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by Ernest H. Beutner, Ph.D.*
Professor of Microbiology and Dermatology,
University of Buffalo; School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences;
Buffalo, NY
Patients with pemphigus may benefit by working with their doctors to gain a better understanding of the tests used to detect and control the disease, in some situations. Three groups of tests can help doctors diagnose pemphigus; one of these can also help to control the disease. Two groups use skin or oral tissue samples, one from light microscopy and one for direct immunofluorescence. A third group uses blood tests for the pemphigus antibodies that cause the disease; these fluctuate with disease activity. Many doctors use al three methods to check all diagnoses of pemphigus; each test gives different types of information.

subset: commoncrawl


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This recipe makes 1 pâte brisée crust, enough for one tart. If you are making a pie with a bottom and top crust, double this recipe and form two discs of dough instead of one.
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (increase to 1 1/2 teaspoons if for a sweet recipe)
- 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 3 to 4 Tbsp ice water, very cold
- The minute you even think you might want to make a pie crust, cut up a stick of butter into smallish (about 1/2-inch) cubes, and put it into the freezer. The colder the butter the better luck you'll have with creating a flaky crust. Freeze the butter at least 15 minutes, better an hour, best overnight. (I usually keep cubed butter in the freezer ready to go for making pie crusts.)
- Place the flour, salt, and sugar into a food processor and pulse until well combined. Add half of the butter cubes and pulse 6 to 8 times. Then add the other half of the butter cubes and pulse 6 to 8 more times. You should have a mixture that resembles a coarse meal, with many butter pieces the size of peas.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of ice cold water (without the ice!) to the food processor bowl and pulse a couple of times. Then add more ice water, slowly, about a tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the mixture just barely begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again. Try to keep the water to a minimum. Too much water will make your crust tough.
- Remove the crumbly mixture from the food processor and place on a very clean, smooth surface. If you want an extra flaky crust, you can press the heel of your palm into the crumbly mixture, pressing down and shmooshing the mixture into the table top. This is a French technique, called "fraisage". Do this a few times, maybe 4 to 6 times, and it will help your crust be extra flaky. Then, use your hands to press the crumbly dough together and shape into a disc. Work the dough only enough to just bring the dough together. Do not over-knead or your crust will end up tough. You should be able to see little bits of butter, speckling the dough. When these bits of butter melt as the crust cooks, the butter will help separate the dough into flaky layers. So, visible pieces of butter are a good thing, what you are aiming for, in the dough. Sprinkle the disc with a little flour on all sides. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (At this point you can freeze the dough disk for several months until ready to use. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)
- When you are ready to roll out the dough, remove the disk from the refrigerator and place on a clean, smooth, lightly floured surface. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes to take just enough of a chill off of it so that it becomes easier to roll out. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 12 inch circle, to a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.
Source: simplyrecipes.com


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Michigan Tech's Undergraduate Engineering Ranking Rises
By Jennifer Donovan | Published
Michigan Technological University's undergraduate engineering programs rose in the latest US News & World Report rankings, placing 64th in the nation among engineering schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. Last year, undergraduate engineering at Michigan Tech ranked 70th.
Environmental Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering both made the top-20 lists of specialty engineering programs in the nation. Environmental Engineering ranked 15th and Materials Science and Engineering ranked17th.
The rankings were released online today. They will be on newsstands on Monday, Aug. 24, in US News & World Report's annual publication titled America's Best Colleges.
Overall, Michigan Tech is in the top tier of national universities, ranking 121st along with Arizona State University, the University at Buffalo-SUNY, the University of San Francisco and Catholic University of America. National universities are defined as institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master's and doctoral degrees and emphasize groundbreaking faculty research.
Michigan Tech is one of three public universities in Michigan to make the top tier of the magazine's undergraduate education rankings. The other two are the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
"It is gratifying to know that US News & World Report recognizes Michigan Tech's growing excellence in undergraduate engineering education," said President Glenn D. Mroz. "And maintaining our position in the top tier of national universities reflects significant progress toward our goal of being a world-class technological research university."
Each year, US News ranks public and private colleges and universities and their undergraduate programs based on quantitative data and peer review. Data include 15 "indicators " such as freshman retention rate, graduation rate, percentage of classes with fewer than 20 or more than 50 students, the SAT or ACT scores of first-year students, the percentage of first-year students in the top 10 percent of their high school class, acceptance rate and average alumni giving rate. The data is submitted to US News by the colleges and universities.
This year, Michigan Tech's graduation rate rose to 65 percent, compared to 64 percent last year. The University's acceptance rate dropped to 75 percent from 84 percent last year, indicating a more selective admissions process.
Peer assessment of academic excellence by presidents, provosts and deans accounts for 25 percent of the rankings. Nearly 4,300 questionnaires were sent to top academics at schools across the nation, and 48 percent of them responded, according to US News & World Report.
Michigan Technological University is a leading public research university, conducting research, developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering, forestry and environmental sciences, computing, technology, business and economics, natural and physical sciences, arts, humanities and social sciences.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university, home to more than 7,000 students from 54 countries. Founded in 1885, the University offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, and social sciences. Our campus in Michigan's Upper Peninsula overlooks the Keweenaw Waterway and is just a few miles from Lake Superior.


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Case Studies
Here are a handful of happy customers that are proud to shout out they use CO2 Neutral Conferencing….
These case studies in conferencing provide a useful starting point to understand how your organisation can use our services.
World Wide Fund For Nature Australia
"The team at CO2 Neutral Conferencing continues to deliver fast, effective and meaningful customer service allowing our global network of people to communicate successfully to do their work."
"We are proud to work with CO2 Neutral Conferencing because the service is carbon neutral and environmentally friendly, the service is extremely cost effective and the staff are fantastic."
Visa monitors and delivers their message with speed and accuracy to their target audience through Event Webcast Webinars.
UBS rapidly delivers their daily economic briefing for the global investment community and appears on Bloomberg's webinar within 20 minutes of broadcast!
CO2 Neutral Conferencing provided Fuji Xerox with the full Phone Conferencing solution that enabled them to communicate to all regions.
"We have been using the services of CO2 Neutral Conferencing for some time now and quite frankly I don't think our business would function quite the same without it."
"CO2 Neutral Conferencing have always been a pleasure to deal with, very responsive to our needs and have made often dauntingly complex technology very simple to understand and use effectively."
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage
Department of Environment's live event in Sydney, reaches their whole target audience across Australia through CO2 Neutral Conferencing's integrated Event Conferencing solution.
The Treasury saves budgetary expenditure and commits to an environmental-friendly solution with CO2 Neutral Conferencing.
"We have always treated CO2 Neutral Conferencing as our business partner. Holding a good webinar is like having the world at your fingertips."
World Wide Fund for Nature International
"Since the beginning of our relationship with CO2 Neutral Conferencing we have run several events across the world. Due to their expertise and knowledge these events have been highly successful and well received."


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Attached is a link to a 1 hour terrestrial radio broadcast (no commercials) that took place on Friday October 16, 1-2 P.M EST on 66 WFAN in New York . .
This clip requires a little set-up for those of you that live outside of the New York/New Jersey/Conn listening area . .
Until 14 mos ago, the best sports talk radio program in the country, for the prior 20 years, had been "Mike & the Mad Dog" with a terrestrial broadcast originating from Manhattan . .
That all changed when Mel pursued Mad Dog . . and offered him a 5 year contract to run his own sports channel at Sirius XM . . Dog/Chris Russo was permitted to opt out of his WFAN contract early in order to accept Mel's offer . . which he did . . XM 144 for me.
This past Friday . . former partners Mike Francesca and Chris Russo were both broadcasting live from Yankee Stadium . . and had adjoning booths!
Chris/Mad Dog agreed to go on Mike's show for the first hour (1:00-2:00) as a surprise reunion of sorts . . take a listen . . even if you are not a sports fan . . you will learn a few things about working at Sirius XM . . . listen carefully . . . some interesting tidbits!
Here's the link:


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Maya Romanoff Opens Flagship Showroom in Chicago
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
- Website: mayaromanoff.com
Store History
- Founded: 1969
- Founded by: Maya Romanoff
- Headquarters: Skokie, Illinois
In 1969, textile designer Maya Romanoff started his business selling tie-dyed shirts at Woodstock. Celebrities like Elton John and Roger Daltry wore his clothes, and he got picked up by Henri Bendel. In the 70s, he began experimenting with resist-dyed wall and floor coverings, creating experimental roomscapes for the Smithsonian and the National Gallery in Australia. Fast forward 40 years, and he's still making psychedelic patterns.
Working with his main collaborator and wife, Joyce Romanoff, as well as designers like David Rockwell and Amy Lau, Romanoff's collection feels a little less trippy than it did in the Woodstock days, but it's retained its roots.
The wallcoverings are still very textural and experimental — for instance, the "Abacadazzle" line is made from abaca plant fibers woven with metallic thread, while the "Mother of Pearl" collection is hand-made with inlaid shells. (As you might now have guessed, the prices on these wallcoverings aren't cheap.)
Although Maya Romanoff has been a name in the fabric world for years, it's not until now that the company's opened a flagship showroom in Chicago's Merchandise Mart. The showroom is open to the trade only, but customers can check the online store locator to find a retailer.
• Mother of Pearl Chevron
• Bedazzled Leaf
• Meditations Mantra
• Blanket Zig Zag
• Ajiro Diamond
• Ajiro Basketweave
• Wallmica
• Sheer Hemp
• Reed
• Bedazzled Geode


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The Foreign Bureau: WSJ's Global Video News Update
Russian riots, car bombs in Syria, Iran sanctions, the Arab Spring price tag. We track some of the globe's best stories of the day on a segment called The Foreign Bureau. (Photo: Getty)
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... too long ... this is ... my hero ... but he did in Syria on a more than twelve people were reportedly killed in an apparent car bomb attack ... in the rebel held north western town of their courage ... there are reports that this kind of like he's becoming more common as warring factions for new methods in the upper hand ... these are seeds ... lightning capital of Tehran ... international sanctions against the country is taken their toll ... and WSJ's Jay Solomon says they're likely to drive the diplomatic discussions over the next three days ... as U S and Iranian officials arrived in Geneva for talks about Iran is disputed new killer weapons ... prices in Moscow on Sunday were some of the most violent in several years ... his helper ... in what's being called the race riots people took to the streets after the killing of a Russian man the president's plan to migrate tensions between ethnic Russians and migrant workers from both the caucus region and Central Asia has long been strained for some fleece to hundreds of migrant workers in the costs pm Monday to try and calm tensions ... after several years that the deletions and so on grass the so called Arab Spring countries are now needed to serious financial up ... to two new forty billion dollars the year that's according to economists from the World Bank and elsewhere ... the turmoil caused by uprisings in Egypt Tunisia Libya and Syria among other places ... is devastated these countries' economies ... one banker HSBC concluded that the Arab Spring low-cost reaching eight hundred billion dollars in economic output ... at the end of next year this is been the Foreign Bureau BdB BdB ...


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Events for March 2, 2018
Events Search and Views Navigation
2:30 pm
Intuitive Readings with Rev. Vanessa Stuebe
Originally from Bath, England, via Switzerland, and Venezuela, I come form several generations of intuitive. I studied Tarot in France, and in your session I can do a general reading which covers the next 3 months or answer specific questions, short and long term, focusing on helping you find solutions. Palmistry offers you insight into […]Find out more »


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API creation for android and iOS, and integration with UI.
I have UI screens for android and iOS. Need someone to create APIs and integrate with UIs for an app similar to tinder. I don't have list of missing APIs it would be included in the job to compare the UI screens with present tinder app and create APIs of excessive features. Also APIs will need to be integrated with UI screens. Back end of current features is complete, back end of new features is required.
15 威客就此工作平均出价 $668
Hi, We have gone through your project details & we are confident our team has the right credentials to develop your app. Kindly do share further requirements, any screen mock-ups and/or screen flow diagram so that we 更多
How are you? I really would like to work for you and your project. I'm Soft developer and expert. I have rich development experience and have developed many apps. I can develop both a mobile app and web service for 更多
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Please kindly check my PM and get back to me for further discussion. looking forward to hearing from you.
Hi I work towards providing reliable, relevant and robust IT solutions at most competitive prices to my customers. I ensure 100% customer satisfaction so lets start Thanks
Dear sir! I read your project description and understood perfectly. I am a mobile game & app developer. I am developing mobile game & app for 5 years. I know Swift,Xamarin (VisualStudio 2015), Native iOS & Andr 更多
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Half Double Crochet (hdc) - Right-Handed Instructions
The first few steps for making this stitch are just like the double crochet. That's why it is called half-double crochet.
Foundation Chain and First Row
For a practice swatch of 12 stitches, make a foundation chain of 14 stitches. Holding the foundation chain with the front facing you, yarn over and put the hook into the third chain from the hook. (D45B)
Yarn over again and pull the hook through the chain. You should now have three loops on your hook. (D46)
Yarn over again, and pull the hook through all three loops. You should end up with one loop on the hook. You have just completed one half-double crochet. Continue across the row, making one half-double crochet in each chain. (D47B)
When you reach the end of the row, count your stitches. You should have 12 half-double crochet stitches in the row. Chain 2 for your turning chain and turn your work. (D48)
Second Row and all other rows
Make a half-double crochet by putting the hook into the first stitch. Insert the hook in the same way you did for the second row of single crochet, under the "chain" on top of the stitch. Work one half-double crochet in each stitch across the row. The last stitch should be worked into the last half-double crochet of the previous row. Ignore the chain 2 at the end. (D49)
Always count your stitches. There should be 12 stitches in the row. Chain 2 and turn to continue.


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What is "positive" training anyway?
Yes there are actual official definitions to training terms:
Using the 4 words "positive" (=add something) "negative" (=take something away) "reinforcement" (=encourage to repeat same or similar behaviour) and "punishment" (=discourage a certain behaviour) there are 4 ways to respond to your dog's behaviour.
Positive Reinforcement
Add something the dog likes, praise, treats, toy, attention, etc.
Positive Punishment
Add something the dog dislikes, harsh/growly speech, leash jerk, display of dominance anywhere from just direct eye contact to physical contact
Negative Reinforcement
Taking something away that your dog dislikes, for instance, on leash every time the dog moves closer to the handler the pressure from the leash is automatically released.
Negative Punishment
Oh, from the name this one sounds nasty! But what is it? Taking away something the dog likes in order to discourage a behaviour. So time outs, or when you jump up on me and I turn away and ignore you until you settle down, THAT is is negative punishment. Is it cruel? Maybe! In many situations it is extremely effective!
These are just examples, there are an endless selection of positive reinforcement, positive punishment, negative reinforcement and negative punishments that can be used, and certain ones will be most appropriate for certain situations, certain dogs, certain handlers, but I would consider a trainer more likely to be good if they use a combination of all 4 reactions.
Someone claiming to be a "positive" or "positive reinforcement" trainer? To me, they either don't know what positive means (and therefore have missed out on on the teachings of the very people who coined the term positive reinforcement in the first place) or are expressing a very narrow-minded approach that it is never appropriate to punish a dog, or to take anything away from them as a part of behaviour management.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
I am a positive reinforcement trainer and by no means am I narrow minded, I've used almost all forms of training, I work at a shelter with trainers who have been training over 20 years and involved with dog training clubs, all of them know positive reinforcement (rewarding good behaviours and ignoring or not allowing bad behaviours to occur) works every single time with all dogs. I have seen abusive methods (hitting, yelling, spanking, leash correcting, shock collars, prong collars, intimidation methods) being used and the more hard headed dogs take to this type of training much better then soft dogs.
Now the problem with aversive methods is you have a shy dog and you scream and yell at it, it may do the behaviour but not because it's voluntarily doing it for you/to please you. As if you found something that is reinforcing to the dog and using that to reward the dog for performing the behaviour, soon having a positive association to doing what the owner wants the dog will more often willingly listen to you because good things come when he does!
Dogs do what is most rewarding to THEM! It's been proven so many times! Why do you think dogs counter surf? They are rewarded by finding food up there! Or if they are lacking social interaction, any attention is rewarding to them.
With positive reinforcement training you don't ever need to correct your dog. The punishment is not getting the reinforcement/reward and not ALLOWING your dog to fail in the first place, if your dog can't exhibit bad behaviours how will he practice them?
This means if your dog doesn't know how to come when called and YOU let him off the leash and then doesn't come back, who's fault is that? Certainly not your dogs fault, he's doing what is rewarding, sniffing and running. The appropriate way to teach recall is to be MORE reinforcing then the environment, then of course your dog will come back to you all the time because you're better then whats out there.
Cat maid to:
Jasper, male Ragdoll ?? (approx 10 yrs)
Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 7 yrs)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
Puddles RIP (1996-2014)
Snowball RIP (1991-2005)
In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb
While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. Stephen R. Covey
Common sense goes a long way too. Oh yeah - you told me no one has any anymore.
Assumptions do nothing but make an ass out of u and me.
We can stick our heads in the sand for only so long before it starts choking us. Face it folks. The pet population is bad ALL OVER THE WORLD!
Though I agree with you on some points StinkyCats..let me run this by you and let me tell you my remedy (I am certain I will not win any popularity with this one..)
I placed a very large doberman recently. He was fine as long as he knew that he was not running the household..at the beat of his drum. Fast forward...dog went into the new home. Almost immediately he started mouthing which escalated to grabbing which escalated to actually puncturing. Not happy people to say the least...but partially their fault... All the while they had a positive reinforcement trainer who suggested to 'ignore' the behaviour by turning their back on the dog. So what does one do with their arms then? Hold them in the air so that the dog jumps up to grab them?
Sorry - I totally 100% disagree with ignoring such behaviour as one can see the escalation process. Not effective.
My suggestion was to walk INTO the dog. Look ahead of the dog and keep walking right into him. He will normally back up or get out of the way. No words used...the silent head on walk.
Results - it has been 3 weeks and the dog no longer reacts in such a manner. It took 3 times of walking into him, now a click of the fingers, pointing to the mat...and the issue is resolved. Voila!
An excellent example BenMax. Because the dog found the behaviour itself to be rewarding, ignoring didn't work - with another dog it might have, but their +R trainer wasn't equipped for the possibility that a stronger reaction was needed.
In that scenerio they should've found out why the dog was mouthing them in the first place. was it a pushy behaviour to manipulate the owners? Or was it play? If it was play, they should avoid any activities that trigger the mouthing and slowly reintroducing the play and work on redirecting the mouthing onto appropriate chewing objects. You have to manage the dog in order to train another behaviour in its place, the trainer should've figured out why the dog was mouthing.
And the problem would be solved, I've worked with dogs who mouth to the point of scarring my arms. You have to redirect the behaviour, not ignore it.
I think alot of people take "ignore bad behaviours" wrong. If you can't ignore a behaviour you're going to manage it so it doesn't happen.
I agree with Stinkycat.
Positive training (to me) is more about avoiding the use of P+ (and to a lesser extent R-) than it is about only using R+ (I have certainly utilized P- in situations where it was warranted, to good and lasting effect).
It is my experience that P+ creates more behavioral problems than it solves - even if this is years down the line. We know that animals can be very effectively trained without positive punishment, and that it has the potential to do physical or psychological damage when it is improperly performed, so why use it?
We only train very large/wild/intelligent animals with R+ and P- (cats, bears, whales, dolphins, apes, birds, elephants, . . . wolves ). I find it highly dubious that dogs are somehow more difficult (and therefore requiring of P+) to train than these.
Many of the most effective P+ for dogs are actually displays of dominance that they can easily understand. When BenMax walked directly INTO the dog, the dog was not physically or mentally harmed in any way, but what she did still qualifies as P+.
If you allow a bear, ape, elephant, etc. the run of your house, permission to sniff your kitchen cupboards and sleep on your bed and so forth, you will find some very difficult problems. If you confine your dog to a cage, bring food and water twice a day and let him out a couple times to do tricks, you will find him only slightly more likely to challenge you as an equal than those other species.
Cats, of course, do believe in P+ and will use it on a misbehaved human.
I have a perfect example of Positive Reinforcement and Positive Punishment.
The Positive reinforcement did not work in this instance, Buddy was mouthing my slippers (while on my feet) and the first thing I tried was to redirect him and then treat him...well you can figure out what happened with this...he continued to want my slippers 'cause he was going to get a treat for it.
The Positive Punishment was to send him to his bed , of course he did not want to be moved away from me and now if he grabs my slippers or my hands I calmly ask him to go to bed, he very rarely grabs either anymore. Hope this makes sense....patti
It Is What It Is
I find dominance theory a little egocentric for my taste (I am NOT saying that I feel people who use it egocentric, only the theory itself - though it can attract that type of personality). The idea that a dog is constantly scheming for ways to take my authority is just too self-important. It is true that dogs are dependent on us for many of their resources, but they have their own interests that have nothing to do with us.
I also find dominance theory somewhat erroneous because dogs don't think like we do. Dogs don't have forethought or the same ideas of ownership.
Dogs live in the moment, they don't think on the future or ruminate on the past. This is why P+ is useless if improperly timed. If you punish before the transgression the dog will have no idea what you are punishing, and if you punish more than a few seconds too late the results are the same. Therefore, the idea that a dog is actively attempting to supplant you, trying to take away all of your resources for itself , is . . . well, a impossible to me.
In regards to ownership, a resource only belongs to a dog when it is directly in a dogs perceived possession, which only translates to a radius of about a few feet. Once a dog leaves the bone it is chewing on (for example), it no longer belongs to that dog. Any other dog can take it. That does not mean that dogs do not try to take resources from others, but it is not a planned or co-ordinated "hey, that's mine" it's more of an "oh, I want that."
Harm would be a strong word, but intimidated? Maybe. And on some dogs that could mean behavioral problems down the line. One of our rescues came to us with broken ribs and afraid anything being raised above her head - there is no way we could have used any type of P+ for her behavioral problems - which included fear aggression to men.
Note: BenMax, you sound like a good, responsible trainer. It is not my intention to criticize your methods, I am only trying to explain why I feel that P+ is not a tool I will ever take out of my toolbox
It is very very true that it is removing the dog from his space...but let's not forget that he invaded a human's space which is a more 'important' space than his. That's just my take on it.
It's all healthy discussion and the exchange of approach is very welcomed. Hey I am not perfect and always willing to consider options. In the case I provided..what would have been a better more positive approach. I would like to try it.
Ditto this
I also agree with the label of "positive trainer" being used simply because the public would be confused otherwise
And with the dobe, yes you cant ignore self reinforcing behaviors. You need to actively teach an incompatible behavior while preventing as much as possible
Ill try and comment more when im off this stupid tiny keypad
I ask as this weekend I have to work on a shelter dog with similiar issue. I would really like to try your suggestion(s) for my own observation and possible 'change of ways'.
I thought the correct terminology was operant conditioning. Vesus classic conditioning, as explained in the link above.
Thus, to go back to the OP, I understand positive punishment to be stronger that negative punishment. To use the Dobie example, turning their backs was negative punishment. The thing lost was the human involvement of the facing human. BenMax's example of walking into the Dobe was positive punishment, it delivered an unexpected and unwelcome consequence to the dog.
For myself I believe each has value and a place in training. I should also say that I think those who are uncomfortable with their ability to judge when a positive punishment is merited might do well to shy away from using it. Some dogs may never need a positive correction or punishment. (Correction is a nicer term I think) Some might and not all owners are experienced enough to know the difference.
Then, if they end up calling in a trainer or so-called behaviourist in to help them they can ask if the trainer is familiar with operant conditioning and ask which of the four he/she employs. It's nice to know your trainer has training and experience and knows more than you do and I find just a little bit of knowledge on our part can help determine this.
No worries. I assume your familiar with marking and rewarding behavior? Like if you want the dog to sit, you say "yes" and treat...etc etc
what most people do not realize, is you can mark and reward for the ABSENCE of behavior. So you would reward moments where you trigger the dog on a low level and then build on it
For example, my pit bull was the same way as you describe the dobie...except it wasn't mouthing. It was licking. Obsessive, pushy licking. Removing attention did not work. So I sat her in a room and sat on the floor and did my normal "deflect the dog" routine. IN the small instant she pulled away/paused/gave up/whatever I marked and treated. Within 5 minutes of doing this, the pushy behavior disapeared. So I uped the ante slowly...leaning into her, waving my arms, standing and resitting, etc etc (one criteria at a time of course) and each time she didn't lick me/be pushy I clicked and treated (throwing threats AWAY from me (reward for position, always reward space invader dogs AWAY from you))
here is the same idea, but mouthy/bitey version. Works for adults, even tho its a "puppy" video
you break down the trigger (what causes the dog to mouth/push) into tiny steps where the dogs chance to succeed is high, and then reward success
THIS THIS THIS. You'd be surprised how many trainers will say "huh" and not even know what OC is...run far far away... Thats like a mechanic that can fix your broken car, yet not being able to explain how an engine works...
Extinction will not occur for self-rewarding behaviours. I like to employ a combination of discourage the undesired behaviour with reward an alternate appropriate behaviour.
what? where did I say that?
firstly, if the dog learns when you have treats and when you don't. You are not training with food correctly. Thats a totally separate issue
you are rewarding an incompatible behavior. In theory the reward used with be of higher value than the intristic biting behavior... We aren't waiting around of it to extinguish...
Rewarding the alternate behavior IS discouraging the unwanted behavior
Plus, the dog has already shown that attention removal is NOT aversive to the dog. Or aversive enough, so no reason to keep using it if its not working.
kids pee in diapers. We reward them for peeing in toilets. Its self reinforcing to urinate without waiting. The behavior goes away because your making the NEW behavior MORE reinforcing...its not about extinction...extinction would just be ignoring the dog...which I already said would not work for self reinforcing behavior...
Dog pees on the corner of the couch. He's been neutered, we reward him for peeing outside, reward him for a variety of indoor behaviours that he can't do at the same time as peeing on the couch, problem has not diminished. No positive punishment, no harsh words, no spanking, no grabbing his collar. What would you do?
what does that have to do with the OP or benmaxs question?
I'd belly band the dog while I have him checked for a UTI. Owners need to be talked to about supervision that is obviously lacking . Couch may need to be replaced. Peeing in the same spot is indicative of the scent not being cleaned out all the way...common with furniture.
any other scenarios while Im being quized?
Okay, two at a time...
op stands for "original post" which i did address
Supervision is needed to interupt and redirect the dog. You can redirect and not use PP
If the dog is ONLY marking in one spot. It is the scent hes marking over you cannot get the scent out of the couch. Its not happening.
What is your objection to the belly band? Very effective for markers
Your post in response to mine earlier still makes no sense. I will repeat if the dog knows you have food you are bribing and not using food correctly. Basig the idea that my method would not work because of a flawed execution is silly. Thats like saying cars dont work but your trying to start it with a pretzel. Its a non sequiter
Do you train dogs?
Last edited by GateKeeper; March 25th, 2011 at 03:18 AM.
I just reread the thread and see your a dominance theorist. So i already know what kind of circle this will go in...
If you genuinely want help with your problem dog. Feel free to pm me otherwise i must assume this will go like most other discussions i have with dominance theorists, and dont care to participate in such silliness
My dogs have dealt with far more severe and complicated issues than "marking a couch" or being a "big pushy dog" which were fixed without PP. I do not need to defend my lack of use of it, to som'one who is so adament its necesary
Once again if you genuinely want help feel free to contact me
Otherwise good day
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2006 Dehler 44 SQ
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New Dehler 44. Pure Innovation
Hull Material:
Engine/Fuel Type:
The objective of the Dehler 44 is to become the leading regatta cruiser between 42ft and 46ft. The 44 aims to achieve this by offering the fastest passages, with the smartest exterior as well as interior design. During the design study, there was a strong focus of Simonis & Voogd to achieve a fast and sleek hull with better control and ease of handling. A 21st century yacht to be ahead of the pack. The Dehler 44 has as standard, the innovations as shown in the various images, and will be available in 2 layouts, with options of a u-shaped or longitudinal galley, with interior designs of elegance (stylish) and avant-garde (modern) in 3 different executions : Dehler 44, Dehler 44SQ and Dehler 44 Regatta.
Additional Specs, Equipment and Information:
Keel: Other
Hull Shape: Monohull
LOA: 44 ft 9 in
Beam: 12 ft 6 in
LWL: 37 ft 0 in
Dry Weight: 18700 lbs
Engine Options
Engine Option 1: 1x 55 HP
Additional Description
Ergonomic self draining cockpit with open transom and removable utility box for bringing the boat in racing mode.
Two carbonfibre steering wheels on diagonal pedestals integrated in cockpit sole.
Large lockers on starboard and port side.
Cockpit seats covered with teak.
Flush teak covered cockpit floor with cockpit table that can be stored totally flush in cockpit floor.
Locker in cockpit floor direct behind saloon entrance with flush hatch covered with teak for life raft storage.
Possibility to open the middle part of removable utility box for easy entrance to cockpit.
From the water via a carbonfibre swimming ladder that fits in the cockpitfloor. Or via a carbonfibre gangway which is realized by the swimmingladder.
This entrance can be closed with GRP panels that can be stored in the starboard part of the utility box.
Possibility to entrance the cockpit via the transom when the utility box is in and the middle part is closed via integrated steps covered with teak.
Additional a stainless steel safety boarding ladder integrated in the tran-som under the cockpitfloor.
Additional Description
All furniture, lockers, cupboards and drawers are made of blond teak.
Floor made of wenge wood.
Trims and fiddle?s finished with brushed alumin-ium.
Bulkheads and hull inside panel-ling finished with brushed aluminium in combination with rough spraypainted white off.
Ceiling innerliner rough spraypainted in off white.
Ample storage space.
?Southco? Knobs & Handles.
On portside U-shaped sofa.
Saloon table and one separate slide able sofa on the other side of the table, star-board.
Sofa?s covered with Jabana Beige upholstery.
Rounded storage cupboards on both sides.
On portside side navigation station with large chart table, storage space for charts and nautical books and recessable panel with carbon look for navigation equip-ment.
Luxerious longside galley on starboard.
Forward cabin
Spacious double berth, feet towards bow.
On portside a head with pump toilet incl. holding tank (50L) with deck extraction, shower, wash basin and storage cupboards.
Aft cabin
On starboard and portside identical aft cabins with spacious double berth and cupboards.
Additional Description
Starter battery 12V/75AH, consumer battery 2x12V/200AH.
Battery charger 50 AH.
Separate main switches for starter battery and consumer battery.
E-panel with circuit breakers at naviga-tion station.
Shore power connection 230V in cockpit.
230 V outlet in navigation station, pantry and heads, 12 V outlet in nav station and cockpit.
Boatmaster touch screen control panel for electronics.
Additional Description
On starboard longside galley worktop made of Corian Antrazyt.
Force 10 3-burner stove and oven (semi gim-balled).
Double stainless steel sink.
Electric pressurised water supply.
Lockers for pots and pans underneath and for victuals above.
Compressor coolbox
Fridge ?Isotherm Inox 90? brushed metal (90L).
Taps from ?Barka?
Additional Description
Volvo Penta Compact Diesel engine D2-55/150S 40kW, 4 cylinder.
Sail-drive with 3 blade ?Flex-o-fold? folding propeller.
Alternator 14V /115A.
Luxuriously control panel with digital hour indicator, oil pressure, temperature and voltage indicator.
Dieseltank, approx 200 litres, with indicator.
Engine maintenance set.
Additional Description
Hull and deck are built using the hand lay up method.
The laminated con-struction consists of hydrolysis proof epoxy resin, multidirectional fabrics and core cell foam as sandwich material.
All structural internal members are blended in with the interior mouldings into one large hull liner which creates a clean finish inside.
This distributes the keel and rig forces evenly along the laminated construction.
Through hull fittings placed in a recess.
Internally the laminate is sealed using topcoat.
Hull is spray painted with AWL-Grip after-wards
Open transom with removable utility box.
8 portlights integrated in hull.
Additional Description
All sheets and halyards adjustable from cockpit.
Electric anchorwinch installed in anchorbox with carbonfibre fold-out anchor roller system, ?Delta? anchor (20 kg) and chain (30 m)
Open pulpit, lifelines with side openings for boarding and 2 di-vided pushpits.
Teak wooden seats in pushpits
6 aluminium foldable mooring cleats ?Nomen?.
Halyard organizers ?Spinlock? on couch roof
12 Halyard stoppers ?Spinlock? mounted on coach roof.
Mainsheet traveller system with continuous adjustable slide, mounted on cockpit floor, ?Harken?.
Geman mainsheet system with sheet lead underdeck on both sides
Genoa tracks, continuous adjust-able from cockpit ?Harken?.
Complete spinnaker or gennaker equipment, sheets, halyard, blocks Harken Black Magic, car-bon spinnaker or gennaker pole, track on mast. Spinnaker equip-ment with downhaul lead under deck.
Filler nozzle for watertank (2x)
Filler nozzle for fueltank (2x)
Flush channel as preparation for integrated sprayhood
1 halyard Harken carbon racing winch B50.2 STREH electric
1 halyard Harken carbon racing winch B50.2 STR manual
2 genoa Harken carbon racing winches B65.2 STR manual
2 mainsheet Harken carbon racing winches B50.2 STR man-ual
2 winch handles with 2 winch handle pockets.
Flagstaff with flagstaff holder
Two carbonfibre steering wheels with covers
Two magnetic compasses mounted on steering pedestals.
Stainless steel safety boarding ladder in transom under the cock-pit floor
Carbonfibre foldable swimming ladder in combination with car-bonfibre gangway
Manual bilge pump
Electric bilge pump
Cockpit shower (warm/cold)
Warps and fenders
Cockpit table teak flush recess able in cockpit floor.
Roll able integrated sprayhood
Cockpit cushions dark blue with piping in 5 parts
Additional Description
VHF preparation (wiring and antenna)
Raymarine 2 x ST290 Graphic Display and ST290 Wind mounted in garage
Raymarine color chartplotter E80 at navigation table
Deck and cabin construction
Deck is produced in epoxy resin and spray painted with AWL-Grip after-wards.
Sandwich construction with core cell foam to provide strength and insulation.
Aluminium reinforcements laminated in for all fittings.
The hull and deck are laminated to create an inte-grated structure.
The anchor locker is self-draining and closing with hatch on deck.
Teak on deck and in cockpit inclusive
A 2,50 meters deep led, iron / foam / epoxy bulb keel.
The upper part of the keel consist of a steel construction, covered by 2 GRP shells filled with foam, the lower part consists of a led bulb which provides a extremely low centre of gravity.
The head of the keel is shaped as a cone which is situated in its female opposite inside the hull.
This prevents peeling forces on the floor beams.
The floor beams, laminated into the hull, distribute the keel and rig forces evenly along the laminate con-struction.
Sails & Rigging
9/10 Rigg
Nordic carbonfibre, keel stepped, tapered mast with:
Carbonfibre boom
Rod rigging
2 sets of spreaders
Track on mast for spinnaker pole
Fixed boomvang
Carbonfibre spinnaker or genna-ker pole
Standing rigging
Stainless steel shrouds, rod rigging with roll-formed terminals
Deck tip cups.
Hydraulic backstay adjuster, ?Holmatro?.
Roller reefing system for headsail with underdeck drum Furlex type TD 300S.
Running rigging
Spectra main- and jib halyard.
Spinnaker halyard.
Mainsail outhaul adjustable from cockpit.
Dehler reefing system for reef 1 and 2
Mainsheet led underdeck aft to cockpit to both port and starboard winches
North Sails Mainsail 61 m? D-cut Spectra reinforced 2 reefs, 2 full batten and 3 short batten
North Sails Genoa 105% 46 m? D-cut Spectra reinforced with rope luff system and UV protec-tion
Dehler Maindrop system
*This price is based on today's currency conversion rate.
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text:
NACE Ambassador Kevin Grubb
Assistant Director at Villanova University's Career Center.
Twitter: @kevincgrubb
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kevingrubb
Blog: "social @ edu".
How many times during any given year do you say something like the following statements?
- "At the career fair, make the first move and introduce yourself to the company representatives with a smile and strong handshake."
- "It's a good idea to create and manage a great social media presence online: have you made a LinkedIn profile yet?"
- "Effective networking is one of the most essential elements to a successful job search. You have to put yourself out there."
The answer is probably "a zillion."
These pieces of career advice are frequently mentioned around the web and in career centers across the country. For good reason, too—they're all important messages for any job seeker to hear. In 2013, I started paying attention to them more, and specifically, the resistance felt from the recipients of this advice. What was it that made some people quick to act on these words and others hesitant about it?
There was one theme that struck me most: courage. Courage underlies these pieces of advice. It's taking action on something even when facing the fear of it.
Take the student whom you know is top notch on paper. You've seen her resume: she's academically stellar with noteworthy experiences in and out of the classroom. But, she's not one to generate a conversation. Simply advising her to introduce herself to an employer at a career fair might not work. She might need not only the "how to" of proper introductions, but also some time spent building the courage to do it.
Or, how about the student who is interested in journalism? One great piece of advice for him might be to start a blog. Not only would this give him a venue to practice his work, it would also give him the opportunity to invite others to read it. Perhaps it could turn into a portfolio of writing samples for future job applications. Beyond the instructions for setting up a blog and tips on effective posts, it may take some courage building to help him get comfortable with the idea of putting his work out there.
When I'm talking with someone who's hesitant about following these pieces of advice, I ask them to identify the cause of their nervousness. Once a fear is named, we can create a plan to address it together. Maybe it's writing a few "blog posts" and e-mailing them only to close family and friends to get experience hearing feedback. It could be setting the goal of initiating one in person introduction per week, even among peers on campus, until things feel comfortable. Experiencing a few small wins can build the momentum to something bigger.
NACE blog readers, what are your thoughts on courage in career conversations?


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Feds Beg NY Times, Pro Publica Not To Reveal That They've Inserted Backdoors Into Internet Encryption
from the too-fucking-bad dept
Intelligence officials asked The Times and ProPublica not to publish this article, saying that it might prompt foreign targets to switch to new forms of encryption or communications that would be harder to collect or read. The news organizations removed some specific facts but decided to publish the article because of the value of a public debate about government actions that weaken the most powerful tools for protecting the privacy of Americans and others.Pro Publica, for its part, put up a thorough and detailed explanation for why it chose to publish the story, which is well worth reading:
The story, we believe, is an important one. It shows that the expectations of millions of Internet users regarding the privacy of their electronic communications are mistaken. These expectations guide the practices of private individuals and businesses, most of them innocent of any wrongdoing. The potential for abuse of such extraordinary capabilities for surveillance, including for political purposes, is considerable. The government insists it has put in place checks and balances to limit misuses of this technology. But the question of whether they are effective is far from resolved and is an issue that can only be debated by the people and their elected representatives if the basic facts are revealed.This is true in so many ways. As the NY Times report notes, there had been a public debate about all of this in the 90s, when there was the big fight over the Clipper Chip, an NSA-created form of encryption with backdoors. That fight ended with the NSA losing... and now it appears that they just ignored that and effectively spent the past few decades doing the same exact thing, but in secret. That deserves public exposure and discussion.
Pro Publica points out that this country is founded on a fundamental belief that you can't just "trust" the government, and yet the government is asking us to do exactly that here, as they prove time and time again not to be credible or worthy of trust.
There are those who, in good faith, believe that we should leave the balance between civil liberty and security entirely to our elected leaders, and to those they place in positions of executive responsibility. Again, we do not agree. The American system, as we understand it, is premised on the idea -- championed by such men as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison -- that government run amok poses the greatest potential threat to the people's liberty, and that an informed citizenry is the necessary check on this threat. The sort of work ProPublica does -- watchdog journalism -- is a key element in helping the public play this role.Kudos to all three publications for taking this step. It's unfortunate that they need to do this, but it's a sad statement on the way the US and UK governments have acted.
American history is replete with examples of the dangers of unchecked power operating in secret. Richard Nixon, for instance, was twice elected president of this country. He tried to subvert law enforcement, intelligence and other agencies for political purposes, and was more than willing to violate laws in the process. Such a person could come to power again. We need a system that can withstand such challenges. That system requires public knowledge of the power the government possesses. Today's story is a step in that direction.
Update: The Guardian also mentions that intelligence officials asked them not to publish.


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Jumia, the best online mall in Egypt, serves you by the best possible way. Jumia Egypt is considered number 1 for online shopping Egypt or as many may call it online Souq for whatever you want and more. Our aim is to provide you with the best in class products whether you are in Cairo, Alexandria or any other city in Egypt. On Jumia, we have variable categories for all your needs like mobiles and smart phones at the best prices and outstanding quality, especially in Jumia Black Friday. In addition, we provide the best brands in Egypt and worldwide. You can find top-notch brands such as Apple, Samsung, Infinix, Canon, and Lenovo. We take care as well of you lady! You can find everything you need either for your Home, kitchen or even for your Health and Beauty. For your home, we believe you deserve the best quality appliances; therefore we offer you a wide assortment of the best brands like Unionair, Kiriazi, Sony and lot more. As for your health and beauty, with just one click, you can find what you have been always dreamt of whether it is perfume, makeup, lotion, shaver, or anything from the best brands such as Braun, Adidas, Calvin Klein and a lot more.
Jumia appreciates its friends and fans, so we offer you special promotions and deals. Our newsletter subscribers and Facebook fans get to know all of our offers before anyone else like Jumia Jumia Anniversary. We have a dedicated team as well who can answer your questions instantly on social media. Moreover, you can join Jumia's partners team and to open your shop on Jumia Egypt. Jumia promises to provide you with the best service and quality products. We deliver your order at your door step. You can also check our refund and return policy . Stay Tuned!


text:
BlackBerry said Friday it will slash 4,500 jobs, or above 40 percent of its workforce, as part of a restructuring and announced preliminary earnings and revenue that fell short of Wall Street's estimates.
As part of the massive restructuring, the struggling company said it targets reduction of its operating expenditures by approximately 50 percent by end of the first quarter in fiscal 2015.
Trading in shares of BlackBerry had been halted due to "news pending" on both Nasdaq and the Toronto Stock Exchange.
In the minutes after trading resumed at 3:35 pm ET, the shares plunged as much as 23 percent to $8.06, before bouncing back a bit from its low. They closed at $8.83, down $1.79 or 17.1 percent.
Before the late-session halt, BlackBerry was priced at $10.27, down $0.25 or 2.38 percent on the day.
(Read more: Record iPhone debut isn't a 'victory lap' yet: Pro)
"The company has sailed off a cliff," said Collin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Partners. "What do you expect when you announce you're up for sale? Who wants to commit to a platform that could possibly be shut down?"
Following the news, David Garrity, a principal at GVA Research, said "today's announcement just brought the end game a lot closer."


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|Episode Description
|Saturday, Oct 6, 2012 - 8:00 AM
"Mexican-Style Kids' Party"
Fun, kid-friendly and (mostly!) finger food that you'd find at a children's party in Mexico, adapted for American parties at home. A special guest shows up to make dessert! Crazy Corn; Chicken Flautas; Chocolate and Cajeta Cupcakes.. D
Mountain Time
|More on IDAHO (MT)
|No upcoming shows in database


text:
Baltimore is wasting about $400,000 every month it does not install a new phone system, a lawyer for Comptroller Joan M. Pratt argued in court Thursday. But the mayor's lawyers argued that Pratt has no legal right to sue the city because she is a city officer.
Pratt and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake have been sparring for months over who should upgrade the city's phone system, leading to a war of words, an investigation by the city's inspector general and now a court battle.
"The city is throwing money down the drain," said Pratt's attorney, Charles G. Bernstein, a former city judge who works for Orioles owner Peter Angelos' law firm.
City Solicitor George Nilson argued that Pratt has herself to blame for the state of the city's phones. It took Pratt's office, which runs the system through the Municipal Telephone Exchange, more than four years to complete a process for approving an overhaul, he said.
Moreover, Nilson argued, Pratt has no right to sue. And he filed a motion seeking to have Bernstein's appearance in the case stricken, so Pratt would have to argue the case.
"People within the government cannot sue the government," Nilson said. "If you allow them to sue the government, we would be suing each other on a regular basis."
Such rules are "a way to prevent the city from turning on itself, eating its own limbs and eating itself," Nilson said.
Circuit Judge Jeffrey M. Geller delayed ruling on several motions or the merits of the suit. But he gave the mayor's office an early victory by denying Pratt's motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent the mayor's office from upgrading the phones — or paying any firm for such work.
The city submitted a sworn statement from its chief information officer, Chris Tonjes, saying it was not currently working on a phone upgrade and had no plans to do so.
Tension between Pratt and Rawlings-Blake flared in June, when the mayor moved to defer a $7.4 million contract with IBM for a new phone system, and Pratt accused her of trying to install a phone system without going through the proper bidding process. The next month, Baltimore's Board of Estimates, which is controlled by Rawlings-Blake, rejected the IBM contract.
Pratt said IBM was the lowest bidder and should have been awarded the work.
Meanwhile, the mayor's office contended that it had the right to buy equipment for a Voice on Internet Protocol pilot project under an existing contract with Digicon Corp. Another contract with Digicon provided staffing. VoIPoice systems allow calls to be placed through the Internet rather than traditional phone lines and are considered more efficient.
The judge's ruling Thursday against a restraining order means the city can pay Digicon $137,000 — the final part of about $955,000 for certain equipment purchases and staffing.
In her lawsuit, Pratt contends that because Digicon didn't participate in the bidding process in which IBM emerged as the winner, the company shouldn't be allowed to continue work on a new phone system.
"It is IBM or nothing," Bernstein said in court Thursday. "If the mayor does nothing, then we continue to waste $400,000 a month, $5 million a year."
At the hearing, both sides lamented the state of the city's phones. Nilson called the Verizon Centrex system the city currently uses "outmoded, outdated and too expensive." Bernstein characterized the phone system as "lousy."
Tonjes and Pratt met last week to talk about what to do next. The administration proposed a memorandum of understanding that would create a new commission to oversee the city's phone system and to find additional savings beyond what the original IBM contract promised.
"Hopefully, the comptroller will now drop this frivolous lawsuit and approve the proposed" memorandum, said Ryan O'Doherty, Rawlings-Blake's spokesman. "While the comptroller is suing the city she's responsible for serving, the mayor has proposed a solution that demands cost savings, accountability and transparency. Let's stop suing and start doing."
Tonjes said he took issue with some provisions in the IBM contract. The contract called for an estimated $320,000 in travel and relocation costs for IBM workers and tax breaks for out-of-state workers whose home states have lower tax rates, the mayor's office said. Tonjes also took issue with higher hourly rates for some IBM workers than what his office now pays for the same functions.
On Thursday, Pratt said the mayor's own offices vetted and approved the IBM deal.
"The contract has been vetted," she said. "It has been approved and brought forward to the Board of Estimates by the mayor's purchasing department. So there's nothing wrong with the contract."
Ian Brennan, a spokesman for the mayor, said the mayor's purchasing office does not vet the results of the comptroller's requests for purchases.
IBM spokesman Clint Roswell said in a statement: "IBM stands ready to deliver a modernized communications system so the City of Baltimore can better serve its citizens."
Pratt added that she had concerns about the memorandum of understanding, saying her office wasn't invited to help draft it. "In my opinion, it is one-sided."
Digicon did not respond to requests for comment. Verizon declined to comment.
The city's inspector general investigated Rawlings-Blake administration's purchase of nearly $675,000 in phone and computer equipment and found possible conflicts of interest and missed opportunities for "significant cost savings." Inspector General David N. McClintock also found that the mayor's technology office withheld information from other city officials about the project.
But McClintock said in an interview that his probe found no illegalities.
The next hearing date in the case, styled Pratt and Joan Doe, Taxpayer, v. Mayor and City Council, has not been set.


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Network interface for device level ring networks
Innovasic's RapID Platform Network Interface for Industrial Ethernet connectivity supports high performance Device Level Ring (DLR) networks. DLR is the fault recovery protocol endorsed by ODVA for network ring topologies. The RapID Platform EtherNet/IP Network Interface with DLR supports beacon rates down to 100 µs enabling fault recovery and ring restore times of less than 10 ms. Participation in the DLR ring is transparent to any host processor or host application connected to the RapID Platform.
As with all protocol versions of the Network Interface, the EtherNet/IP version with DLR incorporates PriorityChannel technology. PriorityChannel eliminates the effects of network traffic loading and ensures real-time EtherNet/IP messages are always processed on-time. A field device incorporating Innovasic's Network Interface solution is protected from unpredictable packet delays, excessive latency, and connection failure without worrying about network segmentation or switch configuration.


text:
(CBS News) WASHINGTON - The Obama administration said Sunday they know for sure what the Syrian government used against its own people: Sarin gas.
What they don't know for sure is whether Congress will okay a response.
Complete CBS Coverage: Syria Crisis
Lawmakers warn congressional vote on whether to strike Syria could fail
Many at U.N. welcome Obama's move on Syria
The president, in a surprise speech Saturday, said he would seek congressional approval before launching any military strike. That means the debate likely won't begin for eight more days when Congress reconvenes.
Unofficially, it is well underway.
Members of Congress from all around the country streamed back to the Capitol this holiday weekend for a classified briefing from the president's national security staff.
Most of them said they're still deciding how to voteafter the president granted them the input they demanded.
"There's a great deal of skepticism in the room about the utility, effectiveness and support that we would have for the kind of strike that the president has proposed," said Rep. Jim Himes, D.-Conn.
Lawmakers said they trust the administration's evidence that Syria's government gassed its own people. But that may not be enough.
"I feel terrible about the chemical weapons that have been used. However, we know chemical weapons have been used in other instances and we did not take military action," said Rep. Janice Hahn, D.-Calif.
Even members who had consulted with Mr. Obama said they were surprised by his announcement Saturday that he would seek authorization from Congress before acting.
Arizona Republican John McCain was one of them, but he would not speculate about whether it was a political decision.
"I do not know what went into his thinking, but if that decision was to be made, in my view, it should have been made a long time ago," McCain said.
On five Sunday talk shows, Secretary of State John Kerry insisted the White House was simply being inclusive, not indecisive.
"I think the president realized in consultations with the Congress that people wanted to weigh in. And he believed, after thinking about it, that the United States of America is much stronger when we act in concert," Kerry said.
Lawmakers are well aware the president could end up looking weak abroad if Congress does not back him up. But many members said the authorization he's seeking is too broad and that the request will need to be rewritten more narrowly if it's going to have a chance of passing.


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South Sudan falls apart, Indian soldiers killed
It's the first announcement of UN personnel dying in this week's upsurge of violence that has killed hundreds of people. The outbreak is being seen as a fracture along ethnic lines and what could come next, some warn, is ethnic cleansing.world Updated: Dec 21, 2013 00:51 IST
Less than three years after its creation, the world's newest country is beginning to fracture along ethnic lines in violence that has killed hundreds of people, including three UN peacekeepers. What could come next, some warn, is ethnic cleansing.
South Sudan's numerous ethnic groups have battled each other for decades, but for years their animosity was united in hatred of the government in Khartoum, Sudan, the country's former capital. When thWorld's newest country on the edge, Indian peacekeepers killed in S Sudane south gained independence in 2011, the groups' common enemy receded, exposing the fault lines - this week, even among the presidential guard.
On Thursday, armed youths breached a UN compound in Jonglei state, causing an unknown number of casualties.
"Unfortunately, just this very morning such militia groups have targeted and killed three soldiers from India in South Sudan," India's UN Ambassador Asoke Mukerji told a UN meeting on peacekeeping Thursday evening.
It was the first announcement of UN personnel killed in this week's upsurge of violence. Pakistan's UN Ambassador Masood Khan asked for a minute of silence, and diplomats rose to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers.
In the capital, Juba, emergency evacuation flights took away American and British citizens, aid workers and United Nations personnel to escape the violence.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon again urged political dialogue.
"The future of this young nation requires its current leadership to do everything possible to prevent South Sudan descending into the chaos that would be such a betrayal of the ideals behind its long struggle for independence," a statement from his office said late Thursday.
South Sudan's government declared that its security forces "are in absolute control of the situation," but admitted later Thursday that the central government had lost control of Bor, the capital of the country's largest and most populous state, where barrages of gunfire were reported.
"The situation in South Sudan can be best described as tense and fragile. If it is not contained, it could lead to ethnic cleansing," said Choul Laam, a top official with the ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement, who spoke in Nairobi, Kenya.
Violence broke out late Sunday when the presidential guard splintered along ethnic lines. Guards from the president's majority Dinka tribe tried to disarm guards from the Nuer ethnic group, said Laam. Violence in Juba spiraled from there, and then extended out into the country.
"The awful accounts of killings in Juba may only be the tip of the iceberg," said Daniel Bekele of Human Rights Watch. "Government officials - whatever their politics - need to take urgent steps to prevent further abuses against civilians and quickly deescalate rising ethnic tensions."
President Salva Kiir earlier said an attempted coup had triggered the violence, and the blame was placed on ousted Vice President Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer.
Machar disputed Kiir's allegations that he had attempted a coup, but said he wants Kiir out of power.
"We want him to leave. We want him to leave. That's it," Machar told Radio France Internationale. "He can't unite the people and he kills them like flies."
Machar, an influential politician who is a hero of the brutal war of independence against Sudan, is Kiir's rival for top leadership of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement party. Tensions had been mounting since Kiir fired Machar as his deputy in July. Machar later said he would contest the presidency in 2015.
Regardless of the cause, the South Sudan government said the violence has already killed up to 500 people.
Armed ethnic Nuer youths breached a UN compound in the tiny Jonglei village of Akobo, near the Ethiopian border, to reach civilians believed to be Dinkas seeking shelter there, said UN spokesman Farhan Haq in New York. "We fear there may have been some fatalities but can't confirm who and how many at this stage," Haq said.
At the time, 43 Indian peacekeepers, six UN police advisers and two UN civilian employees were present at the base, as were about 30 South Sudanese who had sought shelter, according to the UN mission in South Sudan. The mission said it would dispatch aircraft early Friday to evacuate UN personnel who remain at the base.
South Sudan's capital was mostly peaceful Thursday, and the government tried to assure the UN and foreign embassies "that civil tranquility has been fully restored."
US President Barack Obama said in a letter to Congress that 45 military personnel were dispatched to South Sudan on Wednesday to protect US citizens and property.
Countries such as the US, Britain, Italy and Germany continued to evacuate residents. A plane with a mechanical malfunction blocked the runway during the day, jamming up inbound and outbound flights.
The US evacuation plane - the fourth group of Americans flown out in two days - was eventually able to take off heading for Kenya. "Runway clear. Wheels up," the embassy said on Twitter. Two military flights and a charter took off on Wednesday. Britain's evacuation plane landed in Uganda late Thursday.
The government said it lost control of Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, to forces loyal to Machar. Gunfire was reported early and late in the day, and the UN used four helicopters to transport 75 people - a mix of aid workers and UN staff - to Juba, said Challiss McDonough, a spokeswoman for the UN's World Food Program.
"We lost control of Bor to the rebellion," said Philip Aguer, the South Sudanese military spokesman.
Aguer said renegade officers wrested control of the town from loyalist forces. At least 19 civilians had been killed in Bor, said Martin Nesirky, a spokesman for the UN secretary-general's office, citing figures from the South Sudan Red Cross.
In oil-rich Unity state, fighting broke out in oil fields on Wednesday and Thursday, said Mabek Lang De Mading, the state's deputy governor. He said five people died Wednesday and 11 on Thursday.
Foreign ministers from neighboring countries Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Djibouti traveled to South Sudan to try and diffuse the crisis.
Human Rights Watch said Thursday that South Sudanese soldiers fired indiscriminately in highly populated areas of Juba earlier in the week and targeted people for their ethnicity.
Citing witnesses and victims, the group reported that "soldiers specifically targeted people from the Nuer ethnic group." In some cases, the group added, the Dinka may have been targeted by Nuer soldiers.
An estimated 20,000 people have sought refuge at two UN compounds in Juba and another 14,000 in Bor. UN officials warned of a humanitarian crisis.
Deputy secretary-general Jan Eliasson said in New York on Thursday that the UN will do its best to protect those who have sought refuge. "Clearly, civilians are in danger," said Eliasson.
First Published: Dec 20, 2013 07:35 IST


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Weak Economic Data Weighs On Markets
Steve Russolillo reports on a series of negative economic pieces of data released Thursday morning that could damper the Dow's streak of record closes. Photo: Getty Images
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... the the ... now a creature to the mock it's coming off another ... day in the Dow I'm ... on another view Steve Russolillo on getting a bit cold with just a piece ... of that money invested in this riding out of the book what's on the blog a broken record ... fifty hitting record highs is is is the little that is just twenty ... one ... minus twenty ... record highs record setting gains for the database you laugh so yet it's been so much so how we look in this one is we've got some better if we don't want the index is up with data surprise to downsize so jobless claims spiked up about thirty thousand around three hundred sixty thousand now so that number had been trending lower for a while we look at three thirty am right right so that was of peak spike Hires awesome people by surprise ... housing starts were down sixteen percent ... of that also was a big shock now ... take it for what it's worth I mean it's one of her eight year could be revised deal would not and and that trend is clearly been up for housing that this is that the staff Leon ... it's awesome people and then not be the CPI numbers ... came in I found point four percent to one number was up twenty one percent ... think basically fears that inflation is is still growth retained ... profit in the CNN and time runs about exactly ... um okay so what could face up to ... three stocks at J C Penney of the report after the bell today that's Avici beat the struggling retailer that has been used ... up or quit some time now ... you know that the company ... guided down last month they basically ... said you know a word and have a bad word so that the beacon kind expects her to the kitchen sink quarter here where basically ... you know it's can be bad and it's Guinea that I think what investors are looking for is what's going happen next was the outlook for this company they've ... brought back the motions the prospect of discounts that ... the former CEO Jon Ron Johnson had done away with so ... can the company ... we have a consummate hinted that had to take on the paper sign the chemical vehicle back to the battle these two dozen eleven is the battle these would actually be an improvement from what's happened passes says ... it I think I must say that is struggling ... with us today on its list of the Dow component the tech bellwether reported results yesterday after the bell ... on the spot but the results will do better than sustained the stock is about eight percent rate now ... in pre market trading so that will give the with the little bit of a lift to the Dow ... and I it's it's so more good news in the tech sector which ... you know concerned the market moves on the market's record run is that the technology sector has actually struggle bewildered compared to the broader market so it's more good news and tech fund is is a welcome sign him to invest in Tesla stock that has caught our eye on that on that day in the ad the stock market darling over the past week I picked this stock is just an unbelievable Swatch heavy trading blind spot this award ... and ... people are to me it's it's a subtle impact is yet to come to report its first ever quarterly profit last week that's a good sign but there was a heavy short interest in the stock ... heading into those results ... and now lot of those sorts of can squeeze that their positions ... so that is also fueling the rise higher so the stock market cap is around ten billion at this point ... on the stock is now up on and ... they analysis of stock offering last night the CEO is also buying shares ... so ... there's a lot going on the ten engines and Illinois are and exactly is that I mean any an exciting one to watch the factors listed printed in time


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Moderators: Three Stars, dagny, pfim, netwolf
shafnutz05 wrote:So yeah......mark my words, the Flyers WILL make the playoffs.
PPenguinsFan66 wrote:Boston takes the lead 1-0
pens2005 wrote:It's actually kinda funny because every team we are playing the flyers need to lose, and we are helping them out tremendously.
pens2005 wrote:PPenguinsFan66 wrote:Boston takes the lead 1-0
Another team the flyers need to lose is now losing.
I honestly must say, we play Philly in round 1 it won't be a good thing.
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Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has joined the cast of "The Hunger Games" sequel "Catching Fire" as head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee, according to Lionsgate, the studio behind the movies.
Hoffman will play the sly orchestrator of the 75th annual Hunger Games, replacing the previous gamemaker, Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley), who met an early demise after allowing heroine Katniss Everdeen to manipulate the previous games.
Hoffman will enter the fictional world of Panem, playing opposite "Hunger Games" cast members Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson. The sequel is being directed by Francis Lawrence ("Water for Elephants"), who took over for Gary Ross this year.
According to Lionsgate, "Catching Fire" tracks Everdeen's journey as she returns home to District 12 after winning the 74th Hunger Games along with her fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. The two must now embark on a victory tour across the districts, where rebellion is beginning to simmer.
Production on the movie is set to begin this fall with the studio already locked into Nov. 22, 2013, as its release date.
Most recently, Hoffman completed a Broadway run of "Death of a Salesman,"for which he was nominated for a Tony for his role as Willy Loman. He will be seen later this year in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master,"opposite Joaquin Phoenix, and in the indie drama "A Late Quartet" with Catherine Keener and Christopher Walken.


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Friday, February 09, 2007
The Not Making This Up Awards Part III: Announcing "The Patrick" Award for Worst Conference Call of the Season
Long time readers may feel a certain assuredness reading the title of this particular post, believing they already know what company—out of the thousands of possibilities—The Not Making This Up Awards is nominating for Worst Conference Call of the Season.
But the fact that we here at Not Making This Up have chosen to label our "Worst Conference Call" award "The Patrick" does not actually mean that Overstock.com has won "Worst Conference Call."
It's just what we decided to call the thing.
After all, Overstock's quarterly conference calls are like nothing else. To paraphrase the narrator in "A Christmas Story" when describing his father's prowess in cursing, Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne works in non sequiturs the way Picasso worked in oils.
Take his wrap-up on this last quarter's conference call: see if you can figure out what this means...
I have never heard Jason [Lindsey, Overstock President] so optimistic for the future actually. Okay, that is all we have to say. Thank you, owners, for sticking with us, those that have.
We have been through tough times. '06 was a wipe out year. And there was a lot of pain, but a lot of it -- all the pain of tightening the belt and resizing our expense structure, we got our infrastructure fixed, but our expense structure still isn't there. But we have already taken steps at the end of the year and the first part of this year. We have made most of the decisions and made some of the changes. And there is -- we just have to carry them out in the next few months.
But I actually have never heard Jason -- I'm just not going to comment on my own emotions, but those of you who know Jason, know you probably never heard him so optimistic. But we do have our work cut out for us still. But we do think we've gotten through the toughest part. Thank you all for your time. Bye-bye.
Why it matters that "Jason" has "never been so optimistic for the future" is beyond me—"Jason" is both President and Chief Operating Officer of the company, yet he failed to correctly answer a pretty basic question earlier in the call:
Jason Lindsey, President and COO: Bill asked three questions. The middle question I don't think we answered, which is where do you see the $5.5 million co-location termination payment. And Dave correct me if I'm wrong, that is in our G&A expenses, is that correct?
David Chidester, SVP Finance: It is actually in our technology expenses which relates to the co-location facility
As far as I can tell, even a cursory glance at the Overstock "L" statement (that's a "P & L" without the "P") would have revealed the likely placement of the one-time $5.5 million line-item to the most casual financial observer—but you be the judge:
Overstock's G&A expense rose $4.2 million year over year, from $11.6 million to $15.8 million; Overstock's technology expense rose $15.4 million year over year, from $9.9 million to $25.3 million. Where would you guess the $5.5 million technology related co-location payment had been expensed?
Still, the point here is not to belabor the latest public statements of a company whose operating problems are well known, and whose CEO has, lawsuits and conspiracy theories notwithstanding, taken the blame for those operating problems.
The point here is to highlight a company whose fourth quarter conference call was one of the worst I have ever heard.
The company in question is a biotechnology company with a great product (Synagis, an anti-viral medication for premature infants) and a less-great product (FluMist, a nasal flu vaccine that has generally failed to meet anybody's expectations since a much-ballyhooed introduction flopped a couple years back).
On the plus side, the company provided key IP for Gardisil, the new Merck HPV vaccine that is on track to be one of the blockbuster new products of the decade, so it should ride a fast-growing royalty stream from the HPV vaccine for years to come.
In the meantime, the company has been struggling to demonstrate to Wall Street's Finest—almost uniformly skeptical since the FluMist debacle—that it has a worthwhile pipeline of new products, and held what is generally referred to as an "upbeat" analysts day almost exactly 60 days ago to showcase all the great things it was doing to extend the Synagis franchise, to get FluMist back on its metaphorical feet, and to hit two bucks a share in earnings in 2009.
On the surface, this company's Q4 numbers looked like a pretty good start towards that goal. According to the press release issued Wednesday morning,
[The company] also announced today that it had exceeded its earnings guidance for 2006 by reporting net earnings of $75 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, excluding share-based compensation expense. Including share-based compensation, [the company's] net earnings for 2006 were $49 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, as calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
The casual reader would be pleased especially with the fourth quarter, which by all appearances was a bang-up way to end the year:
For the 2006 fourth quarter, [the company's] net earnings were $155 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, excluding share-based compensation.
Wall Street's Finest had been looking for $0.54 per share.
It is only by reading further down, under "Gains on Sale of Asset and Investment Activities" do we find that the company—which, yes, is MedImmune—did not get to those chest-thumping numbers by dint of strong sales and reduced costs alone:
During the fourth quarter of 2006, MedImmune completed the sale of the CytoGam … product line, recognizing a gain of $49 million. Also during the fourth quarter of 2006, MedImmune realized gains of $42 million, after impairment charges of $6 million, primarily from the sale of two investments in its venture capital investment portfolio. For all of 2006, gains on investment activities totaled $34 million, net of impairment charges of $15 million.
One of Wall Street's Finest—taken aback at the convoluted disclosure—later described the super-duper reported earnings as "almost fictional." But that was later, after the conference call.
Another "almost fictional" number trumpeted in the press release was the U.S. revenue number for Synagis—an important and very profitable but highly seasonal drug under pressure from managed care providers—in the press release:
In the fourth quarter of 2006, worldwide sales of Synagis grew to $457 million from $439 million in the 2005 quarter, due primarily to an increase in reported sales for the U.S. to $403 million in the 2006 period from $379 million in 2005.
That U.S. Synagis number was right in line with Wall Street forecasts, although a little disappointing to the optimists. But in one of the greatest "oh, by the way" bombshells I've ever heard, the CFO disclosed on the conference call that $20 million of those so-called sales had actually been the result of a reversal in previous reserves "with respect to Medicaid rebates."
Management also used the conference call to drop two other bombshells: first, that FluMist doses fell about 20% short of managements guidance at the analyst meeting 60 days ago; and that the introduction of Numax, a follow-up drug to Synagis on which management has placed great emphasis, has been pushed back following a meeting with the FDA.
Now, business is full of risks—and the medical business is probably full of bigger risks than any other. If a new drug isn't toxic, and doesn't kill patients, and actually does what the drug discoverer hopes it will do, there's no telling whether the FDA will approve it, the government will reimburse it, and doctors will use it.
So there is no shame in a company—any company, but especially a biotech company—missing quarterly numbers and adjusting new product schedules without mentioning all the details in the earnings press release.
But MedImmune not only missed numbers and pushed out an important new product without discussing the details in the press release: on the ensuing conference call, the company limited Wall Street's Finest to one question each and cut off the call after an hour, with only nine of Wall Street's Finest able to ask questions.
I am not making that up.
For the record, I counted 12 questions from the floor, including three brief, apologetic follow-ups from those of Wall Street's Finest who dared cross the "one question only" rule, before the CEO wrapped things up by noting that the hour was up.
By way of contrast, when Boston Scientific was missing numbers last fall, I counted 36 questions on their third-quarter conference call, from ten analysts with no limits on their questions or their follow-up questions.
As I said, there is no shame in a company missing numbers.
But companies that do miss numbers, or push out new product releases 60 days after reaffirming those product releases, or fail to highlight non-recurring gains in their earnings release—or all three, as in this case—generally spend the time to take all questions, in public, however they hurt, and answer them.
This award—"The Patrick"—is named for the CEO of Overstock.com, whose conference calls some find as unintentionally amusing as a grade-school production of "Fiddler on the Roof." But I will give Patrick Byrne one thing: he takes questions on his calls, good, bad, ugly, from Wall Street's Finest, no holds barred, as MedImmune did not.
Hence, the first "Patrick" award goes to David Mott, CEO, MedImmune.
Jeff Matthews
I Am Not Making This Up
© 2007 Jeff Matthews
The content contained in this blog represents the opinions of Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews also acts as an advisor and clients advised by Mr. Matthews may hold either long or short positions in securities of various companies discussed in the blog based upon Mr. Matthews' recommendations. This commentary in no way constitutes a solicitation of business or investment advice. It is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader, and the author.
7 comments:
- Patrick said...
On behalf of all Patricks everywhere, we wish you would find another term for this award. Unlike Byrne, most of us are at least occasionally coherent.
- john lichtenstein said...
How about "Hannibal" instead of "Patrick"? It's not such a common name anymore. And it provides a lot of opportunites for alliteration and elephant references.
- jmf said...
hello from germany,
that even tops the calls i heard from wci and new.
- Carter said...
I think you should re-open nominations. Last week's EK call was right up there with some of the best CREAF calls of days old.
- Sam E. Antar said...
After this post you may end up on antisocialmedia.net which a smear web site is run by Judd Bagley the Director of Social Media at Overstock.com.
Sam E. Antar (former Crazy Eddie CFO & convicted felon)
PS: Jeff, this is just an observation based on past performance.
- Jeff Matthews said...
Carter: Well, I did give the Kodak call one Award, but if you think I've left out any deserving conference-caller, let the nominations be re-opened!
Sam: Thanks for your concern, my friend, but I've been smeared plenty by that crowd already. The less informed they are, the louder they scream. Otherwise, nobody would pay any attention.
- Sam E. Antar said...
I hope you can see from my posts here that I have made no excuses for my vile criminal past. I have tried to teach others the lessons of my own criminal actions.
The main pillar of our great capitalist economic system is the integrity of financial information.
It is very troubling when a public corporation such as Overstock.com has a Director of Social Media who "in his spare time" runs a smear web site (anitsocialmedia.net) whose main purpose is to attacks critics of the actions of Patrick Byrne the CEO of Overstock.com and blunt inquiry into Overstock.com.
While Patrick Byrne AKA Hannibal has written "Overstock and I have precisely 0 to do with AntiSocialMedia" the barriers are flimsy at best. Judd Bagley's spare time can in some cases be defined as "lunch time" or "days off" during normal week day business hours at Overstock.com as his posts appear on message boards and blogs during that time frame. Patrick Byrne has publicly suggested to others on the Investor Village Message Board to read Judd Bagley's web site and has admitted to discussing the content of the web site with Judd Bagley in a post on the Investor Village message board. Judd Bagley admits to using multiple anonymous aliases on message boards. He discusses the use of "strategic messaging." Perhaps this is what Patrick Byrne means by "hijack the discourse."
If Overstock.com and Patrick Byrne is using Judd Bagley and antisocialmedia.net as a surrogate to change the discourse into Overstock.com and the actions of Patrick Byrne, Judd Bagley, and perhaps others, than this is a very troubling issue for the regulators and others to consider.
Sam E. Antar (former Crazy Eddie CFO & convicted felon)
PS: Jeff, I am very serious about this. Others are serious about it too.


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Magners League
Ravenhill test awaits leaders
ESPNscrum Staff
October 28, 2010
Ruan Pienaar and the South African contingent at Ulster will test Munster's resources on Friday © Getty Images
Ospreys 16 - 21 Dragons Benetton Treviso 24 - 17 Connacht Leinster 19 - 18 Edinburgh Scarlets 18 - 14 Glasgow Ulster 6 - 16 Munster Aironi 3 - 20 Cardiff Blues
Aironi Benetton Treviso Cardiff Blues Connacht Dragons Edinburgh Glasgow Leinster Munster Ospreys Scarlets Ulster
Magners League pacesetters Munster travel north on Friday night for a mouthwatering clash with Ulster at Ravenhill.
With their only league defeat coming away at another Irish province, Leinster, Tony McGahan will be wary of slipping up - especially given the number of his players who will be on Ireland duty. The Australian can call on John Hayes, Peter Stringer and Johne Murphy who have been released from Declan Kidney's training camp, but Keith Earls is injured but he has just 21 senior players available to him for the clash.
With their contingent of ex-Springboks Ulster are in a strong position for the clash despite the loss of five players to the international team and seven injured players. Ruan Pienaar, Pedrie Wannenburg and Johann Muller will all provide the experience Brian McLaughlin will want to see guide his team back to winning ways after they slipped up at Edinburgh. Irish U-20 international Nevin Spence starts at inside centre in the absence of Paddy Wallace, while Ian Humphreys starts at fly-half. Nigel Brady replaces Rory Best and Bryan Young comes in for the injured BJ Botha.
Also on Friday, basement boys Aironi host the Cardiff Blues who are bolstered by three players made available from the Welsh squad as Martyn Williams and Scott Andrews start and John Yapp is on the bench. Coach Dai Young has handed a debut to teenager Dan Fish at fullback.
Aironi's search for a first ever win continues and coach Franco Bernini has rung the changes with five new faces taking on Cardiff. Gabriel Pizarro returns in place of Matteo Pratichetti, while Danwel Demas replace Venditti on the left wing and scrum-half TitoTebaldi returns to play alongside Ludovic Mercier. Quintin Geldenhuys replaces the injured Carlo Del Falva up front, while Jaco Erasmus starts in the back-row.
Scarlets will look to secure back to back victories by beating Glasgow at Parc y Scarlets, but the Scots are boosted by a full strength squad and the confidence gained from downing the Ospreys last week. Despite that win, Sean Lineen makes four changes to his team as Graeme Morrison makes his 100th Magners League appearance for the club. Peter Horne replaces Bernardo Stortoni at full back, DTH van der Merwe and Federico Aramburu start on the wing and Ed Kalman replaces Moray Low up front.
Leinster's squad depth will be tested as Edinburgh visit the RDS. Leo Cullen will get a chance to strengthen his international chances, while Shane Horgan and Isaac Boss have been released from the Ireland set-up that contains 13 Leinster stars.
Alex Blair, a member of the Scotland 7s team that competed in the Commonwealth Games earlier this month, makes his Edinburgh debut at fly-half alongside elder brother Mike, who has shaken off a bug that prevented him from starting in the victory over Ulster last Friday. However, Edinburgh's other Blair brother, David, is excused the trip to Dublin as a precaution after suffering a blow to the head during a midweek training session.
Connacht travel to Italy to face a Benetton Treviso side who have lost just once at home in the league this season. Eric Elwood will want his charges to bounce back from their heartbreaking defeat to Leinster at the Sportsgrounds last week and he can welcome Brett Wilkinson, John Muldoon and Gavin Duffy back into his squad.
Italian centre Gonzalo Garcia is set to make his Magners League debut after recovering from his shoulder injury eight months ago while young prop Matteo Muccignat could make his first appearance starting from the bench for Treviso.
The Ospreys take on the Dragons on Saturday evening in a Welsh derby at the Liberty Stadium. The Dragons won their second match of the season in hammering Aironi last time out, while the Neath-Swansea side will be looking to bounce back from their humbling visit to Scotland last Sunday.
Dai Flanagan will make his first appearance for the Ospreys at No.10 with Dan Biggar one of a host of players away with Wales. Young back Ashley Beck comes in at inside centre, while Tom Isaacs and Conor McInerney will make their debuts in the Magners League if they come off the bench. With Will Harries with the Welsh team, Pat Leach will start at fullback for the Dragons while Nathan Brew returns to make a start on the wing.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The MIT women's volleyball program was one of 14 teams to earn the New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) Academic Team Award. The Engineers collected their third consecutive honor as they attained a minimum grade point average of 4.2 on a 5.0 scale during the fall semester.
Also making the cut was Bowdoin College, Connecticut College, Emerson College, Emmanuel College, Husson University, Middlebury College, Roger Williams University, Salve Regina University, Springfield College, Trinity College, Wesleyan University, Western New England University, Westfield State University, and Williams College.
The NEWVA Academic Team Award was introduced in 2008 to recognize the hard work and dedication of the teams' student-athletes off the court and in the classroom. Twenty-seven percent of all member programs qualified for the prestigious award marking the largest field since the award's inception.
Established nearly 25 years ago, NEWVA is open to all collegiate institutions in New England sponsoring Division III women's volleyball. The 2012 membership was comprised of 56 coaches from nine conferences. For all the latest news, visit www.newvad3.com.