text: HomeLegal Help and EducationConsumer BrochuresInfo about Alternatives to Trial - State Bar of Arizona Alternatives to Trial A Guide to Alternative Dispute Resolution Settling your dispute out of court could help you avoid high costs and long delays. Alternative Dispute Resolution may be more desirable than going to court. The American legal system is widely regarded as model for impartial dispute resolution. But, while the conventional trial remains the workhorse of the American judicial system, the system is oversubscribed, both at the federal and the state levels. Thus, getting a civil case to trial can take time, sometimes measured in years. Getting through the process can also cost a lot of money without any guarantee of success. The outcome of the case rests in the hands of people who may know nothing about the business or industry involved in the dispute; because of this, many people are not satisfied with the ability to gauge the likelihood of success. These two shortcomings-the time it takes to closure and knowledgeable decision makers-are what alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") methods are aimed at. While there are minor variations, we will discuss the two most important ADR processes in this pamphlet: arbitration and mediation. Contrary to popular misconception, these terms are not synonymous: Arbitration is an informal yet adversarial proceeding similar to, but simpler than, a conventional trial, where an arbitrator takes evidence and makes a decision binding on both parties. Mediation is the attempt of a mediator to fashion resolution of the dispute through agreement between the parties; the mediator is not a judge, but more of a facilitator. Arbitration Arbitration is sometimes described as "private trial," where the process is paid for by the parties, rather than by the taxpayers, and the resulting award is usually confidential, unlike the public verdicts of trials paid for by taxes and possible costs to a party. Arbitration Is Agreed To Arbitration is a process agreed upon by the parties; if they haven't agreed to it, the arbitrator has no jurisdiction over them and has no authority to rule on their dispute. On the other hand, "regular" courthouse litigation commences when one party files a complaint against the other at the court, regardless of the latter's willingness to decide the dispute in this way. Arbitration Is Less Formal Arbitration is a lot more informal. The hearing is usually conducted in an ordinary meeting room, rather than a fancy courtroom. Sometimes there will be only one arbitrator, sometimes a panel of three. Witnesses are sworn as in a conventional courthouse trial, and the parties or their attorneys take turns presenting their evidence, as in a regular trial. The rules of evidence and civil procedure that strictly govern traditional courthouse litigation are relaxed and serve as only guidelines for the arbitrator. Arbitrators Are Not Always Lawyers In fact, one of the advantages of arbitration is that the parties can seek an arbitrator who is versed in the nature of the dispute. Thus, it is not uncommon for a contractor or an architect to serve as an arbitrator in a construction dispute; likewise, an accountant may be chosen to hear a dispute concerning a tax dispute or a financing dispute. Arbitration Is FinalThe award of the arbitrator is final; there can be no appeal, except in a few, rare circumstances. The parties agree to this finality when they agree to arbitrate their dispute. (However, mandatory court-annexed arbitration, held as part of courthouse litigation procedural rules, for the smaller civil cases in the courts, allows for an appeal.) Arbitrators Are PaidLike the public court system, where judges are paid by taxes, arbitrators are paid by the parties and usually charge by the hour. Their rates are normally set out in their biographies but, if not, you should not hesitate to ask about costs. How Long Does It Take?The length of an arbitration hearing depends entirely on the complexity of the dispute. Simple landlord-tenant arbitrations might take less than half a day. Hearings in complicated commercial or construction arbitrations may run for weeks. Usually, the time from commencement of arbitration to entry of a final award is much shorter than the time from filing a Complaint in courthouse litigation to a final determination. Mandatory ArbitrationAll counties have a mandatory arbitration process. The threshold amount for mandatory arbitration varies from county to county, as determined by that county. These mandatory arbitrations are conducted by practicing lawyers who volunteer their time; there is no charge to the parties. In these cases, the arbitrator's award may be appealed by any party to the Superior Court, but there are significant penalties if the appealing party loses the appeal; these penalties are intended to discourage the appeal of mandatory arbitration awards. Mediation The public often confuses mediation with arbitration, and it is common for people to believe they are the same thing. They are not. Arbitration=Third Party DecisionIn arbitration, the parties cast their fates to the decision of a third party--the arbitrator. The parties no longer have control over the outcome of the dispute, and each can only hope that the case he/she presents to the arbitrator is persuasive enough to win. Mediation= Resolution by Agreement Between the PartiesIn mediation, the parties maintain control over the outcome of their dispute because they control the decision making. The mediator is not a judge; the mediator is a facilitator whose job is to build consensus by helping the parties fashion solutions they both can live with instead of having a third party-either an arbitrator in the private system or a judge in the public system-deciding the outcome for them. No RegulationMediation is not regulated by any state laws or by any mandatory industry standards (although there is one Arizona statute that provides for confidentiality related to mediation.) Thus, any person can hang up a sign and become a mediator, and it is this fact that can result in mediations that leave the parties dissatisfied. It is important, if you decide that mediation might be worth a try, that you check as to the experience of the mediators you are considering or choose a mediator from a professional ADR organization whose mediators are both trained and experienced, and whose biographies are given to you as part of the selection process. Such organizations often have an ethical code for their members. Mediators Needn't Be LawyersMediation, while seeming to be a legal process, does not require lawyers to conduct it. In fact, many mediators are professionals in various industries whose personalities and "people skills" have proven valuable in bringing together people with divergent views. Skills such as understanding the psychologies of anger, fear and revenge; the ability to listen objectively; knowledge of a particular business or industry; creativity in developing solutions; and the ability to act as a calming influence in inflamed settings are key ingredients to a successful mediator. Mediators Are Also PaidLike arbitrators, mediators are paid, usually by the hour. Their hourly rates are usually set forth in their biographies. How Long Does It Take?As you can imagine, how long a mediation takes-and whether it is even successful-depends on the good faith willingness of the parties and the extent to which they really want the mediation to work; that is, to really want to resolve the dispute. If one party is not of that mind, the mediation will certainly take longer and its chances of success are diminished. Mandatory MediationMany of the Justice Courts in Arizona require the mediation of small claim lawsuits before the suit is ever allowed to be heard by the judge. In the Superior Court, divorce cases also must go through mediation before the judge will hear the case. The mediators in these cases are volunteers and, thus, the parties are not charged. Most judges in civil cases in the Superior Court will press the parties to go through mediation before a trial date will be set. There is a process in civil cases whereby a Superior Court judge can be tasked to convene a "settlement conference," which conference is similar to a mediation. Where Do I Go for More Info? There are many ADR organizations that provide mediation and arbitration services and that actually manage the entire process for the parties. They charge fees for these services, but often this cost is well worth it, especially if you are not accustomed to arranging phone conferences, setting hearing dates, and exchanging documents with the other party before the hearing. For help in finding an ADR organization, ask an attorney you know about ADR and how to go about arranging for it. Keep in mind that some arbitrators and mediators also choose to operate independently of ADR organizations or may do cases obtained from both sources. For independent ADR professionals, word of mouth may be the way you hear about them, so check around locally; the internet can also be helpful. Consumer BrochuresA Guide to Guardianship and ConservatorshipAlternatives to TrialCertified Legal SpecialistClient Protection FundChild Support and Child Custody - Frequently Asked QuestionsDomestic Violence - What the Law Can Do to Help VictimsHow to Talk to Your LawyerI Need Legal Help - What Should I Do?Information About Disputes With LawyersLawyers and Legal FeesPersonal InjuryQuick and Easy Tips for Legal HelpUnderstanding DivorceWills and TrustsYour Rights as an Employee Let Joe Know, Ask a Lawyer Phone Bank What is Let Joe Know, Ask a Lawyer Phone Bank? Volunteer attorneys answer your questions on the State Bar of Arizona and ABC15's Let Joe Know, Ask a Lawyer Phone Bank public service program. You can discuss your legal issues with them for free from 5 to 7 p.m. Click here for more. Read more


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Word on the Street
This story appears in the January 2005 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
Waheed Hassan hardly reminds anyone of Gordon Gekko. A 31-year-old stock analyst with a high, boyish voice, Hassan founded his Potomac Falls, Virginia-based independent stock research firm in May 2003, with two other partners. Hassan's firm, Investology, remains tiny, with only one full-time employee. Unlike analysts at big investment banking firms, Hassan doesn't appear on CNBC in sharp suits, give frequent quotes to The Wall Street Journal or expense fancy lunches. No, Investology toils in relative obscurity, focusing on stocks of companies most Americans have never heard of. "We do research on small capitalization stocks," says Hassan. "Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley-they don't cover small caps [today], so it's an opportunity for us."
These days, there are more and more Waheed Hassans, and fewer and fewer Gordon Gekkos. Over the past three years, as IT has made it easier for entrepreneurs to sell stock research, and as scandals involving Wall Street brokerages have sullied the image of the largest firms, the market for independent stock research and analysis has opened up. And savvy entrepreneurs like Hassan are stepping into the breach, taking business from the financial giants. Indeed, despite its hand-to-mouth existence, Investology's independent research has already won the company a relationship with one of the bigger U.S. pension funds.
The Scandal Effect
For decades, most stock research was handled by large firms that employed reams of analysts to cover a wide range of stocks. But they didn't just analyze stocks: The big boys also made money with financial advisors, brokers and investment bankers.
Since 2000, however, investigations by financial watchdogs have revealed that some of the larger firms' stock research was not truly independent. Corporate chiefs at the bigger investment houses were pressuring analysts to rate certain stocks highly so their brokers and investment bankers could sell more of the stock, and the investment houses could then benefit from public offerings of stocks they had touted.
Many individual investors-especially those who jumped into the market in the go-go '90s-believed the analysts were independent and lost billions betting on their recommendations. In the wake of a multiyear investigation into the big firms' research, 10 large Wall Street firms admitted their wrongdoing and, in April 2003, paid a $1.4 billion fine.
These scandals have given entrepreneurs two historic opportunities. First, as larger Wall Street investment houses faced huge fines for their actions, they had to cut costs. Big Wall Street houses laid off hundreds of stock analysts who had the expertise needed to offer high-quality research, with several firms cutting as much as 40 percent of their staff. Consequently, the big firms simply stopped monitoring whole groups of stocks, like the small caps that Investology focuses on.
David Riedel was one of those experts. In 2002, Riedel was laid off as an analyst at Salomon Smith Barney. "I realized there were huge opportunities [due to] the breakdown in certain types of research by bigger firms," he says. With a strong background in Asia-Riedel got a graduate degree in business from a Thai university, speaks Thai and Chinese, and had analyzed Asian stocks in the mid-'90s for Salomon Brothers-he decided that Asia would be his niche. As the larger firms downsized, they cut most of their independent research on the ground in Asian markets outside China and Japan, Riedel says. Yet, in the past three years, he says, these Asian markets have posted some of the strongest growth in the world. Seeing that hole, in May 2003 Riedel started his own company, Riedel Research Group Inc., out of his New York City loft.
Riedel, 37, hired seven local analysts in three Southeast Asian countries, and hit the ground fast, focusing on Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The internet made it even easier for him to get started. After hiring Thai analysts through local word-of-mouth, he turned to an Asian online job board to find his other analysts and has been thrilled with the quality of their research.
With a niche in place, he started drawing on old connections, emphasizing that he was offering services others didn't. "I pitched my research to [mutual and pension] fund managers who have holdings in Asia [and] are being poorly served by big investment firms [that] don't have analysts on the ground," Riedel says.
Six clients quickly signed up with Riedel, and he plans to have 30 by year's end. Riedel believes his on-the-ground information, tailored to his customers, has paid off. He advised clients not to pull out of holdings in Indonesia, despite the country's recent political instability due to terrorist attacks. This year, Indonesia quieted down, held a peaceful presidential election, and watched its stocks soar.
A Matter of Trust
The scandals have not only left more stocks ignored by large companies-they've also eroded Americans' trust in large Wall Street firms' advice. In fact, polls now consistently show that average investors mistrust nearly all the larger firms' research. "We get many people walking in here for the first time specifically because they don't trust the bigger names," says Emily Sanders, 50, founder and president of Sanders International Inc., a small financial advisory and investment management firm in Norcross, Georgia. "They think it'll be easier to hold us accountable." Indeed, while Sanders once shied away from advertising that her firm was small for fear investors equated small with lack of expertise, now she openly advertises her company's size to lure customers.
Sanders, too, has found a niche, which is crucial to smaller investment houses. Sanders International focuses on affluent young women, whom she believes are still treated shabbily by larger, male-dominated Wall Street firms. "They talk down to [women investors] all the time. We never do," she says. Today, Sanders manages over $80 million in client assets, and 50 percent of her customers are women, a high figure in the industry.
Some small financial companies will benefit directly from the big firms' $1.4 billion settlement. As part of the fine, the 10 big investment houses will pay roughly $450 million for independent research not tainted by ties to brokers and investment bankers. As further punishment, the 10 big boys will be required to post the independents' research on the big firms' own websites, a kind of free advertising for entrepreneurial investment firms. Already, a group of five small investment research houses have banded together, forming a consortium called Best Independent Research, to provide research to the big firms' sites and toll-free investor hotlines. Meanwhile, the Bank of New York has signed agreements with more than 150 independent suppliers to distribute their research.
Though other small companies may not benefit directly, smart entrepreneurs have used the big firms' troubles to convince clients that small research is better. "We're so different from the Wall Street firms because they make money selling stocks, and we only make money doing research," says Chris Hackett, who started his own firm, Greenwich Investment Research Inc., in December 2001 out of his Greenwich, Connecticut, home. To show he stood behind his work, unlike the larger firms, Hackett took a bold risk. From the start, he invested his own money in the stock picks his firm touts. "I put my retirement funds, my investment for my kids, into every piece of research we do, and we stay in that position alongside our clients," Hackett says. "When you're betting your own money, you really don't want to make a mistake."
Hackett focuses on high-end professional investors, including some of the biggest mutual and pension funds, selling them his intensely detailed research reports-dense 20- to 30-page documents he compares to "a thick issue of The Economist"-for a fee of $20,000 annually. Hackett also does extra, tailored, follow-up research on any stock for a customer. "We wouldn't want to get too big-it's really important that we have a direct relationship with clients," Hackett says. Still, "Hackett's Special Situation Report" has proven profitable enough that the two-person firm recently added a marketing expert.
Hackett believes his research is simply better. "We look for anoma-lies in the market that bigger firms miss," he says. Hackett points to CenterPoint Energy, a Houston-based power corporation, as an example. "Everyone on Wall Street hated [CenterPoint] last year. It was at $5 a share because they'd done some stupid things on their balance sheet," he says. "But amidst the mess, they had strong earnings. We went against everyone from Wall Street-my dad's own stockbroker told him not to invest with me in it. But it was a no-brainer." Today, CenterPoint trades at nearly $11 per share, and clients of "Hackett's Special Situation Report" reaped huge profits.
For people without knowledge of investment advising, getting into the business seems like a snap. There are relatively low barriers to entry, since it doesn't take much capital to open an office, and getting certified as an advisor is not difficult in most states.
But building the kind of trust that attracts clients is much harder. Emily Sanders, founder and president of investment advisory firm Sanders International Inc. in Norcross, Georgia, believes finding a market niche is crucial. In her case, it's affluent women-an underserved client base. Similarly, Jennifer Black, a financial analyst who formed Jennifer Black & Associates from her home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, has focused on researching apparel and retail companies, becoming an expert in these areas.
Once they find that niche, savvy entrepreneurs use unconventional ways to reach these clients. Big financial firms tend to attract clients through traditional advertising and word-of-mouth, which can be expensive and time-consuming. But Sanders, for instance, has become a corporate contributor to the Atlanta Women's Foundation, a nonprofit organization, to help promote her services and net new clients.
Perhaps most important, given the current skepticism toward investment research, entrepreneurial advisors must promote their independence, the key advantage that sets them apart from the big boys. Small financial advisors simply have to use every opportunity to emphasize that because they don't have brokerage operations, their research can't be tainted.
Small Wonders
But even as the financial industry changes, it's hardly easy going for entrepreneurs. Selling research on larger capitalization stocks-the big, well-known companies that are interesting to a wider range of investors-remains tough sledding for small firms. "I can't compete with [bigger firms] writing a report on IBM," says Hassan. "They have too many analysts on it." Indeed, even midsize research companies like Chicago-based Morningstar, which has made itself a brand name in the industry, often shy away from doing detailed research on the biggest caps.
Still, independent research firms can be proud of the strides they've made. A new study by three eminent finance professors-Brett Trueman of University of California, Los Angeles; Brad Barber of University of California, Davis; and Reuven Lehavy of University of Michigan, Ann Arbor-found that independent stock firms made more accurate stock picks between 1996 and 2003 than the larger Wall Street companies. In the weaker, post-2000 stock market, the independents outperformed the larger investment firms by an even wider margin, perhaps because the independents were not worried that downgrading companies would hurt their brokers' abilities to sell stocks. If they keep it up, maybe one day entrepreneurs like Waheed Hassan will rule Wall Street.
One reason the smaller companies have a chance in the investment business today is that many Americans no longer trust the big boys. Over the past four years, a series of scandals have suggested that some of the analysis of larger investment firms is Biased. Here are just a few of the highlights-or lowlights.
May 2002:
After an investigation by regulators into conflicts of interest in its research and analysis department, Merrill Lynch pays a $100 million fine. In the investigation, e-mail messages by leading Merrill Lynch analyst Henry Blodget leak to the press. The e-mails suggest that several of the analysts, including Blodget, publicly talked up stocks that in private they disdained-stocks whose investment banking business Merrill wanted to win. Later, similar e-mails come out at other top firms.
October 2002:
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer files suit against top officials from five telecommunications companies, arguing that they gave investment banking business to Citigroup in a deal to have Citigroup analysts boost the ratings of their stocks.
December 2002:
In an ongoing investigation by regulators into conflicts of interest at several other top Wall Street houses, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Global Markets (formerly Salomon Smith Barney), the big firms agree to pay a whopping $1.4 billion fine.
September 2003:
Spitzer and the SEC announce that they've launched another investigation-this one into conflicts of interest among several of the largest mutual fund firms.
October 2003:
Citigroup Global Markets fires four of its brokers after further investigation into their trading practices.
May 2004:
The SEC announces a new set of ethics codes for mutual funds, requiring them to provide more disclosure of some of their trading practices.
August 2004:
Janus Capital Group, one of the larger American mutual fund groups, agrees to pay a fine of $226.2 million after an investigation by regulators into improper trading.
Joshua Kurlantzick is a writer in Washington, DC.

subset: commoncrawl


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Straight from the digital horse's mouth, as it were.
Elizabeth Banks isn't waiting for anyone else to break the news - she took to Twitter and announced her casting in "The Hunger Games."
"Yes! And I can now confirm I'm EFFIE TRINKET in @TheHungerGames. So excited!" she wrote.
U.S. & World
Banks joins a cast that already includes "Winter Bone" star Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson ("The Kids Are All Right"), and Liam Hemsworth ("Knowing," brother of the Mighty Thor).
The character of Effie is described as an "escort" for "District 12" who comes into close contact with Katniess Everdeen (Lawrence) and her sister, Prim.
If you "squee'd" at any of those words, well then we imagine this is good casting. If not, we'll have to wait and see. But we do know this - Banks has never let us down. Ever. So any movie that casts her is doing something right.


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Itchy, red, scaly rashes are caused by more than allergic reactions. Various factors, conditions and medical issues can cause an itchy rash. Five common rashes include skin reactions from heat, stress, plant contact, viruses and funguses.
Heat rash. Miliaria, or heat rash, is common with kids but can happen to any age group. Typically, it occurs during humid and/or hot weather when you are dressed too heavily for the heat or wearing clothing that does not allow for air circulation. Your sweat flow is blocked and a rash results. Prickly heat is a form of heat rash. Heat rashes are rarely serious. Treat a heat rash with a cool compress and a bit of calamine lotion. Avoid wearing heavy, restrictive clothing when the weather is hot and humid.
Stress rash. A typical stress rash may appear as hives or urticaria. It may appear anywhere on the skin as itchy welts ranging in size from as small as a pea to as large as a Frisbee. Sometimes hives meld together to form one large mass. Stress hives may go away in 24 hours or can last longer depending on the person and situation. Hives can be treated with cold compresses, colloidal oatmeal baths, cortisone creams and antihistamines. Lichen planus is a rash appearing as flat, shiny bumps. The bumps typically are found on the wrists, ankles, neck, back and legs. Stress may be one of the causes of lichen planus. Topical corticosteroids can help treat the itch from lichen planus.
Contact dermatitis. An allergic reaction to plants such as poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac result in a rash known as contact dermatitis. It occurs usually through contact with the plant's oils. However, you can develop a rash from smoke if these plants are burned. It can be contagious; one person can pass the oils along to another through contact from skin to skin or from contaminated clothing to skin. Once the oil has been washed from the skin, you are no longer contagious. Reduce the spread by washing all contaminated clothing, shoes and other items. The National Institutes of Health recommends treating this type of plant reaction rash with cool compresses, calamine lotion, hydrocortisone cream, colloidal oatmeal baths or soaking in aluminum acetate. Antihistamines may be taken as well.
Viral rash. Shingles is an example of a viral rash. Known as the herpes zoster virus, it is caused by chickenpox or the varicella-zoster virus. Shingles typically affect older adults, but anyone who has had chickenpox can get it. If you have a weakened immune system, you are at a higher risk for this viral rash. It typically presents as a red, itchy rash with blisters. Once the blisters form scabs, it can't be passed to another person. Shingles may be treated with pain relievers, anti-viral medication, nerve blockers and/or corticosteroids, states the American Academy of Dermatology. A vaccination is available for shingles as well.
Fungal rash. Ringworm is a type of fungal infection that presents as a rash on the top layer of skin. Its name reflects its appearance. Ringworm forms a red, round rash with healthy skin in its center. It's usually itchy and is a fungal infection similar to athlete's foot. Ringworm is caused by "microorganisms that become parasites on your body. These mold-like fungi (dermatophytes) live on the cells in the outer layer of your skin," states the Mayo Clinic. It is contagious, spread by humans, animals and objects. You may contract ringworm through contact with infected soil as well. It can be treated by both topical and oral medications.
Rashes can be painful, bothersome and even an indication of another medical issue. If you have a rash, contact your doctor for medical advice and/or treatment.


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If you subscribe to the adage "seeing is believing," you may not like zero knowledge proofs. A zero knowledge proof is a two-person interaction in which a Prover
P can demonstrate knowledge of some Fact
F to a Verifier
V without revealing
F to
V. Now, if you think some of your university math teachers were trying this in your differential equation classes, you are not alone.
In modern life, zero-knowledge proofs are used whenever someone uses public key cryptography to digitally sign a message. The sender
S applies a decryption key
D_s to the message
m yielding
D_s(m). Only
S knows
D_s, but everyone knows the corresponding public key
P_s, so the recipient applies
P_s(D_s(m)) to get
m back. Only the possessor of
D_s can have signed
m in that way, so
S proves that he or she knows
D_s without revealing
S convinces the receiver of
S's possession of
D_s without revealing
We will look at two zero knowledge proofs that require no cryptography, no fancy math in fact, no computers. Here is the first problem.: You are presented with an opening Sudoku board having some numbers plugged in. You work on it.
You: "I've solved it."
Other: "Show me."
You: "No, you should trust me."
Other: "Why should I?"
You: "Ok, I'll prove it to you."
Other: "How?"
You: "I'll show you that every row has 1 through 9,every column has 1 through 9, every 3x3 Sudoku square (upper left, bottom left, middle left, etc.) has 1 through 9, and the numbers in the initial positions are what they should be."
Other: "That will be sufficient, but how can you do that without showing me the solution."
1. That is the problem. How can you prove that you have a solution without revealing that solution? Hint: use 81 cards.
If you were able to solve this problem, you understand the essential core of the zero knowledge idea as it applies here: You can prove that each row or column has 1 through 9 without revealing the order of numbers. What is remarkable in this case is that by revealing the set membership of an entire row, you tell NOTHING about the order in that row.
The general zero knowledge idea works in a similar way, but is often probabilistic. For example, suppose I claim that I can look at a bucket of sand and know how many grains there are. You may not believe me, but you can put me to the test easily enough. You ask me to leave the room and then...well, and then, you do what?
2. How would you test someone's ability to know at a glance how many grains of sand there were in a bucket without your learning anything about the number of grains that are in fact there?
A lot of problems in society could be resolved if we could find zero-knowledge ways to prove someone followed the rules without invading his privacy. For example, suppose we wanted to find out whether someone paid sufficient taxes without knowing what he or she paid.
Those are serious problems.
I would be satisfied with the solution to the following apparently simple variant of question 2, which I leave to you as an open problem. Suppose that you are convinced that the person does know how many grains there are in a bucket. Now he gives you a number. How would you test the truth of that number in time proportional to the log of the number of grains there are? To be concrete, counting a single grain, dividing the bucket into two approximately equal piles or pouring one pile over another each costs one time unit.
I have no idea how to solve the problem.


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Seth Perlman / AP file
Gun owners and supporters rallied for Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day in Springfield on March 7, 2012.
Two states, two takes: Even as Illinois officials are lamenting a court order requiring them to let state residents carry concealed weapons, Florida officials are boasting about just how many hundreds of thousands of state residents are carrying concealed weapons.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam happily announced Wednesday that some time next week, Florida would become the first state with more than 1 million residents holding "active" concealed-carry permits. That's proof, said Putnam — whose agency administers the permit program — of Florida's "strong tradition in upholding Second Amendment rights."
As Putnam spoke at a news conference Wednesday, anguished officials in Illinois, including Gov. Pat Quinn, were strategizing how to respond after the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered state lawmakers to write a law legalizing concealed carry to uphold Second Amendment rights.
It's quite a dichotomy: Illinois for the moment is the only state where you can't legally carry a concealed weapon (the court gave Illinois lawmakers 180 days to come up with a law legalizing it).
By contrast, Florida is quite proud of being the most heavily armed state, at least in terms of concealed weapons permits.
Putnam, a prominent Republican strategist during five terms in Congress, where he headed the party's Policy Committee, called reporters to Tallahassee, the state capital, to highlight that slightly fewer than a million "active" — that is, unexpired and valid — concealed-weapons permits were in circulation. With his agency issuing new permits at the rate of 10,000 to 15,000 a month, he said, the 1 millionth permit was on course to be issued next week.
Putnam said demand for permits was so high that he's had to hire more staff to handle the workload under a "fast track" system that lets gun owners get their permits more quickly. It now takes about 35 days, compared to about 12 weeks before he became commissioner in 2011, he said.
State figures show that requests for permits spiked in late July after a gunman opened fire in a crowded theater in Aurora, Colo., killing 12 people. That's when the Agriculture Department started issuing occasional updates on the race to 1 million.
Poll: Views on gun laws unchanged after Aurora theater massacre
Other factors appear to have played their parts in making the program so popular. For one thing, the Legislature made it cheaper to carry a concealed weapon, dropping the fee from $85 to $70 last year.
Then there's the persistent belief that President Barack Obama wants to take away everyone's guns — despite his repeated reassurances that he supports the Second Amendment and even though during his first term he signed a law expanding the federal lands where guns are allowed.
Ed Hensen, owner of the St. Lucie Shooting Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., said his gun sales had risen consistently 30 percent every month during the last four months, when the presidential campaign was at its most feverish.
"People panicked, and rightfully so," Hensen said. "They're concerned about their Second Amendment."
Jeanne Rochester of Port St. Lucie told NBC station WPTV of West Palm Beach this week that she was taking shooting lessons at Hensen's store to qualify for a permit because "I want to have protection for myself for the future, and I know that guns are going to be hard to get."
Hensen said letting people pack hidden heat made the state safe, because "if you have educated people, well-trained people with a firearm, it may eliminate some of these bad guys."
In Illinois, however, officials generally warned that allowing residents to carry concealed weapons would make the state more dangerous.
Watch US News crime videos on NBCNews.com
"What we're doing is going to legalize guns, and then guess what? A lot of those guns are going to end up in the wrong hands," Democratic state Rep. Charles Jefferson told NBC station WREX of Rockford.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called a news conference at City Hall to offer his city's advice and resources to any effort state Attorney General Lisa Madigan planned to challenge the court ruling. Madigan said she was studying whether to seek new hearing or to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"This ruling runs counter to not only common sense but what every police chief in the country says, which is we should not allow more guns on the street," said Emanuel, who called the opinion "wrongheaded."
Gun control group alleges Armslist.com caused woman's death through Internet sale
In fact, law enforcement isn't nearly as united as Emanuel claimed. In 2009, for example, the Illinois Sheriffs' Association passed a resolution supporting a concealed-carry law in Illinois.
Macon County Sheriff Tom Schneider told NBC station WAND of Springfield this week: "I believe the argument would be in favor of the fact that by having people that are trained to protect themselves out there on the streets, they're going to be more inclined to do the right thing and not the wrong thing."
"Cops can't be on every corner ... and law-abiding citizens should have the right to protect themselves," he said.
Each side argues that crime figures support its argument, but the reality is there's no clear evidence either way, the National Academy of Sciences reported in its last comprehensive overview of the issue, in 2004.
The study found "conflicting estimates" of the impact of such laws, concluding that "it is not possible to determine that there is a causal link between the passage of right-to-carry laws and crime rates."
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Susan Rice drops out of running for secretary of state
- Swarming police response in mall shooting highlights 'paradigm shift'
- George H.W. Bush expected to be home by Christmas, hospital says
- Rape victim used tongue to dial 911 while hands were bound
- 'A better future': College student from India wins $1 million lottery prize


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Main Content
Cass County
The city of Logansport developed in the fertile land right at the juncture of the Wabash and Eel Rivers. Local legend maintains that in 1827 a shooting contest took place between Hugh McKeen, an early settler, and Colonel John B. Duret for the right to name the new city. Duret won and chose the name Logan's Port after Shawnee Chief Logan, who died in the War of 1812 fighting with the Americans against the British. The name was eventually modified to Logansport and the city was incorporated in 1837-38. The city's location along the rivers, coupled with the construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal, and followed by the construction of the railroad through the town, ensured that Logansport would continue to grow. By 1850 the city boasted a population of 2,251 people. In 1870, the city had grown to a population of 8,950, and the population peaked in 1920 at 21,626. A fairly large Jewish community developed in Logansport early in the city's history, with the first known family settling in the late 1850s.
Read the entire paper about Cass County's Jewish Population.


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Ancient Civilizations, Giants, Tunnels Beneath Southern California?
This page duplicates Page 16 in the Main Index. Sure, this should have been on at least two pages but...Here we allegedly have; Giants, ancient civilizations, tunnels under Southern California, Smithsonian Suppression, general archeological supression etc. all from the same items. Here at s8int.com, we couldn't even figure out where to put this article.
It's often difficult to do anything to substantiate these items. What you will often get on the internet are simply endless copies of the same article you're investigating. We did find this, however; Jesse Nusbaum was sort of the gatekeeper archeologist of that time. His information is in the right column. If this item was real, perhaps he would have heard something about it or been asked to investigate. As it happens, among his papers held by the government is a file on "Amazing Explorations, Inc." which you will read about below. The reference was in Nusbaum's "Nut" file.
Ancient Civilization Beneath Death Valley?
August 4, 1947 edition of the San Diego Union.
Photo: Newspaper clipping from San Diego Union.
According to the clipping, explorers had unearthed, near the Arizona-Nevada-California line, the mummified remains of strangely costumed giants which the discoverers dated to around 80,000 years ago.
The Union reported that a Howard E. Hill of Los Angeles was recounting the work of Dr. F. Bruce Russell, a retired Cincinnati physician who had originally located the first of several tunnels near Death Valley in 1931, but had not been able to return to the area until 1947.
With the help of Dr. Daniel S. Bovee, who with Hill's father had once helped open up New Mexico's cliff dwellings, Russell had recovered the remains of several men of 8 to 9 feet in height.
"These giants," said Hill, "are clothed in garments consisting of a medium length jacket and trouser extending slightly below the knees. The texture of the material is said to resemble gray dyed sheepskin, but obviously it was taken from an animal unknown today."
Hill also said, according to the Union, that in another cavern was found the ritual hall of the ancient people, together with devices and markings similar to those now used by the Masonic order. In a long tunnel were well-preserved remains of animals, including elephants and tigers. So far, Hill added, no women have been found.
He said the explorers believe that what they found was the burial place of the tribe's hierarchy. Hieroglyphics, he added, bear a resemblance to what is known of those from the lost continent of Atlantis. They are chiseled, he added, on carefully polished granite.
Text of the Article:
LOS ANGELES, Aug 4. (AP)-- A retired Ohio doctor has discovered relics of an ancient civilization, whose men were 8 or 9 feet tall in the Colorado desert near the Arizona-Nevada-California line, an associate said today.
Howard E. Hill. of Los Angeles speaking before the Transportation Club, disclosed that several well-preserved mummies were taken yesterday from caverns in an area roughly 180 miles square, extending through much of southern Nevada from Death Valley, Calif. across the Colorado River into Arizona.
Hill said the discoverer is Dr. F. Bruce Russell, retired Cincinnati physician, who stumbled on the first of several tunnels in 1931, soon after coming West and deciding to try mining for his health.
Not until this year, however, did Dr. Russell go into the situation thoroughly, Hill told the luncheon. With Dr. Daniel S. Bovee, of Los Angeles -- who with his father helped open up New Mexico's cliff dwellings -- Dr. Russell has found mummified remains together with implements of the civilization, which Dr. Bovee had tentatively placed at about 80,000 years old.
"These giants are clothed in garments consisting of a medium length jacket and trouser extending slightly below the knees." said Hill. "The texture of the material is said to resemble gray dyed sheepskin, but obviously it was taken from an animal unknown today."
Hill said that in another cavern was found the ritual hall of the ancient people, together with devices and markings similar to those now used by the Masonic order. In a long tunnel were well-preserved remains of animals including elephants and tigers. So far, Hill added, no women have been found.
He said the explorers believe that what they found was the burial place of the tribe's hierarchy. Hieroglyphics, he added, bear a resemblance to what is known of those from the lost continent of Atlantis. They are chiseled, he added, on carefully-polished granite.
He said Dr. Viola V. Pettit, of London, who made excavations around Petra, on the Arabian desert, soon will begin an inspection of the remains.
Second Article Concerning Same Discovery Of Giants and Caverns
"Hot Citizen" Nevada Paper, August 5, 1947.
Death Valley:
A band of amateur archaeologists announced today they have discovered a lost civilization of men nine feet tall in Californian caverns. Howard E. Hill, spokesman for the expedition, said the civilization may be "the fabled lost continent of Atlantis".
The caves contain mummies of men and animals and implements of a culture 80,000 years old but "in some respects more advanced than ours," Hill said. He said the 32 caves covered a 180-square-mile area in California's Death Valley and southern Nevada.
"This discovery may be more important than the unveiling of King Tut's tomb," he said. Professional archaeologists were skeptical of Hill's story. Los Angeles County Museum scientists pointed out that dinosaurs and tigers which Hill said lay side by side in the caves appeared on Earth 10,000,000 to 13,000,000 years apart.
Hill said the caves were discovered in 1931 by Dr F. Bruce Russell, Beverly Hills physician, who literally fell in while sinking a shaft for a mining claim.
"He tried for years to interest people in them," Hill said, "but nobody believed him." Russell and several hobbyists incorporated after the war as
Amazing Explorations, Inc.and started digging. Several caverns contained mummified remains of "a race of men eight to nine feet tall," Hill said.
"They apparently wore a prehistoric zoot suit--a hair garment of medium length, jacket and knee-length trousers."
Another cavern contained their ritual hall with devices and markings similar to the Masonic order, he said. "A long tunnel from this temple took the party into a room where," Hill said, "well-preserved remains of dinosaurs, saber-toothed tigers, imperial elephants and other extinct beasts were paired off in niches as if on display.
"Some catastrophe apparently drove the people into the caves," he said. "All of the implements of their civilization were found," he said, "including household utensils and stoves which apparently cooked by radio waves."
"I know," he said, "that you won't believe that."
Article Concerning Same Cave Discovery by Different Men 10 to 15 Years Earlier
Ancient Civilization Beneath Death Valley?
Author unknown
Bourke Lee, in his book 'DEATH VALLEY MEN' (MacMillan Co., N.Y. 1932), chapter: "Old Gold", describes a conversation which he had several years ago with a small group of Death valley residents.
The conversation had eventually turned to the subject of Paihute Indian legends. At one point two of the men, Jack and Bill, described their experience with an 'underground city' which they claimed to have discovered after one of them had fallen through the bottom of an old mine shaft near Wingate Pass.
They found themselves in a natural underground cavern which they claimed to have followed about 20 miles north into the heart of the Panamint Mountains. To their amazement, they allegedly found themselves in an huge, ancient, underground cavern city.
They claimed that they discovered within the city several perfectly preserved 'mummies', which wore thick arm bands, wielded gold spears, etc. The city had apparently been abandoned for ages, except for the mummies, and the entire underground system looked very ancient.
It was formerly lit, they found out by accident, by an ingenious system of lights fed by subterranean gases. They claimed to have seen a large, polished round table which looked as if it may have been part of an ancient council chamber, giant statues of solid gold, stone vaults and drawers full of gold bars and gemstones of all kinds, heavy stone wheelbarrows which were perfectly balanced and scientifically-constructed so that a child could use them, huge stone doors which were almost perfectly balanced by counter-weights, and other incredible sights.
They also claimed to have followed the caverns upwards to a higher level which ultimately opened out onto the face of the Panamints, about half-way up the eastern slope, in the form of a few ancient tunnel-like quays.
They realized that the valley below was once under water and they eventually came to the conclusion that the arched openings were ancient 'docks' for sea vessels. They could allegedly see Furnace Creek Ranch and Wash far below them.
They told Bourke Lee that they had brought some of the treasure out of the caverns and tried to set up a deal with certain people, including scientists associated with the Smithsonian Institute, in order to gain help to explore and publicize the city as one of the 'wonders of the world'.
Furnace Creek and Wash
These efforts ended in disappointment however when a 'friend' of theirs stole the treasure (which was also the evidence) and they were scoffed at and rejected by the scientists when they went to show them the 'mine' entrance and could not find it.
A recent cloud-burst, they claimed, had altered and rearranged the entire countryside and the landscape did not look like it had been before.
When Lee last heard from the two men, Bill and Jack, they were preparing to climb the east face of the Panamints to locate the ancient tunnel openings or quays high up the side of the steep slope. Bourke Lee never did see or hear from his friends ever again.
In 1946 a man calling himself Dr. F. Bruce Russell, and claiming to be a retired physician, told a similar story about finding strange underground rooms in the Death Valley area in 1931.
He told of a large room with several tunnels leading off in different directions. One of these tunnels led to another large room that contained three mummies.
Artifacts found in the room appeared to be a combination of Egyptian and American Indian design. The most amazing thing about the mummies though was the fact that they were more than eight feet tall.
Dr. Russell and a group of investors formed "Amazing Explorations, Inc" to handle the release, and profit, from this remarkable find. But, as stories of this type usually go, Russell disappeared, and the investigators were never able to find the caverns and tunnels again, even though Russell had personally taken them there.
The desert can be very deceiving to anyone not used to traveling it. Month's later, Russell's car was found abandoned, with a burst radiator, in a remote area of Death Valley. His suitcase was still in the car.
The old TV series Death Valley Days once ran a short story about western pioneers also finding mummies in the desert. Since one of the script writers stated that "there had never been a script without a solid basis in fact", it would be interesting to find out what their source had been.
For now, these stories will have to be shrouded in mystery, along with the 21,000 year old bones found in California's Imperial Valley, also rumored to have been spirited off by the Smithsonian.
Source: Shadowlands Underworld
San Bernardino Caves
Kokoweef Caverns
Below you will find a transcription of the sworn statement made by Earl Dorr as it pertained to Kokoweef Caverns. This was published in the California Mining Journal, November 1940, though written in 1934.
It is speculated that Earl was attempting to get capital at the time for his projects in the area.
This is to certify that there is located in San Bernardino County, California, about two hundred and fifty miles from Los Angeles, a certain cave.
Traveling over state highways by automobile, the cave is reached in about ten hours.
A Civil Engineer, Mr. Morton, and I spent four days exploring the cave for more than eight miles. We carried with us Altimeters, Pedometers, and a Theodolite, with which to observe and record actual directions, take elevations and measurements by triangulation. Our exploration revealed the following facts:
1. From the mouth of the cave we descended as shown by the Altimeters to be about 2000 feet, where we encountered a canyon, which from the Altimeters and by calculations we found to be from 3000 to 3500 feet deeper; making total depth of 5400 feet from the mouth where we entered the caves to the floor of the canyon.
2. We found the cave divided into many caverns or chambers, of various sizes, all filled and embellished with Stalactites and Stalagmites, besides many grotesque and fantastic shapes that make these caves one of the wonders of the world.
.....Photo showing the interior of Kokoweef Caverns. Courtesy of Jack Russ.
3. The largest chamber we explored is about 300 ft. wide, 400 feet long and from 50 to 110 feet high. It is encrusted with crystals, fashioned into festoons of innumerable Stalactites, that hang from the ceiling, some of which are extremely large.
One, the largest seen, is 27 feet in diameter and hangs 1510 feet down into a 3000 ft. canyon. This great Stalactite is perpetually washed by water flowing down over it and falling into the dark canyon depths. The huge glistening white crystal is 500 feet longer than the Eiffel Tower, and challenged us with amazement and wonder.
4. There is a flowing river on the floor of the canyon, which rises and falls with tidal regularity. All measurements and estimates of the river, including its tides and beach sands were reckoned by triangulation, taken with the Theodolite, and while we did not reach the river, nevertheless, taking observations with our theodolite and its telescope, we reckoned the river to be about 300 feet wide at high tide and 10 feet wide at low tide. It rises and falls from 7 ½ to 8 feet. The Peysert brothers confirm our reckoning.
5. When the tide is out, there is exposed on both sides of the river from 100 to 159 feet of black sand, which the Peysert brothers report is very rich in placer gold. They report the sands on the river shore to be from 4 to 11 feet deep; and on an average about 8 feet deep.
6. There are numerous ledges above the canyon that are from 10 to 40 feet wide and covered with sand. We personally explored the ledge sands for a distance of more than eight miles, finding little variation in the depth and width of these ledge sands. And wherever examined,the ledge sands are found to be fabulously rich in placergold.
7. I have known intimately Oliver, Buck and George Peysert From my boyhood. I have discussed these caves with them repeatedly and thoroughly. They have reported to me in detail, their experience in exploring the caves.
One of them, George, lost his life in the cave. Buck and Oliver say George was killed by diving in the river on the floor of the canyon.
He struck an unseen rock, which killed him instantly. They have reported to me repeatedly their mining experiences and say they mined on the beach sands of the river a total in all of six weeks.
They carried lumber down to the river and constructed a sluice box and, using a pump, the three mined for six weeks, during which time they recovered more than %57,000 in gold, (gold at $20.00 per ounce); they sent their gold directly to the U.S. Mint and banked the returns in a bank in Needles, California, and another bank in Las Vegas, Nevada.
I last talked to them in my home about November 10th 1934, at which time they repeated their former statements, giving information as to how they discovered the river, and more of their experiences in gold mining. They recovered several of the largest nuggets of gold ever found in California.
Both Mr. Morton and myself filled our pockets with the sands from the ledges, carried it out and had it assayed. Just what Mr. Morton's sand assayed, I do not know, but it was approximately $2000. per ton.
I carried out ten pounds and two ounces of the ledge sand, and panned seven pounds, recovering more than $7.00 in gold, with gold at $20.00 an ounce. I sold the gold for $18.00 per ounce.
The balance of my ten pounds of sand I sent to John Herman, a Los Angeles Assayer. His assay certificate shows a value of $2,144.47 per yard - gold at $20.67 per ounce.
I, E. P. DORR residing at 300 Aldena Street, Pasadena California make the foregoing statements for the purpose of inducing investors to invest in the work of mining the gold in these caves, and solemnly swear that all statements made hereinabove are true and that all persons will find the physical conditions in the cave as above stated.
SUBSCRIBED and sworn to this ___day of December, 1934. Source:E Adventure Net
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
Please Support the Research of S8int.com!
Since 2002, Chris Parker has done the majority of the research and writing of articles for s8int.com. If this site has been an encouragement to you, please donate to support Chris's ongoing research. (S8int.com is not incorporated and your donations may not be tax deductable.)


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Trailer Trash Tracys | 09/08/11
We are proud to announce that London quartet Trailer Trash Tracys have signed with Double Six, with a much anticipated debut full-length expected in January 2012. In the mean time you can listen to their taster track "Dies in 55".
Trailer Trash Tracys – aka Suzanne Aztoria, Jimmy Lee, Adam Jaffrey and Dayo James –rose to prominence with the spiralling debut "Candy Girl/ You Wish You Were Red", which went on to be championed by the likes of Guardian and Dazed and Confused. Taking their cues from wide, varied influences and interests such as 'solfeggio harmonics, the transitionary period of analogue to digital in Western pop music and Sufi Poetry'", the quartet make kaleidoscopic yet otherworldly pop songs, a beautiful clash of exquisite and dissonant, loaded with tension and seemingly hovering on the brink of collapse. With their signing to Double Six, they join a roster which includes the likes of Spiritualized, Jon Hopkins and John Cale, the shimmering taster track "Dies in 55" is the first tantalising teaser of what's to come.
"A dramatic nocturnal wonderland" – Metro
"Low-lit, hot breathed noise pop that could just as easily be transported from a David Lynch soundtrack...gorgeous" – NME
"Both potent and poignant" – The Fader


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|Do you know where your variables are?
comment on
|( #3333=superdoc: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
Here's a way to reverse a Unicode string using the regular expression character class \X to match Unicode extended grapheme clusters:
Here's a demonstration using Vietnamese (tiếng Việt) words:
#!perl use strict; use warnings; use utf8; binmode STDOUT, ':encoding(UTF-8)'; my $Moonshine = "Rượu đế"; my $enihsnooM = join '', reverse $Moonshine =~ m/\X/g; print "$Moonshine\n"; print "$enihsnooM\n"; __END__ Rượu đế ếđ uợưR LATIN CAPITAL LETTER R LATIN SMALL LETTER U COMBINING HORN LATIN SMALL LETTER O COMBINING HORN COMBINING DOT BELOW LATIN SMALL LETTER U SPACE LATIN SMALL LETTER D WITH STROKE LATIN SMALL LETTER E COMBINING CIRCUMFLEX ACCENT COMBINING ACUTE ACCENT
[I was forced to use <pre> tags instead of <code> tags here to display the actual Vietnamese characters rather than their HTML character entities.]
In reply to Re: How to reverse a (Unicode) string
by Jim


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Flames guard Davon Marshall set a new Liberty record for most three-pointers in a season with 107.
Game Highlights from NCAA.com Liberty's hopes at its first-ever NCAA Tournament win nearly came to fruition, Tuesday night, inside UD Arena. Squaring off with North Carolina A&T in an NCAA First Four matchup, the Flames had a chance to garner the game-winning shot. After a missed foul shot by the Aggies, the ball eventually wound up in the hands of John Caleb Sanders, who cut to the basket and attempted a layup. However, the shot fell short of the mark, allowing North Carolina A&T to advance to the second round, 73-72. Davon Marshall led the Flames with 22 points, tying former Liberty player David Dees for the most points by a Flame in an NCAA Tournament game. Marshall's point total included six three-pointers, allowing him to surpass Seth Curry's Liberty record for most three-pointers in a single season with 107. John Caleb Sanders finished the night with 21 tallies. The Sugar Land, Texas native became the 23rd member of Liberty's 1,000-point club, joining his older brother Jesse to become the first pair of brothers in the exclusive group. Needing eight points to reach the milestone, Sanders achieved the mark with 8:59 left in the first half after knocking down his third consecutive three of the night. Sanders concludes the year with 1,014 career points. Tavares Speaks rounded out Liberty's trio of double-digit scorers, garnering 17 points. The Raleigh, N.C., native concludes his career 29th all-time in scoring at Liberty with 801 points. Jeremy Underwood paced the Aggies with 19 points off the bench, followed by Bruce Beckford (16) and Lamont Middleton. North Carolina A&T shot 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the field, compared to 42.6 (23-of-54) for the Flames. The Aggies edged Liberty in points in the paint (26-22) and in rebounding (33-30). Liberty went 10-of-23 (43.5 percent) from three-point range and 16-of-18 (88.9 percent at the foul line. However, the Aggies held a considerable advantage off the bench, outscoring the Flames, 21-1. The Aggies lit up the scoreboard first, but Liberty responded with a 9-0 run off two buckets by two Speaks jumpers, a Marshall three-pointer and a JR Coronado layup. North Carolina A&T answered with seven straight points to close the gap to one at 15:38. Sanders prevented the Aggies from taking the lead with a three-point basket. Speaks followed up with a steal on the next possession and converted it into a fast break layup, giving the Flames a 14-8 advantage at 14:17. North Carolina A&T erased the deficit with a 10-2 burst, capping the run with five straight points from Jeremy Underwood to take a one-point lead. Sanders countered on the other end with a trey to reclaim the edge for Liberty. After a pair of Lamont Middleton free throws, Sanders knocked down another three-point jumper to put the Flames ahead by two. The Aggies answered with a 10-0 run cemented by Underwood's second three-pointer of the game to take a 30-22 at 7:09. With the Aggies up by 11, Marshall began to find his range from long distance. The junior hit his record breaking trifecta with 4:56 on the clock. The Niagara Falls, N.Y., native followed up with another three-pointer 55 ticks later to pull the Flames within five. Liberty was unable to climb any closer before the halftime buzzer, as the Aggies outscored Liberty, 4-2, in the remainder of the period to take a 40-33 into the locker room. North Carolina A&T shot 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the field in the opening stanza, holding Liberty to 42.2 percent (11-of-26). The Aggies outpointed the Flames in the paint, 10-6, but Liberty edged the MEAC member from long range, 18-15. Marshall paced the Flames with 11 points at the half, followed by John Caleb Sanders with 10. North Carolina A&T's Beckford led all scorers with 10 tallies. In the second half, Marshall ignited a two-minute back-and-forth scoring barrage with a fast break layup at 15:50, cutting Liberty's deficit to one. A Middleton three-pointer gave the Aggies a four-point cushion, but Andres Smith wowed the Dayton crowd on the next Flames' possession, slamming home an alley-oop dunk off a Sanders' pass. Undeterred by the highlight reel jam, Middleton nailed another trey extend the Aggies lead to five at 15:03. A Sanders' layup at 14:49 cut the lead to three. Following a fast break jumper by Powell, Marshall's made it a two-point game with another three-pointer. Beckford connected on a layup to up the Aggies lead before Marshall hit his fifth three-pointer of the game to make it a one-point affair, 52-51, at 13:41. The Aggies began to pull away again in the ensuing minutes, going on a 9-0 run off baskets by Witter, Underwood and a Powell three-pointer. Sanders halted the scoring surge at 7:53 with a traditional three-point play to make it 61-54 at 7:53. North Carolina A&T led by seven with just over three minutes left when Liberty began to mount its comeback. Sanders fourth three-pointer of the game put the Flames within four tallies. After a pair of Underwood free throws, Marshall's sixth and final trey of the night closed the gap to three with 1:32 left. A Speaks layup then made it a one-point difference, ultimately setting up the 73-72 final.
Postgame comments:
Dale Layer
Just proud to be around these guys every day. A lot of grown men would not have endured what they did. A lot of well-meaning grown men would not have handled what they handled.
No regrets. I'm very proud of them. I've been around college basketball since 1976, as a player, as a coach, and I've never experienced a year like this. The depths of this year were the most in those 37 years. And when guys overcome what they have overcome as 18-20 year old kids, wow, I'll take that. We were tested.
You don't know how you're tested until you're in a locker room with those kids. They were tested. I was tested. But I think these guys' character has come through like gold. I'm proud of them.
Davon Marshall
The season started out bad for us, 0-8. We were struggling a lot with injuries and everything. We overcame that. We kept fighting every day in practice. We kept praying, kept working hard, kept believing in Coach and what he was telling us.
I'm just proud of my teammates that we made it this far and fought this hard.
John Caleb Sanders
We came this far, and it hurts to go down like that. When it comes down to the end of the year, one team is going to lose. Like Coach said, I'm proud of [Tavares Speaks] and Davon and all the guys in the locker room. I'm sorry for Trap. I wanted to make that shot for him, prolong his senior year so we can go down to Louisville, and that's tough.
Again, I'm just so proud of Coach and how he handled this whole season with all the adversity and all the players for sticking to it.
Alumni, fans, Liberty cheerleaders and the pep band prepared for Tuesday's game at Milano's in Dayton.
A large number of students gathered in the Vines Center to watch the game on the video board.


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I have done and i have not able to find it.
Best Regards
I think you are smart enough to look on your own, don't you?
I'm Reese. Sergeant Tech-Com, DN38416. Assigned to protect you. You've been targeted for termination.
I have done and i have not able to find it.
Best Regards
I'm not trying to be funny here, but surely in the time you have spent searching the web you could have drawn your own block that is exactly how you want it?
Im intelligent enough to know that I dont know everything; but I'll tell you all about it anyway.
Best Regards and trying in another forum
Drawing or searching with Don Google made innecessary the forum. I don't think so of course. Only the very clever ones.


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Last Updated (Friday, 16 September 2016 16:26)
These short meditations utilize a special binaural-beat formula - do not use while driving or operating devices that require full attention. Use RIght-click the link to save the download (otherwise it will stream from site).
Heartwave (30:25) - Heartcenter frequency 80.91Hz (E2 based on 432Hz tuning). Meditational use for enhancing the Heart ELF, strengthening, clearing. Delta and Theta over surf sounds.
Sacred Sites (30:00) - Most ancient, sacred sites are reported to resonate 95-120Hz, 112Hz being common. This is a 3 octave sweep at 112 with phased white noise background.
Heart/3rd Eye/Crown (20:16) - Rife frequencies for these chakras.
DayOutofTime/Rainbow (18:00) - A guided meditation, created for the Mayan "Day out of Time", but use it any time, especially good for groups.
Pineal Activation (18:10) - Unique tones that first are to tune the 3rd Eye, then a series of special '3D' frequencies to help activate the Pineal center.
The Great Invocation - revised (12:33) - A speclal rendition, gender neutral, using Tibetan background sounds; use for meditation, affirmation, and for clearing sacred space.
Delta-Sleep (short ver.) (16:16) - Transitions to deeper levels of Delta frequencies to support relaxation, healing, sleep under a background of phasing white-noise-surf.
Gate 3x9 (07:59) - A Mantra from the Heart Sutra. "Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Soha". [to go, go way beyond, into perfected/transcendant wisdom, so be it.]. Three iterations with Om Hrim, repeated nine times.
OmAhHum (5:26) - Mantra of Blessing - Master Lama mix. The three aspects: mind, body, speech; Purification on what we say, do, and think. Explaination and meditation can be found here.
Palenque Transfiguration Tones (57:00) - Guided meditation, based on codes from Palenque for Light-Body preparation. (CD $5 / MP3 $3)
Cosmic Heart (31:11) - Special frequencies used for connecting your core light to the heart of the cosmos. (CD $5 / MP3 $3)


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Nina Dobrev Gets Photobombed by Pal Derek Hough at Fragrance Foundation Awards!
About Photo #1166513: We love that Nina Dobrev and Derek Hough are still such great friends after all these years and plenty of dating rumors! The two stars both hit the red carpet… Read The Post Here
Posted to Derek Hough, Nina Dobrev


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"Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal." ~ Meg Ryan from the movie 'You've Got Mail'
I used to believe that I loved that quote from the movie 'You've Got Mail', because I believed that's how it should be between people. Personal. I've since realized how the whole idea of being in a personal relationship with another person has been nothing more than personal conflicts – conflicts of personalities.
When we take things personal, it's because within our mind we're acting according to whatever character or personality we're existing as – where we have a complete storyline going on within our mind as we participate in thoughts, feelings and emotions which we beLIEve to be real. We don't realize how the story begins and ends in self-interest and ego while we're busy existing in and as the energy that it takes to maintain the experience we believe we're having.
So the point I'm looking at here is personality and experience – which began with fear. Fear that began when my partner communicated to me his recent thoughts – which he'd been stopping, but nevertheless thoughts he'd been having with regards to his desire to receive attention from female coworkers – which he realized is/was an attempt to validate his own negative experience to change it into a positive one. As he shared with me, I thought it was very cool, and I was pleased with how we were communicating.
But then, later that night when I went to sleep, I woke up after having a dream where there was only a brief image, an image of my partner in the arms of someone else, an image that in my past I had often been aware of but had always dismissed it but after seeing it in my sleep I noticed how I was suppressing myself and how I was left with a gloomy depressed feeling that I can not trust anyone.
As I've been walking this process, one thing I know for sure is that everything I experience within and without is a direct reflection of myself. And I realize that I've never been able to trust myself, yet, I see how my mindset changed towards my partner and I realize that I have to investigate this point further because I see how I'm pulling away and separating myself further and further from him. Which means I'm pulling away and separating myself further from myself.
I also noticed the internal conversation/ backchat within my mind that was repeating – where I was telling myself over and over: 'it's not personal'. Yet, the many character's and personalities that I exist as within my mind 'felt' that it was very personal.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not realize that the origin of personality begins in/with fear.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to take things personal because I see, realize and understand that what 'feels' personal is in conflict with a personality I'm existing as within and as my mind.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to 'fear' rejection and within that I forgive myself for not realizing that when I fear rejection it's because I accept myself as imperfect, unsatisfactory, and/or useless and powerless, thus I forgive myself for judging myself through the eyes and ears of consciousness as fear and comparison of not being good enough.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to fear being alone, unwanted with no way to provide for myself and within that not realizing that when I accept the fear of being alone and unwanted and fearful that I wouldn't be able to provide for myself, it's because I don't trust myself and instead of investigating myself in self-honesty as to why and how come I don't trust myself, I project that separation/fear onto others – when the fact is, when I direct myself in self-honesty according to what's best for all and catch a glimpse of what it is to Not exist in separation from myself and others as myself, that's when I comprehend how the fear of self/others diminish, and I begin to establish a point of self-trust.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not realize how when I pursue someone/something for energy, such as love and happiness, that within my pursuit of 'it' I'm separating myself from myself as 'it', thus 'it' (for example: love and happiness) becomes more than me, thus why I exist in fear of and am able to be controlled and directed by 'it' as me as my mind as consciousness.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed a thought/image within my mind of my partner smiling in the arms of someone else, and I see how the image is important because when I see that image within my mind, I experience guilt and shame, because within that image holds a memory of myself as my own past behavior and the deceptive nature I once existed as, thus, I forgive myself for accepting and allowing myself to deceive myself and my partner as I tried to escape from the negative depressed state of mind and experience I was having of myself by seeking for attention outside our relationship as a way of validating myself and thus providing myself with a positive energy experience.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to exist as a character/personality of and as my mind where I am only concerned about whether or not I am having a positive energy experience – one which serves it's purpose by stroking my own ego and for the depths of evil that I have existed as within my mind when/as I'm am seeking for attention, just so I can try and believe that I'm having the ultimate experience – one where all I want to do is to relieve myself from feeling negative, so much so, that I haven't stopped and considered the consequences of my experience and how it manifests in the lives of others within and as my world/reality/existence.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to imagine a "I told myself so' attitude towards my partner, where in fear I believe I can't trust him and thus I imagine myself walking away and informing him that I will not be mistreated, that I would rather be alone and within that, I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not realize that my imagination in this plays out exactly how I have existed as towards myself, where when I realize I am facing the consequences of what I have accepted and allowed as my past and my behavior, that I will hide within myself and pout and feel sorry for myself and as such I can't forgive myself and thus I never reach a point of real substantial change within, and as a result I continue repeating the same mindset/patterns over and over and the results are manifested within and as me as my physical body and world/reality/existence.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not realize that when I have internal conversation and back chat that says: 'It's not personal" and 'he can't be trusted' that what I am doing is accepting myself within a point of self-denial where I distract myself through judging others because I secretly judge myself for not facing myself and directing myself in self-honesty within and as a point of self-correction and self-change.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to blame and condemn my partner as being the reason for my perception of myself as being unhappy, because I see, realize and understand that I have existed within the belief that in order for me to be happy then I must have a positive energetic experience, and if I am having a negative experience then I must be unhappy and within that, I forgive myself that i have accepted and allowed myself to not investigate the true nature of my thought participation which will assist me to understand how and why I experience myself the way that I am.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to live as an abdication of self and life in such denial that I will manifest within my stomach a sinking feeling and a feeling of nausea, therefore, I commit myself to stop existing in self-denial through living behind the characters and personalities of and as my mind as memories and patterns that I realize are preprogrammed from my parents and society, and to instead commit myself to stop manifesting the physical consequences of self-dishonesty by committing myself to myself in self-honesty.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to physically manifest the consequences within and as my physical body of and as infection due to how I have existed in and as rejection where I deny myself as who I've been and what I've accepted and allowed as evil and abuse to continue to exist within and as myself and my world as myself.
I commit myself to when I feel fear to stop and investigate who I am as it.
I commit myself to stop taking things personally and if and when I see that I am taking something personal, I stop, I breathe – instead I slow myself down and bring it back to self to see how and what self is existing as, to thus forgive and walk the self-corrective application to redesign what self has accepted and allowed and realign self with and as all as one as equal.
I commit myself to realize that I have always existed as some sort of character and/or personality because that is how I have hid from myself in fear, and I see, realize and understand that in self-honesty I am able to redirect myself to reach a point of self-intimacy and establish self-trust.
I commit myself to breathe and become aware of and forgive myself for when I'm searching for and/or existing in negative and positive energy experiences.
I commit myself to changing myself through Desteni I Process and walking the Journey to Life because I see, realize and understand that it is only through changing myself within, that I will be able to walk as a living example and effectively support a world according to what's best for all.
I commit myself to STOP seeking attention because in seeking I am stroking my ego and existing in self-interest which is unacceptable, thus, I commit myself to breathe and walk with gratitude for/as self.
I commit myself to stop rejecting myself and my world as myself in fear of what I may discover.


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Ken Griffey Jr. did a spot on SportsCenter today to talk about a partnership with Upper Deck trading cards or something, and he acted like a guy who would rather have been anywhere else. Griffey's eyes are the cold, dead eyes of a man who is on his 14th PR hit of the week.
Kudos to Linda Cohn for keeping everything moving along relatively smoothly, but Upper Deck might want to consider canceling Griffey's next media stop. Maybe they could send Matt Harvey instead.


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GOAL - The Degree Completion Program
Financial Planning
Financial Planning is dedicated to providing students and their families with friendly, efficient, and responsible financial services, while complying with all federal, state, and University policies. Our office provides financial assistance to students, many of whom might otherwise be unable to attend the University.
Gardner-Webb University admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs.
GWU is a great investment for you personally and professionally. To make this investment a reality, GWU consistently strives to make your college experience affordable. GWU is one of America's 100 Best College Buys.
This page is provided as a starting point for accessing the financial aid process at Gardner-Webb. Our programs are strategically arranged to support our various academic programs.
Gardner-Webb University School Code: 002929
Contact the Office of Financial PlanningPO Box 955
Boiling Springs, NC 28017
Phone: (704) 406-4243
Fax: (704) 406-4102


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The Federal Reserve Board is the purveyor of monetary policy which includes maintaining an adequate supply of capital to foster economic growth. Like any enterprise, the organization has a balance sheet with assets and liabilities. What's of particular concern to me and many others is the increase in the size and scope of the Fed's financial statement since the financial crisis of 2008-2009.
In this post, we'll take a look at how the amount of capital has grown in the system over the past 30 years and how far the Fed has deviated from normal operations. Although the danger may not be imminent, as advisors we should give thought to possible consequences of Fed actions and how it could affect the wealth of our clients.
Fed's Balance Sheet
When the crisis hit in 2008, the Fed's balance sheet was around $800 billion. Today, it is near $3.1 trillion, or nearly four times larger! Moreover, the Fed continues to pump in over $80 billion in new stimulus each month and plans to do so until unemployment reaches 6.5%. With the additional costs and regulations relating to Obamacare, businesses are bracing for a negative economic impact, the magnitude of which cannot easily be surmised. Add to this the expiration of the payroll tax cut and higher taxes on the wealthy and it may be some time before the Fed's easy money policy reverses course. In short, the Fed's balance sheet could grow quite a bit larger before they're finished fighting this fire.
Bubble? Inflation? Deflation?
In the meantime, given the excess liquidity in the system, stocks appear poised to rise. Is there another Fed-manufactured bubble brewing? Perhaps, but not immediately. Here's another issue. How will the Fed unwind such a massive amount of stimulus in a way that doesn't cause a serious market disruption? If the Fed simply lets this money filter into the system, inflation could spike and make the late 1970s look like a fire sale. If the Fed unwinds too aggressively, the lack of liquidity could cause interest rates to spike and the velocity of money to slow, thereby creating another recession.
M2 to GDP Ratio
Obviously the Fed puts money into the system to get the wheels of commerce turning. However, the amount of M2 in the system as a percentage of GDP has increased greatly over the years. For example, in January 1981, there was $1.6 trillion of M2 Money Stock and a GDP of $6.0 trillion; M2 was 27% of total GDP at that time. Just prior to the 2008 crisis (October 2007), M2 was 55.6% of GDP. Currently M2 is 75.5% of GDP. This ratio has been rising steadily since 1981. What does this suggest? Because credit rules and banks tightened their lending standards so much after the crisis, among other factors, the economy has been very slow to respond.
The Future?
How long will the Fed continue to "stimulate" the economy? How large will its balance sheet grow before it begins to tighten? When economic activity does normalize, will the Fed be able to remove the excess capital from the system without causing demand destruction? If the Fed reacts too slowly, will inflation put a real damper on the economy?
As usual, we have more questions than answers. Many times our answers are just speculation in disguise. One thing for sure, the manner in which the Fed proceeds will have a real impact on the creation and preservation of wealth. Couple this with the persistent trillion dollar fiscal deficits and a burgeoning national debt, and you have the makings for a financial Alfred Hitchcock flick. I think I'll go out for popcorn. It's gonna be a long movie!


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William & Robert Clark Shoot Video of Huge "Sea Monsters" In San Francisco Bay
Back in 1985, on the shores of San Fransico Bay, twins Robert and William Clark were sitting in a car near a sea wall. They watched two seals swimming extremely fast across the bay. Then they noticed a "large black snake-like" animal" chasing the seals. They saw that the creature moved by forming it's body into coils and wiggling up and down. The animal apparently also had small, translucent fan-like fins that acted as stabilizers.
Their 1985 story and photographs have been previously chronicled in a number of prior crypto sources including a book. They have apparently been attempting to find that same "sea monster" for nearly 20 years. Earlier this year, as this page and the report excerpted will illustrate, they were apparently successful
They have not been the only ones to report seeing a 100 foot plus unexplained creature in the Bay. On November 1st, 1983, a construction crew was working on Route 1 north of the Golden Gate Bridge near Stinson Beach. They also spotted a creature, underwater, approaching the land, which they estimated to be at least 100 feet with a body diameter of 5 feet. They watched it for some time through binoculars, making coils and whipping its body through the water.
January Sighting and Video Shoot
Back to the present...Early this year, on January 26, 2004-- they (the Clark brothers) encountered the creature (in fact, up to six creatures) again and were able to shoot approximately three minutes of very interesting video.
At that point, they began to recontact various scientists and cryptozoologists that they had been in contact with over the years in reference to their 1985 San Francisco Bay sightings.
One of the men eventually contacted was photo and film analysis expert Dr. Clifford Paiva. At the time of the sighting and on the same day, less than 50 miles away, Dr. Paiva along with Dr. Slusher of the Univ. of Texas/El Paso, was presenting a paper entitled: High Energy Laser (HEL)/Rocket Exhaust Plume Lensing Effects", at the Photonic West Optical Conference in San Jose, Ca.
Dr. Paiva spent some time analyzing the film and produced a detailed report, a portion of which is excerpted here. The report is approximately 17 pages, which is far too long to be fully reproduced here. However, if you wish you may obtain a copy by writing to:
BSM Associates, C/O Dr. Clifford Paiva,
159 Camp Fire Drive, California City, California 93505.
Include $10 to cover costs if you can.
"His report supports our claim that the video shows several very large snake-like unknown marine animals swimming in San Francisco Bay. For the purpose of his analysis Dr. Paiva assumed that the only KNOWN animal it could possibly be is a sea snake of gigantic size."
His analysis is based on that assumption but he acknowledges that if it isn't a type of sea snake then it must be an animal unknown to science. Here are a few quotes from his report.
"The observations of unidentified marine animals have been recorded thoughout the centuries. Many excellent reports exist in both professional and academic institutions.
To these reports is now added another very significant discovery by William and Robert Clark of San Francisco, California. If the enclosed analysis is even approximately accurate, very large sea snakes (serpents) will be in fact shown to exist.
BSM Associates determines that the video submitted by the Clark Brothers reveals an unidentified group of marine animals. The importance of the discovery in relationship to historical fauna of this planet has yet to be determined, and will probably have immense etiologic ramifications for the evolution model.
When intergrated into other explorations concerning, for example, marine and lake serpent-type animals (including plesiosaurus), the Clark Brothers' video becomes pivotal.
Although sea snake seems to be the most tenable conclusion, the authors do not dismiss the possibility of Elasmosaur for these animals. Total observable length of this animal is approximately 170 feet or 52 meters.
The next report will address mass and volume metrics and a closer examination of the first 100 frames (animal group activity) of the video."
The video will be shown in the USA on the Discovery Channel Animal Planet in the program entitled AnimalX-Third Series sometime in March or April 2005. It will also be shown all over the world but we don't know the dates it will be aired.....The Clark's on CryptoZoology.com
Enclosed below are the Clark video frames revealing the oscillation dynamics of one animal, the length of which extends from left to right of each frame. Vertical oscillation is common to sea snakes17 , as well as the flukes which seems to be indicated on the last two frames of the looping sequence. Plates 9a-9d indicate one animal in motion for the body wave sequence1 , this has important length metric ramifications.
Oscillation motion (left to right) generates propulsion to the left, moving the animal(s) out toward the SF Bay Bridge area and out to sea. The general motion is a traverse oscillation generating amplitude in the body movement and transferring the potential energy as the snake animal moves right-to-left. The simultaneity of the commencement of oscillation suggests a single animal in Plates 9a-9h. Animal length approximately 54.864m using the tour ship scale (Plates 14 and 15). Deep-sea hyperbaric pressures are usually…..
A single animal was observed to reverse its heading 180 degrees as is seen in Plates 10 a through 10 f. This motion yielded good approximations of the animals length and head-to-body scaling ratio. Again this marine animal indicates a total length of at least 150 feet based on a zoomed 1:1 ratio, or 1 foot per pixel. (StarTop=North).
This section is the most essential in the establishing the veracity of the Clark video. Also, the city officials should take the implications regarding animals of this size in the SF Bay area seriously. The consequences of such large creatures in the area within significant human traffic may be serious.
V. Summary and ConclusionBSM Associates determines that the video submitted by the Clark Brothers reveals an unidentified group of marine animals in the San Francisco Bay, 26 January 2004.
The importance of the discovery in relationship to historical fauna of this planet has yet to be determined, but will probably have immense etiologic ramifications for the evolution model.
Creation science models, certainly those incorporating Pre-Deluvian fauna and flora existing in a Post-Deluvian environment, will probably utilize the Clark Discovery.
When integrated into other explorations concerning for example, marine and lake serpentine-type animals (including the genus plesiosaurus), the Clark Brothers video becomes pivotal. Although sea snakes seems to be the most tenable conclusion, the authors do not dismiss the possibility of Elasmosaur for these animals.
Total observable length of the animal is approximately 170 feet (52 meters). The next report will address mass and volume metrics and a closer examination of the first 100 frames (animal group activity) of the video.
The intrusion of research groups into the animals' otherwise relative benign habitat almost certainly will effect their behavior, and it is quite possible that no behavioral observations made to date have recorded anything more than threat-responses stimulated by the intrusion of human technologies (touring ships, etc.) Once animals are….
Additional Slides From Paiva/Slusher Report on "SF Sea Serpent" Video
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
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United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) long-term agricultural projections presented in this report are a departmental consensus on a long run scenario for the agricultural sector. These projections provide a starting point for discussion of alternative outcomes for the sector. The projections in this report were prepared during October through December 2015, with the Agricultural Act of 2014 assumed to remain in effect through the projection period. The scenario presented in this report is not a USDA forecast about the future. Instead, it is a conditional, long run scenario about what would be expected to happen under a continuation of current farm legislation and other specific assumptions.
Critical long-term assumptions are made for the US and international macroeconomic conditions, US and foreign agricultural and trade policies, and growth rates of agricultural productivity in the United States and abroad. The report assumes that there are no domestic or external shocks that would affect global agricultural supply and demand. Normal weather is assumed. Changes in any of these assumptions can significantly affect the projections, and actual conditions that emerge will alter the outcomes. The report uses as a starting point the short-term projections from the November 2015 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. The macroeconomic assumptions were completed in October 2018.
The projections analysis was conducted by interagency committees in USDA and reflect a composite of model results and judgment-based analyses. The Economic Research Service had the lead role in preparing the departmental report. The projections and the report were reviewed and cleared by the Interagency Agricultural Projections Committee, chaired by the World Agricultural Outlook Board. USDA participants in the projections analysis and review include the World Agricultural Outlook Board; the Economic Research Service; the Farm Service Agency; the Foreign Agricultural Service; the Agricultural Marketing Service; the Office of the Chief Economist; the Office of Budget and Program Analysis; the Risk Management Agency; the Natural Resources Conservation Service; and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.


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Altered Images – Keston Ponds by Nikki Tinkler
Altered Images – Keston Ponds by Nikki Tinkler
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