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Eddie Lampert has released his annual letter for Sears Holdings (SHLD). It's quite a lengthy piece, but well worth the read as it gives you insight to both the economy and his business execution. Earlier today we posted up Lampert's RBS Partners hedge fund portfolio, so check that to see what maneuvers he made in the fourth quarter. Many prominent hedge funds and investors own large stakes of SHLD, but we've also seen many value players shun shares at current levels. How does Lampert's letter affect your view of SHLD, if at all?
Below you will find Eddie Lampert's 2010 annual letter:
"February 23, 2010
To Our Shareholders:
Today we announced our financial results for our 2009 fiscal year. I am pleased to report that we delivered both stability and progress, resulting in roughly $1.8 billion of Adjusted EBITDA, an improvement of more than $200 million over 2008. While this may be surprising to some, it isn't to me. The dedication of our associates and leadership team led by Bruce Johnson and the diversity of the Sears Holdings business portfolio—Sears Full Line stores, Kmart stores, our Home Services business, Sears Auto Centers, Outlet Stores, Hometown Stores, the Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End brands, our majority interest in Sears Canada, and our online business properties including sears.com—have allowed us to successfully manage through the economic and financial crisis of the past two years.
Today, the United States stands with an unemployment rate close to 10%, a housing market that appears to be stabilizing at depressed levels, and uncertainty over government policy and geopolitical events. Despite this, Sears Holdings continues to make progress against our strategic initiatives and our long-term financial goals. I recognize that our financial results, while substantially improved from 2008, remain well below where we would like them to be. At the same time, we have seen significant improvements in our focus on customers and the transformation of our culture.
I would like to do several things in this letter. First, review 2009 at Sears Holdings. Second, look ahead to 2010 and beyond. Third, discuss some policy issues generally including job creation, and finally, address some consequences of ecommerce tax practices.
2009 in Review
In 2009, we kept expenses under control and stayed focused on our vision and strategic, operational, and financial goals. We were both prudent and opportunistic in spending money and in allocating capital at a time when many others had to make major adjustments.
Early in the year we amended and extended our revolving credit facility through June 2012. In one of the most difficult financing markets in recent memory, we found significant support from numerous financial partners led by Bank of America, Wells Fargo and General Electric, and we executed one of the largest revolving credit facilities in the past couple of years. Our substantial asset base and our strong cash flow management were important factors in this successful deal. When people take a close and objective look at our company, our strengths are not difficult to see.
Our customer satisfaction scores have continued to rise in both Kmart and Sears stores. While we know we still have room to improve, we are pleased that we are making progress against the five key pillars of our strategy that I outlined in last year's letter.
Creating lasting relationships with customers by empowering them to manage their lives: In 2009, we executed a number of initiatives to improve our relationships with customers. These initiatives focused on increasing the breadth and depth of our product offerings, improving our multichannel capabilities, creating platforms that engage with customers, and improving our ability to deliver customer services and solutions. Specific initiatives for 2009 included the introduction of Marketplace on sears.com, which dramatically increased our assortment by giving customers access to millions of products, and the launch of online shipping capability to 90 countries. We also introduced ManageMyLife.com, expanding our ManageMyHome.com site into an online destination that supplements sears.com by providing information that helps people get things done by themselves or with the help of others. We created or expanded marketing programs including ShopYourWay, "Life. Well spent.", Sears Blue Appliance Crew, Sears Blue Electronics Crew, Sears Blue Tools Crew and "there's smart, and there's kmart smart." We grew our online engagement platforms, MySears.com and MyKmart.com, allowing our customers to interact with each other and us and get advice before they buy. We launched the ShopYourWay Rewards program at Kmart and Sears that will provide even more value and opportunities for our customers. We also re-launched a Christmas Club program at Sears and Blue Light Specials at Kmart to offer more convenience, value, and excitement for our customers.
Attaining best in class productivity and efficiency: In 2009, we focused throughout the year on delivering quality products and services to our customers in a more productive and efficient manner. We delivered better results by focusing on product sourcing, supply chain efficiencies, franchising, labor model optimization, and consolidation of functions. Year over year, our gross margin rate was up 60 basis points and we reduced our selling and administrative expenses by over $400 million.
Building our brands: In 2009, we continued to improve and expand our brands. We are in the process of completely redesigning our entire Kenmore product line and introducing more innovation to Craftsman products. We created and launched the Lands' End Canvas brand to target a new customer segment. We also launched or expanded new footwear brands, including Protégé, and introduced a complete product line for the home with the Cannon, Jaclyn Smith and Country Living brands. We also continue to look for ways to give more Americans more opportunities to purchase our brands, as evidenced by the recent announcement of the trademark license agreement with Schumacher Electric Corporation, which will enable DieHard branded power accessories to be sold to retailers in the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico, as well as our agreement with Ace Hardware that will introduce a selected assortment of Craftsman products to customers who prefer to purchase in a smaller and different type of retail channel.
Reinventing the company continuously through technology and innovation: We continued to improve convenience for our customers by investing in technology. We also focused on being more innovative across all business units. We improved our point of sale systems for faster check-outs, improved the customer experience on our websites, launched new mobile applications, including Sears2Go and Personal Shopper, and offered our customers multiple forms of payment both in-store and online, including express checkout, PayPal, eBillme, check electronification, and an expanded version of our successful Layaway program.
Reinforcing "The SHC Way" by living our values every day: In 2009, we also strove to improve our work environment and our impact in the communities in which we live. We harnessed technology solutions to increase real-time feedback from our associates and customers, which has had a transformative impact on our culture and customer focus. We also made progress towards our commitment to environmental responsibility by launching a corporate environmental sustainability program and announcing a new sustainable paper procurement policy. Our community programs, such as Heroes at Home, the March of Dimes, and St. Jude's Research Hospital, continue to grow.
We are striving for more consistency, better customer service, increased transparency, and tighter integration of our stores, our service businesses, and our online experiences. Our early efforts in these areas are bearing fruit. Stay tuned for more ahead.
On a less positive note, we regret the closing of roughly 60 stores in 2009. Most of those stores have underperformed for some time and, despite focused efforts to improve them, we felt that we could no longer afford to wait for those stores to turn around. With expiring leases, we have been able to reduce our money-losing stores while at the same time generating cash from the liquidation of inventory and the monetization of some of the stores that we closed. We continue to evaluate our store portfolio, over 2,200 Kmart and Sears Full Line stores combined, and experiment with new and different ways to serve our customers and avoid additional store closings. Like any retailer, we would expect that our store portfolio will require continuous evaluation and transformation as we strive to have every store contribute to the creation of future value.
In the middle of last year, I responded to an errant published story that repeated unfounded claims from a Wall Street analyst regarding the cash impact of our store closings. As I explained, in most cases, when we close stores we generate cash, net of any cash required for severance and other store closing expenses. The GAAP accounting losses arise from the markdown of inventory, write-off of fixed asset balances, associate severance and any remaining payments on leases that expire in the future. Our ability to close stores is in no way hampered by any cash requirements. Instead, our preference is to operate stores profitably and to transform unprofitable or marginally profitable stores into money makers by evolving our formats to better meet the needs of the communities in which we operate. We know that when we operate our stores well, we have the ability to serve our customers well and to make money.
The pace of expansion in retail generally and in big-box retail more specifically has slowed dramatically in the past year. I have written previously about what I believed was the reckless expansion of retail space leading to lower profitability for many retailers and to low or negative returns on the investment required to expand space. In other industries, consolidation rather than expansion has led to a more sensible competitive environment and better returns for shareholders. If you examine the level of capital expenditures over the past decade at many large retailers and compare that expenditure to value created, it would not paint a pretty picture. Additionally, the dramatic declines in capital expenditures over the past couple of years at most large retailers are strong evidence that the level of maintenance capital expenditures for a big box retailer is materially below what many analysts and experts previously believed. Most of the capital spent over the past decade has been largely for store expansion, with some lesser amount required for maintaining existing stores. For a company like Sears Holdings, with over 2,200 stores in the Kmart and Sears Full Line store formats, our need to expand our physical store footprint is much less than many of our competitors. At the same time, our need to improve the productivity of our space is much greater than many of our competitors. We are pursuing a number of alternative solutions in parallel to address this challenge.
We have chosen to invest primarily in areas of our business that we believe will yield long-term growth and attractive returns. These areas include our online businesses, our service businesses, our Kenmore, Craftsman and Lands' End brands, and some of our alternative formats like Hometown Stores and Outlet Stores. We will continue to experiment and explore ways to materially improve our Kmart and Sears Full Line store experience and competitiveness. To this end, we have made substantial investments in our online platform and in the in-store and mobile technology that enables multichannel experiences under our ShopYourWay banner. We believe that we are on the right track, with an acute customer focus internally, which should yield improved results for our customers and our shareholders externally.
Despite perceptions, we have not hesitated to open new stores when the economics make sense, including opening new Sears Outlet and Sears Hometown stores in 2009. With roughly 100 Outlet stores and almost 1,000 Hometown stores, these alternative formats represent both sources of profit and sources of growth for Sears Holdings. While both are small relative to the Kmart and Sears Full Line store formats, they serve their customers well and provide a Sears presence in smaller spaces and less populated communities.
While a number of our major competitors saw their EBITDA decline in the past year, we were pleased to report a meaningful improvement in Adjusted EBITDA from 2008 to 2009 and we aspire to repeat this improvement again in 2010. With unemployment near 10%, many of our current and potential customers have had to tighten their belts and have had their access to credit reduced and the associated costs increased, leading to a cut back in their spending, especially for big ticket items. This has impacted the Sears Full Line stores format to a greater extent than some of our other businesses. This change in customer behavior is not unique to Sears. You can see it reflected in our major mall-based competitors as well as Home Depot and Lowe's in the home improvement categories.
2009 Awards and Recognition
Let's look at some of the awards and recognition Sears Holdings businesses and associates received during 2009:
- Sears Holdings was named one of the Top Customer Experience Web Sites for 2009 by e-Tailing Group's Annual e-Commerce Customer Experience Index.
- Sears Holdings was recognized by Retail Touchpoints as the winner of the 2009 Channel Integration Award in the Mass Merchant/Department category. The Channel Integration Award honors retailers who have achieved cross-channel integration and improved the shopping experience for their customers.
- Sears placed third in Mobile Commerce Daily's ranking of the 2009 Mobile Retailer of the Year.
- Sears Holdings was named the Overall Best-in-Class Company and Best-in-Industry for the Department Stores/Mass Merchandise category for adaptation of mobile e-commerce initiatives by Acquity Group, a leading services firm focusing on digital solutions, in its mobile study of the 2008 Internet Retailer 500 list.
- Three of Sears Holdings e-commerce Web sites ranked in the Top 25 on STORES Magazine's list of 50 Favorite Online Retailers of 2009. sears.com ranked number 10, LandsEnd.com was number 15 and kmart.com was number 23.
- Sears Holdings online community MySears.com was ranked the top retail-branded community site in North America and ranked number four out of the top five-branded communities in a study sponsored by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.
- Sears was listed in the The Vitrue 100: Top Social Brands of 2009. The Vitrue Social Media Index assigns brands and products a score based on overall buzz from status updates, videos, photos and blog posts. Sears moved up four places to 96 this year and was the number seven retailer.
- Sears received Special Recognition in 2009 for Retail Commitment from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. Organizations recognized have achieved major energy savings and/or help consumers save money while also increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions by offering high-performance products, educating consumers or offering incentives for better ways to use energy.
- Craftsman was voted the favorite hand tool brand by over 7,000 Popular Mechanics' readers.
- Lands' End ranked number eight in the National Retail Foundation/American Express Customer's Choice Survey for 2009. This is the fourth consecutive year that Lands' End has been named in the top ten.
- Sears Holdings was honored with the Stars of Madison Avenue Award presented by the ADVERTISING Club. Sears Holdings was recognized for our efforts with Heroes at Home and Rebuilding Together.
- Sears Holdings was ranked by BusinessWeek as one of the Top 100 best places to launch a career in 2009.
- Crain's Chicago Business named Michelle Pearlman, SVP and President, Jewelry, one of their "40 under 40" to Watch in 2009. Crain's "40 Under 40" highlights Chicago-area leaders under the age of forty who are considered to be among the best and the brightest in the Chicago business community.
- US Banker magazine named Susan Ehrlich, SVP and President, Financial Services, to its annual list of The Top 25 Non-bank Women in Finance.
- Sears Holdings was ranked by G.I. Jobs Magazine as number 25 on their Top 100 Military Friendly Employers list for 2009.
- Sears Holdings Corporation was named by Black Engineering, Hispanic Engineering and Women of Color magazines, which are part of Career Communications Group, as one of the Most Admired Employers for minority professionals based on a survey regarding their impressions of diversity initiatives at top organizations.
- Sears Holdings was listed as one of the Best Places to Work for GLBT Equality by the Human Rights Campaign and received a 100 percent score in the Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for a sixth consecutive year.
- Sears Holdings won the Volunteer Leadership award from the March of Dimes for our on-going support in raising public awareness of maternal and baby health issues.
- Sears Holdings was ranked as the number-two retailer and number 48 out of 100 by The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 2009.
- Sears Holdings was ranked in the Top 100 for the Reputation Institute's Most Reputable and Recommended U.S. Companies for 2009.
We are proud of these accomplishments, in addition to the progress made on our financial and strategic priorities, and hope that those who may have doubted us in the past are willing to keep an open mind. For example, critics have cited our investment choices for our declining sales, while the economy has been cited for our competitors' declining sales. Likewise, our reduction in debt is ignored while our competitors' expansion in debt is not taken into account. While we continued to repurchase shares during the economic crisis because the value was attractive and because we had significantly lower leverage than others in our industry, many of our competitors suspended their repurchase programs to appease credit rating agencies only to resume them again after their share prices recovered significantly.
We can understand rating agency caution surrounding economic events, the retail environment, and the potential for things to get worse. In our case, it turns out that our performance far exceeded many observers' expectations and we hope to receive credit for this performance in the form of higher credit ratings and more balanced analysis.
Rating agencies play an important role in how investors allocate capital by "qualifying" debt for certain investors. By overrating companies and securities, rating agencies can lead to systemic issues and investor losses. Similarly, by underrating companies they can lead to lower growth, less risk taking, and less job creation. Simplistic analyses, which automatically prefer capital investment to share repurchases as a use of cash that "benefits" bondholders, ignore the fact that negative or below market returns on invested capital are as harmful to creditors as to shareholders.
When we inquire why our ratings are not higher than some competitors with credit metrics that are weaker than ours, one factor cited is that some analysts prefer their business models. Meanwhile, we have a higher market capitalization and less debt than many of these competitors. We increased our earnings, while many others have seen their earnings decline. We have a diversified business portfolio and a significant revenue base and scale. Obviously, we don't agree with all of the critical qualitative conclusions and the quantitative metrics speak for themselves.
We do some things differently than others, and we have certain beliefs that differ from theirs. Our culture is owner-oriented, because we have owners who serve on the board that governs the company. We believe that ownership makes a difference, especially when owners have significant financial interests in the company and a long-term perspective. Instead of this raising concern, rating agencies should welcome and value owners with a demonstrated track record of long-term value creation and conservative capital policies, even when some of the capital allocation preferences differ from those that others believe lead to higher long-term credit performance.
Looking Forward
I expect us to continue our journey in 2010 to deliver improved customer experiences, new ideas, and better financial performance. It would be great to see a slight tailwind in our economy this year, though we will stay focused on the five pillars of our strategy and driving improved financial results regardless. We recently announced new and innovative products in our Kenmore laundry business as a result of our work towards a complete brand redesign that I mentioned earlier. We have an exciting Kenmore product line being delivered throughout 2010. In laundry, in refrigeration, and in cooking, we will demonstrate renewed innovation and reinvigorated leadership with heavy marketing and customer experience support. It has taken us some time, but we feel confident that we are on the right track, as the leader in the appliance business, to differentiate and extend our leadership and financial results in this important business.
At Lands' End, we expanded our business on three dimensions in 2009 and will continue building on these in 2010. First, we added Lands' End shops to an additional 68 Sears stores. Second, we expanded internationally for the first time in over a decade, into France and Austria. Third, we introduced Lands' End Canvas, an updated version of the classic Lands' End styling, which has been very well received and which extends Lands' End's relevance to a new demographic. And, all of this comes with the exceptional and widely recognized customer service excellence that has always been, and which we expect will continue to be, a hallmark of the Lands' End brand.
Our Home and Auto Services businesses have identified new growth opportunities that we began to execute in 2009. As we progress through 2010, we expect to continue to innovate and update our service businesses, which extend our reach to our customers outside our stores and help them not only purchase products but install, maintain, and repair those products as well. Sears has a long tradition of building lifetime relationships with our customers, and the focus that we have on updating and improving our service businesses continues that tradition. Expect us to reinforce our services capabilities and presence in the pursuit of helping our customers manage and improve their lives.
In 2010, we also plan to continue to expand our online and multichannel capabilities as well as our ShopYourWay Rewards program in order to help us build digital and personalized customer relationships. We aim to give our customers vastly more convenience and choice in terms of 1) what they buy (through our online Marketplace and expanded assortments), 2) where they shop (online, in stores or on their mobile devices), 3) when they receive what they want (including the popular option of same-day buy online, pick up in store which is "ready in 5 minutes--guaranteed"), and 4) how they choose what to buy (through improved access to content and feedback from our product and service experts as well as other customers). We think online social networking and social media have only just begun to have an impact on shopping, and it is a revolution we intend to harness going forward.
Finally, we continue to develop our associates and leaders. We expect that Sears Holdings will become more widely recognized as a great place to begin one's career as well as a company that develops great talent by providing them with a variety of challenges and opportunities. Opportunities to lead are widespread and numerous at Sears Holdings. The business unit structure that we put in place two years ago has created many more general management positions, and we will continue to break down our business units to create even more opportunities for our associates to demonstrate their leadership capabilities. At the same time, we expect our leaders to perform and deliver results. With the increased opportunities for responsibility comes more clearly defined accountability. Strong leaders will welcome this challenge, and it helps us identify better performers earlier in their careers.
Making Sense of Business and Policy
I just finished Thomas Sowell's most recent book, Intellectuals and Society. For those not familiar with his writings, Thomas Sowell is one of the clearest and most insightful writers of our era. I look forward to every book and column he publishes. In this book, he discusses the "vision of the anointed" and how their views shape society regardless of their merit. He describes how often these views conflict with reality without altering these views and, paradoxically, sometimes strengthening them. I couldn't help noticing the parallels between his comments and the "vision of the anointed" in the financial and business world over the past few years.
Business leaders, regulators, public officials, and journalists have become an echo chamber of self-support and self-congratulation, whether on TV, in print or at numerous conferences. Their words and their actions are often self-serving (whether right or wrong), and they are typically regarded and reported on as if they were obvious and selfless. They get repeated as if there were no alternative views or possibility of error in their thinking. Dominant narratives develop and get defended primarily by repetition and secondarily by attacks on those who disagree with those narratives. When these favored people and views become endorsed in laws and regulations, some may benefit, but many get harmed.
There are several examples of issues that have been smothered by dominant narratives. Accepting these narratives without critical evaluation can be a contributing factor to some of the negative unexpected consequences they produce. Did the seizure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the largest nationalization in our country and likely in history) calm or ignite fear in the financial markets and did those urging or supporting the seizure profit from it? Has raising minimum wage rates helped or harmed the individuals that those advocating such policy intended to help? Is there any link between a higher minimum wage and high unemployment? Has the consolidation in financial services helped or hurt depositors and borrowers? Why were some institutions saved and others seized, merged or left to fail? How does regulatory and policy uncertainty impact investment and risk-taking in society?
I fear that Americans have been provided a false choice between a little more and a lot more regulation and taxes. We keep hearing more ideas to create jobs and generate growth that almost exclusively require more government spending. Jobs can come from government, but those jobs get paid for by taking money from the private sector, reducing the private sector's ability to provide jobs. On the other hand, there are many who believe that less regulation, less government interference, less arbitrary regulation when it does exist, and lower government spending will generate more growth and more jobs. I agree with those views.
As one of the largest private sector employers in the United States, Sears Holdings recognizes the challenges of finding good talent, developing good talent and keeping good talent. We have created not just new jobs, but new job categories and job descriptions as our industry changes and as new technology provides both new opportunities and new challenges.
Some contend that there is an inherent conflict between labor and capital, yet they fail to appreciate that without investment there will be no growth and no jobs. For there to be investment there needs to be an expectation of profit, and, for there to be an expectation of profit, there needs to be hope and belief in the future and confidence in the rules of the game.
The straw man frequently used to justify more regulation and to criticize free markets is to assert that the proponents of free markets blindly believe that they always work and that they always produce good results. Most free market advocates don't actually make this claim, and they know that it is not true. Free markets respect individual rights and freedom, preserve choice and accountability, and produce superior results compared with non-free markets. When free markets experience problems and produce poor results, critics are fast to proclaim that things would have been better if only there was more, but better regulation. However, in most industries and societies where there is more regulation, there is typically lower growth, lower employment, and less innovation.
Self-regulation is a better idea and it is a better choice, whether for an individual or a corporation. Any corporation can choose to limit or make investments, increase or decrease compensation, and manage risk at different levels. Companies can compete by promoting their "safety and soundness" or by their "willingness to take risks." Investors, customers, and workers can choose which companies and their associated behaviors and philosophies appeal to them. Let the media and politicians explain, compare, criticize, and contrast the various policies, so there will be little doubt that success or failure is determined by choice and not by ignorance. Then, make sure that government doesn't reward failure and punish success by interfering with outcomes based upon political contributions, undue influence, or the personal beliefs of the policymakers.
Putting Americans to Work
I have written in the past about the need for pension funding relief. The simple and appropriate relief that I mentioned in my letter to shareholders last year has not been enacted. It has gotten bogged down in Washington. We have closed several stores and may choose to close more in the future, in part so that we can liquidate inventory and reduce losses to invest capital in our pension plan. There is nothing about the relief we are advocating that makes it less likely that we can meet our pension obligations. Rather, the ability to spread our payments into the plan over an additional two years would have allowed us to keep some of those marginally performing stores open and retain the jobs that they require.
Compare our situation to major financial firms and the deferrals they were granted practically overnight and with great subsidy to those firms. By allowing financial firms to issue FDIC guaranteed debt, the repayment of their short-term debt was effectively extended by up to three years. Despite this support, there was a significant reduction in jobs in the financial services industry and a significant reduction in lending and risk taking as well.
At Sears Holdings, amending and extending our short term debt in 2009 required significant fees and more onerous terms than our previous facility. Providing an extension in funding our pension plan for two years costs the government nothing (in fact Congressional Budget Office scoring shows it to be a significant revenue generator), requires no subsidy, and will not reduce the benefits paid to pension recipients. Furthermore, it allows companies to invest and increase - or at least maintain - employment rather than reduce investment in order to meet accelerated pension contributions brought about by both the reduction in asset values and the reduction in interest rates that has accompanied many of the liquidity policies that have benefited the very same financial institutions.
You would think that pension relief would have been quickly forthcoming and would have been completed a year ago. We are hopeful that reason will prevail and such relief will be forthcoming shortly. This is not about skirting responsibility for our pension plan (we have contributed more than $1 billion over the past 4 years). It is not about getting a single penny of subsidy from the government, and it is not about reducing a single penny of pension benefits that associates will receive. It is about creating the ability for us and others to focus on improving operations rather than closing operations.
Sears Holdings shares the stated goal of many public officials of creating jobs. But, we don't believe that we need large government programs to generate these jobs. Public officials often fail to recognize the obstacles they place in the way of job creation. For example, over the past year proposal after proposal has been put forward to reform health care, reform the financial system, increase taxes, and add regulations, all with the intention of making the United States a better and stronger country. Yet, as a business, trying to understand which of these proposals might become law, what their impact might be on business prospects and competition, and what additional costs they might impose creates a great deal of uncertainty. It has led our management team and board (and I am sure those managements and boards of other companies) to spend inordinate time trying to determine which investments we should make, defer, or cancel and which jobs to create, maintain, or eliminate. The removal of this uncertainty and the constant drumbeat of new threats against various businesses would go a long way to allowing American entrepreneurial energy to be unleashed.
Our budget deficit has left many searching for ways to raise revenues through new taxes, rather than reducing spending and generating new revenues through growth and through the removal of the impediments to growth from existing regulations and threats of new regulations. Here are a few ideas, none original, that can contribute to reducing unemployment over the near term without additional government spending: reduce U.S. corporate tax rates (amongst the highest in the world), extend individual tax programs that are scheduled to expire or that are subject to debate (freeing up individual time and attention devoted to tax planning and strategies), deal with entitlements and don't create additional ones (we can't afford the ones we currently have), and stop providing selective benefits to individual companies or industries (it creates an uneven playing field).
Capital can quickly reorganize and provide financing for businesses and projects that create value for our society, without the heavy hand of government planning and policy. I disagree with most people calling for a gigantic overhaul of our financial system led by new and "improved" regulations. Instead, begin the process of allowing more competition in financial services and begin the removal of implicit and explicit government guarantees that provide the perception that some are "too big to fail." While there are those that claim that their institutions are not too big to fail, they surely recognize the significant competitive advantages that come from this perception. Of course they will accept regulations as long as these regulations do not permit additional competition from entities and institutions that do not take insured deposits, do not have access to Federal Reserve funding, and do not have government guarantees associated with their debt offerings. Regulatory capture comes when there is little competition allowed outside regulated entities and a "freezing" of competitors and innovation in an industry.
We need innovation in our society, including financial innovation. Large institutions believe that they can innovate, create value, and create growth. But history has shown that regulations that provide a sense of certainty and stability by limiting risk, also lead to lower innovation, lower growth, and fewer jobs. Innovation is a messy process. Some efforts succeed, others fail. Those who desire to compete based upon limiting competition usually protest and criticize innovation (regardless of industry) and the companies and leaders leading that innovation. The intervention of regulators and politicians to slow down or prohibit new ideas and innovation, however well-intended it may be, inhibits growth, value, and job creation.
Sears.com and the E-Commerce Competitive Environment
Sears has a long legacy in serving customers beyond physical stores. In many respects, The Sears Catalog was the 20th century model for selling products through the mail. To be successful, Sears had to earn the trust of its customers who purchased products sight unseen and who had to feel confident that they would receive what they purchased and, if they were not satisfied, they would be able to get their money back. "Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back."
The merger of Sears and Kmart in 2005 expanded the reach of each company, both in terms of physical stores and in terms of categories and customers served. With this increased reach comes the ability to serve more customers, more frequently -- in our stores and in their homes and businesses. In order to do so effectively, we have invested significantly in building our technology and customer experience capabilities, with the goal of making it easy for customers to do business with Sears Holdings anywhere, anytime, and in many ways.
We united our initiatives under the banner ShopYourWay and launched ShopYourWay Rewards in 2009 to further emphasize the value and capabilities we bring to our customers. We have been working intently to make it easy for customers to engage with us online through the numerous websites that we operate including sears.com, kmart.com, LandsEnd.com, Craftsman.com, MySears.com, mygofer.com, ServiceLive.com, and ManageMyLife.com. It should be easy for a customer to access any of the myriad products, services, and information we make available online, regardless of which website they choose to begin their particular shopping mission.
The two leaders in online commerce are Amazon.com and eBay. Despite operating no physical stores of their own, these two companies have built tremendous businesses over the last decade serving millions of customers every day in a broad number of categories. They have taken significant market share from traditional retailers by providing convenience, service, and competitive prices. One has to give each of these companies tremendous credit for their foresight, persistence, and execution through the collapse of the internet bubble, early skepticism, and competition against larger and more established retailers.
There remains, however, one advantage that the major online retailers retain that is both unfair and problematic, for competition and for communities and jobs as well. For customers in many states, Amazon and other online retailers are not required to collect sales taxes on purchases made by their customers. Since the 1992 Quill Supreme Court decision, businesses without a local "nexus" have sold goods through the mail or online without being required to charge and collect the related sales or use tax. Amazon, in particular, has argued that when it doesn't have a physical presence in a state or local jurisdiction, it is not benefiting from police, fire protection, and other local services and therefore shouldn't be forced to pay for them. Analyses by others suggest that the real issue is competitive advantage, more than other explanations put forward in the past.1
The real story here is that it is not the payment of taxes or the charging of taxes that is at issue. It is the collection of taxes on behalf of local governments from purchasers of goods and services from stores in a locality or for use in such locality. It is the latter fact that is often ignored. A person who buys products from Amazon.com is required by law to pay sales or use tax to their local jurisdiction. In practice, almost nobody does so. The cost and unpopularity of enforcing such laws has allowed customers to avoid paying sales or use taxes, even though they are required in many states and localities. If you buy a work of art or piece of jewelry in NYC, for example, and have it shipped to New Jersey or California, the seller does not collect sales tax on that purchase but the buyer would be required to pay sales or use tax on the purchase where they receive the merchandise and use the merchandise. So, a piece of jewelry shipped to California would require the buyer to pay California sales or use tax.
Amazon's domestic business has grown to $12.8 billion in revenues for the year just ended. If you were to apply a 6% sales tax to this revenue (reflecting a rough average of sales taxes across multiple jurisdictions), that would amount to almost $800 million in sales and use taxes owed to state and local governments that is likely not being paid. The good news is that it is $800 million that remains in the hands of the purchasers of products from Amazon, but at the cost of jobs and new fees and taxes required to make up for lost revenue. Having delayed a level playing field for as long as they have already, Amazon has been able to build relationships with many customers that give it an advantage, even playing under the same rules as those it competes against.
I would propose that there be a leveling of the playing field for e-commerce merchants. Either we all collect taxes or nobody collects taxes. If state and local governments are going to require retailers like Sears and Kmart to collect sales taxes and not retailers like Amazon.com, they should recognize that over time their sales tax base will erode significantly and that they place companies who have chosen to locate stores locally at a competitive disadvantage. This will lead to a loss of revenues, the closing of local businesses, the loss of tax revenue, and ultimately to the increase in other types of taxes to compensate for the lost jobs and revenues. Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon are states that currently charge no sales tax at all. Let me be clear, we have no issue with continuing our current practice of collecting tax on behalf of state and local governments. We just don't believe that the current set of rules is sustainable without severe competitive and community damage over time.
I look forward to seeing many of you on May 4, 2010, when we hold our annual shareholder meeting in Hoffman Estates. I hope to have updates on our progress and the numerous initiatives and opportunities that we are pursuing.
As always, I want to thank all of our associates and leaders for staying focused and dedicated through difficult times and pursuing excellence in their jobs and in delivering outstanding customer experiences. I want to thank our customers for their tremendous feedback, both good and bad, that helps us to get better every day and to serve you better in the future. And, finally, I want to thank all of our shareholders for continuing to support us with your investment in the company. I know you appreciate what we are trying to do to create long-term value in a deliberate and logical fashion, while remaining cognizant of the risks and challenges that we face.
Edward S. Lampert"
Source: Sears


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Learn about workplace rights -- and wrongs
If you were recently fired or laid off, you may be wondering whether you have a legal claim against your employer. Not every termination is wrongful: An employee who works at will (as most do in the United States) can be fired at any time, for any legal reason. But even at-will employees are protected from termination for illegal reasons, including discrimination, retaliation, whistleblowing, violation of public policy, and more.
Here, you'll find lots of information about your workplace rights and the laws of wrongful termination, including details on each state's legal protections for employees. If you need more help, we also provide books and other resources about your rights. And if you decide you'd like to talk to an attorney, we've got you covered: Select your state from the list to be connected with an employment lawyer in your area.

subset: commoncrawl


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The announcement came as the ruling military and civilian protesters agreed last week to end a political impasse after the army in April ousted longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir on the back of a popular uprising.
"Officers and soldiers from the army and National Intelligence and Security Service, some of them retired, were trying to carry out a coup," General Jamal Omar of the ruling military council said in a statement broadcast live on state television.
"The regular forces were able to foil the attempt," he said, but did not say when the attempt was made.
Omar said of the 12 officers arrested, five of them were retired, and that security forces were looking for the mastermind of the attempted coup.
"This is an attempt to block the agreement which has been reached by the Transitional Military Council and the Alliance for Freedom and Change that aims to open the road for Sudanese people to achieve their demands," Omar said.
The announcement late on Thursday came as legal advisors of the ruling military council and protest leaders were going through the details of the agreement at a luxury hotel in Khartoum.
The landmark agreement that aims to form a new joint transitional civilian-military ruling body was reached last week after mediation by African Union and Ethiopian envoys.
The forming of the new governing body is the first step towards installing an overall transitional civilian administration in Sudan as demanded by demonstrators.
Sudan has been rocked by a political crisis since protests first erupted against Bashir's rule in December.
The protests finally led to the army ousting him on April 11, but the generals who seized power have so far resisted demonstrators' demands to hand it over to a civilian administration.
Tension had further soared between the two sides after a brutal raid on a longstanding protest camp outside army headquarters in the capital Khartoum that killed dozens of demonstrators and wounded hundreds on June 3.
The raid came after talks between the generals and protest leaders collapsed in May over who should lead the new governing body -- a civilian or soldier.
Intense mediation by African Union and Ethiopian mediators finally led to the agreement reached on the new joint governing body on July 5.
The agreement proposes a little more than a three-year transition period, with the president of the new ruling body to be held by the military for the first 21 months and a civilian for the remaining 18 months.
The ruling body would comprise of six civilians, including five from the protest movement, and five of the military.


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Park Avenue Numismatics
5084 Biscayne Blvd, Suite 105
Miami, FL 33137
Toll Free: 888-419-7136
Secure Private Ordering
We use the latest online security processing,
so your order is safe & private.
We DO NOT disclose any customer
information to ANY third party company.
Our customer privacy is our priority.
Over 30 Years Experience
Park Avenue has over 30 years
experience buying and selling
Rare Coin and Precious Metals.
We have the knowledge and
ability to provide our customers
with the best products and services.
The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for www.parkavenumis.com , our social media properties including Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. The statement does not apply to our practices on other Web sites or offline. This Web site is intended for and directed to citizens of the United States 18 years and older.
If we send you an e-mail, it will contain an opt-out link which you can click to have your name removed from our e-mail list. You may also opt-out of allowing us to provide your name to third parties for direct marketing purposes by contacting us by phone or mail. You may request a copy of our Information-Sharing Disclosure by calling the toll-free number below. If your personally identifiable information changes, you can update it by contacting us by telephone or postal mail. You can also request to remove your information from our database using one of the following methods so you will not receive future communications or will no longer receive our service. Please allow up to 90 days for processing.
Park Avenue Numismatics
Attn: Quality Control Department
5084 Biscayne Blvd, Suite 105
Miami, FL 33137
Call us toll-free at: 1-888-419-7136
This site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control. This database uses the Secure Socket Layer protocol to ensure secure data transmission.
You may browse our site without providing us any information that is identifiable for you.
We use your IP address and other standard log file information to help diagnose problems with our server, and to administer our Web site. Your IP address and other standard log information are used to help identify you and your shopping cart and to gather broad demographic information in the interest of improving our site and service.
Our site uses cookies for a number of reasons, such as (a) to keep track of your shopping cart, (b) to recognize you when you return to our site and (c) to recognize whether a customer came to our site as a result of a promotion on one of our partners' sites. Some of these cookies may be placed by our third party service providers to recognize when a user visits this site. The information collected and shared through this technology is non-personally identifiable. We also collect anonymous visitor information about how you utilize our site, such as IP addresses, browser types (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape), referring pages and pages visited. We use this information (a) to perform anonymous statistical analysis of Web page traffic patterns, (b) to administer our Web site and servers, and (c) to improve our services.
Registration forms on our site may require you to give us your contact information (i.e., name and e-mail address) and demographic information (i.e., zip code and state). We use this contact information from the registration form to send you information about our company at your request. Your contact information is also used to contact you when necessary for additional information or to process or fulfill your request. Demographic and profile data may also be collected. We use this data to help us improve this Web site and our product and service offerings.
Our site uses an order form for you to request information, products, and services. We collect your contact information (i.e., e-mail address), financial information (i.e., credit card numbers), and demographic information (i.e., zip code and state). We use this contact information from the order form to send you a confirmation e-mail for which you cannot opt out. We also use this information to send you your orders, as well as information about our company and products and special promotions. Your contact information is also used to get in touch with you when necessary for additional information to process or fulfill your order. Financial information that is collected is used to bill for products and services. Financial information is not retained or stored as part of your shopping profile, so you must enter your credit card number each time you place an order. Unique identifiers are collected from Web site visitors to verify your identity and for use as account numbers in our record system. Demographic and profile data is also collected at our site. We use this data to help us improve our Web site and our product and service offerings.
From time to time, we may conduct online surveys to help us better understand and serve your needs, or conduct sweepstakes or contests. These offers may ask for contact information (i.e., e-mail address), financial information (i.e., credit card numbers), and demographic information (i.e., zip code, age, or income level). We may use this contact data from our surveys to send you information about our company. Unique identifiers are collected from the Web site to verify your identity. We use this data to help us improve our Web site and our product and service offerings.
For reasons such as improving personalization of our service (i.e., providing better product recommendations or special offers that we think will interest you), we might receive information about you from other sources and add it to our account information. We also sometimes receive updated delivery and address information from our shippers or other sources so that we can correct our records and deliver your next purchase or communication more easily.
This site contains links to other sites. www.parkavenumis.com is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites.
Our business changes constantly. This privacy statement will change also, and use of information that we gather now is subject to the privacy and security statement in effect at the time of collection. You should check our Web site frequently to see recent changes. If, however, we are going to use users' personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection, we will notify users by posting a notice on our Web site for 30 days.
If you have any questions about this privacy and security statement, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this Web site, please contact us using one of the methods above.


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Poddymeter Ltd
Unit 13
Bookham Industrial Park
Church Road
Great Bookham
Surrey KT23 3EU
Tel: +44 (0)1372 454569
You can also use our contact form.
Ordering Information
Most products are available to click & buy in the online shop.
You can also order from us by phone or email using the details above.
Mon-Thursday 8.30 - 4.00
Friday 8.30 - 2.30
Closed weekends
Check out our latest news on our website.
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Please click here to access our full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Shipping & Payment conditions.


text:
From The I Ching or Book of Changes:
Those who persevere make continuous progress.
Picture a tree growing high on a mountaintop. If this tree grows too fast, without first properly rooting itself, it becomes susceptible to being torn up and destroyed by the winds. If, however, it establishes a proper foundation and is content to grow gradually, it will enjoy a long life and a lofty view.
Human beings are no different. While we often desire rapid progress -we want to change someone's mind today, obtain an apology now, achieve all our goals immediately – sooner or later we must come to understand that the only lasting progress is gradual progress. Accept this fact and base your thoughts, attitudes and actions upon it.
When we have allowed ourselves to be pulled off balance by another or by some event, the ego tempts us to believe that we can influence the situation through forceful behavior. This is incorrect; the actions of the ego inevitably complicate our difficulties. The greatest influence possible always comes through patient and steady refinement of one's inner self. If you will devote yourself to the path of the Sage, with every step along that path you will be strengthened, and progress will come automatically. It will be gradual, but it will last.
Be patient, modest and accepting now. Life often demands that we wait longer than we might like for some change, and the only true comfort available during these times is the knowledge that we are steadfastly developing ourselves into superior people. In time, every honor comes to those who are persevering and correct.
May these words of wisdom comfort and nurture you with health and prosperity.
Lee Papier writes the "Have a Magnificent Day" blog on Beliefnet.


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Shields Library , the main library for UC Davis, is the biggest library in Yolo County and is the third biggest library in the UC system. It contains over 3.1 Million volumes (src). The library is named after Peter J. Shields, who helped establish UCD.
It is located on Peter J. Shields Avenue across the UC Davis Quad from the Memorial Union. If the book you're looking for isn't available in the Shields Collection, worry not — "Books not available at UC Davis can be ordered through the interlibrary loan system from the other UC campuses. [...] A shuttle bus makes daily runs from UC Davis to UC Berkeley to enable students to use the that campus' 8 million-volume library system." - UCDavis VTour.
Shields was built in three parts/stages, and if you circle the building completely, you can see the three distinct architectural styles. The north wing facing the Quad (where the 24 Hour Reading Room and the Main Reading Room are) is the oldest wing of the library, completed in 1940 as the library and administration building. The main entrance at this time was located on the north side. The new building replaced the old Classroom Building, which was built in 1915. When the campus was closed during WWII, the Army Signal Corps took over, and training took place in the Main Reading Room.
During the 1960s, the east and south wings were built, and the library's orientation changed. The main entrance was now on the east end. This is one reason why there is ample bike parking on this side of the building. The entrance was eventually "connected" to Olson by the redwood bridge, which was built so that bike traffic and pedestrian traffic wouldn't lead to chaos. For the next 20-odd years, the Undergraduate Reading Room (also called the Undergrad) was located in the southeast corner of the library in the basement (the stairs leading there are still present, even though the doors are no longer accessible from outside, and the area has been converted to other uses). The Main Reading Room became the periodicals section, and the microfilm machines were located just outside the east entrance to the room.
Around the late 80s, construction began on the western addition. Once expansion was completed in 1992, the entrance shifted yet again to its present location. The 24 Hour Reading Room was moved to the older north section. These changes coincided with the age of computers. The card catalog area that used to be just inside the main entrance on the east end became obsolete; the computers now continue this function, and require less space. Other changes included the reversion of the Main Reading Room to its original namesake function.
Students that wish to save money on textbooks can check out the reserves, where you can check out textbooks and other class materials that may be left by instructors.
There are three other libraries on campus: the Physical Sciences and Engineering Library, the Law Library, and the Health Sciences Library.
Normal Hours during the academic term:
Mon-Thurs: 7:30AM-Midnight Fri: 7:30AM-6:00PM Sat: Noon-6:00PM Sun: Noon-Midnight
During holidays, between quarters, and finals weeks, Shields has adjusted hours. But if Shields is closed, there's always the 24 Hour Reading Room, which is accessible via a Reg Card.
Summer Hours Jun 15th - Sept 20th: Mon-Thurs: 7:30AM-8:00PM Fri:7:30AM-6:00PM Sat: closed Sun: 1:00PM-7:00PM
Library hours seem limited when you contrast them with ARC hours. The ARC opens earlier and closes later than the library 6 days a week. During the remaining day, Sunday, the ARC is still open 3 more hours than the library. All in all the ARC is open 28% more than the library!
Study spots
While Shields is vast, there are some cozy spots to relax and study. The outside area (accessible from the first floor) is perfect for sitting, reading, and enjoying a lunch. If you've got trouble studying, you can lock yourself in a cage. There are also many window 'seats' which you can sit in and study from (2nd floor and up). From the window seats you get a nice view of the outside area and the surrounding library (window areas pictured left). If you're lucky, you may spot what the library staff refers to as a 'stacks creeper' from time to time.
Computer/Internet access
The first and second floors generally have the strongest wireless coverage, with some weak spots especially around the reading rooms, but other areas of the library also have wireless. Coverage Map However, don't expect a very fast connection because of network congestion.
There are two open access computer rooms in Shields. One is located in room 163 at the back of the Library. The other is in 182 Shields the former location of the IT-Express Help Desk. Both are managed by IET - Computer Lab Management(CLM).
There are Public Internet Terminals around the library (which are supposed to be used for research purposes only). In 2005 many of these terminals had all domains blocked except .edu sites.
The library is filled with many different resources. There is the Special Collections room, Government Information, Maps, library instruction laboratory, library instruction room, Institute of Government Affairs.
What's where:
- Lower level (basement): Government Information, Maps, Current periodicals (magazines, journals and newspapers)
- 1st Floor (entrance level): Library instruction laboratory, reserves, circulation, computer lab, special collections, library administration, East Asian language collection
- 2nd Floor: Humanities and social sciences (books and journals)
- 3rd Floor: Biology & Agricultural sciences; math and computer science.
- 4th Floor: Literature and languages; staff work area.
Online Resources
The library's main website is located at http://lib.ucdavis.edu. Here you can access the catalog of all campus and UC libraries as well as your account information. More importantly, the website is also a portal to numerous electronic journals and databases. Most of these restrict access based on your IP address, i.e. you must be directly connected to a campus network to use them. This includes MOObilenet, ResNet, the modem pools, and any departmental networks.
To access the databases from off-campus, you can follow the directions here to set up a proxy. NOTE: a new and simpler means of gaining access is now in place and is called: VPN. Use it! If that is not geeky enough for you, you can use a SSH tunnel as described here. You must have a UCD (or departmental) login.
They even offer access to the O'Reilly Network Safari Bookshelf of computer books.
Unusual Items
Shields Library is home to a number of works of art. Examples are the Dog Bench and the Freaky Shoe Guy. The painting of two women located in the computer catalog area has earned that room the nickname "room with the ugly picture" among some library staff. For some other unusual scenery check out the cages on the fourth floor!
There are some interesting paintings in the Shields Library. You can view them at http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/ul/about/art/
The website does not include all the art peices. Some of the more interesting art peices are by William T. Wiley, a former art professor here at UC Davis. If you ever wondered about the paintings that had demons in it, those were his peices.
An interesting fact is that his two-peice painting in front of the reserve desk on the first floor has an angelic seal called a sigil. If you ever studied occult literature or history, sigils are believed to summon or help worship deities. So in essence, there is a portal drawn at the library! But for the adventurious, I'm sorry but the library isn't known to be haunted. Nonetheless it's still an interesting art peice that many students walk by and do not know what is on it. This two-peice art is next to the list of deadly sins. On the right is a policeman pointing left, at a demon, sigil, and cryptic words. The art is actually quite symbolic, probably meaningful, and detailed, and it is one of the art peices that the library forgot to take a photo of on their website. (If anyone has a camera, please take a picture and post it here! Thank you).
In addition to coming across a stacks creeper you may also come across library "security" guards. They can easily be spotted by their flamboyant blue vests. Some like to hang out at the entrance. If they catch you carrying a drink in an open or breakable container (this includes disposable coffee cups), they will not let you in the library. If you manage to make it in the library, be sure not to put your snacks on a desk or table because they will promptly tell you to put them on the floor or on a chair. If they have to warn you more than once, they may start to threaten to "ask you to leave" or confiscate your drink.
However, as recently as March 2012, it has been noted that enforcement of library policies has been lax. The blue-vested guards are nowhere to be seen, students regularly socialize in designated 'quiet' student zones, and studiers regularly consume snacks, coffee in disposable containers, etc. In one instance, a library staff worker was seen talking to a studier in the main reading room, telling him he needed to throw out with mocachino beverage in a disposable container. The worker walked away, and the student contained to nurse his beverage for the next hour or so. This is the only example of 'enforcement' that this editor has seen during the current 2012 academic year.
Many people don't know it, but Shields Library actually has 4 floors. The reason for this misperception is that the main staircase only goes to levels 2 and 3. To get to level 4, you have to use one of the side stairwells or elevators. Level 4 includes a great deal of fiction, poetry, and foreign literature (n.b.: not an exhaustive list,) making it a popular destination for recreational readers. Level 4 is also VERY quiet, gets little foot traffic, and often has empty desks and tables. That makes it an ideal place to study. One of the desks on the right side of the library (circa 1998) was filled with the names of the hometowns of the people who had sat there.


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Ocean Scattering Ceremony |
- This is usually one of the first questions families ask us about. On most of our services, the family chooses the "basket" method. The ashes are placed in a lined basket – we have plastic liners as well as the basket can be lined with green plant leaves. The ashes are placed in the basket. Rose petals are then placed over the top of the ashes. We usually arrange the basket as soon as the family begins boarding, as the basket is really quite lovely to look at while motoring out, much nicer than a temporary urn. We have a mechanism attached to our baskets which allow the basket to be lowered down into the water, and then just beneath the water line the basket is tipped. The ashes flow out, the rose petals float to the top for a beautiful display. This method also minimizes issues with the ashes blowing back into the boat and onto the guests.
- There are various biodegradable urns on the market, such as Journey Earthurns, Shell urns, Batesville urns, just to name a few. Sometimes the family comes to us with one they have already purchased. We also have them available for purchase if that is what the family wants. The urn is placed in the water, or lowered down. It usually does not take long for the urn to sink. Flowers are then placed in the water afterward, giving everyone a display to look at. This method is usually chosen by families whose religious beliefs require the ashes to all go in together, not scattered. Other families choose this when they are particularly sensitive to seeing the ashes at all.
- Other families choose a vase to pour out the ashes, instead of using the plastic bag inside their urn. The ashes are transferred from the urn into the vase, rose petals are placed on top, and at the location of disposition, are poured out. This actually allows for some very ornate "ash clouds" beneath the water, especially when visibility is very good.
- One of the most unique methods using the basket we have seen is where the family puts the ashes in the basket, but then passes the basket around to the whole family. Each family dips into the ashes with either their bare hands or by using a sea shell and scatters the ashes like that…
Ken and Anya Shortridge |
Waters of the Pacific Ocean |
Eternal Reefs Project |
Biodegradable Wreath |
Cremated Remains wrapped in a water soluble material are released into the sea |
A wake of flowers and ash |
On the Sea |


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At Howard Building Maintenance, we are committed to delivering consistently high-quality stripping and waxing to our customers in Eagle and the surrounding areas. Our work is recognized as a factor contributing to our customers' operational success. Through feedback from customers, employee development, and self-evaluation, we strive to continually improve our processes.
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One of the most traditional restaurants in Kos. "Break" operates since 1996 and offers not only excellent gyros (pork - chicken ) but also its unique burgers and souvlaki. All these years offers daily traditional dishes such as pasta, lasagne, meatballs, baked chicken, pasticcio and more. In addition, for the friends, who ' stay up all night " or work at night Peter serves its delicious soups ! Take a "Break" every moment of the day ...
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There are 1 item(s) tagged with the keyword "Nevada Sports Investment Group".
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The American Buckeye Club is dedicated to the preservation of the Buckeye Chicken and is a place for Breeders, Hobbiests, Fanciers and Poultry Enthusiasts to share information about this exceptional breed of fowl. The organization was established in 1909 and reorganized by a small group of OHIO based Buckeye Breeders in 2009. Our MISSION is to be the primary resource for the BUCKEYE BREEDERS DIRECTORY (please click the link below) in addition to a historical reference for everyone interested in learning more about Buckeyes!
(Photo Provided by Crains Run Ranch, owner Jeff Lay)
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As of January 2013, the club has grown to OVER 250 members and we continue to look for ways to improve communication while maintaining the online BUCKEYE BREEDERS DIRECTORY. This directory is a great way to help people locate other breeders and identify potential sources for other "strains" or "lines" which exist within the breed. At the same time, we still find people are more and more interested in a variety of social media venues than a static website. In 2010, we launced the "Buckeye Chickens" Facebook page for those of you who use Facebook on a regular basis this might be the place to visit! NEW for 2012 is The American Buckeye Club BLOG and it will add NEW information, pictures and historical references on a monthly basis. Last but NOT LEAST, there is our older, but very active, Buckeye Yahoo Group forum that is loaded with usefull information about the Buckeye. You can lean more about ALL of these at our "LINKS, JOIN & FACEBOOK" Page.
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Patience in the case of an emergency is hard to maintain. If you have locked yourself out of your car on your way to an important meeting, patience is the last thing that will come to your mind. You will need a fast solution to your problem and patiently waiting for a locksmith is not an option. Estate Locksmith Store fully understands the plight of such customers and that is why we provide fast locksmith services anywhere in the Hillsboro, OR area. We are a 24 -hour locksmith firm, specializing in providing lighting quick response in the case of emergencies.
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In Diablo II, you could feed a follower potions by dropping them from your inventory onto their portrait. It wasn't very practical in the heat of battle, but it was possible.
I've tried this in Diablo III, but it didn't seem to do anything. Can I no longer use potions on followers, or is there a different mechanic for doing so?


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Please Note: The eighth and final YES Competition was held in April 2011.
Epidemiology is the scientific method used to investigate, analyze and prevent or control a health problem in a population. Epidemiologists are interested in all kinds of health issues including infectious diseases such as hepatitis or HIV/AIDS and chronic diseases such as childhood obesity. Our quality of life—and even our survival—depend in large part on the work of epidemiologists.
Meet the Winners
This year, 562 students entered the YES Competition. Sixty Regional Finalists from 22 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were invited to present their projects to a panel of distinguished judges comprised of the leading public health experts and educators.
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Meet the Alumni
Since its inception, 4,955 students have submitted projects to the YES Competition. Of these, 976 students have received $3,700,000 in scholarships. YES Scholars are enrolled in undergraduate programs, and many have already moved on to graduate school or careers where they are successfully using the skills they learned at the YES Competition. Follow their stories here.
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Epidemiology Calendar
The Epi Calendar is an interactive resource for students, teachers and the public to explore the fascinating world of epidemiology. First of its kind, the online calendar delves into the events, people and institutions that have shaped the course of public health from the 14th century to today. The calendar features award-winning research by YES Scholars and epidemiology teaching units for high school classrooms.
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Six Ornaments of Naropa
The origin of the Six Ornaments of Naropa goes back to the eleventh century. At this time, the Tibetan translator Marpa Choekyi Lodro of Lhodrak visited India three times and Nepal four times, encountering hundreds of erudite and accomplished Masters.
His principal Gurus were the learned Naropa and Lord Maitripa from whom he received the complete empowerments, and the essential instructions that contain the ultimate meaning of all the Sutras and Tantras. Under these Masters, he also studied the extraordinary articles of Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa. By perfectly accomplishing those practices, he obtained full and ultimate realization.
Finally, Lord Naropa declared to Marpa: "The blessings of Master Krishnacharya breathed life into the lineages of Eastern regions, the Master Aryacharya has blessed the lineage of the South, and the King Indrabhodi transmitted his spiritual influence to the Western lineages. I bestow the waves of grace to the lineages of the North, the Lands of Snow. You have nothing more to do here - return to Tibet. I impart to you the power of my legacy; I appoint you my regent on the Roof of the World. The Land of Snow abounds in potential disciples, worthy vessels for my articles."
Following this declaration, Lord Naropa offered to Marpa the bone ornaments, which he was wearing and his rosary of rubies, as well as other ritual objects. Lord Naropa laid his noble hands upon the head of his regent Marpa, blessed him and gave him more instructions and then left to engage in victorious activity in all directions, beyond mundane existence.
Thus the Lord Marpa returned to Tibet. He released there the essence of the articles, turning the wheel of ultimate truth for innumerable amount of students. Amongst his disciples were 'The Four Major Spiritual Sons' to whom he fully transmitted the four streams of oral instructions which he held.
One of these four great disciples was a sage inclined to give harmoniously flowing and ample explanations, like pearls of a necklace. His name was Ngokton Choku Dorje (1036-1102) and to him Marpa gave the particular transmission of the four classes of Tantras: root texts, sadhanas, essential commentaries and instructions. Marpa also entrusted him with the ritual objects which were the supports for the practice of Naropa and his Six Ornaments, announcing to Ngokton in a prophetic manner, " Keep these. Now for your forthcoming descendents, until the seventh generation, simply knowing how to hold vajra and bell will be sufficient for the Master himself to bestow the waves of grace."
As he had prophesized, the Six Sacred Ornaments remained the possession of the Masters of the lineage of Ngok until the advent of the seventh generation, and they were venerated as devotional support.
Then came the time when the Seventh Ngok, Ngokton Jangchub (1360-1446), encountered the Gyalwang Drukpa - Kunga Paljor, the Second Incarnation. Ngonton Jangchub then granted the Gyalwang Drukpa the totality of the articles transmitted in the lineage of Ngok, and offered him the Six Ornaments and the initiation vase of Lama Ngok, amongst other treasures. By proclaiming him holder of his articles, he finally declared: "The Dharma returns in the hands of its Sovereign!" and he then announced that the Victorious Dragon was the Incarnation of the Lord Naropa.
Since then the Incarnations of the Gyalwang Drukpa have successively inherited the Ornaments, which they kept as devotional support. The Gyalwang Drukpa offered them for viewing so that those fortunate beings who see them may accumulate merit.


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As previously announced, Dura-Tech has joined with LeadingIt! Starting in 2023 the Dura-Tech branding will be phased out as we unite under the LeadingIT name, including forwarding this website to GoLeadingit.com. Everything you have come to know and love as a client and partner of Dura-Tech remains in tact, with more resources than ever to provide you with the Best Cybersecurity and Fastest Response Times you will find in all of Chicagoland (and soon beyond)!
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Jerusalem, in the life of our Lord, represents the place where He reached the culmination of His Father's will. Jesus said, "I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30). Seeking to do "the will of the Father" was the one dominating concern throughout our Lord's life. And whatever He encountered along the way, whether joy or sorrow, success or failure, He was never deterred from that purpose. "…He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem…" (Luke 9:51).
The greatest thing for us to remember is that we go up to Jerusalem to fulfill God's purpose, not our own. In the natural life our ambitions are our own, but in the Christian life we have no goals of our own. We talk so much today about our decisions for Christ, our determination to be Christians, and our decisions for this and that, but in the New Testament the only aspect that is brought out is the compelling purpose of God. "You did not choose Me, but I chose you…" (John 15:16).
We are not taken into a conscious agreement with God's purpose— we are taken into God's purpose with no awareness of it at all. We have no idea what God's goal may be; as we continue, His purpose becomes even more and more vague. God's aim appears to have missed the mark, because we are too nearsighted to see the target at which He is aiming. At the beginning of the Christian life, we have our own ideas as to what God's purpose is. We say, "God means for me to go over there," and, "God has called me to do this special work." We do what we think is right, and yet the compelling purpose of God remains upon us. The work we do is of no account when compared with the compelling purpose of God. It is simply the scaffolding surrounding His work and His plan. "He took the twelve aside…" (Luke 18:31). God takes us aside all the time. We have not yet understood all there is to know of the compelling purpose of God.