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Business Analyst/Project Manager
- SGD150000 - SGD240000 per annum + Attractive
- Singapore
- Permanent, Full time
- Robert Walters (Singapore) Pte Ltd , EA Licence No: 03C5451
- 16 Oct 18
A top global bank is seeking a Business Analyst/Project Manager to join its financial markets team. This job is based in Singapore.
About the Business Analyst/Project Manager Role:
As a PM/Business Analyst within the Financial Markets Regulatory programme, you will be involved in critical regulatory projects, working in a dynamic global team with software engineers, business analysts, project managers, business stakeholders, operational partners and other technical experts globally.
Key Responsibilities:
- Deliver regulatory change to aggressive timelines with adherence to standards and active management of risk using the appropriate technologies and tools to time and within scope, escalating major blockages / changes to scope
- Perform in-depth analysis around requirements of the project and regulatory changes (regulatory platform projects including reporting and record-keeping).
- Participate in industry forums / calls and interpretation of new regulations or changes to existing regulations
- Manage relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders both internal (Legal, Compliance, other tech teams, Transaction Reporting teams) and external (DTCC, industry calls, regulators, etc.)
- Anticipate, identify and manage issues, risks and dependencies within work stream; set targets and be held accountable for achieving them
- Maintain best practice solutions and tools to improve / optimise work flow, identify opportunities for synergy and integration, and simplify complex processes
- Coordinate and manage the delivery of the project across FMO, IT and relevant FO teams
- Use appropriate tools such as JIRA, Confluence, etc. to ensure that project task management is clear and unambiguous
- Proactively engage, manage and build relationships with both technology (including vendors) and business stakeholders
- Ensure appropriate transition to the production support team and post go-live tasks for all deliveries
To succeed in this Business Analyst/Project Manager role, you should have prior post-trade transaction reporting experience with project management skills.
Key Requirements:
- Post-trade transaction reporting experience and familiarity with trade life cycle events in the FM space
- Seven to 10 years' experience in project delivery/business analysis roles preferably within regulatory change in a financial services institution or management consultancy
- Two to five years' project management experience on regulatory projects
- Strong business analysis skills including business case development, requirements gathering and documentation, process analysis and gap analysis
- Extensive knowledge of derivatives markets, regulatory environment, products, services, operations and systems in capital markets
- Experience delivering solutions with either in-house/vendor trade reporting and/or reconciliation systems
- Knowledge of OTC regulations such as Dodd Frank Reporting, EMIR, MAS, HKMA, MiFID1 reporting is highly desirable
- Experience working with senior level business/stakeholder and delivering high profile projects
- Experience in financial domain projects; Experience in investment banking projects will be ideal
- Experience of OTC products and trade life cycle aligned to industry best practice
- Ability to document functional solution designs of high quality with no ambiguity
- Ability to articulate requirements clearly by using graphic and workflow tools such as Visio, wireframe tools, etc.
- Ability to work proactively & independently and display initiative
- Pragmatic team player with an attention to detail
- Excellent communication and organisational skills with an ability to work effectively across departments and geographies
- Proactive and driven individual - independent thinker able to influence and motivate others
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- High level of proficiency in MS Office applications, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and VISIO
- PMP or Agile Scrum Master certifications will be viewed favourably
This is a leading banking institution that needs no introduction.
If you are driven and seek to advance your career with an industry leader, this Business Analyst/Project Manager role will be a good fit for you.
Apply today or contact me for a private discussion.
Robert Walters (Singapore) Pte Ltd
ROC No.: 199706961E | EA Licence No.: 03C5451
EA Registration No.: R1332085 Valerie Corera


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WEBINAR - Archives
Make PEACE with Marketing: 5 Steps to Create a Thriving Nutrition Practice with Miriam Zacharias
- Category: Webinar Archives
- Created on Friday, 09 October 2015
Announcements and Book Nook segment: 0:00 - 10:00
Miriam Zacharias Webinar presentation: 10:00 - 1:18:37
Feel confident in your ability to promote your practice by developing your personal brand with The PEACE Process, a 5-step marketing method developed by Miriam Zacharias being taught to holistic health practitioners online, in universities, and in live workshops across the country.
In this webinar, Miriam will walk you through each step of The PEACE Process, along with stories, examples and suggestions that you can bring into your work. By the end of the webinar, you will know exactly what steps you must take to grow your nutrition practice, along with the latest tactics in both on and offline marketing that are working in your field.
Whether you are a student or already in practice, the PEACE Process will meet you right where you are and prepare you for your next level of practice growth.
The first ten minutes of this webinar are dedicated to our "Book Nook" segment with Paula Bartholomy and Hawthorn graduate Rande Freedman, MS, NC reviewing Miriam's The PEACE Process.
Miriam G. Zacharias is on a mission to help holistic health care professionals build wildly successful and joy-filled practices.
She is the co-founder of the Prosperous Practitioner Summit, instructor at leading naturopathic and integrative medical schools and author of The PEACE Process, the ultimate marketing book for holistic, integrative and functional medicine practitioners. Miriam also consults with health industry leaders on her proven methods to attract new clients and patients.
After two decades as a sales and marketing executive in corporate America, Miriam obtained advanced degrees and certifications in holistic nutrition, executive coaching, and sports nutrition, and ran a thriving holistic nutrition practice in southern California. She is vice president of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals and board member of the Arizona Integrative Wellness Coalition. Learn more about Miriam's work by visiting http://www.miriamzacharias.com.
Hawthorn University students and graduates are also encouraged to join in on post-webinar discussions on the Hawthorn Forums. On your forum, just navigate to General Questions and Postings > Teleclasses and Webinars to post or join in on any discussions.
For a PDF copy of the slide presentation used in this webinar please email .

subset: commoncrawl


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My Friend, My Mentor: The Benefits of Peer Mentoring in the Workplace
I am one of the lucky few to have a best friend at work. My co-worker, and yes, best friend, and I have been able to develop our careers due to each other's support, guidance, and mentorship.
Of course not everyone has a best friend on the job, but there are extensive benefits to having a peer...
January 12, 2016 by Tory Paez


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A recent post by Giovanni Tiso starts to explore some options for people who feel this way. My contribution here is about clearly defining what is and isn't a dirty ratfucking smear.
The easy answer is that personal attacks are bad, mkay? In sporting parlance, we should attack the ball (i.e. the issue), not the player. But applying this simple test is not so easy, because two types of error are quite easy to sell and the culpable are usually pretty good at selling misinformation.
- False positives are when someone is wrongly accused of being a ratfucker. For example, it was common for National and its allies to describe Nicky Hager in these terms: he had orchestrated a smear campaign against the PM's integrity.
- False negatives are when actual ratfuckers are wrongly defended. Thus, Mr Slater is just someone who runs his own ship, Jason Ede talks to lots of bloggers, and Paul Henry's casual racism is just "saying what everyone thinks".
The false negatives can be fought in a straightforward way - provided evidence is available - but the false positives raise an extra conceptual issue. Sometimes, personal integrity is actually the issue. This was obviously the case with Judith Collins, and many consider it also applies to the PM.
In these cases, how can we simultaneously argue that personal attacks are bad and that person X has no integrity and is unfit for office? I think there are two options.
- Avoid the point. Don't say: "person X lacks integrity and must be fired". Say: "these Y cases involve serious errors by person X which collectively show that X is ill-suited for their current role".
- Refine the rules. When someone fails at their job, calling out that failure is a professional attack, not a personal one. For example, if the fullback is missing tackles we should say so, but her sexual preferences are irrelevant.
So I reckon we should continue to oppose personal attacks and be very clear about the distinction between personal and professional failures.


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For ages, people have been cooking with different types of herbs to add unique flavor to dishes. Studies now have shown that the health-promoting compounds in various herbs can play a key role in keeping illness and other health problems at bay. Instead of buying herbs from the market, you can grow them in your backyard, small kitchen garden or even indoors.
Herbs are among the best and easiest plants you can grow at home. It's cheaper than buying them and you'll have fresh, organic herbs handy whenever you need them.
Most herbs are rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and carminative properties. Also, gardening is a wonderful form of exercise that will keep you fit and a great hobby to help calm your mind.
Here are the top 10 medicinal herbs that you can grow at home.
1. Basil
Basil is a commonly used cooking herb with medicinal uses that you can easily grow in your kitchen garden.
Sow basil seeds in a warm, sunny place and provide water on a regular basis to retain moisture after the soil has warmed. Basil is very sensitive to cold, so to protect it you can keep it indoors or cover it with a sheet.
Medicinal properties: Basil has antioxidant, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. It also has nutrients like vitamins A, C and K, manganese, copper, calcium, iron, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.
Uses: Basil can be used to treat flatulence, lack of appetite, gas, nausea, cuts, scrapes, headaches, coughs, acne, kidney stones and more.
2. Parsley
When it comes to taste, parsley is one of the best options and you can easily grow this herb in your small garden area. Parsley prefers damp, well-drained soil and partial shade. It can also thrive in the sun, but the soil must be kept moist.
You can grow this herb outside in the ground or in large pots. It's helpful to feed it with organic fertilizer. Cover plants with a plastic sheet or move the pot to an indoor location to help it thrive in the winter.
Medicinal properties: Parsley is a good source of volatile oils, flavonoids and antioxidants. It also has many vital vitamins like C, B-12, K and A, along with folic acid.
Uses: Parsley is used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones, constipation, jaundice, gas, indigestion, colic, diabetes, coughs, asthma, osteoarthritis and high blood pressure. It is also used as an aphrodisiac and a breath freshener.
3. Mint
Mint grows in moist, shaded areas as well as in sunny locations. Keep it well-watered and use a weak liquid fertilizer. Consider growing mint plants in large sunken pots because they grow vigorously.
Medicinal properties: Mint has antioxidant, expectorant (promotes the clearance of mucus from the airways), diaphoretic (induces perspiration), digestive, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also rich in vitamins like A and C and contains manganese and iron.
Uses: Mint can be very useful in treating indigestion, vomiting, sore muscles, abdominal pain, heartburn, chest pain, irritable bowel, fever, headaches and bad breath.
4. Rosemary
Rosemary is a great herb to grow in your garden. It grows best in well-drained, sandy or gravelly soil and prefers neutral to alkaline conditions with average fertility. This herb loves basking in sunshine. It will not withstand water logging or frost.
Medicinal properties: It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, along with health-benefiting phytonutrients, essential fatty acids, anti-allergenic, astringent, diaphoretic and stimulant properties. It is also a good source of iron, calcium and vitamin B6.
Uses: This aromatic herb is often recommended in the treatment of headaches, colds, depression, gout, rheumatism, premature baldness, dandruff, indigestion, muscle pain and neuralgic conditions.
5. Sage
Another herb used for culinary as well as medicinal purposes is sage. You can grow it in well-drained, fertile soil where there is enough sunlight. During the winter, it can survive well in dry, indoor air, but it will need strong sun.
Medicinal properties: Sage is a natural stimulant, antibiotic, astringent, tonic and carminative. It also contains anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Plus, it contains a variety of volatile oils, flavonoids and vitamins A and K
Uses: Sage is used for treating loss of appetite, gas, stomach pain, heartburn, depression, cold sores, gum disease (gingivitis), painful periods, asthma and excessive sweating.
6. Thyme
Another herb that you should grow in your garden is thyme. You can easily grow it in dry, well-drained light soil with enough sunlight. It can grow in any climatic condition, but protect it from harsh winter weather with a covering.
Medicinal properties: Thyme is a powerful antioxidant, expectorant, as well as antiseptic and has antibacterial properties. It is also an excellent source of vitamins C and A, iron, manganese, copper and fiber.
Uses: Thyme can be used to treat coughs, congestion, indigestion, gas, mild diarrhea, infected toenails, acne, arthritis, sore throat and bronchitis.


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A prominent Pakistani journalist and human rights activist, Khurram Zaki, has been shot dead in Karachi.
Mr Zaki was dining in a restaurant in the city's north when suspects opened fire from motorbikes, reports say.
He was an editor of the website Let us Build Pakistan, which condemns sectarianism and is seen as promoting democratic and progressive values.
The spokesman for a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban has said they were behind the shooting.
He said they killed him because of his recent campaign against a cleric of the Red Mosque in Islamabad.
Mr Zaki and other campaigners had filed a court case charging Abdul Aziz with incitement to hatred and violence against the Shia minority.
The case was brought in response to the cleric's refusal to condemn attacks such as that on a school in Peshawar in 2014 in which 152 people, most of them schoolchildren, were killed.
Standing up to Lal Masjid
Zaki was last in the media limelight alongside activist Jibran Nasir in a campaign against Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz for inciting hatred against Shia Muslims. The campaigners had managed to get a case registered against Aziz.
In his complaint for registration of the case, Zaki had stated that Maulana Aziz and Jamia Hafsa-Lal Masjid released a video message in which the cleric attempted to incite sectarian hatred and violence against Shia Muslims by blaming them for leading the civil society campaign against him and Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa. Maulana Aziz also accused Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its officials of supporting and promoting a sectarian agenda by trying to concoct false and fabricated evidence against him. He specifically accused an unnamed serving brigadier in the agency, who he claimed belongs to the Shia sect, Zaki had added.
The activist's complaint further stated that such allegations were obvious and deliberate attempts from Aziz' side to malign and divide the national institution on sectarian lines, by fomenting sectarian hatred among the rank and file of the intelligence agency.
He went on to say that such attempts to scandalise ISI falls out of the fair perimetres of genuine academic criticism of the wrongdoings of any state institution as no evidence was put forward to support his allegations.
Rights activist Sabeen Mahmud, who was also gunned down in Karachi, had taken part in the protest against Lal Masjid as well.
'Killed by sectarian outfits'
A spokesperson of Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM) said that Khurram Zaki, 40, was not only a prominent civil society activist but also a religious scholar who tended to attend programmes on various TV channels.
The MWM spokesperson said they believed that banned sectarian outfits were involved in this gruesome murder.


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Check out Mikky Ekko and David Guetta's charitable new single, "One Voice."
What's better than hitting da clurrrrb for wild night?? Hitting da clurrrrb for a wild night to benefit a charity! Cue: David Guetta and Mikky Ekko's "One Voice," the musical accompaniment to Guetta's partnership with the U.N. that he wrote to support various charities and causes. (BTW, if "partying for a cause" were an acceptable day job, we would FULLY apply.)
Watch David Guetta's "One Voice" video featuring Mikky Ekko after the jump.
So how does it work? Super simple. All you've gotta do is tweet one of the many hashtags shown in Guetta and the "Stay" singer's clip, and the associated company will donate $1 toward charity! Global brands have sponsored different words featured throughout, and will donate every time said word is shared on social media. David, for example, has sponsored the word "#Love." To that we say: #LOVE #LOVE #LOVE #LOVE #LOVE
In the actual video, we're treated to a well-curated montage of visuals captured at some of the "Titanium" producer's wildest live shows, paired with images of people around the world receiving aid. "One Voice" really takes that whole "inspired music" concept to a whole new level, and we can't wait to get involved! Oh, and this may be the only time in history that we #advocate #for #excessive #hashtagging! #######!
+ Watch David Guetta's "One Voice" video featuring Mikky Ekko.
Photo credit: Virgin


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According to what we have heard, Samsung is gearing up to unveil the next Gear watch. This new Gear watch is reportedly being called Samsung Gear A and this will be Samsung's most exciting product to look forward to. According to a report, the rumor is also circulating that this new watch will be unveiled with Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
Samsung has confirmed that the new Gear will come with a round 360 x 360 resolution touch screen and this will also have a rotating functional dial or bezel. This rotating bezel will allow you to zoom in and zoom out across the OS.
According to the report of SamMobile, this new smartwatch will come with Tizen 2.3.1 OS, Exynos 3472 dual core processor with 768 MB of RAM and 4 GB of storage space and it will also feature 250 mAh battery. This watch will also have Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.1 for connectivity purpose. Its 360 x 360 resolution display will also depend on the rotating bezel for some special features. This smartwatch of Samsung will also have some sensors for heart rate monitoring, GPS navigation, gyro and barometer. We will know more about the Samsung Gear A on 13th August of this year.


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Gene Bartow, the legendary college basketball coach and a native of Browning, Missouri, who led the 1973 Tiger basketball team to the NCAA National Championship Game against UCLA, has lost his long battle against cancer. Bartow, age 81, died on January 3rd at his home in Birmingham, Alabama.
Renowned as one of college basketball's most outstanding coaches, Bartow will long be remembered as a "true gentleman" of the sport. One of the most legendary athletic figures in the city's history, Bartow and his Tiger basketball teams have long been recognized for helping relieve racial tensions in the Bluff City following the death of Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968.
"Gene Bartow was an outstanding basketball coach, an excellent administrator but more importantly, my friend," said University of Memphis Athletic Director R.C. Johnson. "He accomplished with ease and grace what we all strive to be and to do in this industry. Gene was my confidant and I will greatly miss my time and talks with him."
After coaching at Central Missouri State (1961-64) and Valparaiso (1964-70), Bartow came to then Memphis State University in the fall of 1970. He immediately set about re-establishing a Tiger basketball program that had struggled to a 6-20 record during the previous season.
Inheriting players like Larry Finch, Ronnie Robinson, Fred Horton and Don Holcomb, Bartow improved the Memphis team to 18-8 in his first season as head coach and was 21-7 in 1971-72. With the addition of Larry Kenon in 1972-73, Bartow's squad ran off a 14-game win streak during mid-season, won the Missouri Valley Championship, captured the NCAA Midwest Regional and found itself in the National Championship game against UCLA. Despite a strong effort, the Tigers fell to the Bruins, but earned the respect of the college basketball world as Bartow was named the National Coach of the Year. He completed his Memphis coaching career in 1974 with an overall record of 82-32.
After coaching stints at Illinois and UCLA, Bartow returned to the South and took the athletic reins at newly-founded UAB. Serving as head basketball coach for the Blazers for 18 seasons, he compiled an overall record of 366-203. He led the Blazers to the NIT in the program's second year of existence and followed that up with seven-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Sweet 16 in 1981 and the Elite Eight in 1982.
Bartow coached a total of 34 years at six universities. His overall record was 647-353, making him the 38th winningest coach in NCAA history.
Considered the "founding father" of UAB athletics, Bartow grew the intercollegiate sports program from its infancy into one that featured 17 sports and an annual operating budget that exceeded $8 million when he retired in 2000.
Not one to remain idle, Bartow returned to Memphis in 2001 to aid in the development of the NBA's local franchise, the Grizzlies, after the Vancouver franchise moved to the Bluff City that same year. He worked for 10 seasons with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, including four years in his role as president of Hoops, LP, which operates the Grizzlies and FedExForum arena.
One of the most loved and respected figures in Memphis and Birmingham sports history, Bartow was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and will be officially inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame on May 19, 2012. Bartow's TSHF induction plaque was presented to his son, Murray Bartow, by TSHF President, Dr. Bill Elmendorfer in October.
Coach Bartow and his wife, Ruth, had three children and seven grandchildren. His son, Murray, is the head coach at East Tennessee State University.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Copyright 1995 -
by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


text: Bowne Global Solutions expanded its worldwide testing services and integrated them with its localization services, letting global IT developers release fully tested products ready for immediate international deployment. "Pairing enhanced testing and localization services helps our customers bring their products to market quicker, with greater confidence," says Carl Glaeser, Bowne Global Solutions CEO and Bowne & Company senior vice president. "Our research shows that most companies simply underestimate localization requirements and the effort needed to bring products to international markets, tested and ready for global e-commerce." Bowne Global Solutions published its research in a white paper, "Global eCommerce: The Market, Challenges, and Opportunities," which is available at http://www.bowneglobal.com/wp012100. The company's testing expertise is based on comprehensive localization projects that feature major testing components, such as Microsoft Encarta, Office 2000, and Visual Studio; Microsoft Network; Lotus SmartSuite, Palm Pilot, and IBM Workpad; Novell NetWare; and Sun Solaris Easy Access Server and Solaris ISP Server. Besides expanding its testing laboratory in Spain and creating new labs in China and Slovakia, Bowne Global Solutions will enhance in-country, language-specific testing capabilities at its 15 facilities around the world.


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WARRENSBURG - In a pitching battle between sophomores, reining Adirondack League champions Lake George beat Warrensburg 7-1.
Warrior pitcher J.D. Jenkins struck out seven and allowed four hits in the game that is one step away from a goal that Lake George players have been eyeing since pre-season: a repeat league championship. Promising Burgher sophomore hurler John Joseph allowed four earned runs in the Monday game.
"I am absolutely amazed by our sophomore pitchers," Warrior Coach Erik Hoover said, noting that Jenkins is 3-0 and Jack Clark has 42 strikeouts this year in five games.
Jenkins had some help Monday from a teammate bearing the same moniker: J.D. DeWaard, who was 3-for-4 with three RBIs Cameron Jones also batted in three runs.
The Warrior team, experienced and tough with 11 seniors, had both stingy defense and productive offense from the elder crew. Senior Jake Nelson hit a triple and senior Toby Noble hit a double in the effort, and ace pitcher Peter Gaibrois finished up DeWaard's successful game, stepping in for the seventh inning.
And now, having wrapped up the Adirondack League west division title with a 12-1 league tally, the Warriors face Fort Ann Friday for the Adirondack League championship in a 4:15 p.m. game at Moreau Recreation field.
"We expect another epic battle," Hoover said, referring to the April matchup when Lake George beat Fort Ann 15-14. "We have to keep their bats quiet - We definitely aim to defend our crown Friday."
Hoover noted it will likely be difficult, as Fort Ann has recorded double-digit scores in 10 of their 13 games in 2009.
The Warriors have the talent, experience and pitching depth to accomplish their goal, however. Leading off the pitching roster is Peter Gaibrois, who's renowned for keeping hits to a minimum.
The Warrior firepower, however, is just as consequential. Consider leadoff batter Ryan Lynch, who's batting .418 and leading the team with 33 hits this season as of Monday. Then there's Jake Nelson, who's slugged 10 home runs for 2009, backed up with 24 RBIs and an overall batting average of .324. The remainder of the roster isn't far behind.
Burgher Coach Rex Reynolds said he was pleased with his team's performance Monday as they stayed competitive in this second matchup with the Warriors. The prior game with Lake George was a 27-0 blowout.
"We tightened up our play - our defense was better, and we keep their hitters off balance better than the first game with Lake George."
Kory Russell stepped up offensively three for three with one run scored. Kory hit three of the team's four hits.
Reynolds said sophomore pitcher John Joseph put a competent performance, mixing a good fastball, curveball and changeup well.
"Joseph did a nice job for us," Coach Rex Reynolds said. "He pitched a complete game and never got into serious trouble."
In the game, the odd-numbered innings were productive on offense for Lake George. In the first, third and fifth innings, Lake George scored two hits each, finishing off with one in the seventh.
The Burghers play Corinth on Wednesday. Although having recorded a 6-3 victory against Corinth several weeks ago, the Burghers will have a challenge as the Tomahawks' No. 1 pitcher Justin Millington was expected to be on the mound. Millington handed Lake George their only loss of the season May 6 in a four-hitter. That game is followed by a non-league contest at noon Saturday at East Field against Greenwich.
Next week is likely to include two games to provide a tune-up for the Sectional tournament, which begins May 28.
Lake George is expecting a bye for the first round of the Sectionals, but gearing up for the second.
Hoover said the team's success depends on keeping up the defensive abilities the team has developed in recent weeks.
"Our defense has vastly improved since the beginning of the season," he said. "If we want to achieve our goal of a deep run in Sectionals, it will be our defense that carries us."


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LEGO models my own creation MOCpages toys shop Dawn Conquest: Homecoming Castle
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Dawn Conquest: Homecoming
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About this creation
Through the dense vegetation of the forest a mysterious figure appears from beyond the cliffs. The young man moved briskly around each tree, careful not to make the slightest of sound.
He knew that they weren't far behind him, he would have to find a safe place soon. He had been on the move for 10 hours, running frantically through the forest. He sensed that he was getting closer, his heart pounded, and his stomach clenched.
The young man cleared the brush in front of him to reveal a small tower. He wiped the sweat from his palms and swallowed hard. With a nervous look he glanced behind him for the last time, he took a deep breath and pressed forward.
It had been years since the young man had laid foot on the cobbled path. He felt a tear run down his eye as he peered upon the tower. All of memories it held, the secrets which he would never know.
He paused momentarily to take a quick drink from the small pond. The water tasted like blood. A taste he hadn't tasted until today.
As a lad, the young man remembered the duties he was given. Each day he was to fill the baptismal fountain for the daily mass. He was then to collect herbs and exotic plants for his holy father. It had been 3 years since he had seen his holy father.
He stepped into the tower with pride. It was here that he first learned about religion. He was uncertain in which path he was to take, but it was here that he studied, learned, and believed. Darkness began to creep in around him, and a deep sense of uncertainly began to lure deep in this thoughts.
The young man stared into the night, and wondered what the future would hold for him. Had his holy father misjudged his destiny? The tower had once spared his life, it was his turn to return the favor. Echoing voices within the forest interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see the bright light of many torches. Certainly they had found him, quickly and frantically he made haste into the forest.
A new age was upon them, and through pain and death a hero must rise from the darkness. A hero who is fated to save the lives of thousands…
Dawn Conquest II: The Turn of Power
Add a comment
I like it
Sam Fisher
July 17, 2009
Nice but where did you put the first scene the running scene[or something].PLZ R&C [RATE AND COMMENT] MY CREATIONS TOO.
I like it
aksels putnins
July 16, 2009
Very cool! Could you please check out this moc
as it needs more comments
I made it
Dylan B
July 7, 2009
Quoting Chas Irish
Excellent job Dylan! What program did you use?
Corel Photo-Paint X4
I like it
Chas Irish
July 7, 2009
Excellent job Dylan! What program did you use?
I like it
Stuart Delahay
July 6, 2009
Very tidy build, cool effects and presentation and i'm intrigued to see more. Good stuff.
I like it
Tristan Amaya
July 4, 2009
Very cool I hope there will be a part two. good foliage and landscape
I like it
Aaron Banuelos
July 4, 2009
Nice story i love the effects and the story just makes it better although its too much like Kelso`s -Aaron
I like it
Lt. Colonel Ghostman
July 4, 2009
Never mind what I said about the music then.:)
I made it
Dylan B
July 4, 2009
Quoting Lt. Colonel Ghostman
Hey, the problem is fixed. Never mind about the comment I wrote in your last moc of brickworld this morning. Well written on the story line. And wow, very detailed environment. You know what you should add? Some music to this. That would make more intersting to read and have that as if you were there feeling. Well done. ~ Ghostman :)
I figured out that that is what caused the glitch, because their was music to this... but then I took it out.
I like it
Lt. Colonel Ghostman
July 4, 2009
Hey, the problem is fixed. Never mind about the comment I wrote in your last moc of brickworld this morning. Well written on the story line. And wow, very detailed environment. You know what you should add? Some music to this. That would make more intersting to read and have that as if you were there feeling. Well done. ~ Ghostman :)
I made it
Dylan B
July 4, 2009
Quoting Max Swartwout
but it's way too much like Kelso's "Apocalypsis: A Journey Inward".
I've been getting that lately, I was a little angry with this post because no more than hours after I had all of the pictures done I discovered the first Apocalypsis and the characters were completely similar. BUT I made sure to speak with Mark at Brickworld about what he might plan to do for future Apocalypsis MOCs and I absolutely made sure that the next installments of Dawn Conquest would have NO similarities to it whatsoever.
I like it
Max Swartwout
July 4, 2009
This is great, but it's way too much like Kelso's "Apocalypsis: A Journey Inward".
I like it
Sebeus I
July 4, 2009
Awesome, it strongly reminds me of Kelso's apocalypse, anyway, I see you're using a music box as well, you know, you can delete those links too, to make it completely invisible
I like it
Kaylee B.
July 3, 2009
WOW!!!!! This is really good!! I can really see that you put a lot of work into this!! I sure wish i could build like that. . . oh well maybe someday. But anyway I love the creation and i could really feel what the guy was saying. . . kinda. Well great job can't wait for #2!! -Kaylee :)
I like it
Seth N.
July 3, 2009
As I said before the tower may be lacking a little but the fountain and other small details make up for the tower. 5/5
Dylan B
to my
favorite builders
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The Silver Spring Thanksgiving Parade, officially named the Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade, kicks off the holiday season with a family friendly celebration in Downtown Silver Spring. The lineup includes giant balloons, a variety of floats and Santa's sleigh accompanied by reindeers and elves throwing candy canes to the crowd. The Washington Redskins Marching Band will participate in the parade, along with multiple high school marching bands, clowns, mounted police, costumed characters, fire engines, trained dogs, classic cars, and a variety of South American dancing groups.
ABC 7 Meteorologist Brian van de Graaff will serve as master of ceremonies. The parade will be held rain or shine and will be broadcast live on News Channel 8. The telecast will be repeated on Thanksgiving Day.
Date: November 18, 2017
Parade Start Time
10 a.m.
Parade Route
The parade begins at Ellsworth Drive and Veterans Place and proceeds South on Georgia Avenue, ending at Silver Spring Avenue. See a map of Silver Spring
Transportation and Parking
Parade organizers urge spectators to take Metro to the Silver Spring station.
The northbound lanes of Georgia Avenue, from East-West Highway to Colesville Road will close at 7 a.m. and re-open after the conclusion of the parade at about 1 p.m.
Free parking will be available in the public garages including the Wayne Avenue Garage, the Sligo Avenue Garage, and the Bonifant Street Garage next to the Metro. The Spring Street and Ellsworth Town Center garages are CLOSED that day. The public parking garage at Ellsworth Drive will close at 2 a.m. Saturday morning to accommodate the parade.
The Gateway Plaza lot at Colesville and Georgia Avenues will close at 7 a.m.
The parade is always looking for volunteers to be gingerbread men, elves, and pilgrims on floats or to lead balloons. The Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade is looking for volunteers, aged 10 and older, to hand out candy to the crowd, dress up in costume and ride on the floats, to act as unit leaders, and to be balloon handlers. The hours for volunteers are from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (volunteers need to be present the whole time) Volunteers meet at the Silver Spring Civic Building at One Veterans Place at Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street.
For more information, call (240) 777-6821.


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International Education Week - Learning Without Borders
Events for the 18th Annual International Education Week, celebrating the benefits of international education and global exchange.
Daily Events for the Week November 13-17, 2017
International Quiz
Take a Global IQ Quiz. The first two winners will receive a prize.
Time: All day
Location: International Center, E236
Foods of Many Nations
Try the cuisine of a different country each day.
Time: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Location: BHCC cafeteria
From the BHCC Archives
Browse photos, artifacts and other primary sources about visits by international delegates and educators to the college.
Location: Library and Learning Commons
Study Abroad Info Sessions
Stop by and learn about exciting opportunities to study in many countries around the world.
Time: Monday-Friday, 12-2 p.m.
Location: E-Lobby
International Tea Hour
Taste the tea from around the world.
Time: Monday/Wednesday 2-4 p.m.; Tuesday/Thursday 4-6 p.m.
Location: E-Lobby
One Community. One College. One World.
Participate in this interactive display that demonstrates how global learning unites us all.
Location: B-Lobby
Tuesday, November 14
Photo Contest Reception
See the work of BHCC photo contest winners as they accept their awards.
Time: 1 – 2 p.m.
Location: E-Lobby
Wednesday, November 15
The World as a Global Village
Community College Initiative (CCI) students host dance, games and a slideshow about the cultures of many different countries.
Time: 4 - 6 p.m.
Location: A300 Lobby
One World Cafe
Celebrate global culture by sampling the cuisines of many nations, with special presentations featuring art, books and music
Time: 5 - 6 p.m.
Location: B-Lobby
Drums of Many Nations
Participate in a community drum circle led by a local drum master
Time: 6 - 8 p.m.
Location: B-Lobby
Thursday, November 16
Difficult Dialogue with Jose Antonio Vargas: "Undocumented Residents, Unwanted Refugees and America's Values"
Engage with this undocumented immigrant, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and Social Justice Advocate as he discusses important issues facing our global citizenry.
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: A300 Auditorium
Talking Politics
Explore concepts of contemporary identity with BHCC faculty and fellow students.
Time: 5 - 6:30 p.m.
Location: B-Lobby
Friday, November 17
Study Abroad Info Session: Gilman Scholarship
Learn about scholarship opportunities that help you experience a new culture during your time at BHCC!
Time: 1 – 2:15 p.m.
Location: C202


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My recent weddings
See what I've been up to lately
Say hello!
T: 021 182 9257 // Hawke's Bay Photographer // E: [email protected] // I'd love to hear from you!
About me
Hawke's Bay Photographer // Photographer // Dad // Caffeineaholic // Beardy // Travel rules
I'm Michael, a Hawke's Bay Photographer who travels all over New Zealand for my photography. I love wedding photography as well as people, event and portrait photography. I also love music, design, web design, film, art and family. I'm also rather fond of cafe cappuccinos, maybe a bit too fond?
From when I was a little boy singing along to songs in the back seat of my parents car, to when I created a music fanzine with a photocopier, printer and scissors, to being a DJ on public radio late at night, to playing and writing music in rock'n'roll bands, to my semi-encyclopaedic knowledge of film, to my photography – art is what I have always come back to.
My photography style could be described as modern with an analogue, intimate, warm, film feel. I also incorporate some documentary style photography in my images to give the images an authenticity and 'realness'. I tend to shy away from posed shots, but will more tend to try and "see" and wait for those special moments to happen and capture them. I will also tend to try and capture genuine interaction between people, rather than have people focus on me, the camera and lens. I have found this helps even people who aren't normally comfortable in front of a camera relax. I believe that wedding photography should tell a story of your day, but I don't need to tell it for you – I am just present, watching, observant and present and I tell the story that happens before me with as much beauty as I can for each image.
I'm a full time Photographer and have been since December 2014, after relocating with my family from Auckland to Napier, Hawke's Bay. I limit my bookings to 25 per season and reach that number every season so that I can balance this job I love with my family life.
Got have any questions, or better still – want to book me? Get in contact with me here!


text: Xender is one of the most useful apps to quickly transfer apps, camera photos, music, video, files and other documents compare to Bluetooth & Wi-Fi. You can easily share documents or media files from android to android, android device to PC and android phone to iPhone using Xender app. Its …Read More »


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The tangled web of Boston politics is unraveling - with results that could seriously jeopardize the career of one of America's longest-serving mayors.
In recent weeks:
* The Boston Globe has reported that a federal grand jury, following leads from the state's Ethics Commission, is looking into a widespread ''cash laundering'' operation that tried to funnel up to $50,000 into four-term Mayor Kevin H. White's campaign chest.
* The US Department of Housing and Urban Development, charging misspending, has stripped $1.75 million from the city's $23 million annual community development block-grant. HUD officials are also probing charges that the city has mismanaged an additional $3.9 million in housing-program money.
* A federal grand jury has returned a 10-count indictment against the city's former budget director, William F. McNeill, charging him with fraudulently obtaining accident disability benefits from the city.
These latest developments come at the end of a year in which three other city employees have been convicted for bribery or extortion, and in which one of the mayor's political organizers had his disability pension revoked.
So far, no allegations have touched the mayor. But longtime observers see this as the strongest probe ever launched into the aura of corruption that many say has hovered around the White administration for years.
''He's been more illusive than the Scarlet Pimpernel,'' says one seasoned but apolitical observer, who sees these challenges as the most formidable the mayor has faced in his 15 years in office. Unlike previous attempts to investigate illegal operations within the mayor's political machinery, he says, this one is headed by ''a US district attorney who is really most serious about this.''
The Republican district attorney, William F. Weld, is accused by the Democratic mayor of pursuing a political vendetta. Mr. Weld takes a ''no comment'' approach, saying the matters are still under investigation.
The mayor, a charismatic and voluble Irishman often at his best when defending himself, has also lashed out at the Boston Globe. After supporting him for years, the paper wrote an editorial last July telling him it was ''time to leave gracefully'' rather than seek reelection in 1983.
The Globe, which last spring uncovered serious problems in the awarding of city retirement pensions, printed a story Dec. 17 suggesting the nature and extent of the current grand jury investigation. According to the story, a secret report by the Ethics Commission investigating a March 1981 birthday party planned for the mayor's wife, found ''evidence of possible cash laundering.''
Invitations to the party - which was canceled at the last minute - announced that guests could contribute to ''the Birthday Gift Committee.'' The Ethics Commission reportedly subpoenaed bank accounts from 75 of the 167 contributors - and in 64 cases found evidence that their contributions (many in the $500-$1,000 range) were simply pass-throughs of funds deposited in their accounts just before they wrote their checks for the party.
When the party was canceled, the mayor said all checks would be returned. Some accounts show that, after the returns, identical amounts of money were withdrawn - the inference being that the money was being passed back to its original source.
That original source may well be the major subject of grand jury investigation. Some observers and federal officials speculate that it may lie in funds illegally diverted from HUD grants. The commission reportedly found that one of the major fund-raisers was George Collatos, a former city employee now serving a federal prison term for extortion.
Many here say that the HUD recall and the retirement board issue - both of which could have arisen more from mismanagement than corruption - pale in comparison to the birthday-party investigation, which appears likely to grow increasingly far reaching.


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Bank Muscat widens network with new branch in Duqm
Over the past 32 years, Bank Muscat has achieved steady and significant growth to emerge as the leading financial institution in Oman. Setting new benchmarks, Bank Muscat offers the complete range of banking products and services through the network of branches across the length and breadth of Oman. The sophisticated banking experience stems from the right mix of traditional and electronic channels.


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new.yearseve.org » United Kingdom » West-Midlands » Wolverhampton
New Year's Eve in Wolverhampton in 2013/ 2013 - celebrating in Lady Wulfrun's town
Historically a part of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands, the city of Wolverhampton has a population of almost 240,000 people, with more than 250,000 in the wider Urban Area, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England. With the legend saying that the town was founded by a certain Lady Wulfrun in 985, it is the very place for tourists who want to spend New Year's Eve in Wolverhampton in 2012/ 2013.
Wolves, as it is commonly shortened by its inhabitants, owes its glamour not only to its long and intricate historical background. Tourists deciding to choose it as their New Year's Eve destination will marvel at its hosting one of the first all-weather horse-racing courses in the UK, as well as one of the oldest cycling clubs in the country with gorgeous cycling paths for eager tourists. St. Peter's Collegiate Church, Wightwick Manor or the Molineux Hotel are places well worth visiting by day, while at night visitors will not at all be disappointed by the city's busy and elegant venues, such as Wulfrun Hall or Little Civic. New Year's Eve in Wolverhampton in 2012/ 2013 will be a memorable experience.


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Why not make Content ID more accessible and transparent?
Much has been written about YouTube's Content ID program, a fingerprinting technology that allows rights holders to find and claim their music or movies when uploaded to YouTube. The technology was introduced in 2008 in the wake of Viacom's lawsuit against YouTube and since then has helped (some) creators mitigate the problem of piracy on the popular UGC (user-generated content) site.
Those who have access to the Content ID system can uploaded reference files and use a dashboard to choose how matches should be handled. They can be limited based on audio, video, and length. Matching content then can be blocked, removed, or monetized based on territorial rights.
I've written many pieces about what works and what doesn't when it comes to Content ID so I won't be redundant here, but this week I read some pieces which highlight some lingering issues that continue to limit the reach (and effectiveness) of this technology–most notably limited access and accountability.
Are audiobooks being ignored?
Author Ryan Holiday published a piece in The Observer asking, "When Will YouTube Deal With Its Audiobook and Podcast Piracy Problem?" He described how using search, he'd found the audio version of one of his books streaming, in full, on YouTube. The audio had been streamed 16,000 times. He observed, "It might not seem like a ton but the book had sold about 50,000 copies in audio—an additional 30% of that figure pirated it through a single video?"
Holiday goes on to repeat the oft-heard lament of filmmakers, musicians, et al who have found their pirated works streaming on YouTube. Like many of them, Holiday believes YouTube needs to make it easier for artists to protect their creations from this type of theft:
For its part, YouTube needs to get its act together and offer tools directly to publishers and authors. Audiobook piracy is real and clearly growing. The idea that songs and television and films all deserve protections from Content ID but authors don't is absurd.
Now, to be fair, it's not clear that Holiday himself has ever applied for Content ID access. It seems that the YouTube's language dissuaded him.
I can continue to file these claims as the author but since I'm not a major publisher with a "substantial body of original material," I can't participate in YouTube's Content ID personally.
If I were an author (or publisher) I would not hesitate to at least try to apply for a Content ID account. I had no difficulty being approved for a Content ID account in 2010 and only own the rights to two films, a feature and a documentary that I co-produced. The companies that distribute my film also have Content ID for their film catalogues.
According to YouTube, acceptance is based on:
…an evaluation of each applicant's actual need for the tools. Applicants must be able to provide evidence of the copyrighted content for which they control exclusive rights…Content ID applicants may be rejected if other tools better suit their needs
The key here is the last sentence. There's also Content Verification which seems to be another, higher tier of Content ID aimed at large companies. The other "tool" is simply sending a takedown via web form. That may be appropriate in very limited situations, but using it can be time-consuming and also requires a rights holder be proactive in searching for infringing content. Since Content ID does that work for you it's the key reason it should be made available on a much wider scale. As Holiday noted, one copy of his book was accessed thousands of times….shouldn't the onus be on YouTube to put a roadblock up to prevent infringement? Why should creators be required to be copyright cops too?
Lack of transparency has long been a flash point for musicians vs. YouTube
Frustration over YouTube's Content ID and monetization scheme was also at the core of a blog post by 5-time Grammy winner, musician Maria Schneider published on Music Tech Policy. Schneider has become a strong advocate for artists rights and attacks Content ID on a number of levels including skewering YouTube over its lack of transparency (a common complaint among many musicians) and for its apparent refusal to grant access to artists–even those like her–who are Grammy recipients.
Content ID is reserved for big record companies with big catalogues, and probably selected independent artists whom YouTube believes will make YouTube a heap of money…In the press, YouTube has fought back against the recent flood of criticism, saying that all rights-holders can access Content ID – that they can get it through "third-party vendors." These third party vendors often take between 20% to 50% of the revenue paid by YouTube—after YouTube takes its share.
I highly recommend reading Schneider's post for her account of how Content ID has failed her and other musicians. As a filmmaker, in terms of using Content ID simply to combat piracy, my experiences have differed, but I do share many of her overall concerns. Unfortunately, the fact she (and others) are apparently being denied direct access to Content ID tools is an ongoing issue that inflames the lingering, legitimate mistrust creators have with Google.
Does it really need to be this way?
In spite of years of ongoing complaints like these, neither Google nor YouTube seem really to have made a genuine effort to work with artists–instead preferring to stonewall or sidestep debate. When YouTube officials do comment, they often find themselves tangled up in webs of their own making, as was the case when musician Zoe Keating took them to task in a very public exchange. Why not work with creators to solve some of these problems instead of demonizing them? There are ways to find common ground if only the powers that be at Google would care to (really) listen.
Content ID could make it easier for creators of all stripes to ask permission instead of simply taking content
Moving the Content ID machinery out of the shadows could pay dividends in other ways–perhaps by helping bridge the divide in disputes over copyright. Maarten Zeinstra, an "advisor on copyright and technology" recently penned a thoughtful blog post proposing that YouTube's Content ID could become a useful tool for those who interested in utilizing content in legitimate ways. His piece, "YouTube should open up Content ID" was published this past May on the Dutch website, Kennisland. In it, Zeinstra noted:
YouTube should open up Content ID and make their register of rights holders publicly available...Let anyone be able to contact the rights owners of a certain clip or publicly contest that ownership. This creates an innovative new possibility in using content with permission or under copyright exceptions, and create legal certainty for copyright holders and remixers alike.
Now, I'm a tad skeptical as to what he means by "contest that ownership" but I'm open to the possibility that he's merely describing a middle ground. If someone wants to make a mashup video using clips from my film or segments of archival footage from my documentary they could use Content ID to find that I am the rightful owner of the footage and can ask permission. Personally, I support the idea of fair use but also appreciate the fact that one should ask permission. I did so with footage used in my documentary and was always met with a positive response. Perhaps opening up Content ID in this way could foster a new respect for the work of creators and support the idea of asking, and not simply taking.
Improving Content ID would be in everyone's best interests
Clearly, Google needs to do a much better job in providing access and accountability with its Content ID and monetization programs. Expand outreach to indie artists. Include them in discussions about how to improve Content ID. Update the interface to make it more intuitive and user-friendly. Open the books so that creators can see exactly how much revenue is earned and where it goes. Be innovative and use Content ID to open new avenues to legitimate use of copyrighted content.
There's little doubt that YouTube's Content ID is a powerful tool that's in dire need of an overhaul, both in terms of who uses it and how it's used. This technology could provide so much more than it now does–but the ball is in Google's court. I won't hold my breath waiting for something to change–but there's always hope isn't there?


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Della Reese, a longtime friend of Redd Foxx, appeared as herself in the fifth season episode "Della, Della, Della" (#5.7).
|Vital Information
|Delloresse Patricia
|July 6, 1931
|Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
|November 19, 2017(aged 86)
|California, U.S.
|Actress, Singer, Entertainer
|Years active:
Known for:
|role CBS-TV's The Royal Family with Redd Foxx and Touched By An Angel
|Family/Personal information
|Character/series involvement
|Appeared on/
Involved with:
|Sanford and Son
|Episodes appeared in:
|"Della, Della, Della" in Season 5
|Character(s) played:
Della Reese (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) appeared as herself in the Sanford and Son episode titled Della, Della, Della, (Season 5. episode #7).
Early yearsEdit
Reese was born Delloreese Patricia Early in the historic Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan to Nellie Mitchelle, a Native American Cherokee cook, and African American steelworker Richard Thaddeus Early[1][2] Delloreese's mother also had several older children, before her birth, all of whom did not live with her, hence, she lived as an only child.[3] At six years old, Reese began singing in church. From this experience, she became an avid gospel musi singer.
On weekends in the 1940s, she and her mother would go to the movies independently to watch the likes of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Lena Horne portray glamorous lives on screen. Afterwards, Reese would act out the scenes from the films. In 1944, she began her career directing the young people's choir, after she had nurtured acting plus her obvious musical talent. She was often chosen, on radio, as a regular singer.[4] At the age of thirteen, she was hired to sing with Mahalia Jackson's gospel group. Delloreese entered Detroit's popular Cass Technical High School (where she attended the same year as Edna Rae Gillooly, later known as Ellen Burstyn). She also continued with her touring with Jackson. With higher grades, she was the first in her family to graduate from high school in 1947, at only 15.
Afterwards, she formed her own gospel group, the Meditation Singers. However, due in part to the death of her mother, and her father's serious illness, Reese had to interrupt her schooling at Wayne State University to help support her family. Faithful to the memory of her mother, Deloreese also moved out of her father's house when she disapproved of him taking up with a new girlfriend. She then took on odd jobs, such as truck driver, dental receptionist, and even elevator operator, after 1949.
Performing in clubs, Early soon decided to shorten her name from "Delloreese Early" to "Della Reese".
Television guest appearances Edit
Reese has had a wide variety of guest-starring roles, beginning with an episode of the ABC-TV series The Mod Squad. This led to other roles such as: The Bold Ones: The New Doctors, Getting Together, NBC's Police Woman, McCloud,Petrocelli, Joe Forrester, and Police Story, ABC-TV's The Rookies, Sanford and Son with longtime friend Redd Foxx, Vega$, Insight, two episodes of The Love Boat. She also had a recurring role on It Takes Two opposite Richard Crenna and Patty Duke, three episodes of Crazy Like a Fox, four episodes of Charlie & Co. opposite Flip Wilson, 227 with best friend Marla Gibbs, MacGyver, Night Court, Dream On, Designing Women, Picket Fences, That's So Raven and The Young and the Restless. She also had a recurring role as Tess, on CBS's Promised Land with Wendy Phillips and Gerald McRaney, among many others.
Touched by an Angel Edit
After coping with the death of one of her best friends, Redd Foxx, in 1991, she was reluctant to play an older female lead in the inspirational television drama Touched by an Angel, but went ahead and auditioned for the role of "Tess". She wanted to have a one-shot agreement between CBS and producer Martha Williamson, but ordered more episodes. Reese was widely seen as a key component of the show's success.
Already starring on Touched by an Angel was the lesser-known Irish actress Roma Downey, who played the role of case worker Tess's angel/employee, Monica. In numerous interviews, there was an on- and off-screen chemistry between both Reese and Downey.
The character of Tess was the angelic supervisor who sent the other angels out on missions to help people redeem their lives and show them God's love, while at the same time, she was sassy and had a no-nonsense attitude. The show often featured a climactic monologue delivered by the angel Monica in which she reveals herself as an angel to a human with the words, "I am an angel sent by God to tell you that he loves you." The character of Tess was portrayed by Reese as down to earth, experienced, and direct.
Reese also sang the show's theme song, "Walk With You" and was featured prominently on the soundtrack album produced in conjunction with the show.
On November 19, 2017, Reese died at her home in California from type 2 diabetes at the age of 86.
- ↑ Reese Reese.html Della Reese biography at FilmReference.com
- ↑ Della Reese: Earning Her Wings, by Hilary de Vries for The New York Times, June 14, 1998, accessed 2009-12-27.
- ↑ [Della Reese Biography at www.biography.com]
- ↑ [Della Reese Biography at www.biography.com]


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Close to the airport, surrounded by amazing scenery and less visited than the other sides of Mauritius, the South Coast is a great destination with some amazing accommodation.
We have selected the finest South Coast Accommodation options for your consideration. Located amidst unspoilt South Coast scenery is the spectacular Shandrani Hotel Resort and Spa. This hotel is surrounded by a Marine Park, which means it has some of the best and most pristine diving reefs on Mauritius.
Le Telfair is a golf resort so if you want to try your hand at one of the island's finest golf courses, then this hotel will definitely suit you perfectly!
Of course our consultants will be able to tell you much more about these hotels, answer all your questions and help you choose the hotel that best suits your needs. So contact us now for assistance.
Le Telfair
Developed on the site of the former sugar estate of Bel Ombre, Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort adjoins one the most pristine stretches of beach on the island and exudes an atmosphere of elegance and romance.
Shandrani Hotel
One of the largest hotels in Mauritius, built on a private peninsula and set in 50 hectares of tropical gardens which are fringed by three private and unique beaches.
Lux Le Morne
Lux Le Morne is a luxury hotel with 149 rooms spread across the lush landscaped gardens with the magnificent Morne Peninsula in the foreground and turquoise lagoon and white sandy beach inviting you to swap your suit for swimwear!
The St. Regis Mauritius
A blend of traditional and modern styles combine to add an elegant flair to a naturally spectacular coastal environment. Guests can recline on sun beds under umbrellas on the beach or explore the endless glamorous attractions around the island resort.
Shanti Maurice
You will find this island paradise between the sugarcane fields and the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Shanti Maurice is the crème de la crème of Mauritian resorts and offers spacious luxury accommodation.
Call Us
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Hold on for dear life as three of the hottest contenders in the wild world of bull riding attempt to maintain their grips long enough to earn the coveted PBR World Champion title as documentary filmmaker John Hyams turns his lens on a treacherous sport where eight seconds can mean the difference between ultimate victory and crushing defeat. Justin McBride is a third-generation bull rider looking to keep the family tradition alive, Mike Lee is a...more
63 out of 100 Metascore®
Generally favorable reviews
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Movies.com, the ultimate source for everything movies, is your destination for new movie trailers, reviews, photos, times, tickets + more! Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at Movies.com.
Copyright © 2018 FANDANGO MOVIES.


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Reviewed by April D. (age 8)
I enjoyed this book because it is a loving story. It teaches you not to be afraid to do new things. If you are not by your parents, they still love you. My favorite part was when Chester gave a kissing hand to his mother, too. It reminds me of when I first came to school, but I wasn't that afraid.
I would recommend this book to children of all ages. It will help them try new things. The Kissing Hand reminds us that we are loved a lot!


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An iPhone case charger includes a battery pack that can give your iPhone an extra battery charge. If that sounds like something you could use in your daily life, read on to find out more about how to use one.
iPhone Case Charger: The Good
The strengths of a charger case should be fairly obvious: The extra battery pack is always nearby, and it provides a much-needed charge of life if your iPhone dies. The iPhone battery is not always a reliable animal – the more apps and features you have running in the background, the faster the battery fade. Some people are lucky to get a full working day's use from their smartphones.
The case charger can easily double the battery time that iPhones have, and without any additional pluggings or unpluggings. This makes case chargers particularly important for those who are planning to be away from chargers or outlets for some time. Perhaps people are planning on an overnight camping trip. Maybe a marketing executive will be out all day visiting clients. Possibly a student faces a full schedule of classes with no handy remotes near her chair. In these situations, the case charger can come to the rescue.
iPhone Case Charger: The Bad
Not all case chargers are created equal, and it can be difficult to tell what you're going to get until you actually experiment with your case and how it works. However, all of these built-in chargers do have a few things in common – for example, they are all at least a little heavier and bulkier than normal iPhone cases, which makes them more difficult to use and more tricky to fit into a pocket.
Prices are also worth a mention. You will have to pay more for a case that has a battery pack inside, usually a whole lot more than you would have to pay for a typical case. This is why trying the case in person, if possible, is so important.
Popular Case Chargers on the Market
- Incase Portable Power: This case has the advantage of being suggested by Apple itself (among other options). It uses one of the newer case features, which is a series of LED lights that show you the charging progress and other important information. It also has a high charge capacity. Plug this case in and get it to a full charge, and it will be able to fully charge your iPhone twice before it dies. The price is set at $79.95.
- mophie Case: This is another Apple-recommended iPhone charge case. Actually, mophie offers several cases for the latest iPhones, available in a few different colors. The amount of charge you get depends on the model you buy, varying from one charge to a charge-and-a-half. The exterior shell is hard and some models include impact protection. Prices vary from $99.95 to $149.95.
- Otter Resurgence Power Case: The Otter case holds one full charge for your iPhone, and comes with military-rated drop protection. It also has its own charge status LED system, and a feature that automatic stops charge when the phone battery is full to save as much power as possible. Plus, the Otter case has one of the more attract form factors in the charging case world. Prices start at $99.95.
- Prong PWR Case: This plastic case comes in two parts. One part is a normal, lightweight case that you can strap your phone into for traditional protection. The other part is charging pack with a pop-out plug so you can just plug it right into the wall when you want it to charge. The battery pack can be attached to the iPhone case when it's time to charge up. You don't get much protection, but this set-up could be more convenient for you. Prices vary but are around $100.
- Tylt Energi: This sliding power case offers 120% extra battery power available for charging. In many ways it's like the Otter case, with a similar modern black design and LED indicator lights on the back. But the Energi includes a soft surface layer for a more comfortable grip and, instead of general impact resistance, it uses an inner case with a raised Bezel to protect the screen. You can get one for $99.99.
Photo Credit: Carl Berkeley


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Starwood warns of data breach at 54 of its hotels2015-11-23 02:03 by Daniela
The luxury hotel chain Starwood has recently revealed that 54 of its hotels were infected with malware last year. Among the affected properties are the Sheraton, West and W in the United States and Canada.
The breach extended from March 2 to April 9 at the Sheraton Boston, March 2 to April 20 at the Westin Boston Waterfront and November 7, 2014, to April 20, 2015, at the Westin Waltham.
Target of the malware was the point of sale (POS) system in those hotels. Starwood claims that the infection did not affect its reservation system or the Starwood Preferred Guest membership system.
It is known that the malware was designed to collect credit and debit card information, such as card numbers, security codes, cardholder names, and expiration dates.
The company said in a statement that the infection has been successfully removed from its systems. It also added that there is no evidence that customer PINs or contact information were captured.
Read more -here-


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Annette Charles, who played Charlene "Cha Cha" DiGregorio in the 1978 hit movie Grease, died Wednesday night of cancer in her Los Angeles home, TMZ reported. She was 63.
Before the Paramount release, the Los Angeles native appeared in several TV series since an appearance on High Chaparral in 1968, including The Flying Nun, Gunsmoke, Mod Squad, Bonanza, Barnaby Jones and The Bionic Woman. Charles' last TV gig was on Magnum, P.I. in 1987.
CHARLES, Annette (Annette Cardona)
Born: 3/5/1948, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Dead: 8/3/2011, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
Annette Charles' westerns - actress:
The High Chaparral (TV) - 1968 (Jill)
Gunsmoke (TV) - 1970 (Rita)
Bonanza (TV) - 1972 (Carmen)
Centennial (TV) - 1978 (Senora Alvarez0


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Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Program Income FAQs
- What is program income? Is it all of the costs we charge to the political parties and local political subdivisions.
Not necessarily. Any revenues that can be attributed to HAVA-funded activities are considered program income. For example, fees collected by the county that are associated with the equipment, including usage fees, transportation costs, programming, etc. should be reported as program income.
Revenues that do not need to be reported include election services that would have been charged to a local entity whether or not that local entity leased, rented, or otherwise contracted for HAVA-supported goods or services (e.g., poll workers). When in doubt, report it!
- What is the difference between gross program income and net income?
Gross program income includes all fees collected by the county as a result of grant funded-activities. Net program income factors in the deduction of incidental costs incurred by the county to provide the goods or services (i.e., revenue less expenses).
- Why are we reporting gross program income instead of actual income retained by the county (net income)? Why should we report fees that were charged for actual expenses?
Although the SOS did get permission from the federal government to deduct incidental costs from gross program income, the SOS has determined that reporting gross program income requires less state and local resources and carries less risk?
- Can the state or federal government take the reported program income away from the county?
No. The legislature is statutorily prohibited from taking the funds, and the federal government has already stated in various communications, including a federal audit of Texas' administration of the HAVA funds, that the counties can retain the funding to further the objectives of HAVA.
- Are the grant funds we received from SOS considered program income?
- Why don't I have an option to report program income earned with Title I, Section 102 funds?
If your county did not use a punch card or lever voting system during the 2000 federal election, then you did not receive Title I, Section 102 funds and that portion of the program income reporting form is inactive for your county.
- What if additional funds beyond HAVA were used to acquire a HAVA-compliant voting system? Should program income earned from the non-HAVA portion be reported?
Ideally, counties should track which pieces of equipment were HAVA-funded that were leased, rented, or otherwise contracted for; however, we have told the federal government that many of the acquisitions and payment of the HAVA-compliant voting systems occurred retroactively, consistent with the provisions of HAVA. Consequently, it is feasible that some counties cannot reasonably determine which pieces of equipment were HAVA-funded and which were not.
Accordingly, those counties might apply a pro-rata share to each piece of equipment when calculating program income if records do not indicate which items were HAVA-funded. We believe this still properly accounts for the grant-attributable program income.
- Who reports the program income for the county?
The county financial officer (i.e., the county treasurer or auditor, depending on the county).
- Where is the program income reported?
Through the HAVA online grant system where the budgets for the voting system were entered and the HAVA funds were subsequently drawn down by the county.
- How long do we have to report program income?
Program income must be reported to the SOS on an annual basis until all of the HAVA funds have been expended by the state.
- When are the program income reports due?
The SOS will need all of the data submitted by the county no later than 30 days after the federal fiscal year end, which is September 30, each year until the state expends all of the HAVA funds.
- Should the 10% "general supervision fee" be reported as program income?
Yes. The percentage of the fees collected that are attributable to HAVA-funded activities should be applied to the general supervision fee that is collected, assuming the general supervision fee was applied to all of the charges. For example, if the county charged $100,000 in election-related fees and applied the 10% general supervision fee to the entire amount, and the HAVA-funded activities accounted for 80% of the $100,000, then $8,000 of the $10,000 general supervision fee should be considered program income.
- Who can I contact at the SOS if I have questions?
If you need assistance, or if you have questions, please contact Dan Glotzer at 512-463-9861 — we are here to help you, to answer questions, and to make this process as easy as possible.


text: So I'm having a few problems with my iPhone. About 30 hours ago, I dropped my phone into a full sink. It was immersed for probably one or two seconds. I made the mistake of trying to turn it on right away, and it started spazzing - i.e. the startup apple icon screen would come on repeatedly and for a while the screen was flickering. I looked online and followed people's advice of turning it off, letting the battery die, and leaving it in a cool place to dry. Since this morning the phone has been in a bag of rice drying off. I tried plugging it in tonight (impatiently) and to my delight the phone revived itself after charging for about half an hour. I synced it with my iTunes and sent one or two texts with no problems. But almost immediately my signal went down to no bars and I lost 3G connection. Since then, it was displaying "Searching..." at the top of the screen, and got bursts of connection enough to receive two texts. Literally I would turn my phone on and all the bars would be there, along with 3G, then within a few seconds no bars again. For the last while it's just said "No Service." I tried resetting the network settings to no avail, took the sim card out and cleaned it lightly with an eraser, nothing. When I go to "Carrier" under settings, it "searches" for, then finds (after a few minutes), my wireless network, but as soon as I leave the page my connection disappears again. My question is- does anyone know if water damage can cause this particular kind of problem? Even though my phone is working perfectly otherwise (besides a somewhat mottled, water-spotted screen), is it possible that something within the phone was damaged that will not allow me to get a connection? Or could it be the sim card that is damaged? Does anyone have any suggestions about how to solve this problem? any help would be appreciated. Thanks! sorry about the length of this!


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Sheehy Animal Hospital Recently Became a Cat Friendly Practice(December 07, 2017)
LIVONIA, Mich., Dec. 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As of November 2017, Sheehy Animal Hospital has officially become a Cat Friendly Practice. As part of the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), Sheehy Animal Hospital looks forward to providing quality care and a stress free environment for cat owners around the Livonia area.
As stated on their mission statement, "The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) is a professional organization representing feline practitioners who are passionate about the care of cats. The AAFP is dedicated to advancing the field of feline medicine and surgery by setting the standards of feline care through the publication of practice guidelines, position statements, and by providing continuing education."
By becoming part of the Cat Friend Practice program, the team at Sheehy Animal Hospital has undergone specialized training to work with cats and give them the proper nurture and care they deserve. Cats are unique individuals compared to their canine companions and by providing them a cat haven, the veterinary team is able to administer quality healthcare. Cat owners in the Livonia area can be confident that their cats will be cared for with the highest regard.
Dr. Sharon Sheehy states, "Sheehy Animal Hospital is a welcoming place for our four-legged friends who purr. The changes we've made allow us to accommodate felines in a more comfortable setting." This Livonia pet hospital has created an environment ideal for felines. These recent alterations to the hospital have positives for owners, cats and the staff.
Switching to a feline-friendly organization means our family members are more comfortable working with us than ever before. Creating an environment specially designed for cats makes our family members glad to bring their cats to us. Patients' families have a higher satisfaction when working with us.
About Sheehy Animal Hospital
Sheehy Animal Hospital is committed to educating clients on how to keep their pets healthy year round. The staff prides their selves on staying on top of the latest advances in veterinary medicine and technology. The Livonia pet hospital offers a range of services to feline and canines including: wellness exams, spay and neutering, vaccinations, dental care and much more. With their specialized training, you know your pet is going to get a thorough examination and an appropriate treatment plan. Learn more about Sheehy Animal Hospital by calling 248-615-7670 or visiting www.sheehyanimalhospital.com.
CONTACT: Contact:Sheehy Animal Hospital18790 Middlebelt RdLivonia, MI48152(248) 615-7670
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M. Goulandris Vacation Home
Kavouri, Attica, 1968-1971
Constantinos Decavallas (1925- )
This is a luxury vacation home designed skilfully
by architect Constantinos Decavallas. With its spare elegance and inventive
system of natural ventilation and lighting, it constitutes a late but
remarkable example of minimalist architecture. It is situated on the
Kavouri peninsula on a lot with a marked slope toward the sea. The beautiful
view of the Saronic Gulf was decisive in the selection of the site and
the northern orientation of the building.
The house is laid out on two levels. The ground floor is an independent
home with a clear-cut distinction of functions in two zones: auxiliary
spaces and primary living areas looking out over the sea, which are
joined together by the use of movable partitions. The lower level houses
the apartments of the children, the staff and the ancillary areas.
The horizontal element of the slab over the ground floor dominates the
elevations, and on the west side, is the feature of the wood fence which
also offers protection from the sun. The materials are bare concrete,
large window sashes and sliding wooden shutters.
Among the pioneering features of the time was the application of natural
air-conditioning systems and in particular the row of openable skylights
in the ground floor slab and the covering of the flat roof with a shallow
layer of water so that the building was cooled by evaporation and reflection.


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In recent months I got a new Fitbit (I've had one for a few years, but now have an all singing all dancing one!) and have hooked up on Facebook, email and friendsof friends to motivate myself to do more steps and basically not just sit all day when I work from home or at the weekend. It's working but I want to win challenges more.
If you don't have a Fitbit you are probably thinking "what challenges?" Well let me explain! Firstly on your Fitbit – you have your own personal goals but there is this whole other bit where you can challenge your contacts to see who does the most steps in a day, a weekend or a working week! Again sounds simple right – well no! My contacts must literally step every single waking moment! In a working week they are at like 140000 steps! Weekend challenges can be mental at like 60000 steps and I swear they must be just cheating somehow!
So I wake up pretty early regards of what day it is, going downstairs, feed Henry cat, open the back door and make coffee! Then come upstairs, shower, blow dry & straighten my hair, put make up on and then find outfit for the day! In this time I never used to wear my Fitbit! STUPID as you can do 1000 steps before work by wearing the Fitbit! Who knew! Some might ask why I don't wear it 24/7 as it tracks sleep, but my arms/hands go numb at the best of times (B12 deficiency) the Fitbit does not help this at night at all. With all these challenges I clearly clock up these steps now.
Another thing I do is before going to bed I have to make sure I have made my official goal a day (5000) and my unofficial goal (normally around 10000) Therefore I step on the spot before bed,or dance around my house! I can be exhausted and have the decision of steps and challenges or go to bed! Bed wins a lot to be fair!
This weekend I invited new Fitbit friends to do a day Fitbit challenge (daily showdown) and then my friend invited me to do a weekend warrior (2 day challenge) I went to legoland yesterday so totally thought it would be easy to win! NOPE – everyone just wants to win! Everyone ends up moving more! It is really good at making you move! But the good news is I did win yesterday – whoop! My feet hurt so much from walking all day but I still danced around the house to the Take That thing last night on the tele and today I still need to rock the steps to keep going in the weekend warrior! My friend has cancelled our walk this morning so I now need to motivate myself to go for a walk or the gym and then do some food shopping (you step quite a lot down those aisles) and as its a beaut of a day again the garden could get a quick look stupid or failing that it's too sunny – my sun lounger has my name written all over it!
Anyway the morale of the blog is get a step tracker it makes you move more!


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Last week, I attended the Illinois Pork Producers visioning session. Among lots of discussion on feed supply (i.e., will there be any?) and gestation stalls and HSUS, they shared this video. It was released last week, only then it featured Costco. This week, the link is updated and takes you to the same video, but with Wal-Mart's name instead of Costco's. According to the Associated Press, Mercy for Animals had been preparing to release the video, which was shot in a sow barn at Minnesota-based Christensen Farms, a Costco supplier. Costco then gave the group a letter it sent to its pork suppliers last Tuesday, urging a phase out of the crates by 2022. The group supplied the letter to the AP.
To recap: Costco caved, announced vague aspiration plans, and the video with their name in it went away.
I am loathe to share the link to this video and give them more clicks. More views. But farmers need to see it. They need to see what they're up against. Count how many times they say "Wal-Mart" in the course of four minutes. Look at the wording of the web address: http://walmartcruelty.com. Look at how easy it is to share this video with your friends on Facebook, to Tweet it, or to comment on Wal-Mart's Facebook page. Look how easily you can click on a Wal-Mart executive's picture and go directly to an online petition, courtesy of change.org. Look how friendly Bob Barker is.
This is a carefully orchestrated attack on a major brand. And it's not the first time. It's how HSUS and Mercy for Animals operate: they haven't been able to affect change through legislation (at least not yet), they haven't been able to affect change on each farm (PETA's tried and failed for years on that front), and they haven't been able to force packers to require stall-free pork. But they can go directly to the retailer. They can splash a brand name all over farm videos designed to horrify consumers, and in doing so, create a link in the consumer's consciousness between a major brand and animal cruelty. They can become the squeaky wheel that a corner-office CEO has to fix. And fix fast.
Montgomery County hog producer Phil Borgic, in our upcoming cover story on gestation stalls in Illinois, makes the point that the average CEO has to protect his brand. His brand is his profit, and his job is to return profit to shareholders. When HSUS attacks the brand, the CEO has to respond.
So he or she issues a vague, aspirational statement stating their intention to move to stall-free pork sometime in the future. Sometimes, they talk with their packer supplier first; sometimes they don't. HSUS marks it as a win.
This is what the pork industry is up against.
How will agriculture respond? I can tell you one thing: as I sat in that meeting, when the video reached the part where workers were slamming piglets – what the industry calls "blunt force trauma" – and I was squirming in my seat and imagining how my Chicago mom friends would react, the elderly gentleman next to me said, "But that's the most humane thing you can do!" That may well be true, but in that moment I've never been more utterly aware of the vast distance between a pork producer and a pork consumer. We'll never convince a consumer that's humane. That ship has sailed, and videos like this are the winds pushing it away.


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Name: Hassan Saleem
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Model: Accord
Year: 2004
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Congress' Disgraceful Disclosure Practices
After zooming way in on my computer, as far as I could make out, the line on the blurry, scanned document read "Gerrrin Lld (Kayman IS)."
The task? Seemingly simple: Review congressional personal financial disclosure documents to get a sense for if, when, or how Congress members might be using nonpublic information to boost their personal bottom lines.
As it turns out, the task was nowhere near as easy as I had expected. And it had nothing to do with the challenge of connecting trading activity to the possession of nonpublic knowledge.
As I twisted my head, squinted my eyes, and moved my face to within inches of the computer screen, the "rrr" started to look slightly more like just one "r" and an "m." What first looked like an "e" was really more of just an inkblot and so perhaps it was an "o," or... A-ha! Of course, it was Garmin, the navigation-device maker that moved its incorporation from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland in 2010.
So in March 2008, Rep. Vernon Buchanan, R-Fla., bought shares of Garmin. How much? Well, we don't know exactly. The disclosure form only requires him to say that it was somewhere between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of shares. Perhaps not an important distinction for millionaire lawmakers, but a relatively important issue for some poor schlub like me trying to analyze data.
Now, on to "Franklin El Co PV 10CT."
Each year, by no later than May 15, members of Congress are required to submit disclosure paperwork divulging certain aspects of their personal financial dealings, including assets owned, transactions made, and gifts received. It's possible to find scanned versions of the individual filings from the congressional websites, but for anyone wanting to avoid a .gov treasure hunt, the Center for Responsive Politics' website OpenSecrets.org has done a great job of making them all available in one easy-to-search location.
The idea behind these disclosures, as highlighted by the Senate Committee on Ethics, is:
The Public Financial Disclosure Report is used as a tool for the public to monitor possible conflicts of interest. This report also provides information that allows constituents to judge official conduct in light of possible financial conflicts with private holdings.
Unfortunately, when you start digging into the disclosures, it becomes painfully obvious that they provide more of a nod to disclosure than actual transparency. The system is loosey-goosey: Many aspects of the forms are ill-conceived, and the whole production lacks any real oversight.
Back to Buchanan (and I don't mean to pick on him in particular). In 2008, he filled out the personal financial disclosure paperwork, just as required by the House of Representatives. But the personal financial disclosure regimen is badly in need of overhaul.
Clear as mud
To be sure, some disclosure is better than no disclosure at all. However, there is a laundry list of problems with the current disclosure process that, in some cases, makes these disclosure forms just north of useless.
Let's take a look at a few of the most pressing issues.
Auditing? What auditing?Whether we're worried about legislators making honest mistakes or intentionally omitting transactions, there should be some audit associated with these disclosures. Currently, there's no such audit, so although lawmakers must sign off on the completeness of the form, nobody will ever be going back to make sure that these disclosures are complete and accurate.
Out of date from day one
As previously noted, Congress members file these disclosures once per year, on May 15. By the time the information is available to voters and the media, it is dated, and (in most cases) of limited practical use. Consider that corporate rules require transaction disclosures to be filed within days of the trade.
Was that $6 million or $19 million?
The current disclosure forms allow filers to record the value of their transactions only as ranges, such as $1,001 to $15,000, $100,001 to $250,000, or even $5,000,001 to $25,000,000. With ranges so wide that a Mack truck could easily glide through, the meaningfulness of the disclosure is seriously limited.
Let's be consistent
While there is a standard overall form for these disclosures, there are nevertheless significant inconsistencies:
- Asset names and tickers. When trying to make heads or tails of a Congress member's financial dealings, it's not always easy to properly identify the asset being referred to -- as in the case of "Gerrrin Lld." General Electric -- a widely held company in Congress -- and related assets were variously listed in filings as "Genl Elec Cap Corp Disc Comml Paper due 10/27/06," "CALL (GEW) GENERAL ELECTRIC CO / 3696049JA," "General Electric Co (stock)," "Put/GE @ 10 exp 1/21/12," "General Electric," "GENL ELECTRIC CO," "GENL ELEC CAP CORP NTS," and simply "GE," among many other permutations. For common stocks, ticker symbols are not required in the filings and are almost never included.
- Presentation. Some filers stick with the standardized form, while others fit the required information into their own format, whether creating a spreadsheet of their own or submitting copies of brokerage records.
- Dates. Some filers include every date that they bought or sold each asset, while some choose to stack multiple transaction dates into a single line. Others enter frequencies such as "bi-weekly" or "monthly" while still others simply enter opaque descriptors like "multiple," providing readers with no idea whatsoever about the timing of the transactions.
- Mode of completion. Surprisingly, some lawmakers appear to have unearthed typewriters to use in filling out these personal financial disclosures. More commonly, they have been done on a computer and then printed, but there is also a notable number that have been scrawled in often-illegible handwriting.
Welcome to the 21st century
These disclosures are submitted as paper filings, which only make it into the digital world as (often poorly) scanned documents. We are well into the 21st century, folks, and the digital realm is a well-established venue for submitting, housing, and displaying important documents like these. Accessing, reading, and searching these filings would be made considerably easier if they were originally submitted in digital form.
Wanted: better disclosure
We urge Congress to level the playing field. Make it illegal to trade on nonpublic information. But just as importantly, make significant changes to these disclosure forms so that the SEC, voters, and the media have the information necessary to be fully informed about our lawmakers' financial dealings.
At the time this article was published Fool contributorMatt Koppenhefferholds no position in any company mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy.
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