text:
Day 3
I-View Now exhibited at ISC West 2017 with its own booth space, a first for the company. When I stopped by I met with I-View Now president Larry Folsom and Nicole Swartwout, who is focused on platform integrations with the company. At the show, the company was discussing a few new integrations at this year's show. Particularly, that Bosch, Hikvision and OpenEye cameras can now come I-View Now ready.
In addition to these integrations the company has brought video to end users for alarm confirmation, through Affiliated's AlertMessage offering and Bold Technologies' NotifyMe, Folsom said that functions like these can really impact the industry.
This year, DICE brought two of its sister companies to the booth, IPtelX and Aventure6. In addition to catching up with Cliff Dice, DICE CEO, it was great to meet HR Topham, senior account manager with Aventure6, and Jordan Dice, president and CEO of IPtelX.
Cliff Dice said that the company was talking quite a bit with attendees about its cloud based automation solution, which now has more than 1 million accounts across 50 central stations.
Mark Matlock, UCC's senior vice president, said that at ISC West the company has been talking about the acquisition by Lydia Security Monitoring, COPS Monitoring's parent company, 14 months ago and how it has benefited the company. Matlock said that the company is preparing to activate its back up central station, which is collocated with COPS' Dallas-based monitoring center, approximately 320 miles away from UCC's own central station in San Antonio.
Matlock said that the company has experienced some growth recently, adding on 10,000 accounts since the beginning of the year.
The Fortress UTM—standing for unified threat management—is a recently announced device that takes the place of an Internet router and monitors communications between connected devices, bringing cybersecurity into the residential market. On the show floor I got to meet Roumen Kassabov, Fortress Information Security's software engineer, Juliet Okafor, Fortress Information Security's VP of global business development, and Michael Monroe, Fortress Cyber Security's senior engineer, product lead.
At the Kwikset booth, the company was showcasing some of its most recent locks, which were also announced at this year's CES. Its Obsidian lock is a keyhole-less design that only has a number pad to control the lock. Nick English, the company's national sales manager, told me that the design, as well as others, better fit consumers looking for a more modern or contemporary look. The company was also showcasing its Convert, a system that can turn stand locks into smart locks.
I was glad to meet with MivaTek's Joe Liu, company chairman and CEO, and Elaine Kuo, MivaTek's marketing director. MivaTek provides a platform to access connected devices from a smartphone, review and record video clips. This can allow users to verify that an alarm is real and then call contacts, such as the local PSAP, from the app.
For my final booth visit, I met with Matthew Davis, project manager and help desk for Z-Wave Products. He showed me how the company's Z-Wave Tool Box can help an installer visualize connectivity and traffic between smart devices in order to better diagnose an issue.
All around I thought that this was a great year—one thing I heard at just about every booth was how traffic was really good. I look forward to seeing how the technologies announced and discussed at the show progress over the next year.
Day 2
The weather was very nice for the walk, and—as it always is—it was great to step away from the strip and the convention center for some more tranquil fresh air. I was happy to be alongside so many others in the industry, raising money for Mission 500, which benefits children in need.
Back on the show floor my day started out with a series of video interviews at Security Systems News' media stage.
First, I spoke with Hank Groff, senior vice president, sales and business development for Dynamark, about the show and Dynamark's focus of partnering with security dealers to provide them with more than third party monitoring.
John Wells, operations manager for Comtronics, and I talked on camera about the company's switch from operating its own central station to using wholesale monitoring with NMC and how that has helped the company look at new technologies.
Tony Byerly, president of Securitas Electronic Security, talked on camera about the company's final phases for incorporating its acquisition of Diebold's North American electronic security division.
My last ssnTVnews interview was with Mike Donegan, national sales manager for Security Partners, and Jacob Trone, VP of Financial Security. We discussed Security Partners' new funding program for dealers and the benefits to it.
Each of these video interviews, as well as my talk on Wednesday with Justin Bailey, AvantGuard's COO, will be available online in the future.
At COPS Monitoring's booth I had the chance to catch up with Jim McMullen, COPS president and COO, and David Smith, VP of marketing and business development. McMullen said that several show attendees have stopped by the booth and mentioned that they like COPS' redundancy across multiple sites. The company has five monitoring centers throughout the United States, including in New Jersey, Florida, Tennessee, Texas and Arizona.
OneEvent is, as I mentioned earlier, one of the companies I got the chance to speak with ahead of the show. On the show floor I got to meet a few of the team members face-to-face: Kurt Wedig, co-founder and CEO, Dan Parent, co-founder, COO and VP of engineering and Bob Mullaly, the company's chief data scientist. The company is initially looking at how its data analytics engine can help to predict a fire, based on environmental factors.
Mullaly mentioned that the system, beyond early detection and prevention, also has the capability to give first responders more information on the nature of the event if a fire does take place.
I spoke with Everbridge recently about its acquisition of IDV Solutions. I stopped by the IDV Solutions booth on the show floor to meet Scott Morrison, IDV Solutions' executive vice president of marketing, and Annie Asrari, director of product management for Everbridge. While I have talked with the companies about IDV Solutions Visual Command Center, it was great to see what it looks like and how it works in person.
At Vanderbilt's booth I met with Mitchell Kane, company president, and Kim Loy, the company's director of marketing. I had a great chat with Kane about trends in the industry. He identified mobile credentials in access control and cloud-based or hosted systems as major trends in the industry. Both of these categories are fairly mature from a technology standpoint, Kane said, but have not matured much in the market.
MONI Smart Security is exhibiting at ISC West for the first time since its rebranding; Jeffery Gardner, company president and CEO, and Peter Tonti, vice president of product development, said that dealers' responses to the new name and look, as well as its more consumer facing presence, have been very positive. At the end of March MONI announced that the company is offering a sign on bonus at the show, which Gardner said can really help a new dealer get started.
In early February, Bold Technologies officially released the latest version of its automation software, ManitouNEO. At this year's ISC West, Coles and Matt Narowski, company director of development, gave me a brief demo of the new platform. Among the latest innovations is a new video interface and the ability to funnel more data on a central station's performance into the platform's dashboard.
At UL's booth I met with Steve Schmit, engineering manager, Lou Chavez, principal engineer, security and life safety, and Neil Lakomiak, director of business development and innovation with UL. It was interesting to hear what the organization is focusing on, such as upcoming standards for tactical video solutions—such as thrown cameras; alarms, detectors and shut off systems for water leaks; and mPERS systems.
My last booth meeting of the day was with March Networks. Nathan Dinning, March Networks' product manager, Donna Reid, director of marketing, and Dan Cremins, global leader of product management, talked with me about some of their latest systems. At ISC West, the company is showcasing a new camera, purpose built to bring high quality video into an ATM camera. March Networks also is debuting an integration between its Searchlight business intelligence offering and FLIR's Brickstream 3D Analytics Sensor, as well as a new 9000 series of video recorders designed to fit well into all-IP environments.
Day 1
Starting out the show, it was great to hear the opening keynote: Philip Celestini, section chief for the FBI Cyber Division, sharing the FBI's view of cyber threats, trends and protective measures. He talked about the four levels of cyberthreat from his perspective: certain nation-states, international crime syndicates, insider threats, hacktivists and then—at the bottom of the list—terrorists.
My first meeting on the show floor was with Kevin Lehan, PR manager with EMERgency 24 and Deanna Blair, independent sales representative. It was great to hear more about the company's Incident Crisis and Control Service, or ICCS, which opens two-way communication with first responders in the event of an emergency. Blair discussed how critical partnerships and integrations are in the industry today. The company has recently partnered with Aiphone to offer its ICCS through Aiphone's IX series. E24 comleted the video capabilities with Aiphone by last year's ISC East and the two-way voice capabilities before the show.
I was able to speak a bit with Aiphone's general sales manager, Bruce Czerwinski, and the company's marketing manager, Dana Pruiett, about what they plan to discuss at the show. Czerwinski said that the company is focused on the message that it is not only focused on door entry, but instead multiple communication paths.
From there, I stopped by Affiliated Monitoring's booth. This year the company decided to bring ISC West attendees on a tour of their headquarters in Union, N.J., with the help of a virtual reality headset. This was my first experience with any virtual reality system, and I found it quite interesting. I also got a live demo of Affiliated's AlertMessage system, which allows an alarm's call list to discuss the alarm, from Matt Solomon, who does marketing for Affiliated. The company recently brought video clips, through I-View Now, into the tool to aide the contacts in identifying if the alarm is true or false.
I've spoken with AvantGuard Monitoring about a few things lately, such as the company's new hybrid monitoring models and its new chat feature. In an ssnTVnews interview, I spoke with the company's COO Justin Bailey on camera about some of the feedback AvantGuard has been hearing at the show on these new offerings.
Brad McMullen, vice president of national accounts for STANLEY Security, told me that the company has been working on a few new things, including a personal safety offering, a new offering in data insights and a tool to help control shrink in the retail industry. The personal protection offering, STANLEY Guard, will help companies protect their workers outside of the building, he said. Through a mobile application, a user is able to trigger an alert and record both video and audio of a situation. Stanley is just rolling this out now.
With data, McMullen said the company is now reviewing data, such as with an access control system. He gave the example of a terminated employee still attempting to gain access to the facility, or another employee trying to open a door late at night.
Lastly, for the retail sector, the company is rolling out an offering that will help detect shrink at the point of sale, such as with mis- or un-scanned items. These alerts can be compiled for the user, or given in real time in order to address the problem before the consumer in question leaves the store.
At the Rapid Response booth, I spoke with Christopher Denniston, marketing and communications manager, and Morgan Hertel, VP of technology and innovation. Hertel spoke about how the industry has been changing over the last five years, particularly with video and analytics playing a larger role. When asked what he sees changing most, Hertel pointed to the users. "Your user base is radically changing," he said. "They're younger, they're more savvy, and they have different expectations."
At the Z-Wave Alliance booth I got to catch up with Mitchell Klein, Z-Wave's executive director who was also at this year's TechSec solutions conference, and meet Sigma Designs' vice president, Z-Wave business line, Raoul Wijgergangs. In addition to the company's new S2 framework, the company also has been working on a new device, the Certified Installer Toolkit, which helps installers diagnose problems by allowing them to visualize the connectivity between different connected devices.
IC Realtime was discussing an interesting new product: a silent and rapidly deployable aerial surveillance solutions that uses an industrial balloon. The system is called PLAS, or Persistent Low Altitude Surveillance. Robert Mitchell, IC Realtime's SME on government practice and law enforcement referred to the system as "emergency management in a box."
Nortek Security and Control on Tuesday, April 4, launched its new 2GIG Rely, a new DIY system. I enjoyed talking with Robert Beliles, Norek Security and Control's vice president of product, about the system. Outside of the DIY market, the system has appeal for renters, customers with a second home, and those who don't want a contract. Beliles also underlined the focus on creating a small and aesthetically appealing system.
Robotic Assistance Devices, or RAD, is working on several things, including a robot that will be "walking" in tomorrow's Security 5k/2k—Steve Reinharz, RAD's president, really liked the idea of "robots raising money for humans." The company's robot has many different uses as the robot can be equipped with a variety of sensors. Reinharz said that the company's roadmap includes an autonomous charging station for the robot. Speaking generally on robots in security, he said, "This is not security integration, this is not security guards, it's its own thing."
At the Honeywell booth I had the pleasure of speaking with Ilan Dee, director of product marketing, cloud services, Honeywell Security and Fire, and Alice DeBiasio, general manager of Cloud Services, Honeywell Home and Building Technologies, about the company's latest advancements with Alarmnet 360. The offering can now show dealers a visual representation of their customer base which could be broken down into areas of communication type, communication failures by area, home automation services and other categories. Debiasio and Dee pointed out how this information could be used to upsell and gain more RMR from a company's existing customer base.
Also at the Honeywell booth I got to speak with Samir Jain, general manager, enterprise solutions at Honeywell Security and Fire, and Susan Adam, marketing director, enterprise solutions at Honeywell Security and Fire. Jain and Adam told me a bit about the company's recent enterprise access control system, Pro-Watch, which incorporates mobile credentialing as well as mobile management and controls. The company is also talking about its advancements in fire notification, such as its new L-series.
As I mentioned in my short post yesterday, I made sure to save time to see the inaugural Unmanned Security Expo @ ISC West. I was interested to see robotics, such as with RAD, but also some of the anti-drone companies. One company, DroneShield, looks to audio detection to notice drones in the area and then couples that with a gun of sorts that electronically makes the drone land. Apollo Shield takes a different approach, detecting drones and then directing them to return the way they came.
I look forward to walking in tomorrow's Security 5k/2k. The weather looks like it will be pretty nice for tomorrow, starting off cool but warming up throughout the morning.
I arrived safe and sound in Las Vegas mid-day Tuesday and am certainly excited the show this year. I've spoken with several people about what they will be exhibiting at this year's show and look forward to being able to see the technology in person. For example, I plan on stopping by OneEvent's booth on the show floor to hear more about the company's data analytics system and its capabilities in the fire detection space. I also look forward to seeing how MONI Smart Security's booth has been redesigned to reflect the name change. I've also made sure to carve out some time to see the inaugural Unmanned Security Expo @ ISC West.
Check back here for daily updates on my show floor meetings and some of the latest technologies.
ESX has made several announcements recently regarding its 2017 conference, to be held at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn., from June 13-16.
"Every year, planning a show like ESX is both challenging and rewarding. For 2017, it is more challenging than most," ESX chairman George De Marco told Security Systems News via email. "Being our 10th anniversary of ESX, we want to make the attendee experience commensurate with celebrating this milestone."
ESX looks for feedback from its attendees, De Marco said. "From this feedback, we learn the most important reasons why ESX matters to them, and continue to tweak ESX to fine tune the attendee experience. For 2017, the education will emphasize the practical and proven methods that improve operational and financial results. Some of them are basic, but even professional athletes are coached on fundamentals every year," he said.
Bestselling author Dr. Robert Kriegel will be the ESX 2017 keynote speaker. His presentation, "Innovate or Else," will focus on various strategies for addressing change, challenge and competition in the industry.
Kriegel will deliver five strategies for developing new opportunities, ESX wrote in its announcement. He will also discuss the four most common obstacles to innovation and how to overcome them, outlining how to prepare for change and challenging the status quo.
"Innovative ideas often come from places you haven't looked before," Kriegel said in a prepared statement. "One of the best sources is to look outside of your industry."
Kriegel's clients include AT&T, BP Chemical, Boeing, Comcast, Exxon Mobile, Kraft General Foods, Nike, and the U.S. Navy as well as others.
The keynote for this year's luncheon will be author, speaker and aviator Carey Lohrenz, She is a former Lieutenant in the United States Navy and was the first female aviator to fly an F-14 Tomcat.
"In a fast-paced environment, leading fearlessly is not easy, but it can be done," Lohrenz said in a prepared statement. "The ability to work through fear kept me alive as I operated under dangerous conditions and in life-or-death situations on the flight deck."
Lohrenz will speak from experience on the foundation for strong leadership, team motivation and how companies can elevate their business.
The ESX Keynote Luncheon is sponsored by Security America RRG. Security Systems News is the media sponsor of the luncheon.
In late March, ESX announced it added 30 new booths to the show floor. "Over 200 exhibiting and sponsoring companies will participate in ESX," ESX said.
It is only March, but I think it is safe to call 2017 the "year of cybesecurity" as the industry has doubled down on its focus to secure everything IP.
This cyber mania, so to speak, is not unfounded, as the security industry is learning firsthand—from recent highly publicized DDoS attacks and increased ransom-ware attacks to more and more stories of compromised cameras and security systems—that the convergence of physical security and IT is creating a new set of challenges and security risks.
As I prepare for ISC West, I am not surprised to see that this year's keynotes will be focusing on cybersecurtiy. I am very interested to hear what Philip Celestini, section chief, FBI Cyber Division, has to say in his keynote, "The FBI View of Cybersecurity: Threats, Trends and Protective Strategies," on April 5 at 8:45 a.m.
I am particularly interested to hear how far the FBI has come in the past year in its war on cybercrime, as Celestini spoke on this topic at ESX 2016, providing some eye-opening statistics on the high cost of cyber attacks.
For example, at ESX last year Celesini pointed out that ransom-ware attacks went from causing $25 million in losses to $200 million in just one year in the U.S., as well as an astonishing $2 trillion in cyber crime losses worldwide. I wonder where those numbers are this year?
The next morning at 8:45, a panel discussion, "DDoS Threat Landscape & Defensive Countermeasures," will look at how October 2016's attack on Dyn's DNS infrastructure was a gloomy wake-up call to the online community at-large. The panel will look at the role that IoT devices played in the attack against Dyn, as well as the attack against Krebs prior to it, as well as defensive countermeasures with a strong emphasis on preparedness ahead of these attacks.
And later in the day at 1:45 p.m., Matthew Rosenquist, cyber security strategist for the Intel Corporation, will present his keynote, "How Cyber-Attacks are Changing the Expectations of Security, Privacy, and Safety," looking at the growing types of incidents and challenges in the industry that are driving shifts in expectations for security, privacy and safety, presenting a glimpse of the future where both risks and opportunities abound.
See you in Vegas!
Companies across industries are increasingly leveraging the cloud for security applications, with 42 percent of respondents in a new study commissioned by Schneider Electric indicating they currently run security applications in the cloud and almost half (45 percent) stating they are likely or extremely likely to transition security operations to the cloud in the future.
The survey, conducted by Morar Consulting, included input from more than 300 U.S. CIOs, CTOs, IT directors, security/facilities managers and operations personnel across industries including construction and trade, education, financial services, healthcare, IT/technology, manufacturing and industrial and professional and business services.
"Leveraging the cloud for security applications is becoming increasingly accepted—and required—as we move into a 24/7 digital world," Steven Turney, security program manager, Schneider Electric, said in the announcement. "Especially for companies where security management improvements are imminent, it makes sense to consider innovation at every level of their organization to meet their security needs. As businesses are required to be more agile, the cloud helps to unify and simplify security measures so an organization's data, people and assets are constantly protected."
According to the findings, organizations utilize the cloud for existing applications including data storage, human resources, email and security, and are eager to continue adopting it for security operations, with 57 percent of respondents believing the cloud is secure, including IT and technology professionals having the most confidence (78 percent), followed by education (70 percent), construction (68 percent) and financial services (52 percent). However, some skeptics remain, with 18 percent of respondents indicating they do not trust the cloud.
"Nearly three-fourths of respondents said network security is an important feature for security systems in their organizations," the study's authors found. "While the state of security continues to advance, respondents indicate security systems aren't where they should be in order to adopt emerging technologies (54 percent), and despite business leaders being supportive of emerging technology (95 percent), many barriers to adoption exist.
Organizational/administrative barriers such as procedures, lack of perceived value and ROI were the top barriers identified that are inhibiting organizations from achieving their security goals, according to the study.
"While integration remains an obstacle to achieving security goals, almost 80 percent feel it is important to integrate security systems with other buildings and IT systems as part of an organization's cloud strategy," the study found. "Currently, photo ID badging, active directory, intrusion and CCTV are the top four systems organizations integrate into their security systems. The two top non-security systems organizations currently integrate with their security systems are automation and lighting."
To learn more about the study, you can review the full results here.
Note: SSN continues to report on this story, including an upcoming interview with Steven Turney, security program manager for Schneider Electric.
VIENNA, Va.—On March 16, CSAA announced that it is officially The Monitoring Association.
To recap: the name change was discussed among members in the second quarter of 2016. It was voted on, and passed, during CSAA's general membership meeting in early June, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas.
SSN spoke with executive director Jay Hauhn and the organization's vice president of marketing and communications about CSAA's plans for 2017, including the process of changing the name.
In a letter to the CSAA membership, president Pamela J. Petrow noted that "our new name reflects our renewed commitment to our mission: to advance the professional monitoring industry through education, advocacy and public safety relationships. It also emphasizes our long range goals to grow the association beyond our traditional services to embrace the opportunities of our changing industry." She added that the new name's meaning "will be reflected in all future initiatives of [the] association."
Association programs including Five Diamond, Excellence Awards, Online Training, and the Annual Meeting and Fall Operations Management Seminar are also undergoing rebranding and will be re-launched under the new name, the organization noted in its recent announcement.
"The term 'Central Station' no longer has wide recognition outside of our industry," Lasko said in the announcement. "Our new name will facilitate our efforts to educate the public about the critical role TMA members play in public safety," she said.
"Monitoring life safety events in the traditional central station model remains our core business," Hauhn said in the recent release. "That will not change. However, our demographics surveys show that members increasingly monitor more than traditional fire and burglar alarms – they monitor medical devices, access control, and other non-emergency but meaningful events. Our new name allows room for the association to encompass all the areas our members are beginning to monitor and any into which they may move in the future."
TMA's website can be found at www.tma.us. Member ID numbers and login information for the website will not change. TMA staff will use the email suffix "@tma.us." All emails to the previous "@csaaintl.org" address will be forwarded.
CARIBOU, Maine—In Northern Maine, Virtual Managed Solutions LLC recently opened a wholesale monitoring center.
"I have wanted to develop a central station for a number of years," CB Smith, CEO of Virtual Managed Solutions, said. The development of the monitoring center started in September 2016, and Smith credited the company's VP and CIO Steve Boddy with much of the due diligence and technological setup.
Virtual Managed Solutions, or VMS, has operated a contact center here since 2007 and will be the parent company to VMSCS. "We've had a couple of really good years of growth and financial stability, so we've recently invested and we are online," Smith said.
"We recognize that we have a skillset, we certainly have the network and we have the redundancy—of course—and now … the UL certification," Smith said. "We are, as I see it, able to present ourselves as an apples-and-apples comparison to any other wholesale [station] out there in the country."
The center, which officially opened at the end of February, currently monitors for about 150 accounts, Smith said. VMSCS is using Bold Technologies' Manitou Cloud Services for its automation system. In addition to traditional alarms, the company will also do PERS and video monitoring.
Smith said that having the contact center business, collocated with the central station, will allow the monitoring center to offer "quite aggressive" pricing.
The company will be dedicating employees to monitoring center services, separating them from other call center operations in VMS. Picking the right people was important to the company, Boddy told SSN. "We're looking for people that use customer service not as a job but as a career, because they're going to put people first," he said.
"Business development is obviously a big part of any business operation," Smith said. The company is starting to grow its account base through contacting local dealers, he said. VMSCS is increasing its marketing and has created a new website. "From there, it'll just be spreading our wings and going to different geographic areas of the state and then outside of the state of Maine as well," Smith said.
Smith has a variety of experience with the industry, working with SimplexGrinnell, and Maine-based integrator Norris Inc, before working with VMS. "Since I opened this contact center with my team here, I've had a vision of coming into that world and working in that world. … I recognize the potential," Smith said.
With drone technology gaining traction within the security space, it only makes sense that the discussion includes anti-drone technology, as the issues of privacy and rules and regulations regarding flight restrictions must come into play.
At this year's ISC West in April, for example, the show's inaugural Unmanned Security Expo—which has its own section of the show floor with a "flying cage" featuring ground-based robots and aerial drones in action—will also include an education portion addressing topics such as anti-drone technologies and drone use in law enforcement.
Many security companies have already developed or are developing anti-drone technology, ranging from machine-gun looking devices that can block communications and knock a drone from the sky, to technology that intercepts the drone's signal, assuming control, so to speak.
The government is getting involved, of course; the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, Program Executive Office Unmanned Aerial Systems (PEO UAS), recently sent out a "request for information for participation" or RFIP, which "seeks technology solutions that are capable of detecting, identifying, and tracking, and identifying small unmanned aerial systems (SUAS) that are perceived as threats to people or critical infrastructure to participate in the DHS S&T 2017 Technical Assessment of Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) Technologies in Cities (herein called TACTIC)."
DHS S&T established the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aerial Systems (PEO UAS) to lead DHS efforts in guiding, advising and enabling technology solutions in this area, and as part of this RFIP invites industry, academia, and other government organizations to submit applications addressing innovative technology solutions for assessment during TACTIC.
This is certainly an interesting time as we enter into the robotics as a service (RaaS) era within security. In our recent news poll, many respondents commented that they see great potential for drone and other robotic technology within security; many agreed that it is just a matter of how quickly these technologies are adopted.
As I'm watching the weather forecast for Maine predict a drop into single digits temperatures, I can't help but think about the great weather we had in Delray Beach Florida for this year's TechSec Solutions conference, held Feb. 27 and 28.
Though there was a bit of rain during the day, the weather worked out perfectly in the evening for our "20 under 40" Class of 2016 reception. It was great to see a variety of award winners able to make it down—seven from our end user class and six from our integrator class. Below is a photo of all the winners that could attend this year's conference.
Reviewing the feedback we've gotten, many said that they enjoyed the networking opportunities. Each year, I find that the poolside "20 under 40" reception is a great place to spark those conversations and meetings.
Beyond making it to the reception, it was great having so many of these winners also participate on panels. Paramount Pictures' Jeff Reider, National Oilwell Varco's Bob Bernazal and Brian Phillips of Alexion Pharmaceuticals—all three of which are 2016 end user winners—gathered for a conversation, moderated by Guy Morgante from Northland Controls, on the nature of GSOCs today.
Phillips also moderated the session on big data in the physical security world, which you can read more about here.
Class of 2016 integrator Andrea Kuhn, from Kastle Systems, moderated the panel on the mobile security technologies that are out there today.
Kuhn also served as a panelist on "Class of 2016 '20 under 40' winners take on the future," along with fellow integrator winner Jeremy Brooks, with CSG Security, and end user winners Michael Brzozowski from Symcor and Tyrone Chambliss of Flex. Together, these four panelists discussed various hot topics in the industry, including the Internet of Things, smart buildings, cybersecurity and drones.
It is very rewarding each year to recognize up and coming professionals in this industry, and it was great to see some of them at this year's TechSec conference and hear their perspective on the latest industry trends.
Although a ton of research has been coming out recently looking at the high ceiling for smart or connected home growth over the next few years—Parks Associates says that half of homes will have a connected product by 2020—a recent study by research firm Gartner Inc. finds that only about 10 percent of households currently have connected home solutions.
Gartner found that adoption of "newer connected home solutions is still at the early adopter phase," a conclusion based on responses from nearly 10,000 people in U.S., the U.K. and Australia during the second half of 2016. According to the study, "connected home solutions" consist of a set of devices and services that are connected to each other and to the Internet and can automatically respond to preset rules, be remotely accessed and managed by mobile apps or a browser, and send alerts or messages to the user (s).
"Although households in the developed world are beginning to embrace connected home solutions, providers must push beyond early adopter use," Amanda Sabia, principal research analyst at Gartner said in the announcement. "If they are to successfully widen the appeal of the connected home, providers will need to identify what really motivates current users to inspire additional purchases."
The survey found that home security alarm systems, the more established of connected home solutions, have nearly double the adoption rates (18 percent) of newer connected home solutions such as home monitoring (11 percent), home automation or energy management (9 percent), and health and wellness management (11 percent). Overall adoption rates were five- to six percent greater in the U.S., where they were first marketed.
However, excluding home security alarm services for which a monthly fee is generally paid, solution providers may find monetizing connected services challenging as the survey revealed that less than half of households currently pay for subscription-based home monitoring and automation/energy management solutions.
"In the U.S., where the home monitoring industry is more developed, 59 percent of households with a home monitoring solution indicate they do pay a monthly fee, thus proving they see value for these solutions," according to Gartner. "However, charging for subscriptions for home automation/energy management and health and wellness solutions is more of a challenge since more than half of current households are already using these services free of charge."
Using a scale of 0 to 100, respondents were asked about their feelings and preferences toward the value of devices, appliances and applications in the connected home ecosystem. Three-quarters of respondents indicated they are happy to manually set temperature and lighting controls versus only one-quarter who expressed an interest in having devices anticipate needs in the home. Furthermore, 58 percent of respondents showed a preference for separate, independent, stand-alone devices.
The study found that respondents are starting to see the value of one app for integrating their connected home devices, appliances and services as well as the importance of brand certification for their connected home devices and services. More than half of the respondents (55 percent) rated 51 or more toward the preference of one app integrating connected home devices and services, while 58 percent rated 51 or more toward the importance of hardware and services being certified by a specific brand.
"Messaging needs to be focused on the real value proposition that the complete connected home ecosystem provides, encompassing devices, service and experience," Jessica Ekholm, research director at Gartner, said in the announcement. "The emphasis needs to be on how the connected home can helps solve daily tasks rather than just being a novelty collection of devices and apps."
Ekholm will provide further analysis on consumers' use of technology at the Gartner Tech Growth & Innovation Conference 2017 taking place June 19-21 in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Subscribe Now
On the Editor's DeskPaul Ragusa
News and notes
Monitoring MattersGinger Hill
Guest Blog
© 2019 United Publications ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


text:
Aerospace & Aviation
CTRL Systems works closely with NASA, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and several other organizations for the integration of the CTRL UL101 Ultrasound Technology to mission critical aircraft for both fighters and carriers.
The UL101 is the only ultrasound detector suitable for Space Flight. As a result of NASA's use on the Space Station and Shuttles, the UL101 has been integrated to most legacy aircraft by the US Military and its allies.
In addition, the UL101 has been authorized and is being used by such organizations as Airbus / Air France for commercial aviation for inspection of the aircraft at service centers and hangars.
Power Generation & Transmission
CTRL Systems is heavily involved with the implementation of ultrasound technology for leak detection and condition based monitoring in the power generation and transmission industry.
We helped improve plant efficiency in more than 200 power generation plants in China, which has led to better emissions and less fuel wastes.
We helped one country's power transmission reduce expenses by 75% by nearly eliminating catastrophic failure.
Oil & Gas
CTRL Systems has worked with several groups including Schlumberger, Lukoil, Shell, Exxon Mobile and others around the world for implementation of ultrasound to refineries, pipelines, drilling, and services.
We helped one major oil company "decrease the efforts not less than 10 times and avoid nearly absolutely the missing of flaws - in comparison with the present procedure of gas leak detection."
In one of the largest refineries in the world, the UL101 and PowerBeam 300 was used to improve time for flange inspection. More than 3500 flanges are checked in one week during shutdown without removing the insulation or building scaffolding. The time and costs savings were immeasurable.
Several petrochemical companies utilize the CTRL UL101 and InCTRL for leak detection and condition based monitoring systems keep production running smoothly. Daily leak detection monitoring and routine condition based monitoring of critical equipment are the primary concerns for process control.
Implementation of the technology minimizes the time spent find leaks and decreases process downtime for efficient and increased production output. This is critical to an industry whose profitability is closely tied to efficient operations.
Keeping rail cars and locomotives moving is as important to an economy as any industry. CTRL Systems has worked closely with railroad service organizations, operations, and manufacturers to identify areas of more than 20 areas of application.
We helped identify more than 20 areas of application for using the UL101 and InCTRL for inbound/outbound inspection stations.
We helped manufacturers use the UL101 for quality control to reduce their inspection time by 50% or more.
Paper & Pulp - Mills, Corrugated, & Sheet
CTRL worked closely with several organizations to identify cost saving opportunities.
We helped a paper mill reduce it's energy usage through compressed air by 20% while securing incentives. The ROI of the turn-key projects was less than 18 months for monitoring, ultrasound, leak detection, and repair.
We helped one corrugated plant reduce catastrophic failure to 0% using UL101 and InCTRL and turn the plant into a top 5 producer within its organization.
Manufacturing, Quality Control, Safety
Because of the diversity in applications afforded by CTRL Ultrasound Technology and Programs, every industry can benefit.
CTRL Systems has helped organizations from the technician level to corporate level when implementing new technology in a systematic way for best results.
"The Ford Chicago Assembly Plant has been using the detectors for years now and are very happy with its capabilities."
G.W. Butler: PM Planner - Ford Motor
"The UL101 allows fast identification of the scope of problems to be corrected. Cuts troubleshooting labor by 50% to 75% compared to conventional methods."
Hess: Operations - Johnson Controls
"We received the unit Friday morning and within 20 minutes we found a loose bolt in one flange in the hydrogen line pipe that was leaking and we were not able to detect it using the traditional snoopy leak detection. Also, we found two bad bearings in two process pumps in a simple walk. We confirmed the finding using vibration analysis. Both bearings are in the early stage of failure so we can plan the repair."
Gonzales: Maintenance Supervisor - Zeon Chemical

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- Film Note : -movie_rating-
- Release Date of film : 2010-07-08
- Average rate : 6.9
- Vote Count : 3309
- Societies of production : Illumination Entertainment
- Status : Released
- Tagline : Superbad. Superdad.
- Duration of movie : 95
- Languages spoken : English
- Youtube Id : -youtube_id-
- Original title : Despicable Me
- Movie genre : Animation, Family,
- Steve Carell Character (Gru (voice))
- Jason Segel Character (Vector (voice))
- Russell Brand Character (Dr. Nefario (voice))
- Julie Andrews Character (Gru's Mother (voice))
- Will Arnett Character (Mr. Perkins (voice))
- Kristen Wiig Character (Miss Hattie (voice))
- Miranda Cosgrove Character (Margo (voice))
- Dana Gaier Character (Edith (voice))
- Elsie Kate Fisher Character (Agnes (voice))
- Pierre Coffin Character (Tim the Minion / Bob the Minion / Mark the Minion / Phil the Minion / Stuart the Minion (voice))
- Chris Renaud Character (Dave the Minion (voice))
- Jemaine Clement Character (Jerry the Minion (voice))
- Jack McBrayer Character (Carnival Barker / Tourist Dad (voice))
- Danny McBride Character (Fred McDade (voice))
- Mindy Kaling Character (Tourist mom (voice))
- Rob Huebel Character (Anchorman (voice))
- Ken Jeong Character (Talk Show Host (voice))
Despicable Me Synopsis:
You can watch Despicable Me Movie Online Streaming in HD Now. Watch for free download Despicable Me movie online with single fill out the form by clicking on the image of the sign up button. Enjoy all the albums new movie with all Faves Movie Streaming In ! Just watched it Despicable Me Free Movie Online. This is truly spectacular and could one of those rare amazing. The quality was great all around. Management, images and visual effects were all very innovative and brilliant. The pleasure of the script, often humorous and has a lot of heart for all his characters are all very well developed.
... Despicable Me Full ...
Pierre Coffin Job as : Director, Chris Renaud Job as : Director, Ken Daurio Job as : Screenplay, Sergio Pablos Job as : Story, Cinco Paul Job as : Screenplay, Pamela Ziegenhagen-Shefland Job as : Editor, Gregory Perler Job as : Editor, Sergio Pablos Job as : Executive Producer, Christopher Meledandri Job as : Producer, Janet Healy Job as : Producer, John Cohen Job as : Producer, Pharrell Williams Job as : Original Music Composer, Heitor Pereira Job as : Original Music Composer, Nina Rappaport Job as : Executive Producer, Yarrow Cheney Job as : Production Design, Eric Guillon Job as : Art Direction,
Yes, now you can Watch Despicable Me Full Movie Streaming Online and get the link to Despicable Me Full Movie Online Streaming In HD Ici


text:
Tipster Patrick sends along notice that there will be the first ever PJ party on the Cowboys Stadium field this evening, beginning at 6 p.m. Dallas time.
FYI, per the press release, "The 100 Girl Scouts in attendance will have a meet and greet with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, a dance class with the Rhythm & Blue Dancers, a PJ Fashion Show and watch Tangled on the Diamond vision while enjoying pizza and popcorn."
Just keep the scouts away from this cheerleader, or they won't grow up to be Elizabeth Dole!


text:
The Department of Communication Studies
WeLCOME. WE invite you to explore Communication Studies at Baruch.
Communication Studies is a strategic and practical choice for undergraduate and graduate students alike. Currently, our department is home to 542 majors in Corporate Communication, and 657 minors in Communication Studies. We teach Public Speaking to more than 2500 students annually and enroll 70 graduate students in our growing master's program in Corporate Communication.
In 2014, the department launched an additional major in Communication Studies, which already has 131 students. The major has four concentrations: Interpersonal and Group Communication, Intercultural and International Communication, Rhetoric and Public Advocacy, and Digital Communication and Culture.
Students in our courses examine this multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary field and develop an advanced understanding of communication, while learning theoretical principles that are immediately applicable to every career path. Our faculty guides students in developing their oral and written communication abilities, in both personal and professional contexts, and encourages students to incorporate sound principles of analytical, interpersonal, rhetorical, visual, intercultural, mediated, and strategic communication into their daily lives.
Our faculty members are distinguished contributors to the field of Communication Studies and form a dedicated group of scholars and practitioners who offer their diverse and dynamic contemporary expertise to the study of communication in a variety of areas, including: corporate and organizational communication; media studies; rhetorical communication and persuasion; public relations; interpersonal and group communication; family and work life balance; intercultural and international communication; communication pedagogy; and business communication.
8th Floor, Room 240
Vertical Campus
Phone: 646-312-3720
Fax: 646-312-3721
Mailing Address
Baruch College
Box B8-240
55 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10010
- For Students
- Declare a Major
- Declare a Minor
- Academic Appeals Forms
- General Information
- Faculty/Staff Directory
- Weissman Site Map
- About this Site


text:
joedew necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 83 diseños de 19 diseñadores freelance.
GreenHomeAnswers is looking to the 99designs community to help us create a new logo and a new "certified by GreenHomeAnswers" mark. We are a web community that helps professionals and homeowners find answers to their green home improvement questions.
GreenHomeAnswers needs two related logo designs: 1) a primary logo for our website, which is under construction and 2) a "Certified by GreenHomeAnswers" logo/mark.
We are a web community that helps professionals and homeowners find answers to their green home improvement questions. Think of us as Yahoo Answers meets Service Magic.
Here's more information on our site:
What is GreenHomeAnswers.com?
Real answers from real pros andhomeowners. Your central source to getquality answers to green home improvement questions fast. GreenHomAnswers.com provides a supportforum where green home improvement and remodeling experts, buildingprofessionals, and homeowners get together to discuss all aspects of green homeimprovement.
Learn, find information, and shareknowledge
You'll find a wealth of information about green materials,products, technologies, and best practices that will help you get the most outof your next home improvement or remodeling project. You can find local greenpros, participate in discussions about various topics, find solutions to helpyou resolve issues, ask questions, get tips and advice, and more.
What is "green" home improvement?
Green home improvement and remodeling means improvingdesign, construction, and landscaping practices so that homes we remodel orimprove today will last longer, cost less to live in, and won't harm ourhealth. It also means protecting natural resources and improving the builtenvironment so that people, communities, and ecosystems can thrive and prosper.By remodeling homes so that they are more durable, healthier, and less wastefulof energy, water, and other resources today's green remodelor's and homeowners arehelping to safeguard the well-being and prosperity of Americans now and fordecades to come. Green remodeling is quality design and construction.
Certified by GreenHomeAnswers Mark
The GreenHomeAnswers professional community includes certified green builders, architects, and tradesmen. We need to create a mark that brands a selection of these professionals as "Certified by GreenHomeAnswers" Think of it as a trust mark.
- A logo for our main website. The name "GreenHomeAnswers.com" should be included. The design should convey community (in that we're connecting real people together) and that we're in the green home improvement space.
- A logo/mark that conveys "Certified by GreenHomeAnswers" This mark should be visually related to the logo, although it will not be used or seen adjacent to it. This mark will be used on members' feedback pages and listings to designate that they're "extra special."
- Designs should be clean, clear, professional-looking, and communicate trustworthiness. Ideally, designs should be more horizontal than vertical.
- Designs that are too cute, gimmicky, or complicated.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
Andrea10301 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 73 diseños de 13 diseñadores freelance.
Coaching Insight LLC
Your design will launch 'Boss on the Beach', information products and coaching services for the established small business owner who's lost that 'loving feeling' for their business. 'Boss' products/services will turn a small business owner into a 'Lifestyle Entrepreneur', a person enjoying a lifestyle of choice, freedom, financial independence, luxury, and a strong sense of control over the business whether s/he's there or not. "Boss" products/services will enhance the positive image for the established business owner who's thinking about exit strategy and needs help to maximize that opportunity. 'Boss' products will help this person enhance the value of their business and, at the same time, lead them to a better quality of life with a business runs well and profitably. See added comments below for more on the target audience.
Boss on the Beach:
1. the feeling: lifestyle entrepreneur, rich experience, luxurious comfort, independent, relaxation, confident, freedom, plenty of options ahead;
2. the benefits of "Boss" services/products: a lifestyle of choice, freedom, financial independence, luxury, positive image for the established business owner who's thinking about exit strategy and wants to maximize that opportunity.
3.The Boss on the Beach audience is leading a resort-filled, 'catered-to' life, not the 'hang out around the campfire' beach. S/he is confident the business is running well and profitably whether s/he's there or not. Does not sweat the details; has a capable team to handle that. Is confidently focused on the big picture of the business - strategy, planning, dreaming, envisioning - to improve its success and improve the owner's life.
4. Demographic: equally male/female, 40+, established business owner; believes biz ownership is the key to the good life yet hasn't been able to make it happen.
5. Color choice: strong, deep rather than pastel; avoid the obviously feminine; this person is a decision maker, with a lot of business responsibility all under control with effective systems in place.
6. Am more inclined to go with a symbol than a tangible pictoral image but am open to suggestion.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
Day Trading Expenses You Cannot Deduct from Your Income Taxes
Day traders incur some expenses that can't be deducted from income taxes. It's disappointing, but at least if you know what day trading expenses they are upfront, you can plan accordingly.
Commissions: Every time you make a trade, you have to pay a commission to your broker. It may be small, but you have to pay it. And you can't deduct that cost. Before you splutter in outrage, read this: You can't deduct it, but you can add it to cost and subtract it from the proceeds of your trade.
Including the commission in the basis of your trade works like a deduction in terms of the amount of tax you pay, but it's better for you that it's not a deduction because it's not subject to the limitations that affect the deductibility of other expenses.
If your state charges transfer taxes on securities, they are handled the same way as commissions.
Stockholder's meetings: Companies hold annual meetings for their shareholders each year, usually at or near the company headquarters. Sometimes they are deathly dull, but others are extravaganzas where the company shows off new products, showcases major accomplishments, and takes questions from anyone in attendance. And a few involve contentious issues that can lead to protests and fighting, which is entertaining to watch if you aren't directly affected.
For long-term investors, these meetings can offer valuable insights on a company's prospects. Day traders probably wouldn't find them very useful. Either way, the IRS won't let anyone deduct the costs of transportation, hotel stays, meals, and other expenses involved in attending a stockholders' meeting.
Investment seminars: The financial services industry offers all kinds of conventions, cruises, and seminars for day traders. You could spend your days attending training seminars instead of actually trading, if you were so inclined. You're welcome to go to these, and in many cases, you should. You might learn things that would help you trade more effectively. However, you can't deduct the costs.
There's some gray area here. You can't deduct the costs of attending seminars, but you can deduct the costs of investment counsel and advisory services. Some seminars might qualify as investment advice. This is why you need an experienced tax adviser to help you out.
Did you notice that two of the nondeductible expense categories have the potential to involve travel? The IRS does not want people buying ten shares of Hawaiian Electric Industries stock and then trying to write off a trip to the company's annual meeting in Honolulu, nor do they consider cruises that happen to include a talk by the author of a book on investing to be bona fide investment counsel. They see these activities as vacations, and vacations are not tax deductible.


text:
Former Iranian president Akbar Hashmi Rafsanjani, head of the conservative-backed list in the February elections, has given up his seat in the Iranian parliament opening Saturday, state television reported Thursday.
In a letter quoted by the television, Rafsanjani, 66, blamed a strong propaganda campaign against him.
"I apologize to the people but given the extent of the propaganda being conducted against me, I am obliged to give up my mandate," he said.
Reformists who dominate the new parliament had feared that the influential Rafsanjani would spoil their celebrations by standing as speaker, a post he held for most of the 1980s.
While the reformist flagship party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), had vowed it would not vote for him, Rafsanjani had enough support among the moderates as well as conservatives to create a problem for the reformists.
His announcement Thursday opened the way for Mehdi Karubi, a former close associate of Rafsanjani and his successor to the speakership in 1989, to take the post.
In the eyes of the reformists Rafsanjani was irredeemably tarnished by accepting the support of the conservatives in the elections, when he claimed to be a moderate, his refusal to condemn a widespread crackdown on the reformist press mounted by the conservative-dominated courts, and his suspected links, exposed by a since-jailed reformist journalist, to the murders of dissidents in 1998.
The reformists also questioned Rafsanjani's right to a seat in the new parliament, after the conservative election watchdog the Guardians Council, following three months of factional squabbling after the February 18 elections, ruled that he had come 20th in the list of candidates for the 30 seats in Tehran, instead of 29th, 30th or even below as originally believed.
The result, announced last week after an intervention by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hoisted Rafsanjani above Karubi, who came 23rd -- TEHRAN (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


text:
Winners at the Automechanika/Motortec Fair 2013' Innovation Gallery !!! see video
US Patent Nº 9,757,782 B2 Freely Rotating Magnetic Tip with Surface Trace for Dent Removal Rod
Free worldwide shipping for orders over 250EUR/275USD
Designed and built for tough work, you won't get a better gun for primer work than the RE4001G.
Suitable for solvent based paints only and available in a 1.3 and 1.8mm setups.
Can be used with 3M disposable pot system use adaptor number 2 (3M code 16032).
Working pressure 50PSI, with a max pressure of 80PSI
Depending on the set up, between 7-12CFM


text:
Multi Skilled Operative (Plastering, Plumbing) MEAR64351
- Recruiter
- Blue Octopus Recruitment Limited
- Location
- Croydon (City/Town), London (Greater)
- Salary
- £12.50- £14.50 depending on skill level
- Posted
- 21 May 2018
- Closes
- 21 Jun 2018
- Ref
- Sector
- Construction, Skilled Trades
- Hours
- Permanent
Multi Skilled Operative (Plastering, Plumbing) MEAR64351
£12.50- £14.50 depending on skill level
Our client's vision is to make a positive difference to the communities they serve.
They do this by improving homes, improving communities and improving lives and their approach is based on the development of outstanding partnerships with employees, clients, tenants, customers, their families and the wider community.
With staff of all ages and walks of life, a job with our client has a rewarding impact on the lives of others and your own life. With offices across the UK, a job with them could be just around the corner.
An exciting opportunity has arisen for all-round Multi Skilled Operative (Carpentry, Plumbing, Plastering and Safety Flooring) to join them in Croydon.
Within this role, you will be responsible for completing repairs to the housing stock as required by our client whilst working effectively within a consistent operation repairs service. Working within a busy repairs team environment, you will complete the works to a high-quality standard in order to maximise first time fix criteria, appointment objectives alongside improving resident satisfaction.
In addition, you will submit presentable and accurate paperwork which includes PDA data base information coupled with using SOR and descriptive works, in order to cost works which are being completed.
In order to be successful in this role, it is essential that you are a Builder/multi-skilled in Carpentry, Plumbing, Plastering and Safety Flooring. You should also hold a relevant trade qualification or have extensive experience in 3 or more trades, preferably within joinery, wet trades (i.e. plastering/brickwork/tiling etc). In addition, you should also have an understanding of using a PDA and job coding coupled with excellent communication skills. A proficient user of IT, you will be a motivated individual with the ability to succeed.
Candidates for this role must hold a full valid driving licence
Once you join the family, you'll have online access to a range of voluntary and flexible benefits, including...
- Training and development
- Long service and additional holiday leave - Colleagues who stay for a period of time at the company are rewarded for their service.
- Seeing first-hand the impact you have on the lives of the people you support
Our client and its subsidiaries are Equal Opportunities Employers
This is a Blue Octopus Recruitment Ltd vacancy who are operating as an employment agency. Once you have clicked to apply for this vacancy, we will then send you more information on the role including a copy of the application form via email.


text:
Oldest Community of Mom Bloggers - Since 2007
Welcome toMom Bloggers Club
Join Us!or Sign In
Or sign in with:
We don't know about you but autumn is our favorite season of the year. And now that fall is in full swing you know what that means: the holidays are right around the corner! Now is the ideal time to think about gifts for families and friends while you still have time to put creative thought into them instead of rushing around…
Have you made the decision to be more physically active and give a new sport a try? Are you looking to inject a little fun, interest, and challenge into your routine? If so, then there's a good chance that CrossFit…
Read our review and enter giveaway.
Buy glass and computer cleaner at 20% off! Code: MOMS20GIFT.
2207 members
2175 members
1710 members
1564 members
1514 members
1126 members
1080 members
1078 members
974 members
963 members
February 15, 2019 at 12pm to December 31, 2019 at 7pm – Rose Pavillion Shopping Center
November 2, 2019 at 10am to November 3, 2019 at 4pm – Magic Box at The REEF
Join Mom Bloggers Club
Glad to have you as a friend.
© 2019 Created by Mom Bloggers Club.
Powered by
Badges |
Report an Issue |
Terms of Service
Please check your browser settings or contact your system administrator.


text:
We Accept Purchase Orders
We are happy to accept purchase orders via phone, fax, or email. Please note: All orders must include a billing email address. If the order includes a PDF, we must also have the email addresses for ALL users who will have access to each product.
1-866-583-5635 1-866-583-5635
HOT New Products
SmartFlip Common Core Reference Guide - Grades 9-10SmartFlip Common Core Reference Guide - Grades 9-10 View this Product
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Literature GuideThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer Common Core Aligned Literature Guide View this Product
Bulk Discounts are Available!
Because our products are sold as individual licenses, you may need more than one of each title for your department, school, or district. We've set up a tiered discount system - the more you buy, the more you save. Click here for an order form and information about bulk discount pricing for 10 or more items!
Simply Novel Teaching Materials for English Language Arts
Most English Language Arts and writing teachers sign up for the job because they want to inspire children by sharing their love of literature. If you're one of those teachers, you're probably on a perpetual search for English literature study guides that coordinate with your favorite texts while meeting the demands of Common Core standards. There are quite a few teaching guides for novels on the market, but it's difficult to find unit plans for teachers that are comprehensive, engaging, age appropriate, and fully reproducible.
To solve this problem, Simply Novel offers a series of novel study guides for texts that students enjoy learning. These lesson plans for English Language Arts teachers make it easy to integrate the skills students must master for the Common Core, through lessons and activities, reading tasks, study guide questions, small and large group discussions, quizzes, tests, essay prompts, and culminating projects that hold the attention of students in upper elementary, middle and high school grades. And now, with our SmartFlip Common Core Reference Guides, that explain the Common Core standards in easy-to-understand terms, you can teach these required skills with any novel or book you choose. If you enjoy teaching a novel, or need to find lesson plans for teachers who use literature in their own classroom, our novel guides will make your job easier, faster and more rewarding.


text:
At ADCO Tire & Auto Inc., we stock a wide selection of wheels for customers in Midland, ON, Penetanguishene, ON, Tiny Township, ON, and surrounding areas.
Before you start shopping for a new set of wheels, use our wheel buying guide below, and consider the advantages and disadvantages of different wheel materials in order to find the best wheel to suit your needs. If you have any questions during your research, simply contact us online.
Every customer's criteria for buying wheels is different, so we urge you to contact us with your questions or concerns. Our service staff is comprised of wheel and rim experts who remain on the cutting edge of wheel style, configuration, and performance.
For the best wheel buying experience around, contact us today.
ADCO Tire & Auto Inc. is a pillar of the community. ADCO Tire & Auto Inc. is a leader in offering name brand tires, wheels, and auto repair services for customers in Midland, ON, Penetanguishene, ON, Tiny Township, ON, and surrounding areas. Our goal is to focus on customer service. It is the foundation of our business. ADCO Tire & Auto Inc. employs a well-trained staff specializing in the sale and installation of passenger car, performance, light truck, or SUV tires. Take this opportunity to browse our website or call us for personalized service.
Please click anywhere to continue browsing our site.


text:
Tea Party group wants Sarah Palin to run for Senate
Sarah Palin for U.S. Senate in Alaska?
A Tea Party group is encouraging its supporters to contribute money in an effort to draft Palin to run against Democratic Sen. Mark Begich next year, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
"You and I both know that Sarah Palin is a fighter who will stand up to Harry Reid and his pals in the Senate to protect our Constitution in issues like amnesty, gun control and our nation's crushing debt," said an e-mail from Todd Cefaratti of the Tea Party Leadership Fund.
"We know that, with Sarah in the Senate, conservatives across America can rest a little easier at night knowing that she's at the watch," the e-mail said.
Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, resigned as Alaska's governor in 2009 about 18 months before her term ended. While she has been coy about whether she'll ever run for president, Palin hasn't really talked about wanting to join the world's greatest deliberative body, as the Senate is sometimes known.
Begich is considered vulnerable for re-election and there are already two well-known Alaska Republicans who are considering challenging the Democrat. Both Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and lawyer Joe Miller -- a Tea Party favorite who became the 2010 GOP Senate nominee with Palin's help -- have already formed Senate exploratory committees.


text:
At a Senate hearing in January, Hillary Clinton responded to questioning from Sen. Ron Johnson about the nature of the Benghazi attack with this rant:
With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night decided to go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make?
Given what we now know, the question is best put to Clinton herself. After all, she (through her spokesperson) initiated what the Washington Post has called a "bureaucratic knife fight" over how the attack would be characterized in talking points prepared for Congress and used by Susan Rice.
The original talking points spoke of a "direct assault" and mentioned the militant group Ansar al-Sharia. Clinton's agents insisted that these references be removed, and they were. So were references to warnings by the CIA about the mounting threat posed by extremists in Benghazi and previous attacks there against foreign interests.
Clearly, these references made a difference to Clinton. I figure it was the difference between a State Department that was criminally negligent and one that justifiably was surprised that anyone would attack the Benghazi facility. As Clinton's spokesperson said in an email pushing back against the CIA's version of the talking points, that version "could be abused by members [of Congress] to beat up the State Department for not paying attention to warnings."
If there's a different explanation for why the talking points made enough of a difference for Hillary Clinton to start a bureaucratic knife fight, she should identify it. In any case, she should explain why she told Congress that the reasons for, and nature of, the Benghazi attacks make no difference, even though she knew her agents had struggled mightily over what the talking points would say about this.
Finally, let's note that Clinton didn't simply ask what difference the talking points make; she fairly shouted the question. What was the source of her anger?
I would like to believe that it's rooted in guilt over not having beefed up security in Libya, as those on the ground there had requested. More likely, though, the anger stems from dislike of being challenged and the sense that her presidential ambitions may have been compromised.
This is the real Hillary Clinton, one suspects — the one we saw back in the days of Whitewater. She even dusted off her old, derisive characterization of questions asking her to explain her actions:
Whitewater news conference, May 1994:
Q. [There was] the suggestion in the R.T.C. memorandum . . . you and your husband knew or should have known that Whitewater was not cash-flowing and that notes or debts should have been paid?
HRC. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. We didn't.
Senate Benghazi hearing, Jan. 23, 2013:
HRC. Nobody wants to sit where I am and think now about what 'coulda, shoulda, woulda' happened in order to avoid this.
The best way for Clinton to avoid future annoying coulda, shoulda, woulda questions is to remain outside of public life.


text:
Jury trials are slow, expensive and don't necessarily produce the 'right' verdict -- so why do we still use them?
Our legal system – note I do not call it our justice system – deserves to come in for criticism. Not everything is bad, but there are elements that need to be reformed.
Basic things don't look right to me – for starters, it costs way too much and is way too slow. But there is more.
One rule is that juries cannot be told of previous convictions. This negates the history. The idea of being tried before twelve good and true of ones peers began its development way back in Anglo-Saxon times. There was little point in rules restricting jury knowledge of the accused past as the members of the jury came from the community itself and would have known the accused's background anyway. They would be far more likely to know whether this was completely out of character or just the sort of thing that this accused person would do.
One can't help but feel that in the modern world with classical theatrical performances by thespian defence attorneys and juries that have no native idea of the character they are judging, juries are just too easy to manipulate.
The Scott Guy case is another one of those cases that had a verdict that looked correct legally but just does not seem to be "right" if true justice is our guiding light. Everyone but no-one that I have spoken to tells me that they are convinced enough that the case was not proven 'beyond reasonable doubt' but also that the charged accused certainly did not look or feel 'not guilty' to them. Learning of Ewen Macdonald's nasty murky past after the event just confirmed earlier suspicions.
The case that really took the cake was the O J Simpson trial in America. Subsequently in a civil trial he lost, but it was too late. He had got off not guilty – I really wonder how many people believe that.
I don't think the jury system serves us well anymore.
We had the potential for another high drama show trial with Oscar Pistorius, but fortunately South Africa abolished trial-by-jury in 1969, over concerns black people would never get a fair trial. They are not the only ones who use the inquisitorial judge-only trial system. Most of continental Europe, Africa, South America and Asia, use that system in preference to juries. Good on them.


text:
Great 2B Loved Pendant Sterling Silver Charm .925
- Item #: 539 SC
Beautiful .925 Sterling Silver (Not plated or bonded). pendant to fit your unique style. Also a lovely addition to your jewelry collection and a great gift for a loved one. The picture shows the size and weight of the charm. Please take a look at the picture. To add other features, or if you are interested in getting a chain for this pendant at a VERY low price, please choose from below.
NOTE: If you choose to purchase a chain below please choose chain length, if not please choose "NO CHAIN" other wise if you choose a chain length and you have not specified that you want a chain you will not receive a chain with your purchase.
Reviews (0) Write a Review
No Reviews. Write a Review


text:
After 65 years with NBC, and 35 years appearing on the "Today" show, veteran weather presenter Willard Scott announced Friday his plans for retirement.
81-year-old Scott will be celebrated with a special send-off on "Today" on Tuesday, December 15.
The Virginia native became the "Today" weatherman when he replaced Bob Ryan in 1980, and began his practice of wishing centenarians a happy birthday on the show in 1983. Scott went into semi-retirement in 1996 and was succeeded by current weather anchor Al Roker. Scott often appeared as a substitute for Roker over the years and continued to be a twice-weekly fixture on the morning program with his birthday shout-outs to centenarians across the country.
"He is literally my second dad," Roker said in a tweet from the "Today" account Friday. "I love that man."
A celebrated author ("The Joy of Living," "America Is My Neighborhood") and actor ("Hogan's Family," "Bozo the Clown"), Scott started his career with NBC as a page in 1950 and in 1968 began reporting the weather for the NBC affiliate in Washington, DC, WRC-TV. He was awarded the Private Sector Award for Public Service from President Ronald Reagan in 1985.
While he is known to most Americans as the "Today" weatherman, Scott is credited as the originator of the Ronald McDonald character. He regularly performed the role from 1963 to 1966 and wrote in his book "The Joy of Living" that he originally created the character at the fast-food restaurant chain's request.
Tune in to NBC's "Today" for Scott's full send-off on Tuesday. Join in the goodbye using #ThankYouWillard.


text:
• Hey, I didn't make the shirt: I think she got her point across, don't you? [Intentional Foul]
Two Habs to go, please: Would you like to buy the Canadiens? No, just the hockey team, not the whole country. [Sports Biz Blog]
Angry, angry young man: It's the backlash to the Eric Devendorf backlash. Call me in a couple backlashes. [Bleacher Report]
SBD: It's not like the guy ever farted in someone's face. (We don't think.) [Syracuse.com]
What? Another Syracuse link?: Hey, remember that time Ray Allen lit up the Orangmen? Yeah, no one else does either. Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician]


text:
How many of you have tried to publish an eBook and submit it for distribution? If you have, you may have noticed a few hurdles along the way. Lulu's here to help. We want to help you get your eBook published and distributed so that you can share it with the world.
We have created a comprehensive explanation of the top 10 reasons why your eBook was rejected and posted it in our Connect Forum.
There is more information in the Connect Forum post to explain each of these, but here are the top 10 Reasons in case any of these look familiar to you:
- Headings improperly ordered
- Styles, NCX are missing
- Title link/entry improperly styled
- Improper capitalization
- Metadata mismatch
- Incomplete metadata
- Poor image or cover image quality
- URL/email on cover or description
- Title/author name unnecessarily duplicated on your cover
- Page numbers on the Table of Contents page
And, since we fully understand that most people don't speak our eBook jargon, the post also defines and explains:
- What is an NCX?
- What are headings?
- What is metadata?
Morgan Siem writes for the Lulu Blog – Archived


text: Find this wine Find this wine Bonterra Merlot Bonterra. Cheap. Not bad Pin It Tweet 9 years ago by Ideponte More posts Bonterra Merlot Wine Dry, not for me. 4 years ago by Sziszkenator Bonterra Smooth organic merlot. Full bodied & fruity 5 years ago by John C. Bonterra Merlot First time at Raven's, Stanford Inn by the Sea, Mendocino CAN 2000. 5 years ago by David G. Bonterra Merlot Bottle Sweet, but not too and rich. Good mouth feel. Balanced. Definitely buy again depending upon price. 5 years ago by Sarahbeansw 2010 Bonterra Merlot - $16.99 Bonterra Merlot - Mendicino, California $16.99 6 years ago by Kathy C.


text:
Vancouver Giants 2012-13: David Musil will have firm hand on the wheel (with video)
Second-round NHL draft pick will attempt to lead the G-men back to the junior hockey's glory land
If the Vancouver Giants are to go anywhere in the new Western Hockey League season, David Musil will be among those at the steering wheel, gripping it tightly and never letting it slip from his grasp.
METRO VANCOUVER — If the Vancouver Giants are to go anywhere in the new Western Hockey League season, David Musil will be among those at the steering wheel, gripping it tightly and never letting it slip from his grasp.
The hulking defenceman is in his fourth WHL campaign and he'll be deployed in every situation by head coach Don Hay. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Musil has always had the size. Now he has the experience as well.
"Being counted on is nothing new for David," Hay said. "I think he's been counted on around here since he's been 16. He played beyond his years back then and now that he's 19, he's going to continue to be counted on to log a lot of minutes at critical times. That's going to be important to our success."
A second-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2011, Musil would normally be in the Oilers' camp trying to make their big club. But these are not normal times. The NHL is locked out and all the best junior-age players are still playing junior. That's the good news for Hay and the Giants, who open their 2012-13 regular season Friday at Pacific Coliseum against the Victoria Royals. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
"The lockout is pretty disappointing, I didn't really expect it," said Musil. "I was hoping it wasn't going to happen. Now I know I am starting the season here with the Giants and I have to play my best so I can make an impression on the Oilers."
Musil may yet receive an opportunity to make the Oilers. If and when the lockout ends, NHL teams will be permitted to call up their top junior prospects for an abbreviated camp. The camps are expected to be small in numbers so Musil has plenty of incentive to perform at a high level for the Giants.
"If there are going to be NHL camps, they are going to be short and they'll probably chose the top players they see," he said. "For me, it's important to play well here so I can get an invite. In the meantime, I want to try and lead the Giants to a successful year. This is a great organization and I want to bring the tradition back."
The Giants have fallen on difficult times by their standards. They captured the WHL championship in 2006, the Memorial Cup in 2007 and had a string of five straight B.C. Division titles snapped in the 2010-2011 season. The last two springs, they have been eliminated in the playoffs' first round.
To make matter worse, they lost their two top goal-scorers from last season, Brendan Gallagher and Jordan Martinook, as well as fifth-year defenceman Neil Manning and goalie Adam Morrison. There are a lot of holes to fill and Hay is anxious to see who might step into them.
"I think everybody is excited about the start of the year," Hay said. "There is always lots of energy and enthusiasm and everybody is looking forward to seeing where they fit in. For myself, I want to see how we play with points on the line.
"We lost some really good players who can make a difference and I think we're still searching for those types of players," the coach continued. "When you lose Brendan Gallagher and Jordan Martinook, who had 80 goals between them, that's hard to replace. But from my experience in junior hockey, somebody seems to step up and surprise you, like Cain Franson and Martinook did last year."
Franson, 19, is among the returnees and relishing the opportunity to lead the offence along with Slovakian import Marek Tvrdon, a Detroit Red Wings' fourth-round selection in 2011. Franson collected 27 goals and 58 points last season after managing just three goals and three helpers the year before. He had four goals in five 2012 pre-season games.
"Having the year I had last year obviously helped to get the confidence up and everything like that," Franson said. "I know I'm going to be looked upon to be one of the go-to guys and that's something every player wants. I've been trying to show Don I'm ready for that responsibility and I feel like I am."
On the blueline, Brett Kulak will be given the responsibility of replacing Manning as the team's new power-play quarterback. The 18-year-old, a fourth-round pick last June of the Calgary Flames, is an excellent passer with high expectations for himself.
"I have a lot of confidence coming into this year and I'm looking to take over Neil's role on the power play," Kulak said. "I'm expecting a bigger role and a lot more ice time. So I'm happy about that. I've been waiting for the home opener for a long time. It's a really exciting time."
On Twitter: Twitter.com/elliottpap


text:
Banks have finally woken up to their customers' needs for convenient hours – and today customer-focused service is making itself felt in some of America's medical offices, according to Consumer Reports.
In these reorganized practices, evening and weekend hours are only part of the difference. If you've had a blood test or a CT scan, you won't have to call the office half a dozen times chasing down the results. And if you leave the hospital with an incomprehensible "discharge plan," someone from your doctor's office will help you arrange your follow-up care.
If you're already getting this type of service, you may be part of a "patient-centered medical home," the fastest-growing innovation in medical care. More than 10 percent of primary care practitioners – about 27,000 U.S. doctors in 5,560 offices – are now recognized as "patient-centered medical homes" by the main accrediting group, the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Many thousands more are transforming their practices under other umbrellas.
Health care spending is a looming emergency. Within the next three years, more than 25 million Americans are expected to sign up for health insurance as the Affordable Care Act rolls out. And tens of millions of Americans born during the baby boom are heading into their medically expensive sunset years.
Other countries have solved the problem of costs by fiat. The prices that health care providers can collect for their services are established by the government (in Canada, France, Japan and the United Kingdom) or national cartels of insurers (in Germany).
Instead of national price controls, the U.S. is laying its bet on reforming the way health care is delivered and paid for. In the case of medical homes, in addition to the usual per-service fees for office visits and procedures, primary care doctors receive a little extra to defray the costs of setting up and running patient-centered care and may also share in any resulting savings if they succeed in keeping patients healthier and in less need of expensive care.
Consumer Reports notes that it will be years before we know whether these reforms really do save money and reduce deaths and disability from chronic illnesses. Meanwhile, it's important that you know how these changes will affect what happens to you in the doctor's office or during a hospital stay.
One of the major ideas for saving money is to put someone firmly in charge – usually a family physician, general internist or pediatrician – so that patients aren't getting duplicative or contradictory treatments from a legion of specialists and so that doctors aren't overlooking important and inexpensive preventive measures.
In addition to the 9-to-4 medical practice going the way of banker's hours, Consumer Reports notes these hallmarks of a medical home:
• Efficient teamwork. In patient-centered practices, like Bon Secours Medical Group in suburban Richmond, Va., the process has been re-engineered, according to Dr. Andrew Rose, a family physician in one of its practice locations. First thing in the morning, the care team of doctors, nurses and medical assistants "do a daily huddle where we look at our schedule for the day and identify any particular needs the patients who are coming in may have," he says. If a patient needs blood or urine tests, the nurses and assistants will take care of those before the doctor even enters the exam room.
• "Smart" medical records. For years, U.S. doctors lagged behind the rest of the developed world in computerizing their medical records, but that changed dramatically in 2009 when the federal stimulus bill brought forth more than $19 billion in funds to help practices go digital. The percentage of doctor's offices with electronic medical records shot up from 42 percent in 2008 to 72 percent in 2012.
• Motivating patients. Ultimately, patients with chronic illnesses must participate in their own wellness, and medical homes are trying to make that happen.


text:
Mini Intel i5 computer LENOVO with 8GIG Ram 500 GB hard drive only :-
Add : R1350 for 19.5 inch Flat LCD monitor.
Printer Laser Canon with Barcode Software and fonts and includes Slip Printing on either A4 A2 or A1 (See picture of different sizes) only : -
If your require two printers ; the above laser printer and a Thermal Printer for dedicated fast slip printing add R1970.00.
Cash Draw Only: -
BarCode Scanners Only :-
All prices excludes VAT ! ! Please confirm prices on date order placed as they dependent on the Rand Dollar Exchange Rate
Hardware Pricing
The .Net Version (Windows) of CompuByte only cost R3895.00 (South African Rands) for a single user system add R1000 for a multi-user system (up to four terminals on same local network).
Hardware prices click on Quick Pricing to see more . .
Hardware prices click on Quick Pricing to see more . .
6 posts • Page 1 of 1
Hardware Pricing
Re: Hardware Pricing
Please call +27 11 791 3763 or +27 11 791 5063 for latest pricing !
6 posts • Page 1 of 1
Return to "Quick Pricing - Minimum Requirements for CompuByte"
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


text:
Home > Leopard 1 Battle Tank HD wallpaper > Leopard 1 Battle Tank HD wallpaper 1280×1280
Download Best wallpaper backgrounds. High Quality HD wallpapers for your computer desktop, HD mobile, iPhone, iPad, tablet & Android devices. Wallpapers available in HD Widescreen, Fullscreen, 5K UHD, 4K Ultra HD, WQHD, Full HD & more resolutions.


text:
With our custom metal capabilities you can create a monolithic look with extra-wide metal panels or a radial effect with trapezoids tailored to fit your space. Faceted, flat, or curved, custom metal ceilings have the unique sizes, shapes, finishes, and perforations to make your next project standout.
Find your ceiling solutions and let yourself be inspired.


text:
Ukraine presses ahead, Kerry hits Russia
Pro-Russia militants in eastern Ukraine on Saturday released seven European military observers as the Ukraine government pressed ahead with a military offensive to take back control of cities from the militancy.
Military observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were held for more than a week on what militants said were charges of spying. The OSCE is a diplomatic group, and said its members were grabbed as bargaining chips.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the release was a step in the right direction. But he pressed Russia to stop backing separatists and to help oust them from government buildings seized in about a dozen cities and towns.
Kerry talked to reporters after speaking with Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov while flying from Ethiopia to Congo.
"We will both advance ideas about how to do that without any promises of what those possibilities may produce," Kerry said.
President Obama has threatened to impose more financial sanctions on Moscow if it does not stop assisting the militancy, but Florida Senator Marco Rubio said Saturday that Obama has failed to take strong enough action to alter the situation
"President Obama talks tough about Vladimir Putin. But his actions have not gone far enough to change Putin's calculation that the benefits of his aggression outweigh the costs," Rubio, a Republican, said.
Senate Republicans have introduced a bill that would increase sanctions and provide Ukraine with defensive military assistance, something Obama has refused to do.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Ukrainian forces had seized control of a television tower in Kramatorsk, near the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk where at least three were killed in fighting on Friday, Reuters reported.
"We are not stopping," Avakov said Saturday.
Mourners came out in Odessa, a port city on the Black Sea, a day after at least 42 people died in street fighting and the burning of a building where government opponents took refuge after protesters on both sides threw firebombs at each other. At least 36 people died in the fire, according to the emergencies ministry.
The city's police chief, Petr Lutsyuk, issued a statement calling for calm in the city of about 1 million, and hours later he was fired by Avakov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said the Odessa deaths were evidence that the government in Kiev, which came to power following the toppling of the pro-Russia president after months of protests, encourages nationalist extremists.
"Their arms are up to their elbows in blood," Russian news agencies quoted Dmitry Peskov as saying.
Odessa, southwest of Slovyansk, had not previously seen significant confrontations in Ukraine's crisis. It is the major city between the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in March, and the Moldovan separatist region of Trans-Dniester where Russia has a military peacekeeping contingent.
Kiev has said that Russia ultimately aims to take control of a huge swath of Ukraine from Transdniester to the east.


text:
Don't call it a trailer park. What developers want to build in northern Cape Coral, Fla., is being pitched as an upscale RV resort appealing to owners of high-end motor coaches.
The Fort Myers New-Press reported that the multi-million dollar project, which would be the first of its kind in the city, is in its infancy. The public feasted their eyes on some maps and designs for the first time Friday (May 18) during Cape Coral City Councilman Kevin McGrail's town hall meeting at the Northwest Regional Library.
"Anyone who's seen it pretty much knows the area," McGrail said. "They've already handled a lot of the brush in the area. Right now, it's basically a cleared field with barbed wire and a lake."
Now it's time to get feedback from residents, he said. Their aim is to create a self-contained area for motor coaches, cottages and villas, not a campground. Those living there would get use of all the facilities, including a clubhouse, tennis courts, pool and possibly paddle boats.
The property's zoning, now agricultural, will need to be changed after approval by the City Council.
"Unless this is handled correctly anyone with a flat piece of land can open a trailer park," McGrail said. "The job of staff is to craft land-use and zoning terminology to move this forward without opening up a can of worms."
But he said the timing is right, coinciding with plans for a Burnt Store Road expansion in 2014-15. He sees the resort as a positive driving force for a commercial corridor in that part of the city.
Those who've been prepping the property are calling the development The Resort at Burnt Store Lake. They want the atmosphere to maintain a relaxed environment for families.
Stella Peters, president of the Northwest Cape Coral Neighborhood Association, said it was premature to speculate but looks forward to finding out more about the resort at this morning's meeting.
"We're anxious to hear what they have to say," Peters said.
The resort is expected to connect to Charlotte County utilities until the city of Cape Coral is ready to service it.
For almost a year, those involved have been assembling properties that equal an estimated 200 acres, said Henry Albrecht, broker and owner of Cape Coral's Gulf Gateway Realty, which has been working with the developer.
"That lake up there was a quarry but also the largest (lake) in the entire city of Cape Coral," Albrecht said. "It's a great location given Burnt Store is going to be widened … we're really trying to be specific with the language to make this a high class place that draws people from all over the country."
Their hope is for the resort to contain 350 to 400 units.


text:
The vote on Sunday is being watched across Europe, with many of Berlin's partners hoping it will bring about a softening of the austerity-first approach Merkel has promoted since the Eurozone debt crisis broke out nearly four years ago.
But the prospect of major shifts in her Eurozone policies are slim, even if she is forced into a "grand coalition" with the SPD, whose candidate Peer Steinbrueck has criticized the chancellor for choking off growth in southern members of the currency bloc by insisting on spending cuts and painful reforms.
"Germany remains committed to Eurozone membership, but public opinion and institutional constraints ... limit the scope for any German government to drastically alter course towards more generous support policies," analysts at Citi Research said in a research note.
Two days before the vote, a survey by Forsa for private broadcaster RTL showed Merkel's conservatives -- the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister Bavarian party the Christian Social Union (CSU) -- 14 points ahead of the SPD, meaning she will almost surely return for a third term.
But her combined center-right bloc, which includes the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP), was in a dead heat with left-leaning opposition parties, with both camps on 45 percent.
That makes the election in Europe's largest economy too close to call.
Merkel could win a narrow majority with the FDP, her preferred partner, or fall short and be forced into difficult negotiations with the SPD which could last up to two months and result in big changes to her cabinet, including the departure of Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, a key player in the crisis.
The wild card is a new anti-euro party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which polled 4 percent in the Forsa survey but is given a decent chance of vaulting above the 5 percent threshold needed to win seats in parliament on election night.
That would doom Merkel's hopes of continuing her current coalition and stir concerns about rising German euro-scepticism, though its impact on government policy would likely be limited.
Also complicating forecasts is a large group of undecided voters, estimated by pollsters at more than 30 percent.
"I still don't know who I'm going to vote for," Anja Brueckmann, a secretary who usually votes for Merkel's CDU, told Reuters in Berlin. "I keep listening to all this talk from the politicians but no matter who wins nothing changes."
Merkel, 59, would be only the third post-war German leader, after Helmut Kohl and Konrad Adenauer, to win three terms. After Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg and Andrus Ansip of Estonia, she is Europe's longest-serving leader.
Hugely popular at home for her steady "step by step" leadership during five years of global and Eurozone financial crisis, supporters have taken to waving "Mutti" (Mum) signs at rallies, reflecting her image as a caring mother of the nation.
She has presided over a robust economy and booming labor market. At 6.8 percent, the German jobless rate is roughly one-quarter that of Greece, which stands at more than 27 percent.
"Germany has had four good years. We accomplished a lot together," Merkel said in a CDU campaign letter received by over 5 million German households on Friday.
Merkel's critics deride her as a reactive, risk-averse leader whose policies have slavishly followed public opinion, instead of shaping it. They say Germany's economic success is largely down to reforms introduced a decade ago by her predecessor, SPD chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany as the daughter of a Protestant pastor, became chancellor in 2005 after narrowly beating Schroeder.
Because of her razor-thin margin of victory, she was forced into the first "grand coalition" between Germany's two biggest parties since the 1960s. After winning re-election in 2009 with the FDP, she may have to look to the SPD again after Sunday.
This time the process may not be as smooth.
"The (SPD) lost 13 percent of the vote during its last partnership with Chancellor Merkel and is highly concerned about the potential long-term electoral repercussions of repeating the arrangement," said Alex White of JP Morgan in London. "SPD leaders will push for the most advantageous possible deal, likely extending negotiations for a period of many weeks."
In the talks, the SPD is expected to push for a nationwide minimum wage, a tax rise for higher earners and also key cabinet posts, including possibly the finance and foreign ministries.
© 2010 Ahram Online.