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CompelligenceGo Back Location: Pismo Beach, United States Industry: Enterprise Software
Compelligence is a sales enablement tool that allows sales people to quickly get help on competitive deals. It provides them with customized guidance on how to position a product or service against competitors, access to content and experts that can help with their deal, detailed product comparisons, and more. It dramatically reduces the amount of time that sales people need to prepare for or research competitive sales engagements. Compelligence is a SaaS solution. It also plugs into Salesforce.com and is available on the Salesforce.com AppExchange.
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– Energy saving, up to 20% fuel saving
– 24 – 36 month payback
– Suitable for most gas – or oil-fired boilers
– Not simply a time delay unit
– No loss of comfort
– Quick, easy no mess installation
– Assisting with HECA and environmental targets by reducing CO2 emissions
– 3 year warranty
– CE marked and manufactured to ISO 9000 standards
A typical boiler system
Boilers are unintelligent and often fire up unnecessarily, when there is still sufficient heat within the system. When this happens the boiler is re-heating water that is sufficiently hot and the excess heat is wasted up the boiler flue; this is called dry cycling. In a typical system, the boiler is designed to work most efficiently with an 11°C difference between the flow and return water temperatures (e.g. out at 66°C and back at 55°C). The boiler setting is fixed and usually set to cater for the coldest external temperatures.
A system controlled by The Boiler Manager
Anti-cycling technology is well established in the large commercial boiler market place, but the Boiler Manager is one of the first systems to successfully apply this technology at a price that makes it viable for domestic or small commercial boilers. In contrast with a typical boiler system, the Boiler Manager is a much more efficient energy saving system.
The Boiler Manager is wired between the time clock and the room thermostat, with sensors on both flow and return pipes, and takes over the management of the boiler to run it more efficiently. It has high performance microprocessor control and its own exclusive software, which was written specifically to overcome the shortcomings of existing boiler control unit technology as identified in numerous Building Research Establishment (BRE) reports. The Boiler Manager is not controlled by time, but by temperature, and so is able to prevent dry cycling without loss of comfort.
The Boiler Manager monitors flow and return and varies the threshold settings and firing cycle in order to achieve genuine energy saving. The return temperature is used to determine when to reduce the boiler setting and when to extend the firing cycle, without affecting comfort levels. The Boiler Manager will not allow the boiler to fire up until the return temperature has dropped fully to the required temperature. It is a basic principle of Thermodynamics, that if the return temperature is reduced, then the boiler heat exchanger will operate more efficiently, therefore being a more efficient energy saver.
The charts below monitor the running of a typical domestic boiler with and without the boiler manager controlling the system. Two conclusions are immediately evident:
– The boiler fires 17 times in a minute period without the boiler manager and 7 times with the boiler manager.
– The Boiler Manager ensures that the boiler is operating precisely to the set demand temperature of 66 degrees Celsius, without loss of comfort; this is very different to the situation without the Boiler Manager, where the system temperature is at 78 degrees Celsius, resulting in dry cycling and wasted heat.
– As part of a basket of measures under government grant schemes such as HEES
– During heating system installation or refurbishment contracts
– As part of HECAction grant
– Promotion to private householders as part of a HECA strategy
– Whenever refurbishment, energy efficiency or decoration contracts are carried out

subset: commoncrawl


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The moment that many looked forward to has already arrived. Today, February 25, has been presented in Barcelona, at the gates of the Mobile World Congress 2018 , the largest congress of the mobile phone industry in the world, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 +. Two great candidates willing to take the throne to the iPhone X in many of the aspects in which it began to reign at the time it was presented with the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus.
The new Samsung phones, despite having been filtered before, have been able to maintain the expectation directly betting on a specific feature, its cameras, which in the case of the S9 + follows the path of the Note8 with a dual sensor. With the motto " The Camera. Reimagined. ", The device presented at Samsung's Unpacked event will fight against other major competitors that also share operating system with it. But now, it has to be compared with the iPhone X.
Continuous design, but without eyebrows to be sorry (or rejoice)
The design of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 + follows the trail left by the Galaxy S8, keeping the screen-frame ratio to a minimum, without changing the shape of it as the iPhone X does to integrate the TrueDepth sensor. But, in the case of the Korean phone, the important change is in the back, which has been modified to accommodate the fingerprint sensor under the camera's sensor, thus fulfilling the requests of many of the users of the previous model.
Compared to the iPhone X, we have two really different designs in shape, but similar in materials, both of great quality. The design of the Samsung Galaxy S9, however, can accommodate different biometric security alternatives , and not just a system such as the iPhone X and the Face ID . On the other hand, it is a matter of taste the choice between the front of the iPhone X or the S9, being the iPhone X something more groundbreaking in this case by changing the shape of the screen.
Impeccable screens that share technology and manufacturer
In terms of screens, it's hard not to give the Samsung Galaxy S9 the victory. Both panels come from Samsung that, as a manufacturer, is the most reputed in question of OLED for mobile phones. The panel of the Galaxy S9 and S9 + has a higher resolution and, therefore, higher pixel density, than the Apple phone, although we will have to see how it behaves in different scenarios in terms of brightness, especially, because it is not clear if this will not sweep home or not with your S9.
Of course, one of the details that gives Apple an advantage is the use of Dolby Vision , which optimizes the color and brightness of each scene in the contents compatible dynamically, although that big difference disappears greatly if we compare it with HDR10 +. The latter does not offer a quality as high as the Dolby standard, but it is close enough.
Some cameras that are among the best in the market
Now comes the best part as far as the comparison is concerned, since the Galaxy S9 boasts of having an unmatched camera and, as far as hardware is concerned, it could be true. The new Galaxy S9 integrates a 12 megapixel camera with variable aperture , which allows to modify the depth of field and the light that enters the sensor to adapt to each situation. In addition, the Galaxy S9 + adds a second sensor that moves the features that already integrated the Note8 as the x3 optical zoom.
The iPhone X, on the other hand, also has a double sensor, although it is not possible to change the opening of this, as is the case of the S9 in its two versions. An added factor in their favor, would be the calibration for augmented reality , however, the Galaxy S9 and S9 + is also prepared for this technology, in fact, some of the new features of Bixby, the assistant of Samsung, depend on the high quality of the Korean phone sensor. It will be necessary to see if in practice it is capable of reaching the iPhone.
Finally, on video recording, Samsung leaves behind Apple with a recording mode Super Slow Motion , capable of capturing images at 960 fps. This function is combined with an improvement in the classic slow motion mode, with automatic movement detection, which initiates the effect when the movement begins. And, finally, we have the alternative to the Animojis of the iPhone X, the AR Emojis, avatars created with your face with 18 types of effects.
The great exponents of power
In this section the thing gets more complicated for the Samsung phone. Apple, in terms of power and optimization of it, has no rival. It is true that the new Exynos 9810 (in its international version) is a great rival, and the truth is that it is possible that it has surpassed the A11 Bionic in the benchmarks, although we will have to wait to know it officially, however, it is not just a question of the SoC, also of the operating system. And we all know very well that Android and the Samsung layer are still not rivals for iOS.
The problem is, then we have problems like the batterygate, or some of the failures so diverse that Apple has been suffering these months, which have caused the performance of many devices to be affected. Even so, Samsung phones still have a bit to get close to Cupertino in this regard. And none of this takes away the fact that the S9 works like a lightning bolt much of the time.
In both cases, we also have a firm commitment to artificial intelligence, with technologies such as the neuronal engine of the A11 Bionic , or the complete set of tools that Bixby makes available to the user, which would not be possible without the power of the new Exynos. We also have a special mention for the capabilities of the Galaxy S9 in terms of virtual reality with Gear VR, and its integration functions with external peripherals such as monitors or keyboards with Samsung DeX.
Batteries that hold what is thrown at them
Autonomy is, by far, the section that is most difficult to review in terms of the experience that can be given to each user varies greatly by its use, load routines ... But, as often happens when comparing Apple with its competitors, the truth is that the former usually loses . The two models presented by Samsung not only have a greater capacity, but also have different functions that greatly improve the management of the battery.
Samsung's energy saving modes are a great help in dealing with situations where you know you will not have access to a charger and, after having tried them myself in other previous models, is something to value very positively On the other hand, Apple has been putting much effort into improving the autonomy of its terminals, too, in fact, as has been seen with the batterygate, and their phones are usually perfectly capable of holding more than a day running normally.
As for other extra functions related to batteries, we find that both phones have wireless charging , as well as fast charging, although the Apple terminal does not include a charger prepared for this series function. Both features are very appreciated, and help make the difference in battery capacity, in many cases, a minor problem, since you can load it comfortably and quickly.
Prices, colors, and release date
The prices of the devices are significantly lower in the case of Samsung, which leaves the Note range as the competitor of the iPhone X. The model that comes closest to the Apple phone is the Galaxy S9 +, with a price of 949 euros, while that the Galaxy S9 has a price of 849 euros. In both cases, they have a storage of 64 GB expandable by microSD , and will be available in the colors purple lilac, titanium gray, midnight black and coral blue in mid March in the Dual SIM version for Spain.
The iPhone X, on the other hand, has two versions in terms of storage, and two colors to choose from. The 64 GB model is available for 1159 euros , to access the capacity of 256 GB, the price would be 1319 euros. Regardless of storage, you can choose between silver and space gray. Now it is up to you to choose which phone is the best for you, in either case, you will make a good choice.
Comparison chart
iPhone X Samsung Galaxy S9 Samsung Galaxy S9 +
Dimensions 143.64 × 70.9 × 7.7 mm
screen 5.8-inch OLED Super Retina display (diagonally) compatible with HDR10 and Dolby Vision 5.8 inch SuperAMOLED screen compatible with HDR10 6.2 inches SuperAMOLED screen
Resolution 2436 × 1125 pixels 2960 x 1440 pixels 2960 x 1440 pixels
Processor Apple A11 Bionic 4 + 2 cores Exynos 9810 4 + 4 cores Exynos 9810 4 + 4 cores
OS iOS 11 Android 8.0.0 Oreo Android 8.0.0 Oreo
Storage 64 / 256GB 64 GB (expandable by microSD) 64 GB (expandable by microSD)
Cameras 12 Mpx Dual Rear Camera with Dual Optical Stabilizer / TrueDepth Sensor with 7 Mpx Camera 12 Mpx rear sensor with variable aperture of f / 1.5 and f / 2.4 / 8 MP front sensor Rear dual 12 Mpx sensor (both), main with variable aperture of f / 1.5 and f / 2.4 / 8 MP front sensor
Battery 2716 mAh 3000 mAh 3500 mAh
Others Face ID, IP67 water and dust resistance, Qi wireless charging, stereo speakers IP68 protection, Qi wireless charging, AKG stereo speakers, always active display, iris recognition, fingerprint reader, Samsung Knox, Samsung DeX, Gear VR, AR Emoji, Bixby IP68 protection, Qi wireless charging, AKG stereo speakers, always active display, iris recognition, fingerprint reader, Samsung Knox, Samsung DeX, Gear VR, AR Emoji, Bixby
Starting price From 1159 euros 849 euros 949 euros
And you, which side will you choose?


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Roundel with head of Perseus
Hellenistic Period
3rd century B.C.
Diameter: 7.2 cm (2 13/16 in)
Accession Number
Medium or Technique
Silver with gold leaf
Not On View
Medallic plaque with head of Perseus in high relief. Round plaque sunk within (separate) rim, with wave pattern on edge. Traces of gilding.
Part of a group of at least seven bridle ornaments thought to be found at Tarentum in the 1940s. The other pieces are in the MFA (59.299, 60.1152, 60.1153), Princeton University Art Museum, and a private collection in Switzerland. The other roundels (phalerae) have busts, and like this object they decorated the horse's bridle at the juncture of the headstall with the browband and noseband.
By 1958: with Piero Tozzi, 137 East 57th Street, New York 22, N.Y. (said at the time of purchase to have been found at Tarentum over 20 years ago with MFA 59.299 and two medallions in the Art Museum at Princeton); October 13, 1960: purchased by MFA from Piero Tozzi for
$ 3,500.00 (this is the total price for 60.1152-60.1154)
Credit Line
Theodora Wilbour Fund in memory of Zoë Wilbour


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Fri, 30 January 2015
In this episode, Paul, Nathan, Ben and returning special guest current game developer and former journalist Tim Best discuss upcoming Obsidian Entertainment RPG Pillars of Eternity, and the importance of endings in video games; when mechanics are married to narrative conclusions. Games referenced in the discussion include Brothers, Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell, Halo Reach, Shenmue II, Shadows of Mordor, Watch_Dogs. In our email segment we answer a listener challenge to fantasy book E3 as a WWE event. Thanks to Games Laboratory and John Paul Young.
Direct download: The_Fourth_Player_-_Ep.64_From_Pillars_of_Externity_to_Happy_Endings.mp3
Category:videogames -- posted at: 10:19pm EDT
Sat, 17 January 2015
In this episode, Paul, Nathan, Ben and returning special guest current game developer and former journalist Tim Best discuss great examples of videogames which succeed in outshining the established universes on which they are based, heap praise on the doodalicious Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, and solve puzzles while marvelling at elegant design with Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Other topics include Planescape: Torment, Rocksteady's Batman series, Starbreeze's Riddick games, and LucasArt's Star Wars games.
Direct download: The_Fourth_Player_-_Ep.63_Failure_Dungeons__Riddickulously_Good_Toads.mp3
Category:videogames -- posted at: 2:49am EDT
Sun, 4 January 2015
In the first episode of 2015, Paul, Nathan and Max are joined by special guest Tim Best to talk about what should stay, start and stop in videogames this year. We scrollsideways, hacking and slashing with Code of Pricess, and trade taxes of carbon while exploding cars in Diplomacy 3.
Direct download: The_Fourth_Player_-_Ep.62_Our_Diplomatic_Start_to_2015.mp3
Category:videogames -- posted at: 12:21am EDT


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StriVectin Does Hair
My hair has had quite the up-and-down roller coaster ride this past year. I've started heat-styling it rather than letting it do its natural curly thing, which I've been enjoying. With that, though, has come some serious issues of my hair needing a lot of styling products to cut down on the frizz and dryness, which leads to having a lot of product buildup in my hair that isn't easy to wash out.
Now that you have the back story on my current hair situation, let me introduce you to the newest members of my styling team: StriVectin Hair Max Volume Shampoo and Conditioner. StriVectin contacted me about their genius and innovative new line of hair products that address a number of issues women have: volume, thinning hair, and color treatment. I haven't colored my hair in more than a year, and thankfully I don't have thinning hair (yet). So I went the volume route because I'm always looking for ways to plump up my hair.
The Max Volume line is serious business. It gave my hair a fullness and boost of volume I don't normally get from my other shampoos and conditioners. It claims to give a weightless volume, and while I wish that was the case, I did find my hair to be slightly sticky and heavier while I used this combination throughout the past few weeks. It wasn't a bad result, though; for someone who has naturally straight hair, I think it'd be a great result and quite effective. I'm going to keep using the line throughout the summer to see what results I get in the humid weather. Here's to bigger, better hair!
*I received these products courtesy of StriVectin to test with no obligation to review them. Thanks for supporting all Re-Mix-Her collaborations!


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Custom Printed Backlit Posters
Home » Movie Poster Displays » Custom Backlit Posters
26" x 40" Custom Backlit Transparency
You can get your own custom printed Dura-Trans transparencies made from your own photos for our LED backlit signs. Virtually any quality printing company can create the highest quality backlit transparencies, exactly like the ones used in the very finest commercial advertizing displays.
Standard Dimensions for our Marquees and Poster Case Transparencies are 26" x 40", but they are also available in virtually any custom size, as well.
If you can't find a qualified local print company, we recommend Color Reflections, which you can visit at www.colorreflections.com. We've used their Hollywood, Florida location for many years and always had the finest product and service we can imagine.
Click here to buy movie posters!
Have any questions? See a better price? Want to order?
Call a CinemaShop Product Expert Toll Free at #866-243-1001


text: In 2012, Barrientos Design and Consulting decided to embark on a rebranding process that encompassed a new corporate logo and website, as well as an office renovation project. The construction project included exposing heavy timber columns, refinishing original hardwood flooring and upgrading the lighting and interior finishes. The result of this project was a more open, collaborative work environment that highlights our work as well as that of local artists and craftsmen.


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Lecture title: Effect and Regulation of Surface Wettability on Molecular Morphology, Transport and Reaction
Shuangliang Zhao
Shuangliang Zhao received his B.S. degree in applied physics (2002), and M.S. degree in theoretical physics (2004) from Hunan University in China. From 2004 to 2007, he studied in the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon (ENS-Lyon) in France as a Sino-France joint course Ph.D. student and received his Ph.D. degree from ENS-Lyon with Prof. Wei Dong. Thereafter, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the chemistry department of Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris (2007-2009). In 2009, he moved to the chemical engineering department in theUniversity of California at Riverside, USA for his second postdoctoral research (2009-2012). Since 2012, Zhao has become an associate professor in the school of chemical engineering, East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST). Since 2016, he has also served as the deputy dean of school of chemical engineering in ECUST. His research interests cover domains where statistical thermodynamics connects to surface science. He combines theory and simulations to explore the intimate mechanisms of surface phenomena at the molecular level. He has published around 70 scientific articles, and received a number of professional awards and honors including the Shanghai Rising Star Award in 2014 and Fok Ying-Tong Education Foundation in 2016.


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For the longest time, my concept of health singularly focused on one number: my weight. It didn't matter how much junk food I was eating, how little I was working out, or what it took to get there, I really only cared about The Almighty Scale. As a result, I spent most of my adolescence trying (and failing) to stay thin, dieting in harsh cycles to get back to my goal weight, then inevitably watching the number creep back up as my iron self control began to wane.
It wasn't until I was older that I discovered the refreshing Health at Every Size movement, whose goal is to "support people in adopting health habits for the sake of health and well-being (rather than weight control)." What an amazing concept! What if instead of putting all our energy into one number, we actually cultivated healthy habits for the sake of feeling good, for loving our bodies, and for feeling stronger?
Now, what if we took this same concept and applied it to our finances? What if instead of a singular pursuit of a dollar amount or a percentage rate of return, we made positive, incremental changes to the way we approach money, just for the sake of our financial health? In the same way that Health at Every Size encourages healthy behaviors for the body you're in, I believe we should focus on Wealth at Every Size—encouraging financial education and healthy money habits at every level of income.
The Association for Size Diversity and Health lays out principles for Health at Every Size. So what might the principles for Wealth at Every Size look like? I propose the following:
- Inclusivity of purpose. Accept and respect that different people have different strengths, passions, and career aspirations. The singular pursuit of wealth shouldn't be glorified over these other lifestyles and priorities.
- Wealth enhancement. Support policies that equalize access to financial education, financial advice, and investment opportunities. Wealth enhancement should not only focus on financial or economic needs, but also social, spiritual, emotional, and other needs–a sense of wealth and feeling of abundance, rather than a specific dollar amount.
- Respectful care. Acknowledge that status and privilege can play a major role in determining financial outcomes. Seek out financial professionals that provide information and services from an understanding that socioeconomic status, race, gender, sexual orientation and other identities impact our relationship with money.
- Spend for well being. Spend money on the items that allow you to invest in yourself or truly bring you long-lasting joy, not simply to keep up with appearances or fit in with a societal mold.
- Life-Enhancing financial planning. Support financial planning that prioritizes your goals and interests, in order to promote a better quality of life.
The bottom line is this: financial health looks different for different people, and trying to maintain a singular focus on being rich or making money can be a damaging exercise. Rather, we would do well to seek out financial education, tailor our financial habits to where we're at, and make decisions that are consistent with our goals and passions. It is my hope that by allowing ourselves the latitude to make steady, incremental progress on our financial goals rather than chasing an unrealistic ideal, we might cultivate a sense of "wealth" at every income level.


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Bogiatiland news!!!!
Unfortunately during our last trip in Thesaloniki after 3 days of full riding our friend tassos kosmatopoulos got ingured on the right ankle while pulling a manual to 180 on the deck of the spine. He will have to rest now for a month or a little more and we wish him to get well as fast as possible so we can ride and continue building together in bogiati again!
John Manaras is off piranha & 2dk team.He say:i would like to thank dimitris and the other guys for supporting me all those years!good luck to all of us!
All pictures are from ilias mertis!
Αναρτήθηκε από keep riding.! στις 11:54 π.μ.
1 σχόλιο:
Εγγραφή σε: Σχόλια ανάρτησης (Atom)


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In a study recently most sexual women have admitted that a large size and bigger penis is the best!
Now, there is an easy and inexpensive. With pills for penis enlargement Extenze, any man can now have a bigger penis, bigger and harder for longer in just a few weeks and without a prescription.
* Satisfy your lover like never before with
* The best natural product penis enlargement!
Pills for penis enlargement Extenze are male original formula and all-natural development. And for several years our formula is tested in our best scientific laboratories and medical sexologists after our specialists in the field of natural medicine Extenze is the only system of penis enlargement, medically approved, that really works!
Extenze how does it work?
Pills Extenze increase the blood flow to the erectile penis areas when taking the recommended dosage by our doctors, the penis will hold more blood during erection and actually increase in size, length and girth . The result is a penis wider and thicker ! Pills for penis enlargement Extenze were created by our best medical scientists for many years of experience to develop ultimately herbal supplements finest to increase penis size and sexual performance. We guarantee total satisfaction when using our product or you'll pay in 60 days!
Recommended Dose?
Take 2 pills Extenze daily after meals with a glass of water on a well-defined cycle to ensure maximum gains and get results quickly and efficiently.
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No. of Extenze Pills are all natural and do not cause any adverse side effects . On many years of experience ensure that our pills safety and satisfaction. You can increase your penis size up to 7.5 cm (3 inches) with natural Extenze Formula.
Customers begin to see results within the first four weeks. We recommend not to measure or not to analyze your penis too closely within the first 4 weeks. Just take the pills for penis enlargement Extenze and relax. Then check the progress. For best results, we recommend using the program for eight months .
2-3 Months – The apparent changes during this period will be within the scope and flaccid length and of course, longer lasting erections and.
4 Months – After 4 months, the length of your penis grow. The scope will also increase. Look in a mirror and see with how great you are and without becoming erect!
Since the results are effective and you have a penis longer , wider, taller and thicker we recommend that you stay on the program for 8 months.


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IR-1130: (2018) Zamani, H., Croft, W. B. and Culpepper, J., "Neural Query Performance Prediction using Weak Supervision from Multiple Signals," in the Proceedings of the 41st International ACM SIGIR Conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval (SIGIR '18) Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, July 8-12, 2018, pp. 105-114. [View Abstract] [View bibtex]
IR-941: (2013) Huston, S.,  Culpepper, J. and Croft, W. B. , "Indexing Word-Sequences for Ranked Retrieval," ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS), 2014, volume 32, Issue 1, article 3. [View Abstract] [View bibtex]
IR-873: (2012) Huston, S.,  Culpepper, J. and Croft, W. B. , "Sketch-based Indexing of n-Words," Proceedings of the 21st ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM 2012), pp. 1864-1868. [View Abstract] [View bibtex]


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Nearly every new data release confirm it. On November 19, housing starts and permits hit record lows, according to the Commerce Department. At an annual 791,000 rate last month, they were the lowest they've been since number tracking began in 1959 and are down 4.5% from a revised 828,000 September reading.
Building permits were also worrisome at an annual 708,000 rate (down from 805,000 in September), breaking the previous 709,000 March 1975 low figure.
With supply way exceeding demand and prices in near free fall, no end of this is in sight for an industry perhaps facing its most challenging environment ever. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo November housing market index shows why. It fell to a seasonally adjusted 9 reading - its lowest recorded level since the index first began in 1985 and below its October reading of 14. Any number below 50 indicates contraction.
In addition, the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) weekly purchase loan index fell 12.6% in the week ending November 14. At 248.50, it's at its lowest loan applications level since December 2000. This signals weak future home demand at a time when it's woefully weak and declining.
There was more bad news on November 20 as well as weekly initial jobless claims keep rising. This time by a higher than expected 27,000 to 542,000 in the week ending November 15 - the highest level since July 1992. The four-week average is its highest since January 1983 as employment keeps deteriorating at an increasing pace.
It's no surprise that the October 28 and 29 Fed Open Market Committee minutes showed the sharpest meeting-to-meeting sentiment drop in memory, according to one of its former governors, Lyle Gramley. It now predicts that the economy will contract for a year or longer and "agreed that the downside risks to growth had increased." Back in August, the Fed left interest rates unchanged at 2%, foresaw continued but lower growth, and said: "Although downside risks to growth remain, the upside risks to inflation are also of significant concern to the Committee."
Currently, the Philadelphia Fed's survey predicts that GDP will shrink by 2.9% in Q 4, a sharp downgrade from its last 0.7% growth prediction. It added that the economy entered recession in April. It will last at least 14 months and will be one of the longest ones since the 1930s. Its latest survey of manufacturing conditions decreased from -37.5 in October to -39.3 currently. It's now at its lowest point since October 1990 and falling. Its employment index also fell to -25.2.
Another distressing sign is the growing number of unsold goods in Long Beach, one of the nation's most active commercial ports. On November 18, The New York Times called them "A Sea of Unwanted Imports" and a reflection of growing inventory levels - up 5.5% in September from a year earlier and rising.
Long Beach accounts for about 20% of the country's container imports. It's second only to Los Angeles, and its volume is down 10% from last year. It's "where imported products arrive and filter through the tributary of trucks, trains and retailers into the hands of consumers. But now, products are just sitting" and turning the port into a parking lot. Nearly all other major ports are in similar decline as the current crisis worsens.
Veteran Long Beach port workers say the slowdown is like nothing they've ever seen. It's affecting other businesses and workers, and it's got them all worried. US consumers, too, and in the words of one reflecting the many: "I'm saving money, paying bills (and) hunkering down." It shows in declining retail sales.
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) indicates future construction activity. In October, it hit an all-time low since the survey began in 1995. It's at 36.2, down significantly from 41.4 in September. Any number below 50 indicates contraction. In addition, new project inquiries were at 39.9, another record low.
Many other indicators are as bleak and show the economy in free fall, taking most others down with it. Clearly the verdict is in. At the least, it's the worst economic crisis since the 1930s. At worst, it may be far greater that only the fullness of time will reveal.
Once a bellweather corporate icon and virtual proxy for the S & P 500, General Electric has fallen on hard times. In September 2000, its stock price traded at around $60 a share. On November 20, it fell to $12.84 for a net eight year loss of nearly 79%. Back in April, when the company badly missed its earnings target, the stock lost $47 billion in market value that day, and The Economist remarked that "This is not what investors expect from one of the few remaining triple-A rated companies, famed for hitting its targets." Analyst Bob Chapman believes only gold deserves that rating at a time when no asset class is safe.
CreditGuru.com defines a AAA credit rating as follows:
"Bonds rated AAA are of the highest credit quality, with exceptionally strong protection for the timely repayment of principal and interest. Earnings are considered stable, the structure of (its) industry is strong, and the outlook for future profitability is favorable. There are few qualifying factors present which would detract from the performance of the entity, the strength of liquidity and coverage ratios (are) unquestioned and the entity has established a creditable track record of superior performance. Few entities (warrant) a AAA rating."
Why? Because of practices like these:
Government fiscal irresponsibility is no different than for businesses. As a result, America's credit worthiness is at risk.
In the late 1970s, 58 companies were rated AAA. In the 1990s, it was 22, and in 2001 nine.
Today, according to 247wallst.com, GE is one of only six corporations rated AAA by S & P (along with ExxonMobil, J & J, Toyota, Berkshire Hathaway, and ADP) but it's status is clearly jeopardized in the view of some analysts. One puts it this way:
"The legendary American institution is in deep trouble. Its PR machine has been in constant spin mode as the company sinks deeper into despair." Its "AAA rating is not worth the paper it is written on. One look at GE's balance sheet will convince you....AAA companies do not need to take the desperate actions that GE has taken in the last few months."
The first signs of real trouble appeared in April when the company missed its target. "It is widely known that they are masters of 'legal' earnings manipulation," so it came as a shock. "Accounting rules allow for wide discretion in reserves and estimates. GE Capital has always been a black box within the larger company," and the management used this division "as its backstop for meeting earnings estimates." It failed, and it's slide has been precipitous enough for the company to need Warren Buffett to invest $3 billion as a psychological boost and have to pay him a 10% dividend and other incentives to get it.
"Credit default swaps (CDSs) protecting against GE Capital default now trade as if GE is a junk bond credit." And issuing $12 billion in new common stock (at $22.25 a share) was "an act of extreme desperation and brings into question whether GE has a lucid strategy."
Its divisions face problems across the board but especially GE Capital, its largest with three subdivisions - GE Commercial Finance, GE Money, and GE Consumer Finance. The company "is a bank disguised as an industrial conglomerate." In boom times, it did wonders for its profits. Today it's "a rocky path to destruction," and as GE goes, so goes the S & P 500 perhaps and the economy along with it.
Market analyst Robert Prechter calls GE a "bellweather for a global bear market," and when the August 1982 - January 2000 longest ever bull market ended, he said "GE is going to go way down (and it) probably heralds stormy weather ahead for the market as a whole; or should we say 'hole?' " Prechter maintains that view today as GE's valuation keeps falling at a time when it just secured government insurance for $139 billion of GE Capital debt. If the company was strong, it wouldn't need it. Getting it is a sign of real weakness.
A condition also affecting Citigroup that's teetering on the brink of failing. No longer the nation's largest bank, it, too, has fallen on hard times and its stock price reflects it. At $3.77 a share on November 20, it's down around 94% from its closing high and now trades at 15-year lows. Clearly the company is in very big trouble. So are other major banks. They're all effectively insolvent and are only kept operating with billions in government aid and plenty more if needed under Paulson's no banker left behind scheme. At least none anointed too big to fail.
Perhaps in Citi's case, it's too big to save. It has $2 trillion in assets, a $37 trillion (notional value) derivatives portfolio (including $3.6 trillion in credit default swaps), $202 billion in troubled residential mortgages, huge numbers of shaky auto loans, and unknown amounts of other dead weight that may in the end sink the company. One analyst calls Citi insolvent and says its problems are double those of AIG. It plans 52,000 job cuts (14% of its workforce) on top of 25,000 previously announced and more to come as the company furiously restructures to survive.
On November 21, the Wall Street Journal highlighted the company's plight in a feature article titled: "Citi Weighs Its Options, Including Firm's Sale." It cites company executives considering the possibility of auctioning off pieces of the bank or selling it entirely after its worst ever percentage one-day drop in valuation. The board of directors will meet to decide what's next and may do what was "unthinkable only weeks ago." They must also deal with growing rumors that Citi is on the verge of bankruptcy and that Washington plans a takeover, AIG-style.
For now at least, a stopgap plan was announced on Sunday (November 23) for Washington to provide Citi with another $20 billion infusion and will guarantee as much as $306 billion of its troubled assets. The bank must absorb its first $29 billion in losses and 10% of others beyond that. The Treasury will assume the next $5 billion, the FDIC the next $10 billion, and the Fed will take the rest up to the agreed on amount. This may provide some temporary relief, but given the extent of Citi's problems, it may in the end be short-lived.
Growing numbers of other companies face similar problems or may in the months ahead. The auto giants are already insolvent and a hair's breath from bankruptcy or even oblivion. Other companies fear a similar fate. It's reflected in their sinking stock prices and bond yields, especially the junk variety. As reported in the Financial Times:
"Average yields on US junk bonds have topped 20 per cent for the first time (over 50% for GM debt) amid rising concerns about a protracted recession and a wave of corporate defaults." It could have a "dramatic impact on economic activity" by making debt prohibitively expensive. These issuers comprise nearly half the corporate bond market, according to S & P. "The yield on the benchmark Merrill Lynch US High-Yield index hit 20.81" topping its previous 18.66 January 1991 reading.
Even worse, the risk premium spread over Treasuries is nearly double what it was then when the benchmark 10-year bond yielded over 8%. Today, it's ranging between around 3.0 - 4.0%. Moody's sees 14% of corporate bonds defaulting - an all-time high figure since it began keeping records, and it's likely the number will rise as the global crisis deepens and companies start falling like tenpins.
Maybe US Treasuries also according to analyst Martin Hennecke of Bridgewater Ltd, Hong Kong. He told clients that "The US might really have to look at a default on the bankruptcy reorganization of the present financial system," and a corresponding government one is very possible.
"In the United States, there is already a funding crisis, and they will have to sell a lot more bonds next year to fund the bailout packages that have already been signed off." He added that to solve or stem the current crisis, America will have to radically reduce spending across the board and recall all its troops from around the world. As for a stimulus package, "there is not much of an industry left to stimulate back to life," he believes. Others agree and see depression ahead - not whether but when it will arrive.
Then there's Asia with Bloomberg reporting (on November 19) that: "Asian stocks fell, extending a global rout, as Japan's exports declined the most in almost seven years (7.7% from a year earlier) and US consumer prices sank by a record" raising the specter of deflation. One analyst described it as "the end of the world as we know it" in the worst ever global slump he's seen and "no region (able) to help (others)."
AFP in Tokyo said "Japan (officially in recession) reported a rare trade deficit in October." Exclusive of the slow holiday-affected January period, "it was the first red figure in 26 years" and a sign of more trouble ahead. In America also with JP Morgan Chase predicting that the Fed will cut interest rates to zero by January, hold them there throughout 2009, and other central banks will cut as well. But hold the cheers.
So far, monetary policy has been ineffective and little more than pushing on a string in a liquidity trap climate. Further, perception is everything at a time confidence is at record lows and shows no signs of stabilizing.
Once nominal rates hit zero, "the Fed has run out of ammo" except for what innovative tools it may use - such as buying toxic debt more aggressively and transferring it to its balance sheet in unheard of and reckless new ways.
One analyst weighs in on this possibility as follows: It's a desperation-driven "course of action that is not working (and) not a sign of intelligence....If Fed funds at 1% (and huge liquidity injections aren't) inducing banks to extend credit, a further reduction....won't have any impact" either, so why do it and maybe makes things worse.
It's why analyst Tim Duy calls Fed policy "adrift" in a November 20 commentary. He cites "a distinct lack of leadership and believes Bernanke "has used up his bag of tricks" and doesn't know what to do next. He calls recent Fedspeak "littered with confusing statements that leave the true policy of the Federal Reserve in question." For example, on interest rates, whether to lower them further or stand pat, and more debate on the target rate is "nothing more than academic masturbation."
That rate is a non-issue, and "policy needs to take a different direction....One can only conclude that Fed officials do not understand their own policies. Policy is adrift. Be afraid; be very afraid....Bernanke cannot elucidate a coherent policy strategy to his organization because no such strategy exists. What does exist is a potpourri of policy responses that amounts to providing liquidity at all costs....Beyond this, the Fed is stuck in a netherworld of dual policy targets - not ready to admit the loss of the interest rate target, not ready to adopt a formal policy of quantitative easing."
"I think it is high time some real critical attention was placed on Bernanke. How complicit was (he) with designing and implementing a clearly failed policy?" And while "Fed officials publicly debate the intent of their own policies, investor confidence is collapsing. Bernanke needs to step forward and define policy. We need to pressure him into providing that leadership - or (have him) step aside for someone else to do it."
It's a sign of the times that another analyst describes this way: America's problems "are trickling down from the top and devastating (people) at every level. A vicious cancer has materialized and every segment of the economy is suffering. Americans increasingly have nowhere to turn as funds dry up and unemployment skyrockets."
According to The New York Times (on November 20), even New York's shoeshine business is suffering. In Grand Central Terminal alone, one operator of five stands now gets 100 customers a day compared to 700 in good times. It's a "s(h)ign" of the times.
At a November Lombard Street Research conference in London he said: "What this crisis reveals is a broken financial system like no other in my life. (He's 81.) Normal monetary policy is not able to get money flowing. The trouble is that, even with all this (intervention and) protection, the market is not moving again....I don't think anybody thinks we're going to get through this recession in a hurry." Leading up to this has been "leveraging in the economy beyond imagination, and nobody was saying we need to do something....Alan (Greenspan) was not a big regulator."
It's now payback time, and according to economist Paul Ashworth, business spending is in "meltdown." And the same is true for maxed out consumers.
Market Watch columnist Paul Farrell sees depression ahead in 2011 and lists 30 reasons why. Here's a sampling:
The auto industry for one. They're so close to the edge that no amount of bailout may help, but consider the consequences of bankruptcy. The big three employ around 250,000 US workers and affect nearly three million others at suppliers, dealerships and other companies. Without this industry, unemployment will skyrocket to unimagined levels, and the economic fallout will be catastrophic - both at home and globally because these companies have foreign operations and America's problems resonate everywhere.
Alt.A loans are another issue, called by some "liar loans." Moody's recently warned about this less publicized part of the mortgage market, and they should. They've grown faster than subprime ones to borrowers with less than top credit.
Alt.A refers to people with A-rated credit who borrow with little or no verification of income, or so-called alternative documentation. They cut across all socio-economic lines, exist everywhere in the country, are in danger of imploding, and if it happens, they'll dwarf the subprime meltdown. Why so? Because they're higher-priced, higher-leveraged, and there are more of them.
In combination with so-called Jumbo Prime mortgages, over $1 trillion in residential mortgages are at risk - much of it on balance sheets of the nation's largest banks (including Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America) and another reason why their stock prices are plunging.
As of October, Alt.A delinquencies of at least 90 days averaged 20.3% for those originated in 2006. For 2007 ones, it's 17.5%. According to Moody's, prepayment rates are at historical lows (in the mid to high single digits) and are expected to remain depressed in light of credit tightness and declining home equity. Moody's stated:
"Given the lack of pool seasoning, cumulative losses have not yet risen as steeply as delinquencies. However, many pools are starting to show a sharp increase in the rate of loss realization. As the pace of liquidations has picked up, the performance data suggests worsening loss severities."
Moody's added that when Alt.A loans include an option adjustable-rate mortgage, delinquencies outpace pools without option-ARMS. The reason is because negative amortization results in weaker loan-to-values, and downgrades are certain to follow.
It's another sign of the times and highlighted in the Wall Street Journal (November 21). The Journal states: "Departing board members cite too-frequent meetings and conference calls. (Thus) a small but growing number....are quitting or planning to quit corporate boards just when companies need them most."
They give the usual reasons, but not the more likely ones. Corporate directorships pay well for a limited amount of work - six-figure compensation, stock options, and various other benefits as well as gaining valuable interlocking relationships with other corporate officials.
So why give them up? Along with benefits comes liability at a time many companies are floundering. Growing numbers face potential insolvency, shareholder law suits, and other increasing downside uncertainties. Citing too little time is a smoke screen. Busy people are rarely too busy for things they feel are important. Avoiding unnecessary risk is one of them.
On November 19, Market Watch.com reported that "Retail investors sharply increased their demand for gold bars and coins in the past few months as they struggled to find a safe place for their money amid the financial crisis...."
On the same date, a World Gold Council press release stated:
"Dollar demand for gold reached an all-time quarterly record of US $32 billion in the third quarter of 2008 as investors around the world sought refuge from the global financial meltdown, and jewelry buyers returned to the market in droves on a lower gold price. This figure was 45% higher than the previous record in Q 2 2008. Tonnage demand was also 18% higher than a year earlier."
Record demand is showing up at retail and in exchange traded fund (ETF) inflows. They were also offset by "inferred investment" outflows by hedge fund liquidations to raise cash for redemptions.
James Burton, World Gold Council's chief executive officer stated:
"Gold's universal role as a store of value has shone through during this quarter helping (to) attract investors and consumers to all forms of gold ownership. Looking forward, given the uncertainty that surrounds the global economy, gold's safe haven appeal should continue," but so will the speculative side of the gold market.
Earlier in the year, spot gold reached $1000 an ounce. The price then briefly fell below $700, remained in the low to mid-$700 range (until on November 21 it spiked to $800), and reasons cited are that institutional investors are selling desired assets to meet margin calls on weaker ones. Perhaps so, but much more is going on as well.
Markets are heavily manipulated, and gold among others are targeted. For the precious metal, it's to hold down its price to make dollars more attractive at a time it should be soaring and likely will looking ahead with some forecasts of it reaching extremely high valuations.
Noted analyst Richard Russell of Dow Theory Letters has his view on gold and its price action. He believes "one way or another, gold is being manipulated by certain sources. What group would least want to see (it) heading higher? My answer is the Fed. (It's) exploding the money supply. This would ordinarily foment inflation. Surging gold is a red flag that the public understands. The Fed is doing everything it can to hide the fact that it is devaluing the dollar via its explosion of the money supply.
Russell believes that gold is in a primary bull market. The longer its price is artificially depressed, the "greater the bull forces within gold will struggle to express themselves."
Even now, the New York Post reported (on November 18) that "Governments Can't Handle (the) Global Run on Gold Coins....as people around the world are demanding so many of the valuable coins that government mints are having difficulty filling orders."
The US mint is allocating them to restrict supply. It increased its dealer price for a 10-ounce coin by 10% and one-ounce coins by 3%, and one dealer says that customers wanting 200 gold coins have to wait up to two weeks to get them. Six months ago they were available immediately. In addition, some dealers turn customers away, and those selling them demand a 10 - 15% premium over the Comex quoted price.
It hasn't curtailed demand and why not. Gold is a global thermometer that reflects monetary, political and economic stability as well as marketplace demand - for investment, jewelry, or as the ultimate hedge against uncertainty. When prices rise, it usually warns of trouble - geopolitical, inflation, deflation, the loss of confidence in fiat currency, or a possible looming depression so far not reflected in the metal's price, but watch out.
Gold's price may be resting for a time and is being artificially held down, but for how long. If conditions keep deteriorating and money creation remains too expansive, sooner or later gold may explode on the upside.
Petrodollar states may think so and are making large gold purchases. In November, Saudi investors bought $3.5 billion worth, reportedly as a safe haven at a time of crisis and falling oil prices. Reuters said that Iran is converting some of its $120 billion in foreign currency reserves to gold. Dubai dealers are running low on the metal as demand is high.
In China it hit 38.4 metric tons through September compared to 24 tons for all of 2007. Gold jewelry demand in China reached 241.6 tons through September compared to 302 tons in 2007 when jewelry demand grew by 26%. China is the world's second largest gold consumer.
On November 14, The Standard (based in Hong Kong) reported that "The mainland is seriously considering a plan to diversify more of its massive foreign-exchange reserves into gold (because of) fears about the long-term viability of parking most of (them) in US government bonds" at a time America's budget deficit and national debt are soaring.
Demand in India (the largest gold consuming market) is also growing (up 31% from Q 3 2007) at a time global gold mining production was 1133 tons in the first half of 2008 or 6% below the same 2007 period. Gold supply was down 9.7% over year-earlier levels due largely to significantly lower central bank sales. Those made under the Central Bank Gold Agreement (CBGA) totaled 357 tons in the year ending September 26 - the lowest annual figure since the first 1999 Agreement. Prices are falling, but Saudis and other Middle East investors are buying and for good reason.
World economic viability is sinking, and it's affecting oil prices. They've fallen around two-thirds from their all-time high, and producer states are worried. The Energy Information Agency projects that OPEC may earn $595 billion in 2009 - way down from its earlier $979 billion net 2008 revenues and lower that $671 in 2007.
So today's gold weakness and dollar strength may turn out to be a shorter-term phenomenon than many observers believe. The 10-year credit default swap (CDS) spread on US Treasuries provides a clue. The cost of insuring against a US government default is soaring, and it's happening to Britain and Germany as well. It's now many fold higher than in late summer, a cause for worry, and likely because markets are pricing in massive bailouts that may far exceed the current levels. In the US, it already hit $4.2 trillion, it's rising, and hinting at a possible future default or huge devaluation that's the same thing.
In this environment, gold may be the safest of all asset classes at a time none are safe, and no one can predict how bad things may get before they improve. What's likely, however, is that the road ahead will be painful, protracted, and unlike anything experienced before so all the old rules don't apply, and no one knows what, if anything, may work. This saga has a long way to run, and the path ahead is down.
Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization. He lives in Chicago and can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to The Global Research News Hour on RepublicBroadcasting.org Mondays from 11AM to 1PM US Central time for cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on world and national topics. All programs are archived for easy listening.
Mr. Lendman's stories are republished in the Baltimore Chronicle with permission of the author.
Republication or redistribution of Baltimore Chronicle content is expressly prohibited without their prior written consent.
Baltimore News Network, Inc., sponsor of this web site, is a nonprofit organization and does not make political endorsements. The opinions expressed in stories posted on this web site are the authors' own.This story was published on November 24, 2008.


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Gone are the days when I and my husband decide what the girls wear. For years we have always bought then twin clothes and people assumed they were twins. It was convenient buying same clothes in pairs because Daisy was always upredictable back then. She'd want what her Ate wears. Twin clothes had saved us from countless sibling bickerings.
Now that they're growing up, each girl is gradually taking her own preference. Daisy is more into chic dresses and skirts while Demi prefers the casual sporty look.
So today, since it's Mufti Day in school, the girls picked their own fashion. Daisy got lucky when she found this "galaxy" dress in Big W. The last one they had in Penrith too. It was like she saw what she has always visualized in her dream: it's what her OC (original character), named Galaxia, is wearing.
Demi had a tough time choosing though. She shies away from clothes with words like "Girl Power," or rainbow and unicorn designs. Being the older sister, she prefers subtle and plain style. Besides, she's more concerned about being able to move and participate in sports.
My babies are becoming young blooming ladies now. They're both excited to wear their chosen clothes and mommy is more than willing to wake up early just so she could help them with the hair do's and photo shoot, of course! 😍
|Their OC's names: Galaxia and Silver Moon


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It's been a while since I've talked about food on here, which is not good! You usually see a lot of images ob breakfasts that take long to prepare, but we all know that during the week (especially during finals season), ain't nobody got time for that!
I'm heading off to school right now, but I just wanted to quickly share with you the fastest breakfast that I like to prepare. I feel like yogurt is not that filling on it's own, so I like to chuck a bit of granola in there for a bit of an energy boost! I usually have a banana or some other type of fruit on the side too.
My favourite at the moment is Jordans Super Fruity. It's sooo good, guys! I alternate between this one and the gluten-free one I used in this post.
To change things up a bit, I decided to try out strawberry yogurt! (gasp!) I don't like strawberry flavoured things, so this was a huge deal for me.
Surpisingly, I enjoyed it!
And some days, I just don't feel like coffee or lemon water, so I decided to pour myself a little glass of apple juice. I just realised that this breakfast is sugar-filled, haha!
Anyways, it's still yummy and I don't have the time to be thinking about sugar content when I have an exam to write!
What is your to go breakfast?
Until Next Time,
Peace and Love


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My monthly mix of all new music from 2011 is up. This one ended up a kind of odd mix of songs, but I like it. Stephen Malkmus to Snoop Dogg and everything in between. 🙂- almostaghost
Tag Archive for 'Laura Marling'
Page 2 of 2
On Laura Marling's wikipedia page, it mentioned that she has a small pile of unreleased songs that she sings live, and that most of them are on YouTube. I'm sure she has a lot more–the time I saw her live around 6 months ago, she sang a few songs that were not released yet (a few ended up on her new album this week). As I was hinting at in my last post, she's an extremely talented songwriter. And any good songwriter will have songs stored away, songs tested and shelved, songs being worked on.
Anyway I compiled some of the ones I found here:
"Candlelight" (love this one)
"Soulless Child"
"It's Only My Opinion"
"Is A Hope (Drinking Alone)" (wow)- almostaghost
A good choice for our first Stuck In A Groove artist, I first learned of Laura Marling on a recommendation from our blog host Breathmint around the time of her debut album 3 years ago. Her talent was immediately obvious:
Marling's first two albums (Alas I Cannot Swim & I Speak Because I Can) displayed her ability to write songs and melodies that sounded extremely natural, but were not necessarily simple. Only the best songwriters have that ability, and she was there right away. And her voice! Marling's sound, while wrapped in an older folk music language, still felt like it was solely her own. She's not the first folk musician to do these things, but somehow it feels like she is.
Laura Marling – Alpha Shallows
But to top all that off, she's only 22. She's still an artist learning, and presumably figuring things out. I was reading an interview with her earlier today and she described her songwriting as "vomiting emotion on to a melody." But that has to underplay the depths she must go in order to get these songs? Doesn't it?
But I won't lie, as much as I enjoy her albums so far, I feel like Marling has yet to do her masterpiece. But anyone who writes songs as good as this one surely will eventually:
Her third album came out just this week and I'm still processing it so I won't refer to it too much during my Stuck In A Groove posts, but I will say that it contains some subtle changes, and there are a few stunning tracks.- almostaghost


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I turned my sight unto myself
and found You
standing within me.
How long I pursued your fragrance --
sweet Joseph of my heart! --
only to find: I was that bouquet.
Should a masterpiece ask of itself,
"Where is Mastery? Where is Art?"
Behold: they stand within thee!
Man is the Supreme Talisman.
If he hath not known himself
how can he know Thee?
He seeks Music: he is an instrument!
He prays for Light: he is a lamp!
Fruitless, he labors tirelessly,
straining every muscle
to know the meaning of Effort --
and still he does not know...
Ponder a moment this thought:
How can a man know completion
if what he seeks is "the Sought"?


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Applications for the 2007 NICHE Awards are now available online at www.AmericanCraft.com. Artists, including those who design jewelry, can download an application at the NICHE Awards Web page. Useful information includes updated rules and guidelines, as well as information about the 2007 NICHE Awards ceremony, special display, and finalist notifications.
The NICHE Awards, sponsored by NICHE magazine, celebrate excellence and innovation in American and Canadian craft. Entry deadline for professionals is Sept. 5; entry deadline for students is Sept. 29.
Categories include: Jewelry, Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Metal, Wood, Lighting, Clocks, Clothing, Decorative Fiber, Garden Art, Goblets, Judaica, Mixed Media, Narrative, Recycled, and Teapots.


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Joan Bogwill
Victor J Andrew High Class of 1983
Personal Info
- Name:
- Joan Bogwill
- Graduation Year:
- 1983
Register to view Current location, Gender, Birthday, Relationship Status, Children, Employer, Military, College, and Interests
Memories of Joan Bogwill
What I'm doing now:Register to see what Joan Bogwill is up to now!
Joan Bogwill's Latest Activity:
|- Registered as a VJAHS Class of 1983 alumni. 2009


text:
Graduate Courses
Offered 2018-19
Note: All course information is subject to change until the final 2018-19 University timetable is posted.
Philosophy Graduate Timetable for 2018-19
PHIL 802 — Current Issues in Moral Philosophy I
R. Kumar
What do we owe future generations?
Some of the most difficult moral questions we now confront concern the ways our way of life is likely to have very bad consequences for the lives of those who will live hundreds of years from now. In this seminar, we will look at a selection of these questions, such as: do we have duties to protect the interests of future generations? Are they different in character from the duties we owe to those who make up the existing generation? Does morality require us to make happy people, or should we only be concerned with the well-being of those who exist? Does the survival of humanity morally matter, and if so, why?
Readings will include work by Parfit, McMahan, Scheffler, Shiffrin, Broome, and Mulgan.
PHIL 402/803 — Current Issues in Moral Philosophy II
Special Topic: The Ethics of Self-Defense
K. Gordon-Solmon
When is it morally permissible for one human being to kill another? Many people believe that killing a person is permissible when doing so is necessary to save one's own life. But surely this isn't always the case. It would be wrong, for example, to use an innocent bystander as a human shield against an oncoming bullet. Some philosophers also claim that it would be wrong to shoot down a human projectile (who's been involuntarily shot of a cannon, say), even knowing the force of the impact will be fatal to you. In this course, we'll focus on the range of arguments that have been advanced in the contemporary literature on the ethics of self- (and other-) defense.
For the first eight weeks of term, we'll concentrate on (1) what sorts of factors make it permissible to kill a person in self-defense, and (2) Jeff McMahan's groundbreaking Responsibility Account of liability to defensive killing, and its critical reception. Over the last four weeks of term, we'll examine, against the background of the Responsibility Account, a series of discreet problems within the ethics of self-defense; topics will include the relevance of intentions to the permissible infliction of harm, what (if any) defensive actions it's permissible to take against those who justifiably threaten lethal harm, and the difference numbers make to the permissibility of killing liable threateners. Readings will be by Judith Thomson, Mike Otsuka, Jeff McMahan, Warren Quinn, Jonathan Quong, Saba Bazargan, Seth Lazar, Victor Tadros, and Frances Kamm.
PHIL 805 — Social and Political Philosophy I
Special Topic: Distributive Justice
A. M. Macleod
PHIL 806 — Current Issues in Social and Political Philosophy II
Special Topic: Human Flourishing and Equality
C. Sypnowich
Flourishing and Equality -- The idea of flourishing is central to the philosophy of the ancients, particularly Aristotle, in which it figures as a measure of the good for both the person and the community. The task of the community is to enable the person to live well, in concert with the individual's own commitment to the good life. However, with the rise of liberal neutralist conceptions of politics, contemporary ethical discussion tends to assume a division of labour between questions of the good life, the province of moral philosophy and individual choice, and questions of justice, the province of political philosophy and the community.
This course focuses on how the idea of human flourishing can inform a theory of equality. It might be said that equality is something everyone believes in; virtually all political philosophies across the spectrum claim to be egalitarian, be it in their insistence on individuals' equal rights to liberty and property or the importance of redistributing wealth more equally. We are all egalitarians now, we can proclaim, in the rather triumphalist mood that characterised many commentaries on the occasion of the millennium. However, the concept of equality has also been challenged by a number of factors: the collapse of the Soviet Union and societies of 'state socialism,' the rise of right-wing critiques of the welfare state, and controversy within egalitarian debate itself.
This course looks at the idea of equality in light of a range of contemporary debates, drawing on a number of key writings among contemporary egalitarians, including the instructor's recent work.
Texts: Instructor's recent book, Equality Renewed and articles by an array of contemporary philosophers in the field of ethics, broadly understood.
Course structure: This is a seminar, so it is imperative that students come to class prepared to talk about the course material. The first couple of classes will be structured around lectures given by the instructor, with discussion. Thereafter classes will be structured around students' comment sheets to prompt discussion. Comment sheets consist of a two-page, double-spaced short paper that sets out and analyses one or both of the readings. Students should be prepared to discuss the comment sheet with the class. Comment sheets will be submitted at the end of the class to be marked.
Assessment: A mix of short written pieces to facilitate class participation as well as a substantial final essay.
PHIL 809 — Colloquium in Political, Legal & Moral Philosophy
J. Thomas and G. Webber
This Colloquium course explores new work in legal and political philosophy. Once every two weeks, a legal, moral, or political philosopher will present a paper falling within the general boundaries of the Colloquium's ambit.
In alternate weeks, students will meet with the Colloquium convenors (Professors Thomas and Webber) to prepare for the forthcoming session, examining the paper in depth. Students registered for the course will include law students and graduate students in philosophy and political studies.
Student evaluation will be a combination of participation (40%), six short reaction pieces (each worth 5% for a total of 30%), and a term paper (30%). Participation will be evaluated by contributions during the seminar discussion in advance of the session with the author as well as engagement with the author during the session in which the author presents his or her paper.
Students will be selected by application.
Description: We will survey the contributions of about a dozen contemporary Indian philosophers such as Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Gandhi, Tagore, Krishnamurti and Radhakrishnan, to name a few.
Their relevance to the modern problems of philosophy will be explored and discussed in some detail. The themes range from epistemology, humanism, aesthetics and political philosophy.
PHIL 821 — Ethical Issues II
Special Topic: Settler Colonialism and the Carceral Power: Decolonizing Foucault
L. Guenther
In Canada, Indigenous people are ten times more likely to be incarcerated than non-Indigenous people. The disproportion is even more extreme in the Prairie provinces, reaching a factor of 33 in Saskatchewan. The number of Indigenous women behind bars more than doubled between 2001 and 2012, even as the cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women were routinely neglected by police. And yet, in spite of this national crisis—as well as similar patterns in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States—there is relatively little theoretical research on the relation between settler colonialism and carceral power.
In this seminar, we will explore the possibilities and limits of Foucault's genealogical method for problematizing Indigenous hyper-incarceration in Canada. Foucault's engagement with "subjugated knowledges," his distinction between sovereign and disciplinary power, and his biopolitical account of race as a sorting mechanism between "those who must live" and "those who may die" seem useful for understanding the structural violence of incarceration, and his account of neoliberal governmentality helps to show how this violence is rationalized and justified by the state as the management and care of at-risk populations. But Foucault's relative neglect of colonial power demands a broader critical interrogation of the history and politics of settler colonialism and Indigenous genocide.
The seminar undertakes to address this gap by reading Foucault in relation to work by Indigenous scholars such as Leanne Simpson, Glen Coulthard, Patricia Monture, Audra Simpson, and Eve Tuck, as well as non-Indigenous critics of settler colonialism such as Robert Nichols, Sherene Razack, and Patrick Wolfe.
PHIL 841 — 20th Century Philosophy I
D. Bakhurst
Fall (3.0)
This course will examine in detail two remarkable works of mid-20th Century British philosophy, Gilbert Ryle's The Concept of Mind (1949) and Elizabeth Anscombe's Intention (1959). We will explore the striking insights these texts offer into the nature of mind and action, the methods and techniques of "ordinary language philosophy", and the continued influence these works have today. Topics will include: the errors of Cartesianism; knowing-that versus knowing-how; the nature of habit; the analysis of action; intentional action and responsibility. The course will conclude with a one-day conference at which students present papers.
Ryle, Gilbert, The Concept of Mind
Anscombe, G. E. M., Intention
Wiseman, Rachael, Guide to Anscombe's Intention
PHIL 445/845—Major Figures
Special Topic: Spinoza
J. Miller
An examination of the key ideas from a major figure in the history of philosophy. Philosophers studies will vary from offering to offering, including Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Mill and Rawls.
PHIL 451/851—Current Issues in Epistemology
E. Paul
An examination of major issues in contemporary epistemology. Possible topics include justification, internalism and externalism, foundationalism and coherentism, and social epistemology.
PHIL 452/863 - Current Issues in Metaphysics
Special Topic: Structure and the observer
J. Mozersky
An examination of major issues in contemporary metaphysics. Possible topics include causation, properties, time, modal theory, and induction.
PHIL 464/864 — Philosophy of Mind
Special Topic: Cognitive Science
N. Salay
This semester we will work our way through a new text, possibly Andy Clark's new book, Surfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind. No prior experience in mind/cognitive science is required as I will be filling in around the text with the relevant background material when and where required.
Philosophy of Mind/Cognitive Science has really come a long way in the past five years. As an inquiry into what some call "the final frontier," namely mind, it is certainly one of the most interesting and exciting fields. In the course of our investigation, topics we will look at include cognition, memory, attention, language, logical inference, neural nets/statistical inference, consciousness, self-identity, ego, and free will, to name but a few. By the end of the course you will have a good grounding in the central issues of contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science.
This is a seminar course and, consequently, participation is expected: it will contribute to your evaluation in the form of weekly commentaries, both written and verbal, and general discussion.
PHIL 870 - Topics in Philosophy in Science
Special Topic: Science and Public Reason
S. Sismondo
The first half of this course will be an advanced introduction to Science and Technology Studies. The second half of the course will explore some large issues for public reason in connection with scientific claims. How should we understand skepticism about climate change or the safety of vaccines? How should we understand the apparent general erosion of trust in science as a contributor to public policy? What kinds of large-scale epistemic structures need to be put in place to improve the ways in which conflicts in public reason play out?
PHIL 473/873 — Philosophical Logic
A. Mercier
An examination of major issues in the philosophy of logic. Possible topics to be considered include deviant logics, the nature of identity, modal logics and the paradoxes of material implication and strict conditionals.
PHIL 493/893 — Ethics and the Environment
Special Topic: Environmental Philosophy
M. Smith
This course will engage with a number of key environmental and ecological issues such as biodiversity and extinction, preservation or conservation, climate change, eco-feminism, deep ecology, and ecological community, drawing on a number of philosophical traditions in ethics, hermeneutics, political philosophy, and phenomenology together with various understandings of ecology and post-humanism. The aim is to provide both an overview of the variety of current topics encompassed within environmental philosophy and to encourage participants to develop critical and innovative approaches to questions of direct practical import. While the focus will generally be on our ethical relations to non-human entities and our understanding and interpretation of these relations we will be particularly concerned to examine the ways in which our ethical evaluations might be informed by and inform our understandings of particular places/environments.
PHIL 989 — Clinical Practicum in Biomedical Ethics
C. Cline / D. Campbell
This course will explore real-life issues and cases encountered in health-related settings at the bedside, in the boardroom, at the benchside and in the community. Through supervised observation and discussion, students will explore ethical issues in areas such as: emergency, intensive and critical care; palliative and end of life care; pediatrics; mental health; transplantation; reproductive health care and technologies; rehabilitation and long-term care; community and home care; business and management of health care organizations; health research; and public health.


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- Programme
- TIckets
- The festival
- Information of interest
This performance has been cancelled.
With this work, the band shows once again that, far from representing a kitsch and nostalgic revision of the sounds of other times, Klezmer music is very much alive in its hands and has a prominent role in the current world music scene, and even more when it comes to manage to sound in new languages and give messages directly related to our time. Hence the name of the album, Apikorsim, which in Yiddish refers to the heretics, the rebels, those who question what seems established. And the six members of this band, who for the first time appear alone and without any special guests, sing both in Yiddish and in English, launching messages that invite Humanity to build a better world. With a purer and more authentic sound than ever, the band continues to talk about contemporary issues (from human rights to the fight against religious fundamentalism) while letting their Klezmer musical base indulge in the sounds of Arabic, African and Balkan music, but also the rhythms of jazz and even punk. A new release of a band that has become famous for its musical creations, wild, provocative, reflective and especially danceable.
A production by The Project
Artistic card
Musical interpretation: Richie Barshay, Matt Darriau, Lisa Gutkin, Frank London, Paul Morrissett, Lorin Sklamberg Photography: Adrian Buckmaster, Daan van Os
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Made You Look: During The Rise Of Hip Hop's Most Extravagant Era, A New Star Was Born — The Video Vixen | VIXEN.
Every music video needs a leading lady, and these stars didn't come cheap.
The ladies of Married To Medicine, throughout the seasons, have shown the trials of their respective marriages, with a select few unapologetically tackling those ups and downs, head on, before the cameras.
However, one of the ladies decided to walk away from her marriage after learning that her husband had cheated, and she didn't hesitate one bit in making her decision.
Get more on another reality star's divorce with BET Breaks, above.
The woman in question who had enough of her husband's creeping is accomplished OB/GYN Dr. Jackie Walters.
During a recent appearance on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live!, she transparently spoke on her decision to divorce her husband, Curtis Berry, explaining that she filed a mere three days after learning he cheated.
She added that her Married To Medicine circle of friends has been a shoulder of support for her through this time.
"I can honestly say they've all met a need [of mine] in some way," she said. "Obviously, I've known Simone [Whitmore] well and Heavenly [Kimes] has become a great friend, so I've talked to them a lot."
Take a look at the interview, below:
According to People, news on Berry's affair broke when pictures of him with another woman surfaced online, with the mistress allegedly being unaware that he was even married until the scandal made its way online.
We know Dr. Jackie will get through this.
(Photo: Mark Hill/Bravo)
Every music video needs a leading lady, and these stars didn't come cheap.
We spent a year asking the biggest names in Hollywood what makes a performance Oscar-worthy. Watch as Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Barry Jenkins and more share their opinions on winning the coveted award.


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FireFly Media Server (formerly mt-daapd) › Firefly Media Server Forums › Firefly Media Server › Setup Issues › Change of runas creates SQL error › Reply To: Change of runas creates SQL error
11th June 2009 at 1:52 pm #18618
Ok, that seemed to do it! Thanks! I just have a question or two for clarification in my mind. I initially had permissions set up for my user account, which i set the runas to. Is it standard to leave runas = nobody? Also, is that SQL error something to worry about? I don't get it when runas = nobody, but i may eventually want to change the runas.


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Rie NISHINAKA is a Japanese street photographer, based in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
She majored in Japanese history at the college and earned M.A in History.
She started studying and taking photography by herself when she was a college student.
In 2010 she started her career as a music live shooting photographer.
In 2012 she got Leica M4 and started taking street photography.
In 2012 she got "Photo Master(Test in Practical Photo Proficiency)" Grade Pre-1,
In 2015 she got Grade 1.
Now she takes street photography and street portraits in Japan and overseas.
Her working style is "Mixing the senses of historian and photographer ", and all of her works are taken by Leica.


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Folk and Fairy Tale
Top Left to Bottom: Urban Outfitters, Beyond Retro, Missguided, Urban Outfitters
The folk and fairy tale look is possibly the perfect trend for St Andrews. By day it's flowery print vintage jumpers paired with floaty crumpled dresses. Think sleeping beauty singing to the birds and you'll have it spot on. However by night this trend takes on a magical transformation, whether you opt for the virginal heroine in floaty white antique lace, or embrace something a little darker. Take Maleficent as your muse, reimagined in deep purple and black body skimming dresses adorned with strategically placed beads and lace. Just add one certain St Andrews castle.
Top Left to Bottom: Asos, Asos, Asos,
I am almost certain that there is no student in St Andrews whose wardrobe is less than 50% wool or knitted jumpers. What with the cost of heating bills and the eternal winter weather owning anything less than 7 jumpers would be impractical (and I certainly do not own triple that). Finally knitwear is having its well-deserved time in the spotlight. From knitted jumpers to knitted leggings, jump on the bandwagon and deck yourself head to toe in wool. (For true knitwear enthusiasts I suggest making friends with the Knitting Society).
Top Left to Bottom: Missguided, Zara, Asos,
A-line mini, check. Polo neck, check. Knee high boots, check. The sixties in all their clean-cut mod glory are back! Although the mini-skirt hasn't ventured far from the universal woman's wardrobe since Mary Quant brought it whirling into fashion, it has been resurrected from its belt-sized funeral in the nineties into its classic high waist A-line shape. Partner with a crisp white shirt or beatnik worthy polo neck jumpers, matt black tights and knee high boots and you've got the perfect look for the chilly St Andrews catwalk (a.k.a Market Street).
Top Left to Bottom: Topshop, Asos, Zara
If ever a trend was made for the library, or camouflaging you during the walk of shame on Saturday, this is it. It's all about crisp lines, but finally you can ditch the skinny jeans and leggings, silky combat trousers are finally acceptable again. Have no fear greens and beiges don't need to dull, jazz jumpers and coats up with sequins and fuzzy edge. Take your outfit from the library to the Westport, trading in your parka for a form fitting military jacket, and your hiking boots for a chunky heel and voila! You're ready for action.


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Archive for July, 2017
Charter Bus Travel A Popular Means of Transportation
When travelers need a convenient and comfortable means of transportation, charter bus travel is at the top of the list. Every year, passengers take 751 million trips on motorcoaches, Whether they're going to the airport, commuting to work, or enjoying a sightseeing trip, many travelers prefer charter bus travel. During some years, more people travel by motorcoach than via commercial airline.
Environmental Benefits of Motorcoach Travel
Passengers that choose to travel by motorcoach make a positive contribution to the environment. For example, when a motorcoach is at full capacity, roughly 55 vehicles are potentially removed from roads, highways, and
What Makes Camping Such A Popular Way Of Spending One's Free Time?
What is camping's appeal, anyway? Consider this the great American question. Chilling under the open stars next to a roaring fire has held firm in the hearts of many Americans for decades now, even as technology has made it easier than ever to lounge at home. If you're thinking of spending the rest of your summer in the great outdoors, you're likely wondering how you can go about getting the most out of your weekend. Campgrounds with cabins are a popular option for many, providing a happy balance between comfort and roughing it.
How many people like camping? Quite a few. The year 2010 saw over 40 million people going on a collective total of 515 million camping trips. When it comes to the individual, the average camper went on an average of five and a half camping trips in 2013. All in
4 Best Reasons You Should Camp in a Cabin
Camping is perhaps one of the most family friendly recreational pursuits in the United States, whether you'll be staying in a backyard, RV or a campground with cabin, ivy or yurt. The revenue of RV parks and campsites was estimated to be about five billion U.S dollars in 2013, with each participant spending an average of 14.9 days of camping. This is not only a great outdoor vacation for you and your family, but also close friends. During an encampment, you will need to choose your preferred place of stay during your trip.
Usually, when the idea of camping comes to mind, many people only think of hotels as they seem like the common option for any form of vacation. Yet, there are numerous alternatives than staying in a resort hotel. For instance, you and your loved ones can opt to camp in a rec


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Welcome New Patients
Your child's health is as important to us as it is to you.
Welcome New Patients
Your child's health is as important to us as it is to you.
We are excited that you have chosen Mendon Pediatrics to care for your family and their needs. Our doctors and staff maintain a professional, caring and supportive environment for our patients. We consider it a great joy and commitment to care for children. Most of us are moms ourselves, so we understand and can empathize with family circumstances.
We would love to meet you.
We would love to meet you.
New Patient Information
Some helpful links to get to know us.
Please find all our new patient forms below. Complete the forms and bring them with you to your appointment, or you may fax them ahead of time to 585-624-4829. Don't hesitate to call our office at 585-624-4520 if you have any questions or need assistance filling them out.


text: AicardiCGoutires syndrome (AGS) is an inflammatory encephalopathy caused by defective nucleic acids metabolism. data indicate that in human cells RNase H2 plays a crucial role in correcting rNMPs misincorporation, preventing DNA damage. Such protective function is usually compromised in AGS patients and may be linked to unscheduled immune responses. These findings may be relevant to shed further light on the mechanisms involved in AGS pathogenesis. INTRODUCTION AicardiCGoutires syndrome (AGS) is usually a rare and underdiagnosed inflammatory encephalopathy with infancy onset and characterized by high levels of Type I interferon (IFN) production. AGS is usually caused by defective nucleic acids metabolism due to alterations in different nucleases or nucleotidases (1C4). The majority of AGS patients carry mutations in one of three genes coding for RNase H2 subunits (RNASEH2A, RNASEH2W, RNASE2HC, also classified as AGS4-2-3, respectively). RNases H are specialized enzymes that process the RNA moiety in RNA : DNA hybrid molecules. These hybrid structures represent physiological intermediates produced during retroviral contamination, retroelement mobilization and during genome replication, through the synthesis of Okazaki fragments or when a replication fork collides with the transcriptional machinery (5,6). Two classes of RNases H, with partially overlapping substrate specificity, have been characterized (7). RNase H1 requires a stretch of at least four consecutive ribonucleotidemonophosphates (rNMPs) to cleave; in mammals RNase H1 is usually essential for mitochondrial DNA replication and the function of the nuclear form is usually still unclear (8,9). RNase H2 is usually a trimeric complex that, besides being able to process long RNA : DNA hybrid molecules, has the unique house of cleaving single rNMPs embedded in genomic DNA. A new and potentially relevant substrate for RNase H2 has been recently identified. Indeed, recent evidence revealed that ribononucleotide triphosphates (rNTPs) are misincorporated into genomic DNA with high frequency during normal replication (10C12). Due to the reactive 2 hydroxyl group in the ribose moiety, RNA is usually 100 000-fold more Polyphyllin A IC50 susceptible than DNA to spontaneous hydrolysis under physiological conditions (13). The choice of DNA instead of RNA as the information storage molecule is usually crucial for genome stability. Stable incorporation of rNTPs in DNA needs to be avoided, as it makes DNA prone to strand breakage and mutagenesis (14C16). DNA polymerases have evolved active sites that distinguish between rNTPs and deoxyribonucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs), and select the latter for DNA replication (17). However, the fidelity of DNA polymerases is usually challenged by the high ratio of rNTPs to dNTPs that ranges from 10- to 100-fold Polyphyllin A IC50 in (10) and in mammalian cells (18). Moreover, rNTPs may be added to DNA filaments during repair of double-strand breaks (DSBs) in G1 (19,20) and frequent rNTPs incorporation was observed during HIV-1 reverse transcription (21). Altogether, these findings established that incorporation of rNTPs in genomic DNA is usually the most frequent source of endogenous DNA changes in replicating cells, and it is usually well established that cells Polyphyllin A IC50 have evolved various surveillance mechanisms to Polyphyllin A IC50 preserve genome honesty during DNA replication and facilitate repair (22C24). Budding yeast cells carrying combined deletions of RNase H1 and RNase H2 genes are viable, although they show evident cell growth defects due, at least partly, to the accumulation of genomic rNMPs (25). Conversely, both RNase H1 and RNase H2 null mice die during embryogenesis, demonstrating the essential function of these enzymes in mouse development (9,11,12). Concordantly, only hypomorphic RNase H2 mutations have been reported in AGS patients, suggesting an essential role for RNase H2 (2,26C29). In vertebrates, studies looking into the effect of RNase H2 dysfunction have been carried out in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (11,12). Studies in human cells, modulating the manifestation of the RNase H2 genes by RNA interference and exploiting patients-derived cell lines, would be useful to identify the molecular mechanisms perturbed by RNase H2 defects in AGS. To characterize the effects of RNAse H2 dysfunction, we used both ***AGS2, AGS4-mutated cells and lentiviral vectors carrying specific shRNA sequences to induce stable RNase H2 knockdown in human cell lines. Here, we report that depletion of RNase H2 in culture cells or AGS hypomorphic mutations TLR2 in patients-derived lymphoblastoid cells.


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Every day brings more bad news in the credit markets affecting virtually every sector of the economy, including healthcare. Even the aging of the baby boomer generation is not enough to guarantee that healthcare expenditures will continue to trend upward. Political and budgetary pressures are bound to squeeze revenues, particularly for elective procedures and services.
So what's a long-term care facility to do to ensure its long-term survival? Make money and conserve cash! Those businesses that keep a cash cushion are more likely to make it through the tough times than those that take cash out of the business. Keeping cash on hand ensures the flexibility to meet unexpected contingencies, such as the ups and downs of business cycles, slowdowns in government payments, and work stoppages caused by natural disasters and other unforeseen events.
Fundamental strategy
Conserving cash should be a fundamental financial strategy, but it is clear that many private business owners make the same financial mistake. Once an entity becomes profitable, the owners tend to take most of the money out of the business in the form of management fees and bonuses. Sometimes this practice results in a negative tangible net worth. Even if these funds are reinvested in real estate or other assets and regardless of the seeming strength of the revenue stream, a business with little cash on hand can find itself in a precarious position. As a result, lenders frequently charge higher rates on financing to entities with low cash reserves. Or, in current tight markets, lenders may decline to finance at all. After all, given today's shaky markets, confidence is critical. Lenders look askance at businesses with a small net worth, let alone a negative position, seeing it as a sign of poor management. The largest lenders are usually saying no to exceptions to their credit criteria, because no one wants to take on the risk of making a mistake. Smaller or local lenders, who might be more willing to lend to a known entity in the community, may have limited capacity to handle sizable transactions. And any lender forced to ration funds is likely to request a significant account relationship in order to extend credit. As a result, long-term care facilities would do well to find alternative sources of funds to ensure access to adequate cash.
In view of the credit crunch, business managers should take a strategic approach to conserving cash and maximizing their debt financing resources. The alternative-raising equity-is particularly costly in times like these. The following financial strategies will enable long-term care and other specialized healthcare firms to build a solid financial foundation.
1. Conserve cash. Retain a minimum of 25% (preferably 50% or more) of annual earnings in the business to build liquidity and maintain access to lenders. Cash on hand is better than borrowing from a bank. Moreover, the old adage that "Banks lend first to those who need it least," is true. Any business will have a true economic advantage, particularly during times of financial uncertainty or duress, by maintaining a strong cash position.
2. Manage for the long term. Set a one-year plan with budgets and business priorities and stick to it. Lenders want to see evidence that a business is being managed properly. Of course, the best evidence is to make a profit and exceed plan targets. In difficult times, try to limit investments in illiquid assets such as real estate, especially those involving long-term equity commitments or unpredictable cash requirements.
3. Aim for conservative growth. Growth rates of 20% or more may be looked upon as risky, because such high growth may require that expenses be geared up in advance of projected revenues. It is better to forecast conservative growth and beat the plan. Risk, whether perceived or real, drives up borrowing rates. Building up equity and paying down debt reduces financing costs.
4. Balance the balance sheet. Keep an eye on the ratio of current assets to current liabilities (current ratio). Ensure a good Coverage of Fixed Charges, which is the ratio of funds generated by the business in a given year relative to the interest and principal due within the year. Of equal importance is to spread out debt obligations evenly over a period of time. Lenders will evaluate whether a business has too much debt coming due at any given year, because concentrated debt obligations can spell trouble. It is important to generate a surplus of cash flow in relation to debt service, ideally at a ratio of two to one or above in the current market.
5. Complete financial statements in a timely fashion. Lenders are looking for businesses that measure their own financial performance carefully and frequently and can provide up-to-date financial statements in a timely manner. Invest in preparing an accrual financial statement, preferably audited, rather than just a tax statement. The drawback of a tax statement is that it does not include accounts receivable but instead reports only cash collections as sales. As a result, net income and shareholders' equity tend to be understated, especially in a growth situation.
6. Treat lenders as clients. Respect lenders, take their calls, and build relationships based on trust and open communication. Top lenders should be kept informed of any changes in the business-whenever possible, in advance of the event.
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