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Commercial Leadership
IACCM Asia Pacific Conference, July 2019
Published: 13 Aug 2019
Average Rating:
/ 5
Type: Conference / Meeting Presentations
Watch some of the highlights from this year's Asia Pacific Conference in Sydney.
Thank you once again to everyone who joined us - delegates, speakers, sponsors, startup hub participants, Leaders of the Future and Awards finalists!
Commercial & Contract Management 2020
Published: 29 Oct 2019
Type: Commitment Matters Blog
A new decade is almost upon us. It's the decade of RRP - Relationship Resource Planning - when a great wave of efficiency and cost reduction will be achieved through streamlining the management of external relationships.
A new approach to contracts: finding the right balance
Published: 12 Nov 2019
Type: Commitment Matters Blog
A recent article in Harvard Business Review added to the long-running debate on 'relational contracting' and advocated 'a new approach to contracts'.
Thought Leadership Webinar: Supplier-Led Innovation and Continuous Improvement - How best to achieve them in contracting
Published: 01 Oct 2019
Average Rating:
/ 5
Type: Ask The Expert / Thought-Leadership Webinars
Innovation is critical to business success - and supplier-led innovation is recognized as being a major source. But is the potential being realized, and if not, why not?
IACCM has published a study that offers a series of ground-breaking insights that are of impor...
Financial Times announces ten market shapers: setting a new course (Tim Cummins is one)
Published: 23 Oct 2019
Type: Articles / White Papers
The judges decided that Tim Cummins is the person who has had the greatest effect in shaping a new market.
They were impressed by how Mr. Cummins, at the start of his career, made himself heard by using data to present the case for industry-wide standards of contr...
Into the Future: Contract and Commercial Management: Role and Direction
Published: 24 Jul 2019
Average Rating:
/ 5
Type: Research Reports
Today, Contract and Commercial Managers stand at a cross-roads. Many of their traditional tasks will erode and disappear, outsourced or automated. However, that does not mean an inevitable route to nowhere because new technologies elevate these activities from largely operatio...
IACCM Member Meeting - Wellington
Published: 12 Dec 2019
Type: Conference / Meeting Presentations
This IACCM Member Meeting in Wellington, New Zealand focused on Best Practice for commercial organisations.
This event was open to all IACCM members, member's guests, and anyone in the procurement, contracting, and commercial space, and was free to attend than...
Contracts as sources of innovation
Published: 02 Oct 2019
Type: Commitment Matters Blog
'Trade is the spark that lit the fire of human imagination, as it made possible not only the exchange of goods, but also the exchange of ideas. Trade also encouraged specialisation since it rewarded individuals and communities who focus on areas of comparative advantage. S...
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Related Discussions
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Pretorius Consulting
2019-09-18 17:50:21
Pricing Article Changes
Does anyone actually price changes to the Articles of the contract? For example, changing the venue for arbitration (5% of the contract value) or the change order pro...
Does anyone actually price changes to the Articles of the contract? For example, changing the venue for arbitration (5% of the contract value) or the change order process (30% of the contract value). Any feedback related to this is appreciated.
• Air Liquide • 2019-09-19 05:18:40
I never saw such clauses
• Advokatfirmaet Negota AS • 2019-11-29 09:30:06
Dear Carrie, I have experience from pricing changes both during the negotiation process and during the contract lifecycle. Our clients have especially found this as an effective tool during negotiations to demonstrate risk/work-impact if the other party is requesting terms transferring an extensive part of the risk/work to them. By showing the cost-impact, the incentive for price increase becomes rather obvious which strengthens your negotiation position. Kind regards, Madeleine Willyams - Advokatfirmaet Negota AS, Norway.
Replies: 2
Pretorius Consulting
2019-09-18 17:43:44
10 Pitfalls to Avoid in Contracting
I note that the post is from November 2015. Would you say that the statistics for these 10 have remained the same in 2019? Is it possible to get more information abo...
I note that the post is from November 2015. Would you say that the statistics for these 10 have remained the same in 2019?
Is it possible to get more information about the survey that was conducted, where did the input come from? For example, what is the 9.2% financial benefit / Erosion based on?
• Pretorius Consulting • 2019-09-18 18:15:04
I believe I found it.
Replies: 1
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
2018-12-16 06:26:23
IACCM New Member Welcome and Update Webcast
These presentations are always jam-packed with a lot of useful information that is beneficial for new members. It will help them get off to a great start on their cont...
These presentations are always jam-packed with a lot of useful information that is beneficial for new members. It will help them get off to a great start on their contract and/or commercial management journey!
2018-10-12 14:32:00
A great article. Roles and responsibilities are often overlooked. We instead, as a buying organisation, like to define how something should be delivered.
A great article. Roles and responsibilities are often overlooked. We instead, as a buying organisation, like to define how something should be delivered.
• Gemserv • 2019-07-03 15:11:45
This is definitely something that should have greater consideration in my organisation, I have been quite vocal in pushing it. I have worked in teams where particular members have found the lack of bounds extremely stressful as they feel they are crowded out or put upon by the more vocal members, who are equally frustrated it takes so long to get things done. Clarity in defining the roles and responsibilities can often be an enabler.
• Airbus Defence and Space Limited • 2019-08-18 12:37:30
Agreed, this is a great article and really gets you thinking about the behaviours instilled within your own immediate team. If we cannot get the behaviours and roles clearly specified for our own team members first we are setting ourselves up to fail in the wider team and externally.
• Experian • 2019-02-03 22:03:09
Agree - this was quite an insightful article. I've always believed that it should work in reverse - that you should set the objective and then leave it up to individuals to work out how to get there, which is what the article says except for specifying that their roles need to be clear. I believed that if roles were less clearly defined then it gave people scope to expand their remit, however I can see why this can cause confusion.
Replies: 3
2018-09-18 09:34:19
How to handle a dominating client?
Thanks for the interesting article. From my experience, i've encountered number of client who likes to dominate the contract administration and project execution ...
Thanks for the interesting article. From my experience, i've encountered number of client who likes to dominate the contract administration and project execution process. Does anyone know if there are any case studied that i reference and also share my opinion?
2018-02-27 09:00:00
Effeciency of undefining the approach to complete task
"Conversely, leaders should help team members understand the project's importance and ultimate objective but leave the exact approach to the discretion of the tea...
"Conversely, leaders should help team members understand the project's importance and ultimate objective but leave the exact approach to the discretion of the team." This is really interesting and whilst I agree this a great way to encourage collaboration and a team approach, often internal, differing view points as to what the approach is can cause inefficiency in getting the job done on time. I think what needs to be qualified by this statement is that the creativity as to how the approach is taken should be left to team members but clarity regarding role AND timeframes need to be set and agreed upon by all team members and leaders at the outset. This will ensure productivity, higher collaboration and efficiency.
You are correct, but don't you think that is implied under the 'ultimate objective'? Perhaps you have only experienced part of the statement so far.
Replies: 1
2016-12-01 06:07:29
Evaluating Warranty extension cost
In an EPC project, the project is delayed by employer and employer requests contractor to extend warranty. Employer agrees to provide a claim/ amendment for warranty e...
In an EPC project, the project is delayed by employer and employer requests contractor to extend warranty. Employer agrees to provide a claim/ amendment for warranty extension provided contractor can susbtantiate the basis of warranty extension cost. Can any one of you share the basis/ methodology of assessing warranty extension cost?
• Contract Manager Canada Inc. • 2017-02-04 02:36:22
If the project is delayed by the Employer... first make sure that there were no delay causes by the Contractor on the previous agreed milestones, for you to be fully eligible for a compensation. Now the tricky part to kick in, is the delay resulting to only warranty extension, which means that all construction, installation and pre-commissioning done? Just ensure that you've all signed-off documents that it's pre-commissioned. if so, your service team will provide an additional cost for extra-warranty coverage and you can lever it as a scope-creep. This is not an issue, if all of your works are completed and no more to come back to do additional works, then you need to add remob to commissioning cost plus the extended warranty cost and get a CO prior to agreement of extension. Don't forget to have your insurance company informed on this extension, as they were notified of previous warranty commitment, not the new one. Hope this serves.
• Seiersen Enterprises • 2016-12-03 22:23:43
It strikes me that the actual costs of extending the warrantee might be considered.
These may be nil if the delay in the project delays the in service date, and thus the risk of fault.
The onus might be put on the supplier to prove the materiality of additional warrantee costs whatever they might be.
• Capgemini India • 2016-12-05 04:44:19
As warranty effort is provisioned to fix bugs of contractor's defects, since the delay is caused by the Employer, the Contractor is entitiled to claim additional cost. Not only is this instance 'due to failure of the employer (customer)', which is not due to cause by the contractor, there could also be a delay in the service start date, which means the plans for service could be impacted. Therefore, I believe the additional cost is justified.
• Whirlpool • 2016-12-14 13:17:49
Our service department has actually been able to provide a number for us by unit of what an additional year of warranty costs us. Do you know how much the first year costs you? You could always just submit that as an estimate for year two.
Replies: 4
Ultra Electronics Precision Control S...
2016-10-08 09:33:52
Cross-organisational culture
Great article! My organisation struggles to implement end to end vision and cross-function involvement of practices... I can see how this would vastly improve a number...
Great article! My organisation struggles to implement end to end vision and cross-function involvement of practices... I can see how this would vastly improve a number of processes we currently have!
Legal Aid Agency / Ministry of Justice
2016-06-18 10:14:08
Contract management - highest growth inducties & areas?
Hi I've just viewed the 'untangling complex projects' webinar which refers to a significant increase in contract management roles globally. Which industries and geogra...
I've just viewed the 'untangling complex projects' webinar which refers to a significant increase in contract management roles globally.
Which industries and geographical areas do people think are experiencing the highest areas of growth?
• Ternium Brasil • 2017-01-15 04:37:47
Hi Zarah,
It´s a pleasure to share the information with you and the colleagues of the forum.
So, in Brazil many companies has been implanting CM in their structures but still have many doubts about this area. Sometimes managers asking me about the difference about contract management and project management.
Nowaday I work for a steel company in Brazil and has been implanting with a team a contract management area to help the company to reach their strategic results.
Gustavo Procópio
Contract Engineer
Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
• New Zealand Defence Industry Association (NZDIA) • 2016-06-21 22:50:31
Public sector all over the globe. IT and Infrastructure. When mining and Oil and gas pick up would expect more there.
In Australia there is a lot of interest in CM to assist with commercial excellence endeavours.
Replies: 2
2016-01-21 14:10:34
Contracts Management Value - Changing the Corporate Culture
I am a new Contracts Manager at a global information services company. This is a new position to the company, so I am effectively starting from scratch. I am running...
I am a new Contracts Manager at a global information services company. This is a new position to the company, so I am effectively starting from scratch. I am running into a problem where many members of the Sourcing/Procurement organization enter incomplete information in our Contracts Management system, or do not appropriately map documents together (MSA attached independently of applicable SOW, NDA, etc). Many of them view the logging as a burden rather than an integral part of identifying savings opportunities and keeping accurate records of our vendors. Also, we are switching CM systems later this year, and my fear is that if the culture does not change, the enhancements offered by the new system will be undermined by the inaccurate/incomplete data.
Have any of you dealt with similar problems, and if so, what processes/tips did you implement to increase adoption of your systems? Thanks for all of your input, including what worked, and what didn't.
• Ericsson • 2017-01-07 21:34:41
Dear Anonymous,
we are as well facing smth similar within our company, especially what concerns the Contract management tools and systems. Being a contract manager myself I have been a part of the team that is quarterly checking that deals selected by some criteria are properly stored in the tool. Almost all the time they were not. But since we have implemented the now tool it turned out that a sales team can not proceed further with delivery/execution process unless the contract is properly stored in CLM. So this tool is kind of a trigger - if a contract is there, then assignment can be created. And... for such upload - the responsible person is exactly the contract manager/contract administrator, i.e. the person who owns the contract and knows what to upload. Since that time all contracts are there. Sometimes such methods works as well and need to be applied.
• 2016-02-26 15:48:29
I suggest you:
a) define and write up the purpose or importance of timely inputs (for all inputs being overlooked), and
b) measure and summarise the error rates and input times
c) prepare risk assessment and cost benefit analysis/ estimate (hard$ savings unachievable/ consequential time lost/ risk "contingency cost" vs input time) based on a and b.
d) survey all users to identify their excuses/ issues with the system/ lack of awareness/skills
e) summarise above in a report to exec management. Seek system fixes, user training, compliance enforcement and resources to implement these things.
f) If you don't get support from exec, then focus only on the worst problems that you are capable of fixing.
• ABB Contracting Co Ltd. • 2016-03-30 09:05:04
We also experienced the similar situation and I believe this is somehow natural and common when the control, involvement of higher management and objectives of the people involved are not aligned. Sometime the pressure and the load of the work are also the reasons contributing to such a behavior. What we did was the following:
Conducted training sessions highlighting the importance of the issue and tis consequences for the organization
Top down message highlighting the importance and adherence of the process
regular check up of data and accountability
the outcome was good however it took some time and efforts are still on going
i had an over view about all the replies and they are all valid points - if we have a fresh beginning lets say its an advantage so you able to implement the rules rather than change rules - there many points to be addressed as below :
a. Contract administration.
b. relationship and process between different parties during pre and post tender award.
c. risk management and mitigation process.
d. periodical meeting for tender and project review.
e. contract management process and implementing it into a way to be effective and part of both tendering and project process.
... after all i would like to add its very important that top management within your organization to support that - and does not consider it as only consultancy or optional process.
• Contractswise • 2016-05-18 10:26:49
Have you considered an e-learning module that would increase internal skills and awareness of what improved contract management can achieve? E-learning tends to be very low cost and learners can complete it at times that suit them.
• A+E Project Services • 2018-04-13 17:05:42
You must list the gaps between your existing processes and what you want to be. These gaps needs to be controlled thru authorisation / automation if you are switching to a software support system else these need to be manually controlled by matrix. The next person in line will not sign till matrix is completed and checklist signed for compliance. this mau slow down but better than what's happening right now.
• Bouygues Intl/SNC Lavalin/ Fluor Corp/MAVEN Group • 2016-07-15 17:34:54
This is nothing new, rather very frequent in most organizations small or large. Systems are provided as tools to help managing our daily work; if not used and maintained properly to input and process data, no degree of sophistication would help. Having worked with a number of major corporations, using and investing in well developed contracts/procurement management systems I can only say that it happens a lot, but not difficult to overcome.
Like with all matters 'human' in the workplace, it requires continuous and diligent focus and efforts to train, motivate and monitor the users, frequent audits to check performance and usage for corrective actions, sometimes, unfortunately, 'constructive reprimands' are needed to bring everyone on track. It is important to have and allocate an adequate level or resources, systems and personnel combined and identified a budget needed for that to get support of your stakeholders. If you have a well developed contracts department with sufficient personnel, you could train and benefit of database technicians to handle such admin tasks regularly. I had the privilege to work in places where complex systems were designed and in place for contracts / procurement management. Every processing step would have key fields designed in such a way so if these were not filled as required, the user would be stopped from advancing to the next step and completing the task. And finally, such system would be directly linked with the AR/AP so that when getting to payments (this really matters for everyone) these would not be validated until the predecessors required activities/steps were adequately completed. That would be the show stopper. If a complex processing system is not in place, there is still good work to be done using well designed spreadsheets combined with your email messaging board to prompt actions due.
All in all, patience and interest in working with, and helping people to raise the bar and become professional in everything they do, small or big.
Lucia Galdian
• ATCO Electric • 2017-05-18 19:30:51
We had similar situation. It is always same, nobody wants extra work, or deviate from their routine what they have been doing for years. We organized lot of information sessions, lunch and learn for key people to sell the idea to them. Once they were convinced that it is good for them and for the organization (or they realized there is no escape..), it was easy to implement our procedure and protocol with the key stakeholders.
• 2017-07-14 17:07:01
I'm bringing in a contract management process from scratch, as previously I would receive instructions in a different form depending on the Sales person - and it was often a brain dump over the phone.
The approach I've taken so far is to approach the Head of Sales & the Sales Manager to get their support, but to also allign the information I want to capture with the information that they are looking for from the team.
It's useful to get backing from their team leads and try to demonstrate how the information your capturing will benefit them in regards to their targets. If they can see value, you'll find that they'll be having the battle for you.
• 2016-11-04 00:00:55
I had the same issue with implementing a new tool nationwide. Agree with all of the answers - my solution was itemizing the ways that the tool would "benefit" the staff who were reluctant to learn the new application/system. ie legal ramifications, Good luck.
• UK Crown Commercial Services • 2016-01-22 07:26:06
We experienced something similar. We were able to run and produce reports which clearly showed at a very high level the number of gaps in the system info. We also put a sharp focus on the associated risks and missed opportunities that resulted from this. These reports were shared with senior management which put it firmly on the radar of those who needed to know. Important for us (and i imagine anyone) was to clearly link the risks with our organisational objectives so that it was very evident (even if some people thought it unimportant) how gaps in system info could and would limit our ability to achieve company objectives.
• Confidential • 2016-01-22 14:26:52
I think you'll find consistency across stakeholders is an issue across more than contracts. Each function sees only the value in what is important to their process. We have been able to reduce (not eliminate) the issues you talk about thru establishing a centralized contract area. Only individuals in this area have delegation of authority to sign contracts. Additionally, I will say we do work very well with our stakeholders.
Good luck.
• 2016-01-26 08:20:10
This is a problem I've encountered as well at a previous employer. It's hard to overcome when the "stakeholders" don't want to cooperate because it's a burden. Perhaps a training session where you emphasize the importance of the system (and keeping accurate records) and answer questions about how to map the documents would be helpful. Good luck.
• 2016-01-26 08:30:55
Education, education, and more education. When we revamped our contracting process, it was a major shift in our organization. You will need to effectively communicate the value of contract management and the importance of accurate records. I have gone as far as using examples of contracting scenarios that placed our organization at risk because of failure to follow policies and procedures. Also equally important is senior leadership buy in. Because this is a major shift, you will need the support of your senior leaders so the message is coming from the top. I found that we were making very little progress in changing the culture until we engaged the support of our senior leaders. Good luck!
• OneView • 2016-02-12 18:06:22
Unfortunately this is a problem with the tediousness of the task and the fact that legacy CM systems require manually uploading the contract. Our CEO is a 20 procurement professional that got frustrated with the old way of doing things and figured out how to upload contracts automatically to address this issue. He's been using it on an M&A project where thousands of contracts have to be renegotiated and reassigned. It would take years to input those process those contracts manually and he's been able to do it in weeks with accuracy.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Published June 13, 2013
With guidance from a pair of UB graduate students, seventh-graders from Futures Academy made a documentary this spring on the history of the Fruit Belt, the neighborhood in which the school is located.
The young filmmakers screened their work on June 13 at Futures Academy on Carlton Street in Buffalo. Their audience included classmates, teachers and community partners from Locust Street Art and the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers, who were featured in the 20-minute documentary.
The project was part of the UB Center for Urban Studies' Community as Classroom initiative led by Henry Louis Taylor Jr., center director and professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the School of Architecture and Planning.
Through the initiative, Futures Academy students learn about urban planning and solve real-world problems through hands-on projects during school hours. Examples of past activities include the community art installations, urban gardening and a nationwide competition that challenges students to design cities of the future.
The goal is to help some of the city's youngest residents understand that cities can and do change, and that citizens do have the power to stimulate improvements.
"We want to teach students that cities are made not by happenstance. Instead, cities are a product of the decisions that city leaders make," says Gavin Luter, a UB PhD candidate in educational administration, who worked with fellow UB student Kimika Hudson to lead the documentary project. "The documentary was really about making sure the students understand the past so they can understand the future."
Both Luter and Hudson, who has since graduated with a master's in urban planning, completed their work as members of the UB Center for Urban Studies.
During the spring semester, they guided the Futures Academy students in a number of tasks: choosing people to interview, conducting the interviews on camera and editing the final piece.
The result is a 20-minute documentary that explores the Fruit Belt's heritage, including its past as a hub for German immigrants. Community leaders who were interviewed also talked about how the building of the Kensington Expressway (Route 33) affected the neighborhood, slicing it in half and altering its once-intimate nature.
"The '33' was a road that needed to be planned and constructed," Luter says. "We want students to understand that there can be unforeseen consequences to things like this and that they as citizens can organize to make sure their concerns are heard when it comes to future decisions."
Futures Academy students on the documentary team included Antone Weeden, Johnathen Nelson, Marquez Hampton, Jahlelle Suttles, Tatania Tart, Jenesis Rodriguez and Myron Pritchett.


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Engineers designed the ear-piercing squawk of a smoke detector to jerk complacent occupants into a state of alert. No one ignores a sounding smoke alarm.
Engineers designed the ear-piercing squawk of a smoke detector to jerk complacent occupants into a state of alert. No one ignores a sounding smoke alarm.
State Sen. Pat Browne, R-16 would like something equally useful to warn people of deadly carbon monoxide.
Browne's Republican colleague Sen. David G. Argall, R-29, recently shepherded Browne's S.B. 607 through the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, which he chairs. As a bill cosponsor, he garnered a unanimous vote for the Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act. The measure would require carbon monoxide alarms in rental properties whose heating system relies on burning fossil fuels. The bill also calls for the presence or absence of CO2 detectors to be noted as part of the disclosure when a residential property changes hands.
This bill would save lives. Almost 400 people died last year from CO2 poisoning; close to 20,000 ended up in hospital emergency rooms. Locally, last fall an 82-year-old East Stroudsburg woman died of CO2 poisoning after accidentally leaving her car engine running in an attached garage. In 2009 a Bartonsville resident sought treatment in Pocono Medical Center for CO2 poisoning. In February 2008, four young men were killed by CO2 fumes from a portable generator they were using while rehabbing a house near Marshalls Creek.
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Browne's bill has bipartisan support. State Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, is a bill co-sponsor.
Monroe County's three other senators, Lisa M. Boscola, D-18; John Blake, D-22, and Lisa Baker, R-20, all should support this bill, pushing it through the Senate so that it can go before the House and be passed into law before the next heating season begins. Don't wait for another CO2 poisoning. An alarm could prevent it, loud and clear.


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A 17-YEAR-OLD boy has admitted killing a pensioner during last summer's riots.
The teenager punched Richard Mannington Bowes, 68, knocking him to the ground where he banged his head.
He was taken from the scene near his home in Haven Green, Ealing, west London, but died in hospital.
The boy admitted manslaughter when he appeared at Inner London Crown Court today.
Mr Mannington Bowes died on August 11, three days after being attacked while trying to put out a fire in a dustbin near his home.
He suffered brain damage when his head hit the pavement.
The defendant, who cannot currently be named because of his age, also pleaded guilty to violent disorder today.
He had previously admitted burglary at William Hill, Tesco Express, Blockbusters and Fatboys Thai restaurant on August 8.


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Sveriges Domstolars webbplatser använder cookies för att fungera på ett bra sätt. Genom att välja "Jag accepterar cookies" samtycker du till att cookies används. Vill du neka till cookies kan du själv stänga av funktionen via din webbläsares säkerhetsinställningar.
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The tool enables a direct, mechanical translation of the text to be made on the website. Neither the Swedish Courts Administration nor any other authority within the Courts of Sweden (Sveriges Domstolar) can be held liable for the correctness of the translation.
If you wish to get divorced you can apply for divorce to the district court where you are registered.
In order to identify the right district court, click on 'Sök domstol' ('Search for court) above.
If neither of you live together with your own children and you have jointly applied for a divorce, the district court may issue a judgment as soon as possible. If you wish, you can have a period for reconsideration before you get divorced. The period for reconsideration is always at least six months and at most one year. Note that if you still want to get divorced when the six months have expired, you must give notice of this to the district court (so-called completion). This notification must be received by the district court after the six months have expired. You must also then submit new population registration certificates. If the notification for completion is not received by the district court within one year, the matter will be written off.
If you have children living at home (yours, your wife's/husband's or common children), or if one of you does not wish to get divorced, you will always get a period for reconsideration.
If you have lived apart for more than two years you can have a divorce directly, even if you have children and do not agree on getting divorced. In that event you should enclose a certificate of separate living signed by two people who know you well.


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Let's say I live in the sunny state of California, and I just bought a Nissan Leaf electric car. The car's $32,000 bottom line would have taken a big bite, but I got a $7,500 federal tax credit and a $5,000 state cash payout. At $20,000, the Leaf is affordable, and the 3 cents a mile operating costs are good news, too.
But wait, now they want to start hitting me with new taxes? The gas jockeys say it's not fair that they pay a premium of 18.4 cents per gallon to maintain our nation's roads, while I pay nothing at all. That's harsh — and here I am a crusader for clean air.
There, in a microcosm, is the debate over whether we need to reform the gas tax as the automobile electrifies. One way to do this is with a whole new system that's agnostic to what kind of car you drive. It's called pay-per-mile, and it would be based on how far you drove, not on what you drove to get there.
There's an issue of fairness here. Conservatives are already hollering that electric vehicles are "welfare wagons" because of the subsidies they get. John Voelcker, senior editor at High Gear Media, explains it this way: "My basic take is that I'm sympathetic to the desire of EV owners not to be taxed, but right now, there's no mechanism by which EVs are contributing to highway funds. And because people aren't driving as much, we face a phenomenal shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund."
Voelcker's research shows that U.S. gasoline use peaked in 2006, when we used 374 million gallons every day. High gas prices are also cutting into driving, and thus reducing gasoline tax payouts that pay for road repairs. That 18.4 cents (24.4 cents for diesel) is, of course, phenomenally low compared to the very high taxes Europeans pay — as much as half of the $8 they might pay per gallon. Our gas tax burden isn't that much of a burden.
The Obama administration is toying with the idea of a pay-per-mile system, which wouldn't be as hard to implement as it sounds. How would the government know how far you drove? The Congressional Budget Office says that electronic equipment, possibly GPS-based but not necessarily, would record how many miles you drove, then add up a bill that you'd pay, perhaps at your electric vehicle charging station.
This is not, repeat not, going to be popular with EV enthusiasts. Electric cars are expensive, so buying one requires consumers to make a leap of faith. People worry about battery life, range, charger availability and a number of other intangibles. It's delicate right now, and throwing in a previously unknown tax could upset the balance.
Another way of looking at it: First the government gives me a tax break to buy the electric vehicle, then taxes me for driving it? That's not a terribly logical argument, but there you are. The auto companies don't like the idea of EV taxes, and they make the case in a similar way. Shad Balch of General Motors (which makes the Chevrolet Volt) opined: "There will be a time and place when electric vehicles should pay their fair share for road maintenance and those associated costs. But we're not there yet. Right now, we need to create a market that incentivizes people to buy these cars."
Paul Scott, vice president of Plug In America (and a Nissan Leaf salesman) says, "We at Plug In America think it's inappropriate to tax EVs at this early stage of development." Oil companies, he says, have been getting "huge tax breaks" for decades. Scott did add that he favors some kind of "weight/mile" tax down the road, after electric vehicles proliferate.
And people who worry about the long arm of Big Brother won't be happy, either. As Mark G., a poster on The Car Connection, put it, "Besides the possible privacy issues, it would require an entirely new infrastructure and cost a fortune to put in place. It would end up being technology based, which means that is will be easy to manipulate or cheat. Plus, it will no doubt open up plenty of loopholes for the rich/savvy to avoid being taxed. I can only guess that they will use this as a scary alternative to justify raising the gas taxes."
By the way, the gas tax is only about 35 percent of subsidies to the U.S. road and highway system. The rest is vehicle taxes (20 percent), tolls (less than 5 percent), general fund appropriations (15 percent), borrowing (10 percent), property taxes (5 percent) and miscellaneous taxes and fees (10 percent).
It's not just the federal government, either. States can and will tax electric vehicles, too, and they'll find creative ways to do it. A Washington state bill would apply a $100 surcharge for EVs during the licensing process, and it's already passed the state Senate and is awaiting action in the state House. Oregon is also considering something similar. (Pardon me, but aren't these two states that really like electric cars?)
In the end, EVs will end up paying some kind of taxes, and they'll continue to get tax breaks, too. Writing at CBS' BNET, Matt DeBord guesses that most electric vehicle buyers could easily pay Washington state's $100 fee, or other such levies applied as part of taking delivery of the car. "The cost could be rolled into a car's purchase price, and it would become basically invisible," he said.
That's true, but a one-time fee is one thing and an ongoing pay-as-you-drive tax is something else again. With that, you're going to get a big argument — nearly as big a one as you'd get if you proposed raising that long-static 18.4 cents a gallon road tax. If you haven't heard, new taxes are off the American agenda.


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The general trend is toward deskilling (via machines, technology, etc.) to make labor both more flexible (anyone can work anywhere) and a commodity, weakening labor's bargaining power and permitting capital to extort more surplus value, which is no longer a matter of extending working hours but a matter of improving productivity (Marxian jargon for this is "relative surplus value").
This is probably worth remembering in any conventional economic discussion of how boosting productivity is a good thing for the economy. It tends to increase growth (we get more output from less input) but it doesn't mitigate inequalities in distribution of the output -- it tends to leverage the inequities and increase the gap between classes by allowing capitalists to seize more surplus value from smaller pieces of capital. Increased productivity figures also indicate more labor is being squeezed from fewer workers as the "slack" is being wrung out of offices -- i.e. workers who were not laid off are forced to make up for the work of those who were. Productivity gains would be nice if that freed us to do other things with our time, only society is set up to deny us that possibility, stigmatizing unemployment and refusing a social wage independent of work for capitalists. Through productivity adds to GDP, it makes workers more rather less insecure.
Productivity gains, if we accept the Marx/Braverman analysis, are closely allied to deskilling. As Aronwitz explains:
For Marx, the increasing scale of production made possible by machinery, and by capital's intervention in the labor process by its devalorizing labor, becomes identical with the mode of production. The production of relative surplus value...is the sole purpose of production. The subsumption and subordination of science, technology, and human labor are merely facets of this compulsion toward extracting profitsDeskilling removes the limits on capital placed by traditional, artisanal modes of production, permitting a greater division of labor and a more rapid turnover of materials. This has broader ramifications that making work that much more meaningless to the Taylorized worker: "The new machines are forms of the social organization of labor introduced by management," Aronowitz notes. The minute division of labor is institutionalized; workers begin to enter the world of production without prerequisite skills. It becomes understood that one gets a job and is taught to operate a machine (or nowadays a piece of software), which already contains the skills and technology (which now belongs safely to the capitalists who own the machines).
We often hear that education is the key to success in the labor markets. "Skill-biased technical change" is invoked to explain income inequality, an effort to persuade us that it is not merely a matter of the rich getting richer. (Economist David Card disputes the explanatory power of SBTC in this 2002 paper.) And much-remarked-upon charts like this one (via Calculated Risk) seem to prove the power of education.
Does this refute the idea that capitalism thrives by deskilling the labor force? Or does this merely show that education is an extremely valuable signaling device, useful to employers for sorting docile and tractable workers from those less inclined to follow rules and follow through on arbitrary projects. From that point of view, education is about credentialing as opposed to learning. In other words, the skills themselves may not explain the differences in our various fates in the labor market. Education matters insofar as it proves membership to an employable class, but the "skills" one acquires there rarely let people set up as capitalists themselves. The skills are typically not "human capital" in that regard -- they do not allow us to confront capital on a level playing field. Instead the skills we acquire are more about teaching us the proper modes of submission to bosses and the virtues of "go along, get along."


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Basic Facts
Basic Facts
Methods of Shipping Your Boat
If at all possible, consider making your own arrangements and filing for reimbursement.
If you live on your boat and move it as a principal residence, you are not authorized a separate shipment of household goods. Movement of a boat as a principal residence is governed by the same rules and regulations as shipping a mobile home. The rule restricting shipment to any place outside the continental United States except Alaska is the same as that for a mobile home. Ask the counselor at the transportation office for the Moving Your Mobile Home pamphlet. If after reading the pamphlet you decide to let the government arrange movement of your boat, the counselor will provide specific information.
To be safe you should not carry firearms on your person, except as authorized by local laws and regulations. When carrying a weapon, be sure to check the laws of all states or countries you will travel through on the way to your new duty station. Compliance with the law is your responsibility. The counselor at your transportation office will advise you only on limitations and requirements contained in military regulations and directives.


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Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you are able to look back at 2011 with fond memories, and look forward to 2012 with excitement and anticipation. That's how I am feeling right now.
Here is the highly-anticipated 2011 Annual Keatley Christmas picture. It feels so good to have this one in the can, and to finally get to look at it. (You can click on the image to get a closer look.) This year, we are living the good life, up in a tree, because that's how we roll in the great Pacific Northwest. Sorry to break it to you, but red flannel is the new cheesy Christmas sweater. I know, just when you finally got around to planning that sweater party. It's not too late to trade 'em in for flannel and an axe though.
As you may remember, in last years picture, we were with our yeti in the middle of Fargo. (You can see all three of our Christmas pictures by filtering the posts with the 'Keatley Christmas' category.) It went over pretty well, and because of that, I put a lot of pressure on myself to repeat or even outdo it this year. Long story short, I over thought the whole idea and couldn't come up with anything for about 5 months. This has been a year of great learning and growth for me as a photographer. I have had some things I had to really wrestle and struggle with for a good part of the year, but in the end, I feel like I came out with a much better perspective and idea of who I want to be as an artist. It was only after I made some of these realizations that I was able to come up with this idea. It was a difficult, but worthwhile process, and I love how this picture turned out. I think it's a lot of fun to look at, and something I am really proud of. Our dog, Oliver, on the other hand, well, he is just glad to be out of the tree. In hindsight, it is also probably really fortunate that we did the yeti last year, because I can just about guarantee Isla would have passed out from screaming if we tried that this year. She was so young last year, she didn't have a clue what was going on.
If lumberjacks and outdoor types sound familiar to some of you, it is probably because of my short promo video, The Woodsman, shot earlier this year. You can watch it at the bottom of this post. It is worth pointing out, that lumberjacks and woodsmen are not necessarily a tight knit group, but they have been known to fraternize from time to time. All that to say, for me, I guess you could call 2011 the year of the lumberjack / woodsman. Who knows what 2012 will bring. Stay tuned.
It's been really fun to hear from so many of you about how you look forward to our annual Christmas picture. It means a lot to us, and it makes it that much more enjoyable for me to work on knowing how much some of you enjoy these. I am already looking forward to creating next years. Thanks for taking a look, and I hope you will like, tweet, or share this if you enjoy it.
Photo Retouching by Gigantic Squid.


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The roots behind this week's sale of the region's most successful real estate firm, Houlihan Lawrence, traces back 129 years to New York City where William Lawrence ran a successful pharmaceutical business.
Since then, Houlihan Lawrence's reach extended to Bronxville, where Lawrence started his real estate investment company, Greenwich and the entire Hudson Valley in New York. It finally touched down in Nebraska, the home of billionaire Warren Buffett. The business magnate owns Home Services of America, Inc., which purchased Houlihan Lawrence on Tuesday.
Buffett made his motive clear in a story published last year in Fortune. "I don't see a nationwide bubble in real estate right now,'' Buffett said. In 2015, Buffett's company purchased another real estate powerhouse, Allie Beth Allman & Associates of Dallas. While Buffett divested other holdings, he has made clear his affinity for real estate and has gobbled up companies all over the U.S.
Buffett might be the new real estate tycoon in the United States, but Lawrence held that role in Bronxville when he launched the business. Lawrence established Lawrence Investments in 1888 in Bronxville, which was the forerunner to the real estate empire. He also founded Lawrence Hospital and Sarah Lawrence College.
He was the driving force behind Lawrence Park, a 20-acre parcel in Bronxville with some of the most architecturally and historically significant homes in the region. The Park is primarily residential,and attracted as residents many prominent artists and writers when it was first established. The Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and homes in the area are still among the most exclusive and priciest in Westchester.
The Houlihan Lawrence office at 4 Valley Road in Bronxville is the firm's original headquarters and is the gatehouse to Lawrence Park and its predecessor, Prescott Farm.
The Lawrence family continued to hold the real estate firm until 1990 when it was purchased by Peter Bailey Seaman and his wife, Nancy. Peter died in 1994 and Nancy, a Greenwich resident, has spearheaded the company since along with her brothers, Stephen and Chris Meyers, who is also a resident of Greenwich.
When Peter and Nancy purchased Houlihan Lawrence, the business had no longer been profitable, according to a New York Times story in 1998. But by 1997, HL topped $1 billion in sales for the first time and its market share in Westchester and Putnam Counties was twice that of the next two leading realtors, according to the story.
In a 1995 New York Times story , Nancy said the company's growth was a direct result of the groundwork laid out by Peter before he died of a brain tumor. Volume increased from $400 million in 1993 to $900 million in 1994. "Peter had a three-year plan that had been completed," she said in The Times story. "He restructured the company and turned it into a profit center. So when the economy improved we had all our ducks in a row and could take advantage of it."
Houlihan Lawrence expanded its influence cautiously under Nancy Seaman and her brothers. In the 1998 New York Times story, she even said the firm was uninterested in expanding into Connecticut. In the past two years, it has opened offices in Greenwich, New Canaan and Darien.
"What I look for are traits compatible with our own mode of operating,'' Seaman said in that story. "And geography is very important. We tend to stick to familiar territory. I'm not interested in expanding into Connecticut or New Jersey. My favorite boast is that we're big enough to know every town, yet small enough to know every house in town.''
Nancy continued to lead the company until earlier this week. Now married to Alan Schwartz, executive chairman of Guggenheim Partners and the former chief executive of Bear Stearns, she said she will now focus on her philanthropy work for children's advocacy. She will also continue to serve on the Board of HELP USA, which benefits veterans and victims of domestic abuse.
"If not for my departure, you wouldn't know there was a change in ownership," Seaman said when the sale was announced. "I truly love and believe in this company, and am confident this decision guarantees Houlihan Lawrence as we know it — and the extraordinary culture we've built over the past 125 years — will be around for the next 125 years."
Houlihan Lawrence's reach now extends into Dutchess, Putnam, Orange and Ulster, along with Westchester and Fairfield. It has 30 offices, approximately 600 agents and sold $6.7 billion in 2016.
Houlihan Lawrence is also one of the most progressive real estate companies in terms of technology as well, and has been at the forefront in using social media and online resources.
The Meyers brothers will continue to lead the company. Interestingly, Houlihan Lawrence will be competing against Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in New York and Connecticut, another real estate company owned by Buffett.
Buffett also moved into New York City earlier this month with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New York Properties.
From its beginnings in Bronxville 129 years ago, Houlihan Lawrence has had a huge influence on the real estate market. Under its new owner, it's a sure thing the company figures to be a key player for decades to come.
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Sidney Crosby scored the tying goal in the third period and then won it with a brilliant individual effort 3:44 into overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Islanders 3-2 on Tuesday night.
Crosby, who tied it with a power-play goal with 12:00 left in regulation, stole the puck from Thomas Vanek just outside the New York blue line, streaked down the middle between two defenseman and jammed a backhander past Anders Nilsson for his 15th goal.
Nilsson was the hard-luck loser in overtime for the second straight game. New York, which has dropped seven straight (0-5-2), gave up the lead late to Washington on Saturday.
Evgeni Malkin assisted on power-play goals by James Neal and Crosby to back Marc-Andre Fleury, who made 21 saves. His best stop came on Frans Nielsen's penalty shot in the third when New York led 2-1.
Kyle Okposo scored twice in the first period for the Islanders, who are third from the bottom in the East.
The Penguins (19-9-1) moved one point ahead of idle Boston atop the Eastern Conference with their fourth straight win, all on a perfect road trip.
Pittsburgh's potent power play, ranked No. 1 in the NHL, got the Penguins back in the game. Neal connected in the final seconds of the second period, and Crosby tied it in the third.
Both goals were set up by Malkin.
Nilsson earned his second straight start — and second of the season — and nearly pulled out the win. He held off the Penguins long enough for New York to salvage a point in the standings.
John Tavares assisted on both of Okposo's goals. Nilsson made 31 saves.
Okposo hadn't scored in eight games but he broke out with two during a 4:35 span of the first and nearly netted a third before the intermission. He backhanded a shot from the bottom of the left circle into the crease. The puck and Tavares, along with Crosby and Kris Letang of the Penguins all arrived on Fleury's doorstep at the same time. It found its way in off of Letang to make it 1-0 with 7:05 left.
Okposo got even more help on his second goal, which was his eighth of the season. He wound up from above the right circle and ripped a drive that struck Fleury and then squeezed under his left arm before trickling behind him with 2:30 to go.
Pittsburgh had a chance to cut into its deficit late in the frame when Vanek and Aaron Ness took penalties 1:17 apart, giving the Penguins a two-man advantage that lasted the final 37.3 seconds of the first period and 5 seconds of the second.
What Pittsburgh couldn't do in the first, it did in the second when Neal notched a power-play goal with 15.6 seconds left off a feed in front from Malkin, who extended his point and assist streaks to nine games. He has 15 assists and 19 points during the run, earning star of the week and month honors in the NHL.
Neal scored his ninth goal of the season and seventh in six games to make it 2-1. He has 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists) in the last 13 games.


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So here I am … and yes … I made another kora lesson video... maybe I can do a little new series … quality of the video is not high .. my spoken English is not very good… and I apologize for mystakes… but I hope it will be useful …
I will not show new song, but I just want to discuss some important musical subjects, which can be applied to the kora as to all other musical instruments …
We start from here: what you think is what you play.
As the lesson was very long and has been summarized or cut, I append down the full text in English, if then you'll want to read it all…
– What you think is what you play
The focus of this lesson is this: what you think is what you play. So you play what you're thinking. This seems obvious but not too much.
Music is like a language, so if you want to learn it, you need to study well the basics of this language.
Let's start with the alphabet, then will come the grammar, the construction of the times and verbs, then you can create and think your sentences, build your talk, express your ideas, write novels or poems…
If we want to learn the alphabet of a particular language, we have to learn and memorize a sequence of letters.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G and so on …
There are not other possibilities, you do not have another choice. You simply have to learn this sequence, repeat it and memorize it.
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, … and so on.
If you say A, F, L, M, O, … is not the right sequence.
You have to say A, B, not A, G, P, A, G, P. This is wrong, A, B, C is right.
So there are rules to follow. Learn and follow these rules will serve to give you all the freedom you seek.
Often, when someone wants to learn about music, does it thinking he want to be free to express himself, so he doesn't want to hear about rules or exercises, but he want to skip them and go to the next step.
But only if you know certain rules you can then upset them or use them. These rules are also useful because they will facilitate the job.
For example, you may as well try to memorize the alphabet with a different sequence, which is your personal and imaginative sequence, such as A, C, G, K, but to do that you still have to know the original sequence and distorting.
My advice is to use these schemes and these rules because they were deliberately designed to simplify the learning task.
In music, our alphabet consists of the notes. In Western and European music we have twelve different notes aat all… not many.
C, C# or Db, D, D# or Eb, E, F, F# or Gb, G, G# or Ab, A, A or Bb, B.
In this case, as you know, C# and Db are two different ways to call the same note. As well as for F#- Gb.
This is our order, our alphabet. Since music is a universal language, it is convenient that this sequence is the same for everyone. Learn this sequence in a different order, such as C, F, G, A … would only serve to make more confusion.
Instead the sequence is this: C, after the C is D, after D comes E and so on…
This is a circular sequence, then after the B starts again and there is another C.
You can then start the sequence at any point and always follow this order. If you start from F, for example, you know that after F comes G.
This is the ascending sequence. You can also read it or say it or play it on the contrary, in descending way.
The next step is then to create a scale with these notes. The basic scale is the one of C major, composed of seven notes plus the octave repetition:
Learning a scale is not so difficult: you have to learn the sequence of only seven notes.
If you say C-F-G, is not a scale, or at least not that of C major.
You have to say, repeat and memorize C-D, not C-F, but C-D, E and so on.
Then of course you have to find the corresponding notes on the kora, or on your instrument, and play them, work and train this. You have to play and repeat, repeat, repeat. There is no other way. Don't just say, ok I understood. This is the first step. After that you understand, you have to put into practice, work out and repeat, repeat, repeat.
It is as if I am asking you to learn the text of a poem by heart. Don't just say: I understood the meaning, I understood what the author says and I knew what to do if i want to memorize it. You have to do it. You don't have other chances. You will probably not right away, but you will make some mistakes or you will forget some passages. You have to repeat them until you have learned them properly. And, once learned, these will be part of you, but you must continue to play them.
If you learn a scale, it is because you want to play it today and tomorrow. It makes no sense that you want to learn a scale because you do not want to play it.
This applies to any instrument, any music, any art, anything in life. Is how to learn to ride a bike or drive a car. At first you will have fear, doubt, difficulties, but once you have learned you will not forget anymore. But you are learning to ride a bike because you want to ride, not because you don't want to ride a bicycle. So, once learned, it's assumed that you will use the bike to go where you want and you will repeat the pedaling mechanism that you have learned.
Many beginning students often come to me saying: I can not play a scale, I can not understand a scale. Or: I have problems with this exercise or pattern, this other it's too hard…
This happens primarily because you are not thinking what you play, but you're thinking about something else. Then also, because you have not practiced enough and repeat the exercise. That's it: there is nothing difficult in reality.
Do you want to learn to play a scale? Are only seven notes … is not really complicated.
The issue, the problem, stems from two reasons: first you are not thinking of playing a scale. Yes.
At first, a beginner student, in front of the teacher or in front of an audience is always fearful, hesitant, embarrassed. When he or she play an exercise or a song, within himself has many doubts and thinks: it will be right, it will be wrong? I'm doing wrong, good? Perhaps it is wrong, my master will be angry… and things like that.
If this is what you think, this will be what you play and what it sounds: doubts, uncertainties, worries.
If, while you play, you are thinking about what you did yesterday, or what you have to do tomorrow. Or if you are stressed out because you have a problem at work, or you had an argument with your partner, or you are imagining some beautiful dream of your, some memory, or if you are angry… all this is in your mind and in your feelings and be felt throughout your instrument.
This is a musical instrument and as a instrument is used, it serve, to amplify your thoughts and your feelings.
Anything that is not music, at least at this stage of learning, should instead be excluded, cut off: should remain only the musical thought.
The goal that you have to be able to achieve is the musical presence. You have to be here, at this time, with your head in the music … not elsewhere. If your mind is somewhere else, you play and you will express these places and landscapes.
There must however be a perfect synchronicity, a symbiosis: think music, play music.
And the process has to be this, not the reverse: you are thinking, you decide, you are playing. Not the reverse. It's not the kora which sounds and you who hear. This can be in a phase of initial search, not in the arrival path.
Many musicians or beginners students often play like this: they move their finger randomly on the kora, or on their instrument. Are not them who thinking music, but they are listening to the random combinations that their fingers create on the instrument. The result, even for the listener is this: if you are moving your fingers casually, I will feel exactly that.
This is like when you say that a person opens his mouth and gives breath, so that speaks without connecting the brain, speaks without thinking about what he's saying, but he's just listening to the sound of his voice and he says just bla, bla, bla … maybe he also says well-known words or words with meaning, but he or she, the person, is disconnected from the real sense of the word, does not believe in what he says, is not at one with what he thinks.
In music you have to be one thing with your instrument.
The other reason why a beginner student fails to execute a scale or exercise is because he or she want to go too fast. This is the classic bad behavior of all of us. I'm so, I have done so. A student takes in hand an instrument and within one week he wants to be the greatest player in the world. This, unfortunately, is not possible.
So what happens? That he or she wants to play the scale right away at full speed. He try and says: I can not do it, it's too hard.
It is obvious: because his mind can not think for now those notes, that sequence, at a high speed. The same ears not distinguish well all those sounds.
In music, as in anything else you want to learn, you have to proceed gradually, by steps. Step by step.
In this case, first slowly, then a little faster, then a little faster until you get to play fast.
If you start slow, you will find that it is not difficult, it is easy: seven or eight notes, only those.
Once learned these notes, however, you must not jump to the super speed, because you think that slow is boring. You are jumping all the preparatory steps of the way. Don't skip them.
Let's try together. First of all, we learn the sequence of the scale. Our kora is tuned in F major, so first of all, we learn the sequence of the notes that will play:
You must repeat with me this sequence aloud. No shame. This will allow you to learn to play. In the Indian music system, for example, this is the teaching method for any instrument: first you repeat with your voice, and memorize what you want to play, only then you can put hands on the instrument. So do it in your room, where you studied and maybe you are alone: no one will listen to you, no one will mock you. This is not time lost, but necessary.
Now, we have to find those notes on the instrument. As you know, we start from the first low string on the right, then the fifth from on the left, then the second on the right and go on…
Now we have to talk and play together. Repeat aloud each note you play…
Then slowly, over time, increase your speed… And when I say over time, I mean not in five minutes. I mean: today you play at this speed. Tomorrow you always play at this speed, and at the same speed the day after tomorrow. After three days increased slightly, for several days keep the new speed. After one week, after one month, after six months, after one year you can increase gradually… Remember: slow is not bad, but useful.
The same is true if we want to learn a musical pattern. Take for example the fundamental pattern of the kora, I have already explained it in my other video lessons.
This seems difficult if you want to immediately run it fast.
If we play it slowly, the notes are only six:
We can then decide to match a number to each note, to number the notes:
So now what we can do with our alphabet is to change it up to make it truly universal and individual at the same time. You have to create your own unique alphabet, which relates to your musicianship and your instrument. Are you who must talk to your instrument.
So, to every note, we can match a number, and think that number while we are playing.
But this still does not help us at all and then... seems a more scientific method than artistic.
As I was saying, the system of musical notation in the English language gives a name to each note:
In Italian, my language, for example, the names of the notes are:
In India, we could say:
If I think and say the notes in Italian, that to me is more comfortable and easy. But still I have problems, especially if I want to go fast. Or if I want to play a chord: I can certainly say three notes simultaneously.
So what is the goal to be achieved, and what this universal and personal method that facilitates all the music learning and which ultimately is what I suggest you to use to learn playing the kora?
Simple: by voice, but especially with your mind, you must correspond to each string, to each note its sound. So if you notice well, this happens unconsciously from the first moment.
Let's listen and try.
It's not important that the sound of your voice is exactly the same of that coming out from the instrument, or that your pronunciation is perfect, but something similar, that differ a little. It's not important that you be perfectly tuned or you have a beautiful harmonious voice… the important thing is that for you to a certain string corresponds a sound.
Can become:
Ti-Ro-To… so it is for me, in my head.
Or, if you prefer:
If we want that the same notes have the same verbal correspondence. But more than this, it's important the sense of the phrase.
If you think about it, in fact, and if you do the experiment and try to repeat the same word ten times in succession… it's impossible that you repeat the same. It is not human, because every moment of our life is different and unique. Once you can change your breath, a time maybe you'll move a little more the accent, or the position of your tongue, or a micro duration of a letter and so on…
So it's good also ok :
or whatever you like.
The same is true if we want to learn a song. Take for example Bani, of which I have already explained to you the structure in my other classes.
We can think and play:
But this is more difficult, complicated.
Instead we think to the sound that string do:
Tu-T-T- Ton-Tin
Or something like that….
In this case what you have to do is, yes, listen to the sound that the kora is producing in your mind, learn to know it and to store or memorize it.
The same thing if we want to make a variation…
Here this is exactly what happens in my mind when I play. This is what I think, this is what I play. This is the hidden part, concealed. What you cannot see nor hear, what I say in my mind and not verbally, but you hear it through my instrument.
Here I am showing you what's behind the music, or at least behind my music… this is a very big secret that is not so mysterious… I'm just speaking a language of sounds, in relation to my instrument. I am here, not somewhere else… I'm not thinking of anything else … I'm thinking about the sound of the notes and play them…
And by themselves born all inventions and speeches: freedom is born.
I'm merely composing sentences with my alphabet, with words, with parts of scales and patterns, then I dwell on a note because I like the sound of it, now I play another one stronger, another more slow or fast … is improvisation.
And this synergy comes only by experience and repetition. Now you will not questioned more about how you are able to talk, you have learned and now just speak…
So, if I want to say:
Grrr, Gra, Gra…
I say this with my voice, with my mind, with my instrument.
Or what you want.
Yes, this is a kind of magic, the same that is in speaking any language, the same that is in every human being and in the wonderful things he creates.
So, for this lesson is all, I hope it can be helpful…
As usual, I wish you good kora, good music and best of all… bye


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* IFC has invested over $2.2 billion in MENA this year
* Favours energy and financial sectors in Yemen
* Plans to invest nearly $100 million in Iraq in 2013
By Mirna Sleiman
DUBAI, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The World Bank's financial arm International Finance Corp (IFC) plans to increase its investments in Yemen, Iraq and North Africa next year to help support development and job creation, a senior IFC executive said.
"MENA needs to create 50-70 million jobs in the next decade. Recent events in the MENA region have created the urgency to address the fundamental conditions required to revive growth and support human development," Dimitris Tsitsiragos, the IFC's vice president for Europe, Middle East and North Africa, said in an interview on Monday.
The IFC, which invests in developing the private sector in emerging economies with a special focus on small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), sees opportunities in infrastructure, energy, education and healthcare in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
"MENA is a strategic priority for the IFC. Obviously a lot depends on market conditions but our objective is to keep our programme at the same level and hopefully grow it,�������"������� Tsitsiragos said.
"We are prepared to take the risk and support projects in Yemen."
The poorest Arab country, Yemen was driven to the brink of bankruptcy by a year-long uprising that in February pushed long-time president Ali Abdullah Saleh from power and allowed al Qaeda to build its presence in lawless tribal regions.
"It's a small country but deals have a bigger impact. If we succeed, our deals will boost investment sentiment and provide comfort for investors," Tsitsiragos said.
The IFC would be interested in Yemen's energy sector, SMEs, microfinance and the financial sector.
It has invested $2.2 billion in the Middle East and North Africa so far this year, Tsitsiragos said, as economies in the region try to recover from the impact of the Arab Spring uprisings. It hopes to top that amount next year.
It plans to invest close to $100 million next year in OPEC member Iraq, which sits on the world's fourth-largest oil reserves.
"We have so far done a total $400 million in Iraq and plan to do more next year," Tsitsiragos said. "We like infrastructure, manufacturing and the financial sector."
Last year the IFC provided a $400 million, seven-year debt facility for Zain-Iraq, a mobile phone company and subsidiary of Kuwait's Zain Group . It also invested in Ahli United Bank , Iraq's largest lender by market value, and has put close to $75 million into the United Arab Emirates' Gulftainer Co to help it develop ports and logistics activities in Iraq.
Since early last year, the IFC has arranged $450 million of financing for Egypt's Orascom Construction, $137 million in debt financing for Jordan's Hikma pharmaceuticals to help improve access to high-quality generic medicines in the MENA region, and a $50 million loan to French cement maker Lafarge
to help the company expand its operations in Iraq.
The IFC was the lead advisor for a public-private partnership project to build a new airport in Medina, Saudi Arabia and another to construct two teaching hospitals in northern Egypt.
(Editing by Susan Fenton)
Keywords: IFC MENA/


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Press Releases & Media Events
Press Contacts
Joe Mirabella, Director of Communications
Seattle receives $28 million New Markets Tax Credits
Mayor Ed Murray announced today that the city's Office of Economic Development has received a $28 million New Markets Tax Credit allocation from the US Department of Treasury Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI) to leverage additional financing in projects located in under-invested communities in Seattle.
"This allocation gives the city an additional tool to work with developers to bring community benefit to neighborhoods in Seattle," said Mayor Ed Murray. "These tax credits will help spur additional private investment in neighborhoods that haven't seen much investment since the recession. My appreciation goes out to Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray for their ongoing support of this tax credit program and the city's economic development work."
New Markets Tax Credits ("NMTCs") attract private investment to important projects benefitting low-income neighborhoods. These developments and business expansions create healthy, vibrant, mixed-income neighborhoods, and provide residents with job opportunities, quality health care and human services, arts and cultural opportunities, and affordable housing.
"We work hard to ensure that NMTC projects create good paying jobs for Seattle residents," said Councilmember Sally J. Clark, chair of the Committee on Housing Affordability, Human Services, and Economic Resiliency Committee, and co-chair of the Seattle Investment Fund LLC. "Projects like Stadium Place, Retail Lockbox and INSCAPE have put people to work and benefited Pioneer Square, South Downtown and the Central Area. I look forward to expanding these benefits to our city with additional projects thanks to this new allocation."
Full Press Release here.
June 11, 2014
Mayor announces Only in Seattle $2 million investment in neighborhood business districts.
Mayor Murray joined neighborhood business district leaders and local business owners in Seattle's Ballard business district to announce a $2 million investment in 18 neighborhood business districts as part of the Only in Seattle Initiative.
"This investment in neighborhood business districts is critical to our city," said Mayor Murray. "Healthy business districts equate to thriving businesses, stable jobs and overall success for our city."
Small businesses employ 72 percent of Seattle's workforce and contribute 35 percent of the city's business tax revenues, totaling $55.4 million. Our local neighborhood business districts serve as the location and incubators for many of the city's small businesses.
"The Only in Seattle Initiative is a great complement to the city's neighborhood planning efforts that have happened throughout the years," said Seattle City Councilmember Sally J. Clark, chair of the Committee on Housing Affordability, Human Services, and Economic Resiliency. "These investments help the major players in neighborhood business districts execute concrete steps towards a common vision."
Full Press Release here.
April 1, 2014
Mayor recognizes Zombie Orpheus Entertainment for their innovative business model, commitment and engagement of their audience, and their support of Seattle's local film industry
Mayor Mike McGinn recognized Zombie Orpheus Entertainment for their innovative business model, commitment and engagement of their audience, and their support of Seattle's local film industry.
Zombie Orpheus Entertainment (ZOE) is a local multimedia production company dedicated to developing and producing fantasy, science fiction, and horror films that are accessible to all audiences. They strive to produce fun and original shows while creating a long-term sustainable film community with monthly production, able to pay cast and crews livable wages.
As an independent production company, ZOE utilizes alternative methods of funding for their productions, opting to crowdfund projects through Kickstarter. In doing so, they have grown their business every year by giving fans control over the direction and success of their shows, such as JourneyQuest and The Gamers Trilogy.
Full Press Release here.
October 31, 2014
Access archived press releases from 2013
Access archived press releases from 2012
Access archived press releases from 2011
Access archived press releases from 2010


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Since Eevee is so darn popular, I thought I would just keep filling requests. This next tutorial is going to be on another evolution of Eevee. You will get a lesson that shows you "how to draw Jolteon", step by step. This Pokemon is formed when Eevee comes into contact with the Thunderstone. It is an electric-type species, and unlike Flareon, it has a short fox like tail, and has more fox traits than anything. The fur at the rear of it's body is spiky. This represents the fact that Jolteon is an electric type. Like with Eevee and other evolutions from said Pokemon, they can all do anything that Eevee can do, plus some. Jolteon has the capability to do electric attacks, double kick, and pin missile. This certain species has a sensitive personality, which means they are prone to become sad or angry very easily. When they do, they get these charges of power that makes the fur on their backs and behind stand up. If you are a trainer, and you're looking to capture one of these Pokemon, you would do good to look in areas where there is power plants. But the only problem with that is, since it's an evolution from Eevee, the Thunderstone is required for them to even be formed, which means not many of Jolteons are found. But you can now have one of your own because I will show you "how to draw Jolteon", step by step. I think you will find this tutorial easy to follow, and simple to replicate. I have three more lessons that needs to go up today, so stay tuned in. Peace out people, and have a fun Saturday.
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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Have you read the memo sent to your inbox from AAA President, Leith Mullings regarding the vote on merging the Society for Economic Anthropology into the American Anthropological Assocation?
If you've missed it or would like to read it again, click here. Cast your vote today!
Below is an excerpt:
AAA has been in discussions for some time now regarding a possible incorporation of the Society for Economic Anthropology (SEA) as an AAA section. This is a terrific opportunity for both associations, and we have worked hard to make it possible. The SEA has already voted in favour; in order to complete the process our own membership must also vote by the end of this calendar year. Below you will find detailed information about the process, about the SEA, and about what a merger implies for the AAA, as well as a link to the ballot itself. The Executive Board is in favour, and we hope you will also share our view that this would be a positive step for us to take.
To access the ballot and vote,you can login through the Account/Member Profile LOGIN area at the top of the page of the AAA website (www.aaanet.org). You can access theAAA Siteusing your favorite browser. Once you login,make sure you are on the My Information Page, once there,you will see a VOTE NOW button. Click on it and you will be taken to the ballot where you can cast your vote. If you have any difficulties or questions, please email us at email@example.com Deadline for voting is December 20, 2012.
For background information and complete merger information, click here.


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Tag Archives: immersive
Pinch-the-Sky Dome
Microsoft Research has made another cool thing: Pinch-the-Sky Dome: Freehand Multi-Point Interactions with Immersive Omni-Directional Data.
Pinch-the-Sky Dome is a large immersive installation where several users can interact simultaneously with omni-directional data inside of a tilted geodesic dome. Our system consists of an omni-directional projector-camera unit in the center of the dome. The projector is able to project an image spanning the entire 360 degrees and a camera is used to track freehand gestures for navigation of the content. The interactive demos include: 1) the exploration of the astronomical data provided by World Wide Telescope, 2) social networking 3D graph visualizations, 3) immersive panoramic images, and 4) 360 degree video conferencing. We combine speech commands with freehand pinch gestures to provide a highly immersive and interactive experience to several users inside the dome, with a very wide field of view for each user.
See it in action:
Looks really cool!


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A popular topic here at Life with MS is dating (or finding a relationship) with multiple sclerosis. I know it's difficult, I've been there myself and it is without a doubt difficult.
In the past couple of weeks, I've been doing some undercover research into Internet dating for the disabled. Don't worry my fiancée (Caryn) knew what I was doing before I checked out the scene on these sites.
Those of us with MS want the same things out of a relationship that anyone wants out of a relationship. For example, we want happiness, companionship and we want love. Our profiles on the dating sites don't list different desires than "typical" people. "Someone who is comfortable with himself, accepting of me for who I am and can make me laugh" has got to be the number one thing I read from women on disabled dating sites. It's likely the number one request on every other dating site on the Web as well.
I found about an even number of men and women living with disabilities on these sites. I found several women who were not disabled but stated in their profiles that they were willing to date someone with a disability.
I know from your comments, that many of us are tired of the rejections that sometimes results when dating with MS. Many are scared to get back out there on the market. Several of you are still licking the wounds of your last, failed relationship and don't even want to think about the singles scene.
I completely understand.
As I researched the topic, I wondered to myself about the people about whom I was reading. I guess, what I concluded was that even though there are physical and mental challenges in our lives (and some of these folks were fare more disabled than I), we are all looking for the same things: someone to make us laugh, someone to hold us when we cry, someone who will be there for us and allow us to be there for them. We search for acceptance and we wish to give the same. We just have a little more to give because of our experiences, and in return we'd like a little more understanding - seems like a pretty good swap to me.
I'm opening the discussion to the topic of dating again, and I hope we'll have an honest and open discussion. It's not an easy topic, but the more of us who talk about it, the less frightening it will become…trust me.
Wishing you and your family the best of health.


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While there have been a few lines of gashapon pieces coming out of Japan, there hasn't been a proper action figure from the Legend of Zelda series for years. Until now!
Unveiled over the weekend at the Winter Wonder Festival in Japan, this Figma from Max Factory is based on Link's Skyward Sword appearance, and as with all Figma figures, has an emphasis on posing all his bits.
This is obviously the unpainted prototype figure; hopefully when the colour is added it still looks this good.
@2tohei [Twitter, via Plastikitty]


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- Home
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- Advertising
Monday December 9, 2019; 08:47 am EST
Dear Bay Weekly:
Our March 15 article on Friendship United Methodist Church Sunday schoolers raising enough money to buy two pregnant cows, through Heifer International, for impoverished Third World families, has gotten a lot of attention on the church bulletin board and in our Sunday bulletin. Pastor Byron Brought — who dressed up as a cow to celebrate the achievement — has mentioned it and the donation at least twice from the pulpit.
Editor's note: Read Holy Cow at http://bayweekly.com/articles/creature-features/article/weeks-creature-feature-7.


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You can download your copy of the book via iTunes. Here is the link to the Australian store http://itunes.apple.com/au/book/lomba-kapal/id497936331?mt=11
My iBook is called 'Lomba Kapal' which means Boat Race. It is a story about my children racing origami paper boats in the river near my house. I took the photos and videos with my iPhone on the morning that the iBooks Author app was released. I then spent the next two days working on the story and the layout. I was determined to keep the overall size as low as possible.
In Indonesia I have a very slow Internet connection at my house. I am well aware that accessibility is the most important factor in technology. I wanted to make my iBook easy to download so that others like me with a slow connection can still get it in a reasonable amount of time.
This iBook is just under 18MB and has 15 pages including interactive elements and multimedia.
Here is a screen shot inside the iTunes Store of my iBook and the preview pages.
I think that it is really sad that my book has been released to 32 countries such as US, UK, Australia, Ireland, Czech Repulic, Estonia and others but it is not available in the Indonesian iBookstore.
I asked some of my contacts on Twitter about this. I found out that the iBookstores in Asia do not have any locally produced content in them. I am wondering why this is the case? What has to happen for the iBookstore in each country to be open for locally produced content?
What can I do to open the Indonesian iBookstore for locally produced iBooks?
I have a group of national Indonesian teachers ready to create children's stories.
We need access to the Indonesian iBookstore.
In the meantime, my iBook is for free and I encourage you to download it. It includes interactive pictures, galleries and videos. I have been writing children's stories over the years but this is the first time that I have properly published one. I am hoping to write a whole series about the things that we do as a family.


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Pop the original "Star Wars" into the DVD player, and a couple of things might strike you: the special effects, groundbreaking in 1977, don't quite measure up to today's digital standards. And Darth Vader, then the cinematic epitome of evil, doesn't look all than imposing (even if his voice alone is enough to give chills).
But none of that matters much: the galactic battles are as thrilling as ever and Vader still packs a force as a fearsome villain in the classic film, which remains the best in the series (Sorry "Return of the Jedi" and "The Empire Strikes Back" fans).
So why does George Lucas want to go and sully things by converting the "Star Wars" series to 3-D for theatrical re-release?
Don't get us wrong – no matter what some rabid fans believe, the "Star Wars" flicks belong to Lucas, not them. He can do whatever he wants to his celluloid children.
But that doesn't mean we have to like it.
The old 2-D films – at least the first three to hit theaters – gave us new worlds to get lost in. Even if the landscapes now seem somewhat limited given today's technology, the movies play large in the mind and hold up quite well in repeat viewings.
Fans already are split over Lucas' plan, raising issues reminiscent of the debate in the 1980s over the colorization of classic films. We come down on the side of if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The likes of "Casablanca" and "Citizen Kane" don't wield the same power in color because they were intended to be seen in black-and-white – the cinematography was integral to the art.
Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," which was converted to 3-D after it was shot, didn't quite spring to surreal life with the added dimension. "Avatar," on the other hand, worked brilliantly because James Cameron, aided by innovations in performance capture technology, used 3-D to realize his vision of the enveloping blue land of Pandora.
Which brings us to Lucas' motivation – he clearly was inspired by the success of "Avatar," by some measures the biggest moneymaker in Hollywood history.
Rereleasing the six "Star Wars" films in 3-D likely will bring in the bucks, but Lucas doesn't need the money – or the aggravation. He's already taken a drubbing – from fans and even from "South Park" – for using digital technology to alter his work in previous rereleases. He absorbed plenty of flak over the three prequels, particularly for springing the grating Jar Jar Binks on us.
Perhaps Lucas believes that he's assuring the legacy of "Star Wars" by introducing the films to a new generation in a form that young moviegoers are coming to expect. (Lucas, it should be noted, spoke out against colorization, saying he wanted the films he watched when he was young "preserved, so that my children can see them.")
He would be wise to remember that the success of "Avatar" was only partly due to 3-D. The blue juggernaut was fueled by a mix of compelling story and characters that transported us far, far away – just like the best of the "Star Wars" movies.
If Lucas wants to explore the possibilities of 3-D, we humbly suggest that he create a new movie – another "Star Wars" flick or whatever else he fancies – and try to wow us. Otherwise, he risks turning the force into a farce.
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


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Here's what you can do with a USB-C to Lightning cable:
- Charge your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch when it's connected to a USB-C port.
- Fast charge your iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation and later), or iPad Pro 10.5-inch when it's connected to an Apple 29W, 30W, 61W, or 87W USB-C Power Adapter.
- Sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch or import your photos when connected to a USB-C port on your Mac or PC.
- Charge a Siri Remote when it's connected to a USB-C port on a Mac, PC, or USB-C charger.
- Charge Apple accessories like a Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, or Magic Trackpad.
- Use your iPhone or iPad as a Personal Hotspot when connected over a USB-C to Lightning cable.
The USB-C port on an Apple TV HD doesn't support charging, so you can't use this port to charge a Siri Remote. You might not be able to charge your iOS device using USB-C power adapters that aren't manufactured by Apple.


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Five men to stand trial in Evon Young's death
All suspects now charged with first-degree intentional homicide
Five men charged with Evon Young's homicide were ordered to stand trial Thursday, as police continue their search for his body.
Young's roommate, Billy Griffin, sat just feet away from the aspiring rapper's family while in court.
The four other suspects in Young's death also appeared for their preliminary hearings. They are all now charged with first-degree intentional homicide.
On Thursday, Milwaukee police Detective Tim Graham testified what one suspect told him about the night Young, 22, went missing.
"He said he put the plastic bag over the victim's head and pulled it to cut off circulation. He said the bag broke," Graham said.
Graham said the altercation stemmed from a vendetta Griffin had with his roommate, but the detective said it escalated into the group beating and then shooting Young.
Police said the group also tried to hide the crime, putting the body in a garbage bin, forcing officers to search a local landfill.
"And then after the victim was wrapped, defendant Allen left the residence and returned a short time later with duct tape and bleach and a change of clothes for himself," Graham said.
Young's mother stepped out of this courtroom as soon as testimony started because she didn't want to hear what police said happened to her son, and she didn't want to comment after the hearing was finished.
Three of the suspects -- Ron Allen, Devin Seaberry and Ashanti Mcalister -- entered not guilty pleas.