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Battery breakthrough: Doubling performance with lithium metal that doesn't catch fire
Longer-lasting drop-in replacements for lithium ion could be on the horizon
A rechargeable battery technology developed at the University of Michigan could double the output of today's lithium ion cells—drastically extending electric vehicle ranges and time between cell phone charges—without taking up any added space.
By using a ceramic, solid-state electrolyte, engineers can harness the power of lithium metal batteries without the historic issues of poor durability and short-circuiting. The result is a roadmap to what could be the next generation of rechargeable batteries.
"This could be a game-changer—a paradigm shift in how a battery operates," said Jeff Sakamoto, a U-M associate professor of mechanical engineering who leads the work.
In the 1980s, rechargeable lithium metal batteries that used liquid electrolytes were considered the next big thing, penetrating the market in early portable phones. But their propensity to combust when charged led engineers in different directions. The lithium atoms that shuttle between the electrodes tended to build tree-like filaments called dendrites on the electrode surfaces, eventually shorting the battery and igniting the flammable electrolyte.
The lithium ion battery—a more stable, but less energy-dense technology—was introduced in 1991 and quickly became the new standard. These batteries replaced lithium metal with graphite anodes, which absorb the lithium and prevent dendrites from forming, but also come with performance costs:
- Graphite can hold only one lithium ion for every six carbon atoms, giving it a specific capacity of approximately 350 milliampere hours per gram (mAh/g.) The lithium metal in a solid state battery has a specific capacity of 3,800 mAh/g.
Current lithium ion batteries max out with a total energy density around 600 watt-hours per liter (Wh/L) at the cell level. In principal, solid-state batteries can reach 1,200 Wh/L. - To solve lithium metal's combustion problem, U-M engineers created a ceramic layer that stabilizes the surface—keeping dendrites from forming and preventing fires. It allows batteries to harness the benefits of lithium metal—energy density and high-conductivity—without the dangers of fires or degradation over time.
"What we've come up with is a different approach—physically stabilizing the lithium metal surface with a ceramic," Sakamoto said. "It's not combustible. We make it at over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit in air. And there's no liquid, which is what typically fuels the battery fires you see.
"You get rid of that fuel, you get rid of the combustion."
In earlier solid state electrolyte tests, lithium metal grew through the ceramic electrolyte at low charging rates, causing a short circuit, much like that in liquid cells. U-M researchers solved this problem with chemical and mechanical treatments that provide a pristine surface for lithium to plate evenly, effectively suppressing the formation of dendrites or filaments. Not only does this improve safety, it enables a dramatic improvement in charging rates, Sakamoto said.
"Up until now, the rates at which you could plate lithium would mean you'd have to charge a lithium metal car battery over 20 to 50 hours (for full power)," Sakamoto said. "With this breakthrough, we demonstrated we can charge the battery in 3 hours or less.
"We're talking a factor of 10 increase in charging speed compared to previous reports for solid state lithium metal batteries. We're now on par with lithium ion cells in terms of charging rates, but with additional benefits. "
That charge/recharge process is what inevitably leads to the eventual death of a lithium ion battery. Repeatedly exchanging ions between the cathode and anode produces visible degradation right out of the box.
In testing the ceramic electrolyte, however, no visible degradation is observed after long term cycling, said Nathan Taylor, a U-M post-doctoral fellow in mechanical engineering.
"We did the same test for 22 days," he said. "The battery was just the same at the start as it was at the end. We didn't see any degradation. We aren't aware of any other bulk solid state electrolyte performing this well for this long."
Bulk solid state electrolytes enable cells that are a drop-in replacement for current lithium ion batteries and could leverage existing battery manufacturing technology. With the material performance verified, the research group has begun producing thin solid electrolyte layers required to meet solid state capacity targets.
The group's findings are published in the Aug. 31 issue of the Journal of Power Sources.
The research is funded by the Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy and the Department of Energy.


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The White House COVID-19 response team on Tuesday addressed reports that "millions" of doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could expire later this month if they go unused.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the U.S. developed a large stockpile of Johnson & Johnson vaccine earlier this year when the use of the drug was briefly paused while officials assessed reports of blood clotting.
The CDC and FDA both said the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risk following an 11-day pause. However, that stoppage has left some states with more supply than demand.
The Wall Street Journal report came a day after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said during a press conference that his state has 200,000 doses of the J&J vaccine that are set to expire on June 23.
"The time to act is now," DeWine said. "For Ohioans who have been waiting to get their vaccine, I urge you to take action now. There are many opportunities throughout the state to get a vaccine. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one of those options. It is safe and effective and only requires one shot. In just two weeks, you could be protected from this virus. Getting vaccinated is the quickest way out of the pandemic and the fastest way for us to return to the lives we remember."
During a regularly scheduled briefing of the White House COVID-19 response team on Tuesday adviser Andy Slavitt said it was "inevitable" that some doses would go to waste throughout the distribution process.
"It's not realistic to expect that no doses will go to waste," Slavitt said.
He added that the White House chose to prioritize speed in distribution over efficiency in distribution and that the FDA was looking at opportunities for "continued storage."
The U.S. faces the possibility of millions of wasted doses at a time when much of the world is struggling to get its hands on the vaccine. Japan, for instance, has only vaccinated about 7% of its population, according to Bloomberg, even as the country prepares to host the Olympics next month.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration promised to deliver 80 million doses of vaccine to other countries by the end of the month. Of those 80 million doses, about 20 million consists of Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson doses.
Seventy-five percent of that supply will be provided to COVAX, or COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access — a coalition of organizations that aim to deliver "equitable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, treatments and vaccines."


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A fairly strong reversal formation of technical analysis was formed on the EUR/JPY currency pair – the price and MACD histogram divergence (H4 timeframe). In the near future, the bullish sentiment may prevail in the trading instrument. The local support is 129.700. We recommend you to pay attention to this situation.
If the price has fixed below 129.700, one should look for entry points to the market in order to open short positions. The immediate goal for profit taking is the round level of 129.000. In the medium term, the EUR/JPY currency pair may reach 127.500. When tracking the position, we recommend using a trailing stop.
by 2017.07.12
,This article reflects a personal opinion and should not be interpreted as an investment advice, and/or offer, and/or a persistent request for carrying out financial transactions, and/or a guarantee, and/or a forecast of future events.
اکاونٹ کھولیں


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The road to success has been a steady climb for Swardson, who started his career in St. Paul/ Minneapolis, then on to New York and Los Angeles, where he first found success
The road to success has been a steady climb for Swardson, who started his career in St. Paul/ Minneapolis, then on to New York and Los Angeles, where he first found success by writing "Malibu's Most Wanted" for Warner Brothers and by featuring in the hit Comedy Central series RENO 911. After catching the attention of Happy Madison Productions, he quickly became a fixture in the company, writing or co-writing and producing such projects as "Grandma's Boy," "Benchwarmers" and co-producing "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" with Adam Sandler and Kevin James. More recently Nick has performed in movies such as "That's My Boy," "Blades of Glory," "30 Minutes or Less," and "Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star," which he wrote, starred in, and produced. His first CD/DVD, "Party", on Comedy Central Records (produced by Happy Madison) went platinum. He followed that up in 2010 with his first one-hour stand-up special on Comedy Central, "Seriously who Farted."
In addition to his career in film and in the world of Stand Up Comedy, Nick continues to have a prolific career in television. His Comedy Central sketch show, "Pretend Time with Nick Swardson" ran from 2010 to 2012, and he voiced the role of Troy on FXX's animated show, "Chozen."
His Comedy Central Special, "Taste It!" premiered last April on Comedy Central. Nick also recently costarred in the animated film "Hell And Back" with TJ Miller, Bob Odenkirk and Mila Kunis and co-starred in the most-watched movie on Netflix to date, "The Ridiculous Six" starring Adam Sandler and Will Forte. Most recently he co-starred in Sandler's second film for Netflix "The Do-Over" starring Adam Sandler and David Spade.


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We have additions to the following e-book packages.
Berg Fashion Library – We have added 70 e-books to our catalogue in December. See a list of the Berg e-books (currently 80 are available) at the e-book page on the Berg Fashion Library.
Cambridge Books Online – We have access to a further 477 e-books across most subject areas, these are in the process of being added to our catalogue. See the excel list here.
Dawsonera – We have purchased a further 151 e-books across most subject areas and from a variety of publishers. These are all on our catalogue. See the excel list of titles here.
EBL – We have purchased a further 94 e-books from a variety of publishers across most subject areas. These have been added to our catalogue. See the list of titles here.
Ebsco/MyILibrary – A further 68 titles have been added to our catalogue. See the list here.
Elsevier Science Direct – We have added a further 207 e-books across various subject disciplines to our catalogue. See the list here.
Oxford Reference Online – We have replaced or added 20 titles published in 2014. Browse a list of our titles here.
Further info
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Fawkes [HC]
1 in stock
"Fawkes is the perfect mix of history and magic." – Cynthia Hand, New York Times bestselling author of My Lady Jane
Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father's plot to assassinate the king of England.
Silent wars leave the most carnage.The wars that are never declared but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th-century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.
But what if death finds him first?
Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did it. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn't do something soon, he'll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot–claiming it will put an end to the plague–Thomas is in.
The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.
The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.
No matter Thomas's choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there's no turning back.
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Return to: Programs of Study
Mass Communication courses seek to enable students to think critically, communicate effectively, and competently operate mass communication technologies, thereby preparing them for careers in the fields of broadcasting, journalism, public relations, advertising, filmmaking, and other mass communication fields.
This program is designed for the student who does intend to transfer to a baccalaureate degree program.
Degree: Associate of Arts
Emphasis: Mass Communications
The following Recommended Full-Time Schedule is not a substitute for academic advising. You must meet with an academic advisor each semester to be cleared for registration. Consult with your advisor about scheduling and degree requirements. Also, see the current undergraduate catalog (catalog.ws.edu) for a complete list of requirements and electives. Requirements are continually under revision, and there is no guarantee they will not be changed or revoked. Contact the academic division or department for current information.
Factors that affect your progression include required Learning Support courses, your choices regarding campus location, course delivery method, and the days and times selected to take classes.
1General Education electives in each category must be chosen from approved courses listed in the General Education Program .
2See senior institution for history requirements.
3This A.A. degree requires proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to 6 hours of intermediate college-level work, which can be applied toward B.A. degree requirements at a senior institution. Students must be proficient at the intermediate level to enroll in any foreign language 2010 class. Advanced preparation through the Elementary sequence (6 hours) of foreign language courses may be necessary.
4Other electives subject to approval by Mass Communication advisor and determined to be appropriate course selection transferable to specific institutions.
Learning Support courses must be taken every semester until completed.
1 other elective (1 hr.)4
1 Behavioral/Social Science Elective (3 hrs.) (Select from Walters State approved general education list)1
1 Natural Science lecture w/lab (3/1 hrs.) (Select from Walters State approved general education list)1
Foreign Language 2010 (3 hrs.)3
1 Humanities Elective (3 hrs.) (Select from Walters State approved general education list)1
1 Natural Science lecture with lab (3/1 hrs.) (Select from Walters State approved general education list)1
Foreign Language 2020 (3 hrs.)3
1 other elective (3 hrs.)4
Approved Humanities General Education elective1 3 credits
2See note below.
Approved Behavioral/ Social Science General Education elective1 3 credits
Approved Natural Science w/Lab General Education electives1 8 credits
Foreign Language (Intermediate sequence)3 6 credits
Other elective4 4 credits


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Saint Norbert's Story
In the 12th century in the French region of Premontre, Saint Norbert founded a religious Order known as the Praemonstratensians or the Norbertines. His founding of the Order was a monumental tasks: combating rampant heresies—particularly regarding the Blessed Sacrament, revitalizing many of the faithful who had grown indifferent and dissolute, plus effecting peace and reconciliation among enemies.
Norbert entertained no pretensions about his own ability to accomplish this multiple task. Even with the aid of a goodly number of men who joined his Order, he realized that nothing could be effectively done without God's power. Finding this help especially in devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, he and his Norbertines praised God for success in converting heretics, reconciling numerous enemies, and rebuilding faith in indifferent believers. Many of them lived in central houses during the week and served in parishes on weekends.
Reluctantly, Norbert became archbishop of Magdeburg in central Germany, a territory half pagan and half Christian. In this position he zealously and courageously continued his work for the Church until his death on June 6, 1134.
A different world cannot be built by indifferent people. The same is true in regard to the Church. The indifference of vast numbers of nominal faithful to ecclesiastical authority and essential doctrines of the faith weakens the Church's witness. Unswerving loyalty to the Church and fervent devotion to the Eucharist, as practiced by Norbert, will continue immeasurably toward maintaining the people of God in accord with the heart of Christ.


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Ralph Nader's newest work of the imagination, Animal Envy, is a fable about the kinds of intelligences that are all around us in other animals.
What would animals tell us—about themselves, about us—if there were a common language among all animal species? A bracingly simple idea, one that has been used before in books like George Orwell's Animal Farm and E. B. White's Charlotte's Web among others, but never like this. In Animal Envy, Ralph Nader proposes, quite plausibly, that a programmer has created a "digital translation" app whereby animals of different species, from insects to whales, can speak to one another, and through a "hyper-advanced converter" these animals can then also speak, both collectively and individually, to humans. It is decided that there will be a global assembly. It will be called "The Great Talkout." Humans are persuaded to reserve 100 hours of network coverage so The Great Talkout may begin and will be viewed by humans everywhere, in all human languages, as well as all animal languages.
The narrative that ensues is deeply felt and powerfully informed. Just as he did when he wrote Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us, Nader shows here that his visionary genius knows no limits.
Collected in
Speculative Fiction for AllExclusive: An Excerpt from Ralph Nader's Forthcoming Book, To the Ramparts
It's Ralph Nader's birthday today! To celebrate, we're publishing an exclusive exerpt from his new book, To the Ramparts: How Bush and Obama Paved the Way for the Trump Presidency, and Why It Isn't Too Late to Repair the Damage, due in August. To the Ramparts is a rousing call for action to combat the Trump presidency, but it's also a clearheaded account of how Democratics and Republicans alike helped to get us into our current muddle. The chapter below outlines how the Obama administration punted on the question of raising the national minimum wage, and addresses how future generations of progressives should tackle the issue. Happy Birthday, Ralph!
1) Upgrading Minimum Wage of Minimal Interest to Democrats
Foremost among these demands [outlined in the previous chapter] is that the Democrats get on the stick about boosting the minimum wage. A telling anecdote will make clear both my advocacy for this long-overdue initiative and the sad ripple effect the Democrats' inaction has had.
With two colleagues, I was meeting with Richard Trumka, head of the AFL–CIO, in his office, which is within sight of the White House. This must have been in about 2012, after some years under Obama's presidency. My remarks were something on this order:
"I know you say great things about raising the minimum wage on your websites and in the literature you hand out. But can't you see that's not enough? Why doesn't your union take major action on this? You could devote money and put a lot of union muscle into this campaign. Of course, this would especially benefit non-union workers, but you claim your organization represents all workers. Moreover, as you know, lifting the minimum wage does help all workers, even those who are not directly affected."
Trumka's reply was candid, if devastating. He moved a little in his chair, making a gesture toward the White House. "Why should I flail away [on this issue] before he takes the lead?"
This was hardly a valid excuse on his part, but it does underline how Democrats' lack of enthusiasm for increasing the minimum wage has played the pivotal role of a damper here, drawing down the fire of others (in unions and grassroots advocacy groups) who might have gotten into the fight more heavily if they saw the Democrats on the hustings.
Of course, it was not Obama alone who defaulted here; though Trumka may have pointed to him—it was the whole Democratic Party that was blameworthy. Riding in on a progressive wave, the Democrats seemed primed to boost the wage minimum wage after Obama's election. The minimum wage did rise in 2009, but this was no thanks to the people in power—it was part of a previous graduated increase that had started in 2007, led by the late senator Ted Kennedy. Since that time no movement has been seen, although Obama had eight years to fight for it.
Talking to Democrats should serve as a reminder of why the wage needs to be raised and what a no-brainer it is to fight for this increase for anyone who wants to pick up a landslide victory over Republicans.
Historically speaking, it was the way this winning issue with voters was sidetracked and ignored that helped pave the way for Trump. It's not as if the arguments in favor of a minimum wage hike were lacking. Just consider these points:
1. A wage increase represents pure fairness for millions of hard-pressed American workers and their families. Over 70 percent of Americans in national polls (which includes conservative voters) support a minimum wage that keeps up with inflation.
2. There has been a drumbeat of local politicians embracing a wage increase. In 2012 eighteen states raised minimum wages, to $11.00 an hour—to reach $13.50 by 2020.
3. Since at least 1968, businesses and their executives have been raising prices and their salaries (note: Walmart's CEO makes over $11,000 an hour, plus lavish benefits!), but they have not increased the wages of their increasingly more productive—and profitable—workers, whose federal minimum wage is lower in purchasing power than it was fifty years ago.
4. The tens of billions of dollars that an $11.00 minimum will provide to consumers' buying power will create more sales and more jobs. Aren't economists always saying the most important way out of the recession and the investment stall is to increase consumer spending?
5. Most independent studies collected by the Economic Policy Institute show no overall decrease in employment due to a minimum wage increase. Most studies show that job numbers overall go up. The landmark study rebutting claims of lost jobs was conducted by professors David Card and Alan Krueger in 1994.
6. Many organizations with millions of members are on the record as favoring an inflation-adjusted increase in the federal minimum wage. They include the AFL–CIO and member unions, the NAACP and La Raza, and hundreds of nonprofit social service and religious organizations. They need to move from being on the record to being on the ramparts.
7. With some Republicans supporting a higher minimum wage, even under Trump, a push in Congress would split the iron unity of the Republicans. This issue may also encourage Trump voters to vote for Democrats. A Republican worker in McDonald's or Walmart or a cleaning company still wants a living wage to support his or her family.
Looking back, calls by grassroots organizations and others for a raise in the minimum wage during the Obama years left Democrats unmoved. However, to his credit, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) in June 2012 did introduce the "Catching Up to 1968 Act of 2012" (H.R. 5901)—legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.00 per hour.
While a few true congressional champions of the people such as Jackson got behind the issue—it's also something I was involved with advancing at the time—the majority of Democrats kept reveling in the "swamp."
When Jackson introduced the measure, the minimum wage was $7.25, way below the unrealistically low federal poverty definition of $18,123 per year for a family of three. Adjusted for inflation, the 1968 minimum wage today would be about $11.00 per hour.
Together with Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), and Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, at that time I was pleased to be with Rep. Jackson at a news conference to explain this long-overdue necessity for millions of hard-pressed, working Americans of all political persuasions.
The purpose of the minimum wage, first enacted in 1938 under President Franklin Roosevelt, was to provide a minimally livable salary. This implied at least keeping up with inflation, if not with new living expenses not yet envisioned seventy-five years ago. While businesses like Walmart and McDonald's have been raising their prices and executive compensation since 1968, these companies have received a windfall from a diminishing real minimum wage paid to their workers.
Since the minimum wage has not been raised, these arguments are still totally valid today. The economics behind the Jackson bill are strongly supportive of moral and equitable arguments. Most economists agree that what our ailing economy needs is more consumer demand for goods and services, which will create jobs. Tens of billions of dollars flowing from a higher minimum wage will be spent by poor families and workers almost immediately.
At the time Jackson's bill was introduced, I said, "Were the Democrats in Congress to make this a banner objective for election year 2012, their adversaries, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), would not be able to hold one hundred percent of their Republicans on this popular issue. That means the bill's backers could override these two rigid ideologues—so-called public servants—who make nearly two hundred dollars per hour off the taxpayers, plus generous pension, health insurance, life insurance, and other benefits."
But the bill was defeated, another nail in the Democrats' trapdoor.
If Trump is to be defeated, the Democrats have to get out of bed with the fat cats. While these big-bucks characters are upping their pay every year, they often seem to be more circus proprietors than businesspeople because they pay their workers so little.
This whole debate over the minimum wage also casts a spotlight on the big corporate bosses who pay themselves $11,000 to $20,000 per hour and the harm such avarice causes their own companies' workers and shareholders, as Steven Clifford has so brilliantly documented in his new book, The CEO Pay Machine.
If the Democrats want intellectual heft to rebut the carping, craven objections of the corporatist think tanks and trade associations (headed by bosses making big-time pay themselves), they cannot do better than to refer to the work done by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC.
More income for the poor means less child and family poverty, which means less reliance on federal outlays for the poor to survive. The big companies—for example, Walmart—take advantage of federal aid, steering some of their employees to food stamps, Medicaid, and housing assistance programs. As Terrance Heath noted in an op-ed in Nation of Change: "So all of us are subsidizing the wealthy owners and executives of Wal-Mart, McDonald's, and Target."
A 2012 report by the respected National Employment Law Project titled "Big Business, Corporate Profits, and the Minimum Wage" said that "the majority (66 percent) of low-wage workers are not employed by small businesses, but rather by large corporations with over 100 employees." The fifty largest employers of low-wage workers are mostly "in strong financial positions." And note this finding by NELP: "The top executive compensation averaged $9.4 million [in 2011] at these firms." This means that the bosses, before taking a lunch on January 2, made more money than a minimum wage worker makes in a year. Talk about the corrosive effects of inequality: the top 1 percent took 93 percent of the nation's income growth in 2010, according to Holly Sklar of Business for a Fair Minimum Wage.
Enlightened business leaders are ready to support the Democrats on this minimum wage increase initiative. Years ago in 2012 Jeff Long, a senior vice president of Costco, gave the obvious reasons that the retrograde corporatists ignore: "At Costco, we know good wages are good business. We keep our overhead low while still paying a starting wage of $11 an hour. Our employees are a big reason why our sales per square foot is almost double that of our nearest competitor. Instead of minimizing wages, we know it's a lot more profitable for the long term to minimize employee turnover and maximize employee productivity and commitment, product value, customer service and company reputation."
Those in the corporate oligarchy who oppose a higher minimum wage have no moral standing whatsoever. Many of the nation's corporate giants pay no income tax or very little, far less than a cab driver. Between 2008 and 2013, GE's effective tax rate was 9 percent, despite earning over $34 billion. It is hard for companies making record profits, paying executives record pay, and spending billions of dollars on stock buybacks to enhance their own compensation packages to have any credibility on this subject.
The Democrats should have enacted legislation for a higher minimum wage during Obama's eight years. Instead, startling as this may seem to readers wearing rosy spectacles, Obama kept "progressively" lowering his estimate of the dollar amount needed for an eventual minimum wage boost.
In his 2013 State of the Union speech, Obama said, "Let's declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to nine dollars an hour."
Wait a minute. In 2008, Obama campaigned to have a $9.50 per hour minimum wage by 2011. In 2013, he said he would settle for $9.00 by 2015! Going backward into the future.
Apparently, it didn't matter to Obama that at that time the US had the lowest minimum wage of any major Western country (Australia's was nearly $15.00, France's was over $13.00, and the Canadian province of Ontario's was $10.25—all of these countries also have health insurance for all).
It didn't matter, as I mentioned, that two-thirds of low-wage workers in our country work for large corporations such as Walmart and McDonald's, whose top CEOs make an average of $10 million a year plus benefits. Nor did it matter that corporations like Walmart have had to pay workers much more in places like Western Europe than in the United States (where these companies got their start), and that they've still made good profits where the minimum wage is higher.
Haven't you noticed how few workers there are now in the "big box" chain stores compared to years ago? Well, one Walmart worker today does the work of two Walmart workers in 1968. That is called a doubling of worker productivity. Yet many of today's Walmart workers, earning less than $10.50 an hour, are making significantly less than their counterparts made in 1968.
My collaborators and I got out on the picket lines around the time of Obama's insufficient minimum wage proposal, and we demonstrated at shopping malls where Walmart had established giant stores. We noted that one million Walmart workers were making far less, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than what Walmart workers made in 1968.
In 1968 Walmart was run by its founder, the legendary Sam Walton, who started with one store in Rogers, Arkansas. Sam had to pay his workers wages that were worth much more than wages today because the law required him to do so.
The clenched-jaw opposition to raising the minimum wage continues, led by a punishing US Chamber of Commerce and a consortium of CEOs. Low wages paid by stores that service poorer people eventually translate into less money spent in those stores, since the consumers are strapped. Internal emails leaked from Walmart in 2013 indicated the company's awareness of this vicious circle, and executives expressed concern about the spending level of the low- to middle-income shoppers the company depends upon most.
"Where are all the customers? And where's their money?" bewailed Cameron Geiger, a Walmart senior vice president. What Walmart's bosses themselves are coming to realize is that raising their workers' wages to $10.00 per hour would lift the income of millions of workers, who in turn would spend some of that extra cash at Walmart stores.
Even H. Lee Scott, who was once Walmart's CEO, told company executives that "the US minimum wage of $5.15 an hour has not been raised in nearly a decade . . . it is out of date with the times. . . . Our customers simply don't have the money to buy basic necessities between paychecks."
A few years ago, feeling the heat from environmentalists, high-level Walmart managers visited the late Ray Anderson, the pioneering CEO of Interface Corporation in Atlanta, the largest carpet tile manufacturer in the country. Mr. Anderson was the corporate leader in taking recycling and reduction in pollution to unsurpassed levels, while regularly cutting costs. Doing well by doing good!
The cutting costs part attracted their attention. These managers are now among the executives running Walmart, and the changes they have made—reducing excessive packaging materials, saving on water and energy, and increasing recycling—have brought Walmart lower costs and public praise.
Yet when it comes to their workers—euphemistically called "associates"—Walmart bosses can't seem to absorb the evidence that paying them $12.00 to $15.00 an hour would reduce the company's notoriously high worker turnover and improve productivity and morale.
At the store level all over the US, Walmarts are full of surveillance cameras, monitoring not just the customers but also the stores' workers. Walmart security guards are stiffer than Army MPs. They are programmed to be the private police, keeping away peaceful demonstrators in so-called private shopping malls that were built on tax preferences and abatements.
If I had written our then-president on this issue in 2013, I would have put it this way:
Dear President Obama,
June 25 marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the federal minimum wage law in the United States, known as the Fair Labor Standards Act. When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed this legislation, his vision was to ensure a "fair day's pay for a fair day's work," and to "end starvation wages."
More than seventy-five years later, there are 3.3 million Americans working for pay at or below the federal minimum wage. More extensively, 30 million low-wage workers are making less today, adjusted for inflation, than they did forty-five years ago in 1968. They are working for a wage that does not even reach the federal poverty line for a family of three, and they cannot afford basic necessities like food, housing, transportation, and healthcare.
Each year that the federal minimum wage is not increased, you and Congress are effectively telling low-wage workers that they are not worth as much as they were the year before, and each dollar they earn gets stretched even further due to the effects of inflation.
Here's where you can make a decisive executive decision.
Under your watch, federally contracted low-wage workers walked off the job and participated in some of the largest strikes the nation's capital has seen in recent years. Despite the fact that they worked on contract for the federal government, they were still being paid poverty wages—some even explained that they were being paid less than the federal minimum wage, which invites your administration's immediate investigation! This is disgraceful; the federal government should be providing a shining example of fair and just treatment of their contracted workers for other employers to follow.
If you issued an executive order to get this done, you would move closer to FDR's vision of ending "starvation wages." Your decision would set a good example for the rest of the business community to follow and provide the type of determined and persistent leadership that our country's political class has lacked for decades. Especially if you also limit CEOs' and other top executives' pay on substantial federal contracts to an amount no greater than twenty-five times their entry-level wage. (Famed management guru Peter Drucker believed in this range as prudent corporate practice, and legendary investor Warren Buffett has been critical of excessive executive compensation.)
According to a recently released report from Demos, a public policy organization, the federal government indirectly employs the largest number of low-wage workers in the country. More even than Walmart and McDonald's combined. The Washington Post reported in June 2013 that a study from the National Employment Law Project (NELP) surveyed a sample of 567 federally contracted jobs. Seventy-four percent of federal contract workers surveyed earned less than $10.00 per hour, 58 percent had no employment benefits, and 20 percent depended upon some form of public assistance.
In the absence of any serious movement in this disconnected Congress to increase the minimum wage, you have the potential to exert significant influence on the wages paid to millions of low-wage workers in this country. With a simple executive order, you can fix this shameful deprivation. I urge you to sign an executive order mandating that federal contract workers be paid no less than $10.70 per hour (the inflation-adjusted equivalent to 1968's minimum wage). Is this too much to ask of you?
This is, of course, no substitute for a lasting federal minimum wage increase. But an executive order provides you with an option to avoid the morass in Congress and effect real positive change in millions of low-wage workers' lives and to effect that change now. I hope that you will recognize and seize this opportunity.
This small but important example will make it easier for you to push Congress for a greater and bolder minimum wage increase than you did in your State of the Union address.On the anniversary of the federal minimum wage, you should sign an executive order raising the minimum wage of those working for the federal government through corporate contractors. It is the federal government's—and your—responsibility to set the example for the rest of the country to follow.
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act into law, he showed courage in the face of the Great Depression as well as considerable opposition and criticism from businesses. Is it not time for you to leave your mark, to show Americans what type of president you want to be remembered as, and to be a leader on this issue? Millions of workers throughout the country deserve a minimum wage that, at least, catches up with that of 1968.
I'm sending a copy of this letter to Michelle Obama, who is said to have your ear.
Ralph Nader
That letter might give you the erroneous impression that Obama was the only Democrat heel-dragging on this issue. Since Obama is out of office, let's turn to the highest Democrat in the House at this very moment, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the House Minority Leader.
Is her track record any better? I should say not. Glance over some of the innocuous mailings she sends to her constituents. Under the heading "Employment," there is no mention of boosting the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, though Rep. Pelosi ostensibly supports it. The closest option to check was "inadequate/or no salary increase."
This Pelosi mailing, uninspiring and defensive, is another product of the party's political consultants, who have failed them again and again in winnable House and Senate races against the worst Republican Party in history. These consultants, as former Clinton special assistant Bill Curry notes, make more money from their corporate clients than from political retainers. Slick, arrogant, and ever reassuring, these firms are riddled with conflicts of interest and might just as well be Trojan horses.
The point here is more far-reaching than it may seem. Not only do the Democrats personally ignore the burning issue of the minimum wage today, but they have also set up an infrastructure that blocks their own access to vital information. By relying on consultants, they lock themselves into a corporate-dominated echo chamber where the cries of the people go unheard.
As you may know, Obama did eventually sign an executive order advancing the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, but this only applied to federal contract workers. This was a step in the right direction and one place where he passed on a positive signal to the future—if not, going by Trump, the immediate future.
So, a livable minimum wage remains agenda item number one for a remade Democratic Party.


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Hard News: Terror panics and the war imperative
124 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 2 3 4 5 Newer→ Last
According to Stuff, Finlayson says
New SIS and GCSB minister Chris Finlayson said the 13-year-old Terrorism Suppression Act, which makes participating in Isis activity illegal, was inadequate.
"It is difficult to prove someone is a fighter. There are also issues about the collation of evidence and evidence that would be admissible in a court of law according to the standard that we currently have."
So it is sounding more and more like reducing the burden of proof.
And if it's about intention to support terrorism, why the hell is Key using examples of after the fact support?
"What I would say, with the greatest respect to those individuals, they don't see the same information I see."
What I would say is that if you have real information that someone in New Zealand is planning to behead someone, best get cracking on ways to ameliorating that specific threat than waffling on to us about it. At the end of the day, an amended law is simply not adhesive enough to keep my head attached to my body.
Jeez. This is so 2002. We must curtail your freedom because terrorism. Key is playing catchup for his bosses, global corp and the world bank.
mark taslov, in reply to
While I would prefer not to be seen as an apologist for beheadings, I do despair at the one dimensional analysis of affairs in Saudi Arabia
I'm also reminded of the recent horrific developments in the US death industry; untested drug cocktails resulting in protracted executions, and these are the allies our PM claims it would be odd for us not to support.
I wonder who it was that told John Key to start using the word "Odd"?
odd (d)
adj. odd·er, odd·est
1. Deviating from what is ordinary, usual, or expected; strange or peculiar: an odd name; odd behavior.It is diminutive, it is also hard to take offence to as it is not an outright insult but in some ways it is surreptitiously worse, it is "Othering". It is the kind of term you could apply to an Uncle that is becoming senile "He is a little Odd". To a person that has weird religious beliefs "they listen to trees because trees are God". It is how you refer to people that are not like "us".
He also reinforces this othering when he says thing like this...He added: "If anyone believes that there is absolutely no risk of a form of domestic terrorism here then they are actually deluded."
It also has another meaning that would appear to describe John Key's attitude during the election run-up.
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)Actively refuses to comply with majority's requests or consensus-supported rules.
Performs actions deliberately to annoy others.
Angry and resentful of others.
Argues often.
Blames others for his or her own mistakes.
Frequently loses temper.
Spiteful or seeks revenge.
Touchy or easily annoyed. -
existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute.
"any form of mountaineering has its inherent dangers"
synonyms: intrinsic, innate, immanent, built-in, inborn, ingrained, deep-rooted; More
antonyms: acquired, alien
vested in (someone) as a right or privilege.
(of an adjective) having the same meaning in both attributive and predicative uses.resolve
settle or find a solution to (a problem or contentious matter).
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a formal resolution by a legislative body or public meeting.So... Operation What?, Operation It will always look different from afar but when you get closer it is something completely different? or ... Operation we have the right to feel that we must do this?
mark taslov, in reply to
Thanks for this Steve, I appreciate this kind of analysis, so much language is absorbed without a second thought, next minute pacificism is not cricket.
'Odd if we don't' wins UNSC bid, the world just got a little more normal, impoverished napalmless napalm testers pack lunches in anticipation.
Yeah, much panic, but also:
I have seen much more, not to be taken easily, and then again, is this where we want to send our soldiers, it is more radical than what Hitler and the Nazis presented!
News is the things that are not happening to you. Unfortunately, our monkeysphere sense says they must be happening to someone, because there's only about 150 of us, and so the insignificant bullshit which fills the news scares the crap out of most folk. Politicians and the media know and love this fact, using it to justify whatever they were going to do anyway.
News at 11: we're invading Syria. Because they have oil and only Iran looking after them, who we aren't scared of. The trick is in creating a sufficiently fearsome enemy (we give them money via the Saudis, to buy arms via the Turks, and then highlight the resulting chaos and death all out of proportion) that can justify our looming mission.
Remember, Syria is our ally. We sent them people for especially cruel torturing just recently. Also, Syria is our enemy. They torture people, FFS, it's monstrous. We also torture people, but anyone who tries to prove that goes to prison, and we don't call it torture so that's fine.
Nothing's going to "go down" in New Zealand that isn't already going down on a routine basis. There's scores of murders every year, they're not even news, one day one will be by or of an "Islamic terrorist" who no one suspected of any such thing (because they weren't, duh) and that'll be trumpeted from the rooftops as we parcel some young men and women off to secure the safety of future oil supplies. It's for their own good, you see, enduring this and manifest that. Democracy. Whatever floats your boat, keeps the protests manageable.
Surely Key understands that by not allowing the (mythical) terrorists to travel overseas they'll have to do their (mythical) terror here?
BenWilson, in reply to
It sounds like these events have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism, other than the perpetrator being a Muslim. It's another mass murder, something which both Australia and NZ unfortunately have long histories of. I guess we'll find out eventually who actually killed who. When police burst into a hostage situation and we hear dozens of shots and several explosions, then it seems prudent to wait for post mortem analysis.
mark taslov, in reply to
The crass opportunism…in a more measured way. Andrea Vance has done great work this year.
My apologies for causing offence in my earlier post, I was enraged. I've just put some friends on a plane from here where it does routinely happen to there where it "could happen" and feel sick about the way J.P. Key talks it up. Thanks for your patience Russell.
Three incidents in the last few days:
+ an armed hostage incident in Belgium
+ six people shot in Pennsylvania
+ and an axe attack in the HuttAll of them tragic cases of damaged people losing the plot (although the Belgian incident might, I suppose, have been entirely rational people acting to advance their illegal business operations).
But none of them getting much media and police attention because the perpetrators didn't declare themselves to be muslim jihadi's?
And something which society can't avoid, but can reduce by more attention to the healthcare, social welfare and justice systems. A much better idea than buying billion dollar aircraft and sending them to bomb peasants thousands of miles away.
Safety fears for Cricket World Cup following Sydney siege
Prime Minister John Key claims there are two people living in New Zealand who are capable of acting as lone wolves and repeating what happened in Sydney.
I guess my question is, are these 2 peoples' names going to be passed on to cricket venues and barred? Or are those with the lone wolf capabilities going to be allowed into the matches? If we're letting the lone wolves into the matches, who fancies a day on the embankment?
Dismal Soyanz, in reply to
And given that this fellow wasn't actually on any Australian watch list, it rather beggars belief that Key can make such outrageous claims.
Sacha, in reply to
Surely Key understands that by not allowing the (mythical) terrorists to travel overseas they'll have to do their (mythical) terror here?
just imagine what control we will cede him then?
I'm sure he has.. -
Kumara Republic, in reply to
And given that this fellow wasn't actually on any Australian watch list, it rather beggars belief that Key can make such outrageous claims.
I'd have to say Man Haron Manis came across less as Osama bin Laden, and more like Adam Lanza.
mark taslov, in reply to
And given that this fellow wasn't actually on any Australian watch list, it rather beggars belief that Key can make such outrageous claims.
This Key quote from Stacy Kirk's morning report, seems to have been culled in the update, Google cached.
"We know that as part of those 30 to 40 people we identified on the first list, that there are people who spend a lot of time on the internet, basically delving very deep into the messages and the propaganda that is coming out of ISIS [Islamic State]," he said.
"spend a lot of time on the internet," – at least it's qualified, "… basically delving very deep into the messages and the propaganda that is coming out of ISIS". That does sound quite dangerous, PublicAddress poster Marc C had a number of delving binges (above), I've been on a couple myself, if you were researching/ writing/ commentating on this phenomena you'd have to have a bit of a delve, perhaps a deep delve, into the messages, and propaganda, coming out of ISIS.
Of course the authorities understand that their brief is to keep New Zealanders safe, as opposed to the very specific keep New Zealanders safe only from ISIS? Not for a moment has the task - to prevent the spread of violence as opposed to preventing the spread of ideologies - been forgotten. Despite Key's distraction I'd expect that the authorities' primary focus is actually geared towards watching those people with a history of threatening and violent behaviour, those who are purchasing weapons, amassing suspicious quantities of fertilizer, at least more so than those who spend a lot of time of time on the internet, deeply delving.
Though I wouldn't, but If I were to compile a watch list, in terms of who to keep tabs on, I'd prioritise the classic characteristics such as a history of mental health issues, a deep interest in firearms and weapon acquisition, a persecution complex, paranoid delusions, intense lack of empathy, prior criminal convictions, and most importantly a desire to find groups to sponsor their violence. e.g. something like this:
Weapons Acquisition/ Sponsorship
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:19am
ok i'm going to go look at 17hmrs at the gun shop
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:20am
i like the savage left hand stocks
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:21am
yeah…wonder if i can fit one of those stocks to a cz
anshutz are dear as poison
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:22am
nice gun
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:25am
i think i will get a 300WSM in a tikka if i have to pay
and reload my own
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:25am
otherwise a 7mmWSM in something else and reload
for my hunting rifle
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:26am
pity tikka don't make a 7mmWSM
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:26am
with a 300WSM i've been told to put a Supressor on it otherwise it boots the shit out of you
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:27am
also reccomended that i get the super varminter Tikka
heavey barrell, plus picatinny rail for scope mounts
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:28am
only prob is adds about 700 bucks to the rifle…so def need a sponsor i think…then there is the scope
yeah it is just the model type…check it out…it makes sense with a 300 to have the extra weight
[Suspect], 2/21, 2:43am
i dropped my psch report intot he pigs this morning…the last line says "I consider [redacted] to be a fit and proper person to hold a firearms licence"
[Suspect], 3/14, 7:01pm
need a 300WSM for 100
or a 338 lapua
[Suspect], 5/6, 2:11am
talking to the guy now
will sell it to me for $2000
[Suspect], 5/6, 2:17am
i've got it if we want it for $2000
[Suspect], 5/24, 7:28pm
i can see a legit purpose for a MSSA…one or two…for 3 gun shoots
or military target comps
Persecution Complex/ Paranoid Delusion
[Suspect], 24/11
I wish they would hurry up…they played the real dirty politics…even tried to kill me…I have evidence of..
[Suspect], 26/11
Just to be clear, I never said the Labour Party were trying to kill me. That's the spin the Labour Party have put on it this morning.
The criminal conspiracy was large enough for some of them not to know what others were planning in parallel.
Mental Health Issues
[Suspect], 27/11
Part of that was a plan to increase the pressure on me, knowing that I have been open and honest about my mental health issues and suffering depression, to push me to the point where I would kill myself
Intense lack of Empathy
[Suspect], 27/1
Feral dies in Greymouth, did world a favour
Fortunately we've yet to identify any such individual.
Dismal Soyanz, in reply to
Ohhhh. Now I see why Dear Judith was so hands on.
Given dear leader's recent troubles with that particular oily person of debatable character we might see a move to mandatory shipment to ISIS for select suspects chosen by the GCSB and the PM's office
Rich of Observationz, in reply to
It can't be a problem. He's got a gun license, and in NZ, that lets you buy not just one gun, but an entire battalion's supply of weapons and as much ammo as you can transport. Plus you aren't under any obligation to account for where this arsenal went.
mark taslov, in reply to
He's got a gun license
The question I'd have is; who completed that psych report?
Post your response…
This topic is closed.


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CTO Equity - Negotiation After Funding
I received an inquiry from a reader of my blog and thought I would provide some thoughts, but would definitely welcome input:
I am an unpaid CTO of a small startup. I have been working full time with two founders for about 10 months on full time basis. I have been through many months with them but because of lack of funds, I spent lot of time doing non-technical work for first 4-5 months, spending time with them on putting pitches for investors, cash flows, budgets, writing business plans, product prototype setups etc. There was an informal verbal agreement that I would work for a certain hourly rate for my time. During that time one of the founders had mentioned that for the initial agreed time (3 months, equivalent dollars could be translated to 2% of equity but no agreement was reached at that time).
Now, they were able to raise enough money in the last 3 months to launch a product along with all the necessary software development to launch a pilot program for validating the idea. During all this time, valuation pitched to the investors was in the $1M – $3M range. I was also responsible to get a top-notch technical architect to build the necessary back-end at very affordable hourly rate to be able to launch the product in a very short time.
Because we were so busy in the last 3 months, I did not had a chance to talk to the founders about my compensation for the time spent and future salary etc. When finally, I sat down and started talking, they basically tallied up the hours I spent and gave a choice to get equity at current $3 mil valuation or get full cash for my time or blend of both cash/equity. I tried to argue that the equity should be what it was at the time I joined and discussed but there was no formal agreement at that time. Now I feel like I was part of the team to build the company but equity valuation offered to me is not fair. I am thinking of taking full cash and slowly easing myself out. I would appreciate if you could provide your guidance on this one.
Obviously, in hindsight it would have been a really good idea to get an agreement that spelled out your equity position and how you would be treated cash+equity prior to and after funding. Please let this be a lesson to everyone – founders and CTOs. Don't put yourself in this situation. Of course, that doesn't help here. So …
I have probably more questions than answers. The reality of your situation is that you are now in a different negotiation. The situation is what it is at this point and it's a question of where there's leverage.
Actually, I should start by saying – I'm not a lawyer and you might want to get someone who can help you understand your position here. Find a lawyer and someone who does CTO searches for VC backed companies in your area. They both would have lots of thoughts and ideas. The lawyer will charge you for more than the initial conversation. The search person likely won't charge you if you have a strong enough background, i.e., later would provide value to them.
Some things to consider about the negotiation:
- Do you want to remain with the company? Likely this greatly affects cash vs. equity. Most founders and investors won't want you with a chunk of equity if you are no longer there. But they also don't want to part with cash. Still, likely everyone would be happier with a cash settlement. But I'm assuming you want to remain at the company.
- Do the founders recognize that they had verbally agreed to 2% for 3 months work? Do they recognize that you've spent 10 months not 3 months on it? Do they feel responsible to honor that? Realistically, you took a lot of risk here and should be rewarded. That said, they likely also are a bit under pressure because of the loss of the reality of funding and investors to keep your equity component down. But, you should probably start with understanding where they believe that prior verbal agreement stands. You likely to get the best result based on this equation.
- What are the specifics of the 2%? Was it pre or post? What type of shares? Vesting? Or was it options?
- What are the terms the founders got in the deal?
- My guess from the way you've worded the question is that you've done a really good job as the CTO. You've put the right team in place to essentially make yourself less valuable to the founders because they feel they can move forward effectively without you. A cornerstone of your negotiating position is how valuable you are to the company going forward. Think Tom Cruise – "With me, without me." Do the founders and investors believe that your are essential to their success? Do they have a good relationship with the architect? Do they recognize any Startup Founder Developer Gap? You might use some of the key questions in Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything and Startup CTO or Developer to help you point to issues where you have particular input and value.
- What's your relationship with the investors? Do they believe you are important? Do you have a direct line of communication? I don't think you pull the trigger on this anytime soon, but it's negotiating leverage.
- What's the rate for your time that would be used in a discussion? Is it market rate or some reduced rate that you've discussed at some point? What would the cash equivalent for your time at market rates be for the amount of time you've invested to date? Somewhat for the cash settlement or the worst case equity discussion, this would be the basis for the discussion.
- What will your involvement be going forward? Are you full-time, part-time, advisory (take a look at Part-Time CTO, Technology Advisor, Acting CTO for other models)? What is your cash+equity compensation for that period? What happens when this round of funding begins to dry up? (Don't make the same mistake.)
For me – I would definitely start by soul-searching – do I want to still be involved? Do I trust the founders? Do I want to work with them? Having a successful negotiation where you get a reasonable equity position with vesting over four years and a salary going forward only to find yourself working at a place you don't want to be is probably not a great result?
I would then also consider closely what your real contribution has been to date and what they owe you for that and then what they should compensate you for your contribution going forward.
Some other possible sources:
- Splitting Startup Equity for Your Piece of the Pie
- How much should you pay an executive in a startup company?
- How Much Stock to Ask For When Joining a Startup
- Reincubate: Blog: Chief Technology Officer job description (for web, start-up or corporate
- Doing It Right the First Time: The 15 Most Common, but Avoidable, Mistakes Made by High Growth Start-ups
Again – I would love to hear input on this and other sources of information.


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What Higgs rumors, you may ask? Well, there aren't any that I know of, yet. But there might be soon…
There might be rumors soon because we are about to do another round of updates, for the 2012 Hadron Collider Physics Symposium (HCP). There aren't any yet because our results (at least on CMS) are still "blinded," which means that we haven't actually looked at the "places" in the data where we see signs of our new boson. What we're doing instead is looking at simulated data to see how much our results might improve when we add in the collisions we've recorded since ICHEP. We're also putting in a few new analysis techniques, and checking them in the same way. And of course we are looking at data in other "places," and we're comparing it to simulations to make sure they're doing a good job.
There will be several weeks between the moment we "unblind" — that is, look for the first time at what our signal looks like with the new data — and when results are shown at HCP. This is just as things were at ICHEP, and during those few weeks there were a lot of rumors around. It's not possible to confirm or deny rumors when you know the status of ongoing work but haven't yet agreed with your colleagues that it's finished and ready to talk about publicly. So this time, I'm going to get in some general comments about rumors before I know anything at all about actual results. These comments will apply just as well to future updates.
What are we doing during the gap between unblinding and the conference? We're checking our results, and putting them in a final presentable form. This is already compressed into a very short, hectic time, as I've written about before.
Are the rumors true? They are definitely not our official results, but they might turn out to be close. Or they might not. Specifically, the possibilities are:
- A rumor is pretty much right. It's no secret that particle physicists are bad at keeping secrets, and we really don't want to be good at it. If one in 3,000 physicists decides to tell the Internet what our first-pass internal results look like, we can't really stop them. Of course they're breaking the rules, and we wish they wouldn't, because it's a collaborative effort and we'd prefer to agree together that we're finished before announcing our results — because we want to make sure we did everything as well as we can. But still, our first-pass results are usually pretty close to final.
- A rumor isn't quite right. This could happen if we do find small mistakes or make refinements in the last few weeks of analyzing the data. This changes the answer by a bit, so the rumor is out of date. You could also make up a "not-quite-right" rumor just by making an educated guess based on our last results and how much new data we've taken!
- A rumor is just plain wrong. Nobody says rumors have to be based on anything. Or they could be based on a misunderstanding of far-from-complete internal results.
We physicists working on this stuff don't find it easy to wait for the answers either, and as Jon Butterworth has pointed out, rumors of other experiments' results are actually dangerous for our work! For everybody else who's tempted to indulge in rumors, just remember: you might be getting part of the picture early, or you might not. The only way to be sure is to wait for the next real update.
Tags: conference, culture, Higgs, rumors


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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary November 16, 2005
Joint Declaration on the Rok-U.s. Alliance and Peace on the Korean Peninsula
Joint Declaration on the ROK-U.S. Alliance and Peace on the Korean Peninsula
President Roh Moo-hyun of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and President George W. Bush of the United States of America held a summit meeting on November 17, 2005, in Gyeongju.
President Bush expressed his deep appreciation for Korea's natural beauty and ancient culture which he was able to experience together with President Roh at Gyeongju.
The two leaders had an in-depth discussion on a wide range of issues: the alliance, the North Korean nuclear issue, inter-Korean relations and establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, economic cooperation, and cooperation in regional and global issues.
Reaffirming that the alliance is strong, the two leaders concurred that the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue is essential for establishing durable peace on the Korean peninsula.
President Roh and President Bush highlighted the contribution of the alliance to securing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia for the past fifty years.
The two leaders expressed their satisfaction with the steady development of the ROK-U.S. relationship into a comprehensive, dynamic and mutually-beneficial alliance relationship, as agreed upon during the May 14, 2003, summit in Washington D.C.
The two leaders reviewed the successful force realignment agreements and shared the view that this realignment will further enhance the combined defense capability of the alliance. They expressed the common understanding that U.S. Forces-Korea (USFK) is essential for the peace and stability of the Peninsula and Northeast Asia.
The two leaders agreed that the alliance not only stands against threats but also for the promotion of the common values of democracy, market economy, freedom, and human rights in Asia and around the world.
President Roh and President Bush spoke highly of the successful agreements on the relocation of USFK bases including Yong-san Garrison, and the partial reduction of USFK, which was accomplished through close ROK-U.S. consultation. Both leaders expressed satisfaction that the agreements between the two sides were being faithfully implemented.
President Bush expressed appreciation for the assistance that Korean troops are giving to a swifter establishment of peace and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan and also for the contribution the Korean government has made towards strengthening the ROK-U.S. alliance through such efforts.
President Roh and President Bush agreed to launch a strategic dialogue called Strategic Consultation for Allied Partnership (SCAP) at the ministerial-level to consult on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest. The two leaders agreed to have the first strategic dialogue at the beginning of 2006.
President Roh and President Bush reiterated that a nuclear-armed North Korea will not be tolerated, and reaffirmed the principles that the North Korean nuclear issue should be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic means and that North Korea should eliminate its nuclear weapons programs promptly and verifiably.
The two leaders welcomed the September 19 Joint Statement concluded during the fourth round of the Six-Party Talks as an important step towards the goal of a denuclearized North Korea.
They welcomed North Korea's commitment to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and reaffirmed their commitment to take measures outlined in the Joint Statement.
The two leaders looked forward to progress in the fifth round of talks, which should be dedicated to the implementation of the Joint Statement.
President Roh reaffirmed that the ROK will continue to pursue the development of inter-Korean relations in accordance with its Peace and Prosperity Policy and in harmony with progress in resolving the nuclear issue so that both are mutually reinforcing. President Bush expressed support for South-North reconciliation and pledged to continue close cooperation and coordination as it develops.
The two leaders shared a common understanding that the process of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue will provide an important basis to build a durable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. The two leaders agreed that reducing the military threat on the Korean Peninsula and moving from the current armistice mechanism to a peace mechanism would contribute to full reconciliation and peaceful reunification on the Korean Peninsula.
Pursuant to the September 19th Six Party Joint Statement, the two leaders agreed that discussions on a peace regime should take place amongst directly-related parties in a forum separate from the Six-Party Talks and following progress in those Talks, and expected that the discussions on a peace regime and the Six Party Talks will be mutually reinforcing.
They agreed that these peace discussions should lead to a decreased military threat and increased confidence on the peninsula in a manner consistent with the peaceful intentions of the U.S.-ROK alliance.
The two leaders exchanged views on the situation for the people of the North and, based on a common hope for a better future, agreed to continue seeking ways to improve their condition.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen ROK-U.S. cooperation so that APEC, as a major economic forum encompassing the Asia-Pacific, can respond more effectively to important demands from the region in the future.
President Roh and President Bush agreed to closely cooperate with each other with a view to ensuring the success of the forthcoming 6th WTO Ministerial conference and the final conclusion of the WTO Doha development agenda negotiations.
The two presidents recognized that close economic ties are an important pillar of the bilateral relationship and agreed that deepening and strengthening our economic and trade cooperation will contribute to the prosperity and freedom of both nations.
President Bush announced that the U.S. will work with the ROK to develop a visa waiver program roadmap to assist Korea in meeting the requirements for membership in the program. Korea's interest in participating in the VWP reflects our strong bilateral partnership and will contribute to enhance exchanges and mutual understanding.
President Roh and President Bush agreed to make common efforts to develop a regional multilateral security dialogue and a cooperation mechanism, so as to jointly respond to regional security issues. In this regard, both leaders noted that the participants in the Six-Party Talks agreed through the Joint Statement to look for ways and means to promote security cooperation in Northeast Asia and that there was a common understanding among the participants that the Six-Party Talks could develop into such a regional multilateral security consultative mechanism once the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved.
The two leaders also agreed to continuously strengthen bilateral cooperation in the United Nations and other international organizations, including through such activities as peace-keeping operations.
The two leaders agreed to continue to cooperate in fighting the global war on terror, and dealing with various international security issues including transnational crimes.
The two leaders agreed to cooperate in arms reduction and efforts to prevent the proliferation of WMD and their means of delivery at a regional and global level.
President Roh and President Bush agreed to continue to work together towards a full partnership between allies.
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Maine's Governor Signs Marriage Equality Bill Into Law!
From the Maine governor's office: http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Gov+News&id=72146&v=Article-2006 May 6, 2009 AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci today signed into law LD 1020, An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom. "I have followed closely the debate on this issue. I have listened to both sides, as they have presented their arguments during the public hearing and on the floor of the Maine Senate and the House of Representatives. I have read many of the notes and letters sent to my office, and I have weighed my decision carefully," Governor Baldacci said. "I did not come to this decision lightly or in haste." "I appreciate the tone brought to this debate by both sides of the issue," Governor Baldacci said. "This is an emotional issue that touches deeply many of our most important ideals and traditions. There are good, earnest and honest people on both sides of the question." "In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," Governor Baldacci said. "I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage." "Article I in the Maine Constitution states that 'no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor be denied the equal protection of the laws, nor be denied the enjoyment of that person's civil rights or be discriminated against.'" "This new law does not force any religion to recognize a marriage that falls outside of its beliefs. It does not require the church to perform any ceremony with which it disagrees. Instead, it reaffirms the separation of Church and State," Governor Baldacci said. "It guarantees that Maine citizens will be treated equally under Maine's civil marriage laws, and that is the responsibility of government." "Even as I sign this important legislation into law, I recognize that this may not be the final word," Governor Baldacci said. "Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people." "While the good and just people of Maine may determine this issue, my responsibility is to uphold the Constitution and do, as best as possible, what is right. I believe that signing this legislation is the right thing to do," Governor Baldacci said.


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The Big Oxmox advised her not to do so, because there were thousands of bad Commas, wild Question Marks and devious Semikoli, but the Little Blind Text didn't listen. She packed her seven versalia, put her initial into the belt and made herself on the way. When she reached the first hills of the Italic Mountains, she had a last view back on the skyline of her hometown Bookmarksgrove, the headline of Alphabet Village and the subline of her own road, the Line Lane. Pityful a rethoric question ran over her cheek.
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Quinoa has been the grain* du jour for quite some time now, and what with it's health benefits, great taste, and versatility, I don't see that changing anytime soon. My usual way of eating quinoa is like pasta salad - cooked, mixed with a dressing of some sort, and loaded with veggies. This dish however, is something a little different. Quinoa is mixed with roasted poblano peppers, corn, onions, and a host of herbs and spices, stuffed into hollowed out tomatoes, topped with Colby Jack cheese, and baked. The tomato turns soft and sweet, the quinoa mixture has tons of great flavor and textures, and who doesn't like their dinner, smothered in melted cheese?
While this somewhat involved, especially for a summer meal, you could do portions of it ahead of time - or fully assemble it and then just bake the tomatoes off when you're ready to eat. The recipe moves pretty quickly though, and its streamlined to make the most of your time. I suppose you could serve these on the side with grilled chicken, pork, or steak, but I loved them as our entree. I served a salad with avocado, black beans, and mango on the side.
While this is cooked in the oven, I would be willing to bet that it could be done on the grill as well. Rather than broiling the poblanos, corn, and onions, you could definitely grill them. And then instead of baking the assembled tomatoes, throw them on the grill for a few minutes to heat them through and melt the cheese. If anyone tries this method, definitely let me know!
*I know that quinoa is not actually a grain, but I kind of consider it to be one for all intents and purposes, since that it typically how it is served.
Baked Tomatoes with Quinoa, Corn, and Green Chiles
adapted from Cooking Light, June 2012
makes 6 tomatoes
- 2 poblano chiles
- 4 ears corn
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 6 large ripe tomatoes
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 tsp chile powder
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 6 oz Colby Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)