text:
I think team 7 sucks because NOT ONE of them has ever won a big fight 1v1!:sy:
Not Kakashi, not Naruto, not Sasuke and definitely not Sakura! The only one who came close was Sasuke, twice, vs Danzo and vs Deidara. Vs Deidara he made him commit suicide but used Manda to take the blast but if Suigetsu etc hadn't brought back Manda Sasuke would've been done for. And vs Danzo, indeed Danzo was done for,but if Tobito hadn't told him to get away from Danzo Sasuke would've been sealed away by the reverse tetragram seal..
My overall thoughts on the whole issue are shown below:-


text:
Armadillo is a C++ linear algebra library (matrix maths) aiming towards a good balance between speed and ease of use. The API is deliberately similar to Matlab's. Integer, floating point, and complex numbers are supported, as well as a subset of trigonometric and statistics functions. Various matrix decompositions are provided through optional integration with LAPACK and ATLAS numerics libraries. A delayed evaluation approach, based on template meta-programming, is used (during compile time) to combine several operations into one and reduce or eliminate the need for temporaries.
SOFA is a statistics, analysis, and reporting program with an emphasis on ease of use, learning as you go, and beautiful output. SOFA can connect directly to your database and lets you display results in an attractive format ready to share or put in a spreadsheet. SOFA will help you learn as you go, whether you are a student, business analyst, or researcher.
The program arbtt, the automatic rule-based time tracker, allows you to investigate how you spend your time, without having to manually specify what you are doing. arbtt records which windows are open and active, and provides you with a powerful rule-based language to afterwards categorize your work.
The Shared Scientific Toolbox is a library that facilitates development of efficient, modular, and robust scientific/distributed computing applications in Java. It features multidimensional arrays with extensive linear algebra and FFT support, an asynchronous, scalable networking layer, and advanced class loading, message passing, and statistics packages.
SCaVis is an environment for scientific computation, data analysis, and data visualization designed for scientists, engineers, and students. The program can be used for function and data plotting in 2D and 3D, histograms, statistical analysis, and symbolic calculations using the Matlab/Octave high-level interpreted language.
Strategico is an engine for running statistical analysis over groups of time series. It can manage one or more groups (projects) of time series: by default, you can get data from a database or CSV files, normalize them, and then save them inside the engine. The first statistical analysis implemented inside Strategico is the "Long Term Prediction": it automatically finds the best model that fits each time series. Some of the models implemented are mean, trend, linear, exponential smoothing, and Arima. Strategico is scalable: the statistical analysis over each time series (of a project) can be run separately and independently. It is suggested that you set up an HPC Cluster (High Performance Computing) and/or use a resource scheduler like slurm. It is developed with R, one of the most famous statistical languages.
superseriousstats is a small and efficient program for creating a Web page with statistics from various types of IRC logs. It keeps track of its parse history and only processes new activity before storing any accumulated data in a SQLite or MySQL database. It is suitable for high volume IRC channels and large log archives, and is relatively easy to integrate with IRC services (e.g. bots) that interact with the database and provide last seen information and many other statistics directly in your channel.
n2 is a client/server system for transmitting forensic snapshots from a number of hosts to a receiver node. This receiver collects statistics and is able to present an overview of the current and historical situation on a server. n2 provides a robust solution for real-time monitoring, optimizing performance, and analyzing crashes.
MLPACK is a C++ machine learning library with an emphasis on scalability, speed, and ease-of-use. Its aim is to make machine learning possible for novice users by means of a simple, consistent API, while simultaneously exploiting C++ language features to provide maximum performance and maximum flexibility for expert users. It contains algorithms such as k-means, Gaussian mixture models, hidden Markov models, density estimation trees, kernel PCA, locality-sensitive hashing, sparse coding, linear regression and least-angle regression.
Meta.Numerics is a Mono-compatible .NET library for scientific and numerical programming. It includes functionality for matrix algebra (including SVD, non-symmetric eigensystems, and sparse matrices), special functions of real and complex numbers (including Bessel functions and the complex error function), statistics and data analysis (including PCA, logistic and nonlinear regression, statistical tests, and nonuniform random deviates), and signal processing (including arbitrary-length FFTs).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It's been a tough year for the auto industry. Most major auto manufacturers have witnessed months of double-digit sales declines. Both General Motors and Chrysler took bailout money from the government to weather these harsh times while Ford said "no thanks" and decided to go it alone.
Since the bailout funds were initially handed out in December, Chrysler has filed for bankruptcy and GM appears to be nearing that point. Ford, on the other hand, appears to be moving ahead with returning to profitability and shifting its production lines to producing more fuel efficient vehicles.
Ford yesterday announced plans to invest $550 million in retooling its Michigan Assembly plant to produce the all-new Ford Focus and an accompanying battery-electric variant. The Michigan Assembly Plant currently produces Ford's behemoth body-on-frame SUVs: the Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator.
In addition to the change at the Michigan Assembly Plant, Ford will also convert two other truck plant -- Cuautitlan Assembly in Mexico and Louisville Assembly -- to produce the subcompact Ford Fiesta and Focus-based compact vehicles.
"We're changing from a company focused mainly on trucks and SUVs to a company with a balanced product lineup that includes even more high-quality, fuel-efficient small cars, hybrids and all-electric vehicles," said Ford's Mark Fields. "As customers move to more fuel-efficient vehicles, we'll be there with more of the products they really want."
"The transformation of Michigan Assembly Plant embodies the larger transformation under way at Ford," added Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. "This is about investing in modern, efficient and flexible American manufacturing. It is about fuel economy and the electrification of vehicles."
Like its Fiesta sibling, the new Ford Focus will truly be a global vehicle. The North American market will get the same Focus that sells in other parts of the world which isn't the case today -- the current NA Focus is based on a platform dating back to 1999, whereas other world markets got a fully revamped Focus in 2004.
While many auto enthusiasts will be happy to hear that North America will finally have a vehicle on par with the rest of the world, the big news will be with the battery-electric version of the Focus. According to Ford, the vehicle will feature an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. The vehicle is being developed in conjunction with Magna International and will go into production in 2011 as a 2012 model year vehicle.
Ford also has plans to market a battery-electric version of its upcoming Transit Connect commercial vehicle, a next generation hybrid, and a next generation plug-in hybrid by 2012.


text:
DNR notice violated human rights
The widower of a terminally ill hospital patient has won a landmark ruling that her human rights were violated because she was not consulted before a "do not resuscitate'' (DNR) notice was placed on her records.
The Court of Appeal was asked to intervene by David Tracey, who said his wife Janet, 63, was subjected to an unlawful DNR notice at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.
Such notices are intended to ensure that a patient dies in a dignified and peaceful manner, but they have become the subject of controversy.
The Government and health chiefs were accused in court of failing to tackle widespread confusion and uncertainty over the imposition of notices on seriously ill patients.
Mrs Tracey, a care home manager, died following a transfer to Addenbrooke's after breaking her neck in a car crash on February 19, 2011 - two weeks after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
Lord Dyson, Master of the Rolls, who sat with Lord Justice Longmore and Lord Justice Ryder, said the hospital trust violated Mrs Tracey's right to respect for her private life under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights because it did not involve her before issuing the original DNR notice on February 27, 2011.
The judges unanimously agreed that patients should be "consulted and involved in the decision-making process" - unless a clinician considers consultation is likely to cause the patient physical or psychological harm.
They cautioned against not involving patients just because they were distressed.
However the judges rejected complaints that the Health Secretary infringed Mrs Tracey's rights in her last days by failing to promulgate appropriate national guidance on DNR notices.
Lord Dyson described how one of Mrs Tracey's daughters, Alison Noeland, was "horrified" and registered her objections when she discovered the first notice had been issued, and it was removed and cancelled on March 2, 2011.
Three days later it was agreed with members of the family that a second notice should be placed on Mrs Tracey's notes. She died soon after at 10.38am on March 7.
A spokesman for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) said: "The trust is considering the implications of this judgment and the next steps very carefully.
CUH chief executive Dr Keith McNeil said: " Today's ruling hinges on a specific point of law. There was no criticism of our clinical care.
"It is a fact of life that every day people die in hospitals. From my own experience as a specialist hospital doctor, the most important thing is that these patients are treated with the utmost respect and dignity.
"End-of-life situations involve doctors and nurses having emotionally challenging but necessary conversations with patients and their families about what happens in the final stages of their care.
"Medical staff use a combination of their compassion, experience and judgment at these difficult times to try and find the right pathway for each individual patient, and provide the support needed for everybody involved."
An emotional Mr Tracey, 66, a retired engineer who launched his claimed to put right "a wrong done to Janet", said outside court that the ruling was "a good result".
Asked if it would help other families, he said: "I hope it will. Patient care has got to come first, and this will bring more care to people."
Merry Varney from law firm Leigh Day, who acted for the Tracey family, welcomed the "strong message" she said was sent out by the ruling.
She said: "My client and his family are delighted that the court has recognised the need for doctors to consult patients on decisions to deny resuscitation.
"The Court of Appeal has confirmed that the way in which Janet Tracey was treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital was wrong and that she should not have been excluded from the decision-making process to place a do not resuscitate order on her records, especially as she had stated a clear wish to be involved in her treatment.
"Janet, a care home manager, would have been horrified if one of her residents had been treated in this way and she would have fought, as her husband has, to ensure that patients have a legal right to be informed and consulted in relation to decisions to withhold resuscitation.
"My client and his family welcome the strong message delivered by the Court of Appeal today, which should now bring to an end the unwelcome surprise that Janet suffered and that many other patients and families have suffered, when they discover a do not resuscitate order has been imposed without information or consultation."
Philip Havers QC, for Mr Tracey and his family, told the appeal judges at a two-day hearing in May that DNR notices were routinely used in a manner which did not reflect existing health service guidance and policy, which was itself inadequate.
Mr Havers said in different parts of the country there were often no policies at all, or they did not take into account the views of patients and were capable of being confusing and contradictory, and they were also contrary to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which safeguards respect for patients' private lives.
Mr Havers said Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt "must step in and himself issue national guidance addressed to all parts of the NHS in order to comply with Article 8 on a patient-by-patient basis".
Rejecting that submission, Lord Dyson said "a great deal of debate in this area in recent years has concentrated minds".
The CUH trust recently amended its policy, "no doubt taking account of the debate and this litigation".
The judge added: "No doubt all NHS trusts will take note of this litigation and take account of the outcome of the appeal and what is said in this judgment.
"That is a reasonable way for policies to develop. It is not self-evident that a central mandatory policy would necessarily be more effective. The real difficulty facing clinicians in individual cases would remain whichever course was adopted."
The judge stressed the widespread importance of the case as DNR orders were likely at some time to affect most of the population "directly or indirectly".
In the case of half the population, "a decision is taken in advance of their deaths that, if they are subject to a cardio-pulmonary arrest, they will not receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)".
He ruled Article 8 was engaged because a decision regarding "how to pass the closing days and moments of one's life and how one manages one's death touches in the most immediate and obvious way a patient's personal autonomy, integrity, dignity and quality of life".
The judge said the court should be slow to give general guidance on the circumstances in which it was not appropriate to consult a patient in relation to a DNR decision.
"But I think it is right to say that, since a (DNR) decision is one which will potentially deprive the patient of life-saving treatment, there should be a presumption in favour of patient involvement. There need to be convincing reasons not to involve the patient."
There could be little doubt that it was "inappropriate" - and therefore not required by Article 8 - to involve a patient if it was likely to cause them to suffer physical or psychological harm.
DNR notices involved "sensitive decisions sometimes made in very stressful circumstances", but doctors should be wary of being too ready to exclude patients from the process just because it was likely to cause distress.
The judge said: "It follows that in my view there was a breach of the Article 8 procedural obligation to involve Mrs Tracey before the first notice was completed and placed in her notes.
"The trust has not demonstrated that there were convincing reasons in this case not to consult her before this step was taken."


text:
November's Caption Contest Is Underway!
136 comments post a comment
November's contest is ready to go! Give us your best caption for a chance to win.
No, that ringing in your ears isn't the applause from last month's greatest caption, it is the sound of November's contest arriving!
Give us your best caption to the peculiar situation depicted below for a chance to win a colored original by our fantastic artist Daniel Guidera, with your caption attached. We'll choose the winner based on your best telephone manners, or possibly just how much you make us laugh!
This month, Adafruit has again given us a the totally awesome opportunity to give away some more toys! They're letting us distribute 10 BlueFruit Bluetooth interfaces. Or rather, we'll select the 10 winners, and Adafruit will send you one for free! Obviously the main winner will get one in addition to his or her own personal comic, so that leaves nine chances to at least come in as a runner-up.
If you're unfamiliar with the BlueFruit, you should check it out. The device is seen by any Bluetooth system as a keyboard (out of the box). It is preprogrammed with the common keys needed for most computer games, but you can even program it with your own for your specific needs. Here's an example of something done with Bluefruit. We've also seen a classic NES controller retrofitted for Bluetooth with it.
If you need some inspiration, you may check out the winners and submissions for the last few contests:


text:
When Windows Vista first hit market, some driver issues were to be
expected as hardware manufacturers moved existing components to the
new OS from Windows XP. As is natural for new items, the enthusiast
community was among the first to embrace the new operating system.
The incompatibilities were part due to Vista incorporating
Microsoft's DirectX 10 promising better graphics and physics in PC
games. At the time, the high-end G80 graphics cards were some of the
most popular graphics cards on the market including the NVIDIA 8800
GTS, GTX, and Ultra.
NVIDIA had driver problems with of Vista and DirectX 10 from the
get go and delayed their first driver from a December 2006 release to
a January 2007 release. Even once the driver hit market, there were
wide spread reports of crashes because of NVIDIA drivers.
The problem with reports of buggy drivers is that no one can
really tell if the drivers are actually at fault, or if the computer
experiencing the driver crash has some other underlying problem
contributing to the crash.
As part of the ongoing Vista Capable class action lawsuit,
Microsoft released data on exactly what drivers caused the bulk of
logged Windows Vista crashes. The number one culprit of Vista crashes
related to driver failure was NVIDIA at 28.8%. Microsoft only broke
logged crashes out for a few companies including NVIDIA, Intel (8.8%)
and ATI (9.3%). Microsoft's data shows that it was responsible for
17.9% of logged crashes.
The main early adopters of Vista were PC enthusiasts; the hardware
of choice for PC enthusiasts at the time was NVIDIA G80 GPUs so it
would be natural that more crashes would be logged as caused by a
NVIDIA driver. Ars Technica also points out that the Microsoft
data doesn't specify if the crashes logged are from multiple
machines or a group of particularly error prone computers
experiencing multiple crashes.
DailyTech reported on
the original
suit being filed in April 2007. The suit alleged
that Microsoft knowingly deceived customers with Windows Vista.
The suit was given class
action status in February 2008.


text:
Free Credit Union Times Webinar Today on Regulation and Compliance
A free webinar on regulation and compliance will be presented by Credit Union Times and the Credit Union Leadership Forum today at 3 p.m. Eastern.
The title is "The Future of Regulation and Compliance: What You Need to Know to Successfully Prepare Your Organization."
The speakers will be:
- Tim Segerson, deputy director of the NCUA's Office of Examination and Insurance.
- Anne Flannery, a New York-based senior partner in the securities enforcement and litigation practice at Morgan Lewis.
- Stuart R. Levine, former CEO of Dale Carnegie & Associates, now author and speaker on strategic planning and leadership development.
The moderator will be Sarah Snell Cooke, publisher/editor of Credit Union Times.
Topics will include supervisory exam guidelines, corporate credit unions, loan participations, member business loans, liquidity rules, and alternative capital. The implications of Dodd-Frank and lessons from regulatory investigations also will be addressed.
Registration is online.
The most recent webinar in the Credit Union Leadership Forum – an Oct. 17 session on successful mergers – is now archived online.


text:
Commercial Grade Water Filters & Systems
At Discount Filter Store, you'll find more for less, guaranteed. Choose from hundreds of commercial grade water filters and filtration systems from some of the industry's top commercial water filter brands including, Everpure, Hytrex, Pentek, and Omnipure. Whether you choose one of the best performing commercial water filtration systems, a commercial grade replacement water filter, or another one of our thousands of other water filters and filtration systems, all of our products are backed by our 100% Price Match Guarantee. Therefore, if you find of one of our water filter at a lower price than our listed price we'll match the lower price, no questions asked. Buying a water filter doesn't get much easier than that.
DiscountFilterStore.com carries commercial water filters & systems for a wide range of industries such as educational institutions, manufacturers, public airports, hospitals, and more. Therefore, no matter what industry you're looking to use your commercial water filter for, you're guaranteed to find one that fits your business's needs.
PX05-9-78 Purtrex Replacement Water Filter$5.99 MSRP: $9.99 Save 40%
NU-i20002 Nucalgon Comparable Food Service Replacement Filter by Tier1$59.99 MSRP: $116.99 Save 49%


text:
- Our Mandate
- What is Disaster Risk Reduction?
- UNISDR in the UN System
- SRSG for Disaster Risk Reduction
- Work Programme & Annual Reports
- External Evaluations
- Donor Partnerships
- History
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Sorry, the page you requested may have been moved or deleted, please check the url.
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text:
announced new notebooks which have some interesting features
including one that supports 1080p 3D and has Blu-ray
capability.That 3D capable notebook is called the HP Envy 17
3D and it is packed with features. The machine uses Beats Audio and
has a HP Triple Bass Reflex subwoofer to produce theater style sound.
The machine supports 3D stereoscopic video with active 3D glasses
that are included.When the user doesn't want to watch 3D,
the Envy 17 3D also supports standard 1080p content. The screen
is a 17.2-inch unit and uses HP Ultra BrightView technology. The
notebook is covered in brushed and precision-etched aluminum.
Hardware options include up to 2TB of storage, an array of processors
including Core i7 quad-core offerings, and graphics options include
the Radeon HD 5850 GPU. HP won't come clean with the price of the
Envy 17 3D notebooks right now and expects the notebook to ship in
time for Christmas. Considering the standard Envy 17 is close to
$1,400, the 3D version won't be cheap.Another new notebook
unveiled today is the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition. As the name suggests,
this machine uses Beats Audio sound for better audio playback. The
machine is black and has red light accents with a red backlit
keyboard. This is a very cool looking computer. The
black chassis is covered in brushed aluminum and it ships with a set
of Beats by Dr. Dre Solo headphones. The Envy 14 Beats Edition can be
optioned with Radeon HD 5650 graphics, Intel Core processors, and
promises up to 13 hours of runtime per charge with the optional
extended battery. The Envy 14 Beats Edition starts at $1,249 and is
available now.HP is also talking about its Pavilion dm3
notebook that is a thin and light machine with a 13.3-inch screen.
The screen has HD resolution and the notebook uses special HP
CoolSense technology. That CoolSense tech combines hardware with
intelligent cooling software to keep the notebook running cool and
performing well.HP designed the machine so that the heat
vents channel heat away from sensitive components and the user for
comfortable use. HP claims that the notebook is good for up to 7.5
hours of battery life per charge and the machine is under an inch
thick. The dm3 starts at $549 and is available now and has a lot of
hardware options that will drive that starting price up
considerably.HP also revealed a new Wireless TV Connect Kit
alongside the new notebooks. The kit allows users to stream 1080p
multimedia content from the notebook to a TV without needing cables.
The streaming device supports Blu-ray movies and DVDs in addition to
streaming web content. The adapter gets its port from the USB port of
the computer and will work with any notebook that has an HDMI port.
The Wireless TV Connect Kit sells for $199.


text:
This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
Black Africa Handbook (ICPSR 5019)
Principal Investigator(s): Morrison, Donald; Mitchell, Robert; Paden, John; Stevenson, Michael
This study contains data on the political, social, economic, religious, ecological, and demographic characteristics of 32 Black African nations in the late 1950s and 1960s. Data are provided on political regime characteristics, such as the existence and nature of political parties, elections, the nature of the judicial system, the extent of government influence, and the occurrence of riots, civil violence, terrorist activities, civil wars, irredentist movements, and coup d'etats. Economic variables provide information on government revenues, government expenditures, gross domestic capital formation, public investment as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP), gross national product (GNP), defense budgets, energy, investment, labor, number of wage earners as a percentage of active population, industrial production, electricity production, per capita energy consumption, educational expenditures, economic welfare, consumer price index, international economic aid, total international trade, imports and exports, agriculture, and membership in major African multilateral economic organizations. Also included is information on the military and security systems, Africanization of the army officer corps, international relations, membership in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), communication and transportation, and social welfare. Other variables provide information on population estimates and characteristics, population density, settlement patterns, cultural pluralism, language, religion, primary and secondary school enrollment, family organization, patrilineal kin groups, class stratification, and the number of physicians per population.
Access Notes
Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions. Please log in so we can determine if you are with a member institution and have access to these data files.
ASCII + SAS Setup SPSS Setup
Study Description
Morrison, Donald, Robert Mitchell, John Paden, and Michael Stevenson. Black Africa Handbook. ICPSR05019-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1972. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR05019.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR05019.v1
Export Citation:
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Scope of Study
Subject Terms: agricultural development, civil disobedience, civil wars, conflict, coup d'etat, defense spending, developing nations, economic indicators, education expenditures, educational populations, electoral systems, electricity, elementary education, energy consumption, energy production, ethnicity, exports, families, foreign aid, government expenditures, government revenues, Gross Domestic Product, Gross National Product, higher education, imports, industrial production, international relations, international trade, labor force, language, mass media, nongovernmental organizations, political parties, political systems, population characteristics, population density, population estimates, price indexes, public transportation, religion, riots, security systems, social welfare, urbanization
Geographic Coverage: Africa, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Global, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia
Universe: A total of 32 African nations in the late 1950s and late 1960s.
(1) Morrison, Donald, Robert Mitchell, John Paden, and Michael Stevenson. BLACK AFRICA: A COMPARATIVE HANDBOOK. New York, NY: Irvington Publishers, 1989, (2) Johnson, Hildegard B. "The Location of Christian Missions in Africa." THE GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW 57, 2 (1967), (3) United Nations. STATISTICAL YEARBOOKS, 1967-1968, and (4) United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. YEARBOOK, 1968.
Original ICPSR Release: 1984-05-10
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text:
NCUA Says Riskier Assets Dropping, Funds Stable
The NCUA said the number of credit unions in its riskiest categories has dropped for 10 straight quarters and now account for about one-eighth of the industry's assets.
Credit unions with CAMEL Codes 3, 4 and 5 were at 12.5% of industry assets as of March 31, down from a high of 21.9% at year-end 2010, the NCUA Board was told at its monthly meeting on Thursday in Alexandria, Va.
The agency said there are 339 credit unions at code 4 and 5 and 1,571 at code 3.
The board also was told that the NCUSIF ended the first quarter with net income of $9.4 million and equity ratio of 1.31%, just more than the statutory normal operating level of 1.3% calculated on a year-end 2012 insured base of $839 billion, the NCUA said.
The Temporary Corporate Credit Union Stabilization Fund, meanwhile, had had $5.1 billion in outstanding borrowings with the U.S. Treasury on March 31, a net deficit of $3.5 billion which the NCUA said was a slight improvement from year-end based on net income of $14.4 million in the first quarter.
The agency said four federally insured credit unions failed in the first quarter of 2013, with associated losses totaling $75,000, and that the reserve balance for the insurance fund was reduced from $412.5 million to $330.4 million during the first quarter.
"The Share Insurance Fund and the Stabilization Fund reflect an improving economy, a resilient credit union industry, continued prudent financial management, and common-sense regulation," NCUA Board Chairman Debbie Matz said in a statement.
"Assets at risk in credit unions with CAMEL codes 3, 4 and 5 have dropped for 10 straight quarters and with that, so has our level of exposure to potential losses. While we cannot predict the future with certainty, the growing strength of credit unions as a whole is a very positive sign," Matz said.
NAFCU President/CEO Fred Becker said in a statement after the NCUA announcement that the trade group was pleased the agency did not assess a share insurance premium in 2012 and hopes that none will be needed this year.
"In terms of the TCCUSF, we continue to strongly urge NCUA to carefully review its loss projections, and lower reserve projections accordingly," Becker added, "to decrease this year's corporate stabilization premium assessments lower than the agency's previous estimates as its established criteria would indicate."


text:
There exists either in, or in connection with the world--either as a
Part of it, or as the cause of it--an absolutely necessary being
The world of sense, as the sum total of all phenomena, contains a series
Of changes. For, without such a series, the mental representation of
The series of time itself, as the condition of the possibility of the
Sensuous world, could not be presented to us.* But every change stands
Under its condition, which precedes it in time and renders it necessary
Now the existence of a given condition presupposes a complete series of
Conditions up to the absolutely unconditioned, which alone is absolutely
Necessary. It follows that something that is absolutely necessary must
Exist, if change exists as its consequence. But this necessary thing
Itself belongs to the sensuous world. For suppose it to exist out of and
Apart from it, the series of cosmical changes would receive from it a
Beginning, and yet this necessary cause would not itself belong to
The world of sense. But this is impossible. For, as the beginning of a
Series in time is determined only by that which precedes it in time, the
Supreme condition of the beginning of a series of changes must exist
In the time in which this series itself did not exist; for a beginning
Supposes a time preceding, in which the thing that begins to be was
Not in existence. The causality of the necessary cause of changes
And consequently the cause itself, must for these reasons belong
To time--and to phenomena, time being possible only as the form of
Phenomena. Consequently, it cannot be cogitated as separated from the
World of sense--the sum total of all phenomena. There is, therefore
Contained in the world, something that is absolutely necessary--whether
It be the whole cosmical series itself, or only a part of it
An absolutely necessary being does not exist, either in the world, or
Out of it--as its cause
Grant that either the world itself is necessary, or that there is
Contained in it a necessary existence. Two cases are possible. First
There must either be in the series of cosmical changes a beginning
Which is unconditionally necessary, and therefore uncaused--which is at
Variance with the dynamical law of the determination of all phenomena
In time; or, secondly, the series itself is without beginning, and
Although contingent and conditioned in all its parts, is nevertheless
Absolutely necessary and unconditioned as a whole--which is
Self-contradictory. For the existence of an aggregate cannot be
Necessary, if no single part of it possesses necessary existence
Grant, on the other band, that an absolutely necessary cause exists out
Of and apart from the world. This cause, as the highest member in the
Series of the causes of cosmical changes, must originate or begin* the
Existence of the latter and their series. In this case it must also
Begin to act, and its causality would therefore belong to time, and
Consequently to the sum total of phenomena, that is, to the world
It follows that the cause cannot be out of the world; which is
Contradictory to the hypothesis. Therefore, neither in the world, nor
Out of it (but in causal connection with it), does there exist any
Absolutely necessary being
To demonstrate the existence of a necessary being, I cannot be permitted
In this place to employ any other than the cosmological argument
Which ascends from the conditioned in phenomena to the unconditioned in
Conception--the unconditioned being considered the necessary condition
Of the absolute totality of the series. The proof, from the mere idea
Of a supreme being, belongs to another principle of reason and requires
Separate discussion
The pure cosmological proof demonstrates the existence of a necessary
Being, but at the same time leaves it quite unsettled, whether this
Being is the world itself, or quite distinct from it. To establish
The truth of the latter view, principles are requisite, which are not
Cosmological and do not proceed in the series of phenomena. We
Should require to introduce into our proof conceptions of contingent
Beings--regarded merely as objects of the understanding, and also
A principle which enables us to connect these, by means of mere
Conceptions, with a necessary being. But the proper place for all such
Arguments is a transcendent philosophy, which has unhappily not yet been
But, if we begin our proof cosmologically, by laying at the foundation
Of it the series of phenomena, and the regress in it according to
Empirical laws of causality, we are not at liberty to break off from
This mode of demonstration and to pass over to something which is not
Itself a member of the series. The condition must be taken in exactly
The same signification as the relation of the conditioned to its
Condition in the series has been taken, for the series must conduct us
In an unbroken regress to this supreme condition. But if this relation
Is sensuous, and belongs to the possible empirical employment of
Understanding, the supreme condition or cause must close the regressive
Series according to the laws of sensibility and consequently, must
Belong to the series of time. It follows that this necessary existence
Must be regarded as the highest member of the cosmical series
Certain philosophers have, nevertheless, allowed themselves the liberty
Of making such a saltus (metabasis eis allo gonos). From the changes
In the world they have concluded their empirical contingency, that
Is, their dependence on empirically-determined causes, and they thus
Admitted an ascending series of empirical conditions: and in this they
Are quite right. But as they could not find in this series any primal
Beginning or any highest member, they passed suddenly from the empirical
Conception of contingency to the pure category, which presents us with
A series--not sensuous, but intellectual--whose completeness does
Certainly rest upon the existence of an absolutely necessary cause. Nay
More, this intellectual series is not tied to any sensuous conditions;
And is therefore free from the condition of time, which requires it
Spontaneously to begin its causality in time. But such a procedure is
Perfectly inadmissible, as will be made plain from what follows
In the pure sense of the categories, that is contingent the
Contradictory opposite of which is possible. Now we cannot reason from
Empirical contingency to intellectual. The opposite of that which is
Changed--the opposite of its state--is actual at another time, and is
Therefore possible. Consequently, it is not the contradictory opposite
Of the former state. To be that, it is necessary that, in the same time
In which the preceding state existed, its opposite could have existed in
Its place; but such a cognition is not given us in the mere phenomenon
Of change. A body that was in motion = A, comes into a state of rest =
Non-A. Now it cannot be concluded from the fact that a state opposite
To the state A follows it, that the contradictory opposite of A is
Possible; and that A is therefore contingent. To prove this, we should
Require to know that the state of rest could have existed in the very
Same time in which the motion took place. Now we know nothing more than
That the state of rest was actual in the time that followed the state of
Motion; consequently, that it was also possible. But motion at one time
And rest at another time, are not contradictorily opposed to each other
It follows from what has been said that the succession of opposite
Determinations, that is, change, does not demonstrate the fact of
Contingency as represented in the conceptions of the pure understanding;
And that it cannot, therefore, conduct us to the fact of the existence
Of a necessary being. Change proves merely empirical contingency, that
Is to say, that the new state could not have existed without a cause
Which belongs to the preceding time. This cause--even although it is
Regarded as absolutely necessary--must be presented to us in time, and
Must belong to the series of phenomena
The difficulties which meet us, in our attempt to rise through the
Series of phenomena to the existence of an absolutely necessary supreme
Cause, must not originate from our inability to establish the truth of
Our mere conceptions of the necessary existence of a thing. That is to
Say, our objections not be ontological, but must be directed against
The causal connection with a series of phenomena of a condition which is
Itself unconditioned. In one word, they must be cosmological and relate
To empirical laws. We must show that the regress in the series of
Causes (in the world of sense) cannot conclude with an empirically
Unconditioned condition, and that the cosmological argument from the
Contingency of the cosmical state--a contingency alleged to arise from
Change--does not justify us in accepting a first cause, that is, a prime
Originator of the cosmical series
The reader will observe in this antinomy a very remarkable contrast. The
Very same grounds of proof which established in the thesis the existence
Of a supreme being, demonstrated in the antithesis--and with equal
Strictness--the non-existence of such a being. We found, first, that a
Necessary being exists, because the whole time past contains the series
Of all conditions, and with it, therefore, the unconditioned (the
Necessary); secondly, that there does not exist any necessary being
For the same reason, that the whole time past contains the series of
All conditions--which are themselves, therefore, in the aggregate
Conditioned. The cause of this seeming incongruity is as follows. We
Attend, in the first argument, solely to the absolute totality of the
Series of conditions, the one of which determines the other in time, and
Thus arrive at a necessary unconditioned. In the second, we consider
On the contrary, the contingency of everything that is determined in
The series of time--for every event is preceded by a time, in which the
Condition itself must be determined as conditioned--and thus everything
That is unconditioned or absolutely necessary disappears. In both, the
Mode of proof is quite in accordance with the common procedure of human
Reason, which often falls into discord with itself, from considering an
Object from two different points of view. Herr von Mairan regarded
The controversy between two celebrated astronomers, which arose from
A similar difficulty as to the choice of a proper standpoint, as a
Phenomenon of sufficient importance to warrant a separate treatise
On the subject. The one concluded: the moon revolves on its own axis
Because it constantly presents the same side to the earth; the other
Declared that the moon does not revolve on its own axis, for the same
Reason. Both conclusions were perfectly correct, according to the point
Of view from which the motions of the moon were considered
SECTION III. Of the Interest of Reason in these Self-contradictions
We have thus completely before us the dialectical procedure of the
Cosmological ideas. No possible experience can present us with an object
Adequate to them in extent. Nay, more, reason itself cannot cogitate
Them as according with the general laws of experience. And yet they
Are not arbitrary fictions of thought. On the contrary, reason, in
Its uninterrupted progress in the empirical synthesis, is necessarily
Conducted to them, when it endeavours to free from all conditions and
To comprehend in its unconditioned totality that which can only be
Determined conditionally in accordance with the laws of experience
These dialectical propositions are so many attempts to solve four
Natural and unavoidable problems of reason. There are neither more, nor
Can there be less, than this number, because there are no other series
Of synthetical hypotheses, limiting a priori the empirical synthesis
The brilliant claims of reason striving to extend its dominion beyond
The limits of experience, have been represented above only in dry
Formulae, which contain merely the grounds of its pretensions. They
Have, besides, in conformity with the character of a transcendental
Philosophy, been freed from every empirical element; although the full
Splendour of the promises they hold out, and the anticipations they
Excite, manifests itself only when in connection with empirical
Cognitions. In the application of them, however, and in the advancing
Enlargement of the employment of reason, while struggling to rise from
The region of experience and to soar to those sublime ideas, philosophy
Discovers a value and a dignity, which, if it could but make good its
Assertions, would raise it far above all other departments of human
Knowledge--professing, as it does, to present a sure foundation for our
Highest hopes and the ultimate aims of all the exertions of reason
The questions: whether the world has a beginning and a limit to its
Extension in space; whether there exists anywhere, or perhaps, in my
Own thinking Self, an indivisible and indestructible unity--or whether
Nothing but what is divisible and transitory exists; whether I am a free
Agent, or, like other beings, am bound in the chains of nature and fate;
Whether, finally, there is a supreme cause of the world, or all our
Thought and speculation must end with nature and the order of external
Things--are questions for the solution of which the mathematician would
Willingly exchange his whole science; for in it there is no satisfaction
For the highest aspirations and most ardent desires of humanity. Nay, it
May even be said that the true value of mathematics--that pride of human
Reason--consists in this: that she guides reason to the knowledge of
Nature--in her greater as well as in her less manifestations--in her
Beautiful order and regularity--guides her, moreover, to an insight into
The wonderful unity of the moving forces in the operations of nature
Far beyond the expectations of a philosophy building only on experience;
And that she thus encourages philosophy to extend the province of reason
Beyond all experience, and at the same time provides it with the most
Excellent materials for supporting its investigations, in so far as
Their nature admits, by adequate and accordant intuitions
Unfortunately for speculation--but perhaps fortunately for the
Practical interests of humanity--reason, in the midst of her highest
Anticipations, finds herself hemmed in by a press of opposite and
Contradictory conclusions, from which neither her honour nor her safety
Will permit her to draw back. Nor can she regard these conflicting
Trains of reasoning with indifference as mere passages at arms, still
Less can she command peace; for in the subject of the conflict she has a
Deep interest. There is no other course left open to her than to reflect
With herself upon the origin of this disunion in reason--whether it may
Not arise from a mere misunderstanding. After such an inquiry, arrogant
Claims would have to be given up on both sides; but the sovereignty
Of reason over understanding and sense would be based upon a sure
We shall at present defer this radical inquiry and, in the meantime
Consider for a little what side in the controversy we should most
Willingly take, if we were obliged to become partisans at all. As, in
This case, we leave out of sight altogether the logical criterion of
Truth, and merely consult our own interest in reference to the question
These considerations, although inadequate to settle the question of
Right in either party, will enable us to comprehend how those who have
Taken part in the struggle, adopt the one view rather than the other--no
Special insight into the subject, however, having influenced their
Choice. They will, at the same time, explain to us many other things
By the way--for example, the fiery zeal on the one side and the cold
Maintenance of their cause on the other; why the one party has met with
The warmest approbations, and the other has always been repulsed by
Irreconcilable prejudices
There is one thing, however, that determines the proper point of view
From which alone this preliminary inquiry can be instituted and carried
On with the proper completeness--and that is the comparison of the
Principles from which both sides, thesis and antithesis, proceed. My
Readers would remark in the propositions of the antithesis a complete
Uniformity in the mode of thought and a perfect unity of principle. Its
Principle was that of pure empiricism, not only in the explication
Of the phenomena in the world, but also in the solution of the
Transcendental ideas, even of that of the universe itself. The
Affirmations of the thesis, on the contrary, were based, in addition to
The empirical mode of explanation employed in the series of phenomena
On intellectual propositions; and its principles were in so far
Not simple. I shall term the thesis, in view of its essential
Characteristic, the dogmatism of pure reason
On the side of Dogmatism, or of the thesis, therefore, in the
Determination of the cosmological ideas, we find:
1. A practical interest, which must be very dear to every right-thinking
Man. That the word has a beginning--that the nature of my thinking self
Is simple, and therefore indestructible--that I am a free agent, and
Raised above the compulsion of nature and her laws--and, finally, that
The entire order of things, which form the world, is dependent upon a
Supreme Being, from whom the whole receives unity and connection--these
Are so many foundation-stones of morality and religion. The antithesis
Deprives us of all these supports--or, at least, seems so to deprive us
2. A speculative interest of reason manifests itself on this side. For
If we take the transcendental ideas and employ them in the manner which
The thesis directs, we can exhibit completely a priori the entire
Chain of conditions, and understand the derivation of the
Conditioned--beginning from the unconditioned. This the antithesis does
Not do; and for this reason does not meet with so welcome a reception
For it can give no answer to our question respecting the conditions of
Its synthesis--except such as must be supplemented by another question
And so on to infinity. According to it, we must rise from a given
Beginning to one still higher; every part conducts us to a still smaller
One; every event is preceded by another event which is its cause; and
The conditions of existence rest always upon other and still higher
Conditions, and find neither end nor basis in some self-subsistent thing
As the primal being
3. This side has also the advantage of popularity; and this constitutes
No small part of its claim to favour. The common understanding does not
Find the least difficulty in the idea of the unconditioned beginning of
All synthesis--accustomed, as it is, rather to follow our consequences
Than to seek for a proper basis for cognition. In the conception of an
Absolute first, moreover--the possibility of which it does not inquire
Into--it is highly gratified to find a firmly-established point
Of departure for its attempts at theory; while in the restless and
Continuous ascent from the conditioned to the condition, always with one
Foot in the air, it can find no satisfaction
On the side of the antithesis, or Empiricism, in the determination of
The cosmological ideas:
1. We cannot discover any such practical interest arising from pure
Principles of reason as morality and religion present. On the contrary
Pure empiricism seems to empty them of all their power and influence
If there does not exist a Supreme Being distinct from the world--if the
World is without beginning, consequently without a Creator--if our wills
Are not free, and the soul is divisible and subject to corruption just
Like matter--the ideas and principles of morality lose all validity and
Fall with the transcendental ideas which constituted their theoretical
2. But empiricism, in compensation, holds out to reason, in its
Speculative interests, certain important advantages, far exceeding any
That the dogmatist can promise us. For, when employed by the empiricist
Understanding is always upon its proper ground of investigation--the
Field of possible experience, the laws of which it can explore, and thus
Extend its cognition securely and with clear intelligence without being
Stopped by limits in any direction. Here can it and ought it to find and
Present to intuition its proper object--not only in itself, but in all
Its relations; or, if it employ conceptions, upon this ground it can
Always present the corresponding images in clear and unmistakable
Intuitions. It is quite unnecessary for it to renounce the guidance of
Nature, to attach itself to ideas, the objects of which it cannot know;
Because, as mere intellectual entities, they cannot be presented in
Any intuition. On the contrary, it is not even permitted to abandon
Its proper occupation, under the pretence that it has been brought to
A conclusion (for it never can be), and to pass into the region of
Idealizing reason and transcendent conceptions, which it is not required
To observe and explore the laws of nature, but merely to think and to
Imagine--secure from being contradicted by facts, because they have not
Been called as witnesses, but passed by, or perhaps subordinated to the
So-called higher interests and considerations of pure reason
Hence the empiricist will never allow himself to accept any epoch of
Nature for the first--the absolutely primal state; he will not believe
That there can be limits to his outlook into her wide domains, nor pass
From the objects of nature, which he can satisfactorily explain by
Means of observation and mathematical thought--which he can determine
Synthetically in intuition, to those which neither sense nor imagination
Can ever present in concreto; he will not concede the existence of a
Faculty in nature, operating independently of the laws of nature--a
Concession which would introduce uncertainty into the procedure of the
Understanding, which is guided by necessary laws to the observation of
Phenomena; nor, finally, will he permit himself to seek a cause beyond
Nature, inasmuch as we know nothing but it, and from it alone receive an
Objective basis for all our conceptions and instruction in the unvarying
Laws of things
In truth, if the empirical philosopher had no other purpose in the
Establishment of his antithesis than to check the presumption of a
Reason which mistakes its true destination, which boasts of its insight
And its knowledge, just where all insight and knowledge cease to
Exist, and regards that which is valid only in relation to a practical
Interest, as an advancement of the speculative interests of the mind
(in order, when it is convenient for itself, to break the thread of our
Physical investigations, and, under pretence of extending our cognition
Connect them with transcendental ideas, by means of which we really know
Only that we know nothing)--if, I say, the empiricist rested satisfied
With this benefit, the principle advanced by him would be a maxim
Recommending moderation in the pretensions of reason and modesty in its
Affirmations, and at the same time would direct us to the right mode
Of extending the province of the understanding, by the help of the only
True teacher, experience. In obedience to this advice, intellectual
Hypotheses and faith would not be called in aid of our practical
Interests; nor should we introduce them under the pompous titles of
Science and insight. For speculative cognition cannot find an objective
Basis any other where than in experience; and, when we overstep its
Limits our synthesis, which requires ever new cognitions independent of
Experience, has no substratum of intuition upon which to build
But if--as often happens--empiricism, in relation to ideas, becomes
Itself dogmatic and boldly denies that which is above the sphere of its
Phenomenal cognition, it falls itself into the error of intemperance--an
Error which is here all the more reprehensible, as thereby the practical
Interest of reason receives an irreparable injury
And this constitutes the opposition between Epicureanism and Platonism
Both Epicurus and Plato assert more in their systems than they know. The
Former encourages and advances science--although to the prejudice of
The practical; the latter presents us with excellent principles for the
Investigation of the practical, but, in relation to everything regarding
Which we can attain to speculative cognition, permits reason to append
Idealistic explanations of natural phenomena, to the great injury of
Physical investigation
3. In regard to the third motive for the preliminary choice of a party
In this war of assertions, it seems very extraordinary that empiricism
Should be utterly unpopular. We should be inclined to believe that the
Common understanding would receive it with pleasure--promising as it
Does to satisfy it without passing the bounds of experience and its
Connected order; while transcendental dogmatism obliges it to rise to
Conceptions which far surpass the intelligence and ability of the most
Practised thinkers. But in this, in truth, is to be found its real
Motive. For the common understanding thus finds itself in a situation
Where not even the most learned can have the advantage of it. If it
Understands little or nothing about these transcendental conceptions, no
One can boast of understanding any more; and although it may not express
Itself in so scholastically correct a manner as others, it can busy
Itself with reasoning and arguments without end, wandering among mere
Ideas, about which one can always be very eloquent, because we know
Nothing about them; while, in the observation and investigation of
Nature, it would be forced to remain dumb and to confess its utter
Ignorance. Thus indolence and vanity form of themselves strong
Recommendations of these principles. Besides, although it is a hard
Thing for a philosopher to assume a principle, of which he can give to
Himself no reasonable account, and still more to employ conceptions, the
Objective reality of which cannot be established, nothing is more usual
With the common understanding. It wants something which will allow it
To go to work with confidence. The difficulty of even comprehending
A supposition does not disquiet it, because--not knowing what
Comprehending means--it never even thinks of the supposition it may be
Adopting as a principle; and regards as known that with which it
Has become familiar from constant use. And, at last, all speculative
Interests disappear before the practical interests which it holds dear;
And it fancies that it understands and knows what its necessities
And hopes incite it to assume or to believe. Thus the empiricism of
Transcendentally idealizing reason is robbed of all popularity; and
However prejudicial it may be to the highest practical principles, there
Is no fear that it will ever pass the limits of the schools, or acquire
Any favour or influence in society or with the multitude
Human reason is by nature architectonic. That is to say, it regards all
Cognitions as parts of a possible system, and hence accepts only such
Principles as at least do not incapacitate a cognition to which we may
Have attained from being placed along with others in a general system
But the propositions of the antithesis are of a character which renders
The completion of an edifice of cognitions impossible. According to
These, beyond one state or epoch of the world there is always to be
Found one more ancient; in every part always other parts themselves
Divisible; preceding every event another, the origin of which
Must itself be sought still higher; and everything in existence is
Conditioned, and still not dependent on an unconditioned and primal
Existence. As, therefore, the antithesis will not concede the existence
Of a first beginning which might be available as a foundation, a
Complete edifice of cognition, in the presence of such hypothesis, is
Utterly impossible. Thus the architectonic interest of reason, which
Requires a unity--not empirical, but a priori and rational--forms a
Natural recommendation for the assertions of the thesis in our antinomy
But if any one could free himself entirely from all considerations
Of interest, and weigh without partiality the assertions of reason
Attending only to their content, irrespective of the consequences which
Follow from them; such a person, on the supposition that he knew no
Other way out of the confusion than to settle the truth of one or
Other of the conflicting doctrines, would live in a state of continual
Hesitation. Today, he would feel convinced that the human will is free;
To-morrow, considering the indissoluble chain of nature, he would look
On freedom as a mere illusion and declare nature to be all-in-all. But
If he were called to action, the play of the merely speculative reason
Would disappear like the shapes of a dream, and practical interest would
Dictate his choice of principles. But, as it well befits a reflective
And inquiring being to devote certain periods of time to the examination
Of its own reason--to divest itself of all partiality, and frankly to
Communicate its observations for the judgement and opinion of others; so
No one can be blamed for, much less prevented from, placing both
Parties on their trial, with permission to end themselves, free
From intimidation, before intimidation, before a sworn jury of equal
Condition with themselves--the condition of weak and fallible men


text:
Top 10 Microcontroller Articles of 2012
4 comments
Good Grief we're already half way through January 2013 it seems only a couple of days ago that we were celebrating the holiday season now the whole of 2012 gives the impression of being only a dream.
In reality, of course, a tremendous number of things occurred in 2012, not the least that we had some amazingly good articles here on Microcontroller Designline. So, I thought it would be interesting to see which were the most-viewed microcontroller-related articles from 2012, including "How To" design articles, news items, product pieces, and commentary offerings.
The following "Top 10" mind-blowing articles are presented in reverse order from #10 to #1 based on the number of times they were viewed in 2012.


text: "Historian Johnson takes a serious and thoughtful look at humor, noting that laughter, when you analyze it, is no joke. He launches into an analysis of the pioneers of stand-up comedy, running gags, and one-liners from expected and unexpected sources: Shakespeare to Hogarth, Benjamin Franklin to Laurel and Hardy. He sees the genesis of comedy in either the creation of chaos (W.C. Fields, Groucho Marx, Evelyn Waugh, and James Thurber) or observations of human weirdness (Toulouse-Lautrec, George Bernard Shaw, and Damon Runyon). Chapters offer engaging sketches of the humorists and the life circumstances (some pretty dreadful) and personality quirks that drove their comic or tragicomic outlooks and works. G.K. Chesterton found great humor in the strivings of the Christian faithand reasonto corral the human spirit, Charlie Chaplin meticulously plotted out his chaotic comic routines, and Charles Dickens reveled in verbal running gags. Other subjects of the droll, revealing profiles are Dr. Johnson, Thomas Rowlandson, Noël Coward, and Nancy Mitford. Johnson masterfully weaves a narrative line among the figures, many of whom dont spring to mind as comic, with a deep appreciation for their wit in writing, filmmaking, painting, and living."Booklist (Starred Review)


text:
Latest Comments
"Just had a grandson born Jan. 11 and was looking for a blanket to crochet for him. Found it! Love the Grayson blanket and it's his middle name to boot! Thank you for the pattern."
"I would love to more patterns and information on sewing with fleece"
"I realize that this is months later.. But what they probably mean is, when they say 4 tbs. of each, 4 of food coloring and 4 of glue, since the direction is on the same line."
"You know, the Mod Podge is a really cool thing. You can transform just about anything in the house. I particularly love serving trays, small rectangular containers for jewelry, keys, and coins, and even the plain wooden stools you can find at big box stores. A black and white check looks nice for a modern take on the farm house."
"This craft is definetly going to require some skill on my part. There are things that I am not familiar with here. But I am a willing student! And for something this dang cool, I am gonna go for it! I can display my old grungy shirts from back in the day and make them look cool once again."
Pop up Ghost Cards
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The ghost for this clever Halloween card is stamped on a bit of craft foam and placed onto a spring to bounce. This Halloween ghost postcard is sure to make the recipients smile. Invite friends to a Halloween party with this homemade Halloween card.
- Ghost stamp
- White craft foam
- Postcard-size card stock
- Thin, bendable wire
- Thin dowel or large nail
- Wire cutter
- Tape
- Wrap wire. Cut a small length of thin, bendable wire (about 4 or 5 inches is fine). Leave a 1-inch "tail" and then begin wrapping the wire around a thin dowel or large nail. You will want to wrap about 10 coils before leaving another tail.
- Insert wire. Cut the wire to size, being careful of the rough ends. Carefully insert one end of the spring into the ghost image until you reach the coils. Punch a very small hole in the top layer of your invitation and insert the loose end of the spring. Secure this end with tape.
- Mount invite. Mount the printed invitation to a piece of postcard-sized card stock and it is ready to be inserted into an envelope.
Tip: The smaller your spring coils, the easier it will be for the pop-up to lay flat.
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text:
Aero 50-485020S 50 Series 15x8 Inch Wheel 5on5 Inch BP 2 Inch BS
Important Messages:
- This item ships directly from the manufacturer. It may take an additional 10 business days for Aero Race Wheels to ship this item.
- This item ships via Ground Shipping only. Expedited and Air shipping options are not available.
The wheel of choice for top super and crate late model teams competing in the ASA Midwest, CRA Super, SRL and PASS North/South series. The wheel with the most wins at the Winchester 400, Snowball Derby, World Crown 300 and All American 400. Bassett's 15 x 10 Inertia Advantage wheel is the lightest five-on-five inch bolt pattern wheel on the market and utilizes a patented low Moment of Inertia center design, top quality control and high strength steel. Patented Five-spoke design offers 14.5 square inches more brake cooling area than any other wheel designLightest weight (20 lbs.) and lowest runout (under .025") of any 15 x 10 wheel on the marketThe 5/8" valve stem hole is located behind the center to avoid clipping Center spokes are ergonomically designed to facilitate handling and lower pit stop times NOTE: For easier tire mounting, these wheels do not have a tire safety bead. For dirt applications, make sure you select a wheel with a safety bead at the time of order.
For offroad use only. The following must be considered when using Bassett wheels for on highway/street use when the wheel/tire assembly is being balanced. Bassett wheels are lug centric, which means they are built off of, and must be balanced using, the bolt circle and NOT the wheel center hole. Improper use of a tire balancer that centers the wheel on the hub bore, not the bolt circle, will result in an incorrect reading for rim runout as the center hole is not in the perfect center of the bolt pattern. The only machine capable of performing a lug centric balance is the Hunter GSP 9700 with the flange plate bolt circle adapter and no centering cone.
For offroad use only.
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Aero 50-085020 50 Series 15x8 Inch Wheel, 5 on 5 Inch BP, 2 Inch BS
Aero 50-085020S 50 Series 15x8 Wheel, 5 on 5 Inch BP, 2 Inch BS
Aero 50-185020 50 Series 15x8 Inch Wheel, 5 on 5 Inch BP, 2 Inch BS
Aero 51-085020 51 Series 15x8 Inch Wheel, Spun, 5 on 5 BP, 2 Inch BS
After receiving many inquires, Jess shares the wheel and tire combo on her coupe.
Purchasing a new set of race wheels? We can show you how to measure the offset to ensure your new wheels fit right, along with torque specs, design, and basics about racing wheels.
Use our Tire Size Guide to track down the right tire for your needs. Radials, Polys, Bias-Ply's, Cheater Slicks and Dragsters, they're all here!
How to effectively remove unwanted moisture from the inside of your tires.
Speedway Motors and Classic Trucks teamed up to build a 1952 Chevy truck in honor of Speedway Motors' 65th anniversary. Speedway Motors reached out to Rocket Racing Wheels for a set of their "Booster" Wheels to function as rolling stock for the build.
Feel like you're just spinning your wheels at the races? Click here for tips and tricks on gaining traction by grooving, siping and needling your racing tires.
Tim shows some of our Rocket wheels and knockoff hub covers.
Speedway Motors employee Jess M. walks us through adding a little salt flat flair to her 1933 Ford coupe, by using moon discs and quarter turn fasteners.


text:
I never though I would say this, but Jack has been getting on my nerves lately. I am starting to see quite the opportunist in him.
One play Andrea takes an open jumper, misses, and Jack goes on about how that was not the right shot for him to take, next play he takes the exact look makes it, and Jack is on his nuts how that is more of his shot. He is starting to remind me of Don Cherry, always re-enforcing his wisdom with hindsight.
Lately, I have been getting really annoyed with Jack's 2nd guessing of coach Casey. It just seems so slimy and self serving to me. Last game he was going on about how the starters should be getting back on the floor, right in the midst of of a minor struggle. The 2nd unit than impresses, and 5 minutes later jack, remarks how he would of left the 2nd unit in too, just based on how they were playing. (Palm to the hand)
This dude looks at results and coat tails them to make himself look wiser.
I like Casey. I know that people are not used to his sub patterns, the way he divides the grease, I understand the criticisms. However, I feel there is more to coaching than just a pattern that must be blindly followed like a flow chart. Some of it is instinct. Cito Gaston, was getting hammered by baseball purists and tacticians, yet he was able to get results from guys that other coaches could not.
Meanwhile, those of us who like Casey, sit quietly during the times our sub par team beats a top team, we don't shower him with praise for motivating young guys, for keeping the locker room humble, for egos not tripping over each other. While some 18 year old Oakville kid sees a sub that he disagrees with, and labels him a bad coach.
Sorry about the rant, but I am really worried that the fans are going to eventually fire Casey like they did Sam, and hurt my team. Jack is also looking like a slime bucket to me at this point.


text:
With the immense popularity of Apple and its bastion of fans that border on fanatical at times, there often comes an over scrutinizing of the company's moves.
In particular, over the past year there has been much speculation as to the state of Apple CEO Steve Jobs' health. Jobs went through a very private battle with typically deadly pancreatic cancer several years ago and appeared to recover and be looking healthy the last couple years. This year, however, some observers have opined that they think Jobs is looking sick and the disease may have reappeared and be worsening.
In an ironic twist one newspaper even printed Jobs' obituary. Apple has mostly refused to respond to these rumors, but when it has it has issued sharp denials that this is the case.
Given this background, when Mr. Jobs announced his decision to cancel his yearly keynote at the MacWorld trade show many jumped to the conclusion that the rumors were true and his illness was to blame.
Apple announced the development this week, revealing that Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will take Jobs' place and deliver the keynote at Macworld Expo in San Francisco on January 6th, 2009. In the past Mr. Jobs had always been on hand, typically to introduce new products; last year he had introduced the MacBook Air at the trade show's keynote address.
However, the real reason of Mr. Jobs exit appears to be more politics than health.
Trade shows' significance in the market has waned noticeably this year, partially due to the tough economy. The word from Apple came just after Adobe announced it would not be attending MacWorld anymore. With Belkin, Seagate, and Google also pulling out or downsizing their appearances, the fate of the show, according to some is at risk.
Along with the announcement that Mr. Jobs would not be there comes even more surprising news, which seems to verify that the cancellation was politics -- Apple will not exhibit at MacWorld next year. Apple cites an improved direct relationship with its customer through its website as negating the need for the show, stating:
Apple is reaching more people in more ways than ever before, so like many companies, trade shows have become a very minor part of how Apple reaches its customers. The increasing popularity of Apple's Retail Stores, which more than 3.5 million people visit every week, and the Apple.com website enable Apple to directly reach more than a hundred million customers around the world in innovative new ways.
By exiting MacWorld an independent show, Apple stands to gain a tighter control on its public platform, with control something Apple always yearns for.
Despite these turn of events MacWorld's organizer IDG says MacWorld 2010 is still on -- with or without Apple. It states that it "Look(s) forward to many successful years of Macworld to come."


text:
Here are some questions I received recently regarding VLAN tagging on the VIO server. My answers are shown in green.
"Hi Chris,
Q: I'm trying to understand when, where and why there would be the need to use 'mkvdev –vlan (etc.) on the VIOS, and I'm wondering whether you would be able to clarify this for me, please.
Is it necessary to add the VLAN tag devices to the SEA, or is it suffice to just have them defined within the Virtual Ethernet itself which is part of the SEA?"
A: It is suffice to simply define the VLAN ids assigned to the Virtual Ethernet adapters associated with the SEA.
"Q: For completeness, on the rare occasions I have done this, I have added the VLAN's to the Virtual Ethernet and also as VLAN devices on the VIOS (mkvdev –vlan etc.)"
A: mkvdev –vlan is not necessary, unless the VIOS needs to communicate with hosts on different VLANs i.e. you need an IP address on the VIOS for each VLAN. This does not mean the SEA will bridge this VLAN traffic for VIOCs.
"Q: The reason I started thinking of this is, is because one of our customers wants to add new VLAN's to their SEA, but they're not running Power7 hardware. Therefore, the online method would be to add a new Virtual Adapter which contains the new VLAN ID's to the VIOS using DLPAR, then use chdev –dev (etc.) on the SEA to include the new Virtual Ethernet."
A: Agreed. The "IBM PowerVM Virtualization Managing and Monitoring" Redbook states: "If your system doesn't support dynamic VLAN modifications and you are modifying the VLAN list of a virtual Ethernet adapter that is configured in a SEA with ha_mode enabled, the HMC will not allow you to reconfigure the list of VLANs on that interface. You will need to add an additional virtual Ethernet adapter and modify the virt_adapters list of the SEA, or modify the profile of both Virtual I/O Servers and re-activate both Virtual I/O Servers at the same time."
"Q: From the phone call I had, it would appear that the VLAN tags are included on the Virtual Ethernet device, but have not been added to the SEA by running mkvdev –vlan (etc. ) on the VIOS's. This leads me to assume that the 'mkvdev –vlan' is only required if there is a requirement to access the VIOS itself from a particular VLAN. Am I right, or is there something I'm not understanding? I'm unable to find documentation that explains the answer. Do you happen to know?"
A: That is also my understanding (based on my experience). On page 483 of the "IBM PowerVM Virtualization Introduction and Configuration" Redbook , it states: "The addition of VLAN interfaces to the SEA adapter is only necessary if the VIO Server itself needs to communicate on these VLANs".
"Q: Hi Chris,
We are trying to associate a new entX Virtual Ethernet Trunk Device to an existing SEA. The new device must be configured for VLAN tagging. The existing virtual Ethernet adapter that (is already associated with the SEA) is not configured for VLAN tagging. This device will remain associated to the SEA and continue to pass untagged packets to the already configured network.
Ultimately the configuration we want would be two entX devices associated with the existing SEA. One entX device is configured for notagged packets and the other entX device is configured for tagging.
How do we configured this?"
A: What you are trying to do should work:
Existing setup:
VIOC1 boot1 PVID 20 ---> VIOS1 ent3 PVID 20 ---> SEA ent5 ---> Physical Ethernet adapter connected to Network Switch Port PVID=X
VIOC1 boot2 PVID 21 ---> VIOS2 ent3 PVID 21 ---> SEA ent5 ---> Physical Ethernet adapter connected to Network Switch Port PVID=X
Proposed setup:
VIOC1 boot1 PVID 20 ---> VIOS1 ent3 PVID 20 ---> SEA ent5 ---> Physical Ethernet adapter connected to Network Switch Port PVID=X (NO CHANGE)
VIOC1 boot2 PVID 21 ---> VIOS2 ent3 PVID 21 ---> SEA ent5 ---> Physical Ethernet adapter connected to Network Switch Port PVID=X (NO CHANGE)
VIOC2 boot1 PVID 22 ---> VIOS1 ent6 PVID 92*, VID 22, 802.1Q ---> SEA ent5 ---> Physical Ethernet adapter connected to Network Switch Port PVID=X, VID=22 (NEW)
VIOC2 boot2 PVID 23 ---> VIOS2 ent6 PVID 93*, VID 23, 802.1Q ---> SEA ent5 ---> Physical Ethernet adapter connected to Network Switch Port PVID=X, VID=23 (NEW)
*The PVID can be any unused/throw away number. The new ent6 adapter would be configured similar to this:
Then you would run this command to associate the new ent6 with the existing SEA, ent5:
$ chdev -dev ent5 -attr virt_adapters=ent3,ent6
Have a look at the following sections of this Redbook:
3.2.3 Virtual I/O Server: Dynamically add or modify an existing adapter such that the required VLAN is listed in the 802.1q Additional VLAN fields (on POWER7 only).
3.2.2 Hardware Management Console: Dynamic VLAN modification in the GUI (on POWER7 only).
This document (by Anthony English) is also a very useful document relating to VLANs, SEAs and VIOS:
Reply: "hmm ok I see what you are saying, I will give it a go and tell you how it turns out...thanks. ok finally got around to testing using a VIOS at DR site. Created new virtual adapter PVID 55 and VID 888 (ent9) then added it to the existing SEA as shown below:
enabled Enable per-client accounting of network
ctl_chan ent6 Control Channel adapter for SEA failover True
gvrp no Enable GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) True
ha_mode auto High Availability Mode True
jumbo_frames no Enable Gigabit Ethernet Jumbo Frames True
large_receive no Enable receive TCP segment aggregation True
largesend 0 Enable Hardware Transmit TCP Resegmentation True
lldpsvc no Enable IEEE 802.1qbg services True
netaddr 0 Address to ping True
pvid 40 PVID to use for the SEA device True
pvid_adapter ent4 Default virtual adapter to use for non-VLAN-tagged packets True
qos_mode disabled N/A True
real_adapter ent2 Physical adapter associated with the SEA True
thread 1 Thread mode enabled (1) or disabled (0) True
virt_adapters ent4,ent9 List of virtual adapters associated with the SEA (comma separated) True
VLAN Ids :
Invalid VLAN ID Packets: 0
Port VLAN ID: 40
VLAN Tag IDs: None
Invalid VLAN ID Packets: 0
Port VLAN ID: 55
VLAN Tag IDs: 888
Invalid VLAN ID Packets: 0
Port VLAN ID: 91
VLAN Tag IDs: None
"So looks ok. Thanks for your help".


text:
At this point, it looks like the Gay deal is dead, Gasol is a total dud this year, and Cousins is staying put. I think one of the few plausible, realistic deal possibilities remaining for the Raps is the one below:
To Indiana: Bargnani and Calderon
To Toronto: Granger, Hansbrough, and Hansbrough
Why it works for Toronto: we get a potential stud SF, and he's only on contract through next season, at which point he'll be 31, T Ross should be ready, and Lowry will have to get re-upped. T Hansbrough brings a gritty presence off the bench at the PF spot.
Why it works for Indiana: they get help at the PG spot which they're looking for. They get an offensive big which they need. They are also very strong defensively already so they can hide Calderon and Bargnani's defensive deficiencies well. Indy needs more offense badly and both Jose and Bargs give them that in spades. Finally, they've got Jose's expiring contract which gives them flexibility moving forward.
I really think this trade helps both teams and I love it for the Raps.


text:
Golf shoes are an important element of golf that are often overlooked. Golf shoes provide you with the stabilization needed to execute proper golf shots. If you don't have the correct shoe for the style of golf you're playing, it can be detrimental to your game.
No matter what style of golf shoe you are looking for, you'll find it at GlobalGolf.com. We offer golf shoes from top manufacturers such as Adidas, ECCO, FootJoy, Nike, Oakley, Puma and many more.
Traditional golf shoes blend cutting-edge performance technology and flexibility with the look of a traditional golf shoe. These traditional golf shoes are available in a large selection of colors from an extensive array of manufacturers and are great for all types of conditions.
Spikeless golf shoes are a fashionable golf shoe designed to be worn on and off the golf course. These shoes are modern and trendy, which appeals to a broad range of golfers. The spikeless sole that gives these shoes their name is friendly for all surfaces including the golf course.
Sandals are designed to give you all-day breathability and comfort, while the spikes provide excellent traction on the golf course.
We also offer casual shoes at GlobalGolf.com. We are proud to carry the luxurious and sleek designs of Peter Millar and Zelli. These shoes are great for casual wear and provide maximum comfort in a loafer design.
GlobalGolf.com also carries a number of golf shoe accessories such as golf spikes, golf shoe bags, and shoe trees.


text:
Submit News
Apple is on Fire as it Reports Record Profits, iPhone, iPad Sales
Jason Mick
July 19, 2011 6:00 PM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
Apple's iPad almost doubled in year-to-year sales.
(Source: Macenstein)
Apple has the much-anticipated iCloud waiting in the pipe.
(Source: Apple)
The company is still struggling to find an appropriate successor to Mr. Jobs, though, in the face of the CEO's health problems. Reportedly, the company's directors are holding secret meetings behind the CEO's back.
(Source: AP Photo)
CEO Steve Jobs' health remains a major concern, yield secret succession meetings behind Mr. Jobs' back
Apple, Inc. (
) currently finds itself a contentious figure in the tech industry,
trying to bury
the industry's smart phone leader Google Inc. (
) in a sea of lawsuits [
]. Apple's critics will be swift to point to the fact that it's being outsold
over two-to-one
globally by Google. But such criticism are essentially moot in the face of the cold, hard fact that Apple is still crushingly profitable.
I. Jackpot Earnings
its fiscal quarter three 2011 (calendar Q2 2011) and yet again it's demolished the predictions of Wall Street's veteran analysts. The analysts predicted $24.92B USD in revenue; Apple posted $28.57B USD -- an incredible 81 percent year to year growth.
That growth rode on the shoulders of soaring device sales. The analysts predicted 16.5 million iPhones, 4.2 million Macs, and 7.8 million iPads sold and Apple delivered 20.34m iPhones, 3.95m Macs, and 9.25m iPads. The iPhone and iPad sales represent growth of 42 and 83 percent, respectively.
Apple also drew $7.31B USD in net profit, up an extraordinary 125 percent from last year. The sum is piled on Apple's
growing mound of surplus cash
CEO Steven P. Jobs cheered, "We're thrilled to deliver our best quarter ever, with revenue up 82 percent and profits up 125 percent. Right now, we're very focused and excited about bringing iOS 5 and iCloud to our users this fall."
The company continues to write its own playbook, namely showing that you don't have to be on top of every market you're in to be
one of the world's most profitable tech firms
. While Apple's handsets sales were short of its rivals' it boasted a far greater profit margin.
Apple's strong performance also shows that the company can convince millions to buy even
relatively dated hardware
, thanks to its
incredibly strong brand image
. Apple's newest phone is over a year old, yet it's managed a frenzied pace of sustained sales growth.
II. Apple's Near Term Outlook
Amid all the excitement about the earnings, it's important to take a step back and examine both the company's potential upsides and downsides in the near term.
Looking at the tablet market, Apple appears to still be firing on all cylinders. The company is still the market leader, with customers only slowly warming to the idea of Android tablets. Apple's iPad 2 is roughly on par with the Android competition in price and, for the most part, specs (though its allotment of DRAM is still a bit low). Apple looks to be growing fast enough to maintain a dominant position in this market for some time.
In the smart phone market, Apple's prospects are more mixed.
On the upside, its
recent victory
over HTC Corp. (
) illustrates U.S. courts may be willing to allow it to remove its Android competitors from the market. Further, it reportedly has two new handsets coming within the next year, with iPhone generation six development reportedly proceeding at an accelerated pace. Apple also is rumored to be looking forward with these next generation handsets to expanding to Deutsche Telekom AG's (
) T-Mobile USA and Sprint Nextel Corp. (
) -- gaining access to the final third of the friendly U.S. market. All of these factors add up to increased sales.
On the other hand, Apple's growth is still far slower than Android's globally. This is dangerous because Apple runs the risk of losing the war for developers, which in turn could slow Apple's growth while catalyzing Android's.
In the PC market, the 14 percent year-to-year growth was flatter than analysts predicted. And Apple continues to struggle in international sales, failing to crack the top six in PCs globally. Still, in the lucrative U.S. market Apple
is the biggest success story
, posting more growth than any other firm. And the company continues to move aggressively to bring down its costs, which should compound its growth.
Finally, turning to software, iTunes continues to dominate the market, though
antitrust clouds loom
. Speaking of clouds, the
iCloud is incoming
, which will offer customers the opportunity to trade their pirated tracks for high-quality lossless legal ones for a small monthly fee. That service goes a bit beyond what Google and other foes like Amazon.com, Inc. (
) are
offering up
, so it would be unsurprising to see a strong reception, particularly among the iPhone userbase.
III. The Big Question -- Steve Jobs
Probably the most serious questions for Apple investors boil down to a single man -- the company's co-founder, Mr. Jobs. Mr. Jobs is
ostensibly on medical leave
, though he remains CEO, continuing to direct company meetings, product development, media relations,
and more
The leave has stressed relations at Apple's tight-knit board of directors. The board, which has six members in addition to Mr. Jobs, has traditionally been viewed as Mr. Jobs' puppets, with all the members being hand picked by Mr. Jobs himself. However, a handful of directors are reportedly conducting a search for a successor, without the knowledge or the approval of the full board.
The meetings,
by sources of
The Wall Street Journal
, have been held for the past twelve years and ostensibly began due to Mr. Jobs' age. At the time Mr. Jobs was 44.
However, they took on a more serious tone in 2004 when Mr. Jobs was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer. While he was able to beat back the cancer, he again fell ill in 2009 when complications essentially destroyed his liver, forcing him
to get a transplant
. It is unclear what his latest medical issues entail, but it's troubling for the company.
Mr. Jobs is widely viewed as the glue that holds Apple together, ever-exacting in his demand for thinner, lighter, more attractive gadgets. At Apple Mr. Jobs has traditionally been
judge, jury, and executioner
-- no major decision was made without his approval. And from a pure financial perspective he's been brilliant, despite his controversial reputation among tech observers.
Reportedly, after the latest medical leave the directors approached the head of a major tech company, and several high-level executive recruiting agencies. The message seems clear -- Apple doesn't have a clear cut successor on the inside, so it's looking for an outside candidate when Mr. Jobs finally has to depart from his role.
Given Mr. Jobs relatively young age and uncertain health, no one knows exactly how soon that event may occur. But some at Apple clearly aren't will to be caught unprepared.
The meetings reportedly are conducted once yearly under the shroud of utmost secrecy. Recalls a source, "[Having a success plan is] best practice. Everybody in the room is sworn to secrecy as to what it [the succession] plan is."
The source said that Mr. Jobs eventual departure "is going to be traumatic" and comments that the successor will not be revealed until that happens, stating, "[the successor will be revealed only] when the CEO decides to retire or the board decides the CEO should not be the CEO anymore."
Mr. Jobs reportedly wrote
The Wall Street Journal
an email, seemingly blasting the secret meetings, commenting, "I think it's hogwash."
Clearly Mr. Jobs is loathe to relinquish his leadership role anytime soon. And even when he does, observers believe he has a four year or more roadmap in place to guide future product development.
The real uncertainty for Apple, thus, will likely come not when Mr. Jobs leaves, but several years thereafter, when the final trace of his command are washed away by time.
"We're Apple. We don't wear suits. We don't even own suits." -- Apple CEO Steve Jobs
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The purpose of screening is early diagnosis and treatment. Screening tests are administered to people without current symptoms, but who may be at high risk for certain diseases or conditions.
There are no current screening guidelines or tests for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: EBSCO Medical Review Board Mohei Abouzied, MD
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text:
Average industry glide paths "should reasonably meet the typical worker's spending needs in retirement."
Something of a hedge in confidence for a product that continues to generate controversy, but a report released Thursday from Morningstar details where target-date funds reside in their industry development.
The report, "Target-Date Series Research Paper: 2013 Industry Survey," finds target-date series have become "established fixtures in defined contribution plans: assets are rising, fees are falling, and performance reflects strong broad market trends."
It notes more target-date assets are shifting to passively managed investments, as both an underlying holding within a portfolio and as an overall investment approach. While 68% of target-date assets were in actively managed series as of Dec. 31, inflows to passively managed series—those that invest 80% or more in passively managed investments—surpassed flows into actively managed series for the first time for the 2012 calendar year.
Managers of target-date series have significantly increased allocations to non-U.S. equities. Since 2005, international stocks have risen from 24% of the average 2040 fund's equity allocation to 36%, as of Dec. 31. Emerging-market bond funds appeared in nine target-date series in 2008, compared with 18 in 2012.
"We found that target-date funds with significantly different asset allocations deliver similar retirement savings outcomes up to age 85," Josh Charlson, Morningstar's fund-of-funds strategist and the study's lead author, said in a statement. "And as the target-date industry matures, we see an increase in diversification of the underlying investments in terms of both fund strategy and geographical location."
Using Monte Carlo analysis, Morningstar tested the likelihood that investors will be able to successfully retire. The firm defined success as whether or not an investor's savings would last through retirement.
Additional findings include:
- Assets in target-date series crossed the $500 billion mark in the first quarter of 2013. While the industry's organic growth rate has slowed, its growth is still competitive with other broad mutual fund asset classes.
- Fees continue to fall, as the asset-weighted average expense ratio dropped to 0.91% in 2012 from 0.99% in 2011.
- The industry's market leaders—Vanguard, Fidelity and T. Rowe Price—still control about three-fourths of the industry's assets, despite impressive growth from some of the industry's smaller players.
Meanwhile, four target-date series shuttered in 2012: American Independence, Columbia, Oppenheimer and Goldman Sachs.
Check out Target-Date Funds Shrink in Number, but Popularity Is Growing on AdvisorOne.