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Culinary Tourists, listen up. You'd travel miles for the best Street-Food. Even plan whole culinary vacations around Street-Food. Well, you need only travel to Portland, Oregon for the very best in Street Food. #1 in the World in fact according to Budget Travel and US News Travel
"With more than 400 carts selling everything from Korean tacos to Carolina-style barbecue, Food Carts Portland is a microcosm of mobile meals, " according to Marisa Robertson-Textor.
Lunchtime crowds gather near SW 10th Avenue and SW Alder Street; later on, night owls head across the river to SE 12th Avenue and SE Hawthorne Boulevard for deep-fried cherry pies and savory crepes, served until 2 a.m.
Food Carts Portland has a list of cuisine categories, locations and maps. From Baked Potatoes to Vietnamese to Turkish to Sicilian, you'll find more than 50 different carts. "Like" Food Carts Portland on Facebook.
Start your Culinary Vacation at a Portland Bed and Breakfast where we serve up the very best in Oregon Slow Food, right from the Farmers Market to you. Then "graze" through Portland and see what we already knew, Portland has the "World's Best Street Food".
Eat Mobile, Portland's Food Cart Festival, will be held at OMSI this year on Saturday April 28. Fifty different street food vendors will serve up samples of their creations to the throngs of fans who will eat it up while enjoying an adult beverages and some live music. All proceeds from the event go to Mercy Corp Northwest's local economic development program which assists entrepreneurs in securing funds for small businesses, including food carts.
Just another reason to visit Portland, Oregon and regional member inns of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild. Get to know our State like a local. Select a Bed and Breakfast from where to start and end your trip. Experience romantic getaways, historic treasures, and tucked away rustic retreats. Whether your trip is for a quiet escape to a quaint rural or coastal town, for a World Class City experience or for a new spin on business travel, you can be assured of combining gracious hospitality with ambiance by staying at an inspected and approved Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild member Inn.


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Here's a nice move from IKEA to add some interactivity to their catalogues. This video shows a preview of their new app that will bring the IKEA catalogue to life with a collection of additional content for viewers.
Users can download the IKEA app and use it to unlock videos, interactive experiences, photo galleries and explore products further. IKEA enlisted McCann-Erickson to refresh the catalogue, which is distributed to over 200 million worldwide customers. The app uses visual recognition technology to bring the pages to life. I love to see IKEA's innovate and creative approach to it's advertising and marketing. Is this the future for catalogues?

subset: commoncrawl


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Story highlights
- Human Rights Watch says more needs to be done to improve working conditions
- The report found "lapses in effectively punishing abusive contractors"
- The report noted many workers still pay recruitment fees in order to obtain their jobs
Working conditions for South Asian migrant workers have improved on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island, but more needs to be done and protection gaps remain, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday.
In an 85-page report, the rights groups said those gaps include "reimbursing workers for recruiting fees, which often take months or years to repay and are the single greatest factor in creating conditions of forced labor."
The report also found "lapses in effectively punishing abusive contractors and following through on promises to make monitoring reports public."
Saadiyat Island, a $22 billion cultural project, will include local branches of New York University, as well as the Louvre and Guggenheim Museums.
"For too long, migrant workers in the UAE have toiled in abusive conditions, with private and public developers showing little concern," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
"Now, finally, Emirati developers and their international partners have stepped up to the plate on Saadiyat Island to start to protect workers, but they will need to do more to curtail the abuses."
HRW first reported on the subject in 2009, when they found widespread exploitation of laborers on Saadiyat Island.
The rights group says there have been notable improvements since then, citing "commitments by leading educational and cultural bodies and UAE development companies to ensure regular payment of wages, rest breaks and days off, and employer-paid medical insurance, and to hire independent monitors to detect and report publicly on violations of workers' rights on the island."
But today's progress report noted that many workers still pay recruitment fees in order to obtain their jobs, adding that almost all the 47 workers interviewed reported paying between $900 and $3,350 to agents in their home countries, a practice that can trap them in debt.
The report also found contractors are "regularly confiscating worker passports and substituting worker contracts with less favorable ones when the workers arrive in the UAE."
In a response to HRW's report, Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), the island's master developer, said they continue "to be deeply committed to safeguarding worker welfare on its projects".
In a statement TDIC added that while the company is pleased to see HRW acknowledging the high standards they continue to uphold in the area of worker welfare, they also believe that "some of the findings detailed are outdated and inaccurate, as the report cites interviews conducted between October 2010 and January 2011."
The statement added: "Moreover, the company believes the methodology HRW has used in the report is flawed; we call into question the small sample of workers interviewed, as well as the limited number of contractors these workers represent. TDIC therefore firmly believes that this report is not an accurate reflection of the current situation on Saadiyat."
With regard to recruitment fees, TDIC said that they share HRW's concern, but that the fees continue to be a challenge.
"This practice mainly occurs in the worker's country of origin," said TDIC, "making it an extremely difficult problem to address from the UAE. However, as according to TDIC's employment practices policy, should any worker prove they have been charged fees by an agency to work on any of its projects, the company will take appropriate action under its agreement with the relevant contractor to reimburse the worker. By focusing solely on Saadiyat, HRW is shifting the spotlight away from this important issue rather than trying to address it at its core. TDIC therefore encourages HRW to take the lead role in campaigning against this damaging practice on a wider scale and will fully support it in doing so."
A statement from New York University Abu Dhabi said that "HRW's latest report acknowledges the major steps that we and our government partners have taken to ensure the health and welfare of the individuals who are building NYU Abu Dhabi's new campus on Saadiyat Island."
Josh Taylor, assistant vice chancellor, public affairs and community relations for NYU Abu Dhabi, added: "We also welcome any new, actionable information that will enable us to accomplish our goals on this front. However, whereas our third-party compliance auditors conduct worker interviews each and every month, it appears that HRW's latest report relies on interviews that took place between 14 and 17 months ago. In a number of cases, the report also fails to indicate which project an individual was working on, which makes researching and/or addressing specific claims virtually impossible."


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Rutherford Institute sues over 'virtual strip searches' and 'rub-downs'
The Rutherford Institute has taken aim at stepped-up airport security that exposes every intimate detail of travelers' bodies and filed a lawsuit on behalf of two airline pilots who refused to submit to "whole body imaging" scanners or the alternative hands-on pat down.
The Fourth Amendment suit filed in federal court names as defendants Janet Napolitano, Department of Homeland Security secretary, and John Pistole, Transportation Security Agency administrator.
Pilots Michael Roberts and Ann Poe were not allowed to go to work when they refused to be scanned or patted down.
"Forcing Americans to undergo a virtual strip search as a matter of course in reporting to work or boarding an airplane when there is no suspicion of wrongdoing is a grotesque violation of our civil liberties, undermining our right to privacy and to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures by government agents," said John W. Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute. "Indeed, TSA is forcing travelers to consent to a virtual strip search or allow an unknown officer to literally place his or her hands in your pants."
The new technology and procedures have spurred a national Opt-Out Day on November 24, the day before Thanksgiving and one of the busiest travel days of the year.
36 comments
Hmmnn. Wonder what the breakdown is between suits Whitehead has brought against Democrat administrations or politicians versus those on his side of the aisle.
My copy of the Constitution doesn't distinguish between Republicans and Democrats
@ObviousMan: Well, Whitehead was right about defending Paula Jones. Clinton DID flash his pecker at her. He just never manned up to it (all Jones wanted was an apology, but Clinton, a sex addict and congenital liar, didn't have the cojones for that). Whitehead is right to defend these pilots too. If you're so anxious to have your junk massaged, go to 14th Street in DC. They'll take care of you there. Maybe your masseuse will be a Democrat, if that makes it even more enjoyable for you. If these porno pics and groin massages were being done while Bush was prez, no doubt you'd be raising h*ll.
@democracy: These are the actual facts of what happened with the Jones case. If this is your idea of the case getting thrown out, I wouldn't pursue a career in law if I were you. Or journalism.
Before the case reached trial, Judge Susan Webber Wright granted President Clinton's motion for summary judgment, ruling that Jones could not show that she had suffered any damages. Jones appealed the dismissal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, where, at oral argument, two of the three judges on the panel appeared sympathetic to her arguments.
On November 13, 1998, Clinton settled with Jones for $850,000, the entire amount of her claim, but without an apology, in exchange for her agreement to drop the appeal. In March 1999, Judge Wright ruled that Jones would only get $200,000 from the settlement and that the rest of the money would pay for her legal expenses.
In April 1999, Judge Wright found President Clinton in civil contempt of court for misleading testimony in the Jones case. She ordered Clinton to pay $1,202 to the court and an additional $90,000 to Jones' lawyers for expenses incurred as the result of Clinton's dishonest and misleading answers about his alleged affair with Monica Lewinsky. This amount, however, was far less than the $496,000 that the lawyers originally requested from Clinton after he was found in contempt of court.
Wright then referred Clinton's conduct to the Arkansas Bar for disciplinary action, and on January 19, 2001, the day before President Clinton left office, he entered into an agreement with the Arkansas Bar and Independent Counsel Robert Ray under which Clinton was stripped of his license to practice law for a period of five years. His fine was paid from a fund raised for his legal expenses.
These measures are ineffective. Any explosive material that fits in the buttcrack or groin area would fit in body cavities as well. Should women pull out tampons and show them to TSA to make sure they're not filled with C4?
As long as the Morris Shifflett's of this country keep falling for this, 'They're out to get us,-" crap, the Bush's and Obama's are going to keep using it.
Al Quada finished "attacking us" nine years ago; since then, just dealing with warmongers and make-work militaries.
Copier bomb!
Don't cut the Pentagon budget!
@Copier Bomb:
"Al Quada (sic) finished attacking us nine years ago"????? I guess you forgot about the shoe bomber, the underwear bomber, the Times Square bomber and that Muslim Army Major at Ft Hood who murdered 12 soldiers. Numerous other plots were uncovered too. You're living in a dream world.
quote: "But it's a bit of a stretch to imply that there are TSA personnel out there who can't wait to get to work so they can pat down someone of the same sex. Please."
So, you actually believe that TSA does not have gay or lesbian employees?
It turns out women have more to worry about than men...
I'll bet the pilots that were slashed to death with boxcutters would rather have had a pat down instead. Quit yer whining.
I say the only way to get Al Queda's attention is to let it be known that if another attack is made on american interests, we will nuke mecca.
No, just kidding, there is no way to stop them, they will probe for weakness and attack. Patience and persistence are what they will use against us.
Let's just hope they don't start to appeal to citizens of this country who are angry with government. Imagine that, a law abiding citizen with an axe to grind decides to convert to radical islam.
Wait, that already happened at Fort Hood..........
Well I am not flying without the scans and patdowns. You could hide enough C4 explosive in your buttcrack to blow a plane to pieces, even easier a small .25 Beretta tomcat. Get over yourselves! I would walk buck naked through a checkpoint to keep terrorist and nuts from killing innocent people. Quit being naive. They are coming for us! What short memories the American public has of the horror of 9/11.
Well it is obvious that Bin laden got his way...
perhaps He should put up a banner saying "mission accomplished"
Google "TSA images" and see for yourself.
I hope you enjoy getting getting groped by felons and people who were too rude for walmart.
Don't worry though they won't be saving sny of the pictures of YOUR daughter to spead around the net.
Correct, BillMarshall! He's sitting in a cave somewhere laughing his rear off at Americans now. Even worse than accomplishing his mission, we haven't been able to put our hands on him or locate him for the past 10 years.
If the government gets away with this, god knows what they'll think they have permission to do. Tooth and nail, people. Don't fly until the scanners and patdowns go away.
"...people who look like (and very well may be) 8th-generation Americans."
Judging by what are considered high priority social issues today I tend to agree with you. When people stop protesting real issues but will protest t-shirts something is wrong.
After 9/11 and some of the ridiculous kneejerk procedures that were put in place I quit flying. Without doubt, EVERY single time I went through a major airport I was pulled to the side and tested for gunpowder residue, bag searched and was "wanded" or "frisked". I was a freqent flyer with hundred of thousands of air miles.
The final straw was in NY. I was pulled once again while a group of roughly 6 people who did fit a profile passed right by me unhindered.
Personally, I do not trust the people doing the security and I surely do not trust them with full body images that are supposedly destroyed.
If this is a way to get people to agree that profiling isn't such a god awful thing, then it was worth something.
The pilots could get jobs cooking french fries at fast food restaurants, unless they are offended by the requirement to wash their hands.
Another case of shutting the barn door after the horses have escaped. What amazes me is that the powers-that-be and fear-mongering politicians really seem to think that anybody who might possibly be a terrorist is also dead-solid-perfectly stupid. The same group of people who coordinated a 4-prong attack on 9/11 (where America SHOULD HAVE LEARNED that people willing to martyr themselves are nearly impossible to defend against) could easily fill a car with C-4 and detonate it inside the NYC underwater tunnels and kill thousands while paralyzing the economy of New York for YEARS. No TSA to stop them.
Or they could arm themselves and disperse throughout America and behave like the Beltway Snipers to terrorize all of America. Think about how long they escaped capture, and multiply them by 20 terrorists using the same strategy. Would you pump your own gas then?
A thousand targets that have nothing to do with air travel, yet that's where we focus our resources. It's because we always seem to defend against the last attack instead of the next one.
As for Jim's comment that if 9/11 got people to agree to profiling then it was worth it, don't be surprised if the next terror cell discovered contains people who look like (and very well may be) 8th-generation Americans.
As usual, a political solution to a problem yields a poor outcome. We need to focus on the person as the threat, not what they carry, and should use the tools available to keep terrorists off the planes; use criminal data bases, tied to facial recognition software, and profiling to select the small number of people that deserve attention by security. We could learn how to do this by the Israeli's, who don't force this crap on their citizens.
And Janet N's comment that if the American public doesn't like the procedures, they don't have to fly, should lead to her dismissal.
Well sure, this is reasonable. Right?
BillMarshal is correct, again! The new procedures are still in the "next to useless" category for a determined person, unless of course a full cavity search is conducted. And since TSA is taking this security one step at a time, cavity searches may be in the not so distant future.
And this "same sex" patdown leaves a lot to be desired too if you stop and think about it for a moment. There are women who enjoy touching other women, and men who enjoy touching other men.
morris, they are not looking up your buttocks...... YET but give them time...
What we need is pre screening so that those of us who wish to submit to a background check can go through an expedited system. It is stupid for pilots to be humiliated since they don't need a bomb THEY HAVE THE STEERING WHEEL IN THEIR HANDS!!!
Everything in life is a calculated risk. These bozos can do just as much damage driving a car bomb right through the front doors of an airport. Their goal is not to kill americans but to shut down the economy so we cannot interfere in their world. They are responsible for at least a trillion dollars of our debt already.
The TSA has gone too far and Napolitano is clueless. The images are out there and it is only a matter of time before we get a hollywood celebrities picture out on the net.
They need to back off and stop bullying people. They need to show some respect to the 99.999% of people that they have looked at and felt up. We pay their salaries. We pay their outrageous benefits and we even pay for their lawyers when they cross the line and someone files a lawsuit.
If a plane blew up tomorrow the odds are that the person doing it sauntered right past security while they were frisking grandma.
Not surprisingly, it took some skin to for our "conservative" friends to wake up to the utter loss of privacy over the last decade.
Virtually no outrage when AT&T routed ALL domestic email through NSA servers. No outrage over chronic law enforcement abuse of the "Patriot" Act to conduct illegal searches for non-terrorist investigations. Little concern over REAL ID or data mining done on ordinary law abiding citizens by state Fusion centers.
The TSA scanning is just the tip of the iceberg. The electronic Privacy Information Center at Epic.org has the details for those who care.
Clearly, there have to be security measures in airports (and elsewhere). And it's also true that people (the screener of the three-year-old in the video link posted by Jim Duncan, for example) are sometimes too rigid and don't think well (or at all).
The scanners are not going away. And neither are terrorists. But it's a bit of a stretch to imply that there are TSA personnel out there who can't wait to get to work so they can pat down someone of the same sex. Please.
And where is Osama bin Forgotten? He sure wasn't in Iraq. And Saddam sure didn't have any WMD.
And the crazy logic used to justify that war (other than WMD) ââ?¬â??ââ?¬â?? "we have to fight them there or we'll fight them here" ââ?¬â??ââ?¬â?? never held any water either. The war in Iraq has not only cost a ton on money (some economists project its total cost at $4 trillion) and many lives (and wounded), but also it has increased the recruitment of terrorists and increased the likelihood of terrorist attacks in the future (here and elsewhere).
One way to enhance security is to have strong, cooperative, mutually-respectful relations with other nations and peoples. The use of torture, advocated (and practiced) by some, undermines the prospects for and practice of such relations. So too does conservative religious dogma, from any faith.
One poster said that too many have forgotten "the horror of 9/11." That's likely true (at least to some degree). And too many never understood what led to that tragedy, and still don't. Blame was misplaced. Big mistakes were made. We're all paying for them....more security policies and procedures, more inconvenience, more costs (for which, quite oddly, we borrow the money rather than tax ourselves), increased threat(s).
Too many people have also forgotten the immediate run-up to 9/11. Urged to focus like "a laser" on terrorist threats, the Bush administration focused instead on unfunded tax cuts and deregulation.
The Presidential Daily Briefing memo of Aug. 6, 2001 ââ?¬â?? one of many warnings ââ?¬â?? went unheeded. And it was more specific than many said. See:
So, many years later, we are less safe, we have a huge national debt ââ?¬â??ââ?¬â?? caused in no small part by wars, defense and intelligence and security spending, unfunded tax cuts and breaks and "incentives" that never trickled down, deregulation that allowed Wall Street to become one big casino, and rampant, unchecked greed ââ?¬â??ââ?¬â?? and we complain. And place blame. And get it wrong. Again.
Those who've so often touted "accountability" for others ââ?¬â??ââ?¬â?? for the unemployed, for public schools, for welfare recipients ââ?¬â??ââ?¬â?? too often avoid and evade it for themselves. If the recent elections are any indication, it's reasonable to expect that narrow ideology will make things worse, and not better.
As the old comic strip character Pogo said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
It is a shame that we have to use such extreme tactics to ensure the safety of our traveling public. I would think that we could come up with a more non-invasive way to get the same results. To give in to the desire of our enemy is simple minded. We are reacting in fear and not with a focused and clear mind. The evil ones are laughing at us!!!
Just curious....is the 6:49am post still "awaiting moderation?"
If the Rutherford Institute was "right" to "defend" Paula Jones, then why did a federal judge throw her lawsuit out for lack of merit?
And why did Jones wait so long to file suit?
And who funded Jones' suit(s), besides Rutherford?
One genuine concern that pilots might truly have is that of being scanned by these machines each and every time they fly. Over time, the effects of this radiation might truly add up. Because no one knows what these effects are, pilots may be forced into early retirement or simply put out to pasture to deal with the lifelong issues all by themselves. That isn't right, is it?
Actually, my comment was about the scanners and groping causing the tide to turn on profiling; not 9/11. I probably could have phrased it better. Either way, I'm done flying until this is fixed, and that's more of a stand against the loss of privacy than any embarassment or concerns about radiation. Hopefully it will be agreed by Napolitano or her successor (please hurry) that this was an overreach.
How much you want to bet that Stretch Pelosi, Janet Incompetano and Harry Reid don't have to go through a Nude-O-Scope (or get a groin massage if they decline having their porno pic taken)?
Music Lover, you wouldn't happen to be named Wendell Butler would you?
TSA sued over pulling down a womans blouse
If I was on that jury and the others felt as I did, TSA's budget would be wiped out. In fact, $50,000 of the final verdict against the government should come out of the TSA employee's salaries, although they're probably protected (unfortunately).
@realist: just picturing nudie pics of any of those three....eewwwwwww!
Thanks a lot....now I can't eat the rest of the day.
Agreed, cookieJar! There's probably many TSA employees who hate going to work now. But the fact remains, there's still many who enjoy their "new" duties. :)
I'm sure there are just as many TSA employees who cringe at the thought of having to pat down slovenly overweight American travelers all day long.


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The search found 387 results in 0.01 seconds.
Actresses need to be pickier than men about with whom they work if they want to survive in the movie industry, suggests a new study.
"My research indicates that women in the film industry suffer a lack of access to future career opportunities when they tend to work with people who have collaborated frequently in the past," said Mark Lutter, lead author of the study and head of the "Transnational Diffusion of Innovation" Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG) in Germany.
People whose sexual identities changed toward same-sex attraction in early adulthood reported more symptoms of depression in a nationwide survey than those whose sexual orientations did not change or changed in the opposite direction, according to a new study by a University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) sociologist.
For years social scientists have grappled with the question of why men receive far more media coverage than women, and now a new study reveals the answer.
Social scientists have long argued documentary films are powerful tools for social change.
But a University of Iowa (UI) sociologist and his co-researchers are the first to use the Internet and social media to systematically show how a documentary film reshaped public perception and ultimately led to municipal bans on hydraulic fracking.
In an era where popular culture is increasingly recognized for its impact on lay understanding of health and medicine, few scholars have looked at television's powerful role in the creation of patient expectations, especially regarding pregnancy and birth.
Drawing from cumulative inequality theory, we examine the relationship between childhood disadvantage and health problems in adulthood. Using two waves of data from Midlife Development in the United States, we investigate whether childhood disadvantage is associated with adult disadvantage, including fewer social resources, and the effect of lifelong disadvantage on health problems measured at the baseline survey and a 10-year follow-up.
Scholars have documented the emergence of apparently race-neutral discourses that serve to entrench racial stratification following the elimination of de jure segregation. These discourses deny the existence of both present-day racism and the contemporary effects of histories of racial oppression. Researchers posit that individuals are socialized into these views, but little empirical attention has been paid to the processes through which such socialization occurs.
Recent scholarship highlights the importance of public discourse for the mobilization and impact of social movements, but it neglects how cultural products may shift discourse and thereby influence mobilization and political outcomes. This study investigates how activism against hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") utilized cultural artifacts to influence public perceptions and effect change. A systematic analysis of Internet search data, social media postings, and newspaper articles allows us to identify how the documentary Gasland reshaped public discourse.
In the early twenty-first century, women continue to receive substantially less media coverage than men, despite women's much increased participation in public life. Media scholars argue that actors in news organizations skew news coverage in favor of men and male-related topics. However, no previous study has systematically examined whether such media bias exists beyond gender ratio imbalances in coverage that merely mirror societal-level structural and occupational gender inequalities.
How do national institutional contexts mediate the global? This article aims to answer this question by analyzing screen translation—the translation of audiovisual materials like movies and television programs—in four European countries: France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland. A cross-national, multi-method research project combining interviews, ethnography, and a small survey found considerable cross-national differences in translation norms and practices, sometimes leading to very different translated versions of the same product.


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Home > News & Events > Speeches & Testimony
Remarks by Martin J. Gruenberg, FDIC Chairman, on the First Quarter 2013 Quarterly Banking Profile
Good morning, and welcome to our release of first quarter results for FDIC-insured institutions. Today's report shows further progress in the recovery that has been underway in the banking industry for more than three years. We saw improvement in asset quality indicators over the quarter, a continued increase in the number of profitable institutions, and further declines in the number of problem banks and bank failures.
Chart 1
First quarter net income rose to 40.3 billion dollars. While this is an all-time quarterly high, we note that the previous high occurred more than six years ago when the industry was 20 percent smaller, in terms of total assets, than it is today.
We also note that large, nonrecurring income and expense items at some of the industry's largest institutions exerted a significant influence on the quarterly change in net income and helped push industry net income above 40 billion dollars for the first time.
In recent years, lower loan loss provisions have been the primary driver of higher industry earnings. But as problem loans decline at institutions in all size groups, the year-over-year reduction in the industry's provision expense is becoming progressively smaller. The next chart shows that the year-over-year decline in industry loan loss provisions in the first quarter of 3.3 billion dollars was about one-tenth the size that it was only two years ago.
Chart 2
As the impact of declining provision expenses diminishes, future earnings for the industry increasingly will be determined by revenues. Total net operating revenue for the industry was 171 billion dollars during the quarter, up slightly from recent quarters, but essentially flat.
Chart 3
The principal reason why revenue has been nearly flatgrowing just 1.6 percent from a year agois the downward pressure on net interest margins that banks have experienced in this low interest rate, flat yield curve environment.
Chart 4
The industry's net interest margin in the first quarter fell to 3.27 percent, the lowest level since the third quarter of 2006. As you can see in this next chart, the biggest decline has been at large institutions. But the downward trend is important for smaller banks because they are more dependent on net interest income as a source of revenue.
Insured institutions added more than half a trillion dollars in interest-earning assets to their balance sheets over the past year. Yet, the interest income produced by these assets fell by 6 billion dollars. This is because older, higher-yielding assets are maturing off bank balance sheets and are being replaced by lower-yielding assets.
Chart 5
Loan balances posted a seasonal decline in the first quarter, similar to what we have seen over the past two years, but to a lesser extent. The underlying trend in loan growth has been generally positive as the industry has recovered over the past several years.
Chart 6
The next chart shows that asset quality continues to improve. The net charge-off rate during the quarter was the lowest for the industry since the fourth quarter of 2007. While noncurrent loans remain elevated by historical norms, the trend remains positive.
Chart 7
The low interest rate environment has created an incentive for lenders to seek longer-term, higher-yielding loans and for borrowers to lock in historically low interest rates for longer terms.
This next chart illustrates the extent to which the industry has been increasing the share of longer-term assets that mature or re-price in five or more years. While this shift has helped to limit the decline in net interest margins, it also potentially exposes institutions to additional risk when interest rates rise.
This has been a matter of supervisory focus for the banking agencies. In the current environment, institutions should have robust processes for measuring and, where necessary, mitigating their exposure to potential increases in interest rates.
Chart 8
The red line in the next chart shows that the share of institutions reporting quarterly losses is trending down. At just 8.4 percent, it is now the lowest it has been since before the crisis.
The blue line shows that half of all banks reported a year-over-year increase in their earnings. With revenues rising slowly and with loan loss provisions leveling off, we see an industry where more institutions are profitable, but fewer are able to continue increasing their net income.
Chart 9
We continue to see fewer "problem" banks and bank failures. The number of banks on the "Problem List" declined to 612 in the first quarter from 651 at year-end 2012. This is the eighth straight quarterly decline. And the number of banks on the list is now 276 below the peak of 888 in the first quarter of 2011.
Only four insured institutions failed in the first quarter, the lowest since the second quarter of 2008. So far this year, 13 banks have failed, compared to 24 banks over the same period last year.
Chart 10
The temporary unlimited deposit insurance coverage provided to noninterest-bearing transaction deposits as part of the Dodd-Frank Act ended last year. During the previous two years, account balances above the basic 250,000 dollar FDIC coverage level experienced considerable growth, as illustrated by the red bars in this chart.
The impact of the expiration of the additional deposit insurance coverage on deposit levels in the first quarter was limited. The amount of noninterest-bearing transaction deposits above the 250,000 dollar level declined by about 70 billion dollars, or less than 5 percent.
The Deposit Insurance Fund balance rose to 35.7 billion dollars as of March 31, up from 33.0 billion dollars at the end of last year. Assessment income was primarily responsible for the growth in the DIF balance.
Estimated insured deposits declined by 18.7 percent to 6.0 trillion dollars in the first quarter, primarily because of the expiration of the noninterest-bearing transaction account coverage. However, deposits covered by the 250,000 dollar limit rose by 2.6 percent in the first quarter.
The reserve ratio—the DIF balance as a percentage of estimated insured deposits—rose to 0.59 percent at March 31 from a revised 0.44 percent at year-end 2012. Expiration of the temporary insurance accounted for almost 12 of the 15 basis point increase in the reserve ratio. The DIF must achieve a minimum reserve ratio of 1.35 percent by 2020.
In summary, asset quality continues to improve, more institutions are profitable, and the number of failures and problem institutions continues to decline. However, industry revenue remains flat, primarily due to lower net interest margins and slow growth in loan portfolios. This environment of tighter margins and slow loan growth creates an incentive for institutions to reach for yield, which is a matter of ongoing supervisory attention. Nonetheless, these results show overall that the process of recovery continues for the banking industry.
Thank you.
|Last Updated 6/3/2013


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For many years, I have taught accounting courses in face-to-face, blended, and fully online formats. Of the three instructional methods, I thoroughly enjoy teaching courses in the fully online format. My personal logo reflects the challenge of doing this.
While undergraduate courses tend to be somewhat "nuts-n-bolts" focused, graduate courses (both MBA and Master's of Accountancy) are broader in scope, require a lot of writing and presentations, include case studies, team collaboration and online research. For both undergraduate and graduate courses, the Internet is an important support resource for the teaching-learning process. The Internet can be either a good resource or a not-so-good resource depending on intent with which it is used.
During recent academic terms, I have noticed a significant increase in the use of what I call the "Dark Side of the Internet." By this I mean the increasing student use of the Internet as a source for finding solutions to class assignments, solutions to exam questions, solutions for case studies, and engaging others who will write papers for students for a fee. While unethical, this type of behavior does not seem to cause even a "blink of an eye" for students who gravitate toward "Dark Side" activity. This trend includes students completing courses in all three course delivery formats (i.e., face-to-face, blended, and fully online).
I am amazed when a student turns in an assignment prepared by someone else and considers the assignment to be his(her) own work. The fact that the submitted assignment is NOT his(her) own work does not seem to be a matter of concern. After all, the student paid a fee for a service.
I am updating an online graduate course that I am teaching during upcoming Spring 2016. I plan to include a few short case studies to be used for team projects. Course topics are interesting, challenging, and intense. The projects are well-suited for the team and case study formats. The cases are good examples of the old adage "more heads may be better than one." Team discussion and research are integral parts of preparing a case solution.
I have been searching for appropriate case studies for the course. Each time I find an interesting case study, the first thing I do is perform an online search for the case study title. This is where things get interesting very quickly.
Over and over again, the title of the case study pops up on the screen with a URL that links to a website that promises a "high quality" solution for the case study with the claim that an "A" grade is only a click away! How could a student whether undergraduate or graduate resist this kind of temptation.
Below are statements posted on the home page of a "case writing service" offering "personalized case solutions for you." Of course, "personalized case solutions" cost money.
Students find these "Internet resources" pretty easily. A quick search using almost any search engine turns up links like the ones shown below.
While I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of teaching in the online format, I am both challenged and frustrated by students who feel that cheating and unethical behavior are acceptable. In a recent online class, I read short essay responses that were word-for-word from the author's suggested solution for a textbook end-of-chapter ethics question. What are the odds of a student or team coming up with an exact word-for-word answer? Astronomical?
I recently came across an interesting blog post on a website called "Online Schools Center." The focus of the post was "How Students Cheat Online." I especially liked a comment in the post that addressed my concern about being both challenged and frustrated by students who feel that cheating and unethical behavior is acceptable. Below is the comment.
As I update course materials for my upcoming Spring 2016 course, I will write about ways that I build into my course design that I "hope" will motivate students not to engage in Dark Side activities.
Some methods that I have built into my course designs have worked pretty well. Unfortunately, others have failed. I have always heard that "failure" is the first step toward success. If this is true, then I'm certainly headed in the right direction.
Tell me what you think about this posting. I hope my comments will start a conversation on a topic that we all face one way or another.
Best wishes,
The Inside Higher Education Daily News Update (10/14/2015) includes a link to its 2015 Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology. Below is IHE's description of the survey conducted by IHE and Gallup.
Inside Higher Ed survey explores how faculty members and administrators feel about the quality of online education, the integrity of plagiarism-detection software, the expansion of MOOC-to-degree programs, the growth in the cost of course materials and more. In many cases, instructors are skeptical.
Click here to download a free copy of the survey study.
Have a great day,
Each year, Jane Hart, founder of C4LPT compiles her list of Top 100 Tools for Learning. The 2015 list is now available. I have followed Hart's work for many years and have always found the annual list to be a great resource. I have incorporated several of the tools into my course designs. I especially like tools like Zoom.us.
Zoom.us is a cloud-based, video-conferencing service. It's great for collaboration. Anyone can use it for free. A "Pro" account is very inexpensive. Many universities now have campus subscriptions. LMS systems like Canvas integrate Zoom.us as an "app" with the LMS.
Click the image below to access SlideShare version of the 2015 List. Click your way through the presentation. I'm sure you will recognize many teaching/learning tool resources. You may find something new and exciting.
With the rapid change to both the U.S. and global economies, I searched for ways to make the change more understandable for my accounting students, whether they be undergraduate or graduate level. The initial result was creation of what I called the "Book Trilogy."
As depicted in the diagram below, the "Book Trilogy" included The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman, The Myth of the Rational Market by Justin Fox, and That Used to be Us by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum. I asked students to read the books in the indicated sequence. We discussed the books both during and outside of classes.
I selected each book for its focus, clarity of writing style, and the unique way the story is told. I wanted resources that were readable and understandable. I did not want resources designed to "blow the reader out the door."
Of the three books, I was particularly impressed with the way Justin Fox, a former editorial director of Harvard Business Review and now a columnist for Bloomberg View, told the story of development of modern finance and how its impact came close to bringing the U.S. and other economies to their knees. Rather than burying the reader with mathematics and Finance jargon, Fox chronicled the rise of rational market theory by helping the reader "look through the eyes" of the scholars who constructed what is now referred to as "Modern Finance."
I placed Fox's book in the middle of the trilogy because it bridges the gap between theory and practice of globalization, economics, and "Modern Finance." Each book in the trilogy takes an innovative approach to telling its story.
Recently, I read Economix, How Our Economy Works (And Doesn't Work) in Words and Pictures, by Michael Goodwin with illustration by Dan E. Burr. A comment in the Miami Herald described Economix as
This witty and elegant volume takes on a number of complex issues--in this case, economics, history and finance--and makes them comprehensible for mere mortals.
I was fascinated by the way Goodwin's content and commentary were presented in a cartoon-like format. Goodwin and Burr wrote an easy to read, insightful, entertaining story about our current economy and current economic problems.
Timothy Guinnane,Yale University, commented that
Economix is a lively, cheerfully opinionated romp through the historical and intellectual foundations of our current economy and our current economic problems. Goodwin has a knack for distilling complex ideas and events in ways that invite the reader to follow the big picture without losing track of what actually happened. Any reader wondering how our economy got to where it is today will find this a refreshing overview.
I enjoy coming up with innovative ways to invigorate and challenge the teaching-learning experience of my students. Student response to the "Book Triology" has been very positive. I wonder what they will think of my expanding the "Book Trilogy" into a "Book Quartet" (i.e., a series of four books)?
I love discussion. I would appreciate your feedback comments about the above commentary. Please let me hear from you soon.
This post shares a blog posting by Will Thalheimer titled If Content is King, It's Time to Overthrow the Monarchy! Click the article title to access Will's blog posting.
Will's objective is to convince you that you're teaching too much information (i.e., you're cramming too much content into your courses). With the every growing body of accounting knowledge, rules, regulations, methods, and techniques, I would find it difficult to believe that accounting educators are not doing this. As the old saying goes, "It's the nature of the beast." We have so much material to cover and so little time to get the job done.
A driving force pushing us to cover more is content tested on the CPA Examination. We want to make sure our students are prepared for the CPA Exam.
I like Will's commentaries about instructional design. They are practical and easily implemented.
In this blog posting, Will briefly mentions the "Learning and Forgetting Curves." This concept suggests that if you imagine your learners going up the learning curve and then down the forgetting curve, you'll notice that they end up where they started--that the learning has largely failed in producing benefits. To learn more about "Learning and Foregetting Curves," click the URL link below to view a short YouTube presentation by Will Thalheimer. Runtime is approximately 12 minutes.
A great resource provided by the Association for Talent Development (ATD), formerly ASTD, is a blog titled Science of Learning Blog. Click the blog title. When the web page displays, bookmark for page for future access.
What do you think of Will's discussion of Learning Curves/Forgetting Curves? Post a reply to this blog posting. Share your thoughts.
Have a great day,
Anyone who has taught a blended or online class where online testing is used, has had to deal with the issue of cheating, whether real or imagined. I teach a lot of online classes and thoroughly enjoy the challenge of this teaching-learning experience.
I used an online proctoring service with one online course. Student feedback was so-so. I have used Zoom.us, a cloud-based, incredible video-conferencing tool to proctor students completing an online exam. Student reaction to being watched through Zoom.us was more positive than the online proctoring service.
Whether good or bad, online proctoring is still very much an evolving process.
This post shares a story from The New York Times (Technology, April 5, 2015) titled Online Test-Takers Feel Anti-Cheating Software's Uneasy Glare.
What do you think? Is this an appropriate way to proctor an online exam test taker?
If you have had experience with this, please REPLY to this post with comments about your experience.Rick Lillie
A.W. (Tony) Bates has authored a book titled Teaching in a Digital Age. The book is available as a free download.
I have followed Tony's writing for several years. He has written extensively about online learning and distance education. I really appreciate one of Tony's sayings.....
"Good teaching may overcome a poor choice of technology but technology will never save bad teaching."
Book chapters include.....
Chapter 1: Fundamental Change in Education
Chapter 2: The nature of knowledge and the implications for teaching
Chapter 3: Methods of teaching: campus-focused
Chapter 4: Methods of teaching with online focus
Chapter 5: MOOCs
Chapter 6: Understanding technology in education
Chapter 7: Pedagogical differences between media
Chapter 8: Choosing and using media in education: the SECTIONS model
Chapter 9: Modes of delivery
Chapter 10: Trends in open education
Chapter 11: Ensuring quality teaching in a digital age
Chapter 12: Supporting teachers and instructors in a digital age
Appendix 1: Building an effective learning environment
Feedback on Activities
Check out the new book by Bates. Tony provides useful insights into distance teaching and learning. Also check out the resources link below for other of Tony's publications.
Resources: Other book by A.W. (Tony) Bates
Best wishes,
Rick Lillie
Earlier today, Bob Jensen posted a link on AECM to a Harvard Business Review article (January-February 2014) titled Life's Work: Salman Khan. I've written about Salman Khan and the Khan Academy several times before. I use technology extensively in my course designs. Where appropriate, I draw on Khan's methods and techniques to improve what I do for my students.
Like Salman Khan, I am very much student-centered in my approach to designing the teaching/learning experience. My approach to teaching came from the years when I was an audit manager in the National Continuing Education Department at Grant Thornton International (GTI). I quickly learned that you do not teach adult learners. Rather, you guide them through a learning process. Adult learners take responsibility for their own learning.
In the HBR article, Khan states that "one meta-level thing is to take agency over your own learning." I agree with his statement. However, I think it is important to understand the point at which a learner may be development wise.
Taking "agency" (responsibility) for your own learning assumes a learner has the maturity needed for this level of responsibility. I believe this is where faculty play a major role in the teaching/learning process. I don't equate "tech-savviness" with "maturity." Just because someone can interact with others on Facebook and Twitter does not necessarily make the person ready to take total control of the teaching/learning process.
A learner in the "becoming stage" (i.e., in the process of earning a degree or credential) needs guidance, influence, and a structured learning process. Whereas, a learner who has moved beyond the "becoming stage" (i..e, has earned a degree or credential) into the "continuing education stage" has reached the point of personal development where it is OK to do whatever turns you on. Learning is more "learning for learning's sake."
Khan states that Khan Academy is all about giving more breathing room to the learner. He believes he can use technology to deliver information at a student's pace. He says "there is something you get only from a human voice..It's incredibly valuable." On this, Khan and I agree.
I learned the art of instructional design by the seat of my pants. I quickly realized that "CPA" stood for "cut, paste, and attach." I created some pretty interesting instructional materials with a pencil, ruler, invisible tape, IBM Selectric typewriter, a variety of font balls, colored markers, and some fairly modest software applications. I was amazed what I could accomplish with an Apple2Plus computer. This all brings back a lot of enjoyable memories.
While at GTI, I started experimenting with computer-based instructional design. I played around with sound and video. It was difficult to do and include in course design. The technology was far too clunky, complicated to use and far too expensive. While experimenting, I began to follow the work of Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E. Mayer dealing with multimedia learning.
Khan's methodology is all about connecting with the learner in ways that empower the learner to progress as quickly as the learner is capable of doing. I agree with this objective to a point.
Rick Lillie, CSU San Bernardino
For several years, Janet Heart (C4LPT) in the UK has compiled an annual listing of the Top 100 Tools for Learning recommended by instructors from around the world. I've contributed to the list several times. I'm always fascinated to see the kinds of tools and related innovations instructors use to create and share course materials.
Click this link "100 Tools for Learning 2013" to access this year's listing. You can click your way through a slideshare presentation. Alternatively, you can scroll down the list of 100 tools. Click a tool name to go to the tool information webpage. A new feature of the information web page is the "Rankings" time line. It shows how a tool's popularity has changed since Jane Heart began compiling the annual listing in 2007.
Each technology tool has unique features. When designing course materials, the "trick" is to select the tool or combination of tools that enables you to create the desired learning experience.
If you would like to talk about a project you are creating, contact me by email at firstname.lastname@example.com. Let's find a mutually agreeable time to connect. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Rick Lillie, CSU San Bernardino
This is a very cute, entertaining presentation. It's creative in that it uses the "napkin" as the background for slides. Otherwise, it's a PowerPoint presentation with a soundtrack and a little annotation added. The presentation explains what a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is supposed to be.
My purpose in sharing this presentation is NOT to share my thoughts about MOOCs. Rather, it is to share what a PowerPoint presentation can be....with a little creative thought.
The video runs for about 36 minutes. Watch all of it or just some of it. That's your choice. However long you view, you'll learn something about making PowerPoint interesting. Yes...this is possile to do.
Welcome to "2013." Any year ending in "13" can't be completely bad. Are you superstitious?
Rick Lillie (Cal State San Bernardino)


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In the News
Notes on Queer Formalism
[Extra] Ordinary Performances
Galleries: Adibi's Metabolic Paintings
A Pragmatic Approach to Harvard Giving
Phyllis Rose '64, PhD '70 has designated her annuity to benefit the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, which houses one of the finest collections of resources for research on the history of women in America. "I do not know of another project like the Schlesinger," she says.
Playwright Delighted to be Mired in Tragedy
Neutrino Hunters: A Detective Story with Cosmic Implications
Fellow Ray Jayawardhana, hailed as "the new dean of popular science," will explain the implications of neutrino research. The quest to find the neutrino is the subject of Ray Jayawardhana's new book.
Radcliffe Fellow Julie Orringer Blends History, Ficton
Julie Orringer, a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute, spoke on the ability of novels to convey truths through fiction in a lecture. Orringer discussed the ways in which writers blend history with their own speculation and inventions into a cohesive story.
A Character Fit for a Novel
SSHH! The Best-Kept Film Series Secret Takes Place in a Library
New England Literary News
The Boston Globe highlights fellow Julie Orringer's talk on the art of historical novels.


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One word is commonly associated with Las Vegas across the world—gambling. The gaming industry is the economical "Goliath" for the city. However, with the constant population growth, another industry continues to rise; i.e., the construction industry. Below is a summary from an article, "Las Vegas Construction Boom Continues," in the October 2007 edition of Rocky Mountain Construction publication. Its purpose is to illustrate the influence of the construction industry in Las Vegas, and to illustrate the demand for heavy equipment operators to keep that industry on the rise:
Las Vegas' population explosion, robust economy and job growth are fueling an unprecedented building boom, with nearly $9 billion worth of construction projects planned in 2007-08. Construction is Nevada's second-largest and fastest-growing employer, trailing only gaming and hospitality, reports the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.
Las Vegas Construction The industry is now responsible for nearly 150,000 jobs statewide — about 11 percent of the state's total work force — contributing $5.1 billion annually in wage and salaries, while generating $14.7 billion worth of economic activity.
The Vegas Strip is leading the charge with $35.46 billion worth of projects planned through 2010, reports the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. Construction plans will add 42,092 more hotel rooms, 2,562 timeshare units and 3.49 million square feet of convention space. Another $13 billion in tentative projects could also build 36,703 hotel rooms and 7,088 timeshare units.
Affordable Concepts and others are staying busy downtown, which, like the Strip, is a hotbed of construction activity with projects like the $3-billion, 12-million-square-foot World Market Center at Grand Central Parkway and Bonneville Avenue.
The luxury condo and condo-hotel high-rise market is helping keep local constructors busy with 69 projects, totaling 45,616 units, planned in the first quarter, reports Restrepo Consulting Group, a Las Vegas-based economic research firm. While there have been some well publicized cancellations, many other developments are still moving forward.
Las Vegas Construction "There still seems to be steady growth in office, industrial and retail," says Brooks Williams, president of Brooks Corp., a Las Vegas general contractor. "People continue to move here, which continues to drive construction."
Southern Nevada had 8.5 million square feet of office development in the second quarter, a 51.7-percent improvement from a year ago, while retail had 14.1 million square feet of projects under construction for a 51.2-percent gain over 2006, reports Applied Analysis and Urban Environmental Research.
With its rapid population growth and tremendous number of visitors, the Las Vegas area is always expanding its highway network.
The article points to one main theme—construction is rising. There are needs and demands for new hotels, resorts, convention centers, houses, condominiums, "high-risers," highways, and you name it. But what the article does not say directly, but still implies, is that there is a need and demand for the people that make this possible. That is where heavy equipment operators come into play. Without heavy equipment operators, none of these construction projects would be completed.
According to Keith Schwer, professor of economics at UNLV, each hotel room added will generate one direct job at that property with an additional 2 jobs created in the local economy to support the new resorts. That equals approximately 126,276 new jobs, largely in the construction and heavy equipment industries. This figure is based on the above article that said approximately 42,092 new hotel rooms are expected to be built with the current construction plans in place for Las Vegas.
With the need of heavy equipment operators there is also the need for proper training, education, certification, high standards, and safety. This is why the National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS) was founded.
Illia, Tony. (October 2007). Las Vegas Construction Boom Continues. Rocky Mountain Construction. Retrieved November 6, 2007 from http://www.acppubs.com/article/CA6489210.html?rssid=112.


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Jan. 26, 2012
CONTACT: Francis De Luca (919) 834-2099
Raleigh, N.C. – A new Civitas Institute poll shows Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney leading Democratic incumbent Barack Obama by nine percent among North Carolina voters.
Romney is the choice of 48 percent of North Carolina voters if the election for President of the United States was being held today and the candidates were Mitt Romney the Republican, and Barack Obama the Democrat. Thirty-nine percent said they would vote for Obama, and 11 percent said they are undecided. Romney has the support of 80 percent of Republicans along with 55 percent of unaffiliated voters. Democratic voters would vote for Obama by a 65 percent to 22 percent margin.
"While the GOP primary campaign is still ongoing, Mitt Romney continues to register strong numbers against President Obama," said Civitas Institute President Francis De Luca.
Romney's January numbers are very close to the 50-39 percent margin over Obama he registered in September 2011 (Results here) . Romney garners the most support in Charlotte and Western NC, while voters in the Piedmont and the Northeast are most likely to vote for Obama.
In the key unaffiliated voter demographic, Romney has a 28 percent margin, a slight increase from the 25 percent margin he had in September.
The Civitas Poll is the only regular live-caller poll of critical issues facing North Carolina. For more information on Civitas polling see http://www.nccivitas.org/category/poll/.
Full Text of Question:
"If the election for President of the United States was being held today and you had to make a choice, for whom would you vote if the candidates were: Mitt Romney the Republican, and Barack Obama the Democrat?"
Total Romney – 48%
Total Obama – 39%
Definitely Romney – 36%
Probably Romney – 8%
Lean Romney – 4%
Undecided – 11%
Lean Obama – 1%
Probably Obama – 3%
Definitely Obama – 35%
Refused – 2%
For the results and other information, click here.
This poll of 300 likely 2012 general election voters in North Carolina was conducted January 9-11, 2012 by National Research, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ. All respondents were part of a fully representative sample of probable 2012 general election voters in North Carolina. For purposes of this study, voters interviewed had to have voted in 2006 or 2008 or be newly registered to vote since November 5, 2008. (November 5 is the day after the election)
The confidence interval associated with a sample of this size is such that: 95 percent of the time, results from 300 interviews (registered voters) will be within +-4% of the "True Values." True Values refer to the results obtained if it were possible to interview every person in North Carolina who had voted in the 2006 or 2008 general elections or is newly registered since November 5, 2008.


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Camille Moussette -
type -
tags -
date -
My PhD project is accessible viaSimple Haptics.
Clients login
I completed my PhD in Industrial Design at the Umeå Institute of Design (Sweden) in 2012. My professional activities are related to Interaction Design, Haptics and Sketching in Hardware. more »
Activities + Publications - Teaching Wiki - PhD blog
Montréal-born interaction designer fascinated about hardware interaction design.
Biography + CV
Flickr - Vimeo
now working at Apple in Cupertino.
biking & surfing in California!
Varied, from few hours to a week
Video mov, 640 x 360px , 9.76 MB
Video mov, 640 x 480px , 784 KB
Video mov, 480 x 360px , 368 KB
Winter 2004


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GENOA, Italy, May 8 (UPI) -- Rescue crews discovered a seventh body Wednesday following an overnight accident involving a container ship in the Italian port of Genoa, officials said.
Divers were attempting to retrieve the body trapped underwater in debris left when a vessel bound for the Sicilian city of Messina struck the Genoa control tower, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Officials said about 14 people were in the tower at the time of the accident, which sent the structure tumbling into the waters.
The accident occurred during a shift change, so more people were in the tower than usual, ANSA said.
Four people were rescued and hospitalized, two in serious condition.
Investigators said the container ship, the 40,500-ton, 655-foot Jolly Nero flying the Italian flag, was impounded and an investigation into manslaughter charges has been opened.


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Essiac is a unique 4-herb formula with a long history of use for its amazing healing properties. It contains Burdock (Arctium lappa), Sheep Sorrel (Rumex cetosella), Turkey Rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) Slippery Elm (Ulmus fulva) powder. This formula is based on a decoction originally developed and used by the Canadian Ojibwa Indians and is also called Ojibwa Tea. This herbal formula was discovered by nurse Rene Caisse in 1922 after talking with a patient who had been cured of breast cancer by a combination of herbs from an Indian medicine man. Caisse treated seriously ill patients with remarkable success for over 50 years.
There are many traditional uses of the 4-herb formula, but Essiac is most famous for its use in cancer patients; however, scientific proof is still lacking (though the individual herbs are each known to have specific anti-cancer action, among many other documented properties). There are also many potential benefits for our pets, including:
- anti-inflammatory
- antioxidant
- anti-ulcer and stomach tonic
- appetite stimulant
- blood cleanser
- blood sugar stabilizer
- detoxification
- heart and lung support and tonic
- immune system enhancement
- liver protectant
- prebiotic and probiotic
- supportive care
- thyroid normalization
- tonic
- reduction of chemotherapy side effects
- supportive therapy for cancer patients
The herbs are usually brewed into a decoction (strong tea); but they can also be extracted into a tincture. (There are also many products containing the herbs in dried, powdered form, but these are ineffective–the active principles must be decocted or tinctured in order to work in the body.) A tincture is more convenient and easier to administer than tea since smaller quantities can be used, and it also is more stable and has a much longer shelf life.
On a personal note, I gave this 4-herb formula to my dog after he had a malignant tumor removed; it never returned despite its known aggressive nature. I have used it for my own cats, as well as many patients, and I take it myself as a general tonic and immune support.
Only Natural Pet offers the same 4-herb formula in tincture in a product called B.S.S.T. (the initials, of course, stand for Burdock, Sheep Sorrel, Slippery Elm, and Turkey Rhubarb).


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Last night we were lucky enough to be invited to sample the new spring cocktails at Wit & Wisdom and PABU—both located inside the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore. The evening was special for a lot of reasons: Wit & Wisdom just hired a new lead bartender, Aaron Joseph; the bars opened their patio up for the first time last week; and PABU was celebrating its one-year anniversary.
And, of course, both bars are rolling out their new spring cocktails. If you want spring in a drink, try Wit & Wisdom's Edinburgh Rose, pictured, made with Edinburgh gin, Lillet Rouge (French aperitif wine), house-made rose petal syrup, lemon, and an egg white garnished with rose petals. This cocktail is clean, the gin doesn't bog it down with juniper, and the egg white blends the sweet and tangy flavors of the drink.
Lead bartender Joseph shared some of his history with us and he has worked in the Caribbean, on the Eastern Shore, and in some of the finest craft cocktail bars in D.C. His resume is reflected on the drink menu. There's the Red Rum Punch made with Mount Gay Eclipse rum, passion-berry tea, lemon, orange, and sugar cane syrup garnished with a mint sprig and orange peel. This drink—which should properly be sipped on a patio—was tropical enough without being overbearing. It was more tart than sweet and the tea added an aromatic quality. A local must-try is the Eastern Shore Shandy made with local Sloop Betty vodka, lemon, house made Old Bay Syrup, and Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning, garnished with an Old Bay rim. This take on a classic shandy is like a crab feast in a glass—spicy, buttery, and delicious.
The last drink we sampled was the Farragut, an extremely well-balanced mix of Four Roses bourbon, Nux Alpina walnut liqueur, sugar-free maple syrup, orange, and lemon, served over an ice ball and garnished with grated cinnamon and an orange peel. This cocktail hit all the right notes: smoky, sweet, and smooth. The perfect drink for those chillier spring nights.
Then we made our way over to PABU. This was my first time visiting the Japanese restaurant and bar. And it was a great night to do so. Because of its one-year anniversary, PABU brought in guest chefs from Roy's and The Food Market to create dishes, and featured dessert from Charm City Cakes. All of the food was excellent (especially a to-die-for soft-shell crab with lime-cilantro dipping sauce from The Food Market's Chad Gauss).
We sampled PABU's spring cocktail menu as well, guided by lead bartender Nick Jones. Highlights for us included the Cobra Kai (Jones's tribute to Karate Kid), with Dewazakura Oka sake, Lillet Rouge, white tea syrup, lime juice, and sparking wine. The sake's cherry flavor married nicely with the tart lime and light, white tea. We tried additional sake with the help of Sommelier Tiffany Dawn Soto, who recommended the Okunomatsu Sparkling Daiginjo, which was like the champagne of sakes—bubbly and sweet with notes of melon and honey. Perfect way to cap our night!
Of course, these two places are on the swankier side of Baltimore bars (cocktails were $9-12 each), but if you're feeling fancy or just simply want to celebrate springtime, these two Four Seasons gems—with incredibly knowledgeable staff—are the perfect places to do just that.


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It�s a good thing Batman dresses in black. He could be a popular guy on Hollywood�s black-tie circuit come Academy Awards season.
�The Dark Knight Rises� probably has the best chance ever for a superhero film to rise into the best-picture mix at February�s Oscars. The film is the last in a celebrated trilogy that elevated comic-book movies to operatic proportion, and Hollywood likes sending finales out with a lovely door-prize (Peter Jackson�s first two �Lord of the Rings� films were Oscar also-rans before the trilogy�s conclusion won best picture).
It has the weight and scope � and then some � of 2008�s �The Dark Knight,� the �Batman Begins� sequel whose snub in the best-picture field helped prod the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to expand the category to more than five nominees.
And in the snub department, academy voters are not likely to forget that Batman boss Christopher Nolan, one of modern Hollywood�s true innovators, has yet to be nominated for best director. So there could be an �oops, sorry about that� sheepishness among Oscar types working in both Nolan�s and the film�s favor.
Nolan doesn�t feel snubbed that �The Dark Knight� was overlooked for best picture or that he missed out on a directing nomination for that one and his 2010 thriller �Inception,� a best-picture nominee. He actually sees a one-of-a-kind honor in the way his films have played out over Oscar season.
�Look, the idea, the fact that people have talked about �The Dark Knight� as being a key reason why the academy changed their rules and expanded the field is just a huge honor for the film, in a weird way,� Nolan said.
The rules now allow for as many as 10 best-picture contenders. Opening next week, �The Dark Knight Rises� may just speak for itself as a work of high costume drama � albeit superhero costumes � that�s worthy of show business� highest honors, no matter how many nominees there are.
The film is gorgeous, sharply written, briskly paced despite an epic running time approaching three hours. The characters have depth and pathos, and the drama feels far richer than the usual hero-saving-the-world saga. The action reflects our own hard times as a masked terrorist lays siege to the masses in a sort of perverse Occupy Gotham City movement that pits the comic-book world�s 99 percenters against the rich and rapacious.
�I�m not saying this as a cast member. I�m saying this as a member of the academy. So far, it�s the best film I�ve seen all year,� said Anne Hathaway, who plays master thief Catwoman in �The Dark Knight Rises.� �He�s transcended the genre now. I think he�s shown that a comic-book movie can actually be epic, extraordinary cinema.�
So that�s one Oscar vote already from past best-actress nominee Hathaway. Round up the rest of Nolan�s key cast and the film�s got even more academy backers: four Oscar winners � Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard and Batman himself, Christian Bale � and another longtime awards season oversight, Gary Oldman, who finally got his first nomination last season.
That�s half a dozen big names pulling for �The Dark Knight Rises.� Sure, it�s a tiny fraction of the academy�s nearly 6,000 members. Yet when that many great actors sign up for a superhero flick, it must be something special.
They and co-stars Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, two of Nolan�s �Inception� colleagues, deliver superb performances in a genre whose characters often act more than a little campy.
That has been the difference in Nolan�s Batman films. Characters wear silly disguises, but it all feels real � so real that Heath Ledger posthumously won the supporting-actor Oscar as the Joker in �The Dark Knight,� playing a madman hidden behind makeup that looked like a melted ice cream cake.
Nolan �takes it seriously and he treats the characters like human beings, not as caricatures, and he treats the world as a real place,� Gordon-Levitt said. �He walks that line of delivering you a spectacle but not talking down to you.�
It�s not as if the academy has disrespected Nolan�s films. He�s been nominated himself three times, for the screenplays of �Inception� and his 2001 breakout hit �Memento,� as well as for best-picture as a producer on �Inception.�
Nolan�s films have received 21 nominations � including eight each for �Inception� and �The Dark Knight� � and won six Oscars.
�Regardless of whether �The Dark Knight� was nominated or not, we had nothing to complain about,� Bale said. �I don�t think Chris would be complaining whatsoever. I think he�s doing very well.�
The Directors Guild of America, whose awards contenders usually are a close match for the Oscar directing field, has nominated Nolan three times, for �Memento,� �The Dark Knight� and �Inception.�
Hathaway thinks it�s a huge oversight that Oscar voters have yet to follow suit but that �it�s probably just a matter of time� before Nolan wins his Oscar. �I hope it happens with this one,� she said.
Nolan�s not fretting over his Oscar prospects, though. He knows it�s a different kind of film � smaller, more intimate drama � that usually dominates at the awards. He�s actually quite pleased at how his movies have fared during Oscar season.
�The academy�s been incredibly good to me and my films, and it would be churlish of me to complain,� Nolan said. �Really, we�ve been honored by the academy in more kinds of different ways, and very importantly to me, Heath Ledger winning the best supporting-actor Oscar. These are things that mean a lot to me.�
Still, wouldn�t it mean more to win that directing Oscar himself?
�That would be terrific, but at the end of the day, they owe Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock a lot more than me, you know what I mean?� Nolan said, citing two Hollywood greats who never won the directing prize. �It�s kind of like, get in line.�


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Coronavirus in Humans vs. Dogs and Cats
The news is filled with breaking stories about the spread of a coronavirus, dubbed nCoV-2019. This is a scary disease, and recent news reports have led to many questions from pet owners and travelers alike...


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McLennan County Commissioner's Court Video can now be viewed online.
View all notices related to McLennan County from tax rates and related information to notices of local board meetings and more!
Burn bans are posted on the website after approved in Commissioners Court. They are also removed at the discretion of Commissioners Court where approved and needed.
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MyfriendshouseLA volunteers prepare to distribute food to the needy
This year, Christmas fell on a Wednesday and for many people in the southland and throughout the world signified the arrival of one of the most anticipated days of the year. However, for MyfriendshouseLA founder and Executive Director, Tiffany Rose it may have been Christmas but more importantly it was Wednesday.
Since 2008, the Virginia native with the huge heart has spent every Wednesday on San Pedro Boulevard between 5th and 6th in the Skid Row section of Los Angeles from 12pm-2pm feeding the homeless and this Wednesday will be no different.
"For almost 300 consecutive Wednesdays at the same time, same place whether its 120 degrees, pouring rain, snow or holidays we've been there," she says adamantly. "This year Christmas is on a Wednesday. I already have people calling me asking, 'Are you going to be down there?' And I'm like its Weds right? It's a commitment we've made and as long as God allows us to be there we're going to be there."
What started out as an effort among a few friends has grown into a movement that includes weekly an average of 20-40 volunteers that has fed and clothed an estimated 40,000 homeless people in just over five years.
"I'm a person of action," claims Rose. "If I hear of something or see a need I try to figure out how I can help. Something in my mind triggers and I start to figure out what I can do. I'm always challenged. I'm action oriented."
The extreme poverty that she witnessed on Skid Row upon her arrival in Los Angeles years ago, Rose explains is what prompted to her action.
"I'm not from LA, I'm from Virginia and we don't have that type of poverty there," she says. "When I moved here I couldn't believe there was that kind of poverty here. I was just taken aback. I later found out that Skid Row has the largest concentration of homelessness in the US."
The former real estate agent and budding screenwriter goes on to reveal that soon after her initial introduction to Skid Row she began volunteering at a few of the missions down there. Although, for the "action-oriented" young woman the many hurdles that accompanied her volunteer experience with some of the larger missions, made lending a helping hand more difficult that she had anticipated.
"There are so many restrictions in a building," she said clearly still frustrated. "That's why some people won't go to the mission. It's so much paperwork in volunteering it can be a hindrance; there's tons of paperwork involved, fingerprints and even background checks for some especially if you're dealing with youth. I found that some people just want to come out and give and share and I wanted to make the process easy and inviting for people so they wouldn't feel bogged down with an application." She added, "And with a lot of the missions you have to call them, with MyfriendshouseLA they just come down, it's very convenient."
The ease of participation coupled with a push from social media has been an integral part of the growth of MyfriendshouseLA Wednesday initiative. "Social media played a large part in the beginning," insists Rose. "It started out with four friends of mine. We all use social media and we all came back and posted on Facebook, or Twitter and someone chimed in and it just kinda grew from there. We all have so many true friends, we may not call everybody up but we post what we do and that garnered the interest of people."
The Facebook posts, Instagram pics and tweets did a little more than just garner interest. The majority of the individuals who come down to volunteer find out about her work through social media. To date the organization's Facebook page (MyfriendshouseLA) has more than 1,350 likes; it's Twitter and Instagram page (wefeedthehungry) have more than 25,000 followers combined. "I found about it via one of my friends I follow on twitter one day," said advertising executive, Darren Struthers. "After coming down once I made it a goal in 2013 to come down three to four times a month. I love being able to give directly to people and seeing the immediate impact it has one their lives." In addition to attracting volunteers her efforts recently caught the eyes of producers of the "Queen Latifah Show."
"We came to the attention of the show, again through social media," she recalls. "They were looking for hometown heroes and people they support and they called me and booked us for the show." That booking eventually led to a $25,000 dollar donation from the show. According to Rose, it was the largest gift the show has given to date.
What makes MyfriendshouseLA special is that the fact that it's primarily fueled by volunteers and gifts like the one from the Queen Latifah Show. Unlike other 501c3s MyfriendshouseLA is not a grant funded organization and relies heavily on the goodwill of its supporters which include the Panera Bread on Brand in Glendale and the Trader Joe's in Silverlake on Hyperion. "Providing food to organizations that feed the homeless is part of our culture," stated Ionel Acatrinei, Manager of the Panera Bread on Brand in Glendale. "It's important for us to help the community and we feel good doing it." In addition to the donations they receive it's not uncommon for volunteers to cook and provide clothing and other necessary items as well.
"Sometimes we do special orders," said LA based comedienne and MyfriendshouseLA volunteer, Melanie Comarcho. "There was a man in a wheelchair who was a bit bigger and could never find clothes in his size, so I went and bought him a pair of pants and shoes. Sometimes it's just about fulfilling the need." Comarcho went on to add, "It feels good and every comic is one show away from this line. And I do this as a way of tithing—it's not always about money, sometimes it's about giving of your time."
Based on the popularity of its Wednesday outreach, many think the work stops there for MyfriendshouseLA. In actuality, in addition to feeding the homeless the organization also has a literacy program, which every third Thursday has story telling time with inner city youth. Its outreach efforts also include a prison outreach and senior outreach. The name MyfriendshouseLA was not a coincidence and it's the executive director's hopes to one day soon include housing in its list of offerings. "It's called Myfriendshouse because we want to have affordable housing and transitional housing available for people," she stated. "In the beginning we called it that because we wanted that type of program but didn't have the money so we referred people to other organizations. The ultimate goal is to have a mix use facility that offers office space, housing, a resource center, food pantry, clothing boutique, classes on job readiness, so we'll be able to have workshops and get people back to a state of self sufficiency. There are so many innovative programs we want to implement. I'm hoping in six months, to start off on a smaller scale with one home and grow from there."
Fortunately for Tiffany Rose, as the past has proven she has a little more than luck on her side and if providence has any say in the matter she'll be doing this work a long time.
"I really believe it's a blessed organization, it's a spiritual thing I can't quite articulate but I can feel it in my soul. I feel like this is my mission and passion and this is what God wants me to do so he's approved of it and he's going to make sure everything else is taken care of."
For more information on MyfriendshouseLA, visit them on FB-MyfriendshouseLA, Twitter- wefeedthehungry and Instagram-wefeedthehungry.


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Heat Strips are manufactured in the same way as mats. They are made narrower and are generally used to heat small boxes and the cages used for housing juvenile snakes and some other species. The principles of use are the same as those for mats and the same precautions should be exercised. In small enclosures the heat build up can be very quick. The temperature should be adequately monitored and controlled with a HabiStat thermostat.
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Welcome to the Class of 1947's Webpage!
Welcome, Alumni, to your class website! In addition to the content available through the links on the left hand menu, below is an overview of other features available to you on the Amherst Website.
This Web site comprises your Class News and a list of your Classmates that shows where each student is from.
You can also update your information in Amherst's Alumni Directory.


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Vote for the Best and Worst Brand Extensions
Which marketers pushed their products to new frontiers—and which ones pushed things too far?
Quick—do you know what Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, Ralph Lauren for the Pet and Mr. Clean Car Wash all have in common? Answer: Each is an example of a brand extension—a new product that a brand famous in one category rolls out in another category. A time-honored tactic of the branding world, extensions are a great way both to enhance a brand's image and boost the bottom line.
Or not. For every great brand extension out there, history offers many more examples (Colgate frozen entrees, Harley-Davidson perfume) that prompt the question: What were they thinking?
Well, according to brand-extension agency Parham Santana, here's what they should be thinking. A successful brand extension is a logical fit with the parent brand and uses that name to competitive advantage. It also broadens the consumer's perception of what the parent brand can represent and—of course—it produces sales.
Keep all that in mind, because it's time to give us your input. In partnership with Parham Santana, Adweek is inaugurating a poll to determine the best and the worst brand extensions of the past year. Check out the lists below and pick your top three from each.
Voting ends on Jan. 22. Results will appear in the Feb. 4 issue as well as online and in Adweek's iPad edition.
Happy voting.


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VANCOUVER, B.C. — The playoffs are now more dream than reality for the Vancouver Whitecaps, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to play for. Regional pride will be on the line when they play Cascadia Cup rivals Portland Timbers on Saturday (10 pm, Fox Soccer, TSN).
The Cup was established by supporters of the Whitecaps, Timbers and Seattle Sounders in 2004 when the clubs played in the United Soccer Leagues and is awarded to the club that gets the most points off their regional rivals in league play.
As fate would have it, the last time all three clubs competed for the trophy (2008), the Whitecaps came out on top. It's the Timbers, however, who are the reigning Cup holders, winning the trophy in each of the last two seasons.
"I've seen a couple of Portland's games," midfielder Davide Chiumiento told MLSsoccer.com after training this week. "They have a nice stadium and it will be a special game, different from other games. Similar to the Seattle game — for sure a lot of supporters, too, from Vancouver. It will be a tough game. These are the kind of games we need to have the right mentality and show our personality."
Fans will certainly be hoping for a similar sort of game to the June 11 Sounders-Whitecaps match. A large contingent of traveling supporters at a packed CenturyLink Field gave the fixture an electric atmosphere. The match, fittingly, ended with a bang with three goals scored in the span of five minutes, including Eric Hassli's 85th-minute wonder strike which earned a 2-2 draw for the 'Caps.
When asked if the Timbers' midweek game against Sporting Kansas City will give the Whitecaps an advantage after their week off, Chiumiento offered, "In these special games you don't feel tired, you give everything."
According to the Whitecaps, 500 fans will be making the trip down to Oregon to see Saturday's match, showing just how important this derby is.
"I think this Northwest quarter — any time you play Seattle or Portland there's a lot more at stake than just the game," head coach Tom Soehn explained. "There's a big rivalry and it's a healthy rivalry which is fantastic. There's a lot at stake this weekend for bragging rights up in this corner."
The Whitecaps have won three Cascadia Cups since the hardware was established, while the Timbers and Sounders have two apiece.
In this edition of the tournament, the Sounders currently sit atop the table with five points from three matches played, while the Whitecaps sit at the bottom alongside the Timbers. Vancouver are still very much in the competition, however, as they have two games in hand on the table-topping Sounders.
Martin MacMahon covers the Vancouver Whitecaps for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @martinmacmahon


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Princeton's Career Services celebrates 100 years
Princeton University's Office of Career Services is marking its 100th anniversary this year. While a lot has changed since the office was founded as the "Self-Help Bureau" in 1912, one thing remains the same: Career Services' commitment to assisting Princeton students and alumni as they develop and pursue their career goals.
Throughout its 100 years, the office has encouraged students to get an early start on their career planning, said Director of Career Services Beverly Hamilton-Chandler. Undergraduates, graduate students and alumni are encouraged to take advantage of the office's numerous programs and resources, from one-on-one career counseling to career fairs and networking events.
"Career Services has been an invaluable resource during my job search," Princeton senior Katelyn Perry said. "My interactions with the career counselors have enabled me to be more strategic and purposeful in my career search rather than just casting a wide net."
Junior April Hu said she appreciates that Career Services helps students pursue career goals "at their own time and own pace."
Hamilton-Chandler said the primary difference between Career Services "then and now" is that technology has significantly changed the way students interact with the office, as well as with prospective employers.
"Many alumni may still remember bulletin boards and binders full of paper job and internship postings, as well as long lines to register for on-campus interviews," Hamilton-Chandler said. "Today, employment postings, applications and interview schedules are managed online. In the past two decades, the Internet and social media have fundamentally changed employer recruitment methods and the way students search and apply for opportunities.
"Our goal is to continue to provide highly personalized services while also maintaining 24/7 online accessibility," Hamilton-Chandler added, noting that Career Services plans to update its website this spring with more interactive and multimedia features.
Sophomore Gavin Cook said he has benefited from many of the office's resources.
"The best part about working with Career Services is that they help you with the tools and vocabulary to market yourself, whether on resumes, in interviews or networking situations," Cook said.
Several celebrations and displays are scheduled for the spring semester to commemorate Career Services' centennial. Alumni and students are invited to participate in the "Alumni Connections Student Networking Event," at 6 p.m. March 4, 2013, at Prospect House. This annual event brings alumni from a wide range of fields back to campus to share their insights and advice with students. To register for the March 4 networking event, visit the Career Services website.
In addition, the summer internship and nonprofit career fairs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, 2013, at Dillon Gym will feature displays for students, alumni and employers. In April, a reception is planned to honor alumni who have hosted the office's "Princeternship" career exploration program, and a Career Services open house will be held for alumni during Reunions. Also, all members of the graduating Class of 2013 will receive recognition for being the 100th graduating class that Career Services' has assisted.
A look at Career Services' history is available on the office's Facebook timeline, which features photos and articles from its founding through today.


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The lure of the Dark Side of Japan grows stronger every day. And more riders are turning their backs on conventional models and coming over to one of the most exciting new movements in motorcycling.
Yamaha's dynamic MT-03 represents the new wave in motorcycle design. A sporty and versatile character comes together with an upright riding position and compact dimensions to make this naked lightweight an ideal choice for new, returning and upgrading riders.
Powered by a lively 321cc, parallel twin cylinder engine and equipped with an easy handling chassis, this motorcycle makes you look forward to every ride on any road. MT-03 from Yamaha. Come and embrace the Darkness.