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Top Project Management Methodologies: Which Is the Best Fit for Your Team's Success?
Project management can either be the key to your company's success or the problem that holds it back. So, instead of trying to improve how your company manages projects, it's worth considering the very model you use to begin with.
The Top 3 Management Methodologies
Instead of reinventing the wheel, consider the following three methodologies that are already proven to work.
1. Agile
If you work in the software world, you've probably heard of Agile before. It was originally introduced in 2001 with the Manifesto of Software Development. Since then, the management methodology has spread to a number of other industries, too. For example, Agile Marketing has proven to be incredibly popular.
The guiding principle of Agile is the incremental approach. If we use software as an example, the process used to begin with customer input. After that, the development could begin. When that step was finished, testing would be done before the platform was delivered.
With Agile, software projects are broken down into user stories, which help illustrate desired functionality. These stories are prioritized, so teams can focus on the most important ones first. As each story is completed – usually in two-week spans called sprints – they're delivered to the client for review.
This approach not only involves the customer more in the entire process but, by doing so, also ensures that any flaws in the software are caught early and fixed. Again, this method works for all kinds of endeavors, too, not just software development.
2. Waterfall
The Waterfall project management methodology begins with a much more formal planning step. The goal is to sufficiently capture all of the project's requirements upfront so as to reduce the chances of losing any key requirements.
Another advantage for many companies is that its framework supports managerial control and departmentalization. This approach is much more like an assembly line. The project moves through different stages of development. It looks like this:
- Requirements
- Design
- Implementation
- Testing
- Maintenance
Unlike Agile, there are no iterative steps involved. One potential drawback, though, is that it doesn't provide the same opportunities for revision. Once the project reaches the testing stage, it is extremely difficult to turn back and make changes.
Of course, Agile is not perfect, either. Waterfall fits into traditional operations far better, for one thing. Fortunately, companies can also pick a hybrid version.
3. Hybrid
The Agile-Waterfall Hybrid methodology has become a popular alternative to choosing between the two. One of the main reasons for this is that a lot of companies are hesitant to jump straight into Agile, which is radically different than most conventional project management approaches.
With the hybrid methodology, the Waterfall's initial stage is kept. Again, this tends to reassure those who are otherwise skeptical about the Agile methodology. However, once planning is complete, Agile steps take over, delivering the benefits of iteration, flexibility, and collaboration.
So Which One Is Better?
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all management methodology.
Agile is definitely taking over in the fast-paced world of marketing where customers respond quickly. This is extremely important. You need customers and/or subject matter experts who can be a part of the process during every iteration. Otherwise, Agile won't be much use.
Waterfall is superior when you don't have this kind of interaction or when you have the luxury of a prolonged planning process. A basic example would be something like building a bridge. You're going to spend a lot of time planning it, but you can't go back-and-forth with the consumer to make sure you're headed in the right direction.
The hybrid version is a great stepping stone for companies that eventually want to be completely Agile but need some time to adjust. It's also great for organizations that work on a range of projects and need the flexibility to jump from one to another.
Your leadership team will be best off exploring both methodologies to ensure you make the right choice from these three very capable options.
How to prepare for the first crisis in your restaurant
Even restaurant marketing that has been well thought out doesn't exclude a crisis or two. As a restaurant owner or manager, you have to be prepared for everything, even the worst case scenario. Your business may be all well right now – but that's exactly the time to think about possible worse times.
Listen in order to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses
Everyone likes to listen to praise. It motivates us, it helps us deal with everyday work, and it reminds us why we chose to do what we do. As great as it is hearing all about our strengths, you should be all ears when somebody points out any weaknesses of your business. It's not pleasant, sure, but knowing what goes wrong or could go wrong – this knowledge prepares you for the kind of crisis we're talking about. So, if somebody points out that your online restaurant marketing needs improvement, don't belittle the problem or it could grow into a crisis.
Control your reviews
Do you know that the whole concept of restaurant marketing could go badly wrong just because of your customer reviews? What one customers writes, another can read, and then form an opinion about your restaurant without even ordering an appetizer. You have to take control over the reviews – and you can do that using an online food ordering system just like UpMenu which allows you to check the review before anyone else sees it and then share it – if you want to.
Think fast! And react
There's no way to predict a crisis exactly. When it's there, it's probably too late to fix the problem altogether and sweep it under the rug – it won't just pass by unnoticed. Since you won't be able to make things right immediately, you have to think of the best plan of action to undertake. For example, if it's restaurant marketing that suffers, you have to know exactly what is wrong with it, who is responsible for the trouble, what are the options to make it better, and who should be in charge of improving the situation.
Talk things through
It's all fun and games to talk about success, but nobody really wants to talk about failure. People tend to think that if they don't address the problem, it will just magically disappear. You have to go the other way: if there's something wrong with your restaurant marketing, a first step to solving the problem is saying it out loud. It's better to shout out a question than silently look on as the crisis approaches. You have to communicate your problems, because you won't get through a potential crisis all by yourself.
Be loyal
Big problems, like a crisis in your restaurant, may wake up some instincts in you weren't even aware of. When a crisis comes, you will think as the captain of a sinking ship, but you cannot forget you have a crew by your side. Don't they deserve to know what's happening? If the ship is sinking, you have to let them know.
Talk to your staff
I bet your restaurant management plan didn't include a situation when you have to fire somebody who did nothing wrong or tell them you cannot pay them everything they earned. Every member of your staff has to be aware of the situation you're in. Praise them if it goes well, warn them if you predict some changes when it comes to earnings.
Don't take anything for granted
One day everything goes great but another – even the best restaurant marketing strategies won't help you. People's choices change, the market changes, and so too does the economy. In general, times change and so will your business. If it goes bad, within a few months your crowded restaurant can be empty.
As you see, there are a lot of reasons for your restaurant to fall into crisis. Some of them are irreversible and for those you have to be prepared. But there are also those that are totally up to you. They can happen or not, depending on what kind of restaurant marketing and management you run. Keep that in mind and you will greatly lower the chances of having a crisis.
5 Common Scheduling Issues and How to Avoid Them
Creating a reliable and effective work schedule is crucial to growing your business. A great timetable will make your employees happy, which will attract more customers.
On the flipside, a poorly-constructed schedule could have serious consequences.
Employee fatigue has been the cause of many disasters, like the Chernobyl nuclear explosion and the Exxon Valdez oil spill. As a manager, you've got to be aware of your employees' feelings, mentally and physically.
Failing to notice these problems could hurt your company, causing financial loss. Read on to learn about 5 common scheduling issues, and how you can make work schedules work for you.
1. Overworked Workers
As a member of the retail or service industry, you're no doubt familiar with the dreaded "clopening." A closing shift (ending at 10 or 11 PM) followed immediately by an opener (beginning 7 or 8 AM) is a lot to put on one person.
Driving and taking care of essential needs can take 2 or more hours. This schedule for work leaves your employee with 6 hours or less to sleep. S/he will come in the next morning exhausted, and you'll suffer lost time, productivity, or both.
Avoid employee fatigue with software that looks for consecutive shifts and corrects them. Combat it with breaks and regular shift check-ins.
2. Imbalances
The US ranks in the bottom 20% for work-life balance. Americans have less time to take care of themselves, even though they need an average of 9.58 hours a day to address personal needs.
Making schedules for employees requires careful planning. As a leader, understanding your workers' needs will make you more effective.
They'll thank you for it by being more productive.
3. Sudden No-Shows
Studies show that 38% of employees have called out of work despite feeling fine.
Last-minute absences can cause severe scheduling issues. Doctor's appointments, children, and car problems are just a few reasons someone may fail to come into work.
Making a work schedule that fits everyone's needs is truly an art. Smart software can help alleviate the panic of trying to cover a shift. Allowing employee swaps or having separate teams of workers can help.
Hubworks rolled out their staff scheduling app in order to combat many scheduling issues. Check out their helpful guide to discover the benefits of smart work schedules.
4. Worker Turnover
A long-suffering employee can spell disaster for your company. Losing a few employees won't be a major downfall. However, high employee turnover can hurt your profit and image.
Hiring someone means investing time, money, and resources to training and onboarding them. If you continue to lose people, it's time to reassess scheduling issues and management style.
Above all, happy employees mean happy customers.
5. Too Few or Too Many
Too many workers on a shift can be just as bad as too few.
Your budget will shrink fast, and you'll have to send people home. This means less time and money in both of your pockets.
Only schedule the people you need for that shift. You should alternate workers so that no one works multiple shifts in a row. Employees notice fairness – or lack thereof.
The Art of Combating Scheduling Issues
Figuring out how to schedule employees can be the difference between an okay-manager and a great one. It takes finesse, intelligence, and a dedicated team of individuals to overcome scheduling issues.
To get the best results you'll need an innovative support system and advanced AI. Check out these great employee management programs to simplify your life.
How to Thrive in a Competitive Industry
There are many competitive industries in the UK. Keeping a close eye on what your competitors are doing is essential to making sure that your business can stay one step ahead of the competition.
Consumers can now find companies in the comfort of their own home. Your business may be great, but it also needs to be discovered by the right audience online. If you find yourself getting lost amongst your competitors, try a new angle and give customers something different.
Kamran Mirshahi is the director of Canary Claims, specialising in PPI claims. Customers can choose to make a claim themselves or use a reputable PPI claims company. But, even if a customer decides to use a PPI claims service, there are a number to choose from. In July 2018, the government put in place a fee cap for all PPI claims companies – and this created even greater competition as many companies now charge the same price.
Despite challenges and rogue PPI claims companies giving the industry a bad name, Kamran has succeeded and thrived in the market. Below, he outlines how your business can do the same.
Create a Unique Selling Point
What is your business's unique selling point? There needs to be something different about you to stand out. It could be that all UK deliveries are free or you only stock ethical products. For service businesses, do you offer something free to try and convert customers? Whatever it is, make sure it's different from your competitors.
As a PPI claims company, making our price substantially lower than many other companies was one way to thrive in the industry.
Offer the Best Price
The price point is essential for all companies. How do you balance making enough profit with giving customers a fair price? Return on Investment (ROI) is an important sum to understand. If you believe that a lower price for customers will result in more sales, it could be the right choice for your business. If you are charging a higher rate than your competitors, you should make it clear to customers why this is – and what value you bring to them by charging more.
Have an Easy-to-Use Website
It's been thirty years since the World Wide Web launched. The technology has revolutionised the way that individuals and companies operate. For companies, the need to stand out during a user's search is pivotal to success. Creating an SEO-optimised website has never been so important.
But, even once a user lands on your website, they need to be able to access all of the information they require easily. This means your website needs to be user-friendly and transparent. Your target audience might not be tech-savvy – how does the site look to them?
Having an easily accessible website is a winner. Does it have a clear call to action? Is the language easy to read? Can the customer find out all of the information they need quickly and concisely? If not, address these issues.
Be Upfront with Customers
Honesty and integrity are words that a lot of businesses use. But do they all follow them through? Being upfront with customers about what they can expect from your product or service – as well as the cost – is vital.
One of the reasons for shopping cart abandonment is due to high shipping fees that customers weren't aware of when they started their online shopping. Giving this information to customers can help to reduce this from happening. For those offering services, be clear with your fees upfront. In the PPI claims market, the percentage on a successful claim can make a huge difference to people and showing off a low price can help to increase the number of sales.
Even in competitive markets, you can make your business stand out amongst the competition. Create the best possible website and tell customers why you are the best in your industry.
5 Essential Questions to Ask Before You Rent Office Space
Your business is running full steam ahead! So much so that you're looking to rent new office space.
But before you sign that dotted line, do you know exactly what you're getting into and how it will affect your business?
Many people don't realize choosing the wrong office space can bring business to a screeching halt.
Before you let that happen to you, here are 5 important questions to ask before you rent office space.
1. Is the Location Convenient?
When it comes to real estate matters, it's always about location, location, location. And the same holds true for your office space.
Make sure it's a location your employees will be able to get to easily. You'll want your clients to have no problems finding it. And having good amenities close by is a win for everybody.
2. Will the Size Work for My Needs?
Of course, you'll want to rent out a space that will comfortably fit your team. But also think about any future growth.
Do you plan to add team members in the future? Will other members work remote and not need a desk?
It's a balancing act between renting enough space or renting too much. If you think your needs will change, try using flexible workspaces like beoffices.com.
3. Is the Rent Within My Budget?
You want the best workspace possible, but you don't want to stretch your budget too thin. That's why you need to take all costs into consideration when renting office space.
Is the rent and deposit reasonable compared to other offices in the area? Are there any extra fees such as maintenance, security, or parking? What are the average utility bills for the space?
Every penny counts when meeting your budget, so read the fine print to find out exactly where your money is going.
4. Can I Get All the Services I Need?
Most businesses rely heavily on a fast and consistent internet speed. Not to mention mobile phone service, cable, and other infrastructures that help a business run smoothly.
Contact the building owner and find out what they offer. It might also be a good idea to ask other businesses in the building, or the area, how their services are.
Check your cell phone service in different areas of the space. Ask if you can do an internet speed test. If the service is great, the owner won't hesitate to agree to the test.
5. Does the Building Fit with My Brand?
The style of the building tends to be low on many people's priority list when renting office space, but don't discount it. If you're a business that wants to project a particular brand image, your office space plays a key role in that.
Does the decor of the building blend with your brand? Are you able to make changes if not? Would you be proud to post pictures of your office for clients to see?
If any of your answers are no, you may want to keep looking around.
Get All the Facts Before You Rent Office Space
Before you rent office space, do your research. By asking these important questions, you'll be sure to find the office space that works best for you and your business.
Now that you've got your office space in order, ready to build your employee engagement? Check out these 5 tips to boost engagement today!
4 Networking Tips for Solopreneurs
As a solo entrepreneur, everything falls on your shoulders. If you don't do something, it won't get done. This includes networking. In order to build a thriving professional network, you have to prioritize time for establishing and nurturing mutually beneficial relationships.
The Value of Networking
Many entrepreneurs and freelancers see networking as something that they could do if they had more time. But it's time to stop viewing networking as an optional or supplemental activity. Networking is, in fact, one of the single most important investments you can make in the longevity of your career.
Networking is all about building credibility and establishing long-term relationships that are mutually beneficial. It can take months or years for your efforts to pay off, but the results will come.
"Not all of your professional connections will need your services right away," entrepreneur Neil Kokemuller admits. "However, since you have a connection with them, you have a top-of-mind-awareness advantage when they need your help. This point is especially true if you consistently keep your work and message in front of them."
You'll also find value in rubbing shoulders with people who are talented and skilled in areas that you aren't. Not only can you gather insights and advice from them, but some of their knowledge may actually rub off on you.
4 Tips for Solopreneurs
As a freelancer or entrepreneur, you're in a unique position. On the one hand, you don't have access to some of the same networking resources that your employed peers do. However, you have the freedom and flexibility to pursue networking opportunities that others can't. The key is to make the most of your situation and to continually pursue networking as a long-term investment. Here are a few suggestions:
1. Join Local Groups and Organizations
As a freelancer, you don't have the benefit of being associated with an established business. This means you lack some of the same connections that employees of large organizations have. You can overcome this deficiency by joining local groups and organizations in your industry. Your membership in these groups will give you access to events, conferences, and career opportunities.
2. Leverage Your Personal Network
There's also something to be said for leveraging your personal network to discover opportunities and find new connections. Every friend, relative, neighbor, or former classmate is a potentially valuable resource for you and your career. Cultivate these relationships by regularly catching up and/or informing them about what you're doing.
3. Join a Coworking Space
For many freelancers, working from home is somewhat problematic in the sense that it eliminates your ability to rub shoulders with people on a daily basis. To combat this isolation, join a coworking space that allows you to mingle with other people, yet still remain focused and productive.
"Each tenant gets to be part of a larger network of lawyers, marketers, accountants, entrepreneurs, creatives, artists, and students," Novel Coworking explains. "You can meet other tenants at networking events, happy hours, and lunch and learns. Your next intern, business partner, or customer could be just across the hallway from your office."
The beauty of renting coworking space is that you have the flexibility to work when and where you want. If you're getting cabin fever working from home, you can head to the coworking space for a change of scenery. If the weather is nasty and you don't feel like going outside, you can simply work from home one day. It's your call!
4. Build an Online Presence
In today's world, online networking is just as important as in-person networking. As a solopreneur, you have just as much opportunity as the next professional to take full advantage of this.
The key to online networking is to establish a brand and build up a digital presence. You can do this by creating a website, developing social media profiles, publishing content, and utilizing LinkedIn or other online communities that are specific to your industry.
Adding it All Up
Networking isn't easy or effortless. It's gritty, tiresome work that often feels unrelenting and low-returning. However, a long-term investment will ultimately yield a healthy harvest of new opportunities. Prioritize networking, and you'll infuse greater potential into your career. It's as simple as that.
Hospitality Help: Tips to Use from Successful Franchises
What if your franchise investment financially ruins you?
Most entrepreneurs hope opening a franchise is their key to sustainable profit. However, it's easy to make rookie mistakes that sink your business before it really gets off the ground.
Fortunately, you can follow the tips of successful franchises to make your own a smash hit! Keep reading to discover our handy hospitality help guide.
Adjust Expectations
We hate to burst your bubble, but there's something you should know: you're not going to get rich quick as a franchisee.
Owning a franchise is mostly about embracing the "slow and steady win the race" mentality. Your goal is steady profit, and it's hard enough to meet that goal. Overnight superstardom is not going to happen for you.
It sounds simple, but adjusting your expectations is one of the best moves you can make early on in your career. Instead of planning for explosive short-term success, you'll start planning for long-term gains and growth.
All in all, it's very Zen: only by accepting the very real possibility of failure can you achieve success.
Cultivate Leadership
Many workers see training as a one-shot deal. Someone like a managers gets specific training when they are hired and then they are good to go…right?
However, the challenges facing your franchise are going to change from year to year. And over enough time, your key demographics will change as well.
The solution to this is ongoing training and professional development opportunities for your managers and upper leadership. You can provide such training via multiple methods.
For example, training may be delivered via computer, in-person, or even via productivity apps such as Slack. Not only does this build better leaders, but it shows your employees you are invested in their success.
A successful franchise is something of a paradox. On one hand, part of your appeal is that customers are already familiar with your brand.
On the other hand, customers still want a unique experience. And this is where many franchises drop the ball.
You need to appeal to customers at the individual and community level. Don't just sell them products: host special events, sponsor local charities, and so on.
Ultimately, you will attract more customers because they'll want to support a company they see as supporting their community!
Talk With Your Peers
Sometimes, the simplest solutions are also the most effective. Want to figure out what makes a successful franchise? Then you should talk to a successful franchisee!
Don't talk to just anyone, though. Ideally, you should speak with someone who owns a franchise of the same company and is relatively close to your area.
Such a person will know the ins and outs of running a successful franchise while navigating various corporate rules and regulations. And they will also know what makes the local population tick, giving you an advantage when it comes to sales and marketing.
You can also pair such discussions with your own external research. For instance, this helpful page is invaluable for those wanting a hotel franchise!
Everyone Trains
Want to hear the three words that spell doom for a franchise? Here they are: "not my job."
Every employee has a special role to play in your organization. However, some employees are unable (or unwilling) to do anything outside of that role.
In a successful franchise, everyone should be willing to train everyone else. Employees shouldn't be limited to their special skills: they must be able and willing to teach those skills to other people.
Make sure you are clear on this policy to anyone and everyone that you hire. When every worker is also willing to be a trainer and a leader, you will create a culture of success.
Set and Measure KPIs
Look, we get it: chances are you went into the franchise business to get away from the corporate world and be your own boss.
Nonetheless, there are certain corporate concepts that will help your business succeed. One of the most important is that you must have Key Performance Indicators.
The basic idea is that your franchise is never truly successful enough. You should have specific goals for the next weeks, months, and years, and you must have ways of measuring your success.
One simple way to do this is to rely on secret shoppers. That way, you can accurately gauge the experience your average customer has been having.
Location, Location, Location
You can build your franchise pretty much anywhere. Of course, that can be a good thing and a bad thing.
Many owners pick a location by going with their gut. But trust us on this one: you'll want to go with your brain instead.
It's important to think like a customer. Is your location close enough to the center of town? Do you have enough parking for everyone?
Be brutally honest about what the location will mean for your customer's experiences. If things are annoying or inconvenient, they will quickly move on to a more convenient rival business!
Focus on Retention
Know the phrase "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?" That phrase applies to employees as well!
It's great to think about strategies for hiring new employees. But it's actually much more important to hold onto the employees that you already have. They are going to be your most knowledgeable and most efficient workers.
Try to pay attention to how long the average worker works in a position before quitting (management software can help with this). It may be possible to provide reorientation, training, or incentives to retain these workers for longer periods of time.
For the most part, your customer's experience is determined by your employees. It's worth it to hold onto the best ones for as long as you can!
Successful Franchises: The Bottom Line
Now you know the secrets of the most successful franchises. But do you know where to get more of the info you need?
At Business Blog Hub, we bring you the advice you need to make your company shine. To discover your next moves, check out our management tips today!
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Maryland courts can issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples starting in December, as long as the effective date is Jan. 1, according to an opinion issued this afternoon by Attorney General Doug Gansler.
The 19-page opinion will likely lead to a slew of New Year's Eve weddings in the Free State, as gay couples who've long waited for the law to change can finally marry at midnight.
It has been clear that Maryland's new law legalizing same-sex marriage would take effect Jan. 1 if approved at referendum, but many believed the first licenses would be issued a few days later because of the New Year holiday and a mandatory 48-hour waiting period.
Gansler, however, determined that courts clerks could issue marriage licenses with the Jan. 1 effective date as early as Dec. 6, the date the governor can "formally proclaim" that voters approved same-sex marriage at the ballot.
The measure, known as Question 6, was approved 52 percent to 48 percent in this month's election.
The attorney general also opined that gay couples who have valid marriage licenses in other states cannot receive a new Maryland license -- a restriction that also applies to heterosexual couples.

subset: commoncrawl


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- Reviews


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WASHINGTON (SBG) - A road trip across America — but it's not to see the sights, sounds and tourist attractions.
The Job Creators Network, a small business advocacy group, is on a mission. It's promoting the impacts of the recent GOP tax plan — a bill the group says has reduced the tax burden on America's small businesses.
President and CEO Alfredo Ortiz says the bill has created a big boost for small business owners: "They're reinvesting back in the business either by driving wages up, providing more benefits, or reinvesting back in the business through more capital."
A new poll from Wells Fargo and Gallup shows small business optimism is at an all-time high, with 78 percent of owners saying their financial situation today is better than it was before. This comes as the economy grew 4.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018.
Democrats in Congress paint a different picture — and have been since the plan passed.
Back in December 2017, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the bill was only beneficial to big businesses.
"The suspicions of the American people," Schumer said in a press conference, "that the Republican Party is helping the wealthy and powerful corporations and not the middle class, has been confirmed in this bill."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bill was "nothing" and "is like giving you a bowl of doggy doo. Put a cherry on top and call it a chocolate sundae."
For Ortiz, he's worried this message from Democrats sticks and all the momentum from the tax plan could be lost.
"This is one of the things that we're concerned about — that this potential of repealing the tax cuts that have been a big boom for the economy could potentially go away," Ortiz said. "This November, really what's on the table is pretty significant. It's not just a midterm election. It's the economic prosperity we believe we're seeing because of the tax cuts."


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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Friday unveiled a new online search engine that assists consumers with finding local housing counseling agencies to advise them on housing decisions.
Mortgage lenders must provide applicants with a list of local housing counselors under the CFPB's new mortgage rules set to take effect in January 2014.
"Consumers need and deserve the best guidance when making the decision to purchase a home," said CFPB Director Richard Cordray in a statement. "Buying a home may easily be the largest investment a consumer makes, and we want to make it easier for them to find a housing counselor that is a good fit for them."
Housing counselors can advise consumers on home purchases or rentals, foreclosure, defaults and credit issues.
"Housing counselors can offer independent advice, often at little or no cost to consumers," said the CFPB release.
Some of the tool's features include a search box and mapping function to show the consumer the ten closest counseling agencies to his or her zip code and a list of the languages each housing counseling agency offers. The tool, housed on the CFPB's website, is also able to find contact information for HUD-approved counselors and it displays which services are available at each counseling location.
"The Bureau's 2013 final rule on the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act implemented a requirement of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that lenders provide consumers with a list of homeownership counseling organizations," said the CFPB.
"Consumers should receive the list shortly after they apply for a mortgage so they know where to get help when deciding what loan is best for them. Lenders may fulfill that requirement by using CFPB-developed housing counseling lists, which are available through today's tool, or by generating their own lists using the same HUD data that the CFPB uses to build its lists," CFPB added.
In addition, the CFPB said it recognizes that lenders may be unable to provide the lists in time for the rule's Jan. 10 effective date.The bureau assured lenders it will not raise any supervisory or enforcement concerns if lenders direct borrowers to the new CFPB tool while building their systems.
A group of 112 Republicans and 6 Democrats wrote a letter to Cordray this week requesting a delay of the mortgage rules set to take effect next year.
"The mortgage rules released in January combined with the amendments released in May and September present financial institutions with over 4,000 pages of new regulations that they must be in compliance by January 2014," said their letter. "This task is especially difficult for community financial institutions that may only have one or two compliance officers. Furthermore, many financial institutions rely on software systems for managing their operations."


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Saving Sarah? Or not.
For the third time in four years, Californians are once again to vote on an abortion referendum. Proposition 4, or The Child and Teen Safety and Stop Predators Act: Sarah's Law, will require physicians to notify a parent, legal guardian or some other adult family member of a minor seeking an abortion and then wait 48 hours before performing the procedure. This ballot initiative was rejected the first two times it was voted on, and it needs to be rejected again.
But why, ask proponents of Proposition 4, aren't we hailing this as a step forward in fostering parental involvement in their young daughters' lives? Any teenager who comes from a loving family would instinctively turn to her parents in such a life-changing event as a pregnancy.
Such openness between children and parents is something to be strongly encouraged, but to mandate by law such communication will benefit no one.
For those lucky enough to have strong family relationships, a law mandating adult notification to obtain an abortion is utterly superfluous. And then, what of the minors who cannot turn to their parents? What of those who come from dysfunctional and abusive families? And what of the girls who are impregnated by their fathers?
There are provisions for courts to waive the notification requirement if it's demonstrated that the abortion is in the minor's best interests. The problem is that when a girl is in the position of being pregnant and not feeling like she can turn to her parents, the last thing she needs is to go through additional hurdles to terminate an unwanted pregnancy, especially through a judge who decides for her.
Furthermore, when minors who fail to notify their parents are forbidden from having an abortion, they are necessarily forced into childbirth. Rather than asking if abortion is in a minor's best interests, we might well ask how childbirth is in a minor's best interest. Abortion is not something to be taken lightly, but supporters of Proposition 4 seem to have forgotten that neither is childbirth, which involves nine months of pregnancy with its inherent risks, and culminates in parenthood or in giving up the very child that spent so long gestating in the womb. Both of these decisions are difficult enough for a grown woman, but for a girl of 16, they are without a doubt every bit as heavy decisions as abortion, if not more so.
Let's not kid ourselves. Sarah's Law is not about strengthening parent-child relationships or about protecting child welfare. It is not about giving teenagers guidance through a difficult decision. It is instead about undermining abortion as an option for a subset of the populace; it is about finding a new angle from which to attack the rights granted by Roe v. Wade.
Consulting one's parents about life decisions is a sensible thing to do and as such, one to be encouraged. Indeed, I still turn to mine for support and guidance. This should not translate, however, into legal mandates, especially not ones that undermine the right to control one's own fertility. Therefore, citizens of California, I urge you to vote no on Proposition 4.


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November 08, 2005
LOS ANGELES - Not long ago, the impressive performance of the U.S. economy not only made it the envy of the rest of the world but also got it touted as the ideal that other nations ought to emulate. However, the corporate scandals of the past few years have rocked American business with repercussions felt throughout the global marketplace. Damaging the public's confidence in its institutions and generating a rash of regulations, the situation is prompting a re-evaluation of the way American companies are managed.
"The Embedded Corporation: Corporate Governance and Employment Relations in Japan and the United States" is the latest book by Sanford M. Jacoby, recently appointed vice chairman of the faculty and area chair of human resources and organizational behavior at UCLA Anderson School of Management. Reporting his recent research results, it contributes an understanding of how and why the U.S. system evolved as it did, through comparison of major models in America and Japan with historical and cultural contexts.
Jacoby has been a member of the Anderson faculty since 1980. Holder of the Howard Noble Chair in Management, he also has joint appointments as a professor of both history and public policy at UCLA. His teaching focus is international political economy and human resources. The combination makes him uniquely qualified to pursue research about globalization's impact on corporations and their employees. His work is based on the idea that history and society matter to business analysis, because corporations are products of their particular time and place.
"Economists tend to see markets as timeless entities without geographic grounding and so use the same set of tools to analyze them all," says Jacoby. "In fact, there are varieties of capitalism based on differently structured national business systems. A country produces distinctive ways of doing business because its economy is embedded in a national system that developed over time from a unique starting point and is deeply entwined with existing norms, laws and other interdependent institutions."
Decision Making and the Desire to Be Different
Jacoby considers how the pressures of globalization are pushing the world's disparate corporate systems closer together. While convergence is occurring in some areas, there is divergence in others, created by powerful counter forces, including the desire to preserve social standards and "a dawning realization that being different is an effective way to compete globally."
The vantage point Jacoby uses to view these issues is the human resource department at the headquarters of large American and Japanese corporations. Much of the book is devoted to details gleaned from a large-scale survey of the senior executives who craft personnel policies and link them to overall business strategy. This interrelationship of executive decision making, human resource practices and corporate governance is a key concept of the book.
"Studying the role of top-level human resource managers, and their power relative to others in the company, is a good way of understanding decisions that determine the working lives of millions of people," says Jacoby. "Since a corporate governance system holds management accountable to those with a legitimate stake in the enterprise, its rules (especially as to who qualifies as a stakeholder) also have enormous importance. Corporate decisions affect even the air we breathe, so they ultimately impact everyone."
Culture and Corporate Governance
Believing the only way to clarify what makes American companies "American" is to compare them to companies elsewhere in the world, Jacoby includes paired case studies of American and Japanese firms. The two countries currently have different approaches to employment relations and corporate governance, though they heavily influenced each other in the past. The direction of the flow of ideas has changed with the fluctuating fortunes of each nation.
Acknowledging that not all companies in either country are the same, Jacoby places them on a continuum between an internal and an external focus. Japan is more organization-oriented with long-term employment and business relations, a tendency to grow talent from within, coordination via tacit knowledge and stakeholder corporate governance. The United States is more market-oriented with higher turnover in employment, a tendency to purchase talent from the outside, financialized decision-making and shareholder corporate governance. In the United States, the executive HR function is relatively weak; in Japan, it wields clout.
Under Japan's stakeholder approach (similar to much of continental Europe), managers seek to balance the interests of employees, customers, suppliers, creditors and communities, along with shareholders. In the American-style shareholder approach (also in the United Kingdom and Canada), managers focus exclusively on the interests of shareholders and all-important stock prices.
"During the U.S. economic boom, when the Japanese economy was stagnant, the Japanese were pressured to adopt our system, which was viewed as innately superior," Jacoby says. "However, when the bubble burst and news of managerial self-dealing and ineffectual boards came to light, the shortcomings of shareholder sovereignty became clear. There were negative outcomes even for shareholders, including the worst U.S. stock market slump since the 1930s."
Resource Reallocation
Jacoby further explains the difficulty of identifying which micro-level factors actually account for a country's macroeconomic success. Attributing American's growth in the 1990s to its governance system ignores the less stellar performance of Britain and Canada (which had similar systems at the same time). Conversely, Japan is now emerging from its long economic stagnation, having made only modest changes to its corporate governance system.
The restructurings of the 1980s and '90s were not only employed at troubled but also at profitable firms, which sought to shift income to owners and executives and away from workers and reinvestment. Accompanied by a lot of rhetoric about how the nation needed to be more competitive, they often failed to produce lasting value. For example, the majority of mergers and acquisitions from 1995 to 2001 resulted in a subsequent reduction in share-price value.
"Not a few journalists and even some respected academics argue that U.S.-style corporate governance promotes 'rent extraction' – or 'greed' in plain English," says Jacoby. "The share of wealth for America's top one percent (prime beneficiaries of institutional changes) doubled in 25 years. Average Japanese citizens don't want this inequality. In 2000, American chief executives at large public companies were paid 531 times more than their average employee, but in Japan, it was 10 times."
Redistribution of Risk
Along with wage inequity, risk associated with doing business has risen and been shifted to the workforce (or as in the case of pension and health plan terminations, to the U.S. taxpayer). Though there is lip service to the credo that intellectual capital is increasingly a company's most important asset, human resource management remains low-status in the corporate hierarchy, and American employees continue to be treated as costs to be minimized. There are exceptions, to be sure, especially at technology start-ups and in privately-held or family-controlled companies. Jacoby cites SAS, a private software company, as an example.
At one time, America shared a more stakeholder approach with Japan, and historical evidence suggests that a wide variety of economic institutions foster growth. Important questions facing advanced industrial societies require closer examination of the costs and benefits of different national systems. Despite their faults, current U.S. and Japanese models have particular advantages. Our country's choices are crucial, and Jacoby delineates our background as a nation to help us more effectively chart a future course. Like the United States, Japan, too, is at a crossroads as it considers how much of its distinctive postwar system should be retained.
Calling Jacoby "one of the leading experts on the subject," colleagues in the field have high praise for "The Embedded Corporation," including: "a persuasive and informed perspective on the reform of corporate governance and employment" and "a splendid book, lucid, cogent and written in a style that is a pleasure to read." Thomas A. Kochan of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sums it up: "Anyone who seeks to change corporate practices in Japan or the United States, or who writes about these issues, should stop doing so until they read and absorb the lessons of this masterpiece in comparative research."About UCLA Anderson School of Management
UCLA Anderson School of Management is perennially ranked among the top-tier business schools in the world. Award-winning faculty renowned for their research and teaching, highly selective admissions, successful alumni and world-class facilities combine to provide an extraordinary learning environment. Established in 1935, UCLA Anderson provides management education to more than 1,400 students enrolled in full-time, part-time and executive MBA programs and doctoral programs.
UCLA Anderson's faculty includes outstanding educators and researchers who share their scholarship and expertise in such fundamental areas as finance, marketing, accounting, business economics, decision sciences, operations and technology management, human resources and organizational behavior, information systems, strategy and policy.
Recognizing that the school offers unparalleled expertise in management education, the world's business community turns to UCLA Anderson School of Management as a center of influence for the ideas, innovations, strategies and talent that will shape the future.


text: MCHS Varsity Volleyball .vs William Monroe .9/2/09, The Mountaineer Varsity squad won its first game of the season Wednesday night, September 2, against William Monroe High School. From the first serve, the Dragons came on strong, stunning the Mountaineers in a few kills from Alex Cave. Error upon error stuck the Mountaineers in a deficit of as many as 10 points. And then Tori Puryear stepped to the service line... Knocking down ace after ace, the Mountaineers rallied on her serve, finally getting from 7-17 to 14-17. The Mountaineers worked their way as close as 15-18, but again, unforced errors caused the Mountaineers to drop game 1 25-16.. .Game 2 was another story. After a quick set of line up changes, the Mountaineers were able to get into a rhythm. Excellent passing from Caitlyn Ford helped Jordan set up the Tori Puryear attack. Digs from Ellie Hill and Samantha Cubbage fended off the Dragon attack. The Madison squad was clicking. In the end, the Mountaineers won the hard-fought battle 25-19, 25-20, and 25-22.. .Tori Puryear led the Mountaineers with 15 kills, 11 aces, and 7 blocks. Setter Jordan Aylor had 20 assists and 11 digs. Ellie Hill was also a defensive standout with 10 digs. Libero Caitlyn Ford also had a fantastic night passing with a 2.4 pass rating (out of 3.0) and 7 digs. Ford and Cubbage were also strong from the service line, both serving 100% on the evening.Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download


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Explode tree
Collapse tree
Ingredients: Ginseng, Arrowroot (root), Trichosanthes Kirilowii, Schiznadra chinensis, Foxglove, Licorice Powder
Direction: 2 pills a time, 3 times a day. One month as a cause.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Content Copyright Mount Spring International


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DOE A to Z: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
For Release: April 21, 2006
Acting Commissioner Appoints InterimState Monitor for Willingboro
Dr. R. Gregory Quirk, a retired assistant superintendent, former school business administrator and certified public accountant, has been appointed as the interim state monitor for the Willingboro School district by acting Commissioner of Education Lucille E. Davy.
Under the "School District Accountability Act" signed by Governor Corzine earlier this week, the Commissioner may appoint a state monitor in districts where serious fiscal deficiencies have been identified in the district's annual audit.
The new law also allows the Commissioner to recommend an advance of state aid, to be repaid over 10 years, to districts such as Willingboro that are facing extraordinary budget deficits. The appointment of the monitor is required prior to the provision of the state aid advance.
Dr. Quirk will begin his new assignment on Monday, April 24 and will report to the acting Commissioner.
Acting Commissioner Davy said Quirk would begin the work necessary to address the district's financial problems, and that he would serve in the position for approximately two months. At the end of the school year, another appointment will be made to fill the position on a longer-term basis.
The acting Commissioner said the interim monitor's top priorities will include:
"Dr. Quirk has broad experience in education administration and finance and exceptional qualifications," acting Commissioner Davy said. "I am very pleased that he has agreed to take on this very difficult job. I am confident that he will be able to help the district get itself back on track."
Recently retired after almost 17 years as Assistant Superintendent in the Old Bridge school district, Dr. Quirk also worked in the Roselle school district as Assistant Superintendent (1985-89) and Business Administrator (1980-1985). He has been an adjunct instructor teaching graduate courses in school administration at Kean University since 1987.
During his 32-year career in education, he also worked as a teacher and team leader in Freehold Borough and as the coordinator of career programs for special needs students at Abraham Clark High School in Roselle.
A graduate of Monmouth University, he holds a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching from The College of New Jersey and a Doctorate in Education from Rutgers University. He and his wife Ellen, a teacher at Middletown High School North, live in Middletown and have three sons.


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by Sue Ann Rybak
Volunteers from SPEAK (Staying Positive Equals Amazing Kids), a nonprofit organization that encourages kids to speak up against peer pressure and stand up for positive change within their community, dared to be the voice of the homeless when they broke the City of Philadelphia's ban on feeding the homeless in public on Nov. 18 in Love Park.
SPEAK and other local community organizations and businesses including Helping Hands of Free Masonry, Arcadia University, Cosimo's Pizza Cafe and Village Catering served Thanksgiving dinners and distributed winter coats, blankets, and other clothing to those in need.
In 2009, Staying Positive Equals Amazing Kids (SPEAK) started its first blanket drive to help the homeless and less fortunate. Adrian Templeton, of Helping Hands of Freemasonry, said she was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from volunteers, local organization and businesses.
"This project was created to help the youth better understand just how hard life can be," said Adrian's husband Jeff Templeton, president of SPEAK. "It was also our hope that through this direct intervention these children would understand that being homeless could happen to anyone."
He added that the difference between "how" a person becomes homeless and "why" they become homeless is an important thing to think about.
"Being rich or famous, does not exempt you from hitting rock bottom and losing everything," said Templeton, of Germantown. "We have found that some of the homeless individuals whom we have spoken to were in fact very educated; despite how they looked and smelled and we also found that not all of them suffered from drug addiction."
Templeton said some people can handle life's stress better than others.
"Some people continually loose the battle to bad decisions as well as bad luck, and over a course of time those failures begin to weigh heavily on their self-esteem pushing it so far down that it gets to the point that they just give up and start thinking that nobody really cares about them," Templeton said. "This seems a little scary because this sounds like what's going through a lot of the minds of our youth today. We live in a very fast paced and ever changing world where convenience is awarded through technology which has and will ultimately lead to the reduction of personal stability."
Community projects like this one are important Templeton said because "it's not just beneficial for the people on the receiving end but, also beneficial to those on the giving side."
"It's not only doing something good for my heart, giving back is always good," Mt. Airy resident Christopher Moore of SPEAK said. "Everybody needs help now and then, so it's good to try to give back."
For more information about SPEAK or to volunteer call its hotline number at 215-254-5157 or visit its website at www.phillyspeak.org.


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The Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center is currently seeking Emergency/ICU, and Internal Medicine, Technicians to join our great family; preference given to an experienced applicant. Our hospital, privately owned, with an established staff and referring veterinary relationships, is located in South Abington Twp., an affluent suburb in northeast, PA. The building opened in 2010 and we are currently planning and preparing for an expansion. The hospital is well equipped with new monitoring equipment, in-house labs, digital radiography, ultrasound, endoscopy, mechanical ventilator, and complete nuclear medicine capabilities. We have the only 24/7/365 MRI in the northeast outside of Cleveland and receive many referrals from University teaching hospitals. We currently provide 24/7/365 emergency, critical care, internal medicine, surgery, neurology, and cardiology services. We have a dedicated radiologist available for consultation and are continuing to expand to include, oncology, dermatology, ophthalmology, and other specialties. VREC offers a pleasant, non-toxic work environment with balance for one's personal life. We offer an incredible schedule. An ideal candidate is a motivated, good humored, compassionate technician with excellent communication skills, and the desire to practice advanced medicine; whether an acute triage or an in-depth evaluation. Candidates will work with other experienced licensed technicians, and a dedicated support staff, all committed to excellence, teaching and learning. We have a very social and supportive staff environment of 50 members. VREC participates in veterinary technician internships, and veterinary technician and veterinary student externships. Northeast Pennsylvania has all the amenities of much larger cities but remains small enough to be affordable and have quick access to either rural or urban living. Our region has prestigious, sought after schools and colleges. It has something for everyone including culture, nightlife, sports and outdoor activity. The region hosts operas, plays, museums, historical sites, restaurants, bars/clubs, minor league Penguins hockey, Yankees baseball, multiple ski resorts, whitewater rafting, kayaking, bicycling, hiking, camping, climbing, etc. Our location is approximately 1 ½ hours from Manhattan, 2 hours from Philadelphia and 4 hours from either Washington DC or Boston. We offer a signing bonus, better than nationally competitive compensation, an excellent benefits package including continuing education, health, dental, optical, disability insurance, 401k WITH MATCH, parental leave, and a great work schedule complete this wonderful opportunity. To submit a CV or for more information contact Rhiannon Penkala, Human Resources at firstname.lastname@example.com
Please review our website– www.vrecpa.com
Facebook page-"vrecpa,"
Reviews on www.glassdoor.com,
View our recruitment video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E7Gbn1UhIg&feature=youtu.be


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Alex Evans (co-founder of the studio that created LittleBigPlanet) delivers the Academy's Annual Video Games Lecture in 2010.
On 7 October 2010, BAFTA was delighted to welcome Alex Evans to present the Academy's Annual Video Games Lecture in association with GAME. Evans is co-founder and technical director of games development studio Media Molecule, creators of the BAFTA-winning LittleBigPlanet.
It's a technical endeavour as well as an artistic one. You have to build this incredibly amazing technological machine that's right on the cutting edge, otherwise you'll be shot down for being old-school.
He takes a detailed look at the technical aspects of game-making and stresses the importance of specific game-creation tools.
He speaks critically about his work as he reveals the minute complexities of game development. He asserts that the flavour of a game and the way that it plays is predominantly down to how the elements of the game are pieced together by the studio.


text: Guardian writer rails against critics who call JK Rowling and other women fantasy writers "simple". • Palestinian and Israeli women mingle in a special diet group to lose pounds and gain mutual understanding. • The ASPCA and other animal rights groups have filed a lawsuit against Ringling Bros. for chaining elephants for up to 100 hours. • Woman pops out baby in car, without the help of doctors or spouse. • A roving group of women are stealing flowers from graves to make crafts. • Girls in bikinis serving coffee? Awfully original. • The EEOC is launching a study into why Hispanics are so underrepresented in government jobs. • Fasting for up to 16 hours may help fend off jet lag. • Irregular periods in teens may be a sign of bulimia. • Has anyone else noticed that roller derby is really popular with rockabilly and punk girls? • Women are more concerned with losing weight than avoiding cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. • Perhaps that's because their weight could cost them their jobs!


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Finding Dairyland: Wisconsin's Cheese Universe
My grocery budget—probably like yours—has no spot for "Pound of cheese: $40." But you can't really think of a cheese like Pleasant Ridge Reserve as groceries. In my way of thinking, the 10 bucks I spend on a reasonable wedge of this all-star from Wisconsin's Uplands Cheese Company is the price of a bargain vacation.
At home, I unwrap the triangle carefully, like a letter from a traveling friend. From there, it's a short trip into the world of Andy Hatch. Because I once visited his creamery, I can taste the rich backstory in a slice of Andy's handiwork. Hidden somewhere in the cheese's flavor, I know, is a hint of early-summer grass, the only kind Andy trusts to produce the right milk. More specifically, what I'm tasting is early-summer evening milk that arrives in the workroom warm from the milking parlor next door, rich with more fat than milk given any other time of day. I eat the cheese slowly, remembering a place where limestone flavors the soil, the grass, the milk, the cheese.
That's a lot of experience from 10 bucks. And every good cheese shop (or even a well-curated suburban grocery store) is full of such escapes. The average American eats 33 pounds of cheese each year, and making a small portion of it a specialty cheese is a chance to turn ordinary meals into events.
The unquestioned mecca of cheese journeys is America's Dairyland—Wisconsin—which produces 25 percent of America's cheese and more than every nation except Germany, France and the rest of the United States. Want proof that there's quality with all that quantity? At last year's American Cheese Society competition, Wisconsin claimed 93 awards, marking the eighth straight year it won more than any other state.
If you can make an actual road trip, you'll see such artwork in progress at cheese factories large and small across the state. The buildings are extravagantly clean, full of white uniforms, gleaming metal vats, and the mixed scents of cream and bleach. All this perfectionism makes the entire cheese community an inspiration to hang around, an island of craft in a mass-produced world.
And if you stop to chat with a cheesemaker like those featured in this story, you'll learn that even they still find the process enchanting. "The older cheesemakers get, the less they say they know how cheese making works," says Ed Janus, who writes frequently about Wisconsin cheese. "Many master cheesemakers are still fascinated every time the cheese turns out. It's like that magical process every single time."
Take our recipes, tasting guide and profiles as your invitation to venture out, beyond pepper Jack and mozzarella. We asked several chefs to share new ways to cook with cheese—and melting it over things is nowhere in the mix. Good cheese, after all, asserts itself even in supporting roles. That's a new way of thinking for a lot of cheese fans, but it's all part of the journey.
Young gun
One of the newer stars in Wisconsin cheese making keeps things decidedly old-school. Andy Hatch apprenticed in the Swiss Alps, wears the cap of traditional cheesemakers, lives with his family in a farmhouse next to the Uplands Cheese Company creamery near Dodgeville and laments the subtleties sacrificed to "progress."
"You can't do much with milk that's inherently uninteresting," he says. "The more diverse set of fats and proteins you start with, the more flavor tools you have to work with. That's one thing modernity has left behind."
There's no room for error in the raw materials with cheeses this high-end. Uplands' Pleasant Ridge Reserve is buttery with hints of fruit flavor and is one of the most-awarded cheeses in American history. Rush Creek Reserve is a silky soft cheese aged in spruce bark and features notes of beef broth. Uplands has blended nine breeds of cattle to perfect its milk. Production happens only a few months each year, when the milk peaks, and the aging process requires a strict regimen of turning and washing the wheels.
"When you live here, your lifestyle is dictated by the type of cheese you make," Andy says. "It's like having a new baby. You stare at it all the time, saying, 'What's wrong? What's wrong?'" Judging by the reputation of Uplands' cheeses, nothing at all. (888) 935-5558; uplandscheese.com [1]
The master
In general, Bruce Workman doesn't look much like Michael Phelps. But when Bruce drapes his collection of Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker awards around his neck, he takes on a chest-full-of-medals air that's almost Olympian. No one has matched Bruce's record of these prestigious certifications, which recognize his mastery of nine different types of cheese.
In his massive playlist, the clear crowd favorite is Emmentaler Swiss, which he produces in traditional wheels weighing 180 pounds and standing almost waist high when set on edge. One key trait of old-world-style Swiss (made in the United States only by Bruce) is the size of its "eyes," those bubbles that produce the holes every school kid recognizes. Most Swiss has eyes about the size of nickels; in Bruce's Emmentaler, they're the size of quarters.
Edelweiss Creamery's entire setup near Monticello draws on European traditions. Bruce imported a 10,500-gallon copper-lined kettle specifically for the rich, nutty flavor it gives Swiss cheese, which Bruce considers the most difficult to make. Adding to the pressure is the quality of the neighborhood.
"We have 14 Master Cheesemakers in Green County," Bruce says. "We're kind of the Napa Valley of cheese making." That makes Green County a road trip any curious cheesehead could embrace. (608) 938-4094; edelweisscreamery.com [2]
Underground artisan
Willi Lehner is a nomad as cheesemakers go, renting space at other creameries to make his cheeses. Yet he may be the state's most rooted cheesemaker thanks to a unique advantage: He owns a cave.
In fact, he built the cheese-aging cave himself in the ground near Blue Mounds, fronting it with a wooden door and enormous blocks of local limestone to create a mythical-looking place that fits perfectly with the local obsession with trolls. Inside Bleu Mont Dairy's two cave rooms (each with different moisture), cheeses age between 58 and 48 degrees year-round. Newer cheeses are turned daily by employees Willi dubs his "cave slaves"; older cheeses get weekly turnings.
Willi's products include Gouda, Havarti and Swiss. But his best-known line is bandaged cheddar, which is wrapped in muslin to prevent cracks that would admit mold. On the outside of the wheel, however, cave-loving molds flourish, giving Willi's cheese a far earthier flavor than the cheddars most Americans know. "Cheeses aged in plastic are pretty one-dimensional," he says.
Raised in Wisconsin by Swiss immigrants, Willi perfected the cheese-making skills he'd first learned from his father "on an Alp, where I made the connection between what cows eat and the final product." It seems he's also landed on an underground connection between a cheese's quality and where it grows up.
Cheese tasting
Jeanne Carpenter, the Madison-based author of the blog Cheese Underground, divides a cheese board into seven broad categories and suggests tasting them in this order for the best experience. If you can't find the specific varieties, no worries. Substitute similar ones. It's for fun!
1. Bloomy Rind Cheese Start with a mild Brie. Jeanne's pick: Caprine Supreme's La-Von Farmhouse Goat Brie, with a barely there tang.
2. Goat's Milk Not all goat cheese is creamy. Jeanne's pick: LaClare Family Farms' snow-white, semihard Evalon.
3. Semisoft This broad category spans mozzarella to Limburger. Jeanne's pick: Holland's Family Cheese's Marieke Black Pepper Gouda. It was our staff's favorite and pairs well with apple.
4. Sheep's Milk Many classic European cheeses, such as Greek feta, use sheep's milk. Jeanne's pick: Hidden Springs Creamery's Timber Coulee, a subtly buttery cave-aged variety.
5. Cheddar You don't really know this common cheese until you've tried an aged, artisanal version. Jeanne's pick: Roelli Cheese's crumbly Kingsley Bandaged Cheddar.
6. Parmesan Fancy Parms are for nibbling blissfully, not sprinkling mindlessly. Jeanne's pick: Sartori's SarVecchio for its hints of pineapple and caramel.
7. Blue Save this, the strongest, for the end, and pair it with a sweet wine or honey. Jeanne's pick: Carr Valley Cheese's creamy Glacier Gorgonzola.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Warm Blueberry Compote [4]
Ricotta and Parmesan Spread [5]
Squash Ribbons with Parmesan and Crisp Prosciutto [7]


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LETTER- Citizenship is voluntary

In his April 14 letter to the editor ["Sacrifice is Voluntary"], Evan Williams claims that "sacrifice is defined by its voluntary nature" and implies that taxation is illegitimate because he is continually forced to sacrifice earned assets against his will. Please allow me to remove all ideological hysteria that has surrounded the discourse and reveal the flaws in Williams' overall argument.

The relationship between the citizens of the United States and the Federal government is based upon the two-step contract espoused by John Locke in his "Second Treatise of Government."

The people of this society explicitly or tacitly sacrifice a portion of their autonomy to the majority will through an irrevocable contract. This majority then initiates a fiduciary contract with some sort of government that will protect the natural rights of each citizen. Thus we have the foundations of majority rule and the right to revolution and overthrow of government after a long train of abuses, if such is what the majority wills.

What does this all mean? Through his United States citizenship, Williams has tacitly entered into an irrevocable contract and is bound by what the majority of the citizens desire. It appears that Williams will have to pay taxes to the American government as long as the majority of citizens want public schools, roads, national defense and clean water. Of course, if this remains unacceptable, he may break the contract by relocating to a country which does not adhere to such "un-American" tenets as those espoused by John Locke.

Kate Ryan
Charlottesville
firstname.lastname@example.com


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The Mini Bailey Button Boot just got better! Though the iconic look and cozy feel remain, key new additions will make you fall in love with UGG® all over again. The twinface sheepskin has been pretreated to protect against water and stains and the new Treadlite by UGG™ outsole features increased traction, durability, and flexibility. It's a more comfortable fit overall! Look for the new UGG logo on the Mini Bailey Button II heel plate to identify this is indeed the new classic!
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|Home | About | Contact | Vitamins for Schizophrenia
July 29, 2005
Mental Health Reforms
Read more... Schizophrenia Advocacy
This bit of news is from last month, but we just were informed about it by one of the parents on our discussion board (thanks Doe).
Landmark Roadmap for Mental Health Reform Released
July 27, 2005
The Campaign for Mental Health Reform, a partnership of 16 national mental health organizations, including NAMI, released an important report today recommending a series of actions that Congress and the Administration can take to improve services for people with mental illnesses.
The report, entitled "Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America's Mental Health Crisis," describes the negative consequences, including criminalization, homelessness and suicides, that occur when people do not have access to the treatment and services they need. These circumstances are nothing less than a national tragedy that must be addressed through "immediate federal action … if access, recovery and quality services are to become the hallmark of America's public mental health system."
In July 2002, President Bush's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, proclaimed that America's mental health system is fragmented beyond repair and emphasized the need for a wholesale transformation to a system far more responsive to the needs of consumers and their families. The report released today by the Campaign for Mental Health Reform contains a series of federal legislative and administrative recommendations for achieving this transformation.
NAMI President Suzanne Vogel-Scibilia, M.D., speaking today at a Press Conference on Capitol Hill, described the report as setting forth "a consensus vision among the groups in this Campaign of steps that must occur in federal policy if the New Freedom Commission's vision of a transformed, recovery oriented mental health system in America is to become a reality." NAMI Executive Director Mike Fitzpatrick praised the report as providing "a detailed action plan for the Federal government to more effectively coordinate and align Federal, state, and local resources to get the right services to the right people at the right time."
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), speaking at the press conference, declared – "We have knocked down the walls of discrimination in so many areas. We have knocked down the walls of discrimination against people with disabilities, but we have not done so for mental health. … This is the New Frontier."
Other speakers included Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH), Representative Sue Myrick (R-NC), Representative Ted Strickland (D-OH), Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Representative Grace F. Napolitano (D-OH), and Representative Jim Ramstad (R-MN).
At a time of great concern about the potentially harmful impact of proposed cuts in vital programs such as Medicaid and HUD housing programs, the "Roadmap" report provides a proactive vision for positive changes that can improve services for people with mental illnesses while making these services more efficient and cost-effective.
To see the entire "Roadmap" report, the executive summary, a list of the organizations comprising the Campaign for Mental Health Reform, and other information,
Click here:
Action Needed
Please write your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask them to support the seven steps and 28 action items contained in the "Roadmap" report.
Contact your senator here:
Posted by szadmin at July 29, 2005 12:50 PM
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(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Kings proved to be Vancouver's nemesis once again on Monday when the defending Stanley Cup champions reopened old wounds from last season's playoffs with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Canucks.
Vancouver held a 2-1 lead and were just 44 seconds from securing the road win when Russian defenseman Slava Voynov scored to send the game into overtime.
Following a scoreless extra period, Jeff Carter netted the only goal of the shootout, after also scoring in regulation, to propel the Kings to an improbable win.
Los Angeles also stunned the Canucks (2-2-2) in the 2012 post-season where the eighth-ranked Kings eliminated the Western Conference top seeds 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs.
"I think it's only good for tonight," Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick told reporters of the triumph. Quick made 21 saves then fended off three Vancouver shooters to seal the victory.
"You get two days in between games now and we've got to use our time properly to be able to take the momentum to Thursday night (against Nashville)."
In the regular season rematch between the teams, Zack Kassian and Alex Burrows helped the Canucks forge a 2-0 lead early in the second period but the home team rallied to wipe out the deficit.
Carter halved the deficit at 15:21 of the second period and Los Angeles plugged away until they tied the game in the final minute.
The win was the second in a row for the Kings (2-2-1), who opened the lockout-reduced season with three consecutive losses.
Roberto Luongo made 26 saves for Vancouver but was less than happy with the outcome of the game.
"It's disappointing getting scored on in the last minute like that," Luongo said.
"(You) always want to find ways to be better, maybe make an extra save somewhere."
Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John O'Brien


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Looks like Apple might be shutting down iTunes in the US and Norway. At least that's what VP of Internet Services (iTunes, Mobile Me, App Store), Eddy Cue says (via Macrumors):
"If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the ... royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss - which is no alternative at all. Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate [the iTunes music store] if it were no longer possible to do so profitably."
What's the deal'yo? In two separate, but equally perplexing bits of news, the US Government is thinking of dumping an extra $0.15 surcharge (going to copyright holders) onto digital downloads, which would result in either consumers paying $1.14 a track for iTunes music, or Apple eating the $0.15 itself.
Since Apple already gives the record labels $0.70 per download, and out of the remaining $0.30, pays all the bandwidth, storage, infrastructure, credit card and other transactional feeds, administration, etc., cutting that margin in half is not realistic for a for-profit company (can you say shareholder lawsuit?)
Hey, here's an idea, why not take that from the record label's cut? They've made a business out of negating artists rights (remember, they went to court to get ringtones declared derivative works, so they don't have to pay artists -- but still charge consumers ridiculous, pure profit, premiums for them!), so it seems only fair restitution should come from their end (provided the artist still holds the copyright...)
Meanwhile, Norway wants Apple to open Fairplay DRM. While Apple has publicly stated they themselves want to rid music of DRM, the record labels won't give them DRM-free music (preferring to use it to bolster competitors like Amazon and Naptser), so how about Norway go have a word with the Big 4? I'm sure everyone else would love to be rid of that short-sighted bit of un-usability. Then go swing the mystic hammer at Hollywood and get us DRM free TV and movies while they're at it. As we all know, DRM doesn't stop real pirates, it just makes it harder for real users to manage.
What do you think? Is Apple rightly on the hook? Or is it time pressure was placed where it really belongs, on the Big Media companies?


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The Australian Pol Who Hates 'Likes'
May 9, 2012 9:24 AM PT
When satire blog The New Examiner published an article lampooning Andrew Nikolic, the Australian politician was not amused. However, others were. Some were so amused, in fact, that they took to Facebook to give the article a virtual thumbs-up by way of the social network's "Like" feature.
This seemed to irritate the Tasmanian representative even more. So he threatened to contact the employers of all the article's official Facebook "likers" and register a formal complaint, according to The Age.
Nikolic has rescinded the threat, which was posted on Facebook. He later denied making having made such a threat altogether, but The Age had screenshots that suggested he had.
According to The Age:
Mr. Nikolic informed the New Examiner last week that if the offending article was not taken down he would write to the employers of all the individuals who had "liked" the story.
"I hope the employers and influencers of your satirical group will be amused by the formal letters of complaint I will now send them on this issue," wrote Mr. Nikolic in a Facebook comment that has since been deleted.
An anti-Nikolic Facebook group says it wants to have more members than Nikolic has votes in the next election.
US, China Team Up on Security
Despite past spats over Chinese cyberattacks, the U.S. and China have partnered on cybersecurity.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and his Chinese counterpart, Liang Guanglie, met this week in Washington.
Liang denied that China was the primary source of cyberattacks against the U.S. After getting that out of the way, the two nations vowed to work together.
"Because the United States and China have developed the technological capabilities in this arena, it's extremely important that we work together to develop ways to avoid any miscalculation or misperception that could lead to a crisis in this area," Panetta said.
Liang's was the first U.S. visit by a Chinese defense minister since 2003.
Anonymous Has Pirate Bay's Back
Hacker group Anonymous is claiming responsibility for an attack on Virgin Media websites, according to Giga OM.
Virgin Media was the first Internet service provider, or ISP, to comply with a recent UK ruling that prohibits ISPs from allowing access to file-sharing website The Pirate Bay.
For its part, The Pirate Bay had a message on its Facebook page:
We do NOT encourage these actions. We believe in the open and free internets (sic), where anyone can express their views. Even if we strongly disagree with them and even if they hate us.
So don't fight them using their ugly methods. ...
Virgin Media had this to say, according to The Register:
As a responsible ISP, Virgin Media complies with court orders but we strongly believe that tackling the issue of copyright infringement needs compelling legal alternatives, giving consumers access to great content at the right price, to help change consumer behaviour.
Attempts to block The Pirate Bay in the past have been fraught with problems. In Belgium, for instance, a ban similar to the UK's resulted in a slightly amended URL, which still led users to The Pirate Bay. The UK's ban has already resulted in an uptick in traffic for The Pirate Bay.
US Court: 'iPad' Belongs to Apple
Proview's case against Apple, which centered on the rights to the term "iPad," has been dismissed by a California judge.
Proview, a Chinese electronics company, filed its suit in February.
Proview's concedes it sold "iPad" to Apple but claims it was duped in the process.
Proview had accused Apple of deceiving it into selling the rights by setting up a company, IP Application Development Ltd. (IPADL) in the UK.
It claimed that Apple said the trademark was "an abbreviation for the company name".
Proview had sold its rights for (US)$55,000 (pounds 35,000) in 2009.
The company had appealed to void the sale and to prevent Apple from using the iPad trademark. It was also seeking damages.
Proview filed a similar suit in China's Guandong Province. Officials are trying to iron out an out-of-court settlement in that case, according to BBC.


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Tue, 18 January 2011
Eric Blehm with "The Only Thing Worth Dying For"...How Eleven Green Berets Fought for a New Afghanistan. Ralph Benko proxies for Congressman Mike Pence...trying to draft him to run for president. Congressman Steve King is in the forefront of the Obamacare repeal effort. Ken Timmerman discovers St. Peter's Bones...with insight into the digital warhead attack against Iran's nuclear weapons program.
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Category:general -- posted at: 8:16am CST


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Introductory Psychology (PSY 101)
Term: Academic Year 2012-2013 Fall Semester
Mon-Wed-Fri, 10:00 AM - 10:50 AM (8/20/2012 - 12/16/2012) Location: BART HINES 107
An introduction to the various sub-areas that comprise psychology, including the development of psychology as a science, learning and memory, biological foundations of behavior, sensation and perception, human development, motivation and emotions, and social psychology. Emphasis placed on critical thinking and understanding the scientific methods used in the discipline. Fall, Spring.


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If your language specific forum isn't listed below, this is your general, non-English discussion forum for Elite: Dangerous.
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Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.


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(Reuters) - Zach Johnson failed to take advantage of the par-five holes but his renowned, razor-sharp wedge game helped him seize a three-shot lead after Saturday's second round of the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.
One stroke off the lead overnight after opening with a six-under-par 67, the American broke clear of a log-jammed leaderboard as he fired a seven-birdie 66 in the elite, winners-only PGA Tour event at the picturesque Kapalua Resort.
Though Johnson did not birdie any of the four par-fives on the hilly Plantation Course, he hit a series of wedge shots close to the pin on the par-fours and putted well as he posted a 13-under total of 133.
Matt Kuchar (68), Jordan Spieth (70) and champion Dustin Johnson (66) were tied for second place, with fellow Americans Webb Simpson (71) and Michael Thompson (71) a further stroke back at nine under.
Zach Johnson, who upstaged tournament host Tiger Woods in a playoff to win the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge in California last month, was delighted to see the prevailing trade winds return to Kapalua on Saturday.
"If you have the proper winds, for me not being a bomber, I feel like I can take advantage," Johnson, who is known for his accuracy off the tee and brilliant short game, told Golf Channel.
"There were a lot of wedges today and that's where I've got to continue to stick it close, with those wedges."
Johnson's sole regret on another mainly sunny day on the Hawaiian island of Maui was his mediocre performance on the par-fives.
"You know I parred every one of them," said the 37-year-old, a 10-time winner on the PGA Tour. "I had a three-putt on one of them for par, which can happen.
"A couple of missed opportunities, certainly one at the last, and also at 15, but I putted well today."
Long-hitting Dustin Johnson, who triumphed by three shots last year in a tournament reduced to three rounds and forced to a rare Tuesday finish because of relentless howling winds, birdied all the par-fives as he surged into contention.
"This golf course sets up well for me," said the 29-year-old American, who clinched his eighth PGA Tour title at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai two months ago.
"I can reach all the par-fives and then there are a few short holes where you can drive it up close to the green. If I chip and putt it well, I'm going to shoot a good score pretty much every time around here.
"It was back to a pretty normal wind here today ... I thought the golf course played a little tougher yesterday. Today it was in great shape and I played a little better," said Johnson, who birdied six of the first nine holes.
Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia, the world number two and highest-ranked player in the elite field of 30, carded a second successive 70 to end the day at six under, seven strokes off the pace.
Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Greg Stutchbury


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Six Facts You Most Likely Do Not Know About Twinkies [POLL]
Hostess is shutting down the ovens in their bakeries, and their trucks will no longer deliver the tasty treat that many of us grew up thinking would survive even a nuclear bomb. After hearing the news, I learned more about Twinkies than I ever knew, I bet some of these facts will be new to you too.
I remember Twinkie The Kid commercials when I was younger, and even before that, there were many times that my busy working mom would stop at the 7-11 and pick up twinkies, and some Jungle Juice on the way to dropping me and my brother Doug off at school, Hostess, not only a great snack, but a pretty tasty breakfast too.
After hearing about Hostess shutting down, I thought I would do a blog post on it, and accidentally learned some pretty interesting facts about Twinkies.
- Twinkies were invented at the Continental Bakery in Chicago by James Dewar and named after "twinkle toe shoes". Originally, Twinkies were filled with banana cream and you could get two for a nickel.
- In World War II there was a banana shortage, Twinkies were then switched to vanilla filling.
- Back in 1999, the Whitehouse Millennium Council along with President Bill Clinton put a Twinkie in the Millennium Time Capsule, saying it was an "American Icon".
- British chef Cristopher Sell has been credited with inventing the deep-fried twinkie, at a Fish N Chips Restaurant in Brooklyn New York.
- In 1985 Minneapolis City Council candidate George Belair was indicted for bribery, after he served twinkies as refreshments to a couple of senior citizen groups. Local newspapers called it "Twinkiegate".
- Twinkie published a cookbook in 2006 with some fairly strange recipes in it, including "Pigs in a Twinkie", "Twinkie Sushi", and "Twinkie burritos". I saw that they had some at amazon.com but you better hurry.
So, I grew up loving Twinkies, but then I started experimenting with Ding-Dongs Next, I developed a pretty serious addiction to Sno-Balls, and before you know it I was strung out on Suzy-Qs... Thank God for Hostess fruit pies, or I might still be strung out today.
That brings up a good question, with all of the different snacks that Hostess produced, what were you most partial too?


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Pol B - Campaign Season [Unsigned Hype]
Jordan Tower reports "NEW VIDEO BY POL B. "ALL DRINKS ON ME'" video COMING SOON"
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See also barrowdowns.com
Barrow-downs or Tyrn Gorthad were a series of low hills east of The Shire, behind the Old Forest, and west of the village of Bree. Many of the hills were crowned with megaliths and barrows, whence their name.
The Barrow-downs were first inhabited by Men related to the Edain in the First Age, together with the Hills of Evendim to the north. They fled east as Easterlings invaded Eriador and passed on to Beleriand, but after these had left or been killed in the War of Wrath the Edain returned to their old homes.
During the Second Age they were fairly numerous, and when they met with the Númenóreans the Barrow-downs were the first places where the Dúnedain emigrees from Númenor settled. When Elendil returned to Middle-earth, the Barrow-downs were incorporated in the kingdom of Arnor.
After the split of Arnor the Barrow-downs became the capital of Cardolan. After Rhudaur fell to Angmar, the Dúnedain of Cardolan entrenched themselves here, but eventually the realm fell. The Barrow-wights were now sent there by the Witch-king. After Arthedain once again claimed the kingship over all of Arnor the Dúnedain tried to recolonize Cardolan, but this failed because of the Barrow-wights.
During the War of the Ring Frodo Baggins and company were trapped in the downs by a wight, probably in the same cairn which held the grave of the last prince of Cardolan. They were rescued by Tom Bombadil, and there got their swords.
A possible real-life inspiration for Tolkien were the Barrow Downs of Warwickshire, near the village of Long Compton.
Portrayal in adaptations
2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- The barrow-downs are a series of mounds crowned with megaliths. The region is inhabited by wraiths. The largest and oldest barrow is Othrongroth.


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Jennifer Aniston Is THAT a Baby Bump?!?!?
Jennifer Aniston -- Is THAT a Baby Bump???
Here it is ... undeniable proof that Jennifer Aniston is finally PREGNANT ... or not pregnant ... depending on if you can see a baby bump in this photo!!!
The former "Friends" actress was all smiles on her way into a spa in Beverly Hills this weekend ... with what appears to be signs of a "stomach" showing underneath her shirt.
Question is ... is her belly full of fetus??? Or perhaps she had a big lunch?? Or is she still really super-skinny and it's all just an optical illusion created by a couple of ill-placed wrinkles in her shirt?
Only Jen knows for sure ... but we should totally guess anyway -- so, we gotta ask ...


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Was there for the casinos and had a fun time.
It has gas station, stores, and few restaurants around Casino strip. All Casinos are close in proximity.


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Could we not only be seeing iPhone 2.1 this Tuesday, but a 2.1 with secret features deliberately kept from the 4 developer beta's just so Steve Jobs can see our stunned rapture when he pronounces BOOM!
Ars Technica thinks so:
We were told that, aside from what we already know about iPhone 2.1 from leaked info on the web, there are other parts to 2.1 that were specifically removed from developer seeds in order to keep them secret from the world.
Ars is both excited at the idea of new features, and scared of what feature untested outside Apple may do to an already buggy 2.x series. Us? We're filled with anticipointment at the very thought.
Apple's "Let's Rock" Event, their traditional pre-holiday season iPod (and more?) refresh kicks off at 10am PDT/1pm EDT, and remember -- TiPd will be rocking out, and live meta-blogging it!