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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at the Book Date and is "a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week."
Visit the Book Date to see what various other book bloggers have been up to in the past week.
Books I finished reading last week:
I seem to be out of the reading slump and am reading at full pace. The trick seems to be to not hesitate when choosing the next book, and to get reading right away and read enough to get yourself hooked. (Or maybe I have just been lucky in my choices).
I finished and reviewed (links lead to my reviews):
- Common Ground by Rob Cowen. Natural history and meditation on man's place within nature.
- Alice by Christina Henry. Fantasy. Dark spin-off of Alice in Wonderland.
I finished and haven't reviewed:
- The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich. I may review this one, but in case I don't get round to it, it is a memoir of sorts about the US state of Wyoming, where Ehrlich first started visiting in the 1970s. She first came there to make a documentary about sheep farming, but kept returning and learned both shepherding and cowboying before she eventually got married and settled down on a ranch with her husband. It's the kind of book about a place and the people and animals that occupy it that I love to read.
- The Pillow Book: An Illustrated Celebration of Eastern Erotica, edited by Charles Fowkes. This is an anthology/sampler of erotic writing and art from India, China and Japan that I acquired at the same time as The Perfumed Garden.
- The audio book of A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie, read by Rosemary Leach.
- Live Alone and Like It by Marjorie Hillis. Self-help and etiquette, humorous. A tongue in book of advice for single women on how to enjoy their singledom.
- Single Female (Reluctantly) Seeks by Dixie Browning. Romance.
I am currently waiting for one book to arrive in the mail:
- Rivers of London by Ben Aaranovitch. This is the first book in a fantasy/alternate reality detective series and was recommended to me as a book that other Terry Pratchett fans have enjoyed.
- Red Queen by Christina Henry.
I forgot to post about the books I acquired the week before last, so here is a double dose.
I have already read four of them and have started on a fifth.
Click to enlarge the photos so you can see the titles.
Click to enlarge the photos so you can see the titles.
I'll be writing about them later in the week.


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from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various funnel-shaped bodily passages, openings, structures, or parts, especially.
- noun The stalk of the pituitary gland.
- noun The calyx of a kidney.
- noun The ovarian opening of a fallopian tube.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In anatomy, a funnel-shaped organ or part.
- noun In zöol.:
- noun The funnel or siphon of a cephalopod, formed by the coalescence or apposition of the epipodia: supposed by Huxley to be formed by the union and folding into a tubular form of processes which correspond to the epipodia of pteropods and branchiogastropods. See cut under
- noun One of the gastric cavities of the Ctenophora, into which the gastric sac leads; a chamber connecting the gastric cavity with the entire system of canals of the body, and also leading to the aboral pores. It corresponds to the common axial cavity of actinozoans. See cut under
- noun The dilated upper extremity of the oviduct of a bird, which receives the ovum from the ovarium, corresponding to the fimbriated extremity of the Fallopian tube of a mammal.
- noun [capitalized] A genus of mollusks.
- noun The two or three main divisions of the pelvis of the kidney. formed by the confluence of the calyces.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Anat.) A funnel-shaped or dilated organ or part
- noun A central cavity in the Ctenophora, into which the gastric sac leads.
- noun The siphon of Cephalopoda. See
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun anatomy A
funnel-shaped cavityor organ.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun any of various funnel-shaped parts of the body (but especially the hypophyseal stalk)
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Through the hiatus semilunaris the meatus communicates with a curved passage termed the infundibulum, which communicates in front with the anterior ethmoidal cells and in rather more than fifty per cent. of skulls is continued upward as the frontonasal duct into the frontal air-sinus; when this continuity fails, the frontonasal duct opens directly into the anterior part of the meatus.
The middle ethmoidal cells open into the central part of this meatus, and a sinuous passage, termed the infundibulum, extends upward and forward through the labyrinth and communicates with the anterior ethmoidal cells, and in about 50 per cent. of skulls is continued upward as the frontonasal duct into the frontal sinus.
We decided it was time to finally meet, and the daffodil party seemed the perfect time, so we crossed our fingers and hoped a chrono-synclastic infundibulum would not result.
In "The Sirens of Titan" (1959), there is a mathematical point where everybody is right all the time -- "the chrono-synclastic infundibulum."
I would fear that Paul Nelson has fallen into a chronosynclastic infundibulum and come unstuck in time, except that he still pops up saying the same stuff at creationist conferences.
I would fear that Paul Nelson has fallen into a chronosynclastic infundibulum and come unstuck in time, except that he still pops up saying the same stuff at creationist conferences.
A chronosynclastic infundibulum, from memory, is where everything that could be true, is true simultaneously.
"Future Guy" could have sent them hurtling back through the space-time continuum (or as Stony Stephenson knew it in 'Between Time And Timbuktu', the chrono-synclastic infundibulum) in order to insure that the Suliban (as the most logical alien race to be involved) did not cause the baby's death.
The Chrono-synclastic infundibulum, for example, if l've got that right.
The middle one is small and sticks up behind the infundibulum; it is absent in fish and Amphibia, and soon disappears during the development of the higher forms.
Form and Function A Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology
New comments are temporarily disabled while we update our database.
Vortices are funnel-shaped. See Free Associations.
Haha! Leave it to you, mollusque. :-)
Sirens of Titans is a classic! What-a =ho∑l

subset: commoncrawl


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Walkwel Technology Pvt. Ltd.
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Email Walkwel Technology Pvt. Ltd.http://www.walkwel.in
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About Walkwel Technology Pvt. Ltd.
Walkwel creates simple, beautiful software that helps organizations scale their business. And thus, revenues.
Headquartered in the downtown of Jalandhar, since 2011 we've created software solutions in ERP, Web portals, e-commerce, mobile apps, desktop and websites. Alongside we just launched out first in-house tool PHD Online.in that's being used by few prominent Universities.


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More than 13 years ago, Philadephia Inquirer reporter Michael Vitez wrote a series about end-of-life care which won a Pulitzer Prize - see here for the first installment of that five-part series.
Some excerpts from that piece:
"Medicine has gotten so good at keeping people alive that Americans increasingly must decide how and when they will die. They must choose if death will come in a hospital room with beeping machines and blinking monitors or if it will come at home, with hospice workers blunting the fear and pain that so often accompany the final hours."
"The intensive-care unit offers a hope for recovery, but the price can be a miserable death. Deciding when to surrender can be a torture all its own."
"Advocates for change believe doctors are too optimistic, too sparing in what they tell patients. They say that families would be more willing to accept death earlier if doctors were more honest, more realistic. Reformers want to make sure that patients get the care they need, but not unnecessary or unwanted treatment. The key to humane and cost-effective intensive care is to treat those who will benefit, but not squander precious resources and impose futile treatments on those who will not. But often it is impossible to know who will live and who won't."
In today's Philadelphia Inquirer appears an article by Michael Vitez (read here), as part one of an occasional series on the dilemmas facing today's hospitals. The subject is how hospitals are addressing end-of-care issues, and in his article Mr. Vitez follows the work of the palliative care team, led by palliative medicine physician Dr. Diane Dietzen, at Abington Memorial Hospital, a large, suburban Philadelphia hospital. An insightful article, one that lays out in very personal stories the challenges faced by families and providers alike. In Mr. Vitez' words: "My goal is to spend a year at Abington, writing stories that show how one hospital deals with the biggest issues in health care today and also the changes that are coming fast and furious - regardless of what Congress and the President do - to hospitals and health care.
This first story looks at how the palliative care movement is medicine's response to the dismal way people have died. I try to show, up close, how the team works, the agony that families feel, the immense costs involved. "
Has much changed around end-of-life care in those 13 years? Surely, a patient in an ICU with a poor prognosis is more likely today than 1996 to be consulted by a palliative medicine physician such as Dr. Dietzen. But how much more likely, and if a consult is requested, is the timing appropriate? Just as surely, large variations in late-life care continue to persist among hospitals and communities, still raising questions about the appropriate role for acute hospital care in the management of patients with advanced illnesses.
As one of the doctors in the 1997 article stated ," America wants to offer the most advanced technology and treatments to everyone, yet keep health-care costs down."
How to balance those desires, the doctor added, "is a discussion nobody wants to have." Thirteen years later, when one considers the discussions taking place in the name of health reform, one must wonder how far have we advanced.
What research is Healthcare Economist research presenting at ISPOR? - Below are two posters I am presenting at the 2019 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Annual Meeting. The first poste...
10 hours ago


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Men's Clothing Needed
Tired of wearing the same old pants, shirt and shoes? Try something new and donate it. It will feel good knowing your clothes will go to someone in need and you get to beef up your style with some new spring clothes in thre process.
I have worked here for 5 years and for as long as I can remeber, we have always been in need of men's shoes and clothing. I think this is because men do not recycle their wardrobe as much as women. My husband would still wear his pants from 2003 if I didn't raid his closet to donate to Martha's Outfitters.
The weather is changing so why not clean out your closet, update your wardrobe and donate your clothes to those in need.
For more information visit Martha's Outiftters Donation page.


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Home improvement is a wonderful endeavor for people who like to approach their projects in a do-it-yourself fashion. These tips should help you get started on your first do-it-yourself project.
It's time to pop those flooring bubbles! Just cut it with a knife and let the air out. The bubble will collapse in the short term. However, you will have to insert some new glue to set the fixed section onto the floor. Use a syringe to inject the glue to the old vinyl floor tiles.
If you want an inexpensive method of tiling a floor, try using vinyl as opposed to ceramic or stone tiles. It lasts for a long time, won't be affected by water and you can put it in yourself. Although you can purchase this in sheet form, it is most commonly sold by the square foot in boxes.
Before you undertake any major home improvement project, it is in your best interest to create a well-laid plan. This allows you to concentrate on the task itself instead of leaving you distracted by details relating to cost and design. Find inspiration in magazines, friends' homes or television shows about home improvement projects.
If you want to make improvements to a home, one thing you really must have is some kind of drill. This tool will create different-sized holes by using screws, as well as utilizing special attachments for driving the screws. You should invest in a good 9 volts cordless drill with different drill bits as well as attachments for Phillips and flat-head screws.
Be sure to lay down a tarp to protect the floor while you paint. Taking this precaution will save you from wet paint staining carpets or floors. Layers of old newspaper make an inexpensive protective covering. Plastic sheeting or inexpensive paint cloths will work, too.
Repairing leaky faucets is an excellent home improvement project for even a novice handyman. If you are able to find and repair these items quickly, it will minimize the amount of water that is wasted in your home each day. Your water bill will be significantly lower each month.
Chipping paint, rotting decks and ceilings which contain water damage can be easily seen when you look through a house you are thinking of buying. However, electrical issues, roof damage, foundation damage and other issues require an inspector to notice. Invest a bit of money before buying a house in order to save lots of dollars in the longer term.
When putting your house up for sale, a bathroom is an important room to consider remodeling. Most rooms, like bedrooms and living rooms, can easily be customized by buyers to fit their style. However, you want to make sure the bathrooms are in good condition. So you should try to choose tubs, toilets and other fixtures in the bathroom to be of quality but not too customized to your tastes. Swap any linoleum floors for tile.
Now that you have the preceding information, you know how to work efficiently and improve your home immensely. As you learn, you will be able to work more quickly and affect more difficult changes. Your home will be improved in every aspect, and you will be able to enjoy a better quality of living thanks to your own skills.
Easy DIY Projects For The Home Improvement Beginner
Taking on a home improvement project can be beneficial to everyone who lives in your home. It's important, though, to make sure you do your research first. Use these tips and advice to make your house your dream home.
Keep an eye out for sales on carpet installation from many of the national home project retailers. You can often get very low prices on installation if you purchase carpet. This could be a great opportunity to replace your flooring or to get something done that requires too much work for you.
If you are considering a renovation on your home that adds a personalized aspect, think about the value and return that the investment will make. More individualized renovations do not have as much impact on home value to potential buyers.
If you'd like to improve your home's energy efficiency levels, place weather stripping by your doors and windows. The savings on your energy bill will more than cover the costs of this inexpensive repair. You are certain to notice the decrease in drafts on cold evenings.
To save some energy yet still light up your yard, switch out your standard porch lights for lights that operate on a motion sensor. You can still turn it on manually if need be, and you can also adjust sensitivity on some models.
Dumpster Rentals Near By
For a cheaper tile job for your floor, use vinyl instead of stone or ceramic tile. Vinyl is strong, durable, water resistant, and easy to install due to the adhesive that is included on the back. You can find vinyl flooring as individual tiles or in a complete sheet that will cover an entire room at once.
Fun is a necessary part of all home projects. If you are willing to do careful work and spend your valuable time, you should also be doing something that you fell good about. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, you will likely make mistakes. If you feel a job is beyond your expertise or enjoyment level, consider calling a professional.
When it comes to home improvement, it is wise to plan ahead. It is impossible to be cost and time efficient on home improvement projects without adequate planning, and disaster will probably be the result. If you think about things in advance, you will be more successful.
Spending time on home improvement projects can be an extremely rewarding hobby. To get the best results, you need to learn all you can about what you need to do. If you take advantage of the things you've learned in this article, you're in a great place to get started on your next home improvement project. Trash Removal Company Gaithersburg


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Hey everyone! Mini Meal #2 coming at ya!! Salads are a GREAT way to have an easy to meal to take and it's fairly easy on the budget to purchase too!
Grocery stores are great when it comes to pre-packaged salads. Buy the smallest bag you can find and grab a small bag of shredded cheese and whatever extra toppings you might want. Grab a pack of chicken tenderloins while you are at. Freeze them in separate bags (to how much you eat each meal). This one I think I used one skinny tenderloin and it was perfect.
Dice up your chicken into bite size pieces (because who wants to have to cut chicken again when you are trying to eat? NOT ME! I'm lazy.. haha) Throw some butter or oil in a pan and sprinkle it with pepper or whatever seasonings you love.
Throw it on top of your lettuce mixture and add your extra toppings. For this I used mozzarella cheese and olive garden dressing. I'm obsessed with olive garden dressing!!!
Need to pack it for work or school? Pack the dressing separately and add it during lunch!


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Our ability to access land increasingly depends on effectively managing the impacts of our activities on species, ecosystems and other land uses. Through partnerships with governments, NGOs, academia and communities, we aim to build long-term biodiversity management strategies that deliver sustainable conservation outcomes.
Our Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement Policy includes a stated goal of no net loss of key biodiversity values (KBVs) in our areas of influence. As a member of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), we also commit to the organization's Mining and Protected Areas position statement in which we agree to respect legally designated protected areas and to not explore or mine in world heritage sites. Supporting these commitments is our Biodiversity Management Standard, which details our approach to managing and mitigating biodiversity risks throughout the entire mine lifecycle.
All operating sites must conduct biodiversity risk assessments, engage stakeholders on biodiversity issues and mitigation plans, and identify KBVs. New projects or expansions at existing sites must also conduct biodiversity and ecosystem impact assessments. Sites with KBVs specific to the area must develop biodiversity action plans (BAPs) that satisfy the Mitigation Hierarchy, which is a widely accepted approach for biodiversity conservation:
- Avoid impacts by locating facilities and access routes away from natural and critical habitats;
- Minimize impacts through the use of appropriate management systems and mine plan designs that limit land disturbance throughout the mine life;
- Restore/rehabilitate ecosystems by progressively rehabilitating affected areas during operations and at closure with a goal of eliminating the impact over time through preservation or maintenance; and
- Offset residual impacts through programs to compensate for biodiversity losses when long-term residual impacts cannot be avoided.
To identify legally protected and high biodiversity value areas that may exist near our areas of interest, we use recognized national and global biodiversity datasets, such as the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (iBAT), which was developed through a partnership of leading conservation organizations including Birdlife International, Conservation International, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre.
In consultation with stakeholders, sites develop the following biodiversity objectives for each stage of the mine lifecycle:
- Exploration – Develop a high-level understanding of KBVs via desktop assessments, using – at a minimum – the iBAT, input from experts, and on-the-ground assessments before any ground-disturbing exploration activities to ensure no net loss of KBVs
- Greenfield Projects and Expansions – Ensure no net loss of KBVs during project development by providing a detailed understanding of these values, potential impacts and mitigation actions for project design, including early implementation of offset or conservation bank projects
- Operational Sites – Achieve no additional loss of KBVs by mine closure through assessment of biodiversity values and risks and implementing mitigations against potential for additional loss, and complete assessments at all operations to evaluate biodiversity risks and opportunities
- Closure and Legacy Sites – Enhance the long-term health and resiliency of species and ecosystems in affected areas in accordance with regional conservation goals and long-term land use plans by assessing performance and, if required, additional measures
We currently have mining operations in regions that have been identified by Conservation International as biodiversity hotspots – namely, the Tropical Andes (Peru), the Guinean Forests of West Africa (including Ghana) and Southwest Australia. Within these hotspots, limited portions of one operation – Yanacocha in Peru – are located in a key biodiversity area as defined by Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) and Birdlife International. However, the mine site is located at an elevation above the bird's habitat.
|Key biodiversity area (KBA)
|Position relative to KBA
|Size of operational site (km2)
|Ecological sensitivity
|Mitigation plan
|Yanacocha in Peru
|Rio Cajamarca IBA
|Contains portions of KBA
|Rainforest habitat for IBA, and AZE site for grey-bellied comet
Habitat for Pristimantis simonsii (critically endangered)
|Cayetano Heredia University
The National Agrarian University
|Implemented a rescue and relocation program for the Paramo Andes frog (Pristimantis simonsii), a critically endangered frog species. Under the program, individuals are collected, quarantined, treated and then released into proper locations. An offset is under discussion for restoring land that will satisfy the habitats of the frogs along with a local education program on burning of vegetation that impacts the frog's habitat in neighboring communities.
|Boddington in Western Australia
|Birdlife International "Endemic Bird Area of Southwest Australia"
|Contains portions of KBA
|Woodland and shrubland habitat for black cockatoo; Calyptorhynchus latirostris (endangered), Calyptorhynchus baudinii (endangered) and Bettongia penicillata (critically endangered)
|Murdoch University
|Working with Murdoch University on research to restore black cockatoo feeding habitats at mine sites within the Jarrah forest and, more generally, in landscapes throughout southwestern Australia.
|Akyem in Ghana
|Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve (not KBA but habitat for species)
|Contains portions of KBA
|Forest reserve for IUCN red-listed tree species C. boxiana (endangered) and Necrosyrtes monachus (critically endangered)
|Conservation Alliance
Forestry Research Institute of Ghana
|Partnering with Conservation Alliance and Forestry Research Institute of Ghana to implement critical species management program (CSMP) for Cola boxiana and other nationally important species. Established nurseries to raise seedlings to plant at various locations within the mine area.
|Merian in Suriname
|Upland and lowland rainforest
|Contains portions of KBA
|Rainforest habitat for IUCN red-listed tree species Virola surinamensis (endangered) and Vouacapoua americana (critically endangered)
|Collaboration with global expert and working on partnership with Missouri Botanical Gardens and University
|Nevada mining and rangeland operations
|Sagebrush habitat
|Contains portions of KBA
|Upland and riparian habitat for greater sage-grouse and other sagebrush obligate species such as mule deer (least concern) and Cutthroat Trout (threatened)
|Among the many partners:
|Continuation of the successful Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation Program – a landscape-level, multi-species conservation effort – that includes planning, monitoring, adaptive management, rangeland research, partnerships and conservation credits. This historic private-public partnership sets forth an approach to conservation of Newmont's owned and managed rangelands to conserve biological diversity and offset mineral exploration and mine-related impacts. A fire rehabilitation program – which includes pre-emergent herbicide applications, seeding and partnerships with local agencies – was implemented for rangelands affected by the 2017 wildfire season.
* In Nevada, the operational size in relation to KBAs varies due to the fact that in addition to mining operations, Newmont's rangeland operations manage 750,000 acres of private land and 1.5 million acres of grazing allotments on public lands in Nevada.
Partnerships with universities and research organizations, as well as NGOs, governments, communities and other businesses, are key to improving our biodiversity performance and identifying opportunities – such as our Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation Program – to increase the scale of biodiversity conservation efforts.
We play a leading role on the ICMM Biodiversity Steering Committee and are a member of the Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) Ecosystem Services Working Group. We are also an active member of the Cross-Sector Biodiversity Initiative (CSBI), a unique collaboration among the mining, oil and gas, and banking sectors to develop and share best practice in biodiversity and ecosystem services.
2017 Performance
We expanded our approach to conducting assessments of KBVs in the exploration phase and completed assessments at all our new projects – Ahafo North in Ghana, Tanami expansions in Australia, Quecher Main in Peru and Sabajo in Suriname. We also updated our Exploration Guidebook to align with our Biodiversity Management Standard.
Regional highlights included:
In Africa:
- We partnered with the NGO, Flora and Fauna International, on a pilot study at Ahafo North to better understand how and what benefits the communities are receiving from natural stocks (biodiversity). The findings from the study will be incorporated into the project's environmental impact statement (EIS).
- Our Akyem operation completed the second phase of its reforestation program, which began in 2016 and involves reclaiming 257 degraded hectares in the Kweikaru Forest Reserve. In combination with the 60 hectares included in phase one, site preparation and planting of both indigenous and exotic timber plant species have been completed on more than 300 hectares. The reforestation program covers an area three times the size of the area impacted by the Akyem mine.
- We continued to engage with the Ghana Forestry Commission (GFC) to select a site for Akyem's biodiversity offset program. An action plan was developed in consultation with Conservation Alliance and the GFC to guide the site selection process. The GFC proposed the Attewa Forest Range as the biodiversity offset site, and we submitted our acceptance of this site with a recommendation to implement the program in phases.
In Australia:
- Our Boddington operation continued to support the Murdoch University-led Black Cockatoo Ecology Project to protect the endangered black cockatoo population of Western Australia. This groundbreaking study uses state-of-the-art tracking technology that provides insight into threats to the species. Insights from the study help our Boddington team continuously improve the mitigation and rehabilitation methodologies that best support the species.
- At Tanami, we prepared a Regional Biodiversity Monitoring (RBM) database to be uploaded to the national data repository, SHaRED, an Australia-wide archive of ecological data.
In North America:
- Along with work on the relict dace at Long Canyon, we continued implementation of our precedent-setting sagebrush ecosystem strategy and associated Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation Program in Nevada. Key activities during the year included:
- We progressed two credit/debit calculations using the State of Nevada's Conservation Credits System (CCS):
- A debit calculation for our Greater Phoenix project, which was assessed a debit requirement of 211 credits; and
- A credit development project on private land on the IL Ranch that is expected to generate 3,727 credits in early 2018 even though the project suffered a setback in July when wildfires affected portions of the ranch and required us to withdraw approximately half of the initial 15,000 acres slated for entrance into the CCS.
- Two pilot project plans associated with the program's Conservation Framework Agreement (CFA) were developed and reviewed by CFA partners – the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Nevada Department of Conservation & Natural Resources and Department of Wildlife:
- A project in the Willow Creek area to enhance approximately 2,900 acres of upland and riparian habitat in greater sage-grouse habitat that is ready for implementation in 2018; and
- The Early Assisted Succession project that investigates new strategies for rangeland restoration on a nearly 500-acre test plot of annual grasses.
- CFA partners joined Newmont for a meeting and field tour that included the Maggie Creek Watershed Restoration Project and the IL Ranch. Partners discussed strategies, past successes, current plans and future opportunities.
- We continued to partner with experts from the University of Nevada Reno and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service to study new and improved methods for annual invasive grass control and rangeland restoration.
- The Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation Program's Conservation Framework Agreement received the "Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation" award for leadership in conservation planning. The awards committee includes representatives from the Nevada Division of Minerals, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Nevada Department of Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, and Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, which conduct field assessments before selecting recipients.
- Our Cripple Creek & Victor operation in Colorado completed a biodiversity risk assessment and identified the KBVs. The assessments confirmed that no IUCN-listed endangered or critically endangered species were within the mine's current area of operation. CC&V also completed a wetland delineation for a future expansion area and will work in 2018 to evaluate required mitigations.
In South America:
- At Merian in Suriname, we implemented an internal permit approval process for vegetation disturbance to support our goal of no net loss/net positive impact of the site's KBVs. The site is also using hazing techniques and relocating animals, setting site speed limits, prohibiting hunting, and trialing the installation of arboreal road crossing structures to avoid and minimize impacts to fauna.
- We collaborated with global biodiversity experts to evaluate options for a biodiversity offset of suitable size and value to meet the offset requirements for Merian. The option selected was to restore areas impacted by artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) within Merian's right of exploitation (RoE). During the year, the site commenced earthworks to shape and contour ASM-impacted lands and create pilot plots for restoration work. The trial will assess the effectiveness of several revegetation treatment methods to determine which one is ideally suited to site-wide application.
- Prior to disturbing any land associated with the Quecher Main project at Yanacocha in Peru, we worked with biodiversity specialists to develop and implement a rescue and relocation program for the Paramo Andes frog, a critically endangered species. Although this work was completed in full compliance with Peruvian regulations and followed acceptable practices, the approach did not align with IUCN guidelines and the requirements in our BAP to restore degraded habitat areas and relocate species to a suitable habitat prior to land disturbance.
Future Focus
To improve our management of biodiversity-related risks, we will focus on the following efforts:
- Based on the success of the cross-functional global teams implementing our water and energy and climate strategies, we will work to establish a global biodiversity management team to broaden awareness, build capacity and track emerging issues and challenges.
- To support broader industry efforts to establish offsets that are externally verified prior to project development, we expect to finalize a three-year partnership agreement with IUCN – a United Nations-sponsored organization made up of more than 1,400 governmental and non-governmental organizations – to jointly develop a protocol for independent verification of biodiversity gains. Testing of the protocol is expected to begin in Nevada.
- We will continue to identify opportunities to integrate ecosystems services into our biodiversity planning.
- Through the ICMM and CSBI, we will provide input and monitor developments on a project by the IUCN to develop a set of universal principles and technical guidance for how businesses should operate in and around KBAs, whether they are within protected areas or not.
- We will conduct assessments and develop biodiversity action plans (BAPs) at all our legacy sites.
Key activities in the regions include:
- Boddington's work on developing offsets will include evaluating a land exchange and creating a conservation covenant to support black cockatoo habitat.
- Akyem will begin the maintenance phase of its reforestation program, which includes replacing plants that did not survive, and will start implementing its biodiversity offset program to achieve the goal of no net loss of KBVs.
- Merian will begin monitoring and measuring the success of its offset program using ecological performance metrics such as species richness, stream water quality, and stream structure and habitat features. Monitoring will be conducted with the University of Suriname. Because the availability of native plants is one of the offset's challenges, construction will begin on an on-site plant nursery to germinate and grow locally collected seeds and seedlings.
- In Nevada, we will continue our ongoing partnerships and collaborations on biodiversity programs and projects. CFA partners will join Newmont on another tour of the Maggie Creek and IL Ranch. We also will work on developing a partnership with Bayer on new herbicides for annual grasses and desirable perennial species.
- At Yanacocha's Quecher Main project, we will continue with habitat restoration and additional offset programs to meet the requirements of our BAP and achieve our no net loss/net positive impact biodiversity commitment.


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Clamshell case for laptop up to 15.6". Dedicated compartment for laptop up to 15.6" reinforced by an ABS rigid frame. Front and inside flat pocket for documents and accessories. Reinforced and comfortable handle. Durable and water-drop outside fabrics. 210D polyester inside fabric. Heavy duty accessories. Compact and super resistant design.
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Point from first of four games against top of the table sides
Rugby Town drew 1-1 with Hanwell Town on Saturday at Butlin Road. The hosts scored first, when Craig Kelly's unstoppable shot was on target in the 19th minute. But the visitors equalised in the 62nd minute, in a game of few chances.
Town stay fifth in the Evo-Stik Southern League Central Division, with Hanwell four points ahead in fourth.
This Saturday (20th) Rugby have a trip to third-placed Aylesbury.


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Mozambican pupils recycle plastic bottles to make Christmas tree
Thinking about buying a Christmas tree or going into the woods to cut trees? Think again, you might want to do things a bit different this year by using plastic bottles. School children in Mozambique built a Christmas tree using 7, 000 plastic bottles.


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Ruppel Academy for Advanced Studies' staff and students are celebrating because their very own science teacher Emily Miller has been awarded Jefferson Parish Middle School Teacher of the Year. Principal Debra Cooper said, "Ms. Miller provides the students with opportunities to apply what they have learned in the class. Her students are engaged in classroom activities because they can readily see the practical need for their new knowledge.
"She creates lessons where students actively participate in the learning process. This involvement generates a highly effective educational experience. Furthermore, she demonstrates excellent planning and preparation. Each unit is well-thought-out, and activities are selected to maximize student achievement.''
Cooper said, "Equally important, Ms. Miller has established a very positive rapport with her students. Her students want to learn.''
Branch 162 of the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) in Gretna will hold its annual Memorial Day "Two Bell" ceremony on May 27 at 11 a.m.. honoring its departed shipmates and all others who have served their country.
The guest speaker will be Col. Bill Davis, retired from the U.S. Marines and commandant of the New Orleans Marine and Maritime Academy in Algiers.
The ceremony will be held at the FRA Branch Home located at 703 Kepler St., Gretna. The event is open to the public, and several other local area veterans organizations will be attending.
With news of newly elected Pope Francis in the air, it may be of interest to locals to visit the New Orleans Museum of Art's "Portrait of Faith - John Paul II in Life and Art" exhibit that is offered through June 16. The presentation is of special significance, since it chronicles the historic three-day visit of Pope John Paul II to New Orleans in September 1987.
I can remember the pleasure and excitement that my then teen daughter, Chandel Bonner-Hancock and her best friend Kristin Englebracht-Harris enjoyed when they attended the Youth Mass with the pope at the Superdome.
Not wanting to miss such an
important exhibit, the St. Joseph Women's Club and guests took a bus
trip on a beautiful day to visit the museum. The exhibition begins as Harry Connick Jr. narrates an introductory movie on the life of John
Paul II, and is followed by an audio tour to view fine paintings and sculptures from renowned artists Gib Singleton, Frederick Hart
and Fred Villanueva.
A photographic display from the Holy Father's visit to the Crescent City, highlighted by many items on loan from the Blessed John Paul II Shrine, can also be seen. Not to be missed is the magnificent monstrance from the 1938 Eucharistic Congress held in New Orleans.
The tour group they had lunch together at Café'Di Blasi after the museum trip.
Les Dames de Timberlane held their Spring Home and Garden Tour, and Program Chair Gina Darden and Program Co-Hostesses Rhonda Mouton and Leah Buck left nothing undone or to chance, which resulted in a perfect day. With six spectacular homes and glorious gardens on the tour, the program began with the Rhondavous Jazz Brunch at the home of Mouton, who is also secretary on the Les Dames board of directors.
Her daughter, budding chef Rachael DeFelice, prepared a marvelous smorgasbord, and the Robert Lacy Trio played lively jazz throughout the brunch.
During the Rhondavous, attendees of the tour were given their schedules for the next five homes and gardens. Groups were given 45 minutes at each home, where hostesses served champagne and refreshments. The tour ended with the Grand Buckanale, an afternoon English Tea at the home of Leah Buck. Guitarist Matt Johnson entertained while expertly prepared scones and other scrumptious tea goodies were served.
Timberlane Country Club is now serving lunch to the public, offering new and inventive specialties from Chef's Josh Garic and Dayne Womax, who've created the Salty Swine.
Determined to break the New Orleans culinary scene mold, in late 2009, the chefs started a small catering outfit with only a logo and an idea, and the Salty Swine was born. With over 22 years combined restaurant experience, they had the chops to gain a fan base with their elite, invite-only private supper clubs. The two were thrilled when offered the chance to take over the food and beverage operations at Timberlane.
Check out the improvements recently made to the clubhouse after the successful Ronnie Cole fundraiser, and try the new Salty Swine for lunch, Thursday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and brunch till 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Westbank ARC will have its sixth annual Reaching for the Stars Gala on June 8 from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Boudreaux Room at Boomtown Casino in Harvey at a cost of $30 per person which includes food and drinks. Sponsorships are available and items are needed for the silent auction and parade of prizes. All donations are tax-deductible. Call Vicki Fogarty at 504.361.1131.
Today's Tidbit: On Jan. 22, 1914, Gretna Ordinance No. 34 declared it unlawful to practice as a fortune teller, clairvoyant or palmist within the city and set a fine of from $10 to $100 or imprisonment for up to 60 days for violating the ordinance.
Helen Williams is a Gretna resident who writes about people and events of community interest. She can be reached at 504.367.8481 or email her at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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We keep fees to a minimum in recognition of the burden on parents who choose to invest in Christian education out of a position of conviction, rather than necessarily being in a financial position of being able to afford independent education.
We do not receive funding from the government or any other external body, but the fees payable at the school are lower than most other similar independent schools.
In a spirit of partnership with parents, teachers supplement costs by accepting a substantially reduced salary. There is an assumption that the community works together collaberatively, such that parents and church communities resource the school in other ways. Voluntary work, sourcing equipment and sponsorship are examples.
The fee scale encourages parents to join CFS in lower school. If the school was to grow to its upper limit of 200 pupils, the cost per pupil would decrease.
Payment of Fees
School fees are charged annually, but for your convenience are payable by 12 equal payments, due monthly in advance. Payments are made by direct debit, and the Bursar issues the forms to parents in June so that the direct debit can be set up before the August payment is due. Alternative methods of payment may be acceptable in exceptional circumstances by special arrangement. Other charges such as for school trips may also be paid monthly, under the same scheme.
Please note the academic year finishes on 31st August and as such the final payment is due in July.
Additional Gifts
We believe it is reasonable for families with higher incomes (who can often afford to contribute more) to consider making additional monthly donations to meet the financial needs of the school; a number of families make donations of between £30 and £120 per child per month. >more
Withdrawing a Child
If, for any reason, a child is withdrawn from school, a full term's notice must be given, or a full term's fees be paid in lieu.
Fees Arrears
If payments of fees fall into arreaers for two or more months, the governors will be informed and further steps taken to recover the debt.
Review of Fees
The school governing body reviews the scale of fees in May of each year. Parents will be notified in the Summer term in time of any increase for the following year.
Admission Fee
A one-time fee of £30.00 per family is payable on entry to the school, to cover administration costs.
There are additional fees that need to be paid in special circumstances, and these are shown below.
Examination Fees
Examination fees for Years 10 and 11, are included in Upper School fees, with the exception of Trinity Performance Arts exams.
This is a weekly fee of £3.00 per pupil, paid half-termly. For those who need to purchase swimwear, a small supply are available from the office. Prices are between £6-£10 according to the size required. Caps are £1.50. Please note that the correct swimwear is navy blue.
School Trips
When pupils are taken out on educational visits. A charge is usually required to cover transport and admission fees.
Craft fees
Fees of £5.00 per term (for Lower School pupils) are payable in September to cover items such as scissors, pencils, crayons, rubbers, to cover materials used in craft related subjects.
Art/Technology fees
Fees of £3.00 per per annum (for Years 7 and 8) are payable in September.


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A version of this page is also available for
This function increases the count of the specified semaphore object by a specified amount.
BOOL ReleaseSemaphore(
HANDLE hSemaphore,
LONG lReleaseCount,
LPLONG lpPreviousCount
- hSemaphore
[in] Handle to the semaphore object. The CreateSemaphore function returns this handle.
- lReleaseCount
[in] Specifies the amount by which the current count of the semaphore object is to be increased. The value must be greater than zero. If the specified amount would cause the count of the semaphore to exceed the maximum count that was specified when the semaphore was created, the count is not changed and the function returns FALSE.
- lpPreviousCount
[out] Long pointer to a 32-bit variable to receive the previous count for the semaphore. This parameter can be NULL if the previous count is not required.
Return Value
Nonzero indicates success. Zero indicates failure. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.
The state of a semaphore object is signaled when its count is greater than zero and nonsignaled when its count is equal to zero. The process that calls the CreateSemaphore function specifies the semaphore's initial count. Each time a waiting thread is released because of the semaphore's signaled state, the count of the semaphore is decreased by one.
Typically, an application uses a semaphore to limit the number of threads using a resource. Before a thread uses the resource, it specifies the semaphore handle in a call to one of the wait functions. When the wait function returns, it decreases the semaphore's count by one. When the thread has finished using the resource, it calls ReleaseSemaphore to increase the semaphore's count by one.
Another use of ReleaseSemaphore is during an application's initialization. The application can create a semaphore with an initial count of zero. This sets the semaphore's state to nonsignaled and blocks all threads from accessing the protected resource. When the application finishes its initialization, it uses ReleaseSemaphore to increase the count to its maximum value to permit normal access to the protected resource.
Each object type, such as memory maps, semaphores, events, message queues, mutexes, and watchdog timers, has its own separate namespace. Empty strings, "", are handled as named objects. On Windows desktop-based platforms, synchronization objects all share the same namespace.
|Windows Embedded CE
|Windows CE 3.0 and later
|Windows Mobile
|Windows Mobile Version 5.0 and later


text:
. index . time line . forum
Pauline Hauthal
Letters to the Friend of Children and Humanity
Rudolstadt, August 24, 1848
Esteemed Mr. Froebel,
The building blocks caused our Otto much joy. First of all, he placed all eight close together on their long, narrow edge. He called it "The Long Table" at which the ladies and gentlemen of the school ate with us. He showed correctly the seating arrangement for eleven people, minus one. When he became tired and had to bid goodnight to the blocks, he clutched the little box and kissed it. He added the following to his usual evening prayer.
"Dear God, thank you for the winter and the summer and the blocks."
The cardboard paper cover made it difficult for him to pack them up. I therefore have taken it out of the little box. Otto carefully put away the "blocks' coat," so that they could easily find it again "when it was cold or when they had to travel along to Schwarzburg."
Please forgive the goings-on of this mother, esteemed friend. I only want to give you an idea of my child's joy with this box of blocks. It is not a loud joy, nonetheless it is deeply felt in his heart. Let yourself be convinced thereof.
translated by Johannes Froebel-Parker, from the German "Mein Lieber Herr Froebel!, Briefe an der Kinder und Menschenfreund"
Pauline Hauthal, nee Greiner was the wife of an official at the Court of the Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. She strove to promote Froebel's endeavors.
Copyright © 2001 Froebel Web. All rights reserved. email@example.com


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Wow, did everyone have a great Monday or what? lol... Mine was SUPER BUSY at work, but when I got home and I read all of sweet comments from the LBBS clear stamp blog hop it just made my day. I really want to say "THANKS so much!" and "WELCOME to my new subscribers" I am very happy to have you all and I have even picked up on my crafty mojo all because of you guys. :O)
You have really inspired me to get crafty. So much so that I finally pulled out the new embossing folders that I purchased last week at Joann Fabrics when they had all of their 'Darice' folders on sale for $2.00. Yep, I just had to take advantage of that sale.
I have always loved embossing folders, but I really tend to only use them as backgrounds for my cards. So, as I said in my post title I decided that I wanted to play a little bit with a couple of the new folders I picked up. I embossed this Christmas tree, and then I grabbed my Memento stamp pads a big block and my water color brush and went to town on making this embossed tree look like it was water colored.
I'm not sure you can really see it in my pictures, but once I added some gems from my stash and a bit on baby blue 'Stickles' to make for a festive garland I have to admit that I am SO VERY HAPPY with how this card turned out. HUGE SMILE HERE!!!
I am so excited with this card that I had to take a couple of pictures and share with you all and I haven't even made an inside to my card yet. lol.... Those of you that know me and my blog know that I almost always have to have and inside to my cards. I had so much fun making this one and seeing it come to life that I now I really can't wait for our yearly trip to the big city so that I can pick up a set of those water color pallets that everyone has been getting at Michaels. Those are so going on my wish list!
I sure hope you are all having a great week so far. If you are kind of in a slump with your crafting I totally encourage you to try something that you just didn't think was your thing. You never know, you just might LOVE it!
Talk at you later.
Hugs Lisa G
|I was really trying to show how it looks in person. The gems kind of twinkle in the light and
it makes it look like both Christmas tree ornaments and lights.
|Embossing folder and the ink pads that I used to get my colors. I really love how the embossing folder has a boarder so that I could use it to both cut the tree out and frame it.
cs-Neenah Natural White & Foundations-Coredinations Pearls
embossing folder-Christmas Tree-Darice
stamp-Winter in the Park-LF
gems-doodlebug designs,inc & Kaiserkraft
inks-Memento (see picture for all the colors) & Onyx Black-Versafine


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UMD Remembers Boston Marathon Bombing Victims
Students, faculty members and administrators gathered at UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday to honor those killed and survivors at last year's Boston Marathon.
During a vigil which included music and prayers, Chancellor Divina Grossman urged the gathering make a strong committment to make the world a better place.
Grossman said she hopes the alleged actions of bombing suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev and several other students will not taint the community service and hard work of nearly 10,000 other students at UMass Dartmouth.
Tsarnaev was a student living on campus at UMass Dartmouth at the time the attacks were carried out.


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>There's a great article in the current issue (Spring 1998) of Orion
>Magazine by Scott Russell Sander, called "Beauty," under their special
>section on "Wonder and Other Survival Skills." It touches on "natural
>revelation" via the wonder of the world, and the appreciation of beauty in
>both people and the natural world, and how this is more than merely
>"obeying our genes."
>As he says "Otherwise, how could a man who is programmed to lust after
>every nubile female nonetheless be steadily attracted, year after year, to
>the same woman? Why would I plant my yard with flowers I cannot eat?"
>"The most incomprehensible thing about the universe, as Einstein said, is
>that it's comprehensible. How unlikely, that a short-lived biped on a
>two-bit planet should be able to gauge the speed of light, to lay bare the
>structure of an atom, or calculate the gravitational pull of a black hole."
>"This predilection [for discerning beauty/patterns] brings with it a clear
>evolutionary advantage, for the ability to recognize pattersn helped our
>ancestors to select mates, find food, avoid predators. But the same
>advantage would apply to all species, and yet we alone compose symphonies
>and crossword puzzles, carve stone into statues, map time and space. ... I
>am convinced there is more to beauty than biology, more than cultural
>convention. It flows around us and through us in such abundance, and in
>such myriad forms, as to exceed by a wide margin any mere evolutionary
>"Beauty feeds us from the same source that created us. It reminds us of the
>shaping power that reaches through the flower stem and through our own
>hands. It restores our faith in te generosity of nature. By giving us a
>taste of the kinship between our own small minds and the great Mind of teh
>Cosmos, beauty reassures us that we are exactly and wonderfully made for
>life on this glorious planet, in this magnificent universe. I find in that
>affinity a profound source of meaning and hope."
>I highly recommend this for anyone! Excellent writing, excellent reading.
>Orion has a web site but the articles are not online. But you can check it
>out at http://www.orionsociety.org/orion.html
> Wendee Holtcamp -- GREENDESIGN Communications
> Environment/Nature/Adventure-Travel Writing
> ------> http://www.greendzn.com <------
> List-Owner, Envwrite Writing Workshop
> "subscribe envwrite Your Name" to email@example.com


text:
Congratulations to us all! We made it through another week of hashtag wars and lived to tweet about it! Last night @Midnight started the super fun hashtag #LameMonsters. Nothing takes the scary out of monsters like this hashtag.
Miley Cyclops @midnight#LameMonsterspic.twitter.com/mE0tKzoORw— Diane in 7A (@Diane_7A) May 16, 2014
Actually, that's almost as terrifying as the original. Yikes. But enough chit chat! We read through your tweets and picked our Top 10 #LameMonsters.
Are You There Godzilla, It's Me Margaret #lamemonsters@midnight— Elie Landau (@elielandau) May 16, 2014
Sassyquatch #LameMonsters@midnight— Michelle Shaughnessy (@Michellesfunny) May 16, 2014
Bride of Chuck E Cheese #LameMonsters@midnight— Josh Stern (@joshingstern) May 16, 2014
THE CAPSLOCK NESS MONSTER #LameMonsters@midnight— Troll Cat (@2p2TrollCat) May 16, 2014
The Credible Hulk #lamemonsters— amy keyishian (@madfoot) May 16, 2014
Jewpacabra #lamemonsters@midnight— Scott Boxenbaum (@scottbox) May 16, 2014
Poultrygeist #lamemonsters@midnight— Kali Fencl (@KaliFencl) May 16, 2014
Edward SafetyScissorhands #LameMonsters— Samuel Mahoney (@SamuelMahoney2) May 16, 2014
What Not To Werewolf #LameMonsters@midnight— Bemotional Abuse (@Bemopolis) May 16, 2014
The Creature From The Community Pool @midnight#LameMonsters— Chris Jacobs (@stevefrigley) May 16, 2014
While we have your attention, check out the latest episode of Behind the Vine. This week our host Eric tries to keep up with Steph Barkley and her many personalities.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.


text:
Hi, folks- I don't think that the risk of nasty hacks outweighs the utility of clipboard access. No doubt some abuse will occur, but I think that the easiest way of dealing with all nasty JS abuse is to give users an obvious and simple "Disable Script" button that applies to the current tab. That way they can, if necessary, copy text, use the context menu, and all the other things that malicious control-freaks can dish out. Regards- Doug email@example.com www.vectoreal.com ...for scalable solutions.Received on Sunday, 5 March 2006 12:47:05 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:16:20 UTC


text:
Remember: you have to make an appropriate introduction and conclusion.
Questions of the interviewer
(1) Wish you 'happy Doctor's Day'. what, may I ask, inspired you to become a doctor?
(2) Was it your ambition from childhood to become a doctor?
(3) Why did you decide upon this particular field of medicine?
(4) Can you give us an idea of the amount of studies you had to put in, in order to become a doctor?
(5) Do you think the comforts of modern life are proving to be a health hazard?
(6) What, in your opinion, are the special qualities required for a person to be a successful doctor?
(7) How do you approach your treatment of patients?
(8) What are your hours for consultation?
(9) How do you keep up with modern advanced techniques of treatment?
(10) One last question. What is your message in general to people about maintaining good health?


text:
Ta da! Who's up for a challenge?!
Try my HYDRATION CHALLENGE by completing a WATER WEEK.
Lose kilos, gain energy, feel awesome! Training and diet help in staying fit and healthy, but if you still feel blah then maybe you need to give more love to the third vital element – making sure your body is well hydrated.
DRINK ONLY WATER for seven days with the conscious uncoupling from milky coffees, alcohol, soft drinks, fruit juices, smoothies, milkshakes, sports drinks and energy drinks.
Don't freak– coffee isn't banned. Only the milky creamy sugary coffs but long blacks, espressos are coolies.
Herbal tea is sanctioned too and you can add lemon, lime, mint to jazz up your water bottle.
When it comes to the food part - eat healthy. The exercise thing? Stay active.
Like the post on Instagram or FB and tag a fitness buddy to keep you on track.
The idea is not to drink your calories but to eat them (cos we all know eating speeds up the good 'ol metabolism through the processes of digestion as drinking our calories does not). 70% of the body is water, and water acts as a natural appetite suppressant. It also helps to regulate your metabolism. Your metabolism increases by 30 percent after drinking 2 cups of water (wowa!). When you become dehydrated, your metabolism slows down, affecting how your body burns fat.
Let me know how you go #trainwithtiff #youbeautybook. My team on TBL had awesome results and you will too.comments powered by Disqus « View all news articles


text:
Guy Carpenter's 7th Annual Specialty Insurance Program Issuing Carrier Survey, Part III, Program Appetite
Program appetite reflects flexibility. PAs/MGAs, like most U.S. businesses, are struggling with a stagnant economy. As a result, a number of the program opportunities are smaller in size today than they were when we first conducted our survey in 2005. Carriers have needed to become more flexible with their program minimum premium requirements, their willingness to consider startup programs, their willingness to front and the territorial scope with which they will write business.
Targeted Program Gross Written Premium (GWP) and Geographical Preference
In 2005, 50 percent of the survey respondents were targeting programs in the GWP USD10 million to USD15 million range. The remaining 50 percent were equally targeting programs greater than USD15 million (25 percent) and those under USD10 million (25 percent). In comparison, the majority of respondents this year (54 percent) are targeting programs with GWP of USD10 million or less, while 27 percent are targeting those between USD10 million and USD15 million.
In 2005, 30 percent of program carriers responding to our survey wanted state specific programs, while only 30 percent would look at programs that were national in scope. This year's results indicate that 55 percent of the respondents are looking for national programs, while only three percent are looking for state specific programs.
Given program carriers' historical minimum premium requirements, active pipelines and growing portfolios of programs, we had not queried carriers about their interest in start-up programs or fronting opportunities. We decided this would be a good year to see what, if any, interest there was in these two potential program revenue-generating areas. Surprisingly, a majority of the respondents (85 percent) would be willing to consider start-up programs, while 39 percent would consider fronting opportunities. Understanding that all start-ups can be different and not all fronting structures are the same, it was somewhat surprising to find this level of interest in these two program areas.
With the struggling economy and its depressed exposures, as account premiums and program sizes have shrunk, program carriers realize they need to be more flexible in their approach to generating program related revenues. This year's survey indicates that they are now considering smaller programs, larger territorial scopes, start-up programs and fronting opportunities in order to grow, or to at least maintain, a reasonable market share.
Commercial Lines Appetite
This year's respondents' appetites for commercial lines business remain strong with 32 percent indicating they are writing commercial program business and that it is a preferred market segment that they would like to grow. Within the "general" commercial lines segment there was not as much of an appetite for growth in professional lines (20 percent) as there was for the "all other" commercial lines (43 percent) area. A line by line comparison of respondents' appetites last year with those of this year reveal a general level of consistency. It appears that current economic conditions and elevating loss ratios are keeping carriers' growth expectations in commercial lines business relatively flat.
Personal Lines Appetite
On the personal lines appetite side, very little change in appetite from last year was evident. Even though the interest in homeowners programs doubled from last year's level of 2.6 percent, this year's 5 percent reflects little interest from the program issuing carriers to grow this line of business. Considering the severity of the 2011 floods, ice storms, fires, hail storms and tornados, it is not surprising that program writers are hesitant to grow their homeowners exposures.


text: That's a Costa Rican expression that means "pure life. Sunday morning is our favorite day for walking in the barrio…Mothers and Fathers walking hand in hand with their children to church reminding us of our own childhood. "It's like the United States in the 1950's" . There is tranquility and a commitment to family.


text:
Car News
Verano Seats Designed with Ponytails in Mind
Thousands of small details go into designing a new car. Buick recently announced the seats in its upcoming 2012 Verano took more than 1,000 hours to develop and were designed specifically with ponytails in mind.
According to Buick, Verano engineers benchmarked the small sedan's seats against rivals like the Lexus IS and Acura TSX to determine seat craftsmanship and comfort levels buyers expect from luxury automakers. Next, they worked hard to mold the Verano's seats for a wide variety of buyers, even shaping the sedan's headrests to accommodate ponytails without sacrificing posture and seating position.
"When we set out to design a comfortable interior for Verano our goal was for customers to feel like vacation begins as soon as they get in the car, and not when they reach their destination," said Brian Schell, program engineering manager for the Verano. "By making comfort our first priority, we were able to create seats that will make customers feel more at ease and connected to the car for a more-satisfying ride experience."
While Buick says the Verano uses the same grade of upscale leather as its larger Lacrosse sibling, the automaker is quick to add that the compact sedan offers larger side bolsters. That means passengers are given more side support, preventing uncomfortable "hot spots" from occurring when driving long distances.
"Developing comfortable seats is both an art and a science," Schell said. "Knowing how to translate a physiological impression into tangible design elements is the art, and knowing how to execute the design is the science."
But there's more to comfort than developing the perfect seat. Buick says thousands of additional hours went into fine-tuning the sedan's interior, from tweaking its ride to developing the optimal seating position. According to the automaker, people of all body types spent anywhere from minutes to hours in the sedan to provide feedback to the engineers.
The 2012 Verano will start just over $24,000 when it goes on sale later this year. While early versions will feature a 180-horsepower four-cylinder, Buick says a more powerful turbocharged engine will be available on later models.


text:
CS PhD Candidate
Department of Computer Science
Indiana University
Twitter @ambrosebs
Github frenchy64
Blog dissoc
Thesis Defense: (talk PDF, talk PDF w/ presenter notes w/o animation, Keynote, Video (practice) )
In submission: Squash the work: A Workflow for Typing Untyped Programs that use Ad-Hoc Data Structures (draft), with Sam Tobin-Hochstadt
Thesis Proposal: (Proposal PDF, talk PDF, Keynote )
Qualifying exam: (answers, talk PDF, talk PDF w/ notes, Keynote, blog transcription )
ESOP 2016: Practical Optional Types for Clojure (with appendix), with Sam Tobin-Hochstadt and Rowan Davies. (code, talk PDF, Keynote, arXiv)
Honours Dissertation: A Practical Optional Type System for Clojure, supervised by Rowan Davies. (slides)
PL Wonks February 8th 2019 talk: Local Type Inference with Symbolic Closures [PDF, Keynote]
Clojure Conj Unsession November 29th 2018 talk: Typed Clojure: Wishful Thinking [PDF, Keynote]
PL Wonks April 20th 2018 talk: A Typed-Macro Writer's Toolkit [Video (TBA), Abstract (TBA), PDF, Keynote]
Clojure Conj 2017 talk: Tool-assisted spec Development [Video, Abstract, PDF, Keynote]
PL Wonks September 22nd 2017 talk: Space-Efficient Runtime Tracking [Video, Abstract, PDF, Keynote]
Gradual Typing Across the Spectrum 2017 talk: Squash the work! Inferring Useful Types and Contracts via Dynamic Analysis [PDF, Keynote]
Indiegogo Campaign 2016: Automatic Annotations for Typed Clojure + clojure.spec
Gradual Typing Across the Spectrum 2016 talk: Inferring Structural Types from Tests [PDF, Keynote]
OPLSS 2016 Student talk: Inferring Structural Types from Tests [Keynote]
Houston Clojure User Group Talk 2015: Communicating between typed/untyped namespaces [Code]
Boston Clojure User Group Talk 2015: Getting started with Typed Clojure + Building a typed contracts framework [Code]
Strangeloop 2015 Talk: Typed Clojure: From Optional to Gradual Typing [Slides, Keynote]
Indiegogo Campaign 2015: Gradual Typing for Clojure Campaign
CodeMesh 2014 Talk: Typed Clojure in Practice [Slides, Keynote]
Clojure Toronto User Group Talk 2014: Typed Clojure Demo
Strangeloop 2014 Talk: Typed Clojure in Practice [Slides, Keynote]
ILC 2014 Invited Talk: Typed Clojure [Keynote]
Philly ETE 2014: What if Type Checkers Were More Like Linters? [Slides, Keynote]
Lambda Jam Brisbane 2013 Workshop: core.typed Workshop, core.typed talk
Indiegogo Campaign 2013: Typed Clojure Campaign
Illegal Argument Podcast 2013: Recording
Melbourne Functional User Group Talk 2013: Meetup [Keynote]
clj-syd User Group Talk 2013: Meetup
Clojure Conj 2012: Typed Clojure
Clojure Conj 2011: Introduction to Logic Programming (Slides)
GSoC 2015 Administrator: Clojure
GSoC 2015 Mentor: Akhilesh Srikanth (Typed Transients for Clojure)
GSoC 2015 Mentor: Aravind K N (Typed Clojure Core Annotations)
GSoC 2014 Administrator: Clojure
GSoC 2014 Mentor: Nicola Mometto (tools.analyzer extensions: cljs port, documentation)
GSoC 2014 Mentor: Minori Yamashita (Typed ClojureScript Library Annotations)
GSoC 2014 Mentor: Di Xu (Typed Clojure: Heterogeneous operations & Dotted Polymorphism)
GSoC 2013 Student: core.typed: Extensions and Documentation
GSoC 2012 Student: Typed Clojure (Optional Static Type System)


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Ok. so I'm totally slacking on the pregnancy update post that I promised for Saturday. We were busy moving a storage building for most of the day (which I DID NOT get any pictures of!). I finished one of the projects that I said I was working on yesterday, and guess what…I DID NOT take any pictures of them before I shipped them to their new home this morning… This whole pregnancy brain thing is seriously starting to wear on me.
On another note, I'm starting another project that I can totally slack on and make myself feel bad about not doing. One of my friends posted a new daily photo challenge for the month of May that I'm going to attempt to complete. Everyday is a different "theme", so starting tomorrow I'll be posting a picture a day.


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Find Tours, Attractions & More!
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Chicago Favorites Food Tasting Tour
Tours run year round at 11:30 am.
Jan 1- Mar 5: Wed, Sat & Sun
Mar 6- May 26: Tues, Fri, Sat & Sun
May 27-Sept 5: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun
Sept 6-Nov 19: Tues, Fri, Sat & Sun
Closed Nov 20- Dec 25
Dec 26-Dec 31: Tues, Fri, Sat and Sun
Dec 26-31: Tues, Fri, Sat and Sun
Reservations are required. E-Ticket will contain complete details regarding this tour.
2.5 hours
Giordano's Pizzeria just north of Millennium Park. 130 E Randolph St. Please note that the entrance to Giordano's is actually around the corner on Beaubien Ct, near where it meets Lake Street one block north of Randolph. Look for your guide wearing a Bobby's Bike Hike Staff shirt and holding a paddle just inside the Dine-In entrance (or outside on warm days).
Randolph and Lake Street
Seniors: 65+
Discount for Student/Military
All fitness levels will enjoy the leisurely walking pace ~ Price includes all food/beverage samples ~ Only accepting Online Reservations and must be made at least 24 hours prior to tour start time ~ What to wear? They suggest tennis shoes, comfortable loose-fitting clothes that are appropriate for the weather conditions on the day of your tour. You might want to wear layers. That way, you can always take a layer off if you get too hot or add a layer if you get too cool ~ You can cancel your tour with 72 hour notice ~ Tours do run rain or shine. Weather forecasts are often unreliable. Chicagoland is huge, so if they predict a shower, it probably won't affect the tour. If a brief shower does occur, they provide rain gear for the group. In the rare event that a tour is cancelled due to weather, they will allow you to reschedule your tour (subject to availability) or offer full refund ~ Gratuity is not included in the tour price. 10% to 20% suggested gratuity if you had a good time. Your guide would certainly appreciate it ~ Bring your parking ticket to get it validated - Don't forget your camera.
Guarantee Note: Due to the limited reserved seating and factors beyond the control of the operator, this product does not fall under the Trusted Tours and Attractions Guarantee program.
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Book Trailer: Angel Meat
This fabulous vision has been brought to you by Laura Lee Bahr's Angel Meat, available on Amazon! Stay hungry.
One response
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February 18, 2017 at 2:58 am


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Lasermet's laser safety cabins protect personnel from the dangers of high powered laser beams by absorbing the laser power in the specially designed walls and roof.
These modular, Class 1, room-sized enclosures are tested and certified to international laser safety standards (IEC 60825-4 Safety of Laser Products Part 4 - Laser Guards) and can be rapidly designed, built and installed by Lasermet.
They are supplied with Lasermet's interlock control system and high quality, dual message, dual colour, low voltage, illuminated LED signs. Lasermet's audible warning sign (the Audio Alert) can also be installed. A CCTV system covers the operation inside the cabin and provision is made for fume extraction, making this a cost effective and extremely easy method of enclosing the laser system, which then complies to international laser safety standards.


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Water in the Anthropocene from WelcomeAnthropocene on Vimeo.
Water In The Anthropocene
Humans are now changing the face of Earth and water with detrimental consequences to our survival. As was also reported through many observations we are amplifying the global water cycle through the continued burning of fossil fuels and other actions emitting CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This makes more heat and moisture in the atmosphere thus making more water vapor. Through this amplification we are already experiencing more intense floods and storms as well as more frequent prolonged droughts due to increased evaporation of soil moisture.
All of this culminates in making wet places wetter, dry places drier drastically impacting food security. This connects to global agriculture which already uses 70% of our available fresh water. With climate change, mining, fracking, coastal erosion, subsidence, salt water intrusion and rapacious dam building and coastal construction which in majority of cases is detrimental not only to climate but ecosystems in those areas we are ensuring that the Anthropocene era may well be our last on this Earth.
The only hope to change this is to not only work to adapt to the changes we can adapt to without further harming ecosystems but to look within ourselves to understand that we must begin to atone to nature and scale back our greed and excess. We need to also take an approach to adaptation that includes education, family planning and working to lift the poor in the developing world out of poverty in a way where they can sow their own seeds and have control over their own water sources.
Privatization of food and water by corporations will be the death knell for those in these areas needing to have food sovereignty and water access in order to survive.
The key to surviving this Anthropocene era is not only going to be based on economic precepts. It must also include humanity.
We cannot dam ourselves out of this human crisis.
Unprecedented Ocean Acidification-Sixth Mass Extinction May Have Begun
The oceans are more acidic now than they've been at any time in the last 300 million years, conditions that marine scientists warn could lead to a mass extinction of key species.
Scientists from the International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) published their State of the Oceans report Thursday, a biennial study that surveys how oceans are responding to human impacts. The researchers found the current level of acifification is "unprecedented" and that the overall health of the ocean is declining at a much faster rate than previously thought.
"We are entering an unknown territory of marine ecosystem change, and exposing organisms to intolerable evolutionary pressure," the report states. "The next mass extinction may have already begun."
Acidification causes major harm to marine ecosystems, especially coral, which has a hard time building up its calcium carbonate skeleton in acidic water. Coral reefs serve as nurseries to many young fish, so they're essential both to ecosystem health and the survival of the fishing industry. If temperatures rise by 2 degrees C, the study found, coral may stop growing altogether, and may start to dissolve at 3 degrees C. Similarily, acidic ocean waters can hamper shellfish larvae's ability to grow shells. Acidification is already hurting the shellfish industry — in the U.S., northwestern and East Coast shellfish industries have struggled to adapt to increasingly acidic waters. And pteropods, tiny sea snails that are a keystone species in the Arctic and are an essential food source for many birds, fish and whales, are also threatened by acidity — they too require strong calcium carbonate shells to survive.
It's not just acidification that's threatening the oceans, either — the report found the oceans are facing a "deadly trio" of stressors, with warming waters and decreasing oxygen also majorly affecting marine ecosystem health. Warming waters coupled with ocean acidification are posing increasingly severe threats to Antarctic krill, which play a vital role in the Antarctic marine food chain, and are also helping lead to huge outbreaks of jellyfish. And as water temperatures rise, coral is increasingly vulnerable to bleaching.
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Aquifers being overpumped globally leading to water shortages threatening agriculture and economy:
Why Kansas Is Running Out Of Water
The Ogallala aquifer in the US is a prime example. And as it is fossil water, once it's gone, it's gone.


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MC&L Publications
Contesting the Costs of Independent Counsel: Using Regional Fee Scales as Evidence of Reasonable Rates: This article, appearing in the October 2016 issue of DRI: For the Defense, is intended to assist insurers and their counsel in identifying and proving what a reasonable rate for independent counsel is through reference to empirical and unbiased matrices of regional rates.
Related Acts Provisions: Patterns Amidst the Chaos: This comprehensive reference tool focuses on proving whether claims are "related" or "interrelated." This law review article provides in-depth guidance on various procedural questions regarding these provisions, along with summaries of approximately 200 decisions sorted by claim type in order to aid the reader in finding useful guidance on this subject.
What Do American Healthcare Organizations Want from Their Professional Liability Insurers in 2014?: This MC&L presentation was created for the Bermuda Society of Healthcare Risk Management ("BSHRM") in November 2013.
Summary Of United States Medical Malpractice Law: This MC&L book, which we first published in 1991, was revised in 1998. For each state and the District of Columbia, it contains entries on each of fourteen subjects of importance to medical malpractice insurance carriers, including the statute of limitations, damage caps, and local laws of joint and several liability.
The Insurability of Punitive Damages 2005: This is a state-by-state summary of legislation and case law governing whether public policy permits insurance to cover punitive damages. Among other issues, this publication identifies those states that do not permit one to insure against punitive damages resulting from one's own misconduct, but permit insurance for punitive damages imposed as the result of vicarious responsibility for the acts of an agent or employee.
Enforcement of Foreign Arbitration Agreements and Awards in Insurance Coverage Disputes: As more insurance policies include arbitration clauses, it is important for both insurance carriers and insureds to understand how these may be enforced and what effect they will be given by foreign courts. This article covers, among other subjects, the Federal Arbitration Act and the New York Convention.
Best v. Taylor Machine Works: Why Public Act 89-7 Was Unconstitutional and Whether Tort Reform Is Still Possible in Illinois: This is the first in a planned series of memoranda on topics of interest to our clients. It discusses a recent Illinois Supreme Court decision that held the most important tort reform in Illinois history to be unconstitutional.
State ex rel. Ohio Academy of Trial Lawyers v. Sheward: The Ohio Supreme Court Rebukes the General Assembly and Declares Tort Reform Unconstitutional:This memorandum analyzes a new Ohio Supreme Court decision that invalidated all aspects of that state's comprehensive tort reform effort as effectively as the Best decision did in Illinois.
What We Can Infer about Year 2000 Exposure from Medical Devices That Failed on January 1, 1999: Comments on a Recent FDA Advisory: Medical professional liability insurers are concerned about the potential for injuries that may be caused on or after January 1, 2000, by date-related software bugs in medical devices that contain embedded computer chips. This is a very brief discussion about an FDA Advisory concerning a few products that suffered failures of this nature at the beginning of 1999.
Government Study Finds Many Deaths Due to Health Care Errors and Recommends a New Federal Agency to Improve Quality of Care: A new report by the Institute of Medicine claims that errors by health care providers cause between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths each year. It recommends a new federal agency for medical safety, mandatory reporting of medical errors, and periodic retesting of health care professionals. Will this lead to a shift in federal policy and will it affect medical professional liability carriers?
Computer Security Publications: Information, Economics, Shifting Liability and the First Amendment: The public disclosure of computer security vulnerabilities unavoidably facilitates their exploitation, but such disclosure also enables the correction and elimination of vulnerabilities. This article from the Whittier Law Review co-authored by Ethan Preston argues that the legal system should extend liability to computer security publishers only with extraordinary caution.


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Boston, MA373-395 Neponset Avenue, Dorchester's Neponset
MLS Number 72450583
- Commercial
- Year Built 1900
This is a rare chance to be at the heart and core of Dorchester's growth! Ideal strip of commercial properties has come available right in the Neponset neighborhood with highway and MBTA a short distance away. This opportunity consists of 7 occupied commercial businesses, 2 other units are completely renovated and currently available for the buyer. In addition, there is a vacant 2-unit residential building that is part of the transaction. The commercial properties are well maintained and most of the units have been completely renovated within the past 10 years. Each unit has separate utilities, heat & A/C. This has been a family owned property for many years and is a tremendous opportunity to be in one of Dorchester's hottest neighborhoods! Ten minutes to Downtown Boston and one hour to Cape Cod.
Listed by Anne and Craig and Craig Galvin of The Galvin Group, LLC


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I recently got married and neatly seated designed our room, everything was perfect. Absolutely blown away and beyond our dreams. Massive thank you to Diane and her staff for all there hard work, she is a lovely lady who brightened up our wedding day!
-Emma Dixon
We got married at the Marriott a few weeks ago, Diane was lovely and really listened to what we wanted, the venue was beautiful and the flowers amazing. Thank you very much for all your hard work we really appreciate it xx
- Samantha Marshall
what a wonderful job Diane and her team did on Saturday leaving everything in her capable and professional hands has been the best thing I have ever done they decorated our wedding venue exactly the way we wanted it was just perfect amazing centre pieces table décor every thing was exceptional can not thank her enough everyone commented on how beautiful it was thank you so much for your time and effort you made our day perfect.
- Angela Jukes
The staff that arrived at my venue were very professional and friendly. They did a great job with the chairs and backdrop. I would recommend to everyone. They helped make my day special. X
- Emma Forrest
I got married a few weeks ago and Diane done all our table decorations and our flowers everything was beautiful we loved it all... Couldn't of asked for anything more they made it perfect so thank you very much and we will be recommending you to everyone, so thank you again for making our day beautiful xxx
- Vicky Rutherford
Cant thank Diane and the team at Neatly Seated enough for decorating our wedding venue at Horton Grange Hotel. Excellent professional service from start to finish, with such attention to detail. Diane was on hand to answer any questions I had and went above and beyond to ensure I was happy with every decision, and reassured me about the day with no stress! The way the room looked exceeded my expectation's Thank you Neatly Seated ♥
- Kelly Weaver
Thank you so much for decorating our room at the Roker hotel, it was lovely! we were really happy with, it was better than I had ever imagined.
-Faye Duffy
Thank you for making Gemma and Mark's wedding so special. Everyone said how lovely it was. I knew you would making Hallgarth Manor look so amazing. A big thank you.
- Maria Slater
A special thankyou for providing the display of chair covers at our wedding. It was just how we imagined it 'magical'. It was great to meet you and your husband and so glad you were able to spend some time with us. Take care and all the best in your future business.
- Best Wishes from Nicola and Jim Mellon.
Just to say thank you for helping to make the Great Hall look even greater! The candelabra were stunning and so elegant – we had lots of compliments about them – and the ivy on the end tables finished it off nicely. We will definitely recommend you.
- Anita Richards
I just wanted to say thanks for our table decorations etc that you did for us on Saturday at the Hillcarter in Hartlepool. It all looked lovely.
- Joanne Wells
Thank you so much for making our venue look stunning. You were so helpful throughout and gave us lots of ideas to make the day even more special.
- Annonymous Google Review
Now that is what I call service! Thank you for being there when I needed you, thank you for the advice and thank you for the guidence. The whole place looked a million dollars. We couldn't have had such an amazing wedding without you! We shall be recommending you to everyone we know. Brilliant!!
- Meg, Doug & the bump xx
Hi, on behalf of my new wife and myself I would like to thank you for all the hard work you put in to help create our perfect wedding day table decorations and chair covers. From the first day we came to discuss what we wanted from you (after being told by a major wedding supplier) that it was not possible within our budget, you told us we could do it and we had every faith in your ability. We had a number of meetings with you over the time and at first all we had was the idea of the 3 tier stacking fish bowls. They changed so many times until finally we created what we thought was an amazing display that was perfect for our special day. Not a single problem was had through the whole experience and I'm really glad we decided to have you be a big part of our memories. Thank you so much for all your time and effort that you put into our day.
- Lee and Donna HarknessBeamish Hall
Just a note to say a 'Huge' thankyou for the magnificent job you did for our son's wedding at The Sage on Saturday. The room was fabulous!! You had such short notice – it was as if it had been planned for years. You helped make the day perfect. Best Wishes Carol Garnett x
- Carol GarnettThe Sage
Hi, just wanted to pass on a massive thank you from Chris and I for making the venue look so beautiful on our wedding day. We got so many compliments on the centrepieces and how elegant everything looked. We'll definitely be recommending you to others. Thanks again.
- Clare and Chris PorteousBowburn Hall
I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you massively for everything you did for us both in preparation for the wedding and on the day itself. I realise I am not one of the easiest customers to deal with, believe it or not I am not normally so picky, but the wedding turned me into someone so different that I almost didn't recognise myself!!! Bridezilla ha ha ha!!! You were absolutely amazing the whole way through and not only the ultimate professional, but also a good friend in times of need (and stress)!. Everyone has commented at how amazing the tables looked both through the day and on the evening. Carly's mum took some of the flowers home from the lily vases and said she only had to throw them out Saturday just gone so they lasted beautifully for two whole weeks after the wedding! The only regret I had about going on honeymoon so soon was that I didn't get any to put in my own house! I thought the little bubble vases looked amazing with the red roses in too and the little floating candles. However, the star of the show for me definitely had to be the candleabras on the top table through the day. They were absolutely stunning!!!!
A million thanks from us both.
- Cheryl ScottThe Little Haven Hotel, South Shields


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Story highlights
- Caroline Wozniacki into semifinals of WTA tournament in Copenhagen
- Top seed wins 13th straight match at event in beating Alize Cornet 6-0 6-3
- Jelena Jankovic to play Anqelique Kerber in other semifinal
- Jennifer Capriati elected to Tennis Hall of Fame
Caroline Wozniacki made it 13 straight wins in her home tournament in Copenhagen on Friday the 13th as she dispatched French hope Alize Cornet 6-0 6-3.
The former world number one is bidding for her third straight title on the hard courts of the Farum Arena and has now won 19 straight sets without reply, dating back to the 2010 semifinals.
The Danish top seed will take on Petra Martic Saturday for a place in the final.
"I played well. I got a lot of first serves in and I didn´t make any unforced errors, which always helps, of course," Wozniacki told the official WTA website.
Martic saw off Bojana Jovanovski 6-4 4-6 6-3 to make the semifinals in Copenhagen for the second year in a row.
Former top-ranked Jelena Jankovic continued her improved form, having gone into the event off the back of four straight defeats.
The Serbian third seed beat Kaia Kanepi 4-6 6-1 6-3 to reach her third semifinal of the year.
She will play second seed Angelique Kerber, who was taken to three sets before beating fellow German Mona Barthel.
Kerber trailed 5-2 and saved two match points before winning 6-2 0-6 7-5.
"It was a very tough match. Mona played unbelievable tennis, especially in the second, where I actually had no chance," said Kerber.
Meanwhile on the clay of Barcelona, Dominika Cibulkova is the highest seed left at number three after beating Yulia Beygelzimer of the Ukraine 3-6, 6-0, 6-0.
Second seed Julia Georges of Germany crashed out 6-2 6-3 to Sara Errani of Italy while Sorana Cirstea of Romania ended the fine run of Olga Govortsova of the Belarus 2-6 6-1 6-3.
In other tennis news, Jennifer Capriati has been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in recognition of a career which saw her win three grand slam titles and reach world number one.
"This is a dream come true and an extraordinary tribute," she told the official WTA website.
"I truly feel humbled to be a part of history and am honored to be considered among the greatest of all time."


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Note: All Gaian Tarot art prints can be purchased at GaianTarot.com.
Price of prints includes shipping*. Each edition of color prints is limited to 250 prints. (Black-and-white prints are not limited editions.) Each print is hand-signed and numbered by the artist. The title of the card and ghosted copyright notice do not appear on the print. The prints are created in the artist's studio, printed on fine art, archival textured papers. The manufacturer of the printer, papers and ink promise a longevity of 200+ years, "worthy of museum display." (Fine art prints, as well as original art, should never be hung in full sunlight.) You will also receive a Certificate of Authenticity. Protective Packaging includes a backing board, with the print enclosed in a clear envelope.


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|Correlation Matrices for Canadian Investors
1978-1989 and 1978-1997International Investing: A New Canadian Perspective is an article on global diversification that includes two correlation matrices, one from 1978-1989, and the other from 1978-1997. It originally appeared in the Winter 1998 edition of Canadian Investment Review.
1987-1996Here's a table of asset class correlations taken from the article Best correlation bets by Rudy Luukko. It was originally published in the February 15th, 1997 edition of the Financial Post, but unfortunately the article is no longer on the FP website.
Note: All correlation values are based on CA$ returns over the 10 years ending 31Dec96.
Correlation Coefficients Among Asset ClassesFrom Bill Bernstein's Efficient Frontier website and the 1998 edition of The Intelligent Asset Allocator book, Correlation Coefficients Among Asset Classes.
Correlation Matrix for Developed World Equity MarketsHere's a matrix of correlations for equity markets of developed nations that are tracked by Morgan Stanley as reported by RIMES Technologies in US$ from 30-Jan-1998 to 30-Jun-1998: MSCI Correlation Matrix.


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Sticky Fingers isn't the best Stones' album, for my money that's Exile on Main Street.
But it has the best cover, plus the provenance of this letter from Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol, commissioning the artwork.
You may have seen the letter, it's been posted many times, usually leading to one of two conclusions.
- Mick Jagger – best client ever.
- Best brief ever.
But there are three sides to every story, and there's another way to parse it.
First, "I leave it in your capable hands to do whatever you want…." is not exactly a brief, as much as giving carte blanche, which is something rather different.
Merriam Webster's simple definition of a brief is: instructions that explain what a person is supposed to do.
And bestowing total freedom is essentially the opposite of giving instructions.
Of course it would be nice if clients gave us total freedom, but invariably they don't, and realistically we don't expect them to.
In any case, Mick Jagger is not the client, or at least not entirely.
He is also the brand—or at least, a major element of the brand.
The confusion arises because most brands are inanimate.
Jagger clearly isn't so he gets to control the process.
Sadly, most brands lack the ability to speak for themselves.
If they did, the night would be filled with a thousand screams.
"Please give me better creative. Please!"
If you close your eyes, you may just hear them.