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Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 2: Ghost Whispers
Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border 2: Ghost Whispers, Koukaku Kidoutai Arise: Ghost in the Shell - Border:2 Ghost Whispers, Ghost in the Shell: Arise - Border:2 Ghost Whispers, 攻殻機動隊ARISE -GHOST IN THE SHELL- border:2 Ghost Whispers
Second movie of Ghost in the Shell: Arise. Freed of her responsibilities with the 501 Organization, Motoko Kusanagi must now learn how to take orders from Aramaki. Someone hacks the Logicomas, and Batou enlists the help of former army intelligence officer Ishikawa and former air artillery expert Borma. Kusanagi also seeks to enlist ace sniper Saito and undercover cop Paz into the new Public Security Section 9. The two groups rival each other in a case involving a man who receives false memories of a refugee transport operation. (Source: Wikipedia)


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I stopped running at the age of 35 because of pain in my knees and hips. Six months ago at the age of 54, I read ChiRunning and change the mechanics of my stride. This past weekend, I completed in my first marathon in 3 hours and 46 minutes. Two days after the marathon, I ran 8 miles at an average pace of 8:04 and felt great. During my 18 weeks of training for the marathon I did not have a single injury. Through body sensing I was able to make the small adjustments needed to run pain and injury free. Thank you, Danny, for giving me the gift of running again.
Mike C

subset: commoncrawl


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It's that time of year again, when students across the country get ready to spend serious money on college textbooks. But to get the best deals - on both buying books for the upcoming semester and selling your old texts - it may be worth paying closer attention to when you shop and sell.
A recent analysis by Extrabux, a cash-rebate Web site, found that the best time for students to buy and sell textbooks was from Aug. 20 to Aug. 26, as well as Jan. 7 through Jan. 13. And the worst time to do it was from Nov. 19 to 25th and April 9 through the 15 (which seems to coincide with spring break).
The reason is simple. It all traces back to the basics of supply and demand. The best time to buy textbooks, the analysis found, is when demand is high. âWe found that the prices of many products sold online will decrease as the number of shoppers looking for those products increases,â said Jeff Nobbs, co-founder of Extrabu x. âOnline retailers/sellers want their prices to be as low as possible when there are the most consumers in the market looking for their products.â
He said the site looked at historical search trends for textbooks as well as price data through camelcamelcamel.com, which tracks price fluctuations from Amazon.com retailers.
The site also found that the best time to sell is when demand is high and supply is low. Â âThis means that students will get the most money for their books if they sell them when there are a lot more people buying rather than selling textbooks,â he said. In fact, students can get up to 20 percent more by selling during the right months, namely July, August and January. (The site discovered the pattern by analyzing when people search to buy and sell books through Google Trends, and then juxtaposing that with average textbook buyback prices throughout the year from BookScouter.com.)
Besides timing, you also need to know where to look for the best deals. In a previous Bucks post, we surveyed the different ways to reduce your costs - whether through finding free offerings online, using e-books or perusing the many Web sites that rent or sell used books, as well as sites that act as search engines and compare prices across several providers.
And in subsequent posts, we took an even closer look at comparison Web sites and some of our readers' favorite places to shop. (We also highlighted other options, including some sites created by recent graduates who were fed up with the book-buying process themselves. But it appears that some of them are now defunct).
Have you discovered new ways to reduce your textbook bill? Or have you found any new places to shop online?


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Bullfrogs thrive in the algae rich storm water holding ponds on Trilogy Golf Club at Redmond Ridge. The non-native cannibalistic amphibians eat just about anything they can fit into their mouths including other frogs, birds, snakes, lizards, turtles, and fish. The ponds are just a chip shot away from a sphagnum bog that is the head waters of Bear Creek. (Mark Harrison / The Seattle Times)
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Crime of the Week – 6/28/24
Anyone with information pertaining to this Robbery incident or can identify the suspect is asked to submit an anonymous tip to Crime Alert Berks County. Cash rewards are available up to $10,000 if the tip leads to an arrest. Anonymous tips may be submitted by either calling 1(877) 373-9913, downloading the ALERTBERKS app on your mobile device, or by using your mobile phone to text tips to 847411 and typing ALERTBERKS + your tip. Additional information may be found at alertberks.org or contact Exeter PD at 610-779-1490 or 610-655-4911. Det. Richard McClure


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Brighten up those tedious working days with a customized mousepad of your favorite photos. Custom mousepad is an ideal way to add a personal touch to your workspace. This 8" diameter round mousepad is made of a durable heat-resistant polyester fabric top, will keep your mouse rolling in style. Backed with a neoprene rubber non-slip backing, keeps the mousepad from sliding. The mousepad is 1/8" thick. It will not discolor or fade, machine washable. The mousepad can also be used as a placemat.
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As I continued walking during the midnight somehow I felt scared for the first time during my trip. There was something in the air what made me walking instead of hitchhiking all night.
First thing was that each time I was preparing to raise my hand, my shoe ties opened. After it happened three times I decided to look upon it as on the sign that probably it's not rather good place or time for hitchhiking and continued just walking.
My fear did not left me for hours especially after seeing Police lights getting closer to me. I decided that probably something has happened somewhere around the area I was I hided myself from the sight of the road.
I was very tired and eyes where closing even if I was walking. I felt kind of paranoia obsession covering me. I felt fear from everything. Totally I hided myself from around 200 cars instead of hitchhiking.
After analyzing reasons for my paranoitical behavior I decided that probably my fear comes because of funeral car. The second reason was that probably really something was happening around me and I did right that I was a bit more auspicious than usually. Anyway I decided to chant some mantras to put my wondering mind back on stripe and it turned my mind back to it's original state - peaceful, fearless and assured and started hitchhiking again but as it was already around 3 AM there was no any cars.
So by continuing walking I made about 25 Km only walking. By back was hurting because of the heavy bag I'm taking with me and finally around 7 AM I was picked up by some local oil magnate who was driving brand new Lexus Hybrid SUV.
He dropped around 150 KM towards Irkutsk which is located at the Baikal lake, where I'm gonna stay few nights. But still it's more than a one and a half thousand kilometers to go on the almost off-road roads.
So I was picked up by lorry driver Kostya who will drive me till the very Irkutsk and I was so happy for such a luck as I won't need to talk the same story to more people - where, from where, why and how I decided to do this trip.
Roads from Krasnojarsk are really bad. It is true off-road. We have to make around 700 Km when the road got so bad that our driving speed is just a little bit faster than walking. I'm knocking out for half hour after each half hour :) until finally I have enough energy to write this.
It's evening already and we damaged our tire so I helped to change it. We did it quite quickly and currently are crossing river Uda which seems like a bit overflowed.
Probably we might get till Irkutsk until tomorrow's morning and I really hope that on the day 11 I will be hanging around lake Baikal carelessly for at least few nights. I really need to recharge my batteries, have some rest and peace before going to the "next level adventure" - Hitchhiking in China.:)
We are listening to Russian 80' and 90' hits. Excellent! :) wouldn't even imagine better music for this trip!:) that's it. I'm knocking out again while we are crossing off-road Russia with a huge, fully loaded truck over 25 tonnes of weight with speed of bicycle.
Again, one of our tires got bad. It's all-ready one o'clock past midnight and we decided to take a nap until tomorrow's morning and after replacement of it continue our journey.


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I have bounced between tea and coffee for years now. When I'm involved with one, I dive into the flavors and am constantly on the hunt for the smoothest brew. My first real love affair with tea was the traditional english way. In my mid 20s I dove head first into Greens and Oolongs and Pu-erhs. My most recent loves are Blacks, mainly because I'm trying to kick a coffee habit that snuck up on me. Having a kid did that to me. Moving forward I'm looking to rekindle my love for tea and save coffee for the occasional cup.
San Francisco, CA


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Whew! We've got quite a few projects going on right now - our upstairs hall bathroom is getting quite close to being done (well, not done but updated quite a bit!) and I've been priming and painting the trim in the little back hallway, the laundry room, the upstairs bathrooms. My goal is to have all of the trimwork in the house painted by the end of next week. I am not sure if that is a reasonable goal though. I will still have lots of touching up to do throughout the house and the playroom and master bathroom walls in a few weeks and then I will be able to take a nice little painting break and get to work on some actual projects for each room! And then eventually I do need to tackle painting inside all of the closets but I can't think about that right now without going a little crazy - haha!
In the meantime, I've shared a couple of cell phone shots on Instagram and Facebook, but I hadn't taken any "real camera" photos of the updates we've made to our dining room until a couple of days ago. We haven't made any major changes since I last shared images of this room at Christmas, but we have done a few little things. First, when I was working on one of the bedrooms upstairs I needed some white drapery panels. I had bought these gray ones but they just didn't look quite right. I ran downstairs and stole the white ones from the dining room. Once I did that, though, I had some empty rods hanging here so I thought it couldn't hurt to try the gray ones down here. Even though I don't necessarily think it works perfectly with the wall color (I think the curtains, walls, bench and sideboard are all a bit too similar) I think they worked well enough to keep. I've been on the hunt for the perfect wallpaper for in here since we first moved in and still haven't found it yet, but once I do and once I add some more touches to the sideboard that will add some interest so things won't all blend together as much as they do right now.
After adding the draperies I moved the table back to the original way it was and then added this bench underneath the clock. And then I added some hydrangeas and that was about it.
Here's a little reminder of what it looked like when we moved in. This room was one of the few rooms that really didn't need a whole lot of updating - just paint and changing out the chandelier!
I love the soft glow from the chandelier:
Along with adding wallpaper I am also on the hunt for a hutch for this poor lonely wall.
Source List:
Wall Color - Gray Owl at 75% in Matte Finish
Trim Color - Simply White in Semi-gloss Finish
Beadboard Wallpaper - Allen and Roth from Lowe's
Chandelier - Savvy in Williamsburg, VA
Dinnerware - Mikasa, French Countryside Collection
Chargers - Pottery Barn (seven years ago)
Placemats - Target (probably nine years or so ago)
Slipcovered Chairs - IKEA
Side Chairs - Joss and Main
Farmhouse Table - We made it - more details here
Clock - Joss and Main
Mirror - Restoration Hardware (six years ago but I think they still sell it)
Drapery Panels - IKEA Aina Panels in gray
Drapery Rods - Lowe's
Sideboard - The Velvet Shoestring (consignment shop - then painted with Annie Sloan's French Linen chalk paint from Lady Butterbug)
Lamps - Home Goods
Runner - World Market
Tufted Bench - Home Goods
Dough Bowl - wedding gift
(We get asked quite a bit about the hydrangeas - yes, they are real. They were from the Farmer's Market and dried beautifully)
Have a blessed week!


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Okay, maybe that headline is a bit unfair, but I couldn't resist. Making at least 718 horsepower the new Porsche Spyder should deliver zero to 60 mph speeds of at least 3.1 seconds (we're betting sub 3.0) and a top speed just shy of 200 mph. The fact is, with an MSRP of $845,000 the Porsche 918 Spyder is still a bargain (relatively speaking of course) considering you get all this performance coupled with its exclusivity, design aesthetics and the ability to deliver up to 78 mpg if you drive it "economically".
For those with who can back the desire with cash, the new Porsche Spyder can be ordered as of today. Production is limited to 918 world wide and I'm betting we're only a short bit away from another press release letting us know they have completely sold out. Once ordered, production will commence on September 18, 2013 and will begin in the same sequence they were ordered.
Special Edition 911 Turbo S Coupe or Cabriolet
For those that can't wait to tell the world of their new Porsche purchase they can order a special edition 911 Turbo S for delivery later this year. This special Turbo S is only for those who order a 918 as well. Besides having interior and exterior design elements that "echo" the plug-in 918's styling, it will also feature the same production number as the customer's 918 Spyder. Given this, we predict a few of these special editions Turbos will eventually make their way into the secondary market at some point in the future. If they do, expect prices to skyrocket (in the distant future) as those with deep enough pockets to pick up the original 918 Spyder will surely want to reunite it with it's long lost Turbo S cousin at some point. For more details on both cars the official Porsche press release is below after the photo gallery.
Related Porsche Posts
Video of the Porsche 918 Spyder
Porsche 918 Spyder Concept
After outstanding customer response to the concept car first shown at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Porsche today announced that dealers around the world will begin taking 918 Spyder customer orders. This is a significant step toward actual production of the company's next super sports car, a Porsche that marries unique plug-in hybrid technology and outstanding performance in a visually stunning and purely Porsche package.
The 918 Spyder will feature a high revving 500-plus horsepower V8 engine assisted by two electric motors with a total of at least 218 horsepower, yet Porsche estimates it will consume only 3.0 L/100 km based on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Official EPA fuel economy figures or estimates will be announced just before the first customer cars begin arriving in the United States near the end of 2013.
To ensure the 918 Spyder's worldwide exclusivity, Porsche will produce no more than 918 examples. Start of production at Porsche's famed factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen is planned for Sept. 18, 2013 (9/18), and the U.S. base manufacturer's suggested retail price is $845,000 (excluding destination and handling charges).
With its design inspired by past Porsches like the Carrera GT super sports car and the legendary 917 and highly successful RS Spyder race cars, the 918 Spyder remains faithful to the 2010 concept car. Unlike the concept car, the two-seat production version, based on a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic monocoque, will feature a manual roof system with removable panels that can be stored in the front luggage compartment.
Super high performance with very low fuel consumption and emissions
The 918 Spyder will be powered by a unique plug-in hybrid system that will include a high-revving, mid-mounted V8 engine with capacity of more than 4.0 liters and producing at least 500 horsepower. The engine will be based on the Porsche RS Spyder racing engine that demonstrated its impressive performance and efficiency through multiple Michelin Green X Challenge victories in the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Power will be transferred to the rear wheels via Porsche's compact, seven-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK) double-clutch gearbox.
Two electric motors – one each on the front and rear axles – together will provide approximately 218 additional horsepower. This configuration also will offer an innovative, variable all-wheel drive system with independent control of the drive forces on both axles. Electrical energy will be stored in a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery that can be recharged from a standard household outlet. Electric-only driving range is expected to be more than 16 miles on the NEDC. Recharge time will depend on each country's electrical power network, but charging is expected to take about seven hours at 110V/10A in the United States. A quick-charge option is being evaluated to further reduce charging times.
With anticipated combined fuel consumption of just 3.0 L/100 km on the NEDC, this equates to CO2 emissions of only 70 g/km or 112 g/mile. On the other hand, the Porsche 918 Spyder will deliver super sports car performance. It is estimated that the final production version will accelerate from zero to 60 mph in about 3.1 seconds on its way to an estimated top track speed of 199 mph. It should also tackle Germany's famed Nürburgring Nordschleife in less than 7 minutes and 30 seconds, two seconds faster than the Porsche Carrera GT. Under the right conditions, the 918 Spyder will be able to drive on electric power alone at speeds up to 94 mph for limited distances.
Customers who order the 918 Spyder also have the opportunity to acquire a special-edition 911 Turbo S Coupe or Cabriolet. Also limited to no more than 918 units, the 911 Turbo S Edition 918 Spyder will have exterior and interior design elements echoing the plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder supercar's styling. It features similar exterior colors, carbon-fiber elements inside and out, enhanced leather equipment and numerous acid-green accents on items such as the brake calipers, illuminated sill plates, interior stitching and instrument cluster needles. A limited-edition badge on the glove compartment door will feature the same production number as the customer's 918 Spyder.
Worldwide 918 Spyder customers can begin ordering this special edition 911 Turbo S sports car today, and customer deliveries will start later in 2011. The U.S. base manufacturer's suggested retail prices for the Coupe and Cabriolet versions are the same as the standard 911 Turbo S models, $160,700 and $172,100 respectively, excluding destination.


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Now that the Government has finally struck down the Vedanta mining project in Orissa, senior Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy, presently under arrest inside Delhi's Tihar jail, writes about how mining giants are making obscene amounts of money at the cost of the poor while even the State fails to make any gains
Picture : Kobad Ghandy
Our defeat was always implicit in the victory of others; our wealth has always generated our poverty by nourishing the prosperity of others—the empires and their native overseers. In the colonial and neo-colonial alchemy, gold changes into scrap metal and food into poison.
— Eduardo Galeano in Open Veins of Latin America
It is ironic — the richer the land the poorer its people: Eduardo Galeano, in his above mentioned book said: "The Indians (local inhabitants) have suffered, and continue to suffer, the curse of their own wealth; that is the drama of all Latin America".
In India too, the richest states of Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh are amongst the poorest in the country. Of course, unlike two centuries back in Latin America they no longer exterminate the local population. They induce slow death through starvation, disease and lack of livelihood. Development for some has always been at the cost of 'development' for the many.
Tantalum, a necessary ingredient of computers, cell phones, ipods, and so on, is to a large extent, extracted cheaply from Congo which has one-fifth of the world's deposits. But to extract that (together with gold and tin) MNCs have tied up with warring warlords which has taken a toll of 5.4 million lives since April 2007. Killings continue at the rate of 45,000 per month and Congo has become the world capital of rape, torture and mutilation.
Yes, computers are huge development, but for the people of Congo what does it all mean? Can the super profits of the mining companies and computer manufacturers be slightly reducd so that the people of Congo share in the wealth creation?
In India, too, the concept of development seems to be different for different people. For Ficci, the representative of big business interests, it is one thing and for the Supreme Court of India another.
Ficci, in a report released on 9 November 2009, said: "Just when India needs to ramp up its industrial machine to lock in growth and just when foreign companies are joining the party, the Naxalites are clashing with the mining and steel companies, essential for India's long term success".
The Supreme Court of India in a judgement dated 20 July 2010: "Why is the State's perception and vision of development at such great odds with the people it purports to develop? And why are their rights so dispensable? Why do India's GDP and Human Development Index present such vastly different pictures? With the GDP of $1.16 trillion (of 2008) the Indian economy is the twelfth largest and it is the second fastest growing economy in the world. But according to the Human Development Report 2009, the HDI for India is 0.612 which puts it at 134th place among 182 countries".
And when we see the Bellary Reddys' scam who are said to be earning through iron ore mining over Rs 15 crore per day (mostly illegal), the mining scams of Orissa (about Rs 3 lakh crore), the Madhu Koda scam (the Chief Minister earned about Rs 4,000 crore through mining contracts in just two years), one begins to really wonder whose 'development' all this mining really entails!!
And yet again, one wonders how much the country gains when we read (Indian Express, July 13) that 30 million tonnes of iron ore has been exported illegally. With royalty ranging from Rs 4 to Rs 27 per tonne of iron ore, the income to the state governments is a pittance. While the mine owners make anything from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,500 per tonne in profits for every tonne of iron ore, the government gets a mere Rs 27 for best quality ore. Here again, is it the development of our country or that of the mine owner?
Besides with iron ore exports (legal) having increased six-fold in just eight years from Rs 358 crore in 2000-01 to Rs 21,725 crore in 2008-09, does the iron go to build our country or others?
Such are the disturbing questions which face us when we think of the development paradigm related to the mining projects of our country.
Let alone 'development', we find massive ecological destruction due to these mining projects. An estimated 164,000 hectares of forest land have been diverted for mining in India. The speed of forest destruction is increasing apace. During 1998-2005, 216 mining projects were granted forest clearance annually as against 19 per year in the 1980-97 period. Just iron ore mining used up 77 million tonnes of water in 2005-06—enough fort the annual daily needs of 3 million people. In addition mining of major minerals generated 1.84 billion tonnes of waste in 2005-06—most of which is not properly disposed.
In human terms too the number of those employed in mining is in fact coming down though production is going up. The formal mining sector employs just 5.6 lakh people. Between 1991 and 2004 the number of people employed in mining came down by 30 percent but the value of mineral production went up several times.
Such then is the devastation that accompanies mining in India. With royalties consciously set low, together with massive illegal mining what nation/region building is at all possible? The following examples indicate precisely this reality at the ground level.
Bellary and the Reddy brothers
Recently in July 2010, the Karnataka assembly had been in a state of paralysis over the issue but as is the norm there is now silence. Estimates suggest that Bellary is one of the poorest districts of Karnataka which has 1 billion tonnes of iron ore reserves, 60 percent of which are high quality fines.
The mining of manganese and iron ore, mostly in the last 12 years in the reserved forests of the neighbouring districts of Bellary (Karnataka) and Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) have played havoc with the region. Environmental organisations claim that about 120 hillocks, 500,000 lakh trees, 2,000 hectares of forests, 10,000 acres of agricultural land, four streams, 17 lakes and 28 ponds have been destroyed. Farm lands surrounding the 4500 hectares of mines have been declared drought-prone and red dust from mining has drastically reduced agricultural produce.
The Reddy's entered the scene late—around 2005 after involving in the by-election of Sushma Swaraj who was pitted against Sonia Gandhi in Bellary. Till then the Reddy brothers were running a chit-fund company which spread throughout Karnataka with 46 branches. This closed down in 2005 with reports of charges of cheating. Though the mere sons of a head constable of Bellary, it is after this election that the Reddys witnessed a meteoric rise.
With Bellary mines already leased out to 65 mine owners the Reddys entered the field from neighbouring Anantapur, with the assistance of the erstwhile Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. But with the quality of ore being poor in Andhra they had their eyes on Bellary. Using a combination of muscle power and political clout, they took 48 of the 56 mines on 'contract'. Though they mined in Bellary they showed the ore came from AP while transporting it to Karnataka ports for export.
The boom in iron ore demand since 2005-06, fuelled by huge demands from China, resulted in gigantic profits with prices soaring to Rs 7,000 per tonne. Transporting 10,000 truckloads a day, the Reddy would make over Rs 20 crore per day when prices peaked. Even on lean days they would make Rs 12 crore. That means they were making a cool Rs 5,000 crore per year.
Added to this with the two brothers now as cabinet ministers, and one as Bellary city MLA, and close confidant Sriramulu as state health minister it was not surprising that the Reddys could make even the chief minister bend to their dictates. Today they run Bellary as their personal fiefdom and have built an empire that would make big-time dons look small fry. Janardhan Reddy is building a virtual palace in Bellary. The 500 metre approach road is monitored by CCTV round the clock. One part of the house is shaped like a cottage. The newer part has 60 rooms spread out over an acre. He has over 20 armed guards guarding the place round the clock. There are rows of SUVs waiting. A helipad is being built for his two helicopters. There are bomb-proof shelters. Next door is an equally magnificent palace of Sriramulu—both being connected by an underground passage.
The present commotion in the assembly was over the disappearance of 500,000 tonnes (worth Rs 260 crores) seized at a port as being termed illegal by the High Court. But this was just the tip of the iron ore iceberg scandal. The Deputy Conservator of Forests' application to the High Court revealed that between November 2009 and February 2010 a total quantity of 57 lakh tonne was exported from Karnataka ports; but the total amount of transport permits issued was for just 22 lakh tonne. That is, a huge 35 lakh tonne was transported (and exported) illegally.
In May 2010, 5 lakh tonne was seized. But on June 10, it was discovered even this had been exported. Sometime later, the Deputy Conservator of Forests was transferred.
Orissa and Vedanta
Orissa has 33 percent of the country's iron ore and 50 per cent of its bauxite; yet it is one of the poorest states with 60 per cent living in abject poverty.
Broadly, there are two methods of plunder. Firstly, there is the mining mafia without any license. Second, mining is allowed to take place well beyond the licenced limits. Some of the largest mining companies are involved in these rackets.
To take the first category: over 60 per cent of Orissa's mines do not have clearance. The Supreme Court appointed CEC (Central Empowerment Committee) has found that 215 out of 341 working mines in Orissa are operating without statutory central government clearances. Even more shocking is the fact that some mines have been in business for years without even submitting a statutory mining plan—37 have been in operation for 15 years.
Now let us turn to examples of the second category:
According to a report of the Indian Bureau of Mines, between 2001-02 and 2005-06 Essel Mining dug out 20.6 million tonnes of iron ore in excess of its permitted limit of just under 2.6 million tonnes. The value of the excess ore exceeds Rs 4,000 crore. Another mine, operated by SR Rungta Ltd, one of the largest ore exporters in the country, was discovered (in 2007) to have extracted 20 million tonnes of ore illegally over ten years from 22.6 hectares deep within the forests. The enquiry revealed that Rungta had manipulated the production and dispatch of iron ore to the tune of 10 million tonnes in 2007-08 alone.
Even given the low royalty rates the state exchequer has lost some Rs 14,000 crore through such frauds. Most of the illegal mining is in the Maoist districts of Keonjhar and Sundergarh.
And now, into this scenario, enters the notorious Vedanta, mining bauxite. Surprisingly this company has been allowed to mine in the face of intense opposition both in India and abroad.
In 2004, the Supreme Court's CEC deputed a fact finding team. In its report submitted to the Court in 2005, the CEC recommended closure of the project citing grave environmental and human rights concerns. It also stated "the displacement was opposed vehemently by the villagers despite being offered large cash compensation. In the face of resistance, the District Collector and company officials collaborated to coerce and threaten them. An atmosphere of fear was created through the hired goons, the police and the administration. Many tribals were badly beaten up by the police and goons".
Yet what is astounding is that the Supreme Court, in a 2008 judgement ignored the findings of its own committee and allowed construction (albeit under the banner of Sterilite Industries India Ltd, a subsidiary of Vedanta).
In addition a report of a 3 member team of the Union Environment and Forest Ministry said that Vedanta failed to follow the Forest Rights Act. It added, 'The Niyamgiri forest has been proposed as a wild life sanctuary ...removal of bauxite will impact ground water levels and consequently the quality of forest lands.'
Acting on the basis of these reports other foreign investors withdrew their money from Vedanta. The Edinburgh based investment management company Martin Currie sold its stake of £2.3 million (Rs 20 crore) in Vedanta in August 2008 on ethical grounds. The Church Of England following advice of its Ethical Investment Advisory Group disinvested its holding in Vedanta of £810,750 (Rs 6.5 crore).
But in India Vedanta continued its activities creating environmental devastation in the Niyamgiri hills, particularly, three villages on the foothills face devastation. Rengopalli village is enveloped in smoke with the refinery just 500 metres away. It is also close to the Red Mud Pond, built for the refinery's alkaline waste disposal—containing iron oxide, silicon and titanium (radioactive). Villagers complain of cattle dying and trees not bearing fruit due to contamination of the ground water. The Pond also pollutes the Vamsudha river—the main source of water. The amount of waste dumped is huge as for every tonne of aluminium produced one tonne of toxic waste is dumped.
Chattrapur village also faces similar problems from the ash pond located just outside the village.
Meanwhile, Vedanta, at its Annual General Meeting reported a quantum leap in its profits. Yet, Orissa and its 7 million adivasis continue to live in the quagmire. For the shareholders of Vedanta and its owner the mining project signifies development, but for the residents of these areas it means despoliation.
Mining around the Country
The three tribal dominated states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are the most productive mineral bearing states of the country. They account for 70 percent of India's coal reserves, 80 percent of its high grade iron ore, 60 percent of its bauxite and almost 100 percent of its chromite reserves. Of the top 50 mineral producing districts in the country, almost half are tribal and are among the 150 most backward districts of India. But 'development' there has been as mineral production has been rising exponentially from Rs. 25000 crores in 1993 to Rs. 84000 crores in 2005-06—and this is only the ore mined legally. While tribals who are just 8 percent of the population comprise 40 percent of the 6 crore displaced people in the country.
In spite of the devastation mining projects have been planned on a scale unseen in the past. According to estimates of the Centre for Science and Environment the land required for mining in the next 20 years is equivalent to the land leased out for mining in the last 60 years.
So the Chhattisgarh government, since 2006, has signed 102 MoUs with industrial houses for production of steel, iron, power, cement, aluminium and even for gold and diamonds. Some of the MoUs are with foreign giants like De Beers, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Arcelor Mittal. All agreements were signed on the basis of private negotiations without any fare competition.
In Jharkhand, if all the 104 MoUs the state government has signed with 66 companies resulting in mining licenses materialise, 1.33 lakh acres of land would have to be evacuated and around 20 lakh families displaced. Already, Jharkhand tribals have witnessed the maximum devastation. According to the Annual Report of the Union Ministry of Rural Development, Jharkhand tops the list of Adivasis who are land alienated in India with 86,291 cases involving a whopping 1,048,930 acres. Of these, only 20 percent have been officially rehabilitated. So, more of the same devastation is in store.
In Andhra Pradesh huge deposits of bauxite in the Arku valley (in Vizag) have virtually been gifted away by the state government to the Anrak and Jindal groups. As per the agreement, assuming 7.5 million tonnes mined per year, the state government would get a royalty of just Rs 64.5 crore per year. On the other hand Anrak will make a profit of Rs 2,350 crore per year and Jindal Rs 1,260 crore. While one lakh, mainly tribal people, will be rendered homeless in the Arku valley alone; barely 400 tribals will get job.
It seems a pattern whereby state exchequer gets next to nothing—either through illegal mining or 'legal' mining with agreements like the AP-type. So we find that even in the North East massive illegal coal mining activities are taking place in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh by small producers at the behest of big players.
Government Realisation, Question of Implementation
Unfortunately it is the Maoist problem which is inducing a re-think of the government regarding the mining policy, tribal welfare and environment protection. The problem needs to be seen in its own light, regarding the future and development of our country, and not merely as a knee jerk reaction to a Maoist problem. No matter even if a reaction, it will be positive if the fruits of development really begin to reach the people.
As yet, most of this re-thinking is at the consideration, statement or 'reports' level, and yet have to be converted into policy.
The first is the finalisation of the proposed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act which is considering giving tribals 26 percent equity in the ownership of the these mines or an equivalent in revenue. It is also being debated whether this should go to the individual tribal or to the community. But of course it adds that it is the state government who will identify the affected people...of course through the gram sabha or district council or panchayat. But it is the state governments that have been primarily responsible for the massive mining loot, sharing in the spoils.
We have seen above the state governments and local politicians are deeply intertwined with the mining interests—legal and illegal. The less the royalty they take, there is no doubt the more they take personally—eg. the Madhu Koda affair. But this is not mere speculation, it is concretely mentioned in a government's own report of the Union Rural Development Ministry.
The report entitled "State Agrarian Relations and Unfinished Land Reforms" was comprised of a 15 member high profile committee headed by the then minister CP Joshi himself. It was set up in January 2008 and the watered down version of the original report was presented in March 2009. Yet, it presents a scathing indictment of the government policy.
The report says the present policy "is the biggest grab of tribal land since Columbus". The report is devastatingly frank about collusion between government and big business, even accusing the latter for funding and fuelling the Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh. It suggests radical changes in land management, stressing that the cycle of growing landlessness, poverty and violence is a natural outcome of the governments' neo-liberal economic agenda. It also warns that if immediate steps are not taken, it is bound to result in a downward spiral.
In fact the Prime Minister himself has gone on record as saying (Hindustan Times Nov. 14, 09) that "there has been a systematic failure in giving tribals a stake in the modern economic system...the alienation built over decades is taking a dangerous toll...The systemic exploitation of our tribal communities...can no longer be tolerated".
Also very recently the Attorney General has allowed the Environment Ministry to, if necessary, take action against the Vedanta project in Orissa, notwithstanding the Supreme Court Judgement.
All these reports and statements reflect at best god intentions, but where is the action? For intention to turn into policies the politicians will have to take on the Reddys, the Khodas, the Vedantas and the big business houses (India and foreign) and make them toe the law and interests of the people and country. The nexus between politicians and big business will have to be broken. Immediately, after the 26 percent equity suggestion came, the powerful mining lobby headed by Rungta vehemently opposed it.
The question here is to turn intentions into implementable actions. For this, to begin with, all MoUs should be made public and not allowed to be signed in secrecy. Then, the first step would be to implement a total ban on the export of iron ore as suggested by the Union Minister (ToI, June 5 2010) and also the Karnataka Chief Minister.
The second step would be to implement a strict ban on all illegal mining and increase the royalty to a minimum of 10 percent. This has also been suggested by the government.
The third step must be that the benefits of mining projects go to the people of the area. This cannot be restricted to 26 percent equity with the beneficiaries being decided upon by the state government. Besides this, it has to entail a detailed holistic approach where the stakeholders are the direct beneficiaries—with no go-betweens. All know that most funds meant for the poor are generally swallowed up by the numerous intermediaries. The gram sabhas and their committees must be the direct stakeholders. The holistic approach should entail employment, education, health, cultural and other facilities.
Fifth, srict environmental controls should be established and under no conditions should the land, water, air trees, etc. be destroyed. This too must be overseen by the people and their committee. Massive afforestation programmes should be undertaken to make up for the loss of foliage. Environmental standards must at least be equivalent to those adopted in the West.
These are just some minimum steps to be taken if mining projects are to be linked to the development of the country and its people. The essence must centre around the livelihood of the dwellers of the region and preservation and development of the life and culture of the traditional inhabitants. This alone would mean development of the region as part of development of the country. Till today what is entailed is mere development of the mining houses and those who gain from the spoils of collaboration. One hopes that the spirit of the latest Supreme Court decision is taken up in government policy.
Meanwhile RTI activist Amit Jethwar was killed in broad day light in Ahmedabad as he was seeking to expose the illegal mining taking place in the Gir forests.
also published
Indian Vanguard


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How the White House Became a Social-Media Powerhouse Macon Phillips, the White House's director of New Media, describes how the administration is using social media in unique ways -- and how your business can too.
By Shira Lazar
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Want to reach millions of Americans instantly? Try using the hashtag #BarackObama in a tweet.
Even before Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation's 44th President, he was a big fan of social media. On Election Day in 2008, for instance, Obama had 380 percent more Facebook fans than his rival John McCain (R., Ariz.). So it's little wonder why today's White House has an entire staff dedicated to operating a YouTube channel, filtering photos on Instagram, crowdsourcing petitions on We The People, hosting Q&As through Twitter and even hang outs with voters on Google+.
I spoke to Macon Phillips, the White House's director of New Media, to discuss why the current administration is all a buzz over social media. Here's how his team is using social tools to engage with the public in the digital age:
How do you engage with the public differently on Twitter vs. Facebook?
Just after the president gave his speech on the nation's state of the union, we held a series of Twitter Q&A sessions with more than 30 senior administration officials. We were able to do that because Twitter is a much more conversational medium. Facebook, rather, is a better place for sharing rich content. We see that people regularly share our "photos of the day" and videos on Facebook.
What is the strategy behind your use of YouTube?
We've put together a series called "West Wing Week," which offers an update on the President's weekly activities such as when he travels and meets with foreign dignitaries, business groups, veterans or staffers. In addition, we have another video series called "The White House White Board," where we look in depth at an issue like tax policy.
What is the White House's most popular content to socialize?
We worked with the White House Photography Office early on to set up our President on Flickr. As a result, people can go to Whitehouse.gov and sign up to get a photo of the day, which will hit their inboxes every morning.
The President recently made headlines after his Google+ hangout attracted thousands of questions. What did you learn from the experience?
The hangout session is something we are planning to do more of, but it doesn't always have to involve the President to be meaningful. In fact, we held a hang out right after that for Startup America with Gene Sperling, the director of the National Economic Council; Steve Case, the chairman of Startup America and Aneesh Chopra, the White House's chief technology officer. They were able to have a face-to-face conversation with business owners around the country about what they're doing on the frontlines and how the Obama administration can be as responsive as possible to their needs.
What are the top social strategies you've learned that entrepreneurs can also use to grow their businesses and following?
Go out early and often. When it comes to social media, we do have goals in mind. But we don't sit around for weeks cobbling together an iron-clad plan before we act. We go out there, listen, get feedback, iterate on that and try to improve. It's as important to listen as it is to speak.
Timing is vital. One the most significant campaigns we ran on Twitter was the #40dollars hashtag, which helped crystallize how people viewed extending the payroll-tax cut. It's about being aware of what's going on and understanding that in the age of social media, you're just a participant. It's not something that you can control.
What was the best social-media strategy you've seen come out of the White House? Let us know in the comments section.


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When the megaloads came through last night, despite the objections of the Nez Perce tribe and the U.S. Forest Service, protesters were there to try to block them. Elders of the Nez Perce tribe were among those arrested as they tried to stop the massive loads of tar sands equipment. According to Borg Hendrickson of The Rural People of Highway 12 — Fighting Goliath, the Nez Perce Drum Circle and the Aug. 5 blockade "held back the Omega Morgan megaload for almost 2 hours at the boundary of the Nez Perce Reservation about 4 miles east of Lewiston."
Video by Tom Hansen of Moscow, Idaho
Hendrickson writes in an email:
Approximately 150+ blockaders participated, mostly Nez Perces but some whites, mostly members of Idaho Rivers United and Friends of the Clearwater and FightingGoliath activists.
The megaload transport had launched about 45 minutes late, at 10:45. For some unknown reason, it sat parked for some time a couple miles west of the blockade site. As it approached the reservation boundary at about 12:40, the blockaders walked out onto the pavement to fully block 1/2 of the, at that point, 4-lane highway. The blockaders succeeded in holding back the megaload convoy of about 20 vehicles for almost 2 hours, when blockaders had begun moving to the side of the highway in order to avoid arrest. The megaload, whose target for the night was Hwy.12 Milepost 38.8, only managed to travel 3 more miles west of the blockade. It's total miles for the night: 11 — 27.8 miles short of its target.
That means that what was to be a 4-night Lewiston to Lolo Pass transport will now likely be (at least) a 5-night transport. That also means, that its entry into the Clearwater National Forest and Lochsa-Clearwater Wild & Scenic corridor, which had been scheduled for Wednesday night, will likely be Thursday night.
Every member of the Nez Perce Tribe Executive Committee, the top governing leaders, was arrested. Several other Nez Perce men and women were also arrested and driven off in paddy wagons.
Undaunted, another protest is planned for tonight ,according to Wild Idaho Rising Tide, which participated in last night's blockade, as did Idle No More.
Rising Tide says on its Facebook page:
Our allies among the Nez Perce Tribe, Idle No More, and several conservation groups opposing tar sands megaload transports on U.S. Highway 12 are calling on Wild Idaho Rising Tide (WIRT) to participate in protests again tonight, Tuesday, August 6, as the Omega Morgan-hauled evaporator and its convoy depart the Arrow Bridge vicinity at 9 pm. A carload of WIRT activists is departing the sidewalk outside the Friends of the Clearwater office (116 East Third Street in Moscow) with the WIRT banner at an unknown time. Please call 208-310-1790 for more information about carpools and join us!


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Get in touch.
Contact us for up to date information
Find The Location Nearest Covid-19 Testing
We think you're located in zip code 92508. Not Right?
Waiting for a physical appointment can be exhausting. Many doctors book up months in advance, so getting in to see your regular doctor for a Routine checkup isn't always easy. In some cases, you can't afford to wait, like when your employer requires proof that you're in good health.
AFC is a great alternative to traditional doctors' offices. Our clinics are easy to walk into with or without an appointment. Our streamlined system keeps wait times to a minimum, so you can get in and out as quickly as possible.
If your yearly physical reveals an issue that needs more attention, that's no problem. AFC is capable of handling many situations right on-site, with digital X-ray technology and lab testing at our fingertips. Most patients are able to get the answers, and treatment, they need all within a single visit to our clinic.
Don't put off your yearly physical any longer. With our expertise and in-house services, there's no reason not to take control of your health.
Our center provides the following different physicals:
A physical exam takes an overview of your health, and providers are looking to make sure that things seem to be functioning normally. For instance, they take a visual exam of your eyes, ears, nose, and throat, and feel for lumps. They use instruments to check your reflexes and heart rate.
Your AFC provider might ask some simple questions about your health history, diet, drug and alcohol use, and so forth.
AFC clinics are streamlined to minimize wait times. We'll get you in to see a provider as soon as possible, and your exam could take around 30 minutes.
Call (951) 780-3300 for more information about our Riverside urgent care services.


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SkySpark Connector
What is SkySpark?
SkySpark is an open analytics platform from SkyFoundry that automatically analyzes building data from sensors, automation systems, meters, and other smart devices to provide useful building insights.
SkySpark insights help facility managers, building owners, and business managers identify trends, issues, faults, correlations and opportunities for cost reduction or building improvements.
This connector has been developed by Fantom Factory to connect SkySpark to the Belimo Cloud. Using this connector you will be able to use SkySpark features on the information collected by Belimo devices in your installations.
Quick Start
This connector can be downloaded from StackHub the market place for Project Haystack just write "belimo" in the search bar and select the package named "afBelimoClouExt".
The official webpage for this connector is here . Follow the instruction there for the installation.
When you begin the configuration of the connector node, remember to subscribe to our Cloud Developer Space in order to receive the proper credentials for your new application.
Once the connector will be active, SkySpark will have access to all the information offered by the Belimo Cloud for every device visible to the user you will configure. |
This connector makes you able to read, write and synchronize the historical data of the data points of our devices in the Belimo Cloud. You can create virtual devices containing datapoints in SkySpark and then map SkySpark's datapoints on datapoints belonging to devices in the Belimo cloud. On the right you can see historical data in SkySpark syncronized with the mapped datapoint in the Belimo Cloud |
Quick start video
Fantom Factory has produced a video as a quick start guide.
Visit the SkySpark Connector page to watch the full video.
Obtaining support
This connector has been developed by a third company with Belimo's support. The developer is free to support it and to keep it updated.
This software can be used to develop new applications.
Belimo does not guarantee any support on new applications or on this software, which is distributed as it is and without any warranty. Please visit the developer's website for more information.
The support offered by Belimo is of a general nature on a best effort basis, for instance in developing your own connector for a different platform. Should you be interested please write to: email@example.com


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It's almost Halloween so a little gore is a good thing,
right?! Plus, it's been ages since my son and I have done any human body-related
science activities.
Within the last week or two, my son and I have had
conversations about both scabs and white blood cells. This activity is the
perfect complement to those discussions.
We made a model of blood!
Here's what we used:
4 teaspoons of yellow jello powder
1/3 cup of boiling water
½ cup of cold water
½ cup plus 1 tbsp. of red Perler beads
50 tiny clear seed beads
1 white 9-millimeter pony bead
Liquid measuring cups
Clear glass bowl
This activity came from the amazing book Squirt! The Most
Interesting Book You'll Ever Read About Blood by Trudee Romanek.
It is chock full of astonishingly awesome facts about the blood in our bodies, explaining everything from scab science to blood types (O, A, B, or AB), bone marrow, leeches, how blood is pumped through the heart, and more. Comprehensive is an understatement!
While there was a lot that was too advanced for my son,
there was a lot that wasn't. I simply stuck to the things I knew he'd
Romanek's book taught us the "blood basics:"
Most of our blood is plasma, which contains
nutrients from food, hormones, proteins, etc.
White blood cells fight germs and illness.
Platelets stop an injury from bleeding.
Red blood cells carry oxygen.
How to Make a
Blood Model
Step 1: Mix 4
teaspoons of yellow jello powder with 1/3 c. boiling water. Stir until
Step 2: Add ½ cup
cold water. Stir. Then pour into a clear glass bowl and place in the
refrigerator for 1 hour.
Step 3: Remove
from the refrigerator. The jello will be thicker but not set. Stir in the red
beads (aka red blood cells).
Step 4: Add the
white bead (aka white blood cell) and clear beads (aka platelets). Stir.
Your model of blood will show you how much red and white
blood cells and platelets are floating in your blood's plasma!
Draw it!
To keep my son from forgetting the make-up of blood, he drew
a picture of his model on a worksheet I made.
Download a PDF of this worksheet here. |
Inside his large drop of blood
was 1 huge white blood cell, several large red blood cells, and a few small
purple platelets, all floating in yellow plasma.
The average person has 70 milliliters (ml) of blood for
every kilogram they weigh, according to Romanek's book.
My son weighs 46 pounds (he's a skinny mini) or 20.865232 kilograms (kg).
70 ml x 20.865232 kg = 1,460.6 ml of blood (or almost 1
and a half liters)!!
Check out our other human body-themed activities:


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Market Commentary - March 5, 2012 Haven't We Seen This Before? A Market Pullback is Possible. Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve; Data from 12/31/2010 to 6/30/2012 Late last year in the 2012 Market Outlook, we predicted that U.S. equity markets would provide mid- to upper-single digit returns but produce an elevated level of volatility in 2012. If the year ended today, we would be half right. The returns are consistent with our prognosis, but market volatility, as measured by common volatility indices, is approaching mid-summer 2011 lows. This combination of positive returns and decreased volatility is primarily the byproduct of investor optimism towards the numerous economic reports portraying a better-than-expected start to the economy in 2012.
Despite these near-term concerns, we want to stress that we are not bearish on the financial markets. Instead, despite the recent lull in volatility, we believe the pattern of market swings and gyrations established over the last couple years will continue and investors should be prepared. In our opinion, preparation includes not being too aggressive and keeping equity exposure in line with investment objectives, increasing the allocation to income solutions (such as corporate bonds and dividend paying stocks) which may help to mitigate some anticipated volatility, and expanding portfolio diversification through the use of alternative investment strategies. Because of their low correlation to traditional stocks and bonds, alternative investments may improve diversification. This information is compiled by Cetera Financial Group from source material obtained or provided by US federal and state departmental websites, equity index sponsors Standard & Poor's, Dow Jones, and NASDAQ, credit ratings agencies Standard & Poor's, Moody's Ratings, & Fitch Ratings, domestic and foreign corporate issued newswires and press statements, and from referenced compilations and index readings by Bloomberg Professional. The information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. The information has been selected to objectively convey the key drivers and catalysts standing behind current market direction and sentiment. |


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May 16, 2018
By nature, most people avoid planning for crisis situations. After all, there is so much to do in the here and now without trying to second guess the future. Business leaders are no exception when it comes to the often thankless task of crisis planning. Unfortunately, disaster can strike any company, at any time. Even more difficult than actually planning for such an occurrence is the task of determining what possibilities to plan for.
The Best Defense? A Good OffenseScore.org, a non-profit group of volunteer small business counselors, offers tips to help business owners think through the possibilities.Ask yourself the hard questions … the "what ifs?" What if the worst happened? Could your business survive if you had to close down for a week, a month, or a revenue season?The possibilities may not be pleasant to think about, but making decisions ahead of time could mitigate damage that could otherwise close your business forever. Here are points to consider:
- Begin by identifying potential hazards. Every geographic area is susceptible to some kind of natural disaster — hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, ice storms, for example. And all areas can be affected by man-made disasters such as oil or chemical spills, fires, and civil unrest. Perhaps none of these issues have affected your business before, but that doesn't mean they can't strike without a moment's notice.
- Consider what you would do if your place of business was inaccessible. Could you operate out of your home? A nearby storefront? Could you quickly transport critical items, such as your computers, your inventory, your equipment? If you depend on hard-to-replace items of inventory, parts, or supplies, it might be a good idea to maintain a stock of them in a secure off-site location.
- Develop an evacuation plan. Clearly post emergency phone numbers and contacts. Also post essential medical information where all employees can quickly locate it. Training staff members in CPR and first aid is also a worthwhile investment for any business.
- Do a safety check of your location. Look for items that can move, fall, break or cause a fire. Ensure shelves are securely fastened and that large, heavy objects are placed near the floor. Clean and test smoke detectors regularly and change the batteries at least once a year. Make sure important documents and copies of computer records and software are stored in a safe, fireproof container.
- Have proper emergency equipment ready and accessible, including well-stocked first-aid kits, fire extinguishers, and fully charged batteries. If you have portable generators for emergency power, make sure that the fuel is fresh and safely stored to prevent possible fires. For locations that are vulnerable to recurring events such as hurricanes, maintaining a supply of appropriate materials such as plywood to protect large windows will free you from scrambling for these hard-to-find items at the last minute.
Review your business insurance coverage and make updates where necessary. You should at least have enough to allow you to get your business back in operation. You need to know what is covered and what isn't. For example, most general casualty policies do not cover flood damage. You may need riders if you hope to cover such eventualities as windstorms, sewer backups, or earthquakes. Business interruption insurance can help cover ongoing expenses during a forced shutdown, and help you meet payrolls, pay vendors, and purchase inventory until you return to full operation. Plus, don't fail to consider the extraordinary costs of a disaster such as leasing temporary equipment, restoring lost data, and hiring temporary workers.
Lately, the list seems endless, from natural disasters like earthquakes or floods, to man-made disasters like terrorist attacks or oil spills. Within the walls of a business, the crisis could be anything from a breakdown in leadership to intentional sabotage. And, while some crisis situations happen in an instant, others evolve over time. It's always important to remember that no matter what type of crisis you may face, the technology is in place to make the news public within minutes. Is your company prepared?
While crisis situations may present themselves in a variety of ways, each one has the ability to cause serious financial damage and, perhaps more importantly, damage to your company's brand. In 2010, the Japanese automaker, Toyota, faced a crisis of epic proportions. Other notables such as Johnson & Johnson, Exxon, and Pepsi also faced unexpected disasters. Valuable lessons can be learned from their examples — lessons that can be applied to your business. Let's take a closer look.
For decades, Toyota won customers and market share from American car manufacturers. After all, the Toyota brand was synonymous with quality. At least that was the perception until it became necessary to issue recalls for millions of vehicles with sticky accelerators — sticky accelerators that took innocent lives. Internal issues, including a lack of focus on the company's customer-centric core values, contributed to the decline. In fact, the focus at the top shifted from making a high quality product at an affordable price to becoming the world's largest automaker. In actuality, this shift may date back to the late 1990's when Toyota's shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange, elevating the need to increase short-term profitability. Regardless of what initiated the change, rapid growth strained engineering resources and taxed the company's revered and widely emulated corporate infrastructure and discipline.
From the simple act of owning up to the problem and expressing concern for lives lost, to identifying the cause and implementing a solution, Toyota was anything but efficient or effective. The company was slow to take responsibility and issue the recalls, unable to quickly identify the exact cause of the acceleration issue, and initially offered a solution that was not, by their own admission, fixing the problem. If quality was their cornerstone, it didn't make sense that they were unable to quickly identify the cause. Had quality, their biggest strength, now become their biggest weakness? No matter what the answers are to these questions, the company not only suffered from exorbitant financial damage, but the Toyota brand was severely tarnished.
Johnson & Johnson
In the early 1980s, Johnson & Johnson experienced a major crisis when numerous bottles of Tylenol capsules were laced with cyanide – a deadly poison that resulted in the loss of lives. Led by their high-profile CEO, Johnson & Johnson took quick action. With a seeming disregard for financial considerations, the company held true to its customer-first philosophy by showing its commitment to safety and the quality of the Tylenol product.
Embracing the media exposure, Johnson & Johnson immediately began alerting people about the potential dangers. It also dispatched scientists to determine the source of the tampering, embarked on a massive recall and ceased production temporarily while tamper-resistant packaging was developed. Preceded by an aggressive campaign to rebuild its brand, the company placed its "triple tamper resistant" product back on the shelves within a few months, along with a number of incentives.
Johnson & Johnson set a new precedent for crisis management with their swift actions. It was the CEO's willingness to be open with the public, investigate the matter, and offer a solution that helped the company maintain public confidence throughout the incident. Certainly there were financial losses. But the integrity of the leadership, combined with smart incentives that were offered as part of the re-launch of the product turned the crisis around. Johnson & Johnson not only held some of its original market share, but within a few months of the incident, exceeded that level.
Exxon Valdez
A few years after the Tylenol incident, Exxon Corporation caused one of the worst environmental disasters in history when the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground, spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil onto the coastline of Alaska's Prince William Sound, a remote habitat for fish and fowl.
Following the spill, Exxon failed at the task of taking responsibility. It took the company a number of hours to even begin containing the spill. And, when these efforts fell short, the company tried placing blame elsewhere. In addition, it took several days for the CEO to make a statement to the media and subsequent communications from company executives were inconsistent. The unwillingness to accept blame, combined with a slow response and highly ineffective communications, severely tarnished the Exxon brand — a brand which, as a result, was equated with environmental disaster for a number of years into the future.
Pepsi Corporation
In the early nineties, the Pepsi Corporation faced a crisis which began with claims of syringes being found in cans of Diet Pepsi. Following an immediate and intense investigation, an arrest was made just eight days later.
Pepsi was open with the public and its employees throughout the crisis. Following the investigation, the company embarked on a public relations campaign beginning with a series of video news releases. One detailed the actual Pepsi production process – a process that clearly demonstrated that tampering of this nature was impossible within their facilities. Another detailed the arrest of the perpetrator. In addition, an FDA official publicly declared Diet Pepsi safe to drink. Finally, Pepsi ran a series of ad campaigns to thank the public for standing by the company and offered coupons for their products. In the end, there was little, if any, lingering effect on Pepsi Corporation.
Managing your Business through a Crisis: Six Steps to Success
As these four cases suggest, being prepared in the face of a crisis is essential to securing a successful outcome for your business. With no plan in place, your leadership team will inevitably be tasked with the responsibility of making critical decisions about your company's future under extreme stress and often, without all the facts. So, what can you learn from these examples?
Following are six steps to successfully managing your business through a crisis:
1. Ensure Strong Leadership. Strong, highly visible corporate leaders build strong corporate cultures, rich in values. These values will not only serve as a foundation for your crisis planning initiative, but, in the face of a crisis they will determine how well your company responds. A sound, value-based response is far more likely to be favorably received. The leadership exuded by Toyota and Exxon fell short whereas the leaders at Johnson & Johnson and Pepsi rose to the occasion.
2. Assemble a Crisis Management Team. This should include individuals from multiple disciplines within your organization, to develop your crisis management plan. Legal, financial and public relations executives, for example, often have differing viewpoints, yet a compromise resulting from these differing points of view should be represented in the final plan.
3. Develop a Crisis Management Plan. As previously alluded to, your crisis management plan should be rooted in the philosophy and values of your organization. Key to the process of developing this plan is generating a list of all the potential catastrophes that your company could face. Crisis plans should then be developed to detail the exact response needed for each possible situation. In fact, the more details you include, the less chaos will ensue when a catastrophe does occur. Both Johnson & Johnson and Pepsi Corporation demonstrated the beneficial effects of having an effective crisis management plan in place.
4. Train your Employees. This step is essential. As they engage in their daily activities, they should have the training and background required to not only perform their jobs, but to identify potential issues. They should also be empowered to bring issues to the attention of senior personnel. Analysis and a corrective course of action early on often keep crisis situations from arising. In addition, your employees should receive training such that they have a thorough understanding of their role in the face of a disaster. A lack of training and/or empowerment clearly proved to be detrimental for Toyota.
5. Communicate Timely and Consistently. Your company's brand is directly dependent on timely communications with internal and external stakeholders, beginning with problem acknowledgment and ending with air-tight solutions. Message consistency is also key. Differing messages damage corporate credibility. With timeliness and consistency in mind, a very thorough communications plan should be developed as part of the crisis management plan. In addition to addressing stakeholder and media concerns, it should have provisions for updates to your corporate website as well. After all, your company's Web site may be the only place your side of the story can be told, without losing something in the translation. Again, both Exxon and Toyota failed this test; Pepsi and Johnson & Johnson passed with flying colors.
6. Update the Crisis Management Plan. A crisis management plan is a living document that needs to be reviewed on a regular basis for possible updates and changes.
Anticipating a crisis is a matter of strategic planning and risk management. Following the six steps to success, as outlined above, will not only prepare your company for a catastrophe, but will position your management team to better handle both the expected, and the unexpected fallout. In the face of a crisis, general preparedness can go a long way to help your company emerge financially sound, and with an enhanced corporate brand.
© 2018


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[pullquote]"Fuck Bill Clinton." ~ Justin Bieber[/pullquote]The hooded figure's glance darted fearfully from behind mirrored shades, as if the white picket fences contained some menacing invisible hell hounds. The heat and humidity of Arkansas' summer was oppressive, and under his heavy hoodie Justin Bieber sweated and stank. He felt like Trayvon Martin, just minutes before a paranoid neighborhood watchman shot him to death, smiling wryly as he popped Skittles in his mouth and sucked on them obsessively. A door slammed open, and Bieber winced automatically at the shriek of a teenage girl.
She knew the name of every piece of clothing Justin Bieber had ever worn, and she recognized his gait from a long, scientific study. She instagrammed a photo of Bieber to her neighborhood friends who helped her track him on his suspicious walk. Texting furiously at her smartphone and pausing only to swipe her hand dramatically across her moistening nether region, she drew up airtight plans to accost Bieber.
The girls assembled in the hollow of a shrubbery, tittering and moist with excitement. Their supernatural attention focused on small beams of light piercing the bush, and with one bright flash of sunlight from Bieber's mirrored shades, the quivering girls whispered shrieks and shook each other in disbelief. "It's him," she whispered, regaining some sanity, "Remember the plan. Wait until he's right next to us, then Jenna, you grab one leg. Norah, grab the other. Petra, Elisa, get his arms and I'll jump on his back." Olivia swiped her hand between her thighs reflexively and went a bit cross-eyed, her attention still focused on the approaching figure outside the bush.
With all the seriousness and practiced efficiency of a SWAT team clearing a compound full of armed militants, the girls latched onto Bieber, who swung around in a futile attempt to escape their clutches. The girls shrieked at first and then moaned deep heaving gasps interspersed with cries of elation. As Norah and Jenna wrapped their legs tightly around his they ground their hips desperately into his shins. Elisa and Petra separated their small, firm breasts between his shoulders as they groped his chest, and Olivia leaped onto his back letting loose an agonized yelp from the totally unexpected first sexual climax of her life.
Justin Bieber's wiry frame bulged into something resembling a professional bodybuilder fresh off a starvation and dehydration cycle, his skin nothing but a thin sheet barely concealing the heavily striated muscles beneath. Bieber roared like Goku ascending to Super Saiyan. A gust of wind, which may or may not have been generated by his transformation, blew back his hood and set perfect golden hair waving free in the wind. Norah and Jenna came at the same time, sobbing tears of joy which streamed down the skin exposed by the torn jeans on his powerful upper legs. He cupped his hands between Elisa and Petra's crotches, lifting them with another triumphant roar, and they too went limp with satisfaction.
Olivia and the other girls felt a bit disgusted now that they were relieved of their primal instinct and tried to let go or at least loosen their grip a bit. Bieber's laugh, deep and punctuated like M. Bison or Ganondorf, echoed through the suburbs, causing at least ten dogs to go into fits of terrified barking. The girls began to cry and scream in terror, and Bieber's bellowing laughter grew deeper and louder, and his muscles expanded around the girls, who quickly became silent as their faces went dark. The bodies of the girls contorted into unnatural postures and responded to Bieber's body as if a part of his musculature. The new hulking body twitched and then flexed. Bieber stretched his new gigantic body before striding out of the balmy Arkansas suburbs and into hills dotted with gleaming white plantation homesteads.
Justin Bieber, having absorbed the powers and bodies of the teenage girls, stood well over fifteen feet tall and left a path of destruction just as wide. One man was killed after Bieber picked him up and smashed him into the pavement, three cats were trampled to death, and a child was killed when Bieber punted him over his roof. Justin Bieber's voice rang with perfect pitch across the hills of Arkansas, "We will never-ever-ever be apart. I was like Baby, Baby, Baby. Ohhhhh. Like, Baby, Baby, Baby. Noooo. Like, Baby, Baby, Baby. Ohhhhhh. Thought you'd always be mine, mine."
Bieber's loping casual stride was no different than the one that had allowed Olivia to identify him, as she would later recall under hypnosis. Unconscious, she had acted only to augment his back muscles, an especially fortunate position which allowed her to escape the disfiguring trauma inherent in acting as the arms and legs of a rampaging monster. In court, it was later determined that this killing spree was simply a lead up to the attempted murder of President Bill Clinton, giving the jury leeway to convict Bieber of first degree murder. Olivia told the court that she had remembered, under hypnosis, that Bieber stopped in front of Clinton's house for several moments and made "repeated motions, like he was jacking off or something," before smashing a hole in the front of the house. She told the court, "I could see everything from over his shoulder and I helped him, like my arms were his arms kind of. I remember smashing Elisa and Petra through the top floor above the porch and feeling him kicking Norah and Jenna through the front door, where he found Bill Clinton in a panic. Justin grabbed Bill Clinton and held him up to his dick, rubbing him there for a second I guess. Then he threw Bill Clinton on the ground and peed on him. I didn't remember any of this without the hypnosis, but I did remember kinda waking up when Justin's muscles started to let go of me. It was like the piss stream onto Bill Clinton was emptying out his muscles or something. Justin was doing that creepy laugh, only it was getting quieter and smaller." The terribly disfigured girls who had been Justin Bieber's arms and legs cried at this moment, convincing the jury that capital punishment was entirely appropriate for this case.
Bieber had also taken the stand to claim the girls did not act as victims but rather as conspirators, both before and after the transformation and the murders. He pleaded to the judge, "I remember as little of the events as the girls do, but when I came to I wasn't just peeing my multi-platinum piss on Bill Clinton. In fact, no matter how hard I tried I could barely get a drop of piss on him because the girls were jockeying for my urine with their mouths wide open, like baby birds in a nest. Most of their faces were smashed and bloody, but I just remember being so mad I couldn't get a drop of piss on Bill Clinton. Fuck Bill Clinton."


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The future of climate politics (Pt. 1)
I'm a little late to the game here, but I've finally had a chance to read Harvard Prof. Skocpol's post mortem of why she thinks cap-and-trade legislation failed in the U.S. Congress in 2009-10, and what she thinks the best way forward in the future is. (Dan blogged about this already here and here; Matt Kahn here.)
For those of you who haven't read the 140-page pdf (available here), I encourage you to do so. It's well written and a good overview of the history of why Waxman-Markey failed (though as Skocpol herself notes, the best narrative is still Eric Pooley's The Climate War). The basic message of Skocpol can be boiled down as: (1) more leadership from President Obama probably wouldn't have made much of a difference; (2) increasing political polarization in DC meant that Republicans had become actively hostile to any additional environmental laws; and, (3) the environmental groups put too many eggs in the basket of an inside game, instead of trying to rally a grassroots movement to change the political dynamics in DC. Her proposal is that environmental activists focus on developing a clear, simple, and effective policy proposal that can be used to rally grassroots activists to mobilize and force legislation through in DC (she specifically endorses "cap-and-dividend" in which carbon permits would be auctioned off and the revenue distributed evenly to all Americans).
A lot of the leading voices in climate politics have responded, some endorsing Skocpol's analysis, others challenging various aspects. Overall, I do think that Skocpol has some good points, particularly the idea that a key element of any policy proposal is its political attractiveness – i.e., how well it can be used to mobilize the public to support it. These kinds of questions of framing, salience, simplicity, etc. are ones that I think legal and policy scholars and economists have ignored all too often in the debates over climate change.
But I do agree with Dave Roberts at Grist that Skocpol's proposed solution begs an important question: If Republicans are so hostile to environmental regulation, why should we expect a grassroots movement of a bunch of lefty environmentalists and Democrats to convince them to relent and allow passage of cap-and-dividend in Congress?
Here a lesson might be drawn from the debate over immigration reform: Republicans that once supported Governor Romney's campaign call for undocumented immigrants to "self-deport" have now embraced comprehensive immigration reform. Why? Because it's seen as in the party's political self-interest to do so in order to make inroads with the rapidly growing Hispanic voting population in the U.S. In particular, it appears to have become common wisdom within the GOP that a key reason for the party's loss in November was its dismal performance among Latino voters.
So the key is changing the underlying political landscape such that the Republican party sees it as essential to support some sort of carbon policy. (Relatedly, changing that landscape would also be useful to ensure greater unity within the Democratic party for carbon policy – one reason that cap-and-trade failed compared to health care is that Democratic senators from states such as West Virginia, Louisiana, and North Dakota are unlikely to support stringent carbon regulations.)
How might we accomplish this? Perhaps through lots of rallies and organizing as Skocpol proposes. But where will the resources for that organizing occur, over the long term? And might there be things that we could do that would increase the incentives of people to participate in those efforts? Or might there be things we could do to reduce the opposition to carbon policy? In my next post, I'll talk some about lessons we might draw from the campaign over Proposition 23 in California in 2010, where California voters soundly defeated efforts to repeal the state's greenhouse gas statute.