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Bank of America Corp.'s $16.65 billion settlement with the Justice Department over allegedly shoddy mortgage securities is the biggest penalty ever paid by a single U.S. company.
Here is the rundown on Thursday\'s accord:
— Bank of America will pay $9.65 billion of the penalty in cash, and the remaining $7 billion in the form of consumer relief.
— New York state will get $300 million in cash and $500 million in consumer relief as part of the settlement, according to New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
— The total penalty is equal to the last 3 years of the bank\'s profits.
— Regulators said 50% of loans in at least one Bank of America pool of securities were dodgy.
— All told, U.S. banks have reached $62 billion in deals to settle crisis-era misconduct.
— Bank of America\'s legal woes from the financial crisis is estimated at close to $75 billion.
— The tax deduction for Bank of America\'s cash payments is estimated at $400 million to $600 million, says Rafferty Capital bank analyst Richard Bove.
— Zero executives will face charges under the U.S. settlement.
— Karen Friar and Sital S. Patel
More must-reads from MarketWatch:
A $16.65 billion fine can't hold back B. of A. stock
Tobacco paid far more than banks' $142 billion


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Gowrie Junction, was named after the Gowrie pastoral station (1841), is located just five minutes drive west from Toowoomba's city outskirts, just off the Warrego Highway. This picturesque country community lies amongst the rolling hills which border the open cropping plains of the Darling Downs.
Gowrie Junction contains a small shop, school, community hall and a recreational hall. The town is well worth a stop.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).

subset: commoncrawl


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Our oceans are under attack, and approaching a point of no return.
Can we survive if the seas go silent?
WE'RE IN FOR A WILD RIDE, say Oceanus' 13-person crew, salts old and young, most of them Cape Codders with lifelong careers on the water. Consequently, many of the 12 members of the scientific team—oceanographers, science technicians, and graduate students, along with this observer—scatter across the ship's three decks in the moments before we sail, seeking privacy for our last cell phone calls home, backs turned to the rain, shouting against the wind. At 177 feet and more than 1,000 tons, R/V (research vessel) Oceanus is the smallest ship in the long-range fleet of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and I suspect there's not one of us aboard this morning who doesn't wish we were sailing on one of the larger vessels.
Bad weather at sea is exponentially worse than bad weather ashore. The liquid world reacts in a pyrotechnical way to blowing air, exploding into the marine equivalent of a firestorm at winds that onshore might only make you button your coat. We're headed into a Force 9 (strong gale) on the 12-point Beaufort scale. Before we make landfall, one week hence, we'll have dabbled in Force 10 (storm) and skirted Force 11 (violent storm) conditions. Force 12 is a hurricane.
Outside of Buzzards Bay, we're slammed with 20-foot seas ripped white by wind and careening unpredictably on the shallow waters of the continental shelf. The swell is abeam of us, and Oceanus wallows with the corkscrew motion sailors despise. One by one, those of us not on watch disappear below to set the storm rails on our bunks, wedge our life jackets under the edges of our mattresses, climb in, wait, and hope for intestinal fortitude and good seamanship from Captain Lawrence Bearse's crew on the bridge. The only way to avoid being flung from our bunks by the violent motion is to hold on and hug the wall, which is essentially the outer skin of the vessel. It's a strangely intimate experience, below waterline, feeling the ship bowing and flexing against our backs, and absorbing into our bones the deafening thunder of steel as the largest waves drive Oceanus nearly to a shuddering stop before her single propeller fights back with the power of 3,000 horses. I'm torn between staying awake and worried in a fascinated kind of way, or falling into oblivious sleep.
A cold front from the north, fueled by the remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy, and Subtropical Depression 22 are merging and birthing a midlatitude cyclonic monster destined to grow 1,100 miles in diameter. Twenty inches of rain have already fallen over parts of New England, the region's weightiest rain event since 1999's Hurricane Floyd. A day earlier, en route to Woods Hole and stuck in Chicago by weather so bad it closed down Boston's Logan Airport, I called Ruth Curry, the expedition's chief scientist, to ask what she made of the forecast. "Science doesn't stop for the weather," was her cheery reply.
Concerns about weather are part of what's sending us to sea in the first place. By studying the ocean's chemistry, which affects currents and, in turn, weather, Curry hopes to better understand how we humans might be affecting the critical elements of our own life-support system. Data from physical oceanography, marine biology, meteorology, fisheries science, glaciology, and other disciplines reveal that the ocean, for which our planet should be named, is changing in every parameter, in all dimensions, in every way we know how to measure it.
The 25 years I've spent at sea filming nature documentaries have provided a brief yet definitive window into these changes. Oceanic problems once encountered on a local scale have gone pandemic, and these pandemics now merge to birth new monsters. Tinkering with the atmosphere, we change the ocean's chemistry radically enough to threaten life on earth as we know it. Making tens of thousands of chemical compounds each year, we poison marine creatures who sponge up plastics and PCBs, becoming toxic waste dumps in the process. Carrying everything from nuclear waste to running shoes across the world ocean, shipping fleets spew as much greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as the entire profligate United States. Protecting strawberry farmers and their pesticide methyl bromide, we guarantee that the ozone hole will persist at least until 2065, threatening the larval life of the sea. Fishing harder, faster, and more ruthlessly than ever before, we drive large predatory fish toward global extinction, even though fish is the primary source of protein for one in six people on earth. Filling, dredging, and polluting the coastal nurseries of the sea, we decimate coral reefs and kelp forests, while fostering dead zones.
I'm alarmed by what I'm seeing. Although we carry the ocean within ourselves, in our blood and in our eyes, so that we essentially see through seawater, we appear blind to its fate. Many scientists speak only to each other and studiously avoid educating the press. The media seems unwilling to report environmental news, and caters to a public stalled by sloth, fear, or greed and generally confused by science. Overall, we seem unable to recognize that the proofs so many politicians demand already exist in the form of hindsight. Written into the long history of our planet, in one form or another, is the record of what is coming our way.


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Fill in the form below to receive digital copies of the latest Shuttercraft product brochure and our Guide to Choosing Shutters.
Plantation Shutters from Shuttercraft are made-to-measure, crafted just for you. Look through our latest brochures to discover the look that suits your home, letting you pick the style, material and shape that suits your space.
Please note: Any personal data collected from you will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Why not get in touch with your local Shuttercraft today!


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Popular Twitter client MeTweets has been bumped to version 2 and the latest release is now available on the Wndows Phone Store. We previously looked at the app a few days ago when we managed to get a sneak peek at what consumers can expect to see in the update. From the new Smart Split and Smart Merge features to a new design for Timelines and profile pages, it's quite a sizeable release.
To recap on what we're looking at in the latest version:
- Smart Split/Smart Merge – MeTweets will now automatically split your tweet into multiple messages if you exceed the 140 character limit (likewise, it will recombine them too)
- Windows Phone 8 – Voice commands and tweet dictation supported
- In-app YouTube video playback
- In-app Readability support
- New design for Timelines
- New design for profile pages
- Indicator for unread tweets
- SkyDrive inline images
- Pull to refresh gesture for easier use
- MeTweets will now automatically filter the spam out of your mentions (Mentions that contain only a link, coming from a user you don't follow, will be hidden)
- Search for Images on Twitter
- Windows Phone app links will now automatically open in the Store (and not IE)
- In-app toast notifications
You can download MeTweets for $1.49 (trial available) from the Windows Phone Store.


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Guide Bulletin 2013-24 Announces Servicing Updates That Help More Borrowers Avoid Foreclosure
November 25, 2013
In Single-Family Seller/Servicer Guide Bulletin (Guide) Bulletin 2013-24 we are announcing requirement changes that allow Servicers to help more borrowers avoid foreclosure through short sales and deeds in lieu of foreclosure (DILs). Some changes included in Guide Bulletin 2013-24 are:
- Updating eligibility requirements for exceptions to borrower documentation for short sales and DILs. We've expanded eligibility to include borrowers whose mortgage debts have been discharged in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy regardless of the borrower's FICO score. Additionally, mortgages that were originated as investment properties are no longer eligible for the exception to borrower documentation. Servicers must now review a complete Borrower Response Package (BRP) to evaluate these borrowers for a short sale or DIL.
- Updating Servicer delegations for short sales and DILs. Servicers must submit a short sale or DIL recommendation to Freddie Mac for approval when the borrower's cash reserves exceed $50,000.
- Revising our short sale and DIL processing and foreclosure suspension requirements. Servicers must delay, or ensure that foreclosure counsel delays, the next legal action in the foreclosure process when they:
- Receive a First Complete BRP more than 37 days prior to a scheduled
foreclosure sale date, and
- The evaluation results in an offer to proceed with a short sale or DIL.
- Receive a First Complete BRP more than 37 days prior to a scheduled
- Revising our BRP review requirements for short sales. Servicers are no longer required to conduct an expedited review when a completed BRP with a short sale purchase offer is received greater than 37 days prior to a scheduled foreclosure sale date. However, Servicers must continue to expedite a review of a complete BRP received between 37 days and 15 days prior to a scheduled foreclosure sale date.
- Updating our Trial Period Plan requirements. If a borrower accepts an original Trial Period Plan offer after receiving an appeal decision, and the borrower remains eligible for the original offer, Servicers must reissue the original offer with a new Trial Period Plan due date. Any delinquent amounts accrued during the appeal review process will be included in the modified principal balance.
Read Guide Bulletin 2013-24 for more detailed information on these updates.
Investor Accounting Manager Retirement
Effective November 15, 2013, Investor Accounting ManagerSM (IAM) was retired. With the retirement of IAM, Servicers are only able to access investor accounting reports through the Freddie Mac Service Loans application. If you need access to the application, visit the Service Loans Application Resource Center for instructions on how to register.
Training and Resources
Please visit Freddie Mac's Learning Center for additional information on our training programs and references tools.
For More Information
- Read Guide Bulletin 2013-24.
- Visit the Freddie Mac Standard Short Sale and Freddie Mac Standard Deed-in-Lieu Web pages.
- Contact your Freddie Mac representative.


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Montclair NJ Real Estate & Homes for Sale
0 Properties Found
The median home value in Montclair, NJ is $650,000.
This is
higher than
the county median home value of $316,900.
The national median home value is $185,800.
The average price of homes sold in Montclair, NJ is $650,000.
Approximately 53.92% of Montclair homes are owned,
compared to 39.56% rented, while
6.52% are vacant.
Montclair real estate listings include condos, townhomes, and single family homes for sale.
Commercial properties are also available.
If you see a property you're interested in, contact a Montclair real estate agent to arrange a tour today!
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Vision One Life and the Sisterhood Initiative have joined forces to take teenage girls to Gannon University in an effort to get them headed in the right direction.
|LEADERS—Carmen Pace, League Coordinator Caprice King, Chantel Burke, Ayanna Jones and City Councilwoman Tonya Payne.
The purpose of the trip was for the teenagers to learn about an online radio station and bring what they learned back to Pittsburgh. This would be a place where they could voice their concerns about each other and keep them off the streets. As a part of the Department of Theatre, Communication and Fine Arts at Gannon University, 90.5 WERG provides a creative learning environment for students while offering unique programming to Erie and the surrounding communities.
One Vision One Life works with targeted communities to reduce or eliminate violence. As a fun part of this venture, the teenagers also went to a water park called Splash Lagoon.
Ayanna Jones, program director for the Sisterhood, said she feels passionate about her work and helping the youths in the community.
"The ladies from the Sisterhood Initiative are interested in starting an online radio station," she said. "With that in mind, I wanted them to see a model of an online radio station that is up and running. We are going to Gannon University to WERG with Lee Smith and we are going to have a tour of the radio station. We are going to see the in and outs of how you put an online radio station together. We are also going to be on a panel discussion on teen violence and after that we are going to Splash Lagoon.
|SISTERHOOD— Sisterhood Initiative members.
"Presently, teen violence is out of control. We are not doing problem resolution. Instead, we are picking up a gun or fighting or we are maiming one another. All the people in office who are concerned need to step up and take a stand.
"When we look at our educational system all over the city of Pittsburgh, our children are lacking books. The kids can pick up a gun quicker than they can pick up a book. A book is going to elevate you or take you to the next level. A gun is going to do nothing but get you in trouble or get you killed.
"The online radio station's purpose is to give the young ladies in our community a voice. We have issues about their rap, behavior, and how they act. The kids have concerns of their own and they need a voice to tell us what we need to do to change the situation. If we can mediate, which is one of the purposes of One Vision One Life, we will do that. If a shooting incident happens, we are immediately on the scene. If we can give the children a voice to talk about their issues, the retaliation will end and the homicides will stop. We can not afford to lose any more young men and women in this battle against violence."
Carmen Pace, who works with City Councilwoman Tonya Payne, is also in support of this mission to help youths in the community.
"Councilwoman Payne supports "One Vision, One Life" with the Sisterhood Initiative. These are young women from the neighborhood seeking support and guidance. "One Vision, One Life" is providing that and this trip will take them out of their neighborhoods to expose them to positive things that are going on. Councilwoman Payne will continue to work with the executive director, Richard Garland as well as the program director Ayanna Jones of the Sisterhood Initiative. She will support the youth throughout the city.
"The parents of these teenagers are happy that there is an alternative for their children to do something positive in the community and become productive members of society."
"I think it's a good idea to get the girls out of the neighborhood and express themselves," said Dee Dee Gardner.
"I feel that it's good to get the young girls out of the community to do something different and curb the violence amongst the young girls. It's nothing for them to do around here anyway. They need to get out and do different things, "said Tonya Gardner.
"It's important because it gives these women an opportunity to see firsthand how an online radio station works and they can replicate the program here in the city of Pittsburgh. The online radio station will help them learn skills to produce a show and run an online station, but it will also help the community," said Councilwoman Tonya Payne.


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KKR's Bis Industries to Meet Investors Ahead of Possible Australia IPO
The management of KKR & Co.-owned mining services and logistics business Bis Industries, led by recently-appointed chairman and KKR partner Justin Reizes, will meet Australian institutional investors to sound out interest in a potential initial public offering, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
UBS, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, which led a more than 900 million Australian dollar (US$925 million) refinancing of Bis Industries late last year, are expected to be appointed as joint lead managers if an IPO proceeds, which would have a market value of more than A$1 billion, the person said. For now, the financiers are simply being described as "partner banks".


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Public-private partnership created to help educate and develop the future biopharmaceutical workforce
Boston, MA., September 20, 2012 – PAREXEL International Corporation (NASDAQ: PRXL), a leading global biopharmaceutical services provider, today announced a partnership with Salem State University to offer a Post Graduate Certificate Program in Clinical Trial Management. This collaboration will provide candidates with the education needed to succeed in the growing clinical research management industry.
PAREXEL is committed to developing the future biopharmaceutical workforce with courses specifically tailored to meet the growing talent needs of the clinical development job market. Salem State University is an ideal partner to help further this effort due to its experience in developing academic programs relevant to workforce needs in the healthcare and life science fields.
"Salem State has a progressive outlook in partnering with industries and an impressive track record in building career interest in science disciplines," said Josef von Rickenbach, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PAREXEL International. "PAREXEL has experienced rapid growth in the United States and we are excited to have a major university partner in the Northeast to further develop the much-needed talent pool of candidates in the field."
"Our partnership with PAREXEL International is a strong example of Salem State's commitment to working with industry to create workforce aligned programs," said Patricia Maguire Meservey, president of Salem State University. "There is a clear need here for people with a healthcare or life sciences background who, with the right training, can tap into a specialized area where there is great demand."
PAREXEL has a well-established history of developing close partnerships with regional universities through its PAREXEL Academy. The company established the first academy of its kind in Berlin, Germany in 2001, where candidates can earn a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Clinical Research degree validated and awarded by the University of Wales. More recently, PAREXEL entered into an agreement with the National University of Singapore (NUS), through its National University of Singapore Academy of GxP Excellence (NUSAGE), to offer an academic program to help meet the increasing demand for talent in the field of clinical research in the Asia region. Since its inception, PAREXEL International has helped train more than one thousand professionals and has successfully placed many of its graduates into the life sciences industry segment.
About Salem State University
Salem State University, established in 1854, is a comprehensive, public institution of higher learning located approximately 15 miles north of Boston, Massachusetts. The university enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students representing 27 states and 57 nations, and is one of the largest state universities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
About PAREXEL International
PAREXEL International Corporation is a leading global bio/pharmaceutical services organization, providing a broad range of knowledge-based contract research, consulting, and medical communications services to the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. Committed to providing solutions that expedite time-to-market and peak-market penetration, PAREXEL has developed significant expertise across the development and commercialization continuum, from drug development and regulatory consulting to clinical pharmacology, clinical trials management, medical education and reimbursement. Perceptive Informatics, Inc., a subsidiary of PAREXEL, provides advanced technology solutions, including medical imaging, to facilitate the clinical development process. Headquartered near Boston, Massachusetts, PAREXEL operates in 70 locations throughout 51 countries around the world, and has approximately 12,695 employees. For more information about PAREXEL International visit www.PAREXEL.com.
This release contains "forward-looking" statements regarding future results and events, including, without limitation, statements regarding expected financial results, future growth and customer demand. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "appears," "estimates," "projects," "will," "would," "could," "should," "targets," and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual future results may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Important factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: actual operating performance; actual expense savings and other operating improvements resulting from recent and anticipated restructurings; the loss, modification, or delay of contracts which would, among other things, adversely impact the Company's recognition of revenue included in backlog; the Company's dependence on certain industries and clients; the Company's ability to win new business, manage growth and costs, and attract and retain employees; the Company's ability to complete additional acquisitions and to integrate newly acquired businesses or enter into new lines of business; the impact on the Company's business of government regulation of the drug, medical device and biotechnology industry; consolidation within the pharmaceutical industry and competition within the biopharmaceutical services industry; the potential for significant liability to clients and third parties; the potential adverse impact of health care reform; and the effects of exchange rate fluctuations and other international economic, political, and other risks. Such factors and others are discussed more fully in the section entitled "Risk Factors" of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012 as filed with the SEC on August 27, 2012, which "Risk Factors" discussion is incorporated by reference in this press release. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the future. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's estimates or views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
PAREXEL is a registered trademark and PAREXEL MyTrials is a trademark of PAREXEL International Corporation and Perceptive Informatics is a trademark of Perceptive Informatics, Inc. All other names or marks may be registered trademarks or trademarks of PAREXEL International Corporation, Perceptive Informatics, Inc. or their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged.


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Search results for: S Wales
S Wales
Family Holidays UK (Rating: 6) , Votes:The official website of visit Wales, containing information and advice on family friendly holidays in the UK.http://www.visitwales.co.uk/uk-family-holidays/
Travel Counselor - Wales, England, Scotland & Ireland (Rating: 4) , Votes:Provides assistance that will enable you to have a trip better planned, more efficiently organized. Travel to England, Scotland, Wales and/or Ireland with a completely different approach utilizing our custom travel experience with emphasis on travel using public transportation.http://www.SwantonBritishTravel.com
Anglesey Today, Holidays in Island Paradise (Rating: 6) , Votes:A local view and guide of the beautiful island of Anglesey off the North Wales coast, with photos of great attractions, spectacular sea views and sandy beaches.http://www.anglesey-today.com
Bridgend Designer Outlet (Rating: 0) , Votes:Large outlet village offering designer labels at discount prices. Enjoy savings on a whole range of designer brands.http://www.bridgenddesigneroutlet.com/Category: Directory/Shopping/Clothing
Wedding Photographer in Devon, Somerset, Cornwall & the whole of the UK (Rating: 3) , Votes:Wedding Photographer David Pullum. Artistic Photojournalist in Devon, covering the whole of the UK including Somerset, Dorset, Cornwall, Bristol, Exeter, Taunton, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales.http://www.dpphotography.co.ukCategory: Directory/Shopping/Weddings
Forrest Williams (Rating: 0) , Votes:Forrest Williams is a team of award-winning criminal defence solicitors based in the regions and areas of Nottingham, Birmingham and London who represent clients throughout England and Wales. We know the law from back to front and are passionate about what we do. Whether its drink driving or private criminal prosecution we can advise and support you throughout the whole process regardless of what charges you face.https://forrestwilliamssolicitors.comCategory: Directory/Business/Law
UK Hotels: Accommodation with Guest Reviews & Online Booking (Rating: 5) , Votes:Great discounts on UK hotels for any budget and location, and all offering secure online booking for business or leisure.http://www.uk-hotel-accommodation.co.uk
Ultralase Eye Surgery Ireland (Rating: 2) , Votes:Laser eye surgery from Ultralase, the Irish laser vision correction specialists. Find out about laser eye treatments for short sight, long sight and astigmatism such as lasik eye surgery, lasek, wavefront etc.http://ie.ultralase.comCategory: Directory/Europe/Ireland
Lodge Holiday Homes (Rating: 1) , Votes:Exclusive lodge luxury to buy in Picturesque Wales, The Lake District and Cotswolds. Buy exclusive lodges and make exclusive lodges the perfect lodge holiday home.http://www.exclusivelodges.co.uk
Related searches:
Webotopia provides a business directory designed to promote S Wales companies, products and services whilst helping it's users find the S Wales information they need. Webotopia business directory, with the help of it's dedicated support specialists and reviewers, enables delivery of S Wales quality content, excellent customer support as well as value added services such as content publishing and press releases for it's users.


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State title a fitting capstone for CGA runner Neer's XC career
CULVER — In some ways, it was a culmination. In others, it provided a perfect symbol.
Culver Girls Academy's Waverly Neer survived the second-closest battle in Indiana girls cross country history by edging out Bloomington South's Nicole Lucas by .7 of a second to win the 30th annual Girls State Cross Country Championship at the Wabash Valley Sports Center in Terre Haute and claim the state title that had eluded her through three years of running with the Eagles.
While she preferred to give credit first to her teammates and CGA head cross country and track coach Michael Chastain, Neer said that her disappointments at both the track and cross country state championships each of the past two seasons, and in particular her second-place finish in the 1600-meter run at last year's state track and field finals — where she had placed runner-up in both the 3200 and 1600 runs the previous season — provided extra incentive for her senior season.
"I just really wanted to win," said Neer. "I'll be really honest with you — it really hurt after the state meet last year in cross country and this year in track always wanting to win that state championship, and it was hard for me to get second again in track. It was kind of a do-or-die mentality. I knew if I just gave it all I had this season and not let any outside distractions get to me I would finally be able to achieve what I wanted to do, and I guess I felt like I had one last opportunity."


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Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt M. Campbell, accompanied by U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Patrick M. Walsh, USAID Assistant Administrator Nisha Biswal and Office of the Secretary of Defense South/Southeast Asia Principal Director Brigadier General Simcock will travel to the Pacific Islands June 26 - July 1, 2011. On June 24, 2011, Assistant Secretary Campbell held a press briefing on his upcoming trip and addressed U.S. interests in the region. Assistant Secretary Campbell said:
"So we're going to just go over some developments this week, and I'd like to start with, I think -- on some issues that we didn't feel were adequately covered earlier this week from the 2+2 meeting between the United States and Japan. And I just want to underscore that this was the first meeting of the 2+2 which, in many ways, is the driving institutional mechanism between the United States and Japan since 2007. And a number of landmark agreements were reached that we would encourage you to take a look at, and I think underscore both the commitment of both countries to work closely together, but also reflect a very substantial forward momentum.
"For instance, the agreement on field carrier landing operations were significant. We came up with a runway configurement for the FRF plan, off-shore Okinawa. We were able to articulate new common strategic objectives for the United States and Japan, not just in the defense of Japan but in the wider regional context in the Asian Pacific region and beyond, given Japan's important role that they're playing in the defense of piracy and also developments on -- in South Asia and Afghanistan. So, an important meeting, and I think it does suggest that U.S.-Japan relations are firmly back on track, and a reflection that the United States was the first on the scene in terms of international friends to support Japan in its time of need in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake and nuclear crisis. And we were very grateful for the deep public appreciation and private expressions of that from our Japanese counterparts while they were visiting.
"Secondly, yesterday, I think as you all know, the Philippine foreign minister was here, Foreign Minister del Rosario. He was here as part of a process to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the strong alliance between the United States and the Philippines. We discussed a range of issues and we are working closely with our Philippine counterparts to increase a number of capacities in relation to governance and assistance, but also maritime domain awareness, which we think is important in terms of the relationship between the United States and the Philippines. And I look forward to closer interactions with them in the coming months.
"Today, Foreign Minister Kim will be meeting with Secretary Clinton. Yesterday, he had senior meetings at the White House. In fact, he's been engaged in close consultations with the United States on the way forward over the course of the last several days. He was very supportive of our efforts in relation to building a very strong American pavilion next year at the Yeosu Expo. And I just want to underscore the very strong alliance relationship that exists between the United States and South Korea. And we are completely in alignment in terms of our goals, strategic objectives with respect to next steps with North Korea.
"And then if I may just say as a moment on Saturday, late Saturday, an interagency team from the State Department, from the Department of Defense, from Admiral Pat Walsh, head of our forces in the Pacific, and a senior representative from USAID -- we're making, really, the first trip of its kind. We are going throughout the Pacific. Too often, when we say the Asia Pacific, it is the Pacific that gets short shrift. And so over a week's time, we will go to Kiribas, Samoa, Tonga, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
"In many respects, this is really an unprecedented high-level trip, and it will underscore our whole-of-government commitment by the United States to fulfill our moral, strategic, and political, and indeed, long-standing interests in the Pacific. We've had strong relations with the -- our partners for decades, and we want to continue that going forward. And we will, in each stop, articulate specific steps on assistance, on dealing with climate change, on dealing with the welfare of the people of the Pacific Islands. And in every place, we will try to coordinate closely with partners such as Australia and New Zealand who have deep strategic interests in the Pacific. We're extremely excited about this trip. We recognize that the challenges affecting the Pacific, ranging from climate change to endemic poverty, are important to address, and the United States wants to be in the forefront of that effort, bringing together a range of international actors that care about developments there.
"And then finally on Saturday, a U.S. team in Honolulu will be meeting with Chinese interlocutors as part of a commitment made at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue to hold an Asia Pacific consultation between our two countries to explore and examine our respective views and positions with respect to the Pacific. We talk about a whole number of issues -- economic, Afghanistan, developments in Africa -- and we thought it was important to step up our dialogue and increase dialogue associated particularly with the Asian Pacific region. It will be our intention to ask some specific questions -- what's the direction of Chinese military developments?
"We're very interested in their diplomacy with North Korea, with Burma, with other players in the Asian Pacific region. I imagine the Chinese interlocutors will ask us about our plans for force posture, modernization, and some of our engagements with our friends and others in the region. This is part of an effort to increase transparency, predictability, and build trust and confidence between two key nations, and we are deeply involved in consultations with all others in the Asian Pacific region as well.
"I think with that -- let me just also say that we are very pleased with the release of Ai Weiwei and we welcome that step. However, the United States continues to be deeply concerned by the trend of forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and convictions of public interest lawyers, writers, artists, intellectuals, and activists in China for exercising their internationally recognized human rights. And I intend to raise these issues in our discussions over the course of the next day in Honolulu."
You can read the full transcript of Assistant Secretary Campbell's press briefing here.


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Why is Facebook's stock getting hammered?
Former Morgan Stanley Internet analyst, and current Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker blames NASDAQ.
Speaking at the AllThingsD conference she said the big problem was that NASDAQ got overwhelmed by orders. Then traders weren't sure if they had the shares or not. They got spooked and stopped buying.
Once the stock started cratering, it was curtains for Facebook, says Meeker.
This has become a relatively standard line of thinking on the IPO. On the first day of trading, it makes sense, but we're over a week removed from the IPO. The kinks have been ironed out.
The real problem is that Facebook's business doesn't appear to justify a hefty valuation. Should Facebook trade at 60X next year's EPS versus Apple at 10X? Does that make sense?
She added, "This is a great company," and "it will do well over time." She thinks the $38 IPO price wasn't a mistake because it's not like Facebook, or its bankers were operating in a "black box." They had constant information on demand for the stock and pricing.
Facebook had an opportunity to raise $16 billion in one fell swoop. Its biggest rivals, Google, Microsoft, and Apple, all have piles of cash. If it's going to compete with them, then it needs a healthy war chest too, said Meeker.
DON'T MISS: Mary Meeker's Full Report On The State Of The Internet (It's Another Awesome Presentation)


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News » Discography
(US) Harmonia Mundi Latest February Releases Newsletter (Early Music Picks)
Tune Thy Musicke to thy Hart
Tudor and Jocobean Music for Private Devotion
On Tune thy Musick to thy Hart the young British stars of song Stile Antico are joined by the award-winning viol consort Fretwork to explore the wealth of Tudor and Jacobean sacred music written not for church performance, but for the court and for the home. Sung entirely in English, the program invites audiences to eavesdrop on this profound and moving musical experience.
(US) American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas-Artistic Director Announces: Bach's St. Matthew Passion is now on iTunes
(US) ArkivMusic Newsletter: Warner's Apex Label Now 3 for $20
(From the latest ArkivMusic Newsletter, 2 feb 2012 -- ed)
"ArkivMusic now has the Apex budget series of titles from Erato, Teldec, and Warner Classics on sale at 3 CDs for $20! Our featured titles are below. Buy 3 or more CDs from our complete section of eligible titles and you will be charged only $6.66 per disc. The more you buy, the more you save! Be sure to also view our list of Apex 2-disc sets at just $9.99 each! (Note: Our Apex 3-for-$20 sale does not include ArkivCDs or imports; sale ends 3/12/12.)"
(US) Harmonia Mundi at ArkivMusic -- Sale!
(US) Unquiet Thoughts Blog (18 feb 2012): "Heart songs: When you and I were young, Maggie" (Ron & Donna/Mignarda)
(UK) News from The Sixteen's Digital Shop
(Note from editor -- The Sixteen continue adding to their digital shop with both new and back catalogue titles.)
"Since launching our digital site in September it has been our aim to make The Sixteen's latest recordings available as Master Quality downloads. And so we are delighted to announce that our new disc The Earth Resounds, which features all of the repertoire from this year's Choral Pilgrimage, is available in 96kHz/24-bit FLAC or ALAC files which were created direct from the studio master. MP3 and AAC files of the recording are also available to purchase. …
(US) Harmonia Early Music: "Two Shadows & A Spotlight" (12 feb 2012)
(US) ArkivMusic.com Notable New Releases - 14 feb 2012
- Tune thy Musicke to thy Hart / Stile Antico (Stile Antico and Fretwork explore a long-neglected repertory – the wealth of Tudor and Jacobean sacred music written for domestic devotion, rather than for church worship)
- Beethoven: Complete Symphonies / Thielemann, Vienna Philharmonic (Thielemann's Beethoven is rigorous, intellectual, and well considered, and the playing is outstanding throughout. A bold attempt to recapture and redefine Beethoven for the 21st century. (6 CDs + DVD);
- Air: The Bach Album / Meyers, Mercurio, English Chamber Orchestra (On her new album, Anne Akiko Meyers performs both solo parts in Bach's Double Concerto on two different Stradivari violins as well as Violin Concertos 1 & 2, the Air on the G String, and the Bach/Gounod Ave Maria.) …
(US) Weekend Specials at ArkivMusic (11-12 feb 2012)
There seems to be a lot on special this weekend at ArkivMusic. You may want to take a look at their early music offerings from Tune thy Musicke to thy Hart / Stile Antico; Air - The Bach Album / Anne Akiko Meyers; Air - The Bach Album / Anne Akiko Meyers.
Additionally, ArkivMusic is also running Hungaroton which has a proud tradition of promoting Hungarian music and artists.
(SE) eClassical Special of the week: Beethoven – Complete Works for Solo Piano, Volume 11
(Available in FLAC 24, FLAC16 and MP3)
"BIS's Boss Robert von Bahr:
It is hard to sit and write texts about certain SACD:s without succumbing to ridiculous boasting, and this is one case in point. The very fact that we have asked Ronald Brautigan to record Complete Mozart (10 CD:s), Complete Haydn (16) and the Mozart Concerti (ongoing),
(BE) Scherzi Musicali CD Release: "La Catena d'Adone Domenico Mazzocchi" (24 jan 2012)
"La Catena d'AdoneLa Catena d'Adone, first performed on 12 February 1626, presents the characteristics of the genre. A pastoral tale in a prologue and five acts, it relates the tumultuous love affairs of Adonis, Apollo, Venus and the enchantress Falsirena. The frivolous and sensual, even erotic, tone of the work has its response in the Christian moral..."
(US) Harmonia Early Music: "2011 EMA Naxos Recording Competition Finalists" (By Anna Pranger Posted January 15, 2012)
(US) Opera Today Review: "Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina e la Compagnia dei Musici di Roma, Messa di Santa Cecilia" by Steven Plank (28 dec 2011) (Christophorus CHR 77288 [SACD])
(US) ArkivMusic "Opera and Vocal Alert" (On sale through 2/15/12.)
(US) Harmonia Mundi New Releases January 2012
New Titles at Harmonia Mundi
"Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach 1714-1788
Trio Sonatas Wq 154-156, 158
London Baroque
C. P. E. Bach was particularly attached to the trio sonata, to which he devoted some of his finest works.
(US) ArkivMusic Newsletter (17 jan 2012): "Featured Titles from Chandos - Winter 2012" (Sale ends: 14 feb 2012)
(US) Harmonia Early Music: "A Musical Tour Of Prague" (By Laura Osterlund Posted 1 Jan 2012)
(FR) Ensemble Syntagma CD: "Rosa e Orticha"
News from Ensemble Syntagma that its most recent CD release "Rosa e Orticha" (November 2011, Carpe Dium Records) has received "Best Recordings of the Year (2011)" by the Medieval Music and Art Foundation (USA) website. In addition, it has received a"20/20" from Musik and Sich, "Best Recordings of the Year" from "O Templo das Heresias" and, finally, was featured on the "In the Mode" (Public Valley Radio, California) programme on 8 Jan 2012.
(US) Opera Today Review: "Operas of Jean-Philippe Rameau" (DVD) (Donald R. Boomgaarden Dean, College of Music and Fine Arts Loyola University New Orleans, 19 Dec 2011)
(SE) eClassical "Daily Deal"
(From the latest eClassical newsletter of 02 Jan 2012. Some of you may be interested in some of the CD titles on sale.)
"Introducing our Daily Deal.
Starting this month, we would like to offer an album every day at a huge discount of 50%. We hope this will be attractive for you helping you to enlarge your classical library and perhaps discover new and exciting music. Click here for our Daily Deal"
(UK) Linn Records Reflects on "The Best of 2011"
The year that was"It's that time of year where we take a moment to reflect on the past twelve months. As Gramophone Editor James Inverne put it: "Having won Gramophone's coveted Label of the Year award in 2010, Linn Records are not a label to have rested on their laurels. Instead, as we have come to expect from them, the slate of fine new releases continued apace."
(US) Opera Today Review: "San Marco in Hamburg: Motets by Hieronymus Praetorius" (CD) (Steven Plank, 19 Dec 2011)
(UK) Hyperion Records Ltd. New Releases - January 2012
New releases for January 2012 from Hyperion Records Ltd.
Handel in Hamburg
A boisterous selection of the orchestral music Handel wrote for the Hamburg opera, some recorded for the first time. He arrived aged just eighteen and spent four hectic years absorbing the influences of this most culturally diverse of cities.
(US) Opera Today Review: "A Year at King's" (CD) (By Steven Plank, 18 Dec 2011)
(US) ArkivMusic Weekend Specials & New Year's from Vienna (Newsletter: 30 Dec 2011)
For those of you who may be interested:
"This holiday weekend at ArkivMusic includes an extra day of savings for our Weekend Specials, which include the 2012 New Year's Concert from Vienna, a gorgeous set of Mozart's quartets, a wonderfully vibrant box of Marais's viol music, one of the great recordings of the 13th-century Carmina burana, and an exceptional Hammerklavier from Emil Gilels. Remember, these deals end Monday at midnight EST!"


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The #1 New Years' Resolution
January 8, 2014 by: Susan Goldsmith
So what is the Innkeeper's #1 New Years' Resolution? Here we are on day 8 of 2014 and I've already blown my #1 2014 New Years Resolution–which was to work out three times a week at SNAP Fitness, our great new local 24 hour gym. It is not that Boreas Inn is slamming busy this time of year. Being overwhelmed by lots of guests, unfortunately, is not a good reason not to work out three times per week like it is in the busy season. So what is it that devastates my #1 New Years' Resolution? Each day seems to evaporate. Poof! And the gym isn't a part of it.
Twenty four hours per week really do evaporate at DaVita, my other job that has re-immersed me in clinical social work, my first passion. Intense, necessary, important to me and hopefully my patients and it is very worthwhile work. When one is accustomed to working seven days per week for 18 years, cramming in another 24 hours in the work week at DaVita is no big deal, right?
Let's see, other impediments to me keeping my #1 New Years' Resolution….The Visitor's Bureau Executive Committee and Board. Some hours in the first two weeks of the month, then email…not such a huge time commitment, right? Right. The Washington Bed&Breakfast Guild Board of Directors meetings. Quarterly meetings, email, love the organization, 2.5 days this week. Completely mentally and emotionally satisfying teamwork with a fun, interesting, inspiring group of committed entrepreneurial innkeepers.
Ahhh…that's what happened to my #1 New Years' Resolution for 2014. It's day 8–I've only worked out twice. But I have worked out my brain on a daily basis. But that does not register on a FitBit! And not to forget, we have had a few guests at Boreas Inn too.
Now that I've analyzed and viewed in print what's been up in the first 8 days of 2014, I understand why I have not kept my #1 New Years Resolution for this year. And I WILL meet my commitment to myself and work out at SNAP Fitness three times per week. Or maybe two… 🙂 🙂
Putting my #1 New Years' Resolution aside, there is good stormy weather and high surf predicted for this coming weekend and nowhere is better than Boreas Inn and the available Yett Beach House to watch a winter storm on the Long Beach Peninsula! Boreas Inn has beautiful beds, cozy fireplaces, and a fine breakfast befitting a King and Queen (which are also our bed sizes)! Bill and I will be here in fine form with nothing but time to devote to showing our guests the best B&B experience on the coast. ( The extra special treat this weekend is the Seahawks game at 1:35 pm on Saturday, the 11th. Our guests will be invited to watch the game with us, dressed in our Seahawks jersey finest, at The Lost Roo. Seven giant TV's should be adequate for viewing!
And hopefully this weekend, maybe we can walk in the rain…to SNAP Fitness to work out!


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Corey Taylor Reveals New Details on Dave Grohl Collaboration
Slipknot and Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor recently worked with Foo Fighters frontman / ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl on his secret side-project, as well as an upcoming music documentary. Grohl's new project is being recorded on the subject of the upcoming documentary — the famous mixing board that used to reside at Sound City Studios, where Nirvana's 'Nevermind' and Slipknot's 'Iowa' were both recorded.
Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor has been keeping himself extremely busy as of late with his two bands and book tour, but Taylor jumped at the chance to work with Grohl on the secret project.
Corey Taylor recently spoke with Artisan News about the project while walking the carpet for the Roast of Zakk Wylde. "[Grohl is] doing a documentary about the legendary board from Sound City that every and their mom recorded on," explained Taylor. "Everybody from 'Nevermind' to 'Iowa,' and he's slowly but surely gotten all these people together to make music on that board again. He called me — he was like "Would you like to do a tune?" I was like, "Are you serious? I'm on a plane right now."
Taylor continued, "It's really cool because its me, Dave and [Cheap Trick guitarist] Rick Nielsen on one tune. It's just a huge check mark on my bucket list, let's put it that way. I'm really ecstatic, it's a really good tune."
Stephen Pearcy and Warrenn DeMartini of Ratt have also recorded with Grohl on this latest project, which has yet to be given a name, title or release date.


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Wednesday, 17 March 2010
School cycling in winter
On the 15th of February, the day these photos were taken, it was -8 C in the morning. However, as you can see from these photos of cycle parking at a local school, Dutch school children cycle whatever the weather.
This cycle park has more than enough space for every one of the 700+ students to park a bicycle, and very nearly every student arrives at school each day by bicycle. Yes, that means even on the coldest days, and includes children who live so far as 20 km from the school.
I met my youngest daughter from school, a little earlier than usual, and we rode home together.
I'm happy to say that it's warmed up a little now, and we're seeing temperatures above zero even first thing in the morning. My daughters again headed for school by bike this morning, just like everyone else.
Also see what happened at this school when they held a school triathlon.
11 comments:
- Joost Bonsen said...
Interesting to see the range of path surface conditions. Here in Cambridge, MA, USA even with plowing the puddles-or-ice and the potholes-or-broken stones are hazardous to bicyclist and pedestrian alike.
Can you comment more on the maintenance programs? Everything from snow removal to fixing holes or other interesting relevant stuff? And even on construction side of things.
Thanks much for all your posts!
- 17 March 2010 at 02:13
- David Hembrow said...
Joost: I have written about some of these things before. Take a look at the posts tagged with gritting, winter, road works and school travel.
- 17 March 2010 at 06:32
i looked at the pics, the bikes aren't locked to anything, even though they are "inside" those metal frames. What's the point of the frames?
- 17 March 2010 at 17:09
- Nilcouak said...
Thanks you so much David, I would be so pleased to biking in such conditions if I am a student.
- 17 March 2010 at 18:34
- David Hembrow said...
Anonymous: The bike racks serve several purposes. They keep the bikes upright, tidy and allow more bikes to be packed into the same space than would be the case if they were not stored in the racks. This works because there are two levels, so handlebars can overlap. That's how you get 800 bikes into an area of 40 x 20 metres.
The bikes are all locked, using the frame lock which is on all utility bikes. You can see such a lock here. It's enough security. There's very little crime here.
- 17 March 2010 at 19:45
- Josef Janning said...
Excellent post. I've been riding to school every day from 5th to 13th grade. Wish there had been this infrastructure (but our's wasn't too bad after all, except for the one truck that ran over one of my sisters and almost killed her).
It very well shows that bikers' heaven is something that can be done i the real world with all its constraints. If only urban planners want to do it.
- 18 March 2010 at 12:23
- Team Schmitty said...
great post. we live in northern michigan and were able to bike to school, my kindergartener and 3year old in the trailer, everyday this winter. that picture of all the school bikes at 20F is inspiring. thanks. my boys really thought it was cool.
- 21 March 2010 at 14:17
Excellent video. At least my elementary school age son cycles to school daily and has a bike shed to protect his valuable vehicle from spring rains... well at least until the school district decided to expand the school and parking lot into the playground.
- 25 March 2010 at 15:51
- Brian said...
Loved the video. When I took my first trip to the Netherlands a few years ago, I thought it was cycling nirvana. This video shows it is, even in winter. A joy to watch. Thanks.
- 26 March 2010 at 17:54
- trailsnet said...
It is so nice to see a place where bicycling is a major form of transportation as well as recreation.
I hope to read more posts about bicycling and bicycle paths in Europe.
Thanks for sharing the pictures and video with us.
I hope you don't mind if I add your blog to the blogroll on the trailsnet site.
- 29 November 2010 at 05:52
- Fuzzy aka Graeme said...
Sadly in Edinburgh the cycle paths became uurideable as the snow turned to rather lumpy solid ice.
In the photo below can you see the cycle path?
I dream of the council clearing snow from the cyclepaths I am very jealous!
- 16 February 2011 at 12:55


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- Albanese: Telling it Straight, Karen Middleton
- When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi
- Things I Carry Around, Troy Cassar-Daley
- The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of the Lake District, James Rebanks
- Barbarian Days: a Surfing Life, William Finnegan
- Not Just Black and White, Lesley and Tammy Williams
- 1787: The Lost Chapters of Australia's Ancient Beginnings, Nick Brodie
- Hack in a Flak Jacket, Peter Stefanovic
- Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe
- The Hate Race, Maxine Beneba Clarke
Author: getriverbent
Bestsellers: Fiction!
- Our Souls at Night, Kent Haruf
- Behold the Dreamers, Imbolo Mbue
- The Girls, Emma Cline
- Good Morning, Midnight, Lily Brooks-Dalton
- The Dry, Jane Harper
- All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
- Truly, Madly, Guilty, Liane Moriarty
- Nutshell, Ian McEwan
- Barkskins, Annie Proulx
- The Rules of Backyard Cricket, Jock Serong
August Best Sellers: Non Fiction!
- The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of the Lake District, James Rebanks
- Reckoning, Magda Szubansk
- Walking Towards Ourselves: Indian Women Tell Their Stories, Catriona Mitchell
- The Gene: An Intimate History, Siddhartha Mukhurjee
- When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanthi
- The Hate Race, Maxine Beneba Clarke
- Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Bomber: The Whole Story, Mark Thompson
- Kick: The True Story of JFK's Forgotten Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth, Paula Byrne
- Farewell to the Father, Timothy Elliot
August Best Sellers: Fiction!
- The Girls, Emma Cline
- The Last Painting of Sara de Vos, Dominic Smith
- Truly, Madly, Guilty, Liane Moriarty
- The Toymaker, Liam Pieper
- My Name Is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout
- Blue Dog, Louis de Bernieres
- Hope Farm, Peggy Frew
- The Muse, Jessie Burton
- The North Water, Ian McGuire
- Between a Wolf and a Dog, Georgia Blain
Staff-Shelf Talker: The Girls, Emma Cline
It's appropriate that the cover of Emma Cline's startling The Girls features a blurb from Lena Dunham, creator of the similarly named HBO comedy. Like Dunham, Cline's fictional world is one fixated on the nuance of emerging womanhood, where experience is not just perceived but mapped through the workings of the body. The process is messy, it is frequently cruel, and requires careful artistry on the part of the author, a surgical knack for differentiating what her readers know and what her characters are allowed to perceive. Though she makes no claim as brazen as Dunham's infamous "voice of a generation" line, Cline succeeds, through precision and insight, in achieving much the same thing. This is not a novel about girlhood, though its femininity is essential. It is a novel about being alive.
When we are introduced to the protagonist, Evie, a fourteen-year-old Californian beset with domestic turbulence, she is as much a blank canvas as Twilight's soulless Bella Swan. The difference is perspective: Cline understands what lesser writers of both sexes fail to appreciate. People, at Evie's age, are essentially nondescript, devoid of experience but newly acquainted with consciousness, the desire to be formed into something more than what they are. Much of the hype surrounding The Girls focuses on the context in which Evie experiences this actualisation. Evie, on the cusp of adulthood in the late sixties, is indoctrinated into a Manson Family inspired cult.
One of the many remarkable things about The Girls is the way in which Cline directs Evie down this path, navigating the pitfalls of cliché and melodrama so that the cult—which one imagines featured prominently in the elevator pitch that won Cline an advance to the tune of two million dollars—is, in a sense, almost incidental. More importantly, its leader, the obliquely drawn Russell, is depicted not so much as the sun around which the titular girls orbit, but as a bad musician, a delusional egotist. Cline, so sparing in her characterisation of the supposed catalyst for the novel's action, must find another reason for Evie to become submerged in this sepia-drenched world of new age fanaticism. Her reason gives the novel not only its title, but its window into the human psyche.
Though Evie's view of the ranch on which Russell's acolytes make their home is willfully airbrushed, she scrutinises its inhabitants more closely. In the world of the ranch there is a secret world of girls, who share beds and clothes, the man they are all drawn to. It is this world that Cline etches with candid detail; "ankles gruff with stubble, or the pin dots of blackheads." The relationships between the girls are rich and unknowable, their dynamic far more sophisticated than Evie herself is aware.
Chief amongst the girls is the charismatic Suzanne, a hard, unforgiving creature described in an early encounter as resembling John Huston's daughter. Suzanne is Russell's lieutenant; she is Evie's protector and idol. Evie covets her dangerous, unapologetic femininity, comparing her to Connie, the classmate she was once friends with: "how she and I had watched television until we got blinky headaches and popped pimples on each other's backs in the harsh light of the sun." Suzanne's world is more fluid, steeped in the ambiguities of sex and violence, a conflation of pleasure and pain that Cline compares to the abrupt pulling of a ponytail. It is her inability to comprehend this world that feeds Evie's desperation to inhabit it.
Cline's aesthetic is a Romantic one: the beauty of her California is underscored, even enhanced by its decay. Aside from the literal dereliction of the ranch, with its burnt-out cars and appalling standards of hygiene, there is a taint of evil that infects the place, and Cline takes no pains to conceal its eventual outcome. True to their real life counterparts, Russell's followers commit a murder: an act of mindless, orgiastic violence that Evie herself is not privy to.
The tale of girlhood is punctuated occasionally by the present day, in which Evie is a middle-aged woman, still pursued by the phantoms of her adolescence. In these passages Cline, so masterful in her characterisation of the young Evie, stretches her talents even further, seamlessly re-sculpting her voice to feel heavier with experience. Though the older Evie's scenes as a sort of hermit living in the borrowed house of a formerly close friend are less compulsively readable than her time on the ranch, they provide a necessary and effective counterweight to the high-gloss sugar rush of youth: a sense that, even despite all she has experienced, there is still so much for her to fear.
That Cline succeeds in sustaining tension throughout the book despite the reader's full knowledge of the grizzly outcome is a testament to her subtle and inventive approach to her subject. There is exactly one open display of violence, in which an irate Russell slaps one of his disciples, though many more scenes carry the implication of it, lurking just beyond the sun-drenched periphery. Evie is, undeniably, a fanatic, but not of the sort one might expect her to be. She worships not Russell, or even Suzanne, but the intoxicating promise of a shared girlhood: desperate to believe that, in a state of flux, when merely existing is an act of survival, there is a possibility she is not alone. It is the thesis of all great literature, the syntax of the language of girls.
Riverbend Non-Fiction Recommendations: June
- Everywhere I Look, Helen Garner
- Farewell to the Father, Tim Elliot
- The Romanovs, Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Speaking Out, Tara Moss
- When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi
- Talking to my Country, Stan Grant
- Beyond Belief, Hugh Mackay
- All My Januaries, Barbara Blackman
- Wasted, Elizabeth Muir
- Eat Local, Brenda Fawdon & Christine Sharp
Riverbend Fiction Recommendations: June
- The Last Painting of Sara De Vos, Dominic Smith
- My Name is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout
- The Bricks that Built the Houses, Kate Tempest
- Everyone Brave is Forgiven, Chris Cleave
- Between a Wolf and a Dog, Georgia Blaine
- The Nest, Cynthia d'Aprix Sweeney
- The Group, Mary McCarthy
- Our Tiny Useless Hearts, Toni Jordan
- The Dry, Jane Harper
- Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist, Sunil Yapa


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SuicideGirl of the Day: Amarynth
Meet Amarynth, a Rhode Island SuicideGirl who loves to cook and digs hipbones. Save the cheesy pickup lines on this babe, fellas, because this babe says they turn her right off.
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Into: Tattoos, piercings, hipbones, cuddling, showers with others, art, photography, being outside, flowers, cooking, baking, eating, creating, walking, new experiences, travelling, vegetarians, girls, boys, adventures, unique cocktails, speaking Spanish
Not into: Smelly people, cheesy pickup lines, getting blown off, in-your-face carnivores, closed-minded people
Makes me happy: Sunshine, rain, lightning, cuddling, flowers, breakfast, coffee, going to shows, drinks with friends, cooking, drawing, going for walks, massages
Hobbies: Cooking, drawing, painting, writing poetry, baking, drinking, sewing, photography, dreaming
Five things I can't live without: Coffee, vegetables, my dog, my iPhone, chocolate
Vices: massages, wine and incredible food
I spend most of my free time: Creating, whether it's food or art
SuicideGirls is a community that celebrates alternative beauty and alternative culture from all over the world. Since 2001, tens of thousands of models have submitted millions of photos to their website hoping to become SuicideGirls.


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Op/Ed - Movie Mulligans, What Else Hollywood Should Do-Over
Last Sunday, Father's Day, while playing golf with my father-in-law, I stepped up to the tee on the Par-5 12th hole, took a huge cut with my Nike Sasquatch driver…and hit the ball about 20 feet, coming up just short of the ladies' tee.
So, doing what a lot of Sunday afternoon hackers do, I took a back-9 Mulligan and promptly cranked it 250+ yards down the middle of the fairway.
It was exactly what Marvel just did with a certain Jade Giant. The Incredible Hulk's $54 million debut weekend not only resuscitated the movie career of Bruce Banner's ill-tempered alter ego, it's given Hollywood reason to consider second chances for comic book projects that were sound in idea, but lousy in execution. The Wash. Rinse. REBOOT is suddenly the hottest thing to hit Hollywood since the three-picture, first-look production deal.
What are the odds some exec at Warner Bros. heard a pitch this week for a new spin on "Catwoman"?
Bad movies used to have a limited shelf life. Once they flopped, they would simply fade away into the netherworld of late-night cable viewings and get buried deep within our Netflix queues.
In comic publishing, when a Nova or Dazzler, or even a more established character like Hawkman, would succumb to low sales, they would disappear for a long time. One long-time comic book editor referred to characters being "radioactive". They'd get the occasional weekend furlough for a guest-appearance in Marvel Team-Up or Brave and the Bold, but only when the stench of failure had faded would they get a chance to rejoin the big boys in the sandbox.
The Hulk made a comeback after just five years, proving wrong those skeptics who felt not enough time had passed to make fans forget about Hulk Dogs and Nick Nolte.
Who says we geeks can't forgive or forget?
The Hulk isn't the first comic dude to go under the cinematic knife for a little nip/tuck. But only the Caped Crusader's reboot with Batman Begins has been an unqualified success until now. Thomas Jane and John Travolta couldn't do any better than Dolph Lundgren and Louis Gossett, Jr. did with The Punisher. And the fact that Bryan Singer is still trying to convince Warners to sign off on a sequel tells you all you need to know about how effective Superman Returns was.
But considering Hollywood's copycat nature, Old Greenskin's revival could open the floodgates for more movie Do-Overs. Intriguing, isn't it? Genre films in general are so hit and miss, every fan has one or two movies they'd like to see redone. Logan's Run, Aliens vs. Predator, Reign of Fire (how do you not show the dragons torching Manhattan??).
But comic book movies being so popular now, they offer greater – and faster – potential payoff.
Who's out there that could get a second chance. And who actually deserves one?
Before we begin theorizing, a few rules to follow for any reboot candidates:
- The original films have to have been either critical and/or commercial flops (that's right, so even a commercial hit like the putrid Ghost Rider is eligible).
- There needs to be a specific reason for the original to have failed (i.e. didn't stay true to the source work, bad casting, lousy script).
- There needs to be some genuine interest for a reboot (So please deposit your screenplays for new versions of "Steel," "Judge Dredd," "Tank Girl," "Brenda Starr," "Barb Wire" and "The Phantom" in the receptacle by the door)
Based on that, here are the five most likely candidates for rebooting, starting with Daredevil.
We're talking about one of Marvel's Old Guard, one of its most grounded-in-reality characters, with a history of rich storylines. The 2003 film wasn't terrible, but writer-director Mark Steven Johnson's fanboy-ish determination to squeeze in too many plot threads and an absurd number of in-jokes ultimately ruined it.
Marvel Studios' brain-trust should ditch the S&M dungeon red leather jumpsuit, get an actor to play Matt Murdock who's not dating a paparazzi fave and hand the franchise over to a director like Peter Berg or Joe Carnahan. Jon Favreau could ace this project but a clean break is needed for any reboot and since he played Foggy in the first one, he's out. And leave Elektra out, too. The ill-conceived spinoff with Jennifer Garner ruined that character.
But the first Daredevil made $102 million despite awful reviews. Imagine if the film would have been any good?
Supergirl is also one to consider for a makeover. (Please hold your flaming bags of loathing and ridicule 'til the end. You'll have many more chances, believe me)
The character is too iconic to go unused, and the 1984 Helen Slater monstrosity came out nearly a quarter-century ago. Modern-day special FX make it much easier to put the character in an appropriately 'super' setting. Give her a better villain than an over-the-top Faye Dunaway, someone she could have a big-league girl-fight with, and this could be very entertaining. My one warning would be to stick with Kara Zor-El and avoid the entertaining but convoluted Peter David 'Linda Danvers' version.
Then there's the Fantastic Four I know what you're thinking. Why reboot a franchise that's earned more than $600 million worldwide since 2005? Because not even the studio is interested in a third film, despite those gaudy earnings.
As disappointing as Ang Lee's Hulk was, I think the Fantastic Four movies were even bigger letdowns. Go to your LCS and ask people which FF film they liked the best. Chances are most will say The Incredibles
I doubt Marvel could pry the rights from 20th Century Fox, but if they could, they should go the Hulk route and skip the origin story and dive right into the latest adventure. Recast everybody along the lines of the original wish list, which had people like George Clooney in mind. And make sure to put someone in a purple suit and cosmic helmet so the 'Galactus as a big threatening cloud of doom' fiasco can be exorcised from our memories.
The FF is one franchise that should be put away for a few years before any revival is considered. Because worse than disgust and derision is indifference, and that's exactly what Tim Story's lackluster films left fans feeling. Same reason why we likely won't see a Ghost Rider 2 or Constantine 2.
I mentioned Catwoman earlier but don't hold your breath for Selina Kyle getting a big-screen starring opportunity. Halle Berry's fetishistic 2004 movie was terrible on a historic level. You'd need a studio chief with a hefty bank account and adamantium cojones to greenlight another Cat-chick flick.
Michelle Pfeiffer proved in Batman Returns that Catwoman works best as a supporting player, not as the focal point. Let her appear in an upcoming Batman movie and leave it at that.
My last pick is…wait for it…Howard the Duck (remember when I told you to hold your ridicule? Now you can let 'er rip).
Why on Earth would I think the most notorious comic book disaster in history deserves a second chance? Well, it did fail with fans and critics, it completely disregarded the original satirical concept the late Steve Gerber created, did a lousy job of casting and, being a George Lucas production, of course it had a lousy script.
No, I have yet to come across a 'Remake Howard the Duck' website, but wouldn't it be cool to see Howard rebooted in an indie film, ala American Splendor? In fact, Paul Giamatti could voice a CGI Howard and co-star with Vera Farmiga or Laura Linney.
I'm telling you, done the right way, an edgy, ironic Howard the Duck would play for months at the Angelika here in NYC.
As we talk about second chances, the Punisher gets a third try at multiplex success in December with Punisher: War Zone. If this one bombs, Frank Castle's movie career will be dead. Not Jean Grey dead. Not even Bucky dead. Uncle Ben dead.
But don't worry, Lexi Alexander. Not to fret, Ray Stevenson. No pressure. No pressure at all.


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Scott Binder needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 34 designs submitted by 12 freelance designers.
Dynamic Psychological Selling
We are a medical device training sales program. We have a trademark on the term "Dynamic Psychological Selling". We want to market this selling process. We want a logo that defines this process. Current logo is not bad but looking for a better design. See attached photo.
This is a selling process.
Would like the acronym DPS with the words Dynamic Psychological Selling listed in the logo. Current logo uses a light bulb and a head that describes this. Again, want to see if we can find a better design. Our soon to be enhanced new website uses the colors red and gray. More of a dark red that is graduated. Logo does not need those colors, just thought I would throw that out there. Please include the TM for the trademark. Good Luck!
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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"Wrapping It Up"
(The Journey of the Coffee Table Book – Part II)
The Meanwhile, Back At Cafe Du Monde... Life Stories About Food coffee table book contract with Pelican Publishing was signed the first week of October and I had 90 days to deliver it! As we moved into the 2011 holiday season, the storytellers were extremely busy and although excited about being included in the book, this was not their priority like mine as I had a deadline to meet. Back home in Los Angeles, I would receive the book materials via emails (monologues, pictures, and recipes from 67 contributors) and I would call/email for missing information. I felt like the biggest pest! I decided to fly back to Baton Rouge and work on finalizing everything there as pictures were still needed of the recipes and some of the storytellers in their restaurants. I wanted to make it happen with our great photographer, Troy Kleinpeter. On December 2nd, I headed "home" to Baton Rouge! Five weeks in Louisiana over the Christmas holidays. Oh, dear! I knew my diet was going to go down the drain, but packed my workout clothes with good intentions to power walk in my parents beautiful neighborhood.
Those December weeks in Louisiana were pretty crazy. Not only was I trying to put the pieces of the book together, but I was also celebrating the holidays with my friends and family. My husband, Jimmy, flew in from Los Angeles for Christmas week and, of course, he wanted to eat at all our favorite restaurants - Emeril's for his famous BBQ Shrimp, gumbo and Banana Crème Pie; Commander's Palace for Turtle Soup, Bread Pudding Souffle and Jimmy's favorite - their creme brulee; Oyster PoBoys at The Past Time in Baton Rouge; seafood feast at Harbor Seafood in Kenner and trips to Café Du Monde in The French Quarter for beignets and Café Au Lait, of course! I had tried to hold it together by taking walks and hitting the floor for sit-ups but by the time Christmas week rolled around that went out the window! Yikes!
Emeril's BBQ Shrimp with Rosemary Biscuit
Commander's Palace Creme Brulee
Jimmy & Peggy at Cafe Du Monde
Karen and Burt Benrud, owners of Café Du Monde invited us to their lovely Christmas party at their apartment in the famous Pontalba building overlooking Jackson Square. Jimmy and I dream of one day having an apartment there! Standing on their balcony overlooking Jackson Square watching over 5,000 people sing Christmas carols by candlelight was the ultimate holiday moment! Karen put out an amazing spread of Louisiana favorites from mini muffaletta sandwiches to delicious red beans and rice. I loved seeing the "Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…" signed framed poster we had presented to them at the first New Orleans show on their kitchen wall right next to the framed/signed picture of when they were on the Ellen show making beignets for Mardi Gras!
Karen Benrud & Peggy at the Party!
Christmas Carrolling in Jackson Square
The Sweeney family Christmas begins with Christmas Eve at my Mom and Dad's home with Honey Baked Ham, my Mom's famous Mac and Cheese (for the "kids" – however, the adult "kids" usually go back for seconds), Cheese Grits, Maque Choux (stewed corn and the recipe appears in the book), Spinach Madeline (a Louisiana holiday staple), my sister, Shannan's amazing Grandfather's Salad, and tons of desserts made by my sister, Kelly, and my nieces. This year the nieces made chocolate covered pretzel sticks with lots of different toppings and they were a huge hit! After the amazing dinner, we have a family tradition where my younger nieces and nephews perform a Christmas play which concludes with everyone singing Silent Night while they recreate the nativity scene (the girls have to rotate the role of "Mary"). It is the most adorable thing you will ever see! On Christmas afternoon we all meet at Erin and Scott's house, for Erin's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, hot French Bread, potato salad and lots of sweets.
My Nieces, Nephew and Friends
When Jimmy left the day after Christmas to head back home to Los Angeles, it was total crunch time. I recruited my nephew, Myles Rieger, who is a sophomore at LSU to work on editing with me for a few days and the last four days I recruited my Mom. I would literally roll out of bed and start working in my P.J.'s, at my parents' big dining room table. Mom sat right next to me from early morning to late at night reading all the edits, organizing pictures and serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee and backrubs. She kept me sane! The last night was rough as we were up until the 3:00am and now had my Dad on board too. I had come down with a sinus infection and felt horrible so around 2:00am in true drama queen fashion, I burst into tears in a total emotional meltdown. I was totally exhausted and didn't know how I was going to finish the materials and drive to New Orleans the next day to deliver the book.
Peggy & Missy Crews
On Our Way to Pelican to deliver the Book "Baby"
Well, deliver it I did! I woke up at 6:30am, and with a last adrenalin rush of excitement, finished the final touches, took a shower, put make-up on and dressed up! My BFF from my LSU college days, Missy Crews, was coming over at 9:00am and going to drive with me for the big delivery at Pelican and then go to a nice lunch in New Orleans to celebrate. Pelican said I could ship the materials to them, but this was such a rite of passage that I wanted to personally deliver it. When Missy arrived she wanted to do a blessing of the "baby". My Mom had placed all the paperwork in a big box and we put a copy of the mocked up "book cover" on the top of the box. My Mom, Dad, Missy and me stood in a circle all touching the box while Missy led a beautiful blessing praying the creative project would take wings and fly and continue to touch people with the joy and inspiration! With coffee to go, we were out the door with my Mom in her robe taking pictures as we drove down the driveway in her "Mommee" Van! Despite the lack of sleep, I was excited, happy, thrilled and felt like I was on Cloud 9. I felt so proud!
Pelican Editor-in-Chief, Nina Kooij & Peggy
We arrived at Pelican at 11:30am, met with the team and took a picture of me handing the book to the Editor-in-Chief, Nina Kooij. They seemed very happy and Antoinette de Alteriis, Promotion Director, told me there was lots of advance interest in the book. Not being familiar with the publishing world, I looked at her and said, "From book stores?" and she answered, "No, from press and media!" WOW! Pinch me!
Soon we were on our way to celebrate with a fabulous lunch with my cousin, Jeanne Vidrine, at a fun local delicious restaurant, Katie's, where we sat at the bar and ate Shrimp Remoulade and stuffed seafood peppers! Yummy - Life was too good! Later that night, my Mom, Dad and my 3 sisters all went out for a celebratory dinner at a local Italian restaurant. No brother-in-laws, no nieces and nephews, just us – a rare occasion! They were so proud of me and I felt truly blessed!
When I arrived back to Los Angeles two days later, I found out Dr. Calhoun, the owner/publisher of Pelican Publishing had passed away on January 7th, the day after I had turned in the book. He was responsible for seeing the value of the book to Pelican and it was because of him, I was now going to have a published book based on the show that I created! I was sad for his family and for the Pelican team, however, I know that he is an angel in heaven watching over them, me and the "Meanwhile, Back At Café Du Monde…" coffee table book! I hope I make him proud!
1/2 cup olive oil
Mommee's Mac N Cheese (from my Mother, Sherry Sweeney)
16 ounce package elbow macaroni
2 eggs
½ tbsp. sugar, salt & pepper to taste
1 regular size can evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk-add to evaporated milk
2 large bags mild or sharp grated cheese
1 stick real butter, melted
Cook macaroni in salted boiling water until tender. Drain well
colander. Beat eggs and sugar together in small bowl, and add milk
mixture. Mix together macaroni, butter, and 1 package of cheese.
Add egg/milk mixture and put in buttered baking pan. Cover with
more cheese and bake at 350 for 45 minutes with loose aluminum foil
cover. Double recipe if more is needed.
This Mac N Cheese is a staple at the Sweeney house for any family dinner as the "kids" love it! It makes a delicious side with ham, turkey, roast, or as a main dish with the salad below! Great for leftovers too! Do not be on a diet when this is served!
This Mac N Cheese is a staple at the Sweeney house for any family dinner as the "kids" love it! It makes a delicious side with ham, turkey, roast, or as a main dish with the salad below! Great for leftovers too! Do not be on a diet when this is served!
Grandfather's Salad (from my sister, Shannan Rieger)
1/2 cup salad oil
2 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice - use fresh lemons if you can
1 1/2 tbsp. vinegar
2 pods of fresh garlic, pressed
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup freshly grated romano or parmesan cheese, grated fine
1/4 cup bleu cheese crumbles
1 head iceburg lettuce, clean, dried and torn
1 head green leaf lettuce, clean, dried, and torn
1 head red leaf lettuce, clean, dried and torn
Parsley, 1 bunch, cleaned and chopped fine
Grated black pepper and salt to taste
Put first six ingredients in jar, cover and shake until well mixed. Refrigerate overnight. Right before you are ready to serve, mix lettuce with parsley. Shake dressing in jar and pour enough dressing to coat lettuce and parsley and toss. Sprinkle cheeses over salad and toss again. Add grated black pepper and additional salt to taste.
This recipe came from Shannan's late Father-in-law, Lewis Rieger. It goes great with everything. We always serve it on Christmas Eve with honey baked ham and cheese grits. It is also great with barbecue and pasta dishes. Make plenty as everyone will come back for seconds!


text:
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Gua Sha Instrument
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11/20/09 Currently storage case is unavailable from the manufacturer, we are sorry for the inconvenience.


text:
* BYD may pull out of gasoline-only cars in two years, focus
on battery cars
* Plans to aggressively embrace gas-electric hybrid
* 'Re-birth plan' aims to end sliding sales, profits
By Norihiko Shirouzu
SHANGHAI, April 19 (Reuters) - BYD Co ,
one of the better known Chinese brands thanks to a stake held by
billionaire U.S. investor Warren Buffett, may stop making
conventional gasoline-fuelled cars within two years and focus on
'new energy' battery models as part of a "re-birth plan" to
arrest a slump in sales.
Shares in BYD, which once harboured long-term ambitions to
be as big as Toyota Motor Corp, have tumbled by almost
three quarters since a late-2009 peak, as net profit crumbled to
just 81.4 million yuan ($13.15 million) last year from 3.8
billion yuan four years ago.
Now, the $7.7 billion company is poring over internal plans
to radically adjust and possibly streamline its business - which
sprawls across batteries, cellphone assembly, solar panels, LED
light bulbs, and electric and gasoline-powered cars and buses.
At the heart of the 're-birth' is a plan to ditch
gasoline-fuelled cars, and maybe offload its solar panel
business, and concentrate on new greener battery technologies,
said two senior BYD executives, who asked not to be named as the
plans have not been finalized.
The company is expected to unveil its Green Hybrid
Technology at the Shanghai auto show on Saturday.
"We're trying to reposition ourselves around what we do
best" - producing advanced but affordable iron-phosphate
lithium-ion batteries, one of the executives said. BYD is a
world leader in rechargeable batteries.
It's a bold move, and not without risk. But the executives
said BYD, based in the southern industrial city of Shenzhen,
recognizes it needs to find an edge in its business, which has
suffered as auto sales, which accounted for around half the
company's revenue, slumped. BYD last year sold 457,700 cars.
The executives said BYD would likely in future only design
'green' electrified cars, phasing out selling gasoline cars over
the next couple of years. The migration of the product line-up
will likely start late this year, they said, leaving BYD with a
range of conventional gasoline-electric hybrid cars similar to
Toyota's Prius - combining a turbo-charged gasoline engine with
an electric motor propulsion system.
That technology could shave up to a fifth off fuel costs,
though the cars could be priced 20,000 yuan ($3,200) above
similar conventional gasoline-powered cars, the executives said.
Some of the new hybrids and other models could hit U.S.
showrooms by as early as 2016.
A smaller part of the new line-up will see pricier
all-electric battery cars, as well as heavily electrified,
so-called 'plug-in' electric hybrid cars. Both these green
technologies are promoted by China's central government through
generous purchase incentives as an industrial policy.
The main risk in promoting gasoline-electric hybrids is that
the government currently does not recognize them as a 'new
energy' car, so BYD hybrids would not benefit from the generous
handouts that an electric battery car buyer would enjoy - such
as a 60,000 yuan rebate on purchase. Buyers of hybrids and other
cars with small, fuel-efficient engines can currently get a
subsidy of 3,000 yuan.
Beijing's 3-year programme to promote new-energy cars with
incentives ended last year. BYD and others hope the government
will broaden the definition of new-energy cars to include
gas-electric hybrids as and when the programme is renewed.
The 're-birth' plan follows a series of setbacks at BYD,
which has more than 150,000 employees.
"The last three years have been tough, and painful at times.
Everybody beat us up," said one of the executives. "A lot of
long-term investors and friends of the company lost patience
with us."
BYD consistently over-promised and failed to deliver on many
objectives it set itself. Its e6 all-electric battery car - an
image builder as a green company - was intended for private use
in China and the United States, but never quite caught on. Now,
the executives said BYD is pushing the e6 only as a taxi or
rental car, and plans to launch two or three new all-electric
battery cars in the coming years.
The company also stumbled in its gasoline car business, once
a cash cow, as it sought to expand sales too fast without
improving vehicle quality, and brought in too many inexperienced
dealer operators to spur sales.
The executives said BYD's new direction would be more
"measured". One said BYD had been too concerned in the past with
volume and growth, at the expense of quality. Now, the executive
said BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu spends more time guiding and
pressing managers to improve, and invest in, quality.
BYD's initial vehicle quality, as measured by U.S.
consultant J.D. Power, is "below industry average" in China, as
are all local manufacturers, but it has "dramatically improved
quality," said Jacob George at J.D. Power in Shanghai,
predicting the firm's initial quality rating could rise above
the industry average at least by 2018.
The BYD redirection, though, is a high-risk move that could
drive the company into "serious trouble," said Yale Zhang, head
of Shanghai-based consulting firm Automotive Foresight.
"They either know something we don't or they're actually
going to take a long time, over 5-10 years, to make this radical
transition so that there's little risk," Zhang said, referring
in part to the possibility of big government incentives for
conventional hybrids.
MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a Buffett-controlled private
energy group, holds just over 28 percent of BYD stock.
MidAmerican initially bought into BYD for $230 million, or HK$8
a share, in September 2008. BYD shares closed at HK$22.35 in
Hong Kong on Thursday, and have fallen more than 30 percent
since mid-February. At their October 2009 peak, the shares
traded at HK$88.40.
($1 = 6.1922 Chinese yuan)
(Reporting By Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)


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Feb. 27, 2009
NORTON, Mass. – Paced by three wins and a pair of championship and open records, MIT men's swimming and diving jumped out to a 32.5-point lead at the 2009 NEWMAC Championships on Friday at Wheaton College's Balfour Natatorium. The Engineers totaled 265 points, three-time defending champion U. S. Coast Guard Academy stood second with 232.5, while Springfield College occupied third at 175. The three-day competition continues Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
The Engineers opened the first day of finals with a rousing victory in the 200 free relay. Laurent Charpentier's anchor split of 20.20 made the difference as MIT overcame Springfield by a narrow margin to win in 1:22.69. Junior Luke Cummings set an Institute record with a lead-off leg of 20.80, while Jeff Zhou split 20.79, and Peter Wellings went 20.90. The Engineers swam 1:22.14 in the morning to set a school, pool, meet, and NEWMAC open record while securing an NCAA "B" cut.
Michael Dobson delivered a terrific swim to win the 500 free in the evening's first individual event. Improving his time from prelims by seven seconds, Dobson closed in 4:35.56 in racing to the second-fastest time in program history while picking up another NCAA "B" cut for the Engineers. Udit Garg broke into MIT's all-time top 10 list in the 500 free with a time of 4:45.93 to finish seventh overall.
MIT flexed its depth in the 200 IM as freshman David Parell led three of his rookie teammates to a 4-5-6-7 finish in the race. All four of Tech's contingent swam faster during prelims, with Andrew Pierson finishing in 1:55.97 and Matt Chapa completing the circuit in 1:55.99. Ryan TerBush split 1:57.63 to finish sixth overall at finals.
Cummings grabbed third in the 50 free, swimming 20.82 for another NCAA "B" cut. Zhou delivered the second-fastest time in the history of the program at 21.10 to finish fourth.
The Engineers capped the first day of action with an awesome record-breaking swim in the 400 medley relay. Annihilating the field while just missing on an NCAA "A" cut, the set NEWMAC championship and open records, while shattering the pool record by five seconds. Rookie Tim Stumbaugh sparked the effort with a 52.20 split in the back, while Rastislav Racz reeled off an impressive 54.60 breaststroke leg. Freshman Brett Boval delivered a clip of 49.86 in the fly, and Charpentier brought it home in a meet-best 44.48.