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As long-time clients and readers know, I am a big fan of Stratfor and its founder Dr. George Friedman. George and his global team of intelligence professionals provide sophisticated readers around the world with unique insights into political, geopolitical, economic, and military developments. Stratfor's independent, non-ideological content helps users to anticipate international events and potentially reduce risks, as well as identify periodic opportunities in various regions of the globe.
Since January is the month for forecasts, today I present you with Stratfor's global forecast for the New Year which was just released last week. Due to the length of the report, I could not reprint all of it below, but all of the main points are included. I trust you'll find this forecast very interesting, and as always, I thank Stratfor for allowing me to reprint some of their work from time to time. I highly recommend that you subscribe at Stratfor.com to stay a step ahead of world events.
Annual Forecast 2011
January 12, 2011 | 1308 GMT
The year 2011 is one of preparation and postponement, as Washington, Beijing and Moscow — among several others — are already looking to elections and leadership changes in 2012. The uncertainty of next year affects the actions of this year.
One of the biggest questions in 2011 concerns Iraq. The United States is officially obligated to complete its withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq by the end of this year, a move that could reshape the balance of regional power. If the United States withdraws, it leaves Iran the single most powerful conventional force in the region, and leaves Iraq open to Iranian domination. The ripple effect alters the sense of security for the Saudis and other Arab regimes, forcing them to accommodate a more powerful Iran. This effectively ends the balance of power in the Gulf region, something that Washington can little accept.
If Washington does not carry out a meaningful withdrawal, then Iran retains the option of stirring up militias and unrest in Iraq, increasing conflict and the attendant U.S. casualties, all while the U.S. presidential election season begins ramping up. From the political perspective, this is not acceptable. From the geopolitical perspective, allowing Iran (or any other single power) to dominate the region is unacceptable. We think the latter will take precedence over the former, and the United States will seek to retain a strong presence in Iraq rather than withdraw from the region. However, the United States is not likely to carry out any major military action against Iran.
That leaves one path if the United States wants to get out of Iraq at some future point: an accommodation (even if quiet) with Iran to ensure both U.S. and Iranian interests. While it is not likely to be very public, we expect a significant increase in U.S.-Iranian discussions this year toward this end.
While Washington looks to extricate itself from Iraq without leaving power in the region unbalanced, farther east China is struggling with its own economic imbalances. STRATFOR has long been perceived as bearish on the Chinese economy. We are less bearish than realistic, and the reality is that the longer an economic miracle continues to be miraculous, the more likely it is to end its amazing run. We cannot help but notice the similarities between China and its East Asian economic predecessors: Japan, South Korea and the Southeast Asian "Tigers." The Chinese have shown great resilience, but the global economic crisis revealed the weaknesses of China's export-based model. While government investment now makes up the lion's share of the Chinese economy, Beijing is walking a very difficult path between rampant inflation and rapid economic slowing.
As China's leaders search for a solution and try to avoid the social consequences of a slip in either direction, they are also focused on the next major generational leadership transition, slated to begin in 2012. This discourages any radical or daring economic policies, and stability will remain the watchword as the politicians jockey for position. But given the status of the Chinese economy, and the continued effects internationally of the global slowdown, daring policies and ideas are perhaps what China needs. While Beijing is likely to procrastinate in making any radical economic policy changes, and thus avoid the likely short-term chaos that could entail, the longer the leaders delay fundamental action, the worse things may be when the system starts to unravel.
Meanwhile, Russia will continue to attempt to roll back U.S. influence in Eurasia and solidify its own. Russia has largely completed its retrenchment to the borders of the former Soviet Union, with the notable exception of the Baltic states and to a lesser extent the Caucasus, and Moscow is now secure enough to shift from its more assertive stance to one that appears more conciliatory. This new strategy will play to all its relationships around the world, but will be effective in moving Russia's influence farther beyond its former Soviet sphere and into Europe — where the United States has been dominant since the end of the Cold War. Russia's focus this year is to mold understandings with states like the Baltics, while entrenching its strong relationship with Germany. Moscow knows that its time to act freely is ticking down as Russia watches the United States wrap up some of its commitments in the Middle East, but Moscow will also be looking internally, as the political elite position themselves ahead of the 2012 elections.
Middle East/South Asia
The most important question in the Persian Gulf is the degree to which the United States will draw down its forces in the region. The answer to this question determines the region's geopolitical reality.
Other than the United States, the greatest military power in the Persian Gulf region is Iran. Whether or not Iran acquires nuclear weapons, it is the major conventional power. Should the United States remove all effective military force in Iraq and limit its forces in Kuwait, two things would happen. First, Iraq would fall under Iranian domination. Second, the states on the Arabian Peninsula would have to accommodate the new balance of power, making concessions to Iranian interests.
Should the United States not remove its forces from the region, Iran would have the option of launching guerrilla operations against U.S. forces, using its surrogates in Iraq. That would escalate casualties in Iraq at a time when the U.S. presidential campaign would be getting under way. The core prediction STRATFOR needs to make for the region, therefore, is whether the United States will withdraw its forces. We do not believe a withdrawal is likely in 2011…
The chance of surgical strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities is very low, inasmuch as the Iranian response would be to attempt to block the Strait of Hormuz. While it is possible for the U.S. Navy to keep the strait clear, it cannot control the market reaction to military activity there. The consequences of failure for the global economy would be enormous and too great a risk without a much broader war designed to destroy Iran's conventional forces (naval, air and land) from the air. This could be done, but it would take many months and also run huge risks.
Given that the United States will not completely withdraw and will not launch a major military strike unless pressed by unforeseen circumstances, it is likely that the United States will reach out to Iran — either the government or significant factions within it — in order to reach some sort of accommodation guaranteeing U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf and Iranian interests in Iraq. These talks will likely be a continuation of secret talks held in the past, and if an accommodation is reached, it might be informal in order to minimize political repercussions in both countries.
In Turkey, 2011 is an election year, with parliamentary elections scheduled for June. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is unlikely to lose the election overall, but the vote will highlight the core secular-religious divide within Turkey. As it seeks to consolidate itself at home, the AKP in 2011 will work toward a more coherent foreign policy, trying to learn from past efforts that had unexpected results.
Egypt begins the year with the successors of ailing 82-year-old Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at odds over the pending transfer of power. The various factions — both in his National Democratic Party and the army — do not agree on who can best ensure regime stability and policy continuity once Mubarak is no longer in a position to lead. Another complication is that the presidential election is scheduled for September, and it is not clear whether Mubarak will run for a sixth five-year term. While the various elements that make up the state will be busy trying to reach a consensus on how best to navigate the succession issue, several political and militant forces active in Egypt will be trying to take advantage of the historic opportunity the transition presents…
In Israel, concerns remain about Hezbollah, the most serious threat Israel faces. But Hezbollah is focused on matters in Lebanon, and Syria has its own interests at stake, so another major Israel-Hezbollah war in 2011 is unlikely. In Gaza, on Israel's southern flank, things are not quite as stable. Hamas has an interest in maintaining a short-term truce with Israel, but pressure from competing Islamist movements and Israel's ongoing efforts to prevent Hamas from strengthening will likely lead to clashes within the year, though not to the extent seen in 2008-2009.
In Afghanistan, the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) saw some successes on the battlefield in 2010, and more can be expected in the year ahead. However, the ISAF has neither the troop strength nor the staying power to truly defeat the Taliban through military force alone. The success or failure of the counterinsurgency-focused strategy therefore rests not only on the military degradation of the Taliban, but also on the ability to compel the Taliban to negotiate some degree of political accommodation. Some movement toward a negotiated settlement this year is possible, and Pakistan will try to steer Washington toward talks (in the hopes that Islamabad will be able to influence the eventual outcome of those talks), but a comprehensive settlement in 2011 seems unlikely at this point.
The Global Economy
The United States will experience moderate to strong growth in 2011. Unlike in other major economies, consumer activity comprises the bulk of the U.S. system — some $10 trillion of the $14 trillion total. That $10 trillion is approximately half of the global consumer market. (The combined BRIC states — Brazil, Russia, India and China — account for less than one-third of that amount). As the U.S. consumer goes, so goes the world.
When measuring what the U.S. consumer is going to do, STRATFOR consults three sets of data: first-time unemployment claims (our preferred method for evaluating current employment trends), retail sales (the actual consumer's track record), and inventory builds (an indicator of whether or not wholesalers and retailers will be placing new orders, which in turn would require more hires). As 2011 begins, the first two figures look favorable to economic growth, while the last indicates employment may be slow to recover.
STRATFOR pays close attention to two other measures on the economy: The S&P 500 Index indicates investors' risk appetite, and total bank credit as made available by the U.S. Federal Reserve indicates how functional the financial system is. Because the 2008-2009 recession was financial in origin, STRATFOR pays particular attention to what investors and banks are doing and thinking. Both measures are strongly positive as 2011 begins.
But while the United States may be gearing up for a strong performance, the same is not true elsewhere in the world.
Europe faces a structural problem. The euro was designed for and by the Germans, who want a strong currency and high interest rates to keep inflation in check and to attract the capital required to maximize their high value-added system of first-rate education and infrastructure. The Southern Europeans, in contrast, have economies that do not add nearly as much value. They must remain price competitive to generate growth, and the only reliable means they have of doing that is to sport a weak currency. Put simply, people will pay more for a German car, but they will only pay so much for a Spanish apple.
Yet these economies (and others) are enmeshed into the eurozone. The financial crisis is depressing the euro, which would normally help the southern European states, but Germany's presence in the eurozone is acting as a sort of life preserver, limiting how far the common currency can sink. The result is a midground currency, prevented from falling to levels that would actually stimulate the south while holding at weaker levels that make the already competitive Germans hypercompetitive. The result will be growth bifurcation, with the Germans experiencing their fastest growth in a generation, and Southern Europe — the region that needs growth the most to emerge from the debt maelstrom — mired in recession.
Consequently, the financial crisis that started sweeping Europe in 2010 is far from over, and STRATFOR forecasts that more states will join Greece and Ireland in the bailout line in 2011. In one bit of good news for the Europeans, STRATFOR projects that the systems the Europeans built in 2010 to handle the financial crisis will prove sufficient to manage Portugal, Belgium, Spain and Austria, the four states facing the highest likelihood of bailouts, respectively.
In Asia the picture is more familiar. Japan has largely removed itself from the scene. Japan's population has aged to such a degree that consumption is expected to shrink every year from now on, while its national budget is now majority funded by deficit spending. Luckily for the rest of the world, Japan's debt is held almost entirely at home, and its economy is the least exposed to the international system of any advanced nation. Japan will rot, but it will rot in seclusion.
In China, nearly every government throughout its history has at some point been brought down by social unrest of some kind. Recently, Beijing was concerned that rolling back stimulus policies enacted in late 2008 would put economic growth at risk, and with it employment. STRATFOR has learned that, given these circumstances, Beijing has decided to keep that stimulus intact. This will solve the employment problem, but it comes at the certain price of higher inflation. China's challenge in 2011 will be to maintain sufficient services and subsidies to keep social forces in check at a time when the country's economic model will exacerbate inflationary problems.
Gary D. Halbert, ProFutures, Inc. and Halbert Wealth Management, Inc. are not affiliated with nor do they endorse, sponsor or recommend the following product or service.
Former Soviet Union
Russia's consolidation of influence in the former Soviet Union is nearly complete, and in 2011, Moscow will feel secure enough in its position to shift from a policy of confrontation with the West to one characterized, at least in part, by a more cooperative engagement. Russia will play a double game, ensuring it can reap benefits from having warm relations with countries — such as investment and economic ties — while keeping pressure on those same countries for political reasons.
The most complex relationship will be with the United States, as many outstanding issues remain between the two powers. However, Russia knows that the United States is still bogged down in the Middle East and South Asia, so there is no need for a unilaterally aggressive push on Washington.
The most productive relationship will be with Germany. Moscow and Berlin will strengthen their ties politically, economically and financially in the new year. But, as throughout history, their inherent mistrust for one another will motivate them to prepare to pressure each other if needed in the years beyond 2011.
Moscow's strategy shift will also affect how Russia interacts with its former Soviet states. In 2010, Russia consolidated its control over Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, while strengthening its influence over Armenia and Tajikistan. Russia knows that it broadly dominates the countries and can now move more freely in and out of them — and allow the states more leeway, though within Russia's constraints.
There are still three regions in which Russia has not solidified its influence and thus will be more assertive: Moldova, the independently minded Caucasus states of Georgia and Azerbaijan, and the Baltics. Of these, Russia is furthest along with Moldova, and changing relations with Georgia can largely be left for another day. Russia's strategy toward the Baltics is changing, and Moscow is attempting to work its way into each of the Baltic states on multiple levels — politically, economically, financially and socially. Russia knows that it will not be able to pull these countries away from their alliances in NATO or the European Union, but it wants to have some influence over their foreign policy. Russia will be more successful in this new strategy in the Baltic state of Latvia and to a lesser degree in Estonia, while Lithuania will be more challenging.
Domestically, Russia is preparing for parliamentary elections at the end of 2011 and the highly anticipated presidential election in 2012. Traditionally, in the lead-up to an election, the Kremlin leader — currently Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin — shakes things up by replacing key powerful figures in the country. This time, Putin has asserted that his power over the Kremlin is strong enough that he will not need such a reshuffling, but many in the country's elite will still scramble to secure their positions or attempt to gain better ones. Should President Dmitri Medvedev's supporters move to break from Putin's grip, it could trigger another clampdown on the country politically and socially, similar to the one seen in the mid-2000s. But whether Putin decides to run again as president or remain prime minister, his control over Russia remains secure…
East Asia
The most important question for the Asia Pacific region is whether China's economy will slow down abruptly in 2011. Though growth may slow, STRATFOR does not anticipate it to collapse beneath the government's target level. This will require a tightrope walk between excessive inflation on one side and drastic [economic] slowing on the other. China's leaders want a smooth transition to the next generation of leaders in 2012, and do not want the economy to collapse on their watch. They will err on the side of higher inflation, which could exacerbate social troubles, but Beijing is betting this will remain manageable.
China's exports recovered in 2010 from the lows of 2009, but export growth is expected to slow in 2011. Wages, energy and utilities costs are rising; the government is letting the currency slowly appreciate; workers are demanding better conditions and more compensation while the demographic advantage and the amount of new migrant labor entering markets is slowing. All of these processes will continue in 2011 to the detriment of export sector stability. Already some manufacturers of cheap goods are operating at a loss. Reports of loss-making enterprises are not yet widespread, but they indicate the real strains from rising costs that will worsen in 2011. However, as long as the American recovery continues and there are no other big external shocks, the export sector will not collapse.
China's primary hope for maintaining targeted growth rates is investment. Since 2008, Beijing has relied on government spending packages and, most important, gargantuan helpings of bank loans to drive growth. The central government will continue these stimulus policies in 2011. Meanwhile, Beijing will allow banks to continue high levels of lending, and the banks appear just capable of surging credit for another year. Deposits are still growing and outnumber loans, several major banks raised capital in 2010, and Beijing has toughened regulatory requirements to increase capital adequacy, reserves and bad loan provisions. Nevertheless the credit boom cannot last much longer, and the sector is sitting on a volcano of new non-performing loans worth at least $900 billion. Without credible reform in lending practices, continued high levels of lending in China will increase systemic financial risks as companies take out new loans to roll over bad debt and invest in inefficient or speculative projects, while adding to inflation and compounding the sector's future burdens. Though a banking crisis may be averted in 2011, it cannot be averted for long.
With Beijing willing to use government investment and bank lending to avoid a deep slowdown, inflation will rise and cause economic and socio-political problems in 2011, generating outbursts of social discontent along the lines of previous inflationary periods, such as 2007-2008, or even, conceivably, 1989. Inflation is hitting all the essential commodities, and STRATFOR sources perceive unusually high levels of social frustration from Beijing to Hong Kong. The government will use social policies, price controls and subsidies to alleviate the problem, but will not be able to prevent major incidents of unrest. Security forces are capable of dealing with protests and riots, but such incidents will reveal the depth of the problems the country faces…
North Korea's behavior in 2010 appeared off the charts — Pyongyang was accused of sinking a South Korean navy ship and killed South Korean civilians during the shelling of a South Korean-controlled island south of the Northern Limit Line, a maritime border the North refuses to formally recognize. In the past two decades, North Korea has demonstrated a clear pattern of escalating tensions with the South, with its neighbors and with the United States as a precursor to negotiations for economic benefits. These tensions centered on nuclear and missile developments, but not on outright aggression against the South — until 2010. Pyongyang appears to have made several very calculated decisions: First, that nuclear tests and missile launches no longer created the sense of uncertainty and crisis necessary to force the United States and South Korea into negotiations and concessions; second, that it had China's cover; and third, that Seoul and Washington would not respond militarily to a more direct form of North Korean provocation. All indications suggest that Pyongyang bet correctly, and it is looking like 2011 will see a return to the more managed relations with North Korea seen a decade ago, barring a major domestic disagreement among the North Korean elite over Kim Jong Il's succession plans…
Europe continues to deal with the economic and political ramifications of its economic problems. At the center is Germany, the most significant European power in 2011. Berlin will continue to press the rest of Europe to accept its point of view on fiscal matters, using the ongoing economic crisis as an opportunity to tighten the eurozone's existing economic rules and to introduce new ones. Germany is pursuing three key initiatives: the development of a permanent bailout and sovereign debt restructuring mechanism (largely freeing Germany from having to bail out other eurozone members in the future); the acceptance of tougher monitoring, implementation and enforcement of eurozone fiscal rules; and continued adherence to German-designed austerity measures among eurozone members.
Berlin's assertiveness will continue to breed resentment within other eurozone states. Those states will feel the pinch of austerity measures, but the segments of the population being affected the most across the board are the youth, foreigners and the construction sector. These are segments that, despite growing violence on the streets of Europe, have been and will continue to be ignored. Barring an unprecedented outbreak of violence, the lack of acceptable political — and economic — alternatives to the European Union and the shadow of economic crisis will keep Europe's capitals from any fundamental break with Germany in 2011.
If anyone breaks the line on austerity, it will be the Irish and the Greeks. In Ireland, elections in the first quarter could bring anti-bailout or anti-austerity forces into power. Ireland has said "no" to Europe twice before on EU treaties, and it could be a wrench in Berlin's plans again. In Greece, Athens is dealing with historically high unemployment… and another year of recession. Prime Minister George Papandreou is holding on to an ever-smaller majority in the parliament as his party's lawmakers jump ship. However, Greece and Ireland are both already under EU bailout mechanisms. Other states may see changes in government (Spain, Portugal and Italy being prime candidates), but leadership change will not mean policy change. Germany would only be truly challenged if one of the large states — France, Spain or Italy — broke with it on austerity and new rules, and there is no indication that such a development will happen in 2011.
Ultimately, Germany will find resistance in Europe. This will first manifest in the loss of legitimacy for European political elites, both center-left and center-right. The year 2011 will bring greater electoral success to nontraditional and nationalist parties in both local and national elections, as well as an increase in protests and street violence among the most disaffected segment of society, the youth. Elites in power will seek to counter this trend by drawing attention away from economic issues and to issues such as crime, security from terrorism and anti-immigrant rhetoric and policy.
The country where elites are in most trouble is in fact Germany. Berlin has not yet made the case to its own population for Germany's central role in Europe, and why Germany needs to bail out its neighbors when it has its own economic troubles. In large part this is because if Berlin were to make this case domestically, laying out the advantages Germany gains from the eurozone, it would further breed resentment abroad. With seven state elections in 2011 — four in a short period in February and March — the first evidence of nontraditional political forces' coming to the forefront could be in Germany. This could accelerate if Berlin is also called upon to rescue one of the other troubled economies within this intense electoral period in the first quarter…
Economic decay, runaway corruption and political uncertainty will define Venezuela in the year ahead. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will resort to more creative and forceful means to expand his executive authority and muzzle dissent, but managing threats to his hold on power will become more difficult and more complex, especially considering Venezuela's growing struggle to maintain steady oil production and the country's prolonged electricity crisis.
The Venezuelan government will thus become increasingly reliant on its allies — namely China, Cuba and, to a lesser extent, Iran and Russia — to stave off a collapse. However, Chavez is facing the developing challenge of a potential clash of interests among those allies. China, Cuba and Russia, for example, will attempt to place limits on Venezuela's relationship with Iran in the interest of managing their own affairs with the United States. Though doubts will rise over the sustainability of the Venezuelan government and economy, the Chavez government likely will not be toppled as long as oil prices allow Caracas to maintain a high rate of public spending.
Cuba, meanwhile, intends to lay off or reshuffle more than half a million state workers (10 percent of the island's work force) by March 2011 while attempting to build up a fledgling private sector to absorb the labor. There are signs that Fidel and Raul Castro have reached a political consensus over the reforms and are serious about easing the heavy burden on the state out of sheer economic desperation. However, this will be a year of immense struggle for Cuba, especially as many of the new privately owned or cooperative businesses are expected to fail due to their lack of resources and experience and because of a shortage of foreign capital.
Cuba will continue to send positive, albeit measured, political signals in an attempt to make investment in the island more politically palatable to foreigners, but no drastic political reforms are expected. Cuba is headed for a major political change, but STRATFOR does not see that happening in 2011. Such a change will take time to develop and will entail a great deal of pain inflicted on the Cuban economy. We suspect that those eyeing a change in the Cuban leadership would rather the Castros take the fall for the economic hardships to be endured during this slow process…
In Mexico, the next year will be critical for the ruling National Action Party (PAN) and its prospects for the 2012 elections. Logic dictates that for the PAN to have a reasonable chance at staving off an Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) comeback, the level of cartel violence must come down to politically acceptable levels. Though serious attempts will be made, STRATFOR does not see Mexican President Felipe Calderon and the PAN making meaningful progress toward this end. If there is a measurable reduction in overall cartel violence, it will be the result of inter-cartel rivalries playing out between the two current dominant cartels — the Sinaloa Federation and Los Zetas — and their regional rivals, mostly independently from the Mexican government's operations.
Mexican authorities will devote considerable resources to the Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon regions, and these operations are more likely to escalate tensions between the Gulf cartel and Los Zetas than to reduce violence in these areas. Political stagnation will meanwhile become more severe as Mexico's election draws closer, with parties forming alliances and the PRI taking more interest in making the PAN look as ineffectual as possible on most issues. END QUOTE
Thanks again to Stratfor for allowing me to bring you this timely information. You may also want to check out Dr. George Friedman's latest book: The Next Decade – Where We've Been and Where We're Going, which will be available on January 25. You can order it at http://www.stratfor.com/nextdecade.
Hoping your New Year is off to a great start,
Gary D. Halbert
ADVERTISING DISCLOSURE:"Gary D. Halbert, ProFutures, Inc. and Halbert Wealth Management, Inc. are not affiliated with nor do they endorse, sponsor or recommend any product or service advertised herein, unless otherwise specifically noted."
Forecasts & Trends is published by ProFutures, Inc., and Gary D. Halbert is the editor of this publication. Information contained herein is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but cannot be guaranteed as to its accuracy. Opinions and recommendations herein generally reflect the judgment of Gary D. Halbert and may change at any time without written notice, and ProFutures assumes no duty to update you regarding any changes. Market opinions contained herein are intended as general observations and are not intended as specific investment advice. Any references to products offered by Halbert Wealth Management are not a solicitation for any investment. Such offer or solicitation can only be made by way of Halbert Wealth Management's Form ADV Part II, complete disclosures regarding the product and otherwise in accordance with applicable securities laws. Readers are urged to check with their investment counselors and review all disclosures before making a decision to invest. This electronic newsletter does not constitute an offer of sales of any securities. Gary D. Halbert, ProFutures, Inc. and all affiliated companies, InvestorsInsight, their officers, directors and/or employees may or may not have investments in markets or programs mentioned herein. Securities trading is speculative and involves the potential loss of investment. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results.


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The protection of your know-how is very important to us! We work, as a service provider, for many clients from various fields of electrical engineering and electronics. For inquiries from companies that are in direct competition with each other, we consequently reject requests for developments with similar or even the same development object of the second requestor. This protects you and us, because normally a development process is always associated with a certain know-how transfer between both partners.
Of course we don't give any information, technical documents or sofware code to third parties. Two exceptions occur regularly, however you always will be informed in advance:
If you would like us to produce and we shall obtain the circuit board, it is necessary to transfer layout data (production data set) in a processed form (eg Gerber plot data or drill data) to an external circuit board manufacturer.
EMC tests are done by an external service provider. It is usually necessary to provide the executing person(s) with schema, layout and wiring diagrams during the tests.
We are interested in a long-term cooperation, based on trust and a frequent communication. Therefore, we would like to include a confidentiality agreement with you!

subset: commoncrawl


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Measurement of Child Progress 10 Hours Annual STARS Training
Be sure to complete all assignments and discussion boards in each course.
Scroll down and click on the course icon to access the selected course.
Reminder: You will have access to the courses for one year from the date of enrollment.
Mobile Devices:
The Reach for the STARS courses MAY be mobile friendly. However, because every device is different, we are unable to guarantee compatibility.
Our student support staff is unable to provide technical support when students are attempting to use an iPad, tablet or cell phone to complete an online course. Use of an iPad, tablet, or cell phone is at your own risk.


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sara wrote:So Havok just posted on FB that they're not on this year, but they want to be on. While I'm not as into their current album as I hoped I'd be, I'd still love to help out in that endeavor.
And in all actuality, maybe they're on but had to cover their asses? Because what they posted was just the 70k Tons logo. The other info came as a reply to somebody asking if they're on.
Saw them 2 days ago...they absolutely kicked ass!!! I'd love to see them again onbroad!


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NASA has offered for general sale a high-tech "electrolytic rehydration drink" developed to keep astronauts in top shape under the physiological stresses of orbital flight. For a truly authentic astronaut experience, Earthbound drinkers of "The Right Stuff™" may wish to mix their cutting-edge space beverage with (purified) rat piss.
"We developed the hydration formula to perform optimally under the most extreme conditions. The health of our highly trained astronauts was paramount," explains John Greenleaf PhD, who invented The Right Stuff™ drink while employed at NASA's Ames Research Centre in California. He's now an adviser at Wellness Brands, which has acquired the astro sports-drink licence from the space agency.
"With all that Americans and the government have invested in the space program and our astronauts, this is one clear way to protect and maximize that investment," adds Greenleaf. "And now the general public will benefit from this research as well."
According to Wellness Brands:
NASA scientists conducted extensive testing to develop the patented formulation. The formula has been used by the astronauts during missions for nearly 20 years and has been tested in controlled clinical environments on Earth.
Astronauts continue to use the patented formula on space missions to prevent the symptoms of dehydration.
It works so well for the astronauts ... you can imagine how well it will work for athletes here on Earth!
The super-duper sports drink is referred to by Greenleaf and Ames colleagues as a "hyperhydration drink" in a NASA tech memo (pdf) dating from 1994, so the Stuff™ has indeed been under development for a very long time.
Naturally, given the huge costs of space launch, astronauts don't drink bottled sports drinks of the Lucozade sort. Rather, comparatively lightweight special additives are mixed with water to concoct the hyperhydrational goodness which keeps a human body in tiptop shape even after a sweaty session on the zero-G treadmill or a punishing spacesuited struggle with recalcitrant orbital fittings.
In former times - during long space shuttle missions, for instance - the water for the Stuff™ might be obtained from such sources as fuel-cell generator exhaust. The Russian Mir space station, frequently visited by NASA astronauts in the 1990s, had a system for harvesting floating sweat droplets from its atmosphere and recycling them for drinks.
Nowadays, as is well known to regular Reg readers, the tricky problem of recycling every last drop of water from human and animal wastes - urine etc - has at last been satisfactorily solved. The new six-person crews of the International Space Station, the main human spaceflight activity of the coming decade, will quench their thirst with refreshments mixed primarily from self-sourced liquids.
And it's not just the astronauts who give every last drop to keep the taps flowing aboard the ISS. As NASA's Layne Carter reveals, a full experimental complement of 72 rats aboard the space station equals "about one human in terms of water reclamation". The Right Stuff™ as quaffed in space is mixed six parts to one from recycled human and rat sweat and urine respectively.
Of course, the re-wee used in space is probably far more pure and healthy than average tap water (or even bottled) down on Earth. Even so, you can see why Wellness Brands haven't chosen to highlight this aspect of their cutting-edge space beverage technology in their marketing.
Rat Sweat™ or Yesterday's Coffee™ probably wouldn't do nearly as well. And to be fair, as every astronaut is deemed to have plenty of the right stuff in them - and presumably so does every spacegoing rat - perhaps the trade name is quite appropriate after all.
There's more from NASA here. ®


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User Tag List
Thread: 2018 Season
Results 1 to 73 of 73
24th April 2018, 20:00 #1
2018 Season
OK so it's the start of the cricket season, which means it's time for us all to come together in this safe space where we can vent about how unfair cricket is and how we'll do better next week.
Had a friendly on Saturday and made a majestic six runs. Creamed a classy James Vince cover drive for four which was followed up by a tame pull to square leg
First competitive match is this Saturday, we'll see if it gets any better.
So let's have it, what are your goals for the season, have you played any games, how have they gone so far etc. etc.
@Rana @rahulrulezz @Suleiman @Kiri @mastersaan10
Oh and of course, time for more excuses from this guy:
26th April 2018, 18:22 #2Tape Ball Regular
- Debut
- Jan 2011
- Runs
- 397
- Mentioned
- 13 Post(s)
- Tagged
- 0 Thread(s)
hey so far practice games and already made a 74, followed by 13.
27th April 2018, 06:35 #3
Got our first league game this Saturday, I haven't bowled a single ball all off-season so I'll probably be asked to bowl my full complement.
I just need to decide whether to destroy the opposition with gentle medium pace pies or gentle leg-spin pies
29th April 2018, 17:10 #4
29th April 2018, 22:28 #5
Match yesterday was rained off, I wont be free to play until June now
30th April 2018, 02:48 #6
Played my first game last week. A T20.
Took 1-8(3) and came in at #5 to finish the game with 4*
7th June 2018, 14:53 #7
Last Saturday I won my first game in over a year
7th June 2018, 18:46 #8
7th June 2018, 20:40 #9
In the middle East, with temps > 45 during day - its the end of the season - we start in October/November
For the latest updates on Cricket, follow @PakPassion on Twitter
8th June 2018, 08:16 #10
8th June 2018, 13:07 #11
For the latest updates on Cricket, follow @PakPassion on Twitter
8th June 2018, 13:26 #12
10th June 2018, 02:48 #13
Back to losing today, not surprised. Used to it. However, was happy with my own performance. We were bowled out for 65 or something and I scored 8 not out which was frustrating as we still had lots of overs left but was batting at 10 so ran out of partners .
Took 2 wickets and bowled economically but we were always gonna lose. Opposition bowlers were nothing special, so slow but straight, all our dismissals bar one were lbw/bowled, frustrating we lost wickets to average bowlers just missing straight balls. I was just defending straight ones and getting runs on the not so good bowls.
10th June 2018, 07:39 #14
Playing in Ramadhan was not a good idea
Bowled my first balls since the end of last season (and that includes nets), first two balls no-balled for height and the rest weren't much better
Then after 45 overs in the field I was more or less dead, ended up batting at 5 and felt so ill I almost asked someone else to go and bat instead. Managed to get 22 before the heatstroke kicked in and I play a sweep, a shot I haven't played once in two seasons, and was bowled.
We won and Ramadhan ends before the next game so it's not a bad way to start my season I guess.
10th June 2018, 17:27 #15
Also, at one point we were 133/2 and our #3 had scored 103 of them. Of that 103, he had two singles and one two
11th June 2018, 20:19 #16
11th June 2018, 20:54 #17
I've been trying to replay everything in my mind and I think I know where I went wrong in my action. It's difficult when I haven't been to the nets, and because my spinning finger is pretty busted I can't bowl leggies in the nets anyway otherwise my finger won't be ready to bowl again on Saturday.
I have to make adjustments to my technique in my mind and then try and put it into practice in the middle of the game.
Either that, or I start bowling seam up
17th June 2018, 17:40 #18
So the opposition put us in to bat on a damp wicket after overnight rain, we lost 5 wickets after 6 and a half overs and I walked out to the middle at 60/6
I shelved the attacking shots and just tried to hang around as long as possible, only made 21 but we put on a partnership of 85 thanks to the dodgy bounce adding on quite a few byes to the total.
Felt pretty comfortable for the most part but I'm still falling over too much, which led to me being LBW to a big inswinger.
18th June 2018, 16:12 #19
18th June 2018, 17:12 #20
The start of the match was absolutely nuts though, the first over lasted about a dozen deliveries and then the second over was when the fun began.
There was a wicket off the first ball of the over, off-stump went for a walk.
Then an LBW appeal from the next delivery. The umpire looked like he gave it out but then seemed to change his mind when the batsman complained it hit his forearm/wrist (Which it absolutely did, I was umpiring at square leg and it definitely wasn't LBW) so the opposition were pretty annoyed
The next ball saw a top edged flick that should have caught at fine leg but the fielder didn't run forward so it landed safe, now the bowler is really annoyed
Then the fourth ball was hoicked to the square leg boundary where the fielder was waiting to take a simple catch, only to see the ball hit an overhanging tree branch which meant six runs instead of a wicket. Now they were absolutely fuming
Fifth ball saw a wicket and I can't even remember the sixth ball.
That was just the first two overs of the game
18th June 2018, 18:05 #21
18th June 2018, 18:29 #22
shaz619 can't get a game
20th June 2018, 23:31 #23
Welp, I've been asked to captain on Saturday
21st June 2018, 01:52 #24
21st June 2018, 02:01 #25
21st June 2018, 02:07 #26
21st June 2018, 02:19 #27
22nd June 2018, 21:00 #28
Not playing tomorrow as our 3rd XI conceded due to lack of players Was nearly pushed up into the 2s though but just edged out Oh well.
24th June 2018, 02:34 #29
Big Mac how was the captaincy?
24th June 2018, 03:04 #30
So, I thought going to bat at 60/6 last week was as bad as it would get.
Today we were 4/3.
Then 26/4.
Then I walk out to bat at 52/6.
I ended up with my new highest score and was last man out for 54 when the ball rolled along the ground and bowled me.
130 all out wasn't enough to defend, although we did give them a bit of a scare but in the end they crossed over the finish line with five wickets down.
I scored 54 runs, the other ten players combined for 50 runs. Now I know how Misbah felt
26th June 2018, 03:28 #31
I still get emails from HCC, which league do you play in @Big Mac. You guys have like 6 or 7 teams isn't it. Am mostly away from Brum these days otherwise would have a go in the nets
Ah, so this is what it feels like
26th June 2018, 15:50 #32
26th June 2018, 22:34 #33
Ah, so this is what it feels like
26th June 2018, 22:48 #34
26th June 2018, 22:57 #35
26th June 2018, 23:09 #36
Lots of youngsta beauties is great to see as well, with club cricket struggling for numbers every year it's good to see the next generation looking quite healthy.
29th June 2018, 22:28 #37
Another match tomorrow and my back is hurting :/
1st July 2018, 02:59 #38
On the one hand, I had a golden duck and we lost by 200 runs.
On the other hand, I got home in time to laugh at Cronaldo.
I reckon it evened out in the end
1st July 2018, 21:16 #39
Yesterday, my team batted first again. Every time we had batted first, we would be bowled out for less than 100. But today, as it's just my bad luck, I had somewhere to be at 7 o clock so my team actually batted good for once and we scored 247-8 from 50 overs. I faced the last ball of the innings, went for a big swing, missed, tried to run a bye but my partner got run out so I scored 0* off 1 ball. The chase was interesting, I didn't bowl good at all, but somehow took 3 wickets, all with full tosses. It was a really close game but I had to leave at 7. When I left the opposition needed another 80 runs or so with 5 wickets in hand with the game really evenly poised. I checked the score online later and we lost by 1 wicket. So heartbreaking, wish I was there till the end, but a great fight from us seeing as we only had 10 players, and 9 when I left so we were fielding with 2 less players and nearly won. If I stayed I'm sure we would have won due to having one more fielder. Must have been a thrilling game of cricket to take part in, such a shame I had to leave early.
5th July 2018, 16:15 #40
Should be dropped for life
Thanks to the England v Sweden World Cup game this Saturday's fixtures have all been affected and we have to start two hours earlier with a 10 minute break between innings so we can get 10-15 overs in before the football begins and we have a 3 hr tea break to watch England go out on penalties.
I already know half the team is going to cry off on Saturday morning, along with half the players from teams above so I'll probably have to try and find 6 players from somewhere at 9am on Saturday
5th July 2018, 16:29 #41
5th July 2018, 16:32 #42
6th July 2018, 16:35 #43
Playing in the 2nd XI tomorrow. I'm in really bad form recently, haven't been bowling well. It's an away game and pretty far, so we need to meet at our home ground at 9am cos of the World Cup match between England and Sweden. I don't normally get out of bed until 09:15 or so that's going to be a struggle. Also the away team's clubhouse is being done for refurbishment so we won't even have a tv to watch, we'll have to take our own phones etc to watch. On top of that we have to bring our own food due to this refurbishment...
8th July 2018, 16:54 #44
Lost again, but a massively improved performance over last week (70 all out and a 200 run defeat).
Won first, scored 210 on a good batting track which should have been 240-250 really but we didn't manage to accelerate at the end of the innings with wickets in hand. Bit of a shame but as I said, it's a huge improvement over last week and that's promising.
My spinning finger is properly buggered and my shoulder has followed suit so I definitely can't bowl at all. My slow transformation into becoming a batsman continues, got 30 yesterday before falling trying to accelerate in the last 7/8 overs. I reckon I might have another fifty or two left in me this year but we'll see how it goes.
8th July 2018, 16:58 #45
*won the toss, batted first.
Couldn't defend it with ten players but at least we made them take 40 overs to chase it down and we grabbed a few wickets to get a bowling point.
9th July 2018, 22:41 #46
On friday night, even our 2nd xi was about to concede due to some drop outs but then my dad decided he would play so we decided to go ahead with the game with 10 men. Woke up early as match was starting early due to the footy, place was really far away and hard to find and the club was being refurbished as well. We knew we would lose, we batted first scored 148-8 from our 50 overs. I scored 2 not out and was batting with my dad at the end lol.
We knew they'd chase this down, in one over the batsman smashed it back at our captain who was bowling, hit him so hard even after hitting his finger it still went pretty far so he had to go to the hospital. We went off just before the England game started and watched the whole match with the opposition which was great fun with England winning
None of us were excited to going back after that match as we knew we were gonna lose. I chickened out of bowling cos I've been in bad form recently, milked some back pain I had. Then after the game my dad was having a go at me for having a defeatist attitude and I was annoyed with myself. In hindsight, I should have just bowled. Hurt myself in the field (becoming a weekly thing) while sliding to pick the ball up. Lots of blood. Anyway yeah was a decent day despite the pasting, although as the club was being refurbished there wasn't a tea break - we had to bring our own food although the match fees were halved cos of this. TBF they did have some snacks which they offered us like scones, fruits, cookies etc but wasn't a proper tea. And they had no club toilets due to club house being refurbished, there were some other toilets where the car park was as it was some type of building area but they were absolutely filthy
10th July 2018, 01:24 #47
10th July 2018, 14:31 #48
12th July 2018, 20:34 #49
13th July 2018, 13:45 #50
15th July 2018, 22:21 #51
What a match I played in yesterday. Our 2nd team have really been struggling this season so we won the toss and elected to bat first, we knew we'd be bowled out quickly and then they could just chase it down, except we actually, very surprisingly, done well with the bat. We scored 231 which is a decent score, I got a golden duck, but tbf I was batting at 9 and came in with not that many overs to play so I don't really care about that.
We took 3 early wickets and looked like we would win easily, then they got a partnership, their opener was struggling so much at the start but played a good innings. It looked like the game was slipping away from us, then I came on, took 2 wickets and there was also a wicket from the other end, so they had lost 3 wickets then for not many runs. I thought I had turned the game around. I had figures of 5-14-2 which I was happy with and thought we would win but then they got another partnership. When they needed about 8 more runs I took a stunning one handed diving catch to keep the game alive but their opener was still there and he saw it through, so we lost by 3 wickets but at least it was a thrilling game.
16th July 2018, 19:19 #52
This is my third season of cricket after a ten year break, and the first where I'm unable to bowl so I have to try and make myself into a batsman.
First season I averaged 9.25 with a top score of 22. My second season I averaged 10.92 and it's only that high because my last three innings were 32, 25* and 26.
This year my scores have been 22, 21, 54, 0 (golden duck!), 30 and 31.
I feel comfortable but I keep getting myself out, got to channel my inner Misbah and do a bit of tuk tuk occasionally given that we fail to bat out the 45 overs half the time.
I've figured out the trick to batting, I just need to work on converting starts into big scores next.
Last edited by Big Mac; 16th July 2018 at 19:21.
21st July 2018, 18:53 #53
So what a shambles it was this week. Our 3rd team didn't think we had enough, so we conceded on Thursday as you have to concede by a certain time otherwise you are fined. But then a couple more players said they could play so we would have been able to field a team. But by the time we had told our opposition this, their players had already made plans thinking they had the Saturday free. So no game, and it still goes as conceded under our name which is frustrating, so here I am sitting at home instead of playing cricket
Also was a bit shocked to be dropped from the 2nd XI, despite my good performance last week, I'll be annoyed if people who are worse than me have been picked over me.
23rd July 2018, 04:28 #54
Another massive defeat, the second one of the season. First was 200+ run loss a couple of weeks back, yesterday was 160 runs or so.
Both of those games also saw my lowest two scores of the season, as I only managed 5 runs yesterday. I think I'll have to proper tuk tuk from now on and make sure I score a few runs in order to avoid future humiliations
I also kept wicket as we had no keeper and didn't do too bad, missed four byes when the ball rolled along the floor and as I tired towards the end of the innings I could only get fingertips to a couple of ones wide down the legside and allowed a few runs that way. On the other hand I did managed to hold on to a catch while standing up to the stumps which was pretty damn satisfying.
27th July 2018, 23:16 #55
I'm still sore from keeping wicket, this is ridiculous
29th July 2018, 17:21 #56
My club's third team got kicked out of the league for conceding too many matches . We used to be able to get 4 teams out now struggle to get 2. Sad times. Yesterday I was in the 2nd XI, we were bowled out for 114, I scored 0 not out. We put up a really good fight, it looked like they would win easily but when they were just about 15-20 runs required we took a few wickets and suddenly they needed about 10 more runs with just 2 wickets in hand. I bowled 1 over, gave away 2 runs but my captain took me off as we needed to bring back our openers as we had a chance of doing the unthinkable which was fair enough. Disappointing to lose but a very exciting match to be involved in.
30th July 2018, 23:39 #57
Golden duck, lost by 10 wickets.
Now we're in danger of getting relegated and that's two games in a row where I haven't managed double figures. I need to turn things around quick
We only had 10 players on Saturday and this weekend we're really struggling for players. We put out 6 teams on a Saturday and we're about 10 players short at the moment so it's going to be a case of ringing up friends, cousins, nephews and parents to try and make sure we can put out full teams
2nd August 2018, 18:49 #58
So now this week even our 2nd XI are really struggling to get a team out.
3rd August 2018, 21:07 #59
6th August 2018, 15:28 #60
Yet another loss We scored 275-8 from our 50 overs which is a good score. Took an early wicket as well, but we lost eventually, opposition scored 281-5 from just 41 overs. I didn't bat, struggled with my line with the ball, too many leg side wides which was frustrating as I had been in good form.
12th August 2018, 16:21 #61
Match yessterday. We were put in to bat first, scored like 170 all out on a pitch not great for batting. I faced 1 ball, scored 1*. One for the averages.
They got a great opening partnership but we took 5 wickets after that but was too late by then, I had figure of 2-0-7-1 and also ran someone out. Was a bit of a fight too in the match but I didn't get involved.
17th August 2018, 15:15 #62
Won't have a match tomorrow as I'm up in Shrewsbury visiting some relatives.
19th August 2018, 22:52 #63
19th August 2018, 23:44 #64
Sorry, been a bit busy. We haven't won in forever and I injured myself last week (while getting a 21* to which means my average is now more than the last two seasons combined) so I missed yesterday's game where we lost to the team that were bottom of the division.
We're basically going to get relegated unless we can pull out a miracle against one of the teams near the top in the last game of the season next Saturday. Time to get my tuk tuk hat ready
24th August 2018, 20:45 #65
Foot still hasn't healed fully so I'm missing tomorrow's game
25th August 2018, 01:08 #66
Don't have a game tomorrow cos now even our 2nd team conceded. Embarassing. Used to get 4 teams out up till 2 seasons ago. Now we can only get 1. Such a shame
Although I was happy about not having this game tomorrow as I really can't be bothered as this match is away game and the place is like 60 minutes drive and we have to play them away twice as when we played them the first time, both of our teams had to be away as we had a carnival on our home ground so obviously only one of our 1st or 2nd team could be at home tomorrow. Also I've had a long tiring week. But embarassing and sad that we only getting 1 team out.
31st August 2018, 17:36 #67
Final game of the season tomorrow. I've been on a winning team just ONCE this season, that was for the 3rd XI back in early June. Our 3rd XI doesn't exist anymore though, as we forfeitted too many games. Our 2nd XI is so bad that we even know we're gonna lose, our captain would always bat first if we win the toss as we know we can just get rolled over, have the opposition chase it and just go home.
1st September 2018, 13:46 #68
4th September 2018, 01:53 #69
Last game of the season was on Saturday. As expected, we got battered. We fielded first and conceded 334-9 from 50 overs. One of our bowlers took a hat trick in the last over, pretty similar to Steven Finn's pointless hat trick in the WC match against Australia. I was happy with my bowling figures of 10-0-50-2, bowled 10 overs through, first time bowling 10 overs for the 2nd XI, and I'm not even allowed to do that as I'm only 19, you can only bowl 7 overs max then have to go off and can come back once the amount of overs you bowled have been bowled at the same end but no one cared as we all knew it wouldn't have made a difference. I took a great catch off my own bowling, batsman chipped it up in the air, I ran back and dived and caught it, no one could believe it. My figures would have been even better if I didn't bowl a crap last over, went for 13 runs in it, full tosses everywhere but still good bowling figures especially considering how much the opposition scored. I was also bowling mainly to the guy who scored a century
We were bowled out for 140, I faced 1 ball and it was a dot ball, so I finished the season with a solid 0 not out, batting at number 11
10th September 2018, 01:59 #70
Played yesterday, got moved up to our WCL 2nd XI along with a bunch of other players because of short numbers. We got bowled out for 126, I came in and made 41 of them before being bowled trying to slog with the tail.
Should have nurdled it around to get my half century, which would have fulfilled my preseason goal of two fifties for the year
Hopefully I get to play next weekend and I can set things straight
11th September 2018, 20:24 #71
16th September 2018, 22:27 #72
Then today I got a late call up to the Sunday 1st XI, went in at 100-5 or something like that and told myself to bat slowly and take my time.
Three dot balls to start with, finished with 22 from 13 balls
Scored my first every fifty this year, I really need to sort out my mindset for next season and try and score my first ever century instead of scoring 22-odd every flipping weekend.
28th September 2018, 04:41 #73Tape Ball Regular
- Debut
- Aug 2018
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Season about to start here in Australia. Made it into the U16 1st XI/Div 1 team this season
Had a training session yesterday, bit rusty with both ball and bat. Need to get my act together at the nets over the next two weeks...


text:
« Go Support E-rate Changes Before the Government Opens Back Up | Main | The Education of a MOOC Dropout »
The State of MOOCs: An EdTech Researcher Retrospective
MIT's Media Lab is holding a course this fall called Media Lab X: A Design Course for New Learning Platforms, devoted to tackling design problems in online learning, from MOOCs to Skillsharing and beyond. They asked me to speak last week, so I gave a short talk, which basically was stringing together ideas from several posts I've written here. It seemed like a good moment to offer an EdTech Researcher retrospective on MOOCs.
First, be sure you understand what connectivism is and the history of the development of MOOCs from 2008. The history and present of so called cMOOCs sheds light on some of the limitations of the much more well known xMOOCs published by Udacity, Coursera, edX and so forth. From EdTech Researcher, start with On our cMOOC inspired site for the Future of Learning Institute, but then be sure to read this recent piece from Times Higher Education about the history of MOOCs.
If you understand the difference between cMOOCs and xMOOCs, then you can probably follow my argument that this split basically recapitulates one of the fundamental debates in education, which is as old as recorded history, framed by Plutarch as "the mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting" and reinterpreted in the American context as the debate between Edward Thorndike and John Dewey. For a summary of the intersection between Thorndike/Dewey and xMOOCs/cMOOCs, you might read All MOOCs on One Slide.
With that broader framing, it's worth looking at exactly what MOOCs are and what they offer from a technical perspective. One one hand, I think it's helpful to think of them as navigating the space between Three Kinds of Learning Management Systems; if we want to be charitable we might celebrate the flexibility of xMOOC providers in exploring different approaches to learning, and if we wish to be less charitable, we might describe them as flailing about in the space to find a business model. To understand the technical differences between cMOOC and xMOOC platforms, I suggest looking at the differences in their Killer Apps: The Autograder versus the Syndication Engine.


text:
He was widowed and in his 80's. A delightful guy.
At his 2nd appointment he brought a pie for the staff. The office girls were flattered. They invited him back to the break room to have a piece with them. He chatted with them for a while, then left.
At every visit after that he brought a pie, and each time got invited back to share it with them. It was nothing more than casual chatting and a little flirting. Pleasant older gentleman, surrounded for 15-30 minutes by several considerably younger women.
When I'm in my 80's, I want to remember the pie trick.


text:
- Nature deficit disorder
Nature Deficit Disorder, a term coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods, refers to the alleged trend[1] that children are spending less time outdoors,[2] resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems.[3][4] This disorder is not recognized in any of the medical manuals for mental disorders, such as the ICD-10[5] or the DSM-IV,[6] neither is it part of the proposed revision of this manual, the DSM-V.[7] Evidence was compiled and reviewed in 2009. [8]
Louv claims that causes for the phenomenon include parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and the lure of the screen.[9] Recent research has drawn a further contrast between the declining number of National Park visits in the United States and increasing consumption of electronic media by children.[10]
Richard Louv spent ten years traveling around the USA reporting and speaking to parents and children, in both rural and urban areas, about their experiences in nature. He argues that sensationalist media coverage and paranoid parents have literally "scared children straight out of the woods and fields," while promoting a litigious culture of fear that favors "safe" regimented sports over imaginative play.
In recognising these trends, some people[11] argue that humans have an instinctive liking for nature—the biophilia hypothesis—and take steps to spend more time outdoors, for example in outdoor education, or by sending young children to forest kindergartens or forest schools. It is perhaps a coincidence that slow parenting advocates sending children into natural environments rather than keeping them indoors, as part of a hands-off approach.[12]
Nature is not only to be found in National Parks.[13] The chapter "Eden in a Vacant Lot" by Robert M. Pyle (page 305) emphasises the opportunity for exploration and fascination in small untended wildernesses, and rejoices in the 30,000 vacant lots in Detroit, arising due to down-town decay.
- Parents are keeping children indoors in order to keep them safe from danger. Richard Louv believes we may be protecting children to such an extent that it has become a problem and disrupts the child's ability to connect to nature. The parent's growing fear of "stranger danger" that is heavily fueled by the media,[14] keeps children indoors and on the computer rather than outdoors exploring. Louv believes this may be the leading cause in Nature Deficit Disorder, as parents have a large amount of control and influence in their children's lives.
- Loss of natural surroundings in a child's neighborhood and city. Many parks and nature preserves have restricted access and "do not walk off the trail" signs. Environmentalists and educators add to the restriction telling children "look don't touch". While they are protecting the natural environment Louv questions the cost of that protection on our children's relationship with nature.[14]
- Increased draw to spend more time inside. With the advent of the computer, video games and television children have more and more reasons to stay inside - the average American child spends 44 hours a week with electronic media.[14]
- Children have limited respect for their immediate natural surroundings. Louv says the effects of Nature Deficit Disorder on our children will be an even bigger problem in the future. "An increasing pace in the last three decades, approximately, of a rapid disengagement between children and direct experiences in nature… has profound implications, not only for the health of future generations but for the health of the Earth itself."[15] The effects from Nature Deficit Disorder could lead to the first generation being at risk of having a shorter lifespan then their parents.[16]
- Attention disorders and depression may develop. "It's a problem because kids who don't get nature-time seem more prone to anxiety, depression and attention-deficit problems." Louv suggests that going outside and being in the quiet and calm can help greatly.[14] According to a University of Illinois study, interaction with nature has proven to reduce symptoms of ADD in children. According to research, "Overall, our findings indicate that exposure to ordinary natural settings in the course of common after-school and weekend activities may be widely effective in reducing attention deficit symptoms in children." [17] Attention Restoration Theory develops this idea further, both in short term restoration of one's abilities, and the long term ability to cope with stress and adversity.
- Following the development of ADD and mood disorders, lower grades in school also seem to be related to NDD. Louv claims that "studies of students in California and nationwide show that schools that use outdoor classrooms and other forms of experiential education produce significant student gains in social studies, science, language arts, and math".[18]
- Childhood obesity has become a growing problem. About 9 million children (ages 6–19) are overweight or obese. The Institute of Medicine claims that over the past 30 years, childhood obesity has more than doubled for adolescents and more than tripled for children aged 6–11.[16]
- In an interview on Public School Insight, Louv stated some positive effects of treating Nature Deficit Disorder, "everything from a positive effect on the attention span to stress reduction to creativity, cognitive development, and their sense of wonder and connection to the earth."[15]
The No Child Left Inside Coalition works to get children outside and actively learning. They hope to address the problem of Nature Deficit Disorder. They are now working on the No Child Left Inside Act, which would increase environmental education in schools. The coalition claims the problem of Nature Deficit Disorder could be helped by "igniting student's interest in the outdoors"[19] and encouraging them to explore the natural world in their own lives.
In Colombia, OpEPA (Organización para la Educación y Protección Ambiental - [4]) has been addressing the issue for over 10 years. OpEPA's mission is to reconnect children and youth to the Earth so they can act with environmental responsibility. OpEPA works by linking three levels of education: intellectual, experiencial and emotional/spiritual.
Further reading
- Louv, Richard. (2011) The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder. Algonquin Books. 303pp.
- Louv, Richard. (2005) Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (Paperback edition). Algonquin Books. 335pp.
- Louv, Richard, Web of Life: Weaving the Values That Sustain Us.
- ^ For more children, less time for outdoor play: Busy schedules, less open space, more safety fears, and lure of the Web keep kids inside by Marilyn Gardner, The Christian Science Monitor, June 29, 2006
- ^ U.S. children and teens spend more time on academics by Diane Swanbrow, The University Record Online, The University of Michigan.
- ^ 10 Reasons Kids Need Fresh Air by Kevin Coyle, National Wildlife Magazine
- ^ Are your kids really spending enough time outdoors? Getting up close with nature opens a child's eyes to the wonders of the world, with a bounty of health benefits. by Tammie Burak, Canadian Living.
- ^ http://priory.com/psych/ICD.htm
- ^ http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/dsm4TRclassification.htm
- ^ http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/InfancyChildhoodAdolescence.aspx
- ^ http://www.childrenandnature.org/downloads/CNNEvidenceoftheDeficit.pdf
- ^ Stiffler, Lisa (January 6, 2007). "Parents worry about 'nature-deficit disorder' in kids". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/298708_nature06.html
- ^ "Is There Anybody Out There?". Conservation 8 (2). April–June 2007. http://www.conbio.org/cip/article82nic.cfm
- ^ Kellert, Stephen R. (ed.) (1993). The Biophilia Hypothesis. Island Press. ISBN 1-55963-147-3.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Tom (2009). The Idle Parent: Why Less Means More When Raising Kids. Hamish Hamilton. pp. 233. ISBN 978-0241143735. http://idler.co.uk/news/the-idle-parent/.
- ^ Kahn, Peter; Kellert, Stephen (2002). Children and nature: psychological, sociocultural, and evolutionary investigations. MIT Press. ISBN 0262112671. http://books.google.com/?id=RCjdKjI_qIcC&pg=PA153.
- ^ a b c d Outside Agitators by Bill O'Driscoll, Pittsburgh City Paper
- ^ a b Last Child In The Woods Interview by Claus von Zastrow, Public School Insights
- ^ a b [1] National Environmental Education Foundation
- ^ [2] By Jim Barlow, News Bureau
- ^ [3] By Richard Louv, Orion Magazine
- ^ Nature Deficit Disorder,[dead link] No Child Left Inside
External links
- Richard Louv's website
- Children & Nature Network
- Nature Rocks, initiative by Richard Louv and Children & Nature Network to inspire and empower parents to connect children to nature
- NWF's Green Hour website
- An interview with Richard Louv about the need to get kids out into nature, by David Roberts, The Grist: Environmental News and Commentary, 30 Mar 2006.
- Saving kids from nature-deficit disorder - May 25, 2005, NPR
- Public School Insights' Interview with Richard Louv - April 22, 2008
- Chicago Wilderness Leave No Child Inside Initiative
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
nature-deficit disorder — n. A yearning for nature, or an ignorance of the natural world, caused by a lack of time spent outdoors, particularly in rural settings. Also: nature deficit disorder. Example Citations: Now a nonprofit educational enterprise, the manor is among… … New words
Attention-deficit disorder — Trouble du déficit de l attention Trouble déficit de l attention / hyperactivité Classification et ressources externes CIM 10 F90 trouble hyperkinétique Le TDA/H ou trouble déficit de l attention/hyperactivité (en anglais Attention deficit… … Wikipédia en Français
Reversing Nature Deficit — Societal movement to reconnect children with nature and introduce the importance of the outdoors as a health benefit for children and adults, inspired by the book by journalist Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods . Louv coined the phrase nature … Wikipedia
Nature study — The nature study movement (alternatively, Nature Study or nature study) was a popular education movement in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Nature study attempted to reconcile scientific investigation with spiritual, personal… … Wikipedia
Deficit de l'attention — Trouble du déficit de l attention Trouble déficit de l attention / hyperactivité Classification et ressources externes CIM 10 F90 trouble hyperkinétique Le TDA/H ou trouble déficit de l attention/hyperactivité (en anglais Attention deficit… … Wikipédia en Français
Déficit De L'attention — Trouble du déficit de l attention Trouble déficit de l attention / hyperactivité Classification et ressources externes CIM 10 F90 trouble hyperkinétique Le TDA/H ou trouble déficit de l attention/hyperactivité (en anglais Attention deficit… … Wikipédia en Français
Déficit de l'attention — Trouble du déficit de l attention Trouble déficit de l attention / hyperactivité Classification et ressources externes CIM 10 F90 trouble hyperkinétique Le TDA/H ou trouble déficit de l attention/hyperactivité (en anglais Attention deficit… … Wikipédia en Français
Déficit de l'attention — Trouble du déficit de l attention Trouble déficit de l attention / hyperactivité Classification et ressources externes CIM 10 F90 trouble hyperkinétique Le TDA/H ou trouble déficit de l attention/hyperactivité (en anglais Attention deficit… … Wikipédia en Français
disorder — A disturbance of function, structure, or both, resulting from a genetic or embryonic failure in development or from exogenous factors such as poison, trauma, or disease. adjustmen … Medical dictionary
Children & Nature Network — The Children Nature Network was founded in 2006 by a group of educators, writers, and community leaders who share a deep concern about children's disconnection from nature. The Children Nature Network was created to encourage and support the… … Wikipedia


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Fat feet
The past few weeks I've realised that my shoes are all a bit loose on me. I expected my rings to get loose, and I've not been able to wear them for a while now. So they're securely locked away in the bank's safe till I regain a bit of fat.
But who knew that when you lose weight, you lose it from your feet?


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Feeding the Field on Earth Day
by Sara, from Institute of HeartMath
There is more to this phenomenon than the feeling you get. HeartMath researchers repeatedly have identified mental and physical changes that study participants undergo as they experience positive and negative emotions. HeartMath's research and other research have shown that focusing on core heart-felt emotions can enhance one's connection with others, and that this connection extends far beyond the individual. The research article Coherence: Bridging Personal, Social, and Global Health concludes that being responsible for our emotional energy and increasing our compassion, care and other positive feelings are not only reflected in improved personal health and happiness, but also feed into and are reflected in the global field environment.
So this Earth Day and each day, lets increase our responsibility for the environment by each one of us asking, "What am I feeding the field today?
Global Coherence
Years of researching the transformative power of positive emotions led IHM several years ago to conceive the possibility that personal coherence and positive energy on a grand scale could have a global impact and begin to heal the planet. IHM leaders and researchers asked a question:
"What if people around the world intentionally experienced sincere love, care, compassion and other positive emotions simultaneously and fed this positive energy into the global field environment?"
This question led to an experiment, and after nearly five years, more than 40,000 members of the resulting Global Coherence Initiative, with members in 87 countries, regularly feed positive energy and heart-focused care and intention into the planetary field environment.
Collectively, we create a field that interacts with the Earth's magnetic field and energetic systems. As people intentionally send coherent love and care to the world, a more powerful heart-filled environment is created. This helps to build a reservoir of positive energy that benefits the planet. This reservoir can then be utilized to help bring balance and stabilization to people, thereby making it easier to find solutions to problems like climate change, the destruction of the rain forests and other global issues.
GCI scientists are establishing a worldwide network of sensing stations, the Global Coherence Monitoring System, to measure fluctuations in the Earth's geomagnetic fields. These stations have many tasks, including: detecting how planetary events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are reflected in and predicted by patterns of activity in the Earth's magnetic field; and examining how collective human emotional resonance in response to mass events of emotional significance is reflected in the Earth's magnetic field. Learn more at www.glcoherence.org.
How Can You Feed the Field?
The Institute of HeartMath and the Global Coherence Initiative is calling on their worldwide membership and supporters on Earth Day to show their commitment to care for our planet.
Please send your heart-focused care and feed positive energy into the field environment. Regardless of your personal, political and spiritual beliefs, raise your voice in thankfulness and committed care for Earth. There are countless ways to do this.
Below are some great ways to show your thankfulness and committed care for the Earth:
- Do the Quick Coherence® Technique, or whatever method or practice you choose, for five to 10 minutes on Earth Day to send the Earth appreciation, care and a sincere commitment to planetary healing.
- Spend five minutes with at least another person, your family, or a group of friends or colleagues envisioning Earth and its inhabitants in harmony. Some people may wish to continue this for a few days before and after Earth Day.
Join thousands of others and spend some time on Earth Day in the Global Coherence Initiative's Global Care Rooms, where people send collective care
"One of the things I like to do is ask myself at the end of the day: What did I feed the field today?," says Dr. Rollin McCraty, IHM's director of research. "How much of my day was spent being kind to the people I interacted with, being compassionate and caring, versus how much of my day was wrapped up in my to-do list or feeling irritated that things weren't moving fast enough and so on? Because it all counts, it is important at the end of the day to assess what we fed the field."
It is a very heartening momentum as we come together on Earth Day to make a difference in our world.
For a better understanding of how we affect the world around us, read one of IHM's most popular article: Each Individual Impacts the Field Environment.


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Guy's Letters
- Posted: 2/23/03
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I am taking the biggest "risk" of my life and am about to leave a longstanding job for a new home business opportunity. Although I have basically kept my old job out of fear, there is quite a bit of fear in leaving the known and "safety" for the unknown. Any tips on how to make this new adjustment in life and to quell the uncertainty? I want to be brave in scary situations, but when I am frigh...Unlock Content
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Brad Parks won both the Shamus and Nero Awards for his debut novel, Faces of the Gone, a first time achievement for an author. His second Carter Ross mystery, Eyes of the Innocent, is due out tomorrow. I know Brad is funny because I follow his posts on Twitter. So, when I asked Brad to do a guest blog, I suggested he write something funny that readers would enjoy. Instead, he wrote something that touched my heart, and made me cry. Thank you, Brad, for an untraditional guest blog.
By Brad Parks
Guest Blogger
Exactly twenty-six years and five months ago, at the end of a hot and dusty Connecticut summer, in a time of desperation the likes of which I can now barely describe, I committed a heinous crime.
I stole from a public library.
Let me explain. I was 10 years old. I had a bad case of swimmer's ear, which meant I couldn't go in the neighborhood pool. For the first time in my life, all I could do is read. And the book that ignited my imagination was "Gentle Ben," Walt Morey's classic story about a boy and his pet grizzly bear.
According to the fading stamp on the title page, I checked it out of the Ridgefield (Conn.) Public Library on Aug. 9, 1984. It was due back 21 days later. As such, on Aug. 31, 1984, I became a criminal. And I have been one every day since, because I still have the book, dog-eared, water-stained and sun-faded from the dozens of readings to which I ultimately subjected it.
I think of "Gentle Ben" often these days, every time I read about another library having to slash its budget, eliminate staff or close down branches. It makes me wonder if some kid out there is going to lose a chance to find his own "Gentle Ben," a book that fuels a lifelong love of written words.
There's no question this is a discouraging time for libraries, those who value them and those who work in them. Across the country, library budgets are being assaulted, and not just with the kind of single-digit cuts that can be swallowed by bumping down the thermostat a few degrees. These are major, double-digit hacks.
I got an e-mail last month from a dear librarian friend of mine talking about just how devastating it's been. She's the director of a large library system in New Jersey and she catalogued her list of woes – having to fire dozens of employees, putting her entire staff on rotating furlough, closing down branches.
But the really heartbreaking part of the e-mail was when she talked about her fear of what might come next, how paralyzing the uncertainty was, and how she felt like it was interfering with how well she could do her job.
And, believe me, I understand how that feels. I know what it's like to see good friends and valued colleagues walk out the door because no one wants to pay their salaries anymore; to live with the anxiety of knowing the worst might not be over; to feel like you are failing a public that put its trust in you to deliver something so vital to Democracy.
I know, because I used to be a newspaper reporter.
The financial difficulty libraries are going through now is sort of like what newspapers began experiencing in about 2001. Or maybe it was 2004. It was a storm that eventually claimed me as a victim – I took a buyout in 2008 to pursue a career as a novelist – but not before I spent several long years working in an industry immersed in a total financial apocalypse.
And, yeah, I let it get to me. It got to everyone at times. Newsroom morale was in the tank. We walked around like zombies half the time. We consumed endless energy speculating when the next staff cut or pay cut was coming. It was depressing and debilitating.
So it's hard to watch the public library, this institution I value so much, go through its own bloodletting.
I'm not here to opine about how wrong it is from a policy standpoint (though, unquestionably, it is). I'm not here to debate the wisdom of savings pennies at the library when there are still twenties and fifties to be saved elsewhere (though, really, libraries are such a slim portion of municipal spending, can't you balance your budget somewhere else?). I'm not even here to point out that the library is the one public amenity that serves absolutely everyone in a community (though it does).
I'm here to say to all you library scientists out there:
Don't give up.
Don't let it get to you.
Don't be discouraged.
We need you. Now more than ever. Many of our most cherished American ideals – like the concept that a poor, mixed-race kid could grow up to be President – are predicated on the notion that knowledge is available to all, not just those wealthy and privileged enough to afford Kindles and trips to Barnes & Noble.
And, yeah, it's easy to get dragged down in the gloom. But if I learned one thing from watching a newspaper melt down around me, it's that you can also make the choice not to get derailed by it. You can realize you're still fortunate enough to do a fulfilling job, a profession that you (and a whole lot of other people) really value, whether they remember to stop and take the time to say it or not.
For me, I worked hard to find satisfaction in putting a well-written story in the newspaper, something that touched people, exposed a wrong, or made the world better in some small way. Those kinds of victories are always out there to be found. You just have to remember to look for them and hold onto them.
Think back to why you became a librarian. Was it because the duly elected knuckleheads on the town council would show the wisdom to keep your funding at an appropriate level? Was it because of some action in the state legislature? Of course not. It's because you love books and connecting readers to the wisdom and wonder that lies inside of them.
It's because somewhere out there, there's a kid looking for his own "Gentle Ben." Please help him find it.
Just make sure he returns it.
Brad Parks's debut, FACES OF THE GONE, became the first book ever to win the Nero Award and Shamus Award, two of crime fiction's most prestigious prizes. His next book, EYES OF THE INNOCENT, releases tomorrow from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books. Library Journal gave it a starred review, calling it "as good if not better (than) his acclaimed debut." For more Brad, visit his website (http://www.bradparksbooks.com/), follow him on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/brad_parks) or became a fan of Brad Parks Books on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Brad-Parks-Books/137190195628?ref=ts).
And, thank you, Brad, for reminding me, in what is a hard time for librarians, why I originally went into the profession, for boys who loved Gentle Ben, and for boys like my husband, who loved a book so much, he hid it under his bed so he didn't have to return it to the library, and, to the day he died, was proud of reading the most books one summer at his library's summer reading club. Libraries, and librarians, do make a difference in people's lives.
Eyes of the Innocent by Brad Parks. St. Martin's Minotaur, ©2011. ISBN 9780312574789 (hardcover), 304p.


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The air gap has 2 different size barbs, a small barb which is the brine inlet and a large barb which is the brine outlet. Attach a 1/4" outside diameter (.040 wall) tube (not supplied) to the brine inlet. Attach a 3/8" outside diameter (.060) wall tube (not supplied) to the brine outlet (NOTE: It is important that enough tubing is installed on the brine inlet and brine outlet of the air gap so that installation of RO unit can be successfully completed. Excess tubing can be trimmed to the proper length after faucet is mounted. Tubing is not supplied with faucet. Installation must be in accordance with all applicable local plumbing codes).
Locate mounting hardware (refer to figures on opposite side). This will consist of six items; a black rubber gasket, mounting washer, spacer (use if needed), flat washer, lock washer and a mounting nut. With black rubber gasket in hand, feed tubing from faucet through rubber gasket. Align rubber gasket with bottom of base. Next, add remaining 5 parts to the threaded copper tube loosely (do not tighten). Parts are to be assembled in the same order listed above, except for mounting washer, set this aside (do not discard). Next, feed all tubes and mounting hardware into the mounting hole in sink using care, as there may be sharp edges if a new hole has been made. With faucet base and gasket seated over mounting hole, take the mounting washer and slide it between mounting surface and spacer (if spacer is not being used, slide between flat washer and mounting surface) keeping in line with threaded copper tube. Tighten mounting nut so that faucet barely moves against mounting surface, adjust faucet to desired orientation on sink. Tighten mounting nut, do not over tighten. With faucet in place and tight, plumbing connections can be completed.
To connect cold water supply line when not using an air gap (without RO system), locate 1/4" diameter blue cold water inlet tubing (supply inlet) that passes through the threaded copper tube. Connect this tube to any cold water supply line with the use of a saddle valve (not provided) or any other approved method (consult local plumbing code) (Note: Removal of the 1/4 diameter blue cold water inlet tube (supply inlet) from threaded copper tube will void warranty).


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(CNN) -- In hopes of raising its game off the court as well as on it, 2K Sports has announced a partnership with hip-hop impresario and part-NBA owner Jay-Z, who is the executive producer of the upcoming "NBA 2K13" video game.
The megastar, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has been focusing his efforts on the game's presentation and entertainment elements away from the ball -- the music, crowd reactions and interactive in-game menus. He is part owner of the Brooklyn Nets, so his involvement is one that is personally appealing, he said.
"This has been a unique opportunity to collaborate with 2K Sports and be a part of one of the best sports video games in history," Jay-Z said in a statement. " 'NBA 2K13' will be the next evolution in sports and basketball culture, and I'm ready to usher in the new era of the franchise."
Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports, said Jay-Z transcends music and his early involvement in the title's off-court activities reflects the artist's creative vision and presentation.
"Jay-Z's role represents a unique fusion of basketball, music, art and entertainment, and illustrates the evolution of 'NBA 2K' into something much bigger than simply the best basketball video game series ever made," Argent said. "He was obsessed with authenticity and he really wanted to add his influence early on to make the experience better.
"We are never just satisfied with the best. We asked how we can challenge ourselves to make the game and the overall experience even better."
Argent said Jay-Z's influence would be felt immediately in the game, starting during its video introduction. Jay-Z also handpicked the game's soundtrack with tracks from U2, Puff Daddy, Coldplay, Kanye West and even some of his own creations.
'NBA 2K12' cover art features Bird, Magic, Jordan
Argent said the entertainment mogul worked with the development team on how to bring the entire entertainment presentation to the video game without affecting any of the gameplay. He said Jay-Z was highly engaged and understood the line between on-court and off-court experiences.
2K Sports wasn't ready to talk about gameplay improvements at this time, but Argent said it was ready to make a "giant leap forward." The basketball simulation game is due for release October 2 for the Xbox 360, Windows PC, PlayStation 3, PSP and Wii. The Wii U version is expected during the holiday season.


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How to revolutionise your business and business processes with enterprise content management.
Today's model business is one that able to quickly solve business process challenges and position the company for success now and far into the future. So far we've shown you how enterprise content management (ECM) works foundationally and how it can help you realise business process improvements almost immediately after implementation.
Now you're hooked. You're ready to partner with someone who can help you stay competitive and propel you to the top of the class. Now you only need to know where to start, what to expect and how to partner with strategic ECM vendor who understands your industry, your business, your processes – even your culture.
Well, here we go!
Where to Start
When you're considering an investment in an ECM solution, what should you keep in mind in terms of the product?
What To Expect
The right ECM solution will help you save time and money, as well as stay competitive in your industry and among your peers.
ECM vendors offer a wide array of functionality, but few offer multiple deployment options, like ECM in the cloud.
Discover how you can reduce costs, align with IT investments, gain new efficiencies and mitigate risks.
Creating an RFP
Find out how to create a request for proposal (RFP) for your ECM and business process software solution.
Choosing a Vendor
Knowing a customer's industry is as important as enterprise content management and document management expertise.


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New London's budget pain
The budget New London Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio recently presented to the City Council bears no resemblance to the first spending plan he unveiled after his election as mayor, the one that infamously proposed a 20 percent tax increase and largely sustained services. That was dead on arrival at the council. After much debate, program cutting, extended arguments over revenue projections, and one referendum, Mayor Finizio ultimately signed a budget with a 5.1 percent tax increase into law.
Going from one extreme to another is a fit term in this case. Mayor Finizio second budget proposal would decrease general government spending by $1.07 million, while passing along the Board of Education's request for a 2.5 percent spending hike, about $1 million. All totaled, that's a city budget of $81.09 million, a $71,615 cut.
Things being equal, an essentially flat budget would produce no increase in taxes. But Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proposes reductions in municipal aid. As a result the mayor suggests a modest 3.1 percent tax increase to support current spending. Due to inflationary pressures, and contractual salary increases, maintaining spending actually means cutting the projected increase. And some of the cuts are quite drastic.
The budget would eliminate about 20 police positions, close a fire station, defund the senior center, cut back at Public Works, at Parks and Recreation, and slash funding for the library.
To Mayor Finizio's credit, and in working with the City Council, he has confronted the city's fiscal problems since his election. Before his arrival the city was spending beyond its means, exhausting its Fund Balance Reserve and running deficits. If his budget were adopted it would mean a total decrease in general government expenditures of $3.5 million since his election, a nearly 8 percent reduction.
The council is not happy with many of the cuts, particularly in public safety, but we see no obvious alternatives to achieving needed savings. Trimming the education budget request to find more cash for city services appears likely, but after several years of flat funding some increase in education spending is necessary. What Mayor Finizio said he will not accept is any phony boosting of revenue projections, and he shouldn't.
While the degradation in city services is becoming alarming, New London has to live within its means, and Mayor Finizio proposes a budget that does that.
The Day editorial board meets regularly with political, business and community leaders and convenes weekly to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Tim Dwyer, Editorial Page Editor Paul Choiniere, Managing Editor Tim Cotter, Staff Writer Julia Bergman and retired deputy managing editor Lisa McGinley. However, only the publisher and editorial page editor are responsible for developing the editorial opinions. The board operates independently from the Day newsroom.
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