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Feb. 23, 2004 — So-called enhanced S&P 500 index funds, unlike conventional index funds, aim to beat their bogey, but as a group they fail. Still, some enhanced S&P 500 index funds have managed to outperform that benchmark in recent years.
Conventional S&P 500 index funds invest in the 500 with the goal of closely tracking that index's return. However, they lag the 500, due to trading and administrative costs. More recently, enhanced index funds have become increasingly popular with investors looking to boost their returns while still retaining some of the benefits of traditional index funds. While enhanced index funds also exist for indices other than the S&P 500, we will focus on funds using the 500 since the vast majority of enhanced offerings are based on that index.
As with traditional index funds, enhanced funds also invest in an index. However, these enhanced offerings aim to beat their benchmark's performance by overweighting exposure to certain stocks in the index that are viewed as undervalued, or by using futures and options, and then adding some fixed-income securities to the portfolio to generate additional income.
The primary advantage of enhanced index funds over straight index funds, at least theoretically, is, of course, the potential for better returns. Yet these enhanced funds still aim to maintain risk profiles relatively similar to their underlying index, thus enabling investors to add some return without significantly increasing risk. They also allow investors to maintain exposure to the benchmark index.
On the downside, they also have higher expense ratios than conventional index funds. The average expense ratio for traditional S&P 500 index funds is about 0.6%, while their enhanced counterparts run at about 1.2%. This, in part, reflects the higher trading costs these funds may incur in order to achieve higher returns. The increased trading activity is indicated by their sharply higher average turnover. While the typical S&P 500 index fund runs an average turnover ratio of about 12, the average for an enhanced S&P 500 fund is 179.
Enhanced index funds also have a sharply higher tracking error. The average S&P 500 index fund has a tracking error of about 0.2, compared to more than 1.7 for the average enhanced S&P 500 fund. While this would be expected, given that enhanced funds are deviating somewhat from the exact underlying index, it is still a key point for investors who are using indexing as part of their overall portfolio strategy.
The first table at the bottom provides average return and other figures for straight S&P 500 index funds, enhanced 500 funds, and the S&P 500 itself for the period ending Jan. 31, 2004. The second table lists the eight enhanced index funds (excluding multiple share classes) that beat the 500 for the year ended Jan. 31, 2004.
The eight funds in the table below not only beat the 500 over the past year, but were able to do so while maintaining relatively low expense and volatility in line with the 500. In fact, their expense ratios were not only well below the overall average for enhanced S&P 500 index funds, but were in line with those for conventional 500 index funds. Their additional returns over conventional index funds were therefore not completely offset by sharply higher expenses.
In addition, almost all of these eight funds beat the 500 over both the three-year and five-year periods. The only shortfalls were the three-year return for Metropolitan West AlphaTrak 500 Fund (MWATX), and the five-year return for Payden Market Return Fund/R (PYMRX).
As mentioned earlier, enhanced S&P 500 index funds have a higher tracking error, and these eight funds are no exception. However, they cover a fairly wide range, with the two funds mentioned above representing the high and low ends. The Metropolitan West AlphaTrak 500 fund posted the largest tracking error of these eight funds at 4.00, more than double the 1.73 average for enhanced S&P 500 index funds overall. At the other end of the scale, by far the best of the eight in terms of tracking error, was Payden Market Return fund at only 0.66.
One noticeable result in the tables below is that none of these funds are ranked higher than 3 Stars. For a fund to be ranked higher than 3 Stars by Standard & Poor's, it must outperform the three-month Treasury bill over the three year period ending January 31, 2004. While the broader equity markets rebounded sharply in 2003, their dismal performance in 2001 and 2002 dragged down the overall three-year performance of most mutual funds to the point where they lagged even the three-month T-bill.
Another factor to keep in mind is the exposure of the underlying S&P 500 index to various sectors. The financial and information technology sectors represent 21% and 18%, respectively, of the S&P 500′s total market capitalization. Consumer discretionary and consumer staples follow at about 11% each. At the bottom, utilities represent the smallest sector at just 2.8%.
In terms of tax issues, enhanced funds' strategies can involve more trading, and so they can generate more capital gains than a conventional index fund. In addition, some enhanced funds invest in fixed income securities as part of their strategies, which will also create taxable income. As such, enhanced funds are generally less tax efficient than conventional index funds.
Also worth mentioning is that not all index funds whose objective is to outperform their benchmark are considered simply 'enhanced'. In addition to the enhanced category, Standard & Poor's also categorizes certain funds in its database as Index Bull or Index Bear. Enhanced index funds strive to achieve a modestly better return than their related underlying indices, while maintaining a risk profile relatively similar to the particular index. Conversely, index bull and index bear funds are far more aggressive. They look to achieve, for example, 125% to 200% of the benchmark's return, or minus the return for index bear funds, which short the market. They also have much higher expense ratios (2% – 3%), and their volatility is generally more than double that of a conventional index fund. "Index bull and bear funds give investors options for 'legitimate' market timing," says Standard & Poor's mutual fund strategist Rosanne Pane. "They can gear up or gear down their exposure to the S&P 500 based upon their own market outlook."
So for investors looking to boost their returns from an index investing strategy, an important point to remember is that as a group, enhanced S&P 500 index funds fail to beat the 500. However, that does not mean investors should avoid these funds altogether. Selectivity is the key. "Enhanced funds tend to be quantitatively-driven and seek undervalued growth opportunities", says Pane. "These funds do well when value is in favor."
The eight enhanced offerings listed below do, in fact, deliver, and a well managed enhanced S&P 500 index fund with a low expense ratio can be a good addition to a broader portfolio.
– Kevin Gooley


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While researching the veg-friendly restaurants in the DC area that I would have to visit over the summer, I came across sustainability-centric Founding Farmers on both HappyCow and VegDC. My deep adoration of the farmers market and all it represents (more on this in an upcoming blog post) initially attracted me to the fact that a nationwide group of farmers collectively owns the modern American eatery, as well as to the restaurant's devotion to environmental sustainability. Moreover, I wholeheartedly appreciated the acknowledgement on FF's website that "it isn't always about 'local', or 'organic' — sure, when it makes sense, those are great things, but local doesn't always means the smallest carbon footprint, and 'organic' can also refer to broccoli that comes from China." Too often do advocates of farm-to-table cuisine ignore the fact that only purchasing food produced within their 20-mile radius does not always constitute the most environmentally friendly decision, failing to holistically consider the other energy-consuming aspects of food production unrelated to transportation.
Unfortunately, when I surveyed the FF menu, I discovered a barrage of bacon, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, meatloaf, chicken and waffles, steaks, and "sustainably caught or raised fish" (as if that even exists). Appalled by this veritable ode to all things meat and dairy, I sincerely questioned the decisions of both HappyCow & VegDC to award FF the title of "vegan-friendly," even considering the generous (please sense my sarcasm) 4.2 percent of the menu that didn't contain animal flesh and secretions. Clearly, FF (like a countless number of other farm-to-table establishments) neglects to acknowledge the environmental, ethical, and economical complications associated with small-scale, non-industrial animal agriculture, as well as the fact that all animal agriculture, regardless of size, poses "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems at every scale from global to local." Their commitment to sustainability thus falls quite short of its potential range.
Of course, as an animal activist first and foremost, my grandest complain stems from FF's claims of animal welfare: "Animals are treated humanely and respectfully and are well cared for. They are permitted to carry out their natural behaviors — such as grazing, rooting or pecking — and are fed a natural diet appropriate for their species." Sound familiar? This harmless-sounding rhetoric parallels that of many other proponents of small-scale animal agriculture—individuals who recognize the egregious suffering endured by non-human animals on factory farms, yet, thanks to cultural carnistic conditioning, refuse to reject the notion of animal agriculture as necessary. However, the rhetoric lacks meaning. For example, FF touts the eggs they use as "cage-free," which simply means that the hens laying said eggs live uncaged among up to thousands of other birds in barns or warehouses, but generally do not have access to the outdoors. The cage-free label even permits forced molting. In regards to animal welfare, the meaninglessness of terms such as "free-range," "small-scale," and "family-owned" extends far beyond the mistreatment of chickens. Indeed, during a recent visit to the magnificent Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary, I received the intriguing information that every single one of the sanctuary's nearly ten rescued cows came from so-called "small-scale family farms."
Even on farms that receive praise as employing the most humane of practices when raising animals for food, quite ethically questionable procedures take place. Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrich offer a succinct summary of this idea in The Animal Activist's Handbook:
"For example, in The Omnivore's Dilemma (2007), Michael Pollan endorses eating animals from Polyface farm, where 'animals can be animals,' living, according to Pollan, true to their nature. But what is Polyface really like? Rabbits on the farm are kept in small suspended-wire cages. Chickens are crowded into mobile wire cages, confined without the ability to nest or the space to establish a pecking order. Pigs and cattle are shipped year-round in open trucks to conventional slaughterhouses. Seventy-two hours before their slaughter, birds are crated with seven other birds. After three days without food, they are grabbed by the feet, up-ended in metal cones, and, without any stunning, have their throats slit. This is the system Pollan proclaims praiseworthy. In the end, Polyface's view is the same as Tyson's—these individual [animals] are, ultimately, just meat to be sold for a profit."
Not only does FF aid greatly in perpetuating the myth of humane practice and environmental sustainability surrounding small-scale, non-industrial animal agriculture, it also (no matter how unintentionally) alienates and delegitimizes its vegan customers who recognize and work to combat the carnistic system that allows the pervasiveness of such a myth. Upon arrival at the restaurant, I sensed rather awkward an unwelcome. The entrance foyer's bookshelves featured literary titles that extoled the virtues of "humane meat," such as Temple Grandin's Humane Livestock Handling, immediately othering the restaurant goers attracted to the meatless section of FF's menu. Actually, deeming it a "section" of the menu proves rather false, as customers must specifically request that their server bring them a separate meatless menu, as if to warn the FF staff of an outsider's presence. The heading of the meatless menu reads "developed for those who enjoy true food," but the fact that FF has relegated its' vegan and vegetarian entrees to an entirely different menu implies that the restaurant does not regard these dishes as on par with their real notion of "true food." The lack of hospitality FF displays to its vegan customers extends even to the silverware—every diner's napkin encases an ivory-handled steak knife and a fork decorated with cattle brand designs. Needless to say, I harbored much wariness toward FF by the time our server appeared to take my family's order.
Rather by default ordering the only two vegan items on the main menu as our appetizers, my mother, father (both vegans of almost eight months now!), and I began our meal with the Pickled Seasonal Vegetables and Johnny's Nuts. Considering ourselves somewhat of pickle connoisseurs thanks to the pickle platter of daikon, kimchi, escabeche, beets, and sometimes even blueberries offered at Graze back in Madison, my father and I did not regard the standard dilly cucumbers and their one-note flavor as too impressive. However, my parents and I all quite enjoyed the crunchy-chewy-sweet-spicy combo offered by the roasted peanuts and golden raisins tossed with a BBQ spice mix.
Daringly opting to modify one of the meat-centric main menu items, my mother ordered the Farmers Salad without parmesan cheese, looking forward to a fresh, texturally contrasting salad of baby lettuce, avocado, dates, tomatoes, red grapes, and almonds in a champagne vinaigrette. Upon hearing that my mother did not want cheese, the waiter informed her that the dressing may contain dairy, and proceeded to inquire, "Well, how vegan are you?" As the phenomenal ladies at Our Hen House discussed on a recent podcast episode, veganism explicitly denotes the avoidance of consuming, wearing, or in any way using animals in one's daily life. There exists no "spectrum" of veganism that includes the "sometimes vegans," "half-vegans," and "vegan-before-6:00's" of the world—one is either vegan, or they aren't. Period. That our waiter committed this now-common fallacy further demonstrates FF's unwillingness to understand or truly serve their vegan customers. Whatever, my mom liked the salad. They dressed it with olive oil and vinegar instead.
My father and I both chose the Many Veg Meatloaf from the meatless menu as our entrée. A thick slab of veggie meatloaf slathered with wild mushroom gravy lay upon a pile of mashed potatoes, accompanied by a ketchup-y tomato-cider glaze and grilled broccolini, and topped with crispy fried onions. While the presentation promised an enjoyable dish, I found the meatloaf mushy and lacking in depth of flavor, the mashed potatoes oh-so dry and flavorless (I couldn't even finish them, and that makes quite a statement considering my monumental appetite), and the broccolini vastly undercooked. The unctuous mushroom gravy, tangy tomato-cider glaze, and crispy fried onions saved the dish from complete failure, but only served as small portions of the entrée (besides, who could mess up deep-fried onions?).
The halfheartedness with which the FF team composed this dish again spoke to their implicit feelings toward vegans—inconveniencing, illegitimate, and ideologically completely wrong. Reflected by the fact that sorbet (the most uncreative vegan dessert of all) served as FF's only dessert in which my father would happily partake on his birthday, FF's marginal, almost antagonistic consideration of vegan customers proves wildly tangible.
After hearing rave reviews of FF from various native Washingtonians and glimpsing a line out the restaurant's door while walking by, I truly wanted to enjoy my experience at FF. However, as do vegans in many other daily interactions, I felt judged and belittled, even in this so-called "vegan-friendly" establishment. I often experience the most hostility from non-vegan proponents of the sustainable food movement—a phenomenon that confuses me immensely considering the fact that both the vegan and sustainable food movements seek to preserve the environment, improve the lives of animals, and foster healthy living through diet. Why must there exist such an enormous chasm between two ideologies that harbor the same goals at heart? I yearn for a dialogue—a truly thoughtful conversation during which to discuss the differing definitions of "humane," the notion of animal agriculture as necessary, and environmental implications of raising animals for food. I know that my review of Founding Farmers may indeed read as a frustrated rant, but this is only because I sincerely feel that any chance for dialogue disappeared as soon as I set foot inside FF's doors. I do hope, however, that FF and restaurants like it prove me wrong. Let's talk, with an open mind, heart, and spirit.
Until next time, Ali.

subset: commoncrawl


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March 12, 1999
KALAMAZOO -- Members of the campus and local communities can "see the world" in a single evening during Western Michigan University's 10th annual International Festival Sunday, March 21.
The event will be from 4 to 8 p.m. in the East Ballroom of the Bernhard Center. It will feature food, performances and displays from more than 20 countries on five continents. Many of WMU's international students will attend, dressed in traditional costumes and serving authentic ethnic foods.
Admission is free and food will be sold for a nominal fee.
"International Festival promises to be a great opportunity for campus and community members to come together and learn about the diversity of cultures here at WMU," said Jin Abe, admissions and program specialist in the Office of International Student Services.
This year's festival is being organized by the International Programs Council and the Campus Activities Board with funds from the Student Assessment Fee. Sponsors include the Office of International Student Services, Office of Student Activities and Leadership Programs, Division of Student Affairs, Cultural Events Committee, and Graduate Student Advisory Committee.
More information is available from Abe at (616) 387-5865 or from Erin Kennedy in the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Programs at (616) 387-2547.
Media contact: Jeanne Baron, 616 387-8400, firstname.lastname@example.com
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
616 387-8400


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These 7 Articles Help 401k Plan Sponsors Apply Fiduciary Principles to Build a 21st Century Plan
Here it is straight, simple and to the point: a 401k plan sponsor is a fiduciary and must always act within the best interests of the participants of the plan. If it sounds easy, you've either been a trust officer all your life or you have a higher than average optimistic view on things. Most plan sponsors are (rightfully) more concerned with producing whatever widgets they produce than incessantly monitoring their company's 401k plan. That's why they hire expert service providers. Of course, delegating fiduciary duties does not eliminate their fiduciary liability. And depending and which service providers a plan sponsor chooses to hire, that liability may not even be reduced (in fact, it could go up).
The best way to reduce fiduciary liability is by creating or upgrading you plan design to conform to the latest research. With a 21st Century plan design, the plan sponsor creates a framework that, at the very least, makes it more difficult for service providers to increase plan sponsor liability. In addition, it bakes into the cake (an apt metaphor as you'll soon find out) a process that directs participants to act in their own best interests.
To best understand modern plan design, we must first look at the evolution of the 401k plan since its inception more than thirty years ago. The article "How Investment Theory Explains 401k Plan Sponsors' Evolving Fiduciary Duties," (FiduciaryNews.com, September 17, 2013) explains to the reader how plan menu design reflects the prevailing investment theory. Chances are you view the "normal" 401k design in terms of what you saw when you first began working in the 401k field. For the oldest folks (many of them soon to retire), they see a 401k plan having three options. For the vast majority of 401k workers, they'll view the "ideal" 401k as addressing the "Style Box" array of Modern Portfolio Theory. Those newest to the 401k world may wonder why so many haven't accepted the currently prevailing theories derived from behavioral economics. This article takes you on the journey from the 401k's beginnings as a "three-ring circus" to its current norm of a "tiered wedding cake."
Fundamental to plan design – and, quite honesty, probably the part that is the most fun for many plan sponsors – revolves around determining the number of plan options. While this is a critical question, it should only be tackled after the plan sponsor has a thorough understanding of the evolution of education theory. "How Many Investment Options Should 401k Plan Sponsors Offer?" (FiduciaryNews.com, October 18, 2011) takes a look at this question from the academic researcher's eye. This is important because it incorporates the current investment theory into the question. What we find is most plan sponsors – and even some of their employees –would be surprise how small the ideal number of options is.
If you're like many plans, you may find your plan approaching – or even exceeding – two dozen fund options. As the previous article explains, this is far too many funds. "4 Proven Strategies to Reduce Choice Overload in 401k Plans" (FiduciaryNews.com, June 4, 2013) offers a practical guideline on how to decide which funds to cut from your menu. Still, this presents a problem. Plan participants are not one-size-fits all, so it's difficult to reduce the number of options in a plan based on this assumption. In order to accommodate different types of investors, you may find you want a number of funds well into the teens. Doesn't this, then, keep up in the realm of too many funds.
Well, yes, but no. There's a way to have your cake and eat it to. It's all in how one frames the choices. "Avoiding Decision Paralysis: How to Create the Ideal 401k Plan Option Menu," (FiduciaryNews.com, November 17, 2011) explains how the old-style option menus actually hurt participants. Frankly, there were too many choices and, for many employees, it was easier to simply not opt-into the plan. This article gives "entry-level" answers to the concept that begins to address this decision paralysis.
Before we go there, though, we need to take a look at the whole "opt-in" idea. Prior to 2006, employees had to take a positive action to participate in their 401k plan. In 2006, the Pension Protection Act (2006 PPA) allowed 401k plan sponsors to include automatic enrollment in their plan design. "How to Nudge 401k Participation Higher," (FiduciaryNews.com, November 23, 2010), explains how academic research showed education and focusing on "financial literacy" was starkly less effective than automatically enrolling employees into a 401k plan. The downside to the 2006 PPA, of course, was its explicit endorsement of target-date funds. Among other issues, this relatively new and untested product, unlike the very similar lifestyle fund, failed to meet expectations during the 2007-2009 market drop. (If this digression whets your appetite on this particular investment product, then you may want to read "A Hidden Fiduciary Liability for Plan Sponsors: The Five Most Critical Problems with Target Date Funds," FiduciaryNews.com, September 14, 2010, and "401k Plan Sponsor Concern: Target Date Funds Still Broke," FiduciaryNews.com, January 10, 2012 – but neither of these articles count towards our promised number of seven.)
If you're really interesting in increasing employee participation, you'll need to take your understanding of decision paralysis a little bit further. "How Plan Sponsors Can Restructure a 401k Investment Menu to Increase Participation" (FiduciaryNews.com, June 5, 2013) looks beyond the mere number of options and suggests other ways to get employees more enthused about joining the plan. Pay particular attention to the item "Make the consequences of their actions more vivid." This is an under appreciated method to increase participation.
Finally, what better way to end with an example of how to upgrade your plan design? "Adding Categories: A Sample of a New and Improved 401k Investment Option Menu" (FiduciaryNews.com, June 6, 2013) takes all the elements introduced in the above articles and takes you step by step through a hypothetical plan design upgrade. It expands on the idea of tiers, what they are, how many there are and how to get employees to use them appropriately.
Radio Shack ran a popular 2014 Superbowl commercial under the theme "the 1980's want their stores back." Everyone thought this was funny and cute until, a mere four weeks later, Radio Shack announced they were closing 1,100 stores. (Maybe the 1980's literally wanted their stores back!) In either case, if you're a 401k plan sponsor, you've got to ask yourself, is your plan design still from last century? If so, it's time to get back to the future. And maybe you can get of those old VHS cartridges, too.
Interested in learning more about this and other important topics confronting 401k fiduciaries? Explore Mr. Carosa's new book 401(k) Fiduciary Solutions and discover how to solve those hidden traps that often pop up in 401k plans. The book also contains a series of chapters on this subject, including how to create an investment policy statement that defines a set of menu options consistent with the "one portfolio" concept (as well as leaving room for those few remaining do-it-yourselfers).
Mr. Carosa is available for keynote speaking engagements, especially in venues located in the Northeast, MidAtantic and Midwestern regions of the United States and in the Toronto region of Canada.


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1932, Germany (Weimar Republic). Proof-Like Silver "Goethe" 3 Mark Coin. GENI UNC-
Mint Date: 1932 Reference: KM-76. Mint Place: Karlsruhe (G) Denomination: 3 Mark - 100 Years of the Death of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Condition: Certified and slabbed by GENI (a French third-party certifying service for coins) as UNC Details (Cleaning!) Weight: 15.11gm Diameter: 30mm Material: Silver
Obverse: Head of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe left. Legend: GOETHE Reverse: Crown of the German Empire, flanked by anniversary dates (1832-1932) of the death of the writer. Legend: DEUTSCHES REICH - DREI MARK
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German writer and polymath. Goethe is considered by many to be the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in Western culture. Goethe's works span the fields of poetry, drama, literature, theology, philosophy, and science. His magnum opus, lauded as one of the peaks of world literature, is the two-part drama Faust.[2] Goethe's other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther.
Goethe was one of the key figures of German literature and the movement of Weimar Classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; this movement coincides with Enlightenment, Sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours, his influential ideas on plant and animal morphology and homology were extended and developed by 19th century naturalists including Charles Darwin. He also served at length as the Privy Councilor of the duchy of Saxe-Weimar.
Goethe is the originator of the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"), having taken great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, the Arab world, and others. His influence on German philosophy is virtually immeasurable, having major effect especially on the generation of Hegel and Schelling, although Goethe himself refrained from practicing philosophy in the specialized sense.
Goethe's influence spread across Europe, and for the next century his works were a major source of inspiration in music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Early in his career, however, he wondered whether painting might be his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that he would ultimately be remembered above all for his work on colour.
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Geisinger Magazine
A publication of Geisinger
Spring 2018 feature articles
Combating physician burnout: New efforts to help Geisinger's physicians and other providers.
Stemming the opioid tide: Geisinger cuts prescriptions in half.
High-tech caring: Technology personalizes Geisinger's caring like never before.
"From Crisis to Cure": A recap of Geisinger's national gathering of thought leaders.
Undoing heart disease: It's possible, and Geisinger is showing patients how.
Fall 2017 feature articles
A champion for innovation: Former PA Department of Health Secretary Karen Murphy joins Geisinger as chief innovation officer.
Geisinger nursing: A passion for compassion: doubling down on its commitment to nursing education, careers and recruiting.
Designing for patients: See how patients' needs are driving the design process for new spaces throughout Geisinger.
New partnerships with Highmark and Jersey Shore: Geisinger expands services into north-central Pennsylvania.
Summer 2017 feature articles
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine: How the integration of The Commonwealth Medical College into Geisinger is poised to transform both organizations — and healthcare.
Making Scranton the healthiest place to live: Springboard Healthy Scranton seeks to transform the health of Scranton residents.
Recognizing top-ranked care providers: Get to know 4 Geisinger physicians who rank among the top 10 percent nationally for the patient experience they provide.
On the front lines of care: Follow along as Geisinger leaders make early-morning rounds and share observations and ideas.
Fall 2016 feature articles
MyCode: Unraveling the connections between people's genes and their health.
Rehearsed & ready: How local actors and volunteers are helping new providers master the art of communicating with patients.
A fresh approach to treating diabetes: New program prescribes healthy foods to help patients manage diabetes.
Investing in our member hospitals: New facilities are transforming surgical care in Scranton and Camp Hill.
Spring 2016 feature articles
ProvenExperience™: Our patient satisfaction program and it vision for outstanding patient care.
After Pediatrics: A clinic providing young adults a much needed medical home.
A Prescription for Peace of Mind: Pharmacists becoming an integral part of patient care.
Modern-Day House Calls: Paramedics caring for patients in their homes.


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When the people of International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) rescued tigers Carli and Lily from unequipped owners in Buffalo, New York, they found the animals in questionable conditions. Carli and Lily had been living in run-down cages, had been suffering from neglect and were visibly anxious and nervous.
But fortunately, IFAW workers were able to relocate the animals to Safe Haven Rescue Zoo in Nevada, where the cats could be nursed back to health, and given the resources they need.
One development of this animal sanctuary is a recently built pool for Carli and Lily to enjoy.
But how would the animals take to the water? IFAW's Kelly Donithan decided to visit the tigers to find out.
In a video capturing the special moment, Donithan explains unlike most cats, tigers love to bathe, swim and play in water.
First Lily tests the pool. One paw at a time.
But it's not long before she leaps in...
...and says "hello" to the camera.
A little too close!
Here's an underwater shot:
Sadly, tiger rescues like this are not as rare as you might think. In fact, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) there are about 5,000 tigers kept captive in the U.S. alone — more than the 3,200 tigers in the wild.
Pretty shocking, huh?
To get involved and help IFAW's cause of rescuing animals like Carli and Lily, visit here.
(H/T ViralNova)
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I find I look forward to each of the CC emails as they are uplifting, provide inspiration and a bit of a jab in the belly as we are challenged to be better, learn better, do better with each installment of the newsletter. CC is for anyone who is hungry for a fulfilled life, and wants an opportunity to learn from others, and be given a moment to reflect and implement. There is a real sense of community in the way David constructs each newsletter as we have an opportunity to dialogue with each other with a simple "reply". Also DIG the followup newsletters after David has sent a missive!
Omaha, Nebraska
People who are redefining their worlds.
Binghamton, NY
Love Creative Caffeine. Super, provocative topics and it very much feels like a conversation. Will spread the word!
Columbus, Ohio
Creative Caffeine is a place to ignite your thoughts, expand horizons and challenge your own views of the world. Highly recommend it!
This is like a friend's insight to who you should hang out with, at different times, for different reasons, on different levels. Thanks for serving as the connection host.
Columbus, OH
It's thoughtful, well-written, and I can't recommend it enough for people who are just tired of gimmicks on the Internet
Personally, I am founding myself very inspired by the many thoughts that are shared in the emails, both on everyday lifestyle and my current and future creative production. I'd like to share a little of what I'm doing around here but I just feel it's not time yet. In the meantime, I'm very pleased to be part of it somehow.
Curitiba, Brazil
This email list is random in a really good way. I'm glad it's not like other lists I'm on that are "following the formula". I actually click and open and read most of the messages because I'm never sure what I'm going to hear about. That is refreshing. Maybe one day I'll write back too but for now I'm a bit of a lurker who has been inspired to keep reading, to keep calm and carry on, and to enjoy life rather than analyze it all the time. Thanks.
Charlottesville, VA
I avoided the Email about not thinking for a few days because of the title. When I finally read it I realized that it was worth the read. Not really new information, but well-timed none the less.
I absolutely love reading these!
Sarasota, FL
Creative Caffeine makes my inbox feel good!
It is always filled with thought provoking ideas and a unique view of the world. This makes it worth the read every time. It is one newsletter I love bring subscribed to.
Calgary, Alberta
I love this blog, and not only because you mention there is a future for coaches… I hope that there will always be a place for bespoke individualised learning when and where its convenient with real people. But I also hope the public becomes more discerning about expertise and moves away from following the fad with the best PR/Marketing.
Have a good week, our long summer holidays are ending and the school and work year is about to begin down under, time to ramp up the work.
Sydney Australia
It feels like an extension of my brain and thought process
London, UK
CC encourages me to think about what's happening philosophically and technically in our modern technologically adept world. Everything from Bitcoin to how artists can or perhaps will sell their work are mused upon, as well as so much more. This newsletter encourages me to think.
I found CXC (i like this as your abbreviation ha) through DTSP. I had been following DTSP for a year or two, catching each new monthly photo pack. But I had never felt connected to DTSP. It was just a stream of resources. It wasn't until David started emailing out conversational type emails that my interested peaked. All of a sudden, it wasn't some no name brand, but there was a person. There was an idea, a feeling, an emotion tied to each email. I was invited to join a community, one where it was okay to make mistakes, it was okay to feel unsure. Everyone who writes in comes from a perspective of we are all just figuring it out. We are all relatable, and in this together. I really have begun to enjoy each CXC email I get, even look forward to them, and that is probably the first time I have ever felt that way about email/
san francisco CA
Great thoughts. Informative. Insightful. Educational. Inspirtationa. lots of great recommendations and discoveries contained within this world. Definitely a life enhancer and definitely not a time suck.
What does teamwork mean to you? A team can be represented a group of the same or different expertises. What are the differences between the teamwork in the reality and your ideal one?
Bangkok, Thailand
Reminds me that creativity has to be prioritised. Inspires me by the way its written. It's real. There's no marketing, no sales. It actually feels like connecting with a real, whole person. Not a curated part of one. Even though, of course, by its nature, that's still what it is. It's like good late night wine chats with an interesting person.
Brisbane, Australia
The inbox was not really the first placed I'd imagined to find myself in at the crack of dawn but it's become a safe haven. CC is uncluttered requires no adjoining tech and is honest.
I feel like I've found that group of friends that usually take at least a decade to develop reasonable trust, raw & honest insight and valuable responses from in under a month.
Thank you for taking the time to share.
Blantyre, Malawi
Creative Caffeine is a community of creatives that encourage and uplift each other. Its a location for sharing your thoughts about living a creative life. Where you can share advice and get advice on how to better yourself all around or in niche areas.
I've unsubscribed from pretty much everything except for this. It always feels personal and relevant, and it makes me feel less alone, because it reminds me often that there are others out there, all over the world, fighting the good, creative fight.
Fernie, British Columbia, Canada
Creative Caffeine is the caffeine break for the mind. It stops you going through the motions of everyday and gives you an opportunity to think. Really think, and only think. The honesty of the writing and the simplicity of the format makes it feel like you are reading the e-mail of a friend. I love it.
Istanbul, Turkey
Creative Caffeine is inspiring. I love the musings and appreciate the latest issue, which had multiple links on how to use creativity to earn a living without selling your soul.
Orlando FL
If you're tired of the "gurus" telling you the same things in different ways, none of which are the balms you seek, look no further. David cuts through the noise and delivers a signal that many are too deaf to understand. He dives deeper into the squishy underbelly and writes what everyone believes, but can't find the validation to confirm.
New York
There's a logical reason why trusting your gut it's a good decission. It's your ancient brain claiming for atention on a survival matter. Anyway, who cares about neurones when we're speaking about feeling miserable but rational? Nobody but neuroscientists. Facing the collateral damages, that's all, not taking action after a decision. Dealing with your family's dissapointment, with failures "everybody could've seen in advance". Your rage, your thrilling sensation, that's entirely for you. So go for it. Life is much shorter than paths
Madrid, Spain. Europe
I love Creative Caffeine for the unique stories and insights it brings into my inbox. It's a lovely break from the normal marketing spiel of some other newsletters.
Creative Caffeine is a refreshing breather in a busy inbox, reminding me to take stock and think deeply. David shares his creativity and inspiration in an engaging and warm way, and the responses he shares from other readers is creating a lovely community.
Brighton, UK
Musings of a creative mind, that's what I think of when I think of Creative Caffeine. And that is a good thing. CC to me is everything that we think about as creative individuals, but we don't normally talk about. So it's a breath of fresh air. I'm able to relate with someone, as an artist, that lives halfway around the world. It isn't just me thinking this, or it isn't just me experiencing this. Love the concept.
Arlington, VA
Creative Caffeine, as the name suggests, is truly a high-power shot of creativity for those who need some inspiration. The newsletter never fails to amaze me. Like, today, I learned about a new Pinterest-like app that shares ideas instead of pictures. Thanks, David, for sharing this!
I get alot of emails, newsletters, people who want to "motivate" me. Your emails are authentic, worthwhile & so far I am actually opening them. It takes great skill to write succinctly & motivate people with out smelling like a huckster. You are accomplishing this fact!
Tucson Az
CC is that jolt into my brain that exposes me to the new, incites me with the future, and inspires me to action today. Consider me buzzed.
I look forward to CC emails because it's the kind of email that you know has a human behind it.
It's hard to describe, but I guess after the content that David shares, the thoughts he pours into his newsletters, hits home for me, like needing to remember to stop and look up from my laptop and readjust my eyes to natural skylight, instead of just my screen monitor.
Or pausing to take a breather and stretch my legs, while going through the compilation of replies he gets from similar artists from all around the world that 'gets it.'
Seri Kembangan, Malaysia
I love love love that you aren't trying to force me down a sales funnel. I love caffeine...love love love it(is that redundant? redundant?) You have a refreshing take on things designy (yep thats a word) As a freelancer I enjoy your perspective and really appreciate that you send emails including feedback from your readers (I was the reader desperately missing my local java joint) I have unsubscribed from almost everyone in an effort to tame my inbox but your email is a refreshing change from the norm. Thank you from the bottom of my .....mug
Rural Alberta, Canada (very...very rural)
I actually *love* reading these emails whenever I see them in my Inbox (unlike almost everything else in there, which I do my best to avoid for as long as possible!). David's take on life is a refreshing change from the standard trite rubbish everyone else trots out. So if you would prefer to receive email which is authentic, real, and from the heart - as though written by a good friend who has your back - then Creative Caffeine is for you. You will likely find yourself saying out loud, 'Oh, that's me too' while reading!
I'm not the kind of person that writes reviews, 'cause i'm not very good with words, but CC has thouched my mind as well as my heart. Every day i spend too much time reading stuff online i do not need or care about — CC is the only reading that i truly enjoy and that makes my brain work. It also makes me feel... lighter? It's a soothing experience. I just wanted to write this down and to say 'thank you'.
Milan, Italy
An infrequent and much-anticipated dose of unconventional inspiration. A way to glean insight from, and reach out to, the millions of creative minds that pass us by daily.
I mean, in a sense CC should be for everyone, because I wish everyone read it! But I suppose it's most fitting for those who are already creatives, in the loosest sense of the word. Human beings who see the world through a unique, malleable viewpoint.
Hong Kong
Creative Caffeine is for you if you're a questioner. You're a thinker, quietly curious, these emails will give you pause and make you think. Def one of my favorite emails.
Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Creative Caffeine is one of the emails that I always open. I love finding out what's on David's mind - it tends to be meaningful, insightful, and bigger than the day-to-day. David is real, curious, generous, and doesn't pretend to have all of the answers. So grateful to be a part of it.
I love receiving steaming mugfuls of Creative Caffeine from you David! I really love the way you think. You make so much sense. I feel as if I were a closet creative and through receipt of the ideas and inspirations you share, my real life isolation is alleviated and I'm soothed by the reminders that I'm far from alone. I feel like Creative Caffeine is for those who don't care how "it's always been done" because they're aware of the details of this environment now and present to what's special that can be overlapped and interwoven to form brand new bridges across cognitive chasms to fresh, new realms of concepts and processes. Does that sound anything like you?
San Francisco Bay Area
This will take you a little bit deeper every day, it will resonate hard and challenge you. It will give you advice, inspire you to be even more creative (or maybe just to be yourself) and it will connect you.
Somerset, UK
This list is one of the only lists that I actually look forward to receiving mail from. It's a pleasant surprise in my inbox that seems more like a wonderful letter from a close long term friend, than the ramblings of a distant stranger. It is a breath of fresh air in a world that feels all too stale the last few years and a refreshingly honest series of communication. Best of all, it removes that feeling of loneliness that can set in for anyone who works alone in a creative environment for too long and forgets that there are many others out there doing similar work sharing similar beliefs.
Massachusetts (US)
It's the pause moment in the day. Perfect for people who are aiming high, but maybe have short attention spans or need a moment to remember what's important. It makes you feel like maybe, just maybe you are part of a revolution that is stepping away from the battery hen version of business and work, and into a holistic walk through life.
I love getting little nuggets of wisdom in bite size chunks in my email box. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, or else unmotivated, I can ponder David's thoughts. Instead of marketing talk aimed at getting me to do what they want to do, his thoughts are presented as that - his thoughts, that I can consider or disagree with or find inspiration in. It doesn't feel false to me.
New Zealand
The emails always seem to come exactly when i need them
this weeks subject is what i am going through this week! whether or not to quite


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Inflation and the Stock Market
Martin Feldstein
NBER Working Paper No. 276 (Also Reprint No. r0130)
This paper discusses a crucial cause of the failure of share prices to rise during a decade of substantial inflation. Indeed, the share value per dollar of pretax earnings actually fell from 10.82 in 1967 to 6.65 in 1976. The analysis here indicates that this inverse relation between higher inflation and lower share prices during the past decade was not due to chance or to other unrelated economic events. On the contrary, an important adverse effect of increased inflation on share prices results from basic features of the current U.S. tax laws, particularly historic cost depreciation and the taxation of nominal capital gains.
Machine-readable bibliographic record - MARC, RIS, BibTeX
Document Object Identifier (DOI): 10.3386/w0276
Users who downloaded this paper also downloaded* these:
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text:
Croeso, Ioan Tan, welcome!
A long bare road, Ioan bach, you've tramped,
Dark months at sea, to meet us in this flash
Of sudden day. You fled the lost land, and camped
On deck through China, Red and Middle seas, dashed
By Biscay storms to ground on Scottish stones.
Picked up the accent, trekked south in Pennine rain
(Millstone grit an imprint on your bones)
And west to green Wales, a gift of laughter and a name.
Now at last you're here in London's brick-red glow,
Bright since the Romans with roaring streets, and screech,
And fog and flame. But soon you'll learn to know
An ache to sail on west again, to reach
Your Aztec dream, a soil to plant and settle,
Your Yucatan, your Popocatepetl.
Comments (2)
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Is this beautiful welcome to a new member of the Green family? How lovely …..
Oh, we had lunch at the HarbourMaster Friday with Gareth & Margaret Bevan. Such nice people. You were mentioned in dispatches.


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NCOSS (2007, p.14) outlines many of the potential benefits of co-location and shared financial administration for small NGOs. They include cost savings, greater efficiencies, and enabling staff to focus more on service delivery through no longer performing functions such as book-keeping. It can also be easier for NGOs to offer each other peer support, and the model facilitates better communication and collaboration. In addition, clients may find it easier to access multiple services, co-location facilitates inter-agency referrals, and reduces the isolation of small NGOs. Many of these benefits were also identified in other literature and in the evaluation of the MTSC Pilots Project.
The following summarises the key themes in the responses of group discussion participants and interviewees to the question:
What benefits are you expecting to achieve from the integration of your services and the collaborative arrangements you've entered into?
Better accommodation and space:
- The Caboolture centre was expected to provide 'much better accommodation and use of space' and 'more space options'.
Financial savings:
Participants in each site expected to see improved savings and 'economies of scale' in relation to areas such as:
- administration – having one reception, one book keeper and so on
- use of vehicles
- stationary – buying this in bulk
- sharing equipment
- joint funding proposals
- sharing the expertise of IT staff
- utilities, including telephone and IT providers, and cleaners
- savings in rent, rates and insurance policies.
One of the Caboolture services aimed to put their savings in rent into more consulting services.
Access to more funding and capacity to take on larger projects:
- The Toowoomba group thought they would be able to 'take on bigger collaboration projects that meet community needs'.
- The Caboolture group thought they could 'look for funding collaboratively'.
Organisational and governance improvements:
- The Mackay group thought the new service would 'reduce the impact on volunteers'.
- They also said that 'going from having four committees to one committee' would 'result in more energy to spread around' (i.e. for participation in other local committees etc.).
'Seamless' referral process:
- The establishment of the Toowoomba centre would enable a 'seamless referral process' and the capacity to 'manage referrals from the beginning to the end'.
- The Mackay centre will reduce the incidence of 'losing women in referring to other facilities/service providers' which are not located close to the referring service.
- A Caboolture interviewee indicated that the MTSC would assist in meeting the aim of developing a 'collaborative seamless approach' to service delivery in which the referral process can be done 'at ease'. She thought it was 'critical to be able to work with clients from the initial contact through to the final referral process or service delivery that's required'. The centre would also enable the agencies to 'better advocate for their clients'.
Improved service delivery and access to services:
- The Mackay centre would provide 'a one stop shop for women' and a place for 'young women to transition from youth services to women's services'. The group also thought that 'people can be more easily be accommodated in a holistic service'. Another participant suggested that 'stigma could be reduced if all the organisations were located in a one stop shop for women'.
- The Toowoomba centre was expected to provide 'enhanced service delivery and support for clients'.
- The Caboolture centre will be closer to the community as 'it's in a central location and more accessible to other services and transport'.
Increased skills and capacity building:
- The Caboolture initiative will provide the opportunity to 'upgrade the skills' of staff and volunteers. This would include developing 'shared learnings about IT systems and tools such as computers and intercom systems'.
- Both the Toowoomba and Mackay groups thought the initiative would provide 'professional development' of those involved.
New or shared knowledge, understanding and learning:
- The Toowoomba group thought the centre would enable 'sharing information' with others and developing a 'clearer understanding of the other organisations'.
- The Mackay centre will 'bring a skill pool together'.
Broader perspectives and attitudes:
- The Pilot Project was seen by one interviewee as part of 'systemic change towards addressing issues such as injustice and lack of equity and making communities work'.
- The Toowoomba group thought that sharing information could lead to 'seeing the bigger picture'.
- The Mackay group thought the new service could 'generate new responses to and a broader perspective on the concept of health and wellbeing' (for example they could provide assistance to women establishing new initiatives or enterprises).
Building strong relationships and linkages and improved support:
- The Caboolture group envisaged that 'strong relationships between agencies' would develop and that they would regularly have 'good conversations'.
- Benefits listed by the Toowoomba group included: 'linking with other organisations' and 'building relationships and support'.
Stronger advocacy and negotiation:
- The Caboolture group thought they would develop 'a strong advocacy base with government'.
- They also thought they would have an 'increased capacity to negotiate'.
Improved community profile:
- The Pilot Project has profiled the Caboolture community more and some participants envisaged that they may 'eventually get a spot in the local newspaper about community and social development'.
Joint marketing:
- The Toowoomba group thought they would be able to develop 'joint marketing campaigns to clients about the services provided'.
5.3.1 Benefits already evident
The benefits already evident in some of the pilot sites included:
- Facilitation of a 'seamless referral process'.
- Sharing equipment and IT expertise.
- Development of joint funding proposals.
- Professional development of those involved at a management level.
- The Mackay committee is 'far better equipped to move the project forward'.
- Building of relationships and support.
- Increased understanding of the suite of services in the organisations involved.
- Better understanding of change management processes.
- The Mackay group have 'learned to accommodate different points of view' and have 'recognised that they need people who can see the big picture, as well as more pragmatic, practical people'.
See videos from StudioQ related to this topic


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The government's unpaid, forced work schemes have suffered a setback when Appeal Court judges said yesterday that key elements of them were unlawful.
The coalition government remains unrepentant, however. It says it will push through technical changes to thwart the court judgment, will continue to make people work for free for big corporations in often meaningless roles, and will actively seek to deny repayments to thousands of people who are now owed them.
But campaigners against workfare in the UK say that the ruling is the beginning of the end of many of these schemes, and that they will now step up pressure to thwart government and DWP attempts to make people work for nothing on punitive programmes which are producing measurably poor results, instead of offering proper job support and investing in genuine employment opportunities.
In a unanimous decision yesterday (12 January 2013), the three judges from the Court of Appeal agreed with a university graduate's claim that the unpaid schemes were legally flawed.
They ruled that the Jobseeker's Allowance (Employment, Skills and Enterprise) Regulations 2011, under which most of the government's failing 'Back to Work' schemes have been created, are unlawful.
The ruling was a huge setback for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) whose flagship reforms have been beset with problems since their inception.
The effect of the judgment is that all those people who have been sanctioned by having their jobseeker's allowance withdrawn for non-compliance with the Back to Work Schemes affected will be entitled to reclaim their benefits.
Until new regulations are enacted with proper Parliamentary approval nobody can be compelled to participate on the schemes, points out Public Interest Lawyers, the campaigning Birmingham firm who took on the case.
The government initially indicated that it would seek a stay of the order quashing the Regulations "because of the ramifications of the decision." Government Counsel Paul Nicholls QC submitted that the effect of the decision would be immediate: "the original requirement imposed on claimants such as Mr Wilson that they participate in a programme would be unlawful and they could not be required to participate further." People would be free to leave placements if they did not wish to continue with them, and all sanctions currently imposed would have to be immediately brought to an end.
After objections from the claimants, the government then abandoned their request for a stay of the quashing order which means that the judgment takes immediate effect.
However, ministers at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) brought in new, more precise regulations on Tuesday evening to allow it to require jobseekers to take part in these schemes, which are being trialled for young people in London and Derbyshire.
The case was brought by Cait Reilly, who was made to stack shelves in Poundland for two weeks, and Jamie Wilson, who was stripped of his Jobseeker's allowance for 6 months after refusing to participate in a Community Action Programme scheme which required him to work 30 hours a week for six months for free.
In a carefully reasoned judgment the Court found that the Secretary of State, Iain Duncan Smith, has acted beyond the powers given to him by Parliament (the Welfare Reform Act 2009, which amended the Jobseeker's Allowance Act 1995) by failing to provide, any detail about the various "Back to Work" schemes in the Regulations.
The Government had bypassed Parliament by introducing the Back to Work schemes administratively under an "umbrella" scheme knwons as the Employment, Skills and Enterprise Scheme, claiming the need for "flexibility'. The Court of Appeal held that this was contrary to what Parliament had required.
Stanley Burnton LJ stated that: "any scheme must be such as has been authorised by Parliament. There is a constitutional issue involved. The loss of jobseekers' allowance may result in considerable personal hardship, and it is not surprising that Parliament should have been careful in making provision for the circumstances in which the sanction may be imposed. There are well known legislative formulae for conferring complete flexibility of decision on a Minister." (at [75])
The result is that over the past two years the UK government has unlawfully required tens of thousands of unemployed people to work without pay and unlawfully stripped thousands more of their subsistence benefits.
The case has revealed the chaos and confusion at the heart of the DWP who have set up a web of schemes and sanctions so complex that their own jobcentre advisers are failing to implement them correctly, says PIL.
It has shown that the basic requirements of fairness dictated by Parliament, such as providing people with a clear explanation of what they are being asked to do, why they are being asked to do it and what the consequences are if they fail to do it, have not been complied with by the DWP.
Tessa Gregory, a solicitor from Public Interest Lawyers, commented yesterday: "Today's judgment sends Iain Duncan Smith back to the drawing board to make fresh Regulations which are fair and comply with the Court's ruling. Until that time nobody can be lawfully forced to participate in schemes affected such as the Work Programme and the Community Action Programme. All of those who have been stripped of their benefits have a right to claim the money back that has been unlawfully taken away from them from the DWP."
She continued: "The case has revealed that the Department of Work and Pensions was going behind Parliament's back and failing to obtain Parliamentary approval for the various mandatory work schemes that it was introducing. It also reveals a lack of transparency and fairness in the implementation of these schemes. The Claimants had no information about what could be required of them under the back to work schemes. The Court of Appeal has affirmed the basic constitutional principle that everyone has a right to know and understand why sanctions are being the threatened and imposed against them"
One of the claimants, Jamie Wilson, said: "I am really pleased that the Court has found in our favour. I refused to participate in the Community Action Programme (CAP) because I objected to being made to clean furniture for 30 hours a week for 6 months when I knew it wouldn't help me find employment. I was given next to no information about the programme, I was told simply that I had to do whatever the DWP's private contractor instructed me to do and that if I didn't I may lose my benefits. Being without jobseeker's allowance was very difficult for me but I don't regret taking a stand as the CAP is a poorly thought out and poorly implemented scheme which even according to the DWP's own statistics is not helping anyone get people back to work."
"I am now participating in the Work Programme but it doesn't involve me working for free, I have to meet an advisor every three to four weeks who helps me look for work. I will continue to attend these sessions with my adviser regardless of whether or not I am required to attend because I want to find a job and the sessions are very helpful," he said.
Cait Reilly, the other claimant, commented: "I am delighted with [the] judgment. I brought this case because I knew it was wrong when I was prevented from doing my voluntary work in a museum and forced to work in Poundland for free for two weeks as part of a scheme known as the sector based work academy. Those two weeks were a complete waste of my time as the experience did not help me get a job, I wasn't given any training and I was left with no time to do my voluntary work or search for other jobs. The only beneficiary was Poundland, a multi-million pound company. Later I found out that I should never have been told the placement was compulsory."
"I don't think I am above working in shops like Poundland, I now work part time at the in a supermarket, it's just that I expect to get paid for working. I hope the Government will now take this opportunity to rethink its strategy and do something which actually builds on young unemployed peoples' skills and tackles the causes of long-term unemployment. I agree we need to get people back to work but the best way of doing that is by helping them, not punishing them. The Government ought to understand that if they created schemes which actually helped people get back into work then they wouldn't need to force people to attend," she said.
The government is seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. Nonetheless, the decision is being seen as a setback for the DWP's flagship forced work schemes.
The campaign group Boycott Workfare commented: "Of the numerous workfare schemes introduced by this government, only Mandatory Work Activity remains lawful. With immediate effect, those on the controversial Work Programme, Sector Based Work Academies, Community Action Programme or other workfare schemes may leave without risk of sanction. Sanctions currently in place must immediately be brought to an end."
Joanna Long, a member of the group, said: "This ruling is a victory of the people against a government which thought it could compel unemployed and sick people to work without pay, backed by a vicious regime of sanctions which made the poorest far poorer.
"We are confident the end is in sight for workfare in the UK. The only scheme found lawful is wobbling due to public pressure on the charities profiting from free labour. If Iain Duncan Smith attempts to put in place new workfare regulations, he should know that the public response will be outrage. Tens of businesses and charities are already boycotting his schemes, and today's ruling shows that workfare is not only wrong, it is also unlawful."
Boycott Workfare's UK-wide week of action on 18-24 March 2013 will go ahead with the aim of bringing Mandatory Work Activity to an end, the groups says.
Meanwhile, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is increasingly being seen not as a neutral government department but as a politically active part of the coalition's assault on benefits and welfare. Campaigners believe that there should now be an investigation into its activities, and whether they violate codes of conduct governing the operation of the civil service in Britain.
* Public Interest Lawyers: http://www.publicinterestlawyers.co.uk/
* DWP work schemes found illegal: http://www.latentexistence.me.uk/dwp-work-schemes-found-illegal/
* Boycott Workfare: http://www.boycottworkfare.org/


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As a spa operator, you know how important reservations are to the success of your spa.
You might want to consider spa reservation system to make your life a bit easier.
With spa reservation software, your clients can make reservations on your website and can easily see the availability.
Of course, you can make it as specific as you need it to be – if certain clients like getting a massage from Jackie, for example, then you can list the days that Jackie is working. Of course, as a customer service measure, you don't want to turn away the clients that like to call in and make their appointments. So you can just hop on the Internet and make the reservation for them – that way all the appointments are in the same central reservation system.
Over time, the reservation system will collect your customer's information and soon you'll have a fabulous database and with such a database you'll be able to send out specials on Mother's Day, over the Holidays and much, much more!


text:
Saturday, 27 February 2016
Bonsai! A quick wire and floral tape project while watching tv. A little coarse greenery for foliage. The branches are set to look layered, but capturing that was a bit tough.
Grabbed the wallpaper in the clearance area at The Little Dollhouse Company a while back. It reminds me of the Golden Girls show. I loved that show growing up. Sophia was my favourite and the witty barbs she would throw at Rose's stories about the motherland.
And what is Blogger doing with the new Google Photos and ending Picasa. I'm fine with this, but Google Photos and an iPad aren't friends (much like Blogger). Why, oh why, do you make my life more difficult Google? More wine please.
Posted by kittyandkatminiatures at 23:19
Labels: 1:12 scale , bonsai , mini scene , minimodels , The Little Dollhouse Company , vignette
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The Bryan Symphony Orchestra will be performing the soundtrack to Iron Grip: The Oppression on April 15th at 7.30pm. The concert will be taking place at the Bryan Fine Arts building, Wattenbarger Auditorium, Tennessee Tech, Cookeville Tennessee!
If you can't make it to Tennessee, then don't worry. The concert is being recorded, and those recordings will be made available. It's the next best thing to being there!
To celebrate, I'll be jumping on to the servers at 7.30pm GMT
and hopefully kickstarting a game or two. If you can't make the concert, and you feel the itch, try and get online on April 15th and play a game. Rahmos awaits!
For more details on the concert, check the facebook event, or visit the forum thread. If you can't make it, tell a friend to go in your stead.


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Gabrielle Giffords
Gabrielle Dee Giffords (born June 8, 1970) is an American politician. A Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, she has represented Arizona's 8th congressional district since 2007. She is the third woman in Arizona's history to be elected to the U.S. Congress. Giffords is a native of Tucson, Arizona, and a graduate of Scripps College and Cornell University. Prior to her election to Congress, Giffords served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 2001 until 2003 and the Arizona State Senate from 2003 until 2005, when she resigned to run for the seat held by then-Congressman Jim Kolbe. She also worked as an associate for regional economic development in New York City and as CEO of El Campo Tire Warehouses, a local automotive chain owned by her grandfather. She is married to astronaut and Space Shuttle Commander Mark E. Kelly. Giffords is currently serving her third term in the United States House of Representatives, having been re-elected in the 2010 midterm elections. Considered a "Blue Dog" Democrat, her stances on health care reform and illegal immigration were sources of attention for those opposed to her candidacy and have made her a recipient of criticism from various conservative groups. She has described herself as a "former Republican." On January 8, 2011, Giffords was a victim of a shooting near Tucson, which was reported to be an assassination attempt on her, at a supermarket where she was meeting publicly with constituents. She was critically injured by a gunshot wound to the head; thirteen people were injured and six others were killed in the shooting, among them conservative federal judge John Roll. Giffords was later brought to a rehabilitation facility in Houston, Texas, where she recovered some of her ability to walk, speak, read and write. On May 16, 2011, Giffords traveled to Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch of STS-134, the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour, which was commanded by her husband Mark Kelly. Giffords underwent surgery on May 18, 2011, to replace with plastic a part of her skull that had been removed in January to permit her brain to swell after the gunshot to her head. On June 15, she was released from the rehabilitation hospital to return to her husband's League City, Texas home. There she is continuing speech, music, physical and occupational therapy. On August 1, 2011, Gabrielle Giffords returned to the House of Representatives to vote in favor of increasing the debt ceiling. She was welcomed back by a standing ovation. Giffords has since resigned and been succeeded as a US Representative. Recently, she was in the courtroom as her shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, was sentenced to 140 years in prison for 7 counts of murder.
Louis van Amstel
Louis van Amstel (born June 23, 1972) is a Dutch-born ballroom dance champion, professional dancer, choreographer, and a dancesport coach who appears on the U.S. reality television series Dancing with the Stars. For season 12, he was partnered with playboy model and reality star Kendra Wilkinson. During the fifth week in the competition, they danced the 1000th competitive dance of Dancing With The Stars. The couple made it to the seventh week, but were eliminated resulting in their sixth place finish. Van Amstel currently resides in Los Angeles, California, but he travels all over the country teaching at his LaBlast program and doing LaBlast teacher's training. He will be choreographing for the current season of So You Think You Can Dance.
Louis' previous DWTSGame partners include: Delilah (finalists), Nicole Sullivan, Mary J. Blige, Tina Fey, Debra Jo Rupp, P!nk (runners-up), and Melissa McCarthy.
Louis' previous DWTSGame partners include: Delilah (finalists), Nicole Sullivan, Mary J. Blige, Tina Fey, Debra Jo Rupp, P!nk (runners-up), and Melissa McCarthy.
Gabrielle Giffords & Louis van Amstel
Week 1: Cha-Cha-Cha: It's My Party - Lesley Gore: 16.5
Total & Average


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Invesp, Co-Founder
Ayat Shukairy is a recognized expert on marketing strategy and an in-demand speaker who has presented at marketing conferences throughout the world. With over 12 years of entrepreneurial and marketing experience, Ayat helps companies create websites fall in love with, while increasing their online sales. Her clients include eBay, 3M, the Special Olympics, DISH Network, Discovery and many more.
Ayat is the co-author of "Conversion Optimization," an Amazon.com best-selling book, In her book, she combines ground-breaking marketing research with powerful story-telling and case studies to demonstrate how to leverage these principles to create killer websites. Ayat provides one of the most comprehensive lists of strategies and actionable insights for helping websites capture more of their visitors into lifetime customers. She provides insights grounded in comprehensive research, the best contemporary psychology and behavioral science which any company can start implementing immediately.
Ayat and her partner Khalid recently launched their new growth-hacking software Figpii into private beta.


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Perihelion and aphelion From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about astronomy. For the image analysis software suite, see Aphelion (software). For other uses, see Aphelion (disambiguation). For a more general treatment of the subject, see Apsis. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article …Read More »
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Planet Nine
Planet Nine From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the hypothetical planet first suggested in 2014. For other uses, see Planet Nine (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Planet X. For doomsday speculation concerning Planet Nine, see Nibiru cataclysm § Planet Nine. Planet Nine[1] Artist's impression of Planet Nine …Read More »
Book Of Revelation We Are In The Last Days
Book of Revelation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the book in the New Testament. For other uses, see Book of Revelation (disambiguation). Books of the New Testament Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Acts of the Apostles Epistles Romans 1 Corinthians · 2 Corinthians Galatians · Ephesians …Read More »


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1. 本研究飼主之休閒效益呈中上程度取向,休閒阻礙呈中等程度取向。
2. 飼主和寵物犬的依附關係與休閒效益、休閒阻礙及休閒旅遊需求呈正相關。
3. 飼主與寵物犬有中上程度依附關係,其中女性與寵物犬依附關係高於男性,北部飼主與寵物犬依附關係高於南部的飼主,未婚者與寵物犬依附關係高於已婚者,沒有小孩的飼主與寵物犬的依附關係高於有小孩的飼主。
4. 攜帶寵物犬出外旅遊最迫切的需求為交通工具,其次依序為景點購物、住宿旅館及餐食安排。同意程度皆呈中上程度取向,顯示國內旅遊相關單位在上述方面確有必要提供更完善的設施與服務。
5. 攜帶寵物犬休閒旅遊需求最大的族群為女性、未婚、沒有小孩的飼主等,建議有意經營寵物旅遊的相關業者,針對此潛在客戶群開發市場、創造新利基。
With the changes in social values and familial structure, many people now consider pet dogs their spiritual companions, even their family members. Pet dogs with their loyalty and vitality boost their values and importance in human society. Pet-dog ownership has become a common phenomenon in Taiwan these days.
Based on the theory of pet attachment, the objective of this study was to pursue leisure benefits, leisure constraints, and out-of-town tour demands among pet-dog owners and to explore the identified factors which may be or may be not critical. Questionnaires were designed and survey was performed based on the literature review and the relevant theoretical basis. There were 385 samples collected and 352 copies were implemented in this study. Descriptive statistics, independent-sample t-test, and Pearson product moment correlation were implemented for data processing and statistical analysis. The main findings of this study can be summarized as followings:
1. All dimensions of pet attachment are moderately positive in terms of leisure benefits, leisure constraints, and out-of-town tour demands.
2. The owners in this research have medium and upper perception of attachment with their pet dogs, medium and upper perception of leisure benefits, and medium perception of leisure constraints.
3. For pet-dog owners, the top requirement in out-of-town tour taking their pet dogs with them is friendly public transportation. Then come with friendly shopping and travel facilities, friendly dining facilities, and comfortable pet accommodation. A very promising tour market can be pursued among the three groups of tourists traveling with their pet dogs who are female, single, and no kids.


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Linc Smelser, conductor
RSYO is the winner of the 2018 Youth Orchestra of the Year from the Illinois Council of Orchestras.
RSYO is comprised of students from all across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, including Belvidere, Rochelle, Dixon, Pecatonica, Stillman Valley, Freeport, and Rockford, who have a love of classical music and a desire to improve their skills while performing as an ensemble. Auditions are held annually in the spring for the next concert season. Rehearsals are from 1:45 – 2:45 p.m. for Chamber Orchestra and 3:00 – 5:15 p.m. for full orchestra at Rockford Lutheran High School.
The program is a challenging and fun music education experience for approximately sixty high school students who make up the orchestra. RSYO rehearses weekly and performs for the public throughout the year. For additional information call 815.972.2939 or email Margo Stedman, Education and Community Engagement Director, at email@example.com.
The RSYO is on Facebook!
Like us at www.facebook.com/RSYO.RAYSO


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The Association of Financial Advisers (AFA), in conjunction with ANZ Wealth, has named Wealth Enhancers' Rebecca Pritchard as its 2018 Rising Star of the Year.
The award, which aims to recognise emerging talent in the financial advice industry, and those that have contributed to the financial literacy of their clients and proven their commitment to ongoing professional development, was awarded at the AFA National Adviser Conference on the Gold Coast yesterday.
AFA chief executive, Phil Kewin, said Pritchard, a financial advice coach and graduate of Kaplan Business School, had a refreshing and energetic approach to providing financial advice.
"Her strong technical skills combined with dynamic communication have quickly established a solid foundation for future success. Rebecca is a true rising star," he said.
Don Sillar, head of sales, ANZ Wealth, said Pritchard's professional experience at KPMG and her strong technical capability shaped her passion for wealth advice.


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In the mail from Camelot Books today.
New RB 2.jpg
New RB.jpg
Congrats — that Bradbury volume is an especially attractive book.
I found a box of Euphemia for sale on ebay. Old catalogs and Flyers from Donald Grant, LW Curry and other small presses haven't started going through them yet. This is the only place I can share this and not have people say WHAT!! LOL. I think I will frame some of the cooler flyers later on, so much neat information. Most are from the 70's-early 80's. I'll post some more if Y'all are interested.
Donald Grnt.jpg
Good Lord, I would've been all over that like white on rice…so jealous. Consider yourself lucky I didn't see that auction and drive up the price. What a fantastic collection, congrats on getting it…hope you'll be very liberal in showing pictures of it all…would love to see whatever you want to show.
Just had to come back and take another look at those pictures… So incredibly envious, but also so glad they were preserved and wentto a good home. Anxious to see more pics!
I am with Ron. Great stuff, more pictures please! Congratulations!
OK guys, I'm going to start posting some of the catalogs. The collection represents four decades of catalogs and ephemera, starting with Fall/Winter 1963 all from the F and S.J. Book Company of Staten Island NY, interestingly some of the catalogs don't have zip codes. The second catalog is from summer 1964, next Fall 1964, Summer 1965 and finally Winter 1965/66. I can just imagine somebody sitting down to draw the covers, after spending hours at the typewriter. WOW!
Fall Winter 1963.jpg
FW 1963.jpg
Fall 1964.jpg
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Fall 1964.jpg
Last edited by mhatchett; 06-07-2019 at 12:12 AM.
These are even more wonderful than I expected! There can't be many of the ones from the 1960s still in existence. I love this kind of ephemera!
Last edited by Marmaduke Grigsby; 06-07-2019 at 03:04 PM.
Not really a purchase but we have a beautiful two page letter from Harlan Ellison he sent us shortly after his 80th birthday which includes hand corrected mistakes. In the letter, he thanks us for our friendship (and favors) and writes we were one of the few he wanted to thank for his birthday acknowledgement.
Yes, we miss him. Harlan was always very kind to us.
Letters, paper sales flyers and mimeographed newsletters /fanzines , and other similar ephemera are becoming increasingly scarce in this age of emails and digital marketing...too bad future generations won't have this kind of treasure trove from our era to revisit and preserve.


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Firm Hold Gel 113g
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Product Actions
- Sign in to add to Wish List
This item is worth 100 loyalty pointsSign up to Liberty Loyalty to see your purchases converted into vouchers you can spend in-store or online.
- Product features
- Editor's notes
- Delivery
Product features
- Keeps styles firmly in place without the slick, hard appearance of others. Formulated for longer styles to add volume, or shorter styles to create texture
- Water-soluble hair gel blends for flexibility and diversity when styling
- Effective without irritating a sensitive scalp
- Chamomile, lavender and argan oil are blended to hydrate while Sodium Hyaluronate and Vitamin E protect the hair
Can be used on wet or damp hair.
Editor's notes
Introducing the new MALIN+GOETZ Firm Hold Gel, a hydrating multi-use styling aid that provides styling options for all hair types. A modern interpretation of the 'old school' styling gel, this formula complements the brands hair care assortment for women and men with sensitive skin and scalp concerns. The alcohol-free formula helps define, control and smooth hair without drying or flaking, while providing healthy shine with no residue build up.
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Willow Oak
Description: Excellent native oak for the Southeast. Its upright branching habit and fine texture make it a popular street tree.
Notes: Has a wonderful yellow to yellow-brown fall color.
Common Name: Willow Oak
Scientific Name: Quercus phellos
Spread: 40'
Rate of Growth: Medium
Foliage: Light green
Fall Color: Yellow to yellow-brown
Bark: Gray
Zone: 5 to 8
Shape: Pyramidal upright


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On Saturday 16 July, North Cotswold Community Radio (NCCR) ran a live outside broadcast from the Motor Museum in Bourton on the Water. Between 10am and 4pm, the internet radio station broadcast from the museum forecourt and interviewed staff and Friends of the museum as well as visitors. Two classic cars belonging to Friends of the museum and the museum Land Rover were on display and there was live music at intervals throughout the day.
A fund raising trip of a lifetime between Oxford England and Oxford New Zealand, undertaken in 2004/5 in a Morris Oxford, was described by the intrepid travellers, Jo and Tim Nicholson. As well as their radio interview, photographs were on display for museum visitors to admire. In all, a great atmosphere in front of the museum with visitors enjoying the July sunshine.


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To Facebook or Not to Facebook
With the release of the Movenbank Alpha Site, several of our Alpha Team members have asked about our use of Facebook for registration and logging into movenbank.com. We at Movenbank have a tremendous respect for the need to secure private data, especially information about your financial behavior so we thought we'd take a moment to talk about Facebook, your privacy and how we use your data.
Are we only going to use Facebook?
Absolutely not. As we build towards our full banking service we will supplement the registration and login features with additional authentication channels, including a private, Movenbank-specific user identity as well as other popular social media channels like Twitter and LinkedIn.
Why Facebook?
Facebook provides a secure and accessible framework for user management that we were able to hook into very easily. Facebook also has several hundred million global users and a large percentage of the United States, our first market, has Facebook accounts. So we decided not to re-invent the wheel and instead focus on Movenbank's long-term goal of providing you with a financial service linked to your behavior and financial life. Many other startups have made the same decision.
The primary driver behind our release of the Alpha site was to begin developing a relationship with you, our users, and to gain an understanding of how you interact with your money. We are using that information to identify your Financial Personality, which will allow us to formulate financial insights and guidance to help you improve your financial health and behavior.
Up until the alpha launch, we have only requested one piece of information from you to begin getting to know you – an email address. We've used that email address to provide you with updates on our progress and to send you your invitation to our join our Alpha Team.
We'd love to be able to refer to you by your name instead of your email, we'd like to know where you live so we can see if there is location-based advice we can provide you with, and we're curious about who your friends are because they are an important part of who you are. You've already told Facebook all of that information, so why should you have to tell us too?
So what's the advantage for you? Now that we know a little more about you, we can make your future experiences quicker and easier. We really won't need to ask you to fill out an application form when we begin offering financial products. We just need to ask you to confirm your identity at sign-up. How easy is that? This is just one example of the many ways we're working on making your banking and financial services experience easier.
What data are we taking from your Facebook profile?
The short answer to that question is "only data that you allow us to take." But I know that doesn't mean very much, so here's what we're really doing:
We are collecting the information available on your Facebook profile's "Info" screen that you have marked as Public. We are using information like your first and last name, current location, and profile picture to customize your Movenbank Dashboard.
We are looking at your list of friends, identifying which of them are also Movenbank Alpha Team members and are showing you each other's personality, but only if both of you both choose to share this information. This additional step is an opt-in feature and your personality will not be displayed unless you explicitly enable sharing on your Dashboard. Don't see your friends? Get them to turn on sharing… you both might be surprised what you see.
And here's what we are NOT doing:
We are NOT sharing any of your data with any external parties
We are NOT going to publish content to your Wall unless you click on a Share link from our site
We are NOT going to send a bunch of spam to your email address or to any of your friends
And that's all there is to it. Our goal is to get to know you as best we can through your online presence and we picked Facebook as a starting point for that relationship.
What information about me is going to be available to Facebook?
Movenbank is its own website with its own data storage facilities that are completely segregated from Facebook. The fact that we are using Facebook to support our registration and login functionality means we are using Facebook for only that.
As you work your way through our financial personality questionnaire, Movenbank will collect the answers you provide and store them in our own secure environment. We use your answers to determine your personality and then display that for you on your dashboard.
The data that you provide to us through this process is for Movenbank's use alone and will not be shared with Facebook or any other parties without your express permission. As your financial services partner we value your privacy and we want you to trust us just as we trust you – as we work together to reboot banking.
And that's about it.
We'd like to thank our Alpha Team members who have taken the time to ask us about Facebook and we look forward to continuing to work together to build you a great financial experience. As always, feel free to ask us if you have any questions, or leave a comment below.


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We know that Winter is upon us, but in a couple months, Spring will be right around the corner! At Brookfield Schools Haddon Heights Campus, our Horticulture Program will already be prepared to start growing herbs and vegetables.
Early this year, Brookfield Schools Haddon Heights Campus students constructed four raised beds to grow herbs and vegetables. They filled the raised beds with organic soil and prepared them for planting. Students from different classes selected and cultivated various plants, including tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, basil, cilantro and mint. The students watered and cared for the plants through the extended school year.
As the various plants ripened, the students and staff were able to prepare different food menus using the ingredients grown right here on campus for our Life Skills Kitchen. In the front of the school, the students planted dozens of sunflowers in the Summer, and in the Fall had planted dozens of daffodils that will sprout up in the Spring.
This coming year, the staff and students will be expanding the number of herbs and vegetables and hope to add a butterfly garden, too. The lessons learned about gardening will continue on with our students throughout their lives.


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Children's Mutual has no regrets on reaching milestone
Capita now manages one million child trust funds since it took over policy administration for financial services firm The Children's Mutual.
Capita now manages one million child trust funds since it took over policy administration for financial services firm The Children's Mutual.
Capita provides back-office services for The Children's Mutual after the outsourcing supplier took over the administration of funds, including IT and customer contact, in 2004.
The Child Trust Fund is a savings and investment account for children set up by Tony Blair's government. Children born on or after 01 September 2002 receive a £250 voucher to start their account. The fund has about four million funds in total today.
In 2005 The Children's Mutual realised that offering Child Trust Funds would increase the volume of business it managed. It decided the most efficient option was outsourcing.
Children's Mutual CEO David White said, "We knew if we got our positioning right we would get a big chunk of the market. The question was 'do we scale up our own technology or do we outsource?'"
He said he "swallowed hard" when he decided to outsource its administration of existing policies and Child Trust funds to Capita. "If I had to make the decision again I would do the same," he added.
The agreement signed almost exactly five years ago was projected to generate revenues to Capita of £430m over 20 years.
White said the introduction of the Child Trust Fund meant business volumes rose sharply. Before the firm became a provider it would on average add 40,000 new policies a year. But this year it will add 180,000. The company now manages about a quarter of all funds.
As part of the outsourcing contract, 200 Children's Mutual staff transferred to Capita. The firm kept a skeleton IT staff on to liaise between other departments and Capita.


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The Parks Health & Fitness is an innovative fitness facility located in Lake Shore are of New Orleans, Louisiana. Our goal is to make fitness a fun and inviting experience to all our members.
- Full-screen Cardio Theater
- Private Men's & Women's Sauna
- Private Massage Area
- Cardio Machines
- Workout Accessories
- Lounge Area w/ Flat Screen TV
- One-On-One Personal Training
- Small Group Training
- Private Locker Rooms
- Cycling Studio
- Exercise Classes
- Complimentary Towels


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Rebecca Gizelle Mery and Anthony John Smith Wedding
11 August 2012
Civil Celebrant Peter Mery specilaises in Personalised Services. Peter has been servicing the South East corner of Queensland, Australia (Brisbane and surrounding suburbs) for over 14 years.
Contact Peter Mery Civil Celebrant on (07) 3359 8309, mobile 0418 877 578 or email email@example.com.


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While we don't feel "Baby Guarantee" is ethical or appropriate as there is no way to truly guarantee success, we do offer a Shared Responsibility Guarantee.
We charge our agency fee only once and will work on your behalf until you achieve the desired outcome. If you are not successful on your first transfer, the cost of additional transfers are quite low and with our success rates, most couples are successful on their first or second transfer.
You are responsible for the actual costs relating to your journey but there are no mark-ups and as we only ever receive the one agency fee as compensation for our work; we are greatly motivated to keep your journey as short and successful as possible.
You will never receive a request for more money for our work unless you choose to have another surrogacy journey with us after you have already gone home with your first baby or babies.


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Our 2.5 acre property is best know for our display of statuary. Come see what's new.
Choose from concrete, stone, and bronze planters. Make a statement with our selection of planters.
We always have a large selection of salvage iron. From entryway gates to small decorative panels.
We have a large selection of fountains, each sold with pump and plumbing included.
American made choose from wood or vinyl. Create your perfect outdoor living space.
We flew a drone over our 2.5 acre property. You can see just how much patio furniture, statuary, fountains & planters, gazebos and more are all on display! The most outdoor decor in Stamford, CT.
New arrivals everyday. Come see what's new!
Get the most out of your new outdoor decor. Take advantage of our complementary design services.
To find out more, click the button below.
Copyright © 2018 United House Wrecking, Inc. - All Rights Reserved.
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Ryan Slinkard
Field Vice President Services
At Adaptive Insights, Ryan leads the services team responsible for implementation of the Adaptive Suite and ensuring fast time to value. He brings broad client engagement experience to his role, both from fundraising for Clemson University and from Accenture, where he spent eight years specialising in incentive compensation management. During his tenure, Ryan built a team that was responsible for systems integration, outsourcing, and business process solutions for Fortune 500 companies.
Most recently, Ryan was SVP of professional services at CallidusCloud, where he was responsible for delivery of customer engagements of Callidus' software solutions worldwide. He made his mark there developing strategic programmes and services to help meet customers' expanding business needs and tuning the full delivery life cycle to drive value realisation.
Ryan earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Clemson University in Clemson, SC.


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This course is for anyone with limited or no medical training who needs a course completion card in First Aid, CPR and AED use to meet job, regulatory or other requirements.
This is a well-rounded course for the layperson as well as the fitness instructor, teacher, and childcare professional. Adult, Child and Infant CPR/AED/FIRST AID, and Choking will be included.
You will also be learning how to deal with a wide variety of medical emergencies. These would include how to deal with heart attacks, diabetic emergencies, stroke, shock, trauma, environmental emergencies and more.You will know how to handle many difficult situations at your workplace, in public, or at home and you will complete all hands on skills sessions In Person.
The First Aid course video is emailed directly from the American Heart Association upon completion of your in person session. You may complete this online in the comfort of your home and/or workplace and at your leisure as this may be viewed in segments or all at once.
- First aid basics
- Medical emergencies
- Injury emergencies
- Environmental emergencies
- Adult-Child-Infant CPR/AED and FIRST AID
You will receive an American Heart Association certification e-card valid for two years which is included at no additional charge.Register Now