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Wisconsin Clothing & Accessories
> Mfg > Clothing & Accessories > WI
Related directory pages are highlighted below the Wisconsin manufacturer listings on this page. Links to clothing and clothing accessory manufacturer directory pages for adjacent states are provided at the bottom of the page. A Wisconsin road map link is also included there.
Related Wisconsin Page(s)
13 clothing and clothing accessory suppliers listed in Wisconsin.
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Wisconsin Clothing & Accessories Manufacturers
Wisconsin Manufacturers


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Google said it is shutting down its online marketplace for TV ads, and will focus instead on web advertising including its own Google TV, it said Thursday.
The TV ads program, launched in 2007, was promoted by Google as a great way for small businesses to reach new customers and build a strong brand, and as an effective addition to the media plan of large advertisers. Google offered to bring its digital buying and measurement technologies, including its set-top box network, to traditional TV advertising.
"We launched Google TV Ads in AdWords to bring digital buying and measurement technologies to traditional TV advertising," said Google executive Shishir Mehrotra in a blog post.
However, video is increasingly going digital and users are now watching across numerous devices. "So we've made the hard decision to close our TV Ads product over the next few months and move the team to other areas at Google," Mehrotra said.
Google will be "doubling down" on video solutions for its clients, like YouTube, AdWords for Video, and ad serving tools for web video publishers. "We also see opportunities to help users access web content on their TV screens, through products like Google TV," Mehrotra said.
The company said in January that over the past year it had seen a six-fold increase in the number of ads aired per day as its household reach across cable and satellite operators had tripled. Google TV Ads had nearly tripled its operator household reach since the start of 2011, to a total of 42 million households nationwide, it added.

subset: commoncrawl


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Federal law requires federally licensed firearms dealers (but not private sellers) to initiate a background check on the purchaser prior to sale of a firearm. Federal law provides states with the option of serving as a state "point of contact" and conducting their own background checks using state, as well as federal, records and databases, or having the checks performed by the FBI using only the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System ("NICS") database. (Note that state files are not always included in the federal database.)
Alaska is not a point of contact state for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Alaska has no law requiring firearms dealers to initiate background checks prior to transferring a firearm. As a result, in Alaska, firearms dealers must initiate the background check required by federal law by contacting the FBI directly.1
Federal law does not require dealers to conduct a background check if a firearm purchaser presents a state permit to purchase or possess firearms that meets certain conditions.2 As a result, holders of concealed weapons permits marked NICS-Exempt in Alaska are exempt from the federal background check requirement.3 (Note, however, that people who have become prohibited from possessing firearms may continue to hold state permits to purchase or permit firearms if the state fails to remove these permits in a timely fashion.)
Alaska does not require private sellers (sellers who are not licensed dealers) to initiate a background check when transferring a firearm. See our Universal Background Checks page for a comprehensive discussion of private sale background checks.
Our experts can speak to the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues. Have a question? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.com
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Instant Criminal Background Check System Participation Map, at http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nics/general-information/participation-map.[↩]
- Federal law exempts persons who have been issued state permits to purchase or possess firearms from background checks if those permits were issued: 1) within the previous five years in the state in which the transfer is to take place; and 2) after an authorized government official has conducted a background investigation, including a search of the NICS database, to verify that possession of a firearm would not be unlawful. 18 U.S.C. § 922(t)(3), 27 C.F.R. § 478.102(d).[↩]
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, U.S. Department. of Justice, Brady Law: Permanent Brady Permit Chart (Jun. 10, 2014), at: https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/permanent-brady-permit-chart.[↩]


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Monday, 21 March 2011
Announcing Genre for Japan - Press Release
Press Release: Time to Donate Prizes!
We've all heard the news and seen the horrific pictures coming from Japan in the aftermath of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami – and no doubt we've all wondered how to help.
Following the example of Authors for Japan, where bids are now closed, we'd like to introduce Genre for Japan, a chance for the comics, science fiction, fantasy and horror communities to unite and show our generosity to those who need it right now.
We are planning to run auctions for genre-themed prizes and we need YOU to donate. We are looking for really fantastic prizes: examples might include signed first editions, coaching sessions with agents for that perfect submission letter or original artwork!
Some of the prizes already donated include a year's supply of books from Tor, signed artwork from Solaris Books and editing/critiques from professional authors and editors.
The prizes will be auctioned on our website, through JustGiving, in aid of the British Red Cross Tsunami Appeal.
If you have something really special to donate, please drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.com including information such as a starting bid amount, a sentence or two about the item, and whether you wish to send the prize to a central collecting point or would be willing to post it to the winning bidder. Photos would also help us to list the item, if relevant.
The deadline to receive offers of prizes is 25th March, with the auction set to begin on 28th March.
Find out more information on our website: http://genreforjapan.wordpress.com/
Follow us on twitter: @genreforjapan
E-mail us: email@example.com
Genre for Japan is organised by:
Amanda Rutter: reviewer and webmistress at Floor to Ceiling Books
Jenni Hill: editor for science fiction, fantasy and horror publishers Solaris Books
Louise Morgan: author and interviewer for the British Fantasy Society
Ro Smith: writer and reviewer; blogger at In Search of the Happiness Max
Alasdair Stuart is the editor of Hub magazine.
Posted by Magemanda at 15:02
Labels: genre for japan, news
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Roster in Place, the Phillies Are Ready for the NLDS
Game 1 of the NLDS is scheduled for a 5:07 start tonight. Here is the post-season roster for the Phillies:
- Catchers (2): Carlos Ruiz and Brian Schneider.
- Infielders (6): Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins, Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez.
- Outfielders (6): Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, John Mayberry Jr., Ben Francisco and Ross Gload.
- Pitchers (11): Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, Antonio Bastardo, Mike Stutes, Vance Worley, Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton.
- Extras: Infielder Pete Orr and Catcher Erik Kratz will travel with the team. RHP Justin De Fratus, LHP Joe Savery and outfielder Domonic Brown will work out in Clearwater, FL and Outfielders John Bowker and Brandon Moss and RHP Michael Schwimer have been sent home.
The only slightly interesting move here is that Blanton was chosen for the roster instead of David Herndon, despite missing most of the season with injuries. The Phillies chose experience over a younger guy, even though Herndon was with the team most of the year.
As for the pitching match-ups in the series, here are the probable starters for the Phillies and Cardinals:
- Game 1: Roy Halladay vs. Kyle Lohse (ex-Phillie)
- Game 2: Cliff Lee vs. Chris Carpenter (on 3 days rest)
- Game 3: Cole Hamels vs. Jaime Garcia
These are some odd moves by Tony LaRussa. It will either turn out to be genius, or a huge mistake. The Phillies should be able to handle Lohse and will then get Carpenter on short rest. That is another situation they can probably take advantage of.
The pitcher the Phils have the most trouble with is Garcia, who was pushed back to Game 3 because his home numbers are much better than his road numbers.
This all seems to add up to a Phillies advantage, however, that remains to be seen. Also of note, Game 2 has been pushed back to 8:37pm (ugh) on Sunday due to the Yankees - Tigers rain postponement.
I also wanted to share with you an article I just read about how Danys Baez has helped Antonio Bastardo out of his recent pitching funk. Baez was released by the Phillies in July and was not picked up by another team. He has been sitting at home in Miami watching and noticed Bastardo, a player he previously mentored, was having problems. He reached out to Bastardo and helped him find the issues in his mechanics.
Bastardo has bounced back since then and it seems that Baez is the reason. The story made me a little sad, thinking about how much criticism Baez took while he was in Philly from fans and media. For him to swallow his pride and reach out to an ex-teammate like that is a sign of true character. He may not have been the bullpen solution the Phillies hoped for, but he gets huge brownie points in my book for just being a great guy.
Hope to see you all at the game tonight! Go Phillies!
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography


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I recently fixed an issue with my theme design. The dark wood background image that you see on this blog, was not big enough to fit most large monitors, where resolutions are higher than 1080px. Hat tip goes to Daniel Ritchie for pointing it out to me. So, I searched the web and found several possible solutions.
I found Chris Coyier's at CSS-Tricks solution the most attractive, because it was by far the easiest one to implement. It not only adheres to CSS 3 standards, but it also works across most modern browsers. The result is a background image that fills up the entire page, scales to any size screen when needed, retains its aspect ratio, and centers the image properly.
What more can you ask for? Well, maybe something that loads a tiny bit faster than usual. So, I took the liberty to reduce the file size of my background image from 744kb to 128kb using my beloved Gimp. I use a little bit of image compression, without suffering too much in image quality. So, not only is the background image displaying properly on any size monitor, it also loads much, much faster. That's a win-win situation.
If you like to know how I implemented a background image that scales to any screen resolution, just head on over to CSS-Tricks and check out Chris Coyier's CSS3 solution. I hope you'll find this article very helpful. I tested the new background with a HP w2207h monitor that rotates to landscape mode. Works great. If you find this to be otherwise, any input is appreciated.


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Melvin Reynolds
[Global: Africa]
Former United States Congressman for Chicago Melvin Jay Reynolds, who came into Zimbabwe last year purporting to be a middleman for foreign investors in the tourism industry, was yesterday arrested for violating immigration laws and possessing pornographic material.
He had also accumulated bills worth US$24, 500 at two hotels which he was yet to pay. Reynolds, who was convicted on 12 counts of statutory rape, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography before he resigned from his seat in the USA was picked up by police detectives and immigration officials at Bronte Garden Hotel.
Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba had said police officers on the ground did not arrest someone like him.
Assistant Regional Immigration Officer Francis Mabika differed and confirmed the incident, saying he will avail more information surrounding the issue today.
"He has been picked up. Investigations are still underway and revealing information will jeopardize investigations that are underway," he said.
According to his former aide identified as Sunny, Reynolds was in possession of pornographic material he shot on different occasions while in the company of a model and several girls in his hotel rooms.
For the rest of the story please see Zimbabwe Herald


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India, Pakistan holding peace summit in New York
UNITED NATIONS - The Associated PressA meeting of the Pakistani and Indian prime ministers in New York this weekend is a fresh chance for one leader to push for peace on the subcontinent - and likely the last chance for the other.
Three-time Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif and India's Manmohan Singh are due to meet Sept. 29 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. It is their first face-to-face since Sharif's election victory in May. Singh will step down next year.
Sharif calls the meeting a chance for a "new beginning," but Singh has tamped down expectations for the talks which take place amid an upsurge in militant attacks in disputed Kashmir. Speaking Friday after a White House meeting with President Barack Obama, Singh said, "the epicenter of terror still remains focused in Pakistan."
The need for peace between the South Asian nuclear rivals has rarely been greater. They have been at loggerheads since Britain granted independence and carved up the subcontinent in 1947, but the impending U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan adds new uncertainty to a region increasingly threatened by Islamic militancy.
"It's timely for them to meet," said Karl Inderfurth, a former top U.S. diplomat for South Asia and now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.
"It's Nawaz Sharif's first chance as the new prime minister to reach across to his Indian counterpart and it's maybe Manmohan Singh's last chance to do what he has repeatedly said he wants to do, which is open up a new relationship with Pakistan."
Both men are familiar with the pitfalls of seeking to improve ties between India and Pakistan - a relationship scarred by three wars and deep mutual suspicion.
Sharif was in power when Pakistan first tested a nuclear bomb in 1998. But he also presided over one of the more upbeat episodes in recent relations with India.
He hosted then-Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee for a summit in Lahore in February 1999, where they signed a landmark declaration on avoiding nuclear conflict and opened a cross-border bus service.
Three months later the impetus for peace was crushed when a Pakistani military quietly infiltrated into an area of Indian-held Kashmir called Kargil, sparking fighting that left hundreds dead on both sides and could have sparked nuclear war. Sharif, who said the army acted without his knowledge, was ousted in a coup five months later.
Both countries 'can prosper together'
Back in office again, Sharif is particularly keen to increase cross-border trade to jumpstart Pakistan's stricken economy.
"Pakistan and India can prosper together, and the entire region would benefit from our cooperation," Sharif told the General Assembly Sept. 27.
But Singh has said relations can only improve once Pakistan cracks down on militants accused on staging attacks in India - a perennial concern that has only intensified since the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 164 people in India's commercial hub. On Friday, Singh said, "the epicenter of terror still remains focused in Pakistan."
A renewed spate of violence along the disputed Kashmir frontier this year has threatened a decade-long cease-fire. On Sept. 28, suspected separatist rebels killed 10 Indian security forces in the Indian-held portion of the Himalayan region - an attack that the top elected official there said was aimed at derailing the meeting of Sharif and Singh in New York.
Yet with time running out on his nearly decadelong premiership, Singh will be thinking about his legacy.
He was born in the northern Punjab village of Gah in what later became Pakistan, and within a year of taking office invited then-Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf to a cricket match in India. The two made heartening progress in talks and even pronounced in 2005 that the peace process between India and Pakistan was "irreversible."
Formidable obstacles remain toward achieving a lasting peace. Despite increasing people-to-people ties and tentative moves to ease barriers to commerce and travel, the security establishments on both sides still regard the other as the enemy. As well as the core dispute of Kashmir, the two nations competing interests in Afghanistan could intensify when the U.S. withdraws.


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The American Canoe Association has released Critical Judgment, Understanding and Preventing Canoe and Kayak Fatalities, a report examining canoe- and kayak-related fatalities over the five-year period from 1996 to 2000.
For everyone concerned with paddlesport safety, the report provides vital information to better understand the risks of paddling, the nature of canoe- and kayak-related accidents, and the population most at risk of being involved in a fatal canoe- or kayak-related accident.
Critical Judgment identifies priority problem areas that offer the greatest opportunity to significantly reduce canoe and kayak fatalities. The report's findings include:
- 75 percent of the paddling-related fatalities involved canoeing and 25 percent involved kayaking.
- 83 percent of the victims who died while canoeing were not wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.
- Occupant movement/weight shift plays a major role in approximately half of all canoeing accidents.
- Approximately 50 percent of the victims in canoe- and kayak-related fatalities were fishing at the time of the accident.
- At least 25 percent of the victims in fatal canoeing accidents are believed to have consumed alcohol immediately prior to the accident.
In addition to these and other key findings, Critical Judgment outlines the American Canoe Association's strategy to reduce canoe and kayak fatalities, and includes important policy recommendations that will improve safety for all paddlers. See back page for an explanation of American Camping Association standards for canoeing and kayaking.
These policy recommendations include increased training of state and federal marine patrol officers in paddling technique and safety, expanded education efforts that encourage all paddlers to wear life jackets, improved signage at low-head dams, stronger laws regarding alcohol consumption while boating, a greater portion of Wallop-Breaux Trust Fund dollars allocated to boating safety programs, and the revision of accident report forms to capture better information about canoe and kayak accidents.
The complete report is available on the American Canoe Association's Web site (www.acanet.org). To request a printed copy, please contact Cheri Nylen, American Canoe Association's program coordinator for safety education and instruction (email@example.com or 703-451-0141, ext. 19).
The 123-year-old American Canoe Association is the nation's largest and oldest nonprofit paddlesport organization and serves to promote and protect all types of canoeing, kayaking, and rafting as life-time, family recreation. The American Canoe Association is the nation's leader in teaching paddlesport safety, preserving access to quality waterways, and supporting grassroots programs and events. The Association has over 50,000 members across American and abroad.
Originally published in the 2004 Winter issue of The CampLine.


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MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT TERMS AND CONDITION, StataCorp LLC
Maintenance allows you to pay an annual or biennial charge and receive the next release of Stata automatically and without extra charge. Maintenance allows you to pay annually for your perpetual licence and ensures you have access to the latest features in Stata.
By purchasing maintenance for the Stata software, purchaser ("Purchaser") agrees that Purchaser is purchasing maintenance for the StataCorp ("StataCorp") product Stata ("Stata") indicated in the ordering processes of StataCorp LLC or its authorized distributors or resellers ("StataCorp Standard Ordering Processes"). The entire agreement between the Purchaser and StataCorp consists of the Stata License Agreement included with the Stata software and this document.
StataCorp agrees to provide Purchaser with free upgrades to major releases, when and if made generally available, of the Stata software specified during the StataCorp Standard Ordering Processes. The Purchaser has the right to upgrade to additional users or different products (editions) at the same time at the standard price for the additional users and/or edition upgrade.
To obtain maintenance at this new product configuration, the customer will pay the difference in maintenance price associated with the pre-upgrade product configuration and the post-upgrade product configuration. Aforementioned prices are the prices currently specified by the StataCorp Standard Ordering Processes at the time of upgrade or renewal.
For the period from the date set forth on the StataCorp LLC invoice until the expiration date, StataCorp will provide the Purchaser with all the rights set forth above. Purchaser will be provided the option to repurchase maintenance on an annual or biennial basis if the product configuration specified in the StataCorp Standard Ordering Processes at the time of repurchase is still under maintenance by StataCorp. Maintenance is non-refundable. Purchaser must declare their intent to renew before the expiration date by submitting a renewal payment or PO prior to that date. Maintenance prices are subject to change.
© Copyright 1996–2023 StataCorp LLC


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BMW M Parts Catalog \ BMW 3' E46, Cabrio \ Part groups \ Sliding Roof / Folding Top \
Sliding Roof / Folding Top
BMW M3 E46 Cabrio USA S54
Left-hand drive, Transmission: Neutral
The contents of the BMW M parts & accessories catalog provided for acquaintance purposes only.
Part numbers, descriptions, prices and applicability information have been obtained from public sources on the Internet. We are not responsible for any data inconsistency and possible inconvenience caused. Contact your local parts supplier to get precise information about parts.


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It's still a little surreal to me that this was my yesterday. Yes, this:
I was invited by Diet Pepsi (Sofia is their spokesperson) to Manhattan along with my good blogging friend Audrey and was given the chance to interview Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) in her "closet." It was tons of fun and she was wonderful! She was very gracious and we were one of just dozens of media reps who had filtered into the studio to interview her that day.
I was definitely stumped on what to wear – we were instructed that we would also be photographed in Sofia's closet like we were one of her "girlfriends on a shopping spree," so I didn't want to look too formal. But of course I wanted to look nice – I mean seriously, look who I was standing next to!
I already had this Gemma Wrap Dress ($98) in black from Banana Republic and I knew it came in a few colors so I ran over to my local store and got it in Magenta! Love it, right? It's so versitle and you can definitely dress it up or down. They call it "Purple Orchid."
Today ONLY, Banana Republic has 40% off in-store and online on one item (I didn't get 40% off! Snatch this up, people!). So they are doing individual codes so you need to sign up for their newsletter if you want the code – sign up here. Totally worth it, 40% off is huge!
And more picts and video hopefully coming soon of my day with Sofia! We didn't get to snap many photos off my own phone but the agency took a ton of them (plus the video!) so I hope to share those with you guys once I have them! It was such an awesome day. Hubby and I are huge fans of Modern Family so it was really cool to get a chance to meet "Gloria" and get a little insight from her on Gloria's Season 4 Maternity style and check out some of Sofia's own clothing line!


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The Junkluggers of Queens is your local provider of expert junk removal services in Richmond Hill. We offer various services including furniture removal, junk hauling, and commercial junk removal in and around Richmond Hill. What sets us apart from other junk removal companies is that we are dedicated to our eco-friendly mission to donate, recycle, and repurpose our clients' unwanted items. Even better, we also offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee! When you partner with The Junkluggers of Queens, you can rest assured knowing that you have partnered with a company dedicated to our eco-friendly mission to keep 100% of the junk we haul from entering landfills by 2025.
The Junkluggers of Queens removes all kinds of furniture. Mattresses, dressers, chairs, and tables - Big to small, we lug it all. The Junkluggers of Queens's furniture pickups in Richmond Hill, and the surrounding areas, get the job done quickly and efficiently.
One of the best parts about The Junkluggers of Queens's furniture pickup service is that we also recycle and donate as many items as we can. The items that we can donate or recycle skip the dump and are given a new life. While helping you get rid of unwanted furniture, we also have the opportunity to help someone in need or minimize our impact on local landfills.
Book a free furniture removal estimate in Richmond Hill with The Junkluggers of Queens!
At The Junkluggers of Queens, we are dedicated to responsibly disposing of our customers' unwanted items. Whether it is a pool table, a clunky computer, or a dysfunctional dishwasher, we have got you covered. We make sure that your junk does not wind up wasting away in a local landfill. Our trusted junk haulers will donate, recycle, or repurpose your unwanted items, as well as provide you with tax-deductible receipts if we donate anything on your behalf!
Our team is committed to providing efficient, reliable, and environmentally sustainable junk removal services. You can rely on us for any and all of your junk removal needs. To ensure your satisfaction, we offer four Green Guarantees:
Ready to get rid of your junk? Contact us today at 1-844-929-0330 to schedule your free estimate for our expert junk removal services in Richmond Hill, NY.


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Absolute zero is the lower limit of the thermodynamic temperature scale, a state at which the enthalpy and entropy of a cooled ideal gas reaches its minimum value, taken as 0. The theoretical temperature is determined by extrapolating the ideal gas law; by international agreement, absolute zero is taken as −273.15° on the Celsius scale (International System of Units), which equates to −459.67° on the Fahrenheit scale (United States customary units or Imperial units). The corresponding Kelvin and Rankine temperature scales set their zero points at absolute zero by definition.
- Thermodynamics near absolute zero
- Relation with BoseEinstein condensates
- Absolute temperature scales
- Negative temperatures
- History
- Limit to the degree of cold
- Lord Kelvins work
- The race to absolute zero
- Very low temperatures
- References
It is commonly thought of as the lowest temperature possible, but it is not the lowest enthalpy state possible, because all real substances begin to depart from the ideal gas when cooled as they approach the change of state to liquid, and then to solid; and the sum of the enthalpy of vaporization (gas to liquid) and enthalpy of fusion (liquid to solid) exceeds the ideal gas's change in enthalpy to absolute zero. In the quantum-mechanical description, matter (solid) at absolute zero is in its ground state, the point of lowest internal energy.
The laws of thermodynamics indicate that absolute zero cannot be reached using only thermodynamic means, because the temperature of the substance being cooled approaches the temperature of the cooling agent asymptotically. And a system at absolute zero still possesses quantum mechanical zero-point energy, the energy of its ground state at absolute zero. The kinetic energy of the ground state cannot be removed.
Scientists and technologists routinely achieve temperatures close to absolute zero, where matter exhibits quantum effects such as superconductivity and superfluidity.
Thermodynamics near absolute zero
At temperatures near 0 K (−273.15 °C; −459.67 °F), nearly all molecular motion ceases and ΔS = 0 for any adiabatic process, where S is the entropy. In such a circumstance, pure substances can (ideally) form perfect crystals as T → 0. Max Planck's strong form of the third law of thermodynamics states the entropy of a perfect crystal vanishes at absolute zero. The original Nernst heat theorem makes the weaker and less controversial claim that the entropy change for any isothermal process approaches zero as T → 0:
The implication is that the entropy of a perfect crystal simply approaches a constant value.
The Nernst postulate identifies the isotherm T = 0 as coincident with the adiabat S = 0, although other isotherms and adiabats are distinct. As no two adiabats intersect, no other adiabat can intersect the T = 0 isotherm. Consequently no adiabatic process initiated at nonzero temperature can lead to zero temperature. (≈ Callen, pp. 189–190)
An even stronger assertion is that It is impossible by any procedure to reduce the temperature of a system to zero in a finite number of operations. (≈ Guggenheim, p. 157)
A perfect crystal is one in which the internal lattice structure extends uninterrupted in all directions. The perfect order can be represented by translational symmetry along three (not usually orthogonal) axes. Every lattice element of the structure is in its proper place, whether it is a single atom or a molecular grouping. For substances that exist in two (or more) stable crystalline forms, such as diamond and graphite for carbon, there is a kind of chemical degeneracy. The question remains whether both can have zero entropy at T = 0 even though each is perfectly ordered.
Perfect crystals never occur in practice; imperfections, and even entire amorphous material inclusions, can and do simply get "frozen in" at low temperatures, so transitions to more stable states do not occur.
Using the Debye model, the specific heat and entropy of a pure crystal are proportional to T 3, while the enthalpy and chemical potential are proportional to T 4. (Guggenheim, p. 111) These quantities drop toward their T = 0 limiting values and approach with zero slopes. For the specific heats at least, the limiting value itself is definitely zero, as borne out by experiments to below 10 K. Even the less detailed Einstein model shows this curious drop in specific heats. In fact, all specific heats vanish at absolute zero, not just those of crystals. Likewise for the coefficient of thermal expansion. Maxwell's relations show that various other quantities also vanish. These phenomena were unanticipated.
Since the relation between changes in Gibbs free energy (G), the enthalpy (H) and the entropy is
thus, as T decreases, ΔG and ΔH approach each other (so long as ΔS is bounded). Experimentally, it is found that all spontaneous processes (including chemical reactions) result in a decrease in G as they proceed toward equilibrium. If ΔS and/or T are small, the condition ΔG < 0 may imply that ΔH < 0, which would indicate an exothermic reaction. However, this is not required; endothermic reactions can proceed spontaneously if the TΔS term is large enough.
Moreover, the slopes of the derivatives of ΔG and ΔH converge and are equal to zero at T = 0. This ensures that ΔG and ΔH are nearly the same over a considerable range of temperatures and justifies the approximate empirical Principle of Thomsen and Berthelot, which states that the equilibrium state to which a system proceeds is the one that evolves the greatest amount of heat, i.e., an actual process is the most exothermic one. (Callen, pp. 186–187)
One model that estimates the properties of an electron gas at absolute zero in metals is the Fermi gas. The electrons, being Fermions, must be in different quantum states, which leads the electrons to get very high typical velocities, even at absolute zero. The maximum energy that electrons can have at absolute zero is called the Fermi energy. The Fermi temperature is defined as this maximum energy divided by Boltzmann's constant, and is of the order of 80,000 K for typical electron densities found in metals. For temperatures significantly below the Fermi temperature, the electrons behave in almost the same way as at absolute zero. This explains the failure of the classical equipartition theorem for metals that eluded classical physicists in the late 19th century.
Relation with Bose–Einstein condensates
A Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) is a state of matter of a dilute gas of weakly interacting bosons confined in an external potential and cooled to temperatures very near absolute zero. Under such conditions, a large fraction of the bosons occupy the lowest quantum state of the external potential, at which point quantum effects become apparent on a macroscopic scale.
This state of matter was first predicted by Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein in 1924–25. Bose first sent a paper to Einstein on the quantum statistics of light quanta (now called photons). Einstein was impressed, translated the paper from English to German and submitted it for Bose to the Zeitschrift für Physik, which published it. Einstein then extended Bose's ideas to material particles (or matter) in two other papers.
Seventy years later, in 1995, the first gaseous condensate was produced by Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman at the University of Colorado at Boulder NIST-JILA lab, using a gas of rubidium atoms cooled to 170 nanokelvins (nK) (6993170000000000000♠1.7×10−7 K).
A record cold temperature of 450 ±80 pK in a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) of sodium atoms was achieved in 2003 by researchers at MIT. The associated black-body (peak emittance) wavelength of 6,400 kilometers is roughly the radius of Earth.
Absolute temperature scales
Absolute, or thermodynamic, temperature is conventionally measured in kelvins (Celsius-scaled increments) and in the Rankine scale (Fahrenheit-scaled increments) with increasing rarity. Absolute temperature measurement is uniquely determined by a multiplicative constant which specifies the size of the degree, so the ratios of two absolute temperatures, T2/T1, are the same in all scales. The most transparent definition of this standard comes from the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution. It can also be found in Fermi–Dirac statistics (for particles of half-integer spin) and Bose–Einstein statistics (for particles of integer spin). All of these define the relative numbers of particles in a system as decreasing exponential functions of energy (at the particle level) over kT, with k representing the Boltzmann constant and T representing the temperature observed at the macroscopic level.
Negative temperatures
Temperatures that are expressed as negative numbers on the familiar Celsius or Fahrenheit scales are simply colder than the zero points of those scales. Certain systems can achieve truly negative temperatures; that is, their thermodynamic temperature (expressed in kelvins) can be of a negative quantity. A system with a truly negative temperature is not colder than absolute zero. Rather, a system with a negative temperature is hotter than any system with a positive temperature, in the sense that if a negative-temperature system and a positive-temperature system come in contact, heat flows from the negative to the positive-temperature system.
Most familiar systems cannot achieve negative temperatures because adding energy always increases their entropy. However, some systems have a maximum amount of energy that they can hold, and as they approach that maximum energy their entropy actually begins to decrease. Because temperature is defined by the relationship between energy and entropy, such a system's temperature becomes negative, even though energy is being added. As a result, the Boltzmann factor for states of systems at negative temperature increases rather than decreases with increasing state energy. Therefore, no complete system, i.e. including the electromagnetic modes, can have negative temperatures, since there is no highest energy state, so that the sum of the probabilities of the states would diverge for negative temperatures. However, for quasi-equilibrium systems (e.g. spins out of equilibrium with the electromagnetic field) this argument does not apply, and negative effective temperatures are attainable.
On 3 January 2013, physicists announced that they had created a quantum gas made up of potassium atoms with a negative temperature in motional degrees of freedom for the first time.
One of the first to discuss the possibility of an absolute minimal temperature was Robert Boyle. His 1665 New Experiments and Observations touching Cold, articulated the dispute known as the primum frigidum. The concept was well known among naturalists of the time. Some contended an absolute minimum temperature occurred within earth (as one of the four classical elements), others within water, others air, and some more recently within nitre. But all of them seemed to agree that, "There is some body or other that is of its own nature supremely cold and by participation of which all other bodies obtain that quality."
Limit to the "degree of cold"
The question whether there is a limit to the degree of coldness possible, and, if so, where the zero must be placed, was first addressed by the French physicist Guillaume Amontons in 1702, in connection with his improvements in the air-thermometer. His instrument indicated temperatures by the height at which a certain mass of air sustained a column of mercury—the volume, or "spring" of the air varying with temperature. Amontons therefore argued that the zero of his thermometer would be that temperature at which the spring of the air was reduced to nothing. He used a scale that marked the boiling-point of water at +73 and the melting-point of ice at 51, so that the zero was equivalent to about −240 on the Celsius scale.
This close approximation to the modern value of −273.15 °C for the zero of the air-thermometer was further improved upon in 1779 by Johann Heinrich Lambert, who observed that −270 °C (−454.00 °F; 3.15 K) might be regarded as absolute cold.
Values of this order for the absolute zero were not, however, universally accepted about this period. Pierre-Simon Laplace and Antoine Lavoisier, in their 1780 treatise on heat, arrived at values ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 below the freezing-point of water, and thought that in any case it must be at least 600 below. John Dalton in his Chemical Philosophy gave ten calculations of this value, and finally adopted −3000 °C as the natural zero of temperature.
Lord Kelvin's work
After James Prescott Joule had determined the mechanical equivalent of heat, Lord Kelvin approached the question from an entirely different point of view, and in 1848 devised a scale of absolute temperature that was independent of the properties of any particular substance and was based on Carnot's theory of the Motive Power of Heat and data published by Henri Victor Regnault. It followed from the principles on which this scale was constructed that its zero was placed at −273 °C, at almost precisely the same point as the zero of the air-thermometer. This value was not immediately accepted; values ranging from −271.1 °C (−455.98 °F) to −274.5 °C (−462.10 °F), derived from laboratory measurements and observations of astronomical refraction, remained in use in the early 20th century.
The race to absolute zero
See also Timeline of low-temperature technology
With a better theoretical understanding of absolute zero, scientists were eager to reach this temperature in the lab. By 1845, Michael Faraday had managed to liquefy most gases then known to exist, and reached a new record for lowest temperatures by reaching −130 °C (−202 °F; 143 K). Faraday believed that certain gases, such as Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Hydrogen, were permanent gases and could not be liquified. Decades later, in 1873 Dutch theoretical scientist Johannes Diderik van der Waals demonstrated that these gases could be liquefied, but only under conditions of very high pressure and very low temperatures. In 1877, Louis Paul Cailletet in France and Raoul Pictet in Switzerland succeeded in producing the first droplets of liquid air −195 °C (−319.0 °F; 78.1 K). This was followed in 1883, by the production of liquid Oxygen −218 °C (−360.4 °F; 55.1 K) by Polish professors Zygmunt Wróblewski and Karol Olszewski.
Scottish chemist and physicist James Dewar and rival Heike Kamerlingh Onnes took on the challenge to liquefy the remaining gases Hydrogen and Helium. In 1898, after 20 years of effort, Dewar was first to liquefy Hydrogen, reaching a new low temperature record of −252 °C (−421.6 °F; 21.1 K). However Onnes, his rival, was the first to liquefy Helium using several precooling stages and the Hampson-Linde cycle. He lowered the temperature to the boiling point of helium −269 °C (−452.20 °F; 4.15 K). By reducing the pressure of the liquid helium he achieved an even lower temperature, near 1.5 K. These were the coldest temperatures achieved on earth at the time and his achievement earned him the Nobel prize in 1913. Onnes would continue to study the properties of materials at temperatures near absolute zero, describing superconductivity and superfluids for the first time.
Very low temperatures
The average temperature of the universe today is approximately 2.73 kelvins (−270.42 °C; −454.76 °F), based on measurements of cosmic microwave background radiation.
Absolute zero cannot be achieved, although it is possible to reach temperatures close to it through the use of cryocoolers, dilution refrigerators, and nuclear adiabatic demagnetization. The use of laser cooling has produced temperatures less than a billionth of a kelvin. At very low temperatures in the vicinity of absolute zero, matter exhibits many unusual properties, including superconductivity, superfluidity, and Bose–Einstein condensation. To study such phenomena, scientists have worked to obtain even lower temperatures.


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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
versão On-line ISSN 2078-5135
versão impressa ISSN 0256-9574
CHUNDER, A et al. A randomised controlled trial of suture materials used for caesarean section skin closure: Do wound infection rates differ?. SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. [online]. 2012, vol.102, n.6, pp.374-383. ISSN 2078-5135.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine wound complication rates following the use of suture materials and staples for skin closure at caesarean section (CS). STUDY DESIGN: A randomised, controlled, prospective study was undertaken. RESULTS: A total of 1 100 women was assigned randomly into 3 groups: polyglycolic acid (PGA) suture group (N=361), skin staple (SS) group (N=373) and nylon suture group (N=366). The overall wound infection rate was 7%. There was no difference in respect of number of patients, age, parity and gestation between the study groups. Those who had nylon sutures as opposed to PGA sutures were 9.5 times more likely to experience wound infection (p=0.055). Women who had SS were at 6.93 times higher risk of wound infection than those who had PGA sutures (p=0.014). Other factors influencing wound infection rates included: rupture of membranes >12 hours were 13.7 times (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.9 - 47.9, p<0.0001) more likely to have wound infection than those with rupture of membranes <12 hours. For every 1-minute increase of surgery duration, the risk of infection increased 1.094 times (95% CI 1.046 - 1.145; p<0.0001). HIV-infected women were 53.4% less likely to develop wound infection than their uninfected counterparts (odds ratio 0.466, 95% CI 0.238 - 0.913; p=0.026). As the time period of observation increased from baseline to day 3 and from day 3 to day 10, wound infection risk increased by 35 times (95% CI 8.155 - 150.868; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of SS for CS wound closure is associated with a significantly greater risk of wound infections. SS for wound closure at CS is not recommended for use in South African district hospitals.


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In Bad Ice Cream 2, you will continue the adventures of the little ice cream – the bad guys. It is still hungry for fruit.
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U.S. stocks headed for a muted open Tuesday as investors start the holiday-shortened week with an eye on corporate earnings.
Shares of DuPont (DD) rose in premarket trading after the company reported better-than-expected earnings and issued an upbeat outlook.
Verizon (VZ) reported a wider quarterly loss ahead of the open. Wireless carriers are expected to have a rough quarter as profit margins get dinged by high subsidies paid to Apple (AAPL) for the iPhone 5.
Also ahead of the opening bell, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) reported earnings and sales that were roughly in line with estimates. Google (GOOG) and IBM (IBM) are on tap to report after the market close.
Overall, S&P 500 companies are expected to report earnings growth of 3.8% for the last three months of 2012, according to S&P's Capital IQ.
U.S. stock futures were little changed.
Investors will also get another look at the strength of the housing recovery Tuesday, with data on existing home sales due from the National Association of Realtors at 10 a.m. ET.
After a mostly flat trading day Friday, the Dow and S&P 500 climbed during the last hours of trading to finish the week at their highest levels since December 2007. U.S. markets were closed Monday for Martin Luther King Day.
Related: Fear & Greed Index steeped in extreme greed
European markets edged lower in morning trading, while Asian markets ended mixed.
Japan's Nikkei ended narrowly weaker and the yen firmed slightly against the dollar after the Bank of Japan raised its inflation target and announced unlimited government bond purchases from next year. The move was heavily trailed and some analysts said the bank could have been even more ambitious in its bid to stimulate growth.
"Today's announcements do represent a significant step forward from the BoJ," analysts at Daiwa Capital Markets wrote in a note to clients. "Even if they are not necessarily the seismic shift in policy that the economy might require."


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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Have a look at someone who really was "expelled"
5 comments:
Awesome. Thanks for posting this, and many thanks to Ms. Comer for having the bravery to "not go gentle into that good night".ReplyDelete
I add my thanks to Ms. Comer for her courage in sticking up for what is right. I read about this story when it occurred; Lizzette Reynolds, the Texas Education Agency advisor who called for Ms. Comer's termination, is, not surprisingly, a Bush appointee. For her to destroy Ms. Comer's 27-year career as a science educator is beyond despicable. My heart breaks for Ms. Comer and for the children of Texas, who will pay a high intellectual price for Lizzette Reynolds' vicious political attack on science.ReplyDelete
Wha...? where is it? they removed it already? :(ReplyDelete
Comes up fine for me, Adrael. Try refreshing your browser.ReplyDelete
I tried refreshing but I doubt that was the problem. When I pressed "Play" is kept giving me the same error message it gives when a video has been deleted: "We're sorry but the video you've requested is no longer available."ReplyDelete
Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore, it worked now, thanks. :)
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text: AOSIS OpenJournalshttp://email@example.com://www.ve.org.za1609-99822074-7705Reaching beyond: Blogging a digital autobiographical practical theology Against the backdrop of a virtual existence, this contribution has portrayed the intimate relationship between two practical theologians. Through the use of biographical accounts, the author has not only attempted to indicate the significant contribution of Professor Julian Müller to the field of practical theology, but has also described the influence of this work on his own life and current research practice. In these descriptions of engagement, on the basis of which relevant research accents have been demarcated, a scenario pointing towards relevant future developments has also been indicated. In the mapping of a digital autobiographical practical theology, the author has personally 'reached beyond' in his endeavour to identify new research avenues in the articulation of the autobiographical language of a lived digital religion. Jan Albert van den Berg1 1Department of Practical Theology, University of the Free State, South Africa Jan Albert van den Berg email@example.com PO Box 100985, Brandhof 9324, South Africa 87335210.4102/ve.v35i2.87330 May 201306 Sept. 201306 Aug. 2014Van den Berg, J.A., 2014, 'Reaching beyond: Blogging a digital autobiographical practical theology', Verbum et Ecclesia 35(2), Art. #873, 6 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ve.v35i2.873© 2014. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS OpenJournals. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License. IntroductionA weblog (also referred to as a blog) is a special kind of Internet website consisting of consecutive dated entries (like a logbook) ... The entries are often referred to as posts or postings ... The activity of writing a weblog is called blogging and weblogs are now a mainstream tool of journalists, politicians and many ordinary individuals who write about their hobbies, education, interests or personal lives. The collective world of weblog writers (also called bloggers) and their weblogs often goes by the name of the blogosphere. It is an important new tool of self-expression and social communication. (Potgieter 2012:26) In taking up the challenge to formulate a portrayal, in a specially dedicated academic article, of a personal association with Professor Julian Müller that has extended over a period of more than two decades, I have chosen to use imaginary blog postings as a central metaphor. It is important to emphasise that the metaphor of 'imaginary blog postings' is not aimed at describing a new research methodology. Rather, it offers a metaphorical understanding on the basis of which the article is structured in terms of its content and formal presentation. This choice of a metaphor is supported and motivated on at least three levels. Firstly, owing to the prosaic character that is normally associated with blogs, this image fits easily into the broad, narratively informed research framework that is prominent in the work of Professor Müller, and within which I also define my own placement with regard to the positioning of my work. Secondly, web journals, as blogs are also called, exhibit a strongly autobiographical character; and for this very reason, this medium would be eminently suitable, through the use of imaginary blog entries (imagination represents an important development and dimension in narrative activity), for reflecting on the authentic and solid personal dimensions of the academic relationship between Professor Müller and myself. (The personal nature of this relationship can be discerned in, inter alia, the various ways in which reference is made to Professor Julian Müller in the article.) Thirdly, the use of the 'blog' metaphor places the research within the domain of the digital world, with the result that it can readily serve as the background on the basis of which the article is structured. These entries – as in the case of most blog postings on the Internet – are provisional in character and are thus not meant to be regarded as a final reflection, but rather as a contribution to the continuation of the discourse. Precisely for this reason, with a view to describing the dynamics involved in the research process, a purposeful decision has been made to use the verb 'blogging' in the imperfect (and thus 'incomplete') present tense. A blog is usually compiled in reverse chronological order, with the most recent entry appearing first. Bearing this chronology in mind, I follow the tracks made by recent important contributions in the work of Professor Müller, as reflected in his description of the relationship between autobiography and theology as life theology (Müller 2011a:1–2). In the description hereof, I have deliberately chosen the metaphor of 'tracing', following Ganzevoort's (2009) threefold understanding of the practical theological activity of 'tracing', which he elucidates as follows: The first is the archaic meaning of traversing or travelling over a certain area. The second involves meanings like following or tracking the footprints of someone or something, like when on a hunt. Metaphorically, it can be transposed to studying something in detail, like the history of an idea, the whereabouts of money moving around the world, or one's ancestry. It may also refer to the search for traces, signs, evidence, or remains of something that indicate a certain activity or presence. Tracing then has to with reconstructing and developing knowledge. The last type of meaning has to do with drawing or sketching. It may be the careful forming of letters or figures or even certain kinds of decoration, but usually it is a form of copying by hand through a transparent sheet. Here tracing has to do with constructing, modelled after an external reality. (p. 5) The embodiment of the content of 'tracing' – the journey across a domain (or domains) of life and/or the search for, and subsequent following of, footprints in the quest for an own route – finds resonance in my own 'blogging' activity. Thus, it is precisely in this 'blogging' or 'tracing' that the dynamic process of the 'biografisering van het leven' (Ganzevoort 2007:50) takes place. An orientation – and even a re-orientation – towards identity thereby occurs on a variety of levels and in a variety of relationships. Naturally, such blog entries display a strongly narrative character – ranging from fragments derived from own-life texts to excerpts from a novel – with a view to expressing a personal narrative (or narratives), but also as a contribution to the process of 'life writing' (Babbie & Mouton 1998:502). In order to give clear expression to this objective, I will make use of an italic letter-type, with an indented paragraph format, whenever a fragment of an own-life narrative is being presented: I vividly remember how, as a new arrival in the world of independent academic writing, I received my first attempt at independent academic writing back from my study supervisor, Professor Julian Müller. A personal discussion followed as I held the first chapter, with relevant comments, in my hand. At the top of the first page of the chapter, I clearly remember, remarks had been written in Julian's flowing handwriting, in pencil. In turning the pages of the chapter, I noticed that he had made various comments in pencil in the text of the chapter. This was the method that he used for my BD thesis, and later also my MDiv thesis, as well as during my PhD research. Thinking back about this now, I can see – metaphorically speaking – a relationship in these pencilled notes, in which he demonstrated respect for my text, which was typed in dark black letters, by writing his comments in light pencil strokes. Linking up with the metaphor of 'blogging', I have also used a second, supporting metaphor, in order to further structure the article: the term 'screenshot' indicates that a dynamic image is digitally captured on a computer screen. This metaphor can be used, for example, as a static image of a specific webpage. The assumption here is that, even though the image is static, it serves as a point of interception for a dynamic development that indeed goes much deeper than meets the eye. In the structuring of the article, the use of different 'screenshots' indicates that a much more dynamic background process underlies the concerned blog than can be portrayed in words. This dynamic substructure cannot be fully captured, however, owing to limitations pertaining to words and text; but it does challenge the reader to adopt an orientation aimed at 'reaching beyond'. Blog post 1 Reaching beyond: A screenshot of the 'opening up' of the horizon In Ettienne van Heerden's (2009:190) acclaimed novel, 30 Nagte in Amsterdam [30 nights in Amsterdam], the main character, Henk de Melker, asks a question regarding the special ability of individuals who have the capacity to 'open up the horizon' by looking at it in a certain way. This proverbial opening up of horizons is central to new academic research. In his recent article, 'Practical theology as part of the landscape of social sciences and humanities – A transversal perspective', Julian Müller (2013) poses the following challenge in order to make it possible to facilitate the opening up of new horizons by looking at them in a particular way: Our goal should rather be to open up the boundaries between practical theology, human, social and even natural sciences. In doing so, we can enrich and broaden our sensitivity towards the human condition and human society as well as the religious community. (p. 5) In the presentation of provisional perspectives in this article, I have endeavoured, precisely, to examine the horizon(s) of human existence through various lenses, in terms of a practical theological awareness. My objective is to make a contribution to a practical theological research agenda by means of this act of 'looking', or rather – possibly – 'tracing', with a view to the future. A possible modus operandi that could be followed for the envisaged research practice has already been mapped out during the past few years by means of important and direction-giving perspectives by Müller, in the development of a 'postfoundational practical theology'. In the development of such a postfoundational practical theology, in which Müller displays a strong affinity with the theologian of Princeton, Wentzel van Huyssteen, reflections on concrete and contextual realities are described as follows: 'This way of thinking is always concrete, local, and contextual, but at the same time reaches beyond local contexts to transdisciplinary concerns' (Müller 2009:205). Müller's development of this new lens in the tracing of a practical theological understanding and involvement has already received international recognition as an example of a theology of solidarity (Newlands 2006). Arising from the development of this new methodological lens, the accessing of and involvement with a diversity of concrete contexts on the basis of a postfoundational practical theology has also already been comprehensively described and documented. Thus, for example, the impact of the HIV and/or Aids pandemic within the concrete and local context of migratory workers in the fruit industry of the Overberg area in the Western Cape has been described in practical theological terms (August & Müller 2011). In my own quest for an understanding of the meaning of a postfoundational practical theology and the implications thereof, I have always been struck by the concept of 'reach[ing] beyond local contexts' (Müller 2009:205). My interpretation of this phrase is that, in the patterns that can be distinguished on the basis of my involvement with the concrete and the contextual, I might possibly find accents that would offer clues for the interpretation of other domains of meaning. I would also like to add a second interpretation, in which the words 'reaching' and 'beyond' introduce additional accents of effort(s) involving an ongoing quest for domains that extend further and deeper than might be suspected at first glance. Central to these academic accents is the quest for congruency – a quest that runs through the life and work of Julian Müller like a golden thread (trail?). In his 2009 autobiographical work, Om te mag twyfel [Having the freedom to doubt], Müller puts it this way: 'I believe that theology is always anchored in a specific personal, social and cultural context' (cf. Müller 2011b:8). If one goes back along the trail of most of Müller's work, and searches with a trained eye, one finds numerous signs of this autobiographical theology in his documentation – or journalisation – of an own life journey. Accents pertaining to an own family of origin, the dynamics of an own family, as well as a life lived in South Africa, repeatedly serve as points of reference in the rubrication of a life inventory that is mapped in such a way that it also acquires a character of 'reaching beyond'. In this way, Müller succeeds in guiding the reader towards the discovery that sometimes that which is most personal can be of great significance for the lives of others. The memory of my first intimate personal contact with Professor Müller is illustrative of this: One day, as part of an assignment during my fifth year of theological studies (1993), I went to Professor Müller to discuss a graphic portrayal of my family of origin (genogram). During this discussion, he helped me to discover themes from an orientation aimed at 'reaching beyond'. This orientation was not only characteristic of a deeper reflection about myself that ensued as a result thereof; it also played a decisive role in respect of my further studies, and was reflected in my BD thesis and, in the course of time, also in my PhD. In the light of the foregoing, it is not surprising that, in due course, I came to be on first-name terms with Julian. What I had originally only understood as theoretical concepts that were presented by a lecturer, had become the life-changing accents of a friend. Blog post 2 A screenshot of a memory of the future As is often the case with students who are considering a possible theme for a first thesis, I approached Professor Müller during that period – with a great amount of naïve enthusiasm – with a particular suggestion for a research theme. After chatting to me in a relaxed manner about my proposed theme, he also mentioned other possibilities. He pointed out that these alternatives had the potential to be further developed in Masters and Doctoral research. To this day, I have always been grateful for his farsightedness. In this way, Julian helped me to learn to make a decision with the future in mind. This not only helped to determine the nature of my first BD thesis, but also mapped out the trajectory of my further postgraduate studies. The passing of time brought yet more confirmation that the decisions of today do, indeed, unlock specific possibilities for tomorrow. In my opinion, such an attunement and sensitivity to whatever tomorrow may hold is well encompassed in the concept of a 'memory of the future'. This notion, which is central to the scientific field of futures studies, has already been defined by several persons (Adam 2004; De Geus 1997; Ingvar 1985). Recently, Lombardo (2008:2) described this awareness of the future as a 'future consciousness' or: the human capacity to be conscious of the future, to create ideas, images, goals, and plans about the future, to think about these mental creations and use them in directing one's action and one's life. (p. 2) What is thus of importance is that the orientation towards the future plays a guiding role in my present decisions and behaviour. In the presentation of these perspectives, a biographical (or autobiographical) exploration thereof implies that I am tracing the accents of these theoretical concepts in the lives of others, as well as in my own. Julian Müller was, and is, pre-eminently a prophet, who, with a keen eye, has assisted, and still assists people to perceive transitions, but also turning points. The pointing out of transitions has already been documented by Müller in a variety of scientific and other publications. Müller himself relates how various academic transitions have been discernible in his own life: from perspectives for an eco-hermeneutic model to narrative therapy and, ultimately, the development of a postfoundational practical theology, with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary reflections arising from a transversal rationality (Müller 2011c:1–2). With a keen sensitivity for the fibrillation of the minds of postmodern human beings, he has also assisted with the description of transitions in publications dealing with religious faith (Müller 2011b). In my opinion, one of the reasons why Müller has been able to succeed in opening up the future by looking at it in a certain way is that, in the acknowledgement of his own autobiographical accents, he has brought about the realisation of a quest to 'reach beyond'. In taking account of his own reality, he has had the insight to transpose these perspectives in such a way that they hold meaning, not only for the present, but indeed also for the future. In his article, 'Postfoundational practical theology for a time of transition', he writes as follows: '... there seems to be consensus about the fact that there was, is, a turning point, that we are living in a time of transition' (Müller 2011c:1). In his latest book, The future, the former American vice-president, Al Gore (2013), dramatically confirms this factor, in his observation that there is currently a general consensus that: ... the future now emerging will be extremely different from anything we have ever known in the past. It is a difference not of degree but of kind. There is no prior period of change that remotely resembles what humanity is about to experience. (n.p.) In my own quest to open up the horizon of the future by looking at it in a certain way, I completed a Masters programme in Futures Studies (the only one of its kind in Africa) in 2010, which is housed in the Management School of the University of Stellenbosch. In the facilitation of a memory of the future, over the course of time, I have been further developing a life-orientation that gives due acknowledgement to the fact that the realisation of the future demands active participation. For me, reflections on a sustainable future represent a practice in which the meaning of involvement in a local and concrete reality can be transcribed into a mode of 'reaching beyond'. In this regard, I actively seek possibilities that can positively influence the realisation of tomorrow, and of a time beyond tomorrow. In giving shape to a memory of the future, it is of cardinal importance to engage in a scanning of the environment, in search of specks on the horizon that may possibly lead to change. A good illustration of such accountable scanning of the future is the authoritative 'State of the Future' report of the well-known Millennium Project of the United Nations, in which it is pointed out that the impact of technological development currently comprises one of the most important challenges for a sustainable future (Glenn, Gordon & Florescu 2012). Bearing this factor in mind, it is understandable that, if a specific contribution to the future is made, in which technological development, inter alia, is an important driver, the tracing of the meaning thereof should enjoy high priority. Taking account of the concrete, contextual and local accents encountered in a postfoundational practical theology, the countrywide, but also worldwide growth in mobile communication technology can be mentioned as an example. This 'fluid' world (Bauman 2007), created by various evolutionary stages of Internet development and embodied, for example, in the growth of the cellphone market as a worldwide phenomenon (Time 2012), provides a vivid reflection of this reality. Sweet (2012) has therefore rightfully commented that 'The cell is your covenant with life; the cell is your convent in life'; leading to the given factor that the transformational mobile device is currently at the centre of human existence. Blog post 3 A screenshot of practical theological alternatives in the web of life Transitions and turning points – which often also become watershed moments – can frequently be discerned in the domain of an own life. In my view, in the tracing of autobiographical perspectives, a keen eye is needed, in order to perceive signs of such transitions and turning points: It was during my doctoral research that I was exposed to the digital world for the first time. Initially, I was astounded at the medium offered by the test board of a computer, which firstly allowed black letters to appear on the white screen of the computer – after which these words could immediately be printed on white paper. During this period, electronic communication also arrived on the scene; and I vividly remember how, after formulating an email to Julian, I was always amazed at how quickly I received his digitally formulated reply. To this day, I still think that he is one of those persons who handle their email communications in the best and fastest possible manner. Later on, I was thrilled at the prospect of visiting Julian's own webpage and of being able to read a variety of articles, popular contributions and sermons in a digital format. There was even a link that could be used by interested persons who wished to participate in discussions on pastoral therapy with Julian per email. In the description of this experience, a specific practical theological orientation is presupposed. Practical theology also displays a development that extends from an initial orientation towards the ecclesiastical praxis, to the most recent accents falling on the importance and relevance of the public domain. This reality is acknowledged in one of the central metaphors associated with the study of practical theology, namely 'the web of life' (Miller-McLemore 2012; Osmer 2008) – in which, ironically enough, the contributory role and influence of technological development is acknowledged. In this regard, Miller-McLemore (2012) writes: If one believes in the interconnection and interdependence of all life, a premise behind the general idea of the web itself, then one knows that it is highly likely that our use of the term was shaped, at least indirectly, by the incredible technological developments hovering in the background, soon to become a dominant foreground. (n.p.) However, I am of the opinion that we are currently entering the era – if we have not entered it already – in which technological development has begun to take over the 'dominant foreground'. Proceeding from the assumption that practical theology entails the study of practices of 'lived religion' – including the practices of the future – the importance of interdisciplinary reflection is taken as a given factor. A possible practical theological description of, and contribution to, this challenge can be found, in my opinion, in an interdisciplinary method of research – for example, that of transversal rationality, which places emphasis on contextual realities, in such a way that a contribution can be made to a larger discourse (Müller 2009). In turn, this orientation towards a particular modus operandi indeed facilitates practical theological alternatives (Müller 2011c) in which the horizons of understanding and practice are broadened: We must rather open up the boundaries between theology and disciplines within social sciences, humanities and natural sciences. In doing this, we can deepen and broaden the sensitivity for the human condition within human society and religious community. The contribution of Practical Theology in this interdisciplinary process is to strengthen the sensitivity for the human condition and human community, also in terms of the community of faith. (p. 5) The aim of this contribution is, precisely, to engage in an earnest consideration of the extent and influence of the continual deluge of digital content and communication. I would therefore like to conduct an investigation in the context of a growing research practice. The objective in this regard would be to determine how practical theology could render a unique contribution in the accommodation of the discourse with futures studies, inter alia. In the mapping of this transversal discourse with non-traditional dialogue partners from the economic and management sciences, a relevant contribution will be made to a developing practice. In this contribution, a perspective that entails the dynamics of 'reaching beyond' will not only be accommodated, but also accentuated. Blog post 4 A screenshot of real life in digital format: Blogging a digital (auto)biographical practical theology Part of the privilege of being a postgraduate student under Julian's leadership was reflected in the regular discussions of films that were held as part of the structured postgraduate meetings. I remember how, during these discussions, I developed a keen eye for, and sensitivity towards the visual impact and the meanings that are conveyed through the medium of films. A specific concrete, local and contextual message, with dimensions of 'reaching beyond', is portrayed in a narratively informed manner in films. I remember how, together with other members of the group of postgraduate students of which I was a part, I watched the following films: in the New Zealand movie, Once were warriors (1994), a powerful message on family violence is conveyed. In the film, Ill Postino (1994), with a theme relating to the arts, the metaphorical world of the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, is sketched; whilst in the South African film, Yesterday (2004), the viewer is challenged to reflect on the destructive outcome of HIV and/or Aids. Years later, being thoroughly aware of the influence of the Facebook phenomenon, I watched the award-winning film, The social network (2010). The origin, development and far-reaching consequences of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook are illustrated in this film. One of the characters, Sean Parker, refers to the Facebook phenomenon as 'the true digitalization of real life' (The Niles Files 2011:2). Not long thereafter, the world-famous Internet psychologist and philosopher, Sherry Turkle (2011:n.p.), pointed out in her book, Alone together, that what is becoming visible in the growing virtual environment is nothing other 'than the future unfolding'. For this very reason, in the blogging of a digital autobiographical practical theology, I aim to seek out personal accents in the meaning of a growing virtual world. Being a mere proverbial drop in the ocean of the digital world, my own presence in that world is limited to the use of the email facility – and a Facebook and a Twitter account, both of which are kept in operation by means of a few sporadic entries here and there. Ironically enough, and despite the format of this article, I am currently not operating an active blog. Bearing important statistical indicators in mind, as well as my own sensitivity towards the future, it would seem to be a given factor that this digital reality is breaking open a new horizon of understanding in relation to human life, with concomitant new challenges. Personally, this means that I should evaluate my own presence in the digital world according to its meaning and relevance. This challenge of reflection may lead me to once again consider entering into a new and meaningful involvement with digital reality. Even in the traditional field of religious studies alone, it seems that important new accents are being mapped out. In her latest book, Digital religion. Understanding religious practice in new media worlds, Heidi Campbell (2013) points out some important dimensions of 'digital religion', as follows: ... when lived religious practice and digital culture meet, a 'third space' emerges, a hybridized and fluid context requiring new logics and evoking unique forms of meaning-making. Digital religion as a concept acknowledges not only how the unique character of digital technology and culture shapes religious practice and beliefs, but also how religions seek to culture new media contexts with established ways of being and convictions about the nature of reality and the larger world. (n.p.) On the basis of my awareness of, and quest for, 'convictions about the nature of reality and the larger world' (Campbell 2013:n.p.), I am of the opinion that it has become a matter of priority to reflect, within the context of a digital autobiographical practical theology, on a possible expansion of Ruard Ganzevoort's (2009) original description of a 'lived religion' to that of a 'lived digital religion'. In the development and description of aspects of a lived digital religion, I am convinced that 'life on the screen' cannot take place without the discursive agenda of a postfoundational practical theology. Without any empirical research being presented in this article, the sheer quantity of available spaces offered by already-existing themes and studies is overwhelming. Pressing the proverbial 'Refresh' button on the webpage means that some of the following themes – to mention just a few – should continually be loaded afresh: on a macro-level, practical theological research should display a sensitivity towards the meaning of the social Web 2.0 and the embodiment thereof in social media (Lesame, Sindane & Potgieter 2012:6). Ironically enough, various signs of the future can already be seen on the horizon, pointing to the so-called development of the Web 3.0, or the 'semantic' or 'intelligent' web (Glenn et al. 2012:31). It would seem that this evolutionary development on the horizon will permanently change the cartography of the existence of human beings. It is precisely within this space (or these spaces) that the following themes of a more personal character – to mention just a few – make their appearance within the scanning of a future reality: the impact of artificial intelligence in an age of singularity (Kurzweil 2010), as well as the influence of the digital world in the developing field of digital games, or 'gaming' (Reeves & Read 2009), in which a new orientation in terms of time, attention and focus is mapped out. An important indication of relevant pastoral challenges of this new digital reality can for example already be found in the indication of Internet gaming in the recently released fifth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-V) with the following aim: 'By listing Internet Gaming Disorder in DSM'5 Section III, APA hopes to encourage research to determine whether the condition should be added to the manual as a disorder' (American Psychiatric Association 2013). In his book, You're not a gadget (2011:4), Lanier writes: 'Technologies are extensions of ourselves ... our identities can be shifted by the quirks of gadgets. It is impossible to work with information technology without also engaging in social engineering'. In this initial typing out of the first letters and words of my own 'digital autobiographical practical theology', with a view to the future, and in the process of nurturing an active memory of the future, I am sensitive to this warning. What is the particular nature of the challenge that is facing me – namely, that of making a contribution to the process of 'social engineering' in an accountable manner, as a practical theologian, by means of the insights gleaned from futures studies and information technology, inter alia? Regarding the identification of a central theme within the context of this research challenge, Van der Westhuizen (2010:n.p.), as a postgraduate student of Julian Müller, offers the following description of the practical theologian's work: 'We listen for the transformative nature of God's work and how this is present in stories. We are generally concerned about spirituality and systems of religion and, as such, we would want to listen to how these are integrated into people's stories and how God is experienced in a particular situation'. Conclusion Naturally, these comments merely amount to a provisional blog posting (or postings) of my own personal digital autobiographical perspectives which call for a response that is illustrative of the reflexive dialogical character of a digital world. The character and nature of a digital autobiographical theology is thereby portrayed in such a way that life and identity are understood to be connected, in the broadest possible sense, in a non-static, but always dynamic manner (Müller 2011a). In the interactive nature of this digital world, dynamic reflection is presupposed, which acknowledges what is most personal, and in which a continual quest is conducted for perspectives that 'reach beyond'. For this very reason, as pointed out by Müller (2011a) himself, the purpose of a Festschrift is, precisely, to facilitate reflection on the trajectory of a biography, in order to open up new vistas. All of these aspects are central to the significant contribution that is to be found in the life and work of Professor Julian Müller as lecturer, mentor, friend and colleague. Acknowledgements Competing interests The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article. 1. Adam, B., 2004, 'Memory of futures', KronoScope 4(2), 297–315. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1568524042801392 2. August, A. & Müller, J.C., 2011, 'HIV and/or AIDS, migrant labour and the experience of God: A practical theological postfoundationalist approach', HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 67(3), Art. #774, 6 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hts.v67i3.774 3. Babbie, E. & Mouton, J., 1998, The practice of social research, Oxford University Press, Cape Town. 4. Bauman, Z., 2007, Liquid Times. Living in Age of Uncertainty, Polity Press, Cambridge. 5. Campbell, H.A., 2013, Digital religion: Understanding religious practice in new media worlds, Routledge, London. (Kindle edition). 6. De Geus, A., 1997, The living company. Growth, learning and longevity in business, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London. 7. American Psychiatric Association, 2013, DSM-V – Internet gaming disorder, viewed 23 May 2013, from http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Internet%20Gaming%20Disorder%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf 8. Ganzevoort, R.R., 2007, 'Waarheen met de praktische theologie?', Thelogische Debat 4(1), 20–24. 9. Ganzevoort, R.R., 2009, 'Forks in the road when tracing the sacred. Practical theology as hermeneutics of lived religion', Presidential address to the ninth conference of the International Academy of Practical Theology, Chicago, 03 August, viewed 24 April 2010, from http://www.ruardganzevoort.nl/pdf/2009_Presidential.pdf 10. Glenn, J.C., Gordon, T.J. & Florescu, E., 2012, State of the future, The Millennium Project. World Federation of UN Associations, Washington, DC. 11. Gore, A., 2013, The future, W.H. Allen, London. (Kindle edition). 12. Ill Postino, 1994, Il Postino: The postman, viewed 24 April 2013, from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/il_postino_the_postman 13. Ingvar, D.H., 1985, 'Memory of the future. An essay on the temporal organization of conscious awareness', Human Neurobiology 4(3), 127–136. PMid:3905726 14. Kurzweil, R., 2010, The singularity is near, Gerald Duckworth, London. (Kindle edition). 15. Lanier, J., 2011, You are not a gadget, Vintage Books, New York. 16. Lesame, Z., Sindane, S. & Potgieter, P., 2012, 'New media: Theories and applications', in Z. Lesame, B. Mbatha & S. Sindane (eds.), New media in the information society, pp. 1–21, Van Schaik Publishers, Pretoria. 17. Lombardo, T., 2008, The evolution of future consciousness, Authorhouse, Bloomington. 18. Miller-McLemore, B.J., 2012, Christian theology in practice: Discovering a discipline, William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. (Kindle edition). 19. Müller, J.C., 2009, 'Transversal rationality as a practical way of doing interdisciplinary work, with HIV and Aids as a case study', Practical Theology in South Africa 24(2), 199–228. 20. Müller, J.C., 2011a, '(Outo)biografie as teologie', HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 67(3), Art. #1113, 5 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hts.v67i3.1113 21. Müller, J.C., 2011b, Om te mag twyfel. 'n Gelowige se reis, Tafelberg, Cape Town. 22. Müller, J.C., 2011c, 'Postfoundational practical theology for a time of transition', HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 67(1), Art. #837, 5 pages. doi.10.4102/hts.v67i1.837 23. Müller, J.C., 2013, 'Practical theology as part of the landscape of social sciences and humanities – A transversal perspective', HTS Teologiese Studies/ Theological Studies 69(2), Art. #1299, 5 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hts.v69i2.1299 24. Newlands, G., 2006, 'Public theology in postfoundational tradition', in F. LeRon Shults (ed.), The evolution of rationality, pp. 394–417, William B. Eerdmans, Cambridge. 25. The Niles Files, 2011, Revolutions and revelations: The Oscars for 1967 and 2010, viewed 23 May 2011, from http://nilesfilmfiles.blogspot.com/2011/02/revolutions-and-revelations-oscars-for.html 26. Once Were Warriors, 1994, viewed 30 April 2013, from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/once_were_warriors 27. Osmer, R., 2008, Practical theology: An introduction, William B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids. 28. Potgieter, P., 2012, 'An overview of online new media', in Z. Lesame, B. Mbatha & S. Sindane (eds.), New media in the information society, pp. 23–35, Van Schaik Publishers, Pretoria. 29. Reeves, B. & Read, J.L., 2009, Total engagement: Using games and virtual worlds to change the way people work and businesses compete, Harvard Business Press, Boston. 30. Sweet, L., 2012, Viral. How social networking is poised to ignite revival, Waterbrook Press, Colorado Springs. (Kindle edition). 31. Time, 2012, The wireless issue. 10 Ways your phone is changing the world, 27 August, 21–51. 32. The social network, 2010, viewed 22 April 2013, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1285016 33. Turkle, S., 2011, Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other, Basic Books, New York. (Kindle edition). 34. Van der Westhuizen, Z., 2010, 'Transversality and interdisciplinary discussion in postfoundational practical theology – Reflecting on Julian Müller's interdisciplinary guidelines', HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 66(2), Art. #910, 5 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/hts.v66i2.910 35. Van Heerden, E., 2009, 30 Nagte in Amsterdam, Tafelberg Uitgewers, Cape Town. 36. Yesterday, 2004, viewed 01 May 2013, from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1153321-yesterday


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Libraries without Borders asked French designer Philippe Starck to create a pop-up library to serve refugees from the Congo. What he and his team came up is a beautiful, functional set of information treasure chests called the Ideas Box.
Each set is comprised of four boxes – Connect, Learn, Play and Create -which contain among other things: 15 tablets and 4 laptops (internet connected), 50 e-readers and 5000 ebooks, 250 hardcopy books, a cinema modale, 5 HD cameras, board games, videos, craft materials and more. Tents and tables are also included.
Read more about it and check out the video!


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There is plenty of strategic advice available to executives who want to grow their companies. They can squeeze more out of their existing internal resources and build organically. Or they can borrow resources from outside to supplement skills and knowledge from partners on a short-term basis. Alternatively, they can simply buy companies that provide expertise which they don't currently have. But how do you decide what is the best route?
Until now, there has been no definitive guide on how to select the most appropriate "pathways to growth" for a company to gain a competitive advantage. INSEAD Strategy Professor Laurence Capron, along with co-author Will Mitchell (Duke & Toronto University have written "Build, Borrow or Buy" (Harvard Business Review Press, 2012), based on more than fifteen years of research into how some companies succeed in developing powerful new business capability, while many others fail.
Avoid the implementation trap
That process also leads to falling into the implementation trap where the CEO will tend to revert to the default growth pathway and not explore other options. "It is very difficult to change your organisation. So once you have gained experience in one specific mode, for example mergers and acquisitions (M&A), all the organisation is going to be geared towards making acquisitions because you accumulate learning, processes, routines. So it's very hard to break the habits and the routines of an organisation."
For many companies, the dominant mode of growth is deeply embedded in the culture and structure of a company. "In some organisations you have very powerful merger and acquisitions teams and they will be very reluctant to consider an alliance, or you will have very entrenched R&D labs and they will be reluctant to go for external sources. If you take a company like Sanofi or Merck for example, what they have been doing in the past ten years was really to try to fight against this strong internal culture, their inward focus, and to go outside and to multiply their alliances and their licensing agreements and also make some acquisitions."
The alliance of science
Apple is a good example of a company that has overcome a very strong internal culture of innovation and R&D to embrace other pathways to growth. "Apple has been able to overcome its very strong culture of internal innovation to learn to make alliances; to build a global ecosystem of technological partners and also to make a few acquisitions to get the technology they couldn't develop internally, at least in a timely manner."
By contrast, Research In Motion (RIM) have been stuck for a very long time on the internal track hoping that their R&D will be able to make the Blackberry more like a Smartphone. "It's only recently that they have started to make acquisitions and to build a stronger ecosystem - making alliances to get the capability that they would need to be successful in the consumer market."
Capron argues that RIM, like many other companies, lost competitive advantage by underestimating the importance of making a well-considered decision about the right pathways to growth: whether to build borrow or buy. "A form of myopia prevents companies from seeing that their existing core resources are unequal to the competitive demands of the moment."
A multi-faceted approach
She argues for a long-term multi-faceted approach rather than being a "one-trick pony". "Over-reliance on acquisitions drains key resources, demotivates teams and fragments the organisation. Too much emphasis on growth can make your organisation so cohesive that it becomes inert. Too much reliance on growth via contracts and alliances makes you vulnerable to partner's actions and conflicts of interest."
But do most companies adopt a multi-track approach? According to the research that Capron and Mitchell carried out in the telecommunication industry, only one third actively used more than two methods of obtaining new resources. About 40 percent relied heavily on just one pathway – and when those companies did add another pathway it tended to be "Buy" to complement the "Build" of internal development.
Capron makes a case that "Borrowing" or creating alliances or partnerships should be used more often in the mix. "Don't dismiss the value of alliances and licensing agreements, it's a way to learn in a much more flexible way from multiple partners and alliances. When well-executed they can be a very powerful way to explore a new environment." Many companies moving in to Russia and China, for example, take a staged approach - moving from a loose alliance in the early stages then towards a full acquisition as the picture of the market and resources becomes clearer.
She acknowledges that one of the main challenges is "that many executives tend to be paranoid and suspicious about alliances and many firms are afraid that they will lose their capabilities or the partner will go behind their back." But the reality is that many alliances have a limited and often temporary lifecycle. "Some alliances of course can last for decades but you should look at an alliance as part of a lifecycle like a product lifecycle." The recent Apple decision to replace the popular Google Maps app with their own (less effective) mapping service was part of a long-term strategic plan. "Apple had anticipated that the mapping service will be strategically important for them, so what they have done - in parallel - is to build up their own competencies so that over time they will no longer be dependent on Google and able to control that part of their product which is very important."
Doing the wrong thing really well
On the M&A course she teaches in the Executive Education programme portfolio at INSEAD, Capron surprises her students by urging them to consider that acquisitions may not always be the right answer. "Many companies' executives tend to regard acquisitions as the only strategy of the firm instead of just a tool by which they can deliver their strategy.
Most of the executives and firms are poorly equipped when it comes to making acquisition choices and understanding how to integrate with companies."
It seems that many companies fall into the implementation trap of believing their success depends on working hard to implement their chosen default mode. As her co-author, Will Mitchell, said: "You can royally mess yourself up by trying to do the wrong thing really well." To ensure that doesn't happen, leadership has to come from the top according to Professor Capron. "The CEO needs to have the discipline and also maybe the intellectual foresight to consider all the modes and also to put them on equal footing."
"If your company fails to understand what resources it needs to compete in the future, it makes little difference what pathway you take to obtain them. Your first step should be to use the company's strategic planning process to identify key resource gaps."
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