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Dew Tour Is Worth Getting Excited About
Ocean City is gaga over the Dew Tour, and that's exactly how it should be.
The buzz alone created by this event over the last week has given Ocean City just what it needs this time of year — a reason to get out in front of eyeballs that are surely having some spring fever.
The Dew Tour, which began in 2005, is an action sports tour, featuring extreme events in a variety of mediums and in a unique setting. The Ocean City stop, July 21-24, will include skateboard and surf competitions as well as BMX events, a free festival village and a live concert. The Dew Tour gives away $2.5 million prize money over the course of the summer, including a Dew Cup at season's end to the top performer.
What makes this event so critical for Ocean City is the national exposure it will receive during the television coverage in July as well as all the hype surrounding it currently. Ocean City is being talked about in circles that it would never have been previously, and that's what marketing is all about.
We recently had a unique interaction with a local high school senior. We were talking about the upcoming summer and his work plans, and he said he expects to bank a good amount of money this season for college, thanks in part to the Dew Tour. Whether that's a reality or not is unknown, but the fact is this event has him excited and anxious, and that's just one person. Surely, there are thousands of others who share his enthusiasm.
What last week's announcement does is it gives Ocean City a reason to talk about itself even more so than usual, and the timing could not be better. Mayor Rick Meehan now has a lot to boast about when he goes on television stations this spring hyping the summer. Last week, Meehan said the town has been fielding media calls from all over the country about the Dew Tour selecting Ocean City as a stop.
The short-term impact of the Dew Tour coming to Ocean City will be the new people it brings to town this July, but what tourism officials are understandably most excited about is the long-range ramifications and all the free publicity the town will receive when the event is televised nationally. That's priceless.


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|2!:0 y
|Host. The list y is executed by the host system, and the result is returned. For example, 2!:0 'dir *.exe'. Not available for Windows.
|2!:1 y
|Spawn. (Unix only.) Like 2!:0, but yields '' without waiting for the host to finish. Any output is ignored. For example, 2!:1 can be used to invoke a text-editor.
|2!:2 y
|Host IO. (Unix only.) The host command line y is passed to /bin/sh for processing, connecting two file numbers to the command's standard input and output. The result is a 3-element list of the process id of the task started and the file numbers associated with its standard input and output. These file numbers also appear in the result of 1!:20 . In this case, instead of appearing with a name they appear with the command line, prefixed by > (standard input) or < (standard output). The files associated with the process should be closed with 1!:22 when no longer in use. See also 2!:3 for a verb to wait for processes to complete.
|2!:3 y
|Wait. (Unix only.) Wait for process id y to terminate. The result is the status code returned by the process.
|2!:5 y
|Getenv. The value of the shell environment variable named y. If the named variable is undefined, the result is 0.
|2!:6 y
|Getpid. The value of the process ID.
|2!:55 y
|Terminate Session. y is an integer return code

subset: commoncrawl


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Order A Record Online
VitalChek is the only Michigan Vital Records authorized online service provider. Michigan Vital Records orders placed online through VitalChek are considered to be RUSH requests. If you experience problems with the online ordering, please call VitalChek at 866-443-9897 for assistance between 7:00 am - 7:00 pm, Monday - Friday, except for recognized holidays.
VitalChek also accepts phone orders. Valid photo ID (driver's license or pictured State ID card) is required. Please call 866-443-9897 to place an order by phone.
Processing time is 1-2 business days for a United Parcel Service (UPS) overnight delivery request and 2 weeks for a regular online request plus mail time back to the customer. A $12.00 RUSH fee will be charged for each online order, in addition to VitalChek's $11.50 credit card handling charge.
Note the following restrictions when ordering online or by phone through online vendor VitalChek:
Birth Records - Individuals can request their own birth record or a record of their child. Birth records that are 100 years or older also can be ordered online.
- If you are requesting a birth record as an heir of a deceased individual whose record is less than 100 years old, you must submit a request through the mail to the State Vital Records office.
Heirloom Birth Records - Individuals can order heirloom birth records (non-certified) online for themselves or their children. For more information, please click here for heirloom birth record styles.
Affidavit of Parentage Records - Individuals can request Affidavit of Parentage records filed from June 1, 1997 to present. For records filed prior to June 1, 1997, please contact the Probate Court in the county where the mother resided at the time of signing, or the Probate Court in the county where the child was born.
Click here to Order a birth, death, marriage or divorce record online using a debit or credit card.
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MCL 333.2898 Violation; penalty. A person who violates section 2894 or 2895 is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or a fine of not more than $1,000.00, or both.
Please note......
- Because of Michigan statute, you cannot order a birth record for your spouse. The spouse must place a SEPARATE ORDER for his/her own birth record.
- If you are eligible as the HEIR OF THE DECEASED PERSON named on the birth record that you are requesting, you will need to order by mail. You cannot use the online service to make your request. Please click on 'Order a Record By Mail' listed at the left to review the list of mail applications for requesting a birth certificate.


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A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may cover the distance between duty and desire.
Sixteen of today's hottest writers of paranormal tales weave stories on a common theme of journeying. Authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Rachel Caine, and Melissa Marr return to the beloved worlds of their bestselling series, while others, like Claudia Gray, Kami Garcia, and Margaret Stohl, create new landscapes and characters. But whether they're writing about vampires, faeries, angels, or other magical beings, each author explores the strength and resilience of the human heart.
Suspenseful, funny, or romantic, the stories in Enthralled will leave you moved.
We publiceren alleen reviews die voldoen aan de voorwaarden voor reviews. Bekijk onze voorwaarden voor reviews.


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Sunday, 1 July 2012
#SilentSunday 1st July 2012
25 comments:
great photo, looks like lots of fun!ReplyDelete
Lovely fun action shot!ReplyDelete
I got motion sickness taking it!ReplyDelete
He loved it - shame grown ups aren't as up to being spun round...ReplyDelete
Why do children never feel dizzy on a roundabout but us adults don't have the head for it at all? Great shot and such a happy smile. Do join me on Country Kids too.ReplyDelete
Great action shot. Love his smile!ReplyDelete
Such a happy shot, fab Silent Sunday!ReplyDelete
- Jen Stanbrook1 July 2012 at 09:05
You can feel the fun! A great shot...ReplyDelete
oh this is such a great photo! love his expression and the motion in the background!ReplyDelete
Love this fun packed action shot!ReplyDelete
had to sit on other side to get it!ReplyDelete
glad the experiment worked as made me feel sick taking it!ReplyDelete
Brilliant sense of speed in that photo!ReplyDelete
- Littleflowerbaby1 July 2012 at 12:41
Faster , faster! Someone's enjoying that!ReplyDelete
- JoBryan1 July 2012 at 13:46
Superb capture of the speed looks funReplyDelete
I hate being spun round now - ok on a roller coaster though!ReplyDelete
Fab photo! Really captures the fun :)ReplyDelete
- MidlifeSinglemum1 July 2012 at 17:43
Nothing like speed to make a boy happy!ReplyDelete
He wanted to carry on. I had to get off!ReplyDelete
It was for him!ReplyDelete
He certainly did - shame I didn't. ;-)ReplyDelete
Awww fantastic! xReplyDelete
Cool action shot!ReplyDelete


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Michael Crichton
Review by Cullen Gallagher
Posted on 01 October 2011
Source Warner Bros. DVD
Categories 31 Days of Horror VIII
Twenty years before dinosaurs ran amok in Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton was already investigating similar fears in Westworld. Both movies explore the theme of a utopian amusement park gone nightmarishly wrong, as well as mankind's growing dependence on technologies it can't control. This latter theme is a staple of the horror/sci-fi genre, and one can see similar concerns about Artificial Intelligence in Frankenstein, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Terminator series. Like those other works, Westworld's terror stems as much from mankind's hubris and overconfidence as from its knowledge and ingenuity. While Artificial Intelligence marks the pinnacle of humanity's capacity for invention, there's also the implicit fear that the creation might become smarter - and deadlier - than its creators.
Westworld is set in a theme park created by the Delos corporation. For $1000 a day, Delos offers the experience to live out your wildest fantasies in one of three arenas: Romanworld, Medievalworld, or Westworld. Eat, drink, fornicate, and kill in any of these three historic time periods. The experiences are all real, but there is no threat of injury. The inhabitants of each world are robots who have been programmed not to harm the tourists, and overseeing each robot is a human counterpart at a computer. Even the humans are incapable of harming one another, as the guns have a sensor that refuses to fire if it detects warm blood. Westworld was conceived to be the perfect getaway, a place where - as the original theatrical poster advertised - "nothing can possibly go wrong!"
Richard Benjamin and James Brolin star as Peter Martin and John Blane, two buddies who head to Westworld looking to act out their sagebrush fancies. At first, everything is perfect - lots of sex, shooting, drinking, fighting, and even an explosive jailbreak - until a robot gunslinger (Yul Brenner) refuses to leave them alone. Twice Benjamin has shot and killed the gunslinger, but when he shows up a third time, the robot is shooting back—and his bullets are very real. All across Westworld, Romanworld, and Medievalworld, the robots are violently rebelling. The computer controls have malfunctioned, and the human supervisors are stuck in the control booth, leaving Peter and John, and all the rest of the tourists, to fight for their lives.
Stylistically, Crichton nails the Western atmosphere with just the right balance of reverent pastiche and cliché. The shootouts are as bloody as a Sam Peckinpah movie, and the barfights unruly and boisterous enough to make John Ford proud. The casting decisions are also perfect. Who better to embody the fantasy gunslinger than Yul Brenner, whose fast-drawing character from The Magnificent Seven still stands as one of the iconic Western roles? Brenner's stone-face and cool stare make him a convincing robot. With his hands on his belt buckle and his casual cowboy strut, he's like the old West equivalent of Jason from Friday the 13th—despite his slow speed, he's always one step behind you, no matter how fast you run. As the greenhorn dude, you couldn't ask for a better misfit than Richard Benjamin, who had made his name as Phillip Roth's on-screen alter-ego in Goodbye, Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint. Benjamin's neurotic gestures and New York accent are totally out of place in the West, which makes his character in Westworld all the more credible. As Peter Martin, Benjamin isn't supposed to be comfortable with gunfights, saloon gals, or rotgut whisky. Benjamin plays the role for comedy at first, but he makes a smooth and believable transition into all-out panic in the film's second half when the robots start fighting back. The rest of the actors are similarly well cast for archetype and appearance.
The horror genre isn't always defined so much by how scared an audience member is during the movie, but by the intrinsic terror of its concept. To be frank, Westworld will make you laugh more than it will make you shriek—the first half of the movie is, after all, essentially a Western comedy. But that doesn't diminish the realistic fear that is at the core of the movie - and which is becoming closer to reality everyday - and that is: how much are we designing our own downfall? Is Artificial Intelligence making humankind obsolete? At what point will we create something so perfect that it surpasses our own capacity for controlling it? And will we recognize when we have crossed that line? Westworld wasn't the first film to ask these questions, nor will it be the last, but the fact that such inquiries persist suggests that society still has reservations about the very same technological advances it celebrates.
Child's Play1988
Jacob's Ladder1990
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory1971
El Vampiro1957
28 Weeks Later2007
Piranha II: The Spawning1981
The Others2001
Quatermass and the Pit1967
I Know Who Killed Me2007
Bride of Re-Animator1990
Night of the Living Dead1968
Night of the Living Dead1990
The Bat Whispers1930
Miracle Mile1988
Paradise Lost1996
The Cars that Ate Paris1974
Ginger Snaps2000
J.D.'s Revenge1976
The Wicker Man2006
Black Water2007
Don't Panic1988
The Driller Killer1979
Event Horizon1997
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We are a team of passionate software engineers, product managers, and designers that enjoy building outstanding web and mobile applications.
Millions of people use our apps. We work for companies of all sizes; from 1-person startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. We take a collaborative and product development approach, creating custom software that people will love to use and solving our clients' problems so that they can focus on what they do best - better.
If you want to grow together, work on challenging products and enjoy using the best tools and practices, Nimble is the right place for you! We keep our recruitment process practical and straightforward.
To learn more about how we work, check our handbook named Compass, Github organization, and Medium account.
Want to see what we have built? Check our Dribbble and Behance accounts.
Want to keep in touch with us? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.What You Will Do
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Califon Borough in Hunterdon County is located entirely within the Preservation Area of the Highlands Region (629 acres). The municipality's Petition for Plan Conformance was approved by the Highlands Council on December 16, 2010. This page contains links to documents related to the Borough's conformance with the Highlands Regional Master Plan.
Note: For faster downloads, right-click on a file and select "Save Target As…" to save to your computer.
The Highlands Implementation Grant Status (HIGS) provides a high-level summary of funded Plan Conformance tasks. The HIGS is an updated, condensed version of the Highlands Implementation Plan and Schedule (IPS) approved by the Highlands Council with the complete petition.
• Califon Borough Highlands Implementation Grant Status – March 2015
Council-Approved Documents
Materials from Public Hearing
**PLEASE NOTE: This page provides a complete history of the municipality's Petition for Plan Conformance. The most current documents are at the top of the page, with prior drafts included below. Documents below this line are included for historical reference only and should be considered archived material.
The documents below include all edits made prior to Highlands Council consideration of Califon Borough's Petition for Plan Conformance.
A public comment period was held from November 17 through December 3, 2010 and announced by public notice. Comments received and Highlands Council responses are included in the Comment/Response document in the section above. The following documents constitute the municipality's final submission to the Highlands Council and include the Final Draft Consistency Review and Recommendations Report prepared by Highlands Council staff for Highlands Council consideration of the full Petition.
The following documents comprise all required components of the municipal Petition for Plan Conformance, which was deemed administratively complete by the Highlands Council (Administrative Completeness Letter).


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RENO, Nev. – A Nevada man accused of shooting a golfer who broke a window at his home with an errant ball has pleaded guilty to a felony charge.
Jeff Fleming of Reno entered the plea to battery with a deadly weapon on Thursday in Washoe County District Court. He faces from probation to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine when he's sentenced Dec. 12.
The golfer was unable to find his ball and was doing a drop shot on the 16th hole of the Lakeridge Golf Course in September 2012 when Fleming approached and fired a single shot at him with a shotgun, prosecutors said. The golfer was treated for minor injuries to an arm and both legs at a hospital.
Deputy District Attorney Sean Neahusan said neighbors along the golf course were stunned as it's common for stray golf balls to hit their homes.
"Live on a golf course and you got to expect your house to get hit every once in a while," he told The Associated Press. "This (shooting) is one of those stories that you just can't make it up."
Neahusan said he's unsure what motivated the shooting and referred queries about Fleming's mental state to his lawyer, Larry Dunn.
Dunn did not immediately return phone calls.
Fleming, 53, has expressed remorse and shock over his reaction to the broken window, Neahusan said, adding he apparently has no felony criminal record.
"I'm not sure what was going on, but from what I've read and heard, it definitely sounds out of character," the prosecutor said.
In return for Fleming's guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop an assault with a deadly weapon charge and to go along with the Division of Parole and Probation's recommended sentence for him.
Police said the golfer and his partner ran away after the shot was fired and it wasn't until they were safe that the golfer realized he had been hit. One or two shotgun pellets had to be removed from his body at the hospital.
The area around the 16th hole was evacuated after the shooting. Fleming drove to his attorney's office, where he surrendered without incident.


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Todd Dagres, a prominent venture capitalist and independent movie producer, earned $3.5 million in 2003, and paid not a cent in federal income tax.
The IRS challenged the math, and sent Dagres a bill for $981,980 in back taxes, plus $196,369 in penalties.
So Dagres lawyered up. His attorneys waived one lucrative tax break to exploit an even better one, and claimed victory in the case in March.
In the course of the dispute, Dagres offered five years of his tax returns as evidence in U.S. Tax Court. His testimony, tax forms and other documents offer a rare glimpse of how wealthy Americans work the angles to keep from paying taxes.
Dagres earned $58.5 million over those five years — ranking him among the richest 0.1 percent of Americans. During that stretch, the statutory rate for taxpayers in his income bracket was as high as 39.6 percent. But because of an array of tax breaks, Dagres paid 20 percent of his total income.
Dagres, 51, is not alone. While American working families earning under $100,000 pay, on average, about 35 percent of their taxable income in payroll and income taxes their wealthier counterparts — those who earn above $1 million a year — pay less than 30 percent.
The trend has gotten quite pronounced in recent years, especially for the very, very rich who, like Dagres, earn most of their income from investing and can exploit the low rates on capital gains. The average tax rate for the 400 wealthiest Americans was 29.3 percent in 1993, but dropped to 18.1 percent in 2008, according to the latest IRS statistics.
During that time, the combined taxable income of the top 400 soared from $16.3 billion to $91 billion. The richest 10 percent of Americans now control 70 percent of the country's wealth.
In an era of rising income inequality, mammoth budget deficits and proposed cuts in defense and federal assistance programs, the taxes paid by rich folks like Dagres are a topic of national debate. Billionaire Warren Buffett fueled the controversy when he publicly deplored that his office receptionist and other employees pay taxes at higher rates than he does. Buffett didn't release his tax returns, but said his annual tax rate, including payroll taxes, is 17.4 percent.
Federal taxes are "regressive," the Congressional Research Service reported in an October study. "The average tax rate decreases as taxable income increases."
"A large proportion of millionaires pay a smaller percentage of their income in taxes than a significant proportion of moderate-income taxpayers," the CRS concluded.
There is more than revenue at stake. Since the days of Woodrow Wilson, Americans have used progressive income and estate taxes as leveling forces to preserve economic opportunity and forestall the formation of a homegrown plutocracy. But the recent concentration of wealth at the top, and a decline in economic mobility in America, has revived concerns that the American Dream is fraying.
In 2008, the Pew Charitable Trusts assembled a nonpartisan task force to assess the economic promise of America. Analysts from liberal think tanks like the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute joined conservative scholars from the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. "The view that America is `the land of opportunity' doesn't entirely square with the facts," the Pew report concluded. "Inequalities of income and wealth have clearly increased, [and] the opportunity to win the larger prizes being generated by today's economy has not risen … and has, if anything, declined."
In neighboring Canada, or countries like Sweden, Denmark, France and Germany — poster children of the European welfare state — a young man or woman, starting out with pluck and a dream, has a better chance of claiming success than in the United States, the scholars found.
Wrinkle in the Tax Code
At the heart of the Dagres case is a $2 billion-a-year wrinkle in the tax code known as the "carried interest" tax break. It permits wealthy hedge fund operators, venture capitalists and other private equity managers to treat their pay, for tax purposes, as a return on an investment instead of as a salary.
By doing so, they pay taxes at the 15 percent capital gains rate instead of the 35 percent rate on ordinary income. It is one way that millionaires like Dagres end up paying taxes at the same rate as struggling middle class families.
"This nonsensical loophole is deeply unfair at a time when working families are struggling," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., in a speech to the Senate in June. "If you are a hedge fund manager, your job is to manage a hedge fund. The income you receive for that job is no different than the income a waitress receives for waiting tables, or a janitor receives for scrubbing floors. The idea that the income of millionaire fund managers should be taxed at a lower rate than that of their staff or other workers is an absurdity."
After graduating from Trinity College in 1982, and picking up a master's degree in business at Boston University, Dagres joined and prospered in the fast-growing financial services industry. He was one of thousands of bright young Americans lured to the sector, which more than doubled its share of U.S. corporate profits since 1980, from 15 percent to a high of 33 percent in 2003, and now employs 6.5 million people.
The capital in the private equity market — where managers raise funds to buy or invest in new and existing businesses — soared from roughly $5 billion to $1 trillion in this period. At the same time, thousands of new hedge funds — private entities using complex trading strategies — sprang into existence, managing another $1 trillion.
On Wall Street, firms increasingly focused on the creation, sale and trading of complex financial products. Bonuses and other compensation soared — the average almost doubling that of the nonfinancial sectors in the American economy.
As a venture capitalist, Dagres fulfilled a classic economic purpose, raising money from investors to bankroll entrepreneurs and incubate new firms. The rewards could be spectacular: in 2000, Dagres earned $44 million while a partner in a Boston venture capital firm, Battery Ventures. He had a network of knowledgeable sources in the booming tech sector, and a keen eye for talent and a promising idea.
Dagres was an early investor in Twitter and struck gold with hot new firms like Akamai Technologies Inc. and Qtera Corp. In the Qtera deal, he later told the Tax Court, he made $800 million for his investors, off a $15 million investment. He was listed on the Forbes "Midas" list of the top venture capitalists in America, and branched off into the movie business, as a producer of the films "Transsiberian" and "Pretty Persuasion." The vanity license plate on his luxury Mercedes s55, the Boston Globe reported, read "VENCHA."
The compensation plan at Battery was typical of private equity firms. Dagres acted as a "general partner." He would work his sources, spot an opportunity, conduct research and solicit money from wealthy clients, who came together as "limited partners" in a venture he managed and administered. Battery collected management fees, big enough to give Dagres a multi-million dollar salary, but the big payoff came if the investment succeeded. Then Dagres and his firm would get 20 percent — the "carry" or "carried interest" — of the profits.
"It's a performance-based business," Dagres told the court, when his case came to trial in 2009. "If we perform well, we're compensated well. If we don't perform well, we're not."
The treatment of carried interest is a legacy of 20th century partnership law, crafted with small businesses in mind in the years before the financial services industry became a behemoth. Today, it represents a significant loss of tax revenue. Closing the carried interest loophole would yield $20 billion over the next decade.
It certainly saved Dagres hundreds of thousands of dollars. In his 2000 tax return, Dagres listed $40,579,415 in capital gains and $3.6 million in salary, interest and dividends. The Bush tax cuts, which reduced the capital gains tax from 20 to 15 percent, had not yet taken effect, so his total effective tax rate was 21 percent — about that of a middle class family.
Defenders of the carried interest tax break say that the work of hedge fund managers and other investment managers, in raising and allocating capital, makes a vital contribution to the American economy. Eliminating the tax break "would likely inflict large damage on the finance, insurance and commercial real estate sectors, diminish their entrepreneurial talent pool, and harm overall economic efficiency," claimed Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former congressional budget director, in a paper for the American Action Forum, a pro-business group led by prominent Republicans, in 2010.
When the Obama administration and members of Congress tried to do away with the carried interest loophole in the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, the financial services industry fought back, and prevailed, and has continued its successful resistance even as lawmakers cast about for potential sources of revenue during the ongoing federal budget debate.
A Lobbying Juggernut
The industry is a political and lobbying juggernaut on Capitol Hill. Over the last two decades the finance-insurance-real estate sector, whose principals are the most likely to profit from the carried interest tax break, has been the single leading source of campaign funds for federal candidates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Donors from the sector have given more than $2.7 billion in that period to candidates for Congress and the presidency, favoring Republicans by a 55 to 45 percent ratio.
And when it comes to lobbying, the financial sector shares the lead with the health care sector, each of which has spent more than $4.7 billion lobbying in Washington since 1998, according to the Center.
In the Senate, the Democrats from New York and Connecticut have faithfully represented, and been rewarded by, their Wall Street constituents. New York Sen. Charles Schumer has raised $18.7 million from the financial sector over the last two decades, while former Sen. Chris Dodd, who helped write the latest financial regulatory legislation, collected almost $14.5 million.
The giving persists in the current election cycle, according to the Center, with more than $135 million already donated to candidates and groups in the 2012 election. Topping the list of individual donors are familiar, politically well-connected firms like Goldman Sachs (having given $2 million) and Bain Capital (with almost $1.8 million in donations). Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the newcomer from New York, has wasted no time tapping Wall Street for funds, collecting $1.9 million.
In the House, the financial sector has strong ties to the Republican leadership. Speaker John Boehner (having collected more than $1.2 million in the 2012 cycle), Majority Leader Eric Cantor ($903,000), Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy ($455,000), GOP Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling ($525,000) and House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp ($527,000) are all favorites of the industry.
Cantor, who has collected $5.8 million — more than any House leader — from the financial sector in the last dozen years, is a particular champion of the carried interest tax break. His wife is a former Goldman Sachs vice president, and now works as a partner in a Wall Street private equity fund.
"If the deal goes bust: no money," Cantor said, defending the carried interest tax break in September. "If the deal is successful there is a return [and] you pay the capital income tax. That is fundamental tax law in partnership tax law in this country. I'm not for changing that because I think that the capital gains tax … distinguished from ordinary income, is the essence of what we believe is an entrepreneurial-based free market economy. We want to provide incentives for investors and entrepreneurs to put capital at risk so we can create jobs."
But critics of the loophole ask why a fund manager should be given the same low tax rate as an investor, who shoulders the risk of losing money and puts up the actual cash.
Lawyers who work for contingency fees don't get a carried interest tax break. Nor do Hollywood actors who take a piece of the box office for their performance in a motion picture. Nor do authors or songwriters who rely on royalties. Nor do professional athletes, whose contracts include performance-based incentives. Nor do other business executives, whose compensation packages may include performance bonuses and stock options. Nor do bankers, stockbrokers, or financial planners.
"Most economists … would view at least part and perhaps all of the carried interest as performance-based compensation for management services," then congressional budget director Peter Orszag testified before Congress in 2007. It should be taxed, therefore, "as ordinary income, as most other performance-based compensation is currently treated."
In a startling turn, with potentially far-reaching effects for the hedge fund and private equity industries, Dagres joined the critics of the carried interest loophole in 2003. When a business deal turned sour, and his financial circumstances changed, Dagres and his lawyers found it preferable to argue that carried interest was indeed mere compensation — and not an investment. The venture capitalist, in effect, sought to have his cake and eat it too.
The triggering event was the dot-com crash of 2000. One of the biggest and most spectacular casualties was William Schrader, the pioneering CEO of PSINet, who was known as "the father of the commercial Internet" for the fiber-optic network and Web-hosting centers that he built. Overextended, with his company collapsing around him, Schrader asked Dagres for a loan. The two had done business throughout the Internet boom years, trading information and sharing prime investment opportunities.
"It was very hard for me. I don't ask people for favors," Schrader told the Tax Court. "But I did it. And I told him it was hard. And he said that I could count on him for $5 million."
Dagres was motivated by more than friendship. "I had spent a lot of time and effort building him up into a significant resource," Dagres testified. "I didn't want to lose him …. I felt that, if I loaned him the money, he would be indebted to me …. I was also concerned that somebody else might make the loan and gain his favor.
"I never imagined that he wouldn't have $5 million to pay me back," said Dagres.
But the loan didn't save Schrader, and as time passed he found it difficult to keep up with the payments he owed to his friend Dagres. In August of 2003, lamenting in an email that he could not "keep working under the emotional weight of the unpaid and unresolved loan," Schrader asked if there wasn't a way for Dagres to forgive the remaining balance — more than $3.6 million.
Perhaps Dagres "can use the tax write-off," Schrader suggested. He would give Dagres first shot at good deals in the future, he vowed. "This is just a rationalization, of course," he conceded, "so that I don't feel guilty that I end up becoming a pile of mush."
Dagres agreed to forgive the $3.6 million, and his accountants and attorneys went to work to deduct the loss as an ordinary business expense. To reap the maximum write-off for the bad loan, his lawyers had to reposition Dagres as a businessman, not an investor. And here they faced a significant hurdle: the IRS, under the carried interest theory, had been giving Dagres the cut-rate treatment due an investor.
In 2000, because his income was taxed as a capital gain on an investment and not as ordinary business income, Dagres had saved $7.9 million in federal taxes, the IRS argued. He could not have it both ways.
"These activities are all investment activities and earned petitioner and his colleagues investment returns," the government argued. "Investing is not a trade or a business."
The government hit Dagres with a $1.1 million bill for back taxes and penalties. He decided to fight it out in court.
Dagres was a "professional," not an investor, his lawyers contended. He was in a competitive business, and was paid "for the many services" he performed for the real investors. He was working just like a lawyer, for a contingency fee.
"A carry can be fantastically lucrative," his lawyers acknowledged, but "none of this gain was attributable to petitioner's own invested capital." The risk had been borne by his "customers.
"Professional venture capitalists are service providers," said attorney Joel Carpenter, when the case was heard in June 2009. The carried interest was merely compensation. "It's that compensatory element, in the absence of significant personal investment, that distinguishes his business from the activities of an investor."
Carpenter was persuasive. Dagres won his case. But the ruling by Judge David Gustafson must have sent a shiver through many a hedge fund manager, since it buttressed the arguments made by critics of the carried interest loophole.
Money management was a business, the judge declared, and the gains and losses could be treated as ordinary income. The decision seemed to open a door: Might the IRS or another federal judge reclassify the gains of carried interest as ordinary business income, subject to a higher rate of taxation?
"An activity that would otherwise be a business does not necessarily lose that status because it includes an investment function," Gustafson wrote. "Bankers, investment bankers, financial planners and stockbrokers all earn fees and commissions for work that includes investing or facilitating the investment of their clients' funds. Selling one's investment expertise to others is as much a business as selling one's legal expertise or medical expertise."
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Bruce Banner take note: Researchers at the University of Southern California and Italy have successfully identified a critical neurological factor in aggression. By studying overly hostile mice, they located a malfunctioning brain receptor — and by turning it off, they were able to calm the mice down. The discovery could have implications for people who suffer from pathological aggression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.
How soon before there's a pill to "turn off" your rage?
As we've reported before, scientists are currently working on a pill to make you fearless, and one to help you erase painful memories. There's even a pill in the works that could help you save your marriage. So why not a pill to make you less hostile?
This is the thinking of Marco Bortolato, lead author of the study which recently appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience. "From a clinical and social point of view, reactive aggression is absolutely a major problem," he said through a release. "We want to find the tools that might reduce impulsive violence."
His team was able to identify a specific genetic predisposition to pathological aggression: low levels of the enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAO A). Both male humans and mice with a congenital deficiency of this particular enzyme were shown to respond poorly to stress, as characterized by such behavior as sudden violence, explosive outbursts, and hostile overreactions.
The researchers started out by trying to create mice who felt something comparable to human rage. They accomplished this in two ways: adjusting for low enzyme levels, and also instigating stressful events like trauma and neglect during childhood. They discovered that this double-whammy, that of low levels of MAO A and childhood maltreatment, produces the characteristics consistent with pathological rage.
The good news is that, even if a mouse or human had a poor upbringing, the receptor that moderates aggression can still be blocked, thus adjusting behavior. As Bortolato notes, "Whatever the ways environment can persistently affect behavior - and even personality over the long term - behavior is ultimately supported by biological mechanisms."
And this is why the researchers are hopeful that their breakthrough could eventually be applied to therapy. They suspect that their insights could result in therapies for people with Alzheimer's disease, autism, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.


text: Instructions on how to exploit an unpatched Oracle Database Server vulnerability in order to intercept the information exchanged between clients and databases were published by a security researcher who erroneously thought that the company had patched the flaw.Oracle's April 2012 Critical Patch Update (CPU) advisory, published on April 17, credited security researcher Joxean Koret for a vulnerability he reported through cyberintelligence firm iSIGHT Partners.In an email sent to the Full Disclosure mailing list on April 18, Koret revealed that the vulnerability is located in the Oracle TNS Listener, a component that routes connections from clients to Oracle database servers depending on which database they are trying to reach.TNS Listener has a default feature, introduced in 1999, that allows clients to register a database service or database instance remotely without authentication, Koret said.The client sends a remote registration request to the TNS Listener and defines a new service name, its IP address, the database instances under it, and other settings. The TNS Listener then starts routing all client requests that include that service name or database instance.However, TNS Listener also allows the remote registration of a database instance or service name that is already registered, Koret said. "The TNS listener will consider this newer registered instance name a cluster instance (Oracle RAC, Real Application Clusters) or a fail over instance (Oracle Fail over)," he said.In this case, the TNS Listener performs load balancing between the two instances by sending the first client to the most recently registered one and the second client to the original one. This allows a local attacker to route between 50 and 75 percent of clients to a database server that he controls, Koret said.The attacker can then use the TNS Listener on the server he controls to route the client requests back to the legitimate database instance, effectively establishing a TNS proxy that allows him to intercept all data exchanged between clients and the targeted database.However, this is not the only attack scenario that this vulnerability allows. By being in a man-in-the-middle situation, the attacker can also inject rogue commands in the SQL queries sent by clients or completely hijack their sessions to execute arbitrary queries, Koret said.The researcher mentioned that he didn't test whether Oracle's patch for this vulnerability, that he believed to be included in the April 2012 CPU, actually addressed all attack vectors.However, after a few follow-up emails with Oracle, he realized that the company hadn't actually patched the flaw for currently supported versions of the database server, but instead addressed it in an yet-to-be-released version.Oracle decided to patch the flaw in an upcoming version, but not in existing ones, because the fix is very complex and backporting it could lead to other problems, Koret said in a second email sent to the Full Disclosure mailing list on Thursday. Oracle did not immediately return a request for comment.The decision to publicly disclose details about the vulnerability, including instructions on how to exploit it, was taken after confirming with Oracle that the vulnerability had been addressed, Koret said. However, he added that the company told him it "was fixed in future releases of the product."The researcher believes that receiving credits in Oracle's April 2012 CPU advisory for a vulnerability that wasn't fixed in the actual update was misleading and said that the company should stop doing this in the future.However, Koret was credited in the "Security-In-Depth Contributors" section of Oracle's advisory which states that: "People are recognized for Security-In-Depth contributions if they provide information, observations or suggestions pertaining to security vulnerability issues that result in significant modification of Oracle code or documentation in future releases, but are not of such a critical nature that they are distributed in Critical Patch Updates."Koret described several workarounds to mitigate the vulnerability without deploying a patch in his April 18 advisory. One was to disable the TNS Listener remote registration feature by setting "dynamic_registration = off" in the in the listener.ora configuration file.However, this is not feasible for configurations that actually require the feature, like Oracle RAC clusters. "To apply this workaround with Oracle RAC environments one needs to implement load balancing at the client side, changing all the client's tnsnames.ora configuration file to add the complete list of Oracle RAC nodes," Koret said.


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Vote to Determine the Top 10 Videos of the Week in Taste of Country's Countdown
Chris Young's new video is the big addition to the Taste of Country Top 10 Countdown poll this week. 'Aw Naw' was released late last week, much to the delight of his millions of faithful fans. Can they organize and get to the votes in unison to knock Carrie Underwood out of the No. 1 slot?
Of course, there are many other country music videos to choose from, and you don't need to pick just one. Vote for up to 10 clips every hour until the poll closes at 12PM ET on Friday (July 5). 'See You Again' continues to dominate, but videos from Tate Stevens and Blake Shelton are strong enough to compete for No. 1.
Videos are removed from the poll after six months, when fans lose interest or when an artist releases a new video for an active single.
*Poll is Now Closed!


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South Union RoadAckerman, MS 39735One : 4209715,
Two : 521257924,
Three : 536870912,
Four : 0,
Five : 0,
Code : 1
- 88.6 ##Acres##
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To manage reports, go to your Dashboard.
This representation is based in whole or in part on information from the GODLEN TRIANGLE ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® or its Multiple Listing Service. Neither the Association nor its MLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.


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DNA barcoding reveals mislabeled cod and haddock in Dublin
Scientists identify 25% of cod and haddock in Dublin seafood industry as different species
Ecological scientists in Ireland recently used DNA barcoding to identify species of fish labeled as either "cod" or "haddock" in fish and chip shops, fresh fish counters and supermarkets in 10 postal districts in Dublin. They found that 39 out of 156 (25%) randomly sampled "cod" and "haddock" were genetically entirely different species and, therefore, mislabeled under European Union (EU) regulations.
In addition, as Dana Miller and Stefano Mariani from University College Dublin report in today's Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (e-View), 28 out of 34 (82.4%) smoked fish samples were incorrectly labeled, and 26 out of 28 (92.9%) samples labeled as "smoked cod" were completely different species.
"In light of recent findings from North American scientists using the same approach, it seems mislabeling seafood is pervasive on a global scale," said Miller. "This, coupled with the enormous rise in seafood demand, raises alarm. There is an increasing need for effective and sustainable seafood industry management and especially for transparency within the seafood industry itself on an international level."
Last April, researchers Ron Burton and Phil Hastings from the University of California, San Diego used DNA barcoding to identify fish served in New York restaurants; they found that 25% of the fish were mislabeled.
"Consumers should be able to go to a shop and know they are eating what they paid for, especially when the product is purchased within the EU, where numerous policies relating to labeling and tracing are already in place," said Mariani. The authors argue that these findings suggest mislabeling could contribute to overfishing—that is, mislabeling cod in Ireland could be creating a false perception of market availability.
"There are many problems associated with mislabeling fish, like in the case of mislabeling the depleted red snapper to enhance perceptions of availability in the U.S.," continued Miller. "Consumers may think that if 'cod' keeps showing up in markets and restaurants across Ireland, the stocks must be healthy."
The fish samples the researchers tested included smoked, fried, battered, fresh and frozen cod and haddock. Approximately 25% of these samples turned out to be cod labeled as haddock or vice versa, or a completely different species of fish altogether, such as pollack, whiting or saithe, mislabeled as cod or haddock or even Pacific cod being labeled as Atlantic cod.
To identify the correct species, the scientists extracted tissue from each sample and entered the gene sequences into the Barcode of Life Data Systems online at www.barcodinglife.org; the researchers also cross-referenced the sequence with other databases. The study includes a complete list of all analyzed fish, as they were labeled and identified.
"With the rapid advances in bioinformatics, the traceability of fish stocks will be more affordable and available," said Mariani. "This will hopefully make enforcing the proper labeling of fish easier and will subsequently encourage transparency in the fishing industry. With a restored trust in retailers and policymakers, the seafood industry can be turned into a sustainable operation on a global scale."


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Construction activity occurs in three broad sectors: residential building, non-residential building and engineering construction. The level of activity of the construction industry by sectors is shown in table 19.3. In 2001-02 residential building accounted for 44% of the value of work done, engineering construction for 34% and non-residential building for 22%.
The pattern of construction activity by sector has changed substantially over time (graph 19.4). In 1987-88, the value of non-residential building activity was greater than engineering construction activity. After 1991-92, however, engineering construction activity has consistently exceeded non-residential building activity.
Graph 19.4 also shows the acceleration in residential building activity to record levels prior to the introduction of The New Tax System in July 2000, followed by a substantial downturn until the start of 2001.
Over the past decade, public sector construction has remained relatively constant, maintaining an annual value of work done of around $15b (graph 19.5). Private sector construction on the other hand has been more volatile, particularly over the past few years. The value of private sector construction declined sharply after July 2000, falling by 24%. Private sector construction has, however, almost recovered from this sharp decline, increasing 20% in 2001-02.
More detailed information on the value of residential and non-residential building work done is presented in table 19.6. In 2001-02 the value of building work done increased by $5,483m (16%) to $39,137m, following a significant fall of 23% in 2000-01. During 2001-02, work done on total new residential buildings increased by $4,130m (23%), recovering the majority of the 27% decline experienced during 2000-01. Non-residential building activity did not experience the same level of recovery, increasing by $688m (6%) in 2001-02, following a decline of $2,549m (-17%) during the preceding year.


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Monday, September 13, 2010
My cats, especially the boys, are generally all over the place during the day. They are super extra sweet though when it's night time and they want to cuddle on the bed, or if they're hungry or want a treat. Oh ESPECIALLY when they want a treat.
Funny how cats are the same way as people sometimes :)
17 comments:
- AnonymousSeptember 14, 2010 at 8:21 AM
they are extra sweet when they want something. but if not, they don't want to be held. that is my cats.ReplyDelete
sorry for my eng.
hey nice blog, i just found it and i bookmarked it. keep up the good job. i just love kitteh habits :)ReplyDelete
Every night, my Persian rescue is first into the breakfast room (their banquet room) for treats. Soon, it's a forest of cattails as they all come from wherever they've been relaxing to claim their "junk food" prizes.ReplyDelete
just found this thanks to icanhascheezburger.com. Love the blog, reminds me of me and my two kittehs ~:IReplyDelete
your illustrations are right on!!ReplyDelete
Cat Chat http://opcatchat.blogspot.com
I love this blog :)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 14, 2010 at 2:12 PM
I love this blog! Crazy cat ladies for the win!!! x3ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 14, 2010 at 7:45 PM
Ain't it the truth! Heh~ReplyDelete
i love you for this!ReplyDelete
I work all day and come home to two cats and a husband who need to be fed. My cats are not always the loudest! But Kerra knows she doesn't get fed until her special "feeding alarm" goes off. She eats on a schedule for her diet and doesn't usually beg outside of feeding time but when her alarm goes off watch out! She deffinately doesn't let you forget. Jack has always been a begged but at least e stopped outright stealing from dinner plates.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 18, 2010 at 12:25 AM
Perhaps we should respect cats more than humans because they keep their motives clear? :pReplyDelete
Nice blog. Your illustration pictures the situation i faced with my 12kittens..;)ReplyDelete
yesh its so funny!ReplyDelete
- LycanXMay 2, 2011 at 5:21 AM
I heard the saying 'pets act like their owners.'ReplyDelete
Yeah, it is funny how cats act like people... or is it the other way around?
- AndreaJuly 3, 2011 at 12:59 PM
jajaja that´s so true!!ReplyDelete


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Angelica Angelica archangelica
Angelica has a long tradition of use as a general tonic herb for women, children, and the elderly. It is said to strengthen the heart and provide an antidote against general debility. According to legend, Angelica was revealed in a dream by an angel to cure the plague. All parts of the plant were believed effective against evil spirits, and Angelica was held in such esteem that it was called 'The Root of the Holy Ghost.' In America it was used by the Iroquois and other tribes in ceremonial medicine, and in traditional lore an infusion of smashed roots was used as wash to remove ghosts from the house.
NOTE The fresh root of Angelica is not edible, said to be poisonous. Do not use while pregnant or breastfeeding without consulting your doctor.
Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum
Boneset gets its name from its ability to "break bone fever." Used by North American Indians for stomach problems, colds, and fevers, in addition to arthritis and rheumatic ailments. Boneset has also been used to treat influenza, and is said to alleviate pain and reduce fever associated with such imbalance. European settlers used it as a cure-all. Boneset's odor is weak, but its taste is extremely bitter.
NOTE Boneset is toxic in high doses.
Calendula Calendula officinalis
The flower petals of the Calendula plant have been used for medicinal purposes since at least the 12th century. Native to Mediterranean countries, Calendula is now cultivated across the globe. Calendula is typically added to salves and other topical preparations and has been shown to speed the healing of wounds, where it appears to have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial effects.
Chamomile Matricaria recutita
It is said that the Egyptians dedicated Chamomile to their sun god and valued it over all other herbs for its healing qualities. Due to its sedative and relaxing properties Chamomile was an ingredient in some love potions of the middle ages. Chamomile flowers are used in alternative medicine as an anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, nervine, stomachic, tonic, and vasodilator. The anti-inflammatory properties make it good for rheumatism, arthritis, and other painful swellings.
Echinacea Echinaceae purpurea
Echinacea has been used in North America for more than 400 years to treat infections and wounds, and as a general "cure-all." Today, people use Echinacea to shorten the duration of the common cold and flu and reduce symptoms, such as sore throat (pharyngitis), cough, and fever. Many herbalists also recommend echinacea to help boost the immune system and help the body fight infections. Echinacea is well known for its anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Feverfew Chrysanthemum parthenium
Feverfew was first introduced to North America by European settlers in the 17th century, and has long been used to treat headaches and inflammation. Especially renowned as a treatment for migraines, Feverfew has also been used for menstrual problems such as cramping and irregularity. It can also be taken for problems such as joint pain and rheumatism.
NOTE Feverfew should not be used during pregnancy because of the stimulant action on the womb. The fresh leaves may cause mouth ulcers in sensitive people.
Mullein Verbascum olympicum
The Greeks, Romans, British and Native Americans have all used Mullein to treat a number of respiratory conditions, from a mild cough to bronchitis and asthma. The dried stalks of Mullein have also been used as torches. The flowers can be used to create bright yellow or green dyes, which were used by the ancient Romans to color hair, according to "Healing Teas" by Marie Nadine Antol. Greek mythology holds that Ulysses carried Mullein to protect himself from the evil Circe. For these purposes the leaves can be smoked or used to prepare tea.
NOTE Mullein causes allergic reactions in a small population.
Nettle Urtica dioica
In medieval Europe Stinging nettle was used as a diuretic (to rid the body of excess water) and to treat joint pain. Stinging nettle has been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. Today, many people use it to treat urinary problems during the early stages of an enlarged prostate, for urinary tract infections, for hay fever, or in compresses or creams for treating joint pain, sprains and strains, tendonitis, and insect bites.
NOTE Do not use while pregnant or breastfeeding without consulting your doctor. Stinging nettle should never be applied to an open wound. Be careful when handling the nettle plant because touching it can cause an allergic rash. Occasional side effects include mild stomach upset, fluid retention, and hives or rash (mainly from topical use).
Pleurisy Root Asclepias tuberosa
Some Native American legends tell of the roots being used as a body wash for lifting and running strength. Also used as a drug in chant lotion, and as a ceremonial emetic. Asclepias tuberosa has a long history of use as a valuable alternative medicine and is one of the most important of the indigenous American species. Butterfly Weed is used internally in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, chronic rheumatism, and as an expectorant. It has a specific action on the lungs, making it a valuable medicinal herb in all chest complaints and in the treatment of many lung diseases.
Skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora
Skullcap was well known among the Cherokee and other Native American healers as a strong emmenagogue and female medicinal herb. Today Skullcap is recognized as a powerful medicinal herb, used in alternative medicine as an anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, slightly astringent, emmenagogue, febrifuge, nervine, sedative and tonic.
NOTE Should be used with some caution since in overdose it causes giddiness, stupor, confusion and twitching. Skullcap has been linked to liver damage, though it is suspected that the source of damage was actually from Germander being substituted for Skullcap. Use in moderation and avoid if you have liver problems.
Spikenard Aralia racemosa
Spikenard was a popular herb among American Indians, who gathered its pleasantly scented roots for a variety of medicinal uses. Herbalists record that the Cherokees drank Spikenard tea for backache and that the Shawnees used it to treat gas pains, coughs, asthma, and chest pains. Other tribes gave the tea to women in labor to make childbirth swifter and less painful. The Micmacs reportedly applied a salve of spikenard to cuts and wounds, while the Ojibwas used the root in a poultice for healing broken bones. Early settlers used the juice from the dark purple berries and oil from the seeds. Medical practitioners in the 19th century prescribed the root to treat gout, rheumatism, syphilis, and other diseases in which it was deemed necessary to "purify the blood." More recently, Spikenard has gained popularity as an adaptogen, sharing many common properties with its close relative American Ginseng.
Tobacco Nicotiana rustica
Nicotiana rustica is also known as Sacred Tobacco, Mapacho, Aztec tobacco and a host of other names. It originated in Mexico but was widely cultivated throughout the Americas by native peoples for ceremonial purposes. Mapacho is considered very sacred by Amazonian shamans and is employed alone or in combination with other plants in shamanic practices. Some shamans drink the juice of tobacco leaves alone as a source of visions. Mapacho is used extensively in healing practices and is considered a medicine, not a health hazard, when used properly. The Tukanoan peoples of the Vaupés often rub a decoction of the leaves briskly over sprains and bruises. Amongst the Witotos and Boras, fresh leaves are crushed and poulticed over boils and infected wounds. Tikuna men mix the crushed leaves with the oil from palms to rub into the hair to prevent balding. The Jivaros take tobacco juice therapeutically for indisposition, chills and snake bites. In many tribes tobacco snuff may be employed medicinally for a variety of ills, particularly to treat pulmonary ailments.
The herbal information on this web site is intended for educational purposes only. It is not the intention of the editor to advise on health care. Please see a medical professional about any health concerns you have.
Disclaimer - These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. The information on this web site is not intended to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any disease.
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How much do you need to retire?
For workers both young and old, one pressing question can be: how much money do I need to save for retirement? While there is no right or wrong answer, as everyone's situation is different, there are some guide posts to help you stay on track.
Some issues that can impact how much money you will need saved include: when you start saving for retirement, how much money you are saving, and at what age you'd like to retire.
To make sure you don't outlive your retirement savings, Fidelity said one general rule is to save at least eight times your ending salary. To get to a point where that's a feasible goal, Fidelity recommends starting slowly to build up your retirement savings.
For example, Fidelity recommends you have one-times your current salary saved by the time you're 35. Then by 45 you should have three-times your salary saved, and five-times by 55. This will help you stay on track throughout your career so you're not scrambling to add to your retirement funds near the end of your career.
However, each individual's life might not fit into this plan. As life events happen, saving for retirement might be altered. Talk to your personal finance manager to make sure you are on a plan that works for your lifestyle.


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Integrated Marketing Communications
Integrated Marketing Communications is a simple concept. It ensures that all forms of communications and messages are carefully linked together.
At its most basic level, Integrated Marketing Communications, or IMC, as we'll call it, means integrating all the promotional tools, so that they work together in harmony.
Promotion is one of the Ps in the marketing mix. Promotions have their own mix of communications tools.
All of these communications tools work better if they work together in harmony rather than in isolation. Their sum is greater than their parts – providing they speak consistently with one voice all the time, every time.
What is IMC?
IMC is short for Integrated Marketing Communications
This is enhanced when integration goes beyond just the basic communications tools. There are other levels of integration such as Horizontal, Vertical, Internal, External, and Data integration. Here is how they help to strengthen Integrated Communications.
What is Integrated Marketing Communication?
Horizontal Integration occurs across the marketing mix and across business functions – for example, production, finance, distribution and communications should work together and be conscious that their decisions and actions send messages to customers.
While different departments such as sales, direct mail and advertising can help each other through Data Integration. This requires a marketing information system that collects and shares relevant data across different departments.
Vertical Integration means marketing and communications objectives must support the higher-level corporate objectives and corporate missions. Check out the Hall Of Fame later for more about missions.
Meanwhile, Internal Integration requires internal marketing – keeping all staff informed and motivated about any new developments from new advertisements, to new corporate identities, new service standards, new strategic partners and so on.
External Integration, on the other hand, requires external partners such as advertising and PR agencies to work closely together to deliver a single seamless solution – a cohesive message – an integrated message.
The many benefits of IMC are examined in the section called, 'Benefits of IMC'.
What are the benefits of Integrated Marketing Communication?
Although Integrated Marketing Communications requires a lot of effort it delivers many benefits. It can create competitive advantage, boost sales and profits, while saving money, time and stress.
- IMC wraps communications around customers and helps them move through the various stages of the buying process.
- The organisation simultaneously consolidates its image, develops a dialogue and nurtures its relationship with customers.
- This 'Relationship Marketing' cements a bond of loyalty with customers which can protect them from the inevitable onslaught of competition.
- The ability to keep a customer for life is a powerful competitive advantage.
IMC also increases profits through increased effectiveness. At its most basic level, a unified message has more impact than a disjointed myriad of messages. In a busy world, a consistent, consolidated and crystal clear message has a better chance of cutting through the 'noise' of over five hundred commercial messages which bombard customers each and every day.
At another level, initial research suggests that images shared in advertising and direct mail boost both advertising awareness and mail shot responses. So IMC can boost sales by stretching messages across several communications tools to create more avenues for customers to become aware, aroused, and ultimately, to make a purchase
- Carefully linked messages also help buyers by giving timely reminders, updated information
- and special offers which, when presented in a planned sequence, help them move comfortably through the stages of their buying process…
- and this reduces their 'misery of choice' in a complex and busy world.
- IMC also makes messages more consistent and therefore more credible.
- This reduces risk in the mind of the buyer which, in turn, shortens the search process and helps to dictate the outcome of brand comparisons.
Un-integrated communications send disjointed messages which dilute the impact of the message. This may also confuse, frustrate and arouse anxiety in customers. On the other hand, integrated communications present a reassuring sense of order.
Consistent images and relevant, useful, messages help nurture long-term relationships with customers. Here, customer databases can identify precisely which customers need what information when… and throughout their whole buying life.
Finally, IMC saves money as it eliminates duplication in areas such as graphics and photography since they can be shared and used in say, advertising, exhibitions and sales literature. Agency fees are reduced by using a single agency for all communications and even if there are several agencies, time is saved when meetings bring all the agencies together – for briefings, creative sessions, tactical or strategic planning. This reduces workload and subsequent stress levels – one of the many benefits of IMC.
What are the barriers to Integrated Marketing Communications?
Despite its many benefits, Integrated Marketing Communications, or IMC, has many barriers.
In addition to the usual resistance to change and the special problems of communicating with a wide variety of target audiences, there are many other obstacles that restrict IMC. These include Functional Silos; Stifled Creativity; Time Scale Conflicts and a lack of management know-how.
Take functional silos. Rigid organisational structures are infested with managers who protect both their budgets and their power base.
Sadly, some organisational structures isolate communications, data, and even managers from each other. For example, the PR department often doesn't report to marketing. The salesforce rarely meets the advertising or sales promotion people and so on. Imagine what can happen when sales reps are not told about a new promotional offer!
And all of this can be aggravated by turf wars or internal power battles where specific managers resist having some of their decisions (and budgets) determined or even influenced by someone from another department.
Here are two difficult questions – What should a truly integrated marketing department look like? And how will it affect creativity?
It shouldn't matter whose creative idea it is, but often, it does. An advertising agency may not be so enthusiastic about developing a creative idea generated by, say, a PR or a direct marketing consultant.
IMC can restrict creativity. No more wild and wacky sales promotions unless they fit into the overall marketing communications strategy. The joy of rampant creativity may be stifled, but the creative challenge may be greater and ultimately more satisfying when operating within a tighter, integrated, creative brief.
Add different time scales into a creative brief and you'll see Time Horizons provide one more barrier to IMC. For example, image advertising, designed to nurture the brand over the longer term, may conflict with shorter term advertising or sales promotions designed to boost quarterly sales. However the two objectives can be accommodated within an overall IMC if carefully planned.
But this kind of planning is not common. A survey in 1995, revealed that most managers lack expertise in IMC. But its not just managers, but also agencies. There is a proliferation of single discipline agencies. There appear to be very few people who have real experience of all the marketing communications disciplines. This lack of know-how is then compounded by a lack of commitment.
For now, understanding the barriers is the first step in successfully implementing IMC.
Integrated Marketing Communications Tools
Communications Theory
How do we communicate? How do customers process information? There are many models and theories. Let's take a brief look at some of them.
Simple communications models show a sender sending a message to a receiver who receives and understands it. Real-life is less simple – many messages are misunderstood, fail to arrive or, are simply ignored.
A thorough understanding of the audience's needs, emotions, interests and activities is essential to ensure the accuracy and relevance of any message.
Instead of loud 'buy now' advertisements, many messages are often designed or 'encoded' so that the hard sell becomes a more subtle soft sell. The sender creates or encodes the message in a form that can be easily understood or decoded by the receiver.
Clever encoding also helps a message to cut through the clutter of other advertisements and distractions, what is called 'noise'. If successful, the audience will spot the message and then decode or interpret it correctly. The marketer then looks for 'feedback' such as coupons returned from mailshots, to see if the audience has decoded the message correctly.
The single-step model – with a receiver getting a message directly from a sender – is not a complete explanation.
Many messages are received indirectly through a friend or through an opinion leader.
Communications are in fact multifaceted, multi-step and multi-directional. Opinion leaders talk to each other. Customers talk to opinion leaders and they talk to each other.
Add in 'encode, decode, noise and feedback' and the process appears more complex still.
Understanding multiphase communications helps marketers communicate directly through mass media and indirectly through targeting opinion leaders, opinion formers, style leaders, innovators, and other influential people.
How messages are selected and processed within the minds of the target market is a vast and complex question. Although it is over seventy years old, rather simplistic and too hierarchical, a message model, like AIDA, attempts to map the mental processes through which a buyer passes en route to making a purchase.
There are many other models that attempt to identify each stage. In reality the process is not always a linear sequence. Buyers often loop backwards at various stages perhaps for more information. There are other much more complex models that attempt to map the inner workings of the mind.
In reality, marketers have to select communications tools that are most suitable for the stage which the target audience has reached. For example, advertising may be very good at raising awareness or developing interest, while free samples and sales promotions may be the way to generate trial. This is just a glimpse into some of the theory. Serious marketers read a lot more.
Integrated Marketing Communications Examples
The Golden Rules.
Despite the many benefits of Integrated Marketing Communications (or IMC); there are also many barriers. Here's how you can ensure you become integrated and stay integrated – 10 Golden Rules of Integration.
(1) Get Senior Management Support for the initiative by ensuring they understand the benefits of IMC.
(2) Integrate At Different Levels of management. Put 'integration' on the agenda for various types of management meetings – whether annual reviews or creative sessions. Horizontally – ensure that all managers, not just marketing managers understand the importance of a consistent message – whether on delivery trucks or product quality. Also ensure that Advertising, PR, Sales Promotions staff are integrating their messages. To do this you must have carefully planned internal communications, that is, good internal marketing.
(3) Ensure the Design Manual or even a Brand Book is used to maintain common visual standards for the use of logos, type faces, colours and so on.
(4) Focus on a clear marketing communications strategy. Have crystal clear communications objectives; clear positioning statements. Link core values into every communication. Ensure all communications add value to (instead of dilute) the brand or organisation. Exploit areas of sustainable competitive advantage.
(5) Start with a Zero Budget. Start from scratch. Build a new communications plan. Specify what you need to do in order to achieve your objectives. In reality, the budget you get is often less than you ideally need, so you may have to prioritise communications activities accordingly.
(6) Think Customers First. Wrap communications around the customer's buying process. Identify the stages they go through before, during and after a purchase. Select communication tools which are right for each stage. Develop a sequence of communications activities that help the customer to move easily through each stage.


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100/200-level Kinesiology Classes
SM 101, SM 111 and MOVESCI 110 are set up to initially allow Kinesiology students and a limited number of non-Kinesiology students to register directly into each section during registration, on a first-come basis. Once the seats available to non-Kinesiology students have filled, remaining seats will be available to Kinesiology students, only, until the class section fills. Once the class section fills, the waitlist will become available.
Non-Kinesiology students who are interested in taking SM 217 must waitlist into special sections. The SM 217 non-Kinesiology waitlist sections are 011-013:
Kinesiology holds seats for Kinesiology orientation students and overrides are not issued for non-Kinesiology students until post-orientation. Students will receive an email when and if they are issued an override. Prior to the first day of classes, students are asked not to contact the professors for these classes to request an override. As long as students stay on the waitlist they do not need to call or email to check their status.
Classes with Prerequisites
For upper-level course work, typically 300- and 400-level courses, there may be enforced prerequisites that prevent students from registering or waitlisting. If you have an approved petition for a substitution or course waiver for a prerequisite, then you must obtain an override from the instructor.
Non-Kinesiology students interested in taking upper-level Kinesiology classes must obtain permission from the instructor. Overrides for non-Kinesiology students will only be issued post-early registration because Kinesiology students receive priority for upper-level courses.
Full Classes and Waitlists in General
If a class is full, students must join the waitlist to be considered for an override. Students on a waitlist for a class must be patient. It is unnecessary for students to contact Kinesiology offices to check the status of the waitlist. Typically, overrides will be issued from the waitlist on a space-available basis. Priority is given to Kinesiology students first, then to departments requiring Kinesiology classes, then to non-Kinesiology students, based on seniority.
Independent Study Classes, Lab Rotations, and Internships
Independent Study Classes are experiential learning courses. Students work with a faculty member to create a unique learning experience. The scope of the project and the outcome measures are typically different for each student and for each project. Students must work with a faculty mentor to complete the Independent Study Contract in order to obtain an override and register for an Independent Study Class. The contract can be found online at: http://kines.umich.edu/sites/webservices.itcs.umich.edu.drupal.kinesprod/files/resource_files/kisc.pdf
Lab Rotations are courses where a student may receive credit for working in a lab. Students must work with a faculty mentor to complete the Independent Study Contract in order to obtain an override and register for a Lab Rotation. The contract can be found online at: http://kines.umich.edu/sites/webservices.itcs.umich.edu.drupal.kinesprod/files/resource_files/kisc.pdf
The primary purpose of an internship is to give the student the opportunity to apply theory in a real work setting and to develop skills essential to that setting. In addition, it may help the student review and revise career/study plans and/or find his or her first professional position.
The Internship contract may be found at:
Office of Student Services (OSS)
School of Kinesiology
1402 Washington Heights
1st Floor Observatory Lodge Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2214
Please refer to the Internship contract for specific requirements in order to qualify for internship credit. You must be a current Kinesiology student in order to receive Kinesiology credit for an internship.
For additional information please contact your OSS Academic Advisor.


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I have removed the original image as requested by its owner. Please keep that in mind when you read the comments people have posted
As most people know, there are activists in Texas who are making a point of going to public places with visible firearms. They have gotten a lot of attention because some chain restaurants and stores have prohibited them from openly carrying their weapons, mostly because it frightens other patrons.
This fear is legitimate. As many have pointed out, there is no way for bystanders to know whether the people with guns are "good guys" or "bad guys." It is rational to be afraid of someone with a weapon, especially if you know nothing about them.
Furthermore, as Jon Stewart has pointed out better than anyone else, since people are often legally permitted to use guns to protect themselves when they are legitimately afraid for their lives, there is no predicting when someone is going to see the activists and shoot before they ask questions. This will happen. It is just a matter of time. And, in many cases, it will be a legal and rational act. None of us want to be victims of the crossfire.
The questions that concerns me now is how we bystanders should react when people come into a store with guns. There really is no legitimate way of determining intent. Even if the people with guns are carrying a sign claiming to be activists (which they do not do), they could be lying, just setting us all up for slaughter. And since there is no way to know what is on their minds, all we have are our instincts, but as we all should know, our instincts are often racist, classist, and frequently mistaken. So, what should we do?
My proposal is as follows: we should all leave. Immediately. Leave the food on the table in the restaurant. Leave the groceries in the cart, in the aisle. Stop talking or engaging in the exchange. Just leave, unceremoniously, and fast.
But here is the key part: don't pay. Stopping to pay in the presence of a person with a gun means risking your and your loved ones' lives; money shouldn't trump this. It doesn't matter if you ate the meal. It doesn't matter if you've just received food from the deli counter that can't be resold. It doesn't matter if you just got a haircut. Leave. If the business loses money, so be it. They can make the activists pay.
Following this procedure has several advantages. First, it protects people. Second, it forces the businesses to really choose where their loyalties are. If the second amendment is as important as people claim, then people should be willing to pay for it. God knows, free speech is tremendously expensive. If it weren't, I'd be reading this on ESPN during prime time, not posting this on Blogger.
Third, this proposal has the added advantage of taking the activists seriously. Most gun-rights activists describe a world of tremendous dangers. Guns, they repeatedly tell us, are the only thing between home invasion, rape, murder, and government intrusion. Okay, well if that's true, then we bystanders should be equally afraid, and react instantaneously to keep away the chaos and the violence. We learned to be afraid from the gun-rights supporters. They have gotten everything they wanted.
Just one final thing. The difficulty of knowing other people's intent is a classic philosophical problem. It is epistemological in that it involves the limits of our knowledge. We can't really know what anyone else hopes to do, and sometimes, because of the subconscious and of self-deception, we don't ever know what our own true intent is. It is also an example of the problem of other minds. We can never really enter into the perspective of any other person, nor can we ever really know what they think (or even if they think). We are discrete individuals and communication is unreliable.
My point: the political and economic realities of running from gun activists is, yet again, founded on classic philosophical issues, and when we take positions on issues of the day, we are really taking positions philosophically. The gun-rights activists think that their intent is obvious and that everyone knows what they hope to do. They believe their minds are transparent. But this is because they are all extreme narcissists. It baffles them that we don't all know exactly what they are thinking. It shocks them that we don't know that Jim is a good guy, and that Sally would never murder anyone. But they are wrong. We don't know them and we don't know how they think. The only thing that makes us notice them at all is that they have guns and truthfully, that's why they carry them in the first place. They want to be celebrities, heroes, and the centers of attention.
So, let's give them what they want. Let's take them as seriously as possible and run like hell. They'll feel important and if they really care about gun rights, they won't mind paying for the hundreds of meals that they inspired the innocent bystanders to leave behind.
(Update: I respond to many of the comments here.)
(Update, 7/25/14: I was going to fix the typo in the fourth paragraph, but that would make Wonkette look bad, and why should I return such kindness by making their post inaccurate? Thanks Wonkette! I am honored by your praise.)