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Corn-based Ethanol: Offering Some Relief from Globalization's Merciless Quest to Replace Fossil Fuel
- Corn versus sugar-based substitute fuels
- Latin American corn producers could again become competitive
- Brazil wants entry into U.S. ethanol market
- U.S. agro-industry ultimate beneficiary of federal government's promotion of corn ethanol
Contrary to the usual outcome of Washington's subsidies to U.S. farmers, recent grants for ethanol producers could actually improve many lives, both at home and abroad. As the Bush administration aggressively encourages the production of ethanol, a renewable, more environmentally friendly biofuel, to replace increasingly pricey gasoline in automobiles, domestic and foreign corn markets will have to undergo some major adjustments. The U.S. hopes to decrease gasoline consumption by augmenting the production of compounds such as E-85 fuel, which is a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, that can replace regular gasoline in almost every vehicle sold today in the U.S. This could make a real dent in U.S. reliance on foreign petroleum as a result of a major shift to a domestic, non-hydrocarbon fuel source.
A Growth Industry
In the U.S., ethanol is made by distilling corn kernels, but for this country to make enough ethanol to keep foreign oil off its highways, half of the nation's farmland would have to be devoted to growing corn for fuel. Realistically, U.S. farmers cannot grow enough corn to feed all U.S. cars, cows, and humans, as well as Washington's close trading partners; farmers abroad should see this as a welcomed opportunity to reverse their present status and again see themselves as competitive. Currently, farm subsidies awarded by Congress to U.S. farmers to harvest bounteous corn crops allows for low domestic prices while also guaranteeing U.S. dominance in international corn markets. But as the need for growing ethanol production strains domestic corn supplies, U.S. corn producers may have to consider curbing their exports to Latin American countries in order to meet the increasing demand for domestic U.S. ethanol production. One thing is for certain: the ultimate beneficiaries of heavily subsidized U.S. corn-ethanol will be major agro-industries like Archer Daniels Midland and other agro-industry multinationals which are likely to join in its production at a later date due to its lucrative nature.
According to the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service's report on 2006 corn exports, Mexico receives about 15 percent of the U.S. commodity while other Latin American countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, and Guatemala take in another 15 percent. With U.S. producers accounting for smaller amounts of corn shipments for export and asking for higher prices due to the resulting corn scarcity, corn farmers in these countries, especially those in Mexico, at some point will be able to compete on the world market and gain the revenues recently denied them due to their inability to compete. The extent to which these changes in the marketing of corn will affect Latin America depends on how strong the corn-ethanol demand remains. Although there are some potential threats to corn-ethanol's much touted future, its general prospects look promising.
Shifting Priorities
The U.S. corn market is already feeling the effects of an expansion in ethanol production, as the newly created industrial demand for this category of corn makes up about 14 percent of this year's corn harvest, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The department also estimates that the quantity of corn used for ethanol manufacturing will double within the next 10 years, using about a quarter of total U.S. corn output. To satisfy the mounting need for corn, U.S. farmers can increase production by planting more acres and engineering better corn genetics. However, as the USDA has stated, increasing corn output may not be an attractive option because the equipment used to cultivate corn must operate on fossil fuel. More production normally means burning more oil, which contradicts the main reasons for producing ethanol in the first place. Farmers may have to displace soybean fields to plant more acres of "yellow gold," as a New York Times article called it, because soybeans grow under the same conditions as corn. However, changing crop rotation to favor corn may damage soil quality, impairing corn production in the end.
Since vastly expanding the U.S. corn crop could have such negative consequences, U.S. farmers will probably not be able to increase the acreage devoted to corn in order to supply sufficient output to offset the increased demand. Warren R. Staley of Cargill, a multinational U.S. agricultural giant, expressed concern about corn supplies in a New York Times interview, "Unless we have a huge increase in productivity, we will have a huge problem with food production … and the world will have to make choices." Corn is normally sold to food industries or exported to foreign countries, but with ethanol manufacturers buying so much of the crop, U.S. corn sellers may have to choose among their buyers and divert sales from traditional commodity purchasers toward those engaged in fuel production.
Corn across Borders
The USDA predicts that U.S corn farmers will continue selling to domestic food industries and cut back on exports in order to supply domestic ethanol producers. The U.S.'s cutback on exports could be a saving grace for Latin American farmers who have been battered by fierce U.S. competition. The U.S. has been dominating foreign corn markets with their heavily subsidized exports that make its crop relatively cheaper, against which disadvantaged Latin American farmers have been unable to compete. In Mexico, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) of 1994 eliminated tariffs on U.S. shipments to Mexico, allowing U.S. farmers to export low-cost subsidized corn, effectively crowding Mexican farmers out of their own market. In 2002, Mexico's Secretaria del Trabajo y Provision Social published a survey on national employment, where tens of thousands of Mexican corn farmers were forced to leave their land parcels throughout the 1990s as NAFTA took effect. The number of all agricultural producers fell 21 percent, renters and sharecroppers had dropped by 36 percent, and communal farmers by 21 percent. The impending Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the recently enacted Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) call for similar tariff reductions which would inevitably hurt small farms throughout Latin America. On the other hand, corn farmers who had grievously suffered from free trade agreements are now likely to benefit from Washington's new ethanol obsession, since U.S. corn shipments will be heading for Midwest ethanol plants, rather than displacing foreign producers in their own local markets.
With less U.S. corn available for exporting, the price of U.S. corn both abroad and at home is bound to rise. Wealthier countries such as Japan, Taiwan, and Canada, where food comprises a small fraction of their foreign purchases, are unlikely to reduce imports on slightly more expensive U.S. corn, but poorer countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Colombia will be inclined to search for a cheaper option. This could give Latin American farmers the business they need since higher U.S. grain prices make cheaper domestic Latin American grain that much more attractive. The USDA expects that as the U.S. cuts back on exports due to domestic demand, corn exports from Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil will fill the gaps in the world corn market. For example, corn farmers from the state of Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico have been growing corn comparable to that of the U.S. product in quality, but Sinaloa is located quite far from most corn buyers in Mexico. Because of this, transporting the grain is expensive, and when Sinaloan corn finally reaches the market, buyers find that the price is much higher than U.S.-imported corn. However, if the price for U.S. corn continues to increase, shipping Sinaloan corn may become the cheaper option.
Brazil's Sweet Advantage
A number of potential barriers exist to the success of corn-based ethanol, which could in turn limit its effects on Latin America. However, subsidies and protective tariffs from Washington and a slough of corn-ethanol investors can be expected to ensure continued growth of the industry.
Brazil's ethanol program should be an inspiration to up-and-coming U.S. producers who hope to efficiently use ethanol-based fuel in the future; however, Brazil's sugar-based ethanol can be expected to provide stiff competition to U.S. corn ethanol. Brazil has been developing its sugar-ethanol program since the world's first oil scare in the 1970s. Since then, the program has facilitated cheap and efficient ethanol manufacturing, resulting in ethanol fueling about half of the country's automobiles. With access to cheap farm labor and sugar's high alcohol yield, production costs for Brazil's ethanol are about 30 percent less than the U.S. corn-based product. Yet the U.S. lacks the surplus of sugar needed to supply a domestic fuel industry, and the Midwest is restricted by the facts of agricultural cultivation to using corn as an alternative source for ethanol.
Power Politics
Despite the fact that the U.S. strongly advocates free trade throughout the Americas, it has maintained restrictions on imported sugar products to protect domestic sugar farmers. Jack Roney of the U.S. Sugar Alliance claims that "when you import subsidized foreign sugar, you export U.S. jobs," as cheaper Brazilian sugar would displace U.S. producers. Now U.S. corn farmers and ethanol producers share the same concern. With sugar's relative efficiency and the government's sugar subsidies, Brazil can provide cheaper and more effective production, and thus, hold its competitive advantage over the U.S. This makes Brazilian ethanol exports to the U.S. a menacing threat to corn-ethanol demand. However, the U.S. currently enforces trade restrictions on all foreign sugar products, which also limits Brazilian ethanol imports that could hurt corn-ethanol producers and the farmers who supply them.
At a recent Senate hearing for energy security in Latin America, Eduardo Pereira de Carvalho from the São Paulo Sugar Cane Agroindustry Union (UNICA), asked the U.S. to lower tariffs to create a more open world market, allowing Brazil to sell more ethanol to the U.S. Knowing that Brazil's cheap sugar-based ethanol would competitively oust U.S. ethanol, the U.S. refused Brazil's request, deciding instead to protect U.S. farmers and its own budding ethanol business. Carvalho stated that "the Brazilian private sector does not want to displace the foreign market," specifically U.S. ethanol producers, but the amount of revenue Brazilian companies expect to receive by exporting to the U.S. shines much light on the true intentions of Brazilian ethanol producers. The U.S. has always been persistent in maintaining that its trade policies protect its farmers; as long as the Sugar Alliance and other farm lobbyists continue making noise in Washington, U.S. corn-based ethanol will carry on thriving domestically, handsomely protected against foreign competition.
Ethanol on the Rise
Technology for corn-based ethanol is still relatively undeveloped: it remains expensive to produce and using corn to distill ethanol is not the most efficient method. The actual cost of corn-based ethanol is higher than the current prices for gasoline, but subsidies from Washington have kept the prices low enough so consumers can pay less for ethanol than gasoline. Corn-based ethanol's effectiveness in cutting fossil fuel usage is also uncertain, as the USDA estimates that it actually takes more than one gallon of gasoline to fertilize, harvest, transport, process, and distill corn to yield one gallon of ethanol.
A Way Forward
With ethanol plants sprouting up across the country, one can safely expect corn-ethanol production to soar in the next few years. According to the New York Times, around 40 new ethanol plants have been slated for construction across America's Corn Belt this year. Archer Daniels Midland and other ethanol refining megaliths have been lobbying for Washington to subsidize ethanol, and their efforts have paid off with the Energy Policy Act of 2005. According to the Act, Washington will make certain that the U.S. is consuming at least 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol a year by 2012. That is 50 percent more ethanol than what the U.S. is currently producing. which means a huge increase in production and corn consumption is preordained in the next six years. The act also finances research to improve ethanol technology to eventually minimize corn-ethanol's current inefficiency.
Although the economic practicality of corn-based ethanol is still questionable, it remains a hugely popular commodity in the U.S. and in the minds of its potential users because it can reduce dependency on foreign oil. Weaning the U.S. economy off of oil is Washington's main priority in the near future, and that is why the U.S. Congress will continue to pour money into the ethanol industry to achieve this end. With Washington backing corn-based ethanol with subsidies and trade protections, the industry will continue to increase output, buy more of the Western Hemisphere's corn, and inadvertently help undo some of the damage U.S. trade policy has done to Latin America in the past.


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By Jenn K.
The manufacturer provided these socks for the purpose of this review.
The Fox River Wick Dry Strive Socks are part of the Women's Adventure Cross Training line. They are indicated for cycling and running use. I will be using these socks while cycling and on my fitness hikes.
These socks have the Fox River's Wick Dry system, to help keep the feet dry and blister free. The Fox River Strive Socks were provided by the manufacturer in both a quarter and crew-height. The crew-height measures 9 inches high from the bottom of the socks. And the quarter socks are 5 inches high measured from the heel.
These socks have women's specific sizing instead of unisex for a better fit on a woman's foot: Small 1-5.5, Medium 6-8.5, and Large 9-12. They also are available in a variety of colors.
• 38% Nylon
• 30% Merino Wool
• 30% Recycled Polyester
• 2% Spandex
Both pair of socks fit true to size and feel very comfortable and supportive on my feet. And they are soft and have a cozy feeling. The wool is not itchy or scratchy. I can feel the reinforcement of the toe and heel areas as there is more padding located there.
So far the each pair has been worn one time and there was no sliding of the top of the sock down my leg. The forefoot compression feels like there is an extra band of support on the top my fore foot area. There is also some compression above and below the heel of the socks. These socks also have ventilation panels in the fore foot and just below the ankle.
Summer is here in Southern California and I hope that the ventilation in the socks allows my feet to breathe in the warm weather. I shall see as these socks are used for hiking, biking, and during outdoor yoga.
Both pairs of the Strive Socks have been washed in a front loading washer using cool water. They have been dried in an electric dryer with a medium heat setting. There has been no shrinking or stretching of the socks. The memory fit construction helps the socks keep their shape. And after washing the wool feels soft as they did when new.
Update: Fox River Wick Dry Strive Sock 7/10/12
The Fox River Wick Dry Strive Socks have been used for the past month while enjoying fitness hikes, outdoor yoga, and mountain biking. I will say the weather is warming up and I have been using the quarter-high socks more frequently than the crew-height. However, the crew-height is great for mountain biking since they prevent the vegetation from brushing up against my legs and helps prevent ticks from biting my legs. On my evening mountain bike rides the temperatures are perfect for the crew-height socks, but during the late morning or afternoon it is a bit warm for the crew socks. For my fitness hikes I have been wearing the Wick Dry Strive Socks with my trail running shoes or my low hiking shoes. I have yet to wear them with a standard hiking boot.
When hiking I like to wear a padded comfortable sock and the Wick Dry Strive Socks are the ticket. These are a thicker sock style. They are super comfortable and padded in all the right areas to help prevent irritation and blisters. Another nice feature about these socks is in warmer temperatures they wick away moisture and my feet are not moist or wet. On the fitness hikes at times we walk on pavement; and the cushioning in the Wick Dry Strive Socks is adequate for that terrain. There is enough padding that the impact on the pavement is not felt. Also after the socks are worn they are not stinky like some of my other socks. The merino wool is not itchy or scratchy, it is actually quite soft and cushions my feet.
Both pairs of socks have been washed several times in the past month. I washed them in cool water and I used a regular setting on my drier to dry them. They have not stretched, shrunk, or became deformed after laundering.
Final Update: Fox River Wick Dry Strive Sock 8/14/12
The Fox River Wick Dry Strive Socks have been worn during the past month while cycling and enjoying my fitness hikes. On the fitness hikes I would wear low-height hiking shoes/cross trainers so I would generally wear the quarter-height socks. While cycling I would wear the quarter-height socks while road biking and the crew socks for mountain biking.
There has been a recent heat wave in Southern California the past week. I found that I enjoy wearing these socks in temperatures below 85 F. Otherwise, I find that my feet are too hot and I am uncomfortable. The socks do a great job at wicking moisture away from my feet; it is just that I cannot tolerate my feet being so warm.
The socks have washed up well. There has been no shrinking/stretching of the socks or pilling of the wool. I generally wash them inside out and dry them on a low temperature setting. The Wick Dry Socks are still soft to the touch and the wool is not scratchy or itchy. Also the tops of the socks are still staying in place; they are not sliding down my leg during activities.
They are still keeping my feet blister and irritation free. Also even in warmer temperatures the socks have not become super stinky from sweating.
The Wick Dry Socks are still providing extra support in the forefoot area which I believe is helping with foot fatigue in that area. I also like the extra padding in the heel and the toe area. I found that this extra padding prevents discomfort in the heel area from walking on hard surfaces such as concrete.
My plan is to continue wearing these socks, especially as it gets cooler.
For more information on the Strive Socks please visit www.foxsox.com. The Strive Quarter Socks retail for $11.99 a pair and the Crew Socks retail for $12.99 a pair.


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The mandated functions of the Ministry of Finance may be summarized as to provide policy and strategic advice, in addition to monetary companies to the Authorities as a way to obtain sustainable, long-time period economic outcomes and financial viability in direction of the development of the national vision to 'achieve high quality of life for all Samoan residents'. Public Finance (Administration and Accountability) Act requires the Minister, in pursuing his policy targets, to stick to the principles of prudent fiscal management and search to manage financial risks accordingly having regard to financial circumstances together with the sustaining of public debt at prudent levels.
The Ministry of Finance is an energetic participant in the improvement of the federal government's policy and is chargeable for its implementation in its area – the federal government's actions within the implementation of policies must be financed.
To oversee and coordinate the planning and management of the nation's monetary and economic assets, together with those from exterior sources, utilising appropriate consultative mechanisms to ship a high quality of service to the general public, and to contribute to the formulation of acceptable polices, with the intention to speed up social and economic growth.
The significance of administrative coverage can also be rising, as a result of combining the state's help actions and coordinating public service converges within the Ministry of Finance. 1999-2003 – Chairman of the Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Minister liable for Ministry of Finance and Financial Management is Hon.
Ministry Of Finance Of Georgia
Ministry Of Finance & Financial Administration
The Federal Division of Finance (FDF) mainly offers with the state budget and tax issues. Our Mission is to supply environment friendly and efficient monetary and financial management for sustainable nationwide growth.
ministry of finance japan organisation chart, ministry of finance japan trade balance, ministry of finance japan debt to gdp, ministry of finance thailand act, ministry of finance singapore contact
The Ministry of Finance, Funding and Commerce is primarily charged with the duty of successfully and efficiently managing the Authorities's monetary sources, by offering proactive and sound policy evaluation, and recommendation on all fiscal, economic and improvement initiatives. The Ministry of Finance is answerable for issues regarding central government funds, together with coordination of the central authorities funds, forecasts and analyses, tax points, and management and administration of central government actions.
19th November 2018, Skopje – Wrap-up meeting with the IMF mission, visiting the country as a part of the common consultations underneath Article IV, was held on the Ministry of Finance. Because of the Authorities's economic policy, which places tax cuts and wage will increase on the forefront, economic growth in the third quarter of 2018 was even greater than the preliminary forecast at 5.2%.
Ministry Of Finance Japan
Tax pressure defines the relative importance of obligatory levies in the nationwide economic system. Whereby the finances is offered and debated in an open forum and the public is saved informed of the funds of the nation by the publication of the annual finances and the publication of economic management experiences on the federal government website and within the Gazette on a quarterly foundation.
The Ministry of Finance is charged with the responsibility of financial management to foster sustainable nationwide growthâ€. The Ministry for Common Authorities Affairs and Finance strives to further enhance administrative efficiency and to orient its companies much more towards the wants of the population and financial system.
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twenty ninth November 2018, Skopje – Macedonian establishments will study from the experience of the European institutions on methods to further inner management. The calendar is developed based on the 2018 Net Domestic Financing as stipulated in the 2018 Budget and Economic policy of Authorities, domestic debt maturities and Medium Term Debt Administration Strategy (MTDS) for 2018-2021. The Ministry of Finance is liable for planning and implementing the Norwegian financial policy and for coordinating the work with the Fiscal Funds.


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"Clint's team has brought new innovative ideas that have proven to be contributing factors in the growth of our business."
Matthew Alexander
"When we started we had one location and did $400K in sales... We are on path to do $1.5M this year across 2 locations and that is because of the support we have received from their team!"
Richard Thomas
Growth Consulting & Cloud StrategiesGrow like a business twice your size!
You know your business, and you know what needs to be done to move forward. If you're like most business owners, it's the logistics, the struggle to prioritize, and the lack of resources that are holding you back.
When you bring in a third party consultant, you get a clear view of your business, unclouded by personal passion, attachment to past efforts, or process blindness. When you hire a consultant who's also a financial expert, you get someone who's not afraid to talk money—which, let's face it, is the true heart of the matter.
Just for Startups
You have a big idea. But can you clearly communicate how it's different? Do you understand the true costs of your vision and the profitability you'd need to create a sustainable company?
If you want to gauge how you're doing: we offer free evaluations for startups. These are confidential, no-strings conversations where we'll discuss your business ideas, your progress so far, and your next steps.
We'll help review your financial plan, make business recommendations, and connect you with the resources you need to keep marching forward (and in the right direction).
Growth Strategies
When it comes down to it, what does growth really mean? Making more money, of course. With more money, you can increase your marketing efforts, which will bring in more customers, hire more staff, and finally do all of those things you meant to do when you "found the time."
If you're thinking about bringing in a consultant, it makes sense to hire someone who knows money. Because when you make more, you can do more.
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See my play in the Short+Sweet Hollywood Festival in September 2019!
Portland Shakespeare Project's Proscenium Live presents the Winter's Tale in a new adaptation by Susan Mach.
DO YOU TAKE THIS WOMAN? returns to Texas for Museum of Dysfunction's Best of a Decade of Short Plays.
My family inheritance play, GONE, heads to Los Angeles in March 2020 with the Inkwell Theater Lab.
Read DO YOU TAKE THIS WOMAN? and other LineStorm Playwrights in the new Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2019 collection.
LineStorm is all over Portland, Oregon, and the U.S. with new works for the stage.
Check it out at Mildred's Umbrella Theater if you're in Houston.
Come see this beautiful new work in the Fertile Ground Festival!
Portland, Oregon's eclectic and electric group of writers, creating new works for the stage.
Check out our website.
As part of the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works, P-Town Playwrights produced "Short & Sweet," and featured my ten-minute drama DO YOU TAKE THIS WOMAN? about a former writer married to a former painter.
Every person is a work of art. And everyone's a critic.
My new play for the 365 Women a Year project was chosen for a staged reading at Oregon Contemporary Theatre in Eugene, OR for SWAN Day.
1958, Washington, D.C. Three African-American journalists prepare to host the Nixons:
When the White House meets the Black press, everyone has to play a little party game called "segregation."
March 19 — the party begins.
Happy to be making my GRIMM debut as one tough mother on GRIMM's episode #503, The Lost Boys.
Lolly most recently played "Mrs. Loney" in BREAK THE WHIP at The Actors' Gang Theater and "Gertrude" in HAMLET at the Stella Adler Theatre. As a member of The Actors' Gang since 2000, Lolly has performed many roles, including "Masha" in THE SEAGULL (LA Weekly Award), directed by Georges Bigot, and "Myriam" in MEPHISTO, directed by Tim Robbins. After opening EMBEDDED in Los Angeles, she toured with it to London and New York, where Robbins also directed a film of the play at the Public Theater. She has a Bachelor's and Master's in English from Stanford University and won Stanford Magazine's 2008 fiction contest with her short story, "How to Change Someone's Life, Not Your Own." She co-produced and starred in the short film AFTER DINNER and sometimes shows her lighter side by performing improvised musicals or acting on TV, for instance in THE KING OF QUEENS.


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Cover contest
I'm excited to be a semi-finalist for this cover contest. If you like the cover of my latest novel, please help me become a finalist. Click here to vote.
pages full of words
Pages full of words that readers will enjoy. Check out HUSH GIRL: It's Only a Dream.
2017 J. Donald Coffin Award
I'm honored to announce Hush Girl: It's Only a Dream has been awarded recognition by the Kansas Authors Club with the 2017 J. Donald Coffin award.
I would like to thank Mrs. Bertha Coffin for making this award available to KAC members in honor of her late husband.


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Donald Trump's Rally at the Century Center
Donald Trump, the hopeful Republican nominee, held a rally at the Century Center Monday, May 2nd.
Donald Trump needs to pick up most of the delegates in Indiana to secure his nominee on the first ballot at the GOP (Grand Old Party) Convention. After May 3rd there will be 11 more states, 3 territories, and 1 district left.
Donald Trump has 996 delegates, which makes him the front runner. He only need 46% of the remaining delegates to reach 1,237 to secure the nominee on the first ballot. Indiana could be the reason Donald Trump wins the nominee on the first ballot or doesn't win the nominee at all.
Donald Trump talked about his tough stance on foreign relations, immigration, foreign policy, his plan on bettering the economic state, and down talked his opponents on the Democrat and Republican side.


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La Cuisine offers the finest modern French cuisine in an elegant setting. Guest tables face the open kitchen of chef Gabriel Grapin, who under the direction of the hotel's Executive Chef Laurent André incorporates light and flavourful notes in his sophisticated, generous and spontaneous cuisine. His flavours are beautifully complemented by the concluding touches – desserts by famous Pastry Chef Pierre Hermé. The décor is friendly and artistic – a magnificent fresco, "A Garden in Paris" by French artist Stéphane Calais, graces the ceiling. And during warm weather, you can dine on the terrace overlooking beautiful gardens.
Dining Details:
Menu: French cuisine
Dress Code: Smart casual
Hours of Operation:
Breakfast: 7:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Lunch: 12:00 NOON – 2:30 PM
Dinner: 7:00 PM – 10:30 PM
Saturday brunch: 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Royal brunch on Sundays: 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Media Contact:
Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris
Toll-free: +800 1 7233537
Tel: +331 4299 8800
Fax: +331 45 63 12 69
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Click to visit website


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You are here
The Charlotte Rugby Club has been making some noise this season, and Saturday beat Augusta 71-5 in the Carolinas/Georgia Men's DII club league to move to a perfect 11-0.
In regular-season play, Charlotte has scored a whopping 684 points while yielding only 92.
Head Coach Chris Maughan indicated that the squad has a good combination of older and younger players. The potent offense has been led by a solid forward pack. Although their forwards are not as large compared to most of their opponents they are very mobile and aggressive, and incredibly strong in the scrum.
"The strength of our forwards lies in our front row, anchored by captain Jason Hinchman and a young hooker, still in high school, Alex Maughan," said Maughan, who added that the rotation of Matt Hughston, Eric Collins, Ruan Swart, Stuart Pollock in the back row are all "very mobile, aggressive in rucks and good ballcarriers."
Charlotte also has a set of dynamic backs, led by scrumhalf Jake Finger and flyhalf Mike Miller. Despite suffering an injury earlier this season, Miller has catalyzed and explosive Charlotte offense by consistently distributing the ball and putting his centers through space. Powerful centers Zach Moyer and Louis Keefe create space for a potent back three.
That Charlotte back three excels under the high ball and is a dangerous counter-attacking weapon. Blessed with tremendous speed, wings Nelson Hicks and Ty Elkins and fullback James Mezzanotte frequently outpace their opponents and exemplify the team's wide-open style of play.
Club President Mike Myers said the success on the field has helped the club
off the field, too.
"I think all we needed was a little structure and specific tasking," Myers said. "Out top two tasks this off-season were to secure a coach and get our facility in order. We have seen success in both."
While Myers believes the team has added some structure to the organization, Maughan praised Myers for providing that structure.
"Mike stepped up to be the president when the club was in some tough times. He has been a driving force behind the teams success both on and off the field," Maughan explained.
For the last three years Charlotte RFC has improved its infrastructure by
making capital improvements, and that in turn has helped depth.
"The depth in the squad allows for good competition at most positions," Maughan said. "It helps drive the team on and produces some interesting times during practice as everyone wants to play A side."
Although Charlotte is happy with the current success, Maughan and the squad are not satisfied.
"While we have had a great season so far, we have been focused from the
beginning on making a run at Nationals, and know the competition will get
harder each step we take," said the coach.


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A task force in America's Silicon Valley is trying to lead the way in changing the way people get to work, according to a blog post by Smart Highways contributor Burney Simpson.
He writes on the Driverless Transportation site that the Smart Mobility office of Joint Venture Silicon Valley (JVSV) is seeking to implement several new transportation systems that will get people out of their cars, use public transit and bikes, and spew fewer greenhouse emissions, which relies in part on new technology developed by the growing autonomous driving industry.
But, he writes, "the problem is that the Smart Mobility group doesn't have the authority to force commuters to change. Further, the new technology is still being tested or has yet to find a large group of users to make it commercially viable.
"Instead, Smart Mobility must rely on employers and staff to make the effort to get off their butts and make a difference. Employers have to see savings, or even revenue generation, while employees must be rewarded in some way.
He quotes Steve Raney, executive director of the mobility group, who believes that the best way to cut congestion and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions is to reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) travel from 75% of travel in the Bay to 50% of travel. That would mean cutting one million car trips a day from the current three million.
Raney points to work done with Stanford University as one path to cutting SOV commutes. Stanford began by charging its SOV commuters $3 a day to park at the school, a benefit it had previously offered for free. It then 'feebated' that revenue to its commuters that walked, biked, took a shuttle bus, used the Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority (VTA), or CalTrans, or the ride.com on-demand rideshare. (A feebate is a system of charges and rebates designed to reward or penalize energy-efficient practices.)
"Free parking for employees is a tradition," says Raney. "(Employers) can phase in a charge of $3 for driving alone, or make it free to bike or walk. Just shift the dollar around for vehicles."
The feebate concept was the most viable way to implement change when compared to such proposals as increasing the gas tax or imposing road user charges or implementing workplace parking charges, according to Raney's research.
Feebates is just one aspect of the 'Reducing Bay Area Commuting by 25%' white paper from the JVSV mobility group.
But, he adds, the feebate concept gets pushback despite its proven benefits. One Joint Venture collaborator notes that many employers don't do feebates even when it may be in their best interest.
Simpson adds that Raney is moving forward, saying that in September he will get an answer on four grant proposals that would allow him to expand his research and membership.
Meanwhile, he has drafted a proposal for the California legislature that would put a cap on free parking benefits an employer could provide to staff that commute in Single Occupancy Vehicles. The employer starts paying a fee when the percent of its SOV commuters tops a defined threshold.
"America's SOV mode of commuting once sold cars and built the wide-open freeways that took us to suburbia," concludes Simpson. "Today it means congested highways filled with greenhouse gas delivery devices. It could take decades for the nation to break its SOV habit."


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An abbreviation for the temporomandibular joints, which connect the lower jaw (or mandible) to the temporal bones at each side of the head. TMJ disorders—which can cause complications such as headaches, ear pain, bite problems, and locked jaws—affect an estimated 10 million Americans.
TMJ disorders may be caused by injury, such as a heavy blow to the jaw; age-related wear and tear; regular gum chewing; or teeth grinding, teeth clenching, or bad bite alignment. Symptoms may include radiating pain in the jaw muscles, face, or neck; stiffness in the jaw muscles; locking or restricted motion of the jaw; painful clicking, popping, or grating in the jaw joint while opening or closing; and changes in the way the upper and lower teeth come together. TMJ disorders may also cause headaches, earaches, dizziness, and hearing problems.
Pain from TMJ disorders usually goes away with little or no treatment. If pain or other troubling symptoms persist, conservative, noninvasive treatments should be tried first, such as eating only soft foods, avoiding yawning or chewing gum, applying ice packs, and taking over-the-counter pain relievers. For stress-related TMJ pain, stress reduction techniques may be useful. Doctors may also prescribe medications to relax jaw muscles and recommend physical therapy that stretches and relaxes the muscles. Oral appliances (splints or bite plates) can also be placed over the upper or lower teeth to reduce clenching or grinding.


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JAMAICA, N.Y. — Senior Tim Driscoll (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) had 13 kills and four aces while classmate Sean Salomons (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) totaled 12 kills and two blocks leading the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's volleyball team (4-15) to a sweep at York College (N.Y.) on Wednesday.
SJC downed the Cardinals (3-17) in three high-scoring sets (25-21, 25-20, 27-25) for their third-straight victory — their longest win streak since the 2015 season.
How It Happened
Driscoll slammed a kill putting the Bears up by three early in the first, but a St. Joseph's error brought York within one (9-8) soon after. Back-and-forth play continued as neither side led by more than four until another Bear error tied the score at 16. However, a 5-0 spurt put the visitors in the driver's seat and they closed the set with three unanswered points to go ahead 1-0.
A Kevin Campbell kill had the Cardinals ahead 12-6 in the second as they looked to even the match. They continued their solid play maintaining the advantage after a block assist from Akil Vaughn and Mambe Koureissi kept the lead at five (17-12). The Bears didn't quit though, erupting for a 13-3 run behind three kills and a block from Salomons to win the frame.
The third set featured even more back-and-forth action as Salomons hit yet another kill to tie the score at 10 with the Bears looking for the sweep. SJC gained some separation after a 9-3 rally capped off by a Dejon St. Rose-Cuffy (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) block for a 19-13 edge.
St. Rose-Cuffy fired an ace to give the Bears match point at 24-18, but York kept fighting scoring six-straight points with four coming on kills from Campbell for a 24-24 gridlock. The Bears went up one then allowed York to tie it again but finished things off on a Driscoll kill and a bad set to secure their fourth win of 2019.
For the Bears
- Driscoll (13 kills, four aces) added six digs on defense and Salomons (12 kills, two blocks) hit an impressive .480 leading the Bears to a season-high .240 hitting percentage as a team on the night.
- Stephen Eddy (Glendale, N.Y./Christ the King) brought up a match-high 12 digs as well as three kills and a helper.
- Timothy Boyd (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) dished out a match-high 24 assists with four digs.
Next Up for the Bears
A return to Skyline play with a tri-match at Sarah Lawrence College with the College at Mount Saint Vincent on Sunday (Mar. 31) at 11 a.m. Links to live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com


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wow....i love this
I said I am willing to accept there are pedophiles that don't act on their fantasy. I never said I would be okay with that act being perpetrated on a child. The world is not black and white I would NEVER be okay with children being sexualized. I know it's hard to grasp this concept because pedophilia sooo distrubing but please try to distinguish two thoughts here: one I am not saying in any way that pedophilia is okay. two I said I can understand that some few pedophiles don't perpetrate.
Annabelle Flowers is her name
very nice.love
Ooh la la... ;-)


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Poker Players' Halloween Costume Ideas feat. Liv Boeree and Phil Hellmuth
Halloween is just a few days away. Sure, you have t-minus four days to quickly whip up something for that party you'll be attending but you still need something incredible to make a statement. Whether you are going for spooky, sexy, or creative, we have just the thing to help you with your last-minute ideas.
We've put together the best costumes from years past to jumpstart your Hallows Eve inspiration, from Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier's Assassin's Creed tribute, to Sarah Grant's Day of the Dead recreation, we've got all the costume inspiration you need.
Check out these getups from some of your favorite poker pros and personalities.


text: Grimor 265 Report post Posted August 10 A friend of mine dropped his kowa 8z and although the optics seem intact, the focus barrel does not turn completely. In fact from infinity to 8 feet, it turns smoothly as before, but at the 8-foot mark it locks completely as if it were the end. (from 8 to 5feet marks it lacks of 90 degrees of turn) I have tried to disassemble until I access the helicoid, but I cannot remove the focus ring because of the mentioned lock. I can't remove the 3 tabs either because I only access 1 of the 2 screws each one has. Any ideas to repair it? 1 heart0less reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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CD Jewel Case from Designs&Code.com – This template will take the mundane task of setting up your designs for print. The CD Jewel Case comes with all the files you need and even includes the layout for a handy slip case should your project need it.
Included in the file is .EPS/.PDF/.AI/.CDR files for you to use on anything you wish.
We are going to be bringing you more helpful print templates in the coming weeks so be sure to come back and check the website or follow us on Twitter.


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Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-24-2018
Defensman--Marco Scandella
DOB: February 23, 1990 (age (28)
Draft: 2008, 2nd round (25th overall) MIN
How acquired: Trade with Minnesota, June 30, 2017
Last contract signed: November 29, 2014, 5yr./$20 million
Final year of contract: 2019-20
2017-18- Stats: 82 games played | 5 goals | 17 assists | 22 points | -15 | 23:19 ATOI
Buffalo Career Stats: 82 games | 5 goals | 17 assists | 22 points | -15 | 23:19 ATOI
What we wrote preseason: Said GM Jason Botterill of trading for Marco Scandella (via Jourdan LaBarber of Sabres.com.) "It was a priority for us to try to find another guy that can play some heavy minutes. We think [he] did a little bit of that in Minnesota, but he was certainly surrounded by some good defensemen and I think now playing a bigger role here (in Buffalo,) he's ready to take the next step in his career."
Head coach Phil Housley, who had seen plenty of Scandella while an assistant with the Nashville Predators, called him a "terrific player" and a "fierce competitor" and that the 27 yr. old was "a key element" the team added. "It'll be interesting to see how much his offensive numbers really increase," he continued. "Whether he gets the assists or not, he's going to start our transition game out of our own end and in the neutral zone and then with his size and his compete down low, his reach, we really think he's going to be able to log a lot of minutes on our PK and be able to play against other teams' top two lines."
Although he had a rough regular season, Scandella turned it on in the playoffs averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice-time in the five-game series vs. the St. Louis Blues. That number was second only to top defenseman Ryan Suter.
What we wrote mid-season: Botterill acquired Scandella in a trade with the Minnesota Wild this past off season saying that he believed the big, 6'3" 208 lb. defenseman could transition from second-pairing in Minnesota to top-pairing in Buffalo. He's in that role now and although he's had his good moments, that top-pairing designation looks to be a stretch. Speed is a problem for him, not so much his own, which is pretty good for a man his size, but the speed of the game playing against top players. In an ideal world he'd be on the second pair in Buffalo, but as we've seen, it's been anything but ideal with the club this year. The 28 yr. old Scandella is under contract until 2019-20 with a reasonable $4 million cap-hit.
Impressions on his play this year: To say it was a struggle for the team and Scandella would be an understatement. We all know the numbers and the general feel in Buffalo while watching this club might have been worse. Scandella, however, seemed to pick things up later in the season and at one point in February found himself paired with an up-and-coming Casey Nelson as a d-partner. The six-game stint yielding 3-2-1 stretch for the Sabres. We know what the eight-year veteran has to offer, and we're pretty sure right now that ideally he's a top-notch second-pairing d-man who can log big minutes in all situations.
Questions moving forward: What pick do the Sabres end up with in the upcoming draft? If they miss out on defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, are the Sabres forging ahead with a Rasmus Ristolainen-Scandella top-pairing? Will the Sabres re-sign Nelson? Will the 28 yr. old Scandella become more of a vocal leader than he was both on and off the ice?
Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.


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Wood Carved Fish -Fish By Tc
These are examples of the variety of Wood Carved Fish Sculpture I do. Pieces range from 3-D fish in the round, Shadow boxes, Wall mount fish. Woods are Southern Pine, Basswood and Sugar Pine-size from 8" to 22"
Use as gifts for the family sportsman, design accents for real estate marketing (i.e. resort lodging, mountain properties, shore properties, etc)
** these are examples from recent inventory and availability of individual pieces can not be guaranteed.


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A sampling of my video editing, visual effects compositing, and motion graphics work. All work (except the acting!) done by me, Iman Rastegari.
Main tools used: Adobe After Effects, Final Cut Pro.
Music is "Intuition", by Tejaswi. Released under a Creative Commons license, check it out here.
Please contact me directly with any questions or comments!
Site and Content © Copyright 2012 Iman Rastegari


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Business Continuity and Homeland Security, Volume 1
The Challenge of the New Age
Edited by David H. McIntyre and William I. Hancock
Chapter 15: Wal-Mart Case Study: The Lessons of Katrina (II)
Ken Senser and Jason Jackson
Ken Senser and Jason Jackson Failing to plan is planning to fail. (Alan Lakein, American author and time management specialist) INTRODUCTION Hurricane Katrina was a life- and business-changing event for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Interestingly, though, the devastating impact of this storm did not come from its winds or rain. Hurricane Katrina was a national catastrophe because of a series of compounding events that stressed to the point of failure personal, community, business, organizational and governmental plans. For Wal-Mart, Hurricane Katrina was a test of spirit, endurance and process at all levels of the company. But for most, it was a turning point in the 'psyche' of the company – a galvanizing event that reinforced the core values for which the company stands. Dealing with hurricanes is nothing new at Wal-Mart. While we are not arrogant, we (like many others) went into this hurricane with confidence believing that it would unfold in the same predictable manner as the many before it. Unfortunately, our response ultimately turned from one primarily focused on business recovery to one more closely resembling a relief operation. This case study describes not only the Wal-Mart experience and lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, but also the foundational elements that allow us to achieve the best possible outcome when faced with a crisis. Collectively, our nation and the world stand to benefit from examining the crisis leadership and response best practices demonstrated by many different individuals and organizations. No crisis response will ever go perfectly, particularly one to an event...
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Customer Responsibilities For Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1194)
When Federal departments or agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use Electronic and Information Technology (EIT), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is applicable.It requires that Federal agencies ensure that their EIT allows Federal employees with disabilities to have access to and use of information and data that are comparable to the access and use by Federal employees without disabilities.Section 508 similarly requires that members of the public with disabilities, who are seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that are comparable to that provided to members of the public without disabilities.
Comparable access is not required if it would impose an undue burden on the agency.An undue burden here means a significant difficulty or expense. Agencies are required by statute to document the basis for an undue burden. Requiring officials should be aware that when there is an undue burden, the statute requires an alternative means of access to be provided to individuals with disabilities.
When defining requirements, the customer should determine whether or not Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must be implemented.
On April 25, 2001, the final rule for implementing Section 508 in the FAR was published. This regulation took effect on June 25, 2001, and for indefinite quantity contracts, it is applicable to delivery orders or task orders issued on or after this date.(See https://www.acquisition.gov/far/97-27n/html/FARtoHTML.htm).
Section 508 requires the FAR to incorporate accessibility standards developed by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (also referred to as the "Access Board").These regulations, known as the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 1194) are available at The Section 508 Standards Page or with discussion and alternate formats at https://www.access-board.gov/508.htm
Besides incorporating the Access Board's EIT Accessibility Standards, the revisions to Part 39 of the FAR, in compliance with Section 508, include the following:
- The discussion of the term: "electronic and information technology" created by the statute
- A new Subpart 39.2 on Electronic and Information Technology
Acquisitions of EIT supplies and services must comply with the applicable EIT Accessibility Standards unless an exception in FAR 39.204 applies. (See https://www.acquisition.gov/far/97-27n/html/FARtoHTML.htm). COs that award indefinite-quantity contracts must indicate to requiring and ordering activities which supplies and services their contractors indicate as compliant, and show where full details of compliance can be found.
Indefinite-quantity contracts may include noncompliant items, provided that any task or delivery order issued for noncompliant EIT meets an applicable exception or commercial non-availability consideration. Accordingly, requiring activities must ensure compliance with the EIT Accessibility Standards (at 36 CFR part 1194) or that an exception applies at time of issuance of task or delivery orders.
The rule recognizes that initially many products will not meet all the technical standards in 36 CRF part 1194. Nevertheless, agencies may need to acquire these products. Therefore:
- When acquiring commercial items, an agency must comply with those accessibility standards that can be met with supplies and services that are available in the commercial marketplace in time to meet the agency's delivery requirements.
- The requiring official must document in writing the non-availability, including a description of market research performed and the individual standards that cannot be met. The official must provide this documentation to the CO for inclusion in the contract file.
- Partially conforming products must be considered. The most conforming one among them that satisfies the minimal government non-Sec. 508 specifications must be selected.
Small businesses will have to analyze whether the EIT they plan to sell to the Federal Government complies with the standards. Since the statute imposes private enforcement, whereby individuals with disabilities can file civil rights lawsuits, the Government has little flexibility for providing alternatives to this regulation. To meet the requirements of the law, small businesses are not exempt from any part of the rule. However, subcontractors are NOT subject to Sec. 508 except where they provide a product that will reach the Government or public for use.
The following sections contain sample text that addresses Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and can included, if applicable, by the customer in a statement of work (see D.2 Agency Sample), or by the contractor in a proposal response (see D.3 Contractor Sample).
Federal Government agency procurements must comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Refer to Section 1.11 for background information. A contracting agency may, if applicable, use the following sample statements in the Statement of Work to meet the requirements of Section 508 (Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities).
Section 508 Compliance Instructions
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology (EIT) is accessible to people with disabilities. The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Final Rule for Section 508 (EIT Accessibility) can be found at www.section508.gov and at the Access Board's Web site at https://www.access-board.gov/508.htm
Unless it is an "undue burden" or compliant products or services do not exist, the products must conform to Section 508. The contractor should state that they will comply with the requirements of Section 508 or cite a justifiable reason for an exception. If any additional costs for compliance are anticipated, these should be identified. Also, if significant difficulty or expense is involved, a commercial non-availability is declared.
The contractor must ensure that all EIT products that are less than fully compliant are offered pursuant to extensive market research which ensures that they are the most compliant products and services available. For every EIT product that does not comply with 36 CFR Part 1194, the contractor shall on 30 days notice, make every effort to replace or upgrade it with a compliant equivalent product or service, if commercially available and cost neutral.
For existing systems, the contractor may not be able to identify all costs for compliance if the contractor did not develop that system, but should state that any development performed during the course of this DO will be compliant. If significant difficulty or expense is involved, a commercial non-availability is declared. Within 30 days of task award, the contractor should provide a plan for compliance for the system as a whole, including any costs associated with compliance.
The contractor shall comply with all required Federal or agency standards as specified in the individual DO.
The Federal Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (36 CFR 1194) are incorporated into and made a part of this contract. These standards are found in their entirety at The Section 508 Standards Page. A printed copy of the standards will be supplied upon request. The contractor must comply with the above referenced standards in performing this contract.
The following is a sample 508 compliance statement that a contractor may include, if applicable, in response in a proposal.
(a) The contractor represents by signing this offer that the supplies and services offered in response to this solicitation, except for those identified in paragraph (b), comply fully with the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards at 36 CFR 1194. (See The Section 508 Standards Page). Each supply or service that will not be totally compliant at time of delivery or is only partially compliant is listed in paragraph (b).
(b) All noncompliant and partially compliant supplies or services are listed below. In addition, for each supply or service that is not in full compliance, or is partially compliant, a detailed discussion of which standards are satisfied and which standards are not satisfied by the offered supply or service is included. Also, any qualifications or conditions that might affect compliance with Section 508 of the proposed supplies or services are described. The list will be kept current during the period of performance.


text: For the record, this is a topic that I'm tackling from a clean-sheet-of-paper position. I intend to complete a (non-binding) draft for review by a small number of folks, then with larger and larger circles, including fedora-devel-list, over the coming weeks. Disclaimer: while passionately supporting the idea of Fedora for a long time, I'm only just recently involved with it at the nuts-and-bolts level. I consider myself to be an intelligent newbie, not the grizzled, all-knowing wizard that my age or experience with open source might imply. You should assume that until I prove myself, stuff I say might as likely be overruled as adopted. Still, I think I can help. M On Thu, 2004-07-08 at 10:46, Jeff Spaleta wrote: > On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 12:21:25 +0200, Phil Knirsch <pknirsch redhat com> wrote: > > seth vidal wrote: > > And the point is, for a package that needs to be in our enterprise > > products, it is in the long run necessary that there is an internal Red > > Hat package maintainer for it. > > You bring up an interesting pedantic question of policy regarding > Fedora Extras moving forward.... > > Does everything that needs to be in the enterprise products need to be in Core? > Can't you as a red hat employee and maintainer of the enterprise > products maintain > this package as part of Fodora Extras? > > Keeping much if not all of the enterprise relevant packages maintained > by a red hat employee as part of fedora has its merits im sure, but > I'm not sure if keeping all the enterprise relevant packages inside > Core, is a good long term solution for the fedora project. So the > question isn't so much should the package maintainership be changed. > Instead its a question of can Red Hat maintained packages be moved out > of Core and maintained as part of Extras. > > -jef >


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At our booth in Hall 3A, booth: 521 we will be presenting a FINN T 75 HydroSeeder® as well as the entire range of additives for hydroseeding.
Here you will also gain insight into our entire product portfolio from erosion control through gabions to rock stabilization.
Hydroseeding is an efficient and reliable way to permanently green areas that are particularly large or hard to reach.
During hydroseeding a special machine, the so-called HydroSeeder®, is used to spray a mixture consisting of various components on the target areas.
Through the interaction of mulch and an adequate adhesive an immediate, erosion control effect can be achieved which acts until the vegetation has developed.
Hydroseeding can for example be used:
- for the greening of raw soils and other difficult areas.
- for cost-efficient greening of large areas, for example highway projects, golf and sports field construction, residential and industrial estates or airports.
- for erosion control on open or exposed hillsides, for example traffic route engineering, mining or landfill areas, new-shaped ski slopes or embankments in water engineering.
- for temporary dust protection on carbon or slag heaps in open brown coal mining.
- for roof greening with sedum sprouts, grass and herbage cultures.


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The Path to Financing: What Three San Diego VCs Wish Entrepreneurs Knew
When it comes to venture capital, there is a finite amount of money being sought by an ever-growing number of innovators and entrepreneurs. The path to successfully securing some of that funding often seems undefined and difficult to navigate. This month, San Diego Venture Group sat down with three San Diego venture capitalists: Dan Burgess, venture partner at SV Health Investors; Kim Kamdar, Ph.D., partner at Domain Associates; and Jay Lichter, Ph.D., president and CEO at COI Pharmaceuticals and managing director at Avalon Ventures. They offered their insights for entrepreneurs starting down the path to financing.
Know the Life Cycle of the Fund
Deal making is centered around the life cycle of the venture funds for each firm. Understanding where each fund is in their life cycle could be key in reaching the right partner at the right time.
The typical life cycle of a venture fund is ten years. Investment is heaviest in the first three to four years, and then partners begin to raise a new fund. Around year five of the old fund, firms begin investing the new fund and the old fund continues to be managed out. During these later years, opportunities become more and more narrow. The speakers advised being vigilant on when funds close, as well as how often deals are being made.
"You have to be a detective in some ways," said Dr. Lichter. "Look at the pace of investing. If the fund hasn't done an investment in a year, probably not a good place to go fishing. But if they are doing one or two deals a quarter, then they are in the mode for doing deals."
Dr. Kamdar expands on that idea, "Hypothetically, for every fund, each partner gets to make two or three deals. [As the fund gets older], figure out who still has the bandwidth to take on new deals."
All three panelists said entrepreneurs can determine where a fund is by looking at press releases from the firms or following the announcements from companies that are receiving their investments.
Understand A Firm's Portfolio Construction
While many venture firms collaborate on deals, they are also competing for investors. Knowing what each firm leverages to attract investors can help determine interest in a project. The firm's leverage comes from their portfolio construction – how a firm manages risk amongst their portfolio, and how that management will perform better compared to other venture firms.
"When you reach out to a partner or a firm, you want to know the deals they've done and get an idea of how they are building their portfolio. Then consider how your project might fit in the construction of that portfolio," advises Dr. Lichter. "From my standpoint, one of the first kill opportunities is whether or not this project fits into the context of my investment interests without being duplicative to past or present deals. For example, if I've just completed a successful deal in animal health, I am not very likely to invest again in animal health."
Make a Connection
Keeping in mind that venture firms are presented with hundreds, if not thousands, of project each year, and only a handful of projects are selected, having a relationship or connection in some way with the VC is of utmost importance.
"We are always interested in business plans that come from an entrepreneur that, in one way, shape, or form, we know. Either as a connection from another entrepreneur or it could be from the law firm they are utilizing that knows us well. We are much more likely to say 'yes' if someone already vouches for the person," said Dr. Kamdar.
Dr. Lichter concurs, "A connection is particularly important for us. We have 70 employees in our incubator space. If someone comes to us and they are not in the network of any of those employees, it's not a good sign."
When approaching a venture firm, finding the key contact can be the catalyst to getting a foot in the door. The panelists highlighted that even within a firm, not everyone has equal pull to make deals, nor are all partners currently focused on making deals. Identifying the appropriate contact can go a long way to speaking with someone about your project.
"Find someone who knows your therapeutic area well, because that is where they are going to have the most credibility. Ideally, it is a senior managing partner. Most venture partners are trying to start their own companies. It is the managing partners who are there for life that tend drive the deals," said Mr. Burgess.
Stand out as an Entrepreneur
When firms are looking at projects, the kind of person the entrepreneur is holds a significant amount of weight. What are the qualities these VCs look for in an entrepreneur?
Mr. Burgess looks for a good story teller. There will always be a need to keep raising money. Even with a great technology, if an entrepreneur can't communicate the story, fundraising will be a challenge.
Dr. Kamdar said she looks for experience, passion, and integrity. All three of which she can determine in the first meeting.
As the relationship will have to last for at least five to seven years, being a good listener and a good partner were distinguishing characteristics for Dr. Lichter.
Considering the funding cycle, what connection you have to the firm, and how you can stand out as an entrepreneur could go a long way to securing a meeting with a VC. Think you have what we're looking for and the time is right to pitch? Submit a 100-word description here.
Stay up to date on deals and partnerships from COI by following us on Twitter and LinkedIn.


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text: This article is to celebrate yourself as you are. Whoever you are and wherever you are, if you are alive, you are doing pretty well. It's so tough living today, and avoiding destruction daily. We have more reasons to give up on some days; to just say aaag suka, I'm done. But there is a chemical balance God bestowed upon you that makes you keep breathing everyday and the next, and as a bonus actually excel in a few areas in life. This is my list of reasons why I am still alive and running a business in this economy.


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Posted on August 3, 2016
by binspiredart
3 Comments
A few years back I handmade all my Christmas gifts and for my sister I made some bath tea. It's a sweet little idea that I'd been meaning to write about in detail and I've finally remembered to actually do it. These little…
Category: DIYTags: bath, cheap, craft, create, creative, Creativity, DIY, gift, handmade, project
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The Cooksmill clear 4" burger discs are perfect for restaurants and takeaways that sell delicious burgers.
Excl. VAT:
Incl. VAT:
The Cooksmill clear 4" burger discs are perfect for restaurants and takeaways that need a practical and affordable solution of keeping burgers fresh and moist. Our 4" burger discs are ideal for separating burgers whilst also keeping them moist.
Cooksmill's clear 4" burger discs will keep burgers fresh whilst also improving the appearance as when burgers are stacked, as they can often rip or tear when being separated. Additionally, these burger discs are great for keeping your burger's in their intended shape and appearance.
In a busy environment, speed and practicality is essential. The cooksmill burger discs are great for keeping burgers fresh during whilst being frozen. Polypropylene is a material which is known for being very resistant to absorbing moisture which will keep your burgers moist and juicy. The smart material has a relatively slippery surface that allows the burger discs to be easily pealed after use.
These 4" burger discs come in packs of 1000, which makes these discs fantastic value for money whilst also lasting your establishment an age!
If you purchase an item online that you are not happy with then you can send it back to us within 30 days of the sale and we will refund the value of the items that we receive back in resaleable condition.
If there was a picking error and you received incorrect items we will arrange for a collection and replacement.
If you receive any damaged items please email us immediately and we can organise a refund for those items or replacements to be sent out. We may require proof of damage.
Free delivery on all orders over £50 and up to 30kg. Applies to UK mainland (excl. Highlands and Islands) and items held in stock only.
Orders under £50 are charged at £6.95 +VAT for delivery. All orders are dispatched with a Next Working Day Service with Parcel Force.
For all delivery queries, please get in touch.
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Stupid copyright trolls
May 8, 2016 Leave a comment
Alright, so I'm incredibly peeved at the moment. I uploaded a gameplay video of a game I made 4 years ago, to YouTube. Already its been struck with a copyright claim for the background music used. So I checked the song… and it sounds completely different.
I went through the GDD of the game to find the exact song used and look to see what the copyright was for the background music in question. Guess what, it's public domain. I can use it without attribution which is probably why I picked it in the first place.
So not only is the song claimed completely wrong but the music I used was public domain. Even though I'm not monetizing any of my videos, I'm sure as hell not letting somebody else make money off my work. If the dispute is rejected, I'm just going to remove the music entirely. Fuck that copyright troll, they're getting shit all from me. They're most likely getting shit all anyway, but that's besides the point!


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Chapter 127 Wendy
When Roland fell asleep, Nightingale emerged out of the fog, stepped to the side of his bed and gently straightening the quilt, covering an exposed arm. Then for a moment she quietly stood beside the bed watching the sleeping Roland, she then quietly slid through the floor, back to her own room.
"You're not already asleep?" Seeing Wendy sitting on the bed and reading, Nightingale was slightly surprised.
"I'm afraid you would do something stupid!" Wendy glared at her, "His Royal Highness is not a child, is it really necessary for you to take care of him until he finally fell asleep?"Original and most up to date translations are posted at volaretranslations.
"His Royal Highness has sent people to other towns to spread the news that the Witch Cooperation Association is here, so I have to be at his side in the case someone heard the news of the witches and now wants to harm His Highness."
Nightingale picked up a wet towel and cleaned her face with it. Followed by unlocking the red belt around her hip, taking off the bands of her leather wrist and body armor, then finally slipped out of her white clothes – this dress was His Highness' newest creation, with a pure white hood coat she wouldn't gather too much attention and thus it was the right clothes for an assassin, at least it was what he thought.
Nightingale carefully hung up her clothes, the smoothed out every fold. Afterward, she wrapped her sexy and curvy body within a piece of light muslin. On her flat stomach and thighs not even a single trace of fat could be seen.
"There is no possibility an accident could happen," said Wendy, putting down the book, "There are sisters within the castle and there guards outside patrolling and furthermore, didn't you yourself put a stone under his pillow? I can never understand how you can touch such a thing."
"Well, I'm still responsible for ensuring his safety," Nightingale said while sitting down on the edge of the bed, taking off her boots and revealing her young and slender legs, then laying down and turning in Wendy's direction.
"Didn't you listen to what I said last time," Wendy sighed. "Veronica, we are witches."
"I know, Wendy," Nightingale nodded. "Yes, we are Witches." And His Royal Highness said that he will marry a witch – this came out of his own mouth, and… it wasn't a lie.
Of course, this information could not be told lightly it could only be used as a last resort, so Nightingale didn't give it away. Within her heart, she said sorry to Wendy and then changed the subject: "What's your impression of the church?"
"Why would you suddenly asked this?" hearing this question Wendy clearly became startled.
"When I was at His Highness side in the stronghold's castle, the High Priest paid him a visit and offered to support him in conquering the throne."
"How did he answer?" Wendy's voice became strained. "Or did he order you to leave previously to the start of the conversation?"
Nightingale smiled and shook her head, softly saying. "He just asked me to avoid the range of the other side's God's Stone of Retaliation, and His Royal Highness didn't wear that thing himself. Wendy, His Highness did not agree to the invitation of the church, he refused their offer."
The latter clearly felt relieved, then she said with a bit melancholy, "Unfortunately, our help to His Highness is limited, unlike the Church, whose forces cover the entire continent. If His Royal Highness took their offer, I'm afraid he would soon be able to sit on the throne…"
"Only God knows… His Highness said the High Priest spoke only a mouthful of baloney, that no one should trust him," Nightingale paused, "There was another important matter."Original and most up to date translations are posted at volaretranslations.
Taking out the red and black pills, "In the fog, the pills have the same color as the God's Stone of Retaliation, this is inconceivable. Both of us know that the sisters who were discovered to be witches would swallow the God's Stone of Retaliation, which is no different from committing suicide. The High Priest said that the pills were produced inside the Prayer Room in the Holy City, and I remember that you used to live there in a monastery. Did you have ever heard of such an organization? "
Wendy had helped Nightingale to leave Silver City and during their run, she had set up traps for the bounty-hungry villains who were following them, at the same time it was also a kind of revenge – one method was to force them to swallow their own God's Stone of Retaliation. After swallowing the villain would soon die, the whole body would roll up like it was suffering from dehydration, and would look like a fish exposed to the scorching sun.
"I never heard of something like that," Wendy, closed her eyes and began slowly to tell, "Since the first moment I can remember, I've lived in a monastery in the Old Holy City, surrounded by high walls, with no view of the sky beyond. Everything was taught to us with hospitality by the nuns, things like reading and writing or the understanding of maps. I still remember the name of my teacher, Faria. She once gave us a book to read, it was the special introduction about the Old Holy City. There were churches in the city, monasteries, libraries, memorial halls and heroic walls, but I have never heard of a prayer Room in the city. I lived in the monastery for more than 10 years, until the accident happened…"
Wendy had already previously mentioned to Nightingale that the monastery was one day attacked by a witch and many people also died during that attack. Taking advantage of the whole chaos, Wendy was able to get out of the monastery, "Also I don't know which witch had so much courage to dare to challenge the church alone, but she saved you at least."
"No, Veronica, the with came from inside the church," Wendy shook her head, "She was, like me, a member of the monastery."
"What… do you mean?"
"The girls living in the monastery could be divided into three groups, one group consisted out of people like me, who stayed from early age in the monastery, not knowing their own origins; one were orphans who lived on the streets and were adopted by the local church and afterwards sent to the monastery; and the last group consisted out of girls sold to the church by their own parents. We were all separated by age and placed into different quarters, and even the teaching wasn't the same. From an early age onward we learned how to recognize the words, from ten to fourteen years old we studied carols and after fourteen we were schooled in etiquette. The early classes were called the literacy class by the nuns, and the older classes were called the choir class and the ceremony class. Once we became adults we would be sent away from the monastery.
This was the first time that Nightingale heard the other speaking about this – before, Wendy had never elaborated on her experience during her life in the monastery.
"During the first few years, I could often hear other girls screaming during the night – the screams came out of the direction of the choir classes and ceremony classes. I didn't understand what was going on until I was old enough to get into the choir classes. Then I found out that during the nights higher ranks of the church would visit the dormitory, always dragging a few girls out of their beds, and only at daybreak the next day would they be sent back. But sometimes… not all of the girls would come back again."
Nightingale clenched her lips, of course, she clearly knew what Wendy meant.
"This kind of thing would happen once or twice a month, frequently even two days successively. Then it was the day that I was selected. It was Faria who pulled me out of the room, whispering all the while into my ear that I should just bear with it, everything would become well. I was dragged by her into the corner of the garden where a room was built halfway underground. The room was brightly lit, at one side I could see how the females of the ceremony class being tortured, there were four to five men…" Her voice slightly shook. "When they came over to me, one of the women suddenly broke out from her shackles, grabbing the man closest to her, grabbed him by the neck and killing him just like he was a chicken, easily twisting his neck."
"She… had awakened?"Reading anywhere else than volaretranslation, you're stealing the translator's lifelihood.
"I do not know," Wendy shook her head, "those men had taken off their clothes, but they still wore their God's Stone of Retaliation around their necks, but she was still able to kill one after another. One of them she seemed to want to skin alive, tearing one limp off after another, while he was still living. The last words he said before his death were… 'an extraordinary'. The screams of the men alerted the guards and Faria who stood outside of the room. They immediately opened the iron gate and rushed in, but the scene in front of them rooted them on the spot, while the other woman directly rushed in their direction."
"Was she a witch?" Asked Nightingale thrilled, "Were the guards also not an opponent for her?"
"The gap was simply too great. I later learned that those guards belonged to the Army of Judges. One of them blew his whistle while the other drew his sword. However, when the first one stopped blowing his whistle, she had already stepped in front of him, and penetrated his chest with her arm. In front of her, their armors were nothing more than a thin piece of paper."
Chapter 127 Wendy
Chapter 127 Wendy
R: Way of Choices(Ze Tian Ji), The cultivation of the rebirth of the city, The martial arts master, Horizon-Bright Moon-Sabre, Hidden Marriage, Romance of Three Kingdoms, I Came From The Mortal World, Absolute Choice,


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!! History Commons Alert, Exciting News
La Guardia Airport. [Source: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey]Employees at the American Airlines System Operations Control (SOC) center in Fort Worth, Texas, receive phone calls from American Airlines employees at La Guardia Airport and JFK International Airport in New York, alerting them to the plane crash at the World Trade Center, but the SOC employees do not know for sure whether the plane involved was Flight 11. La Guardia Employee Reports Crash at WTC - Ray Howland, at the SOC, receives a call from Chuck Easton, an American Airlines employee at La Guardia Airport. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001, pp. 49-51; 9/11 Commission, 4/26/2004 ; 9/11 Commission, 8/26/2004, pp. 15] Easton tells Howland, "I'm not sure what's going on, but the World Trade Center building, as we looked out the window, and we can kind of see [the Twin Towers] in the distance, and we noticed the right World Trade Center [tower] had had a, it has a big plume of smoke." He says, "The news reports that we're getting now is that it was struck by an aircraft." About a minute later, Howland asks, "Have you heard anything else?" Easton replies, "They have an eyewitness [on the news] that says he saw a plane strike it at about the eightieth or hundredth floor." Howland asks Easton if he knows how big a plane was involved in the crash, but Easton says he does not. He says that watching the news on television is "how we're getting the information" about the incident. Operations Center Employee Suspects Flight 11 Hit the WTC - Howland tells Easton, "I think I have a feeling I know what's happened." [American Airlines, 9/11/2001, pp. 42-43] SOC personnel have been informed that air traffic controllers have declared Flight 11 a hijacking and that Flight 11 was descending toward New York (see 8:40 a.m. September 11, 2001), so presumably Howland means he suspects that Flight 11 hit the WTC. [9/11 Commission, 7/24/2004, pp. 6] He will in fact tell the 9/11 Commission that when he receives the call from Easton, he is "confident the plane that hit the first tower" was Flight 11. He will say he "put one and one together." [9/11 Commission, 4/26/2004 ] However, when two other people call the SOC a short time after Easton does and ask about the plane that hit the WTC, Howland will tell them that SOC personnel "don't know" if it belonged to American Airlines. [American Airlines, 9/11/2001, pp. 44; American Airlines, 9/11/2001, pp. 45] JFK Airport Employee Wonders if Airline Is 'Missing a Plane' - Around the time that Easton calls Howland, Ed Dooley, an American Airlines ramp manager at JFK International Airport, also calls the SOC to report the incident at the WTC. Dooley tells Craig Marquis, the manager on duty at the SOC, that there is smoke coming from the WTC and asks if American Airlines is "missing a plane." Marquis says he doesn't think so, but he is checking. [Federal Bureau of Investigation, 9/11/2001, pp. 49-51; 9/11 Commission, 11/19/2003 ] Airline Tries to Determine whether Flight 11 Hit the WTC - After receiving these notifications of the crash, American Airlines personnel "furiously" try to find out if the plane involved was Flight 11, according to Gerard Arpey, the airline's executive vice president of operations. Arpey will later recall, "[S]ome early media reports indicated that the plane that had struck the building may have been a smaller aircraft, but we nonetheless feared the worst." [9/11 Commission, 1/27/2004] At 9:16 a.m., an SOC employee will tell the FAA's Command Center that American Airlines thinks Flight 11 was the first plane that hit the WTC (see 9:16 a.m.-9:18 a.m. September 11, 2001), and by 9:30 a.m., according to the 9/11 Commission, the airline will confirm that Flight 11 hit the WTC (see (9:30 a.m.) September 11, 2001). [9/11 Commission, 8/26/2004, pp. 15-16]
Entity Tags: Ed Dooley, Chuck Easton, Craig Marquis, Ray Howland, American Airlines, Gerard Arpey
Timeline Tags: Complete 911 Timeline, 9/11 Timeline
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The German said that everything about India is very different from what it is in Germany. But he found one similarity: the Nokia ring tone. He said that he hears that everywhere in Germany and he heard it quite a bit in Mumbai as well.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Nokia: Connecting People
We have one of our clients from Germany visiting our office for a few days. One of my colleagues who was closeted with the client in some long meetings shared an interesting observation made by our client.
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accessible performance, BSL, Graeae, integrated performance, sign language interpretation, Signed Performance in Theatre, Stagetext, subtitled cinema, Your Local Cinema
In my last post I alluded to the difficulties we have sometimes had with attending cultural performances, despite their advertised accessibility in whatever form. Some of these are a product of their times several years ago and our complaints have resulted in improvements, but in general there is far more choice and accessibility than there was 10 years ago. That said, I still think it's worth sharing our trials and tribulations on that score – and we have enjoyed many more experiences than we have documented here, such as the ballet, where the visual interpretation of the dance is not only beautiful in itself but is a means of accessing the music.
I'm only naming the organisations who have given me great experiences: I'm not necessarily shaming the rest, because sometimes I've subsequently enjoyed something they've put on.
So, to start off with, the GOOD – no, let's call them the TOTALLY BRILLIANT: stand-out cultural experiences making for shared enjoyment on an equal basis. Handel's Messiah a couple of weeks ago was one of those.
We caught Graeae's production of Iron Man at one of their summer performances in 2011 – an innovative retelling of a children's classic as an example of the integrated productions for which Graeae is famous. BSL is fully incorporated as an essential element of the performance alongside the spoken word, with characters either signing their role or reprising the words of other actors in BSL.
Still with BSL, around 2004, I found out through SPIT (Signed Performances in Theatre) about a performance of Twelfth Night at Bristol Old Vic that is one of my stand-out experiences. It was beautifully signed: the famous Shakespearean set-pieces were reproduced in BSL which was fluid, yet retained eminently recognisable elements of their arrangement, rhythm and meaning. In this context, I do think that full accessibility comes in allowing the deaf audience to recognise the derivation of common phrases originating with Shakespeare, and which have since become embedded in our language and our cultural life.
This leads me to an example of the BAD, a BSL interpretation of The Rivals, whose humour is based so much on whimsical English wordplay that it ended up much diluted in BSL. A character, Mrs Malaprop, has near-misses in her choice of words make her appear silly rather than clever: from the French mal à propos, 'inappropriate'. The play's humour derives, therefore, from her incongruous utterances, such as the well-known 'headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile', instead of 'alligator'. The interpreter was largely unable to create visual equivalents of almost-the-right-signs in BSL, sacrificing the famous words and concentrating instead on the farce, which didn't really need translating. In this case I felt that accessibility would have been better served by a subtitled performance – or a very skilled interpreter undertaking not just an interpreting but a translation task of cultural equivalence. (Cultural equivalence is the task of finding suitable metaphors in the target language, such as a substitute for the whiteness of snow where the speakers of that language may live in the tropics or the desert.)
The same theatre company was responsible for an event which I can only describe as an exceptionally upsetting example of the UGLY. We booked for an outdoor youth performance of a musical, and were naturally allocated seats in the front row in order to see the interpreter. The summer sunshine boded well as we settled into our seats, but the performance was quickly rained off for us by the missing interpreter. We both felt very distressed and exposed – unable to slip out discreetly from the front row without giving the young people grounds for interpreting our disappearance as disapproval of their performance, which was in no way the case – it was just a fact that I could not understand any of it.
Eventually a suitable lull for scene-shifting came up, permitting a swift exit to demand answers. We received the outrageous response that the interpreter had turned up and looked at the audience, and declared that there were no deaf people there, and gone. Hello . . . a sign language interpreter should know better than ANYBODY that deafness is an invisible disability. What the interpreter based his or her assumption on, I have no idea. Maybe they were expecting to see people signing away in the audience to each other – erm, what about people on their own, or with a hearing friend or partner? Maybe they were expecting to see the 'usual suspects' from the local deaf community – not everyone who uses BSL is necessarily 'in' the local deaf community, and it could well have been, as was the case with us, that people had travelled from further afield.
Much of this issue, I think, stemmed from inexperience on the parts both of the theatre and of the interpreter concerned, and lack of understanding of their roles, but it was sufficient to trigger a cascade of correspondence and a meeting with the management. Sadly cancellations have occurred frequently enough to make us wary – another theatre unilaterally decided to cancel a captioned performance, much to our distress, that of other deaf patrons, and Stagetext, who do fabulous work in making theatre and arts events accessible, including pre- or post-show talks. (I've attended one or two of these, and it is really fantastic to be able to take part in discussions or to ask questions.)
The theatre's reasoning was that no deaf people had 'apparently' booked specifically for the performance, which aside from similarly making assumptions about deafness, made us despair about their common sense – the concessionary rate for deaf patrons which we and others had paid should have basically identified potential deaf 'bums on seats'. Stagetext were as furious as we were, and arranged for us to receive free tickets for the next captioned performance at another town, which was lovely of them, as it was not their fault at all, and we enjoyed it very much. The performance in question was Camille, based on the story of La Dame aux Camélias, but more familiar to theatre audiences as the opera La Traviata, from which, of course, I would have got nothing. To see it in another format, therefore, made it doubly accessible.
On another occasion, technical problems at a cinema caused delays to the advertised running times and a last-minute cancellation of the subtitled showing. I'm not quite sure what the problem was, since a subtitled reel couldn't possibly have taken any longer to load than any other reel . . ! At that time there were fewer subtitled films than there are now (thanks to the campaigning of Your Local Cinema), and we'd travelled quite a long way for this one. I asked to meet the manager and challenged him to justify his decision to pull the showing. He said I could see it somewhere else just as well. "Where?" I said. "We've travelled some distance to catch this show and we won't be able to see it anywhere else relatively nearby. I might just as well wait for the subtitled DVD to come out." At that point, I could see a lightbulb go on above his head, his eyes lit up, he paused for dramatic effect, and said, "It's back on, just wait 10 minutes."
Oh, and then there was the time we booked for a BSL performance, only to find that there had been a last-minute switch for the interpreter to the other side of the stage. Brilliant – not. By contrast, the integration of the captioning unit into the stage design of the Railway Children at the unique venue of Waterloo station in 2010, utilising the defunct Eurostar platforms, was perfect, without distracting or detracting from the actors and the special effects.
The GOOD and the BRILLIANT are just that because successful, well-thought out access solutions allowed me to enjoy the performance on its merits. By contrast, the only thing I could comment on at the BAD and the UGLY experiences was the accessibility, or lack thereof, because I had no tools to access, assess or enjoy the actors and the atmosphere.