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Progressives Call For A Boycott On Whole Foods
Whole Foods Markets is under the microscope after shoppers found out that the trendy supermarket's CEO holds conservative views about the government and on health care.
This week, Whole Food Markets' CEO John Mackey wrote an op-ed on the Wall Street Journal titled, "The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare." In the piece, Mackey makes clear his desire for a "smaller" government and his opposition to a universal health care system.
But Mackey's politics are not something so new. Over the years many progressives have complained of Whole Foods' anti-union practices such as firing workers who have tried to organize. They've also pointed out the store's monopolistic business approach, which has resulted in hundreds of independent health food co-ops across the country being bought out by Whole Foods over the years. And, there are fierce complains about misleading information to customers about the company's "responsible" brand, which they feel is nothing but a mirage.
A Facebook group has been formed, urging progressive shoppers to go elsewhere and boycott Whole Foods. According to the group's description:
Whole Foods is NOT a company that cares for communities and they have built their brand with the dollars of deceived progressives. No more. My $ will no longer go to support Whole Foods' anti-union, anti-health insurance reform, right-wing activities.
The Facebook group has already more than 7,500 members which are irate at Whole Foods' CEO and are calling for his resignation.
To learn more about Whole Foods Markets' practices, click here.
To visit the "Boycott Whole Foods" Facebook page, click here.
For Mackey's op-ed on the Wall Street Journal go here.
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35 Responses to Progressives Call For A Boycott On Whole Foods
Progressives, communists…no difference. If they don't like your positions, they'll try to force you to accept theirs. Stupid and disgusting.
Gee, nice name Mike Hunt, what are you in 5th or 6th grade? For 8 long years the right has been bankrupting this Nation of ours with a War based on a lie to line the pockets of the Halliburton's and the Blackwater's, not to mention Wall Street and the Health care Insurance industry… there are too many to name. The right has shown itself completely inept to keep a huge inherited surplus we had in check… instead we are now forced to make tough decisions out of necessity. My thought is that the left isn't being forceful enough and should RAM the medicine down our throats and get it over with. Someone has to play the roll of the adults here and stop throwing all our money into military defense…. I mean, are we expecting to go to war with the entire world at once? Because we spend more on defense then the rest of the world COMBINED. This great country of ours was lost a long time ago and people need to start doing their homework and STOP relying on what the phony news channels feed us… We have become sheep, pawns to the men with all the money that create and fabricate what we believe to be truth. Stop making this about the right and left, this polarization is making things 1000x worse than it has to be. If this country makes it through the next 100 years, it will be a gift from God.
Yeah, we should do our homework and realize that military spending is the only legitimate spending the federal government can do under the constitution.
We should also do our homework and realize that it's the insurance and drug companies who are funding the advertising for ObamaCare.
Look it up if you don't want to remain ignorant for the rest of your life.
Among other things in section 8 of the Constitution: The Congress shall have Power To "Establish Post Offices and Post Roads." Like i told James… Bush and Obama are two sides to the same Fascist coin.
James… Bush and Obama are brothers in arms. Both warmongers, both civilian killers. Who are you kidding? Obama signed the biggest Wal Street giveaway EVER. Dude. Wake up and smell the one party system!
You could not be more wrong. The "polarization" is the best thing to happen to this country. Obama was the best thing to happen to this country. A little advice, put down the talking points, you sound like a sheep. This is about right and left, as it should be. News flash – War Escalates in Afghanistan. Pull your nose out and get educated. And for god's sake, man-up.
Conservatives, facists..no difference. They won't accept change even when it is in their best interest. Stupid and disgusting. See, it can be said of any position, just change the key words.
Now that I've got your attention, let me tell you the reason I'm blogging here. Anyone who tells you in no uncertain terms that you "have" to adhere to their fanatical beliefs, no matter what they are, and that if you're not one of "us" you're one of "them," is more than likely trying to pull the wool over your eyes to get away with something.
Example, conservative Christians began boycotting Walmart, because Walmart gave to one diversity charity that they say aided homosexuals. (at the behest of Rush and the other mouthpieces). Now, it's the liberals, saying they'll boycott Whole Foods because its CEO is a conservative. IT'S THE SAME THING FOLKS. You decide as an individual who you want to boycot, or what you want for health care. Don't let someone tell you what to think, and for cryin' out loud, do your own research, don't just complain about the status quo but be afraid to change what's wrong.
I researched the issue carefully and decided to boycott Whole Foods. I will not shop there until Mackey is gone and until Whole Foods supports single payer.
The irony here is that this is what's great about capitalism … if people don't like it, they're not stuck with it, and they can make that statement through boycotts. The market will inevitably change to serve the demands of the consumer.
When you have government run *anything*, it doesn't necessarily move with market demands, but rather with political convenience.
My wife and I have been shopping regularly at Whole Foods in Las Vegas for over 10 years. We sincerely thank the business CEO for providing his view of the health care issues facing the US. Since Mr. Mackey's views appear to be a direct contradiction to the healthy living ideals that we have until now believed that their stores promote, my wife and I will be taking our business to another store.
We do not intend to continue to support a hypocritical business that believes more in lining their own pockets and shortchanging their employees health plans than in promoting the health and welfare of their customers and employees.
Marin County California, I always shop at Whole Food because it is close to my office and home but No more. Thank's for the article
I had heard of this boycott, so I told some of my friends, then I went to go shopping at Whole Foods. It is a littel further than my usual store, but well worth the trip, I felt. I agree completely that government use of mandatory compensation structures to doctors to enforce adherence to a government designed committee's recomendations of 'best practices/cost effective practices is absolutely unConstitutional and unAmerican. Whether 'public' plan or private plan, the government has designed the policies and there is very little room for a 'private' plan to be modified to serve the desires of customers. I don't want 'central planning' over my health care.
However, when I reached Whole Foods there was a line of cars to get into the parking lot that reached down the block and around the other side.
I will have to go by later, but still plan to do so.
I wonder if those who started this boycott have been following polls saying most oppose the health care take over? It seems to me this is going to bring quite a lot of additional traffic to Whole Foods.
Cool…if all the leftists quit shopping at Whole Foods, it'll be a better place to shop for us hard-working people who can actually read and comprehend what the founders of this country wrote in the Declaration and Constitution (and its 27 legal amendments). It's amazing how the freaks shriek when they find out that the company is successful because of its capitalist approach. They must have thought utopia actually existed. Darn…reality strikes again.
Now Mike, you are the first Repub I have encountered who could spell Constitution. Methinks you must have a polysci 101 text at your side or you had a Democrat write this for you.
Constitution Party donor here.
Every time a liberalista gets hit with a dose of reality and common sense, it's like the "melt the witch" scene in the Wizard Of Oz. So I say: More buckets!! More buckets!!
Where I work, we have two reception area freebies for our clients and visitors: a jar of candy treats, and a tray of pocket Constitutions. "Free! Take one! Learn your Constitution. It's your civic duty."
I agree with Whole Food CEO. Obama sucks. Great job for speaking your mind on this scary issue. We need more CEOs like you to defend our belief. I am 100% Republican and please Mr. Obama, take your healthcare ideas else where.
Good News !
A staff writer at The New Yorker and some experts have examined Medicare data from the successful hospitals of 10 regions, and they have found evidence that more effective, lower-cost care is possible.
Please be 'sure' to visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/opinion/13gawande.html?hp for credible evidences !
Some have followed the Mayo model with salaried doctors employed, Other regions, too, have found ways to protect patients against the pursuit of revenues over patient.
And a cardiac surgeon of them said they had adopted electronic systems, examined the data and found that a shocking portion of tests were almost certainly unnecessary, possibly harmful.
According to analysis, their quality scores are well above average. Yet they spend more than $1,500 (16 percent) less per Medicare patient than the national average and have a slower real annual growth rate (3 percent versus 3.5 percent nationwide).
Surprisingly, 16 % of about $550 billion (the total of medicare cost per year) is around $88 billion per year, except for Medicaid (total cost of around $500 billion per year), medicare 'alone' can save $880 billion over the next decade.
In addition, under the reform package, along with the already allocated $583 billion, the wastes involving so called "doughnut hole" , the unnecessary subsidies for insurers, abuse, exorbitant costs by the tragic ER visits etc are weeded out, the concern over revenue (below) might be a thing of the past.
(( Net Medicare and Medicaid savings of $465 billion + the $583 billion revenue package = $1048 billion – the previously estimated $1.042 trillion cost of reform = $6 billion surplus – $245 billion (the 10-year cost of adjusting Medicare reimbursement rates so physicians don't face big annual pay cuts) = the estimated deficit of $239 billion ))
In modernized society, the business lacking IT system is unthinkable just like pre-electricity period, nevertheless, the last thing to expect is happening now in the sector requiring the best accuracy in respect to dealing with human lives. Apparently the errors by no e-medical records have spawned the crushing lawsuits (Medical malpractice lawsuits cost at least $150 billion per year), and these costs have led to the unnecessary tests, treatments, even more profits so far. And in different parts of the U.S., patients get two to three times as much care for the same disease, with the same result.
Thank You !
Tucson, Arizona…I have shopped at Whole Foods once or twice a week now for the past couple of years. Thank you for this article. As of today, until the board of directors removes this CEO, I will no longer shop their stores. Tomorrow I'll be printing the Boycott page and placing it on every single car at both of the Tucson Whole Foods locations.
And if you place that paper on my car, I'll call the cops and have you arrested for littering.
I've read many character attacks on Mackey and his company's supposed anti-union, monopolistic policies, but I've yet to see a single rebuttal of his well-written argument for health care reform.
The boycott is absurd.
Did anyone who is boycotting READ the man's article?
Things like providing the same tax deductions for individuals that businesses get is just common sense.
I guess when you make REAL suggestions and have REAL ideas, you must be boycotted for making REAL sense.
We have 5 bills, none of which are binding, and no specifics EVER from anyone in the Administration or from congress, and his reform ideas are REAL reform that would actually work.
Anyone knows that if you can give out 1000 slices of pizza for a set cost, giving out 1500 slices of pizza will cost more money. The only way around that is to make the slices smaller (rationing), or go with crappier ingredients. It's not rocket science. What Obama is saying is that he can give out 1500 pieces of pizza, with the same quality, the same size pieces, for less cost than the 1000, PLUS he is going to give out 10,000 breadsticks (preventive healthcare) and you will have the same bill. It's simply a flat out lie.
I'm a veteran, and I'd pay out of pocket before resorting to going to the VA. Anyone who wants that care for everyone is mentally challenged. At least look at the man's ideas before you boycott, then maybe you can maintain a little intellectual honesty.
Don't you think we can save a bundle by eliminating the "insurance" companies? What do they do but take our health care dollars and give a thumbs up or down to you and me.
I'll accept that from a capitalist banker, but not from a greedy and uneccessary corporation deciding if I get healthcare services. They are in it to service their executives and shareholders. Don't you see the conflict of interest here?
Who needs them?!
Shop at PUBLIX, were shopping is a pleasure.
I'm truly disturbed that those individuals claiming to be "progressives" are taking such a negative view of an alternative approach that, in my view, adds constructively to the healthcare reform debate.
By their comments and actions, they don't appear to want an intellectually honest debate. For them it appears to be a (juvenile), my way or nothing. Their solution indeed is not to debate or discuss the merits of the ideas put forth, but to instead threaten those with alternative views with a boycott, i.e., attempt to harm anyone who doesn't fall in line with their own concept of healthcare reform, (unlimited healthcare for all no matter the cost or consequences…..Yes Virginia, money does go on trees…and…Deficits don't matter).
"A mind is like a parachute, it only functions when it's open". Sounds like these folks are headed for a hard landing.
The combined Federal, State, and local government annual expenditure on health care is a bit over $1 trillion. For just over $900 billion per year, we can fully nationalize health care – providing universal health care (medical, dental, and vision care – not just medical care) to the entire US populace.
We can cut government health care spending by $100 billion per year, and provide universal health care (via a US version of Britain's National Health Service).
No. All you will have is a 100 BILLION shortfall for those who the fed, state, and local government spend money on medically. The rest, who pay separately will have to make up the shortfall…because no one else will. You, buddy, will be paying for the shortfall because it sure won't be those who are getting a lower quality health care…they're dying out there.
Wrong Dave, just plain wrong. There will be no shortfall – a US version of the British National Health Service will be able to excise the pork from the current corporate system. Government spending is currently subject to the excessive prices charged by the corporate health care industry – this is why we get so little health care in exchange for so much spending.
With a US version of Britain's National Health Service, there will be no need for expensive marketing campaigns, no expensive lawsuits over fraudulent claim denials, no multimillion dollar salaries and obscene bonuses for overpaid scheming amoral, executives, no need for a massive staff of claim deniers, etc.. The US NHS will be providing health care – and we can do this for about $900 billion per year.
Planning a boycott because the CEO spoke his mind (and had some constructive ideas to offer whether you agree with him or not)? What country are you people in?
I'm more inclined to visit Whole Foods since this article was posted.
We need well thought out debate on this topic. Not knee-jerk reactionary BS.
Read – Learn – Listen, then talk.
You're being lied to people. The only way to get real health care savings is through tort reform (like every other country in the world) – only the "progressives" have sold their souls to the trial lawyers and taken this off the table.
Ironically, the combination of high deductable insurance and health savings account Mackey advocates is the same system my wife and I decided to switch to when our HMO Blue premiums jumped 20% in one year as a result of the Massachusetts health care "reform". The proposed Federal "reform" has all the "mandates" that forced up the costs in Mass plus several more besides. The president is correct in saying that health care costs are out of control and something must be done but congress is proposing nothing that would give the health care industry an incentive to find less expensive ways of treating patients. Preventing people from voting with their feet and dropping their health insurance makes things worse! The proposed "reform" offers something for every lobby but nothing for those of us who are expected to pay the bill.
I am old enough to remember a time when everyone had liability insurance to protect them from the lawyers but no one needed health insurance to protect them from their doctors. Fifty years of health insurance has raised the cost of our health care from 2% of the economy to 16%. Getting people to use HSA's for routine care would at least put some cost pressure back into the system.
Henry Ford turned the car from a toy for the rich to a means of transportation that the common people could afford. We once had health care that we could afford as well. The people that could bring it back are business like Wallmart with their cheap generic drugs and CVS with their health clinics. The lobbyists in congress are determined to determined to prevent that and keep their cut of the economy rising. "Mandates" are a great way to ensure that.
I used to spend an average of $200 a week (or, about $10,000 a year) at Whole Foods. This week, after reading Whole Foods CEO John Mackey's op-ed in the Wall Street Journal I've decided to no longer shop at Whole Foods unless Mackey reverses his opposition to Obama's health care reform or the Whole Foods board replaces him. I am shopping at Trader Joe's instead.
Cool man — it's your right to choose where you want to shop. Choices are great aren't they! That's why I tend to support a market based healthcare exchange solution rather than a "single payer system" used by all.
Progressives tend to focus their energies on expressing their feelings rather than realities. They ridicule solutions and shun debate if facts and reason are involved. Don't waste your time trying to understand their motives, don't waste your time following their lead; most often they advocate positions (regardless of merit) that are anti-Capitalism because they distrust the principles upon which its based: individual liberty, purposeful action, personal pride.
What they don't realize (or care to think about) is the fact that their "boycott" can only have an effect in a society that is the exact opposite of the socialism they advocate. Their "dream society" would (eventually) destroy what power they really have: free speech. Talk about suicidal!
I say to Progressives that if you're unhappy about the way things are but unwilling to provide reasonable solutions, do us all a favor and keep it to yourself.
It's not just Whole Foods we need to boycott. We need to hang on tight to all our discretionary dollars. No more purchasing anything we don't absolutely need until they give us adequate health care reform. Hit them all in their pocketbooks. If we unite, we can overcome. Stay home. Eat at home. Wear your old clothes. Drive your old car. Watch TV. Wait. MLK and Gandhi both succeeded with this approach.
"Mike Hunt" is as dumb as these dingdongs.
"PUBIC option"????
What does this have to do with the actual purpose of Whole Foods? Buying naturally grown food is hardly illiberal. We should be devoting our energies to boycotting agencies like Fox Media, which actively promote conservatism.
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Byron Falls High School Class of 2015
Tag: Un-Veiled
Kelvin Fibonacci
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Zachary is grounding force for [[:alexi-alex-syaoran | Alexi "Alex" Syaoran]]'s Pack. He is a rational mind and able to keep his wild side at bay. When someone needs someone to talk to they go to Zachary. After [[:crystal-lupita | Crystal Lupita]] got …
Lucas Lowell
Lucas is a Fourth Year Law Student. He is very close to his twin brother, [[:luther-lowell | Luther Lowell]] to the point that both of them are each other's Soul Mates. Lucas and Luther are known for being very vicious. Lucas is the heart and soul of …
Luther Lowell
Luther is a Third Year Law Student. He is very close to his twin brother, [[:lucas-lowell | Lucas Lowell]] to the point that both of them are each other's Soul Mates. The brothers are known for being vicious, and Luther is defiantly the more dangerous …
Brea Ryder
Ryder is a Hunter. The Best Hunter. They only call on Ryder when things go wrong. She is as social as it is nessassary, polite, and by the book. Her name is said with a hush amungst Supernaturals. Most have nick names for her not wanting to speak her name …
Kenneth "Ken" Laverick
Ken is "That Guy". You know "That Guy". That Guy is the guy who will drink a bottle of hot sauce cause he was dared too. That Guy is the guy who will T.P. [[:vice-turnagen | Vice Turnagen]] house. That Guy is the guy half the year has something in a caste …
Mason Tanner
Mason is great with her hands. If it has wheels she can fix it. Her dad owns [[Tanner Gas and Automotive]] and [[The Junk Yard]]. She is a bit of a Tom-Boy and quiet for the most part. She is not very popular and keeps to herself for the most part. …
Tyler Mingan
Tyler is a Junior at [[Byron Falls High School]]. Last year around New Years he became a Werewolf, but not too many people know about this. He was born a Werewolf and his Father works for [[:mulo-delano | Mulo Delano]] as part of his "Security Team". But …
Dusan Laverick
Adopted Father of [[:kenneth-ken-laverick | Kenneth "Ken" Laverick]]
Aaron Tanner
Aaron is the Father of [[:mason-tanner | Mason Tanner]]. He is a Widower and has raised Mason on his own since she was 5. He owns both [[Tanner Gas and Automotive]] and [[The Junk Yard]]. He is a hardworking, patient man. He is not home a lot but does it …
Wynona Ensio
Wynona is in Honors... everything... If there is an advanced level for it, she is in it. She is a driven young mind that wants go be someone and go somewhere someday.
Kenji Zenjiro
Kenji has a bit of a reputation. He can be very competitive and always gets what he wants. He is smart and very resourceful for a Freshman...pity he's dead.
Sivan Tripp
Sivan just moved into town over the summer. He hadn't planned on moving. He hadn't planned a lot that had happened to him recently. He had planned in Jr. High that he was going to run his school, that he had all of the social structures laid out, and he …
Nana Eleanor
Tawny Jackson
Vernon Olivier
Vernon is a nice guy. He is the type that would give up his seat on a bus, or his lunch to those who are hungry, or is the type who is "Yes, I have a spare dollar"
Parker Acton
Parker is the type of guys that is quiet a lot of the times. It is not that he is shy or distant, more that he only really talks when it is needed. He is sweet and nice to just about everyone. Because of this he is one of the most popular boys in his …
Keen Alvis
Keen is the type of guy who can do no wrong. He is not a jock, but rather a smart kid, but very popular. You see, Keen is the type of guy you just can't help but like. Needs help in Chemistry? He has an afternoon free that he can help you with some tips …
Raul Sandulf
Raul has always been a unique child. While other kids want to watch the newest action movie, he wanted to watch classic Errol Flynn. He has always loved the theater and everything about it. So as soon as he started High School and the Drama Department was …
Callista Arnou
Callista is a nice girl. She will lend a hand when you need it and knows how to cheer her friends up when they are down. She doesn't like seeing others upset and will even be a bit of a dork to cheer them up.
Joseph Fibonacci Jr.
JJ, as his family affectionately calls him, was everything that[[:james-fibonacci | James Fibonacci ]] should have been but wasn't. He is his father, [[:joseph-joe-fibonacci | Joseph "Joe" Fibonacci]], favorite child. And yet, James always seemed to be …
Primrose Fibonacci
Every family has one of those in the family... Primrose, or Prim as her brothers call her, is that one. She has a story for every occasion, and none of them are boring. She has been married more times then fingers on one hand, she has many children none …
Carolyn Fibonacci
Carolyn is wonderful. She grew up in Byron Falls with [[:harriet-brady | Harriet Brady]] as a friend and part of her clique. She is sweet, quick to smile, a little quiet... she is a "perfect wife". She can bake, throw a party, make paper crafts, …
Roshan Fibonacci
Arien Freira
Arien grew up in Byron Falls as a young girl. She moved away to go to college but came back to the small town 5 years ago right after she got married. She was young and in love and the couple came back to start a life together. Arien worked odd jobs here …
Chance Savva
*Olivia Keshet
Pitter Patter name: h0keystyx
Anastacia Keshet
Anastacia moved to Bryon Falls during her Senior Year, so her mother could run [[The Looking Glass | The Looking Glass]]. Even though she's only planning to be here for a few months before her mother gets bored and moves onto the next best thing, she's …
Kyleigh Keshet
Jasmine Sumner
Jasmine is unique free spirited soul. She came to Byron Falls in the middle of Elementary School. She has always walked to the beat of her own drum, and at times is the one drumming it. She has no care for trends or fashion and wears whatever she wants …
Dwayne "Lucius" Gustave
Lucius is Dark. He is Scary. He is Mysterious. He lurks in the corners of the cafeteria and never actually dances as dances. He wears sunglasses whenever possible and when outside uses an umbrella. His heart is dark and as deep as a black hole. Very few …
Kye Dillon
Kye just moved to Byron Falls. His Mom and Dad have been going through a lot and almost separated but his father thought it would be a good idea to move away from San Diego to the little town of Byron Falls. Things are not as stressful there. And besides, …
Brandon Shinji Thomas
Brandon has lived in Japan for most of his life. His family moved to Tokyo when he was 5. Growing up in Japan was difficult early on as he was not only an outsider, but mixed …
Yuriko Oyama Thomas
Yuriko is from a traditional family in Tokyo. She is [[:brandon-shinji-thomas | Brandon's ]] mother. She worked for the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC as a translator. While working there she met her husband. When they moved back to Japan, she became …
Perry Joss
Perry works at [[Mystic Grounds | Mystic Grounds]] as the Manager. See, [[:thanos-clement | Thanos Clement]] may own it, but he isn't very good at running it. All he wants to do is sit and drink coffee. So Thanos hired Perry. Perry came from out of …
Kenya Wilder
Kenya has traveled around the world. She did not grow up in a Safe Zone but grew up with a Druid Family. She is not a practicer herself, as she was not born with the talent to be so, but she learned the life style and learned how to care for nature and …
Ulric Calder
Ulric lives in [[Steel Rails | Steel Rails]]. He lives alone in an old double wide that always has Christmas lights up. During the day he stays inside and sleeps. At night he sits on the porch as smokes and drinks. He is a mountain of a man that has few …
Mary was a Nightingale in London during World War II. She was 18 when she signed up. She always took good care of her patients and was thought very highly of by the staff. She was working the night shift shortly after her 19th birthday when she had …
Michael Blind
Yoshi Akane
Yoshi is a powerful Vampire. When one walks near him they get an overwhelming fear of death. He has an aura about him that veiled and unveiled can recognize as he is a man not to mess with. He may not be large in stature, but he is defiantly a man who …
Jaznae Phoenix
Jaznae sits in the second throne on the Vampire Counsel for the United States of America. She has been a Vampire sense the settling of the country, with her twin brother, [[:renate-phoenix | Renate Phoenix]]. She is known for her Thrall which she can push …
Tanya Dusk
Ron Nox
Gina "G.R." Robbers
Gina Robbers comes and goes as she pleases from one location to another. She usually finds herself working in Hospitals as it is an easy place to work from. She drives a Harley wherever she goes and is currently residing in Canada.
Kurt Ulric
Finn Keshet
*Micah "Mishka" Kurt
Jules Kurt
Nicole Kurt
Emmalyn "Emma" Magnus
Middle class, only child, recently turned werewolf, no pack and not aware of any others that are unveiled.
Atticus Pipper

subset: commoncrawl


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Add text and shapes to your own images!
Too many photos to choose from? Show off your favorite images on a single canvas with Photo Collage!
Give your photos some edge. Printed on fine art paper in an expertly fitted wood frame, your photos never looked so good.
We never SPAM. Remove yourself at anytime.


text: The World Winter Games Returned to AustriaOur World Winter Games began with divisioning on 16 March and continued through the final matches on 24 March.Almost 2,700 Special Olympics athletes skied, skated, snowboarded and snowshoed. They shot balls and shot pucks. Check out the results and see how these talented athletes did!Games Survey for AthletesGames Survey for All Others


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How do Christians Pray?
There are all kinds of different ways Christians choose to pray.
Some Christians practice meditation. In this type of prayer a Christian will think deeply about God. This involves organising a time when you will be on your own in silence. You might use something – often some sentences from the Bible which talk about God – to help you meditate. For example, this verse from the Psalms:
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I will lack nothing" (Psalm 23:1)
You might think closely about the words, using your imagination to picture a shepherd carefully watching over a sheep. You might ask God to help you understand more about what He is like through the words, or help you obey what He has said to you, in order to grow closer to God.
Some Christians hold prayer vigils. A vigil is a night of prayer. Jesus often prayed at night, and he spent all night praying alone before choosing his twelve disciples (Luke 6: 12-13). Christians also like to pray at night, when it is quiet and peaceful, and they can leave behind the worries of a busy day. They feel that God is close to them then, and they can listen to him speaking to their heart. Sometimes churches organise a vigil – a special service of prayer and Bible reading. This may happen before some festivals of the church year, like Easter, to give people the opportunity to really think about the meaning of the day. It may happen at a time of particular need, like a vigil for peace.
At other times Christians may pray in very creative ways. This may include using the arts – song, painting, poetry, sculpturing, photography – as a way to pray. It may include blowing bubbles or dropping rocks in water – anything that helps a person to focus on God can be used in pray.


text: The Caddo with Loft is another popular plan and rightly so. The family room's vaulted ceiling and the openness of the living area creates an air of spaciousness. Near the efficient kitchen is a utility room. Upstairs, the master bedroom has a private bath; a balcony overlooks the family room and dining room. The two downstairs bedrooms share a bath.


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Fortunately, there's an easy, hassle-free way to test-drive Windows 8. Using a program called VirtualBox and the evaluation version of Windows 8 Enterprise, you can try out the new OS for free, without disturbing your current operating system. Read on—we'll show you how.
Important considerationsFor this project, you'll need to use the evaluation version of Windows 8 Enterprise, which you can download directly from Microsoft at the MSDN Evaluation Center website. There are a few things you should know about the evaluation edition, but you might want to start the download now—at 3.4GB, it will take a while.
Wording on the download page identifies it as "Windows 8 evaluation for developers," but anyone who has a Microsoft account (such as a free Hotmail or Live account) can download the software and try it out. The download link is at the very bottom of the page. Simply select the 32- or 64-bit version of the operating system, log in, and fill out a brief questionnaire. Just like that, you're downloading Windows 8!


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Clutch announces headlining Fall tour!
0 Comments | | Posted by Travis in Clients, News, Products, Tour Dates
Earth Rockers Clutch have announced a fall headlining tour! The Devin Townsend Project and The Obsessed will be the opening acts on what is sure to be a killer package!
Full Clutch headlining dates are below. See you there!
Wednesday, 11-29-17 Cone Denim Entertainment Center Greensboro, NC
Friday, 12-01-17 House Of Blues Myrtle Beach, SC
Saturday, 12-02-17 Jannus Live St Petersburg, FL
Sunday, 12-03-17 Revolution Fort Lauderdale, FL
Tuesday, 12-05-17 Backyard Stage @ St Augustine Amphitheatre St. Augustine, FL
Wednesday, 12-06-17 Vinyl Music Hall Pensacola, FL
Friday, 12-08-17 Varsity Theatre Baton Rouge, LA
Saturday, 12-09-17 The Aztec Theatre San Antonio, TX
Sunday, 12-10-17 House Of Blues Houston, TX
Tuesday, 12-12-17 Gillioz Theatre Springfield, MO
Wednesday, 12-13-17 Bourbon Theatre Lincoln, NE
Friday, 12-15-17 Limelight Eventplex Peoria, IL
Saturday, 12-16-17 Marathon Music Works Nashville, TN
Wednesday, 12-27-17 Upstate Concert Hall Clifton Park, NY
Thursday, 12-28-17 Starland Ballroom Sayreville, NJ
Friday, 12-29-17 The National Richmond, VA
Saturday, 12-30-17 The International Knoxville, TN
Sunday, 12-31-17 Express Live Columbus, OH
If you can't make it to a show, you can pick up official Clutch merchandise by heading to the link below!
Clutch official merchandise


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Zach Bitter
Ultrarunning Plans by one of the World's Best
Shatter your PR. Run better, faster, and farther with a training plan by Zach Bitter - the 100 Mile American Record Holder and the 12 Hour World Record Holder. Zach specializes in ultramarathon training with a fat-optimized metabolism nutritional approach. No matter your background, age, or ability, Zach can help you reach your ultrarunning goals!
What You Get:
Each Zach Bitter training plan comes with the following:


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By David "Los Gatos Rosenberg
Today there was a notable absence at the final press conference for Saturday's big junior welterweight showdown between Devon Alexander and Lucas Matthysse at the Family Arena in St. Charles, MO, which is going to be televised by HBO. IBF champion Cornelius "K9" Bundrage, who is scheduled to face his mandatory challenger Sechew Powell was a no show.
Calls to Bundrage were not returned and it can't be confirmed if the former Contender series star will still go through with the fight. The fight is scheduled to be on the untelevised portion of the undercard.


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TOKYO, JAPAN: SEMI announced an exceptional lineup of speakers for SEMICON Japan's Opening Day — Accenture, Applied Materials, ARM, IBM Japan, Intel K.K., NIICT, Scripps, Toshiba, and Toyota.
SEMICON Japan 2014, the largest exhibition in Japan for semiconductor manufacturing and related processing technology, will take place at its new venue in Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo on December 3-5.
A deep program spans from the 33rd annual SEMI Technology Symposium (STS) which begins on December 3, includes sessions on power devices, DFM, lithography, MEMS, packaging, and more to the new World of IoT (Internet of Things).
While the semiconductor and IC manufacturing industries have undergone consolidation, a surge in new investment points to a rebound in related spending in Japan. The semiconductor equipment market in Japan is forecast to grow both in 2014 and 2015.
Drivers for the increased investment are: memory devices, power semiconductors and "More than Moore" semiconductor technologies. According to the SEMI World Fab Forecast, in 2014, Japan will spend more than $10 billion in 2014 on semiconductor equipment and materials. The projection for 2015 is to more than double semiconductor equipment spending to $4.2 billion.
SEMICON Japan 2014 will bring Japan's rebounding semiconductor equipment market into focus and the underlying technology and business drivers. SEMICON Japan will enable attendees to explore key technologies and business models necessary to grow in the coming years. On December 3, SEMICON Japan opens at 9:30am with a full day of speakers including:
Accenture Japan Ltd — Chikatomo Hodo, president and country managing director.
IBM Japan — Chieko Asakawa, IBM fellow.
Scripps Translational Science Institute — Donald Jones, chief digital officer.
Toyota — Tokuhisa Nomura, executive general manager.
Intel Japan — Makiko Eda, GM and president of Intel Japan.
ARM K.K. — Yuzuru Utsumi, president.
Toshiba — Yasuo Naruke, executive officer, corporate EVP and CEO, semiconductor & storage.
National Institute of Information and Communication Technology (NIICT) — Miwako Doi, auditor.
SEMICON Japan will also highlight emerging opportunities in its workforce composition. In Japan, 14.7 percent of the students in science and engineering departments are women (source: Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). SEMI will host a forum on "Women in Business" in Tokyo for the first time to discuss the gender diversity strategy, featuring women executives.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
SEMICON Japan 2014: New venue and new ideas for rebounding industry
Posted by Pradeep Chakraborty at 7:30 PM
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Best heated chicken waterer
Sick of frozen chicken waterers? It's quick and easy to turn your existing waterer into a heated waterer, some of which will keep your water liquid down to 20 below. Here are the top DIY options:
Ready to put together your own heated chicken waterer? All of the designs on this page start with our homemade chicken waterer kit, starting at $15.
- Pipe heating cable --- Sandwiching a line of heat tape between a pair of five gallon buckets has the side benefit of forming a lip that gives the nipples a bit of extra protection. Waterproof heat tape can even be threaded into PVC pipe waterers. Estimated cost --- $26.
- Heated bucket waterer --- Modifying a pre-made heated bucket to work with our chicken nipples is one of the quickest methods of making a heated chicken waterer, and the lip that protects the nipples is reported by one customer to keep his water thawed down to 20 below. Estimated cost --- $50.
- Stock tank deicer --- Throwing a stock tank deicer in an existing bucket waterer is a very dependable option since these sturdy deicers are made to deal with freezing temperatures and constant use. Estimated cost --- $25.
- An aquarium heater plus thermocube --- Aquarium heaters are the cheapest option, but they tend to have a short working life and to break down at inopportune moments (shocking your birds if the glass cracks!) Adding a thermocube to the assemblage means that the aquarium heater only turns on when the temperature drops below 35, making the arrangement safer and using less electricity. Estimated cost --- $30.
- Bird bath deicer --- These are very similar to stock tank deicers, but look to be a little more expensive. Estimated cost --- $35.
- Rain gutter heater --- This is similar to pipe heating cable and works well in PVC pipe waterers. A quick search of the internet suggests that a rain gutter heater costs over $100, but I could be looking in the wrong places!
- Heat lamp --- In a pinch, a heat lamp aimed at your waterer's nipples will keep the water from freezing during moderately cold weather. The problem with this design is that it's not thermostatically controlled like the other options, and you're heating the air rather than the water, so you'll use a lot more electricity. However, the start-up cost is very low -- $10 for the bulb and perhaps another $10 if you don't have a reflective fixture (and chicken keepers are likely to already have both on hand.) In warm climates where you only see a freeze warning occasionally, this is a very good option. We also find that adding a light shining on the nipples is an effective way to supplement other heating options when the temperature drops into the low teens and freezes the nipple.
Ready to put together your own heated chicken waterer? All of the designs on this page start with our homemade chicken waterer kit, starting at $15.


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Category: Work
Balance is interesting.
I watch my kids in the skatepark, and the older and younger kids and adults too. Flexing, swaying, tilting; it's all about balance. There was an adult guy today, he had the basics but he just looked so stiff every time he came to land something. Too rigid to balance. And a tiny kid the day before – 4 maybe 5, seemed to be stuck to his board, so flexible were his joints. At times he would be lying horizontal after an attempt – like he was superglued to the skateboard. He was probably too flexible!
I see it at work too, in teams and in myself. Keeping balance in the priority list. Being balanced in ones reaction. In energy levels and health – burn outs before holidays, bounce restored at the return to work. Crashes at weekends. But also the bigger balancing act – rigour and process balanced with agility and instinct, risk and flair balanced with consensus and thought. And across functions – the interplay between marketing and sales, finance and HR, support and product. Planning vs execution. Most of this happens around us. We're part of it but it's part of something much bigger.
All of these things are in tension, are interconnected, pull at one another. Balance isn't static, I don't think it's an achievable or even desirable state. It's a promise, at best a momentary flicker in time. The plane is never on course, it's just always nearly on course.
(Aside: probably the most incredible masters of balance I've seen have been working mothers. They'll tell you what an exhausting never-ending pursuit 'balance' is).
My current challenge with balance is around short-term vs long-term. We usually take the long view in my team but it's coming to the year end and I'm desperately keen for the team's short-term results to give us the proud finish we deserve after the year of effort, growth and achievement. So there are I am, consciously and deliberately chucking balance out the window, and instead relentlessly chasing the short-term.
I've also seen balance in our company.
I've seen us sway and tilt, learning to land tricky new shifts. It's just as hard as any other kind of balancing act. Sometimes the changes feel like sine waves – a rise in chaos and ambiguity, the smell of entrepreneurial cordite in the air, and then a counter-wave, a tranche of new process and accountability, as the company lurches back to a more sober state, for a while…
The thing is, we need it all. It's all right. And it's all about balance. About how much and when and where. Its about forever tweaking dials. It's like cooking or conversation or music or – most of all – nature, of course. It's the growth that follows a forest fire. The art that follows a recession.
I love all of this, I have to confess.
I love the dynamism. I love the lack of knowability. And the bloody challenge.
And as for what to do, I think this is the best advice I've found in recent times, from Gianpiero Petriglieri:
Here's to balance. Shout when you find it.
Developing people
Developing people is probably the single most satisfying thing I have been part of in my working life.
I know that have helped some people to substantially develop themselves and I have helped other people move forward a bit. And there are people that I haven't really helped at all, too – people I didn't click with, people I didn't prioritise and people who didn't seem to want to or were stuck.
At Brandwatch I think I've focused mainly on 'results first' in the past year, on outcomes, and I've tried to nudge people and stretch them in ways that they could in order for us to better accomplish our goals. It's been a secondary goal.
In this second year I want to flip that around and put developing people first and foremost. I know if we can do that together – really grow and enable and unlock their creativity and drive – that the results will continue to flow.
As I was thinking about this, it occurred to me that the people who I've been able to help the most tended to behave in a particular way. They shared attributes or desires, even though they were all very different characters.
1. Want it
They all wanted to develop. And were prepared to take risks, expose themselves, try harder than just showing up for another day. It's so bloody simple, but they wanted it. Most people I find can tick this box off.
2. Make it happen
They all made stuff happen – they took overall responsibility for their growth. They bought and read books, they updated their plan, they took the steps and volunteered for the projects and pushed their development to happen. They definitely were not sat back. There's a big drop off from people who want it and people who are prepared to make it happen. The knowing-doing gap.
That's it…
Pretty simple. So all we need to do as managers is unlock in people the desire to develop themselves and then the habits and commitment to follow through on those desires.
Unfortunately, that skips over two fairly big blocks.
1. It's bloody hard to *make* someone want to develop, if they don't already
2. It's fairly hard to change behaviour in order to develop as an individual (in oneself or in others)
Maybe we could noodle on those two another time 🙂
A year in
Unbelievably, it's just a week from my first anniversary at Brandwatch. These are the things that stand out for me.
If my experience has confirmed one thing to me it's about the importance of teams. The quality of the people in them. The communication within and between them. Their environment, their happiness. Their sense of purpose.
The moments I've enjoyed the most over the last 12 months have been being part of focused happy groups doing great work and accomplishing new, difficult things.
The moments I've enjoyed the least have been where I've been disconnected from a team I belong to (I can think of three formal teams I belong to, plus more informal project groups) or where I've lost sight of what makes teams tick, and ignored the issues that needed addressing.
For me it's all coming back to people.
When I joined we were 140 people. 12 months later and we are close to double that. That is a lot of change. As I've said to people internally, in most cases it feels like the primary unit has shifted from being the office – like Brighton or New York – to the team or even sub-team. Which means that the affiliation and communication between teams and sub-teams, even within the same office, now requires additional effort and probably some new skills too.
It's very interesting and exciting seeing this arise as a challenge and seeing us find our way through it. (We also have a fantastic new chief of staff Tom who is helping us all out, which I'm delighted about).
Speed of change
One of the other things I am absolutely loving at Brandwatch is the sheer pace of change.
Every week something happens in our market or in our company which makes a material difference to the company's business or my team's work.
There is literally no time to get bored and I bloody love that. I love the dynamism. I love how we have to deal with it and seeing the people around me dealing it so admirably.
And yet most of us in the company would like to be moving faster, to be innovating more quickly, to be launching everything, everywhere, tomorrow (!) and that tension between quality and speed, and having to say no many times in order to say yes a few is really fascinating to me.
This 12 months has also helped me clearly see that, having worked in a startup, then my own entrepreneurial endeavours, and now a scaling startup, I definitely belong in this world. Startups for evarrrrrr (probably).
Business travel
Travelling for business is just a reality within the US. And in my role I need to travel to Europe and beyond too pretty regularly.
What I've learnt is that my travel comes in waves. September is a write-off – I'm at home for (most) weekends, but that's it. April and May were pretty full-on too. But the summer is quiet and there are troughs in between the peaks in which to recover and spend time getting back into healthy patterns.
I met a friendly guy from one of our competitors who travels every week within the US as a VP of sales. Because of the time involved he told me that over the years he has worked to reduce and compress all of that waiting around time as much as possible to the extent that he accepts that he will miss 2-3 flights a year, and if he isn't missing those flights, he's not pushing it hard enough and wasting time sitting in airports.
I can feel myself on the same trajectory. I was the last one on the plane on my last US domestic flight, and on the outbound leg I got through security with 30 mins to spare (still plenty of padding). I've racked some serious miles this year and am getting more polished at the business of travel. Although travel becomes a ball-ache, I love visiting new places and I love spending time with people face to face. It is part of the adventure I sought out and signed up for, and I'm lucky because I feel in control of it at the moment.
As I side note, I LOVE the BA mobile app. It's close to Amazon and Uber for me in creating loyalty through sheer simplicity and ease of use. Big fan. Quite impressive, given their not being a digital native company.
Health and happiness
Despite the intensity and change, I've managed to stay reasonably healthy and sane. I'm not as fit as I was a year ago – I haven't clicked with the way they structure the CrossFit programme at my local box, and bouts of travel mean that running has become a more reliable, easier to plan activity.
It sucks a bit because CrossFit is the most amazing way to be all-round fit IMO, and physically I'm not exactly built to be a natural runner – that said, I do enjoy it and I'm looking forward to running in a 'race' or too. (Race in inverted commas because I won't be racing, I'll be surviving :).
So I do feel grateful that 12 months in I'm genuinely happy and pretty healthy. You never know when you change job, country and all that other stuff.
Lastly but most importantly, the most amazing thing about moving country as a family has been what it's done for us as a family. We were already in a good place but there's something 'us against the world' about hoiking yourselves to an entirely foreign country where you know next to no one. I never saw that coming.
It's been beautiful to see how we've pulled together and been able to share in the joys of difference together.
So that's it.
A great 12 months. Learnt loads, done loads, and excited for the next 12 🙂


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• Obama: US will always be a AAA country
• S&P 'confident' UK will keep AAA credit rating
• FTSE 100 slips to 13-month low, closes down 3.4pc
• Dow drops 634 points as traders react to downgrade
• ECB to 'actively' buy government bonds
00.49 That's where we leave our coverage for today. For the latest developments visit our financial crisis page.
00.26 For a summary of the latest events in the debt crisis read Economics Editor Philip Aldrick's story: markets crash as panic spreads.
22.57 Ambrose Evans-Pritchard has written how the European Central Bank must "go nuclear" to save Europe.
A chorus of global economists has called on the European Central Bank to go far beyond pin-prick purchases of eurozone debt.
It needs to launch quantitative easing on a massive scale to head off a eurozone debacle, if necessary purchasing half the entire stock of Italian and Spanish debt, they argue.
21.54 Back to reality - today's 634.76 point drop is the Dow's biggest fall since December 1, 2008.
21.48: Ok, it's been a long and slightly depressing day. So here are a few jokes from the US's leading talk show hosts on the economic crisis.
David Letterman: OK, Obama reached a debt compromise with congressional Republicans. As I understand the details, it's the same kind of compromise Custer reached with Sitting Bull.
Jimmy Fallon: The other day President Obama said, 'Things will get better.' Then he opened his eyes and blew out the candles on his birthday cake.
Jay Leno: President Obama is making a three-day bus tour across the Midwest later this month focused on jobs, mainly him keeping his.
David Letterman: They say we averted economic disaster with this debt ceiling nonsense. Now we're $16 trillion in debt instead of $14 trillion. How is that not an economic disaster?
21.41 Good news for Steve Ballmer! Standard & Poor's said the decision to strip the US of its AAA rating won't affect companies in the country that carry the top grade. Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Exxon Mobil and Automatic Data Processing, the four US-based non-financial companies rated AAA, will retain the highest rating, S&P said in a statement.
21.37 If you missed US President Barack Obama's first speech since S&P downgraded America, here it is:
21.28 The question now is will this dire performance in the US have a knock-on effect in Asian trading and, subsequently, Europe tomorrow? There has to be more pain to come, hasn't there?
21.24 Ambrose Evans-Pritchard on the lengths the ECB must go to to save Europe.
21.21 Here, the graph on the left is the Dow Jones over the course of today. On the right is the gold price today.
21.07 Every stock in the Dow Jones fell today. The best performer was Procter & Gamble, falling a "mere" 2.15pc. The wooden spoon went to Bank of America, which was down 20.3pc.
21.03 But the big news is the US markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has closed down 634.76 points, that's 5.5pc. It ended the day's trading at 10,809.85, its lowest close since last October. The broader S&P 500 fell 6.6pc and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 6.9pc.
21.02 It's all happening at the close of the US markets. Now Spain's Parliament won't vote on key changes to the European Union's bailout funds until September because the legislature is in the midst of its summer recess, a Spanish Finance Ministry official has said.
21.00 Obama's doing the rounds. He has called Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to discuss the global debt crisis, the Italian government said.
"The situation on financial markets in the United States and Europe was at the centre of the cordial conversation," the government said in a statement.
20.55 BBC's business brain Robert Peston:
What's happening on US stock markets looking increasingly like a Minsky moment. Shares being dumped as we head for the close
20.50 The Swiss franc has hit record highs against both the dollar and the euro, as worries about government debt among the major economies prompted investors to seek out what they consider to be safe assets to hold.
20.49 Nouriel Roubini has been relatively quiet today. Usually he is a prolific "tweeter". Too busy for the US collapse?
20.46 This is getting worse! Dow is now down 5.5pc, a drop of 622 points. S&P 500 down 6.3pc, Nasdaq off 6pc.
20.44 We have the latest on US President Barack Obama's speech tonight, in which he said the US 'will always be a AAA country'.
20.43 Back to Europe. Barack Obama and Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero have called for coordinated action to avoid a global slowdown. Zapatero and Obama "highlighted the need to work in a coordinated manner to strengthen economic growth and avoid a slowdown", the Spanish premier's office said in a statement.
20.38 A slightly odd analogy from US currency trader Ed Ponsi:
Geithner blaming S&P is like a fat guy blaming a scale
20.34 Robert Miller tackles the euro and US debt in his interactive Business Bullet.
20.12 Leading bond fund manager Pimco:
Gross: Financial markets delevering rapidly. Bond buying from ECB will help. Fed tomorrow? Helpless?
20.11 Not a single company has risen on the Dow Jones so far today. The news just keep getting worse. Rather than reassure markets, Obama's speech (see: 1900) seems to have had the opposite effect.
20.05 If you want to catch-up on the big European news from today, read about how the ECB has decided to 'actively' buy bonds. At the moment, it's all about the US markets, where the Dow is down 4.3pc. The biggest faller is still Bank of America, down 17.9pc.
20.00 Economists at JPMorgan Chase, BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs say Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke may prolong a pledge to maintain record monetary stimulus tomorrow. The Fed could do so by making a commitment to hold its $2.87 trillion balance sheet steady for an "extended period". It may replace shorter-term securities with longer maturities to reduce rates on longer-term debt.
19.55 Still on the music scene, this from US comedian/talk show host Jay Leno:
The economy is so bad, P. Diddy had to change his name to P. Diddly Squat. #LenoMono http://t.co/gMe1KAn
19.51 Musician Mark Ronson offers his view on the US downgrade:
Obama declares US is still a AAA nation, in his regard. Like when i would try & convince my parents that my C+ in math was pretty much a B-
19.42 Heading in the opposite direction is Brent crude oil. It's fallen 2.5pc in the past hour and is trading at $103.83. A reaction to Obama's speech no doubt.
19.33 Almost in step with falling markets, gold has hit a new record high of $1,720.82:
19.30 The yield on 10-year US Treasuries has dived to 2.344, while Bank of America's share price has fallen 18pc.
19.18 Get ready, Dow has now lost more than 500 points.
19.16 I guess the markets aren't always on Obama's side. The Dow is currently down 4.1pc, having lost 467 points, to below 11,000. S&P 500 is down 5.2pc and the Nasdaq isn't far behind with a loss of 5.3pc
19.13 Obama suggests "extending payroll tax cut as soon as possible", adding that failure to do so would contribute to "1m fewer jobs and 0.5pc less growth" next year. He ends by saying:
We have capacity and will to act, and determination to shape future. I am hopeful about the future because of the American people."
19.11 US President on reform measures:
We need tax reform and make modest adjustments to healthcare programmes, including Medicare. These are not radical steps, they requires common sense and compromise. Republicans and Democrats have come up with good proposals, but it's not a lack of plans that's the problem, it's a lack of political will in Washington. There's been a refusal to put what's best for country ahead of self-interest.
19.06 Obama has plenty to say on the US economy. He believes his country's problems are "imminently solvable" and that "markets know our credit is among the world's safest".
19.05 US President hits back at the S&P downgrade:
Markets will rise and fall but this is the USA. No matter what an agency says we always will be a AAA country.
19.00 Obama speaking for just over 10 minutes:
That doesnt mean we dont have a problem. We need a balanced long-term approach to deficit reduction. The gridlock in Washington not constructive.
18.58 Obama: Warren Buffett says if there were a "quadruple A" rating I would give us that. I agree.
18.50 Obama is about to start his speech on the US economy, his first since S&P downgraded America late on Friday.
18.44 The Dow has now fallen more than 400 points today. It's 3.6pc down, and there seems to be no end in sight. Only two risers in the index so far today: Procter & Gamble and Intel. Bank of America leading the fallers: down 15.5pc.
18.39 Here's a graph of the Dow Jones Industrial Average so far today. It's been tough so far, but it isn't alone.
18.35 Quick update on the US markets prior to Obama's speech: Dow is down 3.1pc, S&P 500 is off 4pc and Nasdaq has fallen 4.3pc. Ouch!
18.27 In a continuing flight to safety, gold hit a record high of $1,719.32 an ounce earlier today. The precious metal has been steadily climbing since the beginning of last week.
18.23 Obama due to speak on the US economy in seven minutes' time.
18.15 Going to jump back to the UK briefly. Justine Greening, Conservative MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields:
18.11 It seems even the "Sage of Omaha" is not untouchable. S&P has marked down the outlook for Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway to negative from stable.
Buffett has told Fox that he isn't surprised about S&P's move. S&P had telegraphed plans to knock down insurers if the US was downgraded.
18.03 Obama now due to speak at 18.30 (UK time). Will bring you all the latest.
17.58 A quick note on currencies. The euro has fallen against the dollar and the pound. Again, both suffered heavy drops at around 10am this morning.
17.53 Read Ambrose Evans-Pritchard's column on the European debt crisis.
17.49 Still waiting for Obama to speak on the US economy. Will bring you the latest as soon as it happens. In the meantime, a quick recap of how American stock markets are performing: Dow is down 2.6pc, the S&P 500 is off 3.5pc and the tech-heavy Nasdaq has fallen 3.7pc.
17.47 As markets have tumbled, so have world bond yields. Spain and Italy leading the way after the ECB said it would buy from Governments.
17.39 China hasn't hesistated in sticking the boot in to its old rival, the US. The Eastern country has blamed America's cripplingly expensive military campaigns for the current debt crisis and called for the world's leading superpower to rethink its global "domineering".
17.36 Geithner has moved to defend the US economy (the Dow is off 3pc so far today):
If you look at the world, growth has slowed, but there is a lot of room for central banks and governments to act in order to help deal with the pressures we're still seeing around the world.
17.35 Pressure on Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is building. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has called on him to stand down:
Calling for Tim Geithner to resign for gross mismanagement of econ policy & role in first-ever downgrade of US #debt. http://t.co/2nV1gco
17.31 Here is a table of the West's major stock markets so far this year compared with last year. For most it doesn't make pleasant reading, and shows just how badly the markets have been battered over the past week.
| 2011 so far (%)
| 2010 (%)
| -14.1
| +8.99
| -14.3
| +16.06
| -17.9
| -3.34
| -14.2
| -17.43
| -22.5
| -13.22
| -3.9
| +11.02
17.24 Today's 3.4pc fall in the FTSE 100 means another £46bn has been wiped off the index, bringing the total in the past seven sessions to £210bn.
17.22 From Greece, to the UK, now off to Brazil! The South American country's chief of staff has said that US and European leaders are "not up to the task" of handling their debt crises. Gleisi Hoffmann added:
We must be prepared to protect Brazil from this serious crisis.
17.17 There was only one riser on the FTSE 100 today: Randgold Resources. The gold miner closed up 7.43pc. Safe haven, indeed.
17.15 I've just heard that this is the first time ever that the FTSE 100 has suffered four consecutive losses of more than 100 points. Last Wednesday: 133.88; Thursday: 191.37; Friday: 146.15; today: 178.04
17.10 US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says America has "plenty of room" to counter slow growth.
In countries around the world, not just in the United States, we have plenty of room to do things to help make this economy strong in the short term, and it's our responsibility to do that.
16.59 More stock market woe, this time in Eastern Europe. Greece has banned short selling on the stock market for two months, after shares on the Athens Stock Exchange plunged to their lowest level in more than 14 years. The bourse's general index sank below the 1,000-point mark, closing down 6pc at 998.24.
16.57 Here's today's FTSE 100 graph. As you can see, early gains were wiped out by 10am, and there was a brief rally late on. But the FTSE closed down 178.04 points - and has lost 12.22pc so far this month.
16.50 Jim Leaviss, head of retail fixed interest at M&G, said the S&P's US downgrade had been coming for a while:
There is now a much smaller pool of AAA rated assets that investors can buy, as US government debt formed approximately 55pc of the world's AAA market up until Friday.
16.44 The FTSE 100 has closed down 3.4pc, the CAC has fallen 4.7pc, and Germany's DAX has ended the day down 5pc. Another horrendous day for the markets.
16.43 US President Barack Obama due to speak on the recent global economic crisis at 5pm UK time. We will have the latest here.
16.38 Nick Clegg: "All governments around the world need to get to grips with their public finance.
15.55 More domino downgrades. State-owned mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's long-term ratings have been cut one notch by S&P.
The downgrades of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reflect their direct reliance on the US government.
...the ratings agency said.
Last Friday, Fannie Mae said it would be asking the Treasury for $5.1bn after reporting that its second-quarter loss had widened.
15.50 US stocks are now trading around 2.5pc lower, with Bank of America still leading the share slide on the back of insurer AIG's plans to sue the bank to recover more than $10bn (£6.12bn) of losses from a "massive fraud" on mortgage debt.
Bank of America's fraud caused billions of dollars in damage to AIG and we are bringing this suit today to protect AIG and the taxpayers' stake in it," Mark Herr, a spokesman for New York-based AIG, said in a statement to Bloomberg. "This is not the first lawsuit that AIG has filed against counterparties that have sought to profit at our expense, and we anticipate that it will not be the last."
15.30 Germany has entered a bear market. The DAX 30 index is now 20.5pc lower than its May high of 7527.64...and falling.
The FTSE 100 is also threatening to dip below 5,000 points. It wasn't too long ago that we were cheering the fact it had breached the 6,000 mark (May, in fact). The index is now at a 13 month low.
Perhaps there's some truth to that old adage:
15.25 Back to Europe, and international business editor Ambrose Evans-Pritchard's view on the ECB's Superman-style bond market intervention today:
Eurogeddon is postponed again. Jean-Claude Trichet has saved civilization. There will not be a spiralling bond crisis in Italy and Spain in early August after all. An imminent disintegration of Europe's financial system has been averted.
...now for the hard part. Unless the ECB is willing to back up its new role as lender-of-last-resort with massive purchases of Italian and Spanish debt, it will inevitably be tested by markets. Weak hands will take advantage of rallies to offload holdings onto the ECB, i.e. onto eurozone taxpayers. Frankfurt will find itself underwater very quickly without a legal mandate or EU treaty authority.
15.05 Meanwhile, traders in New York are continuing the share sell-off. Looking for someone to blame for the US rout? Here's Channel 4 economics editor Faisal Islam's answer:
Many blame the Smurfs who opened NYSE at start of share slump. Overlooked that R'n'B sensation Usher rang the bell the next day. Yeah!
14.52 Richard Blackden continues:
2.) Beers, who lives in London, is also confident that Britain will follow through on the fiscal consolidation that will preserve its AAA rating:
Notwithstanding the fact that the UK is itself struggling with its own economic recovery, we're pretty confident that the Coalition government will hold and the fiscal strategy will be implemented. We expect the politiics to keep the Coalition parties together.
14.48 US business editor Richard Blackden has been listening to two key players from S&P, John Chambers and David Beers, field questions on the US downgrade. He says:
A couple of interesting things jump out:
1.) The downgrade really is a verdict on what S&P sees as an increasingly polarised and ineffective political system in Washington. Here's David Beers, the head of sovereign ratings at S&P:
I want to underscore the extraordinary difficulty people are having in finding common ground around fiscal policy choices. If that were to change and there were a broader consensus and, in turn, this translated into a substantial and more robust package that, in time, would lead to it returning to AAA.
S&P doesn't believe this is likely which is why another cut, rather than an upgrade, is its most likely scenario over the next two years
14.31 US stock markets have opened - and they've fallen sharply. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 2pc on open, with Bank of America one of the hardest hit, down 7pc.
Elsewhere in New York, the broader S&P 500 index fell 1.7pc while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index dropped more than 3pc.
14.25 Germany has rejected calls to boost funding for the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) which is meant to help support the crisis-hit common currency.
There are no plans to boost the fund beyond the €440bn agreed by European Union heads of state and government at a summit on July 21, deputy government spokesman Christoph Steegmans said.
The EFSF must remain as is
...he said.
Germany is the top guarantor of the fund which was set up in 2010.
14.15 Questor editor Garry White points out that our benchmark index isn't quite knocking on the door of bear market territory...yet:
FTSE 100 is down 15.4pc from Feb high, so no bear mkt here. Needs to fall to about 4,873 to qualify as bear #markets #gold #ftse
14.10 The Stoxx Europe 600, which is designed to provide a broad representation of European companies, is already there, having fallen from its February 17 high of 291.16 to a low of 232.82.
14.02 Germany's benchmark DAX 30 index is close to entering a bear market, having dropped almost 20pc from its May high of 7527.64. It hit a low of 6043.43 earlier, just 20 points shy of bear market territory.
13.43 And the dominos have started falling. Following S&P's downgrade of the US, the ratings agency has announced it is also lowering the ratings on all US backed bond s issued by Israel. In a statement, S&P said:
This rating action is in line with the rating action on the United States of America that took place on August 5.
Expect more rating action where that came from.
13.30 Not willing to play the damsel in distress waiting for an ECB rescue, Italian business leaders have signed a petition offering to buy government bonds in a bid to help the country stave off financial collapse.
The appeal, launched by business newspaper Milano Finanza, has been signed by chief executives of some of Italy's biggest companies, including Pirelli, Tod's and Salvatore Ferragamo.
If Italy needs our help, we're here," they write. "We are entrepreneurs, professionals, managers and ordinary citizens. We won't stand by and watch Italy reduced to poverty. We are a strong country... our industries, our banks are solid. Some 50pc of Italy's public debt is in the hands of the Italians. If Italy needs help with issuance, we are here."
The petition, also signed by leading economists and fund managers, urged others to heed the call to buy Italian debt.
13.05 This just in from economist Andrew Lilico, who argues intervention from the ECB is becoming all too familiar:
Each time the ECB has been left in an invidious position. The politicians announce something, under pressure from markets to act, but cannot implement it straight away. Markets are unconvinced by the scheme, and do not react as the politicians hope – instead of buying, they sell more. To stop the tide of selling sweeping away the politicians' already-redundant plan, in particular by leading to bank collapses, the ECB is persuaded to intervene – always told it will just be temporary. But somehow it's never as temporary as hoped, and the ECB gets left with more and more junk on its balance sheet, to the point that its own solvency is now under question.
12.25 US markets are still expected to open lower. Dow futures are pointing to a 1.75pc decline, while the broader S&P 500 index is expected to open 2pc down.
Earlier, the Sage of Omaha, aka Warren Buffett, insisted that US debt still deserves its triple-A rating, adding that his company Berkshire Hathaway was still ploughing money happily into US T-bills, which have maintained their low yields since the S&P downgrade.
I wouldn't dream of putting it anywhere else
...Buffett told CNBC, adding:
If I have to buy (US treasuries) at a zero pc yield, I will. I don't like it, but we'll do it.
12.15 Better news from Italy and Spain, where stock markets are trading flat. Italian and Spanish borrowing costs have also stayed lower. Yields on 10-year government bonds are currently at 5.354pc and 5.193pc respectively.
No time to lose: A broker looks at a screen before putting on his tie at the Madrid Stock Exchange on Monday. Photo: AP
Last week, yields touched euro-era highs of 6.349pc and 6.426pc, flirting with the 7pc levels that forced smaller neighbours Portugal, Greece and Ireland to ask for bail-outs.
12.05 It's just gone midday. Time for a round-up of the markets.
Starting with the UK, the FTSE 100 index is now down 1.76pc, with miners still leading the decline and banks easing back after their early morning rally.
The mid-cap FTSE 250 is down almost 3pc, also dragged down by mining shares.
Across Europe, Germany's DAX has fallen 2.5pc, while the CAC 40 in France is currently down 1.78pc.
One trader told Reuters the markets were sceptical that eurozone policymakers could control the sovereign debt crisis. He said:
The markets don't believe that the situation in Europe is under control. The problem with the American side is that the downgrade is causing itself problem.
This market is very difficult to make money. In fact, this past two weeks have been the hardest in 10 years.
11.30 China, which attacked America's debt "addiction" immediately after S&P's downgrade, has added more fuel to the fire today. This from Malcolm Moore in Shanghai:
China has lashed out again at the US, blaming Washington's cripplingly expensive military campaigns for the current crisis. It's time for the US to rethink its global "domineering", said the Chinese state media.
Over the weekend, China, foaming at its impotence as the crisis unfolds, said the US was "addicted to debt". My favourite response, from Canada's Globe and Mail, was: " Instead of a dealer and an addict, the US and China more resemble two drunks stumbling down a street with arms slung around each other's shoulders. From one crisis to the next, it's unclear if they're holding each other up or on the verge of tripping.
11.12 The OECD's leading indicator for the UK fell for a sixth successive month. Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight described this as 'worrying". He said:
The deterioration in the OECD leading indictor for the UK ties in the current softness of the UK economy and the current worrying outlook. In our recently completed August forecast, we project UK GDP growth at just 1.1% in 2011, improving modestly to 1.8% in 2012. Furthermore, we consider the risks to this forecast to be currently slanted very much to the downside.
11.10 Global stock markets are back in the red, just in time for news from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that growth rates in the world's leading economies may have peaked.
Compared to last month's assessment, stronger signs of turning points in growth cycles have emerged in the United States, Japan and Russia. The CLIs (the OECD's measure for economic activity) for Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Brazil, China and India continue pointing to slowdowns in economic activity.
...the OECD said in its latest report, as its June composite leading indicator (CLI) for 33 member countries eased to 102.2 from 102.5 in May.
10.45 Amid the equity gloom and bond boom, there's only one way the gold price is going today. And that's up.
Gold hit a high of $1715.75 in early trade in London. The news came as Goldman Sachs raised its 12-month gold forecast to $1,860 an ounce.
The investment bank noted that central bank gold holdings increased by 4.9m troy ounces in the year to May, with the Bank of Korea announcing in June the purchase of 25 tonnes of the stuff - its first purchase of the precious metal since the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.
Gold hit a new high of $1715.75 on Monday morning.
In a note to investors on Monday, Goldman said:
We expect gold prices to continue to climb in 2011 given the current low level of US real interest rates. Further, with our US economics team now forecasting slower US economic growth in 2011 and 2012, we expect US real interest rates to remain lower for longer, supporting higher gold prices through 2012.
10.25 Markets have erased most of the gains made this morning.
Italy's FTSE Mib index is now down 0.4pc, while the FTSE 100 in London is down 1.2pc as miners continued their slide.
Germany's DAX 30 index is down nearly 2pc, while the CAC 40 has fallen 2.22pc.
It seems all of us, including BBC business editor Robert Peston spoke too soon about speaking too soon - well, at least in part.
The yields on 10-year Italian and Spanish bonds are still trading closer to 5 than 6pc, and despite the S&P downgrade on Saturday, US Treasuries are still in favour.
As Pesto puts it:
...for now, investors and creditors care most that someone - anyone - is buying Spanish and Italian government debt. And they're not desperately worried by the long-term risk that confidence in the intrinsic value of the European currency could be undermined by the conversion of government debt shunned by commercial investors into cash.
10.00 US markets are forecast to open down later. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is predicted to open down 1.7pc, while the broader S&P 500 index is forecast to open down 2pc.
However, many analysts remain optimistic. Inigo Fraser-Jenkins of Nomura said in a note this morning:
US Markets appear to be pricing in a recession. Yet this is not an outcome that we think likely. Moreover, we can show that corporates' revenue growth actually accelerated in the US in Q2 and the outlooks given by managements have been robust.
09.45 Meanwhile, another ratings agency, Moody's, has warned it could follow Standard and Poor's and downgrade the US credit rating before 2013 if its fiscal or economic outlook weakens significantly.
For the Aaa rating to remain in place, we would look for further measures that would result in the ratio of federal government debt to GDP, for example, peaking not far above the projected 2012 level of near 75 percent by the middle of the decade and then declining over the longer term.
...Moody's wrote in a report this morning.
09.30 The party hasn't quite started in France or Germany though, with the benchmark CAC 40 and DAX 30 indices down 0.2pc and 0.6pc respectively.
09.25 Sarah Rainey has been looking through the Spanish papers for us:
The Spanish press are predicting a day of "market euphoria" in Europe after the ECB's announcement that it will buy Spanish and Italian bonds.
Writing in El Mundo, Elena Hita says fears of a "black Monday" have disappeared, with the Ibex up 2pc to 3pc and bond yields plummeting by the hour.
Shares in banks have already seen the biggest rises, with Santander up 7pc and BBVA and Sabadell up 5pc.
El Pais thanks Trichet's "cavalry" and the "big guns from Germany" for alleviating the Spanish crisis. "Trichet and his bazooka have arrived", it says.
The paper foresees one of the best days for Spanish government bonds since Spain joined the euro but warns investors to remain cautious.
09.10 So with the ECB buying Italian and Spanish debt, is it back to business as usual? Well, according to associate editor Jeremy Warner, it's just another one of those August crises:
Crisis over then? It's in the way of these things that August crises peter out. Normal service likely to be resumed in early September.
08.45 Italy's FTSE Mib index is now up more than 4pc, providing a silver lining to the widespread gloom in today's papers. The FTSE 100 index has also edged up 0.2pc, with bank shares leading the rally.
Royal Bank of Scotland is up more than 6pc to 30p, while Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays are up 5.8pc and 3.7pc respectively. RBS, which is partly owned by the taxpayer, lost 17.5pc of its value last week
Chancellor George Osborne in today's Telegraph argues that "Britain is leading the way out of this crisis," simultaneously shutting the door on calls for a Plan B on the UK economy. He writes:
The alternative of more spending and yet more borrowing is now frankly ludicrous and places those who advocate it on the outer fringes of the international debate.
08.30 Italian bank shares opened strongly. Shares in the country's largest lender, Unicredit, which were suspended several times last week in volatile trading, rose 7.5pc in early morning deals.
08.05 The FTSE 100 index in London has opened down 1.2pc at 5181.70. Mining stocks were the hardest hit, with Eurasian Natural Resources down 3.79pc and commodities giant Glencore down 2pc at 400p.
Elsewhere in Europe, both Italy and Spain were buoyed by last night's ECB statement. Both stock markets jumped 2pc within the first 15 minutes of opening, while yields on 10-year government bonds plummeted towards 5pc.
Last week, borrowing costs for both countries touched euro-era highs, with ECB president Jean-ClaudeTrichet's "you will see what we will do" statement in Frankfurt raising more questions than answers.
Traders said the ECB was broadening its bond-buying programme to include debt issued by Europe's third and fourth largest economies.
They're doing €20 to €25m clips and they're spreading it around the market," one trader told Reuters. "We expect them to do billions today."
07.35 G7 (US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan) finance ministers held a conference call overnight, vowing to "take all necessary measures to support financial stability and growth".
07.30 Just to recap on the weekend's events. On Sunday, the European Central Bank (ECB) said it would "actively implement" its bond-buying programme to fight the eurozone's debt crisis. Although the ECB was not more specific, many took it as a signal it would be buying Spanish and Italian government bonds.
07.20 Plenty of reaction this morning, but first to Asia, where Japan's benchmark stock market has closed down. The Nikkei 225 average shed more than 2pc on Monday to 9,097.56 as traders had their first chance to react to Standard and Poor's downgrade of the US credit rating after markets closed on Friday.
The Hang Seng index is currently down nearly 3pc in Hong Kong, but has pared some of its losses after sliding more than 4pc, while the Shanghai Composite index in China is currently down 3.5pc.
The FTSE 100 index is forecast to open down 1.5pc. More on Britain's benchmark index when London markets open at 8am.
Life goes on: Pedestrians are reflected in the glass of a share price board in Tokyo on Monday (Photo: AFP)
07.00 Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the unfolding global debt crisis. We'll be bringing you the latest news and views throughout the day as traders get their first chance to react to the US credit rating downgrade.
Read all our latest news on the financial crisis, or take an in-depth look at last week's events:
Debt crisis: as it happened - August 5, 2011


text:
Like Dominoes, We Will Fall
P.R.P. Injections(Happy Leech)
Platelet-rich Plasma Injections mixed with Ketamine
A P.R.P. injection mixed with ketamine in an autoinjector. The P.R.P. is injected first and the ketamine following afterward to give a 'boost' after feeling the P.R.P. begin to work through the vampires body and begin to spread faster from the ketamine in their system. The combination of the two has saved vampires undying lives countless times performing healing the likes of which would be impossible under certain circumstances given the short amount of time the cocktail works. Although the healing will be for only a short amount of time, the effects of the ketamine will last for an hour or so.


text:
Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm Long Reach High School 6101 Old Dobbin Lane Columbia, MD 21045
The BSAP College and Career Opportunity Night is an annual event that exposes and provides students in grades 8 through 12 the opportunity to meet with college, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, business and entrepreneur recruiters in a variety of career fields. As a part of the HBCU Experience, Bowie State University's Symphony of Soul Marching Band will be performing their award winning renditions. This year's keynote speaker is Mr. Omar S. Muhammad, Morgan State University's Director of Entrepreneurial Development & Assistance Center. He will address current trends and opportunities for students to explore entrepreneurship now and in the future. Following the keynote, several small group sessions will be offered to meet individual needs and interests of students and families. To assist students in specific areas in regards to graduation and post-secondary life, students are able to pre-register for a 20-minute appointment with a school counselor.
For additional information about College & Career Opportunity Night, click
We look forward to seeing you there!