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Recently, I've been revisiting the concept of the CommandModel. I've posted about this before here and here. I'm a firm believer in using the Model-View-ViewModel in WPF, and I tried following along with the code presented by the folks who should be experts here. However, from the very beginning I had problems with the examples posted that used a CommandModel to represent the commands that would be carried out in response to UI events. I thought the troubles lied in the implementations. After all, they were simple examples and it was reasonable to assume they just didn't live up to use in production with out appropriate tweaking. That's what led to the previous posts I made on this subject. My final conclusion (prior to now) about this topic was that when implementing a CommandModel you should base it on ICommand instead of RoutedCommand. This solved the problems I had encountered thus far, and seemed like a good implementation.
Then it fell apart. See, RoutedCommand and RoutedUICommand offer you a lot of functionality you don't get from ICommand. I knew that when I made the last post, of course, but the only feature I took into account at the time was the event routing, which I didn't need. Well, there's other features that are harder to do without. For instance, the simple fact that a RoutedUICommand has properties that can be used to set the text on a menu item is something that goes a long way towards keeping your XAML simple and clean. I could do with out this, of course, but it bothered my sensibilities. However, more important is the fact that you can add gestures, such as keyboard shortcuts, to a RoutedUICommand. That's functionality I can't do without. So the simple ICommand solution isn't sufficient. Bummer. Back to the drawing board.
This time, however, I took a healthy pause to think about the concept from the design perspective, instead of from the implementation perspective. This proved to be enlightening, since I now think the whole concept of a CommandModel is flawed, and we shouldn't be using them!
Just from a high level concept, they are flawed. What is a CommandModel? It's a model of a command. So, what's a model, then? A model defines data and behaviors for some given domain. There's very little data involved here, there's really only behavior. So I'm reluctant to call this a model at all. As far as the behavior is concerned… we already have plenty of concepts that can represent the behavior just fine, from delegates to Events to ICommands and it's derivatives. What need do we really have to create yet another variant here?
OK, so with that in mind, let's look at why the CommandModel was created. Of course, I can only guess here, since I didn't create it and I'm not privy to the inside information about why the creators thought it was needed. So, let's just analyze what we get out of a CommandModel.
Definition of behavior.
OK, as I already pointed out, we already have alternatives for this, so that can't be the reason to have a CommandModel. Not to mention, as I pointed out before, the original designs for CommandModel did a poor job here, since they required a tight coupling to the ViewModel. I resolved that issue, but I think it's evidence that this isn't the reason the CommandModel was invented.
Wiring of UI events to behavior.
Well, since this was one of the major issues I had with the original examples, I don't think this could be the reason. Or, at least, if it was the reason, I think the wrong solution was used. See, the CommandModel itself doesn't help here. The examples used another concept, an attached property, to create the CommandBindings. This works, but it's clumsy and verbose, and doesn't really require a CommandModel to work. More importantly, there's a better solution (which I'll detail below). So, if this was the reason, then the wrong solution was chosen.
Allow testing without the need for a UI.
This is important. This is one of the main reasons that Model-View-ViewModel itself is such a useful pattern. However, all it really exposes to help us here are OnQueryEnabled and OnExecute methods that can be called. That's it. When you think about that, it means it doesn't really provide us with anything, because we can expose the event handlers within our ViewModel instead. Heck, with reflection we don't even have to expose them. The event handlers are already testable, with out the need for a CommandModel.
No, I've come to the conclusion that the CommandModel is a flawed design, and I won't be using it anymore. Instead, my ViewModels will expose the normal RoutedCommands. Then they'll implement the necessary event handlers for ExecutedRoutedEventHandler and CanExecuteRoutedEventHandler, which can be unit tested. All that's left is to create the CommandBindings, which can be done in the ViewModel's constructor, thanks to the ViewModelExtension. This even makes it easy to create the CommandBindings for the standard commands provided by WPF, which is a very nice bonus.
So, if you're following the Model-View-ViewModel pattern, take my advice and excise the concept of the CommandModel. You're design will benefit from it. If your not following the Model-View-ViewModel pattern, take my advice and reconsider :).


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What's This?
APO/FPO Military Address
To ship to a United States Military Address:
AA (Armed Forces of the Americas)
The Americas, excluding Canada
(Zip codes beginning with 340)
AE (Armed Forces Europe)
Europe, Middle East, Africa, Canada
(Zip codes beginning with 090 through 998)
AP (Armed Forces Pacific)
(Zip codes beginning with 962 through 966)
Your special girl will love this trinket box that celebrates her birthday with the associated color and simulated birthstone. Such a pretty addition to her dresser or bedside table. Lift the lid to keep treasures inside. Resin, 3¾"H.

subset: commoncrawl


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World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books. It is being held in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Ireland on April 23, 2012. Tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks.
Jeanne Hanes, a retired Solon Community School district teacher, applied and was accepted to be a World Book Night U.S. Book giver. She will be distributing a free paperback book, The Book Thief, to twenty of her former second grade students on April 23 in the high school media center.
For more information : www.us.worldbooknight.org


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GPS and GIS
Leveraging many years of effort in the Internet of Things (IoT), CyberTECH has developed the Smart & Safe Cities Institute, focusing on the state of smart & safe cities, best practices, the cultural aspects of creating safe cities, including elements of Smart Cities and IoT that make people nervous about connecting wearables, "liveables" and "driveables" to the Internet to form smart cities.
Working with Intel and AT&T on two Smart Cities Hackathons, the Smart & Safe Cities Institute emphasizes the need for Smart Cities to build on security and privacy by design. We believe a city cannot be "smart" if the things it connects to the Internet and other open networks are vulnerable to cyber attack or lack basic user privacy or product safety.
Besides Hackathons, the Smart & Safe Cities Institute will conduct research, generate white papers and support Smart City startups with infrastructure, mentorship and access to capital.
This institute will be a huge part of growing the new IT companies in San Diego. The city has generously offered financial support to facilitate this event along with many others. They understand what it takes to be successful in IT and want to assist members of the community to make their dreams a reality in the everchanging IT market.


text:
Don't Forget Your Super Deals!
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Where you Always get more from your pet pharmacy!


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Entertainment briefs - Jan. 25 edition
'First Daughter and the Black Snake' screened at cultural center Jan. 28
Honor the Earth, partnering with the New York Mills Arts Retreat and Regional Cultural Center, will host a screening of "First Daughter and the Black Snake" on Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. at the cultural center.
The documentary nationally follows Winona LaDuke in the fight against Enbridge, seeking to put in the Sandpiper, a 640,000 barrel a day fracked oil pipeline across a new corridor in Northern Minnesota.
The Sandpiper project was defeated after a four year battle and this film chronicles that story.
For more information, visit www.blacksnakefilm.com.


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Asian coleslaw
To continue with the Chinese New Year festivities, I'd like to share my Asian coleslaw recipe. It's crunchy, filing, low calorie and delicious.
Although other more traditional recipes for Asian coleslaw aren't terrible for you, my recipe is closer to clean and has even more flavor. I substituted ingredients like almond butter for peanut butter, honey for brown sugar, and low sodium soy for the regular version. I jazzed the recipe up by adding slivered almonds and some dried cranberries.
Make this Asian coleslaw early in the week and guiltlessly enjoy it for days while the flavors intensify.
It goes extremely well alongside some Chinese braised short ribs.
Asian coleslaw
serves 10
½ head of purple cabbage thinly sliced
½ head of green cabbage thinly sliced
5 medium-sized carrots shredded
½ cup red onion thinly sliced
¾ cup thinly diced scallions
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro (aka Chinese parsley)
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup dried cranberries
1" section of fresh ginger peeled and minced
3 cloves of garlic minced
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
½ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup honey
1 T sesame oil
1 T black sesame seeds
1 T almond butter
Combine all the vegetables, slivered almonds, and cranberries together in a bowl and stir.
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients until evenly combined.
Pour the dressing over the salad and stir.
Top with more black sesame seeds and enjoy!
Time: 10 minutes


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About the Structure alignment algorithm
The structure alignment algorithm contained in BioJava is based on a
variation of the PSC++ algorithm provided by Peter Lackner, Univ.
Salzburg (personal communication). The algorithm is calculating a
distance matrix based, rigid body protein structure superimposition. See
also a JavaWebStart example of how it works at
What can it do?
calculate alignments of
* whole structures,
* single chains
* any set of atoms
* it provides alternative solutions
* alternative solutions are clustered to groups of similar alignments
How does it work?
* It identifies short fragments in two protein structures that have similar intra-molecular distances.
* The pairs of fragments are then compared and if possible, joined to longer fragments.
* Finally the fragments are undergoing a refinement procedure in order to extend them to full size alignments.


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With this year's Rainbow Theater Festival the most successful to date, Bread & Water Theatre is proud to announce the addition of two encore performances of Nancy Agabian's hit plays My Gay Family and The Crochet Penis. Both shows will be performed together as part of a double bill and feature the original BWT cast and creative team.
Each one-woman show is a unique take on what it is to be a bisexual woman in the modern world. My Gay Family tells the coming-of-age story of a shy, funny, Armenian-American bisexual girl who flees her small town of Walpole, Massachusetts to tell the stories of her family of one gay brother, one lesbian sister and two homophobic parents. The Crochet Penis is a much more biting play as it deals with Nancy's life in the wake of her grandmother's death, a woman of courage who survived the Armenian Genocide. In this emotional time she confronts her issues of sexuality, love and loss.
The encore performances of The Crochet Penis and My Gay Family will be presented at 243 Rosedale St. (New Life Presbyterian Church) on July 18th and 19th, 2008 at 8:00pm. Single ticket prices range from $5-$10 and may be purchased in person or in advance at the BWT Box office starting June 15th. For more information call (585) 271-5523.


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These Are the World's 10 Best Airlines For 2016
Published: Jul 17, 2016
According to a survey of airline passengers conducted by Skytrax Emirates is the best airline for 2016. Millions of passengers have participated in this survey.
The awards run the gamut from 73 categories from best economy class onboard catering to best airline staff to best seats to best cabin cleanliness. Qatar was placed as number 2 after Emirates.
Here is a list of 10 best airlines of the world for 2016:
1. Emirates
2. Qatar Airways
3. Singapore Airlines
4. Cathay Pacific
5. ANA All Nippon Airways
6. Etihad Airways
7. Turkish Airline
8. EVA Air


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Poor Farmers Around the World Already Coping with Climate Change (Video)
As you're likely aware, man-caused climate change is already well underway, and its impacts are being felt by individuals around the world right now. But one of the problems we have in galvanizing action to address the issue here in the US is just that: The worst impacts are being felt all around the world, and it can be hard to grasp exactly what that means. Climate change is often conceived of as an abstract blanket of generalized suffering, with the precise human impacts unclear to many. A series of brief videos called 2 Degrees Warmer tries to bring those impacts home -- the first episode examines the role climate change is already playing in the lives of South American coffee farmers, and the second reveals the suffering it's wrought for Ghanaian farmers. The first episode is above, and here's the second:
Short films like these are a great idea -- the more people see the effects of climate change up close and personal, the harder it is for them to ignore the threat it poses. Granted, these films are a little heavy-handed (not that it's not warranted, given the subject matter), but the aim is nonetheless an important one. It helps drive home the fact that the climate is changing right now, and it's affecting folks right now -- not in some distant future.
More on Global Climate Change
97% of Climate Scientists Agree: Humans are Causing Global Warming
Climate Change Is A Threat To Global Security


text:
Hello Everybody
Welcome to Fixingblog.com
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We Can Help You Troubleshoot And Fix Your Avg Antivirus Problems.
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Avg Download & Installation Problem-
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If Your Avg Download has Been Fail Try This –
- Close All Application And Restart Your P.C
- Download Avg Removal Tool First And Run The Tool
Get Avg Removal Tool http://www.avg.com/us-en/utilities
- Please Remove Any Other Antivirus Protection (They May Block The Avg Download Or Create Conflict )Before You Download The Avg Antivirus Again .
- Restart Your Computer And Try Downloading the Avg Antivirus Again .
If You Still Get An Issue Downloading Avg Please Restart Your Computer.
While Restarting The Computer As Soon As You See The First Light Start Tapping F8 On Your Keyboard.
It Will Take You To Advanced Boot Options
Please Select Safe Mode With Networking And Hit Enter .
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See If That Helps You Fix The Avg Installation issue .
Setup Avg Antivirus Protection-
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Read More: Why AVG Antivirus is not Working and Giving Hard Time to its Users ?
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We Thank You For Reading At Fixingblog.com
Share This If You Find This Post Helpful So Other Can Also Fix There Avg Antivirus Related Problems .
Good Luck .


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TOKYO -- A man driving a truck Thursday crashed his vehicle through the gates of a Japanese nuclear plant and was arrested by police, officials said.
TOKYO -- A man driving a truck Thursday crashed his vehicle through the gates of a Japanese nuclear plant and was arrested by police, officials said.
The man first drove to the disaster-struck Fukushima Daiichi (No. 1) plant, was turned back, and then rammed the vehicle through the gates of its sister plant, Fukushima Daini (No. 2), in the early afternoon.
The driver fled after spending about 10 minutes inside the Daini plant, said Yuichi Sato, a spokesman for Japan's nuclear safety agency.
Police tracked him down and detained him about two hours later, Sato said. "His identity, motive and affiliation are not immediately clear," he said.
Sato said the truck resembled those equipped with loudspeakers and often used by right-wing nationalist groups for political demonstrations.
"We can't condone such an intrusion from the viewpoint of protection of nuclear material," Hidehiko Nishiyama, deputy director of the nuclear safety agency, told Japanese media. "We must reinforce the security."
Both plants, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co., were hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The plants are about eight miles (12 kilometers) apart.
The giant wave knocked out Daiichi's cooling systems and workers have been struggling there since to keep fuel rods from overheating and melting down at four of its six reactors.
At Daini, the four reactors have been cooled and stabilized after the tremor led them to shut down automatically, officials say.


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Our driver is Jesca Machingura, one of 10 female cabbies in the capital city of Harare. We'd met Jesca through Marvelous Muchenje, a manager at the Centre, a nonprofit agency that provides counseling and home-based training to families living with HIV and AIDS.
The Centre provides 2,000 patients with zinc, selenium, vitamins A and E. The Centre's garden grows aloe for herpes simplex, wormwood for diarrhea, fennel for appetite, rosemary for body warming, pennyroyal for thrush. There are only enough antiretroviral drugs for 35 people; patients number in the thousands. Inside, four shelves of patient records sag with thick binders. One is labeled "Worried Well." Eight are labeled DECEASED.
If we give money to the Centre, Marvelous says, she'll get gloves and bleach to Amai Caty.
We heard about the Centre, and thus Marvelous, through Lori Heise, who directs the Global Campaign for Microbicides, a worldwide advocacy effort headquartered at PATH's offices in Washington, D.C. Marvelous introduced us to Jesca the cab driver and to Prisca Nyakutombwa Mhlolo, a pushy community activist who coordinates women's support groups in Mabvuku township and who is, herself, HIV-positive. Prisca lives a few streets from Ruth's family and knows everybody's business. She introduced us to Ruth.
That's four degrees of separation. It feels like fewer as we settle into crocheted pillows in Prisca's living room.
We are women, so naturally the talk turns to food, family, money and love. We are women, so naturally no one agrees.
Jesca glances around Prisca's small but comfortable home. "This AIDS. If you're someone who has money, you can last longer."
Marvelous: "But I think you need love. You can have the money and the drugs, but if everyone is shunning you and no one cares for you, no one cooks for you, you won't have food to eat and you'll die."
Jesca: "Is that what the people around Ruth are doing? I don't think so. They love her and she's sick anyway! The problem is that that family doesn't have nutrition! Not enough meat! Not enough mealy-meal! What!what!what! No medicine! What if you've got love but there's no soup?!"
It's long past supper when we leave. We navigate the night, past empty vegetable stalls and glowing hooch stands, flickering grills where women hawk roasted meat and other favors, the lighted billiard hall where silhouetted men swig yeasty millet beer from fat plastic tubs. Music splashes from the bars: marimbas, mbira, the pulsing, socially aware lyrics of world-famous Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi. Tuku's brother died of AIDS.
We drive back into Harare along a modern highway lined with malls and an office complex for Nokia. In the era of cellphones, a Medieval plague.
Jesca talks nonstop while she drives. Her boyfriend of many years is a decent man, a schoolteacher, but he won't marry her. He puts her on his health insurance, calls her his wife, but what!what!what! he's never proposed. Never paid lobola! And why? Because he wants a woman who's humble and won't speak her mind, who only wears dresses and only wants to please him.
"I want to be free!" Jesca says. "Let me put on jeans and trousers and admire the person who I am. Most of the women who don't want to be oppressed have no husbands."
She shifts to the crux. She is HIV-positive, perhaps from an earlier marriage, perhaps from her boyfriend. He wants her to keep her status secret.
"If I don't disclose, how will other people know there's really AIDS? We must warn them. I'm not his wife! How can he tell me what to do?"
But she loves him. And he loves her. He brings her tasty fish from Lake Kariba. So why won't he marry her? Should she leave him while she's still strong and find someone more loyal?
"I wonder," she says, "when I'm sick as Ruth, would he run away from me?"
We are glad to finally reach our hotel. It's late, we haven't eaten since breakfast, we're anxious to call it a day. G'night Jesca! How easy to slam the taxi door on someone else's tangled life.
Only then do we remember: We forgot to give Marvelous money for the gloves.
Back to top


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As the run-up to the April 1 commune elections intensifies, new political tactics
have emerged, others have vanished, and the major parties are promising big gains
and progressive platforms.
Politicos, observers and analysts agree that the campaign atmosphere has improved,
and that pre-campaign political rhetoric has taken a softer tone. Mostly gone are
the aggressive smear tactics, anti-Vietnamese vitriol and outright political killings
that have marred earlier elections. By many accounts, Cambodian politics have matured.
But others are wondering if this is a fledgling step towards democracy or ruling-party
Still, with the official campaign period beginning on March 16, it is yet to be seen
who will end up controlling the Cambodia's 1,621 commune councils - and who will
end up as April's fools.
"So far, this year has had many, many differences from 2002; the candidates
are more professional and they understand how to do a campaign much better than in
2002," said Ou Virak, executive secretary of the Alliance for Freedom of Expression.
"The general public knows what to expect. They are making more demands of their
candidates. It's pressure from these demands that's pushing the level of competition
higher. Even the ruling party has learned the language of democracy. They've learned
what to say to win votes they're getting smarter."
Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said
the National Election Committee has upgraded techniques in voter and candidate registration,
and in its distribution of voter information sheets.
"But in its political willingness to have free and fair elections, the NEC still
has a lot of shortages, Panha said. "For example, as in the state-run media,
including TV and radio. The NEC has not made an effort to make access equal for all
political parties. We have seen only the ruling party. And there are security issues
in the remote areas. People still have fears: the NEC has not made an effort to cooperate
with local authorities to investigate complaints or punish any person who committed
the crime."
But Virak and other analysts have said that the public's concerns over poverty, corruption
and land grabbing have meant increased pressure on inefficient officials, and the
process of appeasing constituents is changing.
"In other elections, even 2002, the network of the communist regime was used
to win elections," Virak said. "In the old days what they did was kiss
up to the next level , and they'd receive the position. Going to the people would
have been a shock to those candidates. Now most council candidates know how elections
really work. The electorate has become more mature."
Bravado is coming from the four main camps.
"Some people are going to get a big surprise on the evening of April 1, "
said Sam Rainsy, leader of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), which won 13 commune chief
positions in 2002. "The objective that we consider realistic is to win between
200 and 300 communes, including the biggest ones. This will pave the way for our
victory [in national elections] next year."
Khieu Kanharith, Minister of Information for the CPP, said on February 22 that the
ruling CPP should win about 97 or 98 percent of the commune positions and 95 percent
of the popular vote in 2008.
According to Funcinpec spokesman Nouv Sovathero, the party's hierarchy remains strong
despite the departure of Prince Norodom Ranariddh. He said Funcinpec was still able
to field candidates in 1,459 communes, or sangkats.
"At least we could get from 80 to 85 percent in the coming commune election,"
Sovathero said. "In the general national election in 2008 we are still hoping
for victory and plan to participate in the government as in previous mandates."
The newest party of the four able to field at least 1,000 candidates, the Norodom
Ranariddh Party (NRP), has high hopes Ranariddh's image will translate to grassroots
"We believe we could win about 80 to 90 percent in the coming election,"
said Muth Chantha, NRP spokesman. "Before, Funcinpec won only 11 commune chiefs.
Now we hope that we will get more. We do hope to have an NRP presence in all 1,621
In 2002 the CPP won 1,596 commune chief positions, an almost 98 percent hold on grassroots
Rainsy concedes that an agreement was struck with the ruling CPP to create a milder
political atmosphere, but bristles at the assertions of NGO Human Rights Watch that
the compromise has "led to a noticeable decline in the party's role as government
watchdog and advocate of the poor."
"I met with Hun Sen and Sok An and said 'Please, can we avoid political killings
and intimidation?,'" Rainsy said. "I told them we could be competitors
and rivals without being enemies on the battlefield. Some have said I sold out. Some
have said that this is the end of the SRP. But the other side, what they don't see
is that in this 'calm' we have gotten closer to the people and there have been fewer
killings. Normally, before an election we had someone killed every week."
Rights NGO Licadho has reported five killings related to the commune elections.
"Even though the number of people being killed is less than 2002, it impacts
the process seriously - even one being killed sends a message to others," said
Kek Galabru, president of Licadho. "If just one person is killed that means
people are scared and the election is not free and fair."
For years accused of fanning nationalistic fervor aimed at the CPP's ties to Vietnam,
Rainsy now calls such strategies "counterproductive."
"In the past, especially in the 1993 election, all the non-CPP parties were
running as freedom fighters for independence; Funcinpec and Son Sann were against
a Vietnamese allied group that had a strong friendship with Hanoi," he said.
"People don't have the same mindset any more. It could divert from the real
But Virak believes there is another reason for the absence of anti-Vietnamese dialogue.
"My bet is because of the crackdown on the critics a year ago," Virak said.
"That's a main factor. Mentioning the Vietnamese issues is much riskier than
talking about democracy."


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Many of my designs require batteries for portable operation. If the batteries are rechargeable, often one of the requirements is to have some form of capacity readout. Additionally, users will want to know voltage, current, charge / discharge cycles, etc. The best way to implement this in a design is to use a gas gauge IC. Texas Instruments makes several of them for different battery chemistries, and I've used two in the past:
BQ2060 – This is a dual chemistry chip for NiMH or Lithium.
BQ34Z100PWR – This was selected because of the need for a LiFePO pack.
The BQ34Z100 turned out to be a big disappointment. It was not easy to program the chip's non-volatile memory over the I2C interface, and the real deal-killer was its tendency to roll the charge count over to zero after plugged in and doing a maintenance charge after a few days. This was especially onerous, as it took days to recreate the bug, therefore testing fixes took days instead of hours.
The BQ2060 has been implemented in multiple designs, and suffers from none of these problems. It is easy to program over the I2C bus, and it has no performance issues that I know of. I created a spreadsheet that generates code that I include in a C header file that allows me to tailor the chip to a specific battery pack. The only real problem with the chip is the documentation. The reference schematic in the datasheet leaves out some key elements (IMHO). In order to get a complete schematic, I had to dig through and find the schematic for the evaluation board. From this, I was able to figure out how it needed to be hooked up in a larger system.
If you'd like a pdf of the schematic that I used, you can use the form at the bottom of the page to get it for free.


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Former New Democrat MP Peter Stoffer is apologizing for any offensive behaviour, a day after allegations of inappropriate touching and kissing were levelled against him by women during his time in Ottawa.
The popular former politician held a news conference in Halifax today where he said he was "deeply apologetic and regretful" following claims dating back to 2006 when Stoffer was the MP for the suburban riding of Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook.
Stoffer specifically denied sexually assaulting or physically abusing anyone, but he admitted that his behaviour as a "very gregarious, fun-going person" may have led to behaviour that was perceived as inappropriate.
"By some of the comments that I've heard recently, from some people in the past, they're saying that some of my demeanour, some of my comments were inappropriate," he said, describing himself as a "touchy person."
"For that I humbly apologize without reservation. If there is any man or any woman that at any time felt uncomfortable ... because of my demeanour in any way shape or form, for that I apologize and I humbly regret that I put them in that type of situation."
Stoffer told reporters gathered outside the Canadian Immigration Museum at Pier 21 that he is "a touchy person" and that "if anyone feels those actions were untoward, then I deeply apologize."
In allegations made public Thursday, one of the complainants, Lauren Dobson-Hughes, accused him of grabbing and kissing her without her consent on two separate occasions in 2006 and 2009.
Dobson-Hughes, who was an NDP staffer at the time of the alleged incidents, told the National Post that several other MPs and senior staff were present at the second alleged incident "but nobody batted an eyelid."
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Thursday that he is "deeply disturbed" by the allegations and the party would continue to "review, renew and expand" its harassment policies.


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FALMOUTH — The Town Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday, March 31, at 7 p.m. to hear comments from the public on the proposed school and municipal budgets.
Despite decreases in state subsidies and revenue sources, neither the municipal nor school budgets call for an increase in the tax rate for Falmouth residents.
"We made a lot of hard decisions last year that helped out this year," Town Manager Nathan Poore said.
The proposed school budget of just over $24.5 million calls for the elimination of several teachers and support staff, a $15,000 cut in textbook purchases and the implementation of a pay-to-play program for extracurricular activities.
Superintendent of Schools Barbara Powers said the School Department has been able to make the cuts while staying within its class-size policy.
"Some cuts were tied to enrollment. We are choosing not to replace in a couple of situations. We're using staff in a creative way," Powers said.
The pay-to-play program is still being developed, but Powers said it is likely that after-school extracurriculars will cost $25 per student, while athletics will range from $125 to $250 per student, depending on the actual costs of the programs.
The district's cutbacks are due, in part, to state subsidies of nearly $827,000 less than the town received this year. Some funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have been made available to make up for some of the cuts, but the district is still seeing a more than $631,000 reduction over this year.
While a reduction in funding is never welcome, officials were relieved that it was not the $1.9 million curtailment suggested at the beginning of budget discussions.
"This will set us up better for reductions next year. We don't like surprising anybody," Powers said.
The school system will lose the stimulus funds next year and, unless state funding is restored, will need to make up the loss in further budget reductions.
On the municipal side, revenues from non-property taxes, including state revenue sharing, were down nearly $224,000 from this year's budget. That brings the town's municipal operating budget to just under $10.4 million, a 1.8 percent deline.
The shortfall will be made up by not filling an open position in the Parks Department, as well as by reducing the amount of funding for open space and land acquisition. Non-union employees will also not receive a cost-of-living increase this year.
There has been discussion of eliminating the Falmouth Flyer bus service, which is part of the Portland Metro bus system, as a means of cutting costs. A recent survey of 874 Falmouth residents showed the bus service was the least important priority on a list of potential cost-saving measures, including reductions in trash pick-up and emergency dispatch.
But at a Finance Committee meeting last week, Poore explained that $30,000 in funding for the service could be taken from a dedicated Mass Transit account that was created in 2003 to support the service.
"This will only cover one year's worth of savings," he said. "We will have to have another discussion about this soon."
The funding will eliminate the need for a tax increase to support the current program.
"I understand how people feel about the bus, that it only serves Route 1. But you have to consider who it serves. It serves people who aren't helped by other services in town," said Councilor Bonny Rodden, adding that elderly residents use the bus service regularly.
Members of Friends of Falmouth Flyer recently surveyed 28 businesses along Route 1 and found that nine had employees who regularly rode the bus to work. At Wendy's, three-quarters of the employees reported riding the bus daily.
If the town wants to eliminate the service, it is required to give a year's notice to Metro. The council will re-evaluate the program before the contract is up in January 2011.
"My expectations have been much higher for use of Metro by Falmouth residents," Councilor Tony Payne said. "I think we lack the fundamental demographics to support the service."
The municipal budget also supports hiring a new police officer, a position that was eliminated from this year's budget, but had to be added back in mid-year. In addition, the town will also hire two dispatchers to cover the projected increase in calls when the towns of Yarmouth and North Yarmouth move their dispatch services to Falmouth.
The town will vote on the final version of the budget on June 8.
Emily Parkhurst can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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Whether you want to connect face-to-face with friends and colleagues onsite or you want to be a part of the online Cisco community, Cisco Live offers you a host of options you can take advantage of before, during and after the conference. Start your Cisco Live experience now, and join our communities.


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Roasted Whole Okra 烤秋葵/羊角豆
Why have I not tried roasting okra earlier? Besides stir-frying okra (which I seldom do), I usually either steam them e.g. Steamed Okra with Gochujang Sauce or cook them in stews e.g. Squash and Okra Stew. Not only does roasting imparts a smoky flavor to okra, this quick and easy recipe also cuts down the slime in okra when they are roasted whole.
Roasted Whole Okra 烤秋葵/羊角豆
12-15 fresh whole okra, lightly rinse them whole and pat dry
Pinches of sea salt, ground cumin, and red pepper (cayenne or paprika works), to season
Directions: Preheat oven to 400F. Spread the okra, without crowding them, on a wide-area tray. Season with cumin, red pepper and sea salt. Drizzle olive oil/canola oil over the okra. Roast/bake in oven for about 20 minutes.
Enjoy as a side-dish or healthy snack.
Sharing with Hearth and Soul
Tag: roasted okra, roasted whole okra


text: Our first stop in America this year was Rotonda West in Florida. We spent 15 weeks touring North America, starting in Canada and moving onto the US. We'd never planned to visit the beach in Florida, but it just so happened my parents would be holidaying during our travels so we spent 2 weeks fee-free with them!


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This year has been a great year for reading for me. I actively went to the library during the summer and even joined an adult book club where I've been introduced to some interesting new books including ones I'd recommend to you. There are still so many books I still want to check out though including the following:
1. The Casual Vacancy–JK Rowling–This is her first book for adults and involves some local politics which I'm not so sure about but it seems like it would be an interesting read. It takes place in a small English village and from what I've heard it is quite different from the "Harry Potter" books with its content.
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy–Douglas Adams–I know many people have already read these books and I've heard they're really funny so I thought I'd check them out.
3. Winter of the World–Ken Follett–This is the second book in his Century trilogy about five different families–Welsh, German, Russian, American, and English–and how they change over the years. The books are long and parts are slow but they are definitely worth reading if you're into history and even if you're not.
4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time–Mark Haddon; I know this book has been out for awhile but I've always wanted to read it. It's about an autistic teen who finds a missing dog and has to figure out who it belongs to.
5. Struck by Lightning–Chris Colfer–The first teen novel by the "Glee" actor is in a diary format about a boy who wants to go to Northwestern and study writing.
6. Gone Girl–Gillian Flynn–This has been on the bestseller list for a long time. I've heard from members of my book club and a librarian at my library that it's fantastic. It's about a husband and wife and when the wife disappears the husband is the main suspect. It seems like it's an interesting mystery that I want to know more about.
What do you still want to read this year?


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I have been searching for quite awhile for a "voice" and a purpose for this blog. I know I want to write about homeschooling, yes, but that is a pretty broad topic. I wanted to narrow it down, but we don't really fit into a niche. We are mostly Charlotte Masonites, but not purists by any means and there are several blogs that can tell you all you need to know about the nuts and bolts and daily grind of how to be a CMer much, much better than I ever could! I don't have Totschool kids anymore. We don't do field trips or original crafting. I don't make printables. So what does that leave us? What do we do that I can talk about?
Not only do we review for The Old Schoolhouse, but we have some curriculum that we passionately love that I never talk about. I know there is no such thing as a perfect curriculum, but I am a firm believer in finding a really great one that works for your family! To me, the perfect curriculum is the one that:
- we will use
- achieves our purpose
- doesn't make my kids cry every day
- I don't have to completely rework in order to meet the first three criteria!
I have noticed that when homeschool moms get together they always ask each other, "What do you use?" and "Do you like it?" and "How does that work for you?"
I have several different products that we absolutely love and I enjoy sharing about them. But I also love talking about the ones that we feel "ho hum" about and helping other moms find the perfect curriculum for their needs.
Now, our math curriculum is Math U See. I am in a Facebook group for MUS and the one question it seems that everyone has is: how do we use it?!?! So I thought, I will go through our day and our favorite products and tell you, not why we love it, not why we use it, but how we use it. And while I'm at it, I'll just tell you about all the good stuff that we use every day. What works, What doesn't. How we tweak it. How it works for us. How it serves us well.
So next week, I'll have a post for you about how we use Math U See.
I'm going to use this as an anchor post for all my How It Works posts so if there is something you are looking for, and I've written about it, it will be linked below.


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My separated- at- birth friend from Savannah, Gil Tracy, recycles Larsen's title with these shots of his daughter Julia, a French scholar, fishing in North Carolina...hey Russ Chatham, take a look at these!
UPDATE: Here is a poem about Julia's tattoo by her grandmother, who was a friend of Flannery O'Connor's, and appears in her letters:
"Stuff is eaten by dogs, broken by family and friends, sanded down by the wind, frozen by the mountains, lost by the prairie, burnt off by the sun, washed away by the rain. So you are left with dogs, family, friends, sun, rain, wind, prairie and mountains. What more do you want?" Federico Calboli
Sunday, October 09, 2016
The Girl with the Brook Trout Tattoo
1 comment:
- Gil said...
Recently from the pen of Julia:
I cast and drop the line
In fast black flow,
the brook and rainbow yield to sun
and show,
My father gives the sign
And draws the slender curve
to land his fly
where a gold lip of water pools nearby,
and tugs the river's wild nerve.
- Monday, 17 October, 2016
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Tips and Tricks for Taking a Toddler to Disney
6. Parades and Fireworks are a must and location matters. Best parades are the two in Magic Kingdom - the 3pm character parade and the night time light parade. The best firework show is in Magic Kingdom as well. The best seats in the house are on the front lawn directly in front of the castle (best view for the laser shower and to see Tinker Bell fly out of castle) and the lawn in front of the restrooms and restaurant back by Tomorrow World (best view for the fireworks). Make sure you are at your location prior to the night time parade as the fireworks are immediately following and you will not be able to move after the parade starts. For the 3pm parade the two best locations we thought were at a little restaurant (where you can sit down and see them up close) right before they cross the bridge to head in front of the castle or Main Street. Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios is also really good but scared our toddler a bit. It has lots of bad guys in it. Our least favorite firework show is the show at Epcot. If you have to miss one this is the one to miss.
7. Get free water. No need to lug water bottles throughout the park. Any restaurant will give you free cups of ice water. Amazing.
12. Last but not least - characters. Epcot has a character in every land more like Aladin, Jasmine, etc. . The Mickey and Minnie in Hollywood Studios were are second favorite. Hollywood also has Buzz and Woody together and army men and all the Disney Junior characters. If you get in line as soon as park opens you won't have to wait. The rest you might want to consider getting fastpasses for. There is also a jungle themed Mickey and Minnie at Animal Kingdom and we got to the Bugs Life character there, Flik. At Magic Kingdom our highlights were Mickey, Buzz, and Pooh and Tiger.


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Drug abuse is a very complex behavioral pattern that is often misinterpreted by the public as well as the person with the addiction. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIH) "addiction is a brain disease." So if it is a disease why are drug addicts and alcoholics often treated as second class-citizens or even criminals. You wouldn't treat a diabetic the same way and diabetes is definitely a disease. NIH rationalizes that addicts are mistakenly portrayed as people who lack moral principles or willpower. They are further stigmatized as people who could stop using drugs simply by choosing to change their behavior.
This lack of understanding of addiction cuts both ways. People who are addicted to drugs or alcohol do not understand how to treat themselves and hold many of the following stereotypical beliefs that actually derail their attempts at recovery.
It is no secret that people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol often suffer from a very harsh stigmatization perpetuated by the uninformed public. In an effort to support people underneath the proverbial microscope below you will find four myths about drug and alcohol abuse that undoubtedly deflate a person's morale who is attempting to attain sobriety. By being aware of these myths and answers just may make someone's recovery a little easier.
4 myths about drug addiction:
1. You can overcome addiction strictly with will power
While will power does play a vital role in addiction recovery, it is critical to understand that excessive drug or alcohol abuse can lead to the altering of the brain's natural chemical balance. This change in brain chemistry makes it extremely difficult for addicts to stop abusing with just their will power alone. As addicts stop using drugs and alcohol they will experience a drastic physical and mental change in their body. When they begin to experience withdrawal symptoms it is very easy to relapse and return to their addiction.
"Many people think that what the addict needs is willpower, but nothing could be further from the truth."
— Arnold M. Washton, Ph.D.
The article: "How To Overcome Addiction And Make Lasting Changes In Your Life," in the Huffington Post confirms this ideology.
Let's face it. We are all addicted to something whether it is chocolate or whiskey. According to psychological research, your willpower is like a muscle. And without use it will suffer from atrophy. As a result, by the end of your stressful days, your willpower muscles are drained and you're left to your defenseless self — with little control to stop the urges for lets say a beer or marijuana joint for example.
When it comes to achieving goals like sobriety what you really need is commitment which involves:
- Investing upfront
- Making it public
- Setting a timeline
- Installing several forms of feedback and accountability
- Removing or altering everything in your environment that opposes your commitment
2. Addiction is a disease and there is nothing you can do about it
Many can agree that addiction is a disease that specifically affects the brain. With that being said it doesn't mean you cannot overcome it or be treated for it. Similar to other diseases there is treatment for addiction to ensure a safe recovery. If you are thinking with this mindset try to do some research and discover about all the countless people that have defeated their addiction. You can start by visiting the Inspirations for Youth and Families testimonials page which is filled with great recovery stories.
3. Addicts must hit rock bottom before getting help
A person who has an addictive personality and comes from a family of addicts can be proactive and start learning about how to avoid drug addiction or alcohol abuse before it manifests itself. Also, teens who are in the early stages of drug or alcohol abuse need to be treated very carefully and put on a short leash. Read our article about how long it takes to become addicted to drugs or alcohol.
It does not take much time for a casual drug or alcohol user to become a full-fledged addict. Inspirations for Youth and Families treats many teens that are not addicted to drugs. The parents are being proactive because they believe their teens are in the danger zone and are taking the necessary precautions.
4. Treatment didn't work the first time so why go again
Recovery is a long and rigorous process that often becomes a matter of trial and error. It is not like you are studying to pass your drivers exam. It's more like you are a coach of a professional basketball team where there will be highs and lows throughout the season and you can not take one set-back too hard or else you will have less of a chance of winning games.
There will be many disappointments and obstacles to tempt you away from staying sober, but this doesn't mean you should give up on sobriety. Relapse doesn't signify that treatment isn't working – it's a sign that you should be adjusting your approach to fit your life and ensure the best possible results. Inspirations treats many teens that have been to countless addiction treatment centers and have flourished under our system. A teen and family must understand that not all drug and alcohol abuse treatment centers are created equal.


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Chunbo Shao wrote: > > Hello, > > I am a master graduate student of computer science department of > UT at Arlington. > I am interested in Tidy and it is very nice. > I plan to use it in my master project. But I need to have the output from > it to be the datastrurcture of "JTree". Is it possible? > Would you please do me a favor to give me some hint about how to get to > that poinit using tidy package? > (I see you have some "Node" structure in tidy package.) > > Looking forward to your kind reply. > Best wishes for you in the new year. > > Major Shao Hi, Major. It is definitely possible to have the output from JTidy in a JTree although there is no support built into JTidy for this. JTidy does have a somewhat complete DOM Level 1 implementation and you can navigate the DOM tree to build your JTree. See the DOM specifications at <http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-DOM-Level-1/level-one-core.html>. You might want to look at the Xerces TreeViewer Sample (http://xml.apache.org/xerces-j/treeview.html) for an example of viewing a DOM tree as a JTree. HTH, GaryReceived on Tuesday, 2 January 2001 14:26:37 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:38:49 UTC


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This is My Blog Hop #2. This was Cori's blog Creative Chat She has a sketch up and a requirement of metal and quotation marks...she also happens to have a totally adorable lo she did based on the sketch I loved. I made this lo from our trip to the lake a month or so ago. It's Bo Bunny "roughing it" pp. I know I know I don't PIMP brand names...it's just adorable and it was a gift from my Mr. Right...He came home from work one day and brought me some of this stuff...He's fantastic!! I had to change up the sketch a bit. I wanted to make sure the "mallows" on the bottom of the paper showed. Sorry about the bad pic...it's just wasn't a good pic day!
This is my Blog Hop #4. It's Jean's Blog Pages in Time The challenge here was to use the provided sketch and use a Quote! So I did a lo of my Mini-Me's slumber party! I have to admit I took a lot of liberties with this sketch...I just lost myself in the girlyness of it all! (Love it when that happens) So TFL! I'm off to see what everyone else has been doing!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
A couple more hop's!
Posted by MoMo sprnany at 3:52 PM
3 comments:
- Leah said...
Such pretty pages!
- May 8, 2010 at 7:10 PM
- MoMo sprnany said...
Thank You Leah! Thanks for stopping by!
- May 8, 2010 at 7:35 PM
- Cori said...
Your layouts are adorable!! S'mores are one of my all-time favorite treats! (I've even mastered them in the microwave - lol!) Thanks so much for hopping along with us! Good luck in the drawings! :)
- May 9, 2010 at 7:36 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Speech by SEC Staff:
|The Securities and Exchange Commission, as a matter of policy, disclaims responsibility for any private publication or statement by any of its employees. The views expressed herein are those of Mr. Roye and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commission, the Commissioners, or other members of the Commission's staff.
Thank you and good morning. It's a pleasure to be here with all of you today as you begin a rigorous immersion in the world of investment company regulation. In my view, the regulatory scheme governing investment companies is one of the most important areas of the federal securities laws. This is because of the tremendous size of the industry that it regulates and the importance of the fund industry to the financial health of millions of Americans.
Investment companies are one of America's primary savings and investment vehicles. A strong stock market and robust American economy provided a favorable environment for continued investment company growth during 1999, as assets increased by more than $1.3 trillion. As of March 31, 2000, over $7.6 trillion was invested in investment companies. At the end of 1999, a total of 30,455 investment company portfolios were managed or sponsored by 1,080 investment company complexes. The $7.6 trillion in assets managed by investment companies today is more than double the $3 trillion on deposit at commercial banks.
The Investment Company Act, the principal statute that regulates investment companies, is perhaps the most complex of the federal securities laws. A reason the '40 Act is somewhat daunting is the fact that it specifically addresses virtually every aspect of investment companies' operations. Fortunately, the securities lawyer just beginning to delve into the regulation of investment companies will find some familiar territory. The regulation of investment companies is based on the same principles of full and fair disclosure that are the foundation of the federal securities laws. Therefore, investment companies are subject to substantially similar disclosure and reporting requirements that apply to other issuers, embodied in the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, with one major difference. Mutual funds typically offer their shares continuously and thus must maintain current prospectuses.
However, the reach of the '40 Act extends beyond mere disclosure and reporting requirements. The '40 Act is, in effect, a comprehensive corporate statute. It places substantive restrictions on virtually every aspect of the operations of investment companies; their governance and structure, their issuance of debt and other senior securities, their investments, sales and redemptions of their shares, and, perhaps most importantly, their dealings with service providers and other affiliates.
As evidenced by the conference program, you will be receiving an excellent introduction to the nuts and bolts of the '40 Act. I want to give you a very brief historical perspective of why the statute and our regulation of investment companies are so comprehensive, and then discuss some recent regulatory developments that you will undoubtedly confront if you practice in this area.
One source of the '40 Act's highly regulatory nature is the unique structure of the typical investment company. Unlike a regular operating company, investment company employees do not operate investment companies. Instead, funds typically rely on external service providers, like the fund's investment adviser, to conduct the fund's day-to-day business, including managing the fund's portfolio and providing administrative services. Additionally, the officers of funds are usually affiliated with the fund's adviser, or the other outside service providers, such as the fund's administrator or underwriter. Consequently, the interests of fund management and shareholders of a fund may diverge in important ways.
A fund's investment adviser has a separate interest in maximizing its own profits. In contrast, officers of an operating company are paid directly by the company, often have an equity interest in the company, and are devoted to profit maximization to benefit both the company and themselves. While a fund's management and its shareholders have some common interests, such as seeking outstanding investment performance, there are important areas in which these interests may conflict, such as the level of management fees.
Based on the unique conflicts that are inherent in the typical investment company structure, you probably can imagine the kinds of problems that existed when funds were relatively unregulated. Indeed, the turbulent, early history of the investment company industry is a primary source of the principles reflected in the '40 Act.
Before 1940, most investment companies were closed-end funds. This means that shareholders did not have a right to redeem their shares based on the value of the fund's net assets. Shares of these funds traded in the secondary market at market prices. And before the market crash of 1929, these shares frequently traded at a premium to the funds' net asset values. After the crash, not surprisingly, the supply of shares of closed-end funds exceeded the demand, and their shares began trading at a discount.
The liquidity crisis aided the emergence of two other kinds of investment companies: the unit investment trust, which held a fixed portfolio of securities, and the open-end managed fund, now known as the mutual fund. Shareholders were attracted to these types of funds because they offered the ability to redeem shares for cash at the funds' net asset values. Needless to say, mutual funds have continued to retain their popularity: their asset now total more than 20 times the combined assets of unit investment trusts and closed-end funds.
By the mid-1930's, it had became apparent that there were problems prevalent throughout the investment company industry. The close relationships between investment companies and their sponsors proved disastrous as unscrupulous sponsors treated fund assets as their own. Many funds failed, and many shareholders lost their investments.
In 1935, Congress asked the Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of the investment company industry, looking specifically at the functions and activities of investment companies, their corporate structures and their investment policies. Congress also wanted to know how investment company sponsors and affiliates exerted influence over the investment companies they controlled. The resulting report, called the Investment Trust Study, laid the foundation for the '40 Act.
The Investment Trust Study, and the subsequent Congressional hearings, found that, to an alarming extent, investment companies were being organized and operated to benefit the interests of their affiliates rather than the interests of their shareholders. Furthermore, investment companies were structured to ensure that they remained under the control of their sponsors. The Study and subsequent hearings also revealed that the capital structures of many investment companies were highly complex, often consisting of many classes of securities with different dividend, liquidation and voting rights. In addition, investment companies often issued debt securities without adequate assets and reserves. This excessive leverage often led investment companies to make risky investments to produce the income needed to cover their obligations. Finally, the fact that investment companies generally attracted small, unsophisticated investors allowed sponsors to mislead these investors as to the actual nature of their investment. These investors often did not understand their rights, the sales charges they were obligated to pay, or how the investment company's manager was managing the company's assets.
And so, Congress, the Commission, and the investment company industry worked to address these problems. The resulting legislation – the Investment Company Act of 1940 – was truly a negotiated statute, with extensive hearings before Congress, punctuated by intensive discussions between the Commission and the industry.
Since 1940, the '40 Act has proved to be remarkably resilient. Indeed, the true genius of the Act was its drafters' understanding that markets and circumstances change, and that industries evolve. For example, the '40 Act gives the Commission express authority to exempt any person, security, or transaction from any section of the Act – consistent with the protection of investors. This authority makes the Act flexible and allows it to accommodate change and innovation in ways that preserve its underlying principles. This flexibility has permitted the development of money market funds, variable insurance products, expanded international investing, securities lending programs, and unique exchange-traded products that serve particular investor needs.
While the basic structure of the '40 Act has served investors well, we at the Commission are currently in the midst of several significant initiatives designed to further its goal of investor protection while keeping it apace with the rapid evolution of the financial products and services that the statute regulates.
The financial services industry is in the midst of a technological revolution and mutual funds are at the forefront. The Commission faces the formidable challenge of applying the existing regulatory framework that has helped ensure the integrity of the industry, while at the same time providing a regulatory scheme to keep pace with the increased competition and technological revolution underway in the securities markets. Since they will undoubtedly generate a significant amount of work for '40 Act practitioners, I want to devote the rest of my remarks to a discussion of the regulatory reforms currently proposed by the Commission to identify other areas of reform that we intend to carefully examine in the future, as well as discuss several recently adopted rules. The regulatory initiatives currently before us today are aimed at promoting the integrity of fund governance, enhancing and improving disclosures made to investors, and modernizing the regulatory structure to accommodate the increased competitiveness and globalization of the investment management industry.
Consistent with a goal Chairman Levitt set for all the Commission, our initiatives are also aimed at streamlining regulations and simplification where possible. I was reminded recently that while the 10 Commandments have 179 words, the Gettysburg Address has 286 words, and 1300 words were sufficient for Thomas Jefferson to cover the subject of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Government regulations on the sale of cabbage have 26,911 words. Hopefully, we can keep this goal in mind as we move forward on our rule proposals.
One of the most significant initiatives we have undertaken is in the area of fund governance. Last year at this conference, which followed the Commission's Roundtable on the Role of Independent Investment Company Directors, I spoke about our preliminary findings and the possible avenues for reform. Since then, the Commission has issued a comprehensive package of fund governance reforms and a staff interpretive release providing guidance on specific issues relating to independent directors.
The rule proposal is designed to reaffirm the important role that independent directors play in protecting fund investors, strengthen their hand in dealing with fund management, reinforce their independence, and provide investors with better information to assess the independence of directors. The proposal would amend certain exemptive rules under the Investment Company Act by adding a number of conditions to the exemptive rules that any fund must meet to rely on the rules. These conditions are: (1) independent directors must constitute at least a majority of their board of directors; (2) independent directors must select and nominate other independent directors; and (3) any legal counsel for the independent directors must be an independent legal counsel. We also have proposed rules that would prevent qualified individuals from being unnecessarily disqualified from serving as independent directors, protect independent directors from the costs of legal disputes with fund management, and monitor the independence of directors by requiring funds to keep records of their assessment of director independence.
We also have proposed a number of disclosure requirements that will enhance shareholders' ability to evaluate whether the independent directors can act as an independent, vigorous, and effective force in overseeing fund operations. These proposals would require funds to provide basic information about directors to shareholders annually so that shareholders will know the identity and experience of all directors. They also would require disclosure of directors' ownership of fund shares, information about director's potential conflicts of interest, and would provide information to shareholders on the board's role in governing the fund. By requiring funds to provide this information, the proposals will give shareholders the tools to determine how effectively the directors serve their interests.
We have received many thoughtful comments on this initiative that will enable us to improve upon the proposed rules. Many commenters felt that the disclosure requirements, especially as they related to directors' family members, went too far. It is likely that our recommendation to the Commission will be to scale back the proposed disclosures in several areas, particularly with regard to family members. Many commenters also believed that the proposal regarding independent counsel for directors was too paternalistic or that our definition of independent counsel was too rigid. However, we believe that encouraging the use of truly independent counsel by independent directors is one of the strongest pieces of our proposal. We are encouraged by the formation of the American Bar Association Task force to provide guidance to independent directors of funds regarding choosing and retaining legal counsel, as well as to provide guidance regarding counsel's professional responsibilities when representing independent directors. Their recommendations should be helpful as we continue in the process of refining the proposed amendments.
In addition to the protections that will be afforded to shareholders as a result of the independent director proposals, the Commission has issued a number of rule proposals, and is considering a number of other proposals, that further our continuing effort to improve the quality of mutual fund disclosure in order to help investors make better-informed decisions.
In March, the Commission issued a rule proposal to improve disclosure to investors of the effect of taxes on the performance of mutual funds. Taxes are one of the largest costs associated with a mutual fund investment. Estimates show that over two and a half percentage points of the average stock fund's total return is lost each year to taxes, an amount significantly in excess of average expense ratios for these funds. Our proposal will help investors to understand the magnitude of tax costs and compare the impact of taxes on the performance of different funds. The proposed amendments would require mutual funds to disclose after-tax returns for 1-, 5-, and 10- year periods, based on standardized formulas comparable to the formula currently used to calculate before-tax average annual total returns. The after-tax returns would be required to be disclosed in the risk/return summary of the prospectus and in Management's Discussion of Fund Performance, which is typically contained in the annual report. The proposal also would require funds that include after-tax returns in advertisements and other sales materials to include standardized after-tax returns in those materials.
The proposal would require funds to disclose after-tax returns on both a "pre-liquidation" and "post-liquidation basis. Pre-liquidation after-tax return assumes that the investor continues to hold fund shares at the end of the measurement period. Post-liquidation after-tax return assumes that the investor sells his or her fund shares at the end of the measurement period. Thus, pre-liquidation after-tax return reflects the tax effects on shareholders of the portfolio manager's purchases and sales of portfolio securities, while post liquidation after-tax return also reflects the tax effects of a shareholders' individual decision to sell fund shares. We believe both measures are important for shareholders to gain a better understanding of the tax consequences of investing in mutual funds. Pre-liquidation after-tax return is important because it provides information about the tax-efficiency of portfolio management decisions. Post-liquidation return also is important for shareholders, many of whom hold shares for a relatively brief period, to understand the full impact that taxes have on a mutual fund investment that has been sold. The comment period on the proposal ends June 30.
The Commission also has proposed amendments that would permit funds to "household" proxy and information statements. The proposed amendments would allow funds to satisfy the proxy and information statement delivery requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, by sending or forwarding a single proxy or information statement to two or more shareholders sharing the same address. The proposed amendments are designed not only to save trees, and reduce costs to fund shareholders, but to deliver information to investors in quantities that are manageable and more likely to be actually read. The proposal also would allow, for the first time, intermediaries to household proxy and information statements as well as annual reports, to beneficial shareholders. In a companion release, that was issued on the same day as the proposal, the Commission adopted similar amendments to the proxy rules that govern the delivery of prospectuses and annual reports to shareholders, and to the rules under the Investment Company Act that govern the delivery of semiannual reports to investment company investors. Under the amendments, the rules no longer require companies to get written consent from shareholders for the householding of prospectuses, annual reports and semiannual reports provided the document is delivered to members of the same family with the same last name sharing a common address, the shareholders receive advance notice, and they do not object to householding.
We also are exploring ways to eliminate the need for funds to annually deliver updated prospectuses to existing shareholders. Most funds deliver updated prospectuses to existing shareholders annually in order to avoid having to keep records of shareholders who have received updated prospectuses and deliver prospectuses throughout the entire year when new investments are made by these shareholders. In addition, we also are examining whether the profile could serve the purpose of an annual updating document. In other words, funds would be deemed to have delivered a current prospectus to existing shareholders if they deliver to them the profile. This could be a more effective way of communicating updated information to shareholders than delivering an entire new statutory prospectus. Of course, any fund shareholder wanting the full prospectus could request one from the fund. Such as approach could result in significant savings to funds and their shareholders.
In our continuing efforts to improve disclosures to shareholders, we also are working on revisions to the shareholder report and financial statement requirements. Our goal is to make the prospectus and the shareholder reports work together to provide information that investors need, when they need it, and in a format that is useful. In a shareholder report, fund management can tell the story of what it has done for shareholders. Our goal will be to facilitate getting that information from management to the fund's shareholders.
We also will continue our efforts to simplify and streamline mutual fund prospectuses, as we expect to proceed with further amendments to Form N-1A to address issues that we have identified in working with the new form over the last year.
In addition to enhancing disclosures to shareholders, the Commission also is faced with the regulatory challenges of industry competitiveness, brought about by rapid technological advances and consolidation of the financial services industry. As funds face increased competition, one fear we have is that funds will respond to the competitive environment with overly aggressive advertising. A recent example of this can be seen in the Commission's administrative proceedings last month against The Dreyfus Corporation and a portfolio manager for one of its funds. The Commission settled with Dreyfus and its portfolio manager on charges that Dreyfus failed to disclose its practice of preferentially allocating IPOs, and in particular hot IPOs, to one fund over other funds managed by the same portfolio manager. The fund's prospectus disclosed that investment opportunities would be allocated equitably among the funds. The fund that received preferential treatment had exceptional returns during its first fiscal year in large part because of the investments in IPOs. The Commission also found that the fund's failure to disclose in its advertisements the large impact of the IPOs on its performance, when it was questionable whether the fund could replicate that performance, made the advertisements materially false and misleading. This latest action continues to reflect the Commission's increasing concerns regarding fund advertising in the wake of the Van Kampen case this past year, in which the Commission instituted similar charges against Van Kampen for failure to disclose that a fund's high performance was generated by investing in hot IPOs.
This is an area of particular concern to Chairman Levitt. He has asked the Division of Investment Management and our Office of Compliance, Inspections and Examinations, or "OCIE," to conduct a special review of fund marketing – including websites, sales literature and advertisements. The purpose of the review is to determine whether a fund's actual portfolio performance and investment strategies are consistent with its website statements, its advertising and its prospectus disclosure.
OCIE has found some troubling practices in a few fund ads. As you may know, if funds use performance numbers in ads, they must show a fund's 1-, 5- and 10-year total return numbers, current as of the last quarter. OCIE has found some funds using total return numbers updated for odd one-year periods. Upon review of these situations, OCIE found that the dates chosen by some of these funds coincided with days on which the funds' net asset value reached a new high. They also found that the NAVs of some of these funds were very volatile and the performance numbers varied significantly over relatively short periods of time. There clearly was cherry picking of performance numbers. Other concerns include performance numbers as of the end of the most recent quarter that should be updated. The NASD has reminded its members that use of the most recent quarter numbers alone has the potential to mislead, if the performance suffers prior to updating at the next calendar quarter end. We also are concerned about advertising funds with good performance that are closed, the possibility of style creep, such as value managers buying growth stocks to boost sagging performance, and the use of scales or graphs that exaggerate performance.
At the same time that we are scrutinizing ads for misleading practices, we are proceeding with amendments to Rule 482, to enhance funds' ability to provide investors with better and timelier information. The proposal would eliminate the requirement that the substance of the information contained in the advertisement be included in the statutory prospectus. The Rule 482 revisions also will serve as an occasion to remind issuers that technical compliance with the rule may nevertheless run afoul of antifraud prohibitions of the federal securities laws. We will seek to promote in the rule, balance and responsibility in fund advertising. We have indicated however that we will not tolerate the misuse of performance information to mislead investors, and our recent enforcement actions and the penalties associated therewith, most notably the $1 million penalty in the Dreyfus case ($2 million to settle with the New York Attorney General) demonstrates that we are indeed serious about this issue.
The industry has responded to competitive pressures and rapid technological changes by creating and marketing new types of funds. We need to ensure that the rush to develop attractive products does not come at the expense of products and services that offer investors real financial benefits and value. An area that presents a unique regulatory challenge is the evolution of exchange-traded funds. Assets in exchange traded funds listed on the American Stock Exchange, where almost all of these funds are traded, have risen from $2.4 billion three years ago to over $38 billion. These funds, with names like SPDRs, WEBs, Diamonds, and Cubes, have obtained exemptive relief from the Commission to facilitate secondary market trading in their shares. They are bought and sold throughout the day and are priced continuously, rather than once a day at 4 p.m., which is the pattern for conventional funds. Unlike mutual funds, they can be sold short. Their expense ratios are a fraction of those charged by an actively managed mutual fund.
There are many issues to consider as these products evolve. For example, we must consider whether the development of these products would encourage investors to view mutual funds as something other than long-term investments and encourage short-term trading of mutual funds. The Commission is currently considering an application that would allow an exchange-traded class of an existing index fund. So far, relief has been extended only to index funds but not to managed funds. Is there even a framework pursuant to which a managed exchange traded fund can work? And what impact, if any, would an exchange-traded class of a managed fund have on an existing non-exchange traded class?
Another area where there is increasing competition is in the use of electronic media. The Commission recently issued an interpretive release in an effort to clarify the application of the federal securities laws to electronic media. The increased use of the Internet by issuers as a means of widespread information dissemination has resulted in uncertainty about the application of the federal securities laws to these communications. The release builds on previous Commission interpretations and seeks to remove interpretively some of the barriers to the use of electronic media, while preserving important investor protections. The release provides guidance on the use of electronic media to deliver documents under the federal securities laws, addresses an issuer's liability for website content and hyperlinks and outlines basic legal principles that issuers and market intermediaries should consider in conducting online offerings. We recognize, however, that continuing guidance will be necessary in this area as use of electronic media continues to evolve.
We recognize the competitive pressures facing funds and are considering proposing rules that would allow funds to proceed with certain transactions without the need for an exemptive order. For example, we intend to propose amendments that would expand Rule 17a-8, which involves fund mergers. Any rule in this area would place heavy emphasis on the fund's board to assure the fairness and appropriateness of the transaction. We also are planning on proposing amendments to Rule 10f-3, which allows a fund to buy securities from an affiliated underwriting or selling syndicate. The proposal would permit funds to buy government securities issued by government agencies or government sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae. The rule has not permitted purchases of these types of securities, because they typically have not been offered through syndicates. The amendment would respond to the fact that some government sponsored enterprises have begun to issue their securities through syndicates.
I noted that there is a session devoted to designing effective compliance systems. One concern we have is how the new financial services modernization legislation will impact the fund industry. Will Citigroup, through the merger of banking giant Citicorp and the insurance behemoth, Travelers Group, be the model for future consolidation?
How will these consolidated industries meet the needs and expectations of investors? What about compliance strategies in a mega-firm, that suddenly finds itself more diverse, with divergent practices, conflicting cultures and increasingly complex affiliations? Newly consolidated firms will bear a great deal of responsibility in developing and implementing compliance programs that blend different cultures. The compliance structure of securities firms, traditionally has differed from that of a bank or insurance company. An entity that combines two or more of these industries will have to find a way to craft a compliance program that addresses the unique conflicts of interest that can arise in each industry. Inconsistent personal trading policies, conflicting policies governing transactions between affiliates or how these policies are enforced, are examples of the problems that may be created by these consolidations. One of our focuses will be to ensure that responsible oversight of compliance systems is a central component of these consolidations.
We also have been working on a number of rules that will help funds keep pace with, and be responsive, to the increasing globalization of the mutual fund industry. The Commission recently adopted amendments to Rule 17f-5 and a new rule 17f-7, which establish new standards governing the maintenance of a fund's assets with a foreign securities depository. The rule and rule amendments together will permit funds to maintain their assets in foreign securities depositories based on conditions that reflect the operations and role of these depositories. They generally require that a fund's contract with its global custodian obligate the custodian to analyze and monitor the custody risks of using a depository, and provide information about the risks to the fund or its adviser, as well as any information regarding material changes in the risks.
The Commission just approved a rule that permits Canadians who reside in the United States and hold certain tax-deferred retirement accounts in Canada, to manage the investments by purchasing and selling foreign securities in those accounts. Before this rule, Canadian "snowbirds" could not make changes in these accounts because the Canadian mutual funds or other securities in which they would like to invest are not registered in the United States. As a result, they were unable to reallocate assets in their accounts as they approach retirement or their financial needs change. The new rule permits Canadian funds to offer and sell their securities to U.S. participants under these circumstances without having to register as investment companies under the Act.
To this point, my discussion has focused on the Division's rulemaking initiatives. However, I should also bring your attention to several important letters we issued that provide interpretive guidance in the areas of fair value pricing and affiliated transactions.
In a letter to the Investment Company Institute the Division expressed its views on fair value pricing. The letter clarifies that market quotations for portfolio securities are not readily available, when the exchanges or markets on which those securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day. On those days, the fund must price those securities based on their fair value. The letter also provides guidance regarding the process of fair value pricing, and describes certain factors that funds should consider when fair value pricing portfolio securities. It also discusses the obligations of fund boards of directors for fair value pricing of securities, and discusses measures that boards may take when discharging those responsibilities.
The staff issued a no-action letter under Section 17(a) of the Investment Company Act to permit a mutual fund to satisfy a redemption request from an affiliated person by means of an in-kind distribution of portfolio securities. The letter clarifies the staff's position that while cash redemptions to affiliated shareholders do not trigger Section 17(a) of the Act, that section governs redemptions in kind to affiliated shareholders. The staff recognized that there are benefits to redemptions in kind, and that redemptions in kind to affiliated persons can be effected fairly without implicating the concerns underlying Section 17(a) under certain circumstances. We expect that the letter will significantly reduce the need for funds to seek exemptive relief for such transactions.
Additionally, we have under active consideration several other letters in the affiliated transactions area, specifically under Section 17(d), that should also reduce the need for funds to seek exemptive relief. Last week we issued a letter to Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company that expanded the position we took in the SMC letter that indicates it is not a violation of Section 17(d) and Rule 17d-1 if an investment company aggregates orders with affiliated persons for the purchase or sale of private placement securities, such as securities issued in reliance on Rule 144A, under certain conditions.
Finally, while this conference primarily focuses on Investment Company Act issues, it also touches on the other '40 Act, the Investment Advisers Act. We are currently engaged in revisiting our regulatory approach on many issues under the Advisers Act, in a comprehensive effort to modernize our regulations to respond to changes affecting the investment advisory industry. We have several pending rule proposals that reflect this effort and other ideas that will generate rule proposals in the near future. Last month the Commission hosted a roundtable which elicited opinions regarding key issues under the Advisers Act, which will inform our efforts. We have taken a significant step to modernize the adviser regulatory regime in proposing the Investment Adviser Registration Depository, an electronic filing system for investment advisers, representing the first major update of the form since Uniform Form ADV was adopted in 1985. We have a rule proposal pending that addresses the circumstances under which broker-dealers would not be subject to regulation under the Advisers Act and a rule to address pay-to-pay practices in connection with the management of public pension plans. As a result of the roundtable and our analysis we are giving active consideration to the following under the Investment Advisers Act:
We will examine these and other issues as we seek to modernize and improve the investment adviser regulatory regime.
Hopefully, this overview of investment company regulation and the outline of the Commission's major regulatory priorities for the year ahead in the investment management area, lead you to conclude that this is an exciting area in which to practice law. I hope this conference stimulates your interest in becoming a '40 Act practitioner.
Thank you.
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November 18, 2014
The Women of Westeros
Thanks to Emma Watson's speech at the UN earlier this fall, a lot of incredible people have been talking about feminism lately, and we think that's pretty cool. In honor of Hermione, Beyoncé, and Benedict, we thought we'd take a look at feminism in Westeros.
source: http://bit.ly/1zsrCgd
There are some pretty fantastic females in Game of Thrones, and almost all of them would pass the Bechdel Test (we checked!). Consider Danaerys, Cersei, Arya, Brienne, Catelyn Stark, even Margery Tyrell. These cunning and brave women defy the patriarchy of Westeros both brazenly and discreetly, proving there's more to them than long braids and a love of lemon cakes. Each of them has learned how to follow her own rules in a world where misogyny is ubiquitous.
source: http://bit.ly/1xkqdL5
Literature is no stranger to fierce females who challenge gender conventions. One of our favorite fierce ladies is Jane Eyre. "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will," Jane says. We have a feeling the Mother of Dragons would give her an Amen! Danaerys was that bird after all, ensnared in her brother's net and sold like a slave to her husband. Where is the Mother of Dragons now? Leading an army, calling the shots.
source: http://bit.ly/14FyONL
In A Room with a View, Lucy Honeychurch asks, "It was unladylike. Why? Why were most big things unladylike?" We know Arya Stark and Brienne of Tarth were stifled by the rules enforced on good little girls to turn them into good little ladies. After all, here are two ferocious chicks who would rather fight with swords than needlepoint.
source: http://bit.ly/1EZYVM7
"I have brains and almost all the rest of the world are fools," Becky Sharp says in Vanity Fair, but it may as well have been Cersei Lannister who uttered those words. Sitting in the highest tower in King's Landing, Cersei watches as men and boys around her fight clumsily for power while she's only allowed glances at it through motherhood or matrimony. Evil though she may be, you gotta give that girl some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
source: http://bit.ly/1qSyQq1
We're grateful to George R. R. Martin for many things, and blessing us with so many tenacious and kickbutt female characters is one of them.
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Category Archives: Fotomat
Tower and Sky
The ugliest fountain in the Western Hemisphere
Can be found in Winchester, Virginia, USA. I have no idea why it exists; most of these things have plaques or something denoting who constructed it and why, but apparently whoever brought this object into existence (sometime in the 1970s probably, because the hideousness, the colors, the tiny square tiles set in a random pattern, all scream "the No-Taste Decade") was too ashamed to do so. It is a mystery.
Green Light
I still exist
I have this thing here
But who cares. Here's a photo:
I took that with my digital last Sunday when I went up to Winchester. I also took some film photos, but most of them didn't come out that great. Either I need a new battery for the camera, or I need to not use the cheap UV filter I bought at Walmart. I don't know, does modern print film now compensate for UV better than it did when the Canon AE-1 Program was new? Photos I've taken without a filter look great.


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About Me
My name is Wendy Jane Allenby and I've lived in Skegness all my life, my family has a street named after them which I am very proud of. And cats have always been a big part of my life since I can remember, my childhood cat lived until 21 years old.
Now I'm offering a cat sitting service which is very personal and tailored to your requirements. To me it's not work it's a pleasure and a passion.
I have a male tabby cat called Wilfie and also the neighbours cats love to come and visit and make themselves at home in my conservatory as you can see from my photos.
My Services
fully insured – criminal record check – registered pet setter at narpsuk
I provide two home visits per day depending on your requirements, feeding, watered and clean litter tray, clean any accidents that might occur, administer any medication that might be required, if your cat falls ill I will take it to the vets for you if required and of course give lots of TLC!!
If you require I can leave a light on for security and collect your post and anything else to put your mind at rest. Also I can text or email you photos of your cat or cats while you are away to reassure you of their welfare. I am a member of NarpsUK (National Association of pet sitters), I am fully insured and DBS certified.
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