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By Ytzik Aranov, Partner, COO, Social2B International, LLC
Historically, a key component of the value chain of every enterprise was the technology department. It has changed names over the years from Business Equipment, to Computer Department, to Management Information Systems (MIS), to Information Technology (IT), etc., and many companies have ended up with a combination of these acronyms / departments.
We also came up with a variety of titles for the head honcho who ran these departments. Everything from Managers, to VPs, to CIOs, CTOs, to Directors, etc., all with varying combinations of abbreviations to "specialize" their purview.
Today, we find many organizations have developed "justifiable" sister entities with independent heads that are at the same organizational level as the IT Department. These include Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Data Intelligence Officer and various "Intelligence" hybrid divisions and many more. Let's not get wrapped up in the far-out titles like Vice President of Pop Culture, Social Media/Community Superstar, Freelance PR Maestro, Chief Happiness Officer, Systems Wrangler, etc., ok, you get the point.
Understandably, some companies really wish to segregate Intelligence from IT and separate technological innovation from legacy operational systems. That's fine; whatever floats the enterprise's boat, works.
It's when online activity – in all its various forms – started happening that things really went haywire. The most common battle fought today in most, well, many, companies, is "Who Owns the Web". The Web requires technology, right? Right. It requires systems, hardware, software and technical expertise, right? Right. Software? Yup.
So, in the beginnings of online communications and the early days of the Web, everything went through the IT Department. They had the resources, only they understood the "Soul of the Machine". So things went on really well for a while, until GUI's (graphical user interface) started to become very sophisticated and colorful. That's when companies (not the IT departments, mind you) started to realize that the look & feel was just as important as "being there online".
That's when they started calling for designers to get involved, then marketers, then advertisers, etc.
To cut a long story short, before the CIO knew it, other departments were calling the shots on how the company's online presence should look and operate. With the advent of everyday tools to build your own websites, email campaigns and interactive platforms, we are now in "OCG" – Online Creative Gridlock. The CIO knows that IT owns the Web because they own the hardware, well, sort of, if you forget about Cloud computing, and platform hosting. The Product Fulfillment people decide when products are ready to post online, so they own the Web too. Finance decides how to price the products, so they are owners. While Legal says you cannot use that hot slogan on the website, Marketing is already posting product release pictures all over the web. Let's not forget that Sales is already taking orders online and at least 5 different departments are sending our mass emails to the entire company email mailing list! And companies all over are violating regulatory regulations while doing the above! Everyone owns the Web.
It's no wonder that to post the announcement of a new product (no, not the planning, just the online Brand) takes 10 different departments, multiple teams of designers (each department by the way, has their own Web designer), and multiple channels of approval ad different C-levels just to get it launched. Not to mention changing the color of the price text!
All the above is "BSM" – Before Social Media! In the Social Media era we now have complete autonomy of each and every department in the organization to plan, design, launch a product, engage customers, make the sale, support customers, socialize reviews and feedback, destroy a competitor, alienate an industry, violate regulations and say really stupid things to millions of people. All this without any other department in the organization being involved, on a miniscule budget and with instant results!
This is the nightmare every CIO & CTO has today. Not to mention that Legal, Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, etc., are also barraged by this chaos. All of sudden, the company has lost its consistent voice, its homogenous culture, its adherence to process, procedure and principles, and its unique and consistent Brand Image.
The CIO is tasked with the job of ensuring that the enterprise is fully and effectively supported with the computing power sufficient to capture corporate data, convert it to information and deliver intelligence to the organization to act upon it.
Savvy CIOs & CTO's today understand the partnership they must develop with their Chief Marketing Officer since the CMO is primarily the one tasked with crafting & nurturing the Brand. And it all boils down to the Brand. The one who owns the Brand, owns the media and the medium. CIOs need to anticipate their CMO & enterprise's needs by identifying tools, apps, mobile channels, converters, platforms, etc., that fit within an overall technology architecture for the organization. Specifically, the CIO must build an "Enterprise Social Architecture" that:
- Is cross-departmental
- Is scalable up, down and across the entire organization
- All components thereof, are measurable
- All activity, campaigns, etc., are mapped to KPIs and to the enterprise ROI
- Maps to every value chain component in the enterprise
- Interacts with the entire Supply Chain & Demand Chain
- Provides for customized departmental branding
- Allows the Chairman, the CEO / CFO and most importantly, the CMO, with the power to ensure Brand Integrity & consistent messaging
- Is wrapped around a platform of processes, procedures, policies and crisis management tools to effectively run the enterprise.
CIO's that work with their C-level peers – the CMO being the "Brand Guardian" and a key partner – to architect an Enterprise Social Architecture will, in the end, win the battle since they become the Brand Enablers while empowering their CMOs to safeguard and empower the reach of their company Brand.


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Netbooks in the news
In his monologue last night, late night comedian Jay Leno decided to mention the new Sony P-series notebooks introduced last week at CES. (They are the same size as a netbook but at twice the price.)
Leno's analysis:
Sony announced they're coming out with a new computer that weighs just 1.4 pounds — weighs less than a pound and a half.(It's at 7:30 into the video if you want to see it.)
They say this will be the lightest computer ever on which Windows Vista will not work.

subset: commoncrawl


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At around 2:30pm, nagpahatid na kami sa Panglao Island Nature Resort. It's also in Dauis Panglao like Bee Farm pero 30 mins ride pa din. They charged us P600 for the transfers.
I discovered this place through Jamie's blog. Since then, I've been wanting to go here bago pa kami nagBoracay, Disneyland, etc. Eto talaga gusto ko mapuntahan.
I'll make kwento muna. Super nagsearch ako kung Bohol Beach Club or PINR ang pupuntahan namin. We settled for PINR kasi less crowded yung place, plus OK daw ang food compared sa isa.
Overnight rate here is P8,500. No way! That's so expensive. Tapos we can't miss Bee Farm as well. What we did, we paid for a day tour rate of P350 each, where P250 is consumable for the food. Great deal yan. Im happy!
This is the somewhere...
Now who says Chocolate Hills at Tarsiers lang ang attraction sa Bohol?
Before we swim sa tempting infinity pools with jacuzzi, nagpahatid muna kami sa boatman sa man-made islet. Ang ganda ng view from here.
thanks sa tripod at may couple shots
colors of summer
We decided na bumalik na to enjoy the infinity pool naman. Btw, sa buong resort, 3 groups lang kaming bisita. Maybe this is really the advantage of PINR over Bohol Beach Club. Relaxation and privacy.
private jacuzzi?
Here's our dinner...
Super sarap! Nabusog kame. Not so pricey pa, besides, since 250 ang consumable sa day tour fee, we can consume 500 worth ng food. 250 nalang binayaran namin in excess. Sulit!
At around 7pm, nagpasundo na kami sa driver ng Bee Farm pabalik ng resort nila.
Very nice Panglao Island Nature Resort day tour, agree?
Bingag, Dauis, Panglao, Bohol
Rating: Exceeds Expectations (4/5)


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Minneapolis Office:
8161 Normandale Blvd. | Bloomington, MN 55437
Los Angeles Office:
80 E. Hillcrest Drive, #203 | Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Founded in 2006, PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center actively leads social change, so that bullying is no longer considered an accepted childhood rite of passage.
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In this post, I want to cover using Angular in your display templates in SharePoint 2013. Before we begin, I just want to take a minute to summarize a very important piece of information. While the Search Results web part and the Content Search web part are very similar, they do have some very important […]Continue Reading →
Using jQuery Promises & Deferreds with SharePoint 2013 JSOM
When you dive into client side SharePoint 2013 Development, one of the first challenges you'll encounter is that the object model only supports ExecuteQueryAsync and not its synchronous version ExecuteQuery. What does this mean? When you call ExecuteQuery in CSOM on the server side, it executes the object model code you declared and doesn't return […]Continue Reading →
How to Properly Reference SP.js in a Master Page
So I know this has been talked about a ton already, but because I made this mistake again today, I wanted to blog about it and make sure that we're all on the same page. In SharePoint, there is often a right way to do things and 'another' way of doing the same thing. By […]Continue Reading →
Reference Javascript in a Display Template for SharePoint 2013
Introduction The following guide outlines one of the ways we can reference javascript and load jquery libraries from a display template. Loading Javascript Files When loading javascript files, we have two options: $includeScript SP.SOD.registerSod The recommended method going forward is to use SP.SOD.registerSod. With $includeScript, this is loaded asynchronously so we can't guarantee that the […]Continue Reading →
SSAS & SharePoint 2013: We cannot locate a server to load the workbook Data Model
After recently walking through a SharePoint 2013 BI installation following the instructions on MSDN, I ran into an issue actually uploading and viewing Excel files that had Power Views built into them. Specifically, I was encountering the following error: We cannot locate a server to load the workbook Data Model Now if you head to […]Continue Reading →
SharePoint Saturday LA Session Slides
A huge thank you to all of you who attended my session on Saturday in Los Angeles. I had a lot of fun preparing and delivering that content and I hope you all found it useful. As promised, I'm attaching my slides along with the PowerShell commands I ran throughout the demo to restore the […]Continue Reading →


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Album / Collection: "I Am..."
Track # 11
Description: 19th Single
Lyrics: Ayumi Hamasaki
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World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week
World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week is the week that surrounds April 24th every year - It's a national week of protests, media events, etc. at laboratories to stop testing and research on animals
Media Coverage
Students protest animal testing at UT
By Adrienne Lee
27 April 2005
Media Credit: Kyohei Yoshioka
Amanda Belkin, Helen Schreiner, Kathryn Mueller and Robert Liu protest animal testing atop the bridge overlooking 26th Street on Tuesday.
Students Against Cruelty to Animals marched down Speedway on Tuesday protesting the University's use of animals in research as part of World Week for Animals in Labs.
Eleven students walked passed Dean Keeton Street, carrying signs reading "Animals Suffer Here" and "Animal Research is a Scientific Fraud." Stopping in front of the Animal Resources Center, they chanted "Hey, ARC, what do you say? How many animals did you kill today?" and "One, two, three, four, open up the cage doors. Five, six, seven, eight, free the animals; liberate!"
ARC is the target of SACA's four-day show of opposition to animal testing. Kathryn Mueller, an English senior and SACA member, said the group's purpose this week is to make people aware of the "unnecessary suffering that goes on behind closed doors."
Mueller said SACA believes ARC is cruel to the animals kept there for research.
"They are not given their basic nurturing needs," she said.
However, ARC Director Jerry Fineg said the center is not cruel to the animals housed there. He said he sees SACA's protest as a difference of opinion between the two organizations.
"We feel that as long as our researchers are in compliance with the regulations in place, it is acceptable to complete our endeavors," Fineg said.
Lisa Leiden, director for the UT Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee, which oversees ARC practices, said ARC is in compliance with current animal regulations, and to their knowledge, no cruelty is being used.
Leiden and Fineg recognized the students' right to protest, and Leiden said some of the topics SACA questions are the same ones the committee does when reviewing ARC.
When the protestors reached the ARC building, they shouted at the building, "Puppy killers, go home!" SACA was referring to ARC's use of beagles in research about four years ago. According to SACA, the beagles were killed for their organs to be sold to a pharmaceutical company. ARC, Fineg said, used the beagles for their tissue, and they were euthanized. One of the dogs, Stampy, was saved when ARC gave it to SACA.
Last year, the American Anti-Vivisection Society filed suit opposing a UT patent to allow medical testing on beagles. In a previous Texan article, an ARC representative said the center obtained the patent but did not go through with any of the experiments. The University cancelled the patent last spring.
Group member and journalism sophomore Katherine Curtis said she felt she was compromising her belief in animal rights by going to the University, because it allows research on animals. SACA will continue with two candlelight vigils, a march and a demonstration on the West Mall.
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Are print scrubs just for the pediatric floor?
Sometimes, wearing print scrubs out in the world (clean, pre-shift scrubs, of course) can engender a terrific response.
Here's one story contributed by Erica Holl, RN. She's Charge Nurse at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.
"Not only do patients love the print scrubs — kids outside the hospital also respond to them. One day on my way to work I stopped at the grocery store. Of course I was wearing my scrubs, which had the characters from Blue's Clues all over them.
As I was shopping in the dairy aisle, a little boy of about 4 years of age walked up to me, hugged my legs and would not let go. It was very sweet. I assume he was attracted to my scrubs. As the interaction continued I spoke with the little boy and his mother finally called him back. He still would not leave my side and asked if he could come home with me. His parents were gracious and eventually took the little boy back with them. As it so happens, they wound up in my checkout line and he came back to me. I believe it was my scrubs that led to this interaction."
Do you have a story about your scrubs? Share it with us and you may get featured in Scrubs Magazine!
Beauty & Style, Career, Nurse Myths and Misconceptions, Scrubs Style
Want scrubs like these? Find a retailer near you!
Collecting stories from nurses out in the world.
By Nurse in the World
Post a Comment
2 Responses to Are print scrubs just for the pediatric floor?
Good stuff, I "Stumbled" you. My DIGG account got messed up but I like Stumbling better anyway.
I have a little boy who has recognized other nurses when he sees them in cartoon scrubs. He asks them, "do you work with my mommy? She's a nurse!" I have also gotten the hugs around the legs from small children before. I found a little girl lost in the local hospital. She would only approach me (no one else!) because i had Scooby Doo scrubs on! She kept telling her parents all about the scrubs


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People can find a listing of collection agencies online. There is a regional directory of collection agencies online that can be used to find agencies within a certain state.Continue Reading
It is essential when dealing with any collection agency to ensure that the agency is considered a legitimate business. Many scams each year involve these types of companies conning people out of thousands of dollars for debt that they may or may not owe. The list of agencies that is included within the regional directory includes those who have been certified as true agencies. However, the list is updated only a few times per year. Therefore, many agencies may have a new address or no longer be in business.
Any collection agency that contacts a debtor for what that person owes must have a license to do so. If not, then the agency is not valid. By using a list of true collection agencies, a person can take some of the guesswork and chance away from the process, since the list includes valid collection agencies.
A person should never give out any information to a collection agency until they have done research that shows that the agency is legitimate. If the agency fails to pass that test, then a person should notify the Better Business Bureau and law enforcement about the issue to ensure that the agency does not take advantage of others. If the agency is legitimate, negotiations can begin to pay off the debt.Learn more about Public Records


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The thrill and satisfaction of stalking wild pigs draws many hunters to the rural hills of Sonoma County, Berkeley author and food activist Michael Pollan among them.
A reluctant hunter at best, he has described taking down a pig in the woods outside Healdsburg as a moment of tremendous elation and pride, like somehow becoming part of a "most improbable drama in which I had somehow found myself playing the hero's part."
Wild pigs are among the region's most abundant game animals and perhaps the most delectable, as well. Their meat is rich and flavorful beyond what anyone accustomed to domestic pork might imagine.
But they also are ferocious, tough and wily, highly adaptive creatures whose impressive ability to elude two-legged carnivores makes them challenging prey in the woods of the North Coast.
The coarse-haired creatures respond quickly to hunting pressure, shifting territory or becoming active only at night when they sense the presence of humans for any length of time, experts say. Plentiful, open private lands provide refuge, as well.
"Most of the time you're lucky if you even see pigs," said Harry Morse, a California Fish and Wildlife communications officer and off-duty hunter.
It's not for lack of reproductive success.
California's wild pig — a hybridized blend of feral domestic pigs introduced by 18th Century settlers and a type of European boar introduced into Monterey County in the 1920s — breed prolifically, enough that they could triple their numbers each year if left unchecked.
They are considered an exotic, non-native species. And they eat indiscriminately, tearing up the landscape and crowding out native animals.
Thus, state regulations are permissive, allowing year-round wild pig hunting without daily or annual limits. Hunters must carry a hunting license that costs $47.01 for California residents and a pig tag for each animal bagged, $22.42 each.
But the population still remains largely uncontrolled, and now has a foothold in all but two of California's 58 counties. Wild pigs behave "basically…likely four-footed rototillers running all over," said Joel Miller, supervising park ranger at Lake Sonoma for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "They will eat just about anything they come across out there in the field, so it can be very damaging to the populations of any kind of ground-nesting bird, reptiles, amphibians. You name it, they'll eat it."
Said Morse, "It's one of those wildlife stories that is a success, whether you want it to be or not."
The pigs' negative impact on agricultural lands and open space preserves has turned even some environmentalists into hunters hoping to safeguard native plant and animal species from their destructive foraging.
Pollan wrote about scouting the woods near Healdsburg during his first experiment with killing his own food in his 2006 book "Omnivore's Dilemma." The fact pigs are were so widely regarded as pests figured into his decision to try hunting them, he said, an experience he described as adrenaline-filled adventure that produced both pride and ambivalence.
Local pig hunters are successful enough to have reported 295 kills in Sonoma County during the 2014 season. Hunters in Sonoma and Mendocino counties bagged nearly 600 that season, accounting for about one in six of the 3,582 taken throughout the state.


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September 5, 2007
PPL Shipyard books $201 million jack-up contract
Singapore's PPL Shipyard, a subsidiary of SembCorp Marine, has been awarded a contract by Egyptian Drilling Company (EDC) to build a Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 (BMC Pacific 375) jack-up rig valued at US$201 million.
EDC is a long-established joint venture between the Egypt's national Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group of Denmark 30 years ago.
Construction of the jack-up rig is expected to start in the third quarter of 2007 with delivery scheduled in December 2009.
The jack-up will be based on PPL Shipyard's proprietary BMC Pacific 375 Deep drilling design and proprietary components. It will be equipped to drill high pressure and high temperature wells at 30,000 feet whilst operating in 375 feet of water. It will have accommodations with full catering and amenities for 120 persons.
Maersk Contractors, a unit of the A.P. Moller Ð Maersk Group, has one similar BMC Pacific 375 rig in its fleet currently working in Brunei and another under construction in SembCorp Marine's Jurong Shipyard.


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Arielle and Jason's black tie New Jersey wedding was simple gorgeous and one for the storybooks. Full of crystal, black and white details, and antique gold decor that glittered throughout their ceremony and reception. The couple's wedding was held at the Crystal Plaza in New Jersey, which definitely comes by it's name naturally. The stunning crystal chandeliers that echo throughout the hall are absolutely breathtaking. Brought to life by EXO Photography, a big thank you for sharing Arielle and Jason's gorgeous day with us.
We love when our brides and grooms decide to do a first look before their ceremony. There is nothing quite as beautiful as capturing the face of a groom seeing his bride for the first time. The emotion that comes through the photos are why we love weddings in the first place.
Keeping with tradition, Jason breaks a glass to solidify his and Arielle's wedding vows. A time honored practice upheld still at nearly every Jewish wedding. Mazel tov!
Photography: EXO Photography / Venue: Crystal Plaza, New Jersey


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Sectors Meet the team
Richard Goddard
Managing Director Harvey Nash South East Asia and Head of the TMT Practice APAC
Richard leads Harvey Nash's South East Asia operations and is a TMT specialist across international markets.
Richard joined Harvey Nash in 2015 to establish the company's South East Asia operations from the Singapore office. Richard has over two decades of international search experience across the global technology marketplace and has worked with many leading corporations, mid-sized players and venture capital backed businesses on the build out of their leadership teams in both Asia, Europe and North America. Prior to his role with Harvey Nash, Richard was Managing Partner Asia at an international search firm, leading the Asia Pacific Search Practice. For 18 years he played a pivotal role in the global expansion and leadership of the Technology Practice of a UK public listed recruitment services organisation. During this period he personally led the launch of multi-industry practices in the UK, France, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong and China whilst remaining a prolific executive search partner for his clients around the world. Richard is known as a very hands-on and passionate business leader with a proven track record of setting the strategic direction of an organisation and driving through the tactical execution across diverse cultures and geographies. These experiences are vital when helping clients select the right calibre of leadership for their own organisations. Richard is a graduate of European Business Studies and French.
Expertise: Technology, Media, Telecoms
Office Location: Singapore
Tel: 0065 9173 6691
Linkedin: sg.linkedin.com/in/richardhenrygoddard


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In a previous post I discussed an article dealing with how the country's founders felt about the use of mercenaries, certainly a precursor, if not direct ancestor of today's private military and security contractors. Continuing on with that theme today I'd like to discuss another paper that deals with what the founders considered necessary for good governance and the challenge that PMSC utilization poses to that.
But first, let's take a short detour into U.S. constitutional history. Those who remember their History 101 course may recall the Federalist Papers, the series of 85 articles or essays promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.
Before you start yawning and asking what do 200-plus-year-old essays have to do with today, just remember that federal judges, when interpreting the Constitution, frequently use the Federalist Papers as a contemporary account of the intentions of the framers and ratifiers. By 2000, The Federalist had been quoted 291 times in Supreme Court decisions.
"Federalist No. 70" is by Alexander Hamilton and the seventieth of the Federalist Papers. It was published on March 15, 1788. Its title is, "The Executive Department Further Considered", and it is the fourth in a series of 11 essays discussing the powers and limitations of the Executive branch.
According to Wikipedia:
The essay deals with the question of a plural executive. Hamilton argues that a plural executive, having more than one president, "tends to conceal faults, and destroy responsibility", and states that a singular president would better be suited to wield the full potential of his power in a quick and efficient way, without falling into endless squabbling and dispute with other executives with the same power.
Hamilton's core argument is that "presidents will rise above factions through their power to assemble a government composed of highly motivated, accountable officers."
Speeding forward in time a couple of centuries and change brings us to Janine R. Wedel, a university professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University and authors of the 2009 book Shadow Elite: How the World's New Power Brokers Undermine Democracy, Government, and the Free Market. She writes extensively about the privatization of public and foreign policy, corruption and the state.
She wrote an article, "Federalist No. 70: Where Does the Public Service Begin and End?"published last December in Public Administration Review journal. She minces no words:
Without revolution, public debate, or even much public awareness, a giant workforce has invaded Washington, D.C. -- one that can undermine the public and national interest from the inside. This workforce consists of government contractors, specifically those who perform "inherently governmental" functions that the government deems so integral to its work that only federal employees should carry them out. Today, many federal government functions are conducted, and many public priorities and decisions are driven, by private companies and players instead of government agencies and officials who are duty bound to answer to citizens and sworn to uphold the national interest.
Today, many federal government functions are conducted, and many public priorities and decisions are driven, by private companies and players instead of government agencies and officials who are duty bound to answer to citizens and sworn to uphold the national interest.
Wedel believes that the considerable contracting out of government functions is counter to the vision espoused by founding statesmen such as James Madison who argued for a forceful case for the separation and distribution of government powers. She argues that contracting out creates the conditions for the intertwining of state and private power and the concentration of power in just a few hands -- about which Madison warned.
What is her evidence? Consider a few of her examples:
Run intelligence operations: Contractors from private security companies have been hired to help track and kill suspected militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Control crucial databases: In a mega-contract awarded by the DHS in 2004, Accenture LLP was granted up to $10 billion to supervise and enlarge a mammoth U.S. government project to track citizens of foreign countries as they enter and exit the United States.
Choose other contractors: The Pentagon has employed contractors to counsel it on selecting other contractors. The General Services Administration enlisted CACI, a company based in Arlington, Virginia--some of whose employees were among those allegedly involved in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq, according to U.S. Department of the Army--to help the government suspend and debar other contractors.(CACI itself later became the subject of possible suspension or debarment from federal contracts.
Oversee other contractors: The DHS is among the federal agencies that have hired contractors to select and supervise other contractors. Some of these contractors set policy and business goals and plan reorganizations. And, in the National Clandestine Service, an integral part of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), contractors are sometimes in charge of other contractors.
Draft official documents: Contractors have prepared congressional testimony for the secretary of energy. Web sites of contractors working for the Department of Defense also have posted announcements of job openings for analysts to perform functions such as preparing the defense budget. One contractor boasted of having written the U.S. Army's Field Manual on "Contractors on the Battlefield".
In short, the outsourcing of many inherently governmental functions is now routine. The government is "utterly dependent on private contractors to carry out many such functions." The obvious problem is that "contractors' imperatives are not necessarily the same as the government's imperatives. Contractor companies are responsible for making a profit for their shareholders; government is supposedly answerable to the public in a democracy."
Amid this environment, which is complicated by mixed motives, contractors are positioned to influence policy to their liking on even the most sensitive, mission-critical government functions, such as fighting wars, guarding against terrorism, and shaping economic policy. Government investigators looking into intelligence, defense, homeland security, energy, and other arenas have raised questions about who drives policy -- government or contractors -- and whether government has the information, expertise, institutional memory, and personnel to manage contractors -- or is it the other way around?
How did this gargantuan, yet largely shadow army of contractors develop? Ironically, it is in no small measure due to the American tradition to fume about the growth of "big government." This resulted in:
the "shadow government" of companies, consulting firms, nonprofits, think tanks, and other nongovernmental entities that contract with the government to do so much of its work.
In other words, contactors enable government to look smaller, not be smaller. But in reality their numbers are anything but small.
Government scholar Paul C. Light has compiled the most reliable figures on contractors. The number of contract workers -- compared with civil servants, uniformed military personnel, and postal service employees -- increased steadily over the last two decades. In 1990, roughly three out of every five employees in the total federal labor force worked indirectly for government -- in jobs created by contracts and grants, as opposed to jobs performed by civil servants, uniformed military personnel, and postal service workers. By 2002, two out of every three employees in the federal labor force worked indirectly for government, and, by 2008, the number was three out of four.
In the DHS -- the mega-bureaucracy established in 2003 through the merger of 180,000 employees and 22 agencies, the creation of which entailed the largest reorganization of the federal government in more than half a century -- contractors are more numerous than federal employees. The DHS estimates that it employs 188,000 workers, compared with 200,000 contractors assesses that the number of contractors is likely much higher.
In some arenas of government, contractors virtually are the government. The DHS, which includes the Customs Service, Coast Guard, and Transportation Security Administration, has relied substantially on contractors to fill new security needs and shore up gaps. In nine cases examined by the GAO, "decisions to contract for... services were largely driven by the need for staff and expertise to get DHS programs and operations up and running quickly."
What this leads to is a Swiss cheese government; one where control and accountability is full of holes.
In theory, contracts and contractors are overseen by government employees who would guard against abuse. But that has become less and less true as the capacity of government oversight has diminished--a lessening that seems to flow directly from the need to maintain the façade of small government.
The result:
Swiss-cheese government lends itself to the kind of concentration of powers that Madison warned about. Over the past decade and a half, new institutional forms of governing have gathered force as contractors perform inherently governmental functions beyond the capacity of government to manage them; as government and contractor officials interact (or do not) in the course of projects; as chains of command among contractors and the agencies they supposedly work for have become ever more convoluted; and as contractors standing in for government are not subject to the same rules that apply to government officials.


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The Traits of Effective Managers
Identify the traits that effective managers possess. What is the significance of the development of these traits? Which of these traits are more important when managing conflict?© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com August 16, 2018, 12:41 am ad1c9bdddf
Solution Preview
The traits that effective managers possess are intelligence, good organizational skills, good human relations skills, initiative, enthusiasm, and self discipline. It is important for any manager to focus on the development of these traits, due to the ...


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Ben-Hur 2016 HDTS-Rip HINDI (Clear Audio) – ENGLISH (CAM) x264 1GB Download Watch
Ben-Hur 2016 HDTS-Rip HINDI Clear Audio – ENGLISH CAM x264 1GB Download Watch
Ben-Hur is a 2016 American epichistoricalaction drama film directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Keith Clarke andJohn Ridley. It is the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace following the 1907 silent film, the 1925 silent film, the Academy Award-winning 1959 film and the 2003 animated film of the same name. It has been termed a "re-adaptation," "reimagining," and "new interpretation" of the novel.[5][6] The film stars Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Haluk Bilginer and Rodrigo Santoro.
Principal photography began on February 2, 2015 in Rome, Italy and lasted for about six months, finishing in August 2015. Ben-Hurpremiered on August 9, 2016 in Mexico City and is scheduled to be released on August 19, 2016 in the United States in 2D, 3D,RealD 3D, Digital 3D and IMAX 3D
Duration : 1 h 56 min
Overall bit rate : 1 337 kb/s
Format : AVC
Duration : 1 h 56 min
Bit rate : 965 kb/s
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 304 pixels


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George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States
In 1990, with the federal deficit at $200 billion and the Congressional Budget Office suggesting it could double, President Bush negotiated with congressional Democrats to enact a budget deal which included spending cuts and tax increases aimed at reducing the deficit by approximately $500 billion over the following five years. The 1990 bipartisan budget agreement set annual limits on discretionary spending by Congress on defense, domestic programs and international affairs. It also, for the first time, created "pay as you go" rules for entitlements and taxes. In order to reach the deal, Bush agreed to a tax increase as part of the compromise, and he was pilloried by conservatives for doing so. Although he recognized the 1990 budget deal might doom his prospects for reelection, he did what he thought was best for the country and has since been credited with helping to lay the foundation of the economic growth of the 1990s that followed.
Lauren Bush Lauren, President Bush's grandaughter, accepted the award on his behalf.
Date: 5/4/2014
Thank you very much. I would like to open by reading a short message from my grandfather:
I wish to send my sincere thanks to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and their selection committee for the decision they rendered that led to today's proceedings. I can only hope that the vote itself wasn't too excruciating or too close for the members. I recall how shortly after leaving the White House the school district board where we used to live in Midland, Texas decided to name the local elementary school after yours truly. After it passed by a landslide 3-2 vote, it was explained that the two dissenting votes were based on the fact that: "We normally only name things after dead people."
At age 89 and 7/8, let me assure you kind words really do matter. And to receive this award with such an illustrious history – and bearing such an illustrious name – means more than mere tongue can tell. I am sorry I could not be there in person, but a nasty rumor spread that your menu encompassed "a deconstructed study in broccoli," so I have gamely sent a special emissary to confront the florets. Thank you again for remembering what our team tried to do lo those many years ago.
One thing is sure: even today at the age of 89 and 7/8, my Gampy still has a zest for living. Most of you, I am sure, have seen his crazy socks. They come in all colors and patterns. More recently, there is even a YouTube video of him rapping to an MC Hammer song that Jimmy Fallon put together. Even if my grandfather is not quite sure what a "home boy" is, he loves that video!
It's not hard to imagine how President Kennedy, with his love of skinny ties and passion for life, would have shown much the same style and panache had he been given the blessing of old age.
Of course, we are here to recognize and celebrate a singular act of political courage nearly a quarter century ago when our politics and our world were very different. I went back and looked at the circumstances surrounding the 1990 budget deal, and was struck by the many challenges we were facing at that point in history.
That Fall, my grandfather had sent half a million troops half-way around the world to defend tiny Kuwait from a lawless and brutal invasion.
Meanwhile, he was also helping to engineer the reunification of Germany that October – and manage democratic reforms throughout Central and Eastern Europe in ways that eventually led to the peaceful end of the Cold War.
On top of that, he was also the second President elected to serve a full term in Office without Party control in either the Senate or the House. That made progress, any progress, on the domestic front that much tougher to achieve.
Candidly speaking, my grandfather didn't want to raise taxes in 1990, but in our constitutional system of governance Congress also gets a say – and besides that, he felt he owed the American people action and results. Compromise is a dirty word in Washington today, because we live in the age of the perpetual campaign. But once we get back to realizing the importance of actual governance, I suspect this too will pass.
While I am at it, my grandfather wishes to join you in recognizing Mayor Bridges and congratulating him for his much-deserved recognition this year. The fact is we need more political leadership and courage at all levels of government, and we can all hope Mayor Bridges' personal example of standing on principle will inspire more elected officials on both sides of the aisle.
Not lost on anyone, I suspect, is the symbolism of a grandson of a much-admired President of the United States conferring a prestigious award that is being accepted by the granddaughter of another President. Perhaps the fact that we are brought together in this way, and on this day, to celebrate the ideals of public service with honor perhaps, just maybe that the torch is once again being passed. Not from family to family, but from generation to generation.
There is so much need in our world. There is so much hurt. It's going to take all of us to meet these challenges head on, but fortunately we have leaders like John Kennedy, George and Barbara Bush (I would be in big trouble if I didn't include her!) and Paul Bridges to inspire us and help lead us forward.
So on behalf of my Gampy, George H.W. Bush, and our entire family, I thank you again!
JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUMColumbia Point, Boston MA 02125 (617) 514-1600


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A small company is hoping to fundamentally change the relationship iPhone owners have with their Lightning Cable. In fact, Bezalel is hoping to end every iPhone owner's ritual of plugging their device into a physical charger just before they go to bed with the Bezalel Latitude.
The Bezalel Latitude is described by the company as the first "universal wireless charging case for the iPhone." Essentially, Bezalel is hoping to solve the problems that ruin the wireless charging experience for every smartphone owner. What's more, it's hoping to make the technology something that average people that turn to traditional charging solutions today easier to use. The device first surfaced on crowdfunding website Kickstarter. It is among the devices on the display at CES 2016.
The wireless charging case fits around the rear body of the iPhone, leaving space for connecting a speaker or pair of headphones through the headset jack. Ordinarily, users of a device with wireless charging included would have to worry about whether the charger they're trying to use supports the charging format that's built into their device. Bezalel Latitude for iPhone includes both PMA and Qi technology. This means that users don't have to worry about what kind of charger their using in public. Restaurants, airlines, Starbucks and even newer model cars support wireless charging.
It's available now for pre-order now for $49.90 for an iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s compatible version. The iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 6 Plus version will sell for $59.90. Both cases come in either white or black.
None of Apple's iPhones feature wireless charging technology of any kind. The Bezalel Latitude's way around this involves a tiny Lightning cable remains plugged into the port on the iPhone at all times. It has a slim profile so that it doesn't get in the way when picking up the iPhone or holding it up.
iPhone owners that decide to purchase the Bezalel Latitude will need a wireless charger in addition to the case.


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Download HERE
Tag Archives: Notice of meeting
Notice of a Meeting of Gotham Parish Council (09/01/18)
Notice of a Meeting of the Environment Committee (21/11/17)
Notice of a Meeting of the Planning Committee (21/11/17)
Notice of a Meeting of Gotham Parish Council (07/11/17)
Notice of a Meeting of the Finance Committee (31/10/17)
Mrs J A RavenClerk to the Council33 Leake RoadGothamNottsNG11 0HWTel: 0115 9830863Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
24 October 2017
Dear Councillor,
YOU ARE duly summoned to attend a FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING to be held on
TUESDAY, 31st October, 2017
commencing at 7.30 p.m. in the Weldon Room of the Memorial Hall.
Yours sincerely,
J.A.Raven, Clerk to the Council
1. Admission of New Member2. Election of Chairman3. Election of Vice-Chairman4. Apologies5. Acceptance of Apologies6. Declaration of Interest7. Minutes of the Finance Meeting held 31st January, 2017 Accuracy/Progress 8. Finance Committee Policy. (as circulated by email).9. Bank Account Balances: (As at 26.10.2017) a) Co-Op Current Account £ 18,969.34 (unreconciled) b) Co-op 14 Day Account £ 3.77 c) Handelsbanken current account £ 59,992.49
10. 2017/18 Budget Rolling Balances (as per sheets circulated by e-mail) a) Capital b) Revenue c) Recreation Ground d) Environment
11. Capital Requests 2018/19, to Date: a) Gotham Remembers £ 500 b) c) d) 12. Preliminary Budgets for 2018/19 (to date) a) Revenue Paper 2 b) Environment Paper 3 c) Recreation Ground Paper 4 d) Cemetery Budget Paper 6
13. Any Other Financial Issues:
14. Date and Time of Next Meeting.
N.B. Please bring all emailed background papers to meeting.
Committee Members: J.M.F.Royce, J.P.Anderson, B.J.Walker, G May, A.Clayworth. Distribution List: Full Council
Members of the Public and Press are cordially invited to this meeting.


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It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
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Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Originally posted by Tru3NugMaster
Is it this site ??
I recently checked out some sites and found this one interesting and your description sorta matched ,but the name is off but it could be.


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I use VERITAS Software's VERITAS Backup Exec 8.6 to back up my network. I'm replacing a Sony AIT-2 tape library with Spectra Logic's (Spectra 10K) AIT-3 library, and I've run into a problem. Backup Exec recognizes the new library but identifies it as an unknown device. Windows 2000, however, appears to recognize the new library as an AIT-3 tape device. How can I resolve this problem?
This type of problem usually points to corruption of the master driver database that Backup Exec uses. An easy fix is to stop all Backup Exec services, then go to the Backup Exec installation directory (i.e., \Veritas\Backup Exec\NT) and rename the pvl.mdb file to pvl.old. Then, copy the pvl.mdb file from the Backup Exec installation CD-ROM to the installation directory. Restart the Backup Exec services and launch the application (you don't need to reboot the system). Backup Exec's Device Wizard will open and correctly recognize the AIT-3 tape drive.


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Published: 2007/02/20
by Mike Greenhaus
In The Waiting Room With Rob Marscher
I first heard Addison Groove Project, oddly enough, seven years ago this week when they played a free outdoor show at Skidmore College one snowy winter day. It was my freshman year and AGP featured one of my freshman classmates, John Hall, on bass. Reveling in our little pre-SARS world, Skidmore placed a huge inflatable hot tub in the middle of our snow covered campus green and we all waddled like drunken Eskimos from our dorms to catch the all-night gig. I'm pretty sure someone constructed a giant phallic symbol out of snow, but, then again, I'm also positive someone hid a keg in a makeshift igloo.
Needless to say it was quite the introduction to college (albeit a few months late), and for the last seven years, my life has remained eerily intertwined with AGP's music: the first article I wrote for the Skidmore News was a review of their performance at Falstaff's (our campus bar) and the first musician I interviewed for Jambands.com was actually Brendan McGinn (their guitarist)..the first classmate I lost to cancer was John Hall and, this spring, Rob Marscher will become my first friend to welcome a child into this world,. Heck, I even scored the internship which eventually led to my job at Relix at an AGP show my freshman year of real life.
By the time the time they entered my world, AGP had already been gigging for three years and unofficially playing in various incarnations for far longer. As the story goes, McGinn, Hall, drummer Andrew Keith, and saxophonists Ben Groppe and Dave Adams started jamming together as children and, in high-school, began venturing outside the Wellesley, MA party circuit. AGP's name is a nod to Hall's father, their town's local reverend, and its sound is a decidedly original mix of jazz, funk, dub, and, at times, hip-hop.
In 1997, the quintet took top honors at a local Battle of the Bands and met Marscher, who played keyboards in the competition's second place winner. He quickly joined the band and the sextet recorded its first album as a senior project in high school. By 1999 the six musicians were enrolled in five colleges throughout the northeast and spent their weekends barnstorming New England's keg n club circuit. Holiday breaks were reserved for rehearsals and summers for more extensive tours, including a well received outing with Uncle Sammy in 2000. AGP recorded its first live album at Skidmore in September 2000 and, the following winter, began sharing the stage with everyone from Maceo Parker to Dispatch. Along the way, the group secured choice headlining slots at Boston's Paradise, New York's Irving Plaza, and Burlington, VT's Higher Ground and key spots at festivals like Bonnaroo, Gathering of the Vibes, and Berkfest. In 2002, the group issued its second studio album, Allophone (which charted at CMJ and was a "Top Add" in its first week) and, soon after, recorded Wicked Live 2 over a two-night stand at the Paradise. By the time they started gigging fulltime in 2003, the members of the group had scored degrees in such divergent fields as biology, computer science, English, and music.
As an editor at my college newspaper, I learned a great deal about journalism while covering AGP and the group's road manager, who also attended Skidmore, has the dubious distinction of being the first of many to chide me for an embarrassing typo when I was 19. As AGP worked its way through our small club circuit, John slowly aged from a "college musician" into a "real musician," scoring a pair of Artist of the Week nods in the Skidmore News along the way (one for his work with AGP, another for a particularly colorful party he threw one Halloween). He was our local rock-star and, unlike the rest of us, already had a job after college. John was nice enough to appear on my radio show shortly before we graduated and I remember thinking that, in addition to an incredible bass player, he'd grown into a truly great interview. He also knew how to roll his own sushi which I always thought was pretty cool.
After graduation, I took a cross-country road trip with some friends and while in Boise, ID heard that John had been diagnosed with cancer. AGP continued to play while he sought treatment and clocked in over 200 coast-to-coast gigs with Marscher playing bass on his keyboard. I interviewed him one final time for the Coventry Courier and Rob's future wife Regan told me John passed away while we were on another road trip the following November. Last year McGinn enrolled in medical school and, after a gigging on-and-off for the past twelve months, the group has decided to formally retire this winter (though a Marscher, Keith, Groppe, and Adams will continue to record as Skinjer).
Given AGP's connection to Skidmore, it would be easy to write-off the group's music as the soundtrack to my college days, but, when I talk to friends from other schools, especially around the northeast, they feel a similar connection to the group and the close-knit Boston music scene which also nurtured bands like Soulive, Miracle Orchestra, and the Slip. So, it felt bittersweet, to say the least, to sit down with Rob Marscher at a New York bar last week to discuss Addison Groove Project's new album, Waiting Room, and final round of shows. While it's clearly a turning point in his career, Marscher, now a mature late-twenty-something, seems genuinely happy. He has his first daughter in the wings and a new studio to further the ideas hidden below his shaggy hair in the works. He's also pretty sure someone constructed a giant phallic symbol out of snow that snowy day at Skidmore, but, then again, he's grown a lot since then. Indeed, seven years is a longtime to know someone when you're stuck in your mid-20s.
Below the keyboardist talks about life in the Waiting Room.
MG- Let's start by talking about Waiting Room's recording process. You initially began working on the album several years ago, correct?
RM- We had an album's worth of songs back in summer of 2004 and wanted to get into the studio. But we were touring a lot that year——I think we did like 180 shows. Plus, we didn't have a lot of extra money to spend on albums. So, it initially began with some work we did at the band Rane's recording studio in Connecticut. We also found out that our friend Adam Kushner was in the recording program at NYU. So, he and a friend of his went in on early August 2004 and we did two overnight sessions. We started at 9AM and recorded til 4 or 6 in the morning. At that point it was just Brendan, Andrew, and I. When we did [2002's] Allophone a lot of people were frustrated with having to redo takes because we did that album all live. One person would mess up something and then we would have to go and do another take [laughs]. We have been inspired by other bands, like Tortoise, who recorded tracks separately and pieced them together, but that has been much more of a challenge for us because we are such a live band.
So, we got that done and we got the basic structure of all the songs recorded. Over the next seven months or so—-when we had time off—-I would go in and record some keyboards or the horns would come in from New England and record their parts. We finished doing that around early February/March of 2005.
MG- Part of Waiting Room was also recorded at Trey Anastasio's Barn with Pete Carini. How did he get involved in the recording process?
RM- Carini wanted to work with us on Allophone, but I think Trey ended up stealing our time to record his album [laughs], which I guess he has a right to do. But, then, we saw Carini at a show we did at Higher Ground in February 2005. Steve, our sound engineer, was also working up there at Higher Ground and talked to him. Carini was like, "So, I hear you guys are doing a new album. I really wanna do this one." So, we took everything we had done in New York and brought it up to him. And his initial reaction was, "Whoa this needs a lot of work! [laughs]. So, we ended up recording things live in the Barn. I recorded most of my keyboards up there and we redid some songs.
We were still reworking the album through September 2005. He was working on Waiting Room in-between other projects. I think RAQ came in and recorded an album and he was doing some Live Phish stuff and Waiting Room was totally finished almost a year after that. We got the final mixes in early fall 2006 and then took them to get mastered here by the LivePhish guys here.
MG- Waiting Room's cover was also pieced together from various photos of the five of you sitting in the same chair, correct?
RM- Exactly. The whole thing is pieced together. The biggest challenge is trying to make it sound that we are as cohesive as we can be live. Some of the songs we debuted the night we recorded Wicked Live back in 2002, so those are the oldest songs on the album. When listening to Waiting Room, I definitely miss playing live. If we were playing together, we could have lined up some cool things and taken the album some places. But whatever, you know? That's what we do live. This was a chance to rethink some tracks and have like five keyboard overdubs and extra vocal harmonies.
Another thing we did with this album was that we tried to make the songs somewhat cohesive. There are eight vocal songs on the album, which is unusual because live we try to do 50/50 vocal and instrumentals. My favorite song on the album is by Ben. We kept off a lot of the slow songs that I had written during that time period—-they just didn't fit. Maybe I'll record that for some future solo projects.
We're going to try and debut some stuff this week. That's been a thing with all of our shows the last year——we play so little that we're like each one of us should learn something new each time. I think we're gonna get some Jennifer Hartswick to do some singing with us as well.
MG- Was John able to contribute to the album before he passed away?
RM- We were hoping that he was going to be able to, but unfortunately not. He was really nearing the end.
MG- The title Waiting Room seems to work on several levels. What does the album's title actually refer to?
RM- I read a biography by [composer] Claude Debussy who also died of cancer. In his memoir he says that after he was diagnosed with cancer, he was just in a waiting room the whole time: both metaphorically and physically in a doctor's waiting room, which, as John told us about, is pretty depressing. Especially for him being a young person.
MG- You also seem to personally be in a sort of musical waiting room. Do you have any projects lined up after AGP?
RM- It's tough. I don't know, maybe four years ago I would have loved the idea of getting something together real quick and playing funk standards and whatever. I'm kind of just not feeling that anymore. The other thing I'm really excited about is that I just bought a house that I'm setting up a recording studio in and I'll be able to do a lot of serious recording in the studio. Last fall, when I got married, I worked with the Artemis Ensemble and we have been talking about doing some recording, which I'm excited about because I have a classical background. A lot of the stuff I have written for AGP, I might rework and bring in strings and other instruments.
MG- Are you still writing new material?
RM- It's not so much writing [laughs]. It's more like I have four years of stuff and it's difficult to figure out what to do with it [laughs]. I am rearranging some material, but one thing I found out when I played a Blue Note show a few years ago is how difficult it is to bring in new musicians and teach them these songs. With AGP, we're such good friends, I could basically show them everything and be like, "whatever guys, keep learning and suck it up!" [laughs]. I started playing with these guys my senior of High School. They were juniors and I was just finishing up high school. Dave and Ben played together in fourth grade. It is kind of crazy. I definitely value that collection which is why we're trying to stick with things and not throw it all away.
MG- What is the status of the AGP spin-off Skinjer?
RM- We're still trying to find what it's gonna be. We have been doing home recordings and actually using hip-hop style production and trying things out with sampling, We are not worrying about what it's gonna sound like live, which is totally different than AGP, because with AGP, it was all about the live show. With Skinjer we're figuring out how to make the record first and then we'll figure out how to play it live.
MG- Skinjer is John's middle name right?
RM- Yeah. Only we changed the g to a j so people would pronounce it right [laughs].
MG- In retrospect what were some of your favorite moments playing in AGP?
RM- Higher Ground, when Charlie Hunter's whole band and DJ Logic sat in with us was great. The show we did with Maceo Parker at Irving Plaza was fun also and our horn players that sat in with him. It was much better than playing with Trey for them! Every year at Berkfest was a lot of fun and playing Vibes in 2001 I remember being a big deal. The sun cleared during our set and it was great!
We certainly have a round of stories during the weddings "tour" last summer [laughs]. One time Dave took the keys to the car after a gig and drove back to Maine in college and I had to call him and he didn't get the message til he got back there [laughs].
Jeff Waful took me to the Rising Low release party where I played with Matt Abts, Mike Gordon, Trey, and DJ Logic. Actually, Trey wasn't even there when I first started playing. My friends told me I was playing up there and Trey was standing right behind me and I didn't even see him [laughs]. Trey and Fishman later came down and played with AGP during the closing of the Higher Ground celebration.
MG- Do plan to release any more installments in the Wicked Live series?
RM- We have some stuff multi-tracked. We also have an HD shoot from a show at Higher Ground last year. We're not really sure what to do with it. It costs money to edit it and put it together and we don't know if there's really an audience for it, but hopefully.
MG- I always smile when I think about the Boston music scene during in the late-1990s. There was such camaraderie among those bands
RM- It's kind of funny how most of the musicians I knew during that time period were into improv, chops, and funk. Now, they're more interested in songwriting. I guess it's just like a getting older thing. I saw Kraz last summer and he's working on a rock band.I guess most of the people I was friends with during that time period just kind of got over it [laughs]. Some of the guys from Actual Proof formed Dub Trio and are playing in Peeping Tom. I saw them open for Gnarls Barkley in Philly last year and their drummer plays with The Mars Volta. I think a lot of it is also discovering a lot of indie-rock that was really challenging musically. You didn't really see it until the late-90s and, even then, it was too underground for most people to know about it. It is kind of funny how I discovered that type of music. In 2001 our house burned down and that day I was supposed to do a recording session with Johnny Trama from the Rocket Band, Miracle Orchestra's Garrett Sayers, and his brother. I ended up doing it anyways just because I didn't know what else to do. That day Garrett introduced me to Stereolab and that kind of turned on this whole explosion to me.
I know myself and probably a lot of other people from the jam scene have gotten into those bands. But, when they see them live, they probably wish they would stretch them out! It's funny, because whenever I spend some time away from the improv world and then go to a show or play a show, I'm like, "Whoa this is so great!" It's not like you totally get rid of it.
MG- After a few years in limbo, why retire AGP now?
RM- Since the summer of 2005, Brendan knew he was applying to medical school. The only one that ever seemed to really take school seriously was Brendan [laughs]. He would carry around his textbooks and study biology before gigs [laughs]. There was an option that he could maybe defer if we wanted to keep going. After John died we did a run of shows out in Colorado around New Years [2004-2005] and I think we all kind of knew that was the last time we would all go out. We all just didn't have as much heart in it after he passed away. While he was sick we did our best to keep it going, so when he got better, he'd have an awesome band for him to come back to. It wasn't gonna be like he gets better and then he has to figure out a job [laughs]. But, I don't want to blame it on that. There are other factors. But it has certainly lost its heart.
I have seen some comments on the internet. I guess if you quit a band, you should become a doctor [laughs].
Senior Editor Mike Greenhaus hopes that, if nothing else, he can bribe AGP to reunite to play his wedding in 8-10 years.


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RuPaul's Drag Race Star Sahara Davenport Dies at 27
Oct 2, 2012 10:57 AM EDT
RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Sahara Davenport has died at the age of 27."Logo is profoundly saddened by the passing of Antoine Ashley who fans around the world knew and loved as Sahara Davenport," the network said in a statement on Facebook. "He was… Read more


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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Haiku: Resolve
12 comments:
It is pretty, and I can see why people get close to it. We have more ivy here, but not close to our house. Good luck with your plan.
- August 26, 2008 at 2:48 PM
- SandyCarlson said...
That seductive troublemaker, poison oak!
I enjoyed this. Thanks. And may you win your battle with this beauty.
- August 26, 2008 at 6:49 PM
- MamaGeek said...
I'm sorry P, I just have to comment on the Alvin as Bon Jovi. That's just all sorts of funny.
And I'm wanting to know more about your battle with the oak. That stuff is NASTY.
- August 26, 2008 at 6:52 PM
- Bubba's Sis said...
Lovely 'Ku! Whose resolve is stronger - yours or the poison oak's? (I'm betting on you!)
I refuse to watch Alvin as Bon Jovi. That's like blasphemy.
- August 26, 2008 at 8:41 PM
- Leatherdykeuk said...
Subtle and charming, though I suspect the oaks will lose in the end.
- August 27, 2008 at 12:27 AM
- me ann my camera said...
An excellent resolve, not on your part, but on the Oak's. Good words and lines.
- August 27, 2008 at 3:29 AM
- Greyscale Territory said...
What crisp, sharp lines suiting the whole concept of prickly nature! Beautiful!
- August 28, 2008 at 4:28 AM
- Raven said...
Good poem. Really is a pretty plant. Your on fire line reminded me that when I was a kid, my sister got a serious poison oak infection from someone burning the leaves nearby. Or that's what I remember being told.
- August 28, 2008 at 8:22 AM
- tumblewords said...
It's incredibly beautiful! Great haiku...
- August 28, 2008 at 10:51 AM
- Geraldine said...
Sandy C. has nailed it, that seductive troublemaker! Been there....awful stuff but so pretty as you've featured here. Lovely words too.
- August 28, 2008 at 5:58 PM
- sho said...
great lines. those red on the leaves are truly alluringly seductive. lol.
- August 29, 2008 at 11:39 AM
- zoya gautam said...
.."crisp, sharp lines"-on the 'standpoint' of 'encountering' nature!..thanks for sharing this..
- August 29, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Rides to Heaven on a Gyroscope
A couple of months ago, I saw a client I hadn't seen for a number of months. Like more than a dozen people have in the recent past, she ...
As an infant, we have the power to induce love and tenderness in the toughest of men and women. As a young child, we have the power to soar ...
Something is happening in my life right now that I waver between sharing and keeping to myself. And I say I waver only because I'm a firm be...


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CLARK — Second grade students in Jennifer Lewis' class at the Frank K. Hehnly School in Clark show off their "Lovely Limericks" that they created for the month of February. In the photograph above, students Anthony Cundari and Tatum Dobbins stand in front of their class's limerick bulletin board display. (Photo courtesy of Clark Public Schools)
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