text:
Promoting the '68 TV Special
By Bob Pakes
Parker, as well as the Singer Company and RCA Records, knew Elvis' first TV appearance since the Sinatra show in 1960 was bound to be something very special, and plenty of advertising was done prior to the screening of this landmark show on DECEMBER 3rd 1968.
In this article we'll present a collection of promotion material from late 1968. We'll also take a look at AUGUST 17, 1969, when NBC aired the show for a second time.
Above and below, we see the front and back of a PROMOTIONAL CARD (sized 3″ x 6″).
Part One
This BANNER/POSTER measures 29.5″ x 15.5″.
Here we have one of only a few surviving RADIO SPOT records.
This nowadays extremely rare item was sent to Radio Stations across the USA and the commercial that promoted the TV Special was heard nationwide shortly before the Special aired.
Once the Special had been aired, the Radio Spot did not make sense anymore, so most of these records were destroyed.
Please click the PLAY button to listen to this rare Radio Spot:
To the right we have a BANNER that was used by Singer for in-store promotion.
Here we have the largest promotional item. This very nice POSTER measures 24″ x 36″.
The extremely rare 22″ x 28″ STANDEE to the right was on display in Singer stores. According to the Auction House that sold this beauty (for $ 1900,-), only two of these are known to still exist today.
This design was also used as a MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT, an example of which we see below.
The phrase "Singer Presents Elvis" was used on each and every promotional item brought forward by the Singer Company. So it made sense that the title of the budget LP would also contain this phrase.
Released in October 1968, this compilation of mainly forgettable filmsongs, also contained the first ever release of a song recorded for the TV Special. TIGER MAN gave the fans a sneek peek at what was to come in December. It must have been a thrill to hear the rawness in Elvis' voice for the very first time!
Click the PLAY button to listen to a SINGER COMMERCIAL for this LP:
When this album was re-released by RCA on their CAMDEN label five months later, "Singer Presents" was dropped from the cover. Below we see the BONUS PHOTO that came with the purchase of this LP. Unlike all later prints, only the first edition contained a reference to The Singer Co. and the air date on the back.
From LIFE magazine, a DOUBLE-PAGE AD.
(November 29, 1968)
Left we have a (low rez) NEWSPAPER AD from a few days before the airing.
And to the right a FULL-PAGE ADVERTISEMENT that is almost identical to the one Singer used (as the right page of their two-page ad) in LIFE. The only exception is that Elvis can now be seen in lower left corner.
To the right a FULL-PAGE ADVERTISMENT for the Show from TV Guide (November 30, 1968).
(Not Elvis but) Ann-Margret was on the cover of this weeks edition of TV Guide.
And below we have the listing in that same TV Guide on the day of the broadcast.
This is the official PROMOTIONAL BOOKLET.
It measures 4″ x 9″, consists of 32 pages, and it features the famous image of Elvis in his Gold Suit on the frontcover.
To the right we have the center-spread of this booklet.
This is a FULL-PAGE ADVERTISEMENT that not just mentions the air-date of the TV Special and Elvis' latest album (the NBC soundtrack), but (of course!) also a ton of other irrelevant RCA stuff has been cramped into this ad. It's nothing less but a miracle they didn't pop his latest movie + it's companion record-release somewhere in there as well …
(Billboard, November 30, 1968)
Notice that RCA and The Colonel did not use the image of the 'new Elvis' that can be seen on nearly all of the Promotional items that were produced with regard to the TV Special. No, they used the 12 year old image of the wellknown Elvis in his Gold Suit in order to bring this ad to the attention of the public. An ad likes this makes it painfully clear that Parker and RCA had missed the boat somewhere in the 60's and they were still marketing Elvis in the same way they did back in 1956 …
Here we have the final entry of the December 1968 Promotional campaign for the NBC TV Special.
This is a FULL-PAGE ADVERTISEMENT from the Singer Company in Billboard, from a few days after the special had aired.
(December 7, 1968)
But wait! RCA has also bought itself a few inches of advertising space in this Singer ad. And yes, there is also the reference to go see Elvis in his latest MGM movie. Phew, what a relieve!
AND (the re-run of) THE ELVIS PRESLEY SPECIAL!"
Part Two
The NBC show aired for a second time on August 17, 1969 and once again some interesting material was produced to promote the Show.
First up is a very rare TABLETOP STANDEE used in Singer stores. This item measures 22″ x 28″.
Here we have a cool FULL-PAGE ADVERTISEMENT from Billboard, August 16, 1969.
A Singer NEWSPAPER-ADVERTISEMENT simultaneously promoting the re-run of The Special and Singer's Flaming Star album (now even cheaper than the first time around). By this time RCA had also released this album on the Camden label.
Below we have a FLYER from August 1969.
And here we have a promotional POSTCARD that was presented as a give-away at Singer Centers. The card shows up on auction sites from time to time, so we can assume it has been printed in a (relative) large quantity.
The postcard (measuring 3.5″ x 5.5″) promotes both the second showing of the TV Special as well as Elvis' first season in Las Vegas.
To conclude our trip back in time to 1968/69, here are some interesting documents:
BELOW: a letter from Singer to the Colonel concerning the promotion for the Show.
TO THE RIGHT: Greil Marcus' review of the album from Rolling Stone magazine. The most eyecatching quotes:
" … unless one is a collector of Presley memorabilia, this record is really not worth buying."
" … just like when Ed Sullivan dressed him up in a tuxedo …"
From Billboard (December 21, 1968), a report from Canada stating that the TV Special has caused a renewed interest in Elvis' music and Rock 'n' Roll music ("oldies") altogether. According the article:
"The soundtrack is a real monster".
From the same edition of Billboard, a short review of the LP: "This should be his biggest LP in some time".
My sincere thanks to DENNIS BERRY for his help in putting this article together.
Also thanks to CAYETANO for supplying a scan of the Flaming Star bonus photo.
And (as always!) my thanks to GER RIJFF for his help.
Do yourself a huge favour and follow Ger on FACEBOOK
This is nice!
I remember seeing the first NBC photos of Elvis in black leather around
august / september of that year, in a Newsletter from the Kissin Cousins
fanclub, somewhere in CA… A full report on the recording & filming of two
shows in Burbank, by one of the fanclub members, was also included.
Elvis belting out One Night and Jailhouse Rock?! Couldn't believe what
I was reading?! We were still in the middle of digesting some very forgettable
fims…remember?! It was fun to be a fan during the 2nd half of 1968…
Even though the tv special wouldn't air on Dutch tv for at least half a year,
or even longer. The situation in Great Britain and most countries in Europe
was even worse. But the promise of better times to come ( and they came! )
kept us all going. 1969 was a blast!June 24, 2013
Paul Pearce #
Great stuff!! All the excitement fans felt when this was originally aired…after all those crappy movies this was an absolute relief. Yes, Elvis finally wowed them again! Sadly, it wasn't to last long before he went downhill again.June 25, 2013
r&b #
I remember having the New York Daily News in a study hall class in the spring of 1968 and seeing Elvis and NBC were planning a TV special for later this ear. I wish I had kept that article. I still remember reading it like it was yesterday and the feeling I got. I didn't know what to expect. Thankfully, Steve Binder was on the scene. These promo items bring it all back.June 25, 2013
Gerrit De Jong #
Once again a fantastic topic!
I am beginning to sound lik a broken record here, be thankful its not an Original sun label :-)June 26, 2013
God bless Steve Binder! Without him the NBC show would have been as bland as the movies El was making at that time.June 26, 2013
Some very tasty additions indeed! Beautiful mint copies of the Singer album and
bonus photo… For as long as I can remember, I have always thought the album was
presented without the RCA mention on the cover?! Was the label different to the
regular RCA ones from the time? Different in color perhaps? Input is appreciated.
Thanks guys & gals.October 7, 2013
This stuff is glorious and original. In keeping with the overall 'Echoes' site. Magic!October 9, 2013
Ken Hercock #
Outstanding work Bob, nicely gathered in one place for the world to see. Thank you.April 4, 2014
Colt Rivers #
This is Fantabulous Bob, I love all of this, thank you very much for this, there are quite a few pictures here that I have never seen before.
Your whole website is a must see Elvis site for fans to come to and enjoy all you have done.April 14, 2014
Mike Windgren #
Wonderful & outstanding work on the ´68 Special.April 21, 2014
Juan #
I was very young so missed all of this. I didnt see the show until 1978. A great show.September 20, 2014
Very well done piece. Marcus' comments on the album are noteworthy, not only for the errors you indicated, but for his observation about the crossroad Elvis faced at that point. He could have gone in many directions and I agree with Marcus' praise for Elvis as a blues singer. I think Marcus may have missed the point of the special, as far as Steve Binder was concerned. Binder wanted to capture Elvis as he really was as a kind of antidote to the image of him created by a decade of films. The live pit segments did that for him, although he originally wanted to tape the actual informal jam sessions Elvis held each day in his dressing room, which is what gave him the idea for the pit segments. The special celebrates Elvis' earlier achievements while also telling the world that he was still a great performer and entertainer with deep musical roots.
The official title of this special remains something of a mystery. In nearly all of the material you display, the title is given as "Singer Presents Elvis." However, the only title that appears on screen at the start of the program is "Elvis," which seems to me the most appropriate title. It also is the only title on the original LP cover. In my book, "Channeling Elvis: How Television Saved the King of Rock 'n' Roll," I use the one-word title.January 14, 2015
Pink&Black #
Greil Marcus's comment really surprised me. Didn't he say in 'MysteryTrain', " It was the finest music of his life. If ever there was music that bleeds this was it."
"He had always said 'yes' but this time he was saying 'no', not without humor but almost with a wry bit of guilt as if he had betrayed himself and his talent."
I don't have the book, unfortunately, but I'm pretty sure it's in there.January 16, 2015
Alan White #
Brilliant update.January 29, 2016
Sören Szameitat #
Hi Ger,
I have an unusual question: I collect Elvis 1970s memorabilia and own one of the two Reels of the Opening Night, January 26, 1970 Show.
Do you have any idea how could own Box/Reel# 2 ?. I think it was shown in one of the "The American Way" CDs. I like to reunite both reels!
Greetings from Hamburg, Germany, SörenJune 6, 2016
James Fortier #
I have a rare copy of the color version of the August 17th rerun broadcast of the NBC Elvis special. Is your's is for sale and if so how much are you asking for it. Also, if these were for tabletop displays I would assume he poster wold be mounted to a cardboard or foam core like backing. Mine is not and the back is clean with no evidence o glue or adhesive of any kind. Thanks JamesJanuary 26, 2018
James Fortier #
do you actually have a copy of the 1969 Aug 17 rerun airing of the NBC TV Special? If so do you have any idea how much it is worth?
JamesJanuary 28, 2018
Balcony Bunnny #
I was 14 years old, and probably the only kid in my class who was hip to the Young Elvis Presley, having recently come across a used Elvis' Golden Records lp from 1958. Hearing Jailhouse Rock and All Shook Up for the first time was almost as exciting as when I'd first heard The Beatles. My friends all knew Elvis from his movies, but he was a relic of another age . . . That all changed on that December evening.
You may recall, Jim Morrison wore black leather pants onstage, which was considered very cool. Now, here was Elvis decked out head to toe in black leather – which, in my book, made him COOLER than Morrison. And it didn't stop there. His hair, his face, his voice, his songs . . . it wasn't nostalgia. Elvis suddenly fit right in with what was happening NOW. Suddenly, Elvis was "GROOVY"! The next day at school, everybody was talking about the TV Special. I guess we're still talking about it.April 7, 2018


text:
alumni Web portal set to launch
may be the time to consider establishing a charitable lead
trust in support of the Kellogg School and Northwestern
University. This trust enables you to combine charitable
gifts to Kellogg or the university with the transfer of assets
to family members at reduced gift tax cost. As a lead trust
donor, you can irrevocably transfer assets, usually cash
or securities, to the trustee of your charitable lead trust.
of these features apply to all lead trusts, but a few are specific
to the nongrantor annuity lead trust).
1. The lead trust will make annual payments
to Kellogg/Northwestern for a predetermined number of years,
giving you the satisfaction
of supporting the university in a meaningful way.
2. The assets remaining in the trust at
term's end,
plus any appreciation, will pass to your heirs with reduced
or no gift/estate tax cost.
3. When the trust is established, gift tax
may be due on the noncharitable element of the trust unless
the unified
credit is used. However, you will receive a gift tax deduction
for the charitable element of the trust. It is possible,
with the right combination of term and percentage payout
to Northwestern, to "zero-out" the gift tax.
4. The trust becomes a separate entity for
tax purposes. Any taxable income earned by the trust may
be offset by the
charitable deduction for the annual gifts to Northwestern.
5. Highly appreciated securities in the
trust may be used for the annual gifts to Northwestern,
allowing the trust
to bypass capital gains tax that would be due if the securities
were sold.
6. When grandchildren are beneficiaries
of the trust, generation-skipping taxes may be substantially
7. Funding a lead trust with stock of a
family-owned business will freeze the value of the stock
for gift/estate tax purposes.
If you wish to learn more about establishing
a charitable lead trust at Kellogg, please contact Stephanie
Freeth '02
in the Kellogg Development Office at 847-491-3348.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation increases your risk for health problems (even ones you have never experienced), such as disturbed mood, gastrointestinal symptoms (abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting), headaches and joint pain, blood sugar and insulin system disruption, high blood pressure, seizures, and hallucinations. Sleep deprivation can also create problems during sleep, causing sleep apnea, restless legs, and other sleep disorder symptoms (getting enough sleep will correct these problems).
- If you routinely need more than 8 hours of sleep a day or are more vulnerable to sleep loss, then working long hours while deployed will be difficult if you do not have enough time to sleep as long as you need.
- Some people show more decline in performance than others, which may reflect an inherited trait or sensitivity to sleep loss.


text:
THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS (June 20, 2019) – Residents in The Woodlands will have the opportunity to celebrate freedom with a variety of festivities for the Fourth of July holiday. The 2019 holiday schedule offers entertainment and activities for everyone to enjoy, beginning with the Houston Symphony's Star-Spangled Salute on Wednesday, July 3, 2019, at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.
The festivities on Thursday, July 4, 2019, begin at 9 a.m. with the South County Fourth of July Parade in The Woodlands Town Center. Following the parade, Splash Day offers a free cool down at all Township pools from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no charge for admission all day. The lifeguards at each pool will select a unique, family-oriented theme and provide fun activities and games from noon to 4 p.m. Light refreshments will also be available while supplies last. Splash Day 2019 is presented by Kroger.
The celebration will continue into the evening with the 22nd annual Red, Hot and Blue Festival featuring entertainment and activities at five locations in The Woodlands from 6 to 10 p.m. Northshore Park will feature face painting, food trucks and musical entertainment by Cold Shot. Residents should be advised Northshore Park access will be affected on the following dates for the event:
Town Green Park will have a wide variety of activities, including strolling entertainers, face painters, balloon artists, inflatables, a kids' zone, food vendors and two stages for music from Cap City Band and The Fantastics. Participants must have a wristband to enter the inflatables activities at this location. Wristbands are $10 each and good for unlimited access of the inflatables for the duration of the event.
Waterway Square Park will have concessions, face painting, a balloon artist and entertainment by Willow Creek Junction.
Hughes Landing will feature musical entertainment from The Kelley Peters Band.
Rob Fleming Park will have food trucks, face painting and the country musical and Indie stylings of Keeton Coffman. Due to limited parking in the Rob Fleming Park area, residents are encouraged to walk or bike to the event.
The annual celebration will culminate with an 18-minute Fireworks Extravaganza at approximately 9:30 p.m. with multiple launch locations. The primary fireworks display will be located in Lake Woodlands adjacent to Northshore Park, with a secondary close-proximity (special effects) display at Town Green Park. Please note there may be limited visibility of the primary display at Town Green Park due to trees and buildings. The 2019 Fireworks Extravaganza will also feature a fireworks display in the Waterway Square District near Timberloch Place and Waterway Avenue and Rob Fleming Park in the Village of Creekside Park. Residents can enjoy both the sights and sounds of the fireworks extravaganza by tuning into KSTAR Country 99.7 FM, which will broadcast the choreographed patriotic soundtrack for the 2019 event.
For the comfort and safety of all attendees, oversized beach umbrellas and pop-up tents are not permitted at the Festival.
The presenting festival sponsor of the multi-location Red, Hot and Blue celebration is CHI St. Luke's Health, with additional sponsor support from Waste Management, The Howard Hughes Corporation® and America's ER.
Vendor applications are still being accepted for the event. Applications are due by June 20, 2019 and available for download at www.redhotblue.org. For more details, updates and parking information, please visit www.redhotblue.org or follow The Woodlands Township Parks and Recreation Department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/townshipparksandrec.
As the Fourth of July holiday nears, residents are reminded that The Woodlands Covenants strictly prohibit the sale or use of home fireworks and sparklers of any kind in The Woodlands neighborhoods.
For more information about The Woodlands Township, please visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or call 281-210-3800.
PHOTO: The Fourth of July holiday comes alive with a variety of patriotic events in The Woodlands, including the Red, Hot and Blue Festival and Fireworks Extravaganza at five locations in the community.


text:
Incoming freshman or undergraduate transfer applicants who are interested in pursuing either a BA in Psychology, BS in Psychology, Minor in Psychology or Minor in Addiction Studies must first apply and be accepted to the University at Buffalo. Students who have identified Psychology (or the minor in Addiction Studies) as their area of study will be listed as majors/minors at the time of acceptance.
All relevant information, including admissions criteria; the online application; dates and deadlines; and standardized test score requirements, can be found by visiting UB Undergraduate Admissions.
Current UB students who are interested in pursuing a BA in Psychology, BS in Psychology, Minor in Psychology or Minor in Addiction Studies must complete our departmental application. Please email the completed application and a copy of your UB Academic Advisement Report to Christa Greenberg.
Please contact Christa Greenberg with any questions you may have about the application process.


text:
The Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa trailers have yet to convince me that the movie is worth seeing. However, I have heard that it was "actually pretty entertaining". That's a direct quote from my uncle. He went because he wanted to get out of the house and watch a movie. Then he remembered that he has kids and couldn't/shouldn't take them to see the new James Bond flick. Instead, he had to settle for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. The always noted/never seen studio execs know that children under the age of 10 can't go to see movies by themselves these days, so the films that target children generally have enough bits to entertain the adults that are inevitably accompanying those children. I can see how he could have found it better than he expected.
After seeing the movie, my uncle still didn't feel like going home. He took my cousins to the local electronics retailer so that they could bang on the Rock Band drums, allowing him the opportunity to check out the dishwasher sale. He was, of course, looking to single-handedly stimulate our economy. However, on their way to the video game section, my cousins saw the video game for the movie that they had just seen. They just had to have the game so that they could actively experience the same scenes they passively enjoyed just minutes before. My uncle didn't stand a chance. My cousins took the game home. From what I hear, they spent the whole ride back staring at the cover with jubilant smiles on their faces.
Then they started playing Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. The jubilant smiles turned into blank stares of regret. The blank stares of regret were finally relieved when my aunt notified them that one of their friend's parents called about hanging out, and they finally had a good reason to go do something else. My uncle wanted to know what he had just invested in and started playing the game. He was immediately driven into a catatonic state. As it turns out, even though the movie has something in it for adults, the video game accompanying it definitely does not.
This is odd. This game has an E10 rating from the ESRB, which means the contents of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa are only suitable for gamers aged ten and up. I don't know anyone older than ten who would enjoy this game, and anyone younger than ten will undoubtedly find portions of it frustrating, such as controlling a giraffe who is trying to balance himself on a bowling ball.
The good thing about Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is that there are minigames where multiple people can play. At least my cousins can play portions of this game together. Of course, they'd probably end up fighting anyway.
The reason for the anecdotes above is that there is just not much game here to talk about. The people who are going to buy this are going to be doing exactly what my uncle and cousins were doing: shopping around after watching the movie and happening to glance upon a familiar title in an otherwise unfamiliar world. I know this because my mom used to do this with other kinds of merchandise. "Oh, you liked the terminator movies, how's about an action figure where Arnold Schwarzenegger's face gets blown off?" Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is just another merchandising opportunity, and video games are the new action figures and Barbies. They're like Barbies that poison you figuratively, rather than literally.
There are a lot of these movie-based games flooding the market, and there is really nothing wrong with their prevalence, but these aren't the kind of games that are going to get kids into videogames. If anything, they might actually turn them off of them. This could be what Dreamworks had in mind when they licensed the rights to the game. The, um, studio execs (in this case I guess it would be Spielberg) are probably thinking something along the lines of "if only we can get kids to quit playing video games while simultaneously downloading our movies…hmmm. Oh, I got it, let's make a terrible video game incorporating our newest Madagascar movie."
There are some amusing tidbits that kids will enjoy: the cut scenes. But as I said before and will repeat, there is nothing for anyone else.
A warning to all the parents out there: Don't take your kids to Target/Best Buy/Wal-Mart/Circuit City (the ones that still exist)/local grocery store after watching a movie with them. You are just going to end up taking home a video game that no one in your family will be capable of/have the desire of finishing. Even if it's really short, like Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.


text:
An Art represents a piece of creativity by an artist. Artists need to display their artworks in order to receive appreciation and to sell their works. For this purpose, art galleries provide great platform to artists. Nevertheless, it is not very easy to approach art galleries and to receive recognition for artworks. Artist must know the tactics to approach art galleries and to initiate a process of display and selling of their artworks. Here are some of the tactics that an artist must know to sell or display his artwork:
Find a Gallery that best suits your work
At first, an artist needs to find an art gallery that best suits the genre of his work. It is pertinent to mention that specific art galleries sell specific arts and all art galleries are not meant to sell every kind of works. An artist must search the market and get information on several art galleries within his area and then he should decide that which art gallery is suitable for selling his work.
Try to Develop a Relationship with the Art gallery
An artist must try to create a relationship with the art gallery. The artist must subscribe to the newsfeed and promotions of the art gallery. He must also go to the events arranged by the art gallery so that he could meet and greet people in person. The artist must try to give inputs during the events and he must also give his business card to the attendees. The artist must also respond actively in case any person from the events contact him in future. These tactics would help the artist to maintain his presence for the art gallery and also for other artists and potential buyers.
Presentation of Artwork
An artist must present his art work through attractive ways. He must explain his art work to the art gallery and he must know the technical aspects of his work. He must convince the art gallery management that his work would bring profits to them. He must also tell them that how his artwork is relevant to current choices of the audience. All this process needs encouragement and consistency, but once it is done, it would bring immense benefits to the artist.
Setting up a contract with the art gallery
Art Galleries make contracts with artists in order to maintain a hassle free working environment. The artist must analyze his past experience, creativity level and profit level in order to enter into a contract with the art gallery. All these things bring bargaining power to the artist but if he is at the initial stages of his career, then he must not bargain high for his work. In this situation, he must comply with the profit ratio set by the art gallery. On the other hand, if the artist is in strong bargaining position, then he must take full advantage of it.
The selling of an artwork is not a cake of piece. It requires immense hard work and consistency. New artists usually find it more difficult to persuade an art gallery to display their art works because an art gallery will not be interested in the artwork if it do not expect any gains from it. Nevertheless, above mentioned tactics are helpful to convince the art galleries to display and sell the artwork.


text:
SkyTeam members Air France / KLM (and their partners) have launched some great promotion on flights between Manchester and Houston. Round-trip tickets are now available for just £292 (€323)! This is for a return flight including all taxes, meals and 23kg checked bag. Need a solution to Texas next winter season 2016/2017 this is excellent option not just for travellers in the UK..Some of the flights may require additional layover in America on your return flight so be careful and choose proper itinerary..
This Air France / KLM promotional sale is valid for flights booked by 31st of October 2016 or until sold out. Travel period then from November till 7th of December and 9th of January till 4th of April 2017. Based on date of your outbound flight to USA. Max stay 12 months. Below you can refer to booking sample directly with the airline where you can also easily check cheapest travel options available.
Booking sample
Manchester – Houston from £292
Connection possibilities from your hometown to Manchester is easiest to check using service of Skyscanner. To book your accommodation in Houston you may use Booking.com or consider following promo codes that are offering Amoma, Hotelopia or Venere.
Booking sample of promotional deal of Air France / KLM – return flights from Manchester to Houston £292! In this case you would depart from the UK to USA on 19th of November 2016. Your return flight form Texas back to Europe would be on 3rd of December 2016.


text:
What Others
Are Saying
"TRIB3 over the past 2 years has worked very close with Core Health & Fitness on providing world class equipment and service for our community. They have been the rock behind our success in providing treadmills which are one of our core elements in our boutique offering and service. The treadmills are exceptional and the operational service is even better. We are proud to partner with the team on a global scale."
Kevin Yates | Trib3
Redefined Performance: Star Trac FreeRunner
Star Trac FreeRunner has redefined performance and has become the treadmill your members are waiting for. The innovative HexDek offers a cushioned response like you've never felt before, get on one today and experience it for yourself.
The All-New 10 Series FreeRunner™
The FreeRunner™ treadmill is a revolutionary new indoor running experience. The heart of this new experience is the patent-pending HexDeck System, featuring an aluminum deck supported by a proprietary, hexagonal polymer suspension system. The result is unprecedented cushion and responsiveness, for a feel that test users describe as "buttery," "easy on the joints" and "like running on a track." The next generation of treadmills arrives March 2019.
The re-imagined 19″ Capacitive Touch OpenHub Console adds a premium new look and experience to the already-great Star Trac cardio line. The new embedded console offers a new user interface design, Star Trac 20 HIIT Programming, RunTV and web-based media access for news, entertainment and workout motivation. With standard features like HDMI streaming, Bluetooth connectivity and TV tuner options, this is a display that has something for every user.
Creating a truly custom feeling cardio experience is no easy task, but that is what the VersaStrider was built for. Using revolutionary MyStride™ technology, this variable stride elliptical allows for a dynamic movement path that fits each user regardless of size, shape or intensity of the workout. Whether you are running at your full stride length or cooling down with a smaller stepping motion, the VersaStrider can adjust to your stride without the use of buttons. Paired with the unparalleled connectivity and customization of OpenHub cardio consoles, the VersaStrider is one machine that truly feels like a custom fit for every user.


text:
RYA Professional Practices and Responsibilities
Client: Yachtmaster Coastal And Offshore Certificate holders requiring commercial endorsement
Date: You can take it any time
Info: Required for commercial endorsement.
This is a compulsory online course for new and revalidating RYA Commercial Endorsement holders.
Each year approximately 4,500 people apply to the RYA for a commercial endorsement in order to use their RYA qualifications professionally as skipper or crew. You could be doing anything from delivering a new 50' yacht or driving a workboat with lifting and towing gear, to running a superyacht in the Med. Whatever your job is on board, in the commercial world you are a professional seafarer. As such, you are no different from the captain of a cruise liner – you have a duty of care to crew, passengers, and other water users, and you will be held to account if things go wrong.
- Commercial environment – how you fit into the professional maritime world.
- People – the importance of correct manning, keeping your skills up to date and the safe management of commercial vessels.
- Vessel – the compulsory carriage and maintenance of safety equipment and how to create and implement risk control and operating procedures.
- Purpose – making sure your vessel is suitable and legal for the work you are carrying out, your obligations in protecting the environment, appropriate planning and situational awareness.
Following the modules there is a mock assessment so you can check you are ready before moving on to the final graded online assessment.
Here is a sample of the course.
Yachtmaster Coastal, Offshore or Ocean requiring a commercial endorsement.
Once payment is made, we will set you up with a login and password on the site www.ryainteractive.org
Your printed course material, a plotter and chart dividers will be sent to you by post.
To enable access to your online course we need to share some of your personal data with the RYA via your user profile in www.ryainteractive.org. This learning management website is hosted and maintained by a third party called Learning Pool, who will not use your personal information for any reason other than enabling your course.
Your name and email address will be entered on www.ryainteractive.org in order to create your user account. On your first access to the site, you will be asked to enter your address and date of birth. You will have access to the site for one year in order to complete your online course. During this period, your personal information will be held on the website by Learning Pool and be available to this training centre and the RYA for the purpose of managing your course.
Instructional support will be provided by this training centre for a period of 1 year from the date of your course booking.
On completion of your course, your name, email, date of birth and address will be transferred to the RYA's central database for the purpose of recording details of the course and any certification you gain as a result of it. This information allows the RYA to record your certification, to update any records they may already hold about you or your qualifications and to verify your certificate if required.
After one year from the date of your enrolment on a course, your user account will be removed from www.ryainteractive.org.
Full details of how the RYA will deal with your personal information will be displayed when you first access www.ryainteractive.org.
For the duration of your access to the site, your data will be held in accordance with the RYA Interactive Data Policy, Terms and Conditions.
If you receive a digital certificate downloaded from the RYA Interactive site on completion of your course, your name, address, date of birth and certificate details will be transferred to the RYA database and held in accordance with the RYA's Privacy Policy.


text:
Someone has finally combined a hoverboard with a cereal bowl
'Hoverboards' have attracted a lot of negative attention recently, what with the whole spontaneous explosions thing.
But if anything can redeem the image of the humble hoverboard, its this, very important, new invention, known as the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cruiser.
Yes, the fine folks at US cereal brand Cinnamon Toast Crunch have attached a cereal bowl to the handle bars of what looks like a segway.
The definitely not ridiculous contraption has been introduced to us via the video below, which features cruiser riders harassing various people and eating breakfast.
Related: Top toys you'll be buying in 2016
As the video description explains, the purple Cruiser is "The most innovative way to get where you're going without skipping breakfast.
"Part bowl, part board, it's the greatest way to eat Cinnamon Toast Crunch on two wheels."
It's the solution to a problem we've all faced at one time, and it even features a spoon holder.
At this point it doesn't look like you'll be able to get your hands on one of these things, although if the ad proves to be a hit, perhaps we could see consumer versions in the future.
Got an opinion on this pressing issue? Sound off in the comments.


text:
Joanna Komar, OD
Dr. Joanna Komar received her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from City University of New York Baruch College and Bachelor of Science degree in Vision Science from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. She graduated with honors and received her Doctor of Optometry degree from Nova Southeastern University, and went on to complete an ocular disease residency at the New York Harbor Health Veteran's Affairs Hospital in Brooklyn. Dr. Komar specializes in treatment and management of a variety of ocular conditions and has extensive experience with specialty contact lens fitting and pediatric eye care.


text:
As NPR's "Tell Me More" gets ready to air its last episode on August 1, host Michel Martin took to the pages of the National Journal to spell out how conversations about women in the workplace ignore race. She references Anne-Marie Slaughter's popular 2012 essay in The Atlantic "Why Women Still Can't Have It All," explores the jobs women of color have in today's workforce, and then finally lands on it's not all that useful to "check your privilege:"
Women of color have a long history of making a way out of no way, of rising out of circumstances many would consider impossible, of finding hope and purpose in the most difficult circumstances. Surely these are strengths that should be brought to bear on these issues, and surely there is a way for white women to join us in this struggle. There is a saying that is popular on some college campuses right now: Check your privilege. As I understand it, it's mainly aimed at advantaged white people who are being admonished to recognize their advantages, especially ones they take for granted. I won't presume to speak for all women of color so I will speak for myself: I don't care about that. I don't want your pity, and I can't use your guilt. I don't want my white female colleagues to "check" their privilege. I want them to use it–their networks, their assets, their relationships–to form a united front with women of color, and to help improve things for all of us.
Read more at National Journal.
(h/t National Journal via BuzzFeed)


text:
Material: 2 in 1 faux fur and soft TPU
Feather: 1. Mixed protective shell: high-quality PU leather + soft TPU frame, two synthetic materials can protect your phone from falling, bumps and scratches.
2. Lightweight shell: mixed material design, no need for extra decoration and charge, can be carried in pockets, backpacks and other bags; very suitable for a light and luxurious lifestyle.
3. Retro leather design: Made of PU leather, classic fashion business style, excellent quality, strong grip, anti-fingerprint, non-slip.
4. Precise cutouts-easy access to all ports and buttons. Two lanyard holes are designed to hang your cute pendant or sling freely.
Compatible: For iPhone 12 Mini / iPhone Pro 12/12/12 Pro Max
Material: 2 in 1 faux fur and soft TPU


text:
If you or someone you love needs the assistance of an NYC home health aide, contact an agent from Care 365 and let us answer your questions about at-home health care. We offer numerous options in customized home health services for greater peace of mind when recovering in a familiar environment. See us for all of the following services:
Registered Nurse Assistance
Our professional RNs have met the licensing requirements mandated by the NY State Board of Nursing, and are able to perform a range of tasks, including wound dressing, injections, enemas, catheter assistance, hospice support, patient monitoring, and much more. Don't hesitate to call Care 365 for professional nursing in your home following an illness, injury, or surgery.
Home Health Aide
Our HHAs can perform a number of duties to assist with everyday activities, such as bathing, toileting, dressing, dressing changes, skin care, light cooking, medication scheduling, and more. If you'd like to learn more about having an aide come in to your home or your loved one's home to help with daily chores and personal tasks, feel free to reach out to us by phone with your questions.
Speech Language, Occupational, and Physical Therapists
We employ full-time therapists who are available to help with the process of recovering from illness and surgery. A therapist is more than just an NYC home health aide- they are trained and highly skilled in the use of intervention methods for the treatment of disorders and recovery and rehabilitation. If your doctor has recommended a therapist, call us with a referral, and we'll match you with the right type of therapist for your needs.
Private Pay Options
If you don't qualify for government assistance or require more hours of care than your plan covers, we can provide affordable private pay care at home. We believe we offer the most comprehensive program available in NYC, with options in skilled nursing, home health aides, companion care, on-call or hourly service, and 24-hour live-in care for you or your loved one. If you're returning home after surgery or an illness and require long term or temporary assistance, Care 365 is the most affordable alternative to nursing home care.
Qualify for CDPAP
If you're eligible for the CDPAP program, you can choose any caregiver for your in-home health care- including a family member, a trusted friend, or someone you have hired in the past. Being cared for by someone you are comfortable with can provide exceptional peace of mind. Call us to determine the level of care you're eligible for. If you qualify for CDPAP and your chosen caregiver is at least 18 years of age, all costs may be covered by the program.
You'll need a referral when you call Care 365, but don't worry- the process is simple and we can take care of the work involved. Get connected with an NYC home health aide from Care 365 just by making a phone call to our office- we'll do the rest.
View Larger Map


text:
Trial attorney, Civil Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1965-1969
Law clerk, Hon. Jesse A. Udall, Arizona Supreme Court, 1969-1970
Private practice, Phoenix, Arizona, 1971-1975
Visiting instructor, Arizona State University Law School, 1975-1976, 1978
Judge, Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One, 1975-1979
Lecturer, Duke University, 1995
The University of Chicago Law School occupies a unique niche among this country's premier law schools. Located on a residential campus in one of America 's great cities, Chicago offers a rigorous and interdisciplinary professional education that blends the study of law with the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Students, faculty, and staff form a small, tightly knit community devoted to the life of the mind. Learning is participatory. Chicago does not seek to impose a single viewpoint or style of thought on its students. Instead, our faculty exposes students to contrasting views, confident in students' abilities to choose their own paths.


text:
A product's packaging is a communication tool in itself. Its appearance can attract a customer and can be the clinching factor when deciding to buy it.
We offer all kinds of packaging options and accessories: boxes, stands, advertising gadgets, cards, CD booklets, flat models, 3D models, moving models, etc. The possibilities to give your product added value are truly extensive.
Choose the shape, size, colors and position of the logo for your product's packaging. We will take care of the design and printing aspects, creating an efficient and attractive flat or 3D packaging for your product.


text:
I've pushed my damp clothes into the plastic ice bag I find on the desk, tossed the litter lying about my hotel room, folded the clean clothes and laid them in neat piles one on top of the other, shoes at the bottom. I poked the dirty ones in a mesh shoe bag and zipped them into an outer compartment of my black bag. Papers slipped in next to them, my hotel receipt and restaurant, taxi and parking, too so I can locate them for billing once home. I look up my flight confirmation number, confirm check in online and slip those papers in an outer, easy to reach pocket of my purse. My novel, glasses and a roll of tums in my purse, too. I check for liquids, look for my boarding pass again, just to be sure. I slip on my easy off shoes, sleep my computer, zip and slip it onto my shoulder and off go into the taxi. Sweaty and tired from the scramble to leave, the taxi ride is over before I get the ten dollar bill out of my wallet.
At the airport there's bags, the check-in and a jumbled security line. A woman in an electric wheelchair with two pink ear bowed dogs and another with a mewing cat in a carrier. All of us witness one another pull it all out, falling apart in public and calmly reassemble. Locate the boarding pass, arthritic fingers dislodge ID from a tight clear wallet compartment, hold it in my teeth for a moment, the bag plops to the floor off the shoulder, the unzipped purse, the open computer bag, three bins for jacket, purse, computer gets its own, shoes off, hopping about, pass through. I got all the liquids out this time, no knife and no nail scissors. Pile it on both shoulders, hanging from hands arms and barefoot shuffle to a nearby chair and sit next to barefooted old men and two small women I don't know. We pack it all up again. Assemble ourselves for travel, pretend the exposure never happened. Slip, poke, jab, zip and pull shoes over heels. Ahh. Ready to go. Then put it all down to use the bathroom in the tiny stall with a broken bag hook. Back home. Less trouble to walk!
Your mommy and daddy moved, packed and poked thing in places to leave your old house. It was all assembled for your little life. Dishes, pots, pans, tissues, garbage can, sink plug, tub soap trays and towel rack. All there, then your mommy wanted to leave. Time to go. Push, pack, drag, shove, pile, toss and go. Bye. I purchased it all again- pots pans dishes glasses soap trays towel racks spoons forks and other things all over again. Because they left it in Montana. All used, days of searching going through piles of things to find what you all need. There. You are ready to live here again. But not in you little place. The cabin is where me and Grandpa live as we fix the old house. It got broken. Let's not do that again, okay? I wonder, buddy, where are those pans, pots, soap trays and forks? Where did they go?
Let's all just stay awhile okay? I will, too. I promise. gma


text:
Labour market test not applied as of 1 June to the extended permits of those already working in Finland
Labour market test, or the process of determining the availability of labour, will no longer apply to holders of a residence permit for an employed person who have worked in Finland for at least one year and who are transferring to another sector. The objective of this legislative amendment is to improve labour mobility.
Amendments to the Aliens Act will be effective as of 1 June 2019. One of the amendments is the removal of the labour market test for employees applying for an extension to the residence permit for an employed person who are transferring to another sector.
The requirement is at least one year of employment in Finland with a residence permit for an employed person, and a professional qualification for the sector in question. Employment and Economic Development Offices will continue to assess the employer's operating environment pursuant to the Aliens Act.
Many sectors are experiencing a growing labour shortage. It is therefore necessary to – in addition to other measures – improve the labour mobility of foreign citizens already in the labour market. Removal of the labour market test for persons already working in Finland and transferring to other sectors will only apply to a few dozen residence permit applicants per year. However, in individual cases the legislative amendment may represent a major change, since it improves the supply of labour.
The legislative amendments will increase the supply of labour particularly in the cleaning services, manufacturing industry, and the construction and metal industry, and to some extent in the garden and agricultural sectors. In many of the sectors, the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment are now applying a more permissive labour market test as part of their work permit policies.
Olli Sorainen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29 5048 022


text:
Name: Henry Blanco
Age on Opening Day: 39
Salary: $1,000,000
2011 stats: 37 games, 112 PAs, .250/.330/.540, 8 HR, 12 RBI
2010 stats: 50 games, 144 PAs, .215/.271/.300, 2 HR, 8 RBI
"One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong..." Ted Williams, Richie Sexson, Mark McGwire... And Henry Blanco? But they do have one thing in common. What that is, can be found at the end of this piece.
2011 Expectations. The Diamondbacks were in the market for a back-up to Miguel Montero, almost as soon as the trade of Chris Snyder went through. John Hester, who filled in the rest of the year, was never given serious consideration, and it was no surprise when the team inked Blanco to a one-year deal with a mutual option in mid-December. In Blanco, the team got someone who knew his role was as a back-up, having averaged only 49 games per year from 2007-10, and was comfortable doing it. Blanco said, "In the beginning, it was kind of tough to take it. But over the years, I've been able to understand it more and more."
At the time Nick Piecoro wrote that Blanco was "known for being a strong defensive catcher...and for being a coach-on-the-field type player who can be a mentor to young teammates.:" That would be Montero, like Henry a native of Caracas, Vanezuela, and a player whose offensive development had generally been perceived as exceeding the other aspects of his game. This was also a role Blanco had filled previously on several teams, helping to bring on Geovany Soto (Cubs), Nick Hundley (Padres, also under Kevin Towers - at the time, Paul DePodesta reported Blanco as having an 87.2 Mentor Rating!) and Josh Thole, last year with the Mets.
Offense. Blanco's playing time was always going to be limited by his role, and the truth is, the less he played, the better for Arizona, as that would indicate Montero being the everyday catcher anticipated. That wasn't certain - due to injury Montero only appeared in 85 games last year, and had only once passed that number in his career [as a yardstick, the average front-line catcher in 2010 played 110 games]. However, Miggy hit the ground running, and never really let up thereafter. As a result, Blanco appeared only five times in April for Arizona, mustering just 11 plate-appearances in our first 27 games, without a hit.
That changed in May - there weren't many more games, but Blanco became known as "Homerin' Henry", after four of his first six hits left the park. That included a two-homer game against the Padres on May 16th, the fourth multi-homer game of Blanco's career, and the first since April 2009. That matched his total for all of 2010, though his performance that day was overshadowed by a D-backs defeat, and Armando Galarraga's post-game media meltdown. "I just got pitches to hit, but every time you lose, I don't think anything counts," said Blanco afterward.
Blanco's biggest contribution to a game came on August 14th, when he added 17.6% to our win probability, as the D-backs defeated the Mets However, Blanco's performance was again overshadowed, as that was the games where Jason Marquis broke his leg, endiing his season. Even Blanco hitting his first triple since 2006, as he did September 24th against the Giants, didn't even merit a mention in the official recap, due to the Chase Field power outage which also took place. Jarrod Parker empathizes, I'm sure. We at the 'Pit, however, would like to give due credit to only the second triple hit by a catcher in his forties during the past 20 years.
Something I didn't realize about Blanco was that he wasn't originally a catcher. He was signed as a third-baseman originally, and though he made his debut in 1990, didn't work significantly behind the plate until 1996. During his major-league debut the following season, he played only first and third, and started at first-base as recently in his career as 2007. But he has a very solid defensive reputation, and it's one he has earned. In 2,458 innings with a mask on since the start of the 2005 season, Blanco had made just seven errors, and had one with Arizona this campaign.
Overall, the team ERA with Blanco catching was more than a run higher than with Montero, at 4.63. However, that's probably as much to do with who Henry was catching as anything. Only 6 of his 37 appearances saw him act as a battery-mate with Daniel Hudson or Ian Kennedy, the two staff aces. Blanco's reputation is for calling a good game, and I didn't see much this year, albeit in limited time, to damage that.
However, it's his gunning down of base-stealers which has made him legendary. As a yardstick, the NL average thrown-out rate this year was 28%. Blanco has nailed over 43% of attempted thieves in his career. and a 2007 study ranked Henry's career number at that point, among the top twenty all-time. For the D-backs, he nailed 11 of 24 altogether, including three of four trying to take third-base. Witness this delicious throw from June 8th, as Blanco nails Jose Tabata after he attempts just that: Pretty much all the defender had to do, was drop his arm a few inches, and wait for the runner to arrive.
There's little doubt about the positive effect Blanco had on Montero, who started off the season on a woeful streak of errors - mostly involving the ball sailing into the outfield - but ended the year among the best in the majors at nailing base-stealers. Bullpen coach Glenn Sherlock was full of praise for Blanco: "I think it's a perfect situation. I think Henry's like a big brother to him, somebody that has the experience and has done what Henry has done in the game, and he can share those things with Miggy."
Kirk Gibson agreed, saying in spring training, that Montero has "a guy in Henry this year who can really help him out. When we sent 'Schmitty' (catcher Konrad Schmidt) down, he couldn't say enough about how much Henry taught him." You only need to see how Miguel improved over the course of the season: though his 11 errors tied for second in the majors, his last was on June 23, giving him an ongoing 74-game errorless streak at the end of the season. In August, Montero said, "I've been working a lot with Sherlock and Henry, and both have been helping me a lot. I think that's the biggest difference this year."
2012 Expectations
Montero and Blanco will probably be teaming-up again next year, as the Diamondbacks confirmed that the mutual option with Blanco for 2012 is likely to be exercised. While it'd be nice if Blanco could repeat his 2011 power-surge - Jason Varitek was the only other back-iup catcher in the majors with as many home-runs - it's not something I'd rely upon, given Henry has averaged one home-run every 13.2 games in his career. But he wasn't signed for his bat, and as long as he continues to be a good Montero mentoro [as it were!], and gives Miggy a day off once a week or so, that will be perfectly fine with the Diamondbacks.
Blanco was likely the only 'veteran presence' position player who truly worked out for Kevin Towers this season, overperforming expectations. While the others ranged from awful (Melvin Mora) to meh (Willie Bloomquist), or were hampered by injury (Geoff Blum, Xavier Nady), Blanco did exactly what was desired, and has to be credited for a palpable improvement in our front-line catcher's defense. Henry even produced more than we thought at the plate, though due to his limited number of appearances, the actual value created there was relatively slight. However, I've no complaints at all about Blanco in 2011, nor any qualms about his presence on the 2012 roster.
Overall grade: B+
Snakepitters' Grades
Dan Strittmatter: B.
Fun fact 1: Blanco played in 37 games, yet posted more fWAR than Miguel Olivo, who played in 130 games for the Mariners and finished the first year of a two-year, $7MM contract. Fun Fact 2: Blanco played in fewer games this year than all but two seasons of his career - his first cup of coffee in which he played in three games and 2007 with the Cubs, when he played in 22 games. However, Blanco's eight home runs this year was the second-highest total of his career, trailing his 2004 total of 10 with the Twins, when he layed in 114 games.
Sprankton: A-
Considering the super low expectation I had of Blanco when the season started, I'm pretty damn happy with what he did. He was ready to go when Gibby called his name and he helped morph Montero into one of the league's better defensive catchers. Not only that, but I can't really think of a single moment during the season that I was disappointed or unhappy with the way he was playing. He was utilized perfectly by the team.
soco: C+/B-
I like the home runs, but I think it's unsustainable. It's hard for me to grade his impact on Miggy because I can't look into the clubhouse and see the evidence. Montero got better with defense as the season went on, but is that really directly caused by Blanco? So he was about average as a backup catcher, to me. He didn't throw away games, but he didn't seem to be a gamechanger.
Kishi: B
As a backup catcher, you don't really need a whole lot out of Blanco to make me happy. He put up some solid numbers, didn't take away too much time from Miguel Montero, and contributed when we needed him. A guy who has 100 at-bats on the season isn't going to make a massive impact, but 8 home runs is a pretty nice return. Will he keep that up? No, probably not. It certainly seems like he helped Miggy improve, but of course it's hard to prove causation there. But Blanco fit in pretty well with what made this team successful- he may not have been a flashy name, he may not have drawn attention to himself, but he showed up, did his job, and helped the team when they needed him.
Next up: Thursday sees Dan Strittmatter discuss Willie Bloomquist. That should be interesting...
[Oh, yeah: what does Blanco have in common with Ted Williams, Mark McGwire and Richie Sexson? They're four of seven players in major-league history to have 100 ABs or less in a season and still hit 8+ homers.]


text:
T-Mobile Loses Personal Information of 17 Million Subscribers
Deutsche Telekom's German mobile phone subsidiary T-Mobile lost a disk containing personal information about 17 million of its customers in early 2006, the company said Saturday. Silent about the data loss for more than two years, the company published its version of events on Saturday following a report in German news magazine Der Spiegel that the data were being offered for sale on the Internet. T-Mobile's data breach appears to be confined to customers of its German subsidiary. Data on the disk included customers' name, date of birth, address and mobile phone number, and in some cases the customers' e-mail addresses. No banking details were lost, the company said.
When the loss of the disk was discovered, the company reported the loss to the state prosecutor, and began monitoring Internet forums and sites where such stolen information is offered for sale, it said. T-Mobile found no evidence in the months following the loss that the missing data was on the market, it said.
That changed on Saturday, however, with Der Spiegel's revelation that the data is now for sale on the Internet. The data for sale includes the home addresses and unlisted phone numbers of many German celebrities, business leaders, billionaires, religious representatives, government ministers and politicians, according to the report.
T-Mobile maintains that there is no evidence that the data has been used to harass or to steal the identity of any of its customers. The company has improved its security procedures since the disk was lost, it said. Those procedures now include the use of stronger passwords and access controls, and the logging of accesses to customer databases. However, no one at the company was immediately available to explain how the loss occurred. Customers worried about the disclosure of their mobile phone number can have it changed for free, the company said.
Deutsche Telekom is also in hot water for paying a little too much attention to the personal details of some of its customers. Its internal security staff are accused of spying on the private phone use of members of its board of directors, whom the company suspected of leaking sensitive information to journalists. The company said in May that it had called for an independent investigation of the affair.
The best defense against ID theft is to be educated on the subject and have a backup plan if someone were to get your personal information. LifeLock is the #1 Identity theft protector and if you would like a discount on a LifeLock membership use LifeLock Promotion code, JBAZ35.


text:
Difference between revisions of "The Operating Budget"
|Line 1:
|Line 1:
Revision as of 20:24, 2 February 2011
What is a budget? Simply put, a budget is a detailed financial plan that shows estimated revenues and expenses for a given time period. Typically, a complete operating budget consists of not only a projected profit and loss statement but also a supporting cash flow statement, as well as a balance sheet. An operating budget usually covers a fiscal year, which for many of us corresponds fairly closely with the academic year and our parent institution's fiscal year. If it is to be meaningful, an operating budget will not stand alone, but will closely relate to a press's other planning efforts. Long- and intermediate-term goals and objectives should be consistent with those of the budget. Usually, the budget will be the same as the first-year projection of a long-term plan. Careful thought must be given to the operating budget to make sure that it is in step with assumptions concerning the nature, scope, and size of future operations.
Budgeting and budgetary control are central to a press's planning and control process. Participation in the budgeting process promotes a sense of cooperation and teamwork. Participation also creates commitment and strengthens the individual's feeling of responsibility for the performance of his or her area. As budget proposals for each activity are completed, they are progressively reviewed, often revised, and finally approved by the chain of subordinates and supervisors that reaches from lower to senior management and finally to the press director, board, university administration, and, in some cases, state officials. All of this takes months, and it is fair to say that in a sense, budgeting never stops. It is an ongoing process. As soon as one operating budget is finally approved, we begin collecting data, making comparisons and assumptions, and deciding upon goals and objectives that will be used to prepare the next budget.
The operating budget must be reviewed, discussed, and coordinated by a press's director, financial manager, and department managers. The director's involvement in the budgeting process is extremely important. The director should provide subordinates with initial guidelines, review all proposals as originally submitted, request revisions, resolve differences between subordinate managers, and ensure balance and consistency in the final budget. Budgeting should be essentially a line function carried out by line managers. The financial manager and staff should provide information and other technical support, but budget negotiation and decision making should involve only those managers who are in some way responsible for a particular function.
Budgeting often takes place from both the top down and the bottom up; in other words, from the sales forecast down and from net income or loss up. The sales forecast may be where the budget starts, but an organization's bottom-line objectives will influence how it is modified. If a press must break even, generate a certain level of profitability, or limit its loss to a certain amount, revenues and expenses should be budgeted in a way that will permit the press to achieve its financial objective.
Constructing the Budget
A university press's operating budget is usually presented as a projected profit and loss statement. As such, it involves preparing estimates of future revenues and expenses. Revenues typically can be divided into sales, other publishing, and nonpublishing income. Expenses are usually divided into cost of sales-related, operating, and nonoperating.
An operating budget should be submitted and/or presented with whatever supporting statements and schedules are appropriate. A proforma balance sheet often accompanies an operating budget so that managers, board members, and investors can evaluate the effects of the proposed budget on the financial condition of the press. Proforma financial statements are described in a separate paper in this manual. Some presses operate on a cash budget, but for those presses that use accrual accounting and budgeting, it is desirable to prepare an accompanying projected statement of cash receipts and disbursements and a projected statement of changes in financial position. These statements will explain the projected changes in a press's cash and working capital during the budget year. Examples of some other typical operating budget supporting documents include a manufacturing budget, a salary roster, a capital purchases budget, and a detailed breakdown of projected subsidiary rights income.
Sales, Cost of Sales, and Other Publishing Income
Sales is the largest and most important source of revenue for any established university press. The sales forecast is normally prepared by the marketing manager with input from the director and chief financial officer. Since many subsequent financial and operating decisions will be made based upon the sales forecast, it is extremely important to prepare this forecast carefully, in detail, to ensure relative accuracy. This means that sales projections should be done on a title-by-title basis for the budget year for at least a press's front list. It may also be desirable to do title-by-title projections for the spillover list (i.e., books published in the current fiscal year that will be recent backlist during the budget year) and for important individual titles from the backlist. For a very small press, it certainly would be possible and appropriate to do title sales projections for the fiscal year for the entire list, both front and back. A larger and established press, however, would probably assume a certain aggregate sales contribution from its backlist and to this add whatever title-by-title projections it feels are needed to come up with an overall sales forecast. It is also important to forecast your returns against sales so that you have both a gross forecast and a net sales forecast. Title sales histories, title budgets, and historical sales reports broken down to show sales contribution by frontlist/backlist, subject category, cloth/paper, trade/text, etc., can all be helpful in sales forecasting. Your press's sales reps can be a source of useful advice about the sales potential of individual titles as well. Sales forecasting is the subject of a separate paper in this handbook.
Cost of sales at a university press is typically made up of manufacturing costs from inventory, plant costs, inventory write-down, royalties, and freight-in. The AAUP Annual University Press Statistics Survey also includes cost of frees in the cost of sales. I personally feel that cost of frees is more properly recognized in operating expenses. A first pass at budgeting the components of cost of sales can be made by looking at the historical relationship between these components and sales. Often these relationships are fairly stable from year to year. For instance, if you are successful at achieving your target gross margin for most of your titles, it very well may be that your manufacturing as a percentage of sales remains about the same from year to year. However, when budgeting cost of sales, it is not enough to say that since manufacturing was 25 percent of net sales this year, it will be 25 percent of net sales next year. You need to carefully examine your proposed list for the upcoming year to see if any of these titles will have unusual effects on manufacturing, royalties, or plant costs. You must also review your inventory with regard to your write-down policy to see if your write-down will be higher or lower than normal.
Other publishing income is primarily subsidiary rights-related. Reprint rights, permissions, bookclub, translation, and foreign coeditions are probably the most significant types of subsidiary rights income. With the exception of permissions, subsidiary rights income is the category most directly related to a press's newer titles. When budgeting subsidiary rights income, you need to carefully consider the rights potential of your new books and review already existing subsidiary rights agreements. Journals income, remainder and hurts sales, and special editions manufacturing income may also appear in this part of a press's budget.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses are typically those expenses which occur in the course of everyday business that are not related directly to the production of books or the financing of the press. For the business world in general, operating expenses usually relate to selling or administration. Manufacturing, royalties, freight-in, inventory write-off, and interest are never operating expenses. However, the treatment of editorial and production and design expenses can be confusing. Some publishers treat manuscript editing, proofreading, and design expenses as part of the cost of producing a book and hence a form of plant cost, while other publishers treat them as operating expenses. I think it is fair to say that most university presses show them as operating expenses, as does the AAUP Annual University Press Statistics Survey. For a university press, operating expenses are usually those expenses associated with its editorial, production and design, marketing and sales, fulfillment, and administrative departments.
It is not really surprising that the operating expenses section is generally the most accurate portion of the budget. Expenses are usually more controllable than income and are more easily estimated as well, because detailed historical records exist and many types of operating expenses are relatively fixed (the most significant being salaries and benefits). Once set at the beginning of the year, the staffing level, salaries, and benefits generally stay more or less stable for the rest of the year. Since these expenses are the single largest component of operating expenses, it is not surprising that they have a large influence on the predictability of total operating expenses.
Budgeting operating expenses has many advantages. It provides a means to coordinate all the activities of a press and a way of communicating institutional objectives and challenges to a staff; it provides a plan to be followed and a means of self-evaluation and control. It obligates a press to maintain careful and thorough financial record keeping; promotes conservation of a press's resources; and exposes both efficiencies and inefficiencies. A well-prepared budget enables a publisher to anticipate problems and manage resources appropriately.
By its nature, the operating expense budget involves a broader group of employees than does any other aspect of budgeting. It is also the most clerically burdensome. Budgets must be prepared in detail for every activity that the press carries out. This inevitably involves almost all of the managers of the press and requires managers on all levels to focus on the press's future operations. Of course this means that these managers must be familiar with the press's goals and objectives and any program changes that affect activities for which they are responsible. Managers should prepare budgets only for those items that they can control. Wide staff involvement is beneficial. The employee in immediate contact with and responsible for an activity should be able to make the most reliable estimate of the expense of that activity, and participation in preparing the budget will increase an employee's commitment to the budget.
Press financial managers are intensely involved in the physical preparation and later the administration of the operating expense budget, but they should act as facilitators and communicators and refrain from becoming involved in strategy or programming decisions except in those operating areas for which they are responsible. The financial manager and staff do the technical work of preparing budget forms, distributing instructions, making sure that submissions are made on schedule, providing historical information, and compiling the consolidated budget. The financial manager should obviously have a full understanding of the press's publishing program and assumptions concerning staffing, size and nature of the list, and available funds.
Once completed and finally approved, the operating expense budget serves as an important control mechanism. Operating expenses are usually spread or shown by month or quarter within the budget. This allows evaluation and comparison at the end of any reporting period during the year. For each reporting period, a budget report should be generated that compares actual to budgeted expense and shows a variance from budget for all significant types of expenditures. If the variance is large, it is examined, and corrective action can be taken when appropriate.
An operating budget is a means of control, but it should remain flexible and responsive. It is often in the best interests of a press to exceed certain approved budgetary amounts because of unforeseen factors. The management of the press should be prepared to allow extra expenditures when they are appropriate. Many university presses formally revise their budgets at midpoint during the fiscal year. This gives the department managers and other staff the opportunity to alter their expense budgets in light of changing conditions. Even though you may revise your budget, the original budget should be kept for comparison.
Salaries and Benefits
Salaries and benefits easily constitute the single largest type of operating expense for a university press. Typically, more than one-third of sales revenue is spent on this type of operating expense. Salaries are usually budgeted and reported separately for each department, but since the process is the same for all departments, I am going to describe it just once.
Salaries are often the most accurate item projected in the operating budget. Once salary levels and staff positions have been set, for the most part they tend to stay the same for the balance of the year. However, final details of salary adjustments are often not known at the time the annual operating budget is prepared. It is therefore not unusual for press department heads, the financial manager, and the director to work within general university guidelines at this stage. The budget may be prepared with an average salary increase built in, with the final detail being provided later once individual adjustments have been decided upon. It is often the case that the financial manager will play a heavier role in the preparation and coordination of salary estimates for the budget than he or she does in the preparation of any other type of departmental expense estimate. In addition to salary adjustments for existing employees, the salary budget must include new positions, part-timers, temporaries, overtime, midyear adjustments, and termination pay.
Budget salary estimates should be prepared in great detail. Start with a list of all employees and their current salaries. Break the list down by department. Add to the list either specific or average salary increases as described by your university's guidelines for each employee. After consulting with your press director and department heads, add to the list new positions and accompanying salaries that are likely to be created in the new fiscal year. Also add to each department's section of the list an allowance for overtime and temporaries.
Finally, try to make allowances for staff who may be leaving the employment of your press during the year. The retirement of senior employees may mean the press will have to pay out serious amounts of accumulated vacation leave. It is wise to try to learn about items of this sort in advance and allow for them in the budget. Add all these figures to the salary listing and sum them up, and the total becomes the proposed salary budget for the new fiscal year. This salary proposal may have to be reworked if the overall operating budget is unacceptable. The final details of specific salary increases may have to be worked out after the budget is prepared and approved, but if good assumptions have been used, the salary budget as initially prepared will be surprisingly accurate.
Budget estimates of employee benefits and social security can be prepared in much the same way as salaries. Make a spreadsheet of employees with different columns for medical, dental, life, and disability insurance, as well as retirement, social security, and any other benefits paid for by your press. For each employee, enter each type of benefit cost with an adjustment for increased premiums or costs. Your university can usually provide you with percentage estimates of the cost increases for the various types of benefits. The social security administration can provide you with the social security rate and salary cutoff for the next calendar year. It is important to remember that the social security rate and salary cutoff will probably change at some point during your fiscal year, and your budget should allow for this. I feel that estimating benefit and social security expenses in this detail is the preferable way to do it, but it is not the only way. As an alternative, an overall percentage of either net sales or salaries can be used to estimate benefits expense for the operating budget. Historical cost figures can be used to derive this percentage and/or your university may provide you with a percentage estimate of benefit expense.
Editorial Expense
For budgeting and reporting, editorial expenses are often divided into acquisitions and manuscript editing. Salaries typically are around 70 percent of the expenses in each of these areas.
In addition to salaries, acquisitions expenses usually consist of readers fees, travel and entertainment, and miscellaneous expenses such as copying, supplies, subscriptions, submission fees for prizes, etc. Miscellaneous expenses, as they are for other departments, are usually small and tend to be fairly stable. Readers fees obviously vary with a press's reading policy and the number of projects moving through acquisition. If a press is expanding its title output, its readers fee budget will need to increase one or more years in advance of the planned increase in title publication. Acquisition travel and entertainment is probably the largest departmental travel budget for the average press, and is primarily devoted to travel to professional meetings/exhibits and campuses for manuscript scouting. Departmental travel plans need to be reviewed carefully before this budget is prepared.
Besides salaries, copy or manuscript editing expenses are made up of freelance editing and proofreading, as well as miscellaneous expenses similar to those found in the acquisition budget. Freelance fees will vary depending on in-house staffing and the volume and timing of manuscript work flow.
Neither editorial area offers a very good target for short-term budget cutting. Most of the editorial budget is tied up in salaries; discretionary spending is relatively small; and cuts in other accounts will often result in reduced manuscript output, which will have a long-term effect on sales. Editorial travel can sometimes be carefully cut for the short-term without significantly disrupting manuscript acquisitions.
Marketing Expense
The marketing department budget contains more discretionary and therefore controllable expenses than any other department. Its budget is also bigger than any other department's except general administration, and its budget is probably the most complex. In this department, broad and well-informed participation in the budget preparation really pays off. It will result in better estimates to begin with and better control later on.
Marketing and sales salaries typically are less than a third of this department's budget, while promotional expenses—space advertising, catalogs, direct mail, publicity, and exhibits—make up about half. Marketing department managers involved in preparing their department's budget must carefully review individual title marketing plans and related promotional plans and schedules before putting together their budget proposals. Since promotional expenses are discretionary, they present an obvious target for budget cutting if financial problems occur. However, this cutting has to be done cautiously, because there are trade-offs involved in press visibility, author relations, and sales.
Space advertising is generally thought to be more directly related to a press's image and its relations with authors than to sales. Space advertising can usually be cut with care without appreciably hurting sales, but not without disappointing authors. For many presses, catalog expense is limited to the expense of producing two seasonal catalogs and books in print. Books in print in its traditional print form is becoming less and less important, because electronic alternatives are taking its place. It can be eliminated in any given year without causing serious problems. Direct mail expense usually generates sales. It should be one of the last areas to be cut in a financial pinch. The exhibit budget is more important for waving the press flag and maintaining author relations than it is for immediate sales impact. Short-term cuts can be made in this area without hurting sales much. For all this talk of budget cutting, it should be remembered that marketing needs to be one of the most responsive, flexible, and creative departments in your press. It is the only department where expenditures can have a relatively direct and immediate sales impact. To be effective, it must have an adequate budget.
Production Expense
The production department's expense budget is simpler and more straightforward than any other department's. Often it contains just three types of expenditures—salaries, freelance fees, and other small miscellaneous expenses—and represents a relatively small portion of the total operating expense budget (in the case of the typical press, 4 to 5 percent of net sales).
Freelance fees are usually the most important controllable item that a production and design manager has in his or her department budget. These fees can be used for design in general, layout, paste-up, illustration, and other work related to the design or production of press publications. Freelancers are used in addition to, or in some cases in lieu of, regular staff. The production manager should review the future publication schedule and the present staff resources before making a budget proposal for freelance fees. Past experience can be used as a guideline in deciding how much should be allowed for each individual freelance job.
If budget cutting becomes necessary, the production department's operating expense budget is a very difficult area to make any reductions in. The only significant types of expenditures are salaries and freelancers, and cutting either of these areas may make it more difficult to meet production schedules.
Fulfillment Expense
Fulfillment expense relates more directly to sales than does any other type of expense. If sales increase, fulfillment expense will probably increase in a similar fashion. Fulfillment expense usually includes the expense of order entry, customer service, credit and collection, shipping, and warehousing. A press may perform these functions itself, it may contract with an outside supplier for these services, or it may have a mixture of internal and external fulfillment.
If your press buys fulfillment services from an outside supplier, then budgeting is normally pretty straightforward. In this case, your expense budget is determined by the contract with the supplier and will follow directly from your sales, returns, collections, and inventory forecasts. External fulfillment expense may appear on only one line in your budget. Internal fulfillment is a little more complicated to budget. Office and warehouse expenses are usually separated. Office expenses include salaries for order entry, customer service, and credit and collection; equipment maintenance, rental, and depreciation; 800-number telephone lines; PubNet and EDI fees; supplies; bad debts and collection expense; temporary employee's wages; and other small miscellaneous expenses. Warehouse and shipping expenses include salaries and temporaries' wages, occupancy costs (rent, utilities, janitorial, insurance, etc.), equipment rental, depreciation and maintenance, supplies, shipping charges net of recoveries, and small miscellaneous expenses.
Salaries for both the office and warehouse are budgeted in the previously described way. It is, however, necessary to remember that university press sales are seasonal and that there may be a need for seasonal fulfillment employees. Equipment costs usually can be derived from rental and maintenance contracts and depreciation schedules for equipment that has been purchased. Most of the press's fulfillment-related data processing costs appear under equipment costs. Depreciation will later be described in greater detail. Fulfillment supplies in the office and the warehouse usually will follow sales pretty closely.
Bad debt expense represents those accounts receivable that you expect to write off during the coming fiscal year. Your press may write these accounts off directly to expense, or, as is preferred, it may charge a planned amount to a reserve for bad debts each fiscal year. The latter method has the virtue of smoothing out bad debt expense and building up a cushion to protect a press from unusually large write-offs. When establishing a budget for bad debt expense, you can use the historical experience of your own press and other presses, as shown in the AAUP statistics survey, as rough guidelines, but don't forget to temper your figures for your press's special circumstances.
Unless you are actually making changes to your warehouse's physical plant, occupancy expense usually stays fairly stable from year to year. It often needs adjustment only for inflation.
Unrecovered shipping charges are tricky to budget for. Ideally, most of us probably want to minimize these charges, but that is easier said than done. Special postage and freight offers from marketing have to be taken into consideration when budgeting this item, and rate increases have to be allowed for. A percentage of net sales can be used to budget this item, but the post office and other carriers should be asked about possible rate changes beforehand.
General Administration
Finally, we come to budgeting for general administrative expense. G & A is to a certain extent a catchall for those operating expenses that cannot be attributed to other departments. Typically, in addition to salaries and benefits, G & A expense includes travel and entertainment, occupancy, some EDP costs, telephones, office supplies, professional fees, copying costs, membership fees, insurance, depreciation, expensed equipment, university assessments for services, general office costs, postage, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Travel and entertainment is normally fairly easy to budget. This type of expense usually represents management and business office travel for fund-raising, workshops, AAUP meetings, possibly ABA, Frankfort, etc. Except for small presses, it probably does not involve acquisition travel or exhibits at academic meetings. Budget this type of expense after reviewing proposed departmental travel plans for the new fiscal year. It is usually a fairly stable item, and it is also controllable and therefore a target if cuts have to be made.
Occupancy cost includes rent, janitorial, maintenance of your building, heating/cooling, and utilities. It is relatively straightforward to forecast. Obviously, it does not relate directly to publication level or sales. Some of the factors that you need to consider are leases and contracts, wage increases, utility rate increases, inflation, and weather. Weather affects heating and cooling expenses tremendously, so in budgeting for next year, allow for at least an average year, if not a bad year. Don't fall into the trap of setting utility and heat/cooling costs unrealistically low for next year based upon this year's mild weather. For many presses, occupancy cost may be covered by fees paid to the university. In this case, the university can be of help in setting the budget.
Some EDP or electronic data processing expenses are often allocated to general administration to cover accounting- or administrative-related computer expenses as opposed to order fulfillment-related computer expenses.
Telephone, telex, and fax expenses can be significant for university presses. It may be shown in each department's budget or forecast solely in G & A. Budgeting can normally be based upon old bills, adjusted for inflation, while also making allowances for growth in staff and new types of service (i.e., fax, voice mail, 800 line, different long-distance carriers, etc.).
Office supplies include stationery, pens, pencils, file folders, and all the many other readily consumable items that most departments use every day. It does not include equipment, nor does it include data processing or fulfillment supplies, although deciding what is what can be difficult.
Professional fees are normally legal and audit fees. The auditing portion of this expense will vary depending upon the nature of your audit. Is it done by internal or external auditors? Is it complete or partial? Does the press pay for it, or does the university? Has there been a change in the way you do business or in your financial reporting? The legal portion of professional fees is more irregular than the auditing portion. Legal fees tend to be related to contract and lease negotiations, and to lawsuits. These occurrences cannot be precisely anticipated. If your press must pay its own legal fees, then you do need to allow for this in your budget. The chances are, however, that actual expense will vary quite a bit from year to year.
Copy costs can be budgeted and reported by department, or they can be consolidated in G & A. Copying costs include both internal and external costs.
The most important components of membership fees for most university presses are AAUP and AAP dues, but other association fees and duties may also show up in this budget and expense category.
Insurance expense most commonly consists of property and liability insurance premiums. Insurance expense will vary from press to press depending upon whether the press is covered under university policies and whether the university expects the press to pay for insurance. Often, press insurance experience is mixed. For instance, the university may provide general property and liability coverage to the press free of charge, but the press may have to pay for special publishing-related coverage.
Depreciation is a systematic allocation of a fixed asset's original cost over its useful life. Budgeting this expense is a matter of taking scheduled depreciation from the previous year and adjusting this figure for new purchases and for assets that have become fully depreciated. Depreciation will normally change from year to year by relatively modest amounts unless your press has made a major purchase, such as a new computer system or a building. In setting a depreciation budget, you need to take into account the varying methods and duration of depreciation for different types of assets. There are two methods of depreciation: straight line, and accelerated, which can take several different forms.
Sometimes, because of funding or financial factors, a press may prefer to recognize the entire cost of a piece of equipment in a single year's budget and financial statements. This practice is called expensing equipment. If you follow this practice and you plan to buy a $30,000 postal and shipping system for your warehouse, then the full $30,000 would appear in your budget instead of just the first year's depreciation. Expensing equipment is probably more common at presses that use cash-based financial systems or that have minimum dollar value requirements for capitalization of equipment.
University assessments for services may take the form of specific charges tied directly to services that the press receives, or they may be more generalized charges meant to support a wide spectrum of university administrative services and overhead. The university is normally able to provide the press with guidelines for setting the budget for these types of assessments. University practices regarding assessments vary greatly from campus to campus. Some presses pay nothing, while others pay their parents fees of several hundred thousand dollars per year.
General office postage does not include direct mail postage or postage for orders. Besides postage, it also includes alternate carriers such as Federal Express and U.P.S. when these carriers have been used for general operations. This can be a good item to cut if you are desperately looking for savings. Many of us spend more than we should on overnight express, and this expense can be trimmed by cutting back to lower grades of service.
The Bottom Line
Subtracting projected cost of sales and operating expenses from sales and other publishing income leaves operating income or loss. It is this line that reveals the financial outcome of a press's publishing operations. Everything that falls below this line is an item relating either to financing or to an activity unrelated to a press's purpose as a scholarly publisher. Just because these items are not publishing-related does not mean they are unimportant. The most significant of these items for most university presses are institutional operating subsidy and endowment income. Other common nonoperating income and expenses appearing below the operating line include interest income and expense, and discounts earned. After these nonoperating items are taken into account, a press is left with its ultimate bottom line, either a projected net income or a net loss. If this projected bottom line is unacceptable, then the budget will need to be reworked to establish a more acceptable outcome. This process should involve the same people who were active in the first round of budget preparation. Ideally, the final operating budget will have involved broad participation from the staff and consensual decision making that will result in staff commitment.