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The Morning Star Company: Self-Management at Work
Morning Star, a collection of affiliated companies, had grown steadily since 1970 when Chris Rufer, president and founder, started the business hauling tomatoes to processing plants in a truck. The company's main products continued to be tomato-based, including a 40% share in the tomato paste and diced tomato market in 2013. Different from traditional manufacturing companies, Morning Star relied on self-management to execute the work in any part of the organization. The company was built on individual freedom, with the expectation that employees would take responsibility for holding their peers accountable and address performance failures directly.
The case explores how the company can establish a compensation model that fairly compensates employees for their performance and provides a broad incentive to hold others accountable, while being consistent with self-management. This case includes color exhibits.
Keywords: Business or Company Management; Motivation and Incentives; Working Conditions; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Food; Management Practices and Processes; Compensation and Benefits; Manufacturing Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Citation:Gino, Francesca, Bradley R. Staats, Brian J. Hall, and Tiffany Y. Chang. "The Morning Star Company: Self-Management at Work." Harvard Business School Case 914-013, September 2013. (Revised June 2016.) View Details

subset: commoncrawl


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January 29th, 2009, wasn't your typical Thursday, at least not for me anyway. On this day, President Obama signed his first piece of legislation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Quite simply, this law makes it easier for women to effectively challenge unequal pay. This law struck a chord within me as not only a woman working in the male-dominated tech industry, but also as the soon-to-be-mother of a girl—who will undoubtedly face gender inequality at some point during her lifetime. When I began my career 16 years ago, I wanted to work in an environment that was committed to gender equality—especially given the widening gender gap in computer science in the past few decades.
As it stands now, women represent half of the US workforce, but we only hold 25 percent of tech and computer science jobs. This disparity means we have a tremendous opportunity and a great responsibility to raise a new generation of women in technology who think creatively, push the envelope, and who aren't afraid to take risks and impact the world around them (my now 6-year old daughter included.) After all, men and women fundamentally think differently, react to situations differently and vary greatly in their problem-solving techniques. This difference is a good thing, and I firmly believe that diversity in the workplace is essential to the success of any business.
For the past 16 years, I've had the pleasure of working for global professional services company, Accenture, which supports the vision of improving the way we work and live. This vision is about exploration, and two years ago I began exploring a new role within my company when we partnered with the non-profit organization Girls Who Code. Through our involvement with this important organization, we're helping to inspire, educate and equip young women with computing and professional skills that enable them to pursue technology careers. Our commitment to Girls Who Code reflects our belief that attracting, retaining and advancing women are all critical to being a high-performance and successful business. I couldn't agree more.
Taking on this new role felt like a natural next step for me. I saw it as a way to break down the barrier of the male-dominated tech field and help expose young women to computer science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). In college, I majored in computer information systems, and more than 90 percent of my classmates were men. Shortly after graduating, I started working full time as a programmer and was one of only a handful of women on my team. Clearly, this wasn't a field that was attracting a lot of females, and that's always been something I've wanted to change.
Tricia Barlow, joined by Chief Technology & Innovation Officer Paul Daugherty and Managing Director Stacey Jones, with the 2015 graduating class of the NY Accenture Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program
Fast-forward to today and the disparity between men and women in tech is still sharply measured. The U.S. Department of Labor says that by 2020, there will be 1.4 million computer specialist job openings. Yet it's expected that US universities will only produce enough qualified graduates to fill 29 percent of those jobs. And just how many of them will be women? This need for qualified workers is why organizations like Girls Who Code are vital. The opportunities for women to work in tech are boundless, and the more women we have working in the STEM fields, the more diverse, balanced and unique perspectives we will have contributing to today's workforce.
My involvement with Girls Who Code thus far has been incredibly rewarding. I've seen some amazing young women embrace computer science, learning to code (like I did at a young age) and beginning to break the mold of STEM as a male-dominated field. Plus, I'm continually amazed to hear the mixture of ideas among Girls Who Code students. During the last two weeks of one of the Accenture-sponsored Summer Immersion Programs this year, the girls got to design and code a final project on a subject matter of their choice. Most of them chose projects centered on social issues, such as the hazards and dangers of texting while driving, gender imbalance in office temperatures and finding affordable health care centers.
By 2020, Girls Who Code hopes to provide computer science education and exposure to one million young women. For our part, Accenture is hosting Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Programs this year in New York, Chicago and Atlanta. This will be our second time welcoming girls in our offices in New York and Chicago and the first time in Atlanta. This unique program offers young women seven weeks of skills training as well as exposure to real-world business expertise and mentorship opportunities. We're also supporting 15 Girls Who Code clubs in 11 states across the United States, in which more than 200 girls have participated.
Girls Who Code is an amazingly successful movement for the same reason that motivated me to study computer information systems in college—because I believe that a broader female perspective provides the necessary balance and diversity we need in our current work culture to improve our lives. Through our partnership with Girls Who Code, we hope to inspire and guide more young women to become technology leaders and secure jobs in this creative and rewarding field. I can't wait to tell my daughter about it.


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To find your nearest store visit www.bathstore.com
The Alpine Duo 420 floor standing corner vanity unit has a clever space saving design for those awkwardly shaped cloakrooms or bathrooms. The unit is diamond shaped, with a dimension of 425mm along each wall. It stands 850mm high (vanity unit is 770mm and basin is 80mm). The dimension from the corner to the front of the basin is 450mm.
Features and benefits
Want to know more?
The one tap hole is positioned in the center of the basin. The basin incorporates an overflow (therefore requires a slotted basin waste).
The vanity unit is floor mounted and thus suitable for use with all types of walls (including plaster board walls). This foil wrapped unit has a gloss white finish and a grey interior finish that helps prevent marks. The vanity unit doors have soft-close hinges.
The basin is made from high gloss polymarble (the most commonly used material for high quality furniture mounted basins in continental Europe and North America) to achieve a sharp look that is critical in this type of design.
The basin is mounted on a vanity cabinet made of moisture resistant sprayed wood that is harvested from sustainable forests.
This unit has a gloss grey finish and a grey interior finish that helps prevent marks.
The Alpine unit provides a very modern look whilst offering crucial storage space.
The unit comes flat packed for assembly on site.
It includes a single internal shelf to help organise your toiletries.
What's included
1 x Vanity unit
2 x Soft-close doors
1 x Polymarble basin
1 x Instruction booklet
Not included
Slotted basin waste
(click 'Add to Basket' to view add-ons)
|Fittings included
|Internal shelves
|Product code
|Height (mm)
|Width (mm)
|Depth (mm)
|Lacquered MDF
|Instructions included
|Mounting type
|Floor standing
We never want to keep you waiting. That's why we hold most of our stock in the UK so we can deliver on a day and at a time that suits you.
Choose the delivery date to suit you
Choose your preferred delivery date up to 21 days in advance
NEXT day delivery from only £10*
Next day delivery available on small items if order placed before 3pm**
**If you order online on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday before 3pm, we deliver to you the following Monday
Returns policy for non-faulty products
Where product(s) have not been installed and you are unhappy with the product(s), for whatever reason, you should contact us within 14 days from the date on which the product(s) were received.
For Terms & Conditions, click here >>
If there's a fault with the product
In the unlikely event that you encounter a problem with a bathstore product, please contact us.


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Below I give you the Shaidy Advice Guides to the first boss in Mogushan Vaults! This guide, as always, is a fairly unique style and assume you know the basics of the encounter. If you have suggestions or ways they might be more useful to you let me know!
The Stone Guard
As always, you can watch our raids live, Tues/Wed from 8-12 EST at twitch.tv/shaidyadvice


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Castro hits 2-run homer, RBI double to lead Astros
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) Jason Castro hit a two-run homer and an RBI double, leading the Houston Astros to a 10-9 victory over a Washington Nationals split-squad Wednesday.
Castro connected off Nationals starter Tanner Roark for his second home run of spring training.
Roark, bidding for the fifth spot in the Nationals' rotation, gave up three hits and three runs over 3 1-3 innings of his second start.
Will Rhymes had three hits and scored twice for the Nationals, and Mike Fontenot drove in three runs.
Houston starter Jerome Williams gave up six hits and four unearned runs in 3 2-3 innings.
In their first game using instant replay, the Nationals came out on the losing end of two challenges.
Manager Matt Williams challenged an out call at first base that was upheld in the sixth.
"If it's close, we have to practice coordination of (the system) and all that stuff," Williams explained. "We didn't know whether we'd get a chance to even get to one in the game, so we were going to go out on the first close one and practice."
Roark had some misgivings about the system.
"I'm skeptical about it. I think it's going to slow down the momentum greatly, of a pitcher, of a ballclub," said Roark, who was out of the game before the challenges occurred. "We'll see how it goes. I mean, I want the calls to be right, but it's just baseball. You can't get everything correct. Everybody makes mistakes."
Astros manager Bo Porter successfully challenged a call in the seventh, giving Delino DeShields an infield single.
Nationals: Roark, who started five of the 14 games he appeared in as a rookie, is bidding for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. "I want to make the team very badly, and however I can help out the team, I will," he said.
Astros: The 32-year-old Jerome Williams, who started 25 games for the Angels last season, doesn't know whether he will get another start. "I'm just playing it by ear," he said. "Whenever they tell me I'm pitching, I'm pitching."
Ian Desmond was a late scratch from the Washington lineup after a pregame grounder cut the pinky finger of his right hand. He might miss a game or two, Matt Williams said. Jamey Carroll replaced him at shortstop.


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This feed is from the NEW There's Something About Harry Website at Something-About-Harry.com
Kicking Off My Izea Insider Team! TheLiveWriterz
Nov 20, 2008
This week I learned that I was selected as one of the Izea Insiders. You may recall that played for this program a couple weeks ago utilizing a very long-winded article that I've room with Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 10. You could kind of consider that articles not just an application into the program, but a bit of my thesis on where I've been and where I'm going in the world of social media and blogging in general.
Well I've been picked for the program, and now it's time to let the rubber meet the road. I'm still waiting f. or a number of details myself, but while those details are coming in, I'm moving forward. To start with, I set up a Facebook group for my new IZEA insider team. (Friend me on Facebook and I can send you a group invite or search for TheLiveWriterz )
I have also set up a group on Utterli to enabled people to join up with my team the ability to communicate with myself and everyone else. I have been active at Utterli for over a year now, and find it to be a great place to help people communicate with each other, no matter if they are on a computer in an office, or traveling about the country.
Among other things, Utterli is a fantastic blogging tool. For this reason, I'm also an utterly evangelist, and a former Utterli ambassador. With the group that I'm going to set up, I'm going to help the people in the group benefit from all of the experience and tools that I've learned how to utilize to good effect over the last few years. I'm also hoping to learn many more things for the people in the group and cross pollinate all those good ideas amongst us.
The primary goal here is to strengthen the blogosphere. To give bloggers new skills and new purpose. I want to help people deal to generate better content, be more creative, and earn a very good living doing it. :-)
So if you are interested in joining up with my team, or with one of the themes of the other IZEA insiders, drop me a comment, or send me an e-mail, or stopover at Utterli and talk to me there. We've got a lot of work to do, but it's going to be a lot of fun too.
Oh and did I mention that we're going to make a lot of money as well?
First things first, let's get organized, and improve the quality our content and our blogs and the rest will follow! :)
I just finished putting together an initial custom theme for the new site, and getting the site itself up and running. :)
You can check it out http://thelivewriterz.com/
Related Concepts TheLiveWriterz


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The Obama administration has been criticized since it took office for putting realist foreign-policy goals ahead of more idealistic principles such as democracy and human rights. Now a bipartisan national commission finds President Obama wanting when it comes to defending and promoting global religious freedom, as well.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) used the occasion of its annual report unveiled Thursday to question the Obama administration's commitment to worldwide religious freedom. This year's report – which named 13 countries including China, Iraq, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia as serious violators of religious freedom – had stinging words for the US government, saying the place for religious freedom in US foreign policy "seems to shrink year after year for the White House and the State Department."
The USCIRF was created by Congress in 1998 as part of a broader effort to require the government to include religious freedom in its foreign-policy goals. One feature of the 1998 legislation was creation of an ambassador-at-large for religious freedom – a post Obama has yet to fill, as the commission annual report notes.
In addition, commission chairman Leonard Leo says the shrinking importance of religious freedom can be seen in the Obama administration's evolving rhetoric on the issue. Whereas Mr. Obama came into office speaking of "freedom of religion," Mr. Leo says, the president more recently has opted for speaking about "freedom of worship," which the USCIRF chairman says has a more limited connotation.
"Freedom of religion" is more broadly understood as a universal right and more specific in its referral to religions than is the more ephemeral phrase "freedom of worship," some religious experts say.
Critics say Obama's recent preference for "worship" raises doubts about the administration's determination to aggressively press for the rights of religious minorities in "friendly" countries such as Iraq, Egypt, and Pakistan – all of which receive billions of dollars in US aid. The president referred to "freedom of worship," for example, during his Asia trip last fall, when he was castigated by rights groups for downplaying the issue of religious freedom in China and the status of the Dalai Lama.
White House officials reject suggestions that Obama is playing down religious freedom in his foreign-policy aims. They note, as does the USCIRF report, that he spoke about "freedom of religion" in both his Cairo speech and his Ankara speech in 2009.
Of the 13 countries the commission's report cites for "egregious" violations of religious freedom, eight are holdovers from last year and five are new to the list. The report recommends that the State Department newly designate Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Vietnam as violators. The eight it says should be "redesignated" are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan.
The commission highlights the deterioration of religious freedom it says it witnessed in Nigeria over three fact-finding trips there in 2009. The report concludes that a wave of sectarian violence intensified over the past year, but that not one perpetrator of the Christian-Muslim violence has been brought to justice.
It also focuses on the plight of China's Uighur Muslims, chronicling what it says are China's repressive policies designed to "crush Uighur rights to religious education and to appoint their own religious leaders."


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Bottle of Fennings' Fever Mixture, England, 1950-1960
One wineglassful of the clear 'Fennings' Fever Mixture' was recommended to be drunk by adults to help ease fevers; young children drank a quarter of a glassful. This particular bottle originally cost 1shilling and sixpence. Alfred Fennings (d. 1900) opened his first shop in 1840 in London and produced a large and popular range of 'over the counter' treatments. On his death, trustees took over running the business and the profits went to a children's charity. Among some of Fennings earlier products were 'cures' for diseases such as cholera. As with all such products, some treatments were more effective than others.
Object number:
Related Themes and Topics
Related Objects
There are 823 related objects. View all related objects
Glossary: Fennings' product
Alfred Fennings opened a pharmacy in London in 1840 which sold treatments for serious illnesses. A 'Fennings product' is from this company, which distributed its wares across Britain.
Glossary: fever
A rise in body temperature above normal. Fever usually occurs as a natural response to infection.


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Politics & Government
Obama hits the road to tout a tax-cut plan Republicans seem to like
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama jets to Scranton, Pa., on Wednesday to ramp up pressure on Congress to extend and perhaps expand a payroll tax cut for another year — a move that Senate Republicans suggested Tuesday could happen, at least the extension.
Last year, Obama and Congress agreed to cut the payroll tax paid by workers for Social Security by 2 percentage points, to 4.2 percent. Obama now wants to extend that another year — and even expand it so that workers would pay only 3.1 percent tax on their wages up to $106,800. If Congress doesn't act however, the 2-point tax cut ends Dec. 31, effectively raising taxes on workers.
The tax cut extension is a major part of Obama's $447 billion job creation package, and White House officials said he plans to champion it aggressively in the few weeks that Congress has remaining until it recesses for Christmas.
"If Congress refuses to act — then middle-class families are going to get hit with a tax increase at the worst possible time," Obama said last week in Manchester, N.H. "The question they'll have to answer when they get back from Thanksgiving is this: Are they really willing to break their oath to never raise taxes, and raise taxes on the middle class just to play politics?"
The White House has put a tax calculator on its whitehouse.gov webpage, allowing visitors to run the calculations themselves and warning that "if Congress doesn't act, middle class taxes will go up."
Alan Krueger, chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, told reporters Tuesday that the tax break would come at a time when "the economy can use more medicine to strengthen and sustain the recovery."
He argued that if the tax cut is not extended, a family making $50,000 would face a $1,000 tax increase starting in January, and that economists from "across the spectrum" have suggested that allowing the tax cut to expire "could pose a severe drag for growth going forward."
Though most of Obama's jobs package has been panned by congressional Republicans, there were signs Tuesday that Congress eventually may approve continuing the 2 percentage point payroll tax cut, though probably not expanding it to 3.1 percent.
"In all likelihood we will agree to continue the current payroll tax relief for another year," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said. But he cautioned, "We believe that it should be paid for."
That stipulation is sparking all sorts of political maneuvering. The Senate is likely to vote on the tax cut later this week, and both Democratic and Republican alternatives are likely to fail on party-line votes.
How to pay for the cut rather than have it swell the $909 billion deficit that the White House projects for fiscal 2012 is what's holding things up.
Senate Democrats want to fund the extension with a 3.25 percent surtax on millionaires, a proposal that Republicans have rejected over and over again — and plan to defeat again.
The millionaire tax is "a permanent tax increase on many small businesses," McConnell said.
A vote could come as soon as Thursday.
In the House of Representatives, Republicans, who control the chamber, are also in no mood for the millionaires' surtax. "It simply does not make sense to extend the payroll tax cut by raising taxes on American job creators," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
"We told the president in September that we stand ready to have an honest and fruitful discussion with him regarding the payroll tax extension, and that invitation stands," he added.
Republicans plan to devise an alternative way of paying for the payroll tax increase, but they have not yet announced their plans. The GOP, though, has all but ruled out Obama's proposal to reduce the rates to 3.1 percent.
"I'd be surprised if there was sentiment for that on our side," said Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairman John Thune, R-S.D.
Both sides see political gain from their current positions.
"It's hard to imagine Republicans being more out of step with the American people than they are right now," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "Americans want us to cut taxes for the middle class and ask millionaires to pay their fair share."
Reid, however, would not rule out increasing the federal deficit rather than taxing millionaires to pay for the tax cut — though Republicans are unlikely to embrace that approach, either.
Though Obama has insisted that his jobs package would be fully paid for, White House spokesman Jay Carney refused to say Tuesday whether Obama would sign a tax cut extension that isn't paid for.
"We don't know what the end game is yet," Carney said. "And there is no value in this process or ultimately for the American people who want and deserve this tax cut to negotiate an end game here before we've even had a vote."
2011 Social Security tax rate and maximum taxable earnings
The White House payroll tax calculator
Partisan divisions prevent Congress from passing jobs bills
Obama hits the road in two key states


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Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The May Carnival of Pen, Pencil & Paper Has Arrived!
Goldspot Pens knows there are all sorts of pen collectors out there, and they want to hear from everyone about their collections: How Do You Collect Pens?
DianeB, of Pocket Blonde, submits an article from 777 Pen Repair which compares the Lamy Safari to the Esterbrook J.
From the Desk of Janet Barclay presents the article Papermate Produces My Favorite Pen.
Rants of the Archer has this article on the Quiver Pen Holder.
Julie (O-kami), of Whatever, presents the Pelikan 140.
Seize the Dave presents a review of Noodler's Dragon's Napalm as well as a review of Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses.
Inkophile loads up a Platinum Preppy with Noodler's Bay State Blue.
Paper & Notebooks:
The Pen Addict reviews the Levenger 4x6 Note Cards. I haven't tried any Levenger products yet. Does anyone have any other feedback on these?
Peaceable Writer presents this great article, Tales of a Vandal Notebook User.
DIYSara presents the Midori Travelers Notebook, Passport Size.
Planet Millie reviews the the quirky Less Is More Memo Pad
Editor's Picks:
No Pen Intended reviews one of my absolute favorites, the Uni-ball Jetstream .5 mm - Basic Series - Black
Office Supply Geek reviews the Large Saddlback Leather Briefcase in Dark Coffee Brown.
Note Booker, Esq. poses the question, What's Better Than Getting a Bunch of Ink Samples in the Mail?
Rhodia Drive unveils the new dotWebbie.
Brian Goulet, of The Goulet Pen Company and Ink Nouveau, demonstrates how to use the Feed Saturation Pen Filling Method.
Pen'n'Paper reviews a cool little notebook, the Midori Traveler's Notebook.
Penned House reviews the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner.
Writing and Scribbling presents a review of Diamine Poppy Red.
Check out this review of the Pilot Prera Clear Body Fountain Pen from Pocket Blonde.
A Penchant for Paper takes a closer look at the Sharpie Pen RT in Blue.
Scription has this excellent posting on the Moleskine Trade Show Covering Products for 2011.
Dave's Mechanical Pencils reminisces on The Good Old Days (of pencil leads and pencil lead containers).
Pencil Talk shows off the Düller Memo Pad
Unposted brings us back in time and Back to School
Notebook Loves Pen reviews the Zebra Surari Multi Pen .7 mm
Julie (O-kami), at Whatever, demonstrates Letraset and Doodletuts.
PenInkcillin provides an in-depth look at the TWSBI Diamond 530 EF loaded with Noodler's Polar Brown.
does this pen write? wants to know - Fresh or Tired: Gelly Rollers!
And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed the May Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper.
A big thank you to Nifty of Notebook Stories for allowing me to host this month's Carnival. The June edition of the Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper will be hosted by Note Booker, Esq. Use this submission form to get your entries in for the June Carnival. If you have any questions about how to submit your entry or about the Carnival, please feel free to contact me.
8 comments:
Thank you for including me! Excellent carnival, as ever!ReplyDelete
Thanks a ton for including me in the carnival! It's always a blast and I love seeing what everyone's posting. Thanks for organizing this!ReplyDelete
@Mille - No problem! I am very pleased that you enjoyed the selection.ReplyDelete
@Brian - The Feed Saturation Method was a great tutorial, as usual, and I am glad you had time to stop by. I just received my order from you (discounted Clairefontaine and Noodler's Brown), and I am loving the products. Thanks!
How cool is this! A friend entered me in this with my article about the Lamy Safari VS. Esterbrook J. I've never seen anything like this but it's very cool. An online carnival of FP's...ReplyDelete
Thanks for including me!
777 - Tyler Dahl
I am so glad you enjoyed the Carnival. There are older Carnivals with tons of great links; I encourage you to browse through them.
Thanks for having me in the carnival! I appreciate it!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 9, 2011 at 9:41 AM
Great selections! Thanks for including moi.ReplyDelete
PenInkcillin & Peaceable Writer,ReplyDelete
No problem! You both had excellent posts, and I appreciate your contributions to the community.


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You've been pondering this, discussing it with friends and family, but want more information on the market and what actually happens during your first home buying, but you're not quite sure where to get the answers? We at Charlesgate Realty Group can you help you!
We've been hosting a Boston Home Buyer Class for a few years now. It's free. And we discuss things such as:
• Renting vs. Buying: Whether it even makes sense for you to buy right now
• Homebuying process and timeline: How long it actually takes to buy
• Working with an agent: How it works and whether or not you really need one
• What mortgages are still available and how much cash you need to buy
• Using neighborhood level data (like discount ratios and real time trend graphs) to value properties
• Negotiating 101: How to craft your offer to drive a hard bargain!
• Top 10 online resources to aid your home search
It's very low key, we offer food and drinks before and afterward and it's a great way to learn about the Boston real estate market, ask questions that you may have regarding the process. In fact, our buyer agents stick around to answer any other questions you may have that we may not have hit upon during the class. The class is at 6pm on Tuesday September 20.
Click here to get more information and to register. We hope to see you there!


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I am a yogurt fool. I have loved it pretty much since the first time I had a little supermarket-bought plastic tub. Since then, I've been going from brand to brand and type to type, discovering new and better varieties. A major high point (as would be for any yogurt lover I think) was trying Greek yogurt while working on a project in Greece. A creamier, more perfect yogurt I am hard pressed to find to this day. Although I am still a plain ride away from real Greek yogurt, I have come a long way since that first tub from the supermarket. I am happy to report that I have found two suppliers that sell wonderfully creamy natural yogurt – both from local dairy farms!
Aside from being a breakfast staple, baking ingredient, and quite the talented player in dips and dressings, yogurt also has the ability to comfort me during troubled times. Don't get me wrong, chocolate is still number one in the fix-all department, but yogurt has its place in the medicine chest too. Whereas chocolate is more like a powerful happy-pill, yogurt is a soothing anaesthetic. It's clean, fresh, light taste (and texture) is like a salve on my wounds...calming and quieting.
When the charming Bordeaux of Marita Says (love him and love his blog!) chose yogurt as the theme for this round of Hay Hay it's Donna Day I was ecstatic! Flavor my own yogurt oh my! Many combinations went through my head and I had a few top choices planned but I, erm, missed the deadline :( Luckily Bordeaux (did you read my mind friend?) decided to extend it...so here I am with Chai Spiced Yogurt!
I know! I already did Chai Spiced Oatmeal (sheepish grin). What can I say? When I love something, I really love it :) (and this most likely won't be the last "chai-spiced" dish I make)
Chai Spiced Yogurt
You can find the original recipe for Donna's Mint Yogurt here
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cardamom pod, bashed a bit
- 1/4 – 1/2 of a cinnamon stick
- 1 peppercorn
- A thumbnail-size piece of ginger, peeled and bashed a bit
- Dash of nutmeg
- 1 cup chilled plain yogurt
- 1 cup chilled cream
- Pine nuts for topping
- Make the syrup by placing the honey and water, and all the spices in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until small bubbles appear on the side. Remove from heat and let it "steep" for about 15 minutes.
- Beat the yogurt and cream together until light and creamy.
- When the syrup has cooled, beat into the yogurt/cream mixture.
- Spoon into individual cups and sprinkle some pine nuts to top. If it's not sweet enough for you, you can also top with more honey.
This certainly took yogurt up to the next creamy level! It was quite dessert-like and, aside from on its own, would also make a fabulous topping for cakes and tarts. The yogurt I used is already creamy, so I'll be using less cream (probably half) the next time I make this.
This is Bordeaux's second time to host HHDD...he is a two time winner! And he hosted this round while travelling with no kitchen access! Bravo Bordeaux!!! :) Thank you for choosing a fantastic theme! Thanks also to Bron of Bron Marshall for captaining the HHDD ship! And big thanks to Barbara of Winos and Foodies, the HHDD creator who we all love! :)


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Skeptic Check: There're Baack!
Categories: Earth
Jun 27, 2011
Could you have had a past life? Is it possible that some part of you is the reincarnation of a person –" or maybe an animal –" that lived long ago?
We´ll hear the story of a young boy who started having nightmares about a plane crash. His parents thought he was the reincarnation of a downed, World War II fighter pilot. But his story might not fly.
Also … is there any biological basis for reincarnation? Animals that indulge in the big sleep.
Suspended animation is Hollywood´s favorite device for interstellar travel … But could we really put a dimmer switch on human metabolism? Learn how techniques for hitting the hold button for humans might be just around the corner.
- Cynthia Meyersburg –" Research psychologist at Harvard University
- Tori Hoehler –" Astrobiologist at the NASA Ames Research Center
- André Bormanis –" Screenwriter, producer and former science consultant for "Star Trek"
- Matt Andrews –" Biologist at the University of Minnesota, Duluth
- Phil Plait –" Astronomer, and author of the Bad Astronomy blog at Discover Magazine
- Mark Roth –" Biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle


text: Hello people, I have a problem with my tablet Playbook, as I got it from an acquaintance and he from his brother could not change the code or the ID, or to download a small application I looked around the Internet and found that I need to do a factory reset as I done! Then the problem arises when the system got up and when I did all my settings (ID and others) have icons on the screen and browser set-up. What I do, is there any full package to install all the applications? Please help, and thank you!


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Straw Bale Garden Club
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- About Joel
- Contact Join our Club
- Welcome
- How to build a straw bale garden surface trellis
- How to build the perfect compost bin
- How to make your straw bale garden greenhouse
- Installing a trellis system
- Is straw bale gardening "gluten-free"?
- Make a map of your straw bale garden
- Planning your straw bale garden
- Site selection and preparation
- Are ants harmful to my vegetables?
- How can I get rid of or prevent ants?
- What can I do about the ants invading my bales?
- Day 1 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 2 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 3 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 4 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 5 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 6 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 7 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 8 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 9 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 10 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 11 of conditioning your straw bales
- Day 12 of conditioning your straw bales
- Organic sources of nitrogen that work best?
- Should I be concerned about flies?
- What to use?
- When to start?
- Why does some fertilizer sit on top, is this normal?
- Why do the organic bales smell bad for a while?
- Bale temperature - when is it safe to plant?
- Can I plant in extra large straw bales?
- How can I speed up the conditioning?
- What if my bales are too hot?
- What if my bales don't get hot inside?
- How far apart do I set up my bales?
- How many bales should I plant?
- How can anyone afford to buy bales they are so expensive?
- How can I save money using bales?
- How to make your own bales with a BaleMaker 3000
- What can I do with last years half decomposed and falling over bales?
- What can I use to make my own bales?
- What is a balemaker3000?
- How to fix your tipping bales
- Helping out your Beans and Peas with stick teepees
- How many cabbage in a bale?
- Why does cabbage grow so well in bales?
- Can I grow corn in my straw bale garden?
- Why is corn not recommended in a Straw Bale Garden?
- How can I keep deer away?
- How can I keep rabbits away?
- How can I prevent neighborhood livestock from getting into my garden?
- How to keep deer away from your garden
- What about raccoons will they get into the bales?
- Will rabbit jump up on the bales?
- End of season bale comparison - Homemade vs Straw
- Garden cleanup in Joel's backyard
- What will my Straw Bale Garden look like at the end of the season?
- Fertilizing your straw bale garden plants
- How to use an in-line, automatic fertilizing system
- How to use flowers as indicator plants for watering your straw bale garden
- Setting up a straw bale FLOWER garden
- A Gardening Medley from Kearney, New Jersey
- Garden interview with Danielle and Finn from Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
- Garden visit with Diane and Melissa in Mounds View, Minnesota
- Garden visit with Eric in Northfield, Minnesota
- Garden visit with Sandy in Excelsior, Minnesota
- Garden visit with Steve at the Nativity Child Family Center in Saint Anthony, Minnesota
- Interview with Paul Sorenson in Blaine, Minnesota
- St Croix Montessori school garden Week 3 update
- Update from Joel's garden in Roseville, Minnesota August 17 2015
- Update from Paul's garden in Blaine, Minnesota Week 4
- Harvesting tips - Cucumbers, Heirloom Tomatoes, Green Beans, Cauliflower, Summer Squash, Monster Zucchini
- How to grow and harvest Kale
- How to harvest your Lettuce crop twice!
- Pruning young plants
- Thinning Your Seedlings with Scissors
- Traditional garden troubles: shade & roots & weeds!
- Advantages and disadvantages of using hay instead of straw?
- Can I use a hay bale instead?
- Don't let your Cilantro bolt!
- Growing GREAT Basil!
- Harvesting Basil mid-season
- Battling the bugs in your garden
- How to fight the cabbage worms in your garden
- How to Use Eggshells to Prevent Damage from Slugs
- Can I store bales over winter?
- Doesn't straw attract rodents?
- Should I cover bales over winter?
- What if I have gophers or moles already in my garden area?
- Are mushrooms harmful to my plants?
- Are the mushrooms edible?
- Are the spores that are given off by the mushrooms harmful?
- Can I grow mushrooms on the bales as a crop?
- Do I need to be concerned about the mold
- Do I need to remove the mushrooms from the bales?
- How long do the mushrooms last?
- What to do about mushrooms growing on my bales?
- How many in a bale?
- What about blossom end rot in peppers if I plant in bales?
- What are the main concerns with growing peppers in bales?
- Can I plant with fertilizer crust on my straw bales?
- Do I need to make a seedbed or just push seeds into the straw?
- Do I use potting mix around transplants?
- How deep do I plant transplants into the bales?
- How do I plant transplants?
- How far apart should I plant seeds?
- How many plants can fit into a bale?
- How should I plant seeds?
- How to plant onions in your straw bale garden
- Planting in your straw bale garden
- The EASY way to use a shovel in your straw bale garden
- How to grow potatoes in your straw bale garden
- Can I set up bales in my parking lot?
- Can I set up bales on concrete?
- Can i set up my bales on my lawn?
- Do I have to have the wire trellis above the bales?
- Garden markers and journals
- How far apart should I put rows of bales??
- How should I orient the bales?
- How to beautify your bales
- Setting up your straw bale garden from scratch
- What if I cannot pound in the posts for a trellis, how can I still make a trellis?
- What can I do about the sprouts coming out of my bales?
- Will hay bales sprout weeds?
- How many tomato plants can I put in a bale?
- Roasted Tomato Basil Soup Recipe
- Tomato Talk - Episode 1
- What about blossom end rot in tomatoes planted in straw bales?
- Why are my tomato plants getting flowers but they are dropping off?
- Will I avoid the blight if I plant in bales?
- Installing an Irrigation System
- Adding emitters for specific plants in your SBG
- Can the bales be too wet?
- How long should I water my bales?
- How often should I water my Straw Bale Garden?
- Should I have one or two soaker hoses on each bale?
HAY or OTHER
MICE or OTHER RODENTS
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You can get these and other embroidered apparel at the Straw Bale Gardens store. Head over now and pick up one of these specials!
Members please login to get a 20% discount on Straw Bale Gardens Complete!
"Are you ready to learn about a transformative garden technology that could change your life - for less than $100?" - New York Times
"Take your straw bale gardening to the next level - in more places, with new products, and even, sometimes, skipping the straw!"
The reception and enthusiasm for straw bale gardening, introduced in 2013, has proved revolutionary in vegetable growing. Why? Because the bold promises in the book are kept: grow vegetables anywhere, earlier in the year, with no weeding. Gardeners everywhere are excited. Straw bale gardening works! In just the short amount of time that has passed, the gardening world and Joel Karsten himself have learned even more about how to apply this method in just about any environment: on a city balcony, in a rocky outpost, in a desert, and even in the tundra of Alaska.
Straw Bale Gardens Complete contains all of the original information that has set the gardening world on fire. But it also goes much deeper, with nearly 50 pages of all-new advice and photos on subjects such as growing in a tight urban setting, making your straw bale garden completely organic, and using new fertilizers and conditioning products. There is even information on using straw bale techniques to grow veggies in other organic media for anyone who has a hard time finding straw.
Fans of Straw Bale Gardens will not want to miss adding Straw Bale Gardens Complete to their gardening library. There is, literally, nothing else like it!
From the Back Cover
Straw Bales: Nature's Perfect Planting Container
Straw Bale Gardens . . .
- Get High Yields
- Never Need Weeding
- Do Not Require Soil
- Extend Growing Season by Weeks
- Can Be Conventional or 100% Organic: Your Choice
- Can Go Anywhere: Even Balconies and Driveways
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Okay caps lock disengaged, but still !!!!!!! That was a fantastic comeback victory for the Knicks. Down 12 with 7:13 to go in the game, things looked bleak for the Knickerbockers. But Jason Kidd rose from the dead (sorry) and splashed two threes in a row to get New York right back in the game. Ray Felton was attacking like crazy off the pick and roll and had by far his best game of the season. Felton came through in crunch time with 4 points and 2 assists in the final five minutes. The Knicks defense went into lockdown mode, the Knicks offense woke up and a Tyson Chandler smash dagger dunk put the game out of reach. When it was all said and done, the Knicks emerged with the 104-100 win.
Here are my notes from the game:
- Hear that faint sound? That's the sound of me giving a standing ovation for Carmelo Anthony tonight. Throw out the parts of the box score that had to do with scoring, because he played a fantastic offensive game. In addition to his 12 boards, Anthony really was phenomenal (Amar'e word!) passing the ball tonight. Dare I say LeBron-esque?? He had just 3 assists, but his passing was absolutely fantastic. If this was hockey Carmelo might have had 12 assists tonight. I'm exaggerating, but only slightly. Especially in the first half, the Knicks were really good moving the ball on offense. Much of this was initiated by Anthony. San Antonio did a good job of keeping him in check in terms of his scoring. They threw double teams at him, they put a plethora of different defenders on him. They really gave him a lot of different looks. Instead of forcing shots, which is what San Antonio wanted from him, Anthony really got the offense in rhythm by swinging it out to open players who either shot it or continued to swing the ball. As a result, the Knicks got open shots and driving lanes and scored an efficient 55 first half points. While this was really Anthony's first "bad" scoring game, if you will, this concept of him creating offense with passing is not new. If you all recall, I wrote and broke-down this part of Anthony's game last week. Bravo Melo! Bravo!
- Good Raymond! Who's a good Raymond! *gives treat* Raymond "Bull Doggy Dog" Felton had his best game of the season. Even though he scored 21 points against Orlando, he really didn't play all that great of a game. It took him 23 shots to get his points and he took a lot of long jumpers which aren't his strength. Tonight Felton scored 25 points on 10/20 shooting and his shot selection was so much better. Instead of settling for a bunch of long jump shots, Felton really attacked San Antonio off the pick and roll. He was able to get much better shots because he attacked towards the rim rather than settling on the perimeter. If we observe Felton's shot chart from tonight, we see that he took a lot of his shots at the rim. If they weren't at the rim, they were closer to that 16 foot mid-range area rather than out by the three point line. He still took a lot of mid-range shots, but his shot location shows his trend tonight to be attacking rather than sitting back and settling. He took just 6 shots of his 20 attempts beyond the red line I drew. You don't want Felton getting 20 shots a game, but if he's going to take them I think this shot chart is pretty much what you're looking for from him.
- Tyson Chandler looked a bit slow tonight. He hasn't been making quite the impact that we saw last year, but he has also been ailed with some injuries and sickness since the pre-season. I'm not worried about him. For all the times he looked slow tonight or whatever, he still had 13 points 11 rebounds and was a team high +8 in +/- on the night. He'll be fine.
- While I'm not worried about Chandler, I'm slightly worried about Steve Novak. He has not shot well since that opening night bomb-fest against the Miami Rashard Lewis'. Novak worked on quickening his release in the off-season and it seems to be really hurting his shot. Since opening night, Novak has shot just 31.8% from downtown in five games. He has been wide open on most of those shots, making his struggles all the more worrisome. If the 6'11 gorilla in the room were to come back tomorrow, I think Novak would be the guy to lose his minutes. He may already be close to losing his minutes. We'll see what Woodson decides to do.
- JR Smith had another efficient performance. 6/13 shooting 17 points 5 rebounds. He hit his only three point attempt of the game to put the Knicks ahead for good with 1:47 remaining in the game. In the second half, the team's spacing and ball movement kind of crapped out and JR went back to old JR. He started shooting stepbacks that clanked off every part of the rim and I strung up a noose for myself. But the Knicks offense found its way and I didn't have to commit basketball induced suicide. It is weird I wrote that because I watched a Law and Order this morning where somebody got hung. Anyways, going back to Smith I thought he played a good game. Apart from his lull in the 3rd quarter, his offense was good the rest of the game. I was also enthused about the effort he gave on defense tonight. All season he has looked zoned in on defense and tonight was no different. Kudos to you, Earl!
- My ears bled the entire game from having to listen to Sean Elliot on the Spurs broadcast.
- The Knicks shot 65% from the free throw line. That made me angry.
- The Knicks shot 44% from 3PT land. That made me happy.
- The Knicks won the turnover battle forcing 10 and committing just 7. This is a good thing.
- ^ He gets his own bullet point tonight. Although he played like fecal matter the first three quarters, Kidd was really good in the 4th. His two big threes got the Knicks back into the game and he made a few disruptive defensive plays late in the game. Through 6 games, I have been completely wrong about Jason Kidd. I thought his signing was a mistake and he has been absolutely fantastic. SO MUCH VETERAN LEADERSHIP. He's shot the ball well, he hasn't been a liability on defense and did I mention all his VETERAN LEADERSHIP. Also, while Google Chatting with the the great Dan Goldstein (@thedanstein on the Twittuzzzz) I had a revelation. Elmer Fudd came up in conversation and I realized that Jason Kidd looks like Elmer Fudd. Jason Kidd has been good at the sports this year. Therefore the Knicks should sign Elmer Fudd! Go get him Glen!
- Priggie Smalls made a cameo tonight. He played 7 minutes. The only thing I can remember him doing was hitting a jumper off a pick and roll with Sheed. It was a great pick from Sheed and good execution from Smalls. Way to go Pabs!
- Marcus Camby didn't play at all tonight. I think we'll see him a lot tomorrow night against the Grizzlies. Literally, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph are Grizzly Bears and Camby may or may not die trying to guard them tomorrow.
- SHEEEEEEEED and Tiago Splitter had a fun little battle going on tonight. Some plays, Sheed got the best of Splitter and vise versa. Earlier in the game, Wallace was able to hurt the Spurs in the post as well as outside on some jump shots. But then the game ran past his bedtime and Splitter really hurt the Knicks in the second half. I still think Sheed looks like a homeless person, but that makes him all the more awesome. Decent minutes from him tonight. He wasn't great, but he wasn't awful either. He was just Sheed.
- The Spurs interviewed this guy during a break. I found it funny:
- At one point in the Spurs broadcast, Sean Elliot said Felton had a "chunky frame". I found that funny as well. Sorry racist faction of Knicks twitter that hates me, but Felton was looking a bit chunky tonight.
That's all I've got for you! Hopefully my recap didn't ruin the game for you. I'm still in awe that the Knicks are 6-0 and I hope they keep up the good work. Go
Nets Knicks!
Follow Taylor on the Twit @tarmosino
Like Meloship of the Ring on the Zuckerberg


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Conferences stay same after third draft
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association's (NCHSAA) realignment committee met Thursday to review appeals, and by Friday, the committee had a final draft.
In this third draft, which is set in stone barring any procedural error appeals, includes no changes to the proposed conferences from the second draft.
Current CVAC members and county teams Bandys, Bunker Hill, Maiden and Newton-Conover would join an all-2A conference with current CVAC member West Caldwell, as well as three Lincoln County teams in East Lincoln, Lincolnton and West Lincoln.
Fred T. Foard, Hickory and St. Stephens, who are all 3A schools currently in the Northwestern 3A/4A, stay with fellow conference teams South Caldwell, Hibriten and Watauga in a new 3A/4A conference.
Those six schools join Freedom and Patton in the new 3A/4A conference.
Both of these conferences remain the same from the second drafts proposed.
Final steps in the realignment process are expected in the next two months.
In April, the realignment committee meets to hear any school's appeal that the NCHSAA did not follow established criteria for making new conferences.
Barring any changes from those appeals, the NCHSAA board of directors votes in May either for or against the entire plan made by the realignment committee.
If approved, the new conferences go into effect in August 2013.
To view the realignment committee's third draft, click the link below to view a pdf version of the draft.


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August 22, 2013
Dr. Gregory Hess, Wabash College's 16th President, will ring in his first freshman class Saturday in the Pioneer Chapel. Hess will welcome 245 young men to their first official day on campus.
The Class of 2017 begins its journey with the traditions of Freshman Saturday. Registration opens in the Allen Center at 9 a.m. with paper work and procedures to start each freshman's college career. A separate program for parents will run concurrently while students are moving into dorms and fraternities across campus.
Parents will have the opportunity to attend programs on fraternity life, meet the deans, and interact with faculty. Hugs and goodbye are requested between 4-5 p.m.
But the highlight of the day for students and parents is the traditional Ringing In Ceremony at 1 p.m. Dean of Students Michael Raters '85 will welcome everyone. Senior Associate Director of Admissions Walter Blake will talk about the Class of 2017. Greg Estell '85, President of the National Association of Wabash Men, will welcome students and parents on behalf of the alumni.
The day's highlight will be President Hess's first public speech on campus as the College's new president. At the end of those remarks he will take the bell of Wabash College's first professor, Caleb Mills, and 'ring in' the Class of 2017.
The Ringing In Ceremony will be streamed live on the Wabash College website here.
Saturday is a very busy day but it just gets orientation started for new students. The men of 2017 will have full days of orientation, registration and exploring the Gentleman's Rule on Sunday and Monday. The new students will learn about Employment Self Help, academic support, and they WILL learn the words to "Old Wabash."
Orientation wraps up Wednesday but with two of the more memorable events after the ringing in. All 245 young men will spread across the Montgomery County community and work a morning of community service.
Orientation ends Wednesday then the serious work of classes begins the next morning. The freshmen will cap their five days of orientation with an evening ice cream social at the Elston Homestead with President and Mrs. Hess.


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If you've noticed that your paycheck isn't going as far when it comes to footing the bills and having money left over this
Wages in San Diego County over the past two years have not increased enough to keep up with the cost of living, state data shows.
Since 2010, the average wage in the region has increased from $49,439 to $51,051. That's a 3.3 percent pay increase despite the cost of living rising 5.6 percent.
Adjusted for inflation, average annual pay in the county has actually gone down by $1,179 since 2010.
"I think if you look at the country as a whole right now that is the situation," said Alan Gin, economist at the University of San Diego. "We've had this sort of wage stagnation."
Despite the Great Recession ending in 2009, pay still hasn't picked up.
There are several reasons, economists say. For one, competition for jobs is fierce, so pay doesn't have to be as high to attract applicants for nonscientific jobs. Sharp Hospital, for instance, gets about 1,500 applications online for one administrative assistant opening, recruiter Mike Peterson said in a July interview.
Plus, the economic recovery has remained slow, as has hiring. Employers face uncertainty over events such as the presidential election, the European
It ultimately keeps economic expansion tepid.
On the job front, San Diego County lost 84,000 positions from 2007 to 2011, the latest state data year available. This, despite an unemployment rate that hit a three-year low in May of 8.7 percent. It ticked back up to 9.2 percent in July.
But the rate doesn't take into account what the new jobs pay or how many hours they require. State projections through 2018 say that lower paying, service-sector jobs like cashiers will be the most in demand.
There were 149,400 unemployed people in the county this July, roughly double the number in July 2007. Still, the number of county residents who have jobs is about the same — around 1.45 million — but there are now about 87,000 people more people in the labor force. "We added jobs between 2007 and 2012, but we didn't add enough to meet the needs of the people going into the workforce," Gin said.
Kelly Cunningham, an economist at the National University System Institute for Policy Research, estimated that about 65 percent of county residents between 18 and 65 — or working age — have jobs. There are about 2 million people in that age group in the county, Cunningham said.
There are also about 181,000 people currently self-employed, while the number of people who worked for an employer fell by 58,000 from July 2007 to July 2012.
Most of the jobs lost in San Diego County during the down economy were lower paying. About 48,000 of the 84,000 jobs that disappeared paid less than the county average of $51,051.
But the middle class worker also lost out. The hardest hit sector — construction — which pays on average $52,275 — contracted by 32,930 jobs. That's a 42 percent cut of the San Diego County workforce from 2007 to 2011.
"The reason we still have this tenaciously high unemployment figure today is that those people are still not at work," said Borre Winckel, president of the San Diego Building Industry Association. "The industry is as lean and mean as it gets."
And those middle class construction jobs may never come back, so the thousands out of work — including many in their 50s — have to find alternatives. The construction field has added 2,200 jobs in the county in the past year, state data shows.
Cunningham said in the past that construction workers could move to places like Las Vegas to find new projects, but that's no longer the case. Plus, related fields such as production, building maintenance, and material moving have each seen four-figure losses in jobs since 2007.
"These people have to go into whole new careers," Cunningham said. "They have to be retrained into some growing fields. We are seeing growth in the tech fields and that's very clear from biotech to computers to telecomm, but that takes very specific skills. There are other jobs that come along with that, but not as many in number, and so it's a matter of retraining but otherwise it's a lot of service sector type jobs."
He said a lot of previous middle class jobs have been offshored or replaced by computers. ATMs replaced bankers. The Internet delivers emails, for instance.
The state Employment Development Department projected in 2008 that four of the top five most in-demand jobs in San Diego County through 2018 will pay no more than $13 per hour. They are retail salespeople, waiters, cashiers, and food preparers. A fifth, customers service representatives, pays $18.33 per hour, or $38,122 per year.
"It used to be that if you didn't go to college you could still get to the middle class by working in the factory somewhere and joining a union, getting wages, benefits and a pension," Gin said. "A lot of those jobs have gone overseas."
Gin said San Diego's wages are also lower because of proximity to a pool of workers in Mexico, as well as veterans with pensions who are willing to work for less money than they otherwise might.
Retail — whose success is tied to construction — has lost the second most jobs between 2007 and 2011, at 19,840.
"As construction went through its nose-dive, there weren't as many people you needed to sell to in
Overall, 15 of the 22 field categories in the state data — called Occupational Employment Statistics — have seen shrinking workforces since 2007. The statistics are released each May.
The fields experiencing the most growth are those in the sciences, health care, and engineers. Cunningham said those fields are seeing growth and offer higher pay because there is demand for qualified workers, and competition for them statewide.
Health-care practitioners and technical occupations have added 4,130 jobs over the past five years, with the average salary of $86,671, up slightly from $86,425 in 2010.
Life, physical, and social sciences added 4,050 jobs, and the average worker in that sector makes $75,988. That's a 4.3 percent increase from $72,840 in 2010. Computer and mathematical occupations added 3,900 jobs, with the average salary of $86,033, up from $79,899 in 2010, a 7.7 percent increase in pay.
"Clearly people making below the average salary got hit much harder than people that were making above it," Adibi said. "The only professions that really survived or recouped jobs the fastest are mostly white collar or in health care."


text:
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica – It wasn't always easy, but LA Galaxy Homegrown defender Oscar Sorto accomplished all of his goals in his first professional start for the team as he maintain a shutout victory in a 3-0 win over C.S. Cartaginés.
The 19-year-old made his first competitive appearance for the Galaxy in the CONCACAF Champions League win helping to lock down the right side of defense during the team's 3-0 shutout. Stationed on the outside, Sorto was routinely at the right place at the right time and able to make timely clearances that helped silence a desperate Cartaginés attack.
"We knew what we had to do. We had to contain them after we scored and in the second half, we just had to defend, but we still got the win," said Sorto. "My teammates helped me out by motivating me and helping me stay concentrated on the game.
Now the Homegrown defender has just a single goal: earn more playing time for the team's first team in the near future.
"We were looking forward to advancing to the quarterfinals and our goal among the reserves was to win so that we'd get more games in CCL," said Sorto. "We like playing too, so I think that all of are excited to play in El Salvador. Also hopefully, I can be a backup soon or get more playing time next season."


text:
Raise the Roof
Keep in touch
Schwarzkoff has many ways to keep in touch.
**Facebook ~ LIKE us @ Schwarzkoff Elementary and see
regular pictures and updates.
**The web ~ go to schwarkoff.uticak12.org
there are many links ex.. lunch menus, school supply list,
coming events and much more.
**Classroom newsletter ~ gives you weekly info on what's
happening in your child's class.
The mission of Schwarzkoff Elementary School is to work collaboratively with all members of the school community to provide opportunities for all students to acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to be self-reliant, responsible, caring and contributing members of society.
Our Theme:
Schwarzkoff Elementary School's theme is
"Together, We Make Our School a Success."
The end of March also brings to a close the third card
marking period. I am asking our families to check their
child's PowerSchool grades and completion of assignments.
These grades are one indicator of how well your child is doing
in school. Please spend a few minutes talking to them and get
their perspective. You may be surprised how well they are
able to self-reflect.
Utica Community Schools is Michigan's second largest school district.
Student achievement in the district outpaces all county, state and
national averages. The district's graduation rate is 12 points higher
than the state average and students and staff are regularly honored for
For more information on Utica Community Schools, please visit this link.
8401 Constitution, Sterling Heights, MI 48313
School hours: 8:25 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Absence Line: (586) 797-6399
Amber Fante, Principal
Dr. Christine M. Johns, Superintendent of Schools
Website Accessibility


text:
- Home
- Shop Our Cabinets
- Request Free Kitchen Design/Quote
- Order A Door Sample
- Pro Division
- Help
$355.74 $726.00
Designer Series Construction Specs
1. Face Frames
Solid North American Maple
3/4 ̋ x 11/2 ̋ (Sturbridge, Dover, Essex, Trenton, Kingston, Yarmouth)
3/4 ̋ x 19/16 ̋ Mortise & Tenon Construction (Georgetown and Wheaton)
|2. End Panel
1/2 ̋-thick Plywood
- Finished to match on exterior
3. Top and Bottom (Walls)
1/2 ̋-thick Plywood
4. Bottom (Bases)
3/8 ̋-thick Plywood
5. Shelves
Adjustable 3/4 ̋-thick Plywood, Edgebanded on front
6. Back
1/2 ̋-thick Solid Plywood
(Georgetown and Wheaton have 1/8 ̋-thick Plywood framed to 1/2 ̋)
7. Hang Rails (Walls)
5/8 ̋-thick Solid Wood
8. Toe Kick
1/2 ̋-thick Plywood, Unfinished, Recessed
9. Drawer Box
Pre-assembled, Dovetail with 3/4 ̋-thick Solid Wood sides and 3/8 ̋-thick bottom
If ordered unassembled: Trenton and Yarmouth have unassembled Dovetail drawer box
10. Glides
Full-extension, soft close, undermount drawer glides
11. Hinges
6-way-Adjustable, Concealed, with Soft Close Integrated Hinge
Finished in Natural Maple
All Designer line kitchen cabinets come standard with soft close doors
Freight - Most orders will be shipped via LTL curbside freight, no matter how small or how large the order. That includes delivery to the jobsite and liftgate.
The cost for freight delivery is based on the delivery address and is as follows:
FedEx - On small orders of unassembled cabinets, trim, fillers, etc. You will be able to select FedEx at checkout. The total will be calculaed at checkout based on the items in your cart. Typically this runs $35-$40 a cabinet.
Returns - Assembled cabinets CANNOT be returned or refunded. Unassembled (Ready to Assembled/RTA) cabinets, trim, etc can be returned as long as they are in good condition and in their original packaging. Returns on these items will be subject to return shipping charges and a 25% restocking fee.
The cabinets typically arrive in about 2-3 weeks but please allow 4-5+ weeks for extenuating circumstances like out of stock items, delivery delays, damages, etc. Unfortunately, all of those do occur occasionally, though not often. We will take care of replacements (as long as receiving instructions are properly followed), but we need time to send them. Ultimately, we cannot be responsible for any delays on your project that might be experienced as a result of said delays or damages, so please plan accordingly and allow plenty of time when ordering your cabinets.
Type: Accessory


text:
Zambia Population: 15,510,711NO VISITORS FROM HERE YET!
Back to Flag Counter Overview
|The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the former British South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices, economic mismanagement, and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule and propelled the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) to government. The subsequent vote in 1996, however, saw increasing harassment of opposition parties and abuse of state media and other resources. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems, with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his death in August 2008, he was succeeded by his vice president, Rupiah BANDA, who won a special presidential byelection later that year. The MMD and BANDA lost to the Patriotic Front (PF) and Michael SATA in the 2011 general elections. SATA, however, presided over a period of haphazard economic management and attempted to silence opposition to PF policies. SATA died in October 2014 and was succeeded by his vice president, Guy SCOTT, who served as interim president until special elections were held in January 2015. Edgar LUNGU won the presidential by election and will complete SATA's term, which expires in August 2016 when new presidential, as well as parliamentary and local elections, will be held.
Landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe; Lake Kariba on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border forms the world's largest reservoir by volume (180 cu km; 43 cu mi)
|Southern Africa, east of Angola, south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
|Geographic coordinates:
| total: 752,618 sq km
land: 743,398 sq km
water: 9,220 sq km
Size comparison: slightly larger than Texas
|Land Boundaries:
|total: 6,043.15 km border countries (8): Angola 1,065 km, Botswana 0.15 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,332 km, Malawi 847 km, Mozambique 439 km, Namibia 244 km, Tanzania 353 km, Zimbabwe 763 km
|0 km (landlocked)
|Maritime claims:
|none (landlocked)
|tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
|mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
|Elevation extremes:
|Natural resources:
|copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower
|Land use:
| agricultural land: 31.7% arable land 4.8%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 26.9% forest: 66.3%
other: 2% (2011 est.)
|Irrigated land:
|1,560 sq km (2012)
|Natural hazards:
|periodic drought; tropical storms (November to April)
|Current Environment Issues:
|air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks
|International Environment Agreements:
| party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|^Back to Top
| noun: Zambian(s)
adjective: Zambian
|Ethnic groups:
|Bemba 21%, Tonga 13.6%, Chewa 7.4%, Lozi 5.7%, Nsenga 5.3%, Tumbuka 4.4%, Ngoni 4%, Lala 3.1%, Kaonde 2.9%, Namwanga 2.8%, Lunda (north Western) 2.6%, Mambwe 2.5%, Luvale 2.2%, Lamba 2.1%, Ushi 1.9%, Lenje 1.6%, Bisa 1.6%, Mbunda 1.2%, other 13.8%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.)
|Bembe 33.4%, Nyanja 14.7%, Tonga 11.4%, Lozi 5.5%, Chewa 4.5%, Nsenga 2.9%, Tumbuka 2.5%, Lunda (North Western) 1.9%, Kaonde 1.8%, Lala 1.8%, Lamba 1.8%, English (official) 1.7%, Luvale 1.5%, Mambwe 1.3%, Namwanga 1.2%, Lenje 1.1%, Bisa 1%, other 9.7%, unspecified 0.2% note: Zambia is said to have over 70 languages, although many of these may be considered dialects; all of Zambia's major languages are members of the Bantu family (2010 est.)
|Protestant 75.3%, Roman Catholic 20.2%, other 2.7% (includes Muslim Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i), none 1.8% (2010 est.)
|15,510,711 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2016 est.)
|Age structure:
| 0-14 years: 46.08% (male 3,590,466/female 3,556,756)
15-24 years: 20% (male 1,550,183/female 1,552,706)
25-54 years: 28.65% (male 2,239,661/female 2,204,823)
55-64 years: 2.91% (male 211,039/female 240,156)
65 years and over: 2.35% (male 158,827/female 206,094) (2016 est.)
|Dependency ratios:
| total dependency ratio: 95.4%
youth dependency ratio: 89.7%
elderly dependency ratio: 5.7%
potential support ratio: 17.6% (2015 est.)
|Median age:
| total: 16.7 years
male: 16.6 years
female: 16.9 years (2016 est.)
|Population growth rate:
|2.94% (2016 est.)
|Birth rate:
|41.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
|Death rate:
|12.4 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
|Net migration rate:
|0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
| urban population: 40.9% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 4.32% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
|Major urban areas - population:
|LUSAKA (capital) 2.179 million (2015)
|Sex ratio:
| at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
|Mother's mean age at first birth:
|19.2 note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2013/14 est.)
|Maternal mortality rate:
|224 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
|Infant mortality rate:
| total: 62.9 deaths/1,000 live births male: 68.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 57.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
|Life expectancy at birth:
| total population: 52.5 years male: 50.8 years
female: 54.1 years (2016 est.)
|Total fertility rate:
|5.67 children born/woman (2016 est.)
|Contraceptive prevalence rate:
|40.8% (2007)
|Health expenditures:
|5% of GDP (2014)
|Physicians density:
|0.17 physicians/1,000 population (2012)
|Hospital bed density:
|2 beds/1,000 population (2010)
|Drinking water source:
| improved:
urban: 85.6% of population
rural: 51.3% of population
total: 65.4% of population
urban: 14.4% of population
rural: 48.7% of population
total: 34.6% of population (2015 est.)
|Sanitation facility access:
| improved:
urban: 55.6% of population
rural: 35.7% of population
total: 43.9% of population
urban: 44.4% of population
rural: 64.3% of population
total: 56.1% of population (2015 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
|12.91% (2015 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|1,211,900 (2015 est.)
|HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|19,800 (2015 est.)
|Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
|7.2% (2014)
|Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
|14.8% (2014)
|Education expenditures:
|1.1% of GDP (2008)
| definition: age 15 and over can read and write English
total population: 63.4%
male: 70.9%
female: 56% (2015 est.)
|Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
| total: 15.2% male: 14.6%
female: 15.8% (2012 est.)
|^Back to Top
|Country name:
| conventional long form: Republic of Zambia
conventional short form: Zambia
former: Northern Rhodesia
etymology: name derived from the Zambezi River, which flows through the western part of the country and forms its southern border with neighboring Zimbabwe
|Government type:
|presidential republic
| name: Lusaka
geographic coordinates: 15 25 S, 28 17 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
|Administrative divisions:
|10 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Muchinga, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western
|24 October 1964 (from the UK)
|National holiday:
|Independence Day, 24 October (1964)
|several previous; latest adopted 24 August 1991, promulgated 30 August 1991; amended 1996, 2015 (2016)
|Legal system:
|mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
|18 years of age; universal
|Executive branch:
| chief of state: President Edgar LUNGU (since 25 January 2015); Vice President Inonge WINA (since 26 January 2015); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Edgar LUNGU (since 25 January 2015); Vice President Inonge WINA (since 26 January 2015
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president from among members of the National Assembly elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); last held on 11 August 2016 (next to be held in 2021)
election results: Edgar LUNGU reelected president; percent of vote - Edgar LUNGU (PF) 50.4%, Hakainde HICHILEMA (UPND) 47.6%, other 2.0%
|Legislative branch:
| description: unicameral National Assembly (164 seats; 156 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, and 8 appointed by the president; members serve 5-year terms); note - 6 additional electoral seats were added for the 11 August 2016 election, up from 150 electoral seats in the 2011 election
elections: last held on 11 August 2016 (next to be held in 2021)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PF 80, UPND 58, MMD 3, FDD 1, independent 14
|Judicial branch:
| highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and deputy chief justices, and at least 11 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of the court president, vice-president, and 11 judges); note - the Constitutional Court began operation in June 2016 judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president upon the advice of the 9-member Judicial Service Commission headed by the chief justice, and ratified by the National Assembly; judges normally serve until age 65
subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; Industrial Relations Court; subordinate courts (three levels, based on upper limit of money involved); Small Claims Court; local courts (2 grades, based on upper limit of money involved)
|Political parties and leaders:
|Alliance for Democracy and Development or ADD [Charles MILUPI] Forum for Democracy and Development or FDD [Edith NAWAKWI] Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Nevers MUMBA] Patriotic Front or PF [Edgar LUNGU] United Party for National Development or UPND [Hakainde HICHILEMA]
|Political pressure groups and leaders:
|International organization participation:
|ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
|National symbol(s):
|African fish eagle; national colors: green, red, black, orange
|National anthem:
| name: "Lumbanyeni Zambia" (Stand and Sing of Zambia, Proud and Free)
lyrics/music: multiple/Enoch Mankayi SONTONGA
note: adopted 1964; the melody, from the popular song "God Bless Africa," is the same as that of Tanzania but with different lyrics; the melody is also incorporated into South Africa's anthem
|Diplomatic representation in the US:
| chief of mission: Ambassador Palan MULONDA (since 8 January 2013)
chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719
|Diplomatic representation from the US:
| chief of mission: Ambassador Eric T. SCHULTZ (since 12 December 2014)
embassy: Eastern end of Kabulonga Road, Ibex Hill, Lusaka
mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka
telephone: [260] (211) 357-000
|^Back to Top
Zambia has had one of the world's fastest growing economies for the past ten years, with real GDP growth averaging roughly 6.7% per annum, though growth slowed in 2015 to just over 3%, due to falling copper prices, reduced power generation, and depreciation of the kwacha. Zambia's lack of economic diversification and dependency on copper as its sole major export makes it vulnerable to fluctuations in the world commodities market and prices turned downward in 2015 due to declining demand from China; Zambia was overtaken by the Democratic Republic of Congo as Africa's largest copper producer. Despite recent strong economic growth and its status as a lower middle-income country, widespread and extreme rural poverty and high unemployment levels remain significant problems, made worse by a high birth rate, a relatively high HIV/AIDS burden, and by market-distorting agricultural and energy policies. Economic policy inconsistency and poor budget execution in recent years has hindered the economy and contributed to weakness in the kwacha, which was Africa's worst performing currency during 2015. Zambia has raised $7 billion from international investors by issuing separate sovereign bonds in September 2012, April 2014, and July 2015, significantly increasing the country's public debt as a share of GDP. Poor management of water resources has also contributed to a power generation shortage, which has hampered industrial productivity and contributed to an increase in year-on-year inflation to 23% by March 2016. Zambia's currency, the kwacha, also depreciated sharply against the dollar through 2015, before the central bank restricted lending.
|GDP (purchasing power parity):
| GDP (purchasing power parity): $65.17 billion (2016 est.) $63.27 billion (2015 est.) $61.43 billion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
|GDP (official exchange rate):
|GDP (official exchange rate): $20.57 billion (2015 est.)
|GDP - real growth rate:
|3% (2016 est.) 3% (2015 est.) 5% (2014 est.)
|GDP - per capita (PPP):
| GDP - per capita (PPP): $3,900 (2016 est.) $3,900 (2015 est.) $3,900 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
|Gross national saving:
|27% of GDP (2016 est.) 31.9% of GDP (2015 est.) 37.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
|GDP - composition, by end use:
| household consumption: 53%
government consumption: 21.7%
investment in fixed capital: 26%
investment in inventories: 1.2%
exports of goods and services: 43.8%
imports of goods and services: -45.7% (2016 est.)
|GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
| household consumption: 53%
government consumption: 21.7%
investment in fixed capital: 26%
investment in inventories: 1.2%
exports of goods and services: 43.8%
imports of goods and services: -45.7% (2016 est.)
|Agriculture - products:
|corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seeds, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (manioc, tapioca), coffee; cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides
|copper mining and processing, emerald mining, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture
|Industrial production growth rate:
|0.2% (2016 est.)
|Labor force:
|7.116 million (2016 est.)
|Labor force - by occupation:
| agriculture: 85%
industry: 6%
services: 9% (2004)
|Unemployment rate:
|15% (2008 est.) 50% (2000 est.)
|Population below poverty line:
|60.5% (2010 est.)
|Household income or consumption by percentage share:
| lowest 10%: 1.5%
highest 10%: 47.4% (2010)
|Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|57.5 (2013) 50.8 (2004)
| revenues: $3.418 billion
expenditures: $5.079 billion (2016 est.)
|Taxes and other revenues:
|16.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
|Public debt:
|57.2% of GDP (2016 est.) 58.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
|Fiscal year:
|calendar year
|Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20.7% (2016 est.) 10.1% (2015 est.)
|Current account balance:
|-$932 million (2016 est.) -$768 million (2015 est.)
|$6.609 billion (2016 est.) $6.998 billion (2015 est.)
|Exports - commodities:
|copper/cobalt, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers, cotton
|Exports - partners:
|China 25.5%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 13%, South Africa 6.4%, South Korea 4.9%, India 4.3% (2015)
|$6.752 billion (2016 est.) $7.711 billion (2015 est.)
|Imports - commodities:
|machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer, foodstuffs, clothing
|Imports - partners:
|South Africa 34.5%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 18.2%, Kenya 9.7%, China 7.3%, India 4.4% (2015)
|Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|$2.046 billion (31 December 2016 est.) $2.968 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
|Debt - external:
|$9.27 billion (31 December 2016 est.) $8.88 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
|Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
|Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
|Market value of publicly traded shares:
|$3.004 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $4.009 billion (31 December 2011 est.) $2.817 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
|Exchange rates:
|Zambian kwacha (ZMK) per US dollar - 10.8 (2016 est.) 8.6 (2015 est.) 8.6 (2014 est.) 6.2 (2013 est.) 5.1 (2012 est.)
|^Back to Top
|Electricity - production:
|14 billion kWh (2014 est.)
|Electricity - consumption:
|11 billion kWh (2014 est.)
|Electricity - exports:
|1.3 billion kWh (2014 est.)
|Electricity - imports:
|13 million kWh (2014 est.)
|Electricity - installed generating capacity:
|2.3 million kW (2014 est.)
|Electricity - from fossil fuels:
|0.4% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
|Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
|0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
|Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
|99.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
|Electricity - from other renewable sources:
|0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
|Crude oil - production:
|0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
|Crude oil - exports:
|0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Crude oil - imports:
|12,120 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Crude oil - proved reserves:
|0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
|Refined petroleum products - production:
|12,760 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - consumption:
|19,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - exports:
|966.2 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Refined petroleum products - imports:
|8,490 bbl/day (2013 est.)
|Natural gas - production:
|0 cu m (2013 est.)
|Natural gas - consumption:
|0 cu m (2014 est.)
|Natural gas - exports:
|0 cu m (2013 est.)
|Natural gas - imports:
|0 cu m (2013 est.)
|Natural gas - proved reserves:
|0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)
|Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
|3.5 million Mt (2013 est.)
|^Back to Top
|Cellular Phones in use:
|total: 11.558 million subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 77 (July 2015 est.)
|Telephone system:
| general assessment: among the best in sub-Saharan Africa
domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation and network coverage is improving; domestic satellite system being installed to improve telephone service in rural areas; Internet
international: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 3 owned by Zamtel (2010)
|Broadcast media:
|state-owned Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) operates 3 TV stations, is the principal local-content provider, and owns about 45% of multi-channel Zambia shares; several private TV stations and multi-channel subscription TV services are avai (2015)
|Internet country code:
|Internet users:
|total: 3.164 million percent of population: 21% (July 2015 est.)
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|88 (2013)
|Airports (paved runways):
| total 8
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)
|Airports (unpaved runways):
| total 80
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 53
under 914 m: 21 (2013)
|oil 771 km (2013)
| total 3,126 km
narrow gauge: 3,126 km 1.067-m gauge
note: includes 1,860 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) (2014)
| total 40,454 km
paved: 9,403 km
unpaved: 31,051 km (2005)
|2,250 km (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers) (2010)
|Ports and terminals:
river port(s): Mpulungu (Zambezi)
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|Military branches:
|Zambian Defense Force (ZDF): Zambia Army, Zambia Air Force, Zambia National Service (support organization) (2015)
|Military service age and obligation:
|national registration required at age 16; 18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription; Zambian citizenship required; grade 12 certification required; mandatory HIV testing on enlistment; mandatory retirement for officers at age 65 (Army, Air Force) (2012)
|Military expenditures:
|1.55% of GDP (2012) 1.59% of GDP (2011) 1.55% of GDP (2010)
|^Back to Top
|Transnational Issues
|Disputes - International:
|in 2004, Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river
|Refugees and internally displaced persons:
|refugees (country of origin): 19,293 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2015)
|Illicit drugs:
|transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for southern Africa and possibly Europe; a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it an unattractive venue for money launderers; major consumer of cannabis
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Back to Flag Counter Overview
Source: CIA - The World Factbook


text:
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he'll decide sometime around August 2015 if he'll make a second run for the White House.
"I'll make that decision in about 18 months," the 2012 presidential hopeful told CNN, explaining he was now focused on this year's midterm elections.
"Those that focus past 2014 is making a huge mistake. I'm not looking past 2014," Perry told the network in remarks quoted by the Hill newspaper.
Perry announced in South Carolina Aug. 13, 2011, he was running for the following year's GOP presidential nomination.
He entered the race to much fanfare but his campaign had early struggles, and Perry particularly stumbled in the GOP presidential hopefuls' debates.
The governor also lost conservative support when he defended the Texas policy of allowing in-state tuition for children of immigrants living in the state without legal permission.
Perry suspended his campaign in January 2012 and eventually endorsed Republican nominee Mitt Romney.
Perry, who succeeded George W. Bush as Texas' governor in December 2000 when Bush resigned to become president, said last July he would not run for a fourth term as governor, saying he planned to retire.
But the National Review later quoted people close to Perry as saying the governor might consider a 2016 White House bid.
When the CNN interviewer said he imagined he would see Perry in key primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, Perry said, "Lord willing."
Perry turns 64 March 5.
Perry declined to say if he thought he could beat Hillary Clinton, often named as a possible Democratic presidential hopeful.
"I have no idea," he said. "That is so hypothetical."


text: I finished these chartity christmas tablerunners this afternnon. I kinda like them. What do you all think? Number one is a new embroidery card I bought on ebay with South Seas Import fabrics and the other is a 18"x36, "Fa La La christmas jelly roll by Moda, dotcom (dotty) sent to me.


text:
Passion Diva
Well I started back in Jan 09 but didn't stay at it very long because I got frusterated when I didn't find very much. So it is now the end of September and I am trying to get back into it. I went out today and found 3 easy ones, but there were others that should have been easy that I wasn't able to find. I didn't realize that there were meet and greets for area geocachers. That might be helpful for me. I know I will enjoy it if I could just figure out the secrets. I have a 12 year old that also goes with me so if there are any events coming up please let me know.


text:
Designer: Swirly Girls Design, Inc.
3⁄8 yard white-on-white pin dot (blocks)
1-3⁄4 yards solid dark brown (blocks, inner border)
3⁄8 yard solid teal (blocks)
3⁄8 yard solid orange (blocks)
3⁄8 yard solid pink (blocks)
3⁄8 yard solid lime (blocks)
3 yards brown paisley (blocks, outer border, binding)
3-3⁄4 yards backing fabric
65x81" batting
Finished quilt: 56-1⁄2x72-1⁄2"
Finished blocks: 8" square
Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width.
Measurements include 1⁄4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.