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Visit the Worldwatch Institute Bookstore to download and purchase more of Worldwatch's award-winning research.
Environment & Climate
Take a closer look at our planet's health and topics such as variations in global temperatures and carbon dioxide, water security, and the state of coral reefs.
Dec 15, 2014
Global Energy and Carbon Intensity Continue to Decline
Global energy intensity, defined as worldwide total energy consumption divided by gross world product, decreased 0.19 percent in 2013. That may not seem all that impressive, but considering that energy intensity increased steeply between 2008 and 2010, this small decline continues a much-needed trend toward lower energy intensity, which basically means that people are using energy more efficiently.
Dec 11, 2014
Greenhouse Gas Increases Are Leading to a Faster Rate of Global Warming
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main contributor to climate change. In 2013, the global combustion of fossil fuels and the production of cement resulted in the emission of 36.1 billion tons of CO2, which was 61 percent over 1990 levels. (In terms of carbon, the emissions totaled 9.8 billion tons in 2013.) According to the most recent estimates, emissions in 2014 are projected to be 2.5 percent over 2013 levels. In physical terms, this translates into the release of 37 billion additional tons of CO2 in the atmosphere. It is estimated that to keep the rate of Earth's warming below the 2 degrees Celsius threshold believed to be the temperature increase that will have severe and irreversible global environmental effects, total future emissions cannot exceed 1,200 billion tons.
Apr 16, 2014
Global Coastal Populations at Risk as Sea Level Continue to Rise
Global mean sea level has risen by 212.6 millimeters (mm) since 1880. And the rate of increase is accelerating. Overall, the global mean sea level has risen 1.65 mm per year since 1880. But average sea level rise from 1993 to 2009 was almost double that long-term rate, at 3.2 mm per year. This apparent acceleration is a matter of concern because some 10 percent of the world lives along a coast; as sea level continues to rise, these people will be threatened by further inundation by the sea and stronger storm surges.
May 28, 2013
Natural Catastrophes in 2012 Dominated by U.S. Weather Extremes
In 2012, there were 905 natural catastrophes worldwide—and 93 percent of these events were weather-related disasters. This figure was about 100 above the 10-year annual average of 800 natural catastrophes. In terms of overall and insured losses ($170 billion and $70 billion, respectively), 2012 did not follow the records set in 2011 and could be defined as a moderate year on a global scale. But the United States was seriously affected by weather extremes: it accounted for 69 percent of overall losses and 92 percent of insured losses due to natural catastrophes worldwide.
Apr 26, 2012
Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Concentrations on the Rise as Kyoto Era Fades
According to the latest on-site measurements by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations reached 391.3 parts per million (ppm) in 2011, up from 388.56 ppm in 2010 and from 280 ppm from pre-industrial times.
Mar 30, 2012
Losses from Natural Disasters Reach New Peak in 2011
During 2011, a total of 820 natural catastrophes were documented, a decrease of 15 percent from the 970 events registered in 2010. But the 2011 figure is in line with the average of 790 events during 2001–10 and is considerably above the average of 630 events during 1981–2010.
Sep 06, 2011
Tropical Forests Push Payments for Ecosystem Services onto the Global Stage
The term payments for ecosystem services (PES) describes financial arrangements and schemes designed to protect the benefits that the natural environment provides for human beings. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a report of work conducted by some 1,360 scientists from around the world, estimated in 2005 that about 60 percent of all ecosystem services are being degraded or used unsustainably.
Mar 28, 2011
Carbon Markets Struggle to Maintain Momentum
Between 2008 and 2009, the volume of global carbon transactions increased 80 percent, reaching 8.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide–equivalent (CO2e).
Jul 22, 2010
Glacial Melt and Ocean Warming Drive Sea Level Upward
The average sea level around the world has risen a total of 222 millimeters (mm) since 1875, which means an annual rate of 1.7 mm.
Apr 22, 2010
World Will Completely Miss 2010 Biodiversity Target
Species classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as "threatened" increased by 2.1 percent in 2009, as 365 species were added to the organization's Red List of Threatened Species.
Mar 25, 2010
Losses from Natural Disasters Decline in 2009
In 2009, some 860 natural catastrophes occurred worldwide.
Feb 25, 2010
Bottled Water Consumption Growth Slows
Nearly 200 billion liters of bottled water were consumed worldwide in 2008.
Dec 03, 2009
Climate Change Proceeds Down Worrisome Path
Global temperature dropped slightly in 2008, but two other climate indicators—emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and its concentration in Earth's atmosphere—continued their worrisome upward trends.
Aug 06, 2009
Water Scarcity Looms
Water scarcity grows in urgency in many regions as population growth, climate change, pollution, lack of investment, and management failures restrict the amount of water available relative to demand.
Jun 04, 2009
Devastating Natural Disasters Continue Steady Rise
In 2008, some 750 natural disasters occurred worldwide, down from 960 in 2007, a drop of 22 percent.
May 07, 2009
Growth in Protected Areas Slows
The areas of the world that are officially protected—national parks and the like—grew by some 26 percent between 1997 and 2007, roughly one third as fast as during the preceding 10 years, when the rate topped 75 percent.
May 07, 2009
One-Fifth of Coral Reefs Lost, Rest Threatened by Climate Change and Human Activities
About one-fifth of the world's coral reefs have already been lost or severely damaged, while another 35 percent could be lost within 10–40 years, according to the latest review by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.
Oct 01, 2008
Weather-related Disasters Dominate
In 2007, there were 874 weather-related disasters worldwide, a 13-percent increase over 2006 and the highest number since the systematic recording of natural perils began in 1974.
Aug 06, 2008
Carbon Emissions on the Rise But Policies Growing Too
In 2007, carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion worldwide reached an estimated 8.2 billion tons, which was 2.8 percent more than in 2006—and 22 percent above the total in 2000.
Feb 27, 2008
Climate Change Accelerates
The year 2007 tied with 1998 as the second warmest year on record, with an average global temperature of 14.57 degrees Celsius, according to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.


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Information management is changing faster than at any time since the invention of the printing press. We use council meetings to share the latest innovations, from gaming and collaborative technology for corporate learning to web-based delivery of information and the challenges of outsourcing and offshoring. Other topics include:
- Business impacts of information centers
- E-books value chain
- Vendor partnership practices and scorecards
Our members have explored such recent survey topics as intranet policies and redesign, intellectual property monitoring systems, and managing innovation and thought leadership.
The power of peer learning
Enduring relationships with trusted peers are the core of the council experience. Enhanced by our global, enterprise-wide reach, these relationships span the world and extend the value of council membership. Confidential peer dialogue provides you with a broader perspective and shared experiences, as well as access to specific knowledge and best practices.
Council membership benefits
- Collective problem solving that puts your issue on the agenda
- Benchmarking through regular surveys of council members about relevant company practices
- Multifunctional insights generated by the wealth of perspectives gathered from over 100 councils (covering more than 50 functions) that work together across geographies
- Virtual communities that extend learning opportunities through a variety of online forums and other resources
Who should join?
Senior managers with direct responsibility for information management, research, and analysis in their companies
Program Director
Robert Armacost
Program Director

subset: commoncrawl


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Quick Search: Choose Model and Year, then enter search topic.
Page: 211
Exercise Extreme Caution when Working on your vehicle
The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a potentially hazardous area. If you are not fully familiar with proper repair procedures, do not attempt the adjustments described on the following pages.
This caution applies to the entire vehicle.
Fire and explosion hazards
Many vehicle fluids are highly flammable, e. g. fuel, engine and transmission oil. Fuel vapors can cause an explosion. When a battery is being charged, highly explosive gases can develop.
Fluid health hazards
Refill fluids, e. g. engine oil, brake fluid or coolant are hazardous to health (poisonous, irritant, caustic).
Exhaust gas inhalation
Engine exhaust is dangerous if inhaled.
Engine exhaust fumes have many components which you can smell. They also contain carbon monoxide (CO), which is a colorless and odorless gas.
Carbon monoxide can cause unconsciousness and even death if inhaled.
Hot engine parts, exhaust system and fluids
The engine and surroundings components, the exhaust system and coolant become very hot when the engine is running.
The coolant reservoir is pressurized. Careless opening of the coolant reservoir can lead to hot coolant suddenly spraying out.
Moving engine parts
Take great care to ensure that hands, fingers, articles of clothing (e. g. ties, sleeves, etc.), necklaces or long hair cannot be caught up by the radiator fans, drive belt or other moving parts.
The radiator fans in the front of the vehicle may be operating or unexpectedly start operating when the engine is switched on.
Electric shock from ignition system
When the ignition is on, all cables and wires of the ignition system carry a high voltage.


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The overall rate of congenital birth defects has increased by 50 percent since 1984, according to a new study that suggests the cause is women having babies later in life through assisted reproductive technology.
The study, published in the journal BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, reviewed data of 5.4 million births from 14 different European countries between 1984 and 2007. Researchers found that along with the overall rate of birth defects increasing, the risk was 27 percent higher in twins and other multiples than with single births. Professor Helen Dolk, co-author of the study, says this is meaningful as it indicates the role that in vitro fertilization has played in the issue. IVF has enabled older women, past their their prime child bearing years, to give birth.
There was no mention in the report of whether or not advances in technology to keep special-needs children alive or enable mothers to carry them to term has had any kind of affect on the stats.
Image via Lana K/Shutterstock
Older Mothers Driving Up Birth Defect Rate [Telegraph]


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Yes, you can take this to the bank. Defense will score, Special team will score and offense will definitely score.
I know Manning can throw the ball and Broncos can score too. But I don't see them scoring 40 points on our defense. And I know our offense doesn't turn the ball over and our Special team has been special and will continue to be special.
Conclusion: We are winning this game.
That's my prediction and I'm sticking with it no matter what the experts (who have watched 3 Seahawks games all season) say. I don't give a &&&& about those talking heads.


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Brylee Sandals
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Sandals By Ugg Australia
About Ugg Australia
UGG Australia employs the finest standards of craftsmanship in the world, utilizing a variety of premium materials that feel like nothing else - from plush sheepskin to burnished, oiled suede, washed canvas and tumbled distressed leather making them luxuriously irresistible. Please be aware that our genuine Ugg boots are only available in half sizes. If you are normally a size 6 please order a size 6.5 as we know from our experience this will be the best fit for you.
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Footwear should be unworn and in its original packaging. Your refund will then be processed back to your original method of payment.Click here for more information on returns.
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Colorado Springs, Co — In response to the statistic that nine people drown each day in the United States, the YMCA of the USA and the USA Swimming Foundation recently partnered to provide free/low-cost swim lessons for at-risk children who are enrolled in the free or reduced-cost lunch program at schools in participating cities. The partnership is a local implementation of Make a Splash, the USA Swimming Foundation's national anti-drowning initiative. Communities involved in the collaborative education program include Raleigh-Durham, NC; San Jose, CA; Philadelphia; and most recently Omaha, NE.
The YMCA of the USA will provide the instructors and pool time, while the USA Swimming Foundation will back the program financially through its Sponsor a Swim Lesson program.


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Pomona Events, Coupons, Reviews!
Subscribe to KidsScoop! The monthly family event and savings newsletter.
Our son is growing up fast and so is his shoe size. For his foot size, we are not able to find shoes without laces. He knows a bit about lacing but is very impatient as they come off very often.
But most of the time we have seen him choose a Velcro shoe over the shoe with laces. Every time we would go out we would end up bargaining between the Velcro and the laced shoes. Lacing had become a never ending problem and honestly I did not think there would be any solution. My boy did learn to lace but when a 7-year-old is playing actively all day I am pretty sure he would not want to worry about fixing his lace(yes he is lazy!).
My husband is very meticulous about footwear. He wants to avoid any future injuries related to foot so he always goes with branded shoes. Even if they are bit expensive. So recently we gave Hickies Elastic No Tie Shoelaces a try. They were super easy to install. It only took us few minutes to take out the laces and put the Hickies on. Guess what, now both dad (because our son is wearing quality shoes) and the son(because he does not have to wear the lace!) duo are happy!
They are simple elastic strands with a loop to look the two ends. My son had been using Hicikes No-Tie Lace for a week now, and I had been checking with him regularly on whether or not they are comfortable and the answer was affirmative. At one point one of the Hickies had come out, and he was able to fix it by himself. If you are facing a similar problem like we did, you should give this a try.
I would doubt if they would be durable for a longer time( like more than five months), but you could always keep a spare just in case. I have read few reviews on Amazon that they are not easy to install, but I have not had any problem. You could also check their website for details on how you could install. You could save 20% on HICKIES lacing system when you Use code USFG at checkout . Only valid on hickies.com
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IT Contracts and Sweep Clauses
Sweep Clauses are called so, because they, like a broom, sweep in more responsibilities for a service provider. More than what they actually intend to deliver. Sweep clauses are like icebergs. What we see in the SOW and Schedules are just the tip of the iceberg and while actual delivery the real matters come out. As with an iceberg so with the sweep clauses too, the Service provider meets with an eminent danger of delivering more than it can thus causing financial losses and sinks the revenue ship for that deal. One has to really be cautious while preparing the SOW and Schedules for Service Agreement or else will end up with a sinking ship. What role does a Sweep clause play? Certainly, it does not play a positive role in regard to a service contract that we have in place. Initially it does bring all those items to our plate which we did not agree to deliver. And in the process of delivering the agreed and not agreed deliverables we start straining our relationship with the client. This leads to disagreements and disputes and subsequently puts a big question mark on the credibility of the service provider. Apart from creating those earlier mentioned issues Sweep clause negatively affects the deal revenue by lowering the margin and profitability. Delivery quality, many a times, goes down as more delivery needs to happen in the short span of time. Overall Sweep clause is a blunder committed, while drafting the agreement, that puts a heavy burden on the Delivery team. In the next lesson, we shall talk about the Origin of the Sweep Clauses but before that let us understand a vicious cycle that goes around related to Sweep Clauses. A badly drafted Statement of Work full of Sweep Clauses, leads to overstretched scope of delivery. This puts a constrain on the timelines and employment of extra resources to deliver the new items without any additional pay. Due to the income leakage, the margins starts falling down and subsequently results into a RED Account. Since there is less profit hence there would be less bonus or salary increment for the employees creating more dissatisfied employees, who may not be working so diligently. So, it makes all the sense to have a robust statement of work without any sweep clause. Sweep clauses originated in the early days of data centre outsourcing where the customers started handing over the "glass house" to the vendors. The expectation was that the vendor would deal with the glass house as mother would deal with a baby, meaning doing anything and everything for the Customer. The other origin which we find even today is the expectation by the customer and affirmation by the vendor on performing the lesser, incidental and related functions to the main contract, especially the functions performed by the earlier staff. Some of the inappropriate cases for sweep clauses are as follow; One, Where the customer is willing to outsource some selective functions, typically selected by them. Two, Standard branded manged services of the Customer without the due diligence done by the vendor. Three, New IT offering like Cloud wherein the industry is yet to mature and understand all. And Four, the second generation outsourcing form the third party. This one is undeniably the dead trap.
Posted By
Abhimanyu Shandilya
1 year ago
Financial Concepts for Inhouse Legal Counsel and C...
Chapter 1 - Introduction Lesson 1- Finance and it's role. Business is all about money and money in business terms are euphemistically called as Finance which is nothing but better and sophisticated version of money. Actually, Finance has a bigger and more complex meaning and role than money. Money is just a nominal value or a unit of transaction whereas Finance is money plus management of money. The moment management gets associated with money it means the complete detail of money involved in a transaction, its history, present and future interpreted in multiple ways, ratios and features. Anh business person must have, to a certain degree, the understanding of finance as it helps in making big and small business decisions. Regardless of which department a person belongs to, he or she need to have a fair knowledge and understanding of some important concepts of Finance. And this hold true for lawyers as well, especially the lawyers who are employed with corporates as Inhouse Legal Counsels and Contract Managers. Lesson 2 - Importance of knowledge of finance for Lawyers, Inhouse Counsels and Contract Managers Lawyers in corporate world, especially the Inhouse Counsels and Contract Mangers play a role bigger than what a normal advocate would play. These people have to wear multiple hat on top of the Lawyer's hat. It is pertinent for a Corporate Counsel to know all about the applicable laws in his or her area of expertise but at the same time the moment one joins a company or an organization as a counsel, he or she has to know and understand the nuances of business by walking few steps beyond the legal world. The usual expectation of the business leaders and other team members from a counsel or a contract manager is that they would understand the underlying risk and help in building the revenue from every business transaction whether within the organization or outside. For a contractual transaction, a counsel or a contract manager is not only supposed to point the legal risk involved in the contract but also to highlight and provide solution, if any, on quantum of money involved, revenue management, money at risk management, service credit implication, invoice and credit cycle etc. It has been observed that a lawyer with finance understanding is always sought after and proves to be a great asset to an organization. Lesson 3- High level view of financial concepts – Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account BALANCE SHEET The balance sheet tells us what the company owns (its assets), what it owes (its liabilities) and the value of the business to its stockholders (the shareholders' equity) as of a specific date. It's called a balance sheet because the two sides balance out. It can be elaborated like this: a company has to pay for all the things it has (assets) by either borrowing money (liabilities) or getting it from shareholders (shareholders' equity). Balance sheet is a snapshot of a financial condition of a company. It tells the exact financial conditions at a particular point of time or date as mentioned on the balance sheet. The three major items on the balance sheet are Assets, Liabilities and Shareholders' equity. The normal formula to balance out the items in a balance sheet is as follow; Total Assets = Total Liabilities + Shareholders' Equity Assets - Assets are economic resources that are expected to produce economic benefits for their owner Liabilities _- Liabilities are obligations the company has to outside parties. Liabilities represent others' rights to the company's money or services. Examples include bank loans, debts to suppliers and debts to employees. Shareholders' Equity - Shareholders' equity is the value of a business to its owners after all of its obligations have been met. It generally reflects the amount of capital the owners have invested, plus any profits generated that were subsequently reinvested in the company. PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT (INCOME STATEMENT) An income statement or profit and loss statement is a financial statement that reports a company's financial performance over a specific accounting period, usually a financial year. Financial performance is assessed by giving a summary of how the business incurs its revenues and expenses through both operating and non-operating activities. It also shows the net profit or loss incurred over a specific accounting period. Unlike the balance sheet, which covers one moment in time, the income statement provides performance information about a time period. The income statement is divided into two parts: operating and non-operating. The operating portion of the income statement discloses information about revenues and expenses that are a direct result of regular business operations. For example, if a business makes and sells aircraft, it should make money through the sale and/or production of aircraft. The non-operating section discloses revenue and expense information about activities that are not directly tied to a company's regular operations. Continuing with the same example, if the aircraft company investment securities, the gain from the sale is listed in the non-operating items section. Chapter 2- Balance Sheet- Important Financial concepts Lesson 1 – Asset Assets are sometimes defined as resources or things of value that are owned by a company. Some examples of assets which are obvious and will be reported on a company's balance sheet include: cash, accounts receivable, inventory, investments, land, buildings, and equipment. An asset is an item that the company owns, with the expectation that it will yield future financial benefit. This benefit may be achieved through enhanced purchasing power (i.e., decreased expenses), revenue generation or cash receipts. There are broadly two types of Assets namely, Current Assets and Long Terms Assets. Current Assets - Current assets are those assets that you expect to either convert to cash or use within one year, or one operating cycle?whichever is longer. Examples of current assets include cash, accounts receivable and inventory (e.g., raw materials, work in progress, finished goods). Long Term Assets - Long-term assets are those that you use in the operation of your company and that will continue to offer benefit beyond a single year or operating cycle. Examples of long-term assets include buildings, machinery and equipment (also known as fixed or capital assets). Many long-term assets are amortized as they are used. Lesson 2- Liability The opposite of assets are liabilities. Liabilities are amounts that the company owes and will have to settle in the future. Like Asset there are two kinds of liabilities namely Current Liabilities and Long Terms Liabilities. Current Liabilities - Current liabilities are those that are expected to be settled within one year, or one operating cycle?whichever is longer. Examples of current liabilities include accounts payable, demand loans and current portions of long-term liabilities. Long Term Liabilities - Long-term liabilities include ongoing commitments such as loans, mortgages, debentures, finance leases and other long-term financing arrangements. Lesson 3 – Shareholders' equity Shareholder's Equity consists of two main things: The initial capitalization of the company (when the shares were first sold, plus extra share issues) and retained earnings, which is the amount of money the company has made over and above capitalization, which has not been re-distributed back to shareholders. Shareholder's Equity is neither an asset nor a liability: it is used to purchase assets and to reduce liabilities, and is simply a measure of assets minus liabilities that is necessary to make the accounting equation balance. Chapter 3- Profit and Loss Account – Important Financial Concepts Lesson 1- Revenue (Top line) Revenue for a company is the total amount of money received by the company for goods sold or services provided during a certain period of time usually a year. It is the amount of money that a company actually receives during a specific period, including discounts and deductions for returned merchandise. It is also called as the "top line" or "gross income" figure from which costs are subtracted to determine net income Lesson 2- Expenses An expense is defined as an outflow of money or assets to another individual or company as payment for an item or service. It is the money spent or cost incurred in an organization's efforts to generate revenue, representing the cost of doing business. Expenses may be in the form of actual cash payments (such as wages and salaries), a computed expired portion (depreciation) of an asset, or an amount taken out of earnings (such as bad debts). Lesson 3- Gross Profit Gross profit is a company's total revenue (equivalent to total sales) minus the cost of goods sold. Gross profit is the profit a company makes after deducting the costs associated with making and selling its products, or the costs associated with providing its services. Gross profit is important because it reflects the core profitability of a company before overhead costs, and it illustrates the financial success of a product or service. Lesson 4- Operating Profit The difference between revenues and costs generated by ordinary operations, before deducting interest, taxes, investment gains/losses and various non-recurring items. Operating profit is the profit earned from a firm's normal core business operations. This value does not include any profit earned from the firm's investments, such as earnings from firms in which the company has partial interest, and the before the deductions of applicable interest and taxes owed. Lesson 5- Profit before Tax Profit before tax (PBT) is a profitability measure that looks at a company's profits before the company has to pay corporate income tax by deducting all expenses from revenue including interest expenses and operating expenses except for income tax. Lesson 6- Profit After Tax (PAT) The net amount earned by a business after all taxation related expenses have been deducted. The profit after tax is often a better assessment of what a business is really earning and hence can use in its operations than its total revenues. It is also called as Net Income After Tax or "Bottom Line". Lesson 7- Gross Margin Gross margin is a company's total sales revenue minus its cost of goods sold (COGS), divided by total sales revenue, expressed as a percentage. Chapter 4 – Financial concepts used in Service Contracts -I Lesson 1 – Total Contract Value Total contract value (TCV) represents the full value of a customer contract. It includes both recurring and one-time payments. It is the maximum amount that can be generated from a contract in a normal business scenario. Lesson 2 – Client Budget Client Budget is not an important financial term from Contracts point of view but is important from sales point of view as the knowledge of client budget helps in packaging the solution and offerings in a way that appears lucrative to the Client. Knowledge of client budget helps in creating the contract winning proposal. Lesson 3- Committed Revenue Usually it is Committed Monthly Recurring Revenue (CMRR). Committed Monthly Recurring Revenue is the value of recurring portion of subscription revenue. For term-based subscription businesses, this is the portion of subscription revenue that is recognized each month. In layman's language, it is the minimum amount that a service provider would get from the Customer each month. Lesson 4- Cost In business, cost is usually a monetary valuation of (1) effort, (2) material, (3) resources, (4) time and utilities consumed, (5) risks incurred, and (6) opportunity forgone in production and delivery of a good or service. Lesson 5- Cash Flow In accounting, cash flow is the difference in amount of cash available at the beginning of a period (opening balance) and the amount at the end of that period (closing balance). It is called positive if the closing balance is higher than the opening balance, otherwise called negative. Lesson 7- Margin (Engagement/ Realised) Margin is the difference between a product or service's selling price and its cost of production or to the ratio between a company's revenues and expenses. For a service contract margin is the amount of revenue that the service would generate minus the cost incurred in delivering the services. There are two kinds of margin for a service contract and which defines the financial success of that contract. Engagement Margin - It is the theoretical margin that one expects while starting a service contract. Realized Margin- Is the actual margin that one realizes at the end of service contract or the financial year. Historically it has been observed that Realized margin is always less than the engagement margin for Service Contracts due to cost escalations. Lesson 7 – Net Present value (NPV) Net present value is a calculation that compares the amount invested today to the present value of the future cash receipts from the investment. In other words, the amount invested is compared to the future cash amounts after they are discounted by a specified rate of return. For a service contract, the NPV is the present value of the all future revenues that can be generated out of the contract. There is a complex formula to calculate the NPV. Lesson 8 – Profit Dilution or Leakage Profit leakage is a loss of profits due to the difference between actual prices and prices on invoices. Businesses set target prices and figure their financial projections based on those prices. But due to increase in cost or some exceptional events like change in tax the actual cost may go up and thus reduce the profit. Lesson 9- Deferred Expenses The term "deferred expense" is used to describe a payment that has been made, but it won't be reported as an expense until a future accounting period. This method of accounting helps in making the current cash flow positive and reflects more profit for the current financial year but reduces the profit margin for future. Lesson 10- Credit Period The credit period is the number of days that a customer is allowed to wait before paying an invoice. The concept is important because it indicates the amount of working capital that a business is willing to invest in its accounts receivable in order to generate sales. Lesson 11- Invoice and Invoice date An invoice is a commercial document that itemizes a transaction between a buyer and a seller. If goods or services were purchased on credit, the invoice usually specifies the terms of the deal, and provide information on the available methods of payment. An invoice is also known as a bill or sales invoice. What is important here is that in a service contract the credit period counting can start from either "date of issue" of invoice or "date of receipt" of invoice as per the agreed terms. Lesson 12- Credit Rating Credit rating is an analysis of the credit risks associated with a financial instrument or a financial entity. It is a rating given to a particular entity based on the credentials and the extent to which the financial statements of the entity are sound, in terms of borrowing and lending that has been done in the past. Why is it important for a service contract? It is important since a service provider gives a credit to a customer in the sense that money is paid to the service provider after few days, usually a month (credit period). Chapter 5 – Financial concepts used in Service Contracts -II Lesson 1- Internal Rate of Return (IRR) Internal rate of return (IRR) is the interest rate at which the net present value of all the cash flows (both positive and negative) from a project or investment equal zero. Internal rate of return is used to evaluate the attractiveness of a project or investment. Lesson 2- First Financial Year Revenue (FFYR) First Financial Year Revenue is the total amount of revenue that will be generated in the current financial year. If the FFYR is more in percentage terms compared to the total revenue then it means that more money is getting realized in the project soon. Lesson 3- Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The cost of living adjustment is an increase in income that keeps up with the cost of living. It's often applied to wages, salaries and benefits. In long term service contracts running for more than say 5 years or so the COLA is applied to mitigate the inflation risk associated with the project. Lesson 4- Forex Risk Foreign exchange risk (also known as FX risk, exchange rate risk or currency risk) is a financial risk that exists when a financial transaction is denominated in a currency other than that of the base currency of the company. When two or more currencies are involved in a service contract say the billing is done in USD and booking in some other local currency then in such cases there will be a risk associated with USD versus local currency rate. Lesson 5- Pricing (Fixed and Variable) Pricing for a service contract has two denominations, fixed or variable. When it is fixed it means that for a contract the total amount to be paid by the customer for the services are already agreed and within that limit the agreed services or goods will be delivered. When it is variable it means that the total amount to be paid by the customer is dependent on what service or goods are consumed by the customer. In usual parlance, the variable pricing is also known as "Time and Material" pricing. Lesson 6- Performance Bank Guarantee A performance bank guarantee provides a secure promise of compensation of a set amount in the event that a seller does not meet delivery terms or other provisions in the contract. The purpose of this sort of guarantee is to solidify the contractual connection between a seller and buyer. Lesson 7- Capex Capital expenditure or capital expense ("CAPEX") is an expense where the benefit continues over a long period, rather than being exhausted in a short period. Such expenditure is of a non-recurring nature and results in acquisition of permanent assets. It is thus distinct from a recurring expense. Lesson 8 – Opex An operating expense, operating expenditure, operational expense, operational expenditure (OPEX) is an ongoing cost for running a product, business, or system. Lesson 9- Service Credit Service credits (or service level credits) are a mechanism by which amounts are deducted from the amounts to be paid under the contract to the supplier if actual supplier performance fails to meet the performance standards set in the service levels Lesson 10– Earn back Earn backs are the received amounts from the already paid penalty or service credit, which is earned back by a service provider after delivering or maintaining the service level at more than expected levels.
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Your Legal Matter
- What is commercial law?
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What is commercial law?
Commercial Law does not have a fixed meaning in India. Broadly speaking there is not much distinction between a commercial and a non-commercial contract. Specialised Commercial Courts do not exist however for purposes of expeditious adjudication special courts are set up from time to time. As a matter of general practice, commercial laws include all the laws that can be attracted as per the factual nature of the commercial setting, i.e. the applicable laws vary from case to case.
Commercial Laws could have been derived from multiple sources. The Legislature is evidently the most prominent source as it has a clear binding nature which is beyond questioning in practice. English Mercantile Law influences Indian Commercial Laws, for example, Lex Mercantoria influences Indian policies. Judicial Precedents act as a guiding force and can have the same powers as a legislation is the legislative policies are silent on a particular issue. Customs and standard business practices are given importance in the domain of commercial laws, customs can also get legal recognition by Courts accepting them in a precedent or a legislation giving validity to a custom.
However, from the wide plethora of laws that can be applied in the domain of commercial laws, some of the prominent ones include:
- The Indian Partnership Act 1932 - A partnership firm is not a distinct legal entity apart from the partners constituting it, i.e. a partnership firm is not a 'person in law', but is merely an association of individuals.
- The Companies Act 1956 – A company is a juristic person. This Act regulates Companies in India.
- The Income Tax Act 1961 – regulates income tax in India. Provides for the method, reliefs etc. available in income taxes
- Goods and Services Tax - Goods & Service Tax is a comprehensive tax mechanism wherein all the major indirect taxes have been clubbed as one. It aims at the reduction of the cascading effects of taxes. GST eases the process of doing business.
- Indian Contract Act 1872 - Contracts are basically agreements that have the power of legal enforceability and protection. As per Section 2(e) of the Indian Contract Act 1872, agreements refer to 'every promise and every set of promises, forming consideration for each other'. As per Section 2(h) of the ICA, a contract is "an agreement enforceable by law". Contracts are governed as per this Act
- Negotiable Instruments Act – this Act regulates negotiable instruments which are commonly used in commercial activities. For example, Section 138 of this Act deals with the issue of cheques bouncing.
- Consumer Protection Act 1986 - Consumer protection laws aim at the protection of the interests and rights of consumers. These laws aim at changing the mentality of the market from "Caveat Emptor" (let the buyer beware) to "Caveat Venditor" (let the seller beware).
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When Trying To Stunt Goes Wrong: Boyfried Told His Girl He Brought Earrings For $1K (She Finds Out It Was Fake & Goes Off)
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Independent report offers ethical guidelines and a decision-making framework.
If humans are ever going to get to Mars and other deep-space destinations, we'll need to figure out how people can live reasonably safely in space for very long durations, possibly indefinitely. In the meantime, we may have to send astronauts into situations we know are dangerous and expose them to unknown environments.
How will NASA decide when a mission's potential gains outweigh the risks to human health? The agency asked the independent Institute of Medicine for recommendations, and that guidance came Wednesday in a report offering ethical principles and a framework for making such decisions.
Human space flight has always involved risks and pushed boundaries. Longer missions -- including lengthy stays on the International Space Station -- involve prolonged potential exposure to radiation, chemicals and microgravity as well as unknown elements, NASA Chief Health and Medical Officer Richard Williams told Nextgov. Such exposure can impair vision, reduce bone mass, cause certain types of cancer -- and that's just some of what we currently know.
"You can get exposed at levels higher than your standards will allow, and there may be risks that you don't fully understand and don't have a standard for," he said. The trick is determining the point beyond which further exposure is unacceptable. "We've always done that," Williams said. "For long-duration missions it's a matter of degree of exposure."
NASA can't ethically loosen it's health standards in general or create a different set of health standards for long-duration flights, IOM determined. But in rare cases it might make sense to grant exceptions to the current standards, the report said.
In all stages of determining if exceptions to health standards are warranted, NASA should consider basic ethical principles. For instance, in reviewing requests for specific exceptions, IOM suggested the space agency could require the proposed missions --
- Be expected to have exceptionally great social value;
- Have great time urgency;
- Have expected benefits that would be widely shared;
- Be justified over alternate approaches to meeting the mission's objectives;
- Establish that existing health and safety standards cannot be met;
- Be committed to minimizing harm and continuous learning;
- Have a rigorous consent process to ensure that astronauts are fully informed about risks and unknowns, meet standars of informed decision making, and are making a voluntary decision; and
- Provide health care and health monitoring for astronauts before, during and after flight and for the astronauts lifetime.
Surely, the astronauts themselves take on the greatest risk. "Some astronauts may be willing to accept more risks than others, but that has yet to be seen because we're just getting to the point where we're going to meet or exceed our standards," Williams said. "Accepting some risk is mandatory -- it has to be done."


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Prosecutor: Ariel Castro could face death penalty
An Ohio prosecutor says he may seek the death penalty against Ariel Castro, the man accused of imprisoning three women at his home for about a decade, for forcing them to suffer miscarriages. (May 9) AP
Castro, facing rape and kidnapping charges, could be charged with murder in the deaths of one victim's unborn children
CLEVELAND -- The man accused of holding three women captive in his house for more than a decade could face the death penalty if it's determined he is responsible for the deaths of the victims' unborn children, prosecutors said Thursday.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty said pending further police investigation, Castro, 52, could face charge of murder in the course of kidnapping, which carries a potential death penalty. McGinty will present the case to the grand jury and could seek aggravated murder charges for each of the pregnancies.
Initial police reports obtained by Cleveland TV station WKYC said kidnap victims Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were raped by Castro. Knight was impregnated five times during her captivity, then starved and beaten, forcing the termination of the fetuses. Berry, also impregnated, gave birth to a baby — now 6 — in Castro's basement, according to the report.
Earlier Monday, Castro was arraigned on seven charges of kidnapping and rape. Handcuffed and wearing a dark blue jail jumpsuit, Castro stared at the floor through most of the five-minute hearing, even as he exchanged words and a few nods with public defender Kathleen DeMetz, his attorney. Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lauren Moore set bail at $8 million.
It was Castro's first court appearance since his arrest Monday, after Berry's screams alerted neighbors, then police and the world to the nightmare she and fellow victims DeJesus and Knight endured.
Prosecutor Brian Murphy said the rape and kidnapping charges are based on Castro's "premeditated, deliberate and depraved decisions to snatch three young ladies from Cleveland's west-side streets to use for whatever self-gratifying, self-serving ways that he saw fit."
He said the women were forced to endure a "horrifying ordeal for more than a decade" in which they had been "bound, restrained and sexually assaulted."
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson made a statement asking everyone to give the victims in Cleveland time and space to heal. VPC
"They were never free to leave this residence," he said, referring to Castro's Seymour Avenue home.
Castro did not enter a plea, which DeMetz said would be done when the case is transferred to county court. She acknowledged that Castro could face additional charges.
Contributing: Doug Stanglin and Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY; the Associated Press


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Jaroslaw, who is only 21 years old, said: "It all started with the fact that my friends and I climbed the 25-story skyscraper, which was then still under construction. Entering the building was quite difficult because all entrances were locked, but when I reach the top, as I understood this lesson for me. It is difficult to put into words the feeling that you are experiencing, rising to the top. It is a mixture of self-confidence and enjoyment of the task.
Whenever we learn that in Kiev is building a new skyscraper, we try to do everything possible to climb onto its roof on the outer facade. Usually we do not happen with this any serious problems, although sometimes passers attract unwanted attention to us. Making the ascent, I usually do not feel fear – just excitement and enthusiasm.
1. Urban climber on top of a tall building in Kiev.
2. And a few more photos.
3. Fearless (not to say reckless) urban climbers to climb the walls of high-rise buildings, swinging on ropes cranes and unfinished roam the rooftops of skyscrapers.
4. Their colleague, urban climber and photographer Jaroslav Szeged personally conquered many of the highest elevations of houses, hoping only for arm strength, agility and endurance, never far from the camera.
5. Recent trick demonstrated by his group, consisted in the conquest of a giant crane, engaged in construction of multi-storey skyscraper.


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2005-2006 Yearbook
2005-2006 Yearbook
This volume covers the 2005-2006 academic year and contains question papers and solutions from the three mass challenges and their follow-on rounds; material from the Team Maths Challenge; lists of the highest scorers and a review of the International Mathematical Olympiad. There is also information about the UKMT's mentoring schemes and publications. Covers the age range 11-18.
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European Commission
Joaquín Almunia
Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Competition Policy
Merger review: Past evolution and future prospects
Conference on Competition Policy, Law and Economics
Cernobbio (Italy)
2 November 2012
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is always a pleasure to be back in Cernobbio, on this occasion to take part in your Conference on Competition Policy.
And I wish to thank in particular Jorge Padilla for inviting me to open your debates this evening.
I have chosen for my speech today one of the topics you have included in your programme: merger control.
I will share with you the latest developments in this field and put them in the context of the evolution of this policy over the past few years. I will then close with a look at the future.
But first, let me make one important point. As I travel across Europe – in particular when I visit certain countries – I am often asked why the Commission is raising hurdles against the creation of large European companies; why Brussels is not supporting "European champions".
I am always a bit surprised by such remarks – and by their dogged reiteration – because they do not correspond at all to the facts.
Since the Merger Regulation came into force in 1990, the Commission has cleared more than 4,600 deals and blocked only 22. Fewer than five in every thousand cases!
Last year – to give you fresher figures – we received 309 notifications, approved as many as 299 of them in Phase I and blocked only one transaction. By the way, with very good arguments to do so.
So, let's recognise the facts: it is simply not true that the Commission is putting the brakes on the legitimate efforts of Europe's firms to scale up. This is a thing that anyone can verify reading the newspapers or the Official Journal.
Let's look at the reality as it is. The list of the world's biggest corporations kept by Forbes magazine has 30 companies from the US and 27 from the EU in the top 100 places. One doesn't have the impression that Europe lacks corporate giants.
The reality is that when a planned merger does not raise competition problems – and this happens quite often – we clear it. Just think of Iberia and British Airways, Fiat and Chrysler, Volkswagen and MAN. The examples are legion; and I can assure you that every time this occurs, I am very happy.
But our responsibility is to take action whenever our review concludes that the company resulting from a merger would harm competitive conditions. That is to say, would harm all the other companies present in the relevant market.
Even in these cases, taking action means in most instances clearing the deal on condition that the parties offer adequate remedies.
Here the recent acquisition of EMI's recorded music business by Universal is a good example. The operation would reduce the number of music majors, but we gave the go-ahead when the companies offered to sell a significant number of labels featuring top-selling artists, from Coldplay and Tina Turner to Maria Callas.
What we must avoid are attempts to shield Europe's companies from competition, in particular during this harsh period for the economy. In this game, only a few of them will benefit, and the majority will lose.
I will firmly react against these temptations. Merger control is not the place for protectionist measures. The discipline imposed by a keen competition environment in the Single Market is a tonic for Europe's companies. It prepares them to do business on the global markets and to succeed.
We must stand up for these principles. They are good for Europe's economy and they also give us the moral ground to negotiate fair and equal terms with our commercial partners around the world.
Importing lower competition-policy standards from other parts of the world is against our interests, which are best served by making the case for open markets and a level playing field for global trade.
Raising barriers on our borders brings Europe many more disadvantages than advantages. Therefore, the fact that the EU competition authority is leading by example is fully consistent with our interests.
This year we have taken important decisions and we are currently working on a number of interesting cases. I've already mentioned Universal's acquisition of the recording branch of EMI in September. In several other instances we have cleared mergers after in-depth investigations, either with or without commitments offered by the parties.
One deal cleared with conditions was between Südzucker and ED&F Man in the sugar industry. In the UTC/Goodrich merger – a major transaction in the aviation component industry – we reached the same conclusion. This deal affected markets on both sides of the Atlantic and is a good example of the close and effective cooperation with US and Canadian authorities which has now become the norm in our practice.
A deal we approved without remedies was the joint venture between the three largest mobile telecoms operators in the UK. Our investigation found that many competitors were planning to enter the nascent market of mobile-payment applications and that none of the companies involved had the ability or the incentive to foreclose.
Among the cases now pending, let me cite our current review of Glencore's plan to acquire Xstrata – a significant deal in the global metal and minerals sector.
Here, our scrutiny is well advanced, the parties submitted remedies last Tuesday and, after the correspondent market test, we will soon decide whether to clear the proposed transaction or open an in-depth investigation.
Other current Phase II cases include the acquisition of Inoxum, the stainless-steel division of ThyssenKrupp, by the Finnish steel company Outokumpu. The company has offered remedies, in particular the divestment of the whole Terni plant. We will decide in a few days if they are adequate to address our concerns.
We are also reviewing Hutchison's takeover of Orange in the Austrian mobile telephony market and the merger between UPS and TNT. Our preliminary view is that serious competition concerns would arise in both cases, and substantial remedies are needed.
Finally, we are analysing Ryanair's renewed bid to acquire a controlling stake of its Irish rival Aer Lingus.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
To put our merger-control activity in its proper context, let me now look at the main principles that guide our reviews.
The backbone of our investigations is the economic concepts laid down in the guidelines we use to study the deals and to identify the problems they may cause to competition. Our practice has evolved since the adoption of the new Merger Regulation. The guidelines of 2004 and 2008 introduced strict analytical frameworks and a test for competitive harm based on economic effects.
In particular, this reform process made clear that the competition concerns raised by horizontal mergers are not confined to dominance – whether single-firm or collective – but can also come from 'unilateral effects' in situations of oligopoly.
After these changes, our review is now focussed more on how a merger can affect the competitive dynamics of markets and less on structural aspects such as concentration levels and market shares. High market shares are not always problematic; conversely, sometimes even moderate shares can impair competition. It all depends on the actual market conditions in which each individual deal takes place.
In all cases, we closely assess the likely impact of a merger on price and other parameters – such as quality, choice and innovation – and the pro-competitive effects and efficiencies of a proposed deal.
We always look with great care at the claims made by companies that their merger can improve efficiency. But we also reject these claims when the benefits are kept as private profits rather than being transferred to the economy in terms of prices or innovation.
Innovation is a major driver of growth and its promotion is key to help Europe rebound from this prolonged economic slowdown. In the Intel/McAfee deal, for instance, we imposed interoperability remedies for five years to allow competitors the opportunity to evolve.
Also, we cleared the Western Digital/Hitachi transaction on condition that the parties would sell certain assets to keep an already concentrated market contestable and we also required that the buyer of the divested assets have innovation capability.
Today, as you know very well, reviewing complex transactions involves sophisticated qualitative and quantitative analyses and I believe that our decision-making has greatly benefitted from this growing reliance on economic evidence. The amount of data in such cases is quite large. Depending on market segments, the number of observations ranges from a few thousand to over three million.
As a result, the Western Digital/Hitachi decision ran to over 200 pages. By comparison, the Commission's first decision following an in-depth investigation in 1991 was 21 pages long. This is what being a modern and responsible competition authority implies. All our decisions must be well argued, verifiable, and ready to stand the test of the Court.
But I have not come to Cernobbio only to praise merger policy. Although I am proud of our record and of the good reputation we enjoy among experts and market participants, it is still my responsibility to fine-tune and improve the system. This is why I have asked DG Competition to see how our procedures can be made even more business-friendly than they are today.
I want to make notifications easier to cut the red tape and find faster and simpler ways to handle the cases that clearly pose no problems to competition. I intend to streamline the system so that we can focus on the cases that have a real impact on competition and consumers in the internal market and require complex analyses of the kind I've just mentioned.
At the same time, I believe that our control should not stand in the way of corporate plans when a merger has no negative impact or can actually generate efficiencies. It is our responsibility to encourage growth at a time when Europe most needs it.
In practice this simplification exercise can be done within the current system. Once we have worked out the concrete proposals we will consult the stakeholders before adopting the final package, which can be introduced in a relatively short time in the course of next year.
In the longer term, there is also room for improvement on one substantive point. The transactions that lead to the acquisition of non-controlling minority stakes currently escape our scrutiny even though they may sometimes cause significant harm to competition.
Other authorities can address these problems, such as in the US and in some national EU jurisdictions. But the Merger Regulation limits our control to the acquisition of controlling stakes; and the actions that are possible under Articles 101 and 102 don't cover all situations. I understand this is one of the topics of discussion at your conference.
Therefore, I can see an enforcement gap here. We are currently considering the different options. Any reform would have to strike the right balance between effective enforcement and the need to keep the regulatory burden light. If the scope of the Merger Regulation is eventually extended to cover non-controlling minority shareholdings, there are two options.
One is to propose a selective system in which the Commission identifies the cases that may raise specific problems; the other would be a mandatory notification system of the kind in use today for mergers involving the acquisition of control.
I intend to launch a public consultation to discuss these options. My preliminary preference would be to go for a selective system and identify the cases which prima facie can raise competition problems rather than creating a system in which significant minority shareholdings would have to be notified in all instances.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This evening I have given you an update on the main cases we are working on. I have reviewed the evolution of merger policy over the past few years and announced its possible future developments. To round up my presentation, let me stress once again the benefits of our one-stop-shop review of mergers.
Over the years, the system has made sure that that no market would reach dangerous levels of concentration and that waves of consolidation in certain industries would not harm competition. In a word, merger control has proved to be an effective tool to promote integration in the internal market. This has always been important, and even more so as a consequence of the crisis.
There has never been a greater need to keep the Single Market contestable, open and efficient. I am convinced that this is a first, necessary step to make Europe a better place to do business and to help put our economies on the road to a sustainable recovery.
Thank you.
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The Portage County Jail, a two-story stone structure next to the courthouse on Main Street in downtown Ravenna, usually didn't handle any more than a dozen or so prisoners, and most, with an occasional exception, were minor offenders.
Seven inmates were lodged there on the evening of Friday, Aug. 18, 1871 -- six men and a boy. All but two were from Trumbull County, the out-of-towners serving their time in Ravenna because the jail in Warren couldn't accommodate them.
By morning, only one inmate remained behind bars, much to the dismay of Sheriff Otis B. Paine and the jailer, R.W. Buck.
What the Portage County Democrat described as a "jail delivery" was blamed on the carelessness of Jailer Buck, whose record for jail security was questionable. But the boy jailed with the men also played a big role in the inmates' freedom.
The five prisoners from Trumbull County included Edward Carr and George Parker, who were jailed as horse thieves; Thomas Small, in the words of the Democrat, "a big burly fellow who whipped his wife," and Calvin Seldom, "who coveted a valuable shot gun and in a paroxysm of emotional intensity stolen the same." The boy, William Ryan, also was from Trumbull County; he was described as being 12 to 14 years old, behind bars for "pilfering a small amount of money."
Also jailed were George Smith, who burglarized a Garrettsville home, and John Cline of Ravenna, "who was doing penance for his appetite for strong drink."
According to the Democrat, the boy had been abused by the adult prisoners and was allowed to remain in the jail yard or the jailer's dwelling area during the day. He was locked up with the men at night.
The jail, which dated to 1840, included living quarters for the sheriff and his family, or the jailer and his family. It was customary for the sheriff's wife or the jailer's wife to serve as the jail matron.
Because of the excessive summer heat, Jailer Buck was in the habit of not putting the prisoners in their night cells until about 9 p.m., "an unreasonably late hour," the Democrat observed, but a "humane, if not vigilant" practice, given the weather.
As the sun set on the evening of Aug. 18, the prisoners were in their cells, and the dwelling part of the jail was vacant except for William Ryan. Buck's family had retired to their quarters at an early hour because Mrs. Buck was ill.
The lack of security evidently gave the boy free rein in the jail. The other prisoners had given him a dollar -- close to $20 today -- in exchange for his cooperation in securing their freedom.
The boy moved a chair to a cupboard where he knew the key to the outer door of the jail was kept. He removed the key, which gave him access to the inner door of the jail, which he also unlocked. The prisoners took their leave through a kitchen door, heading away from the downtown area through an alley near Spruce Avenue.
They ran west to Sycamore Street, then followed the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad tracks south. By 1 a.m. the following morning, they were spotted on Infirmary Road, about three miles from Ravenna.
The inmate left behind, John Cline -- the man with an "appetite for strong drink" -- was in bed when the jailbreak occurred. He came out to Main Street, crying "Buck, Buck" at the top of his lungs to arouse the jailer, who evidently had been asleep in his quarters.
Buck hustled Cline back into his cell. There was no sign of the other prisoners.
The jailbreak was the third to have occurred on Buck's watch, the Democrat reported. "In each case, the escape is to be attributed to his want of appreciation for the responsibility for the position," the newspaper commented. "Sheriff Paine owes it to his official position, and to himself personally, to depose him for his charge of the prison."
A telegram was sent to Warren, alerting Trumbull County authorities to the escape, but only one of the prisoners who fled into the night was found. That was William Ryan, the boy who had earned a dollar for freeing the inmates. He had made his way home to Warren, but returned to Ravenna a few days later after his mother and a deputy sheriff advised him to go back to Portage County.
Jailer Buck was on hand to greet the boy. "He indulged in a fearful act of swearing and confined the penitent to prison," the Democrat reported.
The hapless jailer was punished, too. The jailbreak cost him his job.
The stone jail served Portage County until 1960, when a new courthouse was built, with a jail located on its upper floor. The old jail was razed shortly afterward.
The jail atop the courthouse remained in use until 1995, when its prisoners were moved from the center of the county seat to the present justice center on Infirmary Road in Shalersville.


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DORSET could lose its dairy farming industry if steps are not taken to combat bovine TB, the head of the National Farmers Union has said.
Meurig Raymond, president of the NFU, was speaking on a visit to the Dorset farm owned by Paul Gould, the county chairman of the union.
It follows a devastating herd test revealing a quarter of Mr Gould's in-calf animals will have to be slaughtered.
Mr Raymond said the NFU would double its efforts to lobby the government to roll out a badger cull in affected counties to tackle a 'reservoir of disease' in wildlife.
Mr Gould has farmed a closed herd for more than half a decade, meaning all of the cattle are born and bred on his North Dorset farm.
He believes the source of infection could therefore only come from wildlife.
Mr Raymond said government politics concerning the cull were causing 'immense anger and frustration' among farmers.
He added: "Farmers can't understand how politics has taken over sensible decision making.
"I am calling on the government to have strength in their convictions and drive this policy forward to give farmers hope for the future.
"Other countries have eradicated the disease, and we need to look to them. We will keep fighting."
The NFU is supportive of badger vaccination, Mr Raymond added, but believes this can only be effective in clean animals living in edge areas, unlike Dorset in which the disease is 'endemic'.
He said: "We want healthy cattle and healthy wildlife. Consumers nowadays want to see cows out in pastures, but sadly that is where they are most vulnerable because they are coming into contact with diseased wildlife."
More than 38,000 cattle were slaughtered last year in England and Wales after testing positive for bovine TB.
Mr Raymond said: "It is the emotions you go through in these circumstances, the loss of milk production, the years of breeding that you have put into it for this to happen. It is the absolute despair.
"My rallying call is for the government to get on with it. Otherwise we won't have a livestock industry left in parts of this country."


text: May 27, 2011: Dr. Steve Howell (NASA) and Dr. Travis Rector (University of Alaska, Anchorage) have requested AAVSO observations of several bright giant variable stars of diverse classes. This request is for immediate support of spectroscopic observations to be made at Kitt Peak National Observatory between 2011 May 30 and 2011 June 01 (JD 2455712 - 714). However, observers are encouraged to continue long-term monitoring of these objects.


text: Hey guys, I just had a tech do the gain mod on a gp3 preamp and now the red channel is going into protect mode. He said he has replaced preamp tubes where he though it was pertinent but its still happening. Is their any one who has had a similar issue and knowledge on correcting the problem? Thanks in advance for any helpful input


text:
Featuring: Simmons, Todd, Kula, Balaban, Krafft, Skillman
Digital Photography: Agents Kula & Todd
DV Cam (hidden): Agent Kula
About a month ago, I was brainstorming a mission idea with a few friends called "Five Star Fast Food". The idea was to deck out a fast food joint with all the trappings of a five star restaurant. There would be a Maitre D' standing behind a podium asking for your reservation, a hostess to seat you, a waiter to take your order, and an attendant in the bathroom. The obvious problem with this idea is that it would very likely be shut down as soon as it begins. I decided to focus on the bathroom attendant aspect, figuring that we could last much longer in a secluded men's room.
The next step was to pick the perfect restroom. The challenge here is that pretty much every fast food place in New York has a single occupancy bathroom, many of which require a key for entry. I needed to find a single-gender, multi-occupancy restroom. After spending about a week surveying various disgusting locations, I finally found what I needed in Times Square.
The Times Square McDonald's
The Times Square McDonald's is a sight to see. Its facade is made to look like a Broadway theatre; in fact, it's adjacent to the Lion King. It's three stories tall, has menus on flat-screen TVs, and movie projections on its walls. On the third floor in the very back corner, it has a very large men's room with three urinals, two stalls, and four sinks.
The men's room also conveniently had a "Diaper Changing Station" that would double as our amenities table.
The next step was to find our employee. My friend Todd Simmons worked as a professional bathroom attendant for three years in Manhattan. Obviously, he was the logical choice to play the part. His experience would enable him to be totally comfortable and natural throughout the mission. He knew all of the tricks of the trade.
Agent Simmons
I spent about $50 gathering supplies for the mission. I hit up K-Mart, Rite Aid, and various dollar stores for "travel-size" toiletries. Our attendant had it all: cologne, deodorant, mints, gum, dental floss, Tylenol, Advil, condoms, shaving cream, disposable razors, Q-tips, baby powder, Gold Bond, Band-Aids, cough drops, mouthwash, plastic cups, hair gel, Kleenex, and our crown jewel–a "Barbicide" canister filled with actual Barbicide and several combs. Our wares would be presented on two silver trays on top of a lace tablecloth.
We arrived at the McDonald's at about 1:45 in the afternoon. We each ordered food and sat down at tables close to the bathrooms. There were two cops finishing up their meal just a few tables away. We figured the male cop would probably use the facilities before leaving, so we waited it out. We were correct; he took a quick trip to the men's room and then left the scene. We sprang into action. Agent Simmons had a tuxedo concealed under his winter coat. Agent Todd carried a large K-Mart shopping bag with all of the supplies. Within two minutes our table was ready to go.
The Table
Agent Kula handled digital video and photography for this mission. He hid his DV camera inside a Kleenex box and pointed it towards the door. We were a little worried about the legal implications of covertly filming men of all ages in a bathroom. Agent Simmons carried a decoy tape in his pocket in case management discovered us and demanded our tape.
Our hidden camera is on the right
Agent Kula checks his camera
Agent Simmons prepares for his first customer
Agent Simmons stood in front of the automatic hand dryers, essentially blocking access to them. He was armed with a dispenser of antibacterial hand soap (much better than the pink industrial soap on the wall) and nice paper towels. If folks were going to wash their hands, they weren't going to dry them without using our attendant.
Since our McDonald's was located in Times Square, we received visitors from all over the world. Agent Simmons' first customers were a group of British school boys, visiting the US on a school trip.
The first British boy
The first two boys to enter were terribly excited about the attendant. They cheerily washed their hands and both took peppermints on the way out
The boys dry their hands with our paper towels
Several IE Agents (Balaban, Krafft, Skillman, & Todd) were sitting just outside of the bathroom to observe the reactions of people as they left. The boys came running out of the bathroom anxious to report back to the rest of the group. "Heather!" one boy cried, "They've got a butler in the bathroom and he gave us sweets!"
The group's chaperone made a trip to the bathroom to investigate the boys claims.
The chaperone
His accent was unbelievably thick, but it was clear he was delighted that there was someone in the room to "help the boys wash up". He shook Agent Simmons' hand, explaining "the kids are astonished because they don't do this in England."
Several more boys entered the bathroom to take part in the fun. The original boys returned twice to get more sweets, and then stood outside the door bragging to their female classmates.
Things quieted down for a bit after the British group left.
About ten minutes in to the mission, the first McDonald's employee entered the room. His nametag read "Roman", and he didn't seem to speak very much English.
Agent Simmons' approached Roman warmly. "Hey there. I'm Todd. I'm from Corporate McDonald's. We're trying out a new promotion today." Roman quickly shuffled out of the bathroom with out speaking. He would return several times throughout the mission to sweep, ignoring Agent Simmons each time.
A man and his young child visited the bathroom. The father had to pick his son up so Agent Simmons could help him wash his hands. He tipped $1. Agent Simmons made it clear that tips were entirely optional and that his services were provided free of charge. He made small talk with everyone who entered the room, asking them where they were from, if they had seen a Broadway play, etc. He also peppered McDonald's slogans in to his banter. "We're lovin' it today and we hope you are too." "You deserve a break today." "We like to see you smile, sir."
The man pictured above was a tourist visiting from South Korea. He and Agent Simmons had a two minute conversation about the weather. "I always carry an umbrella because I hate rain," the man said.
Two tourists from the land of New Jersey
The man above was seeking cold water, and was disappointed to hear that the faucets were only providing hot water today.
A second employee entered the bathroom, Rafael. He sweeps and leaves, giving Simmons a suspicious eye, but not responding to Simmons' friendly banter.
The man pictured about spent over five minutes in the bathroom, brushing his teeth (he brought his own toothbrush and tooth paste). He turned out to be the CFO of Hitachi visiting from Japan.
He had just seen the Broadway musical "Mama Mia!" and gave Agent Simmons a brief review. "It was so-so. The songs were very clever, but that's all. I like the ABBA songs, but the plot is very simple." He went on to say that you can "see good musicals in Japan, but in the United States–especially New York–they're fantastic."
The young man pictured above was very curious. He asked Agent Simmons', "This is a good paying job?" He then revealed that his step-father used to be a bathroom attendant in Brooklyn. As Agent Simmons shared a smile with him, a third employee began shouting from the door.
It was a female employee dressed the same as Roman and Rafael. She didn't speak very much English either, so Agent Simmons had a hard time communicating with her. "Only muchachos," he tried to explain. She responded, "Nobody else? I go in?" She waited until all of the men had exited the room and then came in to get a closer look at Agent Simmons' setup. He tried to calm her, "We work together. Te llamo Evelyn?" She quickly left.
Many folks were kind enough to tip throughout the day. Agent Simmons made a total of $6.92.
The international theme continued as the day went on. Agent Simmons' was visted by a group of Germans, a Russian gentleman, and a couple of guys from Yonkers, NY.
Agent Simmons attends to a Russian man
A German man wanted to know if Agent Simmons worked for McDonald's or by himself. Once Simmons explained to him that it was a McDonald's promotion, he decided, "I like the idea. Sounds good." The bathroom got quite crowded at certain points. All in all, Agent Simmons helped around fifty customers.
Men waiting in line for an open urinal
Evelyn, the female employee, must have alerted the management. A gentleman wearing a tie entered just as Simmons was explaining the McDonald's philosophy to a customer, "We don't want to be a part of the same fast food culture as everyone else. McDonald's is the biggest, the best, and this is Broadway!"
The manager enters
The manager didn't know how to respond. He stuttered for a moment and finally burst out with "Y-Y-You don't have any authorization to do this."
"Yes, I do," Simmons responded. "I'm Todd. I'm from the corporate office."
The Manager shook his head and gave his name, Ted. "This is part of a special promotion. They didn't send you a memo or a fax?"
Manager: I'll call. They didn't tell me anything about this. Lemme call.
Agent Simmons: We started in Akron, Ohio and the Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.
Manager: You're sure you're in the right McDonald's?
Agent Simmons: I hope so. I sure hope so!
Manager: No problem.
Manager Ted left the bathroom to place a call to corporate. We captured this entire exchange with the manager Ted on our hidden camera.
After the manager left, Agent Kula quickly swooped in and grabbed our hidden camera. We couldn't risk losing our footage at this point. Agent Simmons remained in the bathroom and continued doing his job. The manager returned about five minutes later.
Manager: My regional manager hasn't heard anything either. I can't get in touch with corporate right now because it's a Sunday.
Agent Simmons: You know, I told them it was a bad idea to do it on a Sunday for that very reason. Why not a Friday or Saturday?
Manager: You're sure you got the right place?
Agent Simmons: Are there other McDonald's in the city?
Manager: (shocked) Yeah.
Agent Simmons: Oh.
Manager: Maybe you meant to go to 34th Street?
Agent Simmons: Could be. That definitely sounds familiar.
Manager: Ok. Well I have a message in with corporate. Let's wait and see what they say when they call back.
Ted left the bathroom again and waited at the other corner of the building for his return call. In the meantime, IE Agents swooped in and disassembled our table. We tossed everything back into our shopping bag.
We quickly left the McDonald's without being noticed by the manager. The only evidence of our fun was the plastic bowl of peppermints we left behind.
Agent Simmons gave excellent service for nearly an hour in the Times Square McDonald's. Almost everyone he encountered enthusiastically used his services, and many folks were kind enough to leave a tip. No one questioned Agent Simmon's story the entire time. Even the manager convinced himself that this wasn't a prank, but a simple misunderstanding. Surely we were just at the wrong McDonald's.
Agent Kula
It's only in a camera-crazy tourist haven like New York that you can go into a public bathroom, snap photos of men standing at urinals, and not only will they NOT be angry, they'll often take out their own camera and snap a pic of that same urinal, thinking, "Huh, this toilet must be famous."
Agent Simmons
When I was asked to perform this mission I was intrigued. It sounded like a significant challenge. I had done the work before (as a professional restroom-attendant) in high-end nightclubs and expensive restaurants and they tend to come with a certain type of client. I'd never had the pleasure of working with a fast-food clientele.
McDonalds has been a mega-power in the corporate world as long as I can remember. One that does it their way. With their formula. Their uniforms. Their speed. It works for them and although they've seemingly adjusted to societal trends, to some extent, they don't seem eager to fiddle with the cash cow, as it were. I couldn't imagine they'd feel very comfortable with outside agents setting up shop within their castle walls.
Having paid my bills for several years as an actual restroom attendant I was curious to see if I still had my chops. "Agent Todd" hoped that I was up to the challenge. I'd always been forced to deal with a wide range of characters in my lavatory work at night clubs and restaurants in NYC and felt that I'd handled the curve balls fairly efficiently. Since "retiring" from the business to pursue other projects, I'd begun work on a one-man show that would explore the life and times of working in the restroom and I felt that another run at it would refresh my memory on the details. I quickly agreed to join the mission. It would be my first mission as an "IE Agent".
I was not overly concerned with the "civilians" we'd encounter in the McDonalds men's room. I knew I was a veteran of the trade. I could handle their needs, be it mouthwash, clean combs, or directions to the subway. No. It was the NYPD and the McDonalds management staff that had me concerned. I KNEW we'd be discovered in the toilet with our table of goods happily distributed at no charge (donations would be humbly accepted but by no means required). I was certain that their corporate regiment would make us vulnerable to inevitable confrontation.
It was simply a matter of time.
Upon entering the scene of the mission we paid for some food and headed upstairs to position #1. We sat down to eat. And that's when we noticed the policewoman. And her partner. And the McDonalds custodial staff busily making their rounds with pan and broom.
It wasn't going to be a cake-walk.
When the first wave of authority moved along we pounced. The various "agents" sprung into action and together we rigged the restroom with a camera and set up all of our attendant tools and goods on the diaper-changing table. In 3 minutes we were up and running and "open for business".
And the people came. And they kept coming. English, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and New Jersey. Senior citizens and pre-pubescent boys. This was a blend I'd not yet contended with. These people had special needs. We only had hot water flowing from the taps as I feverishly distributed soap and towels. The room was hot. No real circulation flow. It felt like 90 degrees. And I was wearing a wool tuxedo. I couldn't stop the perspiration.
Employee #1 entered. His name was Roman. He looked bemused as he swept out one of the stalls. I explained that we worked together now. He shuffled back to the restaurant.
A gaggle of English school boys entered and helped themselves to mints. Followed by their chaperone who came to make sure that I wasn't some toilet pervert. They quickly recognized how professional our "operation" was and they washed up and left satisfied.
A CFO from Hitachi in Japan entered gave me a review of the Broadway musical "Mama Mia", brushed his teeth, tipped me and left. And on it went.
McDonald's employee #2 entered. Rafael. I introduced myself. He swept and left. Various "agents" entered the room and sequestered themselves in a stall to take notes.
A boy came in and told me his step-father is a restroom attendant in Brooklyn. I gave him soap and a towel.
I began to accumulate gratuities. I made it clear that McDonalds wants our customers to have the finest service and tips weren't necessary. "We're Lovin' it and we hope you are TOO!" I don't need the tips. I was nevertheless forced to accept them. In the end these tips would total $6.92.
Employee #3 knocked. And knocked again. It was a woman. I could sense the urgency in her voice. She'd been alerted. By Roman? By Rafael? Who knows? But she was outside the men's room door and she wanted to enter to inspect it. I told her there were "only men in here".
She waited until it was free of clients and entered with her broom. Her face was flush with suspicion and fear. I could sense she was worried about taking the fall on this one. "There's a man in the restroom in a tuxedo and he appears to have set up a small business" That's what I imagined she was thinking when she slipped out in a hurry.
Less than a minute later the manager entered. "You have no authorization to be in here".
I said, "Didn't you get a fax or memo from corporate?" He hadn't heard a thing from corporate but he'd go call his regional manager. I said "My name is Todd and I think that's a good idea".
Agent Kula quickly entered after the manager's departure and removed the camera to preserve our research. The manager returned with word from the regional manager. He didn't know a thing about any authorizing of a tuxedo-clad restroom-attendant either. "There must be some misunderstanding. I'm sorry about the confusion but corporate will be able to clear it up". He told me corporate is out of the office on Sundays. He left the room.
Agent Todd entered and gave me the clear out signal. Less than 3 minutes later we were on the street. I was relieved to be back out in the chilly February air.
Mission Accomplished.


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