and 215lbs. So the big board seems just right for me. Also, yes the board points directly upwind with the dagger board down! Thats great. I can sail upwind quickly and then turn around and plane downwind and then reverse. Thats important for the onshore winds and tight spaces that i sail in.
I have not tried SUP in waves. I am a little worried about damaging the fin or the board in the shallows.
I wish the board had tie-downs for a gear mesh in the front. And it didn't come with footstraps so i need those. The fin is giant. I suppose i could use a smaller fin than the stock one?
It should be interesting to see people i know try to learn on it. Its like a barge. Ha.
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Joined: 22 Apr 2005
Posts: 85
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 11:27 am
Post subject: Exocet Wind Sup Saves The Day
I would not recommend using the stock long fin that comes with the WindSUP for sailing in the Waves or even for SUP Paddling. Although it works well for flat water sailing especially with bigger sails, I have found a 34cm True Ames Convert works pretty well for light wind wave sailing for my 200 lbs.
Another fin I have used is a 10" True Ames Surf Grass on it for light wind wave sailing. That fin makes it a little easier to turn than the Convert, and gives good clearance when beach starting but is not as efficient for getting the board up on a plane.
I do use the 10' surfgrass fin all the time for SUP paddling though as it also makes the board turn easier and gives a heck of a lot more access to shallow water paddling than the stock long fin too. Another friend of mine who has the WindSUP uses a Maui Fin Company San Carlos Weed Wave 25cm on his for paddling with good results. I sailed his board several times with this fin on the ocean and waves in light winds and it seemed to work O.K with similar performance on the WindSUP to the 10" Surf Grass.
It would be interesting to hear what other fin options others are using on their WindSUP's too. Anyone?
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Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Posts: 45
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 12:13 pm
Post subject:
I use a 29 cm true Ames surfgrass fin when sailing off the beach and the few times I SUPed it in waves (like I was saying, there are better options than this board out there for wave SUP with paddle)
I put a 38 cm Kona surf fin on it in the river, for the flatter conditions and less of a need to have that shallow 29 cm which works so well at the beach.
I haven't used the 44 cm stock fin all that often. I almost put it on one day when using 9.0 sail but the 38 cm Kona worked fine with that sail, on that day.
This board looks big, yes, but when powered up in the ocean with all the chop and waves, it feels just right.
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text:
Great Bundle that includes both Auralia 5 and Musition 5. Get both products at one low price.
Musition 5 - Fun ways to learn music theory & musicianship.
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System Requirements – Windows:
System Requirements – Mac:
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text:
The Uponor Sales department is a solid network of successful, talented and accommodating individuals all dedicated to living the promise of providing solutions to enrich people's way of life.
And for Uponor, the sale isn't over when the customer signs on the dotted line. Our Customer Service and Technical Service representatives are available — both on the phone and out in the field — long after the sale to ensure our customers receive the highest quality support available.
Uponor has sales representatives throughout the U.S. and Canada, with U.S. Sales offices in Apple Valley, Minn. and Canadian Sales offices in Regina, Saskatchewan, Brampton, Ontario and Laval, Quebec.
Our Sales department includes various branches throughout the U.S. and Canada that support our radiant heating and cooling, plumbing, fire safety and commercial divisions. Departments include Customer Service, Technical Services, Demand Planning, technical field representatives, area representatives, internal sales management and management.
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text:
Thought I would use a quick look during the weekends to run through Muddy's 133 pager report on Olam and summarize it here. The post is merely a run through and does not imply the author is agreeing or attempting to distribute/disseminate the content of the Muddy Waters report.
Points are
Capex attribution
Accounting Issues
Solvency and liquidity
War of words
Points are
- Capex/acquisition heavy with poor assets
- Crown flour mill (0.9% thin margin, cash burn)
- S$571M less investments that were annnounced
- S$996.2M of capex were not attributable over the last 4 years
- 62.5% of non cash gains from negative good will from revaluations (SK Foods, tt Timber)
- Rest from biological gains (I.e you dont sell the trees but change your estimate of its values)
- Non cash accounting gains account for 37.9% of PAT from 2010 to 2012
- Sept 2012, S$3.75B of debt due in 12 months despite S$1.38B in cash
- Firm consumed S$2.5B in operating cash flowfrom FY2009 to 1Q2013
- Significant margin account restatements, one over S$1B in 2008
- Significant impact of derivatives revaluation on profits (sensitivity up from S$3.8M to S$12M from 2011 to 2012 despite fall in value of derivatives)
- Undisclosed account changes (page 35-41 of Muddys report)
- Low rate of project and investment returns
- Nigeria export incentives and grant income flows to Olam but is not sustainable
- Refinancing quantum of S$4.6B over next 4Qs
- FY 2012 has only 3 weeks of operating cash, over S$600M of cash out of S$1.1B are from withdrawals of broker margins. S$445.7M cash are from overdrafts at over 20%
- Recent quarters saw a withdrawal of cash from margin accounts and mentioned no need to maintain the account as they net off positions daily
- Mentioned Olam was defensive, Olam advised Muddy to go long and work with firm. Muddy declined in a abrasive manner
- Muddy offered to pay for a debt rating on Olam
- Olam 45 page rebuttal HERE
Some takeaways
Most points were previously covered by others including CLSA previously and now further written in depth by Muddy which is well appreciated.


text:
DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor is offering free upgrades to U.S. and Canadian hybrid customers to improve their fuel economy.
The company plans to recalibrate the vehicle control systems on 77,000 Ford C-Max and Fusion hybrids and Lincoln MKZ hybrids from the 2013 model year.
Some customers have complained that the cars aren't getting the 47 mile-per-gallon fuel economy promised in Ford's advertising.
Ford will increase the maximum speed the cars can be driven in electric mode from 62 to 85 miles per hour.
It also plans to make better use of the grille shutters, which improve aerodynamics; reduce the electric fan speed; shorten the engine warm-up time and minimize use of the air conditioning compressor.
Ford will notify owners next month. It won't say how much it's spending on the upgrades.


text: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks as Attorney General Eric Holder listens during a news conference last October. The two plan to remain in their current jobs as President Obama's second term begins. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images The Two-Way Sebelius, Holder, And Shinseki Will Stay Put When Obama's Second Term Begins January 9, 2013 Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki plan to remain with President Obama's administration as his second term begins, according to a White House official.


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TUCSON — For Senator John McCain, the Congressional summer recess has turned into a race against the clock, and against other Republicans. As the most senior member of the bipartisan Senate group that drafted the omnibus immigration bill pending in the House, he has spent his days prodding constituents to pressure Arizona's Congressional delegation to support it.
Mr. McCain knows how much is at stake. He has tried before — and failed — to push immigration changes through Congress, where political divisions on the issue run much deeper than party lines. And he knows how hard it will be to get anything done in 2014, an election year.
In the state that is at the center of the fight against illegal immigration, his campaign for the overhaul is an uphill battle. There are four Republicans among Arizona's nine-member House delegation, and they are all adamantly against tackling an immigration overhaul with a single piece of legislation.
They have also been making their case in corners that are decidedly more conservative than Tucson, which is represented in the House by two Democrats and was the site of a town-hall style meeting held by Mr. McCain on Tuesday.
He faced questions there about the increasing emphasis on border security and a perceived lack of accountability among Border Patrol agents, who have been involved in at least 15 deadly shootings since 2010. But elsewhere, "what's waiting for him is quite the opposite," Representative Paul Gosar, a Republican whose district includes most of the rural western part of Arizona, said in an interview.
"We've said all along that we want immigration reform, but American voters, American taxpayers, are done with this bill that passed in the Senate because it's a bill that came together with no debate," said Mr. Gosar, who early this month hosted two meetings in Kingman, a Republican stronghold near the Nevada border, where increased security is central to the immigration debate. "What's so scary about having a conversation with America?"
Mr. McCain is undeterred. Last week, to turn up the pressure, he urged evangelical pastors and Hispanic civic leaders to mobilize their communities. He also encouraged immigrant advocates to remain active, while reminding them to be respectful of those with differing opinions. A week ago, from a conference room in Phoenix, he issued a call for action to members of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, saying, "We will not succeed if we don't have the active support of our business leaders."
Mr. McCain was quick to concede that the bill had shortcomings. "I don't think that any legislation that is a series of compromises that need to be made is perfect," he said at the public meeting here on Tuesday. But he is open to making one more concession, if that is what it will take: the "piecemeal approach," as he put it, that is favored by Mr. Gosar and many other House Republicans who have been unwilling to throw their weight behind the all-encompassing legislation.
"We now have, for better or for worse, 11 million people who are residing in this country illegally," Mr. McCain told more than 100 people at the meeting. "Does that mean they should be permanently punished?"
Pacing the floor, he turned on the charm, cracked jokes and more than once invoked religion to justify restructuring the country's immigration laws, saying an overhaul was exactly what "a nation founded on Judeo-Christian principles" would want.
Attempting to turn one of the main arguments used by opponents into ammunition for supporters, he told the audience that doing nothing amounted to "de facto amnesty."
"There's no way you're going to round up everyone and send them across the border," he said.
Addressing concerns about border security, he offered numbers outlining what the immigration bill before the House would provide: 20,000 additional Border Patrol agents, 350 miles of fence and billions of dollars for security, including drones and a radar system named Vader, which was developed to track Taliban fighters planting roadside bombs in Afghanistan.
When one man at the meeting brought up the deadly shootings by Border Patrol agents, he responded, "When these things happen, there has to be investigations, there has to be oversight by Congress, there has to be hearings." (On Monday, the Justice Department exonerated agents involved in two shootings in 2011 in Douglas, Ariz., and Nogales, Mexico, saying they had committed no crime.)
The unrelenting reality, Mr. McCain said later at the meeting, was that "sometime in the next few days, the Border Patrol is going to find more bodies in the desert" — migrants who died of dehydration or exposure in the extreme heat. Somewhere, he went on, smugglers were waiting to bring more people across the border, crossings during which "young women are treated in the most unspeakable fashion" and others are abandoned and left to die.
"What I respectfully ask you to do," Mr. McCain said, "is to contact our members of Congress and tell them how important this legislation is."
Immigration has been a politically difficult subject for Republicans, who have had to balance a need for change, which they have acknowledged, against the animosity among their most loyal supporters toward the idea of giving illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship. Many Republicans have avoided the face-to-face free-for-alls that stirred passion among voters in years past, choosing to conduct meetings by telephone or behind closed doors to focus only on immigration.
Representative Matt Salmon, a Republican who represents Mesa and other suburbs east of Phoenix, spent a lot of time in recent days talking to groups with different opinions on immigration, like border sheriffs and evangelical leaders. He also fielded phone calls at his district office, mostly from people telling him, "We don't like this Senate bill at all, we don't support it," he said.
The immigration legislation as it stands "has many problems," Mr. Salmon said, "starting by the fact that it's willy-nilly throwing money at border security and there isn't even a clear objective on what constitutes a secure border."


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Teams were drawn into six preliminary round pools per gender. All of the teams will also get to play in the decisive elimination rounds, which will determine Europe's representatives in beach volleyball at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing.
Matches scheduled for Thursday were postponed due to the national mourning period declared in Turkey, which is why the competition schedule has been modified. In order to complete the entire tournament within the two available competition days - Friday and Saturday - it was decided not to hold the classification matches originally meant to determine the final standings of the top six teams for each gender.
The Finals in Antalya will still determine which young European hopefuls represent the continent at the China Olympics, but will not single out specific winners of the inaugural 2014 CEV Youth Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.
Eight teams per gender were granted top seeds after winning their zonal pools last year. Two pools per gender will feature two top seeds. In the men's competition, Italy and Germany will have to face each other in Pool E, while Austria and the Czech Republic will battle it out in Pool F. Similarly, Lithuania and Ukraine will keep each other company in the women's Pool E, while the young ladies from Russia and Germany will have a direct clash in Pool F.
Pool composition:
Pool A: Austria, Norway, France
Pool B: Switzerland, Israel, Netherlands
Pool C: Latvia, Greece, Poland
Pool D: Czech Republic, Turkey, Belarus
Pool E: Lithuania, Ukraine, Turkey 2
Pool F: Russia, Germany, Italy
Pool A: Ukraine, Cyprus, Finland
Pool B: Latvia, Norway, France
Pool C: Russia, Slovakia, Bulgaria
Pool D: Poland, Turkey, Spain
Pool E: Italy, Germany, Turkey 2
Pool F: Czech Republic, Austria, Lithuania
According to the competition formula, the teams classified second and third in the preliminary phase pools will be drawn to face each other in the first elimination round; the winners of the first round will then lock horns with the teams classified first from the pools in decisive battle to determine the six ticket holders for Nanjing. If the host country Turkey qualifies both its teams among the top six ranked spots, it is entitled to only one spot in the Youth Olympics. The next best placed teams will fill up the spot as well as any extra spots granted to Europe by the IOC / FIVB.
A coaches inside the field of play test is again being conducted, as in the zonal phase and other CEV underage competitions in 2013.


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Taiwan Auto Lights Manufacturer and Its California Distributor Plead Guilty in Price Fixing Conspiracy
Topics: Eagle Eyes Traffic Industrial
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs
October 16, 2012
Companies Sentenced to Pay a Total of $5 Million in Criminal Fines
WASHINGTON—A Taiwan aftermarket auto lights manufacturer and its U.S. distributor pleaded guilty to an indictment charging them with participating in a seven-year, international conspiracy to fix the prices of aftermarket auto lights and were sentenced today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the Department of Justice announced. Aftermarket auto lights are incorporated into an automobile after its original sale, often as repairs following a collision or as accessories and upgrades.
Tainan County, Taiwan-based Eagle Eyes Traffic Industrial Co. Ltd.; and its U.S. subsidiary, Chino, California-based E-Lite Automotive Inc., were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg to pay a total of $5 million in criminal fines.
According to a one-count superseding indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, on November 30, 2011, Eagle Eyes and E-Lite conspired with others to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing the prices of aftermarket auto lights. Eagle Eyes participated in the conspiracy from about July 2001 until about September 2008, and E-Lite participated from about March 2006 until about September 2008.
"The conspirators engaged in an international price fixing scheme that undermined competition in the aftermarket auto lights industry," said Joseph Wayland, Acting Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division. "As a result of the division's vigorous enforcement efforts, four corporations, and five executives have been charged."
According to court documents, the conspiracy was carried out by the two highest-ranking officers of Eagle Eyes—its chairman, Yu-Chu Lin, and vice chairman, Homy Hong-Ming Hsu—who were both charged along with Eagle Eyes and E-Lite in the superseding indictment. The executives met with other co-conspirators and agreed to charge prices of aftermarket auto lights according to jointly-determined formulas. The conspirators issued price announcements to customers in accordance with the jointly determined price structure and collected and exchanged information on prices for the purpose of monitoring and enforcing adherence to the conspiracy. The conspirators also took steps to conceal their actions throughout the duration of the conspiracy.
In addition to today's pleas, two other corporations have also pleaded guilty. On October 4, 2011, Sabry Lee pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $200,000 criminal fine. On November 15, 2011, Maxzone pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $43 million criminal fine.
Chairman Lin, who resides in Taiwan, remains a fugitive. Vice Chairman Hsu, who was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport over a year ago, pleaded guilty on September 25, 2012. Hsu is scheduled to be sentenced on January 22, 2013.
In addition to Homy Hsu, three individuals have also pleaded guilty. Shiu-Min Hsu, the former chairman of Depo Auto Parts Industrial Co. Ltd., a Taiwan manufacturer of aftermarket auto lights, pleaded guilty on March 20, 2012, and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 8, 2013. Chien Chung Chen, aka Andrew Chen, the former executive vice president of Sabry Lee (U.S.A.) Inc., a U.S. distributor of aftermarket auto lights, pleaded guilty on June 7, 2011. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 15, 2013. Polo Shu-Sheng Hsu, the highest-ranking officer of Maxzone Vehicle Lighting Corp., another U.S. distributor of aftermarket auto lights, pleaded guilty on March 29, 2011, served his sentence of 180 days in prison and paid a $25,000 criminal fine.
Eagle Eyes and E-Lite are charged with violating the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum penalty of a $100 million fine. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
This case is part of an investigation being conducted by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division's San Francisco Office and the FBI in San Francisco. Anyone with information concerning illegal or anti-competitive conduct in the aftermarket auto lights industry is urged to call the Antitrust Division's San Francisco Field Office at 415-436-6660 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm.
|Connect with The Crittenden Automotive Library


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Streamline the workflow for insurance agents by using Wacom signature pads and interactive displays.
Agents share policy information with the customer on their computer screen and guide the customer through the approval or claims process. Whenever a customer signature is required for amendments or requested changes to coverage, the signature box is displayed on a Wacom signature pad or interactive display and the customer uses the pen to sign their name directly on the screen as they would on paper. When signatures are required for payment of claims or settlements are made, a Wacom signature pad connected to a laptop computer is an excellent solution to save precious time that would normally be lost due to paper processing.


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November 26 – 30, 2014
Auditório Ibirapuera
São Paulo, Brazil
Directed by:
Charles Esche, Galit Eilat, Nuria Enguita Mayo, Pablo Lafuente, Luiza Proença, Oren Sagiv, and Benjamin Seroussi.
Organized by:
Biennial Foundation
Fundação Bienal de São Paulo
ICCo – Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea
The Forum will run alongside the 31st Bienal de São Paulo
(6 September – 7 December, 2014).
An initiative by: Biennial Foundation
Image: 10ª Bienal (1969) – Unknown Photographer. Arquivo Histórico Wanda Svevo / Fundação Bienal de São Paulo


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It's getting warmer
As the weather gets warmer it is a great opportunity to start looking at the invertebrates in your local area.
Find out what insects and spiders you are sharing your schools with and why they are vitally important to a healthy planet. You can start surveying now and then run the activities again in late spring or early summer and compare the results.
Here are some of the resources to get started.


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John Weeks
John Weeks studied ornithology and wildlife management at Cornell University and earned a graduate degree in plant ecology from Syracuse University. He has served as Conservation Biologist for the NYS Conservation Department; Associate Professor of Biology at SUNY Oswego; Founding Director of The Rogers Environmental Education Center at Sherburne, NY; and Director of the Onondaga Nature Center and Center for Nature Education at Baltimore Woods, Marcellus, NY. He assisted in the creation of the Cayuga Nature Center and the Sterling Nature Center in Cayuga County near Fair Haven, NY.
Over the years John has written hundreds of nature columns for regional newspapers, and in 1982 began writing and narrating The Nature of Things, his weekly radio program that aired on WRVO for many years and is now available as a series of podcasts at the WRVO website.


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Jazz on the Park Youth Hotel
Jazz on the Park Hostel is located in the modern Upper Westside of New York City. Central Park is within walking distance along with subway lines B and C, shops, a variety of restaurants and bars. Close by you will find many of New York's major attractions and interesting sites such as The Museum of Natural History, the New York Historical Society, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Riverside Park and Grant's Tomb, Columbia University, the Hungarian Pastry Shop and if you fancy going for a walk across Central Park you will end up on 5th Avenue. Other attractions on this side include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Neue Gallery, and the Jewish Museum of Art.
This convenient location lets you explore New York by foot and if you hop on the subway, you can be anywhere in the city in a matter of minutes. We are in a perfect spot from where you can start your sightseeing adventures.
We welcome groups and individual guests and we can accommodate you in single or double rooms and also in dormitory style rooms. We provide lockers, however you need your own padlock. We sell them at reception in case you forget one and if you wish to use our electronic luggage storage, please note that a small fee will apply. Bathroom facilities are situated on each floor (shower & toilet) and we provide towels.
Our famous coffee bar and TV lounge is a great place to meet new people, also our friendly multi-lingual staff is there to help you with any queries and inform you about all the best places to go. BBQ parties in the summer not only feed you well, but you can also take this change to make new friends and learn about their travel experiences in a social and relaxed environment. We also have summer pub crawls and at selected times a tourism booth.
We're looking forward to meet you!
Please Note:
• The hostel is in two buildings. On 106 Street and Central Park West you will find the main-check in and the coffee bar and on 105th Street you will find all private singles and our dormitory rooms.
• The 14.75% tax, $3.50 service charge (private room) and 50c service charge (dorm) is not included in the price and must be paid when you check in.
• Check-in at 3 pm
• Check-out at 11 am
• 14 days is the maximum number of days you can stay with us
• Under 18's are not permitted to check in and must be accompanied by an adult and also have a parents'/guardians' consent stating that they are aware they will be staying
• In case of a cancellation, you must notify us at least 48 hours in advance by phone or email
• In case of 'No Show', a total of one night's stay will be charged
• A valid Passport or an out of state photo ID is required to check-in
• Sorry but no NY State residents - there are no exceptions
Disponibilidad y preciosPara ver la disponibilidad y los precios, selecciona las fechas y pincha "Actualizar fechas"
Instalaciones & Políticas de Albergue
- Recepción 24 horas
- Seguridad 24 horas
- Aire acondicionado
- Cajero automático
- Televisión por cable
- Tarjetas telefónicas
- Sala común
- Se aceptan tarjetas de crédito
- Sala de juegos
- Acceso mediante tarjeta llave
- Check out tardío
- Incluye ropa de cama
- Taquillas
- Guardaequipajes
- Sin límite de hora
- No fumadores
- Terraza al aire libre
- Mesa de billar
- Recepción (horario limitado)
- Mostrador de excursiones
- Alquiler de toallas
Política de cancelaciónEsta propiedad cuenta con una política de cancelación de 1 días. Si no se realiza la cancelación dentro de ese plazo se aplicará un recargo de anulación igual a la primera noche de tu estancia.
IndicacionesMostrar mapaOcultar mapa
From JFK Airport:
1) Take the AIRTRAIN shuttle to the Jamaica/Sutphin Blvd Subway station.
2) Enter the 'E' train going to Manhattan.
3) Transfer from the 'E' train to the uptown 'C' train at 42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal (59th Street) Station in Manhattan.
4) Exit the subway at 103rd Street and Central Park. Walk north on Central Park West to 106 Street. Turn left, the hostel is the second building from the corner.
$45 flat rate for a yellow cab to the hostel
From La Guardia Airport:
1) Take the M60 Bus to 106 Street and Broadway.
2) Walk 3 blocks east on 106 Street to 36 W.106 Street.
From Newark Airport:
1) Take the $10 Olympia Bus or $9 NJ Transit bus to New York Port Authority. (See from Port Authority). Or Take a $20 Super Shuttle bus www.supershuttle.com direct to Jazz on the Park
*New Car Service for $28 plus toll & tip - Carmel -212-666-6666 from New York to Newark.


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Patents are the representation of genius expressed through unique innovations. As such, patents are a primary asset of any successful enterprise. When filed internationally, they support a stable market positioning. Customers identify themselves more easily with companies that invest in research and development and share their singular treasures with their loyal base.
This is exactly the story of Wibu-Systems, a company that strongly believes in its highly qualified staff. Over the years the bright minds of Wibu-Systems' founders and employees have collaborated to create major components of present and future technology. These intellectual property milestones have been protected through patents valid in numerous countries.
In particular, Wibu-Systems holds the following patents:
Method for authorizing newly connected devices when connecting to a computer via an interface
A method for protecting a computer system against the transmission of unauthorized data from a device connected to an interface, in particular a USB device, of a computer system, where the computer system comprises of a screen and an interface. The system has an operating system installed as well as preferably a specific driver, which is suitable for the connected device. The method consists first of recognizing a device via the interface and optionally classifying the device. The data sent by the device is received, and any unauthorized data is detected. In a further step, a test form is displayed on the screen, which is preferably associated with an input request. In the next step, an authorization test is executed, in particular a Turing test, the received data is evaluated, and it is verified whether the test was successful. If the test is passed, the device is authorized, and the data transmitted by the device is passed on to the computer system. If the test is not successful, the device is blocked, and no further data is transmitted. More
Method and computer system for protecting a computer program against influence
Method for protecting a computer program against the influence of an intrusive program or manipulation software used to manipulate computer programs on a computer system with a processor unit, main memory, and a storage medium. The method relies on Kerckhoffs' principle. Parts of the computer program are encrypted to prevent its static analysis without execution of the program by the processor. A key required for decrypting the encrypted parts of the computer program is stored in a secure container that communicates with the computer. More
Method and device for protection of computer software and/or computer-readable data
Method comprises encoding of the software by a license provider using license parameters, recording of software, encoded license parameter transfer from provider to license taker and automatic encoding of the software using the license parameters while the software is being used by the license taker. More
Method for controlling data processing device
The invention relates to a method for controlling a data processing device that is connected to a computer via an interface. Said method comprises the following steps: a device-specific command is generated on the computer by means of an application program; the command is stored in a special file and is then transmitted by the computer to the device with the aid of the write instruction of the computer's operating system; the special file is received by the device; the device-specific command is read out from the special file; the device processor finally executes the command. More
Authorization code recovering method
The invention relates to a method for recovering an authorization code which is assigned to a licensee by a licensor and is stored in an access-protected data processing device that is connected to a computer of said licensee via an interface. A backup file which is part of the authorization code and contains the license parameters is stored on the licensee's computer. More
Method for intrusion detection
Method for protecting computer software by detecting an attack of an intruding program interfering with the execution of said protected software on a computer system with a processor and at least a processor memory, wherein the computer software to be protected communicates with a license container containing a license for using and executing the protected computer software and containing at least one cryptographic key, wherein the license container provides licenses and cryptographic keys for the protected software to protect its usage and its integrity, and wherein the protected computer software is at least partly encrypted and uses the associated cryptographic keys to decrypt said protected software for executing comprises the following steps. More
Method for protecting an application program against reverse engineering and related computer program product
Method for protecting an application program executable on a computer against reverse engineering, said application is created to run with at least one selected dynamic link library (DLL) on said computer, comprises the steps of: removing the references from the application to the used dynamic link library to be run with; adding a specific library loader to the executable application program, said loader either contains or has access to said dynamic link library; setting modified references to said dynamic link library in the correct places of the application; and, upon loading said application program and said loader into the main memory of said computer, initializing said dynamic link library by said library loader; thereby linking said library to the application program like a static link library. More
Method for generating a cryptographic key for a secure digital data object on the basis of the current components of a computer
Method for generating a cryptographic key on the basis of current components of a computer for decryption of an encrypted, computer-specific authorization code for activating a protected digital data object e.g. executable file such as executable program, application, application program and programs in machine language or in script languages, non-executable files such as programs in source code, text file, database file, audio file, image file and video file and general binary files used by proprietary programs for storing data, on the computer. More


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MONTREAL - The Oreo cookie is an iconic food like the Big Mac, Ritz Cracker and a bowl of Campbell's tomato soup. Chances are, we've all eaten an Oreo. There may even be a package in your pantry right now. Granted, they're not politically correct homemade cookies filled with wheat germ, oatmeal or even Belgian bittersweet chocolate, but a factory-bred cookie made with white flour, sugar and unhealthy fats. That said, there's nothing quite like twisting the top off of an Oreo cookie, or enjoying a handful with a tall glass of milk after a hard day. Well, at least that's what my 7-year-old says.
Tuesday marked the 100th anniversary of this beloved biscuit, and to celebrate the occasion the producer of all the Oreos that sell in Canada, the Montreal Christie Brown facility (in operation since 1956 and located next to the Big O), opened its doors for the first time to journalists interested in seeing how this cookie is made. We're miles away from haute cuisine here, yet I couldn't resist a glimpse of a foodstuff fabricated to the tune of 3,000 two-biscuit, icing-stuffed cookies per minute.
Canada is the fourth biggest market for the Oreo after the U.S., China and – get this – Venezuela. In 2011, the Oreo drew in a whopping $2 billion in profits worldwide. Sold in more than 100 countries, Oreos are customized to each market's tastes, so you'll find green-tea-ice-cream-flavoured Oreos in China, banana and dulce de leche Oreos in Argentina and chocolate and peanut Oreos in Indonesia. According to Oreo, 50 per cent of all Oreo eaters twist apart the cookies before eating, the majority of those twisters being women. The other 50 per cent just bite into the cookie whole. And here's another little fun Oreo fact for you: on the face of each cookie, there are 12 flowers stamped in the design. What fun!
On arrival at the Viau St. factory, we were outfitted with lab coats, hair nets, ear plugs and shoe coverings. Upon entering the extremely noisy production facility, we were led past Wheat Thin cracker sorters, towering ovens, mixers and vats of flour, sugar and dough. More clinical than the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory wonderland I expected, this 300,000-square-foot factory is impressive nonetheless.
Our first stop was a large bathtub-sized container containing 937 kilograms of Oreo cookie dough that had a definite resemblance to topsoil. It was destined to produce 120,000 Oreos. Whoa. That dough is then broken up and set on a conveyor belt from which it is fed into a machine that shapes and stamps the cookies with the classic flower design.
The raw cookies are then fed into an oven, and not just any oven but a 280-foot-long oven that ranges in temperature from 270F to 490F, thus ensuring the cookie's super crisp texture. Once baked, half the cookies are flipped and diverted into two areas, half being "the tops" and the rest being "the bottoms" ready for sandwiching. The bottoms then receive a squirt of the famous white Oreo frosting made of icing sugar, oil and vanilla. The top biscuit is then set on top of the frosting and yet another Oreo cookie is born.
Thirty cookies are stacked to fill each tray, which is then dropped into Oreo bags and sealed. The full process from start to finish takes 90 minutes.
More than 1 million Oreo cookies are made every eight-hour shift in the Montreal factory, and 500 Montrealers work in the factory, with 125 employees dedicated to the production of Oreo cookies.
To celebrate this century of sweets, Oreo has produced a limited edition "birthday cake" cookie. With more of a chocolate cake taste and sprinkles in the icing, this new Oreo, along with the all-vanilla Oreo Gold cookie, is even better than the classic version. Deep down inside, though, my heart belongs to Fudgee-Os, which are also made in the same Montreal facility.
That said, I discovered there are Oreos and there are Oreos. At the end of the tour, plant manager Michel Cartier handed me a bag of cookies fresh off the factory line to taste at home. "Do you ever tire of Oreos?" I asked him. "Never," he replied. Faithful employee, I figured, until I tasted those minutes-old cookies he handed me. Unbelievably crisp on the outside, melting withinand with a great bitter-chocolate flavour offset by the sweet frosting, this ebony and ivory biscuit really does offer one heck of a delicious
olfactory experience. With Oreos this fresh at hand, I'm not sure I'd get sick of them, either.
One thing is certain, though, you won't find me twisting them apart. I'm an eat-them-whole Oreo girl, all the way.