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It has been one year since I opened my solo practice with the Gordon Moore (AKA "ideal medicine") model. After 14 years as a staff physician in a managed care organization, I re-started with zero patients.
My numbers:
Patients seen: 201
Patient visits: 357
Average # visits per patient: 1.78
Average # visits per week: 14
Housecalls: 9
M:F ratio: 46% male, 54% female
Average age: 36
Oldest: 91 years old
Youngest: 2 months old
Sources of patients: Word of mouth 41%; Relatives of patients 16%; Paid advertisements 14%; Insurance provider list 12%; Newspaper article 6%; Yellow pages 4%; Referrals 4%; Former patients 2%; Other 1%
Payor mix: PPO insurance 71%, Cash 24%, Medicare 7%, HMO 0%
Time to receive payment via electronic billing: average 7-12 days; longest 122 days; shortest 2 days
Average charge per visit: $114.27
Average payment per visit: $70.06
Total charges: $40,785
Total reimbursement: $17,515
Improved job satisfaction: Priceless
It is a work in progress, and in retrospect, it is a lot more work than I anticipated. But then again, I knew that there was no way I could ever know how hard/easy it would be without actually doing it. Kinda like getting into medical school.
I want to reassure those who may be scared off by my low numbers that my slow startup has been atypical. As I have mentioned elsewhere, other physicians trying this practice model have grown much faster than me, and some have closed their practices to new patients after one year or less.
The biggest challenge for me has been the business side of things. I'm almost over feeling embarrassed about asking patients for copays and sending out bills. It took me a long time to even catch up with submitting claims to insurers, and even now, I am awaiting payments for visits that took place months ago. My wife took it upon herself to enter all my receipts and expenses, mainly because we need to know what to put on our tax return. (Thanks, honey!)
Growing the practice has been the other challenge. I am still intending to come up with a postcard-type ad that I can send via a direct marketing mailing list. One thing I'm learning about being a local business person is that community involvement can be a bottomless pit. First I joined Kiwanis and got to know some other members of the community. Then I joined the Chamber of Commerce, and volunteered to be on a committee to help grow the Chamber. Now I'm on the verge of volunteering to chair another committee for the local Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. These are all worthwhile events, and they are a way for others in the community to get to know me. But sometimes I worry that I might become so busy with these other activities that I don't have (enough) time to spend on my practice and my family. That is, after all, one of the main reasons I left my former job.
Another potential activity that is coming up pertains to the purpose of this blog, which is provide motivation for others who may wish to go solo, too. There has been an e-mail listserve (started by Dr. Gordon Moore) which has been sharing information and experiences for the past year. Recently, someone suggested that we get together and become an official organization dedicated to fostering this new practice model. We are in the process of writing a grant proposal to fund a project to demonstrate how this "ideal practice" model may provide better health care than traditional models.
I'm not quite sure what defines this "ideal practice" model that Dr. Moore started. His original goal was to strip away non-essentials and have a bare bones, low overhead kind of practice that allowed him to schedule patients for same day visits and spend oodles of time with patients, without having to generate the kind of income that is required to support the typical number of office staff. In return, he was less frazzled, regained his autonomy, and managed to maintain his income level. This is the same model I have been following, except that I'm still frazzled and I have nowhere near my former income level yet. But I do spend oodles of face time with patients.
However, other physicians in our group work with a nurse, PA or clinic assistant. Some partner with other physicians. Some work part-time, some full-time. Some see a few patients a day. Others see 20-25 patients a day. At least one of us charges a retainer fee ($50 per year). We all use electronic medical records rather than paper charts.
Recently, concierge medicine has been in the news. The main selling points to patients of these practices are that they get better and more immediate access to, and more undivided attention from, their doctor. However, I think our "ideal medicine" practices share many features in common with concierge or boutique practices:
- Nicer and less crowded reception areas.
- Priority/same day/ guaranteed next day/ extended/ Saturday appointments. (I see patients on Sundays sometimes)
- 24-hour pager, cell phone, home phone access to the physician.
- House calls and out of office care. (some practices)
- Preventive care/weight loss/nutrition/wellness advice.
- Telephone and email consultations.
- Comprehensive physicals.
On the other hand, some concierge practices have features that you won't find in an "ideal medicine" practice:
- Spa-like amenities and decor.
- Personalized mini CD-rom containing medical history and related information.
- Preventive care/weight loss/nutrition/wellness programs.
- Accompanying patients to appointments with specialists. (Then again, 4 months ago I picked up a patient from her house and drove her to her GI appointment because her ride didn't show up. So I suppose this could apply to both. Although I'll bet a concierge doctor wouldn't offer to be a chauffeur.)
- A retainer fee of $1000 to $20000 per year. (Definitely worth it for spa-like amenities and a personalized CD.)
I keep calling our practice model "ideal medicine" not because it is ideal, but because we are striving to practice the ideal kind of medicine that patients and physicians both want. The medical care you want and need, when you want and need it. The time for patients and doctors to build a relationship. Greater satisfaction for everybody. It may be that this practice model will end up having a different moniker. Whatever it will ultimately be called, it is part of a grassroots movement to fix a broken healthcare system.
As they say, "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow." And we must be a little nutty to think we can solve the current U.S. healthcare system. But we've got to start somewhere. Why not here?
1 hour ago


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Jasmine Gregory
2015-2016 Action Fellow
North Carolina
Jasmine Gregory is an Action Fellow from Franklinton, North Carolina. She attends J.F. Webb High School of Health and Life Sciences as a junior. Jasmine cares about climate change because she understands that our Earth is precious. She understands that climate change is a big deal and that action must be taken now. Jasmine realizes how negatively climate change will harm our ecosystems, species, and human populations. She wishes to contribute to the preservation of the Earth so that the generations to come will be able to experience the many wonders of the world. From the Action Fellowship, Jasmine hopes to increase her knowledge not only about the growing problem of climate change but how to properly educate others about climate change as well.
Other interests of Jasmine's include horseback riding, Future Farmers of America, reading, cross country, zip lining and track. She also enjoys the outdoors and eating fruit.

subset: commoncrawl


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Small shopping centre level created for No More Room In Hell's Survival Mode. The story of the level is this:
Survivors have entered this shopping centre, in hopes of finding a safe place to stay and supplies to survive for longer period of time. Problem is, the entrance-doors' shutting system is broken and needs to be fixed. This takes time, so survivors have to keep themselves alive while the system is being fixed (by non-seen mechanic).
Some info about the gameplay-mechanics besides the basic wave-after-wave defending:
-Gun shop and Pharmacy both are locked in the beginning. They can be only unlocked by unwelding/melting the lock with handheld-welder device. This device spawns randomly at one of the 8 positions in underground/garage area. It has a dead body and glow-stick next to it for easier locating.
-There is a backroom/server-room at the warehouse area. The small room is locked with a key-code, which is randomly chosen to be one of the 5 seen in the notes spread accross the level.
-Grocery-store, Security-room and Diner are the 3 safezones to be defended. Those 3 are the only places with spot for the medical-supply crate, which can be found in the level.
-Supply-drops are received through the 2 broken skylights in the complex/building. One of them is at the area that is being renovated and another is at the warehouse.
-Players can't exit the building, so all the gameplay happens inside the building. Zombies come from the darkness outside.
-There are 3 traps in the map to help getting rid of the zombies: 2 electric-fence traps powered by old generators and one propane-canister trap used as a stationary flamethrower. All 3 of these are temporary and one-time use only.
-When the last wave is happening, the "Finale" is triggered. This is simple "objective" players need to do, to win the map: Close all 6 entrances of the building, so no more zombies enter the building.
In NMRiH's Survival Mode, players have to defend themselves through waves of zombies, which grow in amount of zombies coming each wave.
No More Room In Hell – Half-Life 2 Zombification
Level Design, Mapping, Survival Gamemode


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Q: I'm guessing that some types make better friends than others?
A: It's not that simple. More that some types fit better with other types in friendship. If you know the types, you can add whatever's missing
Q: I'm also guessing that friends would help me understand the types?
A: Yes! Don't keep the 12 Type Enneagram a secret. It's often others who tell us what type we are. Of course we can do the same for others
You can use the Enneagram to understand what is necessary in friendships; if you are puzzled as to why a friendship ended; or why you do not click with certain people.
Use the 6 type energies to understand what every friendship needs:
Now examine your present and past friendships.
Do or did they have all these elements? Which ones are/were missing?
If the friendship is now, can you add what's missing?


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March 9th, 2012
By Jennifer Olin, BSN, RN
Two weeks from today I will be packing to go to New Orleans. No, it's not a vacation, but it will be fun. I am headed to The Big Easy for the annual meeting of my professional nursing organization. I am a member of AORN, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, Inc.
AORN is a non-profit specialty organization that represents the interests of 160,000 perioperative nurses nationwide. AORN provides nursing education, standards, and clinical practice resources to enable optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures. AORN's 40,000 RN members manage, teach, and practice perioperative nursing, are enrolled in nursing education, or are engaged in perioperative research.
AORN's mission as stated by the organization "is to promote safety and optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures by providing practice support and professional development opportunities to perioperative nurses. AORN will collaborate with professional and regulatory organizations, industry leaders, and other health care partners who support the mission."
The organization's "Vision Statement" is to "be the indispensable resource for evidence-based practice and education that establishes the standards of excellence in the delivery of perioperative nursing care."
AORN, its mission and vision, is representative of the dozens of professional nursing organizations available to nurses of every specialty. For nominal dues you have access to endless information, continuing education, most have a specialty journal that comes with membership, and you get a chance to interact with your peers from across the country at least once a year.
There are many professional nursing organizations available to join. Some represent nursing as a whole, some are specifically for nursing students, some are national and some international in membership and scope. There are many good reasons to join any of them but particularly the organization that represents the specialty area you have chosen to work in.
As a nursing student these organizations are a great help when it comes to choosing what area you want to practice in. Most offer very low student rates that provide complete access to the organization. You can research a given specialty; find a mentor or even an internship. You have to opportunity to interact with others already in the field and see if this really is a career path you choose to travel.
Normally, I would now include a list of nursing specialty organizations and their websites. To be honest, why reinvent the wheel. It is a very long list of everything you can imagine, so instead I give links to two different list pages. The American Journal of Nursing printed this list in its career guide in 2009 and it includes addresses, phone numbers, and web addresses. The other list is simply links to the each organization's web site. Take a look around, pick a specialty and click. You never know what will capture your interest or your imagination.
In the meantime I'll be mapping my route to New Orleans, packing my clothes and my car, and pouring over the schedule brochure for the convention, picking out the sessions I can't wait to attend. While I am there I will keep you all posted with photos, tweets, Facebook shares and articles about the latest in the world of nursing.


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The Diet Piece of the Dyslexia Puzzle
Vitamin D3 and Omega-3 essential fatty acids could both be key nutrientsThis section, The Diet Piece of the Dyslexia Puzzle, addresses two nutrients which are quite likely to be deficient in today's children compared to children who born prior to the 1980's or so. Widespread deficiencies of Omega-3 essential fatty acids (obtainable in fish oil and a few other sources) as well as of Vitamin D3 (manufactured by the body from sunlight) are found in today's populations. At the time I first wrote this section I put the Omega-3 issue first because it has interesting research support that I discuss in some detail. I considered the Vitamin D3 issue to also be interesting, but claimed that it was "entirely theoretical at this point, though I wonder if it might turn out to be quite important."
A Vitamin D Deficiency Is Being Associated with Many Diseases
Well, it's still theoretical, but a lot has been happening in the world of vitamin D since I wrote those words. I now feel no parent can afford to ignore the probable importance of ensuring that vitamin D3 levels are maintained at adequate levels in your children, in adult family members and particularly duringRecent research suggests that the effects of vitamin D3 on overall general health are huge pregnancy. Here's the point I want to emphasize: Even if maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D3 have no impact on dyslexia, the other health benefits suggested by recent research are becoming so enormous, yes enormous, that a parent would be foolish to let any family member become deficient. Frankly, the drug companies would kill to get the sort of results that researchers are finding as they investigate the associations of a vitamin D deficiency with disease after disease.
Here, though, we are primarily concerned with reading problems and with dyslexia, and although the vitamin D research has now associated a vitamin D deficiency with a multitude of particular diseases, I've seen nothing in the research associating it with dyslexia. That doesn't mean such research isn't out there somewhere; I just haven't found a study that I can cite in support of the hypothesis I'm going to lay out here.
The Hypothesis: A vitamin D deficiency is the "trigger" that activates a genetic tendency Here's my hypothesis: I have long felt that ADHD, dyslexia, Asperger's and autism are all associated conditions that have in common a failure of a child to develop normal childhood skills on schedule and that what distinguishes them is the severity of the deficit in development, with the ADHD child eventually developing into a more or less normal adult while the autistic child might never develop the skills needed to be considered a fully functioning adult. Dyslexia and Asperger's fall between those two extremes. And I now suspect that these delays in development have a specific cause or causes, and that one of those causes is a vitamin D deficiency. Another might well be a deficiency in Omega-3's.
Consider the historical record. Most people who were in school in the 50's and 60's have a hard time remembering more than a classmate or two who had trouble learning to read, and back then typical classrooms had 30 or more students in them. Today in many schools teachers are running into 10 to 15% of their students who are encountering reading difficulty. (To be honest, I've never been all that impressed with this argument, as it relies too much on perceptions of situations in our childhood, but many people feel quite strongly that it's an accurate depiction of what has happened.)
Less controversial is the explosion of the autistic population. Here, too, I felt for a long time that we were just diagnosing it more accurately, or assigning a new name to a condition doctors had seen for decades,In 1989 we were warned to avoid direct sunlight; today we have an autism epidemic. Coincidence? Or Cause? but I've had to acknowledge the obvious. Schools today are rapidly being forced to accommodate mounting numbers of autistic children, and school administrators will confirm that fact. Autism is, inexplicably, rising at epidemic rates among our children. Asperger's, too, is becoming increasingly common.
As will be shown when we get to the vitamin D discussion, the rise in the incidence of autism corresponds closely with the advice to avoid sun exposure, advice first actively promulgated by the medical community in 1989. Today's mothers are likely to be considered negligent by many if they allow their children into direct sunlight without first lathering them up with sunscreen, and that sunscreen is extremely effective at stopping the body's production of vitamin D3.
It's not clear at all that dyslexia is undergoing the same epidemic-like rate of growth and dyslexia has been a concern for more that just the last 20 years, so I want to emphasize that the link between dyslexia and a vitamin D deficiency is only hypothetical. However, the link to autism could eventually be supported by future research and if I'm correct about dyslexia and autism both being part of a spectrum of conditions characterized by delayed, or abnormal, child development, then ensuring that your child is not vitamin D deficient could pay huge dividends.
And, even if the link to autism is found to be non-existent, or if my hypothetical linking of dyslexia and autism is incorrect, virtually everyone should be paying attention to their vitamin D3 levels given all that has been learned recently.
Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids Might Also Influence Dyslexia
Our modern-day diet is highly deficient in Omega-3 essential fatty acids. Here are just a few examples of the way Omega-3's have been reduced in our diets and replaced by Omega-6 essential fatty acids:
1. Chickens used to wander the farm eating a lot of insects. Now they are grain-fed almost exclusively. Their insect-laden diet was rich in Omega-3's, whereas grain contains predominantly Omega-6's. Both the eggs and the meat of the chicken used to be good sources of Omega-3's, but are not anymore.
2. Similarly, both beef cattle and dairy cows used to pasture much more than they now do. Beef is now fed various grains in feedlots and the average dairy cow spends all day in either the barn or a feedlot. TheOmega-3's have disappeared from modern diets. But does that matter? grasses they used to eat were a source of Omega-3's, now replaced by the Omega-6's prevalent in grains. Again, both the meat and the milk ceased being good sources of Omega-3's in our diets.
3. Even salmon, an excellent source of Omega-3's (though care should be taken to avoid heavy metal concentrations) is now often farm-raised in ponds. Their diet in the wild is filled with elements of the food chain heavy in Omega-3's. But in the ponds? You guessed it; more grains.
4. Fruits and leafy green vegetables are less efficient sources, but still sources, of Omega-3's but the average person's diet today has far less of these. Instead, we fill up on chips, crackers and breads made from grain.
Summing up, if Omega-3's are important, it's safe to say we get far less of that particular essential fatty acid in our diets than in earlier days.
So We Don't Get Omega-3 EFA's Anymore, So What?
They're called Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) because they're essential dietary elements. Our bodies need these particular fatty acids for sources of other compounds that go into building our brains, our visual systems, our nervous systems, etc. Essential fatty acids can't be created by chemical processes within our bodies. They have to come from a direct dietary source.
And what happens when our bodies don't get enough Omega-3 sources? Our bodies use Omega-6's instead, of which there is no shortage given the massive grain-based diets most of modern-day man is on. But what's the relevance to the dyslexia puzzle? Well, it turns out that an excellent study (double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled) published in 2005 provides some interesting evidence that Omega-3 supplementation could make a difference to a dyslexic child, though not in every case.
Fish Oil and Dyslexia covers that study in some depth and provides links to the complete study, as well as to specific results that you will find interesting if you have a child struggling to learn to read. First, though, consider the possibility that a vitamin D3 deficiency might be complicit in causing a reading problem.


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Please feel free to browse these pages of randomness.
You will find info on climbing, doula-dom and odd photo stuff…
everything is always a work in process yet fine as it is
(in my little head anyway)
Hmmm, can you see this? really?? If you can see this you must have magic powers


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The Indian government has invited US president Donald Trump to be the chief guest at next year's Republic Day celebrations, says a report.
According to The Times of India, India is awaiting the US government's response where the latter has indicated that Trump administration is favourably considering the invite that was sent in April this year. The invite was reportedly followed up with multiple rounds of diplomatic talks.
The Narendra Modi government hosted Trump's predecessor Barack Obama at the Republic Day celebrations in 2015. If Trump accepts the invite, his visit will likely be more dramatic and closely-watched than Obama's was, considering his mercurial nature and the uncertain India-US ties at the momentIn 2016, (now former) French president Francois Hollande was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade, while the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the guest in 2017.
This year, in an unprecedented move, 10 leaders of ASEAN countries— Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos and Brunei — attended the celebrations.
The invite to the Trump administration comes amid differences with US over trade tariffs, India's ties with Iran and New Delhi's proposed deal with Russia over S-400 defence missile system.
In June, after US piled pressure on India to cut oil imports from Iran, New Delhi agreed to take all necessary steps including engagements with relevant stakeholders to ensure its energy security, even as the government has asked oil firms to start exploring alternative sources. The move came after US ambassador to UN Nikki Haley during her trip to India said that New Delhi should rethink its ties with Iran. The US reportedly told India and other countries to cut oil imports from Iran to "zero" by 4 November or face sanctions, making it clear that there would be no waivers to anyone.
Regarding the defence deal with Russia, US had earlier indicated that India's planned Rs 40,000-crore deal to buy the sophisticated, long-range S-400 air defence system from Russia would "complicate" building inter-operability between the United States (US) and Indian militaries.
However, India conveyed to the US that the "time-tested" India-Russian cooperation in the defence sector will continue, including the deal for S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems for the Indian Air Force (IAF), notwithstanding the American sanctions against Moscow.
The India-US ties also took an uncertain turn when US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled the crucial '2+2' dialogue in June. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were earlier scheduled to travel to the US to take part in the meeting with Pompeo and Secretary of Defence James Mattis on 6 July. But on 27 June, Pompeo spoke over the phone with Swaraj to express his "regret and deep disappointment" at the US having to postpone the dialogue for "unavoidable reasons". They, however, agreed to reschedule the meet at a later date.
Source - FP


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NEW DELHI: BJP chief Nitin Gadkari found himself in trouble with the government deciding to go into allegations of dubious funding in his companies which cast a shadow over his getting a second term as party president in December.
As embarrassing details tumbled out about the funding for Purti Power and Sugar Ltd run by Gadkari, corporate affairs minister M Veerappa Moily said as the information on the issue has come in public domain, the Registrars of Companies will "definitely inquire into it".
"We have not ordered anything. It is all coming in the newspapers. Since it has come in public domain, we told our ministry to make some discreet inquiry to find out what exactly is the matter. Are there any violations of Companies Act?" he said.
When asked whether the business dealings of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, will also be scrutinised, he said the two issues were separate and there was no link between them.
Media reports have raised questions over the source of funds for Purti Power and Sugar Ltd controlled by Gadkari. Media investigations claim that major investments and large loans to Purti were made by a construction firm Ideal Road Builders (IRB) group, which had won contracts between 1995 and 1999, when Gadkari was PWD minister in Maharashtra.
Gadkari has denied the allegations and offered himself and his companies to any probe.
BJP attacked the government saying its approach was "selective and prejudiced" about dealing with Gadkari issue while ignoring corruption allegations against Vadra and former Union minister Virbhadra Singh.
The party said it endorses the stand of Gadkari that he was open to any investigation by any competent authority.
Adding to Gadkari's discomfiture, his party MP Ram Jethmalani demanded his resignation in the wake of corruption allegations and asked him not to seek a second term in office.
"In the interest of the party, in his own interest, he should get out of the fray now and he must give the position to somebody who inspires greater confidence. He should not aspire for a second term," he said.
"Obviously, there is suspicion about his integrity and in the interest of the party and his own interest he must get out of this position. It weakens the party position.
"In the coming elections we are fighting against corruption and we have to have a man of absolute impeccable integrity," he said.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who has been attacking Gadkari, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking an investigation into the dealings of Gadkari's company. "Gadkari has also said that he is open to a free and fair investigation. Being the National President of BJP, it is in the fitness of things that his case is properly investigated and he gets a fair opportunity to prove his innocence and clear his name," Digvijaya Singh wrote in his letter.


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Whenever you need a good smoke that you can enjoy completely even if you do not have much time to spare, pick up a BluntVille Cigar. From National Honey Almonds, these are high-quality, machine-made cigars made in the United States. They provide a satisfying smoke full of premium tobacco and mild flavors.
Bluntville Cigars are made from the finest selection of tobacco leaves and are wrapped in natural leaf tobaccos. They are double-wrapped, ensuring a rich smoke. However, the double wrapping also offers another advantage. If you want a faster burn from the start, just remove the outer layer. This will give you a fast burning cigar that you can finish quickly while still enjoying the full flavors.
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Google in China: Ex-Microsoft VP Kai-Fu Lee's Past Report Might Point to What Went Wrong
In the fascinating maelstrom that is Google in China, one thing is clear: this affects all of us. It's not about whether Google's decision to draw a line in the sand is based on ideals versus profits. It's not about whether the Chinese government will open up its Internet policies and play ball with the rest of the world. It's about the future of every company on the Web—including Microsoft, Amazon, RealNetworks, and all the smaller companies out there.
In case you haven't been following every twist and turn, earlier this week Google said it might pull out of China following its investigation of a cyber attack that it says originated in China, targeting at least 20 large companies (including Google). One apparent goal of the attacks was to access the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Google said it is "no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China."
Google's statement is very carefully worded. It doesn't explicitly accuse Chinese officials of any wrongdoing. But the reactions of a lot of people, from the media to tech-business leaders to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have helped portray the situation as a cut and dried "Google (and freedom of information) vs. China (and censorship)" issue.
I want to tackle one piece of this sprawling puzzle. And that is the huge, ongoing cultural challenge that Google, Microsoft, and other western companies face in setting up business operations in China. No, this is not a new issue. But one part of the Google announcement was particularly telling: "We want to make clear that this move was driven by our executives in the United States, without the knowledge or involvement of our employees in China who have worked incredibly hard to make Google.cn the success it is today."
Google has now been up and running in China for four years. That is not a lot of time to build deep relationships. And it certainly doesn't help that Google's biggest competitor in China, Baidu, is backed by the Chinese government.
Heading up Google's China effort until recently was Kai-Fu Lee, the controversial ex-Microsoft vice president who founded Microsoft Research Asia in Beijing in 1998. Lee, a Chinese high-tech celebrity and education leader, was head of Google China from 2006 until last September, when he left the company to create an incubator in Beijing for Chinese high-tech startups.
In my view, it may not be a coincidence that the current situation has come about so soon after Lee's departure. Frankly, I'm surprised this all didn't come to a head much sooner for Google. But perhaps it was through Lee's efforts that it didn't—or maybe, conversely, it's part of why Lee left Google. (I've pinged him for comment, but haven't heard back on this topic.)
Which brings me to some analysis. Back in 2003, while he was at Microsoft, Lee wrote up a report entitled "Making It in China." It was a cultural assessment of how the Redmond, WA, company should enter into business relationships and build trust over in China. The report later took center stage when Lee sent a version to CEO Eric Schmidt of Google in 2005, as he prepared to leave Microsoft for Google, spawning a contentious court battle over his non-compete clause. (You can read all about the case in the book Guanxi, written by Bob Buderi and me.)
Lee sent the 23-page report to my co-author Bob (now Xconomy's CEO) in May 2005, on the same day he sent it to Google. It included six "challenges" of doing business in China, and six "formulas" for meeting those challenges that foreign companies must practice "or they will be turned away." Looking back now, it's interesting to think about how he may have applied these lessons at Google—and where it all went wrong.
Here is a quick summary of Lee's six formulas for success in China (this is adapted from Chapter 12 of our book, for those of you scoring at home; and again, Lee wrote it in 2003):
1. Learn the protocols and forge trusting relationships
"China's culture is built on trust, relationships, and mutual respect," Lee wrote. "Trust takes a long time to build, but there are many ways to break trust: by showing disrespect, by failing to provide favors in exchange for favors received, by not following the protocols, by condescending, coercion, or by dwelling on controversial issues."
2. Establish a strategy for long-term commitment
"China is not hesitant to choose one 'friend' per industry and reward it richly," Lee wrote. He added that the Chinese "are more interested in companies that are also willing to transfer technical and business knowledge." Some examples of companies that had done this successfully over the years: Coca-Cola, Volkswagen, Sony, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard.
3. Nurture local talent and leadership
"MNCs [multinational corporations] that don't value and develop local talent are viewed as exploitative," Lee wrote. He cited Coca-Cola and Carrefour, the French retail giant, as examples of companies that have promoted homegrown talent to top management positions in China.
4. Be flexible and open to local needs and practices
Lee wrote, "The environment is often full of volatility and irrationality, so one of China's market rules is: The rules keep changing." One issue has always been price points. For example, he said, "Coca-Cola successfully avoided brand piracy by allowing its China [subsidiaries] to price products so affordably that it was no longer worth the effort to counterfeit them."
5. Help build the local business ecosystem
"China expects multinationals to help nurture [the] local economy in exchange for access to the China market, even if this means that the MNCs are fostering future competitors," Lee wrote. "Offering to share business culture, management concepts, and technology skills is even more helpful to building trust and business collaborations." Some positive examples: Coke, KFC, IBM.
6. Build trust from a unified, humble organization
"To create a good image in China, other companies have worked hard to keep a consistent corporate message and a low PR profile. Rather than PR campaigns, they have concentrated on winning trust from government and local partners," Lee wrote. "Philips China has seventy times more revenue in China than Microsoft, but only one-tenth as much PR as Microsoft."
By casual inspection, it looks to me like Google has broken with #1, #4, and #6 (if it ever officially followed them)—for what may be very good reasons. It has dwelled on the controversial issue of Internet censorship (#1), which cuts to the core of Google's mission to organize the world's information and make it accessible. It drew the line at being flexible to local practices after the recent cyber attacks it uncovered (#4). And it is doing anything but keeping a low profile in China, by calling the world's attention to the current situation—in effect putting the Chinese government in a corner (#6).
But perhaps something Lee wrote above—that "the rules keep changing"—applies to these formulas for doing business as well. As it stands, I suspect this situation will not end well for either Google or China.
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text:
LG G8 ThinQ™ | AT&T
Key Features
- Hand ID
- Air Motion
- 8 MP Front-Facing with Z Camera
- Crystal Sound OLED Speaker
- 6.1" QHD+ OLED FullVision Display
- Android™ 9 (Pie) Operating System
available colors:Aurora Black
LG G8 ThinQ™ Product Review
"It looks sharp, has a killer screen with powerful audio, and performs like a champ."
A trademark of Ziff Davic, L.L.C. Used under license. Reprinted with permission. © 2019 Ziff Davis, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.
*Screen Images Simulated Throughout.
LG G8 ThinQ™
A New Way To Interact
Now is your chance to join the party with the LG G8 ThinQ™. Experience the same smartphone innovation Jennifer Lopez interacts with in her music video for "Medicine".
Hand ID
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With Hand ID, technology integrates with biology, as a 3D sensor uses your unique circulatory and hand patterns to unlock your phone. For ultimate convenience, Multi ID enables you to unlock your phone one of three ways: Hand ID, 3D Face Unlock, or Fingerprint ID.
Air Motion
Give Touchless Commands
Discover a new way to interact with your screen that frees up your hand. Hands dirty or wet? With just a wave of your hand, easily access favorite functions, answer calls, snooze alarms, and even increase volume without touching your phone.
Z Camera
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The secret behind many of the amazing feats of the LG G8 ThinQ™ is its sophisticated Z Camera. With advanced 3D depth sensors, the LG G8 ThinQ helps you capture standout selfies with custom background and adjustable lighting effects.
Crystal Sound OLED
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Highlight yourself by softening backdrops with the 3D camera that separates you from the background with refined precision. Add a professional touch to portraits by adjusting your photo's depth of field for an artistic and accentuating background effect.
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Stunning Picture Minimalist Design
The LG G8 ThinQ™ is crafted with smooth, contoured glass for a gorgeous, uncompromising streamlined design. Featuring our edge-to-edge 6.1" OLED Fullvision™ display, the LG G8 ThinQ™ lets you enjoy striking clarity, beautiful contrast, and vibrant color for some of the best picture quality ever from LG.
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We're so confident in the quality of the LG G8 ThinQ™ that we offer a free second-year limited warranty coverage on top of the manufacturer's first-year limited warranty.
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text:
Grape Vine Lights, 10 Lighted Clusters, Purple, Plug-In
These decorative grape cluster string lights are perfect for patio, poolside or party. The sparkling acrylic beaded clusters look magnificent with the included green vines and leaves. Comes with 10 burgundy grape clusters.
- Bulb Type: Mini
- Light Count: 10
- Lighted Length: 6 ft
- Bulb Spacing: 7 in
- Lead Length: 3 ft
- Tail Length: 8 in
- Wire Color: Green
- Plug Type: Fused, Stackable
- End-to-End connectable: Yes, up to 3 strands
- Grade: Indoor and Outdoor Use
- Power (Strand): 120V
(corks not included)


text:
There's a common phrase that 'Mac's don't get viruses', which unfortunately isn't exactly true. Whilst we've never seen a Apple Mac computer infected with a 'virus', we've seen quite a few that have malware infestations.
Malware can take many forms on a Apple mac. It can sit within your browser, taking over the home page, redirecting you to pages you didn't want, or even convincing you that the FBI or Australian Federal Police have infiltrated your computer, found questionable images, and require a payment to 'unlock' you computer.
The good news is, most malware on a Mac is easily removed. We have been able to successfully remove 100% of all Mac malware we've found, and we have a range of special tools to do so.
Ultimately, you want to protect yourself, so that your Mac doesn't get infected in the first place.
Firstly, We recommend using the Google Chrome Browser, with the Adblock plus extension installed (This is also available for Safari, if you prefer). This stops banners and pop-ups that first invite you to install the adware, usually under the guise of 'cleaning your mac'. A bonus is that this configuration will also stop ads in general, which makes for a better user experience when using the internet.
Secondly, you can't go wrong with a internet security product such as Avast. This installs onto your mac, and prevents you from even contracting a virus or malware in the first place. Part of Avast's setup involves checking whether the site you're visiting on the internet is legitimate. If it isn't, it will warn you, and stop you from visiting it unless you choose to ignore the warning and proceed. Best of all, it's currently free for mac users. You can download it here.
Lastly, you want to make sure that your mac is actually infected, and that it isn't another issue that's causing problems. Hard drive failures can cause beachballs and all types of slowdowns. Sometimes when you think you've got a malware or virus infection, it's actually something else. Give you hard drive a quick check with trial ware hard drive diagnosis software DriveDX.
We hope you've found the following information useful!


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Two facts motivate this analysis:
Our purpose is to explore alternative ways of allocating this $6 billion to regain some of the earlier promise of the program.
Before turning to the analyses, a few words about the underlying economics of the Pell Grant program are in order. Currently, nearly 4 million students receive Pell Grants, but most grants are not for the maximum award. The amount awarded to each student is based on both income and assets, and it is further reduced by the need to bring total eligibility into line with funds appropriated--Pell Grants are not true entitlements, but are based upon annual appropriations.
While the maximum award authorized for 1995-96 is $4,100, the maximum award funded is much lower--$2,340 this year. Given the large number of recipients, it costs roughly $320 million to increase the maximum award by $100. Thus, nearly $6 billion in additional spending would be required to fund the authorized maximum award, a sum not likely to be forthcoming. Were we living in a more perfect world, we would advocate full funding for the program, maintaining the promise of access. Given the world as we find it, however, we think it imperative to examine more effective allocations of the current $6 billion in order to ensure as much access as possible with that sum.
Before proceeding to the various cost estimates, a brief discussion of the current allocation formula is in order. For each potential Pell Grant recipient, available income and discretionary net worth are first calculated based on the recipient's total income and total net worth, in a manner that sets aside certain sums for living expenses and other purposes.2 In the next step, assessment rates are applied to available income and discretionary net worth to produce contributions from both sources. These contributions are then summed to produce the "expected family contribution" or EFC. Once the EFC has been determined, it is then used in separate formulas to produce two potential award levels, with the smaller of the two award levels being the one the student actually receives.3
To calculate the annual cost of the Pell Grant program, the total value of all these awards is then added to an administrative allowance to produce the total annual program cost. In our analysis, we use this methodology to provide baseline cost estimates for the five-year period from 1995-96 through 1999-2000 under two distinct scenarios. The first scenario assumes that the current $2,340 maximum grant is unchanged over the five-year period, while the second assumes a $2,340 maximum for 1995-96, increasing to $2,620 for the subsequent four years, as presented in the President's FY 1996 budget proposal. The results presented in Table One show that, under the first scenario, budget outlays over the five-year period total $31.05 billion, while under the second scenario, outlays total $34.75 billion.
|Award Year
|Scenario One
$2,340 Maximum
All Years
|Scenario Two
$2,340 Maximum 95/96
$2,620 Maximum other years
|5 Year Total
Seven alternative allocation formulas are considered in this paper:
Before discussing our results, a few words are in order regarding the process used to select the policy options for our analysis. For a particular programmatic change to be included, we required it to be policy-relevant and required that it could be estimated with a relatively high degree of precision. For many of the programmatic changes we considered, but rejected, failure to meet the second condition was the reason.4 For example, reintroducing the net value of family residences into the need analysis was a potentially interesting programmatic change; however, since 1993-94, this information has not been collected on the federal student aid application. In this case, as well as others, the analysis would have required us to make an unrealistic set of distributional assumptions to estimate the cost of the proposed change.
In the case of certain options we did choose to pursue, it is important that we explicitly state the assumptions used in our analysis. For example, the savings estimates associated with the exclusion of either proprietary students, or students enrolled in less than one- and two-year programs, represent an upper bound on overall programmatic savings in that we have made no allowance for the possibility that these students might enroll in other types of institutions where they would remain eligible for Pell Grants. Analysts at both the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget suggest that up to 50 percent of these students might enroll elsewhere, cutting our estimates of program savings and increases in the maximum award possibly in half. However, since no direct empirical evidence exists to guide us, we present our savings estimates with this caveat.
Table Two presents the five-year cost savings associated with each of the seven options, together with the new maximum awards that would become possible if such savings were redirected to the remaining eligible students. In calculating the new maximum awards, we were constrained by both the annual outlays contained in our baseline projections, as well as the five-year cumulative outlays of $31.05 billion under the first scenario and $34.75 billion under the second scenario. As such, the entries in the table are expenditure neutral with respect to the current program and to the President's FY 96 budget proposal in that the savings generated by excluding some individuals from the program are used to increase the maximum awards for the remaining eligible population.5
|Scenario One
|Scenario Two
|Programmatic Change
5 Year
Cost Savings
5 Year
Cost Savings
Exclusion of proprietary
school students
Exclusion of proprietary
school students with
|Income targeting
Exclusion of students
in less than one year
Exclusion of students
in less than two year
|$600 minimum award
Table Three then presents the distributional consequences of the various alternative allocation formulas, showing how the public, private, and proprietary sectors fare under the revised formulas. In this table, the relative gains and losses are shown for all three institutional sectors by comparing the percentage increase or decrease in that sector's share of total Pell Grant expenditures.6 Given our assumption of revenue neutrality, the gains and losses, by definition, sum to zero.
|Scenario One
|Programmatic Change
|Exclusion of proprietary school students
|Exclusion of proprietary school students with frontloading
|Income targeting
|Exclusion of students in less than one year programs
|Exclusion of students in less than two year programs
|$600 minimum award
|Scenario Two
|Exclusion of proprietary school students
|Exclusion of proprietary school students with frontloading
|Income targeting
|Exclusion of students in less than one year programs
|Exclusion of students in less than two year programs
|$600 minimum award
a. For the 1999-2000 academic year, under Scenario One, every 1 percent change in the dollar distribution among the sectors amounts to a shift of about $65 million in Pell Grant funds. b. For the 1999-2000 academic year, under Scenario Two, every 1 percent change in the dollar distribution among the sectors amounts to a shift of about $75 million in Pell Grant funds.
a. For the 1999-2000 academic year, under Scenario One, every 1 percent change in the dollar distribution among the sectors amounts to a shift of about $65 million in Pell Grant funds.
b. For the 1999-2000 academic year, under Scenario Two, every 1 percent change in the dollar distribution among the sectors amounts to a shift of about $75 million in Pell Grant funds.
"Frontloading"' the grants to first- and second-year students provides the largest savings of any single option and, if implemented, would allow maximum grants of $3,030 or $3,410 under the two budgetary scenarios. The rationale for frontloading is that it would provide larger grant support for entering and second-year students, for whom higher education represents substantial risk and uncertainty. For those students who succeed in their first two years, much of that risk and uncertainty is diminished, and it is reasonable to expect them to borrow more heavily for the final two years. In essence, this option would reduce borrowing for first-and second-year students and increase it for third- and fourth-year students, while providing larger grant support in the first two years. Such a policy change would encourage more students to try higher education, while reducing loan defaults by students who start but do not complete a four-year degree.
From a distributional standpoint, frontloading would reallocate Pell dollars away from public and private institutions to those in the proprietary sector. In the 1995-96 award year, for example, the percentage of Pell dollars going to public colleges and universities would decline from 67 percent to almost 65 percent, while the percentage going to private colleges and universities would decline from about 17 percent to about 14 percent. In terms of actual dollars, the 5 percent increase for the proprietary sector translates into an additional $300 million Pell dollars.7
Exclusion of proprietary school students would allow an increase in the maximum grant to $2,710 under scenario one, or to $3,030 under scenario two, while the combination of frontloading with exclusion of proprietary school students would allow the maximum grant to rise to $3,720 or $4,180 under the two scenarios respectively. The rationale for excluding proprietary school students from the Pell Grant program is that many of these short course vocational programs might be more effectively and efficiently supported by the Labor Department through direct contracts with specific proprietary schools. To preserve our assumption of expenditure neutrality, it would be necessary to estimate the cost of these Labor Department programs, which would presumably be less than what is currently spent on proprietary school training through Pell Grants. Were that done, the effect would be to reduce the maximum Pell Grant made possible under this option.
As expected, excluding proprietary school students from Pell Grants benefits both public and private sector institutions. For example, in the 1995-96 award year, the percentage of Pell dollars going to public colleges and universities would increase from 67 percent to almost 80 percent, resulting in an additional $770 million Pell dollars. For private sector institutions, the 3 percent gain is more modest, reflecting a $200 million increase in funding.
However, when frontloading is combined with excluding proprietary school students, the nation's public colleges and universities are even better off, reflecting the disproportionately large number of students at two-year public, rather than two-year private institutions. Under this scenario, public sector institutions would see their share of Pell dollars increase in 1995-96 from 67 percent to almost 82 percent, while private sector colleges and universities would see their share rise by slightly less than 2 percent. In terms of actual dollars, public sector institutions would gain almost $900 million, while private sector institutions would gain less than $100 million.
Income targeting in the version considered for this paper assumes a 20 percent increase in the assessment rates on student and family income, and produces relatively modest savings, allowing maximum grants of either $2,540 or $2,840 under the two scenarios. The rationale for income targeting is that it concentrates grant funds on the most needy students; a number of approaches could have been chosen to achieve this objective. Under this particular option, the distributional consequences for all sectors are relatively minor, with the proprietary sector gaining less than half of a percent in overall program revenues. In terms of actual dollars, students at public sector colleges and universities would lose about $28 million in 1995-96, while those at private sector institutions would lose over $17 million.
The next two options focus on limiting eligibility to students who are enrolled in programs of at least two years duration, and which award a degree rather than a certificate of completion. These options would exclude students enrolled in less than two year programs in both the traditional and proprietary sectors but would include proprietary programs of at least two years duration. Savings are relatively small for the less than one-year exclusion, but the two-year limit would allow maximum grants of $2,650 or $2,960 under the two scenarios.
The distributional consequences of excluding students in less than one- and two-year programs, however, are more severe than those under income targeting. For the 1995-96 award year, excluding students enrolled in less than one year programs would produce a 3 percent gain for the public sector (from 67 percent to 70 percent) and a 1 percent gain for the private sector (from 17 percent to 18 percent). Under this scenario, students at proprietary schools would lose almost $250 million.
When students enrolled in less than two year programs are excluded from the eligibility formulas, public and private sector institutions continue to gain at the expense of the proprietary sector. If this programmatic change were to take effect in 1995-96, the proprietary sector would lose almost $610 million, as their share of total Pell dollars declined from 16 percent to 6 percent. The biggest winners would be students at public sector institutions, whose share would increase by 9 percent (from 67 percent to 75 percent). Students enrolled at private colleges and universities would also benefit as their share increased from 17 percent to 19 percent.
The final option, eliminating awards smaller than $600, produces modest savings and would allow maximum grants to increase only to $2,370 or $2,650 under the two scenarios. In addition, it has barely any distributional impact. For example, in the 1995-96 award year, the private sector's share of total Pell dollars remains essentially unchanged, while the proprietary school students gain one-tenth of a percent at the expense of students in the public sector. In total, the gain to students in the proprietary sector is less than $3 million.
Although we believe a case can be made for all seven of these options on grounds of efficiency and equity, we recognize that none would necessarily have a clear path in the policy arena. Hard choices must be made, however, and we would argue that these simulations demonstrate that, within current budgetary limits, greater access can be achieved than the current allocation formula permits.
2 For dependent students, the calculations are also made for parental income and assets.
3 The two formulas are the entitlement rule, which subtracts the student's EFC from the maximum award level, and the traditional need-based rule, which subtracts students' EFC from their cost of education. When the maximum award level exceeds $2,400, the percent of cost rule, introduced in the 1992 Higher Education Amendments, is also used so that three potential award levels are calculated, with the lowest award being the one the student receives.
4 In addition to inclusion of the net value of the family home into the need calculations, other programmatic changes considered were limiting awards to those with a high school diploma or GED, eliminating the financial aid administrator's authority to use professional judgment, introducing tuition sensitivity into the award formula, as well as numerous variations on the frontloading theme.
5 The maximum awards presented in the table are for the 1999-2000 academic year, although little variation exists across award years for a given programmatic change.
6 As in the previous table, the percentage gains and losses presented are for the 1999-2000 academic year, although the gains and losses for the other years are very similar.
7 In calculating the distributional consequences of various programmatic changes, the baseline distribution of awards across sectors was compared to the distribution of awards that resulted from the new higher maximum award level. In this manner, the revenue neutrality of total programmatic cost was preserved.
David W. Breneman is Professor and Dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Fred J. Galloway is Director of Federal Policy Analysis at the American Council on Education.


text:
Milori Soap
Hand made in Montreuil according to traditional methods, Le Baigneur's Milori soap uses nourishing cocoa butter, mineral rich clay and vetiver essential oil to help soothe and moisturise the skin.
The vegetable oils and butters used by Le Baigneur in their soap products are not heated, which helps preserve their nutritional qualities making it very energy-efficient way to produce soap. The glycerin which is naturally produced during the saponification process is fully retained in the soap (between 7 and 8%). It will allow a gentle cleaning, thus respecting the hydrolipidic film of the skin. No feeling of dryness or tightness is then felt. The skin is cleaned but remains soft and moisturised.
Directions for use: gently lather onto wet skin, rinse thoroughly. To make the most of your Le Baigneur soap, place it in a soap dish after each use (this allows the water to properly drain off the soap and dry).
Ingredients: sodium olivate*, sodium shea butterate*, sodium cocoate*, sodium castorate*, aqua, glycerin, theobroma cacao seed butter*, Morrocan lava clay*, vetiveria zizanoides root oil*
*denotes a material of organic source


text:
|Julio Martinez Oyanguren
Sor: Grand Sonata in C Major, Op. 22
Julio Martinez Oyanguren, guitar
Recorded July 29 and 30, 1937
Columbia Masterworks set X-84, two 78-rpm records
Link (FLAC files, 39.58 MB)
Link (MP3 files, 21.23 MB)
The work itself, a charming one, is the third of four sonatas by the Catalan guitarist and composer Fernando Sor (1778-1839), and the first of two "grand sonatas" - the adjective apparently being used to denote a multi-movement work, as the two earlier sonatas are single-movement ones. It was published in Paris in the mid-1820s, though possibly dates from earlier.


text:
mobile - desktop
Made in the USA - Freedom Breeder
News & Events:
Posted by Dre on May 07, 2003 at 10:56:25:
In Reply to: Black Rat Snake posted by kingfan on May 05, 2003 at 22:08:11:
:I don't know the origin of this picture. I believe it was one of my brother's friends. I thought I would share it since it is a nice looking black rat snake.


text:
Little info is needed, and also the process of creating the account may be done by almost anyone. Click each section in the "Advanced" box to change these settings to your site. " This will add the sender on the list of blocked senders and all emails you receive using this sender will automatically be deleted. Next time you log in you must use the new password. Users can certainly still experience problems in spite of Internet Explorer, however. Put in your business, current email address, contact number, professional title and another important information. During the mail setup, you will likely be prompted to enter your Hotmail email address contact information, password and hotmail sign in server settings. Email client programs like Microsoft Outlook certainly are a convenient replacement for accessing your emails through an email website.
Click the "Options" tab within the upper right corner then click "More Options. At times, you could run into trouble logging in your account. A bulk email is a message message created for more than a number of recipients. Many Internet users today maintain multiple email accounts. How to Set Up Hotmail to Alert the Arrival of New Email. Include all information pertaining on the abusive email including the current email address, the emails and the dates that these emails were received. Press the "check availability" prompt and earn repeated attempts to find something original. How Do I Delete My Hotmail Email Account if Someone Is Using It. Enter an alternate email address and then enter your individual information in to the next fields. For example, if you would like to send a message with an AT&T customer from Hotmail, you would add "@txt.
Unlike some later versions of Microsoft Outlook, Outlook 2002 will not require any external add-ons. Maybe you forgot your Hotmail password — or worse, someone broke into the account and changed it. Windows Live Hotmail's free, Web-based email allows users to gain access to their email from any Internet-capable computer. " The email must be restored in your inbox. If you've multiple Hotmail accounts, you can create a shortcut icon…. Sending mass emails is important if you're marketing something or service to your list. Sign in for a Hotmail account with your email address contact information and password. Hit small "Hotmail" link in the upper-left corner of the MSN page that may appear. The toolbar offers specific content and links to sites that it is possible to customize…. You need to know your recipient's cellphone provider to send a text via your.
No Events


text:
Ty Yu, one of the biggest bullies in middle school, recruits Charlie Hitchcock and his "acute visual memory" for a little detective work.
There have been some mysterious occurrences at Ty's home, the Hocus Pocus Hotel, a residence for retired magicians. His plans to purchase a dirt bike, a "Tezuki Slamhammer 750, Edition 6, in cherry-pop lightning red," must wait when tenant Mr. Madagascar disappears, along with his rent payment. Brack, an employee with some surprises of his own, mentors the students as they connect the clues. Charlie's interests (his skillz at Sherlock Holmes Maximum Z serve him well) allow him to quickly summarize the information and bring tidy resolutions. The children's second case involves the identity of a local ghost. The first in a series, these two mysteries connect to a larger storyline as the hotel's performers prepare for their revival show. At times, exposition causes pacing to drag. "It was just that Tyler never showed he had brains while he was in school. At school, Tyler pretty much only showed off his big arms and fists." Digital art depicts Ty as a lanky teenager with slicked-back black hair and almond eyes; Charlie, with glasses and freckles, is significantly shorter. Drawings dissect the duo's major discoveries.
With a touch of The Twilight Zone, it's the building and its guests that provide the eeriest entertainment. (Mystery. 9-12)


text:
Smith Quantum Mips Helmet (Matte Black Cha...$203.06
Smith Vantage Mips Women's Helmet (Matte O...$137.87
Smith Code Mips Helmet (Matte Black)$106.53
Smith Scout Helmet (Matte Salmon)$56.38
Smith Mirage Mips Women's Helmet (Matte Bl...$81.45
Smith Squad Goggles (Scott Stevens w/Chrom...$93.99
Smith Squad Goggles (Desiree Melancon w/Ch...$93.99
World class helmets and goggles from big bad Bob
In the winter of 1965 an orthodontist named Bob Smith was completing an epic ski trip in Sun Valley, Idaho, but he came across a problem – his goggles kept fogging up. Convinced he could do better, he decided to do something about it, and Smith Optics was born.
Smith set up a factory in Clearfield, Utah then set out to design the best goggles. He coined the company's mission statement to 'Make Great Days Better', and their first task was to make a goggle that provided fog-free clarity for those epic days skiing.
It's been almost 50 years since that Idaho ski trip, and in that time Bob's company has turned his frustration for goggle fog into one of action sports' biggest eyewear brands. Smith now makes a range of cutting-edge goggles, sunglasses and helmets that'll keep your eyes sharp and head safe, merging the latest trends and tech to keep you looking good while you're out on the mountain.
Innovative Goggles
Since their inception, Smith Optics has been at the forefront of innovation trying to solve Bob's fog problem. They were the first company to create the sealed double goggle lens, and the first to incorporate ventilated foam linings into goggle frames.
Today, Smith goggles use the most innovative materials and designs to give you the ultimate in functionality and comfort with a focus on anti-fogging. Each Smith goggle lens features a multi-layer construction for increased breathability and is enhanced with a Fog-X treatment, which is etched into the lens so it won't wear off. Their goggle frames are also extremely light – combining Grilamid nylon and handcrafted acetate for the ultimate combination of flexibility and strength.
Check out Smith's high-end goggle lenses for their built-in polarization, which filters out 99% of the glare that comes off bright snow and reflective surfaces. And look out for their patented ChromaPop Technology that delivers the ultimate 'pop' in colour definition when you're riding.
Many models come with two lenses, and incorporate Smith's Interlock Interchangeable Technology, with innovative Pivlock mechanism to make it super-easy to swap your lenses in any conditions.
Stylish and Safe Brain Buckets
First and foremost, every Smith helmet is designed with your safety in mind. They focus the design process around four key pillars of low and high speed impact, rotational impact and multi-impact – using different construction techniques and technologies to address each one and keep you protected in every situation.
But let's not forget they also want to make sure you look good. That's why each helmet uses their match curve construction – to give you the best possible helmet-goggle interface with no more gaper gaps!
And while you're wrapped up safe and looking good, they'll also keep you cool, using specialist internal airflow dynamics to channel cool air into the helmet while venting hot and sweaty air out the back.
When it comes to helmets, they've pretty much thought of everything.
Smith at Freeze
We're stoked to carry a selection of some of Smith's finest snow goggles and helmets. Goggles like the I/O and the Holt 2 helmet are favorites in the shop and for good reason.
You can feel confident knowing that any Smith product you choose has half a century of design knowledge behind it and a build quality that's hard to beat.
They're one of the biggest brands in the business and it's easy to see why.
Need any help?
If you're not quite sure which helmet to buy or how to make sure it fits, check out our Helmet Buyer's Guide. For anything else you might need, just get in touch and we'll be more than happy to help.


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Your Search Results
Stocked Kitchen, Group brainstorming sessions
372 Companies
Cooler Screens
AdTech • Digital Media
Cooler Screens is transforming retail cooler surfaces into IoT enabled screens. In doing so, we're creating the largest retail point-of-sale merchandising platform in the world. Our innovative platform delivers new marketing opportunities and smart merchandising for the ultimate shopper experience.
20Local Employees
Big Data • Transportation
Founded by The Allstate Corporation in 2016, Arity is a data and analytics company focused on improving transportation. We collect and analyze enormous amounts of data, using predictive analytics to build solutions with a single goal in mind: to make transportation smarter, safer and more useful for everyone.
270Local Employees
Carminati Consulting
Cloud • Enterprise Web
We are an innovative IT consulting firm and software company working to make our communities better, stronger and healthier every day. Our team provides unique solutions to web software application development, website design, data analytics and project management, ultimately allowing our clients to more effectively serve their clientele.
Enterprise Web • Software
Bringg is the leading delivery orchestration platform, providing enterprises with the most efficient way to manage their complex delivery operations. Some of the world's best-known brands in more than 50 countries are using our powerful SaaS platform to achieve logistical excellence across their delivery ecosystem.
125Local Employees
All Campus
Agency • Marketing Tech
All Campus creates value for leading universities by expanding their reach and cultivating relationships with students to advance their lives through education. All Campus is dedicated to providing an outstanding experience for students, university clients and our employees, through collaborative partnerships and innovative technology and services.
70Local Employees
Ansarada is an AI-powered dealmaking platform provider focused on helping companies and their advisors thrive amid their most important business events, such as mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, IPOs and audits. Founded in Australia, we're a 12-year old company that's transforming its product offering and building out our US team!
25Local Employees
Big Data • Healthtech
VillageMD helps each primary practice reach its highest potential, creating a more rewarding experience for patients and physicians. We bring experience in value-based contracting, -driven decision-making, and ancillary development, combined with the capital needed for success.
100Local Employees
AdTech • Marketing Tech
Powered by AI, DialogTech attributes customer calls to your marketing, showing you exactly how these conversations impact the customer journey. We provide the actionable analytics and technology to generate more calls at a lower cost, personalize call experiences, and drive revenue.
178Local Employees
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud
iManage transforms how professionals in legal, accounting and financial services get work done by combining the power of artificial intelligence with market leading document and email management. Over one million professionals at over 3,500 organizations in over 65 countries rely on iManage to deliver great client work.
250Local Employees
Vail Systems, Inc.
Cloud • Natural Language Processing
At Vail we develop innovative technology to enhance the way people communicate. Our mission is to create business value for our clients and growth opportunities for our employees by developing solutions that inspire people to interact freely and authentically.
180Local Employees
Vivid Seats
Consumer Web • eCommerce
Vivid Seats is the largest independent online ticket marketplace, sending tens of millions of fans to live events. Experiences Matter- which is why we continue to grow year over year. Working at Vivid Seats provides an opportunity to scale our best in class platform, allowing our fans to sit closer and see more.
500Local Employees
Cloud • Software
Pricefx is the pioneer of cloud-based price management and CPQ software. We help B2B and B2C companies maximize margins, provide optimal pricing, and win deals quicker. Our solutions are fast to implement and adaptable. Global companies like Toshiba, Bosch and Mercedes Benz rely on us to help them achieve optimal pricing and margins.
40Local Employees
At Relativity, we make software to help users organize data, discover the truth, and act on it. Our platform is used by thousands of organizations around the world to manage large volumes of data and quickly identify key issues during litigation, internal investigations, and compliance projects. Relativity has over 175,000 users in 40+ countries.
728Local Employees
FTD Companies
eCommerce • Retail
FTD Companies is a global premier floral and gifting company on the road to becoming the leading and most trusted gifting e-commerce brand in the world. We provide floral, specialty foods, gift and related products and services to consumers, retail florists, and other retail locations and companies.
375Local Employees
Downers GroveLocation
Hudson River Trading
Hudson River Trading brings a scientific approach to trading financial products. We have built one of the world's most sophisticated computing environments for research and development. Our researchers are at the forefront of innovation in the world of algorithmic trading.
40Local Employees
Nexgen Packaging
Big Data • eCommerce
We are changing how companies leverage technology to manufacture and manage supply chain in the retail, apparel and footwear industry. We have created a software platform to optimize, organize, and digitize customers' portfolios. Considered the industry's leading technology platform, over 10,000 brands and manufacturers globally use our platform.
65Local Employees
Solstice is a modern software engineering firm that helps Fortune 500 companies seize new opportunities through world-changing digital solutions. As consultants, we help organizations evolve their digital strategy to solve mission-critical problems.
339Local Employees
Narrative Science
Artificial Intelligence • Machine Learning
Narrative Science creates software that writes stories from enterprise data to drive understanding and results. Powered by artificial intelligence, our technology automatically turns data into easy-to-understand reports, transforms statistics into stories, and converts numbers into knowledge.
100Local Employees
eCommerce • Food
Grubhub is the nation's leading online and mobile food ordering company dedicated to connecting hungry diners with local takeout restaurants. The company's online and mobile ordering platforms allow diners to order from more than 115,000 takeout restaurants in over 2,200 U.S. cities and London.
1000Local Employees
Food • Software
Tock is changing the way restaurants, bars, wineries, event organizers (and more) think about and run their business. This includes a robust reservation, guest, and table management system for businesses of all sizes across the globe. Tock was founded with the idea there was a better way for guests to book reservations.
70Local Employees


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Author: Tamora Pierce
Genre: Anthology, fantasy
Setting: Mostly the kingdom of Tortall, but other places too.
Reason for Reading: I love Ms. Pierce, despite an ongoing inability to get into her Beka Cooper series.
Finished In: Days
Pages: 369, plus an excerpt from Mastiff and acknowledgements
Copyright Date: 2011
Cover: Quite simple - a black background with a stylized golden lion in the center.
First line: "My story began as my mother carried me in her belly to the great Nawolu trade fair."
Themes: Family, proving oneself, helping the sick and injured.
Best stories: Two I had read before - "Student of Ostriches" and "Huntress" - and two new to me - "The Hidden Girl" and "Lost."
Worst part: The non-fantasy story in the collection, "Testing," seemed like kind of a Mary Sue story to me.
Imaginary Theme Song: If "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" was ever set to music...
Grade: B-
Recommended for: I think this would be a reasonable place for people who've never read Tamora Pierce to start, though they might want to skip the story "Nawat." Fans of hers will already read it.
Related Reads: Trickster's Choice by the same author, Will of the Empress by the same author.


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And what better way is there to finish the hike than to gather up for a BBQ, sit back, relax and have a chat under the warm sun? Food and drinks will be catered for at a fee of 5 euros. We shall meet at Ta' Grabiel (map will be up soon) at 9am sharp and walk to Zonqor point where we will set up the BBQ. So let's gear up, get together and have some fun!
Please fill in this form if you are attending https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aMNf4IcTyqnbN4-D-EVu1CwUoKOcLnXKhAuL58sqP9I/viewform
This event is open for everyone!


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Table of Contents
- Will the City Get the Lead Out? by Marjory Garrison
- Lets Make A Landmark Bed-Stuys Weeksville Becomes a Tourist Attraction by Kevin Plumberg
- How the Other 1% Lives by Williams Cole
- What To Eat When Youre Expecting by Adriana Velez
- No Crying in Baseball: Letter from a GI in Baghdad by John Crawford
- photo essay: Baghdad, August 2003 by Christian Parenti
- Searching for Guy Debord by Andy Merrifield
- Life in Venice by Paul Mattick
- American Effect = Death Threat: The Art of Saira Wasim by Ellen Pearlman
- Allegories of Debris by Daniel Baird
- David Rabinowitch by Joan Waltemath
- Edward Said by Alice Attie and Linn Cary Mehta
- Kirk Varnedoe (1946 - 2003) by Phong Bui
- Strangers: The First ICP Triennial of Photography and Video by Megan Heuer
- Landslide by John Hawke
- Kristin Baker by Victoria Keddie
- Jim Shaw by William Powhida
- Steven Charles by Stephanie Buhmann
- Ele DArtagnan by Stephanie Buhmann
- Kelly Heaton by Nick Stillman
- Richard Pousette-Dart by Rachel Youens
- Ben Parry by Jill Conner
- Chris Caccamise by Benjamin La Rocco
- Heidi Cody by James Kalm
- Laurie Thomas by Benjamin La Rocco
- Please Pay Attention Please by Nick Stillman
- MARILYN BRIDGES Markings (Sacred Landscapes) by Tomassio Longhi
- Another Art Story From Venice by Robert C. Morgan
- George Plimpton (1927-2003) by Maggie Paley and Dan Simon
- Jonathan Lethem with Theodore Hamm
- A Room of Ones Own by Reed Jackson
- On a Road by Sam Frank
- Young Bounder Pens Volume by Randolph Lewis
- Closing the Joint with Geoffrey Young by Gary Counsil
- Nowhere Outside of History by Erica Weitzman
- One Ring Zeros Author Project by Lisa Selin Davis
- New Scholarship Makes Splash by Randolph Lewis
- Johnny Cash (1932-2003) by Theodore Hamm
- Young Marble Giants, Colossal Youth by Jason Gross
- Dimensions in Music: Ethel: Four and So Much More by Alan Lockwood
- The Menagerie That Is New York: A Compilation Overview by Grant Moser
- Dancing in the Real World by Shanti Crawford
- Walk, Run, Amble, Saunter Everyday Movement is not so Everyday by Vanessa Manko
- D.U.M.B.O.s Dancing by Vanessa Manko
- Good Fight, Good Film? John Sayless Casa de los Babys by Lisa Rosman
- in dialogue: Emotional/Political Danger Zones by Betty Shamieh
- The Civilians Disobedience by Emily DeVoti
- excerpt: The Sexual Brotherhood of Man by Ola Klingberg
- The Early Bird Special by Alison Lowenstein
- In the Cold Earth and Beneath the Bluish Sky by James Sharry
- Power-Ties by Marcella Durand
- "it is similar to all others" by Marcella Durand
- Reflections on a Townie Chick by Bil LeBoutillier


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Finding work in Malta is understandably one of the biggest concerns for people who are considering moving there. There are a number of ways you can go about it, mainly depending on the type of work you are looking for.
Working in Malta: Recruitment agencies
I have had far more success going through recruitment agencies than trying to apply for jobs on my own, although Bee was the opposite. These are some agents I have dealt with:
iGaming, Customer Service and IT
Krysta Vella, Betting Connections
Krysta helped me to get my dream job – she could do the same for you. Very friendly, encouraging and helpful; just what you need from a good recruiter!
Nuria de la Fuente, SpotOn Connections
I got in contact with Nuria before even moving to Malta – she was very helpful and tried hard to find jobs for Bee and I. At least one reader of this site has already found work through her!
I earn a bonus if you find work through either Krysta or Nuria, so best of luck!
Legal and IT
Martina Muscat, Nicholls Moisa – firstname.lastname@example.com
Vikte Vaitiekute, Nicholls Moisa – email@example.com
Maltese Job sites
Guidance for Non-EU Family Members
EU Nationals and their Family Members (including spouse) have automatic right to live and reside in Malta thanks to Freedom of Movement laws. That is a fact.
When applying for jobs, include something like this to make sure the potential employer knows they can legally hire you:
Please also note the following regarding my right to work in Malta:
My xxx is a xxx citizen and we moved here to work under EEA Freedom of Movement treaty rights. That makes me a Third Country National 'family member' (not a foreign worker), therefore I do not require a work permit to legally work in Malta. Please see page 4 of the ETC Employment Licences Unit Guidelines for Clients 20/05/2015, Section 1.2 of which states:
At present, with the exception of citizens from the EEA1 /Switzerland and their TCN2 "family members"3 or "other family members"4 all foreign nationals require authorisation to work in Malta.
It may also be worth checking out the Jobsplus page about Working in Europe.
Best of luck!


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Wrapping Up the Holidays
Friday, January 7, 2011
Two Special Traditions
Define "Over"
For some, the tree is out on the curb the day after Christmas as they breathe sighs of relief that the radio station has returned to its regular play-list. Many continue to indulge in holiday celebrations through New Year's, often starting the new year by cleaning up holiday messes or resolving to lose those holiday pounds. Some of us aren't ready to bid the joy of the holidays farewell on the first, so we decided to choose a more historical date to mark the end of our season: January 6, or Epiphany. Traditionally celebrated to commemorate the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem, Epiphany is significant in the symbolism of holiday gift-giving.
A Gift from the Heart
I received a copy of The King's Christmas List, by Eldon Johnson, to review courtesy of Booksneeze. Emma is a little girl who finds herself magically transported with her dog on a magical adventure to a birthday party for the King. They take along a Christmas cake as a present, but before they reach the party, they meet fellow travelers in need. Emma shares not only her cake, but her warm cape and her treasured teddy bear. Arriving at the party empty handed, Emma and her dog are surprised that the guests exchange gifts with one another. The King explains that while many people show their love at Christmas by giving one another gifts, some have forgotten that he, too, wishes for a gift from the heart. When Emma begins to apologize for arriving without a gift, the King reveals that the families she met along the way are in fact his angels, and that her kindness has demonstrated the true spirit of gift-giving to his people. The King proclaims that any gift to the needy is a gift to Him, and the final page of the book has suggestions for charitable gifts as well as a link to explore gift and prayer connections at TheKingsAdventure.com. The symbolism and allegory is quite transparent to the adult reader, but is potentially useful to make the cognitive concepts of charity and gift-giving more understandable for little ones. The generosity and self-sacrifice demonstrated by Emma are traits we could all learn from, but Emma makes it seem easy. The text is a little self-aware (pointing out Emma's surprise that her dog can suddenly talk with her) but generally smooth and appropriate for preschoolers or younger elementary children. Expressions in the illustrations are cartoonish, but the details and colors are rich. I decided to revisit the book in honor of Epiphany as we talked about the gifts bestowed upon Jesus. We decided to pass on some of our good fortune and make a gift to the needy by sorting through some outgrown clothes and unused toys for a donation.
Saving a Little Christmas
Our second tradition was inspired by a book discovered at our library, The Tree that Came to Stay, by Anna Quindlen. Immediately appealing to my fondness for Christmas tree decorating, I was even more engaged by the heartwarming way the family in the story manages to hold on to the warm Christmas feelings even as they deposit the drying tree on the snowy curbside. The story begins with the family's selection of the tree, describes careful decorating, and briefly captures the glow of Christmas morning. The emphasis of the story comes after Christmas, as the decorations are removed and each member of the family feels a twinge of sadness seeing the tree stripped down and prepared for disposal. The resourceful mother devises a way to bolster spirits and create a Christmas keepsake: she collects dried needles from the tree in a basket. Decorated with Christmas ribbons, the basket is kept all year as a fragrant reminder of their happy Christmas memories. B and I decided a basket of Christmas sounded like a brilliant idea, so we've already collected our needles and now just have to find a place to keep them safely out of T's way.
I allowed myself a holiday break, but I hope I still have some faithful readers with some book suggestions to link-up and share! I'll also be linking up at Read.Explore.Learn with JDaniel4's mom to spread the word that Feed Me Books Friday is back and meet some new friends!
If you have ideas to make Christmas clean-up a little more fun, I'd love to hear about them!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received The King's Christmas List free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com


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In Visual Studio there's a function called "Navigate Backwards" that works as an undo/redo buffer for mouse click carat placement. In other words, it remembers the places you've clicked on in a document and allows you to go back to them.
Is there a similar function in Microsoft Word 2010? There's a "back" command, but it only works for hyperlinks.


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In a recent project, the introduction of human contact in the form of telemarketing was key to success. The exercise has enabled the organisation to deliver ROI against its investment in both Eloqua and sfdc. It has provided them with a factual and valuable pipeline and, strategically, has turned what had been a cold market into one that is warming up well.
Telemarketing highly interactive, giving prospects the opportunity to ask ques¬tions, provide feedback and start engaging. It also allows us to understand and overcome objections. It is instru¬mental in complementing and adding a personal touch to other, more "arms-length" activity.
Key points
- The exercise as a whole has aligned the client's Sales and Marketing teams more closely and has established a framework for the lead process within their company.
- By introducing lead scoring and identifying a specific target audience, we established a basis for the client in order to focus their limited bandwidth in the region.
- The intelligence gathered in the exercise has helped the organisation to develop its growth strategy, and by analysing where the most up-take has been has meant that the direction of geographical expansion plans has changed.
- Resources can be directed into those areas with the greatest potential growth.
- Marketing is able to make efficient use of its budgets by conducting targeted programmes which deliver a better ROI.
Read the full case study here


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About Little Cayman Island
Dream of a tropical island hideaway… a paradise where your cares drift away with the morning dew… a magical place to soothe your soul, revive your spirit and uncover a world where time melts into a crimson sunset. Escape to Little Cayman and give yourself over to relaxation. Experience nature's grandeur above or below the sea in an underwater kingdom of liquid crystal, teeming with life and color. Scuba Diving Magazine ranked Little Cayman "one of the world's premier dive destinations with pristine quality and excellent visibility".
Little Cayman is the smallest and least developed of the three Cayman Islands, located 87 miles northeast of Grand Cayman, five miles west of Cayman Brac, 480 miles from Miami and 90 miles south of Havana. Commercial air service is provided by Cayman Airways Express flights running between Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
The island itself – just 10 miles long and 1 mile wide – has 22 miles of spectacular coastline and, just offshore, abundantly populated coral reefs teeming with over 150 kinds of coral and more than 500 species of fish.
First discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1503 and rarely visited (except for the occasional pirate) until recent times, Little Cayman is now a favorite destination of modern day explorers, photographers, naturalists and, of course, divers. Little Cayman is an island of incredible beauty and unspoiled surroundings that offers a magnificent serenity. You'll understand once you arrive.
Island Amenities
- Reef Divers Dive Center feature personalized valet service diving in world famous Bloody Bay Wall Marine Park
- Bicycle Rentals
- Little Cayman Sport Fishing
- Little Cayman Museum
- National Trust House
- Bird Sanctuary
- Owens Island
- Point of Sand
- Kayak Rentals
- Hiking on the Salt Rocks Nature Trail
- Tennis and Basketball Courts located at Little Cayman Beach Resort
- Mermaid's Boutique
- The Nature Spa
- Bird of Paradise Restaurant and Beach Nuts Bar
- The Hungry Iguana
- Conference and Banquet Facilities


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Ivel Plumbing and Heating is a family run business with over 20 years of experience in the trade. All of our work is guaranteed and you will receive a professional, reliable and friendly service. Wecarryout a wide range of services from a replacement tap washer to a complete hot water and heating system to your requirements.
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