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The fourth edition of Scholastic's "Kids & Family Reading Report," released by the company Monday, put the emphasis on what the growth in e-books and digital reading devices has had on the reading habits of children aged 6-17 as well as their parents. As Scholastic CEO Dick Robinson said in the introduction to the study, "much has changed" since Scholastic released the first of its bi-annual reports in 2006.
Although e-books have been slower to catch on among children than adults, e-books are definitely becoming a larger part of children's media world, with the survey finding that 46% of kids 6-17 have read an e-book, up from 25% in 2010. The number of boys who read e-books rose at a slightly faster rate than for girls, but more girls (47%) read an e-book than boys (44%) last fall. There was not too much variation in e-book reading among age groups, with children age 12-14 the most likely to have read an e-book (48%), and those 15-17 the least likely (43%). Reading on an iPad or other tablet increased the most between 2010 and 2012, jumping from 3% to 21%, putting tablets second behind laptops and netbooks (which had a 22% response rate) as the most popular device for digital reading; dedicated digital readers also had big gains in the two years, rising from 7% to 19% and use of hand-held devices to read doubled to 16%; reading on desktops inched up to 19% from 17%.
Most e-book reading is done at home, not surprising since few schools own digital devices. Seventy-five percent of children said they read an e-book at home, followed by 27% who have read an e–book at school; 13% said they read an e-book at the library. More access to e-books would result in more children reading for fun, the survey found with 49% of children reporting that they would read more if they had greater access to e-books, up from 33% in 2010. Younger readers (9-11) showed the most interest in using e-books to read more for fun than older children, a trend that is consistent with the finding that younger readers are more likely to read for fun in general than teenagers. The overall percentage of children who read books for fun fell to 34% in last year's survey from 37% in 2010 as their use of technology increased. The largest jump in media usage came in smartphones and other handheld devices with 21% of children engaging in that activity up from 13% two years ago. And while children reported reading for fun less, their parents, in increasing numbers, said their children don't read enough with that percentage rising to 49% from 36%.
The percentage of 9-17 year olds who said they will continue to read print books fell to 58% from 66% in 2010.


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Organisation(s): Australian Council for Educational Research
Date: 2016
Pages: 69 p.
Serie: Assessment and Reporting
An early step in developing an assessment framework for the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) was determining how to design and construct a single assessment program across all ASEAN member countries. This step needed to take account of the similarities and differences in the curriculum frameworks in each country for the four domains to be assessed through SEA-PLM: Mathematics, Reading, Writing and Global Citizenship. This account was achieved through an audit of the curriculum materials from 11 ASEAN countries, comprising those countries already participating in the SEA-PLM field trial, and others likely to join SEAPLM in the future. The audit examined statements concerning the overarching orientation of education in each country and then focused on the details of the curriculum for Grade 5, as the first set of assessment instruments developed for SEA-PLM target this grade level. This document presents the outcomes of the curriculum audit in the domains of Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Global Citizenship for the following countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam. Limited information was available from Myanmar, due to the national curriculum reform process that was happening at the time of the audit; however some general information was reviewed. The review is organised around the structure of the assessment framework that emerged from the initial study of the different curricula. The review identifies how and where the key features of each curriculum are reflected in this structure. The following section summarises the structure of the framework with a brief commentary about how this reflects the findings of the curricula review.
Level of education:

subset: commoncrawl


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Today is the release day launch for Candy Sloane's The Reality O. I am so excited to share this erotic comedy with y'all. Candy is sharing an excerpt with us today, so be sure to check out all the info!!!
Blogs Taking Part in the Release Day Launch
The Chiq Blog
G & Co. Book Blog
The Sassy Bookista
Unknown Book Reviews
Exclusive Excerpt:
Behind the Scenes
Make me come for the very first time.
Twenty-five-year-old busty, blond, green-eyed, straitlaced librarian,
looking for a guy to be able to do what no one before him has.
Above you'll find the joke "Casual Encounters" post my best friend Allie put on Craigslistwithout my knowledge.
On the bright side, she'd referred to me as busty. On the not so bright side, her bawdy prank started a chain of crazier than crazy events that neither of us could have predicted.
Her post was true. I'd never had an orgasm during sex, or anything else I'd done with someone else. Yes, even with tongues, fingers, and things stuck in places my mother and your mother would not want to hear about things being stuck.
My lack of orgasm without my trusty vibrator wasn't something I bragged about, but I also didn't think it was that weird.
I mean, Allie told me it was, but it was like rule number one of being friends with her to never believe anything she said. Her self-described sex life rivaled the tips in Cosmo magazine—the good parts that revealed confidences you were pretty sure no human had ever actually experienced, not the embarrassing anonymous stories that made you feel better about your own boring sex life.
Or at least, they'd made me feel better about mine.
I received the first response to Allie's post while I was at work shelving books in the miniscule poetry section of the Bangor Public Library. I was using my recently awarded Masters of Library Science degree to its fullest for sure.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I picked it up with one hand and squeezed it between my ear and shoulder, balancing a huge volume by E.E. Cummings in my other hand.
At the time I didn't notice, but now, yes, I see the irony.
"Hello," I whispered, glancing around to make sure I was alone among the shelves. We weren't supposed to take calls in the library, and that day I wished I would have followed the rule I continually got reprimanded for breaking.
"I want to make you come," a breathy voice oozed from the receiver, "I'm going to suck on your sweet, throbbing clit until…"
"Excuse me!?!" I screamed. Well, as loudly as you can in the middle of a library. My heart was pounding so chaotically the people using the free internet could probably hear it anyway.
"I'll start by licking you nice and slow, all around your honey pot, till you're begging for it, desperate for more. Then I'll—"
I hung up. My throat ached. My face dimpled with sweat.
Honey pot? I was too freaked out to even appreciate the humor in a guy trying to talk dirty while using Winnie the Pooh as his muse.
Yes, freaked out. I was not turned on. I was terrified. I studied the phone number in my recent call list. It was local.
I tried to gather myself, smoothing my tight ponytail as I went back to shelving, but I couldn't get his voice out of my head. I kept hearing him. The men I went out with never talked to me that way. No one had ever talked to me that way. I certainly didn't like it, but I also couldn't deny the adrenaline shooting and pinging through each limb like my body was a pinball machine.
I picked up a slim Anne Sexton paperback—yet another irony in hindsight—and squatted down. His voice still echoed. My thighs burned as I glided my fingers along the back spines on the bottom shelf looking for its space.
My phone vibrated again.
I glanced at the number before I answered, not the breathy-voiced sicko, another local call. I should have just let it go to voicemail. I should have, but I didn't.
"Hello," I answered, hesitantly, rubbing one finger along the frame of my glasses—chunky and bright red, a perfect contrast to my olive green eyes and the one style decision that always made people wonder about me.
"Hey baby," a growl slithered over the line, "I hear you need a real man."
"Who is this?" I whispered.
"Your daddy."
I held out the phone and stared at it like it had come to life. I could still hear his voice thrusting through the receiver.
"You want it, don't you? I'm going to bend you over a table and shove my twelve-inch-cock into your dripping wet pussy again and again, my finger right—"
I clicked end and threw my phone on the ground. My pulse was pounding so feverishly against my neck it was choking me. What the hell was going on?
Also, who in this world had a twelve-inch-cock? How did he walk with that thing unless he used it as a cane?
My phone came to life again, buzzing and lighting up from where it lay on the floor, like a horror movie where you thought the monster was dead, but really he was invincible.
I picked it up with the tips of two fingers and looked at it, yet another local number I didn't recognize. I clicked for the call to go to voicemail.
It was 11:00 a.m., too early to take lunch, but I didn't care. My phone vibrated in my hand as yet another call lit up the screen. I forced it to voicemail and texted Allie to drop everything and meet me at The Sundown.
If it was too early to take lunch, it was definitely too early to have a drink, but I needed one. It had to be five o'clock somewhere considering it was sex o'clock on my phone.
The Reality O Synopsis:
Fifteen Contestants, Twelve Episodes & One Very Big O
When my best friend Allie posted about my need for an inaugural O on a prominent dating website it was meant to be a joke.
A joke she was supposed to delete.
But her post started an internet and media frenzy and, when I was offered fifty thousand dollars to star in my own reality competition show, I had no choice but to say yes.
The Orgasm Virgin was supposed to help me meet a carnal companion who could finally bring me to climax.
Unfortunately, the one person I want to win the undying allegiance of my, well, you know, can't be in the running at all.
Now in an L.A. mansion with fifteen very persuasive contestants vying for my attention and one undeniably sexy Production Assistant secretly getting it all the word ACTION has a whole new meaning…
Candy Sloane is an erotica author and the fictional creation of Lisa Burstein from the New Adult novel Sneaking Candy. The Orgasm Virgin is her debut novel.
Author's Note: This book is about sex. There are men kissing women, women kissing women, and men kissing lady parts. It is not meant for readers under eighteen, or my mother.
Candy Sloane Bio:
Candy Sloane is an erotic romance author and the fictional creation of Lisa Burstein from the New Adult Novel Sneaking Candy. The Reality O is her debut novel.
Lisa Burstein is the author of the Young Adult Novels: Pretty Amy and Dear Cassie, and the New Adult Novels & Novellas: Sneaking Candy, The Next Forever, The Possibility of Us, and Again. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats.


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Tyler Wood is Managing Director of the Naples Family Office Association, an organization that provides information, opportunities and investment resources to substantial families, individuals and the top advisors who serve them in Naples, Florida.
Mr. Wood is Senior Vice President of Global Business Development at Mediatrix Capital. He has 15+ years of experience in alternative investments management such as Forex, managed futures and international strategies and also consults with private clients on the formation of hedge funds and alternative investment portfolios. He previously worked with SRB Capital Management and Worldwide Futures System.
His passion for helping others has been displayed through his 9-year relationship with Kiva.org, a micro-lending organization supporting entrepreneurial efforts in over 80 countries and successfully loaning over $900M globally since inception.
Mr. Wood has published a book called Bring Mati Home regarding his experience with parental child abduction and how he recovered his son.
For more information and to be invited to future events, please email email@example.com.
Email : firstname.lastname@example.com


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Is your engine making strange noises or harsh burning smells? If so, then it's time to bring your car in to the auto repair shop.
Though modern engine control systems are so high-tech that they don't require much in the way of a traditional "tune-up," there is still the possibility of broken or worn-out components, especially in older vehicles. Whether your car or truck needs a cooling system repair or a full engine replacement, All County Auto Repair & Tire engine repair shop has the tools and expertise to fix any engine repair issue. Don't put the health of your car or truck on the back burner--call to request a quote and schedule an appointment today!
We provide a variety of engine repair and engine replacement service on engines, belts, hoses, and related systems, including:
- Full engine repair and replacement
- Belt repair and replacement
- Hose repair and replacement
- Cooling system repair
- Radiator repair and replacement
- Water pump repair and replacement
- Drivability diagnostics and repair
- Fuel injection repair and service
- Fuel system repair and maintenance
- Ignition system repair and maintenance
How does the engine control system work?
The engine control computer system is a complex piece of machinery that includes many working parts. A vast network of switches and sensors monitor engine operations and convert this data to electrical signals which are then sent to the main computer. Based on these signals, the computer then commands the ignition system, the fuel system, and the emission control system in order to control different aspects of your car or truck.
Different parts of the engine house different sensors, including:
- Mass airflow sensor
- Throttle position sensor
- Manifold absolute pressure sensor
- Coolant temperature sensor
- Exhaust oxygen sensor
- Crankshaft position sensor
- Camshaft position sensor
Keep your engine running smoothly
Though some major maintenance is inevitable, taking routine care of your engine is a great way to keep major mechanic shop visits to a minimum. Whether you're driving across town or across the country, every time you run your car or truck you are wearing down the engine a little more. This can eventually lead to big engine repairs and replacements over time, but most problems can be prevented or delayed with simple maintenance. Your engine deserves the best, and All County Auto Repair & Tire engine repair shop is here to ensure every vehicle owner knows how to give their car or truck the proper care services.
- Change the oil - Routinely changing your motor oil is the single best maintenance to extend the life of your engine and prevent major engine repair in Stuart, FL. As a rule of thumb, you should change your oil and oil filter every 3,000 to 6,000 miles, but be sure to double-check the specifics of your particular vehicle. In between oil changes, don't forget to periodically check the oil level to ensure that it is always up to the proper level.
- Clean the engine - Believe it or not, the way an engine looks on the outside is often a good indicator of how it will look inside. When your engine builds up grease and dirt, it can hold in too much heat, thereby compromising the efficiency of the components. To clean the engine, spray a commercial degreaser on the cool engine, let it sit for a few minutes, and then rinse and wipe it clean.
- Replace the spark plugs - Changing the spark plugs is a relatively easy fix that can prevent many bigger repairs down the road. If you do not want to replace your spark plugs yourself, the professionals at All County Auto Repair & Tire will be happy to assist you
- Use proper parts - When replacing engine parts, use original equipment that is specially designed to fit the make and model of your vehicle.
- Use clean, proper fuel - If you have a vehicle that you store for long periods of time, be sure to fill the tank and add a fuel stabilizer. This will both keep the gas from going stale and prevent harmful condensation from forming inside the tank. As always, use only the grade of gas that your car is meant to hold.
- Replace the air filter - Paper air filters cannot be cleaned when they clog, so be sure to replace them at regular intervals.
- Check and maintain the battery - Keep the battery casing clean and regularly check for any irregularities such as cracks, corrosion, or bulging, as these may be signs that the car battery needs to be replaced. If you are storing your vehicle over the winter, remove the battery and charge it occasionally.
- Check fluids - Make sure engine coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and windshield washer fluid are always at stable levels and not leaking.
- Change the belts - Most vehicles are operated by two belts: a timing belt that runs the engine and a serpentine belt that controls an assortment of pumps and accessories. Don't wait until these belts break completely to replace them. All belts will wear down over time, so consult your owner's manual or speak to an expert for scheduled belt replacement.
- Fix minor issues - If your check engine light comes on or you notice strange sounds or smells coming from under the hood, then it is always better to have your car checked by a certified professional. Even minor problems can lead to big repairs or replacements if they are left unchecked, so call All County Auto Repair & Tire to speak to a certified mechanic today!
Belts and hoses
The majority of modern vehicle breakdowns today stem from problems with belts, hoses, and cooling systems. Over time, belts and hoses can wear down, crack, or leak from the routine stress of operating the engine. Though these issues usually start small, they will continue to build if not addressed, eventually leading to major repairs or even engine replacement. Thankfully, the automotive engine repair experts at All County Auto Repair & Tire can find and fix these minor issues before they turn into a major problem. Our mechanics perform a variety of in-depth tests and inspections specifically tailored to each vehicle system.
Belt inspection
- Identify obvious damage (cracking, fraying, glazing, softening, burning, or peeling)
- Test for proper tension
- Test for proper alignment
- Make note of the belt condition in vehicle record
Hose inspection
- Identify obvious damage (leaks, cracks, hardening, or softening)
- Test for hidden leaks using pressure technology
- Make note of hose condition in vehicle record
While most everyone gets a regular oil change, many people ignore these other systems until they need a full-blown belt replacement or hose replacement. Don't put off this critical vehicle system--call All County Auto Repair & Tire to set up a time to bring your vehicle in for an inspection today!
Understanding your vehicle's components
Knowing the basics of how your car operates is the best way to tell when something is wrong. Read the sections below to learn an overview of the various belts and hoses that keep your vehicle running.
Drive belts
Many car and truck accessories are run by pulleys and belts rather than the power from the engine itself. The elements can be powered by a series of belts or just a single serpentine belt. Some of these accessories include:
- Power steering pump
- Air conditioning compressor
- Alternator
- Water pump
- Radiator cooling fan
Just like arteries and veins in the human body, hoses are the circulatory system of a car or truck and are responsible for pumping fluids to different areas. Hoses are made of two layers of rubber with a layer of fabric sandwiched in between. Common types of hoses include:
- Fuel hose: pumps gas to the engine
- Radiator and heater hoses: pump coolant to the engine and heater core
- Power steering hose: pumps power steering fluid to steering equipment
Serpentine belt
The long belt that winds around the engine is known as the serpentine belt. This belt is driven by the engine and in turn powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump. In some cases, it can even control the radiator fan, power brakes, and water pump. Without the serpentine belt, your car's battery would die in a matter of miles and the engine would overheat soon after. Because of their importance, serpentine belts should be monitored and replaced before they have the chance to wear down to the point of breaking. At All County Auto Repair & Tire, we keep a close eye on your serpentine belt and record its condition each time we inspect your car or truck in order to make sure we can swap it out before it causes any problems.
Cracks in the belt are definitely still an issue, but modern belts are much more likely to wear down before they crack. Our mechanics measure the grooves in the belt to determine the thickness and weather or not your belt is worn down enough to need replacement. Additionally, we check to make sure your serpentine belt is properly aligned, as a belt that has slipped out of place can damage other parts of your engine.
To keep the serpentine belt tight, there is a device known as a tensioner pulley that puts pressure on the belt and keeps it stable at the right tension. The spring in this device wears out over time, so more often than not, it is replaced at the same time as the belt itself.
Timing belts
Piston engines usually come in one of two groups: interference engines and non-interference engines. If a timing belt breaks on a non-interference engine, then the piston will not be able to contact the valves. If, however, a timing belt on an interference engine breaks, then the valve train and piston can be severely damaged if the engine is running. Most manufactures suggest replacing timing belts every 50,000 and 60,000 miles.
Radiator and coolant hoses
Radiator and coolant hoses prevent your engine from overheating, but they can wear down over time. The professionals at All County Auto Repair & Tire will check these hoses for signs of damage and can replace them as needed. As a general rule, these hoses will need to be replaced every five years or 100,000 miles.
Don't leave the health of your engine up to chance. Whether it's an engine performance check or a belt and hose replacement, All County Auto Repair & Tire has the engine repair parts and the know-how to keep your car or truck on the road and in peak condition. Call us today at either of our convenient locations in Tequesta (561-747-8320) or Stuart (772-266-8685) to speak with an expert, request a quote, or schedule your engine maintenance today!
About The City of Stuart, Florida
Take a gander at Atlantic Coast city of Stuart known as "Sailfish Capital of the World". This town is seated along Florida's renowned Treasure Coast, north of Palm Beach and south of Vero Beach. Along with fishing and other water-intensive pleasures, Stuart, FL is famed for its historic and pedestrian-friendly downtown.
Map of Stuart, Florida


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Bathroom Remodeling
This is the year you transform your boring old bathroom into something spectacular! Over your lifetime, you will spend an accumulated one and a half years or more in the bathroom. As the most versatile room in your home—a space you use for necessity, relaxation and probably even work tasks—it should be a pleasant place to be.
The JM Hardwood Floor Specialists, LLC specialty is turning any size bathroom into exactly what you envision when you think about your dream bathroom. Elegant, funky, modern or classic—we've had the pleasure of doing it all—and even combining styles for truly unique results!
Benefits of Remodeling
If you're not quite sure about going through with a bathroom renovation, there are some points you may like to consider.
Updated bathrooms raise your home's resale value. When you invest in this project, you will get a return on investment equal to or better than what you put into it!
Even if you don't want a modern look, modern features are guaranteed to make you enjoy your bathroom more, even if you didn't expect to. Shower heads, faucets and even toilets have come a long way.
Most older bathrooms don't have the best storage options. Find yourself always leaving things out on the counter? You could use an upgrade.
New features and designs are exciting. Making your bathroom more attractive and comfortable will make it more enjoyable, not to mention the envy of all your friends.
At JM Hardwood Floor Specialists, LLC we're not afraid to say we appreciate a good bathroom.
Endless Options
When going into a bathroom remodel, your imagination can start to run a little wild. Large or small space, big or small budget, there are many options available for any kind of bathroom to turn it into an amazing space!
For smaller budgets, consider:
- Updating cabinet hardware
- Installing new faucets and shower heads
- Updating lighting fixtures
- Adding some color with fresh paint or wallpaper
For larger budgets, consider:
- Removing a wall for more space
- Installing a freestanding tub or luxury shower
- Incorporating technology with dramatic L.E.D. lighting
- Installing a sound system
No matter where you're starting, we'll make sure where you end up is worth the work.
What Can You Do?
Before jumping into a bathroom renovation and before even contacting us, start by budgeting. There are plenty great spots online to check out the different renos you would like to make in your bathroom and their approximate costs. Figure out how much you can spend, and what aspects of the renovation are most important to you. With a cost in mind, run free and get inspired!
Your Bathroom Experts
If you're looking for bathroom remodeling experts, you've come to the right place! JM Hardwood Floor Specialists, LLC is in the business of creating fantastic bathrooms even if room size is a limitation.
Give us a call or email us to start discussing your bathroom renovation. We'll set up a meeting in your home, and provide you with a detailed, free estimate!


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Your wedding is one of the most memorable days in your life. Why spend a good part of it cramped up in a small limousine when you can enjoy the spaciousness and luxury that we have to offer.
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Not sure of what to do or where to go for your stag party? Reserve a limousine from us and party non-stop even while travelling to your
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Want to feel like a winner? Then reserve a limousine today because we treat all our passengers with first-class service no matter how many chips they are holding.
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The Washington Post reports that federal prosecutors have charged Edward Snowden — the former NSA contractor who leaked classified information on secret U.S. electronic surveillance operations — with espionage, theft and conversion of government property.
Three sources have told NPR's Carrie Johnson that a criminal complaint has been filed against Snowden, who is reported to be in hiding in Hong Kong after his identity was revealed by The Guardian newspaper last week.
The complaint was filed Friday in the Eastern District of Virginia, where Snowden's former employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, is located.
The Post says:
"There was never any doubt that the Justice Department would seek to prosecute Snowden for one of the most significant national security leaks in the country's history. The Obama administration has shown a particular propensity to go after leakers and has launched more investigations that any previous administration.
"Justice Department officials had already said that a criminal investigation of Snowden was underway and was being run out of the FBI's Washington field office in conjunction with lawyers from the department's National Security Division.
"By filing a criminal complaint, prosecutors have a legal basis to make the request of the authorities in Hong Kong. Prosecutors now have 60 days to file an indictment, probably also under seal, and can then move to have Snowden extradited from Hong Kong for trial in the United States.
"Snowden, however, can fight the U.S. effort to have him extradited in the courts in Hong Kong. Any court battle is likely to reach Hong Kong's highest court and could last many months, lawyers in the United States and Hong Kong said."
Update at 8:15 p.m. ET. Why Espionage?
On All Things Considered, Carrie tells host Robert Siegel that charging Snowden under the Espionage Act is going to be controversial.
"This is a World War I-era law that dates all the way back to 1917. The Obama administration has charged more individuals under this law than any other administration in history. And the law is not as flexible as it could or should be because it's so old. So it's quite clear there's gonna be a legal fight."
Carrie says the law is also "opening up the door to possibly charging the recipients of those leaks, which would be news organizations — The Guardian and The Washington Post." But, she adds:
"Attorney General Eric Holder has already been [under] fire on Capitol Hill for overly aggressive treatment of reporters, and he has said he does not want to criminalize the act of reporting."
Update at 7:55 p.m. ET. Hong Kong Government Reaction:
A U.S. government source tells Carrie there is "every indication" that Snowden is still in Hong Kong. The source tells her there is a history of cooperation between the U.S. and Hong Kong, but that authorities there "want to make sure every I is dotted and T is crossed before they do anything."
Meanwhile, an Iceland businessman says he has a private plane ready to whisk Snowden away from his hideout.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Starpoint Gemini 2 Screens, Info
The game, from Iceberg Interactive and Little Green Men Games is a 3D action space sim combined with diverse RPG elements
Starpoint Gemini 2 Cinematic Trailer Released – September 11, 2014
News: Starpoint Gemini 2 Alpha Update Announced by Iceberg Interactive – February 28, 2014
Starpoint Gemini 2 – Screens, Info & New Videos – Updated January 21, 2014
News: Starpoint Gemini 2 to Support Next-Gen Oculus Rift Headset – January 21, 2014
Starpoint Gemini 2 is an open-world 3D space simulation game that provides powerful RPG mechanics with the frenzy of space combat.
Players control various space ships ranging from small and agile gunships to lumbering but deadly carriers.
Explore, trade, research and fight in a star system no longer hindered by loading points. The entire Gemini star system is now one giant area thanks to the implemented streaming technology.
Gain experience and upgrade your skills to change the tide of even the fiercest space battles.
Starpoint Gemini 2 will feature full implementation of Oculus Rift at launch. It's slated for release in Spring 2014.


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Joe Tiller's Family Sets the Record Straight
Former Wyoming head football coach Joe Tiller is doing better, health-wise, than was reported in a national story earlier this week.
The family reached out to us and doesn't consider this a "story."
Joe Tiller's health came to light in a report from CBSSports.com Wednesday. This was regrettably passed along in a local story we had yesterday.
The family cleared things up with statement Friday morning.
"Joe has had some health problems stemming from a genetic disease that was diagnosed some 20 years ago. He has been receiving treatments for it all the time. He went through some setbacks in early May which prompted all the fuss. It also resulted in a great many prayer chains and calls and letters from many friends. We are so blessed and grateful."
It went on to say, "He is recovering from the setbacks, and we are planning a trip to Indiana to celebrate the arrival our twin grandchildren early this fall."
That's great news to hear, and we wish Coach Tiller and his family all the best moving forward.


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Biomek Genomic Workstations
Reduce your sample prep burden and achieve repeatable, reliable results using Biomek Genomic Workstations, when compared to manual processing. From the Human Genome Project to today's quest for precision medicine, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences is committed to providing automated liquid handling solutions that improve your productivity. We've listened to your challenges, needs and desires, and taken action to support your evolving workflow priorities.
Partnering with customers and leading technology vendors, we are continuously developing and delivering the best solutions for your lab. In addition to customized solutions, we deliver demonstrated methods enabling faster implementation of your genomic workflows.
- Demonstrated methods are developed for a sample preparation kit following a vendor's published manual protocol.
- These methods are tested with scientifically relevant samples and yield results that meet the kit vendor's specifications either in a customer or vendor lab (customer/vendor demonstrated) or in a Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Lab (Beckman demonstrated).
- Demonstrated methods also include a growing number Illumina®-qualified NGS methods. Illumina-qualified methods indicates that Illumina's analysis of libraries prepared with the Biomek-automated method has shown the libraries to perform comparably to those prepared manually.


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Soups & Stocks
Category Main Page Articles & Reviews
Main Nibbles
Articles & Reviews Of Foods From A To Z
Product Reviews
Main Page
Food, Beverages, Books, News & More
February 2009
CAPSULE REPORT: Turn that bowl of soup into something truly exciting with these ideas from Kettle Cuisine, America's leading brand of premium soups, including vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free and certified organic soups. Find them in the freezer section (see all the varieties at KettleCuisine.com). This is Page 1 of three pages of soup garnish suggestions. Click on the black links below to visit other pages. Find garnish ideas for other types of food in our article, Garnish Glamour.
Take a minute to garnish, and a bowl of soup will never be "just a bowl of soup" again. Just use one or more of these garnish groups, mixing and matching as appropriate for the recipe:
If you have a favorite soup garnish, let us know. You may see it published here.
Pick Your Soup:
Continue To Page 2: Garnishes For Soups F ~ M
Go To The Article Index Above
Find More Garnish Ideas In Our Article, "Garnish Glamour"
Some recipe ideas © Kettle Cuisine. Other material Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Yet another ActiveSync Beta
With the introduction of Windows Mobile 5.0, ActiveSync 4 is the only way to get the latest Windows Mobile devices synced with Windows-powered PCs and Microsoft Outlook - right out of the box.
ActiveSync acts as the gateway between your Windows-powered PC and Windows Mobile-powered device, enabling the transfer of Outlook information, Office documents, pictures, music, videos and applications to and from your device. In addition to synchronizing with a desktop PC, ActiveSync can synchronize directly with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 so that you can keep your E-Mail, calendar data, tasks and contact information updated wirelessly when you're away from your PC.


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Sketches of Jewish Social Life
by Alfred Edersheim
In Sketches of Jewish Social Life, Alfred
Edersheim has done modern readers a favor. The Old and New Testaments
are about a time and society very different from today, with different
customs and idioms. Consequently, reading the Old and New Testaments may
seem like entering a strange world. Edersheim has tried to make that
world less strange. Sketches of Jewish Social Life is meant to
gap between ancient and modern readers. It does this by providing the
common knowledge of that day for today's readers. In his book, Edersheim
provides insight into the basics of Jewish society, customs, political
powers, etc. But he doesn't just give readers the relevant information;
occasion, he also applies it to particular biblical passages and events.
There are more serious, technical texts of this type, which provide more
in depth and modern information about biblical customs. But Edersheim's
Sketches of Jewish Social Life provides valuable information that
not overwhelm readers with data. Further, Edersheim writes in an easy
prose anyone can follow. Edersheim's Sketches of Jewish Social
thus ideal for anyone wanting a richer understanding of the Old and New
Tim Perrine
CCEL Staff Writer
Tim Perrine
CCEL Staff Writer
Available formats


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Suggestions on Treating Your Cat in a Healthy Way
Find food that fits your pet's needs
Find a dog food that fits your pet's needs
Find a cat food that fits your pet's needs
Treating your cat with a homemade treat or cookie you've made yourself can be a great way to connect with your cat and display your care and love. Here are a few recipes that you can make at home using our Science Diet® or Prescription Diet® cat foods.
NOTE: If you are feeding Prescription Diet® a/d® Canine/Feline food, this food cannot be made into homemade cat treats using the recipes below. However, we do have a suggestion on how you can make a special homemade cat treat using a/d® that is at the bottom of this article. Science Diet Tender Dinners food with chunks in gravy cannot be made into cat treats using these recipes. Instead please use a minced or loaf form of Science Diet.
Remember not to freeze homemade cat treats. All homemade cat treats that have been baked should be stored in the refrigerator no longer than 5-7 days to maintain their freshness and prevent spoilage.
Yield: approx. two dozen cat treats
Cat Treats from Canned Cat Food:
- Open the can and shake the loaf of cat food out of the can.
- Cut the loaf into 1/4" thick slices, and then cut the slices into bite-sized pieces.
- Bake the cat treats in a microwave oven on high for approximately 2½ to 3 minutes. For a conventional oven, follow the instructions above and place the bite-sized pieces on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until crispy.
Snack "Triangles" from Canned Cat Food:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spread 1/2 can of cat food onto a sheet of waxed paper.
- Cut the flattened cat food into triangles, each 1/2 inch thick.
- Place the triangles on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Flip the triangles, and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Let cat treats cool completely before serving to your cat.
Gravy from Canned Cat Food:
- Crumble 1/2 can of cat food into a measuring cup.
- Add 1/3 cup water to the measuring cup.
- Stir ingredients until the mixture is combined to the consistency of gravy.
Cat Treats from Dry Cat Food:
- In a blender, add 2 cups of dry cat food and grind into a powder.
- Pour powder into a mixing bowl and gradually add about 1 to 1¼ cups of water, stirring until it forms a dough consistency.
- Shape into individual "treats" or "cookies" and flatten the dough using the back of a spoon (the cookies will not flatten like standard "people cookies" do.)
- Place cat treats on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until crispy. Do not freeze homemade cat treats.
Cookie cutters in fun shapes make cat treats fun to make and serve, especially around the holidays!
Special: Frozen Cat Treat with Prescription Diet® a/d® Canine/Feline
- Roll the canned cat food into little balls and place in the freezer to serve later as a frozen cat treat.
Just like any other cat treat, homemade cat treats should not exceed 10% of your cat's total daily intake.


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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General is beginning an investigation into whether any former or current DOJ officials "engaged in an improper attempt" to have the justice department seek to alter the outcome of the presidential election.
Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced the investigation Monday and said it will encompass all relevant allegations that may arise that are within the scope of the office's jurisdiction.
"The OIG has jurisdiction to investigate allegations concerning the conduct of former and current DOJ employees," said the office in a statement. "The OIG's jurisdiction does not extend to allegations against other government officials."
The launch of the investigation comes after The New York Times reported Sunday that former Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark had been discussing a plan with then-President Donald Trump to get rid of acting Attorney General Jeffery Rosen and try to challenge the results of the 2020 race. The Washington Post reports Trump entertained the plan in early January.
The OIG said it released its statement to reassure the public that an appropriate agency is investigating the allegations. It said it will not comment further until the probe is completed.
"When our investigation is concluded, we will proceed with our usual process for releasing our findings publicly in accordance with relevant laws, and DOJ and OIG policies," wrote OIG.


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One of the quirks of news reporting that amuses me most is when things are "hailed a success". It a lovely phrase to report on all sorts of projects, especially where the success or failure conditions weren't laid out before-hand or, in my suspicious mind, for projects that the numbers show weren't that successful at all. Big government or quango projects get this treatment a lot.
Because "hailed a success" just means that someone said it, not that anything actually succeeded. Often the person doing the hailing is the organiser, minister, councillor, officer or administrator responsible. how convenient.
I wish I had the time to check for actual success every time the phrase comes up, or the technical nous to make it happen automatically – it would make a great failcamp project. For now I'm contenting myself with a little Google News search for the phrase, so I can giggle at the most outrageous collusion.
From the graph it seems that success peaked in 2004.


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Vatican City, 18 April 2013 (VIS) - "The Holy Father shares your sorrow, and that of the many mothers and families who have and are suffering the tragic loss of their loved ones at this moment in Argentina's history." These are the words that the Pope addressed to Hebe de Bonafini, president of the Association of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, in a letter dated 10 April and signed by Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for the Holy See's Relations with States.
The Bishop of Rome thus responded to the letter that Hebe de Bonafini sent to him this past 21 March, gladdened by Cardinal Bergoglio's commitment in the "slums" of Buenos Aires and asking him to join with "all those in this unjust world who are fighting for an end to poverty."
The Pope, writes Msgr. Camilleri, expresses his gratitude for the letter and responds to "your kindness, asking God for the strength for the fight, in the ministry that he has just accepted, for the eradication of poverty in the world, so that the suffering of so many who are in need might cease. His Holiness appreciates and highly esteems those who are close to the most disadvantaged and who make the effort to assist them, understand them, and meet their aspirations. In his prayers, he also asks that those responsible for the common good be enlightened so that they might fight the scourge of poverty with effective, equable, and caring means."
The letter concludes with the Pope's blessing "as a sign of hope and support, at the same time asking the favour that they pray for and have prayers said for him."
The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo is an association of Argentinian mothers created in 1977 to denounce the disappearance of their children during the time of the Military Junta that controlled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. Since 1977 they have assembled every Thursday in the Plaza de Mayo in front of the Casa Rosada (the "Pink House", seat of the Argentinian government) to protest for the crimes committed during that era and to keep alive the memory of the desaparecidos.
Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente citando la fonte:
V.I. S. - Vatican Information Service - www.visnews.org
Copyright © VIS - Vatican Information Service - 00120 Città del Vaticano
V.I. S. - Vatican Information Service - www.visnews.org
Copyright © VIS - Vatican Information Service - 00120 Città del Vaticano


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The spread of digital technologies poses a double-barreled challenge for retail banks: transformation of the existing business and reinvention through development of new business models. Most banks focus on the former. But compelling evidence suggests that most banks won't thrive, or even survive, in the coming years unless they pursue both at the same time. The bulk of reinvention now occurs outside retail banking, in firms that address customers' financial hassles and attack lazy profit pools.
Customers' traditional needs to borrow, save and make financial transactions remain much the same. But their rapid adoption of digital tools and expectation of using the channel convenient to the moment have prompted many banks to try to fuse the best of their digital and physical assets, and thereby transform their existing businesses. As discussed in a recent Bain Brief, "Building the retail bank of the future," this Digical® strategy shifts more activities to the Web and to mobile applications, which gives customers self-service options and speeds up processing. Going Digical can also reduce the volume of costly basic transactions at branches and contact centers.
One bank in Europe, for instance, sells 20% of its mortgages over split-screen video technology. At another European bank, almost one-third of personal loans come from one-click, preapproved mobile phone offers.
Transformation entails using digital technologies to enhance the physical business model, moving offline processes or interactions online, and sometimes reimagining how a customer can do business. Yet replicating offline experiences online won't be sufficient. Banks also should use the full potential of new technologies to create entirely new services and propositions—and they'll have to do it simultaneously with their Digical transformation (see Figure 1).
What makes reinvention essential? Why not focus only on transforming current businesses?
The reason: A wave of digital start-ups in financial services has swelled from just a handful a few years ago to thousands today, with incubators and accelerator hubs in many major cities. These start-ups have intensified the pressure on revenues that banks already felt amid low interest rates in many developed markets and increasing regulation in most countries. With their low-cost structure and freedom from legacy IT systems and regulatory burdens, the digital firms target specific customer needs, rather than specific markets or competitors. Their founders are hungry and comfortable with disruption. They wage war on behalf of dissatisfied customers. Consider a few examples:
- eToro's Israeli founders fulfilled investors' latent desire to follow and automatically copy, in real time, the actions of other investors. By breaking into the members-only realm of Wall Street and financial brokerages, eToro has built the largest social trading platform, with four million registered users in more than 140 countries.
- San Francisco-based Lenda wants to be the "TurboTax for mortgage," providing a platform that allows borrowers to complete the home loan process completely online. Lenda has shortened the refinancing process to 21 days, down from the average of about 60 days in the US mortgage industry, and it aims for seven days.
- Atlanta-based Kabbage, using multiple data sources to assess risk, has developed an underwriting process that takes only a few minutes to lend small businesses and consumers up to $100,000.
- Even digital upstarts chartered as banks don't always resemble traditional banks. Fidor Bank may be based in Munich, but in spirit and behavior it has belonged to the Internet since being licensed in 2009. Fidor customers can earn €50 if they create a "user-help-user" video on YouTube and the bank accepts it. In one campaign, Fidor cut its lending rate and raised its savings rate by 0.1% for every 2,000 "likes" it received on Facebook. Customers can buy currency online and make payments in a variety of currencies through Currency Cloud, a multicurrency, regulated e-wallet. When they apply for a loan, the execution takes seconds. And the 300,000 people in Fidor's community—65,000 of whom are account holders—exchange opinions and advice online rather than in line at the branch.
Some digital attackers cut into banks' profit margins. Others cut into both volume and margins. And some disruptors totally disintermediate banks (see Figure 2). As a result, large shares of retail bank revenues are at risk of migrating or disappearing by 2020—at least 30% of revenues in Germany, France and Italy, we estimate.
Make no mistake: Some of these upstart models already have substantial revenue, even an operating profit, while others will reach that stage fairly soon. Some, such as Currency Cloud, take tiny fees on many transactions—a cents rather than millions business model.
The proliferation of digital start-ups constitutes a third wave of major banking technology innovation, on par with the telegraph, which enabled the formation of branch networks, and with early mainframe computers and networks, which enabled ATMs, credit cards and other payment mechanisms, as well as back-office processing centers. During those prior waves, banks mostly copied each other's innovation, but today many of the advances in banking come from entrepreneurs who consider themselves technologists, not bankers.
For entrepreneurs with a good idea, it costs little to start and expand a business. They can rent technology infrastructure and do their marketing through Internet search, social media and app platforms. They get operations up and running quickly. From Auxmoney in Germany to Zopa in the UK, the growing ecosystem of start-ups stands to siphon off the more profitable lines of banks' business, especially the pools of lazy profits such as foreign exchange fees and card-not-present fees. By targeting specific needs with convenient, low-cost innovations, the digital attackers can attract millions of customers in short order.
That's why most traditional banks need to quicken the pace of their own digital reinvention. The salient questions for banks are not whether to take the plunge, but rather which businesses they should invest in, how much to invest and how to differentiate themselves to customers in the new landscape.
Pursuing both transformation of existing businesses and reinvention involves separate approaches with separate logic. Digical transformation occurs incrementally and from the inside out. It requires changing an entrenched culture that's often characterized by apprehension or even fear of the disruption—including new skills and job duties—that may follow from new digital tools. Learning how to manage that change will consume substantial time and attention for bank executives.
Reinvention, by contrast, succeeds by taking an outside-in perspective that starts with customers' needs and priorities—things like managing cash, buying a home, saving for a child's education—then tests different innovations that could address those priorities. Of course, the innovation might cannibalize some part of the bank's current business, though better the bank cannibalizes itself than allow other companies to take the lead.
Entrenched processes and cultures often tend to work against internally developed reinvention, because incumbent companies want to protect current profits. For these reasons, reinvention generally should be managed with separate funding and governance, through separate engineering and design teams, and through partnering and venture units that operate at a distance from core bank operations.
In the realm of innovation, most banks struggle to make their organizations keep pace and a clear purpose. We often see one of two extreme reactions. Some bankers become paralyzed by choice and their perceived lack of discretionary funds; they risk losing market share to faster-moving incumbents or new entrants. Other bankers that hastily pursue a string of unconnected initiatives risk squandering large investments that yield little return.
Even executives who know they have to make digital investments over the coming years may not be clear where to start and how to proceed. Banks can overcome organizational obstacles by taking a stringent, integrated approach to funding, governance and talent management.
Funding: Think like a venture capitalist
The traditional banking mindset and metrics tend to reject initiatives that won't move the needle for a large business, that don't get built internally or that can't satisfy longstanding capital expenditure hurdles such as in-year returns. In the classic large bank relying on net present value calculations and traditional business cases, most digital innovations won't receive sufficient funding or attention.
Instead, bank executives should think and act more like venture capitalists, says Nadeem Shaikh, cofounder of the Anthemis Group, a leading digital financial services investment and advisory firm. Venture capital firms tend to invest in a portfolio of options. They make many small investments instead of betting heavily on one or two. As the options mature, grow and pass stage gates, venture capitalists steadily increase the size of their investments. Most venture funds invest with a decades-long perspective rather than a quarterly mindset, Shaikh notes (see Figure 3).
"Small bets spread the risk and give you a better understanding of how the business models work and which will best fit with what you're trying to accomplish," Shaikh says. "Smaller bets that don't work out are also easier to write off financially. They shouldn't be counted as failures, but rather as a necessary part of experimentation and insight gathering."
When experimenting, bank executives should avoid the herd mentality by focusing on what's right for the bank's particular situation. Sending executives on a week-long tour of Silicon Valley incubators and tech labs, for instance, may light a spark but will not turn bankers into A-level digital investors. Shaikh notes that many large banks have launched their own $100 million tech investment fund over the past year and seek to replicate the latest hot deal: "After BBVA bought Simple, a lot of banks said 'I want one of those.'"
Governance: Running several innovation models at once
In creating an innovation pipeline, no single organizational model works best. A more effective approach involves choosing from a portfolio of models that run along a continuum of internal to external development.
At one end of the continuum, a grassroots model functions inside a business unit and can span ideation to product launch. The other end includes either a straight acquisition or a spin-in model, in which employees leave with seed capital and hope to be acquired if successful, as happened when Cisco Systems bought Insieme Networks. The spin-in structure allows a company to safeguard its allegiance with former employees rather than risk competing with them or losing them to a rival.
Each model has strengths and weaknesses. Internally run innovation fosters creativity among employees but will rarely produce a disruptive innovation, and for most banks it requires substantial cultural change. External models give a bank flexibility to identify market transitions and pursue an acquisition at the appropriate time. But they come at a high cost and might hinder nascent organic innovation. So an individual bank needs to carefully choose models that fit its goals and capabilities.
Many large banks try out several models at once. They run internal "skunk works" and also operate venture funds to invest in promising start-ups.
Citi illustrates the trend. It launched its own innovation lab in Singapore in 2011 with the goal of co-creating digital solutions with its clients. The Citi lab developed a mobile payment solution for Coca-Cola that eliminates the need for cash collection. Looking externally, Citi Ventures, launched in 2010 in Silicon Valley, has invested in more than 15 firms such as DDMap, a Chinese provider of location-based services that motivate people via mobile devices to visit physical stores.
Some banks that decide to innovate through internal models have abandoned the traditional waterfall IT development approach, which relies on remote release dates and thus struggles to catch up as the marketplace changes. Leading organizations, such as Capital One Labs, have moved instead to Agile development, which delivers functionality in many bite-sized pieces.
Governance of internal models requires more than just installing Agile development teams, however. The entire ecosystem around the team needs to be redesigned, including implementing a process to ensure that the team building a business has a preallocated budget, resources and approvals. The Agile group should maintain regular communications with a senior executive leading the relevant line of business. And it can employ cloud-based development environments in order to reduce cycle times.
With most financial innovation occurring outside traditional banking, the external models likely will be prominent in the near future. At the very least, a bank must become familiar with the ecosystem of financial services start-ups, learning about their processes and cultures. At best, it can formally engage with those companies, as the pharmaceutical industry has done to revive growth (see below, "Lessons from Big Pharma").
BBVA, the Spain-based multinational financial group, has used several models to structure its digital reinvention. BBVA's venture arm, for instance, makes strategic investments and acquisitions to add new offerings and capabilities faster than the bank could accomplish in house. BBVA's acquisition in 2014 of Simple, an American online-banking platform, both expanded BBVA's US presence and took hold of an innovative mobile money management offering. Simple's mobile app allows users to easily figure out how much they spent on meals or transportation over the past month, how much they can spend in the next month, or whether they're on track to reach savings goals. Its customers—who are much younger than customers of the average traditional bank—log on more frequently than users of the typical bank website.
BBVA operates Simple as a separate subsidiary with the same management team, because an incumbent bank can't easily replicate the entrepreneurial culture of a start-up. That logic also informs another of BBVA's major models: an open platform initiative where the bank interacts with external developers and potential partners to develop new product ideas and get help with product debugging.
In one competition, BBVA invited developers to create mobile apps based on anonymous BBVA card transaction data. Cash prizes went to developers of several apps, including Qkly, which helps users plan their time by estimating when a place will be crowded. Another competition by BBVA and Google awarded prizes for apps that tackle problems experienced by small businesses or that improve organizational efficiency of BBVA's new headquarters in Madrid. As a side benefit, BBVA's Big Data team hired some of the winning developers.
Lessons from Big Pharma
Banks committed to digital reinvention can take a cue from the experience of pharmaceutical companies over the past decade. Many large pharma firms, which had been suffering from declining productivity in R&D, increasingly looked outside for biotech and small pharma firms with promising ideas and greater shareholder value growth. Gradually, they put in place standardized ways of working with the biotech partners.
Roche, for example, now dedicates about 100 professionals to partnering activities. They travel globally at the behest of disease units such as oncology to seek out interesting molecules that can fill the gaps in the company's own product pipeline. This unit has built capabilities in mining the ecosystem, deal structuring and completion, and relationship management. Roche and other like-minded large pharma firms put a high value on optionality—the right to license or buy technologies—because it works. Data from EvaluatePharma shows that from 2002 through 2012, the top eight pharmaceutical firms in shareholder returns got more than 70% of their revenues from products developed externally, typically through acquisitions (see Figure 4).
Banking has experienced similarly low rates of innovation productivity and a rapid expansion of start-ups that have changed the game. Partnerships, joint ventures, licensing arrangements and outright acquisitions all can generate innovation and differentiation. BBVA Compass's recent partnership with start-up Dwolla allows the bank's customers to move money in real time, which traditional clearinghouses don't do. A distinctive capability in partnering can be combined with a bank's inherent advantages, such as payment utility infrastructure, regulatory management and a distribution network, to yield superior economics.
Talent management: Banks come from Mars, start-ups come from Venus
Building a culture of innovation seems alluring. But what exactly does this mean? Which ingredients allow an organization to get the most from its people?
Looking inside one of the most consistently innovative companies worldwide, Amazon, we find that innovation touches everyone's job, not just senior leadership. CEO Jeff Bezos has emphasized three things:
- Look for people with a creative track record. Bezos asks all job candidates to tell him something they've invented.
- Decentralize the process of devising new products or services so that the majority of employees expect it to be part of their job. Amazon usually tackles an innovation challenge through a two-pizza team—a team small enough that it can be fed with two pizzas and thus stay close to the nitty-gritty development of a product or tool.
- Encourage experiments because they rarely turn out as expected, and because they provide insight and instruction.
Banks will not become financial Amazons overnight, but they can start to instill the right behaviors and norms to foster innovation. They can encourage employees to spend 10% of their time developing "crazy" ideas; tolerate failures as opportunities to learn; and hire people with new skills and experiences, from Web designers to ethnographic researchers skilled in observing how customers behave.
Amazon also has incorporated external innovation, such as its Zappos acquisition, to promote growth. In banking, Capital One understands this imperative. It has doubled down on mastering the digital customer experience and recently acquired Adaptive Path, a San Francisco start-up specializing in digital design and the user experience.
For many banks, though, partnering with digital start-ups won't come naturally, as their cultures and ways of working differ so greatly. Start-ups tend to move quickly and will tear up what worked yesterday if they don't think it will work tomorrow.
So banks will need to learn how to create an environment that helps fledgling partners succeed rather than stifling them. This might be handled through an executive who keeps the rest of the bank at bay until the initiative can be scaled up. And it requires investment in capabilities around relationship management, business evaluation and due diligence, and deal structuring.
Bankers will also need to change their mindset. Executives at large incumbent companies tend to be future takers, meaning they either view the future passively, with no power to shape it, or view it defensively, and want to fight or delay it. Insurgents, on the other hand, tend to be future makers, with faith that they can capitalize on disruption and innovation. (For more details on this phenomenon, see Bain's Founder's Mentality® blog.)
Banks really have no choice: reinvent themselves as strong digital entities or fade away as the customer base erodes. If mortgage completion can be compressed to seven days, what happens to traditional bank revenues and profits when a start-up finds a way to reach two days—or two hours? And what's to stop the major technology companies from moving into financial services niches? Banks have to speed up their digital reinvention, with the help of outside partners, or lose out to the more nimble set of providers.
Dirk Vater leads Bain & Company's Global Retail Banking practice from Frankfurt. Mike Baxter leads Bain's Financial Services practice in the Americas and is based in New York. Richard Fleming is a partner with Bain's Financial Services practice and leads the firm's Results Delivery practice in the Americas; he is based in New York.
Digical®, Founder's Mentality® and Results Delivery® are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc.


text: TRICARE Systems Manual 7950.4-M, April 2021 TRICARE Encounter Data (TED) Chapter 2 Section 1.1 Data Reporting - TRICARE Encounter Data (TED) Record Submission Revision: 1.0 General1.1 TED records provide detailed information for each treatment encounter and are required for the Defense Health Agency (DHA) health care and financial reporting. A TED record is submitted as either an institutional or non-institutional record.1.1.1 Institutional TED records usually reflect a treatment encounter created by the formal acceptance of a hospital or other authorized institutional provider of a TRICARE beneficiary for the purpose of occupying a bed with the reasonable expectation that the patient will remain on inpatient status at least 24 hours with a registration and assignment of an inpatient number or designation. Institutional TED records may also reflect outpatient care in a Hospice or Home Health Program. 1.1.2 Non-institutional TED records reflect either inpatient or outpatient health care services exclusive of inpatient institutional facility services, including institutional care in connection with ambulatory surgery. 1.2 All elements of the TED records must be maintained in the contractor's claims history file. The claims history will reflect the data submitted to the DHA on the TED record including initial submissions, resubmissions, adjustments, and cancellations. Claims history will also contain all data necessary to reproduce a TED record as required by this manual and to reproduce an Explanation Of Benefits (EOB), if required. 1.3 There are three types of TED records: • Initial Submission • Adjustment/Cancellation Submission • Resubmission 1.4 These types of records are discussed in the following paragraphs. Complete record layouts and data requirements by Element Locator Number (ELN) are detailed in Sections 2.4 through 2.9. Edit criteria are detailed in Sections 5.1 through 6.4, and 8.1. 1.5 TED records within a day's cycle are processed by DHA first in Processed To Completion (PTC) Date Order, then by TYPE OF SUBMISSION (I, O, D, R first; A, B, C, E second). 2.0 Initial Submission Of TED RecordsInitial submission applies only to the first submission of a new TED record. Initial submissions are identified by TYPE OF SUBMISSION codes I, D, and O on the TED record. 2.1 All data indicated as "required" in the data element definition must be reported. If not received in the treatment encounter data, this data must be developed. 2.2 All signed numeric data elements on the initial submission must be reported as positive values. 2.3 When institutional TED records are reported for other than the complete inpatient hospital stay, the TED records must be reported to DHA in the sequence that the care was provided (FREQUENCY CODES, 2-Initial, 3-Interim or 4-Final). Refer to paragraph 7.0 for requirements on submitting interim bills for institutional claims. 3.0 Submission Of Adjustment/Cancellation TED Records3.1 Adjustment and cancellation TED records correct records with claims processing errors, or update prior data on the record with more current/accurate information. For contracts awarded prior to July 1, 2007, adjustment records also corrected relational errors that were provisionally accepted on the DHA database. 3.2 Adjustments and cancellations to complete denial or cancellation TED records are not permitted. Denied or canceled TED records that require further processing activity must be submitted as new, initial submissions. 3.3 All adjustments and cancellations to TED records must be submitted using the same Adjustment Key that was used on the original submission. 3.4 Adjustments and cancellations to TED records are identified by TYPE OF SUBMISSION codes A, B, C, and E on the TED record. Adjustments and cancellations to non-TED records must be reported using TYPE OF SUBMISSION codes B or E. The use of the proper TYPE OF SUBMISSION code is essential for accurate processing of adjustments. 3.5 Adjustment and cancellation conditions include, but are not limited to, the following: • Error in information received from the provider or beneficiary. • Late submission of data from providers. • Error in processing by current or prior contractor (if applicable). • Patient liability corrections. • Successful recoupment of monies, or receipt of a refund from the provider, beneficiary, or third party. • Stale dated payment checks. 3.6 When health care is charged to the wrong Government fund (i.e., financially underwritten vs. non-financially underwritten) the original record must be canceled and a new, initial TED record submitted under the correct Government fund. 3.7 Adjustment submissions are positive (where additional monies are being paid by the contractor), negative (where monies are being credited back to the contractor), or statistical (serve to correct prior information but have no impact on payment amount).Note: If an adjustment to a record results in the net effect of a complete cancellation of the TED record (i.e., where the AMOUNT ALLOWED, AMOUNT GOVERNMENT PAY, and AMOUNT PATIENT COST-SHARE = zero, and all line items are denied), the adjustment must be reported with TYPE OF SUBMISSION code C or E. Refer to the examples later in this Section for an example of a complete cancellation TED record. An adjustment to a TED record which would change the TYPE OF SUBMISSION from I, R, or A to O is not allowed. The original TED record must be canceled and a new, initial record submitted with the correct TYPE OF SUBMISSION O. 3.7.1 Adjustment and cancellation submissions to TED records must be reported using the TED RECORD INDICATOR (TRI) reported on the initial submission TED record, regardless of the number of adjustments to the initial TED record. However, an adjustment that would result in submission of a different RECORD TYPE INDICATOR (e.g., change an institutional record, type 1, to a non-institutional record, type 2) is not permitted. In this instance, the initial TED record must be completely canceled (TYPE OF SUBMISSION code C or E), and a new initial TED record submitted with the correct RECORD TYPE INDICATOR. 3.7.2 All data as reported on the initial TED record must be resubmitted on adjustment and cancellation TED records except for signed numeric fields, and those numeric fields requiring correction. Data contained within each line item in the variable portion of the adjustment or cancellation TED record must be reported in the same sequence, with the same LINE ITEM NUMBER as on the initial TED record. An adjustment or cancellation TED record can add additional detail line items, but cannot remove previously reported line items. All signed numeric fields and those non-signed numeric fields requiring correction must be reported according to the following paragraphs:184.108.40.206 All signed numeric data elements affected by the adjustment or cancellation must reflect the difference between what was initially reported and the correct amount. If adjustments were made in signed numeric fields prior to the current adjustment, these data elements must reflect the difference amounts after combining the amounts in the initial and all prior adjustment submissions with this submission. Those signed numeric data elements that are unaffected by the adjustment netting process must be set to zero. 220.127.116.11 Alphanumeric data elements requiring correction or update must reflect the most current information applicable to the service(s) being reported. All other alphanumeric data elements must be reported as on the initial submission, or if prior adjustments corrected/updated the initial data, the data from the most recent submission must be reported. 22.214.171.124 Adjustment and complete cancellation TED records are matched and applied to their corresponding initial submission TED record, and any prior adjustment TED records, using the DHA database which consists of all TED and Health Care Service Records. The resulting "net" TED record is completely edited through the DHA edit system as if it were an initial submission TED record. Thus, the original and any prior adjustments must have passed all TED edits before a new adjustment is reported. 3.7.3 ExamplesExamples of adjustment and cancellation submissions are located below. Example paragraph 18.104.22.168 portrays a positive adjustment, example paragraph 22.214.171.124 portrays a negative adjustment, example paragraph 188.8.131.52 portrays an adjustment correcting information without impact on payment amount, and example paragraph 126.96.36.199 portrays a negative adjustment resulting in a complete cancellation. 126.96.36.199 Positive AdjustmentA TED record was submitted by the contractor and processed by DHA with an amount billed of $200, amount allowed of $100, and $50 applied to the deductible. The amount allowed should have been $180 and no monies should have been applied to the deductible. The amount billed, however, was unchanged. Initial Ted Record Positive Adjustment Amounts Initial TED Record Amount Billed $200.00 Amount Allowed 100.00 Amount to Deductible 50.00 Amount Paid (75%) 37.50 Initial Ted Record Positive Adjustment Amounts Adjustment TED Record Amount Billed 0 Amount Allowed 80.00 Amount to Deductible - 50.00 Amount Paid (75%) 97.50 Effect At DHA Amount Billed $200.00 Amount Allowed 180.00 Amount to Deductible 0 Amount Paid 135.00 22.214.171.124 Negative AdjustmentA TED record was submitted by the contractor and processed by DHA with an amount billed of $500, an amount allowed of $500, and amount paid by the contractor of $500. However, Other Health Insurance (OHI) was involved and their payment of $400 was recouped. The amounts billed and allowed were correct but the amount paid should have been $100. TED Record Negative Adjustment Amounts Initial TED Record Amount Billed $500.00 Amount Allowed 500.00 Amount to OHI 0 Amount Paid 500.00 Adjustment TED Record Amount Billed 0 Amount Allowed 0 Amount to OHI 400.00 Amount Paid - 400.00 Effect At DHA Amount Billed 500.00 Amount Allowed 500.00 Amount to OHI 400.00 Amount Paid 100.00 220.127.116.11 Statistical AdjustmentA TED record was submitted by the contractor and processed by DHA for a hospitalization spanning 20 bed days and $2,000 in billed charges. Fifteen of the days were considered authorized. Subsequently, the total number of bed days was found to be 30 and billed charges were actually $3,000. However, the allowable days and amount paid by the contractor remained unchanged. TED Record Statistical Adjustment Initial TED Record Amount Billed $2,000.00 Amount Allowed 1,500.00 Covered Days 15 Amount Paid (75%) 1,125.00 Adjustment TED Record Amount Billed 1,000.00 Amount Allowed 0 Covered Days 0 Amount Paid 0 Effect At DHA Amount Billed 3,000.00 Amount Allowed 1,500.00 Covered Days 15 Amount Paid 1,125.00 18.104.22.168 Negative Adjustment (Complete Cancellation)A TED record was submitted by the contractor and processed by DHA with an amount billed of $500, allowed of $500, and amount paid by Government contractor of $375. Subsequently, the contractor processed an adjustment to pay in full, reporting an increase of $125 in the amount paid by Government contractor. The contractor then determined the care was processed in error and recouped the entire $500 payment. TED Record Negative Adjustment Initial TED Record Amount Billed $500.00 Amount Allowed 500.00 Patient Cost-Share 125.00 Amount Paid 375.00 Covered Days 5 Adjustment TED Record Amount Billed 0 Amount Allowed 0 Patient Cost-Share - 125.00 Amount Paid 125.00 Covered Days 0 Effect At DHA Amount Billed 500.00 Amount Allowed 500.00 Patient Cost-Share 0 Amount Paid 500.00 Covered Days 5 Cancellation TED Record Amount Billed 0 Amount Allowed - 500.00 Patient Cost-Share 0 Amount Paid - 500.00 Covered Days - 5 Effect At DHA Amount Billed 500.00 Amount Allowed 0 Patient Cost-Share 0 Amount Paid 0 Covered Days 0 4.0 Resubmission of TED Batch/Vouchers and TED Records4.1 Batches/vouchers that fail any edits at the header record level will be rejected and returned to the contractor for correction. Header level rejections require the resubmission of the entire batch/voucher with the appropriate data corrections. The BATCH/VOUCHER RESUBMISSION NUMBER must not be incremented from what was reported on the prior submission. 4.2 Institutional and Non-Institutional Records which fail any edits will be rejected and returned to the contractor for correction and resubmission. All returned records which are contained in a voucher must be returned by the contractor at the same time and balance to the outstanding TOTAL AMOUNT PAID and number of outstanding records for that voucher at DHA. All returned records which are contained in a batch must be returned by the contractor at the same time and balance to the outstanding number of records for that batch at DHA. Upon resubmission, the records will again be processed through the DHA editing system. Resubmission batch/vouchers are identified by the BATCH/VOUCHER RESUBMISSION NUMBER in the Header Record. Resubmission applies to all Institutional and Non-Institutional TED records which have failed to pass the DHA edits. 4.3 TED record resubmissions must be reported using the TRI reported on the initial or adjustment TED record, regardless of the number of times the TED record is resubmitted. 4.4 All data as reported on the initial or adjustment TED record must be resubmitted except for that data changed in order to correct the error(s). 4.5 If a TED record with TYPE OF SUBMISSION = I (initial) is rejected, report the correction TED record with TYPE OF SUBMISSION = R (resubmission). • All other rejected TED records must retain their original TYPE OF SUBMISSION throughout the error correction/resubmission process. 4.6 To liquidate or "clear" a voucher, both TOTAL AMOUNT PAID and the number of outstanding TED records must zero out. When a TED record passes editing, the TOTAL NUMBER OF RECORDS and the TOTAL AMOUNT PAID submitted on the original voucher are decremented on the DHA database by the corresponding amount. A voucher "clears" when both totals reach zero and the DHA database reflects no outstanding record or paid amounts. 4.7 To liquidate or "clear" a batch, the number of outstanding records must zero out. 4.8 The contractor shall correct the related monetary data to balance to the AMOUNT PAID BY GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR reported on the TED record if DHA edits identify that the dollar amount on the voucher are incorrect. On institutional Ted records, do not change the AMOUNT PAID BY THE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR (TOTAL). For non-institutional TED records, do not change the AMOUNT PAID BY THE GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR BY PROCEDURE CODE.Correction of the payment error will be reflected through the contractor's processing and subsequent submission of the adjustment/cancellation TED record. 5.0 Assignment of TED Records to the Accrual Fund For Foreign And Pharmacy Contractors5.1 All contractors that are assigned appropriation specific Automated Standard Application for Payment (ASAP) accounts (appropriated funds and accrual funds) shall group TED records under the correct Contract Line Item Number (CLIN)/ASAP Account Number using the BATCH/VOUCHER ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER VALIDATION - ACCRUAL FUND CHECK edits in Section 4.1. 5.2 When ASAP accounts are assigned to a contractor, the Government will specify the appropriate fund that the ASAP account shall be linked to. All claims grouped to the Accrual Fund shall pass edit 0-000-05F (BATCH/VOUCHER ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER VALIDATION - ACCRUAL FUND CHECK). All claims that do not group to the Accrual Fund shall be grouped to the Appropriated Fund ASAP account. 6.0 Batch/Voucher CLIN/ASAP Account Number Selection Criteria For Contractors1The following process is only to be used by contractors submitting both financially underwritten and non-financially underwritten claims to DHA. 6.1 Batches - Header Type Indicator 0 or 9The contractor shall zero fill the BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER (0-025) for all data submissions sent to DHA using the Batch process (0-001). Under the T-2017 regional contracts, batches are only used for Provider Files. 6.2 Vouchers - Header Type Indicator 5 or 66.2.1 The contractor must select one of the BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBERs assigned to them by DHA, Contract Resource Management (CRM) in accordance with Section G of the contract for all data submissions sent to DHA using the Voucher process (0-001). DHA, CRM shall assign two types of BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBERs a non-financially underwritten ASAP Account (formerly known as not-at-risk bank accounts) that is issued on a federal fiscal year basis and a financially underwritten CLIN Account that is issued for each contract option period and is valid until the CLIN is closed for TED data processing. 6.2.2 The eight character non-financially underwritten BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP Account Numbers are issued based on the following format: • Positions 1 through 4 is 1889. • Position 5 is the fiscal year of the ASAP Account. • Position 6 and 7 is the Contractor Number (contract specific two digit number assigned by DHA, CRM). • Position 8 is 1. 6.2.3 The eight character financially underwritten BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBERs are issued based on the following format: • Positions 1 through 6 are equal to the contract CLIN/Sub-Contract Line Item (SLIN) found in Section B of the contract (Note: if the SLIN in Section B is numeric then 00 (zero) fill positions 5 and 6). • Positions 7 and 8 are the contract region: EE for East and WW for West region. 6.2.4 The contractor shall use the procedures outlined below in order to properly group claims under the correct BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER. 6.2.5 Criteria For Selecting DHA Non-Financially Underwritten ASAP Account220.127.116.11 All non-financially underwritten claims shall be submitted to DHA, CRM using the non-financially underwritten ASAP Account Number with a 1 in position 8. 126.96.36.199 The contractor shall use the non-financially underwritten ASAP Account Number for all Service member claims and for all healthcare programs identified as non-financially underwritten in Section H of the contract. 126.96.36.199 All ASAP Type BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBERs assigned by DHA, CRM shall have an active date range assigned. The BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER's active dates shall not cross fiscal years unless the contract is in a transition out period. For all Initial TED data submissions (1-165 and 2-100) the BATCH/VOUCHER Date (0-030) is the field DHA shall use when editing for proper selection of ASAP Type BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER based on date. All disbursements shall be made using a currently active ASAP Type BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER. All credits where reported disbursements did not occur (stale dated checks, voids, etc.) shall be credited back to the BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER originally used to report the disbursement. All collections (credits) of funds where the disbursement was originally reported to DHA using an ASAP Type BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER shall be credited to DHA using currently active BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER. 6.2.6 Criteria For Selecting Financially Underwritten CLINs (excludes all claims that meet criteria specified under paragraph 6.2.5)188.8.131.52 All financially underwritten benefit payments must use the BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER containing the DHA Benefit CLIN (positions 1 through 4 of ASAP) contained in Section B of the contract (positions 5 and 6 is zero filled since the CLIN is numeric). 126.96.36.199 The contractor shall be assigned one financially underwritten CLIN per contract option period. In order to determine the correct BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER the contractor must determine the correct option period the claim falls under. To determine the correct option period the BEGIN DATE OF CARE (2-150) for non-institutional claims or ADMISSION DATE (1-265) for institutional claims must be equal to or fall within the option period begin and end dates. 184.108.40.206 All CLIN Type BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP Account Numbers assigned by DHA, CRM shall have an active date range assigned which shall correspond to the begin and end dates of the CLIN. The BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP Account Number's active dates shall not cross Option Periods. The BEGIN DATE OF CARE (2-150) or ADMISSION DATE (1-265) are the fields DHA shall use when editing for proper selection of CLIN Type BATCH/VOUCHER. For non-institutional claims all occurrences of BEGIN DATE OF CARE must fall within the active date range of the CLIN type BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER used in the voucher header. For institutional claims the ADMISSION DATE must fall within the active date range of the CLIN type BATCH/VOUCHER CLIN/ASAP ACCOUNT NUMBER used in the voucher header. See the TRICARE Operations Manual (TOM), Chapter 8, Section 6, paragraph 9.9. 7.0 Interim Institutional Payments7.1 In certain cases, providers can submit interim bills for institutional claims as a method to facilitate cash flow. Interim-interim and interim-final TED records with filing dates before January 1, 2011 must be submitted as an adjustment using the same TRI as the initial submission. 7.2 Interim-interim and interim-final TED records (FREQUENCY CODES 3 and 4) with filing dates on or after January 1, 2011 with the exception of interim billings reimbursed under the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) or Home Health Agency (HHA) payment methodology must be submitted with a unique TRI and must be submitted on batch/vouchers with HEADER TYPE INDICATOR 0 or 5. DRG and HHA interim-interim and interim-final TED records will continue to be submitted as an adjustment using the same TRI as the initial submission. 7.3 For claims that are reimbursed under the TRICARE DRG payment methodology please see the TRICARE Reimbursement Manual (TRM), Chapter 6, Section 3 for requirements on submitting DRG interim bills. 7.4 For claims that are reimbursed under the Home Health Agency Prospective Payment System (HHA PPS) methodology, please see the guidelines on submitting interim bills in the TRM, Chapter 12, Section 6. 7.5 International Classification of Diseases (ICD) version and Operation/Non-Surgical Procedure (OP/NSP) codes are determined by patient discharge date. ICD, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification, (ICD-10-CM) diagnosis and ICD-10-Procedure Coding System (ICD-10-PCS) OP/NSP codes are appropriate for claims with discharge dates on or after October 1, 2015 and ICD, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and ICD-9-Procedure Coding System (ICD-9-PCS) codes are appropriate for discharge dates on or before September 30, 2015. Since the TED record does not report discharge date, end date of care will determine ICD version when PATIENT STATUS indicates discharged, transferred or expired (i.e., codes 01, 02, 03). Admission date will determine ICD version when the PATIENT STATUS indicates the patient remains hospitalized (i.e., 30). 8.0 Process for Reporting External Resource Sharing Encounters to DHAThe following process is to be used by claims processors to submit data to DHA which relates to External Resource Sharing encounters. 8.1 Special Processing CodeFor External Resource Sharing encounters, submit a TED record which includes SPECIAL PROCESSING CODE of S Resource Sharing - External, for each patient encounter. 8.2 "Amount" Field ReportingThe "amount" fields must contain the following: 8.2.1 Amount Billed By Procedure CodeIf a Resource Sharing provider is being reimbursed on a fee-for-service basis with negotiated/discounted rates, report these amounts in the AMOUNT BILLED BY PROCEDURE CODE field. 8.2.2 Amount Allowed/Amount Allowed By Procedure CodeThe AMOUNT ALLOWED BY PROCEDURE CODE field must contain the CHAMPUS Maximum Allowable Charge (CMAC) or negotiated/discounted rates as appropriate. 8.2.3 Amount Paid By Government ContractorThe AMOUNT PAID BY GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR field must equal the "lesser" of the amount allowed minus (PATIENT COST-SHARE plus AMOUNT APPLIED TOWARD DEDUCTIBLE) or AMOUNT ALLOWED minus amount of OHI. If the "lesser" computed amount is negative, AMOUNT PAID BY GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR must = $0.00. 9.0 Process for Reporting Blood Clotting Factor Data to DHA9.1 Blood clotting factor reimbursement will be calculated based on the reimbursement methodology described in the TRM. Blood clotting factor charges will not be submitted separately from the DRG reimbursable hospital charges but will be included on the institutional TED record. 9.2 Data ReportingThe following are data reporting requirements specific for TED records containing blood clotting factor charges. • REVENUE CODE 0636 (Drugs Requiring Detailed Coding) is to be reported for blood clotting factor. • UNITS OF SERVICE will reflect the number of units billed on the claim, not the number of payment units. • AMOUNT BILLED (TOTAL) is the sum of all billed charges on the claim including charges for the blood clotting factor. • AMOUNT ALLOWED (TOTAL) is the sum of DRG allowed amount and the allowable reimbursement for the blood clotting factor. - END - 1) These guidelines apply only to the benefit CLINs, they DO NOT apply to the Administrative CLINs.


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Inquisitive kids aged 11 and up will love learning how a helicopter works with this LEGO® Technic™ Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter (42145) toy set. It has lots of awesome functions, so they'll discover how the different parts come together to create an iconic search and rescue vehicle.
Packed with realistic details
This Airbus H175 rescue model helicopter is packed with features – just like those that appear on the real-life version. The motor (included) brings the model to life with moving functions. Check out the spin rotor and tail rotor with slow and fast speed settings, retractable landing gear, winch and a spinning engine. Manual functions include the swash plate to control the pitch of the rotor blades, a cockpit door, passenger sliding doors, plus opening front and rear cowlings.
A great introduction to engineering
LEGO Technic buildable toys feature realistic movement and mechanisms that introduce LEGO builders to the universe of engineering in an approachable and realistic way.
Learn how a helicopter works – Kids aged 11+ can explore the functions that make a helicopter operate with this LEGO® Technic™ Airbus H175 Rescue Helicopter (42145) search and rescue toy model set
Motorized features – Discover features operated by the motor (included), such as the spin rotor and tail, slow and fast rotor speeds, retractable landing gear, winch and spinning replica engine
Manual features to explore – Use the swash plate to control the pitch of the rotor blades and open the front and back cowling to explore the steering mechanism of the rotor and the engines
Opening doors – Features a cockpit door that opens and closes, plus sliding passenger doors
A gift for kids aged 11+ – This helicopter toy set is designed to offer kids a challenging project
Measurements – This LEGO® Technic™ building set measures over 9.5 in. (24 cm) high, 28 in. (72 cm) long and 5 in. (13 cm) wide
Batteries and motor – This battery-powered helicopter toy requires 6 x 1.5v LR6 (AA) batteries. Set also includes 1 x motor
An introduction to engineering – LEGO® Technic™ buildable model sets feature realistic movement and mechanisms that introduce young LEGO builders to the universe of engineering
High quality – LEGO® Technic™ components meet rigorous industry standards to ensure they are consistent, compatible and connect reliably every time


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Metallica Are First Band to Have No. 1 Mainstream Rock Song in Four Different Decades
Breaking records is nothing new for Metallica. Metal's biggest band has accomplished another impressive feat, becoming the first band to have a No. 1 song on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart in four different decades.
Leading up to last week's (Aug. 28) release of the S&M2 concert album alongside the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Metallica had issued a stream of preview songs, including "All Within My Hands," which recently hit No. 1 on the aforementioned chart.
For Metallica, that brings the total of No. 1 Mainstream Rock Songs to 10, making them one of just six rock acts to have breached the double digit mark. Shinedown recently broke the record with their 16th chart-topping track, while Three Days Grace sit right behind them at 15. Also on the leader board are Van Halen (13 No. 1 songs), Godsmack (11 No. 1 songs) as well as Disturbed (10 No. 1 songs) and Tom Petty (10 No. 1 songs - solo and with the Heartbreakers).
Despite the successes of those other artists, Metallica are the only group to have a No. 1 song in four different decades — the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. Since the chart began in 1981, no act accomplished this in the four decades spanning from the 1980s through the 2010s.
The list of Metallica's No. 1 Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs is as follows:
"Until it Sleeps" — Load (1996)
"Hero of the Day" — Load (1996)
"Turn the Page" — Garage Inc. (1998)
"No Leaf Clover" — S&M (2000)
"I Disappear" — Mission: Impossible 2 soundtrack (2000)
"The Day That Never Comes" — Death Magnetic (2008)
"Cyanide" — Death Magnetic (2009)
"Hardwired" — Hardwired... To Self-Destruct (2016)
"Atlas, Rise!" — Hardwired... To Self-Destruct (2017)
"All Within My Hands" — S&M2 (2020)
In other celebratory Metallica news, a newly discovered species of venomous snake was named after frontman James Hetfield. The snake inhabits the base of a volcano, which is pretty metal, as noted by the scientist who elected to name the reptile after Papa Het.
See Metallica in the Most Streamed Spotify Songs From 66 Rock + Metal Artists