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The BSI website uses cookies. By continuing to access the site you are agreeing to their use.
Making excellence a habit
In order to support our customers, both our day rates and licence fee for 2013 have been frozen at the current 2012 rates.
In addition we have already stopped the additional half day charges for our Northern Ireland customers so that there is a consistent pricing scheme wherever our customers are located.
We will continue to offer transparent pricing and value for money, and make adjustments as necessary to support the scheme and the industry.
New independent consumer research conducted earlier this year tells us that the Kitemark for Vehicle Damage Repair gives the motorist greater confidence in the quality of the repairs.
Over 80 per cent of survey respondents confirmed they would be more comfortable using a garage that had achieved a BSI Kitemark for Vehicle Damage Repair.
With this high response in mind, it's important to recognise the value of the Kitemark and what it means as a result to the motorist. And it's interesting to note that this recognition goes right across the age range of drivers questioned, from 16 and upwards.
The survey also identified that low levels of consumer confidence were underlined by a staggering 94 per cent of respondents stating they would support unannounced inspections to make sure bodyshop standards remain habitually high. As the Kitemark scheme follows this approach, which is not offered by other certification schemes, this is an important message of real confidence for the consumer.
Please feel free to share this good news message in your own promotions.
*An independent study conducted in Great Britain via OnLineBus, an Internet omnibus survey. A sample of 923 GB adults aged 16+ were interviewed. Interviewing was conducted by online self-completion from 11th – 15th October 2012.
We recently sent you a note about the new logo for the scheme. If you haven't already, make sure the new logo is highly visible on your website.
Don't forget it's available for you to download at the Just for Customers website.
Need help downloading the logo?
If you need help logging in to Just for Customers, please call +44 845 080 9000 and choose option 3 for customer services.
Plaques and presentation certificates
In response to feedback from our clients, we've recently issued presentation certificates as well as new plaques free of charge. If you haven't already, use these to let your customers know that you take their safety seriously and to show you've in invested in a scheme they can trust.
Publicity toolkit
We're also busy working on a new publicity toolkit. Look out for this in the new year.
We're pleased to welcome on board new clients to the Kitemark scheme for Vehicle Damage Repair. The scheme forms part of the Kitemark family which includes over 3000 clients who have achieved certification across multiple schemes, both in the UK and worldwide.
Congratulations to all!
See the full directory of clients who have achieved the Kitemark™ for Vehicle Damage Repair.
BSI continues to work with business experts, government bodies, trade associations and consumers to capture best practice and structure the knowledge all organisations need to succeed. We therefore would welcome industry feedback on the development of a possible forum in support of industry discussion, effective marketing and customer service. The suggested 'Vehicle Damage Repair Development Group' proposes to draw together industry experts (including bodyshops, insurance companies, distributors, leasing and rental companies amongst others) to share best practice in the vehicle damage repair industry.
If you are interested in getting involved, please contact us via email at firstname.lastname@example.com. If there is appetite for the group, we envisage a first meeting taking place in February 2013.


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But any pan will work and this is a cake that needs to made soon. Enjoy!
Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake
What a gorgeous cake! Love your new cake pan - it is very dramatic.
I'm not really in love with box mixing stuff but this looks like it's worth it!
Oh, this is one gorgeous cake, Cindy! My Bundts tend to stick to the pan :/ And we DO love chocolate at our house. Happy Easter, my friend~
This looks delicious, Cindy! I can't wait to try it! And, don't feel bad about your bread! It's nice to know that worderful cooks like you, have bad days too!
This looks delicious, Cindy! I can't wait to try it...orange and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations! And... don't feel bad about your bread. It's nice to know that wonderful cooks like you have their bad days too!
This looks delicious, Cindy! Orange and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations--can't wait to try it! And...don't feel bad about your bread! It's nice to know that wonderful cooks like you have their bad days too!
I love your cake pan! That looks so good:) This is one of my favorite cake recipes, but I've never tried it with the orange. I love chocolate and orange together! Now I have to make this cake :)
PS...I am days behind on my commenting, but wanted to thank you for the sweet message the other day! You touched my heart!!!! xo
That looks amazing! I love your pan! But the cake with the frosting looks pretty heavenly too =o)
This sounds delicious! I think it is not only for the holidays.
Cindy...what a stunning {and I'm sure DELICIOUS} cake! I adore the chocolate & orange combination. This has me craving that combo right now! Thanks so much for sharing at Mop It Up Mondays. Hope you have a wonderful week!
This looks simply devine!
Mrs. Delightful
Great bundt pan! Chocolate and orange are one of my all time favorite flavor combinations. My grandmother would make us chocolate cake with orange frosting for our birthdays. Thanks for sharing.
Invest in a Analon Bundt pan. Maci's has sales all the time. Well worth the investment if you bake alot.Runs $9.00-$19.00

subset: commoncrawl


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• 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 2 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tbps. Olive oil
• ½ cup apricots (dried); diced
• 1 each red, yellow and green pepper; diced
• ½ cup Whole Natural Blue Diamond Almonds
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Prepare quinoa according to package directions, using chicken or vegetable stock. Transfer cooked quinoa to large mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil and set aside.
• Toast Blue Diamond Almonds in non-stick pan over medium heat, stirring constantly. When nuts brown, remove from heat and chop.
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine apricots, chopped peppers and almonds. Stir to mix well. Fold peppers, apricot and almond mix into quinoa. Add salt and pepper to taste.
"Begin refueling with a mixture of dried cherries and almonds. This 'sport fuel' is an excellent source of carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients important for a swimmer's recovery"
— Andrea Rudser-Rusin, USA Swimming Dietitian
• 1 cup ice
• 1 cup Chocolate Almond Breeze Almondmilk
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 1 banana
• 2 cups frozen strawberries
• 3 cups Whole Natural Blue Diamond Almonds
• ¾ cups (unsweetened) dried cherries
• ¾ cups (unsweetened) coconut flakes
• ½ cups mini dark chocolate (70% coca) chips
Combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl and store in air-tight container. Enjoy a quarter cup at a time.
"Top your morning oatmeal with a sprinkle of slivered almonds. This simple addition can add protein, calcium, and heart-healthy monounsaturated fats; all of which help get the swimmer's day started right."
— Andrea Rudser-Rusin, USA Swimming Dietitian
• 1 cup ice
• 1 1/2 cups frozen berries
• 3 tbsp almond butter
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 cups Unsweetened Original Almond Breeze Almondmilk


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...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (often abbreviated as Trail of Dead) is an American alternative rock band from Austin, Texas. The chief creative members of the band are Jason Reece and Conrad Keely (formerly Conrad Sobsamai). The two switch between drumming, guitar and lead vocals, both on recordings and live shows. The band is known for their wild, energetic concerts, which often end with the band destroying their equipment. Their seventh studio album, Tao of the Dead, was released in February 2011.
Sursă: Wikipedia engleză
Zonga logo


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California could be home to 50 million people in 2049, and it will be a dramatically different state, beginning this summer, when Latinos will catch up to whites on their way toward becoming the largest group in a diverse population.
By 2030, Latinos will be the state's largest workforce and three decades later will be close to a majority of the population, according to new state projections.
The changes have profound implications for California, redefining the Golden State in everything from the workforce to education and to politics.
Nearly 39 percent of the population today — the same as whites — Latinos will comprise 48 percent by 2060, according to the projections released Thursday by the state Department of Finance.
"It's very empowering for Latinos to see this, and it's time to move ahead and take our place in jobs and leadership positions," said Redwood City Mayor Alicia Aguirre, the first Latina mayor of her city and one of three in San Mateo County, where Latinos are predicted to become the largest group by 2040.
"It presents an opportunity for all of us to integrate into schools, jobs, politics," she said.
Three decades ago, 19 percent of Californians were Latino.
Asian-Americans will also experience big gains, especially in Santa Clara County, where they will become the largest ethnic group by 2020, and in Alameda County, where they will surpass whites as the dominant group by 2030.
If current ethnic voting preferences continue, the population shifts could further liberalize an already liberal state.
"The changes are already happening. California now has nine Latino House members, the most of any state," said Christopher Punongbayan, deputy director of the Asian Law Caucus.
"The trend toward civic engagement, the trend toward the state becoming more blue in areas that used to be red — that's only going to continue," he said.
White Californians lost their majority status shortly before the turn of the century, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, and the state is now so diverse that no one ethnic group will be the majority before 2060, which is as far as the forecasts reach. That leaves a state where everyone — including whites — is a minority.
The changes also raise challenges as today's largely youthful Latino population prepares to replace aging, mostly white baby boomers in the workforce.
How today's troubled, resource-starved California schools are preparing those Latino students — who have higher dropout rates — for the future economy concerns Lisa Garcia Bedolla, a political-science professor at UC Berkeley.
"It makes clear that the well-being of Latinos is important to the well-being of the future of the state," she said. "We can't have such a significant population that's not achieving or thriving and still have a healthy state."
About 38 million people live in the state now, and 50 million will be here by 2049.
Still, the 50 million milestone will come later than the same demographers previously predicted because immigration and birth declines slowed the state's historically rapid growth. Until the recent recession, the state Department of Finance had predicted 2032 — 17 years earlier — as the time when the state would cross 50 million.
"They were interpreting larger growth — fertility was higher, migration was very strong," said Bill Schooling, the state's chief of demographic research.
The immigration law overhaul being debated in Congress this year is an unknown factor that could affect the state's growth and diversity, Punongbayan said. It could restrict or open up migration from certain regions of the world.
"California is one of the first places where Asian immigrants go," he said. "As the American economy rebounds, interest in coming to the country is also going to increase. Jobs are here; opportunities are here."
The Golden State's ongoing popularity as an immigration gateway ensures that it will remain one of the nation's youngest states for at least the next two decades, according to the demographers.
The new predictions were given to Gov. Jerry Brown before he unveiled his budget earlier this month and are important as government and businesses plan housing, hospitals, schools, power lines and water supplies, Schooling said.
Contact reporter Matt O'Brien at 510-293-2465 or Twitter.com/mattoyeah.
See the state's population changes by county on an interactive map at www.mercurynews.com/extra.


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Artist Talk and Keynote
Lecture at the Rhode Island School of Design
Richard Bresnahan will deliver a keynote presentation at the Fourth Biennial Design Sciences Symposium beginning Friday, Jan. 31 through Sunday, Feb. 2 at the Rhode Island School of Design. This unique event advocates for the inclusion of the arts into the STEM national education initiative.
The STEM to STEAM through Synergy: Bridging Morphology, Biomimicry, Sustainability, and Synergetics conference is co-sponsored by the Edna Lawrence Nature Lab and the Synergetics Collaborative, an organization dedicated to bringing together people with an interest in Buckminster Fuller and synergetics.
Master Potter Richard Bresnahan will discuss how the interplay between critical thinking, creative design, and natural resources can have a transformational impact on lived systems. To learn more, visit the Synergetics Collaborative webpage for more information and to register for the conference.


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WORCESTER—As the grim news spread that two Boston firefighters died battling a blaze in the Back Bay district, many Worcester firefighters, both active duty and retired, were reminded of their encounters with the dangers of the profession.
Retired Fire Capt. William P. Metterville said that when he began to hear the news of possible firefighter deaths in Boston, he remembered the chilling radio calls of Dec. 3, 1999, the day Worcester lost six firefighters in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire.
At the time, he was off duty but listening to the events unfold on his Fire Department radio as he drove his daughter to the Solomon Pond Mall. He heard the urgent voices of Firefighters Jeremiah M. Lucey and Paul A. Brotherton.
"I could hear the rescue guys Lucey and Brotherton say they were lost," he said.
Six firefighters died that cold December night. Along with Firefighters Lucey and Brotherton, Lt. James F. Lyons III, Lt. Thomas E. Spencer, Lt. Timothy P. Jackson Sr., and Firefighter Joseph T. McGuirk perished in the blaze.
December became an even tougher month for Worcester firefighters when Jon D. Davies Sr. died on Dec. 8, 2011, while battling a fire inside 49 Arlington St.
Soon after the Boston fire broke out yesterday, Mr. Metterville said, he received a text message from a friend. The message said a mayday call was made by a Boston firefighter.
"Sometimes the news from the front isn't as bad as it turns out," he said. "This turned out to be a true mayday. Something went bad real fast, real quick. When I saw it, I said a prayer and hoped they would get them out."
Boston Fire Lt. Edward J. Walsh, 43, a father of three, and Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy, 33, a Marine Corps combat veteran, died battling Wednesday's 9-alarm fire.
The state ordered all government flags to be at half-staff.
"It hits close to home when it is that close," said Deputy Worcester Fire Chief Geoffrey Gardell. "It opens up wounds."
The Worcester firefighters' union has reached out to the counterparts in Boston. Deputy Chief Gardell said he began to think about the firefighters' families when he learned of the deaths.
"The more I hear about the guy with the three children, the more I look at guys we lost and see the empty look in the children's faces," he said. "We're there to support them with anything they need. A loss of a firefighter is very personal to the Boston Fire Department."
Worcester Fire Chief Gerard A. Dio said Worcester understands how Boston is feeling right now. All people can do is deal the best they can, he said.
"It is our job. It's a dangerous profession," Chief Dio said. "It can happen anytime. Fire is uncontrollable. Once you have a fire you never know what can happen."
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Contact Scott J. Croteau at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottCroteauTG


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Horn elected as NHGOP chair
New Hampshire Republicans gathered in Bedford today to elect a new party chair. Two time Congressional candidate Jennifer Horn, of Nashua, defeated conservative activist Andrew Hemingway, of Bristol, for the right to lead Republicans for the next two years.
Horn takes over a party trying to find it's way after losing every major race in the state last year. Horn promised the 400 members of the Republican state committee that she would take the fight right to Republicans.
"From now on they don't define us, we define them," Horn said.
Horn lost two bids for Congress in 2008 and 2010.
The two month race for chairman was as personal as it was largely underground just among the 500 members of the state committee.
No vote total was released, but sources say Horn beat Hemingway 222 to 189. Horn had the backing of the state's Republican establishment, including U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, both of the state's recently defeated congressmen, and the former House Speaker Bill O'Brien.
Hemingway had support from the party's more conservative and libertarian factions.
Responding to the victory, New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley said he doesn't "envy" Horn who will have "to pick up the pieces" after Democratic wins last year. Still he focused one area where both party chairs traditionally work together in this state: keeping the state's presidential primary as first-in-the-nation.
"I want to congratulate Jennifer Horn on her election as Chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party. I look forward to working with her on protecting the First in the Nation Primary and engaging in a vigorous and healthy debate over the next two years," said Buckley.
Former U.S. Rep. Frank Guinta, who might run for U.S. Senate, congratulated Horn, whom he backed.
"It was a well-run race by Jennifer and Andrew, illustrating tremendous enthusiasm throughout the state for those believing in core principles of lower taxes, less spending, and the New Hampshire advantage," Guinta said. "Ultimately these are the values the new chairman has fought long and hard for all these years and I join with her in facing the challenges ahead."
Since 1999 Republicans have had 10 different party chairman while Democrats have had just two.


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CCIE Routing & Switching Troubleshooting v5.1 Exam Review
Topic: Lab 1
This course is designed for students who want to solidify their troubleshooting skills, master a structured troubleshooting approach, and identify their weak areas. This is the only product on the market targeted exclusively at CCIE Routing & Switching troubleshooting topics. The lecture portion of the class covers topics from structured troubleshooting strategies and their application to isolating issues found at different layers of the seven-level OSI model. The lab strategy portion of the class covers such topics as what to expect the day of your lab, how to prioritize tasks, and how to manage your time.


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The, Part 1
W. Morrow and Company, 1996 - Law - 410 pages
Set against the backdrop of the Rodney King and Menendez trials, The D.A. offers a portrait of a city on the edge. Taylor takes an inside look at the high-octane world of Larry Longo, a deputy district attorney doing battle in the most fascinating legal arena in America: central L.A. Photo insert.
What people are saying - Write a review
THE D.A.: A True StoryUser Review - Kirkus
Taylor (To Honor and Obey, 1992, etc.) chronicles one fascinating year (mid-1991 through mid-1992) behind the scenes with a deputy DA at the Los Angeles district attorney's office, ``the largest ... Read full review
The D. AUser Review - Not Available - Book Verdict
In this nonfiction page-turner, Taylor (To Honor and Obey, Morrow, 1992), chronicles a year in the professional life of a mid-level Los Angeles prosecutor, Larry Longo. Longo is rough-edged, plain ... Read full review
Common terms and phrases
Angeles Awright bailiff Barshop Boyle called Carmona chair client cops counsel table court courtroom criminal D.A.'s Office defense lawyer deputy D.A. district attorney Dohi door drug evidence eyes Ferrero front glanced going gonna grinned guilty Halcion Hanemure hearing Holden honor investigator Ira Reiner Japanese Judge Bascue jurors jury box Kariya Kazuhiko Yamaguchi Ken Yamaguchi kids kill Lance Ito LAPD Larry Leslie Abramson Longo asked Longo knew Longo looked Longo nodded Longo thought Longo walked looked back Marcia Clark Matsumoto McKinney McMartin McMartin preschool trial Mitsuru murder Nagano O. J. Simpson Okay Oshita Ouderkirk police prosecution prosecutor question Reiner Rodney King Sakoda Scharf seat Seki shook his head shooting shot shrugged smiled stand stood talk tape tell testify testimony there's thing Thomas told took Torrealba turned Uchida Uh-huh Veals verdict wife witness woman Yamaki Yeah young


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CD - 10 tracks - 65 minutes + full download
Artwork: Jon Wozencroft
Mastered by Denis Blackham
Track listing:
01: La Anunciante
02: Los Mochis
03: Sierra Tarahumara
04: El Divisadero
05: Crucero La Joya
06: Chihuahua
07: Aguascalientes
08: Mexico D.F.
09: El Tajin; El dia y La noche
10: Veracruz
"Take the ghost train from Los Mochis to Veracruz and travel cross country, coast to coast, Pacific to Atlantic. Ride the rhythm of the rails on board the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (FNM) and the music of a journey that has now passed into history."
El Tren Fantasma, (The Ghost Train), is Chris Watson's 4th solo album for Touch, and his first since Weather Report in 2003, which was named as one of the albums you should hear before you die in The Guardian. A Radio programme was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday 30 Oct, 2010, produced by Sarah Blunt, and described as "a thrilling acoustic journey across the heart of Mexico from Pacific to Atlantic coast using archive recordings to recreate a rail passenger service which no longer exists. It's now more than a decade since FNM operated its last continuous passenger service across country. Chris Watson spent a month on board the train with some of the last passengers to travel this route. As sound recordist he was part of the film crew working on a programme in the BBC TV series Great Railways Journeys. Now, in this album, the journey of the 'ghost train' is recreated, evoking memories of a recent past, capturing the atmosphere, rhythms and sounds of human life, wildlife and the journey itself along the tracks of one of Mexico's greatest engineering projects.
The radio broadcast received national press coverage in the UK:
The Observer:
It is over a decade since FNM operated its last continuous passenger service across the country but here sound recordist Chris Watson recreates its atmospheric journey with the help of the train recordings he made while working on the BBC television series Great Railway Journeys... through desert and city, but it is the rocking rhythms of the train itself that prove most memorable. [Stephanie Billen]
The Financial Times:
El Tren Fantasma (8pm) is Archive on 4's recollection of a trans-Mexico rail journey by sound recordist Chris Watson. From desert to rainforest, hummingbirds' wings to the boom of heat rising from the Copper Canyon, it recalls a beloved passenger train system abandoned by privatisation. **** [Martin Hoyle]
The Daily Telegraph:
Sometimes, radio can awaken the mind and sharpen the senses like no other medium. This "sound portrait" of a now-abandoned railway line that used to run between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Mexico is a good case in point. Captured by sound recordist Chris Watson more than a decade ago, it jostles with human, animal and mechanical life, filling the room with an atmosphere that is more richly evocative of Central America than any TV travel show I've seen. Diesel engines thrum, cicadas chirrup and passengers chatter, sing and argue. [Pete Naughton]
About the author...
Chris Watson is one of the world's leading recorders of wildlife and natural phenomena, and for Touch he edits his field recordings into a filmic narrative. For example. the unearthly groaning of ice in an Icelandic glacier is a classic example of, in Watson's words, putting a microphone where you can't put your ears. He was born in Sheffield where he attended Rowlinson School and Stannington College (now part of Sheffield College). In 1971 he was a founding member of the influential Sheffield-based experimental music group Cabaret Voltaire. His sound recording career began in 1981 when he joined Tyne Tees Television. Since then he has developed a particular and passionate interest in recording the wildlife sounds of animals, habitats and atmospheres from around the world. As a freelance recordist for film, tv & radio, Chris Watson specialises in natural history and documentary location sound together with track assembly and sound design in post production.
BBCi (UK):
In his book Civilizations, historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto focuses on man's overriding impulse to impose its will on the world, "a relationship to the natural environment, recrafted, by the civilising impulse, to meet human demands". This process lies at the very heart of El Tren Fantasma, a composite document of a train ride across Mexico, describing a passage "from Los Mochis to Veracruz, [from] coast to coast, Pacific to Atlantic".
While Chris Watson's previous sets – such as 2003's critically acclaimed Weather Report – have generally concerned themselves with this planet's myriad beasts and habitats, this narrative inevitably bears an anthropological mark. Indeed, the first voice we hear doesn't belong to a cuckoo or coyote, but station announcer Ana Gonzalez Bello putting out one "last call for the ghost train". It's an unusually contrived opening gambit, from which point the listener is jettisoned into a collision of screeching breaks, rolling stock rattle and hot hydraulic huff. Over half of El Tren Fantasma's tracks (pun definitely intended) are given over to locomotive sound – gears shifting, hoots, bells and whistles – climaxing with El Divisadero, where Watson manipulates the monolithic machinations into a surging, phantasmal bellow, like a choir of angels struggling to be heard over the rumbling thrum of running gear. Imagine if Phill Niblock had scored Different Trains instead of Steve Reich and you'd be somewhere close.
But it's during the points of human absence that El Tren Fantasma works best. Here Watson's ability to create whole worlds, entire lifetimes in the listener's imagination, beyond the moment of recording, comes to the fore. Brushwood and tall grass sway beneath the breeze crossing canyon slopes, while constant cicada chatter is punctuated by the distinctive calls of woodpecker and crow. Pieces such as Sierra Tarahumara and Crucero La Joya exhibit an uneasy, natural repose; pregnant with calm, yet forever teetering on the brink of an automated avalanche. Indeed, it might be with heavy heart that you hear the train's clanging signal bell presaging its oncoming passage. In this particular man versus nature fight for survival, it's the latter that wins by a knockout. [Spencer Grady]
The Liminal (UK):
The title of the sound recordist Chris Watson's new CD, borrowed from a Mexican film from the 1920s, translates as "The Ghost Train��?. The name makes reference to the fact that the recordings were made while he was working on the BBC show Great Railway Journeys, where he took a ride on one of the very last passenger trains which ran from Mexico's Pacific coast to the Gulf on the other side, a journey that since 1999 can no longer be made. However, as you listen to it while studying a map of the route, from Los Mochis in the west, through Chihuahua and Mexico City to Veracruz on the east, you begin to trace a number of branch lines which lead off from the main line. You find yourself making connections, hitching your wagon to a number of different trains, in order to chase down some fascinating – and very resonant – ghosts from Mexico's history.
The record starts with the gathering roar of a train, approaching at speed from distance. In this instant, Watson has captured the excitement of the early days of steam trains, and I already find myself listening with an almost child-like glee. Construction of Mexico's train network begin fitfully in the 1830s, but gathered pace in the 1870s as the result of foreign speculation – English, French, Belgian companies all seeking to profit from Mexico's expansion. Its last great act of construction was the spectacular feat of engineering which is the train line through the country's Copper Canyon: 390 miles long, with 39 bridges and 86 tunnels, allowing the train to climb from sea level to around 2,500 metres. Watson captures the speedy procession across the plateau in a most musical way, the whine of the train swelling almost orchestrally over its metallic percussion. He then lingers awhile in the canyon's Sierra Tarahumara to record the sound of heat rising from its floor, hummingbirds being tossed around in its thermals. In these glorious moments of hazy near-silence, Watson is diverting himself from this onward linear rush to find something completely timeless, a Mexico recognisable to early natives like the Aztecs and the Tarahumara indians – a people who still practice their traditional ways in these parts of the country, and who are named, appropriately enough in the circumstances of this album, for their long distance running abilities.
As the train progresses further along those tracks, Watson records it passing into one of those many tunnels, and everything becomes noticeably darker and more intense. The decline of the Mexican railway system began, it seems, after the Mexican revolution, the railways being taken into state ownership in the 1930s. The costs of maintaining the railway system became increasingly out of proportion to the revenues they were generating, what with competition from road and sea, and they slowly started to decay. When Watson reached the journey's midpoint, the city of Chihuahua, he chose not to record the noise of the train itself, but instead to take his microphones inside a huge, echoing train shed, cleaving the record in two with some suitably serrated metallic scrape and grind, the sound of industrial distortion and collapse on a monstrous scale. The tone of the record is far more subdued thereafter: even as it passes through Mexico City, one of the most frantically bustling cities in the world, it feels strangely lifeless, and I feel quite alone as I listen to the steady, muffled rumble of wheels on track.
The endpoint of this journey came after the Mexican economic crisis of 1994, and the sudden devaluation of the peso, when the state abdicated ownership of the railway system, handing the loss-making enterprise back to the private sector. The private sector, as you might expect, instantly closed huge swathes of the network down, leaving a handful of unconnected stubs of freight and tourist lines (that incredible section through the Copper Canyon still exists, thankfully). Watson's train finally limps towards its destination on the shore, wheezing and rattling and spluttering and clanking, sounding in every way like a train on its very last journey. El Tren Fantasma may be no more, but by reappropriating its tracks Watson has engineered his own route, one which traces a fascinating track into Mexico's industrial history – and beyond.
VITAL WEEKLY (Netherlands):
We know Chris Watson mostly from his works dealing with sounds from nature, animal wild life and stormy weather. A decade ago he worked as a sound recordist for the BBC who were doing a documentary on the Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Mexico, a train company with a trail from Los Mochis to Veracruz, coast to coast, through cities and wild life. All of that sound material is now used in 'El tren Fantasma', the ghost train (since it no longer exists). Now this is a truly fascinating CD. I liked pretty much everything I heard from Watson so far, but the mechanical sounds of the train, reminding of course of the very first composition of concrete sounds, 'Etude Aux Chemin de Fer' by Pierre Schaeffer, cut with sounds from the surrounding, makes this a highly narrative piece of music. Its perhaps I love traveling on the train (more than cars and planes), since you easily dream of watching the passing landscape, read a book, listen to music, and while not immediate train ride ahead, I'd be curious to hear this work by Watson on a train anytime soon. Shifting from rusty mechanical train sounds and chirping birds and whispering insects, Watson paints a great sonic picture of the train ride. Very richly detailed sounds: one need only to close their eyes and the trip by train becomes a real trip. This is easily by far one of the best Chris Watson releases I heard so far. Not easy in the man's catalogue of already great works, but this one surely is a masterpiece. Not just a collection of small great pieces, but also the overall narrative aspect of it. [FdW]
Sound of Music (Sweden):
��?Inspired by Pierre Schaeffer��? står det i den vackert formgivna digipacken som ramar in Chris Watsons fjärde album för brittiska Touch. En ganska given passning från dagens främsta field-recordings-artist till sin banbrytande föregångare. Det handlar naturligtvis om Pierre Schaeffers järnvägsinspelning ��?Étude aux chemins de fer��? som ingick i ��?Cinq études de bruits��? (ungefär ��?fem studier i oljud��?).
Men även om Chris Watson inspirerats av Schaeffer skiljer sig hans material radikalt från oljudsstudierna. I Chris Watsons hand är järnvägen inte något som för oväsen och gnisslar. Snarare handlar det om poetiska metallklanger som vävs samman med fågelkvitter, insekters surrande och andra djurläten längs järnvägssträckan. Då och då letar sig röster och radiomeddelanden in. Det låter verkligen inte vasst och metalliskt. Snarare varmt och drömskt.
Möjligen beror det på att Chris Watson återskapar en järnvägssträcka som inte längre existerar. Spöktåget går genom Mexiko, från kust till kust: det startar i Los Mochis vid Stilla Havet och anländer Veracruz vid Mexikanska Golfen. Denna sträcka lades ner för över tio år sedan. Men med Chris Watsons säkra arrangemang känns det faktiskt som att järnvägen och dess omgivningar får liv igen. Som vanligt låter han en hel ljudvärld strömma in genom sina mikrofoner och precis som vanligt är det obönhörligt fascinerande lyssning. [Mats Almegård]
Further information/reviewsFor more information, please visit this product's webpage.
Track 10: Veracruz


text:
Find Your Next Vehicle
Welcome to Fredericton Hyundai
Fredericton Hyundai is located in Fredericton, New Brunswick and is the #1 car dealership for Fredericton, Oromocto, New Maryland, Chipman, Minto, Doaktown, Nackawic, Woodstock, Hartland, Florenceville, Sussex, Moncton, Saint John, St. Andrews, St. George and St. Stephen!!
Whether you have good credit or bad credit we have a lender tailored to your particular needs. Our Financing Specialists have a combined 48 years of experience in both special finance and conventional lending, and because of our volume and our vehicle selection we have developed a priority relationship with all of our lenders allowing us to pass on to you a lower interest rate and lower payments. We know that you have high expectations, and as a car dealer we enjoy the challenge of meeting and exceeding those standards each and every time. If you have had credit issues or have poor credit, we can help - Confidential finance Approvals are only a click away! Our experienced sales staff is eager to share its knowledge and enthusiasm with you. We encourage you to browse our online inventory, schedule a test drive and investigate financing options. You can also request more information about a vehicle using our online form or by calling 1 (866) 980-3638.
If you don't see a particular vehicle, click on CarFinder and complete the form. We will gladly inform you when a matching car arrives. Plus, we offer FREE delivery to anywhere in the Maritimes!
If you'd like a see a vehicle in person, click on Dealership: Directions for step-by-step driving instructions to our site, or give us a call. We would be happy to pay for your gas to come see us if you are from out-of-town, or we would be happy to bring a vehicle to you.
We look forward to serving you!


text:
ALTOONA – Daymond John will speak at Penn State Altoona on March 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pond View Lounge of the Slep Student Center as part of the college's Distinguished Speaker Series.
With business savvy and style to spare, speaker Daymond John entertains audiences every week as the go-to branding guru on ABC's hit entrepreneurial business show, Shark Tank. A highly regarded marketing expert and author, John is the founder of iconic fashion brand FUBU ("For Us by Us"), which effectively created the then-untapped urban apparel market.
Hollis, Queens – the birthplace of hip-hop and John's home community – helped spur the inspiration for FUBU. Embraced by the likes of Rick Ross, Lil John, DJ Khaled and SouljaBoy, FUBU ultimately changed the face of the fashion world. After cementing himself as a branding visionary with his books, Display of Power and The Brand Within, and his role as one of the "Sharks," John formed Shark Branding to provide companies with the marketing insights that have proven his own companies successful.
The Penn State Altoona Distinguished Speaker Series is free and open to the public. Tickets are available at the Penn State Altoona Bookstore 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday and 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday in the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts or at the door if the event is not sold out in advance.
Penn State Altoona provides The Distinguished Speaker Series as a student and community service. It is partially sponsored by the Margery Wolf Kuhn Fund, the John and Ann Wolf Family Speakers Series Fund, the Sarah Simonton Fund and the Student Activities Fee.


text:
by Sue Ann Rybak
More than 150 residents packed the Commons Building at Norwood-Fontbonne Academy to hear a number of elected officials and other city officials discuss the controversial Actual Value Initiative and Real Estate Tax.
The Chestnut Hill Community Association arranged for the panel to answers questions regarding the implementation of AVI. The panel consisted of 8th District Councilwoman Cindy Bass, Councilman At-Large David Oh, City Controller Alan Butkovitz, Raquel Meadows, a representative from Councilman At-Large Bill Green's Office, Brett Mandel, Chair, Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission Real Estate Working Group and Ellen Mattleman Kaplan, Vice President of Committee of Seventy.
AVI is intended to make the current real estate tax more fair by using market values that are based on the current "actual value" of the real estate. The existing real estate law applies a tax rate to the assessed value of a property. The assessed value is currently set by the city at 32 percent of the market value.
After tense debates last summer, City Council postponed the implementation of AVI until 2014 because it lacked the data to determine the aggregate value of the city's real estate. Law makers complained at the time that they were being asked to set a tax rate independent of the fundamental information they needed. A higher aggregate value would lower the millage rate homeowners would have to pay.
While it's implementation might be controversial, every member of last night's panel agreed that Philadelphia's real estate tax must be fixed and that something like AVI would likely replace it.
Kaplan said property owners need to understand that the current system is not fair. She added that people need to understand why its not equitable and why its important to change the system. Kaplan said people need to know "in clear terms that are easy to digest exactly what AVI is and whether their property taxes are going to increase or decrease."
She said elected officials need to make sure the problems with the old system don't reoccur with the new system.
"It has to be an open and transparent process," Kaplan said.
Mandel said most people would agree that the current system is broken.
"If everybody in this room went out and bought a house in Philadelphia for a $100,000, everybody would pay a dramatically different amount in taxes because we don't value properly, and we don't value consistently," Mandel said.
Mandel said in some cases, residents with very modest properties are paying more than residents with extravagant homes.
"That's not good," he said. "That's not right. That's not legal. We have to fix the system. The question is how are we going to make a transition from a system that is woefully screwed up and horribly unfair to a system that is fair and accurate."
Butkovitz said he was angry about the way AVI was first proposed and argued that the best communities in the city would be devastated.
He said when city council adjourned in June, the purposed rate was 1.8 percent. He said that Chestnut Hill residents could face an increase in taxes by as much as $2,000. He added that AVI would devastate many homeowners.
"I had a lady in Fairmont who came up to me in tears because she is 75 years old, and her property is gCity Council's plan, he said would kill residents, to which he received a round of applause from the audience.
"This is not a science experiment in some laboratory in some graduate school," he said. "This is people's real lives."
Meadows said the Councilman Green "believes that AVI has to happen, will happen, should happen and legally it has to happen."
"If the City Council doesn't pass AVI this Spring, then it will be court ordered," Meadows said.
Mandel said there was no question about if the system needed to be fixed.
"Everybody on this panel, except someone whose name rhythms with 'what-no-kiss' is telling you the system is broken," he said. "The question is not should we fix the system. The question is how should we fix the system and more importantly what you should do when you leave this room."
Mandel said people need to tell their councilperson that the values need to be accurate and the tax needs to be revenue neutral.
"This is not climate change," Mandel said. "We have to do something about it."
Bass agreed with Mandel's statement.
"It's really not an option about whether we can keep the system," Bass said. "This system is a problem. We need to get rid of it quick, fast and in a hurry."
Bass said one the reason the council "put the brakes on" is because it lacks the accurate data.
"We're kind of throwing stuff up on the wall and hoping it sticks," Bass said.
She added that in order to move forward the council needs to hear residents answers to the problem.
Residents in the audience were happy to oblige.
Tolis Vardakis, of Chestnut Hill, said one solution was to reduce the cost of city government.
"The cost Chestnut Hill residents are paying for lousy services is extremely high," Vardakis said. "Drop the DROP and other benefits that are so outlandish. Nobody in the private industry gets those benefits."
Elizabeth Olson, of Chestnut Hill, said AVI will result in the same problems as the current tax system because placing a tax on what the value of a house is at in "any single moment in time" is extremely difficult.
"Real estate is not like a dollar bill," She said. "It is utterly house by house."
She said no one has addressed by what standard a property is going to be evaluated by.
"It is a problem that is not being satisfactory addressed in a propriety way," Olson said.
Olson said the failure to implement a fair and accurate evaluation will result in the city being inundated with law suits.
Sanjiv Jain, a Chestnut Hill property owner, said residents need to know when they can expect to know the values and what the time table will be.
"The impact on the city is effectively none," Jain said.
He said if someone is not able to pay their taxes, they will eventually be replaced by someone who can. Jain compared the proposed tax increases to Hurricane Sandy.
"Sandy came through and most of us are fine," Jain said. "But, if you're home was the one that got torn down the impact is devastating. I have racked my brain and the only thing I can come up with is if the hit is tolerable. If the impact was capped at 5 percent per year. There would be wounds but they would not be fatal. If it's a pain that's tolerable we can absorb it."
Butkovitz adamantly agreed with Jain. He said it's not a matter of whether AVI is going to pass but at what tax rate.
"People need to make sure the tax rate that is passed by city council is as close to 1 percent as possible," Butkovitz said. "The reason people are upset is because the tax rate that is under discussion is 1.8 percent. The answers depends upon you. A one percent increase is tolerable."
After the panel session ended, CHCA president Brien Tilley said he was pleased with the way it went.
"I think the community was clear in saying they're ready to deal with a tax structure that's fair," CHCA President Brien Tilley said. "Be fair and give us truthful answers and we can live with it. But, also realize if it's not fair there could be serious fallout."


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It wasn't so long ago that composting was considered a fringe activity, something you might find ardent back-to-the-landers doing out on their country acreage, but certainly not a practice within the realm of most suburbanites' experience. Today, however, many towns and small cities are encouraging composting like never before, sometimes offering compost bins at subsidized rates, often providing instructional materials or workshops on how to compost, while simultaneously ceasing the curbside pickup of readily compostable materials like leaves and grass clippings. At the same time, sales of bagged compost are way up, as are sales of all manner of composting equipment. Suddenly, it seems, composting has become mainstream.
Why Compost?
Organic gardeners rave about it, but what's the big deal about compost? Why can't you just feed your plants some 10-10-10 and be done with it? Well, i's like the difference between eating a well-balanced meal made from fresh, natural ingredients, and eating a multivitamin and a bag of chips. In the short term, you'd be fine with either, but you wouldn't want to subsist on the latter diet for long. The same is true in your garden. Initially, your plants will respond vigorously to chemical fertilizers, but they won't attain the naturally robust good health they would if you provided them with compost. And with composting, you can be part of the cycle of life - instead of throwing away kitchen scraps and yard debris, you can turn them into valuable compost that your plants and soil will love.
Not only does compost contain all of the major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) in forms readily available to plants, but it also contains a wealth of minor and trace elements as well as billions (yes, literally billions) of bacteria, yeast, fungi, and other soil creatures that will continue to break down organic and inorganic matter in the compost and in your soil, providing a long-term, steady feeding of nutrients to plants.
In addition, because of its loose, fluffy, cake-flourlike texture, compost improves the tilth, or structure, of all garden soils, both increasing the drainage of clay soils and binding together sandy soils, enhancing their moisture retention. Regardless of where you garden or what you grow, compost will make your plants healthier and more vigorous and increase their flowering and fruiting like no other substance you can give them. Simply put, composting is the best possible thing you can do for your garden.
How Long Does It Take?
Many gardeners don't compost simply because they perceive it to be more difficult or complicated than it really is. In truth, composting---rotting really---is a natural process that will occur even without any effort on a gardener's part. If you just put all your garden waste, kitchen scraps, grass clippings, and autumn leaves into a giant pile, you'd have good, usable compost deep within the pile in a year and a half or so.
Actively engaging in the composting process just speeds the whole process up greatly. Researchers have found that it's possible to make finished compost (that is, compost that is so completely broken down that none of its component materials are distinguishable) in as little as 10 days. Practically speaking, most home gardeners can make a good batch of compost every 3-4 weeks; over a growing season, that's a lot of free fertilizer of unparalleled quality.
The ABCs of Composting
So, how do you make compost? There are four key words to remember: green, brown, air and water. What this means is that, to make compost, all you have to do is bring together moist, fresh, predominantly green ingredients (grass clippings, weeds, kitchen scraps, and the like) and predominantly brown ingredients (dead leaves, straw, hay, wood shavings or chips, etc.), ensure that the mix remains damp, and turn it all every few days to reintroduce oxygen to the pile.
Adding worms to your on-ground composter and or garden soil will also speed up the composting process, and will add extra soil nutrients (from the worm castings). Keep adding worms from your finished compost back into fresh material. That's it. In less than a month, you'll have rich, crumbly, brown compost that you can add to your garden soil, use in containers, or mulch with.
Containers and Ingredients
Compost can be made anywhere, in virtually any kind of container, or in no container at all---just a big pile. A bin or tumbler will keep the process neat and manageable, however, and will make it easier to add air to the mixture. To start your compost pile, reduce the size of the ingredients you're using in the pile by chopping them with a machete, a sharp garden spade or other tool. Autumn leaves can be shredded quite well by repeatedly mowing over them. Then add all the ingredients together, layering them in 3-4-inch-thick layers if you're using a bin, or just tossing them together if you're using a tumbler of some sort. Strive for somewhere between a 5:1 and an 8:1 ratio, by volume, of brown materials (fuel for the organisms that will decompose the pile) to green, but don't get too fussy about it---if the proportion is off, it's easy enough to recognize and to remedy.
There are many different styles of outdoor compost bins that fall into one of two categories:
It's optimal to have a small cart at hand around the yard and garden to collect and organize compostable materials from weeding, pruning, clipping and raking.
Kitchen countertop compost crocks offer a clean and efficient way to collect kitchen scraps. While a one-gallon size is good for small families, a one-and-a-half-gallon container works for larger needs. Options range from plastic to ceramic to stainless steel. Each compost crock comes with charcoal filters to eliminate any smells in the house. You can also place biodegradable liner bags directly into the compost.
Green and Brown: Getting the Balance Right
A pile that doesn't heat up within 24 hours needs more green material. A compost thermometer is very handy for determining the temperature near the center of the pile, which should rise to approximately 150-160F. Often, however, you can see a pile steaming and can feel its heat even from the outside of the tumbler or over the top of the bin. A pile that develops an ammonia-like smell needs more brown materials; just work some more into the pile, and the aroma should go away.
Moisture and Air Speed Decomposition
The air and water requirements of a composting operation are similarly low-key. The mixture of materials should remain about as moist as a wrung-out sponge---damp, that is, but not soaking wet. If the mixture seems too wet, damp is perfect, give it a turn to mix and aerate. Layer in some dryer material, stems or straw to help the air flow. If it is too dry, sprinkle on some water and add fresh, green leafy material. Remember, the more often you turn a pile, the quicker you'll have compost, because most of the composting process is carried out by aerobic (oxygen-using) bacteria. If you decide to build your pile in a traditional square bin, you'll want to have an extra bin next to it, so that you can move the pile from one bin into another. If you use a tumbler of some type or rotary composter, turning is easier yet: All you have to do is spin or roll the container to re-oxygenate the pile.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Not much can go wrong with a compost pile other than the two conditions mentioned above---a pile that doesn't heat up and one that develops an ammonia-like smell. Altering the ratio of ingredients one way or the other will generally correct things. You can prevent any problems with critters visiting your pile by keeping animal and dairy products out of your kitchen compost container. Vegetable and fruit scraps are excellent "green" additions. When your compost looks black and earthy and most of the added material has become unidentifiable, it is ready to use.
Using Your Compost
Once you've cooked your first batch of compost, what do you do with it? As mentioned above, it's excellent as an addition to garden soil, container mixes, or used as mulch. Depending on the ingredients you used, there may be coarse pieces still in the compost. If you intend to use your compost as mulch just leave it coarse, however, if you plan on using it as potting soil or for seedlings, you'll want to break down these coarse pieces. The best way to deal with these is to screen the finished compost through a piece of hardware cloth stapled to a frame (or through a "riddle," a tool designed for just such a purpose).
Starting All Over AgainAnything that doesn't sift through the screen can be returned to your pile or bin for further breakdown. And be sure to save a bit of finished compost to start the next batch: The rich microbial life within that compost will get things off to an even faster start next time around.
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Monday, September 13, 2010
a totally ducky Muffin Tin Monday
I had decided early on the movie I wanted to base my MTM tin on was "E.T.". I had some fun ideas to pull it altogether...but in the end I just never actually did it. Plus, I totally forgot to buy Reese's Pieces and what is E.T. without those?!
Then some events happened between then and now that totally changed my focus for this week's lunches. More on that later. :) But in accordance with our focus this week is this muffin tin -
Across the back row of this ducky muffin tin meal is:
- a Babybell cheese with a sorta-duck cut from the wax
- snausages (the last of our leftovers) with a homemade ducky pick
- ducky colored M&M's (which Paige did not eat! shocking!!)
Front row:
- veggies and ranch for dipping (in a ducky shaped cup no less!)
- peanut butter and quackers
- strawberries
The "movie" that inspired this muffin tin meal can be seen here:
I will be talking more this week about Chemo Duck and my partnership with this special program that brings education and comfort to children coping with childhood cancer! September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and I am so honored to be able to share about this great program!!
If you can't wait until tomorrow to read more about the Chemo Duck program, you can read all about it at Chemo Duck's official home, gabesmyheart.com :)
For more Muffin Tin Meals, head on over the to the official MTM site to check them out!
10 comments:
- kewkew said... [Reply to comment]
What a cute duck muffin tin. That pick is adorable.
Thanks for sharing the video, what a neat program.
- September 13, 2010 at 1:55 PM
- JDaniel4's Mom said... [Reply to comment]
What a great theme. I love all the ducks. The liners are so cute.
- September 13, 2010 at 2:04 PM
- Mariah said... [Reply to comment]
Very cute...this would be a great "Spring" theme as well. :)
- September 13, 2010 at 3:01 PM
- kris in larryville said... [Reply to comment]
I love your theme and focus! What a great job.
- September 13, 2010 at 7:45 PM
- Susan Yuen said... [Reply to comment]
SO totally cute!!! I love the ducky theme. :)
- September 13, 2010 at 9:01 PM
- Kelly Polizzi said... [Reply to comment]
haha peanut butter and 'quackers' so cute, i love that. This is an adorable MT meal. How did you get liners with the pattern inside also?
- September 13, 2010 at 10:23 PM
- Bar 7 Ranch said... [Reply to comment]
Very cool!! Love it!
- September 14, 2010 at 12:17 PM
- Alicelily said... [Reply to comment]
I love the ducky theme! I am a huge duck fan (100+ rubber ducks collected so far!) so this really suits me :)
- September 14, 2010 at 12:22 PM
- Melissa said... [Reply to comment]
Kelly, that's a little trick I picked up from the Muffin Tin Mom - you just turn the liner inside out so the pattern is on the inside. :)
- September 14, 2010 at 8:34 PM
- Kelly Polizzi said... [Reply to comment]
Thanks Melissa, I am going to have to try that. It looks so much prettier!
- October 24, 2010 at 3:51 PM


text:
Not even the lights were on.
Few remain to mourn the Chicago firm's conviction Saturday on an obstruction-of-justice charge. But although the firm appears destined to fade to black, its legacy continues shaping business practices across the globe.
Andersen alumni such as Gallagher are moving into prominent posts elsewhere, and the former Andersen Consulting unit lives on as the independent Accenture, its spinoff two years ago having spared it from its one-time parent's downfall. Influential companies worldwide still look to the Andersen business model for insights into running global enterprises.
Gone from Andersen's legacy, though, is its reputation as a crusader for fairness and integrity.
"Arthur Andersen used to be the absolutely golden seal of approval, and how stunning it is to see it go," notes Nell Minow, a governance expert at The Corporate Library research group. "It hasn't been the gold standard for quite a while."
Reached Saturday at his suburban home, Arthur Andersen IV, great-grandson of firm founder Arthur Andersen, said: "It's a shame. My great-grandfather would have been very upset by this. The firm was built on a foundation of integrity, but that seemed to go in the 1990s."
Naturally, Gallagher and many other shell-shocked Andersen loyalists resist that view. At the new Huron Consulting Group she formed in Chicago recently with several hundred fellow refugees, Gallagher says a key goal is retaining "the incredibly high integrity and value system" of Andersen.
Nevertheless, critics see the firm as a poster child for the broader loss of professionalism in accounting and other business services. Jealous of their consulting partners' success, Andersen's audit and tax partners abandoned their independence and sold out the public trust in pursuit of greater fees, the critics say.
"It just seems to me that greed got in the way of ethics," observes Bruce A. Spacek, a retired accounting executive and Andersen veteran, whose late father, Leonard, led the firm in its heyday as the profession's moral compass. "When I was in the firm, this never would have happened. The ethics we had were pounded into us every week."
Even as Spacek and other old-timers reminisce about the Andersen of the past, large parts of the firm are moving to rivals, including entire foreign practices. Grant Thornton, the No. 7 accounting firm in the U.S., last week snapped up part of the Houston office where the fateful audits of Enron Corp. occurred.
Deloitte sees local gains
And in Chicago, 950 partners and staff from Andersen's headquarters are re-assembling just blocks away at Deloitte & Touche.
The move makes Deloitte the area's dominant firm, bringing with it about 60 percent of the audit clients from Andersen's crown-jewel Chicago office. Is managing partner Jeffrey Rohr concerned that Andersen's problems will rub off on Deloitte, a firm known for its conservative history?
"No," Rohr replies bluntly. Just as Deloitte absorbed Touche Ross more than a decade ago, integrating a firm then considered slick but lightweight, it will accommodate the heritage of Andersen, too.
"You build something new," Rohr says. "The clients we have spoken with had outstanding respect for the Andersen people who served them. They will have great ideas that they will bring with them."
Still, others say a culture clash is inevitable, and grumbling about the higher pay and authority accorded to the most senior Andersen arrivals already has started.
Spacek predicts that within a decade, the Andersen veterans, known for their aggressiveness, will rise to the top of the firms they join. "They're going to end up running them," he says.
None will seek to imitate one part of Andersen's legacy, however. In the early 1950s, Andersen pioneered information-technology consulting, developing a practice that grew much faster and became far more lucrative than its core audit and tax business. Critics say the firm lowered its standards to win more consulting business, creating a fatal conflict of interest.
Disputes over money and control between the accountants and consultants divided the firm for years, eventually prompting a bitter divorce that became final in 2000.
The remaining top accounting firms, which pushed to catch up with Andersen in the 1980s and '90s by developing consulting arms of their own, all have moved to sever ties with those practices.
Even Gallagher, intent on reinventing some parts of the Andersen culture, concedes, "It's apparent now that consulting services that we provide here at Huron are better provided outside the public accounting environment."
Accenture, for its part, appears eager to minimize its roots in its one-time parent.
"We've been separate from them since 1989," says Accenture spokeswoman Roxanne Taylor. It that year, Andersen Consulting became a separate operating unit--but still under the accounting firm's control.
Indeed, Accenture still uses the St. Charles training facility that Andersen made famous, renting space from its ex-parent, although its classes are said to be more freewheeling.
Andersen pushed training
Andersen's training was rigid by design, aimed at enabling the firm to speak with a single, unified voice. Every recruit spent at least two weeks in the suburban center, learning Andersen practice and lore under guidelines as uniform as its once-unbendable dress code.
Gallagher believes that example is one of Andersen's lasting influences.
"We invested a very high percentage of our revenue in professional training," she notes.
Despite its push for conformity within, Andersen had a history of shaking up its profession. During the 1950s and '60s, a time when accountants were almost invisible to the public, Spacek's father was making speeches such as: "Professional Accountants and Their Public Responsibility," "The Auditor Is Also Accountable for His Work" and "Burdens Placed on the Investor by Questionable Accounting Practices."
Well into the 1970s, the firm's leadership kept speaking out. But that fervor to reform the profession died down as the audit-services market became less lucrative, says Stephen Zeff, accounting professor at Rice University. And as the firm grew, the philosophy changed.
"There were fewer original thinkers. They were managers and administrators and eventually salesmen," he says. "They were not given the incentive or encouragement to shake up the profession. If it might upset even one client, it was [deemed] not worth doing."
That erosion in public accountability affected the entire industry, but was most conspicuous at Andersen, notes Lawrence Revsine, professor of accounting at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. "This was a firm that was very visibly principled," he says. "It makes what's happening now so ironic."
Andersen is not expected to survive in anything like its one-time scale. Even its plans to continue as a much-smaller, audit-only firm are in doubt. And in that respect, Andersen's ultimate legacy may be as a frightening example for other professional-services firms.
"The legacy going forward is, `You'd better be careful,'" Revsine said. "These behaviors that placate the client at every turn are going to generate tremendous costs that will swamp whatever short-term benefits are perceived to exist."


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Meditation using SEM
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Structural Equation Modeling
Nicole Stanoff
posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 4:46 pm
Hi Dr. Muthen,
For my dissertation analyses I'm running a mediation model in SEM. I have one dichotomous dependent variable as well as continuous dependent variables. When I run my various models with my categorical outcome variable, I have to use WLS or WLSMV estimation. However, when I run my models with only my continuous variables, the default estimation of ML is used. The problem is that across my models, my sample size differs. Can you suggest what type of estimation I can use to make my models have the same sample size.
Can you recommend any papers that use mediation modeling in SEM with dichotomous and continuous outcomes.
Thank you.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 10:42 am
You can use ML for categorical variables as well as continuous variables. You should have the same sample size unless observations are being eliminated due to missingness on covariates and the covariates in the model differ.
Nicole Stanoff
posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 5:23 pm
Thank you for your quick response. I had one more question about specifying certain variables as missing.
1. When I run my analyses using a missing are all (-9); statement for each of my models that I run, I get different number of observations for each of the models. However, when I specify specific variables to be missing
For examples missing are H1MO9Rr H1MO10Rr H1MO11Rr H1MO12Rr H1MO13Rr (-9);
I am able to get the same sample size across groups, however, my coefficients are different.
So my question is, is it more preferred to have the same number of observations across the models being run for my various mediation analyses, or use the missing are all command for all of my variables.
Thank you.
Nicole Stanoff
posted on Sunday, May 17, 2009 - 5:46 pm
One more thing...
I have tried using the ML estimation and WLS for my SEM models when I run analyses with continuous and categorical variables.
I have the same covariates in each of my models. However, I believe that my observations are beling eliminated due to the missingness on my covariates for all of my models.
Do you have any other suggestions of what I can do to get my sample size to be the same across my models?
Thank you.
Linda K. Muthen
posted on Monday, May 18, 2009 - 6:20 am
The following statement
missing are H1MO9Rr H1MO10Rr H1MO11Rr H1MO12Rr H1MO13Rr (-9);
assigns the missing value flag -9 to H1MO13Rr. It does not assign it to the other variables. This is an incorrect specification of the MISSING option. See the user's guide.
If all of the variables have the same missing value, use the ALL setting.
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* $8.33 is monthly average with 1-year prepay
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Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is a modern technology available for Fairfield, OH residents. VoIP technology uses high-speed networks to transfer signals from one location to another. It does this by converting voice into digital information that is then moved along the networks. Because VoIP is available anywhere you have access to a broadband connection, it has become a popular choice in Fairfield, OH.
One reason so many people choose the VoIP option is the flexibility it offers. Unlike traditional landline phone services, VoIP phone service allows users to customize it to fit their individual needs. You can even choose the area code you prefer.
VoIP offers a wide array of optional features that are very popular among the residents of Fairfield, OH. The features include caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, international calling, call blocking, and unlimited calling. VoIP typically comes with 24-hour customer support as well. While the pricing of VoIP phone plans varies depending on the provider and which optional features are included, the monthly charge can be as little as $5.99. Given all of this information, it is easy to see why so many customers choose this cost-effective and versatile option.
Like traditional phone service that runs over wires, DSL phone service in Fairfield, OH runs over copper lines but provides faster, better service than your run-of-the-mill telephone line services. Consumers use a modem to integrate their internet and phone services, and providers typically bundle the services together as a cost effective convenience. Starter DSL packages can begin as low as $19.95, with costs increasing based on the speed of the desired internet service. Want a lower price? Consider using a contract plan through a provider to enjoy better pricing through some providers.
DSL service in Fairfield, OH is better for a lot of consumers than traditional phone service because it allows customers the benefits of bundling their phone and internet together into a 2-in-1 affordable service. Not as sophisticated as VoIP, DSL is a step above traditional telephone/dial-up service, where consumers can only use either the telephone or internet, one at a time. DSL does have a downside. It is significantly less reliable to consumers who live farther away from their provider. DSL users have also reported busy lines when too many customers are using their lines at once. This can be tricky during the holiday season, and has proven to be problematic during extreme emergency situations.
Also called landlines, traditional home phone services have been around for many years, and they consist of many underground wires and connections. To use a landline service, a customer must have a phone jack inside of their home, and they must connect a phone to the jack. For several decades, traditional landline phones ruled the industry, but over time, they've become far less popular than alternative services. Many consumers are replacing their landline connection with wireless service.
The major advantage to choosing landline services in Fairfield, OH is the stable connection. Since they're hardwired into a physical network of wires, landlines also offer exceptional call clarity. However, consumers should also be aware of the downsides, and a huge disadvantage of a landline service is the lack of freedom. A landline service can only be used inside of the home where it's installed, and it's likely to be more expensive than wireless alternatives.
Numerous people have decided to use cell phones for all voice communication. Residents have many different companies and plans to choose from. Caller identification and voice mail usually don't cost extra. Customers have the option to pay ongoing monthly bills or prepay for specific amounts of service. Some services offer sophisticated functions, such as the ability to create a personal Internet hot spot with a cell phone. Many phones provide access to email, text messaging and/or mobile websites. Wirefly enables you to compare cell phone plans in Fairfield, OH to find the best plan for your needs.
Cellular service is primarily advantageous because people can use it while they work or travel. It also has several drawbacks. Service isn't available in every area, and roaming charges may apply if customers need to use a different provider's cell phone tower. Wireless phone often costs more than the alternatives. Users rarely pay any less than $30 monthly, and unlimited talk plans are frequently priced at around $50. Internet data services can add considerable amounts of money to the bill. It's not unusual for smartphone users in Fairfield, OH to spend $100 per month for voice, text and Internet communications, especially if they use monthly installments to buy phones.
Wirefly offers great deals on a large selection of smartphones, cell phones, tablets, mobile hotspots, and other wireless devices for the nation's most popular carriers. Use Wirefly's innovative cell phone and plan comparison tools to ensure you are getting the best deal on the market. Shop with confidence knowing that Wirefly wants to help you find the best prices on cell phones, cell phone plans, TV, and Internet service.


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Electronic Carillons, Church Bells, Clocks and Bell Ringing Equipment
Chime Master manufactures and sells the finest church bells, digital carillons, electronic carillons and bell ringing equipment. We are connecting today's technology with centuries of tradition.
From the time we created the first digital carillon, Chime Master has been imbuing them with the depth and unmistakable tone of traditional bells. We're engineering the authenticity of the past into the technology of the future.
Whether you're upgrading a current bell system or incorporating chimes into your worship for the first time, we want to help you realize your vision. With the level of quality of the systems and services we offer, we'll make your goals a reality.
We're passionate about what you need, whether it's a demonstration, consultation, or just a chat. We're here to listen - because when we really get to know you, great things happen.


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Penn State's Board of Trustees posted a statement on the university's website this morning, explaining why it chose to fire coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier. The trustees already explained this in a New York Times interview in January. But with so many Penn Staters still focused on spit-shining Paterno's legacy in the shadow of the Jerry Sandusky case, the board decided to do it again.
Today's statement, in slightly less than 1,200 words, provides even fewer details than the Times story did. The board justifies Paterno's firing merely in terms of what was in the grand jury presentment that was released Nov. 5, 2011:
The report stated that a Penn State graduate assistant had gone to Coach Paterno's home on Saturday morning, March 2, 2002. The report quoted Coach Paterno as testifying to the Grand Jury that the graduate assistant told him that he had seen Jerry Sandusky, the coach's former assistant coach up to 1999, "in the Lasch Building showers fondling or doing something of a sexual nature to a young boy."
While Coach Paterno did his legal duty by reporting that information the next day, Sunday, March 3, to his immediate superior, the then Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley, the Board reasonably inferred that he did not call police. We determined that his decision to do his minimum legal duty and not to do more to follow up constituted a failure of leadership by Coach Paterno.
In that January Times story, though, the board had also said it didn't appreciate the way in which Paterno had questioned its authority in the days after the scandal broke, presumably when he issued his own statement telling the board not to concern itself with his job status. Today's university statement makes no mention of that dispute.
The board does write that it regrets that Paterno's firing was done with a brief phone call on the night of Nov. 9. The report blames the media for the decision, essentially—with Paterno's house surrounded, the trustees saw no "dignified, private and secure way" to deliver the message in person.
So the trustees write that they had planned for their emissary to apologize to Paterno for using the telephone—also to tell him the university would still honor his employment contract, complete with all benefits—but Paterno hung up as soon as he heard about the firing, before the rest of the message could be delivered. (Maybe they should have opened with the apology?)
We are sorry for the unfortunate way we had to deliver the news on the telephone about an hour later to Coach Paterno. However, we saw no better alternative. Because Coach Paterno's home was surrounded by media representatives, photographers and others, we did not believe there was a dignified, private and secure way to send Board representatives to meet with him there. Nor did we believe it would be wise to wait until the next morning, since we believed it was probable that Coach Paterno would hear the news beforehand from other sources, which would be inappropriate.
Thus, we sent a representative of the Athletic Department to ask Coach Paterno to call us. When the coach called, the Board member who received the call planned to tell him that (1) the Board had decided unanimously to remove him as coach; (2) the Board regretted having to deliver the message over the telephone; and (3) his employment contract would continue, including all financial benefits and his continued status as a tenured faculty member. However, after this Board member communicated the first message, Coach Paterno ended the call, so the second and third messages could not be delivered.
According to the statement, the university plans to wait for former FBI chief Lous Freeh to wrap up his internal investigation before it decides how to honor Paterno. For the time being, the trustees write that the university intends "to name him head coach emeritus," which is maybe a little weird, as a title applied to someone already deceased. Graham Spanier, the ex-president, remains a tenured professor and is listed in the university directory as president emeritus.
Report of the Board of Trustees concerning Nov. 9 decisions [Penn State University]


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2015.11.30 – Lumpy's Links
Lumpy's Links for 2015.11.30
I know I am a day late …better late than never.
Here they are:
- Ludicrous – There is no limit to what criminals do. Sometimes stupid, sometimes creative, always wrong, too often hurtful, and, in this case, simply strange. After realizing a child was in a car they stole, they dropped the kid off at school!
- Useful – While you are going to have use Google translate, this is a list of the most returned items. In other words, stuff not to buy.
- Music – While I grew up with MTv, the truth is most music videos are not that great. Here is a Red Lips cover that is just off the hook! GTA – Red Lips. Kudos to io9 for the find.
- PPhoto – I totally agree with io9, the US Navy nailed The Force Awakens with the best spoof to date
- Yours – Nothing this week
- Science – The article refers to it as Flower Power, a circuit inside a rose!


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'Snooki & JWoww' show passes on historic New Jersey suburb
MORRISTOWN, N.J. (AP) -- "Snooki & JWoww" won't pitch a tent in the New Jersey suburb that's been called the military capital of the American Revolution.
The company that produces the "Jersey Shore" spinoff has been in talks to tape segments of the reality series featuring Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and Jennifer "JWoww" Farley in Morristown.
The taping was planned for Aug. 9 until the middle of October.
The Daily Record of Parsippany reports Mayor Tim Dougherty said in a statement that 495 Productions was willing to accept certain restrictions. However, the mayor says the company decided to focus on other areas.
Morristown twice served as George Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War.
Information from: Daily Record, http://www.dailyrecord.com


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In a division stocked with rookie talent at the receiver position -- Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin, for starters -- Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is glad Brandin Cooks is on his side.
"I was like, 'Ooh. This guy opens your eyes,'" Ryan said of Cooks on Saturday, per The Associated Press. "You can certainly feel his speed. ... They're going to create roles to get this guy involved and it'll be awesome."
After the Saints traded up in this month's draft to grab the former Oregon State star at No. 20 overall, Cooks figures to play a key role for an offense no longer armed with Darren Sproles in the passing game.
"He is versatile," coach Sean Payton said during the team's rookie minicamp. "He's obviously a receiver and I think we can line him up in the slot, line him up outside. He's got a very good skill set with regards to his acceleration, his speed. He catches the ball well. I like his toughness. He's handled these first three practices well."
Under Payton's watch, Cooks gives New Orleans an X-factor with 4.33 speed and a solid chance to lead this year's rookie class in receiving yardage. Last year's Biletnikoff award winner acknowledged that the Saints "wouldn't have drafted me if they didn't feel like I could come in and make an immediate impact."
Along with Evans and Benjamin, Cooks headlines a class of young pass-catchers inside the division that should keep the NFC South in a dogfight until the bitter end.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" plays the post-draft version of the game "What's More Likely" and breaks down all the latest news.


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Pets of the Week (7/19/14)
Merced County Animal Shelter: 2150 Shuttle Drive, Atwater. Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Open 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. Saturdays. Adoption fees for pet of the week are $35 for dogs and $15 for cats. If an animal is adopted before the newspaper comes out Saturday, another animal can be chosen in its place. For more information, call (209) 385-7436.
Mariposa County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: 5599 N. Highway 49, Mariposa. Call (209) 966-5275. Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (times can vary, so call ahead). Adoption fees: $40 for cats and $70 for dogs. Cash only. All animals are spayed or neutered and have all their shots.
Merced Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: 1021 E. Childs. Hours: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Adoption fees for pets of the week are: dogs, $50, puppies, $60, cats, $35. Call (209) 384-7722.
Last Hope Cat Kingdom: 6660 Bailey Ave., Atwater. Call (209) 631-8330 or email firstname.lastname@example.com to set up an adoption appointment.


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Home » MEET OUR CUSTOMERS: FREEDOM AS A SERVICE IN ACTION! » Telco answers call for speed with BigMemory
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There are several coffee shops located around the fair area. The kiosk is located in the middle of Lobby South.
Café Aspretto
Café Aspretto puts sustainability in focus and have as far as possible an ecological range of products and a litle more exclusive selection.
Café Connection
An open coffeeshop environment for spontaneous meetings.Here You find varied selection of kiosk wares, sandwiches, pastries and small courses.
Café 1284 Bar
In the heart of Lobby South is our trendy little bar that serves large shrimp sandwiches and rich muffins.Chill out with an ice-cold beer or a glass of wine.
Café Exprezz
Enjoy a freshly grilled ciabatta in the middle of all action!You'll find a fresh variation of everything from pies to sandwiches to pastries.
Additional food stands
Meaty burgers, pizza slices or wok.With larger fairs we expand our preence with additional food stands.


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Digital Marketing Since 1995
Your brand is what makes your company unique from all others in your space, and makes you readily identifiable. The key to establishing your brand online is to use a combination of digital marketing, SEO, and social media tactics to ensure that you're coming up when prospective clients are searching.To really win clients over with your digital marketing, you need to establish yourself as a thought leader, someone who clients can trust to make things happen. Our digital marketing programs are designed to establish you and your brand as the only game in town. Click the links below to see how we do it.
College Textbook Authors
Web Marketing On All CylindersWe are proud to announce that our book is now in use as a college textbook and we are speaking at numerous colleges such as Brandeis, Endicott College and North Shore Community College, to help students enter into digital marketing jobs. Whether you're a website owner, digital marketing director, or a CEO, our book has essential tips and advice on web strategy, SEO, paid search, social media marketing, analytics, public relations, conversion optimization, blogging, content, local search, mobile and email marketing, that will help you work smarter, not harder. National gold medal winner: 2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards.
Digital Marketing Case Studies
Montserrat College of ArtWhen we started working with Montserrat College of Art, they were not filling all classes and were only attracting regional students. Now, for the first time in its 40-year history, Montserrat has a waiting list of applicants, and the MCA website had a 1,454% increase in top 50 results of Google organic search engine pages.
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Learn More about our problem busting processes


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Free shipping over € 149
Free shipping over € 149
For Alessi, Marli ("butterfly" in Aborigine) has become a family of aerodynamic objects.
Born in Bergamo, Italy, Laura Polinoro graduated in Drama Art and Music Studies in Bologna. Her first job was in the field of contemporary dance as art director and costume and set designer. Later she undertook research at the Domus Academy in Milan. From 1990 to 1998 she was in charge of the Centro Studi Alessi, where she operated as meta-project designer and art director, coordinating workshops both in-house and in association with various universities and design institutes the world over. She was also involved in publishing and communications activities. Items which entered production in that period are identified with the acronym "CSA". Since 2004 products overseen by Ms. Polinoro have been identified with the letters "LPWK"
Steven Blaess lived his childhood travelling with his family throughout Southern Australia. After graduating with a Bachelor of Design in Human Environments from the University of South Australia in 1994, he designed commercial offices interiors and furniture in Hong Kong and worked with some of Australia's architecture, interior and graphic design companies. Since 1999, Steven has worked with manufacturing companies in Europe such as Artemide, Edra, iGuzzini lighting, Fratelli Guzzini. His works of architecture, interior and industrial design are published in international design publications and exhibited in Milan, Paris, Berlin, London, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney. Steven made final selection for his Torch Design Proposal for Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games.


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Named for the folkloric creature native to oft snow-laden Rhinelander, WI, Hodag covers all your fat tire bike needs in a lightweight Tubeless Ready tread. Designed for all-terrain use, Hodag stays true to its sharp-clawed namesake with unmatched traction and excels in throwing snow, loose dirt, and sand, keeping your ride the stuff of legend.
Key features
- Excels in snow and sand
- Tubeless Ready (TLR) for easy tubeless setup and puncture protection
- Inner Strength casing is lightweight sidewall protection that's supple and strong
Tubeless-ready tires are compatible with both tubeless-ready and standard rims. When the tire is mounted on a tubeless-ready rim with special tubeless rim tape, valve, and sealant, the tire and rim form an airtight chamber that no longer requires a tube. This lets you run lower tire pressure with less fear of pinch flats and without the added weight of a tube. Lower tire pressure has many benefits, including greater traction and lower rolling resistance over rough surfaces. The tire can also be used with a tube if you mount it on a standard, non-tubeless-ready rim.
Part Numbers
|26 x 3.80
|27.5 x 3.80


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Welcome to our website! As we have the ability to list over one million items on our website (our selection changes all of the time), it is not feasible for a company our size to record and playback the descriptions on every item on our website. However, if you have a disability we are here to help you. Please call our disability services phone line at 781.275.4100 during regular business hours and one of our kind and friendly personal shoppers will help you navigate through our website, help conduct advanced searches, help you choose the item you are looking for with the specifications you are seeking, read you the specifications of any item and consult with you about the products themselves. There is no charge for the help of this personal shopper for anyone with a disability. Finally, your personal shopper will explain our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, and help you place an order if you so desire.
Doyon's Appliance in Reading, MA is an authorized dealer of Frigidaire Commercial Products. Frigidaire® is committed to designing high-performing, time-saving, easy-to-use appliances that help you get the job done right.
Frigidaire® has introduced more than 750 new appliances designed to help you get things done in less time and with less effort, so you can get out of the kitchen and on to the things you really love. Choose from a complete collection of kitchen and laundry appliances featuring time-saving, easy-to-use features that deliver great results.
So if you are looking for Frigidaire Commercial products in Reading, Gloucester, Manchester, Rockport, Essex, Beverly, Woburn, Stoneham, Wakefield, North Reading and Wilmington, or if you have any questions about Frigidaire Commercial products, please feel free to call us at 781.275.4100 or simply stop by Doyon's Appliance at any time and we would be glad to help you.


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Knowledgebase: NE1™ Web Builder > Media (Audio, Video, and Flash) > FAQs
What is Flash?
Posted by , Last modified by Michelle Mabuti on 20 June 2018 09:20 AM
Flash is a term that actually refers to 2 different things. A Flash animation is a specially created file and the Flash Player is the "engine" that plays the file in a website.
The Adobe Flash Player is a widely distributed multimedia and application player created and distributed by Macromedia (a division of Adobe Systems). Flash Player runs the "SWF" files that can be created by Adobe and other third party software tools. The Flash Player was originally designed to display 2-dimensional animation, but has since become suitable for creating applications, streaming video, and audio. It uses special "vector" graphics to minimize file size and create files that save bandwidth and loading time. Flash is a common format for games or animations, and is embedded directly into web pages.