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I spent some lucky days in Paris on my own. A big treat, as I usually travel with others – and fantastic, hilarious, inspiring, debauched others, which is joyous and wonderful but it's a rare beautiful moment that I am by myself. The hotel I originally booked wouldn't let me check in, and after almost running over a fresh and fully formed dog shit pile at the entrance, I had to leave my bags there to find another one. It was alright in the end. The new hotel wasn't fancy but it was good enough, right in Le Marais, my favorite neighborhood, all sprawled across the 3 and 4th arrondissement, whatever that means.
I got all French and put my dirty hair in a topknot and put no makeup on miss face and walked from shop to shop to get each thing I wanted to eat. Wine, a chicken, jamon, fig cakes, macarons, dark chocolate bars, a big baguette – which I also found drastically reduces the famously European sexual advances – somehow the bread is a defense and a chastener and makes you look like you belong and are not available for nonsense. Like a nun's habit and a guitar. I am up for nunsense but not nonsense Monsieur.
I walked into a cheese shop, more like a stall, and the smell punched me in the face. I stood speechless in front of the cheesemonger, looking for the right French words. Nothing came – except "uh yeah, hook me up". He understood somehow and cut me a fat wedge of comte, and that cheese and I went back to my room. It was golden and creamy and sweated like a man in his early forties during the night. That cheese snored. That cheese had sleep apnea. It had a moldy rind and a bitter back end and I ate off that living thing for three days without accompaniment or refrigeration. I went to bed and the cheese was there. I woke up and that cheese was there. The ripe, rotting decay of the dairy set a green finger under my nose in the morning and I didn't even need a café au lait to get me going. I realized that the comte was not a male but a female about 28 hours into our relationship. That cheese got its period. Me and Mrs. Comte – we got a thing going on. I ate that cheese and I left that cheese when I couldn't bring it with me to England. It was just too stinky to take. Too moldy and raging and alive and delicious and devoured even though there was a lot left. I couldn't be smuggling that comte over the border. It was a drug and should have been illegal. The bread was good too. I actually lay down in between the sheets to consume a crusty and hard baguette, the outside brittle and scabby and littering the bed with flakes and crumbs, and the inside soft and white and doughy, filling by mouth with the utter neutrality of flour, that strange nothingness we seek from carbs, that empty fullness. The bread mess got all over the floor and the maid actually gasped "Alors!" when she opened the door to my room. I felt like a junkie. Yes I am a food addict and because of this I avoid most things, but when is eating addiction and when is it pleasure? I think that in France, it's just pleasure. What happens in France, stays in France, like comte and crumbs.


text: Hailey Reigns Supreme August 6, 2013 09:30 PM Tweet After overcoming many obstacles, RF Goldwyn Hailey started an impressive winning streak on the 2012 World Dairy Expo stage with Supreme Champion honors. TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By MILK Editors Email Canadian Holstein captures top honors at 2012 World Dairy Expo RF Goldwyn Hailey went on a winning streak in 2012. On Oct. 6 at World Dairy Expo, this six-year-old cow piled up an impressive string of honors in the 2012 International Holstein Show. Along with capturing first place in her Six-Year-Old & Older Cow class, she earned Senior Champion and Grand Champion titles. At the end of the day, she was named Expo's Supreme Champion. A little less than a month later, Hailey notched the Grand Champion title at the Quebec International Fall Show in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec (Nov. 3). Then, for an encore, she brought home Grand Champion and Supreme Champion honors from the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto (Nov. 9). "It was a pretty exciting time for us all the way around—the kind of year you dream about," says Mario Comtois, Hailey's owner and owner/manager of Gen-Com Holstein Ltd. in Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil, Quebec. Founded in 2009, Gen-Com specializes in Holstein breeding and working with heifers, cows and embryos with high genetic potential. The feeling of winning at Expo was just unbelievable," says Mark Comtois, Hailey's owner. Comtois purchased Hailey as a four-year-old at a Cowtown Holsteins sale in Derby, Vt., in July of 2010. Bred by R&F Livestock and Chilliwack Cattle Co., of Warman, Saskatchewan, she is out of Mellholm Louie Hanah (the Honorable Mention All-Canadian Senior Two-Year-Old in 2005) and sired by Braedale Goldwyn. At the Cowtown sale, Comtois, in partnership with Jeff Butler, had already purchased another high-profile cow, Idee Goldwyn Lynley. But when Hailey entered the sale ring just a few minutes later, Comtois knew that he had to buy her, as well. "She was so feminine yet powerful," he recalls. "She had so much dairy character, excellent udder texture, a young face, strong body and fancy legs. Her style was just fantastic. She was born to be a winner." Comtois ended up paying $100,000 for Hailey. "It might sound funny to some people, but what really sold me on her were those big eyes," he says. "She looked so healthy, so alert. There was just something special there. I told myself, 'If I can buy that cow, I will be a very lucky man.'" Several months later, when Comtois brought Hailey to Expo for the first time, he started to question his luck. Two days after arriving at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Hailey became seriously ill and was rushed to the Veterinary Medicine Hospital at the University of Wisconsin. Over the next two days, she underwent two operations for an intestinal blockage. "It was a very stressful time," Comtois says. "I can't even begin to explain how concerned I was when she got sick and how relieved I was when she came through alright." Despite the scare and the disappointment he felt, several good things came out of the 2010 show for Gen-Com. Five cows that Gen-Com brought to Expo, along with Hailey, were nominated as All-Americans. Best of all, while recovering from the surgeries in Madison, Hailey remained pregnant. After calving the third time in June 2011, Hailey finally had the chance to strut her stuff on the international stage. She was named Reserve Grand Champion and Best Udder of Show at the 2011 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and Reserve All-Canadian and Reserve All-American Five-Year-Old for 2011. At the 2011 International Holstein Show at Expo, she placed third in her class. At the Quebec International Fall Show that same year, Hailey placed first in the Five-Year-Old Cow class and second at the Quebec Expo. In the months leading up to Expo 2012, Comtois started to get "a strong feeling" that good things were in store for Hailey. "You could just tell that she was feeling comfortable," he says. "After she calved in June, she got back into form very quickly." As much as anything else, Hailey's appetite signaled to Comtois that she was approaching peak. "She is a very nice cow to work with overall," he says. "But when it's meal time, she is very aggressive. After she eats, she calms right down. At one show last summer, we even had to bring in some lower quality hay to keep her from eating too much." Comtois is quick to point out it's those eating habits that make Hailey more than just a pretty face in the Showring. During her third 305-day lactation as a five-year-old, she produced 39,172 lb. of milk with 3.8% fat and 3% protein. Hailey, the first and youngest Goldwyn daughter to be scored Excellent-97-2E as a five-year-old, was in top form when she arrived at Expo in 2012. "So many people loved this cow," Comtois says. "They kept coming up to me in the barn and telling me that she was the Expo favorite, the cow to beat. I felt the pressure building. I was nervous and having a few doubts. Expectations will do that to you." On Saturday night, when the announcement was made that Hailey was Expo's Supreme Champion, a flood of memories rushed through Comtois' mind. "It's a moment I'll never forget. In the span of a few seconds, I found myself thinking about my family and friends—how supportive they had been, about all the hard work that went into achieving this, about what the future might bring and about that scare we had in 2010 when she got sick," he says. "The feeling of winning at Expo was just unbelievable. I thought I was going to fall over on the ground. It really took a day or so for me to realize what all of this meant." Hailey was the first and youngest Goldwyn daughter to be scored Excellent-97-2E as a five-year-old. " Back to news

subset: commoncrawl


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(NewsUSA) – Trying to find that perfect holiday gift for friends or family who have everything can be a daunting task. If they're a techie, the job can be even more difficult.
"Tech is growing more popular every year," says Emmy Award-winning Tech and Trends reporter Brett Larson, and host of KillerApps.TV. "Do your research online for not only the best price, but look for product reviews as well to make sure it fits your needs."
Here are five must-have "Killer Apps" to place on your gift list this holiday season:
* Keep in touch. The VTech Inno Tab 3S Wi-Fi Learning Tablet is the only children's tablet with an app called Kid Connect, which helps parents stay connected to their kids. The InnoTab 3S is an easy-to-use tablet-to-mobile device that allows children to send voice messages, text messages, photos and drawings to parents' smartphones. The product includes 20 apps, and access to VTech's Learning Lodge store that includes more than 600 titles of educator-approved content.
* Got coffee? For cup o'Joe lovers, the Tassimo T47 Home Brewing System might just hit the spot. This single-serve system uses Intellibrew technology, where a unique barcode on each beverage T DISC determines the amount of water, brewing time and temperature to deliver the perfect cup. It brews everything from coffee to real milk-based cappuccinos and lattes, even hot chocolate.
* Stay connected. The LG G2 is T-Mobile's latest 4G LTE smartphone that delivers blazing fast and unlimited 4G speeds when paired with the Simple Choice Plan and Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data option. This sleek and stylish device features a 13 Megapixel Camera and a Rear Key button for quick, shareable "selfies" and is just the thing for everyone from multi-taskers to tech trend setters.
* Stay tuned. The Korus V600 and the Korus V400 are audio systems that take the guesswork out of technology by removing wi-fi network setup and Bluetooth pairing. With these systems, you can stream audio (be it music, TV shows or games) from your mobile device or PC through one to four speakers. Because of the more stable and larger bandwidth wireless signals, you can stream audio without pops, clicks or drops.
* Create more space. Transporter Sync from Connected Data is a $99 private, unlimited cloud storage device for syncing, accessing, sharing and protecting all your files without monthly fees. Amenities of the device include the ability to access your files from anywhere in the world on any device; share collections of files with anyone; and have photos and videos on your phone protected.
For more ideas, visit www.killerapps.tv.
This article is copyright free. You are free to use it on a blog, website, in a newspaper, or newsletter.
To re-post this, copy the content above, or HTML on the right, and paste onto your site.


text:
Welcome to the Cooling the Curriculum Learning Portal, a web portal community to connect those interested in the incorporation of climate change modules, science, and theory into higher education curriculum and other teaching institutions.
Use the topics on the left hand navigation bar to upload, share, and explore articles and reports, teaching resources, and other resources for teaching and designing curriculum around climate change. See the "Help" tab on the left navigation bar to explore details of posting information.
This learning community is made possible with the support of a Global Climate Change Education NASA cooperative agreement, Cooling the Liberal Arts Curriculum: A Campaign for Climate Change Education at 4- and 2-Year Liberal Arts Colleges, which provides learning workshops and funding to faculty interested in enhancing and developing new climate change curriculum.
The study group is a learning community for the enrichment of interdisciplinary teaching about Earth science and human dimensions of climate change at 4- and 2-year liberal arts colleges. Members of the learning community will participate in a four-day workshop. The workshop will bring together science, social science, and humanities teachers from liberal arts colleges to develop new courses or course modules revise existing courses, explore engaged learning pedagogies, and add to their knowledge for teaching about climate change.
Climate Modeling and Data Application Workshop (2010 & 2011)
Participants in the workshop will receive training in the use of a NASA global climate model (GCM) and the tools to integrate and visualize social, economic, and environmental data for teaching about climate change at the undergraduate level. Members of the group will participate in a four-day workshop at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. The climate modeling component of the workshop will make use of EdGCM, a software package developed at Columbia University and NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) that integrates a computer climate model with a point-and-click interface and scientific visualization and mapping tools. EdGCM simplifies the set up, running, and analysis of climate modeling experiments and it is in use around the world helping students at universities and secondary schools learn about climate science and computer modeling through hands-on activities.
Teaching about Climate Change Workshop (January 10, 2014)
Participants in this one-day workshop will learn from each other sharing pedagogies, teaching strategies and innovative activities that they have found to be effective with their students. Over 65 college and university faculty from across the curriculum at over 30 institutions will gather to share models for teaching about climate change in higher education. The program for the workshop was developed from presentations and topics proposed by the registrants including presentations from physical sciences, social sciences and humanities. Paul C. Stern, Senior Scholar at the National Research Council/National Academy of Science, will provide the keynote address on the human dimensions of climate change.
The Center for Sustainability Education:
The mission of the Center for Sustainability Education is to establish Dickinson College as a nationally recognized leader and innovator of liberal education that prepares students to engage in human, social, and economic development that is environmentally sustainable and socially just. The Center supports this mission by working with all members of the Dickinson community to integrate study of the environment and sustainability across the college curriculum, and to link campus learning with co-curricular programs, greening of campus operations, and both global and local civic engagement.
Dickinson College:
Dickinson College, founded in 1773, is a highly selective, private residential liberal-arts college known for its innovative curriculum. Its mission is to offer students a useful education in the arts and sciences that will prepare them for lives as engaged citizens and leaders. The 180-acre campus of Dickinson College is located in the heart of historic Carlisle, Pa. The college offers 42 majors with an emphasis on international studies, has more than 40 study-abroad programs in 24 countries on six continents and offers 13 modern languages.
Center for Sustainability Education
Lindsey Lyons, Assistant Director
Email: email@example.com
Phone: 717.245.1117
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The Lake Cumberland Jammers meet every Tuesday night at the Carnegie Community Arts Center in Somerset, Ky. Starting around 5:30 pm, musicians (pickers) and spectators (grinners) begin arriving at the jam, and by 6 pm the music begins in full swing. Folks are treated to an evening of down-home music, and refreshments are provided free.
The pickers sit in a large semi-circle and take turns singing and leading the others in their favorite songs. The music ranges from old-time favorites, bluegrass standards, country classics and gospel songs, to original tunes by some of the "jammers."
Members of the audience will occasionally step into the circle to sing one of their favorites.
For more information, call 606-677-2906 or 606-305-6741 or visit www.lakecumberlandjammers.com.


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Show off that hardcore fandom, even when the temperature drops, when you get this San Francisco 49ers Toasty Cover cuffed knit hat with pom from New Era.
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Reilly Takes Audi Melges 20 Lead At Bacardi Miami Sailing Week
10 March 2011
Miami, Fla. - (2011 Mar. 10) - It was blatantly obvious today that Audi Melges 20 Miami Winter Series Event No. 2 Champion Paul Reilly on Red Sky Sailing Team hasn't missed a beat. His starts were strong and his tactics were spot on, the end result, a very rewarding first place overall.
The opening day of racing started out beautifully under gorgeous conditions. Sunshine and a pleasant 10-12 knots of breeze enabled 26 Audi Melges 20 teams to saddle up for a very heated start. Tony Tabb's Elevation Racing punched the pin end hard then, took it all the way to the top to round the windward mark in the lead. A cluster of teams fought for second place. Among those jostling for position were Reilly, Mary Anne Ward onM&M Sailing and Kent Haegar on Mach Schnell. Reilly gained valuable positions downwind. He was full steam ahead through the gate, first at the final mark and across the finish line. Dario Levi on Fremito D'Arjia mixed things up by putting on his best speed to finish second. Ward finished third.
Three-quarters of the way through the race, reports of severe weather closing in fast were received containing news of heavy rain and possible 50+ mph gusts. PRO Bruce Golison made the call to send the fleet to shore. The rain turned clear visibility into sheets of white as teams struggled to get their boats moored properly and docked safely at Coconut Grove Sailing Club.
"Big breeze and big pressure were scheduled to arrive in the early afternoon with little spots of rain. Instead, the front accelerated and we ended up with some pretty torrential weather," said Golison. "We're going to try for four races tomorrow. Commander's is calling for 12-20 knots, so it should be perfect Biscayne Bay conditions."
Full race reports, interviews and photo galleries will be posted online each day after racing. Stay tuned to the Official Audi Melges 20 Web Site for all the latest details. You can also friend the Audi Melges 20 on Facebook, follow on Twitter and/or subscribe to the Official Audi Melges 20 You Tube Channel.
TOP TEN RESULTS (After 1 Race)
1.) Paul Reilly, Red Sky Sailing Team = 1
2.) Dario Levi, Fremito D'Arjia = 2
3.) Mary Anne Ward, M&M Sailing Team = 3
4.) Anthony Tabb/Eric Wynsma, Elevation Racing = 4
5.) Kent Haegar, Mach Schnell = 5
6.) Jon Messenger, Black Sheep = 6
7.) Alessandro Rombelli, STIG = 7
8.) Chuck Holzman, Flyer = 8
9.) Marc Hollerbach, Fu = 9
10.) Pat Eudy, Big Booty = 10
View Full Results
Visit the 2011 Bacardi Miami Sailing Week Official Event Website for full entry lists and complete results.
View 2011 Bacardi Miami Sailing Week Photo Gallery
Bacardi Miami Sailing Week is the third and final event of the 2010 Audi Melges 20 Miami Winter Series. View The Full Miami Winter Series Results


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Last week's hairshirt NYT piece got a lot of attention — it was AR's lead link on Sunday and pointed at by Josh, Reformed Broker, — bemoaning "America's inability" to manufacture or assemble iPhones and other electronic gizmos. However, it entirely missed the point, thinks Baruch. It is always en vogue to bemoan one's own nation's manufacturing competitiveness, in the case of Southern Europe, possibly fairly. But most of the time it ignores the great dynamic of economic development, that as economies increase in wealth, intellectual property and sophistication, pure manufacturing becomes less and less attractive an activity. America has the most sophisticated economy on the planet; the idea that it is bad that people who participate in it no longer fit bits of plastic together is a wrong one.
The other point that the article makes rings truer, that making iPhones isn't much fun:
. . . Apple had redesigned the iPhone's screen at the last minute, forcing an assembly line overhaul. New screens began arriving at the plant near midnight.
A foreman immediately roused 8,000 workers inside the company's dormitories, according to the executive. Each employee was given a biscuit and a cup of tea, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass screens into beveled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing over 10,000 iPhones a day.
Assembling iPhones is a repetitive and gruelling manual job. It is hard on the eyes, on the stamina and probably on the spirit. The majority of the workers at the Foxconn (also known as Hon Hai) plant are young, resilient recent immigrants to the city, for whom the alternative to doing this is working on the family smallholding or some other menial job in the Chinese boondocks. They don't need engineering degrees, though do need skills and motivations I and probably a lot of Americans don't have, e.g. being able to put small parts together in exactly the same way, again and again for hours and hours all the while standing up, Don Rumsfeld like. Being in a position where you can be woken up at 12.30 am to do a 12 hour shift fortified only with a biscuit and a cup of tea is not something I would wish on my fellow countrymen — at least not all of them.
I don't think the NYT seriously wants their fellow Americans to work like this either (and by the way, since when was a foreman's job on an assembly line "middle class"?). It's the sort of thing workers in developed countries stopped doing since the 1970s and 1980s, and trades unions have been fighting against for decades before. We shouldn't go back.
Don't get me wrong — I don't disparage the necessity of mind-numbing manual work, I certainly don't look down on those who do it, nor hate the bosses who oversee them. It is a fact of life. However, it has to be for something worthwhile, however, and in large part I think it is in the case of Foxconn and Apple. For the Turkish and Greek Gastarbeiter in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s factory manual labour was a stepping stone to better things, and similarly, one hopes the Chinese building iPhones will be able to save some money to take back home or stay in the city to start a business, get married and educate some (well, typically only one) kids, or, at worst, buy an xBox. You have to look at the alternatives open to the people doing the work; for a Chinese late teen or 20-something the more realistic alternative to the Foxconn plant is a life of rural toil, tedium and poverty. For the average US teen it would be college (and some debt) and/or relatively bearable job in a service industry, possibly cutting hair. The American shouldn't have to compete with his Chinese counterpart — the menu of his or her life choices is so much richer.
The other idea implicit in the article I have a problem with is that iPhones and the physical location of the plants that supply them have disproportionally favoured the Chinese economy over the US. Well, when it comes to assembly, the amount that stays in China is an infinitesimal fraction of the total added value of an iPhone. Foxconn earns something like a 5% gross margin and a 2-3% EBIT margin on its assembly business and for business from Apple it might even be less. Indeed, some analysts think Foxconn only earns a positive margin because it can throw in a few components of its own into the deal. Its notable that no-one else has ever been able to take any of Apple's assembly business from Foxconn. Many have tried and lost money, such are the competitive razor thin margin this business operates at.
Compare that to the 30% to 50% gross margins (and 20-30% EBIT) a semiconductor supplier earns selling a chip into the iPhone — almost all the semi content in the iPhone is from US companies, and by no means not all the chips are fabbed in China, although I agree with the article that many are. I'm not even talking about the great margins that a software company selling code into the iPhone foodchain makes, nor the insanely great margins Apple operates at, just the hardware foodchain. Which part of that foodchain does the NYT really want American companies to be at?
My final comment is that the article ignores the flipside of the equation, the dual nature of employees like Eric Saragoza, the mid-level Apple engineer who got laid off in 2002. Scant comfort for him of course, but he is also a consumer. The huge benefit of the constant price down in technology is that consumers get to be able to buy amazing, life changing products at increasingly affordable prices, while incentivising the companies who make them with great margins. iPhones and iPads have changed my life moderately, but have transformed the lives of millions of people in a more profound way. This is what technology does, and I don't know another way of ensuring that it happens. Very often the ability to make something new and useful for significantly less is just as impactful as the ability to make that new and useful thing in the first place — it opens the door to new business models, to new uses, to things the inventors may not have dreamed of. Look at Tim Berners-Lee and the internet*. Benefits like these are immeasurable and general to all, and you only notice what happened later on, while Eric Saragoza's job loss was immediate, specific, and personal. It makes a good, heart rending story. "Everything is slowly getting better for most everyone" should make a good story too, but in practice will be less affecting, and get fewer links.
Baruch is not an American and the decline of the middle class there is not his uppermost concern; in fact he cares as much about the Chinese factory workers toiling away at Foxconn. He thinks the dynamics of what the NYT is writing about is actually fantastic for almost everyone, and actually strengthens the global middle class by adding more people to it, in China. This is wholly a Good Thing, for all the problems we actually should be concerned about, like war, poverty, the environment, healthcare, education and the personal outcomes of ourselves and our fellow humans, all these things are mitigated by expanding the middle class, because only people with some disposable wealth of time and income are able to think about them.
* You think he ever thought he would end up using his invention for finding Angry Birds cheats like the rest of us? Of course not.


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Saturday, October 15, 2011
Beautiful Wisconsin
The overall project has been to set up shop for when we move here in December. We found a nice place to live (bottom floor of an old house). We have moved our stuff in and it already feels like home, although we haven't yet slept there. It's a wonderful old house, with a breakfast nook and creaky wooden floors. Unfortunately, so far, it's been nothing but trouble, with a gas leak that needed emergent fixing and a bathroom that was being remodeled the first few days of our moving in. But it's in the part of La Crosse that we wanted to live; right on the "grid", within walking distance of downtown and the bluffs.
It's going to be fun living here again. I know Natali is excited and even Andreas has indicated some satisfaction with having us around.
Christian is learning English the hard way - at the YMCA day care and by talking to his grandparents. It's amazing how he figures out how to say things, when it's something he really needs. He is so fascinated by everything, from the "Chucks" (trucks) to the "Punkins" outside people's houses.
I'm getting back into the world of the ER. Hematology is such a small field that we tend to consult on every little non-hematologic problem. That's just the culture at an academic center. In a small town ER, it's the exact opposite. No problem is too big or too small to be dealt with by me. I like this small town and the people in it, so I love working here. But, honestly, I miss that uber-specialized scope of hematology sometimes.
Running, you ask? Well, I completely tanked at the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. Again, an unsuccesful road marathon for me. I was going for 2:45 but my private hope was low 2:40s. I ran the first half very slowly (1:24.xx), hoping it was slow enough to preserve my typical fast finish. But, as it turned out, the last few miles were terrible and I didn't even run a negative split (or, if I did, it wasn't very negative). My time was 2:49 something, which is a PR by 10 or 20 seconds.
I had lost a lot of weight, which had helped me PR on all my training runs, but the low weight didn't feel like a great advantage at the marathon. In any case, being here has made me put on a pound or two of fat, so I'm back in my "normal" weight range. I felt a little sub-manic for a few weeks, being so skinny, but it's very hard to maintain for me, especially being away from a routine.
Another problem with big marathons is running on pavement. Since I train on trails only, my legs were beginning to feel stale much sooner than I would have expected (probably around halfway). Afterwards, I made up my mind to race a trail marathon later this fall with a strategy of going out super hard, just to see what would happen. Now, that plan seems a little naive, but we shall see. I would need a marathon where I could easily drop out, like one with multiple loops, and I would need someone pacing me during the last half. It would be a fun experiment.
Training is going well. How could it not, in gorgeous La Crosse? I discovered a new trail that goes from the valley floor to the top of the bluffs. If you have seen La Crosse, it looks like the bluffs over the town are nothing but one big park, but that's unfortunately not the case. There is Hixon Forest, which has some amazing running trails, but there is also some private land up there. In between, there is the conservancy, which is a mix of private and public land, with undeveloped trails. Very few people go in there, so finding a runnable trail that goes all the way up to the top of the bluffs was very cool. I took the Girl out on it, and we had a nice run up it.
Well, the ER is quiet, so it's time for me to get some sleep.
4 comments:
- Danni said...
LaCrosse is a really cute town. Wisconsin is a great place. Obviously a vacation to Montana will be needed once you move.
Hey, you PRed in the marathon, no? Not really a disaster...
- October 16, 2011 at 7:20 AM
- SteveQ said...
Finally, I get to congratulate you on the marathon PR! LaCrosse is okay, but my favorites: Mt. Horeb, Baraboo, Rhinelander. When they moved the Mustard Museum out of Mt. Horeb, I was appalled.
- October 16, 2011 at 11:09 AM
- Fast Bastard said...
Steve, I know Rhinelander and it certainly doesn't have the beauty of the La Crosse. Maybe it's just that I am such a flatlander, but I love the bluffs.
Danni, I realize that from your perspective it's a little sad to rave about a climb that's probably around 500 feet (highest point is 1200; I'm not 100% sure how high the valley is). But everything is relative, of course.
It would be great to visit Montana!
- October 16, 2011 at 12:16 PM
- JKjaer said...
Hi Fast Bastard (and wife),
I am sorry I am leaving a comment, I can't find your email. I am writing you in the hopes that you and maybe your wife too want to participate in an e-book we are writing about ultra runners.
We want to tap into the collective craziness (we mean that as a compliment:-)) of this community to challenge and inspire other non-runners to make their own life an ever-greater creative expression of their own goals and dreams… without limits.
Progress so far: We have currently contacted more than 450 ultra runners and received more than 70 answers.
We would ask you to answer a question about your experience with ultra running. Please note that these questions are related to your mental state and require that you are able to explain quite specifically what is going on mentally when running.
If you'd like to participate please shoot me an email at email@example.com.
All the best,
- October 25, 2011 at 3:17 AM


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Unity Stamp Company's booth at CHA Summer 2010 was almost half devoted to the company's new signature stamp lines – a reflection of the growing trend in the industry of relying on signature names to promote products.
Previously, Unity had released a small number of signature stamps designed by Donna Downey. At CHA Summer 2010, they were showing stamps by Downey, Melody Ross, Scrapbook Royalty, Cosmo Cricket, Suzi Blu, and Samantha Walker.
In addition to the signature lines Unity's new lines also include two other trendy options: a large selection of journaling stamps and a line of Itty Bitty stamps that retail for $5.
Want to stay up-to-date on all the latest scrapbook news?


text:
Ottbot wrote:I can definitely see the new pop-up system being useful for new players, as it shows you all your options in combat
Just on this this new system is really great. When I first started out I didn't even know what half of the items did, but it is really annoying for an advanced players. Takes a bit long to kill off popcorn.


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Make a professional illustration of attached baby bottle in 3d MAYA, some parts in glass, some parts in metal. -- 3
Budget $10-30 USD
Make a professional illustration of attached baby bottle, some parts in glass, some parts in metal.
in HIGH RES. If possible, some improved images to show function of top part.
3d illustration preffered in MAYA. Other 3d softwares also OK.
5 freelancers are bidding on average $24 for this job
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'Porch Dogs' contest held to promote book
Publisher John F. Blair recently hosted a photo contest to promote the new book "Porch Dogs" by Nell Dickerson. The book combines fine-art portraits of man's best friend with architectural documentation of the Southern porch.
Contestants were asked to submit photos of their "porch dogs." The entries were narrowed down to 10 and readers voted for their favorite.
Andrea Beeler of Hendersonville took the winning shot. The photo features four golden retrievers — Judge, Dixie, April and Chipper — on a porch in Fairview.
As the winner, Beeler was awarded a signed copy of "Porch Dogs," a $100 donation in her name to FootHills Golden Retriever Rescue Inc. in Greenville, S.C., and a $75 gift certificate to The Fountainhead Bookstore in Hendersonville.
Epperson selected for Naval Academy Seminar program
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Tucker Dean Epperson, a homeschooled student from Saluda will participate in the 2013 U.S. Naval Academy Summer Seminar program.
The U.S. Naval Academy invited a select group of approximately 2,550 young men and women from around the nation and abroad to attend the Naval Academy Summer Seminar program this year. Summer Seminar is a fast-paced leadership experience for rising seniors in high school. This program helps educate, motivate and prepare selected students who are considering applying for admission to USNA.
Summer Seminar teaches prospective applicants about life at the Naval Academy, where academics, athletics, and professional training are key elements in developing our nation's leaders. Each student will attend a six-day session and experience a glimpse of USNA life. Students will have the opportunity to live in Bancroft Hall, eat in King Hall along with participating in academic and leadership workshops. They will also participate in daily physical training involving group runs and conditioning exercises. They will experience first-hand what the Naval Academy has to offer through its exceptional academic, athletic, extracurricular activities and leadership training programs.
Martinson graduates from Marquette
Samantha Martinson of Hendersonville has graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. Martinson earned a Bachelor of Science in Middle/ Secondary Education.
Local students named to dean's list at Wofford College
The following students have been named to the dean's list at Wofford College for the spring 2013 semester: Micaela Madigan Thiery of Hendersonville, Kealey Davis O'Conner of Hendersonville; Catherine Elizabeth Miller of Zirconia; Adrienne Blythe Dalton of Brevard; and Kevin Alan Thomas of Mills River.
Community News: July 11
'Porch Dogs' contest held to promote book


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The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have settled on a price of roughly $3.8 billion for the next batch of F-35 fighters, after more than a year of negotiations, according to program sources.
A few details remain to be worked out on low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 5 for the Joint Strike Fighter program, though the contract is likely to be signed in days.
LRIP 5 includes 32 fighters, the same number ordered in the last lot by the Pentagon. Despite no increase in the numbers, prime contractor Lockheed Martin says the 22 conventional-takeoff-and-landing aircraft in the lot will be 50% less expensive than the first production models that were built in LRIP 1. At that time, the price was $220.8 million for a CTOL aircraft.
Officials at the Joint Strike Fighter Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin declined to provide a per-unit target cost for those 22 F-35A aircraft, or the three F-35Bs (optimized for vertical takeoff and short landings) or seven F-35Cs designed for aircraft carrier use.
Company officials boast that the labor rate for LRIP 5 aircraft will be 14% lower than that for LRIP 4. Pentagon officials have grumbled about high labor rates in the F-35 and other programs as they have looked for ways to curtail spending.
Lockheed Martin workers at the Fort Worth assembly plant took to the picket line this summer over grievances regarding pay and benefits. Though the company populated the final assembly line with other workers, the production schedule fell behind. Michael Rein, a company spokesman, says 20 of 30 aircraft promised for delivery in 2012 have been turned over to the customer. "We are going to work hard over the next 30 days to get there" with delivery of the remaining 10 by year-end, he says.
In December 2011, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin struck a deal on risk-sharing for so-called concurrency costs. This refers to the price of retrofits to already built aircraft based on design issues discovered in testing. Until Lot 4, the Pentagon picked up the tab to the tune of $136 million, or about $4.86 million per aircraft.
In LRIP 4, the Pentagon agreed to pay the first $52 million in concurrency costs; any additional overage would come out of Lockheed Martin's award.
The terms of the concurrency risk-sharing deal for LRIP 5 were not provided by the company or the Pentagon. The agreement on LRIP 5 pricing, however, clears the way for the Pentagon to pay Lockheed Martin back for preliminary work on LRIP 6. Program officials refused to fund long-lead work on LRIP 6 without a deal for the current lot.
This agreement comes after more than a year of heated negotiations and at a tough time for Lockheed Martin.
Christopher Kubasik, who was tapped to be the next CEO of the company, resigned this month after a personal affair with a subordinate came to light. This leaves Marillyn Hewson, who was to be second in charge, as the incoming CEO at the beginning of next year.
Also this fall, the incoming F-35 director, Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, said the relationship between Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon was the "worst I'd ever seen" in a program. He will assume command of the program Dec. 6 when Vice Adm. David Venlet retires.


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DeKALB – Authorities are investigating whether alcohol was involved in the death of a 19-year-old Northern Illinois University student whose body was found at a fraternity house Friday morning.
Authorities found evidence of alcohol use near David R. Bogenberger, who was found in a bunk bed Friday morning at the Pi Kappa Alpha house, 1020 W. Hillcrest Drive in DeKalb, said DeKalb County Coroner Dennis J. Miller. DeKalb police responded to a call at 10:14 a.m., and Bogenberger was pronounced dead at the fraternity house about 30 minutes later, Miller said.
According to his profile on NIU's website, Bogenberger was a 2012 graduate of Palatine High School and a freshman studying business. He said he enjoyed classic films, reading and playing sports with friends. He lived in Stevenson Towers at NIU, and his family lives in Osprey, Fla.
His father, Gary Bogenberger, said Friday afternoon that his family was in shock and had many questions about his death.
"I am so surprised at the number of comments and well-wishes on his Facebook page from so many of his friends," Gary Bogenberger wrote in an email to the Daily Chronicle. "He was such a nice kid that everyone liked. I just video-chatted with him Wednesday night, and he seemed so happy, doing great in his classes and looking so forward to life. It's tragic that he died alone."
Police planned to interview at least a couple dozen of people who had been in the fraternity house Thursday night or Friday morning, DeKalb police Lt. Jason Leverton said.
They also were waiting for results of an autopsy scheduled for today.
"At this point, until we get the coroner's autopsy back, we cannot confirm one particular avenue," said Leverton, adding police planned to thoroughly investigate the death.
Bogenberger did not show any apparent signs of trauma, nor did authorities immediately discover a major medical condition, Leverton said. Authorities did not suspect foul play or suicide.
The fraternity did not host a large party Thursday, but Bogenberger had been among a number of people invited to the house, Leverton said. A photo on Bogenberger's Facebook page showed him marching with a fraternity banner while wearing a yellow Pikes T-shirt.
A university spokesman extended his condolences to Bogenberger's family and friends. The university's Counseling and Student Development Center is available for those who need emotional support.
"Obviously as an NIU community, we're very, very saddened by what happened," NIU spokesman Brad Hoey said. "We're going to continue to support his friends and family throughout this process."
University officials said they also would investigate reports of drinking at the fraternity, Hoey said.
"We have strict guidelines on student conduct and conduct of student organizations," Hoey said. "If there are violations of university policies, there are ramifications."
The fraternity released a short statement Friday afternoon.
"The Eta Nu Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha has ceased chapter operations in order to give our full cooperation to our local authorities and the investigation," the statement read. "There is no further information at this time."


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Difference between revisions of "Hugin Compiling Ubuntu"
(→Building libpano13)
(→Building hugin)
|Line 31:
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== Building hugin ==
== Building hugin ==
Reference: [http://theseblog.free.fr/2007/10/building-hugin-in-ubuntu-feisty-fawn.php]
Reference: [http://theseblog.free.fr/2007/10/building-hugin-in-ubuntu-feisty-fawn.php]
Revision as of 16:03, 3 November 2007
These instructions were tested on a blank installation of Kubuntu 6.06 (Edgy Eft) on a AMD64 computer. Apart from the odd change in package name, nothing should be substantially different (and if does not work, please leave a comment here.
Building environment
Since we are going to build hugin (and libpano13) we need to download and install all the development packages. This is very easy with apt-get. In a terminal window (K menu/System/Konsole)
sudo apt-get install build-essential autoconf automake1.9 libtool flex bison gdb libc6-dev-amd64 lib64gcc1 sudo apt-get install subversion
Building libpano13
libpano13 is the new version of the PanoTools libraries. This is a necessary component for hugin, and we need to build it first.
To build libpano13 we need some libraries and particularly their
dev package:
sudo apt-get install lib64z1 lib64z1-dev libpng12-dev libjpeg62-dev libtiff4-dev
We then need to download the source code from SVN:
svn co https://panotools.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/panotools/trunk/libpano libpano13 cd libpano13 ./bootstrap
If any libraries are missing, the script will complain (or at least, let you know that some library hasn't been found). In that case you probably need to install the library. To find in what package is that library, a general rule is to run the command
apt-cache search missingfile, find the relevant library and install both the library and the related
-dev package.
Run the
./configure script and repeat this process until you have met all the dependencies.
Then we are ready to launch the make process with
If the library successfully compiles, you have to install it with
sudo make install sudo ldconfig
The last part is for the OS to be aware of the new library (that has been installed in
Building hugin
Some additional libraries are needed.
We download the source from SVN, as before
svn co https://hugin.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/hugin/hugin/trunk/ hugin cd hugin
hugin has to be built using cmake (which we installed before).
cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local .
Reference: [1]


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Nasik to Mysore JetLite Flights
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Airport Address
Mysore Airport
Airport Name: Mysore Airport \ IATA Code: MYQ \ Address: Mysore Airport, Mysore (Karnataka) \ Country: India \ GMT Offset: +5:30 hours \ Latitude: 12.2300° N \ Longitude: 76.6558° E
About Nasik
About the city:
Nasik is located in north-western part of Maharashtra, at a distance of around 150 km from the capital city Mumbai. The city holds great religious significance and is visited by a large number of tourists year-round. Nasik flights bring tourists to this city, which is situated on the banks of the sacred Godavari River and is dotted with several ghats and popular temples.
Not just this, air tickets to Nasik is chosen by tourists heading towards Shirdi, which is the most renowned shrine devoted to Shri Sai Baba and is at a distance of about 90 km from Nasik. Tourists often book tickets on flights to Nasik to experience the divinity of this religious place. Besides, Nasik is sometimes referred as the 'wine city' and holds a special place in the list of grape-producing areas of India. There are quite a few vineyards in the city, amongst which the most famous is the 'Sula Vineyards'.
Nasik has a domestic airport and thus, tourists coming from international destinations have to travel to Mumbai International Airport first and thereafter, take domestic flights to Nasik, which are offered by a number of airlines. Tourists can find exciting airfare deals on Nasik flights coming from different parts of the country on MakeMyTrip.
Nasik is a beautiful city and there are numbers of airlines that connect the city with other cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Ahmedabad and Nagpur. The airlines by which people can easily reach the place are Air India, Air India Express, Go Air, IndiGo, Jet Airways, Jet Konnect, Kingfisher Airlines, Kingfisher Red and Spicejet. Hotels near Nasik airport are VITS Hotel Nashik, Lily Sarovar Portico, The Gateway Hotel Ambad and Hotel Suresh Plaza.
Facilities at Mysore Airport
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Those of you who haven't seen "Big Fan" yet should buy it immediately: here or here. in real life, "Big Fan" co-star, Serafina Fiore, happens to manage HeadQuarters gentleman's club. She's got some stories.
Serafina plays Gina Aufiero, Paul's sister-in-law, in "Big Fan". Robert Siegel was a former editor at The Onion, wrote "The Wrestler" and directed "Big Fan":
Sarah Schorno interviewed Siegel and Patton Oswalt for us way back in August. He returns the favor by interviewing Serafina about some of the more memorable run-ins she's had with professional athletes at Headquarters. Here's a surprise: Plaxico Burress was not well-behaved when he popped by HQ just a few hours before he blasted himself in the leg.
RS: Sport-wise, who are your favorite customers?
SF: Hockey players are fun. Hockey players like to drink like nobody's business—and they're wild. They're very polite, but they're crazy. I mean, you see what they do for a living, with the ice and getting beat up and punching and all that. They take their teeth out when they drink.
They take their teeth out?
There was this Russian guy—I forget his name, he played for the Rangers—when he'd do a tequila shot he'd hold his teeth in his hands. They're crazy, the hockey guys. They drink like it's going out of style.
What about other sports?
NBA guys are pretty cool. They like their champagne, they like to drink champagne in the VIP area, make it rain with the dancers, y'know, they like the whole show.
Who do you get the most?
Really, we get everybody. Hockey, football, basketball... golfers... Besides bowling, we pretty much get 'em all.
How about baseball?
I've dealt with a few. I mean, it's not like it's secret that A-Rod does the strip-club scene, Jason Giambi used to do the strip-club scene with his wife. Jason is very cool. I've got nothing bad to say about him. A-Rod, he's okay. I guess any time you're at the top of you're game and you're like a total genius at your sport, you have your little quirks.
Are there certain things athletes usually expect when they come in?
A lot of attention. A lot. They've all got attention deficit.
Do athletes generally expect to get comped?
Not all of them, but some of them do. Like Jeremy Shockey, when he was on the Giants. I've known Jeremy a long time. Back when I was at another club, he used to come in with Tony Siragusa, who I love to death. Tony was one of my go-to guys in the NFL. I had a few of them. After he retired, he'd always bring in a lot of athletes. And every time he'd come in with Jeremy, Jeremy would be like, "Okay, I want VIP in the champagne area, I want this, I want that." I would tell him the prices, and I would ask for his credit card, and he'd say, "I don't pay. I'll go somewhere else, they won't charge me." Which I know is a joke, because if he goes to another club, they're gonna charge him. All clubs charge.
So if at the end of the night, a player gets handed a bill...
They'll pay. Somebody ends up paying. I mean, we have to pay our rent. They understand that. We'll do what we can to make them comfortable and have a great time, we'll buy them dinner, something like that. But the only one who would ever be up in my face, like, "I'll go to another club, they won't charge me" and start throwing names around was Shockey.
When a big name comes into the club, are you torn between protecting their privacy and—
Calling Page Six?
I don't have to. If a really big name comes in, the odds of somebody calling it in to the papers anyway... it's gonna happen.
Who's doing the calling?
Just somebody in the club. Like a customer saying, "Omigod, you know who I just saw..." Next thing you know, it's in the newspaper, nothing to do with us. Even the Plaxico thing. We had nothing to do with that.
He was at your club that night, right?
The night with the shooting, it didn't happen at our club, but he was at our club right before that. I have to be honest with you, he was a little bit of a jerkoff. He was standing on the bar, he was standing on the tables, just like bouncing off the walls. It was Thanksgiving weekend, and we had a Thanksgiving buffet. Some of the guys from the club made a Thanksgiving dinner for our employees... turkey, stuffing, this nice buffet for everybody who came to work. So Plaxico, like, crashes the buffet. We were like, "Who is this? He doesn't work for the club!" He was, like, reaching in and grabbing pieces of turkey while our guy was still carving it. So low class. Very low class.
Did you know it was Plaxico?
Yeah. He had his sweats on. I mean, who runs around with a gun in their sweatpants? Not a smart guy.
Do you worry about guns in the club?
I mean, yeah, we have security that definitely watches for that. But we don't have metal detectors like they have in the outer boroughs. I don't think we need to go that route.
What about Tiger? Has he ever been in?
I have not ever dealt with Tiger Woods at HeadQuarters. But I did meet him when he won his first... some big tournament, like ten years ago. I was working at another club, and he came in with Ken Griffey Jr. and a Nike rep. And he had just gotten that jacket, I guess the Masters or whatever. I'm not really big on the golf world, but all the guys who worked there were going crazy, 'cause they're all golfers. Tiger was very, very well-behaved. He had a Nike rep with him.
Do you get a lot of that? Athletes accompanied by reps?
All the time. Nike, Gatorade... they know they gotta watch these guys. They don't want, like, some scandal happening and their stock going down. They gotta watch their investment.
Do you know it's a rep when they come in?
Oh, yeah. They'll tell you. They'll be like, "I'm so-and-so from Nike." And they'll pick up the bill.
Who are some of your favorite customers?
Most of them, for the most part, are gentlemen. My favorite ones are the humble ones, who come from humble beginnings. The Southerners are the best. They have the best manners. They call you ma'am and sir. Jamal Lewis is my favorite. He's such a gentlemen. I love him.
Are you a sports fan yourself?
I'm a football nut. I could watch football all day, all night. Baseball, I'll be honest with you, is a little boring to me.
Are you a Giants fan?
If I was to go for a New York team, I'd go for the Jets. I grew up in Brooklyn. My dad was a Raiders fan, because Al Davis was from Brooklyn. So we were raised on the Raiders as kids. 'Cause they were, like, a really dirty team, they broke a lot of rules.
What's your Super Bowl prediction?
Saints. I always go for the underdog.
And if they win?
Free drinks for the whole team.
Remember — buy "Big Fan" here or here for someone you love today. Or just for yourself.


text:
Heifer China Assessing Flooding Damage
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (July 12, 2013) - Heifer Internationals staff in China are assessing the effects of devastating rainstorms that have flooded part of western China, including some areas where Heifer conducts project work.
The flooding and landslides have affected about 3.73 million people, forcing the evacuation of 212,000 residents, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said. Sichuan Province has been hit the hardest. At least 46 people are reported dead nationwide and dozens more missing since the rains began. The rainstorms have destroyed more than 8,400 houses and damaged another 113,000, according to the ministry.
Heifer works in several of the affected counties, helping to rehabilitate rural communities affected by the magnitude-7.9 earthquake of 2008. No Heifer China staff or their families have been affected, and no harm to Heifer project participants has currently been reported, but assessment is ongoing.
Currently transportation and communication are difficult, but Heifer China staff will continue to evaluate the situation and will share more information as it becomes available.
About Heifer International:
Heifer Internationals mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. Since 1944, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in more than 40 countries, including the United States, to help families and communities become more self-reliant. For more information, visit www.heifer.org, read our blog, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or call (800) 696-1918.
- Press Room
- All Press Releases


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Why people are choosing Android phones
Despite all the talk about Apple's iPhones, more than 50 percent of the smart-phone market opts for an Android phone.
Consumer Reports says the Samsung Galaxy S 4's large display is just one example of what Android phones bring to the table. Another advantage that Android phones offer is how easily they can wirelessly share pictures, videos, and other files with other devices nearby. The Galaxy S 4 can also be used as a remote, not just for your television but for your cable box as well.
The HTC One is another Android phone that Consumer Reports says stands out. There's a great deal of customization options when it comes to the software. There are widgets that you can customize to have the phone really appear just the way you want it. And its camera does a great job taking pictures in low-light situations with its unique image sensor. And that's not all. You can edit and share those pictures in ways that you can't even dream about on a regular camera. For example, the HTC One can automatically create a video from your photo and video library, complete with a soundtrack.
Android phones also have better displays than ever. They are often 5 inches or larger and are high definition, and that's good news if you're looking at photos, videos, or reading text on a Web page.
That includes the brand-new LG Optimus G Pro. Its 5½-inch HD 1080P display almost makes you forget you're watching video on a phone, making it another Android smart phone that's recommended by Consumer Reports.
Though Android has the edge right now with the latest technology, Apple is due to come out with a new phone sometime this year. Of course, Consumer Reports will be testing to see how the latest iPhone features stack up against Android's innovations.
Complete Ratings and recommendations on all kinds of products, including appliances, cars & trucks, and electronic gear, are available onConsumer Reports' website.


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N.D. Supreme Court
Judicial Conference
Executive Committee
North Dakota Judicial Conference
November 20, 2012
Seven Seas
Mandan, North Dakota
Present: Justice Carol Ronning Kapsner, Chair
Justice Dale Sandstrom
Judge Steven McCullough
Judge Gary Lee
Judge Bruce Romanick
Absent: Judge M. Richard Geiger
Staff: Sally Holewa
The Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference met on November 20, 2012. Chair Kapsner called the meeting to order at12:06 p.m.
Judge McCullough moved to approve the minutes of the September 26, 2012 meeting. Judge Romanick seconded the motion. The motion carried and the minutes were approved.
Chair Kapsner asked that the minutes of the October 4, 2012 meeting be amended to reflect that Justice Sandstrom agreed to chair the Committee on Legislation upon her request. Judge Romanick moved to approve the minutes of the October 4, 2012 meeting as amended. Justice Sandstrom seconded the motion. The motion carried and the minutes were approved.
Chair Kapsner next drew the attention of the members to a letter from Justice Maring, who chairs the Judicial Education Commission. The Commission is recommending that Chris Iverson be appointed to fill a vacancy on the Commission that will be created when Jean Lindvik's term expires on January 1, 2013. Justice Sandstrom moved that Chris Iverson be appointed to the Judicial Education Commission. Judge McCullough seconded the motion and the motion carried.
Chair Kapsner then explained that discussion on self-represented litigants had been placed on the agenda in the event that the membership of the Judicial Conference would ask that the Executive Committee continue working on this issue. Justice Sandstrom stated that the supreme court has adopted the recommendation of the Court Services Administration Committee to establish a court facilitator position to assist self-represented litigants. After further discussion, it was the consensus of the members that since action is currently happening on this issue that no further action by the Executive Committee is required.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:11 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sally Holewa
Executive Secretary to the Judicial Conference


text:
Master Craftsmen, a classification of skilled, highly trained workers almost completely eliminated by the rise of mass production, once again are making their presence felt in the automotive industry. They are the people entrusted with putting the final polish of quality and excellence on the redesigned Lexus LS 600h L, LS 460 and LS 460 L. To read more, go to
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All materials on this site are for editorial use only. The use of these materials for advertising, marketing or any other commercial purpose is prohibited. They may be cropped but not otherwise modified. To download these materials, you must agree to abide by these terms.


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Among my favorite movies is Mel Brooks' History of the World Part I for its pushing the envelope humor that spoofs key periods of world history. One scene set during the French Revolution involves King Louis XVI using human beings as game pieces on a giant chess board. You can only imagine what happens when a knight takes out a pawn or the King captures the Queen. In any case, the scene came to mind as I played Creative Assembly's Total War Battles, a beautifully designed strategy game that in some instances could've been even better.
For those who don't know, Total War Battles is based on the popular PC-based Total War series. The iOS version is different from that series so my review is based on TWB as a standalone game. The underlying theme in TWB is all about revenge and redemption as the son of a slain warlord seeks to save his clan while in search of vengeance. The rather epic tale is told through a number of dialogue scenes and narrated letters that provide good background and purpose to the different battles. The voice acting involved with reading the letters has a strong emotional tone which helps to establish the mood.
TWB incorporates various elements with a bit of RTS and turn-based strategy (TBS) with a pinch of role playing all thrown into essentially a lane-based tower defense game. Visually, the backgrounds are stunning on the iPad, and the actual battles that take place on screen come alive. The battlefield itself consists of a hexagonal grid that is nicely incorporated into some lush environments. Everything from the details on structures to the character animations are a joy to watch. Accompanied by an epic soundtrack and equally impressive sound effects, you do feel the intensity as the battles play out in front of you. From soldiers getting hacked to death to shrines and headquarters gradually being consumed by fire, your soldiers react as you would expect them to react.
The game consists of a 23-stage campaign mode each with specific objectives typically involving the defeat of certain enemies or specific units. Included are a number of experience or EXP stages which are side missions and tend to be more puzzle focused (e.g. building and placing structures within limited amount of space). EXP can also be purchased through IAP, but it isn't needed to complete the game. What's disappointing is the absence of a skirmish mode and an online multiplayer capability which hinders replay value.
Core to a game of this type is the ability to build structures and establish a specialized army, and TWB provides a good variety. You'll have the opportunity to build and maintain headquarters and shrines as well as set up lumber and miningl operations. All of this leads to supporting the various soldiers, which run the gamut from archers and riflemen to spearmen and cavalry troops.
The somewhat unconventional controls consist of arrow buttons located at the bottom of the screen. Requiring a slight learning curve, the buttons do feel awkward initially because most players inherently will want to tap to select the unit and then tap on the appropriate location. As units are spawned and become available, they appear as tiles which can then be dragged onto any appropriate hexagon.
Depending on your expectations, the gameplay in TWB is both engaging and challenging, requiring a good degree strategic planning. Each level begins with your base located on the left-hand side facing your enemies on the right. Initially, the objective is to build structures that take advantage of the local natural resources such as wood, iron ore and water. Once these operations are in full force, these resources can then be used to generate gold. Gold is then used to spawn different units depending on what's available.
One of the strengths of TWB is the planning that players are required to do. Each structure type takes up a certain amount of space on the battlefield's hex grid which can be challenging because of the limited real estate. But another nuance is that certain structures cannot be located near each other or are link dependent. For example, a trading post which generates gold has to be near headquarters, but not near a shrine. On the other hand, a shrine must be linked to a lumber yard, while a lumber yard must be near trees. This adds a layer of intricacy that is simultaneously welcoming and irritating depending on personal preferences. While you rotate structures before placing them, the process can be somewhat tedious and even frustrating since it can be tough to find the right spot even though space is available.
Earlier I mentioned the side missions aimed at building up EXP. I found those missions particularly irksome because most of the time, they were just very difficult to solve. Another reason is that those side missions don't involve battles, and I found they took away from the overall gaming experience with the main campaign. I'm not a big fan of IAP, but fortunately, you can bypass it by completing these side missions, which can be like choosing between a rock and hard place.
The campaign is where most players will spend their time and as with the placement of structures, there are certain rules to keep in mind. Since TWB is a lane-based tower defense at heart, one important point is that troops cannot move backwards once you've set them forward. I actually found this aspect adds to the strategic planning since you really have to plan attacks while defending your own buildings. Once they've moved to a hexagon adjacent to an enemy, the soldier units automatically attack so there isn't much else to do but watch. What would be helpful which the units are missing is a health indicator similar to what you would find in other castle and tower defense games.
The real-time element comes into play in the deployment of additional soldiers and selecting the right ones based on the enemy at hand. For instance, archers have a longer range of attack, while swordsmen are little more up close and personal. And you have to spawn strategically to replace soldiers who are killed because once an enemy moves to a hexagon, they own that grid until they move or are killed.
Another part of TWB that should resonate nicely is the ability to react quickly and making decisive strikes. Once an attack is set in motion, it can have a profound impact on the path of supporting soldiers. And, there's a limit on how many units you can have on the field at any time, which takes away randomly spawning a huge army and turning the battle into a numbers game. For players who enjoy strategy, this adds an element of balance forcing you to choose the most appropriate soldiers and units.
TWB does have its share of issues. Not helped by any means from clunky control arrows, the gameplay is slow and deliberate. The units move at a snail's pace, and the lack of a fast forward option will easily drag out a level to at least 10 minutes. In addition, the game does not include any directions beyond the basic information about each unit and structure. If you're not familiar with the Total War series, you can feel a little lost in the beginning.
The game has Game Center support and achievements which does lessen the blow from the lack of a skirmish mode. But again, online play is sorely missing here.
Total War Battles offers an engaging visual gameplay even with its shortcomings. With a focus on the animated battles which really are distinctive and entertaining, this lane-based strategy game delivers an atmospheric experience that most will find worthwhile.
Albie Meter: 4 Stars (terrific visuals for a strategy game; campaign mode only and lacks skirmish and online gameplay; good deal of nuances adds to an otherwise strategy-laden game; slow paced with no fast forward option complemented by clunky arrow control buttons; GameCenter support and achievements)


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Live Music
The Brook & The Bluff @ Seaside Amphitheater
Bummer dude!
This event has already happened. To be sure you don't miss anymore events in South Walton, visit the SoWal Events Calendar.
Summer is for outdoor concerts in Seaside, Florida. Grab your blankets and low back chairs and head to the Amphitheater for live musical entertainment by on Wednesday nights starting at 7pm. Come out early, grab a cold drink and make sure you get a good spot on the lawn!
Seaside Summer Concerts continue every week through Labor Day weekend.
Seaside brings a great music lineup filled with exciting regional and local artists coming to the stage. This is a hot spot for local music events. Don't miss.
May 27 Ryan Kinder with Mose Wilson & The Delta Twant (Saturday Memorial Day Weekend)
May 31 Andrew Combs
Jun 7 Hellen of Troy
Jun 14 Humming House
Jun 21 Gurthrie Brown
Jun 28 Sam Lewis
Jul 5 Alvarez Kings
Jul 12 Future Thieves
Jul 19 The High Divers
Jul 26 The Brummies
Aug 2 The Brook & The Bluff
Aug 9 The Memphis Strange
Aug 16 The Georgia Flood
Aug 23 The Courtyard Saints
Aug 30 Forrest Williams Band
Sep 2 Great Peacock (Saturday Labor Day Weekend)
SEASIDE SUMMER rocks on with Friday night movies, Wednesday night concerts, farmers market, children's outdoor theater and special events all summer long thanks to Seaside Merchants. The Seaside Repertory Theatre has a great lineup of comedy, music and performances coming to the stage so watch SoWal.com Events Calendar for all the fun.
SEASIDE Events
Pinocchio: Children's Outdoor Theater by The REP. Mondays 6:30pm
Stories by the Sea: storytelling by The REP at Solomon Square Mon-Fri 4pm
Huck & Lilly Concert: Music performances for kids and everyone. Mondays at 6:30pm
Seaside Summer Concerts on Wednesdays at 7pm
Improv Boot Camp / Seaside REP Theatre: Tue/Wed 2pm. Ages 5-14. May 30 - Aug 4. more info at lovetherep.com
Central Square Cinema: outdoor family movies in the Seaside Amphitheater. Fridays 8pm
Stars & Stripes Pops Concert Jul 3
4th of July Parade & Concert with fireworks
Seaside Farmers Market: Saturdays 8-12
Seaside REP Theatre: Live@TheREP music concerts and performances on the main stage
MORE fun coming to town with festivals, concerts and special events throughout the year.
Seaside is the picture-perfect little town where you can reach every shop, restaurant, art gallery and more by foot or bicycle. You'll delight in discovering the unique shops, beachfront accommodations, galleries and more in Seaside. Follow Seaside New Town Old Ways on Facebook for fun updates and photos of everyone's favorite place by the sea. Some of the fun stuff you need to know about: 4th of July Parade, Wednesday Night Concert Series, Trick or Treat Seaside, Halloweener Derby, Seeing Red Wine Festival, Seaside Holiday Parade and Turn on the Town, Seaside NYE Celebration and Fireworks, Seaside School Half Marathon & 5K Race and so much more.
Explore Seaside and more beach towns on the coast at SoWal.com - Towns.
Map of this Event
At a Glance
More live music?


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Cascade Locks The Port of Cascade Locks has announced that more nighttime closures will be coming to the Bridge of the Gods as contractors work to finish repairs on the structure by the end of the year.
Starting next week, the bridge is scheduled to be closed to traffic Saturday night from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. in addition to the Monday-Friday nighttime closures that are already in effect. Emergency vehicles will still be allowed to cross the bridge if necessary.
The bridge was originally supposed to be closed starting this Saturday night, but work has been pushed back to Monday due to the weather.
The closures will allow Wildish, a contracting company from Eugene, to repair or replace some of the bridges corroding support beams, called "stringers." The Oregon Department of Transportation has lowered the structure's weight limit, which effectively bars heavy trucks from crossing the bridge until the repairs are completed, which is expected to be at the end of December.
More work unrelated to the weight restrictions will continue on the bridge throughout January, with Wildish contractually obligated to finish the work by mid-February, according to the port. Nighttime closures are expected to last until the completion of the project.
The port advises bridge users that the work schedule is "dependent on the weather and delivery of materials" and there may be a possibility of Sunday night closures, which will be determined by Thursday of each week. Work is not scheduled for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year's Day and the Port Commission of Cascade Locks also recently voted to waive toll charges for all bridge users from 8 p.m. Dec. 24 to 7 a.m. Dec. 26.
A link has been added to the port's home page — portofcascadelocks.com — that provides the latest closure information for the Bridge of the Gods. The port is also currently in the process of getting the bridge status posted on the ODOT's TripCheck website and 511 travel information phone hotline. Those who would like to be added to the bride update listserv can contact the port at 541-374-8619 or kbengtson@portof
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Foligno scores 2, Enroth earns 1st win in over a year in Sabres' 3-1 victory over RangersNHL.com @NHLdotcom
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Marcus Foligno scored twice and backup goalie Jhonas Enroth made 18 of his 32 saves in the third period of the Buffalo Sabres' 3-1 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
Enroth, who started because Ryan Miller was sidelined because of a sinus infection, earned his first victory since a 5-1 win over Washington on Nov. 26, 2011. He was 0-9-3 in 16 appearances since then.
Foligno's first goal made it 1-1 at 5:35 of the second period. His second gave the Sabres a 3-1 lead with 8:12 left in the game.
Thomas Vanek also scored for Buffalo (10-14-3), which returned home after going 0-2-2 on a season-high, four-game road trip.
Derek Stepan scored a short-handed goal for the Rangers (13-10-2), who lost for just the second time in seven games. Henrik Lundqvist made 19 saves.


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The project used an analysis generated from the Accenture Public Service Value Model to help form a foundation for the agency's strategic planning process, performance measurement and performance management.
Arizona Department of Revenue's (AZ DOR) mission is to administer tax laws fairly and efficiently for the people of Arizona. The agency has an annual operating budget of $58.5 million and approximately 1,000 employees. In 2002, in need of an agency-wide transformation, AZ DOR partnered with Accenture in a multiyear value-based project, the Business Reengineering/Integrated Tax System (BRITS), to reengineer key agency processes and implement Accenture's integrated tax system. At approximately the same time as the agency contracted Accenture, the governor appointed a new agency director, J. Elliott Hibbs. Director Hibbs is a firm believer in performance measurement and agency planning, and quickly redefined AZ DOR's strategic planning process. As the agency's business partner, Accenture sought to find a way to link the performance improvements from the BRITS project with the agency's mission and the strategic goals of the new director.


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|First Click on the "Online Application Form" Tab placed on the home page of the Commissions' website.
|Then Click on the "Candidates Login" Tab placed Right-hand side Top of the respective Page.
|Put the User ID & Password which you have received at the time of submission of Online Form for logging in to the candidates Portal.
|Click on the "Download Admit Card" tab to generate your printable Admit Card.
|About OSSC
|Online Application Form
The Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) was set up by Govt. of Odisha as a statutory body in the year 1994 for carrying out direct recruitment against Group-C posts in the State cadre (as against District cadre) as may be scheduled in the OSSC Rules, 1993. There are some 85 different cadres of posts/ services under various departments of Government to which recruitment is made through this Commission. .
The Commission's office is located at Barrack No.1, Unit-V, Bhubaneswar-751054.
The Commission is headed by the Chairman, and in addition it comprises of a Member. They are appointed by the Government, and are governed by Rules regulating their recruitment and conditions of service. The Commission is accountable to the General Administration Department of Government in administrative and financial matters. Secretary is the Head of Office; and assisting him are the Joint Secretary / Addl. Secretary, Under Secretary, Accounts Officer, and the Special Officer. Chairman is vested with the authority to dispose of matters pertaining to discharge of the Commission's mandate, and its smooth functioning.
By end of the year, 2012 the Commission has carried out 153 cases of recruitment, and selected and sponsored suitable candidates for appointment against 6317 number of posts in all.


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Officials: Student killed confronting shooter at high school
ROCKFORD, Wash. - A student opened fire at a high school in a tiny town south of Spokane Wednesday, killing one student who tried to stop him, injuring three others and sending worried parents to the school in a frenzied rush, authorities said.
The suspect, who a classmate described as being obsessed with previous school shootings, was taken into custody. The wounded victims were expected to survive, officials said.
The shooter brought two weapons to Freeman High School in Rockford, south of Spokane, but the first one he tried to fire jammed, Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich told reporters.
"He went to his next weapon," Kzenovich said. "A student walked up to him, engaged him, and that student was shot. That student did not survive."
The sheriff said the shooter fired more rounds down the hallway, striking the other students, before a school custodian could stop him. Kzenovich called it a courageous act that prevented further bloodshed.
Elisa Vigil, a 14-year-old freshman, told The Associated Press that she saw one male student shot in the head who janitors covered with a cloth and another female student wounded in the back.
Michael Harper, a 15-year-old sophomore, said the suspect had brought notes in the beginning of the school year, saying he was going to do "something stupid" and might get killed or jailed. Some students alerted counselors, the teen told AP, but it wasn't clear what school officials did in response.
A call to the school was not immediately returned.
Harper said the shooter had many friends and was not bullied, calling him "nice and funny and weird" and a huge fan of the TV show "Breaking Bad." He also said the suspect was obsessed with other school shootings.
Students say the shooter was armed with a pistol and rifle and had carried a duffel bag to school. After shots were fired, students went running and screaming down the hallways, Harper said.
Authorities didn't release the suspect's identity or a possible motive. The victims also were not named.
Luis Prito, an assistant football coach at Freeman High, called the shooting devastating. A vigil was planned Wednesday evening at a nearby church.
"This is a real close-knit community," he said.
A two-lane road into the town of about 500 people near the Idaho border was clogged as worried parents sped to the school. Some people abandoned their cars on the street to make it to their children.
Cheryl Moser said her son, a freshman, called her from a classroom after hearing shots fired.
"He called me and said, 'Mom, there are gunshots.' He sounded so scared. I've never heard him like that," Moser told The Spokesman-Review newspaper. "You never think about something happening like this at a small school."nshots.' He sounded so scared. I've never heard him like that," Moser told The Spokesman-Review newspaper. "You never think about something happening like this at a small school."
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital received three pediatric patients, spokeswoman Nicole Stewart said. They were in stable condition and surrounded by family, she said.
Stephanie Lutje told AP she was relieved to hear her son was safe after his high school near Freeman High was put on lockdown. She commended the school district for its communication.
"It's been amazing, within probably 15-20 minutes of hearing about it, I'd already received a phone call, I'd already received a text message saying that their school is OK," she said.
She still worried for others she knew, including a co-worker who had yet to hear from her son, a sophomore at Freeman.
"My stomach's in knots right now," she said.
Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement that "all Washingtonians are thinking of the victims and their families, and are grateful for the service of school staff and first responders working to keep our students safe."
The Marysville School District north of Everett is sending staff to Freeman High. In 2014, a student killed four students and himself at Marysville-Pilchuck High School.
"Our hearts and prayers are with the students and families in the Freeman School District, and the community members of Rockford, Washington. Marysville School District Superintendent, Dr. Becky Berg and a trauma-informed professional are on their way to Rockford to provide additional support and resources during this time," the Marysville district said in a statement. "As a school district that has been impacted by a similar senseless tragedy, we know Rockford has a long road to recovery ahead. The Marysville School District will stand by them and provide the support and care needed in the days and months to come."
The Freeman School District canceled classes on Thursday.


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P&G Updates Earnings Projections Following Venezuelan Currency Devaluation
P&G Updates Earnings Projections Following Venezuelan Currency Devaluation
CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Procter & Gamble Company (NYS: PG) provided an update of its fiscal year 2013 earnings per share outlook following the Venezuelan government's announced intention to devalue its currency (bolivar fuerte). The official exchange rate is now bolivares fuertes 6.30 per United States dollar, effective with the publication of the Official Gazette on February 13, 2013. It was also announced that the currency market administered by the central bank known as SITME will be eliminated. SITME transactions were previously valued at 5.30 bolivares fuertes per U.S. dollar.
P&G said it expects to incur one-time charges in the range of $200 million to $275 million after-tax, or $0.07 to $0.09 per share, based on its preliminary assessment of revaluing the local balance sheet at the new exchange rate. The final impact will be dependent on confirmation of final balance sheet positions at the date of the devaluation. The Company said it will recognize the one-time charges as non-core items in its presentation of fiscal year 2013 results.
In addition, the Company said there will be ongoing financial impacts related to the translation of local financial statements at the new exchange rate and inter-currency operational transactions, such as importation of finished products and raw materials. P&G estimates these impacts will reduce fiscal year 2013 core earnings by approximately $0.03 per share. P&G estimates the annualized impact on core earnings to be in the range of $0.06 to $0.07 per share. These estimates assume that the 6.30 exchange rate will apply to all future transactions and that the Company will have full access to currency at this rate necessary to operate its Venezuelan business. These estimates also assume current pricing regulations continue to be enforced.
Fiscal Year 2013 EPS Guidance
P&G adjusted its core earnings per share guidance for the year to a range of $3.94 to $4.04 from a prior range of $3.97 to $4.07 to reflect the $0.03 per share operating impact on core earnings.
On an all-in GAAP basis, P&G reduced its earnings per share guidance to a range of $3.92 to $4.04 from its prior outlook of $4.04 to $4.14 per share, reflecting the $0.03 operating impact and the $0.07 to $0.09 of one-time charges from balance sheet revaluation.
January - March 2013 Quarter EPS Guidance
The Company adjusted its March quarter core EPS guidance to a range of $0.90 to $0.96 from a prior range of $0.91 to $0.97 to reflect a $0.01 per share operating impact on core earnings.
On an all-in basis, P&G reduced its March quarter earnings per share outlook to a range of $0.80 to $0.88 from its prior guidance range of $0.90 to $0.96, reflecting a $0.01 per share operating impact and the $0.07 to $0.09 of one-time charges from balance sheet revaluation.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release or presentation, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to our business plans, objectives, and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "project," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue", "will likely results," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectation and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties which may cause results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise.
Risks and uncertainties to which our forward-looking statements are subject include: (1) the ability to achieve business plans, including growing existing sales and volume profitably and maintaining and improving margins and market share, despite high levels of competitive activity, an increasingly volatile economic environment, lower than expected market growth rates, especially with respect to the product categories and geographical markets (including developing markets) in which the Company has chosen to focus, and/or increasing competition from mid- and lower tier value products in both developed and developing markets; (2) the ability to successfully manage ongoing acquisition, divestiture and joint venture activities to achieve the cost and growth synergies in accordance with the stated goals of these transactions without impacting the delivery of base business objectives; (3) the ability to successfully manage ongoing organizational changes and achieve productivity improvements designed to support our growth strategies, while successfully identifying, developing and retaining particularly key employees, especially in key growth markets where the availability of skilled employees is limited; (4) the ability to manage and maintain key customer relationships; (5) the ability to maintain key manufacturing and supply sources (including sole supplier and plant manufacturing sources); (6) the ability to successfully manage regulatory, tax and legal requirements and matters (including product liability, patent, intellectual property, price controls, import restrictions, environmental and tax policy), and to resolve pending matters within current estimates; (7) the ability to resolve the pending competition law inquiries in Europe within current estimates; (8) the ability to successfully implement, achieve and sustain cost improvement plans and efficiencies in manufacturing and overhead areas, including the Company's outsourcing projects; (9) the ability to successfully manage volatility in foreign exchange rates, as well as our debt and currency exposure (especially in certain countries with currency exchange controls, such as Venezuela, China, India and Argentina); (10) the ability to maintain our current credit rating and to manage fluctuations in interest rate, increases in pension and healthcare expense, and any significant credit or liquidity issues; (11) the ability to manage continued global political and/or economic uncertainty and disruptions, especially in the Company's significant geographical markets, due to a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to, terrorist and other hostile activities, natural disasters and/or disruptions to credit markets, resulting from a global, regional or national credit crisis; (12) the ability to successfully manage competitive factors, including prices, promotional incentives and trade terms for products; (13) the ability to obtain patents and respond to technological advances attained by competitors and patents granted to competitors; (14) the ability to successfully manage increases in the prices of commodities, raw materials and energy, including the ability to offset these increases through pricing actions; (15) the ability to develop effective sales, advertising and marketing programs; (16) the ability to stay on the leading edge of innovation, maintain a positive reputation on our brands and ensure trademark protection; and (17) the ability to rely on and maintain key information technology systems and networks (including Company and third-party systems and networks), the security over such systems and networks, and the data contained therein. For additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from those projected herein, please refer to our most recent 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
The Procter & Gamble Company
Exhibit 1: Non-GAAP Measures
In accordance with the SEC's Regulation G, the following provides definitions of the non-GAAP measures used in the earnings release and the reconciliation to the most closely related GAAP measure.
Core EPS: This is a measure of the Company's diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations excluding charges in both years for incremental restructuring charges due to increased focus on productivity and cost savings, charges in the prior year related to the European legal matters, the current year Venezuela balance sheet devaluation, the current year holding gain on the buyout of our Iberian joint venture partner, and prior year impairment charges for goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets. We do not view these items to be part of our sustainable results. We believe the Core EPS measure provides an important perspective of underlying business trends and results and provides a more comparable measure of year-on-year earnings per share growth. Core EPS is also one of the measures used to evaluate senior management and is a factor in determining their at-risk compensation. The table below provides a reconciliation of diluted net earnings per share to Core EPS:
|JFM 13 (est.)
|Diluted Net Earnings Per Share
|$0.80 to $0.88
|Snacks results of operations - Discontinued Operations
|Diluted Net Earnings Per Share-Continuing Operations
|$0.80 to $0.88
|Venezuela Balance Sheet Devaluation Impacts
|0.09 to 0.07
|Impairment charges
|Incremental restructuring
|Core EPS
|$0.90 to $0.96
|Core EPS Growth
|-4% to +2%
|FY 2013 (est.)
|Diluted Net Earnings Per Share
|$3.92 to $4.04
|Gain from snacks divestiture
|Snacks results of operations - Discontinued Operations
|Diluted Net EPS-Continuing Operations
|$3.92 to $4.04
|Venezuela Balance Sheet Devaluation Impacts
|0.09 to 0.07
|Impairment charges
|Incremental restructuring
|Charges for European legal matters
|Gain on buyout of Iberian JV
|Rounding/other impacts
|Core EPS
|$3.94 to $4.04
|Core EPS Growth
|2% to 5%
Note - All reconciling items are presented net of tax. Tax effects are calculated consistent with the nature of the underlying transaction.
P&G Media Contacts:
Paul Fox, 513-983-3465
Jennifer Chelune, 513-983-2570
P&G Investor Relations Contact:
John Chevalier, 513-983-9974
KEYWORDS: United States North America Ohio
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Britney Spears opened the VMAs last night with the telltale sign of a notorious lip syncher -- completely covering her moving lips the entire time she opened the show.
That said, TMZ eats crow for declaring her career dead after last year's girthy performance. She ain't dead at all after bizarrely winning three awards and looking awfully hot -- minus the spaghetti weave.