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Title 19 Public Finance | Chapter 4 |Subchapter 6
19-4-601. Responsibility generally.
Except as limited by appropriations and funding by the General Assembly and other provisions of law, state agencies shall have the authority and responsibility to administer their programs as authorized by the General Assembly and shall be responsible for their proper management. History. Acts 1973, No. 876, § 9; A.S.A. 1947, § 13-335.
R1-19-4-601 Appropriations
A funds center (appropriation) is the legal authority provided by the Arkansas General Assembly to disburse funds for programs and services administered by business areas (individual state agencies, boards or commissions). A funds center code identifies the programs and services to be provided plus the authorization to carry out the programs and/or services. ACA 19-4-520 through 19-4-525 provides a detailed analysis of the various classifications of funds centers (appropriations) and the restrictions regarding their usage. ACA 19-4-701 defines the fiscal periods of the State and the time period of a funds center.
The funds center cycle is summarized as follows:
The business area (state agency) prepares the initial biennial budget request in the State's Budget System. P1-19-4-601 Business Area/ Cost Center Ranges & Functional Areas Table.
The Department of Finance and Administration-Office of Budget (DFA-OB) and the Office of Personnel Management-Classification and Compensation Division (OPM-CCD) review the request and assist the business area in its preparation.
Budget requests are presented to the Governor or Governor-Elect for review and recommendations.
Budget requests with the executive recommendations are presented to the Legislative Council/Joint Budget Committee for recommendation or referral to a sub-committee.
Legislative recommendations are entered into the State's Budget System by the DFA-OB and OPM-CCD and transmitted to the Bureau of Legislative Research to draft appropriation bills.
The appropriation bill is presented to the General Assembly and can be amended while under consideration.
The Joint Budget Committee reviews all appropriation bills as introduced and takes one of the following actions: pass, hold or refer to committee.
If the appropriation bill is passed by the General Assembly, it goes to the Governor for approval or veto. If approved, the bill becomes law. The Governor's Office sends signed bills to the Secretary of State where Act numbers are assigned.
If either the General Assembly or the Governor rejects the appropriation bill, it may be amended and resubmitted or a new bill may be drafted if the deadline for filing appropriation bills has not passed.
In the interim (between sessions of the General Assembly), the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State has the authority to establish and/or increase certain funds center accounts as outlined in the various appropriation acts. All such establishments and increases of funds centers must meet with guidelines established by both the Legislature and the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State.
Fiscal Controls
ACA§ 19-4-608 establishes fiscal controls to prevent deficit spending each fiscal year. Each business area shall prepare an annual operations plan which contains proposed expenditures and anticipated resources on a periodic basis for the ensuing year. Agencies which receive general revenue must prepare a quarterly operations plan. Other agencies may prepare an operations plan for any given period (monthly, quarterly, or annually). Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State provides an estimate of the general revenue funding available for each business area. When the "General Revenue Forecast" is revised, the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State will announce the new forecast and provide, by letter, notification to all business areas which receive General Revenue. The actual notification for the business areas will be prepared and distributed by the DFA-OB. A change in the "General Revenue Forecast" could be an increase or a decrease. The business areas will then provide by letter, worksheet or e-mail the adjustments for their annual operations plan using the Budget Quad coding structure (fund, funds center, commitment item, functional area) to the agency's assigned Budget Analyst in the DFA-OB. Business areas also must include new or revised Certifications of Income to inform the DFA-OB of the amount of revenue that is expected to be collected by the business area. The available funds center will be adjusted to the level of expected revenue.
See the Annual Operations Plan, "R1-19-4-608," for more detailed information.
Funds Management – Budget Structure (Quad)
The Funds Management module of AASIS is used to ensure compliance with the fiscal laws of the State. There are four elements of master data in the Funds Management module:
Funds Center – represents the purpose authorized in the appropriation act and establishes budget control. Funds centers may be further divided into sub-funds centers. The appropriation acts will authorize non-spendable commitment items for some business areas. Special non-spendable commitment items are broken down to sub-funds center/sub-appropriation. A sub-funds center/sub-appropriation is established to transfer budget from the special commitment item to a spendable commitment item. The sub-funds center is used to ensure that the amounts transferred to the spendable commitment items are adequately tracked and are not commingled with the amounts originally appropriated in the spendable commitment items. The funds center is hierarchical in structure.
The funds center account code is currently a three-digit alpha/numeric, numeric or numeric/alpha code, which identifies a business area's authority to disburse funds. An alpha/numeric code reflects a cash/bank funds center/appropriation (A01). Numeric and numeric/alpha codes reflect a funds center/appropriation in which the funds are deposited in the State Treasury (001, 1AA). A sub-funds center is the same numeric or numeric/alpha code with a fourth alpha character (001M).
Commitment Item – represents the funds center/appropriation breakdown by line-item detail. This level is where the funds center is classified in accordance with the expenditure breakdown in ACA 19-4-521 through 19-4-525. Expenditure commitment items begin with the number 5. The first three digits of the commitment item usually correlate to the first three digits of the general ledger account. The last two numbers of the commitment item reflect the existing classification such as salaries or operating expenses. The commitment item is a seven-digit numeric code. The commitment item is determined by the general ledger account. Transaction S_KI4_38000036 provides a list of all general ledger accounts along with the assigned commitment items.
PLEASE NOTE: Go to P2-19-4-601 for the "Commitment Items Table."
Fund – represents cash/bank and Treasury funds as outlined in the Funds Group located at R1-19-5-101. A fund is defined as a fiscal and accounting entity with a self-balancing set of accounts which are segregated for the purpose of carrying on specific activities or attaining certain objectives in accordance with special regulations, restrictions or limitations.
Functional Area – groups business areas by activity. Each business area is assigned to a functional area. These functional areas are:
ADMN Financial/Administrative/Internal Services CCOL Community Colleges CNST Constitutional/Judicial COMM Commerce Promotion/Regulation EDUC Public Education HHS Health/Human Services PROF Professional/Service Boards/Commissions REC Recreation/Humanities RETR Government Retirement Systems SFTY Public Safety/Corrections TCOL Technical Colleges TRAN Highway/Transportation UNIV Universities VTCH Vocational Technical Institutes
For CAFR reporting purposes, a slightly different set of functional areas are used. These functional areas are:
Education Health and human services Transportation Law, justice and public safety Recreation and resources development General government Labor, commerce and regulatory Debt service Capital outlay
See P1-19-4-601 for a list of business areas along with functional area and cost center range.
Expenditures cannot exceed the budget at the fund/funds center/commitment item/functional area level.
Commitment Items Transfers and Increases Amounts appropriated in each commitment item are established by the Legislature and can be transferred in the following circumstances: (1) special language in the body of the appropriation act allows a transfer, (2) federal grants are received and certain conditions exist that allow a transfer or (3) budget classification transfers (BCT). Increases are possible under the following circumstances: (1) additional cash is certified, (2) pay plan adjustments are required or (3) federal grants result in an increase of available funds.
There are times during the fiscal year when it may be necessary to request adjustments to existing funds centers or establish new funds centers for various reasons. The most common situation of this type would be a transfer of appropriation from a non-spendable commitment item to a spendable commitment item. These transfers are tracked through a sub-funds center if there is more than one commitment item to the appropriation. All commitment items, which are not classified in ACA 19-4-521 through 19-4-524, are considered special and shall be used only for the specific purposes for which such commitment items are made.
Blocked or Inactive Funds Centers
Part or all of the entire budget quad may be blocked or held inactive for one of two reasons:
Lack of funding Business area discretion The block will be released as funds become available or, if voluntarily blocked, when the business area requests the release.
Cost Objects
Cost objects (WBS Elements, Internal Orders and Cost Centers) are used in the controlling module of AASIS to monitor actual transactions against planned revenues and expenditures in detail using cost elements (general ledger accounts). A cost element (general ledger account) cannot be assigned to more than one commitment item (referred to as character code in the previous accounting system). However, many general ledger accounts can be assigned to a single commitment item. With the general ledger account being assigned to the commitment item master record, a system user does not have to decide which account should be used with which commitment item during a transaction posting. See P1-19-4-601 Business Area/ Cost Center Ranges & Functional Areas Table.
The following rules apply to cost objects:
Each fund/funds center must be represented by at least one unique cost object.
Many cost objects can be assigned to one fund/funds center. For example, cost centers 123000, 124000 and 125000 can all be assigned to fund HSC1111 and funds center 1AA.
A cost object cannot be assigned to more than one fund/funds center. So as noted in the example above, cost centers 123000, 124000 and 125000 can only be assigned to fund HSC1111 and funds center 1AA.
WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) elements are used to account for revenues and expenditures for grants received by the State without the creation of additional funds or cost centers. The system also makes it possible to record expenditures on construction projects in accordance with their legislative approved budget if appropriated and to capitalize the related costs for reporting in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. These may be either statistical or non-statistical in nature. If a WBS element is statistical (informational only, does not have a funds management assignment), budget is reduced based upon the cost center associated with the transaction. A non-statistical WBS element (has a funds management assignment) reduces budget based upon the fund and the funds center assigned to the WBS element. Generally, WBS elements used to account for grant activity are statistical, and non-statistical WBS elements are used with construction projects. See P2-19-4-524 for additional information on WBS Elements.
Internal orders are used for unique situations to an agency such as recording training costs for individual classes or for accumulating data for cost allocation purposes. All internal orders are statistical.
Cost centers record revenues and expenditures associated with the agency's management structure. Cost centers cannot be statistical. The fund/funds center is derived automatically when a user enters a cost center. The use of an Internal Order or Statistical WBS Element will not override the cost center. In the event a non-statistical WBS element is used in conjunction with a cost center, the WBS element fund/funds center assignment will override the cost center fund/funds center assignment.
Budget Transfers and Adjustments
Changes in operating conditions may result in the need to adjust the original budget. Appropriation transfers are used to move budget between funds centers, commitment items, funds and functional area. Maintaining the budget includes executing and controlling the budget to prevent deficit spending. Generally, appropriation transfers require special language authorization usually contained in the agency's appropriation act. This special language will either give the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State or the Arkansas Legislative Council authority to review a transfer. If the Arkansas Legislative Council is identified as the authorizing agent in the act, the Performance and Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee (PEER) must review the transfer when a legislative session is not in progress. In the event that a legislative session is in progress, the Joint Budget Committee must review the transfer.
Certain transfers can be approved by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State. These types of transfers consist of contingency transfers for Institutions of Higher Education and Budget Classification Transfers as specified in ACA 19-4-522 which meet the 5% or $2,500 rule (These are transfers that do not exceed 5% of the affected maintenance and operation commitment items, up to a maximum of $2,500. The $2,500 limit is cumulative by appropriation per fiscal year). For these types of transfers, budget changes are entered and parked by agency personnel using transaction FR69 (Park Budget Transfer). Agencies shall then contact the DFA-OB with the parked document numbers. The assigned Budget Analyst will review and, if approved, transmit the document number to the Department of Finance and Administration-Office of Accounting (DFA-OA) Funds/Appropriation Manager for final approval and posting at which point the budget is updated.
Transfers that do not meet the 5% or $2,500 rule require PEER review. Transfers that must be reviewed by the Performance and Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee (PEER) are parked by the DFA-OB Budget Analyst and posted by the DFA-OA-Funds/Appropriation Manager after review by the Legislative Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee (PEER).
Budget Reservation
AASIS provides three methods to set aside appropriation for future expenses:
1. Funds Reservation – A commitment of funds can be made for parts of the budget through funds reservation without knowing the exact costs and expenses. The reservation can be generic in nature and cover multiple months within a fiscal year. An example would be estimating that one year's utility expense would be $100,000. The original reservation is reduced by posting any of the following type of documents and referencing the funds reservation in the document: purchase requisitions, purchase orders, vendor invoices, down payment requests and down payments. Transaction FMX1 creates a "funds reservation." 2. Pre-commitment – A pre-commitment is not tied to specific documents and is not automatically released when payments are made. An example would be when a vendor is known, but the costs may be estimated until the actual bill is received. The pre-commitment either commits budget or is referenced to a reservation and reduces the reservation. Transaction FMY1 creates a "funds pre-commitment." 3. Commitment - The funds commitment is the most detailed document in the budget reservation chain. For example, a purchase order is specific as to amount, items purchased and vendor. The legal commitment (purchase order or contractual agreement) plays a role in addition to the application of funds. The commitment can either be directly assigned to the budget or reference and reduce the pre-commitment or reduce the reservation. Transaction FMZ1 creates a "funds commitment."
19-4-602. Compliance and approval required.
(a) No state agency may increase the salaries of its employees, employ additional employees, expend moneys, or incur any obligations except in accordance with law and with a properly approved annual operations plan which includes a quarterly fiscal program. (b) Appropriations subject to the provisions of this subchapter shall not be available for expenditures or encumbrance until the state agency has complied with the provisions of this subchapter. History. Acts 1973, No. 876, § 9; A.S.A. 1947, § 13-335
19-4-603. Exemptions generally.
Appropriations for retirement benefits, refunds, and social security requirements of the teacher and public employees' retirement systems shall be excluded from the provisions of this subchapter. History. Acts 1973, No. 876, § 11; A.S.A. 1947, § 13-337.
19-4-604. State-supported institutions of higher education.
(a) At least thirty (30) days prior to the commencing of each fiscal year, the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall make studies for the purpose of estimating the anticipated amounts of general revenues to be available for distributions under the provisions of the Revenue Stabilization Law, § 19-5-101 et seq., for the fiscal year. The Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall compute the estimated amounts of general revenues to be available for allocation to the respective State Treasury accounts in accordance with their percentage distributions of general revenues under the provisions of the Revenue Stabilization Law, § 19-5-101 et seq. (b) The Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall certify to each of the respective state-supported institutions of higher learning, at least thirty (30) days prior to the commencement of each fiscal year, the estimated amounts of general revenues to be available for distribution to the State Treasury account for their respective institutions. He shall include in each certification the quarterly allocations thereof that are estimated to be available for expenditures based upon these estimates. (c) Upon receipt of the estimated amounts to be available for expenditure and after reviewing the quarterly allocation thereof as submitted by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, any such institution may request revisions in the proposed quarterly allotments as certified by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State. (d) The Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, with the advice and consent of the Department of Higher Education, shall approve requested revisions in the proposed quarterly allotments if he shall determine that: (1) The proposed revisions in quarterly allotments do not exceed the aggregate of the estimated funds to be available from estimates of anticipated revenues and fund balances in the institution's account in the State Treasury for the fiscal year; and (2) The revised quarterly allotments will not impose an undue hardship upon other allotments of revenues and other financial commitments to be met from the distributions of general revenues during the fiscal year. November 1, 2011 66 (e) The Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall periodically review the estimates of projected general revenue collections anticipated to be available during a fiscal year. He may make revisions in the amounts certified to the respective institutions of higher learning based upon these estimates and may revise the quarterly amounts certified to each agency based upon the revised estimates. (f) Institutions of higher learning may, from time to time, request revisions in the quarterly allotments of moneys where needs of the institution require revisions thereof. (g) Any unexpended balances remaining at the end of each fiscal year shall be transferred forward and made available for the support of the institutions of higher learning for the following fiscal year. (h) The budget execution provisions set forth in this section shall be applicable to all State-supported institutions of higher learning, and except for the annual fiscal program requirements, the provisions of §§ 19-4-601, 19-4-602, and 19-4-605 - 19-4-609 shall not apply to these institutions; they shall be governed by the provisions of this section and by procedures established under authority of § 6-61-209. (i) The Department of Higher Education shall coordinate with the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State for administering the provisions of this section. History. Acts 1973, No. 876, § 11; 1977, No. 486, § 1; A.S.A. 1947, § 13-337; Acts 1995, No. 1296, § 69.
19-4-605, 19-4-606. [Repealed.]
19-4-607. Review and approval of annual operations plans.
(a) Each state agency other than the elected constitutional officers, the legislative branch and its staff offices, the judicial branch and its staff offices, the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, the state-supported institutions of higher education, and the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission shall prepare an annual operations plan for the operation of each of its assigned programs for submission to the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State. (b) The annual operations plan shall be prepared in the form and content determined by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State and shall be transmitted to the Department of Finance and Administration on the date prescribed by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State. (c) In years when the General Assembly meets in regular session, the annual operations plan shall be prepared after adjournment of the regular session and shall take fully into consideration all applicable laws, including appropriations, and shall be submitted to the Department of Finance and Administration on a date set by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State but prior to July 1 of that year. (d) The Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall: (1) Review each annual operations plan to determine that: (A) It is consistent with the policy decisions of the General Assembly and the Governor; (B) Appropriations and funding have been provided by the General Assembly; (C) It reflects proper planning and efficient management methods; and (D) Appropriations and funding have been made for the planned purpose and will not be exhausted before the end of the fiscal year; and November 1, 2011 67 (2)(A)(i) Approve the annual operations plan if he or she is satisfied that it meets all requirements. (ii) Otherwise, he or she shall require necessary revisions of the plan in whole or in part. (B) However, nothing in this section shall be construed to allow the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State to substitute his or her individual judgment as to the operation or necessity of any program of any state agency for the judgment of the executive head or board or commission charged with the responsibility for the operation and control of that agency. (e) Each annual operations plan shall indicate: (1) The appropriation and funding provided by the General Assembly; (2) A detailed budget by quarters; and (3) Any other supporting or related information required by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State or requested by a legislative interim committee, including the Legislative Council. History. Acts 1973, No. 876, § 9; A.S.A. 1947, § 13-335; Acts 1997, No. 1354, § 36; 2001, No. 221, § 3.
19-4-608. Fiscal controls.
In order to provide proper fiscal controls, the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall assure the implementation of the procedures set out in this section: (1) The annual operations plan of each state agency shall contain a quarterly fiscal program indicating the proposed expenditures and anticipated resources for each quarter of the ensuing fiscal year. Anticipated resources shall be based upon forecasted resources estimated to be available by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State. In the event a revision of forecasted resources is made during a fiscal year, those agencies affected by the revised forecast shall submit a new quarterly fiscal program based upon the revised forecast; (2) The Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall review and approve the quarterly fiscal program if he or she finds that the forecasted resources will be adequate for financing the proposed program during the fiscal year and for each quarter or other appropriate period within the fiscal year; (3) In the event an agency incurs expenses at a level that would exceed the proposed expenditures in their quarterly fiscal program, the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State may require the submission of a revised quarterly fiscal program which reduces expenditures for the remainder of the fiscal year to a total which is within the level of the estimated resources available to the agency. Remaining appropriations will be unavailable to the agency until the revised program has been submitted and approved; and (4) In case the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State determines that the estimated revenues or other sources of income for any agency will be less than was anticipated and that consequently the funds available for the remainder of the fiscal year will be less than the amount estimated, he or she shall reduce the amount of available appropriation to the level of expected revenue after notice to the agency. History. Acts 1973, No. 876, § 9; A.S.A. 1947, § 13-335; Acts 2001, No. 1453, § 14.
R1-19-4-608 Agency Annual Operations Plan
Agencies must submit an Annual Operations Plan in May of each fiscal year to the Department of Finance and Administration-Office of Budget (DFA-OB). (ACA §19-4-607) An Annual Operations Plan contains an agency's proposed expenditures and anticipated resources for the ensuing fiscal year. The Annual Operations Plan is prepared using the State's budgeting system and upon review by the Department of Finance and Administration Offices of Budget and Accounting, the approved plan will be transferred into the Arkansas Administrative Statewide Information System (AASIS). Forms and instructions are available on the DFA-OB web site at http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/budget/Pages/forms.aspx.
The S_ALR_87013611 Cost Centers Actual Plan Variance report in AASIS can be used to monitor and compare actual vs planned expenditures.
If at any time during the fiscal year changes to the Annual Operations Plan result in an increase or decrease in the appropriation and/or funding allocated for expenditure, corresponding adjustments to the Annual Operations Plan must be made in the detail plan in AASIS. (ACA §19-4-608) These changes may be made by accessing transaction KP06 – Activity Input Planning. Although budget is not checked at this level, proper plan maintenance is required for accurate evaluation of agency expenditure variances.
Training courseware is available at the following web site: http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/informationServices/aasis/Training/Pages/default.aspx
PLEASE NOTE: Agencies that do not have access to AASIS should contact their Budget Analyst in the DFA-OB for assistance.
19-4-609. Productivity reporting.
(a) Each state agency, other than the elected constitutional officers, shall institute and maintain a program to increase the productivity and cost effectiveness of the employees for which they are responsible. (b)(1) Each executive, judicial, legislative, and any other agency of the state and each institution of higher education shall provide on a calendar-monthly basis information reflecting the:
(A) Number of current employees in each such agency; (B) Number of newly hired employees; (C) Number of employees who have transferred to other state agencies; (D) Number of employees who retired; (E) Number of all other separations of employees; (F) Number of current vacant budgeted positions; and (G) Other information as may be requested.
(2) Each executive, judicial, legislative, and any other agency of the state, and each institution of higher education shall provide on a quarterly basis a statement of the reasons for any vacant budgeted positions. (3) The information shall be compiled on forms developed by the Bureau of Legislative Research and submitted to the Legislative Council on a calendar-quarterly basis. History. Acts 1973, No. 876, § 10; 1985, No. 110, § 1; A.S.A. 1947, § 13-336; Acts 1989, No. 183, § 1; 2005, No. 1686, § 1.


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With Googles' fresh update, retailers and marketers hoping to boost their natural search rankings in the coming months, this new year could be dubbed the Year of Content. The relationship between original, updated and popular content on an e-commerce site, and potentially higher search rankings for a brand, merchant or product page, is hardly unknown.
In 2012, however, is how Google's' latest major update to its search algorithm—those mathematical formulas that carry so much weight in digital marketing—is pushing retailers to offer stronger content on their web sites, update that content more often and encourage those in-bound links that signal page quality to the search engine.
With relatively little original content most retailers are scrambling for more, while those web merchants that have long had staffers producing how-to articles, product demonstrations and the like are working toward improvements.
Another Google update called Panda was designed to punish what Google views as low-quality web sites, which includes those with unoriginal content, such as retail sites that rely on the same manufacturer product descriptions that many other e-retailers display. It also sought to downgrade sites that web users seemed to find of little value.
E-commerce site are likely to be downgraded if it fails to attract links from reputable sites, without paying for them. Paid links are worse than no links at all—if a retailer gets caught by Google.
Retailers used manufacturer-supplied descriptions on its site instead of original content. Retailers have worked to improve rankings by hiring copywriters to write original product descriptions that contain keywords that consumers use when searching for products. They also removed content that caused pages to load relatively slowly—another negative signal that can depress a site's position in Google organic search ranking.
But now retailers will have to do even more than they did to protect themselves from demotions in search rankings under Panda. Fresh is meant to help shoppers find the latest product information— and that points to all kinds of content-related improvements for e-commerce sites. That includes, for instance, a steady stream of new user reviews on product pages. Merchants should rethink both their own product descriptions and also make sure that user reviews are happening whenever possible, especially when they are good reviews. Retailers should continually update content, starting with best-selling products and pages that already rank high in search results.
Google's fresh update will kick in around April or May, after Google finishes testing the changes. But retailers need to prepare their content efforts now. By studying what consumers search for, along with comments left by consumers via Facebook, e-mails and even phone calls to sales agents.
That old wisdom of search engine optimization hasn't changed too much with Fresh, but the update, with its emphasis on new content, drives home how important a social media campaign and retailer-produced blogs are for retailers. engages consumers on Twitter and Facebook, the search engine update will require even more posting and communication via those social networks. It also underscores the importance of paying attention to Google+, the search engine's own social network. A strong social presence, one that demonstrates a loyalty among consumers that can translates into links, is another sign of good content, and therefore another way to earn the good graces of Google.
Retailers are on the right SEO track if they are putting more effort into social media. The 'freshness algorithm' is Google's attempt to continue to provide more relevant, real-time results for search queries, further highlighting the need for marketers to accelerate their focus on integrating SEO and social marketing practices to ensure pertinent, up-todate content is accessible to Google. Retailers can maximize the impact of their content by making sure they have the "social
share" buttons embedded on their sites, enabling consumers to pass on appealing content to friends and other shoppers on social networks, which also encourages links and builds credibility.
Retailers and marketers are increasingly using a variation of this mantra as both social networks and updated content assume more importance within e-commerce: SEO is social media, and vice versa.
Besides participation in social networks, retailers hoping to keep ahead of Google's changes will want to invest in such marketing services as price optimization—technology that can help a retailer better compete with competitors' off ers—and display ads based on consumers' behavior.
Whatever the effects of the algorithm change over the next few months, retailers hoping to keep up or improve their rankings should embrace another concept besides fresh—speed. That means getting fresh content onto a site quickly.

subset: commoncrawl


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How To Plan A Spring Birthday Party With Healthy Foods
Plan a spring birthday party for your kid this time. You would love to make it a color blast with the spring of good health. So help yourself with a few ideas on how to plan a spring birthday party with healthy foods.
Remember, spring is symbolic of colors, so give your birthday party theme a colorful connotation by including healthy foods, which look attractive too.
So for party themes you could have a flower-themed party, with the little guests representing flowers of varied colors; "Save the colors of the earth" to exhibit how each child can do his/her bit to preserve those wonderful colors of nature; "Sow a seed" theme where different colored fruit seeds can be brought in to be planted by each guest- to exhibit the love for the fruits of nature; or "Butterflies" theme with lots of small-time activities for girls to carve out their own butterfly wings out of cardboards; boys on the other hand can have a "Spring training" activity with baseball-themed games.
There are ideas galore for spring birthday party themes and the healthy foods you choose, can correlate with your party theme. Here is a look up for healthy food options:
Citrus peas with mint
Peas cooked in olive oil sautéed with minced garlic gives immense flavor. For serving, transfer the peas to a bowl and garnish it with mint leaves, with a squeeze of lemon juice. Green peas for the lush green of springtime!
Garden Veggie Dip made of cream
Veggies and cream make a great combo. Chopped carrots, cucumbers- the great springtime veggies dressed in dill, lemon juice with a creamy dip of salsa, mayonnaise and butter milk; make a scrumptious snack item for a spring birthday party.
Fruits-to-flower cakes
Here is an attractive healthy food to add bloom to your springtime birthday party - A potted flower carved from fruits and celery stalks to make a wonderful birthday treat. For the pot-shape, you can take a pound cake and slice it accordingly. For the flower's stem, use celery stalks and trim them to make the leaves as well. As for the flower, take cantaloupes and watermelons and use flower-shaped cookie-cutters to bring the desired shape. Raspberries can be "fixed" at appropriate places on the stem to give the appearance of a bud.
Sunshine – with hummus and pepper:
Get the hummus ready with soaked chick peas that is mixed with olive oil and minced garlic and then pulsed in a food processor. Keep the hummus in a bowl separately and place it in the center of a platter. Take red and yellow papers and cut out triangular shapes to indicate the sun's rays to surround the hummus bowl. Now there is a ray of sunshine for your spring birthday party, which the children can enjoy with an ounce of health-glow!
Spring birthday party themes are aplenty and to spring up with ideas for healthy foods in tune with the season is but a matter of experimentation and creative exploration. So, break free from the cocoon and flutter your wings to reach the heights of springtime this spring!
Photo Courtesy:solariswholehealth.wordpress.com


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House Rejects Wall Street Bailout Plan
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers rejected a $700 billion bailout plan for the financial industry in a shock vote that sent global markets sliding as the world credit crisis claimed more banks.
By a vote of 228-to-205 the House of Representatives rejected a compromise plan that would have allowed the Treasury Department to buy up toxic debt from struggling banks.
The plan's defeat sent U.S. stocks down sharply, with the Dow Jones industrial average briefly falling more than 700 points, its biggest intraday drop ever.
Shares had already been under pressure following sharp declines in Asian and European shares on fears the crisis was spreading. Global money markets remained frozen, even as central banks poured in cash in an attempt to boost liquidity.
Capping three hours of debate on Capitol Hill, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland had warned lawmakers that the cost of inaction would be an economic calamity beyond Wall Street.
"A meltdown would begin, it is true, on a few square miles of Manhattan, but before it was over, all of us know, no city or town in America would be untouched," Hoyer said.
When the contentious bailout plan was announced by the Bush administration last week, some House Republicans balked at spending so much taxpayer money just before U.S. elections.
Republican House members voted against the bailout by a more than 2-to-1 margin. A majority of Democrats voted in favor.
President George W. Bush had urged lawmakers to pass the bailout package quickly, saying it was needed to keep the financial crisis from spreading.
The showdown on the bailout proposal came too late for Wachovia Corp, which agreed to sell most of its assets to Citigroup Inc in a deal brokered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
The Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 4 percent and the broader S&P 500 index was down nearly 6 percent. Oil fell $8 a barrel.
Earlier, European shares dropped to a three-and-a-half year closing low with bank shares weighing heavily.
"Investors are fearful, frenetic, especially when it comes to banking shares. They want to get out now and see the after effects from afar," said Frank Geilfuss, head analyst at Bankhaus Loebbecke.
Around the world, investors were dumping assets they regarded as risky. World stocks were down sharply, while gold and U.S. Treasuries surged in the rush to safety.
The world's central banks, led by the U.S. Federal Reserve, announced a $330 billion expansion of currency swap arrangements, which allows them to increase the amount of money they can provide in their home markets, effectively throwing more money at the crisis.
Earlier, the governments of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg moved to partly nationalize Belgian-Dutch group Fortis NV with an injection of more than $16 billion, and German lender Hypo Real Estate Holding AG secured a credit line from the German government and banks of up to 35 billion euros.
British mortgage lender Bradford & Bingley Plc was brought under the government's wing, shares of French bank Dexia tumbled on a report that it might need emergency capital, and bank rescue deals also emerged in Iceland, Russia and Denmark.
"The contagion is spreading to mainland Europe and everyone's asking, 'Who's next?'" said Mark Sartori, head of European sales trading at Fox-Pitt, Kelton in London.
The Wachovia deal is the latest in a series of events that has transformed the American financial landscape and wiped out hundreds of billions of dollars of shareholder wealth.
The changes include the government takeover of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, the failure of giant savings and loan Washington Mutual, and Bank of America Corp's purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co Inc.
(Additional reporting by Patrick Rucker in Washington, Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, Reed Stephenson in Amsterdam, Jan Dahinten in Singapore, Andrew Callus in London, and Krista Hughes in Frankfurt; editing by John Wallace and Jeffrey Benkoe)
© Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.


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Reader applauds made-in-US mindset
Comments Email PrintI always read Plastics News cover to cover. It's great for me. However, your story about David MacNeil really turned me on [MacNeil touts quality, U.S.-made products, Page 1, Oct. 20]. I could not agree more, maybe because that's what I have been preaching for some time.
Years ago I stopped buying made-in-China products — one case in point, shoes. While in England, I was turned on to Clarks shoes. They were great until a new pair cracked. I saw Clarks were now made in China. I finally found a U.S. shoe maker. The shoes are great and cost no more.
Wal-Mart, Target and Penney's should play the Chinese national anthem on the hour. Exporting jobs was a flawed exercise that ruined our ability to grow.
Please tell David MacNeil many thanks for being a true American. I think I'll frame the article.
Jim Hendry
Plastics industry veteran


text: HomeBluesTrampled Under Foot: Love My Baby Carl May 29, 2012 Blues 3 Comments The Kansas City-based blues band Trampled Under Foot is comprised of siblings Danielle, Kris and Nick Schnebelen. Other songs include Heart on the Line, Wrong Side of the Blues and May I Be Excused. The band named itself after a Led Zeppelin song, which it covers. It also does Heartbreaker/Living Loving Maid. Here is a short documentary about Trampled Under Foot, which is scheduled to play The Iridium in New York City on Thursday. Here is the band's website.


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Posted October 14, 2004 and updated on February 13, 2012
Talk to your kids about…
The Wackiest Ship in the Army
Why did Rip Crandall feel uncomfortable about his orders to turn over the command of his ship? What was his decision and how did it affect the crew?
How did movies like this one give screen time to teen idols like Ricky Nelson and Elvis Presley? How successful were these singers in their acting careers? Are there actors or singers today who use multiple media avenues to advance themselves?


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Mercedes Benz
For access to J-2534 Information on the Mercedes-Benz service information website:
- Click on "MB Workshop Resources".
Click on J2534
J2534 Pass-Thru
All information in regard to Mercedes-Benz J2534 compliant software is available free of charge and found under the MB Workshop Resources tab on the home page of www.startekinfo.com
J2534 complaint software for Mercedes-Benz vehicles is available for purchase from Mercedes-Benz USA.
In order to use the J2534 complaint software for Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the purchaser must furnish their own:
- Windows based PC or laptop*
- J2534 compliant interface box*1*
*Must be purchased from a third party company and are not available from Mercedes-Benz USA LLC.
*1* suggested listing of J2534 interface boxes is located within the J2534 Pass-Thru User's Manual which is posted for view without cost under the MB Workshop Resources tab on the home page of www.startekinfo.com
Vehicle Coverage
J2534 complaint software for Mercedes-Benz vehicles has coverage for all required functions associated to reprogramming, initialization, and fault clearing of emission control modules (engine and transmission) fitted to vehicles 2004 Model Year and newer. Additionally all access and functionality required in regard the configuration via SCN Coding and/or CVN Coding is covered.
J2534 complaint software for Mercedes-Benz vehicles is delivered via DVD media which is delivered monthly for the license term of one year upon purchase.
- All control unit software (reprogramming calibrations) is contained within J2534 DVD media.
Terms and conditions
J2534 complaint software for Mercedes-Benz vehicles is purchased in 1-year license increments. During that license term the user will receive an initial software package, license key, SCN/CVN Coding information/access as well as monthly updates via DVD media.
- Additional updates of software after the 1st year can be purchased at additional cost, however are not required for the system to continue functioning.
For pricing and additional information via the internet, please refer to the information at the beginning of this section.


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Name: Kiran Kancharla, M.D.
Occupation: Choice Cancer Care, Lewisville/Flower Mound Oncology Group. I am board certified in internal medicine, hematology and oncology.
Website: www.choicecancercare.com
Birth date and place: June 18, India
Family: husband, Sreedhar, 44; son, Rohan, 17; and daughter, Neha, 15.
The one thing I enjoy most about my work is: patient satisfaction. I know my patients rely on me for more than just medicine. It is a privilege and an honor to be by their side throughout their cancer journey.
My business philosophy is: Listen to my patients and make myself available all the time.
If I could, I'd be: Mother Teresa.
I'm so sick of: video games.
The four guests at my fantasy dinner party would be: President Barack Obama, Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and Sir Paul McCartney.
My hobbies are: traveling and cooking.
The last book I read was: The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.
I wish I knew how to: cure cancer.
My worst habit is: nail biting.
Nobody knows I: sing.
The person I most admire is: my husband.
My guilty pleasure is: chocolate.
I drive a: BMW 7 Series.
I'd like to be driving a: helicopter.
My favorite restaurant is: P.F. Chang's.
I'm happiest when: I make my patients laugh.
I regret: nothing.
If I won the lottery, here's what I'd do just for me: get a massage.
If I could change one thing about Denton, it would be: to promote going green.
When I retire, I plan to: write a book.
Community activities: Relay for Life and the Sandler-Kenner Foundation (which fights pancreatic cancer).


text:
Diana Olick is an Emmy Award winning journalist, currently serving as CNBC's real estate correspondent as well as the author of the "Realty Check" blog on CNBC.com. She also contributes real estate expertise to The Today Show and NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Prior to joining CNBC in 2002, Olick spent seven years as a correspondent for CBS News. She has a BA in Comparative Literature with a minor in Soviet Studies from Columbia College in New York and a Masters Degree in Journalism from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism.In 1998, Olick was reassigned to the New York bureau and then immediately posted to Bahrain for the buildup to a possible second Gulf War. A year later, she went to Albania to cover the US military buildup during the conflict in Kosovo.Upon her return, Olick was reassigned to CBS' Washington bureau and the Capitol Hill beat. During Campaign 2000, Olick covered the Senate campaign of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and later joined the Bush campaign as a special correspondent for The Early Show. That fall, she was named Supreme Court correspondent; her first case was Bush v. Gore.Diana lives in Washington, DC with her husband Scott Gold and their twins, Noah and Madeline.
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Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd
10.0MP | 35-105mm (3X) ZOOM | $130 US, £92 UK
The FinePix Z20fd is an upgrade to the popular Z10fd that ups the resolution to a rather pointless 10 megapixels and throws in MPEG4 movie capture (still a rarity on compact digital cameras). Judging by the rather eye-watering range of colors and blogging modes the Z20fd is obviously aimed at the young, casual snapshot user rather than the serious photographer, and this is reflected in both the funky styling and the feature set, which eschews manual controls in favor of a wide selection of scene/subject modes. Although Fujifilm is gradually introducing sensor-shift stabilization to its FinePix range, the Z20fd doesn't have it, nor does it have Fujifilm's proprietary Super CCD sensor (which has been acclaimed for its superior low light results).
- 10 effective Megapixels
- 35-105mm equiv lens with 3x Optical zoom and upto 5.7x Digital Zoom
- 2.5 inch LCD with 150,000 dots resolution
- ISO sensitivity upto 1600
- Face detection
- 6 shooting modes, 14 Scene modes including Picture Stabilisation (high ISO)
- In-Camera effects and resizing/trimming
- Movies: 640 x 480 pixels @ 30 fps MPEG4
- 45MB internal memory
- IRSimple infrared transfers between cameras
- Available in White, Pink, Blue, Black, Green and Red
Click here to view the original news story and full specification (opens in new window)
The Z20fd could almost slot into our forthcoming 'Slim camera' roundup, with its Size Zero looks. As with many of these card cameras, the Z20fd features a periscopic lens design, with the sensor sitting down inside the body, looking upwards at a mirror. The result is a pleasantly slim camera with no need for the lens to protrude. The design, particuarly in this Fuchsia hue, suggests that it's being targetted at a market which is more concerned about getting pictures than having a device that looks like a 'proper camera.' This isn't a problem, though its un-camera-like nature sometimes makes it a bit tricky to do some of the things that you'd sometimes want to do with a camera - such as holding it steady, while pressing the shutter button and preventing your finger creeping in front of the lens.
The user-interface extends the Z20fd's unthreatening appeal - options are well split between external buttons, a 7-option shooting menu and the setup menu, depending on how often you are likely to change them. It's a pretty easy camera to pick up and use, without ever having to trouble the manual.
The Z20fd doesn't have a lot in the way of manual controls (annoyingly you have to go into a menu simply to set exposure compensation) but it does have a selection of 'fun' options including a blog mode (which resizes images to a bandwidth-friendly 640x480 or 320x240 pixels - hardly unheard of on a digital camera, but here given a zeitgeisty buzzword to make it seem sexier) and some features lifted from mobile phones (image 'stamps' such as speech bubbles and rabbit ears, and a handful of special effects).
Key Features
Image quality and performance
I think it's fair to say that the FinePix Z20fd isn't a camera designed - or purchased - first and foremost for absolute image quality, and this is reflected in its rather pedestrian performance in our photo tests. That the output is a little soft and rather over-processed when viewed up close doesn't really matter; unless you're producing poster prints you're not going to find cause for complaint, and the high ISO results are actually not bad at all. The lens isn't great, but to be honest we'd have been surprised if it had been; folded optics always involve some compromise, and on budget cameras they are rarely impressive.
The biggest issue for us is that the Z20fd is slightly unreliable when it comes to exposure, white balance, flash and focus - more so than most of the other cameras in the group, and these are problems that will impact on photos even at the smallest print size. There's no doubt it can produce bright, colorful results in ideal conditions, but we weren't convinced it offered the same 'point and shoot' reliability we'd expect from a camera so obviously aimed at the non-photographer. The face detection system is incredibly fast though we found that in low light it sometimes failed completely. Disappointingly in our tests the red-eye removal wasn't completely effective (though it did at least have a stab at it).
The camera itself is pretty fast with a responsive menu system and generally snappy performance; focus in good light is very quick, there's little shutter lag and image browsing in playback mode doesn't keep you waiting. On the downside startup is a little slow, as is zooming (and, incidentally, magnifying images in playback) and the camera takes longer than most to write saved images to card.
For the money the Z20fd is one of the most stylish cameras on the market, with a slimline metal casing and sliding lens cover and a range of colors from teenybopper pink to stylish black (and even a limited edition white version). What it lacks in photographic prowess it more than makes up for with fun features carefully designed to appeal to the young, free and single market it is obviously aimed at, and I'm sure it would make any teenager very happy if they found one under the tree this Christmas.
From a photographic point of view we were slightly disappointed that the automatic exposure, focus and white balance systems weren't as reliable as many of the other cameras in this group, and that (given the Z20fd's intended audience) it produced some of the least impressive flash photographs in the entire test. For the most part our problems with image quality (which in purely technical terms, when the camera gets it right, is actually very good) are niggles and nitpicking, but the flash exposure problems are something we'd not expect on a camera like this.
- We like: Design, build quality, responsiveness, high quality MPEG4 movie mode
- We don't like: Handling a bit awkward, flash performance, occasional metering/WB issues


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Tuesday, March 08, 2011
New AV Receivers by Pioneer
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Pioneer today introduced four new Pioneer branded 5.1 and 7.1-channel audio video receivers.
The 2011 line of Pioneer receivers which include models VSX-521 ($249), VSX-821 ($349), VSX-921 ($449) and VSX-1021 ($549) promise to offer unparalleled performance, advanced technologies, and new features with Apple's AirPlay, Made for iPad, DLNA 1.5, Internet Radio and custom apps made for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch such as the exclusive iControlAV21 App and the Air Jam1 App, both developed by Pioneer.
Pioneer receivers come with a free USB/video cable for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that enable plug and play capability with no optional dock required. This allows users to enjoy playback of audio, video and photos stored on their device(s).
With the VSX-1021 receiver and AirPlay which requires iTunes 10.1 or later and iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 4.2, music lovers can listen to their music library wirelessly through their home theater system. Album art and song information can also be displayed on a connected monitor/TV as well. An optional wireless LAN adapter from Pioneer (AS-WL300) is available to simplify the connection process.
Pioneer is also enhancing the social entertainment with its free Air Jam App, available from the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Used in conjunction with the VSX-1021 receiver (optional AS-BT200 Bluetooth adapter required), up to four devices can be paired via Bluetooth. Once connected, each user can cue songs from their music libraries to create a collective playlist to play back on their A/V Receiver. Each connected device will display the list of songs added by all users and the device each song will play from. The Air Jam App will also keep the list of songs from each session on each device for future purchase through the iTunes Store.
The next generation Pioneer iControlAV2 App, also available in the App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch gives users even more control of their home theater settings when used with the VSX-1021. The app enables control of volume, bass, balance and room settings and is further enhanced when used with an iPad, integrating all four app controls into a single screen. Additional features include graphic representations of before and after MCACC room calibration, and sound adjustments that enable users to create their own equalizer settings with a simple "touch and draw" on the screen. The iControlAV2 App also includes Blu-ray player control when connected to a compatible Pioneer Blu-ray player.
Both the Air Jam App and the iControlAV2 App require iOS 4.2 with iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G, iPad, iPod touch (2nd generation), iPod touch (3rd generation), and iPod touch (4th generation).
Pioneer receivers also utilize the various wireless and network technologies that are available today to access audio contents from personal mobile devices and bring them into the living room environment.
Further expanding on its wireless and networked capabilities, the VSX-1021 also offers DLNA 1.5 support, allowing connection to devices with the same feature. Via Ethernet or optional AS-WL300 wireless WiFi adapter (sold separately), the receiver can access and play high resolution music (up to 192kHz/24-Bit) from a compatible networked or portable device. Audio can also be streamed and controlled through the Pioneer receiver with a smartphone that supports UPnP / DLNA media servers and renderers.
With the optional Bluetooth adaptor, the entire lineup of receivers feature wireless Bluetooth transfer of audio content from any A2DP Bluetooth-enabled mobile device or personal computer. The Pioneer branded AS-BT200 ($99) Bluetooth Adaptor allows listeners to keep their phone close to them while they enjoy music through their home theater system. And, with Pioneer?s exclusive Sound Retriever AIR technology, specifically designed to enhance Bluetooth audio transmissions, music delivered through Bluetooth is near-CD sound quality.
Pioneer adds vTuner Internet radio to the VSX-1021. With vTuner, users have access to Internet radio stations from around the world. From the on-screen display, users can choose from different music formats, station locations or simply search for specific stations and receive the broadcasts with great reception every time.
Pioneer's newest receivers are ready for the latest display technologies. Each model features HDMI 1.4a support and is ready to pass 3D content from a Blu-ray 3D player or 3D cable or satellite broadcast to any compatible display. All models also support the HDMI 1.4a audio return channel (ARC) that send audio signals to the receiver from compatible TV tuners and online services built into televisions, such as Netflix. For the consumer who intends to periodically use the built-in speakers of their televisions, the Pioneer line-up includes a new HDMI Standby Through feature to pass audio and video from a set top box through the receivers without the need to turn on the component.
Pioneer A/V receivers are packed with proprietary audio enhancement and room calibration technologies:
* Auto Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration (MCACC) - Featured in each receiver is Pioneer's proprietary MCACC system that analyzes the room's speaker configuration and then optimizes level and equalization for each one to compensate for any room-induced acoustic inaccuracies.
Pioneer takes audio calibration further on the VSX-1021 with Advanced MCACC, adding 3D time alignment for the most precise tuning capability. When utilizing the iControlAV2 app for room calibration, the control screen graphically displays the results of the acoustics of the room with fine detail and allows the user to make further adjustments manually.
* Dolby ProLogic IIz Decoding - All new Pioneer receivers are equipped to decode HD audio formats, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and now the new Dolby ProLogic IIz height channel. Dolby ProLogic IIz distinguishes background sounds and adds them to additional front height speakers for an enhanced front surround sound experience. Creating the depth and dimension of a lifelike soundstage, this speaker configuration is ideal for gamers, and can also complement a 3D video experience. The new technology provides new speaker placement options for consumers as well as easier installation solutions. Additionally, Pioneer's proprietary Front Wide Mode adds versatility and dimension to a 7.1 speaker arrangement.
* Advanced Sound Retriever - Available in all 2011 models, ASR enhances compressed audio files by restoring critical data from portable media players as well as internet radio and satellite radio, delivering a robust music experience that is near-CD quality.
* Auto Level Control - ALC technology ensures consistent listening from all entertainment sources by compensating for fluctuating volume levels across digital audio tracks, television channels and commercials that can cause unexpected disruptions.
The VSX-1021 is the first AV receiver to feature its new AVNavigator setup software application. Designed to simplify the physical and software setup of the receiver, AVNavigator is a suite of PC applications, consisting of two key applications, Wiring Navi and the Interactive Manual.
* Wiring Navi - Users simply answer a series of questions about the hardware connected to the system and the application will automatically update the receiver with all of the correct settings.
* Interactive Manual - Once the receiver is connected using the Wiring Navi set up, the Interactive Manual application provides a linked two-way interactive manual giving users a way to quickly learn about all of the new features of the AV receiver (i.e. a push of the ALC button on the front of the receiver will take the user directly to the portion of the manual that explains the Automatic Level Control feature). Alternately, users can click on a section of the owner?s manual and the feature of the receiver will automatically activate (i.e. when the user clicks on the FL Dimmer section of the owner?s manual, the Front Panel Display of the receiver will dim).
All models are finished in a premium glossy black and will be available at national and regional retailers in March, 2011.
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text: Custom cinch sacks hit the scene a few years ago and its popularity has spread to thousands of schools and universities nationwide. Everyone, from children to adults love the bag because of the easy to use drawstring closure. They are simple, they are inexpensive, and they are great for people on the go. Customize your cinch sack in seconds in our design studio today.


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COENEY Family Tree and COENEY Genealogy Records
Last updated: 2012-05-04 | Researchers: 0 | Journals: 1
This is the surname research page for COENEY. This section is designed to contain general information about COENEY genealogy research. Please consider adding some of your own research, either as an editor or with journals below.
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COENEY Family History and COENEY Family Genealogy Journals
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Captain DANIEL ALABASTER (1838-1920) arrived Dunedin 1854
by ngairedith on 2012-05-04 10:26:44. page views: 1563, comments: 0
by ngairedith on 2012-05-04 10:26:44. page views: 1563, comments: 0


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The Crossroads Small Business Development Center has led to the creation of 85 new businesses that represent the potential of 391 jobs.
The center, along with the Blue Ridge Crossroads Economic Development Authority and the Southwest Regional Enterprise Center which assists with small business development, hosted the recent "Celebration of Entrepreneurial Business Achievements" dinner and ribbon-cutting to recognize small business owners.
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The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) division of market oversight has issued an amendment to CFTC No-Action Letter No 13-48, which grants relief from the aggregation prohibition for certain commodity trading advisors (CTAs) and investment advisors (IAs) with respect to large notional off-facility swaps.
The no-action letter provides that until 1 October 2013 at 11:59 pm EST, the division will not recommend that the Commission take enforcement action against CTAs and IAs that aggregate orders for the purpose of executing large notional off-facility swaps, provided they meet specified conditions.
The letter also grants relief from the aggregation prohibition aggregating orders for swaps that are not listed on a swap execution facility (SEF) or a designated contract market (DCM).
The amended letter acknowledges that while there are in fact DCMs that currently offer swaps, those offerings are fairly limited, and the division intends to maintain the no-action position as originally stated up until 1 October 2013.
- North America [1]


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Their result for The would you fuck me good Test ...
You scored 70 fuckability!
I want you now. right now. lets do it.
Their Analysis (Vertical line = Average)
They scored 70% on fuckability, higher than 18% of your peers.
All possible test results
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2011-12 Year-End Review: Troy Brouwer
Photo credit: Howard Ullman
Troy Brouwer did a lot of hitting this year. To be specific, he hit two hundred and forty-seven times, leading the team in this category and landing in the top ten hitters in the NHL overall for the second year in a row. Shockingly, he also found time to do other things in between destroying opponents, such as score, and hold dogs.
We are in favor of players who can multitask. You can stay, Troy.


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Mud, sweat and tears
Mount Washington held its annual Mud, Sweat and Tears obstacle challenge last Saturday. Teams and individuals were faced with road blocks such as climbing wall, mud pits, a rope swing, an old car that competitors had to jump up and over top of, as well as two short swimming portions. Pictured above, a team of two wade through a mud pit.
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Photo: Langley 2-4 On Track
Danny Halmo takes part in the first Cliff Steele Memorial Parade of Pos-Abilities. The parade was part of the two-day Langley 2-4 event, held at the Langley Events Centre to benefit the Langley Pos-Abilities Society. The event was also an attempt to break four Guinness World Records involving electric vehicles. Just one was broken by Michael Besler and Matthew Mudei of Victoria, who rode electric vehicles for a full 24 hours.
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Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2011-01-03/Features and admins
Featured sound choice of the year
The Signpost asked reviewer Sven Manguard to do a round-up of the featured sound process in 2010. His report, and his choices of the highlights of the year, appear below in this week's "Features and admins".
New administrator
The Signpost welcomes Grondemar (nom) as our newest admin. Grondemar joined Wikipedia just over a year ago and has some 7,000 edits, many of them on the US state of Connecticut, especially the Connecticut Huskies (the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut).
Featured articles
Six articles were promoted to featured status:- Gianni Schicchi (nom), the last opera finished by Italian bel-canto composer Puccini (nominated by Wehwalt and Brianboulton; picture above).
- Alexander of Lincoln (nom), a member of a very powerful Norman ecclesiastical family, who dominated the administration of King Henry I of England and was an important patron of both monastics and authors (Ealdgyth).
- Banksia attenuata (nom), commonly a tree reaching 10 m high, but often a shrub in dryer areas 0.4–2.0 m high. It has long narrow serrated leaves and bright yellow inflorescences, or flower-spikes, held above the foliage, which age to grey and swell with the development of the woody follicles. The species is found across much of the southwest of Western Australia (Casliber; picture at the right).
- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (nom), widely considered the Star Trek film most accessible to non-fans. Nominator David Fuchs says, "learn how Leonard Nimoy's voice became the droning of a powerful alien probe, how assistant producers make great punk rockers, and how Star Trek was *this close* to having Eddie Murphy in a starring role."
- Taare Zameen Par (nom), a 2007 Bollywood drama film directed by Aamir Khan, one of the first such films to use "claymation" (Ophois).
- Goldcrest (nom), a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family, with colourful golden crest feathers that give rise to its name (Jimfbleak)
Featured lists
Eight lists were promoted:
- List of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves recipients (1942) (nom) (nominated by MisterBee1966)
- List of National Basketball Association season steals leaders (nom) (Chrishmt0423)
- List of National Basketball Association player-coaches (nom) (Martin tamb)
- Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album (nom) (Another Believer and Jaespinoza)
- Chris Brown discography (nom) (Candyo32)
- Eazy-E discography (nom) (CrowzRSA)
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands (nom) (Peter I. Vardy)
- Sakharov Prize (nom) (The Rambling Man)
Featured pictures
Twelve images were promoted. Medium-sized images can be viewed by clicking on "nom":- Hard-drive head crash (nom and related article), just what ruined your day: a hard-disk failure occurs when a read–write head of a hard-disk drive comes in contact with its rotating platter, resulting in permanent and usually fatal damage to the magnetic media on the platter surface (created by Alchemist-hp).
- Hafnium (nom and related article), another metallic element. There were a few comments about the photographer's red shirt; creator Alchemist-hp reflected on the difficulty of photographing an image of "1001 mirrors".
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini (nom and related article), a self-portrait by the 17th-century Italian artist, painted ca. 1623.
- Red-headed Finch (nom and related article), the vibrant red head of the male of this bird common in southern Africa (created by Hans Hillewaert, denoised by Papa Lima Whiskey; picture below).
- Condylactis gigantea (nom and related article), a tropical species of sea anemone that is found in coral reefs, shallow ocean waters, in shore areas in the West Indies and the Western Atlantic Sea (created by Nick Hobgood; picture at the right).
- Lead (nom and related article), the metallic element (created by Alchemist-hp).
- Hooded Plover (nom and related article), shot on Bruny Island, Tasmania (created by Noodle snacks).
- Sooty Oystercatcher (nom and related article). Creator Noodle snacks says it's "a fairly difficult bird to expose for (being black, with a beak that can easily clip)".
- Welcome Swallow (nom and related article), shot at Risdon Brook Park, Tasmania (created by Noodle snacks).
- Thulium (nom and related article), another valuable addition to our stock of images of the elements (created by Alchemist-hp).
- Lutetium (nom and related article), praised by the reviewers (created by Alchemist-hp).
- St Moritz (nom and related article), a view of the ski resort St Moritz and its lake, as seen from Muottas da Schlarigna, Grisons, Switzerland (created by Murdockcrc).
Featured sound choice of the year
We asked featured sounds reviewer Sven Manguard to comment on the year in featured sounds, and to choose what he feels were the 2010 stand-outs. Featured sounds is a project that recognizes high quality free-use sounds that contribute to the readers' understanding or appreciation of the articles that they are in. (Featured Sounds: Listing · Criteria · Candidates)
"As the year comes to a close, I'd like to reflect on one of the less trafficked areas of featured content, featured sounds. Created by Pharos in late 2005, the featured sounds project has, by the end of 2010, promoted 156 featured sounds in 194 parts. Featured sounds has promoted a diversity of material, everything from 18th-century baroque music penned by JS Bach to a Bulgarian folk-metal song first released in 2001. In addition to musical content, featured sounds includes such historical treasures as the two 1945 speeches by US President Harry S. Truman announcing the surrenders of Germany and Japan, and a collection of phonograph cylinders from 1888 representing the earliest surviving intentional recordings of music in the world. Featured sounds also counts among its numbers a collection of field recordings of animals, and two videos.
Featured sounds has never been a highly trafficked project; however this year saw only 17 sounds promoted, a third of the previous year's promotions, and just under half of those promoted in 2008. For many candidates, fewer than five editors voiced their opinions, and often nominations were promoted with only three voters and one closer participating. Low traffic also led to instances where the process took many months. Of the 23 nominations closed this year, 11 took more than two months, with a record of just over a year for a candidate that was promoted just two weeks ago.
Despite the low number of promotions, 2010 was a year of impressive firsts. June marked the promotion of a recorded drama production of Oscar Wilde's 1892 play Lady Windermere's Fan (Acts: I · II · III · IV); this was the first promotion of a recorded drama. In August, the Hungry Lucy album Pulse of the Earth (Tracks: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10) was released under the CC-by-SA-3.0 license and was promoted. Thanks to the work of the nominator, this is the first full-length studio album among our featured sounds, in an area in which it is notoriously difficult to persuade owners to release files under free licenses. In both cases, the promoted materials marked the only known examples of the medium on Wikipedia. Few professional productions are released into the public domain, especially sound files. However, while few professional musicians have released their music into the public domain, a number of Wikipedians have done so themselves. Several promotions were recorded or performed by Wikipedians, including Jujutacular, ZooFari, and La Pianista.
So what is to become of featured sounds? Its value to Wikipedia is unchallenged, and the body of promoted material is considerable. I believe featured sounds deserves to be on the watchlist of any editor interested in producing, selecting, or judging sound recording. Featured sounds has significant potential for growth in the coming year, and I hope that 2011 will see an increase in the number of participants and submissions, and in particular more high-quality performances and recordings produced or performed by Wikipedians.
I leave you with a selection of my choices for the year:
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Spanish composer Fernando Sor's Twelve Minuets - Opus 11 No 2, performed by Wikipedia user Jujutacular
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Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in B Minor, Op. 32, No. 10, performed by Wikipedia user La Pianista
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Problems playing this file? See media help. |
- Field recordings: Three were promoted—two of bird songs and one of a cat purring. Of the three, I chose ZooFari's recording of a Northern Mockingbird calling. The file Mimus Polyglottos impressed in both clarity and duration. I'm no ornithologist, but I still managed to pick out at least a dozen distinct calls from the recording.
- Historical music recordings: Four were promoted that were in part notable for the age of the recordings themselves. It's a Long Way to Tipperary was composed in 1912, and this recording was made three years later. For a recording that is nearly a century old, the quality of this file is excellent. While I find the 1921 recording of Ride of the Valkyries that was promoted just two days before Tipperary to me much more to my taste, no other historical performance promoted this year came close to the quality of sound and encyclopedic value of Tipperary.
- Contemporary music recordings: Three recordings that were produced recently were promoted in 2010. While recordings can be featured regardless of their age, the featured sound criteria for new recordings demand considerably higher quality. Of these three, one made my pick of the year, and is profiled below. The other two, a piece for the guitar by the Spanish composer Fernando Sor—Twelve Minuets - Op 11, No 2—performed by Wikipedian Jujutacular, and a piano composition by the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff—Prelude in B Minor, Op. 32, No. 10—performed by Wikipedian La Pianista deserve to be recognized. Both performers demonstrate skill in their chosen arts and both recordings are both high in quality and provide high encyclopedic value. I have neither the musical knowledge and skill nor the heart to choose between them.
- Choice of the year: While there were several excellent promotions this year, at the end of the day I just had to go with the Hungry Lucy album Pulse of the Earth, nominated by User:J Milburn (files on the linked page and above). Maybe it's just me, but the concept that a known and notable living artist has released an entire studio album under a free license is impressive. While I do not expect it to be so, I think it would be a wonderful thing if more artists released their work under free licenses. Of course, it goes without saying that as a professional studio album, the sound quality is top-notch."
Information about new admins at the top is drawn from their user pages and RfA texts, and occasionally from what they tell us directly.
March 6


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Upbeat Ellsbury focused on rehab of shoulder
By Ian Browne / MLB.com
If you were expecting a downcast Ellsbury, you'd be wrong. If anything, he was optimistic and looking forward to his return to the lineup.
Ellsbury is expected to miss a minimum of six weeks.
"Putting a lot of work in," Ellsbury said. "Right now, we're doing a lot of icing to get the swelling out. Once the swelling subsides, I can start getting exercises, that sort of thing, in the shoulder. As far as the timeline, we don't have one right now."
Did Ellsbury see the replay of Reid Brignac falling on his shoulder?
"I looked at it one time. Once was enough for me," Ellsbury said.
As unfortunate as the injury was, Ellsbury realizes it was unavoidable.
"Playing the game the right way, trying to break up a double play ball," Ellsbury said. "Reid is doing everything he can to make the play. Two guys going hard, playing the game the right way."
Ross bats cleanup; Youk slides down to sixth
BOSTON -- Manager Bobby Valentine did some lineup shuffling for Wednesday's game against the Rangers, sliding the slumping Kevin Youkilis down to the No. 6 spot against Rangers lefty Derek Holland.
Cody Ross was bumped up to the cleanup hole, with David Ortiz hitting fifth.
This is the first time Youkilis has batted lower than fifth in Boston's batting order since July 22, 2008.
"Maybe just a little breather [for Youkilis]," said Valentine. "Maybe just a little something different for him. Maybe he gets that one pitch. We've all been there. A bloop away."
Valentine noted how hard Youkilis has been working in the batting cage with hitting coach Dave Magadan.
"He's working hard as anybody has ever worked trying to find it," Valentine said.
Youkilis, who struck out in all four at-bats Tuesday night, blasted a two-run homer off the light stanchion atop the Green Monster in left-center field in his first at-bat in Wednesday's game.
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brownie Points, and follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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I don't know about you- but every November there seems to be much wailing and gnashing of teeth and lamenting the fact that I did not get my butt in gear earlier in the year to GET ORGANIZED for Christmas. "Start early" I tell myself each year, just to find myself harried and hurried around December 1st trying to get everything done.
So-- I decided I would complete one task each month leading up to December so I can finally ENJOY the holidays. Now, I admit, I took January and February off. I think we are OVER Christmas stuff up until about March, when we start to look forward to the magical season all over again. So this month, I am working on handmade Christmas cards.
I am going to show you how to make these sweet snowglobe cards so you too can play along with me. I will be showing you a different project each month so by December, you are all ready to party, sing carols and play!
This is what you will need to get started on your Christmas card stash for 2011.
Create a 5" x 6 1/2" card from white cardstock. Cut black cardstock a little smaller and glue it to the white card front. If you would like, use a sewing machine to stitch a straight stitch along the border. Now cut a 3" x 4" strip from the striped paper, with the stripes going up and down.
Cut one diagonal edge off one short end of the strip with scissors.
To create an opposite diagonal edge that matches the first edge, use the cut edge as a template by turning it over and cutting along the lines. This will result in even edges.
Now that I have my snowglobe base, I am going to trace it on sturdy cardboard so that I can use it over and over by tracing it on the wrong side of the striped patterned paper. This will save me time when working assembly line style since I will be creating so many cards. Now lets do the same for the snow globe top.
Cut two 4" circles from white cardstock. Freehand snow drips on the top of one of the circles like in the above photo with a pencil. Cut out, trace on chipboard and cut out. Now you have two patterns you can use over and over again.
Looking at the below photo, punch and cut out the following pieces. You will also need a 4" acetate circle, which may be difficult to see in the photo.
Stamp the snowman image on the white circle. I used a snowman that sits on a cupcake, and I obviously dont want that part of the image. So I stamped like this.
Use colored pencils for the nose (orange) and hat band (red).
Glue your pieces together in the following fashion. Glue snowflakes to white circle surrounding snowman image. Place paper glue on top of acetate and press to cardstock to create a "glass globe." Glue snowdrips on top of acetate.
Now, glue the snowglobe circle to the cardfront, and the striped paper base to the bottom of the circle. Glue the small black circle to the center of the large white snowflake. Punch a hole in the center of the circle and insert a jeweled brad. I never can resist adding a jeweled component of some sort to a project.
Stamp a sentiment on a 1" x 5" strip of light blue cardstock and fork ends with scissors. Glue to top base of card. If you would like to, sew the edges of the snowglobe base with black thread and a straight machine stitch.
Finally, use DecoArts Glitter Writer in Clear to outline edges of snow drips and large snowflake.
Check back around the beginning of April, and I will show you how you can create custom wrapping paper by the roll using your collected patterned paper scraps, grocery bags, newspaper and almost anything else you have.
Live Life Creatively,


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Osage Casino - Ponca City
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I just noticed that if I create a new patcher and inspect several different objects in the inspector and then by mistake close the patcher, Max crashes. This is only the case if the patch hasn't been saved previously.
Steps to reproduce:
put some different objects into a new patcher (toggle, bang, message) select all and open inspector switch back to patcher without deselecting the objects (i.e. the inspector still shows all attributes) close the patcher without saving
=> crash
It's not a big issue, and I only noticed it because I am clumsy and happen to press command+w a lot instead of command+e…
Can anyone reproduce this?
System: MBP 10.6.4 Max 5.1.5
I haven't been able to reproduce. Also on 5.1.5, 10.6.4
Have you tried trashing prefs?
Preferences are stored here:
~/Library/Preferences/Max5 Preferences Folder
I can reproduce here on latest OS X and latest MaxMSP version.
@Dave – first time I tried I didn't get it to happen but I'd missed the key line:
*switch back to patcher without deselecting the objects (i.e. the inspector still shows all attributes)*
Actually for me it is irrelevant whether or no the patch has been saved. The problem is that multiple items in the inspector do not get cleared when the patch is closed, and then it crashes.
Confirmed on OSX 10.6.4 with Max 5.1.4
@Alex – you are right, crashes if it saved or not.
@Tim – thanks for the confirmation.
can not reproduce using 5.1.5 on 10.4.11
Thanks for the report. I can repro and we will take a closer look.
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Your favorite Apple, iPhone, iPad, iOS, Jailbreak, and Cydia site.
Thread: UBS Analyst Assesses Tim Cook's Performance as Apple CEO
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UBS Analyst Assesses Tim Cook's Performance as Apple CEO
UBS analyst Steve Milunovich not only thinks Apple stock is a good buy today, he thinks the company is in good hands for the future.
In a new report shared with investors, the UBS analyst offers an assessment of the Apple boss, finding that he is definitely the right leader for Apple in today's market.
Largely shutting out claims and criticisms that Cook hasn't innovated fast enough or released a satisfying number of new products to keep Apple fans happy in the last three years, Milunovich suggests that, in the big picture, Cook brings to the table exactly what Apple needs today.
Over time, Milunovich proposers, Cook's naysayers will likely be proven wrong, as Steve Jobs' successor is undoubtedly the right man for the time for Apple.
Milunovich's comments largely echo those of famed Apple observer John Gruber, who said just last Friday that Jobs was a great CEO for leading Apple to become big. But Cook is a great CEO for leading Apple now that it is big, to allow the company to take advantage of its size and success.
Source: Barron's


text: Jeremy Clarkson On Honda Insight: "Biblically Terrible"Ray Wert5/18/09 12:00pmFiled to: Top Gearhonda insightJeremy ClarksonHybridHondaInsighthonda insight hybrid2009 Honda Insight2010 Honda Insight2010 InsightNew Honda Hybrid21EditPromoteShare to KinjaToggle Conversation toolsGo to permalink Reviewing the new Honda Insight hybrid, Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear's bombastic hater-of-all-cars-not-designed-over-tea-and-crumpets, echoed claims from our first drive. Then he dialed them up from ten to eleven, saying the hybrid's "...terrible. Biblically terrible." [Times Online] Reply21 repliesLeave a reply


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This Ruby gem helps import an Excel document into a database or some other format. Just create a class defining the columns and pass in a path to an "xls" file. It will automatically format the columns into specified Ruby objects and raise errors on bad data.
see README file.
License | Verified by | Verified on | Notes |
Expat | Kelly Hopkins | 26 August 2010 |
Leaders and contributors
Contact(s) | Role |
Ryan Bates | Maintainer |
Resources and communication
Software prerequisites
This entry (in part or in whole) was last reviewed on 26 August 2010.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the page "GNU Free Documentation License".
The copyright and license notices on this page only apply to the text on this page. Any software or copyright-licenses or other similar notices described in this text has its own copyright notice and license, which can usually be found in the distribution or license text itself.


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We believe in sharing our success with our employees. For that reason, Wolverine Worldwide benefits* are designed to reward dedication and allow members of the Wolverine Worldwide team to plan for their futures, as well as that of their family's.
As of 2015, Wolverine Worldwide proudly offers:
- Medical and Dental Insurance
- Health Saving Account
- Life Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Matched 401 (k) Plan
- Stock Purchase Plan
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Wellness Programs
- Product Discounts
- Matching Gift Program
- Causal Dress Code
- On-site Dining Facilities
- Day Care – Boston
- Fitness Facility – Boston
* Please note that actual benefits packages may vary in detail from position to position and across multiple locations. The preceding list illustrates the highly competitive benefits packages created by Wolverine Worldwide for its employees, and does not constitute a contract in any form