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While there are some 5,000 separately managed account products in the market, not all are "considered legitimate SMA management firms for managing an advisor's client capital," according to Prima Capital Holding President J. Gibson Watson III. "Of this universe, Prima estimates that there are about 1,400-1,500 SMA products managed by 600-700 firms that are suitable for high-net-worth investors," according to Watson. Even whittled down to a mere 1,500 accounts, the task of sifting through all that's available to find the best can be daunting.
To give advisors a head start on that heavy lifting, Standard & Poor's, Prima Capital, and Investment Advisor have teamed up for the third year to find the most outstanding separate accounts and their managers, and recognize them with the 2007 Separately Managed Accounts Awards. Prima Capital's Senior Analyst Nathan Behan and a Denver-based team of investment analysts culled through scads of data in the S&P/Prima Capital SMA Evaluator (available at www.primacapital.com), to select nominees, all of which had assets of $200 million or more, lead-manager tenure of three years or more, are widely available through retail programs, and rank above average in at least four of five SMA Evaluator categories.
A committee including Philip Edwards, managing director of Standard & Poor's Investment Advisory Services; Prima Capital Holding President Watson; IA Editor-in-Chief Jamie Green, and IA Senior Editor Kathleen McBride selected the award winners with the assistance of Prima's insightful analysts.
This year there are seven winners in six categories. For the second year in a row, Appleton Partners wins for best Fixed-Income account, and KCM Investment Advisors wins in the Tax Efficiency category with its Large-Cap GARP Equity account; for the third year, Thornburg Investment Management wins in the Large-Cap U.S. Equity category, with its Thornburg Value Equity account. The Large-Cap category has another winner, TCW Investment Management for its Relative Value Large Cap portfolio. Insight Capital Research and Management's Small Cap Growth product is the winner in the Small-Cap U.S. Equity category; Geneva Capital Management's Mid Cap Equity wins in the Mid-Cap U.S. Equity group; and in International Equity, this year's winner is AllianceBernstein's International Value ADR.
More Assets, Wider Availability
Assets under management in SMAs grew to $805.8 billion, up 24.8% year over year, at the end of the third quarter of 2006, the latest data available, according to the Money Management Institute (MMI), which estimates that those assets were stashed in 2.52 million accounts. MMI expects separate account AUM to top $1 trillion by 2009 and $1.5 trillion by 2011. According to Cerulli, which breaks out assets invested via platforms versus those brought to a separate account manager directly by an advisor, the average separate account via a platform in 2006 was $334,000, but there were an average of three allocations per client, so the average represents in reality a $1 million client relationship. The average for assets brought directly to the SMA manager was $1.183 million.
Part of the rapid expansion of SMAs available to advisors can be attributed to the popularity of "overlay managers, which provide even more efficiency to the trading so you don't have one manager selling IBM while another manager is buying it," says S&P's Edwards. That's a catalyst for growth, he says, and also allows consolidation of "something as seemingly minor as account statements," but which is a major convenience to clients. There's more access to SMAs, he says, because of platforms like Lockwood Investments, which offers the accounts "over their platforms, and I do think that gives independents access almost on an equal footing with the wirehouses."
The fee structure is changing for managers along with the platform structure. The advent of model portfolios is changing the operations structure of the SMA market, making the cost lower to investors but squeezing fees earned by the managers who participate. Still, there has been "fairly steady adoption of model-based, multi-manager programs by sponsor firms," Prima's Watson explains. It is "somewhat of a departure from a traditional SMA platform, because rather than manage individual sleeves in the portfolio, the manager submits his portfolio holdings to a sponsor or to an overlay portfolio manager to facilitate trading across the sleeves of the portfolio or across the different accounts." Along with outsourcing trading and operations, SMA managers are outsourcing the one-on-one contracts they have directly with advisors and clients to omnibus contracts with the platforms. That eliminates a lot of administrative work, but it also contributes to margin pressure on separate account managers who have had to cut their fees accordingly. "It tends to be a somewhat more tax-efficient, lower cost, more consolidated reporting type of experience for the client, yet not all managers are willing to participate in these types of programs," notes Watson. "They de facto are giving up their intellectual property, giving up these portfolio holdings for that third party to trade on their behalf, and they're giving up a lot of that back-office responsibility. Depending on the [type of] business that they're in, the managers may not be willing to sacrifice that intellectual property," says Watson.
If a manager generates alpha by "making asset allocation decisions, sector selection decisions, individual security selections, or based upon their trading or market timing–if you're giving up your trading or market timing abilities to a third-party firm–plus you're giving up your securities selection, or at least making it public," Watson asks, "do you risk giving up your ability to add alpha in your portfolio?"
Our winners, however, have sidestepped that pitfall and others, exemplifying excellence as measured by high, consistent returns, strong levels of customer service and customization, and widespread availability. Here are individual profiles of this year's SMA Awards winners.
Large-Cap U.S. Equity
Thornburg Investment Management
Thornburg Value Equity
Thornburg Investment Management Value Equity
Phone: 800-847-0200
Web Site: www.thornburg.com
Manager: Team
Standard: Minimum Investment $25 million
Product Assets: $8.2 billion
Benchmark: S&P 500
1-year return vs benchmark: 22.76% vs 15.80%
5-year return vs benchmark: 9.06% vs 6.19%
Separating equities into basic value stocks, consistent earners, and emerging franchises has always been the modus operandi of Bill Fries and the investment management team of Thornburg Value Equity, and in 2006, this strategy scored them several winners, including the stocks of Las Vegas Sands, a casino operator in the U.S. that is making good with its investments in Macao.
The team also invested in the shares of satellite television operator DirecTV. "We thought it was a consistent earner because of the nice monthly checks the company gets from its customers, which provide a steady revenue stream," says Connor Brown, co-portfolio manager of the value equity product, who together with Ed Moran, was promoted to this position last February. "We don't hold it anymore, though, because it hit our price target."
A core part of the Thornburg approach is to buy stocks when they are out of favor, says Bill Fries, who has headed the value equity strategy since its inception in 1995. He gives as an example the retail pharmacy chain Rite Aid, which was never a hot market favorite because it has always had a much smaller market capitalization than rival pharmacy giants Walgreens and CVS. In 2006, though, Rite Aid acquired a couple of Canadian pharmacy chains, a move that has given the chain almost as many stores as its larger competitors and increased its attractiveness to investors.
A large part of Thornburg's success in this area is keeping client portfolios sharply focused. "We have less than 50 names in our SMA strategy, and we believe that having a limited number of names that we know well is key to our success," Brown says.
"Each of us is a global generalist," he says. "We are looking at different stocks and industries all over the world, so I feel we get a better perspective on things than other shops were analysts are more specifically oriented."
There are 10 investment professionals in the Thornburg Value Equity product and they manage around $8 billion in both institutional and individual accounts.–Savita Iyer
TCW Investment Management
Relative Value Large Cap
TCW Investment Management Relative Value Large Cap
Phone: 800-677-9727
Web Site: www.tcw.com
Manager: Diane Jaffee
Standard Minimum Investment: $5 million
Product Assets: $14 billion
Benchmark: S&P 500
1-year return vs benchmark: 19.90% vs 15.80%
5-year return vs benchmark: 12.30% vs 6.19%
Diane Jaffee, who manages $14 billion in relative value large-cap stocks for TCW, invests using the motto "searching for value, poised for growth." As such, she is not only looking for relative value in equities, but also seeking a fundamental catalyst to unlock that value, and drive strong cash flow for a company.
Jaffee, who has been with TCW since 1995, has three criteria for unearthing those catalysts.
First, she looks for restructuring or cost-cutting measures. Second, she looks to see whether a company is launching a new product or entering a new market, the success of which could contribute to top-line growth. Finally, the presence of a new management team–a new CFO, for instance–with different ideas on how to move a company forward, also can spur cash flow.
"We're first identifying value and then the fundamental catalyst that will make the stock attractively valued and poised for growth," Jaffee says. TCW has six analysts dedicated to this strategy, several of whom have significant investment experience.
Jaffee also prides herself on portfolio construction, which is done with the goal of minimizing three important risks: market, or specific risk; individual stock risk; and sector risk. "There have been lots of historical and statistical studies that show that if you have a large-cap portfolio of 26 names or more, you minimize 95% of your specific risk," she says.
Jaffee also builds channels around sector weights in her portfolios, and the maximum initial position on any stock she includes is 1%. Only as she gains conviction that the stock indeed is doing what she wants it to will Jaffee increase that allocation to between 3% and 4%, and she will automatically start scaling out as soon as any stock appreciates by 5% above market, because "we do not want the tail to be wagging the dog."
But Jaffee places the greatest importance upon the relationship she has with her clients. "I do believe that clients come first, and I think that the better you know your clients, the better your results will be for them," she says. "I or members of my team are in close contact with our clients."–Savita Iyer
Small-Cap U.S. Equity
Insight Capital Research and Management
Small Cap Growth
Insight Capital Research and Management Small Cap Growth
Phone: 800-878-8863
Web Site: www.icrm.com
Manager: Team
Standard Minimum Investment: $100,000
Product Assets: $249.8 million
Benchmark: Russell 2000 Growth
1-year return vs benchmark: 19.01% vs 13.34%
5-year return vs benchmark: 20.42% vs 6.92%
With small cap, whether you are looking at separate accounts or mutual funds, it can be frustrating to see a portfolio that looks interesting, only to find it closed to new investors. Fortunately, the winner for small caps this year, Insight Capital's Small Cap Growth, has room to grow. With $590 million in assets in the portfolio as of December 31, the managers estimate that it can double to $1.2 billion in assets before reaching capacity.
Insight's team manages the portfolio using fundamental analysis along with quantitative screens. Another characteristic that sets the portfolio apart is that the team does not always overweight traditional growth sectors like IT and healthcare.
Portfolio Managers Lee Molendyk and Lance Swanson, both vice presidents based at the firm's Walnut Creek, California headquarters, run the portfolio with a three-step investment process that's quantitative and qualitative. The investment process is "very bottoms-up, fundamentally driven, but we do start with a quantitative screening process as our way to weed out some non-performing stocks," according to Molendyk. They look for "high-alpha, low-standard-deviation stocks as indicators of potentially positive fundamentals." Starting with "all the stocks that publicly trade," in the U.S. at more than $2, about 6,500 companies, they "sort those every night with a proprietary tool," whittling the universe down to about 400 small-cap companies.
The team spends most of its time on the fundamental analysis of the remaining 400 stocks, looking for "well-managed growth companies [with] sustainable sales and earnings growth," Swanson explains, and market leaders.
Once a stock makes it onto the buy list, he says the team watches "its price performance, making sure as news and data comes out it is as expected and the stock reacts positively to it." Typically, the managers hold around 40 "relatively concentrated positions," ranging from 2% and 4%, and they never buy over a 5% weight in the portfolio. "Being that concentrated, weights can move around rather quickly," Molendyk reports, "so we find ourselves trimming quite a bit, and putting those [assets] into new names." That trimming can lead to relatively high turnover, on average around 200% per year. As for customization, as Molendyk puts it, "we have strategies for clients with strict cash control restrictions, sector restrictions, we even have a socially responsible client; we can tailor it to whatever a client needs."–Kathleen M. McBride
Mid-Cap U.S. Equity
Geneva Capital Management
Mid Cap Equity
Geneva Capital Management Mid Cap Equity
Phone: 414-224-6002
Web Site: www.gcmltd.com
Manager: Team
Standard Minimum Investment: $1 million
Product Assets: $1.1 billion
Benchmark: Russell Midcap Growth
1-year return vs benchmark: 5.66% vs 10.66%
5-year return vs benchmark: 10.01% vs 8.21%
With long-term performance that's better than average, low volatility, a high degree of tax efficiency–partly because of low turnover of about 20%–and relatively wide availability to investors, Geneva wins the SMA Award for Mid-Cap Equity. Co-presidents William Priebe and Amy Croen, along with Michelle Picard, VP, and W. Scott Priebe, investment analyst, make up the portfolio management team.
"We always have been attracted to companies in this size because they are, in our opinion, in the sweet spot of the growth cycle: plenty of growth ahead of them, managements that are focused, and yet companies that are past the riskier, entrepreneurial stage," says Croen. The team uses "bottoms-up fundamental analysis," but they temper that with periodic top-down investment outlook reports that they share with clients. That discipline "forces us to stand back and think about what's going on in the economy, in the investment outlook; for example–we might see 50 years of P/Es in that piece, it certainly helped us in the tech bubble, and then the bursting of the bubble, where we would compare that time period to previous bubbles like the Nifty Fifty."
"What we're looking for are companies that have a proven and consistent record of growth," according to Picard. "We don't want a younger company that looks like it's going to explode out of the chute, or a company that's cyclical that's going to have one or two great years of performance, but rather for those companies where we can look back and see that they've had consistent revenue and earnings-per-share growth that's been above average over a period of at least three to five years." They look for industry leaders with a "sustainable advantage" and experienced, focused management, and "at least 15% earnings-per-share growth, both historical and projected." Over the past five years, the companies in the portfolio did even better; they "have grown an average of 31% per year."
Though there are times when mid-cap portfolios might think about closing, capacity is not an issue right now for Geneva: the portfolio could comfortably triple to more than $3 billion. As Croen explains, "We actually did take a more structured look at liquidity issues and that's how we came up with the figure [tripling in size] in terms of amounts of shares that we would own of a particular company, and the number of days that it would take to either buy or sell a particular holding."–Kathleen M. McBride
International Equity
International Value ADR
AllianceBernstein International Value ADR
Phone: 212 969-1000
Web Site: www.alliancebernstein.com
Manager: Team
Standard Minimum Investment: $1 million
Product Assets: $21.9 billion
Benchmark: MSCI EAFE
1-year return vs benchmark: 32.43% vs 26.86%
5-year return vs benchmark: 21.70% vs 15.43%
When the U.K. government passed a ban on smoking in pubs, investors in the British pub sector immediately assumed this would herald a major slump in the business. But Eric Franco and his team, who manage the International ADR effort for AllianceBernstein, were not convinced. The team commissioned a special survey on the British pub industry, which indicated that the smoking ban would actually result in increased business for pubs. "We found out that smokers are dedicated bar goers and even if they cannot smoke indoors, they will still go to the pubs and step outside for a cigarette," Franco says. "Others who used to go to pubs but not eat because they were surrounded by smoke, said they will now be going and also eating there."
This bent toward getting a deeper insight into market trends is what, Franco believes, sets AllianceBernstein apart, and often leads to the firm taking contrarian decisions and sticking with stocks that others are shunning. Last year, for instance, when most investors believed steel stocks would suffer as a result of mass capacity in China swamping the markets and driving prices down, Franco and his colleagues chose to retain their steel holdings.
"We thought there would be a price fall, but our research showed that it would be more moderate than what others believed," he says. "We were right and now, the global steel industry is really benefiting from consolidation."
Franco says he tends to be reactive to what other people are afraid of, more so because the international ADR portfolio holds stocks for a minimum three years, so "the stock is bound to come back to normal at some point," he says.
As in all other business areas of AllianceBernstein, the $6 billion international ADR effort bases its decisions upon the firm's research, which serves as the backbone and guiding philosophy of its investment strategy. The firm's analysts develop both quantitative research models and industry-wide qualitative research to forecast the long-term earnings potential of specific stocks. AllianceBernstein makes a point of hiring analysts with solid industry experience, Franco says, people who are veterans of the particular industry they cover and therefore know it inside out.
As far as international investing goes, Franco benefits from the global location of AllianceBernstein analysts. While this poses a minor drawback in terms of having to coordinate conference calls at odd hours for one party or another, the fact that there are analysts in New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Sydney makes for a truly global and comprehensive research effort, Franco says.–Savita Iyer
Appleton Partners
Tax Exempt Municipal
Appleton Partners Tax-Exempt Municipal
Phone: 617 338-0700
Web Site: www.appletonpartners.com
Manager: Team
Standard Minimum Investment: $1 million
Product Assets: $1.4 billion
Benchmark: Lehman Blended 5-7-10 Yr. Muni.
1-year return vs benchmark: 3.92% vs 4.01%
5-year return vs benchmark: 4.85% vs 4.80%
One of the characteristics of the best investment managers is the ability to consistently perform well in all kinds of markets. In 2006, the bond markets faced special challenges, with an inverted Treasury yield curve, flat municipal yield curve, and "structured vehicles taking up municipal product," says Bonnie Tracy, senior VP at Boston-based Appleton Partners. "It's been much more difficult to find value in the market," in 2006. Difficult or not, the portfolio managers at Appleton Partners were able to "find value by more specifically targeting duration," and that helped them win top honors for Fixed Income for the second year in a row.
Nathan Behan, senior investment analyst at Prima Capital, explains that when it comes to managing portfolios of fixed income, "qualitative analysis ends up being the most important part," but he argues that it is difficult to rank managers in fixed income, where "100 basis points separate the top 10 firms from the bottom 25."
One big advantage Appleton Partners has is its relative size, managing $2.2 billion overall, with nearly 90% of that in the intermediate municipal portfolio, according to Douglas Chamberlain, president, CEO, and co-founder of the firm. "Appleton can make big block trades and add value" with that kind of scale, says Behan. That "helps on the buying side," and if they decide to sell a bond rather than let it mature.
Not that selling a municipal security happens very often at Appleton: according to Chamberlain, while the portfolios are actively managed, it's not from the standpoint of lots of trading; turnover is about 25% to 30%. Rather, the managers take an "active management, personalized" approach, he notes, adding value through "the way the portfolios are designed and structured, in-depth credit analysis, duration optimized around the yield curve, and security selection" that exploits the special market anomalies that matter for municipal securities. Low turnover at Appleton Partners is not limited to the portfolios, either, it's low for personnel as well; in its 20 years of operation, just two portfolio managers have left the firm.
Portfolio minimums are $1 million for direct accounts, or $500,000 through all but one platform, and these minimums allow portfolios to be customized according to a client's needs for duration, cash flow, liquidity, and where they live. Portfolios are diversified, including municipal securities from across the U.S., but customized with 40% to 60% in municipals from the client's state of residence, depending on that client's state and local tax situation. No municipals that would be subject to the alternative minimum tax are used. Currently the average coupon in the core portfolio is 5.15%, with a current yield of 4.8%, and a 5-year duration. The quality of the securities in the current portfolio averages AAA, and that is what Chamberlain calls clients' "rest-well money."–Kathleen M. McBride
Tax Efficiency
KCM Investment Advisors
Large-Cap GARP Equity
KCM Investment Advisors Large-Cap GARP Equity
Phone: 415 461-7788
Web Site: www.kcmadvisors.com
Manager: Team
Standard Minimum Investment: $650,000
Product Assets: $879.4 million
Benchmark: S&P 500 Citigroup Growth
1-year return vs benchmark: 6.47% vs 10.99%
5-year return vs benchmark: 6.90% vs 1.88%
A manager of a tax-efficient investment product should be focused above all on, well, tax efficiency. In order to meet that goal, Jay Kellett, founder and CEO of KCM Investment Advisors, believes the best thing clients in his Large-Cap GARP Equity portfolios can do is to pay their taxes now.
"Tax rates on dividends are as low as they have ever been, and tax rates on capital gains may well be going higher because of political changes," Kellett says. "Eventually, you're going to have to pay those taxes, so if you are going to pick a time, you might as well do it now." For Kellett and his team, tax is and always will be a forethought. It forms the core of an ongoing dialogue, not just between clients and their managers, but also between the managers and their clients' tax attorneys and accountants.
But while endeavoring to be as tax efficient as possible, Kellett et al. also abide by strict investment discipline, following a top-down approach to zeroing in on the market sectors they deem ripe for investment. Individual stocks are chosen through using both fundamental analysis and proprietary quantitative analytics, and narrowed down to those that present both intrinsic value and "growth at a reasonable price" (GARP) characteristics. Each portfolio is constructed with a particular client's tax situation in mind.
In addition to giving paramount importance to tax, remaining diversified and harvesting losses for clients, Kellett places great importance on the experience of his team. All the portfolio managers at KCM have been in the investment industry for decades, and they are professionals who have risen to the top of their field, he says. The track record of the team continues to attract new clients, and KCM continues to grow. The firm moved last year from Greenbrae, California to the city of San Rafael in the same state, doubling its office space, Kellett says.
KCM manages around $2.1 billion in the large-cap space. Kellett founded the firm in 1996 and he now employs seven portfolio managers, all of whom maintain regular contact with their clients. Indeed, "in addition to proactively customizing portfolios for clients, we constantly encourage direct communication with the portfolio managers," Kellett says.–Savita Iyer


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Americans roll at Stockholm Diamond League; Demps signs with Patriots
Provided by USATF
Less than one week removed from a 29-medal performance at the London Olympic Games, American track and field athletes traveled to Stockholm as the Samsung Diamond League continued Friday.
Reigning Olympic gold medalists Sanya Richards-Ross (women's 400m) and Christian Taylor (men's triple jump) led seven different Americans that claimed Diamond League event wins Friday. That list also included: Reese Hoffa (men's shot put), Michael Tinsley (men's 400m hurdles), Charonda Williams (women's 200m), Ryan Bailey (men's 100m) and Dawn Harper (women's 100m hurdles).
The reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 400m and 4x400m, Richards-Ross bested a women's 400m field that included the top five athletes in the world in 2012. Richards-Ross, who also won the World Indoor title in March, chased down 2011 World Outdoor champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana to win the race in 49.89.
The winning mark of 17.11m/56-1.75 for Taylor was the latest victory in a stellar season that has included an Olympic gold medal and a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships. It was the third win on the Diamond League in 2012 for Taylor after also picking up victories in London and the Prefontaine Classic.
The Olympic bronze medalist in the shot put, Hoffa won the competition with a mark of 21.24m/69-8.25. The Olympic silver medalist in the 100m hurdles, Harper won in a time of 12.65. Tinsley, who burst onto the scene with a silver medal in London, won the 400m hurdles in a time of 48.50 while Williams won in 22.82 and Bailey, the Olympic silver medalist in the 4x100m, ran a winning time of 9.93.
Americans also picked up second place finishes from Bianca Knight in the women's 200m (22.86), Kellie Wells in the women's 100m hurdles (12.76) and Natasha Hastings in the women's 400m (52.20). Grabbing third place finishes was Ryan Whiting in the men's shot put (20.94m/68-8.5) and Janay DeLoach in the women's long jump (6.69m/21-11.5).
Complete results from Friday's Diamond League meet can be found here.
American results in Stockholm
1) Christian Taylor – men's triple jump (17.11m/56-1.75)
1) Reese Hoffa – men's shot put (21.24m/69-8.25)
1) Michael Tinsley – men's 400m hurdles (48.50)
1) Charonda Williams – women's 200m (22.82)
1) Ryan Bailey – men's 100m (9.93)
1) Dawn Harper – women's 100m hurdles (12.65)
1) Sanya Richards-Ross – women's 400m (49.89)
2) Kellie Wells – women's 100m hurdles (12.76)
2) Bianca Knight – women's 200m (22.86)
2) Natasha Hastings – women's 400m national race (52.20)
3) Ryan Whiting – men's shot put (20.94m/68-8.5)
3) Janay DeLoach – women's long jump (6.69m/21-11.5)
4) Virginia Crawford – women's 100m hurdles (12.83)
4) Will Claye – men's triple jump (16.88m/55-4.75)
4) Andrew Wheating – men's 800m "B" (1:46.33)
4) Shannon Rowbury – women's 1,500m (4:03.15)
4) Darvis Patton – men's 100m (10.15)
5) Queen Harrison – women's 100m hurdles (12.89)
5) Jeneba Tarmoh – women's 200m (23.00)
5) Jenny Simpson – women's 1,500m (4:04.71)
5) Stephanie Brown-Trafton – women's discus (63.34m/207-9)
5) Michelle Carter – women's shot put (18.39m/60-4)
5) Christian Cantwell – men's shot put (20.58m/67-6.25)
5) Francena McCorory – women's 400m (51.08)
6) DeeDee Trotter – women's 400m (51.75)
6) Evan Jager – men's 3,000m (7:35.16)
8) Angelo Taylor – men's 400m hurdles (50.41)
8) Emma Coburn – women's steeplechase (9:31.55)
9) Brittney Reese – women's long jump (6.23m/20-5.25)
11) Anna Pierce – women's 1,500m (4:10.48)
11) Andrew Bumbalough – men's 3,000m (7:44.71)
12) David Torrence – men's 3,000m (7:47.80)
Demps to sign with Patriots
According to multiple sources, 2012 Olympic 4x100m silver medalist Jeff Demps will sign a contract to play in the National Football League with the New England Patriots.
A standout sprinter and running back, Demps recently completed his eligibility in both sports at the University of Florida. He announced in early 2012 that he was putting his football career on hold to continue his preparation for the Olympic Games.
Demps won a silver medal in London when he ran a preliminary leg on Team USA's 4x100m relay.
For the Gators, Demps was a threat both as a running back and a kick returner. In four seasons he racked up 2,951 yards from scrimmage and 24 offensive touchdowns. He also scored one touchdown and averaged 25.0 yards per return on 10 kick returns in 2011. On the track, Demps won the 2010 NCAA Outdoor title in the 100m along with winning three straight NCAA Indoor 60m titles.
After winning an Olympic medal, he now turns his attention to chasing a Super Bowl ring. The Patriots have become one of the more successful franchises in the NFL in recent memory, advancing to five Super Bowls in the last 11 seasons and winning three Vince Lombardi Trophies.
Jared Slinde

subset: commoncrawl


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The Web 2.0 Summit PR staff has created several PR opportunities to help maximize exposure for sponsors at Web 2.0 Summit and can also provide sponsors with PR recommendations, as well as a list of preregistered media and analysts who will be attending the event. All of these services are included at no additional charge with Web 2.0 Summit sponsorship.
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Contact information for all press, analysts, and bloggers attending Web 2.0 Summit will be available only for sponsors. Beginning Monday, September 21, this information will be available for download from the Exhibitor Resource Center. Access to the media list gives sponsors the opportunity to set up on-site interviews and meetings prior to the event. Please note: the press list is only available to sponsor contacts, not to third party PR firms.
Press, analyst, and blogger attendance will be limited to the industry's top influencers from publications, websites and research analyst firms. The press list will grow in the weeks before Web 2.0 Summit, as many press prefer to register at the last minute. Each press and analyst application is carefully screened to ensure that only the most qualified media with the most relevance to your company and the Internet industry attend Web 2.0 Conference.
Web 2.0 Summit offers an amazing audience to target for your company's announcement. Making an announcement at Web 2.0 Summit is a great way to connect with a diverse Internet industry audience. Attendees will include a blend of entrepreneurial innovators in the Internet economy space along with technologists, financiers, analysts and senior-level executives at large companies.
With the high caliber of press, analysts, and bloggers in attendance at Web 2.0 Summit, we encourage you to make the most of this opportunity by making an announcement or launching a product at the Web 2.0 Summit.
If you'd like to add a quote from our Conference Chair, John Battelle, for your release, send your release to Natalia Wodecki (email@example.com), along with a suggested quote for approval.
Limited meeting space at Web 2.0 Summit will be available for sponsor press and analyst briefings during the conference. You are limited to half-hour or hour blocks, using no more than two hours per day. You may reserve the room onsite on the Media Meeting Room's sign-up sheet.
Sponsors can also leave press kits in the Summit media center for press to access. Press kits can be dropped off at the Web 2.0 Summit media center at The Westin San Francisco Market Street beginning on Tuesday, October 20.
For more information on how PR can help you at the Web 2.0 Summit, contact Natalia Wodecki at firstname.lastname@example.com, (415) 947-6762 or Maureen Jennings at email@example.com, (707) 827-7083.
Reach business leaders and technology influencers at the Web 2.0 Summit. Call Rob Koziura at (415) 947-6111 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
View a complete list of Web 2.0 Summit contacts.


text:
Aaron Rodgers answers questions about Ryan Braun
Suspended Brewers slugger Ryan Braun has called a number of Brewers season ticketholders to apologize for his actions that led to a season-ending suspension.
Tuesday, on his weekly radio show on 540 ESPN, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was asked by co-host Jason Wilde if he had received one of those apology calls from his former friend and business partner.
"Did you get any of those calls?" Wilde asked.
"I haven't gotten one of those calls," Rogers said.
"Is that disappointing to you?" Wilde asked.
"No," Rodgers said.
"OK, the other news is that he has stepped aside from the SURG Restaurant group and 8-12. Now, does that mean you are already politicking Tim Masthay to take over the 8? Where do things stand with the restaurant?" Wilde asked.
"Maybe Larry Sanders," Rodgers said.
"He's an 8, too," Wilde said.
"He signed an extension. Yes, very happy for my Bucks there," Rodgers said.


text:
I am reading about the minor modes and I have a question regarding the D Dorian #4 mode of the Harmonic Minor.
If I want to vamp a chord how to find the right one(what would be the best chord) to accenturate and bring out the flavour of this mode.
And also if I want to Vamp two chords i-iv which are Dm to G#m(G#-B-D#?????)where the notes in scale are D E F G# A B C.
Thank You


text:
This module defines the syntax for HTML-like values for use in Graphviz. Please note that these values are not really HTML, but the term "HTML" is used throughout as it is less cumbersome than "HTML-like". To be able to use this, the version of Graphviz must be at least 1.10. For more information, please see: http://graphviz.org/doc/info/shapes.html#html
The actual definition of the syntax specifies that these types must
be valid XML syntax. As such, this assumed when printing and parsing,
though the correct escape/descaping for
< and
> are
automatically done when printing and parsing.
Differences from how Graphviz treats HTML-like values:
- Graphviz only specifies the above-listed characters must be
escaped; however, internally it also escapes
'and multiple sequences of spaces. This library attempts to match this behaviour. Please let me know if this behaviour (especially about escaping multiple spaces) is unwanted.
- When parsing escaped HTML characters, numeric escapes are converted to the corresponding character as are the various characters listed above; all other escaped characters (apart from those listed above) are silently ignored and removed from the input (since technically these must be valid XML, which doesn't recognise as many named escape characters as does HTML).
- All whitespace read in is kept (even if Graphviz would ignore multiple whitespace characters); when printing them, however, they are replaced with non-breaking spaces. As such, if multiple literal whitespace characters are used in a sequence, then the result of parsing and then printing some Dot code will not be the same as the initial Dot code. Furthermore, all whitespace characters are printed as spaces.
- It is assumed that all parsed
&values are the beginning of an XML escape sequence (which must finish with a
- There should be no pre-escaped characters in values; when
printing, the
&will get escaped without considering if that is an escaped character.
- data HtmlLabel
- type HtmlText = [HtmlTextItem]
- data HtmlTextItem
- data HtmlTable = HTable {
- newtype HtmlRow = HtmlRow [HtmlCell]
- data HtmlCell
- newtype HtmlImg = HtmlImg HtmlAttributes
- type HtmlAttributes = [HtmlAttribute]
- data HtmlAttribute
- = HtmlAlign HtmlAlign
- | HtmlBAlign HtmlAlign
- | HtmlBGColor Color
- | HtmlBorder Word8
- | HtmlCellBorder Word8
- | HtmlCellPadding Word8
- | HtmlCellSpacing Word8
- | HtmlColor Color
- | HtmlColSpan Word16
- | HtmlFace String
- | HtmlFixedSize Bool
- | HtmlHeight Word16
- | HtmlHRef String
- | HtmlPointSize Double
- | HtmlPort PortName
- | HtmlRowSpan Word16
- | HtmlScale HtmlScale
- | HtmlSrc FilePath
- | HtmlTarget String
- | HtmlTitle String
- | HtmlVAlign HtmlVAlign
- | HtmlWidth Word16
- data HtmlAlign
- data HtmlVAlign
- data HtmlScale
The overall type for HTML-like labels. Fundamentally, HTML-like
values in Graphviz are either textual (i.e. a single element with
formatting) or a table. Note that
HtmlLabel values can be
nested via
type HtmlText = [HtmlTextItem]Source
Represents a textual component of an HTML-like label. It is
assumed that an
HtmlText list is non-empty. It is preferable
to "group"
HtmlStr values together rather than have
individual ones. Note that when printing, the individual values
are concatenated together without spaces, and when parsing
anything that isn't a tag is assumed to be an
HtmlStr: that is,
something like "

" is parsed as:
[HtmlNewline [], HtmlStr " ", HtmlNewline []]
data HtmlTextItem Source
Textual items in HTML-like labels.
|HtmlStr String
|HtmlNewline HtmlAttributes
Only accepts an optional
|HtmlFont HtmlAttributes HtmlText
A table in HTML-like labels. Tables are optionally wrapped in
FONT tags.
Cells either recursively contain another
HtmlLabel or else a
path to an image file.
The path to an image; accepted
HtmlAttributes are
HtmlScale and
type HtmlAttributes = [HtmlAttribute]Source
The various HTML-like label-specific attributes being used.
data HtmlAttribute Source
Note that not all
HtmlAttribute values are valid everywhere:
see the comments for each one on where it is valid.
|HtmlAlign HtmlAlign
Valid for:
|HtmlBAlign HtmlAlign
Valid for:
|HtmlBGColor Color
Valid for:
|HtmlBorder Word8
Valid for:
|HtmlCellBorder Word8
Valid for:
|HtmlCellPadding Word8
|HtmlCellSpacing Word8
Valid for:
|HtmlColor Color
|HtmlColSpan Word16
Valid for:
|HtmlFace String
Valid for:
|HtmlFixedSize Bool
|HtmlHeight Word16
|HtmlHRef String
|HtmlPointSize Double
Valid for:
|HtmlPort PortName
|HtmlRowSpan Word16
Valid for:
|HtmlScale HtmlScale
Valid for:
|HtmlSrc FilePath
Valid for:
|HtmlTarget String
|HtmlTitle String
|HtmlVAlign HtmlVAlign
|HtmlWidth Word16
Specifies horizontal placement. When an object is allocated more space than required, this value determines where the extra space is placed left and right of the object.
Default value.
data HtmlVAlign Source
Specifies vertical placement. When an object is allocated more space than required, this value determines where the extra space is placed above and below the object.
Specifies how an image will use any extra space available in its
cell. If undefined, the image inherits the value of the
ImageScale attribute.


text:
Guys should never ride Scooters. I don't care who you are, where you are, Scooters are for Chicks, not Dudes. A Dude on a Scooter is just wrong.
For Example.
Now there is nothing but right with that. If you look like that, by all means, ride that Scooter. We're going to overlook the complete lack of safety gear… and just appreciate this for what it is… A moment of zen… a moment to contemplate the beauty in the world.
And then there's this guy. Wrong on all counts. Don't be this guy. No gear, riding a Scooter while on a Cell Phone, and he's guilty of being a Dude On a Scooter. Someone should smash him with a 2×4 while he rides past… for his own good. Yes, I know who that dude is. Doesn't matter. He's still wrong. Very wrong.


text:
Day-long lesson in ice fishing is free and equipment is provided; class size is limited
LACONIA, N.H. (AP) � The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and Laconia Recreation Department are offering a daylong workshop on ice fishing.
The Feb. 2 workshop is free and all materials are supplied, but space is limited and early registration is advised. It will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent. Participants do not need a fishing license.
The first half of the day will be spent at the Laconia Community Center learning about equipment, safety and winter ecology of the lakes and ponds.
Participants will spend the second half of the day putting their newly-learned skills to the test on frozen local waterways.
Interested persons can get more information online at www.fishnh.com .


text:
There are many ways to find a Wothington Chamber of Commerce Business Member.
1) Use the form below. Put in your keywords and search either all of the business categories or narrow it down to one or several. To choose several, hold down the contrl button on your keyboard and click as many categories as you'd like.
2) Search the business members. Click on the A-Z Listing tab above for an alphabetical listing of businesses. Click on a letter and a listing for business will display.
3) Search by Category. Click on the Categories tab above and then choose the business category you are interested in. Click on it and a listing of businesses will display.
While viewing any business listing you may click on the business category displayed on the page to see other businesses in that category.
Finally, feel free to contact us via email by filling out the contact form, or simply give us a call, (507) 372-2919 OR (800) 279-2919 . We'll be happy to help you!


text: "We have recently moved into our beautiful Paul Gray home. I am so happy with our house and the building process. The service was first class from beginning our journey with Jenny and throughout the build with Trevor. The quality of build is fantastic and the value exceptional. At all times throughout the build they were honest and transparent and treated us with respect. I can't rate Paul Gray highly enough."


text:
At the end of 1994 I was quite disgusted at the poor quality of the solicitors I had suffered in England, and it was inevitable this would have a bad effect on the preparation for an appeal. Effectively, the poor standard of legal help I was able to find was to greatly undermine my chances of a successful appeal against my conviction.
I felt this situation was so bad that I had to complain to the Solicitors Complaints Bureau, the body then responsible for handling complaints against solicitors. Little was I to know that the Solicitors Complaints Bureau was itself badly flawed, and that I would have to take one of my complaints further to the Legal Services Ombudsman.
Below is the text of the first letter I sent to the Solicitors Complaints Bureau (later to become the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors).
From Michael John Smith
HMP Full Sutton Prison, York
2 December 1994
To: The Director
The Solicitors Complaints Bureau
Portland House
Stag Place
London SW1E 5BL
Dear Sir or Madam,
Complaints Against:
(1) Tuckers
(2) Hallmark Atkinson Wynter
I wish to make formal complaints about the above named solicitors. My case, involving serious charges under the Official Secrets Act, has not been helped by the incompetence of these solicitors. I trusted them to do a professional job on my behalf, but I found out months later that they had not followed my instructions. If I had been able to, I would have been better off doing some of their work myself.
My Junior Barrister, Mr Gary Summers, will confirm my view of Mr Richard Hallmark, as my Counsel had the greatest difficulty in the simple act of communicating with him about my case. Mr Summers can be contacted at:-
The Chambers of Mr Rock Tansey QC
3 Gray's Inn Square
Gray's Inn
London WC1R 5AH
A chronology of my grievances are listed on the attached pages. I could go into minor details, but I think it best to stick to my main concerns. For your convenience, I have listed the details of each solicitor separately. I will also describe a little of the surrounding circumstances, so that you can see my points in context.
Yours faithfully,
Michael John Smith
Complaint About: Tuckers Solicitors
35 Queen Anne Street
London W1M 9FB.
September 1992 From the day of my arrest, 8th August 1992, I was represented by Tuckers Solicitors. Mr Richard Jefferies, my personal solicitor, was working under the supervision of the partner Mr Barry Tucker. Shortly after my arrest, I was invoiced for the final payment towards the purchase of shares in 7 Electricity Distribution Companies. I could not personally make this final payment as the police had seized all my assets. My brother was and is prepared to make this final payment, but my solicitor made a temporary arrangement to delay payment.
March/April 1993 I learned that my earlier payments had been refunded for the shares that I was in the process of purchasing. Tuckers had failed to protect my interests. Effectively my solicitor lost me about £2,500 of my investments. Mr Jefferies told me that he would get these shares back for me, as the organisation dealing with the sell-off had acted without giving him the right to pay for them first. I stressed to Mr Jefferies that I did not want to lose these shares, and he told me not to worry, but owing to the time spent dealing on my case, the priorities must be with legal preparation. I accepted that position, as long as it wasn't forgotten.
November 1993 At the end of my trial I requested Tuckers to investigate (amongst other things) some areas of the scientific evidence that had been presented by the Crown. I put this in writing to Tuckers at the end of 1993.
I have always considered that flaws in the Crown's scientific evidence at trial provided my strongest ground for appeal. With my scientific background and career in Quality Assurance, I am trained to identify faults in the methodology of technical experts - I have been doing this job for many years. Due to the nature of my case, I was the only person in the Defence team that could understand and interpret the majority of the case material and direct my lawyers. I have given my lawyers hundreds of pages of written and verbal instructions.
December 1993 Mr. Gary Summers, my Junior Barrister, prepared draft Grounds for Appeal which are almost identical with the version that exists at November 1994. This version does not include the important points that I wish to be included on scientific evidence.
The submission of my Grounds of Appeal was delayed for several weeks. The main reason for the delay was because I was moved to Full Sutton half-way through instructing my solicitor concerning the appeal grounds. To prevent this happening I had submitted a Request / Complaint Form BABM 93/778/R (issued 23rd November, 1993), asking the Belmarsh Governor to keep me in the London area until I had finished working on my appeal - this was turned down. It can be seen that putting me 200 miles away from my solicitor at that critical time was the cause of the delay and led to a break down in communication with my solicitor.
I had to fax the remainder of my instructions to Tuckers on 10th December 1993 so that Mr Summers could consider them and update the draft grounds of appeal. Then the Christmas holiday intervened.
13th January 1994 Mr Jefferies visited me at Full Sutton to discuss the draft Grounds for Appeal. At this meeting I voiced my concerns about omissions regarding the scientific evidence. Mr Jefferies told me that he would raise this matter with Mr Summers and would improve other details in the draft Grounds of Appeal, to make them stronger.
Mr Jefferies told me that there would be no problems adding my additional grounds of appeal at a later date, but that he would submit the draft grounds, with other minor changes, to get them into the Criminal Appeal Office as soon as possible.
Tuckers never sent me a copy of the final document submitted to the Criminal Appeal Office, so I couldn't check whether my comments were ever added. I only found out from Mr Summers on 1st November 1994, that Tuckers had not communicated anything significant to him.
22nd March 1994 I had heard nothing about my Grounds for Appeal, or my Electricity Shares. Apart from the matter of the Electricity Shares, I had previously been unhappy at the way Tuckers had dealt with my other personal affairs. I wrote to Tuckers asking them to clarify the position regarding my property and financial assets. Even at November 1994, I do not know where I stand with regard to the property which the police took during their search of my home. I had been asking Mr Jefferies about this since our earliest meetings.
29th March 1994 I wrote to Tuckers to dispense with their services. By this time I had lost confidence in Tuckers ability to represent me adequately. I decided that I wanted to obtain the services of a firm who would give me more satisfactory effort.
31st March 1994 Tuckers wrote a letter to me, saying that Mr Jefferies was "awaiting authorisation from Barry Tucker to commence work in those areas" (i.e. my personal possessions and financial matters). I am sure, after my long and complex case, that Tuckers have "milked" the Legal Aid Fund and didn't need to leave me worrying unnecessarily about my possessions over many months.
N.B. I do not hold Mr Richard Jefferies responsible for the above matters, I think it is the firm of Tuckers who are at fault.
Complaint About: Hallmark Atkinson Wynter
379-381 Brixton Road
London SW9 7DE.
March 1994 On the 17th March I wrote a letter to Mr Richard Hallmark, of Hallmark Atkinson Wynter, enquiring whether he would be prepared to become my solicitor. On the 28th March I received a letter from Richard Hallmark asking me some questions in relation to my case. On 29th March I replied to Mr. Hallmark's letter answering his questions. Mr Hallmark agreed to act personally on my case.
April 1994 I sent Mr Hallmark copies of recent correspondence that I had sent to Tuckers.
5th May 1994 I sent a letter to Mr Hallmark with several new ideas about Grounds of Appeal.
12th May 1994 I telephoned Mr Hallmark and he told me that he had not received my letter of 5th May, or copies of the correspondence with Tuckers. I wrote a further letter to Mr Hallmark on 12th May and sent it, together with the earlier correspondence, recorded delivery (Reference No. DR 1735 5385 5GB) to avoid it getting "lost".
27th May 1994 Mr Gary Summers wrote to me, informing me that the Registrar of Criminal Appeals had referred my leave to Appeal application to the full court. My first action was to fax a copy of Mr Summers letter to Richard Hallmark, which I did on 30th May, and I rang Mr Hallmark to confirm that he had received this fax. Mr Hallmark told me that he would contact Mr Summers and the Criminal Appeal Office to obtain information, on which he would act.
3rd June 1994 I wrote to Mr Summers, saying that until I had given Mr Hallmark my detailed instructions, I did not think it wise to see counsel. This was because I wanted to discuss a change of Q.C. with Mr Hallmark, prior to going any further.
June/July 1994 I had several telephone conversations with Mr. Hallmark, during which he said that he had sent me letters about what he had done. None of these letters have ever reached me. However, Mr Hallmark assured me that he would handle my case and contact the Court of Appeal, Tuckers and Mr Summers.
I tried unsuccessfully to get Mr Hallmark to visit me, at least 2 dates having been set and then abandoned. I also discussed with Mr Hallmark on the telephone that I wanted to change my Q.C.
3rd August 1994 Mr Hallmark visited me at Full Sutton and I repeated my concern that the Grounds for Appeal were not complete and that I also wished to change my Q.C. I asked Mr Hallmark to contact Mr. Michael Mansfield Q.C., to ask him if he would represent me. Mr Hallmark promised me that he would act on my instructions and would deal with a number of other points that I raised.
Mr Hallmark sent me a Legal Aid application form on 5th August, which I filled in and returned by the next post. Mr Hallmark apparently never took the Legal Aid application any further.
September 1994 Mr Hallmark took all my case paperwork from his office and told his staff that he was going to work on my case at home.
6th October 1994 After failing to find out, from his office, what progress Mr Hallmark was making, I sent him a letter detailing some new points that I wanted him to consider. To ensure that he got this letter I sent it recorded delivery (Reference No. DR 9136 9356 5GB) - I never received a reply.
21st October 1994 I phoned Mr Hallmark at his office in Brixton and was told that he didn't work there any more, but was working from home as a consultant. I phoned Mr Hallmark at home to find out what progress he was making. He told me that he was indeed working from home and that he had sent me a letter several weeks earlier to inform me of this fact. I told him that I had not received this letter.
He acknowledged that he had received my letter of 6th October, but had not had time to reply. He also told me that he didn't have my files in front of him and would phone me back on 24th October to let me know what the latest situation was. He never phoned me back.
31st October 1994 Mr Summers telephoned to warn me that my case was due to be heard at the Appeal Court on 14/15th November. Mr Summers did not know, until I told him on 31st October, that I had asked for new grounds of appeal to be included.
1st November 1994 I had a telephone conference with Mr Hallmark, Mr Tansey and Mr Summers, who were all at the Chambers of Mr Tansey. As Mr Hallmark had done nothing about contacting Mr Michael Mansfield, I had to perform the task of sacking Mr Tansey myself. I detected from Mr Hallmark's manner on the telephone that he was doing nothing to help me. I realised, that effectively, I was without a solicitor to do vital work in uncovering evidence that will give me a fair Appeal; I was also now without a Q.C. to represent me in the Court of Appeal.
2nd November 1994 I wrote to the Registrar of Criminal Appeals asking that my Appeal be postponed.
4th November 1994 Mr Summers and a colleague visited me at Full Sutton. After discussing my points face to face with him, Mr Summers agrees that I have strong justification for investigating the serious flaws in the Crown's presentation of the scientific evidence at my trial. It was confirmed to me on 4th November that Mr Hallmark has apparently done nothing to advance my case, and I was told some more details of his incompetence.
I also learned that the Registrar would not remove my case from the Court listings and that it was still due to be heard on the 14/15th November.
6th November 1994 I wrote to Mr Michael Mansfield Q.C., asking him to represent me.
7th November 1994 Mr Michael Mansfield Q.C. was approached by Mr Summers to act on my behalf. I wrote a further letter to the Registrar, giving more details about the problems with my solicitors and explaining why I needed a postponement.
8th November 1994 After frantic phone calls, letters and faxes by Mr Summers and myself, the Registrar was finally persuaded to abort the court hearing of the next week. I was also granted legal aid to investigate the scientific evidence. Richard Hallmark phoned me at about 5 p.m. to tell me that the Court of Appeal had given him the Legal Aid Order and he could now go ahead and help me. I told him that he was too late, as I now had no confidence in him.
9th November 1994 Mr Michael Mansfield Q.C., wrote to me confirming that I had succeeded in securing his services and that of the solicitor Gareth Peirce (of Birnbergs Solicitors).
On the same day, the Registrar wrote to me to tell me that "Mr Hallmark is the next best [after Tuckers] person to represent you since he will not be coming into your case completely cold". The Registrar had put Mr Hallmark's name down on the new Legal Aid Order. The Registrar also said that the Criminal Appeal Office "is well aware of the heavy commitments of Mr Mansfield Q.C. and he may not be available to take on your case".
14th November 1994 The Registrar finally agreed to change my solicitors to Birnbergs.
16th November 1994 I wrote to Mr Richard Hallmark to formally dismiss him from my case.
Conclusions Mr Hallmark has effectively wasted 7 months of my time, when I could have been making real progress towards my appeal. Between myself and Mr Summers, we achieved in a few days what Mr Hallmark failed to do, i.e. obtained Legal Aid for a solicitor, put the scientific Ground of Appeal on the agenda, and engaged Mr Mansfield to represent me.
Mr Hallmark's behaviour seems all the more inexplicable, because he has always given me the impression that he was working on my case. In my dealings with Mr Hallmark I have only ever received one letter from him (dated 22nd March 1994) and had only one visit from him (3rd August 1994). Mr Hallmark has never written to me to tell me what he has achieved, neither has he ever told me that he wasn't working on my behalf. I have been misled by Mr Hallmark into believing that he was working on my case, when in fact he was doing no such thing.
Mr Hallmark had also told me on several occasions that he had written letters to me, but these had apparently "disappeared" in the post. He had also claimed not to have received some of my letters. I now believe these accusations, that the post was to blame, were merely an excuse to cover up the truth, that Mr Hallmark either did not intend to do any work for me, or had some hidden motive for behaving as he did.
From my profession in Quality Assurance, I am experienced enough at assessing people and situations to know that a solicitor of Mr Hallmark's standing would not act so irresponsibly and ineffectively as he has done unless it was deliberate.
06 October 2006
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text:
Melinda Hunt / AP file
Since 1869, more than 800,000 people have been laid to rest at the potter's field on the island that lies in the waters just off the Bronx borough of New York City.
The New York City medical examiner's office is digging up dozens of unidentified bodies buried in the city's potter's field as part of a new push to solve unsolved missing persons' cases.
In recent months, 54 bodies have been exhumed from Hart Island, which sits on the Long Island Sound. More than 800,000 people are buried there, most of them poor citizens, officials say.
The unidentified include runaways, the homeless and others whose families lost track of them. And now dozens of positive identifications are being made, thanks to improved DNA technology.
Encouraged by the success, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner applied for and received a grant from the National Institute of Justice to continue their work. Investigators are now poring over decades of records.
"We have about 1,200 cases that we are working on that go to the late 1980s," said Dr. Benjamin Figueroa, who is helping to supervise the search effort.
In examining the skeletal remains of unidentified persons, anthropologists are able to extract DNA samples and glean new leads that weren't contained in the original case files. Modern science can now indicate whether remains belonged to a male or female and roughly how old the person was.
Read the original story at NBCNewYork.com
"We can go back now and say, for example, it's actually a black female age 17 to 25," said Dr. Bradley Adams. "There's work we can do now with forensic anthropology which couldn't be done back in the time."
Many advances in DNA technology came about from identifying human remains recovered at the site of the World Trade Center attacks after 9/11. Scientists at New York's new forensic lab are entering DNA samples from exhumed bodies into local and national databases.
But generating the DNA samples is only half the battle, said assistant lab director Mark Desire.
"Equally challenging is to get a DNA profile to compare it to a family," said Desire. "Part of the big push is to make sure reference families' samples get in the system."
Without a DNA sample from relatives, cases often cannot be solved. If some of the people buried are from out of state or overseas, it's especially difficult to make the match.
That appears to be the case with "Baby Hope," the 6-year-old girl whose starved body was found stuffed in a cooler in the woods off the Henry Hudson Parkway in 1991.
"You have information that can make a very straightforward identification, but nobody is looking for that child," said Adams. "Otherwise, there would be a DNA hit. It's hard to believe you'd have a child ... that's still unidentified."
In cases where a DNA match fails, scientists may turn NAMUS, a national website that lists missing people, unidentified bodies and clothing found on bodies.
"The great thing about NAMUS is there is a whole community of volunteers and cybersleuths ... who will analyze what we put on the website," said Figueroa. "There have been a number of times where somebody from the general public has pointed us to a missing person in connection with one of our unidentified."
"We don't pass judgment on who that person was," Figueroa said. "If there is something that can be done, we're going to do it. It's our job to identify that person. Doesn't matter if that case came in today or 20 years ago."
From a legal and financial standpoint, officials say a family can move forward once they have a death certificate in their hands.
In Queens, 83-year-old Gloria Chait has held on to her son Steven's belongings and has renderings of what her son might look like now, decades after he disappeared from his dorm room at Columbia University in 1972.
"I love this kid," said Chait, who still keeps Steven's belongings in his room in their Fresh Meadows home. "No one wants to go 40 years not knowing where your child is."
But she also has a grim hope that the city's new push to identify the "lost souls" of Hart Island may finally give her answers as to what happened to Steven.
"You can't be cynical about this. You have to be realistic and a bit optimistic," said Chait. "You have to understand what kind of suffering goes with a person that disappears. It is immeasurable."
More content from NBCNews.com:
- Minister stands trial in international lesbian kidnap case
- Are nuns getting ready to spurn the Vatican?
- Girl, 6, found clinging to corpse in middle of lake
- Missing best friends found dead in New Jersey river
- Video: Athletes reveal the royal who makes them swoon
Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook


text:
The following appeared in the 2006.03.25 edition of LE REFLET, a weekly newspaper in the MONTÉRÉGIE, published in Delson, QC. The English synopsis is mine.
Simone CARON-BOYER died suddenly 2006.03.03 at the age of 86. She left behind her husband, Jacques, & her children, Monique, André, Gisèle, Nicole & Diane as well as 13 grand-children & 16 gr.grand-children.


text:
Town of TruckeeHome Menu
Truckee, California, is a mountain community located on top of the Sierra Nevada Range just north of Lake Tahoe. The community is located within a scenic basin surrounded by forests and mountains with a four-season climate uncommon in California. There is a windfall of outdoor recreational opportunities in the area including Lake Tahoe, several lakes and reservoirs, the Truckee River and other trout streams, hiking and camping, cross-country skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking, and a dozen ski resorts within 30 minutes. We are also close to the Reno (35 minutes) and Sacramento (90 minutes) metropolitan areas.
Truckee is growing, but still maintains its small town atmosphere and lifestyle. It is known as a wonderful family community with an excellent school system and has a permanent population of over 16,000, but a large number of tourists and second homeowners visit throughout the year.
Benefits (Regular, Full-time Employees)
Employees are covered by the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS). The CalPERS formulas are 2.5% at age 55 for miscellaneous class employees and 3% at age 55 for safety class employees.
- The Town does not participate in Social Security.
- Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance (employee contribution varies depending on employee group).
- Group Term Life Insurance (paid by Town).
- Sick Leave.
- 13 Paid Holidays.
- Accrued Vacation: 1-4 years of service, 2 weeks; 5-11 years of service, 3 weeks; 12 years and over, 4 weeks.
- Two weeks of administrative leave each year is provided for exempt personnel.
For additional information see Human Resources in the Administrative Services Department. For a complete listing of all the Town's positions and salary grades see our Salary Schedule.


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Bradley University freshman Danny Becker knows the benefits of working out. "Since last summer I've lost 58 pounds," Becker said while he waited for an outdoor exercise class to start on the quad on Tuesday afternoon.
Bradley University freshman Danny Becker knows the benefits of working out.
"Since last summer I've lost 58 pounds," Becker said while he waited for an outdoor exercise class to start on the quad on Tuesday afternoon.
When the biology major from Northbrook was considering schools last year, he said he took into account which universities offered reasonable recreation programs.
Now that he's moved in at Bradley, Becker said he wants to make sure he knows all his options.
The class Tuesday, one of three sessions student instructors taught for free this week, was essentially a preview for the host of classes that will be taught in Haussler Hall starting next week, said Jessica Zimmerman, who led the group during part of the workout.
"We're just showing tidbits of what each instructor teaches and their style so that people get an idea," she said.
The official move-in day for Bradley students was Saturday, and academic classes start today.
During the hourlong workout, three instructors took turns leading a group of 10 students through a number of exercises. The activities ranged from yoga to pilates, each focusing on a number of different muscles.
"Like a dog at a fire hydrant, lift your leg to the side," Zimmerman advised the group during one of the maneuvers.
In her three years as a Bradley student, senior Miranda Bugbee said she has taken the university's exercise classes several times. This year, the Champaign native said she plans to take a kickboxing class.
Bugbee, who participated Tuesday, said she likes the physical activity, even if she sometimes lacks the self-motivation to work out by herself.
"I don't (exercise) on my own, so a class helps me," she said.
Brittany Horton, an incoming freshman from Matteson, said she is not sure how she wants to do it, but she plans to stay fit during her first year of college.
She tried out the aerobics class Tuesday, but she is also considering playing intramural tennis.
"I try to just stay athletic," Horton said.
For a $35 fee, Bradley students can take an unlimited number of sports and fitness classes offered through Campus Recreation, Zimmerman said.
"It's a lot different than working out on the treadmill," she said. "You're focusing on all the muscles of your body rather than just doing cardio or doing crunches or doing weights."
Joe Crawford can be reached at (309) 686-3251 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Snap o' the day: the DMB Armada
Five mammoth tour buses were parked in the Omni Hotel lot downtown Friday morning in preparation for the April 17 and 18 Dave Matthews Band shows at JPJ. The tricked out buses– at least one manufactured by Volvo-owned Prevost, headquartered in Quebec– can run upwards of $1 million, according to Prevost spokesperson Anne-V©ronique Viel. Each band member reportedly has his own, with others available to carry the crew from show to show. Let's just hope there are no tourist boats passing underneath any of these vehicles.
More Snaps
6 comments
Energy efficient in that they get 6 MPG on the highway if you drive them like an old lady.
Thats about 1.2 miles per gallon to move all 5 of them.
They should park in SmellMont so they could discharge the bathrooms and not have any effect on the neighborhood.
Smellmont....Right in the Fart of Charlottesville.
There were about 15 of them parked at The Omni last night.
It's a Charlottesville tradition.
They should amend the zoning ordinace to mandate sewer odors in Belmont.
Ahhhhh, the good old days, livla compost. No more burning fuel to truck our poop to distant impoverished communities!
Are they energy efficient? Not a cool image for DMB if they're not.
Dave, it almost sounds like you take some glee in the fact that Belmont smells. Why?
Maybe Dave should take a page from Dan Deacon touring the country with his band in his veggie powered van


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Food Sourcing
Marine Algae Could Nourish Growing World PopulationAccording to the United Nations, more than 800 million people today are regularly undernourished. By 2050, a rise of another 3 billion in global population is expected to escalate pressure on food supplies. The challenge means providing not just sufficient calories, but also a balanced diet for good health.
Fish present a viable solution, but most of the world's inventory is already overharvested. Some scientists propose "cutting out the middle fish" via the commercial production of marine microalgae as a staple food. They produce fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, polymers and carbohydrates that humans need and that can be used to feed animals and farmed fish. Microalgae are found in both freshwater and marine aquatic systems. Only a handful of algal species are used commercially now, but hundreds of strains have similar potential.
Meanwhile, innovators at Copenhagen's future-living lab SPACE10 created the Algae Dome, a 13-foot-tall urban ecostructure powered by solar energy that pumps out oxygen and produces food in a closed-loop arrangement. This hyperlocal food system grows microalgae, which are among the world's fastest-growing organisms and can thrive on sunshine and water almost anywhere.


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I will be interviewing Eric Braeden (Victor Newman, "Y&R") next week for publication in early March. In the comments section of this post, please submit your questions that you would like for me to ask Eric. Now's your chance to get to the nittygritty and really see what makes Victor, and his portrayer, tick.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Submit Your Questions for Eric Braeden
I will be interviewing Eric Braeden (Victor Newman, "Y&R") next week for publication in early March. In the comments section of this post, please submit your questions that you would like for me to ask Eric. Now's your chance to get to the nittygritty and really see what makes Victor, and his portrayer, tick.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
POLL: Which Show Would You Like To See Eileen Davidson On?
GH Takes on Real-Time Format
Well, the cat is out of the bag. The "innovative storytelling technique" that "GH" will be employing for February Sweeps is real-time format. "GH" will tell its story in 16 one-hour-long episodes -- one for every weekday in Sweeps plus the episode that kicked off the story on January 26th.
"This story is an exciting, emotional roller-coaster told like never before in daytime history," said Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group.
"This is a very exciting time for General Hospital, as we are continually looking for ways to raise the bar in how we produce a daily drama," added executive producer Jill Farren Phelps. "This is an interesting and captivating way to tell a story that will expertly intertwine all of the show's characters together."
So don't miss a moment of it. Or should I say, a real-time hour of it!
Eileen Davidson Scoop
You "kinda" heard it here first. While, I am not at liberty to tell all the details, YET, I can tell you that I'm going to end all speculation that Eileen Davidson (ex-Ashley, "Y&R") might be coming back to "Days" as Kristen Blake.
She won't. At least not in the foreseeable future.
But she has just signed a contract to join another daytime drama. Soon. Only I can't tell you which one. Yet. I'm interviewing her later this week to get the scoop for my Daytime Dial interview column. And when I'm allowed to spill the beans, you'll be the first to hear.
Stay tuned! (And fwd this to your friends!)
Four Nora Roberts Films Debut on "Lifetime"
Now for some prime-time soapy goodness. Best-selling novelist Nora Roberts has four movies adapted from her books that will appear on the Lifetime television network this month, and it features some of your favorite stars:
Heather Locklear ("Melrose Place") and Jonathan Schaech ("That Thing You Do!") star in "Nora Roberts' Angels Fall," about a woman who survived a mass murder at a restaurant and is trying to rebuild her life only to find herself involved in another mystery. The movie premieres Jan. 29th at 9 p.m.
John Corbett ("Sex and the City"), Ashley Williams ("Good Morning, Miami"), Charlotte Ross "NYPD Blue" and "Days of Our Lives"), and Golden-Globe winning actress Diane Ladd star in "Nora Roberts' Montana Sky." In this adaptation, three half-sisters meet for the first time after their father passes away. They learn they must live together for a year in order to receive their inheritance. The movie premieres Feb. 5th at 9 p.m.
Alicia Witt ("Cybill"), Matthew Settle ("Brothers & Sisters"), Scott Bakula ("Quantum Leap") and Talia Shire ("Rocky") star in "Nora Roberts' Blue Smoke," about a young lady who is an arson investigator and faces the challenges of a seemingly unstoppable inferno. The movie premieres Feb. 29 at 9 p.m.
Claire Forlani ("Meet Joe Black"), Oliver Hudson ("Rules of Engagement"), and Jacqueline Bisset ("The Deep") star in "Nora Roberts' Carolina Moon," about a young woman who returns to her hometown to confront her childhood demons. The movie premieres Feb. 19 at 9 p.m.
SPOILERS! Week of Jan 29th
AMC: JR says he wants Babe, and he's got her, but is his love legit?
ATWT: Vienna settles into life as a farmgirl. Will she and hunky Brad go for a roll in the hay?
B&B: Pam's feelings for Eric deepen as they dance at Brooke and Ridge's engagement party.
Days: Hope becomes hostile toward Willow the former hooker.
GH: Alcazar becomes incapacitated before he can reveal an important code.
GL: Jonathan has a plan for him and Sarah, and only Reva knows the truth.
OLTL: John, Rex and Michael all look guilty of Spencer's murder, but the culprit could be someone else.
Passions: The mystery of Fancy's attacker deepens. Could the rapist be a woman?
Y&R: Sheila's escape goes exactly as planned. Will Lauren survive?


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Oregon Tech's high-demand BS and MS degrees are accessible to freshmen, community college transfer students, working professionals, and busy adults by offering courses that fit their lifestyle.
Oregon Tech faculty and advisors ensure students succeed by creating a lifelong career path in the world's most dynamic industries.
View Degree Programs


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Pro Igual submission toward the OSCE Hate Crimes Report 2012
The 2013 Pro Igual submission for the OSCE-ODIHR Annual Report on Hate Crimes highlights the deficient Spanish legislative framework regulating political parties whose goals and activities contravene democratic values of the Spanish Constitution. As a result, political parties which openly propagate xenophobia and intolerance are allowed to exist and operate, gain adepts and even attain legislative seats.
As in previous years, Pro Igual calls to attention of the national authorities and international monitoring bodies that hate crimes are not isolated incidents and do not take place in a vacuum. Activities of the legally permitted extreme right parties in Spain are one of the strongest factors contributing to a fertile climate for xenophobic hate crimes. It should come as no surprise that the hate crimes committed by adherents of extreme right and neo-Nazi ideology are becoming ever more brazen and premeditated.
Notwithstanding some steps taken by the Spanish State to address hate crimes, even despite the simultaneous decrease of net immigrant population, the number of such crimes in Spain does not diminishes but continues to steadily rise.
The Pro Igual Report is available here.


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I use Amanda 3.3.7 for backing up several filesystems on several clients, with different retention policies for each client. These are backed up to vtapes, and after a successful job are archived to a remote server.
I am changing my mind about retention on one of the filesystems, and want to reduce the tapecycle (it will still be larger than dumpcycle).
If I simply change the amanda.conf for that client's configuration, will AMANDA automatically use a subset of the "tapelist" file and cycle through that subset? If not, what should I do?
jim bellinger


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Monday, May 12, 2008
Because at this point in a lousy season, we could all use a laugh
Someday, this kid is going to look back on his decision to post this video as a learning experience, we're sure.
(Via All Your Base Are Belong to Rios.)
9 comments:
- Andrew said...
Kids got no power. Or knowledge of the 'repeat' button. At about 1 minute left, why does he break into dance? Did he hit an imaginary dribbler that poked through?
- May 12, 2008 at 1:24 PM
What does he say at at the end?
- May 12, 2008 at 2:31 PM
- Tao of Stieb said...
He said:
"I love you. Don't forget to always tell the truth."
- May 12, 2008 at 3:21 PM
"Can you dig it?"
Yeah, right!
- May 12, 2008 at 3:55 PM
- Drew said...
Were this kid ever that close to Scarlett, he'd drop dead.
- May 12, 2008 at 3:57 PM
- Tao of Stieb said...
He'd drop dead from the right good tasering he'd receive.
And he'd do a funky dance in the middle of his death rattle.
- May 12, 2008 at 4:17 PM
- The Southpaw said...
Was this from a Durex ad?
- May 12, 2008 at 11:00 PM
- The Ack said...
um, are we even allowed to laugh at that? I mean....is the kid "special"? Or just a dipshit.
- May 13, 2008 at 12:23 AM
- Unknown said...
I was fairly bored until he went back to the stereo to start the FOX music over again. I'm speechless. This is a gem.
Admit it, you filmed this of yourself and put it up for the comedic effect.
- May 13, 2008 at 6:36 PM


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Teaching PE and Coaching Sports in Schools in Jamaica
- PLACEMENT LOCATION: Mandeville
- ROLE: Teaching a variety of sports to children to improve their skills and techniques
- REQUIREMENTS: None
- ACCOMMODATION: Host family
- LENGTH OF PLACEMENT: From 2 weeks
- START DATES: Flexible
As a volunteer on a Sports project in Jamaica you can help to inspire the next generation of local youth through sports. You do not need any previous experience in coaching to make an impact, although it is great if you already have some. Volunteers are welcome no matter what stage of life they are at - during a gap year from education or a career break, or even as an alternative vacation. All we ask is that you have a passion for sports and a desire to help others to develop their own skills and confidence.
Sports are given a high priority in many Jamaican schools and the country is extremely proud of its sporting achievements, including having the most Olympic success per capita of any country in the world in track and field. Jamaica is known worldwide as the "sprint factory of the world" and producing the fastest men and women athletes is given high priority. Athletic stars such as Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, and Shelly-Ann Frazer are household names in Jamaica and around the world. Besides track and field Jamaica has done very well in other sports such as soccer, netball, and table tennis.
The most popular sports taught in schools are soccer, cricket, basketball, track and field, and netball. Soccer is ingrained in the Jamaican culture and boys' soccer competitions get impressive attendance. Cricket - a lasting memento of the colonial days – has over time gained fans and players from all social backgrounds and is now popular across Jamaica regardless of economic status or background. Basketball is a much more recent addition in schools and has become the fastest growing sport on the island in the last ten years.
Coach Sports in Jamaican Schools with Projects Abroad
Whichever sports you enjoy, if you have a passion for developing sports in schools you can help to coach children as a volunteer sports coach. We offer our volunteer sport coaches the opportunity to work with local teachers in both primary and secondary schools in and around the inland town of Mandeville.
Soccer and netball are usually played in schools between September and the second week in November each year. January to March is mainly track and field, basketball, and some netball. March to mid-June each year is usually volleyball and cricket.
While volunteering abroad you could dedicate your time to the sport you love or help with a range of lessons. You can also combine your sports placement with teaching English or other subjects. Just let us know where your interests lie once you have applied and we will match you with a suitable school.
Volunteering Abroad on Sports Projects in Jamaica
Helping to involve children in sports in Jamaica means that the children become fitter and healthier, as well as giving them a sense of belonging to a team with a shared passion and goal. This in turn has positive benefits for the wider society. Many of the youth in the local community are inspired to participate in sports outside of school, which can keep them away from less wholesome activities, and give them structure and purpose.
There may also be the opportunity to help with some specialist sports clubs after school.
The boy's teams demonstrated quite a deal of natural talent and competitive spirit so perhaps one day the West Indies will return to the top of world cricket once again. Another highlight was a visit to Kendal School for a motivational session on goal setting and time management with the boys and girls in the senior classes. Read more...
If you are a high school student and first-time traveller you may want to consider our High School Special programs in Jamaica.


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46 's
Check out now. Fast, Easy, Secure Checkout.
Color: Pink
Excellent video and transaction. Thank you!
I love these videos and your instructions. When I found your site a couple of years ago, the videos were no longer available and I could get no info on when they would become available. I kept on checking back and to my surprise, one day, they were available. Thank God. Your education in techniques is invaluable. You have helped me so much and your teaching style is so relaxed and complete. I love you for helping me to release my creativity. Thanks so much. I hope to one day be as good as you!!
Bayyinah Muhammad
A+++++++++++++ all the way, thanks +++++++++ Brenda
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Dana and I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with good food, good company and good fun! — Cindy
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Super Soap Weekend Pictures and Videos
OK folks, it took me a while, but I finally have the Super Soap Weekend pictures and videos posted. As an added bonus for easier navigation and sharing, they are all located on one website (although Shutterfly and YouTube host them). So please, visit the site, share it with friends, and leave plenty of nice comments.
You'll also find pictures and videos from SSW 2007, for all those people who are feeling a bit nostalgic.
Days: Such a Tease!
* Nicole convinces Dr. Baker to lie to EJ.
* Steve and Kayla (Mary Beth Evans, pictured) try to enjoy a romantic evening together.
* Lucas tells Kate about his proposal to Chloe.
* Stefano calls for an obstetrician to examine Nicole.
* Melanie tells Maggie that she's ready to prove herself to Philip.
Thursday – Daniel finds a bone marrow match for Kate.
Friday – Rafe heads to the DiMera mansion looking for info about the mayor's killer.
Monday, November 24, 2008
AMC: What a Tease!
Annie makes a desperate move when her misdeeds come to light.
Angie's emotions get the best of her.
Ryan and Greenlee wonder what Aidan's really up to.
Brot insists to Colby that Taylor is better off without him.
Aidan warns Zach that Annie could be his undoing.
Jake tells Taylor how he really feels about her.
Amanda tells David they'll be playing by her rules from now on.
Annie goes off the deep end.
OLTL: What a Tease!
Blair assumes that her relationship with John has come to an end.
Rex comes through for Brody.
Jessica shares an emotional goodbye with her daughters before going to St. Ann's.
Sarah (Justis Bolding, pictured) finds Vanessa seeking comfort in Cristian's arms.
Viki rages against the memory of her father and his legacy of pain.
Blair provides a safe haven for John.
Jessica and Brody encounter each other at St. Ann's.
GH: What a Tease!
Olivia finds a kindred spirit in Carly.
Jax and Nikolas play hardball when both men dig in their heels.
Elizabeth's greatest nightmare comes true.
Carly doesn't like what she finds when she drops in on Kate.
Johnny turns his back on his family.
It's Thanksgiving in Port Charles.
Patrick and Robin wonder what would have happened if fate hadn't crossed their path.
Robin and Patrick make a decision about their future.
Unconfirmed: Brenda Walsh Is Pregnant
Unnamed sources have given us quite a scoop here at Daytime Dial: Brenda Walsh is pregnant. In the last episode, Brenda confessed to Kelly that she slept with Ryan. Now, we hear Brenda is going to have a "medical-related" story line. While some are speculating that Brenda has some disease or illness that will cause her demise, I have it on fairly good authority that Shannen Doherty's alter ego will be popping out a little Ryan Jr. some time next year. That will definitely cause some friction between Kelly and Brenda, ya think?
Stay tuned ... and when our prediction comes true, you can say you read it here first!
ETA: However, if my source is intentionally trying to throw us off the track, then the other scenario is that Adriana is pregnant. As you will recall, she threw up at the smell of a hotdog during last week's episode. However, they haven't shown her and Navid doing the nasty (they made a big deal out of him being a virgin), so that would be a cheap trick to make her be the one preggers. But hey, you never know!
Allyson Rice and World Vision Gifts
For all our Daytime Dial readers, Allyson Rice (ex-Conner Jamison Walsh, As the World Turns) asked me to post this letter on the website, and I didn't hesitate, because it promotes a wonderful organization for the holidays. I hope you will read it and be moved to participate.
Hello wonderful friends near and far:
I wanted to share an idea that we are doing this year at the holidays. We've done this before, but are doing it on a larger scale this year. There are so many people in desperate need right now, and even though we, like a great many people, are having trouble meeting bills, and keeping our business running, we still have more than most people on the planet. If you're getting this email, you probably do too.
There's a catalog I got in the mail called World Vision Gifts (www.worldvisiongifts.org), and they have a large range of price options -- lots of inexpensive options: $25 to give 2 chickens, $17 provides fast-growing and drought-resistant seeds, $35 for a share of a sheep, $30 for 5 ducks, $25 provides care for an orphan or AIDS-affected child. And on up to $2000 for 28 farm animals if you have the resources to do some thing bigger! All are gifts that will help them build a better life; the gift grows and continues to enrich the lives of their family members and community. A "teaching them how to fish" kind of gift...
Dashiell (my 14-year old) really likes the ones that "multiply" due to corporate matched gifts (he's also asked for this gift from relatives -- totally his idea when he saw the catalog lying around...) : $25 provides $350 of school supplies, $35 provides $490 worth of clothing, $25 provides $350 of necessities for US children (diapers, clothing, blankets, toys, etc), $50 provides $250 worth of emergency food and aid in Africa, $60 provides 10 fruit trees, etc etc. Lots more to choose from, but these are some of the lower $ options. You also might consider doing one of the ones that specifically helps young girls and women around the world: $35 to send a girl to school, $35 to assist with care for sexually exploited girls rescued from sex slave trade, $100 loan for an impoverished women.
Of course, there are so many good causes out there to support, and maybe you have your favorites already. But it's just something to think about this season with all this talk of CHANGE going on. Make it a bigger action than just you alone. Get your family and friends involved. We could all give up one more sweater or small electronic to share some hope with someone in need.
And you can always go to the post office locally and look through letters to Santa that are asking for basic needs like clothes and food for their family. I've done that since living in NY where the central post office in Manhattan gathered all the letters together for people to look through and help locally. There are people probably right down your street that need help, and a little support. Go out this holiday season and really spread the SPIRIT of the season, no matter what holiday you might celebrate. Please feel free to forward this to as many people as you can think of to encourage a really special holiday this year. And as you type the email addresses of your friends and family members, count them, your support system, among your many blessings!
I wish you all a beautiful holiday season, filled with joy, gratitude for all you have, and a spirit of reaching out knowing you can make a difference in someone's life.
Many blessings,
Interview: John O'Hurley Talks Dogs
To most television viewers, John O'Hurley is best known for his role of J. Peterman on Seinfeld or his nearly 12-year daytime-television career on shows including The Young and the Restless, All My Children, Loving, Santa Barbara and The Edge of Night. However, this is the time of year when John goes to the dogs — literally.
On Thanksgiving Day, from noon to 2 p.m. in all time zones (directly following the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade), John will be hosting the 7th Annual National Dog Show Presented by Purina on NBC. John is more than eager to begin his annual hosting duties.
"I am very excited, because we have about 2,000 dogs this year," John says. "I just did a photo shoot with the Dogue de Bordeaux, a French Mastiff, which is a new breed they are introducing, and it is an absolutely precious dog. It has the face of a Shar-Pei and the body of a Mastiff. They are enormous dogs, but they are as sweet as can be.
"Two of the best in the country were here (for the photo shoot), so I am excited to see how they do among all the other dogs here. I love seeing a new breed introduced, because it brings out all of the breeders to the show to see how theirs match up."
John himself is definitely a dog man. "Our family has two brand-new ones this year. We lost one of our dogs; we lost little Betty, who was the inspiration for the first book that I wrote ("It's Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: And Other Life Lessons I Learned From Dogs"). But we have two others: a little cavalier King Charles and a little Havanese. So we have two brand-new breeds in the house, and they go along with our 18-and-a-half-year-old Maltese, Scoshi."
John's 2-year-old son, William, is a chip off the old block when it comes to dogs. John tells me: "He is great around dogs. 'The Dog Show' is just a wonderful day for him; he gets to wander and look at all the cages and all of the dogs. It's such a special event for him."
This special event has become quite a family event for the O'Hurleys. John explains: "We always find a way to put William in the show somehow. It adds a family element to a family day, and that's really what the show is about. It doesn't have the pretense of other shows. As much as it is a formal show event, and certainly one of the two top dog shows in the country, we try to keep the presentation of it as a fun family event. So if you're watching on the greatest family day of the year, you have a chance to watch something that is very family-friendly."
When it comes to dogs, John knows his facts: "People don't realize the depth of the AKC registration. There are more than 165 different breeds that are recognized, and all of these have a history as to their function. 'The Dog Show' really is a celebration of the history of breeding.
"These days we celebrate dogs as pets, but they weren't always pets. Dogs were a function: You needed them to hunt, to retrieve, to do farm work or for the simple act of keeping you warm. Many of these smaller breeds were bred for warmth, back when there were no heaters — the early Chinese were breeding dogs for that reason. So there's a wonderful history of breeding, and 'The Dog Show' is a wonderful way to celebrate the tradition and the depth of the history."
John has been hosting the show since its beginning in 2002, and he looks forward to it every year. John says: "We present one of the most enjoyable events, I feel, that is on television all year long, and I would never give it up."
Y&R: Such a Tease!
• Sharon is furious when she finds out Jack (Peter Bergman, pictured) is keeping more secrets from her.
• Phyllis and Brad form an alliance that can destroy Sharon and Jack's marriage.
• Tyra's Thanksgiving takes a turn for the worse when social services show up.
•Kay is more confused than ever when she starts her first shift at the diner. Will she be able to assume Marge's identity much longer?
GL: Such a Tease!
• Lizzie gets good news.
• Reva makes a big decision about her baby.
• Beth (Beth Chamberlin, pictured) is busted by Buzz.
• Christina learns Remy didn't submit the annulment papers on time.
ATWT: Such a Tease!
• Josie reveals a connection to another man in Oakdale.
• Emily gets the cold shoulder from Casey.
• Dusty (Grayson McCouch, pictured) starts to put the pieces together.
• Janet makes nice with Carly.