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Pardon my dust. I am doing some code maintenance on the website to fix damage from some badly written advertiser code. There are still a…
"I do not care if I am mentioned in the history books of the future. I rather doubt I shall be reading them!" -- MIchael Rivero
Bidgear ad
Well well well, what do ya' know? Seems Trump requested more security for July 13 (you know, the day he was literally SHOT) and was actually DENIED by the Secret Service 'Brass'. And then when they were called out for denying his request for more security, they lied about it.
Then they admitted they actually did deny his request.
Why deny the request? Why lie about it?
This just gets worse and worse you guys.
When even WaPo is reporting it?
In a recent interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, emphasized that Taiwan should compensate the United States for its defense services. Trump's comments suggest a transactional approach to U.S.-Taiwan relations, reminiscent of his stance on NATO, raising questions about how he would handle the Taiwan Strait dispute if re-elected.
Trump's Blunt Message to Taiwan
Taiwan relies heavily on U.S. political and military support to withstand pressures from China, which claims the island as its territory. Trump stressed that Taiwan is vulnerable to Chinese attacks due to its geographic distance from the U.S. He equated the U.S. defense role to an insurance company, stating, "I think Taiwan should pay us for defense. You know, we're no different than an insurance company."
This stance mirrors Trump's previous criticisms of NATO, where he questioned the financial contributions of allied nations. Trump's remarks have sparked concerns about the future of U.S. commitment to Taiwan's defense. The United States is legally obligated to help Taiwan defend itself and has not ruled out the possibility of military intervention if China attacks.
There is not much that is certain about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming speech to a joint session of Congress on July 24. The shameful display of a leader credibly accused of corruption and fraud in his own country; and a war criminal, who, despite the delaying tactics employed by the British and German governments, is likely to face an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court in the very near future, won't soon be forgotten.
But it is difficult to say what Netanyahu plans to do with this opportunity. Reports in late June suggested that Netanyahu intended to use the speech to hold open the narrowing pathway to a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia. This now seems unlikely in the wake of the statement from the Knesset this week clarifying, in undeniable terms and with the support of the opposition leader, Benny Gantz, the parliamentary body's opposition to a Palestinian state. Saudi Arabia, with the support of Joe Biden's administration, has made it clear that a path and commitment to a two-state solution is a basic requirement of any normalization deal with Israel.
In this article, we dive into the top 10 signs of Parkinsonian dementia that seem to be showing up in President Biden's actions. We'll back these up with specific moments from his recent outings. These signs raise serious questions about his health and, more importantly, who's really in charge. Is Joe Biden calling the shots, or is someone else running the show?
Webmaster addition: I want to be very clear here. On a personal level I have a great deal of sympathy for Joe Biden. I have known many dementia patients and understand what they are going through as their minds and memories start to fade away. It's probably one of the worst things that can happen to anybody. That being said, a President needs to have a sharp mind to do the job properly and Biden clearly is not up to it!
In a national poll last month Americans were asked if they believed a new civil war was likely to happen within their lifetime. The establishment media was shocked to report that 47% of the population said yes. Those of us in the liberty media were not so surprised; I believe according to the evidence that we were already a short step away from civil war in 2021-2022.
There were A LOT of guys (millions) getting ready for the possibility of vaccine passport enforcement. Gun ownership in the US hit record highs during that time period and conservative/patriot groups saw a spike in public interest. As it turned out, the "conspiracy theorists" were right all along, there really was an organized agenda to eliminate constitutional protections…
If we had allowed the vax passport policy to take hold, our liberties would have been officially erased forever. Economic freedoms would be abolished. Access to the jobs market and trade would be impossible for anyone refusing the vaccine. Real-time tracking of the population along with a social credit system would have become the norm using mandatory cell phone apps. After that, America would essentially turn into a Chinese-style concentration camp.
It quickly became apparent that the crash in March 2019, which killed 157 passengers and crew, was almost a total repeat of an incident five months earlier that claimed 189 lives as a Lion Air jet plunged into the sea off Indonesia.
Both involved the Boeing 737 Max, an upgraded version of an ageing narrow-body design that had been devised to compete with the A320neo model from European rival Airbus.
Investigators traced the cause of the crashes to software that had mistakenly intervened in the flying of the aircraft.
This had not been properly flagged to pilots or mentioned in flight manuals. Boeing was charged with fraud and conspiracy over its deception of regulators in relation to the Max model, while the plane was grounded for almost two years.
For Milleron, the revelations proved life-changing, with the death of her daughter triggering a personal campaign against Boeing, which she believed had a dangerously ingrained culture of putting profit ahead of safety.
Judicial Watch announced today that it received records showing that as of June 583 foreign nationals are registered to vote in Washington, DC. The records from the Board of Elections also confirm that noncitizens can be election workers.
Judicial Watch received the documents in response to a May 14, 2024, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records regarding the number of noncitizens registered to vote in Washington, DC, under the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act.
In 2022 the DC Council amended the District of Columbia Election Code of 1955 "to expand the definition of the term qualified elector for the purpose of local elections to include otherwise eligible non-citizen residents." The act went into effect in 2023 and allows noncitizens to vote in local elections for positions including mayor, attorney general, city council member, State Board of Education member or Advisory Neighborhood Commission member. Noncitizens can also vote on local referendums, ballot initiatives and recalls.
Despite a hefty taxpayer price tag, several states are requiring cities to transition their public transportation to emitting zero greenhouse gasses.
Since 2022, seven states have passed laws to transition to zero-emission school buses.
In Illinois, a law passed last year requiring all transit agencies to purchase zero-emission buses by 2026. Similar legislation was passed in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland and New York.
The Chicago Transit Authority reports that the transition will require an extra $1.8 to $3.1 billion taxpayer dollars in order to fund the transition, as opposed to diesel trucks.
In order to make that transition, cities will have to invest heavily in green infrastructure, like charging stations and batteries, or staffing electrical engineers.
Hillary Clinton tried and failed. Now it's up to another presidential spouse to try and crack the glass ceiling. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests that only one Democratic candidate would decisively trounce former president Donald J. Trump in November—Michelle Obama.
Webmaster addition: Michelle Obama is NOT qualified to be President. She has never held elected office. I don't want the wife of a President as President no more than I want the pilot's wife to fly me to New York, or the doctor's wife to operate on me!
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has landed a new gig with Japan's biggest steelmaker, Nippon Steel Corp.
In a statement, Nippon Steel shared, "We look forward to working alongside Pompeo to further emphasize the ways in which Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel bolsters the country's economic and national security."
Reuters reported Pompeo will be hired as an adviser for Nippon Steel.
Currently, Nippon Steal has received all regulatory approvals outside of the United States for their proposed $14.9 billion merger with U.S. Steel, but currently, they are facing regulatory trouble from within the United States, which is essentially the reason why Pompeo was hired.
An explosive new study has provided evidence of a direct link between Covid mRNA injections and the global surge in sudden deaths.
The findings of the bombshell study were just published by a group of renowned researchers, sending shockwaves through the scientific community.
The study was conducted by Christof Kuhbandner, PhD, Professor of Psychology at the University of Regensburg in Bavaria Germany, and mathematician Prof. Matthias Reitzner at Osnabrück University, a public research university located in the city of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony.
The study directly contradicts the "safe and effective" narrative that has been peddled about the mRNA injections since they were first pushed onto the public in early 2021.
In their study, the top scientists identified a direct correlation between surging excess mortality in Germany and Covid mRNA injections.
Two Philippine officials said Sunday that Manila and Beijing have reached a deal to avoid confrontations at a fiercely disputed shoal in the South China Sea, where recent clashes have sparked fears of larger conflicts that could involve the United States.
The deal was forged after a series of closed-door meetings between Philippine and Chinese diplomats in Manila and exchanges of diplomatic notes that aimed to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement at the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal, which China also claims.
The Philippine officials who confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on Sunday spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a public announcement of the pact.
Bangladesh Issues 'Shoot-On-Sight-Order' As Deadly Student-Led Protests Spiral
by Tyler Durden
Weeks-long protests in Bangladesh led by students have descended into increasing violence amid severe economic woes and a new controversial law widely seen as unfairly rewarding supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party with lucrative government jobs.
Since early June, campus-based protests have called for a complete shutdown of the country until the new policy is repealed. A High Court ruling at the start of the summer came down in favor of a quota system which secures 30% of government jobs for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
The student protesters have demanded a system based on merit. A series of initially peaceful university protests resulted in increasingly chaotic scenes and clashes with police, resulting in casualties. From there protests have grown nation-wide.
Deaths among protesters have grown into the dozens, with the police reporting casualties as well. Some reports say over 100 demonstrators have died and that this figure is climbing by the day.
Communications have been intermittently disrupted for the nation of 170 million people as authorities desperately try to gain control of the situation.
Authorities have also escalated, as of Saturday allowing security forces to use live-fire to put down protests:
Police imposed a strict curfew with a "shoot-on-sight" order across Bangladesh as military forces patrolled parts of the capital Saturday after scores were killed and hundreds injured in clashes over the allocation of civil service jobs.
The curfew began at midnight and was relaxed from noon to 2 p.m. for people to run essential errands, and is expected to last until 10 a.m. Sunday, allowing officers to fire on mobs in extreme cases, said lawmaker Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League party.
Police and military checkpoints have been set up in the streets of the capital Dhaka in order to enforce the curfew
Claire's Observations: If killing student protestors is the best the Bangladeshi government can do, over this law, it is on the cusp of becoming a failed nation-state
There was a surreal scene at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday as irate senior senators chased the embattled director of the U.S. Secret Service into a women's bathroom.
'You answer to us!'
'You can't hide from us!'
Senators Marsha Blackburn and John Barrasso shouted and pointed angrily - pursuing Secret Service director Kimberly A. Cheatle through the lobby of Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum and up a flight of stairs.
Cheatle, 53, flanked by her agents, scurried into the lavatory. Her staff held the door, blocking the livid lawmakers out.
Washington Post reports: The International Court of Justice, the top judicial arm of the United Nations, said Friday that Israel should end its occupation of Palestinian territory, evacuate existing settlements, stop building new ones and pay reparations to Palestinians who have lost land and property.
In a sweeping 83-page legal opinion, the court, based in The Hague, said Israel is responsible for "systematic discrimination" against Palestinians based on race or ethnicity, has breached the right of Palestinians to self-determination and has effectively annexed large swaths of land.
"Israel has an obligation to bring an end to its presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as rapidly as possible," Nawaf Salam, the court's president, said from the bench Friday. He added that the court considers Israel's continued presence illegal and a "wrongful act."
The searing advisory opinion is nonbinding but still holds legal weight and could have broader consequences in the international arena, including in trade and diplomacy. The court said member states should not recognize as legal the situation arising from Israel's presence in occupied territory, nor should they render aid or assistance in maintaining it.
Well you sure haven't heard this in the mainstream media, have you America?
A laptop and several memory sticks used to program Philadelphia's voting machines were stolen from a city warehouse in East Falls, officials confirmed In September, setting off a scramble to investigate and to ensure the machines had not been compromised they claimed.
This story barely received any attention back in September but it sure matters now, doesn't it?
Though it remains unclear when the equipment was stolen, sources briefed on the investigation said the items vanished this week of September 30th. The laptop belonged to an on-site employee for the company that supplies the machines. It and the USB drives were the only items believed to have been taken.
City officials vowed back then that the theft would not disrupt voting on Nov. 3. They were wrong.
Donald Trump Assassination Attempt: Incompetence is a possibility. In all federal agencies including the military, ability and merit have been set aside in order to make race- and gender- based appointments.
Intentionally leaving voids in the security arrangements is a possibility given the ruling elite's and the Democrats hostility toward and hate for Donald Trump, writes leading political economist, Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, chairman of The Institute for Political Economy, former associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, US Undersecretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration and an author of many books.
Israeli jets struck an oil depot at al-Hudaydah Port in Yemen on Saturday sparking a large fire that officials said could be seen across the Middle East.
In a disturbing new twist regarding the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, a bombshell report has revealed that the building used by the shooter is owned by World Economic Forum (WEF) board member Larry Fink's investment company BlackRock.
Further, the building is managed by former executives of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
During Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last Saturday, a gunman was able to scale the roof of the building, unchallenged by police or Secret Service, and take clear shots at the 45th president.
The would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to shoot and wound President Trump while killing retired firefighter Corey Comperatore and seriously wounding two other rallygoers.
The building that the sniper was on is part of a complex that also included other snipers working for federal authorities who have not yet been disclosed.
This morning, Senator Josh Hawley reported that whistleblowers told him that most of Trump's security details last Saturday were not even Secret Service. They were allegedly "unprepared and inexperienced personnel" assigned by DHS.
Hawley said in a letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas:
"Whistleblowers who have direct knowledge of the event have approached my office. According to the allegations, the July 13 rally was considered to be a 'loose' security event. For example, detection canines were not used to monitor entry and detect threats in the usual manner. Individuals without proper designations were able to gain access to backstage areas. Department personnel did not appropriately police the security buffer around the podium and were also not stationed at regular intervals around the event's security perimeter."
Eric Molitor, a victim in the alleged FBI plot to kidnap Michigan Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer, broke his silence during a Trump rally held at Van Andel Arena.
Speaking with Real America's Voice reporter Ben Bergquam, Molitor claimed that the FBI orchestrated the entire plot and even duped people into participating.
"The FBI set everything up. They drove people, they paid for everything. They wrote the script," Molitor said. He alleged that Governor Whitmer herself decided the best time for the operation in collaboration with the FBI and state police.
"Governor Whitmer herself opened her scheduling book and decided with the FBI and state police when to be the best time for the daytime ride, the nighttime ride. Then they duped people into it. We even have proof of them telling people, 'Get as many people in the trucks as possible, and don't tell them what you're doing until they're already on the road.' It was 100% set up. Governor Whitmer, if they can do it to nobody like me, they will come after everybody else," Molitor added.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Saturday said that "America must have Israel's back" as Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on Yemen's port city of Hodeidah.
"Israel will act against terrorists to defend itself and protect its families," AIPAC said. "America must have Israel's back."
Webmaster addition: I think Americans are tired of constantly having to wipe Israel's butt!
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Ark.) revealed the FBI turned him away from the rally site where former President Donald was shot last week.
Hawley explained in a Friday exchange with Fox News host Sean Hannity that he tried to visit the fateful spot in Butler, Pennsylvania, where at least one shooter attempted to assassinate Trump, but was ordered by the Bureau to leave.
"Today, when I went to the site, the FBI has got more security on that site now than they did the night that Trump was shot at," Hawley said.
Webmaster addition: I am expecting a "tragic fire" to destroy the building from where Crooks fired the shots at Trump.
By Cameron Arcand of The College Fix
A new Arizona State University study suggests that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts in the United States military are ineffective.
The study done by the university's Center for American Institutions argued that there is a emphasis on training new soldiers about social issues like "unconscious bias" and "intersectionality" in a way the center says runs contrary to typical American ideals. The study examined DEI plan's in different sector of the military, including DEI office staffing and education at academies like West Point."The massive DEI bureaucracy, its training and its pseudo-scientific assessments are at best distractions that absorb valuable time and resources," the executive summary states. "At worst they communicate the opposite of the military ethos: e.g. that individual demographic differences come before team and mission."
Donald Critchlow, director of the center, wrote in the introduction it was focused on looking at the influence of Critical Race Theory in the United States Armed Forces training.
"The Commission on Civic Education in the Military began as a project to review civic education in the military. Our research team did not expect to find Critical Race Theory so embedded and pervasive. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs are found throughout the U.S. Armed Forces and our service academies," Critchlow wrote. "This year long study documents just how pervasive these training programs are in our Armed Forces and Service Academies and that DEI extends well beyond just formal training programs in the military and service academies.
Claire's Observations: Forgive me, but is the purpose of military education NOT about fighting and winning wars?!?
I would politely suggest that Russian and Chinese young people, training in their respective militaries, have not a CLUE as to what "preferred pronouns" are, but they DO understand how to successfully fight, and win, in combat with the weapons they have to hand.
JUST saying........
President Joe Biden is falling apart at the seams — and it couldn't be more obvious.
In a recent interview with NBC's Lester Holt, the president got noticeably snippy before the questions even began.
"Sometimes come and talk to me about what we should be talking about," Biden said, directly after Holt simply thanked him for making time to talk.
Pat Gray, Keith Malinak, and Jeffy of "Pat Gray Unleashed" are shocked at how quickly things went sour.
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America 'Losing Sense of Religious Liberty,' Says Archbishop
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles is warning the American people that they are slowly beginning to lose one of their fundamental rights as citizens of the United States: freedom of religion.
In a recent article written for First Things, Gomez listed examples of how the federal government has been both interfering with and imposing its beliefs on private employers who conduct business according to religious doctrine, primarily within Catholicism.
"Just last week, the federal government declined a grant request from the U.S. bishops' Migration and Refugee Services agency," wrote Gomez. "We are not really sure why. No reason was given. Our agency has been working well with the government since 2006 to help thousands of women and children who are victims of human trafficking."
He added, "Recently, the government had been demanding that our agency provide abortions, contraception and sterilizations for the women we serve. We hope our application was not denied because we refused to provide these services that are unnecessary and violate our moral principles and religious mission."
The archbishop stated that the government is attempting to "force private employers to provide insurance coverage for sterilizations and contraception." Additionally, he alleged that government agencies have tried to coerce Catholic hospitals into offering abortions and sterilizations by blocking hospital expansions, along with forcing many church adoption and foster care ministries to shut down after they refused to provide benefits for same-sex employees or place children with same-sex couples.
"We are also concerned about the signals the federal government is sending in a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, Hosanna-Tabor v. EEOC," said Gomez. "Experts say that if the government's case prevails, it will have broad new powers to regulate the inner workings of Church institutions-even to possibly interfere in areas of Church practice and doctrine."
The archbishop's writings have sparked a lengthy debate amongst readers.
"It's not persecution not to get a government subsidy," commented one reader. "Nobody has a right to government subsidies. If the increasingly-secular majority decides secular agencies should handle migration and refugee services and health care that is hardly a threat to religious freedom. The Church is free to continue its charitable endeavors with the financial support provided by believers."
Another user responded to this opinion by stating, "When government keeps growing and growing, it eventually gets impossible to avoid government involvement in business. The government has its hand in everything. If you have business competitors, in whatever business, and they take advantage of government subsidies or tax breaks that you can't in good conscience (because of the strings attached) then your business may not be able to survive."
The reader added, "Increasingly, the choice will be between serving and obeying God, or making a living in your chosen profession. That's an terrible position to put people in. And it's so unnecessary. In most cases, it's unconstitutional as well."

subset: commoncrawl


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Vimeo's Top 12 Videos of 2012.
Shortlisted at the Vimeo Awards 2012.
Tilt shift of the Carnaval party in Rio de Janeiro.
Soundtrack available here: tinyurl.com/6mrzndl
Made by Keith Loutit and Jarbas Agnelli.
Captured during Carnaval of 2011.
Music by Jarbas Agnelli.
Special thanks to Rede Globo, Liesa and Jodele Larcher.
Extra thanks to Aguinaldo Rocca (producer) and Nick Graham-Smith (recording engineer).
Thanks also to Guto Vaz, Marcio Avila and Duda M. for supporting us on the ground.
The City of Samba


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The series of ?tech-a-kucha time? workshops aimed to provide the participants with practical and easily available WEB 2.0 tools to be exploited in their teaching contexts.
1. Word magnets: It allows the teacher to copy and paste a text onto a board. The tool creates magnets of words from the text which allows the learners to use as a revision activity by unscrambling the original text.
2. Zamzar: It allows users to convert files into multiple formats, such as doc to pdf; pdf to doc; jpeg to gif etc.
3. Story Bird: It allows users to read and create stories using multiple images and/or specific themes in collaboration with others.
4. Jing: It allows users to make screenshots and screencasts with voice over option which are archived in "History" of the tool.
5. Cueprompter: It allows users to write or cut and paste the text to the screen provided. By pressing the button one can to start the prompter. Pause, fast forward and reverse options are provided.
6. Vocaroo: It allows users to send voice messages via e-mail.
7. Bubblr: It allows users to create comic strips using photos from flickr.com.
8. Wrap-up session: Saturday, 3rd of the Tech-a Kucha Session was a wrap up which gave the participants an opportunity to share any possible tools they themselves make use of . Tech-a Kucha team also offered fun and practical ideas and tools to the participants.


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3/8" Drive Ratchet Knurled Grip - 7"
3/8" Drive Ratchet Knurled Grip - 7"
- Made in the USA
- Ships in 3 to 4 weeks
- Secure payments
- Free Returns - See Policy Below
Our standard round head handles have 41 precision machined teeth. The double pawl kits used in all handles (Comfort Grip—Nitrile and Contour design steel) gives exceptionally long life. Allowing the 41 teeth to operate as an 82 tooth action and a 4-1/2° arc swing, while retaining the longer wearing characteristics of 41 teeth.
Overall Length - 7"Swing Arc - 1-1/4"
Number of Teeth - 41
Head Diameter - 1-1/4"
- Wright ratchets are well balanced providing substantial strength with minimal arc movement.
- Forged and Machined for Best Fit and Unyielding Strength.
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- Easy to read stamp pattern in order to quickly determine opening size
- Made in the USA. Designed, Engineered and Manufactured in Barberton, OH
- Meets and exceeds ASME B107 hand tool standards
- Lifetime warranty
Therefore for as long as you own it, any product manufactured by Wright Tool which fails to render service due to defect in workmanship or materials will be replaced at no charge.
Since 1927, the Wright Tool Company has manufactured the highest quality hand tools in the industry. No exceptions. Upon striking the first forging here in Ohio, our tools have been engineered and crafted by hardworking Americans, for hardworking Americans.
Professionals working in the world's harshest environments demand performance and safety that exceeds the standard, because failure is not an option. This is why we only use the best— Wright alloy steel. The use of our proprietary steel, precision heat treating, and advanced manufacturing techniques results in products of long life, durability and toughness. The end result are products built to exceed industry standards, because good enough is never good enough.
We finish that American innovation and hard work off with an equally hardworking lifetime warranty— one that you'll likely never need.


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Egypt army call signals possible crackdown
Updated: 2013-07-25 07:45
CAIRO - The military chief who ousted Egypt's elected president called on the public Wednesday to take to the streets to give him and the police a mandate to tackle "violence and terrorism," in an address that pointed to a possible move against supporters of the Islamist leader.
Riot police take position as they cordon off the road in front of the buses of Ultras, or hardcore fans, before the derby CAF Champions League soccer match between Egypt's Zamalek and Al Ahly at El-Gouna stadium in Hurghada, about 464 km (288 miles) from the capital Cairo July 24, 2013.[Photo/Agencies] |
The call by Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, made in a speech to a graduation ceremony for military cadets, underlined how the military chief is the source of real power in the country despite the creation of a civilian government after the July 3 coup that removed Mohammed Morsi.
His comments appeared designed to secure a public cover for what could be a move to dismantle sit-in camps by Morsi's supporters in Cairo and elsewhere, as well as a campaign against Islamic radicals that have stepped up attacks on security forces in Sinai. El-Sissi called for a massive turnout in Friday rallies to give him a "mandate" to do what is "necessary" to stop bloodshed.
A coalition of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and allied factions denounced his speech, calling it an "open invitation" to civil war. Their coalition plans protests and marches of its own on Friday, raising the potential for violence between the two camps.
El-Sissi removed Morsi after four days of massive protests by millions of Egyptians demanding his ouster after a year in office, and the military says its goal is to set the country on a path to democracy. But the move has set top ally Washington in an uncomfortable position: The U.S. has implicitly accepted Morsi's removal, even while the Obama administration reviews whether it constitutes a military coup, which under U.S. law would require a shut-off of $1.3 billion in annual aid to Egypt's army.
On Wednesday, Washington announced it is delaying delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt as it conducts the review _ its first direct action in response to the ouster. Still, officials cautioned they had not yet decided whether to suspend military aid more broadly.
Since Morsi's fall, his Islamist supporters have taken to the streets vowing to continue protests until he is reinstated.
Clashes have erupted multiple times between the Islamists and Morsi opponents or security forces. Dozens have been killed, mostly from the pro-Morsi side, including more than 50 killed by troops during clashes outside a military facility in eastern Cairo.
Each side accuses the other of starting the violence. Throughout, the military and its allied media have depicted the protesters as a dangerous armed movement. The Muslim Brotherhood and its allies say their protests are peaceful. The group accuses troops or thugs hired by the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the police, of attacking pro-Morsi rallies.
At the same time, Islamic militants have stepped up attacks on security forces in Sinai Peninsula since Morsi's fall, killing nearly 20 soldiers and policemen and raising fears of a wave of militant violence.
On Wednesday, suspected militants killed two soldiers and wounded three others in four separate attacks in Sinai. In a separate incident, three suspected militants were killed when their explosives-laden car blew up apparently prematurely just outside el-Arish, a coastal city in northern Sinai that is a stronghold of radical Islamists, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press.
In the early hours Wednesday, a bomb went off outside the main police headquarters in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, wounding 19 people. Presidential spokesman Ahmed el-Muslemani called the attack an act of terrorism.
The Mansoura bombing is a possible sign that a militant campaign could be spreading from Sinai to Egypt's heartland, where so far the violence has been mostly restricted to street clashes between the two sides.
El-Sissi's address in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria was a strong sign that the top general is the source of real power in Egypt, despite his assertions that authority has been handed completely to the civilian government set up after Morsi's fall and led by interim President Adly Mansour.
Wearing dark sunglasses under his military cap and a uniform dotted with medals, el-Sissi said "every honorable and honest Egyptian must come out ... Please, shoulder your responsibility with me, your army and the police and show your size and steadfastness in the face of what is going on."
The populist rallying cry raised concern among some in the camp that supported Morsi's removal. An influential youth movement, April 6, said el-Sissi did not need a further mandate to stop any violence or armed groups, and it warned that measures that add to tensions only "keep us away from national reconciliation and constitute a real danger on national security."
But Tamarod, the new youth movement that spearheaded the mass rallies leading to Morsi's ouster, backed el-Sissi's appeal and said it would participate Friday. It said the purpose of its protests would be to press demands for Morsi to be brought to justice and to renounce violence.
A political adviser to Mansour, the interim president, depicted el-Sissi's call as aimed at defending the public, alluding to allegations of violence by Morsi supporters against opponents. "We are talking about a people who are subjected to aggression on the streets," Mustafa Hegazi said.
El-Sissi called for rallies Friday to be as large as those on June 30, when millions took to the streets at Tamarod's behest to demand Morsi's ouster, and July 3, when millions again celebrated his overthrow. He promised police and troops would guard the rallies.
He underlined that his call for mass demonstrations should not be taken as an invitation to violence.
At the main pro-Morsi sit-in in Cairo, outside the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque, the mainly Islamist protesters who have been massed there all month immediately saw el-Sissi speech as signaling a move to crush them.
"He was pleading to the people, (saying) ... 'I want to kill those criminals, those believers, those people who pray ... I can't even see what honor is since I am doused in treason,"' Gamal Abdel-Sattar, a pro-Morsi cleric, told the crowd in a speech from the stage, parodying el-Sissi.
Commenting on el-Sissi's address, Essam el-Erian, a senior Brotherhood leader, made it clear that the Morsi camp intends to stick to its guns. "There is no solution except rescinding the coup and the return of legitimacy," he told Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr.
El-Sissi's address coincided with the inaugural session of a reconciliation conference sponsored by the interim president aimed at ending the country's divisions. The Brotherhood and its allies boycotted the session, attended by Mohamed ElBaradei, Egypt's top reform campaigner who was named vice president after Morsi's ouster, and several dozen senior politicians and public figures.
Hegazi, Mansour's adviser, later told a news conference that reconciliation could only come after individuals who broke the law are brought to justice, saying this was applicable to Sinai, the two Cairo sites where Morsi supporters have been holding protest sit-ins for about four weeks and Cairo's central Tahrir Square, birthplace of the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak and a favorite spot for liberals, women and members of the Christian minority.
Morsi's supporters insist he must be reinstated, branding his ouster as a coup against democracy. The former president was Egypt's first freely elected leader, but his opponents say he concentrated too much power in his own hands and his Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood.
El-Sissi said Wednesday that he has no intention, "not a for a second," to go back on a political road map outlined since Morsi's fall. That includes amending the Islamist-drafted constitution passed under Morsi, following by parliamentary and presidential elections by early 2014.
He promised foreign observers from the U.N. and the European Union would be invited to monitor the elections. "We are ready for an election to be supervised by the whole world," he said.
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Autor(es): Azubuike, Bridget; Little, Angela
Organisation(s): University of Oxford (UK). Dept of International Development. Young Lives
Date: 2019
Pages: 29 p.
Serie: Young Lives Working Paper
Series Volume: 181
This working paper uses the 2016-17 Young Lives school survey data in Vietnam to examine learning outcomes and learning motivations for boys and girls in Grade 10. It examines how differences in learning motivations impact on learning outcomes and future expectations, and also examines the determinants of these differences and their relationships with student's background and prior learning attainment. The findings reveal that girls are approaching their studies with more discipline and diligence than boys on average. In general, girls demonstrate more of the favourable traits and attitudes to learning. The findings also indicate that, on average, girls are doing better in both maths and English and making better progress. However, their superior performance in mathematics isn't robust enough to remain in their favour in more sophisticated analysis. Even though girls are on average doing better in maths, their beliefs about their maths abilities are low. Boys tend to have higher confidence in their maths abilities. The paper highlights four areas requiring attention in research and policy discussions on gender equity in Vietnam: how to raise girls' self-concepts in maths; how to increase interest-oriented learning and reduce assessment-oriented learning; how to raise boys' motivations for learning in general; and, through them, how to increase boys' performance in English language and problem-solving.


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Gear Reduction Starter Tuff Torque 2 Hole Mounting-One Hole Is Threaded Zinc 13149
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Tuff Stuff starters are hand made from premium quality new components - not remanufactured - and are quality built in USA. Most Gear Reduction style starters, which are considerably smaller than the OE starters, incorporate a mounting block that can be indexed to gain additional clearance. Starters include mounting bolts and shims where applicable. Ideal for high horsepower muscle cars, hot rods, trucks and daily-drivers. Finishes include chrome plated, zinc plated and powder coated.
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Novalis Circle Symposium Focuses on Emerging Role of Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Patients with Spine Bone Metastasis
An evening of scientific exchange highlights latest technical innovations and clinical best practices
Boston, September 26, 2016—The Novalis® Circle hosted a symposium at this year's American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting to present and discuss topics related to stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatment benefits in patients with spine metastasis. At the center of the scientific agenda, world-renowned experts highlighted current clinical evidence from leading institutions around the world who are at the forefront of improving pain management in spine disease. The growing benefit of stereotactic radiosurgery as up-front treatment for radio-resistant tumors or as part of multi-disciplinary care in conjunction with spine separation surgery were some of the new treatment paradigms highlighted by the speakers.The scientific community is embracing the benefits of SRS, and two prospective randomized trials comparing SRS to External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) in the treatment of metastatic spine disease were discussed at the Symposium as means to change current standards of care. Both studies, Radiation Oncology Therapy Group, (RTOG) 0631 and Canadian study SC24 aim to compare pain relief and quality of life between image guided radiosurgery SRS/SBRT and conventional external beam RT.
"The management of spine metastasis requires new therapies, and even access to combination therapies, that quickly and effectively manage the patient's pain, control local disease and facilitate continuation of systemic treatments," said Josh Yamada, MD, Radiation Oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. "Modern clinical decision making not only needs to consider the neurologic and oncologic patient parameters, but also the spine mechanical stability and the overall control of systemic disease."
Among other topics at the Symposium, first experiences with Elements Spine SRS* by Brainlab, the latest software application for automated spine tumor treatment planning, were presented.
* This product is not available for sale and will not be available until all applicable approvals have been acquired.
The software workflow is designed to address current challenges in spine radiosurgery planning, such as multi-modal image set registration accounting for spine curvature variations, automated clinical target definition based on International Spine Consortium Guidelines, and site-specific Monte Carlo VMAT planning aimed at improving the dose gradient interface between the tumor and spinal cord.
"As an early evaluator of the Brainlab technology, I find the software automation to render consistent radiosurgery plans and I'm especially impressed with its ability to dose paint high gradients of radiation in close proximity to the spinal cord," said James L. Robar, PhD, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University, Canada. "Elements Spine SRS is designed to help clinicians embrace radiosurgery strategies in the treatment of patients with spinal and paraspinal tumors."
About Brainlab
Brainlab develops, manufactures and markets software-driven medical technology, enabling access to advanced, less invasive patient treatments.
Brainlab technology powers treatments in radiosurgery as well as numerous surgical fields including neurosurgery, orthopedic, ENT, CMF, spine and trauma. Founded in Munich in 1989, Brainlab has over 11,000 systems installed in about 100 countries. www.brainlab.com
About Novalis Circle
The Novalis Circle is a worldwide network of clinicians dedicated to the advancement of radiosurgery. Novalis® Radiosurgery users represent the leading edge in the application of Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) and their participation in the Novalis Circle community indicates their strong commitment to improving healthcare. Novalis Circle provides a communication and collaboration network for developing new ideas and optimizing treatments that will continue to change the face of cancer treatment. The Novalis Standard was established and approved by a Novalis Circle expert committee. For further information, visit www.novaliscircle.org.


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Look around your Lincoln Park home and chances are you'll be able to spot plenty of opportunities to keep your family safe. Here are the top items to make sure you have around the home and are in top shape and checked regularly.
1) Fire Extinguishers
This home safety staple should be in a few places in your home; in your kitchen, in your garage, and in your laundry room. Having a fire extinguisher on hand isn't going to do you much good if it's broken or expired. Have your local fire department check yours. In the midst of a blaze would be the wrong time to discover that it's not working.
2) Smoke Alarms
You should have working smoke detectors in each bedroom as well as any upstairs hallways and at least a few on the main floor of your home. Replace the batteries every six months or when daylight savings time begins and ends in your area.
3) Basic First Aid Kit
Keep a variety of adhesive bandages along with things you may need for more significant injuries such as gauze, iodine, rubbing alcohol, tape, surgical scissors, and antibiotic ointment. Check the stock and expiration dates of all the items in your first aid kits at least once or twice a year.
4) Emergency Contact List
Have an up-to-date contact list of emergency contacts like grandparents, family members, doctors, poison control, and babysitters in a visible area. Also, make sure to include your health insurance information in the event you're not able to provide it.
5) Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Carbon monoxide (CO), is the odorless, tasteless, and invisible gas that can be a threat to any home. Unsafe levels of carbon monoxide can emit from furnaces, room heaters, fireplaces, stoves, grills, and even a car left running in the garage. Keep these appliances in good shape and have them inspected regularly and install a CO detector near these appliances and on the main level(s) of your home. If your CO alarm beeps, open all the windows, and if it continues beeping, call your local fire department right away.
6) Night Lights
Night lights aren't just for kids, but they can help prevent falls in the middle of the night, and battery-powered ones will come in handy as you're gathering flashlights and candles when the power goes out.
7) Disaster Kit
Find a pre-assembled one online or DIY for one that's perfectly suited to your family and the Chicago area. You'll be thankful for your disaster kit if you find yourself in a power outage for several hours to several days. Once you assemble your disaster kit, don't ignore it! Replace expired items and restock any items that you may have grabbed throughout the year. If you're assembling these items yourself, store them in a waterproof bag or backpack so you can easily grab it in an emergency.
Some items to keep in your disaster kit (multiply each item by the number of people living in your home):
- Water – 1 gallon per person per day for 3 days
- Food – 3 day supply of non-perishable food
- Flashlights and spare batteries
- Extra phone batteries or solar charger
- Safety matches
- Candles
- Battery-powered radio and a NOAA Weather Radio, and extra batteries for both
- Copies of important documents (electronic copies will be safest)
- Can opener
- Personal hygiene items
- Pet food and extra water for your pet
- Cash
Can you check all these items off your home safety checklist? If you have some unique situations or questions, reach out!


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Christmas fundraising campaign for a good cause
on 16/03/2022
The partnership between Travian Games and the Stiftung Ambulantes Kinderhospiz München (Munich Children's Hospice), has existed for some time. It has become a tradition for the employees of Travian Games GmbH to raise funds for disadvantaged children and their families during the run-up to Christmas.
This year, Jörg Strathaus, CEO of Travian Games, was pleased to present EUR 5,400 to the AKM Foundation. During the ceremony to deliver the donations, which like last year took place virtually, he thanked the AKM Foundation staff for their dedicated work: "I want to thank you for your commitment. It is an honor and a pleasure for us to support you in this challenging work. Each year, I am delighted by the number of employees in our company who want to help you and who put us in the fortunate situation of doubling the donations to support a family for an entire year once again."
Since 2004, the Munich Children's Hospice Foundation has been assisting families with terminally and critically ill unborn babies, newborns, children, youths and young adults in Munich and throughout Bavaria. Since 2016, the AKM Foundation has also been taking care of severely ill parents of minors. The team comprising full-time doctors, psychologists, nurses and social workers is assisted by around 300 volunteers in crisis intervention, family support and public relations. The aim is to provide reliable support to these families during such difficult times and offer moments of safety, security and normality.
The fact that solidarity with people who are less fortunate or disadvantaged should not be taken for granted, especially in times of the pandemic, was emphasized by Eva-Maria Büttner, fundraiser for the AKM Foundation. She thanked Travian Games for this donation: "At the AKM Foundation, we are more than grateful to all the staff and executives of Travian Games GmbH for once again taking on a family sponsorship this year, giving hope to one of the families we look after. On behalf of this family, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your loyal support."
Bavaria's largest games company has been committed to the charity since 2016. In 2017, Travian Games took on a family sponsorship with the Munich Children's Hospice Foundation.
Travian Games would like to thank all employees who donated to this good cause and raised awareness for the AKM Foundation.


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New York, September 25, 2008–Mexican radio host Alejandro Zenón Fonseca Estrada was gunned down Tuesday as he was putting up anticrime posters in Villahermosa, capital of the Gulf Coast state of Tabasco. The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating possible links between Fonseca's work as a journalist and his killing.
Four unidentified men riding in a van pulled alongside Fonseca, host of a morning talk show on EXA FM, as he was hanging the posters on a major street around 9 p.m. Tuesday, witnesses told local police and reporters. One of the posters read, "No to Kidnappings," while another declared support for Tabasco's governor, Andrés Granier Melo. Witnesses said the assailants berated Fonseca for the posters and then shot him at close range. Fonseca was taken to a local hospital, where he died from chest wounds early Wednesday, according to press reports. The assailants were said to be armed with AR-15 rifles.
Fonseca, known by the affectionate Mexican nickname, "The Godfather," hosted the morning call-in show "El Padrino Fonseca" (The Godfather Fonseca), geared toward young listeners, for the past 10 years. Earlier this month, Fonseca had announced that he planned to put up the posters as part of his ongoing campaign against violence in Tabasco, according to press reports and CPJ interviews. It was not immediately clear whether Fonseca had received threats while waging his campaign on the radio. Colleagues told CPJ and the local press that Fonseca was a well-known and respected radio personality in Tabasco, especially among young listeners.
Local authorities have not identified any suspects.
Mexico ranks 10th on CPJ's Impunity Index, a list of countries where journalists are slain on a recurring basis and governments consistently fail to solve the crimes. Under current law, state authorities generally investigate attacks on journalists. Because of the poor record of successful prosecutions, CPJ has urged that the federal government take over such investigations.
"We call on state and federal authorities to conduct an exhaustive investigation that will bring all those responsible to justice," said CPJ's Americas Senior Program Coordinator, Carlos Lauría. "The time has come for the government of President Felipe Calderón and congressional leaders to reach a consensus and develop legislation that federalizes crimes against free expression and freedom of the press. The legislation must focus on broadly protecting freedom of expression as the wave of violence is inhibiting all Mexicans, including journalists, in communicating with each other."
Mexico is one of the most dangerous places for journalists in Latin America, CPJ research shows. In the last five years, as the war between powerful drug cartels has intensified, local journalists who report on organized crime and the drug trade are facing grave risks. Twenty-one journalists have been killed in Mexico since 2000, seven of them in direct reprisal for their work. Since 2005, seven others have gone missing.
One of the missing reporters, Rodolfo Rincón Taracena, disappeared on January 20, 2007, in Villahermosa after finishing a piece about local criminal groups attacking cash-machine customers. Rincón was a veteran crime reporter for the local daily Tabasco Hoy. In June, Juan Padilla, editorial director at the Villahermosa-based daily El Correo de Tabasco, was threatened in a note left outside the front door of the newspaper's office building two days after a severed human head was found near the same spot. The note read "You're next, Director."


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It's always interesting when a flash game comes along that makes you look at things in a whole different light. Who knew, for example, that the ordinary day-to-day activity of making breakfast was frought with so many pitfalls and hidden dangers? In Breakfast, a strangely compelling little onebutton cooking game by Gio-M, you awake after a one night stand and your chances of a second date will depend completely on your ability to make a high quality breakfast by pressing the spacebar at the precise moment necessary to chop, blend, and boil your ingredients in the best way possible to satisfy your lover-in-waiting.
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Several wildfires are scorching the western United States and forcing hundreds to evacuate from their homes, with one person killed in a blaze near California's border with Oregon.
Details on the fatality were not released Friday pending notification of next-of-kin, but the victim was found in a structure in Hornbrook, according to Sheriff Jon Lopey of Siskiyou County.
The Klamathon Fire had grown to 21,800 acres by Saturday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. It's just one of about 10 fires raging across the state, fueled by rising temperatures and gusty winds.
The blaze, which started Thursday and is spreading fast, is only 5% contained, according to fire officials. About 750 people have been evacuated.
In a Friday afternoon press conference, Lopey said the fire had destroyed 40 structures. But Cal Fire said Saturday morning that the Klamathon Fire had only destroyed 15 structures.
Meanwhile, in Santa Barbara County, firefighters were battling a new "fast-moving and wind-driven" blaze, known as the Holiday Fire. It scorched about 50 acres and prompted the evacuation of about 2,500 people in Goleta, county officials said.
Firefighters have been working in tough conditions, enduring triple-digit temperatures and strong winds that have increased the fire threat. On Friday, many record high temperatures were broken in cities across California. The mercury hit 114 degrees at the Burbank Airport and 117 degrees in Van Nuys Airport, the National Weather Service's Los Angeles office said.
Conditions are expected to ease Saturday, said Tim Chavez of Cal Fire.
The largest fire burning in the state is known as the County Fire, and has scorched more than 88,000 acres in Napa and Yolo counties. The blaze was 48% contained by Saturday morning, but had already burned 10 structures, according to Cal Fire.
Another California blaze, the West Fire, prompted Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency in San Diego County, saying people and property are under "extreme peril."
The 400-acre brush fire is swallowing up homes in the densely populated suburb of Alpine. It had destroyed 18 structures and damaged eight others by Saturday morning. But firefighters were making progress, officials said, and containment had risen to 30%. Evacuation orders for hundreds of people living and working in the vicinity remained in place.
Scott McLean, deputy chief of Cal Fire, told CNN that residents need to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
"They need to be prepared. They need to take that responsibility on to have their go kits ready to go," McLean said. "They have to know how to get out of their community or away from their home if a wildfire does strike."
The state fires are among 60 large blazes burning in 13 states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.


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Stork Wall art
Stork Laser cut silhouette template This design / pattern is perfect for laser cut, scroll saw, hand cut or CNC router. It can be use for mosaic, scrapbooking, interior design decor, wall art, kids decor, kids toy's, invites, coasters, mothers day gift, birthday present or add to your product catalog. Cut out of wood, paper, hardboard, Perspex acrylic. Download VECTOR file PDF, AI, EPS, SVG, CDR x4. Use your favorite editing program to scale this vector to any size. You can add and remove elements or personalize the design. Our templates are all laser cut tested. Free laser cut template, pattern every day. Stork Wall art.


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Former FBI Director James Comey will testify publicly before the Senate intelligence committee, committee leaders announced Friday. Panel Chairman Richard Burr and Vice Chairman Mark Warner said they will schedule the hearing for after Memorial Day. A date has not been set.
"The Committee looks forward to receiving testimony from the former Director on his role in the development of the Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian interference in the 2016 US elections, and I am hopeful that he will clarify for the American people recent events that have been broadly reported in the media," Intelligence Chairman Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina said in a statement.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the panel, said Comey's testimony would help "answer some of the questions that have arisen since Director Comey was so suddenly dismissed by the President."
Comey's testimony was sought from numerous congressional committees after news broke last week that he had written a memo stating President Donald Trump had asked him to drop his investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
But it was still an open question whether Comey would appear publicly, and many lawmakers began to doubt he would testify after the Justice Department named Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the allegations between Russian officials and the Trump organization associates.
House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah announced a hearing next week for Comey to testify, but he did so before he had even made contact with Comey, and it's unlikely Comey plans to attend next week. Chaffetz, who announced Thursday he was leaving Congress at the end of June, has requested Comey's memos, along with the Senate Judiciary Committee.


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Portsmouth Periodontist Shares how Important Your Diet Is and Why Your Teeth are Affected, Too
With the month of March almost upon us, it's time to start eating right! While there's no perfect time, it's important for all patients to know how your diets affect the status of your teeth, as well. March is National Nutrition Month, where the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics asks if everyone can pay special attention to what we're actually eating. Your Portsmouth periodontist wants to bring focus to the foods and drinks that damage your smile.
When you think of what you eat, it doesn't always occur to you how badly it harms your teeth since most people are preoccupied with how it will affect their weight. There are countless dietary foods and drinks that may benefit some parts of your health, but not others. A popular beverage choice is lemon water and while it can help your physical diet, it seriously damages your dental enamel.
Lemons are highly acidic and they break down the protective surface of your teeth, called your enamel. These minerals are created to protect and strengthen your teeth, but acidic foods and drinks work fast to break them down. If a patient is constantly consuming lemon water throughout their day, they're seriously weakening the structure and health of their smile.
Most healthy foods and drinks can also benefit your teeth too; foods with whole grains, whole wheat and protein are meant to improve various parts of your body. It's important to make note of what ingredients are in your foods and drinks since your teeth are always directly and immediately affected.
Remember to try and eat right during March and share information from your Portsmouth periodontist about National Nutrition Month with your friends and family in order to protect all parts of your health, including dental!
Contact our office if you want to learn more or if you'd like to schedule an appointment today by calling (603) 436-7787.


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How to Enter Bills in QuickBooks:
It's not as much fun as creating invoices, but the bills must be paid. Here's how QuickBooks helps.
We're in a bit of a transitional period with business bill-paying. Some paper bills still come via the U.S. Mail, however you may also be getting some through email. Others don't come at all: You might get a reminder email, but you have to go to the vendor's site to make a payment.
How do you keep track of it all so you don't miss any due dates? You could record them on a calendar, but you'd still have to go back to the actual bill to retrieve the amount. But where is it? Is it online, in your email inbox, in a file folder, or hanging on the wall?
QuickBooks can organize this unpleasant process, saving time and helping you avoid confusion. Here's how it works.
A 2-Step Process
QuickBooks divides your accounts payable tasks into two separate processes: entering bills and paying them. It requires some extra time upfront as you complete the first step, but streamlines the second so that the actual bill-paying only takes a few seconds.
To get started, click Enter Bills on QuickBooks' home page to open a window like this:
Before you can pay a bill in QuickBooks, you need to create a record for it.
The toolbar for the Enter Bills window is not pictured in the image above, but you don't need it yet. Rather, you start by clicking the down arrow in the field next to VENDOR and selecting the biller's name from your list (or clicking <Add New> if you haven't yet created a record for that entity). The ADDRESS should fill in automatically, as should the date.
If you set up default payment TERMS in that vendor's record, your preference should show in that field and the BILL DUE date should be correct. Enter the AMOUNT DUE and complete any of the optional fields that the transaction requires (REF. NO., DISCOUNT DATE, and MEMO).
Since this is a utility bill, the Expenses tab should be highlighted, and the amount you entered above should appear in it. Below that is the ACCOUNT field; open that list and choose the right one. Don't worry about the CUSTOMER:JOB and BILLABLE fields. These will only be completed when you're charging a customer for an expense or item.
Warning: If you're not familiar with the concept of assigning accounts to transactions, please schedule some time with us. This is a critical designation that affects so many other areas of QuickBooks.
Saving Your Work
The toolbar from the Enter Bills window
Once you save your bill, you'll be able to access it when it's time to apply payment. How will you remember when it's due, though? QuickBooks can remind you – or even pay it automatically. So, before you leave the Enter Bills window, click Memorize in the toolbar pictured above.
The Memorize Transaction window will open with your vendor already entered in the Name field. You'll have three options here:
Add to my Reminders list. QuickBooks can add this bill to its list of Reminders. To ensure that you'll see this every time you open the software and can make any changes necessary, open the Edit menu and click Preferences | Reminders | My Preferences. Click in the box in front of Show Reminders List when opening a Company file. Then click the Company Preferences tab (if you're the administrator) and find the Bills to Pay row. Click the appropriate button to indicate whether you want QuickBooks to Show Summary or Show List, and enter the number of days before due date.
Do Not Remind Me. Just what it sounds like.
Automate Transaction Entry. You can only select this if the transaction will be exactly the same every time (except for the date). If the number of transactions will be limited, enter the Number Remaining. And tell QuickBooks how many Days in Advance To Enter.
If you choose the third option here, be very careful when you define the automation. You should really only do this if you're an advanced user.
When you're done, click OK to close the box, and save the bill.
Next month, we'll talk about the second step: the actual paying of bills. In the meantime, let us know if you want to schedule a session to go over any aspect of your accounts payable – or anything else in QuickBooks.
Social media posts
Are you missing bill due dates because you can't seem to get your accounts payable organized? QuickBooks can help.
You can save an enormous amount of time and frustration if you use QuickBooks' bill-paying tools. Are you familiar with how to do this? Ask us about this feature.
QuickBooks can remind you when your bill payments should be processed, or it can send them automatically. Let us help with setup.
Paying bills in QuickBooks is actually a two-step process. Once you've entered bills, paying them just takes a few seconds. We can show you how.


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Dhirubhai Ambani Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Ian MacMillan's most recent book The Social Entrepreneur's Playbook focuses on how to create social enterprises that generate profits while reducing social stress for target beneficiary populations.
Ian C. MacMillan (Mac) is the Academic Director of the Sol C. Snider Entrepreneurial Center and Dhirubhai Ambani Professor of Entrepreneurial Management. He also taught at Columbia University, Northwestern University and NYU. He received his BSc (Chemical Engineering) . from the University of Witwatersrand, and his Master's and Doctorate in Management from the University of South Africa.
Prior to joining the academic world, Mac was a chemical engineer, and gained experience in gold and uranium mines, chemical and explosives factories, oil refineries, soap and food manufacturers, and the South African Atomic Energy Board. He has been a director of companies in the travel, import/export and pharmaceutical businesses in the USA, South Africa, Canada, Hong Kong, and Japan. Mac has extensive consulting experience, having worked with such companies as Merck, Microsoft, Air Products, DuPont, General Electric, GTE, IBM, Citibank, Chubb & Son, American Re-Insurance, Texas Instruments, Novell, Westcon, Fluor Daniel, Seagate Technologies, Matsushita/Panasonic (Japan), Olympus (Japan), L.G.Chem (Korea), KPMG (UK) and Commercial Union General Insurance (UK).
Mac has published articles and books on new ventures, innovation organizational politics and strategy formulation. His articles have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, The Sloan Management Review, The Journal of Business Venturing, and others. He is co-author of the best-selling books Corporate Venturing, The Entrepreneurial Mindset, which focuses on how managers and entrepreneurs can create a continuous stream of growth opportunities for their firms, MarketBusters, which focuses on strategies firms can use to dramatically change their existing businesses, Unlocking Opportunities for Growth, which provides guidelines for selecting, valuing and pursuing highly uncertain but high potential growth opportunities, and Discovery Driven Growth which focuses on how to use incremental, game-changing and radical innovation to grow the value of the company. His most recent book "The Social Entrepreneur's Playbook" focuses on how to create Social enterprises that generate profits while reducing social stress for target beneficiary populations.


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Introduction to Write
The Write Activity serves as the document creation Activity in Sugar. Its simple interface provides an easy starting point for children, presenting tools that make writing a story, poem, or essay simple and straightforward. It also supports tools for inserting images, creating tables, and performing layout operations.
The Write Activity utilizes the Journal—your work is automatically saved. The Activity also supports collaboration in the form of peer editing, group storytelling, etc.
The Write Activity can be used to open and edit most common file formats, including ODT, DOC, RTF, TXT, and HTML.
Tip of the hat
Write is based upon Abiword; the Sugar port was done by J.M. Maurer, Martin Sevior, Tomeu Vizoso and Robert Staudinger


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Will The New York Times Redesign Kill 'The Fold'
Co.Design has a great article on the redesign of The New York Times website. It seems like it was yesterday when Khoi Vinh led the design team that redesigned the NYT in 1996.
I love the direction that the new website is taking because it takes what has become a noisy site, dense with information and distils it down to a simplistic user interface. As a web designer I love that the new design team has done away with pagination and embraced the infinitely scrolling page made popular by Pinterest.
This is huge step in the right direction for web design that often clings to print design elements such as "the fold". Printed newspapers have a fold and to be above the fold indicates important content. In web design there is no fold but many web designers, creative directors and clients mistakenly think there is. They tend to treat web pages as printed pages even though the web has been around for over a decade. This drives me crazy!
Pinterest, Facebook and now the NYT embrace infinite scrolling which will help to dispel the myth of "the fold" and make my job easier. This makes me happy.
Posted in Web Design at 8:34 PM
What is Dolby Atmos?
Recently I've been seeing ads for Dolby Atmos on Rotten Tomatoes and was curious. I just purchased a home theatre receiver that has Dolby Surround 7.1 and now there is Dolby Atmos. Clicking on the ad took me a Dolby page but there was very little information that actually explained what Dolby Atmos is or does.
The video above put things into perspective. Dolby Atmos is more immersive than 7.1 sound by using overhead speakers and panning of sound from speaker to speaker. Check Dolby's website to learn more about Dolby Atmos.
If you live in Toronto and want to hear what Dolby Atmos sounds like then head over to SilverCity Yonge-Eglinton Cinemas (Cineplex) and watch Life of Pi to experience the latest in cinema audio.
Posted in Movies and Technology at 9:06 PM
Sold Out Films For TIFF 2012
As of 2pm on August 27, 2012 the following films listed below are SOLD OUT or OFF SALE according to TIFF's website ordering system.
Sep 6
Kinsha Kids
Sep 8
Anna Karenina
Liar's Autobiography
The Master
Seven Psychopaths
Short Cuts Canada: Programme#2
Sep 9
7 Boxes
The Brass Teapot
Much Ado About Nothing
Museum Hours
Sep 10
The Company You Keep
The Hunt
Midnight's Children
Short Cuts Canada: Programme#3
Sep 11
Short Cuts Canada: Programme#3
Short Cuts Canada: Programme#4
Sep 12
The Hunt
A Late Quartet
Sep 14
Arthur Newman
Sep 16
The Master
The biggest surprise here for me is Amour being sold out on the last day of the festival! I purposely picked that screening thinking it wouldn't be sold out. There are no guarantees at TIFF.
Posted in News at 2:31 PM
The Colourful New Microsoft Logo
It's been a while since Microsoft redesigned their brand image and I have to say that I like the colour in the new logo. The video below gives some idea as to what the different colours represent – blue (Windows), red (Office), green (Xbox) but what does yellow represent?
Hopefully they update their sites soon as they are a mess of old and new logos. Why is it that when you click on a product such as Windows or Office that the Microsoft logo disappears altogether and you can't easily get back to the Microsoft homepage? Bizarre.
Posted in Technology at 8:28 PM
Movin' On Up
My better half, Lissa, started a new job this week with Big Coat Productions in Toronto. She is their new head of production and development. The announcement was made in Realscreen, Playback and C21 Media.
Posted in News and Television at 9:07 AM
Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee
Jerry Seinfeld has a new web series on Crackle called Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. It's not Seinfeld but in the dog days of summer you need something to watch and if it can make you laugh a little then why not.
Posted in Humour at 8:36 PM
Two Women Running on the Beach
If you're in Toronto before Aug 26, 2012 then check out the Picasso exhibit at the AGO. It features 147 works, my favourite being Two Women Running on the Beach (The Race).
As an added bonus I spent a bit of time looking at some Canadian art by The Group of Seven. I can't wait to get back up to Georgian Bay to take some photos where these artists spent a great a deal of time.
Posted in Design and Observations at 4:44 PM
A Little Bit Of Something
The web designer that runs a little bit of something has the funniest portfolio site I've seen in a long time. It's short on design examples and links to his work but his cheeky observations about clients are bang on and hilarious.
You are not the web designer. I am the web designer
You wouldn't tell Mr. Marks of Spencer how to make slacks or Mrs. Audrey Audi how to build motor cars, would you? So please, Sir, don't tell me I should "bevel" things. Get back to doing what you do best and let me do the web designing.
If you take control, you'll end up with a huge lump of dog muck, and people will laugh at it behind your back.
Have a laugh and visit his site. You might learn something about web design.
Posted in Web Design at 11:45 AM
Offscreen Magazine
If you're a web designer or web developer then you should be reading Offscreen magazine. It's a beautifully designed magazine about that profiles the people that make websites and apps.
The first two issues arrived from Berlin earlier this week and I've been soaking up every page. If you're like me and you work on your own then chances are you don't spend a lot of time with other designers and talk shop. Offscreen profiles a lot of designers from around the world that also work on their own.
It's refreshing to discover how others ended up where they are, what they do all day, their process, what apps they use and how they've contributed to the web community. I'm almost through the first issue and can't wait to see what is in the second issue.
Posted in Web Design at 10:32 PM
Radioman (2012). Directed by Mary Kerr.
How does a former New York City homeless man become a movie industry legend? Radioman has appeared in over 100 films and television shows since the early 90s. With his trademark radio around his neck, he's become a celebrity to movie stars like George Clooney, Matt Damon and Meryl Streep. Radioman is a charming film about an eccentric dreamer that finally gets his closeup.
George Clooney, Robin Williams, and Josh Brolin sit down for interviews and provide their take on Radioman. For the most part he's described as a lovable guy that is obsessed with the movies. He's considered to be good luck for a production and according to Radioman, every time he appears in a film it makes money – Tower Heist, The Departed, and Elf.
The celebrity aspect of Radioman is sure to make this a popular film at Hot Docs. Everyone from Paul Giamatti, Sandra Bullock, Whoopi Goldberg, Jude Law and Tom Hanks appear briefly to share their Radioman experiences. Most of these clips are quite funny including a bizarre moment with James Gandolfini and a conversation with Ricky Gervais that left me in stitches.
Radioman is credited as Craig Castaldo on IMDB but he also goes by the name Craig Schwartz. It wasn't clear to me in the film why he uses two names but it doesn't really matter. Radioman is a fascinating character – a former homeless man and alcoholic that lives in a roach-infested apartment and dresses like a tramp. He rides a bicycle around New York, trolling movie sets for food and hustling for parts in films. He dreams of becoming an actor with real speaking roles instead of the small bit parts he's landed in the past.
I found myself wanting to know more about Radioman as the film progressed. At first glance he comes across like a child, picking his nose and farting on camera but in an instant he can be quite serious and sound very intelligent. In one clip Johnny Depp questions whether Radioman is really an eccentric billionaire having a laugh at our expense.
We never see Radioman on a computer but he's shown talking on a beat up cellphone to somebody about filming locations. Shia LaBeouf questions how Radioman can know his shooting schedule before he does. Where does Radioman get his information from? For a guy who often gets mistaken as a panhandler he seems well connected.
The film takes on a different tone when Radioman travels to Los Angeles hoping to crash the Oscars and hang out with his Hollywood friends. He may be the king of New York when it comes to getting access to the stars but in Los Angeles he's a nobody. Unless he's on the guest list, Radioman is just another autograph hound, hanging around the sidewalk with the likes of Sean Young.
It was interesting to see the stark contrast between the two cities from Radioman's perspective. Everything and everyone in LA comes across as cold and superficial compared to the people of New York that Radioman describes as being friendlier, warmer, kinder.
Sadly, Radioman sees celebrities as his friends. He's lonely and the closest thing he has to family is the movie set. When he used to drink Radioman said he felt invincible. He thought people were laughing with him and having a good time but he came to realize that people were really laughing at him. I wonder how many of his celebrity friends are really laughing at him, merely amused by his eccentric behaviour.
You might not know who Radioman is but chances are that you've already seen him in a dozen films. He's always wanted a bigger film role and I can't think of a better opportunity than the one Mary Kerr's documentary provides him with. I used to look forward to Stan Lee cameos in Marvel films. Now I'll be looking for Radioman cameos in every film that is shot in New York.
Films are rated from 1 to 4 stars.
Radioman Facebook Page
Hot Docs Website
Posted in Hot Docs at 12:43 PM
Hot Docs 2012 Preview
Another season of Hot Docs begins this Thursday and Toronto will be buzzing this weekend with premieres of some great films. Here is a roundup of some of the films I previewed for this year's festival.
We Are Legion: The Story of The Hacktivists
Everyone has heard of Anonymous but what is it? A group of "hackers on steroids" as Fox News has described it or a group of "hactivists" that have it in for Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology. We Are Legion delves into the world of Anonymous and does a nice job explaining the origins of the group. I found this doc fascinating and for someone that spends most of his day online, I was surprised by how little I know about Anonymous.
Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet
Life is full of incredible stories and the films that document them can be difficult to watch at times. I had a vague idea of who Jason Becker was but the tragedy that befell him is a revelation and it times it gets really weird. If you like music docs then don't miss this film but be prepared to feel drained after watching it. I couldn't shake the incredible sadness that weighs on this film.
The Waiting Room
We've all spent time in a hospital emergency room and know the drama that goes on there. Imagine having the cameras rolling 24/7 in a hospital ER in Oakland. It sounds like the perfect idea for a doc but it just doesn't work. Sure, there is drama and tragedy but I felt like I was in an endless loop of hopelessness. There are plenty of interesting stories and moments but I never felt fully-engaged with this film.
Life In Stills
I was expecting more of an artistic doc about late photographer Rudi Weissenstein. I was surprised when the film focused more on Weissenstein's 96-year-old widow and her relationship with her grandson. You'll find this doc to be entertaining look into the lives of this family in Tel Aviv.
Posted in Hot Docs at 12:18 AM
Hillman Curtis
I was saddened to learn that Hillman Curtis passed away last week at the age of 51. Cancer.
Hillman Curtis and Erik Spiekermann are the two designers I admire most. In 2003 I had the opportunity to meet Hillman Curtis when he was in Toronto giving a lecture. He signed a copy of his book for me, we chatted for a minute and I've been inspired ever since.
Be prepared to reinvent yourself
A month ago Hillman uploaded a video onto Vimeo in which he says a designer should "be prepared to reinvent yourself" as he has done throughout his career. He made the transition from musician to graphic designer to web designer to filmmaker.
Hillman's books and films have been a huge inspiration to me over the years and he'll be missed.
Posted in Design at 11:49 PM
Inocente (Mini Review)
Inocente (2012). Directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix.
Inocente is a heartwarming portrait of a 15-year-old girl from San Diego that is determined to succeed as an artist despite several obstacles in her way. Inocente has been homeless for the last nine years and kept this a secret from her classmates. Despite an abusive father and an alcoholic mother, she's managed to stay in school and develop her artistic skills.
Based on what she's been through you would expect her art to be much darker but it is full of energy, bright colour and hope. The film is emotional and at times I found myself fighting back tears more than once. Inocente is inspiring, beautifully shot and sure to impress you on some level.
Films are rated from 1 to 4 stars.
Official Film Website
Facebook Page
Hot Docs Website
Posted in Hot Docs at 9:25 PM
Radioman (Mini Review)
Radioman (2012). Directed by Mary Kerr.
How does a former New York City homeless man become a movie industry legend? Radioman has appeared in over 100 films and television shows since the early 90s. With his trademark radio around his neck, he's become a celebrity to movie stars like George Clooney, Matt Damon and Meryl Streep. Radioman is a charming film about an eccentric dreamer that finally gets his closeup.
George Clooney, Robin Williams, and Josh Brolin sit down for interviews and provide their take on Radioman. For the most part he's described as a lovable guy that is obsessed with the movies. He's considered to be good luck for a production and according to Radioman, every time he appears in a film it makes money – Tower Heist, The Departed, and Elf.
You might not know who Radioman is but chances are that you've already seen him in a dozen films. He's always wanted a bigger film role and I can't think of a better opportunity than the one Mary Kerr's documentary provides him with. I used to look forward to Stan Lee cameos in Marvel films. Now I'll be looking for Radioman cameos in every film that is shot in New York.
Films are rated from 1 to 4 stars.
Radioman Facebook Page
Hot Docs Website
Posted in Hot Docs at 1:24 AM
Hot Docs 2012
Hot Docs invades Toronto in 16 days with the best documentary film festival on the planet. There are so many fantastic films to see and so little time.
Here are 25 films that I would love to see with links to my top picks.
About Face: The Supermodels Then And Now
Beware Of Mr. Baker
Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story
Chasing Ice
Dreams Of A Life
Garden In The Sea
Indie Game: The Movie
Italy Love It Or Hate It
James Bradley: Soul Of America
Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet
Krisis–GR2011–The Prism
Life In Stills
Not A Carwash
Peace Out
Shut Up And Play Hits
The Tundra Book
The Waiting Room
Theo Fleury: Playing With Fire
We Are Legion: The Story of The Hacktivists
Hot Docs runs from April 26 - May 6, 2012. Visit hotdocs.ca for more information and screening times.
Posted in Hot Docs at 9:09 PM
JAK Media Gets A Redesign
There is an old saying that says "the shoemaker's children go barefoot." I've been too busy making other people's websites to find the time or desire to redesign my company website.
After 6 years of using a dated table-based/CSS design I've completely redesigned the JAK Media site using modern web standards and best practices. There are plenty of portfolio examples. Find out what we've been up to.
A lot of content has been moved around removed altogether. Some people (Google) will be seeing a lot of the new 404 error page.
I hope to add a blog to the site that discusses web development and provides clients with information and tips about web design and development. Have a look and let me know what you think.
Posted in JAK MEDIA at 1:28 AM
Letterboxd is a social network for film buffs. The site is currently in a private beta but iff you want an invite I can send you one.
I find that Letterboxd is a great way to keep track of the films you've watched and share that information with others. It's also a great way of discovering new films. It helps that the site is beautifully designed and extremely easy to use.
Thanks to James for turning my attention to this great site. If you have an account you can see my profile page.
Posted in Movies at 1:20 AM
Netflix Canada Picks
There have been quite a few good releases on Netflix Canada lately. You may have missed these films when they were in theatres or maybe you've never heard of them. If you're looking for something to watch then I suggest you take a look at:
- Midnight in Paris
- Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
- Daybreakers
- X-Men: First Class
- Braveheart
- Turtle: The Incredible Journey
There are also a few turds that I wouldn't mind checking out. Who knew that Dolph Lundgren and Steven Segal were still busy making B-Movies?
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- The Bounty Hunter
- Halloween (2007 Rob Zombie version)
- Submerged
- Retrograde
There are a lot of great films and TV series on Netflix that I want to watch. Netflix seems like such a great deal but how much do you actually use the service? I would love to be watching more Netflix but Mad Men, The Killing and Game of Thrones just started up again. Add to that mix the daily DVD release schedule, more television, feature films and Zip.ca rentals and I've run out of viewing time.
Posted in Netflix at 12:40 AM
A Brief History of Title Design
A Brief History of Title Design from Ian Albinson on Vimeo.
This is inspiring stuff if you're looking for some creative ideas in your next design project. If you like this video then I suggest you head over to Art of the Title for more of the same.
Posted in Motion Graphics and Movies at 11:02 AM
Another Cracked DVD From Zip.ca
I've been a happy Zip.ca customer since 2005 but lately I've started to notice a few "cracks" in their service.
Last year I waited months to get my hands on a copy of The Wild And Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. When the DVD finally arrived in the mail it was cracked down the middle. Zip.ca said they would send out another but they never did. I suspect they only had one in their entire library (which is why it took so long to get to me in the first place).
Last week I received another cracked DVD called Italy Revealed that isn't very easy to find. Note the crack on the left side of the disc below the DVD video logo.
When I flipped the disc over I was surprised to see scratches and dirt on the disc as it was thrown on the ground and stepped on. You can't really see it in the image below there a several indentations on the surface of the disc.
I think that Zip.ca should slow down a little and check some of their discs before they get sent out. Maybe they should clean their DVDSs once in a while and inspect them before sending them out. I would describe this as good service. Failure to provide good service can result in blog postings by unhappy customers. Sigh.
Posted in Movies and Observations at 5:52 PM


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Three Basic Factors of Earnings
Two businesses for sale could report the same numeric value for "earnings" and yet be far from equal. Three factors of earnings are listed below that tell more about the earnings than just the number.
1. Quality of earnings
Quality of earnings measures whether the earnings are padded with a lot of "add backs" or one-time events, such as a sale of real estate, resulting in an earnings figure which does not accurately reflect the true earning power of the company's operations. It is not unusual for companies to have "some" non-recurring expenses every year, whether for a new roof on the plant, a hefty lawsuit, a write-down of inventory, etc. Beware of the business appraiser that restructures the earnings without "any" allowances for extraordinary items.
2. Sustainability of earnings after the acquisition
The key question a buyer often considers is whether he or she is acquiring a company at the apex of its business cycle or if the earnings will continue to grow at the previous rate.
3. Verification of information
The concern for the buyer is whether the information is accurate, timely, and relatively unbiased. Has the company allowed for possible product returns or allowed for uncollectable receivables? Is the seller above-board, or are there skeletons in the closet?
A Listing Agreement is More than Just a Piece of Paper
In order to sell one's business using the services of a business broker, a listing agreement is almost always required.
For the owner of the business, signing the agreement legally authorizes the sale of the business. This simple act of signing represents the end of ownership. For some business owners, it means heading into uncharted territory after the business is sold. For many it also signifies the end of a dream. The business owner may have started the business from scratch and/or taken it to the next level. A little of the business owner may always be in that business. The business, in many cases, has been like a part of the family.
For buyers, the signed listing agreement is the beginning of a dream, an opportunity for independence and the start of business ownership. The buyer looks at the business as the next phase in his or her life. Pride of ownership builds.
So, that simple piece of paper – the listing agreement – is the bridge for both the seller and the buyer. The business broker looks at that piece of paper through the eyes of both the buyer and the seller, working to help both parties progress through the business transaction process into the new phase of their lives.
Read MoreWhat a Buyer May Really Be Looking At
Buyers, as part of their due diligence, usually employ accountants to check the numbers and attorneys to both look at legal issues and draft or review documents. Buyers may also bring in other professionals to look at the business' operations. The prudent buyer is also looking behind the scenes to make sure there are not any "skeletons in the closet." It makes sense for a seller to be just as prudent. Knowing what the prudent buyer may be checking can be a big help. A business intermediary professional is a good person to help a seller look at these issues. They are very familiar with what buyers are looking for when considering a company to purchase.
Here are some examples of things that a prudent buyer will be checking:
- Is the business taking all of the trade discounts available or is it late in paying its bills? This could indicate poor cash management policies.
- Checking the gross margins for the past several years might indicate a lack of control, price erosion or several other deficiencies.
- Has the business used all of its bank credit lines? Does the bank or any creditor have the company on any kind of credit watch?
- Does the company have monthly financial statements? Are the annual financials prepared on a timely basis?
- Is the owner constantly interrupted by telephone calls or demands that require immediate attention? This may indicate a business in crisis.
- Has the business experienced a lot of management turnover over the past few years?
- If there are any employees working in the business, do they take pride in what they do and in the business itself?
- What is the inventory turnover? Does the company have too many suppliers?
- Is the business in a stagnant or dying market, and can it shift gears rapidly to make changes or enter new markets?
- Is the business introducing new products or services?
- Is the business experiencing loss of market share, especially compared to the competition? Price increases may increase dollar sales, but the real measure is unit sales.
When business owners consider selling, it will pay big dividends for them to consider the areas listed above and make whatever changes are appropriate to deal with them. It makes good business sense to not only review them, but also to resolve as many of the issues outlined above as possible.
Read More