text:
All of us here at TOTM are thrilled to announce that the Senate yesterday confirmed Josh Wright to be the next Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission.
As I wrote upon Josh's nomination:
Josh is widely regarded as the top antitrust scholar of his generation. He is the author of more than 50 scholarly articles and book chapters, including several that were released as ICLE White Papers. He is a co-author of the most widely-used antitrust casebook, and co-editor of three books on topics ranging from Competition Policy and Intellectual Property Law to the Intellectual History of Law and Economics. And he is the most prolific blogger on the preeminent antitrust and corporate law and economics blog, Truth on the Market.
The FTC will benefit enormously from Josh's expertise and his error cost approach to antitrust and consumer protection law will be a tremendous asset to the Commission — particularly as it delves further into the regulation of data and privacy . His work is rigorous, empirically grounded, and ever-mindful of the complexities of both business and regulation.
I am honored to have co-authored several articles with Josh, and I have learned an incredible amount about antitrust law and economics from him. The Commissioners and staff at the FTC will surely similarly profit from his time there.
We'll miss him around these parts, but presumably he'll provide us with plenty of good fodder for the blog.


text:
TMS Voting Rules |
The following sections answer some of the most frequently asked questions about voting rules on Top Mud Sites: |
What are the forum rules? |
Top Mud Sites is a forum to discuss the promotion, building, playing and general enjoyment of MU* type games. Our goal is to create a community in which people are comfortable creating and taking part in MU* related discussions. Following these general rules will improve our community overall: Rules in all forums:
These rules are broad. Before posting, ask yourself if your post adds anything constructive to the discussion or if it is really more about taking a shot at someone. Picture yourself as a visitor from a search engine interested in the thread subject, would they gain any insight from your post relevant to the discussion, or would they learn more about your apparent dislike for another poster? If your post is moderated you should expect a note explaining why. Your post could be moderated or 'moved' for any number of reasons and does not imply wrongdoing on your behalf. If in doubt, feel free to ask us via the PM system or contact us here. |
Top Mud Sites FAQ |
The following sections answer some of the most frequently asked questions about Top Mud Sites: |
vBulletin FAQ |

subset: commoncrawl


text:
How Financial Institutions Can Use Big Data and Converged Data Sets to Improve Customer Loyalty
Read a newspaper, listen to a streamed radio broadcast or go online and you'll find the term Big Data still scoring major press and a topic of significant conversation across multiple industries. But what is Big Data? What is its relevance to the customer experience for financial services brands? And why is all of this important?
Let's start with the first question. At its most basic, Big Data refers to the accumulation of massive amounts of information from many digital channels and the analysis of that data in order to derive granular customer insights and behavioral preferences. It's about turning the data noise into a clear and actionable signal.
While many financial services companies are well-versed in some aspects of Big Data – electronically gathering customers' transaction histories since the 1960s and 70s – the use of that data to fuel competitive advantage has been limited. For financial services institutions to continue reaching and engaging customers with relevant information, it is critical they broaden their data horizons, using the latest CRM software to do it. That means deepening customer relationships using omnichannel tactics – an enterprise-level initiative to drive, track, measure and reward incremental behavior throughout the enterprise and customer experience- to market themselves as distinct brands. Doing so evokes genuine loyalty based more on reciprocal emotional status and less on transactional behavioral triggers.
What does the loyal financial services customer profile look like? And what motivates the customer's continued brand loyalty? For some, that brand buy-in is based on incentives like higher interest rates on savings accounts, fraud protection, the reimbursement of ATM fees or features such as smartphone apps that allow check deposits and other transactions. For others, bank loyalty is more about the path of least resistance. Young adults join their parents' bank or become customers by default as one institution merges with another. The result is that bank cards and their loyalty programs become mechanisms for disposable cash and there's no rational use for customers to use them beyond their face value.
While the 2013 Maritz Loyalty Report found that 73% of respondents are pleased with their financial services sector loyalty program, it also found that more than half, 53%, dropped out of at least one loyalty program in the last year across all verticals, including financial services. This is not the most encouraging picture.
Used correctly, however, Big Data can fundamentally change this picture by revealing how to better earn customer loyalty beyond ATM withdrawal free reimbursements, free checking or family history. That way, in future surveys, there won't be a disconnect between overall loyalty satisfaction and customer experience and moderately high program dropout rates. Here's how:
• Banks should be thinking more like other verticals, marketing their uniqueness in omnichannel ways. They should also expand beyond transactional datasets to include consumer "lifestyle metrics." That way a bank can offer something truly distinct. For example, a customer donates 2% of his or her annual income to charity. Rather than distributing generic points toward discounts via branded credit cards, banks can incentivize loyalty by offering a selection of charities for this customer to choose from and donate. This demonstrates a financial institution's tacit recognition of the customer as a person with interests beyond simple banking transactions. As for customers, it tells them: "this financial institution cares about the 'whole me,'" driving a new level of loyalty commitment.
• Another example is gamification, adopted by many verticals as an effective way to engage members and customers. Gamification's particular strength (in this context) comes down to graphic visualization. Let's say that in addition to offering customers charities from which to choose, a financial services provider also showed images of how many mosquito nets or lanterns or bottles of fresh water their donations directly purchased. Measures like this turn banks into places of genuine experiences and not just places to deposit money. It also strikes an emotional chord with the consumer – so much so, that under ideal circumstances loyalty becomes a moral obligation.
• Speaking of shopping, banks can learn about non-banking transactions only if they partner with other verticals, like retail stores, grocery chains and travel and hospitality brands, converging datasets under one de-siloed roof. That's because this – rather than a bank branch or a mobile app – is where most consumer transactions live and evolve. Grocery stores are a great example as food store purchases reveal a tremendous amount of personal shopper information and lifestyle habits. Does your financial services customer buy ethnic foods? Do their travel habits suggest that they fly to certain regions of the world where those dishes are indigenous? Big Data can and does measure these types of metrics.
The key for banks is to combine that data with their existing customer profiles, using the latest CRM software to organize the merger. That ensures the next time a customer walks into a bank branch or accesses that bank's mobile app, there will be an offer incentivizing their travel on an airline which flies to that region or offers discounts for signing up additional family members – especially if they've just moved to the US. And to think this level of granular analysis and improved customer experience began with what a shopper purchased in Aisle 6.
While Banking on Big Data Loyalty Success, Privacy is Big Must
Of course, adopting these techniques isn't easy. Considering consumers' data privacy concerns – 89% of US adults worry about their online privacy and 43% do not trust businesses with their personal information – data convergence must be accomplished carefully and with the right legal safeguards in place.
But if that delicate balance is successfully struck, the results can be truly impressive. For instance, Bank of America's newly revamped loyalty program, Perks Advantage, already employs some of the above tactics, including tailored customer-centric rewards and charity-of-choice donation. The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has also upped its loyalty game and now offers the purchase of wide ranging product offerings – including gifts for pets like carriers, dog feeders and "doggie loungers." And in recognizing the dollar value of eco-friendly purchases, Wells Fargo Rewards® has a subsection dedicated to a variety of green products like reusable shopping totes, bicycles and battery-powered chains saws.
Ultimately, loyalty is about trust and transparency first. And it's in brands' interests not to abuse Big Data and converged data sets but channel them into their most effective consumer engagement tool. Doing so allows financial services brands to expand beyond their traditional loyalty offerings and provide customers genuine experiences they never would have believed could come from a bank.
Bram Hechtkopf is the vice president of business development and marketing at Kobie Marketing, a provider ofloyalty solutions aimed at improving customer experience and engagement.


text:
Washington's focus has shifted to immigration reform this week as a bipartisan group of Senators put forward a comprehensive plan on Monday and President Obama followed with a proposal of his own yesterday. The debate thus far has been anchored around the bipartisan Senate proposal, the President's support for a "path to citizenship," and House Republican's opposition to it. The opposition to the plan so far has centered around concerns about such a deal inviting a new influx of undocumented workers, or its rewarding those who have violated the law. These are important discussions to have, but with the economy here at home still so fragile, many are wondering what sort of effect immigration has on the American economy.
Here's a look at four big questions concerning the economics of immigration:
Does immigration reduce wages for native-born Americans?
It might seem like a no-brainer that increased immigration would reduce the wages of native-born Americans. A simple supply and demand model would tell you that more workers means lower wages. But the story is actually more complicated than that. According to a 2010 survey of the economic literature on the subject, the Brookings Institute concluded that, "The most recent academic research suggests that, on average, immigrants raise the overall standard of living of American workers by boosting wages and lowering prices."
(MORE: Will Immigration Reform Work This Time?)
How can it be that more workers competing over the same jobs can lead to higher wages? The reason is that it's not actually more workers competing over the same jobs. Immigration actually changes what jobs employers need to fill. For one, an influx of cheap labor can make certain businesses like farming or restaurants feasible. (Absent cheap labor, these firms simply could not compete with foreign rivals.) Second, immigrants not only supply labor, but demand it, too. And a larger domestic population through immigration creates more potential customers for business, as well.
Is immigration a drain on the welfare state?
Another popular argument for maintaining tough restrictions on immigration is that without strict laws limiting immigration, unskilled workers would flock to America to take advantage of its relatively robust welfare state. The economic literature in this area yields conflicting conclusions and varies greatly depending on the country being studied. Some studies show that immigrants take out more in benefits than they pay in taxes, while other studies show the opposite. But George Mason University economist Bryan Caplan argues that the welfare state in America specifically dissuades folks from coming here purely for welfare benefits. First, writes Caplan:
"Contrary to popular stereotypes, welfare states focus on the old, not the poor. Social Security and Medicare dwarf means-tested programs. Since immigrants tend to be young, they often end up supporting elderly natives rather than 'milking the system.' Illegal immigrants who pay taxes on fake Social Security numbers are pure profit for the Treasury. In 2005, Social Security's chief actuary estimated that without all the taxes paid on invalid Social Security numbers, 'the system's long-term funding hole over 75 years would be 10 percent deeper.'"
Second, Caplan points out that most government spending is what economists call "nonrival," meaning that the government "can serve a larger population with little or no extra cost." For instance, he argues, the United States military could adequately defend a population of twice the size of America for the same, or just slightly higher, cost. "An even clearer case," Caplan writes, is "if the population of the U.S. doubled overnight, the national debt (not deficit) would remain the same, and the per capita debt would halve. The lesson: Immigrants can pull their own fiscal weight even if their tax bills are well below average."
(MORE: Why Undocumented Workers Are Good for the Economy)
Does immigration help the economy grow?
The most important factor driving economic growth is innovation. To put it simply, if American workers and firms can figure out how to do their jobs more efficiently, we'll see economic growth. And according to University of California economist Gordon Hanson, immigrants — specifically high-skilled immigrants — are great for innovation. Immigrants are more likely than native-born Americans to secure patents on new inventions or processes, and Hanson argues, immigrants can bring unique knowledge about foreign markets to American firms.
But it's not just high-skilled immigrants who can help boost economic growth in America. According to Hanson, low-skilled immigrant workers can make the American economy more efficient as well. First of all, low-skilled immigrant workers are more willing to move to find work than native-born American workers. Writes Hanson:
"Low-skilled U.S.-born workers tend to be immobile across regions. When, say, the demand for low-skilled labor picks up in North Carolina, native-born workers in other regions are slow to move in . . . The consequence of the immobility of low skilled labor is to gum up the labor market, slowing the pace of growth in booming regions and the pace of recovery in slumping regions."
(COVER STORY: We Are Americans—Just Not Legally)
In addition, an increase in low-skilled immigrant workers can also help to make the high-end of the labor force more efficient. Increasingly, high-skilled workers are women who are also married to high-skilled husbands. And an increase in low-skilled labor willing to do everyday housework like laundry, cleaning, and childcare frees these workers to spend time more productively at their jobs.
Whom does immigration hurt then?
Economists, as a rule, like to look at the big picture. And the vast majority of the economic literature argues that a more liberal immigration policy would be good for the U.S. economy as a whole. The problem is, of course, that not everyone is going to come out a winner. A particularly contentious issue as far as economists are concerned is the effect of immigration on low-income, native-born workers. As I mentioned before, the literature is divided on whether an increase in low-skilled immigrant labor hurts low-skilled native workers in the long-run or not.
But it's almost certain that in individual cases there will be workers who get put out of work by immigrant competition. And these individual stories of hardship are a much more salient effect of immigration than a slew of patents that make hundreds of products ever-so-slightly more efficient. In other words, the benefits of increased immigration will be spread out among the entire population, while the costs will be borne by a relatively small group of individuals who will feel the effects acutely.
In addition, we must not forget that there is more at stake here than purely economic considerations. Those who are opposed to more liberal immigration policies, or a "path to citizenship" for undocumented workers in America are concerned about ideas of fairness, the sanctity of the law, and the integrity of American culture. And these are all issues that will be debated openly and forcefully in the coming months as Congress considers the issue. But as these debates continue, it's worth noting that mainstream economists mostly agree that more immigration is, on balance, good for the economy.


text:
Archived Content | Membership Required To Access
Archived Content is only available to SHOOT members. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE MEMBERSHIP
Memberships can be purchased for as little as $14.95 per month and can be cancelled at any time. In addition to SHOOT archives access SHOOT membership includes:
- My SHOOT cv Profile with 1 Reel up to 10 videos (live profile example)
- Access all SHOOT Magazine PDFs
- SHOOT Print Magazine subscription
- Management area for all SHOOT digital publications
- Personal NewsRoom
- Coming Soon - Talent recruitment postings for projects and jobs in film, TV, commercials, etc.
Note: If you are already a paid SHOOT member please login here.


text:
The Interrogative Mood
Padgett Powell
Profile Books
The Interrogative Mood is a remarkable book. Composed entirely of questions, the premise seems arbitrary yet it is astonishingly insightful. Though this can be an exhausting read, the tirade of questions posed by the author, Padgett Powell, is compelling and mesmerising. The stream-of-consciousness style is riddled with humour and titbits of information.
The prose is beautiful and the questions admirably structured, touching upon all aspects of life from the mundane to the sublime, with a fair dose of the absurd. Powell fires off razor-sharp questions with a casual flair that belies the intensity and personal nature of some of the questions.
There is a sense of genuine shared experience throughout the book and it is frequently self-referential, building upon and advancing earlier decisions, answers and conceits. Powell is provocative and relentless, even questioning his own authority as interrogator. Brilliantly inventive and intelligent, The Interrogative Mood is a bewildering and fascinating story, Not only is it unique and strange, but this bizarre book will linger in your mind long after you've stopped reading.
Bryony Byrne


text:
His personal and political credibility on the line, President Barack Obama reversed course Thursday and said millions of Americans should be allowed to renew individual coverage plans now ticketed for cancellation under the health care law that is likely to be at the heart of the 2014 elections.
The immediate impact on consumers was unclear, though both industry spokesmen and state insurance commissioners swiftly warned that higher prices could result from the president's rapid turnaround.
Under pressure from consumers as well as congressional Democrats, Obama said the administration no longer would require insurance companies to jettison current individual and small group plans that fall short of the minimum coverage standards under the law, effectively shifting responsibility for cancellations to the industry itself. The change would be good for just one year, though senior administration officials said it could be extended if problems persist.
Speaking of the millions of people whose coverage is being scrapped, Obama said, "What we want to do is to be able to say to these folks, you know what, the Affordable Care Act is not going to be the reason why insurers have to cancel your plan."
Obama spoke at a news conference where he repeatedly took responsibility for the woeful rollout of the health care program known by his name. Officials disclosed on Wednesday that fewer than 27,000 enrollments were completed in 36 states in the first month of operations for www.healthcare.gov .
Including enrollment of more than 79,000 in the 14 states with their own websites, the nationwide number was 106,000 for October sign-ups. But that is still far fewer than expected and a mere fraction of the cancellation notices that have gone out because of the law — more than four million according to an Associated Press survey.
Obama's approval ratings in polls are also ebbing, and he readily conceded that after recent events, the public can legitimately "expect me to have to win back some credibility on this health care law in particular and on a whole range of these issues in general."
The president also sought to shelter from political fallout any congressional Democrats who echoed the promise he repeated often when the legislation was under consideration in Congress — that anyone who liked his or her coverage would be able to keep it. "They were entirely sincere about it," he said of the lawmakers. "It's not on them, it's on us."
Shortly after Obama spoke, the major industry trade group, America's Health Insurance Plans, warned in a statement that prices might rise as a result of his new policy. "Changing the rules after health plans have already met the requirements of the law could destabilize the market and result in higher premiums for consumers," it said.
A few hours later, the head of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners added a fresh word of caution. Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, president of the group, said Obama's proposal could lead to higher premiums and market disruptions next year and beyond.
"In addition, it is unclear how, as a practical matter, the changes proposed today by the president can be put into effect. In many states, cancellation notices have already gone out to policyholders and rates and plans have already been approved for 2014," he added.
Nor was it clear how different states would react to the administration request to change the rules.
In California, where more than 900,000 cancellations have been sent out, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones called on insurers to extend the policies being scrapped.
But in Washington, his counterpart, Mike Kreidler, said he won't allow that to happen. "I have serious concerns about how President Obama's proposal would be implemented and more significantly, its potential impact on the overall stability of our health insurance market," he said in a statement.
Until the president made his announcement, the administration had been assuming that individuals currently covered by plans marked for cancellation would switch to alternatives offered in government-established exchanges. If so, they would be joining millions of others who have lacked insurance in the past.
The people with current individual coverage are a known risk to insurers. But those without generally have had less access to medical services, and are most costly to care for. The theory has been that moving people with current coverage into the new markets would help stabilize premiums.
Only last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told a Senate panel she doubted that retroactively permitting insurers to sell canceled policies after all "can work very well since companies are now in the market with an array of new plans. Many have actually added consumer protections in the last three-and-a-half years."
It will now be up to individual companies to decide which plans remain for sale, subject to the approval of state insurance commissioners.
Under Obama's new policy, insurance companies will be required to inform consumers who want to keep canceled plans about the protections that are not included under those plans. Customers will also be notified that new options are available offering more coverage and in some cases, tax credits to cover higher premiums.
Whatever the impact on consumers, Obama's announcement did nothing to quell Republican opposition to the overhaul they opposed, sought to have overturned at the Supreme Court and have voted numerous times to repeal.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said it was time to scrap the law "once and for all." He said, "You can't fix this government-run health care plan called Obamacare. It's just not fixable."
Even so, the House is expected to vote as scheduled on Friday on GOP-drafted legislation to permit insurance companies to sell existing individual coverage plans to current customers as well as newcomers. That is a step further than Obama went, and the White House is likely to oppose the measure as a result.
Approval in the GOP-controlled House is expected. Yet Obama's statement, coupled with an as-yet-undisclosed Democratic alternative, could well hold Democratic defections to a minimum.
Looking forward, Democrats said "Obamacare" will still turn out to be a political winner.
"Voters, particularly in swing districts, would prefer a Democrat who promises to fix and improve the Affordable Care act to a Republican who is obsessed with repealing and gutting it," said Rep. Steve Israel of New York, who heads the party's campaign committee.
The president faced a different set of concerns in the Senate, where several incumbents seeking new terms in swing states have been seeking a vote on legislation to require insurers to offer renewals to existing individual plans for 2014 and indefinitely into the future.
The bill's principal author, Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, said Obama's announcement was "a great first step," yet she added, "We will probably need legislation to make it stick."
Said Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, "If we need to do more, we will."
But others were not so eager to put the issue on the floor of the Senate.
Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, a member of the leadership, said there was "no need for a legislative fix." Instead, he said Congress and the administration should continue improving the implementation, and "redouble our efforts highlighting and explaining what this historic law will mean for 40 million Americans without insurance."
Associated Press writers Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Donna Cassata, Alan Fram and Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2013 Capitol Hill Blue
Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press All Rights Reserved


text:
Parquet Flooring - supply and installation in Blackfriars London EC4
Floor Sanding Parquet Flooring Wood Floor Installation
Blackfriars EC4 is one of the areas covered by our Parquet Wood Flooring - supply and installation services. Traditional and always contemporary parquet herring bone is the first choice for many households in Blackfriars London EC4. Whatever size, grade, wood species or pattern of parquet flooring that you are after, you can find it with us. Luxury Wood Flooring is proud manufacturer & supplier of solid oak parquet in various standard sizes. Parquet Flooring made to order in different wood species or custom size is part of our Bespoke Wood Flooring Services.
- Grade of the parquet blocks: Rustic - for natural appearance or Prime for clean look, you will always have an options to chose from.
- Preparation of sub-floor - Damp Proofing (DPM), supply and installation of plywood or chipboard, Levelling the sub floor using self levelling compound or screed. A good job always requires good preparation work.
- Professional floor laying of the parquet flooring in the desired Parquet pattern (herring bone, chevron, basket weave, mosaic parquet, etc).
- Floor Sanding - most of the parquet blocks usually comes unfinished and require proper sanding after installation. Our Professional flooring services include floor sanding with the latest Dust FREE machinery & equipment.
- Finishing on site is the next step of parquet flooring installation. We can provide our customers with a several different stain options, applied on the actual parquet, in order to see the real appearance of the parquet flooring with the desired finish. Application of the chosen stain is followed by application of high quality lacquer or hard wax oil for maximum protection.
- Fitting of mouldings (skirting, beading, strips).
- Providing of bespoke or matching accessories (door thresholds, reducers, etc)
More about Fitting Parquet Flooring
If your property is located in Blackfriars London EC4. Do not hesitate to call us now on 02084580201. We can give you an estimate over the phone or arrange for un-obligational site visit in order to obtain an accurate quote.


text:
Since I'm playing Scrooge with this list, I'd better begin with a declaration: I love Christmas, the idea of it, and Christmas movies too — the good ones. But some holiday-themed films take advantage of our better nature, and one is director Leo McCarey's officially loved sequel to his Oscar-winning Going My Way. This time, easygoing Father O'Malley is assigned to a school run by severe, skeptical Sister Mary Benedict, and they clash over the priest's liberal handling of the students. It's basically the 2008 movie Doubt, but with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman in the Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep roles and without the accusations of pedophilia. Bellsescalates from religious sanctimoniousness to emotional blackmail — a climax at least one notable reviewer finds a litmus test for critics' humanity. "If you don't cry when Bing Crosby tells Ingrid Bergman she has tuberculosis," Joseph McBride wrote in 1973, "I never want to meet you, and that's that." I've met Joe McBride, and I respect the heck out of him, but nothing in this treacle pudding of a film makes me cry, except in despair, and that's that.
Top 10 Worst Christmas Movies
There's a thin line between a heartwarming holiday movie and a heartrendingly bad Christmas film. TIME's Richard Corliss sets his sights on the latter.


text:
The Brisbane Baylands
The existing alignment of the Caltrain tracks was established by the Southern Pacific railroad's Bayshore Cutoff, a series of trestles and tunnels built at the turn of the 20th century to provide direct rail access to San Francisco (shown under construction in the 1905 photo at right, looking south). The marshes between the tracks and the original shoreline were filled in with rubble from the 1906 earthquake, and became known as the Baylands (see overview map, as well as track maps for mileposts 5 and 6). In its heyday, this area served as a massive railroad yard, complete with engine roundhouse. The tracks were shut down in 1982, and all that remains of the yard is a vast expanse of soil contaminated with lead and oil, forming the western portion of the 650-acre site now known as the Brisbane Baylands.
The cleanup and restoration of the Brisbane Baylands is to be followed by redevelopment, by a city eager to grow its tax base. The Brisbane Baylands Community Advisory Group maintains a nice library of documents relating to the site, including a 2008 overview of the planned development. The Brisbane Baylands project is well into its CEQA environmental review process, and all the alternatives that have been defined for detailed study in the EIR involve a nearly total redevelopment of the former railroad yard.
Most of the stakeholders in this process seem oblivious to the possible implications of the high speed rail project for Brisbane. The HSR scoping comments submitted by the City of Brisbane never even mention two very important words: maintenance facility.
The San Francisco Maintenance Facility
The high speed rail system requires train maintenance and storage facilities in the vicinity of its major terminals. This topic came to light during the California High Speed Rail Authority's August 2009 meeting, when the board chairman noted that the requirements for such HSR maintenance facilities were not generally understood by the public, and asked for memoranda describing these facilities to be released.
On the peninsula corridor, a train maintenance and storage facility must be placed as close as possible to the San Francisco terminal to minimize the amount of non-revenue train movements between the facility and the passenger terminal. The CHSRA's technical memorandum 5.1 on heavy maintenance facilities describes the following characteristics for the facility to be located near San Francisco:
- 84 acres
- 1081 ft wide
- 27 storage tracks, 8 shop tracks, 2 cleaning tracks, 4 "other" tracks
90 to 108 acres is a lot of land, a strip over 1000 ft wide by nearly a mile long. The CHSRA additionally desires the access tracks to such facility to be about 4000 ft long, to allow trains to leave the main corridor at about 100 mph and enter the maintenance facility without forcing other trains to slow down. This concept is similar to a freeway exit ramp, and would likely be grade-separated from the main line through a suitable arrangement of flyovers. The total length of the facility would be over two miles.
Site Location Criteria
Ideally, again according to the CHSRA memoranda, the facility should be located preferably within 1.5 miles of the San Francisco terminal, desirably within 3 miles, and exceptionally further than 3 miles. The good news for Brisbane is that it is further than 6 miles from the Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco, seemingly outside the acceptable range of this criterion. The bad news is that there are no 100-acre parcels of flat, open land available within those 6 miles.
While the CHSRA's memoranda never mention Brisbane by name, the location of the San Francisco Terminal Storage / Maintenance Facility (TSMF) is nearly certain to be:
The Brisbane Baylands.
Curiously enough, a February 2009 visit to the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce by the CHSRA's Quentin Kopp does not seem to have touched upon all the implications of high speed rail for Brisbane, since it was reported as having been "well received." Let's see how it goes after Brisbane wakes up-- see the realistically-scaled overlay of the CHSRA's yard plan shown above, or better yet, see for yourself in Google Earth.
NOTE: This post will be updated continuously, as warranted by additional information or new events relating to Brisbane.


text:
Click here to
Racerback Tank Top Manufacturer Supplier
To get Price
We are an OEM Racerback Tank Top manufacturer, producing garments according to customers' requirements, designs and specifications, and we can personalize all these Racerback Tank Top to your needs. If you have specific ideas/designs for Racerback Tank Top other than the styles presented here, we can bring your ideas/designs to life. Please share your ideas/projects with us and we will be happy to help you find a solution.
Fabric Composition: 100% Cotton
Colour: Depends on the customers' requests
Size: All ranges
Measurement: USA, EU, ASIA standard
Label: Private Label Accepted
Print & Embroidery: According to the customers' requirements
MOQ: 3,000 Pcs per style in three colours
Lead Time: 30-100 days based on the order quantity
Shipment Term: FOB or CNF


text:
Does your organization want to reach our community of active tennis players?
Since 2005, TennisSF.com has been fostering the growth of community tennis with the aim of connecting adults on the courts. TennisSF.com has 6,200 + players and reaches an extended audience of over 10,000 visitors a month thru the website.
Your Sponsorship Delivered
TennisSF.com staff and volunteer base are dedicated to delivering your message: your brand and offering. TennisSF.com is in a position to reach our base of players through on-site promotion, email newsletters, and our well-followed website.
To Qualify to Reach our Tennis Community
Qualifying is as easy as presenting our staff with your product, service or event. We'll evaluate the information and will get back to you about moving forward. Email us Today: [email protected]
Advertising Features
Our Advertising Packages
Current and Past Advertisers
Do you want to advertise to our community of tennis players?
70,500 monthly page views during peak months
7,500 unique tennis visitors per month
The Tennis League Network's now has over 90,000+ members would seek out our product to fulfill their active tennis lifestyle. If you would like to reach out to our community please send us an email and we'll connect you with the National Media Advertising Guide.
Send us an email at: [email protected]


text:
The Obama administration's decision to appeal a court order lifting age limits on purchasers of the morning-after pill set off a storm of criticism from reproductive rights groups, who denounced it as politically motivated and a step backward for women's health.
"We are profoundly disappointed. This appeal takes away the promise of all women having timely access to emergency contraception," Susannah Baruch, Interim President & CEO of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project, said in a statement late Wednesday.
"It is especially troubling in light of the Food and Drug Administration's move yesterday to continue age restrictions and ID requirements, despite a court order to make emergency contraception accessible for women of all ages. Both announcements, particularly in tandem, highlight the administration's corner-cutting on women's health," Baruch said. "It's a sad day for women's health when politics prevails."
The FDA on Tuesday had lowered the age at which people can buy the Plan B One-Step morning-after pill without a prescription to 15 — younger than the current limit of 17 — and decided that the pill could be sold on drugstore shelves near the condoms, instead of locked behind pharmacy counters. It appeared to be a stab at compromise that just made both sides angrier.
After the appeal was announced late Wednesday, Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, said, "The prevention of unwanted pregnancy, particularly in adolescents, should not be obstructed by politicians." She called it a "step backwards for women's health."
Last week, O'Neill noted, President Barack Obama was applauded when he addressed members of Planned Parenthood and spoke of the organization's "core principle" that women should be allowed to make their own decisions about their health.
"President Obama should practice what he preaches," O'Neill said.
In appealing the ruling Wednesday, the administration recommitted itself to a position Obama took during his re-election campaign that younger teens shouldn't have unabated access to emergency contraceptives, despite the insistence by physicians groups and much of his Democratic base that the pill should be readily available.
The Justice Department's appeal responded to an order by U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in New York that would allow girls and women of any age to buy not only Plan B but its cheaper generic competition as easily as they can buy aspirin. Korman gave the FDA 30 days to comply, and the Monday deadline was approaching fast.
In its filing, the Justice Department said that Korman exceeded his authority and that his decision should be suspended while that appeal is under way, meaning only Plan B One-Step would appear on drugstore shelves until the case is finally settled. If Korman's order isn't suspended during the appeals process, the result would be "substantial market confusion, harming FDA's and the public's interest" as drugstores receive conflicting orders about who's allowed to buy what, the Justice Department concluded.
Reluctant to get drawn into a messy second-term spat over social issues, White House officials insisted Wednesday that both the FDA and the Justice Department were acting independently of the White House in deciding how to proceed. But the decision to appeal was certain to irk abortion-rights advocates who say they can't understand why a Democratic president is siding with social conservatives in favor of limiting women's reproductive choices.
Current and former White House aides said Obama's approach to the issue has been heavily influenced by his experience as the father of two school-age daughters. Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius have also questioned whether there's enough data available to show the morning-after pill is safe and appropriate for younger girls, even though physicians groups insist that it is.
Rather than take matters into his own hands, the Justice Department argued to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Korman should have ordered the FDA to reconsider its options for regulating emergency contraception. The court cannot overturn the rules and processes that federal agencies must follow "by instead mandating a particular substantive outcome," the appeal states.
The FDA actually had been poised to lift all age limits and let Plan B sell over the counter in late 2011, when Sebelius overruled her own scientists. Sebelius said some girls as young as 11 were physically capable of bearing children but shouldn't be able to buy the pregnancy-preventing pill on their own.
Sebelius' move was unprecedented, and Korman had blasted it as election-year politics — meaning he was overruling not just a government agency but a Cabinet secretary.
More than a year later, neither side in the contraception debate was happy with the FDA's surprise twist, which many perceived as an attempt to find a palatable middle ground between imposing an age limit of 17 and imposing no limit at all.
Any over-the-counter access marks a long-awaited change, but it's not enough, said Dr. Cora Breuner of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which supports nonprescription sale of the morning-after pill for all ages.
"We still have the major issue, which is our teen pregnancy rate is still too high," Breuner said.
Even though few young girls likely would use Plan B, which costs about $50 for a single pill, "we know that it is safe for those under 15," she said.
Most 17- to 19-year-olds are sexually active, and 30 percent of 15- and 16-year-olds have had sex, according to a study published last month by the journal Pediatrics. Sex is much rarer among younger teens. Likewise, older teens have a higher pregnancy rate, but that study also counted more than 110,000 pregnancies among 15- and 16-year-olds in 2008 alone.
Social conservatives were outraged by the FDA's move to lower the age limits for Plan B — as well as the possibility that Korman's ruling might take effect and lift age restrictions altogether.
"This decision undermines the right of parents to make important health decisions for their young daughters," said Anna Higgins of the Family Research Council.
If a woman already is pregnant, the morning-after pill has no effect. It prevents ovulation or fertilization of an egg. According to the medical definition, pregnancy doesn't begin until a fertilized egg implants itself into the wall of the uterus. Still, some critics say Plan B is the equivalent of an abortion pill because it may also be able to prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus, a contention that many scientists — and Korman, in his ruling — said has been discredited.
Associated Press writer Pete Yost contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 Capitol Hill Blue


text: What is in the Library Each year, TU staff publishes a variety of reports and scientific papers on topics ranging population genetics to the latest monitoring techniques. Some are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals while others are printed in less-formal means, perhaps by TU itself. We have gathered many of them in this library for your convenience. The articles are organized into the following six subject areas. Each article is listed like it would appear in a scientific publication. They are listed alphabetically by the last name of the senior author. Conservation Planning Restoration Design and Monitoring Conservation Research Science Interpretation and Technology Transfer TU is very proud of our scientific publications. Not only do they summarize useful information for our membership but they demonstrate that TU staff are on the cutting edge of restoration and conservation science. Many of these articles are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, which demonstrates to our agency and academic partners the validity of our work.


text:
In order to offering better service,we have operated with multiple shipping companies like Fedex,DHL,DUP,UPS,EMS etc.We sure that you can choose the most suitable one.For our online products.
In order to offering better service,we have operated with multiple shipping companies like Fedex,DHL,DUP,UPS,EMS etc.We sure that you can choose the most suitable one.For our online products.
1.Most of them will be shipped by express shipping like Fedex or DHL,delivery time is 6-8 business days.
2.Some small products will be sent by regular shipping,delivery time is 15-45 business days.(There is an instruction saying this product will be sent by regular shipping.)But if you need faster shipping,please contact us to upgrade shipping method.We are glad to help you.
3.Some customers can not place their order since there is an error saying that we can not delivery the product to their countries.If you are in this situation,please contact us to confirm the price and shipping,we will help you place the order successfully .The shipping fee is hard to set up online,and in this situation,it is possible to spend less money to get this product,so it will be better if you can contact us.
4.If you find the shipping fee is too expensive for you,please contact us,we are glad to help you find the best shipping method.For large machine,it will be better for you to contact us before placing the order,in this way we can confirm the price,delivery time and check if the machine is really suitable for your products.
You may find that we only support paypal now,but we can offer other payment method like west union,TT,credit card,wechat pay,Alipay.You will find the best one as your need.If you have any problems about payment,please send us message.Although Some of them are not supported on online service now, we are trying our best to upgrade these.
We want you to be happy with your purchase and trying our best to offer the better service to our customers,so we offer some solution if you have below problems or meet below situation:
1. If you received a machine and found the machine was broken :
First,we should note that we will not send any used machine or broken machine to our customers.As we all know,everything will happen during shipping,if your machine is broken,please contact us and help us to complaint this to shipping company.We are here to help you.
2. If you don't know how to assemble machine or use the machine :
Some of our machine may need you assemble them,or you don't know how to use the machine,just send us e-mail or message,we will send you video and manual to help you know more about it.
We are not responsible for any inaccurate, incomplete or timely information provided on this website. The materials on this website are for general information only and should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for making decisions without consulting primary, more accurate, complete or timely sources of information. Any reliance on the materials on this website is at your own risk. This website may contain certain historical information. The historical information is not necessarily up to date and is for your reference only. We reserve the right to modify the content of this website at any time, but we are under no obligation to update any information on our website. You agree that it is your responsibility to monitor changes to our website.
Service and price modification
The prices of our products are subject to change without prior notice. We reserve the right to modify or terminate the Services (or any part or content thereof) at any time without notice. We shall not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, price change, suspension or discontinuation of the Services.
Products or Services
Some products or services may be available online only through the website. These products or services may be available in limited quantities and can only be returned or exchanged in accordance with our return policy. We have made every effort to display the colors and images of our products that appear in stores as accurately as possible. We cannot guarantee that any color displayed on your computer monitor is accurate.
[Re: Privacy Compliance Officer]
No. 8, Lane 1, East Dianbian Road, Shangan Nanyue Village, Jinsha Town, Nanhai Distric, Foshan, 528223 Guangdong, China
We are a professional packaging machinery production, sales and related technical services of modern high-tech enterprises.
This is the listing for custom chuck.Please send us your detailed bottle size.
ZONESUN Packaging Machinery--
12 years experience
Office area 8,600 ㎡
131 employees, 52 engineers
offer ODM or OEM
Contace us to get more surprise:
TIM: firstname.lastname@example.com
Whatsapp: 0086 18934310866


text:
Accounting made easy
Automate your account by linking to accounting software QuickBooks through Stripe. Send automated donation and year-end receipts.
We make donor management super-easy and fast, so you can build lasting donor relationships.
Recording donor communications helps you focus on every donor and retain them over long periods of time!
Easily record donor interactions within donor profiles, and save important notes.
You can record communications as inbound or outbound, and tag the communication channel — email, facebook, in-person meetings and more.
Get alerts for the right moments to engage with your donors!
Manage your donor database for effective outreach! You can sort donors based on date range, locations, donations amounts and frequency, source of donation, currencies, time-frame, and more!
Easily export your donor list and track the percentage of your recurring donors.
Save time with automated thank you emails and donation receipts. You can even customize emails to speak personally with your donors!
Donorbox allows effortless integration with Salesforce and Mailchimp, letting you further boost donor-engagement.
Automate your account by linking to accounting software QuickBooks through Stripe. Send automated donation and year-end receipts.
Easily add offline donations to your campaign and maintain a clean donor database by merging donors and duplicate accounts into one contact.
Plan strategic fundraising campaigns designed to retain your donors for the long haul. Allow donors to contribute through gifts, checks, cash.
When you hear of donor management, you are probably thinking of donor databases, thank you notes,
and busywork. Or you might think about relationships, partnerships, and growth. Either way, you have some pieces of the puzzle.
If you ask someone the most important job of a fundraiser, only a few will answer, building donor relationships. In reality, that is the whole job of a fundraiser. Without these relationships, any donations a nonprofit receives will be temporary and ineffectual. Nonprofits may feel too overwhelmed and understaffed to focus on this critical task.
Click on the logo to see how our donor management tool integrates


text:
Because of the climate, engineered exquisite concrete designs are gaining in popularity for their diversity of real wood top layers along with its ability to be used in rooms where solid wood floors would not stand a chance.
And here are other reasons:
1. Upkeep – For most people the number one concern for flooring isn't the price of purchase but more about the cost of its maintenance. The cost of preserving a solid floor over engineered hardwood flooring equates to a combination of time, labor and money.
Solid hardwood flooring needs special care to keep their luster and appearance. Natural wood scratches, fades with age and is prone to warping and even mold should it be exposed to water and moisture for extended periods. After a few years, when the natural wood has weathered a bit, it will be necessary to have the floors resurfaced. This usually involves sanding the wood surface and then re-staining. Unfortunately natural solid wood floors, because of environmental regulations, can't be layered with a coat of polyurethane which could protect it from scratches.
Engineered floors is pre-coated which makes it more resistant to scratches and provides for greater longevity. Because engineered flooring is still made with real natural wood, it can be resurfaced if it becomes deeply scratched and its' construction allows it to be used in more highly trafficked areas that may be susceptible to moisture and heat like the kitchen or bathroom. Unlike natural hardwood, engineered flooring would warp or cup when exposed to these elements. This type of flooring is constructed so that their inner core is laid in opposite directions making it immune to atmospheric assaults that would normally cause it to enlarge or shrink creating all kinds of problems.
2. Installation – Engineered hardwood flooring is easy to install compared to solid hardwood flooring even to the point that it can be laid down by amateurs making it a less complicated "do it yourself" job. Unlike solid flooring, engineered flooring can be nailed, stapled, glued or can be installed as a floating floor. Because of the ease of installation and replacement, should you need to move from your home or office, it's fairly simple to remove the floor and take it with you.
3. Cost – For Canadian residents and business owners considering engineered hardwood flooring in Vancouver, all the benefits of its visual appeal, simplicity of installation and ease of maintenance, can be topped off with the fact that engineered hardwood flooring costs less than solid hardwood floors in Vancouver. That is to say, not only is your cost in the long run going to be less but the price of an engineered hardwood floor is much lower than that of the solid wood floors; right out of the gate.
Engineered flooring in Vancouver shows itself to be the perfect choice. You have a wide variety of wood styles and types to choose from, it can be used in higher traffic areas that are prone to moisture and heat where solid hardwood floors can't be used, and it's far easier to install than traditional solid wood floors. After calculating the low maintenance costs, that fact that this is a floor you "can take with you" and the much cheaper price tag; the bottom line when considering all the various factors for selecting the right floor for your home or office is that an engineered floor definitely comes out on top.


text:
Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Child Safe This Halloween
By Lindsay
Farm Bureau Financial Services suggests you use the helpful tips and tricks below to keep you and your loved ones safe this Halloween!
Potential Danger: Darkness
Trick-or-treating with your young ones or teens can be a challenge when the sun goes down.
Tip: An easy way to tackle the dark this Halloween is to incorporate reflectors on your kid's costumes,
Potential Danger: Drivers
Amongst the candy and fun jokes taking place while trick-or-treating lurks a serious problem for your child or teen - drivers.
Tip: Depending on where you live or where you and your kiddos are traveling to trick-or-treat, watching out for motorists is crucial. Speaking to your kids beforehand about looking before crossing the street or an intersection is also an important rule for a safe Halloween.
Potential Danger: Child Getting Lost
It is not uncommon to lose sight of your young one or teen amongst the groups of ghosts and goblins wandering around on Halloween. Take extra precautions this year with this handy tip!
Tip: The trick-or-treating crowds can become overwhelming when out with your young one or teen. Discuss a specific route to follow if you were ever to become separated
Potential Danger: Strangers
As a parent, one of the most alarming things about trick-or-treating is the potential strangers your child may encounter along their route.
Tip: Talk to your child beforehand about not talking to or following strangers. Let them know to always stay with a group of people if they were to get separated from you and to never wander off alone.
Potential Danger: Cold Weather
Nothing beats beautiful October weather--unless
Tip: The week prior to trick-or-treating, continue to check the weather to ensure you and your kids are aware of the forecast beforehand. If temps drop, make sure your child has additional layers underneath their costume.
Potential Danger: Candy
The obvious highlight of trick-or-treating for parents and kids alike is the enormous amount of candy that is collected throughout the evening.
Tip: A great way to avoid the consumption of too much candy is to feed your trick-or-treater beforehand. If they do have a specific food allergy, such as peanuts, think about putting a sticker on their shirt stating their allergy for the individual handing out candy to help make certain treats easier to avoid.
Potential Danger: Injuries
From the darkness to the costume props, the likelihood of your child or teen getting injured could be higher than you may think while trick-or-treating if precautions aren't taken.
Tip: When purchasing or making a costume for your kids it is important to make sure that it is the right size. By doing so you will hopefully be able to prevent potential trips and falls from happening throughout the evening. Now is also a good time to tell your child that that plastic sword is not for use on other trick-or-treaters.
Have a Safe and Spooktacular Halloween!
Keep your children and teens safe this Halloween by incorporating these helpful tips and tricks into the routine! Have a safe and spooktacular Halloween!
Editor's note: For more information on our member benefits including our regional benefits go to Arizona Farm Bureau's member benefits page online. Or, download the Member Benefits app to your smart phone for easy, everyday access to your benefits.


text:
Oscars pizza delivery guy opens his own restaurant
The man who delivered pizza to host Ellen DeGeneres and a dozen selfie-snapping celebrities live during the 2014 Oscars telecast has turned his 15 minutes of fame into a business opportunity.
Edgar Martirosyan gained instant celebrity status on March 2 when he showed up at the Academy Awards with the 20 pies DeGeneres ordered from Big Mama's and Papa's, distributing slices to A-Listers including Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Jared Leto and Jennifer Lawrence inside the Dolby Theatre.
"I thought it was just a regular delivery," Martirosyan, then-owner of the chain's Sunset Boulevard location, told the Daily News. "I didn't know I was going to go on the stage." (DeGeneres and the actors later gave Martirosyan a $1,000 tip.)
After the broadcast, Big Mama's and Papa's was inundated with media requests wanting to know just who that pizza guy was.
"I was an incredible experience," Martirosyan, a 30-year-old Armenian immigrant, told KCAL-TV.
Martirosyan and his brother, Erik, decided to parlay their newfound fame to chase their lifelong dream of owning their own pizza shop.
Wood, which opened in Silver Lake earlier this week, serves artisanal pizzas from wood-fired ovens in the Neapolitan tradition.
"We even have a mixer from Italy for the dough we make daily," Erik Martirosyan told the Los Angeles Times. "We wanted the right ingredients, the right products — all shipped from Italy."
According to its website, Wood offers "great food using local, organic and in-season ingredients within a warm, pleasant and trendy atmosphere" — and, of course, "top-notch service to make what is guaranteed to be an original dining experience."
"We are hoping to do our best and make people happy," Edgar said.
Related video:


text: BustedTees super cool t-shirts have made it an Internet staple since 2004. We work with comedians and brands including; CollegeHumor, Saturday Night Live, Funny or Die, Upright Citizens Brigade and Conan O'Brien, to crank out funny t shirts, hoodies and great gifts for our millions of awesome customers. All our tees are screen printed on soft, high quality, 100% cotton blanks, tri-blends and 50/50's. We guarantee satisfaction on all orders with a 60-day return policy. Funny t-shirts have made BustedTees world famous but we've also started developing cool graphic tees, vintage sports t-shirts for our specialized line Loyalist, party favors, accessories, toys and games, all of which make perfect gifts.