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HOW much are marketers of green products scaling back ambitious efforts to sell eco-friendlier brands as life-changers and planet-savers? Well, a line of recycled paper products, introduced by Marcal in 2009, bears the name Small Steps rather than something grander like Giant Leaps.
Each Marcal product is promoted on packages as "A small, easy step to a greener earth," a realistic tack that diverges from the hyperbole so favored by Madison Avenue. But the economy has led many consumers who bought green versions of household merchandise to return to regular versions, which are usually less expensive.
Still, many consumers continue taking social issues like sustainability into account when shopping. In a study this month by Cone Communications and Echo Research, 81 percent of respondents said that companies had a responsibility to "address key social and environmental issues beyond their local communities."
And 76 percent of respondents said they had bought a product with "an environmental benefit" in the last 12 months.
All that may be why the Glad Products Company, in deciding to introduce a version of its Glad tall kitchen drawstring trash bag that is made with less plastic, is not heralding the arrival on store shelves with gushy green poetry — or charging higher prices. The trash bags will cost the same as the previous versions.Continue reading the main story
Glad Products, a joint venture of the Clorox Company and Procter & Gamble, is spending $30 million to $40 million on a campaign to introduce the trash bags. They are being billed in ads and on packages as "strength with less plastic" and "stronger with less plastic waste." (The bags are made using 6.5 percent less plastic than before, Glad Products executives say, and have what are called reinforcing bands to make the bags stronger.)
Some ads play up the ecological angle by including a single green leaf, rather than, say, a forest. Others carry the theme "Small change, big difference."
DDB West in San Francisco, part of the DDB Worldwide division of the Omnicom Group, is among several agencies that are collaborating on the Glad campaign, which begins this week with digital ads and continues with commercials scheduled to start on Monday.
There are also educational aspects to the campaign, which include a section of the Glad Web site, at glad.com/waste-less; plans for a Trash Smart iPhone app, to provide tips on recycling and composting. It also includes joining with the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and Keep America Beautiful to encourage college campuses to recycle and reduce waste.
" 'Every small step makes a difference' is an internal motto we use here," said Cheryl Hagedorn, Glad green marketing manager at Glad Products in Oakland, Calif.
The goal is to woo shoppers by presenting the benefits as "tangible and achievable" in everyday ways, she added, in that using the new bags will remove some plastic waste from landfills.
Because consumers who buy green products "don't want to make any tradeoffs," Ms. Hagedorn said, "we make sure we underscore this is a stronger bag and they don't need to sacrifice performance."
The new bags will reduce the use of plastic at Glad Products by 6.5 million pounds a year, Ms. Hagedorn said, or the equivalent of 140 million bags. That is brought to life in the campaign by calling the amount enough plastic "to cover all of Manhattan" or "to fill over 200 garbage trucks."
And to express in a fashion that is easy to visualize, the digital ads and commercials are set in Manhattan.
"The entire time this product has been in development, we've been talking to consumers about how to talk back to them about it," said Stacey Grier, chief strategy officer at DDB West. "What we've heard them say is that they want to make more responsible choices but they don't want to make the tradeoffs if they involve either an inferior product or a greater price."
"This creative approach is the one they responded to," she added. "It's important to be honest with consumers about our path forward and helping them on their path forward."
Lisa Bennett, managing partner and chief creative officer at DDB West, said the goal was to "strike a balance between what it means for you and what it means for the environment."
The Clorox annual report for 2011 lists Glad products like bags and wraps as accounting for 13 percent of the company's fiscal year 2011 revenue, second only to home care brands like Pine-Sol and Tilex.
Sales of some Glad trash bags declined in fiscal 2011 because of price increases resulting from higher oil prices, while sales of others rose. Glad Products also sells trash bags that are made from 65 percent recycled plastic as well as recycling bags and compostable bags.
The Glad brand has a 33 percent market share, according to Glad Products data, ahead of its principal branded competitor, Hefty, at 19 percent, but behind private label products, at 36 percent.
Makers of branded merchandise continuously hunt for additional methods to counter private label products, which typically cost less. Product enhancements ("New and improved!") are one way, as is aligning a product with a purpose.
Other agencies working on the new Glad campaign include Current Lifestyle Marketing in Chicago, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, for public relations; and Effect Partners in Minneapolis, which specializes in sustainability.
The campaign represents a big increase in the ad presence for Glad tall kitchen bags, according to data from the Kantar Media unit of WPP. Ad spending in 2009, for two varieties, totaled $13.6 million, Kantar Media reported, then fell to $92,000 in 2010. There was no ad spending at all in the first half of 2011, according to Kantar.Continue reading the main story


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Islamaphobia in American Society
by Izzy Catanzaro and Caroline Matsen
Ahmed Mohamed is a high school student in Texas who was recently arrested for creating a clock. Authorities claimed it was a hoax bomb. Despite Ahmed continually repeating that what he had created was only a clock, the police, without a parent or attorney present, interrogated him. Eventually the charges were dropped, however he was suspended from school for three days following the incident. This controversy sparked a dialogue about religious prejudices in America, specifically against Muslim citizens. The hashtag #IStandWithAhmed started trending worldwide gaining supporters such as President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Mark Zuckerberg, engineers and thousands more. While the responses were generally positive, the issue of Islamophobia is still a rampant issue in the United States, and situations such as the one Ahmed Mohamed endured will hopefully help shine a light on this problem and bring change in the future.
Unfortunately, not all people understand that Ahmed's situation was a result of undeserved prejudice, and rather choose to perpetrate the Islamophobia that put him in that unfair situation in the first place. About two weeks ago when asked on NBC's "Meet the Press", Republican Presidential Nominee Dr. Ben Carson was asked, "Do you believe that Islam is consistent with the Constitution?" In response to this question, Dr. Carson responded "No, I do not… I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that."[1] Not only was this comment extremely discriminatory, but in response to the criticism following this statement Carson "shifted his position… saying he would support a Muslim president who swore to put Constitution before religion and disavowed Sharia law."[2] This new position does not make his stance any less discriminatory. If anything, the statement is equivalent to saying that if a Catholic candidate should like to be elected President of the United States, he should have to excommunicate himself from the Catholic Church first. What is even more inflammatory, is the fact that Carson raised $1 million dollars in donations within 24 hours after making these comments about Muslim Americans. Between the recent controversy in Texas and Dr. Carson's comments, it is critical for our society to take a step back and confront this religious discrimination.
[1] http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/23/politics/ben-carson-fundraising-muslim-comments-fox-and-friends/
[2] Ibid.

subset: commoncrawl


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DMB is a digital radio transmission technology for sending multimedia, such as voice and video, to smart phones. This technology is based on Digital Audio Broadcasting, called DAB, which was developed to replace analog radio in Europe. DMB was developed in South Korea by importing DAB technology. The world's first DMB broadcast service started in South Korea in 2005, and achieved International Standard status in 2007.
LG DMB SDK provides following key features:
- Listening to DAB broadcast: Searching DAB broadcast channels that only support voice, and listening to the desired channel
- Watching to DMB broadcast: Searching DMB broadcast channels that support voice and video, and watching the desired channel
Supported Devices
The LG DMB SDK works on the LG Stylus 2 for European market only.


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What are the different types of trellis netting?
How to decide which type of trellising system is the best for my crop!Here are several different types of trellis netting styles the home gardener can choose from. Trellises are available in the traditional gate style designs most often found as entrance accents to yards and gardens, or may be constructed lower to the ground and used to grow a host of plants, such as vegetables and flowering plants. The netting used may be made from interwoven wooden slates or plastic, such as the lattice work found in most home improvement stores. Gardening using trellises is advantageous for many homeowners because it requires less space than traditional forms, and many types of plants can be grown successfully using this system. When choosing to experiment with vertical gardening, it is important to purchase the correct type of climbing vines and plants.
What types of trellis netting are best suited for my crop?Most types of trellis netting are made from either wood or plastic composite materials, with the pieces or sections arranged in specific patterns. One common design for trellises is known as lattice work, and is characterized by interwoven pieces of wood or molded plastic placed to create a grid design capable of supporting all types of climbing plants. This type of trellis netting is most often used for traditional gateway styled trellises and often features flowering plants, such as roses, grown through the netting for added visual appeal. Another common type of trellis is the ground design. It usually consists of wood slates arranged in a cradle-like design and is most often used for specifically chosen vine plants, such as certain tomato varieties and green beans. Home gardeners often choose trellis netting for gardening due to its numerous advantages in terms of working well in limited spaces, and the number of different flowers and plants that can be grown using this system. Trellises and vertical gardening can be employed in a number of different scenarios. The use of trellises is very convenient for apartment dwellers, those who do not have yard space, and those with very small plots of land to work with. Many inner city gardening projects use this form of gardening to utilize as much of the land space available to yield the greatest vegetable produce return. Regardless of the types of trellis netting chosen, this gardening system will not work without the correct type of plants. Whether the gardener wants flowering plants for beauty or vegetable plants for food, the plants must be an indeterminate variety, which means they are naturally or engineered to produce climbing vine properties. These types of plants are usually found in home improvement stores, online, or in seed catalogs. Hortomallas is available in 10″x 10″ (25cm x 25cm) mesh size, using the most common rolls size one needs a little less than 2 professional rolls per acre (4 per hectare). This material can be used, and rolled back for future re usage for the following crop. Many farmers use it in conjunction with a crop rotation plan, so one may alternate nitrogen fixers like beans or peas with the next crop of tomatoes or cucumbers (just make sure you have your aphids and white flies under control when planting a new variety after leguminous plants.
- Sale!
HORTOMALLAS Espallier Support Net for cucumber, tomatoes, etc (square 25x25cm) 1.5x1500m (60″x4920′, 10″x10″)
MXN $3,889.51+ I.V.A. Add to cart
- Sale!
HORTOMALLAS Trellis Netting for tutoring (square 25x25cm) 1×1500m (40″x4920′, 10″x10″)
MXN $2,593.01+ I.V.A. Add to cart
HORTOMALLAS Tomato Net (square 25x25cm) 0.75×1500m (30″x4920′, 10″x10″)MXN $2,164.22 + I.V.A. Add to cart
Tags: chilies and peppers training


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Strukton and subsidiaries
Metro Riyadh
Construction of three metro lines in the city of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
Underground stations Chile
In the city center of Santiago, Chile, Strukton is constructing five underground stations at Line 3.
High-speed line Ringsted-Copenhagen
Strukton Rail A/S is constructing a new high-speed line between Copenhagen and Ringsted.
To project overview
Mark Kuin
Strukton Rail at work in a tunnel
Gert Klaassen
'Our' first train in India is operational. And that's just the beginning
Maurice Reijm
How to immerse a 60-metre-tall concrete float
To overview
26 April 2019
Vivarail's first Class 230 in service
27 February 2019
Further explanation to acquisition of Riyadh contract
15 February 2019
Investigation by FIOD
However many calculations and estimates we make as professionals in large, complex and often high-risk projects, our ultimate aim is to achieve the highest possible degree of certainty. Strukton Survey & Monitoring specialises in obtaining all the required measurement and monitoring data, analyses materials, develops new methods and techniques, and transforms the resulting information into clear reports. This enables construction teams to act quickly and, if necessary, urgently, and to make adjustments and changes where appropriate. Whether they are deep under the ground, in the open sea or at the top of a tall building. In the preliminary stage, but also during the execution of a project. Lessons learned are transformed into solutions, which are then deployed to resolve new issues.
Measurements alone do not provide an answer to a question or a solution to a problem. This is why we do more than just measuring.
Read more
Geocon, the name under which we operate in the global market, is highly regarded in the immersion industry for both tunnel elements and caissons.
To us, carrying out measurements is just one aspect of measurementsurveying. Measurement Survey is an integral part of the construction method and is performed during the various construction stages until the project is completed.
By conducting advance strategic research into technology, feasibility and dependency, you learn about the opportunities and possible risks of innovations.
In order to generate measurement data, we use a variety of measurement systems and sensors available on the market and our own SMARTbox, which we developed ourselves.
In this process of requirements and opportunities, our flexible monitoring system the SMARTbox is a crucially important tool.
Investing in a practical test during the preparation stage of a project can give you valuable information about how to manage the project. You can shorten the learning curve and that will result in faster, more reliable and more effective construction.
Optimum use of force measurements, ensure that a design is demonstrably safe and allows the work to be optimised even during the execution stage.
An understanding of the hardening process gives you an important indication of its strength development. This determines or predicts the right moment to remove formwork or loading the concrete.
Deformation and subsidence are notorious side-effects of construction work. Normally, all possible effects are calculated in the design stage and a construction method is selected that limits these effects. But these calculations offer no guarantees. Strukton Survey & Monitoring has a variety of methods to verify calculations and, if necessary, to adjust the construction process.
Our monitoring service can be used for the purpose of identifying the deformation of rail tracks. This service will map any rail track deformation 24/7.
We conduct inclination measurements to map any horizontal soil shifts. These measure any movements of the construction pit wall or soil and can be used as early warning for possible deformation of nearby buildings.
If threshold values are exceeded, an alert message is issued, allowing you to take action before any damage occurs.
Groundwater level measurements provide a unique insight into the subsoil. These measurements are used, for example, when the groundwater table has to be lowered.
In the Netherlands, the SBR guideline (Stichting Bouwresearch ©) is the standard for the way vibrations must be measured as well as for the permissible values for various structures.
Unfortunately, not all construction projects are noiseless. But we always try to keep the noise nuisance within acceptable limits for local residents. Furthermore, the competent authority may prescribe the use of sound monitoring in compliance with the relevant statutory requirements.
Time-lapse is a technology whereby the frequency with which film images are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than the frequency at which the images are viewed. Played at normal speed, time seems to speed up.
Crosshole Sonic Logging (CSL) and Tomography are testing methods based on ultrasound. The best-known use of this technology is to determine the quality of diaphragm wall joints, but it can also be used to determine the quality of bored piles, grout solids and other (cement-based) structures and to locate irregularities without damaging the structure.
Increased traffic and an ageing infrastructure are making huge demands on our civil engineering structures. Strukton Survey & Monitoring provides the knowledge and equipment required to diagnose and predict the lifespan of those structures.
© 2018 Strukton
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Surprise! Surprise!
Location: USA
Camera Info: Canon PowerShot ELPH 300HS • Automatic Point & Shoot
ISO 100 • f 2.7 • 1/50 sec
It's a special week and here at the Shine4Him Photo blog, I'm always up for an excuse to party! Take a wild guess who's ring this is.
Guessed yet?
Ok, it's mine! That's right, this world-hopping photography freak is now engaged!!! Andy is just as much of a travel addict as I am, so the adventures will continue I'm sure. And while he's not a photography freak, he's got his own freak-ness (is that a word? It is now!) that always keeps things fun. So this week I'll treat to to our engagement story, and next week we'll hop back on our mental airplanes and go explore the world some more.
Andy and I went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) to see an exhibit I had been wanting to go to. It was Community Day, so they also had lots of fun activities, including an art scavenger hunt. We completed the program and went back to the front desk, and the lady there handed me another page, claiming they had one more new exhibit that didn't make it in the booklet. She said once we finished, we could turn it in for a prize. (All this was scripted, I found out later.) We went up to the last piece of art, and when I was looking around it, Andy pointed out a piece of paper that "someone" had left behind. He handed it to me to read. It was a love poem that he had written. When I finished reading and looked up, he was already down on one knee. I was so surprised I just cried and couldn't talk at first. But all the volunteers & security were there watching, because they were all in on it! 😀
What's the best marriage advice you've ever been given? Let's hear it!


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Shop our large selection of red hard hats from name brands like Bullard, Fibre-Metal, JSP, MSA, Radians, Pyramex, ERB, and many more. We have red hard hats in cap, full-brim, and vented styles. Some of the red hard hats are ANSI compliant although hi-vis red hard hats would be the best choice if using on a job site for visibility concerns.
We also have many different suspension choices including 4-point, pinlock, ratchet, swingstrap, and tablok. Popular series of red hard hats available include V-Gard, Skullgard, Roughneck, Vulcan, Omega II, Evolution, and Americana. We have thousands of hard hats in stock, ready to ship at low wholesale prices.


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Welcome to America's Hospitality Job Network
Because it is fun, fulfilling, and offers great opportunity for advancement, the hospitality industry is highly competitive. At America's Hospitality Network, we are keenly aware of the challenges of getting noticed, getting interviewed, and getting hired. Let us help you become the candidate they are looking for. Get in touch with us today to get started.


text: Dominic (#761) 01-15-15 January 14, 2015 I had just parked on Main St. by one of my favorite stranger hunting grounds when Dominic walked in front of my car. His beard, dapper look, and sartorial presence immediately caught my eye. I quickly fumbled to get the camera out of the bag, the Moleskine journal into my packet, and my wits about me. I had to hurry to get around him to introduce myself.Dominic is from Tampa, and works for Merrill Lynch. He was in Sarasota for the day to learn some procedures from the local office manager. When I told him that I lived in Venice for most of my life, he thought I meant Venice Italy. I said, "If my name was Dominic, I would live in Italy." He replied, "I'd like to live in Milan.I explained that people in business dress seldom want to be photographed, in my experience. He was very interested in 100 Strangers and asked for a copy of the image, and my card. Dominic then THANKED me for including him in the project. I love it! That evening I got an e-mail from him, again thanking me. I was so impressed that I have included the text below:"Great to meet you today Bob! I think your 100 stranger project is pretty cool. I try to talk to three people a day I would not normally talk too, and if that means stop them in their tracks to ask how their day is going so be it. All I have is today!We are all connected 100x over and should cherish the moments we are blessed with."How nice is that?Bob


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Home » About Us
Businesses Synergies was founded in 2006 to plug a gaping hole in the market between the consultants that offer theory and those that deliver results through having hands on experience of actually running businesses and making them successful.
Our Chairman Mr Brian M Back, Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the IET, former University lecturer, multi award winning entrepreneur and business dragon can certainly testify that there is nothing to beat the hands on experience of running real businesses. After founding a niche technology business back in the early 90's that is now part of a FTSE 250 company, he believes that he knows what takes to make a businesses successful.
Other team members include Phil Bremner, after 18 years in International banking he has returned to his passion as cartoonist and graphic designer. This unusual background combination gives a unique ability to be able to produce marketing material based on extensive experience of both sides of the fence. As Editor in Chief he also oversees the four monthly publications that Business Synergies produces - Containment News, Flood News, LPRA eNews and Wireless eNews.


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Claw-ssical movie . . . Don't you love them?
They are the special films that reach across the generations and remain meaningful and iconic forever.
While most films are made for people to enjoy, there are some special movies that are created just for the enjoyment of cats — and the people who love them.
Here are our choices for the top feline claw-ssical movies of all time.
The Hunched Cat of Notre Dame (1939)
In 15th century France, a gypsy "queen" played by Maureen O'Hair-a is framed for murder by the infatuated Chief Justice, and only the deformed bellringer of Notre Dame Cat-thedral can save her. A stunning and touching performance by Charles Laugh-tom as Quasimodo.
Starring Maureen O'Hair-a and Charles Laugh-tom
Catsablanca (1942)
This claw-ssic 1940s film adored by legions of feline fans stars Humfurry Bogart and Ingrid Purrgman in a story of wartime espionage and a feline love triangle. Humfurry Bogart plays an apolitical feline cat club owner in unoccupied French territory that is nevertheless crawling with evil Nazis; Ingrid Purrman is the ex-lover who mysteriously deserted him in the litterbox. Paul Don-Hairless is her heroic, slightly bewildered mate. The foggy furwell scene pictured above includes the memorable lines "We'll always have Purris" and "Here's lookin' at you, Kit."
Starring Humfurry Bogart and Purrgman with Paw Henreid, Clawed Rains & Peterbald Lorre.
The Africat Queen (1951)
In Africa during WW1, a milk-swilling riverboat owner/captain is persuaded by a strait-laced hiss-onary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship. Another clawssic film starring Humfurry Bogart, this time with leading lady, Kat-therine Hepurrin'. Kat is the winner of four Acatemy Awards for Best In Show.
Starring Kat-therine Hepurrn and
Humfurry Bogart
Som(alis) Like It Hot (1959)
Released the same year as Ben-Purr, this hair-larious comedy features two mew-sicians who witness a mob hit, then flee to Miami, Florida in an all female band disguised as women, where furr-ther complications set in. Hair-brained fun!
Starring Tony Curl-kits and the sex-kitten, Marilyn Monroe.
Ben-Purr (1959)
When a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by his kittenhood friend, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge. Inspurrational.
Starring Charlton Hisston
Guess Who's Coming To Suppurr (1967)
Kat-therine Hepurrn and Spencpurr Tracy play Matted and Christina Drayton, a well-to-do white Persian couple whose liberal cattitudes are challenged when their feline daughter brings home her new fiancé — who is black! And short-haired!
Starring Kat-therine Hepurrn
and Spencpurr Tracy
Butch Catssidy and the Sundance Kit (1969)
One of the most successful and entertaining Westpurr-ins of all time chronicles the hair fluffing adventures of outlaws Butch Catssidy and the Sundance Kit as they hold up pet stores on both sides of the border, all the time being purr-sued by a supurr-paws-ee of hissing Ocicats. To avoid the long paw of the law, the outlaws eventually flee to Bolivia.
Starring Paul Mewman and Robert Redfurred.


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Hi, I was wondering how I could stop the slider to use just one image. I have put just one image in the unordered list. But the animation keeps trying to switch to another image. How can I use just one image for the slider?
Hi John,Have you removed the progress bar element from your HTML? It's right after the slider list:

Just remove that and you should be good to go with just one image.Thanks,Nick


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The productivity puzzle: too much like hard work?
Economists agree that the fundamental basis for increasing economic growth and improving living standards is rising productivity, the amount of goods and services produced for a given amount of labour. Longstanding worries about the stagnation of productivity have increased since the economic crisis of 2008. In April, the Bank of England reported that the rate of growth of UK productivity over the past 10 years is slower than at any time since the eighteenth century. To find a period of slower productivity growth, researchers had to go back to the period from 1761 to 1781. If productivity had continued in keeping with past trends, it would be 20 per cent higher than today. While the problem has affected every developed country, the UK seems to have a particular problem: a German worker produces, on average, as much in four days' work as a worker in the UK produces in five.
Yet while there is unanimity that there is a problem, there seems little prospect of a solution. Some economists argue that, to some degree, there is a problem of measurement. While measuring productivity is never straightforward, it seems harder in services – particularly new online services that are free to users – than in the production of goods. For example, using Google Maps to navigate should improve productivity, but because the service isn't paid for, it doesn't count as 'output'.
But even if this were true, it couldn't be the whole story. One of the drivers of productivity is investment in new equipment, particularly where that represents a new form of higher-productivity technology. Yet investment levels have been falling for decades, across the developed world. Moreover, even in services, UK productivity seems to be lower than in comparable countries like Germany, France and even economically moribund Italy.
Economist Tyler Cowen, among others, has argued that we may be approaching the limits of productivity improvement, with all the 'low-hanging fruit' of major technological change – from motorised transportation to network electricity – has already been harvested. Yet others regard this as unduly pessimistic. New technologies that could improve productivity include 'Industry 4.0' smart factories, robots harvesting crops or operating warehouses, automated drones making deliveries of goods or applying pesticides, and rapid developments in genomics allowing faster development of everything from seeds to vaccines.
Others argue that while the best companies are seeing healthy levels of productivity growth, there are too many others barely surviving that drag the figures down. Thanks to a variety of measures, including low interest rates and weak bankruptcy rules, companies that would have folded in the past are clinging on. Not only do these 'zombie' firms reduce the overall productivity figures, but by continuing to capture part of the market in their goods and services, they make investment by better companies less profitable and less attractive. Other commentators have noted different barriers to investment, from an inflated housing market to high energy prices and skill shortages.
To what extent do we really have a productivity problem? Is declining productivity the 'new normal' that we simply need to tolerate? Why does the UK seem to have a particular problem? Is there really anything that government can do to change things?


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Highly targeted and hyper local, the Stratford-upon-Avon Mumbler is your local parenting community!
It connects parents, carers and expectant mums with local resources and businesses. There are numerous advertising options to suit all budgets starting at only £19 per month for a Featured Listing advert. Advertisers receive full social media support through our Facebook and Twitter pages!
This website averages 10,000 hits per month and has a rapidly growing social media presence including 1,600+ parents in our Facebook group.
Website text listings are FREE. For more prominence on a page a Featured Listing is only £19/month which provides top position space alphabetically for your email address, logo or graphic, backlink to your website (valuable for Google rankings), links to all your social media channels and full description.
Top banner adverts are available in all categories eg sponsorship of Playgroups, Photography, Events Calendar (£75/month) plus premium advertising on the homepage (£150/month).
Adverts are available on the right hand side of each page (£35/month) plus premium advertising on the homepage (£50/month).
Monthly e-newsletter. We e-mail out our What's On guide before each school holiday. It's £35 for an advert or advertorial Featured Listing, or £125 for the top banner.
Sponsored blog posts £25/week (subject to business suitability).
Our premium product is to become a Business Partner for £249/month. This provides a microsite within the Mumbler website signposted from the homepage with unlimited space for your organisation's press releases, blog posts, offers etc. Included in this package is a static advert on the homepage (ask about banner upgrades).
Please note all prices quoted are subject to VAT.
Baby and Toddler Nearly New Sales are very popular with our parents. Contact us to discuss the various ways local businesses can get involved including our sponsorship package.
Family Fun Days We had 150 families attend the Family Fun Day on 4 June – let us know if you would like to be involved in future events.
COMING SOON Sponsor a category in the Mumbler Awards!
At Mumbler we can publicise your job advert on our extremely popular "Jobs for parents" page. Job adverts are charged at £25 per role per month. A discount may be offered for multiple adverts. For more information, contact me here
If you know of a family event in the local area that you would like to include in our calendar then please add your event here. Listings are FREE on this page. Please include dates, times, admission charges, a brief description, contact information and an address.


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Cendek Railings Ltd.
Review Me
Cendek Railings Ltd.
DekSmart Railings is an innovative railing manufacturer located in the beautiful Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Over the past 20 years of doing business we have come to represent an aluminum railing product that is associated with style, safety and durability. Our recent move into a new facility has prompted new growth as we have made exciting new changes to our manufacturing process. New equipment, modern powder coating techniques and a staff that are excited to embrace progress have increased our capacity to provide our customers with a timely and highly sought after product. DekSmart Railings is committed to providing our dealers with the highest level of personal service and quality product available. We support our dealers as they service a wide array of customers, ranging from homeowners, and residential contractors to commercial developers. Regardless of the project size we detail each job individually to ensure that the railing is exactly what the customer envisioned for their project. We consistently source our dealers for feedback and insight into the application of our product. We strive to be at the forefront of new product development and changes in the marketplace. Whether it is providing engineered product for specific needs or sourcing the best choices in fasteners we take pride in satisfying your railing needs.
Services Provided
We offer 2 product lines. Deksmart is custom products fabricated to specifications supplied by the customer and Century is manufactured in standard sizes and colors for easy installation by a homeowner or builder.
Areas Served
Our products are available throughout Canada and the Northwestern US. We welcome enquiries from outside these areas.
C.O.R. Worksafe Certificate of Recognition
Contact:Deksmart Railings
Location:9685 Agur St
Summerland, British Columbia V0H1Z2
Summerland, British Columbia V0H1Z2
Patios & Outdoor Enclosures in India
Mumbai Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Delhi Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Bangalore Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Kolkata Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Chennai Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Hyderabad Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Ahmedabad Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Pune Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Surat Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Visakhapatnam Patios & Outdoor Enclosures


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FREE Guide to Understanding Variable Annuities
Please complete the following confidential request form to receive a FREE Guide to Variable Annuities. Please note: All fields must be completed.
Copyright © 1998
Fielder Financial Management, Ltd.
All Rights Reserved.
Securities are offered through Girard Securities, Inc.
member FINRA, SIPC.
Mark R. Fielder, Registered Principal. CA. Insurance Lic. # 0690576.


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Live Training
(2 Classes)
Self-Paced Courses
(29 eLearning Courses)
& Video Collections
(0 Bundles)
IRA Distributions in Estate Planning: Trusts as Beneficiaries
Is the Will Valid? Testator Mental Capacity and Influence by Heirs
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We recommend cleaning each part of your Christopher Spitzmiller lamp in the following manner:
To clean the base of your lamp: Use of liquids or solvents is not recommended, especially with gilded bases. Wipe the base of the lamp with a soft, dry cloth. The water gilding process used for finishing the bases allows for a patina to develop over time. This is a natural part of the lamp's life and is an intended effect.
To clean the ceramic body of your lamp: Use a soft cloth to wipe the body of the lamp clean. Use care when using a damp cloth in order to avoid damage to the finish of the lamp's base.
To clean the brass end cap and hardware: Use a soft cloth to wipe the end cap and hardware clean. Brass end caps are not coated with a lacquer and will therefore develop a patina over time. Use care if using brass polish in order to avoid damaging the finish of the lamp's base and ceramic body. Brass lamp hardware is coated with a lacquer finish and will not require polishing.
To clean the nickel end cap and hardware: Use a soft cloth to wipe the end cap and hardware clean. Nickel end caps and lamp hardware are coated with a lacquer and will not require polishing.
To clean the paper lampshade: Use a soft cloth or feather duster to wipe the lampshade clean. Use great care if using a damp cloth, as moisture can cause discoloration and deformation of the lampshade's paper surface and trim.


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Welcome! My name is Olaf Lesniak and this is Marvel vs DC! The series that will come out weekly on Saturdays and will pit two famous characters against each other. I will look at both opponents' skills, powers, abilities, stamina and etc. to help me determine the winner. Today our battle is….
Red Hood vs. Winter Soldier
First we will look at the origins and the basics of each character. We will follow that by Red Hood and Winter Solider's powers and abilities which would then lead them into a battle against each other.
Origins: Red Hood
Jason Todd was the second Robin, until one day he got killed by the Joker. Resurrected, Jason became a threat to Batman and his allies by taking up the Joker's old name – the Red Hood. As the Red Hood, he would use his skills to fight crime and later joined the Batman family to protect Gotham City.
• Identity: Red Hood
• Alter Ego: Jason Todd
• Occupation(s): Anti-Hero
• Team Affiliations: Outlaws, Batman Inc., Teen Titans
Origins: Winter Soldier
As a friend of Steve Rogers he was thought of to be dead by the end of World War 2. Bucky Barnes was taken in by the Soviet Union to be brainwashed and trained for 50 years. Becoming a foe to Captain America he later remembered as to who he previously was and now continues to defend his home country.
• Identity: Winter Soldier
• Alter Ego: James "Bucky" Barnes
• Occupation(s): Anti-Hero, spy, assassin
• Team Affiliations: Invaders, Avengers, Thunderbolts
Abilities & Weaponry: Red Hood
• Martial Artistry
• Enhanced Speed
• Heightened Strength
• Acrobatics
• Detective
• Endurance
• Radio Transmitter and Receiver
• Night Vision
• Hand Guns – 2 Jericho 941's
• Grenades
• Batarangs
• Shurikens
• Daggers – flame daggers
• Metallic Mask
• Glider
• Grappling Hook
Abilities & Weaponry: Winter Soldier
• Cybernetic Arm – strength; produces jammers for x-rays & metal detectors
• Infinity Formula – long levity
• Martial Artistry
• Suit – impact resistant, bullet resistant
• Firearms – mostly a Colt 1911-A1 .45 and a P08 Luger
• Grenades
• Throwing knives
• Fluency in Languages
Former sidekicks turned villains turned heroes turned their mentors turned anti-heroes. Not only do they share similarities through physical conditions, but also personal lives and experience. I mean Jason became Batman for a short period of time, while Bucky became Captain America for years. Jason Todd trained by Batman at a very young age, traveled around the world to learn brutal versions of martial arts such as Karate, Krav Maga, Aikido, Ninjutsu, Capoeira, Savate, Kickboxing and Taekwondo. He is considered to be one of deadliest people in the world and one of DC's top martial artists. Bucky Barnes was trained by Captain America and before that he was able to fight grown men in his teenage years. Barnes trained under the Soviet Union and learned assassination and martial arts skills. At the time of being Captain America he was just as successful against the Captain America's rogue's gallery like Steve Rogers but, without the super soldier serum. The Winter Soldier's levels of hand-to-hand combat are high, but they aren't on the Red Hood's level. I mean the Red Hood knows a huge variety of fighting styles, is considered one of DC's top, and not mention his acrobatics, leading to a conclusion that in this category Todd prevails.
Next, their weaponry is equally matched since both use a huge variety of guns, explosive grenades, and blades. Now the Red Hood doesn't poses any strength, but the Winter Soldier seems to have a huge advantage thanks to his cybernetic left arm. James "Bucky" Barnes is so strong he punched through metal and threw shields capable of slicing through human limbs giving the Winter Soldier a huge edge.
Speaking of Bucky's cybernetic arm it can emit electrical charges, and create EMPs (electromagnetic pulses) that could disturb Jason's night vision and hi-tech. The Winter Soldier also has impact and bullet resistant suit meaning that most of Red Hood's lite heavy firearms would not be that useful against our favorite soldier. Now call me crazy or don't but it is pretty clear that the Winter Soldier is the winner here.
His strength, protection, and electrical projection would be too powerful for Jason Todd's hand-to-hand combats skills. Bucky is also a spy, and an assassin meaning that he acts more professionally when it comes to a battle while Jason's anger is usually his weakness. The Winter Soldier could for example hide in the shadows while jamming the Red Hood's night vision. This would follow by a surprising attack or even a death blow. Remember, the Red Hood's mask is not bulletproof nor resistant and the rest of the body is an open target.
WINNER: Winter Soldier
Thank you for reading this installment of Marvel vs DC. Do you agree with the result? What are some next battles that you would wanna see me analyze? Give me all suggestions, opinions and ideas in the comment section. Be sure to like, and make sure to SHARE! Thank you all once again and see you next Saturday.
Follow me on Twitter: @olaf_lesniak
Teaser for Next Week: SANDFACE!!!


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Sponsored Listings:
Micki W Hall (Postmaster) firstname.lastname@example.com
374 Phillips 363 Rd
Oneida, AR 72369
Oneida, AR 72369
The Oneida Post Office is located in the state of Arkansas within Phillips County. This location serves 0 Oneida residents with a median income of $0. It's estimated that approximately 0 packages pass through this post office each year.


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- This event has passed.
Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting & Learning in Peacebuilding Practice; 12th to 16th March 2018, Nairobi, Kenya
March 12, 2018 @ 8:00 am - March 16, 2018 @ 5:00 pm
Event Navigation
Background Information
Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning (MERL) is an integral part of every intervention whether in development, peacebuilding, humanitarian assistance or livelihood support. When systematically done, MERL makes it easy to articulate a project's theory of change, determine if the implementation schedule is still on course and determine if desired results are being achieved. It also enables programme staff to easily draw lessons from what is working and recommend appropriate measures. Though MERL is beneficial, many organizations and project staffs shy away from it particularly because many see it as technical in nature, others find it to be time consuming while others fear negative appraisals either because the projects failed to produce visible results or those results were not achieved within the project cycle. In spite of this, it is important for project staff to be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills that would in turn allow them to effectively engage in MERL.
Course objectives
- Introduce participants to MERL from a peacebuilding perspective
- Enhance participants understanding of the various contextual tools of analysis applied in MERL
- Expand participants' knowledge of the different MERL tools used in the peacebuilding practice
- Build participants understanding of a project's Theory of Change
- Enhance participants' skills in developing a learning agenda for their projects
The Course Content
- Introduction to monitoring and evaluation for conflict prevention and peacebuilding
- Contextual analysis tools
- Developing effective monitoring tools for conflict prevention and peacebuilding
- Developing a Theory of Change
- Evaluation and Developing a learning agenda
Expected Training results
- Participants will be able to articulate the different analysis tools used in MERL for Peacebuilding projects
- Participants will be in a position to develop M/E plans for their projects using different tools
- Participants will better understand the concept of 'Theories of Change'
- Participants will be capacitated to develop learning agendas for their Peacebuilding projects
Course fee
Option 1:-$800; The amount covers tuition, Certificate of Participation, airport pickup and drop off (where applicable) and the day to day conference package during the 5 days of the training
Option 2: -$1300; The amount covers full-board accommodation at the training centre, tuition, Certificate of Participation, airport pickup and drop off (where applicable)
For more information on the course, download the training prospectus here
To apply for the course, download the application form here


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Crystallize is the pse filter of the week. You can find it under filter, pixelate, crystallize.
My photo before
click photo to enlarge
click photo to enlarge
So try if out for yourself. And if you'd like to share your creation with us please feel free to leave a link in the comments section of this post.


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Stafford Rangers wrapped up a 1-0 win despite Belper throwing everything at them in the second half.
Ben Haseley scored the game's only goal midway through the first-half as Nailers 'keeper Danny Haystead could only parry Levi Rowley's header and Haseley was on hand to stab the ball home from close range.
Haystead, who was making his 50th appearance in goal for the Nailers, went someway to redeeming himself on the stroke of half-time, brilliantly keeping out Christian Dacres' strike from the edge of the box.
The Nailers 'keeper was also celebrating his 30th birthday, but it was not the end to the game he would have wished for. Rangers forward Ryan Wynter collided with Haystead in the final moments which led to him being replaced by back-up stopper Charlie Mansfield.
Deep into stoppage time Stafford substitute Jake Jones went down from what looked an innocuous challenge, he was subsequently taken on off on a stretcher as he returned to action after a four month lay-off.
Both sides defended valiantly, especially the visitors in the second-half as Belper threw bodies forward to try and find the elusive equaliser.
The Nailers best chance of the game fell to centre-half Phil Watt, Ross Parker flicked on Louis Keenan's long ball and Watt found himself in acres of space but he could only head over from eight yards out.
Despite the uncomfortable end to the game there was a lighter moment five minutes into the second-half, referee Sean Richardson bounced off Stafford's Stuart McNaught and blew his whistle to halt the game as he caught his breath on the muddy Marston's Stadium pitch.
On a day littered with injuries, both sides were forced into a change in the opening half-hour. Rob Stevenson being replaced by Kyle Bryant for the Nailers.
Stafford's Peter Till pulled a hamstring taking a free-kick and which paved the way for the returning Jones.
Belper did everything in their power to find an equaliser but the visitors held firm, Captain Eric Graves had a half-volley well saved and Parker had an effort saved with the last action of the game.
The win takes the Boro' 17 points clear of Coalville at the top of the Evo-Stik Division One South table despite their Leicestershire rivals still having four games in hand.
Belper Town: Haystead (GK) (Mansfield 90'), Allen, Keenan, Parker, Palmer, Watt, Stevenson (Bryant 19'), Graves, Watkis, Williams, Steadman.
Unused subs: Leggitt, Armstrong, Constable.
Stafford Rangers: Whitehouse, Melbourne, Wood, Miles, Daniel, McNaught, Rowley (Reid 76'), Dacres, Wynter, Haseley (Rooney 89'), Till (Jones 32').
Unused subs: Cater, Johnson.
Attendance: 421.
Referee: Sean Richardson.


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The formation of the United Internation Mapper's Federation was possibly a major event in Mapping History. The UIMF formed as a result of several conflicts in the Mapping Community because of high tension between the European Mapper's Union and other groups against them. Two mappers (Galactic Mapping and Nigerian Mapping) decided to make a group designed to give refuge to those caught in the cross-fire and try to allow mappers to map without any drama.
Ever since it's formation, the UIMF has played a vital role in allowing mappers to free map without the drama that has been haunting the community for a time. They accept anybody, and everybody! Till this date, the UIMF is one of the most crucial communities, though it may not seem so, they were and may continue to be.


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FREDERICTON - It will take some time before hospitals in New Brunswick are ready to perform more abortions, despite regulatory changes made last week to open access to the procedure for women, Premier Brian Gallant said Thursday.
The two provincial health authorities need more time provide added levels of service, Gallant said.
"I think both health authorities have made it clear that they are open to looking at what they have to do to ensure the capacity is there," he told a news conference.
The controversy over access to abortions heightened in the province when the Morgentaler clinic in Fredericton closed last summer. The private clinic was doing more than 600 abortions a year, while the Health Department says about 400 were being done at two hospitals in Moncton and Bathurst.
Before Jan. 1, medicare would only pay for abortions done by specialists in those hospitals, and only after two doctors deemed the procedure as medically necessary.
The hospitals in Moncton and Bathurst that provide abortions are part of the francophone health authority known as Vitalite.
Gallant said both hospitals are bilingual and it is not unusual that certain procedures are only available at some hospitals.
"It will be the same case here when it comes to reproductive health services," Gallant said.
The Horizon Health Network says it is developing plans to provide access to abortions and hopes to offer the service in April.
"Since this service was not previously offered by Horizon, issues such as space, staffing, protocols and identifying physicians to provide the service are currently being addressed," John McGarry, president of the Horizon Health Network, says in a statement.
Jessi Taylor of Reproductive Justice NB said she can't understand why it is taking so long.
"The equipment and procedure is the same as if someone was having a miscarriage. I really hope that if someone was having a miscarriage they would not be asked to wait until April," Taylor said.
The health authorities need to offer the procedure in hospitals that won't require people to travel too far, she said.
"We should be able to access health care in our own communities," Taylor said.
Also on HuffPost


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Lower power rates are likely the only result Utah consumers will experience following the merger of Utah Power & Light Co. and Pacific Power and Light, says Utah Public Service Commission Chairman Brian T. Stewart.
Stewart made that observation during a talk to the Farmington Rotary Club Thursday morning."We'll still make out our checks to Utah Power & Light and we will see most things happening just the same as they have in the past," Stewart said.
But the merger is a major event involving privately owned power utilities. Stewart said the merger was the first in the United States in nearly 50 years and is the "threshold" case for what is expected to be an avalanche of mergers over the next several years.
Already, two other mergers involving California and Arizona power companies have been proposed. Stewart said analysts expect the present 200 private power companies to consolidate and merge into as few as 50 by the turn of the century.
While Utahns are likely to see mostly good come from the merger, one element is considered negative by most observers, Stewart said. He said the merger agreement allowed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to exert authority over privately owned transmission lines for the first time, a factor he believes is an overstepping of authority by the federal government. He said the Utah PSC is very concerned over this aspect but decided not to fight the move because of the other benefits of the merger.
The federal approval of the merger requires the two utilities to make excess transmission capacity available to other utilities, including municipal power companies, without restriction. This is expected to make it easier for municipal power companies, UP&L and PP&L's chief competitors, to get access to surplus power in surrounding states, bypassing more expensive power offered by UP&L.
Stewart said the Utah PSC will keep close tabs on this element of the agreement.
Among the benefits to Utah customers will be an immediate 2 percent rate reduction that should be in place by March, to be followed by an additional 3 percent reduction over the next four years, Stewart said. Other savings are expected in power generation costs, because new power plants will not be needed for several years, and an improved ability to make surplus sales to other companies, a move that benefits ratepayers under a previous PSC order.


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Xylographed wrapper, printed on handmade mulberry paper.
The device is my SCA arms, and the bold claims of my talents are a take on various examples that have survived, rather than my ego.
Wrappers such as this seem to be the most common solution, but don't work well for the field. Fortunately. it cuts up nicely on a box


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MiFID Descends across Europe
Published in Automated Trader Magazine Issue 09 Q2 2008
Six months after its launch, the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) has begun to stimulate greater competition between trade execution venues, but the fragmentation of liquidity and trade reporting has also caused confusion among buy-side institutions. Chris Hall reports.
A lack of headline-grabbing glitches had many dismiss MiFID as
something of a non-event, following its launch last November. But
after the hype came the reality. Buy- and sell-side firms have
been getting on with the business of adapting to a new
environment in which they must choose between venues for trading
and trade reporting. While MiFID's introduction was never likely
to bring Europe's equity markets to a standstill, the Directive's
teething troubles are now beginning to bite. Brokers admit that
their clients face harder workloads as they adjust to an
increasingly fragmented market. And with barely a multilateral
trading facility (MTF) or dark liquidity pool out of the starting
blocks, large asset managers are already complaining of the
problems of aggregating liquidity and comparing transaction cost
Daemon Bear, JPMorgan Asset Management
"Understanding the true liquidity of a security is becoming more difficult, …"
In February1, the Financial Times reported disquiet among London traders when off-exchange trading and reporting allowed Montague Private Equity to build up a 10 per cent stake in Biffa, a waste management group, unnoticed until Montague announced its holding the next day via the regulatory news service. The impact of MiFID has varied across Europe. While London has undoubtedly suffered a temporary loss of transparency, for example, trades are now more visible in Germany. Buy-side attitudes to Chi-X are instructive. Launched by Instinet just over a year ago, the pan-European MTF has emerged as the first serious competitor to established national exchanges and now boasts 5-10 per cent of total trading in UK, Dutch, German and French listed stocks. While some asset managers - eager to benefit from a reported average price improvement of 2.67 basis points since launch - are frustrated that their brokers appear unable to direct more volumes to the venue, others fight shy either simply due to caution or because their back-office systems cannot cope with receiving order fills from two venues. For every institution keen to employ the latest smart order routing technology there's another that has yet to hear of Chi-X or Turquoise.
The invisible trade
So far, the main impact of the introduction of choice via MiFID
has been to throw a blanket of fog over the certainties upon
which trading was previously based. "Understanding the true
liquidity of a security is becoming more difficult," says Daemon
Bear, Head of Equities Trading, JPMorgan Asset Management. "Some
brokers have done a very good job in helping us identify where
our orders are getting executed, i.e. the percentage being routed
away from the primary exchange. But overall, it's still pretty
opaque. The consolidated order book is something of a myth at the
Michael Sparkes, Managing Consultant, ITG, a leading provider of transaction cost analysis (TCA), acknowledges that venue-specific analysis of trade performance is a challenge. "The question of venue is still a work in progress for the whole industry. Data from OMSs is not venue-specific, so the buy side has generally relied on the sell side for this kind of information," he says. Brokers want TCA to provide verification for the execution data they provide to clients and to monitor their own trading performance and costs, says Sparkes. "The sell side is increasingly interested in post-trade analytics, including venue-specific data. And where they're using a third-party broker to access an exchange, they're increasingly using TCA to focus on the trading costs incurred," he says.
"… the main impact of the introduction of choice via MiFID
has been to throw a blanket of fog over the certainties upon
which trading was previously based."
According to JPMorgan's Bear, the fact that the buy side has largely relinquished its trade reporting responsibilities to brokers has contributed to the confusion. "Do we ask the brokers for greater transparency or do we sit back and make the best of what is currently a very opaque and confusing picture? It's very hard to paint a picture that reflects accurately on our execution performance using external TCA, because of the inconsistency in volume profiles," he explains. For JPMorgan, the solution is to take matters into its own hands. "It places even greater emphasis on the factual evidence of our own experience in the market," says Bear. "This is one of the reasons why we will take more ownership of the tools needed to gain access to liquidity pools; we can't make the assumption that other people will do it for us."
Brian Mitchell, Head of Dealing & Portfolio Control, Baring Asset Management, also fears that the buy side is not yet getting full visibility of execution performance under MiFID, but says the sell side and other providers will respond to evolving needs. "Double-counting can be an issue with trade reporting providers, for example, but the likes of BOAT are pro-actively trying to clean data. TCA providers will have to tap into that to ensure they are providing the whole picture, in the absence of a consolidated tape," he says. "During 2008, the buy side will ask for more granularity in terms of how and where brokers are executing on our behalf, including references to direct market access (DMA), smart order routing (SOR), latency, and algo usage, preferencing and functionality, as well as the actual relatively high costs of cross-border clearing and settlement."
Mark Winter, Insight Investment
"I need to justify what we do, what our processes are and how we evidence them to various internal and external parties, …"
Evolving buy-side demands
The need to provide clients with evidence that trading processes support MiFID's broad definition of best execution is driving buy-side data requirements, according to Mark Winter, Head of Dealing, Equities, Insight Investment, the asset management arm of HBOS, which manages more than £100bn on behalf of group and external clients across bonds, equities and other asset classes. "I need ever more comprehensive time-stamping, which is why FIX is so important to me now. I need to justify what we do, what our processes are and how we evidence them to various internal and external parties, from compliance teams to regulators to consultants to trustees," he says. Insight is also making much more extensive use of its TCA data. "There's been an evolution in the buy side's approach to TCA over the last three to four years," says Winter, "from a box-ticking exercise to a valuable management tool to identify what we're doing well and what kind of orders are being handled better by some brokers than others."
Central to demands for more information is the fragmentation of liquidity across more venues.
"I might well expect my brokers to itemise and evidence the venues on which my block of 100,000 shares has been executed to ensure best execution, which will be an increasing challenge as the number of venues increases," says Winter. "We are getting more information from brokers already, but not yet to this level of granularity. It may be that our risk and compliance people decide we need to store and deliver it to clients or regulators on request and it will be certainly valuable to me in determining the benefits of routing orders to different platforms."
And in attempting to bring greater clarity to the relationship between asset managers and brokers, MiFID is also changing its nature. Like many large asset managers, Insight Investment has chosen to be categorised by the vast majority of its brokers as a professional investor rather than an eligible counterparty in order to benefit from best execution guarantees under MiFID. "My team of traders is ultimately responsible for delivering best execution to clients, but we need the brokers' help to ensure we are tapping every source of liquidity from Euro Millennium to Chi-X to the broker's dark pool to flows seen by their programme trading team. The bottom line is not missing a trick," says Winter.
Prior to MiFID, Baring already monitored its panel of global execution counterparties through a biannual review, based on an ongoing analysis of their performance against key subjective and qualitative criteria: quality of execution; sales trading services and capital commitment; operational efficiency and electronic trade confirmation; and FIX, routing and connectivity capabilities (Baring conducts more than 98 per cent of its total global equity transactions via FIX). "The requirement for us is to analyse regularly who we're dealing with and being able to justify why. I don't see how you can do that by not knowing what their systems can and cannot do," says Mitchell. Since MiFID, Baring has had a strong preference for dealing with intermediaries that categorise the firm as a professional investor rather than an eligible counterparty. "An initial broad brush refusal to deal with those not granting professional status was not practical, as this could've limited our ability to provide best execution for our clients," according to Mitchell.
Brian Mitchell, Baring Asset Management
"An initial broad brush refusal to deal with those not granting professional status was not practical, …"
Clearing and settlement constraints
While the forces of competition unleashed by MiFID are causing confusion in the front office, the directive's promotion of competition in the clearing and settlement market may also reap disquiet in the back office. Today, there are 23 national central securities depositories (CSDs) in Europe, while the
number of clearing counterparties (CCPs) is currently six and
rising as new trading venues emerge. Chi-x is using a
pan-European solution (EMCF; European Multilateral Clearing
Facility) provided by Fortis, Equiduct is clearing through
LCH.Clearnet, Turquoise is working with EuroCCP (a subsidiary of
DTCC), while NYFIX Euro Millennium clears through BNP Paribas.
Bill Capuzzi, President of G-Trade, the global electronic trading unit of BNY ConvergEx Group, the US-based agency broker, says Chi-X's clearing solution has contributed to its success. "A crucial factor for the sell side is that there's no disadvantage from a settlement perspective," he says. "Generally speaking, sourcing liquidity from multiple locations and having multiple settlement events for a single order is a significant cost uptick. But if I place an order for Ericsson that gets filled on both Chi-X and the local exchange (OMX), the Chi-X executions are also directed back to the local market for a single settlement event."
But many believe it is even more difficult to create a pan-European market for equities clearing and settlement services than for trading. The first challenge is to ensure sufficient inter-operability between CCPs, trading venues and market participants to provide efficiency and choice. So far, progress has been slow because of the implicit competitive threat to established CCPs such as LCH.Clearnet, which was recently obliged to grant access to LSE trade flows to SIS X-clear. "There will be circumstances in which the dominant CCP for a particular venue will be asked for equal access by a CCP servicing a new MTF in order to make the market efficient for users. Inter-operability potentially runs counter to the incumbent's commercial interest, but without it, new execution venues will find it harder to gain traction if they introduce a new clearing and settlement structure," says Andrew Howieson, Managing Director, TABB Group Europe.
Just as much work is required to Europe's settlement framework. The Giovannini report on clearing and settlement in the European financial markets, published in 2005, identified 15 barriers to harmonisation, of which just one is considered fully resolved. Howieson says these "deep-seated" differences between national regimes need to be resolved to create an environment in which the
European Central Bank's Target2-Securities (T2S) platform can operate effectively. "The aim is for T2S to be a common settlement platform at least for the euro-zone markets, but this is not possible without common procedures and processes. So unless the remaining 14 issues are resolved, costs will remain higher than they should be in what is technically now a pan-European trading market," he says.
Valerie Bannert-Thurner,Skyler
"Banks have to consider their competitive positioning and where they're making most money, so it's understandable that they should be hesitant."
A key element of the sell side's response to fragmentation has
been the development of smart order routing platforms to access
liquidity intelligently and dynamically across multiple venues,
i.e. routing algorithmic order flow between venues based on their
performance against certain criteria. Although smart order
routing is already showing its value, buy-side traders should
query brokers both on the volumes and prices achieved at
different venues and their connectivity to dark pools, says
Valerie Bannert-Thurner, Managing Director, Skyler Technology
Europe, a market data aggregator. "In many cases, a broker's
algos will dip into its internal liquidity pool and then go to
the established exchange and MTF market if no matches can be
found. While it would be great if SOR technology could search for
liquidity not only across exchanges and MTFs but also
publicly-accessible dark pools and other brokers' internal dark
liquidity pools, but in reality only few brokers allow
connectivity from the competition," she says. "Banks have to
consider their competitive positioning and where they're making
most money, so it's understandable that they should be hesitant."
BNY ConvergEx's Capuzzi says that the way SOR capabilities and execution algos are adapted to Europe's increasingly fragmented European market will be a source of competitive advantage between brokers. "First, the model has to be scalable and speed to market has to be consistent with changes in Europe's market structure. If it takes me four months to onboard Turquoise, I'm going to lose credibility and opportunity," he says. "Second, being able to source market data directly and wring out all the latency when routing to venues are two increasingly crucial factors. If you have four to five exchanges or MTFs bidding a stock, you've got to be able to read the market data and make the right routing decision in milliseconds."
But TABB's Howieson says buy-side firms are not content to rely on brokers' SOR capabilities. "There is a market for third-party applications. There are already third-party algos that are specifically designed to look for liquidity in dark pools and rebalance orders as they find liquidity. Bringing those into a prop platform is a legitimate approach, but building that capability entirely might be a tall order for all but the largest buy-side firms," says TABB's Howieson. JPMorgan Asset Management's Bear confirms that the buy side has appetite for SOR platforms that do more than route an order to the best destination. "The next level is the ability to identify the strategy with which you want to execute a particular order in an automated and systematic way," he says. "This creates ownership of how a security should be traded, leaving the broker to decide where it should be traded."
Currently, price is the key decision-making parameter used in SOR, but the increasing ability to input a wider range of data means that additional parameters can be added - such as internal analysis of the execution likelihood and speed of different liquidity pools based on the firm's transactions - that may soon enable SOR to make more intelligent decisions, according to Skyler's Bannert-Thurner. "An additional challenge for banks' SOR capabilities is the amount of client-specific information that can be included. At the very least, they need to be able to support all the order types the client wants to use, including hidden orders, and be flexible enough to consider different sets of liquidity pools on a per client and per order basis," she says.
Chris Smith, NYFIX International
"… the buy side wants to find liquidity without the concern of interacting with anyone's proprietary flow."
Darkness falls
The value of SOR platforms to the buy side expands with every new
trading venue or dark pool launched. Of course, the MiFID party
is hardly in full swing yet. Chi-X is the only venue to challenge
the established exchanges. NYFIX's Euro Millennium dark pool is
the sole new competitor to crossing networks POSIT and LiquidNet.
And many of the banks' own 'dark' liquidity pools are little more
than automated structures for handling growing algorithmic flows
from clients. Admittedly, RSVPs have been received from trading
platforms Equiduct and Turquoise, while NYSE EuroNext and SWX,
the Swiss exchange, have promised to bring their own dark pools.
But when they do arrive, perhaps with some unexpected guests,
it's by no means guaranteed that the buy side will break out the
champagne. TABB's Howieson says many buy-side firms are yet to be
convinced that fragmentation is to their advantage. "I've been
quite surprised by the strength of the reaction against the
proliferation of dark pool venues. People seem quite opposed to a
large number because it will be hard and expensive to manage
effectively, he says. "At the same time, there is a realisation
on the buy side that a reappraisal of trading tools is required
to manage the fragmentation of visible and non-visible liquidity.
Technology will be critical to manage trading effectively across
these venues."
One reason for concern over the proliferation of dark pools is that efforts to attract liquidity are actually raising the barriers to entry. Smart order routing technology may route algorithmic flow between exchanges offering visible liquidity, but will it be able to do the same for dark liquidity? Brokers admit that reciprocity between dark pools barely exists in the US, let alone in Europe, and POSIT can only be scoured by ITG's algos. "If the sell side don't provide linkage, how does the buy side manage to access these pools at the same time?" says Tabb's Howieson.
"It's not always clear exactly which dark pools are looked at and in which order. The buy side would like to see more transparency in this field."
Chris Smith, Director, NYFIX International, which launched Euro
Millennium in March, says openness and neutrality are prized. "As
they're executing a range of different strategies, some
algorithmically executed, the buy side wants to find liquidity
without the concern of interacting with anyone's proprietary
flow. Building a position up in a mid-cap stock over a period of
time can be very difficult due to the inherent liquidity
constraints. So the least information that leaks into the market
about your trading intentions the better," says Smith.
Although brokers might be reluctant to share liquidity with each other's dark pools, they are willing to work with third parties such as NYFIX. While 'conditional' or 'resident' orders seek liquidity only within Euro Millennium, a 'pass through' order first reviews the Euro Millennium order book for matches then passes on to a pre-defined destination if it has not been fully completed, such as an exchange or a preferred broker. "The question the sell side has to ask is: where are you
going to meet your clients and your counterparties? They recognise that they're not going to meet their clients in their dark pool all of the time," says Smith. "They do need to connect to other pools."
Sell-side story
Not only are buy-side firms in the market for third-party SOR
solutions. Competitive pressures on second-tier brokers are
increasing sell-side demand for SOR and algorithmic trading
capabilities. "Domestic brokers are feeling the need to offer
trading capabilities across Europe and beyond," says BNY
ConvergEx's Capuzzi, "and they're also feeling pressure from the
buy side to offer algorithms, either from their trading desks or
white labelled out to clients," BNY ConvergEx already has ten
sell-side clients across Europe using an 'Algo Rental' service
which provides access to the firm's trading infrastructure and
range of execution algorithms.
The need to reach ever more venues across Europe is prompting a variety of sell-side responses. Sell-side firms have always maintained relationships with other brokers to handle some of their execution business, but they're now expanding the range of tools deployed. "We're seeing an emergence of a blended approach whereby a UK broker might use the smart DMA service of an Italian broker to execute Italian stocks, but might develop its own SOR logic to route UK orders between Chi-X, Turquoise and the LSE," says Ian Salmon, Head of MiFID, Fidessa, the technology vendor.
Across the sell side, increased automation is seen as the key to handling fragmentation. "There are contrasting approaches between larger brokers that have developed their own SOR capabilities in-house, which link to multiple venues including their own dark liquidity pools, and those that are combining SOR packages from ISVs with the services of local brokers in markets where direct exchange connectivity can't be justified," says Salmon. "Some brokers are even looking to send core domestic flow to DMA providers to access particular venues."
Bill Capuzzi, BNY ConvergEx
"Domestic brokers are feeling the need to offer trading capabilities across Europe and beyond, …"
IT: solution or problem?
Baring's Mitchell asserts that MiFID is prompting a wholesale
review of technologies and tools deployed by asset managers in
the trading process. Baring has recently upgraded its Latent Zero
Minerva order management system (OMS) to version 4.0 and Mitchell
says the ongoing obligation under MiFID to connect to established
and emerging liquidity pools that offer best execution is also
driving industry debate on how to secure adequate execution
management functionality. "Do you think your OMS / OEMS (order
and execution management system) provider will be able to do that
with its established clients or will a separate independent EMS
platform like FlexTrade or NYFIX be able to maintain the ongoing
capital and IT investment required?" posits Mitchell. "There's
also a third option - using a sell-side solution such as Goldman
Sachs' REDIPlus or Lehman's LMX platform, for example. To my
mind, that's a reasonably big call you've either made or may need
to make in 2008."
While technology can put together what fragmentation has torn asunder, it inevitably comes at a cost. "The logical expectation would be that more fragmentation will lead to higher costs. But against that we have technology-driven solutions, e.g. algorithms and dark pools, to help people access liquidity," says ITG's Sparkes. "I do wonder whether the technology creates a barrier to entry to asset management because without these tools I fear performance will deteriorate."
1. Brokers' MiFID grumbles are transparent, Financial Times, February 29, 2008


text:
Offering access to EV charging safely and securely.
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A public network offers EV drivers the convenience of charging away from home, but must have the public's safety in mind. FLO understands this.
Already present in many municipalities as part of Canada's largest public charging network, our curbside stations are designed to enable EV drivers to recharge safely. Cables never touch the ground, ensuring safe passage for pedestrians and, in winter, snowplows.
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text:
School Psychology - SSP
Criteria for Admission
Applicants to the specialist in school psychology program are required to have a bachelor's degree, preferably in psychology or a related field; however, it is not a requirement that the degree be in psychology. Recommended GRE: The specialist program has a preferred minimum GRE score of 300 (153 verbal and 147 quantitative using the new scale) and 1000 (500 verbal and 500 quantitative using the old scale).
Recommended GPA: Applicants to the specialist program should have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher in the last 60 hours of their major program.
Required Psychology Preparation: Applicants are required to have eighteen hours of undergraduate coursework including:
- Introduction to Psychology/General Psychology
- Developmental Psychology/Lifespan
- Statistics
- Experimental Psychology/Research Design/Research Methods
- Cognitive Psychology/Psychology of Learning
- Physiological Psychology/Behavioral Neuroscience
*Applicants without the required undergraduate coursework, if accepted into the program, would be required to complete the coursework prior to beginning their graduate work.
Application Deadline
Our application deadline is January 5. All application materials must be received by both the Office of Admissions and the Department of Psychology and Philosophy by the specified deadline. Please note that it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all materials are received by January 5. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Application Process
Please pay close attention to the application deadlines and instructions listed below, as late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
There are two parts to the application process:
- Part I: Graduate School Application Procedures
- Part II: Departmental Application Procedures
Part I: Graduate School Application Procedures
Arrange to have the following documents sent to:
Office of Admissions
Texas Woman's University
P.O. Box 425589
Denton, TX 76204
- The ApplyTexas Application: Applicants at all levels must use this system to apply to all Texas public universities. Submit a graduate admissions application online at www.applytexas.org (NOTE: A non-refundable application fee of $50.00 will be required of each new applicant. The fee is $75.00 for international students).
- Official Transcripts: Submit an official transcript from each accredited college or university attended (copies are not accepted). Even though coursework from all institutions may be reflected on one transcript, TWU's Office of Admissions requires individual transcripts from each university attended.
- Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores: Arrange to have your GRE report sent directly from Educational Testing Services (ETS: www.ets.org/gre/). When completing the ETS Score Report Form, TWU's institutional code is 6826.
Visit the Office of Admissions website for additional information.
Part II: Departmental Application Procedures
Collect and submit the following documents in ONE envelope to:
Dr. Kathy DeOrnellas
Program Director for Specialist Program in School Psychology
Department of Psychology and Philosophy
Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX 76204
- Cover Letter/Letter of Intent: A letter of intent is simply a cover letter indicating that a potential student is interested in applying to the Specialist in School Psychology program.
- School Psychology Program Application: Complete, print and submit a hard copy of the school psychology program application form [.pdf].
- A copy of your APPLYTEXAS Application: Submit a copy of your completed graduate school application.
- Vitae / Resume: Your vitae or resume should highlight relevant training, work experience, and volunteer experiences.
- Unofficial Graduate Records Examination Scores (GRE): Submit a copy of your most recent GRE scores (unofficial or photocopied is acceptable). The Specialist in School Psychology Program requires the Verbal, Quantitative, and Total scores.
- Unofficial Transcripts: Submit a transcript from each accredited college or university attended (unofficial or photocopied transcripts are acceptable).
- Letters of Recommendation: Submit at least three letters of recommendation from academic or professional references. Letters should be written on institutional or organizational letterhead. Each must be individually sealed with the recommender's signature written across the flap.
- Essay: (500 words or less) describing the applicant's professional aspirations in the field of school psychology as well as relevant autobiographical information.
Important Dates and Deadlines
On-Campus Interviews
On-campus interviews are required as part of the application process. All applications are reviewed and a select number of applicants are invited to interview. Applicants invited for interviews will be contacted with the interview date. In the event that the applicant is unable to come to campus, a telephone interview may be granted.
Acceptance of an Offer
Should you be accepted into the Specialist program and decide to accept our offer, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can notify applicants on the Waitlist. Submit confirmation of your acceptance to Kathy DeOrnellas, Ph.D., via email at firstname.lastname@example.com, fax 940-898-2301, or mail (Kathy DeOrnellas, Ph.D., Program Director for Specialist Program in School Psychology, Department of Psychology and Philosophy, Texas Woman's University, P.O. 425470, Denton, TX 76204).
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