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Management Team
Anthony Olivier
Chief Executive Officer
Prior to founding MadCap Software, Anthony Olivier served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Macromedia with responsibility for driving the company and product line strategies across its Help, eLearning, and multimedia products.
Before becoming a member of the Macromedia senior management team, Mr. Olivier served as Chief Executive Officer for eHelp Corporation, the creators of RoboHelp, and worldwide leading provider of user assistance and simulation software. After growing the company into a high growth, highly profitable multi-product company, Mr. Olivier successfully sold eHelp to Macromedia for $69.3M, thereby providing liquidity to founders and employees, and gaining returns in excess of 270% to investors.
Prior to eHelp, Mr. Olivier held a variety of senior management positions in finance and operations, specializing in SEC reporting and IPO's (Initial Public Offerings), including Chief Financial Officer for Spider Technologies (formerly Digital Lighthouse), and Controller for Corbis Corporation, the Bill Gates owned, digital graphics and stock photography company.
Mr. Olivier is also a licensed CPA with the CA State Board of Accountancy.
Taunya Conte
Chief Financial Officer
As Chief Financial Officer, Taunya Conte oversees all aspects of MadCap's financial operations, human resources and customer relations. With over 15 years of experience in both private and public accounting, Ms. Conte has worked with a variety of industries including: software, dietary supplements, retail and not-for-profit organizations. During this time, Ms. Conte has been responsible for compliance reporting, strategic and financial planning, budget development, profit and loss management, cash flow modeling and instrumental in several key corporate acquisitions.
Prior to joining MadCap Software, Ms. Conte was Corporate Controller of eHelp Corporation and was integral in the due diligence and successful sale of eHelp to Macromedia.
Ms. Conte is a licensed CPA with the California State Board of Accountancy and has earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University — Fresno.
David Ferriot
VP of Marketing
David Ferriot has led marketing teams for nearly 20 years. As VP of Marketing, David is responsible for all aspects of MadCap Software's marketing efforts, including branding & communications, digital strategy, content development, customer advocacy and campaign execution.
Mr. Ferriot leads a talented team of marketing and creative professionals tasked with creating engaging digital experiences and driving the adoption of MadCap Software's market leading solutions and services. Prior to joining MadCap Software, Mr. Ferriot held account management roles with the Hollywood-based entertainment advertising agency The Cimarron Group, with clients such as Lotus Cars USA, Coca-Cola Screen Play and The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board.
David earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington and his MBA in Marketing Management from San Diego State University.
Jennifer Morse
VP of Customer Success
Jennifer has over 20 years of software sales experience in the technical communication and content development industry. In addition to overseeing the Customer Success and Sales Engineering team, her focus is to promote customer onboarding, promote the value of the company's solutions to the marketplace, solicit customer feedback, and report on trends in the industry that can help improve the company's offerings.
Since joining the company in 2006, and prior to moving into the role of Customer Success, Jennifer played an integral role in managing company's growing sales organization, by increasing market share in the United States, and the expansion into overseas markets, including Europe, the Middle East and India.
Before joining MadCap Software, Jennifer was a Senior Product Consultant at Blue Sky Software/eHelp Corporation, where she sold RoboHelp® and RoboInfo to government agencies and educational institutions.
Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Adam Ashraf
Director of Technology
As Director of Technology, Adam Ashraf oversees all infrastructure and technical aspects of the organization. He joined the MadCap Software team in 2011 as their first Network Administrator and is now responsible for managing a team whose main focus is aligning the organization's technologies to the needs of the business. Adam brings over 12 years of expertise and provides direction for daily application and infrastructure technology operations and the implementation of new services. Prior to MadCap Software, Adam worked as an expert in information security, virtualization, infrastructure management and more.
Nichole Brust
Director of Customer Service
As the Director of Customer Service, Nichole Brust has been an integral part of MadCap Software's Operational Team since early 2006. Ms. Brust directly oversees all customer related issues and ensures the highest levels of customer satisfaction are met on a daily basis. In addition, Ms. Brust schedules and plans all the training available to MadCap's user base.
Ms. Brust brings over 20 years of customer experience from a varied background to include the hospitality industry and dietary supplements. Throughout her career, Ms. Brust has held diverse roles from Group Sales/Reservations Supervisor to Account Manager. Prior to joining MadCap Software, Ms. Brust was the Mass Market Sales Analyst for Metabolife International, Inc. Her role there led to the successful pairing with large corporations such as Target and Walmart.
Bill Heitstuman
Information Systems Director
Bill Heitstuman is responsible for MadCap Software's information systems, application integration, and the IT infrastructure on which it operates. With over 16 years of experience, Mr. Heitstuman brings a solutions-oriented, best-of-breed approach to the needs of MadCap's operations team.
Before joining MadCap in 2005, Mr. Heitstuman was a Software Engineer on Macromedia's CRM development team. This role included customizing and optimizing Macromedia's CRM software which was primarily utilized by an overseas support team.
Prior to Macromedia's acquisition of eHelp Corporation, Mr. Heitstuman was the lead developer for eHelp's operations team. During this time Mr. Heitstuman improved system integrity, provided critical reporting tools, and streamlined many operation processes.
Mr. Heitstuman has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technologies with an emphasis on Operations Management from Western Washington University – Bellingham.
Mike McDermott
Director of Language Services
As the Director of Language Services for MadTranslations, Mr. McDermott is responsible for all aspects of MadCap Software's translation services division, from strategic direction to growth strategy, supply chain management, sales, and customer retention. Since launching in 2012, MadTranslations has enjoyed annual double digit growth, with expansion into European, Asian and North American markets. With a strong focus on providing high quality translation services to customers, Mike is committed to continuously improving translation processes and solidifying MadTranslations as the leading technical translation services provider.
Prior to joining MadCap Software, Mr. McDermott held sales and management positions within technology companies operating in both commercial markets and government sectors. He has also worked as a strategic advisor to a medical device start-up company based in Los Angeles, providing insight on market dynamics, business development, and venture capital strategies.
Mike earned his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Radford University.
Paul Stoecklein
Documentation Director
Paul Stoecklein has over 20 years of experience as a writer, editor, and documentation specialist. Since the formation of MadCap Software in early 2005, Mr. Stoecklein has headed its documentation department, overseeing the development and publication of all online Help systems, PDF manuals, and video tutorials for all applications in the MadCap product family.
Prior to joining MadCap Software, Mr. Stoecklein was hired in 2003 as Senior Technical Writer for eHelp Corporation and then Macromedia, which later purchased eHelp. In this role, he was responsible for developing documentation for a new software application called RoboHelp® for FrameMaker®. He also contributed to the online Help for other products, such as RoboHelp® and RoboPDF. Before this, Mr. Stoecklein was a contract technical writer for many companies in a wide variety of industries, including Anheuser-Busch, Edward Jones, GE Capital Mortgage, and more. He has also been an editor for a medical textbook publishing company and a writer for multiple newspapers.
Mr. Stoecklein has an Associate of Arts degree in Journalism. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts degree in Religion History from Southern California College (now Vanguard University) – Costa Mesa.
Jay Wulkowicz
Director of Quality Assurance
Jay Wulkowicz has over 20 years of experience in the field of software Quality Assurance, primarily in the technical communication and content development industry. Since joining MadCap Software in 2006, Mr. Wulkowicz has been involved in nearly every application release from the MadCap Software product family.
As the Director of Quality Assurance, Jay Wulkowicz is responsible for maintaining the standard of excellence of MadCap Software's software solutions. Mr. Wulkowicz manages teams across multiple products with concurrent release schedules, always maintaining vigilant software quality practices. Mr. Wulkowicz is committed to researching, improving and implementing new processes in a fast pace and constantly evolving industry.
Prior to joining MadCap Software, Mr. Wulkowicz worked Quality Assurance for other global companies such as Ericsson Datacom and eHelp/Macromedia. At Macromedia (which acquired eHelp Corporation), Mr. Wulkowicz worked on and helped release RoboHelp X4 and X5.
Mr. Wulkowicz earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara.


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Chamomile seeds can be started indoors 3-4 weeks before the last frost. When planting chamomile seeds indoors, fill a seed tray with well-draining potting mix, then simply scatter the seeds over the loose soil.
- Seedlings should be thinned to 2-4 inches (5-10 cm.) apart when they are about an inch (2.5 cm.) tall. Plants do not like to be transplanted once their roots have established and they begin to produce blooms, so many gardeners prefer to sow the seeds directly in the garden.
- In the garden or as a lawn substitute, chamomile seeds need only be scattered over loose soil and gently tamped down.
- Germination can occur in temperatures as low as 45-55 F. (7-13 C) in full sun to part shade.
Good harvest!

subset: commoncrawl


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— First and foremost, this is not meant to be a political opinion piece.
— It is meant to be a discussion of my views on recent market action and what appear to be some interesting patterns (coincidences) that I have observed in tandem with the May, 2019, record high and the July 26, 2019 record high in the S&P 500.
— My conclusion and theory may calm a few jitters and provide an opportunity for further observation and discussion.
President Trump wants a second term.
The president knows that a strong economy and stock market are keys to this aspiration.
As it pertains to the market it would be much more beneficial to his reelection prospects to have it running hot in the fall of 2020 than any time before that.
Negative tweets and statements on China trade policy, such as we saw this past Thursday, tamp down enthusiasm for stocks.
Effectively these pronouncements, whether intentional or not, act as light taps on the brakes keeping the market from racing higher now and possibly running out of gas by election time.
I believe that it is possibly what we saw in May and it may be what we saw Thursday. Below is a excerpt from my post of May 12. BTW, I go on in the post to question and discuss the actual US and Chinese GDP impact of a full-blown trade war … Conclusion, not much (except higher prices for US consumers on Chinese imports).
That was the week that was
It was a perfect example of foolish people, or foolish computer trading antics, as the market gyrated wildly on presidential tweets about trade negotiations. Last Sunday it was the tweet threatening a more-than-doubling of tariffs and new tariffs on Chinese goods, followed during the week by the president's statements accusing China of reneging on the deal. The president then went on with a tweet stating that there was "no hurry" getting back to the table (a tweet he subsequently pulled down).
The market responded with a week of volatility, 500 point swings in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The S&P 500 closed the week (May 10) down 2.5% from its May 1, all-time-high of 2954. According to Barron's magazine and its "Up and Down Wall Street" column, "Global stock markets shed an estimated $2 trillion in value from Monday through Thursday, or about 3%, based on the Datastream World index from Refinitiv, The Wall Street Journal reported. Those losses came ahead of the Trump administration's threatened hike in tariffs to 25% from 10% on $200 billion in goods from China, which took effect a minute after midnight on Friday on the East Coast."
Friday saw a return to some sanity as the as Chinese, Vice Premier Liu headed back to China with both sides agreeing to continue talking. Both the Dow and the S&P closed higher on he day but still down on the week. (The only reason to keep the stock market open is to see how foolish people can be–published 5/12/19)
As a prelude to the above trade tirade the S&P 500 had run from a low of 2351 Christmas Eve 2018 to a high May 1, 2019 of 2954 (a fresh all-time high), up 25% in less than 4 1/2 months. Spirits were high. Then we had what I would term a (trade) tap on the brakes. The S&P corrected 7.6% by June 3.
By July 26 the S&P made another milestone at 3027 followed by a quarter point cut in the Fed funds rate Wednesday, July 31. It looked like we were off to the races and, again, we saw what may have been another (China trade) tap on the brakes.
Coincidence? Who knows? However, if you were rattled by Thursday's and Friday's negative market gyrations, you may find some solace in the idea that the president most likely wants a second term. As there is no recession in sight right now (slowdown maybe, but no recession), unless there is a black swan negative event, equity prices will probably be higher a year from now(maybe significantly higher) and this is regardless of any current trade conflicts with China and others. This is my 'two cents', my speculation on the 'why' of these most recent tariff comments. They may have been a tap on the brakes … 'a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.'
What's your take?
P.S. If the above dynamic holds true it should foster an orderly continuation of the secular bull market that we have enjoyed the past decade. For those in the bear camp take solace in the knowledge this secular bull will end badly. They always do. I just can't say when.
The information presented in kortsessions.com represents my own opinions and does not contain recommendations for any particular investment or securities. I may, from time to time, mention certain securities for illustrative purpose, names where I personally hold positions. These are not meant to be construed as recommendations to BUY or SELL. All investments and strategies should be undertaken only after careful consideration of suitability based on the risks, tolerance for risk and personal financial situation.


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BONE, the governance token of the Shiba Inu ecosystem, has made an amazing jump of 12% in the last 24 hours. This comes as most cryptocurrencies posted losses or even minimal gains in the said timeframe.
At the time of publication, BONE was trading up 11.31% at $0.93. The increase also coincides with a 25% jump in trading volumes, with $5,566,761 worth of BONE traded in the last 24 hours.
BONE is also up a surprising 28% over the past seven days amid positive sentiment from investors and the exchange listings it recorded in the past week.
In the week that passed, New York-based crypto trading platform Uphold announced the listing of Bone ShibaSwap, which would allow retail investors to now buy and sell Shiba Inu's governance token on the platform.
A day before this announcement, SunCrypto, a leading cryptocurrency exchange in India, also announced the launch of BONE on its platform. Likewise, favorable technicals might have helped buoy the BONE price.
In recent weeks, BONE has risen in the crypto market rankings. With a current market valuation of $146,460,221, among a total of 21,924 cryptocurrencies listed on the global aggregator CoinMarketCap, BONE currently ranks as the 148th largest cryptocurrency.
BONE is outperforming SHIB, a major token in the Shiba Inu ecosystem. At the time of publication, SHIB was just up 0.16% at $0.0000093 as it consolidates ahead of a major move.
BONE embarks on massive run
Since Nov. 22, when it posted a bullish double bottom pattern at $0.60 lows, BONE has been on a tear. Taken from Nov. 22, BONE has seen 11 out of 12 days of positive price action.
Specifically, since Nov. 27, BONE is set to mark its sixth consecutive green day of price action.
BONE has also broken through key resistance levels at the daily MA 50 and 200, emphasizing its rise. The daily RSI has not yet reached overbought 70 levels, suggesting that the run might still take a little while before exhaustion sets in.


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Review: YEELIGHT Screenbar with indirect lighting for $59.99/50,10€
You can get the Yeelight screenbar for $59.99/50,10€ from Banggood in the standard version with the coupon 597fda. The Pro Version costs $74.99/62,62€ with the same coupon code.
Home offices and RGB lighting are all the rage right now. Yeelight has a 2-in-1 solution for both: A screen bar that lights up in two directions. In the front, it illuminates the desk, and in the back, colorful LEDs provide some atmosphere.
- Yeelight Screenbar
- at Banggood for $59.99/50,10€ – Coupon: 597fda
- Yeelight Screenbar – Pro Version
- at Banggood for $74.99/62,62€ – Coupon: 597fda
Before questions arise; the test is about the standard version of the Screenbar. The Pro version also offers a link to Razer Chroma and Overwolf, as well as 4 additional presets. Yeelight has also announced that it will release an international version of the Pro. In the course of the first quarter of 2021, it should come on the market, who does not want to wait until then can order it from Banggood. However, the lamp does not have an EU plug there.
Technical data
|YLTD001 (standard version)
|∅23 x 458.5mm (luminaire) / ∅66.5 x 34mm (remote control)
|80 x 0.2W/LED (main light) / 40 x 0.2W/LED (backlight)
|Color index
|2x AAA for remote control
Design and workmanship
The design of the Screenbar is a bit unusual. Actually, you are used to a plain look and white color from Yeelight and Xiaomi lights. The monitor light falls out of this track completely, because it comes in a matte silver and in the middle flaunts the Yeelight logo on a black background.
I actually like the silver a lot, only the strangely protruding logo isn't really my cup of tea. The workmanship, on the other hand, is top notch and the light tube, as well as the clip for attachment, feel high quality. The tube can be easily attached to the clip via magnetic contacts and tilted by about 20 degrees. Of course, the screenbar also fits on curved monitors.
The light of the front LEDs is reflected in the tube and then shines through a milky glass whereby the lamp does not blind and the light is distributed softly and evenly on the desk.
App & Remote Control
Connecting to the Yeelight app was a bit tricky, first you had to plug and unplug the USB C cable five times and then do a firmware update. Once you managed to connect the lamp to the app, you can access some functions. There are six presets, for example to watch movies or to work. The brightness and color temperature of the main light can be adjusted and the color of the backlight.
The included remote can only control the main light and turn the backlight on and off. Turning the remote adjusts the brightness of the main light, holding it down while turning changes the color temperature. A short press on the remote turns the main light on and off, a long press turns the backlight on and off. Small drawback: The remote has a slight delay when you turn a bit faster, but the transition is smooth.
The two LED panels can be operated independently of each other, so you can concentrate on your work, but also turn off the white main light and relax while watching a movie or gaming with the backlight. For those looking for a desk lamp, I highly recommend a monitor lamp. They are more space-saving and illuminate the desk more evenly than regular desk lamps. An alternative to the Yeelight Screenbar is available from Xiaomi and Baseus, for example.
The mood light could be a bit brighter for my taste, but 100% brightness is still sufficient. With the standard version, no scenes or transitions can be played on the backlight. In my opinion, this is a must and possible with the pro version. At least it has a very good color reproduction with a color index of Ra90 and I like that the ambient light projects a nice color gradient on the wall, depending on the color.
I'm just a little worried about the cable, because I can imagine that it quickly gets a loose contact, since it goes out the top and so is always bent. In addition, the backlight shines on the cable and you also need an EU adapter, but you can also use any other USB C cable and power adapter. Against cable breakage, of course, we also have a suitable gadget.
The Screenbar is definitely unique in the Yeelight range as far as desk lamps are concerned. Unlike the lights with a stand, the monitor lamp has the advantage of illuminating the desk much more evenly. Yeelight has killed two birds with one stone here. I haven't found any other manufacturer that offers a monitor lamp with lighting in two directions. The main light for working combined with the mood light is really awesome, especially in these pandemic times when we spend a lot more time at our desks.
Unfortunately, the standard version offers too few options and I miss the ability to create scenes or transitions. These functions are only available with the Pro version and you have to pay the extra price, although it is basically just a software upgrade.To the gadget


text: If I had to be honnest, and had to write my score for one session in sudden ti, or death that would give this : 289 - 23 - 67 - 505 - 34 - 75 - 189 - 22... This is tipically the session of someone who are no consistent..This is my case, few months ago, I have been so complexed and jealous by the speed of DIGITAL that I had let myself be seducted by the dark side of the force...During the following months I have been obseded by my speed and nothing else, ignoring the alarming recommendation of c_t and jago, because I was sure to crush them thanks to a good speed improvement.. Today I can assume that I improved my top speed from 2,2 to 3,2 between last summer and today..Which is not useless ! but the only one thing it gives me today is the ability to make (1 run / 50) a wonderfull sudden ti 300-500, faster than c_t, kotetsu and digital (compared to his best torikan), but it is useless if I die under 510 with that..And the worst : it is cinematicaly faster seeing the game, but actually slower regarding the section times..c_t's citation : "these current speeds are an illusion.." so I tried to apply every advices ; -going for tetrises ? I can do it even for sudden ti 300-500 (if we neglect that I do it 1/50 run...) -playing carefully ? The result are the same, my performance are totaly undependant to my way for playing, for both bursting or taking care of my game.. -never drop the game after a missdrop and try to correct every mistakes ? Sorry but I can not, it is stronger than me, and I perfectly know how to correct the worst mistakes with subtiles moves. So where is the problem ??


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Harvard scientists and engineers have demonstrated a new type of battery that could make power from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar far more economical and reliable. The battery technology was reported in a paper published in Nature.
Under the OPEN 2012 program, the Harvard team received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E) to develop the innovative grid-scale battery.
The paper reports a metal-free flow battery that relies on the electrochemistry of naturally abundant, inexpensive, small organic (carbon-based) molecules called quinones, which are similar to molecules that store energy in plants and animals.
Intermittent wind or solar resources are inhibited by the lack of affordable storage technologies that can release power on demand. Flow batteries store energy in chemical fluids contained in external tanks instead of within the battery container itself. The electrochemical conversion hardware through which the fluids are stored and the chemical storage tanks may be independently sized. Thus the amount of energy that can be stored is limited only by the size of the tanks. The design permits larger amounts of energy to be stored at lower cost than with traditional batteries.
By contrast, in solid-electrode batteries, such as those commonly found in cars and mobile devices, the power conversion hardware and energy capacity are packaged together in one unit and cannot be decoupled. Consequently they can maintain peak discharge power for less than an hour before being drained, and are therefore ill suited to store intermittent renewables.


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We tend to spend a lot of hours with our coworkers daily, and chances are we may fall for them. A survey conducted by the Society for Human Resources Management said, 54% of Americans had a crush at their workplace. It's crucial to understand and handle this very tricky situation if you are longing to build up something special with someone while being good at your job.
I would never want to get in the way of love. Therefore, I'd be more than happy to give you some pointers on dealing with a potential office romance.
#1 Make sure you're following the company rules.
You must see whether your company has a set of rules if you are to date a coworker. Companies have policies and are ready to aid if there's something going on between you and your coworker. Amy Baker, A Professor of Psychology, says that we should read the fine print as some companies restrict dating a subordinate or allow any kind of office romance.
#2 Stay away from a romantic relationship with your boss or a subordinate.
If your company's policy permits you to date at the office, it's best not to date your boss, subordinate, or even a client. This is because it will be hard to handle the power dynamic of such a relationship. Other coworkers might even think that you're trying to get some special treatment. In that case your professionalism could be compromised, eventually leading to you getting fired.
#3 Don't flaunt your relationship, but don't be too secretive about it either.
Keeping an office relationship as a secret is nearly impossible. People are going to eventually find out about the relationship. Make it a priority in discussing the relationship with your Manager and human resources, so that it won't cause problems to anybody. HR may help you understand guidelines, policies and anything else that you need to be aware of, and then you can proceed and be open about your relationship.
#4 Confirm your relationship status.
Prior to taking it to human resources, confirm that you and your coworker are on the same page about the relationship and if you're exclusive or not. Professor Baker says once you realize you want the same thing, and when you're done speaking with the HR regarding it, that there's no harm in sharing it among your coworkers. Just make sure you and your partner agree on who to share it with.
#5 Prepare yourself for the fact that not all of your colleagues will be happy about it.
Professor Baker says that some of your coworkers may feel betrayed after you had been hiding the relationship from them. Several of your workmates may have said unpleasant things about your new partner because they didn't know you two were together. In addition, other coworkers might start to worry that you two might be gossiping together behind their backs, said Professor Baker.
#6 Avoid any and all PDA.
Professor Baker recommends to stay clear of showing your affection towards your partner in public. This is because others will feel uncomfortable and your time at the workplace would become quite awkward. This doesn't limit only to touching, but also flirting and the use of pet names. Also, if there's a quarrel between you two, both should refrain from fighting at work. These things can make you look unprofessional.
#7 Ask yourself if the relationship is worth it.
Luckily you met your soulmate and the person you'll spend the rest of your life with at your workplace. But also due to bad luck your relationship may not turn as positive as expected. And you might want to think about what effect that would have on your work life. You need to think about being able to work with that person and cope with seeing them daily or not. According to Professor Baker, that could negatively affect you mentally and professionally, and you should decide what's best for you.
Have you ever got into a relationship at your workplace? How did it turn out?


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The Longshot
|The Longshot
|Factions Involved
Witch Of Bones
The Meet
The Plan
The Run
Player After Action Reports (AARs)
The team, is hired by Johnson to sabotage the Lions (football team) before the upcoming Superbowl in 2 days. The team will receive 16,000Y for job success with a possible bonus if the Seattle Seahawks' rookie Running Back becomes rookie of the year. The team vocalized dispassion for sports in general with exception of Mute who mimed enthusiasm in support for Seattle Seahawks. The team agreed to conditions.
Basic legwork found that the Lions were staying at Double Tree Inn in the city. Team opted to get a room at same hotel for close observation. Mute was able to duck around the Host's spiders and was able to access the employee and guest registries. Using this information, Kitsune and Mute called room service from a particular attendant named Chuck Mann. Kitsune and Yata knocked out the employee, Kitsune disguised herself as the employee and went to the room of the Lions' Running Back who we found was married to the Quarterback, staying together. Posing as the employee who handled "discreet services", along with a fabricated receipt (provided by Mute) Kitsune was able to instigated an argument between the couple which resulted in a violent altercation which the team was able to exacerbate into a team-wide brawl, all of which was captured on trid stream and uploaded to TMZ, Amateur Urban Brawl, and other sites under humorous/inappropriate titles and tags.
The crew's efforts proved TOO successful, the Lion's entire 1st string was banned from pro-play out of embarrassment and the Lions forfeited.


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Your first stop of the day will be at a manmade wonder -Predjama Castle. This one literally translates to "pre-cave castle", because it's perched at the mouth of a cave within a giant cliff. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Predjama Castle is the largest of its kind in the world. This medieval masterpiece was home to Slovenia's Robin Hood, Erasmus of Lueg, a 15th century robber baron who constructed a network of underground tunnels to help supply the castle in times of sieges.
Travelling the Slovenian Karst, your next stop will be Postojna Cave. This natural wonder is famous for its unbelievably beautiful cave formations in the form of dripstones, underground halls and passages. People have been visiting Postojna Cave for over 200 hundred years, making it one of the oldest show caves with the world's first underground railway. On entering the cave, you will board a little train that takes you deep into this magnificent subterranean spectacle. You then proceed to explore the cave's miracles on foot. Postojna Cave is also home to a species called proteus, an indigenous creature also known as the human fish and lovingly dubbed the "baby dragon".
The afternoon will be reserved for Ljubljana, one of Europe's smallest capitals, a beautiful vibrant city that you will fall in love with instantly. Declared the Green Capital of Europe in 2016, Ljubljana's centre is restricted to traffic, which makes strolling down its cobbled streets incredibly enjoyable. The Old Town is adorned by Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture, including the stunning creations by the internationally acclaimed architect Jože Plečnik, who embellished this subalpine gem with the fascinating Triple Bridge, a covered riverside marketplace and even pyramids. Ljubljana is steeped with history stretching back to Roman times. Its strategic trading position has contributed to the city's colourful diversity for centuries. Present-day Ljubljana will enchant you with its rich cultural heritage and laidback character on every step of your guided tour, giving you a taste of Slovenia in a nutshell.


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I recently wrote a
.bat script on Windows to mine Ethereum when I'm not using my gaming PC to frag noobs. I have a friend who also tries to mine cryptocurrencies but their machines have AMD processors; every once in a while, the processor and the mining executable start fighting and all mining comes to a halt.
Having the mining
.exe stop work but not kill the process is a really frustrating problem. I thought it was a Windows sleep/hibernation issue but the solution I wrote about in that post didn't fix the problem. I went with the next best solution: killing and restarting the process after a given amount of time:
:loop start PhoenixMiner.exe -pool us1.ethermine.org:4444 -pool2 us1.ethermine.org:4444 -wal WALLET_ADDRESS -proto 3 echo "-------------------------------MINER STARTED" timeout /t 3600 >null echo "-------------------------------MINER TERMINATED, RESTARTING" taskkill /f /im "PhoenixMiner.exe" > null goto loop
This script kills the process and restarts it after an hour, regardless of if mining is running smoothly or has quit. This obviously isn't a perfect solution; a better answer would be to create a script to listen for an error and restart the process immediately. I will contend it's a workable solution so that mining isn't down for an entire night!


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In all the chaos around Oakland, this humble kitchen garden is providing a welcome oasis — at least to the community of the Packard Homes.
"We like to call it the free market project," explains Laura Colgate, the communications manager for the Oakland Housing Development Corporation (OHLD). "The idea is that it's a community garden, and as we market it, and invite the community to join, everyone's willing to pitch in."
This is not the first time that OHLD has offered a community garden to impoverished residents of the project. It is part of an ongoing initiative to beautify the streets of the Housing Development Corporation, which is nestled against the Oakland hills in West Oakland.
Created by the Housing Development Corporation, Unit 664 of the city's expansive Alameda Housing, it is four feet square, a site of cramped living, crammed into the irregular spaces of a parking lot on Jackman Avenue.
Plants are planted where the concrete would normally go, but an oasis still exists, complete with a pebble pool. Beyond a down-filled fence, is a sturdy canopy and a porch, "one of the few safe spots in the project for neighbors," Colgate told FoxNews.com.
Within the community garden, a small plot of fertile soil receives monsoon season runoff. One of the garden's organizers, Marion Bray of Domino Gardens, described the strategy as picking up "weed buckets" — "basically doormats with cayenne pepper on them that you can drive around in your car and get all the weeds off the ground."
By giving residents space to grow food, she said, "we're making it easier for people to grow what they need, and making it very easy for them to keep it in their neighborhood."
Environmentalists agree. "That land was just rubble for quite a long time," said Stephanie R. Brady, with the Oakland-based advocacy group CleanTech. "To be able to restore that vision and sense of pride, a large part of that has to be greening your public space."
And a green space it is, the Packard, which is as much public space as it is a rooftop garden. An assortment of plants grow on dozens of small plots, from common weeds like rhododendrons to succulents and peppers.
The plot with the largest grow space is for nettles, one of the most useful weeds for people who grow their own food. "They are super strong, they are super vigorous, but they also don't give off much smell," said Ray Naidoo, a UC-Berkeley plant scientist who travels the country for his work on invasive species.
What has kept residents growing there are the rules on maintenance. During the winter months, a handful of faithful members tend to the plots. In the warmer months, the grounds are full of people. The garden is sold at the St. Cecilia Neighborhood Market, which Colgate attributes to the untapped potential of a growing urban community.
"That area has some of the lowest homeownership rate in the city," she said. "Many people are coming out to the market because they want to grow their own food. To have an opportunity to be away from home — and if they can do it, it's an awesome experience to be healthy."
Colgate said that there is a huge success in allowing people to grow their own food. She said that it means "very valuable cuts for the seniors of Oakland," as well as children in the community, who are able to "be part of the community."
To do that, the community garden must continue to be on an integral part of the housing initiative in the neighborhood. An ambitious schedule is set with a plan to grow flowers and sod in the area over the next six months.
And with the addition of OHLD's newest addition, a community edible garden that formed in the Packard this year, there will be no shortage of planting plots to grow food on Jackman Avenue.
Alex Hassler is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @AlexHassler


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Master Durandal commented,
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After exactly 5 years in the SYM Superyacht Management fleet, we are delighted to confirm the sale of M/Y ZULU, the beautifully presented Sunseeker 115' which has given so much pleasure to her owners these last few years across the Western and Eastern Med.
This stunning yacht was originally located in the US when the deal to buy her was put together and we oversaw the pre-purchase surveys, purchase process and shipping back to Europe before setting out on a soft refit, prior to guests coming onboard.
Since then ZULU has been spotted in all of the most amazing cruising destinations that the Med has to offer, and attended prestigious sailing regattas, Monaco GP's and much, much more.
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More news on this in the coming months !
Congratulations to our good friend Harry Bristow-Holmes who represented the buyer and seller on this sale.


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USA should do more for Bangladesh
The Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 signed by US President Barack Obama on June 29, 2015, brings afresh the concerns and frustrations of Bangladesh. The Act authorises the Generalised System of Preference (GSP) through December 31, 2017 and makes GSP retroactive from 31 July 2013. It provides duty free treatment of imports from 122 countries and territories effective from July 29, 2015. Unfortunately, Bangladesh is not on the list, though its South Asian neighbours such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are among the GSP beneficiaries.
The USA suspended GSP for Bangladesh on June 27, 2013, effective from September 1, 2013, following labour rights and safety issues after the collapse of Rana Plaza on April 24, 2013. Since then, Bangladesh has made significant improvements towards meeting the 16 compliance related issues in the readymade garments sector. The National Tripartite Plan of Action on Fire Safety and Structural Integrity, along with two global buyers' groups namely, Alliance of North American buyers and Accord of the European buyers inspected over 2000 factories and closed the vulnerable ones (only 1.78 percent of total factories). The labour law of the country has been amended and the right to form trade unions in factories, including in the special economic zones, has been approved. The minimum wage of RMG workers has been raised to $69 in November 2013, in an attempt to make it comparable to other competing countries and to allow a decent life to workers. The new wage is close to that of India where RMG workers' minimum wage is $71.
Bangladesh also signed the Trade and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement (TICFA) to improve bilateral trade relations through a platform, and in the hope that TICFA could be a vehicle for GSP retention. The US Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman, during the signing of TICFA, assured that TICFA "will provide a formal mechanism for Bangladesh and the USA to engage in regular discussions on trade and labour issues like the GSP action plan and enable countries to work together to improve labour conditions and workers' rights in Bangladesh." (www.bdembassyusa.com)
Sadly, Bangladesh has been deprived of various trade facilities which the USA offers to other countries. GSP was granted to Bangladesh for only less than 1 percent of its total exports. But its major export item, readymade garments, which is about 92 percent of total exports to the USA, is outside GSP. As a result, Bangladesh currently pays 15.61 percent as duty for exporting RMG to the USA. In 2005, at the WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, RMG was on the "3 percent exclusion list" of the USA, as they agreed to provide duty-free, quota-free access (DFQF) to 97 percent tariff lines, keeping RMG outside of it. Then in 2013, at the ninth WTO ministerial conference in Bali, the development package stipulated that developed countries, which are yet to provide DFQF to least developed countries, would do so for more than 97 percent tariff lines before the tenth WTO ministerial conference. The progress is depressing. Ironically, GSP is offered to many countries whose political system is not particularly favoured by the USA.
GSP is the largest and oldest US trade preference programme that promotes economic development of countries through elimination of duties on up to 5,000 types of products. This also aims to provide opportunities for many of the world's poorest countries to use trade to grow their economies and climb out of poverty.
If that is so, then Bangladesh very much falls into the recipient category. Though recently Bangladesh has graduated from a low income country to a lower middle income country, it still falls under the category of the Least Developed Countries (LDC). A large number of its population lives below the poverty line. To lift these people out of poverty, the government has to generate adequate employment through higher investment and trade. The country is vulnerable to the impact of climate change for no fault of its own. Without international cooperation, these challenges will continue to obstruct the development of Bangladesh. Attaining the newly promised Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations by 2030 will also be difficult.
Bangladesh's resilience through tough times - both natural and manmade - has been astonishing. Despite the suspension of GSP, export of non-RMG products to the USA has increased in 2014 and 2015, implying that it could be even higher in a duty-free regime.
GSP is of course not the end of the world. But what matters is the attitude of the USA towards Bangladesh. As the Bangladesh government now prepares to send its delegation to urge the USTR for reviewing GSP, it should also look beyond the GSP. We have to come to terms with the fact that compliance is the name of the game to survive in the export market in the present day context. Unmet conditions such as formulation of rules under the labour law, amendment of law for workers in the EPZs and the end of violence and harassment of workers' representatives will have to be addressed to improve compliance.
Compliance is also a moving goalpost. There will always be new requirements from buyers and buying country regulators. We have little choice but to accept them. Diagnosis of underlying reasons and smelling politics in this decision will not take us anywhere. Economic decisions, in the end, are also political decisions. Otherwise, countries with far less compliance wouldn't be enjoying GSP facilities.
On the part of the USA, it can't shrug off its responsibilities from a plethora of issues. US aid flow to Bangladesh remains low, even though high tariff is paid by 'Made in Bangladesh' exports to the USA. A simple move to reduce tariff will allow Bangladeshi exporters to export more and invest on productivity improvement and workers' welfare.
We would also like to see more concrete support for trade promotion and poverty alleviation of Bangladesh as promised. The USA could invest in improving the supply side capacity of Bangladesh. Providing aid for trade towards technological upgradation, capacity development of workers and mid-level managers, and exposures of entrepreneurs in various US centres of excellence on business are some of the areas where the United States could contribute. Programmes similar to 'JOBS' of the USAID should be re-launched for the development of export oriented sectors of Bangladesh, as these schemes also create employment opportunities for the poor.
And as for the GSP facility, Bangladesh deserves a fair and pragmatic treatment from the US government.
The writer is Research Director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, currently a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Study of Science, Technology & Policy, India.


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Colleen practices in the Business & Transactional, Estate Planning & Probate, and Banking & Commercial sections within the firm. She assists trusts, estates, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals with tax compliance and tax and estate planning. Colleen represents companies in acquisitions and divestitures, as well as consulting on a variety of business and employment tax issues. Also a Certified Public Accountant, Colleen transitioned within DBL Law from her previous position as Controller. In this capacity, she was responsible for managing all financial and equipment aspects of the firm and associated staff.
Colleen is a Northern Kentucky native and resides in Fort Thomas with her husband and four children.


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The Zagat guide turned 30 years old this year, and in honor of the occasion, I'd like to give founders Tim and Nina Zagat a hearty thanks for all their years of service to the restaurant industry. And, if I may, I'd like to offer some friendly advice, too: You can go away now.
Ten years ago, back before everyone had access to a world of opinion via some device tucked into purse or pocket, diners relied on your slim red eponymous guide, which compiled restaurant ratings based on public opinion. It was your slap against the imperial voice of the critic. The Zagat book would be the voice of the people, guiding diners by the collective wisdom of the people, even if you would never tell us how many people actually voted for any one restaurant.
But now, nearly a decade into the 21st century, the people no longer need Zagat to compile data, crunch it, and cough it up in cute little numbers of dubious quality. They can compile their own dining information of dubious quality without all the opaque, Wizard of Oz, man-behind-the-curtain nonsense that you have insisted on for three decades.
The truth is, the Zagat guide belongs to a time when tourists and urban newcomers, looking for some guidance on restaurants, had nowhere else to turn. For these folks, the Zagat guide was like asking 1,000 random strangers, "What's your favorite restaurant?" and then tabulating the results.
Except it wasn't. The Zagat survey has never been random. Its respondents are, in the language of pollsters, self-selected. Or perhaps mostly self-selected. That's the problem: Few people outside of Zagat's New York offices know who actually votes and how those voters are selected.
Nina and Tim Zagat, a pair of former lawyers, have indicated in the past that they'd send out hundreds of thousands of surveys to law firms, medical offices, and other white-collar institutions where people, presumably, have the disposable income to eat out often enough to provide the Zagats with the free data they need to sustain their empire. But Zagat also solicits online reviews. Are those included in the final ratings? That would seem to be the case, but one restaurateur complained to me that some never appear on the site.
The Zagats are like a couple living in a walled compound, sealed off from some of the major developments of the past decade. The generation that willingly accepted unverified pronouncements from established authorities has moved into retirement homes. The younger generation is far more interested in its own opinion, which it shares in virtual communities like Yelp, MySpace, and Facebook. It values transparency among peers (if not in the comments sections of blogs), and its members are strung out on the 24-hour news cycle, which has them addicted to the latest 140-character information bomb from Twitter.
We do not live in a Zagat World anymore.
This epiphany came to me via the 2010 edition of the Washington D.C./Baltimore Zagat guide. There, on page 10, are the 40 highest-rated restaurants in the D.C. area in terms of food. At the top, for the second year in a row, is Makoto, a 25-seat Japanese restaurant in Palisades that prepares a pristine, multicourse omakase menu based on the seasons and the chef's whims. The place earned 29 out of 30 points for food from Zagat raters, just barely beating out the Inn at Little Washington, which is rather impressive given the latter's bona fides. In 1994, the International Herald Tribune named the Inn one of the 10 best restaurants in the world, and it has remained a darling of critics. Celebrities and politicians hop in helicopters to dine at the Inn at Little Washington. Washingtonians consult their GPS to figure out how to find Makoto.
You might be wondering how a niche restaurant like Makoto, with such a minuscule seating capacity, could generate enough votes to win the top spot two years running in the D.C. Zagat guide. There's an easy answer: It didn't. Makoto won the 2009 Zagat survey for food. The ratings in the 2010 book merely repeat those from last year's survey, although the casual reader would be hard-pressed to know this important fact.
The only way I learned about the duplicate ratings was through Michael Birchenall, editor and publisher of the local trade magazine Foodservice Monthly. After reading a blog item that I wrote about Makoto's strange stranglehold on Zagat, Birchenall combed through his old guides and discovered an interesting trend: Those restaurants that topped the Zagat ratings in the odd years were the same ones that topped them in the even years. A spokesperson for Zagat confirmed his findings.
"As Michael Birchenall pointed out to you, we compile new survey results and prepare a new guide for Washington, DC/Baltimore every other year," e-mailed Tiffany Barbalato, director of communications for Zagat. "This is why the winning restaurants and top lists you refer to in the 2010 guide are the same as last year's."
Barbalato, in the same e-mail, alerted me to this line in the latest guide: "This 2010 Washington, DC/Baltimore Restaurants Survey is an update reflecting significant developments since our last Survey was published." (Those significant developments, incidentally, are mostly the addition of new, unrated restaurants with an editor-written description.) Barbalato offered up this lone, coyly worded sentence as evidence that Zagat doesn't try to dupe its customers about the duplicate nature of the even-year guides.
I had my doubts that this anemic sentence was pulling its weight, so I called a few restaurateurs and asked them if they knew about Zagat's duplicate ratings. "I did not know that," says Jeff Black, 46, the owner of four restaurants, including BlackSalt and Addie's, who's been working in the hospitality business since age 13. "That's kind of lame."
"Oh, really?" says Barton Seaver, chef at the new Blue Ridge in Glover Park. "OK, that's a dinosaur.…We're living in an era where Todd Kliman [of the Washingtonian] reviews a restaurant as it happens" via Twitter.
Their alarm at this news is understandable. Many restaurants have shorter life spans than the average prime-time program, which means that these places grow, mature, and gray quickly. A Zagat rating based on a year-old survey—or older—is the equivalent of judging this season's Mad Men by the episodes of the previous season. Take, for example, the rating in the 2010 Zagat guide for Black's Bar & Kitchen. Jeff Black's Bethesda operation scores a respectable 24 for food, but that rating is based on a survey likely tabulated when Mallory Buford was executive chef in mid-2009. Black's is now on its third different executive chef since Buford left. "Things do change [at restaurants]," Black says, "and they change quickly."
Makoto may be one of the few exceptions to that rule. Time doesn't stand still here—but it actually seems to expand, as if you get two minutes for every 60 ticks around the clock. Part of the sensation can be traced to a pair of unyielding policies at Makoto: You must take off your shoes in the anteroom and don slippers, and you must silence your cell phones. These house customs leave your toes swaddled in pillowy comfort and leave you to contemplate the finer things about the restaurant experience: your food, your dining companions, and your deepest, most neurotic thoughts.
Depending on the quality of the latter two, it's often best to focus on the food. Yoshi Itoh, chef and co-owner of Makoto, has developed a disciplined kitchen that can quickly produce a small banquet of plates, some so good you'll wonder why there's not a line snaking around this restaurant every night. Deep-fried soft-shell crabs breaded with pebble-sized crumbles of rice cracker. Strips of medium-rare tenderloin so rich and tender they practically slide down your throat with the soy-based sauce. Wasabi-smeared slivers of fresh fish perched atop the fluffiest sushi rice you've ever seen, each piece of nigiri expertly balancing its heat with its sweet.
And yet for all its devotion to the fine art and technique of Japanese cooking, Makoto is not one point away from perfection, at least not according to my own internal guide. The tuna served as part of my sashimi course during a recent visit was mealy and gummy, while the flounder was flavorless. The dessert of shaved ice, flavored with fruit and Grand Marnier, was refreshing enough but, frankly, has worn out its welcome after countless appearances on Makoto's omakase menu. Then there's the squadron of female servers, who balance the gentility of a geisha girl with the fastidiousness of an English nanny. I can't tell if they want to sit with me or tell me to clean up my room.
So how does a place like Makoto reach the pinnacle of the Zagat food ratings? If you research the published literature on Zagat, you'll come across stories of restaurateurs trying to game the voting system. They'll blast e-mails to the diners in their database, reminding them to cast their votes before the Zagat survey period ends. Their message is implied but clear: Stuff the Zagat ballot box for their restaurant. Some restaurateurs might even offer discounts, or other gifts, to those diners who cast ballots, despite the fact that this kind of tit-for-tat vote solicitation can get you banned from the Zagat book.
Jeffrey Buben, owner of Bistro Bis and Vidalia, knows for certain that some restaurateurs try to outsmart the Zagat system. He's one of them (though without the promise of any kitchen bribe). In the past, he's placed little promotional tents on the tables or slipped cards into the checks, asking diners to vote in the next Zagat survey. His goal is to land a Top 5 ranking in Zagat's food category. He doesn't apologize for it, either. "That's what grass-roots PR is all about," Buben says. He leaves it up to the Zagat data-crunchers to weed out the questionable ballots, which they claim they can do.
Makoto has accomplished exactly what Buben was aiming for. The restaurant opened either in 1992 or 1993 (neither Makoto manager Michiko Lecuyer nor anyone at the restaurant could remember), and for its first few years, it never even appeared in the Zagat guide. But then in 1997, it suddenly scored 28 out of 30 points for food, tying it for second place with L'Auberge Chez Francois in the entire D.C.market. Makoto has never slipped lower than third place since then, a run of more than 12 years.
Lecuyer credits the kitchen for Makoto's long ride atop the charts. The chefs select only the freshest seasonal ingredients, from fish to vegetables, no matter what the price, she says. The cooks also prepare the omakase plates with a nod to authenticity. "We serve the food we want to eat," Lecuyer says, "the way we want to eat it.…Our customers get it and understand it. That's why we've been highly listed."
Now, if there's one question you don't want to ask the owner or manager of an elegant Japanese restaurant like Makoto, it's this: Do you beg or cheat for Zagat votes?
"We don't do that," Lecuyer says, noting that servers aren't allowed to talk to customers. "We don't know who is doing the survey and is not doing the survey. We don't know."
Such ignorance may be a blessing to Makoto, but it's a bane for diners who want to know how legitimate Zagat's ratings are. Team Zagat in New York won't answer any questions about its survey methodology, and Tim and Nina Zagat turned down my interview request. It's more of the same stonewalling that has worked for 30 years for the Zagats and their guides, which now cover subjects ranging from dining to golf in more than 100 countries. The company's attitude forces you to make a snap decision: You either trust it or you lump it.
A lot of people are opting for the latter. According to a New York Post article from earlier this month, not only are Zagat sales "down dramatically," but the company moved too slowly online, "allowing Yelp and others to dominate the market." Zagat, the paper wrote, laid off about 16 people in May. The founders themselves seemed to see the writing on the wall a year earlier: The Zagats tried to sell their company for a reported $200 million last year but couldn't find any buyers in that price range and pulled Zagat off the auction block.
It's easy to see why people choose Yelp, Chowhound, Urban Spoon, and OpenTable over Zagat, both the guide and the online site. The obsolete-before-you-buy-it Zagat book is $14.95 a shot, and Zagat.com charges nearly $25 a year to access its complete site, including those ratings that can be seriously outdated. Plus, the mere act of creating an account with Zagat.com requires that you provide the kind of personal information—mailing address, telephone, birth year—that other sites have decided to forgo.
By contrast, Yelp, Chowhound, Urban Spoon, and other sites are free, and most already have established communities where members interact with each other on particular topics and restaurants. Even better for diners looking for recommendations on Yelp or OpenTable, they can see exactly how many people have commented on a particular restaurant—and how those reviews have been averaged into an overall rating. Even the minimal transparency on these sites makes Zagat seem like Stalinist Russia.
"Zagat is not a primary source [for information] anymore," says Dean Gold, the chef and owner of Dino in Cleveland Park, which scores a decent 21 rating for food from Zagat. Adds Gold, a college-trained statistician: "Zagat, of all the major sources, probably has the lowest levels of reliability" because of its self-selected survey base, which provides little to no information on the people who actually cast ballots.
At this point, OpenTable may be the most reliable of the sites that aggregate restaurant ratings. Site administrators send review surveys only to those diners who have honored their OpenTable reservation, and the diners have approximately 30 days to fill out the forms. This process guarantees two things, says Ann Shepherd, vice president of marketing for OpenTable: 1) that every review is actually based on a meal eaten at the restaurant; 2) that the meal was eaten recently, while the memory of it is still fresh.
Those are two promises that you will never hear from Zagat, a guide that looks destined to follow so many other print publications into oblivion.
Zagat's 2010 Makoto blurb shows why the guides are "refrigerator-magnet poetry," "dubious," good only for a "lonely traveler…searching for a good place to sup before masturbating himself to sleep."
Grade Creepiness: As first pointed out in SmartMoney magazine in 2007, Zagat food grades have spiked dramatically over the years for restaurants in the New York guide. Same goes for the D.C. area: In the 1992 guide, only 13 restaurants earned grades of 25 points or higher (out of a possible 30). In 2010, more than 60 restaurants topped the 25-point mark. Even more startling, 72 percent of D.C. restaurants with actual ratings in the latest guide earned a grade of 20 or higher, which means that nearly three-quarters of our eateries are "very good" or better. No one sucks here anymore.
The Method, Man: Readers have no idea how many votes are required before the results are considered statistically relevant to merit a Zagat grade (Zagat's Barbalato told me that Makoto edged Inn at Little Washington, 28.9024 to 28.8495, but would not say how many votes were cast). What's more, they have no idea if the grade represents the votes of the restaurateur's spouse and 100 close friends or a statistically sound sample of D.C. area diners. All they know is this: The voters are self-selected, which is a pool almost guaranteed to skew results. Readers don't even know if voters actually ate the restaurants in question. OpenTable, by contrast, posts reviews only from diners who have honored their online reservation.
Cut-and-Paste Prose: Zagat editors take a ransom-note approach to writing descriptions of the restaurants in their guides. Compare that to consumer-oriented sites, such as Yelp or DonRockwell, where amateur critics can relate their entire dining experiences without fear that an editor will place a dis about "uncomfortable seating" right next to some yahoo's Pollyanna piffle about a "wonderful experience." Zagat is refrigerator-magnet poetry at a time when people want the Library of Congress at their fingertips.
You've Been Duped: For those who purchased the 2010 edition of the Washington D.C./Baltimore Zagat guide, the Makoto entry might seem familiar. For good reason. It's the exact same entry as last year's. The exact same awkwardly phrased copy. The exact same dubious grades. And yet you'd be hard-pressed to learn from the introduction that the 2010 guide is merely an update. Here's the truth: The even-year Zagat guides are based on the surveys from the previous year. Do you know how much a restaurant can change in two years, let alone two months? Would you trust a review from a year ago on Yelp?
Solitary Confinement: Zagat bases your estimated check on a single dinner and drink, plus tip, which is rather symbolic. Social network sites want to create a community around a common interest in food, which explains not only Myspace Local's recent move into online restaurant reviews but also local restaurateurs' embrace of Facebook and its ability to connect supporters. Zagat, by contrast, still conjures up images of the lonely traveler, that burgundy guide tucked into his back pocket, searching for a good place to sup before masturbating himself to sleep.
Caught in a Binder: Like newspapers and magazines, Zagat is dependent on print, where presumably the company still earns most of its revenues, despite the fact that its most timely and user-friendly information (menus, maps, and recent reviews) is found online. Zagat withholds survey ratings from its free Web pages in hopes that you'll plunk down $24.95 a year to find out what the voting public, in whatever numbers, thought of places like Makoto over a year ago. It's a hopeless online business plan, but it's probably a better deal than the $14.95 you pay for the actual paperback guide.


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Opening hours
from 12:30 to 16:30
See the menu highlights
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8th of MARCH 2020
Dacia Felix Restaurant, from 12:30 to 16:30.
Buffet with live stations. See the menu highlights here
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For bookings and events please call 021 311 9000.


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Encore 8-Port 10/100Mbps NWay Switch is capable of delivering significant network load originating from large user group or from sources, such as video, audio, and graphic content. It has eight Fast Ethernet (10/100 Mbps) ports. Each attached device to these ports enjoys a dedicated connection with no bandwidth congestion issue.
For your convenience, ENH-908-NWY simplifies the operation procedures in many ways: the Plug-and-Play feature doesn't require software installation, the Front-panel Diagnostic LEDs monitor the activity status of the ports and the whole system, and the Auto-Negotiation feature allows each port to run at its optimum speed. Also, last but not the least, you don't need to worry about the cable type, whether it's crossed or not.
In addition, ENH-908-NWY Switch is ideal for micro-segmenting large networks into smaller connected networks for improved performance. It also reduces latency and achieves reliable data connection using its Store-and-Forward switching method.
Incorporate Encore 8-Port 10/100Mbps NWay Switch in your network infrastructure to benefit from both performance and convenience.


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THSTI Recruitment 2019: 18 Vacancies
Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) has issued notifications for recruiting eligible candidates to the various posts as mentioned below. Please find detailed information regarding the vacancies below.
Important Dates
Last date to apply: 09.09.2019
Display of shortlisted candidates for written test/skill test/interview: 13 September 2019
Date of written test/skill test/interview: 26 September 2019 & 27 September 2019
About Vacancies
Technical Manager: 03
Senior Technical Officer: 07
Technical Officer-I: 06
Technical officer-II: 02
How to Apply
Eligible candidates must ensure that they possess the necessary qualifications and fulfil all the required criteria before applying for the posts.
Interested candidates need to apply online by visiting the Official Website. No other mode of application submission would be accepted.
Candidates should have valid a personal E-mail ID and a mobile number. It should be kept active till the recruitment process is fully complete.
Details once submitted in the online application form will be final and any request for any change including change in correspondence address/email address/mobile number/category shall not be entertained. Candidates are, therefore, advised to carefully fill up their online application.
Read the Advertisement carefully to be sure about your eligibility.
Essential Qualification
Technical Manager
Ph.D. in Life Sciences / Medical Sciences with 1 year of relevant experience for faculty support and Bioassay lab. PG Professional degree in Computer Science/ Information Technology / Engineering with 10 years of relevant experience for IT
Senior Technical Officer
PG Degree in Life Sciences / Chemistry / Pharmaceutical Sciences with 7 years of relevant experience.
Technical Officer-I
PG Degree in Life Sciences / Chemistry / Pharmaceutical Sciences with 5 years' of relevant experience OR Graduate Degree in Life Sciences / Chemistry / Pharmaceutical Sciences with 7 years of relevant experience.
Technical officer-II
PG Degree with 3 years' of relevant experience OR Graduate degree with 5 years of relevant experience OR Graduate degree with DMLT and 3 years'of relevant experience.
Selection Procedure
Selection of candidates for all the posts would be made on the basis of the performance of the eligible candidates in the following:
written test/skill test/interview
Upper Age limit is relaxable by:
3 years for OBC (Non Creamy Layer).
5 years for SC/ST candidates.
Persons with Disabilities Candidates:
- By 10 years for General
- By 13 years for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)
- By 15 years for SC/ST
General/EWS candidates: Rs 500
SC/ST/PwD/Female/OBC candidates: Nil
The fee has to be paid online through credit card/debit card, Net Banking and other such modes available.


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Every dog is a product of its environment and without communications skills between the dog and its family the environment and the dog can become unstable. Learning the basic skills it takes to communicate with your dog will help develop healthy habits and manners for a happy and stress-free home environment.
Any successful training program-group style, one on one, or specialized training-involves both the dog and the owner. Considering that each dog and its family are different, KCK offers a dog-training program utilizing a custom balance of professional and sensible training techniques.
At the Klubhouse "we speak dog" and we want to help you do the same!
Katie's Canine Klubhouse with Cesar Millan the "Dog Whisperer"
Katie's Canine Klubhouse with Patricia McConnell
Pricing is subject to change
Training course (6 weeks)
- AKC Canine Good Citizen $135
- AKC S.T.A.R Puppy $135
In-home private lessons (<25 miles of KCK)
- 1 hour lesson $90
- 5 lesson package $383
- >25 miles $0.50 / mile
Training during daycare
- One-time Consultation Fee $10
- 1 hour $50
- 30 minutes $25
Specialized training, including aggressive behaviors, will be determined on an individual basis
Pricing is subject to change
Training Course (6 weeks)
AKC S.T.A.R Puppy: $135
In-home private lessons
1 hour lesson: $90
5 lesson package: $383
> 25 miles travel: $0.50 / mile


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If you have been wondering how to help keep small businesses afloat during trying times, you are not alone. Many businesses are adjusting and moving towards online advertising and selling, and you can use these moves in your favor. Small businesses need your patronage now more than ever, so use these tips to help support them.
Send Unique Gifts to Loved Ones
When you're looking for original gifts to send to someone, small business enterprise offer a large variety of wonderful options. Think about what the recipient enjoys and search for gifts that match a hobby or interest. You can find exceptional gifts from local shops online and send them to your loved ones easily. So, whether you're looking for homemade jewelry for sale or delicious baked treats, consider supporting an entrepreneur. From custom gifts to pre-made gift bundles, any purchase you make from a small business means a lot to the store's owner and employees.
Buy Online Gift Cards
Buying gift cards online is a wonderful way to bolster businesses when you can't visit their actual store or when you don't know exactly what you want to buy from them yet. Many people prefer to receive gift cards as gifts, as well, so they can choose a specific item when they need or want it most. If you are in charge of buying bulk gifts for a group of people, such as a team at work or a large family gift exchange, gift cards come in quite handy. Buying gift cards from a small business also helps to spread the word about their offerings, which is beneficial for growing their client base.
Tag and Share on Social Media Platforms
Social media is a powerful player in marketing and advertising. If you have a long-time favorite or have recently had a wonderful experience with a new business, consider following their online social media accounts. You can tag social media handles in your posts to thank them and to show your friends how much you appreciate the services provided by the business. Another way to help your preferred small businesses grow is to share the posts they create. Sometimes a business may run promos or giveaways, and you can enter by tagging your friends and sharing the post. This is an easy way to help the business gain recognition.
When you want to make your purchases count the most, buy from small businesses. You will make someone's day with each transaction and interaction.


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Garmin Instinct
Best GPS watch
Brand: Garmin Gear Reviews
Model: Instinct
OUR TAKE Bottom line: You will not have to baby this piece of equipment. The no-frills Instinct is a dust-, shock-, water-, and thermal-proof GPS watch that comes in at a cool $300, a great price for the durability and performance. Like others in the category, the Instinct uses a three- axis magnetic compass and altimeter (via GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellites) for superaccurate navigation. But unlike them, it's made of military-grade, fiber- reinforced polymer, making it virtually indestructible. Best part? It's normal watch size ("I didn't have to fight to get this one under my cuffs," confirms our Gear Editor). Though the Instinct isn't a mapping watch (you can't view topos), it reliably lets users leave breadcrumb trails and waypoints, and its TracBack feature directs the wearer back to his or her starting point. Battery life is average for the category: up to 16 hours in GPS mode. Dings: As with all GPS watches, the Instinct can only minimally interface with your phone, and it relies on apps from the Garmin ecosystem.
TRAIL CRED "I didn't even crack open the manual before heading to the Spanish Pyrenees," our Gear Editor says. "The button functionality is so easy to learn that I was quickly able to figure out how to adjust the settings and record a track."


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WOW!!!!! As a more introverted/introverted person, you may not always know when I am SUPER excited but this is one of those times!!!
I have made pizza over the years…sourdough pizza to be exact. There have been some triumphs and some fails. The biggest fail is that the cheese is nice and golden, but the crust still tastes a little raw. That happened to me last time I tried to make this pizza (I rushed it). But, this one is SPOT ON. I am so happy.
The inner crust is thin and crispy, and the outer crust is chewy but is light and well cooked. The flavor is also amazing. I added a little whole wheat but added honey to balance it so it doesn't taste too wheat-y. Turned out great.
I'll be making notes on this. I want to share the recipe for the sourdough recipe I used (I kept it in the fridge for 2 days to ferment and it seemed to improve the results).
But, even if you don't make your own dough and use store-bought, you can still use my baking steps to make a pretty awesome pizza at home. Follow how I cooked it in the oven for a crispy, well-cooked pizza. Jump down to "Shaping and Baking Pizza" steps.
I put pictures at the bottom so you can see more of the process.
Sourdough Pizza
Ingredients (makes 3 small pizzas):
- 200g High protein Bread Flour
- 100g High Protein Wheat Flour
- 200g All-purpose flour
- 330g water
- 120 g active starter (passes float test)
- 30g honey
- 30g extra virgin olive oil
- 10g salt
- 20g water
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Making Dough: Mix all ingredients except last two. Let sit for 45 minutes. Then, add the salt and 20g water. Mix in. Let rise for 2 hours, pulling and turning every 30 minutes to stretch the dough. Then, put in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for 1-2 days. (I did 2 days, wouldn't go past 3 days)
Shaping dough: When ready to make pizza, take dough out of the fridge for at least an hour (up to 2 hours). Shape it with a generous amount of flour. Stretch the dough as thin as possible but pinch the outer edges. If it breaks, let it rest a bit more.
Baking Pizza: Preheat oven to 500F and place a cast iron griddle or pizza stone in the oven while preheating. When hot, put pizza on the cast iron or stone and cook for 7-10 minutes, or bubbles form and slight color is starting. Take out of the oven. Top dough with your toppings and lower the oven to 450F. Cook additional 10-15 minutes or crust crust sounds hollow when tapped. If using Prosciutto or basil, put it on the pizza after it comes out of the oven while still warm.
If you need more tips on how to make sourdough or how to start with a starter visit my blog post on "SOURDOUGH" to get started.
|After 2 days in the fridge, my dough has lots of bubbles and is looking great!
|If using store-bought dough, bring it out of fridge for 1-2 hours to rest
|Shape it with a generous amount of flour.
Pinch the outer edges to make a crust
|Place on a preheated cast iron griddle (500F). no oil needed. Do this carefully. The oven is superhot!
|(Left) Cook 7-10 minutes or until bubbly and slightly golden
|Take out and top with sauce and toppings
|Put back in the oven at 450 F for 10-15 minutes or outer crust
(thickest part) sounds hollow when tapped
My pizza seems dense and undercooked. What happened?
The cheese on my pizza has browned too fast and the dough is not cooked, what should I do?
I don't have a cast iron griddle, what else can I use to cook my pizza?
Hope these tips helped. Feel free to find me on Instagram and message me if you have more questions. @chefjoannas
More on Bread:
- What the Heck is this Sourdough Starter Everyone Talks about?
- Seeded Sourdough Baguette
- How to Make Your first Sourdough Loaf (minimal tools)
To your happy and healthy life,
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me on Instagram! I'd love to see it! @chefjoannas


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Dear C4SS Supporters,
This week, I've submitted 10,016 Center op-eds to 2,801 publications. At present, I've confirmed seven "pickups" of those op-eds:
- Sheldon Richman's "Wall Street Couldn't Have Done it Alone" appeared in Media With Conscience News on October 10; the Deming, New Mexico Headlight and the Carroll County, Maryland Standard on October 11; and Counterpunch on October 14. Actually, it's also appeared in other publications, but these were the four that I am reasonably certain originated with C4SS, which was not its only point of original publication.
- My own "Pre-Occupied in St. Louis" ran in Massachusetts's South Coast Today on October 11 and in the St. Joseph, Missouri Telegraph [PDF] on October 13.
- Kevin Carson's "Which Side Are You On?" ran in Counterpunch (as "Libertarians and Occupy Wall Street") on October 14.
Best wishes to Rocco Stanzione, who's been volunteering with the Center as a proofreader/editor (and doing fine work!), but has decided to move on to other things. We'll miss him.
New book goodness edited by, and featuring, Center peeps! Getcher advance orders in now for Markets Not Capitalism, edited by Center advisors Gary Chartier and Charles Johnson and featuring several of our writers (and non-Center-affiliated names you'll recognize). Official release date: November 5.
No random reciprocal blogospheric link love this week, guys. For reasons unrelated to my work at C4SS, I've been awake for about 30 hours right now, and I consider myself lucky to be able to get the bare bones covered without descending into some kind of rhetorical freakout or digression about hallucinatory bats or some such. You know, I could write something really brutal right now, just randomly savage some unsuspecting bystander, then blame it on sleep deprivation induced incoherence … wait, did I just type that?
Have a great weekend!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Media Coordinator
Center for a Stateless Society


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General Motors plans to convert its plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico to produce battery-electric vehicles, the automaker announced Thursday.
The facility will become the fifth in North America where GM will produce BEVs — though GM did not yet say what products will be built there. And, unlike four others in the U.S. and Canada, Ramos Arizpe will continue to produce gas-powered vehicles, as well.
GM CEO Mary Barra has laid out plans to switch entirely to battery-electric vehicles, phasing out internal combustion engines in all light duty models by 2035. The strategy is getting into gear this year with the launch of several new models, including the upgraded Chevrolet Bolt EV, and the all-new Bolt EUV and GMC Hummer pickup.
"I'm sure this investment will contribute to continue boosting Mexican manufacturing while bringing development to the region, the industry and the country," said Francisco Garza, president of GM's Mexican unit, during a Thursday webcast.
Union angered by move
Unsurprisingly, the UAW, which has previously expressed concerns about the potential loss of jobs the switch to EVs could bring, expressed outrage at the announcement.
"At a time when General Motors is asking for a significant investment by the U.S. government in subsidizing electric vehicles, this is a slap in the face for not only UAW members and their families but also for U.S. taxpayers and the American workforce," said Terry Dittes, UAW vice president and director of the GM Department, in a statement.
"General Motors automobiles made in Mexico are sold in the United States and should be made right here, employing American workers. That is why our nation is investing in these companies. Taxpayer money should not go to companies that utilize labor outside the U.S. while benefiting from American government subsidies. This is not the America any of us signed on for. Frankly, it is unseemly."
The timing of GM's announcement could not have come a worse moment as union officials expressed interest and worry about securing additional union positions at GM's new Ultium battery plant under construction in Lordstown, Ohio. Dittes expressed his belief that GM had a commitment to hire union workers as part of the shift to BEVs.
"These are important jobs and we continue to work with General Motors on the transition to electric vehicles. We believe that GM has a moral obligation to work with the UAW and the joint venture partner to make sure these are good paying union jobs like those of their brothers and sisters who make internal combustion engines," he said in a statement.
GM's electric past
GM launched its first long-range electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, in 2016, producing it at a facility in Orion Twp., Michigan that also built the subcompact, gas-powered Chevy Sonic. An expansion program will see the plant shift to BEVs exclusively.
GM also plans to convert a factory in Ontario to produce all-electric commercial vans for its new BrightDrop subsidiary. The aging Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant, originally scheduled to close in 2019, has gotten a new lease on life as Factory Zero. It will produce the Hummer pickup and a Hummer SUV, among other products. The old Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee is being converted into GM's fourth BEV facility.
Additionally, Spring Hill will add a battery production line, GM's second. Another, in suburban Detroit, will begin producing the automaker's all-new Ultium batteries later this year.
Unclear what Ramos Arizpe will build
Ramos Arizpe is one of four plants GM operates in Mexico. The factory will continue producing two conventional, gas-powered models, the Chevrolet Equinox and Blazer, even after EV production begins in 2023.
GM has not said what products will go into the Mexican EV plant, nor what markets they will target. The automaker plans to launch 30 BEVs worldwide by 2025. Some will be offered globally, others are meant for specific regional markets. At the Shanghai Auto Show earlier this month GM and partners SAIC and Wuling revealed a convertible, the Hongguang Mini EV, specifically targeting the country's buyers.
The automaker is expected to produce at least two BEVs in Ramos, according to AutoForecast Solutions. It is unclear if both would be badged for sale by General Motors, however.
The Detroit automaker has formed a joint venture with Honda in which it will supply its erstwhile competitor with two BEVs. Automotive News has reported that at least one of those will go into the Ramos plant, starting in 2023.
Michael Strong contributed to this report.


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The revised code of practice no.3 on funding defined benefits schemes (DB Code) has been published by the Pensions Regulator (tPR), in conjunction with its regulatory and enforcement policy and strategy. This DB Code replaces the code of practice, which was first published in 2006, and takes into account the responses to the draft DB Code, having been published for consultation in December 2013. The DB Code will come into force within the next few months, once it has received Parliamentary approval, reflecting tPR's new sustainable growth objective and the position in relation to scheme funding since 2006.
The purpose of the DB Code
The DB Code is intended to provide trustees and employers with guidance on complying with the statutory scheme funding requirements and takes into account tPR's new statutory objective (from 14 July 2014) to 'minimise any adverse impact on the sustainable growth of an employer'. The DB Code sets out nine key funding principles which apply to all schemes and there is an emphasis on employers and trustees working together in a 'collaborative and transparent way'.
Changes to the DB Code following consultation
The 85 responses to the consultation were largely in favour of tPR's approach and especially the inclusion of the new sustainable growth objective, together with the interplay between this and tPR's existing statutory objectives. The move to a principles-based approach and the use of an outcome-focused use of risk indicators, rather than the existing triggers system, was also favoured. In general, the DB Code reflects a softening in approach to that proposed in December 2013, with an increased focus on the position of the employer in light of tPR's new statutory objective.
TPR's key message is that a strong and reliable employer, together with an appropriate funding plan is the best way of ensuring an effective and well governed scheme. It is important that employers and trustees work openly and in unison to reach an appropriate scheme funding outcome.
The main changes to the DB Code since it was published in draft form include:
- Recovery period: tPR has taken into account concerns that the principle in the draft DB Code that 'trustees should aim for any funding shortfall to be eliminated as quickly as the employer can reasonably afford' may have led to an interpretation that recovery plans should be as short as possible. The timescale is now stated to require the deficit to be eliminated over an 'appropriate period'. This means that schemes with strong technical provisions may have longer recovery plans, however, those that have set weak technical provisions, even if they have a strong covenant, should not add further risk by having a long recovery plan.
- Sustainable growth objective: some respondents believed that the draft DB Code did not fully reflect tPR's new statutory objective to minimise any adverse impact on the sustainable growth of an employer when exercising its scheme funding functions, therefore the DB Code now uses the exact wording from the Pensions Act 2014. Supplementary guidance will also be published in due course to make clear how the objective should be interpreted by not-for-profit employers or those in the charity sector.
- Managing risks: to reflect that the employer does not need to cover all potential risks or rectify them as soon as they come to fruition, tPR has amended references to 'mitigating risks' to 'managing risks'.
- Contingency planning: the DB Code now requires trustees to have adequate and flexible response strategies and governance structures to allow them to respond as and when risks develop.
- Dividends: the DB Code is now more reflective of normal business practice and an understanding that dividend payments may not be out of the ordinary and may still be made whilst a company is growing and trustees' objectives to pay benefits in full are being met. Such payments should only be scrutinised where dividend payments are particularly large, are not in line with the company's normal financial calendar or where the covenant strength is questionable.
- Business decisions: the DB Code reflects that most key business decisions should be made without the involvement of the trustees' scrutiny and sets out circumstances which may require scrutiny and includes the situation where an employer is asking for investment in the company to be elevated above contributions.
- DB funding policy: tPR resolved not to publish, in detail, where it sets its risk indicators. This was due to the potential for the publishing of the Funding Risk Indicator (formerly the Balanced Funding Objective) to be interpreted as a new funding requirement. TPR will develop a comprehensive approach to risk assessment, including risk indicators, over the next year. The other risk indicators include tPR's bespoke covenant assessment; investment strategy risk; prudence in setting mortality assumptions; the composition of the previous recovery plan; and poor governance.
The nine key funding principles
The nine key funding principles proposed in tPR's draft code are still included within the DB Code, however, they have been amended in the ways set out above to reflect the softening approach…
- Working collaboratively: trustees and employers must work together in an open and transparent manner to reach funding solutions that recognise the needs of the scheme and the employer's plans for sustainable growth.
- Managing risk: trustees should implement an approach which integrates the management of the employer covenant, investment and funding risks; and monitor and address those risks effectively.
- Taking risk: trustees should establish the employer's risk tolerance and assess the employer's ability to address a range of likely adverse outcomes over an appropriate period before they take funding or investment risk.
- Taking a long-term view: trustees must act consistently with their long-term funding and investment targets and their view of the employer covenant.
- Proportionality: the trustees functions should be exercised in a manner which takes into account the scheme's size, complexity and level of risk.
- Balance: the funding outcome should reflect a balance between the need to pay promised benefits and to minimise any adverse impact on the employer's sustainable growth.
- Well governed: the trustees should adopt good standards of governance.
- Fair treatment: the scheme should be treated fairly amongst the competing demands on the employer, taking into account its equivalent creditor status.
- Reaching funding targets: having agreed an appropriate funding target, trustees should agree funding to eliminate any deficit over an appropriate period.
How this affects you?
Once the DB Code comes into force, it will apply to all schemes with future valuation effective dates. However, tPR has said that it will take a 'pragmatic approach' to the extent to which a scheme has taken the DB Code into account, depending upon where they are in its funding cycle at the date the DB Code comes into force. It is therefore important to ensure that: (i) trustees are working openly and transparently with the sponsoring employer to gain a keen understanding of the risks to the scheme; (ii) pensions professionals are helping clients to understand, monitor and mitigate these risks; and (iii) employers are working with trustees to understand the risks to the scheme and ensure that the funding obligations are met, whilst still allowing the business to grow sustainably.