text:
We use cookies, which are small text files, to improve your experience on our website and to show you personalized content. You can allow all or manage them individually.
Creative's Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro brings incredible enhanced 3D audio to any computer, anywhere! Designed for maximum portability, this sound card is small enough to fit into your pocket and even fits on your key ring! Enjoy incredible 3D Surround with any headphones in movies, games and enhance all of your PC and online audio. The Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! Pro is the fastest and easiest upgrade to SBX Pro Studio audio technology.
Advance audio technology to enhance and customize your music, movies and gaming experience.
Incredible virtual surround over any headphones for immersive movies and gaming.
Add more fun to online conversations with VoiceFX technology that morphs your voice in online chats or during in-game.
The industry standard for audio quality on the PC available in a portable USB sound card.
Gaming support includes EAX 5.0 and OpenAL plus Creative ALchemy software to restore EAX surround to games running under Windows Vista/Windows 7.
We have updated audio drivers that will allow you to enjoy the ultimate in Sound Blaster performance in Windows 8. Click here to download the latest drivers.
1-year Limited Hardware Warranty


text:
Dates and Deadlines
Registration is NOW OPEN!
Payment Deadline: 2 Weeks After Preliminary Countries Assigned (but not before September 1)
We assign countries on a first-come, first-served basis. When a team is given preliminary assignments, they have two weeks in which to pay the delegate and delegation fees for those countries; if they do not pay within two weeks, the countries will be released and other schools may request them.
Participation Fees
Please note: All fees are non-refundable.
Commuter Delegate Additional Fee: $25 per delegate
(This fee applies to delegations who have not booked rooms through our group rate at the official venue.
Portland-area schools are exempt; if you're not sure if you're "Portland-area," email us to check.)
Late Fees (Payment At Conference): Additional $10 per school AND an additional $10 per delegate
Registration Process
For delegations or individuals attending NWMUN from outside the United States and Canada, please read the special information for international attendees.
1. Read the Committees & Topics list.
2. Look over the Country / Committee Matrix and determine what countries you'd like to request.
3. Look over the Country Assignment Policy that NWMUN uses to assign countries to schools.
4. Complete a registration request (includes payment of the Delegation Fee).
5. NWMUN will respond with preliminary country assignments and an invoice.
6. Within two weeks of receiving assignments, follow the instructions in the invoice and pay the (non-refundable) remaining fees to secure country assignments.
7. Once country assignments are secured, review the Delegate Assignment Policy and then begin assigning specific spots to individuals within your group.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Step by Step: The First One
by Roman aka jar
Hello jungle people,
during the last tutorial voting you decided to see this robot come to life and colour.
Maybe one day, during MV's year of the painter we will see the pirate win, maybe.
I guess this article comes not unhelpful as recently the new miniature painting competition on Massive Voodoo was announced - check it and be a part of that creative event, click the banner:
(c) Raffaele Picca
This said I want to tell you my thoughts I made during the progress of "The First One". Tell you how he grew, tell you how I based and painted it and tell you some hints and tips here and there for your work on this kit. I hope this article helps you additional to get in the right mood for working on your own entry for this one of a kind contest. Remember you can win this - exactly this robot from this article - as one of the cool prizes in the contest.
I hope you enjoy and if you do, consider a little support via a jungle donation for the time I spent sitting here and preparing all that you can read now. Click here to support!
The robot was sculpted by Antonio Fernández, our monkeyfriend from Cursed Monkeys and is a model sold by Heroes & Villians.
My first impression when I saw that kit was a simple "YEAAAHHAAWWRR!!". An unbelievable number of options with cool parts here, so much creativity to be enjoyed and so much character in the different robots you can build with it. Very cool!
But, while unpacking it at home this cool first impression melted into confusion. Where is the plan to build the robot up I want? I got so many parts and I am having troubles realizing at first which part is meant to be what. Brain goulash at first. What I learned: Take your time and look at the parts as they are still stuck to the resin. Think yourself into the kit, before wildly cutting parts out of it without knowing what you want to do with them. To improve the kit I would a little guide on paper, but maybe this would already block creativity, who knows. Take care too about your cutting work, some parts are really thin and are easy to break. Been there, done that.
After I decided for my parts I could not resist to clean them properly, which was not big work. I wanted to reach the point when it comes to glueing soon. Again take care with thin and fine parts while cleaning the miniature. They can easily break.
The choice of parts I made looked like this and I decided to see the robot in a more "historical" pose. With a spear made from wire, a little heroic pose. To support the pose I used some cork for structure.
Another element, a piece of a mouse cheekbone was also placed to show another element of those monsters. Woot? Working with real bones? Check this article.
In the beginning I was really convinced to use that simple base somehow, but this changed for good.
Whatever, I primed him and planned to paint him up soon ...
Well, but I did no paint him asap. Why?
It took me a while to recognize the reason. I was pretty unhappy with that ... uhm, simple basework. So it was time to put some more time in here. I did so, still using the cork part I build up before. Using a wooden plinth to build up the surroundings. Different metal parts used that are planned to be metal in the end, for example, a part of a Space Marine Drop Pad and some thin layers of old rusty parts I found on the street. Some hobby plastic profiles for old steel parts, punched sheets, cacti, Pegasus Hobbies provides two sets of them and more cork for basing. A metal paper clip was bend and used to hold a sign provided by Pk-Pro, but damaged slightly by me (you'll see that one in the primed version only, sorry forgot) ...
... bu ... bu ... but Roman, the figure is primed already and the base is not? What the heck are you up to? Well, I asked myself the same question and just skipped further thoughts on this. I used a good angle to spray the base just black without touching the figure too much.
Suddenly I was in happy painting mode :)
My mind free and music was good. I just decided to hit it without further plans. I knew by the use of the cacti that the base would be some kind of desertlike and that the robot will have rusty areas. I decided for some brown base colour applyment with my airbrush to the figure itself and with some brown/orange to the base ... POW!
Without further hesitation my brain and heart told me that I would be happy painting a kind of yellowish robot. I did not take yellow to put it on the figure with my airbrush. Why? Yellow is a strange colour to paint with and I wanted to have a stronger basecoat beneath it. So before I head for yellow I used a mix from green and grey. From now on your should also check my fingers on the photos to see how the colour that I used looked like ... PFFFT!
I liked the green touch in it but I wanted to reach yellow someday. So I took a bright green and mixed a drop of yellow into it to approach my yellow goal like a tripping ninja ... even I did hit the base with that colour at the moment I listen to the voices that said "it doesn't matter right now" .... PFFFT!
... but painted my plinth black in this stage.
... then it mattered to me again :)
I wanted to get this orange back in sight. I was pretty influanced by orange as Sanne, our traine was painting at a big cool canvas these days and used strong power- and colourful moves with orange. So I took a brush now to bring back that orange brown ... As you can see I left the cacti, metal parts and robot green still. CHOCK! CHOCK!
Yellow was the colour I was aiming for so using yellow glazes with a brush I brought in more yellow to the robot's body. Mainly using the theory of zenithal light here to know where to put it.
As I am a painter who often works from a rough start to detail work I decided to close into the bigger picture. Using ModelMates Normal Rust Effect on the metal parts of the robot and all the rusty waste on the base to get a better sketch on where I am going ...
Well, while my wild rust effect applyment needed time to dry here and there I used some dark grey, which was mixed from black/white/touch of purple in it and applied it to the monster-skin parts. On the back cloak part you might recognize that the purple is getting more the lower you look. Happened out of the belly but I liked that. Just did put more purple in my basic mix here and threw it carefully at place with a brush. Did the same with a little more white to the grey mix in the upper parts to sketch the overall light situation of the pieces ... PLOW!
More rust effect was applied to achieve a more interesting and varying surface. Closing the picture even more I decided to put some greenish grey to the bone part on his head, also sketching in some bright and dark areas. I started to add more light and dark spots to the monster skin areas. I also made a gentle start into weathering the yellow parts of the robot, by using a good brush with a good tip to add random scratches to the yellow paint. Not completly random as I tried to think while doing so. I thought where would colour chip off and why.
Again I went for the eyes and painted them blue as this is a good contrast colour to all that orange.
Again I went for the scratches and the weathering with a brighter tone. Using the greenish yellow tone plus some little amount of white to it to paint edge highlights on all those scratches and damaged details. This looks rough at the moment but that is what I wanted. A contrast that you can easily spot. See the same thoughts explained in this article about true material damage.
I used some dark brown glazes with a drop of yellow in it to paint shadows to the body parts of the robot. Why the yellow? Well, gently going darker, if I would just use dark brown it would look too dirty first. With the yellow in the mix I can slowly get a feeling for what I am doing there and slowly increase the contrast, going darker. With the initial glazes I also reworked on too strong highlights in the damage parts, making them soft again. The same dark brown glazes (without yellow) were used on the rust parts to increase the contrast.
I used more white in my edge-highlight-mix to paint some stronger edge highlights to the upper parts of the robot (remember zenithal light). I used that tone on the bone parts, monster-skin and cacti too to bring in that overall light situation. As I still had some blue left on wet palette I decided to go with soft grafitis on that rust piece and also changed the colour here and there with a thin glaze of blue. I wrote the little sentence "Truth can not be changed, it has come!" to the grafiti area as this felt just right for this wasteland/fallout environment. A dark silver was used to bring on some edge highlights to the metal parts here and there.
For the big amount of final steps I started to work on the rust parts on the whole situation. Adding a little brighter detail here and there or even using more orange acyrlic colour to place it here and there to make the areas more interesting. Pure yellow was used as a thin glaze over the armour parts that face the light to bring back the yellow I wanted there to be. Same was done to the cacti's upper parts, they went too white during the progress so a glaze from yellow/green was put on top of the upper areas.
Then I used brownish/orange pigments for the whole base, even placed some here and there on the robots rust areas. This helped me to bring the base together, the dry pigment dust blends it all together nicely.
Real lenticulars were used on one of his eyes, on top of the blue while I decided to make the other one dead and rusted.
Checked for some detail clean ups here and there, painted the socket black once more and was happy how "the First One" came to life. Now I talked about much but did not mention only cacti, eh? What about the announced robot oil and desert animals? Well, this robot surely needs some robot oil soon and desert animals have all been eaten by the evil monsters.
Really funny project to work on and I am really happy to see this as a prize in the actual contest. I am looking forward to make one of you happy with this figure. Check the contest "Forged Hope" to become part of it and build up your own robot.
I hope this article could provide help here and there, but don't you worry, you don't have to paint the way I do. Paint it your way!
If any questions about the content of the article might appear, please drop them via comment. I am happy to answer you as soon as possible. If you enjoyed reading the step by step feel invited to drop a little support via jungle donation. Thanks to those who did and still do once in a while.
Keep on happy painting!
Best Wishes


text:
By Danny Schechter
New York, New York: Pete Seeger, my American idol, was a great singer, songsmith. Troubadour and progressive voice. His death was celebrated with tributes in leading newspapers the world over.
What's less well known is that Seeger wanted to be a newspaperman, but thanks to his unique skills, deep talent and incredible artistry, he actually "covered" the world in ways that went above and beyond what appeared in much of the media.
He was ahead of the News with the Times never quite able to catch up. He touched hearts as well as heads.
At the same time, he sang about the media with an edge that didn't win him many friends in outlets that treated him as an eccentric, not a major cultural voice.
Here's a song he liked to sing, written by Vern Partlow, and reported on by the Guardian, safely outside the USA.
"Oh, a newspaperman meets such interesting people
He knows the lowdown (now it can be told);
I'll tell you quite reliably off the record,
About some charming people I have known.
For I meet politicians and grafters by the score,
Killers plain and fancy, it's really quite a bore.
Oh, a newspaperman meets such interesting people,
He wallows in corruption, crime and gore."
As the Chicago Trib explained, "He went from studying journalism in Harvard classrooms to hoboing across the country singing folk songs to anyone who wanted to hear them." He felt that the real stories of America were not found in City Halls and Congress but among people who worked for a living and struggled for change.
When he was questioned by the House Committee on Un American Activities, he talked about his original career goal:
MR. TAVENNER: Mr. Seeger, prior to your entry in the service in 1942, were
you engaged in the practice of your profession in the area of New York?
MR. SEEGER: It is hard to call it a profession. I kind of drifted into it
and I never intended to be a musician, and I am glad I am one now, and it
is a very honorable profession, but when I started out actually I wanted to
be a newspaperman…
Instead of joining the media, he became a media critic, telling David Guistina of Albany public radio station WAMC.
"It's hard for me to talk about the media without getting angry. Because if the United States or the world goes down in disaster, I would blame the media first of all, because the people running it are intelligent people. They know very well how evil they are. And when they say, "Oh, I'm just giving the people what they want." Sure–so do the drug pushers."
Ting-a-ling–ling, city desk!
Hold the press, hold the press;
Ex-tra, Ex-tra! Read all about it!
It's a mess, meets the test.
Oh, a newspaperman meets such interesting people,
It's wonderful to represent the press.
Its not surprising that conscious musicians embraced Seeger in an effort to learn from him, and honor him. Just this week, on his first tour in South Africa, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band paid tribute with the boss saying he lost a friend.
In their obit, The Guardian noted,
"Last year, Bruce Springsteen – a friend since the 1990s – released an album of songs Seeger had performed over the years. We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions put Seeger back in the spotlight. "I wish he hadn't used my name," says Seeger. "I've managed to survive all these years by keeping a low profile. Now my cover's blown. If I had known, I'd have asked him to mention my name somewhere inside."
While he likes Springsteen's renditions ("They're not my songs, they're old songs, I just happened to sing 'em,"), he says the renewed attention has added to the admin work that falls to his wife of more than 60 years, Toshi. "Most men chain their wives to a sink. Mine is chained to a table covered with correspondence. 'Oh, Mr Seeger, won't you listen to my record? Read my book, come over here and accept this award. He refuses almost all such requests."
For years, Pete sang for causes and then became a cause—a cause celebre, because of his staying power, his devotion to change on every level as well as his effort to be the change he wanted to see.
The environmental activist Harvey Wasserman tells of visiting Pete and his late wife Toshi who died on the eve of their 70th wedding anniversary.
"Pete and Toshi's hillside cabin overlooking the Hudson, not far enough from Indian Point. (The Nuclear plant he opposed.) With utter nonchalance Pete had built one of the world's first electric vehicles by gutting the engine from an old pick-up and filling it with car batteries. It got him to town and back. It did the job, " recalls Wasserman.
Like the Clearwater, a boat to sail the Hudson. To do it well while making a point about the Earth and what she needs. They chopped wood and made preserves and it was all so comfortably grounded."
Pete stayed informed and wrote songs that touched on contemporary issues or picked up songs by the large network of folk artists who revolved around him. He was a singing newspaper all by himself.
Oh, publishers are such interesting people;
Their policy's an acrobatic thing.
They shout they represent the common people,
It's funny Wall Street never has complained.
But publishers have worries, for publishers must go
To working folks for readers, and big shots for their dough;
Oh, publishers are such interesting people;
It could be press-titution, I don't know.
He was frequently interviewed on radio but not so frequently on TV. He told a story of an appearance on the Today Show on NBC:
"I haven't been asked on TV that much in recent years. I did get on the Today show once. And I knew that they wouldn't want me to sing a certain song. So I was prepared. I arrived at 6:00, and over the intercom, the director said, "Pete, what you got for us?" And I said: "Well, I got a little banjo tune, and I got something a little more serious. It's a funny song but it's got a serious point." "Well, let's hear 'em." So I sang the banjo tune. "Fine." So I sang the other, called "Garbage," which has the whole crowd going, "Garbage, garbage, garbage."
Some of the lyrics:
Oh, Garbage! Garbage! Garbage! Garbage!
Their stocks and their bonds — all garbage!
Garbage! Garbage!
Garbage! Garbage!
What will they do when their system goes to smash
There's no value to their cash
There's no money to be made
But there's a world to be repaid
Their kids will read in history books
About financiers and other crooks
And feudalism, and slavery
And nukes and all their knavery
To history's dustbin they're consigned
Along with many other kinds of garbage
Garbage! Garbage! Garbage! Garbage!
Surprise, surprise, TODAY didn't like the sound of that and never had him back.
My hunch is that more people earned to care about the world, war and peace, justice and injustice from Pete's songs than any of the newspapers and magazine. He believed in and stirred audience participation. It was always about everyone, not just him.
I was privileged to meet and interview him many times with my first exposure back in the fifties at Hootenanies, and concerts like one on Christmas l955 in the auditorium of the old Museum of Modern Art where over the din of rumbling subway cars, he introduced us to South African songs of struggle like Senzenia, and Wimoweh. They excited my interest and led to a journey that drew me deeply into the freedom struggle in that country.
Later, in the 1970's, I sent him a note thanking him for sitting down with me for a radio interview in Boston. I wrote a fan letter dripping with love—a very un-journalistic thing to do.
He responded with the humility and brevity for which he was known. A postcard soon arrived with one word on the back. "Thanks," it said. Signed Pete with his characteristic banjo design scribble under it and, some Japanese words, maybe Toshi's contribution.
I have kept it plastered on my wall ever since, on the wall of fame in the bathroom, the room that gets the most traffic in my apartment as in most others.
News Dissector Danny Schechter blogs at NewsDissector.net and edits Mediachannel.org. His latest book is Madiba AtoZ: The Many Faces of Nelson Mandela. Comments to email@example.com


text:
Edited by:
Editorial Assistant:
HORTICULTURE UPDATE is designed as a source of information for County Extension Agents and Specialists to utilize in local news releases and as part of their educational programs across Texas, but will also appeal to gardeners and plant-lovers of all kinds, especially those interested in growing plants under the tough conditions of Texas and the Southern United States. Our information is oriented for Texas gardeners and Texas conditions.
Each issue includes a monthly checklist for suggested garden activities along with articles on gardening topics and profiles of plants especially suitable for Texas and the South. Another feature of the publication is information about forthcoming educational opportunities sponsored by Texas Cooperative Extension.
Dr. William C. Welch and Dr. Douglas F. Welsh, both Extension Horticulturists in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University, share editorial responsibilities for the newsletter. Articles from County Extension Agents (Horticulture), and Specialists in related disciplines are welcome and encouraged.


text:
Superman to Asterix: Comics tell immigrant story
PARIS (AP) – Superman and Asterix have more in common than meets the eye, according to a new exhibit at Paris' Immigration History Museum.
Comic sketches and magazines from 1913 to the present show how comic books the world over were shaped by the immigrant story, from French Asterix's "foreign" Polish and Italian authors, to American Superman's Eastern European co-creators.
Drawing on 500 sketches and documents from some 117 artists, the exhibit opening Wednesday explains how immigrants on the fringes of society were attracted to the subculture of comic books.
"The whole history of comic books is the history of immigration," said curator Helene Bouillon.
Comic characters themselves are also often masked allegories for being foreign, from Asterix, the yellow-haired Gaul who fights Romans and travels around the world, to the alien Kal-El, who tries to live on earth among humans despite his super powers, the exhibit argues.
"Superman is the super immigrant. who comes from planet Krypton with super powers but who is faced with the feeling of being in exile" Bouillon said.
The exhibit also shows how the medium became more serious in the second half of the 20th century, using the medium to express uncomfortable truths about society's tolerance.
It includes original illustrations from Iran-born cartoonist Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical novel "Persepolis," which tells the bleak story of a young girl fleeing to Europe against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution. A film based on the novel won the Jury Prize at the Cannes film festival in 2007.
"This idea of pictures being maybe simpler or being caricatures allows some authors to say things that would maybe be too awful to put in a novel or in photography," Bouillon said. "You have to make people laugh to accept the very difficult stories."
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


text:
Exploring is a unique career exploration program for young men and women ages 14-20. It provides students with an opportunity to learn about a wide variety of career fields and network with professionals already working in those fields. You get hands-on experience to determine whether or not a particular career field is right for you. You develop valuable networking contacts with professionals working in your selected career fields, and you get to know other teenagers and young adults sharing your same interests and aspirations. Exploring can be the first step in identifying career possibilities while having fun in an exciting and informal environment.
Each year Samoset Council, in cooperation with area middle and high schools, administers career interest surveys of students. Students select their top two career choices from over 100 career options. This information is then used to invite these students to join local Career Exploring programs.
Samoset Council, Boy Scouts of America
3511 Camp Phillips Rd, Weston WI 54476
715-355-1450 (phone) | 715-355-9849 (fax)


text:
Here Are All of Richard Nixon's Filthy Secrets
The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum has released Nixon's 1975 testimony to a grand jury investigating the criminal conspiracy that was his presidency.
Grand jury testimony usually remains secret in perpetuity, but University of Wisconsin historian Stanley Kutler recently convinced a federal judge that Nixon's testimony is of great historical value and should be published. At the time he testified, Nixon had already resigned in disgrace and been pardoned by his successor, so he had no fear of incriminating himself. But it's highly unlikely that someone as thoroughly self-deluded as Nixon would actually confess to any criminality or be even remotely honest about Watergate, even if he thought what he said would never see the light of day.
The transcripts are here. Enjoy wallowing in the miserable self-pitying swamp of Richard Nixon's mind!
[Image via Getty]


text:
Any of us who are into fashion and beauty watch Downton Abbey with an eye for the details: the clothes and jewelry, and of course, the hair and (imperceptible) makeup. But I'm also struck by all the beauty and dress rituals going on in the background: the starching of collars, removing of stains, the help bathing and doing hair. Those of us behind the scenes in photography know how much labor goes into a "flawless" look, and that the series provides these details gives a glimpse into the glamour of wealth and title.
Looking at these rituals, we have this modern wish that we could also have this help in looking good. After all, with a house full of servants working at furnishing a graceful life, who wouldn't look her most exquisite? But there's more to that than personal vanity: yes, the Ladies of Downton Abbey have lots of help in looking their best. But when there's a team behind your beauty, there are more egos than your own to consider: looking good becomes obligatory.
We assume that beauty is a personal possession, but in this context, it's not: family propriety and the skill of servants combine with natural assets and taste to form a surprisingly communal creation. A Lady simply can't let everyone down by appearing sloppy, or spilling food on herself at dinner. The servants take pride in keeping their employers looking good as well – it's a matter of professionalism. And it's not just the Ladies of Downton who must look their best for the sake of the House, either: whenever there's a wardrobe crisis concerning one of the men, there's a flurry of frenzied activity behind the scenes.
Modern identity may have individualized the concept of self, and beauty along with it, but there is still a relationship between how we present ourselves and who we want to impress. Whether it's "looking fabulous" or "not trying too hard", we all have social expectations on our looks – from our peers at work, play, or in romance. Our appearance never exists in a vacuum.
And while most of us don't have servants, our good looks still depend on the labor of others. That labor is far more invisible – most of our beauty products come off a factory line, and we don't often meet the people who sew our clothes for us. When most our beauty relationships aren't so personal, obvious moral labor and environmental issues arise, but the obligation to support a cosmetic company is far more diffuse than keeping a personal maid employed, so we're freer to say "no" when we've had enough.
Do we in modern, affluent society have a duty to look good? For those we know? For those who help us be pretty? It's a question far too complex for me to answer. What do you think?


text:
In its 114th year, Billboard remains the world's premier weekly music publication and a diverse digital, events, brand, content and data licensing platform. Billboard publishes the most trusted charts and offers unrivaled reporting about the latest music, video, gaming, media, digital and mobile entertainment issues and trends.
Common terms and phrases
4-channel 8-track album Angeles Announced artist ASCAP audio Award Bill Billboard Black blank tape broadcast BUCK OWENS Buddah Capitol ST cartridge cassette Charley Pride charts Chicago classical Columbia Concept consumer Continued Corp Country Music dealer Decca Denburg Diana Trask disk distribution Distributors Donny DONNY OSMOND Elektra Epic equipment firm HALL Hank Thompson Houston industry issue jazz Jerry Jerry Wallace Joe Simon Johnny Johnny McCauley jukebox July label Len Wood LEON RUSSELL London Love LP's manufacturers ment Motorola Nashville Negram Nesmith operation Orchestra ords outlet Pfanstiehl play Polka Polydor program director quadrasonic rackjobbers radio stations RCA LSP RCA Records record companies release retail rock Session singing single song songwriter soul sound Staple Singers stereo studio Texas tion United vice president week WILSON York Zimand


text:
Story highlights
Court of Arbitration for Sport overturns ruling by the Spanish Cycling Federation
Appeal body says Alberto Contador likely consumed contaminated food supplement
The Spaniard has been banned retroactively for two years, ending in August 2012
He has also been stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title and all his 2011 victories
Three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has been stripped of his 2010 title and retroactively banned from cycling for two years following Monday's ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
He could also face a fine of more than $3 million, but this will be decided at a later CAS hearing.
The Spaniard tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clenbuterol during the sport's premier race in July 2010, and the results were revealed in September that year.
He was initially suspended for one year by the Spanish Cycling Federation after claiming that he had eaten contaminated meat, which left small amounts of the drug in his urine sample, and was then acquitted on appeal in February 2011.
However, the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Ant-Doping Agency (WADA) both contested the ruling, and appealed to CAS. The UCI also asked that Contador be fined at least €2.485 million.
The court's decision means that the 29-year-old will lose his race victories during 2011, including the Giro d'Italia. His ban will end on August 5 this year.
CAS said the ban started retroactively on January 25, 2011 – the start date of his original ban – but was reduced by the time he had already been suspended of five months and 19 days.
The UCI confirmed the decision on its website, but called it "the end of a long-running affair that has been extremely painful for cycling."
"This is a sad day for our sport. Some may think of it as a victory, but that is not at all the case," UCI president Pat McQuaid said.
"There are no winners when it comes to the issue of doping: every case, irrespective of its characteristics, is always a case too many."
The case had dragged on after the first two hearings were canceled before a third was finally held in November last year.
The UCI and WADA both submitted that it was more likely that Contador had either had a blood transfusion or eaten a contaminated food supplement rather than the meat scenario.
CAS agreed in its ruling, stating: "Unlike certain other countries, notably outside Europe, Spain is not known to have a contamination problem with clenbuterol in meat. Furthermore, no other cases of athletes having tested positive to clenbuterol allegedly in connection with the consumption of Spanish meat are known.
"The panel concluded that both the meat contamination scenario and the blood transfusion scenario were, in theory, possible explanations for the adverse analytical findings but were however equally unlikely.
"In the panel's opinion, on the basis of the evidence adduced, presence of clenbuterol was more likely caused by the ingestion of a contaminated food supplement."
Two Chinese swimmers were banned for three years in 1999 after eating contaminated pig livers, but in 2010 a German table tennis player was cleared following a hair test after his positive result during a competition in China.
Last year more than 100 footballers at the under-17 World Cup were cleared by FIFA due to a "serious health problem with regards to meat contaminated with clenbuterol" in host nation Mexico. Five members of that country's senior team also escaped punishment after testing positive at the CONCACAF Gold Cup later that year.
Andy Schleck, who was runner-up at the 2010 Tour de France, said he would not be happy to be installed as the new winner.
"First of all I feel sad for Alberto. I always believed in his innocence. This is just a very sad day for cycling. The only positive news is that there is a verdict after 566 days of uncertainty. We can finally move on," the rider from Luxembourg said.
"I trust that the CAS judges took all things into consideration after reading a 4,000-page file. If now I am declared overall winner of the 2010 Tour de France it will not make me happy. I battled with Contador in that race and I lost.
"My goal is to win the Tour de France in a sportive way, being the best of all competitors, not in court. If I succeed this year, I will consider it as my first Tour victory."


text:
To be disappointed is often to have had unreasonable or unachievable expectations.
If many are disappointed with Barack Obama's first year as United States president it may be because they did indeed expect more from him than he could ever have achieved in this short period.
It is time to move the focus from Obama's personal and political performance to the problems of the office he has occupied since his inauguration on 20 January 2009. The shift starts with an understanding that a dramatic transformation in the nature of the presidency has occurred over the past century: involving first a revolution in power, which inflated expectations, and then schism, which has made it so hard to fulfil them.
A process that began with Woodrow Wilson, developed even more under Franklin D Roosevelt, and intensified in the post-1945 era saw the United States presidency slowly became more central to the American political system - and so to the vision of Americans. The New Deal, the acquisition of the atomic weapons and of intercontinental means of delivery, the cold war: in combination all these drastically changed the balance of the constitutional system devised by the founding fathers.
Congress retained formidable powers of obstruction, but the White House became the predominant centre of initiative in the American system. Americans looked to their president for action, for comfort and for the fulfilment of what they saw as their national destiny. Harry S Truman and Dwight D Eisenhower managed the emergence of America hegemony with modesty and prudence. John F Kennedy brought a touch of rodomontade to the office, and an imperial nation welcomed an imperial presidency. His successor, Lyndon B Johnson confronted problems, at home and abroad, that had been neglected, if they had been acknowledged at all: racial injustice, a creaking political system, and apparently unlimited thirst for hegemony abroad.
The breach
Then came the schism. Since 1968, when Richard M Nixon was elected, the presidency has oscillated between "liberals" and "conservatives". The essential line of division, however, has been not so much ideological as national. Behind arguments about policy, there is a deep and increasingly angry division between those who recognise and want to address shortcomings in American society and in America's stance in the world, and those who see it as little better than treason even to mention them.
By 1980, significant problems could hardly be denied. American industry was losing its competitive edge. The American economy was becoming dependent on foreign oil. The dollar was no longer almighty. American society was torn by new conflicts, over race, over feminism, even over the American future, while abroad the American example was no longer uncritically followed.
Ronald Reagan's response was denial. He proclaimed morning in America, and half the country applauded.
Since Reagan, control of the White House has passed from one side to another of this schism, while expectations of the White House have scarcely diminished. By 2008, the schism between "red" and "blue" America was unbridgeable, fed by mutual contempt and suspicion, but also by incompatible interests.
The grand Democratic coalition forged by Franklin Roosevelt, tying together the rural and reactionary south with industrial labour, urban non-Protestants and "hyphenated" Americans conscious of immigrant background, is long gone. In the aftermath of Lyndon Johnson's Voting Rights Act of 1965, the party system took a new, sharply adversarial shape.
Along came Barack Obama, a contradictory figure in terms of the political system as it had evolved. Obama not only embodied, he called for change. Yet in an adversarial system, he insisted on compromise, moderation, "reaching across the aisle". In elegant speeches, he tried to rise above the realities of red/blue antagonism. Those realities now threaten to cripple his presidency.
In his election campaign he addressed, as his first priority, the dangerous absurdity of the American healthcare system. Then came the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The sudden national awakening to the seriousness of the financial crisis in the closing weeks of the campaign elected Obama. Certainly he kept his nerve better than John McCain.
The scale of the financial crisis, however, dwarfed even healthcare. And the resistance to healthcare reform did not respond to consensual feelers across the aisle. It may have seemed shrewd, in the context of political convention, to pack the Obama administration with centrist figures such as Tim Geithner and Laurence Summers that were deeply implicated in the reckless deregulation of Wall Street, and a defence secretary (Robert M Gates) from the George W Bush administration. But so far it has not worked.
It has however revealed that Obama, half-African though he may be by ancestry, and progressive, even radical, as he is by instinct, ignores the schism that has divided the parties, paralysed the Congress and made it impossible to meet the impossible expectations heaped on the presidency.
In recent weeks, several thoughtful liberal commentators (among them Paul Krugman and Michael Tomasky) have rightly argued that the disappointment of the Obama year cannot be blamed on the president alone. They have pointed to detailed flaws in the system, such as the need for a "super majority" of sixty votes in the Senate to pass legislation. Such specific flaws may well need correcting. But it is not they that have frustrated Obama's excellent instincts and prevented him from addressing urgent problems that threaten the country and indeed the world.
The vice
The central problem is the gap between the unrealistic expectations heaped on the office of the president and the constrained imposed by the schism between the "red" and "blue" camps. As expectations, stoked up by the media, have risen, so the president's - any president's - ability to meet them has been undermined.
The (conservative) political scientist Aaron Wildavsky pointed out as long ago as 1975, the presidency has been not so much weakened as isolated. Franklin Roosevelt relied on four connections to the political system to make him effective, and even Roosevelt was not able to end the depression until war came to his aid. They were the Congress; the Democratic Party; the machinery of the permanent government; and the media. All are now atrophied, or at least partially out of the president's control.
Unlike Lyndon Johnson, who could sit nose to nose with powerful congressmen and senators of both parties and browbeat them into going along with his projects, Obama has restricted influence on Democrats, and none at all on Republicans. As an instrument of presidential leadership, the Democratic Party is broken: men and women run for office as freelances, they raise their own money and depend little or not at all on presidential support. Still less do they feel obliged to support the president in return.
Where the New Deal attracted the brightest and the best to public service, and Jack Kennedy tried to do the same, the morale of government service has been corroded by ceaseless propaganda against "bureaucracy" and by-passed by corporate power, exerted through lobbying. Where FDR and even Johnson could look for some understanding and some help in promoting their messages, Obama is caught between liberal scepticism and conservative ambush.
The task
What, as Lenin asked, is to be done?
Barack Obama has relied on a combination of centrist symbolism and high-flown rhetoric. Neither has yet been conspicuously successful.
It may be that when he gives his state-of-the-union speech, not yet scheduled, but due in early February 2010 at the latest, the president will be able to claim credit for a major health-reform measure. No "public option" to keep the health-insurance providers honest, but a few million fewer uninsured. It will be disappointing to his core supporters, but it may achieve significant incremental improvement.
On the economy, Obama has fared even worse. The official unemployment rate is a steady 10% in January 2010 but by the most relevant measure it remains as high as 17%. The bankers (like their imitators in Britain) are simply snubbing the administration's call to revive lending, and helping themselves to high profits, restored share prices and more or less record bonuses. Obama's core supporters are not only disappointed: they are hurting and many of them are furious. Obama has proposed populist taxation. But the banks have shown that they believe themselves above the reach of a mere president.
Abroad, Hillary Clinton claims in her Hawaii speech on 12 January 2010 that "America is back" in Asia. The administration ignores Europe. It is frustrated, even humiliated, in the middle east. It is reeling in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and facing new dangers in such desperate places as Yemen and Somalia. At the climate-change summit in Copenhagen, President Obama was deliberately snubbed by the Chinese, and with impunity. So much for self-pleasing Washington fantasies about a G2 dyarchy to rule the world!
Barack Obama is a gifted politician and half of America fervently wants him to succeed. He may yet achieve a respectable record in time to prevent the defeats that now threaten him in the mid-term congressional and other elections this coming November.
If he is to meet his own goals and the expectations he aroused so brilliantly a year ago, he must close Guantánamo, persuade his countrymen that he knows what he is doing in Afghanistan and rescue the economy. He must address those two problems that threaten the very viability of his office: the burden of excessive expectations and the grim reality of ideological schism about the state and destiny of the union.
Read more
Get our weekly email


text:
Frog Cookie Cutter Available HERE
Download Tutorial Card HERE
Download Free Printable Cookie Bag Topper HERE
Can't wait! Hope I won!!!ReplyDelete
Congratulations Cristin on such an awesome milestone.ReplyDelete
I Toad-ally like you too...thanks for all the inspirations! Jan N.ReplyDelete
Love how you see cookies in all and are able to translate to a perfect cutter!ReplyDelete
You are awesome! Thank you so much for this fantastic giveaway!ReplyDelete
Congratulations Cristin!!!! You Toad-ally deserve it! :)ReplyDelete
Congratulations Cristin. and thank you for the awesome giveaway. Your granddaughter is so big now and such a sweetie pie!!!!ReplyDelete
Congratulations!! Cristin, your cookie cutters never cease to amaze me! Thank you for sharing your wonderful creations!
Congratulations Cristin!!!
Lovin all the pictures of your "sweet" inspiration! She is precious!
I'm also TOADALLY diggin the frog cutter!
thanks for the chance to win!
Ansa CP
Love the toad... Like toad-ally..ReplyDelete
You have a lot of cute cutters Cristin! Thanks for the chance to win some:)ReplyDelete
Your cookies are beautiful, you deserve all the LIKES!! Congratulations and thanks for sharing your great ideas with us!!ReplyDelete
Love the frog. Excited about the giveaway contest. KathyReplyDelete
TOADally adorable frog!ReplyDelete
Congrats on your success with the cookie cutters! It looks like they are hot products!ReplyDelete
Oh yeah, I love your cutters. Thanks for doing a give a away.ReplyDelete
Hey Cristin. Would love to see some more tutorials on how to decorate the cookies made with your new cutters. I know you are busy but...:)Thank you.ReplyDelete
Another awesome giveaway!!ReplyDelete
As usual, I always love your cookies!
Leslie Gagne
Great giveaway hope I win TyReplyDelete
I would love to win these cutters!!ReplyDelete
Congratulations Cristin! You toad-ally deserve it :)ReplyDelete
So glad I find your page!ReplyDelete
Such unqiue cutters, they are all adorable!! Congrats on all the fans!ReplyDelete
Love your cutters. Your little granddaughter is such a sweet inspiration. --KatyReplyDelete
Thanks for the giveaway!ReplyDelete
Love your cookies and cutters! Very creative! :)ReplyDelete
There's no wonder you received 4000 likes! I really enjoy browsing your sites. I am very inspired and want to expand my cookie decorating beyond the Christmas season and would love to win some of your adorable cookie cutters. Congratulations! :)ReplyDelete
Congratulations! Your cookies and cookie cutters are amazing!ReplyDelete
I love all your unique cutters-I need to get me some :)ReplyDelete
..just found you on Etsy, loving your cutters...sooo many possibilities. Thanks for the giveaway!ReplyDelete
I love your cookies and your cookie cutters!!! They are fantasticReplyDelete
love the froggy!! & congrats on 4,000ReplyDelete
Congratulations on this achievement!
Congratulations Cristin for reaching 4,000+ likes! You are such a giver and awesome and what you do!! What a great prize...I hope I win!ReplyDelete
Hi Cristin - congratulations on reaching this milestone! Thank you for another give-away and constantly inspiring us!ReplyDelete
I love your cookies and will be checking out your Etsy store.ReplyDelete
I Toad-ally like you too.ReplyDelete
I love the way you make appliques for Abigails little outfits.ReplyDelete
Im lovin everything you have here!! Congrats on the mile stone!!ReplyDelete
Awesome Give away Cristin!! Congrats on reaching 4,000 likes!! Fingers crossed I win! :-) AmandaReplyDelete
Everything is so cute! Congratulations on surpassing your 4000 goal and thank you for the give-away!ReplyDelete
I love your cookie cutters...what cutters do you have planned.ReplyDelete
Many more to come Walaika!Delete
I posted a comment on another post, but I'll post one here too. You and your cookies are so amazing! Thank you for sharing your talent with everyone and of course your Etsy shop with cutters! Hope I win!
Thanks for sharing!
You are so talented...I wish I had one ounce of your creativity! Thank you for sharing all of your creations.ReplyDelete
You have such cute cutters & cookies! Thanks for sharing and thanks for the giveaway!ReplyDelete
I just love your cookies! and the cutters! They are all so cute!ReplyDelete


text:
CIM_ClassIndication, ROOT\Microsoft\Windows\Storage\PTClass | Childs (3) | Methods | Properties (9) | Qualifiers (5) | Instances | Namespaces (142)
Samples: VB Script | C# | VB.Net | Search on:Microsoft
DescriptionCIM_ClassIndication is an abstract superclass describing changes in the definition of the schema. Subclasses represent specific types of change notifications, such as class creation, deletion and modification.
CIM_ClassIndication - child subclasses in ROOT\Microsoft\Windows\Storage\PT
Number of classes:3
CIM_ClassIndication properties
CIM_ClassIndication has 9 properties (1 Local, 8 Derived)
Detailed description of CIM_ClassIndication properties
Local properties (1) of CIM_ClassIndication class
Derived properties (8) of CIM_ClassIndication class
CIM_ClassIndication Qualifiers
CIM_ClassIndication System properties
Similar Classes to CIM_ClassIndication
Number of classes:3
comments powered by Disqus


text:
Walk in comfort and style no matter where the road takes you. Our shoes are quality crafted with a perfect fit.
Smooth leather lining & lightly cushioned footbed for shock-absorption with a thoughtful consideration to foot anatomy and shape with a durable rubber outsole for optimum absorption, grip, and flexibility.
- Finely ribbed durable dress/casual loafer shoes with a durable sole for comfort and traction
- Features top-stitch detailing on a great loafer
- Smooth leather lining & lightly cushioned footbed for shock-absorption
- Classic oxfords featuring cap toe design and 4-eyelet lace-up vamp
- Eyelet lacing for a clean, dapper look
- Stitched cap detail for a sophisticated finishing touch
- Sleek, waxed laces for an extra pop
100% Satisfaction GuaranteeWe want our customers to enjoy an optimum shopping experience, therefore, our team is responsible for selecting the best products to guarantee a quality purchase. As part of the experience, we know that on some occasions we will not be able to fulfill all your expectations, so we offer you service returns and refunds that will allow you to continue to enjoy shopping with us.
If you are not satisfied and want to return or change this product, please email us and we will accommodate you with either an exchange or refund. Conditions apply for exchanges or returns.


text:
Appeal Dismissed in Cadrecha
December 27, 2012
The Federal Circuit yesterday dismissed the taxpayer's appeal in Cadrecha. As noted in our prior post, this was a formality after the parties agreed to settle the case.
Cadrecha Appeal to Be Dismissed Following Settlement Agreement
November 1, 2012
We have previously reported on the taxpayers' appeal in Cadrecha from an application of the statute of limitations that the Court of Federal Claims acknowledged as "harsh," but found to be required by law. The taxpayers' brief emphasized the unfairness of the result, and it struck a chord with the Department of Justice, whose appellate lawyers concluded that the taxpayers ought to get a break — either because they deserved one or perhaps because DOJ feared that the facts were so sympathetic that they created a risk of an adverse Federal Circuit decision that would cause mischief down the road.
Either way, the government has now filed a motion to suspend the appeal. The motion recites that, after consultation between DOJ and the IRS, the government has accepted a settlement offer from the taxpayers and agreed to refund "a portion of the amount of the income-tax payment that is at issue in this case." After the refund check is processed and paid, the parties will submit papers to the court dismissing the appeal.
Opening Brief Filed in Cadrecha
July 27, 2012
The taxpayers have filed their opening brief (literally! only 18 pages!) in Cadrecha. They focus on two points. First, they argue that the Court of Federal Claims mistakenly relied on an IRS official's affidavit for conclusions about what transpired in telephone conversations, when the taxpayers were not given an adequate opportunity to dispute those facts. Therefore, the court erred in ruling at the motion to dismiss stage. Second, they argue that their claim should be viewed as timely in any event. The taxpayers reason that, since the IRS's notice of disallowance referred to a May 2007 claim, the timely March 2007 claim was never actually disallowed and the two-year statute of limitations did not begin to run. More generally, the taxpayers throw themselves on the mercy of the Federal Circuit, relying on the unfairness of having been denied a refund to which they had a substantive entitlement, when the IRS's processing of their timely claim contributed to the apparently late filing of a refund suit.
The government's brief is due September 7.
Cadrecha Taxpayer Opening Brief
Taxpayers Ask Federal Circuit to Overturn "Harsh" Application of Statute of Limitations
May 30, 2012
In Cadrecha v. United States, No. 11-152 (Apr. 2, 2012), the Court of Federal Claims ruled that the taxpayers could not escape the clutches of the statute of limitations, even though the failure to file a timely lawsuit was largely attributable to contradictory and confusing IRS communications. The taxpayers have now appealed, hoping that the Federal Circuit will be more sympathetic.
The Court of Federal Claims acknowledged that the result was "harsh" on these facts. The taxpayers filed a timely amended return in March 2007, styled as a protective claim for refund, on the theory that a recent Court of Federal Claims decision (Fisher) entitled the taxpayers to a refund of gains reported from the sale of stock received as a result of an insurance company demutualization. (That decision was affirmed by the Federal Circuit in October 2009). After the three-year statute of limitations had expired, the IRS responded by asking for more "supporting information" and invited the taxpayers to file another claim identifying the court case on which it relied. The taxpayers replied to this letter in May 2007, identifying the case.
The IRS then sent a couple of letters indicating that it needed more time to respond. Thereafter, in August 2007, it sent a notice disallowing the claim on the ground that it was untimely. This disallowance was patently erroneous, as the IRS apparently overlooked the March 2007 amended return and instead treated the May 2007 supplementary letter as if it were the original refund claim. The letter disallowing the claim invited the taxpayers to appeal the disallowance to the IRS Appeals Office and also stated that the taxpayers had two years to file a refund suit.
The taxpayers immediately responded with a letter pointing out that the IRS had erred in ignoring the March 2007 filing. There ensued a succession of communications from the IRS — at least seven letters plus some oral conversations — in which the IRS reported various transfers to different IRS offices and that it needed more time to research the issue. By the time the taxpayer lost patience with this process and filed suit in the Court of Federal Claims, more than two years had elapsed since the disallowance letter was sent. The court therefore dismissed the suit as untimely — even though there was no question that the IRS's ground for disallowance (an allegedly untimely refund claim) was erroneous and that the taxpayer's position was correct on the merits under Federal Circuit precedent. The court acknowledged that this result was "harsh" because the untimeliness was, in large part, attributable to the IRS's own behavior; the court found that "[a]s a result, to some degree, of the IRS's actions, plaintiffs may have come to believe that the IRS was continuing to analyze their refund claim and that the IRS was in the process of reconsidering the notice of disallowance."
The court held, however, that there was no legal basis for excusing the taxpayers' failure to file suit within the two-year limitations period. The taxpayers relied upon cases that excused apparent statute of limitations problems on the ground that the IRS had orally withdrawn a notice of disallowance. The court found those cases distinguishable, observing that neither the notice of disallowance nor the timeliness issue was mentioned in any of the IRS correspondence — though that correspondence certainly suggested that the taxpayers' claim was still under active consideration at the IRS. The court then added that the law does not permit equitable tolling of the statute of limitations and therefore, if the notice was not withdrawn, it made no difference "if the actions of the IRS misled or confused the taxpayer."


text:
Easily add dramatic colors and depth to your ware with these Crystal glazes! During the firing process, these dazzling glazes transform into bursts of color and intricate patterns.
Designed to mature at Cone 06/05, but can be fired at higher temperatures. Their performance at cone 6 is noted on each individual product label.
General Appearance
Cone 06: Spotted Kiwi is an opaque green base glaze with large white and blue crystals that bloom and black specks.
Cone 6: Base glaze remains – crystals fade and melt. Enhanced mobility. Surface issues may occur.
- Shake the jar well and stir frequently during application process.
- Apply 2-3 coats to cone 04 bisque with a soft fan brush. Allow to dry between coats.
- Avoid heavy application of crystals at the bottom of ware as the crystals bloom and can adhere to the kiln shelves or stilts.
- Re-distribution of crystals may be needed during the final coat.
- Test glaze on your clay body and in your kiln prior to use.
Certified A/P Non-toxic. However, Crystal glazes are NOT dinnerware safe. They are recommended for ornamental use only when applied to low fire earthenware clay bodies.
Price is per 4-ounce bottle.


text:
The 2004 East Coast Summit was held in Chelmsford Massachusetts on June 12, 2004. Robot fans from around the world gathered to meet and talk about toys. People brought toys to trade and to show. Nobody left empty handed. Thanks to all who contributed to this event, and special thanks to Keith who donated the Irongear for the raffle. More summit coverage can be found here.
1. Keith Fung (Seto)
2. Mason Fitch (mcfitch)
3. Dave Keymont (Nekrodave)
4. Joshua Bernard (JoshB)
5. Ed Sanford (Edward28)
6. Russell Cox (RMC)
7. Steve Holmes
8. Monseiur Joshua Lawrence Fraser (Joshf)
9. Jason Jakubowski (Jerilock)
10. Alen Yen
11. Roger Harkavy
12. Jake Fahy


text:
We provide workers to an ever-growing number of industries across the US and have established ourselves as the go-to partner for gig economy businesses.
Database of interviewed, qualified and available workers to cover large staffing needs at any time. Get started
We handle onboarding and training (screening, interviews, assessments...) and tailor them to your requirements. Get started
Unlike a traditional recruitment agency, we allow you to hire and manage your workforce from anywhere through our online platform. Our team of engineers and data scientists make it their mission to match you with the best people in record time. Get started
Hiring and managing your workforce can be costly and time-consuming. We can help you save and claim back your time.
We hire the workers for you and take care of payroll.
We provide you independent contractors and manage their invoices.Get started
Job&Talent's workforce optimization platform measures and improve workers performance, and also reduces absenteism!
Job&Talent's technology make possible to hire thousands of qualified workers in record time!
Job&Talent's smart sourcing identify and recruit specific profiles according to client needs!
We help small businesses and high-profile brands alike to grow and achieve their full potential. More than 50,000 vacancies filled to date. Get started
Job&Talent has recently begun offering a comprehensive staff management service that will forever change the way SMEs recruit.
Job&Talent, a job matching app raises $42 million, backed by Skype founder fund.
We see Job&Talent, in some years, as the major provider of employment. The biggest employment company in the world.
A unique feature is that recruiters can not only browse profiles of people actively seeking jobs, they can also hire candidates and manage their payroll through the app.


text:
Is Lockheed Martin a Cash King?
As an investor, it pays to follow the cash. If you figure out how a company moves its money, you might eventually find some of that cash flowing into your pockets.
In this series, we'll highlight four companies in an industry and compare their "cash king margins" over time, trying to determine which has the greatest likelihood of putting cash back in your pocket. After all, a company can pay dividends and buy back stock only after it's actually received cash -- not just when it books those accounting figments known as "profits."
Today, let's look at Lockheed Martin and three of its peers.
The cash king margin
Looking at a company's cash flow statement can help you determine whether its free cash flow backs up its reported profit. Companies that can create 10% or more free cash flow from their revenue can be powerful compounding machines for your portfolio. A sustained high cash king margin can be a good predictor of long-term stock returns.
To find the cash king margin, divide the free cash flow from the cash flow statement by sales:
Cash king margin = Free cash flow / sales
Let's take McDonald's as an example. In the four quarters ending in December, the restaurateur generated $6.97 billion in operating cash flow. It invested about $3.05 billion in property, plant, and equipment. To calculate free cash flow, subtract McDonald's investment from its operating cash flow. That leaves us with $3.92 billion in free cash flow, which the company can save for future expenditures or distribute to shareholders.
Taking McDonald's sales of $25.5 billion over the same period, we can figure that the company has a cash king margin of about 14% -- a nice high number. In other words, for every dollar of sales, McDonald's produces $0.14 in free cash.
Ideally, we'd like to see the cash king margin top 10%. The best blue chips can notch numbers greater than 20%, making them true cash dynamos. But some businesses, including many types of retailing, just can't sustain such margins.
We're also looking for companies that can consistently increase their margins over time, which indicates that their competitive position is improving. Erratic swings in margins could signal a deteriorating business or perhaps some financial skullduggery. You'll have to dig deeper to discover the reason.
Four companies
Here are the cash king margins for four industry peers over a few periods.
Cash King Margin (TTM)
1 Year Ago
3 Years Ago
5 Years Ago
Lockheed Martin
General Dynamics
Northrop Grumman
Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's.
None of these companies meets our 10% threshold for attractiveness, but Northrop Grumman comes close, and has shown steady growth over the past three years. General Dynamics has the second-highest cash king margins, but its current margins are lower than they were five years ago. Raytheon's margins are just behind General Dynamics', and Raytheon has managed to grow its margins by nearly 2.5 percentage points from five years ago. However, it has seen reductions of more than three percentage points from three years ago. Lockheed Martin has the lowest cash king margins at 1.3%. Also, its current margins are the lowest they have been over the past five years. However, Lockheed offers a hefty 5% dividend yield while Raytheon's yield is 3.5%, Northrop Grumman's is 3.3%, and General Dynamics' is 2.9%.
Cost-cutting at the Pentagon, along with other buyers, has caused all of these businesses to suffer from declines in their sales—and threats of further defense spending cuts have shareholders spooked. However, investors should keep in mind that, in defense, "spending cuts" is usually code for slowing growth in spending rather than lowering existing spending. However, these conditions still have Lockheed Martin scrambling to minimize costs to avoid significant reductions in its profit margins. Also, if the cuts do happen, heavy exposure to capital-intensive products, including tanks and warships, could put General Dynamics in a tough spot. Raytheon, on the other hand, has managed to maintain some of the highest profit margins in the industry, and has analysts predicting an annual growth rate of approximately 6% per year. Northrop Grumman is expected to see reductions in its sales volume over the next few years, too.
The cash king margin can help you find highly profitable businesses, but it should only be the start of your search. The ratio does have its limits, especially for fast-growing small businesses. Many such companies reinvest all of their cash flow into growing the business, leaving them little or no free cash, but that doesn't necessarily make them poor investments. Conversely, the formula works better for slower-growing blue chips. You'll need to look closer to determine exactly how a company is using its cash.
Still, if you can cut through the earnings headlines to follow the cash instead, you might be on the path toward seriously great investments.
With the U.S. relying on the rest of the world for such a large percentage of our goods, many investors are ready for the end of the "made in China" era. Well, it may be here. Read all about the biggest industry disrupters since the personal computer in 3 Stocks to Own for the New Industrial Revolution. Just click here to learn more.
The article Is Lockheed Martin a Cash King? originally appeared on Fool.com.
Jim Royal has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends McDonald's. It owns shares of General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, McDonald's, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


text:
OCEAN CITY — Ocean City officials have found less deterioration to the infrastructure of the Boardwalk than they had expected to find, but that doesn't mean that their plan to reconstruct the entire landmark in the next few years has been tabled.
After the bid to replace the decking of the Boardwalk between 12th and 13th streets was awarded in December, town officials revealed their long-term plans for a serious and major Boardwalk project that would address the aging infrastructure and perhaps alter the aesthetic of one of the town's most treasured tourist attraction.
"The section between 12th and 13th streets was deemed to be in the worst shape as far as the decking goes, so we figured that when we got a look at how the infrastructure was faring under the deck, we'd get a snapshot of the condition of the Boardwalk as a whole," said Public Works Director Hal Adkins on Wednesday.
What they found, however, was a bit of a surprise to Adkins, as the whalers and stringers (two main components of the infrastructure system beneath the Boardwalk deck) weren't showing signs of rapid deterioration as officials had predicted in December.
"We didn't find any evidence of a problem as far as rotting goes, because we expected to find the infrastructure packed full of sand which would retain moisture and essentially rot the boards, and that wasn't the case," said Adkins.
As the contractors finish up the project between 12th and 13th streets, Adkins says that since that project was "so far under budget," the town will more than likely choose another street (alleged to be 15th Street) that is in need of new decking and get a glimpse underneath to see if they will be equally surprised with the condition of the infrastructure below that street as they were between 12th and 13th streets.
"If it isn't what we originally thought, then we still have to address why the boards continue to pop up and the nails aren't holding their 'purchase' [a term used by carpenters to describe a nail's hold into a piece of wood]," said Adkins. "My initial thought is very similar to the city manager's in that if it isn't rotting, the boards have to be popping up because of the amount of vehicular traffic that travels the boards."
During an interview in December, City Manager Dennis Dare hinted that the town's long-term plans for Boardwalk renovation could include a concrete path for vehicles in the spot where the existing painted tram lane sits.
"It would be as easy as building a sidewalk down the middle of the Boardwalk, and having wooden walkways on either side," said Dare. "After Hurricane Gloria [1985], I recommended that we start running the boards diagonally so it would evenly disperse the weight of the vehicles and the immense foot traffic to extend the life of the boards."
Adkins seemed to hint that the findings underneath 12th and 13th street could indicate that Dare's idea could become a substantial solution.
"It seems that something is causing these nails to release from their purchase points, and more than likely, it's from all the vibration caused from the increased number of vehicles that travel on the Boardwalk during special events over the course of the year," said Adkins. "I have nothing against the corvettes being up there, but it seems that facts could be facts."
Adkins added that Dare's idea to basically put a sidewalk down the center of the Boardwalk would essentially address the added weight of the tram and other vehicles, while at the same time, "drastically extending the life of the decking that will set on either side of it."
What this recent finding does not do, however, is push the project, which was said to possibly begin somewhere around 2012, back any further than was originally planned.
"It doesn't change the planning because the substructure is not going to get any newer as time goes on, and we are already dealing with beams that haven't been touched since 1985, and some parts of the Boardwalk haven't been renovated dating back to 1962," Adkins said. "If you don't face infrastructure problems now, the aging problems that we could face down the road could be much worse."